RTHK: US kills Al-Qaeda chief in Kabul drone strike President Joe Biden announced on Monday that the United States had killed Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in a drone strike in Kabul. In a sombre televised address, Biden said he gave the final go-ahead for the high-precision strike that successfully targeted Zawahiri in the Afghan capital over the weekend. "Justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more," Biden said, adding that he hoped Zawahiri's death would bring "closure" to families of the 3,000 people killed in the United States on 9/11. A senior administration official said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a house in Kabul when he was targeted with two Hellfire missiles, an hour after sunrise on July 31, and that there had been no US boots on the ground in Afghanistan. "We are not aware of him ever leaving the safe house. We identified Zawahiri on multiple occasions for sustained periods of time on the balcony of where he was ultimately struck," the official said. According to the official's account, the president gave his green light for the strike on July 25 as he was recovering in isolation from Covid-19. Biden said there were no civilian casualties in the operation. The US official called Zawahiri's presence in the Afghan capital Kabul a "clear violation" of a deal the Taliban had signed with the US in Doha in 2020 that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was the first known over-the-horizon strike by the United States on an Al-Qaeda target in Afghanistan since American forces withdrew from the country on August 31, 2021. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who grew up in a comfortable Cairo household before turning to violent radicalism, had been on the run for 20 years since the 9/11 attacks. He took over Al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011, and had a US$25 million bounty on his head. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Vietnamese universities partner with USAID for socio-economic development The United States, through US Agency for International Development (USAID), on Monday launched a five-year, $14.2 million partnership with three leading Vietnamese universities. The Partnership for Higher Education Reform, announced by Vice President Kamala Harris last year in Hanoi, will collaborate with universities, key government officials, and industry partners to strengthen higher education in Vietnam. Participants at the launching event US partner Indiana University will work with Vietnams three largest universities including the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh (VNU-HCM), Vietnam National University - Hanoi (VNU-HN), and the University of Danang (UD) to improve their academic quality, enhance institutional governance, and enable them to serve as models of modern higher education across Vietnam. The partnership will drive socio-economic development by benefitting more than 200,000 students and equip them to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market. Speaking at the event, US Ambassador Marc Knapper said that through this partnership, together, they would collectively improve the quality and market-relevance of higher education to drive lasting growth. The partnership will work to achieve three objectives for the universities: increase sustainability and autonomy; improve academic quality; and strengthen research and innovation capacity. Core activities will strengthen university governance and financial systems, provide faculty training in the design of state-of-the-art courses, facilitate research collaborations, expand research capacity, and develop guidelines and incentives for prosperous partnerships between universities and the private sector. The Partnership for Higher Education Reform is the product of an extensive consultation process between USAID and the three largest Vietnamese universities, with numerous relevant entities such as the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Indiana University, and the World Bank. Industry partners during implementation will include Purdue University, Amazon Web Services, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others. The partnership helps advance higher education reforms that were called for under Vietnams 2018 Revised Law on Higher Education. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Wildberries denies information about leakage of customer data 1 injured in explosion has been discharged, and four citizens are currently undergoing treatment Armenia Investigative Committee asks to hand over unused fireworks obtained from Surmalu market to police Iranian Foreign Ministry aims to expand regional transit routes Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia Eurozone GDP is up in second quarter Charles Michel expresses his condolences in connection with Surmalu explosion Israeli President welcomes Turkey's decision to restore diplomatic relations Turkey decides to restore diplomatic relations with Israel Five injured in explosion are being treated at medical centers NYT: Western countries want to give Russian diamonds bloody status Karabakh teen drowns in reservoir (PHOTOS) More than 50 people questioned in Yerevan shopping market explosion criminal case President: Armenia underscores development of mutually beneficial cooperation with Indonesia Azerbaijan ombudsperson is interested in convicted Armenian captives Kazakhstan President sends condolence message to Armenia PM Armenia has new consul general in Russias Rostov-on-Don No bombs found at Gyumri international airport, railway station 3 men who strangled Yerevan woman, 47, to death are arrested People continue bringing flowers, toys nearby tragic Yerevan explosion site Book of condolences opened at all Armenia diplomatic missions abroad Bomb threat made at Gyumri international airport, railway station Russian embassy upset by reports about Russia organizations participation in Yerevan market tragedy Armenia ex-deputy PM Avinyan visits Yerevan market blast site Yerevan market explosion: We have one missing person, Armenia official says Armenia Prosecutor Generals Office: No one is charged in Yerevan market blast case World oil prices going up Day of mourning declared in Armenia, Artsakh today and tomorrow Kazakhstan embassy offers condolences over Yerevan market explosion People laying flowers nearby Yerevan market blast site Newspaper: One person is charged in Yerevan market explosion case Newspaper: Armenia ruling party plans to make state institutions employees become party members Yerevan explosion: 2 people still being searched for Yerevan market explosion: 2 people still considered missing as of midnight (PHOTOS) Turkey launches airstrike on Aleppo countryside, 3 Syria soldiers dead Is Western unity over Ukraine about to crack? Which countries could survive nuclear war? Surmalu re-inspection scheduled for November In Lebanon, man who held hostages in bank released without charges TerraPower of Bill Gates raises $750 million for projects in nuclear energy and medicine China's 'Galaxy Fold clone' sold out in five minutes and became a bestseller Germany plans to postpone closure of its last three nuclear power plants Expert estimates environmental consequences of Yerevan explosion and gives advices Switzerland signs agreement with Uzbekistan to return $131 million seized from Gulnara Karimova Artsakh also declares mourning Norway can no longer supply Germany with more gas UN Secretary General to meet with Presidents of Ukraine and Turkey in Lviv Ministry of Emergency Situations: There were about 4 tons of flammable substances in Surmalu Russian Security Council says Kyiv threatens global nuclear security Content of toxic substances in air after explosion in Yerevan has increased sharply Scholz says Sweden and Finland's NATO accession process goes according to plan Macron and Zelenskiy discuss situation over Zaporozhye nuclear power plant Expert: Biden is not preparing Americans for what is to come Armenian Prosecutor General's Office: Representatives of management and employees of Surmalu will be interrogated Mourning declared in Armenia Latvia will not extend residence permits previously issued to Russian citizens NEWS.am BREAKING on Yerevan market explosion: 16 people killed First Lady of US contracts COVID-19 Aghvan Hovsepyan undergoes surgery Investigative Committee: More than 20 people questioned in case of Surmalu explosion in Yerevan Head of Armenian HM visits victims of explosion on territory of Surmalu in Yerevan Deputy PM of Singapore: US and China may slide into conflict Director of Surmalu shopping center is in heavy psychological state and does not comment Identity of another victim of Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan established Two Armenian startups advance to EWC Global Finals (PHOTOS) Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences in connection with Surmalu shopping mall explosion Russia announces supply of second S-400 regiment to Turkey Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia Republican Party of Armenia calls for naming leader of united opposition Yerevan market explosion death toll is 16 as of 3:30pm, Armenia emergency ministry says Putin calls Pelosi's trip to Taiwan gamble Russia embassy: Russian citizen considered missing in Yerevan market blast is alive and well Gazprom: European gas price will exceed $4,000 per thousand cubic meters in winter Yerevan subway operations resume Yerevan market explosion: 6 people still considered missing Former head of NSC: Bomb alerts have never been so systematic and periodic before Armenia truckers temporarily block Goris-Sisian motorway Georgia PM: Our thoughts and prayers are with families of those killed in Yerevan Yerevan market blast: 14 of 16 casualties identified, official says Georgia President: I stand with the people of Armenia Risks and crises associated with the nowadays challenges highlight the importance of cooperation between the Turkic states, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking at a press conference following a trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Transport of Turkey, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, Anadolu reports. According to him, against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, the role of the Middle Transport Corridor has increased, the use of which will contribute to the development of the states through whose territory it runs, and income from the transit of goods will increase. Within the framework of the Middle Transport Corridor, Turkey and Azerbaijan have implemented the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project. Given the fact that the bulk of trade operations in the world are carried out between Asia and Europe - about 1.5 trillion dollars a year, the growing importance of this corridor becomes obvious, the minister said. He explained that the cost of transporting goods and the security of supplies distinguish the Median Transport Corridor. The head of Turkish diplomacy drew attention to the successful cooperation with Azerbaijan, including in trilateral formats, with the participation of Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Georgia and other countries. Today's meeting made it possible to include Tashkent in the mechanisms of the trilateral dialogue, which makes an important contribution to the prosperity of the Turkic world. These platforms are an indicator of the achievements of the dialogue of the Turkic states. Relations between Ankara and Tashkent are in the nature of a large-scale strategic partnership, and the dialogue between Turkey and Azerbaijan is at the level of alliance, the minister said. Cavusoglu called Uzbekistan's entry into the Organization of Turkic States in 2019 a historic event. The Turkish minister focused on the growth of trade turnover with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. By the end of 2021, trade with Azerbaijan reached $5 billion, and with Uzbekistan - $3.6 billion. Ankara aims to further increase these figures to the $10 billion mark set by the leaders of our countries, he noted. According to him, Turkey aims to further develop ties with the Turkic states on the basis of mutual benefit and respect for interests. Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan will discuss Syria and Ukraine at a meeting in Sochi and "compare notes" on the effectiveness of the mechanism for the removal of grain from Ukrainian ports, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, RIA Novosti reported. "There will be a working visit of Turkish President Erdogan on Friday, the two presidents will hold talks in Sochi... The talks with the Turkish president will focus on bilateral cooperation. The negotiations will be devoted to the economy, discussion of regional problems, Syria, Ukraine, a good opportunity to "synchronize our watches" regarding the efficiency of this mechanism of grain export from Ukrainian ports, to see how effectively it works, and exchange views on world affairs. The agenda, we see, is very intense," Peskov told reporters. The United States is choosing the path of confrontation with China, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the situation with Taiwan, RIA Novosti reports. instead of respecting this sensitivity, unfortunately, the United States is choosing the path of such a confrontation. It doesn't bode well. One can only express regret here, Peskov added. According to him, the situation with the tour of the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her possible visit to Taiwan is a provocation that leads to an increase in tension in the region. Now we probably cannot say for certain whether it will reach there or not. But the fact that everything connected with this tour and a possible visit to Taiwan, of course, is purely provocative. This provokes a situation in the region ... leads to an increase in tension, Peskov told reporters. He noted that all countries of the world record this. Peskov also added that Russia is in solidarity with China. The U.S. is playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan and becoming the enemy of 1.4 billion Chinese, which is unlikely to end well, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He said that the one-China principle is the universal consensus of the international community, the political basis for China's exchanges with other countries, the core of China's core interests, and the red line. Wang Yi pointed out that some politicians in the U.S. are challenging China's sovereignty on the Taiwan issue by violating the one-China policy and even deliberately causing problems in the Taiwan Strait. During his visit, he said, the leaders of all countries made it clear that they firmly adhere to the one-China policy, consider Taiwan an integral part of China's territory and oppose outside interference in China's internal affairs. Wang Yi highlighted that the treachery of the U.S. side in the Taiwan issue is regrettable and can only further undermine confidence in the United States. "Some politicians in the United States are only looking out for their own interests, openly playing with fire on the Taiwan issue and becoming enemies of the 1.4 billion Chinese...Exposing the intimidating face of the United States to the world can only make it clear to people of all countries that the United States is the biggest destroyer of the world today," he said. This guy (Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan - ed.) seems to have a special attitude toward the word "traitor," which is why he reacts this way, the chairman of the Armenian National Committee -Netherlands Masis Abrahamyan, who is banned from entering Armenia, told NEWS.am on August 2. Abrahamyan assured that the protesters did not commit any violent actions during the protest against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to the Netherlands, which could have been grounds for banning him from entering Armenia. According to him, if this had happened, the issue "should have been solved not by the corrupt police of Nicola, but by the strict police of the Netherlands." "The Dutch police would not allow any illegal actions. If we tried to throw something at the car, the police would interfere with our actions. It is ruled out that anything illegal could have been committed during this action, because the police were a 'watershed' between us and Pashinyan's motorcade, and we could only express our protest by shouting," Abrahamyan said. He noted that he had issued a power of attorney to his lawyer Ruben Melikyan to have his complaint accepted today or tomorrow. "My daughter Syune, who was also banned from entering Armenia, participated in a protest organized during Nikol Pashinian's visit. She held an action inside the hotel, shouting "Nikol is a traitor." At that time Pashinyan's security guards immediately escorted them out in a very rude manner, but no violence was used," said the chairman of ANC-Netherlands. Abrahamyan is now at the airport in Warsaw, in a few hours he will arrive in the Netherlands. The European Union has approved the transfer of EUR 14.2 million in the form of a grant to the Republic of Armenia within the framework of the Support to Armenia's Justice Sector Reforms and"Armenia's COVID-19 Confrontation Agreement budget support programs. The press and information department of the EU delegation in Armenia informs that the decision to approve the transfer was made taking into account the positive results of the assessment of progress in the selected sectoral directions, macroeconomic stability, the transparency of state finance management and the state budget. This allocation is the result of successful cooperation between the European Union and the Government of Armenia and reflects the Government's commitment to recovery from the consequences of the pandemic and the implementation of the GCC Agreement, said Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia. The Armenian government highly values the effective partnership with the European Union aimed at increasing Armenia's economic resilience and implementing the main reforms stipulated in the Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law in the country, said Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. From the tactical point of view, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are trying to make border adjustments and establish positions on the border between the territories of the former NKAO and the territories taken under their control, the former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan told NEWS.am. According to him, Azerbaijanis want to bring Artsakh into a deeper and more comprehensive encirclement. "The further Artsakh's enclave situation worsens, the easier it will be for Turkey and Azerbaijan to exert pressure and realize their long-term goals, which are to expel Armenians from Artsakh, to put pressure on the people of Artsakh. And the strategic goal is to continue to put pressure on Armenia, to squeeze it even harder and open the roads through it, or as they call it to unblock the roads through Syunik. This will result in us also being under economic and geographic pressure. Besides, there will be attempts to change the demographic picture in Syunik and other parts of Armenia," he said. Ohanyan expressed confidence that this is the result of Armenia-Russia, Armenia-Artsakh and Russian Defense Army-Artsakh peacekeepers cooperation not being on the same level as it should be. If Azerbaijan goes for such provocations, then it is so. "Otherwise, the strategic points and heights that need to be occupied to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh would have been clarified. Despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, the Defense Army has better information about the geographical peculiarities of Artsakh and should have taken all steps to ensure that all important heights were occupied and not under pressure from Azerbaijan. Armenia and Artsakh, on the basis of mutual cooperation, should have strengthened the Armenian Armed Forces, supported the Artsakh Defense Army to restore combat readiness, drawn the borders of Armenia in our interests, and organized defense. Obviously, the Armenian authorities didn't think about all that. They don't realize that they have to work hard day and night on these directions, whereas their aim is just to inflate the number of police forces to keep their seats. This is unacceptable," said the head of the faction. On August 1, starting from 09:00 in some areas of the northern and north-western border zone of the Republic of Artsakh the Azerbaijani units made an attempt to cross the line of contact and were stopped by the Defense Army. As a result of the provocations by the Azerbaijani units a serviceman of the Army of Artsakh Albert Bakhshyan was wounded. Detailed information about the incident was provided to the command of Russian peacekeeping forces. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who arrived on a visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, issued a written statement in which she expressed confidence that her trip in no way contradicts the official policy of the US leadership regarding the island. Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo," she noted. According to a senior US official, her trip to the island is a testament to the United States' unwavering support for Taiwan's vibrant democracy. As long as the strategic situation is fragile, there is always a risk of war, Seyran Ohanyan, Secretary of the parliamentary faction Armenia, former Minister of Defense of the country, told NEWS.am. According to him, if minor provocations in the region are assessed in the context of global processes, within the CSTO, in connection with our strategic ally, a large-scale war may erupt at any moment. He called the policy pursued by the current Armenian authorities and the illusions of so-called peace on the part of Azerbaijan and Turkey false. "Experience shows that peace is not begged for. National and international guarantees are prepared for a decent peace. For today's authorities, peace is a guarantee, whereas peace is the result of a process. National guarantees are related to domestic unity, economy and demography, and international guarantees are related to foreign policy, the right policy based on the right strategy and tactics, which within the framework of a calibrated partnership and allied cooperation can influence the enemy not to use force," Ohanyan said. On all these fronts, the current authorities have done nothing since 2018 or since the 44-day war. What's more, they have destroyed the pre-existing structures. "The problems in the region are obvious, threats from neighbors are looming very quickly over Armenia, and the authorities are busy promoting a false peace agenda, domestic problems, and the head of the government is on vacation. The authorities are not aware of the priorities and problems that are looming over the Armenian people and are not making decisions commensurate with the military and political situation. When was the last time you saw high-ranking officials (Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, MPs and others) in combat positions and Artsakh? They have washed their hands of Artsakh and, surrendering everything, follow the way of "peace," the former minister highlighted. He is sure that nobody from outside will dig trenches and strengthen the defense for Armenians. So if we do not fortify ourselves, no one will help us. Another thing is that the help of a strategic ally is needed in any case in terms of regional security within the framework of relations with Turkey. "If there are no conscripts on the line of contact between the Defense Army of Artsakh and the Azerbaijani forces, the number of contract servicemen must be swiftly increased. The authorities must have promised Aliyev that the Defense Army will be withdrawn from Artsakh. That means surrendering the people of Artsakh, who live on their historical territory, to the enemy. If the Defense Army cannot fully perform its functions, there will be no Armenians left in Artsakh," Ohanyan added. The Armenian authorities, according to his conviction, do not realize the catastrophe to which they have led Armenia and the Armenian people. "But they are trying to divert attention by claiming that they are allegedly providing Artsakh with unprecedented amounts of social and economic assistance. Have the people of Artsakh faced such difficulties in the past, including security, economy, and demography? The authorities will bear responsibility for all that. The actions of the current authorities show that they are not aware of the decision-making procedures, because they are illiterate, or there is intent in their inaction. We are inclined towards the latter," Ohanyan said. Ohanyan also stressed the importance of information provision as an important component of military actions in order to avoid panic in the society. "When the authorities do not provide relevant information, the society itself starts spreading information or rumors. The authorities themselves must provide truthful and timely information and dispel the concerns of the population. I once ordered that information be given in a clear and timely manner. Information warfare is very important especially at the initial stage of military operations," said the former head of the Armenian Defense Ministry. China will respond to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan by taking all necessary measures to protect state sovereignty, with Washington and Taipei responsible for all consequences, China's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. "China will take all necessary measures to vigorously protect state sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the US House Speaker's visit to Taiwan. The US and separatist forces advocating Taiwan's independence will be responsible for all consequences," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. Pelosi arrived Tuesday night at Taipei's Songshan Airport, her visit the first by a speaker of the US House of Representatives since 1997. The US administration, which was warned by the Chinese president that playing with fire risks getting burned, assured Beijing of an unwavering commitment to a one-China policy, but distanced itself from the visit, saying that the speaker makes her own decisions. The United States believes that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan does not mark a violation of China's sovereignty, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Tuesday. The visit is not a violation of either any sovereignty issues or America's longstanding "one-China policy", Kirby said on CNN, commenting on Pelosi's trip to the island despite protests from official Beijing. The White House spokesman drew attention to the tension that had accompanied the rhetoric on the part of Chinese authorities in the run-up to Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. In this regard, Kirby said that the U.S. will not allow itself to be intimidated. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said after Pelosi's arrival that the United States "is not going to be intimidated" by threats or bellicose rhetoric from China. Kirby said the visit is not a violation of either any sovereignty issues or America's longstanding "one-China policy." The US administration official also commented on the information that appeared in the media that the Chinese army had sent fighter jets to the Taiwan Strait. Kirby said he could not confirm the veracity of this information, but would not be surprised by such a development. Azerbaijan's latest actions are a prelude to a planned war. The first commander of the NKR Self-Defense Army, military commander Arkady Karapetyan (Ago) told NEWS.am today. "Azerbaijan is not trying to escalate the situation, Azerbaijan is preparing for the battle. It is clearly fulfilling its plan, the war is inevitable. Their ultimate goal is to destroy Armenia and the Armenian people. Azerbaijan is saying that Yerevan is mine, but people calm themselves with the fact that through provocations Azerbaijan only wants a corridor. We won't be able to implement our plans until this nation unites and becomes a force. We don't even know what we want, because we have no ideology. The fact that conscripts from Armenia will no longer go to Artsakh means that Artsakh is left alone. The authorities of the Republic of Armenia have washed their hands of Artsakh. Everything is very clear, no matter what they say. The last session of our first republic started like this: we could have given Karabakh weapons and ammunition, but we didn't. Even now little has changed, everything is repeated," Karapetyan noted. According to Arkady Karapetyan, our Armed Forces are not in the best condition today, but the problem can be solved in a few days. "It is necessary to bring the army to such a state that we can bypass everyone. I think the most difficult thing for us is the moral and psychological condition of the army. We have no spine now. You have to serve in the army like churches serve in the army. You don't have to work in the army, you have to serve, because you get joy from serving, and the efficiency increases a thousandfold," Arkady Karapetyan said. According to Arkady Karapetyan, now it is impossible to imagine what may happen when Russian peacekeepers leave Artsakh, because the situation in the world is arranged in such a way that it is impossible even to predict what will happen in half an hour. "We need to talk about what will happen tomorrow. I am optimistic because our people have a sense of Sardarapat. We're dealing with a lot of issues. We feel like we're not important to the world, which is why we're in this situation. And in fact, we are very important. We have always accomplished what we have accomplished on our own. God shows us everything, we just have to see. Our program must be changed, it is obvious that our potential and possibilities are very great," said Arkady Karapetyan. Referring to a statement by Arsen Torosyan, a member of the Civil Accord faction, that death has been preached to us for decades, Karapetyan noted that the world also needs to be protected. "Whoever says that, let him live peacefully, fat and fortunate in America. Who preaches death, there is no such thing. If there was such a thing, we just wouldn't exist. The world doesn't want peace, there are nations that openly say Armenia should be destroyed, such as the Republic of Pakistan. Well, let's tell Pakistan that we are your brother. Will it accept us? It's ridiculous if we say we want war in this situation, but you have to be prepared to defend your peace and yourselves. Death is not to blame here either. If you can't defend yourself, you have to die. The incessant talk about the age of peace, preparation is an excuse for the weak to do nothing. Life is very simple and cruel. Nothing has changed in the world and in human relations. No organism can survive long in a state of anxiety," Karapetyan noted. Against the background of the aggravation on the line of contact between Azerbaijan and Artsakh it is very important to monitor the statements and actions of external forces, such as those of the US and Britain. On Monday, starting from 09:00 a.m., in some parts of the northern and north-western border zone of the Republic of Artsakh Azerbaijani units made provocative attempts to cross the line of contact, which were interrupted by the Defense Army forces. As a result of the provocations by the Azerbaijani units a serviceman of the Army of Artsakh Albert Bakhshyan was wounded. Detailed information about the incident was provided to the command of Russian peacekeeping forces. The day before, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan James Sharp visited the Baku-controlled territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and then wrote the following on his Twitter page: "We continue to work together to bring peace to the region. The UK and Azerbaijan are working together to increase cooperation and reduce risk. The amount of support we provide for demining in this region has already exceeded one million pounds sterling." And after the stabilization of the situation on the line of contact it was reported about the telephone conversation of the US Under Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfrid with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers the day before. Today, however, U.S. embassies again commented on the contents of the telephone conversation. " US Undersecretary of State Donfried had a telephone conversation yesterday with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov. They discussed the historic opportunity presented to Armenia and Azerbaijan to bring peace to the region. The Undersecretary of State reiterated the US offer to help open up regional transportation and communication routes. She urged the sides to ease border tensions and encourage continued dialogue," the US Embassy in Yerevan said in a statement. The US Embassy in Baku disseminated a similar message. "Based on all this, it becomes obvious that the main problem is not in Artsakh, but in Syunik. All the statements boil down to unblocking these routes, especially as Armenia did not refuse to provide a road from Nakhijevan (in fact, from Turkey) to Azerbaijan and further to Central Asia," political analyst Stepan Danielyan told NEWS.am. The expert believes that foreign powers want territory not under Armenia's control, and, more precisely, they want to occupy a part of Armenia. Iran's statements that it will not allow closing the border with Armenia are interesting in this context. It is no coincidence that these statements were made. That is why, according to Danielyan, the problem is in Syunik, while Artsakh is a territory where provocations are carried out in order to force Armenia to open a corridor. All this fits into the West's scenario, which is to create a Turkic world against Iran and Russia. "The West, speaking about unblocking communications, definitely did not mean the direction between Russia and Iran (North-South), but the direction between Nakhijevan and Azerbaijan. This is exactly the fight being waged. Everything is aimed at pushing Russia out of the South Caucasus region and launching the Turkic world project, which has geopolitical significance. Turkey has strengthened in Azerbaijan and is now strengthening in Central Asia, but this must materialize into open communication. In the case of Russia's withdrawal from the South Caucasus and the strengthening of the West in Azerbaijan, the eyes will be cast inside Russia, on the Turkic-speaking population. Turkey and Azerbaijan are already engaged in serious information work in this direction. Azerbaijan is obviously taking other steps against Russia, including in the form of arms deliveries to the Ukrainian side. Aliyev, in fact, has adopted Erdogan's tactics and is playing on the edge of the possible, aggravating the situation to achieve his goals," the expert noted. The aggravation of the situation on the eve of the meeting between Putin and Erdogan is related to the desire to put on the table the issue of possible concessions on the part of Russia in the issue of the so-called "Zangezur corridor". Danielyan reminded that Iran considers this "red line" and is ready for military action if necessary. Under these conditions, the West's constant statements provoke a war against Iran and Russia. "And hostilities will be fought on our territory. That is, aggression against Armenia is encouraged under the sauce of 'peace,'" he said. The political analyst said that Britain has invested over $100bn into Azerbaijan and opened over 1000 offices, which are also engaged in intelligence activities. There may be such offices in Armenia, too. "In addition, serious Israeli centers are being created, which are engaged in intelligence activities in Iran. According to some information the Azerbaijanis are preparing an uprising in the north of Iran and the large-scale detentions by the Iranian authorities are connected with this. Iran realizes that all this is directed against it, and if it yields in the South Caucasus and Turkey strengthens there, it will become a serious threat to it. The situation is complex and unpredictable. There are serious forces that want a much more serious war than in Ukraine, which will involve Russia, Turkey, Iran, possibly Israel and the leading Western countries," the expert said. China has no intention of exerting its influence over its Asian neighbor and condemning the Myanmar junta for the recent executions of four political prisoners who were arrested during the military coup in early 2021 and convicted of terror acts in a closed-door trial, asserted June Teufel Dreyer, a professor of political science in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences and a Far East specialist. China has long been the friend, and often the only friend, of the Myanmar military, noted Dreyer. The two countries share a common preference for authoritarian leadership, and hence China will oppose the democrats rather than support them. The United States and other nations around the world condemned the executions, the first in decades in Myanmar, as reprehensible acts of violence and urged China to pressure the junta to end the sentences. Yet Dreyer pointed out that the Myanmar junta has rewarded China with contracts for infrastructure projects like dams, railroads, and upgraded port facilities, and that the country, formerly known as Burma, exports rare earth metals to China. Though local people have often raised objections, the Chinese companies have paid little attention to the environmental deterioration caused by the mining practices, and, apart from occasional demonstrations, the Myanmarese can do little to halt the operations, Dreyer explained. The military will quell the demonstrations; and nearly always, the construction and destruction continue, she said. From 1962 to 2012, Myanmar was among the most censored countries on the planet. A fledgling democracy was reinstated for a few years, then in February 2021 the military seized power again. According to the UN Rapporteur, some 140 people have received death sentences in Myanmar and international observers are concerned that more executions are forthcoming. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that the junta has killed some 2,100 civilians and arrested 14,800 others since it took power in the February 2021 coup. Democracy in the region is represented by Aung San Su Chi, whom the military leaders have managed to neutralize on several occasions, Dreyer said. Even when briefly in power, she could do little to stop the massacre of the Rohingya minority [Muslims, being persecuted by the Buddhist majority]. The shadow of China, considered to be the largest autocracy in the world, looms especially large in Southeast Asia. Laos and Cambodia are also firmly under Chinese control, and relations with Thailand are good as well, according to Dreyer. Relations with Vietnam remain prickly, as they have been throughout history, yet other than with this country, the land countries of Southeast Asia are firmly under Chinese control. Democracy and related freedoms are under siege across the globe. A Freedom in the World 2021 report documented that global freedom declined for the 15th consecutive year. Gregory Koger, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, noted that scholars studying the causes of the global decline of democratic governance have identified a range of factors that include the backlash expansion of globalized trade and culture, declining trust in political elites following the Great Recession of 2008-2010, the global pandemic, and the role of social media in promoting disinformation and increasing social tensions. Democratic citizens and leaders need a greater appreciation of the threat of authoritarianism, both as an internal threat and as hostile regimes around the globe, Koger said. They need to pass laws and reinforce norms to protect their democratic systems and to collaborate with democratic regimes abroad while reducing their economic dependence on authoritarian regimes. China shares its southeastern border with Myanmar and considers the country in its backyard, according to Dreyer. An unstable Myanmar is Chinas major concern in terms of its own security, and supporting the junta seems to be the best way to ensure that stability, she noted. In Myanmar, the juntas overriding concern is simply maintaining its power, said Dreyer, formerly the senior Far East specialist at the Library of Congress. To the extent it can create prosperity, thats good for stability, Dreyer asserted. But one suspects that most of the prosperity ends up with the junta and its associated partners, not with the poorer people. Stillwater Reduces chapter participates in Plastic-Free July Media Contact: Kristeena Blaser | Office of Sustainability | 405-744-4728 | kristeena.blaser@okstate.edu Oklahoma State University has just finished celebrating Plastic-Free July, a month long opportunity to learn about the dangers of plastics while reducing environmental impact. One group in Stillwater Stillwater Reduces is committed to continuing the mission of Plastic-Free July year-round. Stillwater Reduces started when an OSU student became inspired by a similar movement in Canada. Canada Reduces works to reduce waste on personal and business levels. When the student read about Canada Reduces ability to transition from a plastic-focused country to a more circular one, Stillwater Reduces was born. Stillwater Reduces began holding meetings in February 2022. Since then, they have developed a plan for their group that they share through their new social media presence. Similar to Canada Reduces, Stillwater Reduces encourages shoppers and business owners to use less single-use plastic through education and a competitive sticker program. Similar groups around the world give stickers so participating businesses can inform customers that their business is bring-your-own-friendly or BYO-friendly. This means that customers can comfortably use their own cup, container or bag to purchase goods instead of a single-use cup, to-go box or plastic bag. These groups exist to address a growing issue: consumer-based plastic pollution. Americans throw away 50 billion coffee cups annually. Its likely this number is so high because only 0.25% of these cups can be recycled. Many of the plastic materials used to make these cups pollute our bodies and compost bins with microplastics. Stillwater Reduces works to reduce all types of single-use disposables rather than only single-use cups. Now that they have set their goals, Stillwater Reduces is working on expanding its network of participating businesses and sharing stickers. In the meantime, they are ready to bring their BYO mission to campus. Not only does Stillwater Reduces work to reduce plastic waste, but they are also trying to reshape sustainable education. For example, those who oppose a BYO mission say having employees touch and use items like a customers personal cup is not sanitary. However, basic cleaning practices make reusables a safe alternative to disposables; they can even be described as pandemic-proof. If you are interested in joining Stillwater Reduces-OSU Chapter, want to recommend a business for them to work with or have questions, visit the OSU Office of Sustainability booth during OSUs upcoming Welcome Week activities. Feel free to also reach out on Instagram @stillwater.reduces or to Gabby Barber at gabhriel.barber@okstate.edu. Story By: Gabby Barber | gabhriel.barber@okstate.edu Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 2 (ANI/NewsVoir): Life and life expectancy have always been termed as unpredictable but thanks to science and rigorous perseverance of healthcare experts, lot of awareness has been created around it. We have recently seen how even young, fit celebrities succumbed to death due to heart problems. One such issue that demanded instant attention was Atrial Fibrillation: an irregular heart rhythm that affects the upper chambers of the heart. Eternal Hospital who have always been first in adoption of new technology and who have earlier because of their TAVR services have been able to help many patients, are also making a mark in treating AF. In this era of Modern technology, Eternal Hospital is paving towards the ultimate aim of bringing world class healthcare technologies in India and becomes one of the 1st in western India to introduce CryoTherapy. Dr Jitendra Singh Makkar Director & HOD Cardiology Eternal Hospital said, "Regular examination and checkups is a way to keep the situation in check. Causes of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) include reversible and chronic causes including one's lifestyle choices. So it is important to be aware and cautious to avoid AF." It is crucial that people must be aware about what Atrial Fibrillation actually is Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heart rhythm that affects the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. This arrhythmia prevents blood from being pumped efficiently to the rest of the body. Prevalence: AF is common: Current estimates reveal that more than 33 million individuals worldwide have AF. In the United States alone, it is estimated that between 3 and 5 million people have AF, and that by 2050 this number will exceed 8 million. IHRS - AF Registry was conducted to capture epidemiological data type of AF. Clinical presentation and comorbidities and current treatment practices and 1-year follow-up. Dr. Kush Kumar Bhagat Associate Director - Electrophysiology Eternal Hospital after study concluded that AF Patients are younger and RHD is still the most frequent etiology. Almost two-third of the patients have persistent/permanent AF. At one year follow up, there is a significant mortality and morbidity in AF patients in India. AF is an important arrhythmia for many reasons: 1. AF increases risk of stroke by an average of 5-fold. AF-related strokes are more severe than those not related to AF. 2. AF increases mortality and has been linked to an increased risk of sudden death. 3. AF increases the risk of Heart Failure. 4. Recent studies have linked AF with the development of dementia. 5. Finally, AF causes a wide variety of symptoms, including fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, and significantly impairs quality of life (QOL). Symptoms of AF: When its symptomatic these are the manifestations: 1. Irregular heartbeat which is rapid and fluttering in nature 2. Fatigue, shortness of breath and weakness 3. Chest discomfort or pain 4. Dizziness Risk Factors: High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Heart disease, Smoking, Excess weight, Caffeine, Alcohol abuse Lack of physical activity, Sleep apnea, Family history, Advancing age and Heart disorder Treatment Goal: 1. Reduce AF symptoms and improve quality of life 2. Prevent blood clots to decrease the risk of stroke 3. Control the heart rate to allow the ventricles enough time to fill with blood 4. Reset the heart rhythm to allow the atria and ventricles to work together more efficiently What Treatment and why Now Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) and Cryoballoon Ablation are two modalities to treat AF. There are several reasons your doctor may be recommending ablation: Patients with AF have better results when treated with ablation earlier. AF is a progressive disease and if left untreated will continue to get worse. Some patients who receive ablation therapy have a lower rate of AF disease progression compared to treatment with medications alone. Cryoballoon Ablation is the need of the hour due to following reasons: Cryoballoon ablation is a safe and effective alternative after medication to control your AF. It's a minimally invasive procedure, with a short recovery time, that may make a big difference in the way you feel. Cryoballoon ablation has many benefits when compared to radiofrequency ablation: Shorter procedures (typically 90 minutes) Fewer patients needing repeat ablations Fewer patients needing to be rehospitalized after ablation The goal of the cryoballoon ablation procedure is to stop unwanted electrical signals in the pulmonary veins that cause the majority of irregular heart rhythms. This procedure is performed by an Electrophysiologist (EP) who specializes in the treatment of irregular heart rhythms. It is an inflatable balloon that uses cold energy to remove heat from the tissue and disable unwanted electrical signals by creating a circle of scar tissue (also known as a lesion) around the pulmonary veins. A very important concern is regarding the safety and experts say, Cryoballoon ablation is generally considered to be a safe and effective treatment for AF when medication isn't sufficient. It is a minimally invasive procedure, meaning there is no need to open the chest or make large incisions. The most common problem is local irritation or bleeding at the site of the incision. The risk of more serious complications is small, Effectiveness of ablation has been a recurring question and the team at EHCC answer the same saying, Cardiac ablation has been shown to effectively treat AF, improving symptoms and quality of life for many patients. Generally, after medication, the earlier your AF is treated with ablation, the more successful it may be. Of course, every patient's experience is different. Sometimes after the procedure you will continue to have AF episodes and may need a repeat procedure. It's also possible that you may need to continue with some type of medication. When to opt for the procedure is important to know. Atrial fibrillation can be a serious medical condition that should be treated no matter what level of symptoms you experience. Without effective treatment, AF may lead to a stroke, heart failure, or other health complications. If your AF does not improve after the use of medication, speak to your doctor about whether or not an ablation is the next step for you. Connect to doctor: www.eternalhospital.com/atrial-fibrillation/index.html. 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], August 2 (ANI/SRV): ASBM University's School of Law is inviting aspiring law professionals for its BA LLB (Hons.) and BBA LLB (Hons.) programs which are approved by the Bar Council of India. With 15+ years of experience in education, the reputed institute has cemented itself as a centre for excellence in developing and nurturing industry professionals and leaders on a national and international level. The University employs a value-based universal education approach to aid students to harness their knowledge for the welfare of society. The programs by the School of Law offer the perfect blend of in-depth analysis coupled with practical, experiential learning through guest lectures from eminent personalities in the field of law, Moot Court exercises and extensive internship opportunities. The BBA LLB (Hons) and BA LLB (Hons) five-year full-time integrated programs provide ample scope for the students to develop an analytical mindset with the interrelationship between management, humanities and law. Further, the programs equip students with a strong foundation, both in core and law subjects thereby helping them gain relevant industry knowledge to understand the dynamics of the practical application of law in the real world. The ASBM Law School functions under the guidance of the Advisory Council of the University with the Chairmanship of Justice Ananga Kumar Patnaik, former Judge, Supreme Court of India. Prof (Dr) Faizaan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad is the mentor of this Integrated Law Programme. The vision of the ASBM School of Law is to produce students with legal draftsmanship and legal expertise fit for the bench and bar to inculcate amongst them a spirit for helping those who are in need of justice. The 5-year integrated course in BBA LLB (Hons.) and BA LLB (Hons.) will open a wide area of scope for career growth in judicial service. Post graduation, students can pursue careers in -- Civil service, law firms, corporate houses, banks, consultancy, and many more. Designed on the CBCS pattern with a plethora of electives on offer, students can also avail numerous internship opportunities with industry leaders. Spread over twenty weeks throughout the course of the program, students intern for four weeks every year in a forum where the law is practised either in action, in dispute resolution, or in management; to relate their classroom learning with the ground realities. This further assists students in planning their future professional careers. The BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) programs require students to have graduated from any stream with a minimum of 45 per cent marks by any recognised board of education in India, and candidates appearing for their final year +2 examination can also apply. Further, students are also required to have appeared for national-level qualifying tests such as CLAT/AILET/XLET or ASBMUEE-LAW. Further, ASBM University-hosted law entrance examination is scheduled for August 7, 2022 and interested candidates can head on to - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemtiH1stf90e_yx6cpFhgkoZ5L8xjOUnTbaODltheuvtizMg/viewform - for additional information. To know more, visit - https://www.asbm.ac.in/school-of-law/ This story is provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV) Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], August 2 (ANI/NewsVoir): ACES India Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Company (ACES), celebrates the completion of the successful Mobile infrastructure assets and operations takeover for Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), honoured as the Best Regional Airport in India and South Asia at the 2022 Skytrax Awards. An agreement was first signed between ACES and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), operator of BLR Airport, in February 2022 for providing Mobile Infrastructure Services for a period of 10 years. ACES have successfully transitioned all Mobile Infrastructure services within 100 days and are on track for providing the best mobile coverage and enhanced internet speeds to all BLR Airport passengers and visitors for the coming 10 years. On July 28, 2022, BIAL and ACES Management teams celebrated ACES' achievement at BLR Airport for completing the successful takeover of providing Mobile Infrastructure Services for all passengers and airport community workforce and visitors. BIAL has valued and appreciated ACES' achievement of smooth transitioning and full takeover of Mobile Infrastructure Services which was challenging. ACES management confirms its commitment towards BIAL for providing modern infrastructure, better mobile services, improved coverage and enhanced user experience. ACES is one of the leading International Neutral Digital Infrastructure Companies and ACES India Private Limited is its subsidiary with its presence in the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe. Several important projects like Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), the Holy Mosque Expansion in Makkah, the Riyadh Metro Public Transport Project, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, MASAR and many more. (www.aces-co.com) Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) began operations in May 2008 and plays a key role in driving the economy of the region-offering connectivity to key destinations in India and across the globe. It is currently the busiest airport in South India and the third in the Country, having welcomed 33.65 million passengers in CY 2019. The Airport won the Best Airport Staff in India and Central Asia at the 2021 Skytrax Awards. It's the only Airport in the world to win the ACI-ASQ awards for three consecutive years. (www.bengaluruairport.com). 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], August 2 (ANI/NewsVoir): Kundan Gold Refinery has announced that it has been awarded the 'Leading Bullion Refiner of the Year' at a gala ceremony organised by the India Gold Conference (IGC). The glittering awards dinner was held at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai. The success is yet another milestone in the company's drive to be recognised as the leading player in the processing of precious metal commodities. Showcasing the best of innovative approaches by various players, the awards were designed to recognise companies, teams and individuals which the jury members deemed to have demonstrated innovation and excellence for the current year. The ceremony was attended by leading bullion industry representatives. Speaking upon receiving the award, Vidit Garg, Director, Kundan Group, said, "It is an honour to be recognised at such a prestigious platform. It is a testament to the hard work and the dedication of all the Kundan's team members that have put in throughout the year. The award not only motivates us to maintain the highest quality standards, but also to perform better every year. It feels great to see our efforts and hard work appreciated by the entire bullion fraternity." In a record of sorts, this is also the sixth consecutive year that Kundan Gold Refinery has been honoured as the leading bullion refiner of the year. The group's main objective has always been to provide quality to the end consumer and be honest to all the commitments towards them. Kundan's customers not only believe in excellence in refining of the precious metal, but also the continuous strive towards innovation and adaptation of the latest refining technologies available. The India Gold Conference is organised by Eventell Global Advisory Private Limited and brings the leading leaders of bullion (gold, silver, platinum and palladium) supply chain under one roof. IGC recognises the most innovative approaches adopted by any organisation of the industry. As a neutral industry platform, leaders of bullion industry meet at IGC every year to discuss and deliberate the future and changing face of this industry. In addition to that, IGC also strives to present the latest offering in refining and minting technologies, fintech opportunities, technology opportunities etc. Kundan has grown into one of the nation's leading manufacturing and exporting companies of the 21st Century with a turnover of 2 billion USD. In recognition of the company's multi-business portfolio that encompasses a wide range of businesses - from gold, precious metals, gold refinery, Digital gold, cosmetics to chemicals, agro commodities, polymers, petro product and the import of bullion and energy sector has added to its versatile dynamism. Kundan has been awarded by the Government of India as a recognized 'Four Star Export House', a nominated agency, also ISO 9001-2008 certified. Kundan Gold Refinery is the most treasured business unit of the "Kundan Group". For the last 20 years, the group has marked its presence in precious metals and is one of the largest gold and silver refineries in India. It is equipped with breakthrough technologies, trend-setting labs and highest quality standards. Kundan Gold refinery is acknowledged as a major importer of Gold and Silver and is well known as the largest private gold refinery in India. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) The government informed Parliament on Tuesday that Rs 9.98 lakh crore of loans were sanctioned to 16.67 crore loan accounts under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana in three years from 2015 to 2018. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad said the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) helped in generation of 1.12 crore net additional employment during a period of approximately 3 years (from 2015 to 2018). The minister said the employment generation figure is based on a sample survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. As per findings of this survey, the minister stated, on an overall basis, loans under Shishu category accounted for 66 per cent of additional employment generated by establishments owned by MUDRA beneficiaries followed by Kishore (19 per cent) and Tarun (15 per cent) categories. Further, as on 1 July 2022, more than 7.66 crore loans amounting to Rs 6.12 lakh crore have been extended to New Entrepreneurs/Accounts under PMMY, since inception of the Scheme. However, data on employment opportunities created under the PMMY Scheme is not centrally maintained, the minister said. As per the extant guidelines, any individual who is otherwise eligible to take loan and has a business plan for non-farm income generating activities in sectors such as manufacturing, trading, services and activities allied to agriculture and whose credit need is up to Rs 10 lakh is eligible to avail credit under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). The minister stated that loans under the scheme are extended across three categories, viz. Shishu (loans up to Rs 50,000), Kishore (loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh) and Tarun (loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh). The minister stated that as informed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), 1,107 Centres for Financial Literacy (CFL) have been set up across the country as on June 30. These financial literacy centres inter-alia conduct training programmes to promote entrepreneurial skill among the rural people of the country. Further, to increase village-level entrepreneurs, banks through their Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) impart training with focus on skill upgradation and entrepreneurship development of rural youth, the minister said. In order to create livelihood avenues, the minister stated that National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), through its Micro Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (MEDPs) and Livelihood & Enterprise Development Programmes (LEDPs), has been promoting skill development for SHG members in rural areas. NABARD's endeavour in skilling the SHG members through MEDPs/LEDPs is to enable SHG members to start micro enterprises in rural areas. (ANI) Hollywood actor Collin Farrell, in a recent interview told that he hopes HBO max begins the filming of his spinoff series of 'The Batman' in 2023. According to Variety, after being asked whether Farrell would play Penguin again in 'The Batman 2' or not? He stated, "Oh my god, you kidding me?! It's so much fun, are you joking [with] me? I've been around the block man. That was an easy sport, I mean... it was a joy." Farrell portrayed the role of Penguin in the Robert Pattinson starrer 'The Batman' and gathered positive feedback from the netizens for his performance in the film. The actor in an interview with an American show stated that he hopes that his Penguin character extends much more than just a spinoff series and 'The Batman' sequel. Variety confirmed in March that HBO Max had given a straight-to-series order for the show, which will be a spinoff of Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' movie. "Matt's up to his bollocks, you know, hovering over the keyboard and just planning the story because he's just so meticulous. He's so obsessive about what he does, but he's all over the Penguin series as well. I mean, he's not gonna direct it but he's all over the structure of the scripts and who's gonna direct them. And so, it's exciting," He further added about the sequel. As for Farrell's Penguin series, the actor had this to say earlier this year when the show was officially announced: "The world that Matt Reeves created for 'The Batman' is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot. I couldn't be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem", Variety reported. (ANI) Canadian rapper and songwriter Drake cancelled his Young Money reunion show, the last instalment of his three-day event dubbed 'October World Weekend', after testing positive for Covid-19. According to Variety, the rapper posted an explanation on his Instagram stories, revealing that he has tested positive for COVID. He confirmed the reunion, which includes Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, would be rescheduled "to the soonest date possible" and ended his note expressing he was "so sorry for letting you down on our weekend together and the moment I test negative I will give you everything I got on stage (except the covid)." Drake's 'October World Weekend' was a three-day event that kicked off on July 28 with an 'All Canadian North Stars' performance and continued on till July 29 with a show featuring Lil Baby and Chris Brown, reported Deadline. Monday night's show was scheduled to end the string of shows at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. For the 'Canadian North Stars' show, Drake welcomed Nelly Furtado (whose music he credited for having "changed my life so much") for a rare performance of her hits, including 'Promiscuous' and 'I'm Like a Bird'. The rapper has been having fun leaning into the nostalgia factor. Back in July, he joined the Backstreet Boys for a performance of 'I Want it That Way' during the band's stop in Toronto. Although the positive test puts a pause on Drake's plans, the rapper is on the tail of a busy year. As per Deadline, his latest studio effort, the polarizing dance-oriented 'Honestly, Nevermind', topped the Billboard 200 album chart. A single from the album that has 21 Savage as his featured guest, 'Jimmy Cooks', debuted at No 1 on the Hot 100, his seventh No. 1 debut on the chart. (ANI) Single screen theatres continue to remain shut in Amritsar and are struggling to survive due to the rise in the multiplex culture. Owner of Sangam theatre, Pramod Mehra told ANI, "Initially there were 21 single screen theatres in Amritsar but gradually all the theatres were shut down due to terrorism, online streaming platforms, cassettes, multiplexes, etc. They either go to multiplexes or other online platforms and it is practically impossible for us to compete with them. Since then, the revenue in our business has dipped and it is practically impossible for us to operate. Since the arrival of multiplexes, single-screen theatres were totally shut down." Inder Mohan, owner of Inder Palace theatre told ANI, "The government should provide some relief on cinema taxation to single screen theatres. Cinemas older than 60 years should be given some subsidies as we are still paying property tax for these closed cinemas. Around 20-25 people working at these single-screen theatres each became jobless. There are a few cinemas still running shows, however, they are not creating sufficient revenue as multiplexes are. Clearly, the public now like multiplexes only, as they are technologically advanced." Owners of single-screen theatres are facing heavy losses due to the non-functionality of their theatres. Most owners said they found it difficult to restart businesses complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government. Due to the change of trends and coming up of multiplexes, the traditional single-screen cinemas have lost their charm as well as their audience. During the past two years, due to COVID-induced lockdowns, several businesses suffered losses across the country, including theatres. With the boom of multiplexes in the country, the single screen has gradually become an alien concept for many. (ANI) According to Variety, the Casting of the reboot version of the film has not been set, and it's unclear if Gomez will star in the "Working Girl" remake in addition to serving as a producer. The 1988 version follows an ambitious 30-something Staten Island secretary who takes over office operations while her boss is recovering from a broken leg. But when the secretary pitches a winning idea, her boss attempts to take credit. Helmed by Mike Nichols, the earlier version starred Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford in the lead roles and gathered positive feedback from the netizens. "Diary of a Future President", writer Ilana Pena is currently adapting the screenplay of the revived version of the comedy film. Previously, American actress Sandra Bullock tried to recreate 'Working Girl' into a short series for NBC in the 1990s but due to low ratings, the show got cancelled by the makers. Gomez, a former Disney Channel star from 'Wizards of Waverly Place', has moved into the producing space with Hulu's comedy series 'Only Murders in the Building.' She stars in the show opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short. Gomez also recently starred in and produced the HBO Max reality series 'Selena + Chef.' She's repped by WME, Lighthouse Management & Media, Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett and Kole, Variety reported. (ANI) As many as 17 people have died of diarrhoea in seven districts of Odisha so far, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das told the Assembly on Monday. Making a statement in the house on the direction of Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukh, he said 432 people in the state have been infected with diarrhoea so far, of which 17 people have died. According to the minister, the first outbreak of diarrhoea was in Kashipur block of Rayagada district on July 13, and till now, 159 persons of 11 villages spread over 5 panchayats in the block were infected with the disease, of which 10 died. Similarly, two persons died in Jharsuguda district while Koraput, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Nuapada, and Gajapati districts have recorded one death each due to the disease, he said. Rapid response teams have been deployed in all affected districts to provide treatment on a war-footing way. Efforts are on to provide safe and clean drinking water to people, said the minister. Required medicines and other things in adequate quantity have been provided in Rayagada to counter the disease and all steps are being taken to improve the situation in the district, he said, hoping that the situation would improve soon. Meanwhile, the monsoon session of the Assembly was adjourned sine die by the Speaker on Monday, three days ahead of its scheduled end on August 4. The session, which was started on July 2 last, witnessed uproarious scenes over several issues including the "rashtrapatni" remark of Congress leader Adhi Ranjan Choudhury, the ED's summon to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, the Supreme Court observation on BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and chit fund scam. The assembly also passed seven Bills of the total 8 bills presented in the house. A CAG report was laid on the last day. --IANS bbm/vd ( 313 Words) 2022-08-01-23:00:03 (IANS) State health minister Naba Kishore Das has written to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in this regard. In the letter, Das said there has been an outbreak of monkeypox virus across the globe, mostly in African countries with India reporting some such cases. It is imperative to ensure laboratory preparedness for detection of the pathogen in all states. The health department of Odisha has already taken proactive steps and instructed medical colleges and district-level health centres for screening of monkeypox based on clinical features and patient history. The Regional Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at RMRC Bhubaneswar, should be provided with the requisite kits and controls to ensure preparedness for laboratory testing of monkeypox, the letter read. Das informed that the RMRC Bhubaneswar and the regional level VRDL at the centre have provided considerable support to the public health system in the state during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease. "It is, therefore, requested that the laboratory be provided with the kits for screening for orthopoxviruses to ensure preparedness to handle the looming public health threat posed by monkeypox," he added. Not a single monkeypox case has been detected in Odisha so far. --IANS bbm/sks/bg ( 239 Words) 2022-08-02-20:38:03 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar will embark on phase three of Praja Sangrama Yatra on Tuesday to "expose the misdeeds and corrupt rule" of the state government, said party leader P Sudhakar Reddy. "In Telangana, the TRS government totally failed under the leadership of CM KCR. They are busy with selfish political games. He was there in Delhi for seven days and nobody knows for what he went to Delhi, he only met a couple of leaders like Akhilesh Yadav," said Reddy while speaking to ANI. The BJP leader said that the people from every section of the society are facing problems in Telangana. "Every section of people is facing problems, one side IIIT students in Basara and other side food poisoning incidents are also reported. People are still facing hardships in Bhadrachalam with recent floods," he said. "The Chief Minister had come up with some theory of cloudburst and didn't give any evidence on it. Simply he diverted the attention of people of Telangana," Reddy added. Calling the TRS government a "total failure", the BJP state chief alleged that KCR made false promises. "The TRS government is a total failure government and farmers are not getting loans and it is very unfortunate as many false promises were given. They also allege that the Centre is not giving any money, instead of accepting their failures, they want to throw mud at the central government," he said. "Telangana has got many funds just like other states but the funds have not been utilised properly, funds are diverted," Reddy claimed. The third phase of the Praja Sangrama Yatra is being started by BJP state president Bandi Sanjay today to expose the misdeeds, misrule and corrupt rule of this government at Yadagirigutta. "Ultimately people will give befitting replies to TRS's high-handedness behaviour. Some TRS leaders' scams are coming out everywhere. This is the worst governance ever in the state of Telangana. Unemployment is at its peak," he said. (ANI) An audio clip purportedly of two drug smugglers now in circulation in Gujarat has one smuggler claiming that "It is just impossible to land drugs on the Gujarat coast, the vigil has increased upto 400 nautical miles in the high seas. No route is safe and especially Irani captains are not ready to take such a consignment." Deputy Inspector General (ATS), Deepan Bhadran, has confirmed that an Indian agency intercepted the conversation between the two drug smugglers. In the audio clip, the caller does not introduce himself but calls the respondent Hasimbhai and starts the conversation with good wishes. He then states, "I had a meeting with the 'Nakhuda' (captain of country vessel) for two hours, he has refused to land the drugs at the said point, Indian's vigil is now not limited to 190 nautical miles but upto 400 nautical miles. It is not possible from here, my advice is not to take any consignment, if Irani vessel sails out I don't think they will be able to safely land, no one wants to get caught by the Indians." The caller further says, "It is not possible by the Irani captain, Jamnagar and Porbandar are hardly 180 to 200 nautical miles away, just impossible to sneak inside, that is not one percent chance of safe landing. If the consignment is landed safely everyone will make money otherwise they will lose. Irani country vessels are risky and only one route is safe, but they are not ready to take the risk. Even if the vessel starts from Iran, they will get a hint of it." In the last two years Indian agencies have seized 25,999 kilograms of drugs, worth Rs 5,000 crore, while being smuggled into India and have arrested 30 Pakistanis, 17 Iranians, 2 Afghans and 1 Nigerian. A total of 422 NDPS cases have been registered, the state crime bureau records reveal. --IANS haresh/bg ( 333 Words) 2022-08-01-20:30:04 (IANS) Talking about the new scheme, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that the tribal land policy would be launched on October 2 under 'Basundhara' Phase 2, which would increase the land holding of a tribal person from the existing eight bighas to 50 bighas. The Chief Minister said the government would talk to tribal organisations and try to settle the tribals in villages with gazing grounds. "Even if the tribals settled in government lands are evicted for some reason, they would get compensation from the government," the Chief Minister said after launching Mission Bhumiputra' at a function here. According to the 2011 Census, tribals constitute 12.4 per cent of Assam's 3.12 crore population, who reside mostly in western Assam. Before the Assembly elections in Assam last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a special programme of the state government to distribute land 'patta' or land allotment certificates to over one lakh landless indigenous people. --IANS sc/arm ( 201 Words) 2022-08-01-22:52:03 (IANS) "The teacher recruitment program is continuing in full swing in the state. More than 14,000 teachers have been recruited in the last three years," he said addressing the occasion. Calling the teachers "nation-builders", the Chief Minister said that education has the ability to change society's fortune. "I wish all of you for choosing a noble profession like teaching as a career. Teachers are nation builders and education has the ability to change the fortune of the society," he said while highlighting the 5-T High School Transformation programme. Detailing the transformation of schools in the state, Patnaik said around 4,000 schools have been transformed in the state so far. "So far about 4,000 schools in the state have been transformed under the 5T initiative (Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time and Transformation). By December 2023, another 4,800 schools will be transformed," he said. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched 'Mission Bhumiputra', a digital way to issue digitalised caste certificates to students. The Chief Minister inaugurated a Bhumiputra Portal at a programme held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra. "Implemented by the Departments of Tribal Affairs (Plain) and Social Justice Empowerment, the mission has been implemented to carry forward the government's mission of easy public service to the public," said an official statement. Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that the government will create two pillars under the mission. "Henceforth, the manual system of issuing caste certificates will be ceased," he said. The Deputy Commissioners will give the format of applications for the caste certificates to the Headmasters of educational institutions from August 8 onwards. "The headmasters will fill up the application formats for their onward submission to the Deputy Commissioners who then forward the applications to the Boards of respective caste or tribe. The DC then will convene a meeting with the Boards to decide on the protocol for issuing caste certificates to the students. If any doubt in the process crops up, the application may be sent for further verification," said the statement. "The certificates will be available in the digi locker under the IT Act with digitally signed by the respective Deputy Commissioners," it added. The Chief Minister said that the problems that people faced earlier relating to securing the documents will be solved with the launch of Mission Bhumiputra. "Earlier people before joining any government job had to bear encumbrances to secure such documents. However, with the lunch of Mission Bhumiputra, such problems will be solved without any glitch," he said. "From next year, students from Class VIII can apply for caste certificates through this portal which will also be lined with CM's dashboard to enable the Chief Minister's Office to monitor the entire process," the Chief Minister added. He also asked the Departments of Tribal Affairs (Plain) and Social Justice Empowerment to generate awareness on this new initiative. Sarma said that the government will release a Tribal Land Policy. "As a part of government's commitment to the welfare of the people belonging to different tribes, along with launching Basundhara-II, the government will release a Tribal Land Policy," he said. The Chief Minister also said that government has laid emphasis on issuing EWS certificates to the people as steps will be taken to issue such certificate to the students from class VIII onwards. An awareness rally will be organised from 1 to 15 September. With regards to OBC certificates, State government will take necessary steps. Chief Minister Sarma said that following the emphasis of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 'Minimum government, Maximum governance', the state government has been facilitating different public services seamlessly to the people. "Moreover, with the introduction of digitalization, different services have been rendered to the people transparently and expeditiously. This system has put an end to the menace of 'middleman'," the Chief Minister added. (ANI) Ahead of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday urged the people to participate in the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign and hoist the national flag at their houses from August 13 to 16. "I urge Goans to keep the national flag as their display picture on social media from 2nd August onwards," Sawant said addressing the media. He further said that Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav will be celebrated in a big way in Goa. "The PM will chair a meeting at Prime Minister Bhavan to decide on various programs for Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav," he added. Sawant further informed that 71 freedom fighters who sacrificed their life for Goa's liberation will be given a certificate of Honour on August 15. The Chief Minister said that the handicrafts from Goa will make one lakh flags on the occasion. "Now people need not bring down the hoisted flags at 6 pm as was the earlier mandate by the Government as the Central Government has permitted the hoisting of flags throughout the period and removed the 6 pm clause," Goa CM said. "The flags will be available at stationery shops and other stores across Goa from tomorrow onwards for the initiative," he added. Notably, The initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12 to celebrate and commemorate 75 glorious years of Independence of India. With over 50,000 events successfully held across 28 States, 8 UTs, and over 150 countries, the initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is one of the largest programs ever organized in terms of scope and participation. A citizen, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist or display the National Flag on all days and occasions. There is no restriction on timing of flag display. Machine-made flags are permitted in addition to hand-made flags. The government has amended the Flag Code of India to allow the tricolour to be displayed in the open and on individual houses or buildings through day and night. The Flag Code of India was earlier amended in December last year allowing the use of polyester, apart from cotton, wool, silk and khadi for making hand-spun, hand-woven and machine-made flags. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' movement will be held from August 13-15, and urged citizens of the country to use 'tiranga' as their profile picture in social media accounts between August 2 and August 15. (ANI) Yasin Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, who began his hunger strike in the Tihar Jail on July 22, ended his fasting after he was told that his demands/concerns have been forwarded to the senior authorities, as per the prison authorities. The Kashmiri separatist, who was lodged in jail number 7 of the Tihar prison, had alleged that his case was not being investigated properly. As per the officials, Malik has deferred his hunger strike for a period of two months at the request of DG Prisons Sandeep Goel. "Malik was admitted to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on July 26 and was back in the jail on July 29," said the prison officials. Malik, who was arrested shortly after the JKLF was banned in 2019, was on May 19 this year convicted by an NIA court in terror funding cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25. The NIA court while sentencing Malik also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. On July 15 this year, Rubaiya Sayeed, the sister of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, identified Malik in connection with her kidnapping by JKLF militants on December 8, 1989. Rubaiya was abducted in Srinagar on December 8, 1989, and freed from captivity after five days on December 13 after the then V P Singh government at the Centre, released five terrorists in exchange. Malik is an accused in this case along with others. Apart from the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, Malik is also facing charges in the case of the gunning down of four Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in January 1990 in Srinagar. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday changed his profile picture on his social media handles to 'Tiranga' ahead of Independence Day celebrations in the country. "It is a special 2nd August today! At a time when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our nation is all set for #HarGharTiranga, a collective movement to celebrate our Tricolour. I have changed the DP on my social media pages and urge you all to do the same," tweeted PM Modi today. PM Modi on Sunday called upon all citizens to turn the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign into a mass movement by hoisting or displaying the national flag at their homes and using the 'tiranga' as a display picture on their social media accounts between August 2 and August 15 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India's Independence. "Under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, from the 13th to the 15th of August, a special movement - 'Har Ghar Tiranga' is being organized. Let us further this movement by hoisting the National Flag at our homes," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday while addressing the monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'. "August 2 is the birth anniversary of Pingli Venkhaiya who designed the National Flag. I urge all to use 'tiranga' as profile picture in social media accounts between August 2 and August 15," he said. 'Har Ghar Tiranga' is a campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and to hoist it to mark the 75th year of India's independence. Addressing the 91st edition of the monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi stated that India is set to witness a glorious and historic moment as it completes 75 years of Independence. "My dear countrymen, today we started our discussion on 75 years of Independence, with a visit across the country. The next time we meet, the journey of our next 25 years would have already begun. We all have to join for our beloved tricolour to be hoisted at our homes and those of our loved ones. Do share with me how you celebrated Independence Day, if you did anything special, this time. Next time, we will talk again about the different colours of our Amrit Parv. Till then, I take leave of you. Thank you very much," said PM Modi. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The official journey of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commenced on March 12, 2021, which started a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of independence and will end post a year on August 15, 2023. (ANI) Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Vaishnaw, S Jaishankar, Anurag Thakur and Pralhad Joshi were among those who were seen arriving for the meeting at the Parliament Library building. Rajnath Singh is chairing the meeting in which several BJP MPs are also present. Notably, the ongoing Monsoon Session is witnessing a number of adjournments in both Houses of Parliament on various issues ranging from price rise issues to the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. Meanwhile, amid the continuous demand from the opposition, the Rajya Sabha will discuss the issue of price rise today. The government will also move 'The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022' for passing and consideration. the Opposition Congress and other parties disrupted proceedings over the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and other issues. Also, the Lok Sabha on Monday withdrew the suspension of four Congress MPs on the condition that they will not bring placards into the House. Lok Sabha MPs, including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani, and TN Prathapan, were suspended for the entire Monsoon Session on 25 July, for displaying placards and disrupting proceedings despite a warning by Speaker Om Birla. The move had sparked protests and uproar from the Opposition party, with the Congress retorting that the Centre was trying to intimidate them. Adding to this, MP Shashi Tharoor had said that the government is genuinely arrogant about its brute majority and seems contemptuous about the need to accommodate Opposition voices. Also, Speaker Om Birla on Monday requested all parties to avoid bringing placards to the Parliament. (ANI) Delhi Police Special Cell arrested one member of the notorious Gogi gang after an encounter in the Khatta area near Bhalswa Dairy of New Delhi, police said on Monday. The accused has been identified as Bhagwan Singh a sharpshooter of the Gogi Gang and Boxer Gang. This gang also used to work for Lawrence Bishnoi, said police. According to the police, the arrested was asked to surrender but he opened fire on the police team. Personnel of the Special Cell retaliated and shot hin in the left leg. Bhagwan Singh alias Mukesh (age 32 years) has been involved in many incidents like extortion, murder, and shooting. Numerous cases have been registered against him. "Arrested Bhagwan Singh alias Mukesh was wanted and absconding in a sensational abduction and subsequent killing of Satish on in the area of Shahbad Dairy vide FIR No 369/2022 dated 24/05/2022 under Sections 365/302/34/201 of IPC in Shahbad Dairy Police Station," said Delhi Police. "Based on specific information, the police planned the encounter. "At about 12.10 am today on August 2, a person riding on the bike (identified as Bhagwan Singh) was spotted coming from Swaroop Nagar side and going towards the landfill. He was signalled to stop by the members of the police team after disclosing the identity of the police but he tried to escape by reversing the bike but he was surrounded by the team and asked to surrender. But Bhagwan Singh whipped out his pistol and fired towards the team. Members of the team also fired in self-defence to overpower the accused, in which he was got injured in his left leg. He was immediately rushed to Jagjeevan Ram hospital," informed the police. Total of five rounds were fired-- three by the accused and two by the members of the team. A semi-automatic pistol of .32 with 3 live cartridges was recovered from the accused and he has been admitted to a hospital in Jahangirpuri. The Accused Bhagwan Singh was previously involved in more than seven criminal cases including two cases of murder, two cases of attempt to murder, two cases of attack on police, and others of assault, hurt, intimidation, riots, theft, arms act etc. in Delhi. Bhagwan Singh is also convicted in a murder case bearing FIR No 888/2016 under Sections 302/307/34/147/148/149 of IPC and 25 and 27 Arms Act PS Rohini and the appeal of the accused persons is pending in Delhi High Court against the conviction. While lodged in jail, Bhagwan Singh came into contact with members of Gogi gang and thereafter he become associated with that gang and now working with them, police said. Further investigation of case is in progress. On September 24, two shooters shot and killed Jitendra Gogi of the Gogi gang in Rohini Court No. 207 during a shootout. During this, both the shooters were also killed in retaliation by the police. According to police, Gogi and his associates were involved in crimes such as murders, attempts to murder, extortion, possession of illegal arms, carjacking and land grabbing. (ANI) A grenade blast occurred near the Ind police post near the Gool Police Station, Ramban district. A letter was found claiming it to be done by Jammu Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF), ADGP Jammu said. Special Operation Group (SOG) and Army teams are conducting search operations. A case has been registered in the matter and a probe is underway, the top cop added. Meanwhile, no injury or damage to any property was reported so far in this incident, the Police informed. (ANI) The Border Security Force troops fired at an unidentified flying object in the Kanacahk sector at the International Border in Jammu, officials said on Tuesday. According to the BSF the object was flying with a blinking light at 9.31 PM as it tried to cross the International Border (IB). "Yesterday night on 1 Aug alert BSF troops fired on unidentified flying object with blinking light at 2135 hrs in Kanachak area as it tried to cross International Border. Blinking light was not observed by troops thereafter. Hectic search of area is in progress along with police and other agencies. Nothing recovered so far," the BSF said in a statement. A search of the area is underway. There has been many instances of drones being spotted on the international border with Pakistan. Previously, on the intervening night of July 26 and 27, BSF troops had spotted the movement of a drone along the international border in Rajasthan as it was found to be moving near the Gharsana sector of Sri Ganganagar district. In another incident on July 22, the BSF troops had fired at a drone coming from the Pakistani side near the international border in Jammu. According to BSF, the troops on Friday night noticed a blinking light coming from the Pakistani side in the Kanachak area. The troops went alert and fired at the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). "On July 22, 2022, at about 21:40 hours, BSF troops observed a blinking light coming from Pakistan's side in the Kanachak area. Alert BSF troops fired on it," said BSF. Following the incident, BSF launched a search operation in the area. On July 19, BSF detained a Pakistani national, who crossed the International Border to allegedly kill the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. "Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a Pakistani organization has made plans to kill Nupur Sharma. Rizwan who is a Pakistani terrorist was also influenced by Tehreek-e-Labbaik. As per their plan, he wanted to enter India from across the border," said S Sengathir, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), Rajasthan. "Many agencies including Intelligence Bureau, CID, Border Security Force, Indian Army and local police are now interrogating Rizwan. This is the same organization that worked to surround the Imran Khan government in Pakistan last year and killed many people in Pakistan," the official had said. (ANI) The CBI on Monday arrested a Chief Freight Transport Manager (IRTS of 1996 batch), posted at East Central Railway headquarters in Hajipur (Bihar), Sanjay Kumar, two other IRTS officers in a bribery case of Rs 6 lakh. The agency also said it has recovered Rs 46.5 lakh cash during searches at the premises of the accused. Besides Sanjay, Rupesh Kumar (IRTS-2011 batch), Senior DOM, Samastipur, East Central Railway, Bihar and posted at Samastipur, Sachin Mishra (IRTS-2011 batch), Sr.DOM, Sonpur, Nawal Ladha and Manoj Ladha of Kolkata-based Abha Agro Industries Private Limited and private person Manoj Kumar Saha have also been arrested. It has been alleged that the accused were in the habit of collecting illegal gratification from the vendors of East Central Railway (ECR) for preferential allotment of railway racks for loading goods. "A case was registered on July 31 against a Chief Freight Transport Manager (IRTS-1996), East Central Railway, (ECR), Hajipur and two Senior DOMs, Samastipur, Sonpur, both of EC Railway; Director of a private company; other private person & unknown others on the allegations that accused were in the habit of collection of illegal gratification from the vendors of East Central Railway (ECR) for preferential allotment of railway racks for loading goods," said the CBI. "It was further alleged that Director of private company based at the Kolkata pursuant to a well-knit conspiracy with public servants of East Central Railway, regularly avails out of turn and priority allotment of railway rack services, having extra stacking time for his firm and other undue advantages in exchange of payment of huge bribes on monthly basis to the said public servants. It was also alleged that the said Director of private company directed his brother (private person) to send Rs. 23.5 lakh (approx.) to be delivered to various officers of ECR," added the CBI release. CBI laid a trap and caught the CFTM (public servant) while accepting the bribe of Rs 6 lakh. The bribe giver was also caught. Later, three other accused were caught. Searches were conducted at 16 locations including at Patna, Sonpur, Hajipur, Samastipur, Kolkata etc. which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents and Rs. 46.50 lakh (approx.) including Rs. 29 lakh (approx.) from a businessman at Kolkata. One SUV car in which six envelopes containing said cash to be delivered to various officers of ECR, was also recovered. (ANI) The Karnataka Police on Tuesday arrested two more persons in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru. The accused have been identified as Saddam and Harris. Police said in an official statement, "Cr No 63/2022 u/s Sections 16, 18 of UA(P) Act 1967 sections 302, 120B r/w 34 IPC, registered in Bellare Police Statement, two accused have been arrested on August 2." "Based on the investigation conducted so far, the Investigating team has identified the suspected conspirators and assailants in this case. The suspects are absconding and a search for them is going on," said Police officials. Praveen Nettaru, a young BJP worker, was attacked with lethal weapons by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada in the late evening on July 19. As the investigation into the case continues, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the case will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon."The police have been given a free hand in the investigation of the Praveen Nettaru murder case. The investigation is in progress. The killers would be nabbed very soon," Chief Minister Bommai told media persons on Monday. Earlier, the Karnataka Police on July 28, said that they have arrested Shafiq and Zakir in connection with the murder of Praveen Nettaru. After taking police custody of these accused, an investigation was continued and based on further evidence Saddam and Haris have been arrested. The accused persons will be produced before a local court, the officials added. Masood, an 18-year-old who lived near Bellare village, was hacked to death on July 19. Days later, in the same taluk, a few bike-borne men attacked BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru. The next day, on July 28, a man named Mohammed Fazil was killed in Surathkal. The state police are also probing the possibility of a Kerala registration vehicle being used in the incident. Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra while making a statement on the incident said that the involvement of the extremist Popular Front of India (PFI), and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is suspected. (ANI) According to sources, The IT sleuths were carrying out raids at 40 places including Chennai, Madurai since 5 am in the morning. At Chennai, a team of sleuths reportedly also raided a location at Nungambakkam Kamthar Nagar area. Cheziyan reportedly lives in the area. The raids come just five months after Chezhiyan's daughter's grand wedding in Chennai which was graced by celebrities from across India. Personalities ranging from Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Suriya to Boney Kapoor were present at the venue. Mny politicians also attended the wedding. Chezhiyan, a native of Madurai is very influential and a top financier in the Tamil film industry. Chezhiyan received public attention in 2017 when Ashok Kumar, cousin of director Sasikumar died by suicide with a note alleging mental torture and trauma over financial issues by Chezhiyan. After this, Chezhiyan got public attention in 2020 when IT raids were carried on personalities linked to the movie "Bigil" which was released on 2019. That time even the whole Bigil movie crew came under I-T scanner with raids on Actor Vijay and AGS Production house. Two years later, the Income Tax Department has now raided multiple locations linked to the powerful film producer. (ANI) The Union Government on Tuesday informed that it has decided to fill up the existing vacancies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles by December 2023. "There were a total of 84,659 vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles till July 31, 2022, and the government has decided to fill up existing vacancies by December 2023," Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Of the total, a maximum of 27,510 vacancies are noted in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) followed by 23,435 vacancies in Border Security Force (BSF), 11,765 in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 11,143 in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 6,044 in Assam Rifles, 4,762 in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), said the Minister while giving a written reply to a query of three Lok Sabha members. As per the instructions of the Department of Personnel and Training issued vide notification dated October 4, 2012, Rai said, "10 per cent vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles are reserved for ex-servicemen up to the level of Assistant Commandant to be filled by direct recruitment". Further, Rai said, in-principle approval has been given for reservation of 10 per cent of vacancies for ex-Agniveers in the recruitment to the post of Constable (General Duty) and Rifleman in the CAPF and Assam Rifles when the first batch of ex-Agniveers is available for recruitment after completing engagement period of four years in defence forces. "The government has taken a decision to fill up existing vacancies in CAPFs and Assam Rifles by December 2023," Rai said. He further stated that the examination for filling up of 25,271 posts of Constable (General Duty) has already been conducted. To fill up the vacancies expeditiously in CAPFs and Assam Rifles, the Minister said the government has taken several steps like yearly recruitment for the post of Constable (General Duty) for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with Staff Selection Commission (SSC). For coordinating recruitment to General Duty posts, a Nodal Force each for recruitment in the rank of Constable (General Duty), Sub-Inspector (GD) and Assistant Commandant (General Duty) has been nominated on long-term basis, said Rai. He said that directions have been issued to all CAPFs and Assam Rifles to undertake recruitment against vacant posts in Non-General Duty cadres in a time-bound manner. It is also directed for conducting timely meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for filling up promotional vacancies, added the Minister. (ANI) The Jabalpur Police have registered an FIR against five people, including four doctors, in the Jabalpur Hospital fire incident that left at least nine persons dead, police said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Gaur told ANI that the FIR was registered against five people in the connection with the hospital fire incident. The manager of New Life Multi-Speciality Hospital, identified as Ram Soni and four doctors : Dr Nishit Gupta, Dr Suresh Patel, Dr Sanjay Patel and Dr Santosh S have been charged under sections 304, 308, 334 of the Indian Penal Code. The sections pertain to causing death and hurt through negligence. "The premise of the hospital has been sealed and evidence is being technically analysed. We have got video records also that have been sent to the cyber team," he further said. At least nine people were killed in a massive fire at a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur on Monday, officials said. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Chouhan announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the nearest kin of the deceased. "In this hour of grief, the bereaved families should not consider themselves alone, I and entire Madhya Pradesh are with the families. The state government will provide assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the seriously injured. The government will also bear the cost of complete treatment of the injured," the CM said in a tweet. The Chief Minister further said that local administration and collector have been directed to keep an eye on the entire matter. Siddharth Bahaguna, Jabalpur SP said that around 9-10 people lost their lives in the fire that broke out due to a short circuit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed condolences to the families of the persons who died in the blaze. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all assistance to those affected: PM @narendramodi," tweeted the Prime Minister's Office. (ANI) Soon after the arrest of Sanjay Raut, former Maharashtra chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray quoted dialogue of 'Pushpa' movie - "jhukega nahi",Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment of India Ramdas Athawale gave befitting reply saying that Sanjay Raut is now being probed by ED in Patra Chawl scam case and he will have to follow the law. A day after former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for indulging in "vendetta politics" in view of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's arrest, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment of India Ramdas Athawale gave befitting reply saying that there is no fact in such allegations. In an exclusive conversation with ANI today, the Union Minister said, "Allegations can be levelled against anyone but there is absolutely no fact in the allegation. The allegation is baseless. It has nothing to do with BJP." "BJP does not believe in hurting anyone and if BJP is giving trouble, then it is your job to give proof of the same. You (Uddhav) should give evidence of such claims. BJP has nothing to do with the ED probe. ED has taken an independent action and after that, ED thought it was appropriate to arrest Sanjay Raut," he said. The BJP leader added that the Enforcement Directorate is an independent agency. "If there is any corruption or irregularity in fundings, then ED has the right to inquire. If somebody is held by the ED, then the person who is accused should explain his role in relation to the allegation. He should show his evidence in this regard." "I have nothing to do in this matter," he added. "Sanjay Raut has been arrested in the Patra Chawl scam case. But instead of saying that they won't indulge in any wrongdoing Now Uddhav Thackeray ji has asserted that he will not bow down in front of anyone. I believe that Sanjay Raut is now bowing down and you will also have to follow the law. The wrong thing he has done is being investigated and it has nothing to do with BJP in this matter," he added. Slamming the BJP over the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said he is proud of him as he did not succumb to any pressure. Talking to reporters, Thackeray termed Raut, arrested by the ED in a money laundering cases, as a hardcore Shiv Sainik of Sena founder late Bal Thackeray. "I am proud of Sanjay Raut. What crime has he committed? He is a journalist, a Shiv Sainik, is fearless and speaks what he does not approve of," Thackeray said. A special court in Mumbai on Monday sent Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut to Enforcement Directorate's (ED) custody till August 4. The ED has arrested Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a Mumbai 'chawl', officials said. Raut, 60, was arrested on Sunday after over six hours of questioning at the ED's zonal office in south Mumbai's Ballard Estate. The ED probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra 'chawl' and related financial property transactions involving his wife and alleged associates. In April, the ED provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to his wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of this investigation. The attached properties are in the form of land held by Pravin M Raut, Sanjay Raut's aide and a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, at Palghar, Saphale (town in Palghar) and Padgha (in Thane district). These assets also include a flat in Mumbai's suburb Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar, a "close associate" of Sanjay Raut, the ED had said. The agency is understood to have questioned the Sena leader about his "business and other links" with Pravin Raut and Patkar and also about the property deals involving his wife. (ANI) Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal has written a letter to the Registrar of the Supreme Court about removing of Advocate-on-Record (AoR) in a case relating to the Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs and said that this as unwarranted attempt to interfere in the due administration of justice by removing counsel representing the parties. "This clearly is an act of contempt of court," AG Venugopal said in the letter wherein he has mentioned that "the last such person who has been targeted is the Attorney General for India." "All this interference with counsel who are to represent parties being removed at the last minute is a serious, uncalled for, and unwarranted attempt to interfere in the due administration of justice by removing counsel representing the parties. This clearly is an act of contempt of court," the letter said. AG Venugopal said that the Attorney General cannot be dealt with so casually through a letter of this nature for the simple reason that under Article 76(3) of the Constitution, "In the performance of his duties the Attorney General shall have right of audience in all courts in the territory of India". AG Venugopal also mentioned that in Britain, the Attorney General with similar powers has intervened, according to the commentaries, in cases where public charities are involved. "I have myself filed a Special Leave Petition directly in the Supreme Court where a judgment of the Bombay High Court had wholly misinterpreted the provisions of POCSO Act, though not a party to the case. There is no question of the Attorney General not being able to do so and the precedent existed in 1986 [Refer Attorney General of India v. Lachma Devi AIR 1986 SC 467]," AG Venugopal said. The letter also pointed out that when the Attorney General exercises his right of audience under Article 76(3) of the Constitution, he does it on his own right and need not exercise that right only on instructions from an Advocate on Record. "The fact that my Advocate on Record has been changed makes, therefore, no difference," the court said. AG said that he has made all these points before the Supreme Court and the court can decide upon whatever should be the future course of action in the matter. On Tuesday when the top court heard the matter, the bench led by Chief Justice of India pulled up the Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs. The court asked the Board that is this the way you deal with AG Venugopal and remarked that it has forced AG to write the letter. The court adjourned the matter for August 19 for further hearing. The court was hearing special leave petitions filed by the Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs. (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday informed the Apex Court that British citizen Christian Michel, accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, has tried to pass confidential papers to his counsel at the time of legal access. The ED filed an affidavit in the top court opposing Michel's bail plea in the case. "It is submitted that during the course of Michel's custodial interrogation, the accused has tried to pass confidential papers to his counsel at the time of legal access," said the ED. It said that further investigation in the present case is still ongoing and many crucial documents are required to be collected across jurisdictions for the purpose of the investigation therefore it is strongly apprehended that he might try to tamper with the witnesses or evidence and obstruct the judicial process. "Christian Michel James during his custodial interrogation undertook to provide the bank statements of his companies and the agreements and other relevant documents. He was also interrogated in Tihar Jail, New Delhi after taking permission from the Trial Court and during that time he also undertook to provide the said documents through the assistance of his lawyers, however, no information has been provided till date," the affidavit added. "Michel is a key accused in the instant case and is accused of having played a pivotal role in the entire case, being a middleman engaged by M/s Augusta Westland for obtaining confidential information regarding the procurement process of VVIP helicopters by the government of India and was admittedly paid Euro 42 million for influencing the contract in its favour under the guise of five contracts (two of them revised time and again) through two of his firms namely M/s Global Trade & Commerce Ltd. London and M/s Global Services FZE, Dubai, UAE with M/s Finmeccanica, M/s Agusta Westland, M/s Westland Helicopters UK etc. to legitimize the illicit commission/kickbacks on the procurement of VVIP Helicopters by Ministry of Defense, India which constitutes a grave economic offence," ED added in its affidavit. The investigating agency told the bench that the role of Michel is clearly established and the offence of money laundering is squarely made out against him. Earlier, the apex court had issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED on the bail petitions of Michel in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam being probed by the agencies. Advocate appearing for Michel had contended before the top court that the investigations are still not completed and he has undergone three years and six months as of now and before extradition, he was in Dubai custody. Michel had challenged in the apex court the March 11 order of the Delhi High Court which had refused to grant him bail. In the High Court, ED and CBI had opposed the bail petition filed by Michel in connection with the VVIP chopper case. CBI had said that he has a flight risk and it fears that because of the way the British government is helping him, he might flee and will never return. Michel had contended before the High Court that all the other accused in the case got bail in 60 days and he is the only one who hasn't been given the bail and is suffering incarnation. According to the bail petition, Michel said that as a bail condition he will be available to join the investigation and trial as and when required and has never sought to evade the process of law. Earlier, the trial court had rejected his bail plea and had shown its displeasure with the British High Commission for sending a letter addressed to it stating that the medical condition of Michel and his pre-trial detention of two and half years may be taken into account when his bail application is considered. Christian Michel James was extradited in 2018 after India won the extradition case in Dubai. Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the deal, was deported from the UAE and is currently in judicial custody. The Dubai-based businessman Rajeev Saxena was extradited to India on January 31, 2019, in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore alleged scam relating to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland. (ANI) A woman hurled a shoe at former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee while he was being taken to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office from ECI Hospital on Tuesday, who is an accused in West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) scam. "I had come to throw my shoe on him. He has taken money from poor people. I would have been happier if the shoe would have hit him on his head," she said when asked why she threw the shoe at Chatterjee. Meanwhile, an ED search is underway at 'Magic Touch' in Patuli in Kolkata; a property owned by Arpita Mukherjee, a close aid of Chatterjee. However, Chatterjee had denied his involvement in the School Service Commission (SSC) scam and asserted that the "money does not belong to him". "When the time comes, you will know...the money does not belong to me," he said to media persons today upon being asked about who is behind this conspiracy. Arrested Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee - who is now suspended from the Trinamool Congress - and his aide Arpita Mukherjee have separately been claiming that they are a "victim of a conspiracy." Trinamool Congress, which had been distancing itself from its arrested leader Partha Chatterjee, axed him as a minister and suspended him from the party leaving it to him to defend himself in the Enforcement Directorate probe in the teacher recruitment scam in which crores of rupees have been seized from residences linked to his aide Arpita Mukherjee. Trinamool Congress' decision to part ways with one of its most senior leaders was announced by party leader Abhishek Banerjee at a press conference in which he said "if anyone commits something wrong then Trinamool Congress will not spare him" and 'there will be zero tolerance for corruption". He said Partha Chatterjee will remain suspended till probe is underway. Partha Chatterjee was considered one of the most trusted lieutenants of the Chief Minister, a "go-to" man and was regarded third in party hierarchy after the chief Minister and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. After his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) scam in West Bengal, Chatterjee had reportedly called Mamata Banerjee four times, which she allegedly did not pick. Abhishek Banerjee has told the media that Chatterjee has been removed from TMC along with the post of general secretary, national vice president and three other posts. "He has been suspended till the investigation is underway. He can come back if proven not guilty. CM took the decision and the (Partha Chatterjee) minister was removed. The probe into the matter is underway. If anyone commits something wrong then TMC won't spare him," he said adding that the investigating agency must complete the probe in a time-bound manner. "There will be zero tolerance for corruption. Investigating agency must complete the probe within the time limit. Even in Sarada case nothing happened, it's just lingering. There should be a time-bound investigation," he said. "The one (Arpita Mukherjee) from whose house sums of money were recovered isn't from TMC. We want stringent action against those who are linked to this matter. I am saying this in a hypothetical way that if Partha Chatterjee goes to BJP after two months then he will become a saint. Since he is in TMC, all of these things are happening," he added. The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore being recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister. The ED unearthed many disproportionate assets allegedly of Partha Chatterjee since his arrest, of which were three flats in West Bengal's Diamond City. The ED raided Arpita Mukherjee's house in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal. "The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said SSC scam," the probe agency had said in a statement. A five-time MLA, Chatterjee was appointed as the minister-in-charge of higher education and school education in 2014 and he held the portfolio till 2021. (ANI) Cooch Behar (West Bengal) [India], August 2 (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief at the tragic death of 10 pilgrims in an accident in West Bengal and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF). "Distressed by the loss of lives due to a van getting electrocuted in Sitalkuchi, West Bengal. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon," Modi said in a tweet. "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each, from PMNRF, would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured," the prime minister added. On Sunday, 10 people died in West Bengal's Cooch Behar after a pickup van carrying passengers enroute the Jalpesh Temple got electrocuted. The passengers were rushed to the hospital where 16 people out of 27 in the van were referred to Jalpaiguri hospital for treatment. According to the police, the shocking accident may have taken place due to a fault in the wiring of the generator of the DJ system in the van. "An incident took place at Dharla Bridge under Mekhliganj PS where one pick up van carrying passengers on its way to Jalpesh got electrocuted. The preliminary enquiry reveals that it might be due to wiring of the generator (DJ system) which was fitted in the back of the vehicle," said Additional Superintendent of Police, Matabhanga, Amit Varma. "They were brought to Changrabandha BPHC. The attending Medical Officer referred 16 out of 27 persons to Jalpaiguri District hospital for better treatment. They are having minor injuries but require a thorough check-up. 10 people have been declared dead by the attending Medical Officer," the police official added. He informed that all of the passengers belonged to Sitalkuchi PS area and their families have been informed about the tragic incident. "The vehicle has been seized but the driver has escaped. Senior officers are present at the spot. Police are coordinating for relief and any assistance required," Varma said. (ANI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said there is no collapse in the value of the Indian rupee and in fact, its performance against the US dollar is better than other major global currencies. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister said, "even there, the performance of the Indian rupee is much better than its own peers, which withstood the impact of the US Fed's decision much better than any other peer currencies". "And actually, if you compare Indian rupee versus other currencies, it is appreciating in its manner," said Sitharaman while replying to Trinamool Congress MP Luizinho Joaquim Faleiro's question raised in the House during Question Hour. The Finance Minister said as Faleiro mentioned "the rupee has depreciated 28 times by 34 per cent and "I was reading today's newspaper which says it will further depreciate. And, the fact is that the foreign exchange reserve has declined to US dollar 572 billion by mid-July because of the pressure of costly imports of crude oil, coal, and gold". Replying to the MP, Sitharaman further said, "Let us please understand the context and speak about the Indian rupee. There is no collapse." "I would like to assure the member that there is no collapse of the Indian rupee. And, also to speak about the reserves coming down, we are still somewhere in the range of - let me give you what I had this morning -as of 22nd July, it was at $571.56 billion reserves," said the Minister. "Therefore, it is not a small amount. Yes, when it was in the range of 600 and now it has come down in the range of higher-ends of 500, 571 and so on, we are still comfortably placed." So, Sitharaman said, "I want the House to take into cognizance Indian rupee's performance versus others, whether it is the UK pound and so on; and, therefore, it is contextualised Indian rupee's performance versus the US, particularly, because of the various steps which are being taken by the US Fed." Therefore, the Finance Minister continued, "collapse, it is actually finding its natural course." "As I said, the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) is continuously monitoring it; monitoring and intervening only if there is volatility. The RBI's interventions are not so much to fix the value of the Indian Rupee because it is free to find its own course," added the Minister. The Finance Minister's statement came days after Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran said that the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar has been lower than other major global currencies such as the Euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen. He then attributed the depreciation in the rupee and other currencies against the US dollar to the aggressive monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve. As a result, the outflow of foreign capital is taking place from various emerging economies including India, putting pressure on their domestic currencies. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented after the COVID-19 precaution dose vaccination programme is completed. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 which was passed by the Parliament of India on December 11, 2019, but is yet to be implemented, aims to grant citizenship to those members of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who faced persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Shah said this while giving assurance to West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who met the Home Minister in Parliament today. After the meeting, Adhikari said the Home Minister has conveyed to him that the work on implementing CAA will be speeded up immediately after the third dose of Covid vaccination is received by everyone. Adhikari urged Home Minister to implement the citizenship law at the earliest. "It's an honour for me to meet Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji for 45 minutes at his office in Parliament. I briefed him how WB Govt is completely mired in corrupt activities such as the Teacher's recruitment scam. Also requested him to implement CAA at the earliest" tweeted Adhikari after the meeting. The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019, and came into force on January 10, 2020. It aims to facilitate the grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who had come to India on or before December 31, 2014. Speaking to media persons, the BJP leader Adhikari said, "A lot of things were discussed, but not everything can be disclosed as I am a disciplinary soldier of BJP. But I had two main agendas - HM assured me of taking an action to root out the SSC recruitment scam. He also assured me about the implementation of CAA. But, the country is facing some challenges related to COVID. Therefore, it will be done once the booster dose drive is over." He further stated that those who left Bangladesh on a religious basis and came to West Bengal should get citizenship by law. "I have raised this issue before the Home Minister and he said that government will frame all rules. I hope that all processes will start in next year and those people from the Hindu religion or people from Matua or Rajvanshi Community, who were forced to left Bangladesh will get citizenship," he said. CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The Centre has said that citizenship to the eligible beneficiaries of CAA will be given only after rules under the legislation are notified. Adhikari briefed Home Minister on the teachers recruitment scam. Adhikari also took up other issues related to the BJP's ongoing political fight with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and shared the names of more than 100 such people with Amit Shah, who are known to collect money for the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Adhikari also met BJP national president JP Nadda and discuss the Bengal situation. Soon after the meeting, the LoP said in a tweet that Nadda's valuable suggestions would certainly lead the 'Sangharsh' of every BJP Karyakarta of West Bengal towards the right path. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet National President JP Nadda. He was very encouraging and appreciative about BJP Bengal's efforts. His valuable suggestions would certainly lead the 'Sangharsh' of every BJP Karyakarta of WB towards the right path," he said. Former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) scam in West Bengal. The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed Rs 21 crore in cash and jewellery worth above Rs 1 crore being recovered from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister. The ED unearthed many disproportionate assets allegedly of Partha Chatterjee since his arrest, of which were three flats in West Bengal's Diamond City. Suvendu Adhikari also paid a courtesy visit to former West Bengal Governor and NDA vice president candidate JP Dhankar. Adhikari will visit Delhi again on August 11. (ANI) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking her to "take necessary corrective measures to restore the confidence of people" in the state's education system in the wake of the massive School Service Commission (SSC) scam in the state. In his letter, Pradhan said, "As you are aware, education is the foundation for an equitable and just society and is a core essential to maximize our country's rich talent and resources. Teachers are at the center of the education system and recruitment of them through a transparent process is crucial to ensure respect, dignity and at the same time instilling accountability in the system." He expressed concern over the large number of representations received from West Bengal teachers regarding irregularities in recruitment in the state. "A large number of representations received from various teachers and teacher organizations from West Bengal regarding irregularities in the teacher recruitment in West Bengal is a matter of grave concern. The future of youth who would be the guiding force for the coming generations is being adversely impacted by such irregularities," the Union Education Minister said in the letter. Pradhan said the recruitment process was compromised and several petitions against the process had been filed. "In this regard, I would like to bring your attention towards certain instances. The process for the appointment of teachers through the State Level Selection Test (SLST) has been started in 2014. However, actual recruitments. could take place only two years later in 2016. Further, the recruitment process was compromised and several petitions against this process were filed," he said. "Another related case is the recruitment process of Group C and D staff in government-run or aided schools as notified by the state government in 2016 to the School Service Commission (SSC), is also a matter of grave concern. You would appreciate that teachers are without doubt one of the pillars of our society," Pradhan added. The Union Minister said that teachers give children a purpose, set them up for success as citizens of our world, and inspire them to succeed in life. "Hence, the irregularities found in the teacher recruitment scam of West Bengal will certainly hamper the quality of education and demotivate the future generation. I sincerely urge you to take necessary corrective measures to restore the confidence of the people. I would like to assure you of our continuous support and highest consideration to ensure access to quality education for all children in West Bengal," Pradhan told Banerjee. The letter comes in the backdrop of the arrest of former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the SSC scam. The arrest of Partha Chatterjee followed recovery of crores in cash and jewellery from the Kolkata residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of the former education minister. The ED unearthed many disproportionate assets which it alleged were linked to Chatterjee. However, Chatterjee had denied his involvement in the School Service Commission (SSC) scam and asserted that the "money does not belong to him". "When the time comes, you will know...the money does not belong to me," he told media persons. Arrested Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee - who is now suspended from the Trinamool Congress - and his aide Arpita Mukherjee have separately been claiming that they are "victim(s) of a conspiracy." Trinamool Congress, which has distanced itself from Chatterjee, axed him as a minister and suspended him from the party leaving it solely to him to defend himself in the Enforcement Directorate probe. (ANI) As many as 106 Junior Engineers (Mechanical) joined Water Resources Department, the Odisha Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Tuesday. All of them have been recruited through State Staff Selection Commission. Welcoming the new engineers on virtual platform, the Chief Minister asked them to get themselves acquainted with new technologies. He said, "Being technocrats, I expect all of you to be in sync with changing and new technologies that can bring efficiency and transparency to your work. That will help achieve the mandate of our 5T initiative of the state." He said that the Water Resources Department has taken up construction of 30 In-stream Storage Structures and 16 more are in the pipeline located across different rivers. These structures will not only help in conserving surface water for different purposes including rural water supply but also enhance the groundwater level, he added. Saying that Odisha is primarily an agrarian state, he stated that this department has a major responsibility of providing irrigation facilities to the farmers. Apart from this, he said, it is also responsible to protect the life and property of people from natural calamities like floods with scientific management of reservoir waters. "We have more than two thousand five hundred dams and construction of some more dams like Lower Suktel, Deo, Kanpur and Ghatkeswar are in progress," he said further. Focussing on the value of water resources, he said that with an ever-growing population, water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource. In this context, engineers of the Water Resources Department have to play a major role in the conservation of water for different purposes like drinking water, irrigation, hydroelectric power, industry, Pisciculture and ecological balance, he stressed on the significant role of engineers for the state's development. Highlighting the role of mechanical engineers, he said that though the civil construction works are done by Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers have a greater role for the installation of one of the important components of the hydraulic structures such as gate works including their operation and maintenance. Highlighting the achievements of her department Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu said the Chief Minister has always given priority to the empowerment of women. The newly recruited engineers must try their best to bring the benefits of the state's initiatives to people's doorsteps, she advised. Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra advised the engineers to work with commitment and transparency. Sharing their experiences, newly recruited engineers Krshna Priyadarshini, Anjali Parida and Arjun Das appreciated the transparency in the recruitment system and computer-based choice locking system for posting. Interacting with the new recruits, Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian advised the engineers to have complete trust on their own merit. As they have come through purely a merit-based recruitment process, they should work without any fear or favour. (ANI) Taking a jibe at Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Union Minister Arjun Munda said, "The truth is that governance in Jharkhand is in very poor condition." Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Congress MLAs found with cash in West Bengal earlier said, "BJP is trying to write a new definition of politics in the country. They are trying to destabilize our government as well. Seeing the latest episode, it can be said that they couldn't succeed in their attempt." Replying to Soren's statement, Union Minister Arjun Munda said, "Truth is that governance in Jharkhand is in very poor condition. With such statements, he wants to free himself. He should say what actions are being taken in matters in which evidence has been found instead of accusing the BJP so that nobody asks him anything." "Hemant Soren can feel that he stands exposed in the eyes of the people by the manner in which money was seized from them, the incidents that are unfolding and the kind of discussions that are going on," he added. Union minister Arjun Munda also clarified about Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal's fake allegation that the three arrested MLAs lured him to meet Assam CM Hemant Bishwa Sarma. Munda said, "Kumar Jaimangal's father was a Congress leader and Assam CM Hemant Bishwa Sarma too was once in Congress. He's misleading by concocting stories. His father was a trade union leader too and he too meets people over issues. Using this as political tool is Congress' disgusting mindset." Earlier Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika also stated that Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal made fake allegation that the 3 arrested MLA's lured him to meet Assam CM. "5 days before filing the fabricated FIR, CM Sarma took him to the residence of Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi on 26 July to help him in his trade union-related matter." "Jharkhand Congress MLA Kumar Jaimangal has been regularly meeting Assam CM Sarma. He should face the law for making a fraudulent allegation against Assam CM and against those tribal MLAs," he added. Earlier on Sunday, the West Bengal Police arrested five people, including three MLAs from Jharkhand Congress who were earlier nabbed with huge amount of money in West Bengal's Howrah. According to the Superintendent of Howrah Rural Police, "these MLAs were earlier nabbed with huge amounts of cash and all these five people were presented in court today." (ANI) The government is looking into cases of alleged tax evasion by three mobile companies of China - Oppo, Vivo India and Xiaomi - and notices have been issued to them, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. "The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has issued notice to Oppo, the mobile company, for a total customs duty of Rs 4,389 crore, and these are on the grounds of misdeclaration of certain goods, leading to a short payment in customs duty. That duty evasion, we think, is about Rs 2,981 crores," Sitharaman said in Rajya Sabha response to a question by BJP member Sushil Modi. "As regards the under-valuation of imported goods for the purpose of payments of customs duty, that we think is an evasion of Rs.1,408 crore. So, that is for Oppo. Voluntarily, they have come about to deposit Rs.450 crore, much against the total that is running in Rs.4,389 crore. That is the demand. They have given only Rs.450 crore," she said in response to a query by BJP member Sushil Modi. She said the other two companies in the context of the question are Xiaomi and Vivo. "Xiaomi, which is the other technology company, mobile phone company, which I think deals with assembled Mi brand mobile phones. Three showcause notices have been issued to them, and their approximate duty liability is about Rs 653 crore. For the three show-cause notices which have been issued, they have deposited only Rs 46 lakh. And, the third company is Vivo India, for whom also there is a demand notice given for Rs 2,217 crore, against which they have deposited Rs.60 crore as voluntary deposit," the minister said. Sitharaman said besides this, the ED is looking at 18 companies that were established by Vivo, and, there, they have voluntarily remitted Rs 62,000 crores as deposit. "Of Rs.1.25 lakh crore, which is the total sale, Vivo has transferred through these 18 companies a huge amount of funds and it is believed that Vivo India has, in turn, remitted Rs.0.62 lakh crores to its parent company, which is outside India," she said. Sushil Modi said that it had been informed by the department that about Rs.62,000 crore of Vivo mobile India has been remitted to China and their controlled territories and asked which other Chinese companies have remitted money to China and its controlled territories and how much is the amount involved. Answering another query, the minister said there are DRI investigations on very many telecom companies. "In the 43 companies, there are mixed quite a lot of companies of different shareholding, different country of origin and so on, but I would just want to draw, at this stage, the attention of the member to the duties that we are levying on them. In 'customs duty-related evasion', there are about 68 cases totaling to Rs 1,342 crore; 'GST-related evasion' matters, Rs 591 crore; and 'service-tax related evasion', Rs 5.58 crore. The CBDT, and also the CBIC, are all acting on that," she said. Answering a question of BJD member about dubious loan apps, she said the member has raised "a genuine concern". "I can only say that from the point of view of loan, loan-related issues, apps are being misused, particularly, originating from one particular country and, as a result, a lot of our citizens are being harassed, monies being extorted from them. These Apps, rightly being pointed out, being downloaded in, say, one Odisha, that is the number, there are other States in which reports are coming in. The Ministry of Finance, Corporate Affairs, MeitY, and a few other Departments, inclusive of whom, are all constantly discussing and working to ensure that action is taken," Sitharaman said. "I would only broadly indicate, not get into some specifics here, that in the recent past, only a couple of months ago, particularly, in the State of Telangana, a lot of people have been put to harassment, and, in those, actions have been initiated. That is not to say, 'we are not taking action elsewhere.' We are consciously taking actions against Indian citizens who have also helped in having these companies established and what may be broadly defined as 'shell companies' through which they are operating. So, actions from all these angles are being taken. That is how far I can answer it at this stage," she added. (ANI) Hitting out at the Central government for intimidating the Opposition through ED, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted that the BJP's strategy is well known as they are not going after Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi who pocketed thousands of crores and fled the country. "We know government's strategy, to anyhow frame and intimidate Opposition. DHFL caused a loss of Rs 34,615 cr; from Mehul Choksi to Nirav Modi, they pocketed thousands of crores. Is the govt worried about it? Have they tried to get it back?' Chowdhury told ANI about ED raids over the National Herald case. Congress leader Karti Chidambaram also hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for conducting raids at the National Herald house and other offices of the institution. The Congress leader said the ED was weaponised earlier, now after the Supreme Court judgement, it has become a "weapon of mass destruction". Earlier in the day, Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed the Congress leaders for questioning the investigation against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case and said that the "party is still living in slavery for just one family- Gandhi family." "The biggest example of how to grab property worth thousands of crores is the National Herald case and this is done by none other than Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who are currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate," said Thakur. "They are out on bail but why they are running away from the investigation? These crocodile tears of Congress leaders are just to hide the corruption done by their party and to stop the investigation. Is Congress out of bound of probe agencies? Does the law of the country not apply to the Congress leaders? Is the Gandhi family above the law of the country? They are out on bail, shouldn't they tell the investigating agency why the scam happened? Why are they afraid if they are innocent?" he said. Earlier in the day, ED carried out raids at 12 locations in the national capital and at other places in connection with the National Herald case in which top Congress leaders are accused of violating norms. The National Herald case pertains to the alleged financial irregularities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. The raids were conducted days after the investigative agency questioned Congress interim-president Sonia Gandhi for nearly three hours on July 27. It was the third round of questioning of the senior leader in the case. Following the summoning of Sonia Gandhi by the ED, Congress workers and leaders staged protests in various parts of the country alleging misuse of probe agencies by the government. Sonia Gandhi was questioned by ED on July 26 also. She had reached the ED office accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Meanwhile, in June, the ED questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days. Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for over 27 hours for three straight days from June 13 to June 15 and was again summoned on June 20. On June 20, he was questioned for around 14 hours. The Congress leader deposed before the ED investigators in the case for the first time on June 13. He initially sought an exemption from appearance on June 16, following which he was called on June 17. But the senior Congress leader wrote to the ED to postpone his questioning citing the illness of his mother Sonia Gandhi. The ED then allowed him to join the probe on June 20 at his request. (ANI) Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said that he doesn't need an election symbol to get elected by the people asserting that they only forged a natural alliance of Shiv Sena once again. "Who betrayed whom? We or someone else? We just forged the natural alliance of Shiv Sena once again and this Govt is a govt of the people," he said. "I have worked a lot in my constituency. So much so that I don't need an election symbol to get elected by people," Shinde added. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose coalition government collapsed in June after Shinde's rebellion, has been lambasting Shinde and others, calling them "gaddar" or traitors. Speaking at a rally in Pune, Eknath Shinde said, "Govt came to power and our party chief became CM. We all got down to work. Meanwhile, people used to come and visit me because some people (Uddhav Thackeray) had no time to meet them. Our people suffered, what was happening in the Govt was intolerable." "We took this decision because, in the upcoming elections, Shiv Sena would have had only that many MLAs as much as can be counted on fingers. Attempts were on to end Shiv Sena, people were being jailed and they were being asked to join their parties to save themselves," Maharashtra CM said. He criticised Uddhav Thackeray for not giving time to meet his supporters and leaders. "Senior leaders who had worked with Balasaheb too had to go back from Varsha Bungalow. What is the use of such power?, Shinde added. "I was a Minister, and so was Uday Samant. But we left the Govt. I have worked a lot in my constituency. So much so that I don't need an election symbol to get elected by people," he said. "I have worked a lot in my constituency. So much so that I don't need an election symbol to get elected by people," he added. (ANI) Two more persons have been arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Kumar Nettare in Karnataka's Bellare. Speaking to reporters, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the police have arrested all the persons who were involved in the case. "It is a known fact why the murder was carried out and who is involved in it. The police have made 4 arrests in the case," he said. He maintained that since the investigation is in progress, he can't divulge more details. "Whoever are involved in the case are arrested and the police have not arrested innocent persons... the arrests were made based on evidence," the Home Minister said. "Likewise, the investigation of Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet, the youth who was killed following the murder of BJP activist Praveen is also progressing," he added. Home Minister Araga Jnanendra charged that the present situation is existing because of misrule during the time of Congress government headed by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. "He had withdrawn police cases against fundamental organisations belonging to the minority community and emboldened communal forces," he alleged. "Now he (Siddaramaiah) says, there is a collapse of law and order in the state. Siddaramaiah is directly responsible for the situation," the Home Minister stated. The arrested persons are identified as Saddam (32), a resident of Bellare, and Harris (42), a resident of Pallajamajalu. The police had earlier arrested Shafeeq and Zakir on July 27 in connection with Praveen's murder. Though, Jnanendra maintained that all accused in the Praveen's murder case are arrested, sources in the police said the probe is still underway to nab other accused who hatched conspiracy. The police investigations into the case of murder of Praveen have shown that the victim's involvement and active participation against 'halal cut meat' campaign is the reason behind his murder, sources said on Monday. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated that the sleuths of National Investigation Agency (NIA) have taken up the probe into the murder case. Sources said Praveen was actively involved in the campaign against 'halal meat'. He had also opened a chicken shop and sold meat prepared without the halal cut. Praveen campaigned on ground as well as on social media that Hindus should not buy halal cut meat from Muslim traders. His initiatives made 'big news' in Bellare town. The police suspect that Praveen had come to the radar of fundamental organisations with the campaigning, sources said. --IANS mka/pgh ( 419 Words) 2022-08-02-19:16:02 (IANS) Rajasthan Minister of State for Sainik Welfare Rajendra Gudha has once again brought the horse-trading issue to the fore by claiming that he was offered crores of rupees during the Rajya Sabha elections as well as the political crisis in the Congress. "At the time of the Rajya Sabha elections, an offer of Rs 25 crore was given for casting one vote. Two years ago, during the political crisis at the time of the rebellion in the Congress, an offer of Rs 60 crore was made," Gudha, who was in the BSP and later joined the Congress, said while addressing a school programme. However, he did not take anyone's name. Gudha, while answering the questions of the children of a private school in Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu district, said "When the last Rajya Sabha elections were held, I was offered Rs 25 crores at that time for casting one vote for one person. I asked my wife that Rs 25 crores are being offered for casting just one vote. However, she said that we do not want money, your image will be tarnished." "Even during the rebellion in the Congress, I had an offer of Rs 60 crore. My son, daughter and wife said that we need respect, not money." Gudha is constantly making statements and official sources said that he is annoyed at getting a portfolio of less importance. Along with it, two MLAs who left the BSP and joined the Congress have expressed displeasure over not getting any post. --IANS arc/bg ( 274 Words) 2022-08-02-20:04:03 (IANS) West Bengal's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths raided the office of a Kolkata-based sharebroker, who, according to the CID, gave cash to three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand. The accused, Mahendra Agarwal's office in Bikaner Building at central Kolkata's Lal Bazar Street, was raided on Tuesday afternoon, during which 250 silver coins and Rs 3,31,000 in cash were recovered. The raid continued for two hours after which the office was sealed. The CID has also procured some CCTV footage which shows that the three Congress MLAs received over Rs 48 lakh from Agarwal. "Now we are trying to figure out who assigned this trader to give money to the three Jharkhand MLAs and what was the source of that money," an official said. On Saturday evening, the three MLAs -- Irfan Ansari from Jamtara Assembly constituency, Rajesh Kacchap from Khijri (Scheduled Tribe) constituency and Naman Bixal Kongari from Kolebira (ST) constituency -- were nabbed by the police at Howrah's Panchla, with the cash in their SUV boot. The MLAs told the police that the cash was meant for purchasing sarees from the wholesale market at Burrabazar in central Kolkata to distribute in their constituencies on the occasion of the forthcoming World Tribal Day. The MLAs and two others arrested with them, including the driver, have been remanded to CID custody till August 10. --IANS src/sks/bg ( 236 Words) 2022-08-02-20:24:05 (IANS) Finally ending the speculations, Congress party MLA in Telangana, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy on Tuesday announced his decision to resign both from the party and the Assembly. He told reporters that he took the decision for the people of Munugode constituency. He also stated he has still not decided to join the BJP. Rajagopal Reddy said he would declare his future course of action after consultations with his followers and key leaders in the constituency. He said he would soon meet the Assembly Speaker to submit his resignation. "If people of Munugode want, I will contest again," he said. Rajagopal Reddy said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah can put an end to anarchic rule of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Rajagopal Reddy, who is brother of Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, said he had respect for Sonia Gandhi and hence would not criticize Congress party. He reiterated that the party suffered because of some wrong decisions. He claimed that his decision was for the sake of Munugode and its people as the TRS leaders have been saying that the constituency will see development only in the event of a by-election. "I hope that the by-election will bring development and CM KCR will fulfill his promises," he said. The MLA alleged that TRS ignored the constituency after he was elected from there. He alleged that KCR was acting like a new Nizam and claimed that TRS MLAs were unhappy with him. Rajagopal Reddy also claimed that since 2014, TRS invited him many times to join the party but he rejected the offers. "My fight is against the family rule and for four crore people of Telangana," he said. His decision finally brought curtains on the speculations for several months. He had stated in 2019 that only BJP is capable of taking on TRS but delayed a decision on switching loyalties. After meeting Home Minister Amit Shah a few days ago, Rajagopal Reddy had stepped up attacks on the Congress party. The central leadership of the Congress party took serious note of his remarks but avoided taking any strong action. --IANS ms/pgh ( 366 Words) 2022-08-02-21:10:02 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said that a total of 304 high-yielding varieties of pulses have been notified for commercial cultivation in the country since 2014. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Tomar said, "The high-yielding varieties of pulses included 81 of Gram, 50 of Arhar, 38 of Mung, 35 of Urd, 33 of Lentil, 23 of Field Pea, 19 of Cowpea and 25 of other pulses." During this period, a total of 20 high yielding varieties of pulses including six of Gram, five of Arhar, three of Faba Bean, two each of Field Pea and Mung and one each of Lentil and Urd have been notified for commercial cultivation in the state of Bihar. The Minister said that the Indian Council of Agricultural ResearchI (CAR) is mandated to produce breeder seed of different crop varieties against the indent from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW). The breeder seed is provided to various public and private seed producing agencies and certified quality seed categories and distribution to farmers. During the last five years, total 96,731 quintals of breeder seed of high yielding varieties of pulses were produced by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) against the total indent of about 77,499 quintals and supplied to the seed producing agencies for further multiplication into foundation and certified quality seed categories and distribution to farmers. About 2,329 quintal breeder seed of pulses was produced during the last five years against the total indent of 1,562 quintals by the state of Bihar. --IANS miz/uk ( 269 Words) 2022-08-02-21:24:04 (IANS) The US drone strike killing one of the most dreaded terrorists, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a residential neighbourhood in Kabul is a watershed moment in history at a time when the Taliban, a year after seizing power from a democratically elected government, are still struggling to establish international legitimacy and recognition. They may not wish to endanger any fragile progress. The US and other Western powers have also been trapped in a bind: How do they help the people of Afghanistan, mired in a deepening humanitarian crisis, when many Taliban leaders are still under US terrorism sanctions, the BBC said in an analysis of the drone strike and its impact on the peace process in Kabul and rest of the world. American interests in this region also include the fight against extremist groups like Islamic State, an enemy they share with the Taliban. The Taliban have been walking a political high wire ever since they took charge in Kabul, the BBC said. How do they maintain their standing in the global jihadi community, including their long-standing relations with Al Qaeda? Social media is now buzzing with accusations of another US war crime with another alleged extrajudicial killing, the report said. How do they complete their transformation from an insurgency to an internationally respected government but still keep their ultra-conservative credentials? That high wire is now wobbling. The world is watching, the BBC reported. The BBC also showed pictures of the actual location of the building in Kabul where Zawahiri was taken out. It was draped in green plastic sheets to avoid being detected. The first signs of an operation, months in the making, erupted when an attack rocked the centre of Kabul in the early hours of Sunday morning: "We heard two thunderous blasts on our street nearby", reported the BBC correspondent. Speculation swirled around who or what had hit this "empty house" in Sherpur. It is a neighborhood which became notorious over the past two decades for its garish multi-storey villas, mocked by Kabul residents as the stronghold of corrupt warlords and officials, a gaudy symbol of the spoils of an ugly war. Kabulis called it Choorpur, the town of thieves. The Taliban took over some of the empty villas, close to some high-walled Western embassies, which also slammed shut when the Taliban took charge, the BBC reported. With every passing day, new pieces of this puzzle surfaced: Of a possible strike on an Islamic State target; the use of a US drone which raised even more questions; the involvement of US forces on the ground. The mystery ended early on Tuesday morning, the report said. "As Kabul woke to the news that the US has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, we tried to approach the area on a main road leading into the street threading past Spinney's luxury supermarket and the Afghan Ghazanfar bank," Lyce Doucet, chief international correspondent of the BBC, reported. "A single Taliban guard angrily crossed his arms to warn us away. From a side street, we reached the back of the villa on foot. Guards and workers in adjacent buildings confirmed which house had been hit on Sunday; balconies protruding from the top floor were now covered with green plastic sheeting. Has anyone seen any activity, any residents, at this place," she reported. "The house was empty", was the refrain. Was this a reply rehearsed in advance, an echo of the Taliban's official statement? Owners of nearby buildings told us they had been ordered, hours earlier, to shut their rooftops to everyone, even their own workers. As the news of Zawahiri's killing shot like an electric current through social media, the scene of this explosive moment seemed strangely quiet, the BBC reported. As minutes ticked by, more journalists arrived, more passers-by stopped, more Taliban guards showed up. Now there are many questions, conspiracies and a range of possible consequences, the report said. The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a top target on America's wanted list, had been reported many times before, including last year when he was said to have died of illness. Zawahiri was Qaeda's most prominent spokesman and ideologue. If he was alive, he was said to be a recluse in the rugged terrain along Afghan-Pakistan border. But now it emerges that he was a guest of the Taliban leadership, living in that villa smack in the centre of Kabul and said to belong to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Taliban interior minister, who is under US terrorism sanctions, the BBC reported. There is an echo of the 2011 US killing of Zawahiri's brother-in-arms, Osama Bin Laden, who had been hiding in plain sight at a villa in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, down the street from a military academy. There is an echo too of the Taliban's rejoinder to the US after the 9/11 attacks that Bin Laden had only been their honoured guest, in Afghan Pashtun tradition, the report said. The 2020 US-Taliban deal, signed after nearly two years of tortuous negotiations in Qatar, was meant to sort out this crucial question. During the talks, it was repeatedly said that the Taliban commitment to not allow Afghanistan to be a safe haven again would be spelled out clearly, in black and white. But the deal which emerged, with secret annexes, was not so clearcut. The Taliban vowed to prevent any attacks on US soil from their territory, the BBC reported. But they never explicitly agreed to sever ties with their fellow jihadis, including Zawahiri, who, like other Qaeda leaders, had sworn allegiance to the Taliban leader, or emir, Haibatullah Akhundzada. Since the Taliban swept into Kabul on August 15 last year, there have been repeated and credible reports of Qaeda fighters crossing the Pakistan border into Afghanistan but there have also been repeated Taliban pledges to fight against terrorism, the BBC reported. The Taliban also accuse the US of violating their deal in their attack against a residential neighbourhood of Kabul. A statement from a Taliban spokesman warned that "repeating such actions will damage the existing opportunities", the report concluded. --IANS arm/ ( 1031 Words) 2022-08-02-22:12:01 (IANS) A new "Climate Endgame" agenda is needed, according to researchers, who also claim that far too little research has been done on the mechanisms by which rising temperatures might pose a "catastrophic" risk to society and humanity. For instance, if temperature rises are worse than many predict or cause cascades of events we have yet to consider, or indeed both. The world needs to start preparing for the possibility of a "climate endgame." The research led by Luke Kemp and findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The researchers argue that assessing catastrophic risks is necessary in order to have a better chance of preventing them. "Irreversible and potentially catastrophic risks caused by human induced climate change must be factored into our planning and actions. If there is a red thread in science over the past 30 years it is this; the more we learn about how our planet functions, the higher is the reason for concern", Johan Rockstrom explains, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts and a co-author. "Tipping points are coming closer, not only because we are emitting more greenhouse gases, but also that we increasingly understand that our planet is more fragile and a more sophisticated oganism with feedbacks and interactions that quite abruptly can shift its functions from dampening and cooling, to amplifying and warming. Amazon die-back and accelerated melting of the Greenland ice sheet are examples of systems that can rapidly go from cooling sinks to warming sources. This means we cannot contend ourselves to look at mean values only, we must factor in non-linear high-end risks. Key is to do the math of disaster, in order to avoid it." "There are plenty of reasons to believe climate change could become catastrophic, even at modest levels of warming," said lead author Luke Kemp from Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. "Climate change has played a role in every mass extinction event. It has helped fell empires and shaped history. Even the modern world seems adapted to a particular climate niche," he said. "Paths to disaster are not limited to the direct impacts of high temperatures, such as extreme weather events. Knock-on effects such as financial crises, conflict, and new disease outbreaks could trigger other calamities, and impede recovery from potential disasters such as nuclear war." The author's team proposes a research agenda focusing on what they call the "four horsemen" of the "climate endgame": famine and malnutrition, extreme weather, conflict, and vector-borne diseases. Rising temperatures pose a major threat to the global food supply, they say, with increasing probabilities of "breadbasket failures" as the world's most agriculturally productive areas might suffer collective meltdowns. Hotter and more extreme weather could also create conditions for new disease outbreaks as habitats for both people and wildlife shift and shrink. Furthermore, focus on identifying all potential tipping points within "Hothouse Earth" should be strengthened, say researchers: from methane released by permafrost melts to the loss of forests that act as "carbon sinks", and even the potential for vanishing cloud cover. (ANI) US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby on Monday said that US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not confirmed her travel plans to Taiwan yet but she has the right to visit Taiwan and that her visit is not 'uncommon'. "If she goes it's not without precedent, it's not new," Kirby said adding, "The Speaker has not confirmed any travel plans and it is for the Speaker to do so, and her staff." "The Speaker has a right to visit Taiwan...We won't be commenting or speculating about the stops on her trip," he added. According to media reports, the US House Speaker is expected to arrive in Taiwan on August 2 and meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Pelosi is going to visit Taiwan, with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake, media reports earlier said citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official. The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei. Since the reports of the US House Speaker's visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy's Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. The Chinese officials have said Pelosi visiting Taiwan would violate the One China Policy and would constitute aiding an illegal rebellion. A Chinese state media outlet said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. Kirby said that the Biden administration will support Pelosi on a trip to Taiwan. "We want to make sure that when she travels overseas, she can do so safely and securely and we're going to make sure of that. There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There is no reason for any actions to be taken. It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan," CNN quoted Kirby as saying. The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that it is Pelosi's decision whether she visits, adding, "we do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do." "Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the Speaker's," he added. Blinken said that such a visit has precedent, noting past speakers and members of Congress have visited Taiwan. "And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken said, adding, "We are looking for them, in the event, she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward." Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, is also expected to hold a meeting with other high-ranking officials while in Taiwan on Tuesday and is scheduled to leave the island a day later. "She's definitely coming," the people whom Pelosi is planning to meet with in Taiwan earlier informed the Wall Street Journal of her arrival. "The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei." However, there is no official announcement for Pelosi's visit, the stop, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not currently on Pelosi's public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point. Back in April, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan and stressed that the US should abide by the one-China principle, which is the political foundation for China-US relations. China stresses that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China. It firmly opposes separatist moves toward "Taiwan independence". Meanwhile, Pelosi kicked off her Asia tour, the delegation led by her made a courtesy call to President Halimah Yacob, and also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday. The Congressional delegation led by Nancy Pelosi comprises Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Mark Takano (D-California), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Congressman Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore said in a statement. (ANI) Al Qaeda chief and key plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ayman al Zawahiri, was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Saturday. US President Joe Biden confirmed it on Monday, saying that "Justice has been served". Zawahiri, who had just turned 71, took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. 11 years after Laden was killed, Zawahiri had become an international symbol of the group, and a global terrorist with a reward of USD 25 million on his head. Born in an Egyptian middle-class family of scholars and doctors, Zawahiri grew up to be a doctor. He was the grandson of Rabia al-Zawahiri, the grand imam of Al Azhar, which is the centre of Sunni Islamic learning in the Middle East and one of Islam's most important mosques. Zawahiri served three years as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army, but his journey from an eye surgeon to becoming a most wanted global terrorist started after he met Laden in 1986, and joined Laden as his personal advisor and physician. In 1993, he took over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt and became a leading figure in a campaign in the mid-1990s to overthrow the government and set up a purist Islamic state. He was found to be involved in the killing of over 1,200 Egyptians. Years later, Zawahiri became number two on the list of "most wanted terrorists" announced by the US government in 2001. In 1998, Zawahiri finally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with Al-Qaeda. Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the bombings of August 7, 1998, when nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa - 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. The culmination of Zawahiri's terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. Both he and bin Laden escaped US forces in Afghanistan in late 2001. In May 2003, Zawahiri was found involved in suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 23 people, including nine Americans, days after a tape thought to contain Zawahiri's voice was released. Zawahiri emerged as a prominent speaker of Al-Qaeda, in recent years after he appeared in 16 videos and audiotapes in 2007, four times as many as Bin Laden, as the group tried to radicalise and recruit Muslims around the world. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years, but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four al-Qaeda members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out."(ANI) President Joe Biden in a televised address on Monday (local time) announced that Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in an air strike by the United States stating that "Justice has been delivered." al-Zawahiri was one of the world's most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks was killed in a drone strike carried out by the US in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday. "On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully conducted an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed the emir of al-Qa'ida: Ayman al-Zawahiri. Justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more," Biden said in a video address from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House. "He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens," he added. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 and he also acted as Osama Bin Ladens personal physician. In a background call to reporters, a senior Biden administration official said Zawahiri had been killed on the balcony of a house in Kabul in a drone strike, and that there had been no US boots on the ground in Afghanistan. The strike was conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and was carried out by an Air Force drone. The official claimed that al-Zawahiri was the only person killed in the strike and that none of his family members was injured. Senior members of the Taliban and Haqqani Network were aware of al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul before the drone strike, said the senior administration official. In fact, Haqqani Network members attempted to conceal that al-Zawahiri had been staying at the safehouse in the hours after he was killed. When asked about Al-Zawahris's killing and could he have been in the safe house without the direct knowledge of Pakistan's ISI, the official said: "What we know is that senior Haqqani Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul and I can't comment further on other countries involvement." Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States who is now with the Hudson Institute, said that this operation shows that the US can still find identified terrorist leaders in Afghanistan. "The question now would be, whether Taliban enabled Zawahiri's elimination or the US did it without assistance. His presence in the Afghanistan- Pakistan area confirms that the region is still home to international terrorist groups," Haqqani told ANI. "We will have to wait to find out whom the Americans believe to have helped keep Zawahiri in business from within the region," the former ambassador further added. Zawahiri's killing comes a year after the US' military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The official noted that Zawahiri's presence in the Afghan capital Kabul was a "clear violation" of a deal the Taliban had signed with the US in Doha in 2020 that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. (ANI) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added a "deceased" caption under the profile image of Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on its website, after the most wanted terrorist was killed by the US in an air strike in Kabul. Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan on Saturday, according to US President Joe Biden. There is what the profile of Zawahiri was on the FBI website before his killing was announced. In a televised address on Monday (local time), US President Joe Biden said that "Justice has been delivered." al-Zawahiri was one of the world's most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks was killed in a drone strike carried out by the US in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday. "On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully conducted an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed the emir of al-Qa'ida: Ayman al-Zawahiri. Justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more," Biden said in a video address from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House. "He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens," he added. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 and he also acted as Osama Bin Ladens personal physician. Al-Qaeda, who had just turned 71, took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. 11 years after Laden was killed, Zawahiri had become an international symbol of the group, and a global terrorist with a reward of USD 25 million on his head. In 1993, he took over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt and became a leading figure in a campaign in the mid-1990s to overthrow the government and set up a purist Islamic state. He was found to be involved in the killing of over 1,200 Egyptians. Years later, Zawahiri became number two on the list of "most wanted terrorists" announced by the US government in 2001. In 1998, Zawahiri finally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with Al-Qaeda. Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the bombings of August 7, 1998, when nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa - 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. The culmination of Zawahiri's terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. al Zawahiri emerged as a prominent speaker of Al-Qaeda, in recent years after he appeared in 16 videos and audiotapes in 2007, four times as many as Bin Laden, as the group tried to radicalise and recruit Muslims around the world. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years, but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four al-Qaeda members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out."(ANI) Taliban has grossly violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Monday (local time). Zawahiri was killed in an air strike by the United States on Saturday, President Joe Biden said. "By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qa'ida in Kabul, the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries," Blinken said in a statement. The US and the Taliban signed the peace agreement in February 2020 under the Presidency of former US President Donald Trump. The deal stated the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghan soil and the Taliban would abate violence and guarantee that its soil will not be a safe haven for the terrorists. In a statement, Blinken said that the Taliban also betrayed the Afghan people and their own stated desire for recognition from and normalization with the international community. "In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls," Bliken said in a statement. al-Zawahiri was one of the world's most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed in a drone strike carried out by the US in Kabul. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 and he also acted as Osama Bin Ladens personal physician. Al-Qaeda, who had just turned 71, took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. 11 years after Laden was killed, Zawahiri had become an international symbol of the group, and a global terrorist with a reward of USD 25 million on his head. The culmination of Zawahiri's terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years, but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four al-Qaeda members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out."(ANI) As Jammu and Kashmir celebrates the third anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the Central government has achieved phenomenal success in its mission to turn the entire Himalayan region green and revive the dying water bodies. Soon after the scrapping of the contentious Article in August 2019, the government shifted its focus to preserving the natural resources and beauty of the Himalayan region. To begin with, the Jammu and Kashmir administration approached the Centre to seek amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 to include the provision of booking forest smugglers under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). The PSA had been scrapped after the J&K Reorganization Act came into force in October 2019. The Centre gave its nod to the proposal moved by the J&K administration to book the accused under PSA. A massive crackdown was launched against forest smugglers. Habitual offenders were booked under the PSA for causing enormous damage to the forests in north, south and central Kashmir. The Union Territory administration has fixed a target of planting 1.5 crore saplings by the year end to carry forward the 'Green Revolution' that J&K has been witnessing after the revocation of Article 370. Village Panchayat Plantation Committees have been assigned a frontal role to make the initiative a success. People of the Valley are being made aware of their role as a community to maintain sustainable ecological balance. J&K's 54 per cent area is under the green cover and a large population of the Himalayan region is dependent on forests for their livelihood. The government has set the target to bring two-thirds of Jammu and Kashmir's area under forest and tree cover and make the protection of natural resources an integral part of the UT's development model. J&K Social Forestry Plantation Rules have been implemented and 4290 Village Panchayat Plantation Committees have been empowered under these rules to carry out plantation drives and to take up afforestation works. After J&K's transition into a Union Territory, the Forest Department along with the other stakeholders have planted about 2 crores 38 lakh new saplings. The officials are putting in relentless efforts to revive the natural water bodies in J&K. At least 511 water bodies have been revived in the Jammu region - Kathua, Doda, Samba Doda and Ramban districts - during the past year and these are providing drinking water to the people. Anantnag in south Kashmir had almost lost all its springs after 1990 but in the past one year, 12 freshwater springs have been revived. In north Kashmir's Bandipora district 12 Panchayats have formed committees to revive the dying water springs. Pakistan-sponsored terrorism that broke out in the Valley in the 1990s and led to forests and water bodies getting neglected leading to their degradation. After 1990, forests suffered huge damage as timber smugglers looted the green gold under the direct patronage of terrorists and and some politicians. The effects of degradation of forests were clearly visible in the drying up of perennial water sources at many places, accelerated soil erosion, flash floods, silting up of reservoirs, loss of biodiversity and reduced forest productivity. (ANI) Three suspects were arrested on Tuesday by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka for allegedly setting ablaze President Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo on July 9, according to local media reports. According to the police, as reported by the Daily Mirror, two of the three suspects were aged 18 and 22 and belonged to Madapatha and Colombo respectively. They were detained yesterday in the Piliyandala and Narahenpita areas. The details of the third suspect were not immediately available. Four suspects were previously detained by the police in connection with the incident, and the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court remanded them until August 10, reported the Daily Mirror. A group of protesters on July 9 had entered the private residence of Wickremesinghe and set it on fire, hours after he offered to resign as prime minister, to make way for an all-party government amid unprecedented protests in the country for the resignation of the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The protestors entered 73-year-old Wickremesinghe's house on 5th Lane in Colombo and set the place on fire following a tense situation that erupted between the protestors and security forces on the ground. (ANI) China has warned the US that it will "pay the price" if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan even as Beijing extended air traffic controls around Xiamen, the coastal city closest to the island, according to media reports. Tensions have been escalating over Pelosi's visit, who arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday as part of the second leg of her Indo-Pacific tour, according to The Strait Times. Beijing views Pelosi's visit as a provocation and has issued increasingly severe warnings that have not ruled out a military response. "What I can tell you is, the US will definitely have to bear responsibility and pay the price for harming China's sovereignty and security interests," foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told a press briefing in Beijing adding that China will take "firm and powerful" measures in response. "If the US misjudges or handles the situation across the Taiwan Strait incorrectly, it will have catastrophic consequences for the security, prosperity and order of the Taiwan region and the world at large," she said as quoted by The Strait Times. Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan today, as per reports. She is going to Taiwan with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully takeover. On Monday, China reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of Pelosi's planned visit and warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei. Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun said Beijing will hold military exercises in the South China sea from August 2-6. Meanwhile, the White House said that Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan. "If she goes it's not without precedent, it's not new," US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby on Monday said. Back in April, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan. (ANI) Hours ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, China upped the ante and threatened Washington with "very grave" consequences if the high-level visit takes place. Pelosi is likely to visit Taiwan Tuesday evening, as per reports. She is going to Taiwan for meetings scheduled with top government officials at the self-governed island that China calls its own and vows to forcefully takeover. Wang Xiaojian, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, issued a warning saying Pelosi's Taiwan visit would constitute a gross interference in China's internal affairs and greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. "A visit to Taiwan by Speaker Pelosi would constitute a gross interference in China's internal affairs, greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-US relations and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences," Wang tweeted. Adopting a tough stance, the Chinese official said those who play by fire will perish. "Public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it. If the US side insists on making the visit and challenges China's red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures. The US must bear all consequences arising thereof," he added. The Chinese spokesperson said that the one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-US relations. "China firmly opposes separatist moves toward 'Taiwan independence' and interference by external forces, and never allows any room for 'Taiwan independence' forces in whatever form." On Monday, China reiterated that it was keeping a close watch on the reports of Pelosi's planned visit and warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the tour. US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said the US Speaker has the right to visit Taiwan and that her visit was not 'uncommon'. "If she goes it's not without precedent, it's not new," Kirby said adding, "The Speaker has not confirmed any travel plans and it is for the Speaker to do so, and her staff." Since the reports of the US House Speaker's visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy's Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. In a press briefing last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Pelosi's Taiwan visit will have a severe impact on China-US ties. Earlier, US President Joe Biden had said that the US military believes it is not a "good idea" for House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to travel to Taiwan as planned. "The military thinks it's not a good idea right now," Biden was quoted as saying by the White House press pool. China has on many occasions firmly opposed any form of official interaction between the United States and the Taiwan region. While warning against the US House speaker's Taiwan visit, a Chinese state media outlet said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. In a phone call between the US and Chinese presidents last week, Xi Jinping told Biden that China would safeguard national sovereignty and said those who play with fire will perish by it. Biden, meanwhile, told the Chinese President that US policy on Taiwan hasn't changed and that Washington opposes unilateral changes to the status quo. (ANI) Vietnam reports increase in daily coronavirus cases The Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported an additional 2,017 Covid-19 infections, an increase of nearly 700 cases compared to yesterday's figure. Illustrative photo According to the ministry's report, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 10,783,026. On August 2, an additional 9,668 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 9.93 million. On Tuesday evening, one death from Covid-19 was recorded, raising the country's total fatalities to 43,094, accounting for 0.4 per cent of total infections. By August 2, the country had injected more than 246 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Vietnam is targeting the completion of Covid-19 inoculation for children aged between 5 - 11 in August, as well as the administration of the third shot for those aged 12 - 17, as well as the third and fourth doses to people aged 18 and above as soon as possible. Dozens of devotees were stunned to see a live Monocled Cobra in a basket brought by a snake charmer on the premises of Naag Pokhari coinciding with the festivity of Naag Panchami. The Fifth Day of Bright half-moon of Shrawan month, as per the lunar calendar is regarded as Naag Panchami, a day dedicated to Serpent Deities. People flock to the nearby ponds and Naag temples to worship the Serpentine Deity with this the festive season starts in the Himalayan Nation. Devotees who thronged to infamous Naag Pokhari to worship the serpent deity on Naag Panchami offered vermillion powders, flowers and milk as they feel relieved to worship the Serpent on its day. Speaking to ANI, a devotee said, "I am feeling very fortunate, I haven't imagined in my life that I would ever get a chance to offer milk to God Naag. I am deeply satisfied and feel myself fortunate than others, I don't have any words to explain the feeling." "I felt that Naag Devta came in his real form to give me blessings," Mithu Panta told ANI. The Naag Pokhari, a pond dedicated to the Serpent deity in Naxal of Kathmandu was worshipped and made special offerings of the dubo grass, flower and rice grains mixed with red vermillion powder. Along with milk, fruits and sweets made of milk are also offered with the lighting of incense sticks and lamps in homage to the serpent deities. The festival of Naag Panchami is also regarded as the festival to make the bond between humans and nature strong. On this particular day, the farmers don't dig or plough the field rather they worship the deity making the idols from the mud of their field. As per the religious beliefs, the Serpentine deity is also regarded as the god of water and rain and it is considered that the house where the "Naag deity" resides is bestowed with wealth and prosperity. The tradition of observing the festival started when a farmer in ancient times ploughed the field on the day of Nag Panchami and a family of serpents was killed. The serpent then promised not to spare any of the family members from that farmer after his entire family was killed. The farmer had only one daughter who was also married off; the serpent then went to the girl's house to take revenge and saw the daughter worshipping the serpent deity. That snake who lost its family returned back blessing the girl. The festival of Naag Panchami is also regarded as the festival to make the bond between humans and nature strong. On this particular day, the farmers don't dig or plough the field rather they worship the deity making the idols from the mud of their field. (ANI) The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is taking steps to promote Kashmiri products and handicrafts in national and international markets under Prime Minister Modi's "Vocal for Local' with an aim to create market linkages for them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on August 15, 2020, that the mindset of free India should be "Vocal for Local' to achieve the goal of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India). India has a unique array of products as well as a comparative advantage in many products and many of them fascinate global buyers for their quality and elegance. As the country came out of the Corona pandemic scare due to a successful vaccination move in the whole country including the UT of J&K, the handicraft industry once again bristled with activity. In the month of April 2022, a mega buyer-seller meet was organized in the UT under the 'One District One Product' initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The aim of the buyer-seller meet was to promote unique Kashmiri products and to create market linkages for them.The buyer-seller meet witnessed the presence of multiple national and international brands with a cumulative revenue of over Rs 8000 crores and having their products available in over a million retail outlets across the world and sellers, traders, farmers aggregators from various districts of J&K. The participants in the meet showcased their products that are unique to the valley including the world-famous Kashmiri Saffron, Himalayan White Acacia Honey, Red Shiny Kidney Beans, freshly grown organic vegetables and more. Saffron growers of Kashmir are hopeful to get better prices for their products. To promote unique Kashmiri products, the J&K Government has launched initiatives for Geographical Indication (GI) tagging. This would go a long way in promoting the marketing and export of specific products from the UT. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has also begun new initiatives to popularize some of the agricultural products from the UT of J&K and Ladakh such as fragrant rice variety Mushkbudji, Acacia honey and Kashmir valley apples. In 2020, the J&K Government directed officials to put in place special policy measures for ensuring the revival and propagation of traditional arts and crafts, especially Pashmina weaving. In the Karkhandar region of the UT, a new scheme to revive the ailing craft sector was unveiled in 2021 to upscale the learning techniques of trainees and help the artisans to improve their standard of living. In J&K, there are about 250,000 artisans who are directly dependent on handicrafts for their livelihood. The UT has about 180 major craft clusters associated with the handicraft sector, generating a revenue of more than Rs. 1000 crore. It is estimated that there are 4.3 million weavers and 6.9 million artisans in J&K which involves about 350,000 craftsmen and artisans. Moreover, the J&K Government has also instituted State awards for the artisans in the handicrafts sector. In August 2021, the UT government gave awards to artisans in different categories that included Sozni, Paper Machie, Chain Stitch, Crewel and Carpet so as to inspire them to keep not only the traditional handicraft alive but also to market and export these unique Kashmiri products on a bigger scale. The Government of India is at present promoting National Handicraft Development Programme (NHDP). There are various sub-programmes under NHDP viz., Dastkar Shashktikaran Yojana (DSY), Handicraft Mega Cluster Scheme (HMCM), Marketing Support and Service Scheme (MSSS) and Research and Development (R&D) Scheme throughout India and J&K handicraft sector would also benefit from it. (ANI) Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday said that his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi went "very well" which resulted in several agreements and MoUs in the field of infrastructure and development. "It went very well," said Solih in response to a question posed by ANI. PM Modi today underlined that the Maldives occupies a special place in the hearts of Indians and also in the country's "Neighbourhood First" policy as he reaffirmed strong ties with the island nation in a range of fields. During the visit, Solih had restricted and delegation-level talks with PM Modi during which the two leaders expressed satisfaction at the rapid expansion of the bilateral partnership in recent years. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen and deepen the ties. "The India-Maldives bilateral partnership is underpinned by geographical proximity, historical, cultural ties and shared values. Prime Minister Modi underlined that the Maldives occupies a special place in the hearts of Indians and in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. President Solih reaffirmed his government's 'India-First Policy," the MEA said in a statement. President Solih thanked Prime Minister Modi and for standing by the Maldives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The medical and financial assistance from India helped the Maldives overcome the health and economic fallout of the pandemic. Both leaders agreed to further deepen institutional linkages for cooperation in the areas of defence and security, investment promotion, human resource development, infrastructure development including climate and energy. They welcomed the growth in people-to-people ties through the implementation of visa-free travel, better air connectivity, exchange programmes, and growing cultural and economic linkages. India has emerged as the top source of visitors for the Maldivian tourism market, contributing to its economic resilience. The leaders acknowledged the role of the bilateral air travel bubble, created during the pandemic, in the expansion of tourism ties. The two leaders welcomed the ongoing work to operationalize the usage of Rupay cards in the Maldives and agreed to consider further measures to boost bilateral travel and tourism and economic inter-linkages. Both leaders also acknowledged the valuable contribution of Indian teachers, nurses, medical workers, doctors, workers, and professionals in the Maldives. They welcomed the recent launch of National Knowledge Network in the Maldives and directed the officials to work towards expanding its reach. The two leaders welcomed the engagement among business leaders from both countries during the visit, noting that fisheries, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, health, and IT among others were key sectors for greater economic linkages between the two countries through cross-border investments and partnerships. Both leaders acknowledged India's potential as a frontier market for Maldivian tuna products under the SAFTA. According to the MEA statement, India-Maldives development partnership has witnessed rapid growth in recent years and covers large infrastructure projects, community-level grant projects and capacity-building programmes which are based purely on the requirements of the Maldives, implemented through transparent processes and in a spirit of cooperation between the two governments. (ANI) India and the Maldives on Tuesday signed a number of agreements to push the bilateral partnership to the next level in the field of infrastructure and connectivity. These agreements were signed during the visit of Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Solih also held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to an MEA statement, both leaders participated in the virtual "pouring of the first concrete" ceremony of the USD 500 mn Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) being built under the grant and concessional loan support from India. The GMCP is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the Maldives and one of India's largest projects in the neighbourhood. GMCP is 6.74 km in length and will connect Male to Villingli, Gulhifahlu and Thilahfushi. The project will be a major catalyst for the Maldivian economy in the future through jobs and economic activity. In October 2020, a dedicated Line of Credit of USD 400 million was extended to the Maldives for undertaking the GMCP. The government of India (GoI) is also supporting the project through a special grant of USD 100 million. The project was awarded to AFCONS in August 2021. The two sides today reviewed the progress on the construction of 4,000 social housing units in Hulhumale being funded under Exim Bank of India Buyer's credit finance of USD 227 million. Earlier, India's NBCC and JMC concluded EPC contracts with Maldvies' FDC, in February and March 2021 respectively, to finalize construction and design-related aspects of the projects. The contract for the construction of 2,000 Housing units each was awarded to NBCC and JMC projects at a cost of USD 130 mn and USD 137 million respectively. A total of 2,800 units of 3 bedrooms and 3 toilets, and, 1200 units of 2 bedrooms and 2 toilets are being constructed under the two projects. The projects are expected to positively impact the economy and aid in the further de-congestion of Male city. Work commenced on both projects in January 2022. During today's meeting, the two sides also took an overview of India-Maldives development cooperation including Addu roads and reclamation, water and sanitation in 34 islands and Friday Mosque restoration projects. The 'Addu Development Project - Road Development and Reclamation' is one of the priority projects included under the USD 800 million Line of Credit extended to the Maldives. The project has been split into two packages for its implementation. It is being implemented under the USD 800 million LOC extended to Govt of Maldives. The 'Roads and Drainage' component of the project scope includes the construction of 40 km of paved roads, 67 km of unpaved roads, 104 km of drainage network and the construction of a 4-lane bypass connecting Hithadhoo island with Maradhoo island - which includes two bridges of 210m and 450m. Other agreements/MoUs exchanged include an MoU on Capacity Building & Training of Members of Local Councils and Women Development Committee of Maldives between NIRDPR, India and Local Government Authority, Maldives. An MoU was signed on Collaboration in potential fishing zone forecast capacity building and data sharing and marine scientific research between INCOIS, India and the Ministry of Fisheries, Maldives. Another MoU was signed for Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security between CERT-India and NCIT, the Maldives for cooperation for exchange of information on Cyber-attacks, prevalent cyber security mechanisms and mutual response to cyber incidents; Cyber security technology cooperation relevant to CERT activities, best practices and setting up of India-Maldives Expert Group. An MoU was also signed on cooperation in the field of disaster management between NDMA, India and NDMA, Maldives. This MoU envisages cooperation in the field of disaster management and risk reduction encompassing large-scale disaster incidents occurring within respective territories, emergency relief, response, humanitarian assistance; exchange of information. Cooperation also includes sharing experiences, satellite data and best practices, Tsunami Advisories, Storm Surge, High Wave Alert, Multi-Hazard vulnerability information along coastal zones and annual disaster management exercises that will be held in the different geographic settings of both nations. One agreement was signed between EXIM Bank, India and the Ministry of Finance, Maldives for USD 41 Mn Buyer's Credit Financing of Police Infrastructure in the Maldives. Exim Bank has extended a Buyer's Credit facility under the National Export Insurance Account of USD 40.95 Mn to GoM for the design and construction of a Police Station, accommodation, and a custody Facility in the Maldives. This will assist in providing adequate police facilities to ease and ensure the safety of Citizens and tourists, increase the presence of MPS on islands and curtail and help to reduce the crime rate in various atolls and islands in the Maldives. A Letter of Intent between Exim Bank of India and Ministry of Finance, Maldives on Buyer's Credit funding approval of USD 119 million for additional 2,000 social housing units to be constructed in Hulhumale. This agreement is towards India Exim Bank extending a credit facility to MoF under India Exim Bank's Buyer's Credit Under National Export Insurance Account program (BC-NEIA) for a credit amount of USD 119.28 mn (85 per cent of the contract value) for Design and Construction of 2000 Social Housing Units in Hulhumale, Maldives. (ANI) Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe made a special request to the people of the country to resort to vaccination as soon as possible amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the island nation, in a special statement today.The Ministry of Health has issued health guidelines paying special attention to the issue as Wickremesinghe instructed the citizens to resort to vaccine jabs to curb the spread of the Covid epidemic in the country. Regarding the Covid and monkeypox epidemic, Wickremesinghe stated, "In July, the number of Covid patients increased to 1,616 with 35 deaths as 28 of these occurred after July 18. Looking at this, one more thing is visible the Covid vaccine should be given immediately." The number of Covid-19 cases and deaths is increasing again. 1,731 Covid patients were reported in April. There were 26 Covid deaths. That situation decreased to 472 patients in May. 13 deaths were reported, he said. Stating further, Wickremesinghe said that 17 million were vaccinated in the first round and in the second round, it was reduced to 14 million. Notably, 8 million people received the Covid vaccine in the third round whereas only 22,623 people have been vaccinated in the 4th round. The number of vaccinations for the third and fourth times has decreased, especially in the Western Province. Therefore, people should be re-directed for vaccination, the Presidential Media Division said quoting Wickremesinghe. "There are currently 8 million vaccines in Sri Lanka. It can be used till October. Those 8 million vaccines cannot be completed in October. Therefore, a part has to be given to another country. The vaccine was brought for you. Therefore, I request all those who have not received the vaccine to get the vaccine as soon as possible," Wickremesinghe said. The President also underlined that the Ministry of Health has focused on the monkeypox epidemic as well however it has not arrived in Sri Lanka yet. "The first step has been taken to prevent the disease from coming to Sri Lanka. Plans are being made to provide treatment if needed. At this time think about health and act. I request all parties not to give another chance to the Covid epidemic in this country," Presidential Media Division stated. (ANI) The Hellfire R9X missile, an anti-tank weapon used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the recent killing of Al Qaeda chief and key plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ayman al Zawahiri has been used to kill a few high profile terrorists before being used to eliminate Zawahiri on July 31 in Afghanistan, a media report said. Hellfire R9X missile is basically a modified version of the renowned Hellfire missile which was an anti-tank weapon developed in the 1980s and was later modified numerous times, especially after the 9/11 attacks, to target individuals. The missile is designed in a way that it can shove more than 100 pounds of metal in order to kill its target, be it a car or building. The most lethal aspect of the R9X is the halo of six long blades which are packed inside that deploy through the skin of the missile moments before impact to ensure that it shreds anything in its tracks. As per several media reports, the reason behind the development of the Hellfire R9X missile was to minimize civilian deaths and it came into existence when former president Barack Obama was in office. Notably, the weapon was also developed to eliminate doubts regarding the structural stoutness of a building such as mud and thatch huts which terrorists usually use as a hideout. Before turning Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri into ashes, the Hellfire R9X missile has been used in other operations as well. In January 2019, the weapon was used to kill Jamal al-Badawi whereas Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri was killed in February 2017. Al-Badawi was in Yemen when the Pentagon used the R9X missile to kill him and he was a part of the team led by Ayman al-Zawahiri that was behind the bombing of the USS Cole, media reports said. Zawahiri took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. He served three years as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army, but his journey from an eye surgeon to becoming a most wanted global terrorist started after he met Laden in 1986, and joined Laden as his personal advisor and physician. In 1993, he took over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt and was found to be involved in the killing of over 1,200 Egyptians. Years later, Zawahiri became number two on the list of "most wanted terrorists" announced by the US government in 2001. Notably, in 1998, Zawahiri finally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with Al-Qaeda. Zawahiri emerged as a prominent speaker of Al-Qaeda in recent years after he appeared in 16 videos and audiotapes in 2007, four times as many as Bin Laden, as the group tried to radicalise and recruit Muslims around the world. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years, but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four al-Qaeda members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out."(ANI) Amid the tensions surrounding Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, the US House Speaker on Tuesday said the United States cannot stand by as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "threatens" Taiwan and democracy. "We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan - and democracy itself," Pelosi said in an op-ed for The Washington Post newspaper. Pelosi landed in Taiwan tonight as part of a Congressional delegation's tour of the Indo-Pacific region in the face of the China threat. "The Taiwan Relations Act set out America's commitment to a democratic Taiwan, providing the framework for an economic and diplomatic relationship that would quickly flourish into a key partnership. It fostered a deep friendship rooted in shared interests and values: self-determination and self-government, democracy and freedom, human dignity and human rights," she said. The US House Speaker, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, said the US must stand by Taiwan, which is an island of resilience. "Taiwan is a leader in governance: currently, in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and championing environmental conservation and climate action. It is a leader in peace, security and economic dynamism: with an entrepreneurial spirit, culture of innovation and technological prowess that are envies of the world," she added. Pelosi further said the Congressional delegation's visit should be seen as a statement that America stands with democratic Taiwan in the face of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) aggression. After Pelosi landed in Taipei, she reaffirmed her country's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's democracy and said this trip in no way contradicts United States policy on the self-governed island. "Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," she said in a statement. Pelosi also expressed US solidarity with 23 million people of Taiwan in the face of the increasing threat from China. In response to the visit of the US delegation, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yi said the Chinese army intends to conduct missile tests and live firing as part of its military operations near Taiwan, Starting from the evening of August 2, the Chinese armed forces will begin military operations around Taiwan, long-range live firing will be held in the Taiwan Strait, and conventional missile tests will be organized in the sea area of the eastern part of the island. "These actions are a fair deterrent to the recent major escalation of US negative actions on the Taiwan issue and a serious warning to the pro-Taiwan independence forces," Shi Yi said. Pelosi's plane landed in Taiwan amid a heightened security threat from China. Beijing has warned the US that it will "pay the price" if Pelosi visits Taiwan, which is the highest level of US visits in more than two decades. Since the reports of the US House Speaker's visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Pelosi's Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. (ANI) COAS (Chief of Army Staff) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa's phone call to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman kicked up a storm and shows that Pakistan's economy is in tatters. It also goes to show that the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that even the country's army chief feels compelled to reach out to the people who matter to avert the danger of a default-like situation, reported Business Recorder. General Bajwa's intervention in the economic matters of the country reveals that it would be catastrophic for Pakistan's economy unless the IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout programme is revived and international borrowing unlocked along with it. Amid the worsening crisis due to shrinking foreign reserves, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has approached the US for help in securing an early disbursement of funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prevent the south Asian country from a looming economic disaster. In order to seek support on the economic front, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif persuaded Bajwa to talk to US authorities and use his influence for the early disbursement of IMF funds. The premier and COAS also discussed other options on how to secure the country's economy from getting into a crisis-like situation, The News International reported citing sources. As per the report, Bajwa telephoned US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and appealed to her to expedite the USD1.2 billion disbursal. Indeed, the finance ministry and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) are doing what they can to calm nerves, but when the country needs to cough up more than USD 40 billion in debt servicing in a single fiscal year, while it is bending over backwards for a mere USD 1.4 billion, it's no longer possible to just talk up the market, so to speak, like the old days. It is also very clear that the market will remain shaky, and the rupee will not be able to find its feet till the staff-level agreement is followed by the money actually arriving in the central bank's vaults, reported Business Recorder. Also, it's not just the COAS that's been making phone calls to Washington. Pretty much everyone in government has been stepping beyond the formal protocol of dealing with the Fund to try and get the American government to exert some influence. Meanwhile, the country's political elite are spewing venom at each other; muddying the waters even more while its economy is collapsing and there is a desperate need to save Pakistan from default or else it will go Sri Lanka's way. Pakistan politicians at least should have the good sense to come to some sort of an understanding about rescuing the economy in these very fragile times, reported Business Recorder. The simple fact of the matter is that the country needs to borrow a lot of money to stay solvent in the near- to medium-term. And the trickle that will come from the Fund will open the floodgates to a lot more from other institutions as well as sovereigns. Even a number of very friendly, and usually very reliable, countries have now disassociated from any further lending to Pakistan with the resumption of the EFF (Extended Fund Facility), reported Business Recorder. (ANI) China intends to conduct missile tests and live firing as part of its military operations near Taiwan, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said on Tuesday after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei. "The Chinese armed forces will begin military operations around Taiwan, long-range live firing will be held in the Taiwan Strait, and conventional missile tests will be organized in the sea area of the eastern part of the island," Sputnik news agency quoted Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yi as saying. "These actions are a fair deterrent to the recent major escalation of US negative actions on the Taiwan issue and a serious warning to the pro-Taiwan independence forces," Shi Yi said. Pelosi landed in Taiwan tonight as part of a Congressional delegation's tour of the Indo-Pacific region in the face of the China threat. The US House Speaker, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, reaffirmed her country's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's democracy and said this trip in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy on the self-governed island. "Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Pelosi said in a statement after arriving in Taiwan. She expressed US solidarity with 23 million people of Taiwan in the face of the increasing threat from China. China firmly opposed Pelosi's Taiwan visit and called the trip a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the joint communique signed between the two countries. "On 2 August, in disregard of China's strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques," Xinhua news agency quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying. Beijing said the visit gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the "separatist forces for Taiwan independence". (ANI) India and Switzerland on Tuesday held the 11th round of India-Switzerland Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi. During the consultations, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral relations. They referred to their long-standing dynamic partnership and agreed to make it future-oriented, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release. The consultations were co-chaired by Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) and Livia Leu, State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Both sides appreciated that the annual bilateral trade had exceeded USD 30 billion and agreed on the importance of diversifying their trade, added the release. Over 330 Swiss companies are present in India in sectors such as engineering, services, precision instruments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals while Indian companies are present in Switzerland in sectors such as IT, pharmaceuticals, and machinery. The two sides took note of the progress made in the negotiations on India-Switzerland Bilateral Investment Treaty and India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) and agreed on the need for their early conclusion. Discussions were also held on enhancing cooperation in innovation, digitalization, tourism, skill development, science and technology as well as arts and culture, said the release. The two sides also exchanged views on multilateral and regional issues including cooperation at the UN, the upcoming G20 Presidency of India and the situation in Ukraine. Both sides also agreed to have regular consultations on the UN and other multilateral issues. They agreed to further cultural and people-to-people relations and looked forward to commemorating 75 years of bilateral diplomatic relations next year in a befitting manner. Both sides agreed to continue high-level exchanges and regular meetings of the institutional mechanisms such as the Joint Economic Commission, Joint Working Groups on Railways and Environment and Financial Dialogue to keep up the momentum in bilateral relations, added the release. The talks were held in a friendly atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient date in Berne, Switzerland. (ANI) Several Baloch activists on Monday demonstrated outside the Pakistani Embassy in London against the "fake encounter" in the Ziarat district and the human rights violations in Balochistan, local media reported. Several protestors lined up in front of the embassy were holding placards in their hands with writings, "Restore human rights in Balochistan", "End of occupation over Balochistan" and "Stop Genocide in Balochistan" on them. They raised slogans demanding "Freedom for Balochistan" and that Pakistan Army is the killer of the Baloch civilians. The protest was called by the Baloch National Movement demanding Pakistan end its occupation of Balochistan. It is pertinent to mention here, that amid several media reports of missing persons and fake encounters, protests against the killing of missing persons have been intensifying in the country as well as abroad. According to media reports, despite a legal and constitutional government in the country people are illegally and forcefully missed and then killed in fake encounters. Innocent Balochs are being killed in fake encounters and their mutilated bodies are found in remote places, several media reports revealed. Recently, the nine persons who were killed in fake encounters in Ziarat were first forcefully made to disappear. The media wing of the Pakistan Army a few days back stated that the country's army have killed five terrorists in a military operation. Prior to that, the Pakistani Army had killed four terrorists on June 25 during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan. Enforced disappearances are used as a tool by Pakistani authorities to terrorize people who question the all-powerful army establishment of the country or seek individual or social rights. The report suggests that it is a crime that is often used by the authorities to get rid of people that are considered a "nuisance" without any arrest warrant, charge or prosecution. The victims of these abductions, who are often youth, women, children, and elderly, are described by Amnesty International as people "who have literally disappeared." The organisation states that the authorities grab the victims from the streets or their homes and later refuse to say where they are. The forceful abductions are being carried out in Balochistan since the early 2000s. Students are often the most targeted section of these abductions. The victims also include several political activists, journalists, teachers, doctors, poets, and lawyers. The report added that tens of thousands of Baloch people have been kidnapped by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan Army personnel in the last 20 years. Several victims have been killed and dumped and it is believed that many of them are still confined in the Pakistani torture cells. The authorities, including law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system, have long failed to demonstrate the political will to end enforced disappearances, reported Hakkpan Balochistan. Moreover, the bill to criminalize enforced disappearances had been strangulated in between ministries since 2019 when it was first drafted but recently introduced to National Assembly. (ANI) Moldova is set to reduce its reliance on Russian gas in anticipation of cutbacks in supply by Russian energy company Gazprom, Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said on Tuesday, according to reports by Moldovan media. The impoverished former Soviet Republic on Ukraine's western border is heavily reliant on Gazprom for its gas supplies and on Moscow for its financing, dpa news agency reported. "We have to learn how to save. We believe that Moldova can save 15 per cent of its gas consumption, much like the countries of the European Union," Spinu said. He added that the government in Chisinau was making preparations for various scenarios, including a complete shutdown in gas supplies. Moldova has declared itself neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and has not imposed sanctions on Russia. But political leaders are seeking closer ties to the European Union, and the country was given candidate status in June at the same time as Ukraine. The government concluded a five-year gas supply contract with Gazprom on November 1 last year, with the condition that the annual quantity to be supplied should be agreed two months before the end of the contractual year, effectively at the end of August. Moldova has not as yet received any response from Gazprom. Spinu insisted the country would have gas through the winter, if not from Gazprom, then from other suppliers. --IANS int/arm ( 246 Words) 2022-08-02-21:10:04 (IANS) Former President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Joe Maiorana, File Two Missouri candidates for Senate are claiming credit for Trump's endorsement in tomorrow's primary election. In a Monday evening statement, Trump endorsed an unspecified "ERIC" for the position. Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens both say Trump meant their campaign. Two Missouri candidates for Senate Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens are claiming credit for Donald Trump's endorsement in tomorrow's primary election after the former president released an unclear statement backing an unspecified "Eric" in the race. "I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump said in the statement. Eric Greitens, who resigned from the Missouri governorship in 2018 after facing felony charges for threatening to release nude photos he took of his mistress if she revealed their relationship, promptly took credit for the endorsement. The former president has previously called Greitens "smart" and "tough," and the candidate employs Trump's future daughter-in-law, Kimberly Guilfoyle, as the national co-chair of his campaign. "I'm honored to receive President Trump's endorsement," Greitens posted on Twitter shortly after Trump's announcement. "From the beginning, I've been the true MAGA Champion fighting against the RINO establishment backing Schmitt. President Trump said it best when he characterized Schmitt's campaign as 'great dishonesty in politics.'" Greitens' challenger, Eric Schmitt, likewise thanked the former president for his endorsement, though Trump had previously criticized polls released by strategists associated with his campaign. "I'm grateful for President Trump's endorsement," Eric Schmitt said in a statement on Twitter, roughly 11 minutes after Greitens announced he'd accepted the same endorsement. "As the only America First candidate who has actually fought for election integrity, border security & against the Left's indoctrination of our kidsI'll take that fight to the Senate to SAVE AMERICA!" Polls show Greitens lagging behind the Attorney General by 17 points as of this week, following a series of negative ads that focused his on his history of domestic violence allegations and the criminal charges related to blackmailing his mistress. Read the original article on Business Insider 21 Chinese warplanes including ten advanced J-16 fighters flew into Taiwan's air defense zone on Tuesday, on the same day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taipei. Getty Images 21 Chinese warplanes flew into Taiwan's air defense identification zone on Tuesday. The sortie included 10 of China's newer J-16 fighter jets, among other fighter aircraft. The warplanes flew through a corner of the ADIZ on the day Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taipei. Twenty-one Chinese warplanes flew into Taiwan's air defense zone on Tuesday, the day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taipei, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense. The People's Liberation Army Air Force planes which included ten of its newer J-16 fighters, eight J-11 fighter jets, one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, one Y-9 electronic warfare plane, and one Y-8 transport aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone. The Shenyang J-16 is an advanced fourth-generation fighter based on the Russian Sukhoi-30 fighter jet. The twin-jet, tandem-set fighter carries a 30 mm cannon, 12 air-to-air missiles, rockets and satellite-guided bombs, and anti-ship and anti-radiation missiles. A China-based military analyst previously told the South China Morning Post that the jet had "surely been primarily developed for assaults on Taiwan." Video: Passenger plane crashes in China in March 2022 The aircraft flew through the southwestern corner of the ADIZ, according to flight path maps posted on Twitter by Taiwan's Ministry of Defense. On Monday, four J-16's flew along the line dividing the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's defense ministry said that patrol aircraft were tasked to respond, radio warnings were issued, and air- and missile-defense systems monitored the situation. The warplanes entry into the ADIZ came the same day Pelosi visited Taiwan for a historic visit. She is the highest ranking US official to visit the self-governed island democracy in 25 years. Prior to her visit, China, which has long claimed Taiwan as an inseparable part of Chinese territory, repeatedly warned it would take some form of military action if she visited the island, saying the People's Liberation Army would "not sit idly by." Story continues A J-16 fighter jet performing during a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force Aviation Open Day in Changchun in China's northeastern Jilin province, October 17, 2019. STR/AFP via Getty Images After her arrival late Tuesday night, China announced that the PLA will hold "targeted military operations" around the island in response. The Chinese military will hold hold live-fire drills in six areas surrounding Taiwan from August 4 to 7, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency and state-affiliated Global Times. Chinese media indicated that the drills, which began Tuesday night, would not only involve air and maritime exercises, but also the firing of conventional missiles and long-range artillery. Read the original article on Business Insider A 250-acre vegetation fire near the Blanco County and Hays County line is threatening homes and businesses and prompting calls for evacuations, according to emergency officials. Blanco and Hays County firefighters are working to extinguish the fire near RM 165 and Las Colinas Drive, which lies in Blanco County but sits near the Hays County line. As of about 4 p.m., FM 165 was closed from FM 2325 to U.S. 290 because of the fire, and residents are being asked to avoid the area. The fire was reported just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. Evacuations were being implemented as the fire continued to move north and northwest toward U.S. 290, according to Blanco County Emergency Management officials. As of shortly after 4 p.m., it was unclear how much of the fire had been contained. More:Texas drought reaches 10-year peak as Austin closes hottest July ever A shelter has been opened at the Blanco Methodist Church, 61 Pecan St. Also on Tuesday afternoon, Austin fire crews were battling a more than 60-acre grass fire near FM 969 and FM 973 in Travis County. The fire broke out Tuesday afternoon. Weather forecasters warned of elevated fire conditions the last several days as low humidity values, gusty winds combined with extremely dry conditions fuel the spread of wildfires. This comes just as the Central Texas area has not only recorded one of the hottest Julys on record, but also one of its hottest months ever and the city's main weather station has gone more than a month without measurable rainfall. This follows several fires in the last several weeks, including an 89.5 acres fire near Buda, a brush fire in East Austin, and the San Gabriel fire in Williamson County near Lake Georgetown that burned 445.7 acres late last month. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Map of wildfire near Blanco County and Hays county line This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Vegetation fire near Blanco, Hays County line forces evacuations A pregnant woman looking at a computer Georgia residents can now claim embryos as dependents on their tax returns, after the state banned most abortions. Taxpayers filing from 20 July or after, when Georgia banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, can now receive up to $3,000 (2,500) in tax credits. Tax filers may be asked to provide documents proving that the embryo has a "detectable human heartbeat". The US Supreme Court in June reversed the 1973 ruling that guaranteed abortion rights. A statement from the Georgia Department of Revenue on Monday said it "will recognise any unborn child with a detectable human heartbeat... as eligible for the Georgia individual income tax dependent exemption". The agency said the decision was made following the court case on 20 July that permitted Georgia's ban on abortion after six weeks to take effect. Many women do not know they are pregnant at six weeks of gestation. Medical authorities dismiss the notion of a foetal "heartbeat" as misleading. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has said that what is being detected at this stage is "a portion of the foetal tissue that will become the heart as the embryo develops". In a press statement, the tax agency said: "Similar to any other deduction claimed on an income tax return, relevant medical records or other supporting documentation shall be provided to support the dependent deduction claimed if requested by the Department." Legal analysts have noted that it is unclear what will happen if a pregnancy ends after six weeks due to natural miscarriage. "Given how high the percentage of pregnancies that result in natural miscarriages, the treasury is going to be handing out a lot of cash for pregnancies that would never come to term," tweeted Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis. Last month, an expecting mother in Texas made national headlines after she argued against a fine for driving in a high-occupancy carpool lane. Brandy Bottone was given a ticket when an officer rejected her claim that her fetus counted as a passenger. "My baby is right here. She is a person," she said she told the officer. Story continues Around half of US states have issued new abortion bans, or plan to issue further restrictions, following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v Wade after nearly five decades. On Tuesday, the Biden administration sued to block a strict rule from coming into effect in Idaho later this month which would make it nearly impossible to get an abortion. The lawsuit, filed by the US Department of Justice, is the first legal manoeuvre filed by the Biden administration against a state over abortion. "If a patient comes into the emergency room with a medical emergency jeopardising the patient's life or health, the hospital must provide the treatment necessary to stabilize that patient," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the lawsuit. "This includes abortion when that is the necessary treatment." MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian man charged by the United States with orchestrating a multi-year effort to use political groups to sow discord, spread propaganda and interfere in U.S. elections said the accusations against him were politically motivated nonsense. Alexander Ionov was accused of conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents of the Russian government, the United States said. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. He was also sanctioned. "These charges are complete nonsense," Ionov, 32, told Reuters from Moscow. "When I read the charges against me, I felt that I was reading some sort of artistic story." "I did not pay any money to anyone," Ionov said. "The decision to open a criminal case against me is a political decision." Ionov denied that he had ever worked for - or on behalf of - the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the KGB spy service, or that he coordinated his actions with the FSB. The U.S. Justice Department said he had acted on behalf of the FSB to financially support political groups in Florida, Georgia and California, get them to publish pro-Russian propaganda and further Russian interests. Ionov said he had a lawyer in the United States but that given the sanctions he was unable to pay U.S. lawyers so his right to defence had been effectively removed by the United States. The U.S. Treasury said that Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, which Ionov founded, had received funding from Russias National Charity Fund. Ionov said his movement received state money only twice, only about $60,000 to $80,000 in total and around 8 years ago, and used it to hold international conferences. ($1 = 60.1500 roubles) (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge) Airbnb says its business will be resilient, even in the event of economic downturn Airbnb said travel demand remains strong, despite concerns about economic slowdown and rising prices hitting households. Nearly 104 million nights and experiences were booked on the platform in the April through June period, a record high for the lodging website. Long-term stays continued to be the fastest growing type of travel, a shift driven by the rise of remote work. But international and city travel, which had lagged, have also recovered. The company said it was now in the middle of its strongest peak summer travel season yet, and it assured investors that it was well poised for whatever may hit the economy. In fact, a slowdown may actually help the company, executives said. "Airbnb was founded during the recession," chief executive Brian Chesky said in a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's results. In the event of another slowdown, he said, "we think a lot of people may turn to hosting once again, so this is a big opportunity for us". Overall, bookings in the April-June period rose 25% from last year to 103.7 million and up 24% from 2019. Higher prices helped lift the company's revenue, which surged 58% from last year to $2.1bn. Nearly half of the company's reservations are for a week or longer, the company said. Travel demand remains strongest in North America, where bookings are up 37% compared to 2019. Growth in Europe - while travel has recovered from the pandemic - is lagging that recovery, hurt by factors such as the weaker pound. The company, which announced in May that it was pulling out of China, said demand remained below pre-pandemic levels in the Asia Pacific region, as Covid restrictions keep Chinese tourists at home. Despite the removal of China listings in July, Airbnb still has more than 6 million active listings on the platform. Mr Chesky said the company had now achieved "growth and profitability at scale" and said the firm would both continue to invest in the business, and spend $2bn on buying its own shares, which have fallen this year. Executives said the buyback programme was a sign of their confidence in the company's future. The company reported a profit of $379m, compared to a loss of $68m last year. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda leader who was once a deputy to Osama bin Laden and a key planner of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend. President Biden officially announced the killing shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday in a televised address to the nation, saying the strike had strengthened national security and using the mission as a warning that if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out. Al-Zawahiri assumed leadership of al Qaeda after bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces as part of a secret raid in a compound in Pakistan, a mission ordered by former President Obama in 2011. Biden served as Obamas vice president at the time and was among the officials photographed in the Situation Room watching the attack on bin Laden unfold. The strike on al-Zawahiri is a blow to the terror group and comes nearly one year after the U.S. completed a full military withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, which began less than one month after the 9/11 attacks in a hunt for their mastermind, bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri and bin Laden are believed to have met in 1987, according to CNN, which also reported al-Zawahiri acted as bin Ladens personal physician. Al-Zawahiri went by several pseudonyms, including The Doctor. The Egyptian-born physician first led the terrorist group Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which was blamed for the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Al-Zawahiri was briefly held in connection with the attack but was released from prison when a direct link could not be found, according to The New York Times. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad eventually merged with al Qaeda in 1998. The following year, the U.S. indicted al-Zawahiri for U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. While bin Laden is largely known as the mastermind behind hijacked planes that crashed into New Yorks World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Pennsylvania after passengers overtook the controls, al-Zawahiri has long been believed to be the brains behind the plot that killed a total of 2,977 people. Story continues The FBI lists al-Zawahiri as a terrorist wanted for the murder of and conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals outside the country as well as for an attack on a federal facility resulting in death. The agency offered a $25 million reward for information leading to al-Zawahiris apprehension or conviction. Biden lauded the intelligence community in his speech as well as the counterintelligence community in hailing al-Zawahiris killing. The Associated Press reported that the strike was carried out by the CIA, citing five people familiar with the matter. In addition to being indicted for the U.S. Embassy bombings, the 71-year-old was also suspected to have been involved in a 2000 al Qaeda attack on a U.S. naval ship in Yemen, the USS Cole. Al-Zawahiris wife and children were killed in a December 2001 attack by the U.S., according to CNN. Al-Zawahiri was rumored to have died in 2020 before appearing in a video posted on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 last year. A senior administration official told reporters Monday that a drone strike with Hellfire missiles was conducted Saturday night Eastern time Sunday morning in Kabul that targeted and killed al-Zawahiri, who was standing on the balcony of a safe house in Kabul. The official said that the U.S. intelligence community has high confidence that the person killed was al-Zawahiri. The U.S. does not believe that other people were killed in the drone strike, the official said, noting that officials took every possible precaution to avoid civilian harm. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Jack Queen (Reuters) -U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones told a Texas jury on Tuesday that he never intended to hurt parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre when he claimed the shooting was a hoax, saying his comments were taken out of context. Jones, founder of the Infowars radio show and webcast, is on trial to determine how much he must pay for spreading falsehoods about the killing of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012. Jones has since acknowledged the shooting took place. "I never intentionally tried to hurt you," Jones said, addressing the parents. "I never even said your name until this case came to court. I didnt know who you were until this came up." Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of slain 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, are seeking as much as $150 million from Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems LLC. Jesse Lewis's mother, Scarlett, addressed Jones directly on Tuesday after he questioned Heslin's credibility during a morning broadcast. I know you believe me, yet youre going to leave this courtroom and say it again on your show, she said. Do you have the capacity to put yourself in my shoes? Do you have empathy? Heslin on Tuesday told jurors that he had endured years of "hell" as a result of Jones' falsehoods. "I cant even describe the past nine-and-a-half years of hell I have had to endure because of the negligence and recklessness of Alex Jones and the propaganda he has peddled for his own profits and success," Heslin testified on Tuesday. A lawyer for Jones said he had already paid a price after being deplatformed in 2018 and losing millions of viewers. The defamation suit in Austin, Texas, where Infowars is based, is one of several brought by families of victims who say Jones's followers harassed them as a result of his false claims. Free Speech Systems declared bankruptcy in Texas court last week. Jones said during a Monday broadcast that the filing will help the company stay on the air while it appeals. The Sandy Hook gunman, Adam Lanza, 20, used a Remington Bushmaster rifle to carry out the massacre. It ended when Lanza killed himself with the approaching sound of police sirens. (Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Mark Porter and Howard Goller) Aramis Ayala stared down a Republican governor and sheriff when she refused to seek death sentences as a Central Florida state attorney during her one term that ended last year. Last week she was in a Midtown Tallahassee neighborhood of lawyers, retirees, and state employees raising money for her campaign to be Floridas next attorney general. Ayala, Floridas first Black state attorney, is competing against Santa Rosa lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder, and Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis to challenge incumbent Ashley Moody in November. David Miller talks with Attorney General candidate Aramis Ayala during a July fundraiser - Miller recently retired from the Attorney General's office. The U.S. Supreme Courts Dodd decision to repeal a constitutional right to an abortion has focused attention on state attorney general races in Florida, Wisconsin and elsewhere. When politics is personal Floridas attorney general can decide whether to defend or challenge abortion restrictions. The office also issues formal legal opinions at the request of public officials on questions relating to state law, such as the Parental Rights in Education bill ('Don't Say Gay') and the Stop WOKE Act, approved this year by the Florida Legislature.. The three Democrats say they were offended personally and professionally by Moody's silence while those bills and a 15-week abortion ban were debated and by her decision to defend them when opponents mounted legal challenges. They argue instead of defending the constitution, Moody serves as Gov. Ron DeSantis' personal attorney in defending unconstitutional initiatives that strip Floridians of privacy and voting rights. State Attorney Aramis Ayala speaks at a news conference Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. She confirmed that her office would not prosecute two 6-year-old students that were arrested by an Orlando police officer last week. Why are we still having conversations about the right to vote? A right that death has literally paid the price for, said Ayala, standing in front of a table with an array of flatbread appetizers, shrimp cakes, and lemon bars at a fundraiser hosted by former Leon County Water and Soil Supervisor Tabitha Frazier. Ayala told the group democracy is on the ballot in November. Uhlfelder tells voters that Moody is part of an effort to turn Florida government into an autocracy. Story continues Lewis agrees with both and adds, but he is the most experienced lawyer in the race. Moody is basically a Trump disciple and mouthpiece for Gov. Ron DeSantis right wing agenda. That is wrong. That office should not be politicized to push anyones agenda, said Lewis. Moody's office did not respond to a request for a comment. The Ashley Moody Attorney General website, where campaign volunteers are recruited, states Moody is, "leading efforts against the unlawful federal vaccine mandates, the lack of border enforcement by federal officials, and the harmful actions of Big Tech." And in the last week of July, more than half of the tweets from Moody's Twitter account either attacked President Joe Biden for migrant deaths at the Southern border, the number of immigrant felons rearrested - with video from FOX news, migrant deaths at the Southern border, fatalities from fentanyl smuggled from Mexico, or praising a DeSantis initiative to recruit out-of-state law enforcement officers. Jim Lewis worked in the Attorney General's office under former AG Bob Butterworth It's David vs. Goliath Lewis served eight years as a financial crime investigator and prosecutor for former Attorney General Bob Butterworth. He pledged not to spend more than $15,000 on the primary campaign and has yet to campaign north of Tampa. This is his second race for the position, having finished third in 2010 when he ran with no party affiliation. Uhlfelder leads the Democrats in fundraising, the number of contributors, and personal endorsements, including Congressman Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, state Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Miami, and Butterworth. He is the only one of the three to qualify for matching campaign funds ($160,000). Moody has 20 times more cash on hand ($1.1 million) than the three Democrats combined, and has the support of a unified Republican Party and its corps of allied business interest like the Florida Retail Federation, which endorsed Moody recently. It really is David versus Goliath, said Samantha Hope Herring, while Ayala worked the room. Hope Herring is a Democratic National Committee member from Fort Walton Beach. As a party official she won't endorse anyone, but after scouting Ayala's performance at the Florida Blue Convention earlier this month, she drove three hours across the Panhandle Tuesday to watch Ayala in a more intimate setting. Three days earlier, the Tallahassee-raised Uhlfelder seemingly stunned into silence a crowd of 200 when he explained how the Dodd decision paves the way for DeSantis and Moody to continue to undermine democratic principles. A self-described small-town lawyer, in a slow, punctuating speaking style, linked Dodd and the repeal of a constitutional right to an abortion, to voting and privacy rights, and then the Holocaust, in which his great-grandparents perished. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody listens as President of the Senate Wilton Simpson presents an opening statement to the Florida Senate during the opening day of the 2022 Florida Legislative Session Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. The road signs he flagged at the Leon Democrats Flip Florida Blue Breakfast in July included the so-called Dont Say Gay bill, the Stop WOKE Act, the 2022 redistricting bill, and the 2021 anti-riot bill all DeSantis initiatives, tied up in court and defended by Moody. We are living in a state of Florida, where the largest employer in the state is getting targeted, Disney, because they disagree with DeSantis politically. That's autocracy, said Uhlfelder. We are at a time when pictures of two male penguins who love each other is enough to get a book ban, said Uhlfelder about a Miami-Dade parents protest over And Tango Makes Three, a childrens book about two males raising an orphan that may violate the parents' rights education law. While Ayala tells her audiences that either DeSantis and Moody knowingly promote and defend unconstitutional laws or they dont know the law or history, Uhlfelder tells his that Moody serves as DeSantis' personal attorney at their expense. What has Ashley Moody done for us, Uhlfelder asked. In December 2020 she signed on to a brief to overturn a valid election. She supported a group that did robo calls to get people to go to January 6. She has stood in the way of the Affordable Care Act becoming common law, and she sued cruise lines that wanted to vaccinate people. Ashley Moody must go said Uhlfelder. Moodys office did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Courting a base Democrats generally concede the race is between Ayala and Uhlfelder, with Lewis putting limitations on his campaigns and referring to himself as the old white guy in the race. Lewis is 64 and sees the job's top priority to make Florida safer by making Florida cops the best policing agencies in the country. "I know what police want and I know how to use police in the most effective way," said Lewis. Ayala and Uhlfelder pitch their campaigns on Moody as a threat to democracy and personal privacy. Uhlfelder was the last to enter the race and the first to announce if Florida approves an abortion ban, he would refuse to prosecute women for receiving one or doctors for providing them. Shaquille O'Neal wrote Ayala a check but Uhlfelder's campaign has six times more contributors than Ayala and twice as much money for the August primary. He has six times the number of contributors that Ayala has (2,874 to 457) and posts 2,076 contributions of $25 or less. People make investments with their money, said Uhlfelder about a grassroots base he has cultivated. By patrolling Florida beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper to protest DeSantis COVID policies, Uhlfelder built a Twitter following of more than 280,000. He has also battled property owners over beach access, and Walton County over the flying of the Confederate Battle Flag. Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder poses on the beach in South Walton County in front of Gov. Mike Huckabee's home. When asked about competing against Uhlfelders social media following and advantage in contributors, Ayala explained there is a difference between the virtual world and the real world. The win is based on the connection to the community, not a virtual world, said Ayala, citing her work as a public defender, prosecutor and university professor. Ayala is best known for announcing she would not seek the death penalty after taking office in 2017. Then Gov. Rick Scott reassigned 29 cases from her office and the Legislature cut $1.3 million from her budget. Ayala said her opposition to the death penalty grew out of the realization that capital punishment is expensive, does not serve as a deterrent, and that Florida leads the nation in death case exonerations. I dont know how you support the death penalty other than trying to maintain the status quo, which is what we need to change, said Ayala. Democrats talk strategy Supporters say a Black female candidate in a year when abortion rights are at issue will bring excitement and energy to the Democratic ticket. And its energy we need to win at the margins, said DNC member Hope Herring, quickly adding she wasn't endorsing any candidate. But a campaign consultant speaking on condition of anonymity said with her death penalty stance, a fall campaign for Ayala is one 30-second commercial away from a kill shot. The Democratic primary is August 23. The winner will face Moody in November. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida attorney general race: Three Democrats focus on Ashley Moody Is it art, or is it trolling? The answer is up to the viewer in the case of one recently exhibited work of art. On July 7, Australian artist Matthew Griffin debuted a work he titled Pickle, a single slice of pickle he plucked from a McDonalds cheeseburger and subsequently chucked at the pristine white ceiling of a gallery space. And no, it allegedly never fell from that spot, before you ask. Quite an arm, Picasso. The work, which was recently shown at Michael Lett, a New Zealand gallery that hosted the former cucumber at its show called Hosting Fine Arts, Sydney. Griffin is an artist known for starting conversations on the perceived pretentiousness of the art world, using comedy as a starting point to discuss serious issues like health and dental care for freelance artists in Australia, for example. According to the gallery, this most recent work is intentionally designed to question what art has value and what doesnt. If you were hoping to see the work, or maybe even shell out $10,000 Australian dollars (which comes out to about $6,329 U.S. dollars) for the work, unfortunately, the show closed on July 30. Still, any purchaser of the work wont receive the exact pickle from the exhibit but will be given instructions on how to recreate the art in their own space. No word on whether or not the work sold, but you could probably save a few thousand dollars by hitting your local drive-thru and re-creating Griffin's artistic process. The exhibition is one of four new works by different artists each exhibited for the first time including Griffins Pickle, another artwork that consists of a single house plant alongside a speaker playing ambient noise in an hour loop, a third work of a sconce lamp and finally, a sketch of a woman eating a banana. Story continues Themes of the exhibition which relate to the works include transience, distance and time, according to a gallery press release. Perhaps its up to the viewer to decide which artwork goes with each theme. Arguably the most complex part of the brine-based work to digest for some is the description of the artworks medium. While the label at the the Louvre for the Mona Lisa says the masterwork is painted with oil on poplar wood and any of a number of works by Edgar Degas are simply drawn with dry pastel, Pickle includes a quite a bit more than just a pickle: These, of course, are the ingredients of a typical McDonalds cheeseburger, which surrounded the pickle until its gallery debut. If purchased, the eventual owner of the piece wont be given the exact pickle, but instructions for how to recreate the artwork in their own space instead, which appear to be only two steps, if were being honest. Reaction to the work has been decidedly mixed, with some art critics calling it priceless and superb while others roasted the work a bit like the all-beef patty it was once placed upon. I got kicked out of a McDonalds by the police for doing this when I was a teenager, now its art, said one Instagram user. How do they exhibit this so called art work? Did they rip part of the ceiling out? asked another commenter on Instagram. Its the banana thing all over again. How unoriginal, said a third user, this time on Twitter. (Everyones a critic.) Griffins most recent perishable work of art comes three years after a similar work from Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. That piece, Comedian, is an infamous artwork that consisted of a single banana duct-taped to a gallery wall which was exhibited at Miami's Art Basel in 2019. That piece sold for $120,000 more than once, in fact. The artist just kept taping new bananas to the wall after they had been bought by at least two French art collectors. Notoriously, the third edition of Cattelans perishable piece was taken off the wall and eaten by another nu-Duchamp, New York performance artist David Datuna. Surprisingly Datuna wasnt charged for the stunt either by police or Perrotin, the gallery that technically owned the work. As a Perrotin associate told TODAY in 2019, the banana itself does not represent the value of Comedian its value comes from a certificate of authenticity that contains exact instructions for installation and further authenticates that the work is by Cattelan. Still, one of those other surviving (and likely very, very black) banana-based works was donated and accepted into the the collection of prestigious art institution the Guggenheim in 2020, so like it or not, one day Comedian might it might don the storied walls alongside works by Van Gogh and Cezanne. About "Pickle," the gallery owner told The Guardian to take the serious-seeming intent of the artwork with a grain of salt, so to speak. A humorous response to the work is not invalid, said Ryan Moore, the director of Fine Arts, Sydney, which represents Griffin. Its OK, because it is funny. Just like other readymade artists (and yes, there is a category of art that Pickle and Comedian belong to, which has existed since 1913), Griffins artwork is using humor as a device to question the way value and meaning is generated between people according to Moore. Whether or not the ensuing fruit flies, mold or wayward raccoons are stored with works like Pickle and Comedian as they inevitably rot with time, its safe to say this new wave of perishable art has officially gone global. Yummy. The Daily Beast Tennessee Department of CorrectionA woman who shared a kiss with a prisoner during a visitation in Tennessee has been charged with murder after the inmate died shortly after their exchange.Rachel Dollard was taken into custody over the weekend by special agents from the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) and the Dickson County Sheriffs Department, the TDOC confirmed in a statement on Tuesday. She is accused of smuggling drugs into the Turney Center Industrial Complex.Dollard is facing ch Who will replace the man who replaced bin Laden? Visual News/Getty Images Ayman al-Zawahri, leader of al-Qaida and a plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, has been killed in a drone strike in the Afghan city of Kabul, according to the U.S. government. Al-Zawahri was the the successor to Osama bin Laden and his death marked one more measure of closure to the families of those killed in the 2001 atrocities, U.S. President Joe Biden said during televised remarks on Aug. 1, 2022. The operation came almost a year after American troops exited Afghanistan after decades of fighting there. The Conversation asked Daniel Milton, a terrorism expert at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Haroro J. Ingram and Andrew Mines, research fellows at the George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, to explain the significance of the strike on al-Zawahri and what it says about U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Who was Ayman al-Zawahri? Ayman al-Zawahri was an Egyptian-born jihadist who became al-Qaidas top leader in 2011 after his predecessor, Osama bin Laden, was killed by a U.S. operation. Al-Zawahris ascent followed years in which al-Qaidas leadership had been devastated by U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan. Bin Laden had himself been struggling in the years leading up to his death to exert control and unity across al-Qaidas global network of affiliates. Ayman al-Zawahri challenging then-president George W. Bush. AP Photo/B.K.Bangash Al-Zawahri succeeded bin Laden despite a mixed reputation. While he had a long history of involvement in the jihadist struggle, he was viewed by many observers and even jihadists as a languid orator without formal religious credentials or battlefield reputation. Lacking the charisma of his predecessor, al-Zawahris image as a leader was not helped by a tendency to embark on long, meandering and often outdated speeches. Al-Zawahri also struggled to shake rumors that he was a prison informer while detained in Egypt and, as author and journalist Lawrence Wright detailed, acted as a wedge between the young bin Laden and his mentor, Abdullah Azzam. Story continues Al-Zawahris influence further waned during a series of popular uprisings known as the Arab Spring swept across North Africa and the Middle East, when it seemed that al-Qaida had been sidelined and unable to effectively exploit the outbreak of war in Syria and Iraq. To analysts and supporters alike, al-Zawahiri appeared symbolic of an al-Qaida that was outdated and rapidly being eclipsed by other groups that it had once helped onto the global stage, most notably the Islamic State. But with the collapse of the Islamic State groups caliphate in 2019, the return to power in Afghanistan of al-Qaida ally the Taliban and the persistence of al-Qaida affiliates especially in Africa, some experts argue that al-Zawahri guided al-Qaida through its most challenging period and that the group remains a potent threat. Indeed, one senior Biden administration official told the Associated Press that at the time of his death, al-Zawahri continued to provide strategic direction and was considered a dangerous figure. Where does his death leave al-Qaida? Killing or capturing top terrorist leaders has been a key counterterrorism tool for decades. Such operations remove terrorist leaders from the battlefield and force succession struggles that disrupt group cohesion and can expose security vulnerabilities. Unlike the Islamic State, which has clear leadership succession practices that it has showcased four times since the 2006 death of its founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaidas are less clear. Al-Zawahris successor will only be the movements third leader since forming in 1988. The top contender is another Egyptian. A former colonel in the Egyptian army and, like al-Zawahri, a member of the al-Qaida affiliate Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Saif al-Adel is connected to the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that launched al-Qaida as a global jihadist threat. His reputation as an explosives expert and military strategist has won him strong standing within the al-Qaida movement. A number of other possibilities are behind al-Adel, with a recent U.N. Security Council report identifying several possible successors. Either way, wed argue that al-Qaida is at a crossroads. If al-Zawahris successor is broadly recognized as legitimate by both al-Qaidas core and its affiliates, it could help to stabilize the movement. But any ambiguity surrounding al-Qaidas succession plan could see the new leaders authority challenged, which in turn could fracture the movement further. Evidence suggests al-Qaidas presence as a global movement will survive al-Zawahris death, just as it did bin Ladens. The network has seen a number of recent successes. Longtime allies the Taliban successfully took control of Afghanistan with help from al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent an affiliate which is now expanding its operations in Pakistan and India. Meanwhile, affiliates across the African continent from Mali and the Lake Chad region to Somalia remain a threat, with some expanding beyond their traditional areas of operation. Other affiliates, like the groups Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, remain loyal to the core and, according to the U.N. monitoring team, are keen to revive overseas attacks against the U.S. and its allies. Now, al-Zawahris successor will be looking to retain the allegiance of al-Qaidas affiliates as it strives to remain a potent threat. What does this tell us about US operations in Afghanistan under the Taliban? The American withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 prompted questions over whether the U.S. could keep pressure on al-Qaida, ISIS-K and other militants in the country. U.S. officials explained that an over-the-horizon strategy launching surgical strikes and special operations raids from outside any given state would allow the U.S. to deal with problems that emerged, such as terrorist attacks and the resurgence of groups. But many experts disagreed. And when an errant U.S. drone strike killed seven children, a U.S.-employed humanitarian worker and other civilians last fall, that strategy came under sharp scrutiny. But for those who doubted whether the U.S. still had the desire to go after key terrorists in Afghanistan, the killing of al-Zawahri gives a clear answer. This strike reportedly involved long-term surveillance of Zawahri and his family and robust discussion within the U.S. government before receiving presidential approval. Biden claims it was carried out without civilian casualties. At the same time, it took the U.S. 11 months to strike its first high-value target in Afghanistan under the Taliban. This contrasts with the hundreds of airstrikes executed in the years before the U.S. withdrawal. The strike occurred in a Kabul neighborhood populated by senior Taliban figures. The safehouse itself belonged to a senior aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a terrorist wanted by the U.S. and a top Taliban leader. Aiding and abetting al-Zawahri was a violation of the Doha agreement, under which the Taliban agreed not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening the security of the United States and its allies. The circumstances of the strike suggest that if the U.S. wants to do effective over-the-horizon operations in Afghanistan, it cannot count on the Taliban for support. The strike on al-Zawahri also tells us little about whether the U.S. strategy post-pullout can contain other jihadist groups in the region like ISIS-K, which is vehemently opposed to the Taliban and expanding in Afghanistan. Indeed, we believe that if more jihadists perceive the Taliban to be too weak to protect the top leaders of al-Qaida and its affiliates, while at the same time unable to govern Afghanistan without U.S. aid, many may consider ISIS-K to be the best choice. These and other dynamics speak to the many challenges of pursuing an over-the-horizon counterterrorism in Afghanistan today, ones that are unlikely to be solved by occasional high-profile drone strikes and assassinations. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Andrew Mines, George Washington University; Daniel Milton, United States Military Academy West Point, and Haroro J. Ingram, George Washington University. Read more: The views expressed by Dr. Milton are his own and not of the U.S. Military Academy, the Department of the Army, or any other agency of the U.S. Government Andrew Mines and Haroro J. Ingram do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. As summer begins to draw to a close, back-to-school season promises the renewal of an ongoing fight over whether cellphones should be allowed in the classroom. With students' mental health top of mind, many teachers, school leaders and state legislators have been pushing for tighter restrictions saying that after decades of studying technology's grip on American kids and years of competing for students' attention, they've had enough. "It's a losing battle for kids & their brain," Tyler Rablin, a high school teacher in Sunnyside, Washington, tweeted in May. Rablin, who wrote that he once championed phones in the classroom as a learning tool, now likens teenagers with cellphones to alcoholics at a bar. "The phone is no longer a passive tool," he wrote. "Their phone is actively and intentionally working against the goals of learning, of having a productive and meaningful life." The push to remove kids' phones from classrooms has seen some success in the last few years. Between 2015 and 2020, the share of schools that prohibited cellphones for non-academic purposes rose from 66% to 77%, according to data from the Department of Education. A 2020 study found 96% of the high schools and middle schools surveyed had some kind of cellphone policy, with 78% prohibiting cellphone use during class time. The study also found that across grade levels, 99% of teachers support restrictions on cellphone use, and over half are aware the kids are using their phones during class. In 2019, California became the first state to enact a bill granting schools state-backed authority to regulate smartphones during the school day. The bill's significance lies not in its restrictive power it doesn't ban cellphones or demand that schools make prohibitive policies instead, a spokesperson for the senator who wrote the bill said it's the first legislation to link smartphones with a decline in student mental health, and the first to request that schools look to implement smartphone regulations with students' health in mind. Story continues Other states, however, have been met with resistance when they attempted more restrictive measures. In Maine, a bill prohibiting the use of student cellphones during class, lunch breaks and in between classes was rejected by a large margin when it was proposed in 2019. "There seemed at that time to be no appetite to even consider the proposal," state Representative Heidi Sampson, who sponsored the bill, told CBS News in an email. "Some felt it was an unrealistic expectation to ban them in schools, 'cellphones are here to stay, get used to it.' Most ignored and dismissed evidence for the concerns." That same year, Arizona and Utah also tried and failed to enact some level of cellphone policies for schools, according to EdWeek. The Nebraska state legislature introduced a bill in January 2022 that would have had students place their phone in a clear, individual storage compartment at the entrance of the classroom for the entirety of the class. The bill was rejected in April. Pennsylvania introduced a similar proposal at their General Assembly in July. Maryland has gone a different route: A bill seeking to create a task force to study the effects of cellphones on students and teachers. That, too, was struck down when proposed in 2019. But state Senator Joanna Benson, the bill's sponsor, told CBS News she plans to speak with teachers, update the bill and reintroduce it when the congressional session reconvenes in January. Opposition to restrictive policies has come audibly from parents and students who want access to each other in case of an emergency. Mass shootings at schools, such as those in Uvalde, Texas, and Parkland, Florida, have only bolstered those concerns. "I feel extremely strong about cellphones being allowed so the children have access to emergency services or their parents in the event of a catastrophe," Bruce Knell, father of two children in the Lander School District of Wyoming and a Casper city councilman, told CBS News. "I feel more strongly as a parent than I do a politician." But Ken Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services, says that a child's use of a cellphone is rarely the best course of action in an emergency. "I understand that a cellphone can meet the emotional needs of a parent and child in the moment," he said, "but a child's only job in a lockdown situation should be to stay quiet and give 100% of their attention to the educator." Trump, who leads safety trainings in schools all over the country, acknowledges the significance of 911 calls that came from students with cellphones inside the school during the shooting in Uvalde. But he said if the burden of dialing 911 is falling to a child, it's because there's a breakdown of crisis response at a higher level. "By all accounts, the situation at Uvalde did not follow a number of best practices," he said. "We have protocol and trained crisis teams for times like these." But the concerns aren't just about school shootings. In February, students at Torrington Middle School in Connecticut staged a protest after the school board voted to restrict their use of cellphones, The Associated Press reported. The administration dismissed the students for the day after students pulled fire alarms and police were called to the scene. That day, Michael Mosel, who identified himself as the father of a Torrington student, started a petition against the policy, calling it a waste of money that could be better used for other educational purposes. It's since received over 600 signatures. "The students are fed up with administrators and the board of education constantly overlooking and ignoring the basic needs of our students," Mosel wrote in the petition. He emphasized that the school board was trying to "restrict the use of phones while in use, regardless of the situation. (e.g. medical, mental health, emergency, etc)." Jake Langlais, superintendent of Lewiston public schools in Maine, is sympathetic to student and parental anxiety but says there needs to be a solution to the daily problems caused by phones in the classroom. "Cellphone use and social media are the number one distraction during the school day," he told CBS News. "I understand the sense of security that a phone can provide to a parent, but school should be a place for learning and becoming who you are. Constant phone access is proving to run contrary." Lewiston is one of many districts trying to strike a compromise. The Crane School District in Missouri, which said it will prohibit cellphones, smart watches, earbuds and digital cameras in the coming year, is installing a new phone system over the summer to ensure that every classroom can make outgoing calls. Cocopah Middle School in Arizona told CBS News that it had students and parents sign a "technology contract," which includes a declaration that parents will not text their child frivolously during the school day. Bronxdale High School in New York uses the increasingly popular Yondr pouch, which magnetically locks phones like individual burritos allowing the student to keep their phones with them but rendering the devices useless. In Fairfax County, Virginia, high school students can use their cellphones in between classes and during lunch periods. The Buxton School in western Massachusetts just banned smartphones for both students and teachers, but allows "dumb" phones like flip phones and internet-accessing Kindles and tablets. "The habits of mind that smartphones have introduced and, at this point, essentially demand, are diametrically opposed to the educational project of a place like Buxton," Franny Shuker-Haines, Buxton's director of outreach, told CBS News. "Our purpose is to give students the chance to become self-aware stewards of their community, and smartphones constantly work against that essential mission." Tips for asking for a pay raise 9/11 families react to killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri H.R. McMaster on the relationship between Taliban and al Qaeda President Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House on Monday. (Jim Watson / Pool Photo) President Biden is set to name top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House coordinators to combat the growing monkeypox outbreak. The White House said Biden would announce Tuesday that he has tapped Robert Fenton, who helped lead FEMA's mass COVID-19 vaccination effort as the agency's acting administrator when Biden first took office, as the White House coordinator on monkeypox. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC will be named Fenton's deputy. Daskalakis, the director of the CDC's HIV-prevention division and a national expert on issues affecting the LGBTQ community, previously helped lead New York City's COVID-19 response. The White House said the pair would coordinate strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who Monday declared a state of emergency in California regarding monkeypox, said: The seriousness of the monkeypox outbreak calls for an experienced and tested leader in emergency response, so its no surprise President Biden has tapped Bob Fenton for this vital role. Bob has been a critical partner for California, especially during devastating wildfires and throughout the COVID pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert and Biden's top science advisor, praised their appointments Monday night and said he hoped they would tighten the coordination between the various federal agencies involved in the monkeypox response. I personally think were dealing with a really serious issue here," Fauci said. "There are a lot of knowns about monkeypox, but theres still a lot of unknowns. So [we've] really got to implement the interventions we have, get a much better feeling for the natural history and the scope, and absolutely reach out into the community, and thats the reason why I think the combination of Bob and Demetre is really a good combination. Story continues The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have been primarily men who have sex with men. But health officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone. The virus may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. The U.S. saw its first case of the monkeypox virus confirmed May 18 and now has more than 5,800 confirmed infections. Appointment of a White House coordinator and deputy coordinator mirrors the Biden administrations response to COVID-19, when the president centralized coronavirus response operations in the West Wing, first under Jeff Zients and now under Dr. Ashish Jha. Scientists say that, unlike campaigns to stop COVID-19, mass vaccinations against monkeypox wont be necessary. They think targeted use of the available doses, along with other measures, could shut down the expanding epidemics that were recently designated by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency. Still, the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of vaccine availability for monkeypox. Clinics in major cities such as New York and San Francisco say they havent received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet demand, and some have had to stop offering the second dose of the vaccine to ensure supply of first doses. The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million doses of vaccine available and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week. California is the second state to declare a public health emergency over monkeypox, following action this weekend by New York. The Biden administration does not appear to be moving in that direction. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the decision would be up to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. We look forward to partnering with Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis as we work to end the monkeypox outbreak in America, Becerra said in a statement. Bobs experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetres vast knowledge of our public health systems strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao Monday said the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume spent over US$1 billion on compliance efforts with its market share continuing to increase. See related article: Binances Changpeng Zhao sues Bloomberg publisher in HK Fast facts Zhao Monday said on his verified Twitter handle that a recent CoinDesk interview with its investigations team claiming Binance lost 90% of customers after implementing know-your-customer (KYC) requirements was a misquote. 90% of users from one specific entity on our platform were lost after we offboarded that organization for being in violation of our terms of use, a Binance spokesperson told Forkast in an email. Those users represented less than 0.001% of our daily trading volume. CoinDesk updated the article on Monday saying it was not the addition of KYC identity checks, but rather the AML measure of removing sanctioned accounts, in part because they hadnt gone through KYC, that cost Binance billions in revenue. Binance has been ramping up its AML and KYC efforts as it seeks to stay compliant. Binance has been given regulatory approval to offer crypto-related services in France, Italy, Spain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. See related article: Binance fined by Dutch central bank for improper registration Controversial Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King's political PAC used donor cash to purchase a $40,000 dog that King used as a family pet, according to a Monday report. King's PAC, Grassroots Law, has handed over the sum in a pair of payments to Potrero Performance Dogs in California since December, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The PAC paid Protero $10,000 in December, followed by a $30,650 payment in February. Days after the second payment, King posted on Facebook about welcoming a "new member of the King family," a Mastiff and prize show dog named Marz. The post has since been deleted or made private. SHAUN KING LIVES LAVISHLY IN LAKEFRONT NEW JERSEY HOME NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 04: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Shaun King visits SiriusXM Studios on September 04, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images) Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images The Grassroots PAC is ostensibly aimed at boosting political campaigns for candidates aligned with King's soft-on-crime mentality, but the organization spent nearly as much on the dog as it has on candidates. Grassroots contributed a total of $56,000 to various political campaigns since 2021, just $16,000 more than it reportedly spent on the animal. Marz's stay with the King family was not long-lived, however, as Protero posted Instagram photos of the dog winning top prize at an American Kennel Club competition in July. Protero explained in an earlier Instagram post that Marz has "a little too much energy to be a family dog so he came back." The Instagram posts from Protero have also since been deleted or made private. King has faced a slew of controversies over his career as an activist, with even other members of the Black Lives Matter movement denouncing him as a fraud. NEW YORK A worker at a Brooklyn McDonalds was shot in the face by a customers son during a wild spat over a food order, police said Tuesday. The 23-year-old employee was taking orders at the McDonalds on Fulton St. near Throop Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant when a woman complained about her order about 7 p.m. Monday, cops said. An argument between the worker, the woman and her 20-year-old son quickly erupted and spilled outside and across the street, when the son suddenly pulled a gun and opened fire. The McDonalds employee was shot in side of the neck just above the jawline, a police source said. Medics rushed him to Brookdale University Hospital, where he was in critical condition Tuesday morning. Responding officers took the 20-year-old suspected shooter into custody without incident. Charges against him were pending. The shooting was not the first bloodshed linked to McDonalds in the city this year, cops said. On March 28, parolee Rasheed Osundairo, 31, allegedly knocked fellow customer Melvin Dizon out cold while the victim was order breakfast at the McDonalds on Seventh Ave. near Madison Square Garden as other stunned customers stood by, unwilling to get involved. Earlier that month, an outraged customer stabbed a worker armed with a stick multiple times during a crazed morning clash inside an East Harlem McDonalds just paces from a Burger King where a teenage cashier was gunned down during a Jan. 9 holdup, cops said. One of 21 idle oil and gas wells found to be leaking methane, some at potentially explosive levels, in two Bakersfield neighborhoods on May 10. The California Air Resources Board told the Associated Press that it's not tallying leaks from idle wells. (Clark Williams-Derry / Associated Press) California claims to know how much climate-warming gas is going into the air from within its borders. It's the law: California limits climate pollution and each year the limits get stricter. The state has also been a major oil and gas producer for more than a century, and authorities are well aware some 35,000 old, inactive oil and gas wells perforate the landscape. Yet officials with the agency responsible for regulating greenhouse gas emissions say they don't include methane that leaks from these idle wells in their inventory of the state's emissions. Ira Leifer, an independent scientist and chief executive of Bubbleology Research International, said the lack of data on emissions escaping from idle wells calls into question the states ability to meet its ambitious goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Residents and environmentalists from across the state have been voicing concern about the possibility of leaking idle or abandoned wells for years, but the concerns were heightened in May and June when 21 idle wells were discovered to be leaking methane in or near two Bakersfield neighborhoods. They say that the leaking wells are an urgent public health issue, because when a well is leaking methane, other gases often escape too. Leifer said these ridealong gases were his biggest concern with the wells. "Those other gases have significant health impacts, Leifer said, noting there is even less data about the quantities of ridealong gases being released than about methane. In July, residents of the communities nearest the leaking wells protested at the California Geologic Management Divisions field offices, calling for better oversight. Its clear that they are willing to ignore this public health emergency. Our communities are done waiting. CalGEM needs to do their job, Cesar Aguirre, a community organizer with the Central California Environmental Justice Network, said in a statement. Robert Howarth, a Cornell University methane researcher, agreed with Leifer that the amount of methane emissions from leaking wells isnt well known, and that they're not a major source of emissions when compared with methane emissions from across the oil and gas industry. Story continues Still, he said, its adding something very clearly, and we shouldnt be allowing it to happen. A ton of methane is 83 times worse for the climate than a ton of carbon dioxide, when compared over 20 years, experts say. A 2020 study said emissions from idle wells are more substantial than from plugged wells in California, but recommended more data collection on inactive wells at the major oil and gas fields throughout the state. Robert Jackson, a Stanford University climate scientist and co-author on that study, said researchers found high emissions from some of the idle wells they measured in the study. In order to get a better idea of how much methane is leaking, the state of California is investing in projects on the ground and in the air. David Clegern, a spokesperson for CARB, said the agency is beginning a project to measure emissions from a sample of properly and improperly abandoned wells to estimate statewide emissions from them. And in June, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget that includes participation in a global effort to slash emissions called the Methane Accountability Project. The state will spend $100 million to use satellites to track large methane leaks to help identify and cap them. Some research has already been done, too, to find out how much methane is coming from oil and gas facilities. A 2019 Nature study found that 26% of state methane emissions are coming from oil and gas. A new investigation by the Associated Press found methane is billowing from oil and gas equipment in the Permian Basin in Texas and companies under-report it. Howarth said that even if methane from idle oil and gas wells isn't a major pollution source, it should be a priority, not just in California, but nationwide, to help the country meet its climate pledges. Methane dissipates pretty quickly in the atmosphere, he said, so cutting the emissions is really one of the simplest ways we have to slow the rate of global warming and meet that Paris target. A new U.S. Senate proposal would provide hundreds of millions dollars to plug wells and reduce pollution from them, especially in hard-hit communities. 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. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. After making numerous direct threats against the speaker of the house in a bid to stop her from visiting Taiwan, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Nancy Pelosis trip to the island, calling it a major political provocation. Pelosis trip has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for Taiwan independence. China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious demarche and strong protest to the United States, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a lengthy statement. Pelosi landed in Taiwan Tuesday, making her the highest-ranking official to visit the island since then-speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Our delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 2, 2022 She said her visit honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that Pelosi can make her own decisions about the trip and that Congress is an independent branch of government. He also said the U.S. does not support Taiwan independence. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this, the foreign ministrys statement continued. Story continues President Joe Biden told Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday that the U.S. firmly stands behind its One China Policy, but China saw Pelosis trip as undermining the commitment, saying its trying to use Taiwan to contain China. The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens Taiwan independence separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it, the statement said. Twenty-one Chinese military planes flew near Taiwan but did not enter its airspace the same day as Pelosi visited the island, according to Taiwans Ministry of National Defense. More from National Review BEIJING (Reuters) -The Chinese military has been put on high alert and will launch "targeted military operations" in response to U.S. House Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China's defence ministry said on Tuesday night. Separately, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said it will conduct joint military operations near Taiwan from Tuesday night. The exercises will include joint air and sea drills in the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan, long-range live firing in the Taiwan Strait, and missile test-launches in the sea east of Taiwan, the Eastern Theatre Command said. The defence ministry did not provide details about what the targeted military operations would include, or if they were separate from the exercises announced by Eastern Theatre Command. State news agency Xinhua said earlier on Tuesday the Chinese military would conduct live-firing drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel;) The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday condemning U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) trip to Taiwan, saying it gravely undermines peace and stability. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for Taiwan independence, said the ministry of Pelosis trip. Pelosi confirmed her arrival in Taiwan earlier Tuesday with a statement honoring Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy, said Pelosi. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the trip a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, adding that it will have a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. The Chinese government argued in its statement, published by the official news outlet of the countrys military, that the U.S. is bound by a 1979 commitment in its Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations with China. The communique recognized the government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan, the document reads. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned last month that a visit from Pelosi to Taiwan would infringe on the one-China policy and that China would take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity if the visit proceeded. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous, wrote the Chinese Foreign Ministry after Pelosis arrival in Taiwan, adding the warning that those who play with fire will perish by it. Story continues China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speakers visit, it concluded. China announced new plans on Tuesday to conduct large-scale military drills around Taiwan for four days beginning on Sunday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Aug. 2City police charged businessman Bob Bolus on Monday with stealing a trail camera from his East Mountain neighbors' property and repeatedly removing or damaging no-trespassing signs the neighbors placed there. Bolus, 79, 1531 Birch St., was photographed on video nine times over a five-week period vandalizing the signs on the lot at 1625 Birch St., police said. A criminal complaint filed by Detective Sgt. Robert Martin charged Bolus with misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, along with nine counts of criminal trespass. He also faces summary charges of criminal mischief and harassment. Michael Oakes and Carole Slotterback, who live next to the lot at 1625 Birch, told police they have repeatedly informed Bolus they do not want him on the property but he has continued to ignore their demands not to trespass, the complaint said. Police initially responded to a trespassing call at the site June 23, when Oakes provided officers with photographs that showed Bolus removing a trail camera from a tree on the property and damaging a no-trespassing sign the previous day, according to the complaint. Bolus was captured on video vandalizing no-trespassing signs again on July 5, July 7, July 8, July 13, twice on July 22, July 23 and July 26, sometimes by removing them and other times by running them over with a vehicle, police said. During the July 26 incident, Bolus ran over one sign, kicked over another and made an obscene gesture at Oakes before getting back into his vehicle. The property in question is next to the driveway that Bolus, who owns a towing and truck parts company, uses to access his home. Contacted by phone Monday afternoon, Bolus said the no-trespassing signs were placed within an easement he's had for decades. "It's his (Oakes') property, but I have an easement and I have been using it for over 30 years," Bolus said. "He has no right to do that." Bolus also maintained the posting of no-trespassing signs violated an order issued by a Lackawanna County Court judge in 2010 during a previous dispute over the use of the property. A summons issued by Magisterial District Judge Joanne Corbett set Bolus' preliminary hearing for Aug. 31 at 9:30 a.m. Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132 KINSHASA (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo's government will re-evaluate the withdrawal plan of the United Nations peacekeeping mission after deadly anti-U.N. protests last week, it said late on Monday, suggesting it may ask the force to leave sooner than expected. The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, said on Tuesday that it supports the government's decision and is also ready to reassess its withdrawal plan, which currently has it staying for at least two more years. Thirty-six people, including four U.N. peacekeepers, were killed last week during violent demonstrations in the country's east, the government said. Protesters accuse the mission of failing to protect civilians against militia groups that have wreaked havoc in the region for decades. U.N. troops were accused of retaliating with force, and in some cases, live bullets, as hundreds of protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs, vandalised and set fire to U.N. buildings. In a plan drawn up last year, the United Nations laid out a set of minimum conditions that would be necessary for MONUSCO's withdrawal, which it aimed to achieve by the end of 2024. "The transition plan was formulated in 2021. The political and security environment a year later has changed significantly," said MONUSCO spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo. A government commission sent to assess the aftermath of the protests found that 13 people died in clashes in the town of Goma, another 13 - including four peacekeepers - in Butembo, and three in Kanyabayonga, Congo's presidency said. Four protesters were killed in the city of Uvira when troops fired shots that hit an electric cable that fell on them. Three civilians were killed when U.N. soldiers returning from leave opened fire at a border post in Kasindi. Around 170 people were wounded, the commission added. "During our interviews, the population made a clear demand: to see MONUSCO leave the DRC," it said. Story continues The United Nations has condemned the violence and vowed to investigate alleged abuses on both sides together with Congolese authorities. MONUSCO, which took over from an earlier U.N. operation in 2010, had more than 12,000 troops and 1,600 police deployed in Congo as of November 2021, according to its website. Frustrations against the mission were stoked by the recent resurgence of the M23 rebel group, which has displaced thousands. Attacks by militants linked to Islamic State have also continued despite a year-long state of emergency and joint operations against them by the Congolese and Ugandan armies. (Reporting by Stanis Bujakera; Additional reporting and writing by Sofia Christensen and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Estelle Shirbon, Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker) The Daily Beast via GoFundMeIn the wake of the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting, the story of 8-year-old Cooper Roberts survival was embraced by many following updates on the boys recovery.And more than a month after the massacre, Roberts is long out of intensive carebut his family says he is now in constant pain and hopeless, sad, and angry at the realization he is paralyzed.In a sobering and gut-wrenching statement released Tuesday, the Roberts family said they want people to see the u A couple caught a hungry black bear helping itself to a meal inside their Connecticut home, CBS New York reports. Bill Priest, of West Hartford, walked into his kitchen Sunday and found the intruder. He said he grabbed a chair to put between him and the animal. He eventually got the bear out through the front door, but not before it ate an entire bag of marshmallows and other snacks, the station reported. "He did startle me. That was probably the one time I was scared," Priest said. "He had everything on the floor in there eating." Priest's wife, Christine Vannie, told WFSB that before the incident, she and her husband had just gone to the back yard on when her husband went inside to grab a drink. They had outdoor music playing, so they didn't hear anything out of the ordinary until Priest walked into the kitchen. "It took some convincing to get him to leave," she wrote on social media. "I share this because most bears are shy and this one was not." Priest said the bear came back the next day and ripped a screen trying to get inside. Last week, he also saw a bear going through a fridge in his garage. Vannie told WFSB she contacted the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which dropped off a trap. The department is going to try to catch the bear, sedate it and then tag it. Black bears are becoming increasingly common in Connecticut as the population continues to grow and expand, according to the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. In 2019, approximately 7,300 bear sightings from 150 of the state's 169 towns were reported to the agency's wildlife division. Kansas voters to decide Tuesday on state abortion protections Senate Democrats' climate and tax bill could have major effects on electric vehicle market, energy Sonia Manzano on new novel, "Coming Up Cuban" A couple traveling with their 9-month-old baby was left stranded without formula after American Airlines canceled their flight connection in the middle of the night. According to Business Insider, Donna, who opted not to share her last name, her husband, and their baby had taken a flight from the Dominican Republic to Charlotte on July 25, en route to their home in Raleigh. After arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 1:30 a.m. they began receiving alerts notifying them that their Charlotte-Raleigh flight was delayed. They were able to board the flight at 12:30 a.m., however, the plane stayed at the gate for over an hour as American Airlines searched for a copilot for the flight. We kept waiting until the pilot stated that the flight was canceled as they couldnt find a copilot and we all had to exit the airplane, Donna said. In need of a solution, the family went to the American Airlines counter hoping to get rebooked on the next flight out. They soon discovered that the people already in line in front of them had been waiting for two to three hours. We decided with our baby that we did not want to wait in a long line at 1:30 a.m., so we were going to rent a car and drive back home to Raleigh which is about two hours away from Charlotte. Unfortunately, none of the rental desks remained open at that hour. Donna and her family tried to find a hotel room for the night, but after making over a dozen calls, were unable to find any vacancies. The airport looked like a refugee camp, said Donna, as hundreds and thousands of stranded passengers slept on chairs, floors, doorways everywhere. The couples biggest concern, however, was feeding their baby, as they had only packed enough formula to last for the duration of their trip. Unfortunately, I did not account for there being an extremely long delay or canceled flight. The couple called American Airlines customer service, but all they offered them was a flight flying out of Charlotte the next day, an offer they had no choice but to accept. Story continues The airline told Donna that the flight cancellation was due to inclement weather, thus they wouldnt have to accommodate you in any way no food vouchers, no hotel vouchers, nothing. They did not care that we were traveling with a 9-month-old baby and that we ran out of formula. However, Donna says the issue was not a weather issue, but a staffing issue. The pilot himself got on the intercom and stated that he had no second pilot and could not fly the plane without a copilot. The ordeal left the couple feeling very helpless, confused, perplexed, saddened, and infuriated.scared and anxious thinking about how we would feed our baby. Related: Qantas Airlines Booked 13-Month-Old Baby On Separate Flight From Parents On-loan Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson believes Manchester Uniteds treatment of him last season was criminal. The 25-year-old, who has joined the newly-promoted side for their first top-flight campaign since 1999, claims 12 months ago he was told by the Old Trafford hierarchy he would be first-choice for last season. However, when injury curtailed his Euro 2020 involvement with England and long Covid delayed his availability for the new campaign David De Gea retained his place as Uniteds number one. As a result Henderson played just three times in three different competitions and that left him frustrated. To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career, he told talkSPORT. The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was Youre coming back here to be the number one. I got Covid-19, came back, so I should have still been the number one but then nobody followed through with what they had told me. It was frustrating, because I turned down so many good loans last summer for that reason, and they would not let me go. (PA Wire) To sit there for 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age, I was fuming. I told the hierarchy that I need to be playing football and to let me go, and I was almost gone before the manager (Erik ten Hag) came through the door. I have not spoken to him since. I worked hard on and off the pitch to keep improving, day-in-day-out, and now I am looking forward to the season with Nottingham Forest. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. A company whose investigation into alleged voter fraud at the behest of Trump loyalists in Arizona was only able to uncover one single instance of a fraudulent ballot cast under the name of a voter who was dead, according to the states top elections official. Mark Brnovich, Arizonas attorney general, issued a letter to Republicans who led the effort to demand a recount of the 2020 election in the state Senate on Monday. In the letter, Mr Brnovich outlines how the Cyber Ninjass investigation had led to hundreds of baseless allegations of fraud involving the names of dead voters who in fact turned out to be alive. In Mr Brnovichs words, [w]e investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased. The letter goes on to depict a sloppy investigation run by amateurs who lacked understanding of elections terminology and processes. Mr Brnovich wrote that the now-defunct company in one case hadnt even bothered to discern a distinction between those who were registered to vote, but deceased, and those who allegedly were deceased but had submitted ballots. Some were so absurd the names and birthdates didnt even match the deceased, he wrote. According to Mr Brnovich, after hundreds of man hours investigating the claims brought forward by Cyber Ninjas, only one of the nearly 300 people alleged to be dead voters by the company turned out to have been a case of a ballot submitted under a deceased persons name. Donald Trump and his allies, among other false accusations and conspiracies about the 2020 election, have alleged that hundreds of thousands, if not more, of votes were cast on behalf of dead voters in Joe Bidens name. That claim, like all others, has been unsubstantiated by evidence. Arizona was one of the key states where Mr Trumps team sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and a widespread effort by Mr Trump and his allies in the weeks after election day itself to do just that has been uncovered by the January 6 committee in the House. Others invovled in the effort included Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas whose involvement has led to calls for Mr Thomas to be removed from the bench. The states House speaker, Rusty Bowers, has testified about how Mr Trumps team pressured him to call a special session of the legislature in the hopes of passing a resolution to decertify the states election results and nominate a slate of Trump-supporting electors who would cast votes in the presidents favour on January 6 when the Senate certified the election results. The Root After a two-week long strike, the Minneapolis teachers union and Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) finally came to an agreement. However, it came with a caveat. In regards to layoffs, the new contract suggests white teachers would be considered before teachers of color, per ABC 4 News. You can imagine the outrage that announcement sparked. Sky Studios has poached Academy Award-nominated producer Tobias Rosen from Warner Bros. International Television Production to the newly-created role of Vice President in Germany. Rosen will oversee the Das Boot and Babylon Berlin producers slate across Germany, Austria and Switzerland as it targets a significant increase in drama and comedy investment. The Comcast-owned pay-TV giants production arm is producing 200 originals this year alone. More from Deadline Rosen joins a few months after his new boss Nils Hartmann was promoted to oversee Sky Studios in Germany and Italy, and the two will work closely alongside Elke Walthelm, Sky Deutschlands EVP Content, and Skys wider content teams in the UK and Italy. During his Warner stint, he was responsible for acquiring, developing and producing the likes of Disney+s Sultan City, Amazon Prime Videos Love Addicts and RTL+s Club Las Piranjas. Past employers include Relevant Film GmbH and he also produced Academy Award-nominated short film Watu Wote. Hartmann called Rosen a brilliant creative executive with strong talent relationships and a deep knowledge of what our customers want across our German-speaking markets. As we target even more ambitious projects with greater scale across Sky Group, Tobias track-record in producing premium, talked-about content will enable us to meet that ambition, he added. Rosen said: Skys ambition to produce even more world-class content, collaborating with and showcasing German talent on the global stage was too good an opportunity to pass up. Best of Deadline Story continues Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. After a trip to Disney World Orlando to celebrate her graduation, Delta sent Jessica Dalonzo's wheelchair to the wrong state. Both photos courtesy of Jessica Dalonzo Delta sent a passenger's $30,000 power wheelchair to California instead of New York. The chair was damaged on both the outward and return journeys. "I can't believe someone would treat a wheelchair the way mine was treated," the passenger said. Delta broke a passenger's $30,000 power wheelchair on a trip to Disney and then sent it on the wrong plane to a completely different state on the way back. Jessica Dalonzo flew from LaGuardia Airport, New York to Orlando, Florida on July 16 with her parents for a trip to Disney World to celebrate her graduation from Queens College with a degree in psychology. Dalonzo went to Disney World Florida with her parents to celebrate her graduation from Queens College with a degree in psychology. Both photos courtesy of Jessica Dalonzo "My chair came out of the plane broken," she told Insider. Both the joystick and footplate were broken but her parents were able to quickly fix it because they'd brought tools and screws with them, she said. Her experience on the way back a week later, however, was much worse. Delta hadn't put her chair on the flight back to New York, sending it instead to California. "After over an hour of trying to figure out where my wheelchair was, we found out Delta put my wheelchair on a flight to Los Angeles," Dalonzo said. The chair was heavily damaged and she wasn't able to use it. Courtesy of Jessica Dalonzo Dalonzo got her chair back the next day after Delta flew it to LaGuardia via Atlanta but it was heavily damaged and she wasn't able to use it, she said. She said that the head rest and one of the arm rests were ripped, the fender on one of the wheels was broken, and the chair was making a "crackling sound which means something is wrong with the motor." The air cushion, joystick arm, and one footplate were broken too, she said, and the chair arrived "really dirty and dusty." The chair is worth around $30,000, Dalonzo said. "My wheelchair is custom made for me," she said. "I cannot use any other wheelchair that Delta is offering me." She told Insider that Delta had offered to pay for the repairs or buy her a new wheelchair, and said that it had refunded both her and her parents' flights. "We know our customers with disabilities rely on Delta for their travel needs, and while the majority of wheelchairs and scooters enplaned by Delta are not mishandled, we understand the frustration that comes when we fall short," a spokesperson told Insider. Story continues "We sincerely apologize for this customer's experience and are affirmatively working with the customer to make things right via repairs and compensation." Dalonzo had attached a label to her chair telling staff to be careful with it. "This chair is my only means of mobility," she wrote. Courtesy of Jessica Dalonzo This was the first time Dalonzo had flown with her power chair. In the past, she had always taken a manual chair, which had also been damaged but not to the same extent as her power chair, she said. "My wheelchair is my legs and I can't believe someone would treat a wheelchair the way mine was treated," she said. "I'm definitely angry," Dalonzo added. "They need to do better in handling medical equipment." Read the original article on Business Insider Aug. 2KETTERING A 9-year-old who told others about another Kettering elementary student having a loaded gun at school has been honored by police. Adrian Alvarenga was "courageous" and singled out for his "bravery" for his Feb. 22 actions at John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Kettering Police Department Chief Chip Protsman said. An officer found a loaded gun in a JFK student's locker after Alvarenga spread the word about the potential danger, Protsman said. "During the investigation it was learned that Adrian reported the firearm after seeing it in the student's possession," he said while presenting the boy with a citizenship award before Kettering City Council last week. "Adrian, knowing the dangers and seriousness of the situation, was courageous enough to advise his parents of the firearm," Protsman said. "His parents immediately contacted school officials and the incident was resolved without anyone being injured," he added. "Adrian is commended for his bravery, and for following the rule he was taught see something, say something." The student who admitted to bringing the gun to school also a 9-year-old was expelled by Kettering City Schools for a year in what officials said was "the stiffest penalty possible." Dev Patel witnessed the shocking incident in Australia. (NurPhoto via Getty Images) Dev Patel was a witness to a stabbing in Adelaide, Australia. The Slumdog Millionaire star was witnessed trying to "de-escalate" a fight between a couple before a man was stabbed shortly after. Read more: Dev Patel gushes over Oscars date: Mum worked hard her whole life Representatives for the actor released a statement about the incident which read: "We can confirm that last night, in Adelaide, Dev Patel and his friends witnessed a violent altercation that was already in progress outside of a convenience store. Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight. The group was thankfully successful in doing so and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived." Dev Patel attends a film premiere. (WireImage) Watch: Dev Patel opens up about struggling with imposter syndrome The statement continued: "There are no heroes in this situation and sadly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve." They concluded by saying: "The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large." Read more: Lee Ryan 'arrested after disruptive behaviour' on flight South Australia Police also released a statement regarding the stabbing: "A woman has been arrested following a stabbing incident in the CBD [Central Business District] last night. About 8.45pm on Monday 1 August, police were called to Gouger Street after reports of a man and woman fighting in the street. The couple continued fighting inside a nearby service station where witnesses attempted to break up the fight." Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight. (EFD/A24) The police added: "The woman then allegedly stabbed the man in the chest. A 32-year-old man from Glengowrie was treated at the scene by ambulance officers before being taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. His injuries are not considered life-threatening." Patel, who rose to fame with starring role in Skins, has gone on to appear in films such as Lion, Hotel Mumbai and The Green Knight. He received an Oscar nomination in 2017 for his performance in Lion. Actor Dev Patel photographed in 2019. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Lion" actor Dev Patel attempted to break up a knife fight during a stabbing in Australia, but he doesn't seem to want any credit for being a good Samaritan. The melee occurred Monday in Adelaide, Australia, where the British actor lives with his girlfriend and "Hotel Mumbai" co-star Tilda Cobham-Hervey. Patel, 32, was seen speaking to police after witnessing the stabbing around 8:45 p.m. (local time) on Monday, according to 7NEWS.com.au. "The Green Knight" and "The Newsroom" star is said to have witnessed a street fight between a man and a woman that took place outside a convenience store and moved into a nearby service station where witnesses attempted to break it up. The woman allegedly stabbed the man in the chest during the altercation, the news outlet reported, and the man was treated at the scene, then taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The woman, who reportedly knew the man, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing harm and has been refused bail. Police told 7News that the incident was not random. Patel and his friends reportedly saw the "violent altercation" and Patel "acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight," representatives for the actor said Tuesday in a statement to The Times. The group was thankfully successful in doing so, and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived," they said. The Oscar-nominated actor was photographed talking to law enforcement after the incident when emergency services were called to the area. But Patel brushed off credit for the heroic act via his representatives, who said, "There are no heroes in this situation." "[S]adly this specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, they said. "The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large," their statement said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Peacock/Getty Since serial killers are generally driven by singular, deviant compulsions, its rare for them to work with accomplices. Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono are the exception to that rule, at least according to the American criminal justice system and The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise, which details the case made against both men in the late 1970s. Accused of killing 10 women in the Los Angeles areaas well as two others in Bellingham, Washington, that were attributed solely to Bianchithe cousins terrorized the West Coast via a string of sexual assaults and fatal strangulations. The twist of director Alexa Danners four-part Peacock docuseries (Aug. 2), however, is the suggestion that one of the two fiends might not have had anything to do with the crimes. Before it casts doubt on its tales outcome, The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise revisits its initial, horrifying stages, beginning with Sheryl Kellison, who as a 17-year-old in 1976 began dating the 24-year-old Bianchi, whom she describes as just nice and, for me, that was enough. Shortly after they got together, the area was gripped by fear courtesy of a collection of dead women who turned up in the local hillsides. Yolanda Washington was the first to be found in October 1977, followed by Judith Miller one month later, Lissa Kastin five days after Miller, and two young girlsDolores Cepeda and Sonja Johnsona week after that. It was obvious that a serial madman was on the loose, and according to detectives Bob Grogan and Pete Finnigan, law enforcement soon came to believe that because of certain pieces of evidence (such as the fact that the womens bodies were dumped in a manner that could only be accomplished by more than one individual), they were looking for a pair who were posing as figures of authority (say, police officers) in order to convince their prey to go along with them. How an Angry Mom Took Down the Revenge-Porn King Five more victimsKristina Weckler, Evelyn Jane King, Lauren Wagner, Kimberly Martin, and Cindy Hudspethwere discovered in the coming months, at which point the slayings abruptly ended. Despite receiving thousands of clues, the LAPD was at a loss, and only caught a break when in January 1979, two women, Karen Mandic and Diane Wilder, went missing in Bellingham, Washington, after going to a housesitting job. They were subsequently located in their car, raped and strangled to death, their wrists and necks boasting severe ligature marks. Canny police work led investigators to Bianchi, who was employed as a security guard and was connected to the residence the two women were supposed to visit. When cops learned that Bianchi had also lived in the same L.A. complexes as multiple Hillside Strangler victims, he became the prime suspect, and was subjected to numerous recorded psychologist interviews that serve as the prime selling point of Danners docuseries. Story continues In those black-and-white videotaped chats, Bianchi denies being the Hillside Strangler while simultaneously attempting to convince doctors that he has multiple personality disorder, and that a different identitynamed Steve Walkerwas actually responsible for the killings. Bianchis intention was to avoid the death penalty with an insanity plea, and yet in the footage on display in The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise, his ruse is so clearly nonsense that its amazing anyone ever bought itincluding Dr. Ralph Allison, one of Bianchis original interrogators who appears in a new interview. When that scheme fell apart, he pivoted to claiming that he had committed the L.A. crimes with his cousin Buono, a car upholsterer with whom he lived and ran a fledgling escort service. This fit detectives theory that the Hillside Strangler hadnt acted alone, and ultimately resulted in Bianchi pleading guilty and testifying against Buono. If theres a mystery to The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise, its whether Buono had anything to do with the murders in question. At the end of what would be the longest criminal trial in United States history, a jury found him culpable of nine of the 10 Los Angeles murders. Still, via interviews with police officers, attorney generals, defense lawyers, journalists and more, Danners series contends that the only real, verifiable link between Buono and the Hillside Strangler victims was Bianchis wordand that was so unreliable that even the judge admitted, in court, that the defendant was a chronic liar. Bianchi is such a habitually deceptive and untrustworthy figure that this four-part affair raises at least some uncertainty about Buonos guilta notion exacerbated by the late revelation that, to this day, Bianchi continues to change his story. Whats apparently not up for debate, however, is Bianchis own starring role in these crimes. In the sagas craziest twist, its revealed that during his time in prison, he struck up a correspondenceand then relationshipwith wannabe playwright Veronica Compton, convincing her that he was innocent and eventually cajoling her into trying to strangle a woman in a manner identical to that of the Hillside Strangler, which would ostensibly prove that the killer was running free. That unsuccessful plan netted Compton 23 years in jail, and in a new present-day conversation she provides the sort of wonky explanation and justifications (most of them having to do with substance abuse and Bianchis exploitative charisma) that one might expect from a person who would deliberately entangle themselves with a lunatic like Bianchi in the first place. Crime scene photographs and archival TV news broadcasts, as well as the anguished and angry recollections of friends and relatives of the Hillside Strangler victims, round out The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise. If its recap is relatively thorough, though, it stumbles in lucidly explaining prosecutors theory about Buono and Bianchis partnership, and worse, it features a key omission: Frank Salerno, the renowned LA County detective who led the Hillside Strangler investigation, and who would later go on to earn greater fame by catching Richard Ramirez, as recounted in Netflixs Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer. Given his central part in this drama, Salernos absence is more than a bit conspicuous and undercuts Danners series desire to be a definitive account of this nightmare. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Two men in Durham were convicted of rape in separate cold cases Monday, including one that occurred 17 years ago and whose victim died this year before she could see her attacker sentenced. The Durham County District Attorneys Office announced the convictions, which came as a result of previously untested DNA evidence in Durhams Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, according to a news release. In one case, 59-year-old Timothy Rorie pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and sexual battery for breaking into a womans home on Sept. 8, 2005, and sexually assaulting her, according to the release. He was charged this February after saliva collected from the victims body connected him to the crime, the release stated. Although the victim lived to see her rapist arrested, the release stated, unfortunately, the victim in this case passed away shortly after Rorie was charged. On Monday, Rorie was sentenced to between roughly 12 1/2 years and 16 years in prison, followed by 10 years of satellite monitoring. He also was ordered to register as a sex offender and never have contact with the victims family. In another case, 27-year-old Carlos Dominguez-Aguiar pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree burglary for breaking into a womans home on May 31, 2015, and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint, according to the release. He was charged in August 2021 when DNA testing connected him to the crime. On Monday, he was sentenced to between 16 years and 24 years and 3 months in prison, followed by 10 years of satellite monitoring. He was ordered to register as a sex offender and to never have contact with the victim. Clearing the rape-kit backlog More than a dozen people have been charged by the Durham Police Departments Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. With Mondays convictions, seven have been convicted in 10 assaults dating back to 2005. In 2019, after state officials reported 15,000 untested sexual assault kits in North Carolina, state Attorney General Josh Stein said Durham was second to Asheville in getting backlogged kits tested, though over 1,000 kits in the city remained untested, The News & Observer reported. Story continues The N&O has asked the District Attorneys Office and Police Department how many untested kits still remain and questions about Mondays cases, including whether the men are suspects in other rapes. As of July 16, there had been 73 forcible rapes reported to Durham police thsi year, according to department statistics, compared to 70 at this time last year. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, rape is vastly underreported with 63% of cases not reported to law enforcement. The center estimates 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will be raped during their lifetime. In Mondays release, District Attorney Satana Deberry thanked the Police Department and said she was heartened that, after years of waiting, the survivors in both of these cases were able to see their attackers identified and receive some closure. The latest cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca, who works with the Police Departments Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. The Durham Report Calling Bull City readers! We've launched The Durham Report, a free weekly digest of some of the top stories for and about Durham published in The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. Get your newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday at 11 a.m. featuring links to stories by our local journalists. Sign up for our newsletter here. For even more Durham-focused news and conversation, join our Facebook group "The Story of my Street." The Department of Defense (DOD) failed to retain text messages from a number of its top officials relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot because it wiped their phones during the transition, a watchdog group that sued for the records disclosed Tuesday. American Oversight filed a public records request for the communications of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy in the days after the attack on the Capitol. But they were informed during litigation that the records were not preserved. DOD and Army conveyed to Plaintiff that when an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government-issued phone, and the phone is wiped. For those custodians no longer with the agency, the text messages were not preserved and therefore could not be searched, the agencies wrote in a March court filing. The disclosure follows news that numerous officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also had their messages erased during the transition, including former acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli. Both had their phones reset following the inauguration, losing any texts from Jan. 6 in the process. The inspector general at DHS also notified Congress last month that text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 were erased as part of a device replacement program. The Secret Service contends any text messages that might be missing were lost through a software transition. The effort to obtain Pentagon texts could have shed light on why the National Guard faced delays in getting approval to go to the Capitol as it was under siege. The suit sought the military leaders communications with former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows. The request also asked for communications from Kash Patel, Millers chief of staff; Paul Ney, the Defense Department general counsel; and James E. McPherson, the Armys general counsel. Story continues Patel was also subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. American Oversight sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate, noting that each officials phone appears to have been wiped after their records request was filed. DOD has apparently deleted messages from top DOD and Army officials responsive to pending FOIA requests that could have shed light on the actions of top Trump administration officials on the day of the failed insurrection, Heather Sawyer, the groups executive director, wrote in the letter, referring to the Freedom of Information Act. American Oversight accordingly urges you to investigate DODs actions in allowing the destruction of records potentially relevant to this significant matter of national attention and historical importance. Both DOD and the Justice Department declined to comment. Its the second time in less than a week that Garland has been called upon to intervene in a Jan. 6-related matter. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) penned a letter to the attorney general last week asking him to review what he called the destruction of evidence at DHS. Durbin also asked Garland to step in and get to the bottom of what happened to these text messages and hold accountable those who are responsible. Updated at 5:38 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. On Aug. 31, 2018, Heather Crimaldi asked her brother Christopher to buy her heroin in McHenry County, Illinois. While under the influence that night, Heather fell in the shower at his apartment and died. Christopher was taken into custody. Now, nearly four years later, he has been convicted of drug-induced homicide (DIH) and sentenced to six years in prison, despite having advanced cancer. He says he only has a few months to live. The Crimaldi family exemplifies the cruelty and futility of drug-induced homicide convictions. Christopher is tormented by his sisters death, according to their mother, who is quoted in the Northwest Herald stating, I lost my daughter. Now I am losing my son. Both siblings struggled with substance use; tough-on-crime drug policies didn't change that. Illinois' Good Samaritan Law didn't save Christopher Crimaldi, who called 911 when he found his sister. While the states statute was expanded in 2021 and now protects individuals who seek medical help during an overdose from drug-induced homicide charges, the amendment was not applied retroactively. But incidents like this clearly show the need for prosecutors to help those with substance use disorders instead of pushing for incarceration. Fatal drug overdoses on the rise In the United States, fatal drug overdoses increased by 539% between 1999 and 2021, a crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, the highest ever in a 12-month period and more than the fatalities from car crashes and gunshots combined. Column: Fines, fees used to fund criminal justice too often come from those disenfranchised by it As overdoses have climbed, too many elected leaders have defaulted to ineffective and costly tough-on-crime responses. This includes drug-induced homicide laws and prosecutions, which reframe accidental overdoses as homicides. Drug-induced homicide prosecutions involve charging individuals with homicide when they supply drugs that result in a fatal overdose, even if there was no specific intent to kill. Originally introduced in the 1980s, these homicide laws have become more popular and expanded to 23 states, Washington, D.C., and the federal system. Story continues Advocates for these statutes argue that drug-induced homicide laws target high-level distributors, hold drug manufacturers accountable and deter trafficking. In practice, however, DIH prosecutions often stray from their stated intent and do more harm than good, exacerbating the tragedy of overdoses in the United States. Call for help or risk getting prosecuted Drug-induced homicide statutes force people into the unimaginable situation of deciding whether to call for help and risk prosecution for homicide or allow their friend or loved one to die of an overdose. Column: How big will legal weed get? 2 factors limit market size, even if US legalizes cannabis. While 47 states and Washington, D.C., have Good Samaritan Laws granting immunity from prosecution to individuals who call for medical assistance in an overdose emergency, most provide protection only from low-level drug charges such as possession. Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island and Vermont offer immunity from drug-induced homicide charges if a person tries to get help during an overdose but those states are among the exceptions and not the rule. Fatal drug overdoses in the United States increased by 539% between 1999 and 2021. Discouraging people from seeking assistance in the midst of a crisis is a dangerous and deadly policy choice. Indeed, one study found that more media attention on these homicide prosecutions was associated with an increase in overdose deaths, underscoring that these prosecutions could aggravate the crisis they purport to address. Evidence-based drug policies that save lives In many cases, it is family members or close friends who are charged with DIH, not high-level traffickers. Like Christopher Crimaldi, these individuals commonly struggle with substance use themselves. These prosecutions can tear families apart after theyve already suffered an unthinkable loss. There is also no evidence that punitive drug laws have any impact on demand or use of drugs. A Pew analysis found that there was no relationship between higher rates of drug imprisonment and lower levels of drug use or overdose deaths. Column: Samaria Rice wants us to remember her son, Tamir. I've watched her fight to make sure we do. In the United States, the rate of incarceration surpasses that of many other nations. And we have a far higher overdose death rate than many peer nations. Harsher sentencing has cost millions in taxpayer dollars while doing nothing to address and prevent problematic drug use. Drug-induced homicide laws also divert limited resources from investigating and prosecuting serious crimes without providing any public safety benefit. A county in Ohio reported spending at least $750,000 a year on drug-induced homicide cases while overdose deaths in that county went up drastically over a four-year period ending in 2016. And like nearly every aspect of the criminal legal system, DIH prosecutions exacerbate racial disparities, with people of color tending to receive longer sentences for DIH convictions than white individuals. Our View: Attitudes on cannabis legalization have shifted, including ours Another view: Legalizing marijuana? Stay wary of health risks and commercialization. As long as these laws are still on the books, elected prosecutors have the power to choose a different paradigm. They can embrace a public health response and harm reduction approaches over punitive carceral responses. Most important, they should not charge individuals who supply drugs that lead to an accidental fatal overdose with homicide, either through drug-induced homicide or felony murder statutes, and they should seek to remedy past DIH cases with unjust results. Prosecutors must also decline to prosecute cases involving possession or distribution of lifesaving medications like naloxone and low-level drug possession, and advocate for proven harm reduction strategies including medication-assisted treatment and overdose prevention sites. We have already lost too many lives these past few years. Now its time for our elected leaders to implement evidence-based drug policies that save lives. Thoughtful strategies to address our overdose crisis are needed, and they do not include simply putting more people behind bars. Laura Conover is the county attorney in Pima County (Tucson), Arizona. Miriam Aroni Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor, is the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, which recently published an issue brief on ending drug-induced homicide prosecutions. Leo Beletsky is a professor of law and health sciences and the faculty director of Northeastern University School of Laws Health in Justice Action Lab. This column is part of a series by USA TODAY Opinion about police accountability and building safer communities. The project began in 2021 by examining qualified immunity and continues in 2022 by examining various ways to improve law enforcement. The project is made possible in part by a grant from Stand Together, which does not provide editorial input. You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is drug-induced homicide and why prosecuting cases could kill ANN WANG Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her entourage including five other members of Congress arrived in Taiwans capital of Taipei in a blaze of lights and symbolism Tuesday night after a five-hour flight from Malaysia and promptly went to their hotel for a little rest. If her arrival seemed like a triumph of defiance against threats from the mainland capital of Beijing, there was far from universal applause among the locals despite her claim that the visit was part of our unwavering commitment to Taiwan. Nor was everyone convinced the visit shows Americas solidarity with the 23 million people on Taiwan more closely than ever, as she said in her arrival statement. After all, The Daily Beast reports that the White House tried to talk her out of the trip. Pelosis Taiwan Trip Isnt Helpful to Anyone But China Indeed, if Pelosi may count on Chinese-American support in her San Francisco congressional district, she would definitely have trouble mustering votes in Taiwan. Her stay will only be brief one night, then a full day of meetings with top Taiwan leaders and politicos before she flies to her next stop, South Korea. Were going to make sure she has a safe and secure visit, John Kirby, national security council coordinator for strategic communications, told CNN shortly after her arrival. There is no reason for this to escalate tensions. That having been said, the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagancarrying fighter planeswas on its way to the Taiwan Straits at the very same time along with destroyers and supply vessels. Taiwan was strengthening combat readiness, according to Taiwans Central News Agency. Indeed, in a bow to security, Pelosi never said before taking off for Singapore last weekend that she would go to Taiwan, and no one was told when she left Malaysia that Taipei was her destination There was no doubt, however, where she was going, especially since her hotel had a great welcome sign up there in lights. Pelosi, in her arrival statement, and Kirby were at pains to convince the Chinese that her visit in no way contradicted Americas one-China policy, as enunciated in 1979 after President Jimmy Carter transferred recognition to Beijing. Story continues The United States stands with the people of Taiwan, Pelosi declared, and Kiby argued there was nothing at all inconsistent: about loving Taiwan while making nice with Beijing. Please, Kirby begged, theres no reason for China to overreact. Those claims, though, were not likely to appease China or assuage hurt feelings, much less convince everyone in Taiwan that her visit would only bring good tidings as Beijing just cant stop issuing nasty statements. With Pelosi now firmly on the disputed Chinese territory, the ball is in Chinas court to fire back. There was no doubt her visit would be filled with nothing but upbeat statements and expressions of friendship, but all the happy talk isnt likely to convince a lot of people on Taiwan that her presence is an unmixed blessing. Amid all the excitement, Pelosis stop-off in the island state is eliciting more jeers than cheers, more protests than praise, and, what really hurts for any vote-happy politician, more shrugs than interest. Thats the view as the world waits to see what Beijing will do to make good on its threats of consequences as Pelosi and her entourage arrived under cover of darkness for what looked like an enormously over-hyped few hours on the island state. She didnt seem likely to go beyond cliches about Taiwans heroic role as a stalwart defender of democracy against big, bad, bullying China, but that was hardly the point. Just by setting foot on Taiwan, the first elected American official to dare visit the island since another House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, dropped by in 1997, Pelosi was making her own point. Never mind that the Taiwanese would be the first in Chinas line of fire if the Chinese actually decided to make good on their claim that Taiwan is really part of China. Nor did it seem to matter that Gingrich was, and is, a staunch Republican and Pelosi a hard-hitting Democrat. Like Newt, Nancy seemed to think she was promoting democratic values and American interests by leading her delegation into such an exemplar of a free world. A lot of folks, however, begged to differ. As she was arriving, one young Taiwanese, Yang Chien-Hao, told The Daily Beast, The biggest sacrifice she can make for Taiwan is if she skips the visit. Many of the islands 23.5 million people, said Yang, are saying that she is causing trouble while many more do not care much about it. They were inclined to shrug it off while obsessed with domestic issues that are much bigger and attracting more attention than Pelosis visit. Congress Warns China to Chill on Pelosis Potential Trip to Taiwan Still, it was hard for people to get away from the frenzy surrounding the visit after all the advance publicity, and China came in for its share of the blame by making such a fuss about it. If a visit causes that big a risk, said one Taiwanese, then the problem is on China, not her. China, he said, should listen and understand Taiwan more before trying to unify usthat is, by threatening to drag Taiwan under Beijings control as Chinese leaders have been vowing to do ever since the victory of Maos Red Army on the mainland in 1949. If Pelosi was not expected to go beyond the usual platitudes when she meets top Taiwan leaders, including President Tsai Ing-wen, on Wednesday, legislators were polite. Lo Chih-cheng of the ruling political party was quoted by Taiwans Central News Agency as calling her visit a touchstone for the Taiwan-U.S. alliance. Legislator Wang Ting-yu said her visit would show the alliance could withstand pressure from China, which he called a troublemaker. In fact, in keeping with the one China policy of recognizing only Beijing as the capital of all China, including the province of Taiwan, the U.S. and Taiwan are not bound by any alliance. The U.S. has only a mission on the island instead of an embassy in Taipei, no American military people are stationed on Taiwan, and U.S. and Taiwan forces do not join in military exercises. Nonetheless, their remarks underlined the bond that Taiwan leaders would like to maintain with the U.S. in the face of threats from Beijing. After all, didnt President Biden affirm his commitment to Taiwans defense when visiting Tokyo and Seoul in Mayand doesnt Taiwan import hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American arms every year? As Pelosis plane touched down on the island, everyone was waiting with bated breath to see what on earth Chinas President Xi Jinping had in mind when he warned President Biden in a phone conversation against playing with fire. Taiwan officialdom was polite but otherwise not talking about the Pelosi drop-by. The ministry has remained low-key on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, was the most that diplomatic spokesman Jimmy Lin would tell The Daily Beast. There was, he said, no additional information or comment on the reports that she will arrive Tuesday night. Beijing had a lot more to say, most of it threatening but carefully non-specific. Possible scenarios included firing missiles at sea, sending planes over Taiwan, not just into the air defense identification zone, blockading portsjust about anything short of actually going to war for Taiwan, which is not really expected. Then again, there was also the possibility Beijing wouldnt do a damn thing right away beyond coming out with flowery rhetoric. Beijing could also punish Taiwan by cutting off exports of crucial products, and it could punish the U.S. too by playing games with trade and investment. On the streets of Taipei, the prevailing response was, what else is new? Weve been hearing that for years, one Taiwanese told The Daily Beast. Were used to it. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Former President Donald Trump. Getty A judge rejected Trump's claim that he's immune from civil litigation related to the Capitol riot. The same judge previously dismissed a nearly identical immunity claim that Trump made. The judge wrote Trump's actions on Jan. 6 concerned "efforts to remain in office for a second term." A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's request to toss three civil lawsuits in which Capitol Police officers allege that the former president bears responsibility for injuries law enforcement suffered during the January 6, 2021, attack. In seeking the dismissal, Trump's lawyers said that he was absolutely immune from civil litigation related to the Capitol riot, because he was acting within the "outer perimeter" of his presidential duties. But US District Judge Amit Mehta refused to dismiss the lawsuits on those grounds, noting that he had previously rejected a nearly identical assertion of absolute immunity that Trump raised in response to other civil lawsuits filed by House Democrats and two Capitol Police officers. Mehta, an Obama appointee, wrote that "the court already rejected President Trump's assertion of immunity" in Blassingame v. Trump, in which US Capitol Police officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby sued Trump for damages related to injuries they suffered during the riot. "The court does not needlessly repeat its reasoning here, but simply adopts and incorporates it by reference," Mehta wrote, specifically that Trump's actions on January 6 "'entirely concern[ed] his efforts to remain in office for a second term' and therefore do not fall within the 'outer perimeter' of a president's official responsibilities." "Accordingly, President Trump's motions to dismiss are denied," Mehta wrote. Mehta's ruling came a week after Trump asked a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, to grant him immunity from civil lawsuits alleging that his fiery speech on January 6 incited the mob that stormed the Capitol. In a 48-page filing, Trump's lawyers said Mehta had allowed the civil lawsuits to proceed against the former president out of a distaste for Trump's speech on January 6, in which the then-president encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell." Story continues Trump's lawyers argued that the immunity afforded to the former president cannot be "undercut if the presidential act in question is unpopular among the judiciary." This story is developing. Check back for updates. Read the original article on Business Insider Marina Havrysh is comforted by her husband Vadim as she watches her elderly parents leave their home in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine to a safer part of the country on Tuesday. "I understand that this will be the last time I ever see them," Marina said. "You see their age, I can't give them the proper care." (David Goldman / Associated Press) Maryna Havrysh struggled to hold back her tears as she helped a group of volunteers load her elderly parents into an evacuation van in Kramatorsk, near the front line of Russias war on Ukraine. Her 84-year-old father, Viktor Mariukha, was carried by stretcher out of the house, while her mother Lidia, 79, held a cane as volunteers held her under each arm. As the couple left the home they had shared for nearly 70 years to begin a journey to a nursing home in western Ukraine, their daughter offered them words of comfort. But when the van's sliding door closed, Maryna burst into sobs. I understand that this will be the last time that I ever see them, said Maryna, who decided to remain in Kramatorsk with her husband to continue working. You see their age, I cant give them the proper care. The evacuation of Marynas parents, carried out by volunteers with a Ukrainian aid group, came days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an order to all civilians remaining in the countrys embattled Donetsk region to evacuate as soon as possible as Russian forces press deeper into the region. The more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill, Zelenskyy said. Even as the August weather remains warm in eastern Ukraine, authorities are preparing for the cold months of fall and winter, when they fear that many of the roughly 350,000 residents still inside Donetsk may not have access to heat, electricity or even clean water. On Tuesday, Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said a train carrying evacuees from Donetsk had arrived in central Ukraine, representing the start of what authorities are describing as a compulsory evacuation effort that would take 200,000-220,000 people out of the eastern province by fall. On the outskirts of Kramatorsk, which has undergone frequent Russian shelling, volunteers have set up a collection point for gathering evacuees who are then transported to the nearest working train station in Pokrovsk, 50 miles to the southwest. Story continues As she struggled to board the van bound for the train station, Valentyna Abramanovska, 87, carried only a black-and-white photograph of her mother and sister taken nearly 50 years ago on the Sea of Azov, a memento of her life to carry with her. God help me, God help me, she repeated as she crossed herself with trembling hands. I think Im going crazy. Abramanovska said shed been terrified after the bombings in her village became a nightmare, and was persuaded by her daughter to leave. She still has childhood memories, she said, of German soldiers who occupied Ukraine during World War II. But for her, the experience of Russian bombardment has been far worse. They are beasts, jackals. God forgive me for what Im saying, she said. How is it possible? They are killing children. While the governments order to evacuate has convinced some of those left in the Donetsk region to flee, others are resistant. Nina Grandovas third-floor apartment in Kramatorsk was damaged by Russian shelling in July, and her disabled husband, Yurii, has been living in the buildings dingy basement since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. Yet she said they have no plans to leave, and has been collecting firewood in the yard of her building to cook with over in winter. She is willing to sign a document required by authorities declaring that those who stay take responsibility for their own lives, she said. I have nowhere to go. I have to take care of my husband, she said. What will happen will happen. After being transported to the train station in Pokrovsk, hundreds of evacuees climbed onto another sweltering train for the several-hour journey west to the city of Dnipro. Standing on the platform with her young daughter, Viktoria, a young mother from the eastern city of Bakhmut said the danger posed by shelling and the prospect of a winter without heat had convinced her to flee. We already have problems with electricity and no gas, so I think families with children will be the first to leave, she said. Moments before the train lurched into motion toward the west, an air raid siren pierced the air. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. By Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) -Clergy members of five religions sued the state of Florida on Monday over a new law criminalizing most abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy, saying the ban violates their religious freedom rights. The five separate lawsuits https://tmsnrt.rs/3BBEdIr, filed in Miami-Dade County, claim the state's ban curtails the clergy members' ability to counsel congregants about abortion in accordance with their faiths, since Florida law prohibits counseling or encouraging a crime. The plaintiffs are three rabbis, a United Church of Christ reverend, a Unitarian Universalist minister, an Episcopal Church priest and a Buddhist lama. They asked the court to declare that the state's abortion law violates Florida and U.S. constitutional protections for freedom of speech and religion. They also claim the abortion ban violates a Florida religious freedom law that prohibits the government from substantially burdening the exercise of religion, unless there is a compelling state interest that cannot be met with fewer restrictions. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement that her office will continue to defend the statute. Marci Hamilton, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania representing the plaintiffs, said the cases are "absolutely essential" to address the tension between abortion restrictions and religious freedom. A Florida synagogue has also filed a lawsuit challenging the abortion law. That case is pending in a different state court. The Florida law, which bans abortions after 15 weeks with few exceptions, went into effect on July 1. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law in April, before the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling overturning the constitutional right to abortion nationwide. An appeal is now pending over a judge's ruling last month that the state ban violates the Florida constitutions privacy rights guarantees. The states high court previously said those guarantees protect the right to abortion. (Reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen in WashingtonEditing by David Bario and David Gregorio) A Florida judge has upheld a decision by the Osceola County School Board to terminate a contract with a charter school, denying an appeal filed by American Classical Charter Academy. On Friday, administrative law judge Friday Lynne Quimby-Pennock issued a 65-page order backing the school board in the dispute with American Classical Charter Academy. In April, the school board voted to terminate the contract. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< Officials said the deteriorating financial conditions of American Classical Charter Academy reached the point of financial emergency. A termination letter from the superintendent said the school is in financial trouble, writing that an audit showed that in 2021, expenditures at the end of that year were more than $600,000 in the red. The schools principal said the school board overstepped its authority, and that under the Corrective Action Plan, the school had a year to make the changes requested Read: City of Orlando: New security checkpoints coming to downtown after weekend shooting Following the decision to terminate the contract, the charter school appealed. According to the judges order, Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is ORDERED that the appeal filed by American Classical Charter Academy is DENIED, and the charter school contract is terminated. In her decision, the judge wrote that the evidence showed that only 10 of ACCAs 28 teachers were certified and proved that students were not provided Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and English Language Learners (ELL) services as outlined in their Individual Education Plans (IEP). Read: 5 Florida Lotto players become millionaires following last weeks billion-dollar drawing According to the schools website, the school held an emergency meeting and decided on a new principal and meeting attendees told Channel 9 the school board plans to appeal the judges decision and plans to go ahead with opening this school year. Story continues The school has an eviction hearing later this month after being accused of not paying its rent. On Tuesday, the Osceola County School Board will take up the issue during its board meeting. Read: Seminole County sheriffs office helps kids get back to school with shop with sheriff event 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. Aug. 2It was a less-packed Monday for the second round of harness races at the 2022 Effingham County Fair. Sunday afternoon featured 11 races, while Monday had four. "Noble Prize," driven by Douglas Graham, won the Maiden Trot in 2:11.2, while "Riet's Kid," driven by Robert Decker, and "Stormato," driven by Cornelius Cavett, came in second and third, respectively, in the first race of the day. Matthew Avenatti would then take home first place in the second race of the day by driving "Dinger Gram" in 2:10.1, while "Golden Girl Z Tam," driven by Albert Plair, came in second, and "Rolypoly Jolie," driven by Freddie Patton Jr. came in third. The second race was the Open Trot. As for the third race of the day, "B Lisa," driven by C. Alan Finn, won in 2:05.4, while "Abc Tucky," driven by Avenatti, was second in 2:07, and "Timeless Samantha," driven by Cornelius Cavett, was third in 2:11.2. The third race was the Filly and Mare Trot. Lastly, rounding out the day's set of races was Altamont-native Richard Finn, who won the Free For All Pace after riding "Roar Hanover" in 2:02. Finn edged out "Smooth N Creamy," driven by Cornelius Cavett, and "Crius N Rock," driven by Archie Buford. Buford is the defending driver's champion. The victory for Finn moves him one point behind Wyatt Avenatti who did not drive on Monday for the lead in the driver's championship race. Finn now has 18 points to move into second place. ------ The current drivers' championship standings are below. Wyatt Avenatti = 19 Richard Finn = 18 Jordan Patton = 17 Marcus Turner = 14 JD Lewis = 10 Matthew Avenatti = 8 Michael Rogers = 6 Robert Decker = 6 Brendan Potts = 5 Douglas Graham = 5 C. Alan Finn = 5 Cornelius Cavett = 5 Chris Brown = 4 Jerome Daniels = 3 Darla Martin Lohman = 3 Albert Plair = 3 Daniel Shetler = 1 Wayne Decker = 1 Freddie Patton Jr. = 1 Archie Buford = 1 Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Read also: German Chancellor Scholz publicly brands Russia an unreliable gas supplier Scholz noted that Berlin has abandoned long-standing German policy to not send weapons into active conflict zones. We delivered whatever we had: anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, mines, guns, tons of ammunition and non-lethal aid, said the chancellor. Read also: Canadas Finance Minister defends transfer of Nord Stream turbine to Germany Since then we have moved to more complex and high-value systems. Self-propelled howitzers, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, anti-aircraft systems, counter battery radar. Read also: Germany rejects possibility of peace in Ukraine on Russias terms Scholz Some of the weapon systems Germany sends to Ukraine are cutting-edge, with certain models have not even been introduced in the Bundeswehr, according to Scholz. Germany also trains Ukrainian troops, and will continue to provide security assistance to Ukraine for as long as its necessary, the chancellor concluded. German newspaper Die Welt said in an article published on July 19 that Scholz has reduced Germany's military support for Ukraine despite promises to the contrary. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Aug. 2}The St. Joseph Health Department is encouraging students to get an early start on back-to-school immunizations. Missouri law requires all children to have the necessary immunizations completed in order to attend classes, and people across the area often find themselves scrambling to schedule doctor appointments in the last few weeks before school starts. As Aug. 1 marks the start of National Immunization Awareness Month, the health department is hoping to combat last-minute immunizations by offering walk-in appointments for all children, regardless of health insurance status. "Our Vaccines for Children and CHIP are our sources for vaccinations for children under the age of 19 who do not have insurance. If they have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance, bring those insurance cards. We still have vaccines for them, but there are vaccines available for all children under the age of 19 who do not have any sort of insurance," said Holly Leslie, clinic supervisor for the St. Joseph Health Department. The health department is offering traditional vaccines such as MMR, Varicella and Hepatitis B as well as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all individuals ages 6 months and older. An additional Teen Immunization Clinic, put on by the St. Joseph Health Department and Mosaic Life Care, is taking place Friday, Aug. 5 One of the clinic's main goals is to ensure the health and well-being of local schools as students return to close proximity with peers in the classroom. "We want to keep people in school and at work. We want to keep our community going, and the best way to do that is by ensuring we're up to date on vaccinations that limit the spread and severity of lots and lots of diseases," Leslie said. "We don't want to see an increase in those diseases due to decreased vaccinations, so they're available. They're easy to get. You just come in and we're able to take care of the rest for you." The health department is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for walk-in appointments only. Lilyann Gardner can be reached at lilyann.gardner@newspressnow.com Aug. 2Local band Jesters Revenge performs for Northeast Ohio audiences on a regular basis, but when the band plays at Painesville Square this weekend, it will also be working to rally support for a program that serves Lake County's homeless population. The band will be one of four performing at the Rally for the Sally benefit, which will take place at Painesville Veterans Park, 98 S. Park Place, from noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 7. Proceeds from the event will help the Salvation Army's Red Shield Homeless Services Program, where band creator and drummer Tony Dunn serves as lead coordinator. In addition to Jesters Revenge, which Dunn described as "a '90s rock alternative cover band," local bands Headlands Beach Experience, Speed Rail and Risk Factor will also perform at the benefit. Dunn said that these bands will play classic rock music from the 1960s onward. The rally will also include a 50/50 raffle, a Chinese auction, concessions, a kid zone and booths from local businesses. In explaining the background of the event, Dunn noted that support for the Salvation Army referred to as "the Sally" by many of those it serves has decreased since the start of the pandemic. "A lot of the donations and stuff kind of went away for them, and they've been kind of having a hard time, you know, getting funds," he said. That's an assessment shared by Lakeisha Ferguson, social services coordinator at the Salvation Army Painesville Corps. She said that the organization has had fewer volunteers and donations, whether monetary or in-kind, since COVID-19 arrived. Describing her hopes for the event, she said, "It's just spreading awareness about our program and getting help for our clients." Ferguson said that some of the program's current needs include bus passes and laundry vouchers, new underwear and socks for men and women of various ages and sizes, sunscreen, bug spray, personal care products, tents and sleeping bags. Story continues "It's a bigger issue than I think most people realize, because mainly they're all in one area in Lake County, and that's here in Painesville because it's the seat of the county," Ferguson said. She added that many of the people the organization serves suffered loss of income related to the pandemic. Others have mental health issues. According to a news release, Red Shield provides participants with services including shelter, breakfast, lunch, laundry vouchers, personal care kits, counseling, referrals, life skills workshops, spiritual guidance and casework services. Red Shield works with Project Hope for the Homeless, an overnight homeless shelter in Painesville Township, to encourage participants to pursue their goals, such as looking for a job or daycare provider. It also works with an organization called Extended Housing to help people find housing and get needed treatment if they have mental health concerns. Sub Zero Mission contributes winter clothing and other products like tents and sleeping bags. Extended Housing will contribute to the rally by sponsoring the kid zone, noted Dunn and Ferguson. Other organizations offering support include the Street Royalty Motorcycle Club and a volunteer from St. James Episcopal Church, with each heading up a concession stand. "It's family friendly," Dunn said, encouraging families and residents of all ages to attend. He said that the rally organizers are looking for financial donations, as well as baskets for the Chinese auction. Individuals who want more information and nonprofits who wish to set up information tables can reach out to Dunn at 440-319-7109 or tdunn1122@gmail.com. Or reach out to Ferguson at 440-354-3774. Gov. Dan McKee enters the home stretch of the 2022 governor's race with more money than any other candidate after fellow Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes spent $1.4 million in the second quarter. McKee ended June with $1.2 million in his campaign account after raising $286,000 in the second quarter and spending a modest $141,000, according to new campaign finance reports filed with the state Board of Elections Monday night. Former CVS executive Foulkes has raised the most money since the start of the campaign -- nearly $3 million since declaring last fall -- and began April with $1.5 million in the bank. But she spent a large chunk of that by the end of June on advertising and a slew of political consultants. Canal Partners Media, the lead buying agency for the Biden 2020 presidential campaign and Senate campaigns of Amy Klobuchar and Jeanne Shaheen, received $637,000 from Foulkes in the second quarter. Foulkes spent $243,000 with ad makes Devine Mulvey Longabaugh. Foulkes raised $552,000 in the second quarter and had $692,000 at the end of June. Rhode Island Primary Voting Guide: Everything you need to know to get your ballot The second largest bank balance in the governor's race heading into the business end of election season belonged to Republican Ashley Kalus, who loaned her campaign $1.7 million and received $63,000 from donors in the second quarter. Kalus had previously loaned her campaign $500,000 and has now put $2.2 million of her own money into the race. Kalus spent $1.1 million in the second quarter and had $1.1 million in the bank at the end of June. Kalus spent the vast majority of that on air time. Medium Buying, whose client list includes Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee and Lauren Boebert, received $875,000 from Kalus in the second quarter. Endorsements: How Helena Foulkes won Mayor Elorza's endorsement and what it means for the governor's race Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea raised $270,000 in the second quarter and spent $379,000, $132,000 of it with ad company buying time. She began July with $786,000 in the bank. Story continues Former Secretary of State Matt Brown raised $45,000, received $32,000 in reimbursements from lieutenant governor candidate Cynthia Mendes and spent $89,000 in the second quarter. He had $67,000 at the end of June. Luis Daniel Munoz raised $1,200, spent $1,800 and ended June with $1,400 in the bank. Election 2022: Political Scene: RI General treasurer's race will be one to watch Over in the lieutenant governor's race, incumbent Sabina Matos has a financial advantage over her Democratic rivals heading into the final months of the primary. Matos raised $62,000 in the second quarter, spent $62,000 and has $316,000 in the bank. Why Westerly is worth the drive: Great seafood, delicious cocktails and waterfront views State Rep. Deborah Ruggiero raised $95,000, spent $37,000 and has $140,000 in the bank. Mendes raised $38,000, spent $1,800 and has $1,400 in the bank. In the battle for treasurer, former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa has a modest cash advantage over former state commerce secretary Stefan Pryor heading into the final months, although Pryor is catching up. Diossa raised $50,000 in the second quarter, spent $10,000 and had $205,000 in the bank at the end of June. Pryor entered the race May 24 and raised $155,000 by the end of June. He spent $59,000 and had $147,000 in the bank heading into July. Over in the General Assembly, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi ended June with $1.8 million in the bank, the most of any Rhode Island candidate not in Congress. He gave $500 to Maribel Echeverry McLaughlin, who is running for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Carlos Tobon, and $100 to Matthew LaMountain, who is running for the Warwick Senate seat held by the retiring Michael McCaffrey. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, who ended June with $212,000, gave $300 to LaMountain and $300 to former Senator Michael McKenney, who is challenging Sen. Jeanine Calkin in Warwick. Election 2022: A college freshman for governor? See who made and missed the Rhode Island ballot panderson@providencejournal.com (401) 277-7384 On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_ This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Candidates for RI governor are raising money: Here's how much "UKRAINSKA PRAVDA" TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2022, 16:49 The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has accused the USA of participating in the war on Ukraines side, claiming that Ukraine allegedly coordinates targets which are hit with HIMARS [high mobility artillery rocket systems - ed.] with Washington. Source: Russian propaganda information agency TASS, with reference to Ihor Konashenkov, representative of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation Details: Konashenkov stated this in reference to the deputy head of Russian military reconnaissance Vadym Skibitskiy, who allegedly told The Telegraph that before launching HIMARS missiles, Ukrainian intelligence services coordinate their actions with American intelligence services. This coordination "allows Washington to stop any attacks if it isnt satisfied with the target." Quote: "All of this proves beyond any doubt that Washington, despite claims of the White House and the Pentagon, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine." Background: Earlier, the White House announced the new military aid package for Ukraine, which will include additional HIMARS systems that "Ukrainians have been using very effectively for changing the situation in the battlefield." On 1 August, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov reported that four additional HIMARS had arrived in Ukraine. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Become our patron, support our work! Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC Holdings Plc, left, and Noel Quinn, chief executive officer of HSBC - Paul Yeung/Bloomberg HSBC has confirmed it is modelling a potential break-up of the bank at a fractious meeting with investors in Hong Kong. Chairman Mark Tucker told 1,000 retail investors gathered at Hong Kongs Kowloon international trade centre on Tuesday that the board was examining alternative structures, without giving details. It comes amid growing pressure from the bank's biggest shareholder to carve out its Asian operations. Management has repeatedly knocked back the calls and Mr Tucker on Tuesday again repeated his argument that a divided bank would be weaker. We continue to believe that our current strategy and structure will deliver very good returns over the next few years, he said. Mr Tucker, chief executive Noel Quinn and Peter Wong, chair of HSBCs Hong Kong operations, met with Asian investors for the first time since 2019 on Tuesday amid pressure from Chinese insurer Ping An, HSBCs biggest shareholder, to split the bank in two. Some retail shareholders support the call and a group presented HSBC management with an open letter at the meeting. The banks performance in recent years was severely dragged down by the businesses in Europe and America, the letter from the group called Spin Off HSBC Asia Concern Group said. Since 2021, the Asian business has contributed almost 70pc of the banks profits. Instead of benefiting the shareholders, the profits generated in Asia were allocated to subsidise the loss suffered in Europe and America. HSBC shareholders Hong Kong - Tyrone Siu/Reuters The activist group is led by Ken Lui, an investor who led a previous effort to get HSBC to reinstate its dividend in 2020. The group held a small protest outside the venue and hired a truck to drive around Hong Kong with its message on the side. In a statement, a spokesman for Ping An said: We note the demands expressed by a number of HSBCs small and medium-sized shareholders. We support any proposal that is conducive to improving HSBCs operating performance and enhances shareholder value. Story continues Local shareholders in Hong Kong make up a third of HSBCs investor base. They have been left angry by HSBCs decision to follow the Bank of England guidance and cancel its dividend during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, HSBC paid a regular dividend of 51 cents. Many retail investors rely on the banks dividend for retirement or to supplement their income. Dozens of elderly shareholders, some in wheelchairs and carrying walking sticks, were refused entry to the main event on Tuesday, with HSBC blaming Covid restrictions. I apologise sincerely for the impact that cancelling the dividend had on you and your families, I know it was a significant disappointment and how much stress and pain it caused, Mr Tucker said at the meeting. A new interim dividend of 9 cents was announced by HSBC on Monday. The bank plans to reinstate quarterly dividends next year and pledged to restore payouts to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible. Senior executives have called on Hong Kong shareholders to get behind HSBCs new business plan, which has refocused its investment in Asia, while still remaining a connective node to trade with the West. Mr Tucker said: Our belief has been that the best strategy is to continue with the positive momentum we currently have and not risk a major structural change. An international financial centre needs international financial institutions to help flows of revenue into and out of Hong Kong. I think it would negatively impact the ability of Hong Kong to remain a vibrant dynamic international financial centre [if the demerger were to go ahead]. HSBC has rebutted demands for the bank to give Ping An a seat on its board of directors. Mr Quinn on Monday said it would be a conflict of interest. No other major shareholders have come out in favour of Ping Ans proposals. US-based Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad says she believes the Islamic Republic of Iran sent a man with a loaded AK-47-style machine gun to her Brooklyn home to get rid of her. Police arrested 23-year-old Khalid Mehdiyev after he was spotted outside Ms Alinejads home in Flatbush, New York, last Thursday. The NYPD said in a statement that officers found a loaded AK-47, an illegally modified magazine and other weapons when they pulled him over for running a stop sign shortly after he left her address. Ms Alinejad, a prominent womens rights activist and critic of the Iranian regime, told The Story with Martha MacCallum on Fox News that she wouldnt be intimidated into silence. I was just in my home, working, being alone, and this man was trying to enter my home, she told Fox News, adding that her stepchildren had been home at the time. When I learned from the FBI that he had a gun, loaded, ready to kill me I was shocked. Ms Alinejad posted security camera footage to social media showing the alleged suspect appearing to try to gain entry to her home. Masih Alinejad called on the US to do more to protect Iranians who are protesting against the regime (Fox News) Just imagine if he had opened the door who knows how many of my neighbours would have been killed in Brooklyn, in New York, she told Fox News. In 2021, the FBI identified Ms Alinejad as the alleged target of a kidnapping plot by four suspected Iranian intelligence officers. Prosecutors have charged the four men in Manhattan with plotting to lure Ms Alinejad from New York City to Iran. Ms Alinejad became a US citizen in 2019 after being exiled from Iran over her outspoken criticism of womens rights in the Republic. I dont have any weapon. My weapon is my camera. My weapon is my voice, she told Fox News. Ms Alinejad has long campaigned to end the compulsory wearing of hijabs in Iran, and says women continue to send her videos of their protests: That scares the regime. The whole regime is scared of women. She called on the US to do more to stand up for human rights and punish Irans alleged terror tactics. They bury human rights under a nuclear deal, she said. Mr Mehdiyev is facing 10 counts including criminal possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. He has been locked up without bail. Warning: this article contains adult content. Here's a sentence you don't get to write too often: In the horror-comedy Glorious (the trailer for which you can exclusively see above) Ryan Kwanten plays a hungover traveler named Wes who finds himself communicating through a restroom "glory hole" with an ancient Lovecraftian god voiced by Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons. "He is definitely down on his luck when the movie opens," says director Rebekah McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring) of Kwanten's character. "He just had some type of falling out with his girlfriend, and has driven with all of his worldly possessions in tow, and gets to a rest stop, and decides to get drunk and burn everything. The next morning, he rushes to the bathroom to throw up and there is a god in the stall next to him and the god has a favor to ask." Ryan Kwanten - Glorious Shudder Ryan Kwanten in 'Glorious' The director and her regular collaborator, husband David McKendry, initially considered shooting the film in their own garage in Los Angeles "We had it ready to go at the height of the pandemic," says McKendry. "We were still sanitizing our mail and wiping our groceries down with Lysol wipes. Nobody was shooting anything and I was dying inside. I sent the script over to my regular director of photography in Los Angeles, Pietro Villani. I was like, 'Pete, I know we're not supposed to get together right now, but if we quarantined for two weeks, do you think we could shoot this in my garage?' He emailed me back and was like, 'Bekah, this is really good we're not shooting it in your garage.'" Although Villani did not ultimately work as cinematographer on the movie's Mississippi shoot (that position would be taken by Jakob's Wife DP David Matthews), he was the one who alerted Simmons to the script. "He's been friends with J.K. for a really long time and he told me that J.K. absolutely loves Lovecraft," says McKendry. "Forty-eight hours later, we got a call from J.K.'s reps. They said, 'What can we do to make this happen?' I remember Dave and I, we danced around our kitchen table just thinking that J.K. Simmons had read our work. It was just absolutely amazing." Story continues Ryan Kwanten - Glorious Shudder Kwanten came onboard with the help of Re-Animator star and all-around horror legend Barbara Crampton. The actress had previously worked on an episode of Shudder's Creepshow series with director Joe Lynch who had collaborated with Kwanten on both Creepshow and 2013's Knights of Badassdom. "That role was legit a difficult one to cast because it's basically Wes onscreen by himself," says McKendry. "I could tell immediately from talking with Ryan that he was really into trying some weird stuff." While Kwanten and Simmons would not physically work together during the production, they extensively rehearsed ahead of the shoot. "What we did have during the pandemic was time, so we were able to do a lot of rehearsals," says McKendry who also co-hosts the horror podcast Colors of the Dark. "For our recordings [with J.K.], he is in a sound studio with me and we had the actual bathroom built on a soundstage in Mississippi and we had Ryan there. But because we did have time, we had five or six really massive rehearsals where they would just run the script over and over and over, over Zoom. And we recorded all the rehearsals, so whoever was on set reading J.K.'s lines was able to emulate his tenor, his pace. We were really able to nail it even though they were never in the same space." BTS, JK Simmons - Glorious Shudder J.K. Simmons The film's pair of principal characters are themselves separated by a wall between two stalls and communicate through the kind of hole more traditionally used by strangers to facilitate anonymous sex acts. "You would not believe how many on-set awkward discussions I had to have about glory holes," says McKendry. "We were constructing the bathroom and our amazing set person is holding this massive drill. He looks at me and he goes, 'How wide is this thing supposed to be?' We all just look at each other and we're like: What is regulation glory-hole width? It turned into a 35-minute conversation." BTS, Rebekah McKendry, Tordy Clark, Ryan Kwanten - Glorious Shudder Glorious director Rebekah McKendry (center) with cast members Tordy Clark and Ryan Kwanten Glorious currently boasts a 92 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and was warmly received when the film premiered this summer at Montreal's Fantasia Festival. "Oh my gosh, Fantasia was amazing," says McKendy. "To suddenly be in this room with, like, 350 people all cheering and laughing and gasping and screaming, it was so wonderful." And has McKendry noticed people avoiding theater restrooms after seeing the film? "We just did our screening in Washington, D.C., last night and that became a running joke," says the director. "'I don't want to go to the restroom now!'" Glorious premieres on Shudder Aug. 18. Exclusively watch the film's trailer above. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc reported a 70% plunge in first-quarter net profit, blaming one-off losses related to the sale of MUFG Union Bank and a drop in the value of its stake in ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings. The bank, Japan's largest lender by assets, booked an appraisal loss of 254 billion yen ($1.9 billion) on bonds and other assets held by MUFG Union Bank, an accounting treatment required ahead of the $8 billion sale of the U.S. retail banking unit to U.S. Bancorp later this year. The previously flagged loss would be partly offset when the sale is complete, and the overall impact on full-year net profit is expected to be around 200 billion yen, the bank said. Mitsubishi UFJ, which owns 21.5% of Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley, also took a 43.2 billion yen writedown on the value of its stake in Grab, Southeast Asia's biggest ride-hailing firm, to reflect its sliding share price. The Japanese bank invested $706 million in Grab in 2020 as it sought growth amid a prolonged low interest-rate environment and a shrinking population at home. Net profit came in at 113.7 billion yen ($869.1 million) for the April-June period, against 383.1 billion yen a year earlier, the bank said on Tuesday. But Mitsubishi UFJ saw strong growth in net interest income, money earned from loans and securities above their costs of funds. Demand for loans picked up particularly overseas as higher interest rates pushed up costs for financing through debt markets, making loans more attractive, the bank said. Mitsubishi UFJ maintained its full-year profit forecast of 1 trillion yen, a 12% drop from the previous year when it posted a record profit. The outlook compared with an average forecast of 1.05 trillion yen from 13 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv. The two other Japanese megabanks, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group, also maintained their full-year profit forecasts when they reported last week. ($1 = 130.8300 yen) (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Susan Fenton and David Holmes) Jeremy Paxman will discuss the impact of Parkinsons disease on his life in a new ITV documentary. The University Challenge host revealed his diagnosis in May 202, saying his symptoms were currently mild and that he is receiving excellent treatment. On Tuesday (2 August), ITV announced their autumn programming slate. Among their shows is a 60-minute documentary entitled Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinsons. It will see Paxman allow cameras into his life as he reflects on how the brain disorder has affected him. The presenter will also speak to leading experts on the illness, witness a brain dissection and meet other high-profile people living with Parkinsons. In a column written for Saga magazine last year, Paxman wrote that he planned to continue broadcasting and writing for as long as they'll have me. I will not pretend that being diagnosed with an incurable brain disease is fun. Jeremy Paxman in 2015 (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Advertising Week) But it could be worse. I have at least the consolation of being in the enjoyable company of people like Billy Connolly and Alan Alda. Both the comedian and M*A*S*H star have previously been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons disease is the worlds second most common neurodegenerative disorder, behind Alzheimers disease. Johnny Depps assistant admitted that the Hollywood star allegedly kicked Amber Heard in the head in text messages that were excluded from the former couples defamation trial. More than 6,000 previously sealed pages in the case, which made headlines around the world as it was televised for weeks, were made public over the weekend, according to a report inThe Daily Beast. Messages sent from Mr Depps then-assistant Stephen Deuters in 2014 detailed how the actor had allegedly kicked Ms Heard onboard a private jet. If someone was truly honest with him about how bad it really was, he would be appalled, Mr Deuters reportedly texted Ms Heard about Mr Depp. Im sad he does not have a better way to really know the severity of his actions yesterday. Unfortunately for me, I remember them in full, in full detail, everything that happened. He was appalled, when I told him he kicked you, he cried. According to the unsealed documents, Mr Depp remorsefully texted Ms Heard about the incident. Once again, I find myself in a place of shame and regret. Of course I am sorryI will never do it againMy illness somehow crept up and grabbed meI feel so bad for letting you down, he wrote according to the court documents. In other messages that Ms Heard kept, Mr Depp again apologized and called himself a f***ing savage and a lunatic. The law firm representing Mr Depp, Brown Rudnick, stated that they had not been able to find any record of the text messages in the actors iCloud and said they had looked into whether they had been deleted. They ultimately stated in the court papers that the text messages were missing. The text messages related to the alleged kicking incident were presented at the former couples trial in the UK, but were deemed inadmissible by the judge in the Virginia case. The judge ultimately refused to allow the jury to hear any evidence from the couples divorce proceedings in the defamation trial. The US defamation trial began on 11 April in Fairfax, Virginia, and stemmed from a complaint filed in March 2019 by Mr Depp against his ex-wife. Story continues Mr Depp alleged that Ms Heard had defamed him in an op-ed published in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. Ms Heard filed a counter-suit in November 2020, asking to be granted immunity against Mr Depps claims. On 1 June, a jury overwhelmingly found in Mr Depps favor that Ms Heard had defamed Mr Depp in three statements. Jurors also found that an attorney for Mr Depp defamed Ms Heard in one of three statements highlighted in her counter-suit. Mr Depp was awarded $10.35m in damages, while Ms Heard was awarded $2m. They have both appealed the jurys awards against them. The Independent has reached out to lawyers for Ms Heard. A resident of Shawnee County fills out her ballot for the primary election Tuesday morning at Heritage Hall. Kansas voters have rejected the so-called Value Them Both constitutional amendment, according to The Associated Press. The Topeka Capital-Journal will bring reaction and analysis as soon as we have it. Voter turnout in Kansas was extremely high, with the Kansas Secretary of State's office already saying it will smash its 36% projected turnout. Secretary of State Scott Schwab told reporters the turnout could rival the 2008 general election, when President Barack Obama was on the ballot. That election had roughly 60% turnout. "There is very high voter engagement," he said. Interest was high on the amendment that could change the future of post-Roe abortion access for the state and region. More: Election results for Kansas primary races Results: 2022 Kansas Constitutional Amendment on Abortion Years of work from anti-abortion advocates culminates today as voters check "yes" or "no" on a proposed constitutional amendment that could give Kansas lawmakers virtually limitless authority to regulate the procedure. More: In decisive abortion rights victory, Kansas voters reject constitutional amendment in first post-Roe vote While the amendment needed a two-thirds majority to pass both chambers of the Kansas Legislature, it needs only a simple majority from Kansas voters to be approved. Polling data has been hard to come by, with both campaigns hesitant to share internal survey results. The only publicly released polling on the abortion amendment has 47% voting yes, 43% voting no and a 2.7% margin of error. Abortion-rights supporters rejoice as early polls show voters were rejecting the constitutional amendment in Kansas Tuesday night at a Kansans for Constitutional Freedom election watch party at the Overland Park Convention Center. The poll, conducted by the Kansas City, Mo., firm co/efficient, suggest a close race. Millions of dollars were spent to influence voters on the so-called Value Them Both amendment. "Yes" vote advocates slightly outspent the "no" vote side, $6.7 million compared to $6.4 million, according to mid-July campaign finance statistics. The biggest opposition group did fundraise more money than the primary coalition supporting the constitutional amendment. Story continues While some advocates on both sides were careful to parse their words, many TV and digital ads and other public communications made false or misleading statements. A late text message blast falsely characterized what a "yes" vote means. The group behind the text didn't identify itself. More: What will happen if Kansas voters pass or don't pass constitutional amendment on abortion? Voters lament disinformation around constitutional amendment Melanie Wambsganss, a retiree and Democrat voting at the Fairlawn Plaza polling place, said she was dismayed by what she said was disinformation surrounding the constitutional amendment question. She was one of several Kansas voters who on Monday received an anonymous, mass text message urging her to vote yes to protect womens reproductive rights. Wambsganss said Tuesday was a chance for Kansas, a traditionally red state, to demonstrate progress by rejecting the constitutional amendment. "It would show that America is ready to make Roe v. Wade a permanent law, rather than whatever it was," she said. "It could show that Kansas is willing to go forward with progress, not just in this issue, but in other cases as well." Unlike typical elections, where churches are barred by their religious tax-exempt status from advocating for candidates, nothing stood in the way of churches driving the grassroots voter turnout effort. But churches and any other location that serve as election day polling places had to take down signs supportive of the amendment or ensure they were the legally required distance from the entrance. Violators could run afoul of state electioneering law. In Topeka, a large sign encouraging people to "Vote Yes" on the constitutional amendment had been removed by the time voting began Tuesday from the place where it had stood near the polling place at Hayden High School, 401 S.W. Gage Blvd. Debate on the amendment has largely centered around whether it bans abortion, which polling suggests is an unpopular position. The amendment itself does not ban abortion. But it would give lawmakers far greater constitutional authority on abortion policy, including a potential ban. Top Republican politicians and anti-abortion lobbyists have avoided answering whether they will pursue a ban if the amendment passes. More: Getting texts on Kansas abortion constitution amendment? Here's what a 'yes' and 'no' vote means. The Kansas Speaks Survey, conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, previously found that 60% of respondents oppose banning abortion in all cases. That poll was released in February, several months before a U.S. Supreme Court leak and eventual decision overturning the abortion rights ruling in Roe v. Wade. The leaked draft opinion in early May and the Dobbs decision in late June galvanized public interest in relitigating abortion rights. Kansas is the first statewide referendum since that decision, garnering national attention. The vote is also of regional significance as Kansas clinics treat out-of-state patients, particularly from Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Voter registrations increased in recent months with the leaked draft of the Dobbs decision. More recent data covering the month after the late-June decision has not yet been released. Republicans enjoy a sizeable advantage in registered voters, outnumbering Democrats by more than 350,000 people. But unaffiliated voters are a sizeable group that could sway the election, though independents are unaccustomed to voting in August. Voter registration data through July 1 showed an increase of 1,449 registered Republicans since April. Democratic registrations increased 1,984, Libertarians 555 and unaffiliated voters 8,389. Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd. Tim Hrenchir and Rafael Garcia of The Capital-Journal contributed reporting. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas abortion amendment election results on Value Them Both vote White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday said the United States has visual confirmation that a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and officials would not need further corroboration. Speaking with Brianna Keilar on CNNs New Day, Kirby said the operation over the weekend, as President Biden announced Monday, killed al-Zawahiri on the third floor balcony of his safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan. We do not have DNA confirmation, Brianna. Were not going to get that confirmation, Kirby said. Quite frankly, Brianna, based on the multiple sources and methods that we have gathered the information from, we dont need it. Following Bidens announcement, a senior administration official told reporters that the U.S. intelligence community has high confidence that the person killed was al-Zawahiri. The official said the strike was conducted with Hellfire missiles on Saturday night Eastern time, which is Sunday morning in Kabul. On Tuesday, Kirby echoed other officials who have said the strike did not injure or kill any civilians, adding that it caused minor damage to the buildings structure. The strike was done in a very precise, very deliberate and very constrained way to do exactly what it was intended to do: kill one man, Kirby said on CNN. Kirby also touted the operation as proof the United States can continue thwarting terrorist threats in Afghanistan after Biden pulled U.S. troops from the country last summer in what was largely seen as a chaotic withdrawal. If Im an al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan right now, I bet you Im thinking that its not quite the safe-haven I once thought it was, Kirby said. He added that al-Zawahiris setup in Kabul constituted a violation of the Doha Agreement, a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban that commits the group to preventing al Qaeda operations in areas under their control. The strike itself is a measure of accountability, Kirby said. The strike itself tells them, shows them how serious we are about our desire never to see Afghanistan become a safe haven again for the launch of attacks against our homeland, and it shows them the degree to which were capable of doing this without boots on the ground, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. L3Harris Technologies Inc. has landed a contract to supply military aircraft to the U.S. Special Operations Command a deal that could be worth up to $3 billion to Melbourne-based L3Harris and its partner, Air Tractor Inc. The "Armed Overwatch Program" includes delivery of up to 75 manned, fixed-wing aircraft. Initially, the deal is for six aircraft and is worth $170 million as part of what is being termed a "low-rate initial production Lot 1." But it is likely the military will expand its order in what is an "indefinite-quantity, indefinite-delivery contract" with the order potentially going as high as 75 aircraft, with a cost ceiling of $3 billion. The Sky Warden military aircraft was developed by L3 Harris Technologies Inc., in conjunction with Air Tractor Inc. Air Tractor, a Texas aircraft company, will make the aircraft platform, which will be known as the AT-802U Sky Warden. New military operation: L3Harris forms group to address military threats and needs in Ukraine and elsewhere Increasing Brevard operations: L3Harris reorganization gives boost to company's Brevard operations Environmental sustainability: L3Harris highlights gains in latest annual report L3Harris an aerospace and defense technology company will be responsible for the communications, sensors, and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. In announcing the contract award, L3Harris Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Kubasik said: An important part of our 'trusted disruptor' strategy is listening closely to combatant commanders needs, and responding faster than the evolving threats. We want to deliver game-changing, modular solutions to U.S. special operators for their hardest missions, and Sky Warden does just that. L3Harris said the fleet of Sky Warden aircraft will address Special Operations Commands need for a sustainable single-engine, fixed-wing, crewed and affordable aircraft system. Its uses include for close air support; precision strikes; armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and strike coordination. Story continues Special Operations Command is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and has Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy components. These are among the cockpit displays in the Sky Warden. L3Harris is responsible for the communications, sensors, and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems in the military plane. Air Tractor President Jim Hirsch said his company's aircraft "were developed precisely to operate in austere environments with limited infrastructure" including being able to take off and land on unimproved airstrips at sites of military operations. The aircraft, for example, has capability for short takeoffs and landings. In describing the Sky Warden, L3Harris said the aircraft's "multi-mission platform provides the operator agility and flexibility to identify, track and react to counterthreats. It provides a mature platform capable of operating anywhere in the world, and provides the tools needed to support any mission." The company said special operations forces missions typically require a stack of aircraft to provide a host of capabilities needed by ground teams. But L3Harris said the multi-mission Sky Warden effectively collapses the stack by merging the capabilities of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, plus armed aircraft capabilities, into one package. That allows the operator "the agility and flexibility to identify, track and immediately react to counterthreats." "Sky Warden allows operators to remain decisively engaged in the counter-violent extremist fight with an integrated weapon system to find, fix and finish the mission with a substantially reduced footprint, manpower and cost," L3Harris said. L3Harris said it expects to rapidly modify last summers Armed Overwatch prototype demonstrator into the production configuration, and provide its customer with weapon system testing within about six months. Production of fully modified, Armed Overwatch mission-configured aircraft will begin in 2023 at L3Harris Tulsa, Oklahoma, modification center, following initial production at Air Tractors Olney, Texas, aircraft manufacturing facility. Sky Wardens name commemorates two special operations combat platforms. They are the Vietnam-era A-1E Sky Raider and the present-day U-28, which uses the call sign Warden during combat operations. L3Harris has about 47,000 employees, including 7,750 in Brevard County, making it Brevard's third-largest employer, behind Brevard Public Schools and Health First. The company had $17.81 billion in revenue in 2021. L3Harris provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. It has customers in more than 100 countries. Two of the company's three segments are based at the L3Harris Technology Center in Palm Bay. One is integrated mission systems; the other is space and airborne systems. The third segment communication systems is based in Rochester, New York. The deal was announced after stock market trading closed on Monday. By midday Tuesday, L3Harris stock was up $5.95 to $246.95, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Air Tractor has manufactured aircraft for 46 years, and is a leading manufacturer of aircraft for agricultural, firefighting and utility applications. Its aircraft are in use in more than 30 countries. The AT-802U Sky Warden is based on the Air Tractor AT-802, which features the largest payload capacity of any single-engine turboprop aircraft, and is popular for agricultural uses. Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman. Support local journalism and journalists like me. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: L3Harris, partner awarded military plane contract worth up to $3B Tuesday's primary elections are shaping up to be among the most consequential in the 2022 cycle. The latest primaries featured contests in Arizona and Michigan, which were ground zero in former President Donald Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 election. A referendum on abortion in Kansas also drew nationwide attention. Abortion rights drove turnout and a stunning upset for anti-abortion advocates in conservative Kansas. Even in heavily red districts where former President Donald Trump held double-digit margins in 2016 and 2020, voters overwhelmingly chose to protect abortion rights. Trump-backed candidates pulled ahead in Arizonas GOP primaries, showing, if early election results hold, a sign of the sway the former president still has over Republicans in the state. In Michigan, Trump-backed Tudor Dixon won the GOP gubernatorial primary and will face Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer in the fall. A close contest between incumbent Rep. Peter Meijer and GOP challenger John Gibbs underscores the struggle in the party between Republican establishment candidates and those endorsed by Trump. Arizona is one of a handful of Senate races considered a "toss-up" this fall, with Republicans needing to flip just one seat to seize the majority next year. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly will be a formidable incumbent, having already raised $52.5 million as his would-be GOP opponents are engaged in a bitter primary fight. Kari Lake pulled ahead in the Arizona GOP primary for governor, but the Arizona Republic reported it could take several days to determine a winner. In Michigan, likewise, the governor's race is also one of the more closely watched contests where Republicans are itching to boot Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer, who was a champion of many COVID-19 restrictions, out of office. Voters will have some critical contests and choices to make, including the Missouri primaries for Senate to replacing retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, and the first test of a statewide abortion referendum in Kansas. Story continues Get the news in your inbox: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter Washington primary results could take days to finalize It could take days to solidify the outcome of a pair of congressional primaries in Washington that have had a national spotlight as two Republicans who supported former President Donald Trumps impeachment faced challenges from Trump-backed opponents. The Seattle Times reported that hundreds of thousands of ballots still havent been counted in the state that votes entirely by mail. Counting those ballots could take days, according to the Times. Washingtons nonpartisan primary system sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, on to the general election. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican, was sitting in second place in her primary, with a cushion of more than 4 percentage points as of Wednesday morning. Rep. Dan Newhouse was in first place in his primary, leading the third-place candidate by more than 5 percentage points. Both drew Trumps ire, and primary opponents, after voting for his impeachment. The Associated Press has not called either race. Rick Rouan Trump-backed candidate for Arizona governor pulls ahead in GOP primary In the Arizona GOP primarys proxy war between former President Donald Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, Trumps preferred candidate for governor has pulled ahead. Kari Lake, a former television journalist with Trumps backing, had been trailing for much of the night but overtook Karrin Taylor Robson early Wednesday morning. Lake has pulled about 46.2% of the vote for the Republican gubernatorial nomination compared with 44.5% for Robson. It could take "several days" to determine a winner in the race, according to the Arizona Republic. A Lake victory would set up a general election that pits a Republican who supports Trumps baseless claims about 2020 election fraud against the Democrat who oversaw Arizonas election. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who became a national figure as she resisted false claims about a stolen 2020 election, has cruised in the Democratic primary for governor. She has about 72.8% of the Democratic primary vote. Rick Rouan Missouri AG Eric Schmitt defeats Eric Greitens in GOP Senate race SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night, according to Associated Press projections, emerging the victor from a packed and prominent primary field and positioning himself as the likely favorite entering the November general election. Schmitt, who ran a campaign defined by frequent and headline-grabbing litigation against political opponents, was propelled in the final weeks of the campaign by a storm of outside spending and criticism against one of his chief opponents, former Gov. Eric Greitens. He came out on top against Greitens, U.S. Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long, and a slew of other GOP candidates. In his bid to succeed the retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, Schmitt will face the Democratic nominee and independent conservative candidate John Wood in November. He will be the favorite to win in a Missouri that has trended increasingly toward Republicans in recent statewide races. Galen Bacharier, Springfield News-Leader Rusty Bowers loses to GOP rival as Trump-backed candidates surge in Arizona Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified at the House Select Committee hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot about rebuffing Trump's request to help him overturn the 2020 election, lost to Trump-backed David Farnsworth in a state Senate race. With some races were too close to call early Wednesday in Arizona, several of Trump's preferred candidates in the state were leading in other GOP races. Wendy Rogers, another Trump-backed candidate, had a big lead over Kelly Townsend in their state Senate race. Rogers was censured by the state Senate earlier this year for making statements endorsing violence and political retribution. The conservative lawmakers found themselves in the same district after boundaries were redrawn for this year. Townsend was previously running for Congress but dropped her bid after a promised endorsement from Trump never materialized, she said. Republican Blake Masters, whos backed by both Trump and tech investor Peter Thiel, was declared the U.S. Senate primary winner by the Associated Press after building a lead over former solar power executive Jim Lamon and Mark Brnovich, the current Arizona attorney general. Masters will face Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly in the November general election. Mark Finchem was declared the Republican primary winner in the secretary of state race, and Abe Hamadeh led his competitors for attorney general. Both men were Trump-endorsed, and both denied Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Arizona. Trump-endorsed Kari Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson, who was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence, were in a virtual tie in the race for the GOP nomination for governor. The winner will face Katie Hobbs, Arizona's current secretary of state, who easily won the Democratic nomination for governor. Taylor Seely Arizona races: Blake Masters wins Republican nomination for Senate Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, backed by former President Donald Trump, was down by 7 points to Karrin Taylor Robson, who is endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. The race pits Trump and Pence against each other and tests the future of the Republican Party as one of election denial or traditional conservative values. Though Lake was behind, she said during a speech to supporters Tuesday night that she had won. Trump-backed Blake Masters won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. Masters is one of Trumps strongest supporters among midterm Senate candidates, calling to finish the former presidents controversial border wall and resume his agenda if he is elected. Mark Finchem, who is also backed by Trump, was running ahead of Beau Lane by about 10 points in the race for secretary of state. Candy Woodall GOP Trump impeacher Peter Meijer loses primary to Trump-backed challenger Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection, lost a Republican primary Tuesday to Trump-backed challenger John Gibbs, according to race calls by CNN and NBC. Meijer is now one of at least six GOP impeachers who will not be returning to Congress next year. Four have retired, while a Trump-backed candidate defeated Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., in a June primary. David Jackson Three GOP Trump impeachers: One is losing, two others are surviving Donald Trump is looking at mixed results in his effort to defeat three House Republicans who impeached him over the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., one of 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment, was losing a Republican primary early Wednesday to Trump-backed challenger John Gibbs. Gibbs, a former official with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, took a lead over Meijer in a race in which he received help from Democrats as well as Trump loyalists. Two other Republican impeachers Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, both of Washington state appeared to be on track to surviving the open primaries that included Trumpy challengers. Under Washington's system, the top two finishers in a primary move on to the general election, regardless of party. Beutler and Newhouse are in solid positions to do just that in their separate primaries. The margins in all of these races are narrow, and the Associated Press had not called them as of 1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. David Jackson Biden weighs in on Kansas abortion vote "Tonight, Kansans used their voices to protect womens right to choose and access reproductive health care," President Joe Biden tweeted. "Its an important victory for Kansas, but also for every American who believes that women should be able to make their own health decisions without government interference." Advocates both for and against abortion in Kansas expected the vote to be close ahead of Tuesday nights primary, but the margin was so decisive 61%-39% that news outlets called the vote fewer than two hours after polls closed. With 83% of the vote counted, the tally was approximately 470,00 votes to 304,000 votes, as of 10:30 p.m. CT Tuesday. Katherine Swartz Tonight, Kansans used their voices to protect womens right to choose and access reproductive health care. Its an important victory for Kansas, but also for every American who believes that women should be able to make their own health decisions without government interference. President Biden (@POTUS) August 3, 2022 Read the whole story here: Kansas upholds right to abortion, a blow to anti-abortion movement in first Roe referendum Pro-abortion rights groups take victory lap in Kansas After Kansas voters upheld the right to an abortion in an upset victory for pro-abortion rights supporters, abortions rights groups took a victory lap celebrating the vote. The vote, which comes just over a month after the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights, demonstrates once again that voters across the country do not want politicians interfering in their health care decisions, said Planned Parenthood Action in a statement. Today the voters of Kansas spoke and their resounding NO makes clear they value their liberty, freedom and right to bodily autonomy, said Emiliana Guereca, founder and executive director of Womens March Action, an advocacy group that focuses on electing pro-abortion rights candidates. In Kansas, Nigel Morton, senior Kansas state organizer at URGE, another pro-abortion rights group, said tonight's vote is a major victory not just for Kansans but for people across the region whose abortion access had already been severely limited or stripped away completely by their home state. -- Kenneth Tran The aftermath: Ruling overturning Roe v. Wade sparks debate about Supreme Court's legitimacy amid partisan passions Polls close in Washington Polls closed in Washington at 11 p.m. ET, in the final primary race of the night. Its another state where former President Donald Trumps influence will be tested. He is backing two challengers to House incumbents Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, who both voted to impeach him after Jan. 6, 2021. Candy Woodall Race roundup: Abortion, Democratic infighting and a whole lot of Donald Trump Kansas voters uphold state right to abortion in first post-Roe vote in U.S. In the nations first statewide vote on abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Kansas voters upheld the right to an abortion. Abortion rights have been guaranteed by the Kansas state supreme court since 2019, even as lawmakers have heavily restricted abortion through measures such as the states 22-week ban, 24-hour waiting period and mandatory ultrasounds. Republican lawmakers and the grassroots movement Value Them Both Coalition pushed to amend the state constitution to eliminate the right to an abortion, which would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion in the state. Katherine Swartz Field organizer Jae Grey places signs on the podium before the pro-choice Kansas for Constitutional Freedom primary election watch party in Overland Park, Kansas, August 2, 2022. - Voters headed to the polls in the Midwestern US state of Kansas Tuesday to weigh in on the first major ballot on abortion since the Supreme Court ended the national right to the procedure in June. Rep. Haley Stevens wins battle of House Democrats in Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., defeated fellow Democrat Andy Levin in a primary that matched two incumbent lawmakers who had been redrawn into the same congressional district. Progressives like Bernie Sanders had backed Levin, but Stevens scored an easy win in the newly drawn district in the suburbs just to the west and northwest of Detroit. For example, Stevens led Levin in Pontiac, a city where Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren had campaigned for Levin. - David Jackson High turnout in Kansas for vote on abortion Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said that voter turnout across the state was significantly higher than expected by evening and appeared to be within reach of hitting 50%. That would be the kind of turnout generally seen in a November midterm election in Kansas, which have averaged 52% over the past 20 years. Typically, primary elections in Kansas are limited to the two major parties, but unaffiliated voters can cast a vote in this election for the constitutional amendment on abortion. Im actually pretty satisfied everything is going as smooth as it is for as busy as it is, Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Michael Abbott said. - Associated Press Who is Tudor Dixon, the Trump-backed GOP nominee for Michigan governor? Businesswoman and conservative commentator Tudor Dixon won the Republican primary for Michigan governor on Tuesday, setting up a tough general election race against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The mother of four made education a top issue of her campaign, saying she wants to keep drag queens and talk of sex and gender out of elementary schools. She opposes abortion, except to save the life of the mother, and says Michigan should eliminate the requirement for permits to carry concealed weapons. Dixon is a former steel industry executive who also hosted a conservative program on a streaming channel and once acted in low-budget zombie movies in what her campaign described as an admittedly lame hobby. Aside from being endorsed by former president Donald Trump. she also has backing from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, several anti-abortion groups, and the prominent Michigan Republican family of Betsy DeVos, who was education secretary in Trumps Cabinet but was critical of him and resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. - Associated Press Previously: Michigan GOP candidate Tudor Dixon deflects question on 'stolen election' Polls close in Arizona Arizona polls closed at 10 p.m. ET, with vote counting beginning in some of the most consequential midterm primaries. Heavily contested races for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate and governor have attracted endorsements from former President Donald Trump, who is backing candidates that have supported his unproven election conspiracies. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence is supporting a GOP gubernatorial candidate who is running against Trumps pick. - Candy Woodall Arizona primary: An election denier wants to run Arizona's elections as secretary of state A voting location for Arizonas midterm primary election at David Crockett Elementary School in Phoenix on August 2, 2022. Eric Schmitt wins Missouris GOP primary for Senate Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt came out on top of a crowded Republican Senate primary after incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., announced he would not be seeking re-election. The general election race is expected to favor Republicans. The crowded field also included former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned from his post after sexual assault allegations and campaign finance accusations surfaced. Greitens denied the allegations. - Ken Tran Eric Schmitt speaks at an election-night gathering after winning the Republican primary for U.S. Senate at the Sheraton in Westport Plaza on August 02, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. 'Eric' for Senate: Donald Trump endorses 'Eric' in Missouri Senate race - but doesn't say which one Dixon wins GOP gubernatorial primary to take on Whitmer in November The Michigan governors race is set. Tudor Dixon, a conservative media commentator who is backed by former President Donald Trump, won the Michigan GOP primary for governor on Tuesday. She will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the November election. - Candy Woodall Voting hiccups in some Michigan communities As Michigan voters headed to the polls and returned absentee ballots Tuesday in the state's primary election, some in a handful of communities encountered hiccups, and, in one instance, prompted the Secretary of State's Office to ask a county clerk to supervise the election in a small township in west Michigan instead of the local clerk. "It's a very small fraction of the total voters and their experiences," said Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "The vast majority of voters will have had a very smooth experience casting their ballot." Benson heralded Election Day as a success, speaking outside her own polling location Tuesday. "I would say there's a lot of enthusiasm for this primary," she said after she greeted election workers at Louis Pasteur Elementary School on Detroit's west side. "This is certainly a lot of activity for a primary election and that's great to see, and we've seen smoothness at the polling places throughout the day throughout Michigan." - Clara Hendrickson and David Boucher, Detroit Free Press Gov. Laura Kelly overwhelmingly wins Democratic primary With 31% reporting, the Associated Press has called the Kansas gubernatorial Democratic primary for Laura Kelly. Kelly so far has received 96% of the vote, with primary challenger Richard Karnowski at 4%. While Kelly sailed through her primary as expected, her true test will come in November against Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who won the Republican primary with 77% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Kelly is governor of a state with Republican supermajorities in the state legislature and where former President Donald Trump won by 15 percentage points in 2020. Katherine Swartz Polls close in rest of Kansas, Michigan The remaining polling places in Kansas and Michigan closed at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Polls in other areas of the states closed an hour earlier because of time zones. Abortion and former President Donald Trumps influence loom large in these state elections, where ballot counting is ongoing. - Candy Woodall Polls close in Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan - some of them anyway. The first poll closings of the night have taken place in Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan, though there are caveats with the last two. Because of time zones, some polling places in Kansas and Michigan will remain open until 9 p.m., eastern. Still, vote counting is commencing on this busy primary night. David Jackson In Arizona, candidate-fueled conspiracy leads to stolen pens Voters reacting to an election conspiracy claim were taking government-issued pens from Maricopa County polling stations as Tuesday's primary got underway in Arizona. Poll workers at two stations reported the pilfered pens after one candidate encouraged voters not to use the pens because, she said, the ink could be altered. More: Pilfered pens at polling places mark first hours of voting in Maricopa County Gail Golec, a Republican running for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, told followers on Twitter to substitute the Pentel pens and use blue ink ones. The Pentel pens, she said, "can insert votes that appear like a felt tip pens." The Maricopa County attorney on Tuesday ordered Golec to stop encouraging voters to replace government-issued pens and to "immediately" tweet a retraction. - Robert Anglen and Sasha Hupka, Arizona Republic Michigan GOP cancels watch party after several death threats this week The Michigan Republican Party canceled its election night watch party after receiving several death threats this week, according to Michigan GOP Deputy Chief of Staff Gustavo Portela. Threats escalated earlier Tuesday when the partys building received threats from a bystander who verbally assaulted a female staffer and indicated he was planning on shooting up the building and burning it down, Portela said in a statement. Our party wont be deterred, and we will continue to work tirelessly for Republican policies despite ongoing threats, the statement said. No type of violence against women should ever be tolerated. - Candy Woodall Trump wars come to Arizona The Grand Canyon State will be a centerpiece on Tuesday for another round of the GOP primary tug-of-war between Trump and other Republican rivals. At the gubernatorial level, Kari Lake, a former TV journalist backed by Trump, is going up against Karrin Taylor Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, who has been endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence and incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey. More than likely the winner of the Republican contest will face Democrat Katie Hobbs, the secretary of state who was thrust into the national spotlight for resisting false assertions about the 2020 election. Also on the ballot for Arizona Republicans is a field of seven vying to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, who is trying to keep the seat he just won in 2020. Among those running are Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, businessman Jim Lamon and Blake Masters, who is backed by Trump and tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Masters earned Trumps support by embracing the former presidents lies about the last presidential race and has recently cast doubt on the legitimacy of the midterm elections. Phillip M. Bailey 'They want to damage me': Trump campaigns as victim at Arizona rally Step by step: Untangling Arizona Gov. Doug Duceys complex network of interests Arizona GOP House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Jan. 6 witness, faces primary Arizona's Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified before the Jan. 6 committee about harassment he received for refusing to help former President Donald Trump overturn his state's election results, faces Trump-backed David Farnsworth on Tuesday for his seat in Arizona state's 25th district. "I've got a former president running against me. I'm not running against David Farnsworth," Bowers told Insider in July. "I'm running against Donald Trump. It's his name that's propping up Dave Farnsworth." Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers testifies to the Jan. 6 committee hearings on June 21, 2022. Bowers told the Jan. 6 committee in June that after Trump advertisements urged supporters to contact lawmakers to pressure them to overturn their election results, he received more than 20,000 emails and tens of thousands of voicemails and texts. The pressure campaign ultimately resulted in weekly protests outside Bowers' home, including one where there was an armed man. Bowers' primary is another test of Trump's influence in the Grand Canyon State. Ella Lee Democrats face uphill climb in Kansas Incumbent Democrat Laura Kelly surprised many political observers when she upset Republican Kris Kobach in the 2018 governors race. But four years later the GOP is betting it's harder to be a red state Democrat now. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is endorsed by Trump, is expected to seize the Republican nomination. The former president won the Sunflower State by 14 points in 2020 and by 20 points in 2016. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan. There is also anxiety about Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in Kansas congressional delegation. Her seat was significantly changed by the Republican-controlled state legislature during redistricting, and attempts to overturn those changes failed in court. Davids, a former mixed martial artists, held what had been considered a safe seat, but after the maps were redrawn it is rated as one of the 26 Democratic "toss-up" races by The Cook Political Report. Phillip M. Bailey First post-Roe referendum Voters in Kansas will decide whether their state Constitution protects the right to have an abortion, which makes it the first statewide amendment up for a vote since the Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade this summer. If the so-called Value Them Both amendment passes, the state legislature could install new abortion restrictions or prohibit the procedure entirely. But if voters reject the amendment, it would uphold a state Supreme Court decision in 2019 that ruled bodily autonomy in Kansas included a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy. Phillip M. Bailey Poll: More than half disapprove of state abortion bans without exceptions More: Kansas governor vetoes measures to tighten election laws Ohio hosts second primary after redistricting fight Ohio is in the unusual position on Tuesday of hosting its second primary of 2022 after a prolonged fight over its congressional and state legislative maps. After nominating statewide candidates and voting in primaries for Congress in May, Ohio voters today are casting ballots in primary races for the state legislature and party committees. Ohio has 33 members in its state Senate and 99 in the House. Among the candidates on the ballot in Ohio on Tuesday is Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage. Obergefell is running unopposed in a Democratic primary for a seat in the Ohio House, according to the Associated Press. In Michigan, election clerks see threats, flood of FOIA requests Tina Barton was shocked the first time she received a death threat over the phone a few days after the 2020 election. As the city clerk in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Barton was responsible for ensuring the election there ran smoothly and securely, a job she thought she did well. But that didnt stop conspiracy theorists emboldened by former President Donald Trumps false claims of election fraud from calling Barton and making death threats for what they falsely believed was her role in rigging the election. Since Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, election clerks in Michigan have faced an onslaught of Freedom of Information Act requests, the influx of new election workers possibly armed with political agendas, and an increased need to more security funding. Taken together, the election officials say, the lingering effects of the 2020 election make running elections this year harder than ever. Andrew Marquardt and Isabel Miller, Medill News Service Michigan GOP candidate deflects question on 'stolen election' LANSING, Mich. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon would not say during a national TV appearance Sunday whether she thought the 2020 presidential election was stolen. It was a shift from the position she took during a candidate debate in May. In what could be a sign of an early pivot to a general election campaign, Dixon, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," instead shifted the conversation to what she described as legitimate concerns about the way the election was conducted and her support for strict voter ID requirements and other proposed changes to state election law. The apparent pivot in Dixon's position away from the "big lie" promoted by former President Donald Trump came less than 48 hours after Trump endorsed Dixon, on Friday night, in Tuesday's five-candidate GOP primary. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press GOP rollercoaster to face Whitmer Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is one of the top targets for Republicans in 2022, but its been a bumpy ride for the state GOP during their primary season. Six Republicans are lined up to challenge Whitmer, including businessman Kevin Rinke, who has poured millions of his own money into the race. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer But along the way the Republican primary has been filled with controversy. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, once thought of as the GOP frontrunner, was removed from the ballot for forging signatures on his nominating petition. He is now on the ballot as a write-in candidate. Last month Republican Ryan Kelley was arrested by the FBI on charges connected to the Jan. 6 riot. He has pled not guilty, and will be on the ballot Tuesday. Phillip M. Bailey Election deniers for secretary of state In two important states Michigan and Arizona there are candidates who've cast doubt about the last presidential race running to be in charge of overseeing the next. Mark Finchem is an Arizona legislator who has long promoted Trumps false claims about the 2020 election. He is considered a favorite in the Republican primary for secretary of state. In Michigan, Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson was thrust into the national spotlight after receiving death threats for resisting attempts to subvert the election. But she could face Republican Kristina Karamo, a Trump-backed contender who has cast doubt on the 2020 election results. Michigan nominates candidates for secretary of state through each party's convention. Finchem and Karamo are part of a Trump-backed coalition of secretaries of state candidates running in key swing states who have spread the former president's election lies. In Nevada, for instance, Jim Marchant, who said the 2020 election was "stolen" from Trump, easily won a seven-way Republican primary for secretary of state. Phillip M. Bailey 'Rig the system': GOP candidates for secretary of state run on Trump's election denial platform Races to watch in Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt is retiring after 12 years in the Senate, and a crowded field is vying for his seat. Nearly two dozen Republicans have entered the race, though former Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long garner the most name recognition. Eleven Democrats are hoping to flip the seat blue, the including frontrunners veteran Lucas Kunce, beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine and entrepeneur Spencer Toder. Another eight Republicans and three Democrats are running for U.S. Rep. Billy Longs seat in Missouris 7th district. Ella Lee; Galen Bacharier, Springfield News-Leader More: At least 9 midterm candidates face misconduct or abuse allegations. Will voters care? Trump sits out Missouri Senate primary Withhold your takes about the effect of former President Donald Trumps primary endorsement closely watched in some of the most bitter GOP contests so far this cycle on the Missouri Senate race. Trump isnt getting involved. On Monday, Trump said he was endorsing Eric in the race, but he didnt specify which of the two Erics running for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate he preferred. Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens both are on the ballot. Both thanked Trump for his support. Trump said in a prepared statement that he trusted Missouri voters to make up their own minds. - Rick Rouan Races to watch in Washington In Washington state, former President Donald Trumps control over GOP voters faces two litmus tests as Republican Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse two of the ten Republican House members to vote in favor of the former presidents impeachment face a combined nine primary challengers. Beutler has three challengers and Newhouse has six, many of whom are pro-Trump Republicans who have questioned the 2020 election results' validity and criticized the Congress members' impeachment votes, according to Axios. Ella Lee When do the polls close? Missouri and Michigan close their polls first on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Kansas state law says that the polls there must be open until at least 8 p.m. ET, though polling locations may remain open until 9 p.m. ET. Arizona's polls close at 10 p.m. ET, and Washington state's close at 11 p.m. ET. Ella Lee This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Primary recap: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington IRYNA BALACHUK TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2022, 08:51 Despite suffering significant losses, Russian occupying forces are continuing to mount an offensive on Bakhmut (Donetsk Oblast) from Popasna (Luhansk Oblast). Source: Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The Russians have sustained significant losses, but they continue to doggedly mount an offensive on Bakhmut from Popasna. But the route to Bakhmut lies via the Luhansk Oblast and the Ukrainian Armed Forces robust defences." Details: Haidai has stressed that the Russians offensive has not been successful so far, which is why morale among the Russian troops is low. He noted that Russian occupying forces are losing manpower and equipment during their numerous daily assaults and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been successfully using the newly supplied long-range artillery to target Russian ammunition depots. On 1 August, Russian forces conducted two powerful missile strikes (launching a total of eight missiles) and four airstrikes on the towns and villages in Luhansk Oblast. Russian forces used artillery seven times, used mortars twice, and deployed tanks to attack Luhansk Oblast. Usually, Russian occupying forces conduct assault operations immediately following several hours of artillery fire. Haidai said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled seven such assault operations over the course of Monday, 1 August, forcing the Russians to retreat. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda! A man accused of exposing himself to women in the Lower Queen Ann e neighborhood appeared in court Tuesday. Seattle police said they arrested Kristopher Glenn Brown at 3rd Avenue and Pike Street on Monday. Brown faced a judge Tuesday, where hes suspected of a hate crime and a felony assault against at least one victim. The court found probable cause for his case to move forward and bail was set at $50,000. According to the SPD, between July 18 and 25, police received multiple reports that a man had exposed himself and made biased and threatening statements to the women. They also claim Brown injured one womans service dog. Today police at 3rd Avenue and Pike Street arrested the man pictured in this post. Post has been updated: https://t.co/Ywf4i1OSbc Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) August 2, 2022 Two women who said they were victims posted about their terrifying experiences on Nextdoor, and not long after that, a connection was made. Megan Tucci and Anna McAllister said they were attacked in broad daylight as they took a morning walk through Seattle Center. McAllister, 52, said her run-in happened on July 19 around 8:30 a.m. She said she walked past Brown and noticed he was masturbating. They made eye contact, and then he began to trail her, making comments behind her back. I just thought, This is a troubled man whos talking to himself, said McAllister. It took another minute or two before I realized, Oh, hes following me, and hes talking to me. McAllister said after a few minutes, she decided to respond and shouted, Stop following me! Then He immediately took out his penis and started masturbating in my direction. I took off, basically running toward the fountain, and he followed yelling a scary threat of sexual assault. Tucci said a day after McAllisters experience, a man of a similar description started following her as she passed McCaw Hall. In 2019, Brown was convicted of assaulting a Rite Aid employee just ten days after he was released from custody for another offense. He served 88 just 88 days. According to the King County Prosecutors Office, Brown also has a number of misdemeanor convictions from other offices, including assault, harassment and resisting arrest. A man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a local elementary school three times and stealing thousands in school property. On August 1, Memphis Police officers responded to Westside Elementary School for a holding prisoner call, according to an affidavit. School officers had a man identified as Thompson Puckett in custody for breaking into the school. According to police, the officers had received an activation alarm and seen Puckett coming into the school. Puckett had been seen on two other occasions on surveillance video burglarizing the school, according to the affidavit. Puckett was seen on video taking power tools and other items from a school cart. He allegedly stole over $8,000 worth of school property during the three burglaries Building security made three separate trips to secure the building after each burglary, police said. Puckett refused to give a statement. He was taken to 201 Poplar for booking and processing. Hes charged with 3 counts of aggravated burglary and theft of property $2,500 - $10,000, records show. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: A prison sentence of 75 years was imposed Monday on a man who admitted guilt in the brutal attack two years ago on two young women outside a convenience store in Athens that left both victims with long-term physical and emotional scars. The sentence for Eric Keith Mitchell, 40, who moved with his wife and three children to Athens in December 2016 from their native New Jersey, was more severe than sought by the prosecution. Western Circuit Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott said several facts factored into the sentence, including the horrific violence, the unprovoked nature of the attack against two people he didnt know, and the continuing impact on the lives of the victims. Related: Mother of victim in brutal attack at Athens Golden Pantry testifies in sentencing hearing Mitchell did apologize to the victims and their families for the attack that took place May 24, 2020, outside the Golden Pantry on North Milledge Avenue. However, neither Mitchell nor his defense lawyer, Ben Pearlman, or members of Mitchell's family could offer a reason as to why the man described as a devoted father and loving brother and son would have attacked the women, both graduates of the University of Georgia. Lott indicated that fact was also a primary consideration in her sentence. There is no evidence that there was any reason for this to happen, she said. The word senseless does not do it justice, the judge said, explaining the randomness of the act shows in her opinion that Mitchell is a danger to the community. Devastating loss: A Madison County mother struggles with the death of son in fatal shooting 'Fentanyl is some bad stuff': Police, DA form team to fight deadly drug epidemic in Athens Guidestones search:Georgia Guidestones bomber eludes investigators as Elbert debates rebuilding monument The indictment that Mitchell pleaded guilty to included attempting to commit felony murder, along with four counts of aggravated assault and aggravated battery. Lott imposed maximum sentences, but had them run consecutive to extend the sentence to 75 years. Story continues The victims, then a 22-year-old woman from Atlanta and a 21-year-old woman from Denver, Colo., had stopped about 9 p.m. at the Golden Pantry to purchase ice cream. Police reports showed they were suddenly attacked by Mitchell, who physically towered over the women. Mitchell, who was armed with a razor boxcutter, used his fists to pummel the face of one woman, shattering facial bones and her teeth. The other woman had an eight-inch cut from her breast to stomach along with defensive cuts on her arms and injuries to her face. Prosecutors said the attack would have assuredly resulted in the deaths of the two women, except that Athens-Clarke police Sgt. Stewart Heard happened to be across the street in the Varsity restaurant parking lot and heard the screams. Heard immediately responded and at gunpoint took the assailant into custody, evidence showed. Heard attended Mondays sentencing. Lott acknowledged his presence and recalled how the families of the two women consider the patrol officer a hero. '"I agree with that," the judge said. Western Circuit Chief Assistant District Attorney Mikaela Henderson asked the judge to impose a 50-year prison term, and one victims father said Mitchell deserved at least that much as he described the unhinged behavior by Mitchell that has devastated the lives of his daughter and her friend. Pearlman had argued for a more lenient sentence of 30 years with the first 15 in prison, but even he struggled to give a motive for the attack. There is no denying the horrific nature of the crime, and Mitchell has expressed remorse, but the big question is why, Pearlman told the judge. Police Sgt. Scott Black from the robbery/homicide unit interviewed Mitchell, who told officers in the attacks aftermath that he was feeling pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. The veteran officer testified in court that this attack was the most violent and brutal assault in his career, and he has investigated more than a thousand assault cases. Mitchells mother and two brothers also testified at the sentencing on live camera and none could offer a reason why he would commit such a crime. The defendant's wife testified he has never been violent, although in the week before the attack he believed people at his job were trying to poison him and someone had bugged his phone. Mitchells younger brother apologized to the victims and said, Ive never known my brother to be a monster or hurt people. The mother of the oldest victim testified about how she and her husband learned of the attack and how they found their child at the hospital. She expressed the sentiment of how close death came to the two women when danger emerged unexpectedly. Without Sgt. Heards heroism this monster would not stop attacking our girls, she said, adding, "Its a miracle they are alive. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eric Keith Mitchell sentenced to 75 years in attack on women in Athens A man who was captured on surveillance camera forcibly dragging a woman into a toilet stall at a bar in Henan province, China, has been arrested. The 27-year-old man, surnamed Li, was recorded trying to restrain a woman and prevent her from leaving a stall at a bathroom at the Max Club in Zhongmu County on July 16. As seen in the video, the woman manages to escape his grasp; however, Li grabs her hair and tries to drag her back in as she grabs onto another man outside the stall. They are both pulled to the ground as Li forces her into the stall and slams the door. Another woman dressed in a black shirt tries to kick the door open before a group of men join her, allowing the victim to escape. More from NextShark: 11-year-old boy in China helps single dad run food stand for 17 hours a day Police took the man and the victim into custody after the incident. However, they reportedly let them leave after learning they were in a relationship. After the surveillance footage of the incident went viral on social media in China, police began investigating the incident. Li was reportedly arrested and is being held on suspicion of indecent assault for attempting to urinate in front of the woman. More from NextShark: Fatal shooting of Filipino lawyer in Philadelphia Uber may be case of mistaken identity,' says envoy The incident has sparked outrage on social media, reigniting discussions and concerns over violence against women in China. Netizens have criticized the assailant, stating he should not have been excused for his behavior even if they were in a relationship. The men who witnessed the attack were also criticized for not acting sooner. Gender-based violence in China has been in the public spotlight since a video of women diners being brutally attacked by men in Tangshan went viral last month. Another video of a man ambushing his ex-wife and daughter in China on July 6 also went viral. Netizens have been calling for more action toward gender equality and harsher sentences for assailants. Story continues More from NextShark: 12 women in Thailand fear lawsuit after discovering they all had sex with the same married man Featured Image via news.com.au Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! 87-year-old man bear-sprayed in the face in Vancouver Chinatown racist attack (Bloomberg) -- Match Group Inc. gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell far short of analysts estimates with growth stymied by continuing fallout from Covid-19 and a strong dollar weighing on overseas sales. The shares fell more than 20% in extending trading. Most Read from Bloomberg Sales will be $790 million to $800 million in the quarter ending in September, said the Dallas-based company, which is parent to dating apps including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge. Analysts, on average, estimated $883.6 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company said currency fluctuations would have an 8 percentage point effect on revenue. Although the overall market opportunity remains substantial, the current environment is presenting some unique trends related to consumer behavior, Chief Executive Officer Bernard Kim said Tuesday in a letter to shareholders. While people have generally moved past lockdowns and entered a more normal way of life, their willingness to try online dating products for the first time hasnt yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Match has faced multiple challenges this year, including a senior leadership change, a legal battle with Alphabet Inc. over the Google Play Store, lagging growth due to Covid-19 restrictions and currency fluctuations hurting overseas revenue. Kim replaced Shar Dubey as CEO after she stepped down at the end of May. Dubey served various roles at Match over 16 years, leaving shortly after the company missed first-quarter revenue estimates and announced a round of share buybacks. Match also announced Tuesday that Renate Nyborg was leaving as chief executive officer at Tinder, the largest unit and the most popular dating app in the US. The company is searching for a permanent replacement, Kim said. Story continues We need some time for the new Tinder team to improve execution and see how they deliver on their product road map, Kim said in the letter. Were optimistic that the changes weve made at Tinder will lead to improved product execution and velocity, monetization wins and enhanced user growth. Direct revenue from Tinder increased 13% in the quarter, Match said. But the company intends to pull back on Tinder Coins, an in-app virtual currency used to provide benefits to users and encourage more spending. We also intend to do more thinking about virtual goods to ensure that they can be a real driver for Tinders next leg of growth and help us unlock the untapped power of the platform, Kim said. Match has been expanding its presence abroad too, with Hinges launch in Germany and the acquisition last year of South Korean video conferencing company, Hyperconnect. The company expects Hinge to contribute $300 million in revenue this year, which is about a 50% increase from 2021. The app will launch elsewhere in Europe and in India in the upcoming quarters, Match said. The largest untapped market opportunity for us is in APAC, Kim said, adding that payer growth in the region should be fueled by Hyperconnect. Still, Match said its seeing weakness in its live streaming business and a rise in Covid cases has blunted momentum particularly in Japan. The shares fell to a low of $58.03 in extended trading after closing at $76.71 in New York. The stock has plunged 42% this year, compared with a 6.3% gain for rival Bumble Inc. Companies including Microsoft Corp. and Netflix Inc. have cited currency fluctuations for reduced revenue. Match said that it has seen a $74 million revenue headwind to date. In the second quarter, Match reported revenue increased 12% to $795 million, compared with the average analyst estimate of $804.1 million. Paying users grew 10% to 16.4 million, falling short of the 16.5 million average estimate. Match reported a net loss of $32.4 million, or a loss of 11 cents a share, compared with net income of $140.5 million, or 46 cents a share, in the period a year earlier. (Updates with details on Tinder in the seventh paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell make their way to the statue dedication ceremony for Amelia Earhart in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Tom Williams/Getty Images McConnell and 25 other Senate Republicans issued a statement supporting Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. The statement shows how challenging China has become a rare issue with bipartisan support. Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday, defying threats from Beijing. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and over two dozen other Senate Republicans issued a rare statement of support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday as she visited Taiwan amid threats from Beijing. "We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan," the statement, which was also signed by prominent Republicans like Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn, Susan Collins, and Jim Risch, said. "For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan," the statement went on to say. "This travel is consistent with the United States' One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act." The statement exemplifies how challenging China has become a bipartisan issue in Washington despite historic political divisions. Under the One China policy, which has guided the US's approach to Taiwan for decades, the US offers diplomatic recognition to Beijing's position that there is only one Chinese government. The US also does not support Taiwan's independence, and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. But the US maintains a robust economic partnership with Taiwan, and strong unofficial ties. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US government is compelled to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons. The US is Taiwan's top supplier of arms. Ahead of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China warned of a possible military response. The Chinese government has contended that Pelosi's trip to the self-governing island democracy undermines the One China policy and excoriated her for making the journey. China's Foreign Ministry in a statement on Tuesday said Pelosi's trip "gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence.'" Story continues In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Pelosi said that visiting Taiwan serves as an important sign of America's commitment to democracy. "We cannot stand by as the [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself," Pelosi said, adding: "Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents even children it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats." Pelosi, the highest-ranking US lawmaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, also rejected the notion that her trip violated the One China policy. China on Tuesday said it's holding live-fire military exercises close to Taiwan in response to Pelosi's visit. Read the original article on Business Insider The fleet just doubled to reach more clinicians with healthcare technology education Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Medtronic Is it a semi-truck, a moving billboard, or a classroom on wheels? The Medtronic Mobile Lab trucks are all three, and one or more may be coming to a city near you. The trucks are built to simulate an operating room and we just doubled our fleet to reach more clinicians with healthcare technology education. With the expansion of Mobile Labs fleet from three to six trucks, we will go from training 2,000 healthcare providers (HCPs) a year on how to use our technologies to more than 5,000 in 38 states across the United States. Theyre a true differentiator for us. Were helping Medtronic play big, and we mean it literally when we talk about these mobile classrooms, said Dave Roberts, Senior Vice President and President, U.S. Market, in the Americas region. So far, the Mobile Labs program is partnering with 11 operating units (OUs) and hopes to expand to more. Each truck is equipped with the latest in surgical equipment and technology and a dedicated staff, which allows for an immersive clinical experience without the need for travel. Bringing the classroom to the clinician When the OUs leverage the trucks in addition to other training tools, it makes for a much more robust learning pathway, said Susan Haider, Senior Director for Marketing Services & Virtual Learning. Demand for both is up, but nothing replaces that hands-on experience. With more than 200 stops planned in FY23, the Mobile Labs are accelerating access to healthcare technology for HCPs, which can ultimately support the delivery of life-transforming healthcare technology for patients. One way the Mobile Labs accelerate access is by quickly training HCPs, who then go on to treat more patients. Without a visit from a Mobile Lab, HCPs can wait up six months to get trained, and often must travel. The Medtronic Mobile Labs program can help customers save training travel time and OUs reduce the cost of education and training in some cases, up to 40%. Story continues Clinicians are more and more taxed for time and being able to leave the hospital setting for education is challenging, said Amy Sainsbury, a Sr. Director for Medical Education & Field Development and Enabling Technologies. When trying to reduce barriers to get people to come to education events, bringing the education to them helps. Read more about how Medtronic is accelerating access to healthcare technology. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Medtronic on 3blmedia.com View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/medtronic-mobile-lab-trucks-expand-access-to-healthcare-tech-959534494 By Daina Beth Solomon MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -A Mexican union on Tuesday said it will request a U.S. labor complaint over alleged worker rights violations at a BBB Industries auto-parts plant in northern Mexico, the latest effort to leverage terms of a regional trade deal. U.S. labor authorities have filed five complaints since last year, all in the autos sector. The Mexican government has complained the mechanism is being applied before states have time to reform their workplaces. Under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which has tougher worker rights rules than its 1994 predecessor free-trade agreement, activists have increasingly flagged alleged misconduct around union representation and demanded higher wages after years of stagnate pay. In a petition to U.S. labor officials, Mexican union SNITIS said workers were intimidated and threatened among other irregularities during a contract vote by union members last month at BBB Industries in the border city of Reynosa. BBB, a privately held Alabama-based company which refurbishes car parts, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. A representative for CTM, a powerful union that holds the BBB contract and many more across Mexico's autos sector, said the group follows strict voting protocols and was not formally informed of worker complaints at BBB. Such contract votes by union members are required under a labor reform that underpins the USMCA, and are geared at wiping out the once widespread practice of deals struck behind workers' backs between companies and business-friendly unions. The petition, co-signed by the Rethink Trade program at the American Economic Liberties Project, a U.S. non-profit, noted various procedural flaws: The vote tally exceeded the number of workers; the ballots were not numbered; neutral observers were absent; workers were not given copies of their contract until voting day. Workers also alleged that company representatives inside the plant and on the production lines pressured them to vote in favor of the contract at risk of losing their benefits, the type of intimidation tactic long prevalent in Mexican workplaces. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio) MicroStrategy (MSTR) announced on Tuesday its founder and CEO Michael Saylor will step down from the top job and take a new post as executive chairman, focused on the company's bitcoin strategy. Phong Le, the company's president, will take over in the CEO role. MicroStrategy reported quarterly results that were light of Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, with revenue coming at $122.1 million against expectations for $126 million. Losses in the quarter totaled $918.1 million, with $917.8 million attributable to the company's bitcoin holdings. In a statement, MicroStrategy said Saylor will focus primarily on, "innovation and long-term corporate strategy, while continuing to provide oversight of the Companys bitcoin acquisition strategy." "As Executive Chairman I will be able to focus more on our bitcoin acquisition strategy and related bitcoin advocacy initiatives, while Phong will be empowered as CEO to manage overall corporate operations, Saylor said in a statement. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 7: Michael Saylor, Chairman & CEO, MicroStrategy, gestures as he speaks during the Bitcoin 2022 Conference at Miami Beach Convention Center on April 7, 2022 in Miami, Florida. The worlds largest bitcoin conference runs from April 6-9, expecting over 30,000 people in attendance and over 7 million live stream viewers worldwide.(Photo by Marco Bello/Getty Images) At the end of Q2, the carrying value of MicroStrategys digital assets (comprised of approximately 129,699 bitcoins) was $1.988 billion, which reflects cumulative impairment losses of $1.989 billion since acquisition and an average carrying amount per bitcoin of approximately $15,326, the company said in a statement. The original cost basis and market value of MicroStrategys bitcoin were $3.977 billion and $2.451 billion, respectively, which reflects an average cost per bitcoin of approximately $30,664 and a market price per bitcoin of $18,895.02, respectively. While not reflective of the current value of the company's bitcoin investment, the impairment offers the latest evidence for how rough the crypto market has been for bitcoin's largest known corporate holder. As of Tuesday afternoon, the price of bitcoin has recovered 23% from its low of $17,708 per coin on June 17 though it remains 51% below year to date. Since first buying bitcoin during the third quarter of 2020, MicroStrategy has invested over $4 billion into the cryptocurrency. To do that, it's issued corporate debt, convertible bonds, issued stock, and taken out a loan with some of its bitcoin. Story continues MicroStrategy shares were little-changed in after hours trading following this announcement. Through Tuesday's close, the stock has gained over 60% over the past month yet remains down roughly 50% year-to-date. Charges related to the company's bitcoin position also doesn't tell the company's full story according to Mark Palmer, an analyst with BTIG who calls it "accounting noise." Based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), MicroStrategy must account for its bitcoin purchases by recording their initial cost with a mark down if bitcoin's value declines. Under these rules, bitcoin's value from the quarter's low to its end cannot be reported unless the asset is sold thus the impairment charge reflects bitcoin's lowest value during the previous quarter, not its market value at the second quarter's end. "The reality is that the overwhelming driver, the value of MicroStrategy is the company's Bitcoin holdings. The driver of that, of course, is the price of Bitcoin at any point in time," Palmer added. Since bitcoin's value began plummeting in May, investors have sold shares of MSTR short at an increasing pace. Between May and July 14, the amount of MSTR shares shorted has risen by 1.19 million from 2.4 to 3.6 million shares, reaching a notional value of over $1 billion in short positions according to Yahoo Finance data. "Our people and our brand carry incredible momentum. I would like to reinforce our commitment to our customers, shareholders, partners and employees, and I look forward to leading the organization for the long-term health and growth of our enterprise software and bitcoin acquisition strategies, said Le in the release. At current market prices, the company's crypto investments hold a total market value of $2.9 billion. Click here for the latest crypto news, updates, values, prices, and more related to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, DeFi and NFTs Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed a positive monkeypox case in Pueblo County. The state health department has started a case investigation and is contact tracing. The infected individual in Pueblo is currently isolating in their home. The presence of this virus in Pueblo County is unwelcome news, but not a surprise, and I am hopeful this person recovers quickly, said Randy Evetts, public health director at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment. We have been closely following the global spread of hMPXV (the human version of the monkeypox virus) and continue to maintain close communication with experts from CDPHE. Individuals who are identified through contact tracing will be provided with a vaccine for the virus, said Sophia Montoya, a Pueblo health department epidemiologist. Closer look: Rising reports of monkeypox cases in US and around the world raise concern JYNNEOS, a vaccine manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent smallpox and monkeypox, is available in limited supply for those who have been exposed to the viral outbreak, Montoya said. "Within the first four days of being in contact (with a positive individual), it can possibly stop someone from getting monkeypox, and within 12 days it would help mitigate the symptoms so they'd be less severe," Montoya said. Human monkeypox virus is an Orthopoxvirus genus that also includes smallpox and cowpoxviruses. Symptoms are like smallpox symptoms, but milder, and are uncomfortable but rarely fatal the version of monkeypox spreading right now in non-endemic countries like the U.S. has a fatality rate of less than 1%, according to the Colorado health department. Virus symptoms, according to the state health department, include: Fever Headache Muscle and back aches Chills Exhaustion Respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat, cough or nasal congestion A rash, commonly on the genitals or anus but also on other areas of the body such as hands, feet, chest, face or mouth. A rash related to monkeypox will go through several stages, including scabbing, before healing. The rash can look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy. Story continues The incubation period for monkeypox is typically seven to 14 days but can range from five to 21 days, according to the state health department. Most people recover within two to four weeks. Montoya noted that the disease is less transmissible than COVID-19 transmission through respiratory droplets is possible but requires a prolonged interaction, as opposed to COVID-19, which can potentially be transmitted in minutes and is primarily spread through direct skin-to-skin contact, contact with body fluids, or prolonged face-to-face contact, rather than airborne transmission. However, monkeypox can also be contracted through contact with objects; fabrics such as clothing, bedding or towels; and surfaces that have been used by someone who has the virus. "If you think you may have been infected, the best thing you can do is contact your health provider," Montoya said. More:Monkeypox cases in each state: California, New York declare emergencies as outbreak grows If you do not have a primary care physician, call the Pueblo Community Health Center or an urgent care or call 211 to find other local resources. Anyone with symptoms is urged to isolate. Colorado will receive more monkeypox vaccines from the federal government in the near future, according to the county health department, and preventive vaccines will become more widely available. Monkeypox has recently spread internationally. It is endemic in Central and West Africa. ... This is the first significant outbreak in the United States and has generated national public interest," Evetts said. "The fact that we have a confirmed case in Pueblo County is not alarming; in general, monkeypox poses a low risk for the population. However, as the public health department, it is our duty to provide information to the public about any health concerns. We want to make sure our community knows where to find information and who to contact if there is the need." The monkeypox virus has been spreading in the U.S. and globally. To date, there have been 5,189 cases identified in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Worldwide, there have been over 22,400 cases during the current outbreak. Epidemiological data on recent cases suggests there may be a heightened risk for people who have recently traveled to a country where monkeypox has been reported or for men who have sex with other men, according to the Colorado health department. Anyone can get monkeypox men, women and children. While some communities are at higher risk currently, we should not stigmatize this disease and must work to assure that anyone who is exposed is comfortable seeking care," Evetts said. For more information about monkeypox, visit pueblohealth.org/monkeypox. Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Monkeypox case confirmed in Pueblo County House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has landed on the island of Taiwan after weeks of international speculation and threats of retaliation from the Chinese Communist Party. Pelosi, who is conducting an extensive tour of multiple allied nations in Asia, has finally touched down in Taiwan despite repeated threats to the speaker's safety. Her plane touched down in Taiwan at approximately 10:45am EST. "Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances," Pelosi said in a statement after arrival. "The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo." PELOSI TAIWAN TRIP: 4 US WARSHIPS POSITIONED EAST OF ISLAND A U.S. military aircraft with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Sungshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2022. SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images Pelosi is the first House speaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, and the Taiwanese government has been eager to host the speaker. Diplomatic trips of this level could serve to provide Taiwan legitimacy on the world stage. China has issued stern warnings against such a visit in previous weeks, including threats from government officials and TV personalities. And President Biden revealed weeks ago that the U.S. military "thinks it's not a good idea right now." CHINA FURIOUS AFTER PELOSI LANDS IN TAIWAN, PROMISES ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO DEFEND ITSELF Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Biden in a phone call Thursday that the U.S. must not "play with fire" on Taiwan. "Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this," a Chinese readout of the Biden-Xi call said. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed to Fox News on Tuesday that Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is operating in the Philippine Sea, East of Taiwan along with the with guided missile cruiser USS Antietam and destroyer USS Higgins. NANCY PELOSI LANDS IN TAIWAN AMID CHINA TENSION OVER HIGH-LEVEL VISIT: LIVE UPDATES Story continues The spokesperson emphasized these are routine and normal deployments and locations where the U.S. 7th fleet normally operates. The spokesperson confirmed that amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli is in the area as well. FORMER CHINESE STATE MEDIA EDITOR SUGGESTS NANCY PELOSI BE 'RESTRAINED,' 'PUNISHED' BY CCP FOR VISITING TAIWAN The People's Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan's air defense zone. Pro-China demonstrators protest outside the Grand Hyatt hotel ahead of the arrival of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images The U.S. does not have official relations with Taiwan also known as the Republic of China and maintains a One China Policy that recognizes the People's Republic of China as the legitimate successor nation. However, America has been stepping up engagement with the island as China seeks to isolate it from global institutions. A U.S. military aircraft with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Sungshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2022. SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images The USS Ronald Reagan and a strike group are currently positioned near Taiwan after they left a port in Singapore Tuesday. A Navy spokesperson confirmed the news but said it was a planned trip. Pelosi is traveling with a House delegation that includes Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Mark Takano of California, Suzan DelBene of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey. Juan Soto was traded by the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press) Last week, Juan Soto was showered with Future Dodger! chants by the Dodger Stadium crowd. The next time he returns to Chavez Ravine, he'll almost certainly be met with a far different reception. The Washington Nationals on Tuesday traded Soto to the San Diego Padres making the 23-year-old superstar outfielder the latest blockbuster addition for the Dodgers division rivals. Soto was dealt along with first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres in exchange for a massive return of prospects and young players: left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-hander Jarlin Susana, shortstop C.J. Abrams and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood. Luke Voit a 31-year-old first baseman/designated, is also headed to the Nationals. Veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer was originally thought to be part of the package heading to Washington, but he reportedly exercised his no-trade clause. He then reportedly was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Soto will a join a lineup headlined by Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Soto became available after rejecting a 15-year, $440-million contract extension offer from the Nationals last month, and acquiring him was expected to take an unprecedented haul of assets in return. But Soto is the kind of generational talent who might be worth it, a two-time All-Star and 2020 National League batting champion who will be under team control not only this year but for the following two seasons as well. In recent days, the Dodgers, Padres and St. Louis Cardinals had emerged as the three front-runners in trade talks for Soto. Up until Monday night less than 24 hours before the trade deadline the Dodgers were still believed to have a shot at adding the Dominican star. But by Tuesday morning, the Padres had emerged as Soto's landing spot, giving up a promising young starter in Gore, two of their top three prospects in Hassell and Wood, and a young position player off their big league roster in Abrams. With Soto off the board, the Dodgers still have several other options before Tuesdays 3 p.m. PDT deadline. Story continues They could target a pitcher, with Pablo Lopez of the Miami Marlins appearing to be one of their top targets. According to multiple people with knowledge of the situation, the two teams have had discussions about the 26-year-old right-hander, who has a 3.41 ERA in 21 starts this year and is under team control for two more seasons after this year. The Dodgers did add a bat on Tuesday, acquiring slugger Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees for minor leaguer pitcher Clayton Beeter. The team could also pursue more bullpen depth. Or, there is the possibility they remain relatively quiet, content with the construction of a roster that entered deadline day with the best winning percentage in baseball and a 12-game lead over the Padres in the NL West. Either way, the fact the Dodgers missed out on Soto will sting for much of a fan base that had dreamed about adding the young slugger to an already stacked lineup. They were hoping to see him at Chavez Ravine wearing Dodger blue. Instead, Soto is now set to return to Los Angeles again this weekend this time wearing the uniform of one of the Dodgers' biggest rivals. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Neil Patrick Harris has said that Ncuti Gatwa will play a cool, sexier Doctor when he joins Doctor Who. The How I Met Your Mother actor will join the franchise as part of the shows 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023, playing the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced. Speaking to Variety, Harris said that he had had the chance to meet the Sex Education star during filming. I got to meet and interact with him a bit and hes glorious, Harris said. Hell be the first gay Doctor, which is going to be super cool, a sexier Doctor. While the Doctors sexuality has never been explicitly labelled on the show, Jodie Whittakers Doctor has been involved in a will-they-wont-they romantic plot with her companion Yaz (Mandip Gill). Whittakers final episode as the 13th Doctor will air later this year, when it is expected that their "developing" relationship will be confirmed. Gatwa will take over the role from Whittaker for the 60th anniversary and new series. Mandip Gill and Jodie WHittaker in Doctor Who' (BBC Studios/James Pardon) While the actor initially gained recoginition for playing queer character Eric in Sex Education, he has not publically discussed his sexuality. Speaking about his casting when it was revealed in May, Gatwa said he was deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. He continued: This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my utmost to do the same. Gatwas series will also mark the return of former showrunner Russell T Davies as head writer on Doctor Who. Davies, who was responsible for reviving the sci-fi series in 2005, started auditions for Whittakers replacement last December and said that Gatwa had dazzled him. Doctor Who will return later this year. A flower is placed on a portrait of fallen Lee County Sheriff's Sgt. Steven Mazzotta at the Beyond the Call of Duty-Ride to Remember trailer wall at the Lee County Sheriff's Office on Monday, July 4, 2022, in Florida. Mazzotta died of complications of COVID-19. The Officer Down Memorial Page says more than 600 law enforcement officers have died of COVID-19. The End of Watch Ride started in Spokane, Washington, on June 1 and is traveling 79 days across the United States making tribute stops at hundreds of law enforcement agencies to honor fallen law enforcement officers. Rhode Island reported 1,867 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 1,864 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19. Rhode Island ranked 41st among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 7.4% from the week before, with 906,593 cases reported. With 0.32% of the country's population, Rhode Island had 0.21% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 28 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before. Newport County reported 124 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 102 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 23,476 cases and 96 deaths. a Within Rhode Island, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Kent County with 195 cases per 100,000 per week; Providence County with 170; and Bristol County with 167. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week. Adding the most new cases overall were Providence County, with 1,088 cases; Kent County, with 320 cases; and Washington County, with 175. a >> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases a Across Rhode Island, cases fell in three counties, with the best declines in Washington County, with 175 cases from 208 a week earlier; in Providence County, with 1,088 cases from 1,106; and in Bristol County, with 81 cases from 88. a In Rhode Island, a four a people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, five people were reported dead. A total of 410,399 people in Rhode Island have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 3,630 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 91,316,648 people have tested positive and 1,029,926 people have died. Story continues >> Track coronavirus cases across the United States Rhode Island's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 31. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state: Last week: 70 The week before that: 80 Four weeks ago: 76 Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation: Last week: 75,143 The week before that: 73,476 Four weeks ago: 63,312 Hospitals in 24 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 21 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 30 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport County reported 124 additional COVID-19 cases this week California on Monday evening became the latest state to declare a state of emergency due to its worsening monkeypox outbreak. In a statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said the proclamation is meant to help bolster the states efforts to combat the virus. The state of emergency allows several measures, including the administering of FDA-approved monkeypox vaccines. California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach, Newsom said. He added, Well continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization. The proclamation comes as California has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses in addition to the separate vaccine allocation sent to Los Angeles County. The state allocates doses to local health departments based on a number of factors, including the number of reported monkeypox cases in an area and estimate of at-risk populations, Newsoms office noted. The current monkeypox virus case count sits at around 5,000 confirmed cases in the U.S., with California and New York recording the most cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois follows slightly behind, with 520 confirmed cases. Earlier Monday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced a state of emergency for his state, citing the need to increase the coordination efforts of state agencies. The Monkeypox Virus is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread, he said in a statement. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Miller Value Partners, an investment management firm, published its "Miller Value Partners Deep Value Strategy" second-quarter 2022 investor letter a copy of which can be downloaded here. The Deep Value Strategy had a very disappointing second quarter experiencing significant valuation contraction during the period. For the quarter, the Deep Value Strategy was down more than 30%, significantly lagging the S&P 1500 Value Index and the overall market. For the year, the Strategy is down about 10%, ahead of the S&P 1500 Value Index and the overall market. Go over the funds top 5 positions to have a glimpse of its finest picks for 2022. In its Q2 2022 investor letter, Miller Value Partners Deep Value Strategy Fund mentioned Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) and explained its insights for the company. Founded in 1906, Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) is a McLean, Virginia-based mass media holding company with a $441.2 million market capitalization. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) delivered a -43.53% return since the beginning of the year, while its 12-month returns are down by -47.83%. The stock closed at $3.01 per share on July 29, 2022. Here is what Miller Value Partners Deep Value Strategy has to say about Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) in its Q2 2022 investor letter: "Our two largest detractors during the quarter were Gannett (NYSE:GCI) and Quad Graphics (QUAD). Both companies share prices were adversely impacted by marketplace fears on a future pullback in advertising and marketing services over the coming quarters due to economic weakness. We continue to believe Gannetts multi-year transformation plan to transition from an analog to digital media company has an opportunity to unlock significant equity value. We see limited value in the share price for the companys Business-to-Business, digital marketing services (DMS) platform and Business-to-Consumer platform, which should generate high-margin, reoccurring subscription revenue over time. In addition, we believe Gannetts sports medium, national events business, and sports betting operation are underappreciated assets. With a Price-to-Sales now less than .2x, the marketplace appears to be overlooking Gannets significant asset base and future free cash flow potential." Story continues 15 Most Valuable App Companies Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Our calculations show that Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) fell short and didnt make it on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) was in 16 hedge fund portfolios at the end of the second quarter of 2022, compared to 14 funds in the previous quarter. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) delivered a -24.94% return in the past 3 months. In May 2022, we also shared another hedge funds views on Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) in another article. You can find other investor letters from hedge funds and prominent investors on our hedge fund investor letters 2022 Q2 page. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. ALONA MAZURENKO TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2022, 16:47 The Russian occupiers are hiding their real losses from the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the hotel where they were stationed, the Krasnyi Luch in Khrustalnyi, Luhansk Oblast. Source: Main Intelligence Directorate Quote from the Main Intelligence Directorate: "A unit of occupying troops was stationed in the Krasnyi Luch hotel in the city of Khrustalnyi, in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast. But after inflicting fire damage on the place of deployment [of Russian soldiers by the Armed Forces of Ukraine], the enemy did not publish information about losses. Instead, a set of measures aimed at concealing the fact of the death and wounding of its servicemen has been taken." Details: According to intelligence, the occupiers sent most of the injured soldiers using civilian vehicles to the military hospital in Rostov-on-Don. After the destruction of all traces of the effective strike of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russians began to spread fake information that all the occupiers allegedly managed to leave the hotel in time and none of them were injured. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda! Aug. 2MASSENA American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was among those taking part in a conference call organized by the Food Research and Action Center to call on Congress to extend the free meals for all students program before the August recess. Also participating were Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center, Crystal FitzSimons, director of the center, and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, president and CEO of MomsRising. An extension to the pandemic-era school meal waivers program that was passed by Congress in June contained a caveat that would require most low-income families to apply again for the program and, for students who qualify for reduced-price meals, to resume paying for breakfast and lunch. The "Keep Kids Fed Act" waiver that had been in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic had been set to expire June 30. Mr. Guardia said households with children had been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and continue to struggle. And many, he said, were already facing issues before the pandemic started. "Even before COVID, hunger in America was a serious problem and the pandemic only deepened that crisis. If not for the innovation and the investments in the federal nutrition programs, hunger in this country would be far, far worse," he said. "Now is not the time to pull the rug out from underneath struggling families. Students, parents and schools need support as they continue to recover from the fallout of the pandemic. We know solutions exist, and Congress must act now and prioritize the well-being of our nation's children." Ms. FitzSimons said that, with Congress breaking for recess this month, "we are at a critical juncture to ensure that children receive the nutritious meals that they need to learn and thrive." "School meals are an important resource for families struggling to recover from the pandemic. They reduce childhood hunger, they improve health, and they support children's' academic achievement. Without access to free school meals this upcoming school year, an alarming number of children will be at risk of hunger and, without congressional action, when students return to the classrooms for the new school year, free school meals will no longer be offered to all students at no charge," Ms. FitzSimons said. "Schools will return to a tiered eligibility system where some students receive free meals and others are charged, and that limits participation for too many children whose families are struggling to make ends meet." Story continues She said that by building on the momentum created by the Keep Kids Fed Act, "Congress has the opportunity to strengthen and improve access to school meals and create a permanent financial resource for families during the summer months." "We are happy that the budget reconciliation bill is moving forward, but we are also very disappointed that the child nutrition provisions were not included in the final package," she said. "We hope that Congress will prioritize children's nutritional needs in another legislative vehicle." That includes extending the U.S. Department of Agriculture's waiver authorities that allow schools to offer free meals to all students at no charge through the 2022-23 school year. She also suggested expanding the Community Eligibility Program so more schools are able to offer free meals to all students at no charge after the school year, and creating a nationwide program that would provide additional resources to purchase food during the summer months for families who rely on free and reduced-price school meals during the school year. Ms. Weingarten said she was also disappointed that the child nutrition waivers were not extended. "As educators in the classroom, we know that keeping students fed is absolutely imperative. Speaking for my union, we will keep on working to make it a priority and to not let people turn it away. That's because nutrition really matters," she said. "We talk about how no child should go to school hungry or should feel shame, embarrassment or fear because they can't afford a meal in school, That is part of having a safe and welcoming space for children. When we can't get the child nutrition program done, then our words are not sufficient because it's the action that matter, not the words." Ms. Weingarten said food insecurity isn't a Republican or Democratic issue. "It happens all the time. It happens in the months when schools are in teaching and the months that schools are not, and we need to make sure that there's no shaming and that every single child can get the kind of nutritious breakfast and lunch that is absolutely imperative for them to thrive," she said. Ms. Rowe-Finkbeiner, president and CEO of MomsRising, said her organization is more than a million people strong. "I'm here today to add my voice and add the voice of moms across the country and to all those who are demanding universal free school lunches continue through the coming school year. We were disappointed to learn last night that the child nutrition provisions were not included in the inflation reduction act, which does contain some important advances, but also had some devastating omissions like this one that will harm our families," she said. She said MomsRising will "work tirelessly to convince Congress to find a way to strengthen child nutrition programs before students head back to school in the fall." "The free school meals that were available to all students for the last two years during the pandemic were an enormous help. They meant fewer kids went hungry, more families could afford to put healthy, nutritious foods on the table, and more students were ready to learn," she said. "The success of these programs is proof positive that this policy works and should not end." "We don't need chaos this fall on top of an ongoing pandemic," she added." We need free school meals for all, today, especially because food prices are skyrocketing, the pandemic continues, families can't afford gas to get to the store, and supply chain disruptions are creating unpredictable and sometimes unmanageable food shortages." Phoenix police are investigating an overnight shooting that left an unidentified man dead near 17th Avenue and Angela Drive. Phoenix police are investigating an overnight shooting that left 65-year-old James Hendrickson dead near 17th Avenue and Angela Drive. Officers responded to a call on Monday about a shooting and detained a man who identified himself as the shooter, Phoenix police said. Hendrickson was found with gunshot injuries and later died, police said. According to police, the man who identified himself as the shooter told police he was acting out of self-defense. He was not booked into jail pending further investigation, police said. The identity of the man who was found with gunshot injuries was not released by police. An investigation is ongoing. Reach breaking news reporter Jodicee Arianna at Jodicee.Harris@gannett.com. Support local journalism, subscribe to https://www.azcentral.com/. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Overnight shooting in Phoenix leaves man dead, suspect not arrested A pair of teens have been arrested in connection with a botched robbery that erupted into gunfire and left a man injured on June 11. Robert Jones, 17, faces multiple charges including attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a delinquent and shooting within an occupied vehicle. Terry Jones, 19, was charged with attempted murder, attempted armed robbery with a firearm and a violation of parole. Terry Jones' attorney has not responded to a request for comment; Robert Jones has not had a public defender assigned to his case yet, according to court records. More recent robberies: Man robbed outside his apartment Police received a call for service regarding a man injured with a gunshot wound at the Camellia Knoll apartment complex, 200 block of Dixie Drive, just north of West Pensacola Street, sometime after 2 a.m. When officers arrived, they found the man who was immediately taken to a local hospital, court records said. While in the trauma unit, he told investigators earlier that night he stopped at the Shell Gas Station, 2410 W. Pensacola St., where he took notice of a pair of young men in camouflage jackets, according to an arrest affidavit. Soon after, he saw the same two people standing near the entrance of the apartment complex where he resides. The man said they "appeared suspicious," so he circled around so they couldn't find where he lives, a probable cause affidavit said. On his second loop, the pair called out to him. He stopped before one of them got into his front passenger seat, produced a gun and said, "Give it up." He tried pulling away before he was shot through the upper chest, court records state. Both men then fled the scene. Story continues Following the shooting, police found a single projectile inside the man's car. TPD did not include this shooting in an incident synopsis, which notifies local media and the public of serious crimes in city limits including shootings. The police department has not responded to comment on the omission. There have been at least 78 serious shootings in the capital city and county this year resulting in at least 51 injuries and 13 deaths, according to an analysis of gun violence by the Tallahassee Democrat. Later robbery leads to arrests On July 6, a separate robbery occurred in the 3500 block of Sundown Road that bore striking resemblance to the mid-June robbery. Police investigating this case landed on Robert Jones as a suspect. Because of the similarities between robberies, detectives showed a photo of Jones to the victim of the mid-July shooting, who identified him as one of the men who attempted to rob him, according to a probable cause affidavit. Police identified the other suspect, Terry Jones, through a family member as well as a palm-print left on the victim's car. Robert Jones was arrested Thursday and brought to the Leon County Detention Facility where he remains on a $50,000 bond for the attempted murder charge, read court records. Terry Jones who was arrested last year after Florida State University police connected him to robbing a vehicle has been in the Leon County jail without bond since Monday, according to court records. Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter. Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police arrest teens for attempted murder in botched robbery TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi flew in aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwan's foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel. Her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The speaker framed the trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Her visit comes after she led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and it serves as a capstone to her many years of promoting democracy abroad. "We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Story continues Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the Taiwan independence forces seeking independence. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility." Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement that referred to the U.S. as "the world's biggest saboteur of peace." Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative were utterly absurd. I believe she has every right to go, McConnell said in a Senate speech. Senators are considering legislation to bolster Taiwans defense as direct response to Chinas rhetoric. The Taiwan Policy Act, which has support from both parties, will be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The package would bolster Taiwans defense capabilities with nearly $4.5 billion in security assistance over the next four years and provide other support for Taiwans democratic government and civil society. The measure would also designate Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally, which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. Backers call it the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Pelosi's trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei. Journalists and onlookers thronged the streets just outside and pressed against the hotel's lobby windows as they awaited Pelosi's motorcade. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. China has stepped up overflights and other provocative moves toward Taiwan and neighboring territory in recent years, asserting broad claims of its rights around the region. Chinas military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House insisted that China had no valid cause for anger. The United States will not seek, and does not want, a crisis, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a White House briefing Tuesday. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling. U.S. officials have said the American military will increase its movements in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosi's visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their home port in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosis aircraft, an Air Force version of the Boeing 737, took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. The speaker has long challenged China on human rights, including traveling to Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after China crushed a wave of democracy protests. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour Monday in Singapore. She is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. ___ Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. By Yimou Lee and Sarah Wu TAIPEI (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday on a trip she said shows an unwavering American commitment to the Chinese-claimed self-ruled island, but China condemned the highest-level U.S. visit in 25 years as a threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Pelosi and the rest of her delegation disembarked from a U.S. Air Force transport plane at Songshan Airport in downtown Taipei after the nighttime landing on a flight from Malaysia to begin a visit that risks pushing U.S.-Chinese relations to a new low. They were greeted by Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and Sandra Oudkirk, the top U.S. representative in Taiwan. Her arrival prompted a furious response from China at a time when international tensions already are elevated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring it under its control. The United States warned China against using the visit as a pretext for military action against Taiwan. "Our congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," Pelosi said in a statement shortly after landing. "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." Pelosi, second in the line of succession to the U.S. presidency, is a long-time China critic. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen will meet with Pelosi on Wednesday morning and then have lunch together, the presidential office said. Pelosi, travelling with six other American lawmakers, became the most-senior U.S. political leader to visit Taiwan since 1997. China's foreign ministry said it lodged a strong protest with the United States, saying Pelosi's visit seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, "has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Story continues Chinese warplanes buzzed the line dividing the Taiwan Strait before her arrival. The Chinese military has been put on high alert and will launch "targeted military operations" in response to Pelosi's visit, the defence ministry said. The Chinese military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan starting on Tuesday night and test launches of conventional missiles in the sea east of Taiwan, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday. Pelosi is on an Asia tour that includes announced visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Her Taiwan visit was unannounced but widely anticipated. In a Washington Post opinion piece released after landing, Pelosi explained her visit, praising Taiwan's commitment to democratic government while criticizing China as having dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan in recent years. "We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan - and democracy itself," Pelosi said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Pelosi also cited China's "brutal crackdown" on political dissent in Hong Kong and its treatment of Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities, which the United States has deemed genocide. As Pelosi's motorcade approached her hotel, escorted by police cars with flashing red and blue lights, scores of supporters cheered and ran toward the black vehicles with their arms outstretched and phone cameras on. The motorcade drove straight into the hotel's parking lot. On Tuesday night, Taiwan's tallest building, Taipei 101, lit up with messages including: "Welcome to Taiwan", "Speaker Pelosi" and "Taiwan (heart) USA". WHITE HOUSE REACTS White House national security spokesman John Kirby said after Pelosi's arrival that the United States "is not going to be intimidated" by China's threats or bellicose rhetoric and that there is no reason her visit should precipitate a crisis or conflict. "We will continue to support Taiwan, defend a free and open Indo-Pacific and seek to maintain communication with Beijing," Kirby told a later White House briefing, adding that the United States "will not engage in sabre-rattling." Kirby said China might engage in "economic coercion" toward Taiwan, adding that the impact on American-Chinese relations will depend on Beijing's actions in the coming days and weeks. Pelosi, 82, is a close ally of U.S. President Joe Biden, both being members of the Democratic Party, and has helped guide his legislative agenda through Congress. Four sources said Pelosi is also scheduled on Wednesday to meet activists outspoken about China's human rights record. The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by American law to provide it with the means to defend itself. China views visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the island. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island's future. Several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday morning before leaving later in the day, a source told Reuters. Several Chinese warships also sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday and remained there, the source said. Taiwan's defence ministry said 21 Chinese aircraft entered its air defence identification zone on Tuesday, and that China was attempting to threaten key ports and cities with drills around the island. Taiwan's armed forces have "reinforced" their alertness level, it added. Taylor Fravel, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology expert on China's military, said China's planned exercises appear as though they may be greater in scope than during a Taiwan Strait crisis in 1995 and 1996. "Taiwan will face military exercises and missile tests from its north, south, east and west. This is unprecedented," Fravel said. Four U.S. warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy called routine deployments. Russia, locked in confrontation with the West over its Ukraine invasion, condemned Pelosi's visit. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the United States "a state provocateur." (Reporting by Yimou Lee and Sarah Wu, and Fabian Hamacher in Taipei, Yew Lun Tian and Ryan Woo in Beijing, Brenda Goh in Shanghai, and Nandita Bose and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Writing by Tony Munroe and Michael Martina; Editing by Will Dunham, Angus MacSwan and Mark Heinrich) 1st grain-laden ship from Ukraine to anchor off Istanbul for inspection: Turkish ministry Xinhua) 08:15, August 02, 2022 Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (R), the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, center), and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) sign a deal in Istanbul, Turkiye, on July 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Shadati) ISTANBUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The first cargo ship carrying grain from Ukraine would anchor off Istanbul in the early hours of Wednesday Aug. 3 for a joint inspection as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced Monday. The ministry said in a written message that the vessel will not enter any port and the inspections will be carried out at the anchorage point on the sea. A team of the Joint Coordination Center composed of representatives from Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkiye will board the ship for inspection at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Wednesday. The Coast Guard Command will take necessary measures to ensure that no other boat will approach the vessel, according to the ministry. "If there is no problem, afterward, hopefully, the vessel will continue on its journey," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a televised speech. The Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni left Ukraine's Odesa port on Monday morning for Tripoli in Lebanon. Carrying 26,527 tonnes of corn, Razoni will pass through the Bosphorus Strait and sail to the Mediterranean. Akar noted that the passage of other cargo ships with the same methodology through the "determined corridor" is also planned as part of the agreement signed in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that the agreement will lead to a cease-fire and lasting peace and Turkiye will do what is necessary to this end. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov also announce on his social media accounts that the vessel Razoni would move along a corridor whose safety has been confirmed by Ukraine's guarantor partners, "the UN and Turkiye." Kubrakov said Ukraine is the world's fourth largest exporter of corn, and the opportunity of exporting its products is a "colossal success" for ensuring global food security. According to the minister, 16 more ships are waiting for their turn at Odesa port. "In the coming weeks, with the support of our partners, we plan to reach the full capacity for the shipment of agricultural products," he noted. Last week, the Joint Coordination Center was inaugurated in Istanbul. It has a total of 20 representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the United nations and Turkiye to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process. The center will track the journey of the ships from Ukraine to guarantee their safe passages on the Black Sea, and conduct controls both at Ukrainian ports and in Turkiye. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations to allow food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R) being welcomed by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (L) after landing at Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan on August 2, 2022. Getty Images Pelosi visited Taiwan on Tuesday in defiance of threats from Beijing. Pelosi said the trip was an important sign of America's support for democracy. But she visited just weeks after Biden met with Saudi Arabia's autocratic leader. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday, visiting the self-governing island democracy in spite of incendiary threats from the Chinese government. In a Washington Post op-ed defending the controversial visit, Pelosi contended that traveling to Taiwan sent an important message about the US government's commitment to defending democracy at a time when Beijing is increasingly aggressive. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, and said it would launch a series of military drills around the island as a response to Pelosi defying Beijing's warnings. Pelosi's trip to Taiwan came just weeks after President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, visited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a leader widely regarded as an autocrat and enemy to democracy. The two trips highlight how the US government's professed values often clash with how it pursues what it perceives as the country's best interests. "We cannot stand by as the [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself," Pelosi said, adding, "Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents even children it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats." Pelosi's op-ed echoed Biden, who has routinely said that there's a global fight between democracy and autocracy. Biden has said that the US is in a competition with China to win the 21st century, framing it as part of the broader battle against autocracy. Along these lines, Biden faced widespread criticism when he visited Saudi Arabia and met with Prince Mohammed often referred to as MBS whom the US explicitly implicated in the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden on the campaign trail pledged to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over Khashoggi's killing. Story continues As he fist-bumped MBS before the world, Biden was accused of prioritizing business over human rights and democracy. US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bandar Algaloud/Reuters "MBS is in many ways a product of the American-led order of the past several decades. Our prioritization of profit over other values," Ben Rhodes, a former speechwriter and deputy national security adviser to former President Barack Obama, wrote in The Atlantic last month. "American foreign policy often highlights the gap between the values-based story that the United States tells about itself and the reality of how a superpower pursues its interests," Rhodes wrote. He said that Biden is not the first president "who has struggled to reconcile a declared commitment to human rights with a more utilitarian definition of American interests," but added that the rationalizations the US employs to maintain relations with countries like Saudi Arabia "perpetuate a debilitating and cynical status quo." Biden's visit to the oil-rich country and meeting with MBS occurred amid concerns over the global oil crisis linked to the Ukraine war. The president defended the visit by contending it was vital to upholding US interests, and ensuring that there wasn't a power vacuum in the Middle East filled by China and Russia. Critics questioned why Biden would meet with MBS at a time when he's underscored the importance of defending democracy and democratic values. Aaron David Miller, a former US diplomat who advised multiple secretaries of state on the Middle East, in comments to Insider in June referred to MBS as "among the most repressive authoritarian leaders" in the region. Read the original article on Business Insider House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia Tuesday for the second leg of her Asian tour that is being overshadowed by an expected stop in Taiwan. Pelosi and her delegation touched down at an air force base in Kuala Lumpur. She met with lower house Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun in Parliament and participated in a luncheon with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Pelosi issued a statement on her visit Tuesday, writing: "Today, our Congressional delegation was honored to be received by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Foreign Minister Saifuddin. We engaged in wide-ranging discussion on advancing our shared goals for a free and secure Indo-Pacific." Pelosi said her discussions with Malaysian leaders "included security challenges, economic opportunities and governance priorities." CHINESE MILITARY POSTS VIDEO BOASTING MILITARY AHEAH OF PELOSI TRIP TO TAIWAN "In each of our meetings, we extended an appreciation for Malaysias vote at the United Nations on Russias aggression and their leadership in ASEAN on repudiating Burma for its deadly crackdown on dissent," Pelosi said. "Our governance conversations centered on integrity in government, addressing the climate crisis and fighting COVID. We agreed to continue collaborating on our shared security interests, economic priorities, trade, human trafficking and climate issues." While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night. She would become the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. Word of Pelosi's trip did not sit well with China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory and any trip by a high-ranking American official as confirmation of U.S. support for the Island's independence. China said its military will "never sit idly by" if Pelosi pushes ahead with the visit. China's threats of retaliation have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could roil global markets and supply chains. Story continues The White House said it will not engage with China's "saber rattling." White House national security spokesman John Kirby downplayed the significance of the threats. FOR CHINA'S MILITARY PLANNERS, TAIWAN IS NOT AN EASY ISLAND TO INVADE "We shouldnt be, as a country, we shouldnt be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions. This is an important trip for the speaker to be on, and were going to do whatever we can to support her," Kirby told reporters. Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang celebrated the potential arrival of Pelosi without confirming the House Speaker's trip. "We always warmly welcome visits to our country by distinguished foreign guests," he said. Fox News' Michael Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report. House Speaker Pelosi Holds Weekly News Conference US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on Friday, July 29, 2022. Credit - Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Speaker Nancy Pelosis tour in Asia this week would look like an ordinary congressional overseas trip during the dog days of summerbut for the purported intention to make a stop in Taiwan. The possibility is adding tension to the often fraught U.S.-China relationship. The question is why Pelosi believes such a visit is necessary, particularly at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping has an incentive to elevate his hawkish bona-fides as he seeks to attain a norm-breaking third term. The easiest answer is the most likely: there is no reason for the trip, other than that Pelosi wants to show her commitment to Taiwan. As one might expect, Chinese officials have responded angrily to the notion of the most senior U.S. lawmaker grasping hands with Taiwanese officials. During his hours-long call with President Biden on July 28, Xi warned the U.S. to avoid playing with fire on the Taiwan issue, a phrase he used during a virtual summit with Biden last November. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian had also earlier warned of forceful responses if Pelosi lands on Taiwanese soil. For Beijing, the status of Taiwan is an absolute red-line, and a key plank of Xis national rejuvenation campaign is its eventual reincorporation into the mainland. Read More: Why the U.S. Retreat from Afghanistan Alarms Allies Like Taiwan To its credit, the Biden administration appears to grasp just how controversial Pelosis trip would be in the eyes of Chinese officials. President Biden stated flatly that the military thinks its not a good idea right now, and the Pentagon is so concerned about possible Chinese military reprisals that it plans to increase forces in the region. This isnt the first time a senior U.S. politician has visited the self-governing, democratically run island that China considers a breakaway province. Pelosi isnt even the first speaker of the House to visit; that precedent-setting trip was made by Newt Gingrich in April 1997. But that trip came in another era when the balance of power between the U.S. and China looked different. And even back then, Beijing has reacted to these kinds of visits largely by accelerating military exercises in the area and sending aircraft across the Taiwan Straits median-line. Story continues Taiwanese military personnel stand by during a military exercise that simulates a mainland Chinese invasion of the island, July 27, 2022, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images When former Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar made a visit in August 2020, China dispatched J-11 and J-10 fighter planes into Taiwans side of the median-line. This April, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) sent fighter and bomber planes in the South China Sea and in areas near Taiwan at the same time U.S. senators were meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Xis stern remarks notwithstanding, China is likely to respond in the usual way when Pelosi makes her own visit. But this doesnt mean Pelosis expected trip to Taiwan would be cost-free to the U.S. It will introduce further turbulence into the U.S.-China relationship, arguably the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Chinas leadership, and Xi specifically, is already suspicious about Washington chipping away at the One China policy, which opposes Taiwanese independence, recognizes the Peoples Republic of China as the legitimate government of China and acknowledges (but does not accept) Beijings claims over Taiwan. Its not hard to figure out why; with every official U.S. delegation that passes through the island, and every arms package that gets approved, Beijings doubts only get thicker. Read More: The Risks of Bidens Vow to Defend Taiwan Bidens actions to date havent helped dissipate the fog. His decision to invite the Taiwanese representative in Washington to his inauguration ceremony was a precedent-setting event and came awfully close to violating the One China principle, while rhetorical slip-upslike the suggestion that the U.S. would intervene militarily if Taiwan was attackedchurned up a storm his aides had to immediately walk-back. If Speaker Pelosis trip to Taiwan goes ahead, Beijing will make a lot of noise and issue the kinds of dramatic statements that long ago became customary. And a large-scale security crisis will likely be averted. But we should be clear about the cost-benefit analysis. Other than grandstanding, there are no tangible benefits attached to Pelosis visit. The costs, however, will be a U.S.-China relationship that continues to travel down the path of a full-blown strategic rivalry, where responsible competition and dialogue are increasingly viewed by both sides as a sign of weakness. Its a scenario both powers should avoid. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 5-2 that a state law allowing voters to mail ballots without providing a reason is constitutional, reversing a lower court decision. The court found that the states Act 77 did not violate the Pennsylvania Constitution, paving the way for voters to cast mail ballots in this years midterm elections and beyond. The law, which also includes other provisions aimed at making it easier to cast a ballot, passed with bipartisan majorities in 2019. But Republicans challenged the law in July 2021 amid former President Trumps unfounded claims of voter fraud in the state, which included allegations related to mail ballots. In January, the lower court determined the phrase offer to vote in the Pennsylvania Constitution meant voters must show up to a polling place in person unless they fall into an exception. The judges opinion stated that a constitutional amendment was required before Act 77 could be deemed constitutional. We conclude that the phrase offer to vote does not establish in-person voting as an elector qualification or otherwise mandate in-person voting, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. Instead, the court found the phrase to help define an election district residency requirement described in other parts of the state constitution. The legislature has the authority to provide that votes can be cast by mail by all qualified electors, the court ruled. The only restraint on the legislatures design of a method of voting is that it must maintain the secrecy of the vote. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D), who is also running for governor, said the ruling provides certainty to voters that their ballot will be counted regardless of whether they cast it in person or via mail. After 2 years of attacks on our election system, the PA Supreme Court stated loud and clear that Act 77, which modernized our election code, is constitutional, Shapiro said. We must continue to stand up to attacks by those who want to pick and [choose] the laws to follow and the votes to count. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is investigating a shooting near 8400 Helen Drive North. Police say that around 8 p.m. on Monday, they located a man in his early 30s with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has not been identified. There is no suspect information, according to JSO. Anyone with information on this incident should call JSO at 904-630-0500. Watch FOX30/CBS47 for the latest information or check back for updates. Download the Action News Jax news app and watch Action News Jax for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox. STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories Download WJAX Apps The new Predator prequel is set 300 years ago, but star Amber Midthunder believes the film makes present-day history. Midthunder says Prey is groundbreaking through its depiction of the Indigenous characters who confront a bloodthirsty alien Predator who arrives in the Comanche Nation. Just the way that the characters are built and portrayed, especially in a period piece, is something that you so rarely see for Indigenous characters, Midthunder told the Daily News. Often, you think Native characters are either overly spiritual or theyre just really savage and kind of subhuman and one-dimensional, and you never get to see a variety of Native people who have full personalities and desires, and things to relate to, and relationships. On top of being a really exciting movie, Im extremely proud of that. Midthunder, 25, stars as Naru, an underestimated Comanche warrior eager to prove she belongs with the male hunters in her tribe. She faces her biggest challenge yet when the Predator lands on Earth and starts hunting humans for sport. Out Friday on Hulu, Prey features a cast of predominantly Native and First Nation actors. There are so many pieces in this film, in terms of Indigenous representation ... that have never been done before, said Midthunder, who is Sahiya Nakoda. Every single actor came back and dubbed their role entirely in Comanche, and that version of the film is being released at the same time as the English release on Hulu. Prey is the fifth standalone entry to the science-fiction franchise, which began with 1987s Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new film takes audiences back to the beginning, showing how the Predator got to Earth and depicting its first hunt on the planet. Being a prequel, it definitely does go far enough back that it stands on its own story, Midthunder said. It is definitely an independent film from the others, as well as being connected, and I think thats what makes the Predator franchise fun in general. Theres the through line of having the Predator, but each movie nods to the others and simultaneously is its own story. Story continues Midthunder appreciated the films attention detail, with multiple scenes taking at least a week to shoot. Before production began, the actress and her co-stars underwent a four-week program to learn their stunts and train with weapons. Building the Predator was a team effort. Actor Dane DiLiegro suited up as the alien, while four members of the production team operated the creatures massive head. The Predator did not scare me, actually, Midthunder said. The first time I saw the Predator, I immediately said, I can take him. I dont know why. That was, I think, my Naru brain. I was mesmerized at how detailed and how real (it looked), because it was just all there. The feet. The hands. The hair. The face. The mouth. Everything is just so intricate. ... There was never a day shooting this movie that was not extremely exciting and challenging. The film marks the latest high-profile project for Midthunder, who is also known for the superhero show Legion and the science-fiction series Roswell, New Mexico. She loved adding a new action hero to the Predator franchise. That alone is just so incredible for women, but especially Indigenous women, to be able to look at a character like that and hopefully feel inspired or relate, or have something that they feel they can identify with, and feel represented and seen, Midthunder said. Viewing insider transactions for Redrow plc's (LON:RDW ) over the last year, we see that insiders were net buyers. This means that a larger number of shares were purchased by insiders in relation to shares sold. While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. View our latest analysis for Redrow Redrow Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Senior Independent Director Andrew Hewson bought UK104k worth of shares at a price of UK5.20 per share. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of UK5.78. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive. Andrew Hewson bought a total of 22.48k shares over the year at an average price of UK5.33. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our data suggests Redrow insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about UK3.9m. We prefer to see high levels of insider ownership. What Might The Insider Transactions At Redrow Tell Us? The recent insider purchase is heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on Redrow stock. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Redrow you should know about. Story continues If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Everybody loves multiverses these days, so allow me to imagine that theres an alternate universe in which the first season of FX/Hulus Reservation Dogs is nominated for outstanding comedy series at the Emmys next month. In addition, Devery Jacobs is up for lead actress in a comedy; Zahn McClarnon, Gary Farmer and possibly Wes Studi are nominated in guest acting categories; and series creator Sterlin Harjo is nominated for directing the series pilot and possibly multiple times for writing. In our primary universe, the one in which youre probably reading this review, members of the TV Academy failed to notice that Reservation Dogs even exists, giving it zero nominations. That means that even casting director Angelique Midthunder, who scoured North America for the shows impeccable ensemble, didnt make the cut, which makes me actively angry. More from The Hollywood Reporter But this is not the time to be angry at the strange insularity of Emmy voters, who probably got as many things right as they got wrong, if you think 50% represents a good hit-rate. Its the time to note that the second season of Reservation Dogs premieres this week and its every bit as good as the first, maybe better meaning that theres plenty of time for Emmy voters and audiences to catch up with what may currently be the best show on TV. (AMCs Better Call Saul would be its top rival at the moment. If you prefer one over the other, Im not going to quibble.) On top of a cast in which every single actor is seemingly able to carry whole episodes with ease, Reservation Dogs boasts a palpable sense of place and economic class, a nuanced approach to an underserved culture and a nimble ability to shift from silly to profound. Its that tonal confidence thats most on display in the four Reservation Dogs episodes sent to critics. Story continues The premiere begins with Paulina Alexis Willie Jack filling in deceased friend Daniel (or his portrait) on recent events, including the tornado that ended last season and Elora Danans (Jacobs) abrupt decision to abandon her friends in Oklahoma and head off to California with Jackie (Elva Guerra). As a result of the streak of adversity, Willie Jack is convinced that theres a curse afoot and blames herself; Bear (DPharaoh Woon-A-Tai) is feeling betrayed; and Cheese (Lane Factor)? Well, Cheese is generally pretty easygoing. It would have been easy for Harjo and company to give the second season a full, or at least partial, reset, but the legacy of Daniels suicide and the emotional scars it left on his friends isnt one that could or should be glibly healed. The desire to honor the tragedy and its collective ripples keeps Daniels memory at the forefront here, along with so many details from the first season, going all the way back to the delivery truck heist in the pilot. Theres no inherent reason why Reservation Dogs needs to be a show about pain and grief strike that, a comedy about pain and grief but Harjo is interested in how everybody is growing and learning and he isnt interested in cheapening the process. The learning is crucial, because wisdom the ways it can be taught and the ways it can be learned is central to every characters arc this season. The thing I love most about Reservation Dogs may be the way that wisdom is treated as both a running joke and a very serious thing, something grounded in the specificity of this Native American enclave but also universal and familiar from many a coming-of-age story. Dallas Goldtooths Spirit, the ghost warrior offering very flimsy counsel to Bear in the first season, has an even larger role now, in part because Bears crisis of identity is only growing and in part because Spirit has taken on a new client in Farmers Uncle Brownie, who has decided that he may be a holy man. The series and all of its characters mock the idea of Spirits teachings, while at the same time celebrating traditions, rituals and lessons passed through generations. Everybody here is learning something, whether its as specific and practical as roofing or proper preparation of fry-bread or as ephemeral as the power of prayer and the consequences of questionable parenting. Theres real knowledge imparted here and, just as frequently, real ridiculousness in a show that can pivot from insight to colorful profanity and reliably out-of-left-field pop culture references. Reservation Dogs is the latest FX comedy whose only format is a general lack of format. The two-part premiere has storylines, some distinct and some in comically fruitful pairings, for all four of its main characters, plus Uncle Brownie, Bucky (Wes Studi) and the series latest impeccable one-off outsider cameo. Its very, very funny and yet tinged with misery. The second episode is a more serious offering and a more tightly focused half-hour, with Bear seeking a job and interacting with several new characters, but few of our previous favorites. Then the fourth episode brings everybody back together for one of the more honest looks at mourning, its torment and its unexpected hilarity, that I can remember. That fourth episode is also Jacobs first as a co-writer (credited as Kawennahere Devery Jacobs), and points to a season that, intentionally or unintentionally, feels intended to expose the egregiousness of her Emmy omission. Jacobs performance is a perfect blend of tough, soulful and vulnerable. The only reason it doesnt stand out even more is that Woon-A-Tai, Factor and Alexis are as excellent as the material asks them to be, contributing leading-man sturdiness, effortless likability and irrepressible comic timing, respectively. The new season and the ensemble at large benefit from more screentime for Farmer and Studi both exhibiting a lightness previous productions rarely thought to showcase and Goldtooth. More of a background adversary in the first season, Guerra is inching in the direction of well-deserved cast-regular status this season after more of a breakout turn in Dark Winds, though that AMC drama may partially explain why McClarnon is a bit less present this season. From Lil Mike and Funny Bone to Sarah Podemski to Jana Schmieding and more, Harjo has populated this world with actors and characters, old and new, who produce immediate smiles every time they pop up on-screen. Like the Oklahoma settings, every member of the cast feels like they could only exist in this world, though thanks to the recent mini-burst of Indigenous programming, it wouldnt be bad at all if the look, feel and voice of Reservation Dogs went from being unique to merely special. The second Reservation Dogs season is 10 half-hour episodes, up from eight for the first, which means its really easy to binge if youre like the Emmy voters who missed it the first time around. Its a show that generates frequent laughs, occasional tears and a sense of heart and community that isnt like anything else on TV. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Click here to read the full article. The latest package of military aid from the United States will help Ukraine expel the Russian invaders from Ukraine, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Aug. 2. Read also: German chancellor denies curtailing aid to Ukraine Reznikov thanked the United States for providing Ukraine with a new security assistance package the 17th one, worth U.S. $550 million. Read also: EU sends $1 billion in financial aid to Ukraine He wrote on Twitter that this latest U.S. military aid package was another investment in the security of NATO's eastern flank and support for democracy in the European Union. Our gunners are ready to turn night into day to expel the Russian invaders from Ukraine! Reznikov wrote. Read also: Netherlands vows to continue providing military aid to Ukraine, says PM Rutte Thank you to U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for your leadership, and (thank you) to the entire American people, Reznikov said. U.S. President Joe Biden approved the new $550 million military aid package for Ukraine on Aug. 1. The package includes ammunition for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems and 155-mm artillery systems. Read also: EU agrees on 500-million-euro military aid to Ukraine Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the United States has allocated more than $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Help NV continue reporting on the Russian invasion Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Another person involved in a gang shootout in a residential neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, last year that resulted in injuries to nine people has been sent to prison, state Attorney General Peter Neronha said Thursday. Ricardo Cosme Tejada, 21, was sentenced last week to 14 years behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple gun charges in connection with the May 2021 gunfight in which more than 50 shots were fired, according to a statement from Neronhas office. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of possession of a ghost gun stemming from an arrest April 2021. Tejada was one of four members of the Get Money Family gang who, just before 7 p.m. May 12, 2021, approached a home in the city in a pickup truck, authorities said. They jumped out of the vehicle and started firing at people on the homes front porch, who were associated with the rival Lakeside gang, authorities said. Three members of Tejadas gang as well as two people associated with the rival gang who were on the porch have previously been sentenced. Nine people were injured eight by gunfire and one by flying glass, authorities said, including Tejada and his three associates. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW RM jetted off on a trip to Switzerland in his latest vlog and shouted out Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in the process. After showing ARMY how he packed his luggage for the trip, the BTS leaders first stop was the city of Basel. Im going to head to Art Basel. Ill be sure to have funI think a lot of people might be curious why Im in Switzerland in the first place. he tells the camera in Korean after going out to partake of a hamburger, fries and giant stein of beer. Its the worlds best art fair. It has the longest history as well, so it has history and cultureSo I made time to come all the way here for that, since I love art. (English translations courtesy of YouTube.) More from Billboard At Art Basel, the K-pop idol explored the many art installations, showing fans the convention centers various halls filled with large-scale exhibitions, interactive artwork and other pieces from all over the world. He even found an artsy ping pong table in the shape of the BTS logo and later made a visit to Foundation Beyeler, where he admired pieces by Mondrian and Jenny Holzer. The next day, RM takes a train to Rhein, Germany to visit the Vitra Design Museum, where he happens upon a chair designed by a furniture artist who shares a name with his My Universe collaborator. I have breaking news for you guys, he tells the camera. Coldplays Chris Martin made a chair and its displayed in the Vitra Design Museum. If you see this Chris, give me a call. Youre amazing. While RMs been touring the arts capitals of Europe, his bandmate J-Hope just released his debut solo album Jack in the Box. The project landed at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 30), leaving RM as the lone member of BTS who has yet to officially go solo. Story continues Watch RMs full vlog from Switzerland below. Click here to read the full article. Aug. 1GRANITEVILLE Civic involvement has been a way of life for Roger O. Boyd over the course of several decades, and the longtime textile employee was the focus of a community salute Monday afternoon, via induction into the Order of the Silver Crescent. Boyd, an Army veteran who worked for 29 years as a manager for Graniteville Company and (its successor) Avondale Mills, is also known for decades of involvement with such organizations as the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Historical Graniteville Cemetery Association and the advisory council for public schools in Aiken County Area Three. He got a standing ovation from dozens of neighbors and family members Monday in a gathering at Hickman Hall, with the award being presented by Sens. Tom Young, R-Aiken, and Shane Massey, R-Edgefield. The award, bestowed by the governor, "was specifically established as the State of South Carolina's most prestigious service award recognizing a remarkable achievement or action, an individual's dedicated community service or volunteerism," as described on the governor's website. Boyd, now the property/projects manager for Graniteville Restoration Partners, "has dedicated his life to making this little part of the world a better place," Massey noted. "He can't do it on his own. There are a lot of people who've helped out, but the fact of all of the number of people who are here today tells me that Graniteville would not be as nice, welcoming, warm and just a great place without Roger Boyd," the legislator added. Retired teacher Salley Jennings, with a background include time at both Leavelle McCampbell Middle and Midland Valley High schools, noted that Boyd's record includes 93 years of service among a variety of organizations, due to the fact that he worked in a variety of roles simultaneously. His time and talent went to such causes as the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Volunteer Fire Department, Economic Development Partnership and Midland Valley Chamber of Commerce. Story continues "Just listening to Sally read the list of things that Roger's been involved in y'all, I got tired of just listening to the list," Massey joked. Joel Randall nominated Boyd for the award, with support via letters also coming from Massey and Jennings. Randall's familiarity with Boyd comes in part through their mutual service in the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Historic Graniteville Cemetery Association and the town's annual Christmas tree lighting. Boyd, attending along with his wife, Deborah Jean, among other family members, also served with such organizations as the United Way, Aiken County Election Commission, Christian Heritage Church and Graniteville Exchange Club. "You don't just sit on the couch," Massey said. "There are a lot of people who are going to benefit from your work who don't even know who you are. A lot of younger people are going to have better educations. They're going to have better living environments because of you. They don't even know who Roger Boyd is." Young made similar comments. "When you think about somebody who serves their fellow man, and in a Christian fashion, the first name that comes to mind ... when I think about that in the Horse Creek Valley is Roger Boyd. He has devoted his life ... to serving the people of the Horse Creek Valley and of Graniteville, and he is most deserving of this award, and I know that the governor and his committee, when they looked at this, it was not a hard decision for them to decide to present this," he said. "It blowed my mind," Boyd said. "I never expected to receive anything like this, but I do appreciate it really, really, very, very much, and I love y'all. I love every one of y'all. I love Graniteville, and the goal is to do what we can to make Graniteville just a little bit better, and I appreciate it, but guys, I know I didn't do this. I know the people out here that do it every day, all day long, but I appreciate the recognition, and I thank y'all so very much." A supporter raises his fist after U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says his final thoughts during the 2022 state Republican Party convention in Middleton Saturday, May 21, 2022. "Fighting for Freedom" is the theme of this year's convention. Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson indicated Tuesday that Medicare and Social Security should be subjected to annual budget deliberations, a move that could upend guaranteed benefits relied upon by millions of Americans. Johnson, who is running for a third term in November in a race that could shape the balance of power in the Senate, made his comments during an interview on the Regular Joe Show, hosted by Joe Giganti. Federal spending is in two baskets discretionary spending which comes in annual appropriations in areas like defense and public works and mandatory spending that is generally governed by statute and includes entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare that provide guaranteed benefits. More: Ron Johnson signals Republicans should repeal and replace Obamacare if the party retakes control in 2024 During the interview, Johnson was asked about the PACT Act aid to veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits and a controversy over discretionary vs. mandatory spending. In his answer, Johnson suggested that he seeks to turn everything in the federal budget into discretionary spending including Social Security and Medicare so that programs can be evaluated and fixed. "Defense spending has always been discretionary," Johnson said. "VA spending is discretionary. What's mandatory are things like Social Security and Medicare. If you qualify for the entitlement you just get it no matter what the cost. And our problem in this country is that more than 70 percent of our federal budget, of our federal spending, is all mandatory spending. It's on automatic pilot. It never ... you just don't do proper oversight. You don't get in there and fix the programs going bankrupt. It's just on automatic pilot. "What we ought to be doing is we ought to turn everything into discretionary spending so that it's all evaluated so that we can fix problems or fix programs that are broken that are going to be going bankrupt," he said. Story continues Johnson said that "as long as things are on automatic pilot we just continue to pile up debt, mortgage our kids' future, this massive debt burden, combined with this massive deficit spending that sparked this inflation that's wiping out people's wage gains, making it impossible for them to make ends meet. Again, this didn't just happen. "The fact that you're struggling economically it's because of Democrat governance and Democrat policies in the federal government that is spending way more money than it should and doing things that never was even envisioned by our founding fathers to be doing." His likely Democratic rival in the November election, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, slammed Johnson's comments. Self-serving, multimillionaire senator Ron Johnson wants to strip working people of the Social Security and Medicare theyve earned. Wisconsinites pay into Social Security through a lifetime of hard work, and theyre counting on this program and Medicare but Ron Johnson just doesn't care, Barnes said in a statement. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre weighed in with a tweet: "While @POTUS and congressional Democrats fight for the Inflation Reduction Act, which would let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices, congressional Republicans like @SenRonJohnson want to put Medicare on the chopping block. That would devastate families." While @POTUS and congressional Democrats fight for the Inflation Reduction Act, which would let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices, congressional Republicans like @SenRonJohnson want to put Medicare on the chopping block. That would devastate families.https://t.co/EimKYSyxR4 Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) August 2, 2022 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Johnson on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday. Just yesterday, the junior senator from Wisconsin argued that instead of strengthening Medicare and Social Security, we should put them on the chopping block. Hear that, citizens of Wisconsin, citizens of America? The junior senator from Wisconsin wants to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block. He has argued that the benefits which millions of Americans rely on every day shouldnt be guaranteed but should be subject to partisan infighting here in Washington. He would like to revoke the guarantee of Medicare and Social Security and make them discretionary. Well, you know what happens when we make things discretionary around here? All too often they get cut or even eliminated. Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning said the senator wants to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent. "The Senators point was that without fiscal discipline and oversight typically found with discretionary spending, Congress has allowed the guaranteed benefits for programs like Social Security and Medicare to be threatened," Henning said in a statement. "This must be addressed by Congress taking its responsibilities seriously to ensure that seniors dont need to question whether the programs they depend on remain solvent. As he said, we need a process to save these programs and no one is doing anything to save them long term. We just continue piling up debt, mortgaging our children's future, and putting these programs at risk." A key trust fund backing Medicare is funded through 2028, according to projections, and the Social Security trust fund is fully funded through 2035. In the past, Johnson has called Social Security a "Ponzi Scheme." He even cut an ad on the subject in his first campaign in 2012 against Democrat Russ Feingold. "You know what? I did say that...because it's true," Johnson said in the ad. "Russ Feingold and politicians from both parties raided the Social Security Trust Fund of trillions and left seniors an IOU. They spent the money, it's gone. "I'll fight to keep every nickel of Social Security for retirees and I'll respect you enough to tell you the truth." Journal Sentinel reporter Lawrence Andrea contributed from Washington. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Johnson wants Medicare, Social Security to be discretionary programs The author of Finding Freedom is preparing to release a new book he claims will have the world talking. Omid Scobie, one of the writers behind the unauthorised biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has signed a deal for a new nonfiction book, HarperCollins has announced. The nonfiction title will focus on a new chapter of the royal story and featureunique insight, deep access and exclusive revelations that will once again have the world talking when released, a statement said. The book is set to be released in 2023, but no other details have yet been shared. Scobies first title, which he co-authored with Carolyn Durand, was based on a series of interviews with unnamed sources who claimed to be closely affiliated with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and other members of the royal family. Finding Freedom was first released in August 2020. A revised version with a new epilogue was published last year. The Sussexes legal team previously said the couple did not colloborate with [Scobie and Durant] on the book, nor were they interviewed for it, nor did they provide photographs to the authors for the book. The updated epilogue included details about how the Duke of Cambridge is alleged to have responded to Harry and Meghans bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. According to sources, Prince William was understood to be furious that private family matters were being discussed in the public domain. The book also claimed that taking part in the interview felt cathartic for Meghan. All the things she had kept to herself or been too afraid to say [as a working member of the royal family] she felt safe to finally share. It was liberating, a friend of Meghans allegedly told Scobie. The epilogue also touched on Harrys return to the UK in April 2021 to attend the Duke of Edinburghs funeral. One source claimed Harry described the funeral as surreal, while another said his presence has broken the ice in terms of his relationship with the rest of the royal family and there had been progress. Russian President Vladimir Putin. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/Getty Gazprom's July output was 774 million cubic meters a day a 14% on-month dip. Russia recently slowed gas flows to Europe via a major pipeline, citing technical challenges. Russia is collecting bumper revenues, but sanctions stand to hurt its economy in the longer term. Russian state-energy giant Gazprom saw its daily natural-gas production slump to its lowest level since 2008, according to a Bloomberg calculation published on Monday. The fall in output came as Russia slowed gas flows to Europe, citing technical challenges arising from sanctions over the Ukraine war. Gazprom's production in July was 774 million cubic meters a day 14% lower than in June, according to Bloomberg calculations. The company's production this year-to-date is 12% lower than the same period in 2021. Overall, Gazprom's July exports to countries outside the former Soviet Union dropped about a quarter from June, even as daily supply to China increased steadily, per Bloomberg. Europe depends on Russia for 40% of its natural-gas needs, such as cooking in homes and firing up power stations. As Russia is a major natural-gas supplier to Europe, the natural-gas crunch has sent prices soaring this year, in turn supporting the Kremlin's coffers. Since it invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russia's revenue from oil and gas exports to Europe have more than doubled compared to the average in recent years, the International Energy Agency wrote on July 18. While the upcoming winter will be challenging for Europe, it's the Russian economy that stands to be "hurt the most" in the long run by the shifting natural-gas supply chains, a Yale University analysis found. That's because "the importance of commodity exports to Russia far exceeds the importance of Russian commodity exports to the rest of the world," the Yale researchers wrote in the analysis, released July 20. The European Union has agreed to end almost all its oil imports from Russia by the end of this year and has said it will cut coal imports starting in mid-August. European countries including Germany and Italy are also working to wean themselves off Russian gas. Story continues To mitigate the impact from lower energy sales to Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hawking Russia's energy exports to other markets, such as Asia but at a discount. "It now deals from a position of weakness with the loss of its erstwhile main markets," the Yale team wrote, adding that Russia's strategic position as a commodities exporter had "irrevocably deteriorated." Read the original article on Business Insider The number of victims of the shelling of an evacuation bus in the Kherson region increased to three, five more people were injured The Russians fired an anti-tank missile at a civilian bus near Dolhove, the message said. Read also: SBU unveils Russias plans for sham referendum in occupied Kherson Oblast Three dead, five wounded civilians. The injured are being treated in hospital. Read also: Losing Kherson is absolutely unacceptable to Russia, says Ukraine military spokesperson The attack was initially reported by the Head of the Military Administration of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, on Aug. 1. Initial casualty figures were lower two dead and two injured. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine IRYNA BALACHUK TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST, 2022, 08:09 Three people were killed and three others were injured as a result of Russian shelling of Donetsk Oblast. Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote from Kyrylenko: "Russia is killing civilians! On 1 August, the Russians killed 3 civilians in the Donetsk region: 2 in Marinka and 1 in Bakhmut. Another 3 people were injured." Details: According to the head of the Oblast Military Administration, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the invaders have killed at least 671 civilians in the Donetsk region, and at least 1,738 more people have been injured. Kyrylenko emphasises that it is currently impossible to determine the exact number of casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda! U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii A Hawaii woman prosecutors say lived under an assumed identity for decadesand may have ties to Russian intelligencedoubled down on the alleged charade during a detention hearing with her husband on Tuesday. Asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader to state her name, Gwynn Darle Morrison replied, They are calling me Gwynn Darle Morrison. In 1987, Morrison, 67, and husband Walter Glenn Primrose, also 67, used the birth certificates of two dead Texas infants to begin a years-long masquerade as Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, according to a criminal complaint first reported last week by The Daily Beast. In 1988, the feds say the couplewho had already wed as Walter Primrose and Gwynn Morrisonremarried each other under their respective assumed identities, the feds say. Megan Kau, Morrisons lawyer, told Trader, My client maintains that her name is Julie Lyn Montague, and [says] thats the only thing that shes ever gone by. KGB Photo Deepens Mystery of Texas Couple Who Stole Dead Babies Identities, Feds Say Later in the hearing, Trader asked Primrose to also state his name but got a very different response. Walter Glenn Primrose, he said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck told Trader he was flummoxed by Morrisons behavior. Your honor, its a little strange here that the defendant maintains she is Julie Lyn Montague, Muehleck said. You know, her sister was interviewed by the FBI and was shown a picture of the Julie Lyn Montague Hawaii drivers license with the defendants photograph on there, and said, That appears to be Gwynn, but the date of birth is wrong. Morrison and Primrose, who are detained in a federal lockup, appeared separately by phone, due to COVID protocols. Both entered not guilty pleas. In 1994, Primrose joined the Coast Guard as Bobby Fort, who would have been 27 at the time. Primrose was actually 39 years-oldeight years over the cutoff age for new recruits. Primrose was eventually granted a secret-level security clearance, and retired from the Coast Guard as an avionics technician in 2016 after a 20-year hitch. He then went on to work as a cleared defense contractor at Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point near Honolulu. His clearance was still active when he and Morrison were arrested on July 22, according to court filings. Story continues Morrison once lived in Romania during the Soviet era, according to prosecutors, who have not yet been able to explain what she was allegedly doing there. When federal agents searched the pairs home in Oahu, they discovered documents written in code, maps of military bases, and an invisible ink kit, the feds say. And when the couple were briefly left alone, but didnt know their conversation was being recorded, they allegedly referenced things consistent with espionage. Federal agents have seized photographs from the defendants residence that depict the defendants apparently some years ago wearing what have been identified as KGB uniforms, prosecutors said in a detention memo filed July 25. And in a court appearance last week, prosecutors said investigators had learned from associates of Primrose and Morrison that the two had a longstanding interest in espionage and expressed anti-government and anti-military sentiments. The two left their home in Texas in the 1980s suddenly, and told family they were entering the witness protection program, according to assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Myers. On Tuesday, Morrisons lawyer, Megan Kau, called the governments evidence vague, and disputed that the pictures were in any way incriminating. Kau said the alleged photograph of Morrison wearing an alleged KGB uniform, had been taken some time ago in somebody elses home. Primrose was also seen in KGB garb, which Kau claimed was the same outfit that Morrison was wearing. Theyre wearing T-shirts, Kau told Trader. My client, at least, looks like shes wearing a T-shirt underneath [the] jacket. Kau asked for Morrisons release, arguing that prosecutors have not provided enough material via the discovery process for her to adequately debrief her client about her past, including any aliases she may have used. But Muehleck pushed back, arguing to keep Morrison and Primrose detained. We have a situation here where this defendant and her co-defendant, of course, have used false identities to deceive Social Security, the Department of Defense, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, [and] the State Departments National Passport Center, for 30 years, he said. And theres no verification of who she says she is. Muehleck emphasized the mystery of the KGB uniform photos, noted that Morrison has traveled foreign, and joined Primrose on unreported trips to Canada while he was in the Coast Guard. This is a situation where it is a classic case to detain for flight risk, he argued. To this, Trader said, At this point, I cant even really say that I have confidence as to who Ms. Morrison, or Montague, really, truly is. It really begs the question as to whether or not she can be trusted to comply with any terms and conditions that the court sets. He ordered Morrison and Primrose both detained pending trial. Jury selection is set to begin Sept. 26. The two are charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States; making false statements on a passport application; and aggravated identity theft. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Scarlett Lewis, mother of 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Jesse Lewis, testifies against Alex Jones Tuesday Aug. 2, 2022, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin. (AP) The mother of a six-year-old boy murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has testified in the Alex Jones defamation case, and spoke directly to the right-wing Infowars host about the devastating impact of his conspiratorial claims. Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, the parents of Jesse Lewis, are suing Jones and his company Free Speech Media for $150m over the harassment they say they suffered after the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Jesse was real, Ms Lewis told Jones as he sat in the courtroom in Travis County, Texas, as she testified on Tuesday. I am a real mom. She added: I am a mother first and foremost and I know you are a father. My son existed. She went on to tell Jones that even he did not believe his own outrageous statements about the shooting. I am not deep state...I know you know that...I know you believe me, yet youre going to leave this courtroom and say it again on your show, she said. Do you have the capacity to put yourself in my shoes? Do you have empathy? Jones has claimed on his show that the shooting, in which 20 children and six adults were massacred, was a false flag operation involving paid actors. I think you know that Sandy Hook is real and that it happened... But I dont think you understand, at all, the repercussions of going on air with a huge audience and lying and calling this a hoax... You dont understand that. At one point, Ms Lewis asked Jones if he really thought she was an actress. Having a six-year-old son shot in his forehead in his classroom is unbearable. ... And then to have someone on top of that perpetuate a lie that it was a hoax, that it didnt happen, that it was a false flag, that I was an actress You think Im an actress? No, I dont think youre an actor, he replied before the judge admonished him and told him to remain quiet. U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) speaks at a meeting of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Aug. 4, 2021. Progressives' frustration with Sinema goes beyond Arizona voters. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema helped introduce a bill Monday to reinstate federal abortion protections, but with only two Republican cosponsors the measure appears unlikely to advance. The bill, dubbed the Reproductive Freedom for All Act, would seek to restore a nationwide right to an abortion that the Supreme Court erased in a June ruling that now leaves the issue to the states. Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are among the GOP members who joined the legislative push. That still left the measure well short of the 10 Republicans needed to overcome a filibuster to block it. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., also sponsored the bill. While Sinema, D-Ariz., has a long record supporting abortion rights, she also opposes rescinding the legislative filibuster, even for the abortion issue. A womans health care decisions should be between her, her family, and her doctor, she said in a written statement about the new bill. Our bipartisan, commonsense legislation protects the health and wellbeing of women in Arizona and across the country by ensuring all women no matter where they live can access the health care they need and have the ability to make their own decisions about their futures. 'We are demanding our freedom': Arizona women share their abortion stories at Planned Parenthood event Democrats, including Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., have generally indicated their support for federal abortion rights. Kelly called the June ruling "a giant step backward for our country." Sinema has faced criticism from the political left for letting the filibuster thwart abortion rights and other contentious issues. Collins has also taken heat over her support for conservative justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh acknowledged during their confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was "precedent," but avoided any suggestion that it was especially settled as a legal matter. Coney Barrett said she is a constitutional originalist, indicating a skepticism for rights not conferred directly in the Constitution. Story continues In a statement, Collins sought to underscore her support for abortion rights after the high court's ruling. The Supreme Courts recent abandonment of longstanding precedent erodes the reproductive rights on which women have relied for half a century. These basic rights need to be the same for American women regardless of the state in which they reside. Our bill would restore the right to obtain an abortion by enacting in federal law Roe v. Wade and other seminal Supreme Court decisions pertaining to reproductive freedom. In addition, our bill would protect access to contraception, Collins said. Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Subscribe to our free political podcast, The Gaggle. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyrsten Sinema helps introduce bill to restore federal abortion rights Singapore has insisted that it has not provided any priviliges or immunity to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former president of Sri Lanka who fled the cash-strapped nation amid anti-government protests last month. Mr Rajapaksa, 73, along with his wife and two bodyguards fled to the Maldives on 13 July, before landing in Singapore for a private visit the next day. He was initially issued a 14-day visit pass. It was later extended by two weeks, and is set to expire on 11 August. He emailed his resignation letter to the parliament speaker on 14 July. Singapores foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan, in a written reply to a parliamentary question on Monday, said the Singaporean government does not accord privileges, immunity and hospitality to former heads of state or heads of government. Consequently, former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was not accorded any privileges, immunity or hospitality. Last week, Singapores Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said visitors from Sri Lanka who enter Singapore for social visits will be issued a short-term visit pass with a duration of up to 30 days. Those willing to extend their stay would have to apply online and applications would be considered on the basis of each case. Foreigners who possess a valid travel document and meet entry requirements will be allowed to come into Singapore, home minister K Shanmugam said in response to a question from the ruling Peoples Action Party lawmaker Yip Hon Weng on concerns that the city-state would become a destination for political fugitives. We also, of course, reserve the right to deny entry to a foreigner if we assess that to be in our national interests, Mr Shanmugam said. However, he added that the government would be open to rendering assistance in deporting individuals in accordance with the regions laws if a foreigner coming into Singapore is wanted by his government, and his government has made a request. Sri Lankan cabinet spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena claimed last month that Mr Rajapaksa was not hiding and may eventually consider returning. Story continues A porter carries sacks of imported food items at a market place in Colombo (AP) The nations supreme court on Monday extended a travel ban imposed on former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, former minister Basil Rajapaksa, until 4 August. A crippling economic crisis forced Sri Lankans to revolt against the Rajapaksa government, which has been blamed for the cash crunch that has left the nations 22 million people short of fuel and food. Since April, thousands of people took to the streets in protest, eventually forcing the entire government to step down. The street protests intensified in July with demonstrators storming into the presidential palace in Colombo and setting former prime minister and recently elected president Ranil Wickremesinghes house on fire. Meanwhile, Mr Wickremesinghe, in his first speech since he was elected by parliament, said that an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help pull the bankrupt nation out of its crisis has been pushed back to September because of the unrest. Sri Lanka is seeking an estimated $3bn bailout package from the IMF. Colombo announced in April that it is suspending repaying its foreign loans because of depleting foreign reserves. The island nation owes $51bn in foreign debt, of which $28bn must be paid by 2027. WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday, a highly anticipated visit amid increasingly harsh warnings of Chinese retaliation and escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing. Pelosi, wearing a face mask, stepped off the plane around 10:50 p.m. local time and posed for photos with a contingent of Taiwanese officials who greeted her on the tarmac. In a statement, the California Democrat noted her visit was the first official trip to Taiwan by a U.S. House speaker in 25 years. Our congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant democracy," Pelosi said in the statement. "Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement minutes after she landed that condemned her visit as a serious violation of the one-China principle that maintains Taiwan is part of China. The statement accused the United States of emboldening "separatist forces" in Taiwan. Pelosi's visit "has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry said. "These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous," it said. Pelosi, who has a long record of tangling with Beijing over its human rights record, is the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-governing island since House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited in 1997. A history with China: Why Nancy Pelosi is visiting Taiwan despite China's threats and pleas from Biden U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2. Pelosi's office would not confirm the travel in advance, citing security protocols, but her travel plans leaked amid rampant speculation about the fallout from such a visit. Even after she landed, her office did not release an official itinerary for her stay in Taiwan. Taiwans three largest national newspapers, citing unidentified sources, said she would spend the night there. Story continues Taiwan's tallest building, Taipei 101, was lit up with welcome messages for the speaker. "Welcome to TW," one message said. "Thank you," read another. Last month, President Joe Biden said, "The military thinks its not a good idea right now" for Pelosi to make the trip. Some expressed concern that China could ramp up aggression toward Taiwan. "The response will almost certainly include a military component," M. Taylor Fravel, director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a thread on Twitter. He said China would probably mount a "show of force," possibly including live fire exercises and a greater military presence within the Taiwan Strait, along with economic and diplomatic actions targeting the island. Taiwans tallest building and most iconic landmark, Taipei 101, lit up at 9pm tonight, welcoming @SpeakerPelosis visit to Taiwan. Words include Speaker Pelosi, Welcome to TW, Thank you, TW US (1/2) pic.twitter.com/q0aFEjqGZl Tingting Liu (@tingtingliuTVBS) August 2, 2022 Reuters, citing an unnamed source, reported Tuesday that several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday morning and that several Chinese warships have sailed near the line since Monday. China views Taiwan as part of its territory, though Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country. The United States has long embraced a murky middle ground that seeks to support Taiwan without infuriating Beijing. In an op-ed published in The Washington Post after her arrival, Pelosi said her trip should be seen as "an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom." "By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan and all democracies must be respected," she wrote. Pelosi, White House: Visit doesn't change US policy on Taiwan Pelosi noted that her visit was one of several congressional delegations to Taiwan, and "it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy." White House officials emphasized that Pelosi's trip doesn't change the U.S. stance on Taiwan and said there's no reason for the visit to cause any escalation of friction. "Nothing about this potential visit ... would change the status quo, and the world should reject any (Chinese) effort to use it to do so," said John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications at the White House. "We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling." Kirby noted that other members of Congress have visited Taiwan, including this year. "We have repeatedly said that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, we have said that we do not support Taiwan independence, and we have said that we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means," Kirby said. More than two dozen Senate Republicans released a joint statement after Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, voicing their support for her visit. "This travel is consistent with the United States One China policy to which we are committed," they said. Supporters hold a banner outside the hotel where they suppose U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is staying in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug 2. China's threats Despite the administration's insistence that the visit does not mark a change in U.S. policy, China has threatened consequences for Pelosi's visit. In Tuesday's statement, China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing "will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. speaker's visit." Any consequences from those steps "must be borne by the U.S. side and the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the statement reads. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a stark warning directly to Biden over the issue during a lengthy phone call July 28. "Those who play with fire will perish by it," the Chinese leader said, according to Beijing's official account of the conversation. "It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this. The U.S. should honor the one-China principle," the Chinese government statement said. U.S. officials have called such comments escalatory. "Rhetoric of that kind only escalates tensions in a completely unnecessary manner," Kirby said last week. Pelosi's Asia trip Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is part of a congressional delegation to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Mark Takano of California, Suzan DelBene of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey traveled with Pelosi. The California Democrat invited several Republican members of Congress to travel to Taiwan with her, according to a source familiar with the discussions and one of the GOP lawmakers, but none of the GOP members went. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, was among those invited on the trip, but he had a prior commitment, said Leslie Shedd, a spokesperson for the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said before the trip that if Pelosi did not go, it would be a win for China. Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen, Francesca Chambers, Katie Wadington This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan despite China's warnings and Biden concerns Voters are hitting the polls Tuesday across Greene County to cast their ballots in Missouri's primary elections. Several Republicans and Democrats are vying to be their party's choice in November to run for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The races are expected to be competitive. Also up for grabs are party nominations in several statehouse races as well as the state auditor race. Prior to Tuesday, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller said he anticipated voter turnout would be around 32-35% for the county. The polls close at 7 p.m. 2:13 p.m. update The Greene County Clerk's Office posted on social media that voter turnout so far was 14%. At Delaware Elementary School, Steve and Linda Schibler cast their votes for Democrat candidate Trudy Busch Valentine in the U.S. Senate race. Wed like to see a change in the world, Linda Schibler said. Jim and Becky Hawkins went with candidates theyve known for several years. Weve known Eric (Burlison) since he was a little boy, Jim Hawkins said, in addition to voting for Hartzler. Its very disturbing to watch those TV ads when you know somebody personally and theyre lying. The couple also voted for whoever strongly support their anti-abortion beliefs. They have to be pro-life, Jim Hawkins said. We never vote for somebody whos a Democrat. Susan Kirby Elayer walked past sunflowers blooming at Parkview High School to vote Democrat. It was a hard decision, but I voted for Lucas (Kunce), Elayer said. A year ago, I wouldnt have voted for him. Kunces outspokenness regarding toxic tar pits helped seal the deal, Elayer said. I didnt realize he had been by the burn pit, Elayer said. I had a friend who just died because of Agent Orange. Im from the Vietnam (War) era. I just hate it, that they werent covered. Elayer said it is sad that there werent more people running on the Democrat ticket. Sadie Tuckness made sure to mention she voted for Schmitt, Burlison, Hough and Fitzgerald. Story continues 12:30 p.m. update Patrons sporting I voted stickers were the only indication at Library Center that Tuesday was not a typical summer day. Voters were sparse between kids with book-laden arms and people looking to return or check out more borrowed knowledge. But some, like Faith Watts, brought in their own knowledge to decide who they voted for. We did do a lot of research online as far as their past, their voting history, what their beliefs are, what they stand for what direction theyre looking at, Watts said. We did put some research into it. Noon update Glenstone Baptist was also among Tuesday's polling stations. It experienced periodic voter traffic before noon. Judah Jonker, a 21-year-old Wal-Mart employee who plans on attending College of the Ozarks in January, didn't have to wait in line. "It's Election Day, and I hear there's not a lot of turnout in the smaller ones," Jonker said. Jonker, who filled out a Democrat ballot, said Lucas Kunce (U.S. Senate) and Allan Green (auditor) were among the frontrunners that earned his vote. "I saw a lot of the ads that were trying to get the popular vote," Jonker said. "It's very off-putting, in the sense that they use a lot of the special keywords, like election fraud, Donald Trump and pro-gun, even if those aren't major issues that are a problem right now. "The roads and the schools, those are the issues I care about. Nobody talks about them, because those aren't the keywords that get people excited." More: Who's running? Where to vote? What to know about Missouri's Aug. 2 primary election 9 a.m. update A steady stream of voters were entering and exiting at Second Baptist on Battlefield Road in Springfield. Among them was Kimberly Fletcher. Although she identifies as an Independent, Fletcher said she always voted Democratically and she cast her ballot for Lucas Kunce in the U.S. Senate race. I think that his service record and his life experiences have given him a reason to serve the community, Fletcher said. I just feel like he is passionate about helping Springfield and helping Missouri. Fletcher said she took time to read up on the candidates and decided Kunces views aligned with her own. Also, I feel like Democrats are a minority in this area, and I just wanted to show my support, Fletcher said. Participating in elections is important to Fletcher. Its important to me because people who came before us gave their lives for this, Fletcher said with emotion. Its important that the least we can do is exercise those rights. Brett Sterley showed up to the polls to support people he has helped campaign for, including U.S. House of Representatives candidate Eric Burlison and state Senate candidate Angela Romine. Our country is going in the wrong direction, Sterley said. Im very, very passionate about getting them into office. I think that they will make better decisions than are being currently made by the establishments. Having worked with the legislature since 2014, Sterley said hes tackled many issues with candidates. Personally, I like Lincoln Hough as well, but Lincolns record, his voting record, just does not square with what I value, said Sterley, who also shared he is a personal friend of Romine. When voting Tuesday, Sterley said he appreciated that the ballot barcodes were matched to voters. Thats a little bit extra level of voter integrity right there, Sterley added. Kolin McFarland voted with a Republican ballot. We need to get some people out of office, McFarland said, although he did not name who he had voted for to replace those in office. McFarland said he usually stays away from reading media, and he does not like when his mailbox gets clogged up with garbage. A sign directs voters as they hit the polls Tuesday morning in Springfield. 8:30 a.m. update People flowed through the South Side Senior Center around 8 a.m. Visitors were picking up and dropping off items, with many saying they voted earlier at their own polling place. Megan Land was among those who stopped by to cast a ballot. Its really important these days, being a Democrat in a red state. You can feel like your vote wont count but unless you get out here and vote, of course it wont, Land said. Despite not having the choices the Republican ballot afforded, I did feel kind of unprepared. One person got my vote because they sent me a text, Land said. 8 a.m. update The parking lot at Truman Elementary School was largely empty early at 6:30 a.m., half an hour after the polls opened, but more came to vote as the morning went on. Justine Lines was among the earliest voters who came out to ensure their voices were heard. For Lines, a Glendale High School teacher, making sure her students are safe was one of her main motivations for voting. I think (Springfield Public Schools) has done an extremely good job of planning (for active shooter situations) but theres always that layer of unexpectedness, Lines said. And we like to go to music venues, and theres just the fear of having children and people in churches and being able to congregate in public areas. For me, I want someone who is protecting not only the right to bear arms but the right to safely bear arms. I dont feel like the AK-47s that are rapid fire need to be out there. For Doug Bull, a candidate shouldnt just talk the talk, but walk the walk. For me, I look for a candidate I feel is a responsible person, somebody I feel is trustworthy, someone who has a moral rudder in their life, Bull said. I definitely lean more conservative and my thought is I dont want someone who is conservative in name only. I want someone who has that fiber in their life. While different candidates may get their votes, those who cast their ballot at Truman Elementary were on the same page for at least one topic: The right to vote. I hope everybody gets out to exercise their right (to vote), Lines said. Its one of the privileges that people have fought for and its part of our democracy. Bull views it as his responsibility to vote, and offered a succinct observation. If we dont vote, we cant complain, he said. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield voters share thoughts during Tuesday's primary elections A Florida teenager was bitten in the face by a shark last week. Thirteen-year-old Fischer Hricko, of Casselberry, had the scare of his life while he was catching lobsters with his family on 27 July, FOX35 first reported. Fischers mother, Rhiannon Hricko, was navigating the boat when she heard her son yelling for help. He just popped up screaming mom, mom, shark! Get me out of here! Get me out of the water! Ms Hricko told FOX. Fischer recounted the terrifying moments before he was pulled out of the water by his mother. I saw a big [lobster] and I got it in my hand. On the way up, when I had the lobster in my hand, I felt a little tap on the back of my leg, and I looked behind me and the shark was in my face, Fischer also told FOX. Fischers lip was split open and his mother managed to bring him back on the boat. The teenager was taken to a local hospital, where he received ten stitches. It comes amid increasing reports of shark attacks in the country. There have been roughly 29 reported shark attacks this year, according to the website Tracking Sharks. Eighteen of those incidents have taken place in Florida, six in New York, three in South Carolina, and two in California. The recent increase in attacks on New York beaches might be the result of a combination of conservation efforts and climate change, CNN reported last week. The country is warmer than its ever been. And thats going to drive more people to the water than ever before, which just simply increases your probability of somebody getting accidentally bit, California State University Shark Lab director Christopher Lowe told CNN Saturday. Good Morning America Authorities in Northern California have announced a new phase in the ongoing search for a teenager who disappeared after a party 11 days ago. Kiely Rodni, 16, was last seen on Aug. 6 around 12:30 a.m. local time near the Prosser Family Campground in the small town of Truckee, some 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe. "Her cellphone went dead and became virtually untraceable shortly after," Angela Musallam, public information officer for the Placer County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News during an interview that aired Aug. 9 on "Good Morning America." Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House select committee on January 6, taking questions from the media on July 12, 2022. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Top Democrats say there is a lack of transparency on the Secret Service texts probe. They requested for DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to step down from his position. The lawmakers asked for Cuffari to provide documents related to the probe. Two top Democratic lawmakers accused the Department of Homeland Security's independent watchdog of covering up parts of its investigation into missing Secret Service text messages sent on and around the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney of New York wrote a letter to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari on Monday detailing new reports that his agency quietly gave up on trying to recover the missing texts and took steps to cover that up. "We are writing with grave new concerns over your lack of transparency and independence, which appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. The lawmakers referenced a new report from CNN that alleges that investigators knew for more than a year that the Secret Service text messages had been erased. But lawmakers noted that Cuffari only notified Congress for the first time last month about these erased text messages. "These documents also indicate that your office may have taken steps to cover up the extent of missing records," the letter states. The lawmakers reiterated their request for Cuffari, who was nominated by Trump, to step down from his position and appoint a new inspector general. They also requested transcribed interviews from key DHS IG officials and documents related to the investigation. The DHS Inspector General's office has not responded to Insider's request to comment on the letter. The letter comes after Cuffari informed the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection that the Secret Service erased text messages around the time of the attack after he requested the agency's electronic communications. The Secret Service has pushed back on that claim and said these messages were deleted due to a "device replacement program." Story continues The controversy around the Secret Service text messages intensified after the committee held a congressional hearing where a former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that on January 6, Trump ordered the Secret Service to take him to the US Capitol. She said that Trump allegedly reached for the vehicle's steering wheel after he was told he couldn't go. The Secret Service text messages can may offer lawmakers and the public more insight into Trump's actions that day. Read the original article on Business Insider Alex Wong/Getty Images, Zach Gibson/Getty Images Trump blasted Nancy Pelosi for her historic trip to Taiwan, saying she is "always causing trouble." The House Speaker has defended her travel as necessary to the success of democracy abroad. Trump's comments were a break with 26 Senate Republicans who praised Pelosi's defiance of Beijing. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued to bash House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for making a historic trip to Taiwan that has angered Beijing even though many fellow Republicans support it. "Why is Crazy Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan. Always causing trouble," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "Nothing she does turns out well (Two failed Impeachments, loss of House, etc.). WATCH!" Pelosi arrived late Tuesday in Taiwan, becoming the first sitting House speaker and highest-ranking US official to visit the island in decades. US policy for decades has been to not formally recognize Taiwan's independence, a position Pelosi affirmed in a statement following her arrival. US-Taiwanese relations have come under close scrutiny following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sparking fears that Beijing may attempt to forcibly reunite what it views as a breakaway province. "We cannot stand by as the [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself," Pelosi wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. "As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents even children it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats." China has vowed that it would "not sit idly by" and issued military statements warning against Pelosi's visit before her arrival. Trump and Pelosi have long been at loggerheads, particularly after House Democrats made him the first president to ever be twice impeached. In both times, the Senate later acquitted Trump though a record number of Republicans supported Trump's impeachment for inciting the January 6 insurrection. While Republicans have long criticized Pelosi, her defiant travel has garnered some support among her usual critics. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 25 other Senate Republicans signed a statement praising her travel. A spokesperson for Pelosi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Then-President Donald Trump and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the White House. Alex Wong/Getty Images The Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a US drone strike, Biden announced Monday. Then-President Trump had the option to kill al-Zawahiri but chose not to, NBC reported in 2020. Trump wanted to kill Osama bin Laden's son instead because it was the only name he knew, NBC said. President Donald Trump had the chance to kill the leader of Al Qaeda but didn't because he didn't recognize the terrorist leader's name, NBC News reported in 2020. Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, President Joe Biden announced Monday. His death, which has been praised by many world leaders, is the biggest blow to Al Qaeda since its founder, Osama bin Laden, was killed by US Navy SEALs in 2011. But plans for al-Zawahiri's execution could have been carried out far earlier, according to an NBC News report published in February 2020. Intelligence officials briefed Trump many times about senior terrorist figures the CIA wanted to track down and kill, mentioning al-Zawahiri, NBC News reported. Two people familiar with the briefings told NBC News that Trump chose not to pursue al-Zawahiri because he didn't recognize his name and instead suggested targeting bin Laden's son, Hamza bin Laden. "He would say, 'I've never heard of any of these people. What about Hamza bin Laden?'" one unnamed former official told NBC News. A Pentagon official also told the news outlet: "That was the only name he knew." The Department of Defense and a spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Even though bin Laden's son was widely seen as an emerging figure in the terrorist group, he was not believed to be planning any attacks at the time, NBC News reported. 'The president's preference for a "celebrity" targeted killing' Trump confirmed in 2019 that the younger bin Laden had been killed in a US counterterrorism operation earlier on in his presidency. "Despite intelligence assessments showing the greater dangers posed by Zawahiri, as well as his Iran-based lieutenants al-Masri and Saif al-Adil, and the unlikelihood Hamza was in the immediate line of succession, the president thought differently," the former CIA official Douglas London wrote in Just Security in 2020. Story continues He added that Trump's "obsession" with bin Laden's son "is one example of the president's preference for a 'celebrity' targeted killing versus prioritizing options that could prove better for US security." In his address announcing al-Zawahiri's death, Biden said that after "relentlessly seeking Zawahiri for years under Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, our intelligence community located Zawahiri earlier this year." "This mission was carefully planned, rigorously minimized the risk of harm to other civilians, and one week ago, after being advised that the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him, and the mission was a success." Al-Zawahiri helped Osama bin Laden plot the September 11, 2001, attacks, which directly killed nearly 3,000 people. Read the original article on Business Insider Donald Trump arrives at a Make America Great Again rally in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on November 5, 2018. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images Trump on Monday endorsed rival Senate candidates called Eric, not specifying a surname. Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt are battling for the GOP Missouri Senate nomination. According to Politico, the choice was an oddball attempt to avoid choosing and buy time. Former President Donald Trump issued an ambiguous statement backing "Eric" in the Missouri GOP Senate, an endorsement that capitalized on a coincidence to encompass both Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt. The borderline-comical decision was a deliberate way to get out of choosing, Politico reported in the wake of the endorsement. Trump on Monday declared that "ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" without specifying which one. The ambiguity caused chaos, with both candidates seizing on the statement to claim they had Trump's favor. According to Politico's sources, the ambiguity was not an error, but down to Trump's inability to make up his mind between Greitens and Schmitt in time for a deadline he set himself. According to the outlet, Trump called both candidates ahead of Monday-night deadline for making a call, and hinted to both men that he supported them. In reality, per Politico, Trump still hadn't decided. Sources told Politico that allies of Trump had been making forceful cases for both candidates, with Kim Guilfoyle, the fiancee of his son Donald Trump Jr, backing Greitens. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is said to have argued against that, citing recent scandals that could cost Missouri, a safe seat, comes the November midterms. (Greitens has been accused of blackmail by a woman with whom he had an affair, and of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. He denies both accusations) Politico said that the suggestion to endorse "Eric" without a surname was made by a third party, which it did not name. The idea, it said, caught Trump's imagination. After checking that the spelling of both men's name was indeed identical, Politic said that Trump went for it. The report sheds light on the often tumultuous process of securing Trump's endorsement, which he has wielded as his main tool for maintaining his control over the Republican Party, endorsing hundreds of candidates in races across the country. Insider has contacted Trump's spokeswoman for comment on the report. Read the original article on Business Insider Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty The Vermont man accused of fatally shooting his rich grandfather to get his hands on a trust fund and then orchestrating the death of his mother at sea for even more money will try to convince a judge on Tuesday that he should be set free until trial. The hearing is the latest development in a long-running legal saga that has divided relatives of property mogul John Chakalos, who was killed in his sleep in 2013. Two aunts of suspect Nathan Carman wrote a letter to the court asking that the 28-year-old be kept locked up. We are very concerned that Nathan has nothing to lose if he is allowed out of jail at this time and will seek retribution against the family, said the letter from Elaine Chakalos and Charlene Gallagher, which was obtained by the Greenwich Time before being removed from the docket. On the other side is Carmans father, Earle Clark Carman, who called his son a responsible young man who poses no risk to himself or othersand claimed the aunts are nursing a grudge. Nathan was the first born male in a Greek family, he wrote to the court on Monday. As such his grandfather doted on him from the beginning which never stopped. This created a resentment by his aunts coupled with the fact that he had Aspergers which seemed to make them jealous of the situation. This continued throughout Nathans life. Vermont Trust-Fund Kid Accused of Killing Mom at Sea to Inherit Family Estate Carman was indicted in May and accused of killing his grandfather and mother, Linda, as part of a scheme to obtain money and property from the estate of John Chakalos and related family trusts. Prosecutors allege that after Carman killed Chakalos in his Windsor, Connecticut, home, he collected $550,000 from the estate, blew through it quickly, and then decided to get rid of his motherwho had made him the beneficiary of her share of her fathers immense wealth. They say he lured his mother aboard a boat he had just bought and tampered with to take on water. When the pair did not return as scheduled, a search was launched, and Carman was found on a life raft. He told authorities that by the time he realized the vessel was in peril it was too late to save his mother. Story continues Carman put in an $85,000 claim for the loss of the boat, Chicken Pox, and sued when the insurance company balked at the payout. A judge sided with the insurer, finding the deadly sinking was Carmans fault. The unseaworthy state of the boat brought about by the faulty repairs, at least indirectly caused it to sink, he ruled. Carman was also sued by his mothers three sisters to stop him from collecting the millions she inherited from John Chakalos; that case is ongoing. Prosecutors wrote in a motion opposing Carmans release that the aunts could be in danger if he is freed. He is alleged to have carefully planned the killing of the two people closest to him in order to financially benefit from their deaths. He has demonstrated an ability to obtain and use firearms. He also has a significant motive to kill to secure his liberty, or to retaliate against those who he believes put him in criminal jeopardy or are undermining his scheme, they wrote. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States must remember its vow "to support the defense of Taiwan" as its democracy remains "under threat" from China, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Washington Post opinion piece published on Tuesday, moments after she arrived in Taiwan on a visit that risks bringing relations between Washington and Beijing to a new low. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Caitlin Webber) LONDON (AP) British prosecutors have charged a man with intending to injure or alarm Queen Elizabeth II after he was arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day. Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, has been charged under the Treason Act after allegedly being caught with a crossbow on the palace grounds. Chail, from Southampton, has been charged with discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm her Majesty. That is an offense under section 2 of the Treason Act of 1842. He has also been charged with threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon. Chail is in custody and will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Aug. 17. (Bloomberg) -- The first ship carrying grain from Ukraine under an agreement with Russia arrived in Turkey. The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday, including on the deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock Ukraines grain exports. Most Read from Bloomberg Ukraine began mandatory evacuation of its citizens from Donetsk following President Volodymyr Zelenskiys call on civilians to leave the eastern region for their own safety. The US sanctioned a number of Russian tycoons as well as a former gymnast the Treasury Department said has a close relationship with Putin. (See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.) Key Developments Ukraine Plots Cautious Return of Grain Exports as World Watches Russias Nuclear Power Swagger Unruffled by War as Summit Nears Russia Balks at US Prisoner Swap Offer, Viewing It as Unequal Putin Chef Case Shows London Courts Welcome Russians No More European Gas Extends Gains With Russia Risk and Demand in Focus On the Ground Russia continued its shelling of the southern port of Mykolaiv, according to local authorities. Explosions were also heard in Kharkiv region in the northeast. Around Donetsk, Russian forces are conducting an offensive in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka sectors, Ukraines general staff reported, adding that its forces repelled a number of attacks. Russia is continuing to transfer troops to support defensive positions in southern Ukraine and may be halting its campaign around Slovyansk in the east for the time being, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. The withdrawal will likely create an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to launch a counteroffensive, it said. Story continues (All times CET) First Grain Ship From Ukraine Arrives in Turkey (9:23 p.m.) The cargo ship Razoni reached Turkey from Odesa, making it the first trade vessel using a safe corridor in the Black Sea to ship grain from the war-torn country in a move intended to lessen global hunger and help Ukraines farmers. Our current goal is to ensure regularity, so that when one ship is sailing from the port, there should be other vessels including those that are being loaded and those that are approaching the seaport, Ukraines President Zelenskiy said in his evening video-address to his nation. We need exports this year for our farmers and agriculture firms to have sufficient resources for the next years sowing. US Sanctions Tycoons, Ex-Gymnast Tied to Putin (7:12 p.m.) The US sanctioned a number of Russian billionaire tycoons as well as a former Olympic gymnast said to be close to President Putin. Among those targeted were Andrey Guryev, founder of chemical producer PhosAgro, and Andrey Melnichenko, co-founder of fertilizer producer EuroChem. Neither of the companies was sanctioned. Alina Kabaeva, head of a pro-Kremlin media group and a former lawmaker, was also blacklisted. Kabaeva, the former gymnast who has a close relationship with Putin according to the US Treasury, was previously sanctioned by the EU and UK. Le Pen Calls for an End to Sanctions (6 p.m.) French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called for Europe to end sanctions against Russia to avoid a blackout, notably when it comes to gas imports. Speaking during a news conference, she said that sanctions were useless as the Russian economy isnt on its knees and we are suffering much more from these sanctions than Russia is. Le Pens party, which made inroads in parliamentary elections earlier this year, has financial ties to Russia. It took out a loan from a Czech bank that was taken over by a Russian company in 2016. While shes joined widespread condemnation of Russias war in Ukraine and tempered her enthusiasm for Vladimir Putin, shes continued to advance views seen as pro-Russian. Russian Court Declares Azov Regiment Terrorists (5 p.m.) Russias Supreme Court declared the Ukrainian Azov Regiment a terrorist organization, state news services reported. The designation means fighters from the regiment who surrendered to Russia in May after a weeks-long siege at a giant steel plant in Mariupol could face terrorism charges. Hundreds of Ukrainian defenders who held out in the strategic southeastern port city are being held by separatists in eastern Ukraine who have threatened to sentence them to death. In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Azov unit called on the US State Department to designate Russia a terrorist state. G-7 Recommits to Russian Oil Price Cap (4:20 p.m.) Group of Seven foreign ministers issued a joint statement saying they continue to explore further measures to prevent Russia from profiting from the war, including by seeking solutions to reduce Russian revenues from hydrocarbons. We remain committed to considering a range of approaches, including options for a comprehensive prohibition of all services that enable transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultation with international partners, the ministers said. G-7 nations and the EU agreed at a summit in June to explore the introduction of a price cap on Russian oil. Grain Ship Due in Istanbul Tonight (4:10 p.m.) The first grain ship to leave Ukraine since Russias Feb. 24 invasion is expected to arrive in Istanbul at 9 p.m., the Turkish Defense Ministry said. The Razoni, a cargo vessel carrying corn, will be inspected by a committee of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials. It will continue on its route after the inspection. The Razoni left the port of Odesa on Monday morning bound for Lebanon. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said there were 16 other ships in the greater Odesa region waiting to sail. UK Adds to Russia Sanctions (4 p.m.) The UK has added former Rosneft management board members Didier Casimiro and Zeljko Runje to its sanctions list, according to a statement. Donetsk Evacuations Begin (1:40 p.m.) The first train from the area arrived Tuesday in the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, mainly carrying women, children and the elderly, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on her Telegram channel. Zelenskiy called for enforced evacuations from Donetsk at the weekend amid intensified Russian shelling and fears that itll be hard to survive the winter. Ukraine: Stolen Grain Shipped via Crimea (1:30 p.m.) A Ukrainian court ordered the seizure of four bulk carriers accused of illegally entering Russia-occupied Crimea to ship stolen grain. Three ships sailing under the Russian flag and a Syrian vessel have regularly been making illegal entries into Sevastopol sea trading port, the Prosecutor Generals office of Ukraine said on its website. In this way, the Crimean peninsula is being used by the Russian Federation as a gray zone to transport grain which they have illegally appropriated, the office said. Ukraine officially closed Crimean ports to ships after Russia occupied the strategic Black Sea peninsula in 2014. NATO Chief Holds Call With Zelenskiy (1:15 p.m.) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he held a call Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the pair discussed priorities for military support for the government in Kyiv. Additional Vessels Ready for Grain Exports (1 p.m.) Ukraines deputy agriculture minister said 15 more ships are preparing to depart the Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi carrying exports of grain. The vessels, which will be accompanied through the safe corridor by a mine-sweeper, have a capacity of between 10,000 tons and 60,000 tons, Taras Vysotskyi said in an interview with Ukraines 5th TV channel. Regional Governor Floats Opening Mykolaiv Port (11 a.m.) The governor of the region that includes Mykolaiv said local authorities are working toward possibly having the southern port added to the list of three shipping hubs which have been opened for grain exports. While Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi are coastal ports, Mykolaiv sits on the Pivdennyi Buh delta some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of where the river flows into the sea. Russian forces have been regularly targeting Mykolaiv as its strategically important in the northern Black Sea area and stands in the way of a potential push into central Ukraine. Baerbock Echoes Blinken on Reckless Rhetoric (9:30 a.m.) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia is placing the international Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in jeopardy and echoed US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens comments by accusing Moscow of spreading reckless rhetoric. It is good that a large majority of states have condemned Russias aggression and its signals regarding nuclear weapons, Baerbock said in a speech Monday at the UN. Reaffirming this condemnation remains a matter of credibility for all those who support serious efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Scholz Lauds Trudeau Over Turbines Decision (9 a.m.) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised his Canadian counterpart for his strong decision to allow the shipment of turbines back to Europe that are crucial to the operation of a key Russian gas pipeline. In an interview with The Globe and Mail newspaper, Scholz pushed back against criticism that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had undermined Russian sanctions, and said releasing the turbines -- which were undergoing repairs in Canada -- eliminated a potential Russian excuse for cutting gas supplies. Crop Prices Extend Declines (7 a.m.) Global corn, soybean and wheat prices extended their declines as US crop conditions came in better than expected and Ukraine prepares to gradually ramp up exports after the first shipment since Russias invasion left for Lebanon. The first two weeks will be treated as a trial period, with no more than three vessels a day in each direction through new safe-passage corridors, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov told Bloomberg TV Monday. If successful, exports could increase to as much as three million tons per month in four to six weeks time, he said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Kosovo policemen patrol a road in the country on Aug. 1 Read also: Serbia agrees new three-year deal on gas supplies from Russia The ministry said Pristina's decision was a compromise, and called on the parties to enter a constructive dialogue for the security of all citizens, the preservation of peace, and to guarantee the stable development of the Western Balkans. It is (also) important not to give the Russian Federation space to implement its policy of escalation in the region, the ministry added. Read also: Lavrov calls off Serbia trip after three Balkan states ban his aircraft from their skies Kosovo is a partially recognized Balkan state, the independence of which has been recognized by more than 100 UN member states (although Ukraine is not one of them). Serbia does not recognize Kosovos independence, considering it an autonomous region of Serbia called Kosovo and Metohija. Ethnic Serbs in the north of Kosovo also do not recognize the authorities in Pristina, and use Serbian documents and car license plates. Read also: North Macedonia sending T-72 tanks to Ukraine An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo concluded in 2011, provided for the temporary (for a period of five years) use of neutral documents and license plates by residents of northern Kosovo. From Aug. 1, 2022, neutral (or Serbian) documents in Kosovo were to become invalid, and all Serbian citizens were to receive an additional document allowing entry at the border (the same measure is already in force in Serbia for people with Kosovo documents). However, on July 31, the day before the new rules took effect, Serbs in Kosovo blocked a number of key roads and border crossings. Kosovo police later reported shots being fired by Serbian protesters, as well as clashes with Kosovo Albanians. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made several late-night addresses, declaring that we have never been in a more difficult situation than today. Read also: Ukrainian oligarch Medvedchuk's mega-yacht seized in Croatia On the night of Aug. 1, the Kosovo government postponed the decision on re-registration of cars with Serbian license plates and licenses until Sept. 1. After this decision, the protesters dismantled some of the barricades, which allowed two border crossing points with Serbia to reopen, writes news agency Reuters. Story continues Kosovos Interior Ministry said that 11 civilians had been injured as a result of the border incident. Help NV continue reporting on the Russian invasion Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) -Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz has laid out a new debt payment freeze plan, a week after becoming the first government entity to default since the start of the Russian invasion in late February. The energy company's finances have been under strain since the war started as many of its customers have not been able to pay their bills. Naftogaz's proposal, announced on Tuesday, includes a two-year payment freeze and two-year deferral on the maturities of the notes, which are set to expire in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The notes would pay additional interest while deferred interest would continue to accrue at the set rates of each note. The proposal went out to holders of the $335 million, 7.375% notes due 2022; the 600 million euro, 7.125% notes due 2024; and the $500 million, 7.625% notes due 2026. Naftogaz's initial proposal, sent out a week before the July 19 maturity of the 2022 note, was rejected by holders, who said they did not recognise that the company would have a liquidity shortage. The consent solicitation was launched "in light of the prolonged circumstances affecting Ukraine as a result of the ongoing full scale military invasion," according to the document, and looks to "facilitate preservation of available cash by (Naftogaz) to support Ukraines strategic priorities." The Ukrainian government late on Monday gave Naftogaz the go-ahead to agree new terms of restructuring its international bonds. In a statement late on Tuesday, Naftogaz confirmed that the finance ministry had coordinated with it on the plan. "The conditions of the proposal comply with the conditions of the proposal to the investors to postpone payments for sovereign Eurobonds of Ukraine and proposals to investors from Ukrenergo and Ukravtodor," Naftogaz said in the statement https://www.naftogaz.com/en/news/government-new-proposal-eurobond-payments. Ukraine's government, which faces an acute liquidity squeeze and $5 billion-a-month fiscal gap, has asked the holders of some $20 billion in international bonds to defer payments for at least two years. Ukravtodor, the state agency for roads, and government-owned firm Ukrenergy have launched similar proposals. Story continues Naftogaz holders have until Aug. 12 to cast their vote on the proposal, the document showed, with a meeting scheduled for Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. London time (1000 GMT). To get the proposal agreed, a quorum of two thirds of the total face value of the Eurobonds was needed while 75% of meeting participants need to vote in favour, Naftogaz said in its statement. The consent solicitation was made by Naftogaz through its financial arm, Kondor Finance, the issuer of the notes. The default on the 2022 bond payment may trigger acceleration of payments on the other notes, but does not trigger a sovereign cross default. Naftogaz is a major source of income for Ukraine, accounting for almost 17% of the country's total state budget revenue last year and employing more than 50,000 people before the war. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; additional reporting by Ania Pruchnika and Karin Strohecker, editing by Jorgelina do Rosario, Bill Berkrot, Leslie Adler and Jane Merriman) US officials announced another $550 million in military aid will be sent to Ukraine, including 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition and additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). Four more HIMARS, which have a longer range and are more precise than older artillery Soviet-era rocket systems, arrived in Ukraine on Monday morning. "We have proven to be smart operators of this weapon," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted Monday morning. Ukrainian forces have used the weapons system to destroy at least 50 Russian ammunition depots since June, Reznikov said previously. CHILDREN TRAUMATIZED BY WAR IN UKRAINE FIND MENTORS FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES In late July, Ukrainians used HIMARS to damage the Antonovsky Bridge, a key crossing that connects Russian forces in the occupied Kherson region to the Crimean peninsula. "[The Ukrainians are] spending a lot of time striking targets like ammunition supplies, other logistical supplies, command-and-control," a senior US military official said on a background call with reporters last month. "All those things have a direct impact on the ability to conduct operations on the front line. So I would say yes, although they're not shooting the HIMARS at the front lines, they're having a very, very significant effect on that." The Biden administration has sent more than $8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded, including anti-tank Javelin missiles, anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, drones, and thousands of small arms. Reuters contributed to this report. A 60-acre Utah wildfire was sparked by a man who told police he started the mountainside blaze when he tried to kill a spider with a lighter. Utah County Jail records say Cory Allan Martin, 26, was arrested for investigation of reckless burning, as well as possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, according to KSL.com. Even Utahs governor Spencer Cox was astonished at the incident and tweeted on Monday: Um, dont do drugs kids (and dont start spiders on fire during a drought). He was also found to be in possession of drugs and paraphernalia, so he will be booked for those charges as well." Um, dont do drugs kids (and dont start spiders on fire during a drought). https://t.co/dD4ekBQ1LA Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) August 2, 2022 Authorities say that firefighters responded to the incident near Springville on Monday afternoon. When they arrived at the scene, they found the suspect who admitted he had started it. Crews took him down the mountain to speak to police, and according to a booking affidavit, he told officers he had seen a spider and tried to burn it with a lighter. When he attempted to burn the spider, the surrounding brush ignited and the fire began spreading very rapidly, the affidavit stated. Police say that they later found a jar of marijuana and drug paraphernalia while searching his belongings, the arrest report adds. Suspect arrested in fire east of Springville. He told law enforcement he was using a lighter to burn a spider. After he was arrested @UCSO Deputies found drugs and paraphernalia in his backpack. He is being booked into jail. (I may be out of connection for a period of time.) Utah County Sheriff (@UCSO) August 2, 2022 Not sure exactly why he felt the need to need to have to burn the spider but you know, all the regret in the world doesnt change the outcome based on whatever reason there was for him doing that, Utah County Sergeant Spencer Cannon told ABC4. Story continues (AP) And he added: What led him to stop and notice a spider and decide to try to burn it, we dont know. There may not be a why. He might not even know a why. The fire had grown to 60 acres of US Forest Service land by Tuesday morning, according to Utah Fire info. The suspect faces up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500 if convicted. David Snow, left, uses the shovel to cut the grass as his son Sam Snow rolls it up at a house in Moorpark on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. After California's record dry start to the year, efforts to conserve water have created a patchwork of rules for residents that sometimes vary by city or even by neighborhood. Emergency regulations took effect statewide, prohibiting water waste and requiring water providers to address a 20% water shortage. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California imposed stricter rules for several communities in Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Those areas need to cut water use by 35% or face a ban on outdoor watering as soon as September. Here's what the rules mean in Ventura County. Some cities have several water providers. You can find your water provider here. Related: Southern California residents cut water in drought of 'epic proportions' Statewide in California At a minimum, all areas fall under California's emergency regulations that include: Turn off decorative water fountains. No outdoor watering within 48 hours of rainfall. Use an automatic shutoff nozzle on water hose. Use a broom, not water, to clean sidewalks and driveways. Avoid overwatering trees. No watering of decorative lawns on commercial, industrial and institutional properties. Camarillo Areas, including Camarillo, supplied by Calleguas Municipal Water District had to cut outdoor watering to one day a week or find other ways to conserve 35%. Metropolitan supplies water for Calleguas, which provides imported water for several local cities. City of Camarillo: Outdoor watering for residential customers is limited to one day a week before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Home addresses ending in an even number can water Tuesday for 15 minutes. Addresses ending in an odd number can water Thursday. Exceptions include drip irrigation systems putting out less than 2 gallons per hour. Residents also can water trees, shrubs and ground cover with a bucket or hose with a self-closing shut-off nozzle. Overwatering is prohibited. The city may fine residents up to $1,000 and install a flow-restricting device for multiple violations. More information: cityofcamarillo.org/savewater. Story continues Camrosa Water District: Outdoor watering limited to one day a week and is allowed for 10 minutes before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Home addresses ending in an even number can water lawns on Tuesdays and odd-numbered addresses on Thursdays. Exceptions to one-day-a-week watering include hand watering and drip irrigation for trees and other plants excluding turf to protect against erosion and fires. The agency may fine customers up to $500 and install a flow-restricting device for multiple violations. More information: camrosa.com/drought. Several small districts also provide water to parts of city. Here's a map to look up your water provider and contact information. As of July 26, the U.S. Drought Monitor has classified much of Ventura County as "extreme," the second most severe designation. Fillmore City officials have no additional restrictions. Read more: Oxnard limits outdoor watering as city, state grapple with drought Moorpark Ventura County Waterworks District areas provide water service in Moorpark, Somis, Lake Sherwood and Bell Canyon. Those areas limited outdoor watering to one day. Outdoor watering is allowed for 15 minutes before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Homes with even-numbered street addresses can water Sundays and odd-numbered addresses can water Saturdays. Exceptions include low-flow drip irrigation, recycled water and hand-watering to keep trees, shrubs and plants alive. Violations may result in fines ranging from $100 to $500 or installation of a flow-restricting device in the case of multiple violations. More information: vcpublicworks.org/wsd/waterconservation. Oak Park Oak Park residents get water from the Triunfo Water and Sanitation District, which has cut outdoor watering to one day a week. Customers may choose the day they water. Sprinkler irrigation is limited to 15 minutes. No watering from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except when using a hand-held bucket or hose with a self-closing water shutoff device. Exceptions to the one-day-a-week watering include hand-watering of trees and other perennials as well as using low-flow drip-irrigation or recycled water. Violations may result in fines ranging from $100 to $250 or installation of a flow-restricting device in the case of multiple violations. More information: triunfowsd.com. Ojai Casitas Municipal Water District supplies most of the drinking water for residents in the city of Ojai. The district gets no imported water and manages Lake Casitas, a reservoir that provides drinking water for the Ojai Valley and Ventura. Casitas has declared a Stage 3 water shortage a level first reached more than five years ago at the height of the 2012-16 drought. The board has kept a mandatory 30% cut in water use in place since that time. Residential outdoor watering is only allowed between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. Exceptions include irrigation with recycled water, rainwater or hand watering using a hose with a shut-off nozzle. More information: casitaswater.org. Related: Camarillo, Thousand Oaks restrict outdoor watering to once weekly Oxnard The city, which provides a blend of groundwater and imported water from Calleguas, has limited outdoor watering to one day a week. Home addresses ending in an even number can water outdoors Saturday nights before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. for 10 minutes. Addresses ending in an odd number can water Sunday nights. Exceptions include drip and other high-efficiency irrigation systems that apply a weekly volume of water consistent with the one-day-a-week watering. Residents also can water trees and other perennials with a container or a hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle. Residents can be fined up to 50% of their most recent utility bill or $50, whichever is greater for violating water restrictions. Residents can report potential violations by calling 311 or using the 311 app. More information: oxnard.org/city-department/public-works/water/ or 805-385-3905. Port Hueneme From April through September, outdoor watering is limited to Wednesdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Exceptions include low-flow drip irrigation that produces no more than 2 gallons of water per hour or watering by hand with a bucket or a hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle. Runoff is prohibited. Washing vehicles is prohibited unless using a hand-held bucket and hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle or at a commercial facility that uses a recirculating water system. Residents can be fined up to $500 for violating the restrictions. The city could also install a flow-restricting device for multiple violations. More information: ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/1037/City-of-Port-Hueneme-Drought-Information. Santa Paula City officials have no additional restrictions. Simi Valley City of Simi Valley Waterworks District 8 and Golden State Water Company provide water for residents in the city. Find your service areas on this map. City of Simi Valley Waterworks District 8: Outdoor watering limited to one day a week before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Residents with even-numbered addresses can water on Sundays, and those with odd-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays. Water no more than 15 minutes. The time limit is expected to drop to 10 minutes next week. The city has no exceptions to the one-day-a-week watering for hand-watering of trees and shrubs. Residents can be fined up to $500 for multiple violations. If violations continue, the city can install a flow-restricting device. More information: simivalley.org/waterconservation. Golden State Water Company: Outdoor watering limited to one day a week before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Residents with even-numbered addresses can water on Sundays, and those with odd-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays. More information: gswater.com. Thousand Oaks The following rules apply to all homes within the city of Thousand Oaks regardless of the water provider. Customers of water agencies with stricter rules must adhere to those regulations. Find your water provider here. City of Thousand Oaks: Outdoor watering limited to one day a week. Residents with odd-numbered addresses can water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Saturdays, and those with even or no number addresses can water on Sundays. Residents can water on their designated day up to 15 minutes but must use a low-flow or drip irrigation system. Exceptions to watering rules include recycled water or hand-watering with a container or a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle to keep trees and shrubs alive. All watering is limited to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Residents can be fined up to $500. After a fifth violation, the city will install a flow-restricting device and assess another $500 fine. More information: toakswater.org. Ventura The citys water supply comes from the Ventura River, groundwater, Lake Casitas and a small amount of recycled water. Along with statewide regulations, the city is urging residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 20%. Residents can be fined up to 50% of their monthly water bill or $50, whichever is greater, for multiple violations. If violations continue, the city can install a flow-restricting device. More information: cityofventura.ca.gov/885/Ventura-Water. Have a question about water conservation measures in Ventura County? Please let us know by emailing cheri.carlson@vcstar.com. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California drought: Water-use restrictions in Ventura County If visiting Antarctica is on your bucket list and you have $50,000 to spare, a new two-month cruise from Viking will make that possible with a departure or arrival right in your backyard. Viking is expanding its Great Lakes offerings next year with three new Longitudinal World Cruises that will travel between the Great Lakes and the world's southernmost continent. The first, Longitudinal World Cruise I, will sail from Buenos Aires to Milwaukee beginning March 2, 2023. The 65-day cruise will be aboard the Viking Octantis, the largest cruise ship to sail the Great Lakes. It made its inaugural visit to Milwaukee in May. The cruise will first sail south to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, before spending five days cruising around Antarctica. From there, it will head north along the west coast of South America, through the Panama Canal and the Caribbean, then up the East Coast to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. The ship is scheduled to stop in dozens of cities in nine countries along its route, including Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and Chile. The 71-day Longitudinal World Cruise II will sail from Duluth, Minnesota, to Ushuaia, with a stop in Algoma, beginning Sept. 12, 2023. That cruise will be aboard the Octantis' twin Polaris, which will make its Great Lakes debut next year. The final cruise, the 70-day Longitudinal World Cruise III, is scheduled to sail from Milwaukee to Ushuaia beginning Sept. 8, 2023, aboard the Octantis. Prices for the cruises start at $44,995 for a Nordic Balcony room on Longitudinal World Cruise I. The other two start at $49,995. In addition to all food, beer and wine, the fee includes at least one excursion in each port of call, a Viking expedition jacket and, for a limited time, free airfare. Both the Octantis and Polaris can carry up to 378 passengers. The seven-deck ships feature multiple restaurants and bars, Nordic spas, indoor-outdoor pools, outdoor seating around lava rock fire pits and plenty of windows inside for taking in the views, including from a two-deck lounge at the bow of the ship. Story continues All staterooms on Viking ships including the Octantis and Polaris are exterior rooms with Nordic balconies essentially, a window that opens halfway with a small ledge for wildlife viewing; binoculars are provided in-suite. Viking will continue to offer other Great Lakes itineraries in 2023, including three that begin or end in Milwaukee: Niagara & the Great Lakes (Toronto to Milwaukee), Undiscovered Great Lakes (Thunder Bay to Milwaukee) and Great Lake Explorer (Milwaukee to Thunder Bay). An additional cruise, the Great Lakes Collection, makes a stop in Algoma on its way from Duluth to Toronto. For more on Great Lakes cruises from Viking, see vikingcruises.com/expeditions. Contact Chelsey Lewis at clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel. Sign up for our Travel newsletter for ideas on things to do around Wisconsin and the Midwest delivered to your inbox. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Viking cruises to sail between Milwaukee and Antarctica in 2023 Wells Fargo is reinstating some recruiting guidelines in the wake of a New York Times story that the bank conducted fake interviews of job candidates to prop up diversity efforts. In May, a story by the Times stated that Wells Fargo conducted job interviews with female applicants or candidates of color that improved the banks diversity initiatives on paper even when those positions had already been promised to other candidates. The bank paused the policy that led to those interviews in June, and announced Monday that it was reinstating the policy with some changes beginning Aug. 19. In a news release, Wells Fargo said it would keep an expectation that 50% of the candidate pool for qualifying roles be diverse. But its reclassifying which kinds of roles must follow that guideline, the bank said, so it will be applied more consistently across the entire company. For Wells Fargo, public scrutiny is nothing new. Lawmakers and regulators have kept a close eye on the bank over the last several years. That traces back to the banks 2016 fake accounts scandal, when employees created millions of fraudulent accounts for customers without their knowledge. Wells Fargo said that dimensions of diversity for candidates include gender, race, ethnicity, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientation and gender identity. The bank is also revising its review process that approves exceptions to the guidelines, and providing updated training for recruiters and managers. Diverse candidate slates work The changes will help clarify and simplify the diverse candidate process, chief human resources officer Bei Ling said in the news release. We began this exercise knowing that diverse candidate slates work, and that they are a common, good practice across multiple industries, Ling said. Diverse candidate pools have had a noticeable impact in helping Wells Fargo foster diverse representation in its employee base, the bank said in the release. From 2020 to 2021, the banks external hiring of candidates from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups increased 27%. Story continues Wells Fargo is headquartered in San Francisco but has its largest employment hub in Charlotte, with some 27,000 workers. Wells Fargo in the spotlight The bank has faced new criticisms this year. In March, a Bloomberg investigation found that Wells Fargo approved fewer than half of Black homeowners mortgage refinancing applications in 2020, compared with 72% of white applicants. That led to a class-action lawsuit against the bank. And 11 senators called for a review of the banks mortgage refinancing processes. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, cited the mortgage data and the Times hiring story in a May letter criticizing the bank. Brown decried the banks history of consumer abuses and gross mismanagement, and called on Wells Fargo to testify before the senates Banking Committee, which he chairs, at its annual Wall Street oversight hearing. In a letter to Wells CEO Charlie Scharf, Brown said he expected the bank to reform its internal structures so that it rights past wrongs and lives up to the many promises that Wells Fargo has made to its customers and their communities. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The request was made Tuesday. The two largest reservoirs in the United States are at dangerously low levels, threatening the supply of fresh water and electricity in six states and Mexico, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned on Tuesday. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are both man-made reservoirs on the Colorado River, are currently at their lowest levels ever, in part because of an ongoing drought exacerbated by climate change. The conditions in the American West which we're seeing around the Colorado River basin have been so dry for more than 20 years that we're no longer speaking of a drought, said Lis Mullin Bernhardt, an ecosystems expert at UNEP. We refer to it as aridification a new, very dry normal. The river is also struggling thanks to overconsumption due to a growing population and an outdated agreement that guarantees allotments for its neighboring states. The reservoirs provide water for agricultural and residential use in Arizona, California, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and New Mexico. If conditions dont improve, Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at risk of reaching dead pool status, in which the water is so low it stops flowing out of a reservoir. That would disable the hydroelectric dams that help provide power for millions of residents of the western U.S. We are talking about a 20-year period of droughtlike conditions, with an ever-increasing demand on water, Bernhardt said. These conditions are alarming, and particularly in the Lake Powell and Lake Mead region, it is the perfect storm. The Hoover Dam water intake towers at Lake Mead on July 12 near Boulder City, Nev. (George Rose/Getty Images) The falling water levels have been a concern for U.S. officials for some time. In June, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that maintaining critical levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell would require significant reductions in water deliveries. What has been a slow-motion train wreck for 20 years is accelerating, and the moment of reckoning is near, John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said at the Senate hearing. Story continues Due to the declining water levels in Lake Mead, which is near Las Vegas, three dead bodies long buried under the water have recently been exposed. Some water use restrictions have already been put in place. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California instituted emergency water curtailments in June, typically limiting outdoor watering to one or two days per week. A sunken boat, now high and dry, on Saddle Island on July 28 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nev. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) The drought in the West has had a number of effects in recent years, including unusually bad wildfire seasons. Climate scientists say disruptions to the water cycle, especially drought, will become more common as a result of rising global temperatures. _____ Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades. Step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change. Many Taiwanese see their island as separate nation Tensions over Taiwan are spiking over a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi - and this has only further strained relations between Washington and Beijing. At the heart of the divide is that the Chinese government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, eventually, be part of the country. But many Taiwanese people consider their self-ruled island to be a separate nation - whether or not independence is ever officially declared. What is the history between China and Taiwan? The first known settlers in Taiwan were Austronesian tribal people, who are thought to have come from modern day southern China. The island seems to have first appeared in Chinese records in AD239, when an emperor sent an expeditionary force to explore the area - a fact Beijing uses to back its territorial claim. After a relatively brief spell as a Dutch colony (1624-1661), Taiwan was administered by China's Qing dynasty from 1683 to 1895. Map of Taiwan From the 17th Century, significant numbers of migrants started arriving from China, often fleeing turmoil or hardship. Most were Hoklo Chinese from Fujian (Fukien) province or Hakka Chinese, largely from Guangdong. Their descendants are now by far the largest demographic groups on the island. In 1895, Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Qing government had to cede Taiwan to Japan. After World War Two, Japan surrendered and relinquished control of territory it had taken from China. The Republic of China (ROC) - one of the victors in the war - began ruling Taiwan with the consent of its allies, the US and UK. But in the next few years a civil war broke out in China, and the then-leader Chiang Kai-shek's troops were defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist army. Chiang, the remnants of his Kuomintang (KMT) government and their supporters - about 1.5m people - fled to Taiwan in 1949. This group, referred to as Mainland Chinese, dominated Taiwan's politics for many years though they only account for 14% of the population. Chiang established a government in exile in Taiwan which he led for the next 25 years. Story continues Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, allowed more democratisation after coming to power. He faced resistance from local people resentful of authoritarian rule and was under pressure from a growing democracy movement. President Lee Teng-hui, known as Taiwan's "father of democracy", led constitutional changes towards, which eventually made way for the election of the island's first non-KMT president, Chen Shui-bian, in 2000. So who recognises Taiwan? There is disagreement and confusion about what Taiwan is. It has its own constitution, democratically-elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces. Chiang's ROC government-in-exile at first claimed to represent the whole of China, which it intended to re-occupy. It held China's seat on the United Nations Security Council and was recognised by many Western nations as the only Chinese government. But by the 1970s some countries began to argue that the Taipei government could no longer be considered a genuine representative of the hundreds of millions of people living in mainland China. Then in 1971, the UN switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing and the ROC government was forced out. In 1978, China also began opening up its economy. Recognising opportunities for trade and the need to develop relations, the US formally established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1979. Since then the number of countries that recognise the ROC government diplomatically has fallen drastically to about 15. Now, despite having all the characteristic of an independent state and a political system that is distinct from China, Taiwan's legal status remains unclear. How are relations between Taiwan and China? Relations started improving in the 1980s as Taiwan relaxed rules on visits to and investment in China. In 1991, it proclaimed that the war with the People's Republic of China was over. China proposed the so-called "one country, two systems" option, which it said would allow Taiwan significant autonomy if it agreed to come under Beijing's control. This system underpinned Hong Kong's return to China in 1997 and the manner in which it was governed until recently, when Beijing has sought to increase its influence. Taiwan rejected the offer and Beijing's insisted that Taiwan's ROC government is illegitimate - but unofficial representatives from China and Taiwan still held limited talks. Then in 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as president, much to Beijing's alarm. Mr Chen and his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had openly backed "independence". A year after Mr Chen was re-elected in 2004, China passed a so-called anti-secession law, stating China's right to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if it tried to "secede" from China. Mr Chen was succeeded by the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou in 2008 who tried improving relations through economic agreements. Eight years later, in 2016, Taiwan's current president Tsai Ing-wen, who now leads the independence-leaning DPP, was elected. Under Ms Tsai, cross-Straits relations soured again The rhetoric sharpened further in 2018 as Beijing stepped up pressure on international companies - if they failed to list Taiwan as a part of China on their websites, it threatened to block them from doing business in China. Ms Tsai won a second term in 2020 with a record-breaking 8.2 million votes in what was widely seen as a snub to Beijing. By then Hong Kong had seen months of unrest, with huge protesters against the mainland's growing influence - and many in Taiwan were watching closely. Later that year, China's implemented a national security law in Hong Kong that is considered to be yet another sign of Beijing's assertion. How much of an issue is independence in Taiwan? While political progress has been slow, links between Beijing and Taipei, and the two economies have grown. Between 1991 and the end of May 2021, Taiwanese investment in China totalled $193.5bn (157.9bn), Taiwanese official figures show. Some Taiwanese people worry their economy is now dependent on China. Others believe that closer business ties make Chinese military action less likely, because of the cost to China's own economy. A controversial trade agreement sparked the "Sunflower Movement" in 2014, where students and activists occupied Taiwan's parliament protesting against what they called China's growing influence over Taiwan. Officially, the ruling DPP still favours formal independence for Taiwan, while the KMT favours eventual unification with China. Recent polls show many Taiwanese support the government's approach in "safeguarding national sovereignty" But most Taiwanese people seem to fall somewhere in between. A June 2022 survey found that only 5.2% of Taiwanese supported independence as soon as possible, while 1.3% were in favour of unification with mainland China at the earliest possibility. The rest supported some form of maintaining the status quo, with the largest group wanting to maintain it indefinitely with no move towards either independence or unification. What does the US have to do with the China-Taiwan divide? Washington's long-standing policy has been one of "strategic ambiguity" to the extent that it would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. Officially, it sticks to the "One-China" policy, which recognises only one Chinese government - in Beijing - and has formal ties with Beijing rather than Taipei. But it has also pledged to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons and stressed that any attack by China would cause "grave concern". In May 2022, President Joe Biden replied in the affirmative when asked whether the US would defend Taiwan militarily. Soon after, the White House quickly clarified that the US position on Taiwan had not changed and reiterated its commitment to the "One-China" policy. It has similarly contradicted previous statements by Mr Biden on military support for Taiwan. The issue of Taiwan has also strained relations between the US and China. Beijing has condemned any perceived support from Washington for Taipei - and has responded by stepping up incursions of military jets into Taiwan's air defence zone since Mr Biden's election. Brittney Griner stands in a cage ahead of a hearing in Russian court. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool The Biden administration offered Russia a prisoner swap for the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. Russia reportedly countered by attempting to include a convicted killer, in addition to an arms dealer. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed the offer as a "bad faith attempt." Despite reporting of a potential prisoner exchange to bring home Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, a deal between the United States and Russia to free the detained Americans still appears to be a ways away. A top White House official slammed Russia in a CNN interview Saturday for attempting to tack on an additional convict a murderer who was tried, sentenced, and imprisoned in Germany to the United States' proposed prisoner exchange of Griner and Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner competes for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. Charlie Neibergall/AP John Kirby, the Biden administration's National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, called the Kremlin's counteroffer "a bad faith attempt to avoid a very serious offer and proposal that the United States has put forward." "Holding two American citizens hostage in exchange for an assassin in a third-party country is not a serious counteroffer," Kirby said, adding: "We urge Russia to take [our] offer seriously." Even despite his criticism of Moscow's counter, Kirby was hesitant to agree that discussions between the two superpowers had "stalled." He also denied that the Russians "hold the cards," as CNN's Jim Sciutto phrased his question, at the negotiating table. John Kirby, the Biden administration's National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, speaks at a White House press briefing. REUTERS/Leah Millis Instead, Kirby underscored the Biden administration's stance since early May, when they designated Griner as "wrongfully detained." A source previously told Insider that the classification change sends a "strong signal that the US government does not believe that there is a legitimate case against her." "We very much want to see Brittney and Paul come home to their families, where they belong," Kirby said. "They're wrongfully detained there, and we're just gonna keep at that work." Story continues Griner, an eight-time WNBA All-Star, has been in Russian custody since February 17. The 6-foot-9 Phoenix Mercury center was charged with the large-scale transportation of drugs and moved to a Russian jail shortly after customs agents at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport claimed to have found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Griner is led to a July hearing in Russian court. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images Whelan, meanwhile, has been wrongfully detained in Russia since December 2018. The former Marine-turned-security executive was arrested at a Moscow hotel over suspicions that he was an American spy. He was subsequently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison, with the possibility of serving time at a labor camp. Though Griner's trial which legal experts characterize as a "show trial" with a "predetermined" outcome is still underway, sources have repeatedly told Insider that a prisoner exchange is Griner's most likely path home. The same goes for Whelan. The US government's offer to release Bout is a serious one. Known to many as the "Merchant of Death," the 55-year-old is infamous for supplying rebel groups and terrorist organizations with weapons that fueled bloody wars across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. American detainee Paul Whelan holds a sign ahead of a hearing in Moscow. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov However, Bout's 2008 arrest in Thailand was not actually based on charges for the high-stakes trafficking operations that have since served as inspiration for several movies, documentaries, and books. Instead, he has been in foreign custody for over a decade after he was caught in a US Drug Enforcement Agency sting operation. American officials lured the elusive arms distributor to engage with purported representatives of a Colombian guerilla group. He offered to sell weapons to the rebels, even with the understanding that the materials could have been used to kill Americans. Soon after, Bout was arrested in Bangkok and, following an extended legal battle and protests from the Russian government, extradited to the US. Nearly four years after his initial capture, Bout was convicted of a trio of crimes and handed his minimum 25-year sentence. Viktor Bout. PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP via Getty Images Expert opinions vary on whether the weapons dealer would still pose a national security threat to the United States if he were set free. And even though Bout has already served 11 years of his sentence, many see his release as a major concession from the US government. Adding another dangerous criminal Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted late last year of killing a man in broad daylight would make the deal even less palatable to those concerned about the initial trade proposed by the Biden administration. Griner's Russian legal representation previously estimated that she'd be sentenced sometime in August. The 31-year-old is expected to appear in court again this week. Read the original article on Insider On The View on Tuesday, Whoopi Goldberg read from a New Yorker article that details how some people live with growing student debt well into their 80s and 90s. The piece she read from details, among others, the story of Betty Ann who faced bullying and abuse as she strove to get a law degree at NYU and whose debt for that course has ballooned as she aged to an insurmountable number. Student loan debt is the only kind of debt that cannot be eradicated by declaring bankruptcy. GOLDBERG: In 1983, at age 52, Betty-Ann enrolled at NYU's law school, she borrowed $29,000 in federal loans. She now owes over $329,000. She is 91. She sold her family furniture to make loan payments. wonders if without the dead, she could have stayed in a home she once owned. Listen, these are the debts you need to forgive. Because people who are in their 70s and 80s may not be making the same money they made in their 50s and 60s. You need to forgive this. You need to forgive. This is ridiculous. A Windsor man was sentenced to a mandatory life sentence for the 2020 fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend while their 3-month-old son was in the car with her. Kaman Morgan, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Brie Ann Biondolillo, 37, of Greeley, after a weeklong trial, the Weld County District Attorney's Office said in a Monday afternoon news release. Morgan fired six shots at Biondolillo, including five through the windshield of her vehicle while she was picking up their infant son at Morgan's home in the 400 block of Sundance Drive in northeast Windsor in February 2020. He shot her a sixth time after she fell out of the vehicle, according to the news release. Windsor police searched for Morgan before he turned himself in to Weld County authorities the day after the shooting. "Im thankful to know that he cant hurt my mom or any other woman ever again,'' the victims daughtersaid during Friday mornings sentencing hearing, according to the release. Weld County District Court Judge Timothy Kerns imposed a mandatory life sentence, without thepossibility of parole. "Domestic violence and power and control over someone, its over today,'' Kerns said in the release. Resources for domestic violence victims If you or someone you care about is in a domestic violence situation, call Crossroads Safehouse's 24/7 helplines, which are staffed by trained advocates: 970-482-3502 or 888-541-7233 (toll free). You can also call Alternatives to Violence at 970-669-5150. Other available resources for people in crisis include: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or call 911. SummitStone Crisis Stabilization Unit, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: summitstonehealth.org/services/ UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies crisis centers: uchealth.org/services/behavioral-health/ Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Windsor man gets life in prison for fatally shooting ex-girlfriend Washington, DC. Getty Images Young federal government employees left their jobs at higher rates than their older counterparts, according to a new report. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service analyzed attrition rates from October 2020 to September 2021. Those under age 30 had an attrition rate of 8.5% higher than the government-wide rate of around 6%. Young people have been quitting their jobs in droves, and that includes those who work for the federal government. The attrition rate for federal government employees under the age of 30 was 8.5% double the average level of their older counterparts aged 30 to 59. That's according to a new report released Tuesday by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit that analyzed turnover trends in the federal government from fiscal year 2021, between October 2020 and September 2021. Insider obtained an early copy of the report. The young-employee data, which includes more than 11,000 people who quit, was also significantly higher than the federal government-wide attrition rate at around 6%. James-Christian Blockwood, executive vice president at the Partnership for Public Service, told Insider in a statement that the data should send a signal to agency leaders to pay attention to their young employees. "Government already struggles to attract and hire young talent, so it must ensure that young people are not only getting hired into the federal workforce but also staying in it," the report read. Research shows that some of the reasons young people in the United States have left their jobs in recent years is because of low pay, burnout and stress, and a lack of remote opportunities. Low pay was a chief concern among federal government workers under 30, according to the Partnership for Public Service's 2021 Best Places to Work assessment. "All set of employees showed dissatisfaction with pay that went up markedly from 2020 to 2021," Loren DeJonge Schulman, vice president of research, evaluation and modernizing government, told Insider. "But that age cohort, a cohort under 30, was the highest age cohort in terms of their dissatisfaction with pay." Story continues Yet the age group scored high with general job satisfaction, the report found. "This finding suggests that the under 30 cohort, a group with an attrition rate of 8.5 percent may leave their positions for other reasons besides overall job frustration," Schulman told Insider in a statement. Schulman, who's served in key roles at both the National Security Council and Department of Defense, said the first two years are formative to a new federal government employee's experience. That's the time they go through employee onboarding programs, find mentors, and learn about their role in the government. But for people who got hired during the pandemic, that experience has been difficult. "Those two years, their first few years in government would have been incredibly disruptive," Schulman said. "My assumption would be that if something could have gone wrong, it went wrong in that time period." "This presents an opportunity for informed decision-making on how to improve retention," she added. The only age group that had a higher attrition rate 16.7% than the young government employees were those over 60, which can largely be attributed to retirement. Another datapoint from the report was that employees with less than five years of experience left their jobs at higher rates than those with longer tenures in government service. Overall, the federal government-wide attrition rate for fiscal 2021 was consistent with pre-pandemic levels, per the report. But the slight increase in attrition from the third quarter to the fourth should prompt federal leaders to focus on those who may be under significant stress, Schulman said. "That slight increase in the last quarter could be just a blip," she said. "Or it could be a hint that we are going to continue to see some of those Great Resignation patterns." Read the original article on Business Insider BEDFORD A Goodview man was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for his role in a DUI-related wreck in Bedford County that injured a couple who had an infant in the vehicle. Brandon Wayne Bateman, 36, pleaded no contest in March to two felony counts of maiming; one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, fourth offense in 10 years; and one count of driving without a license because of previous offense while under the influence. The Farmville couple testified extensively Tuesday of their injuries and emotional trauma from the Nov. 6, 2021, wreck. Their daughter suffered only bruising from the incident, the mother testified. Bateman drove a pickup truck that night from Timberlake Road into Bedford County and was observed by witnesses driving erratically and well over the speed limit on Virginia 122, Bedford Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nance said. In the Bunker Hill plant area, his truck ran off the side of the road, overcorrected and struck the other vehicle at a high rate of speed. The female passenger testified she saw Batemans truck approaching and yelled: Oh my God. Hes going to hit us! She said she was airlifted to the hospital and suffered a broken arm and leg. She was hospitalized for four days, underwent surgery and was confined to a wheelchair for several months. She testified of her many negative psychological effects, including losing out on many important moments of her daughters first year and losing the ability to breastfeed, and she cant drive at night because of panic attacks from headlights in the opposite lane. She said the wreck also crippled the couple financially with medical bills, and they both still are dealing with physical effects. She has nightmares of the crash and thinks about how much worse it could have been. The driver who was hit testified he was turning left off Joppa Mill Road and onto Virginia 122 when he saw lights flashing and he went blank as he lost consciousness during the wreck. He, too, was airlifted, suffered three broken bones in his right foot, severely hurt his wrist and had brain hemorrhaging, according to his testimony. He was out of work until late April and testified he has headaches, hears constant ringing in his ears and is at increased risk for Alzheimers because of the wreck. Still walking with a severe limp, he said their injuries are a result of Batemans bad judgment and he feels a 10-year sentence is appropriate for a defendant in his sixth DUI offense who hasnt learned from previous incidents. Batemans mother apologized in court to the couple and testified her son has dealt with alcohol abuse as a boy following the death of his father from cancer. She testified he is a wonderful person who turns into someone else when he drinks alcohol and he needs more intense treatment. Bateman testified he has struggled with alcoholism since age 9, when his dad died. When my father passed away, I didnt want to live life, Bateman said. I didnt want to be here. He said he doesnt remember the wreck and said he wants to seek treatment through a Christian program he can afford. Bateman said he also has nightmares because of the event. The guilt I hold is unreal, Bateman said. Bateman read from a letter he wrote to the couple that said three years ago his mother was hit by a man who fell asleep at the wheel and he knows how it feels to be affected by such an event. I now have become that man, Bateman said, adding he has spent much time praying for forgiveness. There is no bigger wake-up call in the world than this. Bateman said he never meant to hurt anyone, hopes the couple can find healing and vowed to stay sober one day at a time, so help me God. Nance said Bateman ignored previous court rulings to stay away from alcohol and is not being prosecuted because of his disease or mental health but rather his decision to drive drunk that night. If he fell off the wagon and stayed at home, we wouldnt be here today, Nance said. Nance said Bateman had his first DUI offense 15 years ago and spoke in a frustrated tone of Batemans repeated behavior and endangering others, not just harming the victims, in a 15-mile trip at speeds of 80 to 100 miles per hour. He referred to all aspects of Batemans actions as aggravating and said his blood alcohol content was .19, more than twice the legal limit. Nance asked for a 10-year sentence, adding it was rare for his office to request more than half above the high end of sentencing guidelines but this is the case for it. Judge James Updike said in his opinion the guidelines that call for a low end of two years to a high of nearly four years are woefully low because of the circumstances and Batemans chronic history of alcohol-related recidivism. Updike said one thing he knows from more than four decades in the legal profession: everyone makes mistakes, and two types of people are those who learn from them and those who keep repeating them; Bateman has shown he is the latter. The couples medical bills combined exceed $304,000 and they are pursing civil litigation, according to Nance. Updike, in sentencing Bateman, ordered he pay $5,000 apiece to both victims in monthly installments of restitution to go toward that figure and credited him with time served since his arrest following the wreck. Betty Ann Levin got a disturbing phone call Sunday morning. Her neighbor told her antisemitic flyers had been distributed throughout their Virginia Beach community. Levin quickly went to investigate and found one in her driveway. The flyers which took aim at Jewish executives who work for Disney and included a web address that links to an antisemitic website were left in driveways throughout several neighborhoods in Richmond and Virginia Beach during a recent July weekend. Although some residents were shocked, its far from the only such incident in the commonwealth. The Anti-Defamation League reports that Virginia had the nations second-highest number of incidents involving white supremacist propaganda last year. And it has steadily increased in the past few years. Advocates for equality and inclusion say because the hateful messages can lead to deadly consequences, the issue needs attention. But they caution it should be addressed in a measured way that doesnt unintentionally amplify the propaganda. For members of the Jewish community, it can make you feel very vulnerable and very targeted, said Levin, executive vice president of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. The fact that in 2022 we are feeling this way and experiencing this is sad. Meredith Weisel, regional director for the ADL, said theres been a nationwide rise in white supremacist propaganda in recent years targeting marginalized groups, including Jews and racial minorities. Extremists have become emboldened in recent years, she said, likely because some in leadership roles now openly embrace or echo some of their views. Weisel said its hard to say why Virginia specifically is seeing such an increase. But the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville may have been a factor. Hundreds of white nationalists convened there in 2017 to protest the citys plans to remove a confederate statue. The event garnered national attention after one of the white nationalists drove a car into a crowd of counter protestors, killing one and injuring dozens. Charlottesville definitely set off a pattern, so it is possible that hate has just continued to have a stronger presence since the Unite the Right rally, Weisel said. The ADLs data found 376 incidents of white supremacist propaganda in Virginia in 2021, second only to Pennsylvania, which recorded 475 incidents last year. Texas came in third with 329. Virginias numbers were up from 249 in 2020 and 138 in 2019. Pointing to a recent racially-motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, Weisel said such propaganda should never be taken lightly. (The alleged shooter) believed a lot of the propaganda and misinformation that was out there and he acted out on that, she said. Thats why this stuff can be so dangerous; its not just a flyer that you can throw in the trash. You have to think about who may actually believe it and then act upon it. Jonathan Zur, president of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, said it can be challenging to collect reliable data on incidents related to hateful propaganda. Some in marginalized communities are afraid to report it because they fear it could make the situation worse, he explained. But he said anecdotal evidence the center has received in recent years backs up the ADLs findings. Zur believes the pandemic and subsequent work-from-home culture are likely contributing factors, as isolated individuals are more vulnerable to extremist views. Although ignoring the problem isnt a solution, Zur said responses that give too much attention to the groups involved or to their messaging also is problematic. Its a fine line, he said, adding that many perpetrators likely are seeking attention. Consistent exposure to diversity is one of the best ways to stomp out hate, Zur said. The center encourages groups and organizations to seek such connections, like a partnership between two different houses of worship. Folks are often not exposed to people of different religions or races or ethnicities; people often move into neighborhoods where they see others who look like them, he said. We need to make sure we are consistently providing education and exposure as an alternative to groups who are promoting fear-mongering that is not countered when we dont have those living examples around us. Legislators also should frequently review and, if needed, update hate crime legislation, Zur said. Although Levin was dismayed by the flyers, she said it was heartening to see the communitys response. She said neighbors of all faiths were upset and wanted to help. Many local leaders, including Rep. Elaine Luria and Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, also quickly stepped up to denounce antisemitic views. Everyone was angry and disturbed, Levin said. Hillary Wilson, president of the Middle Plantation Civic League, which represents one of the neighborhoods blanketed with flyers, said some league members are organizing an event next week to promote diversity and inclusion. Theyre going to get a bunch of chalk and then kids can draw messages of love and support on our streets, she said. Wilson said shes aware there are many angry people in the world, but the flyers still caught her off guard. The community is determined to make it clear that such messages are not welcome. Nothing like this had ever happened before here, Wilson said. It was upsetting because it doesnt represent out neighborhood; it was shocking and its not who we are. DES MOINES Former Vice President Mike Pence is coming to the Iowa State Fair. Pence will make his fourth trip to Iowa since leaving office for a two-day swing Aug. 19-20, Politico reported recently, citing a Pence aide familiar with the planning. In addition to making a stop at the Iowa State Fair, Pence will attend fundraisers for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, U.S. House candidate Zach Nunn and Bremer County Republicans; and a house party hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Politico reported. Pence is among many national Republicans who have made multiple trips to Iowa, which on the Republican side will remain the first state in the nation to cast its preference for president in 2024. National Democrats are re-evaluating their presidential nominating calendar, and Iowa Democrats may lose their No. 1 spot on that side. 1 MILLION CONTACTS: The Republican Party of Iowa reported its 1 millionth voter contact over the weekend. The voter contacts are part of the partys efforts to encourage Republican voters to cast ballots in this falls elections We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A delegation from the Saudi Shura Council, headed by the councils Chairman Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Al Ash-Sheikh, held separate talks Monday in Rabat with the speakers of the two chambers of the Moroccan Parliament (deputies and advisers) on Moroccos legislative experience. The talks highlighted by the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding between the Saudi Shoura Council and each of the two chambers of the Moroccan parliament. The MoUs provide a framework for boosting legislative cooperation and interaction between the parliamentary institutions of the two countries and for the exchange of parliamentary expertise and studies. They also provide for establishing a mechanism for the exchange of visits of parliamentary delegations, setting up joint working groups, and strengthening relations between members of the legislative institutions, in order to address issues of mutual interest and coordinate stands within regional and international parliamentary forums. In this connection, the MoUs cover security affairs, the fight against terrorism and extremism, geostrategic issues, as well as issues related to culture, economy, trade, climate and religion. They likewise cover investment, food security, human rights promotion, scientific research, and technological advances, mainly e-parliamentary action. The three parties expressed their readiness to consolidate legislative cooperation while endeavoring to ensure that the level of this cooperation be up to the excellent and brotherly ties binding King Mohammed VI and King Salman Ben Abdelaziz Al Saud. They also emphasized their full support for the security, stability and territorial integrity of both countries, while expressing their mutual willingness to advance cooperation and consultation between the legislative institutions. The meetings of the Saudi delegation provided an opportunity to highlight the celebration this year of the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Members of the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo(MONUSCO) and UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix paid tribute Monday at a ceremony in Goma to the three Moroccan and two Indian peacekeepers killed last week in the eastern region of the country. Last week, deadly demonstrations demanding the departure of the United Nations mission took place in several towns in eastern DRC. The demonstrators accused the peacekeepers of ineffectiveness in the fight against the hundred or so armed groups roaming in the eastern provinces of the country, sowing violence and chaos. A total of 19 people, including three peacekeepers, were killed in the violent protests. A Moroccan peacekeeper was killed Tuesday in Butembo during violent anti-MONUSCO demonstrations. In the same circumstances, two UN police officers of Indian nationality were also killed. The next day, a soldier from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) contingent deployed in the DRC died in Butembo in North Kivu. The soldier died after being accidentally shot by a UN police officer who was part of the teams sent to reinforce the Moroccan military, following aggressive demonstrations by the local population against the presence of MONUSCO, according to a statement from the FAR General Staff. A fifth peacekeeper, a FAR soldier, was killed in the town of Bunagana in Rutshuru territory, where peacekeepers are supporting the DRCs armed forces in operations against the March 23 Movement, a rebellion backed by Rwanda, according to Congolese authorities. We must be attentive to the sometimes completely unfounded reasons that motivate this hostility (towards the Blue Helmets) in order to learn all the lessons and work jointly with the Congolese authorities to make the necessary improvements, said Bintou Keita, the head of MONUSCO in Goma where tributes were paid to the Blue Helmets. The best service we can render to all those who have lost their lives is to redouble our efforts and to do so in such a way that these episodes of violence do not recur, said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of the UN peace department. Yet, as the tribute ceremony was held, protesters tried to march on a MONUSCO base in the town of Beni, forcing the Congolese police and army to fire warning shots to disperse them. Congolese security forces set up tents and erected security perimeters in front of MONUSCO base in Beni. The peacekeepers have also stepped up security measures at their facilities with armored vehicles and battle tanks. Present in the DRC since 1999, MONUC (UN Mission in Congo), which became MONUSCO (UN Stabilization Mission in DRC) in 2010, currently has more than 14,000 peacekeepers, with an annual budget of one billion dollars. Kuwait-based gifting e-commerce platform and toy shop Teeela is set to expand in the Middle East region to tap into the $30 billion gifting market, following a Pre-Series A funding round that raised $3.75 million, Zawya reports. Saudi Arabian investment firm Wealth Well, Mada Investment Company, Al-Akeel family and several other investors injected $3.75 million into the company. Teeela plans to use to money to fuel the growth of the company across the GCC, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Zawya says citing a statement from the company. This will strengthen Teeelas regional presence beyond its Kuwait headquarters as it targets the Middle Easts $30 billion gifting market, including family products, childrens goods and toys, the company said. Teeela, according to its website, is leading app for online toys shopping in the Gulf Cooperation Council region where you shop through a wide range of toys from different brands and categories. The services also include wrapping and last-minute ordering. As polls have closed in Senegals parliamentary elections Sunday, both the ruling and the opposition parties claimed victory Monday as provisional vote tallies came in. Former Prime Minister Aminata Toure, who heads the ruling coalition, announced on national television that the party had won 30 out of 46 administrative departments. This undoubtedly gives us a majority in the National Assembly, she said, adding that Presidenr Macky Salls ruling coalition will hold on to its majority. the main opposition coalition, which hopes the vote will force a coalition with President Sall and curb any ambitions he may hold for a third term, said in a statement Monday that it has defeated the ruling party in most departments. The provisional results from the legislative elections show that President Macky Sall lost the elections and that he will not have a majority in the National Assembly, it said. Senegals parliamentary elections pitted the presidents ruling party against an opposition coalition energized by food price hikes and fears the incumbent leader could run for a controversial third term in 2024. Partial results were published late on Sunday (31 July) with provisional overall figures to be given no later than Friday. Approximately seven million voters are eligible to elect 165 deputies in the National Assembly amid a politically tense atmosphere in the West African nation. Tensions have run high in the politically stable West African country since violent protests broke out last year after Salls main opponent Ousmane Sonko, who came third in the last 2019 presidential election, was arrested on rape charges. Sonko denies the allegations. Frustrations with economic hardship brought by the coronavirus pandemic have been stoked by fuel and food price hikes linked to the war in Ukraine raising ire against a president accused of stifling his rivals and failing on promises to improve livelihoods. Some opponents fear Sall will breach a constitutional two-term limit and run again in 2024, an option he has neither confirmed nor denied. Amid growing discontent, opposition parties hope the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition will see its parliamentary majority slip below the 125 out of 165 seats it currently occupies in the National Assembly. Senegals hybrid election system includes both representatives who win a majority of votes in their administrative departments, as well as representatives elected from national lists, using proportional representation. In addition, some representatives are chosen by Senegalese who live abroad. Kenya has no intention of shutting down Facebook, a technology giant which is owned by its parent company Meta, its minister for information, communication and technology (ICT) said on Monday, August 1, after the national cohesion watchdog gave the platform seven days to comply with rules on hate speech or face suspension. The watchdogs ultimatum came after hate speech flooded facebook and after a terrorist group has tried to use social media to destabilize the country before the election. We do not have a plan to shut down any of these platforms, Joe Mucheru, the ICT minister told the media. Press freedom is one we cherish, whether it is (traditional) media or social media. His statement echoed that of the interior minister, Fred Matiangi, who accused the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) of making haphazard decisions over the weekend, and vowed that the platform will not be shut down. They (NCIC) should have consulted widely because they dont have the power to shut anybody down. They dont license anybody, Mucheru said. This comes after Kenyas ethnic cohesion watchdog has given Metas Facebook seven days to tackle hate speech and incitement on the platform relating to next months election, failing which its operations will be suspended. East Africas biggest economy is in the throes of campaigning ahead of presidential, legislative and local authorities elections on 9 August. Advocacy group Global Witness said in a recent report that Facebook had accepted and carried more than a dozen political advertisements that breached Kenyas rules. Kenyas NCIC said the report corroborates its own internal findings. Facebook is in violation of the laws of our country. They have allowed themselves to be a vector of hate speech and incitement, misinformation and disinformation, Danvas Makori, an NCIC commissioner said. But Meta has responded to these accusations by saying that it has taken extensive steps to weed out hate speech and inflammatory content, and it is intensifying those efforts ahead of the election. Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh travelled to Turkey Monday to seek rapprochement with Ankara to break the political deadlock in the oil-rich country which currently has two rival governments. The head of the Turkish-Libyan Friendship Group, Ambassador Ahmed Yildiz received Saleh, Al Wasat news website reports. Saleh will meet a number of senior Turkish officials during his stay in Ankara to seek agreement with Turkish authorities on the way forward in Libya. The North African country currently has two rival administrations, namely a Government of National Stability led by former Ankara protege and former interior minister Fathi Bashagha, and the Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Ankara currently backs Dbeibeh who was removed in February by the parliament at the expense of Bashagha. Saleh, on July 20 told Al-Massar TV, that politics are flexible and subject to development and change, there is no permanent rivalry, and that the interests of the Turks are linked to our interests. Lincoln County is set to partner with the City of North Platte in addressing the well-documented housing shortage in the county. On Monday, the Lincoln County Board approved an interlocal agreement to apply for Community Development Block Grant funds that will be used for updates to the Comprehensive Development Plans for both the city and county. City Planning Administrator Judy Clark said there are good reasons to do it together. No. 1, we can actually apply for more funding if we do it as a joint entity, Clark said. Whereas if the city does it alone and the county does it alone, there is less money we can apply for. She said it also will bring the city and county together regarding development. Clark said that would be a good thing especially with the shared responsibility within the citys two-mile zoning jurisdiction outside city limits, where there are sometimes differences. The grant totals $70,000 with the city and county responsible for $25,000. That total, Clark said, would be split between the two entities. The total cost of this project is estimated to be around $220,000, Clark said. Were not asking the county to come up with half of that, just half of the matching funds. She emphasized that the city and county would still have separate comprehensive plans, but would be using the grant money to update each individual plan. The commissioners discussed the countys black-tailed prairie dog management plan that will come up for action after more discussion at a future meeting. Reporting and management responsibilities and procedures were prevalent throughout the discussion. Property owners ultimately are responsible for managing prairie dog infestations on their properties, but there did not appear to be a procedure in place to enforce violations of the countys laws. Property owner Wayne Rundback indicated he didnt know where to report possible violations. The commissioners agreed there needed to be a process and accountability put into place and over the next few weeks will come up with a more definitive plan. One idea was to add the responsibility of assessing prairie dog infiltration issues to the noxious weeds department. The commissioners emphasized that property owners need to know who to contact when they observe a prairie dog problem that is not being taken care of by neighboring property owners. Chairman Chris Bruns said the public currently has several avenues to report issues, including calling their commissioner. Once the board works out a more defined procedure, they will enact a resolution and the process will be made public. County Assessor Julie Stenger and Charity Farley, lead appraiser, presented their report on the three-year plan for property assessments in Lincoln County. Due to falling out of compliance with state statute regulations for the 2022 assessment year, we had to do a 4% increase on the south side of North Platte, Farley said, and we did a 7% increase on the north side. Stenger said her office would be starting its physical review and inspection in the city of North Platte, concentrating on getting the north side neighborhoods completed for 2023. The south side of North Platte is scheduled for the 2024 assessment year. The county converted its software using Vanguard costing and depreciation tables for 2019, but did not complete those until 2021. For the 2019 assessment year, we performed another physical review and inspection of all seven villages within the county, Stenger said. Sutherland and Hershey received a trended adjustment for 2019, while the villages of Maxwell, Brady, Wallace and Wellfleet remained unchanged. Stenger said properties continue to sell at or above the current assessed values and the market has become a sellers market with very few properties on the market and those selling in shorter periods of time. Bruns said the last report he saw indicated there are approximately 50 houses on the market within Lincoln County, with a majority of those in North Platte. The average in the past, he said, was generally 150 houses across the county. In other action, the commissioners: Authorized Bruns to sign a right of way application submitted by Great Plains Communication. Tabled action on an interlocal agreement with Keith County to house inmates at the Lincoln County Detention Center for a change in wording. Approved and authorized Bruns to sign a special designated liquor application submitted by Pals Brewing Company for the Western Nebraska Beer Festival on Sept. 10. At the request of property owner Art Hasenauer, the board will begin work on a resolution that would deed a property on South Somerset Road to Hasenour. There will be a public hearing before a vote on the resolution. The commissioners recognized several employees for service to the county. Season Trevino and Brent Lundgreen each were recognized for 20 years of service; Jesi Sonnenfeld was recognized for 10 years; and James Pishna and Tanner Dircksen for five years. IMPERIAL The defense rested its case in the Kevin S. German murder trial late Monday morning without calling German to the stand. Closing arguments are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Chase County District Court with the jury expected to receive instructions later in the day. German, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a 2014 Chase County High School graduate, is charged with first-degree murder and felony kidnapping of Annika Swanson, 22. Her body was found Nov. 24, 2019, at the bottom of an 8-foot irrigation drainage pipe beside an earthen dam in a rural area near Imperial. German is charged with a second count of felony kidnapping for allegedly holding Eve Ambrosek captive for three days. Before resting, the defense called two witnesses and also showed the jury a roughly 90-minute video of the deposition of Dr. Michael Kosnett of Denver, which was recorded in June. Kosnett, who specializes in toxicology and occupational medicine, stated that he did not believe that the methanol levels in Swansons system contributed to her death. Kosnett said that while the 170 milligrams per deciliter of methanol an ingredient in windshield wiper fluid among other products was an elevated level, its not what is toxic to a person. The concern is the metabolism into formic acid that results in poisoning. He said Swansons level of 6.6 nanograms per milliliter of formic acid was at about the middle of the normal range that is naturally found in a human body. He concluded that methanol ingestion could not be considered as a contributor to Swansons death within a reasonable medical certainty. Kosnett said that there is a latent period of 12 to 24 hours for methanol to be converted into formic acid, and that Swanson died before that happened. Douglas Warner, a special prosecutor from the state attorney generals office, asked Kosnett in the deposition if the methanol level in Swansons system, if allowed to metabolize into formic acid, could have been fatal. Its possible, Kosnett said. Kosnetts deposition contradicted the opinions of Dr. Peter Schilke of Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. Schilke testified earlier in the trial that blunt force trauma, methanol and methamphetamine in her system were all contributing factors to Swansons death. Schilke also testified that the methanol levels could create severe respiratory compression, or basically restrict a persons normal breathing pattern. Kosnett disagreed with that statement, as there are no documented cases in which that happened. It doesnt fly, Kosnett said in the deposition. That statement does not have a scientific foundation. The defense presented its case after prosecutors called their 25th and final witness, Chase County Sheriffs Deputy Rob Browning. Before he called Abby Murillo to begin the defense case, Germans attorney Clarence Mock III moved to have the charges against his client dismissed for lack of evidence. Judge Patrick Heng overruled the motion. A 37-year-old Sutherland woman received jail time Monday for her role in the May 7 disappearance of $3,666.64 in cash from Ozzies I-80 at Sutherlands Exit 158 interchange. Lincoln County District Judge Michael Piccolo sentenced Casandra L. Simmons to 45 days in jail on a reduced misdemeanor count of theft, $500 to $1,500. Simmons, who authorities earlier said was an employee of the convenience store, was one of four people arrested in connection with the May theft. The stores owner told county sheriffs deputies that Ozzies had closed early on May 7 without his knowledge when Simmons reported she was sick. Authorities said several people, including Simmons, were in the store after it closed. Video surveillance captured three people handling a large amount of cash and walking out of the store. County prosecutors lowered Simmons charge from felony theft, $1,500 to $5,000. Piccolo gave her credit for eight days served in jail. Also Monday, 33-year-old Austin B. Priest of North Platte pleaded not guilty to felony counts of possession of 10 to 28 grams of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and tampering with physical evidence. All counts stem from a June 12 incident. Piccolo set Priests bail at $250,000, with the right to post 10%. The bail is concurrent with three 2021 cases, all of which also involve felony charges. In other district court action (all defendants are from North Platte unless otherwise noted): Ted A. Lewis, 33, of rural North Platte received consecutive 365-day jail terms for two felonies in connection with a June 5, 2020, break-in at a home in western North Platte. Lewis pleaded guilty to counts of burglary and attempted terroristic threats. Prosecutors filed the latter charge after agreeing to drop felony counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and using a firearm to commit a felony. Piccolo gave Lewis 445 days credit for time served in jail. Jeffrey Lammers, 34, of Orleans, Nebraska, was placed on two years specialized substance abuse supervision probation for misdemeanor third-offense driving under the influence of alcohol. Lammers, who accepted a plea agreement, originally was charged with felony fourth-offense DUI in an incident on Nov. 25, 2021. He had three previous DUI convictions in Buffalo County, according to court records. Piccolo also fined Lammers $1,000, revoked his drivers license for two years and ordered him to spend 30 days in jail with one days credit for time served. John A. Hernandez, 34, received two concurrent 90-day jail terms under a plea agreement settling a trio of cases filed in 2021 and 2022. He pleaded guilty Monday to felony driving under suspension on Feb. 17, 2021, and felony possession of suboxone on Dec. 2, 2019. One misdemeanor count in each of those cases was dropped, as was a more recent felony charge of first-offense criminal impersonation in a July 10 incident. Piccolo gave Hernandez 55 days credit for time served but also revoked his drivers license for 15 years. The judge set trial for the Sept. 13 jury term for Chad M. Wallgren, 48, on felony counts of possession of 28 to 140 grams of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon. Wallgren pleadaed not guilty to the charges on March 25, 2019, according to court records. The incident tied to the charges took place on Feb. 14, 2019. Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin hit out at Forsage, which has been accused of running a fraudulent pyramid and Ponzi scheme since early 2020. Photo: John Phillips/Getty Images for TechCrunch Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin has asked people to "call out scammers" operating within the cryptocurrency sector after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged an ethereum-based crypto firm with being a "fraudulent crypto pyramid and Ponzi scheme". The ethereum co-founder urged crypto platform Forsage.io to "please leave and don't pollute the ethereum ecosystem". Read more: Crypto live prices Buterin's Twitter outburst was in reference to a recent SEC charge against Forsage, which has been accused of running a fraudulent pyramid and Ponzi scheme since early 2020. Forsage calls itself a 'smart contract' crypto earnings platform, but its activities caught the attention of the SEC. The SEC said Forsage raised more than $300m (244m) from investors around the world, including in the US via their website forsage.io, and that the group that runs the crypto-enterprise acted in a fraudulent way. Read more: Web3: Is .eth the new .com? The allegation is that Forsage has been operating as a pyramid scheme since its launch in January 2020 because investors earned profits by recruiting others into the scheme. The SEC said that the group also allegedly used assets from new investors to pay earlier investors, a process typical of a Ponzi structure. Forsage had been ordered to "cease-and-desist actions" by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines in September 2020 and by the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance in March 2021. SEC Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit acting chief Carolyn Welshhans said: Forsage is a fraudulent pyramid scheme launched on a massive scale and aggressively marketed to investors. Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains. However, the crypto-firm continued to promote the scheme up to the time of the SEC charges on Monday. This led to an outburst on Tuesday by Buterin, who responded to the activities of Forsage and tweeted: "Call out scammers. You get hate in the moment, but time vindicates you. Story continues "Even if you're some CEO with a 'reputation' and need for 'professionalism', do it anyway and be savage. "People look up to you and your warning will be taken seriously." In an earlier tweet concerning Forsage and the SEC investigation, Buterin stated that the US regulatory body is against Forsage because they are "deceitful". Call out scammers. You get hate in the moment, but time vindicates you. Even if you're some CEO with a "reputation" and need for "professionalism", do it anyway and be savage. People look up to you and your warning will be taken seriously. pic.twitter.com/XXYuXpWYl4 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) August 2, 2022 Buterin added: "Most users of such projects will not make money, but will lose a lot of money. "This kind of project relies on more and more people coming in every day to pay previous participants, when new participants are gone, most users lose everything they invested. "Please leave and don't pollute the Ethereum ecosystem in the future, thank you!" Ethereum's (USD-ETH) Vitalik Buterin has been outspoken on a number of points lately. Last week the Ethereum creator made a suggestion that Facebook's (META) Metaverse attempt would fail. In a tweet, he announced that "the 'metaverse' is going to happen but I don't think any of the existing corporate attempts to intentionally create the metaverse are going anywhere". Facebook lost $2.8bn in the last quarter on their Meta concept. Mark Zuckerberg's company lost more $10bn last year in the research and development of their metaverse concept. Many jobs that are involved in metaverse concepts are being discontinued, and metaverse-based cryptocurrency tokens have shed a large portion of their value since the beginning of 2020. Watch: The Crypto Mile: Episode 5 - The Future of Filmmaking and Web3 Ezra Miler reverse experience Reply Thread Link Make Dev The Flash challenge Reply Parent Thread Link I would just DIE. Reply Parent Thread Link Thankful for people who help others. I love him. Reply Thread Link well of course he did, he's perfection like who looks that fucking good while casually intervening a stabbing and talking to the cops? WHO?!? HE DOES Reply Thread Link he could stab me in the ass with his knife (penis). Reply Thread Link His meat-knife!!!! Reply Parent Thread Link How do you always manage to step it up 17 notches?? Reply Parent Thread Link i'm not threatened by a good time. Reply Parent Thread Link i just stopped what i was doing, took a deep breath and then did one of those weird laugh-sighs so thanks for that lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Lmao there isn't time enough for me to list all the ways I would'nt have gotten involved. Reply Thread Link TBH, when I saw woman stabbed man, I immediately thought "prob had it coming" I swear the next pervert who touches/bothers me in a public place-- I'm going to mace him in the middle of a hardware store. Reply Parent Thread Link He's basically encouraging me to be obsessed with him at this point /shrugs Reply Thread Link WOW that is so sexy of him, love that! Glad he was not only inclined to help but able to do so. Reply Thread Link Omg Thats so crazy maaaaan Reply Thread Link I had pictured that one pic of Brandon Flowers behind the scenes of an MV, you know where he's wearing a white tee and roughed up and bloody but Dev is in a cozy sweater that probably smells good and seems totally fine and walking away from a violent confrontation with not a scratch is also very hot Reply Thread Link His hottest music video, Crossfire. Reply Parent Thread Link I saw him live and he's so sexy it's unreal. Reply Parent Thread Link One of my fave music videos. Brandon + Charlize Reply Parent Thread Link UGH I need another BF solo album :'( IDGAF about The Killers anymore. Flowers' solo is SO good. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link that was very dangerous, dont get involved in knife fights Reply Thread Link When a hero comes along Reply Thread Link Good on him but also glad he didn't get hurt himself. I'm very much in the camp of "Protect this (fine) man at all costs." Reply Thread Link Did not want creditmeaning, he didnt want any attention for this. Im so glad Harvey and his minions are always so respectful of other people and their wishes. Reply Thread Link if all those points from netflix are true then idk they are ridiculous. though theyre ridiculous for thinking they could get away with this for this long at that level anyway without having to come to some kind of deal Reply Thread Link Its pretty punk that they just kept pushing despite being so glaringly obviously in the wrong. Its sort of hilarious, really. Im sure Netflixs terms would have been utterly outrageous, also, so I kind of get trying to brazen it out. That being said, theyre soooo screwed. Reply Parent Thread Link i didn't rly have a horse in the race bc first fuck netflix & finding out the creators are rich already was like ok so this isn't an underdog story lmao. but then when it came out that netflix offered them a license deal & they turned them down & continued to charge $150 for tickets (which wtf) & planned a world tour like y'all got it coming to you & i hope you lose all your money girlies. Reply Thread Link Netflix offered to work with them with licensing and they turned them down, twice; then they chose to do concerts/sell merch for profit and here we are. Guess they fucked around and are now finding out Reply Thread Link This really is the definition of play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Reply Parent Thread Link Right! Im glad they are getting sued. White women are always getting away with shit. The fact that Netflix was even willing to work with them speaks volumes. Reply Parent Thread Link they girlbossed too close to the sun Edited at 2022-08-02 10:11 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link they probably thought they were keeping it "independent", Reply Parent Thread Link i didn't realize they turned it down twice! they truly are idiots lmao Reply Parent Thread Link How did they get away with making the musical in the first place and getting a Grammy? Reply Thread Link I think the album was fine because it was considered a type of fanfiction and they were not making $$ from it. The performances were the issue Reply Parent Thread Link but didn't it start on tiktok? doesn't tiktok pay them for viral videos? or did I misunderstand Reply Parent Thread Expand Link You can as long you're not profiting from it Reply Parent Thread Link netflix essentially turned a blind eye bc it was originally for charity (idk about the album, ig as long as they weren't making a profit it was ok) & netflix had told the creators like hey if this turns into you trying to make money off of this we will have issues. then the creators (of the musical) decided to do a world tour & netflix was like ok well we can work with you & give a you a licensing deal & the creators turned it down so netlfix was like ok time to sue since you're trying to make a profit off of this. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Netflix was fine with what they were doing under the stipulation that they dont profit off of it; they even offered to work with them on licensing. Then these two dummies announce concert dates and merch for sale lol with concert tickets costing up to like $130.00 Reply Parent Thread Link I was gonna side with them but lol if they're not authorized and rejected deals then........ Reply Thread Link i'm so confused as to why they would decline. It would only make sense if netflix and Julia Quinn are requesting a big cut, which why wouldn't they?? Also if they are creative enough to create a whole musical then they're creative enough to write an original one. Reply Thread Link they'll probably still settle and get even more publicity this way. Reply Parent Thread Link Also if they are creative enough to create a whole musical then they're creative enough to write an original one. They wanted to capitalize on the Bridgerton name. If they called it Regency Romance: The Musical, not as many people would care. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, I thought they would use this almost as a 'portfolio' of stuff to start their own musicals, but I guess not Reply Parent Thread Link I mean you can't do this with someone else's property. When a billion dollar conglomerate is the more reasonable side. You know they crazy. Reply Thread Link Anyway I don't watch the show but I did love Duomo's version of Wildest Dreams Reply Thread Link I love the instrumental covers they do on the show Reply Parent Thread Link Classic Grammy behaviour, honestly. Reply Thread Link fuck both sides, but lol at them thinking they could profit without paying anything to netflix or shondaland Reply Thread Link Who the hell are their lawyers? Who would let their clients decline the license and have them perform anyways? I can see the duo getting cocky and trying it anyways but it baffles me how their team let them do so. Reply Thread Link The weirdest thing is they have very reputable music managers they are working with, Kraft-Engel, who do (among many, many other things) the live Hollywood Bowl staged musicals, and I can't see how those folks or THE KENNEDY CENTER were okay with going forward staging this without an official license! I honestly can't wait to see the detailed written response B&B's team provides. Reply Parent Thread Link in a way, I'm shook by the absolute nerve to pull this stunt. idk maybe it's because I'm honest to a fault that I could never do anything even remotely this dishonest so I'm kinda fascinated by scammers & cheaters in general. Reply Thread Link I read all 25 pages and if true, the Barlow & Bear and/or their representatives are so dumb. I was already expecting a lawsuit when the album came out, I cant believe they thought they could sell tickets and merch with no issues. Reply Thread Link I'm guessing the terms of the licensing deal would've left them w a lot less cash but now they're screwed -- the legal fees are gonna be high, plus they have absolutely no defense and will def end up settling Reply Thread Link Two Ohio Family Dollar Locations Face Multiple Citations The proposed penalties for both stores total over $1,200,000. Two Family Dollar stores in Ohio face over $500,000 in proposed penalties each. The two stores, one in Maple Heights and another in Columbus, were recently inspected and cited by OSHA, according to a press release. At the Maple Heights location, an employee reported unsafe conditions, and at the Columbus location, an employee filed a complaint about water leaking through the ceiling causing wet floors and ceiling tiles on the floor, which lead to the OSHA inspections. The Maple Heights store was cited for one repeat and four willful violations and faces proposed penalties of $685,777. The Columbus store faces one serious, one repeat and four willful violations and proposed penalties of $547,587. The citations at both stores included unclean areas, obstructed exit routes, no sufficient access and working spaceabout all electrical equipment, and lack of easy access to fire extinguishers, according to citations. Family Dollar is owned by Dollar Tree Inc. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores across the U.S. employ more than 193,000 workers. Since 2017, violations for Family Dollar and Dollar Tree locations have totaled more than 300. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores have a long and disturbing history of putting profits above employee safety, said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the press release. Time and time again, we find the same violations blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, boxes of merchandise stacked high or in front of electrical panels and fire extinguishers. Each hazard can lead to a tragedy. Photo credit: Bruce VanLoon / Shutterstock.com One of the ways Russia has been able to divert its oil to Asia is via ship-to-ship transfers in international waters around Europe. Russia has been ramping up oil exports to Asia since its invasion of Ukraine led to Western sanctions on imports of Russian oil. Some of the crude and products going to Asia are being transferred from one vessel to another in international waters around Europe, including outside UK territorial waters. Off the coast of Suffolk in the UK, outside UK territorial waters, at least two ship-to-ship transfers took place in May, and UK-crewed boats helped the transfer and delivered supplies to the tankers, according to an investigation by Global Witness and The Independent. The coast off Southwold, Suffolk, is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, but it is also one of the few areas around the UK where ship-to-ship transfers are allowed, The Independents Ben Chapman notes. The STS transfers of fuel oil off Suffolk identified by Global Witness and The Independent saw two tankers carrying 165,000 tons of Russian fuel oil worth over $201 million (165 million) proceed to the Middle East and Singapore. These oil transfers are not illegal. Yet, such ship-to-ship (STS) transfers around Europe are being increasingly used for reloading Russian oil onto ships that then head to Asia via the Suez Canal, tanker-tracking publications have shown. There are other areas around Europe where STS transfers are happening, and new STS transfer hubs have started to emerge in recent months. According to vessel tracking and analysis by Lloyds List, China-owned supertankers are at the center of a new STS transfer hub in the middle of the North Atlantic, around 860 nautical miles west of Portugal. Such operations in the area have never been seen before, Alex Glykas from maritime advisors Dynamarine told Lloyds List. Russia is also redirecting its residual fuel oil (RFO) exports the worlds largest such exports away from the West and to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, according to Roslan Khasawneh, a senior fuel oil analyst at the energy analytics firm Vortexa. Russias changing flows are establishing new transhipments hubs for Russian RFO including offshore Kalamata, Greece where there has been a spike in ship-to-ship transfers as well as in Egypt which has seen its imports of Russian fuel oil climb to a record 70kbd in June. As a result, Egypts fuel oil exports jumped to a 10-month high of 120kbd in June, mostly to Saudi Arabia, Khasawneh wrote in an analysis in July. Increased STS transfers help Russia move more and more of its oil volumes to Asia and its key buyers there, China and India. These moves are offsetting to a large extent the Western sanctions on Russias oil and the effect of the upcoming EU embargo on imports of seaborne Russian oil and products, expected to take effect at the end of the year. Western sanctions have so far failed to crush Russias oil exports as Moscow is redirecting crude and products to its more than willing Asian buyers, China and India. Related: Oil Dips Amid Renewed Demand Concerns Russian oil exports dropped by just 250,000 bpd in June, to 7.4 million bpd, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report for July. Despite volumes of crude and product exports being at the lowest since August 2021, Russias export revenues increased by $700 million month-over-month on higher oil prices, to $20.4 billion, or 40% above last years average, the IEAs estimates showed. European vessel owners, especially private Greek operators, are moving a lot of the Russian oil in the months before the EU ban on seaborne Russian oil imports kicks in. Greek tanker owners have increased their exposure to Russian oil shipping in the past months as they race to profit from the higher demand for heavily discounted Russian oil in China and India. Russian exports of crude and products are yet to see a significant dent. Despite slightly lower volumes, so far, Putin is generating more money from oil than he did prior to the invasion of Ukraine or last year, as oil prices stay elevated. The Wests main goal to cripple Putins revenue but still allow Russian oil exports somewhere in the world has led to the idea of capping the price of Russian oil. The G7 group of leading industrialized nations, led by the United States, is considering waiving the ban on insurance and all services enabling transportation of Russian oil if that oil is bought at or below a certain price. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to advocate for higher oil production at the next OPEC+ meeting, which is taking place later this week. This is according to a tweet by Fox Business' White House correspondent Edward Lawrence, who cited an unnamed source as saying that Saudi Arabia's King Salman had made the assurance to President Biden during their meeting on July 16. Higher oil production was one of the reasons for President Biden's visit to the Kingdom last month, although the White House refrained from stating it openly. Hopes among observers were weak, and indeed the President's visit ended without any major announcements regarding the world's oil supply. Soon after the visit, however, Crown Prince Mohammed, son of Salman and the de facto ruler of OPEC's biggest producer, talked about spare capacity, saying the maximum Saudi Arabia could do was 13 million bpd. "The kingdom has announced an increase in its production capacity level to 13 million barrels per day, after which the kingdom will not have any additional capacity to increase production," Mohammed said during the U.S.-Saudi summit where he met with Biden. Meanwhile, other reports have it that OPEC+ plans to leave September oil production flat compared to August. A recent Reuters survey showed that OPEC had increased its production by 310,000 bpd in July, is about half of what OPEC+ said it would deliver in July and August to help rebalance oil markets. In June, the OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Committee recommended that the monthly production boost was increased from about 420,000 bpd to 648,000 bpd in the following two months. OPEC+ is meeting tomorrow in Vienna to discuss crude oil production in the month ahead. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Despite wide-ranging sanctions and import bans, Russia's vast energy sector continues to thrive, with the country managing to export nearly a billion dollars worth of fossil fuels per day in the first 100 days since its invasion of Ukraine. Indeed, higher crude oil and fuel prices have allowed Russian oil and gas revenues to climb even after the sanctions forced export volumes to dip. Ultimately, there is no shortage of willing buyers lining up for cheap Russian Urals, nor is there a dearth of middlemen connecting them with Russian energy companies. Lurking behind the scenes are Switzerland's giant trading houses Vitol, Glencore, and Gunvor as well as Singapore's Trafigura, all of which have continued lifting large volumes of Russian crude and products, including diesel, amid wide-ranging Western Sanctions on Russia. Vitol has pledged to stop buying Russian crude by the end of this year, but that's still a long way from today. Trafigura promised it would stop buying crude from Russia's state-run Rosneft by May 15th but is free to buy cargoes of Russian crude from other suppliers. Glencore has promised it wouldn't enter any "new" trading business with Russia, but appears willing to maintain previous deals. Meanwhile, India and China have been making up for much of the lost markets for Russian fuels. Source: Visual Capitalist Surging Imports From Russia India has never been a big buyer of Russian crude despite having to import 80% of its needs. In a typical year, India imports just 2-5% of its crude from Russia, roughly the same proportion as the United States did before it announced a 100% ban on Russian energy commodities. Indeed, India imported only 12 million barrels of Russian crude in 2021, with the majority of its oil sourced from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria. But back in May, reports emerged of a "significant uptick" in Russian oil deliveries bound for India. According to a Bloomberg report, India spent a good $5.1 billion on Russian oil, gas, and coal in the first three months after the invasion, more than five times the value of a year ago. However, China remains the biggest buyer of Russian energy commodities, spending $18.9 billion in the three months to the end of May, almost double the amount a year earlier. And, it's all about the money. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Urals crude from Russia has been offered at record discounts. Ellen Wald, president of Transversal Consulting, has told CNBC that a couple of commodity trading firms--such as Glencore and Vitol--were offering discounts of $30 and $25 per barrel, respectively, for the Urals blend. Urals is the main blend exported by Russia. The experts say simple economics is the biggest reason why White House pressure to curb purchases of crude oil from Russia have fallen on deaf ears in Delhi. "Today, the Government of India's motivations are economic, not political. India will always look for a deal in their oil import strategy. It's hard not to take a 20% discount on crude when you import 80-85% of your oil, particularly on the heels of the pandemic and global growth slowdown," Samir N. Kapadia, head of trade at government relations consulting firm Vogel Group, has told CNBC via email. Still, it will not be lost on many readers that India has maintained a cozy relationship with Russia over the years, with Russia supplying the Asian nation with as much as 60% of its military and defense-related equipment. Russia has also been a key ally on crucial issues such as India's dispute with China and Pakistan surrounding the territory of Kashmir. Source: Bloomberg Smaller trading firms India's energy business with Russia has been booming, so much so that dozens of middlemen are muscling in, hoping to profit from the rapidly growing sector. However, it's not the Trafiguras, Glencores, and Gunvors of this world doing the work; this time around, it's smaller, less well-known trading houses cutting supply deals with Indian refineries. Bloomberg has reported that numerous mid-level commodity trading and energy firms, including Dubai's Wellbred and Coral Energy, as well as Singapore's Montfort and U.S.' Everest Energy, have entered the race to market Russian oil to Indian buyers. And Indian oil buyers are loving it. Bloomberg says that state-run refiners such as Indian Oil Corp. are warming to the idea of buying from lesser-known traders, while refinery officials say they are easier to work with due to less bureaucracy that slows negotiations with energy firms such as Rosneft PJSC. Trading houses usually serve the function of middlemen by bridging differences between sellers and buyers, and even offer different payment terms to assist in the movement of funds. Switzerland's Golden Calf That said, a lot of the companies helping finance Putin's war are based in Switzerland, with the lion's share of Russian raw materials traded via Switzerland and its nearly 1,000 commodity firms. Switzerland is an important global financial hub with a thriving commodities sector, despite the fact that it is far from all the global trade routes and has no access to the sea, no former colonial territories, and no significant raw materials of its own. Oliver Classen, media officer at the Swiss NGO Public Eye, says that "this sector accounts for a much larger part of the GDP in Switzerland than tourism or the machinery industry". According to a 2018 Swiss government report, commodity trading volume reaches almost $1 trillion ($903.8 billion). Related: Saudi Arabias Real Production Capacity: Is 15 Million Bpd Possible? Deutsche Welle has reported that 80% of Russian raw materials are traded via Switzerland, according to a report by the Swiss embassy in Moscow. About a third of those materials are oil and gas, while two-thirds are base metals such as zinc, copper, and aluminum. In other words, deals signed on Swiss desks are directly facilitating Russian oil and gas to continue flowing freely. With gas and oil exports coming in as the main source of income for Russia, accounting for 30 to 40% of the Russian budget, Switzerland's role cannot be overlooked in this war-time equation. In 2021, Russian state corporations earned around $180 billion (163 billion) from oil exports alone. Again, unfortunately, Switzerland has been handling its commodities trade with kid gloves. According to DW, raw materials are often traded directly between governments and via commodities exchanges. However, they can also be traded freely, and Swiss companies have specialized in direct sales thanks to an abundance of capital. In raw materials transactions, Swiss commodity traders have adopted letters of credits or L/Cs as their preferred instruments. A bank will give a loan to a trader and as collateral, receive a document making it the owner of the commodity. As soon as the buyer pays the bank, the document (and ownership of the commodity) is transferred to the trader. The system gives traders more credit lines without their creditworthiness having to be checked, and the bank has the value of the commodity as security. This is a prime example of transit trade, where only the money flows through Switzerland, but actual raw materials usually do not touch Swiss soil. Thus, no details about the magnitude of the transaction land on the desk of the Swiss customs authorities leading to highly imprecise information about the flow volumes of raw materials. "The whole commodities trade is under-recorded and underregulated. You have to dig around to collect data and not all information is available," Elisabeth Burgi Bonanomi, a senior lecturer in law and sustainability at Bern University, has told DW. Obviously, the lack of regulation is very appealing to commodity traders - especially those that deal with raw materials mined in non-democratic countries such as the DRC. "Unlike the financial market, where there are rules for tackling money laundering and illegal or illegitimate financial flows, and a financial market supervisory authority, there is currently no such thing for commodity trading," financial and legal expert at Public Eye David Muhlemann told the German broadcaster ARD. But don't expect things to change any time soon. Calls for a supervisory body for the commodities sector based on the model of the one for the financial market by the likes of Swiss NGO Public Eye and Swiss Green Party proposal have so far failed to bear fruit. Thomas Mattern from the Swiss People's Party (SVP) has spoken out against such a move, insisting that Switzerland should retain its neutrality, "We do not need even more regulation, and not in the commodities sector either." By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Energy security has been ignored for too long, a diversified and global strategy is needed if the world is going to avoid future energy crises. While Russias invasion of Ukraine may have sparked the current crisis, it was the energy policies of Western governments that left them so exposed. In the long term, the current European energy crisis will result in a more diversified and resilient energy system, one that uses both hydrocarbons and renewable energy. Without any doubt, a more diversified energy system will arise out of Europes current energy crisis. Wind and solar are likely to benefit, but also green hydrogen, green ammonia, and even nuclear. At the same time, it has become patently obvious that hydrocarbons will continue to play a key role in both energy markets and the global economic system. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is seen by many as the main reason for Europes energy crisis. Western sanctions on Russia, combined with the weaponization of energy supplies by Moscow, have triggered steep price increases for consumers and industry worldwide. However, even before the Ukraine crisis, natural gas and crude oil prices were breaking historical price settings, as demand and supply constraints were already in place. The strategies pursued by mainstream Western governments have been lopsided, driving support for long-term renewables while pushing for a removal of investments in upstream and downstream oil and gas projects. These policies have increased volatility in the energy system to unprecedented levels. The importance of energy security has been largely ignored for the last few decades. The immense availability of hydrocarbon resources on the global market, as seen during the last oil glut and oil price crash, pushed the system to the brink. There is now a need to reassess the global energy system, not only to push for a renewable, less carbon-intensive economy and society, but also for a more stable energy market. Energy security is really one of the most important issues for humanity. Not just the world economy but all of society depends on energy to survive. A potentially very bleak winter in Europe this year may become a stark reminder of this. Related: Ukrainian Grain Shipment Hailed As A Relief For The World At the same time, international organizations and major industry events, such as Gastech 2022 (Milan, Italy), are refocusing their own efforts, not only to support a transition to a less carbon-intensive future but also to help facilitate conversations around a just transition. Industry leaders and policymakers at Gastech are set to pay attention to the energy needs of emerging countries, especially on the African continent or even Latin America, which face dramatic choices in the coming years. The ongoing energy transition, some even call it an energy revolution, has so far only partly taken into account the role and future development of African countries in the whole conundrum. Support for African energy producers has been severely hampered by investors shying away from fossil fuel bets in the face of regulatory pressure and public scrutiny. As a result, African producers risk struggling both to gain the rewards of their own natural resources (hydrocarbon) and move to a sustainable economic growth path. Despite their own energy travails this year, Europe and the West cannot afford to neglect this vital issue. The developed world will still need hydrocarbons as energy and products in the coming decades, while revenues gained will be vital for setting up a sustainable economy in places such as African states or Latin America. It is a win-win situation as no emerging market is willing to change its own future plans based on the strategies or investments of others. Reaping hydrocarbon revenues will make emerging markets capable of setting up their own sustainable energy systems, based on hydrogen, wind, solar, or even unknown future options. The need to combine the EUs Fit for 55 plans with Africas future energy potential is clear. Discussions around an integrated strategy, which works for everyone, must be accelerated and must take into account current geopolitical disruptions and their significant economic toll. A collaborative policy blueprint is needed to enable a de-carbonized, secure, and inclusive global energy system. In parallel, a full-sized strategy based on cooperation between the EU, USA, Asia, and Africa is needed to ensure a possible win-win situation doesnt become a lose-lose one. Oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and gas producers Qatar, Norway, Egypt, and others should play a key part in discussions. There is a need for a new global energy system that meets the needs and demands of tomorrow and is based on todays vastly transformed energy landscape. Every energy option will need to be on the table. As governments face growing calls to address energy poverty at home and across the world, international dialogue and cooperation on energy supply challenges are desperately needed. Such discussions must look not just at the perceived issues in Europe or Asia, but especially at emerging markets in Africa and elsewhere. There can be some optimism, however, that 2022 might be a major breakthrough year. The upcoming COP27 (Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt) and Gastech 2022 (Milan, Italy) could be potential breakthrough gatherings for a new energy system discussion. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline project in West Virginia and Virginia could get an accelerated approval timeline under a side-deal between West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer separate from the climate bill, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing a summary of the agreement it had obtained. Last week, in a U-turn, Senator Joe Manchin agreed to back the Democrats plans to pass legislation cementing hundreds of billions in climate change spending. Manchin sealed a deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a bill involving $370 billion in climate spending. The move to back the climate and tax bill came after Senator Manchin, who holds a swing vote in a 50-50 Senate, said earlier in July that he would not support President Joe Bidens energy and climate investments bill. Senator Manchin declined to back the energy and climate provisions, as well as the tax provisions, in the reconciliation bill on which the Senate Democrats have been working. But two weeks later, he agreed to back the bill after all. Separately, Manchin and Schumer have now agreed to pursue reform on permitting that would require the relevant agencies to take all necessary actions to permit the construction and operation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and give the DC Circuit jurisdiction over any further litigation, according to the summary of the agreement seen by Bloomberg. The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project is a natural gas pipeline system that would span approximately 303 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia and would bring natural gas from Marcellus and Utica shale basins to markets in the Mid- and South Atlantic regions of the United States. Early this year, however, a U.S. Court of Appeals vacated the federal permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, stalling the project. Several natural gas pipeline projects havent seen the light of day in recent years, including the $8-billion Atlantic Coast Gas Pipeline, which was canceled by developers Dominion Energy and Duke Energy in mid-2020 in view of ongoing delays and major cost overruns. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Venezuelas crude oil exports fell in July, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Tuesday, as oil markets are on the prowl for additional oil supplies to ease the tight market. Venezuelas crude oil industry has been suffering for years due to a lack of maintenance and investment, in-country chaos, and U.S. sanctions. In July, power outages disrupted the state-run oil companys operations, dragging the countrys oil exports down by 27% from June levels to just 460,323 barrels per day of crude and refined products, according to Reuters. Thats a 38% drop from July 2021 levels. According to OPECs latest MOMR, Venezuelas crude production fell to 706,000 barrels per day in June, according to secondary sources, with only three rigs in operation, compared to the 25 rigs in 2019. Venezuelas troubles dont stop with power outages. Venezuelas PDVSA, which is operating under a crude oil export ban, has already been struggling to keep its upgraders running, leading to a buildup of diluted crude stocks. All of Venezuelas exported crude oil heads to countries that are mostly immune from U.S. sanctions, such as China. The U.S. continues to try to suppress its crude exports by sanctioning vessels and companies that own the vessels that carry PDVSA crude. While its economy and oil industry continue to flounder, Venezuela sits on top of the worlds largest oil reserves. With such riches, its oil and petrochemicals industry could find itself the target of Maduros latest efforts to sell pieces of state-owned companies through its stock exchange. The first such state-owned enterprise that will go up for sale is phone and internet provider Cantv and Banco de Venezuela, which will see 5% stakes up for grabs in the next few weeks. The laws in Venezuela, however, require energy companies to be majority owned by the state, so a controlling stake would still be held by Venezuela unless that law is changed, should PDVSA find itself one of the companies that Maduro wants to sell chunks of. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Between the higher prices and reduced service, hotels have been getting a lot of flak recently. But in the debate between hotels versus Airbnbs, theres one common Airbnb fee that you likely wont find at hotels at least not yet: cleaning fees. Hidden travel costs like cleaning fees are commonplace on Airbnb. They are explained as a one-time fee pocketed by the host to cover the cost of cleaning their space. Cleaning fees come on top of the base price and a service fee (which Airbnb pockets). But why are Airbnb cleaning fees so high or are they? Just how much do Airbnb cleaning fees cost? A June 2022 NerdWallet analysis looked at data from 1,000 U.S. Airbnb reservations with check-in dates in 2022 or 2023 across a range of locations, sizes and quality. The analysis only considered "entire place" properties, as opposed to part of a shared home. Let's dig into what we found about the dreaded Airbnb cleaning fee. What Airbnb cleaning fees cost Cleaning fees vary wildly, ranging from $0 to many hundreds of dollars. The median cleaning fee per listing for a one-night stay was $75, based on NerdWallets analysis. Of the listings analyzed, 14% didnt have a cleaning fee at all. With these stays, the base rate includes not just the ability to lay your head on that pillow, but to have it cleaned too much like a hotel. And while the median cleaning fee is $75, its important to understand the cleaning fee relative to the broader cost of the home rental. A $75 fee to clean up a 12-bedroom ski cabin might feel like a deal, but a $75 cleaning fee on a simple 400-square foot studio apartment might feel outrageous. The $75 median cleaning fee amounts to about 25% of the total price paid for one-night stays at the listings analyzed. In fact, 34% of listings had a cleaning fee that was somewhere between 20 and 29.99% of the list price. About a third of listings had cleaning fees amounting to less than 20% of the price. Surprisingly, 8% of listings had a cleaning fee that amounted to 40% or more of the overall price tag, assuming you stayed in the Airbnb for just one night. And some outliers are especially mind-boggling. With that in mind, NerdWallet compared the cleaning fee against the base price. Most low-cost Airbnbs have low-cost cleaning fees, hence the large cluster of dots in the bottom-left corner. Certainly, some expensive listings have hefty cleaning fees, hence the results on the opposite end of the chart. But then there are some standouts. Theres a $1,000 listing with a $0 cleaning fee. Theres a $304 listing with a $300 cleaning fee. And then, there are the bizarre cases where the cleaning fee is more than the base price. Depending on seasonal rates, you might end up paying more for cleaning than you do for your stay. Heres one example of that a four-bedroom Airbnb in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prices vary by night, with summer stays typically costing a lot less than in cooler seasons. In July, you can book one night for just $151. But the cleaning fees are fixed at $239, meaning that the $151 July nightly rate comes with a $239 cleaning fee far more than the base rate itself. During Christmas weekend, the same listing has a nightly rate of $408. That makes the cleaning fee still hefty, but far more palatable. The problems with Airbnb cleaning fees Finding a listing in your price range can be tough Cleaning fees can be hard to parse and make filtering listings by price complicated. You might have a nightly lodging budget of $200, so you set your filter to display homes with a maximum price of $200. But in doing so, you might still end up paying more, as you might find a delightful $100-per-night home with a $150 cleaning fee. Likewise, you might overlook a $210 per night home with a $0 cleaning fee. There currently is no way to filter Airbnb rentals by cleaning fees. You may still have to clean up after yourself Just as hosts can set their own prices and fees, they can set their own house rules. Its not uncommon for hosts to ask guests to take out the trash, run the dishwasher or start a load of laundry with the towels and sheets. Theres no rule saying that Airbnbs cant do both charge cleaning fees and require some light housekeeping. That has caused outrage among some travelers. You're going to get "graded" as a guest Because hosts can review guests, there is some pressure to be a good guest and follow the checkout cleaning protocols, as a bad review could jeopardize your ability to book future Airbnb stays. Contrast that with hotel stays, which typically dont require that guests have an account or positive reviews to stay. Unless you did something really bad, a major hotel chain wont ban you, even if you tracked sand all over the floor and left towels strewn about everywhere. One way to reduce Airbnb cleaning fees Stay longer. Because cleaning fees are a one-time fee, youll pay the same rate whether you stay one day, two days or two weeks. So if the cleaning fee amounts to 25% of the rate for one night, it drops down to 12.5% of the rate for two nights. Spread a $150 cleaning fee over a two-week stay, and the cleaning fee shakes out to only about $10 per day. Had you stayed only one day, youd still owe $150. In general, Airbnbs tend to be far cheaper for long-term stays than hotels. But for short-term stays, its almost always cheaper to stay in hotels and cleaning fees are a huge reason why. If you can design your trip so that you stay in one Airbnb for many days versus staying at multiple Airbnbs over the same period, youll almost always save money. When trip planning, choose a home base. If youre planning a multi-week road trip in California, you might opt for an Airbnb in Orange County, as its roughly 100 miles south of Santa Barbara and 100 north of San Diego, making it possible to drive to both in one day. Its also an even shorter drive to Los Angeles and Temecula. Say youre hitting Arizona and Utah's canyon-filled recreational areas with national park visits to Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. It might make more sense to book an Airbnb for longer in Kanab, Utah, which sits roughly in the center of the three parks. Airbnb cleaning fees are brutal for short trips. If anything, the knowledge that you can spread out your cleaning fee over an extended stay might be an incentive to treat yourself to a vacation thats a little longer. Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia. Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @samsambutdif. The article Airbnb Cleaning Fees Can Be Brutal. Heres How to Cope originally appeared on NerdWallet. Jennette McCurdy, who co-starred in Nickelodeon shows iCarly and its spin-off Sam & Cat, has written a book called I'm Glad My Mom Died. McCurdy tells about growing up with an abusive mother who she says pushed her into showbiz, encouraged her to starve herself and who insisted upon bathing her daughter into her late teens. Debra McCurdy died in 2013 from complications of cancer. It's taken McCurdy years of therapy to get to the point where she is able to not only share her story, but laugh about parts too. She also hosts a podcast called Empty Inside and says she no longer has an eating disorder. Police say a man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself. Police say the man didn't seem to be targeting any member of Congress. The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set on Capitol Hill. Authorities say that as the man was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. Police say he then opened fire, shooting several bullets into the air as police approached. The man's identity hasn't been released, but investigators have located addresses for him in Delaware and Pennsylvania and have learned he had a criminal history in the past decade. The Omaha school district is still experiencing a staff shortage for the 2022-23 school year and the majority of open positions are classified employees. With only two weeks of summer left, Omaha Public Schools officials said the district is focusing on recruiting a variety of support staff because most certified positions have been filled. Charles Wakefield, chief operations officer for OPS, said at Mondays school board meeting that the district has filled 76% to 86% of classified staff positions depending on the job, which includes school-based staff, nutrition services, custodians, bus drivers and more. About 96% of certified positions have been filled, which includes teachers and staff with certificates. The push to hire follows an ongoing staffing shortage that has also affected schools around the Omaha metro area. Wakefield said the district has done a lot of work, but it still has a ways to go to fill jobs. There is progress over where we were two months ago. This is because our staff has stepped up, Wakefield said. We have asked staff to go back to the classrooms and asked staff in some aspects to do more. The district has 20 schools that have 69% or less of classified positions filled for the upcoming school year, according to OPS data. About 24 schools have 70% to 79% of their classified positions filled, while 25 have 80% to 89% and 18 are more than 90% filled. The majority of vacancies are in elementary schools. Wakefield said OPS is lacking school-based classified staff the most, followed by nutrition services, transportation and operations employees. These numbers are much lower than we would like, but this is the time of the year that our classified staff positions are the lowest, Wakefield said. Our 10-month classified staff tell us they are not coming back in August. While about 96% of certified positions have been filled, the district still has unfilled positions. Wakefield said even though the district normally starts school at more than 99%, every child will have a teacher and most regular education vacancies have been filled. Michelle Settlemyer, president of the Omaha Education Association, said while 96% is an optimistic number, she is concerned where the 4% unfilled positions fall around the district. The majority of unfilled teaching positions are in special education. In the elementary level, 77 teaching positions remain open, which includes 63 special education or support jobs. The secondary level has 75.5 unfilled teaching positions, including 66 special education jobs. Five schools in OPS still lack more than 10% of their certified staff. This includes four elementary schools and one high school. The district chose not to fill 159 teaching positions across the district. These are positions we actively chose not to fill as we increased class sizes to address the staffing shortage, he said. Wakefield said the district is working with several strategies to recruit employees, especially classified staff. The district scheduled four classified staff interview fairs this summer. Officials have been offering first-time job offers and background checks on the spot. Officials scheduled hiring banners to rotate buildings through September and will implement new hire spotlights on social media. A texting platform is being set up for candidates to communicate throughout the hiring process. OPS will also begin more advertising, including putting ads on more than 6,000 apps. School board members also approved several stipend agreements with employee unions during Monday nights meeting. The district announced in June that it will give full-time staff $4,500 a year and part-time staff $2,250 a year for the next two school years. The money will be distributed in three equal payments throughout the year. Officials said the Nebraska Department of Education has approved the first year of stipends, which come from the districts portion of federal COVID-19 relief. The City of Omaha will pay more than $131,000 for a consultation on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout city government. The work by the National League of Cities was approved by City Council members Tuesday. Supporters of the initiative call the effort a transformative opportunity for Omaha. Our mission statement that we ask of all city employees is to respond to our communitys present and future needs. This work will help us equip city employees to do that, said Keith Station, Omahas first officer for diversity, equity and inclusion. Hiring the consultant is a continuation of an effort that began in the summer of 2020 when Mayor Jean Stothert announced Stations hiring as part of a package of steps responding to the protests that ignited across the nation and in Omaha following the murder of George Floyd. Station was tasked with expanding the diversity of city government, implementing bias training for city employees, naming two boards to advise city leaders on such issues and developing a strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion often called DEI in city government. Under the $131,725 contract approved Tuesday, the National League of Cities Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) division will assist in that process. The REAL team consultants will conduct interviews with city staff members to gather perspectives on racial equity in Omaha and provide tools to the city with the goal to advance its equity work, which will include technical assistance, workshops and leadership training, according to a press release from the Mayors Office. Station told council members that the city will know the consultation efforts are working when hiring trends begin to better reflect the citys population and city supervisors and leaders are equipped to understand and meet the needs of city employees. Well also know when we have a more inclusive process for promoting and onboarding people to the many city boards that exist, Station said, and when surveys and assessment results help us generate a usable feedback loop for the directors and managers about the needs of city employees. The National League of Cities work will likely begin later this summer and will continue through late next year. Kansas voters resoundingly protect access to abortion TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas voters have protected abortion rights by rejecting a measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten abortion restrictions or ban it outright. The vote Tuesday was the first test of voters feelings about abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June. Voters rejected a change in the Kansas Constitution to ensure that it does not grant a right to an abortion so that legislators could regulate it as they see fit. The measure was a response to a 2019 state Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights. Supporters of the change would not say whether they would pursue a ban, while opponents predicted one would be coming if the measure had passed. Takeaways: Abortion backlash in Kansas, Greitens' collapse WASHINGTON (AP) In one of the biggest days of this year's primary campaign season, red-state Kansas rejected a measure that would have made it easier to restrict abortion, and voters in Missouri repudiated a scandal-tarred former governor seeking a Senate seat. Meanwhile, a political newcomer emerged from Michigans messy Republican gubernatorial primary, setting up a rare woman-vs.-woman general election matchup between conservative commentator Tudor Dixon and incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. And Democratic Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan was ousted from Congress after redistricting forced him into the same primary as a fellow Democrat, Rep. Haley Stevens. US House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, defying Beijing TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan. She is the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi arrived aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwans foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of her hotel. Her visit has ratcheted up tension between China and the United States. The downside: US strike shows Afghanistan still terror base WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration is holding out the CIA operation that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri as a monumental strike against the global terror network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. But the moment is also putting into stark relief mounting evidence that after America's withdrawal, Afghanistan has once again become an active staging ground for Islamic terror groups looking to attack the West. The Biden administration says it shows Americans at home and allies abroad that the United States hasnt lost focus, or the ability, to strike against terrorists in the region and validates its decision to end two decades of fighting in Afghanistan. Senate approves bill to aid vets exposed to toxic burn pits WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate has given final approval to a bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden's desk, and he says he is looking forward to signing it into law so those veterans "finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they earned and deserve. The Senate had overwhelmingly approved the legislation once before, but the process briefly derailed last week when Republicans made a late attempt to change the bill. The GOP objections delayed final passage, infuriating veterans groups and advocates, including comedian Jon Stewart. Arizona GOP primary tests power of Trump's election lies PHOENIX (AP) The Republican Partys embrace of Donald Trumps election lies is being tested in Arizona. Voters on Tuesday are choosing between candidates who say they wouldnt have certified the results of the 2020 campaign and those who argue its time to move on. The Arizona races are poised to provide important clues about the GOPs direction. Meanwhile, voters in Kansas decided not to allow the Legislature to restrict or ban abortion. In Michigan, conservative commentator Tudor Dixon won the GOP primary for governor days after Trump endorsed her. In Missouri, Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican nomination for senator. Some flee eastern Ukraine, others defy govt order to leave KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) Hundreds of evacuees have left Ukraine's Donetsk region days after the Ukrainian government issued an order to evacuate as soon as possible. Continued fighting in the region and potential shortages of heating, electricity and water have authorities worried that cold weather this fall and winter could make a bad situation even worse. Yet while many are following the order to leave, others in Ukraine say they have nowhere else to go, and are willing to take responsibility for their own lives regardless of the cost. The Ukrainian president warned that the more people leave the Donetsk region now, "the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill. Sandy Hook parents: Alex Jones claims created 'living hell' AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre say conspiracy theorist Alex Jones made their lives a living hell by pushing claims that the murders were a hoax. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse was killed at Sandy Hook, testified Tuesday on the final day of testimony in the two-week trial. Theyre seeking at least $150 million from Jones. Jones was not in court when Heslin began testifying, but he was there when Lewis took the stand. Both parents said they had received death threats and harassment and experienced ongoing trauma because of Jones. Jones later testified and apologized to the parents, saying he never intended to hurt them. The 2012 attack killed 20 first-graders and six staffers at the Connecticut school. Vin Scully, Dodgers broadcaster for 67 years, dies at 94 LOS ANGELES (AP) Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, whose dulcet tones provided the soundtrack of summer while entertaining and informing Dodgers fans in Brooklyn and Los Angeles for 67 years, died Tuesday night, the team said. He was 94. Scully died at his home in the Hidden Hills section of Los Angeles, according to the team, which spoke to family members. As the longest tenured broadcaster with a single team in pro sports history, Scully saw it all and called it all. He began in the 1950s era of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Padres obtain Juan Soto from Nationals in blockbuster deal SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego Padres have acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals in one of baseballs biggest deals at the trade deadline. The Padres vaulted their postseason chances by adding one of the games best young hitters. The Padres also obtained first baseman Josh Bell while sending a haul of players to Washington that included left-handed rookie MacKenzie Gore, first baseman/DH Luke Voit and prospects James Wood, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana.Voit was a late addition to the trade and was scratched from the lineup shortly before the first game of a day-night doubleheder. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden announced Monday that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, an operation he said delivered justice and hopefully one more measure of closure to families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The president said in an evening address from the White House that U.S. intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out Sunday. Al-Zawahri and the better-known Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of al-Qaida. Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, in operation carried out by U.S. Navy SEALs after a nearly decade-long hunt. As for Al-Zawahri, Biden said, He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and were going to make sure that nothing else happens. This terrorist leader is no more, he added. The operation is a significant counterterrorism win for the Biden administration just 11 months after American troops left the country after a two-decade war. The strike was carried out by the CIA, according to five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Neither Biden nor the White House detailed the CIA's involvement in the strike. Biden, however, paid tribute to the U.S. intelligence community in his remarks, noting that thanks to their extraordinary persistence and skill the operation was a success. Al-Zawahris death eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as bin Ladens deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movements guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings. The house Al-Zawahri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed al-Zawahris death. On Tuesday morning, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC's Good Morning America that there was nobody on the ground in uniform when this strike occurred." Sullivan added that the U.S. government is in direct communication with the Taliban on this, and Im not going to telegraph our next moves, but the Taliban well understand the United States is going to defend its interests. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the U.S. targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. But Americas exit from Afghanistan last September gave the extremist group the opportunity to rebuild. U.S. military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the U.S. After his killing, the White House underscored that al-Zawahri had continued to be a dangerous figure. The senior administration official said al-Zawahri had continued to provide strategic direction," including urging attacks on the U.S., while in hiding. He had also prioritized to members of the terror network that the United States remained al-Qaida's primary enemy, the official said. The 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. U.S. intelligence officials have been aware for years of a network helping al-Zawahri dodge U.S. intelligence officials hunting for him, but didnt have a bead on his possible location until recent months. Earlier this year, U.S. officials learned that the terror leaders wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, according to the senior administration official who briefed reporters. Officials eventually learned al-Zawahri was also at the Kabul safe house. In early April, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Bidens homeland security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall were briefed on this developing intelligence. Soon the intelligence was carried up to national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan brought the information to Biden as U.S. intelligence officials built a pattern of life through multiple independent sources of information to inform the operation, the official said. Senior Taliban figures were aware of al-Zawahris presence in Kabul, according to the official, who added the Taliban government was given no forewarning of the operation. Inside the Biden administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were brought into the process. Through May and June, Biden was updated several times on the growing mound of intelligence that confirmed al-Zawahri was hiding out in the home. Over the last few weeks, Biden brought together several Cabinet officials and key national security officials to scrutinize the intelligence findings. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the planned operation, a briefing in which the president closely examined a scale model of the home Zawahri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Al-Zawahri was on the balcony of his hideout on Sunday when two Hellfire missiles were launched from an unmanned drone, killing him. Al-Zawahri's family was in another part of the house when the operation was carried out, and no one else was believed to have been killed in the operation, the official said. We make it clear again tonight: That no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out, Biden said. Al-Zawahri was hardly a household name like bin Laden, but he played an enormous role in the terror group's operations. The two terror leaders' bond was forged in the late 1980s, when al-Zawahri reportedly treated the Saudi millionaire bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan as Soviet bombardment shook the mountains around them. Al-Zawahri, on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorist list, had a $25 million bounty on his head for any information that could be used to kill or capture him. Al-Zawhiri and bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of al-Qaida. Photos from the time often showed the glasses-wearing, mild-looking Egyptian doctor sitting by the side of bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri had merged his group of Egyptian militants with bin Ladens al-Qaida in the 1990s. The strong contingent of Egyptians applied organizational know-how, financial expertise, and military experience to wage a violent jihad against leaders whom the fighters considered to be un-Islamic and their patrons, especially the United States, Steven A. Cook wrote for the Council on Foreign Relations last year. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the assembling of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Somalia, Yemen and Asia. Over the next decade, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks against U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. But even before bin Ladens death, al-Zawahri was struggling to maintain al-Qaidas relevance in a changing Middle East. He tried with little success to coopt the wave of uprisings that spread across the Arab world starting in 2011, urging Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. But while Islamists gained prominence in many places, they have stark ideological differences with al-Qaida and reject its agenda and leadership. Nevertheless, al-Zawahri tried to pose as the Arab Springs leader. America is facing an Islamic nation that is in revolt, having risen from its lethargy to a renaissance of jihad, he said in a video eulogy to bin Laden, wearing a white robe and turban with an assault rifle leaning on a wall behind him. Al-Zawahri was also a more divisive figure than his predecessor. Many militants described the soft-spoken bin Laden in adoring and almost spiritual terms. In contrast, al-Zawahri was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive. Some militants whose association with bin Laden predated al-Zawahris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from al-Zawahri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, sneered in a memoir posted on line in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. There had been rumors of al-Zawahris death on and off for several years. But a video surfaced in April of the al-Qaida leader praising a Indian Muslim woman who had defied a ban on wearing a hijab, or headscarf. That footage was the first proof in months that he was still alive. A statement from Afghanistans Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties. It said the Taliban strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement, the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region, the statement said. - As afternoon temperatures hit 100 degrees on Monday, volunteer fire departments from western Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota continued to battle a wildfire near Gering. About 200 firefighters are working in shifts to contain the fire in the Carter Canyon Wildlife Management Area, which started Saturday evening as a result of lightning strikes. According to Ben Bohall, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Forest Service, the fire remained at 30% contained and had burned 15,591 acres as of Monday evening. Seven homes have been damaged and three have been destroyed, according to Bohall. Power lines and other energy infrastructure also sustained damage, leaving some area residents without power. Despite no change in the containment percentage from Sunday to Monday, Bohall said Monday was a productive day for firefighters. Most of the spread occurred overnight, he said. Today has been a really productive day for us, Bohall said. Were cautiously optimistic. Monday brought hot weather to the area with a high of 101 degrees. Temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s are expected to continue through Friday. Even though the intense heat presents challenges for firefighters, the number of personnel on scene allows incident managers to regularly switch out fire crews. We are very lucky to have so many firefighters that have come from all across Nebraska, and from Wyoming and South Dakota, he said. As a result of that, we are able to switch out crews pretty regularly and make sure that firefighters get the rest they need. Local firefighters have received state and federal resources to assist in fighting the blaze, according to Bohall. A Blackhawk helicopter crew from the Nebraska Army National Guard joined firefighting operations Sunday, and air tankers from the U.S. Forest Service also assisted with aerial operations. While millions of American families have been harmed by the tobacco industry and its marketing tactics, Black communities in particular see disproportionately higher rates of tobacco-related illnesses and deaths and menthol cigarettes are a big reason why. At the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC), we know that such disparities unfortunately hold true in Nebraska: Statewide, nearly 22% of Black adults are smokers, compared to nearly 15% of White adults, according to 2018 data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products in particular have harmed the health and well-being of Black communities. Menthol, a chemical compound found naturally in peppermint and other similar plants, has a minty, cooling nature that makes it easier for people to begin smoking, easier to inhale smoke more deeply into the lungs and harder to quit, according to the American Lung Association. For decades, tobacco companies have heavily advertised menthol cigarettes in Black communities, promoting the addictive, dangerous product through Black publications and celebrities. A 2007 study found that smoking-related advertisements were more highly concentrated in Black communities compared to their White counterparts. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 40% of excess deaths due to menthol cigarette smoking in the U.S. between 1980 and 2018 were Black people who smoked, despite Black Americans making up only about 12% of the U.S. population. Menthol cigarettes have undoubtedly contributed to concerning public health data. Nationally, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death among Black Americans, claiming 45,000 Black lives every year. Black Americans also die at higher rates from tobacco-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke and lung cancer specifically kills more Black Americans than any other type of cancer. Encouragingly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this spring proposed the banning of the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Approval of these bans is crucial to reduce tobacco-related disease and death and prevent young people from ever starting to smoke. In its proposed ban, the FDA specifically highlighted the toll that menthol cigarettes have taken on Black communities, noting that 92,000 to 238,000 Black lives could be saved over the course of 40 years by prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes. In total, the ban could save more than 650,000 lives in that same time span, according to the FDA. What can you do to help to reduce these harms in Nebraska and its Black communities? Strategic prevention efforts and regulation of tobacco companies are necessary to reduce the harmful toll tobacco use takes on the health of Americans and its communities. This is why MOTAC formed in 1992 to strengthen tobacco prevention and control efforts in the Omaha metro area. We lead Douglas County in addressing tobacco-related issues through public policy, education and community action. The Omaha metropolitan area must pursue public policy to eliminate the sale and distribution of mentholated cigarettes and other flavored tobacco. In doing so, our city would join more than 230 other municipalities who have taken steps to restrict flavored tobacco sales. MOTAC calls upon Omaha and Douglas County elected leaders to take action to eliminate the sale and distribution of these dangerous products. Doing so would represent a major milestone in reducing the outsized toll tobacco products take on Black communities as well as fostering a healthy, vibrant Omaha for everyone. To learn more, please visit motac.org to subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or become a member. Its never too late to quit smoking. People who are interested in quitting can access resources at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services I Want To Quit Tobacco web page, including the free Nebraska Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or the web-based QuitNow program. Erin Smith, MPH, MA, health promotions specialist at the American Lung Association in Nebraska and Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition member. BLOOMINGTON Neighborhood beautification and a Connect Transit transportation hub are some of the assets downtown Bloomington business owners would like to incorporate into a downtown streetscape master plan. Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason said the city council and the community have discussed a downtown streetscape master plan for decades. He added that he thinks there is support for a master plan but the bigger issue is how to pay for an anticipated $25 million to $30 million in downtown projects. The city recently issued a request for proposals for a streetscape master plan design study. After months of negotiations, Gleason said officials are ready to bring forward a $750,000 design plan to the council for approval in August. "This council has made it very clear that infrastructure is the No. 1 priority and they want to do other things in the community," Gleason said. "I've got to figure out how we pay for this." Vicki Tilton, owner of Fox and Hounds Day Spa and the Monroe Center, said the city has done a beautiful job keeping a consistent design with its floral pots. But maintaining a consistent design with the city's outdoor dining options would make the downtown area more attractive, she said. "We have a lot of art down here and we are very much an art culture and community, and there's already been a lot of public art (and) painted murals, and keeping that going I think is very important," Tilton said. Tilton also said the city should invest more into its sidewalks. She also has been a strong advocate of cleaning up the city's alleyways. "They've done a lot of Band-aids downtown and I think it's just time to do actual surgery on some of those kinds of things," Tilton said. Elizabeth Aspbury, owner of Bobzbay bookstore, said she would like to see more green space and wider sidewalks downtown but acknowledged that the diversity of the city's businesses may make it harder to please everyone. "There are a lot of different people that need different things downtown," Aspbury said. "We've got residents, we've got business, we've got retail businesses and restaurants, and we've got social services down here, and everybody needs different things." On a larger scale, Aspbury said she would like to see an large, accessible grocery store on the west side for residents. However, Tilton and Aspbury both said they would like to see the Market Street parking deck, 202 W. Market St., used as a new transportation center for Connect Transit. Agency leaders confirmed in April that they were in talks with the City of Bloomington, which owns the building, about potential use of the space that would be similar to Uptown Station in Normal. One funding option proposed by Gleason is to establish a tax increment financing district around all of downtown Bloomington. Tax increment financing works by capping the base value of a targeted redevelopment area. Any property taxes collected from that development area up to the capped value continue to go into a municipality's general fund. However, any taxes collected from new value above the cap are diverted into a special account reserved for economic development purposes. Bloomington currently has two TIF districts in the downtown area: one that spans a roughly three-block stretch along East Washington Street between North Gridley and North Evans streets and one that spans about two blocks between West Washington and Front streets from North Roosevelt to North Center. The major project of the East Washington Street TIF district was the redevelopment of the former Bloomington High School building, 510 E. Washington St., into an apartment building for seniors. Although the new building is fully occupied, the equalized assessed valuation of the TIF district as of fiscal 2021 is about $130,000 less than its base value, according to an annual report sent to the Illinois Comptroller's Office. Although the EAV is lower than the base, tax increment is collected on a parcel by parcel basis. Therefore, so long as one parcel in the TIF district has an EAV higher than its base value, the district still can collect tax revenue. The second downtown TIF district to the southwest, which was established in the 2016 fiscal year has an EAV about $12,000 less than its base and has collected $8,370 as of 2021. Police encountered Dean after being called to a domestic situation on Sunday, prosecutors said. He is alleged to have spit on one of the officers, leading to the aggravated battery charge. Dean is said to have resisted being put in a holding cell, causing minor injury to a correctional officer at the McLean County jail. BLOOMINGTON Aaron M. Parlier will officially spend the rest of his life in prison following a sentencing on Monday. The state has decided not to move forward with four more potential trials against him. Judge Casey Costigan sentenced Parlier to natural life in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. Under state law, the charge carried a mandatory sentence of natural life given aggravating circumstances in the case. Parlier was earlier sentenced to 450 years in prison on other counts. All of the abuse of which he was convicted happened while he was a piano teacher in the Bloomington area. The life sentence had been expected since Parlier was found guilty of the count in April. The sentence is important as a deterrence to others, Costigan said. If you violate children in this way, you will spend the rest of your life in prison, he said. Parlier, 41, and his defense attorney Joseph Moran indicated they intend to appeal. The sentence comes from the second of what could have been six trials, as the counts were separated into separate trials for each of Parlier's accusers. However, Assistant States Attorney Erika Reynolds said that in talking with the other accusers, they decided not to move forward with the other charges and trials as they would not have significantly changed his sentence. Costigan dismissed the remaining six counts at the states request, meaning this was the last trial and sentencing on those charges. In the latest trial Parlier was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13 years old, aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child under 13, child pornography and nine counts of criminal sexual assault of a minor. Parlier was charged in 2018. At the time he was a piano teacher in Bloomington and lived in Mackinaw. Police began investigating him after a girl submitted an essay in high school that included mentions of being sexually assaulted by her piano teacher. During the investigation, police found videos of other sexual assaults on children on a laptop from Parliers home, leading to the additional charges. The survivor of the assault testified in the second trial that she had started taking lessons with Parlier when she was 6 and that the assaults began when she was 8 and continued until she was 14. The survivor in the first trial was 8 or 9 in the videos Parlier made, her mother said during that trial. During arguments at the sentencing, Reynolds said that she did not see a justification for giving less than the maximum sentence. I dont know that theres anything more that can be said in this case, she said. Reynolds read a victim impact statement from the survivor at the sentencing. She has had long-term impacts, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder from the abuse she suffered, the statement said. I am worth more than being a victim, Im a survivor, she said. She also thanked the police officers, prosecutors and court for helping bring justice for herself, the other survivors and the community. Thank you for bringing me a piece of closure, she said. For his part, Costigan thanked the survivors for coming forward, including testifying during the trials. The court understands that it takes a great deal of courage to come forward in a trial, he said. () That courage has resulted in justice being done in this case. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night despite threats from Beijing of serious consequences, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China. Pelosis visit has triggered increased tension between China and the United States. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. China had warned of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went ahead with the trip. Chinas Defense Ministry said Tuesday night it will conduct a series of targeted military operations to safeguard national sovereignty in response to Pelosis visit. It vowed to resolutely thwart external interference and Taiwan independence separatist attempts." The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off the visit, while seeking to assure Beijing it would not signal any change in U.S. policy on Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility." Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement. This will definitely not have a good outcome ... the exposure of America's bullying face again shows it as the world's biggest saboteur of peace." Pelosi said in a statement just after her arrival that the U.S. delegations visit honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant democracy. Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan - and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, she said. Get the latest from Pelosi's visit here: *** Biden says U.S. killed al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri in drone strike Xinhua) 08:32, August 02, 2022 WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced Monday evening that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. "I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield," Biden said in live remarks from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House. "There were no civilian casualties." Al-Zawahiri became head of al-Qaeda in 2011 after its longtime leader, Osama bin Laden, was shot and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan during a raid. Biden's announcement came nearly a year after the U.S. military completed a withdrawal from Afghanistan that it invaded in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks carried out by al-Qaeda operatives against targets on American soil, which killed nearly 3,000 people. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) The British telecommunication giant Vodafone Group has agreed to offload 70 percent of its stake in Ghanas operation to Africa-focused telecom company, Telecel Group in a 500 Million USD Deal. The deal is however subject to regulatory approval by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Communications. When successfully approved, the Government of Ghana maintaining its 30 percent stake in the business. The transaction is being fully financed by Telecel. A potential project of the sale of Towers could happen in the future to additionally develop the infrastructure of the company, as part of a bigger plan for infrastructure sharing to help commercial competitiveness in Ghana. It is expected that Telecel Group will inject the much-needed investment into Vodafones operations (sources estimate that Telecel has provisioned an investment of 500 million USD), to service the service providers debt while providing CAPEX to support the technology development and innovation. This would be for both mobile telephone and Fixed Broadband (FBB) services with an improved customer experience at the right price point. Network availability and reliability are important to seamless service and the investment to be provided by Telecel Group would support the network infrastructure and architecture for existing and new Vodafone Ghana customers, including consumers, corporates, government, and SMEs. About Telecel Telecel is an Africa-focused telecommunication service provider and leader in the transformation of digital services. It pridesitself as a market disruptor with a wealth of experience from shareholders who have impacted the global retail industry and are poised to apply the same skills to impact positively the continents telecom market. Not to mention that according to sources Telecel, in general, is close to large groups like Orange, Etisalat, Convergence Partners, Digital 9, and others of the same tier, and they sometimes work in partnership with them. The Telecel Group operates in four different business lines within the telecom and technology industry.These include Telecel Mobile, which owns and operates several mobile operators in Africa and Europe. Telecel Global Services provides wholesale, enterprise, and digital security services to telecom operators and enterprises worldwide, while Telecel Play is a digital platform that is digitizing mobile users experience. The fourth in the business line, Africa Startup Initiative Program, supports innovative start-ups in Africa and offers them funding and guidance to the scale of which Ghanian startups have been participating and benefiting according to the latest news on the subject published recently in the media. The Telecel Board is made up of experts in Telecom, Finance, and Digital services, with a large experience in leading positions in major companies, such as MTN, Vodafone, Orange, Google, and others; the chairman who is also the main shareholder comes from the Mulliez family,highly regarded in Europe as being the Rothchilds of France. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The chiefs of Sefwi Chirano Traditional Council, led by the paramount Chief of Sefwi Chirano, who is also the Vice president of the Western North Regional House of Chiefs, Okogyeman Kwaku Gyamprah II, have strongly condemned the recent killings by some unknown assailants in the region. In a statement, the council described the act as "dastardly" and "heinous" after calling on the police to the beef of security and fish out culprits. They have also promised the collaboration of the chiefs and opinion leaders of the traditional area to deal with the perpetrators. Read below full statement Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Police in the Oti region have begun investigations into the murder of a man at Nkonya Ntsumuru. The deceased, identified as Daniel Brempong, was allegedly ambushed and shot dead by unknown assailants on his way to the farm. The incident according to police reports occurred on Monday, August 1, 2022. The body of the victim has since been deposited at the Margaret Marquart Catholic hospital morgue at Kpando for autopsy and preservation. Police in the region have intensified patrols in the community and its enclave to ensure law and order given the volatile crime situation in the area. The police report issued by ASP John Nchor, the Acting Public Affairs Officer for the Oti region is further urging the public to remain calm as investigations continue to get the perpetrators. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education has expressed satisfaction with the ongoing printing of textbooks for basic schools by Appointed Time Press (ATP), a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC). So far ATP has printed and distributed 600,000 Science textbooks to government basic schools in the country. ATP is one of five printing houses contracted by the government to print textbooks for basic schools across the country. The company is expected to print 800,000 basic school Science textbooks for distribution across the country. In July, this year, the company announced that it was 50 per cent through with the project. This followed an inspection tour of ATP's facilities by the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum. The committee was particularly, excited at the state-of-the-art printing machines used by ATP in its operations. The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, said ATP has done an impressively good job. The committee members were on an inspection tour of ATP's head office in Accra on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, to appraise the state of the printing project being undertaken by the company. Briefing journalists after the inspection tour of the printing house, Mr. Amankwa Asiamah, said school children at the basic level will now get books to read and study. According to him, the quality of printing and the books was top notch, adding that it meets the required standard, especially for school children at the basic level. He, however, called on the government to take a critical look at the tax components on the importation of printing materials. He noted that the prices of textbooks imported from India and China were cheaper. He attributed this to tax rebates given by the governments of these two countries to the printing firms in their respective countries. The Managing Director of ATP, Ms Jacqueline Afful, disclosed her outfit had so far printed and distributed 600,000 basic Science textbooks across the nation. She assured me that the remaining 200,000 textbooks will be ready on schedule. She rehashed her company's commitment to print the remaining textbooks by the end of August 2022, for onward distribution to basic schools. She disclosed that the company paid particular attention to the quality of the books owing to the fact that children were going to use them. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The wife of a Nigerian street trader who was killed in Italy has told the BBC she is seeking justice following his "painful death". Aliku Ogorchukwu, 39, was reportedly selling handkerchiefs in the seaside town of Civitanova Marche on Friday when he was chased and beaten to death. A 32-year-old Italian has been arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery. A video circulating online shows a man on top of Ogorchukwu, punching him with his bare hands. None of those who witnessed the broad daylight attack appeared to intervene. "This is a form of wickedness I don't know," Ogorchukwu's wife, Charity Oriachi, told the BBC's Focus on Africa. Ms Oriachi said she had received help in coming to terms with her husband's death but was tired of "talk". Now, she was only interested in justice, she insisted. Her family had lived in Italy for a long time, she said, stressing that her husband had never sought any trouble. The killing has sparked outrage in the local community, including Nigerians, who took to the streets over the weekend and are planning another demonstration soon. The Nigerian government has asked Italian authorities to quickly "bring the perpetrator of the heinous act" to justice. Suspect not released The suspect - a white man named as Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo - has been ordered to remain in jail as the investigation continues. His defence lawyer told the media the suspect had said he was sorry and that there was "no racial element" involved. A police investigator said Ogorchukwu was attacked after the trader's "insistent" requests to the suspect and his partner for spare change. The partner, identified as Elena D, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that Ogorchukwu had touched her arm, but that did not bother her. Ms Oriachi now wants to see the suspect "face to face", to understand why he killed her husband, the family's lawyer told the Associated Press. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has expressed concern over the freedom given to people with mental health problems to roam about on the streets. He shared his concerns during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme when discussing a recent incident involving a deranged woman and an unidentified man. The woman reportedly struck the man to death with a stone at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Monday afternoon. According to eye witness account published by Daily Guide Network, the deceased was a pillion rider on a motorbike using the interchange when the woman for some unknown reason pulled him down. The woman pounced on him immediately he fell and started assaulting him with a large concrete stone till he bled profusely and passed away. Following the incident, the Police intervened by arresting her to avoid her being lynched by the crowd. Mr. Pratt, who was sorrowful about the man's sudden demise, asked the relevant authorities to treat mentally unstable people on the streets with seriousness stressing they pose a major risk to commuters. He appealed to the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and psychiatric hospitals to rid the streets of the mentally challenged and give them adequate medical treatment. "Let's get people with mental problems off the streets," he asserted. 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. Featured Video The Police Service has dismissed reports that officers at Krofrom in Kumasi in the Ashanti region were locked out of the police station today by the landlord of the building housing the station. The Police in a post on Facebook said the police station in the area has been relocated to another building due to the nature of the previous structure. Police wishes to state that reports circulating in the media to the effect that Police personnel have been locked out of the Krofrom Police station by the landlord are false. Due to the nature of the building, the station has been relocated to another building within the community, the post on the Facebook wall Police said. It called on the public to disregard such false publications and continue to support the police as we protect lives and properties and maintain law and order. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama and private legal practioner, Godwin Edudzie Tamakloe says President Akufo-Addo planned to deceive Ghanaians and christianity with the building of the National Cathedral. He says he weaponized it for votes. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that he could not fathom why the President is even bent on building the cathedral at this time when NABCO trainees have not been paid, Nursing trainee allowances have not been paid and the country is in serious debt crises. "I would not have been bothered if the President was building a church in his home town or any where near a village as a way of honouring his promise to God," he said. "The Christian community who will be beneficiaries of the cathedral have even refused to contribute to the building of the cathedral," he added. He maintained that the National Cathedral project can not continue to waste the country's financial resources when it is a personal project of the President. He said it is however not surprising that some men of God had to lie to defend the President on this project. "Rev. Owusu Bempah who I revered so much had to come out and explain why he did what he did because the building of the cathedral has lost it's steam," he added. Rev. Owusu Bempah in an interview with Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' said that there have been instances where he had to make up false statements so as not to make the government unpopular. As a result of his public statements on the project, Rev. Owusu Bempah claims that he has been the subject of persistent attacks from some unknown faces. Watch video below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Leader and Founder of the Glorious Word and Power Ministries International, Rev. Dr. Isaac Owusu Bempah, has disclosed that the next general elections in 2024 will be occasioned by scenes of bloody violence. According to him, the seat of government - Jubilee House - could come under heavy attack and record burnings and gunshots Speaking on Okay Fm's Ade Akye Abia programme, the revered man of God revealed that there are demonic angels in the spiritual realm who intend to foist their plans on the nation by destabilising the peace being enjoyed currently. He indicated that per what God has revealed to him in the spiritual realm, the 2024 polls will not be peaceful as expected and might go down in history as perhaps the bloodiest elections the country has ever witnessed. "There have been wars in other countries because of elections. For the 2024 elections, I see more danger than victory. I plead with authorities to also put measures in place because there is fighting in the 2024 elections and if care is not taken, it will be the first time the escalated war will hit the Jubilee House....will there will be firing of guns, burning and attacks on Jubilee House. It wouldn't help so let's pray about it." "I am not saying this to cause any fear and panic but i am just saying it so that Ghanaians will pray to avert such act and i don't expect the Inspector General of Police to consider this as threat on the country's security but a prophecy from a man of God," he admonished. Whiles calling on the public and politicians to commit the country into serious prayers, Rev Bempah further noted that though Ghanaians will come out in their numbers to vote, the pockets of violence that will be recorded during the elections would lead to several people losing their lifes. "But I believe that with prayer this can be averted so will entreat every one including the IGP to commit the country into prayers and intercede continually for the country," he added. I Know Winner of 2024 Polls Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah has earlier stated that no one can be the President of Ghana without his knowledge. He says he already knows the person that will win the 2024 general elections. I have not declared my support for anyone. I have seen something and I know the winner but I wont say it. I even know the person wholl win the 2024 elections but I will not say it. I will meet the person and tell him. You can choose to believe it or not but no one can be president without my knowledge, he said. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana's most celebrated Tourism Oriented Media Personality and entrepreneur has recieved a invitation from Associazione TDM2000, Commune di Cagliari and Fondazione di Sardegna out of his busy itinerary to participate in this year's International Summer Week in Sardinia after the successful execution of the first ever Ghana Music Awards France in Toulouse under his board chairmanship last week. The Managing Director of Kaya Tours and Management Services will be representing Ghana highly at the Summer Week in Sardinia, an Italian island of the Mediterranean coast. International Summer Week is the meeting point for young passionate people to explore new cultures and discover new ways of expressing themselves through arts for over 20 years, the event has presented the beauties of Sardinia to the world, and enabled participants to discover Mediterranean life, the richness of other cultures and new ways of expression. Sardinia is home to some of the worlds most fascinating beaches and a perfect destination for summer vacations. Every year over 200 young travelers from all over Europe and the world travel to participate in the International Summer Week making it one of the biggest intercultural events in summer. Every day of the event comes with a visit to different landmarks and the evening comes with a different party vibe. During the entire week long celebrations, Abeiku Santana popularly known as Mr Tourism will be demonstrating Ghanas rich culture at the global intercultural village and contribute traditional Ghanaian music and a current contemporary afrobeats song to be used to create a playlist that will be shared at the intercultural nights of the festival. We all know how he does it when it comes to toursim and representing the motherland. The Exclusive Man of the Year award winner for Tourism Marketing and Promotion will lives no stone unturn. The festival will begin from the 1st of August to the 8th of August 2022. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A team of researchers at the University of Cambridge, working with colleagues from the University of Turin and Zoomarine Italia, has found evidence of bottle-nosed dolphins having episodic memory recall. In their paper published in the journal Current Biology, the group outlines the experiments they conducted with the dolphins and what they learned from them. Humans have what is known as episodic memory recallwe can remember not just data, or an image of something, but much of the things involved in an event. We can, for example, remember how a friend looked and what they said during a prior conversation. For many years, it was thought only humans had this capability but experiments with other creatures have shown otherwise. Some birds, fish, dogs and rats, have all been found to have some degree of episodic memory recall. In this new effort, the researchers noticed that bottle-nosed dolphins had not been tested to see if they too had the ability and because of that set themselves the task of doing so. The experiments consisted of training eight dolphins to retrieve a ball held by a person at different spots around the edge of a pool and to ignore people in similar positions who were not holding a ball. As part of the training, the people were changed out to prevent the dolphins from associating the ball with a place or a given person. Next, the dolphins were asked to repeat the exercise, only this time the people held the ball behind their backsthe dolphins had to figure out who was holding the ball by searching their memory. All eight of the dolphins were trained and tested over two days and all of the dolphins were able to choose the correct spot or person with the ball, showing they could use the "where" part of their memory. And seven of eight got the second part right, which showed they could use the "who" part of their memory too. Together, the two types of memory access showed that the dolphins were able to demonstrate episodic memory recallbecause it showed an instance of remembering information from a prior event that was trivial (but which was encoded anyway) at the time of the event, but was needed to perform a secondary act. Explore further Bolivian river dolphins observed playing with an anaconda More information: James R. Davies et al, Episodic-like memory in common bottlenose dolphins, Current Biology (2022). Journal information: Current Biology James R. Davies et al, Episodic-like memory in common bottlenose dolphins,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.032 2022 Science X Network The century-old Klamath River Community Hall lies in ruins after it was destroyed by the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California. Rain and cooler conditions brought some relief on Tuesday to hundreds of firefighters battling a wildfire in northern California that has killed two people and threatens the 8,000-strong town of Yreka. State fire department, CalFire, said that while the weather had "mitigated fire spread," vegetation in the area "remains extremely dry" and in danger of being ignited by lightning strikes. "The continued threat of thunderstorms and the associated strong, erratic winds could result in increased fire behavior," CalFire said. The McKinney fire burning in the Klamath National Forest near the border with Oregon is California's largest wildfire so far this yearthough it remains much smaller than last year's Dixie Fire, which burned nearly one million acres. More than 55,000 acres (22,000 hectares) of the sparsely populated forest have been ravaged and the blaze is zero percent contained, according to CalFire. Firefighters are constructing containment lines to prevent the fire from spreading, including using bulldozers to build a firebreak to protect Yreka, the county seat of Siskiyou County. The McKinney Fire has killed two people, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. Firefighters found two people dead on Sunday inside a burned-out car in the driveway of a home in the town of Klamath River. Flames burn to the Klamath River during the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California. Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said the pair were likely caught in the swift-moving blaze as they tried to flee. Sherri Marchetti-Perrault, who lived off of Highway 96, told the Los Angeles Times that her home had burned to the ground. "When we left, everything was on fire," Marchetti-Perrault told the newspaper. "It happened so fast. We left with the clothes on our back. We couldn't breathe and we couldn't see." 'Holding out' California, along with much of the western United States, is in the grip of its worst drought in more than 1,000 years. The drought, exacerbated by man-made climate change, has left the countryside parched and vulnerable to the wildfires that naturally break out, making the blazes hotter, faster and more destructive. California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County, and more than 2,000 residents of the rural area are under evacuation orders. A chimney is all that remains of a river-front home in Klamath River northwest of Yreka, California. According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, the fire has destroyed more than 100 structuresincluding homes, a grocery store and a community centerin the area around Yreka. "Surrounding areas should be ready to leave if needed. Please don't hesitate to evacuate," the county sheriff tweeted. "I'm holding out trying not to leave too soon because I'm helping out my mom," said Rafael Franco, who lives in the mandatory evacuation area. "She's not in the best physical health to get around," Franco told AFP. "At the last minute if I see the fire cross the ridge where we are, we are going to head out and grab what we can and get going and hope for the best." Marjie Lawrence, who fled Klamath River on Friday night, said she went back to retrieve some belongings in case the fire spread to her home. A burned statue lies in the ruins of a home in the community of Klamath River in northern California. The McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest is the largest wildfire in California this year. "We are taking stuff in case the house goes, we are taking things we want, but not too many," Lawrence said. The McKinney Fire comes just days after the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park destroyed dozens of buildings and forced thousands to evacuate. California still has months of fire season ahead of it. Other parts of the world have also faced intense wildfires this year, as scientists say climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense, increasing the risk of fires. Explore further Two dead in California's largest blaze this year 2022 AFP Examples of mosquitoes uploaded to apps used to provide data to the Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard. Credit: USF To combat the ongoing threat of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide, University of South Florida researchers have launched a mosquito-tracking dashboard driven by citizen sciencea scalable solution proven effective in a recent USF study. Funded by a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the study and the Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard are part of a large-scale project to establish global surveillance of mosquito-borne diseases with automated mosquito identification. The dashboard combines data from three partner apps: Mosquito Alert, NASA's GLOBE Observer and iNaturalist. Each app uses citizen science, where everyday people around the world provide photos of mosquitoes using their smartphones. With the combined international data, the dashboardaccessible via computer browser or mobile devicehas the potential to provide data at a frequency and geographic resolution otherwise impossible because of cost and other constraints. Researchers demonstrate the use of apps to provide data for the new Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard. Credit: USF "This dashboard represents a unification of global citizen science platforms for mosquito surveillance and control," said principal investigator Ryan Carney, assistant professor of integrative biology. "This tool will help mosquito control personnel to seek and destroy invasive species and monitor disease vectors on an international basis by leveraging the geo-reference computers people carry around in their pockets every day: their smartphones." Each year, mosquitoes cause nearly 700 million infections and more than one million deaths, making mosquitoes the deadliest animal on Earth. Because only a small percentage of the mosquito species transmit diseases, extensive surveillance and precise identification are critical in community defense. Example of a mosquito tracked by the new Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard. Credit: James Gathany (Centers for Disease Control) Given the general lack of vaccines and cures, there is a universal need for increased and sustained mosquito surveillance and habitat mitigation worldwide. The real-time data available on this dashboard will help researchers, mosquito-control personnel and policymakers detect disease vectors early. To test the effectiveness of citizen science for the surveillance of mosquitoes, Carney and a team of three USF students asked citizen scientists to target primary vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya. Not only did the citizen scientists succeed in locating vectors, but their efforts resulted in the first iNaturalist observations in the U.S. of Aedes scapularis, an invasive species that causes yellow fever. The documentation was shared with local vector control officials in Texas and serves as a model for monitoring in Florida, where the species recently invaded. A USF researcher demonstrates how an app identifies mosquito species for tracking using the new Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard. Credit: USF The study, recently published in a special edition of the journal Insects, will serve as a reference for future planning and execution of citizen science projects. For the remainder of the grant, USF engineering Professor Sriram Chellappan will lead efforts to train and test artificial intelligence algorithms to create an image recognition software. The software, set to launch this fall, will be used to identify mosquito species in uploaded citizen science images. "Our algorithms for species recognition are especially accurate in detecting critical mosquito vectors," Chellappan said. "It will yield valuable tools for citizen-assisted surveillance to combat diseases." An example of how the new Mosquito Alert app works. Credit: USF The algorithms will be tested throughout a new campaign that just launched in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track the invasive urban malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Africa. Citizen scientists in Africa are encouraged to share their mosquito photos on MosquitoesInAfrica.org to assist in detection. "As this work takes on a bigger focus on Africa, the project can aid mosquito-borne disease prevention in susceptible populations and prevent deadly outbreaks," said Karlene Rivera, an undergraduate student researcher working on the grant in the Carney Lab. "This project has major implications in the world of artificial intelligence and disease prevention." More information: Ryan Carney et al, Integrating Global Citizen Science Platforms to Enable Next-Generation Surveillance of Invasive and Vector Mosquitoes, Insects (2022). Ryan Carney et al, Integrating Global Citizen Science Platforms to Enable Next-Generation Surveillance of Invasive and Vector Mosquitoes,(2022). DOI: 10.3390/insects13080675 A Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is seen in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, 1000 km off the coast of Ecuador, on February 27, 2019. A land iguana that disappeared more than a century ago from one of the Galapagos Islands is reproducing naturally following its reintroduction there, Ecuador's environment ministry announced Monday. The reptile from the Conolophus subcristatus species, one of three land iguanas living on the archipelago, disappeared from Santiago Island in the early part of the 20th century according to a 1903-06 expedition there by the California Academy of Sciences, the ministry said. In 2019, the Galapagos National Park (PNG) authority reintroduced more than 3,000 iguanas from a nearby island to restore the natural ecosystem of Santiago, which lies at the center of the Pacific archipelago. The remote island chain was made famous by British geologist and naturalist Charles Darwin's observations on evolution there. In 1835, Darwin recorded a huge number of iguanas of all ages on Santiago. PNG director Danny Rueda said "187 years later we are once again seeing a healthy population of land iguanas with adults, juveniles and newborns. "It's a great conservation achievement and strengthens our hopes of restoration on the islands that have been severely affected by introduced species." Located close to 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are home to unique flora and fauna and are a Natural World Heritage site. Explore further Experts estimate endangered Galapagos pink iguana population at 211 2022 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain The American Educational Research Association (AERA) and six other leading research associations have submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of narrowly tailored race-conscious admissions practices at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Joining AERA on the brief were the American Anthropological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Political Science Association, the American Sociological Association, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and the Linguistic Society of America. This fall, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. University of North Carolina, et al. A Supreme Court ruling against the universities could upend decades of legal precedent supporting the right of higher education institutions to consider student body diversity in making their admissions decisions. "It is critical, as the court weighs these cases, to rely on a substantial body of high-quality, rigorous research and an impressive scientific consensus," said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. "The research is clear: It is in the best interest of students and the nation for the court to reaffirm the compelling governmental interest in student body diversity and to affirm the lower court judgments upholding the admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina." In 2003, the Supreme Court cited significant studies when it ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger that promoting student body diversity is a compelling interest that can justify race-conscious admissions policies. The scientific literature supporting the diversity interest was already well-established nearly two decades ago and has grown even more expansive since Grutter. This body of research shows that student body diversity leads to important educational benefits, including improvements in intergroup contact and increased cross-racial interaction among students; reductions in prejudice; improvements in cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills, and self-confidence; greater civic engagement; and the enhancement of skills needed for professional development and leadership. Research also supports the argument that admissions policies typified by the Harvard and University of North Carolina programs are narrowly tailored to the interest in student body diversity, complying with the standards set in the Supreme Court precedent Grutter and Fisher cases. Records demonstrate that both Harvard and the University of North Carolina have engaged in extensive analyses and reviews of their admissions policies, as well as alternatives to race-conscious admissions, and have tied those analyses to complying with the Grutter and Fisher standards. Explore further Diversity semantics shift higher ed inclusivity away from students of color Provided by American Educational Research Association Marine Monitor (M2) Radar System monitored activity near the Piedras Blancas Light Station in central California. Credit: ProtectedSeas A new study has found that boaters often cluster along the edges of marine protected areas (MPAs) off the coast of California. These new findings suggest that fishers are aware of the MPA boundaries and cluster just outside them to potentially benefit from better fishing opportunities by "fishing the line." The study, recently published in PLOS ONE, used the ProtectedSeas Marine Monitor (M2) autonomous data collection tool to continuously monitor vessel activity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a year in the vicinity of five state-managed MPAs near San Diego, Santa Barbara and Cambria. The M2 systems, which combine marine radar with custom software, were deployed to record the movement of boats on the water, allowing researchers to measure boat activity continuously in and around MPAs for the first time. The network of M2 systems in California are managed by ProtectedSeas and site partners based at each location. The researchers identified specific boat movements and found that overall, 40 percent more boating activity occurred in the vicinity of MPAs compared to the surrounding areas. A well-documented benefit of MPAs is the "spillover" of marine life from inside an MPA into the surrounding areas. "Most activity occurred at or beyond MPA edges, and not within the area itself," said ProtectedSeas researcher Samantha Cope, the lead author of the study. "This suggests that boaters are aware of the MPA and that the areas are serving their purpose of creating safe refuges for ocean life regeneration. Fishers see a benefit from spending time near the area because MPAs are working. The researchers found that boating activity clustered at MPA edges occurred at all five locations. Clustering intensified at the southern California MPAs during both commercial and recreational spiny lobster seasons, a valuable fishery in the state. During the commercial spiny lobster season, clustering was 30 times greater also at the Campus Point State Marine Reserve near Santa Barbara. Recreational boat traffic monitored by the Marine Monitor (M2) Radar System in California. Credit: ProtectedSeas "Conservation work needs to be driven by data, and M2 helps us understand trends in what's happening in MPAs," said study co-author Jess Morten, a researcher with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, a site partner with M2 in California. MPAs in California primarily restrict fishing activities to conserve valued species and habitats. When fishing activity is concentrated at MPA edges, it suggests that fish may be more abundant closer to the MPA compared to elsewhere in the local area. Monitoring human activity can help managers evaluate both the ecological and community benefits of the MPA, detect patterns in boat activity and other human uses, and ensure MPA regulations are followed. The M2 system provided researchers with an independent method for continuously documenting activity. "We specifically designed M2 to monitor important marine places at a cost that was realistic for local managers," said M2 Product Manager and study co-author Brendan Tougher. "This research shows that M2 is an accessible and robust tool for monitoring MPAs." The state's first MPA Decadal Management Review is currently underway to evaluate the existing network of MPAs. Investigating human activity near MPAs is important for evaluating the success of current ocean protections. There are currently 18 active M2 systems globally, with six of them in California, and many deployed internationally in developing countries. "As a 'low-tech' solution for more efficient MPA monitoring, M2 is especially valuable for anyone with limited technical experience or resources since people can be quickly trained on how to use and interpret data from our systems," said Tougher. Hot spots of activity occurred at MPA boundaries, and this activity was generally most common at midday and on weekends. There was less activity overall at the site in central California that monitored the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and State Conservation Area, likely due to its remote location. But hot spots at MPA boundaries were still present. Explore further One size doesn't fit all for successful Marine Protected Areas More information: Samantha Cope et al, Coastal radar as a tool for continuous and fine-scale monitoring of vessel activities of interest in the vicinity of marine protected areas, PLOS ONE (2022). Journal information: PLoS ONE Samantha Cope et al, Coastal radar as a tool for continuous and fine-scale monitoring of vessel activities of interest in the vicinity of marine protected areas,(2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269490 Provided by ProtectedSeas Credit: Greg Price, Author provided New Zealand may seem to be under meteor bombardment at the moment. After a huge meteor exploded above the sea near Wellington on July 7, creating a sonic boom that could be heard across the bottom of the South Island, a smaller fireball was captured two weeks later above Canterbury. Fireballs Aotearoa, a collaboration between astronomers and citizen scientists which aims to recover freshly fallen meteorites, has received a lot of questions about these events. One of the most frequent is about the bright green color, and whether it is the same green produced by auroras. Green fireballs have been reported and filmed in New Zealand regularly. Bright meteors often signal the arrival of a chunk of asteroid, which can be anywhere between a few centimeters to a meter in diameter when it comes crashing through the atmosphere. Some of these asteroids contain nickel and iron and they hit the atmosphere at speeds of up to 60km per second. This releases an enormous amount of heat very quickly, and the vaporized iron and nickel radiate green light. But is this the same as the bright green of an aurora? For the most recent meteor, the answer is mainly no, but it's actually not that simple. The colors of a meteor trail The green glow of the aurora is caused by oxygen ions in the upper atmosphere, created by collisions between atmospheric oxygen molecules and particles ejected by the sun. An aurora australis observed from the international space station. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-ND These oxygen ions recombine with electrons to produce oxygen atoms, but the electrons can persist in an excited state for several seconds. In an energy transition known as "forbidden" because it does not obey the usual quantum rules, they then radiate the auroral green light at 557nm wavelength. A meteor can also shine by this route, but only if it's extremely fast. Very fast meteors heat up in the thin atmosphere above 100km where auroras form. If you want to see a green auroral wake from a meteor, watch out for the Perseid meteor shower, which has now started and will peak on August 13 in the southern hemisphere. Also arriving at about 60km per second, the Perseids are extremely fast bits of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Some Perseids trail a beautiful, glowing and distinctly green wake behind them, particularly at the start of their path. Once the Canterbury meteor hit on July 22, the capricious winds of the upper atmosphere twisted the gently glowing trail, resulting in a pale yellow glow toward the end (as seen in the GIF below, also recorded by Greg Price for an earlier meteor).. This is caused by sodium atoms being continually excited in a catalytic reaction involving ozone. Are we being bombarded by meteors? Yes and no. The arrival of big, booming green meteors and the dropping of meteorites isn't rare in New Zealand, but it is rare to recover the rock. Fireballs Aotearoa is working to improve the recovery rate. In an average year, perhaps four meteorites hit New Zealand. We're encouraging citizen scientists to build their own meteor camera systems so they can catch these events. The July 22 meteor as seen by a specialised meteor camera near Ashburton. Credit: Campbell Duncan/NASA/CAMS NZ, Author provided By comparing the meteor against the starry background and triangulating images caught by multiple cameras, we can pin down the meteor's position in the atmosphere to within tens of meters. Not only does that help us find the rock, but it tells us what the pre-impact orbit of the meteoroid was, which in turn tells us which part of the solar system it came from. This is a rather efficient way of sampling the solar system without ever having to launch a space mission. Witness reports and high-resolution meteor cameras help to calculate a meteors trajectory. This map shows the approximate trajectory of the July 22 meteor at the top of the red shape in the centre. Credit: Fireballs Aotearoa and International Meteor Association, Author provided Fireballs Aotearoa is rapidly populating Otago with meteor cameras and there are half a dozen more in other parts of the South Island. The North Island isn't well covered yet, and we're keen for more people (in either island) to build or buy a meteor camera and keep it pointed at the sky. Then next time a bright meteor explodes with a boom above New Zealand, we may be able to pick up the meteorite and do some good science with it. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Nebraska Engineering Professor Shane Farritor invented 'MIRA,' a miniaturized robot for remote surgery. Credit: University Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln A miniaturized robot invented by Nebraska Engineering Professor Shane Farritor may soon blast into space to test its skills. NASA recently awarded the University of Nebraska-Lincoln $100,000 through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at the University of Nebraska Omaha to ready the surgical robot for a 2024 test mission aboard the International Space Station. "NASA has been a long-term supporter of this research and, as a culmination of that effort, our robot will have a chance to fly on the International Space Station," Farritor said. Farritor is co-founder of Virtual Incision, a startup company based on Nebraska Innovation Campus. For nearly 20 years, he and his colleagues have been developing the tiny surgical robot known as MIRA, short for "miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant." The company thus far has attracted more than $100 million in venture capital investment since its founding in 2006. During the next year, Farritor and engineering graduate student Rachael Wagner will write software, configure MIRA to fit inside a space station experiment locker and exhaustively test the device to make sure it's robust enough to survive launch and its systems will perform as anticipated in space. Then, they will wait a year or so for the robot to get its turn aboard the station. Wagner, who is from Lincoln, began working with Farritor as an undergraduate student and took a position with Virtual Incision after completing her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2018. A second graduate student may join the team later in 2022. MIRA has two key advantages. First, it can be inserted through a small incision, enabling doctors to perform abdominal surgery in a minimally invasive manner. In previous tests, surgeons have successfully used the device to perform colon resections. Secondly, the technology could enable surgeons to work remotelyperhaps someday repairing an astronaut's ruptured appendix on a mission to Mars or removing shrapnel from a soldier injured by an IED thousands of miles distant. In a previous experiment, retired NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson took the robot's controls while at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, directing MIRA to perform surgery-like tasks in an operating room 900 miles away at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. During its trip aboard the space station, MIRA will work autonomously, without the guiding hand of a doctor or an astronaut. Inside a microwave oven-sized experiment locker, it will cut tautly stretched rubber bands and push metal rings along a wire, gestures that simulate those used in surgery. "These simulations are very important because of all the data we will collect during the tests," Wagner said. It will be the most autonomous operation of the robot so far. Although Farritor anticipates MIRA will function on its own in 50 to 100 years, this mission's goal is not autonomy, but to fine-tune the robot's operation in zero gravity. The device is being programmed to work autonomously to conserve space station communications bandwidth and to minimize the amount of time astronauts spend with the experiment. "The astronaut flips a switch, the process starts and the robot does its work by itself," Farritor said. "Two hours later, the astronaut switches it off and it's done." Farritor, who is David and Nancy Lederer Professor of Engineering, serves as chief technology officer of Virtual Incision, founded with former University of Nebraska Medical Center professor of surgery Dmitry Oleynikov. In April 2022, Farritor was named the inaugural winner of the University of Nebraska system's intellectual property award, the Faculty IP Innovation and Commercialization Award. Both NASA and the U.S. Army have provided funding for Farritor's robotics research. "As people go further and deeper into space, they might need to do surgery someday," Farritor said. "We're working toward that goal." Explore further Astrobee's first robot completes initial hardware checks in space Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study has put a remarkable and unexpected chemical genesis on more solid footing. Back in 2019, Stanford University researchers and colleagues revealed the surprising discovery that hydrogen peroxidea caustic substance used for disinfecting surfaces and bleaching hairspontaneously forms in microscopic droplets of ordinary, benign water. Researchers have since aimed to flesh out how the newfound reaction occurs, as well as exploring potential applications, such as eco-friendlier cleaning methods. The latest study has revealed that when sprayed microdroplets of water strike a solid surface, a phenomenon known as contact electrification happens. Electric charge jumps between the two materials, liquid and solid, producing unstable molecular fragments called reactive oxygen species. Pairs of these species known as hydroxyl radicals, and which have the chemical formula OH, can then combine to form hydrogen peroxide, H 2 O 2 , in minuscule but detectable quantities. The new study further demonstrated that this process occurs in humid environments when water touches particles of soil as well as fine particles in the atmosphere. Those additional findings suggest that water can transform into small amounts of reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, wherever microdroplets naturally form, including in fogs, mists, and raindrops, bolstering results from a related 2020 study. "We have a real understanding now that we didn't have before about what is causing this hydrogen peroxide formation to happen," said study senior author Richard Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science and a professor of chemistry in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. "Furthermore, it appears that contact electrification yielding hydrogen peroxide is a universal phenomenon at water-solid interfaces." Zare led this work, collaborating with researchers from two universities in China, Jianghan University and Wuhan University, as well as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study was published Aug. 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). On the origins of the hydrogen peroxide For the study, the researchers built a glass apparatus with microscopic channels in it where water could be forcibly injected. The channels formed an airtight water-solid boundary. The researchers perfused the water with a fluorescent dye that glows in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. An experiment showed the presence of the harsh chemical in the glass microfluidic channel, but not in a bulk sample of water also containing the dye. Additional experiments elaborated that the hydrogen peroxide formed quickly, within a matter of seconds, at the boundary between the water and the solid. To gauge if the extra oxygen atom in the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) came from a reaction with the glass or within the water (H 2 O) itself, the researchers treated the glass lining of some microfluidic channels. These treated channels contained a heavier isotope or version of oxygen, dubbed oxygen-18 or 18O. Comparing the post-reaction mix of water and hydrogen peroxide fluid from the treated and untreated channels showed the signal of 18O in the former, implicating the solid as the source of the oxygen in the hydroxyl radicals and ultimately in hydrogen peroxide. The new findings could help settle some of the debate that has ensued in the scientific community since the Stanford researchers initially announced their novel detection of hydrogen peroxide in water microdroplets three years ago. Other studies have emphasized the major contributions of hydrogen peroxide production via chemical interactions with the gas ozone, O 3 , and a process called cavitation, when vapor bubbles arise in low-pressure areas within accelerated liquids. Zare pointed out that both of those processes also clearly yield hydrogen peroxide, and in comparatively greater amounts. "All of these processes contribute to hydrogen peroxide production, but the present work confirms that this production is also intrinsic to the way microdroplets are made and interact with solid surfaces through contact electrification," said Zare. Turning the tables on seasonal respiratory viruses Nailing down how and in what situations water can transform into reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, has a host of real-world insights and applications, Zare explained. Among the most compelling is understanding the formation of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide as an overlooked contributor to the well-known seasonality of many viral respiratory diseases, including colds, flus, and likely COVID-19 once the disease eventually becomes fully endemic. Viral respiratory infections are transmitted in the air as aqueous droplets when people who are sick cough, sneeze, sing, or even just talk. These infections tend to spike in winter and ebb in summer, a trend chalked up in part to people spending more time indoors and in close, transmissible proximity during the cold weather season. However, between work, school, and sleeping at night, people actually end up spending about the same amount of time indoors during the hot weather months as well. Zare said the new study's findings offer a possible explanation for why winter is correlated with more flu cases: The key variable at work is humidity, the amount of water in the air. In the summer, the higher relative levels of indoor humiditytied to higher humidity in the warm air outsidelikely facilitate reactive oxygen species in droplets having enough time to kill viruses. Contrastingly, in winterwhen the air inside buildings is heated and its humidity loweredthe droplets evaporate before the reactive oxygen species can act as a disinfectant. "Contact electrification provides a chemical basis for partly explaining why there is seasonality to viral respiratory diseases," said Zare. Accordingly, Zare added, future research should investigate any links between indoor humidity levels in buildings and the presence and spread of contagions. If links are further borne out, simply adding humidifiers to heating, ventilation, and cooling systems could lessen disease transmission. "Taking a fresh approach to disinfecting surfaces is just one of the great practical consequences of this work involving the fundamental chemistry of water in the environment," said Zare. "It just goes to show that we think we know so much about water, one of the most commonly encountered substances, but then we're humbled." Zare is also a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Cardiovascular Institute, the Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford ChEM-H, the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Explore further Chemists discover water microdroplets spontaneously produce hydrogen peroxide More information: Bolei Chen et al, Watersolid contact electrification causes hydrogen peroxide production from hydroxyl radical recombination in sprayed microdroplets, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Bolei Chen et al, Watersolid contact electrification causes hydrogen peroxide production from hydroxyl radical recombination in sprayed microdroplets,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209056119 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The region's sewers, creeks and storm drains were no match for last week's record-shattering rainfalla downpour remarkable not just for its unprecedented total, but also for its intensity. Pouring water sprawled over creek banks, across roads, and into homes and vehicles, stranding hundreds and killing two. Levees overtopped in St. Peters and the Metro East. Sewers backed up across the region. But unlike the frequent floods along the area's major rivers in recent years, water from within was a primary danger this time, as many low-lying neighborhoods filled with rain far faster than it could drain off. "There's something almost very primally frightening to see floodwater come up," said Eric Stein, a University City resident whose home was overrun Tuesday by the River Des Peres. "You realize it's going to get you." Experts and officials said the ordeal offers a stark warning that the area's storm systems and water managers must confront: The warming climate is making major downpours more common. And the expansion of homes, parking lots and subdivisions fuels more runoff than ever before. Yet it's unclear who, exactly, is responsible for the region's stormwater. "There is no one clear authority that you can blame or hold responsible," said Stein, who also serves on University City's Commission on Storm Water Issues. "It's very complicated." Last Tuesday, St. Louis was slammed by an astounding 9.07 inches of raincrushing the area's previous record for daily rainfall by more than two inches. And the bulk of that rain fell in only about a three-hour span. That's about a quarter of the region's average annual precipitation compressed into a few early-morning hours. It was simply too much water, too fast. Even two inches of rain in an hour can trigger problematic flash flooding, according to experts on the stormwater commission in hard-hit University City. (The region saw that again Thursday afternoon, when a second round of violent rain dumped 2 to 4 inches of water, sparking additional flash floods.) Different forces have combined to crank up the risks. On one hand, increasingly severe downpours are a well-established consequence of climate change. Warm air can holdand unleashmore moisture. For every 1 degree Fahrenheit of warming, air can hold 4% more water, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit focused on climate science and data. That raises the chances for extreme storms that were once exceptionally rare. The Metropolitan St. Louis sewer district, for instance, estimated Tuesday's rain as an event that occurs less than once every 500 years. But such comparisons are becoming almost meaningless, as the climate of the present becomes increasingly different than the climate of the past. "We're seeing these mind-blowing occurrences happen more often," said Lauren Casey, a meteorologist with Climate Central. Indeed, rainfall intensity in St. Louis has grown markedly over the past several decades, as has the number of days during which the city is hit by more than one inch of rain, according to an analysis from Climate Central. Experts say the flood-prone upper River Des Peres, which wanders through communities like University City before getting tunneled underground, offers a prime example of the bad fit between prevailing water management trends and a more volatile climate. When the watershed was hit with Tuesday's torrential rain, levels on the upper river soared well above the threshold that has spelled flood problems in the past. The river spilled out of its banks. It pushed water up the storm drains, into the streets. And when the main current hit the 20-foot openings to the "tubes" that direct the river underground, northwest of Forest Park, all of that volume simply didn't fit, University City stormwater commission members estimated. That left streets filled, cars covered, basements full, and residents reporting worse flooding than ever beforeeven in areas that aren't next to the river. Four feet filled University City councilman Tim Cusick's house near the river. There have been so many floods in recent years, so many close shaves, he had the sense that flood damage was just inevitable. "I've always known that this is going to happen," he said. In a section of western St. Louis alongside Maplewood, where homes sit within the official River Des Peres floodplain, residents were hit twice last week by the heavy rains. Some have lost count of the number of times their basements have taken on water. "People say, 'Why don't you move?'" said Ellendale resident Debbie Boshans, whose basement has flooded four times before these storms. "How do you sell a house that's flooded that many times?" her husband, Jeff Boshans, chimed in. The neighborhood is now pocked by empty lots, the product of sewer district buyouts of years past. But not this time, said district spokesman Sean Hadley. This time, the issue wasn't the sewers, it was the incredible amount of water itself. "The system worked like it was supposed to," Hadley said. "The River Des Peres jumped its banks. That's an act of nature." The sewer district doesn't have money to buyout homes for overland flooding, he said. Voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County, the district's service territory, rejected an extra fee in 2019. Members of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones' office, asked Wednesday during an event in the neighborhood about buyouts, said MSD handled that. MSD pointed back at the city and said there's nothing stopping it from buying out flood-prone properties. A spokesman for Jones said Friday it was focusing on getting emergency supplies to residents impacted by flooding and would examine long-term solutions later. St. Peters had two problems on Tuesday. One: So much water fell, the pumps meant to pull water out of the city's interior and dump it over the Dardenne Creek levee just couldn't keep up. Two: The creek rose so quickly, the levee overtopped. Janice Finch Sheppard, who has owned and operated Allure Salon for 23 years on Church Street, doesn't think her building is salvageable. She dropped her flood insurance years ago after the levee system was improved and officials told her she didn't need it anymore. She and the self-employed stylists who use her building were busy trying to clean what they could Wednesday. But mold was already setting in. Styling chairs were ruined. Clients wouldn't want to come. Sheppard wasn't sure what she'd do next. "God has a plan," she said. "I'm just hoping this is the right one." Some say now that the levee systems pumps didn't start when they should have. The city said the pumps are automatic and were working just fine. Still, even naysayers aren't sure it would have mattered altogether. "Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't have kept all the water out of here," said 22-year resident Gary Jones, who now plans to sell. Jones knows the problem is bigger than just the pumps. More concrete is added to fast-growing St. Charles County every year. Interstate 70 behind his house has been widened. The Missouri Department of Transportation doesn't come out to mow and clear the runoff ditch until he calls to complain. "There's nowhere for the water to go," Jones said. No engineered system would have been a match for Tuesday's rainfall, experts said. "How do you compete with that?" said Matt Jones, a project manager with the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It's really hard to plan for those kinds of scenarios." But some strategies could reduce flood risk. Curb greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change, experts note. Better floodproof homes, others said. And charge fees for laying concrete or asphalt or other impervious services. The sewer district proposed such a move to voters as recently as 2019, but it was shot down. Big engineering projects are on the table, as well. The Army Corps is examining the potential installation of a local, eight-acre detention basin to hold water, detailed in an April report commissioned by University City. The project is still probably years from completion, at best. But even if it were already in service, it wouldn't have been enough to save University City from the scale of this week's deluge, experts said. "It was so much water this time, I don't think any engineering modification would've done it," said Bob Criss, a professor emeritus at Washington University who has studied flood issues in the region for years and has long-held concerns about the River Des Peres. More storage in the system will help, he said. But it won't stop flooding. We've hit a point where the problem is so large, experts said, it's hard to out-engineer, for a feasible cost. Several said what's ultimately needed is the buyout of repeatedly flooded propertiessimply removing those at highest risk. "I think it's the only answer," said Criss. And buyouts may be gaining steam among residents, too. The Boshans, in Ellendale, thought they were in the clear. Buyouts had opened up land around them. They thought the giant new sewer district tunnel would help. So they finished their basement. A month ago, they installed a brand new $9,000 HVAC system. "We thought we were safe," Jeff Boshans said last week. "They need to buy us out," said Debbie Boshans. 2022 STLtoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In 2015, the member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The central element is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include "Zero Hunger", "Clean Water", "Responsible Consumption" and "Life Below Water". The SDGs relate to all three pillars of sustainability, i.e. social, economic and environmental sustainability. Achieving the goals should enable a life of dignity for everyone worldwide and conserve the planet's natural resources on a sustained basis. Yet how are the SDGs perceived in the first place, and what conclusions can be drawn from this? Until now, there has been a research gap in this area. The few international studies to date had mostly interviewed rather broad population groups. There was a lack of data that could deliver specific recommendations in certain realms of society, for example, how university practice could be improved in line with the 2030 Agenda. A new study by Goethe University Frankfurt is now closing this research gap. It is based on an online survey in 41 countries in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe, which was conducted between September 2020 and July 2021. All 4,305 interviewees were exclusively students of environment-related subjects, such as environmental science, biology or nature management. They indicated on a scale of 1 to 5 how important they considered each individual SDG. "Our study is the first to document and evaluate how the UN's Sustainable Development Goals are perceived among such a highly selected group of future decision-makers," says first author Dr. Matthias Kleespies from the Department of Didactics in the Biological Sciences and Zoo Biology at Goethe University Frankfurt. The data show, says Kleespies, that the SDGs have a high level of acceptance among environmental students worldwide, irrespective of the region. For Kleespies, this is a pleasing result: "The major social, economic and environmental problems we're currently facing worldwide are also perceived as such." Through factor analysis, a common statistical method, Kleespies was able to establish something else: the interviewees mainly assigned individual SDGs to only one of the three pillars of sustainability: for example, the goal "No Poverty" exclusively to the first pillar (social) or the goal "Climate Action" exclusively to the third pillar (environmental). These assignments led to a further result, says Kleespies: "We could see significant differences between countries in how they rate the three pillars." For example, interviewees from Germany considered the environmental pillar to be particularly important, while interviewees from Thailand rated all three pillars as more or less equally important. To be able to evaluate the differences between countries even more accurately, a further statistical analysis followed: the results from the individual countries were compared with five prosperity indicators, including the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). A similar picture emerged for all five indicators. In a direct comparison, countries with lower indicessuch as the Philippinesrated the SDGs as more important than countries with higher indices did, such as Canada. "This result surprised us, as older studies often showed that especially people in modern industrialized societies campaign more for environmental protection," says Kleespies. Even if the study is not transferable to a country's entire population, it does, according to Professor Paul Dierkes, head of the Department of Didactics in the Biological Sciences and Zoo Biology, deliver important new insights. "To be able to put the SDGs into practice in a country, there needs to be great acceptance not only among the population but also among the people at the social and political interfaces. As potential future decision-makers and multipliers, students in the environmental domain are particularly important in this context. Although a university education in this field is no guarantee of a decision-making position, universities teach important skills, abilities and knowledge that qualify for such positions." What improvement measures for university education can be derived from the study? Kleespies says: "Degree programs in the environmental sciences ought to address in greater depth the fact that the SDGs are multidimensional and that each of the goals contains a social, environmental and economic component." After all, he says, the study has shown that students mostly overlook this multidimensionality. For example, SDG 15"Life On Land"was often categorized as a solely environmental goal. "But protecting terrestrial ecosystems also includes very important economic and social components." A second suggestion is directed specifically at more affluent countries, where the SDGs were rated as less important by comparison. Kleespies calls on the universities there to incorporate educational measures on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals into the present curriculum of degree programs: "In this way, students will be better informed than they are at the moment about the benefits and multidimensional nature of the SDGs." Over 4,000 students took part in the online survey and emails were sent to institutes in more than 50 countries. For 41 countries, the datasets were ultimately sufficient for a statistical analysis. The research was published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications Explore further UN Sustainable Development Goals are influencing narrative, not policy More information: Matthias Winfried Kleespies et al, The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to students of environmental and sustainability studiesa global survey in 41 countries, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2022). Matthias Winfried Kleespies et al, The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to students of environmental and sustainability studiesa global survey in 41 countries,(2022). DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01242-0 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, working with a colleague from Universite Paris-Saclay, has found evidence that suggests supernovae and their progenitors may have contributed more dust to the solar nebula than previously thought. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes their survey and analysis of work done by others in the field regarding the nature of presolar grains and how it led them to reassess the contribution of supernovae grains to stardust. Presolar grains are materials that originated in starswhen such materials are flung into space after a star dies, they are exposed to temperatures and pressures that result in the formation of grainsthese materials become stardust, most in the form of silicates, which are the building blocks of rocks. Those that are older than our solar system are known as presolar grainsthey avoided the fate of other material that coalesced into our sun and the planets. They can be found today in minute quantities in the dust between the planets, in comets and in meteorites. Presolar grains were discovered approximately 30 years ago and since that time, such grains generated from supernovae were believed to make up just a small percentage of those that can be observed todaymany in the field have suggested it was likely just 10%. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence that suggests the percentage should be much higher, perhaps as high as 30%. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab As material is created in a star, it takes on certain characteristics of that unique individual starit has what the researchers describe as an isotopic composition akin to a diary. Thus, presolar grains have features that allow researchers to determine if they were thrust out into space due to a supernova. The work involved searching for and analyzing research into presolar grains over the past several decades. They found evidence suggesting that such grains from supernovae were far more prevalent than previously thought. They also note that future work using more sophisticated technology could provide more accurate estimations of supernovae presolar percentages in the solar nebula. Explore further Stellar fossils in meteorites point to distant stars More information: Peter Hoppe et al, Dust from supernovae and their progenitors in the solar nebula, Nature Astronomy (2022). Peter Hoppe et al, Dust from supernovae and their progenitors in the solar nebula,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01737-5 Press release Journal information: Nature Astronomy 2022 Science X Network Bill Deerr, a leader of Sea Turtle Recovery, holds Titan, a rehabilitated turtle before releasing it back into the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022. Titan survived being gashed by a boat propeller, having part of a flipper bitten off by a shark, and was being attacked by a different shark when two fishermen intervened and saved him. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry If what doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger, then Titan is the strongest turtle in the ocean. The juvenile Loggerhead turtle has been gashed by a boat propeller, had part of his front flipper bitten off by a shark, and was being attacked by a different shark when two New Jersey fishermen intervened, saved him and called Sea Turtle Recovery, a group that rescues and rehabilitates turtles before returning them to the ocean. Tuesday morning, Titan was among eight turtles returned to the sea after being nursed back to health over the winter and spring. "To see Titan go back into the ocean after being hit by a boat, bitten by a shark and fighting off another shark is just amazing," said Brandi Biehl, co-executive officer of the group. "There truly is no tougher turtle in the world than him." Based in the aptly named Turtle Back Zoo in South Orange, New Jersey, the group began taking in and treating sick or injured turtles in Dec. 2016. Including Tuesday's releases, they have now healed and returned 85 turtles to the ocean. Most of the turtles fell victim to what is called "cold stunning," the near-shutdown of their organs due to lingering in waters that become too cold for them instead of migrating to warmer waters in the winter. November and December are particularly busy months for the group. A turtle crawls through the sand on its way to the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022 after being released by a group that rehabilitated it. Sea Turtle Recovery released eight turtles that had been injured or sick, bringing to 85 the total number of turtles the group has healed and returned to the ocean since Dec. 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry Others were injured by boats or sharks, or developed other illnesses. Six of the eight are Kemp's Ridley turtles, an endangered species. Titan and another turtle, Petunia, are Loggerheads. One of the rescued turtles, Princess, was found stranded on the beach in Sandy Hook just after Thanksgiving, barely alive. A sea turtle's body temperature should be above 65 degrees; hers was 37 when she was found. Other rescuees include Donashello, who stranded in Dec. 2020 after large lung lesions caused him to float, and he failed to migrate south before the water became too cold. He was in critical condition for months, but eventually recovered. Willow also was cold stunned and emaciated when she foundered on the shore. She refused food for over a month, but eventually resumed eating and recovered. Slater was found on the beach at Sandy Hook with a front flipper that had to be amputated after being mangled by a boat propeller. But he is expected to do fine in the ocean with just three flippers, as others in his condition have been studied and found to do well despite their limitations, the group said. Workers with Sea Turtle Recovery hold a rehabilitated turtle before releasing it back into the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022. The group released eight turtles that had been injured or sick, bringing to 85 the total number of turtles the group has healed and returned to the ocean since Dec. 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry A turtle crawls into the surf in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022 after being released by a group that rehabilitated it. Sea Turtle Recovery released eight turtles that had been injured or sick, bringing to 85 the total number of turtles the group has healed and returned to the ocean since Dec. 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry A turtle crawls through the sand on its way to the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022 after being released by a group that rehabilitated it. Sea Turtle Recovery released eight turtles that had been injured or sick, bringing to 85 the total number of turtles the group has healed and returned to the ocean since Dec. 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry A turtle crawls through the sand on its way to the ocean in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Aug. 2, 2022 after being released by a group that rehabilitated it. Sea Turtle Recovery released eight turtles that had been injured or sick, bringing to 85 the total number of turtles the group has healed and returned to the ocean since Dec. 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Wayne Parry Stone was found in December, also barely alive. His heart nearly gave out four different times during rehabilitation, requiring a type of turtle resuscitation. Petunia stranded with eye damage that has since healed. She is one of a few turtles outfitted with a radio tracking device that will be used to monitor her movements in the ocean. Cortez stranded in critical condition last December and also had a torn ligament in his front flipper that has since healed. Sea Turtle Recovery still has four turtles remaining in its northern New Jersey recovery facility that are not yet ready to be returned to the sea. Explore further Sea turtle released in Florida to compete in Tour de Turtles 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Image of NGC 3293 taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope. Credit: ESO/G. Beccari. Using the Very Large Telescope (VLT), an international team of astronomers has conducted a spectroscopic study of a young open cluster NGC 3293. Results of the research, published July 26 on the arXiv pre-print repository, shed more light into the properties and chemical composition of this cluster. Open clusters (OCs), formed from the same giant molecular cloud, are groups of stars loosely gravitationally bound to each other. So far, more than 1,000 of them have been discovered in the Milky Way, and scientists are still looking for more, hoping to find a variety of these stellar groupings. Expanding the list of known galactic open clusters and studying them in detail could be crucial for improving our understanding of the formation and evolution of our galaxy. Discovered in 1751, NGC 3293 (also known as the Gem Nebula) is a young (about 12 million years old) open cluster in the Carina Nebula, located some 8,400 light years away from the Earth. It is one of the most populous stellar aggregates in the Carina Nebula region, containing tens of relatively unevolved early B stars, along with a few blue and red supergiants. Although many photometric observations of NGC 3293 have been conducted, only few spectroscopic studies of this cluster have been performed to date. Therefore, a group of astronomers led by Thierry Morel of the University of Liege in Belgium conducted a spectroscopic analysis of NGC 3293, mainly to investigate the properties of its stellar B-type population in terms of spectral variability, chemical abundances, and rotational velocities. "We present a homogeneous analysis of the Galactic open cluster NGC 3293 based on GES [Gaia-ESO public survey] and FS VLT-FLAMES observations of about 160 B-type member candidates spanning a wide range of physical properties. To our knowledge, it is the most comprehensive spectroscopic study of this cluster to date," the researchers explained. The study found that NGC 3293 has a Gaussian-like velocity distribution of stars that peaks around 200250 km/s. It turned out that most stars in the cluster appear to rotate at about 50 to 60% of their critical velocity. However, significantly lower spin rates were observed for more massive cluster members. The age of NGC 3293 was estimated to be approximately 20 million years, thus the cluster is older than previously thought. This means that NGC 3293 appears to be the oldest stellar aggregate in the Carina Nebula complex. The new result is based on a realistic distribution of the spin rates and a detailed correction on a star-to-star basis for the effect of stellar rotation, while the old value was obtained from photometric studies that made use of non-rotating isochrones. The chemical analysis found that NGC 3293 is devoid of objects exposing core-processed material at their surface despite the fact that most of them are fast rotators. This may be due to the fact that most members of this cluster are most likely low-mass B dwarfs. The study also acknowledged the lack of strongly nitrogen-enriched stars in NGC 3293 as only the two brightest B-type members of this cluster showcase some evidence for a mild nitrogen enrichment. Explore further Chandra observations provide insights about young stellar cluster NGC 3293 More information: T. Morel et al, The Gaia-ESO survey: A spectroscopic study of the young open cluster NGC 3293. arXiv:2207.12792v1 [astro-ph.SR], T. Morel et al, The Gaia-ESO survey: A spectroscopic study of the young open cluster NGC 3293. arXiv:2207.12792v1 [astro-ph.SR], arxiv.org/abs/2207.12792 2022 Science X Network EAGLE BRIDGE A paper tissue and towel business is looking to expand its facility in Eagle Bridge and, with it, add new specialized jobs in Washington County. Company officials hope to do this with help from the Warren-Washington Industrial Development Agency. Morcon Inc., which also has a facility in South Carolina, has filed an application with the Warren-Washington Industrial Development Agency seeking tax abatements. The business is looking for $743,750 in sales tax exemptions and $118,750 in mortgage tax exemptions. If the $14.6 million project moves ahead, the paper facility would build a 55,000-square-foot addition to its 20,000-square-foot complex. The expansion entails 40,000 square feet for warehousing, while the other 15,000 square feet would expand manufacturing, bringing the companys paper conversion in-house. According to the application filed with the IDA, sales of the companys interfolded napkins have tripled. The expansion will accommodate this rapid growth as well as allow the business to produce 100% of the product in Washington County. Currently, materials that are procured at the local facility come from other manufacturing companies. Construction of the facilities and infrastructure work will cost approximately $9.5 million. The rest will be spent on equipment, furniture and a new sprinkler system. Vice President of Operations Christopher Raccuia, son of the owner of the company, said this would solidify their Eagle Bridge location as their main headquarters. Located at 62 Owl Kill Road, the current facility employs 60 to 65 people, he said. With automation, we can hire for positions that actually utilize peoples brains, Raccuia said. New automated systems are now being used for the more menial tasks, according to Raccuia. Some of these more specialized positions would entail keeping assets clean, machine operators and managerial responsibilities, he said. The expansion is expected to create between eight and 10 new jobs. Considering the companys 300% growth increase for the last few years, Morcon can expect to keep expanding and potentially create more jobs in the coming years, according to Raccuia. If the IDA approves Morcons application, the proposed project would not only add jobs but secure existing jobs for the foreseeable future. According to Morcons application, job salaries to either be created or retained through this proposed expansion range from $150,000 a year (management) to $65,000 a year (production management). As per its standard procedure, the IDA will hold a public hearing on the proposed project, scheduled for Aug. 11. Raccuia said he feels confident that the project will be approved. Weve had a good relationship with (David) OBrien and the rest of the IDA, he said, referring to the IDA board chairman. Theres a lot of trust. The business grew by $25 million in its first year when former Finch Paper CEO Joe Raccuia purchased the company in 2013. The company is expected to bring in $75 million this year. Major local governments like Erie County buy tons of road salt every year to keep roadways safe and ice free during Western New Yorks frigid winters. But a state bill requiring that rock salt be purchased in only the United States has gotten the attention of highway superintendents around the state. The proposed law could cost Erie County hundreds of thousands of dollars, and other communities are facing the same type of increase. It really boils down to two things: Were concerned about the increased cost, as expressed in the letter, and were concerned that if you limit the number of suppliers, that we may have some problems getting supplies of road salt when we really need them at critical times during the winter, said Bruce Geiger, legislative representative for the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, which wants Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the bill. The states Buy American Salt Act, which has passed in the Assembly and state Senate, was co-sponsored by Sen. Timothy Kennedy, D-Buffalo. The concerns raised by the association led to changes in the bill that would allow local and state government to buy from foreign sources if the requirement to buy in the United States would result in unreasonable costs. The bill also allows governments in New York to buy foreign salt if there is an insufficient domestic supply. That change should put everyone at ease, said representatives for Kennedy and other bill proponents. The provisions of this bill would not apply if the American-mined cost is not reasonable, not in the publics best interest or not readily available, said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, in a statement to The Buffalo News. This bill simply allows state and local governments to go above the lowest bid in order to support jobs right here in New York and in this country. New York state is home to two salt mines. One is owned by American Rock Salt, which produces 4 million tons of salt a year and is based in Livingston County. The other is the Cayuga Salt Mine in Tompkins County, owned by Minnesota-based Cargill. American Rock Salt is the larger of the two mines and is locally owned and operated, employing roughly 400 employees, said Chief Administrative Officer Mark Assini. The mine represents the single largest employer in Livingston County. We are the largest salt mine in the United States, he said. Supplying rock salt in New York is not a problem, he said. But freighters docking in New York ports and bringing in rock salt from Egypt, Morocco and Chili is, he said. Those countries offer substandard pay and dont have the same regulatory oversight regarding environmental protection or miner safety, he said, citing Egypt in particular for human rights violations. Those imports have caused American Rock Salt to lose between 300,000 and 400,000 tons of salt business a year, he said. Thats a big deal for us, he said. Thats several weeks of work for our employees. Opponents of the bill cite two problems. The first is that for some New York counties near the Canadian border, like Erie County, the law makes it harder to purchase salt from Canada, which is geographically close and not comparable with overseas foreign suppliers. Erie County likes to have salt-buying options from multiple suppliers to safeguard against potential supply shortages, said Erie County Public Works Commissioner William Geary. Assini also conceded that the law was not meant to apply to countries like Canada, though he also said American Rock Salt is easily capable of supplying sufficient salt nationwide. The only snag that exists is the amount of salt that truckers can physically deliver. Geiger, of the highway superintendents association, also said he worried about the vague language that exists to allow governments to buy from foreign sources in certain circumstances. Who makes that determination? he said, expressing concern about municipalities potential exposure to litigation. Geary said Erie County typically buys from domestic suppliers like American Rock Salt but also wants the flexibility of contracting with suppliers across the border. A spokesman for Hochul said the governor is reviewing the legislation. Assini said hes hopeful the governor will sign the pro-American labor bill into law around Labor Day. Despite Erie County budget concerns expressed two weeks ago, the County Executives Office said it has no opinion about the pending legislation. Officials with American Rock Salt said the county contracted to buy salt from American Rock Salt earlier this month. An Ontario-based salt supplier, Compass Minerals, came in with a higher price this season. ABSECON A black Ford sedan plunged into the Absecon Creek from a boat ramp on Faunce Landing Road early Monday morning, officials said. The initial report came in around 4 a.m., city police Lt. Jeff Mazer said. Crews spent hours at the boat ramp, finally hauling the car from the water at about 4 p.m. as a crowd watched. No one was inside the car when the car sank, Mazer said, and the incident is still being investigated. New Jersey State Police also responded to the scene. The ramp was closed while crews worked to pull the car out of the water, Mazer said. Janet Adams rode her bike down the street from her house to watch the operation. She said she visited the boat ramp off and on for about six hours. You couldnt see the car at all, Adams said. Im just glad no one is in it. At least one case of monkeypox has been reported in the region as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn of the spread of the virus. The case count throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois is low but unclear. "The health department will not comment further whenever there may be fewer than five cases of any illness or disease," Rock Island County Public Health Administrator Nita Ludwig said Monday. According to Scott County Health Department Deputy Director Brooke Barnes, health officials from Iowa report possible outbreaks by region. The "East Region" which includes all of Scott County has one confirmed case. Illinois had 401 confirmed cases of the disease as of Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Only New York and California have higher case counts, according to data from the CDC. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials in Iowa reported 10 cases of monkeypox as of July 29. The monkeypox virus is part of the same family as the variola virus, otherwise known as smallpox, according to the CDC. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox, but milder, and the disease is rarely fatal. The disease does not spread easily between people without close contact and the outbreak has primarily affected men who have sex with men, health officials say. But anyone can spread the disease through contact with bodily fluids, sores, shared items such as clothing and bedding that have been contaminated with fluid or sores, or through respiratory droplets in close settings. Both local health departments are working to educate the public about how the virus is transmitted. Those efforts include updated Facebook posts and information shared with local health care providers throughout the Quad-Cities. While monkeypox has been known to affect people for decades, the current outbreak is the largest. Earlier this month, it was designated a global emergency by the World Health Organization, and a shortage of vaccines for the once-rare disease has caused public health leaders to scramble. In Illinois, the state's department of public health announced that the state is prioritizing giving the first dose of the vaccine, known as the Jynneos vaccine, to as many high-risk people as possible, rather than giving fewer people more protection with a second dose 28 days after the first. The state agency said studies had shown the first dose could offer protection for several months. Ludwig said the Rock Island Health Department received "a very small amount of the vaccine." The Iowa Department of Public Health informed local health departments the state does have vaccine available. "Monkeypox vaccine is available in the state in various locations undisclosed and the vaccine can be made available quickly when needed," Barnes explained. More than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May, according to the CDC. To date, monkeypox deaths have been reported only in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading. The bottom line is weve seen a shift in the epidemiology of monkeypox where theres now widespread, unexpected transmission, Dr. Albert Ko, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Yale University, said. There are some genetic mutations in the virus that suggest why that may be happening, but we do need a globally-coordinated response to get it under control. Symptoms can range from a fever, headache, chills, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough and a rash that can look similar to pimples or blisters. The rash can appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body such as hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus. It will go through different stages before healing completely. Anyone experiencing symptoms should cover up any rashes, wear a mask and notify a health care provider as soon as possible. Cases should be reported to the health department. SPRINGFIELD The Illinois National Guard is warning its soldiers and airmen to be on the lookout for potential financial scams after one soldier was recently targeted in a phone scam. An Illinois Army National Guard soldier reported receiving a phone call on July 25 from an individual impersonating a sergeant asking about backpay for the soldiers dependents, the Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office said in a statement. According to the statement, the individual instructed the soldier to log into the military pay and leave system and give him details about recent pay checks and account balances. The caller then asked the soldier to send him $278.24 via a digital payment app to an account under the name of Aryk Smith in order to receive upwards of $1,200 in backpay. The caller said he would review the payment later. The soldier eventually became suspicious of the caller and reported it to unit leaders and the police. In its statement, the Illinois National Guard said soldiers should be wary of direct calls for financial inquiries. Soldiers are reminded that Military Pay will never reach out to them individually regarding backpay issues without the full-time unit support and the leadership knowing of the issue, the statement read. If soldiers are contacted about a debt they owe, the National Guard said, they can have that debt taken from their military pay or make a check payable to the Department of Treasury. Soldiers should never pay any money to an individual regarding any military pay issue, the statement continued. The Illinois National Guard encourages any soldiers who receive a call like the previously reported scam to report it immediately to their unit and chain of command. Anyone seeking further information can contact the Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office at (217) 761-3569 or ng.il.ilarng.list.staff-pao@army.mil. Catalytic converter thefts are an issue in Moline and the Quad-Cities, so people should be vigilant to avoid becoming a target, according to the Moline Police Department. The device can be sold for money at scrap yards, but the repair job the victim is left with can run between $3,000 and $5,000, the police department said in a social media post. The department provided tips that could help prevent such thefts or make them harder to pull off: If possible, park in a garage. Install security cameras in the area where vehicles are kept. There are devices on the market that can help prevent catalytic converter theft. Spray paint your vehicles catalytic converters and mark them with specific numbers. This could help police officers investigate the theft. Watch for and report suspicious activity. The post also mentioned a bill being developed in the Illinois General Assembly HB4734, which the department said is designed to limit the ability to sell catalytic converters as scrap. John Deere is moving jobs from Iowa to Mexico, the company has announced this summer, but says Quad-City jobs aren't in jeopardy. Spokeswoman Jen Hartmann said Monday there are no plans or discussions about area jobs moving to Mexico. The company has made two announcements in recent weeks about transferring jobs south of the border, affecting manufacturing positions in Waterloo and Ottumwa. There are nearly 9,500 John Deere employees in the Quad-Cities area, with about 4,000 workers represented by the UAW, Hartmann said. Deere has more than 800 job openings globally, with almost 40 openings in Mexico, according to the company's job postings site. The manufacturing giant announced June 1 that cabs, welding and assembly all done at the Waterloo plant would be moved to Ramos Component Works in Mexico. The move was to be done in phases and be complete by fiscal year 2024, according to Deere. "We are sharing this information well in advance so that Waterloo factories may begin preparing for upcoming new product programs. The move will open up the floorspace needed for these new product programs and will additionally enable access to more labor availability during a tight job market," the company said. Approximately 250 employees were expected to be impacted, but officials "anticipate attrition and the tight job market over the next 18 months will mitigate that impact." On July 21, workers at the Ottumwa plant learned their work would be done in Monterrey, Mexico. "John Deere is making these changes to consolidate its Hay & Forage mowing implements in a single location where it has existing production capacity and complementary manufacturing competencies. Moving mower conditioner production will also release factory footprint for the development of revitalization plans for consideration," the company said. The number of effected employees was dependent on the Ottumwa Works production levels, the company said. Deere said the Ottumwa location has about 80 production and 10 salaried employees, and about 800 employees who work in production and salary roles. Davenport could come away with as much as $10 million from Canadian Pacific as the rail company seeks to merge with Kansas City Southern, a move that's expected to triple train traffic downtown. Davenport aldermen will vote on the agreement next week. It includes $8 million for infrastructure upgrades to combat noise and safety concerns, such as pedestrian access to the riverfront and creating a "quiet zone" from Marquette Street to Mound Street. An added $2 million would go toward a bridge near a waste water treatment plant near Credit Island for pedestrian and vehicle traffic to travel over the railway and avoid being stopped by trains. Canadian Pacific and riverfront cities have been in negotiations for months as the rail company undergoes an approval process by the Surface Transportation Board to merge with Kansas City Southern. The merger would create the first single-company rail line connecting the U.S., Mexico, and Canada and is valued at roughly $31 billion. Trains making the continental journey under the new route would have to pass through Iowa Mississippi River towns, including the Iowa Quad-Cities. That is expected to triple the number of trains. Davenport leaders have expressed fear that the increased volume would impact access to its Water Pollution Control Plant and the riverfront, as well as be noisy for downtown visitors and residents. Cities, including Davenport, have been negotiating directly with Canadian Pacific for help in upgrading infrastructure. The bulk of the money the $8 million at Davenport's discretion will be used for "a quiet zone, pedestrian access to riverfront amenities and grant matches," Davenport Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Ott wrote in an email. "Staff will create a recommendation based on engineering feasibility and access needs," Ott wrote. "There is not a time limit on these funds." The deal would also put $2 million toward an overpass near the Water Pollution Control Plant at S. Concord Street and W. River Drive to avoid long delays near Canadian Pacific's switch yard. But the project-specific money hinges on whether the city can secure additional grant funding. "City facilities, residents and businesses are often blocked by trains when visiting this area due to the proximity of the switching/storage yard," Ott wrote in an email. "With the increase in train traffic, this will become more prevalent. An overpass will increase efficiency for traffic and provide access to emergency response vehicles if needed." Staff haven't identified specific grants to apply for, Ott said, and the choice will depend on availability and timing of applications. Signing the agreement prevents the city from opposing the merger in front of the Surface Transportation Board or seeking other mitigation measures. But in a council memo, City Attorney Tom Warner wrote that Canadian Pacific's "investment is substantially more than what the Surface Transportation Board would require." "The City and CP have developed a good working relationship over the past several years and that is borne out by this agreement and CP's commitment to investing in our community and being willing to proactively address some potential concerns that may arise from their pending acquisition," the memo reads. Bettendorf reached a $3 million agreement with Canadian Pacific earlier this summer. The city expects to use roughly half of it to create "quiet zones" from 12th Street through 35th Street, which could include installing four flashing lights and gates at most railroad crossings or installing medians to prevent vehicles from going around the gates. With those added safety measures, trains wouldn't have to blow their horns. The merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, if approved, isn't expected to be fully completed until 2027, when train traffic would be fully ramped up. Davenport is moving slowly forward with a plan for a $6 million riverfront "regional destination play area" to attract more visitors and add a quality-of-life amenity to downtown Davenport. Some aldermen have expressed hesitancy with moving forward with the COVID-19-relief dollars-funded project while negotiations with the railroad were pending. Canadian Pacific casts the merger as an economic boost to the area, including creating about 100 jobs in the Quad-Cities. Rail company officials also claim the merger will lead to reducing 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions within five years because of improved efficiency. One in four entities experience a data breach, Geoff Jenista, a federal cybersecurity agency leader, told a group of city officials and business leaders in Bettendorf. The expense and frequency of cyber attacks on businesses, local governments and infrastructure have drastically increased in recent years. The FBI reported that dollars exposed to losses from scams via email, which make up the vast majority of cyber attacks, between 2019 and 2021 increased 65%. According to Verizon's 2022 cybersecurity report, ransomware attacks, in which hackers take data hostage and demand payment, have increased 13%. In the Quad-Cities, at least three local governments paid out more than $100,000 to email scammers. In all three cases, the criminals emailed local government officials pretending to be legitimate vendors the cities worked with to ask for a bank account change. In all cases, the local governments had insurance to cover the losses. Jenista, the Cybersecurity Information and Security Agency's chief of cybersecurity for a four-state Midwest region, said the increased cyber threats came more from a greater useage of online accounts that bad actors could try accessing. "So, it's not that it's increasing, but it's become more readily available to these bad people because now they're not having to bust windows or kick in doors to get in," Jenista said. Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who's staff organized the event, said other local institutions had experienced cyber attacks including Muscatine County, Mercy Iowa City Hospitals, Musco Lighting and an Ottumwa dental office. The Cybersecurity Information and Security Agency, formed in 2018 to combat physical and cyber threats to infrastructure in the U.S., recently received a boost of funding from Congress to increase its staff and operations to combat cyber threats to critical infrastructure. Jenista laid out tips on Monday to avoid those losses in an increasingly connected world. Called CISA, the agency conducts various types of free security assessments to determine cyber preparedness of local governments and businesses. Jenista said he'd done roughly 60 assessments for Iowa entities mostly county governments. He compared cyber criminals to car thiefs saying if entities lock their doors, it'll be harder for criminals checking doors to steal their things. Common ways to deter that is enabling multi-factor authentication which means adding an extra step beyond a password to make it more difficult for someone to hack your account, updating software to patch holes and creating a response plan so organizational leaders know what to do in case of a crisis. Asked about whether entities go to CISA voluntarily or after a breach, Jenista said many times entities say they can't afford to take precautions until after an expensive breach. Cyber insurance premiums, too, have been rising. "Cyber insurance is kind of the wild, wild west," Jenista said. Jenista said he saw ransomware attacks as the biggest threat to America's infrastructure, such as water supplies and energy grids. Meat supplier JBS, which has an Ottumwa location, paid $11 million to hackers in a ransomware attack last year despite federal agencies, including the FBI and CISA warning the company not to pay the ransom. "A good backup system is way cheaper than $4 million dollars," Jenista said. "So if you're willing to spend $4 million on a ransomware event, why not spend $100,000 on a backup solution that you can restore in 30 minutes?" Phil Kirk, director of CISA's seventh region, said the agency was focused on communicating to the public the threat of cyber attacks. "We are out talking to the American public and all levels of government and the private sector down to the individual level to explain to people that the threat is real," Kirk said. "And the simple things that they can do to make themselves less likely to become a victim. And then also to encourage, you know, the larger entities, private sector, owners and operators forms of government ... they need to be thinking about and looking at incident response plan." The Quad-City Times and three other local news companies joined the Iowa Freedom of Information Council in a lawsuit filed Monday against the Bettendorf Community School District and its board of directors. The suit alleges the district prevented journalists from covering a recent meeting at which parents expressed concern about violence in the districts middle school. A 46-year-old nonprofit advocacy organization, the Iowa Freedom of Information Council is joined by the Times and television stations KWQC, WQAD and WHBF questioning the legality of a meeting on May 25 attended by 200 to 300 parents, along with a majority of the members of the school board and Superintendent Michelle Morse. School employees were stationed at the doors of the Waterfront Center to keep reporters and photographers from entering. "Literally blocking journalists from a public meeting is unacceptable," Matt Christensen, editor of the Times, said. "School board members were listening to public feedback meant to guide policy. On an issue as important as school safety, the public deserves to know." A news release from the Iowa Freedom of Information Council pointed out the " ... gathering was held one day after the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 21 students and teachers." "The meeting in Bettendorf followed mounting complaints from parents during the recently completed academic year about the lack of adequate response by school officials to rowdy behavior that left some students and their parents fearful," the news release said. The lawsuit asks the Scott County District Court to find the school district in violation of Iowas open meetings law and to issue an injunction prohibiting the school board from violating the statute in the future. The lawsuit also asks the court to fine members of the board who took part in the meeting. The news release said a letter sent to Morse and school board President Rebecca Eastman a week after the May 25 meeting, the Iowa FOI Council and managers of the news companies expressed "profound disappointment" with Bettendorf officials decision to keep journalists from covering the meeting. "The topic discussed on the evening of Wednesday, May 25, was one of the fundamental responsibilities of the Bettendorf Community School District ensuring the safety and well-being of the districts 4,700 students during each school day," the letter said. The letter also said that a meeting between parents and district officials " ... about the behavior of some Bettendorf Middle School students including bullying and injuries suffered by students not otherwise involved in the incidents does not fall within the meaning of deliberations on matters clearly within the scope of the Board of Educations policy-making duties." Randy Evans, the executive director of the Iowa FOI Council, said the authors of Iowas open meetings law recognized the important work journalists do in informing the public about the issues and problems government faces and the potential solutions. The king of the jungle is dead. JoJo, Brookfield Zoos silverback western lowland gorilla, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest Sunday during an emergency procedure. He had been experiencing an acute illness, according to a post from the zoo on Facebook. The hulking gorilla, who weighed 420 pounds when he moved into the zoo, will no longer gorge himself on banana tree and grape leaves. JoJo was very smart and learned new behaviors quickly during husbandry training sessions, a Brookfield Zoo representative wrote in the post. He was known for keeping order in the gorilla group by quickly breaking up squabbles and often showed his gentler and patient side when interacting with his offspring, it continued. The 42-year-old gorilla was considered geriatric, the zoo wrote. He lived 10 years beyond the typical life span of a male gorilla in managed care. We will miss JoJo dearly, the zoo wrote. A spokesperson from the zoo did not immediately respond to the Tribunes requests for more information on the gorillas death. JoJo was brought to Brookfield Zoo in 2012 as a part of a breeding program aimed at bolstering his species. He moved into the Tropic World habitat and quickly got to work. Lets just say he hasnt been hesitant to respond to the females, zoo primate curator Craig Demitros said when JoJo arrived. The animal sired three infant gorillas: Nora in 2013, Zachary in 2015, and Ali in 2018. He fathered two more gorillas before he came to the park, including one at the Lincoln Park Zoo and another at the Louisville Zoo. Those kids were consequential: Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, the World Wildlife Foundation says. The species central African native populations have been hit hard by poaching and disease in the last 20 years, the WWF said. The loss of JoJo is great, but his legacy will live on in the overall zoo population for this critically endangered species, according to the post. JoJo was as popular as he was prolific. Chicagoans responded to the news of JoJos passing by posting dozens of their own photos of the lionized gorilla on the zoos Facebook page, offering one last glimpse at the awe the animal inspired. He was magnificent. I enjoyed countless hours watching him and the others interacting. He was very much a good leader and father to the group, a Facebook user named Linda Dicintio wrote. How incredibly sad, user Lisa Binetti wrote. He was such a mesmerizing force! A National Forest System Road will close for a little over a month for safety purposes during construction on the Custer Peak Fire Lookout. The U.S. Forest Service announced the closure of Custer Peak Road Aug. 8 through Sept. 18 on Monday. HistoriCorp, a nonprofit organization that specializes in preserving historic structures on public lands, and Boxelder Job Corps Center will work with employees from the Black Hills National Forest on the historic lookout south of the Lead-Deadwood area off of state Highway 385. The project includes repairing the catwalk, railing, stairs and cab support structure. The recommendations came from a 2021 structural evaluation. I know the temporary closure will affect peoples ability to visit Custer Peak Lookout, but it is needed for safety reasons while repairs are made to preserve the historic value and keep it functioning as an important fire lookout in the northern Black Hills, said Steve Kozel, Northern Hills District Ranger, Black Hills National Forest. Public Affairs Officer Scott Jacobson said the tower is a popular destination for the public on off-highway vehicles. He said there can be dozens of people that visit daily and hundreds per week during the summer months. The lookout was built in 1911 and replaced with a cupola building in 1935. In 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps used natural materials to construct the fire lookout. The complaint against Ward 1 Council member Pat Jones was dismissed Monday night after about 30 minutes in executive session. The Rapid City Council voted 6-0 to dismiss the complaint. Council member Pat Jones abstained from the vote. Council members John Roberts and Lance Lehmann were not part of the executive session and left before it began. Council member Jesse Ham was absent from the meeting. Council member Bill Evans made the motion to dismiss the complaint and said it was found without merit. In the same motion, the council voted to publicly release the investigative report. Jordan Mason, who worked as Pennington County Sheriff candidate Ryan Mechaley's campaign manager for 2022, filed a complaint against Jones with the mayor and city council June 2. In the complaint, Mason requested Jones issue a public apology to help clear his name. Mason filed the complaint in response to an opinion column Jones wrote before the Republican primary stating he had been subject to a "disturbing campaign tactic." He wrote that his photo was being used improperly on Mechaley's campaign materials and did not intentionally endorse him. In his complaint, Mason said Jones' column stated he acted in a "fraudulent and unethical professional manner" attacking his "credibility, trustworthiness and impugning my personal character while making specific reference to my profession and client." Such libelous statements were clearly made with willful malicious intent to damage my ability to practice my profession as a campaign manager, which is dependent upon my credibility and trustworthiness, Mason wrote. He said he found the column "unbecoming of a city council person." In a previous Code of Conduct complaint filed in 2020 against Ward 5 council member Laura Armstrong, the council decided to not take any action. However, former council member Lisa Modrick also had a Code of Conduct complaint filed against her, which resulted in her expulsion from the council in February 2020. The Rapid City Council is against the proposed Jenny Gulch exploratory drilling. The council voted 7-2 Monday night to approve a resolution stating the citys opposition to the project after a limited 40 minutes of public comment on the resolution split between proponents and opponents. Council members Lance Lehmann and John Roberts voted against the resolution. Council member Jesse Ham was absent from the meeting. F3 Golds proposed project to explore for gold includes diamond core drilling sites, access road maintenance as needed, drill pad clearing as needed and reclamation activities north of Silver City in Pennington County. It would have two staging areas used to store equipment and tools and have main access from the National Forest System Road 261, or Jenny Gulch Road, and National Forest System Road 671, or Sunnyside Gulch Road. According to the Forest Services final environmental assessment, the project would not include mining, milling or processing. The project would last about one year from initiation through drilling and reclamation. The resolution was approved with four sections removed that garnered the most controversy between council members. It will not include, Whereas, gold exploration could lead to gold mining, which involves the use of cyanide and other toxins and often leads to permanent acid mine drainage, which could go into Rapid Creek; and, Whereas, the current city water treatment facility is not equipped to remove this type of chemical contamination from the drinking water supply; and, Whereas, the Rapid City water treatment plant does not have the degree of real-time water quality monitoring that would alert operators to a spill or leakage event during exploration or subsequent mining; and, and Whereas, the Common Council of the City of Rapid City believes that gold exploration in the Rapid Creek watershed poses an unacceptable risk to the source of Rapid Citys drinking water. Council member Jason Salamun said he proposed the idea so that the council could vote together to show they do oppose risk to the citys water source. I didnt want to split our vote and send a message that even the Rapid City Council doesnt agree on this, he said. Instead what I would rather do is put something on the table that we unanimously can agree on and send a message that says, No, we do not support drilling or potential mining in this area, and we are actually unanimous on that. Council member Greg Strommen said he made the substitute motion because he did not find those sentences appropriate for the resolution, and that they are subject to dispute and debate. I think we can make our point, which is that we do not believe that mining in this area is a good idea for Rapid City, he said. None of us up here, though, is an expert on mining techniques or the science or engineering that goes into this. Strommen said he would not be comfortable putting out a resolution that did not have the correct science and information in it, and thinks it should be decided based on science. He said he did agree with the other statements regarding the citys stake in the watershed and area, and because of the potential risk, he opposes the forest services findings of no significance. Council member Laura Armstrong said the city had an opportunity and obligation to object to the finding of no significant impact by the U.S. Forest Service on the Jenny Gulch exploration drilling project by F3 Gold. The fact is our city owns 89% of the water rights in Pactola, she said. Each and every one of us rely on this water to work, live and play in our community. Armstrong said it is the councils civic responsibility to protect the critical infrastructure. She said the council should help create a federal recreation area to benefit everyone. She said while the forest service believes there is no significant impact, there was no tribal input included and public comment was limited. Those who did not initially object to the project cannot object this time around. Armstrong asked why F3 Gold fought so hard against the resolution, which is largely symbolic. The fact is their ability to market their claims is inhibited by the passage of this resolution which states our city will never tolerate a gold mine in the headwaters of its water supply, she said. Armstrong said the passage of the resolution signifies a potential gold mine in the main water supply will never be tolerated. She said the easy choice would be to allow the resolution to fail, but passing it shows the council values its resources, took action to protect the water source, and listens to its community. Armstrongs remarks were met with cheers and applause from much of the chambers audience. Time was limited to 20 minutes per side of the argument, although about 23 people signed up for the comment period. Twelve people spoke in favor of the resolution, including Justin Herreman who brought the draft resolution forward. Three members of the mayors Standing Committee on Sustainability also spoke. Chair Alan Anderson said the committees recommendation was to approve the resolution. He said theres a lot of frustration in the public with the project and the process for the project. Four people, including two South Dakota Mines professors who spoke on their own behalf rather than the schools, spoke in opposition to the resolution. Two people spoke during the oppositions time to speak but said they were not for or against the resolution. Larry Mann, who spoke representing F3 Gold, said this project is not a mining project. He said this is an exploration project. He said they know the area is gold-bearing. He said what happens next is figuring out how much gold is in the area, which required additional identification research studies. He said there has to be a certain amount of gold per ton to move forward with mining. Mann said there would be eight to 10 years' worth of study to determine if there is anything worth pursuing. A Lincoln, Nebraska man who allegedly kidnapped a man and woman in Lincoln July 28, torturing the man for hours and sexually assaulting the woman before fleeing to Rapid City was arrested by U.S. Marshals Monday afternoon. According to a U.S. Marshals Service press release, members of the Dakota Territory Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Tanner Danielson, 30, at a residence in the 800 block of Roubaix Drive in Rapid City. The task force consists of agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, Pennington County Sheriff's Office, South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Danielson is charged with first degree assault, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, false imprisonment and first degree sexual assault, according to the U.S. Marshals. Police allege in court records that Danielson and his co-defendant, Austin Wildhalm, of Hickman, NE, kidnapped a 26-year-old man and his female friend in an apparent act of retaliation for an alleged burglary. Danielson and Wildhalm held the pair captive in a Lincoln warehouse for 12 hours, the Lincoln County Star reported. Wildhalm was arrested in Lincoln July 29. The man who was tortured told Lincoln Police he was "beaten, burned with a blowtorch and branded" with the word "thief" after two men ambushed him amid a drug deal. He said Danielson put a semi-automatic handgun in his mouth and threatened to kill him. The victim alleged Danielson put a tab of LSD in his mouth, which he spit out and vomited. The woman, who is not named, told investigators Danielson sexually assaulted her, but she was not otherwise tortured. Danielson drove her home and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident, the woman later told police. The Star reported that the male victim said Danielson and Wildhalm bound him and taped his mouth shut before driving him to a rural area, where they tied him to a tree and told him if he wasn't still there Monday, they would kill his family. The man freed himself and walked until he found a deputy. He was then taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. Danielson is being held at the Pennington County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Nebraska. Andrew Welgley of the Lincoln Journal Star contributed to this story. A federal judge sentenced a Rapid City man on Friday to two-and-a-half years in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Nathaniel Jones, 54, admitted to firing three shots on Aug. 11, 2021, in the Scooters Coffee parking lot at the corner of Saint Patrick Street and Fifth Street in Rapid City. Because of a past domestic violence conviction, Jones is not authorized to possess a firearm. Jones pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 17, 2021. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Viken also ordered him to pay a mandatory $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Viken said he had no reason to doubt Jones arrived at Scooters about 12:30 a.m. that night to help someone who had car troubles. Jones said he didnt go to Scooters looking for trouble. Sometime between Jones arriving and police arriving at 12:34 a.m., by his own account, Jones fired three 9-millimeter bullets. Jones maintained he fired the bullets because two people surrounded his vehicle and yelled racial slurs at him, demanding he give them his car. He said he fired the shots to get them away, not to hurt anyone. The government claims only one man, Michael Rasch, was present and not a threat to Jones. Viken said even if Rasch used racial epitaphs, no evidence showed Rasch threatened serious bodily injury or death when Jones fired. Rasch sustained an injury to his knee, according to court documents. The cause of the injury is unclear. Asst. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson said something ricocheted and hit Rasch in the knee. Patterson played video footage from a doorbell camera across the street and asked Rapid City Police Det. Anthony Meirose to take the stand and answer questions regarding the footage and the investigation. The footage did not show the reported confrontation between Rasch and Jones. Meirose said the footage came from a motion-activated camera, resulting in fragmented clips. Police did not ask Scooter's if it had security footage, Meirose testified. The clips showed a vehicle Meirose testified to be Jones pull into the Scooters parking lot at 12:30 a.m. and a man he identified as Michael Rasch walking along Saint Patrick Street before crossing the road towards the Scooters parking lot. Meirose testified Rasch had asked Meirose for a cigarette that evening and somewhere down the line, Rasch re-approached him at Scooters. Jones originally faced an aggravated assault charge in Pennington County Court, but the prosecutor dropped those charges after Rasch died in a motorcycle accident in September 2021. The government argued for an offense level increase because of the dropped assault charge and the lack of evidence pointing towards self defense. Viken approved the increase, moving sentencing guidelines from 21 to 27 months in prison to 30 to 37 months in prison. Diggins asked the judge to vary down to a one year, one month sentence. He referenced Jones strong work history, a child he suspects to be his who was born while he was in jail and a recently-discovered issue with his liver requiring treatment. Diggins said a doctor recommended a medication his client could not receive in jail. Jones addressed the court and said he isnt a bad person, and expressed his desire to be with his children. After delivering the sentence, Viken told Jones, I wish you every success. Moscow court upholds jail term for opposition activist Sobol MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court upheld the change of the sentence for opposition figure Lyubov Sobol from community service to imprisonment, the press service of the court told RAPSI. Sobol was sentenced to one-year suspended community service in April 2021 for trespassing on private property. The Moscow Perovsky District Court upheld the decision. The activist was also ordered to visit a specialized community service office on the monthly basis and banned from changing her place of work and residence without notification. Later, the Moscow Simonovsky District Court by its decision changed the conditional sentence with a jail term having found that Sobol failed to comply with the restrictions imposed on her. The court found that in December 2020, Sobol, in the company of several people, repeatedly tried to get into the apartment of an elderly woman, falsely introducing herself as an employee of the consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor. Finally, the activist managed to enter the building and as the old woman opened the door of her apartment Sobol pushed her back, entered the apartment, took a video of the premises on her phone, and left the place. The Russian legislation sets the punishment for such a crime as imprisonment for up to 2 years. Russian court designates ultra-nationalist Ukrainian battalion as terrorist organisation MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) Russia's Supreme Court has granted a move of the Prosecutor General's Office to designate ultra-nationalist Ukrainian Azov battalion, whose symbol resembles a black swastika on a yellow background, as a terrorist organisation, the press service of the court told RAPSI. In the framework of the case, the court also banned the activities of the organisation in Russia, according to the statement. The court hearings were held behind closed doors. The Azov Battalion was formed in May 2014 in Mariupol. The volunteer unit almost immediately became part of the National Guard of Ukraine in the structure of military unit 3057. Members of the battalion are accused of war crimes during the conflict in Donbas and their views are associated with neo-Nazist ideology. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Justice had defined "Azov" as a paramilitary nationalist association. The Russian Investigative Committee is probing a number of criminal cases against Azov members on charges of taking part in murder of civilians in Donbass and Ukraine. Montanas governor is asking the states high court to consider his arguments that justices should reverse a previous decision upholding the right to access an abortion and instead put the matter in state legislators hands. The brief argues that because the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the recent decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which protected access to abortions at the federal level, Montanas court should revisit its decision in Armstrong v. State. Thats the 1999 decision that concluded the right to privacy in the states Constitution includes the right to access an abortion. "It's the Legislature's prerogative to set policy regarding life, as it was for over a century until 1999," Gianforte wrote in a tweet Tuesday. "I urge the Montana Supreme Court to reconsider its role in light of Dobbs and return policymaking to the Legislature." In the Tuesday filing, general counsel Anita Milanovich wrote that Armstrongs conclusion relied in part on Roe v. Wade and therefore needs to be considered again. The court will need to re-assess without Roe the limits of its authority to interpret a constitutional right to include that which was expressly intended and believed to be excluded from the Declaration of Rights and instead reserved to the Legislature, the brief reads. The state Supreme Court has not said yet if it will accept the brief. The laws blocked for now would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age; require a woman to be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion; and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion and block providing the medication through the mail. In January and again after the Dobbs decision in June that overturned Roe, Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen asked the court as a part of that case to reverse Armstrong. Following a leak of the Dobbs decision, Gianforte said he would support a special session to ban abortion in Montana if we have a path that is defensible in the courts here in Montana and we have a consensus in the Legislature," according to reporting from Montana Public Radio. The governor campaigned on restricting abortion in Montana and held a ceremony when he signed the legislation that was later challenged. The state Republican Party also recently updated its platform to call for a ban on elective abortions during its convention in July. Republicans are two seats away from a supermajority in the state Legislature. The period for filing briefs in the case ended April 15, and Gianforte's request to file his brief notes justices have not yet said if they'll consider hearing more. Some of Gianfortes brief echoes a previous filing from Knudsen arguing that the state Constitution's delegates meant to leave the matter of abortion to the Legislature. The Montana Constitution cannot properly be interpreted to include the right to an abortion, the brief argues This policy question should be returned to the Legislature where it was understood to belong. Some of the remaining delegates, however, have filed a counter brief saying thats not the case and their intent in crafting the 1972 document was for the courts to decide. Tuesdays brief also says that there were no efforts through the Legislature or courts to amend or repeal the states abortion laws in response to Roe until the Armstrong decision in 1999, and uses that as reasoning the Constitution was not meant to ensure access to abortions. That in turn can only be because everyone took the delegates at their word and understood what the Montana Constitution meant from its inception: the Montana Declaration of Rights does not recognize a constitutional right to an abortion. In past briefs, Planned Parenthood of Montana, who brought the lawsuit last year challenging the new abortion laws, has argued that Armstrong remains correct and their case isn't the place to revisit it. In a statement Tuesday, Martha Fuller, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana, reiterated those arguments. " .. The governors motion and brief are an attempt to introduce the Dobbs decision into a case where it has no relevance. Montanans constitutional right to privacy protects the right to seek and obtain an abortion full stop," Fuller said in an emailed statement. "This was the case before the Dobbs decision and it remains the case. In addition, the governors insistence that the Legislature has the final say on the restriction or elimination of a fundamental right is an insult to Montanans and our Constitution. Backlash against a recent Hanover County School Board appointment dominated the public input portion of last weeks Board of Supervisors meeting. Toward the beginning of the meeting, chair Angela Kelly-Wiecek said she received various inquiries by constituents about the process of removing an appointed school board member. As discussed in a previous meeting, she clarified that removal of a school board member calls for a majority of supervisors to petition the circuit court for further review, and removal typically requires findings of malfeasance. Our role here is to appoint someone, and once that person is appointed, it really is a court process for removal, she said. Various citizens stood during the public input portion calling for a new direction in the school division, referencing a circulating Hanover NAACP open letter distributed on Monday, July 25. The letter, written by Hanover NAACP President Pat Hunter-Jordan, stated why the organization is increasingly concerned about the changes [they] have seen in the Hanover County School Board over the last few years. The words and actions of certain school board members directly oppose Hanover County Public Schools stated goals and mission to provide a safe, equitable and inclusive education to a diverse student community, the letter states. The letter furthers that Mechanicsville Supervisor Canova Petersons appointment of Mr. John Redd to replace incumbent school board representative Mr. Sterling Daniel continues this disturbing pattern. The letter references claims made by Redd to the Richmond Times-Dispatch that spurred concern by multiple Hanoverians prior to his appointment. Redd expressed his intentions to serve as a conservative, Christian voice on the school board if appointed and to focus on education of the students, not indoctrination of the students, not promoting social change that is illogical, immoral and/or ungodly. The letter further highlights a series of emails sent by Redd to supervisors and school board members that were obtained through Virginias Freedom of Information Act. Emails sent by Redd in 2020 display his disapproval of Daniel as the Mechanicsville representative following Daniels vote to approve the name changes of Mechanicsville High School and Bell Creek Middle School. In another email sent to Peterson last November, Redd reiterated his concerns after Daniel voted in favor of adopting a transgender inclusive bathroom policy. He stated that Daniel does not represent the views & values of the majority of the constituents of this district; he apparently has a liberal, progressive agenda that is not prevalent to Hanover County. The Hanover NAACP letter argued that the obtained emails show that Redd is unwilling or unable to understand the harm inflicted by the schools original names and his contempttoward members of the LGBTQ community, with special venom directed at transgender students. The letter requests that the board of supervisors reconsider school board members who act against goals outlined in HCPS Profile of a Hanover Graduate and for members of both boards to participate in professional instruction in diversity, equity and inclusion related to public education. Redd offered a statement to the Times-Dispatch following the letters release. Have you done any research on the source of this letter? Does this letter represent the views of the Hanover NAACP or the views of an angry African American lady who holds the title of president of that organization? Redd wrote. Check it out do a little research on Pat Hunter-Jordan that could result in an interesting story for a truth-seeking investigative reporter. I will not be making any further comment. Various speakers during last weeks meeting condemned Redds labelling of Hunter-Jordan. Based on his recent comments to the media, it is clear and unfortunate that Mr. Redd does not represent Hanover Countys values integrity, accountability, respect and inclusiveness, said Galit Fraserr of the South Anna District. Lorie Foley of the Ashland District said she was horrified that Redd labeled Hunter-Jordan as an angry African American lady. If Mr. Redd doesnt respect the president of the NAACP, how can I trust that he will have the best interest in mind of the thousands of black and brown children in our school system? Foley said. Foley requested that supervisors appoint school board members who are qualified, professional, inclusive and diverse. I come here this afternoon with a smile on my face, and I hope that reflects that I am not an angry black woman, Hunter-Jordan said. She wore a Hanover NAACP shirt to convey that as elected president, she represents and speaks for her organization in everything she says and does, she said. When I come to speak, I come to speak about policy, about things you can change, Hunter-Jordan said. And so again, we request that training is provided for your board of education so that they will learn how to be respectful, to show integrity, and most of all that you begin to appoint people who show a diverse population here in Hanover County. Hunter-Jordan said she and her organization are proud of the work they have done in the community and will continue to fight for equality and inclusiveness of all community members. We hope you will join us in that effort. We hope you will appoint people who will work with us in that effort, Hunter-Jordan said. Redd offered a comment to The Local following his statement to the Times-Dispatch. He wrote: I apologize for the careless comment I made about Ms. Hunter-Jordan. I also apologize for the distraction it has caused for the School Board in achieving its mission. While I take exception with the allegations made against me in the letter issued by the Hanover NAACP, dated July 25, 2022, I respect and value all people and perspectives, whether I agree with them or not. Although I am a man of much conviction, I am aware of my responsibilities as a School Board member, and I am committed to serving the needs of all students and families. I will, to the best of my ability, work with my fellow board members to accomplish this important work to help ensure our students continue to receive an exceptional education. This is where my focus will remain moving forward. CultureWorks has announced that more than $300,000 has been awarded to 17 organizations and 17 professional artists across the Richmond and Tri-Cities region through its grant program. In November, CultureWorks was awarded a $250,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, of which $200,000 was specifically earmarked for sub-granting through a cultural equity grants program. Support for the CultureWorks grant program also comes from Altria Group, the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, and individual donors. The grant program aims to focus on two areas: cultural equity and building capabilities. According to organizers, cultural equity grants support initiatives that reach, serve and engage underrepresented populations in the community, while building capabilities grants uplift artists and organizations by improving infrastructure, technology and strategic development. This year, 74% of grant awardees are BIPOC or are organizations led by or primarily serving marginalized communities, according to CultureWorks. The Afrikana Film Festival was awarded a $25,000 grant from the program. The grant funds will support us in presenting our first full festival since 2020, giving us a chance to share stories of the Black diaspora here, in Richmond, the birthplace of American Blackness during a time of tremendous change for our city, said Enjoli Moon, from the Afrikana Film Festival. With support from the NEA and others, CultureWorks was able to triple this years total awards. The CultureWorks annual grants program assists professional artists and nonprofit arts and culture organizations with operating budgets of less than $750,000. The following is a list of 2022-23 grand awards from CultureWorks. 2022-23 grand awards 1708 Gallery, InLight InSchool: $13,200 Afrikana Film Festival: $25,000 Art for the Journey, Art for Veterans: $5,000 Cadence Theatre Company, Sitelines BLM: $13,755 Elegba Folklore Society: $7,500 Hopewell Downtown Partnership: $7,500 James River Writers: $4,550 Lamb Arts, Hopewell public art: $17,750 Milk River Arts, mentorship program: $14,750 Oakwood Arts: $8,000 Open Space Education: $7,375 Petersburg Symphony Orchestra: $17,750 Richmond Triangle Players: $5,000 Robinson Theater Community Arts Center: $29,059 Studio Two Three, community studio program: $17,750 Virginia Community Voice: $20,000 Virginia Voice: $9,500 Individual artists Alfonso Perez Acosta: $6,000 Peter Arango: $6,000 Heather Bailey: $3,000 S. Ross Browne: $3,000 Vivian Chiu: $3,000 Andrea Donnelly: $3,000 Steve Gay: $6,000 Hamilton Glass, Mending Walls RVA: $6,000 Sonali Gulati: $6,000 Marcia Haffmans: $6,000 Federico Infante: $6,000 Aimee Joyaux: $3,000 Austin Miles: $6,000 Silly Genius: $6,000 Nastassja Swift: $6,000 Kathryn Thompson: $6,000 Sandy Williams: $6,000 Federal authorities have charged a Charles City County man with conspiring with four others in an interstate dogfighting network that involved breeding, training and conditioning pit bulls to fight. Wagers as high as $20,000 were placed on the outcome. Royal T. Washington was charged last week in a criminal information that he conspired to participate in an animal-fighting venture from about Nov. 23, 2019, through at least Nov. 20, 2020. The charge comes 20 months after authorities executed a search warrant at 4920 Old Union Road in Charles City, where Washington is alleged to have kept 15 pit bulls and alleged dogfighting paraphernalia, including 13 weighted dog collars, 12 heavy dog chains, a dog treadmill, dog breeder certificates and a dog shock collar with a remove activator, according to charging documents. Washington kept and maintained the dogs in a manner consistent with dogfighting, and several of the animals had scarring consistent with fighting, authorities said in court documents. Four unnamed co-conspirators from Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland participated in the network. In March, Raymond Johnson, 41, of Henrico County was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Richmond to just over three years in prison for his role in a multistate conspiracy to breed, train and fight dogs, and gamble on the outcome of the matches. Prosecutors said Johnson engaged in the enterprise with four other co-conspirators beginning in November 2019 that involved sponsoring and exhibiting dogs for fighting in Virginia and Maryland. The U.S. Attorneys Office did not immediately say whether Washington and Johnson were tied to the same venture. According to Washingtons charging document, he and his co-conspirators discussed by cellphone and text messages dogfighting; the results of certain dogfights; and the breeding, selling and transportation of dogs for the purpose of dogfighting. The conspirators exhibited dogs during dogfights and placed bets on those dogfights, authorities said. Further, they researched and identified fighting-dog bloodlines and wins and losses of individual fighting dogs, for purposes of breeding dogs to maximize the aggressiveness of the offspring. In addition, the participants used equipment to train dogs for fighting, which included many of the items seized during the search of Washingtons property. On the same day authorities searched Washingtons property, Washington deleted all files from his cellphone in an effort of hide from investigators evidence of his criminal activities, prosecutors said in court documents. But authorities were able to retrieve telephone conversations and text messages that showed his active involvement in the conspiracy, prosecutors said. For example, on July 20, 2020, Washington sent a text message to co-conspirator-2 in what authorities said was an effort to set up a dogfight with a 33-pound female for a $20,000 wager. I can put it out there, the co-conspirator replied. In another exchange, Washington told co-conspirator-1 in an Aug. 6, 2020, phone call that he had rolled a dog named Dexter three to four times against a dog named Kodak in Emporia. The word roll is slang for a dogfight. On Nov. 21, 2020, Washington surrendered the dog Dexter to Charles City County Animal Control officers; the dog had scarring consistent with dogfighting, according to charging documents. Washington is scheduled to appear Aug. 11 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hanes for his initial court appearance, a bail hearing and a potential plea agreement. Reached Monday, Washingtons attorney, Alexander Taylor, declined to comment. The world was watching as Venezuelans went to the polls last November. Venezuelans prepare to vote at polling stations (above). Venezuelans shop at a Caracas market (below). (Photos: The Carter Center) Municipal and regional elections dont usually attract much interest outside the country where theyre taking place, but when Venezuelans went to the polls last November to choose their next governors and mayors, the world was paying close attention. Even more striking, Venezuelas electoral council invited The Carter Center, the European Union, and the United Nations to assess the electoral process, promising them complete independence to observe proceedings and publish reports. The opposition chose to participate, Lincoln said. In an uphill battle, on an uneven playing field, but they chose to participate. In the last five years, President Nicolas Maduro has disbanded the opposition-dominated National Assembly and replaced it with a Constituent Assembly of loyalists. He disqualified, arrested, or prompted opponents into exile and stacked the high court with justices favorable to him. These actions led the opposition to boycott the last two elections, claiming that the ruling party had rigged the system and in some cases, the votes. The country is under a crisis a political crisis, economic crisis, humanitarian crisis and has been for almost a decade, explained Jennie Lincoln , the Carter Centers senior advisor on Latin America and the Caribbean and the head of the Centers expert mission to analyze the November election. For these reasons, we decided to send a small team of election experts to assess the process, said David Carroll, director of the Carter Centers Democracy Program. We knew going in that the election would not meet international standards, but we felt we could still offer analysis and recommendations that could help improve future elections. West Bank Palestinians Vote in Municipal Elections Despite a highly challenging political and human rights environment, Palestinians living in large cities in the West Bank went to the polls on March 26 in a peaceful and well-administered exercise to elect municipal councils, a Carter Center electoral expert team found. Virtually all the major cities in the West Bank had competitive contests, despite a formal boycott by the Hamas party and intimidation and harassment of candidates by security forces and others. The vote was the second phase of municipal elections; a first phase was conducted in December in smaller towns and villages in the West Bank, which is dominated by the Fatah party. No elections took place in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas. The municipal elections were scheduled following the last-minute cancellation of national elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council and presidency in May 2021 Palestinians have not voted for their national leadership since 2006 The Carter Center called on international actors to respect the fundamental rights of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to choose their national leaders and to help promote a renewal of democratic governance. The Carter Center called on Fatah and Hamas to reconcile and said more must be done to ensure respect for Palestinians right to hold regular elections and to speak and assemble without fear of harassment or intimidation by Palestinian or Israeli security forces or political opponents. The Carter Centers six-person team took part in more than 50 meetings, sitting down with government and opposition leaders, members of the electoral council, civil society groups, human rights organizations, business leaders, and ordinary voters. Though the team was too small to assess voting and counting processes, they did spend election day visiting polling stations to continue learning about the process. Luis Garcia, a voter who spent hours waiting in line at his precinct in Valencia, stopped Lincoln to thank the Center for being on hand: Thanks for coming and supporting our democracy here in Venezuela, he said. Your presence here is very important because you can see that we are voting...we are exercising democracy. When the votes were tallied, the opposition had won 55% of the overall vote but only four of 23 governorships and 120 of 335 mayoral seats. The opposition was so fragmented, explained Lincoln, that they did not gain a lot of territory. The deck is also still stacked against them, as The Carter Center pointed out in a preliminary report, noting that political and governmental interference undermined the election commission and that legal provisions surrounding freedom of expression, candidate registration, and campaign financing do not comply with core international standards. The report also condemned the government for barring many key opposition candidates from running. It described an atmosphere of repression, highlighting the more than 250 people being held as political prisoners. In a particularly egregious example of government interference, the courts halted vote counting in one state after early numbers showed that an opposition candidate was likely to win the governorship, claiming he was ineligible to run despite all evidence to the contrary. But then something interesting happened: In the new election, the substitute opposition candidate trounced the governments candidate. Even before that show of strength by the opposition, people inside and outside the country were saying that Novembers elections could serve as a catalyst for change. Its very important to note that even though these were regional and municipal elections, a struggling Venezuelan population decided to go to the polls, Lincoln said. In a democracy, the only way to make a change is to participate. These elections may be a turning point toward reconciliation and resolution of the crisis in Venezuela. The Carter Center is continuing to monitor the political situation in Venezuela and explore ways it might play a role in strengthening democracy and human rights there. Learn more about the Center's Democracy Program Former Rep. Dave Brat, who staged one of the biggest upsets in national political history by unseating then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary in 2014, is returning to the public policy stage as an economic adviser to Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Brat, now dean of the business school at Liberty University after losing his congressional seat to Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, four years ago, will join the Joint Advisory Board of Economists as it advises Youngkin on Virginias economy and revenue estimates for the governors first proposed budget revision in December. Before he served in Congress, Brat served on the same economic advisory board under Govs. Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell. Youngkin did not comment directly on his appointment of Brat, who was among a long list of people he named to state boards, councils and commissions on Monday. Joining Brat on the advisory council will be University of Virginia economics professor Ed Burton, who was the longest-serving member in the history of the Virginia Retirement System board of trustees; David Kohl, professor emeritus of agriculture and applied economics at Virginia Tech; and Sonya Ravindranath Waddell, vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The governor also reappointed two area economists Christine Chmura of Hanover County and Fletcher Mangum of Henrico County. Im proud to appoint these dedicated individuals, the governor said. Their work will move our commonwealth into the future and help create a best-in-class government. The advisory council will meet next month to help Youngkin develop revenue estimates for the revised two-year budget that he will propose to the General Assembly money committees on Dec. 15 for the legislature to consider in its session next winter. *** The budget process also is expected to include an elevated role for the Governors Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates because of Youngkins background as co-CEO of the Carlyle Group and his business-friendly policy agenda. Among new Richmond-area appointees to GACRE, as it is known, are Mark Hourigan, CEO and founder of The Hourigan Group; Rob Estes, CEO of Estes Express Lines; Chad Eisele, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Card at Capital One; B.K. Fulton, founding chairman and CEO at Soulidify Productions; Thomas Ransom, president of Truist Bank for the Virginia region; and Jeff Ricketts, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The council no longer includes Bob Blue, president and CEO of Dominion Energy, which has had a tense relationship with Youngkin since giving money to a political action committee that ran ads attacking the GOP gubernatorial candidate last fall. Blue said then that Dominion had not properly vetted Accountability PAC before donating $200,000 to it. Youngkin reappointed Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Neil Amin, CEO of Shamin Hotels, to GACRE. Separately, the governor appointed Ann Goettman of McLean, wife of his chief of staff, Jeff Goettman, to the board of trustees at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Last week I had to take care of a bit of run-of-the-mill municipal business regarding our son Zach. He lives in California, but sometimes we still get bills addressed to him in Grandin Court. The latest was an overdue car tax bill from Roanokes government. So I called city hall and wound up speaking to Treasurer Evelyn Powers, whom Ive known for 28 years. As a newly hired reporter for The Roanoke Times, she was one of the first city workers I ever met, way back in 1994. Back then, Powers was a secretary in the Municipal Auditors office. Now shes treasurer, one of a handful of elected constitutional officers in the city. Her office is responsible for collecting about $300 million per year in taxes and other fees. Basically, its the lifeblood of city government. During our conversation, Powers let it slip that her office is currently shorthanded. With unemployment in Virginia at just 2.8%, many private employers are feeling that way these days, too. It seems like the broadest private-industry worker shortages in Virginia are in the hotel and restaurant categories. The Roanoke treasurer currently has four full-time openings, out of 18 authorized full-time positions. And when the office is short-handed, it means its just a bit harder to get done all the work the office needs to do. Powers is trying hard to fill those jobs, but it hasnt been easy. Trying to find people who have good cash-handling experience is hard, Powers informed me. Thats probably because far fewer people carry cash these days than they did 30 years ago, before debit cards became ubiquitous. So the universe of skilled cash counters has likely shrunk. The open positions in the Treasurers Office are among 65 unfilled jobs in Roanoke city government right now. You can view that list, and the requirements for each and the pay just go to roanokeva.gov and click on JOBS on the homepage. Roanoke Countys hiring, too theyre looking for workers to fill 36 different positions posted on the roanokecountyva.gov website. The lowest paying county government job is a custodian which pays a little more than $13 per hour. But Roanoke County also has an opening for an $83,000 assistant director of parks, and one for its director of economic development, too. The latter pays a minimum of $107,000, and up to $140,000 annually. Salems government is hiring for at least 26 different positions (half of those are part time, according to the job listings on the salemva.gov website). One is a full-time chef for the Salem Civic Center. The minimum job qualifications are a high-school diploma, or a General Equivalency Diploma, plus considerable experience in food service. That job pays $40,500 to $65,000, according to the listing. Itll pay some bills. The starting pay for the lowest-ranking jobs in Roanoke government is $15 per hour. Considering thats $4 per hour more than Virginias minimum wage (currently $11 per hour) and more than double the federal minimum ($7.25), its nothing to sneeze at. Nobodys ever going to live high on the hog off those wages which total about $32,000 annually. But lets look at some of the other benefits Roanokes city workers enjoy as well. Those are hardly insubstantial. Each new full-time hire at Roanoke city hall gets six hours of paid sick leave per month, and those hours can be carried over and accumulated, up to a certain extent. Retiring city workers can cash in up to six months of unused sick leave when they depart. Each beginning Roanoke worker also gets an additional 12 hours of paid time off (i.e. vacation) per month. Thats 144 hours per year, for starters, which adds up to just short of a months paid vacation during the first year of employment. Not bad. Nowadays, full-time municipal workers in Roanoke also get three paid mental health days per year (this is something new, Powers told me). Roanoke city workers are also covered by an employer-provided pension. Thats in addition to Social Security, and on top of any additional retirement savings employees socked away. (Municipal employees also have an option of tax-advantaged retirement savings similar to a 401(k) retirement plan.) As part of their compensation, they receive health and dental insurance. And the city government also operates a wellness center for employees. There, they can see a health professional for no charge, pretty much on a walk-in basis. Beyond that, most government workers have Monday through Friday daytime gigs. Of course, there are certain exceptions to those hours, such as with firefighters, police officers and jail guards. And finally, theres an opportunity for advancement. Powers, who turns 65 in November, is a perfect example. In 1980, she was working at Dominion Bank, in a job that paid a little more than $8,000 per year. Powers told me I felt rich when in 1981 she was hired as an administrative assistant for the Roanoke Municipal Auditor, at a $10,800 salary. Later she was promoted to executive secretary, and even later to an auditing position. And when David Anderson, her predecessor in the treasurers position, left his job with two years left in his term, Powers got a temporary appointment. The next election, Roanokers voted her into the position, which pays $164,000 per year by Virginia statute. Thats a very worthwhile salary and Power says she earns it. People must agree, because nobodys ever challenged her for reelection. Most days, she told me, shes in the office shortly after 7 a.m., and its rare when she leaves before 5 p.m. And the job comes with $300 million of responsibility, which is a lot. The point is, thats where a low-level $15 per hour job in city government can land someone whos ambitious and wants to improve their future. It took Powers more than 30 years to get there, but she did it. Thats why I tell anyone job hunting currently: Make sure you dont overlook local governments. They dont offer riches, but they do offer a fair measure of job and income security. And the job benefits, at least in Roanoke city hall, are better than some union members enjoy. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Photo: The Canadian Press Statistics Canada says the rate of police-reported sexual assault in Canada has reached its highest level since 1996. There were more than 34,200 reports of sexual assault countrywide in 2021, an 18 per cent increase from 2020, according to newly released numbers from the agency. While reports decreased in 2020, the rate of sexual assault has otherwise steadily increased for five years. The sexual assaults account for a third of an overall five per cent increase in reports of violent crime, with homicides, criminal harassment, hate crimes and firearm offences on the rise. Non-violent crime is meanwhile on a different trajectory, down three per cent across the board, with lower rates of breaking and entering and thefts under $5,000. Statistics Canada says that despite an increase in the public discussion of issues around sexual violence, the number of sexual assaults reported to police is still likely to be a significant underestimate. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net Grant will preserve cultural heritage across the state with LSU and LSUA library partnership LSU is accelerating efforts to digitize vulnerable collections for diverse and underfunded cultural heritage institutions in Louisiana with a new grant from nonprofit open technology organization LYRASIS. The LSU Libraries was one of five to receive the 2022 Catalyst Fund from LYRASIS, which serves and supports 1,000 academic and public libraries, archives, museums and cultural heritage organizations in 28 countries. The Libraries' proposal, "Y'ALL Means All: Piloting a Distributed Digitization Program to Support Digital Diversity," was awarded $31,800 to facilitate broader representation of the state's digital cultural heritage by helping smaller institutions digitize their physical collections and is an expansion of the Libraries' You Are Louisiana's Legacy (Y'ALL) Award. In Louisiana, there are many valuable collections in rural and underfunded institutions that lack the equipment and staffing to digitize, describe and upload their content. Many of these collections are increasingly at risk of being lost in the future due to budget cuts and the threat of climate change, which increases the possibility that the collections will be damaged by flooding and storms. "While the Louisiana Digital Library does a good job of representing areas of the state with large universities and a concentration of cultural heritage institutions, such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, this project will dedicate resources to filling in geographic gaps," said Sophie Ziegler, LSU Libraries' Head of Digital Programs and Services and one of the principal investigators of the proposal. Already, the LSU Libraries is the home of the Louisiana Digital Library, or LDL, which gathers and showcases the digital cultural heritage of more than 30 institutions across Louisiana. This project will enable the Libraries to leverage its strong ties within the LDL community and work in collaboration with the LSU of Alexandria, or LSUA, library to set up a digitization hub in North Louisianaan area that could get overshadowed by South Louisiana's culture and history. This community-focused space will be located at LSUA and will provide digitization equipment and staff expertise to regional institutions that do not currently have access to these resources. "If we can digitize these papers from these small and community-based groups we can better tell our whole historyLouisiana's history. Future generations will look back and see the contributions of their ancestors and neighbors and they'll know that what past peoples did was important. They may even get a better sense of the importance of their own actions right now, in this time and in this world," said Michelle Riggs Waller, interim director and archivist of LSUA's James C. Bolton Library. Principal investigators on the project: Leah Duncan, LSU Libraries, Digital Collections Librarian Sophie Ziegler, LSU Libraries, Head of Digital Programs and Services Gabe Harrell, LSU Libraries, Digitization Lab Manager Elisa Naquin, LSU Libraries, Metadata and Digital Strategies Librarian Provided by Louisiana State University COLUMBIA United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs announced that Brook Andrews has been named First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, the offices second-ranking position. Andrews is a career federal prosecutor with experience spanning criminal, civil, trial, and appellate matters across several duty stations within the U.S. Department of Justice. He most recently served the office as the Deputy Criminal Chief for the White Collar/General Crimes Section. In that role, Andrews oversaw the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes in South Carolina including all financial fraud, civil rights, human trafficking, and public corruption offenses. As a criminal prosecutor, Andrews handled a number of high-profile matters including the prosecution of former SCANA executives in the wake of the V.C. Summer Nuclear investigation. Before that, he spent several years litigating civil fraud and whistleblower cases, recovering millions of dollars for Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal programs. In addition to his primary duties as a prosecutor, Andrews has served for over five years as the Ethics Advisor for the district, and as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Before returning to his hometown of Columbia in 2016, Andrews practiced law in Washington, D.C. for five years, beginning with his selection into the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney Generals Honors Program and placement into the Environment and Natural Resources Division. As a DOJ Trial Attorney, Andrews spent several years representing the United States in cases around the country involving land use, water rights, and environmental regulations. Andrews then spent two years in private practice at a national law firm, representing states and cities around the country as outside counsel in complex civil fraud and consumer protection cases. Before his litigation practice, Andrews served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Jean Toal of the South Carolina Supreme Court and U.S. District Judge Margaret Seymour for the District of South Carolina. While at the Supreme Court, Andrews also served as a Staff Attorney on the South Carolina Sentencing Reform Commission. For more information about the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of South Carolina, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc. "AEDPA Repeal" | Main | Prez Biden "Safer America Plan" seeks more cops and fewer (state) mandatory minimums with a federal drug sentencing kicker As reported in this Politico article, after an extended sentencing hearing, a "Texas militia member on Monday received the longest sentence to date of any participant in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol: seven-and-a-quarter years in prison." Here are some of the notable details: Guy Reffitt, 49, was the first Jan. 6 defendant to go before a jury and was convicted in March on five felony charges, including interfering with police during civil disorder, obstructing the tallying of the electoral votes and threatening his children if they reported him to authorities. However, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich declined the Justice Departments request to treat Reffitts crimes as terrorism, which would have substantially increased the recommended sentence under federal guidelines. It was federal prosecutors first request to draw tougher punishment for a Jan. 6 defendant by classifying his actions as domestic terrorism, but the judge concluded it was not appropriate to apply the more severe sentencing guidelines permitted under federal law in terrorism-related cases. Friedrich said applying the sentencing enhancement to Reffitt would create an unwarranted sentencing disparity with other cases involving similar threats or conduct related to the Capitol riot. There are a lot of cases where defendants possessed weapons or committed very violent assaults, Friedrich noted, highlighting that the most severe sentences handed down in Jan. 6 cases thus far were a little more than five years while prosecutors asked for a 15-year sentence against Reffitt. The government is asking for a sentence that is three times as long as any other defendant and the defendant did not assault an officer.... Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitts discussions before and after Jan. 6 make clear he was intent on carrying out his repeated threats to drag Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from the Capitol building by force. In discussions caught on video, Reffitt was recorded referring to his desire to listen to the lawmakers heads bouncing down the Capitol steps. He was planning to overtake our government. He wasnt just trying to stop the certification, Nestler said. He wasnt done. Jan. 6 was just a preface. ... Mr Reffitt is in a class all by himself. However, Friedrich said prosecutors had urged much shorter sentences in cases involving people who were directly involved in actual violence against police. Youre making recommendations that are way different than youre making in this case way different, said the judge, an appointee of President Donald Trump. Friedrich also said she worried that Reffitt not be unduly punished for deciding to go to trial, rather than enter into a plea bargain with prosecutors. His decision to exercise his constitutional right to go to trial should not result in a dramatically different sentence, she said. Nestler also noted that Reffitt was convicted of having a handgun on his hip while on the Capitol grounds, which Friedrich conceded was an important distinction from the other cases to reach sentencing thus far. Huge, huge and does the firearm deserve three times the sentence if it was not brandished or used in any way? the judge asked. Another unusual aspect of Reffitts case is that he was convicted of threatening to injure his two children if they discussed his actions on Jan. 6 with authorities. One of those children, Peyton Reffitt, spoke briefly during Mondays hearing to urge leniency for her father. She suggested that Trump was more responsible for the events that day than her father was. My fathers name was not on all the flags that were there that day that everyone was carrying that day, Peyton said. He was not the leader. "McCleskey Accused: Justice Powell and the Moral Price of Institutional Pride" | Main | "Punishment as Communication" Addressing an issue of first impression, a Ninth Circuit panel today issued an interesting opinion addressing the application of a small provision of the FIRST STEP Act in US v. Brown, No. 20-5313 (9th Cir. Aug. 2, 2022) (available here). Here are excerpts from part of the opinion providing background and the heart of the ruling: In this case, Appellant Marquis Brown was arrested for smuggling drugs across the border. He pleaded guilty to the charge and faced a statutory ten-year mandatory minimum sentence. He subsequently took advantage of a safety valve proffer and became safety valve eligible for a sentence below the mandatory minimum sentence. The district court imposed a 78-month sentence. That sentence was below Browns guidelines range of 108135 months, but above the 71 months requested by the government, and the 42 months recommended by his attorney and the Probation Department. Brown now appeals, arguing that his sentence was procedurally defective because the district court improperly relied on information he disclosed in his safety valve proffer to enhance his sentence.... Brown contends that the district court committed a procedural error because it improperly enhanced his sentence in violation of the First Step Act of 2018. The First Step Act, which in part amended 18 U.S.C. 3553(f), proscribes, inter alia, district courts judges from using information disclosed by a defendant in a safety valve proffer to enhance the sentence of the defendant unless the information relates to a violent offense. Pub. L. No. 115391, 132 Stat. 5194 (Dec 21, 2018). Despite the district court imposing a sentence that is below his guidelines range, Brown argues that the court ran afoul of this proscription when it relied on information from the safety valve proffer to deny him a further sentence reduction.... We have regularly held that the denial of a sentencing benefit or reduction is not an increase in punishment. See, e.g. United States v. Waters, 771 F.3d 679 (9th Cir. 2014) (reviewing whether amendments to a statute violated a constitutional prohibition on when States can increase the punishment for a defendants crime). In Waters, the appellant argued that a statute the district court relied on to deny his request for sentence reduction violated the Ex Post Facto Clause. Id. at 680. We held that the amendments merely limited the appellants ability to reduce his sentence and [did] not increase the punishment for his crime[.] Id. at 681.... We hold that the district court did not impose an improper sentence enhancement here. Brown contends that because the district court used information from the proffer in determining his final sentence, it was an improper enhancement. It is clear that the district court considered information disclosed in the safety valve proffer to impose a sentence, such as Browns previous drug smuggling trips. This is not prohibited. The district court noted the previous drug smuggling trips, but also mentioned various other aggravating factors, including the nine-year-old being in the car, the amount and type of drug involved, and the impact on the community. The sentencing court considered the safety valve information in conjunction with other mitigating and aggravating factors in its determination of a downward sentence variance. The district court imposed a sentence of 78 months a sentence not just below the mandatory minimum, but also 30 months below the low end of Browns guidelines range. This does not constitute an enhancement. Brown takes issue with the fact that the sentence was not as low as he had requested. But the failure to reduce a sentence is not an enhancement. Moreover, we do not take the First Step Acts proscription as Congress stripping away a district courts discretion. All that 3553(f)(5) prohibits is using information from a safety valve proffer to enhance the sentence[.] 3553(f)(5). Here, Brown got the benefit of the safety valve reduction, resulting in a sentence below both the mandatory minimum and his guidelines range. This is not an improper enhancement of a sentence under 3553(f)(5). District judge sentences first Jan 6 rioter convicted at trial to 87 months in federal prison (which was bottom of calculated guideline range) | Main | "Sex Exceptionalism in Criminal Law" August 1, 2022 Prez Biden "Safer America Plan" seeks more cops and fewer (state) mandatory minimums with a federal drug sentencing kicker Via this new "Fact Sheet," the While House today provides lots and lots more details on the "Safer America Plan" that Prez Biden announced a few weeks ago. There are far too many particulars to summarize them here, and here are the points emphasized at the outset of this Fact Sheet: Today, the President is providing greater details regarding the Safer America Plan. President Bidens fiscal year 2023 budget requests a fully paid-for new investment of approximately $35 billion to support law enforcement and crime prevention -- in addition to the Presidents $2 billion discretionary request for these same programs. The Safer America Plan details how this $37 billion will be used to save lives and make communities safer. Specifically, the Plan: Funds the police and promotes effective prosecution of crimes affecting families today, including by funding 100,000 additional police officers who will be recruited, trained, hired, and supervised consistent with the standards in the Presidents Executive Order to advance effective, accountable community policing in order to enhance trust and public safety; Invests in crime prevention and a fairer criminal justice system, including by investing $20 billion in services that address the causes of crime and reduce the burdens on police so they can focus on violent crime, and by incentivizing the reform of laws that increase incarceration without redressing public safety; Takes additional commonsense steps on guns to keep dangerous firearms out of dangerous hands, including by calling on Congress to require background checks for all gun sales and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The request to fund 100,000 additional police officers and to advance various gun control measure will surely garner the most attention, but there are some items that ought to be of particular interest for sentencing fans. For example: The Plan establishes a new $15 billion over 10 years Accelerating Justice System Reform grant program that jurisdictions can use to advance strategies that will 1) prevent violent crime and/or 2) ease the burden on police officers so they do not have to respond to non-violent situations that may not merit police intervention. Doing so not only enhances public safety, but also delivers evidence-based criminal justice reform that advances racial equity.... [I]n order to receive these critical grants, jurisdictions must repeal mandatory minimums for non-violent crimes and change other laws that contribute to increased incarceration rates without making our communities safer. The Plan calls on Congress to appropriate $14.7 billion in mandatory funding for this new program, which will add on to the $300 million request in the Presidents FY23 discretionary budget to fully fund this effort. In addition, this Plan address drug enforcement and sentencing in two ways: Impose tough penalties on all forms of fentanyl. Over 100,000 people have died from drug overdoses in the past 12 months, many of them from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The federal government regulates fentanyl as a Schedule I drug, meaning it is subject to strict regulations and criminal penalties. But drug suppliers have found a loophole: they can easily alter the chemical structure of fentanyl creating fentanyl related substances to enhance the drugs psychoactive properties and try to evade regulation of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Congress temporarily closed this loophole, but it will reopen in January 2023 unless Congress acts. The Safer America Plan includes the Administrations 2021 proposal to permanently schedule all fentanyl related substances into Schedule I so traffickers of these deadly substances face the penalties they deserve.... End the crack-powder disparity and make the fix retroactive. The Safer America Plan calls on Congress to end once and for all the racially discriminatory sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses as President Biden first advocated in 2007 and make that change fully retroactive. This step would provide immediate sentencing relief to the 10,000 individuals, more than 90 percent of whom are Black, currently serving time in federal prison pursuant to the crack/powder disparity. I cannot help but note that federal law includes lots of mandatory minimum provisions for non-violent crimes (such as drug offenses) that contribute to increased incarceration rates without any clear evidence that those provisions make our communities safer. Notably, when on the campaign trail, candidate Joe Biden stated that he "supports an end to mandatory minimums" and that "as president, he will work for the passage of legislation to repeal mandatory minimums at the federal level." Though I am pleased to see Prez Biden fulfill a campaign promise to "give states incentives to repeal their mandatory minimums," I hope he might before too long focus needed attention on federal mandatory minimum repeal as well. August 1, 2022 at 07:43 PM | Permalink Comments If we are to take federalism seriously, as we are often encouraged to do when discussing drug prohibition, then the federal government should stay out of states' decisions whether to have mandatory minimum sentencing. As to federal mandatory minimums: If judges had shown they could be fully trusted, we never would have had either guidelines or MMs at all. Judges should have a degree of discretion, sure, but 100% discretion 100% of the time proved, not surprisingly, to be a bad idea. Posted by: Bill Otis | Aug 3, 2022 9:07:15 AM As I have expressed in previous posts, I think mandatory minimums is a buzz phrase that means what the writer wants it to mean. Most, if not all offenses, have a mandatory minimum in the literal sense of the term in that there is a range of punishment beneath which a court may not go. A court can't sentence a rapist to a two-month sentence. But, as used by most activists, mandatory minimums tend to mean one of two things. First, when activists talk about mandatory minimums, they often mean probation ineligible offenses. Unlike most offenses, for which the sentencing court can decide, for example, to impose a the minimum sentence and then place the defendant on probation, these offenses require a defendant to actually serve a minimum term. Now, I don't have a problem with the federal government giving a carrot to states to eliminate this type of requirement for actually non-violent offenses, but looking at my state's own criminal code, I am not seeing any significant non-violent offenses (other than repeat driving while intoxicated offenses) that carry such a provision. (And I would strongly oppose any financial incentive to reduce the relatively weak laws most states have on driving while intoxicated). The second type of thing often mischaracterized as mandatory minimums are "truth in sentencing" laws -- laws that require the service of a significant port of the sentence if a defendant ultimately goes to prison. Most states adopted truth in sentencing laws in response to federal incentives. Based on my own experience, I am generally in favor of truth in sentencing laws. The percent of time that a person serves on a case should not be delegated to an arbitrary parole board. Instead, it should be something that both sides know at the time of the plea. I also think that it adds to public trust in the system. If a six-year sentence means something resembling six years rather than something closer to eight or nine months. Posted by: tmm | Aug 3, 2022 5:20:06 PM Post a comment The Auckland skyline with the Sky Tower landmark, in New Zealand. (Photo: Getty Images) New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell has announced on Twitter Monday (Aug 1) that his country is reopening its borders to international travelers, including Filipinos who wish to visit their country. Kell added that theyre also opening visa applications from the Philippines and other countries. Pleased that today, New Zealand has officially reopened its borders at ngayon ay tumatanggap na ng visa applications mula sa Pilipinas at ibang bansa (and now accepting visa applications from the Philippines and other countries), Kell Said. We look forward to welcoming you and excited kaming muling ibahagi ang ganda ng NZ! (we are excited to share the beauty of New Zealand), he added. On July 31, New Zealand has for the first time since the COVID crisis began in March 2020 fully reopened its doors to foreign visitors, as it has some of the strictest border control during the height of the pandemic to control the spread of the infection, which was generally manageable there. Filipinos who want to visit the country must first meet the COVID-19 vaccination requirements through updated vaccination certificates or other forms confirming that you have completed the required jab. "All travellers are strongly encouraged to be up-to-date with vaccinations before travelling. You need a digital vaccine certificate or another form of electronic or paper document from a government health authority or approval authority confirming you have had a full COVID-19 vaccine course," said the New Zealand Embassy in the Philippines. Pre-departure COVID tests for healthy travelers will no longer be required, but for those who are experiencing COVID symptoms before their flight, a proof must be submitted, including a medical certificate issued by a health practitioner saying that you dont have COVID-19, or proof of a negative COVID test. A health declaration form must also be completed before traveling, the embassy said. Marvin Joseph Ang is a news and creative writer who follows developments on politics, democracy, and popular culture. He advocates for a free press and national democracy. Follow him on Twitter at @marvs30ang for latest news and updates. Watch more videos on Yahoo: 2022 17.38 1000-1500 1.15213.85% 7178.3 19.1% 6 4.3% 17 186 18% 71228.17 0.96% 3700 17% 35498 8.29 1%318 186.19 56% 0.46% 8% 1 20Donki tcl17%8% 7 10% 1 13.8 4158% 8.71 5.727.12% 8291.94.98% OMAHA Pilot Travel Centers has agreed to pay a $121,469 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act at its truck stops, including the one near Gretna. According to the EPA, Pilot "for years" has violated the terms of its water discharge permit for 17 facilities in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. The Gretna truck stop and one in Warrenton, Missouri, were the sites of the "most serious pattern of violations," according to a statement issued by the EPA Wednesday afternoon. According to the EPA, discharge water at the two sites contained high levels of E. coli, ammonia and other pollutants. A representative of Pilot was not immediately available for comment. However, the EPA said the company has taken steps at all 17 facilities to come back into compliance. The settlement is part of a nationwide effort by EPA to address alleged violation of the Clean Water Act by Pilot. The Tennessee-based company describes itself as the largest operator of truck stops in North America. OMAHA Rita Kucirek kneels on the floor in her Omaha basement, flipping through an old photo album. Between photos of her teenage self posing with family members and laughing with friends, familiar faces appear. Theres Rita meeting Ozzy Osbourne. Rita hugging Tommy Lee. Rita chatting with Steven Tyler. Rita flashing a grin with Bret Michaels. She pulls out scrapbooks, filled with concert ticket stubs and backstage passes from the 1980s. The walls around her are filled with framed set lists, guitar picks and the faces of the biggest rock stars of the 20th century. Kucirek points at a signed photo of Pamela Des Barres, the famous rock groupie. She urges women to write and to be writers, and I love that about her, Kucirek said. To tell their stories, whatever it is. Ritas story is this: Shes a well-known longtime waitress at Omahas Gorats Steakhouse the waitress who usually serves the old-school steakhouses most famous customer, Warren Buffett. Shes a mom. Shes a published author of a wild memoir under her pen name, Rita Rae Roxx, a book that details running away to Los Angeles, partying with KISS and riding on the back of David Lee Roths motorcycle. This 57-year-olds den of memories holds the tales of a young girl from Omaha who loved rock and roll, then spent decades as one of Americas most dedicated rock groupies. She hates the word groupie. Its kind of dismissing me, its kind of just like, shes just a groupie, so I dont like it, she said. To me, Im a professional guest. Because, look Ive hung out with everybody, Ive gone out with a lot of people. I still get to people. Born in 1965, the Omaha girl loved American Bandstand, the Jackson 5 and Cher. She was grounded often, and listening to records in her bedroom became her favorite pastime. On a hot August night in 1980, Kucirek and friends went to see Alice Cooper at Civic Auditorium. Billy Squier, then an up-and-coming musician, opened the show. As he left the stage, Kucirek leaned over the railing and asked to meet him. Security guards invited her and her friends backstage, and eventually, Squier brought Kucirek to his tour bus. She had just turned 15. Kucirek began high school that year at Omaha Central. During class, she watched out the windows as bands pulled into Civic Auditorium for sound check. After the school bell rang, Kucirek hung around the stagehands and security guards, forming friendships that became her ticket to backstage access. She started to attend concerts across the Midwest, driving to see her favorite bands. Kucirek made her way backstage with Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Poison and many others, often bribing crew members with drugs or receiving a spot on the guest list from a musician. Kucirek fell in love with Roth of Van Halen, sold one of her earrings to Tyler for $100, and was asked by Jon Bon Jovi to sew clothes for his upcoming tour. I felt like a sex symbol, Kucirek said. I didnt have any goals or really a life plan at that time, because I thought I was going to be married to a rock star. But now I realize its a very toxic, abusive environment for at least some people. In 1987, Kucirek moved to Los Angeles and immersed herself in Sunset Boulevards music scene. She heard bands like Guns N Roses and Warrant before their mainstream breaks. She partied with Sylvester Stallone and Rick James. She dated Princes half-brother Duane Nelson and Eddie Murphys brother Charlie Murphy she has a framed love poem to prove it. Kucirek says she once confronted Suge Knight about a poor tip, getting an extra $40 out of the infamous Death Row Records co-founder. Kucirek also started doing stand-up comedy about her time as a cocktail waitress, attending open mics at The Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv. There was glitz in Kucireks Hollywood lifestyle, but darkness, too. By the 1990s, she was using cocaine regularly. In 2002, she made her way back to Omaha. I just felt like I needed to get back to who I was and do some healing, she said. She quit drinking, cut back her smoking and started roller skating and biking all over the city. Kucirek became a mother and raised two children. In 2005, she got a waitressing job at Gorats. Shes been there since, building a group of loyal customers Ritas own restaurant groupies, if you will. In 2011, one of those regulars passed away, leaving Kucirek $2,000 in his will. That $2,000 allowed Kucirek to buy a MacBook and write her story. People have been telling me to write a book about all my rock n roll stories and meeting all the rock stars all these years, Kucirek said. I figured that was my sign to do it. Kucirek wrote in the pre-dawn hours, before her kids awoke. Published in 2012, Once Upon a Rock Star: Backstage Passes in the Heavy Metal Eighties-Big Hair, Bad Boys (and One Bad Girl) told the story of her wild young years in Omaha, featuring photos and scanned tickets of concerts and rock stars. When it came out, fans of featured bands started reaching out to Kucirek over social media. Some are in awe at her time spent with their idols. Others get mad at her unfavorable characterizations, like the Motley Crue fan angered by her story about an unconsented groping from Nikki Sixx. First of all, Nikki Sixx is a public figure, Kucirek responded. Second of all, this is my story about my life, and he happened to be in it. Third of all, its not like he wrote Girls, Girls, Girls sitting in church on a Sunday morning. While working at Gorats, Kucirek sold a copy of her book to Buffetts security guard. The following week, Buffett came to lunch three days in a row at Gorats, each time asking for the rock n roll waitress. Now, Kucirek is Buffetts server whenever he dines at Gorats. Her ts are crossed, her is are dotted when she waits on customers, said Lisa Caveye, Gorats hostess for the past 58 years. Mr. Buffett included. Kucireks love of live music remains. She still sees her old favorite bands when they tour, though rising ticket prices and meet-and-greet passes bug her. Shes added Post Malone and Machine Gun Kelly to her list of new artists she rocks out to. This summer, Kucirek went to a Motley Crue concert in Kansas City. Drummer Tommy Lee came onstage, and asked women in the crowd to lift up their shirts, which was then broadcast on the stadium Jumbotron. The woman once known as Rockin Rita no longer finds that cute. Its so weird how the double standards are. It just really ruined the concert for me, she said. Listen who am I to speak now, you know, for all the stuff that I did. But come on, man! This is a different time. On nights when theres no concert, you can find Kucirek whirling through Gorats. She drops drinks off at one table and steaks at the next. She teases the line cooks and lugs a cardboard cutout of Buffett for out-of-town guests. One table gets her talking about a recent concert, and Kucirek whips out a copy of her book the book has appeared as if from nowhere for them to gawk over. Rita has dreams beyond the steakhouse. Shed like to have a movie or TV series adapted from her book. Shed like to attend more shows like her very first Aerosmith in 1979 and feel what she felt then. Its the adrenaline, because when youre in front of a concert, theyre taking you into their world, Kucirek said. I just absorb it all, so its entering another realm of consciousness. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Photo: The Canadian Press A new study shows the number of consumers who turned to unlicensed stores to purchase cannabis has dropped by almost 40 per cent between 2018 and 2021. The BC Stats study commissioned by the BC Cannabis Secretariat shows 17 per cent of the survey's 25,000 participants reported buying pot from an unlicensed store last year, down from 56 per cent in 2018. About nine per cent of B.C. marijuana consumers bought from a dealer in 2021, down from 16 per cent before Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018. The survey also found 71 per cent of B.C. marijuana consumers reported making their pot purchases at licensed retailers, while 40 per cent got the substance from friends, 19 per cent from family and 14 per cent grow their own. The results are based on self-reported data, which can skew results because cannabis and its long history of illegality has long carried a stigma. The report says there may be an increased willingness to report cannabis use as the substance becomes more socially acceptable, but data sources that do not rely on self-reports have also shown an increase in cannabis use among people in B.C. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) While many American students and their parents worry that the next mass shooting could happen at their school, schools are also facing a number of other threats that do not involve guns. Many of these threats are related to the mental health of educators and students. From 2018 to 2021, both before and during the pandemic, I spent time studying a public middle school in the San Francisco Bay Area that serves a high-poverty community of color. The research involved spending more than 100 hours of observing classes and teacher and staff meetings. It also involved a series of interviews with 10 teachers and the principal. Here are five of the biggest threats that I identified through my observations. 1. Trauma among students Students often spoke and wrote about traumatic experiences. This included losing parents to murder, imprisonment or deportation. Teachers and staff told me they were not prepared to handle students emotional reactions to these traumatic experiences and how the experiences affected student learning. Extensive research shows that trauma can result in poor academic performance and more anxiety or aggression that can interfere with learning. Racial minority and low-income students tend to experience significantly more trauma than white students and students from higher-income families. The COVID-19 pandemic created more trauma for more students, especially for low-income students of color, as disruption to the normal way of life and to the economy created high stress on families. Perversely, school closures during the pandemic also made it more difficult for students experiencing trauma to receive mental health care and treatment often provided by schools. 2. Worse well-being for teachers and students Staff in the school I studied described their middle schoolers as increasingly shut down, fragile, beaten down and hopeless with every passing year. Teachers also talked about their own struggles with the stress of this place and negative emotions from their daily challenges to support their students. During the pandemic, teachers described increasing exhaustion from the level of effort needed to keep students in school and engaged in learning. Since the onset of the pandemic, lower overall well-being of students and teachers has become a nationwide concern. In the 2020-2021 school year, 80% of teachers nationwide reported feelings of burnout. In the 2021-2022 school year, nearly half of students across the U.S. in grades 9 through 12 reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Across the nation, district leaders in the 2021-2022 school year reported a general decline in mental health and well-being of all students and educators as their most pressing concern. 3. Staff shortages and turnover Like other schools around the nation, the school I studied was persistently short of teachers because of staff who quit due to stress or who were fired for unprofessional behavior. It was often difficult to find qualified teachers to fill open positions. 4. Threat of closure At the school I studied, the principal described extensive time and effort that she and others spent to encourage students to enroll there. It is disheartening, the principal said, that sometimes parents chose other schools due to a negative reputation that became associated with a school serving the areas poorest Black and Hispanic communities. Any declines in enrollment threatened the loss of teaching positions. Persistent declines meant the threat of being closed altogether. Nationwide, threats of school closure have risen in response to widespread drops in annual enrollment in noncharter public schools, especially in districts serving low-income communities of color. School boards in Baltimore and the California cities of Oakland and Hayward have recently decided to close multiple schools in the 2022-2023 school year due to declining enrollment. This has prompted public protest from communities who see the closures as targeted at poor Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Other districts around the country, including in Minneapolis and Denver, have warned residents about likely enrollment-related closures in the 2022-2023 school year. 5. Threats from the community There are also violent threats at schools unrelated to mass shootings. During my study, teachers and principals reported distressing incidents of threats from members of the community, including verbal threats from parents and neighbors and an incident of the principal being held at knifepoint. In a February 2022 investigation, Reuters documented 220 incidents of violent intimidation of school officials across 15 states. K-12 educators and students are facing many simultaneous threats in addition to school shootings. This raises important questions about whether schools have the resources and support they need to ensure that students and educators can thrive. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/5-of-the-biggest-threats-todays-k-12-students-and-educators-face-dont-involve-guns-182648. TUESDAY, Aug. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- More than 9 in 10 Americans believe that medical privacy is a right and their health data shouldn't be for sale, a new survey from the American Medical Association shows. The survey unearthed concerns about data privacy protections and confusion about who can access personal health information. Nearly 75% of patients were concerned about protecting the privacy of personal health data, but only 20% were aware of the companies and individuals who had access to their data. That concern has only been heightened by the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, as a lack of data privacy may put patients and physicians in legal jeopardy in states that criminalize abortion. According to the survey, patients are most comfortable with their doctors and hospitals having access to their personal health information, while they are least comfortable with social media sites, employers and technology companies. "Patients trust that physicians are committed to protecting patient privacy -- a crucial element for honest health discussions," said Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., president of the American Medical Association (AMA). "Many digital health technologies, however, lack even basic privacy safeguards. More must be done by policymakers and developers to protect patients health information. "Most health apps are either unregulated or under-regulated, requiring near and long-term policy initiatives and robust enforcement by federal and state regulators," Resneck added in an AMA news release. "Patient confidence in data privacy is undermined as technology companies and data brokers gain access to indelible health data without patient knowledge or consent and share this information with third parties, including law enforcement." According to the survey, a resounding majority of patients demand accountability, transparency and control in relation to the privacy of their medical records. A full 94% of patients want companies to be held legally liable for how their health data is used. Patients share the same sentiment (93%) regarding the need for developers of health apps to be open about how their services use and distribute individual patient data. Patients want control over the information that companies collect about them and how it is used, to prevent unauthorized access to and use of personal health data. Here are other specific takeaways from the survey: Nearly 80% of patients want the option to choose not to share any, some, or all of their health information with businesses. More than 75% of patients prefer to give their consent before a company uses any of their health data. More than 75% of patients want to receive notifications before a company uses their health data for a new purpose. Patients also want doctors and hospitals to be equipped with the technology to examine apps for security and privacy features. More information Visit the ACLU for more on medical privacy. SOURCE: American Medical Association, news release, July 25, 2022 Was this page helpful? SIOUX CITY A Sioux City man was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for smoking marijuana several times with a female minor. Oscar Gomez, 29, pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to one count of delivery of a controlled substance, a Class D felony, which was reduced from distribution of a controlled substance to a person under age 18, a Class B felony, as part of a plea agreement. Gomez was charged with smoking marijuana with a 14-year-old girl and getting her high numerous times from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 while he lived at a home in the 1500 block of Collins Street. The girl told police that she watched Gomez roll blunts and smoked with him every day or every other day. When police met with Gomez on May 16, he admitted sharing marijuana with the girl several times in order to get her to talk because he was a parent figure or caretaker to her, court documents said. SIOUX CITY Amanda Owen didnt know where her son, Dwight Evans, was, but he needed to come home. When he arrived with Lawrence Canady, he had to be pulled out of the car and helped into their house. They brought him home wasted, Owen testified Tuesday. He couldnt even walk. Already on antibiotics for strep throat and taking medication for ADHD, Evans had obviously taken or drank something. His speech was slurred and he could hardly keep his head up, Owen said. He was not himself, she said. I dont know what he was on. When Owen left for work at about 9:30 p.m., Evans was in bed asleep. More than three hours later, at 1 a.m., Evans was outside Uncle Daves Bar, where he shot Martez Harrison while Harrison fought with Canady. Evans, 18, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty in Woodbury County District Court of first-degree murder and going armed with intent for the May 1, 2021, shooting death of Harrison. Witnesses previously testified that Evans walked up to the fight and fired two shots that struck Harrison before fleeing from the scene at 1427 W. Third St. Evans defense attorneys have conceded Evans fired the gun, but they assert he was intoxicated and acting in self-defense at the time. After the state rested its case Tuesday morning, Evans attorneys called his mother to the witness stand, and she said she had believed her son was home sleeping that night. While at work, she made a video phone call to her daughter, Leticia, who took her phone into Dwights room to show he was sleeping. Leticia, 15, testified that she had put pillows under her brothers blankets to make it appear as if he was in bed. She said that after her mother left for work, Canady and another friend came to their home, forced her brother to wake up and carried him out the door. Leticia said she faked Dwights presence because she didnt want him to get in trouble. A couple hours later, he was seen on video taken by a convenience store security camera. In that video, shown to jurors, he walked into and out of the store effortlessly without assistance. Owen said he was intoxicated. My son was not walking like hed normally walk when hes sober, she said. Two police officers who helped apprehend Evans at approximately 4:30 a.m. that morning previously testified they did not observe any signs that Evans was intoxicated. Prosecutors recalled one of the officers, Michael Sitzman, Tuesday and showed a video taken by an interior camera in Sitzmans police vehicle. In the video, Evans is seated in the back seat and asks the officers questions. He spoke clearly without slurring his words and was silent while he was driven to the police station, where he exited the vehicle under his own power. Prosecutors allege Canadys confrontation with Harrison was planned retaliation for Harrison previously hitting a friend's girlfriend. A spent bullet recovered from the shooting scene was fired from the same revolver witnesses say Evans used to shoot Harrison. Examination of the slug and another fired from the revolver in a state crime lab showed matching grooves and other identifying features, said Victor Murillo, an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalist who tested the gun and ammunition found in its cylinder. A bullet recovered from Harrison's pelvis during his autopsy was too damaged to determine if it was fired from the same gun, Murillo said. Forensic pathologist and associate Iowa State Medical Examiner Dr. Kelly Kruse, who performed the autopsy on Harrison's body, testified that one shot entered the right side of the upper abdomen, injured the liver and small bowel and went through Harrison's diaphragm and left lung before exiting his back on the left side. The other shot entered Harrison's left flank and damaged the large bowel and an artery before lodging itself in the right side of his pelvis, fracturing it. Kruse said both wounds were potentially fatal because of the internal damage and extensive bleeding they caused. The gun was recovered about four hours later in an alley near 20th and Myrtle streets, where Evans was apprehended shortly after he had approached strangers around a bonfire and asked to use a phone. Criminalist Michael Schmit said swabs taken from the gun showed a mix of DNA from at least two people, but the samples were not strong enough to determine whose DNA it was. SAC CITY, Iowa An Early, Iowa, woman pleaded not guilty Monday in connection with the deaths of more than 1,000 pigs in Sac County hog confinement facilities. Elana Laber, 33, entered her written pleas in Sac County District Court to two counts each of livestock neglect and first-degree criminal mischief. Law enforcement officers discovered the dead pigs in two confinement sites in late June after receiving a report. The pigs were in different stages of decomposition and had had no access to feed or water. According to the Sac County Sheriff's Office, Laber, whose job was to maintain both sites, told deputies someone had shut off the breakers that control the electricity the night before, causing the pigs' deaths. A veterinarian inspection determined the pigs had been dead for at least a week. Laber later told deputies she knew the pigs had been dead for a week but did not know what to do. The pigs were owned by Corey AGR Inc., of Lytton, Iowa. The estimated loss is more than $150,000. SIOUX CITY Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller told city councilmembers Monday, during a presentation, that the "negatives" associated with allowing ATVs and UTVs on city streets "far outweigh the positives." At the council's July 25 meeting, Gerald Collins, who lives in the Riverside neighborhood, asked them to consider adopting an ordinance that would allow all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles to be legally driven on some city streets. Collins wants to be able to ride from his residence in Riverside to his part-time job in South Dakota. Currently, the City of Sioux City has no ordinances that either restrict or allow ATV/UTV usage on city streets beyond what is indicated in a new state law, which went into effect on July 1. The law legalized the use of ATVs and UTVs on a limited number of roadways in Iowa. Cities are allowed to regulate the operation of such vehicles on two-lane primary and secondary road extensions. ATVs and UTVs can only be used on the following roads within Sioux City limits: K29 (Old Lakeport Road, south of Derocher Path), D18 (Correctionville Road, east of Camp High Hopes), and D25 (Old Hwy 141, southeast of the entrance to the cemetery). According to Mueller, such ATVs and UTVs are not necessarily designed to operate on roads. He said that a lot of ATVs and UTVs in the low and mid trim levels are missing rearview and sideview mirrors, horns, taillights and blinkers, although these items can be purchased as after-market accessories. He said he thinks loud noises associated with these vehicles will drive public complaints. "ATVs and UTVs are not manufactured to go on the highway. They have smaller displacement engines that rev higher. Due to their size considerations, the manufacturers have to make everything smaller," he said. "A lot of these vehicles have exposed engines, which creates additional noise issues." Mueller said that the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which refers to the vehicles as OHVs (off-highway vehicles), recommends that they "not go on roadways." "From 2016 through 2018, there's 2,211 deaths on OHVs, which includes all-terrain vehicles. Nearly 300 of the deaths were among children under the age of 16," Mueller said, citing CPSC data. "My fear is that a lot of these owners or parents that have these will look at these not as motor vehicles. It's easy to toss the keys to somebody who's a less experienced driver, which would potentially lead to issues if they interact with traffic." Resident Brad Lepper voiced opposition to legalizing such vehicles on city streets. He said he caught some individuals on ATVs doing donuts in his yard. "We had issues with them driving through when my children were out there," he said. "We literally called the police. We had them pulling up through the property, meeting an officer head-on, turning around and taking off and running from the police. The police are not able to pursue them for safety concerns." Collins, who also attended the meeting, said he agrees with Mueller's safety concerns. But, he said his off-road vehicle has a roll cage, safety harness, headlights, taillights, turn signals and a horn. "Many people who have these machines are, I would say, mature, qualified people," he said. "I do think by having these (vehicles) all in one category, it's very difficult for the city to allow them. I get it." Operating an ATV or UTV on streets where the vehicles are not permitted carries a fine of $70. ATVs and UTVs also cannot be used on highways greater than two lanes, regardless of location in the city or county. Individuals who choose to drive ATVs or UTVs on approved roadways must be at least 18 and have financial liability coverage in effect for the vehicle and carry proof of insurance. They are also required to have such a vehicle's headlamps lit while operating it on a highway, according to the state law. SIOUX CITY More than a dozen personnel from Sioux City Fire Rescue responded to a Monday afternoon call about a maintenance worker being injured and trapped on a cell tower. According to a press release from Deputy Fire Marshal Ryan Collins, the worker was nearly 200 feet in the air when a temporary pole was dislodged and pinned the worker's foot. "Two other workers on the tower were able to free the individual and lower him to a platform approximately 150 feet above the ground," the release said. To rescue the man, Sioux City Fire used a "high-angle rope rescue team" to scale the tower and reach the staging platform. According to the release, once the worker was brought back down to the ground, he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Photo: The Canadian Press Leah Gazan rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 21, 2021. The federal NDP member of Parliament says she hopes all of her colleagues will now recognize what happened inside residential schools as a genocide, after the system was recently called such by Pope Francis.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick A New Democrat member of Parliament said Tuesday she hopes all of her colleagues will now recognize the residential schools system as genocide, now that Pope Francis has used the term. Leah Gazan, who represents Winnipeg Centre, tried last year to get unanimous consent from MPs in the House of Commons to press the Canadian government to call what unfolded inside residential schools a genocide. Her motion referred to the United Nations convention on genocide adopted in 1948, which defines genocide as killing members of a group, causing them serious physical or mental harm, placing them under conditions to destroy them, imposing measures to prevent births or forcibly transferring children to another group. Gazan said at the time that Canada's residential schools policy met all five criteria, but some voices in the House of Commons said "no," so her motion requiring unanimous consent failed. "Having the experience of residential school survivors continually up for debate is another act of violence," Gazan said in an interview Tuesday. "We need to be mindful of that." The 2015 final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada labelled what happened inside residential schools a "cultural genocide," but some Indigenous leaders have since said it needs to be called a genocide, without the qualifying adjective. During his six-day visit to Canada last week, Pope Francis apologized multiple times for the "evil" of what happened inside residential schools. But it was not until the Pope was asked about it by reporters on the flight back to Rome that he said he considered it to be a genocide. Francis said he felt "genocide" was a technical term, when asked why he did not say it in Canada. More than 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were forced to attend these institutions, which the federal government funded and different churches operated for over a century. The Catholic Church ran a majority of the residential schools in Canada. Thousands of Indigenous adults who were sent there as children have reported rampant physical sexual and emotional abuse, along with neglect and malnutrition. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation maintains a memorial register for students who died at residential schools and that number is now at 4,120 children. Gazan presented her motion in June 2021, not long after the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced that ground-penetrating radar had located what appeared to be the remains of about 200 children buried on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. She said she is now planning to present another motion, but is still thinking about what it should say while the House of Commons is on its summer break. "I hope that, you know, particularly members of Parliament who are really committed to reconciliation, committed to justice, will finally recognize what happened in residential schools for exactly what it was, which was a genocide. "It's time for Parliament to acknowledge it as a genocide." Upon the discovery of unmarked graves last years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he continues to accept the conclusion from the 2019 inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls that "what happened amounts to genocide." Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen has not yet responded to a request for comment on Thursday from The Canadian Press about whether she sees the residential school system as a genocide. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Two years ago, the city of Racine became the first and only municipality in Wisconsin to purchase a mobile voting truck. City Clerk Tara McMenamin said she pushed for the truck because it was too difficult to set up equipment at remote sites for early in-person voting. The city used the truck for the first time for municipal elections this past spring. No one seemed to pay any attention. But with a slate of hot races on the battleground state's Aug. 9 fall primary ballot, including GOP primaries for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, conservatives online have in recent days raised questions about the truck, asking how such an operation can be legal and accusing Democrats of using the truck to cheat. Here's a closer look at some of their claims: CLAIM: Racine has been using multiple mobile voting vans since June 2021. THE FACTS: There's only one truck, and it wasn't used until this year. The Common Council approved funding for one truck to serve as a movable early voting site in June 2020. The city used it for the first time in the state's spring primary this past February, McMenamin said. CLAIM: The city bought the truck using Zuckerbucks from the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life. THE FACTS: It's correct that the truck was purchased using money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, according to Racine Mayor Cory Mason's chief of staff, Shannon Powell. The nonprofit seeks to help election officials update technology and to increase civic participation and got a $350 million donation in 2020 from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. Wisconsins five largest cities all received CTCL grants in 2020. Racine was one of them, accepting almost $950,000. Some conservatives have derided the CTCL grants as Zuckerbucks and called them election bribery, saying they tilted the 2020 presidential election toward Democrat Joe Biden. But judges have rejected legal challenges to the grants. CLAIM: The truck has been functioning as an absentee ballot drop box in defiance of a state Supreme Court ruling in July outlawing them. THE FACTS: No, it hasn't. McMenamin said the truck is used only to facilitate early in-person voting during the two weeks prior to an election as per state law. She wanted the truck because it was becoming too cumbersome for her staff to set up their equipment in remote polling sites. The city posts notices at City Hall, online and in the Racine Journal Times newspaper of the truck's planned stops, meeting a requirement in state law that municipalities give public notice of the times and locations of early in-person voting sites, McMenamin said. Often the truck parks outside of buildings that have traditionally been used as early voting sites such as community centers, she said. Using the truck allows voting at the site without interrupting functions within the building, she said. People can walk up to the truck, register to vote if they haven't done so, vote in one of the truck's five built-in booths and hand their ballot to a city staff member manning the vehicle, she said. The ballots are then secured in a locked container. People can turn in absentee ballots at the truck, just as they're allowed to do at brick-and-mortar early voting sites, but the truck doesn't have a slit for a drop box and isn't available 24 hours a day like a drop box, McMenamin said. CLAIM: The city doesn't allow Republican observers in the truck, enabling Democrats to cheat. THE FACTS: False. McMenamin said state law allows observers to watch in-person early voting, so observers are allowed in the truck. She said GOP observers have been in the truck since the fall primary early in-person voting window opened July 26th. It would be exactly the same as if it was in the brick and mortar (early voting site), she said. (I would tell) people who are more skeptical of the process, this follows state law. If election observers feel they've been unjustly barred or thrown out of an early voting site, they can file a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Some online blogs claimed Democrats were staffing the truck and would cast phony ballots from it. But the truck is staffed by city election officials and has the same rules as any other early voting site. This is part of AP's effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan. She is the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi arrived aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwans foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of her hotel. Her visit has ratcheted up tension between China and the United States. PHOENIX (AP) An Arizona lawmaker who embraces election conspiracies and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary Tuesday for the top elections post in the presidential battleground. Mark Finchem beat out three other GOP candidates in the race for secretary of state. His challengers included another candidate who repeated Trumps false claims that he lost the 2020 presidential election because of fraud, a longtime state lawmaker and a businessman endorsed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. Democrats and election security advocates warned that a victory for Finchem in the November general election will be dangerous for democracy. Finchem, who attended Trumps Jan. 6, 2021, rally that preceded the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, has said he only intends to ensure that election laws are followed to address concerns by many Republicans about how elections are run. Still, he tried to get the Legislature to overturn the 2020 election results and has spoken about making major changes to election rules that are written by the secretary. Arizona's was the most high-profile secretary of state's race in Tuesday's primaries. In Kansas, the top state elections official beat back a far-right challenger who promoted conspiracy theories, while in Washington voters were choosing from a mix of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated candidates in that states top-two primary. The GOP primary elections for secretary of state are the latest this year to feature candidates who doubt the security of their states' elections despite the lack of evidence of any problems widespread enough to change the results. Republican voters elsewhere have split on sending those candidates to the November ballot. The Democratic candidates in all three states reject the premise of a stolen 2020 presidential election and warn that victories in November by any of those who promote conspiracies would endanger free and fair elections. In all three states, the secretary of state is the top election official. Finchem tried this year to get the Republican-controlled Legislature to notify Congress that Arizona wanted to decertify Democrat Joe Bidens election win. He won Trump's endorsement and said in a recent interview that worries about the effect of his potential victory on free and fair elections are unfounded. He said he will just enforce laws as written. I think its interesting that there are people, particularly Democrats out there, claiming: Oh, hes going to ruin the system. Hes going to do this, hes a threat to democracy,' Finchem said. Still, he contends tens of thousands of fake ballots led to Biden's win, a claim for which there is no credible evidence. The other Republican who backed Trumps claims also is a member of the Arizona House. Rep. Shawnna Bolick introduced a bill last year that would allow a simple majority of the Legislature to overturn presidential election results. The other Republicans on Arizonas ballot were state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who acknowledges Bidens victory but has worked for a decade to tighten election laws, and businessman Beau Lane, who was backed by the governor. Two Democrats, House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding and former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, are seeking their party's nomination. Kansas had no significant problems with its 2020 elections and Trump carried the state handily. Yet Secretary of State Scott Schwab found himself on sometimes tricky ground politically because many Republicans have embraced Trumps baseless claims that massive fraud cost him the race nationally. Schwab has repeatedly vouched for the safety of Kansas elections and touted new GOP-pushed laws, including ones that restrict the delivery of ballots by third parties. Hes also said he cant vouch for other states elections. The message worked well for him in his primary against Mike Brown, a construction contractor and former county commissioner in the Kansas City area. Brown embraced election conspiracy theories and promised to rid the state of ballot drop boxes. In November, Schwab will face Democrat Jenna Repass, who was unopposed in her partys primary. Washington states top-two primary featured the incumbent, Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, who easily advanced to the general election. He was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee last November and hopes to retain his seat for the remaining two years of former Republican Secretary of State Kim Wymans four-year term. Also on the primary ballot were several Republican and unaffiliated challengers, including Tamborine Borrelli, an America First candidate who was fined by the state Supreme Court earlier this summer for making meritless claims alleging widespread voter fraud. Borrelli was lagging far behind other candidates Tuesday night. There was a tight race for the second slot on the November ballot between Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, running as an independent, and several Republicans. Under Washingtons primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. Results could take days to tally because its an all-mail election. Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, contributed to this report. Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi flew in aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwan's foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel. Her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The speaker framed the trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Her visit comes after she led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and it serves as a capstone to her many years of promoting democracy abroad. "We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the Taiwan independence forces seeking independence. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility." Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement that referred to the U.S. as "the world's biggest saboteur of peace." Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative were utterly absurd. I believe she has every right to go, McConnell said in a Senate speech. Senators are considering legislation to bolster Taiwans defense as direct response to Chinas rhetoric. The Taiwan Policy Act, which has support from both parties, will be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The package would bolster Taiwans defense capabilities with nearly $4.5 billion in security assistance over the next four years and provide other support for Taiwans democratic government and civil society. The measure would also designate Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally, which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. Backers call it the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Pelosi's trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei. Journalists and onlookers thronged the streets just outside and pressed against the hotel's lobby windows as they awaited Pelosi's motorcade. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. China has stepped up overflights and other provocative moves toward Taiwan and neighboring territory in recent years, asserting broad claims of its rights around the region. Chinas military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House insisted that China had no valid cause for anger. The United States will not seek, and does not want, a crisis, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a White House briefing Tuesday. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling. U.S. officials have said the American military will increase its movements in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosi's visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their home port in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosis aircraft, an Air Force version of the Boeing 737, took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. The speaker has long challenged China on human rights, including traveling to Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after China crushed a wave of democracy protests. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour Monday in Singapore. She is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. BOISE, Idaho (AP) Climate change could make it more challenging to conserve and manage the states most at-risk fish, wildlife and plants, Idaho officials said. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Monday released its draft Idaho State Wildlife Action Plan that will guide its management actions for the next decade. The plan emphasizes preventing Endangered Species Act listings to maintain states authority in plant and wildlife management decisions as well as recovering species that are listed. The agency is taking public comments through Aug. 31 on the 336-page draft plan that will replace a 2015 version. It's intended to be a driving force for conservation at a statewide level in Idaho, said Rita Dixon, Fish and Game's coordinator for the plan. It's intended to help guide what we do to basically make Idaho a better place for people and wildlife. Dixon said the draft will be revised based on public comments and then presented to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission at its November meeting. If the commission approves, it will be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be reviewed by a regional team that includes a director of another state's fish and wildlife agency. If approved there, the state will remain eligible for federal grant money. The 2015 plan took months before the Fish and Wildlife Service signed off. The state remains eligible for that money under the current 2015 plan, Dixon said. Federal legislation called the Recovering America's Wildlife Act has passed the House is expected to clear the Senate. The $1.3 billion legislation could bring millions of dollars to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for conservation of wildlife, fisheries and habitats. The state's wildlife action plan is needed to be eligible for that money. The plan put forward this year for the first time includes plants as well as an entire section on climate change. Idaho's climate is expected to become overall warmer, drier in summer, wetter in winter, and more variable during the next 50 to 70 years, the report states. The report notes that Idaho's annual mean temperature has increased 1.8 degrees since 1895, with heatwaves becoming more frequent. The report said precipitation is becoming more variable, with summer and autumn precipitation decreasing with more frequent prolonged droughts. The report said Idaho's spring and winter precipitation is increasing but with less snow, and that the state's snowpack is peaking earlier, shifting toward higher elevations and becoming more inconsistent. Additionally, the report notes that soil and fuel moistures are decreasing, causing increasing wildfires. The report said annual streamflow has decreased, streams are about 1.5 degrees warmer, and that peak springtime streamflow is one to two weeks earlier. The report predicts streamflow will continue to decrease and peak springtime streamflow could eventually be four to nine weeks earlier. Idaho currently has about 20 species listed under the Endangered Species Act, including Snake River sockeye salmon, spring- and summer-run of Snake River chinook salmon, Snake River fall-run chinook salmon and Snake River basin steelhead. Other listed species include bull trout, grizzly bears, Canada lynx, slickspot peppergrass, Kootenai River white sturgeon and the Bruneau hot springsnail. Among the other objectives of the plan is maximizing access for traditional use of natural resources such as grazing, mining and timber harvest, increasing opportunities for voluntary stewardship efforts of ranchers, farmers and private landowners, and increasing public engagement in wildlife management decisions and planning. The report covers the five major geographic and ecological regions of the state and covers amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, invertebrates and plants. The plan also provides descriptions of 39 habitats it says are essential for conserving species. Besides climate change, other topics analyzed in relation to Idaho's wildlife include residential and commercial development, agriculture and aquaculture, energy production and mining, transportation and service corridors, human intrusions and disturbances, invasive species, pollution and geological events. Jeff Abrams of the Idaho Conservation League said he was still reviewing the State Wildlife Action Plan, or SWAP, but found good things for hunters, anglers and conservationists to like. We feel like the SWAP is an incredible opportunity to advance maintaining our state's precious wildlife recourses," he said. Any work that you do where you have specifically identified non-game species is automatically connected by default, by the ecosystem role, to fish and game species that are harvested in the state. Former President Donald Trump is calling for the immediate release of the federal warrant. And a spokesperson for Anne Heche says the actor is on life support after a fiery crash. Those stories and more on our daily news podcast. DES MOINES Former Vice President Mike Pence is coming to the Iowa State Fair. Pence will make his fourth trip to Iowa since leaving office for a two-day swing Aug. 19-20, Politico reported recently, citing a Pence aide familiar with the planning. In addition to making a stop at the Iowa State Fair, Pence will attend fundraisers for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, U.S. House candidate Zach Nunn and Bremer County Republicans; and a house party hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Politico reported. Pence is among many national Republicans who have made multiple trips to Iowa, which on the Republican side will remain the first state in the nation to cast its preference for president in 2024. National Democrats are re-evaluating their presidential nominating calendar, and Iowa Democrats may lose their No. 1 spot on that side. DES MOINES A Black administrative judge in Iowa who asserted she was fired in 2017 because of her race and after successfully suing the state is in the process of being reinstated has also agreed to a $225,000 settlement with the state. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement with Renee Sneitzer, of Cedar Rapids, at its regular meeting Monday. Sneitzer had been working for 10 years as an administrative law judge for the Iowa Department of Corrections Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville when, in 2017, she was fired for not adhering to a supervisors orders, according to court documents. Sneitzer challenged her firing, saying she faced discrimination and was fired because of her race. In April, an administrative law judge ruled the state corrections department did not prove just cause for Sneitzers firing, and ordered she be reinstated with back pay. The Iowa Public Employment Relations Board concurred with and adopted the judges findings, also ordering the state to reinstate Sneitzer. In late July, the parties agreed to the $225,000 settlement; roughly $134,000 will go to Sneitzer and the remaining $91,000 to her attorneys. According to the terms of the settlement, detailed in a July 22 letter from the Iowa Attorney Generals Office to the State Appeal Board, the agreement is not to be construed as an admission of liability or wrongdoing on the part of the state or the parties named in the lawsuit. The appeal board approved the settlement without discussion Monday. According to court documents, the corrections departments general counsel and inspector general Michael Savala fired Sneitzer in 2017, alleging that she continued to disregard multiple supervisory directives. Sneitzer responded, during a department investigation conducted by Savala and later in court documents, that Savalas actions were harassing, discriminatory, and retaliatory. A shooting involving law enforcement outside a fast food restaurant in Sioux Falls has left one person dead. Local police say Sioux Falls officers and a Minnehaha County sheriffs deputy made a traffic stop about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday outside a Burger King when at least one individual fired at the officers. Authorities say law enforcement returned fire and one person was fatally shot. Officials did not say who was killed or describe his or her role in the incident. Witnesses say about 10 to 12 gunshots could be heard. Investigators cordoned off the area around the Burger King, including yellow police tape at the drive-thru. Patrons of the restaurant waited in their vehicles to be cleared from the scene. Every Halloween, when I see warnings to parents to check their kids candy in case someone has slipped edibles into the Sour Patch Kids, I have two thoughts in rapid succession: 1) Who would do that? Gummies are expensive! and 2) Remember Go Ask Alice? The supposed 1971 diary of a white teenage suburbanite who gets slipped LSD in a Coke at a party, then slides into addiction and ruin, contains multiple instances of spikingthe iconic first Coke; then, during a time when Alice is trying to get clean, the joints her former grass gang plants in her purse and locker; and, finally, the acid an ex-friend puts on her chocolate-covered peanuts, which drives Alice over the edge into psychosis. Advertisement The grim idea that innocent kids may become addicts without ever taking a drug on purpose, victims of a cruel and unforgiving youth culture, has been embedded in American life for decades, and Go Ask Alice was foundational to it. It was also all made up. Rick Emersons new book Unmask Alice is a dogged unearthing, and attempted undoing, of all the falsehoods that went into the production of Alice and the other teen journals edited by Beatrice Sparks, a housewife and devout Latter-day Saint from Provo, Utah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Alice hit it big, Sparks, an ambitious fiftysomething, had tried and failed to get published for years, living off her husbands earnings in the oil industry while she churned out book proposals, advice columns, and pitches to agents. In one of the many interesting side stories packed into this book, Emerson explains that Go Ask Alice made it to market because of talk-show host Art Linkletter. Linkletters daughter Diane, barely 21, died by suicide in 1969, and Linkletter came to think this happened because she had been taking LSD. Sparks, hearing the story, pitched him on her idea of a diary of a lost girl, and it fit his priors. It was the perfect pitch at the perfect time. It was, after all, a story Art Linkletter already believed, Emerson writes. Linkletters literary agency got the manuscriptwhich came in the form of a stack of loose sheets and scribbled-over receipts shoved into a paper bagto Prentice-Hall, where editor Kathryn Fitzgerald took it. Fitzgerald, overhearing a whistling colleague in the hallway, was the one who came up with the idea of pulling the lyric go ask Alice from the Jefferson Airplane song White Rabbit, and using it as the title. (The diarist goes unnamed throughout the book, adding to the mystery.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because Sparks had sold the manuscript as a real diary, which Fitzgerald then did the work of putting together, she couldnt get her name onto the book. The publishing company, quite rightly, thought that teenagers might be less likely to read something with an adults name on the cover, and since Sparks didnt claim to have written the diary, she couldnt complain. Emerson surmises that this must have driven Sparks wild with frustration. As Emerson finds when surveying reviews, newspapers across the country took Alice as factwith some exceptions. Even so, screenwriter Ellen Violett, who adapted Alice for TV in 1972, remembered hearing all around Hollywood that Alice was fake. Advertisement Advertisement After Alice, Sparks pitched a series of follow-ups, which she hoped would have her name on them, including self-help books and her story of fostering a Navajo teen. They went nowhere. Everything read like a first draft, with lots of flailing and repetition, Emerson writes. Worst of all was Sparks tone, which clucked and scolded like an angry bluebird, equal parts cheer and fury. Advertisement What worked was going back to the found diary trick. The middle section of Emersons book is about Jays Journal, a less popular but still respectable-selling follow-up to Alice, which was based on the life of Alden Barrett, the teenage son of another LDS family living in Utah. Alden died just as Alice was taking off. A sensitive and bright teenager who suffered from depression, he had been at constant odds with his familyquestioning the doctrines of the LDS church, stealing pills, briefly running away. After a bad breakup with a girl who loved him but whose parents blocked their relationship, he died by suicide in his parents home. He left behind a diary. Advertisement Advertisement Aldens mother, Marcella Barrett, gave that diary to Beatrice Sparks, against her husbands wishes, thinking that she could publicize Aldens life so that other people could see warning signs in their own children. Sparks made it into something totally different: a story of Jay, who, over the span of 18 months, drinks and takes pills, then starts using a Ouija board, then moves on to serious Satanism. He has a midnight cemetery wedding ceremony with his girlfriend, where they slash their tongues before kissing, so that their blood mingles together, and then kill a kitten. Hes later possessed by a demon named Raul. Sparks used two dozen entries from Aldens diary and then added 190, including all of the violent and occult material, Emerson notes. The result of this audacious fabrication was, for Aldens family, catastrophic. They were ostracized in their town, and Aldens gravestone was desecrated and stolen; the parents divorced, and the rest of the family scattered, leaving their community behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is a gothic quality to all of Sparks stories of teen ruin. If Sparks, who died in 2000, were alive today, she would find a welcome home in the QAnon-adjacent online community, producing some of its best underground-tunnel fan fiction. Some of Alice is incredibly lurid: When Alice is having her psychological breakdown, she sees her grandpas worm-infested corpse trying to embrace her, and then she feels flies and worms all over her bodyeating parts of her that include, as the book is careful to detail, her vagina. Alice was brutal, shoving your face in shit, Emerson writes. In the early 90s, Avon Books published Sparks It Happened to Nancy, a book about a girl who falls in love, has sex with an older man, and dies of AIDS, moving from diagnosis to death in a lightning-quick 23 months. In Sparks world, teenagersespecially girlsare so fragile, they can basically implode upon contact with the world. Advertisement Advertisement Most reviews of Unmask Alice focus on Go Ask Alice, which is fair; its the most iconic of Sparks oeuvre. But Sparks was eventually to publish a shelf full of books of this kind, and I find their massed ranks equally fascinating. Besides Voices, Nancy, and Jays Journal, theres Treacherous Love (about a teen seduced by a teacher); Annies Baby (a teen mom); Almost Lost: The True Story of an Anonymous Teenagers Life on the Streets (a runaway); and more. By the end of her career, Sparks had figured out that she should say, when asked about where she got these tales, that these were stories from her patients. But there were no case studies. There were no patients. There was no clinical practice, Emerson writes indignantly. Beatrice Sparks was no more a psychologist than she was a Sasquatch, and even a lazy editor could have unraveled the lies with a single phone call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the New Yorker, Casey Cep takes issue with Emersons single-mindedness in pursuit of Sparks wrongdoing, writing: Emersons belief that anything bunk should be debunked is undermined by the Torquemada-like zeal with which he tries to hold one huckstering grandmother responsible for international moral panics and the dishonest tactics of the publishing industry. Does he get overzealous? In places. In some sections, which get long and baggy with detail, he clearly could have used a strong editor. But Sparks responsibility for todays new culture of moral panic around the lives of teenagers and kids isnt small. The flare-ups of the Satanic Panic era did real damagesay, to Alden Barretts family, or to the people accused of molesting kids in tunnels under day caresand although many now debunk and reject stories from that era, others still seem to harbor a suspicion that some of that might have been real. Publishing houses who have reaped the profits of Sparks work know that its not just moral-panicky Mormons and present-day Moms of Liberty who could find themselves awake at 3 a.m., wondering what will happen when their kids meet the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why Unmask Alice is more than the story of a (frankly) somewhat deranged older lady who let her imagination and ambition and self-righteousness run away with her. I was struck, reading it, by the fact that the talk-show host Art Linkletter was (besides Dianes father) the originator of Kids Say the Dardnest Things!, an interview segment on his show that became a compilation that sold more than 5 million copies in 1957. Kids between the ages of about 3 and 8, as anyone whos had one (or been around one) knows, blurt forth random sentences that are like glimpses into another world. (My 5-year-old, after losing her first tooth recently, told me that the tooth fell out on her mattress overnight, then just LAY there, telling me secrets.) Parents treasure those moments, because they suggest so much more lies behind the curtain; they also come from children who are young enough to still be willing to share. Advertisement Advertisement Then the kids keep growing, and maybe dont say as much, parents must learn to manage their anxiety about all the unknownsor, they go down a bad road, clamping down hard and letting their worst fears rule the roost. Books like Sparks speak to the darkest fears of parents whose kids minds and lives have become obscure to them. And they still appeal to somebody. On Amazon, Alice has four-and-a-half stars. Slate receives a commission when you purchase items using the links on this page. Thank you for your support. Photo: Emergency crews respond to a Snowbird plane crash at the North Peace Regional Airport, Aug. 2, 2022. A Canadian Forces Snowbird pilot escaped serious injury Tuesday after their plane crashed during takeoff in Fort St. John. Emergency crews converged in a hay field southeast of the North Peace Regional Airport shortly after 12 p.m. following the crash. Major Trevor Reid with the Snowbirds team says the CT-114 Tutor suffered whats being called a "hard landing" while taking off from the airport. The pilot was not physically injured and was being checked on by a medical team. "The aircraft did have a hard landing and the sole occupant, the pilot, did not suffer physical injuries but is being medically assessed as per RCAF policies," said Reid. The Snowbirds demonstration team was in town for the return of the International Airshow over the weekend. Most of the team has since flown to Penticton for a performance there, however, on Tuesday afternoon there was one intact Snowbird plane seen on the tarmac where they had staged for the airshow. Reid said its too early to determine the status of the Snowbird still at the airport as well as the teams scheduled appearance in Penticton. Airport officials say the emergency operations centre has been activated, and airport firefighters and the Fort St. John fire department were on scene. A witness in the area reported hearing what sounded a plane with engine trouble, however, airport officials say the cause of crash is not known and still under investigation. RCMP Cst. Chad Neustaeter said RCMP members are also on scene "to assist with the initial emergency response but details are yet to be determined." Officials say they are working to determine what the operational impacts are to the airport. "Despite all of the safety precautions that are taken, incidents do happen and its heart-breaking in the air show world," a statement from airshow organizers said. "The North Peace Regional Airport is working with local first responders and ground crews to attend to the pilot and their aircraft. We ask that during this time you are respectful of the families of the pilots who were involved in the incident and ensure that anything you share comes from official source." When I was a homeless 16-year-old, I learned that my chance at upward mobility hinged on marketing. Id just spent weeks bouncing between peoples sofas, punctuated by several nights sleeping in an unheated stairwell while the Minnesota windchill dipped to negative 20 degrees. When Id returned to the boarding school I attended on scholarship, Id immediately headed to the library, more certain than ever that college was my only way out, but equally unsure of how to get in. Advertisement There, nestled among the test prep tomes, I discovered my new favorite book. Rock Hard Apps, written by an ageless celebrity admissions consultant whose students called her Dr. Kat, taught me that every successful applicant to the top schools had a shtick: legacy, recruited athlete, organ player. The fictional characters in the book snagged their admissions letters by packaging themselves, transforming their high school careers into attractive narratives. My only conceivable selling point was the awful things Id triumphed over with courage and mettle, although I hadnt exactly overcome those circumstances: They were ongoing. Yet it appeared that in order to escape my past, Id need to package it first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I sat on the floor of the library, terrified. Compared with me, the books invented protagonists had simple histories. I had no idea where Id even start: my mom, a charming hoarder whod gotten me put on antipsychotics? Our dire financial situation? My other parents disappearance after coming out as trans? The cloud of psychiatric diagnoses that represented the welfare systems preferred response to chaotic childhoods? My mom would kill me if I talked about the year Id spent in foster care. My problems had been somewhat more consequential than the books example of missing a year of French club: Id been hospitalized for mental health issues five times, culminating in eight months in a locked facility. And no one would cover up my misdeeds, as one fictional students father hadinstead, I sensed my mom would be the first person to throw me under the bus. Worst of all, I feared that the facts of my life had made me an unreliable narrator, right when I most needed to be believed. Advertisement Advertisement According to a news article, Dr. Kats Platinum Package cost more than $30,000. I tried to imagine going over the griefs and humiliations of my life with my school counselor, who knew nothing about my family and had no time for me on her best day, and failed. Then I noticed that Dr. Kat did pro bono work. I Googled pro bono and learned it meant for free. So I burned my best art-class photographs onto a CD and stuffed it into an envelope with some of my poems. In a fit, I wrote a letter about my life, begging her to take me on. I was never that candid, but Dr. Kat was a stranger who would probably throw my sob story in the trash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But five months laterafter the dorms closed for the summer and Id hitched a ride across the country with a classmate and slept on her sofa until her mom dropped me off at the Greyhound station, then crashed with another friend, followed by a thirdI got an email. Dr. Kat had chosen me for pro-bono services that value $16,775. When Dr. Kat called me, her voice sounded scratchy, as though by 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, shed already spent a full day telling people what to do. She asked me what I was doing that summer. Well, Im at topology camp right now, at Stanford, I said, as if I knew what topology meant. Then Im going to AP Chemistry camp at Northwestern. I didnt waste Dr. Kats time with any of the uncertainties, the unplanned inbetweens, and I sighed in relief when she seemed pleased. She explained that two documents were most important: my personal statement and a Letter of Extenuating Circumstances, which would explain my background to colleges. Advertisement Advertisement We just want to tell your story, she cooed. Im glad Im here to help, because its not going to be easy. Advertisement Advertisement Her warning, despite its warmth, struck me after I flipped my phone shut. Of course it wasnt going to be easy. Nothing so far had been. But I realized Dr. Kat was telling me that this wasnt hard in a standardized-test way or even a finding-housing way, but in an all-consuming, almost spiritual waya grueling task even for a celebrity college consultant. Even with Dr. Kat on my side, my life remained chaotic. I worked on the essays on buses and other peoples sofas and at a succession of fast-food restaurants, where I drank unlimited refills of pop to stay full. Five days before I owed her my essay drafts, I had to get surgery. I thought I would wake up from anesthesia and immediately get to writing. But at the friends house where I was meant to stay, beer cans and dog turds littered the carpet. Her boyfriend smoked menacingly at the kitchen table and seemed overly curious about my Vicodin. A vague sense of unease wasnt enough to get me to leave. Only the thought I cant write my essays here motivated me to sneak out, leaving the front door unlocked behind me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I went to the library, where I couldnt focus on my laptop screen. Colleges demanded to know who I was. Who was I? I was hungry; I hadnt eaten since the day before: a protein bar after surgery. Who was I? I wanted to cry. I didnt know. My other big task was no easier: the Letter of Extenuating Circumstances providing context for my life. But I had no context. I was still in the middle of it. I only had the story adults had told me: that Id gone to the hospital and residential treatment because I was bad, attention-seeking, someone who refused to choose to be well. Even entering foster care was portrayed as essentially my fault. There had been no court hearings, no judge, no investigationthough my mom was a hoarder who smelled like her house, mouse pee mixed with trash, she was white with a middle-class job and a cheerful, persuasive personality. My social worker, who specialized in teenage girls sick enough to be our own problems, had never even been past our front door. Advertisement As for why I had nowhere to sleep that night, I blamed myself for my poor planning, though my mentor, my doctor, and I had begged my mom all spring to call my social worker: One phone call wouldve gotten me a respite bed in a quiet house, where I could have worked on my essays all day every day with hot meals and showers. My mom had refused. But I didnt feel like I could blame her: for years, everyone from therapists to my old foster parents had drilled into me that only I was responsible for my outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement When security came to shut down the library, I sent off my drafts, hating myself for how bad they were, and drove around looking for a parking lot where I could sleep, somewhere quiet enough to get some rest, busy enough that no one would try to hurt me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, Dr. Kat called me. Whats wrong that you cant finish your essays? The traffic outside my car fell away. It was just me and the terrifying woman on the phone, my only hope, who now seemed ready to drop me. Look. Im sorry. Im trying. I just had surgery, and now I dont have anywhere to go, OK? Ive been sleeping in my car. I tried my hardest not to sob, but I did. Telling the committees the story of overcoming they wanted to hear was the only way to make that story true. What? Whats going on? Her voice softened. I havent lived at home since I was 14, remember? I sucked the snot back into my nose. I ran out of places to go during break. She asked if Id informed my school that I was homeless. Advertisement No. That never would have occurred to me. Do I have to? Yes. You do, Dr. Kat said. Go to a shelter. Call the guidance office right away from the shelter. Explain the situation. Tell them everything. You need to leave a trail. I shut my eyes and clenched my jaw: Dr. Kat wanted me to have a place to sleep, but she also wanted me to collect evidence. The last thing I wanted was for people to see me in this state, to witness the lowest moments of my life, record them, and trot them out later. But the documentation might make the difference between acceptance and rejection, a golden ticket out instead of more years struggling. Even as I headed to the shelter, the idea made me so upset that I trembled. Advertisement Dr. Kat rejected my self-blaming drafts of the letter explaining my circumstances, seeming annoyed and confused. She wanted me to say things that no adult had put so baldly: that my mom was a hoarder with mental health issues, that her home was uninhabitable, and that as a result, I was homeless. Its complicated, I protested. Anything that negated my agency, that framed me as a helpless child tossed on the rough seas of neglectful parenting and the child welfare system, felt like a lie, or like I was refusing to acknowledge that others had it worse. And despite everything, my mom was still my mom, who had picked me up from my foster parents McMansion and taken me to figure drawing classes; when we sang in the car, we harmonized effortlessly. I didnt want to cast her as the villain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Look, if I dont understand, theres no way colleges are going to, Dr. Kat explained, meaning that if they didnt understand, I wouldnt get in. My chance at upward mobility relied on depicting myself as someone who had triumphed over adversity. Without framing, my credentials were good but not spectacular. But creating that framing required distance I lacked. No one besides my mom had ever narrativized my life for me; when shed found a crumpled-up draft of my Letter of Extenuating Circumstances that fell out of my backpack on my way to the bus station after the shelter, shed taken the liberty of writing her own version, closing with the instruction, Overcome victimhood. Advertisement Was I doing the opposite? Letting victimhood overcome me? After all, Id never been beaten. Id never slept on the sidewalk. For years, adults had forced me to take responsibility for my problems. Now Kat was urging the opposite. She wanted me to explain my misfortunes as if they proved my fortitude and were, indeed, the forge for my tremendous character. After I submitted my applications, admissions officers interrogated me in my nightmares. Does sleeping in your car really make you homeless? Isnt it true your mother gave you a 1992 Corolla? Advertisement Why are you abusing Adderall? Why are you making yourself throw up? My interrogators asked me about everything I hadnt told the schools. They called me to account for my imperfections, for the unhealthy coping mechanisms I clung to in a time of intense uncertainty. It seemed deeply unjust that I could omit the ways Id fucked up when others could not. After an early rejection revealed that my time in treatment was a liability, Id excised any mention of mental illness from my other applications. Would you feel like you needed to disclose cancer? Dr. Kat asked me. I said no, but it felt different. I was aware that I could have just as easily been funneled into the justice system and gotten a record I wouldnt be able to scrub. I also assumed that the other applicants were completely forthcoming with their tribulations and rough patches. Otherwise, wouldnt their parents tell on them somehow? The idea of adults shielding kids from their mistakes seemed bizarre. Advertisement Advertisement I woke up in a clammy sweat, pulse throbbing in my wrist. The nocturnal admissions officers were right: I wasnt the perfect overcomer I presented in my applications. I wasnt the worst-off person in the world, and I was still affected by the tragedies I claimed Id triumphed over. Those facts made me feel like a lie, a sham, undeserving of the security I craved most. Advertisement Advertisement By mid-February, I fielded emails from colleges every day. Because Id filed the federal financial aid forms as an independent student, they wanted to know if I was an orphan or a ward of the courts. Each individual school needed to verify my story. They wanted documentation I didnt have; all my former social worker would provide was a bland write-up saying I was a good person. Just thinking about it made my mouth hot with bile. Advertisement Dr. Kat decided I needed more support. My mentor Annette, assigned to me by Hennepin County a few years before, wrote a letter, recounting my adolescence in her typically frank manner: I have been in her mothers house, and it is not possible for Margaret to sleep there. The place is filled to the top with garbage, and everything is covered with mouse and dog excrements. There is no bathroom, no warm water, and no central heat. Even if Id had that level of perspective on my situation, I could never have been so blunt. The description would have sounded negative coming from me; burdened with the task of overcoming, I couldnt have a bad attitude. No one required that from Annette. She was an objective outside observer who could sign at the end with her professional titles. Advertisement Advertisement I grimaced reading what she wrote, its half-truths leaping out at me: My moms house was filled waist-high, not to the ceilings, with garbage; there was a bathroom, even if the tub was filled with junk that couldnt be moved. But I sensed no one would pick apart Annettes words for veracity. Her authority, her distance from the situation, earned her the right to get the gist across without obsessing over details. Advertisement When Annette sent the letter to schools, I was grateful, but I wondered if the support of a trustworthy, distinguished person would prove to be more important than anything I could say for myself. On April 1, 2010, at 3:00 p.m., at a computer in the Seattle public library, I read the subject line: Your application to Harvard College. Advertisement My cursor shook as I clicked. Dear Ms. Nietfeld I am delighted to inform you I screamed. My voice echoed, bouncing against the glass walls. My chest filled with light. My legs took off, past the other disheveled patrons at computers, down the escalators, out into the drizzle, where I kept screaming, Yes, yes, yes! In that moment, everything was worth it. Any lie, any omission wouldve been a small price for my new, unrecognizable future. Advertisement Advertisement But in the years that followed, the simplified story Id told loomed large. I felt like Id cheated my way into the Ivy League. After I graduated, and the benefits of my alma mater accrueda job at Google, an address in the West Village, a New York Times wedding announcementso did the guilt. When it became too much to bear in my mid-20s, I began writing about what happened, ready to confess and atone for my sins, just as Id endeavored to do in my first drafts. Yet as I reviewed documentation from my adolescence and began interviewing people, I found that in fact, the version of events that Dr. Kat helped me craft was the more accurate one. As a teenager, Id had no way to know that Annette was filing maltreatment reports that went nowhere or that my medical records contained as much about my moms diagnoses as my own. Nearly a decade passed before my county faced a class-action lawsuit for violating childrens rights. The claims were eerily familiar: failing to investigate reports, making necessary interventions voluntary, neglecting to contact relatives that couldve housed kids. Even with my newfound resources and the help of multiple attorneys, I was unable to access my foster care file, proving how hard it could be to locate the truth at all. Advertisement Advertisement Adolescents in impossible situations are held to impossible standards. In high school, I couldnt understand why most adults I knew were so punitive and Dr. Kat was so forgiving (though I suspected it had to do with her being rich and living in Manhattan), but without her I couldnt have navigated the catch-22s that defined my predicament. The same problems Id used to portray myself as victorious nearly hamstrung my ability to portray myself at all. Telling the committees the story of overcoming they wanted to hear was the only way to make that story true. Im only a reliable narrator today because my narrative earned me the credentials that make me believable. And even now, Im not immunewhen I read about the latest child who has transcended poverty with sheer force of will, I assume she has no secrets, nothing unspeakable. Then I look closer at her face, chosen like mine once was, as that of someone who could one day slip into the elite. I wonder if we share the same silences. Advertisement This article is adapted with permission from the memoir Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld. Copyright 2022 by Emi Nietfeld. Published by Penguin Press, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Slate receives a commission when you purchase items using the links on this page. Thank you for your support. Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group. Dear Care and Feeding, My husband and I have a 5-year-old daughter. We are sending her away with her aunt to visit my husbands parents for 12 days in August. My husband and I will stay home to work during this time but are excited about our daughter finally getting to reunite with my husbands family after 3 years of Covid separation. They plan to spend that time at the family cottage on a lake, where our daughter will be with her grandparents, two aunts, and her great-uncle. Now that the trip approaches, I find myself becoming increasingly anxious at the prospect of sending my young daughter off and potentially being alone with two menher great-uncle (a lifelong bachelor whom I dont know well) and her grandfather (who himself raised two daughters and seems very trustworthy from all our past interactions). I have no reason to suspect these men have nefarious intents, but at the same time, I am generally suspicious of how society sexualizes women and girls and often feel worried about my daughter being alone and potentially abused by a family member (I have friends who were abused by uncles when they were young). Now Im considering requesting that my sister-in-law ensure my daughter is never alone with any man during their visit. My husband thinks Im being overly paranoidam I? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paranoid or Realistic? Dear Paranoid or Realistic, Youre certainly not being paranoid. Similarly, I know my share of people who were abused by family members when they were young, and I wouldnt feel comfortable sending either of my daughters on a trip like that. With that in mind, Im not sure how effective it will be to tell your sister-in-law to keep an eye on your daughter at all times. Although she may agree to do so, she wont be able to watch her 24/7not to mention, thats a pretty hefty responsibility to place on someone who isnt a part of your immediate family. Can you or your husband go on this trip as well? With so many companies allowing remote work, maybe its possible one of you can continue to work while also being there for your child. Advertisement Advertisement I know not everyone will agree with my assessment, but I believe 5 years old is too young for a kid to be away from her parents for almost two weeks on vacation. Also, if your intuition is telling you that something isnt right, then you should trust it. Im not saying you should deny your daughter the experience of hanging out with her grandparents, I just think one of her parents should be there, too. Dear Care and Feeding, Our kids go to a well-funded, modern public school, much like my husband did. Our older daughter took to reading quickly (end of pre-k/ beginning of kindergarten), but our son is almost seven and still not there. His teacher was reluctant about allowing him into first grade, and my husband is equally concerned. I dont share the urgency. We have a house full of books, and I am happy to do lots of reading aloud, reading together and modeling. Im not usually the laid-back parent but I feel like we can wait a few years before panicking, especially because hes meeting all the other milestones easily, which is what pushed him towards first grade in the end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was a deeply stubborn kid, and I got my elementary education in a very old-fashioned rural public school, so you can imagine exactly how that went. I didnt learn to read until age eight, when I decided I was ready. Although it was frustrating, I thrived anyway by middle school Id read the school library top to bottom, and I went on to get a full ride to a good college on the strength of my writing. My successful professional career today involves absorbing a lot of written material quickly. Am I mapping too much of my experience on to my son? Should we be pushing harder at this point, or is it fine to wait and see? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not Reading Yet In NY Dear Not Reading, I dont think you need to push the panic button right now. I was also a late bloomer who didnt read, write, or speak well for the majority of my early childhoodand unlike your son, I had one teacher who flat out told me that I wouldnt amount to much. Now Im an avid reader, an author, and a public speaker. Thats not meant to be a humble bragI want to give you peace of mind that kids often operate at their own pace. One thing I cannot stress enough is how incredibly influential my mom was during my aforementioned academic struggles. When that teacher made her hurtful comment to me, my mom was right there telling me how amazing I wasand she kept doing it throughout my childhood. Its not hyperbole for me to say theres no way in the world I would be where I am right now without her love and support during those times. My message to you is to continue to do the same for your sonbecause there will be outside forces (teachers, other kids, random family members, etc.) who will line up to say that your son isnt good enough due to not reading yet. Advertisement Advertisement Of course you should be on the lookout for severe developmental issues for your son. It might be worth having a second conversation with his teacher last year to get a bit more information, and it also might be worth having a conversation with his teacher this year about his past teachers concerns. But it is also possible that what hes experiencing is normal. In the meantime, consistent positive words and reinforcement from you will mean the world to him. Catch Up on Care and Feeding If you missed Mondays column, read it here. Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group! I am writing to you, Doyin, since you often advocate for the mental health of dads. My husband and I have three wonderful kids (5,3,1) who we both adore. He is generally a great dad, but between the pandemic and our third child, its been tough. He is overwhelmed and stressed often, if not nearly all the time, and it comes out as a lot of snapping at the kids and being angry with me. I dont like the level of do this, do that, dont do this, dont do that and how frequently he loses patience, and I will contradict him when I think the kids are not doing anything wrong, or I think they should be treated more respectfully (which also makes him angry with me). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not a great dynamic, and after my own crappy childhood Id really like to do better for my kids. For what its worth, they are great kids and will generally listen and do whats been asked when I ask them calmly. All that being said, I recently had it pointed out to me that the way he behaves may be a symptom of clinical depression. I think that may be possible, and it would certainly explain a lot, but how on earth would I encourage him to look into that? Outright suggesting that he may be depressed would almost certainly get me yelled at, but I would love to find a way to bring my husband some relief, and make our home a little calmer. Do you have any suggestions for how I could encourage him to seek some help? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Coast Wife Dear West Coast Wife, First off, thank you for reaching out to me directly with this. I was in your husbands shoes prior to getting the help I needed for my clinical depression, and needless to say it was a difficult time for my entire family. Lets start with the bad news firstthere truly isnt a way you can get him to reap the benefits of professional help without him first realizing he has a problem. I know that may seem like common sense, but its an important thing to understand. If you dragged him into a therapists office right now, he would just sit there unengaged with his arms folded until the session ended, because he thinks hes just fine. Advertisement Advertisement The good news is its possible for him to get it as long as he has the proper motivation to change. In my case, it took my wife, my brother, and my mom to intervene and basically say, Look dude, the way youre carrying yourself is toxic to yourself and others, and we cant stand by and allow it to continue. We love you, but were done if you dont take the proper steps to get help. Even though I was in a less than reasonable mindset back then, I had the wherewithal to realize that if three separate people complained about my behavior, then I must be the problem. I scheduled a therapy appointment shortly afterwards, and now my depression is under control and Ill in September, Ill have been sober for six years straight. It was the aggressive wake-up call I needed, and hopefully it will serve your husband as well. Advertisement Depending on how serious this situation is for you, I suggest a similar approach with your husband. If you have friends and family members who agree with your assessment of his behavior, then you should have them by your side (virtually or in-person) when you discuss this with him. Most importantly, you need to be firm with him. I know from personal experience that a soft conversation along the lines of, You know, um, you seem kinda stressed out. I dont know, but maybe youre depressed? wouldnt have worked at all. I needed multiple people to lay down the law and essentially say, Enough is enough. Get your life together, or were done. Even if you dont have allies in this fight, it can be effective if done alone. Your goal is to simply look him straight in the eyes and say his current state of behavior is unacceptable to you and cant be continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next step will most likely require some handholding. I went to therapy on my own after the intervention, but Ive noticed that isnt always the case with others. You should offer a warm demand (not a suggestion) that you go to therapy together to work out your issues. That probably means youll have to handle the heavy lifting of scheduling the appointment, securing childcare, etc., but it will be worth it in the long run to hash this out. On a positive note, any therapist worth a damn wont allow him to skate by without taking some level of responsibility for his behavior. But as I said earlier, all of this stems on his ability to point the finger at himself. If hes able to do that, theres a high likelihood your story will have a happy ending like mine did. If not, then you may have a difficult decision to make regarding your long-term future with him. Advertisement Again, you must be firm about what you want for yourself and your family and never waiver from it. No matter what happens from there, you have to be at peace with knowing you stood up for the right thing. I hope he decides that his family is worth taking the requisite actions to improve. Want Advice From Care and Feeding? Submit your questions about parenting and family life here. Its anonymous! (Questions may be edited for publication.) Dear Care and Feeding, I have a question about how to deal with racism in my family and how to shield my son from it. My white mother recently made a comment about my Black cousin, saying hes such a better father than most Black men because he is there for his kids and he has a stable job. I stopped her and said, thats an untrue stereotype about Black men, she interrupted me and said where she lived it was true. I told her that was racist, and I didnt want her saying that in front of my son. She kept trying to defend her comment and I said, Lets not go there. Youre not talking like that in front of my child. Advertisement Advertisement She has made other comments about how my son has chinky eyes like her (I finally got her to stop saying that, at least) and how certain types of people act certain types of ways. I dont know if Im handling this correctly, if Im overreacting, or being one of those annoying woke people. I want to do the right thing and I dont want my son to think these sorts of comments are OK. Do you have any advice on how to handle these types of situations in the future? My relationship with my mother is hanging by a thread, but Im willing to cut that thread if necessary to protect my son. Advertisement Advertisement Concerned Southern Mother Advertisement Dear Concerned Southern Mother, Before I dive in, let me address your woke comment. Words cannot describe how much I hate the fact that this word was hijacked and is now used as a pejorative by many people. If woke means protecting the rights of marginalized people, then Im proud to be it, even if less enlightened people view me as annoying. In the interest of being direct, your mom has some pretty obnoxious racist opinions, and as a Black dad myself, I will be the first to say that her viewpoints on Black fatherhood are comically inaccurate. I cannot count the vast amount of great Black dads I know, including my two brothers, and a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows that Black men are the most involved fathers in America. That notwithstanding, just using an ethnic slur to describe your sons eyes would be bad enough. Advertisement I think you need to ask yourself why you would want an obvious racist in your life or your sons life. What possible value could she add? I know I wouldnt willingly have anyone around my children who feels the way she does, and it seems that you would agree with me. If you arent close with her, I would suggest that you cut her off completely. I know it seems like the nuclear option, but Im not in favor of negotiating with terrorists, and thats exactly what racists are. Advertisement If you think thats too harsh, then at the bare minimum you should flat out tell her that any racist comments should be kept to herself. Of course that doesnt mean shell stop being racist, but at least youll put her on notice that she cant be racist around you and your son. If she refuses to listen, then you should choose to do what Ive mentioned before in this columnlove her from a distance. Advertisement I think weve tried to play nice with racists for too long and after 400+ years, it simply hasnt worked. Its time that we stop allowing them to work for our companies, hang out with our children, and welcoming them into our communities. If people cant understand that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their skin color, then we should marginalize them as they choose to marginalize people of color. Some would argue that two wrongs dont make a right, but I dont see anything wrong with not wanting to be cordial with bigots. Hopefully your mom will eventually see the light, but you shouldnt put her anywhere near your son until she does. Doyin More Advice From Slate Im currently attending college, and to help pay for various expenses I got a summer job at a daycare. A few weeks ago, a parent accused me of making an inappropriate hand gesture at them during pick up. I didnt do it; Ive never had so much as a conversation with this woman. What should I do? The fallout from the Supreme Courts June 24 decision overturning Roe v. Wade has been predictably brutal for pregnant patients with a medical emergency. The ruling unleashed a new crop of abortion bans with vague, narrow exceptions for the life of the mother that force doctors to decide when a patient is sufficiently close to death to justify termination. The courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization has pushed hospitals into a frightening and dangerous position: If they follow the long-established standards of care, they might face prosecution; if they follow state law, they might kill their patients. Advertisement Every week, more horror stories emerge about women who are denied lifesaving care because of abortion bans. To experts on reproductive health care, these tragedies were no surprise. Sonia M. Sutera professor at the George Washington University Law School, bioethicist, and former genetic counselorhas long studied the catastrophic impact of abortion restrictions on maternal health care. On Monday, we spoke about the crises roiling hospitals after Dobbs and the profound damage that the decision will inflict on obstetric care in red states. Our conversation has been edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Joseph Stern: Can you talk about how abortion bans affect care for pregnant patients at hospitals in red states? Sonia M. Suter: In theory, the best interest of the patient should affect what the hospital does, because a hospital not acting in the best interest of the patient could lead to legal liability. You could definitely have a real conflict now, because what the law requires has nothing to do with the best interest of the patient in many ways. Were already seeing those conflicts. In the past, hospitals had more freedom to defer to medical judgment. Now medical judgment seems to take a backseatits not relevant anymore. You have to ask, does this case fit within any exception the law allows? Advertisement Advertisement Is there a risk that decision-makers at a hospital, like an ethics committee, could be liable if they greenlight an abortion thats deemed illegal by the state? I think there is absolutely that risk. Thats why were seeing hospitals err on the more conservative side. Even if there are indications of infection already, the patient has to be really, really sick to fit within the exceptions. Thats why theyre making bad decisions from a health care perspective. The costs to the providers and hospital are so high. Advertisement How do those fears intersect with concern about medical malpractice suits? Before, if you didnt act in the patients best interest, you could be at risk of liability. Now, youre in between a rock and a hard place, because what if the patient dies and theres a wrongful death suit? It looks like you didnt do what you needed to do to save the patients life. Youre trying to thread a needle so you prevent her from dying but dont look like youre aiding and abetting an abortion thats not allowed. Its a horrible situation to put hospitals and doctors in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So if you dont act in the best interest of the patient, you might get sued. But if you do, you might get prosecuted. Normally when youre facing medical decisions, youre worried about medical liabilityyoure not worried about criminal liability. Its such a change. If you followed the standard of care, you were pretty insulated. Criminalizing what has been an essential part of health care changes everything. Along with ethics committees, many hospitals have risk-management consultants and in-house counsel. How do they affect care for pregnant patients in an emergency? Advertisement Advertisement Before Dobbs, if the patient had an incomplete miscarriage, or the pregnancy was failing, most of the time doctors made those decisions on their own without bringing these other actors in. Dobbs is changing how doctors do care and changing the relationship between doctors and the institution. All these legal questions are putting these actors in the doctor-patient relationship who ordinarily wouldnt be there. Its preventing doctors from thinking through what the patient needs. All these other people are coming in and bringing these concerns that dont get to what is best for this patient medically. Its all to the detriment of the patient. Advertisement Advertisement Imagine a patient dies after a doctor refuses to terminate her pregnancy because of an abortion ban. Her family sues for wrongful death. What happens? A defense could be: Look, we thought we were complying with the law. The standard has been defined by the law, even though, medically, the standard was something else. Laws prohibiting abortions could be a defense. I dont think we know how this is going to play out; thats whats so difficult for doctors. Theres no decision that doesnt subject them to some risk of liability. One is a risk of civil liability; the other is a risk of civil and criminal liability. Youre going to err more on the side of preventing the two types of liability rather than just the one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, though, you cant avoid malpractice suits by insisting that you complied with the law. You cant just, say, its fine, theres no chance theyll bring a wrongful death suit. You dont know how juries are going to weigh this. Its all so new, establishing what the standard of care is now. And when theres all that uncertainty, it puts you at riskwhats a jury going to say? How do those trials typically play out? Usually, youd get testimony from experts looking at how health care providers generally handle this kind of situation. Its really the jury weighing the testimony of the different experts, looking at the practice of medicine, and trying to figure out what a reasonable doctor would do in these circumstances. The law has tended to defer to medical expertise. These abortion laws are a huge movement away from that, because they dont care about medical expertise. It doesnt matter now. States have defined a new standard here thats in conflict with ethical standards. Advertisement How will Dobbs affect the field of obstetrics more broadly? Theres going to be fewer and fewer obstetricians. Who would want to do this work anymore? Its too fraught. Even if you dont provide abortions regularly, sometimes thats how youre going to manage pregnancies. Even if you have laws that allow for exceptions, will there be anybody left whos trained to do an abortion? You have to train these people! How are we going to do the medical education to perform abortions at medical schools in Texas? Even if it was clear to everybody that an abortion was allowed under the law, will there be anybody left who can do it? Advertisement Advertisement A lot of the stories so far involve second-trimester pregnancies, too; its not as simple as prescribing a medication abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These cases require special training. Theyre just more complicated and higher risk. I wouldnt want somebody doing that procedure who hadnt had the training. The risks would be higher. Do you think there will be a gap between the quality of obstetrics in red and blue states? Yes. There will be fewer people practicing in red states and less training in techniques that are needed for part of essential obstetric care. Have we witnessed any other examples of abortion bans creating inferior obstetric care? Of course. Obstetricians generally do a sonogram at 20 weeks to make sure everything looks OK anatomically. In abortion-restrictive states, theyve been doing these scans earlier to give people more time to travel for termination. But before 20 weeks, you might miss things. You might misinterpret things. You wont have as much information; the fetus isnt as well-developed. Obstetricians are not following the standard of care because their hands are tied by the law. I think genetic counselors are worried about what they can say, too. What kind of prenatal testing can they offer? Would they be wary of revealing results that could lead to termination? All care will be affected by the question: Are you in some way aiding or abetting? President Joe Bidens surprise announcement Monday nightthat a U.S. drone strike over the weekend killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al-Qaida and co-architect of the 9/11 terrorist attackis both more and less significant than it might seem at first glance. On the one hand, mainly because of the Wests counter-terrorism strategies, al-Qaida is far from the potent global force that it was a decade ago. Its presence has been muted, and Zawahiri himself has hidden so far out of sight that one prominent expert speculated back in November that he might have been killed already. Advertisement On the other hand, one fact about this drone strike hints at a much larger finding: It took place in Afghanistan. It turns out Zawahiri was living with his family in a large safehouse in downtown Kabulmeaning he had to be there with the Talibans full blessing. This means that, contrary to the Talibans assurances, they have been plotting a revival of their alliance with al-Qaidathe alliance that Osama bin Laden formed at the turn of the century and that spawned the attack on the World Trade Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It may be that Bidens attack has, for the moment, nipped this alliance in the bud. At the very least, Bruce Hoffman, senior fellow for counterterrorism at the Council on Foreign Relations, told me, It sends a message to the Taliban that we know what theyre up to and that further entanglements will prompt more attacks. Advertisement Advertisement In his brief televised speech, Biden said that U.S. intelligence had discovered Zawahiris whereabouts early this year. Since then, counterterrorism teams have been planning the operation. Just one week ago, Biden said, conditions were deemed optimal. On Sunday morning, at around 6 a.m., a CIA-operated drone fired two Hellfire missiles at the buildings balcony, where Zawahiri was standing, killing him but, according to the White House, causing no other casualties. (AP reported that intelligence assets on the ground confirmed his death.) Zawahiri was Osama bin Ladens deputy at the time of the 2001 attacks on the United States as well as 10 years later, when President Barack Obama ordered the deadly raid on bin Ladens lair in Pakistan. It was only natural that Zawahiri succeeded bin Laden as al-Qaidas leader. From that point, the organization lost much of its potency, splitting into quasi-autonomous franchises that emphasized local operations. Some saw Zawahiri as a weak, uncharismatic leader; others considered him effective under the circumstances, crediting him with at least holding the terrorist organization together. Advertisement Either way, several nations intel and counterterrorism agencies have hunted for Zawahiri, who was instrumental in the planning of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks against Americans. In his televised speech, Biden said he hoped the families of those Americans would consider the weekends killing as one more measure of closure. He also said the killing should serve notice that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out. Advertisement Advertisement Biden also took the drone strike as vindication of his troop-withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said at the time that, even without troops on the ground, the U.S. could prevent al-Qaida and other terrorist groups from using the country as a safe haven. This weekend, the U.S. took one step toward doing just that. Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, it is worrisome that Zawahiri was given safe haven to begin with. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA terrorism analyst now at the Brookings Institution, said in an email Monday, It is very disturbing but not surprising that he was hiding in a house owned by the Taliban. Zawahiri had longtime connections with the Haqqani network, a jihadist group with strong ties to Pakistans intelligence agency, the ISI. This raises serious questions, Riedel said, about what the ISI is doing with al-Qaida and about what both might be doing with the Taliban. By authorizing this weekends attack, Biden may have weakened those alliances and slowed down whatever they might have been plotting, but its unlikely that he shut them down altogether. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosis plane approached the airport in Taipei on Tuesday, Chinese warships and fighter planes squeezed the meridian linethe air-and-sea border dividing the Peoples Republic of China from Taiwanwhile American aircraft carriers steamed nearby to ward off or meet any threats. Its impossible to deny that this trip was, at the very least, poorly timed. Several U.S. officialsin the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon, and the intelligence communityhad tried, perhaps too delicately, to discourage Pelosi from stopping off in Taiwan during her congressional delegations brief tour of allied capitals in East Asia. President Joe Biden said publicly that top U.S. military officers opposed the visit, though he stopped short of saying he agreed with them, sensitive to the legislatures prerogatives as a coequal branch of government and perhaps fearful of being denounced as soft on China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent days, as her trip approached, officials in Beijing warned that the trip violated several international agreements, that U.S. politicians were playing with fire, and that the Chinese army would not sit idly by. One might dismiss this rhetoric as overwrought theatrics (in fact, the public warnings made it less likely that Pelosi would cancel). Still, the Taiwan Straits have long been a geopolitical tinderbox, and its hard to see what good might come from jumping into the fray while waving a canister of kindling and matches. Pelosis intentions are, on one level, admirable. Perhaps because of the large number of Chinese refugees in her home district of Northern California, she has long been a harsh critic of Beijings human rights violations and its threats against Taiwan. Still, as the second-ranking official in the line of succession for the presidency, Pelosi has an obligation to think through the broad implications of her actions on foreign policyand she failed to do that with this trip. Advertisement Advertisement Here is where things get complicatedand, to anyone who isnt a denizen of the foreign policy establishment, a little loony. When Mao Zedongs Communist Party took over Mainland China in 1949, the countrys former president, Chiang Kai-shek, and his followers retreated to the tiny island of Taiwan, 100 miles off its eastern shore. The United States, along with most other countries, recognized Taiwan as the official Chinauntil 1979, when, as a practical matter, they shifted diplomatic relations to Beijing. However, that same year, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, declaring that the U.S. shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character allowing it to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan. This dual policy was dubbed strategic ambiguity. We acknowledge Beijings status as the One China but dont quite endorse it. We retain diplomatic, commercial, and other relations with Taiwanrecently we have sold it advanced weapons and dispatched special forces to train its militarybut dont consider it an independent country. We are committed to helping Taiwan defend itself from attack but avoid saying whether we would get involved in the fight directly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aim of this tangled web has been to keep the peace. Originally the idea was also to help weave the Peoples Republic of China into the global systemnot challenging Beijings territorial claims but also not abandoning Taiwan, which is now a thriving democracy with 23 million people. In recent years, as China has strengthened its military and expanded its presence, some conservatives have called for a switch in policy from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity, where the U.S. would declare under what circumstances it would defend Taiwan directly. Though Biden has stepped up military support of Taiwan and containment of China, he has not gone this far, fearing that it could provoke Beijing to make aggressive moves or inspire ultra-nationalists in Taiwan to declare outright independence, which Beijing would see as a cause for war. Advertisement Advertisement Hence the delicacies. No American president has visited Taiwan since Dwight Eisenhower in 1960. No speaker of the House has done so since Newt Gingrich in 1997and he did that as a Republican leader while a Democrat was president (no one could, therefore, interpret his move as subterfuge on behalf of Bill Clinton), and even Gingrich stopped off to see the Communist leaders in Beijing on the same trip. Pelosi is engaging in no such even-handedness. She is thumbing her nose at those leaders in an era when they have the power to make political, economic, and military counter-moves. And, though she says her intent is to redouble support for Taiwan at a time when Russia is trying to conquer Ukraine, her trip in fact makes life more dangerous for the Taiwaneseand possibly for Ukrainians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinese President Xi Jinping is in an awkward position when it comes to Ukraine. He wants to help his ally of convenience, Russian President Vladimir Putin; he wouldnt mind seeing the U.S. and the European Union weakened by their involvement in the warbut he also doesnt want to get China involved in the war; he certainly doesnt want to go down with Putins sinking ship. So he is helping Putin economically but not militarily. However, if the U.S. seems to be posing a direct threat to China, Xi might find it in his interest to snuggle more closely with Putinand possibly lash out at Taiwan as well. Advertisement And Xi has reason to see a mounting U.S. threat to China. Three times this year, Biden has publicly said that the U.S. would directly defend Taiwan from an attack; once, he likened this commitment to our treaty obligations with South Korea, Japan, and the members of NATO. In fact, the U.S. has no such commitment. On all three occasions, U.S. officials clarified Bidens comments after the fact. However, as Hal Brands, professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins Universitys School for Advanced International Affairs, wrote in Bloomberg News after one of these remarks, Once is a gaffe. Three times is a policy. Brands was half-joking, but its possible that Xi had the same thoughtseriously. Advertisement Advertisement This, plus the shipment of more advanced weapons and now a visit to Taiwan by the official directly behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the line of succession all signal to Xiwhether or not correctlythat the United States is preparing for aggression against China. The timing of Pelosis visit is unfortunate in two other respects. First, the Chinese Communist Party will soon hold its annual Congress, where Xi hopes to cement his rule with an unprecedented third term in office. Since he, like his predecessors, has been pledging to reabsorb Taiwan into China at some point (never putting forth a timetable), he will have to react in some dramatic way to what he and his comrades see as provocative actions by the United States. This is particularly true, given the bellicose warnings that he and party officials have issued in advance of Pelosis trip. Second, her trip comes as the Chinese military is conducting military exercises, including live-fire drills. They could step up or redirect their activities at any time. Advertisement Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, tweeted on Monday, I increasingly think this is not going to be a one-day crisis. Buckle your seat beltstightly. In an email, she elaborated, I think the Chinese are determined to demonstrate strength and resolve. They perceive the need to bolster their redlines. They want to credibly warn the U.S. of the risk of further incremental actions that they see as salami slicing the US one China policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement M. Taylor Fravel, director of the Security Studies Program at MIT, agrees and says Chinese actions could include breaking the norm of the median line, firing missiles into the Taiwan Straits, economic punishment of Taiwan, underscoring their resolve without risking significant escalationthough, of course, anytime a country underscores its resolve militarily, it risks significant escalation. Advertisement In the face of this heightened tensions, the White House has been trying to dampen the emotions. John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman, said at a press briefing on Monday, Theres certainly no reason for this to come to blows, noting U.S. policy hasnt changed and Pelosi is not the first legislator to visit Taiwan. If China does cross some previously uncrossed line, we can only hope that the White House will maintain this calm role of responsible adult. As long as China doesnt commit an act of war, Biden should resist the temptation to join Xi in climbing the ladder of escalation, all for the sake of preserving tough-guy perceptions and credibility. One bit of good news: Biden and Xi did talk on the phone for two hours last week; and while little has been revealed about what they said, reports suggest that the chat didnt go as badly as some had expected; the two leaders even talked about a possible in-person meeting in the near future. If things start getting out of hand, Biden should get back on the phone and talk things down. This is the sort of diplomacy at which Biden excels, having taken part in it during the Cold War, when frantic swings between tension and calm were the norm in big-power relations. Pelosi lit a match in a warehouse full of dynamite. It doesnt mean an explosion is inevitable. There are still some people around adept at blowing out matches. Motorcycles from Povazska Bystrica took Czechoslovakia by storm. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled It was a little before 5 o'clock in the morning of October 11, 1949. Although the city was still asleep, a State security (StB) car was speeding down the street heading for the house of Jawa's technical director, Jaroslav Frei. The agents had an arrest warrant labelling him a reactionary element and an enemy of the working people. Frei needed to be arrested and deported to a forced labour camp. Frei was indeed arrested, but his wife delayed the agents and he managed to escape. It may have saved his life. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement However, being in a hurry he left behind the documentation of a small motorcycle he had secretly designed in his workroom. A few years later, this motorcycle was unveiled to Czechoslovakia under the name Pionier (Pioneer). Related article Related article Africa on Pioneers: How 5 Slovak adventurers fulfiled a dream Read more A factory that changed a village At the beginning of the motorcycle story that took the country by storm, we have to return a hundred years. After the First World War, the city of Povazska Bystrica, northwest Slovakia, was just a larger village without any major economic relevance. The turning point came at the end of the 1920s. At the time, due to possible threats from neighbouring states, the Czechoslovak government decided to move arms industry enterprises further from the borders - "inland". The choice fell on the Povazie Region and Povazska Bystrica. The village had good transport connections to both the Slovak and Czech parts of the republic. In addition, the surrounding mountains could protect these enterprises from potential enemy attacks. The foundation stone of the new enterprise named Ceskoslovenske municne a kovodelne zavody was laid in the summer of 1929. In the following months and years, both the factory and Povazska Bystrica saw intensive development. The backstory of a young man who published threats regarding bombing a market. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled He published a threat of a bomb attack on the July Spis Market in Spisska Nova Ves, eastern Slovakia, and challenged the police to come and get him. "It's all my idea to commit the biggest mass murder in the whole city our aim is to kill at least 50-100 people we have bombs we have everything...[sic]," the author of a video post wrote. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In May, several media outlets reported that a video with disturbing content was being circulated on social media. Its author also posted on Facebook that the police were looking for Ales S. from Kosice, who was a murder suspect and threatened with a terrorist attack. The mayor of Spisska Nova Ves, Pavol Becarik (SNS), had to calm the situation and said the market would not be cancelled and that the police was solving the situation. A few days later, the police released a video of a National Criminal Police raid during which a young man was detained. August 2 is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. President Zuzana Caputova meets with Adela Makova whose family fell victim to the Roma Holocaust. (Source: Twitter/Zuzana Caputova) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Slovak politicians and the European Commission have marked Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on social media. More needs to be done to root out discrimination against the Roma, they also said. The day falls on August 2. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) posted on Facebook that people cannot face discrimination and prejudices because of their ethnicity and feel inferior. We must not tolerate this, he said. The prime minister, who described the Holocaust as the most horrific event in [European] history, is convinced that Roma Holocaust Memorial Day is the right way to never forget the horrors of the Second World War and to never lose the ability to discern often disguised racial ideologies spread today by extremists of different kinds. Visiting Roma memorials On the evening of August 2, 1944, nearly 3,000 Roma were sent to death at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp on the territory of todays Poland. More than 500,000 European Roma people are estimated to have died during the Holocaust. Exhibition on the persecution of the Roma during the Holocaust at the Sered Holocaust Museum on August 1, 2022. (Source: TASR) From Slovakia, about a thousand Roma people are believed to have lost their lives during the Holocaust. Many were persecuted by the Nazi regime established by the inter-war Slovak state. Roma people could not use public transport, go to events, and they were only allowed to enter towns at certain times. Moreover, Roma men had to work in several labour camps in the Slovak state. Under communism, the matter of the Roma Holocaust remained taboo. The State Scientific Library in Presov, eastern Slovakia, runs a virtual tour that takes people to sites around Slovakia that honour the Roma people who perished during the war. The tour is also available in English. Little-known holocaust On the August 2 memorial day, Justice Ministrys State Secretary Ondrej Dostal said that the Roma Holocaust is still a little-known topic to people in Slovakia. Read also Read also Pope to the Roma: We are all members of one team Read more The Roma Holocaust is often referred to as the unknown holocaust. What happened to the European Roma is still shrouded in lack of research and public knowledge, said Zuzana Kumanova, human rights advisor to Justice Minister Maria Kolikova (SaS). The EU has been marking the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day since 2015. Because the Roma Holocaust is not as widely known as the Jewish Holocaust, President Zuzana Caputova emphasised that it is therefore even more important to preserve the stories of those Roma who survived. She pointed out her meeting with Adela Makova from Badin, central Slovakia. She was just one year old when members of the Hlinka Guard [the militia that took part in the Holocaust in Slovakia] killed her father-insurgent, the president said. On Tuesday, Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nom.) honoured the perished Roma and thanked them for their participation in the 1944 Slovak National Uprising against the Nazi regime. The countrys plenipotentiary for the Roma, Jan Hero, has announced that his office in cooperation with MPs and the Foreign Ministry are working on the definition of anti-Roma racism. Criticism of Slovakia PM Heger also noted on the memorial day that many times the Roma are doomed to failure and side-lined by society. Around Slovakia, there are many Roma communities that are segregated and live in poverty. Most recently, a group of MEPs have visited some of them, appalled by the horrible conditions that European citizens live in today. A video from their trip has been reportedly seen by several EU commissioners. Fire at the Lunik IX Roma neighbourhood in Kosice on July 31, 2022. (Source: TASR) If Slovakia does not improve the Slovak Romas living conditions, the Commission could take over the management of EU funds for Slovakia, Euractiv.sk wrote on July 27. The country has also been repeatedly criticised by the Council of Europe for its approach to the Roma, especially when it comes to discrimination and segregation in schools. We cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges and discrimination Roma minority is still facing, the European Commission said on August 2. The Commission will present a first assessment of the national Roma strategies this year. In our Union, we strive for openness, tolerance and respect for human dignity for all people. Only in this spirit can we fight racism and discrimination. A gay love story, largest developers, and Queen Elizabeth II exhibition. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Good evening. The Tuesday, August 2 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes. The little-known Roma Holocaust Thirteen Roma, including four children, were murdered by Nazi German soldiers in Valaska Bela, Trencin Region, on November 6, 1944. (Source: TASR) Slovak politicians and the European Commission have marked Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on social media. More needs to be done to root out discrimination against the Roma, they also said. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The day falls on August 2. Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) posted on Facebook that people cannot face discrimination and prejudices because of their ethnicity and feel inferior. "We must not tolerate this," he said. PM Heger also noted on the memorial day that "many times the Roma are doomed to failure and side-lined by society." Around Slovakia, there are many Roma communities that are segregated and live in poverty. Slovakia has been criticised many times for its failure to improve the lives of Roma people. You can read more stories on the Roma community here. Quote: "In our Union, we strive for openness, tolerance and respect for human dignity for all people. Only in this spirit can we fight racism and discrimination." (European Commission on August 2, 2022) Virtual tour: Visit the places that honour the Roma Holocaust victims. More stories from The Slovak Spectator website: FEATURE FOR TUESDAY Old gay love story without a happy ending The Portrait of Balint Kurdi (1882-1885). (Source: Wikimedia) Ladislav Mednyanszky, a Slovak-Hungarian painter and aristocrat, never forgot the love of his life, wagoner Balint Kurdi, and frequently pilgrimaged to Kurdi's grave in the Hungarian town of Vac. The painter even bought a burial place beside Kurdi. Read more about the painter's love for his "bunny". If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you. IN OTHER NEWS: The public broadcaster RTVS has a new head from today. Lubos Machaj has officially replaced Jaroslav Reznik. from today. Lubos Machaj has officially replaced Jaroslav Reznik. A middle-aged woman from the Topolcany district sent 110,000 to a man who pretended to be an American soldier . The second victim lost 5,000, the police said. . The second victim lost 5,000, the police said. Total spending on health care in Slovakia is comparable to other countries in Central Europe (Czechia, Poland, and Hungary), the Finance Ministry's Financial Policy Institute writes in its latest report, "Reform Compass of Slovak Economy". However, the institute notes that the efficiency of spending is lower. Slovakia has slowed the pace of convergence to the most advanced EU countries, the institute also pointed out. UK Ambassador Nigel Baker opens an open-air exhibition on Queen Elizabeth II on Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava on August 2, 2022. (Source: TASR) Colonel Marian Kurilla became the new commander of the NATO Force Integration Team in Slovakia. in Slovakia. All EU member states must apply EU-wide rules to improve work-life balance for parents and carers adopted in 2019 from today. adopted in 2019 from today. Slovakia reported 1,305 coronavirus cases on Monday, August 1, and 667 hospitalised coronavirus patients. on Monday, August 1, and 667 hospitalised coronavirus patients. Only 900 people took part in a survey on the future of Petrzalka, the largest borough in Bratislava and in Slovakia. More than 100,000 people reside there. If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. UN chief welcomes 1st sailing of vessel from Ukraine's Odesa under grain export deal Xinhua) 08:34, August 02, 2022 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, Front) speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 1, 2022. Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Trkiye. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Trkiye. The cargo ship loaded with more than 26,000 tons of corn should arrive at the inspection location in Turkish territorial waters on Tuesday. Following inspection, it will proceed to its final destination in Tripoli, Lebanon, said Guterres. "This ship, the Merchant Vessel Razoni, is loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn, and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraine's ports to feed their families," he told reporters. The ship's departure is the first concrete result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Today's departure is an enormous collective achievement by the Joint Coordination Center, set up last week in Istanbul under UN auspices, with representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Trkiye," Guterres said. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine with Trkiye under the UN on July 22, would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The deal aims to ensure the safe passage for ships carrying grain to world markets amid concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged crisis in Ukraine. "What we've witnessed today in Odesa is an important starting point. It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets," said Guterres. "Together with the agreed facilitation of the unimpeded access of Russian food products and fertilizers to world markets, it will bring relief and stability to global food markets and help tackle the global food crisis," he added. Ensuring that grain, fertilizers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work, in order to survive. Countries on the verge of bankruptcy need these agreements to work, in order to keep their economies alive, he said. In line with the humanitarian spirit of the initiative, the World Food Programme is planning to purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel, said the UN chief. The conflict in Ukraine must end, and peace must be established, in line with the UN Charter and international law, he said. "I hope today's news can be a step toward that goal, for the people of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and for the world." While this tragic conflict continues to rage, the United Nations is working every day to bring relief to the people of Ukraine, and to those suffering the effects of the conflict around the world, he said. The parties to the initiative have worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, with the support of the United Nations and Trkiye, he noted. "After speaking to my colleagues, I know they worked practically all night, sleeping for just one hour -- like all the other delegations at the Joint Coordination Center (in Istanbul). It is thanks to their commitment that the Razoni was able to leave Odesa safely. I salute their efforts, and I am grateful to Trkiye for its leadership," he said. In a press release, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which was established under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, affirmed that it has authorized the Razoni to sail from Odesa. "The JCC has agreed to the specific coordinates and restrictions of the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor and has communicated those details in accordance with international navigation procedures. The JCC has requested all its participants to inform their respective military and other relevant authorities of this decision to ensure the safe passage of the vessel," it said. The JCC is monitoring the safe passage of the vessel through the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor, it added. The JCC comprises senior representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Trkiye and the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 1, 2022. Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Trkiye. (Xinhua/Xie E) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) The dead do tell tales. The trick is to listen and when you do, you will learn that the great architect Louis Sullivans grave was initially unmarked (when he died in 1924, he was out of fashion and in dire financial circumstances). Advertisement You will meet Thomas Barbour Bryan, the founder of Graceland Cemetery, a man who, among many accomplishments, spoke six languages, built railroads, founded Elgin, wrote comic poetry and was probably the only person who knew both Abraham Lincoln and H.H. Holmes. You will also come to know that coyotes are common in urban cemeteries. Shy around people, Gracelands resident coyotes are a vital part of the cemeterys ecosystem. Advertisement These tantalizing bits of information are delivered by Adam Selzer, a prolific and stylish writer, tireless tour guide, podcaster and passionate researcher. They arrived in his latest book, Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets (3 Fields Books, an imprint of the University of Illinois Press). In it he writes, Taken as a whole, these stories at Graceland present a unique lens through which to view American history. And theres always more to find. "Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets" is by Adam Selzer. (Jen Bayona) Selzer was born and raised for a time in Des Moines, did some more growing up near Atlanta, came to Chicago after college and began working for a ghost tour operation while writing young adult fiction. I loved giving the ghost tours, he told me. But some of the stories I was telling people sounded fishy to me so I started doing further research to make things not only more accurate but entertaining. I never tried to trick people. He likens his affection for research to those people who hunt or fish and credits the internet with making his task easier, saying the Daily News is now digitized. Though he has never stopped giving tours of all sorts, he began to move away from the young adult shelves after a dozen or so books with his The Smart Alecks Guide to American History. He also wrote a well received 2017 book about that most famous local killer, H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil, which esteemed local author and historian Richard Lindberg called an important contribution to our understanding of American criminal history. "Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets" is by Adam Selzer - Original Credit: (HANDOUT) He enthusiastically tackled Graceland on Clark Street, which is Chicagos most famous cemetery. I had started giving tours there some years ago, he said. There are many, of course many, people there who have had books written about them but I was finding and seeking stories about some of the others. There are some 175,000 bodies there and that makes for a lot of stories. Or, as he writes in the book, Most everyone here who lived long enough played games, told jokes, sang songs, pulled pranks, fell in love, fell out of love, got diarrhea, pursued hobbies, and landed in trouble. And though they can be hard to find, sometimes the stories survive. Advertisement I have always been fond of cemeteries and burial places, even since trying as a kid to break into the mausoleum built for a man named Ira Couch in 1857 and still standing in a part of Lincoln Park that once was Chicago City Cemetery; visiting Ivanhoe Cemetery and the grave of a man named James Joice, a freed slave who came here after the Civil War; Oak Woods Cemetery on the South Side, the final resting place of Enrico Fermi and Ida B. Wells, as well as a Big Jim and a Big Bill (mobster Giacomo Colosimo and Mayor William Hale Thompson, respectively) and Harold Washington, in a mausoleum with the inscription, Remember me as one who tried to be fair; and wandering Rosehill, spreading south and east from the intersection of Petersen and Western Avenues, the largest cemetery in the city, covering more than 350 acres, that contain such famous folks as Oscar Mayer and Aaron Montgomery Ward, as well as the striking Volunteer Firefighters Monument, erected in 1864, before the Chicago Fire. Seltzer has given tours of other cemeteries and details in this book the early and ugly years for cemeteries here but how in time some prominent people started building new monuments to themselves in Graceland, often long before they would be needed (It) was once a park, an open air museum and an art gallery. Grave of architect Louis Sullivan in Graceland Cemetery. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) Though the book can be used a guide for do-it-yourself walking tours, it is lively joy to read on your couch. It is a book about, as Selzer writes, people who were famous in their day but havent had anything written about them since their epitaphs were carved. Its easy to forget, but good to remember, that the people here were once alive, and that there was more to their lives than business transactions and weddings. It has already received justifiable praise. Robert Loerzel, author of the fine Walking Chicago, calls it a fresh way to look at the citys history: a compelling group portrait of Chicagoans from all walks of life. One of the famous people in Selzer book is George Pullman, the rail car magnate. He died in 1897 and, because of the shabby ways he treated workers at his South Side company town and the violence he aimed at them during their 1894 strike, he died a hated man. Selzer explores some of the myths surrounding his familys fears that his dead body might be stolen and held for ransom. Seltzer lives in the city with his wife, the editor and author Ronni Davis, and Columbia College student son Aidan. Advertisement Book release events for Graceland Cemetery will be held Aug. 14, with more information at mysteriouschicago.com. In whatever passes for quiet time for this man, he thinks about tackling in book form some of the cemeteries in New York City. rkogan@chicagotribune.com One imagines most couples follow a similar script for their 35th wedding anniversary: a nice dinner and a show, maybe a trip if theyre feeling adventurous. Marina Piccinini and Andreas Haefliger arent most couples. They might be visiting Chicago Aug. 5-12, but they are the show. Advertisement The flutist and pianist will be in town for a residency at the Grant Park Music Festival; between them, theyll play three of the six world premieres included on this years festival roster. After that, Piccinini will perform and speak at the annual National Flute Association Convention (Aug. 11-14), with her premiere of Christopher Theofanidiss bold, brand-new flute concerto with the Grant Park Festival Orchestra (Aug. 10) touted as a prelude to the conference. Thats probably more work than most are willing to do on their anniversary weekend. But when the Tribune spoke by phone with Piccinini and Haefliger from their Baltimore apartment, the musicians were just happy to share a stage for their anniversary, much less a city a rare occurrence, Haefliger said. In addition to his solo career, Haefliger has become a regular recital partner for violinist Hilary Hahn, artist-in-residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through 2023, with whom he performed at Symphony Center in the spring. Piccinini also maintains a busy touring schedule most recently with the Chicago-based father-daughter duo Sergio and Clarice Assad, with whom shes performing on Oct. 2 at the University of Chicago as well as a full flute studio at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where she teaches. Advertisement We dont play together all the time, Andreas and I, Piccinini affirmed. He has his solo career, and I have mine. Thats what makes this so special. Musicians Andreas Haefliger and Marina Piccinini will be in Chicago for a residency at the Grant Park Music Festival in August 2022. (Marco Borggreve ) The couples Aug. 7 recital will be far from the first time theyve played works written for both of them to play together. But unlike their precedents, the two premieres on the Grant Park program are directly inspired by Piccinini and Haefligers union. John Harbisons short, breezy Mark the Date was commissioned by a friend of the couple as an anniversary gift. Meanwhile, Swedish composer Tebogo Monnakgotlas It is the Lark That Sings is more somber, a nod to the reality of weeks spent apart as touring musicians. When Romeo leaves Juliet (at her balcony), he says its the morning lark he hears singing, but she doesnt want him to go, so she says, No, its the nightingale, Piccinini says. And birds are always associated with the flute, which helps. Whenever Piccinini and Haefliger do play as duo partners, often its to perform the work closing out their recital: Pierre Boulezs Sonatine for flute and piano (1946). The mazelike 15-minute work flirts with total serialism, a compositional process applying the 12-tone system transforming a set of pitches in a methodical way to note durations and dynamics. It always amazes me that people who are not interested in modern or contemporary music just love it, Piccinini says. Its like an aural Jackson Pollock: You just have to throw yourself into it and be carried, and then its exciting. Flutist Marina Piccinini instructs student Amir Farsi in a masterclass circa 2018. (Nicholas Fitton / HANDOUT) The Sonatines technical challenges are so formidable that when Piccinini and Haefliger performed it together for the first time at Juilliard, where they met as students in the 1980s, no one at the vaunted conservatory had played it before. The young couple learned it themselves, with just as many battle scars as youd expect. We had fights so huge that we would barely speak to each other. It was a great trial by fire, really, Piccinini says, laughing at the memory. Thankfully, their rehearsals these days are more sedate. Advertisement Weve come back to being extremely professional in rehearsal. Were very concise and respectful. I would not treat Marina in a different way than my other chamber music partners, Haefliger says. Then again, Piccinini and Haefliger are different people now. Once their daughter was old enough, they started studying Shaolin kung fu as a family. Piccinini and Haefliger credit the practice with helping them build their endurance, keep a cool head and feel present in their bodies all essential skills for professional musicians. You take your ego out of your work, Haefliger said. Things dont come close to you, because they actually have no way of doing that they can only come close to your art form. Its brought a lot of clarity into our lives. According to Shaolin tradition, Piccinini has earned the honorific shifu (teacher), a level of commitment that technically permits her to take on her own students. Thats absolutely not in the cards, she says shed rather stick to flute, with students who are now touring artists themselves. (Some of them will join Piccinini for her Aug. 11 National Flute Association performance of Aaron Jay Kerniss Siren, for soloist and eight more flutes.) Between performances, shell lead a masterclass at Grant Park on Aug. 9, too, as part of her and Haefligers residency. And yes, sometimes she even teaches students a thing or two she learned in the temple. Well do some exercises, moves, stances, kicks, stretches to help upper-body mobility or breathing, Piccinini chuckles. You know, non-difficult stuff. Advertisement Marina Piccinini and Andreas Haefliger play the following public concerts: Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer. The Rubin Institute for Music Criticism helps fund our classical music coverage. The Chicago Tribune maintains complete editorial control over assignments and content. President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House on Aug. 1, 2022, in Washington, as he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan. (Jim Watson/AP) WASHINGTON The Biden administration is holding out the CIA operation that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri as a monumental strike against the global terror network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. But theres a downside, too. The drone strike also is putting into stark relief the mounting evidence that after 20 years of Americas military presence and then sudden departure Afghanistan has once again become an active staging ground for Islamic terror groups looking to attack the West. Advertisement The operation, carried out over the weekend after at least six months spent monitoring movements by al-Zawahri and his family, came just weeks before the one-year anniversary of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country. The Biden administration is making the case that the operation shows Americans at home and allies abroad that the United States hasnt lost focus or the ability to strike terrorists in the region and validates its decision to end two decades of fighting in Afghanistan with its withdrawal. Advertisement Announcing the strike from the White House, President Joe Biden said Monday night that justice had been exacted on a leader who in recent weeks had recorded videos calling for his followers to attack the United States and allies. And the White House on Tuesday framed the operation was an enormous counterterrorism win. The president has made good on his word when we left. He said the United States did not need to keep sending thousands of American men and women to fight and die in Afghanistan, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBCs Today show. After 20 years of war to keep this country safe, he said we would be able to continue to target and take out terrorists in Afghanistan without troops on the ground. But as details of the operation continue to emerge, the administration has also revealed troubling evidence of al-Qaidas presence and of the Taliban once again offering refuge to the group that was behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. White House officials believe that senior members of the Haqqani Network, an Islamist terror group with strong ties to the Taliban, were aware that al-Zawahri was in Kabul. Sullivan said that while al-Zawahri wasnt involved in day-to-day planning at the time of his killing, he continued to play an active role in directing al-Qaida and posed a severe threat against the U.S. and American citizens. Concerns about al-Qaida efforts to regroup inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are hardly new. Before the strike, U.S. military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faces limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the U.S. Al-Qaida leadership has reportedly played an advisory role since the Taliban returned to power in the leadup up to the U.S. withdrawal, according to a U.N. Security Council report last month. The U.N. report also noted that ISIS-K the group that carried out a massive attack that killed 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans near the Kabul International Airport just days before the U.S. completed its withdrawal last year has become increasingly active in northern and eastern Afghanistan. Thats a worry for the West though ISIS-K and the Taliban espouse different ideologies and interests, with ISIS-K carrying out a bloody insurgency against the Taliban and religious minorities across Afghanistan. Advertisement Zawahris presence in post-withdrawal Afghanistan suggests that, as feared, the Taliban is once more granting safe haven to the leaders of al-Qaida a group with which it has never broken, said Nathan Sales, ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism during the Trump administration who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Frank McKenzie, the retired Marine general who until earlier this year was the top American military officer in the Middle East, said the U.S. has seen an effort by al-Qaida to restore training camps in Afghanistan. I see nothing happening in Afghanistan now that tells me that the Taliban are determined to prevent that from happening, he said in an interview. Since the American troop withdrawal, U.S. military leaders have said Americas ability to monitor and strike a target in the country would be difficult but not impossible. The strike on Zawahri proved both, said McKenzie, who is now executive director of the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. If its a national priority, we can certainly do that. It requires tremendous effort. He cautioned not to draw broad conclusions from this one drone strike. Advertisement This was a unique circumstance, he said. You had a target that didnt move, and they had the opportunity to get a good look at pattern of life. Thats not always going to be the case. In fact, typically, that is not the case. That al-Zawahri was living in a Kabul neighborhood and not in rural Afghanistan as previously believed, tells you that he got really comfortable under the protection of the Taliban, said Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security firm. These entities work hand in glove, Clarke said of the Taliban and al-Qaida. Theres not the separation that others would have you believe. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. The Taliban were quick to condemn the U.S. strike as a a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement, though they did not acknowledge that al-Zawahri was killed. The U.S. gave no forewarning to the Taliban government, which the United States does not recognize, that it was carrying out the operation. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region, the Taliban statement said. Advertisement White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on how, or if, the U.S. would hold the Taliban responsible for sheltering al-Zawahri. The Taliban have a choice now, Kirby said. And that is they can comply with their agreement under the Doha agreement ... or they can choose to be going down a different path. And if they go down a different path, its going to lead to consequences not just from the United States but from the international community. Kirby said the U.S. had already engaged with the Taliban about al-Zawahris presence following Sundays strike. The Taliban remain sanctioned by the U.S. government for its role harboring al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks. After the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul last summer, the Biden administration froze billions of dollars in assets belonging to Afghanistans central bank to prevent the assets from falling under Taliban control. Some of that money has since been freed for humanitarian aid to address the countrys dire hunger crisis. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to congratulate Biden on the operation, but also made the case that it further indicates that Afghanistan is again becoming a major thicket of terrorist activity following the presidents decision to withdraw U.S. forces. Killing al-Zawahri is a success, but the underlying resurgence of al-Qaida terrorists into Afghanistan is a growing threat that was foreseeable and avoidable, McConnell said. The administration needs a comprehensive plan to rebuild our capacity to combat it. For families affected by the Carter Canyon wildfires, the weekend was emotion-filled as they watched flames surround their rural neighborhoods for the second summer in a row. Cassy Eskam, together with her husband and children, live on the family ranch at the base of Carter Canyon Road. Last year, the Vista Trend fire damaged the familys pastureland on Robidoux Road. Firefighters make progress as Carter Canyon wildfire still burns Around 200 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in the Carter Canyon area that has so When Eskams father, Todd Ouderkirk, and other neighbors first heard about the fire, she said, they started making a game plan to defend against the fire. She said her dad is often at the ready and started discing near a dam west of the properties. Every time I hear theres a fire, it scares me, she said. We have barely gotten any rain out by us this year. I prayed over and over for them to please get (the fires) contained before it spreads to our farm. Unfortunately, the discing ended up being for naught as the fire advanced up the eastern side of a hill. It all happened super quick, Eskam said. The wind changed and the east fire spread very fast. The family had been stationed at the end of the driveway, watching the fire, when law enforcement notified them they needed to evacuate about 10 p.m., about four hours after the fire started. She had already started packing, just in case, and they grabbed a few other items. Her parents took vehicles and tractors to a nearby hay field in an effort to move them away from the fire. The familys dogs were quickly grabbed and the Eskams had to move lambs, which her children are scheduled to show this week in fair. Four hours away, Michelle Schaneman Perkins felt hopeless as she and her husband learned that their home was being threatened by the wildfire. They had traveled to Colorado to take their son to the airport and learned about the fire through family and neighbors. Most of the communication they received indicated that their home, and the homes of other family members, had been destroyed. For Perkins, this news became particularly emotional due to the longstanding ties that her family had to the homes that have stood for more than a hundred years, in some cases, on Carter Canyon Road. Perkins great-grandparents, Emerson and Daisy Ewing, homesteaded on Carter Canyon Road in 1910. Her grandmother, Goldie Ewing Wilson Bixby, lived in the house that stood for four generations until it was destroyed Saturday. Most of it was the original house, Perkins said. It was renovated in the 1970s, and after her grandmothers death, the family rented it until recent years when they stopped due to needed maintenance. All that stands now is a chimney and a wood-burning stove, Perkins said. Though the family believes they may have gotten most important mementos out of the home well before the fires, she said, they worry that they didnt get everything that may have had sentimental value. Perkins and her husband live across the road in a house that had once been her parents home. With the couple in Denver, she said, they had no idea what they were coming home to, expecting the worst. They were having dinner when they received a text or call from neighbors about the fire. In one text, she said, a neighbor advised her husband he had tried to get to their home to turn on water at the house to keep the flames at bay. It was just too bad, she said he told them. He couldnt get to the home. The couple immediately got into their vehicles, she said, went to a hotel to pick up their belongings and returned to Gering. After a stop at the Gering Fire Station, where she said they were told that their home was likely gone, they slept in their pickup truck until heading out, hopeful they could check on it. Remembering that drive to her home breaks Perkins as she sobs, telling the story. I told my husband, I dont think I can take it, she said. I dont think Ill be able to handle it. At that point, she said, all she could think about were the items she had been given from her grandmother and other family members that she feared had been destroyed in the fire. My grandma was a big historian, she said, saying she has a family tree that traces the family back to the coasts and outlines historical events in the family's history. "I have kept every single document (given to her by her grandmother). ... I even have things like my great-great-grandfathers Bible and my grandmothers Bible. I must have like 20 family Bibles. All I could think of was those Bibles going up in smoke. As they traveled down Carter Canyon Road, she said, they could see their home was still saved it stood out with the ugly yellow house roof because my dad liked yellow. But they looked to the right to see her grandmothers home had been destroyed. Other family members, such as her second cousin David Ewing, also live in nearby homes that had been passed down for generations. The home that David lived in with his wife, Carolyne, was also destroyed. Fire officials reported a third home had been destroyed Saturday and several homes sustained damage. Like Perkins, the Eskams and the Ouderkirks also returned Sunday morning to find their homes still standing. But next to a cabin on the family property, they could see charred grass and trees just feet away. They are still holding their breath until the fire is completely contained. As of Monday, fire officials were reporting the fire to be only about 33% contained and some estimates were that more than 15,000 acres had been burned. For many of the families, like the Ouderkirks, the fire is also threatening their livelihood, with cattle ranched in the canyons. On their Carter Canyon property, buildings including a barn and supplies such as hay burned. On Sunday, they found themselves again watching the fire with bated breath as the approaching fire endangered property on Robidoux Road. Fortunately, on Monday, Eskam said, they returned to find tractors and everything intact, and her mom and dad got back to work, relocating the tractors and other things back to the family ranch. Perkins and her husband are staying in their fifth-wheel camper as the fire took out their well and some of their water lines. Damage cant be fully assessed until power is returned to the area. They are also working with their insurance. Having grown up knowing many of the families who live in the area, Perkins expressed appreciation for the firefighters who have saved her home and others. She said she also credits the grace of God. I believe that everything happens for a reason, God is in control, Perkins said, saying she is thankful for family and friends who were able to evacuate the fire safely and helped each other. I just thank him. God really looked over us. She said she, family members and the community have also heard from people offering generous help to those impacted by the fire. She has been passing along those resources to her cousin, and a GoFundMe has also been started for his family. While Perkins and her husband were fortunate, the fire destroyed Davids home. A GoFundMe has been set up for David and his wife, Carolyne, as they rebuild: https://bit.ly/3zpIGv5. Locally, Firefighter Ministry has also reached out to families impacted by the fire. Organizer Carissa Schank said anyone affected by the fire can contact her at 308-631-9674. The organization, which is a nonprofit under the Oregon Trail Community Foundation, is also accepting donations online at https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/OTCF/Firefighter-Ministry. Around 200 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in the Carter Canyon area that has so far burned an estimated 15,591 acres, or about 25 square miles, in figures released Monday. Officials reported the fire to be an estimated 30% contained, and not spreading significantly, though it is in an area of grassland and large trees. In addition to the estimated 200 firefighters from 35 departments from three states, two SEAT planes and two helicopters and the Nebraska National Guards UH-60 Blackhawk were being used to drop fire retardant and water in the firefighting effort. We have a good amount of aerial resources, which is obviously appropriate for the situation. Its pretty rough terrain, Ben Bohall, the public information officer for the Nebraska Forestry Service, told the Star-Herald. During the Monday morning briefing, Dave Riesen, with Nebraska Emergency Management, said the firefighters made a lot of headway in fighting the blaze. Those of you that were here yesterday, we did really outstanding work. We got a tremendous amount of control lines put in, he said. Even with the progress made, he said, there is still more that needs to be done. Theres still some weak areas that we got to try to strengthen up today. We need to clean up a few pockets in a few spots that were an issue last night, he said. On the northwest corner, we had a couple of issues up there last night nothing major. In the southeast area, we had about 100 acres (that burned), probably a little less than that. Nothing real major, but this is an area where weve had some concerns and some issues. Temperatures were expected to soar into the high 90s Monday, making a tough situation even harder for the firefighters. Alisia LaMay, with NEMA, encouraged the firefighters to take care of themselves in the extreme heat. We want to make sure that youre getting enough calories and enough water and Gatorade to stay hydrated, she said. Bohall said the firefighters are broken up into shifts to give them breaks. There are two or three shifts, he said. Were getting a lot of outside resources, because its been declared an emergency, so thats really helpful. We have crews coming in from Wyoming, South Dakota. There are more people here now than there were last night. Were getting closer to having over 200 firefighters on scene. The wildfire has destroyed three residences and has caused other severe damage to the Cedar Canyon area, Bohall said. In addition to the three homes (that were destroyed), there have been seven buildings, like ag buildings, that were damaged, he said. Weve been having some issues with infrastructure. There have been a lot of power lines down and power poles, so there was some concern there. Last night, we were at about 20 residences that were without power. Power was expected to be restored for those residents early Monday. Locally, the Firefighter Ministry and 11:13 Ministries have been assisting with providing food for firefighters. Firefighter Ministry has also been assisting local residents with needs. Oregon Trail Community Foundation has set up a link for people to donate directly to Firefighter Ministry online: https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/OTCF/Firefighter-Ministry Persons needing assistance can also contact Firefighter Ministry at 308-631-9674. In a press release issued Sunday by Region 23 Emergency Management, the American Red Cross was also cited as a resource for residents affected by the fire. Contact information provided by the American Red Cross is Marion McDermott, 308-258-1536 or by email marion.mcdermott@redcross.org. DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) Caterpillar had a strong second quarter and topped most profit expectations with higher prices for machinery offsetting rising costs. The manufacturer on Tuesday posted a quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $3.13. Per share earnings were $3.18 without one-time costs or benefits, which is 18 cents better than Wall Street had expected, according to a survey of industry analysts by Zacks Investment Research. Advertisement The Deerfield, Illinois, company had revenue of $14.25 billion, about in line with the $14.3 billion analysts had projected. A Caterpillar machine works on the demolition of a building in downtown Pittsburgh Thursday, April 28, 2022. Caterpillar Inc. on Tuesday, Aug. 2 reported second-quarter earnings of $1.67 billion. On a per-share basis, the Deerfield, Illinois-based company said it had net income of $3.13. Earnings, adjusted for restructuring costs, came to $3.18 per share. (Gene J. Puskar/AP) Operating profit margin for the quarter was 13.6%, down slightly from last years 13.9%, and that took some steam out of shares before the opening bell. Advertisement Volumes were well short of our expectations, as (Caterpillar) and its supply base continues to deal with inefficiencies, wrote Citi analyst Timothy Thein. Shares of Caterpillar Inc., down nearly 6% this year, slipped about 3% before the opening bell Tuesday. The company, which has about 230 employees at its Deerfield office, announced in June it plans to move its headquarters to an existing office in Irving, Texas, outside Dallas. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea on Saturday reported no new fever cases for the first time since it abruptly admitted to its first domestic COVID-19 outbreak and placed its 26 million people under more draconian restrictions in May. There have been widespread outside doubts about the accuracy of North Korean statistics as its reported fatalities are too low and its daily fever cases have been plummeting too fast recently. Some experts say North Korea has likely manipulated the scale of illness and deaths to help leader Kim Jong Un maintain absolute control amid mounting economic difficulties. The Norths anti-epidemic center said via state media it had found zero fever patients in the latest 24 hours, maintaining the countrys total caseload of about 4.8 million. Its death count remains at 74, with a mortality rate of 0.0016% the worlds lowest, if true. Despite the claimed zero cases, it is unclear whether and how soon North Korea would formally declare victory over COVID-19 and lift pandemic curbs because experts say it could face a viral resurgence later this year like many other countries. North Koreas state media have recently said its intensifying and upgrading its anti-epidemic systems to guard against coronavirus subvariants and other diseases like monkeypox. The organizational power and unity unique to the society of (North Korea) is fully displayed in the struggle to bring forward a victory in the emergency anti-epidemic campaign, the official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday. North Koreas claimed zero cases could have symbolic significance in its efforts to establish Kims image as a leader who has suppressed the outbreak much faster than other countries. Kim would need such credentials to garner greater public support to surmount economic hardships caused by pandemic border closings, U.N. sanctions and his own mismanagement, observers say. In North Korea, public health care and politics cant be separated from each other, and that aspect has been revealed again in its COVID-19 outbreak, said Ahn Kyung-su, head of DPRKHEALTH.ORG, a website focusing on health issues in North Korea. Since they began with manipulated data, theyre now putting an end to the outbreak with manipulated data. North Korea had been widely expected to claim zero cases as its daily fever caseload has been nosediving in recent days there were three reported cases on Friday and 11 on Thursday from a peak of about 400,000 a day in May. The country, which lacks test kits, has identified only a fraction of its 4.8 million fever patients as confirmed COVID-19 cases. Realistically speaking, hundreds of thousands of daily fever cases becoming zero in less than three months is something impossible, said Lee Yo Han, a professor at Ajou University Graduate School of Public Health in South Korea. Many outside experts earlier worried the Norths outbreak would have devastating consequences because most of its people are believed to be unvaccinated and about 40% are reportedly undernourished. But now, activists and defectors with contacts in North Korea say they havent heard of a humanitarian disaster. They say the countrys outbreak has also likely peaked. In an indication of an easing outbreak, North Korea this week held massive no-mask public events in its capital, Pyongyang, where thousands of aged Korean War veterans and others gathered from across the country to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 war. During an anniversary ceremony, Kim hugged and exchanged handshakes with some veterans before he took group photos with other participants. No one wore masks, according to state media photos. Shin Young-jeon, a professor of preventive medicine at Seouls Hanyang University, said North Korea would know that zero cases dont mean it has no COVID-19 patients because there are likely asymptomatic cases. He said North Korea wont likely announce it has officially beaten the pandemic anytime soon because of worries about a resurgence. North Koreas state media have already used expressions like its winning its anti-virus fight. The only other expression they can use now is declaring the coronavirus has been completely eliminated from its territory, Shin said. But if new cases emerge again, North Korea would lose its face. The only route for North Koreas fresh viral spread from abroad is likely China, its main ally that shares a long, porous border, and North Korea would find it difficult to announce victory over the pandemic until China does, Lee said. The North Korea-China border has been largely shut for more than 2 years, except for a few months when it reopened earlier this year. Some observers say the Norths elevated pandemic response has provided Kim with a tool to boost his authoritarian rule amid public complaints over long-running restrictions. They say North Korea could report a small number of fever cases again in the coming days. Foreign experts struggle to assess the true number of fatalities in North Korea. They note the Norths shortage of test kits would also make it virtually impossible for the country to determine whether aged people or others with underlying diseases died of COVID-19 or something else. Shin, the university professor, stood by his earlier study that predicted North Korea would likely suffer 100,000-150,000 deaths. He said he used South Korean data showing its mortality rate of unvaccinated people for the omicron variant, whose outbreak North Korea admitted in May, was 0.6%. Other experts say the Norths fatalities would be several thousand at the maximum. They said bigger death tolls must have been detected by North Korea monitoring groups. Two men were found dead Monday night in a motel room in Statesville. The Statesville Police Department said in a news release that around 7:45 p.m. officers responded to Motel 6 at 1137 Morland Drive regarding two unresponsive people. The men, ages 41 and 50, were pronounced dead. Their identities have not been released pending notification of their next-of-kin. The Statesville Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is investigating. The preliminary investigation indicated there were no obvious signs that either man died of foul play, police said. The North Carolina State Medical Examiners Office is assisting in determining the cause of death. The Criminal Investigation Division is requesting that anyone with information regarding this incident call the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3406 or 704-878-3516. The gas station across the street from the Catlin Rotary Spray Park reopened earlier this summer. The new owner shares customers concerns about the price of gas. Boondox Gas & Grocery sits on a small parcel of land along Cowlitz Way in west Kelso. The station has eight gas pumps outside and a stock of food, drinks and hats inside the building. Boondox is owner and manager Kulvir Brars first business but he grew up around gas stations. His father Dave Brar saved up to buy his first station decades earlier after moving from India. The family owns and operates multiple businesses in Cowlitz County including Boondox Market and Boondox Liquor Plus in Longview. He was working day and night. Thats how most entrepreneurs are, they live at their business until it succeeds, Brar said. Boondox Gas & Grocery Address: 705 West Cowlitz Way, Kelso. Hours: 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. every day. Info: 360-977-2980. Boondox is Kulvirs first step into the business on his own. He bought the gas station in the summer of 2020 and has been running it with his cousin since it opened in late April. It took longer than expected to reopen the closed station. Because the station had been shut down for years, Brar said there were several issues that had to be brought up to code before it could open. The construction process was further delayed by COVID-19 cases and the pandemics lingering impacts on the supply chain. The gas pumps opened shortly before the record-setting spike in gas prices and the comedown in cost that has slowly followed. Gas price tracking by AAA shows that prices around Longview peaked in June 16 at an average of $5.63 per gallon of regular gas. Brar said he knew how much those high gas prices impacted families and forced some people to cut back on their driving. We would explain that there isnt much we can do to set the price. We try to have as much discount on it as possible and keep our margins as thin as possible, Brar said. Brar has been able to keep lower prices than other nearby stations that contract with Shell for their fuels. Boondoxs gas prices on Monday were $4.89 per gallon for customers paying in cash and a 10 cent increase for credit cards. Just a mile further into Longview along Washington Way, prices at another Shell station are 30 cents per gallon higher. Prices have consistently fallen in Washington and across the United States over the last six weeks but are not back down to where they started the year. As of Monday, the average price in Longview was $5.12 per gallon for regular gas. Business has been building up on the market side of Boondox. Brar said most customers at the station come into the building to buy food or other items instead of solely visiting the gas pump. Brar said he has started to build a regular pool of customers who live nearby and has started stocking the shelves with what the regular visitors request. People respect that kind of feedback. By doing the work to get those items, they are more likely to come back to you when they need something, Brar said. Brar estimated it would take more than a year for the station to actually become profitable but he was ready to commit to the business long-term. Ballots for the August primary election are due at 8 p.m. Tuesday. People can drop off ballots at one of eight county locations or mail ballots without needing postage. People can also register or update their addresses in person by 8 p.m. at the Cowlitz County Administration Building, 207 N. Fourth Ave., Kelso. Washington residents can check their voter registration status and view the online voters guide at www.votewa.gov. The elections office recommends voters use drop boxes to ensure ballots arrive on time, said Hayley Johnson, Cowlitz County elections manager. As of Wednesday, about 55% of Cowlitz County ballots returned so far have been received by drop box. If voters choose to send in their ballots by mail, the office recommends sending them by early Tuesday to ensure they receive a valid postmark, Johnson said. First results are set to be released soon after 8 p.m. and the election will be certified by 3 p.m., Aug. 16. Local primary ballots, depending on which district voters live in, include five measures asking voters to raise or maintain property taxes or create a new retail sales tax, as well as eight contested races. If approved, levies on ballots would fund the Castle Rock Public Library; Kalama transportation improvements, like paving roads; fire protection and emergency medical services for Toutle Fire & Rescue; emergency medical services in Cowlitz County Fire Protection District 6, which serves Castle Rock and northern Cowlitz County; and emergency medical services in the district served by Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue. The contested races are for the Washington state secretary of state; Washington state U.S. Sen. Patty Murrays seat; Washington state Congressional District 3; State Legislative District 19 position 1; State Legislative District 19 position 2; Cowlitz County commissioner District 3; Cowlitz County coroner; and Cowlitz County sheriff. The two candidates who receive the most votes in primary partisan races, except for the U.S. presidency and precinct committee officers, head to the November general election in Washington state, despite what party they prefer. Two Republicans or two Democrats could proceed to the general election in certain races. By the numbers 70,769 registered voters in Cowlitz County. 8 states offer all-mail elections, including Washington. $0 to return a ballot. No postage is required to mail ballots or submit ballots to drop boxes. Five Cowlitz County incumbents are running unopposed: Assessor Emily Wilcox, Auditor Carolyn Fundingsland, Clerk Staci L. Myklebust, Prosecuting Attorney Ryan P. Jurvakainen and Treasurer Debra Gardner. Washington residents who test positive for COVID-19 can now get a free telehealth appointment for treatment consultation, regardless of their insurance coverage. Late last week, the state Department of Health launched the new telehealth option as an expansion of the federal governments initiative to increase access to COVID treatments. Antiviral pills authorized to treat COVID-19 Pfizers Paxlovid and Mercks molnupiravir are available by prescription only and should be started within five days of when symptoms begin, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Telehealth appointments via phone or video call to discuss COVID-19 treatments had previously been only available to insured patients who receive care through a provider that offers them, according to the health department. The new program makes these visits available to everyone, regardless of insurance status, with no out-of-pocket costs. At DOH, we value equity and innovation, and have embraced those values throughout our COVID-19 response, said Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary of Health, in a press release. Ensuring that we can equitably connect communities with therapeutics is pivotal so that we can continue our mission of reducing unnecessary death from this disease. Statewide, COVID-19 cases have remained relatively flat over the last couple months, with 213 new cases per 100,00 people from July 17 to July 23. Hospitalizations have increased over the same time period and may be plateauing at a seven-day rate of about 10 per 100,000. The death rate has increased, with 80 COVID-19 deaths recorded from June 23 to June 29, the most recent complete data. In Cowlitz County, COVID-19 cases appear to be slowly decreasing or flattening, with about 141 per 100,000 from July 17 to July 23. In the county and statewide, the number of cases reported is an undercount because not everyone gets tested or reports at-home test results, according to the health department. Hospitalizations rise and fall from week to week, but overall admissions per month have slowly increased, according to Cowlitz County Health and Human Services. The most recent weekly hospitalization rate is above the state average, at 12.7 per 100,000. Last month, the county recorded an increase in COVID-19 deaths, with 13 so far in July, up from two in June, according to the county health department. County health staff plan to get the word out locally about the new free option through the departments website, social media pages and other outreach efforts, said Stefanie Donahue, communications manager. Were pleased to see new options for people to access COVID-19 treatments and are hopeful the states announcement last week helped broaden awareness, she said. We want people to know COVID-19 treatments are potentially life-saving, particularly for those who are at higher risk of severe disease. Not everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 needs treatment. Oral antivirals are important for people who are at high risk of hospitalization, including those 65 and older, pregnant, obese, have chronic medical conditions or who are taking immunosuppressant treatments, according to the Department of Health. People can set up a telehealth appointment through the states new program at the Department of Healths telehealth webpage at https://bit.ly/3cYUIEb or by calling the COVID-19 call center 1-800-525-0127 and press #. The call center can set up appointments from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and state holidays. Telehealth appointments are available in 240 languages through translation services and can be arranged through the call center. The captain of the Cathlamet ferry, which veered off course near West Seattle on Thursday and slammed into offshore pilings, has resigned. The crash did not result in any injuries or hazardous material spills. Ferry spokesperson Ian Sterling confirmed the captains resignation Monday, and that the ferry boat was moving much faster than it should have been at that point in the journey. He said the captain was tested for drugs and alcohol and the results were negative. It remained unclear exactly what was happening on the captains deck that caused the crash. It truly is a mystery, Sterling said. Something went badly wrong there. The Cathlamet left Vashon Island, heading east toward the Fauntleroy dock in West Seattle, Thursday morning around 7:55 a.m. Its approach was normal for most of the journey, according to Marine Tracker, a website that charts ships path. But as it approached the dock, the boat lurched south. It went so far off course that the side of the ship facing to the north hit the southern group of pilings, known as a dolphin. The collision crumpled one corner of the boat, collapsing the outside portion of the passenger deck known as the picklefork. Several cars were damaged in the collision, with one being trapped by metal where it remains, said Sterling. Initial estimates of the cost of repairs to the Cathlamet, a 1980s boat that came online as part of the Issaquah class of ferries, is between $5 million and $7 million. That number could easily rise as the investigation continues, said Sterling. Patty Rubstello, assistant secretary of Washington State Ferries, informed staff of the resignation in a message Monday afternoon, saying the agency would continue working with federal agencies to prevent future incidents. Safety continues to be our number one priority for both employees and customers, and Im thankful that in the history of WSF there has never been a fatality due to a collision, she wrote. The Coast Guard is leading the federal investigation, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, while WSF runs its internal investigation. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said the investigation is in its preliminary stages and did not offer any additional details on the cause of the incident. I can tell you they havent interviewed my guys yet, said Dan Twohig, regional representative for the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, whose members aboard the Cathlamet include a mate as well as the captain, whom he declined to name or describe Monday. This is a bad accident and nobody got hurt, Twohig said. Thats whats important. State Sen. Joe Nguyen, a Democrat whose district includes West Seattle and Vashon Island, said he and his district partner, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, plan to hold a town hall on the incident. This is a lifeline for so many members of our community, he said. Safety of the ferry fleet in general is an important one to all of us. SEATTLE Seattle was an "it" city for millennials in the 2010s the huge influx of young adults was among our most notable demographic trends of the decade. Tens of thousands were drawn by the natural beauty, outdoors lifestyle, progressive politics and booming tech economy. Now, a new study gives us a better sense of just how popular Seattle was among millennial movers, and also where those young people came from. The study is a joint effort by researchers at Harvard University and the U.S. Census Bureau. They looked at the migration patterns of more than 31 million Americans born between 1984 and 1992 this includes the bulk of the millennial generation as they went from childhood to young adulthood. As it turns out, the majority of Americans in this age group didn't stray far from home. But the study found that among those millennials who did move away, 1.8% chose Seattle. That ranks as the fifth most-popular destination. New York was at the top, attracting 3.2% of millennial movers, followed closely by Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Seattle punched well above its weight in fifth place, attracting a greater share of millennial movers than many larger population centers, including Chicago. The researchers used a unique data set, which combined decennial census, survey and tax data for these young Americans. Researchers looked at where these individuals lived at age 16, and then where they were living 10 years later at age 26 (the records were anonymized to protect privacy). Because the age group studied were born between 1984 and 1992, the study covers the years 2010 to 2018 the years in which these folks turned 26. The data set counted about 480,000 people who were living in the Seattle area at age 26 in the 2010-18 period. Of these, about 300,000 were from here in other words, they'd also been living in the Seattle area at age 16. The remaining 180,000 26-year-olds grew up somewhere else and moved here. Typically, the Seattle area refers to the metro area of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. This study is a little different. Researchers used "commuter zones" instead of metro areas. Commuter zones (CZs) are collections of counties that serve as a measure of local labor markets. The data tracked the migration of young adults from all 741 CZs in the U.S. These CZs are quite a bit larger than metro areas, presumably because some people take on insanely long commutes. For example, the CZ for Seattle stretches from Skagit County in the north to Lewis County in the south. While the Seattle area was overall a top destination for millennial movers, the study found some differences along racial and ethnic lines. Seattle was a top 10 destination for both white and Asian millennial movers, but not for Black and Hispanic ones. About 1.9% of white millennials who left their childhood area moved to Seattle, and around 3.3% of Asian movers chose Seattle. Atlanta was the most-popular destination for Black millennials who left their childhood CZ, but it did not rank in the top 10 for white, Hispanic or Asian millennial movers. Los Angeles was the No. 1 destination for both Hispanic and Asian movers, while New York was the top destination for white movers. The data also sheds light on where millennials who moved to Seattle came here from and if you guessed California, well done. Four of the top 10 origin CZs were in the Golden State, with Los Angeles easily taking the top spot among those 26-year-olds in Seattle who lived elsewhere at age 16, nearly 7% came from L.A. The other California locales in the top 10 are San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego. Two other faraway CZs Phoenix and Chicago also made the list. But four of the top origin CZs for Seattle are closer to home, with Portland in the No. 2 spot, and Spokane, Longview and Yakima also in the top 10. There were some notable differences along racial and ethnic lines among young movers to Seattle. For example, Black millennials who left their childhood home for Seattle were the most likely to come from distant places in the Midwest, South and Northeast 1.6% came from Atlanta, 1.5% from Chicago, and 1.1% from New York. For white, Asian and Hispanic movers to Seattle, no locale outside of the Western U.S. broke the 1% mark. White and Hispanic millennials movers to Seattle were the most likely to come from other parts of Washington, although Hispanic movers in particular also came in large numbers from the Southwest, with about 9% of Hispanic movers to Seattle originating in Los Angeles. A large share of Asian millennial movers to Seattle nearly 4% also came here from Los Angeles. While Los Angeles sent a lot of millennials our way, we returned the favor. The data shows that among young people originally from Seattle who left the area, the top destination attracting about 7% of all Seattle millennial expats was the City of Angels. Today, Yoodo Malaysia just announced another campaign that's available today. Running until 31 October 2022, its Ajak, Ajak, Menang campaign offers Yoodo users a chance to win prizes such as a free trip to Seoul, Bangkok, or even glamping in Malaysia. To participate, all Yoodo users need to do is refer their friends and family to Yoodo. By sharing their unique referral code (at least two referrals to participate), accumulating referrals will allow them to have a higher chance of winning the grand prize. The following prizes are: Grand Prize 1 x 4D3N trip to Seoul with flight and hotel for two Second Prize 2 x 3D2N trip to Bangkok with flight and hotel for two Third Prize 10 x 2D1N Glamping trip in Malaysia with ATV rides all for two Besides the top three prizes, there are other more goodies to win that are listed below: The first 30 to bring in referrals RM30 Touch N Go e-Wallet credits Those with five referrals and above 2D1N staycation voucher for two (worth RM200) and a one-year subscription to the Majoriti news portal (worth RM99) Those with three referrals 1,000 Yoodo Points Those with two referrals 500 Yoodo Points Additionally, each and every successful referral will also bring with it 2,000 Yoodo Points which can be redeemed to purchase Yoodo products. Every new friend and family joining Yoodo through the campaign will also receive a guaranteed 2D1N staycation voucher for two (worth RM200) and a one-year subscription to the Majoriti news portal (worth RM99) along with free 7GB of high-speed data. Moreover, if the new referrals start referring, they can begin to be in the running to jet off to Seoul, Bangkok, and all the monthly prizes. New referrals just need to spend a minimum of RM30 on their plans and stay on with an active line for over a month (over 31 days). You can also monitor your progress on the leaderboard here. Good luck and have fun. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com. Previously, it was reported that the realme narzo 50i Prime would launch at the end of June 2022 but that didn't happen. Two months later, realme Malaysia finally announced the availability of the phone and it's priced from RM429 on the Global Lazada Store . As you can tell, the narzo 50i Prime is an entry-level phone and comes in two memory configuration variants - 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB (RM499). It will be launching on 8 August 2022 and since that's the debut, there will be a special one-day-only discount at RM369 and RM429 respectively. In terms of tech specs, it features a Unisoc T612 chipset and the aforementioned low memory configuration setup. However, it has a massive 5000mAh battery like every other entry-level phone and supports reverse charging. The display measures 6.5-inches and it has a single camera on both sides - an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP selfie snapper. It runs on Realme UI Go based on Android 11. In conjunction with the launch of the realme narzo 50i Prime in Malaysia, fans can enjoy some limited-time 8.8 realme narzo Day Flash Sale promotion at realme Malaysias Global Lazada Store on 8 August 2022. So don't miss it out if you have been planning to get a narzo phone. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com. Today, Wiko Malaysia officially launched the brand new Wiko T50 and Wiko T10. As expected, these two phones are budget-friendly devices that are priced at RM899 and RM429 respectively. If any of you are interested to buy either one, both will come bundled with freebies. For starters, getting the Wiko T50 will grant you a free Sony headphone (while stocks last) so that's nice. On the other hand, the Wiko T10 doesn't have any freebies but it will have a special 8.8 discount at RM369 only on Shopee. As for the tech specs, here's a refresher from what we covered last time. One of the highlights that Wiko Malaysia presented was the Wiko T50's triple rear camera - a 64MP (main) + 8MP (ultrawide) + 2MP (macro) setup. Apparently, it's able to shoot a 9216 x 6912 pixels image and the front camera is 16MP with a wide-angle lens. That said, we think the 4000mAh battery and 40W fast charge technology are pretty good too. Moving on, the T50 comes in a 6.6-inch FHD+ Edgeless display in a 20:9 aspect ratio. Other than that, the T50 doesn't have much to show as it features 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset and runs on Android 11 out of the box. It doesn't have any 5G connectivity. As for the Wiko T10, it's an entry-level phone featuring a MediaTek MT6761 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and uses Android 11 Go Edition only. While the storage is small by today's standards, you can slot in a microSD card up to 512GB. Despite that, it has a large 5000mAh battery, and a 6.5-inch HD+ Edgeless Dewdrop display with the same 20:9 aspect ratio. Finally, you can find a 13MP main camera and a 5MP selfie snapper. That's pretty much it, everyone. What do you think of the Wiko T50 and T10? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com. Former Coonley Elementary librarian Nora Wiltse outside the North Center neighborhood school on May 31. Wiltse was laid off due in June to CPS budget cuts after 14 years at the school. She was recently hired to be the librarian at King College Prep High School. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) When longtime librarian Nora Wiltse left Coonley Elementary in June, having lost her job to budget constraints, she wasnt sure where she would go next. I couldnt envision someone hiring me with the budgets that were just handed out because I think it was over 40% of the schools had a budget cut, said Wiltse, who has worked for Chicago Public Schools for 19 years. After tracking (CPS librarian) numbers for years and years, the amount of schools that hire librarians is so small that to find someone to give me a chance seemed really unlikely. Advertisement Less than two months after receiving a pink slip, Wiltse said she has accepted a position at King College Prep High School in the North Kenwood neighborhood of the South Side. CPS confirmed the news Tuesday. The selective enrollment school served about 625 students last year. Advertisement Wiltse said Kings library shuttered years ago, and she is excited to get to work rebuilding the room and the book collection. She said the space had recently been used for testing and lunch breaks. When she visited, she noted the empty circulation desk and dust on the books, which were not lined up properly on the shelves. She also saw a lot of potential. Its a perfect location in the center of the school. I got very excited walking in there because its a great challenge, Wiltse said. And to have a principal who is backing you to make that program how I envision it, thats an exciting opportunity. Wiltse spent the last 14 years at Coonley, a 900-student school in the North Center neighborhood. Budget woes meant that three positions were on the chopping block in the spring. Outcry from colleagues, students, parents, alumni and the Chicago Teachers Union did not save Wiltses $97,780-a-year position. Nora Wiltse in the Coonley Elementary School library in 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Just last week, CTU publicly decried the lack of librarians in CPS 500-plus district-run schools. There is plenty of money and urgency for additions to Soldier Field, but more than 80% of traditional CPS schools including 82% of elementary schools dont have librarians, the union tweeted. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > Wiltse has been outspoken against cutting librarian positions, even serving on the unions bargaining team in the 2019 labor contract negotiations. Its this advocacy that earned her the 2020 Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award from the American Library Association. The Chicago Board of Education recently approved the districts $9.4 billion budget for the coming school year. CPS has emphasized that it is pumping an additional $240 million into its school budgets districtwide compared with this past school year. Per-pupil funding has also increased by 8%, CPS said. Members of Coonleys Local School Council, which is tasked with approving the schools budget, said there wasnt enough money to retain everyone for the fall. CPS released a statement late Tuesday saying it entrusts our principals to make staffing decisions to best serve their students and staff. A spokesperson said there were 256 teachers whose positions will no longer be available at the start of the new school year but that all teachers in good standing are guaranteed full-time employment at CPS and District staff are working to place qualified candidates in new schools as quickly as possible. Advertisement Wiltse grows emotional as she recalls saying goodbye to Coonley and its students under such sad circumstances. But she is looking forward to being in school when King students return Aug. 22. The 650 students at King College Prep deserve a library and a librarian, and they will now get one, many of them for the first time. So thats very exciting and encouraging. On the other hand, 850 students at Coonley will no longer have a librarian, Wiltse said. Im so glad Ill be able to stay in CPS. Im glad Ill have these new challenges. But I dont think of it as a win. If we want our students in CPS to have librarians, we have to stop losing the jobs. tswartz@tribpub.com Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Heating with oil and gas in Germany is becoming more expensive, and this was the case even before the Russian war in Ukraine. In the future, heating and cooling systems in buildings should no longer emit CO 2 , which is why the price of fossil fuels must rise. With the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG), the Federal Republic set minimum prices for emissions of carbon dioxide: By 2025, the price in the building sector will be at least 55 euros per ton of CO 2 . The price is set to rise continuously from 25 euros in 2021. For the Copernicus project Ariadne, IER experts investigated whether this measure is sufficient to encourage a climate-neutral heating market. Various scenarios showed that while a price floor would ensure a significant reduction in CO 2 emissions in heating, the CO 2 price would have to rise significantly over the next few years to ensure climate-neutral heating operation. This is due to the "inertia of the heating market." Once installed, heating systems run for a long time. Anyone renovating or building now, will not want to install a new unit in five years to keep their home warm in the winter. It must therefore be clear at the time of purchase that heating with fossil energy is no longer worthwhile. The study concludes that in the medium and especially long term, CO 2 prices of 275 euros per metric ton or even 355 euros per metric ton "will be needed by 2045 to achieve the targeted reductions." The Stuttgart energy experts name further measures to move the heating market in the direction of climate neutrality: The national BEHG must be coordinated with European emissions trading in order to avoid false incentives or to prevent emissions generated here from simply being credited to foreign countries. Furthermore, many more buildings would have to be refurbished, and much more quickly. Government bans, regulations and subsidies could also have an impact. However, import prices for oil or gas have the highest impact: The "price shock" after the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows in the scenarios detailed in the study that heat generation may already become less dependent on fossil fuel in the short term. In one scenario, gas consumption even halved. More information: Felix Kattelmann, Alexander Burkhardt, Markus Blesl, Ulrich Fahl, Kai Hufendiek (2022): Einfluss der CO2-Bepreisung auf den Warmemarkt. Kopernikus-Project Ariadne, Potsdam. Felix Kattelmann, Alexander Burkhardt, Markus Blesl, Ulrich Fahl, Kai Hufendiek (2022): Einfluss der CO2-Bepreisung auf den Warmemarkt. Kopernikus-Project Ariadne, Potsdam. ariadneprojekt.de/publikation/ -auf-den-warmemarkt/ Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, Calif., March 14, 2019. Twitter is suing Musk in Delaware in an attempt to get him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the social media company, a deal Musk is trying to get out of. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File Elon Musk's wealthy high tech allies don't seem too happy about receiving subpoenas from Twitter as part of the company's legal battle with the Tesla CEO. San Francisco-based Twitter is suing Musk in Delaware in an attempt to get him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the social media company, a deal Musk is trying to get out of. According to a report from The Washington Post, Twitter's legal team on Monday asked for information about a host of tech investors and entrepreneurs connected to Musk in a wide-ranging subpoena. Twitter declined to comment. According to the Post, the subpoena includes "extensive requests for communications, including 'checklists, timelines, presentations, decks, organizational calls, meetings, notes, recordings' related to the deal's financing.'" Well-known venture capitalists included in the subpoena, according to the report, are Marc Andreessen, founder of VC firm Andreessen Horowitz; former Facebook exec and CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya; and David Sacks, the founding chief operating officer of PayPal and current general partner at Craft Ventures. Sacks posted Monday on Twitter that "news that I am being subpoenaed by Twitter's lawyers reminded me of this issue of Mad Magazine, I don't know why." He included a photo of the magazine's cover showing a hand raising a middle finger. Joe Lonsdale, general partner at 8VC, called Twitter's subpoenas sent to "friends in the ecosystem" surrounding Musk, Andreessen and Sacks a "giant harassing fishing expedition." "I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments, but got a "YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED" document notice," he tweeted on Monday. Representatives for Sacks, Andreessen and Palihapitiya did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Tuesday. Lonsdale did not immediately respond to a message sent through LinkedIn. Explore further Elon Musk fires back at Twitter in court battle 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Flinders researchers Anh Tran Tam Pham (left) and Yunzhong Wang test the WD-TENG device in a water channel set up at a Flinders University engineering research pod at the Tonsley Innovation District, Adelaide. Credit: Flinders University Harnessing power from ocean waves is a complicated endeavor which a South Australian-Chinese research team is diving deep to take into a new direction. A prototype system designed by Flinders University researchers delivers a robust generator made from recycled material that promises to help address small-scale local energy requirements and environmental pollution issues with further R&D. The "green machine," designed around a wave-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (WD-TENG for short) model, integrates two small generators inside a recyclable tube to make cost-effective electricity in water from continuous immersion in waves. A new study published in the journal Nano Energy, by researchers at Flinders University and Beibu Gulf University in China, evaluated the low-frequency energy output of the TENG unit under various ocean wave conditions. "The experimental testing result indicates the WD-TENG can almost reach the rated output at Hz with 1.05 W/m2 power density," says Flinders University College of Science and Engineering Ph.D. candidate Mr. Yunzhong (Steven) Wang. "Our modeling indicates that the new WD-TENG has decent durability and robustness under continuous operation and has potential to provide electricity to remote or rural properties close to the coastline, or on islands." The experiment also showed the WD-TENG can sustainably charge a 47 F capacitor to 0.496 V in a minute. The exchange charge density of the used triboelectric materials arising from the triboelectric charge exchange is 19.81 nC. The R&D will expand with support from the State Government's Green Industries SA via a "circular economy" student award for the research into "a wave-driven generator constructed from recycled materials" presented last week. Senior researcher, Flinders University Professor Youhong Tang, says the team will now test the design in a watertank system, which integrates a self-designed wave creator to simulate actual ocean conditions as much as possible before the devices are tested at local metropolitan beaches. "This study shows the potential speculation approach to estimate an approximately best response wave amplitude to determine the suitable ocean state to obtain the optimized output performance of the wave-driven triboelectric nanogenerator," says Professor Tang. "The 3D printing technology provides a cost-effective and relatively convenient approach to fabricate multi-shape triboelectric nanogenerators to satisfy the different ocean wave states," adds co-author Mr. Anh Tran Tam Pham. Associate Professor Xiangxi Han, from the College of Mechanical and Marine Engineering at Beibu Gulf University, says ocean engineering and technology have great potential in creating clean energy from wave power, or "blue energy." China and other countries have been looking at various TENGs to convert the irregular kinetic energy of waves into electrical energy, including to electrochemical water splitting to produce zero-emission hydrogen. The article, "Design and evaluate the wave driven-triboelectric nanogenerator under external wave parameters: Experiment and simulation," has been published in Nano Energy. More information: Yunzhong Wang et al, Design and evaluate the wave driven- triboelectric nanogenerator under external wave parameters: Experiment and simulation, Nano Energy (2021). Journal information: Nano Energy Yunzhong Wang et al, Design and evaluate the wave driven- triboelectric nanogenerator under external wave parameters: Experiment and simulation,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106844 Dr. Biswajit Ray, right, with students (from left) Matchima Buddhanoy, Sijay Huang, Umeshwarnath Surendranathan and Modol Anik Kumar in the Ray Research Group lab. Credit: Michael Mercier / UAH A new method of radiation-resistant computer data storage called watermark storage that's been developed by a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) professor leading a student team has direct applications in the nuclear power and space industries. "Data-driven analytics are growing exponentially for space and nuclear environments," says Dr. Biswajit Ray, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System. He says the new storage system doesn't rely on an electronic charge for NAND flash storage, as traditional data drives do. NAND stands for the "not and" type of flash memory, which is in common use. Interestingly, the watermark storage method requires no new components. "We adeptly use the breakdown mechanism of a transistor's oxide layer to imprint information on the same commercial off-the-shelf memory cells," Dr. Ray says. "This technique is more resistant to irradiation damage compared to the traditional charge-based technique." He's been working with Kannan Grant, director of UAH's Office of Technology Commercialization, on a pending patent for the new technology. Radiation tolerance is typically characterized as cumulative total dose, as expressed in units of rad(Si). So, how radiation tolerant is watermark data storage? "We have tested the chips up to 100 krad(Si) and we find clear benefits using our method compared to the traditional charge based method," Dr. Ray says. Just one krad is 1,000 rads, a strong enough radiation dose to kill a person. "Our method shows a linear response of the bit error rate with a total dose, whereas the traditional method shows an exponential rise," he says. While much less data is lost in radioactive environments with the watermark technique, there is a downside. Data writing time is slower than traditional electronic storage, but Dr. Ray says that some of that downside can be minimized if NAND chip manufacturers allow a few additional operations on their chips. "Writing time for traditional NAND flash media is roughly a few milliseconds per 16kB page, whereas imprinting time in our proposal will be a few seconds," he says. "So, data writing time will increase by about 1,000 times. However, the proposed technique targets those applications where writing will be done only once and hence it will not be a significant bottleneck." Dr. Ray's electrical and computer engineering student team members in the Ray Research Group, and the co-authors of the resulting research paper, are Matchima Buddhanoy, a doctoral student and the lead author; Sadman Sakib, a recent doctoral graduate now working at Intel; and Umeshwarnath Surendranathan, a doctoral student. Collaborators and co-authors are Dr. Aleksandar Milenkovic, a UAH professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Maryla Wasiolek and Dr. Khalid Hattar, principal members of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. Sandia provided support with Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation sources and helped conduct the experiments. The collaboration was contractually supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy through its Idaho Operations Office. Future research will be partially supported by Dr. Ray's five-year, $650,000 National Science Foundation CAREER grant to create more resilient, durable and energy-efficient computer memory drives. The work will involve further radiation testing of the new technique, Dr. Ray says. We would like to explore and test this technique for a very high radiation environment such as a total dose of more than 1 megarad(Si)," he says. "At a very high total dose NAND peripheral circuits fail, making the chip non-functional. We plan to work with NAND manufacturers to build rad-hard NAND peripherals. We also plan to evaluate high-dose response by selective shielding of the peripherals." Explore further Boosting memory performance with strong ion bombardment More information: Matchima Buddhanoy et al, New Total-Ionizing-Dose Resistant Data Storing Technique for NAND Flash Memory, IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability (2022). Matchima Buddhanoy et al, New Total-Ionizing-Dose Resistant Data Storing Technique for NAND Flash Memory,(2022). 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Hundreds more out-of-state patients are having abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics in Illinois and wait times to schedule the procedure in the southern part of the state have spiked during the first month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Before the June 24 ruling, when abortion was still legal nationwide, a patient could schedule an appointment to terminate a pregnancy in three or four days in southern Illinois; now its taking on average three weeks or more because of a massive influx of out-of-state patients, according to Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, which also covers the southern region of Illinois. Advertisement One month later, I would say that our biggest surprise was really around how quickly our capacity dwindled, said Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, spokeswoman for the Planned Parenthood affiliate. Our best guess, before Roe was overturned, was that this would happen over time. Especially because we knew that abortion wasnt going to be banned in all the states all at once. It depends on if you have trigger laws, pre-Roe bans and some states have litigated their trigger bans. So we knew there was going to be a patchwork and access would fall. But we thought it would fall a little slower than whats happened. The influx of out-of-state patients has also surged in other parts of the state, but so far wait times to have an abortion in the Chicago area havent increased significantly, according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which includes 17 health centers, most of which are located in Chicago and the suburbs. Advertisement The Planned Parenthood Fairview Heights Health Center, an abortion clinic a few miles from the Missouri border in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on May 6, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Before Roe was overturned, Planned Parenthood of Illinois provided abortions to roughly 100 out-of-state patients each month. In July, the first full month after the ruling, the number of abortion patients coming from other states swelled to more than 800, according to the agency. Those seeking an abortion in Illinois are also traveling from more states than before, at increasing distances. Planned Parenthood of Illinois clinics would typically treat abortion patients from 12 to 15 states besides Illinois, before abortion rights were overturned. Since the fall of Roe, patients have been coming from 30 states, said Kristen Schultz, chief strategy and operations officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. The geography is also expanding, she said. We have now seen more patients than ever from Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Texas. The travel time is increasing. The need is increasing. The stress is increasing. While Planned Parenthood of Illinois has been able to handle the influx with no major impact on wait times so far, theres no guarantee that capacity will be able to keep up with demand as more states implement abortion bans or stringent restrictions, officials said. I think what every provider is doing both us and the folks in the south (is) preparing for as many patients as we can, Schultz said. Every day things are changing and theres always certainly the potential wait times will increase. But again, we are employing strategies to increase capacity and meet that demand. Delaying the time-sensitive procedure can increase the gestational age of the pregnancy at the time of the abortion, potentially complicating the procedure and increasing the risk to the patient. Time, travel, money, risk, all of it, Gilmore said. It just makes the whole thing drag out longer and more complicated. Advertisement A staff member answers a call at the Hope Clinic For Women in Granite City, Illinois, on June 27, 2022. With abortion now banned in Missouri, the two nearest clinics are in Illinois: Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City and Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights, which opened in 2019 in anticipation of the ban. (Angela Weiss/Getty-AFP) She recounted one recent case where an out-of-state patient was anemic and required a blood transfusion prior to the abortion. The patient was sent to another state to have the transfusion but was turned away. A lot of hospitals from banned states are trying to get advice from their lawyers about whether they are going to be considered aiding and abetting an abortion and whether it qualifies under the medical emergency exception, Gilmore said. She said the patient ultimately went to a third state to have the blood transfusion and then came back to Illinois to terminate the pregnancy. It is getting vastly more complicated than it was pre-Roe, in that it isnt just about the logistics of getting a patient in or on a certain time frame, she said. That patient may need extra support care. And were now living in a landscape where medical providers in hospital systems and doctors offices are turning patients away for that care because they dont want to be criminally liable or liable in any other sense in this new hostile landscape, where politicians are trying to criminalize providers. Reproductive rights advocates and abortion providers across the state have been planning for years for the end of Roe, the watershed 1973 Supreme Court ruling that established the right to an abortion nationwide. After the demise of those federal protections, the matter of abortion rights fell to individual states, roughly half of which were expected to ban terminating a pregnancy or significantly curb access to the procedure. Advertisement In the first month or so following the fall of Roe, 43 clinics across 11 states have stopped providing abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Missouri, South Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas have implemented abortion bans with limited or no exceptions, and now have no abortion clinics operating statewide, according to a Guttmacher report from July. In 2020, these seven states accounted for 80,500 abortions, or an average of about 6,700 abortions each month, the report said. Now, thousands of individuals who need an abortion in these states will be forced to travel to another state to reach a clinic, self-manage their abortion or carry the pregnancy to term. Providers in Wisconsin have also stopped offering abortions amid legal uncertainty over the states 1849 abortion ban, which includes exceptions for maternal life endangerment. Numerous other states have implemented abortion bans early in pregnancy, significantly limiting the procedure. Across the country, court battles and heated legislative sessions are still defining the parameters and circumstances when a pregnancy can be legally terminated in various states. An exam room inside the Hope Clinic For Women in Granite City, Illinois, on June 27, 2022. (Angela Weiss/Getty-AFP) Illinois, however, has some of the strongest reproductive rights protections in the nation, after the 2019 Reproductive Health Act established abortion as a fundamental right. It has long been considered an oasis for abortion care in the restrictive Midwest, and that role was augmented after Roe crumbled. Advertisement Planned Parenthood of Illinois has predicted that 20,000 to 30,000 more patients will be crossing state lines to have an abortion here each year. Thats on top of the rising number of out-of-state patients who were already traveling here to terminate a pregnancy while Roe was still the law of the land. Nearly 10,000 patients came from other states to Illinois to have an abortion in 2020, according to the most recent data available from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The number of patients crossing state lines to terminate a pregnancy in Illinois has increased since 2014. To increase capacity, Planned Parenthood of Illinois opened a clinic near the Wisconsin border in Waukegan in 2020 and a clinic near the Indiana border in Flossmoor in 2018. In mid-July, the organization announced that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin doctors, clinicians and other staff members had begun traveling to the Waukegan clinic to provide abortion care amid the increase in demand. A few months ago, Planned Parenthood of Illinois started offering abortion pills by mail to in-state residents who qualify for the service; out-of-state patients must travel to Illinois to have a telehealth or in-person visit with a provider and then pick up the medication at an in-state health center. The massive influx of out-of-state patients has hit southern Illinois providers particularly hard, in part because this region only has two abortion clinics. For some patients in various Midwestern and Southern states, these are the closest abortion providers for hundreds of miles. Illinois is an island of reproductive health care in the region; southern Illinois is like a micro island in that region just because there are only two of us, Gilmore said. The concentration of patients vs. capacity is just way different. That is what were trying to help policymakers understand, in terms of the urgent need for capacity downstate. Because our reality is so different. Advertisement There are about two dozen abortion clinics in Illinois, though the majority are in the Chicago area. Eleven of the 102 counties in Illinois have at least one abortion provider; in five of those counties, only medication abortions, which are restricted to early pregnancy, are available. A new southern Illinois clinic is expected to open in Carbondale as soon as this month. Choices Memphis Center for Reproductive Health recently announced plans to open the clinic, in the wake of severe abortion restrictions in Tennessee. The new abortion provider will be about three hours from Memphis and Nashville. In 2019, the Planned Parenthood affiliate in St. Louis opened a clinic in Fairview Heights, just over the border from Missouri. Hope Clinic in Granite City, just a few miles from St. Louis, also provides abortions in that area. In January, the Regional Logistics Center opened inside the Fairview Heights clinic as a one-stop designated call center where traveling patients can get help booking lodging, coordinating transportation, finding child care and accessing funds to help pay for the procedure. The center is operated jointly by Hope Clinic and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region. The Regional Logistics Center at the Planned Parenthood Fairview Heights Health Center in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on May 6, 2022. Calls to the center have increased since the Supreme Court's recent ruling on abortion. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > Just as the number of out-of-state patients at Planned Parenthood of Illinois clinics have risen significantly, calls to the Regional Logistics Center have also increased following the Supreme Court ruling. In May, the center received 648 patient calls; in June, calls increased to more than 1,100. As of mid-July, the number of calls were at 886, and were projected to rise to 1,600 by the end of the month, Gilmore said. Advertisement She added that since the end of Roe, the Fairview Heights clinic has seen a roughly 52% increase in the number of abortions that are past 15 weeks gestation. At our health center at least, we are seeing the consequences of abortion bans, (which are) pushing people later into pregnancy, she said. Gilmore added that delaying care and the sense of uncertainty post-Roe adds to patient stress. Once they figure out that yes, you can get an abortion here, were here to help, theyre relieved, she said. Because theyve been navigating a system in a post-Roe reality and that can be very scary. A lot of them have been turned away by providers and theyve really had to go searching for a place to land. eleventis@chicagotribune.com A threat actor associated with the LockBit 3.0 ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation has been observed abusing the Windows Defender command-line tool to decrypt and load Cobalt Strike payloads. According to a report published by SentinelOne last week, the incident occurred after obtaining initial access via the Log4Shell vulnerability against an unpatched VMware Horizon Server. "Once initial access had been achieved, the threat actors performed a series of enumeration commands and attempted to run multiple post-exploitation tools, including Meterpreter, PowerShell Empire, and a new way to side-load Cobalt Strike," researchers Julio Dantas, James Haughom, and Julien Reisdorffer said. LockBit 3.0 (aka LockBit Black), which comes with the tagline "Make Ransomware Great Again!," is the next iteration of the prolific LockBit RaaS family that emerged in June 2022 to iron out critical weaknesses discovered in its predecessor. It's notable for instituting what's the first-ever bug bounty for a RaaS program. Besides featuring a revamped leak site to name-and-shame non-compliant targets and publish extracted data, it also includes a new search tool to make it easier to find specific victim data. The use of living-off-the-land (LotL) techniques by cyber intruders, wherein legitimate software and functions available in the system are used for post-exploitation, is not new and is usually seen as an attempt to evade detection by security software. Earlier this April, a LockBit affiliate was found to have leveraged a VMware command-line utility called VMwareXferlogs.exe to drop Cobalt Strike. What's different this time around is the use of MpCmdRun.exe to achieve the same goal. MpCmdRun.exe is a command-line tool for carrying out various functions in Microsoft Defender Antivirus, including scanning for malicious software, collecting diagnostic data, and restoring the service to a previous version, among others. In the incident analyzed by SentinelOne, the initial access was followed by downloading a Cobalt Strike payload from a remote server, which was subsequently decrypted and loaded using the Windows Defender utility. "Tools that should receive careful scrutiny are any that either the organization or the organization's security software have made exceptions for," the researchers said. "Products like VMware and Windows Defender have a high prevalence in the enterprise and a high utility to threat actors if they are allowed to operate outside of the installed security controls." The findings come as initial access brokers (IABs) are actively selling access to company networks, including managed service providers (MSPs), to fellow threat actors for profit, in turn offering a way to compromise downstream customers. In May 2022, cybersecurity authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. warned of attacks weaponizing vulnerable managed service providers (MSPs) as an "initial access vector to multiple victim networks, with globally cascading effects." "MSPs remain an attractive supply chain target for attackers, particularly IABs," Huntress researcher Harlan Carvey said, urging companies to secure their networks and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA). Paris, TX (75460) Today Some sunshine with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. High 98F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low around 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. The nations top public health agency is relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines and dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Thursday that people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others. The changes come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic. They are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected. GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) A sheriff's deputy died after he and two other deputies were shot while trying to serve involuntary commitment papers at a North Carolina home, authorities announced Tuesday. The Wayne County deputies went to a home south of Goldsboro to serve the papers about 10:30 a.m. Monday when someone inside opened fire, wounding all three, county officials said in a tweet. The suspect was barricaded inside the home for hours and about 8 p.m., SWAT team members entered the home and found the suspect, identified as Jourdan Hamilton, 33, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. The deputies were taken to hospitals, and on Monday night, officials said Sgt. Matthew Fishman, 38, was in critical condition and the two other deputies, Cpl. Andrew Cox, 37, and Deputy Alexander Ramon Torres, 27, were stable. On Tuesday, officials announced that Fishman had died. The deputies had no reason to believe the suspect was dangerous when they initially came to serve the papers, county spokesperson Joel Gillie told reporters Monday. Fishman had worked for the sheriff's office since 2010 and previously worked for the Mount Olive Police Department, where he was still a reserve officer, county officials said. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff in Fishman's honor. The Regional Medical Center has been awarded a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Emergency Rural Health Grant. We are so appreciative. We accept this gift with much gratitude, RMC Board Chair the Rev. Dr. Caesar Richburg said during the hospital's July 26 meeting. Richburg praised the hospitals grant department for its work. USDA Rural Development representative Nickie Toomes noted the money is provided through an emergency pandemic response plan equipment grant. The grant is designed to assist RMC with preventing, detecting and responding to the threat posed by any future pandemic, as well as strengthening the health care system for public health preparedness. We submitted reimbursement of $3.5 million for this grant for equipment purchased over the last few years due to COVID, RMC Vice President of Operations Sabrina Robinson said. We received the max of $1 million, she said. In addition to reimbursements for equipment already purchased, the grant may also be used to purchase future items such as ventilators, telehealth equipment, intubators and fluid infusion pumps. The hospital will have three years to spend the money. Toomes said the state of South Carolina received about $9 million to $10 million from the USDA for health care needs as part of the emergency grant package. The money was provided as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. RMC's grants department has been busy over the past year. It has secured $7.1 million in grant funding, according to RMC Director of Grants and Sponsor Programs Stephanie Harrison. We are really excited about getting the funding in here, Harrison said, noting the projects will help advance the mission of RMC. Other grants have come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Duke Endowment, Central Carolina Community Foundation and the University of South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare, to name a few. JoJo watches the activity at his new home at Brookfield Zoo's Tropic World: Africa in 2012. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune) The king of the jungle is dead. JoJo, Brookfield Zoos silverback western lowland gorilla, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest Sunday during an emergency procedure. He had an acute illness, according to a post from the zoo on Facebook. Advertisement The gorilla, who weighed 420 pounds when he moved into the zoo, will no longer gorge himself on banana tree and grape leaves. JoJo was very smart and learned new behaviors quickly during husbandry training sessions, a Brookfield Zoo representative wrote in the post. Advertisement He was known for keeping order in the gorilla group by quickly breaking up squabbles and often showed his gentler and patient side when interacting with his offspring, it continued. The 42-year-old gorilla was considered geriatric, the zoo wrote. He lived 10 years beyond the typical life span of a male gorilla in managed care. [ JoJo the gorilla settles in at Brookfield Zoo ] We will miss JoJo dearly, the zoo wrote. A spokesperson from the zoo did not immediately respond to the Tribunes requests for more information on the gorillas death. JoJo was brought to Brookfield in 2012 as a part of a breeding program aimed at bolstering the species. He moved into the Tropic World habitat and quickly got to work. Lets just say he hasnt been hesitant to respond to the females, zoo primate curator Craig Demitros said when JoJo arrived. The animal sired three gorillas: Nora in 2013, Zachary in 2015, and Ali in 2018. He fathered two more gorillas before he came to the park, including one at Lincoln Park Zoo and another at the Louisville Zoo. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > The offspring were consequential: Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, the World Wildlife Foundation says. The species central African native populations have been hit hard by poaching and disease in the last 20 years, the WWF said. Advertisement The loss of JoJo is great, but his legacy will live on in the overall zoo population for this critically endangered species, according to the post. JoJo was as popular as he was prolific. Chicagoans responded to the news of JoJos passing by posting dozens of their own photos of the lionized gorilla on the zoos Facebook page, offering one last glimpse at the awe the animal inspired. He was magnificent. I enjoyed countless hours watching him and the others interacting. He was very much a good leader and father to the group, a Facebook user named Linda Dicintio wrote. How incredibly sad, user Lisa Binetti wrote. He was such a mesmerizing force! jsheridan@chicagotribune.com Twitter @jakesheridan_ (TBTCO) - Thi truong chung khoan hom nay co them mot phien xanh vo o long. Ap luc ban a ro hon trong phien hom nay do khong co nhom co phieu nao noi bat dan dat, viec thi truong con giu uoc thanh qua trong phien la do luc keo tu cac co phieu tru, voi cong au en tu VIC. Mayor Yves Wengler has shared his view on the problems surrounding a new heating plant in Echternach, the construction of which was halted last week due to lacking authorisation. Last week, construction of the new central heating plant in Echternach was halted after several administrative violations came to light. As it turned out, Mayor Yves Wengler gave green light to workers without having the proper authorisation from the Nature Administration and the Water Management Authority. The Nature Administration halted construction of the new heating plant after three trees were cut down without permission. The Water Management Authority, however, is entirely against the designated location of the new building, as the area is considered at risk of flooding. Furthermore, officials stated that they never received notice about the project in the first place. Our colleagues from RTL have now spoken to Mayor Wengler, who provided insight into his take on the situation. Legally questionable, but necessary due to time pressure The politician from the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) explained that he has now more information than he had on 18 July when he informed the municipal council that he was in possession of the necessary authorisations. Mayor Wengler explained that building requests were already filed in January this year and that he was surprised to still not have been granted authorisation. The document also concerned more than just the trees, it also discussed the location of a new car park. After six months, he was informed that the request had been received, but that officials still demanded more information. The politician noted that there was time pressure since the local school and gymnasium will both rely on the new heating plant by beginning of next year. He thus decided to move ahead with the removal of the trees, even without having explicit authorisation to do so. Although wrong from a legal standpoint, Mayor Wengler believes that he acted in the best interest of the project. After having been in contact with both administrations, the Echternach Council of Aldermen is now optimistic that all necessary permissions are in order. Area no longer labelled a 'Green Zone' The fact that the heating plant is to be installed alongside the Sure river remains problematic, as this used to be considered a 'Green Zone' and at risk of flooding. However, Mayor Wengler stressed that a modification of the General Building Plan (PAG) for the area had been approved by the Minister for Home Affairs in 2018. This document regulates that the area has since been a 'Zone for Public Buildings and Equipment', which means that a heating plant can be constructed on location. The opposition on the Echternach municipal council has yet to take a position on the issue. In the meantime, a lawsuit agains the construction of the plant has been filed with the court of administration. Republican candidate Thomas Kelly dropped out of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction race on Monday to better chances for the incumbent candidate, Brian Schroeder. Brian is the only other candidate who really seems to get the federal government attempts to influence Wyoming through monetary policy, and hes more likely to win than I am, Kelly said. It didnt make any sense for me to stay in for my own personal ego. Schroeder said in a statement on Monday that he was honored to work this campaign with Kelly and beyond honored to have his vote... As a force in this campaign, he was not only principled, honest, and courageous, he also effectively advanced the conservative cause. The Wyoming State Central Committee nominated Kelly, alongside Schroeder and former lawmaker Marti Halverson, as a contender for the position after former state superintendent Jillian Balow left the position to take a similar job in Virginia. Kelly, who chairs the American Military University political and military science department, received 67 votes, Halverson 56 votes and Schroeder 52 votes. But Gov. Mark Gordon ultimately appointed Schroeder to the position, with a term that ends in January 2023. Schroeder officially filed for candidacy in the superintendent race in mid-May. Schroeder has strongly denounced in several statements a federal reinterpretation of nondiscrimination protections involving schools. On May 5, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food and Nutrition Service announced that it would reinterpret the prohibition of discrimination based on sex in Title IX to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That means that any organization that gets money from the Food and Nutrition Service has to investigate allegations of discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation and update their non-discrimination policies and signage to include prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, the USDA statement says. Emails show disconnect between school chief's public statements, private guidance Wyoming's schools leader suggested a federal nondiscrimination update on gender and sexual orientation would impact pronouns and locker rooms, when the guidance he received behind-the-scenes indicated otherwise. Wyoming gets money from the Food and Nutrition Service for a variety of nutrition programs. The USDA hasnt told the Star-Tribune outright that it would withdraw funds from entities that dont comply with the update. But thats typically what happens when theres noncompliance. Though unsurprising, it is nonetheless both disheartening and astounding that our federal government could become so cynical as to tie the school lunches of little kids to its ever-relentless agenda of social engineering, Schroeder said in one of his statements on the matter. Representatives of Wyoming Equality, the Wyoming Education Association and the ACLU called Schroeder out on his denouncement of the nondiscrimination update. Others have also said that his statements harm the LGBTQ+ students that the nondiscrimination update is meant to protect. Schroeder later called for Wyoming to reject the federal money and cover the cost of the nutrition programs on its own. Some people dont think thats realistic, considering that Wyoming is already having a hard time with education funding. Can Wyoming pick up the slack if it rejects federal money for school lunches? The $40 million that Wyoming would need yearly to pay for school lunches would be in addition to the roughly $300 million annual deficit in funding for education that the state is already grappling with. Beside the USDA nondiscrimination update, Kelly said he couldnt think of any other federal attempts to influence Wyoming at the moment. I just know that that is the federal governments first attempt, and that wont be their last, he said. In the Monday statement announcing his withdrawal from the race, Kelly said to his supporters that they have helped direct the narrative not only of the Superintendent race, but other statewide races. We sounded the alarm on federal incursion into the Wyoming way of life, and other candidates have picked up that mantle to carry forward, he said. Kelly hadnt informed Schroeder beforehand about his decision to drop out. The only conversation Ive ever had with Brian about voting or the elections was an inside joke we had where I said listen, Brian, youre good man. But I dont think Im going to vote for you. Kelly said that Schroeder emailed him on Monday saying he was surprised after hearing the news. It was just an email, saying, My sense of humor aside, I ended up voting for you, Brian, and Im getting out of the race, and he said he was surprised by it, but thank you. Now there are four Republican candidates and one Democrat candidate left in the superintendent race. State superintendent candidates shared their views in a forum. Here are some takeaways. Community members got to hear from GOP candidates for the Wyoming superintendent of public instruction position during an election forum in Casper. Here are the candidates' take on some issues. Former Wyoming Department of Education chief policy officer Megan Degenfelder announced her bid for election in early April. She also vied for the post when Balow left but only garnered enough votes to make it into fourth place. Shes currently the government and regulatory affairs manager for Morningstar Partners Oil & Gas. Megan Degenfelder announces bid for schools superintendent A former top official at the Wyoming Department of Education announced Thursday she will run for superintendent of public instruction. Schroeder, the former head of Veritas Academy, a private Christian school in Cody, has experience as a family and youth coordinator and as a teacher and administrator in private schools in California, Wisconsin, Michigan and Wyoming. Schools superintendent's denouncement fans debate over gender identity, sexual orientation A blistering statement from Wyoming's schools superintendent is again fanning the flames of debate over gender identity and sexual orientation. Casper-based substitute teacher and cosmetologist Jennifer Zerba and Rock Springs underground trona miner Robert White also threw in their hats, both on the last day to file for candidacy. Sergio Maldonado, a member of the Northern Arapaho tribe, is the sole Democrat contender. Hes been a teacher, college administrator and school board trustee in Arizona and Wyoming. In 1989, while he was living in Arizona, former president George H.W. Bush appointed him to a term on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He also served as the liaison with the Northern Arapaho Tribe under former Gov. Matt Mead. With deadline approaching, four candidates confirmed for schools superintendent race Three Republicans and one Democrat are vying for the state superintendent of public instruction's post. The alpinist team Full Circle made international headlines when it became the first all-Black expedition to summit Mount Everest in May. Full Circles accomplishment was widely celebrated. What was lost in much of the coverage, however, was this detail: Five college students from central Wyoming trekked to base camp to help Full Circle test climate sensor technology. The Wyoming group, affiliated with the Central Wyoming Colleges Interdisciplinary Climate Change Expedition program, included two Eastern Shoshone students, two Northern Arapaho students and one bike shop mechanic whos the first in his family to go to college. On the expedition, they met Full Circles climbers, tested emerging technology that may provide clearer data on high-altitude climate change and visited communities dealing with impacts of a changing climate. It was eye-opening, said Ryan Towne, the bike mechanic. The communities who are least responsible for climate change do not deserve to bear the brunt of its consequences, he said. Whatever we can do, as a school, as a community, to spread awareness for these cultures and their struggles is, you know, all that I can hope for. The young adults also had an adventure of a lifetime touring the vibrant city of Kathmandu, sharing meals with Nepali hosts, hiking into the thin Himalayan air and bonding as friends. They played a role in a historic achievement that felt singular in its own merit. I can say that I, a Native American female, have reached Everest base camp conducting climate change research, student Jada Antelope wrote about the trip. For this, I am beyond proud An Everest expedition arises Central Wyoming Colleges ICCE program launched in 2014. The undergraduate research program weaves together science and outdoor education skills, and its students have undertaken expeditions to Tanzania (in partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership School), the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Wind River Range. The Everest project started as a nebulous concept and narrowed into focus only a couple months before it took place, said Jacki Klancher, director of instruction and research at CWCs Alpine Science Institute, who wrangled the expedition. It spawned in part out of Klanchers relationships with Full Circle members Phil Henderson and James KG Kagambi all three have worked for Lander-based NOLS. In conversations with the climbers ahead of their Everest attempt, Klancher said, the concept of a CWC student team came up. They embraced us, she said. And the idea was we work with them to get their electrical engineer help testing some tech that we wanted to test. The concept of beta testing climate sensors, meanwhile, has roots in a NASA National Space Grant Consortium meeting in Jackson Hole in October, where young and promising STEM scientists gathered, Klancher said. Thats where she put out the message that she was seeking a portable climate sensor, something she has been wanting for some time for Alpine Science Institute programs. I was like, Yall, all I want is a portable location-enabled temperature and [relative-humidity] sensor. Can anybody help? she said. That led to conversations with scientists from universities like Penn State, as well as the company MeteoTracker, who showed interest in developing prototypes. As those conversations evolved and with a green light from Full Circle, Klancher next set out to secure funding and assemble a team. Several funders, such as Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium and Wyoming EPSCoR, backed the project. In selecting students, she first turned to program veterans like Towne and Aidan Darissa Hereford, who had ridden in the bike trek, and Red Thunder Spoonhunter, who was on the Tanzania expedition. When Klancher first proposed the expedition, Hereford said, she was reluctant. Hereford was unsure about traveling abroad during a pandemic for one, she said. It seemed pretty scary, she said. So I was just debating on it for about a week. [Then] I thought why not? Just go for it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Antelope, who along with Spoonhunter is Northern Arapaho, and Antoine Day, who like Hereford is Eastern Shoshone, rounded out the team. Once the team solidified, Klancher and the students scrambled to apply for funding, train for high altitude trekking, expedite passport applications and secure requisite vaccinations with barely any time to spare. On April 25, they left Fremont County on the first leg of an enormous journey. In the end, base camp occupied two days of their experience-rich three-week adventure. Travel weary and trekking After a ride on a triple-decker plane and a long layover in Dubai, the students landed in the teeming city of Kathmandu on April 28, jet-lagged from the 12-hour time difference. They spent a couple days touring temples and negotiating the incessant city traffic before riding a helicopter to the precarious Lukla airport. From Lukla, a carless city roved instead by yaks and trekkers, they set out on foot. They hiked for 10 days, stopping at tea houses, learning Nepali words from their guides and experiencing the countryside one step at a time. It was really surreal, Hereford said. And it was really nice to see, like, the villages and see how they live and how things are just really different over there. Jada Antelope perches on a boulder at Everest base camp with the Northern Arapaho flag. (CWC ICCE Everest team) Each day was vibrant, Klancher said. It was spectacular tea houses and people and culture and the landscape. It felt like we did a months worth of living in those 10 days. The expedition wasnt without trials. The team had to manage a gamut of illnesses including acute mountain sickness, which felled Hereford and contend with foul weather. Members healthy enough to keep hiking reached base camp on May 9. It was a different world at 17,600 feet, Day said. Base camp is tent city, tents everywhere, he said, with constant helicopter traffic overhead. There, they met the Full Circle team and hiked to the ice fields. They partnered with Adina Scott, a Full Circle researcher and engineer, to work with the sensor prototypes, and Towne carried one on the trek down. After two nights at base camp, the students started the journey home. Full Circle reached the summit of Everest on May 12. It was a wild ride. But reminders of home helped bridge the familiar with the foreign, Hereford said. What I really loved the most was waking up every day and smelling over here in our community, you know, we burn sweetgrass and so it smelled like that every morning, but they called that juniper. One thing that helped her through her altitude sickness, she said, was eating a Nepali version of fry bread. Crunching data, telling the tale The team returned on May 19. In early June, members were still processing the adventure, and hadnt yet determined the quality of the data the prototypes collected or the technologys potential. We were successful in doing what we wanted to do, which was to partner with Full Circle to beta test these prototype units and go, Can these things even do what MeteoTracker says? Klancher said. Not knowing the answer to that immediately illustrates the long and sometimes painstaking process of science, she said. So, you know, like people asked, What did you learn? Its like, well, we didnt solve climate change for all time and save the Nepalese and 1.6 billion people from surface water crises, Klancher said. Instead, they tested an idea, and will offer feedback in an attempt to improve the devices and ultimately the science, Klancher and Day said. Its baby steps, Klancher said, that one day could lead to, for instance, Sherpas carrying the units to gauge high-altitude climate conditions. Did we meet my objectives of diversity, equity, inclusion in STEM? We did, she said. Did we educate students and help provide them with professional preparation? Yes. Did we contribute to climate and water science data and tech? Yes. Did we work on a ton of partnerships? Yes. And did we have a blast? Yes, Klancher said. The team was a delight, she said. These guys just figured it out and laughed so much. I did not have to do a lot of interpersonal group management It was kind of the magic group. The students will present on their expedition in September in Riverton, and Day will curate a photography exhibit of images he took later in the fall. POWELL More than 300 people, including former incarcerees and a slew of high-powered politicians, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mineta-Simpson Institute at Heart Mountain Saturday during the annual pilgrimage to the interpretive center designed to preserve what remains of the World War II Japanese American confinement site. Already staked out with wooden markers and red flags, the project is dedicated to the friendship of former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta and former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson. The construction project will offer space for workshops and programming specifically designed to foster empathy, courage and cooperation among our nations next generation of leaders. Its a physical building that we are constructing, but its much more than that. Its the expansion of our ability to reach a national and international audience with the story of our past here, but also the dynamism of our present and the vision that we have for the future, said Aura Sunada Newlin, interim executive director of the center, who opened the ceremony after a catered lunch. Mineta and Simpson met while they were Boy Scouts in the 1940s. Mineta, who is of Japanese heritage, was incarcerated at the site with his family for more than two years after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The two continued their friendship until this past spring, when Mineta passed away at 90 from heart failure on May 3. Simpson had a plan to make it through his remarks at the podium without an emotional breakdown; sticking to written notes. You can have your cry when youre writing [your speech] so you dont have to cry when youre giving it, he said prior to his turn at the podium. There were so many great times and jokes and things that we shared with each other that we wouldnt dare share with anyone, he said of their friendship. Norm was a living vessel with all of the ancient truths of life, loyalty, patriotism, friendship, humor, fairness, openness, guts, courage, transparency and no tricks. The 92-year-old Cody resident said. It was Mineta who was charged with restoring confidence in air travel in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. He oversaw the hasty creation of the Transportation Security Administration, which took over responsibility for aviation security from the airlines. Had Mineta made it to the groundbreaking, there would have been three Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients in attendance at the ceremony, including Simpson and former Vice President Dick Cheney. The three dignitaries have a long history of friendship. Cheney pushed to keep Mineta as Transportation Secretary during the Bush administration after first serving in the Clinton administration. He had said of Mineta at the time, We dont care what party hes from, we know he can do the work, said Shirley Ann Higuchi, associate executive director of legal and regulatory affairs for the American Psychological Association and chairwoman of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, during her opening remarks. Simpson joked that he broke his Medal of Freedom, which he was presented by President Joe Biden in July, while trying to pin it to his pajamas. Rep. Cheney, currently in a primary election battle with Harriet Hageman for the states only seat in the House of Representatives, stepped to the microphone with tears in her eyes after she was received with a long and boisterous standing ovation. Cheney has rarely received such a welcome during this campaign, especially in Park County, where officials of the Park County Republican Party voted overwhelmingly to fire her. They informed Cheney they would no longer recognize her as the official Republican Congressional representative after she was one of the few Republicans in the House voting to impeach former president Donald Trump. Thats the first time that somebody has made me cry twice before [getting to] the podium, Cheney said. She did not campaign during her speech, instead honoring the Mineta and Simpson families and her father, who in a rare appearance in Park County, sat in the front row of the event. The friendship of Norm and Al really represents what this nation can be and what this nation should be. And represents two people who had policy disagreements, but had a bond that went beyond that, she said. Minetas wife, Deni, and several family members were present for the groundbreaking of the new center. It was the land where his parents came and his brothers and sisters came to be incarcerated because they look different because the United States had the misfortune to fear them, Deni Mineta said, adding his spirit will be here. He revered this land. She spoke fondly of Simpson, saying the new center was an appropriate place to remember their friendship. This institute will be named for boyhood friends who looked past the prejudice and hate around them. And they were to serve in Congress together in Washington from different political parties with dignity and respect. She demonstrated the pain of the loss of her husband when her voice broke during her speech. No one would have been more proud, she said of him. And I know that he is dancing in heaven. She also spoke of her husbands friendship with Simpson. Eighty years ago their friendship was a beacon of light in the darkness. And for decades, it was shown in the halls of Washington, D.C., for others to see whats possible, she said. Ann Simpson and Deni Mineta are co-chairs of the building committee. Erika Moritsugu, deputy assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison, represented the Biden administration at the ceremony. Secretary Mineta broke many barriers for myself and all of us to be where we are today. He believed with all his heart that America can accomplish anything when we come together, she said. This years Pilgrimage to Heart Mountain included a hike up Heart Mountain, two film screenings, workshops and discussions, tours, the groundbreaking and a Sayonara dinner Saturday night. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation gained National Historic Landmark status for the confinement site in 2007 and opened the center Aug. 20, 2011. The building to house the Mineta-Simpson Institute is expected to be finished in 2024, Newlin said. Were building the additions, but were already moving forward with the work of the Institute within our existing space, she said. Plans for the addition were solidified two years ago, and Norm Minetas death was a shock for all involved, Newlin said. She pointed out that the presence of politicians especially Liz Cheney was not intended to be a sign of support for their campaigns, but due to the friendships forged between the Mineta, Simpson and Cheney families. Prior to his death, Norm Mineta planned to be at the groundbreaking. It was a shock to us all, Newlin said. Al Simpson said despite Minetas death, He is here. We never lost an election and we irritated a lot of people, which is the purpose of leadership just to piss somebody off. And we did it beautifully, he said in his closing statements. THE recent, and perhaps ongoing, difference of opinion between Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and the Tobago House of Assemblyover the limitations on the national air carriers service on the Tobago routeled me to question whether CAL needs to be responsible for the domestic airbridge. Bear with us. We will deal with this challenging situation in Trinidad and Tobago. We will deal with this scourge. That was the plea to the public yesterday from acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob, as murders and serious crime continue unabated. Moving to address the crisis, Jacob said leave has been restricted for all police officers, while 60 have been pulled from their vacation to increase foot and mobile patrols in high traffic and public areas. The vaccine for Smallpox and Monkeypox is at Northstar Medical Center in Chicago on July 18, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday declared the spreading monkeypox virus to be a statewide public health emergency. Illinois has the third most monkeypox cases of any state, behind only New York and California. Pritzkers declaration, which marks the state as a monkeypox disaster area, will allow public health officials to more aggressively respond to the outbreak, the governors office said. Advertisement MPV is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread, Pritzker said in a statement. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is interviewed in Chicago on June 29, 2022. On Monday, Pritzker declared the spreading monkeypox virus to be a statewide public health emergency. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) The declaration, effective immediately and in place for 30 days, allows state agencies to coordinate more efficiently and use new tools in the fight against the disease, the governors statement said. Advertisement The Illinois Department of Public Health can now expand vaccine and testing capacities with the help of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and get access to state and federal recovery and assistance funds, the statement said. The declaration will also help facilitate vaccination logistics, the statement added. These measures will allow the state to deploy all our resources in fighting this disease and will open efficient lines of communication and cooperation across state lines, an essential step in tracking monkeypox and improving tools and processes to prevent and address it, said Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Pritzkers emergency declaration follows one made July 23 by the World Health Organization. San Franciscos mayor declared an emergency over the virus on Thursday, and New York Citys mayor declared one on Saturday. Illinois is currently reporting 520 confirmed or presumed monkeypox cases, the governors statement said. Nearly a tenth of the countrys cases have appeared in Illinois. [ Chicago monkeypox cases rise again: 326 and counting ] Most of the states cases have occurred in Chicago, among the hardest-hit cities across the entire country. Chicago saw a sharp increase in reported infections last week, with a total of 326 cases reported as of Wednesday. Chicago does not need a separate emergency declaration because the city is covered by the states declaration, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city public health Commissioner Allison Arwady said in a joint statement. This emergency declaration brings a necessary, increased focus to the Monkeypox (MPV) outbreak were seeing here in Chicago, across our state, and around the country, they said in the statement. Ultimately, however, we need more support from the federal level to fully address the threat MPV presents to our city. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > The virus is spreading mostly among men who have sex with other men, public health officials at all levels have said. The Chicago Department of Public Health is targeting vaccinations at that group, especially those who have multiple or anonymous partners, though theres nothing inherent about the disease that limits its spread to men who have sex with men, Arwady has repeatedly said. Advertisement Here in Illinois we will ensure our LGBTQ+ community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring members are not stigmatized as they access critical health care, Pritzker said. [ Monkeypox concern grows as virus spreads in Chicago: They need to get loud about this ] The state has received 7,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government and expects 13,000 more doses in the near future, the statement said. Many of the received doses have already been shared with Chicagos health department. Health care providers and gay men across Chicago have called for a more robust response to the outbreak and more vaccines amid a national shortage. Pritzker called on the federal government to ramp up vaccination efforts in late July. The next day, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced it would be prioritizing first doses with new vaccine stock, a move that was expected to delay the administration of many second shots. The smallpox-related monkeypox virus was first detected in humans in 1970 and is endemic to parts of west and central Africa. The illness often begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to painful, distinct, large rashes throughout the body that look like pimples or blisters. Monkeypox symptoms can last up to four weeks jsheridan@chicagotribune.com Twitter @jakesheridan_ The magical charm of the Manzanilla-to-Mayaro vista is not the only gift of nature that could be lost to future generations. Natural phenomena combined with the human-induced impacts of climate change are already altering our lives, and are projected to do so in even more drastic and dramatic ways within the lifetimes of most people alive today. As soon as he sat his plated creations out for the judges, Dantes Fire chef-owner Kenneth Foy had a feeling he would win the 2022 Iron Chef Tucson competition. Once I put our stuff out there, I thought we had a level of sophistication that would win, he said Monday, Aug. 1, two days after the July 30 competition at Casino del Sol. Foy upset reigning Iron Chef Wendy Gauthier, the chef-owner of Chef Chic at 1104 S. Wilmot Road, who held the title since winning in 2019. The pandemic forced organizers of the event, which pits Tucson chefs in a timed competition using a secret ingredient, to cancel the event in 2020 and 2021. It was a really close competition between two amazingly talented chefs, Casino del Sol Executive Chef Ryan Clark, a commentator for the event, said in a written statement. So, kudos to both Ken and Wendy. The event was a great time and we cant wait to do it again next year. I heard it was close, Gauthier said. We had fun. Im very proud of my team. I couldnt have asked them to do any better. Foy and Gauthier had one hour on July 30 to create four dishes using the secret ingredient cherries as a central component. Cherries was one of four ingredients being considered and the two chefs were given the list of potential ingredients the night before the competition so they could sketch out ideas. The chefs also had to use Blue Moon beer in one dish Blue Moon is one of the principal sponsors of the competition. Foy said he and his team crafted dishes based on all the possibilities. I didnt think cherry was going to be it. I thought it was going to be beef liver so I was kind of bummed, he said. Were just happy they didnt pick puffed pastry. We liked the ingredient, he added. I think why we were so successful was our range. Foy and his team deployed cherries in his Blue Moon pesto that was part of his tasting plate alongside cayenne cherry compote, seared Asian pears, candied bacon and cheddar crisps. Tart cherries added a punch to his tart cherry beet borscht finished with a carrot aioli, a carrot chip and toasted papitas. He added a cherry beurre rouge to pickled ginger sweet potato mash served with cherry wood-smoked parmesan chips and topped a cherry crumble with walnut streusel, a caramel dealie whopper an edible decoration made from semi-hardened caramel and allspice whipped cream. Gauthier said she and her team were excited about working with cherries. They created a vegetable carpaccio with quick pickled cherries and fried avocado, and a congee think rice soup cooked in cherry puree that was topped with cherry roasted spiced pumpkin seeds and diced cherries. Another dish featured shrimp stuffed with a three-cheese blend and cherries wrapped in bacon and served with a sweet and sour cherry sauce, and ricotta cherry gnocchi with macadamia nuts, candied orange peel and a cherry flambe. About 650 people attended the competition, according to Nathan Lanham-Baird, marketing and promotions director of the contests coordinator, Arizona Lotus Corp. The 60 minutes goes by in the blink of an eye, said longtime Tucson food writer and publicist Matt Russell, who was a commentator alongside Clark. As the chefs got closer to where they have to sort of back off and raise their hands their work became quite intense. Foy said he phoned his restaurant at 2526 E. Grant Road after the contest results were announced July 30 and the restaurant erupted in cheers. Foy plans to host an Iron Chef dinner soon that will feature his competition-winning dishes. Hes also plans to add the Asian pear tasting plate to his menu. PHOENIX You remember all those claims of dead people voting in 2020? Well, according to Attorney General Mark Brnovich, rumors of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated. In a letter Monday to Senate President Karen Fann, the states chief prosecutor said he looked at the reports she forwarded from Cyber Ninjas, the firm she hired to audit the 2020 election, of 282 people who had allegedly died in early October 2020 yet cast ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. That followed the Senate-ordered audit of the election returns in Maricopa County. Brnovich said, in essence, there was no there there. Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, he said. Many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased. In fact, the attorney general said, only one of 282 listed voters on that report actually was deceased. The others were not only quite alive but also are current voters. But it wasnt just what Cyber Ninjas had provided that Brnovich concluded was largely unfounded. The attorney general said his agencys Election Integrity Unit looked at the names of another 409 allegedly dead voters that came from other sources. And then investigators went through yet another report of 5,943 names, which made no distinction between dead voters and dead registrants. Once again, these claims were thoroughly investigated and resulted in only a handful of potential cases, Brnovich told Fann. Some were so absurd the names and birth dates didnt even match the deceased, he reported. And others included dates of death after the election. And Brnovich said while his agency has previously prosecuted other instances of dead people voting, even those cases were ultimately determined to be isolated incidents. The report comes a day before the Republican primary where Brnovich is in a five-way contest to be the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. Recent polls showed him trailing Blake Masters and Jim Lamon. It also comes as he has faced often blistering criticism from Trump supporters for what some contend has been his inability or unwillingness to properly investigate their claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Brnovichs office did release an interim report in April where he recommended some changes in election laws. That, however, produced no indictments nor evidence of fraud beyond a handful of people who had voted someone elses ballot. But Brnovich said Monday that the Election Integrity Unit will continue to do inquiries into the hotly disputed election. The new report is the latest in a series which have shown that the findings of Cyber Ninjas, which had never conducted an election audit before being hired by Fann, were misleading or wrong outright. Other claims have since been debunked, including people voting duplicate ballots, machine-filled-in ballots, missing signatures on absentee ballots, and tallying machines liked to the internet. In fact, a hand tally of all nearly 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots found that Democrat Joe Biden actually defeated Donald Trump in the county by a slightly larger margin than reported by the tabulation equipment. The attorney general was careful not to criticize Fann or her decision to hire Cyber Ninjas. We supported the Arizona Senates ability to conduct an audit of Maricopa Countys elections and understand the importance of reviewing the results, he said. However, allegations of widespread deceased voters from the Senate audit and other complaints received by the Election Integrity Unit are insufficient and not corroborated. Pima Countys primary election wrapped up Tuesday with only a few minor problems reported throughout the day, county officials said. Vote centers experienced an hour-long delay in casting provisional ballots without the proper envelopes needed for the ballots to be cast, while two ballot-on-demand printers experienced technical issues, according to Pima County Communications Director Mark Evans. Voters who cast provisional ballots between 7-8 a.m. were directed to return later and the correct envelopes were received by 8 a.m., Evans said. He said the missing envelopes were an oversight and did not know how many provisional voters had been directed to come back later. Of the 197 new ballot printers deployed Tuesday, two experienced technical issues one printer went offline and another had issues with its ink cartridge. Both were replaced with backup printers with no delay at all, Evans said. Tuesdays election marked the countys debut of e-pollbooks and voting centers, where poll workers check in voters with an iPad, or e-pollbook, that scans voters IDs and confirms their eligibility to vote. The e-pollbook then sends a ballot specific to each voter to a ballot-on-demand printer. The new voting model also replaces the precinct-based polling system where voters were required to vote at the location assigned to them based on their residence. Pima County voters could show up at any of 129 vote centers across the county to cast a ballot on Aug. 2 regardless of the precinct they live in. A total of 136,108 votes were counted in the first drop of unofficial results Tuesday night, resulting in a voter turnout of about 22%. The number of ballots left to be counted likely wont be known until Thursday morning. For the most part, most voters were able to check in and get their ballot and vote with no problem whatsoever. We thought it went very smoothly today, Evans said. So you know, we plan for the worst. And we didn't come anywhere near those issues. The county plans to course-correct for the general election on Nov. 8 by reviewing issues poll workers ran into Tuesday. We're definitely going to do a post-mortem on this, get together and say, Okay, where were the hiccups, where are things we could improve our communications? Evan said. We expect November to go much, much better, not that today was all that bumpy. But for the little things that happened, we believe those won't be repeated in November. Federal range managers have agreed to repair fences and chase errant cattle out of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area under a newly announced legal settlement that could spell the end of livestock grazing in the protected river habitat. The settlement filed Monday in Tucson federal court calls for the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider four existing grazing leases within the conservation area about 80 miles southeast of Tucson. The agreement with environmentalists gives the agency eight months to determine if grazing is compatible with protections for several endangered plants and animals in the area. An earlier analysis by the bureau identified damage from livestock in parts of the 47-mile-long river preserve. If they just look at their own information, theyve got to acknowledge that they have to keep cows out of there, said Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director for Western Watersheds Project, one of three environmental groups that sued the BLM in 2020. The settlement also lays out specific steps the bureau must take right away to control legal and trespass grazing in the conservation area. Those measures include fixing downed fences, removing unauthorized livestock and promptly responding to reports of stray cows, along with limits on where and how permitted grazing is conducted in sensitive areas. Thats a big win as far as Tuell is concerned. She said visitors have been logging complaints about cattle along the river for years, but the problem persists. You can probably find cows where theyre not supposed to be there on any given day of the year, Tuell said. As a result, endangered plants such as the Huachuca water umbel are being eaten and trampled to the edge of extinction. These species are really close to being wiped out of these areas, and we dont have any time to waste, Tuell said. In a statement issued Wednesday morning, BLM officials said they "worked in good faith to come to this settlement," reaffirming their commitment to the resource management plan that was adopted for the conservation area in 2019. "We look forward to continued engagement with our stakeholders through the planning process outlined in the settlement," bureau officials said in their statement. Mondays agreement settles a lawsuit brought two years ago by Western Watersheds Project, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club, which sued the BLM over that 2019 management plan. The groups argued that by allowing grazing in the conservation area, the bureau was violating the federal legislation that established the preserve in the first place. Todd Tucci is senior attorney for Advocates for the West, which represented the three environmental groups. He said Congress explicitly directed the BLM in 1988 to conserve, protect, and enhance the conservation values of the riparian corridor that extends north from the U.S.- Mexico border. Since that time, the bureau has manufactured every excuse to justify continued grazing within this national treasure, said Tucci in a written statement. We are pleased the bureau has finally agreed to take a hard look at the impacts of grazing within the San Pedro. No one has filed more complaints with the agency about trespassing cattle than Robin Silver, the co-founder of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, which helped push to have the Huachuca water umbel listed as endangered in 1997. Silver said he hopes the settlement will serve as the beginning of the end of permitted grazing on the San Pedro River. There is no place for riparian cow grazing in the desert Southwest, especially along the San Pedro where the Riparian National Conservation Area was created to protect riparian values, he said in a written statement. Western Watersheds Project deputy director Greta Anderson agreed. No one visits the San Pedro Riparian NCA to see cow pies, trampled vegetation, muddy waters and ruined wildlife habitats, she said in a statement. The bureau needs to reconsider its priorities and truly conserve, protect, and enhance the area, as it is directed to do by law. Continued livestock use is incompatible with that direction. RELATED: Weekend storms belie Tucson's ho-hum monsoon season For Star subscribers: Use our interactive map to see how much rain Tucsons monsoon has dropped so far near you. Tucson experts helped BBC crew with desert episode of new nature series For Star subscribers: Our little corner of the Sonoran Desert gets the full David Attenborough treatment in a new BBC nature documentary set to premiere on PBS on July 27. Collared bobcat and her kittens become backyard Tucson celebrities For Star subscribers: Residents and researchers are learning a lot as they follow a GPS-collared bobcat and her kittens through a gated community on the west side of Tucson. An online college the University of Arizona plans to integrate will no longer pay a troubled, underperforming company to provide student support services. On Monday, Paul Pastorek, president and CEO of University of Arizona Global Campus, announced in an open letter that the college and its online program manager, Zovio, have agreed to terminate their contract, effective July 31, 2022. The school purchased the assets of the online program manager or OPM, retaining the technology infrastructure and about 90% of employees who previously worked on behalf of Zovio, for $1 dollar and will now oversee all of its operations in-house. By terminating the OPM agreement, yet bringing key personnel and systems into UAGC, we ensure that all personnel at UAGC are aligned toward a single purpose the success of our students and toward our mission to serve working adults and advance their social and economic mobility by offering a fair-priced, high-quality university degree, Pastorek said in the letter. In addition, this termination will allow UAGC to focus all resources on our goal of improving retention and student outcomes. This is the latest development in UA Global Campus two-year-long saga, which has had critics crying foul since the outset. In 2020, the University of Arizona purchased the assets of Ashford University, a for-profit online school with a reputation for deceiving students, and rebranded it as the nonprofit UA Global Campus. That deal also involved retaining Ashfords former parent company, Zovio (formerly known as Bridgepoint Education, Inc.), to provide services to help run the school. Those services include IT, financial student aid, marketing, enrollment and some aspects of student advising. The 15-year contract with Zovio said the company would receive 19.5% of tuition revenue in exchange for its services. But in the 20 months since UA Global Campus inked its contract with Zovio, the companys reputation has remained at the center of public criticism from UA faculty, lawmakers and higher education advocates of the UA Global Campus deal. That criticism intensified in January of this year, when the UA announced its plans to absorb UA Global Campus within the next year. While the two are still separately accredited institutions governed by a separate boards right now, the UA and the UA Foundation have already signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education that makes them jointly and severally liable for UA Global Campus performance, and would put the UA on the hook if UA Global Campus shut down. Then, in March, a California judge ruled that Zovio must pay $22.4 million in penalties for misleading students about the cost and quality of an Ashford education. Although the judge noted he did not find evidence of wrongdoing after 2017, when the California Attorney Generals Office filed the suit against Zovio, critics still worried Zovio was running UA Global Campus in the same manner it had Ashford. Why are we working with this organization? Lucy Ziurys, a UA faculty senator and professor of chemistry, said at a UA Faculty Senate meeting in February. Students lives were ruined because of Zovio and Ashford. Zovio: Not enough capital In addition to its legal troubles, Zovio has operated at a financial loss during the entirety of its relationship with UA Global Campus. The company reported a 33% drop in annual earnings in 2021 compared to 2020. As UA Global Campus enrollment has continued to decline the latest enrollment estimate is around 26,000 students compared to 35,000 in December 2020 Zovio hasnt seen much improvement this year. In its second-quarter earnings for 2022, which Zovio reported Monday, revenues were down 26% compared to the same quarter in 2021. In May, the company sold its enterprise TutorMe for $55 million, shortly after alluding to its exploration of potential divestitures on an earnings call. On a call with investors Monday morning, Zovio CEO Randy Hendricks said declining enrollment at UA Global Campus was a big driver of the companys decision to terminate its contract with the school. We have looked at the capital and time related to get to a profitable contract arrangement with our clients, the University of Arizona Global Campus, Hendricks told investors. There just isnt enough capital to do that. UAGC in direct control Whether or not this decision is a positive one for the future of UA Global Campus, and the University of Arizona by association, depends on who you ask. For Pastorek, who has led UA Global Campus since 2020, cutting ties with Zovio is the start of a new chapter for the online school. We had control, but it was through oversight. We didnt have the employees reporting directly to us, Pastorek told the Arizona Daily Star. While there were systems in place to check behind Zovios actions, Frankly, its much better to have direct control. Pastorek said the school considered hiring another online program manager once it learned Zovio planned on bailing out of its contract, but decided to go it alone by taking over the assets originally built up by Zovio. Everybody wants to be able to deliver the best they can for students, Pastorek said. In our case, we want students to be able to succeed and we can manage it more directly, more closely and more carefully without a split vision. When you have an OPM involved in it, they have their own objectives. UA President Robert Robbins, who personally signed off on the acquisition of Ashford in 2020 and the indemnification of the UA this year, agreed with Pastoreks optimistic outlook for UA Global Campus now that Zovios out of the picture, calling the move another positive step in the UAGC journey in a campuswide memo Monday. Bob Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has previously criticized the UAs involvement with UA Global Campus and Zovio, called Mondays announcement a big, positive step, that will bring greater accountability and clearer lines of responsibility, reducing the likelihood of predatory recruiting practices and low quality that have plagued for-profit higher education. He cautioned, however, that the removal of Zovio from the equation also means, If components of the school are not working, there will be no investors pushing to keep it going just to extract profits. And once the UA integrates UA Global Campus into its fold, those important decisions will be in the hands of the University of Arizona leaders and the state Board of Regents. Faculty blindsided But some faculty members are concerned they wont have much say in any of those important future decisions about university policy which is required by Arizona law as it pertains to UA Global Campus. Thats because they say they havent been kept in the loop on much over the past two years. Robbins assured the Faculty Senate in February, soon after the unexpected announcement that the UA intended to absorb UA Global Campus, that he would engage and ask you to work with us on these issues in an effort to build the trust back. Nonetheless, faculty leaders, who in May called for a risk assessment of unwinding the whole UA Global Campus deal, say they woke up to Robbins memo Monday morning blindsided, again. We are skeptical. We are unhappy. We do not like these surprises, said Leila Hudson, chair of the UA faculty. If there is a possible upside to it, we need to see the agreement and see what the strategy is. RELATED: After visit, accreditor keeps UA Global Campus on notice Of the 214 total schools the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission accredits, UA Global Campus is one of 12 schools with a notice of concern. But UA Global Campus leadership is confident its moving in the right direction. Advocates: Students at risk as UA Global Campus problems mount For Star subscribers: A sudden lapse in the University of Arizona-affiliated online school's ability to collect G.I. Bill benefits is the latest strike against UA Global Campus, which is run by a company in financial trouble. And now, advocates want the U.S. Education Department to cut off the school's federal financial aid. University of Arizona will absorb former for-profit online school For Star subscribers: A year-and-a-half after the University of Arizona acquired the assets of troubled for-profit online Ashford University and rebranded it as the nonprofit UA Global Campus, the university announced plans to fully integrate the online school into its operation. KYIV, Ukraine The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set out Monday from the port of Odesa under an internationally brokered deal to unblock the embattled countrys agricultural exports and ease the growing global food crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni sounded its horn as it departed with over 26,000 tons of corn destined for Lebanon. The first grain ship since Russian aggression has left port, Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov declared on Twitter. Russia and Ukraine signed agreements in Istanbul with Turkey and the U.N. on July 22, clearing the way for Ukraine to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports because of Russias invasion of Ukraine more than five months ago. The deals also allow Russia to export grain and fertilizer. As part of the agreements, safe corridors through the mined waters outside Ukraines ports were established. Ukraine and Russia are major global suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil, with the fertile Black Sea region long known as the breadbasket of Europe. The holdup of shipments because of the war has worsened rising food prices worldwide and threatened hunger and political instability in developing nations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded a cautious note. Calling the shipment the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the spread of a food crisis in the world, he also urged international partners to closely monitor Moscows compliance with the deal. We cannot have the illusions that Russia will simply refrain from trying to disrupt Ukrainian exports, Zelenskyy said. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed the ships departure as very positive, saying it would help test the efficiency of the mechanisms that were agreed to during the talks in Istanbul. Under the agreements, ships going in and out of Ukrainian ports will be subject to inspection to make sure that incoming vessels are not carrying weapons and that outgoing ones are bearing only grain, fertilizer or related food items, not any other commodities. The Razoni was scheduled to dock early Wednesday in Istanbul, where teams of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. officials were set to board it for inspection. More ships are expected to leave from Ukraines ports through the safe corridors. At Odesa, 16 more vessels, all blocked since Russias invasion on Feb. 24, were waiting their turn, with others to follow, Ukrainian authorities said. But some shipping companies are not yet rushing to export food across the Black Sea as they assess the danger of mines and the risk of Russian rockets hitting grain warehouses and ports. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who proposed the grain deal in April, said the Razoni was loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraines ports to feed their families, he said. Lebanon, the corns destination, is in the grip of a severe financial crisis. A 2020 explosion at its main port in Beirut shattered its capital city and destroyed grain silos. Lebanon imports mostly wheat from Ukraine but also buys its corn for making cooking oil and animal feed. Kubrakov said the shipments will also help Ukraines war-shattered economy. Unlocking ports will provide at least $1 billion in foreign exchange revenue to the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan for next year, he said. Hearing the ship sound its horn as it left port delighted Olena Vitalievna, an Odesa resident. Finally, life begins to move forward and there are some changes in a positive direction, she said. In general, the port should live its own life because Odesa is a port city. We live here. We want everything to work for us, everything to bustle. The resumption of the grain shipments came as fighting raged elsewhere in Ukraine, with Russia pressing its offensive in the east while Ukraine tries to retake territory in the Russian-occupied south. Ukraines presidential office said at least three civilians were killed and 16 wounded by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours. Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko repeated a call for all residents to evacuate, emphasizing the need to remove about 52,000 children still there. Two civilians were killed and two seriously wounded when Russian forces fired missiles at a bus evacuating people from a village in the southern Kherson region, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in the city of Kryvyi Rih. Ukrainian authorities have been calling on civilians in that region, which was overrun by Russian troops early in the war, to evacuate ahead of a planned counteroffensive. More shelling was reported in Kharkiv in the northeast and Mykolaiv in the south. Analysts warned that the continuing fighting could still upend the grain deal. The departure of the first vessel doesnt solve the food crisis; its just the first step that could also be the last if Russia decides to continue attacks in the south, said Volodymyr Sidenko, an expert with the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank. EUTAW, Ala. (AP) Theres not much in Greene County, a place that stands out even in impoverished west Alabama for its neediness. So the tornado that settled down upon one of its most densely populated areas, a housing community full of seniors and low-income families, felt like a particularly cruel blow. Swirling winds ripped roofs off apartments, toppled walls and shattered windows. Eula Dell Lanier, 64, cried out to God as her home came apart. I was calling Jesus as the walls were coming down, she said. Yet the tornado wasn't one of the memorable monsters that devastates so many in places the South or Midwest; no one was killed or even badly injured. While about 40 homes in the 200-unit development were damaged, only a handful were as bad as Lanier's house. Still, the recovery seems tough to some residents nearly four months later because of what housing officials say are shortages of workers and supplies, geographic isolation and lethargy caused by generational poverty. And with what is typically the worst part of hurricane season ahead for the U.S. Gulf Coast, the experience at William McKinley Branch Heights named for an area civil rights leader shows just how hard it can be to move on from even a small disaster when life was a struggle beforehand. Lanier's home was heavily damaged in the twister on April 13 and now she lives in a small replacement apartment nearby. She's so sad about the lingering damage and debris that she doesn't drive by her old place, where crumbled brick walls still lie in the yard and a hole in the roof lets in rain. The inside reeks of mold and mildew. You come into Branch Heights and see all that stuff and its like theyre not even trying to clean it up. Its depressing, and it just seems so slow, she said. In a community of both privately owned homes and government subsidized apartments, Lanier owned her home and has insurance, but repairs have yet to begin. While the area didn't qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because the damage wasn't bad enough, officials say they are trying hard to repair the community, and plenty of progress has been made. The Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless provided $30,000 for temporary housing for dozens of residents, who settled in a small motel for as long as two months because nowhere else was available in the rural county. School buses were rerouted to the EconoLodge, and donors provided clothes, shoes, food, gift cards and more to the victims. Contractors are still repairing apartments in sweltering summer temperatures. About 125 residents displaced by the storm are back at Branch Heights, albeit in temporary homes. Still, Anita Lewis, executive director of the Greene County Housing Authority, has heard the complaints about what feels like a slow-motion recovery to some. It was not a major storm, but because of the size of the development it was major to us, said Lewis. It was devastating to the families and the community." The head of a group that provides assistance in some of the poorest parts of Alabama worries what the recovery at Branch Heights could portend for other underprivileged parts of the Gulf Coast region that might get hit this summer. I think one major disaster like a hurricane could be devastating for our area, said Cynthia Burton, executive director of Community Service Programs of West Alabama, which assisted in Eutaw and operates in 10 counties. Weak in terms of a tornado, the twisters winds peaked at 90 mph (145 kph) as it traveled about 18 miles (29 kilometers) across an area almost 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham. The entire county has only 7,600 residents, 80% of whom are Black, and it typically has one of the worst jobless rates in the state. Nearly 30% of its residents live in poverty. The lack of an organized disaster volunteer group in Greene County complicated the recovery in Eutaw because coordinating needs and solutions was more difficult, according to Melinda Stallworth of the Governors Office of Volunteer Services, which is still assisting with the work. The agency hopes to get a group organized within a matter of weeks, before hurricane season has a chance to intensify, she said. Recovery takes a while in the first place, she said. With these additional struggles it takes longer. Most homes are OK in Branch Heights, but blue tarps, fractured walls and debris piles are still visible on some streets. The mix of government housing and privately owned homes complicates the recovery, said the housing director. But Branch Heights is hardly the only place to struggle after a natural disaster. In coastal Louisiana, some members of Native American communities live in the wreckage of Category 4 Hurricane Ida nearly a year later, and residents of rural Mayfield, Kentucky, are still rebuilding after much of the town was shattered during a tornado outbreak that killed about 90 people in the Midwest and South in December. Poorer communities often have a harder time recovering from natural disasters than richer places because they get less aid, have less insurance, less credit and lack the resources to seek aid, according to the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. More aid, better preparation and simpler application processes are needed, it found. Lewis said it's hard to repair a residence when the nearest big-box home supply store is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away in Tuscaloosa. The damage wasn't enough to result in a disaster declaration, she said, so only limited outside aid was available. Private groups and the state helped, she said, but the community center at the middle of Branch Heights is still cracked open months later. A gym full of donated items can only be opened now and then because of the structural damage and a lack of manpower, she said. Just down the street from the community center, Jacqueline Allen wonders what might be living in a huge pile of debris near her home months after the twister. A child rode a hoverboard under the scorching summer sun just a few feet away from the mess. We worry that snakes and things will be coming in there, she said. Its hot and theyre moving, and theres children who live right next door to that. It was four in the afternoon on March 10, 1991, when the first planned explosion of Saddam Husseins chemical weapons went off at the U.S. weapons depot in Khamisiyah, Iraq, and the first gray-white smoke cloud that would come to be called The Plume wafted skyward and drifted over the troops. There would be many blasts that day. Bill Florey, a young and proud-to-serve E4 Specialist, had just parked his truck after a days work. Francesca Yabraian, who would become his friend and would fight the losing battle to save his life (at a time when it seemed horribly clear the Department of Veterans Affairs wasnt), was just a student half-a-world away. She was in Dallas on that day. Pat Toomey was also half-a-world away on March 10, 1991. Pennsylvanias future Republican senator was all into the rich expectations of his first career (in international currency swap transactions and derivatives) when his hopes were shaken. Deutsche Bank acquired the London-based investment bank where he worked, and he didnt know what to expect. So, he returned to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and began a career rich with a different sort of expectations: politics. What Toomey couldnt know back then was that, in the summer of 2022, hed be in a position to shake up the hopes and expectations of thousands who also served in Iraq with the same pride Bill Florey felt on that 1991 day. Florey was Yabraians friend and work colleague when she became concerned about the bump near his right temple that seemed to be growing. His VA doctor said it was just an infection and injected penicillin. It kept growing. So she went to the VA with him and told the VA doctor Florey had to get an MRI that day or theyd have to drag her out. Florey got his MRI. It showed a tumor had penetrated into his brain. Next it became a problem Washington actually should have solved. The VA denied Florey benefits for a service-related injury, claiming it was less likely than not that his cancer was caused by The Plume from Saddams chemical weapons. Then Yabraian contacted me about her friends plight. It turned out a VA study showed it was actually TWICE as likely as not that Floreys cancer came from exposure to Saddams exploded chemical warheads. Bill Florey died on New Years Day, 2005, before the VA could grant him the benefits hed earned. And the VAs bureaucratic rules were that when military personnel die, their unpaid claim for compensation owed dies with them. His tragic story became the beginning of my 2008 book, Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles, published by Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martins Press. Sadly, Vets Under Siege told many similar tragic tales. But it also proposed solutions; and other investigations and hearings produced many more. One was the Vietnam War-era reform in which the VA began assuming all who served in Vietnam are now presumed to have been exposed to the dangerous defoliation chemical Agent Orange. Vietnam War veterans no longer have to prove they were exposed to Agent Orange to get benefits for illnesses the chemical is known to cause. And this summer, a new veterans reform bill was being approved with overwhelming bipartisan Senate and House support that assumed that all who were in Iraq and who suffered cancers or other illnesses known to be caused by Iraqs chemical weapons would be presumed to have been exposed to plumes from what the military now calls its burn pits. But suddenly 25 Republican senators reversed their earlier yes votes and blocked final passage of that veterans' care reform bill just weeks after theyd joined Democrats in approving the bill with 84 votes. Now Toomey enters our story. In June, Toomey had objected to an accounting procedure for $400 billion that was in the original bill the Senate had passed and sent to the House. Toomey resurfaced his objection as a reason to block the bill Republicans had already decisively supported. This time, only 55 senators voted yes; but 60 are needed to prevent a filibuster. Why did Republicans suddenly switch from yes to no? Democrats charged that for Republicans it was just political spite. Democrats gave President Joe Biden a major victory on a spending bill compromise, and they say Republicans didnt want to give Biden a win on veterans care reform too. Toomey, of course, quickly denied that. And so it goes in this city. Today, many thousands of military veterans who are suffering from the same exposure that killed Bill Florey are coping with their latest reality: While it is nice when Republicans sincerely thank them for their service, obviously it doesnt help them as they struggle to pay their medical bills and survive. Dozens of Collinsville seniors showed up with chalk and paint in hand this week to add a personal touch to their parking spots to kick off the new year an annual traditional for the district. The driver who eluded Sand Springs police officers and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers for more than seven hours on Monday has been identified and will be charged with multiple offenses, authorities said. Brandon Beaty, 31, and two women were apprehended Monday evening after a daylong search that began after a larceny from the Sand Springs Tractor Supply store. Police will ask that he be charged with eluding officers while endangering others, possession of a stolen vehicle, running a road block, petit larceny from a retailer and driving under suspension, Sand Springs Assistant Police Chief Todd Enzbrenner said. Sand Springs officers notified the Oklahoma Highway Patrol about 10:20 a.m. Monday that officers were in pursuit of a stolen Chevrolet Tahoe on U.S. 412 and had entered Pawnee County, and after an OHP trooper attempted a tactical vehicle intervention, the Tahoe spun out and crashed into the OHP vehicle, OHP Trooper Eric Foster said. The fleeing car, which police say was driven by Beaty, then rammed a Sand Springs police car. A Sand Springs officer or officers then fired shots and hit the Tahoe, according to an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation news release. Beaty ditched the SUV about two miles away and escaped on foot. He and the two women were found walking along U.S. 412 near the Westport airport and Keystone Lake about 5:30 p.m., the Pawnee County Sheriffs Office said. Enzbrenner said Beaty is in the Sand Springs municipal jail on complaints related to the pursuit. He could also be facing charges from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The women, who are not in custody and were not suspects in the Tractor Supply larceny, could be charged with joyriding, authorities said. The State Department of Corrections has identified a corrections officer who died on Sunday at Davis Correctional Facility and the inmate who allegedly attacked the officer. In 2013, that inmate pled guilty to killing another person while in prison, according to online court records and the McAlester News-Capital. Officer Alan Jay Hershberger was assisting in returning inmates to their housing units in the privately run Holdenville prison when he was attacked from behind by Gregory Thompson, 49, using a homemade weapon, according to a news release from the department. Corrections officials attempted life-saving measures and secured the area, but Hershberger died from his injuries. The agency mourns the loss of Officer Hershberger and expresses our deepest condolences to his family and friends, the news release stated. Thompson was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2006 of first-degree murder in a 2003 Oklahoma County homicide, according to online court records and the news release. In 2010 Thompson was charged again with first-degree murder after he killed a fellow inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in Pittsburg County on Sept. 3, 2009 while serving his sentence for the 2003 murder, the McAlester News-Capital reported. The charge was lowered to first-degree manslaughter in 2011. According to court records cited by the News-Capital, officers during an inmate count saw inmate Daniel Clayton lying on the floor of the cell bloody and unresponsive ... (and) saw inmate Gregory Thompson standing over Daniel Clayton wiping his hands. Thompson allegedly then handed officers a homemade knife while saying, it isnt what it looks like I had to defend myself, according to court records. Thompson pled guilty in March 2013 to the manslaughter charge and a possession of contraband charge for the knife and was sentenced to 10 concurrent years in prison to run consecutively with the 2003 life sentence. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General is conducting an investigation into Hershbergers death and the results will be submitted to a district attorneys office, the Department of Corrections said. A Department of Corrections spokesman said Hershbergers death is the first corrections officer homicide in Oklahoma since 2000. The Davis Correctional Facility is a privately run prison with a capacity of about 1,600 male inmates. Holdenville is located in Hughes County, about 90 miles south of Tulsa. Three people were apprehended following an hours-long search that ensued after they eluded Sand Springs police officers and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers in a pursuit over a stolen vehicle and a larceny from a Tractor Supply store, Sand Springs Police Capt. Jody Fogleman said. Sand Springs officers notified the Oklahoma Highway Patrol about 10:20 a.m. Monday that officers were in pursuit of a Chevrolet Tahoe that was heading west out of that city on U.S. 412 and had entered Pawnee County, OHP Trooper Eric Foster said. The chase began after a petty larceny was reported at the Tractor Supply store just northeast of 41st Street and Oklahoma 97 in the Prattville area of Sand Springs. By checking the Tahoes license tag, officers determined that it had been reported stolen in Stephens County. The SUV fled north to U.S. 412 and at some point went west in the highways eastbound lanes, the OSBI reported. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol took the lead in the pursuit, and a trooper used a tactical vehicle intervention an attempt to disable the vehicle while it was moving that failed to end the pursuit, Foster said. The TVI did, however, cause the Tahoe to spin out and crash into the OHP vehicle, Foster said, and it became clear that other occupants were in the vehicle. The fleeing driver then rammed a Sand Springs police car. A Sand Springs police officer or officers then fired shots and hit the Tahoe, according to an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation news release. The driver of the stolen vehicle then continued west on U.S. 412 a short distance before turning onto an access road and into a wooded area about 2 miles from the crash site, where Foster said the occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. No law enforcement officers were injured, Foster said. Officers from the Sand Springs and Mannford police departments and deputies from the Pawnee County Sheriffs Office then searched for the three in the heat on uneven terrain around Keystone Lake. The three people a man and two women were found by an off-duty Pawnee County reserve deputy about 5:30 p.m. near Keystone Lake on Peninsula Road near U.S. 412, according to the OSBI. Fogleman said the man and one of the women were taken into Sand Springs police custody. The other woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of dehydration and exposure. The man will be facing complaints from Sand Springs police of larceny from the Tractor Supply store, eluding and possession of a stolen vehicle, Fogleman said, adding that the OHP or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation could pursue more charges. The women, whom Fogleman said were not suspects in the Tractor Supply larceny, could face joyriding complaints for being in the stolen vehicle, but Fogleman said more investigation will have to be done before that can be determined. The OSBI said its agents were requested once the car chase ended to investigate the officer-involved shooting and chase. Ashley Jones contributed to this story. <&rule> If you want to make a direct impact in a war, the front line is usually the place to be. Yelena Kovlagina-Rios learned that firsthand as a COVID ward nurse at Tulsas Saint Francis Hospital. But the front is not always an option. And a few months ago when yet another global crisis became personal for Kovlagina-Rios she found herself in that exact situation, forced to try to help from a distance. A native of Ukraine, the Tulsa resident was horrified in February at the news of Russias invasion of her homeland, and she immediately began working to get her family members there to safety. Its been a long and frustrating journey, Kovlagina-Rios said last week. If the effort seemed hopeless at times, though, it ultimately paid off. A few days ago, a group of six of her relatives her grandparents, an uncle and aunt and their children arrived in Tulsa. Forced to leave most of their belongings behind in Ukraine, they came with just one suitcase each. All are now living with Kovlagina-Rios, her husband, Moises, and their four young children. Theres still much uncertainty about the future, she said. But the important thing is that they are here now, and everyone is safe. Decision to flee The images coming out of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, were almost too heart-breaking for Kovlagina-Rios to look at. It was very emotional. I was literally speechless. I knew those streets. I had walked them, she said. But the hardest part of seeing her hometown devastated by Russian shelling was knowing she had loved ones still there. Kovlagina-Rios, whose mother, Inga Jones, also lives in Tulsa, immigrated to the U.S. in 2001. But she grew up in Mykolaiv, and her ties to the city run deep. Located on Ukraines southern coast, Mykolaiv, with a population of around 480,000, has been a target for Russia from the start of the invasion. It has remained under Ukrainian control but has been subject to frequent shelling, and about half of the residents have left. Kovlagina-Rios grandparents Valentyn Tsymer and Svitlana Shpuryk have called Mykolaiv home for much of their lives. The couple, who spoke to the World last week with Kovlagina-Rios translating, said that in the early days of the invasion, they did not expect to have to flee. But as the explosions came ever closer, rattling the walls and windows of their apartment, they eventually realized it was the wise course. The shelling began to intensify and was happening so fast even before the warning sirens could warn us, Shpuryk said. Recalling World War II, which he lived through as a boy, Tsymer couldnt help but think back to when his country was under German occupation. The experience was similar, he said, but also different. What it took years for the Germans to destroy, it only took weeks or days for the Russians, he said. Kovlagina-Rios and her mother kept in constant communication with the couple. Through a special channel on the Telegram messaging app, they often knew about shell attacks before the couple did. Wed get the notifications, and wed call them to ask if they were taking cover, Kovlagina-Rios said. The only real cover, though, was to get them out. Determined to bring her family to the U.S., Kovlagina-Rios spent weeks contacting every agency, organization and individual who might conceivably help. But everywhere she turned, it felt like it was closed door after closed door, she said. One factor that temporarily stalled the effort was that her grandmother did not have a passport. Shed had no reason to believe she would ever need one, Kovlagina-Rios said. She never thought a day would come when she would have to pack her whole life into one luggage bag and leave her home. In the end, a new program called Uniting for Ukraine paved the way for the family to leave. Introduced in April by the U.S. government, the program grants Ukrainians a temporary two-year stay in the U.S. if they have the financial support of a sponsor. It was a relief and a blessing, Kovlagina-Rios said. Full house Kovlagina-Rios is also grateful for her fellow Tulsans. The outpouring of support, especially from her church, The Park Church of Christ, has been humbling, she said. They began collecting and providing necessities and other aid for her guests well before they arrived. We cannot express how much it means, she said, tearing up. Kovlagina-Rios said more families from Ukraine are arriving in Tulsa and will face similar challenges going forward. To help, she started a Facebook group called Ukrainians of Tulsa. Its just a way to provide community and support and help each other out with different problems, she said. Meanwhile, her family continues to keep up with the news from Ukraine, where its coming up on six months since the war began. Eventually sooner or later the war will be over. But theres so much damage done, Tsymer said, adding that he doesnt know whether he will ever see his homeland again. He and his wife couldnt be more thankful to the U.S., though, he said. The aid and support for Ukraine have helped it survive, Tsymer said. Now, the U.S. is also giving families like his a place of refuge. We are thankful to be here and to be safe and not to hear the sirens blaring, he said. Plus, our daughter is here, our granddaughter is here. And also here, we get to see our great-grandchildren. Kovlagina-Rios, whose children range in age from 2 to 9, has watched her household balloon from six to 12 almost overnight. We are a pretty full house, she said. And a happy house. While much about the future may still be a question mark, they are pausing just to appreciate where they are and how far theyve come, Kovlagina-Rios said. We will keep taking one day at a time and see where God will lead, she said. <&rule> Ukraine refugees: Humanitarian efforts PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Monday his investigators found just one dead voter after thoroughly reviewing findings from a partisan review of the 2020 election that alleged 282 ballots were cast in the name of someone who had died. The finding by the Republican attorney general, who is running for U.S. Senate in Tuesday's primary, further discredits the review conducted last year. The review was led by an inexperienced firm, Cyber Ninjas, and conducted largely by supporters of Donald Trump who falsely believe the election was stolen from him. Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn that they were allegedly deceased, Brnovich wrote in a letter to state Senate President Karen Fann, who used her subpoena power to obtain ballots, tabulators and election data and hired Cyber Ninjas for what she called a forensic audit. For the one substantiated incident, the facts of the case did not support prosecution, said Ryan Anderson, a spokesman for Brnovich. He said the dead person's ballot was not counted. None of the three criminal cases the attorney general has filed over dead voters was connected to the Cyber Ninjas investigation, he said. Brnovich did not say whether any charges had been filed in connection with the one substantiated incident, and his spokesman, Ryan Anderson, did not respond to a phone call and text message. All other people listed by Cyber Ninjas as deceased were found to be current voters," Brnovich wrote. Combined with other reports of dead voters, Brnovichs Election Integrity Unit investigated a combined 409 names and produced only a handful of potential cases. Brnovich vouched for the legitimacy of the election immediately after President Joe Biden's victory but later publicized his investigation of the Cyber Ninjas allegations as he sought Trump's endorsement for his Senate campaign. Trump ultimately released a scathing statement saying Brnovich wasn't doing enough to advance his claims of fraud and endorsed businessman Blake Masters. Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. The Cyber Ninjas review looked at data, machines and ballots from Maricopa County, the state's largest. It produced a report that experts described as riddled with errors, bias and flawed methodology. Still, even that partisan review came up with a vote tally that would not have altered the outcome, finding that Biden won by 360 more votes than the official results. The political action committee of a billionaire options trader from Pennsylvania has put another $1.17 million into Oklahomas 2nd Congressional District, according to Federal Election Commission reports. The School Freedom Fund, which according to FEC filings received all $15 million contributed to it in the past year from businessman Jeff Yass, reported spending $600,000 on the cause of former state Sen. Josh Brecheen before the June 28 GOP primary and has spent almost twice that in the five weeks since. One of the nations largest political donors, Yass campaign contributions have helped him avoid $1 billion in federal income taxes over the past six years, according to ProPublica. A former professional poker player and horse bettor, Yass is one of the largest financial supporters of Club for Growth, an anti-tax organization that helped elect the late Tom Coburn to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Brecheen once worked for Coburn. On its website, the School Freedom Fund complains of COVID school shutdowns and countless abuses of power by education bureaucrats such as school closures, mask mandates, (and) critical race theory. It promotes School Choice as the structural solution to dramatically improve education in America. It is unclear whether Yass is truly enthusiastic about school choice or sees it as a way to elect members of Congress sympathetic to his views on taxes and markets. Brecheen, R-Coalgate, finished second by a narrow margin to state Rep. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, in the June primary. Between them, Frix and Brecheen received less than 30% of the vote in a field of 14. The two will meet again in the Aug. 23 runoff election. Frix is also getting outside assistance about $425,000 in anonymous expenditures funneled through a PAC called Fund for a Working Congress. Independent expenditures usually advertising in some form are made by individuals or groups other than a candidates campaign committee and may support or oppose a candidate. They are not supposed to be coordinated with candidate campaigns. There are no financial limits to independent expenditures. By law, independent expenditures in federal election campaigns must be reported to the FEC, but political operatives have found ways to hide donors identities, usually by sending the money through a 501(4) entity. To some extent, that is true of Fund for a Working Congress. Of the $680,000 it had received through the end of June, $200,000 came from a pass-through called Prosperity Alliance. The only Oklahoma donor was Master Cable Corp. Inc., which listed a Lawton address and gave $15,000. The PAC has been involved in a handful of other races, notably in Ohio and Georgia, but not to the extent it is invested in CD 2. Other donors have included the American Values Fund, which was involved in trying to topple Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, and Newsmax Media. Tulsa Public Schools has been deemed a target by state officials who want to tear down public education. And the majority of the Oklahoma State School Board is helping them do it. The board all appointees of Gov. Kevin Stitt hit a low point in a Thursday meeting where their disrespect was on full display. They interrupted each other, particularly whenever Tulsa board member Carlisha Williams Bradley or State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister spoke, shouted and showed a lack of decorum. Most telling was a comment from member Estela Hernandez, who noted TPS was the largest district in the state and we need to send a message. Using TPS as an example is in line with how Stitt and his education secretary, Ryan Walters, have treated the district. Both have singled out the states largest and most racially and ethnically diverse district with a litany of false and trumped-up criticisms and allegations. That was a warning to other school districts: Get on board with our political ideology or youre next. Thats bullying. The state board spent hours discussing a TPS violation of the poorly written and discriminatory House Bill 1775, which bans teaching certain subjects that make students feel guilty or uncomfortable because of their race or gender. Determinations of violations do not require due process or open review of evidence. Its secretive. No matter how a person feels about TPS, this is undemocratic. Earlier this year, a science teacher at Memorial High School stated a mandatory teacher training included references to implicit bias, which she felt was wrong. OSDE attorney Brad Clark said the training materials used by the contracted vendor did not violate the law, but an audio recording indicated the presenter went off script to say things that violated the spirit of the law. None has been reviewed by board members or the public under the excuse that they are copyrighted. Rather than err on the side of free speech, transparency or common sense, the majority of the board decided to enact a punishment more severe than recommended a warning instead of deficiency or probation. This means teachers, among themselves, cannot talk about race. And, just one co-worker feeling uneasy can tank an entire districts accreditation. That creates a toxic workplace. Hernandez stated that TPS deliberately violated the law. There is no proof of that. The law provides for no appeal other than court litigation. The only voice of reason was board member Williams Bradley, who is the only Black board member. She consistently proves to be the most capable and independent person in the room. She voted against the punishment, along with Hofmeister, concerned about not seeing the evidence. Also, she pointed out how the board fixated on TPS, which was specifically pulled from the larger agenda even though the Mustang district was flagged for a similar accreditation deficiency. It was only about Tulsa. Its clear. Your bias is showing, she said. We do not have faith the other members of the State Board of Education can govern fairly. They are going along with a political agenda that does not help students in public schools, especially those in Tulsa Public Schools. With limited savings, many people prefer tiny houses measuring from 10 square meters each in inner Ho Chi Minh City instead of apartments in suburban areas. Many homebuyers said that they choose such houses despite their narrow size, as they are near their workplaces and their childrens schools. Having saved nearly VND2 billion (US$86,039) and intending to borrow some from her friends, Nguyen Thi Bich Dao, 35, living in District 3, has been looking for a house worth less than VND3 billion ($129,059). This segment still has its own market share, with customers buying such houses for living or earning profits. Pride of buying small houses in big city My friends wonder why I did not buy an apartment with my savings, but I prefer a house, Dao said. My mom will later live with me and old people prefer land-attached houses. She has been living in a dozen rented rooms for more than a decade with the room rental plus water and electricity bills totaling nearly VND5 million ($215) per month. Living in rented rooms for my whole life is impossible, the woman said. We must accept risks to be able to buy houses as we cannot wait until we have enough money. I have been spending all my spare time having a look at houses valued below VND3 billion [$129,059] in Binh Thanh or Tan Binh Districts, which are near my workplace. Meanwhile, Vo Ngoc Tuan, a 40-year-old dweller in Phu Nhuan District, has an old apartment and wants to sell it to buy a house. I like designing and changing the living environment, he said. Having lived in an apartment for a long time, I want to find a small house and renovate it. I prefer quiet areas with spacious alleys because of my fear of fire. Bui My Tu, 32, living in Tan Binh District, has joined some Facebook groups specializing in trading small-sized houses. You can find an appropriate house if you are patient, she said. I bought a house to open an online shop selling utensils for cats. With a land-attached house, the goods delivery will be more convenient. It is also a pride to buy a house in the inner districts. Visiting houses in narrow alleys It is not simple to find a small house. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters acted as those who wished to buy an affordable tiny house and the search took a lot of effort. It measures 10 square meters and costs only VND1.5 billion [$64,545], N., who called herself the owner of a house on Banh Van Tran Street in Tan Binh District, said while taking the reporters to the house. I have repaired it. I have lowered the price by VND50 million [$2,153]. With such financial capacity, it is hard to find such a house as mine. The width of the house fits only a small mattress. Customers have a look at a small, renovated house in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Yen Trinh / Tuoi Tre The journalists continued their hunt, dropping in to view a 19.9-square-meter house valued at VND2.2 billion ($94,711) on Hoang Van Thu Street in Tan Binh District. In reality, it is a deteriorating house sharing a wall with another with a shaky attic in a narrow alley. After visiting five to six houses measuring 10-20 square meters each in Tan Binh District, the reporters made an appointment with broker Van Tai, who is experienced in trading tiny houses in Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan Districts. After squeezing into alleys, your correspondents stopped in front of a house on Vu Tung Street in Binh Thanh District, where neighbors were singing karaoke loudly. Tai said the house had yet to be widely put up for sale and cost VND2.6 billion ($111,931). You should buy it now as it might fetch VND3 billion [$129,059] right ahead of Tet, Tai said, referring to the Lunar New Year festival. It is being rented at VND6 million [$258] per month. If you buy it tomorrow, I will tell its owner to cut the price by VND200 million [$8,602]. Arriving at another house down an alley on Co Bac Street in Phu Nhuan Street, the reporters were shocked at its length of a mere 2.5 meters despite the seven-meter width. Coming to Go Vap District, the journalists saw houses in small alleys which are difficult to find even though they are larger and fetch lower prices. With such prices, there are only houses in narrow alleys, a broker named Quang Trang said. Houses in larger alleys could be found in outlying Binh Tan District or District 12 only. Or you should prepare VND4 billion [$172,059], the alleys will be much larger. Is it easy to sell this house after buying it? You can buy it for living or leasing. If you find a better one, you can sell this one or we will help you sell it. Advertisements for small houses on a website Taking caution before making payments Despite many weaknesses, pint-sized houses remain attractive to speculators and homebuyers. Hong Hanh, 54, saw brokers taking homebuyers to a VND2.65-billion ($114,072) house with a width of two meters and a length of seven meters in an alley on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street in Phu Nhuan District by chance. After having a look at the house, she said she would meet its owner to buy it for her children. My acquaintances have also warned of legal risks of these tiny houses but I still decide to buy such a house, Hanh said. I told my children that owning a small house in Ho Chi Minh City really makes sense. The owner of a 12-square-meter house in an alley on Bui Thi Xuan Street in Tan Binh District said it was bought more than a year ago, and its upgrade cost nearly VND150 million ($6,456). The house is being put up for sale at VND1.8 billion ($77,510). Speculators prefer dividing their capital into small amounts to buy many tiny houses instead of a large one. Thanh Le, who trades small-sized houses, said he connected a group of brokers whose job is to seek tiny houses. I have just bought two houses. I will renovate and resell them to earn a profit of some VND200 million [$8,602] each, he said. The payment for these minute houses will be made more quickly and the profit will be higher. However, regardless of buying these houses for living or investment, the segment has left bitter lessons, Le added. There are only gullible buyers, no unwise sellers. With attractive prices, houses must be located in small alleys, Le shared. Many of them have dubious legality, such as sharing a land use right certificate, involving hand-written documents, being involved in disputes or being mortgaged at banks. Some people have been put at a disadvantage as they have bought houses whose land was taken back for projects. In addition, many people have hurriedly bought houses with unfavorable feng shui, such as having unequal widths in the front and at the back, being located in a T-junction or its main door facing an alley, so it is difficult to find new owners for them. Therefore, homebuyers must carefully get information, and ask sellers or brokers to send photos and legal documents of houses before having a look at them. It is noted that the small area of the house is not synonymous with low prices. Many people who have modest funds and do not want to be burdened with debts have still decided to buy these houses although the price is VND200-300 million ($8,602-12,926) per square meter. Therefore, the experienced have advised against making payments hurriedly. Homebuyers should visit many houses to find out average prices and make comparisons and should not believe in brokers lip service to make deposits. Careful learning is a must According to Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, buying tiny houses is an investment trend and a real demand. Those intending to buy these houses need to study their legality and the planning information to know if they are inside the boundary of any project. Under the prevailing regulations, tiny houses can be rebuilt based on their primitive state, such as including two floors. Therefore, the ownership of these houses is limited. This segment is appropriate to new companies as they require a small investment. Buyers can upgrade and resell them, or buy and merge two to three adjacent tiny houses to have a larger one. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! TEGUCIGALPA -- Honduran authorities reported on Monday the discovery of more than 1.6 million coca leaf bushes in the most important seizure of its kind ever as Honduras struggles to combat drug production. "This is a historic seizure. We have dealt a heavy blow to these criminal drug trafficking organizations," said Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Jose Coello. Officials from the Central American country told reporters that the bushes, used to make cocaine, were discovered after a three-day operation over the weekend. They were located in 42 blocks in at least four plantations in mountainous areas in the coastal department of Colon. The action brings total seizures so far this year to 2,625,015 bushes, up significantly from the 424,900 bushes found by local authorities in 2020 and 531,826 bushes found in 2021, according to security forces statistics. "The entire government defense and security structure is working to prevent us from truly becoming a cocaine-producing country," Deputy Defense Minister Colonel Elias Melgar said in a government statement. Honduras has been seen for more than two decades as a transfer zone for cocaine as it passes through Central America from South America to Mexico and the United States, the main consumer of the drug, say researchers. In April, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the United States on drug charges. As the third winter of the coronavirus pandemic looms in the northern hemisphere, scientists are warning weary governments and populations alike to brace for more waves of COVID-19. In the United States alone, there could be up to a million infections a day this winter, Chris Murray, head of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent modeling group at the University of Washington that has been tracking the pandemic, told Reuters. That would be around double the current daily tally. Across the United Kingdom and Europe, scientists predict a series of COVID-19 waves, as people spend more time indoors during the colder months, this time with nearly no masking or social distancing restrictions in place. However, while cases may surge again in the coming months, deaths and hospitalizations are unlikely to rise with the same intensity, the experts said, helped by vaccination and booster drives, previous infection, milder variants and the availability of highly effective COVID-19 treatments. "The people who are at greatest risk are those who have never seen the virus, and there's almost nobody left," said Murray. These forecasts raise new questions about when countries will move out of the COVID-19 emergency phase and into a state of endemic disease, where communities with high vaccination rates see smaller outbreaks, possibly on a seasonal basis. Many experts had predicted that transition would begin in early 2022, but the arrival of the highly mutated Omicron variant of coronavirus disrupted those expectations. "We need to set aside the idea of 'is the pandemic over?'" said Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He and others see COVID-19 morphing into an endemic threat that still causes a high burden of disease. "Someone once told me the definition of endemicity is that life just gets a bit worse," he added. The potential wild card remains whether a new variant will emerge that out-competes currently dominant Omicron subvariants. If that variant also causes more severe disease and is better able to evade prior immunity, that would be the "worst-case scenario," according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) Europe report. "All scenarios (with new variants) indicate the potential for a large future wave at a level that is as bad or worse than the 2020/2021 epidemic waves," said the report, based on a model from Imperial College of London. Confouding factors Many of the disease experts interviewed by Reuters said that making forecasts for COVID-19 has become much harder, as many people rely on rapid at-home tests that are not reported to government health officials, obscuring infection rates. BA.5, the Omicron subvariant that is currently causing infections to peak in many regions, is extremely transmissible, meaning that many patients hospitalized for other illnesses may test positive for it and be counted among severe cases, even if COVID-19 is not the source of their distress. Scientists said other unknowns complicating their forecasts include whether a combination of vaccination and COVID-19 infection so-called hybrid immunity is providing greater protection for people, as well as how effective booster campaigns may be. "Anyone who says they can predict the future of this pandemic is either overconfident or lying," said David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Experts also are closely watching developments in Australia, where a resurgent flu season combined with COVID-19 is overwhelming hospitals. They say it is possible that Western nations could see a similar pattern after several quiet flu seasons. "If it happens there, it can happen here. Let's prepare for a proper flu season," said John McCauley, director of the Worldwide Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute in London. The WHO has said each country still needs to approach new waves with all the tools in the pandemic armory from vaccinations to interventions, such as testing and social distancing or masking. Israel's government recently halted routine COVID testing of travelers at its international airport, but is ready to resume the practice "within days" if faced with a major surge, said Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the country's public health service. "When there is a wave of infections, we need to put masks on, we need to test ourselves," she said. "That's living with COVID." Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolaos Dendias expressed a desire to place a half-length statue of late President Ho Chi Minh in Greece during a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on Monday, according to a statement of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Writing on his Twitter account after the meeting, Minister Dendias explained that late President Ho Chi Minh fought on the Macedonian Front. Placing a statue of him in Edessa City will help remind the citys next generations about this historical fact, he said. Edessa City, located in the north of Greece, is the capital of the Pella region and is bordered by the Republic of North Macedonia. During the meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affair Son, the Greek minister stressed the significance of Vietnams role in the Southeast Asian region and the world as a whole. He also expressed an intention to foster cooperation between Vietnam and Greece. He affirmed that Athens supports Hanois stance on East Vietnam Sea-related issues, emphasizing Greeces consistent standpoint on solving international disputes by peaceful means with respect for international law. The Greek diplomat also pledged to call on other EU countries to early ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and welcomed Vietnamese laborers to come to Greece for work. Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolaos Dendias (L) shakes hands with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son before holding a meeting on August 1, 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dendias added that he had discussed with Vietnam the handover of the body of Kostas Sarantidis, also known as Nguyen Van Lap, who had fought for the independence and freedom of Vietnam during the Vietnamese revolution against French colonizers. For his part, Minister Son thanked Greece for donating AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam and funds to the Vietnam Olympic Committee. He also spoke highly of Greeces early ratification of the EVIPA, and suggested Greece urge the EU to soon remove the yellow card on Vietnamese fisheries sector. He expected the two sides would conclude negotiations soon to sign marine transportation and double taxation avoidance agreements. Minister Dendias visited Vietnam on Sunday and Monday, following a visit by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in May. On Monday, the Greek diplomat also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Vietnam and Greece established their diplomatic ties on April 15, 1975. Greece opened its embassy in Hanoi in March 2007, while Vietnam inaugurated its embassy in Athens in December 2010. The two countries bilateral trade reached nearly US$447 million in 2021. The figure was $154.5 million in the first four months of this year, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Chinese, Tajik FMs hold talks on boosting ties Xinhua) 08:43, August 02, 2022 DUSHANBE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held talks here with his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, over further boosting ties between the two countries. Wang said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China-Tajikistan relations have achieved rapid development and scored many "firsts." The two sides took the lead in signing cooperation documents on Belt and Road cooperation, and in building a community of common development and security, making important contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang said. He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held important talks in February, charting a new strategic plan for the bilateral ties. China is ready to work with Tajikistan to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and strive to build a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future, so as to provide positive prospects for the long-term mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and add strong momentum to the development of bilateral relations, Wang said. China firmly supports Tajikistan in safeguarding sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and in pursuing a path of development and revitalization in accordance with its national conditions, so as to play a more important role in international and regional affairs, Wang added. For his part, Muhriddin said Tajikistan and China are good neighbors, friends and partners, adding that the two countries have always been co-existing peacefully and achieving mutual benefits, setting an example of state-to-state exchanges. Tajikistan, he said, firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests and always abides by the one-China principle. The development strategies of Tajikistan and China are highly compatible, Muhriddin said, adding that Tajikistan agrees to make a long-term plan for the development of bilateral relations, and welcomes and supports putting the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future as the vision and goal of joint efforts. The two sides can have further discussions in this regard. Muhriddin said Tajikistan appreciates China's remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation and innovative development and looks forward to learning from China's successful experience so as to help Tajikistan achieve sustainable development and accelerate the process of industrialization. The minister noted that the two sides should boost connectivity, promote cooperation in trade and investment, expand exchanges and cooperation in production capacity, minerals, infrastructure, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, agriculture as well as sub-national cooperation. Muhriddin thanked China for providing vaccine assistance and hoped to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. The bilateral ties go far beyond the bilateral scope, Muhriddin said, noting that Tajikistan is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, deepen security cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace. Wang said cooperation between China and Tajikistan in various fields has overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic and has made new progress, noting that the trade volume of the two countries is expected to hit a record high this year despite headwinds. Wang said that the two sides should implement the signed medium and long-term economic and trade cooperation plan, further align development strategies, strengthen cooperation on production capacity and infrastructure, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, new energy and high-tech sectors. He said that China will continue to actively promote key projects to assist Tajikistan, run well the first Luban Workshop in Central Asia, and import more high-quality green agricultural products from Tajikistan. China will continue to provide vaccine assistance in accordance to Tajikistan's needs to build an immunity barrer for epidemic prevention, Wang said, mentioning that the two sides should jointly build a traditional medicine center, and strengthen cooperation in traditional medicine. Wang called on the two sides to strengthen security cooperation, enhance their ability to guard against risks, and safeguard the homeland. The two sides exchanged views on deepening cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries, agreeing to propel cooperation in priority areas and build a comprehensive and multi-dimensional cooperation pattern. After the talks, the two sides signed cooperation documents between the two foreign ministries and attended the inauguration ceremony of the Luban Workshop and the handover ceremony of COVID-19 vaccines for Tajikistan. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) Three firefighting police officers passed away while attempting to put out a conflagration at a five-story karaoke parlor in Cau Giay District, Hanoi on Monday afternoon. The fatalities have been identified as Dang Anh Quan, leader of the fire prevention and control team of the Cau Giay public security division, Do Duc Viet, and Nguyen Dinh Phuc. Their bodies have been taken to Hospital 19-8 under the Ministry of Public Security. Firefighters use two fire ladders to approach a blaze that broke out on the fifth floor of a karaoke parlor in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, August 1, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc extended his deepest condolences to the Peoples Police force and families of the three firefighters afterward. The three firefighters were reportedly trapped inside the burning karaoke parlor at 231 Quan Hoa Street after a fire broke out on the top floor of the five-story facility at around 1:00 pm on Monday. The parlor has been temporarily closed for repairs. Firefighters use a fire ladder to approach a blaze that broke out on the fifth floor of a karaoke parlor in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, August 1, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Hundreds of officers, dozens of firefighters, ladder trucks, and water trucks were dispatched to the scene shortly after. Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Long also arrived at the scene to direct the firefighting, search, and rescue efforts. A section of Quan Hoa Street was closed off as firefighters were trying to put out the blaze. Many firefighters are exhausted after extinguishing a blaze that broke out on the fifth floor of a karaoke parlor in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, August 1, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre The fire was completely extinguished by 9:20 pm the same day, and firefighters and fire trucks were withdrawn. An investigation has been launched into the tragedy. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Check out the news you should not miss today: COVID-19 Updates -- Vietnams Ministry of Health reported 1,377 COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the national tally to 10,781,009, with 9,923,044 recoveries and 43,093 deaths. Politics -- Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolaos Dendias affirmed the significance of Vietnam's role in Southeast Asia and the world, and expressed an intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son on Monday in Hanoi. Society -- The Embassy of Spain in Vietnam announced on Monday that the new Vietnamese passport was yet to be accepted by Spain due to the lack of holders place of birth, adding that passport holders would not be able to apply for a visa to the European nation. -- Police in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam are looking for a three-year-old boy who has gone missing after playing alone in front of his house on Monday. -- A truck suddenly lost control while running on a street in Savannakhet Province, Laos, hitting a passenger bus in the opposite direction and causing six fatalities, including one Vietnamese national, on Sunday night, according to Laos newspaper LaoPhatthana. -- Three firefighting police officers passed away while attempting to put out a conflagration at a five-story karaoke parlor in Hanoi on Monday afternoon. Lifestyle -- A gingsen contest was organized in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, on Monday, during which 60 households cultivating Ngoc Linh gingseng presented their expertise and techniques for maintaining Vietnam's precious medicinal plant. Sports -- Vietnamese weightlifter Chau Hoang Tuyet Loan won the gold medal and set a new record in the women's 55 kilograms weight category at the 2022 ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia on Monday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested cities and provinces nationwide to set up teams to catch unbridled dogs to prevent cases in which canines bite people to death, said Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien. At a regular press briefing on Monday, answering a question about limiting or banning the raising of vicious dog breeds, Tien stressed that all legal documents for the veterinary sector include the regulation that dogs have to be muzzled, chained, and kept by a person if they are taken to public places. However, there have still been cases in which dogs bite people to death recently. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked localities to strictly comply with regulations on raising dogs. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have established teams to catch stray dogs, Deputy Minister Tien said. The ministry directed other localities to imitate the solution of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to strictly comply with the law. In addition, localities must seriously deal with administrative violations as prescribed in the Laws on Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry to minimize the consequences of or prevent fatal dog attacks. For the suggestion of naming some vicious dogs to limit the raising thereof, Tien said that there are hundreds of kinds of dogs so it is difficult to list all of them in legal documents. Dogs must wear muzzles to be taken to public places. If so, everyones safety will be ensured, Tien added. Nguyen Van Long, acting director of the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in accordance with the ministrys Circular 07/2016 on the prevention of diseases to terrestrial species, owners of pets, such as dogs and cats, must register their activities with the peoples committees of communes which are densely populated. They must also chain or keep dogs in their house area, ensure public hygiene, and avoid annoying surrounding people. Under the national program for the prevention and control of rabies in the 2022-30 period, owners of dogs and cats must be committed to keeping their pets within their houses. If their dogs and cats bite people, they have to pay relevant fees in line with the law. Early this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continued directing localities to instruct households raising dogs and cats to strictly comply with the regulations on the declaration and raising of pets. Thus, specific regulations have been worked out and stated in legal documents, Long emphasized. The key task now is the local-level implementation of these regulations. Grassroots-level authorities must seriously assess their achievements and failures in the management of dogs and the prevention and control of rabies to come up with appropriate solutions. According to Long, it is necessary to launch awareness campaigns so that dog owners will bear responsibility for seriously complying with the regulations on the management of dogs and not allowing their pets to roam the streets. Dogs must be put into cages, be chained, and wear muzzles, especially large and vicious dogs, such as pit bulls, he said. Criminal charges may be applied Pursuant to Government Decree 90/2017 on penalties for administrative violations in the veterinary sector and Decree 4-2020 amending some articles of Decree 90/2017, owners of dogs that bite people will be fined VND1-2 million (US$43-86) each if their canines do not wear muzzles or are not chained, Long said. Relevant agencies can use Article 603 (compensation for damage caused by animals) of the Civil Code and Article 295 (violations against the regulations on labor safety and hygiene and safety in crowded places) of the Penal Code to impose appropriate punishments. Over the past few months, many people, especially children, have been attacked by dogs, according to local media reports. In particular, an eight-year-old boy in southern Binh Phuoc Province was bitten to death by a 30-kilogram pit bull on July 22. While the boy was playing alone at the back of his grandmothers house, the pit bull repeatedly mauled his hands and neck. Despite being taken to a hospital quickly, the boy died from critical injuries. Moreover, a three-year-old boy in Nghe An was attacked by a seven-kilogram dog. The dog bit his head, face and ears, while he and his mother were walking on a street. The boy was later hospitalized for injury treatment. In early June, three children in Quang Nam were also bitten by a dog and one of them, a four-year-old boy, died several hours after the attack. Last year, more than 524,000 people were attacked by dogs and cats, and 54 of them died of rabies, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper quoted as Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, an official from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, as saying. In the first half of this year, 30 out of the over 300,000 people bitten by dogs and cats died. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The ABC screens an inaugural Arts Week. Audiences will be immersed in arts content that will uplift, inspire, educate, and entertain. ABC Managing Editor, Arts Edwina Throsby said: It has been a challenging couple of years for artists, and the whole arts sector continues to grapple with the impacts of lockdowns, illness and border closures. At the same time, the arts have never been more important: for making us all feel connected to each other, for reminding us of the extraordinary power of creativity, or simply for entertaining us. Be it going to a concert or the theatre, picking up a paintbrush, or settling in at home with a movie or book, we believe the arts are for everyone to enjoy. This years Arts Week theme, Art is Everywhere, reminds us that art and creativity are easily accessible, wonderfully diverse, and integral to our society. Great Southern Landscapes Tuesday 9 August at 8pm on ABC Art lover Rachel Griffiths returns to ABC screens and heads off across Australia to discover the exact spot where some of our most famous artists captured their interpretation of our iconic landscapes. Along the way she meets people who will help unlock the hidden secrets of the works and the untold stories behind them. Walking Man Wednesday 10 August at 7.30pm on ABC The Walking Man was a prolific Perth artist, hidden in plain sight, whos work shines a light on the concept of making art just for arts sake. This is the story of Ross Seaton, the Walking Man, through the lens of Professor Ted Snell, as he sorts through thousands of artworks and collected items hoarded and stockpiled in every room of Rosss home to bring together an eclectic exhibition set to stun the local Arts community and beyond. Art Works Tuesday 9 August special time 9.25pm on ABC TV Hosted by Namila Benson, Art Works is the ABCs weekly half-hour arts show sharing the most inspiring, surprising, and formative ways that Australian creatives are telling our stories today. Celebrating the diversity of Australian creatives and bringing new voices and ideas into the conversation, the show redefines how we tell the stories of Australia today and tomorrow. Art Works invites audiences to look, debate, consider and reflect on what the arts bring to all our lives. Jeffery Smart (pictured) Wednesday 10 August at 8.30pm on ABC TV Plus The comprehensive story of one of Australias greatest 20th century painters. The documentary incorporates rich archive material including rare interviews with Smart and his long-term partner Ermes De Zan at their wonderful Tuscan farmhouse and vision of places around Arezzo that inspired the artist. Anatomy of a String Quartet Wednesday 10 August at 9.30pm on ABC TV Plus Guided by four musicians from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Anatomy of String Quartet takes audiences on an intimate journey through the rehearsal and performance of an iconic piece of string music. As the players explore the story behind the music, they also share in their artistic process and the challenges of collaboration. ABC iview will have special Arts Week curated collections over the week, drawing on their robust inventory of over 150 hours of arts content Madison Prewett has finally found her happily ever after! On Sunday evening, the former Bachelor contestant got engaged to boyfriend Grant Troutt. The relationship milestone comes eight months after their love story began. It also occurred a few days before the pair's nine-month anniversary. Troutt, a 26-year-old speaker and minister to athletes and churches, pulled out all the stops to plan an extra special proposal at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. "Grant was waiting for me and led me out to the beach, where he had candles and flowers and a Bible with my new name on it," Prewett, who wore Cult Gaia's Ophelia Gown during the proposal, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "And the ring of my dreams!" Prewett, 26, "had no idea the proposal was coming," but her future husband's "plans changed multiple times" before he settled on his final idea. It took him weeks to plan the beachside proposal, and he "constantly" met with Prewett's family and friends to get it right. RELATED: Who Is Madison Prewett's Fiance? All About Grant Troutt Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt's engagement Emily Prada Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt's engagement "He actually was supposed to come with me and my friends to Florida but he got sick and wasn't able to make it," she explains. "I thought we were celebrating one of our friend's birthdays. I was told we were taking birthday pictures on the beach and when I came down, my best friend led me into the bathroom where my mom and sisters were with the dress I wanted to get engaged in." For more on Madison Prewett's engagement, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. "In that moment, I knew," she adds. RELATED: The Celebrity Engagements of 2022 Fans first came to know Prewett a speaker, writer and social media influencer as a contestant on Peter Weber's Bachelor season, airing in 2020. She ended up being the runner-up to Hannah Ann Sluss, though Prewett briefly reconciled with Weber after he ended his engagement to Sluss. Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt's engagement Emily Prada Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt Story continues Prewett says her past experience on the ABC hit presented her with "the opportunity to learn and you grow." Now, she's in a great place with Troutt and she is excited to see what the future holds for them. "I have waited for this day my whole life," she says. "I am so excited that it's finally here. He is everything I have prayed for, waited for, and dreamed of my whole life. He was definitely worth the wait." Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt's engagement Emily Prada Madison Prewett and Grant Troutt 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. As the two gear up to plan their special day, Prewett says they plan on having a short engagement. The couple, in fact, already has some ideas in mind for their upcoming ceremony. "We want the wedding to embody our values and beliefs and be the best celebration with all of our people," she says. "We want a chic and classy wedding." Prewett adds: "We are so excited to do life together!" ReportLinker Factors driving the market are application of 3D printing technology in valve manufacturing, focus of industry players on offering improved customer services, increasing demand for ball valves in new and upgrades of existing of nuclear power plants. New York, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Ball Valves Market by Type, Material, Size, Industry and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04970259/?utm_source=GNW Stainless steel ball valves segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021 The stainless steel ball valves segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021.Stainless steel ball valves are highly corrosion resistant and robust making them suitable for numerous applications in different industries including food & beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and metals & mining. Steel offers efficient mechanical properties and good resistance to stress corrosion and sulfides.Carbon steel offers high- and low-temperature strength. Carbon steel valves can be used in applications where extreme pressure and temperature make other materials unusable.Carbon steel can withstand temperatures up to 850F and is used in the manufacturing of various types of ball valves. In industrial applications where pressure ratings, high-temperature functionality, and corrosion resistance are prerequisites for efficiency, stainless steel ball valves are used. Trunnion-mounted ball valves to account for largest market share during the forecast period. Market for Trunnion-mounted ball valves to account for largest market share during the forecast period.Trunnion-mounted ball valves use a spring mechanism and/or line pressure assistance to drive the upstream seat against the stationary ball. The surface area exposed to the pressure through the relatively small passageway is just at the back of the seat.It has additional mechanical anchoring at the top and bottom of the ball. This special mounting is suitable for larger and higher-pressure valves.Moreover, this design permits a decrease in valve torque as the ball is supported in two places. These features makes trunnion-mounted ball valves is suitable for variety of applications including transmission and storage, gas processing, dryer sequence, and compressor anti-surge. 1 5 ball valves to account for largest market share during the forecast period. Market for 1 5 ball valves to account for largest market share during the forecast period. The <1 and 1 to 5 segments collectively accounted for a large share of the overall ball valves market in 2021, and a similar growth trend is likely to be observed during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for ball valves in transportation and energy & power-based applications. The use of 1 5 ball valves is increasing in the oil & gas, energy & power, water & wastewater treatment, chemicals, and other industries. Oil & gas to account for largest market share in 2022. The oil & gas industry needs deeper wells and longer pipelines and has been focusing on reducing production costs; this necessitates the use of specialized and critical equipment, such as valves, in oil and gas plants.Moreover, with the use of advanced equipment and technologies in production and transportation processes, performance requirements have become more stringent to ensure improved operational efficiencies. Hence, the incorporation of valves is essential in pipelines and other several processes to regulate the flow of liquid, gases, or any fluidized solid, which will propel the demand for ball valves during the forecast period. North America to witness the highest CAGR in the ball valves market during the forecast period The market in North America has been further segmented, on the basis of country, into the US, Canada, and Mexico. Rapidly growing investments in process and non-process industries and increasing energy consumption owing to the booming population in the region are driving the growth of the ball valves market. North America is a major consumer and producer of natural gas and is dominated by supply and demand dynamics of natural gas in the US.The natural gas market in North America is backed by a mature and well-integrated physical and financial market structure and substantial domestic natural gas production. The US is currently the worlds largest producer and consumer of natural gas. In addition, booming shale gas business in North America is likely to contribute to market growth. In-depth interviews have been conducted with chief executive officers (CEOs), marketing directors, other innovation and technology directors, and executives from various key organizations operating in the ball valvesmarketplace. By Company Type: Tier 156%, Tier 223%, and Tier 3-21% By Designation: C-Level Executives-75%,Managers-25% By Region:North America-40%, Europe-23%, APAC-26%,and RoW-11% The ball valves market comprises major players such Emerson Electric Co. (US), Schlumberger (US), Flowserve Corporation (US), IMI plc (US), Valmet (Neles Corporation) (Finland), SpiraxSarco Limited (UK), Crane Co. (US), KITZ Corporation (Japan), Trillium Flow Technologies (US), Bray international (US), and Velan, Inc. (Canada) are the key players in the ball valves market.These top players have strong portfolios of products and services and presence in both mature and emerging markets. The study includes an in-depth competitive analysis of these key players in the ball valves market, with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies. Research Coverage The report defines, describes, and forecaststhe ball valves marketbased on material, type, size, end-users, and geography.It provides detailed information regarding factors such as drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges influencing the growth of the ball valves market. It also analyzes competitive developments such as product launches, acquisitions, expansions, contracts, partnerships, and developments carried out by the key players to grow in the market. Key Benefits of Buying the Report The report will help market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall ball valves market and the subsegments.This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their businesses and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04970259/?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 Booking Holdings Inc. BKNG is scheduled to report second-quarter 2022 results on Aug 3. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $4.35 billion, suggesting growth of 101.3% from the year-ago quarters reported figure. The consensus mark for earnings stands at $17.73 per share, which has moved 0.39% downward in the past seven days. BKNG incurred a loss of $2.55 per share in the year-ago period. Booking Holdings Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Booking Holdings Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Booking Holdings Inc. price-eps-surprise | Booking Holdings Inc. Quote Key Factors to Note Booking Holdings second-quarter performance is expected to have continued benefiting from increasing customer gross bookings owing to improvement in room night trends, growing accommodation Average Daily Rates (ADRs) and increasing demand for global flight products. Growing confidence among travelers in Western Europe and North America is likely to have increased gross bookings in these regions in the underlined quarter. A surge in work-from-home initiatives amid the global coronavirus pandemic continues to encourage people to travel according to their convenience. This flexibility in travel plans might have driven BKNGs bookings in the to-be-reported quarter. Booking Holdings brands, namely Priceline, KAYAK, Agoda and OpenTable are expected to have witnessed strong customer momentum in the quarter under review. Growing travel bookings in the United States and Asia via Priceline and Agoda, respectively, a rise in international flight searches at KAYAK and increasing restaurant bookings through OpenTable might have been tailwinds. BKNG is consistently making efforts to provide benefits to travelers and supply partners. This is expected to have helped it gain momentum among its target groups, thus bolstering its accommodation business in the quarter under discussion. Rising initiatives to strengthen the Booking.com brand and the Genius loyalty program might have remained positives. Also, growing investments in the app to increase customer engagement are likely to have continued contributing significantly to the top line in the to-be-reported quarter. Story continues Growing investments to support payment platform and the Connected Trip are expected to have aided the quarterly performance. Continuous efforts to make Booking.com attractive and the trusted payment intermediary among travelers and supplier partners might have aided the second-quarter performance. However, uncertainties related to the coronavirus pandemic prevalent in the global travel industry are expected to have been a concern for BKNG. Rising COVID cases and pandemic-induced lockdown in China are likely to have been headwinds. Booking Holdings suspended travel services in Russia and Belarus in the first quarter of 2022 due to the invasion of Russia in Ukraine. This is expected to have persistently depressed bookings in the second quarter. Also, the invasion might have negatively impacted room night trends in Eastern Europe. Additionally, increasing expenses and stiff competition in the online travel booking space are expected to have hurt Booking Holdings profitability in the to-be-reported quarter. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Booking Holdings this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But thats not the case here, as elaborated below. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Booking Holdingshas an Earnings ESP of -1.06% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. Stocks to Consider Here are some stocks worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this season. Keysight Technologies KEYS has an Earnings ESP of +1.23% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Keysight Technologies is scheduled to release third-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Aug 17. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEYS earnings is pegged at $1.79 per share, suggesting an increase of 16.2% from the prior-year fiscal quarters reported figure. Amcor AMCR has an Earnings ESP of +1.39% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. Amcor is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Aug 16. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMCRs earnings is pegged at 24 cents per share, suggesting an increase of 4.35% from the prior-year fiscal periods reported figure. Box BOX has an Earnings ESP of +1.20% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. Box is scheduled to release second-quarter 2022 results on Aug 24. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BOXs earnings is pegged at 28 cents per share, suggesting an increase of 33.3% from the prior-year quarters reported figure. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Keysight Technologies Inc. (KEYS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Box, Inc. (BOX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amcor PLC (AMCR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Russian President Vladimir Putin. Getty Images Russia halted natural gas flows to Latvia, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. State-run Gazprom said it shut off flows to Latvia over the weekend, citing a violation of conditions. European gas prices surged 6% as nations prepare for more Russian gas cuts. European gas futures jumped roughly 6% Monday after Russia's Gazprom announced it had shut off natural gas flows to Latvia, per the Wall Street Journal. The state-run energy major said the gas was shut off to the EU nation because of a "violation of the conditions for gas withdrawal." Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow has halted natural gas flows to companies in Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Denmark, while severely reducing flows to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Latvia, historically, has been fully dependent on Russian gas, but had said it would find alternative energy sources by the start of next year. Russia is the largest energy supplier for Europe, and accounts for roughly 40% of the continent's natural gas. European officials have accused President Vladimir Putin of wielding energy as a political weapon, and Moscow is widely seen as cutting gas off in retaliation for sanctions. Other EU nations have been trying to reduce demand as they prepare for a potential full cut-off of supplies from Russia. In a Monday note, Bank of America analysts said the European natural gas crisis is getting even worse as winter stockpiles could run low. "The European gas situation is quickly moving from our 'bad' to our 'ugly' scenario in the past month," analysts wrote. Read the original article on Business Insider Senegal's opposition and President Macky Sall's ruling coalition have both claimed to have won legislative elections held at the weekend, while the vote count continues. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Khalifa Sall, one of the opposition leaders said: "What is undeniable is that it is we who won this election. "We won and we will not accept that our victory is stolen from us," he added. Incumbent president Macky Sall's ruling coalition has, however, maintained that it has won while acknowledging the opposition had made some gains in Sunday's legtislative polls. No cohabitation Former prime minister Aminata Toure, who led the presidential coalition's list in the elections, rejected "any possibility of cohabitation and ... reassure[d] our activists that we remain in the majority at the end of this election, despite an advance by the opposition." The opposition hoped the elections would impose a cohabitation or divided government on President Sall and curb any ambitions he may have for a third term. Sunday's vote, which is the last before presidential elections slated for 2024, were an important test for Macky Sall after local elections in January saw the opposition win in major cities, including the capital Dakar, Ziguinchor to the south and Thies in the west. Toure claimed to have won 30 of the 46 departments in the country and overseas constituencies when polls closed on Sunday evening. "This undoubtedly gives us a majority in the National Assembly," she said, while acknowledging her coalition had been defeated in the Senegalese capital. Opposition collaboration The main opposition alliance, however, expressed "astonishment" at Toure's remarks, claiming it had won a "comfortable majority" and that the presidential camp was "looking to once again confiscate the vote". In a statement Monday, the opposition called "on national and international opinion to act as witnesses against any attempt to manipulate the results." Story continues Ahead of the election, Yewwi Askan Wi (meaning "Liberate the People" in Wolof), the main opposition coalition headed by Ousmane Sonko, who came third in the 2019 presidential election, joined forces with Wallu Senegal ("Save Senegal"), led by former president Abdoulaye Wade. The groups had agreed to work together to obtain a parliamentary majority and "force governmental cohabitation." Opposition gains ground Overall provisional results are due no later than Friday, but initial indications sugget the poll was closely run and that the main opposition coalition had made significant gains, particularly in urban areas. The single round of voting will decide the 165 seats of the single-chamber parliament currently controlled by the president's supporters for the next five years. Sall has promised to appoint a prime minister a position he abolished and then restored in December 2021 from the winning camp. Some seven million Senegalese were eligible to vote in the election, which passed without any major incidents, although turnout was reportedly low with the participation rate estimated at around 47 per cent. Dean Henderson, Man Utd v Middlesbrough February 2022 Credit: PA Images Dean Henderson has blasted Manchester United for their treatment of him last season, calling their behaviour criminal. Henderson spent two very successful seasons on loan at Sheffield United, making 82 appearances and keeping 34 clean sheets. He returned to Manchester United in summer 2020 to try and replace David de Gea as their number one. The English goalkeeper managed to get ahead of his Spanish counterpart at one point. But then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went back to using De Gea, and interim managerial replacement Ralf Rangnick did the same. Henderson was tipped to make a loan move away from Old Trafford in January. But despite rumours of Newcastle and Watford interest, Manchester United kept the shot-stopper in Manchester. He didnt play in the Premier League or Champions League for the remainder of the campaign. Henderson knew his time with the Red Devils was up and a move to Nottingham Forest came about in early July. The one-time England international will spend the new season on loan at the City Ground. There is no obligation for Forest to buy, though the temporary switch could lead to a permanent one. During an appearance on talkSPORT (via The Athletic), Henderson was asked about his time at United in the 2021/22 season. He slammed them for not using him or allowing him to leave on loan. The conversation I had, coming out of the Euro 2020 squad, was that youre coming back to be the number one goalkeeper, Henderson said. Dean Henderson criticises criminal Man Utd decision I turned so many good loans down last summer for that reason, and they wouldnt let me go. It was frustrating. To sit there and waste 12 months is criminal really, at my age. I was fuming. When asked if he spoke to Ten Hag before leaving, Henderson continued: No. I didnt really want the manager to come in and be able to see me in training because I knew hed probably want to keep me. Henderson is clearly angry at how he was promised regular game time at United but never got this. He will be looking to prove the Manchester side wrong by impressing while at Forest. Story continues The 25-year-old is still on Uniteds books, so his comments surely wont go down well. Maybe it is part of his plan to push through a permanent transfer elsewhere. Forest will probably have first refusal to land him next summer. But this depends on them staying in the Prem, as Henderson wants top-flight football, as well as how the keeper does. Other clubs in England are known to admire him and will snatch at a transfer opportunity if one presents itself. Meanwhile, a report claims Ten Hag is still adamant United will win the race for Frenkie de Jong, despite Chelsea pushing to complete a deal. The article Dean Henderson tears Man Utd apart over criminal transfer decision, as major Ten Hag snub emerges appeared first on Teamtalk.com. BAGHDAD (AP) Followers of an influential Shiite cleric camped out inside the Iraqi parliament building for a fourth straight day were instructed Tuesday to leave the building but maintain their protest outside. In a tweet, a representative of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told the hundreds of loyalists to leave the parliament building in the capital of Baghdad within 72 hours. They were told to move their protest outside its premises but to remain inside the Green Zone, which houses Iraq's government buildings and foreign embassies. The sit-in was in its fourth day Tuesday. Al-Sadr and his party were winners in the October parliamentary elections but were unable to muster a majority of support to form a government. His followers stormed the parliament Saturday at his command to prevent the Iran-backed Coordination Framework alliance from voting in a new government after naming Mohamed al-Sudani as candidate for prime minister. Tuesday's move is a de-escalation on al-Sadr's part but far from a disbanding of the protests. It comes a day after his rivals in the Framework alliance staged a protest that many feared would lead to street battles between loyalists of the rival Shiite factions. The protesters withdrew on orders from Qais al-Khazali, a leading member of the Framework. Al-Sadr's vizier, or high-ranking political advisor, is known on Twitter as Salah Mohamed a-Iraqi. He instructed the protesters not to leave until their demands were met. Al-Iraqi's true identity is not known and many speculate it is al-Sadr himself. By moving the protest camp to another area of the Green Zone, al-Sadr keeps open the possibility of a drawn-out sit-in. Shiite officials said Monday the Framework had offered al-Sadr a proposal to withdraw from the parliament building. In return, the parliament building would remain closed to lawmakers. The proposal came after fissures appeared within the alliance over how to respond to al-Sadr's sit-in, with some urging for restraint and others for escalation. Iran has been working behind the scenes to maintain unity in the alliance and prevent escalation with al-Sadr, the officials said. Story continues Al-Sadrs followers have been camped out inside the parliament building in the heavily fortified Green Zone since thousands stormed the building on Saturday, demanding reforms and denouncing the Iran-backed alliance. Al-Sadrs representatives have called on supporters in Iraqi provinces to protest in their cities and towns in support of the parliament sit-in. Al-Sadrs followers were also instructed to hold mass prayers Friday at the Victory Arch, a monument also located inside the district. ___ Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed. The Senegal international moved to Bayern Munich in the summer after six successful years at Anfield which saw him claim Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League honours. Liverpool swiftly replaced the forward by splashing a record breaking 85million on Benfica star Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay international made a promising start to his career in England after helping the Reds to the Community Shield last weekend. Despite this, Lescott feels City have the upper hand heading into the new campaign. He said: "I think the top two teams are going to be City and Liverpool and I think City are the favourites due to them winning last season. "I think you should be favourites if you are the reigning champions but also I think they've added to the squad with some quality. "I think it's going to be slightly more difficult for Liverpool. I know they've signed Nunez, but without Mane, they can't be as strong. "The same could be said about Manchester City losing Raheem [Sterling], but in regards to Liverpool losing Mane I think that's a huge loss." Sterling moved to Chelsea after seven successful seasons at the Etihad which saw him claim 10 major trophies. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, on the other hand, both made the switch to Arsenal. Lescott, who works for BT Sport as a pundit, added: "I think they all improve the teams that they are joining because they are world-class players in their respective positions. "City will miss them as personalities, 100 per cent, but I think if you look back and view Man City the team, the style and how they play, I think Pep has created a system that isn't reliant on any individual. "So it's probably not as damaging (on the field) as the impact in the dressing room. They'll all be missed for that reason but players move on." The article Former Man City defender believes Liverpool wont be as strong without Sadio Mane appeared first on Planetsport.com. Liverpool forward Diogo Jota before taking a penalty Credit: PA Images Diogo Jota has penned a new Liverpool contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2027, the Premier League club have announced. The Portugal international joined the Reds from Wolves for around 40million in 2020 and has scored 34 goals in 85 matches for the Merseyside club. Arsenal outcast and 46m signing among the Premier League virgins were most excited to see He was brought in to help bolster Jurgen Klopps frontline and has performed very well to establish himself as an important player under the German. The 25-year-old can operate anywhere across the front three and has often played through the middle with Roberto Firmino struggling with injuries in recent seasons. Jota helped Liverpool win the Carabao and FA Cup last term as the club played every possible domestic match and reached the Champions League final, losing to Real Madrid. On Tuesday, the Reds announced that the former Wolves man has signed a two-year contract extension. His previous deal was set to run out in 2025, meaning his fresh terms will keep him at Anfield until 2027. Well, [Im] really proud, I have to say, Jota told the clubs official website. Obviously since I arrived two years ago I established myself as an important player in this team thats what I wanted from the beginning. Now, signing a new long-term deal, its obviously from the clubs perspective proof of the belief in myself as a player. For me, obviously its really good to establish Ill be here for a while. So, the beginning of a new season, lets do it. Jota has not played any pre-season friendlies due to injury but is raring to go ahead of Liverpools Premier League opener against Fulham this weekend. Unfortunately for me I had an upset in this pre-season because I got injured [in the] last game of the season playing with Portugal, the Portuguese forward added. So I was coming back in this pre-season, I felt it a little bit again. So it will be a few more weeks, I would say. Story continues When you fight for everything, like we did last year, you just want to do it again and to do it better, because its possible. That drive is in me and I know its in my teammates and all the staff. We have everything to fight for those titles out there. Klopp has freshened up his attacking options this summer, bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica and Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. Furthermore, Sadio Mane left to join Bayern Munich a year before becoming a free agent. The Senegalese forward scored 120 goals for Liverpool and won every competitive competition there was to win in England. The article Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota signs Reds contract extension lasting until 2027 appeared first on Football365.com. A Michigan Planned Parenthood was intentionally set on fire, local authorities said. The Kalamazoo, Michigan, clinic was shut down on Sunday after a fire broke out around 4:10 p.m, according to officials. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety released a surveillance photo that captured the alleged suspect wearing a black baseball cap, camouflage jacket, dark pants, blue medical mask and dark backpack. MORE: Reward offered for woman who set Wyoming abortion clinic on fire First responders extinguished the fire in less than 10 minutes. The damage was minor and there were no injuries, according to police. The clinic was closed following the incident and reopened at 1 p.m. on Monday, according to the clinics website. MORE: Violence against abortion clinics rose in 2021, report says Planned Parenthood of Michigan said its alarm systems appeared to have worked properly and it thanked firefighters for their quick response. As always, our top priority is the health and safety of our patients and staff, and we are grateful that no one was hurt, Paula Thornton Greear, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a statement to ABC News. We remain committed to serving our patients no matter what. Kalamazoo police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the incident, officials said. PHOTO: The Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo, Mich., in a 2019 image from Google Street View. (Google Maps Street View) I am appalled, shaken and disgusted. The responsible parties must be brought to justice. I will never stop fighting to keep abortion legal, State Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, tweeted after the news broke on Sunday. MORE: Michigan governor calls on Biden admin to ensure Americans can cross US-Canada border with abortion pills The fire came just one day before a Michigan judge ruled to temporarily block the states 1931 abortion ban. The block came just hours after a different judge ruled to allow the state to prosecute based on the law. MORE: Administering abortion from abroad in Post-Roe America "This lack of legal clarity that took place within the span of a workday is yet another textbook example of why the Michigan Supreme Court must take up my lawsuit against the 1931 extreme abortion ban as soon as possible, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement on Monday. Officials ask that anyone with information about the fire or suspect to contact KDPS at 269-337-8120 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100. Michigan Planned Parenthood intentionally set on fire: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for the second leg of an Asian tour that has been overshadowed by an expected stop in Taiwan, which would escalate tensions with China. Ms Pelosi met lower house Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun in Parliament and then Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Ms Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected US official to visit in more than 25 years. China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary, has warned of repercussions, saying its military will "never sit idly by" if Ms Pelosi pushes ahead with the visit. China's threats of retaliation have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could upset global markets and supply chains. On Monday the White House decried Beijing's rhetoric, saying the US has no interest in deepening tensions with China and "will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling". White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit the self-ruled island was ultimately Ms Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited Taiwan over the years. Mr Kirby said administration officials are concerned Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan. "Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing US policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait," Mr Kirby said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged China to "act responsibly" in the event that Pelosi proceeds with the visit. Story continues "If the speaker does decide to visit, and China tries to create some kind of a crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. "We are looking for them, in the event she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward." Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The US maintains informal relations and defence ties with Taiwan even as it recognises Beijing as the government of China. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they do not support. Ms Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the US government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Five Former Champs Reach GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table August 02 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor This week's GGPoker Super MILLION$ final table is, once again, a star-studded affair where five of the seats are occupied by stars that have already experienced the thrill of becoming a Super MILLION$ champion. Those five former champions have triumphed a combined eight times in this tournament. Should they triumph again tonight, they will walk away with $302,503. GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Chip Counts Place Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Casimir "mrsbradleyy" Seire Finland 3,803,639 109 2 Ole Schemion Austria 2,218,860 63 3 Ognyan "fizoka" Dimov Russia 2,092,427 60 4 Wiktor Malinowski Macau 1,943,172 56 5 Juan Dominguez Andorra 1,658,891 47 6 Aleks Ponakovs Latvia 674,800 19 7 Mark Radoja Mexico 646,002 19 8 Dario Sammartino Austria 541,116 16 9 Marcelo Asensio Brazil 321,093 9 Watch All The Final Table Action Here Click here! Finland's Casimir "mrsbradleyy" Seire is the chip leader going into the latest Super MILLION$ and holds quite a commanding lead. Seire sits down with 3,803,639 chips, which are the equivalent of 109 big blinds. Not only does having the chip lead come with a natural advantage, but it also means Seire gets to choose his seat once everyone else has selected theirs, another distinct advantage. Ole Schemion is second in chips as he looks to become a Super MILLION$ champion for the third time in his long and illustrious career. Schemion's 2,218,860 stack (63 big blinds) is bad news for the other eight finalists because he is an extremely dangerous player when he has ammunition in his arsenal. Russian Ognyan "fizoka" Dimov has a Super MILLION$ title under his belt, and his 2,092,427 (60 big blinds) stack gives Dimov a realistic shot at a second title. Dimov does not play many Super MILLION$ but he has a superb record of cashing in them, including two final tables and ten cashes from 25 entries. "Alister333" Conquers the GGPoker Battle of Malta Main Event GGPoker Super MILLION$ Final Table Payouts 1st - $302,053 2nd - $235,891 3rd - $184,221 4th - $143,869 5th - $112,355 6th - $87,745 7th - $68,525 8th - $53,515 9th - $41,793 Fourth place at the restart belongs to Wiktor Malinowski, who heads into battle with 1,943,172 chips (56 big blinds). Malinowski recently became a three-time Super MILLION$ champion, an achievement only four other GGPoker players have managed. Three of his 14 final table appearances have ended with Malinowski winning. Will he make it four from 15? Andorra-based Spaniard Juan Dominguez is hoping tonight is the night he finally gets his hands on the Super MILLION$ title. The tournament has proven to be a nemesis of Dominguez' with his eight final tables from 91 events all ending without Dominguez coming out on top. Perhaps this week will be different because he has a healthy 1,658,891 (47 big blinds) stack at his disposal. Aleksejs Ponakovs Aleks Ponakovs is another Super MILLION$ champion hunting for his second title. The Latvian comes into the final table on the back of a memorable summer where he won a $10,000 Aria High Roller for $171,000 and became a World Series of Poker bracelet winner by taking down the $100,000 High Roller for $1,897,363. Ponakov's 674,800 (19 big blinds) stack is shorter than he would have liked, but he is more than capable of turning things around. Like Dominguez, Mark Radoja is still waiting to become this tournament's champion. The Canadian takes his seat at what it his tenth Super MILLION$ final table with 646,002 chips (19 big blinds). Should Radoja turn things around and come out on top, his Super MILLION$ earnings will break through the $2 million barrier. The last former champion in the field is Italian superstar Dario Sammartino, although he is the second-shortest stack with 541,116 chips (16 big blinds). Sammartino has more than $2.6 million in Super MILLION$ winnings and it would take a brave person to bet against him finishing with one of the biggest prizes in tow despite his poor starting position. Bringing up the rear is Brazil's Marcelo Asensio with 321,093 chips, or a mere nine big blinds. This is Asensio's 13th Super MILLION$ and his second final table appearance. He knows the pressure is off when play resumes because he is in "push or fold" mode, although he could ladder up a couple of spots if Lady Luck is on his side. Qualify for Triton Series Cyprus on GGPoker TODAY! A NANG A memorial service for Kostas Sarantidis, the only foreigner to ever be honoured with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces of Viet Nam, took place at the Military Region 5 Funeral Home in central a Nang City on Tuesday. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the General Department of Politics, leaders of the Military Region 5, and leaders of a Nang City attended the service. Major General Truong Thien To, Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 5 and head of the Funeral Organising Committee, said the Greek soldier, with the Vietnamese name Nguyen Van Lap, had fought alongside Vietnamese comrades against French colonialists. Viet Nam was the second homeland of the soldier, he said. After a serious illness, Sarantidis passed away on June 25, 2021 in his home country of Greece. He was 94 years old. Kostas Sarantidis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1927. He was drafted into the German army in 1943, aged just 16. After World War II, he could not return home due to a lack of identity documents and so joined the French Foreign Legion, being sent to Indochina in 1946. Soon after Sarantidis set foot in Sai Gon (now HCM City), he decided to follow the Viet Minh (the short name for Vietnam Independence League) as he had witnessed the invaders' cruelty towards the Vietnamese people. He joined and realised the aspirations of the Vietnamese revolution. He was given the Vietnamese name Nguyen Van Lap and served in various posts and participated in many battles. The soldier made various accomplishments during his service and was presented with awards from the Party and State. He was honoured with the Friendship Order and received Vietnamese citizenship in 2010, and was awarded the title of 'Hero of the People's Armed Forces of Vietnam' in 2013. Major General Truong Thien To emphasised that the death of revolutionary soldier Kostas Sarantidis Nguyen Van Lap caused great grief for his family, friends and Vietnamese comrades. The Party and State lost a soldier who made great contributions to national liberation, he said. Following his will, the Vietnamese Government coordinated with the Greek Government and his family to organise the transfer of his ashes to Viet Nam. Major General To received the ashes on August 1 at a Nang International Airport. The burial ceremony occurred on the same day at the City Military Region 5 Funeral Home. VNS Manulife secured the top position in the market for the second year, running with 1,429 advisers becoming MDRT members as of July 1. The insurer further ranked 12th globally as part of the top 100 list. Manulife Financial Corporation also ranked third among the top 10 multinational companies, holding the position for the fourth consecutive year and achieving 5,685 members globally. Manulife Vietnam accounted for 25 per cent of the total Manulife MDRT members. The insurer was additionally ranked sixth globally in terms of its female MDRT representation, making up more than 82 per cent of members and highlighting the improvement in gender equality in the industry. I am extremely proud of our advisers and the work they are doing to drive financial security. As the top-ranked MDRT company in Vietnam, this achievement is a testament to their professionalism and commitment to helping our customers live every day better, said Sang Lee, CEO of Manulife Vietnam. MDRT is the global and independent trade association for leading insurance and financial services professionals. MDRT membership is recognised internationally as the standard of excellence in the industry. Robert Trieu, chief agency officer at Manulife Vietnam said, We aim to recruit the best talent in the market and this accolade reflects the depth of quality in our agency force. By equipping our advisers with the right knowledge, digital solutions, and skills to boost their productivity and professionalism, we are also helping them build a successful career with us. Manulife Vietnam recently launched ManuAcademy, a brand-new digital learning platform available to its 60,000-strong agency force. Manulife Vietnam recently launched ManuAcademy, a brand-new digital learning platform available to its 60,000-strong agency force. Accessible via a mobile app and website, the platform helps advisers to build stronger relationships with customers through a combination of education, culture, and technology. As the first foreign-owned life insurer in the market and part of a leading Canadian-based financial services provider, Manulife Vietnam has been a pioneering force in the local industrys development. Today more than 1.5 million customers put their trust in Manulife Vietnam. Illustrative image (Photo: The Ministry of Health) Hanoi The Ministry of Health (MoH) on August 1 held an online training session to guide medical facilities nationwide on the diagnosis and treatment of monkeypox in the context that the number of the cases worldwide is topping 22,000. Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son underlined the need to make careful preparations for responding to monkeypox, saying that although no cases of monkeypox had been recorded in Vietnam, the risk of this disease entering the country is very high. He requested health facilities to prepare necessary conditions for preventing the disease, including clinical-based early detection, sourcing diagnostic tests to proactively detect cases early for timely quarantine and treatment. Son also emphasised the necessity to promote communications activity to raise public awareness of signs of illness; and strengthen training for medical examination and treatment establishments at all levels towards taking effective and timely measures to prevent monkeypox infections at medical facilities and ensuring effective quarantine and treatment. Nguyen Luong Tam, deputy director of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH, said the ministry is currently developing guidelines for monitoring monkeypox cases in Vietnam and reactivating the border quarantine system. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Vice Director of the Department for Medical Examination and Treatment under the MoH, said the ministry has developed a plan to respond to emergency situations, adding scenarios to deal with this disease have also been taken into account by the health ministry. On July 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a global public health emergency due to its rapid transmission rate and the risk of its spread further to other countries. The world has recorded over 22,000 cases. An increase in the number of cases, including in countries and territories in the Western Pacific region have been posted. Hanoi Myanmar's leader Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has said that some points of a consensus reached with the ASEAN to end the country's ongoing crisis will be implemented this year. A member of the Myanmar security forces walks by a checkpoint in Yangon on July 19, 2022. (Photo: AFP/VNA) In his August 1 televised speech broadcast on state TV, Min Aung Hlaing said this year, as all situations are in progress, the most possible points of the five-point ASEAN consensus will be implemented under the ASEAN frameworks. Myanmar was unable to implement the so-called five-point consensus last year due to "lack of stability" partly because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. ASEANs Five-Point Consensus on handling the Myanmar crisis had been agreed at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting (ALM) in Jakarta last April. It calls for the immediate cessation of violence with all parties exercising utmost restraint; a constructive dialogue among all parties; the mediation of such talks by a special envoy of the ASEAN chair; provisions of humanitarian assistance coordinated by ASEAN; and a visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN delegation, headed by the special envoy, to meet with all parties. Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex (Photo: VNA) The northern province of Ninh Binh where Hollywood blockbuster 'Kong: Skull Island' was filmed in 2016 was named one of the 12 "coolest movie filming locations" in Asia, according to US magazine Travel Leisure. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the 190-million-USD film was shot in Trang An limestone complex, Van Long Lagoon and Tam Coc, where limestone karst mountains rise out of the waters. Travel Leisure wrote: "The Ninh Binh area is known as the inland cousin of Ha Long Bay. Scenically similar, though significantly smaller, it has far fewer visitors. The Trang An area where scenes were shot is listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage area, which has several unique Buddhist pagodas and temples." Situated around two hours from Hanoi, Ninh Binh was home to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu during the reign of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and was overlooked by foreign tourists for years until "Kong: Skull Island" was filmed there, giving it a global reputation. The other Asian filming locations worth a visit include Cambodia's Siem Reap, the Republic of Korea's Busan, India's Khempur, Thailand's Krabi province, Singapore, Indonesia's Bali, the Maldives, and Japan's Tokyo. Thai Huong felt quite moved when she and all staff at TH Group, where Huong acts as founder and chairwoman of the Strategic Council, were praised by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his visit on July 23 to some of the groups far-reaching projects in the central province of Nghe An. I have listened to your comments on our projects and efforts with high concentration. I see that the government is pinning high hopes on our further successes and contributions to national development, especially to Vietnams agricultural development, Huong told PM Chinh. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid a visit to TH Groups dairy farm and met with employees Initiated in 2009, the $1.2-billion, 37,000-hectare hi-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk production project in Nghe Ans Nghia Dan district uses state-of-the-art technologies and currently has nearly 70,000 dairy cows, and has been recognised as The worlds largest high-tech centralised dairy farming and processing complex by the World Records Union Worldkings. All stages, from caring for the dairy cows and food processing to milking and product packaging are automatically implemented. Currently, TH Group occupies 45 per cent of Vietnams fresh milk market share. Vo Tien Sy, Chairman of Nghia Dan Peoples Committee, reported that before the project appeared in the locality, the poverty rate was 23 per cent, but now it is only 6.4 per cent. It is expected that the rate will continue to reduce to 2-3 per cent over the next few years thanks to the projects positive impacts, Sy said. TH has so far been implementing more than 20 projects covering many sectors, largely in high-tech agriculture and foodstuffs, employing tens of thousands of labourers directly and indirectly. PM Chinhs visit to TH Group was an opportunity for him to collect more information and further strengthen his confidence that the Party and the governments policy to develop the private economic sector is correct. This will also help the government to devise more sound policies to support privately-owned enterprises (POEs) in Vietnam. Nurturing enterprises When I asked labourers at the project about how their life has changed, they happily replied that their life has been remarkably improved year after year. This has made me quite happy, PM Chinh said, It is not easy to do business, and more difficult to do business in the agricultural sector as TH Group and Thai Huong have been doing. TH Group is among POEs in Vietnam with effective investment and business activities, he continued. This is an exemplary model which should be multiplied in many other localities as it creates high value for the economy. He said that Vietnamese enterprises have been making great contributions to national development. In the existing self-reliant economy, it is a must to develop both state-owned enterprises and POEs. Currently, these two types of enterprises have almost the same contribution to GDP, at around 40 per cent. However, POEs are generating over 80 per cent of the economys employment. According to the mindset and policy of the Party and the government, there is no discrimination against the private sector. This sector has been flourishing strongly with increasing contributions to the state budget and employment generation. I would reiterate that we dont have any discrimination against the private sector, both in thinking and action, and also in formulating policies and laws, PM Chinh added. According to the resolution of the government cabinets June meeting, PM Chinh ordered that all obstructions against businesses must be removed for enterprises to develop, with ministries, agencies, and localities requested to review all legal regulations. Under the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress held early last year, the Party has specified a number of strategic breakthroughs for the country to become a developing nation with modernity-oriented industrial development by 2025. Per capita GDP will be $4,700-5,000; a developing country by 2030 with modern industrial development and upper middle income; and a developed economy with high income by 2045 meaning a GDP of about $2.5 trillion with per capita income of about $18,000 a year. To this end, the first strategic breakthrough will be to create a good and synchronous system of laws, mechanisms, and policies, and to offer a favourable, healthy, and fair investment and business environment to all economic sectors, with the advancement of innovation and the mobilisation, management, and effective use of all national resources for development. The Partys strong will in developing the private sector has also been mirrored in its adoption last year of a report summarising the implementation of the 2011-2020 Socioeconomic Development Strategy, and formulating the same version for 2021-2030. In which, the Party stressed that the private sector must be strongly developed both qualitatively and quantitatively, and effectively and sustainably. All impediments and prejudice have to be eradicated, while all favourable conditions have to be offered for the private sector to develop. In Vietnam, the private sector is now responsible for 43 per cent of GDP, 49 per cent of total development investment, 15.4 per cent of the state budget, and 85 per cent of total labourers, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). Vietnam currently has nearly 800,000 businesses in operation, with about 98 per cent being small- and medium-sized ones. In the 2016-2019 period, there were nearly 126,600 newly established enterprises annually, registered at about $58.7 billion in total, up 49.3 per cent in the number of enterprises and 24.8 per cent in capital as compared to those in the 2010-2015 period. The country also boasts many big POEs such as Vingroup, TH Group, Truong Hai Auto Corporation, Vietjet, and Minh Phu Seafood Corporation. Further assistance Thai Huong of TH Group suggested that for the private sector to grow further, more support from the state is needed. Specifically, it is necessary to re-assess the countrys land resources so that suitable policies can be applied. The government should encourage the shift of plants so that farmers can have more suitable production models, said Huong, who is also chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of High-tech Agriculture. In an example, acacia is used to help the government in poverty alleviation and hunger reduction, but it is not suitable now as its economic values are lower than those of other plants such as fruit trees and herbs which are now cultivated by TH Group. The MPI is now drafting a hallmark scheme for comprehensive renewal of state management for private sector development in Vietnam. Currently, the scheme is under discussion and will be submitted to the government and then the Politburo. It is expected that the scheme will embrace many specific solutions to fuel the private sector. According to Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, for the private sector to further flourish, with bigger contributions to the economy, all obstructions must be removed, and all the best conditions must be created. If the private sector fails to receive further support, the nation wont be able to hit high economic growth sustainably, and materialise the goals set out in the Partys resolution. Even the economy wont be able to overcome the middle-income trap without more contributions from the private sector, especially in the context that the state budget remains limited, Minister Dung said. PM Chinh said that to develop the countrys private sector, the government will boost public-private partnerships, with the sectors resources being promoted to a maximum level. In the coming time, we will have new mechanisms to attract more private resources, creating the best conditions for them to flourish and implement innovation, digital transformation, production, distribution, and market expansion, he stressed. I would reiterate that the private sector will be developed into a really important impetus of the national economy. Hanoi Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 2 called on Singaporean firms and Temasek in particular to expand their investment in Vietnam, particularly in technology, strategic infrastructure development, logistics and innovative startups. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and Singaporean Ambassador Jaya Ratnam (Photo: VNA) At a reception for Singaporean Ambassador Jaya Ratnam and CEO of Temasek Foundation Ng Boon Heong in Hanoi, Chinh noted that the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership is developing strongly and dynamically across all spheres, especially economy, trade and investment, with two-way trade expanding over 23 percent to reach 8.3 billion USD last year despite COVID-19, and hitting 4.75 billion USD in the first half of this year. Singapore has become Vietnams biggest investor in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with 2,959 projects worth 69.86 million USD, ranking second among 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. According to the PM, the recent delegation exchanges and meetings by senior leaders of the two countries have created a new impulse for the bilateral ties, and helped to promote cooperation in post-pandemic recovery and sustainable development. He used the occasion to thank Singapore and the Temasek Foundation for their support for Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highly valued the foundations implementation of 27 cooperation and support programmes in Vietnam since 2008 with total funding amounting to some 10 million USD and the participation of around 3,000 Vietnamese officials. Vietnam wishes to cooperate with Singapore and receive support from the country and Temasek during its development, Chinh continued, emphasising that Vietnam wants to enhance its bilateral strategic partnership and learn from Singapores experience in building an independent, self-reliant economy in tandem with intensive and extensive international integration. The PM suggested the two sides roll out projects and activities marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership in 2023. Attention should be paid to projects covering the areas of Vietnams priorities and Singapores strengths like the digital economy, digital government, digital society, digital citizens, green economy and innovation, he added, urging greater efforts to promote Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks. He asked Temasek to step up cooperation and policy consultancy with Vietnam, assisting the country to implement programmes on high-quality personnel training and administration. The Vietnamese government welcomes and stands ready to create favourable conditions for Singaporean businesses to invest in the country, the leader affirmed. The Singaporean guests lauded efforts by the Vietnamese government in handling economic issues despite an array of challenges, as well as Vietnams efforts and achievements in pandemic containment. They shared the view that investment attraction results have reflected investors strong confidence in Vietnam. They agreed with PM Chinhs suggestions to boost cooperation in economy, trade, investment, digital transformation, energy transition and public-private partnerships, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. The CEO stressed that Vietnam is the first country in Southeast Asia Temasek has invested in, and that Temasek wants to expand its investments in Vietnam. The ambassador conveyed an invitation from PM Lee Hsien Loong to PM Chinh to visit Singapore as soon as possible. The Vietnamese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure and suggested arranging the trip through diplomatic channels. Singapores Temasek postes net portfolio value of $286.9 billion The Singaporean state-owned fund Temasek one of the worlds largest investors reported a net portfolio value of S$403 billion ($286.9 billion) for the last financial year, an increase of S$22 billion ($15.6 billion) on-year. Hanoi - The potential of renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar power, is one of the keys to Vietnams energy transformation towards carbon neutrality, but barriers stemming from the unresponsive transmission network and pricing mechanism is wasting the capacity of billions of kWh of electricity, according to experts. Ea Nam - Dak Lak wind farm in Dak Lak province, in central Vietnam. Experts think the unresponsive transmission network is wasting billions of kWh of electricity capacity in the country. (Photo courtesy of Trungnam Group) According to preliminary surveys and assessments, Vietnams potential of onshore wind power is about 217GW, and offshore wind power is over 160GW. The feature of offshore wind power is long operating hours and high efficiency. Le Thanh Thanh, deputy director of Soc Trang Department of Industry and Trade, said: "The province has planned to develop 20 wind farms including 18 farms being granted investment certificates with a total capacity of 1,345MW and two farms being considered. Among 18 farms, 11 projects started construction in 2020 with a total capacity of 496.4MW. As of October 31, 2021, the last day of FIT price, four farms were put into commercial use, he said, adding other projects were also completed but could not be connected to the grid because the FIT pricing mechanism had expired. Thanh told local media: "The province still has many locations that could develop farms. However, they have to wait for the PDP VIII (The National Power Development Plan for the 2021-30 period, with a vision towards 2045) to be approved to have a basis for proposing a new project." In the southernmost province of Ca Mau, Chairman of the People's Committee Huynh Quoc Viet said: "Ca Mau has 16 wind farms with a capacity of 1,000MW. In which, 12 projects have been granted investment certificates, and five investors have implemented their projects, but only three have been connected to the national grid to run commercial operation with a total capacity of only 100MW as of the FIT deadline." Viet said: "As a locality with great potential for wind power development, the province has proposed to add 24 wind power projects with a capacity of 12,018MW to the national power development plan. However, it still needs to wait for the PDP VIII to be approved." According to the Vietnam Electricity (EVN), by the end of October 31, 2021, the final deadline for recognition of commercial operation projects and for the projects to enjoy the support price (FIT) under Decision No. 39/Q-TTg of the Prime Minister, 84/146 wind power projects had signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with EVN, with a total capacity of nearly 4,000MW. Thus, 62 projects with a total capacity of 4,170MW which also had PPA contracts with EVN, but due to slow progress, could not be put into commercial operation on time. Many projects have completed construction and equipment installation but could not be operated commercially due to the end of the FIT pricing mechanism, said EVN. International energy organisations calculated the potential of solar power in the country at 434GW, including terrestrial solar power with 309GW, offshore solar power with 77GW and rooftop solar power with 48GW. As of the Government's incentive mechanism, more than 16,400MW of solar power sources have been put into operation, including 7,755MW of rooftop solar power sources since 2019, most of them concentrated in the southern and central regions. While Vietnam is trying to develop solar power, the projects' development pace is faster than that of transmission infrastructure. As a result, the power industry has temporarily suspended the connection of new projects and reduced the capacity of both projects. According to EVN, in 2021, the untapped electricity output of the aforementioned renewable energy sources, which has increased to 1.68 billion kWh including 1.25 billion kWh of solar power, had to be reduced by 430 million kWh as per the EVN programme. Experts consider the increasing untapped output of renewable energy sources as "a huge waste" while other thermal power sources are in short supply, and the electricity price is increasing. Seoul The Republic of Korea (RoK) wishes to collaborate with Vietnam in high quality human resources training, technology transfer as well as in mineral exploitation and processing, said RoK Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang during talks with visiting Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien in Seoul on August 2. , At the event (Photo: VNA) The two ministers agreed that the cooperation between the two sides should be based on the foundation of mutual benefits towards a balance inn bilateral trade turnover as soon as possible. Not only trade and industry, the bilateral collaboration should expand to human resources training and technology transfer. Dien reviewed the performance of tasks agreed by the two sides at the 11th meeting of the Korea-Vietnam Joint Committee on Energy, Industry and Trade Cooperation, emphasising the determination to realise the trade turnover target of 100 billion USD by late 2023 set by their leaders. He suggested the relevant RoK ministries and agencies to create favourable conidtions for Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, to enter the Korean market as well as support Vietnam in carrying out trade promotion activities to access major Korean distribution channels such as Lotte Mart, E-Mart and Home Plus. He also proposed the RoK continue to assist the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade in organising human resources training programmes in the fields of trade, trade defence, distribution and logistics in the future. The official said that the Vietnamese Government, ministries and agencies always support foreign businesses, including those from the RoK, to invest in Vietnam. The Prime Minister and members of the Government have met with Korean businesses in the country twice in the past year, he said, adding that 25 out of 29 proposals by Korean enterprises have been resolved. The two ministers agreed to co-chair the 12th meeting of the Korea-Vietnam Joint Committee on Energy, Industry and Trade Cooperation and the 6th Joint Committee for the Implementation of the Korea- Vietnam Free Trade Agreement at the end of this year in Vietnam, to foster the fulfillment of the trade turnover target of 100 billion USD by late 2023. RoK firms expand investment in research and development in Vietnam Leading enterprises from the Republic of Korea (RoK) including Samsung Electronics, Naver and Revu Corporation have further promoted investment in research and development (R&D) centres in Vietnam to fully tap high-quality and low-cost human resources. RoK international airport to reopen routes linking Vietnam The Muan International Airport in the Republic of Korea (RoK)s South Jeolla province will allow the resumption of international flights, including those to Vietnam, this July. Vietnam, RoK seek stronger investment, innovation partnership Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) sought ways to improve the efficiency of their partnership in investment and innovation during a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on June 17. Government of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has approved 2.2 million Australian dollars (about 1.54 million U.S. dollars) in funding for a Chinese community culture museum in the country's biggest city, Sydney. The funding under the government's Creative Capital Program will support transformation of the Haymarket library near Sydney's Chinatown into the Museum of Chinese in Australia (MOCA), the state's first museum dedicated to the Chinese community culture and history of the Chinese residents. The museum is scheduled to open to the public in 2023. "This investment will refurbish the Haymarket library into a modern museum, presenting traditional and digital exhibitions. It will allow Chinese Australians to tell stories from their past, present and future," NSW Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin told Xinhua on Monday. The museum building will keep its historical exterior, but the interior will feature more digital accesses. It will display collections related to the history of Chinese people in Australia and provide community engagement programs. "This museum will highlight our history and the contributions of the Chinese community and showcase how our multicultural society works uniquely, " said NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure. NCS signed the cooperation agreement with FPT Software on August 1 NCS on August 1 signed a cooperation agreement with FPT Software to develop an SDC in Vietnam. This is the third strategic technology centre of NCS in Asia. The deal aims to meet the strategic goal of expanding the development network and providing global technology services to both parties. The facility is expected to reach a scale of more than 3,000 employees by 2025. Specifically, the centre jointly built by FPT Software and NCS in Vietnam will provide infrastructure services such as security environments, on-demand training programmes, and access to highly qualified technology human resources, operating according to Integrated Delivery Methods. Ng Kuo Pin, CEO of NCS Ng Kuo Pin, CEO of NCS said, Demand for digital transformation services continues to accelerate in this region. Coupled with the strong pool of high calibre talent in Vietnam, our proven delivery methods and extensive reach, we can help our clients transform and run their operations more efficiently and at optimised costs. By enhancing our digital and workforce capabilities and forging strategic partnerships with recognised leaders like FPT Software, we aim to create a highly compelling end-to-end digital transformation value proposition for our clients. Dr. Truong Gia Binh, FPT Chairman added, FPT has pledged to accompany its clients and communities to a better future, and the partnership with NCS fortifies that commitment. As a complete IT solutions provider, we have been a trusted partner to companies and authorities in their digital transformation journey. We look forward to working together with NCS to strengthen the business operations of clients and to help them realise their digital transformation goals at an accelerated speed. Truong Gia Binh, FPT Chairman Through this partnership, clients will be able to access FPT Softwares talent pool and proven expertise that spans more than two decades. FPT Software, a subsidiary of FPT Corporation, has a global presence in 27 countries and a mix of onsite, nearshore, and offshore delivery models, enabling great scalability, timely assistance and cost optimisation for clients and partners worldwide. Earlier, NCS developed two other delivery centres in Pune (India) and Chengdu (China). According to IDC, the digital services market in APAC will grow at a CAGR of 16.9 per cent over 2020-2025 to reach $190.8 billion in 2025. Vietnam, which is accelerating digital transformation in industries and sectors, is a potential market for businesses. The principal partner of the national patriotic hygiene movement from the Ministry of Health Following the pandemic, Vietnam is facing the challenge of increasing dengue and hand, foot, and mouth diseases in many cities and provinces. Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded more than 92,000 cases and 36 deaths caused by dengue. The number of dengue cases is likely to spread across the country, especially in the southern, central, and highland regions. On July 25, Unilever Vietnam with the Lifebuoy and Vim brands supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Binh Duong People's Committee to organise a conference to launch the national sanitation and personal hygiene movement to prevent epidemics. The event took place in Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong, to mobilise all levels of authorities, socio-political organisations, families, and the whole society to participate in activities to prevent and control hand, foot, and mouth disease and dengue to avoid outbreaks of these infectious diseases in the future. James Griffin, vice president of Unilever Vietnam, speaking at the meeting to launch the national sanitation and personal hygiene movement Other activities to support the national sanitation movement include conducting in-field research in local areas where there are epidemic outbreaks, a series of communication activities to educate people on preserving environmental sanitation, larvae removal to prevent dengue, personal hygiene to prevent COVID-19 and hand, foot and mouth diseases, and organising media parades in areas with epidemic outbreaks. Deputy Minister of Ministry of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong highly appreciated the timely cooperation of the Unilever Vietnam Foundation and the Lifebuoy and Vim brands. Unilever Vietnam's contributions in recent years have become a practical part of the national patriotic hygiene movement to improve people's health, which mainly focuses on environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, and preventing and fighting epidemics in accordance with the prime minister's decision to hold the Patriotic Hygiene Day on July 2 every year, she said. Relentless efforts For a healthier Vietnam with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training During its 27-year presence in Vietnam, Unilever has always been committed to supporting the government and local authorities to improve peoples health and hygiene through education on personal hygiene habits and the environment. This is one of the key pillars in the sustainable development programme that Unilever Vietnam has been pursuing for many years. Through the For a healthier Vietnam programme with the MoH since 2007, Unilever Vietnam has directly helped more than 22 million people improve their hygiene and health conditions with practical innovative programmes from P/S, Lifebuoy, Vim, Knorr, OMO, and PureIt. Lifebuoy - Handwashing with Soap for a Healthier Vietnam has provided free soaps and built handwashing habits for more than 10 million people in schools and the community. Communication campaigns on personal hygiene, handwashing with soap, and disease prevention have reached more than 35 million Vietnamese people nationwide via public media and mass communication channels. This year, Lifebuoy also continues to implement phase two with the Stay strong Vietnam - For a Healthier Vietnam programme, with the mission of increasing access to proper handwashing with soap and hand sanitiser for more than 10 million Vietnamese children by 2025. In 1998, the P/S - Protecting Vietnam's Smiles programme was started with dental buses travelling to urban and rural areas to provide oral examinations and treatments for millions of students and teachers at pre-schools and primary schools across the country. The programme has reached and educated 25 million students, including 10 million people through online media, and organised free dental check-ups for more than seven million children. The programme has also awarded more than eight million sets of dental products to students nationwide. The Vim Clean Toilet Journey programme has not only brought 1,130 standard school toilets to millions of children across Vietnam but also educated more than 4.7 million people on environmental sanitation in the community. The Green - Clean - Healthy School programme, led and implemented by Unilever's brands since 2012, aims for the comprehensive development of children through the upgrading of school facilities and implementing education on hygiene and healthcare. By 2020, the program had helped build 445 safety playgrounds, upgraded and built 1,000 clean toilets in 762 primary schools, provided free hand soap, and educated 7.2 million students nationwide on proper handwashing habits. As a part of its upcoming plan, Unilever Vietnam, with the support of six brands P/S, Lifebuoy, Vim, Knorr, OMO, and PureIt will offer three educational pillars including hygiene, nutrition, and environmental protection through two main activities. These will focus on upgrading school facilities and digital curriculums on five green, clean, and healthy habits brushing teeth day and night, maintaining clean toilets, washing hands with soap frequently, drinking boiled or filtered water, and planting trees to protect the environment. All these actions serve the same mission of building a new national standard of health, hygiene and nutrition for all primary schools nationwide by 2025. During the intense period of the pandemic, Unilever supported the Ministry of Health with the Stay Strong Vietnam programme. Through this, Unilever Vietnam cooperated with the MoH to distribute a national communications campaign on personal hygiene and COVID-19 prevention to the community, reaching nearly 750 million people through mass communication channels. 113 Lifebuoy handwashing stations were installed in public areas, raising awareness and encouraging people to wash their hands with soap and maintain personal hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus. Unilever also donated 2.5 million hygiene products to more than 2.6 million people in schools, hospitals, health centres, women's unions, centres for disease control and prevention, and youth associations across the country Vice president of Unilever Vietnam James Griffin said, All of the above figures demonstrate the close and effective coordination and synergy between the Ministry of Health, local authorities, and businesses of which Unilever Vietnam is a pioneer. In 2022, the Ministry of Health and local authorities will continue to take action to prevent the risk of emerging disease outbreaks as well as other existing diseases in the country. We are committed to continuously supporting the Ministry of Health to raise awareness. We will encourage people to take action to maintain environmental sanitation and personal hygiene to prevent diseases effectively through communication activities and products, joining hands to build a healthier Vietnam, he concluded. Hanoi - An eco-lease solar power project is set to be implemented under cooperation between the Vietnamese and Japanese governments. Introduction of 0.4MW Rooftop Solar Power System to Aluminum Wheel Manufacturing Factory (Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) Eco Lease Scheme) was selected by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, for Financing Programme for JCM Model Projects. A 0.4MW rooftop solar power generation system will be installed at the Enkei Vietnam factory. (Photo courtesy of BIDV) This is the first JCM Eco Lease Scheme of BIDV-SuMi TRUST Leasing (BSL) and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Panasonic Finance (SuMi TRUST Bank) registered in Vietnam since the JCM Eco Lease scheme was established in 2020. The project demonstrates the efforts and focus of BSL toward a sustainable society. Through the JCM, BSL wishes to contribute to a low-carbon society. The project aims to install a rooftop solar power generation system at Enkei Vietnam Co. Ltd. located in the Thang Long Industrial Park in Hanoi and provides the necessary electricity for the production process at the factory thereby reducing carbon emissions. A 0.4MW rooftop solar power generation system will be installed at the Enkei Vietnam factory. Sharp NSN Energy Solution JSC, the equipment supplier, will install, construct and maintain the system in this project. Enkei Vietnam will sign a financial leasing agreement with BSL for five years, and BSL will keep ownership of the assets during the lease period. The financing programme for JCM Model Projects includes the application of advanced decarbonising technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the measurement, reporting and verification process over the depreciation period. The effect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the JCM Model Projects will contribute to the achievement of the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Japan and partner countries. Up to half of the initial investment costs of advanced decarbonising technologies will be financed. In the JCM Eco Lease scheme, 10 per cent of the total leasing charge, including leasing interest for the targeted assets, will be financed by the Japanese government, thereby providing customers with a financial leasing package with more favourable conditions. Officially coming into operation in 2017, BSL is one of the leading financial leasing companies, established by two leading banks in Vietnam and Japan - the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. It provides professional financing solutions for the SME market in Vietnam. Vietnamese, British firms develop rooftop solar power systems Vu Phong Energy Group JSC and British power firm Shire Oak International have signed a deal to develop rooftop solar power systems at factories run by the Republic of Koreas Hwaseung Enterprise Co. Ltd. in Vietnam. HCM City launches renewable energy use competition rented houses An annual award aimed at encouraging rental house owners to use rooftop solar power has been launched by Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam leads transition to clean energy in Southeast Asia Vietnam is leading the transition to clean energy in Southeast Asia and is a bright spot on an otherwise soot-black map, according to an article published recently on The Economist. Tommy Lee Stewart, 51, of Waco, was arrested last week for not completing registration as sex offender. His bail was set at $100,000, court records show. Stewart was convicted in August 2020 of attempted sexual assault, a third-degree felony, and was also required to register as a sex offender, court records show. Judge Ralph Strother sentenced Stewart to two years incarceration in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice institution. After completion of his state sentence, Stewart was required to register as a sex offender, court records show. Waco police arrested him after he failed to do so, and booked him into jail July 28. A McLennan County grand jury originally indicted Stewart for aggravated sexual assault in July 2018, a first-degree felony offense, for allegedly forcing himself on a disabled adult woman in September 2017, court records show. The Waco Fire Department will again offer a Citizens Fire Academy with hands-on training and live demonstrations of CPR and firefighting techniques, continuing a program it started last year. Registration started Tuesday and will continue all month. Classis will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays from Sept. 15 to Oct. 6 at the McLennan Community College Emergency Services Education Center, 7601 Steinbeck Bend Drive. Courses included in the academy will provide the residents of Waco with an interactive learning experience about vital services provided by the men and women of the fire department and will include lessons on increasing fire and life safety awareness, a city press release on the academy says. Classes will cover Wacos hiring and training processes, apparatus familiarization, hazardous materials, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), fire tactics and strategies, life-saving CPR training. Participation is limited to 25 people, and background checks will be conducted on all applicants. The program is open to McLennan County residents 18 or older. For more information, call fire department administration at 254-750-1740. To apply, go to waco-texas.com/fire. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. BEATRICE The 4-H community raised money with an auction at the Gage County Fair on Sunday for children whose parents died last year of COVID-19. Approximately $40,000 was raised for Trenn, Joey and Ethan Hoffman-Ideus in 30 minutes during a rolling auction, where each bidder contributes the amount their bid increased the previous bid. Just after the Gage County Fair last year, the three brothers lost their dad, Glenn Ideus, to COVID-19 on Aug. 25. Their mom, Tracy Hoffman-Ideus, died Nov. 11 after a long battle with the coronavirus. The family farmed near Cortland and raised cattle and sheep. Both Glenn and Tracy had been active in 4-H and FFA in their youth. They enjoyed going to county fairs and helping their sons show sheep. All three of the boys are members of the Nemaha Valley 4-H Club. Trenn is a 10-year member and also belongs to the Freeman FFA. After Glenn died in August and Tracy remained hospitalized, Brenda Smith, Glenns sister, moved into the familys home to live with the boys. We were just trying to maintain the farm and take care of things, she said. All of the boys share responsibilities and help out. The boys will attend Freeman School in the fall. Ethan, a fourth grader, will be living in Beatrice with Tracys sister, Becky Dorn. Joey, a ninth grader, will be living with the Kettleson family near Adams. Trenn, a 12th grader, is going to be residing with Eldon and Gaynelle Ideus, near Pickrell. Eldon Ideus, Glenns brother, farmed with Glenn. So many members of the community helped last fall, Eldon said. It was overwhelming. People came to help with harvest." The 4-H leaders would check in regularly and helped us so we didnt miss deadlines, Brenda added. Some friends came to help care for the animals, too. Marlan, Glenns brother, from Amherst, said that a lot of the churches in the community and even in Jefferson County have helped too. Don Esau, Gage County Ag Society President, said that a few of the fathers in the 4-H club approached him Saturday afternoon and wanted to do something for the Hoffman-Ideus family. It was a pretty quick turnaround, but the board discussed it and voted in support of a rolling auction to benefit the family, Esau said. It was amazing what the community does to support people. Truly neat to be a part of that experience. This is what people do in Southeast Nebraska and we just want to help out where we can. At the end of the auction, the Hoffman-Ideus family that had been standing in the show ring received a standing ovation. There were not a lot of dry eyes in the barn, Esau said. Trenn said he has learned that when things are hard, its the people closest to you that make a difference. Its my friends, family, neighbors and community that have been there for us, he said. The Gage County Ag Society will continue to take donations for the Hoffman-Ideus family on its website (gagecountyfair.com). Donations can also be sent to P.O. Box 671, Beatrice, NE 68310. Once again, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 proved to be the worlds greatest aviation event. Better known simply as Oshkosh to those who love aviation, the event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin showcases many incredible aircraft for one week each summer to the several hundred thousand enthusiasts who fly in from across the globe to witness or participate in the spectacle. And Oshkosh is now in the books for 2022. As ever, it proved highly successful, with another record attendance. The Experimental Aircraft Associations CEO and Chairman, Jack Pelton, had the following to say in a formal press release celebrating this years accomplishments. We introduced a tagline of Unlike Anything Else for this years AirVenture event and 2022s fly-in proved to truly be unlike anything else. We had seven days of nearly perfect weather, along with this years programs and activities, which brought out people and airplanes in numbers that we havent seen before. Attendance: Approximately 650,000 A record total (previous mark: 642,000 in 2019) and 7 percent above 2021s attendance of 608,000. Comment from Pelton: There were several factors involved in the record attendance this year, in addition to the great weather. Programs such as the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force contributed to exciting aerial displays all week, and it was a joy to welcome our international visitors back in full force for the first time since 2019. Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 18,684 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 21-31, which is an average of approximately 121 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open. Total show planes: 3,226 included: 1,375 registered in vintage aircraft parking, plus 1,156 homebuilt aircraft (up 6 percent over 2021), 369 warbirds (up 5 percent from 21), 137 ultralights, 87 seaplanes, 77 aerobatic aircraft, and 25 rotorcraft. Camping: More than 12,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors. Volunteers: More than 5,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours. Commercial exhibitors: 803. Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: More than 1,400 sessions hosted throughout the week. Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 10.6 million people were reached by EAAs social media channels during AirVenture, with an engagement of 1.1 million; More than 83,000 hours of viewing EAA video clips online also occurred during the event. International guests: International visitors returned in a big way in 2022, with attendees from 92 countries outside the U.S., just one behind the record total from 2019. The Gathering shines: The EAA Aviation Foundations annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 1,000 people and raised more than $2 million dollars that will be focused on EAAs mission of growing participation in aviation. Media: 797 media representatives on-site, from six continents. Economic impact*: $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). * based on 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study Whats ahead for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 (July 24-30, 2023)? Comment from Pelton: Were going to take a little time to give our staff and volunteers a well-deserved rest, but there were numerous discussions at AirVenture 2022 about possibilities for next year. Certainly, the 70th anniversary year of EAA will be among the big considerations as we look forward to next years edition of The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration. CEDAR FALLS An annual program in which the city inspects property owners sidewalks and has a contractor replace sections found to be deficient has been given the go-ahead once again by the City Council. Some 217 stretches of sidewalk, north of the western half of First Street (Zone 5) within city limits, will be replaced. The cost for the work will be passed onto the owners of the 62 adjacent properties. They could have hired their own contractor or completed the work themselves. The cost per property owner can range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $2,000. Owners were notified and given a quote for the work. Those who did not complete the work by a June 24 deadline were added to the assessment program. The city estimates it will cost $40,591 to replace all the sidewalks in the program. The approval gives the citys engineering department the green light to solicit bids and recommend a construction contract to be awarded to the lowest bidder. Bids are accepted until Aug. 19. Up to 15 CF paras to be able to more easily land Bachelor's degree, teaching certification In partnership with UNI, the Cedar Falls Community School District was awarded $719,452 through the Iowa Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Pilot Grant Program. Once the replacement has been completed, the citys engineering division will submit a bill to the clerks office. A notice of bill will then be sent in the mail to the property owner who is adjacent to the sidewalk. That person or entity has 30 days to pay the bill without interest or penalty. If the adjacent property owner fails to pay the bill in 30 days, the cost of replacement will be applied to the property owners property taxes. In other business, the council approved: The first reading of an ordinance to allow for enforcement of the soon-to-be two public parking spaces designated for electric vehicle charging on West Second Street just north of City Hall. A $2.69 million construction contract with Reinbeck-based Peterson Contractors, the lone bidder for the project to remove a bridge on Olive Street and expand the adjacent Pettersen Plaza on College Street by extending the box culvert to Olive Street. A contract with Waterloo-based Ritland+Kuiper Landscape Architects for up to $35,100 in design consultant work for the Seerley Park improvements project. The site plan for a new 3,666 square foot Veridian Credit Union branch at 1000 Brandilynn Blvd. WATERLOO On Thursday, water mains will be flushed in the area from Ansborough Avenue to Westfield Avenue, between Maynard Avenue and Black Hawk Road. Water may be a brownish color during and after the flushing but the water is bacterially safe. Waterloo Water Works urges customers within the area and several blocks of it to not plan clothes washing on Thursday. The 2023 Global Zodiac Design Competition, organized by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Central Academy of Fine Arts, kicked off in Beijing on July 31, 2022. The competition, which has been held successfully several times, extensively collects design works related to the zodiac of the next year, and aims to spread the culture of Chinese zodiac and Spring Festival, and endow the traditional Chinese zodiac with new vitality. Since ancient times, Chinese people have chosen 12 animal images as auspicious symbols for the year to express people's wish for a better life, and thus formed the Chinese zodiac culture. This custom has spread to many places around the world. Many countries now issue stamps during Spring Festival to express their blessings for the new year. Since next year is the Year of the Rabbit, the fourth animal of the Chinese zodiac, the competition requires designs related to rabbit. Competitors can know about more information on the official website of the competition and sign up for it. Result will be announced in November, and the prizewinning designs will be exhibited online and offline, and transformed into cultural and creative products. CEDAR FALLS Jeffry Sears first heard James Hearsts name at Harvard University in the 1970s. A classmate asked Sears what he knew about the American poet and philosopher from Iowa who was a friend of Robert Frost and was sometimes called the Robert Frost of the Midwest. Sears was stumped. I grew up literally six miles from Hearsts home in Cedar Falls, but Id never heard of him or knew anything about him, and Id never read any of his poetry, Sears recalled. Today, Sears is recognized as Hearsts biographer. On Sunday, Sears will present a reading from his new book, The Worth of the Harvest: James Hearst and His Poetry, at the Hearst Center for the Arts, 304 W. Seerley Blvd. It is the official release of the book by Final Thursday Press on what would have been Hearsts 122nd birthday. Birthday cake will be served for the occasion. Sears literary biography is the first book-length work about the Cedar Falls farmer-poet and University of Northern Iowa professor, who died in 1983. Hearst held classes in the basement of his home at 304 W. Seerley Blvd., and later bequeathed the home to the city of Cedar Falls to house an art center. Sears, now retired and living in Wisconsin, was on the English faculty at Iowa State University in Ames, when I got the idea that I would like to meet James Hearst and do some research and interviews and publish some scholarly articles on his work. Hearst agreed. He was very gracious and said Come over to my house and meet me and my wife, Meryl. I probably had 10 different interviews with him and Meryl and ended up publishing a couple of articles about him and his poetry. Sears expects a flood of memories to return on Sunday. Beyond his writing, Hearsts life story itself is very compelling, he said. I wanted to make it a literary biography so I could learn about his life from his poetry and vice versa, and his growth as a writer. Hearst was swimming in the Cedar River on Memorial Day 1919, dove off the dock and hit the shallow bottom with his head, fracturing his spine. He was left with significant paralysis. He found ways to continue working on the family farm during his lengthy recovery, and later turned to writing as his condition worsened. Sears completed his biography in 1983, the year Hearst died. ISU Press had just published Hearsts autobiography and while they praised Sears book, decided there wasnt a need to publish a second book about the poet. While Hearsts autobiography skims over his development and career as a writer, Sears takes an objective look at both Hearsts life and career and turns a critical eye on his poetry. If Hearst had never written a single poem, his personal challenges and how he dealt with life after his accident, I find it inspiring. I told him that at the time, when we were doing the interviews, and Hearst was Aw, shucks, typical Midwesterner. He had no ego. Hearst published over a dozen collections and more than 600 individual poets, many inspired from his work on the farm. In The Worth of the Harvest, Sears interweaves biographical information with insights from Hearsts verse and provides context for appreciating Hearsts poetry. Because Hearst was friends with Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg and others, people sometimes assume that his poetry is an imitation of Frost. But Hearst was an original, and the poetry is totally original, Sears said. He was impressed with the variety of styles the poet mastered, from his traditional early work to modern verse later in his career, without losing his singular voice. An independent scholar, critic and writer, Sears has published articles on Midwestern literature and poems. He holds degrees in American literature from Harvard and the University of Chicago and has served on the faculty of several Midwestern colleges, in addition to ISU. The Hearst manuscript made the move with Sears on each occasion. He sent it out to publishing houses periodically, even after changing careers to become an accountant. Last Christmas he sent a copy to Scott Cawelti, retired UNI professor, Hearst colleague and editor of The Complete Poetry of James Hearst and the album, Landscape Iowa: 16 Hearst Poems Sung. Impressed, Cawelti forwarded the manuscript to Jim OLoughlin, founder of Final Thursday Press. Cawelti calls Sears book insightful and deeply engaging for anyone acquainted with Hearsts life and work. I learned much, especially about Hearsts friendships with Robert Frost, Ferner Nuhn and Ruth Suckow. Sears laughing describes himself as an overnight success. So after 40 years, I make a joke about it, but I knew it was good and it would be interesting whether youd heard of James Hearst or not. Even if you dont like poetry, if you crack it open and give it a read, youll find hes worth the attention, Sears added. Copies of The Worth of the Harvest are available at the Hearst Center for the Arts, the UNI Bookstore and the Ragged Edge Art Bar & Gallery. The book can also be purchased online directly from Final Thursday Press, finalthursdaypress.com or both in paperback and electronic formats at Amazon.com. CEDAR RAPIDS For six months, Kristi Casteels son slept 100 yards from an open-air burn pit in Iraq that incinerated everything from plastics and paint to electronics. The Cedar Rapids native had no idea the smoke from the pit may also have been destroying his lungs. Joshua Casteel died in 2012 at age 32 of lung cancer his family believes was caused by toxins from the burn pit at Iraqs Abu Ghraib prison, where Casteel served as an interrogator from 2004 to 2005. The military routinely used open burn pits set ablaze with jet fuel to dispose of tires, batteries, medical waste and other materials during military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Such fires are illegal in the United States. I think it should have been passed 10 to 15 years ago, Casteel said of federal legislation providing health care for military veterans impacted by burn pits. The Honoring Our PACT Act was set to pass Congress last week, but some Senate Republicans including Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a combat veteran changed their vote over an added provision. The measure first passed the Senate in June, 84-14, and by a 342-88 vote in the House. But technical corrections sent the measure back to the Senate for another procedural vote Wednesday. Twenty-five Republicans who supported the previous version of the bill, including Ernst, did not support a vote to advance the bill. Fellow Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley voted in favor of advancing the bill and also had voted to pass the bill in June. I think what happened is unconscionable, Casteel said of Senate Republicans blocking passage of the bill. The PACT Act would expand U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to veterans who served in the post Sept. 11, 2001, era and were exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service. It also would add 23 illnesses to the VAs list of toxic-exposure-related ailments presumed to be connected to military service, ending the need for veterans with those conditions to prove to the VA their illnesses were linked to their deployments. And it would expand care for veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Senate Republicans raised objections because the bill would reclassify nearly $400 billion in current Veterans Affairs spending from discretionary to mandatory accounts, thereby potentially freeing up more budget authority to increase discretionary spending on other domestic programs unrelated to veterans. The text of the legislation, however, indicates the allocated money has to be spent only on health care for veterans. The bill is 100 percent dedicated to health care and benefits for toxic-exposed veterans. Any inferences or accusations to the contrary are untrue, the Veterans of Foreign Wars posted on Twitter. These senators supported or voted yes on final passage of the PACT Act in June, but flipped their support on the recent vote. They pulled the rug out from under veterans who are sick and dying from toxic exposure. Veterans advocacy organizations, including the VFW, contend the only part of the bill that changed was the necessary technical removal of a single sentence; that no additional sections were added; and that the funding structure of the bill which Ernst and other GOP senators supported in June has not changed. Ernst, though, blamed Democrats for not allowing the chance to offer amendments to strengthen the bill. I strongly support the PACT Act which will provide critical, life-saving care to thousands of heroes suffering from toxic exposure, Ernst said in a statement. Now, due to more Democrat mismanagement, it is back before the Senate. At least this time we have an opportunity to strengthen this vitally important bill without sacrificing a single dollar of care for our veterans. I agree with the VFW that the Senate should not go on August recess without this opportunity. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was expected to schedule another procedural vote Monday to break a filibuster. Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has pushed for an amendment to fix what he called a budget gimmick. The amendment, which Ernst supports, would keep the $400 billion in spending in the discretionary budget and keep the Toxic Exposure Fund in place only for new funding resulting from the bill. Senate Republicans claim doing so will save Americans significant costs in the long run without sacrificing a dollar for veterans. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough told the CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday that proposed GOP amendments to the legislation would lead to rationing of care for vets. We want to see this thing passed Kristi Casteel said an oncologist told her that her son died of lung cancer without having any of the conventional risk factors such as smoking, asbestos exposure or radiation. The type of cancer was extremely rare for a healthy young man to have and the VA doctor in Iowa City said he was the only young male he had ever seen have this type of cancer, Casteel said. While her son did receive compensation and some acknowledgment that his cancer was military-related prior to his death, there was never an official acknowledgment that his cancer was the result of exposure to toxins from the burn pit. (A)t least he did get some (compensation), and we were appreciate of that, but not everyone had the advocate that we did, Casteel said of a VA employee. Its always surprising to me when a combat veteran for any reason does not stand up for veterans rights, Casteel said of Ernst. Its discouraging to me and I dont understand it. It feels unconscionable to me. John Derner, department adjutant of the American Legion of Iowa, joined other veterans advocacy groups in criticizing Ernst and Senate Republicans for blocking passage of groundbreaking legislation aimed at expanding care for veterans exposed to hazardous chemicals during their military service. We want to see this thing passed so those Iraq and Afghanistan veterans dont have to wait as long as those Vietnam veterans to receive compensation for the chemical exposures and hazards they were exposed to during their military service, Derner said. This is a commitment we owe to our veterans. They couldnt leave their post when exposed to these chemicals and we shouldnt be leaving them behind when providing them compensation for injuries and illnesses as a result of that exposure. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Doctors fear they could face criminal charges when they provide emergency treatment for pregnant women if a proposal aimed at banning nearly all abortions in Indiana becomes law, several physicians told state lawmakers Tuesday. That testimony came after an Indiana House committee changed the abortion ban proposal narrowly approved over the weekend by the Republican-dominated state Senate. The committee broadened the language to include an exception allowing abortions to protect the health of the mother and adjusted the time frame when abortions would be permitted in cases of rape and incest. Republican Rep. Wendy McNamara of Evansville, who is sponsoring the bill, outlined the exceptions to protect the physical health and life of the mother, a frequent request among doctors and others testifying before a Senate committee last week. The amendment also would allow abortions if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. It additionally removes the Senate-approved time frames based on age for abortions in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks for those under 16 and eight weeks for those 16 and older. The House version, instead, would create a blanket ban after 10 weeks post-fertilization on abortions in cases of rape and incest. Victims would also no longer be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack. Several dozen people on both sides of the abortion debate filled a Statehouse corridor outside the committee's meeting that lasted about nine hours, during which chants such as safe and legal from abortion-rights supporters could be heard inside as more than 100 people testified. The House committee voted 8-5 to advance the bill to the full House for action later this week. Republicans who control the House indicated a divide similar to the Senate, as one committee member who voted in favor said he was reluctant to support rape and incest exceptions. GOP Rep. Cindy Ziemke of Batesville joined Democrats in voting against the bill, saying she believe most residents didn't support an abortion ban and that allowing first trimester abortions would be a more measured approach. Dr. Daniel Elliott, representing the Indiana chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told the committee that the group worried that a broad abortion ban could allow prosecutors to second-guess the emergency decisions of doctors, leaving them exposed to criminal charges. The House proposal would require the state medical board to revoke the licenses of doctors found to have performed illegal abortions, along with retaining current provisions in state law under which doctors could face felony criminal charges and up to six years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. In emergency situations, physicians often work with a lack of complete information and must make quick decisions in the best interests of our patients, Elliott said. Overall, we feel like licensure and going to the medical licensing board is where the gray areas within medicine should lie. The Indiana proposal followed a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring Ohio to end a pregnancy. The case gained wide attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to travel to Indiana because a new Ohio law bans abortions if cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Anti-abortion activists said they were offended that women from Ohio and Kentucky were coming to Indiana for abortions after strict laws took effect in those states following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. They said Indiana shouldnt allow any exceptions, arguing all abortions are murder and evil and that the state law declaring life begins at fertilization should be strictly enforced. Jodi Smith, a lobbyist for the anti-abortion group Indiana Right to Life, said the organization remained opposed to the proposal because it is too lax. Smith said a signed affidavit should still be required for rape or incest exceptions and criticized the proposals language allowing abortions to protect the mothers health as very vague and poorly defined. The concern is that will either open carte blanche of opportunity for abortion-minded doctors, or it could ensure that good doctors that need more clarity dont know what the allowable procedures are, and they will hesitate, Smith said. Either option, it ends poorly for women. House Republicans are facing similar disagreements over how strict the abortion ban should be after the bill cleared the Senate on Saturday in a 26-20 vote, the minimum number of votes needed to pass. A few Republican senators said they opposed the bill as written but wanted the bill to stay alive for consideration during the special legislative session, which must adjourn by Aug. 14. Arleigh Rodgers 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. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers Find APs full coverage of the overturning of Roe v. Wade at: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion DES MOINES A Black administrative judge in Iowa who asserted she was fired in 2017 because of her race and after successfully suing the state is in the process of being reinstated has also agreed to a $225,000 settlement with the state. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement with Renee Sneitzer, of Cedar Rapids, at its regular meeting Monday. Sneitzer had been working for 10 years as an administrative law judge for the Iowa Department of Corrections Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville when, in 2017, she was fired for not adhering to a supervisors orders, according to court documents. Sneitzer challenged her firing, saying she faced discrimination and was fired because of her race. In April, an administrative law judge ruled the state corrections department did not prove just cause for Sneitzers firing, and ordered she be reinstated with back pay. The Iowa Public Employment Relations Board concurred with and adopted the judges findings, also ordering the state to reinstate Sneitzer. In late July, the parties agreed to the $225,000 settlement; roughly $134,000 will go to Sneitzer and the remaining $91,000 to her attorneys. According to the terms of the settlement, detailed in a July 22 letter from the Iowa Attorney Generals Office to the State Appeal Board, the agreement is not to be construed as an admission of liability or wrongdoing on the part of the state or the parties named in the lawsuit. The appeal board approved the settlement without discussion Monday. According to court documents, the corrections departments general counsel and inspector general Michael Savala fired Sneitzer in 2017, alleging that she continued to disregard multiple supervisory directives. Sneitzer responded, during a department investigation conducted by Savala and later in court documents, that Savalas actions were harassing, discriminatory, and retaliatory. The state appeals board plans to sign off on a $225,000 settlement with a state judge who claimed her 2017 firing was the result of discrimination. At the time, Sneitzer was the only Black administrative law judge with the Iowa Department of Corrections, according to court documents. Not for China, but for the bored plebs within the Western Empire. Ukraine is becoming, So Yesterday! Except, one tiny slip and we have war. Not just with Russia, but China also Desperation begets more desperation War, a Neocon wet dream WtR Weather Alert ...Thunderstorm Chances Through Thursday... * Monsoon moisture will bring thunderstorms to the region this week, with the best chances extending through Thursday before diminishing into the weekend. * A few light showers are occurring early this morning, with thunderstorms developing again this afternoon. Most areas will see a 25-50% chance of storms in the afternoon and early evening hours today and Thursday. Nocturnal showers and thunderstorms are expected tonight as well. * Impacts will range from lightning, new fire starts, and strong outflow winds with blowing dust, to periods of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. * Ensure you have a way of receiving weather alerts. If you live in a flash flood prone area, especially near a burn scar, be ready to act quickly if heavy rainfall occurs. Various forms of digital art have been integrated into the fields of art and museology to initiate waves of reform. Reflecting this trend, the International Council of Museums designated this year's theme for International Museum Day, falling on May 18 since 1978, as "the power of museums", focusing on three transformative ways one can examine the power of innovation in digitization and accessibility. The all-encompassing uses of digital art were also under heated discussion at a recent forum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Organized by TheOne.art, a digital art platform, the event was attended by figures from different social sectors to examine the roles of digital art in social and economic development. For example, Shi Mei, deputy director of Nanjing University Museum and Library, discussed how her institutions have utilized digital technology to better preserve, research and showcase historic objects. She said she hopes the rise of NFT assets and the metaverse will help empower Chinese cultural traditions. Ji Yizhou from TheOne.art said they have worked with several cultural institutions to complete a research report on the global digital art market in 2022, and a book on the subject would be soon published. Participants also talked about the importance of digital art to copyright protection. If weve learned one literary lesson from the pandemic, its that book clubs dont have to be in-person to be enlightening. From stalwarts such as Oprah's Book Club to pandemic-inspired newcomers like the New York Public Library and WNYCs virtual club, online groups offer a fun way to converse with fellow readers, hear from writers and maybe even try a new genre or author. Here are seven online clubs where you can join the discussion or quietly explore some fantastic book suggestions. The Girlfriend Book Club The Girlfriend, AARP's newsletter and website for women 40 and older, offers a private Facebook-only book club with nearly 43,000 members and counting but anyone can join. It's fun and lively and packed with mostly female bibliophiles. Each month, the club focuses on a different book that was chosen through a Facebook poll, and authors participate in a live Facebook chat (which occurs on the third Tuesday of each month). The August selection is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus; previous selections have included The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, and The Guncle by Steven Rowley. It's an amiable community where members offer suggestions to anyone looking for their next binge-worthy book. Added bonus: The club treats members to multiple book giveaways each month. Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club The best book recommendations come from friends, Goodreads.com cofounder Otis Chandler believes. And with 125 million members, the site offers lots of potential pals who want to talk about books they love (or don't love). Goodread's online groups focus on everything from romance to travel books, but if you want a broad mix of titles and are more interested in great reading recommendations than a cozy community check out the nearly 15,000-member Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club. The group focuses on books that have won the site's best-of-the-year awards (as determined by Goodreads members). Members are currently reading top picks from 2021; upcoming selections include The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles; The Dictionary of Lost Words, a debut novel from Australian author Pip Williams; and the nonfiction Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe. To enter the conversation, just start or add to a discussion thread on the site. New York Public Library and WNYC Virtual Book Club In 2020, to help counter the tedium of self-isolation during the pandemic, the New York Public Library (NYPL) and public radio station WNYC launched a virtual book club and its still going strong. The club focuses on a different book each month Julys book, for example, was the best seller The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner, which WNYC host Alison Stewart discusses on the air and on social media. Other recent selections have included the novels Trust by Hernan Diaz (on the longlist for the Booker Prize and set for an HBO adaptation starring Kate Winslet), and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, along with actor and activist Harvey Fierstein's memoir, I Was Better Last Night. The vast New York public library system (encompassing 88 neighborhood branches) also hosts a variety of online classes, events and book discussions with authors. Page under Maintenance This page is under maintenance, while being upgraded. Please visit later. Thank you. [Go Back] Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal The Albuquerque Police Department is looking for a 20-year-old murder suspect who they say cut off his GPS ankle monitor over the weekend. Yonnis Abreu is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Dylan Spiess at the American Inn and Suites on Central, near Louisiana, in March 2021. Detectives say surveillance footage shows a man with distinctive tattoos and dyed blond hair whom they identified as Abreu running from the scene. He was arrested in July 2021, and had been in jail pending trial, said Rebecca Atkins, an APD spokeswoman. However, he was released from jail in June 2022 after a judge agreed to reconsider his detention. He was released on several conditions, including a GPS ankle monitor and a strict curfew. She said APD was notified on Sunday that Abreu had cut off his ankle monitor and detectives have been unsuccessful in locating him. According to court documents, on July 30 Abreus GPS unit sent out a failed to enter inclusion zone alert around 9:30 p.m. Less than an hour later a tracker strap tamper alert was sent out, which is usually indicative of a GPS unit being cut off, according to the request for a bench warrant. Maxwell Pines, Abreus defense attorney, said he cant speak to why pre-trial detention officials cannot contact his client right now but said hes trying to get back in touch with him to make sure he can stay in good standing with the court and make sure he is doing everything he has to under conditions of release. He said the evidence against Abreu, who speaks limited English, in the case is rather weak. Pines had filed a motion in April alleging that Abreu was illegally detained on June 30, 2021, and officers had insufficient justification to hold him under the Fourth Amendment. According to the motion, he had been detained for more than five hours before detectives got an arrest warrant. Pines said Abreu had attended a virtual hearing on that matter in his office. That hearing was continued. Abreu spent almost a year in jail much of it in lockdown due to understaffing at the facility. He spent more than 5% of his life in MDC pretrial, Pines said. Im not a doctor, Im not a psychologist, but I know that has an affect on people. Detectives ask anyone with information about Yonnis Abreus whereabouts to call 505-242-COPS. New Mexicos Children Youth & Families Department social workers need support and leadership. However, the recent Collaborative Safety review of CYFD revealed they are working under a culture of fear. Imagine having your job threatened while trying to save the life of a child or protect them from their abuser. As a former Albuquerque Police Department child abuse detective, I have witnessed firsthand CYFDs overwhelming case load. Social workers were so stressed from large case loads, knowing they may not be able to get to every case in time. I have also seen how wrong it is, with staff shortages, to have to decide which child gets prioritized for services. Every single New Mexico child needs to be a priority. But if your agency lacks leadership, is understaffed and overwhelmed, it is impossible to succeed. Back then, our offices were integrated within CYFD. My colleagues and I worked daily with social workers and staff, establishing collaborative relationships with open lines of communication and the ability to rely on one another each and every day. It was a team effort allowing us to resolve critical cases more quickly, efficiently and effectively. I was also a member of the Child Fatality Review Panel; every year death prevention recommendations were sent to the governor and legislators. CYFD needs leadership that will focus on child death prevention and poverty issues our families face on a daily basis; child suicide accounts for one third of our child deaths, and 25% of our children under 18 are living in poverty. With true reform of CYFD, New Mexicos at-risk children would have a better chance of receiving life-saving, time-sensitive support from social workers, law enforcement, nonprofits and the judicial system. There is a vast pool of retiring senior investigators from local and state law enforcement: we should allow for these fully trained people to work at CYFD as an immediate ready force to assist social workers with triage and investigations. Our juvenile court also plays an integral role in placement and foster care. It is very difficult to adopt or become a foster parent. It would be beneficial for kids in need of foster care, behavioral health and placement programs to streamline these systems immediately. While I can provide numerous additional solutions, one I will work aggressively on when elected to Congress is ensuring CYFD, the Child Fatality Review Panel, law enforcement and our juvenile courts have priority access to federal grant funding. This will allow them to increase their staffing, update tracking systems, and ensure they have the tools and resources they need to protect New Mexicos children and do their job effectively. In New Mexico, we have the reputation of having some of the most horrific homicides of children. News stories about the Victoria Martens case should have been a wake-up call for each and every elected official to act. Yet our governor and Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury remain silent on this issue. When they ran for office, they claimed they would be leaders who would help children. If they were truly leaders, they would help CYFD to succeed, lead our children to succeed, guide our families to succeed and support an economy that would lift our families out of poverty. Thats what leaders do; they lead you to succeed. China is firmly committed to cultivating new growth drivers to address challenges from both home and abroad, securing a decent growth for this year and fostering high-quality development for the future. Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, highlighted the key role of capital markets in funding innovative industries. As China's economic restructuring is in a crucial period, the nation will give full play to the role of capital markets in promoting direct and indirect financing, supporting funding for emerging industries and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Yi wrote in an edition of the Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, published on Monday. Yi's remarks came after Guo Shougang, deputy director-general of the equipment industry department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized the importance of boosting technological innovation and industrial transformation at the Global Future Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Conference in Beijing last week. To provide a better environment for industrial development, China will upgrade services in auto manufacturing, remove caps on contract manufacturing in an orderly manner, and intensify the regulation of product safety, cybersecurity and data safety, Guo said. Despite the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the international environment, experts believe China has the ability to keep economic operations within a reasonable range in 2022, and they expect to see a steady rebound in the second half of the year through more policy stimulus and infrastructure funding. David Wang, chief China economist at Credit Suisse, said infrastructure investment, including green investment, will be the key driver of recovery in the second half. As for emerging industries and economic upgrading driving potential growth in China, Wang's team expects a modest acceleration in the country's technological progress over the next five years. Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, said the country should pay more attention to deepening reform and opening-up and to unleashing the potential of innovation in the second half to stabilize the economy. While macroeconomic adjustments deal with short-term downward pressures, the ultimate impetus for growth can come from tapping into structural growth drivers, Liu said at a recent news conference. The People's Bank of China, the nation's central bank, said at a work conference on Monday that it has provided strong financial support for stabilizing the overall economy, and medium and long-term loans to manufacturers have increased notably. For the second half of 2022, a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee urged efforts to consolidate the upward trend of economic recovery, keep the economy running within an appropriate range and strive for the best possible outcome. It was decided at the meeting that major economically developed provincial-level regions should play a leading role, and eligible provinces should strive to meet the objectives set for economic and social development this year. Liu Dian, an associate researcher at Fudan University's China Institute, said that as China is gradually shaking off the impacts of the pandemic, regions hit hard by COVID-19 outbreaks, such as Shanghai and Jiangsu province, will gradually recover in the second half. Liu said more efforts should be made to foster new growth drivers, with a key focus on boosting the development of modern services as well as emerging high-tech sectors, such as new infrastructure, digital economy and green development. Homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting in a neighborhood south of the University of New Mexico Monday night. Officer Daren DeAguero, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said around 9:23 p.m. officers were called to the 400 block of Cornell SE, near Coal SE, in reference to a shooting. When officers arrived they discovered a deceased male, DeAguero wrote in an email. This has been deemed a homicide call out. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal A state district judge ruled Monday that court administrators in Bernalillo County violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act when they withheld GPS data from prosecutors on two defendants arrested for new crimes while wearing court-ordered ankle monitors. The ruling by state District Judge James A. Noel marked a victory for District Attorney Raul Torrez, who sued the 2nd Judicial District Courts records custodian last December contending the ankle monitoring data was a public record and a matter of public safety. Torrez had no immediate comment Monday evening, but a press conference on the ruling is planned in the coming days. The ruling is good news for public safety, said Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, because it gives law enforcement more tools to hold suspects accountable. We hope we can continue to improve communication with the judiciary so we dont have to fight for information that will help us keep the community safe. Efforts to reach court administrators and their attorney werent successful. The state Public Defenders Office, which opposed release of the data, was still analyzing the ruling late Monday. We are concerned about the implication for our clients privacy, said agency general counsel Adrianne Turner. The lawsuit maintained the data is a matter of public safety for law enforcement and the public to know whether criminal defendants permitted to stay out of jail pending trial on certain conditions of release have committed new crimes. But the court administration last year denied Torrezs offices request under IPRA for GPS data on defendants Devin Munford and Jesse Mascareno-Haidle, stating the records were confidential based on the rights of defendants to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence, among other reasons. Munford at the time was accused of killing a man while wearing an ankle monitor. He was on pretrial release for shooting a pistol from a car. Mascareno-Haidle was an alleged serial burglar on pretrial release; the DAs Office sought the GPS records to investigate whether he was linked to other crimes. Noel found that the courts GPS records are maintained in the ordinary course of business and such information relating to the location of private citizens isnt an exemption or exclusion from what is considered a public record under state law. Moreover, Noel rejected the argument made by defense attorneys and others that criminal defendants on pretrial supervision have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their GPS data. Individuals on pretrial release, conditioned upon wearing GPS (which could include curfew and exclusion zones), are unambiguously aware that they are being continuously monitored 24/7 for the specific purpose of ensuring they do not violate their conditions of release, stated the ruling. In this context, such an individual does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy as to their location, said Noel, a district judge in Sandoval County who was appointed to hear the case by the state Supreme Court. Torrez maintained the GPS data also doesnt constitute the type of confidential communication from a judge or between judges and their staff that is protected, which was another argument the custodian gave for withholding the records. Noel sided with Torrezs argument. Noel, who was previously the court clerk and court executive officer in the 2nd Judicial District before his judicial appointment, ordered that the GPS records requested by Torrezs office last year be made available for inspection within 15 days. After his release, Mascareno Haidle was arrested on new charges of burglarizing a car and is awaiting trial. Munford is also jailed on a no-bond hold; he is awaiting trial for charges in the homicide case. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Razor-thin margins in six primary races triggered New Mexicos automatic recount law this summer. As candidates and attorneys watched, the recounts put the states Dominion vote-tabulation machines to another public test, with election workers feeding paper ballots through them a second time. The outcome didnt change in any race. Five of the six recounts produced exactly the same results, in fact, and the winners margin changed by just one vote out of almost 1,600 cast in the other. The machines dont lie, said George A. Trujillo, who won the Democratic nomination in a Mora County Commission race by just five votes. Verification of the official results comes as some New Mexico counties cast doubt on the states voting machines and push for hand tallies instead a process election officials and others say would actually be less accurate. New Mexico adopted its automatic-recount procedure in 2008. Recounts are required when the official canvass shows the outcome within a fraction of 1 percentage point for larger races or within a full percentage point for county-level contests or smaller. No automatic recount has ever changed the winner of a race. The results of this years primary triggered six automatic recounts in Catron, Colfax, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba and Valencia counties covering about 9,100 ballots. The only change was three ballots added to the Otero County total, changing the winning candidates margin by just one vote. No candidate vote total changed in any other race. Alex Curtas, a spokesman for the Secretary of States Office, which oversees elections in New Mexico, said the Otero County change involved the hand tally of a few votes, not something tied to the Dominion tabulation machines. In every election, he said, some ballots are tallied by hand if theres, say, a paper jam or a provisional ballot that can be counted only after determining the voter was qualified to cast it. In this case, election workers reviewing a discrepancy in the hand tallying from primary election day determined that three additional votes were valid and should be added to the total. The recount had Amy Barela defeating G.B. Oliver III by 10 votes, rather than 11, for the Republican nomination in a race for the Otero County Commission. Automatic recounts like the one that just happened for the primary, Curtas said, they underscore the accuracy of the vote-counting in New Mexico. Skeptics arent necessarily convinced. In Mora County, a three-way race for the County Commission was decided by just five votes a result confirmed by the automatic recount. Trujillo, a retired maintenance supervisor, defeated Trinnie Cordova, a laborer, by just 0.4 percentage points, or 41.2% to 40.8%. Cordova said he still has doubts about the accuracy. In an interview, he said he wanted to know whether an unusual number of absentee ballots had gone to any one address and been filled out by the same person. Mora County Clerk Carlos J. Arellano said he found no evidence of anything suspicious. The most ballots sent to an address, he said, was nine, and its a well-established family with three generations of adults. The wildfires in northern New Mexico this spring and summer, Arellano said, disrupted life for many voters, and turnout was low, making it all the more likely a race would be decided by just a few ballots. But he said hes confident in the results. The ballot boxes, Arellano said, were locked after the election but reopened for the automatic recount. Cordova and his attorney were on hand to watch. Election workers unlocked the boxes, tested the machines and fed the ballots through them to produce a new vote tally. Trujillo and Cordova each had the same vote total as recorded in the official canvass. It was completely accurate, Arellano said. Trujillo, the winner, said he wasnt nervous. I knew it wasnt going to change, he said. I have that faith in the system. In Catron County, Republican Susan E. Griffin won a five-way race for her partys nomination as magistrate judge by eight votes. She said she and her closest competitor, John Cliff Snyder, watched the recount together. Not one single vote changed, Griffin said. It was exactly the same. Griffin said she was impressed by the work of the Catron County clerks office and its staff. But the recount doesnt change her opinion on the accuracy of vote totals outside her rural county in western New Mexico. I know how meticulous my county clerk is, Griffin said. I dont have that kind of confidence all over the state. Boosting confidence in New Mexicos election system is a key goal of county clerks heading into the Nov. 8 general election. Voters will be deciding races for governor, attorney general, Congress and the state Legislature, in addition to local offices. In New Mexico, voters mark paper ballots and feed them into a tabulation machine, which records the votes in each race. The accuracy of the tabulation machines is tested in public before each election. After every general election, New Mexico hires an independent auditing firm to oversee hand tallies in precincts selected at random. The 2020 post-election audit calculated error rates close to one-tenth of 1 percentage point. The discrepancy appeared to be based on errors in the hand count, not a problem with the voting machines, according to the audit report. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Fire control to Metro 2. Fire control to Metro 2. Fire control to Lt. Matthew King. No response. Lt. Matthew A. King, this is your final dispatch. During funeral services Monday in Tingley Coliseum at Expo New Mexico, Matthew King was remembered as a friend; a loving husband and father; an inspirational teacher and leader; a compassionate paramedic whod hold a patients hand all the way to a hospital emergency room; a charismatic personality who loved to tell jokes, often bad ones; a courageous public servant; a moral compass; and one of the most genuine people on Earth. The words of those who spoke during his services, left no doubt he was all those things. But there was also no doubt this was a firemans funeral. Uniformed firefighters and their family members filled one entire section of the folding chairs set out on Tingleys floor. A final alarm was sounded on a bell in tribute to King near the end of services, and the recorded final dispatch, perhaps the most moving part of the funeral, was played at its conclusion. At the end of the day, what rings true is Matts passion for education and for service, said Bernalillo County Fire Chief Greg Perez. King, 44, a rescue specialist with the Bernalillo County Fire Department, was one of four men killed when Metro 2, a Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office helicopter, crashed south of Las Vegas, New Mexico, on July 16. Survivors include his wife, Audrey; son Aedden, 20; and daughter, Kyra, 17. King and the others killed in the crash Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers III and Deputy Michael Levison, all with BCSO had been making water drops from the helicopter to help fight a fire in northern New Mexico prior to the crash, which happened during the flight back to Albuquerque. King survived the initial crash, called 911 and was on line 30 minutes trying to direct first responders to the site. U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez represents District 3, which covers northern New Mexico, an area plagued by persistent and destructive fires in recent months. During Mondays services, she thanked all firefighters, but expressed grief and admiration for the four men who died after battling a blaze in her district. Service is fundamentally an act of love, she said. I am devastated by the loss of these men but inspired by their sense of purpose. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised King and the men who died with him for their courage and devotion. They always answered the call, she said. They do what they do. King grew up in Albuquerque and was a graduate of Eldorado High School. He started his firefighting career in 2000 as a volunteer with the Corrales Fire Department. He worked with Albuquerque Ambulance Service from 2002 to 2009 and also worked at times for the Los Ranchos Fire Department, the Sandoval County Fire Department and Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue. He started with the Bernalillo County Fire Department in August 2011 and was promoted to lieutenant in January 2020. In addition to his duties as a rescue specialist, King was an emergency medical services educator and served in the training division. Joshua Ellis, a division chief with the Bernalillo County Fire Department, said King had a unique approach to training, especially when trainees messed up. He wouldnt yell at them or make them do pushups, Ellis said. Instead, he was the disappointed dad, which is often more effective. He told of the time he and King met a homeless woman who was trying to catch a bus to a shelter on Albuquerques West Side. Matt was afraid she would not get to the bus stop in time, so he put her in his car and drove her to the shelter, Ellis said. Damian Vandevender, retired senior master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and a friend of Kings dating back to their young days in Albuquerque, admitted he would not be as tough as others who spoke at the services. He wrestled with his emotions as he talked about his first best friend. When Matt decided he was going to brighten your day, you could see the determination in his face, Vandevender said. He said King was known to go to a hospital when he got off duty to check on patients he had helped earlier because he not only was devoted to his job but also cared about the people he served. Most people may have wondered if they should have lived their lives differently, Vandevender said. Matt did not have that problem. Lieutenant, you are relieved from duty. We have the watch and will take it from here. Rest in peace. Michael Levison Services for Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office Deputy Michael Levison will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, at The Pit. Editors note: This post was updated to correct a cutline. NEW YORK Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who witnessed the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection days after taking office and then cast one of the 10 Republican votes to impeach Donald Trump over it, has lost his reelection bid. Meijer was defeated in a primary Tuesday by Trump-endorsed John Gibbs, a businessman and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Two Republicans in Washington state who incurred Trumps wrath by voting for impeachment also went before voters. Races involving Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse were too early to call by Wednesday morning. Trump vowed revenge against the 10 who crossed party lines on the impeachment vote, and he endorsed party challengers to them in the midterm elections. In other races, Rep. Haley Stevens ousted Rep. Andy Levin in their Democratic primary in Michigan. Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both members of the progressive Squad in Congress, sailed through. In Arizona, a leading figure in the QAnon conspiracy movement fell way short. Some of the top elections: FACING VOTERS AFTER IMPEACHMENT VOTES Gibbs defeated Meijer despite the first-term incumbent having a large fundraising advantage. Gibbs cast Meijer as not a true Republican because of the impeachment vote. He also chastised Meijer for supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June. Meijer, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, had criticized Biden over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his handling of the economy. A Constitutional Republic like ours requires leaders who are willing to take on the big challenges, to find common ground when possible, and to put their love of country before partisan advantage, Meijer said in a statement. Though this was not the outcome we hoped for, I will continue to do everything possible to move the Republican Party, West Michigan, and our country in a positive direction. Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November in the Democratic-leaning 3rd Congressional District. Herrera Beutler and Newhouse had an advantage over Meijer because their primaries are nonpartisan, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will move on to the general election in November. Each incumbent faced multiple Republican candidates. Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011, was in second place in early returns in the 3rd Congressional District, trailing Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez but slightly ahead of fellow Republican Joe Kent. Kent, a former Green Beret whose wife was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, was endorsed by Trump. He heavily promoted the former presidents lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a Zoom call with reporters after early returns posted, Herrera Beutler said she was cautiously optimistic about the results that indicate she could advance. If I get through this, Im not going to change, Im not going to be a different person, she said. No one will work harder for this district than I will. Newhouse had a narrow lead over Democrat Doug White in the 4th Congressional District, which Newhouse has represented since 2015. Republican Loren Culp, a former small-town police chief endorsed by Trump, was in third place in early returns. Of the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment, four opted not to run for reelection. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina lost to a Trump-endorsed challenger in June and Rep. David Valadao of California survived a primary challenge. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is bracing for defeat in her Aug. 16 primary against a Trump-backed rival. ___ CANDIDATE LINKED TO QANON Ron Watkins, one of the most prominent figures in the QAnon conspiracy movement, will not be heading to Congress this year. Watkins was last in early returns in his Republican primary for Arizonas sprawling 2nd Congressional District. He served as the longtime administrator of online message boards that helped seed the conspiracy movement whose adherents believe a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. Watkins no longer runs the message boards and has denied fueling the QAnon movement. He said he was running for Congress because he hopes to fix the machine from the inside. He was considered a long shot in the crowded GOP field, having been outpaced in campaign fundraising by the other candidates. State Rep. Walter Blackman and Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL who owns a bottle opener business and was endorsed by Trump, were at the top of the field. The winner will take on Democratic Rep. Tom OHalleran in November in a district that favors Republicans. ___ FROM COLLEAGUES TO COMPETITORS Stevens victory over Levin came in a newly drawn 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit that favors Democrats, which means Stevens will likely win the seat in November. Stevens got a financial boost from the United Democracy Project, a super PAC launched by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly called AIPAC. Levin, a progressive member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been highly critical of Israels record on human rights. The congresswoman flipped a district in 2018 that was long held by Republicans. Before running for office, she led the auto bailout under President Barack Obama. ___ CHALLENGING THE SQUAD Tlaib defeated three Democratic challengers in her quest for a third term. Because of redistricting, she is running in the newly drawn Detroit-area 12th Congressional District that favors Democrats and is expected to prevail in November. Tlaibs main competition came from longtime Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who had strong name recognition in the city. Bushs win in the 1st Congressional District was against state Sen. Steve Roberts, who hedged his campaign on the idea that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, was too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis. Bush promoted her accomplishments, including persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. ___ 10 YEARS AFTER TUCSON SHOOTING, INTERN SEEKS GIFFORDS SEAT Daniel Hernandez Jr., the intern credited with saving then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords life after an attempted assassination in 2011, lost in the Democrat primary for her former seat. Hernandez was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords when he went to her Congress on your corner constituent event. A gunman there opened fire, killing six and injuring 13. Hernandez kept the Democratic congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived. ___ Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. ___ CAIRO The doors of jihad opened for Ayman al-Zawahri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan. With that offer in 1980, al-Zawahri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, al-Qaida, after the death of Osama bin Laden. Already an experienced militant who had sought the overthrow of Egypts infidel regime since the age of 15, al-Zawahri took a trip to the Afghan war zone that was just a few weeks long, but it opened his eyes to new possibilities. What he saw was the training course preparing Muslim mujahedeen youth to launch their upcoming battle with the great power that would rule the world: America, he wrote in a 2001 biography-cum-manifesto. Al-Zawahri, 71, was killed over the weekend by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced the death Monday evening in an address to the nation. The strike is likely to lead to greater disarray within the organization than did bin Ladens death in 2011, since it is far less clear who his successor would be. Al-Zawahri became crucial to turning the jihadi movement to target the United States as the right-hand man to bin Laden, the young Saudi millionaire he met in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Under their leadership, the al-Qaida terror network carried out the deadliest attack ever on American soil, the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. While bin Laden came from a privileged background in a prominent Saudi family, al-Zawahri had the experience of an underground revolutionary. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. Bin Laden always looked up to him, said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University. Al-Zawahri spent time in an Egyptian prison, he was tortured. He was a jihadi from the time he was a teenager. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also became the movements public face, putting out a constant stream of video messages while bin Laden largely hid. With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and a prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive a contrast to bin Laden, whose soft-spoken presence many militants described in adoring, almost spiritual terms. Yet he reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the creation of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Asia. In the decade after 9/11, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks on U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. After Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, al-Qaida proclaimed al-Zawahri its paramount leader less than two months later. The jihad against America does not halt with the death of a commander or leader, he said. Chase America, which killed the leader of the mujahedeen and threw his body into the sea. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings around the Mideast threatened a major blow to al-Qaida, showing that jihad was not the only way to get rid of Arab autocrats. It was mainly pro-democracy liberals and leftists who led the uprising that toppled Egypts President Hosni Mubarak, the longtime goal al-Zawahri failed to achieve. But al-Zawahri sought to co-opt the wave of uprisings, insisting that they would have been impossible if the 9/11 attacks had not weakened America. And he urged Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. Al-Zawahri was born June 19, 1951, the son of an upper-middle-class family of doctors and scholars in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. His father was a pharmacology professor at Cairo Universitys medical school and his grandfather, Rabia al-Zawahri, was the grand imam of Al-Azhar University, a premier center of religious study. From an early age, al-Zawahri was enflamed by the radical writings of Sayed Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who taught that Arab regimes were infidel and should be replaced by Islamic rule. In the 1970s, as he earned his medical degree as a surgeon, he was active in militant circles. He merged his own militant cell with others to form the group Islamic Jihad and began trying to infiltrate the military at one point even storing weapons in his private clinic. Then came the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic Jihad militants. The slaying was carried out by a different cell in the group and al-Zawahri wrote that he learned of the plot only hours before the assassination. But he was arrested along with hundreds of other militants and served three years in prison. During his imprisonment, he was reportedly tortured heavily, a factor some cite as turning him more violently radical. After his release in 1984, al-Zawahri returned to Afghanistan and joined the Arab militants from across the Middle East fighting alongside the Afghans against the Soviets. He courted bin Laden, who became a heroic figure for his financial support of the mujahedeen. Al-Zawahri followed bin Laden to his new base in Sudan, and from there he led a reassembled Islamic Jihad group in a violent campaign of bombings aimed at toppling Egypts U.S.-allied government. In the most daring attack, Jihad and other militants tried to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a 1995 visit to Ethiopia. Mubarak escaped the hail of gunfire aimed at his motorcade, and his security forces all but crushed the militant movement in Egypt in the crackdown that followed. The Egyptian movement failed. But al-Zawahri would bring to al-Qaida the tactics that he honed in Islamic Jihad. He promoted the use of suicide bombings, to become al-Qaidas hallmark. He plotted a 1995 suicide car bombing of Egypts embassy in Islamabad that killed 16 people presaging the more devastating 1998 al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200, attacks al-Zawahri was indicted for in the United States. In 1996, Sudan expelled bin Laden, who took his fighters back to Afghanistan, where they found a safe haven under the radical Taliban regime. Once more, al-Zawahri followed. Two years later, their bond was sealed when bin Laden, al-Zawahri and other militant leaders issued the Declaration of Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. It announced that the United States was Islams top enemy and instructed Muslims that it was their religious duty to kill the Americans and their allies. The message consecrated a dramatic shift that al-Zawahri underwent under bin Ladens influence, changing from his longtime strategy of attacking the near enemy U.S.-allied Arab regimes like Egypt to target the far enemy, the United States itself. Some in al-Zawahris Islamic Jihad broke away, opposed to the move. And some al-Qaida militants whose association with bin Laden predated al-Zawahris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from al-Zawahri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, sneered in a memoir posted online in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. Soon after the alliance came the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa, followed by the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen, an attack al-Zawahri is believed to have helped organize. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, al-Zawahri and bin Laden fled into Pakistan as a U.S. airstrike killed al-Zawahris wife and at least two of their six children in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. The CIA came tantalizingly close to possibly capturing al-Zawahri in 2003 and killing him in 2004. The CIA thought it finally had al-Zawahri in its sights in 2009, only to be tricked by a double agent who blew himself up, killing seven agency employees and wounding six more in Khost, Afghanistan. In his 2001 treatise, Knights Under the Prophets Banner, al-Zawahri set the long-term strategy for the jihadi movement to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Americans, while trying to establish control in a nation as a base to launch the battle to restore the holy caliphate of Islamic rule across the Muslim world. Al-Qaida did make inroads in Europe. The bombers in the Madrid attacks that killed 191 were said to have been inspired by al-Qaida, although direct links remain uncertain. Al-Zawahri claimed al-Qaida responsibility for the 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52, saying some perpetrators trained in al-Qaida camps. Not all terror campaigns were successful. Al-Qaidas branch in Saudi Arabia was crushed by 2006. Al-Zawahri himself had to write to the head of al-Qaidas branch in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to rein in his brutal attacks on Iraqi Shiites, which were hurting the networks image among Muslims. That underlined al-Zawahris ultimate failure. With his concentration on a Muslim vanguard carrying out dramatic attacks, he never gained widespread popular support for al-Qaida in the Islamic world beyond a fringe of radical sympathizers. His answer, in Knights Under the Prophets Banner, was for jihadis to continue hitting Americans, hoping to exploit anti-U.S. sentiment and draw in the public. He echoed that strategy in a June 2011 video eulogy to his slain boss. Bin Laden terrified America in his life, he said, and will continue to terrify it after his death. ___ Former Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this story. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Virgin Galactic is planning a new astronaut campus and training facility in southern New Mexico where its high-dollar customers will prepare for their rides into suborbit, the company announced Tuesday morning. The firm has already acquired land in Sierra County for the facility, described as a first of its kind astronaut campus, for exclusive use by Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts and up to three of their guests in advance of a spaceflight from Spaceport America. Customers who buy tickets to space aboard Virgins passenger rocket which were selling at $450,000 per seat earlier this year will stay and train at the campus for five nights. At Virgin Galactic, the road to space begins in New Mexico, and we are proud to showcase the state as the launch point for our unique and unparalleled experience, said Blair Rich, Virgin Galactic president and chief business officer, commercial and consumer operations, in a prepared statement. From the point of sale, our Future Astronauts begin a journey that is curated, high-touch and distinctly Virgin, which will culminate at the astronaut campus and training facility. The campus will be built on top of a mesa not far from the spaceport, the company wrote in a release. No timeline for the project has been released, although Virgin Galactic said conceptual design of the project is underway. A company spokeswoman declined to provide an expected dollar amount for the campus, which will include training facilities, accommodations, an observatory, a wellness center, recreation activities and dining options. Were not sharing the specifics of the agreement, but this is an important investment were making in the State of New Mexico as the launch point for our unparalleled experience, spokeswoman Aleanna Crane wrote in an email Tuesday morning. The company didnt provide an exact location or size of the land. But Crane said only a small portion of it will be used for the new facility. We are purchasing significantly more land than we intend to build on in order to preserve the spectacular natural surroundings, which are central to the planned experience, Crane said in an email. Ramping up The announcement comes as Virgin Galactic ramps up preparations for its full-scale commercial launch. Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson grabbed headlines last year by flying to suborbit aboard the companys passenger rocket along with a crew. But since then, the company has been retooling and upgrading its airships. And, plagued by supply-chain and workforce problems, the company has pushed out the start date for its regular space tourism flights. In May, company leaders announced they would not begin passenger service until winter 2023. Last month, Virgin Galactic announced a deal with Boeing to build two additional carrier aircraft, as well as a long-term lease in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa for a spaceship manufacturing facility. Virgin uses a horizontal launch technology, where a passenger rocket is carried up to about 50,000 feet on the underbelly of a carrier mothership. The rocket then breaks away and fires up its motors to shoot into suborbit. Once there, passengers on the rocket spend a few minutes floating in microgravity and taking in views of the Earth and its curvature before gliding back to the ground. The company is expected to present its next quarterly earnings statement to shareholders and members of the public on Thursday. Leaders reported a net loss of $93 million in the first quarter of 2022. Local reception State and industry leaders welcomed the news Tuesday. Im thrilled to welcome the next chapter of Virgin Galactics continued investment in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. The new astronaut campus in Sierra County will spur further economic activity for New Mexico, creating more local jobs and attracting new visitors and spending to the area. New Mexico is proud to be home to the future of aerospace innovation and space tourism. Dale Dekker, a local architect and co-founder of booster group Ambassadors for Spaceport America, said he was pleasantly surprised at the news. I think its fantastic for New Mexico, Dekker said. I think it shows Virgins ongoing commitment to Spaceport America and New Mexico that they would be investing in an astronaut campus. Dekker said he expects the projects economic impact will spill over into neighboring communities. Itll probably spawn a whole bunch of additional small business activity in that whole TorC and Las Cruces area, he said. It also has that multiplier effect in the local economy. Scott McLaughlin, executive director of New Mexico Spaceport Authority which oversees the Spaceport, where Virgin Galactic is the anchor tenant said the news emphasizes the companys ties to the region. Virgin Galactic has been a long-term partner for Spaceport America and southern New Mexico, McLaughlin said in a prepared statement. The announcement of the astronaut campus reinforces this commitment and increases the economic impact in the region. We look forward to full operations later this year and into 2023. WASHINGTON As the sun was rising in Kabul on Sunday, two Hellfire missiles fired by a U.S. drone ended Ayman al-Zawahris decade-long reign as the leader of al-Qaida. The seeds of the audacious counterterrorism operation had been planted over many months. U.S. officials had built a scale model of the safe house where al-Zawahri had been located, and brought it into the White House Situation Room to show President Joe Biden. They knew al-Zawahri was partial to sitting on the homes balcony. They had painstakingly constructed a pattern of life, as one official put it. They were confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew, officials said. Years of efforts by U.S. intelligence operatives under four presidents to track al-Zawahri and his associates paid dividends earlier this year, Biden said, when they located Osama bin Ladens longtime No. 2 a co-planner of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. and ultimate successor at the house in Kabul. Bin Ladens death came in May 2011, face to face with a U.S. assault team led by Navy SEALs. Al-Zawahris death came from afar, at 6:18 a.m. in Kabul. His family, supported by the Haqqani Taliban network, had taken up residence in the home after the Taliban regained control of the country last year, following the withdrawal of U.S. forces after nearly 20 years of combat that had been intended, in part, to keep al-Qaida from regaining a base of operations in Afghanistan. But the lead on his whereabouts was only the first step. Confirming al-Zawahris identity, devising a strike in a crowded city that wouldnt recklessly endanger civilians, and ensuring the operation wouldnt set back other U.S. priorities took months to fall into place. That effort involved independent teams of analysts reaching similar conclusions about the probability of al-Zawahris presence, the scale mock-up and engineering studies of the building to evaluate the risk to people nearby, and the unanimous recommendation of Bidens advisers to go ahead with the strike. Clear and convincing, Biden called the evidence. I authorized the precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all. This measure was carefully planned, rigorously, to minimize the risk of harm to other civilians. The consequences of getting it wrong on this type of judgment call were devastating a year ago this month, when a U.S. drone strike during the chaotic withdrawal of American forces killed 10 innocent family members, seven of them children. Biden ordered what officials called a tailored airstrike, designed so that the two missiles would destroy only the balcony of the safe house where the terrorist leader was holed up for months, sparing occupants elsewhere in the building. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the strike planning, said al-Zawahri was identified on multiple occasions, for sustained periods of time on the balcony where he died. The official said multiple streams of intelligence convinced U.S. analysts of his presence, having eliminated all reasonable options other than his being there. Two senior national security officials were first briefed on the intelligence in early April, with the president being briefed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly thereafter. Through May and June, a small circle of officials across the government worked to vet the intelligence and devise options for Biden. On July 1 in the White House Situation Room, after returning from a five-day trip to Europe, Biden was briefed on the proposed strike by his national security aides. It was at that meeting, the official said, that Biden viewed the model of the safe house and peppered advisers, including CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and National Counterterrorism Center director Christy Abizaid, with questions about their conclusion that al-Zawahri was hiding there. Biden, the official said, also pressed officials to consider the risks the strike could pose to American Mark Frerichs, who has been in Taliban captivity for more than two years, and to Afghans who aided the U.S. war efforts who remain in the country. U.S. lawyers also considered the legality of the strike, concluding that al-Zawahris continued leadership of the terrorist group and support for al-Qaida attacks made him a lawful target. The official said al-Zawahri had built an organizational model that allowed him to lead the global network even from relative isolation. That included filming videos from the house, and the U.S. believes some may be released after his death. On July 25, as Biden was isolated in the White House residence with COVID-19, he received a final briefing from his team. Each of the officials participating strongly recommended the operations approval, the official said, and Biden gave the sign-off for the strike as soon as an opportunity was available. That unanimity was lacking a decade earlier when Biden, as vice president, gave President Barack Obama advice he did not take to hold off on the bin Laden strike, according to Obamas memoirs. The opportunity came early Sunday late Saturday in Washington hours after Biden again found himself in isolation with a rebound case of the coronavirus. He was informed when the operation began and when it concluded, the official said. A further 36 hours of intelligence analysis would follow before U.S. officials began sharing that al-Zawahri was killed, as they watched the Haqqani Taliban network restrict access to the safe house and relocate the dead al-Qaida leaders family. U.S. officials interpreted that as the Taliban trying to conceal the fact they had harbored al-Zawahri. After last years troop withdrawal, the U.S. was left with fewer bases in the region to collect intelligence and carry out strikes on terrorist targets. It was not clear from where the drone carrying the missiles was launched or whether countries it flew over were aware of its presence. The U.S. official said the Taliban was provided with no forewarning of the attack. In an interview with ABCs Good Morning America on Tuesday, Sullivan said that no uniformed personnel had been on the ground when the strike happened and that we are in direct communication with the Taliban on this. In remarks 11 months ago, Biden had said the U.S. would keep up the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries, despite pulling out troops. We just dont need to fight a ground war to do it. We have whats called over-the-horizon capabilities, he said. On Sunday, the missiles came over the horizon. TOPEKA, Kan. Kansas voters on Tuesday sent a resounding message about their desire to protect abortion rights, rejecting a ballot measure in a conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright. It was the first test of voter sentiment after the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in June that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, providing an unexpected result with potential implications for the coming midterm elections. While it was just one state, the heavy turnout for an August primary that typically favors Republicans was a major victory for abortion rights advocates. With most of the vote counted, they were prevailing by roughly 20 percentage points, with the turnout approaching whats typical for a fall election for governor. The vote also provided a dash of hope for Democrats nationwide grasping for a game-changer during an election year otherwise filled with dark omens for their prospects in November. This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions, President Joe Biden said in a statement. After calling on Congress to restore the protections of Roe in federal law, Biden added, And, the American people must continue to use their voices to protect the right to womens health care, including abortion. The Kansas vote also provided a warning to Republicans who had celebrated the Supreme Court ruling and were moving swiftly with abortion bans or near-bans in nearly half the states. Kansans bluntly rejected anti-abortion politicians attempts at creating a reproductive police state, said Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. Todays vote was a powerful rebuke and a promise of the mounting resistance. The proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution would have added language stating that it does not grant the right to abortion. A 2019 state Supreme Court decision declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the states Bill of Rights, preventing a ban and potentially thwarting legislative efforts to enact new restrictions. The referendum was closely watched as a barometer of liberal and moderate voters anger over the Supreme Courts ruling scrapping the nationwide right to abortion. In Kansas, abortion opponents wouldnt say what legislation theyd pursue if the amendment were passed and bristled when opponents predicted it would lead to a ban. Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the vote as a huge disappointment for the movement and called on anti-abortion candidates to go on the offensive. She added that after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, We must work exponentially harder to achieve and maintain protections for unborn children and their mothers. The measures failure also was significant because of Kansas connections to anti-abortion activists. Anti-abortion Summer of Mercy protests in 1991 inspired abortion opponents to take over the Kansas Republican Party and make the Legislature more conservative. They were there because Dr. George Tillers clinic was among the few in the U.S. known to do abortions late in pregnancy, and he was murdered in 2009 by an anti-abortion extremist. Anti-abortion lawmakers wanted to have the vote coincide with the states August primary, arguing they wanted to make sure it got the focus, though others saw it as an obvious attempt to boost their chances of winning. Twice as many Republicans as Democrats have voted in the states August primaries in the decade leading up to Tuesdays election. This outcome is a temporary setback, and our dedicated fight to value women and babies is far from over, the coalition leading the vote yes campaign said. The electorate in Tuesdays vote wasnt typical for a Kansas primary, particularly because tens of thousands of unaffiliated voters cast ballots. Kristy Winter, 52, a Kansas City-area teacher and unaffiliated voter, voted against the measure and brought her 16-year-old daughter with her to her polling place. I want her to have the same right to do what she feels is necessary, mostly in the case of rape or incest, she said. I want her to have the same rights my mother has had most of her life. Opponents of the measure predicted that the anti-abortion groups and lawmakers behind the measure would push quickly for an abortion ban if voters approved it. Before the vote, the measures supporters refused to say whether they would pursue a ban as they appealed to voters who supported both some restrictions and some access to abortion. Stephanie Kostreva, a 40-year-old school nurse from the Kansas City area and a Democrat, said she voted in favor of the measure because she is a Christian and believes life begins at conception. Im not full scale that there should never be an abortion, she said. I know there are medical emergencies, and when the mothers life is in danger there is no reason for two people to die. An anonymous group sent a misleading text Monday to Kansas voters telling them to vote yes to protect choice, but it was suspended late Monday from the Twilio messaging platform it was using, a spokesperson said. Twilio did not identify the sender. The 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights blocked a law that banned the most common second-trimester procedure, and another law imposing special health regulations on abortion providers also is on hold. Abortion opponents argued that all of the states existing restrictions were in danger, though some legal scholars found that argument dubious. Kansas doesnt ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The Kansas vote is the start of what could be a long-running series of legal battles playing out where lawmakers are more conservative on abortion than governors or state courts. Kentucky will vote in November on whether to add language similar to Kansas proposed amendment to its state constitution. Meanwhile, Vermont will decide in November whether to add an abortion rights provision to its constitution. A similar question is likely headed to the November ballot in Michigan. In Kansas, both sides together spent more than $14 million on their campaigns. Abortion providers and abortion rights groups were key donors to the no side, while Catholic dioceses heavily funded the yes campaign. The state has had strong anti-abortion majorities in its Legislature for 30 years, but voters have regularly elected Democratic governors, including Laura Kelly in 2018. She opposed the proposed amendment, saying changing the state constitution would throw the state back into the Dark Ages. State Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican hoping to unseat Kelly, supported the proposed constitutional amendment. He told the Catholic television network EWTN before the election that theres still room for progress in decreasing abortions, without spelling out what he would sign as governor. Although abortion opponents pushed almost annually for new restrictions until the 2019 state Supreme Court ruling, they felt constrained by past court rulings and Democratic governors like Kelly. ___ This story has been updated to correct the attribution for the quote that begins, This outcome is a temporary setback. It came from a statement issued by the coalition that led the vote yes campaign, not Emily Massey. ___ Stafford reported from Overland Park and Olathe. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna. For more AP coverage of the abortion issue, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion. WASHINGTON The Biden administration is holding out the CIA operation that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri as a monumental strike against the global terror network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. But theres a downside, too. The drone strike also is putting into stark relief the mounting evidence that after 20 years of Americas military presence and then sudden departure Afghanistan has once again become an active staging ground for Islamic terror groups looking to attack the West. The operation, carried out over the weekend after at least six months spent monitoring movements by al-Zawahri and his family, came just weeks before the one-year anniversary of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country. The Biden administration is making the case that the operation shows Americans at home and allies abroad that the United States hasnt lost focus or the ability to strike terrorists in the region and validates its decision to end two decades of fighting in Afghanistan with its withdrawal. Announcing the strike from the White House, President Joe Biden said Monday night that justice had been exacted on a leader who in recent weeks had recorded videos calling for his followers to attack the United States and allies. And the White House on Tuesday framed the operation as an enormous counterterrorism win. The president has made good on his word when we left, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBCs Today show. After 20 years of war to keep this country safe, he said we would be able to continue to target and take out terrorists in Afghanistan without troops on the ground. But as details of the operation continue to emerge, the administration has also revealed troubling evidence of al-Qaidas presence and of the Taliban once again offering refuge to the group that was behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. White House officials believe that senior members of the Haqqani Network, an Islamist terror group with strong ties to the Taliban, were aware that al-Zawahri was in Kabul. Sullivan said that while al-Zawahri wasnt involved in day-to-day planning at the time of his killing, he continued to play an active role in directing al-Qaida and posed a severe threat against the U.S. and American citizens. On Tuesday, the State Department updated its Worldwide Caution, warning U.S. citizens traveling abroad that there is a higher potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahri. Concerns about al-Qaida efforts to regroup inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are hardly new. Before the strike, U.S. military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faces limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the U.S. Al-Qaida leadership has reportedly played an advisory role since the Taliban returned to power in the leadup up to the U.S. withdrawal, according to a U.N. Security Council report last month. The U.N. report also noted that ISIS-K the group that carried out a massive attack that killed 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans near the Kabul International Airport just days before the U.S. completed its withdrawal last year has become increasingly active in northern and eastern Afghanistan. Thats a worry for the West though ISIS-K and the Taliban espouse different ideologies and interests, with ISIS-K carrying out a bloody insurgency against the Taliban and religious minorities across Afghanistan. Zawahris presence in post-withdrawal Afghanistan suggests that, as feared, the Taliban is once more granting safe haven to the leaders of al-Qaida a group with which it has never broken, said Nathan Sales, ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism during the Trump administration who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Frank McKenzie, the retired Marine general who until earlier this year was the top American military officer in the Middle East, said the U.S. has noted an effort by al-Qaida to restore training camps in Afghanistan. I see nothing happening in Afghanistan now that tells me that the Taliban are determined to prevent that from happening, he said in an interview. Since the American troop withdrawal, U.S. military leaders have said Americas ability to monitor and strike a target in the country would be difficult but not impossible. The strike on Zawahri proved both, said McKenzie, who is now executive director of the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. But he cautioned not to draw broad conclusions from this one drone strike. This was a unique circumstance, he said. You had a target that didnt move, and they had the opportunity to get a good look at pattern of life. Thats not always going to be the case. In fact, typically, that is not the case. That al-Zawahri was living in a Kabul neighborhood and not in rural Afghanistan as previously believed, tells you that he got really comfortable under the protection of the Taliban, said Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security firm. These entities work hand in glove, Clarke said of the Taliban and al-Qaida. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. The Taliban were quick to condemn the U.S. strike as a a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement, though they did not acknowledge that al-Zawahri was killed. The U.S. gave no forewarning to the Taliban government, which the United States does not recognize, that it was carrying out the operation. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region, the Taliban statement said. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on how, or if, the U.S. would hold the Taliban responsible for sheltering al-Zawahri. The Taliban have a choice now, Kirby said. And that is they can comply with their agreement under the Doha agreement or they can choose to be going down a different path. And if they go down a different path, its going to lead to consequences not just from the United States but from the international community. Kirby said the U.S. had already engaged with the Taliban about al-Zawahris presence following Sundays strike. The Taliban remain sanctioned by the U.S. government for their role harboring al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks. After the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul last summer, the Biden administration froze billions of dollars in assets belonging to Afghanistans central bank to prevent the assets from falling under Taliban control. Some of that money has since been freed for humanitarian aid to address the countrys dire hunger crisis. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to congratulate Biden on the operation, but also made the case that it further indicates that Afghanistan is again becoming a major thicket of terrorist activity following the presidents decision to withdraw U.S. forces. Killing al-Zawahri is a success, but the underlying resurgence of al-Qaida terrorists into Afghanistan is a growing threat that was foreseeable and avoidable, McConnell said. The administration needs a comprehensive plan to rebuild our capacity to combat it. ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed. You are here: China State Councilor Wang Yong on Monday called for all-out flood control and drought relief efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. Wang, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, gave the instruction when inspecting the Ministry of Emergency Management and presiding over a video conference on flood control and drought relief work. Noting that China is now in a critical period of fighting floods and faces a complex and grim natural disaster situation, Wang urged relevant authorities to remain alert for potential floods and droughts. Efforts should be made to strengthen monitoring and early-warning systems for heavy rains, typhoons and other severe weather events, Wang said. He ordered measures to enhance weak links related to reservoirs, torrential floods, landslides and waterlogging in urban and rural areas. Wang also underlined the need for efforts to improve inter-regional coordination, relocate people affected by natural disasters in a timely manner, and minimize losses and casualties. WASHINGTON Stephen King didnt break any legal ground on the stand Tuesday as he testified against his own publishers efforts to merge with Penguin Random House. But he did know how to please a crowd and even get the judge to thank him for his time. It was a real pleasure to hear your testimony, the otherwise businesslike U.S. District Judge Florence J. Pan told the author after he finished speaking as a government witness in a federal antitrust lawsuit against the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, Kings longtime publisher. The 74-year-old King had a haunting but gregarious presence, his gaunt features accented by his gray suit and gray sneakers, his walk tentative, as it has been since he was struck by a van and badly injured in 1999. But once sworn in, he was relaxed and happy to talk, and ever alert to how to tell a story, My name is Stephen King. Im a freelance writer, King said upon being asked to identify himself. The Justice Department is bidding to convince Pan that the proposed combination of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, two of the worlds biggest publishers, would thwart competition and damage the careers of some of the most popular authors a status King holds like few others. Kings remarkable career, with so many bestsellers he could only offer an estimate, has come amid waves of consolidation in the industry. As he noted in his remarks, there were dozens of publishers in New York when his breakthrough novel, Carrie, came out, in 1974, and he has seen many of them either acquired by larger companies or forced out of business. Now, New York publishing is often a story of the so-called Big Five: Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishing, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan. The publisher of Carrie, Doubleday, is now part of Penguin Random House. So is another former King publisher, Viking Press. Over the first two days, attorneys for the two sides have presented notably contrasting views of the book industry. The Justice Department sees an increasingly limited market for bestsellers, with the Big Five well in command. Penguin Random Houses side sees book publishing as dynamic and open to many, with the proposed merger having limited impact. Kings appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington highly unusual for an antitrust trial brought a narrative of the evolution of book publishing toward the dominance of the Big Five companies. As government attorney Mel Schwarz walked King through his history starting as a new, unknown author in the 1970s and his relationships with agents and publishers, King homed in on a critique of the industry as it is now. King crisply answered Schwarzs questions, with some moments of humor and brief flashes of gentle outrage, as he testified during the second day of the trial expected to last two to three weeks. The Big Five are pretty entrenched, he said. Under questioning later in the day, Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp detailed a world of fiercely competitive bidding among publishers including between his firm and Penguin Random House for authors works, sometimes besting each other by millions of dollars for high-profile writers. With his possible future boss, Penguin Random House Markus Dohle, among those looking on in the courtroom, Karp rejected the Big Five moniker, calling it parochial and ethnocentric. I think there are a lot of good publishers all over the country. Its not all about us, Karp said. As an example, he said the nearly 100-year-old Simon & Schuster has endured more aggressive competition recently from Amazons book publishing business. But Justice Department attorney Jeff Vernon brought forward a message Karp had sent to John Irving, his favorite author, saying he didnt think the government would allow Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House to merge. Thats assuming we still have a Department of Justice, Karp wrote in the message. At one point, the judge appeared to support a core government argument that greater concentration in the industry could reduce the compensation paid to authors. Through two days of testimony, Pan said, theres a sense that competition raises the amounts of advances and less competition lowers them. Kings displeasure about the proposed merger led him to voluntarily testify for the government. I came because I think that consolidation is bad for competition, King said. The way the industry has evolved, he said, it becomes tougher and tougher for writers to find money to live on. King expressed skepticism toward the two publishers commitment to continue to bid for books separately and competitively after a merger. You might as well say youre going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house, he quipped. It would be sort of very gentlemanly and sort of, After you and After you,' he said, gesturing with a polite sweep of the arm. Kings was entertaining and informative, although he had little specific to say over how the merger might harm bestselling authors, with the governments case focusing on those receiving advances of $250,000 or more. Attorney Daniel Petrocelli, representing the publishers, told King he had no questions for him and demurred on a cross-examination, saying instead he hoped they could have coffee together some time. King has long been a public favorite, and spoke warmly Tuesday of living the dream, paying all the bills while working at something he loves. But the author of The Stand, The Shining and many others wonders who else might have the chances he did. He was not chosen by the government just for his fame, but for his public criticism of the $2.2 billion deal announced in late 2021, potentially forming what rival CEO Michael Pietsch of Hachette Book Group has called a gigantically prominent entity. The more the publishers consolidate, the harder it is for indie publishers to survive, King tweeted last year. Kings affinity for smaller publishers is personal. Even while continuing to publish with the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner, he has written thrillers for the independent Hard Case Crime. Years ago, the publisher asked him to contribute a blurb, but King instead offered to write a novel for them, The Colorado Kid, released in 2005. He has also written fiction for other small companies, saying some of his work doesnt have the kind of commercial power the Big Five might expect. King himself would likely benefit from the Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster deal, but he has a history of favoring other priorities beyond his material well-being. He has long been a critic of tax cuts for the rich, even as the rich surely includes Stephen King, and has openly called for the government to raise his taxes. In America, we should all have to pay our fair share, he wrote for The Daily Beast in 2012. Monday marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Five years ago, at the commemoration of the PLA's 90th founding anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), stated in his speech that China is closer than ever before in history to achieving the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and needs to build a powerful military more than ever. This is coherent with the remarks he made not long after he took office as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012. When visiting the exhibition "The Road to Rejuvenation," Xi emphasized that national rejuvenation has been the greatest dream of the Chinese people since modern times began. Ten days later, during an inspection to the armed forces, Xi said, "This great dream we have is to make our country strong. To the military, the dream is to make our forces strong." Leading the entire military in theoretical exploration and practice, Xi answered major questions including the tasks, targets, principles, strategies and approaches for building a strong military in the new era, thus forming Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the armed forces. The thinking was included in the CPC Party Constitution at the 19th CPC National Congress, thus establishing its guiding position in the development of China's national defense and armed forces. According to the report to the 19th CPC National Congress and the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century, the Party's goal of building a strong military in the new era is building the people's forces into a world-class military that obeys the Party's command, can fight and win, and maintains excellent conduct. The country has formulated a three-step development strategy for modernizing national defense and the armed forces -- achieving the centenary objectives of the PLA by 2027, basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces by 2035, and fully building the armed forces into world-class forces by the mid-21st century. With their eyes on achieving the centenary objectives of the PLA by 2027 and the goal of fully transforming the armed forces into world-class forces by the mid-21st century, the people's armed forces have taken vigorous measures to implement Xi's decisions and instructions. "The absolute leadership of the Party over the military is an intrinsic trait of socialism with Chinese characteristics which provides an important political advantage for the Party and the country," Xi once noted, adding that the people's army was founded on the basis of the Party's leadership, and it is strengthened in the spirit of the Party's leadership. To address the severe political risk China's armed forces faced in the period before the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi worked vigorously to govern the military with strict discipline in every respect. Proactive measures were adopted to improve Party conduct, ensure integrity, and fight corruption in the military so that the proud traditions and fine conduct of the Party and the military can be restored and carried forward. In August 2018, Xi attended a CMC meeting on Party building, making comprehensive instructions on enhancing Party leadership and Party building within the armed forces. At the 19th CPC National Congress, the revised Party Constitution affirmed that the chairperson of the CMC assumes overall responsibility over the work of the commission, further enhancing the fundamental system of the Party's absolute leadership over the military. The entire armed forces stay in line with the CPC Central Committee, the CMC and Xi ideologically, politically, and in action, and remain absolutely loyal, pure and reliable. Apart from solidifying its political foundation, the development of China's armed forces is also empowered by vigorous reform and technological advancement. At the third plenary session of the 18th CPC National Congress, the reform of national defense and the armed forces was included in the overall planning of deepening reform across the board in accordance with Xi's proposition. Following the reform, the military framework was restructured so that the CMC assumes overall management over military affairs, theater commands focus efforts on military operations, and services are responsible for enhancing their own military strength, so as to realize a complete remodeling of the organizational structure of the people's army. Thus, the people's army is renewed in terms of its system, structure, setup, and appearance. The Chinese armed forces in recent years are also equipped with new gears such as J-20 stealth fighter jets and main battlefield 99A tanks. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi has reiterated the key task of building strong military forces that can fight to win. The key task is a linchpin of deepening national defense and military reform. "The people's army will firmly uphold CPC leadership and our country's socialist system, safeguard our national sovereignty, security and development interests, and uphold regional and world peace," Xi once said. The Chinese military resolutely implements Xi's decisions and instructions on battle readiness, conducts military training under combat conditions, improves joint combat capabilities, and builds strong, well-structured, modern border defense, coastal defense, and air defense systems. It responds effectively to military provocations by external forces and creates a strong deterrent against separatist activities seeking "Taiwan independence." Faithfully accomplishing its missions, China's armed forces have proved to be a staunch force in maintaining world peace. Chinese peacekeepers were dispatched to different parts of the world, including South Sudan, Lebanon, and Djibouti, where they shoulder their responsibilities of safeguarding world peace, with soldiers like Shen Liangliang, Li Lei and Yang Shupeng sacrificing their lives in the line of duty. In addition, the peaceful Chinese armed forces have actively participated in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, joint exercises, trainings and competitions, and have undertaken humanitarian assistance missions, honoring its commitment to upholding and acting on true multilateralism while actively contributing to building a community with a shared future for humanity. "China will always, as ever before, be a promoter of world peace, contributor to global development, and upholder of the international order, and hence the Chinese army will always be a staunch force in keeping world peace," Xi said. Under the strong leadership of Xi, the people's armed forces are following the Chinese path of military development with resolve, and forging ahead in pursuit of building a world-class army. They are sure to provide strong strategical support for achieving the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The annual Acer Day celebration is back and will feature a special line-up of performances, sales promotions, rewards, and activities for everyone to enjoy! This years theme, Make Your Green Mark, highlights Acers care for the environment by reigniting its passion for sustainability practices and serves as a reminder of the collective efforts needed in making a green mark. The biggest offer of the year from Acer gives customers a chance to buy laptops and win 100% cashback and air purifiers every day through Acer online store. Avail great discounts on laptops and up to 10% additional discount for students. Customers can also redeem 3 year warranty and exciting accessories worth Rs 13999 at Rs 499. Selected gaming laptops are accompanied by a 3 year warranty and gaming bundle. Acer Day sale also features Acer Monitors at a very attractive discount which will be a great option for anyone who is in market for a monitor. Sale will start from 2nd August for a limited period. The offers can be availed from Acer online store or Acer Exclusive Retail Store. Introduced in 2017, the Acer Day campaign has helped promote the companys brand image among consumers as Young and Stylish, while promoting its advocacies, consumers, and channel partners. This year, with the focus on sustainable living and the promotion of the eco-friendly Vero series, Acer hopes to garner more support for environmental efforts and remind everyone of their duty to preserve and care for our planet, said Andrew Hou, Acer Pan Asia Pacific President. Commenting on the special occasion, Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, Acer India on this announcement said, 2022 marks the 6th edition of Acer Day, and this year we invite all our customers to celebrate with us and our initiative of Make Your Green Mark. This Acer Day we not only offer you the best of the deals across our products like laptops, monitors, and air purifiers but also take a pledge towards a greener Earth. We look forward to serving our customers with the latest top-of-the-line products and exciting offers. Acer Day 2022 will kick off with a manifesto video on August 3, 2022, at 5.30 PM (IST) 8:00 PM (GMT+0800hrs) featuring its 18 ambassadors from across seven regions. These include Indias Pankti Pandey, a zero-waste advocate, and a TEDx Speaker; Malaysias Mei Yan, a top breakfast radio announcer who started an online channel called Heal The Earth" to raise environmental awareness; Indonesian musicians Muhammad Pradana Budiarto and Ayudia C, environment patrons who wish to inspire entrepreneurs and start the #SayangBumi (love earth) greener lifestyle. Also making appearances in the video are Vietnams Duong Thu Thao, a young and dynamic nature lover who follows a green lifestyle by practicing small sustainable actions daily; Thailands Phakin Khamwilaisak, a leading musician and actor who has recently launched an environmental project entitled Keb Ruk; Taiwan's very own Atom Boyz-Earth, one of the most popular groups among the younger generation; and the Philippines group of Acer Day ambassadors, including Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo, Esports queen Alodia Gosiengfiao, and P-pop boy band sensation, SB19. All of the Acer Day 2022 ambassadors are strong environment preservation advocates who have continued to make a positive impact on the global youth in their ways. The Make Your Green Mark campaign manifesto reads: A call to action for cleaner air, clearer waters, and a sustainable future. In the video, the Acer Day ambassadors share their passion to protect Mother Nature and encourage their fans and followers to make their green mark on the planet. Cinedigm announced today that the Company has acquired all North American rights to one of the most successful Latin horror films of all times, History of the Occult, from FilmSharks. The film, which was successfully released across Latin America, Europe and Asia, is now ready to make its debut in the US & Canada this December. History of the Occult was notably the highest-rated horror movie of 2021 on Letterboxd's Year in Review roundup, as rated by Letterboxd users. The Lovecraftian horror film, which premiered at the Cannes' Blood Window sidebar and was also an Official Selection at the Mar del Plata & Sitges Film Festivals, has also been picked up internationally by Netflix and HBO MAX. FilmSharks snapped up worldwide and remake rights to the film with a major U.S. genre producer eyeing it for a remake. A throwback in style and setting, Cinedigm plans to release History of the Occult exclusively on its horror streaming service SCREAMBOX, which is powered by Bloody Disgusting. From writer/director Cristian Ponce (creator of the animated series "The Kirlian Frequency"), History of the Occult pulls viewers deep into a world of conspiracy and witchcraft. Producers of the nightly show '60 minutes to Midnight's have been dutifully planning a riveting final broadcast, but even they could not have predicted what their guest, Adrian Marcato, has in store. As the final frames of the legendary show flicker from televisions across the country, Marcato readies himself to expose a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of their nationhood; that the government is aligned with a dangerous supernatural coven. During its festival run, the bone-chilling film won the Le Film Francais prize at Cannes' Blood Window sidebar, Best Argentine Breakthrough Performance Actor and the Special Jury Award for Best Latin American First Feature at the Mar del Plata Film Festival. In addition, History of the Occult was nominated for Best Motion Picture at Sitges, Spain's premier festival specializing in fantasy and horror films. "Mystery, conspiracy and the supernatural, intrigues and excites something in all of us," said Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting. "Cristian (Ponce) melds these themes together in such a brilliant way, making History of the Occult the kind of film viewers can't look away from. We are thrilled to bring this horror film, which ended up as the highest rated horror film of 2021 on Letterboxd, to our SCREAMBOX viewers!" Says Guido Rud, CEO of FilmSharks, "History of the Occult is not the kind of film you come across every day. The old rule is now more valid than ever: it's all about the script, and no matter the size of the film, it can immerse you in less than 10 minutes if a great story is told. When we discovered this gem and it became Spain's #1 most-watched digital film of the year during 2020/2021, we were able to sell this genre-defining film to major studios around the world in 45 territories. We are elated to strike this deal with one of the best genre labels in North America because of their dedication to the horror genre and its fans." History of the Occult starsveteran Argentine actorGerman Baudino ("Abrakadabra," "Los Olvidados"), Nadia Lozano, Victor Diaz, Hector Ostrofsky and Agustin Recondo. The film was produced by Pedro Saieg. The deal was negotiated by Brandon Hill, Manager of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cinedigm and Matias Fontenla, Valeria Fanego and Rud on behalf of FilmSharks. Barista, one of the leading chains of espresso bars and cafes in the Indian subcontinent, has appointed Media Mantra as its PR Agency. As the strategic communications partner for Barista, Media Mantra has been entrusted with the responsibility of enhancing Barista's corporate reputation, amplifying brand visibility, and supporting the brand's strong expansion drive in India. Media Mantra will also play an integral role in developing effective stakeholder engagement strategies. Barista's appointment of Media Mantra is in line with its vision to inject new inspiration and creativity into the brand, foraying into emerging markets and extending its long history of success in the country. Mr. Rajat Agrawal, CEO of Barista, said, "Over the years, Barista has not only grown in reputation but also in growth numbers. With the increasing number of players in the ever-competitive Indian landscape, Barista is at an exciting juncture of reinventing its approach and entering a strong growth and expansion phase. This is where Media Mantra's well-demonstrated creativity, unmatched expertise and vast experience will play an integral role in our efforts to position our brand in the market. The agency has high level of passion and clear understanding of our business and communication needs. We look forward to our next phase of growth in India with Media Mantra as our communications partner". Ms. Pooja Pathak, Co-Founder and Director of Media Mantra, said, "We, at Media Mantra take immense pride in becoming the PR partner of a legacy brand like Barista that has transformed coffee houses into cultural hubs and much more in India. With a clear understanding of the brand's ambitions and priorities, we are conscious of our role as strategic advisers, and look forward to supporting Barista's vision and mission in what promises to be an important success story." Mr. Rahul Mehta, CEO of Media Mantra, said, "Barista is one of the biggest names in the Indian F&B ecosystem with a unique brand story, rich heritage and legacy. We are thrilled to partner with them and very excited about all the possibilities we can create together to elevate the brand reputation and reinforce the brand love through dynamic storytelling. We are hopeful that our relationship will yield greater connection and engagement for the brand with its customers. " Ever since its advent in 2000, Barista has evolved into one of the largest premium coffee-house chains in India. A household name with a rich history of success, the brand caters to its customers with over 300 outlets across the country. Adding to its general offerings, Barista also sells a number of FMCG products through grocery stores and other outlets. As part of its revamp strategy, the Indian coffee chain has rapidly expanded in tier II and tier III towns. It has also revised its menu to suit the Indian palate, in addition to unleashing new formats like Barista Diners - an all-day diner with a live kitchen. Recently, it also expanded its FMCG offerings with the launch of chocolates, cookies and coffee powder. As India celebrates its 75th year of independence this year, News18 India is all set to honour individuals, who with their path-breaking accomplishments have contributed immensely to the India story, with the Amrit Ratna Samman. The prestigious honour will be presented at a grand ceremony scheduled to be held on the 2nd of August at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. The channel aims to establish the Amrit Ratna Samman as an annual celebration of the achievements of Indian icons across different fields who made the country proud, and an occasion to express the nations gratitude towards these stalwarts. The first edition of the Amrit Ratna Samman will see the honour being conferred on luminaries from diverse fields at a day-long, glittering ceremony the list of honourees will include N R Narayana Murthy, Rajinikanth, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Adar Poonawalla, PT Usha, Tesy Thomas, Bachendri Pal and Pankaj Tripathi. These individuals were selected through a rigorous process which included not only the channels editorial board but also an illustrious jury comprised of such eminent personalities as Ranjan Gogoi (Retd. Chief Justice of India), Gen (Retd.) VP Malik (former Chief of Army Staff), the legendary Dr. Sonal Mansingh, the first Indian to win an individual Olympics Gold Abhinav Bindra and Prakash Singh (former DG, BSF & DGP, UP and Assam) The Amrit Ratna Samman aims to not only be amongst the most coveted honours to be conferred in the country but it also aspires to serve another objective to become the nations biggest platform to reflect upon how India and Indians can continue to make giant strides across different fields. The ceremony hence will see top leaders attend the event and discuss vision for a bright and prosperous future India. Amongst those who will grace the occasion will be Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minster for Railways Ashwani Vaishnav, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minster for Health Mansukh Mandavya, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha. Commenting on the Amrit Ratna Samman, Mr. Karan Abhishek Singh, CEO - Hindi News Cluster of News18 Network, said, " As Indias no. 1 Hindi news channel, we take great pride in contributing to the building of the India story. As the nation celebrates 75 years of Independence, it is our privilege to honour those men and women amongst us who are the true flag bearers of Indias emergence as a leader on the world stage. Amrit Ratna Samman is a humble attempt at our end to honour these giants and express the nations gratitude towards their contributions. Adding to the above Kishore Ajwani, Managing Editor, News18 India, said, The idea behind Amrit Ratna was to partake in the momentous celebrations for 75 years of Indias independence. Hence, we have launched an equally momentous initiative to bring forth for our viewers key milestones in our countrys recent past through those personalities who have played a huge role in shaping the India of today. As the countrys most preferred news channel, we strongly believe that bringing such inspirational content to our viewers will allow us to create a huge positive impact and enable us to contribute to nation building. Amrit Ratna Samman will be broadcast live on News18 India on the 2nd of August as well as on the channels social / digital handles. Tune into this exclusive coverage to participate in this grand celebration of Indias independence and achievements. Vihaan Samat is all set to perform on stage in an Akvarious Productions play series called "This is U.S", which is a collection of 3 short pieces taking a comical look at the misadventures arising from these intercontinental ties. Vihaan will grace the stage in ETERNALLY CONFUSED AND EAGER FOR NYC Written and performed by himself and directed by Adhaar Khurana. Vihaan will also be performing in There's Something In The Water Based on An Enemy Of The People by Henrik Ibsen, Adapted and directed by Akarsh Khurana The play addresses the thematic question: How do you save a world that doesn't want to be saved? A doctor makes a scientific discovery, which leads him on a dangerous path to many more discoveries about human nature and a rather toxic state of affairs. This play features Vihaan Samat, Mantra (Panipat, Aladdin, Indias got Talent), Adhaar Khurana (Jugaadistan), Chaitnya Sharma (Gully Boy), Garima Yajnik (The Fame Game), Richa Kalra (Sanaa), Sarthak Kakar (Mismatched), Siddharth Kumar (The Interview), Vrinda Kacker (A small family business). Akvarious Productions has returned to Prithvi Theatre for a 2 week run of their productions, new and old. August 2-7th will feature two new pieces with some familiar faces and set the stage on fire with these comical performances. Vihaan has appeared in the film Worth (2020) and the web series Mismatched, in which he played the role of Harsh Agarwal which launched him in the industry. Giving an excellent performance in the series, he took a great hike in the acting world. After completing a drama course at New York University, Vihaan flew back to India to pursue a career as an actor. This followed by appearing in web series like Mismatched and Bombay Begums, and he marked his debut as a lead actor with the Netflix show Eternally Confused And Eager To Love. In interviews, he has mentioned his first love is theatre, and he is happy to return to the stage in front of a live audience. China urges U.S., Japan not to incite division in name of cooperation Xinhua) 09:07, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged the United States and Japan not to politicize, weaponize and overstretch the concept of national security on economic, trade and sci-tech issues, not target third parties or undermine their interests, still less incite division and confrontation in the name of cooperation and dialogue. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a routine press conference. According to reports, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo held an inaugural ministerial meeting of the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC, or the Economic "2+2") with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Koichi Hagiuda on July 29. Blinken said the two sides talked about China and its "coercive economic policies" as contrary to an open, inclusive, rules-based international monetary system. In response, Zhao said China always upholds the principle of openness, inclusiveness and win-win outcomes and is committed to building an open world economy and sharing development opportunities with all countries. "China never stretches its hands into the house of other countries and meddles in their domestic affairs. China never seeks a trade war and never coerces or suppresses foreign enterprises," he said. "By contrast, there are plenty of examples of U.S. economic coercion. Economic sanctions, technological blockade, suppression of foreign enterprises and so on -- the United States has done them all. The aim is to maintain U.S. economic hegemony. This not only runs counter to underlying laws of the market, but also violates international trade rules," he added. More ironically, the spokesperson pointed out that Japan itself is a victim of U.S. economic coercion. Since the 1980s, the United States has imposed multiple rounds of economic sanctions on Japan, used all kinds of tools to crack down on Japan's competitive industries, and even sought to perform a surgical operation on Japan's economic structure, all of which are text-book examples of economic coercion. "Why is Japan being selectively amnesic and chasing the steps of the United States on this?" he asked. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) China has held various activities to celebrate the Army Day, which falls on August 1, the day that celebrates the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1927. This year also marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday presented the August 1 Medal to three military servicemen and conferred an honorary flag to a military battalion for their outstanding service. The August 1 Medal is granted to military personnel who have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. China's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday held a reception at the Great Hall of the People to celebrate the anniversary. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said at the reception that the PLA should accelerate its modernization and strive to build a solid national defense to match China's international status and suit national security and development interests. In 1927, the forerunner to the PLA was founded by the Communist Party of China (CPC), amid a reign of "white terror" unleashed by the Kuomintang, in which thousands of communists and their sympathizers were killed. Originally called the "Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army," it has played a key role in charting the country's development. Nowadays, the army has evolved from a "millet plus rifles" single-service force into a modern organization with sophisticated equipment and technologies. The country aims to basically complete the modernization of its national defense and the people's armed forces by 2035, and fully transform its armed forces into world-class forces by the mid-21st century. As China keeps building up its national defense and armed forces, the defensive nature of the country's national defense policy remains unchanged. Resolutely safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests is the fundamental goal of China's national defense in the new era, according to a white paper titled "China's National Defense in the New Era" released in July 2019. China's defense budget will increase by 7.1 percent to 1.45 trillion yuan (about $229 billion) this year, maintaining single-digit growth for the seventh consecutive year, according to a report on the draft central and local budgets for 2022, submitted to the national legislature. Committed to peaceful development, China has also acted to safeguard world peace and stability. It is the second largest contributor to both peacekeeping assessment and UN membership fees, and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Education is the principal foundation for a country's progress. China gives high priority to education development to nurture young people and cements an ambitious and promising way forward. Reform and innovation have been treated as pivotal for years. The universalization or popularization of the process is contributing toward the desired direction. The more the Chinese youth has access to education the easier strategic goals can be realized. The National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development 2010-2020 already acknowledged an asymmetry between the demands of the people and the educational methodology and capabilities at the time. It therefore functioned as a blueprint to allocate resources and achieve fairness and equality as well as a substantial improvement. In 2015, "Quality Education" was categorized by the UN as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The purpose is to promote lifelong learning and enhance access to education that is illustrated as "key to escaping poverty." China, which at that time was accelerating its titanic effort to alleviate poverty, could not but find a better incentive. As a matter of fact, its national goals acquired a strong international dimension. In the aftermath of the launch of SDGs, China organized several conferences in coordination with relevant UN agencies. In 2017, for instance, the city of Sanya in China's Hainan province hosted the international conference of the UNESCO associated schools network. China's emphasis on strengthening education led to the publication of two development plans at the beginning of 2019. The first deals with the modernization of the sector until 2022, whereas the second designs a long-term vision and outlines ideas until 2035. On the whole, the Chinese modernization strategy aims to strike a balance between universal enrollment in primary and secondary education (especially by eliminating inequalities between urban and rural areas), the subsequent registration of students in higher education or vocational training programs, and the integration of those programs into the updated industry standards. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, the enrollment rate to higher education increased from 30% in 2012 to 57.8% in 2021. Continuity is highly significant as high-quality basic education serves as the basis for the raising of talents at a later stage. The Chinese government thus aims to support public schools to cover extracurricular activities in their normal services and re-organize and regulate private education. Against this backdrop, the 2022 report on the work of the government mentions that the homework load of students in compulsory education has been reduced, and the off-campus tutoring burden has been eased. Additionally, the building of world-class universities is another critical element of the modernization strategy. Among other things, "the Double First Class Initiative" offers a financing scheme to promote talent training and measure their performance at selected universities. The first phase of the program was announced in 2016 and the second in February 2022. As technology and science are at the epicenter of attention, the contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to education could not pass unnoticed. China's relevant next-generation development plan makes several references to the need to carry out AI education programs. Although China is elaborating on, adjusting, and implementing education policies itself, it values international cooperation. International exchanges and collaboration, for example, are identified as the ninth goal of the 2035 modernization plan. Although the pandemic has seriously impacted physical exchanges, online synergies offered a temporary alternative in lockdown periods. Accordingly, China's interest in engaging with the world was recently outlined during the organization of the World Youth Development Forum in Beijing. Supported by UN agencies and other international organizations, the forum was an opportunity to exchange views on quality education and share the thoughts of young people across the globe. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' said in his video message: "There is no time to lose. Building a better future starts today. And it starts with you, the young people of the world." The Beijing Forum is expected to contribute to some of the preparatory work ahead of September's Transforming Education Summit under the UN aegis. George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Socrates: Where virtue is concerned [a genuine statesman] would be like a solid reality among shadows -Plato, Meno (100a-c) Throughout his political career, Joe Biden said that he was personally opposed to abortion because good Catholics like himself believe life begins at conception and, therefore, he supported the Hyde Amendment that prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion. In 2019, when he ran for president in a strongly pro-abortion Democratic Party, he suddenly discovered that he opposed the Hyde Amendment and now believes in using federal funds to violate his sacred religious views on the sanctity of life. Similarly, in 2015, Biden stated that, as a good Catholic, he believes that life begins at conception, but in 2021, as president, paralysed by the crowd of radical pro-abortionists in his party, he discovered that he no longer believes that. In 2019, when Donald Trump was president, Biden harshly criticized Trump for coddling Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who had murdered and dismembered Saudi Washington Post op-ed contributtor Jamal Khashoggi. Biden promised to punish Salman. In 2022, however, after having been installed as president by the Left and undergone an astonishingly quick conversion to his partys radical green agenda, Biden found himself forced to go, hat in hand, to the murderer-torturer prince to beg for an increase oil production, and, in a heartfelt show of brotherhood with the killer, Biden fist-bumped Salman. The earlier talk of punishing the prince was, as usual, so much straw, not a genuine belief. In response to criticism for his flip-flop on his response to the Saudi murderer-torturer, Biden laughed. In 2006, back in the old days when border security was regarded as common sense in both parties, Biden literally yelled at an audience that because Mexicos corrupt government that keeps the people in poverty and sends tons of cocaine and heroin into the U.S., he courageously voted for a 700-mile fence at the border and did not care if people did not like it. He also yelled at the same audience that in order to secure the border, it would be necessary to punish employers who hired illegal aliens. In fact, as president, Biden alternates in his speeches between angrily yelling at people and creepily whispering to them. In 2020, however, months before the November 2020 election that pitted him against Trump, and needing a campaign argument against Trumps proposal to put a wall at the southern border, Biden suddenly discovered that he didnt like barriers at the southern border at all. Biden angrily told the audience: The impulse is to ... shut the gates, build walls, but: "There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration!" Perhaps, most famously, Biden stated in his inauguration speech that I will be a president for all Americans. It must therefore be a surprise that he recently declared that the 74 million Americans who voted Donald Trump are the most extreme political organization in political history, sounding more like their declared enemy than their president. Biden is not the only Democrat whose sacred positions change when the political winds blow. In the June 2019 presidential debates, Kamala Harris, stuffed full of politically useful racial animus, sharply criticized Biden for his past praise for racial segregationists. However, when, in an August 2019 interview, Stephen Colbert asked her how she could criticize Biden on such basic issues of principle so harshly and then support him for the Democrat presidential nominee, Harris, laughing, said several times, It was a debate. She doesnt even hide the fact she feels no responsibility to tell the truth to the American people anymore. She wanted to be the president, and since power is the most important thing to her, she fabricated a narrative in an attempt to get the Democrat nomination and laughed about it. One must also consider the surreal Cuban-born Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas who has recently stated several times, with a straight face, that the U.S. southern border is secure. Comrade Mayorkas does not, apparently, think that the American people can see the endless caravans of destitute and not-so-destitute people crossing the border into the U.S., some explicitly thanking Biden for the invitation, shown regularly on the nightly news. Nor does he appear to have noticed the fact that a recent United Nations report stated that the U.S. southern border, with historically high number of migrants dying in the Rio Grande and on U.S. soil this year, is the worlds deadliest land crossing. One could continue adding similar examples indefinitely but everyone, including Democrats, can see whats going on already even if they are unwilling to admit it. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a new philosophy called existentialism, advanced by such diverse philosophical and literary figures as Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gabriel Marcel, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, T.S. Eliot and others, began to emerge. Although existentialism is a very diverse philosophy, it was often a reaction to a world in which everything had become inauthentic, hollow and false. In response, existentialists called for a return to authenticity, i.e., to return to ones true self or destiny from the near universal lostness in the crowd. Of course, it didnt work. A few obscure philosophers cannot change the way of the world. The existentialists call for a return to authenticity inevitably decayed into a purely academic attempt to publish more verbiage as the world happily returned to the usual human all too human pursuit of money and power in the wasteland of the crowd. Philosophers found other things, like the language of thought hypothesis, to amuse themselves. Only a handful ever really thought that human life is worth taking seriously. Our present age is much like that age that spawned the rise of existentialism. Presidents dont preside, the police dont police, teachers dont teach, prosecutors dont prosecute, news outlets cover up the news, intelligence agencies arent intelligent, pastors dont believe in the Bible, etc. It seems that no one believes, authentically believes, anything anymore, and the few that do are investigated. Everything has become false, a con, an empty gesture, a bumper sticker, a joke. Of course, people mouth the required words in order to obtain power or, at least, a paycheck but most are actors who dont know they are acting. The first black woman SCOTUS justice pretends she doesnt know what a woman is. Her party pretends they dont know either. Yesterday Biden advisers knew that a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Today they pretend they dont. What America desperately needs is a real statesman, a solid leader who, even if they are coarse, some coarseness being, apparently, one of the concomitants of authenticity, actually believes what they say. Unfortunately, that is not the age we live in, We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless. Paralysed force, gesture without motion; -T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men This problem, that has been building for a long time, is not going to end well for the United States or the world. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Abir Ballan, author of the June 2022 piece titled The WHO Review and Why it Matters to You? has documented the corruption by WHO/global leaders and governments concerning Covid treatment. In essence, Ballans findings are a call to action to reassess the WHOs candidacy as an authoritative global public health organization and the necessary actions needed to safeguard peoples health sovereignty. With the unending mismanagement of Covid treatment and the WHOs influence on so many countries, it is a critical call to action. Ballan ponders the following: Did the World Health Organization follow public health principles when recommending the global Covid-19 response? Was the WHO-recommended response to Covid-19 in line with the WHOs own constitution and its own pandemic preparedness plans? Was the WHO guided by science or by private corporate interests? Ultimately, is the WHO suitable as an agency and global authority when it comes to public health? The World Health Organizations own constitution states that informed opinion and active co-operation on the part of the public are of the utmost importance in the improvement of the health of the people. Yet, informed consent, which includes the right to say no to the vaccine, was essentially non-existent as companies, schools and governmental institutions coerced people into taking the jab. Repeatedly, scientists, doctors and other health care workers who attempted to inform the public about alternative treatment options for Covid were censored, punished, and given a pariah status that still exists to this day. Were non-pharmaceutical interventions [such as masks] deployed during the Covid-19 pandemic in line with the 2019 WHO pandemic management recommendations? The overwhelming answer is not even close. Here are some excerpts from a 2019 WHO document re: non-pharmaceutical public health measures for mitigating the risk of epidemic and pandemic influenza. Home quarantine of exposed individuals to reduce transmission is NOT recommended because there is no obvious rationale for this measure [.] (p. 47) The EFFECT of reactive school closure in reducing influenza transmission varied but was generally limited. In such cases, the adverse effects on the community should be considered (e.g. family burden and economic considerations) and the timing and duration should be limited to a period that is judged to be optimal. (p. 52) The strength of EVIDENCE on workplace closure is very LOW because the identified studies are all simulation studies. (p. 54) NO scientific EVIDENCE was identified for the effectiveness of travel advice against pandemic influenza; however, providing information to travelers is simple, feasible and acceptable. (p. 61) Entry and exit screening of travelers [health declarations, visual inspections for symptoms and temperature checks] is NOT recommended due to the overall ineffectiveness in reducing the introduction of infection and delaying local transmission. [Moreover] Involuntary screening may have ethical or legal implications. (p. 64) Nonetheless every one of the above was employed with a vengeance. Schools were closed to the detriment of student achievement. There is now an overwhelming increase in speech delays among students because of two-plus years of social avoidance and lack of face-to-face learning. To this day, colleges still send already jabbed students home to quarantine. And the fact that already vaccinated people become sick is completely glossed over. In fact, The WHO played a vital role in influencing the publics perception of the threat of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19 in some people). Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General, started his speech (March 3, 2020) by mentioning Ebola, priming the public to make an association between Ebola (a highly deadly disease) and Covid-19. This is a behavioural science technique techniques used to modify human behaviour subconsciously that creates an association between two events in order to transfer the characteristics of one event onto the other. Is this an accurate way to measure events or rather a means to create behaviors that ultimately are unwarranted and quite detrimental? After all, despite data showing the low lethality of the virus, the World Health Organization did not adjust its recommendations to apply the principle of proportionality throughout the pandemic. In addition, outright fabrications were disseminated by the WHO. In March 2020, the WHO declared SARS-CoV-2 as an entirely novel virus. In actuality, SARS-CoV-2 is not entirely novel. It is a new member of the coronavirus family, closely related to the SARS-CoV virus which caused the SARS disease in 2003. Yet, WHOs public messaging was dominated by scary discussions of not knowing much about this novel virus or how to treat it. Such fear mongering led to isolation, economic ruin and social collapse. Ballan clearly documents the flip-flopping of the WHO. The WHO went back and forth on their position on the role of asymptomatic spread in transmission. On the one hand, the WHO claimed that asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is very rare. Then they claimed that asymptomatic transmission is a really complex question and we dont actually have that answer yet. The WHO continued to push ineffective measures such as masks, social distancing and avoiding touching surfaces throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns reflect the WHOs disregard for existing pandemic plans. In truth, lockdowns is a term that was never used in previous pandemic plans. They do not save lives. They destroy lives and livelihoods. Assertions were made by the WHO without actual data to affirm the claims. For example, in March 16, 2020 the WHO stated this is a serious disease. Although the evidence we have suggests that those over 60 are at highest risk, young children, including children, have died. But notice the wording. Young people, including children have died. Does the WHO specify here the percentage of children and young people who have died as a result of Covid compared to other diseases? The IFR [Infection Fatality Rate] for Covid in children is 0.0013%. More children die from diarrehoea than from Covid. Yet, children as young as three have died from the jab and their familys loss is incalculable. The WHO regularly boasts about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines while disregarding the daily news about the adverse reactions and the deaths related to the so-called vaccine, i.e., the COVID jabs impact male and female fertility; COVID-19 injections may damage young childrens innate immune systems; personal stories of people injured by the vaccines; COVID vaccines related to cardiac disorders; and permanent disability resulting from the jab. While the data from the US vaccine adverse events reporting system (VAERS) reflects a clear strong signal to halt the vaccination programs, the programs still continue. In fact, as of June 6, 2022, the WHO website shows 3,861,047 reports of side effects following the Covid-19 vaccines since December 2021. Disturbingly, [t]his is not the first time that the WHO has endorsed a vaccine that was known to be harmful. During the H1N1 2009 pandemic, the WHO endorsed the use of the Pandemrix vaccine, despite several studies . . . linking it to a risk of developing narcolepsy as well as other adverse events before it was quickly discontinued. Perhaps most damning of all is that the WHO disregarded emerging evidence on potentially effective early treatments for Covid-19 and actively recommended against their use. It advised against the use of ivermectin to treat patients and limited its use to clinical trials despite promising evidence for its effectiveness and safety in treating Covid-19. How many lives would have been saved had the WHO not suppressed the use of life-saving drugs? Equally alarming is that [a]t least 20% of contributions come from sources linked to corporate interests and 88% of voluntary contributions are earmarked for specific projects, largely serving those corporate interests. They include donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, UN agencies, the World Bank and Rotary International, among others. It should be noted that Bill Gates is building a GERM Global Response and Mobilisation Team which will be managed by the WHO to ensure that the world is ready for future, possibly incorrectly declared pandemics. Whose interests will truly be served? By its actions, the WHO has neutered their qualifications as a global health organization. Abir Ballans study is a true public service enabling people to reflect, assess and act on the value of the WHO and what can be done to return to basic public health core principles. Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com The 19th-century German geographer Friedrich Ratzel once wrote that "great statesmen have never lacked a feeling for geography." "When one speaks of a healthy political instinct," Ratzel continued, "one usually means a correct evaluation of the geographic bases of political power." Europeans and Asians have always had a better grasp of the importance of geography than Americans because unlike Americans, their potential adversaries and opponents were usually located close by, not an ocean away. Laszlo Bernat Veszpremy is a Hungarian historian and the editor of a science journal called Corvinak. Writing in The American Conservative, Veszpremy has provided a geography lesson for Americans in an effort to help them understand the Russian-Ukraine war. The article is titled "The Inexorable Crowbar of Geography," and in it Veszpremy urges Americans to "put maps and encyclopedias back on their tables" so they can understand the "central geographic reality" of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. That geographic reality is the "East European Plain," which extends over two million square miles. It is the largest lowland in the world. The great British geographer Sir Halford Mackinder sketched what he called the "Great Lowland" in his geopolitical masterpiece Democratic Ideals and Reality (1919). Mackinder described this plain as a "gateway" into Europe from Asia, and into Asia from Europe. He characterized this lowland as "the strategical fact of decisive meaning" for Eurasian geopolitics. Mackinder described the raids of hordes from Asia Tatars, Huns, Avars, Magyars, Mongols that helped shape modern Europe. Centuries later, European empires Napoleonic France, Wilhelmine Germany, and Nazi Germany traversed the great lowland and struck into the heart of European Russia. Veszpremy writes that it is impossible to understand Russia's perspective on Ukraine without "taking into account the many perilous periods of Russian history ingrained in the soul of the Russian people." The Russian empire was born in Kiev and expanded until engulfed for two centuries by the Mongols. Poland invaded Russia in 1609, and in the Great Northern War of 17001721, "the Swedish army got as far as Central Ukraine before being defeated in 1709." A century later, Bonaparte led a multinational army into Russia and occupied Moscow. And a century after that, the Kaiser's army advanced deep into Russia and forced the new Bolshevik regime to sue for peace. And in the summer of 1941, Hitler's armies took Ukraine and advanced toward Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad before being stopped by the Russian weather and stiff Russian resistance. Veszpremy writes that Russia still "feels militarily vulnerable on her Western border," and Russia "will never cede control of the lands she considers vital for the country's future; she will never abandon the areas where the country can be easily attacked." Putin, some European experts believe, desires to resurrect not the old Soviet Union, but the old Russian empire and Ukraine was an important part of that empire. Historians to this day still disagree as to whether Stalin at the end of World War II wanted all of Europe or just enough of eastern and central Europe to feel secure. Veszpremy does not excuse Russia's aggression or downplay Russia's wartime atrocities. But the facts of geography, and Russia's historical perspective on that geography, are factors that the United States and its NATO allies ignore at their peril. As Mackinder advised the Western democracies many years ago, peace and stability will come about only when we "adjust our ideals of freedom to [the] lasting realities of our earthly home." Image via Public Domain Pictures. Tucker Carlson understands that Nancy Pelosi's planned trip to Taiwan is not the first act in the politics between America and China but is the latest act in a decades-long relationship that has seen China steadily usurp America's lead both economically and militarily. It's All about Eve on a national scale, with shy, backward China systematically working to take on America's role in the world, although without the tiresome liberty part. In this version, though, America isn't just a victim; she's an accomplice, aiding China in her own destruction. (For those of you unfamiliar with it, in All about Eve, Bette Davis is Margo Channing, the established, famous Broadway actress that is, she's like America. Anne Baxter is Eve, the seemingly sweet fan who, through guile and aggression, co-opts Channing's personal and professional lives. Eve is the equivalent of China. At the end of the movie, things don't go well for Eve, but Channing is also badly damaged.) Tucker is very certain about what's going on: Joe Biden, having continued the work that all presidents but for Donald Trump began, which is to turn America into China's colony, has now taken the utterly irrational step of baiting China into a military confrontation with America. That step is the insistence that Nancy Pelosi, who manages to combine her habitual viciousness with seemingly escalating dementia, will go to Taiwan. Image: Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, 2015 (edited). YouTube screen grab. There's no reason for Pelosi to go to Taiwan, especially because doing so messes with the careful, friendly neutrality America has maintained toward that valiant, productive little island for decades now. China insists that Taiwan is a breakaway part of the communist People's Republic of China, while Taiwan (AKA the Republic of China) insists that it is the legitimate government of the Chinese nation. In other words, for China and Taiwan, this is very serious business. Taiwan bristles like a porcupine with weaponry because China presents an omnipresent threat to turn its military and population heft against the island. I sincerely hope that Tucker is wrong that the Biden administration is walking us into war. After all, as Tucker notes, the Biden administration has significantly weakened our military because of its obsession with race and the LGBTQ++ agenda. In addition, we are utterly dependent on China for everything, from basic medicines (painkillers and antibiotics) to most of our technology. Alternatively, if we're not dependent on China for technology, we're dependent on Taiwan for that same technology and China has the ability to block all shipping from there to here. Here's an alternative idea that I'm pretty much pulling out of thin air because the thought of a war with China terrifies me. It riffs off the fact that Tom Cotton claims that the Biden administration deliberately leaked the story about Pelosi going to China. Why would it do that? Perhaps what we're witnessing is an elaborate pantomime involving both China and the Biden administration. Keep in mind that, as Tucker points out, Joe Biden has already yielded completely to China on all things: He is a toady to China. Since the day Biden was elected, he has helped the Chinese government in ways that no American president has ever even contemplated, a partial list. The administration helped cover up the origins of COVID even after it became very clear that this global pandemic, which wrecked the American economy, was created by the Chinese military, but we can't mention that because it's racist. Then, the White House shut down a counterespionage program designed to stop Chinese spying, which is endemic in the United States. Then, Biden dropped tariffs against Chinese goods. Then, he refused to do anything to move critical manufacturing back to the United States. At the same time, he's literally selling our strategic oil reserves to China in the middle of a domestic energy crisis and, by the way, handing our entire energy grid over to the government of China and then to top it off today, the Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, who acts as the White House spokesman all of a sudden for some reason said this, "We do not support Taiwan independence." Perhaps the spectacle of Biden and Pelosi standing up to China now is simply part of a careful script. Hear me out: China has significant economic problems, and, although its military is formidable, it also has the weakness of all totalitarian militaries, which is that it's inflexible and it can't address its own problems. Moreover, its weapons are "made in China" (meaning they're badly made). For all the huffing and puffing, China probably does not want a war. With an election coming up, there's a benefit to both China and Biden for Joe to look brave and powerful to the American people, even as he continues to sell out America to the Chinese. The head of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed Saturday in Kabul, Afghanistan following U.S. drone strikes. Joe Biden said the following yesterday: On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan and killed al Qaeda Amir Ayman al-Zawahiri. He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests. Zawahri was Bin Laden's leader, his number two man, and his deputy during the time of terrorist attacks on 9/11. He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11. YouTube screen grab. His Twitter account also tweeted this: The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. Tonight we made clear: No matter how long it takes. No matter where you try to hide. We will find you. President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2022 Al-Zawahiri had also masterminded the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 that killed 17 U.S. sailors and the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 223 people were killed. Al-Zawahiri took over al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan back in 2011. Zawahiri is also one of the U.S.'s "most wanted terrorists." Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also confirmed the strike: "An airstrike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city on July 31." Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan "strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement." Mujahid also issued a warning that "such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region. Repeating such actions will damage the available opportunities." The mainstream media, desperately looking for a way to cover Biden favorably, may have reason to celebrate, especially with the midterms inching closer. First, some facts about the U.S.-Afghan conflict. The U.S. spent almost $5.8 trillion on the war and rebuilding of Afghanistan. The U.S. had troops on the ground and even an administrative presence for nearly two decades. The Brown University Costs of War project, which tracks casualties of war, reported the following regarding the Afghan conflict: 47,245 Afghan civilians and 66,000 Afghan national military and police personnel were killed. 2,448.US service members and 3,846 defense contractors were killed in Afghanistan. 1,144 allied service members, including from other NATO member states were also killed. 444 Aid workers and 72 Journalists were also killed. One of the primary goals of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan was to prevent it from becoming a safe haven and training ground for Islamic terrorists. The New York Times reported that the location where the missiles struck Al- Zawahiri is a wealthy downtown enclave within what is considered the city's diplomatic quarters, which once housed dozens of Western embassies and now is home to some high-ranking Taliban officials. This clearly proves that Afghanistan has once again become the headquarters for Islamic terrorists. The NYT also reported: [A]fter the US drone strike that killed al-Zawahri, members of the terror group Haqqani network had tried to conceal that the al-Qaeda leader was at the house in Kabul, which reportedly was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, and restricted access to the site. Sirajuddin Haqqani is the interior minister in the Taliban "government" in Kabul. Clearly, the Taliban is actively supporting terror groups. There are also serious questions that need to be asked about Pakistan, the terror state where Osama bin Laden made his home. The Times of India quotes a U.S. report that Al-Zawahiri was long believed to have been living in Pakistan. The report also stated that the fact that Al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul is a testament to not only the porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also to al-Qaeda's decades-long use of facilities, houses, buildings, and compounds throughout both countries. Under President Trump, Afghanistan had seen some progress, despite the Afghan government's considerable inadequacies and corruption. It was relatively peaceful, and there was some economic growth. Women were relatively safe and could go to work. Schools and universities were functioning with even female students in attendance. The U.S. government spent less than before, and there were no U.S. soldier casualties for over a year. Biden's surreptitious, ill planned, and abrupt withdrawal has undone all progress, and Afghanistan is back to being a safe abode for terrorists. What is more troubling is that the Biden administration left behind billions of dollars' worth of U.S. advanced weaponry, such as Black Hawks and Humvees. These arms are obviously in the custody of the worst and most dangerous terrorists in the world, who have made Afghanistan their home. If that wasn't enough, the U.S. and other global powers have been dispatching advanced weaponry to Ukraine. There is no tracking mechanism for these arms. It isn't beyond the realm of possibility that the weapons will find their way to Afghanistan. The killing of Al-Zawahiri could be regarded as a symbolic victory, but it will have very little impact on the ground in Afghanistan or Pakistan, where terrorists have easy access to advanced U.S. weaponry. Al-Zawahiri had passed his prime and was rumored to be in bad health. He was rarely seen in public. Al-Zawahiri's obsolescence was evident as he struggled to keep up with younger, more radical terrorist groups such as ISIS. The most troubling aspect of this news is the fact that Al-Zawahiri was living in the most affluent and influential part of Kabul, with active support from the Taliban and Pakistan. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are obviously several other terror groups that have made Afghanistan their home and are planning dastardly attacks on the civilized world. Flash China on Monday once again warned the United States that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will not sit idly by if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the warning at a daily news briefing. China has repeatedly stated to the United States its grave concern over the issue and the solemn position of resolutely opposing Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and stressed the severe consequences if Pelosi visits Taiwan, Zhao said. "The will of the people cannot be defied, and those who play with fire will perish by it," Zhao said. "It is believed the U.S. side is fully aware of China's strong and clear message." China is closely following the itinerary of Pelosi, Zhao said. "A visit to Taiwan by her would constitute a gross interference in China's internal affairs, seriously undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, wantonly trample on the one-China principle, greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-U.S. relations, and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences." China once again warns the U.S. side that China is on high alert, the PLA will never sit idly by, and will surely take resolute and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhao said. The United States should strictly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, honor U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment that the United States does not support "Taiwan independence," and not arrange for Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the spokesperson added. At a time of rising unemployment and flight from one-party blue cities, what should Los Angeles come up with but a new plan to hire foreigners in county government posts? According to the Los Angeles Times: U.S. citizenship will no longer be a requirement for many Los Angeles County government jobs, including department heads. On Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion allowing the county, with a few exceptions, to hire noncitizens to lead county agencies excluding the chief probation officer and for any other county jobs where state or federal law doesn't mandate citizenship. Immigrants who lack legal status remain ineligible to work for the county. Tuesday's motion, by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, extends eligibility for county jobs to lawful permanent residents and those with work permits. The motion directs staff to remove citizenship as a requirement for county positions, unless otherwise mandated by state or federal law. ...and much of it is sneaky and off the books, so good luck getting the specifics of it: Some details of the county's plan weren't made public. The county chief executive office and Solis' and Kuehl's offices declined to share a June report with The Times, stating it was protected by attorney-client privilege because it was drafted by county attorneys. This may well mean that illegal aliens will soon become the County of Los Angeles's ruling government. Sure, the Times says illegals are excluded, but that's window dressing. Anyone with DACA status would likely be included in the hireables list, as would anyone who's managed to cadge asylum from a pliant immigration judge or newly minted "asylum officer," as will any of the millions who have seen their charges dropped by the Department of Homeland Security and who are now free to roam the country. All they need to do is secure a Social Security number, often through identity theft, and they're hireable in Los Angeles. That's going on exponentially, according to this RealClearInvestigations report. There are a thousand ways to get around illegal status these days, yet still be illegal. We still don't know if being in deportation proceedings will count as legal or not, given that asylum-seekers are now getting free Social Security numbers and work permits the minute they get "processed." Now, besides free travel, free health care, free hotels, and all that, there will be government jobs, likely with no English-speaking requirements, with huge salaries and even bigger pensions, and too bad if the citizens don't like it. Don't think that's not what these characters have in mind. Molina and Kuehl are literally open-borders militants. I've heard Molina speak behind closed doors and know very well what she thinks, and Kuehl's record speaks for itself. Here's Molina's justification: "By removing citizenship requirements, the county will gain access to a larger pool of qualified applicants with varied life experiences that can help enhance current services," Solis, the board chair, said in a statement. "This decision is rooted in a larger vision to bring diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront of everything that we do at the county." Solis had hoped the county could waive citizenship requirements for disaster service workers, but state law governs those positions and excludes lawfully employed immigrants. Incredibly, some county officials claimed that the hiring of non-citizens was particularly necessary for the public defender's office...owing to the surge in crime in the city committed by illegals. "The county workforce should reflect the people they serve, and nowhere is this more important than at the public defender's office," [a former illegal alien turned ACLU activist] said. Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, the son of immigrants and the county's first Latino public defender, said in a tweet that the crucial role of his office in the lives of indigent residents "makes it essential that the hiring process allows for onboarding the best and most diverse candidates." A powerful public defender's office official, defending a foreign thug against a victimized American, will now be the one seeking to get the illegally present foreign cartel or gang member or whatever off the hook at the expense of the American who's been brutalized. Somehow, this wasn't what the Founders meant by representative government, let alone "justice." The justifications for this, in fact, are garbage. Government jobs are all about power. When non-citizens, quite likely illegal ones, take those jobs, they get power, and they become the rulers. The second problem is that citizenship confers loyalty to America. Non-citizens hold no such requirements and therefore will hold loyalty to another country. This could present some interesting ideas to the Chinese, or Iranians, or Russians, or Cubans, or Venezuelans, or even Mexicans, who'd like to see a few of their own in certain critical areas of American government itself, looking up records, sending those data back home, and exerting power to act in the country of their loyalty's interests. We have yet to see a Mexican county job in Mexico's second city, Guadalajara, filled by an Americans, and if it were, we know what Mexicans would think of that. It goes against the right of citizens to be represented. Los Angeles officials see skin color and nationality as the only identifier of a person, normal people see citizenship, which actually erases all distinctions between color and race. It's raza uber alles for the L.A. County bunch that OKed this. It comes on the heels of a recent judicial ruling elsewhere that banned non-citizens from voting in local elections. One hopes that this act will meet a similar fate by some judge at some point, but don't hold your breath. Huntington Park has already pioneered the appointment of bona fide illegals (who didn't even qualify for the easily obtained DACA status) to city leadership posts. The slide downward can only continue, with more and more jobs opening to non-citizens of all statuses, erasing the meaning of citizenship even further, and along with it, the right to representative rule. Image: Screen shot from CBC News video via YouTube. Will U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set foot on Taiwan after China warned of repercussions? China's threat is absurd: the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled or occupied Taiwan. It is akin to Russia threatening retaliation against the U.K. if a House of Commons M.P. were to visit the Ukraine. In a most basic analogy, when is it ever okay for neighbor A to threaten neighbor B's well-being if neighbor B were to step foot in neighbor C's house? While the House speaker does not officially represent the Executive Branch of the government or directly dictate foreign policy, those outside the U.S. do not discern such distinctions: an American politician represents the United States of America. True, Pelosi skipping Taiwan will not be the end of the world for Taiwan or the U.S. However, if she does not visit Taiwan due to Chinese warnings, the U.S. will be seen as cowering to China and allowing the rising dragon to dictate a slice, albeit a small one, of U.S. foreign affairs matters. Additionally, the perception will echo loudly of a U.S. that is using Taiwan as a pawn in its U.S.-China bilateral relationship, as it was readily apparent in the Obama-ClintonKurt Campbell days. Worse, U.S. global reputation and allies' perception that the U.S. stands up to bullies will nosedive. If the U.S. Air Force jet carrying Pelosi lands in Taipei, it will reinforce U.S. support of the thriving rules-based and democratic Taiwan. And, in the face of the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pelosi's visit will signal to the world that the U.S. will not abandon and has not (yet) abandoned an ally. Could China's latest warning be a sign that the CCP is squeamish and uncomfortable with the now-burgeoning quasi-official (and military) relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, started by Trump/Pompeo, that, to China, has unexpectedly continued under Biden/Blinken? No one will be surprised if Pelosi bypasses Taiwan. It will be a temporary loss of face to the U.S. and another blow to Taiwan's continuing effort to be recognized on the global stage. However, if the U.S. wants to draw a line in the sand that it will not back down to threats, this is the moment to stand by its principle: no nation will dictate to the U.S. where U.S. citizens and politicians can visit, nor will any nation publicly steer the U.S. on how it executes its foreign policy matters, big or small, through threats. Perhaps pragmatism will rule the day. If, after stops in Singapore and Malaysia, an emergency (i.e., health issue, food poisoning, etc.) forces Pelosi to return to the U.S. and cancel the rest of her trip, then all this verbal posturing about whether she visits Taiwan will be moot...and many a face will be saved. The author is a first-generation Asian-American and a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and Columbia University. He retired from the U.S. Army (as a colonel) and the U.S. Department of State (as a foreign service officer). Image: Office of the President of Taiwan. Pro-abortion extremists recently struck St. Joseph's Priory, a Catholic church in Armada, Michigan, spray-painting a pentagram and "666" on one of the sanctuary's walls. Classy. Rational. That will be sure to gain converts to their cause. And that was just one of many attacks on churches and crisis pregnancy centers around the U.S. since the Supreme Court rightfully overturned Roe v. Wade. To wit: The Christian Post reported that suspects recently defaced a pregnancy resource center in Denton, Texas. The vandals utilized graffiti to declare, "Forced birth is murder." Vandals also recently broke into the Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder, Colorado, smashing windows and spray-painting messages such as "Abortion Saves Lives." It is impossible to spray-paint, write, type or utter a phrase more self-evidently opposite of the truth than "forced birth is murder" or "abortion saves lives." Forced birth is not, in fact, murder. Much like "forced murder" is not birth. Saying that "abortion saves lives" is akin to saying, "Murder saves lives." It is preposterous, absurd, nonsensical, offensive. While I'm on the subject, the "pro-choice" claim that "abortion is love," a slogan often found on hastily constructed placards, is equally preposterous and despicable. Abortion is not love, just as love is not abortion. Love is not hate; hate is not love. Men are not women; women are not men. Truth is not a lie, as lying is not truthfulness. Slavery is not freedom. Freedom is not slavery. Democrats (and progressives and leftists, though these are essentially all now one and the same) have been conducting a Euphemism and Prevarication Festival for years now. It has grown old. It is time for it to end. Calling someone a "pregnant man" doesn't make her one no matter how much she may wish it to be so. To quote former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki, let me "circle back" to the idea of "forced birth." Pro-life people do not want to force anyone to be pregnant and therefore face the prospect of giving birth. No pro-life person to my knowledge has ever demanded that anyone have intercourse. In fact, we'd much prefer that most pro-abortion folks never bear children! The term "forced birth" is preposterous prevarication and makes the person employing it appear ridiculous and pathetic. It is one thing that should be aborted. There are simple solutions to a number of modern problems, though one may sadly risk being "canceled" for stating them. Don't want to have a baby? Don't engage in the behavior that could lead to that result. Want to dramatically lessen the chance you'll contract monkeypox? Don't engage in the behavior that puts you at dramatically heightened risk of doing so. We all fervently hope that monkeypox runs its course without affecting a measurable percentage of the population. Donkeypox, however, is now a scourge upon the land, and one that will be exceedingly hard to eradicate. In fact, if we cannot do so by the end of 2022 or 2024, we may be plagued by it forever. Image: Nogwater via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped). One of the most pernicious things that has happened recently in America is the 1619 Project, an error-riddled "history" of the United States that presents our nation as one predicated solely on the evils of African slavery, beginning when Europeans first set foot on North American soil. This original sin, says the 1619 Project, tainted everything that followed. Therefore, only racists can love America. Obviously, Democrats embraced this history, but, when commentator Matt Walsh discussed the larger history of world slavery, he learned that some Republicans don't want the truth to be put out there, either. In 2019, Nikole Hannah-Jones, who knows nothing about history but a great deal about propaganda, working with the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, developed the 1619 Project. The project essentially says that America's original, and entirely unique, sin of slavery is so deeply embedded in the warp and woof of this nation that America itself is irredeemably corrupt. The purpose is to drive an immovable wedge between Blacks and Whites in America, preventing the national unity that gives a nation strength. Sean Wilentz is a very progressive Princeton professor but is also someone whose passion for American history means he cannot lie about it, so he has attacked the 1619 Project on factual grounds (see here and here). His critiques make for illuminating reading. The short version is that The 1619 Project is factually wrong from top to bottom and front to back. (You can see my friend Wolf Howling's summary of Wilentz's arguments here.) Image: A Constantinople slave market with both White and Black slaves, by William Allan, 1838. Fast-forward from 2019, when the 1619 Project broke, to July 30, 2022, just three days ago. Commentator Matt Walsh had just finished reading Dean King's Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, about an American ship that wrecked on Africa's shores in 1815. The survivors were sold into absolutely brutal slavery, and a few were finally ransomed. The memoirs that Captain James Riley wrote about the experience, Sufferings in Africa, became a massive bestseller in early 19th-century America. (I've long owned the book but never had the stomach to read it.) Inspired by the book, Walsh put out a series of tweets pointing out that slavery in America was the end of the line for slavery. This was because the combination of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Enlightenment caused Westerners to recognize that a universal practice (humans have held slaves at all times and in all places) was a moral evil: Of course white people were enslaved in other parts of Africa too, and across the world for centuries. Including in North America where white servants were shipped to the colonies by the thousands. Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 30, 2022 Slavery persisted in non-western countries long after it had been abolished in the west. Slavery was an accepted institution in Africa and Asia for millennia, and it seems to have never occurred to any of these societies that there might be something wrong with the practice. Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 30, 2022 And of course the African slave trade was mostly furnished by Africans capturing other Africans and selling them into bondage. The African slave trade was abolished by the west, not by Africa. Slavery remained legal in parts of Africa well into the 20th century. Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 30, 2022 Because he is a provocateur by nature, Walsh was unsurprised when he got pushback from leftists refusing to accept that American slavery was not unique. What did surprise him was that he also got pushback from Republicans, who castigated him for damaging the conservative movement's ability to welcome Blacks into the fold. I've included below the video of Walsh discussing the whole issue, from Dean King's book to the universality of slavery, to America's masochistic pretense that it's the only nation that had slavery, to the terrible reality of indentured servitude, to his rebuttal to those Republicans who don't want to touch the anti-American slave narrative. Regarding slavery as a general matter, the only thing I think Walsh forgot to include was that the reason the West moved away from slavery was that the Old Testament represents the first, and for millennia the only, religion in the world that challenged slavery. It did so in two ways: first, Exodus celebrates a slave revolt. Second, Exodus also mandates that Jews must free Hebrew slaves after six years. Both of these freedom stories, although limited to Jews, began the concept of liberty as a moral precept. And regarding those angry Republicans, I also have a point to make: they're dead wrong that it's a mistake to bring actual history to the fore. The entire purpose behind the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory is to make Black Americans hate White Americans. The initiatives do that by falsely claiming that America was uniquely horrible when it came to slaves. From that, as noted above, Democrats say that anybody who values America (e.g., Republicans and conservatives) is a slave-loving racist. The only way to push back against this foul narrative is with the truth. Until Black Americans know the entire truth, they will continue to hate America and hate Whites. Only when they appreciate that their ancestors were an unfortunate part of a universal historical story and that America marked the end of that story can they reconcile to America and break with the racially toxic Democrat party. Shaun King, the lily-white Black activist, may have a failing that seems to be common to all left-leaning activists: he believes that the money his followers send to support his cause is really meant to support him. To that end, it's being reported that King (AKA Talcum X) used $40,000 of his PAC's money to buy an award-winning mastiff. Even dog-lovers might find that a grift too far. The Washington Free Beacon has the story: Grassroots Law PAC, which the progressive grifter founded to elect soft-on-crime local officials, paid roughly $40,000 since December to the California-based Potrero Performance Dogs, according to campaign finance disclosures. The payments are labeled for "contractor services," making their purpose difficult to discern. But days after a $30,650 payment in February, King welcomed a "new member of the King family": an award-winning mastiff bred by Potrero named Marz. King, who has been hounded for years by allegations of fraud, has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Grassroots Law. But the payments for a dog raises [sic] questions about whether the former Bernie Sanders surrogate is using PAC contributions the way donors intended. Before you get too emotional about the donors whose money went to the dogs, let me hasten to assure you that they can afford the loss. The largest donor to Grassroots Law PAC is an heiress of the Hormel meatpacking company. Another multi-million-dollar donor is Dustin Moskovitz, a Facebook cofounder, who, along with his wife, wrote some mighty big checks. Image: Shaun King. YouTube screen grab. The Free Beacon article details other accusations to the effect that King is no stranger to enriching himself at the expense of those whom he purports to serve. I have no idea whether the allegations are true. So far as I know, no judge or jury has found him guilty on any charges. What's interesting, though, is how many of these Black Lives Matter activists stand accused of using their supporters' money for their own benefit. Most notable are the charges against the Black Lives Matter organization itself: Black Lives Matter spent millions on luxury properties in Los Angeles and Toronto, according to the first public accounting of its finances. In Canada, Toronto-based non-profit M4BJ purchased a 10,000-square-foot downtown property for the equivalent of $6.3 million. The former headquarters of the Canadian communist party was named the Wildseed Centre for Art and Activism by Canadian BLM members who said it was purchased using cash from BLMGNF. The purchase of the Toronto home was part of an $8 million "out of country grant" in North America, to conduct "activities to educate and support black communities, and to purchase and renovate property for charitable use," according to BLMGNF's latest federal tax filing for fiscal year 2020. The group said it planned to use the space as its main office in Canada. [snip] The IRS filing also lists the group's Los Angeles compound as an asset. In October 2020, BLMGNF secretly bought a sprawling mansion in Los Angeles, spending nearly $6 million on the purchase of the Studio City compound, which includes a soundstage, six bedrooms and a swimming pool. The thing about communists (and all these Black Lives Matter activists espouse hard-left policies) is that they are obsessed with money. Indeed, the sole value they have is money: who has it, who shouldn't have it, who deserves it, and who should control it. Because leftists' worldview revolves entirely around money, it shouldn't surprise anyone that, once they encounter money, they become supremely acquisitive. Just think of Bernie Sanders, the lifelong communist who never held a real job, but whose recent political fame turned him into a property-rich multi-millionaire. As far as I know, he's resisted any impulses he might have had to share his wealth. Ultimately, high-level communists invariably seem to develop a one-way "share the wealth" philosophy that is exactly like the Toddlers' Creed: no matter the source of the money, once it passes through their hands, it's theirs forever: This may explain why so many communist dictators amassed fortunes in the billions (e.g., Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, the Ceausescus, Yasser Arafat, etc.): the only measure of value they have for anything is financial, and their policies give them virtually unlimited access to money. Who cares if those same policies, coupled with the dictators' greed, destroy the people they purportedly serve? So, while I don't know if Shaun King wrongfully used donor money to buy a $40,000 dog, one can certainly see that the charges against him are consistent with what we know of leftists who have easy access to other people's money. Nations have armed forces for two reasons: 1) to kill people and 2) to break things. The tools a society provides its warriors are things like rifles, machine guns, howitzers, tanks, guided missile cruisers, fighters, and so on. It is critical that a nation's warriors are proficient at using these tools to kill the enemy and break his things. Gaining and maintaining this proficiency is a full-time job. If the armed forces do not have this competence, the nation may perish. The focus of this Department of Defense on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) distracts from building proficiency at killing people and breaking things. One doesn't have to go far to find examples. Defense secretary Lloyd Austin has testified to the Department's focus on DEI. He appointed a new senior adviser on the issue. The Navy has been in the news for releasing a training video on the proper use of sexual identity pronouns. The Army released a controversial animated recruiting ad that features a woman growing up with two mothers seeking her own adventures. The Marines issued a statement supporting Gay Pride month that featured a helmet adorned with bullets painted in colors of a Gay Pride flag. The Air Force stood up its first ever office for DEI in February 2021. There are credible reports of Critical Race Theory being taught "uncritically" at West Point. Because a handful of the January 6 riot participants were veterans, Lloyd Austin ordered a stand-down for the armed forces to purge white supremacists from the ranks. (The logical connection is mystifying.) None of this contributes to the reasons for having armed forces. A more compelling issue is the relationship of its warriors with society. Having spent a career as a soldier, I will include myself in this discussion. We are different from the rest of you. We can seem "normal." We can work in an office, live in your neighborhood, send our kids to the same school, have a mortgage, and walk our dogs. But a soldier's ultimate duty is to conduct violence at the risk of life and limb. The nature of what we have to do well requires some separation from society. We must practice using the tools you provide us. We need to shoot the rifles, machine guns, howitzers, and tanks. Bombers need to practice dropping bombs. Fighters need dedicated airspace to practice aerial combat. Fighters based on aircraft carriers need to take off and land on the carriers. The question is, "how much separation is healthy?" Is it better for warriors to have a stake in the society they defend or to be hired guns? My answer is it would be better for warriors to participate in society so that they are defending their own society. This affects policy questions like the draft and military compensation. There is not a perfect answer to maintain the balance between proficiency and connection to society, but a society needs to keep the issue under review. In World War II, between 9% and 10% of the population was under arms. The entire society was involved in the war effort. The connection between the military and society at large was solid. Because of the decision to fight the Vietnam War without calling up reserves, about 2% of the population was under arms. There was a conscious decision not to involve the nation in the war effort, and there was estrangement between the military and society. One small personal story can highlight this. I went to Vietnam in December 1970. On the way to the airport, I saw people buying Christmas trees, obviously unconcerned that I was going to war. On the plane to Seattle, I sat with businessmen who were concerned about traveling so close to Christmas and the location of their hotels with regard to their business. My biggest concern was that I might very soon get shot. There was estrangement here. In our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the percentage of the population under arms dwindled to less than one percent. While most of us went about our normal lives, those on active duty returned to combat multiple times. This led to some morale problems as a tiny portion of the population led lives of continuous difficulty and danger. There was some effort not to repeat some of the awful treatment of the military during Vietnam, but some estrangement by a soldier might be understood after four deployments, one wound, and one divorce. This issue can be studied and debated rationally, and far more productively, than promoting racial division and safe spaces for gender identity feelings. Because there is no reason to field armed forces that aren't good at their job and solidly tied to the society they protect. Image: Picryl. Progressivism has created generations of disconnected young Americans in search of an identity. The incidence of overt teenage depression has risen from ~7% to ~20% over the past 15 years. In 2019, 36% of teens expressed persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness. Eighteen percent seriously considered suicide (CDC). Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the 18- to 24-year age group. Media "experts" attribute this to bullying, anxiety over school grades, peer pressures, abusive family environments, etc. None of these explanations seems adequate to explain this alarming trend. Trapped in a careening subway car, are today's youth desperately looking for a strap to hang on to? In the wake of progressive and woke influences on our culture and society, their traditional underpinnings have undergone progressive erosion. Patriotism is passe. America was built on slavery and remains systemically racist, afflicted with white supremacy, capitalist greed, and income inequality. Patriots are cast as "white nationalist" fascists. Religious tenets are oppressive, and organized religion is corrupt. Family and community integrity are increasingly fragmented. Parental authority is oppressive. Working parents indulge instead of discipline. Gender identity is up for grabs. Names are too restrictive pick a pronoun. DEI and CRT crowd out the 3 Rs as education becomes indoctrination. Media overload exposes them to politically driven partisan chaos. Global warming will end civilization. COVID lockdowns and remote learning, championed by the left, have exacerbated their disconnect. They are innocent victims of an unstable society. The dissolution of traditionally stable social anchors faith, country, family and exposure to societal divisiveness and chaos have left them adrift and untethered. Having nowhere else to turn, they turn inward, by default. They become self-immersed, introspective, fragile, and vulnerable. They seek safe spaces, cringe before microaggressions, and seek mental health days as a term of employment. They are labeled "narcissists" and the "me" generation because of their outwardly defensive posturing. They become anxious and depressed especially girls, who are more dependent on social connectivity than boys. Increasing numbers are prescribed anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs, or turn to street drugs. Adolescent residential treatment centers are flourishing. They turn to social media for identity. Are tattoos and piercings identity-enhancers, displays of conformity to a new TikTok/social media norm? Perhaps if we displayed American flags instead of rainbow banners and BLM posters, stopped treating 10-year-olds as adults, and stopped straddling them with the guilt of racism and global warming, they might feel better about themselves. Image: HistoryOverFiction, On 21 September 1915, a barrister named Cecil Chubb was sent to an auction by his wife to buy some curtains. According to some accounts, she asked for dining chairs. It didnt matter, because her husband bought neither. Instead, Mr. Chubb returned home the proud owner of a crumbling stone monument. Today, it might be hard to imagine that one of Englands most famous prehistoric monument, the Stonehenge, could be offered for sale at an auction, but thats what happened a century ago. Stonehenge, circa 1880. Photo: Wellcome Collection Stonehenge had been in private hands since King Henry VIII confiscated it from a nearby Benedictine abbey in 1540. The monument changed hands numerous times until it was bought by the Antrobus family of Cheshire in 1824. In 1900 they fenced off the monument and began to charge a 1-shilling admission fee to pay for a guard and a restoration of the neglected ruin. After Sir Edmund Antrobus, the only heir to the family, died in 1914, the estate was divided into lots and offered up for sale via auction. Lot 15: Stonehenge with about 30 acres, 2 rods, 37 perches of adjoining downland caught the attention of Cecil Chubb. The auction began at 5,000, and went up in increments of 100 until the price of 6,000 was reached and then stalled. Nobody was willing to pay more. Gentlemen, it is impossible to value Stonehenge, the auctioneer urged. Surely 6,000 is poor bidding, but if no one bids me any more, I shall set it at this price. Will no one give me any more than 6,000 for Stonehenge? One by one hands went up once again. Someone offered 6,500. But before the auctioneer could finally lower his gavel, Mr. Chubb chipped in with 6,600. The Stonehenge was sold. Cecil Chubb with his wife Mary. Chubbs wife was understandably not pleased, but Chubb couldnt help it. While I was in the room, I thought a Salisbury man ought to buy it, and that is how it was done, Chubb told a local newspaper. Chubb feared that a wealthy foreigner might buy Stonehenge, dismantle it and transport it abroad, as happened to London Bridge more than 50 years later, when it was shipped to Arizona. Three years later, Chubb gifted Stonehenge to the British people, under the condition that local people should be able to visit for free. In a letter announcing the donation, Chubb wrote: Stonehenge is perhaps the best known and the most interesting of our national monuments and has always appealed strongly to the British imagination. To me, who was born close to it and during my boyhood and youth visited it at all hours of the day and night, under every conceivable condition of weatherin driving tempests of hail, rain and snow, fierce thunderstorms, glorious moonlight and beautiful sunshine, it always has had an inexpressible charm. I became owner of it with a deep sense of pleasure, and had contemplated that it might remain a cherished possession of my family for long years to come. It has, however, been pressed upon me that the nation would like to have it for its own, and would prize it most highly. Thanks to Chubbs impulse buy and his generosity, Stonehenge had been saved for future generations. Who knows what would have happened to it if someone else had bought it?, asks curator Heather Sebire. It was in a pretty perilous condition at the time and it appears that Chubb stepped in to make sure Stonehenge stayed in local ownership. Now its under the guardianship of English Heritage and is safe forever. The second-highest bidder for Stonehenge was farmer Isaac Crook, who wanted to graze sheep in the fields. His grandson, Richard, who still farms nearby fields told The Guardian: He was going to put sheep on to it. Its quite a thought that our family might have owned Stonehenge. But who knows what hed have done with the stones? He was interested in the land rather than the stones but I like to think hed have cared for them. In 1919 the British government launched an extensive renovation of Stonehenge that included straightening stones and re-setting them in concrete. In the late 1920s a nationwide appeal was launched to save Stonehenge from the encroachment of the modern buildings that had begun to rise around it. By 1928 the National Trust purchased the land around the monument and removed the buildings. Flash U.S. President Joe Biden announced Monday evening that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. "I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield," Biden said in live remarks from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House. "There were no civilian casualties." Al-Zawahiri became head of al-Qaeda in 2011 after its longtime leader, Osama bin Laden, was shot and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan during a raid. Biden's announcement came nearly a year after the U.S. military completed a withdrawal from Afghanistan that it invaded in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks carried out by al-Qaeda operatives against targets on American soil, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Slovenia: Fajon on UN Security Council bid She discussed the candidacy with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken (ANSA) - TRIESTE, 02 AGO - Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon discussed her country's candidacy for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2024-2025 at the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York. "This is not a project of the previous government, it is the project of Slovenia," she said, confident that the project enjoys the unanimous support of the current government. "The whole of Slovenia ... is interested in having the opportunity to sit in the Security Council and lead a very important agenda in difficult security circumstances. I don't see any doubt about that," he said. Fajon discussed the candidacy with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other officials during bilateral meetings on Monday. "I received a lot of advice from different people on how to approach the campaign. Slovenia has experienced diplomats in New York, and I am confident that Slovenia also has a strong team of experts who will work quickly to make sure that our country is successful." The minister announced that he will visit countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa and will return to New York in September for the opening of the new session of the United Nations General Assembly. Another candidate from the Eastern European group of the UN system vying for the same seat is Belarus; to win the seat, Slovenia must convince a majority of the 193 members of the General Assembly. "Slovenia is committed to peace and the rule of law and ultimately to a world free of nuclear weapons, which we are talking about today," Fajon said. "Of course Slovenia supports the strategic partnership with the United States, because any cooperation and any dialogue is important," the minister said, commenting on the strategic dialogue with the United States initiated by the previous government. Today the minister will attend a meeting of the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament, a group of countries that consider the NPT the most important international treaty against nuclear proliferation and the foundation of an international framework for global disarmament. Slovenia recently joined the initiative. (ANSA). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved TEL AVIV - Bassam al-Saadi, the leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, was captured in the night between Monday and Tuesday in Jenin after a prolonged gunfight with Palestinian militants, one of whom was killed, military radio reports. From Gaza, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad has threatened retaliatory attacks. Israel has raised the alert level in the area close to the Gaza Strip. Several roads were closed to traffic and part of the railway line was blocked. Bassem al-Saadi, 62, has been detained several times in Israel. Recently, he was considered, according to military radio, as the mastermind behind several armed attacks on Jenin and the northern West Bank. The armed forces have raised the alert level across all Israeli areas close to the Gaza Strip. Authorities in particular fear that anti-tank rockets could be launched against vehicles in transit or against the railway line between Ashkelon and Sderot, which was closed on Tuesday morning, military radio reported. Israel also closed the crossing with Gaza of Yad Mordechai. Thousands of commuters in Gaza who work in Israel have thus remained stranded. Ship carrying Ukrainian grain on way to Istanbul 'Grain price down 5%'; inspections by Ankara, Kyiv, Moscow, UN (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 02 AGO - The ship 'Razoni', which left the port of Odessa loaded with Ukrainian cereal, is expected to reach Istanbul at around midnight local time (11 pm in Italy), the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, the vessel will be subsequently inspected by delegates of Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations. After the inspection, if no problems will be reported, the ship will continue its journey to its final - Tripoli, in Lebanon. After Istanbul's agreement to unlock grain exports from Ukraine, grain prices have globally dropped by 5%, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, during a conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. "The war between Russia and Ukraine has, once again, shown the frailty of the food distribution system and many least-developed countries have confronted the challenge of famine caused by war", he stated. The ship's arrival in Turkey was originally expected early in the afternoon on Tuesday but it was delayed due to "bad weather conditions", according to a statement, which added that preparations for the departure of other ships loaded with cereal are still ongoing from three Ukrainian authorized ports: Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuhzny. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship 'Razoni' was the first vessel to leave the Ukrainian port loaded with grain since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The agreement that unlocked Ukrainian wheat exports was reached in Istanbul on July 22 between Ankara, Kyiv, Moscow and the UN. The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony during which the agreement was signed. (ANSAmed). Israel captures jihadist leader, maximum alert with Gaza Palestinian group threatens military reaction (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 02 AGO - Bassam al-Saadi, the leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, was captured in the night between Monday and Tuesday in Jenin after a prolonged gunfight with Palestinian militants, one of whom was killed, military radio reports. From Gaza, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad has threatened retaliatory attacks. Israel has raised the alert level in the area close to the Gaza Strip. Several roads were closed to traffic and part of the railway line was blocked. Bassem al-Saadi, 62, has been detained several times in Israel. Recently, he was considered, according to military radio, as the mastermind behind several armed attacks on Jenin and the northern West Bank. The armed forces have raised the alert level across all Israeli areas close to the Gaza Strip. Authorities in particular fear that anti-tank rockets could be launched against vehicles in transit or against the railway line between Ashkelon and Sderot, which was closed on Tuesday morning, military radio reported. Israel also closed the crossing with Gaza of Yad Mordechai. Thousands of commuters in Gaza who work in Israel have thus remained stranded. (ANSAmed). A reported 38 children in Yemen were killed or wounded over the last week of the UN-mediated truce, the highest number of underage casualties recorded in seven days since the start of 2020, Save the Children denounced on Tuesday. "The increase in armed violence during the last month of truce in Yemen has caused 232 civilian victims, including 57 children. The last week of July was the bloodiest of the past few years with more than 65 civilian deaths or injuries, including 38 children", the organization said in a statement. Save the Children noted that "the truce, which expires today, has represented since the beginning, in the month of April, a particularly positive change for children in Yemen, with a 53% drop in the civilians that were hit compared to the four months before it came into force. Over the same period, children who were wounded or killed dropped by 30%, down to 120". However, with its end approaching, "the number of hit civilians reported in July increased by 52%. The children of Yemen deserve determined and serious efforts to guarantee the complete cessation of violence, the reopening of the roads to Taiz and the possibility of full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for all Yemenis across the country", the organization stressed. Israel: Lapid receives U.S. mediator in talks with Lebanon Definition of border of commercial waters (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 02 AGO - Israeli Premier Yair Lapid met last night in Jerusalem with Amos Hochstein, the US diplomat tasked with the mediation between Israel and Lebanon for the definition of the border of respective commercial waters and for the exploitation of offshore gas fields, Israel's public radio Kan reports. Previously, Hochstein met in Beirut with leading Lebanese politicians. Tomorrow, added the broadcaster, the defense council of the Israeli government will examine updated proposals from Lebanon, and in particular the future of the marine drilling rig for natural gas field Karish, which over the past few years has been subjected to repeated threats by Hezbollah. (ANSAmed). Spain: drought, first restrictions on water in Barcelona Due to lack of rain, also Malaga, Huelva and Pontevedra (ANSAmed) - ROME, 02 AGO - Lack of rain and the unrelenting heat have led local administrators to impose water restrictions, although limited for the time being, in the Spanish cities of Barcelona, Malaga, Huelva and Pontevedra. Water reserves at the moment have a capacity of 41.9%, nearly 20 points less than normal reserves at this time of the year, the newspaper El Pais reported on Tuesday. Sources with the Catalan water agency (ACA), which manages the community's water reserves, explained that if the current trend persists (with insufficient rain at the source of rivers) reserves in September could be under 40%. The declaration of this state of alert, as occurred in 2008, means limiting maximum consumption to 250 liters a day per resident, cutting by 25% irrigation in the agricultural and industrial sectors or banning water in ornamental fountains. In Barcelona's case, the resources of five basins providing water to the city and the entire metropolitan area (Baells, Llosa de Cavall, Sau, Santa Ponc and Susqueda) are at 46% of their capacity, 30 points less compared to the average recorded over the past decade. (ANSAmed) Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held talks here with his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, over further boosting ties between the two countries. Wang said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China-Tajikistan relations have achieved rapid development and scored many "firsts." The two sides took the lead in signing cooperation documents on Belt and Road cooperation, and in building a community of common development and security, making important contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang said. He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held important talks in February, charting a new strategic plan for the bilateral ties. China is ready to work with Tajikistan to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and strive to build a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future, so as to provide positive prospects for the long-term mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and add strong momentum to the development of bilateral relations, Wang said. China firmly supports Tajikistan in safeguarding sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and in pursuing a path of development and revitalization in accordance with its national conditions, so as to play a more important role in international and regional affairs, Wang added. For his part, Muhriddin said Tajikistan and China are good neighbors, friends and partners, adding that the two countries have always been co-existing peacefully and achieving mutual benefits, setting an example of state-to-state exchanges. Tajikistan, he said, firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests and always abides by the one-China principle. The development strategies of Tajikistan and China are highly compatible, Muhriddin said, adding that Tajikistan agrees to make a long-term plan for the development of bilateral relations, and welcomes and supports putting the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future as the vision and goal of joint efforts. The two sides can have further discussions in this regard. Muhriddin said Tajikistan appreciates China's remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation and innovative development and looks forward to learning from China's successful experience so as to help Tajikistan achieve sustainable development and accelerate the process of industrialization. The minister noted that the two sides should boost connectivity, promote cooperation in trade and investment, expand exchanges and cooperation in production capacity, minerals, infrastructure, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, agriculture as well as sub-national cooperation. Muhriddin thanked China for providing vaccine assistance and hoped to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. The bilateral ties go far beyond the bilateral scope, Muhriddin said, noting that Tajikistan is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, deepen security cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace. Wang said cooperation between China and Tajikistan in various fields has overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic and has made new progress, noting that the trade volume of the two countries is expected to hit a record high this year despite headwinds. Wang said that the two sides should implement the signed medium and long-term economic and trade cooperation plan, further align development strategies, strengthen cooperation on production capacity and infrastructure, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, new energy and high-tech sectors. He said that China will continue to actively promote key projects to assist Tajikistan, run well the first Luban Workshop in Central Asia, and import more high-quality green agricultural products from Tajikistan. China will continue to provide vaccine assistance in accordance to Tajikistan's needs to build an immunity barrer for epidemic prevention, Wang said, mentioning that the two sides should jointly build a traditional medicine center, and strengthen cooperation in traditional medicine. Wang called on the two sides to strengthen security cooperation, enhance their ability to guard against risks, and safeguard the homeland. The two sides exchanged views on deepening cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries, agreeing to propel cooperation in priority areas and build a comprehensive and multi-dimensional cooperation pattern. After the talks, the two sides signed cooperation documents between the two foreign ministries and attended the inauguration ceremony of the Luban Workshop and the handover ceremony of COVID-19 vaccines for Tajikistan. Music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards cause of death was cardiac arrest after taking cocaine, a coroner has ruled. The DJ, who found fame after setting up the music platform SBTV in 2006, died on February 20 at the age of 31. His behaviour became erratic and he appeared paranoid after he returned home from playing a DJ set in Islington, north London, at about 4.30am, West London Coroners Court heard on Tuesday. Assistant coroner Ivor Collett concluded the cause of death was drug-related. Jamal Edwards (Lauren Hurley/PA) The record of inquest, released after the hearing, said: After drinking some alcohol with a friend, his behaviour changed and became erratic and he appeared paranoid, before he collapsed and became unconscious. Attempts at resuscitation failed and life was declared extinct at 10.36am at 2 Highfield Road, London. Sampling established recent cocaine use, causing cocaine toxicity and resulting cardiac arrhythmia. Edwards, who was the son of musician and Loose Women host Brenda Edwards, helped to launch a string of UK music acts to stardom, including Ed Sheeran, Dave and Jessie J. He was also an ambassador for the Princes Trust, a charity headed by the Prince of Wales, and in 2014 was awarded an MBE for his services to music. Jamal Edwards with his MBE (John Stillwell/PA) The inquest, which began in June, had previously heard that Edwards died due to cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs. His mother said it is important to help drive more conversation about the unpredictability of recreational drugs. She thanked everyone for the support the family had received after his death, saying: We have been so incredibly touched by the outpouring of love and support, and you are all helping us try and get through the unimaginable. Since I last spoke, I have sadly learned that the cause of Jamals devastating passing was due to cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs, and I wanted to address this myself to everyone who loved, admired and respected my son. Brenda Edwards (Ian West/PA) Since finding out the news Ive been in a state of shock, and Im still trying to process it, but its so important to me that I do address it, as no mother or any loved one should have to go through what Jamals sister Tanisha and I have been through since he passed. In February, Sheeran led tributes to Edwards, writing on Instagram: Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return. A stars light shines for millions of years after they go, and his will continue to light up every dark moment, we are all witnessing his power. I would not be here without him, professionally and personally. There will never be anything close to what he is, but Im so grateful to have existed within his orbit. My brother, come on. The crisis-hit Stormont Assembly has reconvened for a special sitting to pay tribute to David Trimble, one of the principal architects of the devolved institutions in Belfast. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party died last week at the age of 77 following an illness. He was buried on Monday after a funeral service that was attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Irish President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin. The powersharing structures Lord Trimble helped create in the landmark Good Friday Agreement of 1998 are currently in limbo, with the DUP blocking the creation of a governing executive in protest at Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol. The DUPs refusal to agree to the nomination of a new speaker has also prevented the reconstitution of the legislative assembly following Mays election. Despite the impasse, party whips agreed to hold a special gathering in the chamber of Parliament Buildings on Tuesday to allow for tributes to be paid to Lord Trimble. Current UUP leader Doug Beattie said it could be difficult for the current generation of MLAs to fully understand the impact the unionist statesman had on Northern Ireland politics. Stormonts inaugural first minister was jointly awarded the Nobel prize with late SDLP leader John Hume in recognition of their efforts to end the Troubles and establish a powersharing system of devolved governance in the region. Mr Beattie said that before 1998 unionists and nationalists would not be seen in the same room together, never mind share a handshake or form a government with joint responsibilities. He contrasted that to scenes at Mondays funeral where political leaders from across the divide came together. At Davids humble and dignified funeral, handshakes and pats on the shoulder were offered freely from every political corner with warm words of condolence thats progress, he said. A picture of former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble in the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings (Liam McBurney/PA) The sitting saw MLAs on opposing sides of the protocol debate reference Lord Trimbles legacy as they stressed a desire for powersharing to return. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill said it would be a travesty if the institutions were not restored before the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next year. History will be kind to David Trimble for the huge part he played, but it will be unforgiving to those of you who obstruct progress or refuse to show leadership, she said. What was achieved by David Trimble together with the leaders of nationalism and republicanism, the Irish and British Governments, the United States and the EU cannot be underestimated. It can never be taken for granted. He and all of them leave a legacy for which any politician would be rightly proud. The Good Friday Agreement is a gift to todays generation and its promise must be fully realised. I stand here today as a leader of the Good Friday Agreement generation, and I want to lead and work with you all and those whom you represent. Anyone who sets out to undermine this work and turns this place upside down should not be in politics. UUP leader Doug Beattie (left) greets Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Mondays funeral (Liam McBurney/PA) However, DUP veteran Edwin Poots highlighted Lord Trimbles opposition to the protocol and how he maintained it was inconsistent with the terms of the Good Friday deal. He quoted from a newspaper article in which the former UUP leader claimed the protocol was pulling the Good Friday Agreement apart. I think wed do well to listen to the words of David Trimble over the course of the next number of weeks, Mr Poots told the Assembly. And I trust that we do get this executive up and running, I trust that we will ensure the peace that exists in Northern Ireland over the course of the last 25 years is something which exists for many years to come, and that we give the political leadership in doing that. Outgoing Stormont Speaker Alex Maskey said it was only right MLAs were recalled to pay tribute to Lord Trimble. There is no doubt that David Trimble took risks and took decisions often in the face of fierce opposition when it would have been personally easier not to do so, he said. The Good Friday Agreement and this Assembly do exist because of him. Mr Maskey also noted the passing of many significant political leaders in recent years, including former DUP leader Ian Paisley, SDLP leader Mr Hume and Sinn Feins Martin McGuinness. I would therefore close by saying that while many of you in this chamber today may not have met them, the legacy of realising the potential of this Assembly and the agreements that were hard won now falls to yourselves, he said. Alliance Party MLA Andrew Muir described Lord Trimble as a complex character, and said that while he would not have agreed with him on some matters, he said he had made a significant, substantial and positive contribution. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Irish President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin at the funeral of Lord Trimble (Liam McBurney/PA) Northern Ireland is, thankfully, a very different place now than it was back in 1998, but we should not kid our self that we dont have much further to travel. We do, he said. The prize of a truly reconciled people, a place where everyone is proud to call home, and fully functioning institutions sadly remains yet to be achieved. With so many of the giants of the peace process now no longer with us, current and future generations turn to us all here to take the baton on and complete the journey set out in 1998. SDLP MLA Matthew OToole hailed Lord Trimbles achievements. He used a legal mind and remarkable tenacity to achieve and then implement a deal which esteemed both historic traditions and constitutional aspirations and acknowledged the interconnectedness of this island, and of both islands, he said. In the SDLP, we feel an acute sadness at the passing of David Trimble, partner in peace and co-Nobel Laureate as he was with John Hume, and then serving in the first ministers office alongside Seamus Mallon, and then Mark Durkan. They walked the difficult road of peace-making together. Jim Allister signing a book of condolence (Liam McBurney/PA) TUV leader Jim Allister said he disagreed with Lord Trimble on the Belfast Agreement, describing it as having been built on the mass injustice of the release of terrorist prisoners. He said the Assembly has been failing and dysfunctional since it was set up in 1998. However, in a broadside at the DUP, he paid tribute to Lord Trimble as more honest politically than those who supplanted him as the leader of unionism. He described common cause with Lord Trimble in recent times in opposing the protocol. At the conclusion of the tributes, MLAs held a minutes silence for the late peer in the Assembly chamber before moving to the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings to sign a book of condolence. Mr Maskey was first to sign, followed by Mr Beattie and then Ms ONeill. A picture of Lord Trimble was placed on a table in the hall with a floral tribute. MLAs formed a long line extending out from the Assembly chamber as they waited to add their signatures. An 18-year-old has been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Somerset. Joshua Delbono, of Slipps Close, Frome, was charged with murder on Tuesday and remains in police custody ahead of appearing before Bath Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Police and paramedics were called to a car park in The Street, Radstock, at around 6.40pm on Sunday after the 16-year-old had been stabbed during disorder involving a number of people. A man, 18, is due in court on Weds 3 Aug charged with the murder of a boy, 16, in #Radstock on Sun 31 July.Three other people have been arrested as part of the ongoing enquiry.We still want to hear from anyone with info. Pls call 101 ref 5222182800.https://t.co/TWsQB1ZRHv pic.twitter.com/OBJ4Miuqrc Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) August 2, 2022 The victim was found critically injured and, despite receiving emergency treatment, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the teenagers death. A woman, 20, and a man were arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. The woman has now been released under investigation, while the two men, both 18, remain in police custody for further questioning. Following the death, neighbourhood Chief Inspector Ronnie Lungu said the terrible incident had been a huge shock for the community. He added: Were standing with our community to support this devastated family and everyone affected by this tragedy. DCI Mark Almond, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said the 16-year-olds family were being supported by a specially-trained family liaison officer. Theyre grateful for the support of the community but ask to be given privacy to mourn their loss, he added. Avon and Somerset Police also said Year 11 pupils in the area were being offered support by school staff, while youth workers had set up a drop-in for any young person affected by the incident. Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to call 101 and give the reference 5222182800. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have continued to flesh out their policy positions on a range of issues as ballot papers begin to drop on Tories doormats. Over the next few weeks it will be up to Conservative members to decide which of the two will take on the top job in No 10. The pair have so far navigated two of the summers 12 official Tory hustings, where they are seeking to woo voters with their vision for the country. Here we look at their stances on key issues. Tax and spending Rishi Sunak: The former chancellor has pitched himself as the fiscally conservative candidate and has criticised his rivals tax-cutting plans as comforting fairytales. He has promised to deliver tax cuts that drive growth, but to do so in a way thats responsible. As he battled to make up ground on the Foreign Secretary, he pledged to temporarily scrap VAT on energy bills from October if the price cap rises above 3,000 as expected, saving households around 160 at a cost to the Exchequer of around 4.3 billion. And in a last-ditch effort to win over the party faithful before ballots started dropping on their doormats, Mr Sunak vowed to take 4p off income tax within seven years. Liz Truss: The Foreign Secretary has pledged to start cutting taxes from day one with a new Budget and Spending Review that would reverse Aprils rise in national insurance and next years corporation tax hike from 19% to 25%. Ms Truss has not fully explained how she would fund the 30 billion worth of tax cuts she has promised, but previously said they can be paid for within the existing fiscal envelope. Part of her plan is to spread the countrys Covid debt over a longer period of time. She had also pledged a war on Whitehall waste to save 11 billion, but her policy proposals were swiftly skewered by a U-turn. The Truss campaign initially said she would save up to 8.8 billion a year by ultimately paying public sector workers in cheaper regions less than their counterparts in London and the South East. But a spokeswoman announced a little over 13 hours after the plans publication that this proposal had been scrapped, leaving a multibillion-pound hole in her fiscal strategy. As part of her Whitehall waste crackdown, Ms Truss also planned to save around 2 billion a year by cutting civil service time off, and around 12 million a year by scrapping jobs aimed at increasing inclusion and diversity in the public sector. Separately, she has stated her intention to turn brownfield sites and other locations into investment zones, dubbed full-fat freeports. Ms Truss has said she would simplify taxes and pledged reforms to prevent people being penalised for taking time off work to care for family members or children. Immigration Protesters campaigning against plans to send migrants to Rwanda (Victoria Jones/PA) Rishi Sunak: Has re-iterated his support for the Governments controversial Rwanda asylum policy, saying he would do whatever it takes to get it up and running. He has also unveiled a 10-point plan that includes the promise of a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared with that offered by the European Convention on Human Rights, with enhanced powers to detain, tag and monitor illegal migrants. He has promised to give Parliament control over who comes to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, albeit one that can be changed in the case of sudden emergencies. Liz Truss: Also supports the Rwanda policy and has said that under her leadership it could be extended further, with partnerships with more countries and further return and resettlement agreements. She has said she will increase Border Force staff levels from 9,000 to 10,800 and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels, while also bringing forward a strengthened UK Bill of Rights to provide a sound legal basis to tackle illegal migration. Identity politics Rishi Sunak: Has pledged a manifesto for womens rights, including opposing biological men being allowed to compete against women in sport, and guidance for schools on how they teach issues of sex and gender. He has also vowed to review the 2010 Equality Act to stop the woke nonsense it has allowed to permeate public life. He wants to preserve gendered words such as woman or mother by ensuring sex means biological sex in the legislation, and clarify that gender self-identification does not have legal force. He has promised to protect free speech by amending the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies to consider discrimination. This would be to ensure organisations are open and welcoming to people with differing political opinions and religious and philosophical world views, putting a stop to practices such as no-platforming, his campaign said. Liz Truss: Has previously shelved plans for an overhaul of gender recognition rules to make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender. But she has also spoken out in favour of single-sex spaces, telling a Tory party hustings audience that she backs a policy that guarantees schoolgirls can go to a toilet in a safe environment. Her pledge for a war on Whitehall waste includes scrapping jobs aimed at increasing inclusion and diversity in the public sector. She has claimed her plans would tackle left-wing groupthink within the Civil Service. Brexit and Europe Vote Remain and Vote Leave signs on a lamp post in Leeds (Danny Lawson/PA) Rishi Sunak: The Leave voter has promised to scrap or reform all EU law or bureaucracy still on the statute book by the time of the next general election, and have initial recommendations on whether each law stays or goes within 100 days. Liz Truss: Voted Remain but has since embraced Brexit and scooped up the backing of staunch Brexiteers in the party. Helped push through the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill which critics say breaks international law. She has vowed to review all EU laws retained after Brexit by the end of next year in a red tape bonfire if she becomes prime minister, and to scrap or replace those that are deemed to hinder UK growth. Reportedly, she said she would seek to reform the European Convention on Human Rights but would be prepared to leave it. She has vowed to replace EU law that restricts the development of farming infrastructure and technology, including agricultural drone use and precision breeding technologies. She also promised to tackle the labour shortages in farming, partly caused by post-Brexit freedom of movement restrictions, with a short-term expansion to the seasonal workers scheme. Law and order Rishi Sunak: Has said criminals who refuse to attend court for their sentencing would face longer terms behind bars. Police would be ordered to take tougher action to tackle grooming gangs and officers must be fully focused on fighting actual crime in peoples neighbourhoods, and not policing bad jokes on Twitter. He has also pledged to expand police powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, and crack down on graffiti and littering. Liz Truss: Would order police to go back to basics and cut homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime by 20% by 2024 rather than investigating Twitter rows and hurt feelings, with league tables showing forces performances. Defence British soldiers on manoeuvres in Estonia during a Nato exercise (Ben Birchall/PA) Rishi Sunak: Views the Nato target of 2% of GDP as a floor and not a ceiling and notes it is set to rise to 2.5% over time but refuses to set arbitrary targets. Liz Truss: Has pledged to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 and strengthen the intelligence services. Said the Governments current plan to cut the size of the Army to 72,500 in 2025 is up for review. NHS Rishi Sunak: Has promised a vaccines-style taskforce to tackle NHS backlogs, calling dealing with the issue one of his top priorities. He has plans to expand the network of specialist surgical centres and community diagnostics hubs in order to eliminate one-year NHS waiting times six months earlier than planned by September 2024, and to get overall numbers falling by next year. Liz Truss: Agrees on the urgent need to deal with care backlogs, promising to install a strong health secretary to solve the issue. She has also said she is completely committed to current Government promises for NHS spending, despite her plans for tax cuts. Climate change and net zero Rishi Sunak: Committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. He has pledged to keep the ban on building new onshore wind farms, but wants to introduce a legal target to make Britain energy self-sufficient by 2045 by overseeing a massive expansion in offshore turbines. Liz Truss: Backs the net zero push, but would pause green levies on domestic energy bills, which could damage the target. She says there is a strong case for lifting the ban on fracking and wants to move away from the EUs habitat directive in favour of a stronger British biodiversity target. Foreign affairs 1/ China and the Chinese Communist Party represent the largest threat to Britain and the worlds security and prosperity this century. Read this threadon how I will face down China. pic.twitter.com/VSD88gfG68 Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 25, 2022 Rishi Sunak: Has promised to close all 30 of Beijings Confucius Institutes in the UK and kick the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) out of our universities, declaring China the biggest-long term threat to Britain. Liz Truss: Helped lead the international response to increased Chinese aggression as Foreign Secretary and this will only continue when she becomes prime minister, her campaign says. Housing and infrastructure Rishi Sunak: Has vowed to improve housing stock and energy efficiency. He wants to scrap EU Solvency II rules to help investors put money into infrastructure assets. He has also pledged to slash the number of empty shops on Britains high streets by removing hurdles for those properties to be quickly converted into new businesses or cafes. He would seek to reduce regulations around farmers markets, make local authorities assess social value when considering the location of public services, and protect access to cash points. Liz Truss: Would scrap what she calls Stalinist housing targets in favour of tax cuts and deregulation. Education Rishi Sunak: Has said he backs the return of grammar schools, which initially prompted questions over whether he wants to overturn the ban on new institutions imposed by Labour more than 20 years ago. However, it is understood he supports the expansion of existing grammar schools in local areas. Liz Truss: Has pitched herself as the education prime minister with a six-point plan that includes replacing failing academies with a new wave of free schools and improving maths and literacy standards. She has said she would end the ban on new grammar schools. Scotland Rishi Sunak: Has said a second Scottish independence referendum is the wrong priority at the worst possible moment. Wants to build on the success of Scotlands contribution to the UK. Liz Truss: Has ruled out a second referendum, branding First Minister Nicola Sturgeon an attention seeker who should be ignored. She says she is a child of the union, and believes were a family and were better together. Travis Scott has announced he will be taking up a residency in Las Vegas, amid ongoing lawsuits related to last years Astroworld tragedy. The US rapper will perform at Zouk nightclub in Las Vegas with his first headlining performances scheduled for September 17 and October 15. They will follow tour dates in the UK, where he is due to perform at Londons O2 Arena on August 6 and 7. Got Goosebumps yet? Experience @travisscott like you never have before as he takes over the stage at #ZoukNightclub on September 17 and October 15 for live performances you wont forget https://t.co/NkvbkZ6RlO pic.twitter.com/uX9tNg411i ZoukGroupLV (@ZoukGroupLV) August 1, 2022 Scott is set to feature some previews of upcoming tracks, according to a press release shared with US media. The rapper still faces multiple lawsuits following the tragedy during his headline set at the Astrowold music festival in Texas in November last year. Ten people died and thousands more were injured as fans surged toward the stage, though the rapper said he did not know people were hurt. At a show in July he stopped a show in Coney Island, New York, to make sure fans were safe. George Takei has shared some lesser known and personal stories about his 60-year friendship with Star Trek co star Nichelle Nichols, describing her as one in a million. The veteran actor, who played Lt Hikaru Sulu alongside Nichols Lt Uhura on the USS Enterprise, said he had been truly moved by the tributes paid to her. Nichols died on Saturday in Silver City, south-western New Mexico, at the age of 89. Takei, 85, responded immediately to the death, saying his heart was heavy but promised he would have more to say about the trailblazer. In two lengthy posts on Instagram on Monday, he recounted Nichols involvement at key moments in his life, including his marriage to husband Brad Takei and the death of his father. Much has been said about what a trailblazer and role model Nichelle was for so many young Black women, who saw in her hope and promise for their own future, he said. I wanted to take a moment to share some stories about Nichelle that arent as well known, and which highlight her lively spirit, her incredible kindness, and her warm generosity. Takei said he would never forget their first meeting and that Nicols had been stunningly beautiful with her natural Afro hair, which was proud and glorious. He said during his activism work in the 1970s, Nichols had often featured as a performer for fundraising dinners and campaigns, and had made a point to be at every important milestone of mine. When my husband Brad and I got married, we asked Walter Koenig, who played ensign Chekov on the show, to be our best man at the wedding, he wrote. We asked Nichelle to be our matron of honor. In her characteristic fashion, Nichelle declared, I am not a matron! If Walter can be best man, why cant I be best lady? Noting that Walters best man title implied the awkward title of best woman, she was determined to be known as the best lady to the guests. I told her, Of course you are. He continued: When my father passed away, Nichelle came to the funeral and she saw many Japanese Americans with envelopes. She was always a curious soul, so she asked me, George, what are they bringing to the funeral? I said it was friends and relatives making financial contributions to support the funeral costs. Nichelle had never heard of the Japanese tradition called koden. A few days later, an envelope arrived in the mail from her. Inside was a check for 500 dollars, a very generous koden. He concluded: So while fans will miss and honor the famous actress who opened so many paths with her presence on the screen, I will also miss the dear friend who always let you know she was there to support you, to love you, and to go through this strange and wonderful life alongside you. Nichelle Nichols, you were one in a million in so many, many ways. People across the UK who have given sanctuary to more than 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict are to receive a letter of thanks from the Ukrainian and British governments. Ukraines ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko and Refugees Minister Lord Harrington will send letters to sponsors and families this week to praise them for contributing to the UKs largest offer of help to people fleeing war since 1945. Some 104,000 people have arrived in Britain after the Governments Ukraine visa schemes were launched in March, including 31,300 under the family scheme, and 72,700 people under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme. Overall, there have been almost 200,000 visa applications, meaning just over half of those who have applied have arrived in Britain, according to figures published by the Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration. The letter is expected to say: You have saved lives, given hope, and offered sanctuary to people in desperate need. This represents the UKs largest offer of help to people fleeing war since 1945. Mr Prystaiko said: I know it is not easy to host displaced people from a different culture, an unfamiliar background, speaking a foreign language and most importantly deeply troubled and hurt The ties between our nations, our governments have never been closer. This is because of each and everyone of you, your generosity, patience, kindness. Lord Harrington hailed the limitless generosity and compassion of the British people, adding: I cannot thank the British public enough for their steadfast goodwill in opening their doors to people from Ukraine and welcoming them into their communities. (PA Graphics) Under the visa schemes, Ukrainians fleeing the conflict are allowed to come to Britain for up to three years. The family scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their relatives to join other family already living in the UK, while the sponsorship scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their relatives to come to Britain if they have a sponsor who can provide accommodation. Homes for Ukraine this week expanded to consider new applications under the sponsorship scheme from unaccompanied children who wish to come to Britain without a parent or guardian, providing they have parental consent. Flash The world body is weighing conditions for a possible investigation into the shelling of a Donetsk prison in Ukraine, said a UN spokesman on Monday. With respect to the recent tragedy of the prison in Olenivka, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received requests from both Ukraine and Russia to conduct an investigation, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres. "We are considering whether the conditions are in place that would make it possible for the UN to carry out such investigation," the spokesman told a daily press briefing. The attack on the prison in Olenivka on Friday reportedly left dozens of prisoners of war dead. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of carrying out this fatal attack. Kansas voters on Tuesday will decide on a constitutional amendment that will determine the future of abortion rights in their state the first time anywhere in the U.S. that voters will cast ballots on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. A ballot question, known as the Value Them Both Amendment, asks voters to decide whether the states Constitution should continue to protect abortion rights. The proposed amendment to the state Constitution would remove language that guarantees reproductive rights and asks voters if they prefer to put the issue of abortion in the hands of the states Republican-controlled legislature an outcome abortion advocates say is all but certain to result in the elimination or curtailment of those rights. A yes vote on the measure would remove from the state Constitution the right to an abortion and hand the issue back to the state legislature. A no vote on the measure would make no changes, keeping abortion rights enshrined in the state Constitution. Anti-abortion activists argue the Kansas ballot question creates an opportunity to put the issue in the hands of the voters via elected state lawmakers. Supporters of abortion rights warn that approval of the ballot measure would almost certainly result in the elimination or curtailment of existing rights in a state that has more lenient laws on its books compared to many of its neighbors. With federal abortion rights overturned, Kansas lawmakers are saying, We need to change our state Constitution so it no longer protects abortion rights, so that we can go ahead and ban or restrict abortion now that were legally allowed to, Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that promotes reproductive rights, said in a recent interview. If the Kansas Constitution no longer is deemed to explicitly protect abortion rights, an abortion ban would sail through the legislature. Image: US-POLITICS-ABORTION-VOTE-KANSAS (Caitlin Wilson / AFP - Getty Images) The ballot question has been planned for more than a year, but its taken on greater significance in the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, ending the federal constitutional right to an abortion. Early voting in the state kicked off in mid-July, and the Kansas secretary of states office reported that, as of last Tuesday more than twice as many people had already cast early ballots than at the same point during the last midterm primary election in 2018. Tuesday's vote on the measure is expected to be close. While polling has been sparse, the Kansas City-based firm co/efficient found in a July survey that 47% of respondents said they planned to vote yes on the question to remove the right to abortion from the Constitution and let the legislature decide on abortion rights, while 43% said they planned to vote no. Ten percent were undecided. Groups on both sides of the issue have blanketed Kansas airwaves with millions of dollars in ads. The measure seeks to supersede a 2019 ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court that said the states Constitution guaranteed the right to have an abortion. Doing so would allow the state legislature to pass laws restricting or banning abortion. Abortion rights advocates have claimed there are several factors working against them, including the phrasing of the ballot question and the timing of its placement. For one, they have expressed concern the ballot measure features language they argue is intentionally designed to confuse voters. For example, the language used on the ballot says that a yes vote on the question would affirm that the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion even though no such requirement exists and does not create or secure a right to abortion. A yes vote would affirm that the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, something lawmakers are limited in doing now based on the 2019 court ruling. Abortion rights advocates support a no vote on the measures, which makes no changes to the status quo. On the eve of the vote, voters reportedly received a misleading text messages telling them a yes vote would protect the right to an abortion, however. Its unclear who is responsible for sending out the message. Abortion rights advocates denounced the move. This is yet another example of the desperate and deceitful tactics of the Value Them Both campaign, lying to the voters of Kansas, said Ashley All, spokesperson for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom. The Value Them Both Coalition denied it was responsible for the communication. Abortion rights advocates also expressed worry that putting the issue before voters during a primary instead of the general election would significantly depress turnout for voters more likely to support reproductive rights although the secretary of states early voting numbers suggest that may not be the case. In addition, they have also noted that unaffiliated voters in the state who arent allowed to cast ballots in primaries for the two major political parties may not realize they can still vote on the ballot question. Everything about how this effort was crafted was done so in a way that obscures that end goal, Ashley All, a spokeswoman for Kansas for Constitutional Freedom, a pro-abortion rights group that has been helping to lead efforts to oppose the amendment, told NBC News in a recent interview. Abortion rights proponents have argued that with Roe gone, the stakes are far too high to put the issue in the hands of state GOP lawmakers. They point to several recently proposed bills that would restrict or ban abortion including one introduced in March that they say would certainly be re-introduced in upcoming state legislature sessions if the Kansas ballot initiative is successful. Conversely, abortion opponents maintain it is more democratic to have the issue decided by voters, via their representatives. Many reject the suggestion that they are seeking more restrictive abortion laws. This is not a ban on abortion, Republican state Rep. Tory Marie Arnberger, a supporter of the initiative who helped get it on the August ballot, told NBC News in a recent interview. I am a fan of each state having their own regulations on abortion. With Roe v. Wade being overturned, that is now each states right, and I think its up to each state legislature to decide what is best for their state, she added. Abortion in Kansas is legal up until about the 22nd week of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Under state law, women seeking abortion care are subject to several regulations such as a 24-hour waiting period between seeking consultation and receiving the procedure and parental consent for minors. Still, the rules are much less restrictive than those in neighboring states. In Missouri and Oklahoma, laws went into effect almost immediately after the Supreme Court ruling in late June that effectively banned nearly all abortion care in those states. At least 22 states have already banned or will soon prohibit abortion. The new landscape makes Kansas a regional outlier and a safe haven for women in and out of state seeking abortion care but that could diminish or disappear if the measure passes. Two people were arrested Sunday in connection with the killing of a 19-year-old college student in 2010. Kristopher Valadez and Candace Valadez, both 32, were arrested in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The arrests stem from the killing of 19-year-old German Clerici, whose body was found in Butler County more than 12 years ago, according to a news release from the Butler County Sheriffs Office. Clerici, who was a student at Cowley College, was reported missing on Feb. 1, 2010 by his mother after she had not heard from him for a few days. His body was found days later in a culvert in Butler County with a gunshot wound, the release said. His car, a maroon 1990 Toyota Celica, was reported missing, then found in Wichita in June 2010. Clerici was living in Wichita at the time of his death. Originally from Argentina, Clerici had lived in New Jersey with his mother before moving to Wichita, where his brother lived, Eagle archives show. In 2021, Butler County Sheriff Monty Hughey said he had investigators take a another look at Clericis case after information was discovered that prompted investigators to conduct follow-up interviews un-covering even more information along with new evidence, the release read. Its unclear what that information is or what led Hughey and investigators to look into Clericis case years later. Hughey has yet to respond to The Eagles request for comment. Kristopher Valadez and Candace Valadez are being held at the Greenville County Jail in South Carolina, and will be extradited to Sedgwick County to face charges. Both used to live in Wichita, the release said. The Greenville County Sheriffs Office and the Wichita Police Department assisted Butler County Sheriffs Office investigators in the arrests. Ayman Zawahiri in Khost, Afghanistan, in 1998. (Mazhar Ali Khan / Associated Press) The doors of jihad opened for Ayman Zawahiri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan. With that offer in 1980, Zawahiri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, Al Qaeda, after the death of Osama bin Laden. Already an experienced militant who had sought the overthrow of Egypts infidel regime since the age of 15, Zawahiri took a trip to the Afghan war zone that was just a few weeks long, but it opened his eyes to new possibilities. What he saw was the training course preparing Muslim mujahedeen youth to launch their upcoming battle with the great power that would rule the world: America, he wrote in a 2001 biography-cum-manifesto. Zawahiri, 71, was killed over the weekend by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. President Biden announced the death Monday evening in an address to the nation. The strike is likely to lead to greater disarray within the organization than did Bin Ladens death in 2011, since it is far less clear who his successor would be. Zawahiri became crucial to turning the jihadi movements guns to target the United States as the right-hand man to Bin Laden, the young Saudi millionaire he met in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Under their leadership, the Al Qaeda terror network carried out the suicide hijackings of Sept. 11, 2001. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made Bin Laden Americas No. 1 enemy, but he probably could not have executed them without his deputy. While Bin Laden came from a privileged background in a prominent Saudi family, Zawahiri had the experience of an underground revolutionary. Bin Laden provided Al Qaeda with charisma and money; Zawahiri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. Bin Laden always looked up to him, said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University. Zawahiri spent time in an Egyptian prison, he was tortured. He was a jihadi from the time he was a teenager. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished Al Qaedas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, Zawahiri ensured Al Qaedas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and the prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he also became the movements public face, putting out a constant stream of video messages while Bin Laden largely hid. Zawahiri was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in Al Qaedas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive a contrast to Bin Laden, whose soft-spoken presence many militants described in adoring, almost spiritual terms. Yet he reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the creation of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Asia. In the decade after 9/11, Al Qaeda inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen has proved itself capable of plotting attacks on U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in May 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Less than two months later, Al Qaeda proclaimed Zawahiri its paramount leader. The jihad against America does not halt with the death of a commander or leader, he said three months after Bin Ladens death. Chase America, which killed the leader of the mujahedeen and threw his body into the sea. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings around the Mideast threatened a major blow to Al Qaeda, showing that jihad was not the only way to get rid of Arab autocrats. It was mainly pro-democracy liberals and leftists who led the uprising that toppled Egypts President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime goal Zawahiri failed to achieve. Zawahiri sought to co-opt the wave of uprisings, insisting that they would have been impossible if the 9/11 attacks had not weakened America. And he urged Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. Zawahiri was born June 19, 1951, the son of an upper-middle-class family of doctors and scholars in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. His father was a pharmacology professor at Cairo Universitys medical school. His grandfather, Rabia Zawahiri, was the grand imam of Al-Azhar University, a premier center of religious study. From an early age, Zawahiri was inflamed by the radical writings of Sayyid Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who taught that Arab regimes were infidel and should be replaced by Islamic rule. In the 1970s, as he earned his medical degree as a surgeon, he was active in militant circles. He merged his own militant cell with others to form the group Islamic Jihad and began trying to infiltrate the military at one point even storing weapons in his private clinic. Then came the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic Jihad militants. The slaying was carried out by a different cell in the group and Zawahiri had written that he learned of the plot only hours before the assassination. But he was arrested along with hundreds of other militants and served three years in prison. During his imprisonment, he was reportedly tortured heavily, a factor some cite as turning him more violently radical. After his release in 1984, Zawahiri returned to Afghanistan and joined the Arab militants from across the Middle East fighting alongside the Afghans against the Soviets. He courted Bin Laden, who became a heroic figure for his financial support of the mujahedeen. Zawahiri followed Bin Laden to his new base in Sudan, and from there he led a reassembled the Islamic Jihad group in a violent campaign of bombings aimed at toppling Egypts U.S.-allied government. In the most daring attack, Jihad and other militants tried to assassinate Mubarak during a 1995 visit to Ethiopia. The president escaped the hail of gunfire aimed at his motorcade, and his security forces all but crushed the militant movement in Egypt in the crackdown that followed. The Egyptian movement failed. But Zawahiri would bring to Al Qaeda the tactics that he honed in Islamic Jihad. He promoted the use of suicide bombings, to become Al Qaedas hallmark. He plotted a 1995 suicide car bombing of Egypts embassy in Islamabad that killed 16 people presaging the more devastating 1998 Al Qaeda bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200, attacks Zawahiri was indicted for in the United States. In 1996, Sudan expelled Bin Laden, who took his fighters back to Afghanistan, where they found a safe haven under the radical Taliban regime. Once more, Zawahiri followed. Two years later, their bond was sealed when Bin Laden, Zawahiri and other militant leaders issued the Declaration of Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. It announced that the United States was Islams top enemy and instructed Muslims that it was their religious duty to kill the Americans and their allies. It consecrated a dramatic shift that Zawahiri underwent under Bin Ladens influence, changing from his longtime strategy of attacking the near enemy U.S.-allied Arab regimes such as Egypt to target the far enemy, the United States itself. Some in Zawahiris Islamic Jihad broke away, opposed to the move. And some Al Qaeda militants whose association with Bin Laden predated Zawahiris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from Zawahiri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, wrote in a memoir posted online in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. Soon after the alliance came the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa, followed by the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen, an attack Zawahiri is believed to have helped organize. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, Zawahiri and Bin Laden fled into Pakistan as a U.S. airstrike killed Zawahiris wife and at least two of their six children in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. The CIA came close to possibly capturing Zawahiri in 2003 and killing him in 2004. The CIA thought it finally had Zawahiri in its sights in 2009, only to be tricked by a double agent who blew himself up, killing seven agency employees and wounding six more in Khost, Afghanistan. In his 2001 treatise, Knights Under the Prophets Banner, Zawahiri set the long-term strategy for the jihadi movement to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Americans, while trying to establish control in a nation as a base to launch the battle to restore the holy caliphate of Islamic rule across the Muslim world. Al Qaeda did make inroads in Europe. The bombers in the Madrid attacks, which killed 191, were said to have been inspired by Al Qaeda, although direct links remain uncertain. Zawahiri claimed Al Qaeda responsibility for the 2005 London transit bombings, which killed 52, saying some perpetrators trained in Al Qaeda camps. Not all terror campaigns were successful. Al Qaedas branch in Saudi Arabia was crushed by 2006. Zawahiri himself had to write to the head of Al Qaedas branch in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, to rein in his brutal attacks on Iraqi Shiites, which were hurting the networks image among Muslims. That underlined Zawahiris ultimate failure. With his concentration on a Muslim vanguard carrying out dramatic attacks, he never gained widespread popular support for Al Qaeda in the Islamic world beyond a fringe of radical sympathizers. His answer, in Knights Under the Prophets Banner, was for jihadis to continue hitting Americans, hoping to exploit anti-U.S. sentiment and draw in the public. He echoed that strategy in a June 2011 video eulogy to his slain boss. Bin Laden terrified America in his life, he said, and will continue to terrify it after his death. Former Associated Press Writer Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this story. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Cherie Buckner-Webb said she was over the moon when she moved into the house at 1012 N 19th Street with her family as a young girl. She couldnt believe they had a porch and a backyard, and that shed have to share a room with only one of her sisters. Buckner-Webb, Idahos first elected Black state legislator, moved with her parents Dorothy and Aurelius Buckner and siblings Charles, Paulette and Carol from the River Street neighborhood to the wealthy, predominantly white Harrison Boulevard neighborhood in 1957. I had so much joy in that house, Buckner-Webb told the Idaho Statesman during an interview in her home. Buckner-Webb, who still lives in Boises North End, choked up as she recalled moving in on N 19th Street: I remember the day we walked in that house, I thought that it was the biggest house I had ever been in. The house, a Craftsman style bungalow built in 1911, became more than just where the Buckners lived. It became a meeting place where Idaho civil rights activists, including Buckner-Webbs mother, planned and strategized, often into the late hours of the night. Because of this rich history, the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office is honoring Dorothy Buckner and these activists by nominating the house to the National Register of Historic Places. There were times when all those meetings were going on that I was just like, Doesnt anybody have to go home? Buckner-Webb said, laughing. I didnt realize that so many luminaries in our community were in my front yard. Buckner-Webbs mother was a preeminent figure in the civil rights movement in Idaho and a member of the Idaho Advisory Committee on Civil Rights. She was a right fighter whose credo was disturb the peace, Buckner-Webb said. Preservation Office identifies Black history sites in Idaho The Buckner house is one of two historic sites in a multiple-property documentation to be submitted to the national register as part of the State Historic Preservation Offices larger effort to identify Black history sites in Idaho. The other site is the Bethel Baptist Church in Pocatello, which had one of the states earliest significant Black communities. Jill Gill, a professor of American history at Boise State University, wrote the documentation for the project. I think its very important to tell the full story of Idahoans history and all its complexities and the different peoples that live in our state, said Jason Tippeconnic Fox, an architectural historian with the state office. Fox said the agency is on the hunt for other sites that showcase Idahos Black history to nominate to the national register. The Buckner house was technically already on the national register as a part of the Harrison Boulevard neighborhood, which has been listed since 1980. Its this broad historic district with lots and lots of houses, but it never told some of those individual stories about people like the Buckners in that initial application, said Sarah Martin, an independent consulting historian who has worked on this project. Now the house is being recognized for its role in Idahos civil rights history and the events that occurred there. Its not the house. Its the significance of the house, Buckner-Webb said. Its what went on in the building. Cross burning among events in Buckner houses history Buckner-Webb said she was in second or third grade when vandals burned a cross on her familys front lawn. I was so young, she said. I didnt understand the significance of it. To her parents, the message was clear: Some white Boiseans did not want them living in the effectively segregated Harrison Boulevard neighborhood and were trying to intimidate them into leaving. The incident occurred in 1958, about a year after the family moved in and Dorothy Buckner decided the family would display the burned cross rather than dispose of it. She said, No, leave it on the front porch where they can see it, Buckner-Webb said. She wanted them to be accountable and to know that it was not going to be a symbol that would run us off. The Buckners, who were the only Black family in the Harrison Boulevard neighborhood at the time, went nowhere after the cross burning. Buckner-Webb said neighbors rallied around her family. Years later, when Buckner-Webb was serving in the Legislature, she said a man who had been on the police force at the time of the cross burning approached her. He told her that when the police identified the perpetrator, they pretty much ran him out of town, Buckner-Webb said. Next steps in national register nomination process The first step in the process of listing a property on the national register is to evaluate the site for significance and historic integrity, which means that it reflects the period for which its significant, said Fox, the architectural historian. If the State Historic Preservation Office deems the property worthy, it begins writing the nomination. This process, which often involves outside consultants and extensive research, takes a little over a year, Fox said. The nomination then goes before an Idaho review board made up of experts in history, architecture and archaeology. The panel gives feedback and votes on whether to approve the nomination. The Buckner houses nomination went before the review board on June 4 and was approved to advance to the final step of the process. The preservation office will send the nomination to the National Park Service, which governs the register, in the coming weeks, Fox said. Hopefully it will be listed in the national register in the early fall sometime, so were really excited about that, Fox said. Once the property is listed, not much will change for the current owners, who were excited to learn about this aspect of their homes history, Fox said. The owners can choose whether to install a commemorative plaque at the site. Buckner-Webb said she thinks listing the house on the national register is an important way to remember history even the unpleasant parts so that we are not doomed to repeat it. She also said shes proud that her mother, her childhood home and the work that went on there will be commemorated and honored. That house symbolizes so much for me, Buckner-Webb said. Our growth and development as a family, our growth and development as citizens and part of the community. California cities may soon be able to establish safe drug consumption sites under a bill that is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk after clearing the state Senate Monday. Senate Bill 57 lets local jurisdictions vote to create injection sites as pilot programs. Proponents say the sites provide a realistic way of reducing overdoses and lowering crime, while opponents hold that the legislation would cause drug activity to spike. Twenty-one senators voted in favor just enough to send it to the governor for final approval. The measure was introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. These programs have been in operation for about 30 years around the world in Europe, Canada and Australia, Wiener told senators Monday afternoon. And although there is no silver bullet to the overdose epidemic, they are a proven strategy to reduce overdose deaths. The legislation has faced significant pushback, largely from law enforcement agencies that say safe consumption sites do not provide adequate paths to treatment, according to a legislative bill analysis. These objections have shut down similar proposals. Three attempts by Sen. Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, to pass supervised injection sites failed in recent years. One of the bills was vetoed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. Newsom open to safe injection pilot Newsom said he was very open to the law when he ran for governor in 2018, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Im very open to that, he said at a San Francisco campaign stop. Id like to learn more about why the governor vetoed it in terms of making what I believe is a legal argument so Id like to research that. Im not wedded to the language of the existing bill, but I am certainly very, very open to a pilot. Wiener announced several amendments to the bill since it was last on the Senate floor. Participating jurisdictions will be required to participate in studies of their pilot programs, which will examine the impacts of their sites. The bill was also amended to include the city of Los Angeles as an initial pilot site. New York and Rhode Island already have legislation like SB 57 in place. Several safe injection sites in New York City opened in the last year. the Associated Press reported that the sites welcomed 9,500 visits in their first three months, helping to stop over 150 overdoses. The U.S. Department of Justice could also legalize safe injection sites on the federal level. While the DOJ under the Trump Administration vehemently opposed the idea, Attorney General Merrick Garlands Department has expressed openness. This legislation isnt about whether we want people to use drugs, Wiener wrote in a press release after the vote. Rather, its an acknowledgment that people are using drugs, and our choice is whether we want to make every effort to help them survive and get healthy. The time has come for California to adopt this proven overdose death prevention strategy. Republicans urge Newsom to veto Republicans immediately urged Newsom to veto SB 57, with the Senate Republican Caucus saying it would authorize several California cities to operate drug dens. Instead of focusing on a strategy to help people get their lives back, get off drugs and into treatment, California Democrats focus on giving people free needles and a safe place to shoot up, said Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, in a statement. This is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation that Ive seen sent to the governor. Leaving people on the streets in squalor, rather than getting them help, shows zero compassion. The Republican National Committee said SB 57 is an example of California Democrats efforts to dismantle the safety and well-being of Californians, said Hallie Balch, RNC spokeswoman. Instead of shoring up our borders, getting tough on crime or working to clean up our streets by addressing the mental health crisis ravaging the state, they are offering up illicit drugs to addicts on a silver platter, Balch said in a statement. N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper has offered to host a long-running music festival after it was canceled in Atlanta. On Monday, organizers with Music Midtown, which has been a go-to for music lovers since 1994, called off the event for unspecified reasons. The festival was scheduled for Sept. 17-18 with headliners My Chemical Romance, Future, Jack White and Fall Out Boy. Other artists that were scheduled to perform included a range of musical artists like Phoenix, Mitski, 2 Chainz, Freddie Gibbs and Tinashe. Cooper shared an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on his Facebook page on Tuesday inviting the festival to North Carolina. Were ready to welcome you to one of our amazing outdoor spaces to help you host a fun and safe festival, the Governor wrote. The post has 115 comments, some of which showed support for the move. Due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year, wrote the festival on their website and social media accounts. We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon. Hey Midtown fans - due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year. We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon. pic.twitter.com/cI5M37UNW8 Music Midtown (@MusicMidtown) August 1, 2022 Several media outlets, and participants, speculate that the festival was canceled due to Georgias recent rollback on gun restrictions in public spaces. The 2014 Safe Carry Protection Act bill was called the Guns Everywhere law. It allows Georgia residents with a permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring guns to bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and in the airport. The Republican-backed bill also allowed firearms on publicly owned land, such as city property and parks. In 2019, the law was expanded by the Georgia Supreme Court to prevent certain business owners from deciding who could disallow guns on publicly owned land. Organizers for Music Midtown were threatened with a lawsuit by gun owners if they decided to hold the festival with gun restrictions in place, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The cancellation has sparked outrage from many fans, festival participants and some Georgia politicians, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who said the festivals cancellation could cost the states economy $50 million. In 2021, more than 50,000 people attended, USA Today reported. North Carolinas gun laws North Carolina has a mix of weak and restrictive gun laws. A person in the state must obtain a permit before buying a firearm, which includes a criminal background check. Open carry is legal in the state, and counties can regulate the display of guns on public roads, sidewalks, alleys or other public property. Gun owners are not allowed to carry guns in public places where they are not allowed. Music Midtown has not responded to The N&O for comments about Coopers invitation nor confirmed any plans to move the event. Organizers told participants that refunds will be processed within the next day on their website. Two men in Durham were convicted of rape in separate cold cases Monday, including one that occurred 17 years ago and whose victim died this year before she could see her attacker sentenced. The Durham County District Attorneys Office announced the convictions, which came as a result of previously untested DNA evidence in Durhams Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, according to a news release. In one case, 59-year-old Timothy Rorie pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and sexual battery for breaking into a womans home on Sept. 8, 2005, and sexually assaulting her, according to the release. He was charged this February after saliva collected from the victim connected him to the crime, the release stated. The victim, who was in her 70s at the time of the assault, lived to see her rapist arrested, according to the district attorneys office. Unfortunately, the victim in this case passed away shortly after Rorie was charged, the release stated. On Monday, Rorie was sentenced to between roughly 12 1/2 years and 16 years in prison, followed by 10 years of wearing an ankle monitor for satellite tracking. He also was ordered to register as a sex offender and never have contact with the victims family. In the other case, 27-year-old Carlos Dominguez-Aguiar pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree burglary for breaking into a womans home on May 31, 2015, and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint, according to the release. He was charged in August 2021 when DNA testing connected him to the assault on the woman, who was in her 30s at the time. On Monday, he was sentenced to between 16 years and 24 years and 3 months in prison, followed by 10 years of wearing an ankle monitor for satellite tracking. He was ordered to register as a sex offender and to never have contact with the victim. Clearing the rape-kit backlog More than a dozen people have been charged by the Durham Police Departments Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. With Mondays convictions, seven have been convicted in 10 assaults dating back to 2005. In 2019, after state officials reported 15,000 untested sexual assault kits in North Carolina, state Attorney General Josh Stein said Durham was second to Asheville in getting backlogged kits tested, though over 1,000 kits in the city remained untested, The News & Observer reported. The N&O has asked the Police Department how many untested sexual assault kits remain in Durham. As of July 16, there had been 73 forcible rapes reported to Durham police this year, compared to 70 at this time last year, department statistics show. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, rape is vastly underreported with 63% of cases not reported to law enforcement. The center estimates 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will be raped during their lifetime. In Mondays release, District Attorney Satana Deberry thanked police and said she was heartened that, after years of waiting, the survivors in both of these cases were able to see their attackers identified and receive some closure. The latest cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca, who works with the Police Departments Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. The Durham Report Calling Bull City readers! We've launched The Durham Report, a free weekly digest of some of the top stories for and about Durham published in The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. Get your newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday at 11 a.m. featuring links to stories by our local journalists. Sign up for our newsletter here. For even more Durham-focused news and conversation, join our Facebook group "The Story of my Street." You didnt really expect Donald Trump to take this seriously, did you? The disgraced former president teased early Monday that he would make his long-awaited primary endorsement for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Roy Blunt that day. He already torched Rep. Vicky Hartzler last month, writing on his Truth Social platform that voters can forget about her chances, while egregiously claiming shed asked for his nod multiple times. That left, among others, current Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens, who resigned as Missouri governor in humiliation amid accusations of campaign finance offenses and sexual assault. That afternoon, Trump went into full stand-up comic mode: I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement! he finally declared. So in other words, hes decided to hedge his bets on the two front-runners in the race. His longtime former consigliere Michael Cohen has often told us one of Trumps biggest fears is being perceived as a loser. By not specifically blessing either candidate, hell surely say after Tuesdays primary that he always knew Greitens or Schmitt was the real winner all along. Or he wont. Not that it matters to his most ardent fans shooting someone on Fifth Avenue and all that. Each Eric immediately wallowed in Trumps glory, claiming the non-endorsement as his own. Im honored to receive President Trumps endorsement, tweeted Greitens. It is truly an honor to have President Trumps endorsement in the Senate race, said a statement from Schmitt. Coming about 12 hours before the polls open, its unlikely Trumps stunt will have any effect on Tuesdays outcome. Its hard to imagine a message so confusing and vague would sway any voter from one Eric to the other. And its not as if theres a hairs breadth between the two candidates positions, which are pure Fox News red meat: Both have made showy visits to the U.S.-Mexico border. Both applauded the Supreme Court giving Missouri the go-ahead to severely curtail womens reproductive rights by overturning Roe v. Wade. More guns. No cancel culture. Conservatives good, liberals bad. But in the end, Trumps little trick isnt about Eric Greitens at all, or Eric Schmitt, or certainly not Missouri voters. Its nothing but a flex of raw political power a typical look-at-me moment from the showman who took over the Republican Party by jettisoning serious policy in favor of talk radio theatrics. Regardless of which Eric wins on Election Day, conservative voters who want serious-minded public servants calling the shots will still be the losers. This building on West Fairview Avenue in Boise, built in 1949, has been home to several businesses over decades. Starting as Goodman Oil Co. service station, the distinctive Modern Movement architecture look of the building later became a Union 76 station. Most recently, Boise Car Upholstery used the facility but has since closed its doors. After I wrote a column a couple of weeks ago about Terry Botkin, who owned and operated Boise Car Upholstery for 40 years, a few readers asked whats going to happen with the building now that hes retiring. Its a unique building with an interesting history. The 2,217-square-foot building at 2222 W. Fairview Ave. was built in 1949 as a Goodman Oil Co. service station, back when someone would come out and fill your gas tank, check your oil and wipe your windshield. It has a distinctive curved retail/office section at the west end, a rounded canopy, stacked roof tiers that go from cylindrical to scalloped to octagonal, and two massive glass-paneled garage bay doors. Its a really great example of a stylistic type of architecture, that sort of roadside architecture that was meant to really draw the eye as travelers embraced this new mode of transportation with cars that were going increasingly fast, Tricia Canaday, who is the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office administrator, said in a phone interview. And so roadside architecture kind of evolved to catch the eye essentially, so thats when you start to see these more unusual forms and shapes, coming in with different types of gas stations, restaurants, motels, all those kinds of things. A 2016 cultural resource survey commissioned by Preservation Idaho and the city of Boise of the 30th Street urban renewal corridor identified the building as historically significant and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is an excellent example of a Modern Movement building incorporating elements of both the Streamlined Moderne and Art Deco styles onto a small commercial block, according to the survey. Many Boiseans might remember the Union 76 gas station at 2222 W. Fairview Ave. photographed here in the 1970s prior to being transformed into Boise Car Upholstery. Goodman Oil Co. still owned the building all the way up until 2006. Botkin had an opportunity to buy the building, but he was concerned that the soil might be contaminated from underground gasoline storage tanks. When Claude Guigon bought the property in 2006, it turned out the soil was clean. Guigon, a French transplant to Sun Valley and longtime assistant general manager of the Sun Valley Resort, owned the building from 2006-14. The property changed hands a couple of times before Pacific West Communities bought it in 2018. Pacific West is an affordable housing developer based in Boise that developed New Path Community Housing, a 40-unit apartment building for people experiencing chronic homelessness, right next door to Boise Car Upholstery. Pacific West president and CEO Caleb Roope did not return two phone messages I left asking about plans for the property. Boise city officials said that there is no proposal currently before the city and that the building itself doesnt have any local protections. However, given the nature of Pacific Wests business to build affordable housing and using federal funds to do it, any such development using federal money would trigger whats known as a Section 106 Project Review process. The National Historic Preservation Act requires all federal agencies to consider what effects their actions may have on historic properties, including archaeological sites and the built environment, according to the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, which consults with those federal agencies and their applicants to speak for the historic resources of Idaho. Canaday said the review process wouldnt prevent the demolition of the building, but it would require some sort of mitigation if the building were torn down. The process, if theres an adverse effect, typically ends with an agreement document, which is a legally binding document that stipulates how adverse effects will be mitigated for that particular project, Canaday said. That could be any number of things, including preserving another historical building or structure elsewhere or putting money into a fund for another preservation project. I would sure hate to see the building torn down. The Flying M Coffeegarage in Nampa is an example of a former gas station/service station that successfully transformed into a coffee shop. As I sat in the Boise Car Upholstery shop interviewing Botkin, I couldnt help but be reminded of the Flying M Coffeegarage in Nampa, a similar building that was converted from a 1960s Firestone garage into a great coffee shop space. Of course, the corner of Fairview Avenue and 23rd Street in Boise has much more development potential. The property at 2222 W. Fairview Ave. is only a 0.18-acre lot, and Pacific West also owns the property immediately behind it, at 114 S. 23rd St. That lot is another 0.23 acres, so combined, Pacific West would have nearly a half-acre to work with. The building on that lot is from 1941, but the rectangular cinder-block structure is nowhere near the architectural significance of the Goodman Oil Co. building. If they are going to develop this site, what we would really love to see happen is to incorporate this truly wonderful building as part of whatever plans they have for that site, Paula Benson, Preservation Idaho board member, told me in a phone interview. It really is an architecturally significant building that should be preserved rather than just demolish it and have it end up in the landfill. I agree. While density and building upward is important, Id rather see Pacific West figure out a way to develop both lots together, preserve the Goodman Oil Co. building and repurpose it as a commercial space. We do really feel that it is a significant piece of typology as a unique gas station structure that there just are fewer and fewer and fewer of these remaining on the landscape, Canaday said. If we can save it, we should save it. Gaston Davis desire to experience the authentic cowboy lifestyle for himself led him on a journey that spanned six countries and two continents. Now the product of the Fort Worth residents quest, the indie film Cowboys Without Borders, is available on Amazon, Apple TV, YouTube and other streaming services. The film, which Davis described as a passion project, is a documentary of the men and women who work behind the scenes in the agriculture industry, individuals whom Davis said often go unnoticed. Davis is no stranger to ranch life. His ancestors, immigrants from Germany, acquired the familys Pecan Spring Ranch near Menard, Texas, in 1880. Johanna Wilhelm, the Sheep Queen of Texas, was his great-great-great-grandmother. Davis himself grew up in Houston, but spent his summers helping his grandfather on the Dry Creek Ranch near Pecan Spring. He would tell me stories of working with [his] Grandpa Fritz, and I would just love to hear em ... working on horseback, working ... thousands of head of cattle and all of a sudden I realized, you know, thats really cool but I dont really have any stories like that to pull from personally, Davis said. Nowadays cattle operations are often done from the back of a pickup, and Davis wondered if hed missed out on the cowboy era. His summer experiences left him hungry for more. Two vaqueros from Rancho Los Corrales in northern Mexico look for wild horses in Cowboys Without Borders. Through some contacts he met while interning at the department of agriculture his senior year of college, he got connected with a rancher in Paraguay. In June 2016, shortly after graduating with a film degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Davis boarded a plane to Paraguay with two objectives in mind: learn Spanish and experience life on a South American ranch. The cowboy way The rancher met Davis in the capital city of Asuncion and brought him to his ranch, Estancia Faro Norte, in the northern part of the country. To Davis surprise, the man dropped him off, told the foreman something about him in Spanish and drove away. For six weeks I didnt see him, Davis said. And I was just on this ranch, and they gave me like a little room with a bed and I would just have meals with everyone and I was just totally immersed in the language. Estancia Faro Norte was only the beginning of Davis South American adventure. The more people I met and friends I made on the journey, the more ranchers would invite me to work for them, he said. Gaston Davis, the writer, director and editor of Cowboys Without Borders. For the next six months Davis worked on 12 ranches in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, and during that time he had an epiphany. I was able to see that theres not just cowboys in Texas, not just in Montana or wherever [in the] United States, theyre everywhere, Davis said. This culture, it truly does transcend borders and the people in it are ... all the same sense of humility and gentleness. That realization gave Davis an idea for how he could bridge the gap between his rural and urban life, and the concept for Cowboys Without Borders was born. Pumping a heartbeat into rural America When he got back from South America, he reached out to Ilissa Nolan, a ninth-generation Texan from a ranching family, and told her about his idea for a documentary. Nolan said the idea intrigued her and she agreed to come on board as the producer. She came up with the title and helped Davis refine the concept. They contacted a cinematographer, Alex Walker, and developed a game plan of which ranches should be part of their story. Nolan said it was important to her that the story be as accurate as possible. Coming from the ag industry, I really wanted to showcase what I know of the industry, Nolan said. And it was really important for me to have ... advocates of the ag industry and also farmers and ranchers watch this and say, Thank you for portraying our lifestyle and our culture in a way that we can appreciate. For most of August 2017, Davis and the filming crew followed cowboys on four ranches in Montana, Texas, Mexico and Argentina. Gaston Davis talks to Rancho Los Corrales owner Charro Reed about ranching in Mexico in the film Cowboys Without Borders. Davis worked alongside the cowboys, known as vaqueros in Mexico and gauchos in Argentina. He helped tame wild horses and sorted cattle. He ate meals with the cowboys and their families and asked lots of questions, gradually seeing each ranchs story take shape. He spent 18 months editing 80 hours of footage on his laptop in Final Cut Pro, watching and re-watching it to find the best information. The film made its debut July 12 on streaming platforms. Its also available in DVD format. Davis said the relationships he built were the most fulfilling part of the film-making journey, which took nearly five and a half years from first idea to finished product. Making it ... means meeting so many different people, different walks of life in the ag industry but also in California, in the music industry, in the cinematography industry, Davis said. All these different industries come together to make a film. and thats whats really exciting to me. The film also helped bring Davis and his wife, Kathryn, together. Kathryn Davis saw the promotional video when the film was still in the fundraising stage. When she saw Gaston Davis at a farmers market some time later, she recognized him as the guy from the movie and the two started talking. They married in February 2021. He was my celebrity crush, she said laughing. Cowboys Without Borders director Gaston Davis with his wife, Kathryn, and their son, Fritz. Kathryn Davis is now the marketing director for the film. Nolan said she knows from the feedback shes gotten from family and friends that the film stayed true to the intent of accurately portraying the people in the agriculture industry. Every one of them has said the same thing, which is, Thats exactly what its like, you know, youve really told the true story of the cowboy and our lifestyle, Nolan said. ... And so thats been probably the most flattering compliment. Davis currently works at a steel building materials company in Fort Worth, but he hopes to keep making films focused on pumping a heartbeat back into rural America. If rural America goes away, thats the backbone of America, Davis said. Thats what, I think, what were built on. Tucker Brown (far left), RA Brown ranch foreman (middle) and director Gaston Davis at the RA Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, in the film Cowboys Without Borders. Flash Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday to seek closer cooperation in various areas between the two countries. Rahmon asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping, wishing the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a complete success. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Tajikistan have always respected, trusted and supported each other, while Tajikistan has always supported major initiatives raised by China at the earliest date, he noted. Rahmon expressed the hope that the two sides, by taking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Tajikistan-China diplomatic relations this year as an opportunity, will carry forward their fine tradition of good-neighborliness and friendship, and continuously strengthen strategic communication so as to lift their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level. Rahmon thanked China for providing Tajikistan with a new batch of vaccines and always lending a helping hand when Tajikistan is in need, and vigorously supporting Tajikistan in improving infrastructure and raising people's living standards for years. China has become one of Tajikistan's biggest economic, trading and investment partners, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has been accelerated, the president said, expressing the hope that Tajikistan and China will successfully hold economic and trade cooperation commission meetings, increase the scale of bilateral trade, accelerate the implementation of key cooperation projects in the fields of connectivity, production capacity and energy, among others, to expand cooperation in mining and agriculture, and to enhance cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, e-governance and artificial intelligence, to facilitate Chinese investment in Tajikistan. Wang conveyed Xi's cordial greetings to Rahmon, saying that the guidance of the heads of state is the political advantage and the greatest guarantee for stable and far-reaching bilateral relations and mutual understanding and respect; mutual trust and support are the fine traditions both countries observe. The China-Tajikistan relations have continuously achieved continuous development and have reached a historic high, he said. The two heads of state announced that China and Tajikistan would jointly build a development community and a security community, which reflects the unique position and strategic value of bilateral relations, Wang said. The two sides have always stood together and firmly supported each other on issues regarding their core interests and major concerns, he said, adding that China appreciates Tajikistan's consistent policy of prioritizing developing relations with China and supporting China's initiatives. China, likewise, is also a reliable partner Tajikistan can trust and count on, and is willing to work with Tajikistan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, summarize the successful experience of 30 years of diplomatic relations, and set new goals for the development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Wang noted that China-Tajikistan economic and trade ties have grown notably stronger despite an unfavorable environment, fully demonstrating their resilience and potential. He said that China is ready to strengthen the docking of development strategies with Tajikistan, implement key cooperation projects, share experiences in digital economy, green development and artificial intelligence, expand cooperation across the agricultural industry chain, import more high-quality agricultural products from Tajikistan, and continue to provide vaccines as needed to help Tajikistan strengthen its public health capacity. Believing that security cooperation reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, the two sides will continue to jointly meet traditional and non-traditional security challenges, guard against all risks and hidden dangers and maintain regional peace and stability. The two sides are also ready to strengthen communication and coordination within the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the United Nations, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, and China + Central Asia (C+C5). The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the Afghan issue. Also on Monday, Rustam Emomali, chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, met with Wang. During his visit to Tajikistan, Wang and Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin held talks, signed documents on cooperation between the two foreign ministries, and attended the inauguration ceremony of a Luban Workshop facility and the handover ceremony of COVID-19 vaccines to Tajikistan. Haitian landowners who plan to leave the country to escape violence and economic stagnation are struggling to sell their homes and lands. The reason: Potential buyers are fleeing, too. The situation has become dire for the Haitian real estate market as landowners, homeowners and real estate agents report almost no interested buyers and alarming downward numbers in sales the latest crisis triggered by the increasing violence of powerfully armed kidnapping gangs that has ravaged the country in recent years. Right now, we have over 200 properties on our website, bestofhaitirealrstate.com, available for sale, and we have accumulated that in a two-year period, said Mathieu Louis, a Haitian-American real estate agent and founder of Best of Haiti Real Estate. Out of the 200 in the last two years this is fast statistics we only sold two. There are no institutions in Haiti that keep track of periodic home sales. Louis moved back to Haiti three years ago to run the real estate agency located in Petion-Ville. About 60% of his property owner clients are in Haiti. The rest are from overseas. When those who reside in the country call, they usually sound in a hurry, asking Louis to immediately come to get pictures, videos and descriptions of the properties as they try to leave the country before selling. Im leaving tomorrow, he says clients tell him. Im leaving the country, and Im leaving for good. Mario, 40, is one of the landowners with plans to leave. He owns approximately 1,300 square feet of land in Fermathe, a mountainous region south of the countrys capital, Port-au-Prince, which he decided to put on the market in early February. He said no one has asked to see the land or made a formal offer. This is a big mess, said Mario, who asked that his last name not be used because he fears for his safety. He said he doesnt openly advertise for fear of being on the kidnappers radar. Someone can make an appointment, and its a trap, he said. Mario said he uses word of mouth to inform his inner circle of friends and family of his intentions. Still, he said he must be very careful because not everyone can be trusted because, in Haiti, some kidnappings are orchestrated by people who know the victim. Mario initially purchased his land for $30,000 in 2007 when he was a young professional in his mid-20s. For more than a decade, he had put aside plans to build on it since he and his wife already had a house. But because of the countrys precarious situation, he has begun the application process to receive permanent residency and migrate to the U.S. He expects to leave within a year. Rather than risk losing the land to squatters, Mario prefers to get rid of it and use the money as a down payment for a home in the States. But regardless of his being able to sell in time, Mario does not want to wait once the process is complete. If I could leave tonight, I would, he said. Stephane, one of Louis clients, is looking to sell his land located in Montagne Noire, near Petion-Ville in Port-au-Prince. Like Mario, he didnt openly promote his lot, which has been up for sale for more than five months. No one has shown interest in buying or even visited the property. It is beyond discouraging, said Stephane, who prefers not to use his last name for safety reasons. Its not just land, its cars, home furniture, businesses that are difficult to get rid of. Mario and Stephanes properties are in relatively safe areas near Petion-Ville. They are asking $55,000 and $90,000, respectively. They both said Petion-Villes value has doubled over the years, but they know people who have had to sell below market value. Louis, the real estate agent, argues the opposite, that the asking prices for land or homes tend to be more than its market value. Louis said the real estate sector in Haiti is informal. People price the properties based on their feelings, not with market data or according to how the market is doing. Property owners prefer not to pay for appraisals and come up with the prices based on how long theyve been building the house or how attached they are to the property, he said. Nonetheless, Haiti is experiencing a buyers market, in which buyers have the advantage with the endless options of properties for sale. Yet, there are few if any buyers, leaving the market dry. Even people who had started to invest to create business plans, started to execute some of those plans are putting those projects on hold, Louis said. So that creates not only a present economic crisis but also a crisis that can affect the country in the long term. He said the market is currently focused on local rentals. Haitians who live abroad are trying to move their families out of unsafe areas in Haiti, such as Croix-des-Bouquets, Tabarre and Martissant. Etzer Emile, a Haiti-based economist, said that the people who could have afforded to buy a house or land in Haiti middle- and upper-class families are also the ones who have been able to afford to leave the country. Their exodus has had a real impact on the Haitian economy, which has seen a fourth consecutive year of negative growth. Nobody knows whats going to happen, he said. Its not just the real estate sector thats affected. Its every single thing, but especially those long-term investments. Members of the Office of Real Estate Agents of Haiti complained about the desperate situation in a Facebook post last Tuesday, which they called an alarm in the face of the rise of kidnappings in the metropolitan area. The kidnappings not only affect the real estate sector but the society in general. For us agents, theres no such thing as a real estate market because the business has stopped, said Eavans Juste, the offices president. For Sale sign above a house located in Montagne Noire, Haiti. Agents at MLS Haiti, a real estate company with offices in Miami and Haiti, say that their Haitian clients who live in the U.S. are waiting for better times and interested buyers are almost nonexistent. Geto Sainristil, the director of Solstice Realty, a Haiti-based agency that is affiliated with MLS Haiti, said that he was about to close a sale transaction when the buyer decided to withdraw at the last minute. His family told him it was bad timing to invest in Haiti, he said. It was too risky. Tuesday morning, I visited Omaha Beach in northern France and the nearby Normandy American Cemetery, where almost 10,000 American souls are memorialized for their defense of freedom during World War II. Contemplating such awfulness made my stomach queasy. But over lunch, I read of Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawleys plan to vote no on allowing Sweden and Finland into NATO. That made me want to vomit. His logic is that the that America cannot walk and chew gum at the same time when considering the threat China poses. Hawley should have more faith in the American people and our system of government. The senators stated desire to leave Sweden and Finland to Russian President Vladimir Putin can only mean he would reluctantly provide half-hearted assistance to the United Kingdom or other NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression. Senator, you trust Putin far more then I do. The only time Article 5 of NATO has been implemented was in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Europe came to our defense. If China ever attacks the U.S. and we call for help, NATO will respond again. Whats wrong with having two more friends? As a diplomat, I worked closely with NATO allies in both Iraq and Kosovo. They joined our military efforts because they shared our values. Without exception, they respected our leadership. Those efforts were neither perfect nor flawless but at least we all showed up in the fight against tyranny. Senator, your vote whether to ratify or amend a treaty is among your most sacred responsibilities. Please dont treat it as an opportunity to cater to your America first base. Have you never read the English poet John Donne? No man is an island entire of itself, he wrote in 1624. Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Im all for America first first among the nations, not just first among ourselves. Senator, youre pushing your upcoming book about manhood. Now its time you man up and stand up for American leadership. Those souls at Omaha Beach did, and they should not have died in vain. Stephen R. Hemphill was a senior adviser for justice at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from 2004 to 2005. He lives in Liberty. WASHINGTON Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over command of the terrorist organization after the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday night, President Joe Biden said in a White House address on Monday evening. "He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats and American interests," Biden said, describing the Egyptian-born Muslim fundamentalist, who was a surgeon by training, as a "vicious and determined killer" who had been intimately involved in planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Al-Zawahri was one of the FBIs 10 most wanted terrorists. His demise came courtesy of a CIA drone, which fired two Hellfire missiles at the balcony of a Taliban-operated safe house where the al-Qaida leader and his family were staying. "Now, justice has been delivered," Biden said in his remarks. "And this terrorist leader is no more." Nobody else is believed to have died in the strike. A senior administration official said that the president was first briefed on intelligence relating to al-Zawahris whereabouts on July 1. The official described Biden as "immersed in intelligence," wanting to know about the layout of the safe house, the impact of a strike on other residents and on civilians living nearby. Administration attorneys, meanwhile, determined that al-Zawahri was a "lawful target." Intelligence "continued to strengthen on a daily basis," the senior administration official said. Biden was finally briefed on July 25, while he was in the midst of his COVID-19 isolation. Taking the counsel of his top national security advisers, he approved the strike. In this video grab taken from a broadcast by Arab television, al-Qaida representative Ayman al-Zawahri claims responsibility for terror attacks in London. (Getty Images) Biden was vice president when Navy SEALs executed an audacious raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, authorized by then-President Barack Obama in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Biden now has a similar victory over al-Qaida to call his own. "I think we really won the war on terror now," defense analysis Ben Friedman of Defense Priorities wrote on Twitter upon hearing the news of al-Zawahris death. The killing comes nearly a year after the chaotic departure of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which ended the two-decade military operation begun by former President George W. Bush. Critics feared that the withdrawal would inhibit the ability of the U.S. to carry out strikes such as the one that took place on Saturday. Speaking from an isolation prolonged by his rebound COVID-19 infection after having antiviral Paxlovid therapy, Biden vowed resolve in the fight against terrorism. "We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you're a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out," he said. Although its operational capacity had been degraded in the last decade, al-Qaida remained a potent symbol of anti-American sentiment. And while bin Laden had been the groups public face, al-Zawahri was its ideological linchpin. President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House on Aug. 1, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images) "Understanding al-Zawahri is to understand the most violent form of Islamic radicalism," U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Youssef H. Aboul-Enein wrote in a 2004 analysis, one where there is no negotiation and an uncompromising attitude in waging an offensive jihad on those he has deemed as enemies of his brand of Islamic fundamentalism." Al-Zawahri helped plan the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, as well as the bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000. The senior administration official who spoke to reporters on Monday evening argued that his death "deals a significant blow to al-Qaida." Last summer, Biden and top national security officials assured that even without a military presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. would retain the ability to strike at key targets. Monday's news appeared to support that argument, even if the long-term effects of the withdrawal continued to be the subject of intense debate. "I made a promise to the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond," the president said. "Weve done just that." A request by Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron to enforce Kentuckys trigger law banning nearly all abortions has been temporarily granted. The Kentucky Court of Appeals late Monday night approved Camerons request for emergency relief, which he filed Friday. The Attorney General, whos running for governor, asked the court to reinstate his ability to enforce the states trigger law, which bans all abortions except in cases of where risk of death or substantial risk of death of the pregnant person is a factor, as well as a six-week ban on abortions. Camerons plea, which the court granted, was to overturn a July 22 injunction from a Jefferson Circuit judge that blocked enforcement of Kentuckys abortion ban, keeping abortion legal in the commonwealth. The Monday order means abortion is now illegal in most cases. The Court of Appeals agreed, at a base level, that by barring the states chief law enforcement officer from enforcing duly-enacted state laws, his request meets the Kentucky Supreme Courts definition needed to grant emergency relief in this context. Where the government is enforcing a state designed to protect the public interest, it is not required to show irreparable harm to obtain injunction relief, the August 1 order reads, quoting from a state Supreme Court decision. The statutes enactment constitutes (the General Assemblys) implied finding that violations will harm the public and ought, if necessary, be restrained. In other words, mere passage of a statute by the General Assembly implies that it is constitutional, at least to a degree. And when the ability to enforce a statute is blocked, in situations such as this, irreparable harm is presumed, judges wrote. The Court of Appeals also found that, while the lawsuit brought by Kentuckys two abortion providers challenging the statewide ban is still winding its way through the courts, one cannot discount the reality that any abortions performed in the interim period . . . cannot be undone, should (Cameron) prevail on the merits in his defense of the statutes. The court also said it expresses no opinion whatsoever as to the merits of the underlying dispute, meaning the constitutionality of the trigger law. The judges also noted that nothing in their order shall be construed to limit medical providers ability to act to protect maternal health . . . even where a detectable fetal heartbeat exists. The trigger law and six-week ban do not apply if a physician, using reasonable medical judgment, finds that performing an abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. Cameron tweeted his thanks to the court Monday night for allowing Kentuckys pro-life laws to take effect while we continue to vigorously defend the constitutionality of these important protections for women and unborn children across the commonwealth. Planned Parenthood, who argues in its lawsuit with EMW Womens Surgical Center that a right to an abortion is protected by the Kentucky Constitution, decried the courts decision. Both providers halted abortion care immediately following the order, and on Tuesday morning, they asked the states highest court to vacate the relief order granted by the appeals court. The Court of Appeals order has upended 50 years of the status quo by halting abortion access in the Commonwealth, both parties wrote in the August 2 motion. Patients previously scheduled for abortion care are now being turned away, and they will continue to be turned away absent relief from this court. Planned Parenthood and EMW argued that, with the near-total ban in place, it will cause irreparable harm to pregnant people who no longer wish to be pregnant. As the circuit court held, every day that abortion is banned results in irreparable harm to Kentuckians who are forced to remain pregnant against their will, at substantial risk to their health, life and well-being, providers wrote. Many of these Kentuckians will never be able to obtain abortions, and will experience the irreversible and lifelong consequences of forced pregnancy, forced childbirth, and forced childbearing. Polls in Missouri will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m as voters in the Kansas City area cast their ballots in Tuesdays primary elections. Voters will have the opportunity to make their picks for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House in Washington, D.C., and in the Missouri State Senate and House of Representatives in Jefferson City. The biggest of those races is for the open U.S. Senate seat in Missouri as Sen. Roy Blunt retires. The three candidates leading the Republican field to fill that seat are former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler. U.S. Rep. Billy Long, St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey and state Sen. Dave Schatz are all vying to remain in contention. On the Democratic side, the race is largely between philanthropist Trudy Busch Valentine and former Marine Lucas Kunce. Spencer Toder, a St. Louis area real estate agent, is also trying to remain in the conversation. For information about voting, check the website of the Missouri Secretary of State. Trudy Busch Valentine wins MO Democratic Senate primary Updated 10:24 p.m. Philanthropist and Anheuser-Busch beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri Tuesday, with a message of restoring civility in Washington, D.C. that was amplified by $5 million of her own money. Democrats now head into the general election with female nominee who worked as a nurse at the top of a ticket in a year where the party will heavily emphasize womens health care and abortion rights in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that overturned a constitutional right to an abortion, leaving the decision up to the states. Busch Valentine will face Republican state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who played a key role in implementing Missouris abortion ban just minutes after the Supreme Court decision in June. Schmitt wins Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Missouri Updated 9:07 p.m. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, thwarting embattled former Gov. Eric Greitens electoral comeback attempt with a campaign fueled by a wave of politically-charged lawsuits. Republicans now head into the general election with a standard bearer many are confident can easily dispatch the Democratic nominee. Schmitt has cast himself as a key ally for conservatives in a struggle with liberals on everything from taxes to gun rights to critical race theory. Control of the evenly-divided Senate may hinge on the outcome of the race. Republicans are widely expected to make gains in Congress in November as President Joe Biden struggles with poor approval ratings and the highest inflation in decades raises prices across the nation. The Associated Press called the Republican race for Schmitt at 9 p.m. Schmitt defeated Greitens a day after former President Donald Trump issued a late dual endorsement of ERIC, a split decision between the two candidates that allowed the former president to claim credit if either won. Northland voters Updated 6:55 p.m. While Vincent Karpierz, 66, of Avondale, wasnt comfortable sharing who he voted for, he did want to encourage others to get out and vote whenever they have the opportunity. The retired electrician said he always tries to make it to the polls, adding that to him, every election is as important as the last. This year he was one of the last to cast a ballot at the Avondale United Methodist Church before polls closed at 7 p.m. If you want change or anything, dont complain if you dont vote, he said, later adding with a chuckle, Still complain if you vote. Vincent Karpierz, 66, of Avondale, voted Tuesday in the Missouri primary. Joanna Simmons, 50, said shes missed very few elections, but it felt especially important this year to come out to the Avondale United Methodist Church to vote. Her biggest hope is to see a change in the senate. I have no voice, so Im hoping to change it, she said, adding that as a woman post-Roe, shed like to see some of her rights returned. Simmons said she is also ashamed to be represented by Sen. Josh Hawley, who recently became a meme after he was seen running from the Jan. 6 mob. It used to be Kansas was the embarrassing side to be on, and now I dont tell people Im from Missouri, she said. When it came to the U.S. senate race, when she saw former marine Lucas Kunce was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, it made the decision a no-brainer. But overall I dont have much hope for us to turn that seat in Missouri, Simmons added. Joanna Simmons, 50, voted Tuesday at Avondale United Methodist Church. Voters in Raytown cast ballots Updated 6 p.m. We just feel that representing the younger generation is important, Morgan Lenhardt, 27, said after casting her vote at Raytown Central Middle School alongside her husband, Joshua Lenhardt. Morgan Lenhardt said they both have conservative, Christian values and they feel the Republican Party upholds those beliefs for the most part. But as a manager at work, she encourages everyone to come out and vote, regardless of whether their ideologies align with her own. The right to vote wasnt always around for everybody, so its just really important that we were given that right, and people fought for that right, she said. For Morgan Lenhardt, the race between Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens was a close one. After much research, Greitens won her vote in part because of his military background. She is a former Army medic. She and her husband hope to have children soon, and she said having lawmakers who align with their education values is important to them. She hopes Greitens would keep children from being exposed to topics she and her husband dont feel is appropriate for them. The world today is just a really scary place to be and Id like to see that get turned around. I want to be proud to be here I am proud to be an American, but I want that to reflect our values as well, she said. Its just a scary economy, its a scary world right now and Id like to see that back on the right track. Polls in Missouri and Kansas close at 7 p.m., but voters in line at 7 p.m. will still be able to cast their ballots. Morgan Lendhart and her husband, Joshua Lendhart, voted in Raytown. Lees Summit voters Updated 4 p.m. The heat index was 107 degrees as Jefferson Donald, 52, left his polling place at Lees Summit North High School on NE Douglas Street. Taking refuge in the shade of the trees with his wife after casting their votes, the video editor said while he doesnt have high hopes for many blue wins at the state level, he was excited to cast a vote for Megan Marshall for the Jackson County Legislature to represent District 3 At-Large, nodding to her work on the Lees Summit Board of Education. As for the U.S. senate race, Donald, a Democrat, said while he doesnt except them to ultimately win, hes glad to see Democrats on the ballot competing. I dont have high hopes that we are actually going to change anything, unfortunately, Donald said, adding that he thinks Eric Schmitt or one of the hardcore conservative Republicans will ultimately win the open U.S. senate seat. Before returning to the shade of his car, Donald said he wished there was a greater turnout for the primaries. At 3 pm, there was a slow trickle of voters out of the school, though it picked up as the afternoon went on. I still feel its my job, my obligation to vote just because of the past, and African Americans having died for that right to vote, so I think its important, he said. Jefferson Donald, 52, voted Tuesday at Lees Summit North High School on NE Douglas Street. Jennifer Hampton, 43, who is self-employed, said while she and her husband, Jason Hampton, 47, an office specialist manager, always try to make it out to the polls, she felt even more obligated to make time to vote after Roe v. Wade was overturned. They encouraged their two adult daughters to do the same. I really feel like as a country were kind of at a point where were moving backwards, she said outside her polling place at Lees Summit North High School. I think progression is key. We need to vote accordingly. Hampton said this year there wasnt anyone she was eager to vote for, but there were a few people she was eager to vote against. I tend to not vote for anyone that Trump endorses, Jason Hampton said, referencing the former presidents decision to endorse ERIC, on Monday, causing confusion in a race where both Republican front runners are named Eric. Jennifer Hampton said theyre not watching any Missouri races too closely, but theyre keeping an eye on Kansas. She said the Roe decision hit close to home. Shes a woman with three daughters and shes in an interracial marriage. If (Roe) was overturned, how safe is LGBT(Q) marriage and even how safe is our marriage? she asked. How far back are we going to go? Were just trying to make it not a Christian nationalism country, Jason Hampton added. Jennifer and Jason Hampton voted Tuesday in Lees Summit. I really feel like as a country were kind of at a point where were moving backwards, Jennifer Hampton said. Hoping for a safer city Updated 3:29 p.m. Married couple Natheen and Adrian Whitley live only a block away from Central High School, where they cast a ballots Tuesday. Theyre trying hard to leave the neighborhood. We look at all these big beautiful houses in the area and they let them get run down. And theres so many people out here with no place to go. Someone needs to do something, Natheen Whitley said. While the couple werent thrilled with any of the candidates, they hope their votes go to people who can help make the city a safer place. Adrian Whitley said that neighborhood shootings have led to bullets flying through their home and shattering their windows. Its not safe here. Thats why were trying to move, he said. He also said he didnt think the state should put more restrictions on abortion. When Natheen explained that abortion had been banned in Missouri even in cases of rape or incest, Adrian was shocked. Really? But thats their body? No, thats not right, he said. I dont think you should be making decisions like that about someone elses body. Natheen and Adrian Whitley voted Tuesday at Central High School, 3221 Indiana Ave., in Kansas City. Voter concerns about Missouri LGBTQ legislation Hannah Black, 32, voting at First Church of Nazarene 11811 State Line Rd., in Kansas City, said recent bills in Missouris state legislature targeting LGBTQ students have made her feel less of a person. Black is bisexual and the mother of a 2-year-old-son. She said she hopes her vote will be a reminder that her voice matters. Though school is some time in the future for her child, the idea that if she had married a woman, he would be limited in what he could say about his parents is an awful thought for Black, she said. Hannah Black, 32, voted Tuesday at First Church of Nazarene 11811 State Line Rd., in Kansas City. Few arrive at Union Station early Tuesday for curbside voting Updated 1 p.m. Not many people showed up to cast ballots curbside in the rear lot of Union Station, where the Kansas City Election Board offered drive-up service for those who have been exposed to COVID. About 12:45 p.m., nearly three hours after the site opened, only two voters waited in their cars for someone to assist them. The location is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In the 2020 election, high demand and some problems with equipment led to long lines at the location. Two voters waited in their cars for someone to assist them at Union Station in Kansas City, where the city election board offered curbside voting Tuesday. Focusing on local races Updated 11:30 a.m. At the Robert J. Mohart Multi-Purpose Center, 3211 Flora Ave., 71-year-old Carletta Collins said it seems like all the murders in Kansas City happen within six blocks of her 34th and Prospect Avenue neighborhood. She came out to vote Tuesday hoping to make the community a better place. Im a kid of the 60s. I always vote... If we dont come out, we cant say anything which way or the other. At least Im trying. Collins said she focuses the most on the local races. Whenever she can cast a vote on issues in her school district or to elect a judge in her community, it feels like shes creating change. Carletta Collins, 71, of Kansas City, voted Tuesday at the Robert J. Mohart Multi-Purpose Center, 3211 Flora Ave. She said she focuses the most on local races, where she hopes to make a difference. Voters motivated by Senate race in Missouri Polls are open from 6 a.m to 7 p.m in Missouri and voters are trickling in to cast a ballot. Many say the race to fill retiring U.S Senator Roy Blunt's seat has them motivated to make their voice heard. Today I'll be covering the election from polling sites around KC pic.twitter.com/m2dpY72dmQ Matti Gellman (@GellmanMatti) August 2, 2022 A future as a unified city Updated 8:41 a.m. Andrew Tasch, 54, of Kansas City, said he believes its always important to come to the polls. But over the last few years, he said, the country has been on a dark path, making the act of casting a ballot in a heated primary more important than ever. We have to secure a better future, he said. I think there are some very strong candidates, Lucas Kunce and Trudy Valentine, obviously theyre the loudest voices but they also have a lot of really good things to say. Tasch, who drives an Uber, said he hopes the expansion of the KC Streetcar will help unify the city. He said he hopes people will educate themselves before coming to the polls and not just listen to talking points. Its not just us vs. them, whether youre in Brookside or youre east of Troost . . . We need to look more toward a future as a unified city. Andrew Tasch, 54, of Kansas City, voted at All Souls Church, 4501 Walnut Street on Tuesday. Photo ID at the polls Updated 8:33 a.m. Voters must bring a form of ID that satisfies Missouris voter ID laws. It is important to note that Missouris new voter ID law that the governor recently signed does not affect this election. It does not go into effect until the general election in November. So, the ID laws for this election are the same as theyve been for the past few elections. Types of voter ID accepted at the polls include a drivers license, state voter ID card, passport and others listed here. Voters arrive at polls in Kansas City Updated 8:07 a.m. At All Souls Church, 4501 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Missouri voters arrived after the polls opened at 6 a.m., many already sweating as the temperature climbed to 80 degrees. Claire Cason, 27, was not in a rush after submitting her vote. She loitered outside the church to snap a quick picture of her I Voted sticker to share with friends. I feel like our generation, compared to our parents generation, is a lot more willing to share their opinion, she said under a blue mask. These issues are so pressing, so personal and we know theyre going to affect us for a long time. Cason said she was excited to vote for Toder, one of the Democrats vying for Missouris U.S Senate seat. She had met him at a Sunday rally for the Missouri Abortion Fund, where she was selling handmade bracelets with the words Pro-Choice beaded on the front. The bracelets raised about $500, she said. And while shes more focused on the outcome of the vote on abortion rights in Kansas, shes not holding her breath it will go her way. Theres so much going on in our country thats really discouraging. If I can have a say and encourage others to do the same, thats our duty as Americans. Claire Cason, 27, of Kansas City, voted Tuesday at All Souls Church, 4501 Walnut Street. Curbside voting at Union Station Updated 7:47 a.m. The Kansas City Election Board reminded voters Tuesday morning that drive-up, curbside voting will be available at Union Station, in the rear parking lot, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. KCEB will have drive-up, curbside voting available in the rear parking lot of Union Station from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM today! See full details below. pic.twitter.com/PWCsvo3Ooh KCMO Election Board (@KCElectionBd) August 2, 2022 Other primaries on the ballot In Missouris 4th District, which stretches from the Kansas City metropolitan area to the central part of the state, the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Vicky Hartzler in the U.S. House is crowded. The race includes state Sen. Rick Brattin, cattle farmer Kalena Bruce, former FOX4 anchor Mark Alford, former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks, former St. Louis Blues player Jim Campbell, retired police officer William Irwin and entrepreneur Kyle LaBrue. Voters will also decide between two Republicans who are competing to succeed state Auditor Nicole Galloway Missouris lone Democratic statewide officeholder, who is not running for reelection. Republican state Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson in 2018 before winning election in 2020, is running against state Rep. David Gregory, a St. Louis Republican, in the Aug. 2 GOP primary. The Republican nominee will face former state Rep. Alan Green, who is the only Democrat in the race. Get ready to vote with our Missouri voter guide As you get ready to head to the polls, make sure you know what is on your primary ballot with our Missouri voter guide. It includes details on what candidates are running and where they stand on issues. This free tool is informed by questions submitted by Star readers like you. Researchers in southwestern New Jersey may have unearthed the remains of more than a dozen military mercenaries who fought for the British during the American Revolution, a major discovery that may shed new light about our nations bloody fight for independence. Rowan University historian Jennifer Janofsky said Tuesday that her teams recent find at Red Bank Battlefield Park is an extremely rare experience unlike anyone in her field would expect to see in their career. Wade Catts, principal archaeologist for South River Heritage Consulting of Delaware, speaks with members of the media and officials at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J., on Tuesday. Wade Catts, principal archaeologist for South River Heritage Consulting of Delaware, speaks with members of the media and officials at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J., on Tuesday. (Matt Rourke/) Most of our visitors dont have a great understanding of who the Hessians were or why they were here, so one of our goals is to work with the public and tell their story, she told the Daily News. Shes referring to the 30,000 well-trained, well-equipped German soldiers contracted by the British to stomp down American revolutionaries at battlegrounds like Fort Mercer, where the Battle of Red Bank took place in 1777. During that fighting, which Janofsky calls the biggest upset of the Revolution, 500 scrappy patriot fighters 10% of whom were Black were grossly outnumbered by nearly 2,000 Hessians. Researchers expect further testing to confirm their expectations. Its believed that only 14 Americans died in the battle that killed nearly 380 German auxiliaries. The crucial conflict delayed British forces attempting to move supplies up the Delaware River and in to Philadelphia. Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky speaks with members of the media at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J., on Tuesday. Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky speaks with members of the media at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J., on Tuesday. (Matt Rourke/) Archaeologists and historians felt theyd discovered something special when one digger came across an extremely rare 1766 King George III coin, which would have been a British soldiers compensation for a month of fighting. Then in June, Janofsky said, researchers struck something bigger than gold. One of our volunteers who was digging said, I think I have a bone, she recalled in a summary of the dig published by Rowan University. It was a human femur that had likely been buried 245 years ago. And everything stopped, she recalled. Shown is a King George III gold guinea, discovered in an excavation site at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J. Shown is a King George III gold guinea, discovered in an excavation site at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, N.J. (Matt Rourke/) By late July, a dozen mangled skeletons had been recovered. Also found during the excavation were musket balls, canister shot and a uniform knee buckle, which tested positive for human blood. Principal archaeologist Wade Catts called the Red Bank Battlefield findings remarkable in their rarity. You can find Revolutionary War hospital burials, but not battlefield burials, he said in a video recorded at the burial site. He estimates 10 or fewer such sites exist in the U.S. The discovery will help researchers learn more about the people who participated in this very violent chapter of the Revolution. Janofsky said the German consulate has been notified of the discovery, but has yet to reply. New Jersey State Police forensic units are extracting DNA from bones and teeth to aid in identifying remains. The Hessians who perished during the battle likely met with an unpleasant end. While various factors may have played into the poor conditions in which many skeletons were found, Janofsky believes those who died on the battlefield may have been mutilated. A casting made of human remains discovered in an excavation site at the New Jersey site. A casting made of human remains discovered in an excavation site at the New Jersey site. (Matt Rourke/) We know there were amputations and decapitations during the battle, she said. This is 100% consistent with the violence of this battle. Part of the reason photographs of the bodies found in Red Bank havent been released is due to the particularly violent methods of their demise. It has been a physical challenge for archaeologists and historians, and its also been an emotional challenge, Janofsky said. The remains were said to have been located fewer than 5 feet underground. According to Janofsky, exhuming human remains was not part of her plan when she secured a $19,000 New Jersey Historical Commission grant to initiate the research leading to her historic discovery. Gloucester County officials also committed $30,000 in funding for the archaeology project. Fort Mercer was destroyed in November 1777 when American revolutionaries abandoned the outpost. The Revolution wasnt a sanitized event, Janofsky said. It was bloody. It was violent. Learning more about the soldiers who died fighting at Fort Mercer will help historians humanize what happened at Red Bank Battlefield Park. Who were these people, where were they from? she said. With News Wire Services When Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act, authorizing subsidies for the semiconductor industry, it raised a big question for one of Boises largest employers. Will the subsidies entice Micron Technology Inc. to expand near its headquarters in Idaho? Or will it go elsewhere in the U.S., perhaps to the Texas capitols booming tech hub? Rob Beard, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Micron, told the Idaho Statesman on a Zoom call Friday that the memory-making company was considering locations in several states across the country, not just Idaho. What we would like to build in the United States is a massive manufacturing facility, Beard said. So big, we call it a mega-fab. Fab is short for semiconductor fabrication, the manufacturing plants where DRAM, dynamic random-access memory, and NAND flash memory are produced. Micron is the only memory manufacturer based in the U.S. The country gets most of its chips from Taiwan. The legislation approved by Congress authorized about $52 billion to induce computer chip manufacturers to build fabs, according to The Washington Post. Microns future mega-fab will employ about 10,000 people, including engineers, operators and permanent construction workers, Beard said. If the company were to construct the plant in Idaho, it would represent a return of sorts to the days Micron manufactured chips on its Boise campus. Micron ended manufacturing in Boise in 2009 and increased production at other fabs, mostly abroad. The company has chip manufacturing plants in Virginia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, according to previous reporting by the Statesman. It sold its fab in Lehi, Utah, to Texas Instruments in 2021. Micron was founded in Boise in 1978, he said. It was our first manufacturing campus. At its home base in the Treasure Valley, Micron now operates what the company calls a pilot line for research and development. The process technology is developed in Boise, with the chips manufactured elsewhere. Still, about 7,000 people are employed at the Boise campus, Beard said. Many of them are highly educated computer scientists from around the world. He anticipates that construction of the mega-fab will begin within the next year. Beard said he also expects other memory makers to start building their own fabs in the same time frame with the subsidies available in the CHIPS and Science Act. As Congress passed the legislation, electronics conglomerate Samsung filed paperwork suggesting it has plans to build 11 new fabs in Texas, according to The Texas Tribune. Idaho governor, Boise mayor wont comment Its unclear whether the city of Boise or the governors office in Idaho is encouraging Micron to expand in the local economy. Emily Callihan, communications director for Idaho Gov. Brad Little, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Maria Weeg, director of community engagement for the city of Boise, also did not respond to inquiries from the Statesman. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean wrote in a guest opinion published July 18 by the Statesman that she stands with Micron and supports the investments in the semiconductor industry. It means making more of the products we rely on in America, including right here in Boise, McLean said. Some worry a new fab, and the influx of workers it could bring, would exacerbate the housing crisis in the Boise area. The city made headlines earlier this year when its housing market was ranked as the most unaffordable in the country, the Statesman reported in January. Looking for relief from the muggy weather, sailors hit the water in Marina del Rey on Monday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Is the heat getting to you? You are not alone. Southern California has endured days of sticky conditions, as well as intense heat, periods of heavy rain and even flash flooding. The summer has been scored with temperatures in the triple digits in some inland areas, with temperatures not cooling much at night either. Its monsoon season for SoCal, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. Were getting a lot of moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of California. What is a monsoon? A monsoonal storm is a shift in wind patterns. Monsoon flows pull moisture up into Arizona, California and Nevada after a shift in the pattern near the upper troposphere and can sometimes last a few days or stretch over longer periods, according to meteorologists. This means more moisture lingering in the air, along with higher temperatures. High pressure is currently passing over southwestern parts of the U.S., causing extra moisture. Just outside California, the dewpoint which measures water vapor in the air has been persistently high, according to meteorologist Ashley Nickerson with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. What are the impacts? Some parts of the state have seen heavy rainfall in the last few days that has spurred flash floods and debris flows. Approximately 30 drivers were stranded in their cars Sunday as heavy rain sent mud and debris onto Highway 38 leading to Big Bear. The Angelus Oaks area in San Bernardino saw a little more than an inch of rain over the weekend. Meteorologist Sarah McCorkle with the National Weather Service in Monterey said downtown San Francisco saw one of its wettest Julys in recent years. What is coming? Officials say the monsoon conditions will ease over the next few days, with slightly lower temperatures and fewer thunderstorms. But a new system will strike Friday and last into early next week, with rising heat and chances of more thunderstorms. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Chinese aggression toward Taiwan is a threat to democracy itself in an op-ed published to coincide with her arrival in the island nation on Tuesday night local time. The piece was published in The Washington Post as Pelosi becomes the first House Speaker to visit the democratic self-governing island in 25 years, since Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) visited in 1997. Pelosis trip came despite warnings from the Biden administration and Beijing that it would escalate tensions between the nations governments. We cannot stand by as the [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself, Pelosi wrote. She noted that the Chinese government has dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan, frequently sending out patrols of bombers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft near and above the islands air defense zone. She also accused China of launching cyberattacks on the Taiwanese government and exerting economic pressure by urging companies to cut ties with Taiwan, intimidating firms that maintain ties and limiting tourism from China. In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom, Pelosi wrote. She rebutted Chinese criticism ahead of her visit, saying the trip does not violate the One China policy, under which the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the legitimate Chinese government and considers Taiwans status to be unsettled. She said the U.S. continues to oppose unilateral efforts to alter the status quo. Pelosi said the Taiwan Relations Act, signed into law in 1979, obliges the U.S. to treat any effort to determine Taiwans future by other than peaceful means to be a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States. The U.S. has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself but is not committed to direct military engagement if China invades. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. As cases of monkeypox surge around the globe, four pioneers of the AIDS activist movement watch in awe and with a sense of nostalgia. Some of the similarities between the two viruses speak for themselves. Like the HIV strain that started the AIDS pandemic in the late 1970s, the current monkeypox outbreak has emerged from sub-Saharan Africa and has been found overwhelmingly in men who have sex with men who live in the worlds metropolises. And while epidemiologists have not reached a complete understanding of how the current outbreak of monkeypox spreads, recent research points to sexual transmission. Four pioneering AIDS activists of the 1980s and 90s contend that there are other, consequential yet less obvious parallels playing out in real-time. Image: People hold up signs representing the numbers of AIDS victims in a demonstration in support of AIDS victims in Central Park in New York City on Aug. 8, 1983. (Allan Tannenbaum / Getty Images file) As in the early days of the AIDS crisis, they argue, government messaging around the outbreak has been flawed, gay men have been blindsided and public health officials have failed to defeat a severe disease plaguing the LGBTQ community. It feels like deja vu, said gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, who was a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front in the United Kingdom. The lessons from the AIDS crisis and Covid have clearly not been learned. Public health officials around the world were slow to combat AIDS when it first began to emerge in men who have sex with men during the late 1970s. It wasnt until June 5, 1981, that the United States released the worlds first government report on the infectious disease in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a government bulletin on perplexing disease cases. In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California, the report read. Two of the patients died. Three years later, the U.S. government announced the development of an AIDS test, in addition to a vaccine, which never came to fruition. By 1985, an estimated 12,000 Americans had died of the disease. Similarly, activists argue that the global response to tame monkeypox has been too slow to curb ballooning case numbers more than 20,500 cases of the current monkeypox outbreak have been reported globally across 77 countries and territories since the start of May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No one has died from monkeypox outside the 11 African nations where the infectious disease has become endemic since it was discovered in 1970. However, a substantial proportion of patients infected with monkeypox have been hospitalized for severe pain caused by pimple-like sores that commonly develop. Since the first cases were discovered in May, the United States has distributed nearly 200,000 Jynneos vaccines a two-dose vaccine to prevent smallpox and monkeypox to the most at-risk population, which falls far short of its roughly 3.8 million gay men. In France, only an estimated 6,000 people have been vaccinated across more than 100 vaccine centers in recent weeks, French Minister of Social Affairs and Health Francois Braun said on Monday. And in the United Kingdom, health officials ordered an additional 100,000 vaccine doses last week to keep up with burgeoning demand. Last Saturday, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern, a designation reserved for the most threatening global disease outbreaks, after initially forgoing to do so last month. More than two months after the first U.S. case of monkeypox was detected in mid-May, on Thursday public health officials in New York City issued a declaration that the infectious disease posed an imminent threat to public health, and officials in San Francisco declared a state of emergency. Whats interesting is that many of the scientists and clinicians who were trained during the AIDS epidemic or were there at the beginning, people like Tony Fauci, know this history, but the response to monkeypox has been alarmingly slow and chaotic, said Gregg Gonsalves, who joined Act Up the leading group that fought for action to combat AIDS in 1990 and is now a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. As an individual, its like, Three strikes youre out, man. HIV, Covid and now monkeypox? How many times can you make the same mistakes over and over again? Representatives from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Dr. Anthony Fauci has directed since 1984, and officials from the White House, where Fauci serves as the chief medical adviser to the president, did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment. Images of men waiting in long lines outside clinics around the world to get vaccinated, technical issues with online vaccine portals and reports that accused the U.S. government of developing a wait-and-see response to the outbreak reportedly calling for shipments of vaccines only as cases surged in the last handful of weeks have piled on to activists fears that the public health response to monkeypox is shaping up to be a repeat of its flawed strategy to combat AIDS. People lined up outside of Department of Health & Mental Hygiene clinic on June 23, 2022 in New York, as NYC makes vaccines available to residents possibly exposed to monkeypox. (Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Although the virus started spreading in May, the U.S. didnt order more doses of the monkeypox vaccine to add to its stockpile until June. Regulators also had not finished inspecting a key Denmark facility manufacturing monkeypox vaccines until July, leaving 1.1 million ready-to-distribute doses stuck in Europe. Just like during the AIDS pandemic, it seems that some governments care very little so long as monkeypox is just affecting men who have sex with men, said Tatchell, who was turned away from a hospital in London that had run out of monkeypox vaccine last Sunday. What other explanation can there be? Governments should have been rolling out emergency vaccination programs for gay and bisexual men two or three weeks ago. Some veteran AIDS activists also argue that as during the AIDS crisis, the messaging to combat monkeypox has not been tailored enough to reach the LGBTQ community. Ron Goldberg, an early AIDS activist who joined Act Up in 1987, points to the America Responds to AIDS public service announcement campaign, which the government launched at the height of the crisis in the late 1980s. Many of the commercials featured heterosexual couples and displayed messages including AIDS Is Everyones Problem. At that time, they were so afraid of talking about gay sex, or anything like that, they had to bland out the message when they were trying to give some information, Goldberg said. If its happening within a certain population, you have to direct your messaging to that certain population. Activists have largely applauded public health officials efforts to not link monkeypox directly to the LGBTQ community as many believe they did with AIDS and thereby create stigma. However, some argue that repeated statements from public health officials that anyone can get monkeypox mirrors AIDS messaging that anyone can get the AIDS virus and also circumvents efforts to alert the demographic most at risk. Research overwhelmingly suggests that the current outbreak of monkeypox is being driven overwhelmingly by men who have sex with men. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine published last week found that of the 528 cases of monkeypox researchers analyzed, 98% were found in men who identified as gay or bisexual. Another recent report by the the British Health Security Agency finding that of the 699 monkeypox cases for which there was available information, 97% were in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. The numbers are there, said Didier Lastrade, who founded the first French chapter of Act Up in 1989. We shouldnt shy away from this. Were big people, were grown-ups, we can take it. The stigmatization is happening either way. On Thursday, the WHO recommended that gay and bisexual men limit their number of sexual partners to protect themselves from monkeypox and contain its spread. But compiled with two years of pandemic isolation and big summer events, such as last weekends annual Pines Party on Fire Island, some activists fear it will be difficult to get gay and bisexual men to curtail their sexual behaviors. You want to be able to reach people in their 20s and 30s and say, Look, this is no joke. Youve all seen the pictures. Youve all had friends who have had monkeypox. You dont want it, Gonsalves said. More broadly speaking, Lastrade argued, the advent of pre-exposure prophylaxis, the HIV prevention pill (also known as PrEP), along with scientific proof over the past decade that treating HIV can prevent transmission, have caused gay and bisexual men to fall asleep at the wheel when it comes to their sexual health. The new generation totally forgot about the story of AIDS. I keep on writing books about AIDS but nobody reads them, said Lastrade. When s happens, they forget their reflexes that we used to have because it was a question of life or death. Regardless of the messaging, with a lackluster global vaccine rollout, the activists fear the virus will become an infectious disease the LGBTQ community has to permanently live with, as it did with AIDS decades ago. Many people are saying were past the point of containment, that we already missed our chance, Gonsalves said. If thats true, that is incredibly serious because this disease doesnt necessarily kill, but the enormous suffering and expense of all of this is going to put a burden on many, many people, many, many health systems and many, many communities who have been already plagued. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. Flash UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye. The cargo ship loaded with more than 26,000 tons of corn should arrive at the inspection location in Turkish territorial waters on Tuesday. Following inspection, it will proceed to its final destination in Tripoli, Lebanon, said Guterres. "This ship, the Merchant Vessel Razoni, is loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn, and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraine's ports to feed their families," he told reporters. The ship's departure is the first concrete result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Today's departure is an enormous collective achievement by the Joint Coordination Center, set up last week in Istanbul under UN auspices, with representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkiye," Guterres said. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine with Turkiye under the UN on July 22, would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The deal aims to ensure the safe passage for ships carrying grain to world markets amid concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged crisis in Ukraine. "What we've witnessed today in Odesa is an important starting point. It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets," said Guterres. "Together with the agreed facilitation of the unimpeded access of Russian food products and fertilizers to world markets, it will bring relief and stability to global food markets and help tackle the global food crisis," he added. Ensuring that grain, fertilizers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work, in order to survive. Countries on the verge of bankruptcy need these agreements to work, in order to keep their economies alive, he said. In line with the humanitarian spirit of the initiative, the World Food Programme is planning to purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel, said the UN chief. The conflict in Ukraine must end, and peace must be established, in line with the UN Charter and international law, he said. "I hope today's news can be a step toward that goal, for the people of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and for the world." While this tragic conflict continues to rage, the United Nations is working every day to bring relief to the people of Ukraine, and to those suffering the effects of the conflict around the world, he said. The parties to the initiative have worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, with the support of the United Nations and Turkiye, he noted. "After speaking to my colleagues, I know they worked practically all night, sleeping for just one hour -- like all the other delegations at the Joint Coordination Center (in Istanbul). It is thanks to their commitment that the Razoni was able to leave Odesa safely. I salute their efforts, and I am grateful to Turkiye for its leadership," he said. In a press release, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which was established under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, affirmed that it has authorized the Razoni to sail from Odesa. "The JCC has agreed to the specific coordinates and restrictions of the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor and has communicated those details in accordance with international navigation procedures. The JCC has requested all its participants to inform their respective military and other relevant authorities of this decision to ensure the safe passage of the vessel," it said. The JCC is monitoring the safe passage of the vessel through the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor, it added. The JCC comprises senior representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Turkiye and the United Nations. Raleigh-Durham International Airport has resumed nonstop flights to Paris after a two-year hiatus. Delta Airlines departed for Charles de Gaulle Airport Monday for the first time since March 2020. The route is a favorite among leisure and business travelers, the airport said in a statement, and gives flyers easy access to several destinations across the European continent. This is an exciting day at RDU, said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, in a press release. We appreciate Deltas commitment to bringing this signature destination back to the Research Triangle. RDU now offers six international flights, including three across the Atlantic: Paris, London and Reykjavik, Iceland. Delta will fly the Paris route four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The now-88-year-old woman who set off the series of events that led to the murder of 14-year-old Till reportedly has cancer. Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who set off the series of events that led to the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, reportedly is receiving hospice care in Kentucky. The Daily Mail published photos of Donham, who is 88, and reported that shes near the end of her life, sick with cancer. It noted that Donham is also legally blind and often requires the use of oxygen. The events leading to the murder of Emmett Till (above) began with the accusations of a woman who is now 88 and reportedly receiving hospice care in Kentucky. (Photo: Associated Press) The news outlets reporters approached her home located in a town they wouldnt disclose and asked if she would talk about Emmett Till. Her 71-year-old son, Thomas Bryant, shook his head no while his mother stood silently nearby. It was Donham, a white 21-year-old, who told her then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his brother, JW Milam, that Till had whistled at her in August of 1955. The men kidnapped the Black Chicago teen from the Mississippi home of relatives he was visiting. They then murdered him and wrapped a large metal fan around his neck with wire before dumping him into the Tallahatchie River. His body, horribly mutilated, was recovered three days later. When his mother, Mamie Till, chose to bury him in an open casket, outrage over his murder reverberated across the nation. The crime is considered one of the sparks of the modern civil rights movement. As previously reported by theGrio, an unserved warrant charging Donham with kidnapping was discovered in June. A team seeking evidence in the killing found the document inside a file folder placed in a box in a Mississippi courthouse basement. A member of the Till family said that the woman should be served and subsequently charged. The discovery of the warrant has led supporters to seek out Bryant, with one group entering a North Carolina senior living center last month to look for her. Most recently, an unpublished autobiography by Donham, called I am More Than A Wolf Whistle, was provided to the Associated Press. According to previous reporting by theGrio, in the manuscript, Donham claims that she tried to help Till. I did not wish Emmett any harm and could not stop harm from coming to him, since I didnt know what was planned for him, Donham says in the manuscript compiled by her daughter-in-law. I tried to protect him by telling Roy that Hes not the one. Thats not him. Please take him home. She claims in the manuscript that Till, who had been dragged from a family home at gunpoint in the middle of the night, spoke up and identified himself. Donham wrote that she always felt like a victim as well as Emmett and paid dearly with an altered life for what happened to the targeted teen. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Report: Emmett Tills accuser, Carolyn Bryant Donham, in Kentucky receiving hospice care appeared first on TheGrio. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is urging the FBI to open an immediate investigation into a U.S. anti-embargo group whose members recently met Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel, claiming that they are acting as unregistered foreign agents of the Cuban government. In a letter sent Monday to the FBI and obtained by the Miami Herald, Rubio, a Cuban-American Republican from Florida, urged FBI Director Christopher Wray to investigate the members and activities of Puentes de Amor Bridges of Love stressing the group has well-known associations with the Cuban regime. The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people and entities working as agents acting under the direction of foreign governments or organizations to register with the U.S. Department of Justice. Activities that require registration include political work intended to influence U.S. foreign policy. Carlos Lazo, a Cuba-born high school Spanish teacher in Seattle who founded Puentes de Amor, has been granted unprecedented access to Cubas top officials. He met Cuba leader Miguel Diaz-Canel twice, in June and August last year, in widely publicized visits covered by the islands state media. The publicity also put the organization on the radar of Cuban-American politicians in the U.S. Rubios letter comes after the organization staged an anti-embargo rally in Coral Gables on Sunday. In his letter, the senator said the demonstration was part of a coordinated effort by the Cuban regime to sow division, incite conflict, and influence the foreign policy of the United States. During the demonstration, the group flew flags of Fidel Castros July 26th movement, which provoked the ire of Cuban exile activists staging a counterprotest. One exile who burned a July 26 flag was arrested. Another who protested the arrest was detained, too. Lazo called the counterprotesters haters in a Facebook live-streamed video. Rubio said the group flew the July 26th movements flag in open support of the Cuban Revolution that ultimately led to the communist dictatorship which remains in place today. Diaz-Canel thanked the group for the Sunday rally, which he said showed that Cuba is not alone. #Cuba no esta sola. No lo ha estado nunca. Gracias a todos los amigos que en varias ciudades del mundo salieron a la calle este domingo a exigir: Abajo el #Bloqueo! Los #PuentesDeAmor son indestructibles. pic.twitter.com/lP6CXayQAT Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez (@DiazCanelB) July 31, 2022 The FBI should acknowledge the group and its members for what they are malign foreign actors inside the United States and conduct investigations of individuals who may be acting as foreign agents of the Cuban regime, the senator wrote. Lazo did not immediately reply to voice and text messages left by the Herald seeking comment. Bridges of Love, registered in the state of Washington as a nonprofit in November 2020, advocates against the U.S. blockade, borrowing the term used by the Cuban government to refer to the embargo. They have also asked the Biden administration to eliminate Cuba from the list of countries that sponsored terrorism. President Biden: Are you blind? Are you deaf? Have you lost touch with reality? I tell you that just ninety miles from our shores, theres an attempt to suffocate, kill, and eradicate a peaceful and noble people from the face of the earth, Lazo wrote in the organizations blog. For more than sixty years, the United States has waged an economic war against Cuba. That war generates poverty, death and desolation in the Cuban family. The organization also favors the expansion of travel and remittances to Cuba and reopening the family reunification program, all measures already taken by the Biden administration. The group has organized small rallies and caravans throughout the U.S. to call attention to its cause. Lazo has also taken American students to the island. Lazo has long been a member of what the Cuban government refers to as the solidarity movement with the island. In 2004, while he was in Iraq serving as a medic with the National Guard from Washington state, he made a video calling on Congress to allow him to visit his two sons in Cuba, at a time President George W. Bush had imposed severe restrictions on traveling to the island. In 2007, the activist testified before the U.S. Senate Finance committee against those restrictions. In that hearing, Lazo said he came to the U.S. in 1991 in a raft. The Cuban government has used the organization in propaganda efforts to convince domestic audiences that it has support within the U.S., a strategy previously followed by Fidel Castro with U.S. far-left organizations such as Pastors for Peace. Most Cubans in the United States want #BridgesofLove to be built and sanctions lifted, Cubas presidential office tweeted after Lazos most recent visit. Diaz-Canel has frequently published items on social media about the group, which has delivered humanitarian donations to the island. He has tweeted pictures of himself with Lazo, and he turned the name of the group, #PuentesdeAmor, into a hashtag that his followers and several government accounts have adopted. The organization also received a shout-out from Diaz-Canel during his July 26 speech, along with other U.S. groups like Alianza Martiana and Code Pink that have expressed support for the Cuban government. What you are doing, in addition to the contribution in aid, in solidarity, is also an awakening of consciences; that in the end is what makes the movement stronger, Diaz-Canel told Lazo, according to a recount of the most recent meeting published in the presidential offices website. .@DiazCanelB: Lo que ustedes estan haciendo, ademas del aporte que significa en ayuda, en solidaridad, es tambien un despertar de conciencias, eso al final es lo que hace mas fuerte al movimiento. #PuentesDeAmor pic.twitter.com/nnelnmWdJX Presidencia Cuba (@PresidenciaCuba) June 30, 2022 A picture of Lazo with Emily Mendrala, the State Departments deputy assistant secretary in charge of Cuban affairs, was also featured on Cuban state media. She is seen holding one of the booklets delivered by Lazo during a meeting in July last year containing signatures in support of lifting U.S. sanctions. Rubio also tweeted at the time about the meeting, referring to Puentes de Amor as a pro-regime front group. In the wake of disastrous flooding that claimed the lives of more than 30 Kentuckians, those in the state are not only dealing with cleanup efforts but also vitriolic comments that suggest the victims deserved their fate because of the political makeup of Eastern Kentucky. Many Kentuckians of all political stripes have, in one voice, called out these criticisms as lacking a basic level of empathy and humanity. One anonymous user tweeted that, while heartbreaking, this is what they (Kentuckians) voted for. This is heartbreaking, but at the same time, this is what they voted for... The sad thing, is I think they will continue to vote for the same people over and over. Another tweeted that now blue states will be be bailing them out -- yet they elect (Senators) Mitch (McConnell) and Rand (Paul). It is true that many Kentucky politicians at the federal level, particularly those in the GOP, have voted against legislation aimed at combating climate change. But Kentuckians far and wide have starkly criticized justifying the devastation wrought upon the victims, many of whom are poor and represent a sliver of Kentuckys 4.5 million people, by blaming them for the states voting behavior. Reacting to a tragedy by saying that the government should adopt different policies is one thing several climate scientists have lain blame at the feet of a worldwide increase in CO2 emissions but its another altogether to suggest that anybody had it coming because of their perceived political leanings, they pointed out. Writing for the United Kingdom-based publication The Independent, East Tennessee native Skylar Baker-Jordan said that in an article titled Liberals saying Kentucky deserves these floods need to take a hard look at themselves. Blame the people in power, by all means, Baker-Jordan wrote. But dont blame some of the poorest, most neglected, most mocked and marginalized people in our nation. The five counties that are confirmed to have lost lives in the floods Knott, Perry, Breathitt, Letcher and Clay average a median household income of $32,464. 22 to 37 percent of their residents live in poverty. Kentuckys median household income is $52,238 and 15% of residents live at or below the poverty line. Americas median household income is more than $67,500. Baker-Jordan, a political leftist, said that an Appalachian Democrat, I can barely believe what Im seeing from people who should be on the same side as me. And many Democrats have, just as resoundingly, called out the blame game. Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge put it bluntly: If your take on the devastation in Eastern Kentucky is to say folks deserve it for how they vote, youre an ***hole. Eastern Kentucky author Silas House framed the reaction of a cynical few as part and parcel with negative attitudes toward the region that fail to reckon with its once-central role in the American economy. So many on here lecturing me about how my people live off them. No. Appalachia has fueled this country since the beginning. With timber, coal, gas, our children, our lives. We keep getting pushed down and we keep getting back up. #EasternKentuckyStrong #AppalachianProud Silas House (@silasdhouse) July 30, 2022 So many on here (Twitter) lecturing me about how my people live off them. No. Appalachia has fueled this country since the beginning. With timber, coal, gas, our children, our lives. We keep getting pushed down and we keep getting back up, House wrote. Another nuance often lost on outsiders commenting about the tragedy: Eastern Kentucky is not a political monolith, and was until recently under control of the opposite party. For a long time, Appalachian Kentucky in the Eastern part of the state was solidly under Democratic control. Only in the 21st century has a majority of Eastern Kentuckians voted for Republicans at the federal level reliably. The shift took place more slowly on the state level, and much of the local politics of Eastern Kentucky counties is still dominated by Democrats. The Herald-Leader published a report on the shifting political sands of the region in June. Richard Young, executive director of CivicLex, wrote in a Herald-Leader op-ed that some vitriolic responses to the floods are in part due to the rot of partisanship that has infected American politics. But the best counterexample, he said, is the behavior of Eastern Kentuckians themselves. In our own home, we can find hope, Young wrote. Despite these trends, the past few days have shown that Kentuckians know the path forward and out. As soon as it became clear that our Eastern Kentucky neighbors needed care, people across the state began organizing supply drop-offs, fundraisers, and mutual aid. You know what August means. That is, besides the Dallas Cowboys camp. This August marks 50 years of Hatch green chile promotions, marketing the fresh pepper crop from the Hatch Valley along the Rio Grande north of El Paso. The Central Market Cafe locations inside supermarkets brought us one of the earliest Hatch chile promotions, but restaurants including Southwestern-themed Blue Mesa Grill are ready with peppers for every dish: Blue Mesa Grill, 612 Carroll St. at West Fifth Street near Montgomery Plaza, is offering a daily menu of Hatch chiles rellenos, steak tacos and smoked-chicken stacked enchiladas (all about $14) or posole ($9.50). Hatch specialties will also be served on the weekly Sunday brunch buffet throughout August ($26). Theres also a take-out tacos-and-rellenos family dinner ($35-$65). From the bar, theres a special Hatch pineapple margarita ($12, or $25 for a quart to go); open for lunch and dinner daily, 817-332-6372, bluemesagrill.com/hatchchilefest. Enchiladas with extra Hatch green chiles at Enchiladas Ole in Fort Worth. Both Enchiladas Ole locations serve Hatch chile dishes regularly but will add a fresh Hatch sauce starting Aug. 3 that owner Mary Patino Vasquez described as super caliente. The Hatch chiles have more heat this year, she said. Enchiladas Ole also has New Mexico red chile this year. Both locations are open for lunch and dinner weekdays and Saturdays; 2418 Forest Park Blvd., 817-984-1360, or 9005 North Tarrant Parkway, North Richland Hills, 817-849-2451. Green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico, are roasted for dishes at Central Market. Central Market launches its 27th annual Hatch Chile Festival on Aug. 3. The highlight: a free tasting event 5-8 p.m. Aug. 5 featuring 10 food stations with Hatch crab crakes, Hatch meatballs with Hatch queso and the bakerys new Hatch brioche. (Register at centralmarket.com/cooking-school.) Expect to find Hatch dishes on the cafe food line and in the deli case; 4651 West Freeway, Fort Worth, 817-989-4700; or 1425 E. Southlake Blvd. at South Carroll Avenue, 817-310-5600. Eatzis Market & Bakery starts its Hatch menu Aug. 4 with dishes such as Hatch queso, Hatch pimiento cheese, Hatch chicken salad and Hatch chicken empanadas. Eatzis is a gourmet market with a large cafe and takeout counter; 1540 S. University Drive, 817-945-9095, or 1200 Texas 114 West, Grapevine, 817-527-4007, eatzis.com. Trump administration plans to allow new oil and gas drilling including fracking on millions of acres in Central California are on hold following a settlement between state and federal officials. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state environmental agencies on Monday announced an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management temporarily prohibiting new oil and gas drilling on certain federal lands pending an adequate environmental review of the plans impacts on Californias resources and residents, a news release said. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, cracks open rocks with water and chemicals to extract oil or gas. The lawsuit and settlement are consistent with Newsom administration efforts to move California away from fossil fuel extraction. The governor last year directed state agencies to ban fracking by 2024 and completely phase out oil drilling by 2045. Fracking is dangerous for our communities, damaging to our environment, and out of step with Californias climate goals, Bonta said in a statement. The Trump administration recklessly opened Central California up to new oil and gas drilling without considering how fracking can hurt communities by causing polluted groundwater, toxic air emissions, minor earthquakes, climate impacts, and more. In keeping with the Bureau of Land Managements mission to preserve the health of our public lands, it must reassess this Trump-Era mistake, he added. The BLM declined to comment on the lawsuit settlement, said Sarah K. Denos, lead public affairs specialist. Trump-era drilling and fracking expansion Newsom and former Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the BLM in January 2020, after the Trump administration expanded oil and gas drilling in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties. Local environmental advocates and nonprofits fiercely fought the move at 2019 public hearings and protests. But the BLM Bakersfield Field Office found in December 2019 that there are no adverse environmental impacts due to hydraulic fracturing that cannot be alleviated, ending a five-year ban on drilling and fracking on public lands. In their lawsuit, state officials claimed the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by disregarding the dangers fracking poses to the environment and nearby communities. They also alleged the agency wouldnt take up alternatives. The lawsuit settlement, which is still subject to court approval, puts a moratorium on new oil and gas leases until the BLM conducts an adequate environmental review, the release said. Specifically, the Bureau agrees to not hold any lease sales until it finalizes a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) that supersedes its flawed 2019 review, the release said. Under the settlement, Bonta, Newsom and state agencies can comment on the new environmental impact statement and challenge it in court. Environmental groups praise the decision, call for further bans Environmental groups praised the news of the moratorium, banning new oil and gas drilling in Central California. Opening up over one million acres for oil and gas drilling in one of the most polluted regions of the country was an egregious decision by the Bakersfield Bureau of Land Management under the previous administration, and we are happy to see the Biden administration taking steps to protect Californias overburdened communities and environment, said Mark Rose, Sierra Nevada program manager with National Parks Conservation Association, in a separate news release on Monday. Protecting public lands is not only a step forward, but also a way to prevent several steps back, Cesar Aguirre, a senior organizer with the Central California Environmental Justice Network said Monday, adding that the use of public lands to prop up the oil industry is dangerous. Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch, said in the release that the agreement protects the iconic landscapes that define central California while protecting public health and moving California towards a cleaner energy future. Fossil fuel extraction has wreaked havoc on our public lands, our farms and our neighborhoods for far too long. We now have an opportunity to chart a new course for safe and healthy communities throughout our region, he said. The decision coincides with a separate agreement that requires the BLM to conduct new environmental analysis before drilling is permitted on 4,000 acres leased in December 2020 in Kern County. At the same time, the Trump administration auctioned seven parcels of public land in Kern County for drilling and fracking a decision that conservation groups also challenged. According to the attorney generals release, developed leases would disproportionately harm people who live in the region. More than half of Kern County residents are Latino, and nearly 20% live below the poverty line. Temporarily halting drilling on these lease parcels in Kern County is an important step toward stopping the unconscionable move of opening up new federal public lands for oil and gas leasing in the Central Valley, a region already overburdened by impacts of oil and gas extraction, Nathan Matthews, a Sierra Club senior attorney, said in the news release. But Matthews is calling for more drastic measures from the federal government: the Biden administration should implement a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal public lands. The environmental groups pointed to peer-reviewed research that estimates that banning fossil fuel leasing would reduce carbon emissions by 280 million tons per year, ranking it among the most ambitious federal climate policy proposals in recent years, according to the release. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, fossil fuel extraction on federal public lands causes nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution, which is worsening the climate and extinction crises and disproportionately harming low-income people and communities and color. Fresno County leaders, environmental groups at odds on oil, gas expansion News of the moratorium on federal lands in California comes five months after the Fresno County board of supervisors issued a declaration urging state leaders to increase domestic oil production in light of rising gas prices for consumers and farmers. Several Fresno County business leaders joined the supervisors in the call for increased domestic oil production, calling it a food security and national security concern. In addition to the bipartisan resolution, the supervisors called on Sacramento to ease the oil and gas industry regulations and issue more drilling permits. The move is at odds with Californias goals to reduce oil and gas drilling in the state. Last year, Newsom directed state agencies last year to ban fracking by 2024 and phase out oil extraction by 2045. A few weeks after the Fresno County supervisors resolution, Central Valley residents and environmental justice advocates a group of about 25 people representing several organizations, including the Central California Environmental Justice Network, the Sierra Club - Tehipite Chapter, Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, the Last Chance Alliance, and more organized a news conference to call for the halt oil drilling across Fresno County to address the increasing impacts of climate change. The group also called for a just transition away from oil and gas jobs or a plan to help avoid economic shocks to families and the economy by the loss of oil and gas jobs that would result from a ban on local production. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference at a NATO summit last month in Madrid. (Manu Fernandez / Associated Press) Turkey can still freeze Sweden's and Finlands memberships in NATO unless the two countries take steps that meet Ankaras security demands, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. Last month, Turkey lifted its objection to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance but warned that it would block the process if they fail to extradite suspects with links to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. The Nordic countries accession still needs to be approved by the parliaments of all 30 NATO members, and Turkeys parliament could refuse to ratify the deal. I would like to remind once again that if these countries do not take the necessary steps to fulfill our conditions, we will freeze the [accession] process, Erdogan said in a televised addressed following a Cabinet meeting. Our stance on this issue is very clear. The rest is up to them. Erdogan said that Sweden in particular was not projecting a good image, but didn't elaborate. There was no immediate reaction from Sweden and Finland to Erdogan's comments. Turkey accuses the two countries of being too lenient toward groups it considers to be national security threats. Turkeys justice minister said earlier this month that the government had renewed requests for the extradition of terrorism suspects wanted by his country. Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a joint memorandum during a NATO summit last month that allowed the alliance to move ahead with inviting the Nordic countries to the military alliance that seeks to enlarge and strengthen in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. With the memorandum, Finland and Sweden agreed to address Turkeys pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly ... in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Housing prices and property taxes in Durham have increased as the city has grown in popularity. (Bernard Thomas/bthomas@heraldsun.com) Virginia homebuilder NVR will expand its presence in North Carolina, creating 261 jobs in a pair of counties. The company plans to invest over $33.9 million in North Carolina by expanding its presence in Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, and building a new facility in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, according to a news release Tuesday from Gov. Roy Coopers office. NVRs expansion is supported by a job development investment grant approved by the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee Tuesday. The 12-year grant could see the company reimbursed up to $1.6 million if NVR reaches the states job creation and investment goals. The expansion is expected to grow North Carolinas economy by about $516 million during the 12-year period, according to the state. The average annual salary for the new positions is $46,510. NVR builds and sells houses through subsidiaries Ryan Homes, NVHomes and Heartland Homes. It operates across 15 states in the eastern U.S., including the Carolinas. A campaign marked for weeks by lies and misleading statements reached a new low Monday, in a text message apparently sent to hundreds, if not thousands, of voters. Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights, the unsolicited message said. Voting YES on the amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect womens rights. The text is lying nonsense. Any Kansas voter who wants to protect reproductive choice, and womens rights, will vote no on the amendment. The polls open Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. Kansans who value truth in politics, and who want to prevent such shenanigans in the future, will also vote no on the amendment. We dont yet know who is behind the text. A broad group of anti-abortion activists denied knowledge of the offensive message, although Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said, Theres a lot of people trying to confuse people on both sides, I guess, piling one lie on top of another. We may never know who sent the message. Under current law, text message advocacy about constitutional ballot initiatives does not require paid-for disclaimers, the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission explained in a lengthy tweet. That is, of course, ridiculous and frightening. Normal ads require paid-for disclaimers although, to be honest, the buyers are often obscure committees untraceable to specific candidates. But failure to require any disclaimer on an issue text allows liars and cheats to post anything they want, in the hours before an election. That allows miscreants to escape scrutiny or for voters to judge the messenger, as well as the message. Lawmakers must address this loophole next year. (Monday, some Democrats suggested complaints to the Federal Communications Commission, which may be a step some will want to take.) The other issue is more complicated. Nothing in law prohibits campaigns from lying in any message. Thats unfortunate, but probably unavoidable: You dont want outside agencies determining what is true about a political ad, or, in this case, a text. Sadly, the yes vote coalition has too often relied on misdirection and misinformation in this campaign, a surprising fact given the movements alleged religious foundation. Theyve created the atmosphere in which a false text can breathe. The only defense against such garbage is an informed electorate prepared to understand lies and reject the desperation of the anti-abortion crowd. Vote no. In a clear voice, tell those who distort the truth they cannot be in charge of a womans health or freedom. The Idaho Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments on two of the three abortion-related lawsuits filed by Planned Parenthood in the past several months. The hearing will decide whether the case stays in the Supreme Court, whether the court puts a hold on two abortion laws set to go into effect this month, and whether the two cases should be consolidated into one. Planned Parenthood filed its third lawsuit challenging Idaho abortion laws last week. The organization has petitioned the court to include the third case in the Wednesday hearing, but by Tuesday afternoon the request had not been granted, according to documents available on the Supreme Court website. The lawsuits address different Idaho laws that would restrict or ban abortion in the state. Heres a breakdown of each case: Senate Bill 1309: Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky filed its first lawsuit on March 30, a week after Gov. Brad Little signed SB 1309. The law, which was modeled after similar legislation in Texas, would allow some family members of a fetus to sue a health care provider who performs an abortion for a minimum of $20,000. The law would apply when an abortion is performed after what lawmakers called a fetal heartbeat and what medical professionals have said is better described as electrical activity is detected. That typically occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know theyre pregnant. In signing the bill, Little expressed concerns that it might violate the states constitution. Indeed, the Idaho attorney generals office said in a legal opinion before the Legislature approved the bill that it would be open to legal challenges. Planned Parenthood has argued that the law undermines executive authority granted to the governors office and violates Idahoans right to privacy. In April, the Idaho Supreme Court put a stay on the legislation, preventing it from going into effect until the court case is resolved. Abortion trigger law: Days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned landmark abortion cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, Planned Parenthood filed its second lawsuit in Idahos Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court decision set off an Idaho trigger law that enacts a near-total ban on abortion in the event that states regained the right to regulate abortion. The law allows for exceptions only in instances when a pregnancy puts the mothers life at risk or when the pregnancy resulted from an instance of rape or incest that has been reported to law enforcement. Planned Parenthood argued that the abortion ban violates Idaho residents right to privacy, violates the Idaho Human Rights Act by treating men and women differently, and violates the Idaho Constitutions due process clause. The ban is set to go into effect Aug. 25. Planned Parenthood has asked the Idaho Supreme Court to pause the laws implementation pending the outcome of the court case. The justices on Wednesday will decide whether to consolidate the trigger law and SB 1309 cases, whether to send the cases to a lower court, and whether to halt the trigger law. Fetal heartbeat law: Planned Parenthood filed its third abortion-related lawsuit last week over the states fetal heartbeat law. The law would make it a felony for medical professionals to perform an abortion after electrical activity is detected. The law, passed last year, includes a trigger that prevents it from going into effect until a similar heartbeat law is upheld in a U.S. appellate court. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a fetal heartbeat-related law in Georgia. Planned Parenthood said it filed the lawsuit in anticipation of Idahos law being triggered. While the overall trigger law would supersede the fetal heartbeat law, Planned Parenthood said in court documents that it challenged the less restrictive law separately in the event that the overall ban is stayed, or found unconstitutional. It argued that the fetal heartbeat bill, like the total abortion ban, violates privacy, the Idaho Human Rights Act and the Idaho Constitutions due process clause. You are here: World Flash Ukraine has received 500 million euros (about 512 million U.S. dollars) as the first tranche of financial assistance from the European Union (EU), Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday. "We are grateful to the European Union for such a contribution. It is a significant investment in our common economic and financial stability and secure future," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. He said that his country will get another tranche of aid worth 500 million euros on Tuesday. Last month, the finance ministers of the EU member states approved aid worth 1 billion euros (about 1.02 billion dollars) for Ukraine to help the country maintain financial stability amid the conflict with Russia. The funds would help Ukraine to cover its priority budgetary needs, Shmyhal said. In May, the European Commission proposed to allocate 9 billion euros (about 9.2 billion dollars) in assistance for Ukraine this year. With 99 days to go until the midterm general elections, U.S. Rep. Val Demings met with Haitian-American leaders in North Miami on Monday, invoking former President Barack Obamas 2008 campaign and touting her money lead over her Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. At two separate events, Demings, an Orlando Democrat, spoke with community members and answered questions about her position on U.S. policy towards Haiti, immigration, affordable housing and student loan debt. This is a tough race. Of course its tough. But its winnable. And nobody knows that more than my opponent, Demings told a crowd of business leaders and local elected officials at the Wildcat Center complex. We can win this race. We can win, regardless of those that want you to believe that we cannot. U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is greeted by Gepsie Metellus, the executive director of Sant La Neighborhood Center, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in North Miami, Fla. Demings is running against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Demings told the room of about 20 supporters that her path to victory would be a turnout game, and reminded the group that Obama was able to win Florida twice because of grassroots mobilization. He couldnt get 15 people in a room when he started out. But [he won] because he believed and he had an agenda that included the people, Demings said. We can do better. And we must do better. We dont have to settle for someone that is familiar to us. Youre either with me or youre not. Your agenda either includes me, or it does not. Demings event in North Miami, the second time she has campaigned with the South Florida Haitian community in past months, took place as Vice President Kamala Harris visited Sweetwater to roll out a $50 million investment to prevent flooding and storm surge in Miamis low-lying communities. U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., greets clients as she campaigns at Sant La Neighborhood Center on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in North Miami, Fla. Demings is running against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Elizabeth Gregory, Rubios campaign communications director, tied the two visits in a statement, saying they would have to face Floridians who know Washington Democrats are to blame as they struggle to make ends meet. Val Demings has celebrated every disastrous decision made by the White House, including the radical spending that got us into the Biden Recession, Gregory said in the statement. In an interview, Demings told the Herald that she was not playing politics with Harris visit and that she would support a policy that is good for Florida, regardless of the political party. I know that the voters are sick and tired of him [Rubio] playing politics. If this administration or the former administration is proposing something thats good for Florida, then its good with me. If its bad for Florida, then it is bad for me, Demings said. Some community leaders said they were grateful that Demings sat down with Haitian community leaders to hear their concerns. Gepsie Metellus, executive director of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, said she was pleased with Demings understanding of the political and humanitarian crises in Haiti. U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., participates in a meet and greet discussion while campaigning at Sant La Neighborhood Center on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in North Miami, Fla. Demings is running against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. I think shes here. Shes just present, she is seeking to learn, seeking to understand, seeking input, Metellus said.. I appreciate that because I havent seen that from Senator Rubio. Demings will continue campaigning throughout the state this week, with additional meetings in other Caribbean communities in Broward County on Tuesday. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, who introduced Demings at one of the events, also thanked Demings for her visit. Rarely do we have a candidate whos willing to have a conversation in North Miami. Its not just show up and campaign. But fielding questions, having a relationship and building a relationship with the community, Monestime said. A leading New York Times columnist slammed Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) planned trip to Taiwan as utterly reckless. I have a lot of respect for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But if she does go ahead with a visit to Taiwan this week, against President Bidens wishes, she will be doing something that is utterly reckless, dangerous and irresponsible, Thomas Friedman, the Timess foreign affairs columnist, wrote in an article published for the paper on Monday. Nothing good, will come of Pelosis trip, Friedman argued, warning the unnecessary visit could trigger a conflict between the United States and China. Pelosi has taken heavy criticism from some for the decision to include Taiwan on a tour of Asia this week. The California Democrat is reportedly slated to arrive on the island Tuesday. China has warned a visit by a U.S. leader to the country would have a severe negative impact on China-U.S. relations, though this week, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said we shouldnt be as a country we shouldnt be intimidated by that rhetoric or those potential actions. Friedman, whose work President Biden reads and has expressed admiration for, said the president did not call Pelosi directly and ask her not to go, apparently worried he would look soft on China, leaving an opening for Republicans to attack him before the midterms. But if we are going to get into a conflict with Beijing, at least let it be on our timing and our issues, he wrote. Alas, I fear that the growing consensus in Xis China is that the Taiwan question can only be resolved militarily, but China wants to do it on its own schedule. Our goal should be to deter China from such a military endeavor on OUR schedule which is forever. Biden conducted a two-hour call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday of last week, which reportedly included a discussion about Taiwan. The president previously said that the U.S. military did not think it was a good idea for the Speaker to visit Taiwan at this time. Kirby said Monday that the White House had been in communication with Pelosi and her staff about the trip. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Marysville, CA (95901) Today Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High around 105F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Theres been no significant changes in the situation at the Artsakh line of contact overnight August 1-2 and as of 09:00, the Artsakh Defense Army said in a statement. It added that the stable tension is maintained. As we had reported earlier, jointly with the Defense Army command and the Russian peacekeeping contingent command the leadership of the country is taking measures to de-escalate the tension and not allow further escalations, the Artsakh military said. On August 1, Azerbaijani troops attempted to cross the line of contact into Artsakh from the northern and north-western directions. The attempts were thwarted by Defense Army countermeasures. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Currently, hundreds of students living in the most remote regions of Armenia are taking part in Teach For Armenias student leadership online camp using cards with mobile internet access provided by Ucom. For the third year in a row, Teach For Armenia is hosting the Virtual Student Leadership Camp for students online thanks to the support of Ucom. Thanks to the efforts of our faithful partner, Ucom, students living in the most remote regions of Armenia have the opportunity to join Teach For Armenias Virtual Student Leadership Camp. During the camp, our students will have the opportunity to look at their communities differently, identify problems, and find solutions which will greatly contribute to the development of student leadership, as well as strengthen confidence in their own abilities. The entire process will be coordinated by representatives of our new eighth generation of Teacher-Leaders, said Teach For Armenias Founder & CEO Larisa Hovannisian. "Armenias educational system is going through many challenges and changes, especially since the period when the only option for getting an education was to connect from home. Ucom contributed in many ways to ensure that the student-teacher connection is never interrupted, and the flow of knowledge remains continuous. We are very happy to see how many successful and important projects are being implemented thanks to Teach For Armenias efforts and it is with great willingness that we're supporting the Student Leadership Camp," said Ara Khachatryan, Director General at Ucom. During the Virtual Student Leadership Camp, students go through Teach For Armenias Change-Based Learning model with the newest cohort of Teacher-Leaders, studying their community, as well as highlighting and visualizing the changes they want to see. The ultimate goal is to develop a program that will contribute to the development of their community. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, expressed concern regarding the increase in tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days, ARMENPRESS reports, he wrote on his official Twitter page. "The European Union is committed to deepening its involvement in the peace process. We are involved at different levels. It is important to de-escalate tensions and use the historic opportunity to turn the page of decades of conflict," Toivo Klaar wrote. Real question is whether the impulse of State is to move towards greater liberty for individuals or greater restrictions and a police state The dictionary defines a police state as a political unit characterised by repressive governmental control of political, economic and social life, usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by the police and especially the secret police, in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures. Meaning a nation where government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. Also described as a place where there is little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive. There are examples of police states, which are usually not democracies. China today, Cuba under Fidel Castro, North Korea under the Kim dynasty, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar are police states. Is India a police state? This can be answered by first asking another question: Can a democracy be a police state? The answer is yes, and in our time Russia is one such example. One could argue that Russia is not a real democracy and its elections are flawed, but that same argument could be made for many other states, including our own. The real question is whether the impulse of the State is to move towards greater liberty for individuals or greater restrictions and a police state. On July 11, 2022, Indias Supreme Court said a democracy can never be a police state. This statement was made on the question of bail to individuals, and the court noted that most of Indias prison population comprised of undertrials, meaning those who had been accused but not convicted. The court said that arresting people and jailing them before trial certainly exhibits the mindset, a vestige of colonial India, on the part of the investigating agency, notwithstanding the fact arrest is a draconian measure resulting in the curtailment of liberty, and thus to be used sparingly In a democracy, there can never be an impression that it is a police state as both are conceptually opposite to each other. What the court appears to be indicating is that we are behaving like a police state though we are a democracy. A few days after this, the Supreme Court, in another bench, sent down a judgment which has validated the Enforcement Directorates near-unlimited powers in attaching properties and detaining people. This judgment undid a previous Supreme Court judgment which was in favour of individual liberties. Now, once again, the individual facing money laundering allegations can be jailed and, once jailed, will find coming out impossible even without conviction because of the reversal of burden of proof. This is similar to the condition, also validated by the Supreme Court, in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, where people once jailed on suspicion can forget about being released. Several other laws, and I have written about this often, also reverse the burden of proof onto the accused. The possession of beef, the ban on inter-faith marriage between Hindus and Muslims, the possession of narcotics, and so on, also have similar conditions. In all these laws, the balance of power is in favour of the State. The individual, who is much weaker than the government, is presumed to be equal or even more powerful. This is of course not the case in reality, which is why the jailing of people like political opponents and dissenters and activists is wrong before they have been convicted. India has never settled into one particularly trajectory and our history shows that we have always flirted with being a police state, though our Constitution points us the other way. We have taken on and let go of the laws that restrict liberty and give all but absolute control over individuals lives to the State. We take them on because of some fear and the desire of the State for control; we let them go (like we did TADA and POTA) because we realise that the State misuses this absolute authority. Our inability as a nation to also punish the government and its officials who misbehave and misuse draconian laws is the reason why they keep coming back. When we know the conviction ratio of the Enforcement Directorate is less than one per cent of the cases that it prosecutes, when we know that the ED has been misused against opponents of the government and that raids by the ED are today more than 25 times as they were before 2014, why are we will give the ED more powers? One answer is that many people want the State to have all but unlimited control. This is an attitude that manifests itself in certain individuals in the judiciary, who are willing and able to put the governments rights above those of the people. I have little doubt that in time, just as we have done away with certain other draconian laws, the ones we have gifted ourselves since 2014 will also go. Liberal democracies, such as the one our Constitution tells us we are, naturally move towards greater freedom for the individual and more restriction on the States ability to harm individuals. Our challenge is to make sure that even in desperate times such as the one we are going through now, there is sufficient pushback against this encroachment on our rights and liberties. We must arrive at a place where we are not only not a police state but are also not at all inclined towards becoming one. The war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the importance of the Middle East and the inevitability of the US-Israel special relationship When President Joe Biden entered the White House, the Middle East appeared reasonably stabilised by the robust and energetic policies of his predecessor Donald Trump. Thereafter, the Covid-19 pandemic and its worldwide effects took away much of the attention and then there was Chinas rising aggressiveness, which demanded attention in the Indo- Pacific. Sometime later Afghanistan and the unfortunate turn of events there had plummeted Mr Bidens approval ratings to a record low. The abandoning of Afghanistan was reportedly done in order to conserve strength for the coming confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific, and subsequently to regain the ratings. Mr Biden relatively ignored the Middle East. Its the Russia-Ukraine war that turned things around and America has been forced to focus again on the Middle East. Mr Bidens idea was that the worlds geopolitical centre of gravity was the Indo-Pacific region, and he appeared content that the Middle East wasnt causing any of the proverbial pull that Iraq and Afghanistan had done on US Presidents in the past. However, since February 2022, the Middle East has progressively returned to the forefront linked with the energy crisis, the general proximity to the centre of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the potential of China and Russia using diplomatic manoeuvres to secure greater influence in this region as the global focus was elsewhere. A review of some of the significant issues in the Middle East will help understand why the circumstances have forced President Biden to alter his priorities and focus. The recent visit took him to Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia, where he also met the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other Arab states. Interestingly, the visit also focused on some non-traditional security issues such as energy, water, food and climate, and conceptual issues such as multilateralism and new alliances; like the I2U2 (India, Israel, the US and the UAE) and the Abraham Accords. Yet there remain far too many things that remain in slow ferment in the Middle East and emerge from time to time, but analysts are pointing to some basic changes. First, the Palestinian conflict seems to be on the backburner although an Arab concern is still reflected; its not all abandoned. Donald Trump had outsourced its management to his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and it had taken a decided tilt in favour of Israel. Mr Biden seems quite certain that this isnt the time to get involved in such complex conflicts and the international environment is not conducive to any lasting progress in this field. He realises that his abiding belief in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue cant be carried through at present. Its a virtual admission that there are more pressing things for the US to commit to. The commitment to Israel may have lacked substance ever since Mr Trump demitted office. The fact that Mr Biden is still in negotiations on Irans nuclear programme without any overt messaging of being fully in sync with Israels security needs may have been misread. This visit did make that unequivocal commitment. The exceptional relationship between the US and Israel during the Trump presidency, which also led to the Abraham Accords, was expected to become much less warm under Mr Biden. That is the direction it had moved while Mr Bidens focus was on the pandemic, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific. However, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the importance of the Middle East and the inevitability of the US-Israel special relationship. Mr Biden has tried to move back to support it more fully. Mr Bidens antipathy towards Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) due to the Jamal Khashoggi affair is quite well known. However, realism and pragmatism brought him to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The US has invested much in its strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis also depend greatly on US assurances and support to remain secure against multiple threats, such as from Iran, its proxies and non-state actors. However, what really forced Mr Bidens move towards an approach to the Saudis, despite his avowed intent of not being seen in the company of MBS, was the need to reconfigure the energy diplomacy which the US is deeply involved in. Mr Bidens focus was on enhancing the oil production of Saudi Arabia and its GCC partners to create a wedge within OPEC. Increased oil production would lead to an easing of global energy prices, including within the US where fuel prices are $5 a gallon as the congressional elections loom in November. Surprisingly, the GCC countries all stood up to resist attempts to dictate the agenda on energy. They were extremely keen to see a path towards more stabilisation through regional cooperation, including improvement of relations with Israel, and not being drawn into the US-Russia-China rivalry. The seeding achieved by the Abraham Accords has been positive. The bolder attitude is reflected in these nations also remaining unhappy with the US attitude of treating the Middle Easts security as a second priority while pursuing its interests in other areas, especially the Indo-Pacific. The Saudis probably perceive the US as playing a tepid role in relation to the war in Yemen or the drone attacks on Saudi energy installations. Hidden in this message is a clear concern about Iran and its nuclear programme; a convergence of interests between these Arab states and Israel is much more real than ever before. Noticeably, a yawning gap exists in the US promises on this. The US-Saudi joint statement looks at all elements of its national power to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapon status. Conversely, the GCC summits statement mentions the centrality of diplomatic efforts as the chief focus. What was clear from the summit is that the Arab states in general do not favour playing down the Palestinian issue and do not wish to bring about any arrangement in which they would be in a security partnership with Israel against Iran. As much progress which may have been made in the region to water down old conflicts, there appears a trend not to take this beyond a threshold. Fortunately, there are many initiatives within the region towards stabilisation and the animosity towards Israel is only measured, just enough to prevent the Palestinian issue being forgotten. From all angles, the Middle East remains as important as its geostrategic and geopolitical setting demands. Any attempt to ignore old conflicts can only lead to an inevitable return to them, even as the world races towards a new order. The other news of the day: Sources confirm Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan while Chinese warplanes flew over the Taiwan Strait. Beijing is expanding nuclear testing facilities in Xinjiang. In Pakistan, Imran Khan's party could be banned. AFGHANISTAN A US drone killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul last Saturday, US President Joe Biden announced last night. According to a UN report, it was well known that the Taliban (in particular the Haqqani network) tolerated al-Qaedas presence in the country in violation of the Doha accords. CHINA UNITED STATES TAIWAN Several sources confirmed the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan this evening. Such a visit is apparently very much dangerous, very much provocative said China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun. Pelosi and her delegation arrived in Malaysia today while Chinese warplanes flew over the Taiwan Strait. CHINA Satellite imagery obtained by Nikkei Asia suggests that China is expanding its nuclear testing facilities in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The pictures ostensibly show Lop Nur, the site where China first carried outs its first nuclear tests in 1964, which were stopped 25 years ago. INDONESIA CAMBODIA On Sunday, Cambodian police rescued 62 Indonesians, duped into working in Cambodia. Speaking to Radio Free Asia, families said their relatives were the victims of abuse and violence in Sihanoukville, forced to work as cyber scammers. PAKISTAN The Election Commission of Pakistan has ruled that former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party received illegal funds. The investigation, which ended today, had been dragging on since 2014. The ruling could lead to the party being banned for failing to disclose several secret bank accounts in violation of the constitution. RUSSIA SERBIA KOSOVO Following violence involving police in Metohija/Dukagjini on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Russia backs Serbia's claims against the unrecognised Republic of Kosovo/Kosova. In his view, local authorities have no rights over Kosovar Serbs in the north, and countries that recognise Kosovo/Kosova must prevent the conflict from escalating. UZBEKISTAN A month of public consultations on draft amendments to the constitution of Uzbekistan ended yesterday. Plans to curb Karakalpakstans autonomy were scrapped after they sparked protests and unrest. The Constitutional Commission of Uzbekistan reportedly received 117,000 proposals. by Dario Salvi Fr Abboud talks about a country and a people who feel "lost and astray. Too much secrecy surrounds the investigation into the disaster, which is still far from the truth. Even among the victims families, rifts have emerged, largely fuelled by politics. The state of the healthcare and educational systems is worrying. AsiaNews renews its campaign in support of Catholic schools. Milan (AsiaNews) The Lebanese feel "lost and astray" because "they still do not know the truth about what happened at the port of Beirut two years ago. Too much secrecy surrounds the affair two days before the anniversary of the explosion. The president of Caritas Lebanon Fr Michel Abboud spoke to AsiaNews about the situation amid a climate of division and rifts, even among the families of the victims. For the clergyman, The memory of the event is causing so much suffering, coming on top of the countrys severe economic crisis, the worst in its history, and general distrust towards politicians. People are suffering, feeling hopeless, without any strength to react, overwhelmed by a sense of fatigue. Mourning and divisions Lebanon will hold a National Day of Mourning on Thursday, 4 August, to mark the second anniversary of the explosion at a warehouse in the port of Beirut that contained hundreds of tonnes of poorly stored ammonium nitrate. More than 220 people were killed in the blast, with 6,500 more injured and entire neighbourhoods devastated. Various political parties, including Hezbollah, and religious groups have created rifts among the families of the victims of the brutal tragedy. People are so distrustful that many wont even take to the streets to protest, and those that do, do so without much enthusiasm. They are not into it, Fr Abboud explained. A sign of things is a planned memorial Mass for the victims. When the Maronite patriarch celebrated it before, it brought out such huge crowds that it had to be celebrated in a square, but this year the service will fill a church at best. As the Lebanese go from one crisis to another, we are losing many people to death and emigration. Every week, we hear that two or three people have died because they couldnt get to a hospital, depriving them of the right to treatment. As Caritas, we try to make some contribution, but we cannot pay for everyones expenses and needs. Supporting schools In addition to health, one of the areas most affected by the crisis is education, including Catholic education, which is one of the basic pillars of society. About 70 per cent of schools are private and get no help from the state. Catholic schools play a crucial role and teach everyone: Christians, Muslims, Druze, boys or girls, the rich as well as the poor, in big cities and the countryside, in Beirut and other regions, in French as well, introducing the new generation to the world, culture, and critical thinking. To support its mission and the countrys future, AsiaNews recently launched a campaign (click here for more information), which it is presently renewing before the start of the new school year. The situation of schools is dark. Many teachers have left and are out of work, because wages are low and they cant pay for fuel or transport. The same goes for many students, boys and girls, who dropped out in the last year because they cannot pay. Schools have seen their costs soar by up to 30 times" due to the collapse of the local currency. In the past, a dollar was worth 1,500 (Lebanese) pounds, while now it is 30,000, with the costs of heating, wages and teaching material rising. Lastly, to help Lebanon, we do not need large sums, but a small contribution from many people, Fr Abboud said. The Lebanese people are accustomed to wars and suffering, but today trust between people has been lost and only faith in God seems to have remained. THE "GATEWAY TO THE EAST" IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE MIDDLE EAST. IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE IT EVERY TUESDAY VIA EMAIL, CLICK HERE. The chairman of TSMC, the world's leading semiconductor manufacturer, warns of potential turmoil as tensions rise over Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taipei. Should the operations of the Taiwanese company be blocked, China's most advanced technologies would become useless. Taipei (AsiaNews) A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would block the activities of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC), the world's leading manufacturer of microchips. This would create great economic turmoil" on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, said TSMC chairman Mark Liu speaking to CNNs Fareed Zakaria on Sunday. Meanwhile, tensions are rising in the area over a possible visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, this evening and tomorrow. Beijing insists that it will respond in a resolute way to what it considers a violation of its sovereignty; for Communist China, Taiwan is a rebel province to be seized, by force if necessary. In his CNN interview, Liu said that a Chinese attack against the island would be a geopolitical catastrophe. In his view, TSMC cannot be controlled by force. Given the extreme sophistication of its plants, the company requires real-time connection with partners across the world the United States, Europe, and Japan above all on matters ranging from raw materials and chemicals to spare parts and software. In the first quarter of 2022, TSMC held a 52 per cent share of the global semiconductor foundry market. Sales in China account for 10 per cent of its revenue. For Liu, this is a great deterrent. In the event of a conflict, stopping TSMC production would deprive China of the most advanced components used in the latest technologies, including those with military applications. It should be noted that since 2020, semiconductor shortages have created problems for the manufacturing of many goods, such as cars, due to strong demand for high-tech equipment generated by the pandemic. by Sumon Corraya With a solemn Eucharistic celebration, the Oblate missionaries of Mary Immaculate (OMI) marked the start of their 50th year in the country. Two bishops, several priests, and about 500 worshippers attended the service. Today OMI priests number 31 in three dioceses and seven parishes. Their contribution is especially significant in education. Moulvibazar (AsiaNews) Last week, the Oblate missionaries of Mary Immaculate (OMI) celebrated the start of their Golden Jubilee in Bangladesh with a solemn Eucharistic service held in Lokhipur, a parish in Moulvibazar district, in the north-eastern region of the country. Since they arrived almost half a century ago, they have been witnesses to the Gospel in a Muslim-majority country, focusing on tribal communities and migrants, as well as teaching young aspiring priests at the national seminary. As a sign of the events importance, some 500 people attended last Fridays Mass, including two bishops, numerous priests and hundreds of worshippers. The OMI mission took its first steps in Bangladesh on 29 July 1973 following an agreement between the then Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly of Dhaka, the provincial of the time Fr Lucian Schmitt, and Fr Dalston Forbes, in charge of Asia. Fr Ajit Victor Costa, current OMI superior in the country, told AsiaNews that one of the initial tasks was teaching at the major seminary in Bonani and training the local clergy, combined with pastoral care for English-speaking members in local parishes. While in the past, there were many foreign priests, nowadays they are mostly local. Out of 31 Oblate priests active in Bangladesh, two are Indian and the rest are Bangladeshi, including six who are missionaries abroad. The order can also boast of its first bishop, Archbishop Bejoy N. D'Cruze of Dhaka, who is the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. At the beginning, the main challenge for the first Omi missionaries was adapting to the country, today it is finding funds to continue the pastoral work, Fr Costa explained. Almost 50 years after the start of the mission, priests work in seven parishes scattered in three different dioceses, running two high schools, about 40 elementary schools and two seminaries. "Most parishes are located in remote areas, where tribal people live, Fr Costa noted. This is where the needs are greatest. "Through prayer and teaching, we transform their lives. We are living witnesses and heralds of the Gospel, contributing to the training of the local clergy, he added. The Oblates are also working hard to ensure the dignity of local workers through a fair salary and respect for their rights. And now, as their Golden Jubilee begins, they have an opportunity to "rethink the mission and activities" to serve the local Church. Foreign officials appreciate Chinese military's contribution to safeguarding world peace Xinhua) 09:07, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- As Monday marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese embassies and diplomatic missions abroad have held events to celebrate the day. Participants from different countries expressed their appreciation of the PLA's outstanding contribution to safeguarding world peace and stability during the events, wishing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China. Laos' Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Chansamone Chanyalath spoke highly of the outcomes of exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries and expressed willingness to work with the Chinese military to build a solid security defense for the Laos-China community with a shared future. Lao Deputy Defense Minister Vongkham Phommakone said the Lao party, government, army, police and people have always attached great importance to and appreciated the selfless help and support of the Chinese military to Laos. Minister of Defense of Ethiopia Abraham Belay Berhe said the PLA is an extremely essential and increasingly significant player in the globe peace and security landscape. The Ministry of Defense of Ethiopia aspires to strengthen its strong ties with the Ministry of Defense of China with the assurances of its highest considerations, said the minister. Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force Birhanu Jula said China and Ethiopia have maintained a healthy and cordial relationship, adding that their relations have grown over time through mutual trust based on the pillars of political, economic, cultural, educational, heath, and most importantly, defense diplomacy and cooperation. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Tanzania's minister for defense and national service, said Tanzania values China's support and the partnership between Tanzania and China in safeguarding their shared ideals and mutual interests, stressing that the two countries should strengthen their partnership as they deal with security challenges in the 21st century. South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, South Korea-China relations have made remarkable progress. Shin expressed the belief that bilateral relations are bound to further develop in a sound way in the next 30 years. South Korea is willing to carry out exchanges and cooperation with China to enhance mutual trust, he added. Egypt's Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki also conveyed his sincere congratulations on the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, speaking highly of the friendly cooperation between the two militaries and expressing the hope that both sides will continue strengthening their cooperation to make more achievements. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Du Mingming) by Stefano Vecchia The decision comes after the ICC resumed its investigation into former President Duterte who had pulled out in 2019 in order for the Philippines to carry out its own investigation. Manila (AsiaNews) The Philippines will not rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) established by the Rome Statute, with headquarters in The Hague (Netherlands). The latter entered into force on 1 July 2002, which the Philippines ratified on 30 August 2011, recognising the jurisdiction of the Hague-based tribunal. The decision by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ends the rapprochement between the Philippines, further complicating the ICCs work in identifying and enforcing international law against Marcos's predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who left office on 30 June of this year. According to Philippine police, some 6,000 people, mostly drug dealers and addicts, were killed in Dutertes war on drugs, the main thrust of his election campaign in 2016 and his main legacy. News media and human rights groups have reported that the actual figure of people killed tops 12,000, and that many of them were killed in extrajudicial executions, including political opponents and activists not involved in drug dealing. According to Human Rights Watch, the Philippine National Police are directly responsible for 2,500 killings carried out at checkpoints or during arrests, and have enjoyed total immunity. In 2019, after the Court announced that it was opening an investigation into the offences committed during the Duterte administration, the Philippine government decided to pull out. Marcos Jr's decision not to rejoin came after the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced that the investigation was resuming after it was suspended it in November 2021 at Manila's request. The Philippine government said that it would conduct its own investigation. President Marcos stressed that outside involvement in domestic affairs was not necessary. Yet, the tug-of-war over jurisdiction looks set to continue, as the court's former chief prosecutor, Gambian Fatou Bensouda, recently referred to Duterte's war on drugs as crimes against humanity. It is likely that the Court will decide to investigate the atrocities committed in the Philippines between 1 July 2016 and March 2019, when Duterte was in power and before he pulled the Philippines out of the ICC. by Vladimir Rozanskij Poland is building up its defences with US$ 14.5 billion in South Korean weapons, some of which could go to Ukraine. Germanys seeming failure to help Ukraine against Russias aggression is proving controversial in bilateral relations. Warsaw wants a strong military deterrent against Moscows threats. Moscow (AsiaNews) Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, Poland announced its intention to build the most powerful land force in the European Union. To this end, it will buy weapons from South Korea, its biggest purchase in recent history. Warsaws shopping list includes 980 tanks, more than 600 self-propelled howitzers and 48 combat planes from South Korea. This is designed to replace equipment donated to Ukraine to fight the Russian invaders, as well as boost Polands own armed forces. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Baszczak said the total cost of the deal amounts to US$ 14.5 billion. Some 180 K2 Black Panther tanks will be the first to arrive, while the rest will be assembled in Polish factories under South Korean licence. The K2 is the latest battle tank, first deployed in 2014, the only fourth-generation tank in the world, and the most expensive (US$ 8.5 million a piece). The other materiel is also the latest and highly effective, with threat recognition systems that meet NATO standards. Poland plans to double the size of its land force, currently at 150,000, with a target of 400,000. For Baszczak, The Polish army must be so numerous and so strong that its very existence scares away the aggressor. Kremlin potentates do not attack the strong, they attack when they see weakness. Poland spends 2.4 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, and plans to increase it to 3 per cent next year, and 5 per cent by 2024. The Polish military sector alone is capable of producing many heavy weapons, such as the PT-91 Twardy tanks, delivered in large numbers to Ukraine over the past month (the exact number is not public). A spokesman for the Armaments Agency of the Ministry of Defence, Krzysztof Patek, said that the shortage of tanks for the Ukrainians will be fully compensated, even up to twice as many since these tanks are much more powerful than those used so far. Between February and June, Poland delivered more than 500 tanks to Ukraine. In the meantime, it is still waiting for supplies from Germany for Ukraine, so far only seen as symbolic, while it has run down its own reserves to help Ukraine. Germany has denied allegations that it is not living up to its agreements with Poland. While agreeing that the circular swap within NATO is not working satisfactorily. For its foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, we cannot replace every single tank overnight with a snap of our fingers." For Siarhiej Pielasa, a journalist at Belsat, a Poland-based Belarusian TV channel, the agreement with the Koreans is the biggest in all of recent history, after the fall of the communist regime, and it is surprising that it was made with Seoul and not with Washington or Berlin, as was the case in the past. Some of the Korean weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, secretly, like the 500 US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) light multiple rocket launchers that are playing a crucial role in Ukraines counteroffensive against the Russian occupiers. One of the best things about South Koreas military industry is its ability to produce quickly. The 980 tanks Warsaw bought can be expected to be up and ready in a short period of time. Historically, Poland has been one of Russias main foes. In his Russian campaign, Napoleon marched with 800,000 soldiers, almost half of them Polish. Today it is offering to take the military lead in Europe in view of a future in which war may not be avoided nor ignored. Email Newsletters Get the best of The Aspen Daily News in your inbox. Our newsletters are free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Furthermore, this was the year when Chevrolet introduced the Corvette coupe, with this new body style accounting for nearly half of the entire production.The GM brand manufactured a little over 21,500 Vettes for this model year, and no less than 10,900 of them came as a convertible.This Corvette that someone has recently listed on eBay is a time capsule that provides us with a closer look at the 1963 model year. And its all because the car seems to be as original as it gets, with no big changes noticeable at first.While a full inspection is definitely recommended, seller castlebarct says the Corvette has recently been pulled from storage after spending over 20 years in the same place.This means you shouldnt expect a tip-top shape, and the most mysterious bit appears to be the engine. The matching-numbers Corvette still flexes the original engine it was born with, but on the other hand, its condition is currently unknown. The seller says they havent tried to start it, so whoever buys the car will be the one to tell if any major fixes are needed or not.Despite being such an old car and sitting for so many years in storage, the Corvette is still surprisingly solid, with most parts still in place. Needless to say, a full inspection is still recommended, not only to tell if any big parts are missing but also to determine just how much the car needs at the end of the day.All in all, this Corvette looks to be a small piece of automotive history, but the hefty price tag could be the main roadblock in its attempt to find a new home. The seller wants to get no more, no less than $90,000 for this Vette. The airplane is a short takeoff and landing-capable machine, made with a single goal in mind: intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Its designed to operate in austere, challenged, combat environments with limited infrastructure, making use of up to 6,000-lb (2,720-kg) of combat payload.This week, we learned the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) chose the Sky Warden for the Armed Overwatch program that would be the quest for 75 manned, fixed-wing aircraft that can be deployed both for ISR and for irregular warfare, close air support, precision strike, strike coordination and forward air control.As part of the deal with the military, six new Wardens will be delivered as the low-rate initial production. L3Harris will start modifying the airplane it showed last year into the production configuration, and within six months (most likely by the end of 2022), it expects to have a weapon system testing prototype ready to go.Sky Warden will bring powerful and affordable close air support, precision strike, armed ISR, and command and control capabilities directly to special operations forces in the battlefield, said Sean Stackley, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. We are ready now to begin work on this modern, multi-mission system for the SOCOM Armed Overwatch program.The price of each Sky Warden was not disclosed, but Armed Overwatch has a cost ceiling of $3 billion. In other words, if you want to run Android Auto with a cable, your mobile device must be running at least Android 8. Previously, the oldest version of Android that was supported by Android Auto was Android 6.0.While the Mountain View-based search giant hasnt released an announcement on this front, it now looks like Android Auto has stopped running on devices that do not meet the updated system requirements.When trying to launch Android Auto on a device that runs a version of Android older than 8.0, the app displays a message reading, this device does not support Android Auto. Unfortunately, theres no way to bypass the message, and users can only exit the app.At this point, the only workaround known to exist in order to run Android Auto on a device with an older version of Android is to downgrade the app to an earlier release. At first glance, it looks like Android Auto 7.4 is the one that works, though this version could be blocked as well if Google decides to enforce the new system requirements.Googles decision to drop support for older versions of Android isnt necessarily a big surprise. Software companies typically leave behind the oldest releases once their number of users drops substantially. This approach makes it possible to focus on the latest updates and, of course, to invest in new functionality that wouldnt be possible in older versions.At this point, the latest version of Android Auto is 7.9 , with the rollout currently underway through the Google Play Store. The next version, which could be Android Auto 8.0, is scheduled to go live in August, possibly with the highly anticipated Coolwalk overhaul. BMW recently performed its biggest software update ever with the release of Operating System 7, which 'unlocked' a series of vehicle feature improvements. In turn, the update also improved on BMW's revenue stream potential by increasing the opportunity for micro-transactions related to features they believed they could charge customers a monthly fee to access.Functions on Demand are delivered through BMW 's ConnectedDrive Store and include such features as adaptive M suspension, simulated exhaust sounds, and yes, heated seats. The update and its effect on the heated seats feature did not go over well with car owners in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa, where the ConnectedDrive is active.The automaker explained the software subscription service which could cost anywhere from $18 (17.62 euro) per month to $300 (293.66 euro) per year, was intended to relieve some car buyers of the cost associated with some car options. However, if the components for these features already exist in the car and they are strictly dependent on software for functionality, isn't this just an end-around avenue to add to the company's bottom line?It seems many people are seeing it that way, and are punching back at the carmaker by paying a one-time fees to essentially beat the system.Automotive performance professionals routinely use methods to unlock engine management systems in order to increase a vehicles performance. They are using those same methods to help frustrated BMW owners get there heated seats back. One shop owner in the U.K. told Wired that "this has been popular on VW/Audi cars for a while now. It seems to be gaining popularity now with BMW owners.Who knows if their seats may be getting a little too hot when it comes to the risk of voiding a vehicle warranty for tampering. Conventional water fun while vacationing on a charter yacht is nothing compared to the incredible experience of traveling to the Galapagos Islands, a natural heaven on Earth where you can admire some of the rarest geological wonders and animals while also enjoying adrenaline-pumping sports. But to do so while being pampered just as if you were a superyacht owner is taking things to the next level.The epitome of luxury is to enjoy your own spectacular Masters suite while exploring the incredible Galapagos Islands. Thats now possible thanks to an enthusiastic man who turned the downsides of the pandemic in his favor. Francesco Galli Zugaro, the founder of Aqua Expeditions, has always dreamt of bringing a luxury ship to the Ecuadorian Islands, according to Travel + Leisure . He had designed a yacht for this purpose, but when the pandemic broke out, he feared that construction might be delayed indefinitely. So, he decided to customize an existing vessel instead.That is how Dr. No No became Aqua Mare, the latest ship to join the Aqua Expeditions fleet. It is now officially the first superyacht that doesnt just explore but is permanently moored in the volcanic archipelago. It was built back in 1998 as a pleasure craft by the acclaimed Italian shipyard CRN. The customization of the 163-foot (49.7 meters) yacht meant that it got two new cabins, increasing its capacity to 16 guests and making its total volume 3% bigger than most yachts this size.The new Aqua Mare also claims to outperform all other yachts in the region. Its CAT engines allow it to cruise comfortably at 12 knots (13.8 mph/22 kph), with a remarkable range of 4,900 nautical miles (5,638 miles/9,048 km). New Koop Nautic Sea Rocq Underway stabilizers were also added to make the trip more comfortable, while this majestic yacht hits its top speed of 17 knots (19.5 mph/21.4 kph) which is faster than any other vessel in the Archipelago.Aqua Mare also kept its classic Italian charm. The original custom interiors were created by the famous Francois Zuretti, while the exterior was designed by Studio Scanu. The 861-square foot (80 square meters) owners suite is the most spectacular area on the yacht, a truly luxurious experience, especially in addition to the rare one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio.There are also numerous socializing and relaxation areas on the yacht, including a six-person jacuzzi on the sun deck, a panoramic lounge on the upper deck, and an indoor panoramic beach club that doubles as a movie room. Basically, you would enjoy the luxuries of a stunning superyacht while taking a deep dive into the fascinating territory of the Galapagos.The unique Aqua Mare made its debut this summer. For more information on future itineraries, you can check out Aqua Expeditions. Elon Musk is the worlds richest man at the time of the press. He doesnt like to talk much about himself and is notoriously private about some issues while over-sharing on others Elon Musk is a controversial figure for his plans regarding making humanity an interplanetary species, his position at the forefront of the electric revolution in the automotive industry, and his cult-like following online. All controversy aside, Elons achievements are impossible to ignore , even if only you consider his estimated net worth of $230 billion (as of mid-July 2022).But there is one man who can and does ignore them, and thats his own father. Interviewed on the Kylie and Jackie O radio show, Errol was asked point-blank if he was proud of Elon. No, he said before elaborating: the Musks have been doing notable stuff long before Elon, so its not as if we suddenly started doing something.Errols pride and joy is youngest Kimbal, of whom Errol says hes also a billionaire, though not a multi-billionaire like Elon. As for Elon, he might have been fathered by the milkman, Errol laughs. He also needs to lose some weight because hes clearly been eating badly, and he needs to find himself a woman who would give up her own life to live his like Kimbal has done.Showing that hes not completely out of touch, Errol concedes that Elon has done a lot of good things but says that he (Elon) is permanently frustrated because he missed the deadline on them by 5 years. Elon is a very good man who dreams of a better future for humanity, Errol says. But these are not his own dreams: Errol doesnt own a Tesla (his garage includes a Mercedes-Benz, a Rolls-Royce, and a Bentley, among others), and hes not into space tourism when it becomes a possibility with SpaceX What Errol doesnt say and he says, including an attempted explanation of how he fathered two children with his stepdaughter is that he and Elon dont have much of a relationship, to begin with. In a 2017 Rolling Stone profile, Elon was brought to tears at the recollection of his time with his father in South Africa after his mother Maye finally mustered the courage to walk away from the abusive marriage.Errol is evil and a terrible human being, though a brilliant engineer. You have no idea about how bad, Elon said at the time. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.That list now also includes publicly shaming him for his weight and openly saying hes not good enough. kWh EV Nikrob created websites in the UK , Lithuania, Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, and Sweden to sell the car. The Facebook post we saw talked about sales in Portugal , but the companys page has the same text in English for Slovakia, Spain, and the Netherlands. It is only written in the local language when it addresses Germany.When you enter the website, it talks about two options for the electric car: standard, for 13,000 ($13,226 at the current exchange rate), and long-range, for 15,000 ($15,260). While the standard runs up to 200 kilometers (124 miles), the long-range runs 300 km (186 mi).While the standard has an LFP battery pack with a capacity of 13.8, the more expensive version presents a 26.5-kWh unit. To hold it, it needs to be longer and roomier than the entry-level, as has also happened with the original Wuling Hongguang Minisince September 2021.The website configurator shows six selections of single-tone body colors: light blue, white, yellow, orange, green, and pink. However, the website exhibits a section with only five picks: green, pink, yellow, white, and dark blue. There are options of a black or white roof, leading the two-tone options to a total of ten. We later discovered this last color catalog might be the most accurate. Among the options for the Nikrob, you can choose between 12-in or 13-in wheels, LED headlights or regular ones, winter or summer tires, and fabric or leather seats.We tried to contact Nikrob to learn more about the company. Although its CEO is Mykolas Komaras , it was Yvonna Rimsa who replied to our messages. She said the company is already selling the car even in countries with no official distributor. Deliveries cost 350 and happen 90 days after the order is completed. Nikrob offers a 2-year warranty, and test drives only happen in Vilnius, Lithuania, where its headquarters and production site are.Rimsa sent us a PDF with the cars configurations. Besides the versions on the website, Nikrob will also sell one called Comfort, which starts at 15,500 ($15,769) but offers the smaller LFP battery pack . The document confirms the color options we discussed above, and the prices do not include the taxes you must pay in each country. If the EV incentives do not help, the Nikrob tends to be more expensive than the website discloses.Neither Nikrob nor Yankelovich want to discuss their reasons for parting ways. Although it does not seem to have been friendly, nobody seems to wish to take the issue to court. Yankelovich said they were just very different and that the best way to solve this was through good and old competition.The FreZe (and DARTZ ) founder will have three electric models for his new brand: Froggy, Kaiman, and Mojo. They are respectively a cabriolet, a hatchback, and a buggy. Yankelovich promised to show us the pictures of the vehicles soon and said he did not like the idea of badge engineering from the very beginning. Now that Nikrob is not involved, hell have new cars. Currently, they are based on the Mini EV, but the FreZe CEO believes he can select one of its Chinese competitors to proceed.Whatever got these companies apart, the good news is that European customers will have more options. Instead of a FreZe Nikrob, they will be able to choose between FreZe or Nikrob. Well keep an eye on them to see how this unfolds. This would be a frankly ridiculous question had it not been for one particular frosty ball of chemical tomfoolery that is Saturn's moon, Titan . That's right, at one point, a proposal from NASA rolled across the desk of the U.S. Senate with the idea of a lander probe that could float across the ultra-chilly methane lakes and oceans of Titan like a little boat, performing detailed scientific analysis all the while.As ludicrous as it sounds, such a mission could provide an entirely different perspective as to how a planetary body acquires and maintains liquid oceans on its surface. Along with Earth, Titan is one of two heavenly bodies in our solar system, with liquid matter flowing over its surface. It's one of only eight planets or moons with liquid of any kind known to be present at all. Of these, all but the Earth is a moon of one of the outer gas giant planets.Proposed to set off in 2016, the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) would have launched from a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Medium-lift rocket on a seven-year transit to Jupiter's largest and perhaps most interesting satellite for a rendezvous sometime in 2023. Like the ESA Huygens probe that landed on the surface of Titan in 2005, TiME would have disconnected from an interplanetary ferry, the Casini Orbiter, in the case of Huygens, after stowing away the entirety of the cruise stage of the voyage. Possibly doing so in pairs of two or three, or with a single lander.From there, the spacecraft's shield would impact the dense Titan atmosphere, where the friction of re-entry would decelerate the vehicle from around 20,000 mph (32,186 kph) to just above supersonic speeds in a short period. If successful, the probe would descend slowly through the remaining atmosphere once it bled off excess speed and deployed parachutes. Gathering as much data on the elemental makeup of the environment in Titan's lower atmosphere at the same time.Descending through the clouds, TiME would have set its sensors on one of two target locations. The primary target would have Ligeia Mare, a lake of liquid methane and various hydrocarbons larger than any of America's Great Lakes near Titan's North Pole. The contents of the lake are super-chilled to -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-190 C). TiME's backup target, Kraken Mare, covers a surface area slightly larger than the Caspian Sea.So then, there certainly wasn't a small target area for this proposed space boat to land. But remember, the Huygens probe couldn't decipher whether it had landed on a solid or a liquid until it had already splat down on the surface and could compensate for both as a result. Therefore, to assume landing in the correct predetermined coordinates with all those dense clouds is sure to be a tall order.Assuming all goes to plan once again, and TiME splashes down softly in either of two gargantuan lakes, it would begin transmitting data back to Earth. Detailing everything the probe could decipher during its descent through the element-rich atmosphere. It would also begin using a slew of surface instruments to probe the sky above and the liquids below. All in the hope of creating a detailed description of the planet's chemical makeup.Chief among its scientific tasks will be to see if Titan's methane lake sustains a similar influence on the weather of the Saturnian moon's surface to the hydrologic effects of liquid water on Earth. Further mysteries to be solved come in trying to understand the exact chemical makeup of Titan's hydrocarbon oceans. Scientists speculate that even in the deep planetary freezer that is Titan's surface, basic organic compounds may still be able to sustain themselves among literal seas of methane, ethane, and potentially dozens of other chemicals.Because solar panels are basically useless under Titan's eternal atmospheric haze, the probe would have run on a novel Advanced Stirling radioisotope generator (ASRG). A nuclear isotope-based power generator with the ability to sustain long-term deep space missions without refueling. Safe to say, the mission would have been a marvel of engineering.Sadly, the initial $3 million investment from Congress in 2011 was not met with further funding in 2013. Of the three space probes proposed under NASA's Discovery Program, including a comet lander probe proposal, only the InSight Martian lander was selected for funding. And so, the prospects of a NASA space boat on another world faded into the pages of history. Even so, TiME was not the last proposal to explore Titans lakes. But that's a story for another time.Check back soon for more from Sea Month here on autoevolution. Rolls-Royce recently confirmed that it will be working on delivering the first advanced nuclear microreactor for the DoD, together with BWXT, Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Torch Technologies. Pele Project is the name of this game-changing endeavor that will most likely pave the way for broader use of nuclear energy across the U.S.The goal is to switch to zero-carbon energy, which is needed not just for the environment but also in order to diminish the dependency on fossil fuels and traditional suppliers. This microreactor concept is unique because its transportable.The systems components will be organized in modules, using 20-foot-long (6 meters) shipping containers. The modules can then be deployed anywhere, via road, rail, air, or sea. Once they arrive at the destination, it only takes 72 hours for the reactor system to be assembled on-site and to become operational, according to BWXT. When its time to shut down and be transported somewhere else, it takes less than seven days to complete the process, including cooling down and disconnecting the system.This is a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) powered by TRISO fuel, which is a type of high-assay, low-enriched uranium fuel. BWXT says that the fuel was successfully tested at temperatures that are far greater than those at which the future reactor will operate. The systems power level will range between 1 and 5 MWe.The Pele Project team is gearing up to deliver the full-scale transportable nuclear microreactor prototype by 2024. Once completed, the prototype will be further tested at the National Idaho Laboratory. It will then officially become the first advanced nuclear microreactor in the U.S. Boasting a design that allows it to float, foil, and fly, Regents seaglider has drawn a lot of attention since its big unveiling last spring. This all-electric flying vessel will be able to transport both passengers and cargo over long distances while also cutting operating costs in the process. And Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of cloud-based software and services is the fundamental design, engineering, and development platform for the highly-awaited seaglider.According to the recent announcement from the German tech giant and the U.S.-based manufacturer, Siemens platform is crucial now that the seaglider is getting closer and closer to certification and full-scale commercial production. The Siemens Xcelerator as a Service proves to be very beneficial for the Boston-based startup, allowing it to stay 100 percent focused on the important aspects such as design, engineering, manufacturing, and innovation, as explained by Mike Klinker, Regent cofounder and CTO.Regents revolutionary seaglider operates over the water as an electric WIG (wing-in-ground-effect) vehicle. It floats on its hull near the dock and it foils on its hydrofoils at up to 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph) when it comes in and out of the port, to ensure a higher degree of comfort for its passengers. Once it hits open water, it switches to high-speed flying, being able to hit a top speed of 160 knots (184 mph/296 kph).Regents flagship seaglider is Viceroy, which will have a capacity of 12 passengers and will cover routes of up to 180 miles (290 km) with existing battery technology. However, Regent is confident that the range will increase significantly to up to 500 miles (804 km) with next-gen batteries while still using the existing dock infrastructure.Engineered to serve coastal communities all over the world, Regents new category of vehicles will be able to transport both passengers and critical cargo at lower costs and high speeds, with the seaglider also promising zero emissions thanks to its 100 percent electric propulsion system. Regent hopes for its seagliders to enter service in 2025. You can get a better idea of how this flying boat looks in the video below. Scores of engineers are toiling to fix the issues experienced by the rocket during its wet dress rehearsal tests , fitting in the required gear for the actual launch, and inspecting the assembly for issues that might have been overlooked.In an update on the progress of work on the Space Launch System rocket (SLS) and Orion capsule, NASA revealed the hydrogen tail service mast umbilical that experienced a leak during the test is now reconnected and shows no signs of leaking some more.The inflatable seal between the mobile launchers crew access arm and Orions launch abort system, damaged by weather while the rocket was on the pad, was also replaced.On the fitting front, the SLS now has its flight batteries on board, but also the command receiver decoders. Up next on the agenda are the flight closeout inspections, the removal of the access platforms, and the installation of flight doors.Inside the Orion, engineers will fit the payloads that will fly to the Moon, including a dummy named Arturo Campos to play the role of an astronaut, and, in the purest of spaceflight traditions, a Snoopy doll to act as a zero gravity indicator. NASA targets the Artemis I launch for August 29 at 8.33 a.m. EDT. If successful, the launch will put Orion on a 42-day mission to the Moon and back, with return scheduled for October 10.If something gets in the way of the August 29 launch, the backup dates are September 2 and September 5. EV industry watcher Chris Zheng says Tesla is looking to replace IDRA as the company that builds the Giga presses. The winner is Switzerlands Buhler, which was Teslas preferred choice in 2019 when it was looking for a company able to make the Giga press. The Swiss company refused the job then, but after seeing IDRAs success , it is more than happy to oblige now.Zheng cites information from employees of a Chinese startup that benchmarks Tesla production and its vehicles. Reportedly, the Chinese startup intends to use integrated die-castings like the ones of the Tesla Model Y, so they should be familiar with the matter. Buhler Giga presses are also expected to be superior to IDRAs offering.Teslas Giga press supplier will be replaced from Italys IDRA to Switzerlands Buhler next year, Chris Zheng wrote on Twitter . The latter is also one of the worlds 6 largest die-casting giants. It rejected Teslas demand for a 6000t-level Giga press in 2019, but now their products offer better performance.Of course, theres no way to confirm this with Tesla, as the EV maker closed its PR department long ago. But the rumors seem to corroborate with recent reports regarding the poor performance of IDRAs Giga presses at Giga Berlin. This is interesting, considering that Tesla uses Italian die-casting machines at three gigafactories, including the crown jewel Giga Shanghai. None of them had such a high rejection rate as the one in Grunheide, estimated by EFahrer sources at more than 60%.Dropping IDRA might seem a little extreme considering that no other company answered Teslas call for a gigantic die casting machine in 2019. Certainly, the team in Italy must be worried sick right now unless they were reassured somehow by Tesla. Its also possible that Tesla wants to add another supplier for the Giga presses, considering its massive expansion plans. I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year. Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022 It all started with Sebastian Vettel not wanting to race in F1 anymore. The German cited many environmental concerns, and he was losing motivation to compete. So, naturally, he confirmed that F1 will no longer be his second home after the current season ends. Fans were saddened by this news, but everyone expected it to happen.But with Vettel out of the picture, the hunt began at Aston Martin F1. The team tapped Fernando Alonso a move that surprised even the motorsports insiders. Surprisingly enough, it looks like Alpine didnt even know that Alonso was preparing to leave them. The French racing team reportedly found out about it from Aston Martins press release. Moreover, Alpine and Alonso didnt have a quick chat about him leaving them.Still, Alpine published a goodbye message on social media, and they were polite about it. Nothing bad surfaced. A scandal was avoided until now.As almost everyone expected it to happen, Alpine tapped their driver reserves and confirmed that Oscar Piastri will replace Fernando Alonso starting next year. Now thats a promotion!Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer even added that Oscar is a bright and rare talent. We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formula.But the young racing driver published a message on social media in which he said that Alpine F1 lied about his involvement with the French team. Piastri points out that the press release was sent out without his agreement and confirmed for everyone that theres no contract signed between him and Alpine.I will not be driving for Alpine next year, concluded Piastri.Now Alpine is in a tough spot. They have to clear this out, or they might have to start recruiting another F1 driver for the 2023 season that will match well with Esteban Ocon. Until then, fans have something to talk about. The Supreme Court has certified its month-old ruling allowing the Biden administration to end a cornerstone Trump-era border policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. McFarland residents who had concerns about their library being moved or reassigned can rest assured Kern County does not have any plans in the by Ngakan Nyoman Kutha Krisnawijaya Minister of Agriculture Indonesia, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, explained agriculture issues in Indonesia while attending the Infrastructure Development Results Evaluation and Agricultural Facilities in Sentul Bogor. In the future, climate change will be a challenge for Indonesian agriculture. To tackle this challenge, we need technology; therefore, agriculture is impossible without technology or innovation. Agriculture must be able to adapt in order to be able to answer the challenge and achieve the existing targets. Syahrul also explained some strategies to improve food production targets in the future. Nevertheless, climate change is not only the main future problem for Indonesian agriculture but also several issues, like labour shortage and food sufficiency. Recently, most people in Indonesia are not joining the agricultural industry, especially the young generation. According to Statistics Indonesia, in 2011 there is 29.18% of the young people worked in the farming sector, but this number dropped to only 19.18% in 2021. Declining farmer numbers will directly affect the agricultural production process, the quality of farm products, and land conversion. In fact, the dramatic decrease in farmers numbers will also affect Indonesias food sufficiency. If the Government does not tackle this phenomenon, it will cause the inability of domestic production to provide food for the huge population in the future. As said by The Minister, implementing modern technology is one of the strategic solutions for the mentioned problems. We can encourage the farmers to work more efficient, measurable, and integrated. In addition, by implementing futuristic technology, millennials might be interested in joining this industry. However, adopting smart farming technology in Indonesia is not as easy as falling off a log. It comes with several barriers, such as the affordability of smart farming technologies or the capability of farmers to implement them. Technologies are too expensive for some farmers, especially smallholder farmers. Furthermore, it is quite tricky to introduce technology to Indonesian farmers, who are dominated by people aged 45-54 years, based on Statistics Indonesia. Therefore, to successfully introduce smart farming technology to the farmers in Indonesia, we have to consider several factors, such as farmers socioeconomic status, technology literacy and acceptance. For this reason, a collaboration between various researchers, from computer scientists to economists to sociologists to veterinarians, and governments and companies, is necessary. It is not a one-man show to answer the complex problems, but a strong collaboration is needed from many parties and disciplinaries perspectives. For instance, Wageningen University in the Netherland with IPB University in Indonesia have a collaboration project called Smart-In-Ag to introduce and expand SMART farming technologies in Indonesian agriculture. This project involved several disciplines, such as computer sciences, social sciences (including economics), biology, veterinary sciences, ecology, farming systems design, environmental sciences, sensor technology and marine sciences. This collaboration intended to tackle the problems in Indonesian agriculture comprehensively from many perspectives. All in all, an interdisciplinary approach could be implemented to achieve sustainability in agriculture, which not only aims to meet the food demand of society but also bring more welfare to farmers and benefit the environment simultaneously. The author is a PhD student at Wageningen University under Information Technology Group. Currently, he is also joining the Smart-In-Ag project led by Wageningen University and IPB University. A 20-year-old Beaumont man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly robbed and threatened three different people in the same week. Mikale Rashad Bolton was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for three aggravated robbery offenses that occurred last month in Beaumont. Court documents show the Beaumont Police Department received a call shortly after 8:05 a.m. on June 25 for a robbery in progress at the French Road Apartments. Related: Police seek Beaumont man accused of two aggravated robberies Police went to the apartment complex at 3155 French Rd. and learned that a 68-year-old man was allegedly robbed at gunpoint while in his vehicle. The man was backing up his vehicle when, police said, he was approached by a man, later identified as Bolton, asking for a cigarette lighter. The 68-year-old gave Bolton his lighter and allegedly noticed a black semi-automatic pistol under his armpit. Once eye contact was made, Bolton allegedly pointed the gun at the 68-year-old's head and demanded money, court documents said. The man told Bolton he did not have any money. "(Bolton) then ordered (the man) from his vehicle at gunpoint and stated, Dont call the cops, I know where you live and will come back and kill you,' police said. Bolton allegedly drove away in the 68-year-old's SUV. Three days later police received two reports of deadly conduct within minutes of each other. Police believe Bolton and the stolen SUV were involved in both cases. Officers received the second call at 6:38 a.m. from the Education First Credit Union at 4315 Laurel Ave. Court documents said a 54-year-old woman was withdrawing cash from an ATM when an SUV pulled in directly behind her. A man matching Bolton's description walked up to the woman's door and displayed a weapon. The woman told the man, Really, dont do this," before he walked back to the SUV and left the scene, court document said. About 11 minutes after the attempted aggravated robbery was reported, police received another call, this time from the Community Bank ATM at 5999 Delaware St. Police said a 59-year-old man was withdrawing money from the ATM before a man, again matching Bolton's description, approached the man's door, pointed a black handgun at his head and yelled, Give me your ... money," the documents said. (The 59-year-old man) stated he told the robber, No and drove away, police said. Police said video surveillance footage captured the license plate of the vehicle during both calls on June 28, and the plate matched that of the stolen vehicle from the first aggravated robbery. According to Jefferson County jail records, Bolton was arrested on July 1 by the Sheriff's Office. As of Monday, Bolton was being held on multiple charges, including three aggravated robbery charges with individual bond amounts of $250,000, $150,000 and $150,000. He was also being held on the charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon for a bond amount of $8,000, marijuana possession for $4,000, stop light-running and driving without a drivers license. meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/megzmagpie This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A new podcast episode has re-ignited interest in the 1991 Kathy Page murder cold case, which inspired the Oscar-nominated film, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." The Crime Junkie podcast on Monday uploaded a new episode, titled "MURDERED: Kathy Page," going over the available details in the case, focusing on Kathy's ex-husband, who at the time was a prime suspect in her murder, though he's never been indicted in the case. Kathy Page, 34, was found dead in her vehicle in a ditch in an apparent car crash in Vidor in mid-May 1991. Upon further investigation, detectives discovered she had been strangled and her car likely had been positioned in the ditch to make it appear that she had been in a car accident, according to previous Enterprise reporting. Listen to the podcast episode here at iHeart.com. Attention on Kathy's case grew as her family pursued justice. Her father James Fulton put up billboards in Vidor and Rose City, alleging that local police botched the case and he and his family were waiting for a confession. The case has also been featured in other media including "Unsolved Mysteries" and "Cold Justice." RELATED: Vidor ups the ante for tips in 30-year cold case Steve Page was found liable by a civil jury in a 2000 wrongful death suit and awarded Kathy's family $150,000, with the verdict being upheld on a later appeal. Page was also later convicted, fined and sentenced to probation for desecrating Kathy Page's grave, which was caught on video. As the years since the murder have passed, new information about the case has dwindled. Efforts to entice those with information about what happened have been made in recent years, with Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas offering its largest-ever reward in 2021 -- $50,000 for information that leads to the indictment of suspects in the murder of Kathy Page. RELATED: Vidor billboards inspire Oscar nominated film But Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll, who took over the office in 2017, told The Enterprise Monday it's going to take more than a hefty reward amount for someone to come forward with information that could solve the case. "What it's going to take is someone who found God in their life, because most of the people involved in this are older people that say, 'You know what, I'm going to get this off my chest. I'm going to tell everything that I know because I know how this whole thing went down,'" he said. "And honestly, I know how this whole thing went down. But I need for someone to come forward to say, 'Hey, I was there and I heard this person talk about it, I heard this person talk about it and I heard this person talking about it.' Because the problem is when you say that it's not hearsay, it's 'I was present and I heard him say it,' and that's what we're going need to have happen." Carroll said after the reward was raised from $6,000 to $50,000 last year, additional tips came in, but they only reinforced what police already knew. Three decades have passed since Kathy Page's murder, and Carroll said that time is both the biggest positive in the case and the biggest negative. RELATED: Filmmaker hopes for justice in Vidor cold case "People's relationships have deteriorated over time -- people that were loyal to somebody at one point in time maybe realize their loyalty was not worth it and maybe their consciences get to them," he said. The negative comes from people involved aging and dying before they speak to what happened. "(We have) until my main suspect dies, and I think even after he dies that I'd still like to get the answer to this to give it to the family so they at least have some closure," Carroll said. There's more than one person in the community who knows what happened that night, Carroll said. RELATED: Latest billboard in Kathy Page slaying may cause a double take "It's time for people to gain a conscience because you know what? One person was murdered that night and because of that death and that murder, a young girl killed herself years later, which was Kathy's younger daughter," Carroll said. Kathy's daughter Monica died in 2011 at age 27 from a drug overdose. Carroll said the police department has interviewed everyone involved that they know of. Now, it's down to the "question mark" person to come forward and "push the case over the top," he said. RELATED: Vidor father seeks justice 20 years after daughter's murder "Unless (someone) comes forward and they say, 'You know, my friend John Smith told me that he was present,' then that tells me I need to go find John Smith and I need to talk to him," Carroll said. "That's where the case stands right now." Kathy Page's family and the Vidor Police Department are still actively asking those with information to come forward. Anyone with information about the case can contact the Vidor Police Department, or submit their information anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 409-833-8477, visiting 833Tips.com or downloading the P3Tips App. olivia.malick@hearst.com twitter.com/OliviaMalick This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate made campaign stops in Beaumont and Port Arthur this past weekend in round-table style town hall meetings. While former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourkes gatherings drew dozens of supporters, they also drew counter protestors at both stops. Small groups of supporters of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held campaign signs outside both of ORourkes meetings. And in Port Arthur, another group of about five people gathered wearing sunglasses and Buc-ees neck gaiters. The individuals claimed to be a part of the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group that says it spreads anti-political correctness and an anti-white guilt agenda. RELATED: Gun-wielding anti-abortion Texas 'preacher' confronts Beto O'Rourke at town hall They held yellow signs saying Keep Texas Red, Stop the Invasion and Proud Boys are everywhere and yelled at those walking into the town hall gathering at La Carreta Event Center. Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie said he made a phone call during the event to ask police officers to monitor the situation to make sure it did not turn violent. A group of counter protestors with signs that said Beto for Texas and Why do guns have more rights than a woman? formed a line in the parking lot facing the Proud Boys. After several minutes of protestors yelling back and forth, the Proud Boys leader told police officers standing by that they had decided to leave. ORourkes first stop in Southeast Texas was at the United Steelworkers Hall Saturday night before heading to La Carreta Event Hall in Port Arthur Sunday afternoon. RELATED: O'Rourke talks taking on Abbott in TX gubernatorial race: 'We're underdogs' In each of ORourkes speeches, he touched on higher pay for teachers, increasing background checks to purchase guns in an attempt to prevent mass shootings, like the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde in May. He also thanked immigrants and blue collar workers in the energy and petroleum industries for their contributions to the community, as well as discussing abortion rights, mental health and LGBT issues. In Beaumont, he praised the United Steelworkers efforts in organizing a food pantry and supporting their members during the recent ExxonMobil 10-month lockout. It reminds us that weve got to draw some lines right now in this state, he said. Weve got to decide which side of that line were going to be on. Do we stand with those workers who have produced the value, really who made this town so economically successful? Because not only do they take that pay home to themselves and their families, generation after generation, they spend it in this community. Education issues were central to O'Rourke's message as he criticized Abbotts plans to divert funding to private schools, ban critical race theory and ask teachers to report parents of transgender students to Texas Child Protective Services. RELATED: Poll: Abbott leads O'Rourke, Texans views on abortion, gun policies But teacher salaries in Southeast Texas were at the forefront of O'Rourke's push to improve public education. They are underpaid more than $14,000 a year against the national average, he said. Im not talking about the highest paid school teacher in America Im just talking about getting to average right now. ORourke also mentioned healthcare from mental health issues to the lack of Medicaid expansion in Texas and abortion protections. He made promises to expand Medicaid and bring $10 billion dollars a year into Texas communities and bring more mental health care providers into underserved communities. He acknowledged Texas women activists who originally fought for the right to an abortion. Just remember, prior to 1973, we had a total abortion ban in Texas with no exceptions for rape or incest, he said. No one came in from the outside to save the day, to ride to our rescue. RELATED: How Greg Abbott, Beto O'Rourke are mobilizing in race for Texas governor, 100 days out The women of Texas won that right 49 years ago. The women of Texas will win it back in the year 2022. An El Paso native, ORourke dedicated time to discuss immigration issues and remind those gathered of the immigration-related mass shooting at a Walmart in his hometown just before school started in August 2019. 23 people were killed in a matter of minutes in a city with more than a million people where fewer than 20 are killed on average the entire year, he said. ORourke said he believes that Americans should feel lucky that people want to immigrate to the United States. When we fail to solve the challenges that we have at our border, to do something about immigration, we allow demagogues to vilify the most vulnerable among us, he said. The results and the outcomes are something were going to have to live with forever until we change this. WFO NEW YORK CITY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, August 2, 2022 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service New York NY 328 PM EDT Tue Aug 2 2022 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern New London County through 415 PM EDT... At 327 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Colchester, moving east at 20 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Locations impacted include... Jewett City, Norwich, Colchester, Griswold, Lebanon, Preston, Lisbon, Sprague, Bozrah and Franklin. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 4166 7216 4166 7215 4163 7193 4156 7195 4156 7238 4159 7239 4160 7238 4160 7236 4161 7233 4164 7233 4167 7227 4169 7227 4170 7225 4171 7224 TIME...MOT...LOC 1927Z 267DEG 19KT 4162 7234 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM EDT THURSDAY... ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values in the mid 90s to lower 100s expected both Thursday and Friday afternoon. * WHERE...In Connecticut, Litchfield County. In New York, Dutchess and eastern Ulster County. * WHEN...11 AM to 8 PM EDT Thursday and noon to 8 PM EDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather The PayPal logo appears on a screen at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New Yorks Times Square, Oct. 3, 2018. Indonesias communications ministry restored access to internet services on Tuesday including Yahoo, PayPal and some gaming platforms amid a public outcry and threats of street rallies, days after blocking them to enforce compliance with new government rules. The ministry had given online platforms until July 20 to register to allow the government to monitor for prohibited content, or face bans. Activists criticized the rule as an affront to free speech. Access to four electronic system providers has been restored since 8:30 a.m. today, said Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, the ministrys director general of information applications. He was referring to Yahoo and three popular Valve Corp. gaming platforms. Semuel said communication with online providers led to the decision even though as of Tuesday, Yahoo and Valve a U.S. game developer had not registered on the ministrys site. PayPal, meanwhile, has committed to comply, Semuel said. Many freelancers who do work for companies in foreign countries rely on the service to receive payments. On Sunday, the ministry allowed temporary access to PayPal for five days after it was blocked to allow users to withdraw their money and switch to another service. Johnny G. Plate, minister for communications and information technology, said 66 major providers had registered including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. The ministry has said that the November 2020 regulation requiring registration is to protect domestic users from prohibited content defined as content that violates laws, causes unease or disrupts public order. Under the regulation, platforms are required to comply with most content removal orders within 24 hours and within four hours for urgent requests to take down content involving terrorism, child sexual abuse images, or content that causes unrest in society or disturbs public order. The regulation applies to companies providing online services and engaging in online businesses. Required information includes a contact person to receive any request to remove content, the number of users and transactions from Indonesia, and a pledge to provide access including for law enforcement purposes. Those who fail to comply could be given a written warning, temporary suspension, administrative penalties or see access to their platforms blocked, according to the ministry. Freedom of information groups have warned that provisions in the regulation could infringe on citizens rights as they could be used as a pretext to ban critical speech. Internet users had threatened to rally in front of the ministrys building in central Jakarta to protest the bans while police threatened to arrest anyone who became unruly. Benefits unclear Popular blogger Enda Nasution urged the government to review the regulation, saying there is no urgency to implement it. Any regulation should not disadvantage the public. Its not clear what benefits the implementation of this rule will bring, Enda told BenarNews. Nenden Sekar Arum, head of the freedom of expression division at the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), said banning online platforms was not a solution. Maybe now people affected by the bans are quite relieved because access to digital platforms has been restored. But that doesnt mean the same thing wont happen again on the basis of the ministerial regulation, Nenden told BenarNews. We want the regulation to be revoked. Many of Indonesias 270 million people are prolific users of social media. Government officials in recent years have warned that terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State militant group, were using online platforms to spread propaganda and recruit young Indonesians. In 2017, the government agreed with YouTube and Twitter to tighten monitoring by allowing selected users to flag material deemed as being linked to terrorism. Since 2014, Indonesia has imposed the so-called Internet Positif program, which involves blocking pornographic websites and those with content deemed negative, including Reddit and Vimeo. Critics have said because some sites that are generally considered harmless are also blocked, the program is akin to internet censorship. Demonstrators gather in support of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit, in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2, 2022. Updated at 4:46 p.m. ET on 2022-08-02 U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan late on Tuesday for a visit amid angry denunciations and heightened threats from Chinese officials, who unveiled plans to hold days of military drills by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army in the seas around the self-governing island. In defiance of days of angry threats from Beijing, Pelosi, the most senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, arrived at Songshan airport near the capital Taipei around 10:45 p.m. (local time), as she led a congressional delegation trip to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to Asian allies. Hundreds of Taiwanese, as well as Tibetans, gathered at her hotel to welcome the 82-year-old lawmaker, long a staunch critic of Beijing, while a small group of people who favor unification with the mainland and opposed the visit told Pelosi to go home. Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant democracy, Pelosi said in a statement. Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance, Pelosi said after she and her delegation arrived on a U.S. military flight from Kuala Lumpur. Pelosi and her delegation had arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday morning, attended a lunch hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and met with parliament speaker Azhar Azizan Harun before departing the country in the mid-afternoon. After the delegations plane touched down at the airport near Taipei, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted: Minister [Joseph] Wu welcomed our faithful #US friends & wished them a superb visit. #Taiwan is not alone! Wu tweeted: Thank you & the congressional delegation for traveling all the way to show your support. In Beijing, Chinas Foreign Ministry swiftly released an angry statement accusing Pelosi and the United States of supporting Taiwanese independence. China has made [a] serious demarche and strong protest to Washington, it said. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this, the statement from the ministry said. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speakers visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the Taiwan independence separatist forces, it added. A screen shot of a tweet by The Global Times announcing live-fire military drills in seas around Taiwan later this week. Meanwhile, the Communist Party-controlled Global Times tweeted that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) would hold important military drills and training activities, including live-fire drills in six regions surrounding Taiwan, from Thursday to Sunday. In the hours before Pelosis arrival, the military launched drills on Tuesday, with state TV calling the war games a serious deterrent against the recent escalation of negative moves by the United States on the Taiwan issue and a serious warning to the independence forces seeking independence. In the run up to the trip, both China and Taiwans militaries were placed on high alert in preparation for the visit. Chinese domestic air travel in Fuzhou, across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan, was disrupted on Tuesday, indicating that military flights may be taking place nearby. Taiwanese civilians have been participating in air raid drills to prepare for a potential attack by Chinas much larger military. The United States does not recognize Taiwan diplomatically but retains close unofficial ties with Taipei and is obligated by law to provide it with defense capabilities. Beijing considers the self-ruling, democratic island a breakaway province, to be united with the mainland by force if necessary, and objects strongly to high-level U.S. visits. The last sitting House speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997. An American military plane with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board comes in for landing at Sungshan Airport near Taipei , Aug. 2, 2022. [Sam Yeh/AFP] Earlier on Tuesday, local media reported that the Taiwanese military had stepped up its combat readiness to prepare for threats from China ahead of the U.S. house speakers expected visit to the island. At the same time, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group was operating near Taiwan, a Chinese think-tank said. Taiwans official Central News Agency (CNA) quoted anonymous reliable sources as saying that, from 8 a.m. on Tuesday until noon on Thursday the military would strengthen combat readiness of troops and make adjustments in accordance with the threats from the PLA. On Monday, Radio Free Asia (RFA) sources and sources cited by local media and CNN said Pelosi would make an unofficial trip late on Tuesday to the island, a stop that was not on her official four-nation itinerary. RFA is an online news service affiliated with BenarNews. The reports of an impending unofficial stopover in Taipei prompted China to warn that any visit by Pelosi would lead to very serious developments and consequences, in remarks saying that the Communist countrys powerful military would not stand by in such an event. Demonstrators gather in support of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit, in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2, 2022. [Ann Wang/Reuters] Some in Washington have questioned the timing and need for such a trip at a time when Sino-U.S. relations are at low ebb over longstanding disputes over trade, security, and human rights. President Joe Biden had cited Pentagon concerns about the trip, without expressing his views on Pelosis plans. Taiwans armed forces operate at two levels of combat readiness for peacetime and wartime, each level comprises several stages. It is understood that the current stage of preparedness is still within the peacetime level but could change. The islands Ministry of National Defense has yet to make any comment on the news about China announcing more live-fire exercises in the South China Sea and Bohai Sea. On Tuesday morning, several Chinese military aircraft and warships came close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait the tacit maritime border between Taiwan and the mainland the Reuters news agency reported, quoting an anonymous source. This move is unusual and can be seen as very provocative, the agency quoted the source as saying. The islands military has a full grasp of activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to enemy threats, the Taiwanese defense ministry said. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (foreground) conducts a replenishment-at-sea in the Philippine Sea, July 31, 2022. [U.S. Navy 7th Fleet] Meanwhile on Tuesday, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was sailing in the northern Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan, Chinas South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) think-tank said, tracking the latest flight trajectory of the carrier-borne C-2A Greyhound cargo aircraft. On Monday and Tuesday, China announced four more live-fire drills on top of four exercises that ended at the weekend. The first one was being held in the South China Sea near Hainan Island, from Aug. 1 until Aug. 6, the same period of Pelosis Asia tour. The other three live-fire drills are in the Bohai Sea, on the east coast of mainland China, also between Aug. 1 and Aug. 6. On Sunday, the PLA also conducted mock air combat training after midnight with the aim of improving the pilots' ability to quickly enter combat status for abnormal situations at any time, The Global Times reported. In Washington, the White House and the top U.S. diplomat said Pelosi's travel plans were up to her but urged China not to turn any such visit to Taiwan into a diplomatic crisis. The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and a speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before, without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year, said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council. There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, he told reporters. Kirby said Washington would not be moved by any Chinese effort to raise tensions over Pelosi. We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated, he said. Taiwans presidential office and foreign ministry both declined to comment on any visit by Pelosi, although premier Su Chen-chang said that the islands government, which still uses the name of the 1911 Republic of China, would welcome any foreign VIP guests. Radio Free Asia produced this report. Muzliza Mustafa, of BenarNews, contributed to it from Kuala Lumpur. Philippine Muslim women carry torches as they join a rally in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, to call for a peaceful resolution after followers of the Sultan of Sulu entered Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia, to assert their rights over the territory, March 6, 2013. The new Philippine government sought to distance itself Tuesday from a controversy between next-door neighbor Malaysia and heirs of a sultanate who are trying to seize international assets of Kuala Lumpurs state-owned oil company, in a land dispute going back to the 1800s. The claim by the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu is in the nature of a private claim between two private parties and does not involve the government, a spokeswoman for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, referring to the heirs and Malaysia. Therefore, it is not an issue of sovereignty or of territory at the moment, Trixie Cruz-Angeles told reporters at a news briefing. She was responding to recent reports from Malaysia that quoted members of the sultanate as saying they hoped that President Marcos would help them recover Sabah, which is part of Malaysian Borneo and is close to the Sulu Archipelago in the far-southern Philippines. They pointed to a declaration made by Marcos during his first State of the Nation Address last month that, as president, he would not abandon even one square inch of Philippine territory. The heirs claims did not constitute sovereignty at the moment, according to Cruz-Angeles. In addition, Marcos statement before Congress needed clarification, though it was thought to refer to territorial wrangling over the South China Sea, the presidential spokeswoman indicated. The presidents articulation of his statement about not giving up a square inch of territory will have to be reduced into writing and into specifics, after which, we will announce these to you if they are in any way related to the Sabah claim, Cruz-Angeles said. At the moment, there is still no articulation, so we have to wait. The heirs, reacting to Marcos speech, had expressed the hope that the new leader would work to reclaim Sabah, which has been the focus of a long-standing territorial dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia. While serving in the Senate, Marcos passed a resolution urging the country to actively revive its claim to Sabah. The heirs are trying to seize Malaysian government assets around the world in a bid to enforce a U.S. $14.9 billion arbitration award against Malaysia despite a stay issued by a French court. In February, a court in France had ordered Malaysia to pay the sum to the descendants of the last Sultan of Sulu to settle a dispute over a colonial-era land deal. On July 12, however, the Paris Court of Appeal stayed the ruling after finding that enforcement of the award could infringe on Malaysias sovereignty. On July 19, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that his government would protect the countrys assets abroad in the wake of the French ruling. He said a special task force was formed to investigate the seizure notice served on two European assets of the state-owned oil firm Petronas by heirs to the Sulu sultanate. They will look into not just Petronas assets but our other assets abroad. That was the job given to the special task force, Ismail Sabri said in response to reporters questions on the sidelines of a National Security Conference where Malaysian sovereignty in the South China Sea was discussed. We will protect our assets abroad via legal means. I give you the assurance that we will not compromise and will defend our rights and the countrys sovereignty. Marcos supporter Princess Jacel Kiram, who represents the sultanates heirs and supports Marcos, said lately that the ruling had somehow proved to everyone, not just in the Philippines, not just in Malaysia, but to the whole world that Sabah is ours. The story of the Sultanate of Sulu began even before the existence of Malaysia, she told reporters in late July, noting that the sultanate could prove it had received payments from the Malaysian government that had stopped only in recent years. Philippine dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, the current presidents late father whose two-decade rule ended in 1986, was a staunch advocate of reclaiming Sabah, which he considered part and parcel of the Philippines. He even weighed the possibility of sending specially trained commandos there in the 1960s, historians have said. In 1963, the British government made Sabah, then a colony of Britain, part of the newly created Federation of Malaysia. The Philippines claims that Sabah was only leased, not ceded, to the British North Borneo Co. in 1878, the administrator of the territory before Britain annexed it. Malaysia, however, maintains that the international community has been recognizing Sabah as part of its territory since the formation of the federation in 1963. The dispute over Sabah turned violent in 2013 after followers of Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III entered Lahad Datu in Sabah to assert their rights over the territory. A series of armed encounters ensued after Kirams followers refused to leave despite warnings by Malaysian government forces. Dozens of Malaysian security personnel and sultanate followers died during the clashes, which spilled over to other parts of Sabah. Military personnel inspect the site of a suspected insurgent attack in Chanae, a district of Narathiwat province in Thailands Deep South, April 27, 2017. Negotiators for Thailands government and the main southern rebel group discussed a potential three month-plus pause in violence during the latest round of peace talks that wrapped up in Malaysia on Tuesday, officials said. But hours before the talks ended and both sides dispersed, a roadside bomb injured two village defense volunteers in Pattani, one of the provinces in Thailands troubled Deep South. The Malaysia-brokered talks between the Thai government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgents the third set of in-person meetings this year unfolded over two days at a Kuala Lumpur-area hotel. On Tuesday morning, however, suspected insurgents targeted local defense volunteers in the attack in Pattanis Mai Kaen district as they escorted civilians to school, police said. Six defense volunteers were riding on three motorcycles to protect teachers and students in the area when the attackers triggered the bomb rigged to a cooking gas cylinder, injuring two of them, said Maj. Gen. Narin Busaman, chief of police for the province. The injuries to the two volunteers were not life threatening, police said. As of late Tuesday, no one had claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile outside Malaysias capital, officials who attended the peace talks said the two sides assessed an April-May pause in violence and discussed similar proposals for the future without agreeing on anything substantial. The Thai government proposed a fresh ceasefire from Aug. 15 to Nov. 30 and that would cover much of the Buddhist Lent in Thailand, but the insurgent side did not immediately agree to it, officials said. After their previous round of talks, both sides successfully observed a 40-day truce around Ramadan, although another rebel group, the Patani United Liberation Front (PULO) carried out twin roadside bombings that killed a villager and injured three police officers in Pattani. At the time, PULOs leader claimed it was responsible for the attack, saying his group carried out the bombings because it had been shut out of the peace talks. PULO was not invited to the latest round of talks. At this weeks peace talks, the two sides jointly assessed the implementation of the peaceful Ramadan initiative, from April 3 to May 14, which both took as a lesson for future improvement, Gen. Wanlop Rugsanaoh, the head of the Thai delegation, told reporters on Tuesday afternoon during a press conference from the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. We both agreed the Ramadan Peace Initiative is a key step forward to an intensified reduction of violence in the Deep South. This time around, Wanlop said, Thailand had proposed to reduce violence for 108 days to cover the Buddhist Lent festival, which runs from July 14 to Oct. 10, with joint teams, including community organizations and BRN representatives, to monitor the situation. Paramedics in an ambulance attend to a village defense volunteer who was injured in a bombing in Mai Kaen, a district of Pattani province in southern Thailand, as they prepare to take him to a hospital, Aug. 2, 2022. [BenarNews] Abdul Rahim Noor, the Malaysian facilitator of the talks, also spoke about the Thai governments proposal for another peace initiative, similar to Ramadan. BRN, however, did not agree with some of the terms put on the table during the discussion. So, they have yet to reach an agreement on this issue, he told BenarNews. During the talks, both parties proposed ways to reduce violence in southern Thailand, Rahim Noor said, adding that Malaysia was looking at the proposals. Anas Abdulrahman, the BRNs lead negotiator who is also known as Hipni Mareh, did not divulge any information, saying his delegation would hold a news conference on Wednesday. On Monday, Anas confirmed to BenarNews that a reduction in violence was among topics being discussed in the newest round of talks, but he did not comment about a potential truce during the Buddhist Lent. A conflict analyst said he did not expect to see a dramatic breakthrough during the near term in peace negotiations between Thailand and the BRN. The parties still have a long road to travel before they come to grips with the compromises necessary for a political settlement, Matt Wheeler, a senior southeast Asia analyst International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based conflict-monitoring and prevention group, told BenarNews. More immediately, I expect there will be further efforts to reduce the level of violence and discussions about how public consultation on political solutions should be carried out, he said. A policy of inclusivity BRN and other separatist groups have been waging a decades-long armed separatist insurgency against Buddhist-majority Thailand in the Deep South, a predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking region on the border with Malaysia. Since the insurgency reignited in January 2004, more than 7,000 people have been killed and 13,500 others injured in violence across the region, according to Deep South Watch, a local think-tank. After it carried out the roadside bombing in Pattani in mid-April, PULO, in late July, asked that it be allowed to join the peace talks as well. On Tuesday, Wanlop, the chief Thai negotiator, said that PULO was not mentioned during this weeks meetings with the BRN. We have some concerns about PULOs operations on the ground, [though] we have a policy of inclusivity, said Wanlop, adding that PULO could have worked to be included in the peace talks or join other insurgent groups to talk with us. If no other groups would join, PULO could join discussions at a local level, he said. Malaysian facilitator Abdul Rahim Noor talks to BenarNews at a hotel outside Kuala Lumpur, Aug. 2, 2022. [Nisha David/BenarNews] Rahim Noor, a former police chief, said Malaysia had no power to decide who would be invited to the negotiating table. We will facilitate whichever group the Thai government decides to talk to. Few groups showed interest, but they have to approach the Thai government to express their intention, he told BenarNews. PULO chief Kasturi Mahkota did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment about not being invited to the talks. Earlier, he had said that the group had contacted a government negotiator through an online channel to be included. Wheeler said PULO is not likely to play spoiler to a process it is seeking to join. Its efforts to demonstrate its capabilities will likely be calculated with this end in mind, he said. Last week, a senior army general who is a member of the Thai delegation to the peace talks suggested that PULO did not represent a big threat. Regarding PULO, I think it does not have a real practical force. They are just a band of people who got together and mounted attacks. In laymans terms: they are merely hired hitmen, Lt. Gen. Thira Daehwa, the secretary for the Thai panel, told BenarNews. We arrested eight of them and killed two in Raman district, and they are almost gone, he said. Our peace talks policy is that we talk to any groups willing to talk, on an unofficial basis, at any place ... If they [PULO] want to talk, they can join the BRN or come as a stand-alone group. Muzliza Mustafa and Nisha David in Kuala Lumpur, Nontarat Phaicharoen and Subel Rai Bhandari in Bangkok, and Mariyam Ahmad in Pattani, Thailand, contributed to this report. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. Thunder possible. High near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Rain. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. The parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre say conspiracy theorist Alex Jones made their lives a living hell by pushing claims that the murders were a hoax You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close (The Center Square) Loren Culp, a Republican candidate in Washingtons Fourth Congressional District race, couldnt believe it when he saw primary election results posted Sunday night on the Yakima Herald-Republic website. The numbers put out on July 31 ranked incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican as the top contender, followed by Democrat Don White and Republican Jerrod Sessler. The other candidates in the race had no numbers in the listing. Culp, who resides in Moses Lake, screen grabbed what was posted as the 2022 primary election results and the numbers were down by the next morning. Before the newspaper pulled the numbers down, The Center Square verified that the screen grab was genuine. Culp now wants answers as to why "results" were posted in the first place when the election isnt until Tuesday. It is illegal for election workers to give out early results, he said. I want to know where those numbers came from because this looks like election tampering. He said Newhouse supporters who saw high numbers might their have thought their vote was no longer needed. And supporters of those with fewer or no numbers might have felt there was no point in turning in a ballot. I dont know if this was done by mistake or was a deliberate intent to influence voters, he said. "What I do know is that someone needs to explain what happened." Culp has filed a complaint with the Yakima City Police Department asking for an investigation into the matter. The Yakima newspaper was unable to be immediately reached for comment. The daily publication is part of the Seattle Times family of newspapers and reaches 15,000 readers per day, with 80,000 to 100,000 people accessing its website, according to Charles Horton, senior director of affiliates, in a late 2021 report. Culp, a retired law enforcement officer who has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump, is facing off with four-term Newhouse, who voted for Trumps impeachment in January 2021. Also running for the Fourth District are Republicans Benancio Benny Garcia III, Jacek Kobiesa, Brad Klippert and Corey Gibson. White is the lone Democratic contender. The top two candidates from the Aug 2. primary, regardless of party, will be listed on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Results will begin to be available Tuesday after 8 p.m. on the countys website, www.yakimacounty.us, or the Washington Secretary of States website, www.sos.wa.gov. MORLEY Having honored WWII and Korean Veterans in previous years, the Morley Communty Center has spent 2022 honoring and showing respect to those who served in Vietnam. On July 4, the center invited three local combat Veterans to represent all Vietnam Veterans in that war. Over 160 residents listened while Dale Ulrich, Gene Vining and Richard Nielson detailed their combat experiences. Vining and Nielson were both Purple Heart recipients, and Ulrich considered himself fortunate as he had been exposed to many situations that had taken the lives of fellow soldiers, while he was to survive uninjured. Ron Irwin, of Morley, also offered comments about Roger Friesner, who was the first Vietnam casualty from the community. Roger had been a childhood friend of Irwins growing up and the Community Centers Vietnam room was dedicated to Friesner. Lt. Col. Donald Digger Odell was another Vietnam Veteran honored by the Morley Community Center. On his birthday, Monday July 25, a walking bridge over the Little Muskegon River was dedicated to Odell who was the keynote speaker at the opening of the the center July 26, 2019. Odell passed a year later at the age of 86. He was fighter pilot shot down over North Vietnam who served five and half years as a prisoner of war. Over 50 people attended the bridge dedication. An Amish neighbor provided horse and wagon transportation to the dedication site. With six large American Flags surrounding a large Happy Birthday banner attached to the suspension bridge, Wayne Benson and Chaplain Richard Christan, of the Morley American Legion, opened the ceremony with Susan Odell unveiling a picture of her husband attached to the bridge. Claire Galloway, a 2022 graduate of Rockford High School, played the popular Im Proud to be an American on her trumpet from a bridge platform. After an inspirational message from local pastor Frank Taylor, of the Deerfield Bible Church, Claire played Taps to remember those Veterans who didnt return. Following the playing of Taps, the group sang Happy Birthday to Odell. The only mishap of this picture-perfect day was before the ceremony started a gust of wind blew one of the flags into the river. Fortunately, Ray Belz, a pilot and Vietnam Veteran, rescued the flag from the river, but in the process got a little wet. With the flag again attached to the bridge cable, he and his wife Darla were among those that had their picture taken on the bridge. After the dedication ceremony, Morley Community Center board members Alvin and Judy Garnett hosted a complimentary luncheon at The Old Barn for all those attending the event. The Community Centers newly refurbished Vietnam Room is now open to the public. Soon, a history of Vietnam in podcast segments gleamed from the work of Pulitzer Prize winning historian Stanley Karnow will be available. Program dates will be announced on Facebook and the Center Web site at www.morleycommunitycenter.org. BIG RAPIDS Officers with the Big Rapids Department of Public Safety responded to the following calls. All calls may not be reported. All suspects are assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A Newaygo County deputy dropped off a Big Rapids Public Schools computer that was recovered in a stolen vehicle in Newaygo County. The computer was not reported stolen, so it was given back to BRPS. Officers responded to a three-vehicle personal injury accident near Perry Avenue and Clark Street. One vehicle was hit crossing Perry Avenue from Ferris State University to Clark Street by another vehicle heading east on Perry Avenue. The vehicle crossing Perry Avenue flipped and rolled onto another vehicle stopped at the Clark Street stop sign. Minor injuries, no transport. A civil dispute was reported in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue. Officers spoke with complainant who said a male allegedly was calling her bad names at the farmers market. Police report a previous history of this behavior between them. A warrant arrest was executed in the 1100 block of Fuller Avenue. Officers had been dispatched for a report of a couple arguing. Upon investigation of the complaint, one party was found to have a warrant for child neglect/support. He was arrested for his warrant. A larceny was reported in the 400 block of South Michigan. Caller reported hearing a noise outside his apartment. Caller looked out to see two juveniles; one allegedly had taken a shovel off the porch of that residence but returned it when confronted by caller. Contact was made with the juveniles who both denied taking item. Report completed will be forwarded for review. A traffic stop near State and Ferris led to driver being cited for driving while license suspended, second, and unregistered vehicle. Wednesday, July 27 Officers executed a warrant arrest in the 300 block of Morrison Avenue. A male was arrested and transported to meet with Reed City. A suspicious situation was reported in the 600 block of Finley. A yard was reportedly teepeed by unknown suspects. Officers executed a warrant arrest. They met Reed City at dispatch. Thursday, July 28 Officers responded to the 500 block of North Warren Avenue for a report of a brown and white dog who had approached a man fishing. The owner never showed up, and the dog was taken to the Animal Rescue Coalition. Officers responded to the 1100 block of Catherine for a check wellbeing request. A male reportedly was yelling at his son after he misplaced his bike. A neighbor was concerned as she heard him tell his son he was going to hit him in the face. Police reported the male was calm and his son found his bike. A suspicious situation was reported in the 900 block of Rose. A 10-year-old male allegedly was chatting on Discord, being sexually explicit. Unknown how old the other person was. Officers responded to the 800 block of North Fourth for a report of two disorderly females who allegedly got into an argument. Both claimed they allegedly were assaulted by the other. Case was sent to the city attorney for review. Officers responded to the 500 block of South Michigan for a report of breaking and entering. The tenants reportedly left items in the garage since last August. They opened the garage to find the boxes had been gone through and items allegedly taken and destroyed. Unknown when the incident exactly happened. Case is under investigation. A smart phone was found behind the middle school by the river. While completing lockups, an officer found someone had broken the latch on the bathroom stall at a property in the 100 block of East Pine. Cameras were reviewed, but nothing shows the entry point of the bathroom. The Department of Public Works was notified. Friday, July 29 Officers responded to the 1100 block of Catherine for a report of littering. The owner said the current renter allowed two other individuals to move into the trailer, then the renter was kicked out by them. The unknown male and female living at the trailer allegedly are dumping trash in a neighboring lot and behind the trailer. Attempt was made at the trailer with no response. Officers responded to the 800 block of Water Tower. Police said a male allegedly was paranoid that the apartment complex is putting things in the air and water in his apartment. A suspicious situation was reported in the 1800 block of Milton. A female reported finding a note on her door saying, I found you. She had believed the note was from an ex that had stalked her previously. Turns out the note was from neighbor kids doing a TikTok prank. A civil dispute was reported in the 300 block of West Bridge. A window was found broken from what appeared to be a rock. Upon reviewing camera footage, it was found the neighbor was mowing his lawn and kicked a rock up damaging the window Officers responded to the 600 block of Birch. A male reported he wasnt feeling well and needed to talk to someone at the ER. Officers walked with him from his house to the ER at his request. Saturday, July 30 Officers responded to the 400 block of Second Avenue for a report of a barking dog. Police report the issue is an ongoing neighbor dispute. The dog owners agreed to keep the dog inside while they are not home as it barks nonstop. Officers responded to the 100 block of West Madison. Caller reported that all her items allegedly had been thrown out in a dumpster by a previous roommate. A noise warning was issued in the 600 block of Chestnut. Officers responded to the 200 block of Baldwin. Partygoers from the noise complaint were causing issues. One was escorted out after paying his tab. The technology will be available to the students and faculties at Parul University to provide them the experience of evidence- based medicine Gujarat-based Parul Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, a constituent college of Parul University and recognised by National Medical Commission, has announced its association with Wolters Kluwer. As a part of this collaboration, Wolters Kluwer has deployed its Clinical Decision Support Systems, at its institute to further enhance the quality of their evidence-based care delivery. The three products that have been deployed by the institute are UpToDate, UpToDate Advanced and Lexicomp. To make quality care more accessible and enhance the knowledge of using technology in healthcare to improve patient outcomes, Parul University, has chosen UpToDate and Lexicomp as a partner of choice for its institute. Wolters Kluwer will conduct regular workshops to equip the students and faculties on the effective use of these products for better patient care. The clinical decision support systems (CDSS) provide clinicians with verified information within a few clicks, facilitating faster diagnosis. With CDSS, doctors can bookmark topics for easy access to information when they need it. It improves patient outcomes and results in better quality health care. A CDSS alerts the doctors to potential problems that can be easily resolved. It supports clinicians while making complex clinical decisions. By providing students with comprehensive medical education and sufficient clinical experience through CDSS tools like UpToDate, we can help prevent medical errors. It's awards season and the eagerly anticipated South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) nominations were announced on 14 July across all its digital platforms. The 16th edition of the ceremony highlights the theme Frame the Future, an appeal for the industry to craft a new path forward. Saftas this year will be a virtual extravaganza, where the Craft Awards will be broadcast on 2 September on YouTube and the Main Awards ceremony will take place on 3 September 2022 as a simulcast on S3 and Mzansi Magic. In keeping with the theme Frame the Future the format of the production will be in a virtual format in an even more engaging way than how Saftas was executed last year. Now is the time for viewers to have their say by voting to ensure their favourite stars take home the coveted Golden Horn. The public can choose their Best TV Presenter and Most Popular TV Soap/Telenovela by dialling in to vote. Voting lines opened on 1 August 2022 at 12pm and close on 25 August at 9pm. USSD is charged at R1.50 per minute and free minutes do not apply. Ts&Cs apply. Viewers can cast their ballots for their Best TV Presenter by dialling *120*32020# to choose from the following nominees: Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo Old Mutual Amazing Voices Motlatsi Mafatshe Unefa Samora Mangesi Real Goboza Devi Sankaree Govender The Devi Show Lawrence Maleka Too Hot To Be Single Vicky Davis - Pasella Nico Panagio Survivor SA Immunity Island Eckard kN Verslag Israel Matseke-Zulu Kick It o cast their vote for the Most Popular TV Soap/Telenovela, the public can dial 120*32020# and choose: Giyani Land of Blood Scandal 7de Laan DiepCity Imbewu The Seed The Estate Binnelanders Arendsvlei Getroud Met Rugby Gomora Skeem Saam Isono The River Generations: The Legacy The Wife Suidooster House of Zwide Lingashoni Die Sentrum Durban Gen Legacy he Saftas organisers would like to encourage the viewing public to cast their votes with the knowledge that they are an integral part of the success of the countrys film and television. The North-West University (NWU) proudly hosted the inaugural three-day International Indigenous Astronomy Conference from 27-29 July 2022 at the Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg. Dr Moheo Koitsiwe, Prof Thebe Medupe, Prof David Modise, Kgosi Nyalala Pilane, Dr Bismark Tyobeka and Captain Witbooi at the International Indigenous Astronomy Conference. During the conference the International Indigenous Astronomy Experts Society was also launched. The theme of the conference, sponsored by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and South African Tourism, was Facing the reality, value and relevance of indigenous astronomy in the 21st Century. The aims of the conference were to advocate the value of indigenous astronomy, contribute to the development of communication programmes, and improve research methodologies, epistemologies and philosophy. NWU vice-chancellor Dr Bismark Tyobeka welcomed attendees, explaining that the NWU placed the IKS Centre in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for a reason. We acknowledge the scientific status of indigenous knowledge systems and the contribution it makes in the development and growth of communities and society. He added that indigenous astronomy (bolepa dinaledi in Setswana), is a phenomenon that is explored from various points of view, including the culture, traditions, knowledge systems, philosophy and languages of indigenous communities. Keynote speakers at the conference included Prof Jarita Holbrook from the University of Edinburg in Scotland, Prof Thebe Medupe, deputy dean for community engagement and stakeholder relations in the NWUs Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Gogo Aubrey Matshiqi, healer and independent political analyst. They were joined by various international and local experts and researchers in indigenous astronomy. Notable attendees included Mosweu Paul Mogotlhe, director-general of the North West provincial government, Kgosi Nyalala Pilane of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela of Moruleng, Kaptein Witbooi, Nama chief, Kgosi Thari Maotwe, chairperson of the North West House of Traditional and Khoisan Leadership, and Imraan Patel, deputy director-general at DSI. Other activities that took place during the conference included indigenous astronomy festivals, an excursion to the Mphebatho Museum, a game drive at the Pilanesberg game reserve and the African Indigenous Gala Dinner. FNB and WesBank have combined their asset based finance capabilities and are pleased to announce the appointment of Khantse Radebe as chief executive officer of this business. Source: Supplied. Chief executive officer of FNB and WesBank's asset based finance Khantse Radebe Radebe, who is currently general manager for corporate and institutional clients at WesBank, will take up the new role effective as of 1 August 2022. Ghana Msibi, WesBank chief executive officer, says: Being able to advance talent from our own succession pipeline demonstrates the value we place in our employees. Investing in building talent and culture continues to be a key aspect of our success. We are very pleased with the appointment of Radebe to this key strategic role which is pivotal to the success of our brands. "Radebe has demonstrated solid leadership having been integrally involved in the growth of WesBank over the past 10 years, serving in various management roles. The wealth of asset-based finance experience she possesses, enables us to better leverage our resources and service, and brings value to a wider client base working together with FNB commercial." Gordon Little, FNB commercial chief executive officer, says: We are delighted to welcome Radebe to the commercial exco, and look forward to tapping into the knowledge and industry expertise she brings to our team. "Her appointment comes in at a critical time for us, as we look to enhancing value creation for our clients who are actively growing and expanding to new markets. "We are now in a position to add further depth to our leadership teams, enabling both brands to unlock value, streamline activities, and create additional revenue streams. Radebe is a registered chartered accountant CA(SA) having trained for her articles at a leading auditing and accounting firm. She holds a certificate in financial markets from the Frankfurt School of Finance and a master of business administration (MBA) from the University of Stellenbosch. Radebe boasts more than 17 years of experience in the financial-services industry in South Africa, with more than 12 years spent at WesBank. Throughout her tenure, she has been instrumental in the success of key business units while serving as head of large corporate finance, chief financial officer for corporate asset based finance, head of sales for direct channel and general manager for corporate and institutional clients. Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, has welcomed the commencement of the mediation process between the Gauteng e-Hailing Partners Council (GEPCO) and e-hailing technology companies, Uber and Bolt. "We applaud all parties for agreeing to participate in this process. We look forward to a fruitful mediation process where all parties will cooperate to ensure successful resolution to all issues," the MEC said on Monday. Source: JacksonDavid via Pixabay The mediation process, scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, follows a series of engagements between the department and affected parties to find sustainable and amicable solutions to their challenges. These range from pricing, security, fare structuring as well as downgrading of vehicles, among others. Mamabolo said the department recognises the important role played by the e-hailing industry in the transport sector and called on affected parties to give the mediation process a chance. "The department values GEPCO as an important stakeholder in the e-hailing industry and encourages all public transport stakeholders and partners to work with them. "We need to continue instilling a culture of negotiations in the public transport sector and spare the public incidences of violence and disruptions. "These discussions are crucial to our #SmartMobility vision of integrating all modes of public transport to provide an efficient, safe, reliable and sustainable transport system in the province," the MEC said. He said the departments mission of creating a seamless, integrated transport system requires that there be peace and stability. "Successful integration of all public transport systems requires us to work together to find innovative ways to resolve issues and minimise violence in the sector. It is through negotiations that we can achieve that, and we are hopeful the mediation process will be successful," Mamabolo said. "The Great Resignation" is a phrase dreaded by most employers and continues to ruffle feathers as society eases back into a "normal" world of work. According to recent publications, the term was coined towards the elevated rate at which the South African workforce resigned from their corporate careers amid Covid-19 to pursue a better, more balanced life. Is this a short-term tubular anomaly, or are there underlying factors that place The Great Resignation at the centre of a crossroad? Hanco Minnaar The managing director of Remchannel, a member of the Old Mutual Group, states that salary budgets are no longer sufficient to meet the evolving needs of employees. This may predominantly be attributed to the diverse nature in which the workforce has shifted from the work-from-home modality towards the more stringent hybrid modality. Thus, leaving employees wanting more, both in flexibility and income. This notion, however, presents a double-edged sword as the risk of retaining staff increases along with the ability to attract talent whilst remaining competitive. How can organisations retain their employees during The Great Resignation? 1. Updating their work model Research conducted by Workplace Intelligence found that flexible employment policies are gaining popularity. The lack of flexibility is one of the most prominent reasons for employee resignation. Employers should therefore update their work model and ethos. This can be achieved through implementing a work policy that defines arrangements for hybrid or remote work, such as guidelines on asynchronous communication, i.e. the attendance of virtual meetings. 2. Focussing on work-life balance The line between work and home has started to blur due to the shift towards working from home. Employees who do not experience a positive work-life balance will likely reconsider their future with a company. Employers should therefore aim to build a company culture that prioritises employees well-being, which allows them more control. They can achieve this by developing stress management strategies specific to the organisation and promoting opportunities to disconnect from work-related stressors. It can be as simple as rewarding a healthy, active lifestyle such as going to the gym. 3. Cultivate inclusion and diversity Cultivating inclusion and diversity can positively influence employees well-being, performance and productivity. It furthermore plays an intricate role in achieving a fruitful company culture, which leads to innovation and creativity. Cohesive, diverse teams give employees a sense of belonging and connectedness to the company. Companies can achieve this by building cultural competencies to understand, communicate and effectively manage diverse teams, which encourages a cohesive corporate culture. 4. Employee-orientated thinking Employers should be vigilant and mindful of their employees, especially those indicating higher levels of strain with a greater chance of burning out. They can achieve this by listening to what their employees say they want and need instead of making tone-deaf, top-down decisions. Covid-19 has changed the management and reporting dynamic, and managers should listen as equals. 5. Clarify the consequences of resigning Corporate social connection is often underrated, says Kevin Harrington, Joblists CEO. Many people spend as much time at work as they do with family and friends. The work-from-home modality has challenged this dynamic as it shifted corporate social cohesion away from the office to the home and digital space. This boasts a challenge for those who build strong personal relationships with colleagues as it significantly impacts how they view their career and how likely they are to stay with the organisation. Employers can counter this entanglement by implementing a structured hybrid work model, i.e. working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from the office Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It will increase corporate social cohesion whilst offering autonomy to employees, thus improving social connections at work and retaining more staff. It is fair to say that The Great Resignation is not an anomaly but the result of many underlying contributing factors. All these factors present valid concerns as resignations continue to soar as it is at a pinnacle within a ten-year cycle, despite pandemic and economic strains. Although this is an entanglement challenging to forecast, organisations should remain malleable and invest in exploring critical competencies employees need to collaborate digitally while maintaining optimum performance and delivery. South Africa has seen an increase in the number of rhinos illegally killed for their horns in the first half of 2022, as poachers shifted to hunting in private parks, the country's environment ministry said on Monday, 1 August. Source: Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko Ten more rhinos were poached countrywide than in the first half of last year, taking the total to 259. Poaching in South Africa had already risen last year after a fall in 2020 linked to Covid-19 restrictions. South Africa accounts for about half of the total endangered Black rhino population on the African continent and is also home to the world's largest population of White rhinos, whose status is "near-threatened" rather than endangered. "Recent trends in rhino poaching show a move away from the Kruger Park to private reserves and KwaZulu-Natal, where the majority of rhinos have been killed this year," environment minister Barbara Creecy said in a statement. Rhino poaching often involves both local poachers and international criminal syndicates, who smuggle the horns across borders. The ministry said demand is particularly high in Asia. QUITO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- After nearly two centuries, Galapagos land iguanas are once again hatching on Santiago Island, the fourth largest island in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago, Minister of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition Gustavo Manrique announced on Monday. "Good news! Almost two centuries later, land iguanas are born again on Santiago Island," Manrique wrote on his official Twitter account. "The last record of a healthy population was made by (Charles) Darwin in 1835. We are enthusiastically witnessing the ecological restoration of an island that was greatly affected in the past." In the 19th century Darwin reported on the abundant presence of large reptiles on the island, which is home to a great variety of wildlife within its 585 square km. The Galapagos archipelago is located 970 km off the mainland of Ecuador and was declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1978. The region is home to numerous endemic species of flora and fauna that served as a laboratory for Darwin to establish his theory of the evolution of species. The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) has made a final determination in the investigation into the alleged dumping of frozen bone-in portions of chicken imported from Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain. ITAC concluded its investigation and recommended to the Minister of Trade & Industry (Minister) that anti-dumping duties be imposed. The Minister accepted ITAC's recommendation that anti-dumping duties be imposed, but has decided to suspend the imposition of anti-dumping duties on these countries for a period of 12 months, as was published in the Government Gazette on 1 August 2022. The Minister noted that the decision was based on the current rapid rise in food prices in the South African Customs Union (SACU) market and globally, and the significant impact this has, especially on the poor. Also considered was the impact the imposition of the anti-dumping duties may have on the price of chicken as one of the more affordable protein sources. The investigation by ITAC was launched in February 2021, when Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain were accused of dumping frozen chicken parts on the South African market, in contravention of World Trade Organisation rules. The investigation was a response to an application made by the South Africa Poultry Association, which alleged that poultry products were being dumped into the SACU market, thereby threatening the SACU chicken industry. However, the foreign exporters denied that this was the case and participated in the ITAC investigation and responded thereto. Virusha Subban, partner specialising in customs and trade, and head of tax at Baker McKenzie in South Africa, represented a major Polish exporter in this matter. She noted that the decision was a victory for consumers, meat importers into South Africa and exporters of chicken to South Africa, and showed the importance of encouraging competitive trade practices, especially at a time when millions of South Africans were battling to afford to feed their families. "As the main source of protein for low-income households, it is imperative that South Africans have a range of price options to choose from when purchasing chicken. The suspension of anti-dumping duties on imported chicken products from these countries will have a marked positive impact on South African consumers and their ability to continue to access affordable protein. Many governments are making similar decisions to ensure that food prices remain competitive and do not increase further due during challenging economic times. To alleviate global food price pressures, Brazil, Korea Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have also recently reduced or eliminated the tariffs on certain foods to lower prices for consumers," Subban adds. The private healthcare sector in South Africa has, for many years, been scrutinised due to high operating costs, as well as the glaring levels of disparity between the public and private sectors. Source: Supplied. Damian McHugh executive at Momentum Health Solutions. We as Momentum Health Solutions have made it clear that we support the provision of more healthcare for more South Africans, for less, against the backdrop of the National Health Insurance (NHI). The NHI has been lauded as South Africas healthcare saviour, catering to South Africans of all races, rich or poor and to legal long-term residents. We strongly support government on this journey to creating a healthcare sector that meets the needs of all. However, it is critical that we address the imbalances in our healthcare industry in a collaborative manner, both in the private and public sectors, in a way that strengthens our healthcare system, without placing any additional burden on consumers already stretched pockets. Statistics show that the number of healthcare workers employed in South Africa within the private sector far outnumber those in the public sector. This matrix is not sustainable and can be attributed to the breakdown in the delivery of quality healthcare within the public sector to those who need it most. As a private industry, we have built up skills that can contribute towards a healthier healthcare system. Whether in health delivery, such as running hospitals, or paying claims, or creating incentives for people to change their behaviour; there is significant experience in the private sector that can be used to build a healthcare system in South Africa that works and caters to everyone, under the management of a system such as the NHI. Making use of the experience of both the public and private sectors to develop a system that runs as seamlessly as possible will be key in ensuring the NHI is a success and keeps true to its promise of addressing the substantial gaps in the delivery of quality healthcare to all South Africans. A strong private sector does not undermine the public sector, just as a strong public sector does not undermine the private sector. I believe we can have a system where the private sector can alleviate pressure in the public sector and more effectively utilise the available budget. Furthermore, the implementation of the NHI will not be overnight. There is a glaring misconception that the system will be applied as a single change over. The system will be implemented over time and the expectation is that phase one will focus on primary health. Once that matures, the secondary phase will focus on tertiary care. As one can imagine, there is stringent policy that needs to be implemented and regulatory requirements that must be adhered to. To further ensure its success, considerable opportunity exists for the medical-scheme industry and funders to embrace and meaningfully collaborate. There is a clear need for us to work together with a common goal of improving our healthcare system by ensuring that healthcare standards across both public and private are improved in a more affordable manner. At Momentum Health Solutions, we have a passion to deliver more health to more South Africans for less. What we do not want to see is less health to less South Africans for more. Any scenario that delivers healthcare in South Africa in a manner where there is wastage is inept, especially for a country that has the unique challenges that we do. It is our goal to correct some of these challenges and imbalances by working closely alongside government to ensure the successful implementation of a fair, equitable, workable, and sustainable NHI system for all South Africans. The Durban International Film Festival (Diff), organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) at the University of KwaZulu-Nata,l has announced its award winners. Image supplied: A scene from Ring Wandering It was inspiring to be back in cinema but also to see our online audiences tuning in. It shows us that there is still huge enthusiasm from our South African audiences for the festival, both audiences who have been attending for years and new audiences. It encourages us to continue to develop and look forward to Diff2023, says the director of the CCA, Ismail Mahomed. At the awards ceremony, the festival accolades Best Director went to Agam Darshi from Canada for her film Donkeyhead, in which she plays the lead role and wrote the film. The jury said, One of the most superbly directed films seen in ages, brilliant directing, acting and choices. Best Feature Film went to director Ivan Herrera for his film Bantu Mama from the Dominican Republic. Bantu Mama also bagged awards for Best Cinematography and lead actress Clarisse Albrecht, who is also the writer and producer of the film, for Best Performer. Albrecht gave us a strong lead performance, very character-driven, the jury said. The Best African Feature Film award went unanimously to Kenyan director Robin Odongo for his film Bangarang. The Best South African Feature Film award went to the time-piece 1960, directed by Michael Mutombo and King Shaft. The jury said that they chose the film because 1960 is a powerful historical re-imagination that lays bare some of the chasms of trauma in our history and the effect that this has generationally. We come from a legacy of a lot of pain and a lot of secrets. The film offers a sensitive portrait of a powerful woman with full agency and highlights a narrative sensitive to gendered erasure. The film also does a beautiful job of portraying the historical period, offering a crips window to the past. The festival's management also wants to highlight two films not part of the competition selection: Valley of a Thousand Hills and Youre My Favourite Place. The films touch on important issues relevant to our society today, and Diff would like to acknowledge the filmmakers for translating them into beautifully directed films. South Africa can be proud to produce films like these, says Mahomed. Best Documentary was awarded to directors Laura Faerman and Marina Weis for the Brazilian documentary Wind Blows The Border. The jury mentioned they felt like a fly on the wall when watching the film. The Best South African Documentary accolade went to Girl, Taken, directed by Francois Verster and Simon Wood. The jury said, It could have been sensationalist, but it wasn't. It had all these twists and turns that, in the end, it was like a real human story about family. Many complexities and different layers were brought out what was interesting. The documentary No U-Turn by Ike Nnabue from Nigeria took this years artistic bravery award for being very honest and touching. The director took a risk for both himself and the participants, the jury said. Special mentions in the Documentary category went to Music Is My Life The Joseph Shabalala Story for bringing such a powerful story to life and to Batata for being incredibly touching. Isiphethu Student Film Festival This year's festival saw the inaugural edition of the Isiphethu Student Film Festival, and with that also the first awards for student films. The Best South African student film was won by Where is Mr Adams?, directed by Afda alumni Cameron Murray who created the film as part of his honours. Comedy is a very risky genre for a student film. At the same time, the film deals with deep and serious themes around self-worth, working together and how things can fall apart when one thing is not in place, which is perfectly combined, said the jury. The Best International Student Film went to Mona & Parviz, directed by Kevin Bielle from Germany, which the jury called the perfect short film. Special mentions in the student category went to Hourglass House for being a beautiful film that is not easily forgotten and A Woman of No Importance for not just being another migrant story. Short films The shorts programme presented a robust selection of 72 short films, which were very diverse, being a mix of experimental films, advocacy films and fiction films. The Best South African Short Film was awarded to Prayers for Sweet Waters, directed by Elijah Ndoumbe, for the great sensibility with which the story was told. The Best Africa Short Film went to the all-around favourite of the jury, Sixteen Rounds, by director Loukman Ali from Uganda. It is inspiring that on the continent, were producing films on this level. said the jury. The Best Short Film went to Miette, a Canadian short film by directors Maude Bouchard and Camille Trudel, for the way it captures intimacy. Special mentions in the shorts category went to Dream Writer for making us dream beyond our borders, Employee of the Month for making us think about the protest in Nigeria differently, and Little Sky for bringing such a relevant story. Synopses and details of the films are available here. On June 10th, The Guardian's Mark Townsend published an article headlined "Russia-backed network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified." ("Russia-backed" has since been removed). The article is based on what Townsend calls a "new analysis" that "reveals" a "network more than two dozen conspiracy theorists, frequently backed by a coordinated Russian campaign." This network, Townsend claims, is "focused on the denial or distortion of facts about the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons and on attacking the findings of the worlds foremost chemical weapons watchdog," the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). According to Townsend, I am named "as the most prolific spreader of disinformation" among the nefarious bunch. In hawking this purported expose of "disinformation", Townsend violated every basic standard of journalism. He did not contact me before publishing his allegations; fails to offer a shred of evidence for them; and does not cite a single example of my alleged "prolific" disinformation. Instead, Townsend bases his claims entirely on a think-tank report that also provides no evidence, nor even assert that I have said anything false. In the process, Townsend failed to disclose that the report's authors -- the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the Syria Campaign -- are groups funded by the US government and other belligerents in the Syria proxy war. To top it off, Townsend fabricates additional allegations that his state-funded sources do not even make. As a result, Townsend and the Guardian have engaged in the exact sort of conduct that they falsely impute to me and others: spreading Syria-related disinformation with coordinated support from state-funded actors. The aim of this propaganda network is transparent: defaming journalism that exposes the OPCW's ongoing Syria cover-up scandal and the dirty war waged by Western powers on Syria. The OPCW cover-up is arguably the most copiously documented pro-war deception since the US-led drive to invade Iraq. In Western media, as The Guardian's behavior newly demonstrates, it is also without question the most suppressed. At the center of the story are two veteran OPCW scientists, Dr. Brendan Whelan and Ian Henderson. The pair were among a team that deployed to Syria in April 2018 to investigate an alleged chemical attack in the town of Douma. They have since accused senior OPCW officials of manipulating the Douma probe to reach a conclusion that baselessly implicated the Syrian government in a chlorine gas attack. Their claims are backed up by a trove of leaked documents and emails that show extensive doctoring and censoring of the Douma team's findings. The Douma cover-up extends far beyond the OPCW's executive suite. It also implicates NATO governments led by the US, which bombed Syria over the Douma chemical weapons allegation, and then, weeks later, privately pressured the OPCW to validate it. Since the OPCW scandal became public, the US and its allies have thwarted efforts to address it. At the most criminal level, the scandal implicates sectarian death squads armed and funded by the US and allies during their decade-long campaign for regime change in Syria. At the time of the incident, Douma was occupied by the Saudi-backed jihadi militia Jaysh-al-Islam and under bombardment from Syrian army forces attempting to retake control. Shortly before their surrender, local allies of Jaysh-al-Islam accused Syrian forces of using chemical weapons. They released gruesome footage of an apartment building filled with slain civilians. A gas cylinder was filmed positioned above a crater on the roof. Concurrently, the White Helmets, a NATO and Gulf state-funded, insurgent-adjacent organization, released footage of what it claimed were gas attack victims in a Douma field hospital. Several journalists, including Riam Dalati of the BBC, Robert Fisk of the Independent, and James Harkin of the Intercept, found evidence that the hospital scene was staged. (In February 2019, Dalati claimed that he can "prove without a doubt that the Douma Hospital scene was staged." Oddly, more than three years later, he has not released his findings). The White Helmets' alleged fakery of a chemical attack aftermath, coupled with the censored OPCW findings showing no evidence that a chemical attack occurred, suggest the inescapable conclusion that insurgents in Douma carried out a deception to frame the Syrian government. And given the unexplained deaths of the more than 40 victims filmed in the Douma apartment building, that deception may have entailed a murderous war crime. Unlike the Iraq WMD hoax, the very existence of the OPCW's Douma scandal is unknown to much of the Western world. With few exceptions, establishment media outlets have refused to acknowledge the OPCW whistleblowers and the leaks that brought their story to light. After largely ignoring the OPCW cover-up since it first surfaced in May 2019, the Guardian has now published defamatory claims about journalists, myself included, who have dared to report on the censored facts. When I wrote The Guardian about the Townsend article's journalistic lapses, I did not get a response. One week later, I phoned Townsend, who was now back in the office but had yet to reply. In our conservation, which I recorded and recently published, I repeatedly asked Townsend to substantiate his claims about me and identify even a single example of my alleged disinformation. Townsend did not attempt to defend his article's assertions, beyond claiming that they were based on what was "in a report." When I pressed further, he claimed that he had to "dash for a meeting" and promised that I would soon hear from the paper's reader's editor. (Before I published our phone call, and this article, I emailed Townsend a detailed list of questions and invited him to offer any additional comment. He did not respond). "Deadly Disinformation" Townsend could not provide any evidence for his assertions because the report that he parroted offers none as well. The report, titled "Deadly Disinformation" and authored by The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and the Syria Campaign, contains bare references to my reporting and makes no effort to refute it. Nowhere does the report even claim that I have said anything false. It simply claims to have "identified 28 individuals, outlets and organisations who have spread disinformation about the Syrian conflict," and that I am "the most prolific spreader of disinformation" among them. When the report bothers to mention of anything that I have actually said, it engages in distortion. In its first mention, the report states that I wrote an article that "attacks Bellingcat for its contributions to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)." Here, they not only fail to assert that I said anything false, but offer a false portrayal of what happened. As for "attacking" Bellingcat -- a website that, like the report's authors, is funded by NATO states that were belligerents in the Syria dirty war what I really did was expose its disinformation. In this case, Bellingcat fraudulently attacked Whelan (the key OPCW whistleblower), along with several journalists (myself included) by falsely accusing us of concealing an OPCW letter that, I quickly revealed, did not in fact exist. Bellingcat was forced to add a correction, delete embarrassing tweets, and apologize to one of the article's targets, the journalist Peter Hitchens (who resides in the UK, home to strict libel laws). I later exposed that Bellingcat copied a hidden, external author for some of their false material. In short, the ISD/Syria Campaign's first purported example of my alleged "disinformation" is an easily verifiable case where I've exposed state-backed lies. The report's only other substantive example comes when it notes that I have argued that the OPCW probe's Douma probe "was flawed." This far understates my case: the OPCW's Douma investigation wasnt flawed; it's a scandalous cover-up worthy of global attention. Regardless, yet again, the report does not even assert that my argument is false, let alone try to explain why. In a July 13th email, I asked the ISD to substantiate their claim that I have spread disinformation, and provide even one example of it. On its website, the ISD claims to "take complaints seriously," and promises a response "within ten working days." As of this writing, after 13 working days, I have not heard back. At The Guardian, OPCW leaks are "problematic" When I emailed a complaint about Townsend's reporting, The Guardian admitted fault only on failing to contact me before publishing his evidence-free allegations. This was the result, they claimed, of a "breakdown of communication internally." I was then offered the chance to respond to the article in 200 words. A key point in my reply (which can be read here) was that The Guardian and its state-funded source is unable to identify any falsehoods in anything I've written "because my reporting on the OPCW's Douma cover-up scandal is based on damning OPCW leaks." These leaks, I added, "reveal that veteran inspectors found no evidence of a chemical attack in Douma, and that expert toxicologists ruled out chlorine gas as the victims' cause of death. But these findings were doctored and censored by senior OPCW officials." At The Guardian, this passage set off an apparent alarm. After disparaging my reporting on the OPCW leaks, The Guardian informed me that they would now prevent me from even mentioning them. In a July 8 email, a Guardian editor wrote that the "the part about the OPCW" in my reply "continues to be problematic." My reference to the OPCW leaks, the editor claimed, "makes an assertion that has been rebutted by an independent inquiry." I responded by asking the editor to specify exactly which "assertion" of mine has been rebutted. I also proposed that, if they believe that I have said anything "problematic," they publish their own rebuttal. In multiple follow-up emails, the editor failed to identify any "rebutted" assertion of mine. Despite that, the Guardian proceeded to publish my reply without its reference to the OPCW leaks. But this raised a new problem: in censoring my statement, they misquoted me. When I pointed out that error, they updated my reply to finally allow a (minimal) mention of the OPCW leaks. The Guardian also took me up on my proposal that they publish their own rebuttal: Editors note: Both the ISD and the Syria Campaign list a diverse range of funders and describe themselves as fiercely independent. In 2020 the OPCW rebutted claims about its investigation into the Douma incident (Inquiry strikes blow to Russian denials of Syria chemical attack). As for the "inquiry" that The Guardian claims "rebutted claims about its investigation into the Douma incident," the inquiry was not independent, and did not rebut anything. The "inquiry" was appointed by the OPCW's Director General's office, the very body that presided over the cover-up. It was also staffed by two "investigators" from the US and UK. These happen to be the two states that bombed Syria based on the Douma allegations that the OPCW fraudulently validated, and that have since tried to bury the scandal at every stage. Accordingly, the OPCW "inquiry" avoided the allegations of censorship in the Douma probe and instead disingenuously minimized the whistleblowers' role. The whistleblowers themselves have rebutted the inquiry's claims about them, as have I in subsequent reporting. A network of NATO disinformation As for what the Guardian calls the ISD and Syria Campaign's "diverse range of funders," both groups indeed enjoy a diverse range of funders: everyone from NATO governments to NATO government-funded organizations. They also receive support from billionaire-funded foundations that often work in concert with these same NATO governments' foreign policy objectives. The Institute for Strategic Dialogues diverse range of funders, according to The Guardian. The ISD's "diverse" funders include the US State Department, the US Department of Homeland Security, three other US state-funded organizations, and more than two dozen other NATO government agencies. On the private side, the ISD's funders include the foundations of three of the world's richest oligarchs: Pierre Omidyar's Omidyar Group, George Soros' Open Society Foundations, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In using the ISD as a source, The Guardian has a conflict of interest that its article did not disclose. The latter two ISD donors have also given sizeable grants to The Guardian: at least $625,000 from Open Society Foundations since 2019, and at least $12.9 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since 2011. Omidyar's foundation has a direct role in the ISD/Syria Campaign report. The Omidyar Group's Luminate Strategic Initiatives is listed alongside the German government-funded Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung foundation as the report's fiscal sponsor. Omidyar's sponsorship of an attack on journalism about the OPCW scandal is highly fitting. The Intercept, the self-described "fearless and adversarial" outlet that Omidyar also funds with his vast fortune, has never once acknowledged the OPCW leaks or whistleblowers' existence. While ignoring the OPCW scandal for more than three years, The Intercept has published multiple articles promoting the allegation that Syria committed a chemical attack in Douma. Like the ISD, the Syria Campaign is also funded by governments and other belligerents in the Syria dirty war. As The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal reported in 2017, the Syria Campaign was founded by Ayman Asfari, a Syrian-British billionaire oil tycoon and leading financial supporter of the Syrian National Coalition, the largest government-in-exile group established after the Syria conflict erupted in 2011. The Syria Campaign has also done extensive P.R. and fundraising for the White Helmets, the insurgent-adjacent, NATO state-funded organization implicated in the Douma incident. That these two state-funded groups "describe themselves as 'fiercely independent'" is apparently enough for The Guardian. I trust that the Guardian would feel differently if they were dealing with self-described "fiercely independent" groups funded by the Russian and Syrian governments. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of sources quoted in the ISD/Syria Campaign report are funded or employed by the same NATO state and private sponsors. This includes the White Helmets; the Global Public Policy Institute; Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS); self-described journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou of the BBC, who produced a podcast series that disparaged the OPCW whistleblowers and whitewashed the Douma cover-up; and James Jeffrey, the former US Special Envoy for Syria. For a report that claims to be concerned with protecting Syrians from "real-world harm," Jeffrey is a particularly interesting interview subject. Few US officials have been as candid about their willingness to immiserate Syrian civilians in pursuit of hegemonic US goals in their country. Jeffrey has declared that al-Qaeda is a US "asset" in Syria, and has admitted to misleading the Trump White House to undermine an effort to withdraw the US military, whose illegal occupation deliberately deprives Syria of its own wheat and fuel. Jeffrey has openly bragged about his "effective strategy" to ensure "no reconstruction assistance" in Syria -- even though the war-ravaged country is "desperate for it. And he has also taken credit for helping to impose crippling US sanctions on Syria that have "crushed the country's economy." Jeffrey's proudly self-acknowledged real-world harms on millions of Syrians don't seem to bother the study's authors, presumably because their Western state sponsors implement them. The report is so invested in its state funders' aims in Syria that it approvingly airs frustration that other governments are failing to toe the NATO line. A "former Western diplomat" complains that "disinformation" on Syria is helping states "avoid making the decisions that we want them to make, say in the Security Council or elsewhere." (emphasis added). From the point of view of Western officials, the anonymous diplomat is employing an accurate operative definition of what constitutes "disinformation": any information that causes those deemed subordinate to "avoid making the decisions that we want them to make." Fittingly, another anonymous "senior diplomat" laments that supposed Syria disinformation is intended "ultimately to cast doubt upon the legitimacy and integrity of the people doing this kind of [policy] work." Daring to question the "legitimacy and integrity" of Western policymakers who oversaw a multi-billion dollar CIA-led dirty war on Syria that knowingly empowered al-Qaeda and other sectarian death squads while leaving hundreds of thousands dead -- another intolerable act that can only result from "disinformation." A member of the US-funded, insurgent-adjacent White Helmets is also given space to lament that alleged "disinformation" is hurting its donations. "We hear about billions of dollars for aid at conferences on Syria but most of that funding goes to the UN," a White Helmets manager complains. Unmentioned is that European governments have cut funding to the group after their late founder, the lavishly paid UK military veteran James le Mesurier, admitted to pocketing donor funds and financial fraud right before he took his own life. Having promoted the hegemonic agenda of its state sponsors, the report closes with a thinly veiled call to censor the dissenting voices it targets. The ISD and Syria Campaign urge policymakers to "adopt a whole-of-government approach in tackling disinformation" and "ensure that loopholes or special privileges are not created for 'media' which would only exacerbate the spread of disinformation." These "privileges" presumably refer to free speech. The report also notes favorably that platforms have addressed "thematic harms such as public health disinformation or foreign interference in elections." As a result, the report calls on these platforms to "commit to applying similar levels of resourcing in the context of the ongoing Syrian conflict." Perhaps they have in mind the censorship of journalism about Hunter Biden's laptop before the 2020 election, on the fake grounds that the story was "Russian disinformation." The fact that this network of state-funded actors is devoting energy to disparaging journalism about the OPCW's Syria cover-up -- and even advocating that it be censored reflects their powerful sponsors' desperation to bury a damning scandal. In public, OPCW Director General Fernando Arias has provided misleading and outright false answers about the Douma probe, including why he refuses to meet with the dissenting inspectors and the rest of the original investigative team. On top of the two known whistleblowers, Arias has ignored calls for accountability from his original predecessor, founding OPCW chief Jose Bustani, as well as four other former senior OPCW officials. Along with Bustani, former senior UN official Hans von Sponeck has spearheaded the Berlin Group 21, a global initiative to address the OPCW scandal. The US has responded to Bustani by blocking his testimony at the United Nations. Arias meanwhile refused to open a letter that he received from Sponeck's group, returning it back to sender. The response of Western media outlets like the Guardian to the stonewalling of these veteran diplomats and senior OPCW officials has simply been to ignore it. In whitewashing the OPCW cover-up, the preponderance of state sources parroted by The Guardian reveals the ultimate irony in its allegations. While claiming to identify a fictional network of Russia-backed disinformation actors about Syria, The Guardian's Townsend is himself spreading the disinformation of a NATO-funded network that defames voices who expose the dirty war on Syria. In fact, one of Townsend's central allegations goes well beyond his state-funded sources. Although Townsend's article is premised on identifying a "network of conspiracy theorists," Townsend's sole source the ISD/Syria Campaign report never alleges that such a "network" exists. Nowhere in the report does the word "network" even appear. Thus, Townsend has not only parroted state-funded sources, but concocted an additional allegation in the service of their narrative. This is not just an ordinary fabrication: in creating the fantasy of a "coordinated", "Russia-backed", "network of conspiracy theorists," Townsend also reveals himself to be the very thing that he accuses his targets of being: a conspiracy theorist. And given that Townsend not only parrots his state-backed sources but works for an outlet funded by some of the same sponsors, it is fair to say that The Guardian and these state-funded think tanks are a part of the same network. Consequently, reading the article's headline -- "Network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified"as a description of The Guardian and the NATO-funded sources that it relied on, the claim is no longer inaccurate. Stable Chinese economy maintained key driver for global recovery: Cambodian official 09:12, August 02, 2022 By Wang Yuan ( People's Daily "China has contributed around 30 percent to the global growth annually over the past years. As the world economy was impacted by COVID-19 in the past two years, the Chinese economy maintained a key driver for global recovery," said a Cambodian official in a recent interview with People's Daily. Thong Mengdavid, official with the Commission for External Relations of the Central Committee of Cambodian People's Party and Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (Photo courtesy of the interviewee) Thong Mengdavid with the Commission for External Relations of the Central Committee of Cambodian People's Party, said China's achievements fully demonstrate the advantages of the socialism with Chinese characteristics and reflect the country's increasingly important international status and role. Having a strong interest in China, Mengdavid, who also serves as an official with the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, came to study at China's Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2018. "My experience in China enables me to carry out comparative studies from both Cambodian and Chinese perspectives, so that I can better understand China and its role in the world," Mengdavid told People's Daily. According to him, in his one-and-a-half-year stay in China, he mainly studied China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its effect on Cambodia's economic development. "China is our most reliable development partner," Mengdavid said, adding that practical cooperation under the BRI framework has achieved tangible and fruitful results since the initiative was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BRI has become the world's broadest-based and largest platform for international cooperation, assisting the development of countries along its route and regional economy, Mengdavid noted. A report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said ASEAN would need infrastructure investment of $60 billion to 146 billion per annum to realize the goals in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. The BRI, sharing similar goals with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, will create huge opportunities for enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN. Mengdavid said the BRI has improved the quality of cooperation between the two sides on connectivity, capacity building, knowledge sharing and human resource development, and effectively promoted the economic and social development of regional countries. The world is currently going through profound changes unseen in a century. Mengdavid commended China's commitment to safeguarding world peace and promoting win-win results. "China upholds true multilateralism, advocates building a community with a shared future for mankind, and guides countries to leave aside differences in political systems, history, cultures and development stages, so as to jointly pursue peace, development and shared benefits. It is striving to make global development sustainable and resilient," Mengdavid remarked, saying it manifests China's sense of responsibility as major country. Containers are loaded onto an international rail-sea freight train and a China-Europe freight train (Hai'an-ASEAN) at a railway logistics base in Hai'an, east China's Jiangsu province, June 22, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Xu Cong Jun) Citing China's success in realizing the first centenary goal, which is to build itself into a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the Cambodian official said Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era provides answers to the questions of the times and is key to China's success. According to the World Bank's international poverty line, China has lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty over the past four decades, which accounted for more than 75 percent of global poverty reduction in the same period. China has set an example for other developing countries in eliminating absolute poverty, Mengdavid said. He said China is making great strides toward the harmonious human-nature coexistence under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and is striving to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. He called China's top global ranking in the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic and nuclear power plants under construction another great success of the CPC and the Chinese people. Mengdavid said Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and relevant activities in February this year, which mirrored the profound traditional friendship, as well as the increasingly deepening political mutual trust between Cambodia and China. In 2018, Xi and Sihamoni exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi said the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides has been constantly enriched, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples and contributing to the peaceful development of the region and the world at large. Mengdavid believes Cambodia and China will further carry forward their traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and constantly bring their relations onto new stages. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the U.S. addiction to sanctions and using them as leverage against others is a characteristic of the U.S. hegemonic system. Nasser Kanaani, the ministry's spokesman, made the remarks on Tuesday in reaction to new U.S. sanctions imposed on Monday against Iran's trade of oil and petrochemical products, according to the ministry's website. A change of administration does not change the U.S. addiction to sanctions, Kanaani said, adding that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been continuing and even expanding the "maximum pressure" policy pursued by former President Donald Trump. "They do not give up these useless and destructive measures even at a time when efforts are underway to resume the talks over a return to the Iranian nuclear deal," he noted. Iran, he said, will react decisively, strongly and immediately to the White House's sanctions while implementing all the required measures to neutralize their adverse impacts on Iran's trade and economy. Kanaani said the U.S. imposition of new sanctions against Iran came at a time when its people have already sustained heavy casualties and economic losses in recent flash floods. The U.S. move clearly exposes the "hypocritical nature" of the U.S. and the insincere condolences offered by its special envoy for Iran. Mosaic MSC- Thanks | Merge PR NASHVILLE, TENN. (August 02, 2022) Chart-topping Los Angeles-based group Mosaic MSC releases the multi-track EP, Thanks, featuring six versions of their hit song "This Is How I Thank The Lord." The new EP features five new alternate versions of the song including live, remix, and Spanish versions in addition to a track featuring Cody Carnes, Amanda Cook, and Joe L Barnes, which marks only the second time Mosaic MSC has partnered with a featured artist outside of the group for a commercial release. "This song became an anthem for us on our most recent album, and we are excited how these different versions come to life in a new way," shares Mariah McManus Goss of Mosaic MSC. "How can you possibly show gratitude to someone who loves you endlessly and forgives you effortlessly? There have never been and will never be enough words to properly thank Jesus for everything He is to us. 'This is How I Thank the Lord' is our honest and simple promise that our worship, our songs, and our lives will be our constant thank you." The original track was featured on the group's 2022 album This Is How I Thank The Lord, which has more than 10.5 million streams life to date. The lead single and title track exclusively debuted at AIR1 and has more than six million streams. The live video (below) was recorded at Mosaic, a church in Los Angeles, CA, and released earlier this summer following the group's album release."I love my friends Mosaic MSC, Amanda, and Joe L and I love this song," shares Cody Carnes. "It has been on my go-to worship playlist since it was released. In fact, I was listening to it a few times on a plane the morning I got a text asking if I would sing on this new version. I love how beautiful it turned out, and I am very honored to be part of it. "For the last decade, Mosaic MSC has weaved together people of all backgrounds in a musical tapestry that promotes creativity and individuality. Their message resonates with the masses, resulting in 268 million career streams in more than 65 countries and sold-out global tours with Travis Greene and Chris Tomlin. The group will join Amanda Cook this September on her "The State of the Union" tour - for tickets and dates, click here. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size August doldrums: too early for summer releases, too late for wintry pleasures. This time of year often sees distributors clearing out the cupboards, getting ready for the big releases of summer, but COVID-19 and new release platforms have scrambled the eggs. There are one or two big movies this month, such as Bullet Train - a Brad Pitt action-comedy - but much more that is quirky and oddball. David Cronenberg and Jordan Peele are both back in the ring, so anything can happen. Let the winds of August guide you. Or just read on. Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday. Bullet Train Brad Pitt and four other hired killers board the same train from Tokyo to Kyoto, gunning for the same briefcase. This promises silly fun, loads of action, cartoonish violence and some laughs. Brad wants to get out of the life; Sandra Bullock plays his handler. Its directed by David Leitch, who made Deadpool 2 and used to be Pitts stunt double. Opens August 4. Advertisement Juniper Juniper as in gin. The luminous and ever-surprising Charlotte Rampling plays a once-famous photographer, now a committed lush with a gammy leg. Her wayward nephew (George Ferrier) is sent to take care of her. Written and directed by Matthew Saville, this British film looks interesting. Rampling is never disappointing. Opens August 4. Nope Jordan Peeles new film has split American critics down the middle. Either its brilliant and original, or an incoherent mess. A brother and sister (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) take up their fathers ranch in the desert after his mysterious death. Pretty soon they are pointing cameras at the sky, trying to get proof of visitors from another world. These aliens dont look friendly. Opens August 11. The Conference Advertisement It is hard to imagine how you could make a satisfying film about the Wannsee Conference, where key Nazis meet in a villa outside Berlin to plan the extermination of the Jews, but East German-born director Matti Geschonneck has given it a shot. This looks to be rigorous and unsentimental, a reckoning with the uncomfortable truth that it took a great deal of planning to kill so many people. Opens August 11. The Princess Some critics are already calling this the definitive documentary on Princess Diana. Ed Perkins uses the currently popular technique of pastiche, pasting it all together using only actuality, which has its strengths and weaknesses. Absolutely certain is that it will be compelling viewing. Media types may experience discomfort. Opens August 11. Bosch & Rockit Advertisement An Australian film, shot around Byron Bay, with Luke Hemsworth as a surfer on the run for dope dealing. Rasmus King plays Rockit, his son. The lovely Isabel Lucas is part of the attraction; she chooses interesting scripts. Director Tyler Atkins is on debut. Worth a look. Opens August 18. Crimes of the Future Lea Seydoux, Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in Crimes of the Future. Credit:Nikos Nikolopoulos/Neon After an eight year break, David Cronenberg returns with a sensational cast: Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. There will be blood and probably entrails, piercing, body parts, plus a wealth of ideas to keep us guessing. Cronenberg is often disgusting, but never boring. Bring a paper bag. Opens August 18. Good luck to you, Leo Grande This one stars Emma Thompson - what more do you need to know? Oh alright, she hires a beautiful sex worker (Daryl McCormack) to refloat her boat. Be warned: Thompson goes full frontal here, which she says was one of the hardest things she has ever done in her professional life. Should be funny. Opens August 18. Advertisement Enoch Powell once remarked: for a politician to complain about the press, is like a ships captain complaining about the sea. As these proceedings demonstrate, a politician litigating about the barbs of a political adversary might be considered a similarly futile exercise, Lee said in his opening remark to the court. Both the applicant, Mr Palmer, and the respondent, Mr McGowan, have chosen to be part of the hurly-burly of political life. Many members of the public will have instinctive views about them absent any personal interaction. He said Palmers commentary may have actually enhanced McGowans reputationreferring to friendly texts between the premier and The West Australian proprietor Kerry Stokes revealed during the trial that showed the media mogul backed the governments action on the stalled mining project legislation. It is more likely that Mr McGowans reputation was enhanced, as the coverage Mr McGowan celebrated with Mr Stokes revealed, and as his language in the cross-claim matters made plain, they provided a common foe against which Mr McGowan could unite Western Australians, he said. As Mr McGowan accepted, Mr Palmer was someone with whom Mr McGowan was happy to have a blue with. Lee described both Palmer and McGowan as political antagonists and rubbished claims by Palmer during the hearing that he was not a political figure at the time. No-one picking up a newspaper in Australia in 2020 could be in any doubt as to the political profile of Mr Palmer, Lee said. Although he was not running for office in 2020, he was the chairman of the United Australia Party, and was one of the most well-known figures operating in the sphere of Australian politics generally. Palmer, McGowan, Quigley evidence criticised Lee also took aim at Palmer, McGowan and WA Attorney-General John Quigleys testimony while in the witness stand. He said Palmer was often willing to fashion his evidence to suit what he perceived to would be best for his case. His confidence and self-assuredness was evident, indeed, he carried himself with the unmistakable aura of a man assured as to the correctness of his own opinions, Lee said. Lee was bewildered by evidence from Palmer that he thought the $30 billion damages legislation gave McGowan a licence to kill himself and his family because it provided some exemptions from criminal liability. To even his most rusted-on partisans, Mr McGowan would be unlikely to have been thought to resemble Ian Flemings fictional MI6 character, James Bond, Lee said. Lee said McGowan was generally an impressive witness but, when pressed on aspects of his evidence, exhibited the muscle memory of a politician in being non-responsive. But Lee was also not impressed with Quigley, who was re-examined during a trial after he conceded he had given misleading evidence during his first time in the box. Regrettably, his evidence was both confused and confusing, Lee said. I do not consider it is safe to place any reliance upon Mr Quigleys evidence. He started it: McGowan responds WA taxpayers are being charged for McGowans defence and counter-suit, of which the cost has so far remained private. McGowan would not reveal what the case would cost WA taxpayers but defended his strong public commentary against Palmer in 2020. Western Australia was dragged, and myself were dragged, into this court process. To be clear, Clive Palmer took action against the state of Western Australia. And then he sued me, he said. I didnt bring the action in the courts, just so you all understand, I didnt do it. I responded to it. Obviously, my preference would be the action had not been brought, my very strong preference, but I didnt bring it. I cant control what other people do. Loading Questioned about Lees criticisms of himself and Quigley, McGowan said he accepted the judgement of the court. McGowan also backed Quigley to remain in his cabinet. I actually think the attorney-general was fantastic, magnificent in coming up with ways of saving lives and saving the states finances and I think he should be congratulated for that, he said. WA Opposition Leader Mia Davies said the spat had cost taxpayers money and time the premier could have spent dealing with crises in health, housing, and cost of living. She also called for Quigley to leave McGowans cabinet. Clearly, it is time for Mr Quigley to go the premier needs to wake up and take responsibility for his embattled cabinet, Davies said. Shadow attorney-general Nick Goiran said it was a damning indictment for law and order in the state to have an attorney general taken apart in the witness box and have his evidence deemed unreliable. The premier now has two gigantic headaches to resolve: when to come clean on how much taxpayer money has been wasted in this pointless extravagance and who to appoint as replacement attorney-general, he said. A hearing to determine legal costs has been set down for August 11. RAMALLAH, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said Monday that Israel's decision to withhold 600 million shekels (176 million U.S. dollars) in tax revenues it has collected for the Palestinian Authority (PA) complicates the latter's financial crisis. "The unjust and illegal Israeli decision is a piracy and adds another dimension to our financial crises," Ishtaye said during the weekly meeting of the PA cabinet held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, adding that "it will not discourage the Palestinian leadership from its commitments to the families of the prisoners." Israel said Sunday that the deduction of Palestinian tax revenues was to offset the latter's compensation for "attackers" against Israelis. During the past few months, the PA had difficulty in paying salaries to 134,000 public servants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to Israeli deduction of tax revenues and lack of foreign aid. It has only paid 70 percent to 80 percent of the salaries due to its financial crisis. According to the 1993 Oslo peace agreements, Israel collects taxes and transfers them to the PA treasury. At a time where public resources devoted to courts are under strain, and judicial resources are stretched, one might think that only a significant interference or attack causing real reputational damage and significant hurt to feelings should be subject of an action for defamation by a political figure. The real stakes are for taxpayers remain: the as-yet undetailed and unawarded legal costs. McGowan refused to reveal the total spent on the lawyers picnic on Tuesday but promises he will detail it once the matter is finalised at a further hearing on August 11. A relevant consideration, Lee said, will be the glaring disproportion between the damages awarded and the extent of legal expense. The premier says he respects the court and its decision. While a man of law, Lee is also an astute political observer. Unusually, in this defamation case involving a public figure, whose approval was regularly the subject of assessment, there is some apparently cogent, objective material in evidence upon which one can base conclusions as to reputation, Lee said of the premier. Loading McGowan was Mr 89 per cent and then went on to win 53 of 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the 2021 state election, while increasing his majority in his own seat of Rockingham to 37.7 per cent, achieving a swing that made it the safest in the state. [T]he evidence establishes the inconsequential impact of the [Palmer] publications on Mr McGowans reputation, Lee said. Indeed it is more likely that Mr McGowans reputation was enhanced. As the coverage Mr McGowan celebrated with [Seven West chairman Kerry] Stokes revealed they provided a common foe against which Mr McGowan could unite West Australians. As Mr McGowan accepted, Mr Palmer was someone with whom Mr McGowan was happy to have a blue with. This was always the primary purpose of the premiers particular reaction to Palmers provocations. Asked yesterday why he didnt use parliamentary privilege to launch his attacks, the premier avoided the question. I didnt bring the action, I cant control what other people do, was his non-sequitur answer. Of McGowans attorney-general, John Quigley, who set himself on fire in the witness box then got himself a do-over, Lee said: Regrettably, his evidence was both confused and confusing During his cross examination, however, Mr Quigley gave contradictory evidence. With respect, Mr Quigleys second appearance in the witness box just added to the brume of his testimony. Even though his return was at his request, for the purpose of correcting mistakes, Mr Quigley misstated his previous evidence he said he wanted to change. My comment at the time was that I considered Mr Quigleys evidence was not dishonest, but was all over the shop. I adhere to this view. Lee rejected the submission of Palmers lawyers that Quigleys evidence should be thrown out for being deceitful and intentionally misleading. It is worth stressing that being a confused witness is quite a different thing from being a dishonest one it appears Mr Quigley had limited time to prepare himself for the giving of evidence. Whatever the combination of reasons for Mr Quigleys confounding testimony, I do not think any are malign. It suffices to note that Mr Quigley was not a reliable historian of events. How can the states chief law officer give evidence on a matter in which he was so intimately involved that is so unreliable that a Federal Court judge considers it unsafe to rely upon? Loading We are to believe that Quigley was both the mastermind of the ingenious poison pill strategy so much so that by his own SMS admission the newly single AG was up at 4am plotting it rather than making sweet love to stymie the fat man Palmer, yet also confused, confusing, contradictory and unreliable? He is the attorney-general, for goodness sake. His position is untenable. Not that he was the only unreliable witness in this case. Of Palmer, Justice Lee observed the indefatigable litigant carried himself with the unmistakeable aura of a man assured as to the correctness of his own opinions. Though he displayed obvious intelligence and was across the relevant detail, he was generally a combative and evasive witness who on more than one occasion was unwilling to make obvious concessions. Lee has a sense of humour (he would have to). Of Palmers claim he feared for his life after McGowan declared him an enemy of the state, his belief the Premier had granted himself a licence to kill, the judge said: to even his most rusted-on partisans, Mr McGowan would be unlikely to have been thought to resemble Ian Flemings fictional MI6 character James Bond. Overall, my impression was that Mr Palmer was often willing to fashion his evidence to suit what he perceived to be best for his case, Lee concluded. After reflecting upon his evidence generally, I reject the submission that Mr Palmer maintained his equanimity and made concessions where appropriate. I do not consider it safe to place any significant reliance upon Mr Palmers evidence. Loading McGowan did not bring this case, it is true, but the bottom line is this has been a monumental waste of everyones time and money. Imprudent commentary outside the absolute protection of parliamentary privilege inflamed the defamation risk as part of a political strategy that paid astonishing dividends in a time of general fear and loathing. Next week, we will discover the sum of the bill that is due. NSW minister calls for Stuart Ayres to resign over John Barilaro saga Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss After spending the weekend at the Garma Festival in the Northern Territory, where the prime minister discussed an Indigenous Voice to parliament, Jarin Baigent came home to learn that her own community had been silenced. From next Monday, the youth services, the sports groups and the fitness facilities at Redferns National Centre for Indigenous Excellence which were used by everyone from elders to babies will no longer operate, and there will be nowhere else for them to go. Jarin Baigent and daughter Marlia Spencer fear losing a vital Indigenous community hub in Redfern. Credit:Rhett Wyman With all of those big broad conversations about empowering and supporting the voices of Aboriginal people, how can we, in the middle of Sydney, in the heart of Redfern, the birthplace of all of those movements allow this to happen? she said. Its not right. Our kids deserve a safe space. This is a safe space for those kids. A safety concern during Brisbane Metro tunnelling works has prompted an emergency shutdown of a key CBD street, causing hour-long delays for commuters, forcing some people to get off buses and walk the rest of their way to work. Brisbane councillor Ryan Murphy, chair of the councils transport committee, released a statement before 10.30am on Wednesday, in which he was thankful no one was injured. Traffic was backed up on Ann Street on Wednesday morning. Credit:Cameron Atfield All lanes were blocked from all directions on Adelaide Street between George Street and North Quay, with the Queensland Traffic website urging people to seek an alternative route from about 8am. The cause of the emergency works was believed to be road subsidence, or deterioration. Murphy referred to the discovery of a void during tunnelling works. Direct services between the Gold Coast and Queenslands busiest international airport will end when Cross River Rail becomes operational in 2025, and the mayor of the tourist mecca is not happy about it. Express services to the Gold Coast have been a marketing staple for the privately owned Brisbane Airtrain since it started operations at the start of the century. The Brisbane Airtrain will no longer go straight to the Gold Coast once Cross River Rail is operational. But Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey announced the Cross River Rail network configuration on Tuesday, and in the process confirmed Brisbane Airport would no longer directly link to the Gold Coast, one of the states top tourism destinations. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, woke up to the news late on Tuesday (AEST). Ive been contemplating the pride flag lately because how can I not? It is ubiquitous: on playing fields, at the Commonwealth Games, at the bottom of corporate emails, illuminating the Shrine almost. The flag says a great deal about power. About who has it and who doesnt. The pride colours would have lit up the Shrine to promote a long-overdue exhibition honouring LGBTQ people who served in the armed forces had the plan not provoked an ugly, homophobic backlash. Some argue the abuse shows just how necessary the display was; to signify solidarity against hate. The backlash was rattling, especially given there was no equivalent furore when the Shrine was illuminated in sympathy with Japan after former prime minister Shinzo Abes assassination. Veterans and their allies were OK with honouring a former enemy turned ally. But having their sacred monument become a spectacle of allyship? That was apparently a bridge too far. Plans to illuminate Melbournes Shrine of Remembrance in rainbow colours were cancelled, officials citing abuse and threats directed at their staff. Credit:Getty Images I agree the planned display was inappropriate, though. By nature and design, the Shrine is unyielding, imposing and de-personalising. The architecture is the message: the soldier, whoever they were, sacrificed for the greater whole. It is precisely the Shrines erasure of particularity that invites a particular individual connection. With no ones sacrifice elevated above that of anyone else, the building is already a monument to inclusion. So it follows that broadcasting the sacrifices of one group and LGBTQ people are but one marginalised veteran group, even if their trauma was worse than most would undermine the Shrines meaning. Such a display would have the paradoxical effect of highlighting the pride lobbys exceptional power within contemporary institutions rather than the historical disempowerment of LGBTQ people in the military. A Crown Resorts executive responsible for a room catering to high-rollers has resigned after giving damaging evidence to last years royal commission about corporate governance at the Melbourne casino and its treatment of problem gamblers. Peter Lawrence, who has spent the past decade as general manager of VIP customer service in the Mahogany Room at Crown Melbourne, handed in his resignation on Monday. Crown Melbournes general manager of VIP customer service, Peter Lawrence, giving evidence to Victorias royal commission last year. Last year, Lawrence conceded to the royal commission that Crowns treatment of high-roller Ahmed Hasna in 2016 was irresponsible, probably predatory and motivated by profit. Hasna who claims to have gambled at the Southbank casino almost every second day between 1993 and 2019, sometimes for 26 hours straight has since filed a suit in the Federal Court alleging Crown knew, or should have known, he had a gambling addiction. Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker, landed in Taiwan late on Tuesday night, defying threats of retaliation from Beijing and criticism that her trip was reckless and provocative. Pelosi landed at 10.50pm local time after a seven-hour flight that took her US Air Force plane south of the Malaysian peninsula, around the South China Sea and east of the Philippines on a trip that was tracked live by more than 200,000 people online. The US government plane carrying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taiwan on August 2. Credit:Getty There were no public reports of mid-air incidents as her plane landed in Taipei after weeks of threats from Beijing that the United States was playing with fire by allowing Pelosi to travel to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims as its own. Chinese government-controlled media said Chinas air force jets had entered the Taiwan Strait moments before Pelosi touched down. The Chinese Armys Eastern Theatre Command said it would begin joint military drills on Tuesday including long-range firing and conventional missile firing on waters east of Taiwan. Jakarta has outlined major concerns in a working paper presented to this weeks United Nations nuclear non-proliferation review conference and revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Indonesias protests against Australias submarine aspirations, however, present a long-term challenge for the relationship that will not be easily overcome. Albanese committed to attending the G20 leaders summit in November which Indonesia is hosting in Bali this year even though Russias Vladimir Putin has also been invited. When Anthony Albanese and Joko Widodo r ode bamboo bikes together at the Indonesian presidential palace in June, it reflected a shoring up of ties between Australias new government and one of its most important neighbours. It is seeking to close a loophole in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, known as the NPT, that clears the way for the AUKUS submarines deal to take place, saying new regulations in the treaty are required. Indonesia is adamant that the transfer of highly enriched uranium for military purposes poses great risks and nuclear energy for submarines should be monitored tightly by the UN watchdog. The working paper does not specifically mention Australia or AUKUS, but there is no doubt about the intended target, according to Muhadi Sugiono, an academic who has advised Indonesias foreign ministry on its response to Australias submarine plans. Officials in Jakarta were deeply wounded by the AUKUS announcement last September and their last-minute notice of the deal. Widodo was unavailable to see then leader Scott Morrison when he planned to stop over on the way back from Washington DC having announced the deal. The Indonesia leader reportedly refused to receive him. Making such an important decision, which will undoubtedly affect Indonesia as well as the geopolitical landscape of the region, without consulting or informing its closest neighbours was seen as a betrayal of the serious efforts which have been made to improve bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia, Sugiono, who is based at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta wrote in a paper for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) published last month. Malaysia is backing Indonesias submission to the UN conference and Jakarta is also endeavouring to win the support of fellow states in the Non-Aligned Movement, a Cold War-era grouping of 120 mostly African, Asian and Latin American countries that has been a voice for developing nations. TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign minister said Tuesday that the country's move to inject gas into hundreds of new centrifuges was a response to U.S. fresh sanctions against Iran's oil trade. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in an address to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony, reported the official news agency IRNA. He warned the United States against the idea that it could extract concessions from Iran in the negotiations. On Monday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the firms that Washington claimed have helped Iran sell oil and petrochemical products. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the organization has been ordered to launch and inject gas into hundreds of new centrifuges, including the IR-1 machines and advanced IR-6 ones. Amir-Abdollahian noted that the new sanctions came at a time when relative parties are discussing the timing of holding a new round of negotiations to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. The Iranian top diplomat described such actions by Washington as "illogical" and an indication of a mania for imposing "ineffective" sanctions. Iran is serious about reaching a robust agreement, but if Washington seeks to continue the same path, the Islamic republic's hands will in no way be tied, he added. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. The talks on reviving the JCPOA began in April 2021 in the Austrian capital of Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. After a three-month pause, the talks resumed indirectly between Iran and the U.S. in late June in Qatar's capital of Doha, but again failed to settle the differences. US officials had also sought to reassure China which views Taiwan as its territory and had demanded Pelosi stay away that such a visit was not the first of its kind, nor would it represent any change in US policy. The Taipei 101 skyscraper displays a welcome message ahead of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Credit:Getty Not surprisingly, Beijing was not convinced, which is partly a mess of President Joe Bidens own making. After all, the White House has been sending conflicting signals on Taiwan for some time. Biden, for example, has repeatedly said that America has a commitment to defend Taiwan, sometimes referencing the Taiwan Relations Act, which sets the framework for the economic and diplomatic relationship between the US and the island nation. No explicit commitment exists. In November, after a virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden also remarked that Taiwan was independent. This was yet another presidential gaffe. A billboard welcoming US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan. Credit:AP And as recently as May, during a visit to Japan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden declared that the US would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan, only to have the White House once again walk back his remarks. China-relations expert Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund, a Washington-based think tank, says Americas long-standing tactic of strategic ambiguity has given way to strategic confusion, which is partly the reason why China is now testing the US. But she adds that while the messaging needs to be clearer, the relationship between the two countries had reached such an unprecedented level of acrimony that even greater consistency might not have been enough to convince China that Pelosis visit wasnt a big deal. Loading From my perspective, the reason this is so sensitive to China is the run-up to the 20th National Party Congress, where Xi Jinping is supposed to get his third five-year term in power, Glaser says. He cannot be seen as soft on the United States. He has to demonstrate his determination to defend Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity. To that end, the next 24 hours will be critical. With Pelosi preparing to meet Taiwans first female president Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday morning, the stand-off over her visit has exacerbated tensions on both sides of the Pacific at a time when the US is already consumed with two other anti-American aggressors: Russia, which continues to wage war against Ukraine, and Iran, which has so far refused to re-enter the nuclear pact that Donald Trump cancelled and could soon take steps to build a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, China, in response to Pelosis trip, has now announced six exclusion zones encircling Taiwan to facilitate live-fire military drills from Thursday to Sunday, with some of the areas crossing into the islands territorial waters. Taiwans president Tsai Ing-wen Credit:Bloomberg Separately, the Peoples Liberation Army said exercises could begin as soon as Tuesday, leaving open the possibility of military activities around Taiwan while Pelosi was visiting. And Beijing has also accused the US of violating the One China policy, in which the United States recognises the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal government of China but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China. Just dont expect the US House Speaker to waver. Latest News Asset finance applications tumble But business loan demand up, says credit bureau Reserve Bank announces two key appointments One becomes head of international department, the other of the financial stability department Has your brokerage enjoyed a year of increased revenue, headcount growth, acquisitions of other brokerages or successfully refocused its offerings? If so, you may be just what were looking for. Australian Broker invites mortgage brokerages across the country to submit an entry for the 2022 Fast Brokerages report, proudly sponsored by Liberty. The report will showcase the most successful brokerages based on growth figures over the past financial year. Nominations can be submitted by providing information on the brokerages headcount and revenue figures from the 2021/22 financial year. All figures provided must relate to a brokerages Australian operations only. Complete the entry form here. As strong advocates of the broker channel for 25 years, were honoured to sponsor the Fast Brokerages 2022 Special Report. Brokerages are the lifeblood of the Australian mortgage industry and play a pivotal role in helping more Australians get and stay financially secure in all market climates. Were proud to play our part in acknowledging and recognising those who are holding the hands of prospective homeowners when they need it most, said John Mohnacheff, group sales manager at Liberty. The Fast Brokerages 2022 report will be published online in November. Latest News Asset finance applications tumble But business loan demand up, says credit bureau Reserve Bank announces two key appointments One becomes head of international department, the other of the financial stability department Boutique aggregator National Lending Group has launched its strategic alliance program between brokers and accountants, following an 18-month proof of concept pilot campaign. The Accountant-Broker Collaboration Program was designed specifically for brokers and has been developed to meet the increasing requirement of accountants clients seeking funding for personal and/or business purposes. NLGs vision is to be recognised as the leading provider of finance and broking services to accountants and the preferred boutique aggregator to brokers in Australia, said NLG partnerships director Steve Lake (pictured above). The official launch of the program is a significant milestone towards achieving this goal. Lake said this opportunity allowed brokers and accountants to maximise the program for both entities. It does not limit the number of relationships brokers have and they can become part of an accounting firm either as an employee or contractor, he said. We take brokers through the journey so they have the tools to be able to cater for accountants and clients such as improving processes, understanding financials and companies structures through to becoming finance experts. Read more: National Lending Group partners with broker mentor Lake said the program had partnership options that provided brokers and accountants with various degrees of risk versus reward. The first option is to partner with an accountant via a reciprocal relationship model to facilitate client funding requirements, he said. Alternatively, accountants may elect to appoint an in-house, commission-only broker as a contractor. To date, this has been the preferred model because its an extremely cost-effective and flexible strategy that extends the firms service proposition and diversifies revenue without resource or accreditation constraints which includes the time, stress or expense of hiring a loan writer directly. Lake said the program would benefit brokers as it was about attracting more business into their brokerages. We find through this platform it will allow brokers to build a tribe of followers that like working with them and can become more efficient and better than ever, he said. It also provides the opportunity for brokers to build relationships between them and an accountant. This is a great way to build a connection with an accountant through increasing revenue and facilitate business growth by diversifying distribution and revenue streams. Read more: MFAA announces National Excellence Awards 2022 winners Lake said the program was a bespoke initiative that benefits all stakeholders. It materially extends brokers and accountants service proposition, supercharges referrals and boosts lead generation. It also enables both professions to provide a more holistic offering and deliver exceptional client outcomes, he said. Having the ability to formally collaborate with accountants to facilitate residential or commercial finance represents a tremendous opportunity to better service clients. NLG will consider accounting firms of all areas of expertise and locations nationwide for the program and all NLG brokers can join the program at no additional charge. Latest News Asset finance applications tumble But business loan demand up, says credit bureau Reserve Bank announces two key appointments One becomes head of international department, the other of the financial stability department Finding a good builder to construct your new home can be a massive task. But one company is connecting builders with people wanting to build a home or renovate in the Sydney metropolitan area. Builder Finders can be compared to a mortgage brokerage. It sources reliable, trustworthy builders and places them on a panel, similar to a mortgage brokers lending panel. Builder Finders then matches the right builder to the right client for their project. The company heavily researches any potential builder matches, completes reference checks on sub-contractors and past clients of their experiences with the builder. It also refers clients on to mortgage brokers to help arrange finance. We need to ensure availability for all parties and meeting the needs of the client is the end goal, so having access to a wide range of builders and finding the right fit is key, said director and co-founder Lynette Manciameli (pictured). We work with small to medium-sized companies and some sole traders. We do not work with any large project builders as we try to offer a personalised experiences for our clients. Read more: Building cost blow-outs how brokers can help Manciameli said Builder Brokers follows a similarly aligned business model to a mortgage brokerage. Similar to a panel of lenders, we know each of our builders and their offerings, she said. If a client had a heritage-listed property, we would match them with a builder with experience working with heritage properties, just like a mortgage broker finds the right lender to match their clients needs. Manciameli said she was actively working with her builder clients as the cost of materials was increasing and becoming harder to source. The builders source the materials, not us, however I do have my finger on the pulse with how they are navigating this issue, she said. To avoid price increases to clients contracts, it has changed the industry and negatively impacted builders and their cashflow. Read more: Rising building material costs affects brokers Manciameli said as construction costs have increased so much in the past 18 months, the Master Builders Association had indicated builders should be having direct conversations with clients to re-negotiate fixed price contracts with clients throughout the construction phase. Both parties need to realise fixed-price contracts need amendments at times, so creating awareness with the client that issues can arise and having those discussions early to avoid the client going back and refinancing again is important, she said. In the current environment, all parties need to think about things differently to continue the build moving forward. Manciameli said her advice to people looking to build or renovate a home in the near future was to be prepared and arrange finance pre-approval first. I highlight to my clients that this is going to be a large process and keep it mind that a lot of money will be spent, so I try and eliminate as much stress from the process as I can, she said. I make sure I spend the time getting to know my clients and it is critical to partner them with the right builder and keep all lines of communication open throughout the construction. August 2022 would be the most exciting month for motorcycle enthusiasts as one can buy retro-modern, classical, and different for the best riding experience. The prices of most high-performance motorcycles or are close to Rs 1 lakh or more. Luxury like Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield Hunter 350 will probably be launched in the first and second week of August 2022. Harley Davidson Nightster would be the most expensive motorcycle on this list with an expected price of Rs 14 lakh, while Royal Enfield Hunter 350 and Bajaj Pulsar N150 would be comparatively cheaper at Rs 1.1 lakh. Other brands such as Honda and Benelli will be coming up with premium-looking expensive . Benelli is comparatively new to the Indian market yet it has the potential to challenge leaders like Bajaj, Royal Enfield, and Honda. Although motorcycles are comparatively affordable and can be economical for young people, it is advisable to keep a check on mileage, design, weight, and price before buying a motorcycle or bike. Buying a motorcycle can be a great choice. Unlike four-wheelers, one doesnt have to be stuck in congested places for a long time. The only drawback is that the weather can ruin your experience. Here, we have listed the top 5 bike launches in August 2022 to watch out for. Royal Enfield Hunter 350 - 7th Aug 2022 - Rs 1.1 lakh Royal Enfield Hunter 350 gets the next-generation 349cc single-cylinder engine, 20.4 PS, and 27 Nm torque for the best bike-riding experience. It comes with double disc brakes with tubeless tires to help you drive to your favorite places smoothly. Furthermore, it has a five-speed transmission and ABS dual channel for better safety and performance. The design of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is user-friendly as it has a telescopic front fork and rear dual shock absorbers. The easily reachable handlebars and slightly-rear footpeg position make it comfortable for highways and urban roads. Though it is slightly different from the Classic, it is a more city-friendly motorcycle. Bajaj Pulsar 150 - August (Expected)- 1.1 lakh Bajaj is among the leading motorcycle brands that are constantly striving to produce better vehicles. In June 2022, they launched the Pulsar N160, and after two months they will be introducing the new Bajaj Pulsar 150 to be launched in August. The new Bajaj Pulsar 150 will resemble Bajaj Pulsar F250. It will be powered by a new 150cc air-cooled engine, 14 PS power, and motor with 13.25 Nm torque. It will have a rear mono-shock, telescopic front fork, disc brake up front, and a rear disc/drum setup. Moreover, it has a projector LED headlight, and alloy wheel design, which looks slightly different than current models. Benelli Leoncino 250 - 19th August 2022 - Rs 2.5 lakh Benelli is among the best brands in stylish motorcycles. The bike comes powered by a 249 cc BS6 engine with a maximum power of 25.8bhp and a dual channel ABS. The kerb weight of the vehicle is 162 kg, making it a safer yet heavier driving companion. Priced at Rs 2.5 lakh, it is smaller than Leoncino 500. The bike has a 6-speed gearbox, and the braking is taken care of by a 280mm front single petal disc and a 240mm rear petal disc, with dual channel ABS. Leoncinos biggest rival is KTM 250 Duke as it has slightly higher output and better performance. However, Leoncino is a much heavier vehicle. Honda CB350 Brigade - 15th August Expected - Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.1 lakh Honda is ready to add a new motorcycle to its collection. Honda CB350 Brigade will launch in mid-August and the exact name of the vehicle can be different. Apart from its price and launch date, there are lots of speculations about its engine, design, performance, and everything. As of now, it is assumed that it will have a 350 to 500 cc engine and would be the arch-rival of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. The trademark under its name has been registered, and it is expected to launch on Indian Independence day. Harley Davidson Nightster - Mid-August 2022 - Rs 14 lakh Harley Davidson does not need any introduction. With a powerful 975cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine, it has 90 ps power and 95 Nm torque with 6-speed transmission. Harley has modernised its performance by improving variable valve timing, hydraulic valve lash adjustment, and counterbalancers. Apart from good looks, this Harley vehicle will have a seat height accessible for most riders of different sizes. Its body uses the engine as a stressed member coupled to an aluminum subframe. With an elegant looking sturdy body, Harley Davidson is among the favorites. Richest Indian Gautam Adani's group on Tuesday said the Rs 212 crore worth of spectrum it has bought in a millimetre wave band will be used to create a private network to support its businesses and data centres. Adani Data Networks Ltd (ADNL), a unit of Adani Enterprises Ltd, acquired the right to use 400MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz millimetre wave band for 20 years in the auction that concluded on Monday. plans to use the airwaves for its data centres as well as the super app it is building to support businesses from electricity distribution to airports, and gas retailing to ports. "The newly acquired is expected to help create a unified digital platform that will accelerate the pace and scale of the Adani group's digitisation of its core infrastructure, primary industry and B2C business portfolio," the group said in a statement. bought less than one per cent of all spectrum sold in the auction and its purchase price was a fraction of Rs 1.5 lakh crore bids that the government received. The group's broader strategy to digitally integrate its current and future businesses include linking its data centres through a network of submarine and terrestrial cables, building the largest industrial operations cloud in the world, developing the super app to offer a suite of services across its consumer base of 400 million, and establishing a world-class AI centre of excellence. "Acquiring 400MHz of spectrum is the group's first step in integrating its digital infrastructure portfolio, which includes data centres, terrestrial fibre and submarine cables, industrial cloud, AI innovation labs, cybersecurity and SuperApps," it said. Rival billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio was the top bidder at the spectrum auction, walking away with almost half of the airwaves sold. Telecom tycoon Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd were other major bidders. Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, said his ports-to-energy conglomerate's foray into the industrial 5G space will allow portfolio to offer a set of new add-on services that capitalize on all the other digital segments that are being built. "Given that our portfolio is a highly distributed asset intensive investment that are all being revolutionized by sensorisation and fast becoming IoT enabled, we believe the next data surge will be created more by machines than by people as all devices get interconnected. This data will need to be streamed, stored, processed, and analysed by other machines in real-time and this capability will change every single industry," he said. This volume will be exponentially higher and generated at the edges, especially in a country like India, where the Tier 2 and 3 cities are witnessing the fastest all-round growth, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At his power loom unit in Pipodara on the outskirts of Surat, Kamlesh Kotadiya of Renny Fashion is churning out designer clothes, sarees, and dress material at almost 90 per cent capacity utilisation. Over the past few months, Kotadiya has upgraded his unit by shifting from conventional power looms weaving grey cloth that require several value addition to advanced electronic jacquard machines that can churn designer clothes in large quantities. It was a dismal start to the year in terms of sales and orders. Every year the industry hopes to compensate for the previous or forthcoming months losses through bumper sales during the festive season. It is with this hope that the capacity has been ramped up, says Kotadiya. Short window Unlike other industry clusters, Surats synthetic or man-made fibre (MMF) textiles the largest such cluster in the country has a shorter order-to-product cycle of 45-60 days, especially for the festive season, which will begin from August this year and run till Diwali in October. In a normal year, the festive season forms almost 60-70 per cent of annual sales. However, this year, more than covering losses, it has become a matter of survival for the industry, says Jitubhai Vakharia, president of South Textile Processors Association (SGTPA). This is because Surats end users largely tend to be middle and lower-income households, especially from non-metro and rural areas. Not promising According to industry representatives, the trend in orders so far has not been very promising. Festive orders start coming in from July 15 and pick up pace by August. But this year, orders till the beginning of August were down 20-30 per cent. The textile value chain, including yarn makers, weavers, processors, and textile traders have enhanced their capacity utilisation in the hope of festive demand uptick by later this month. But only time will tell whether the gamble will pay off or not, adds Vakharia. According to Narain Aggarwal, former chairman of The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council, the industry was suffering from a slump because of multiple factors that had led to tightness in liquidity and almost 40 per cent underutilisation of capacity. Everyone is hoping for good business now, since the last three-four months have been dismal, leading to liquidity tightness. Demand has been slack in the past few months. But textile suppliers in are trying to be ready with their products with the expectation of at least a normal festive season, said Aggarwal. Echoing these views, Manoj Agarwal, president of Federation of Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), says: There is a hope that even middle and lower-income households might improve their spending during the festive season. Hence, manufacturers across the textile value chain are improving their capacity utilisation. However, orders by wholesale traders from other states have not been anywhere near normal. In addition, with imported coal prices almost doubling, input costs have spiked anywhere between 25 per cent and 40 per cent, says Vakharia. In addition, other input costs such as dyes and chemicals, especially sodium hydrogen sulphate and other discharging agents, have seen a price hike of 30-150 per cent, resulting in almost a doubling of input costs. At the same time, in order to make the most of festive demand, the industry has not been able to increase prices, adds Vakharia. European plane manufacturer has signed a contract with the to provide aircraft maintenance training to young engineers, a statement said on Tuesday. The will provide the fully integrated aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) licensing programme at the GMR School of Aviation in Hyderabad, said the joint statement. "The four-year course will include two years of classroom training and a two-year training in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) at GMR Aero Technic in Hyderabad followed by aircraft type training," it said. According to the contract, will provide the necessary software and courseware in the form of trainee handbooks, examination database, online access of " customised basic training modules and Airbus Competence Training (ACT) for Academy media package", which is the technical training material required for the courses, it noted. In addition, Airbus will also provide training to the instructors of the along with assessment of the training centre, it added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Tuesday said it would fly daily direct on the Chennai-Mumbai route from next month onwards as its gears to launch its commercial operation in the country later this week. The between Chennai and Mumbai sector would commence from September 15, a company statement said. The airliner as part of pan-India network connectivity, would also add new routes between Ahmedabad and Bengaluru routes from August 23. "With the first flight scheduled to take off on August 7, we have seen tremendous response for booking from travellers and our first flight got sold out within a day of going live," co-founder and chief commercial officer, Praveen Iyer said. "With an aircraft arriving every fortnight, we are delighted to augment our network to meet our commitment of progressively adding more cities along new sectors to establish a pan-India presence," he said. would fly between Mumbai-Ahmedabad on August 7 the inaugural day and would later expand the routes to Bengaluru-Kochi (August 12 onwards), Bengaluru-Mumbai (August 19 onwards), Bengaluru-Ahmedabad (August 23 onwards). (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.) JERUSALEM, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces were on high alert near the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for fear of escalation following the killing of a Palestinian man and the arrest of an Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank overnight. Roads near the Palestinian enclave were blocked and the train service in the southern city of Ashkelon were suspended following fear of possible anti-tank, rocket or sniper fires from Gaza. Activities in local Israeli schools and colleges were canceled. The Erez Crossing, the only pedestrian passage between Gaza and Israel, was also temporarily shut down. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office announced in a statement that Lapid called a special security assessment meeting with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and other senior military and security officials. At least one Palestinian was killed and another was injured during a raid by Israeli forces in northern West Bank city of Jenin overnight, Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed. Meanwhile, Israel's border police announced in a statement the arrest of two Palestinian suspects in Jenin and confiscation of a handgun, magazines, bullets and cash. Israel's state-owned Kan TV news identified one of the two Palestinians arrested as Bassam al-Saadi, a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. of India's net profit declined 22.08 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 561 crore in the first quarter of 2022-23 (Q1FY23) on fall in non- income and rise in provisions for bad loans. The Mumbai-based public sector lender had posted a net profit of Rs 720 crore during the year-ago period (Q1FY22). The banks stock closed 2.65 per cent higher at Rs 50.4 per share on BSE on Tuesday. While the banks net income (NII) was up 29.4 per cent at Rs 4,072 YoY, net margin (NIM) improved to 2.55 per cent from 2.16 per cent a year ago, it said in a statement. Its non-interest income declined sharply to Rs 1,152 crore in Q1FY23 from Rs 2,320 crore in the year-ago period. Its treasury revenues, which have a significant share in non-interest income, were hit due to hardening of bond yields. The banks asset quality profile improved with gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) at 9.3 per cent till June 2022 from 13.5 per cent in the year-ago quarter. Net NPAs dipped to 2.21 per cent in June 2022 from 3.35 per cent a year ago. provisions rose to Rs 1,304 crore in the first quarter of FY23 from Rs 873 crore in the same quarter a year ago. The provision coverage ratio improved to 87.96 per cent for the quarter under review from 86.17per cent a year ago. While the banks loan portfolio grew 15.2 per cent YoY to Rs 4.77 trillion as of June 2022, the deposits increased 2.78 per cent YoY to Rs 6.4 trillion in June 2022. The total capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 15.61 per cent in June 2022, up from 15.07 per cent in the same month a year ago. BP's second quarter profit soared to $8.45 billion, its highest in 14 years, as strong refining margins and trading prompted it to boost its dividend and spending on new oil and gas production. The strong performance caps a blowout quarter for the top Western oil and gas on the back of soaring prices that have increased pressure on governments to impose new taxes on the sector to help consumers. "The company is running well and it continues to strengthen. We have real strategic momentum," Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney told Reuters. BP shares were up 3.5% by 0925 GMT, their highest since June, strongly outperforming the broader European index which was up 0.5%. Looney, who took office in 2020 with a vow to rapidly shift BP away from fossil fuels to renewables, said that the company will increase its spending on new oil and gas by $500 million in response to the global supply crunch. "We will direct more investment towards hydrocarbons to help with security in the near term," Looney said. "We'll probably direct about a half a billion dollars for hydrocarbons." BP plans to maintain its overall capital expenditure this year in a range of $14 billion to $15 billion. BP increased its dividend by 10% to 6.006 cents per share, more than its previous guidance of a 4% annual increase. It halved its dividend to 5.25 cents in July 2020 for the first time in a decade in the wake of the pandemic. The company also increased its share repurchases plan for the current quarter to $3.5 billion after it bought $4.1 billion in the first half of the year. "The fact it produced its highest quarterly profit in 14 years, even though oil prices were higher during that period than they are now, suggests BP is a more efficient machine than it was previously," AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said. The company said it expected and gas prices as well as refining margins to remain "elevated" in the third quarter and said it would stick to its target of using 60% of its surplus cash on share buybacks. The surge in revenue also allowed BP to sharply reduce its debt to $22.8 billion from $27.5 billion at the end of March. BIG OIL BONANZA BP brings the second quarter profit tally for the top Western oil and gas to $59 billion after rivals including Exxon Mobil and Shell reported record earnings last week. Its underlying replacement cost profit, its definition of net earnings, reached $8.45 billion in the second quarter, the highest since 2008 and far exceeding analysts' expectations of $6.8 billion. That was up from $6.25 billion in the first quarter and $2.8 billion a year earlier. The strong performance was driven by strong refining margins, "exceptional" oil trading performance as well as higher fuel prices, although gas trading was weaker, BP said. An outage at a major U.S. Gulf Coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, also weighed on profits. The Freeport plant supplies BP with 4 million tonnes per year of LNG, out of a total portfolio of 18 million tonnes. The company has been able to redirect cargoes to customers to cover for the lost supply but at an elevated cost that weighed on profits, Chief Financial Officer Murray Auchincloss told Reuters. The company has allocated money to cover for the extra costs of supply as a result of the Freeport outage, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The has rejected a proposal by the employees' union of (RINL) for merging the company with state-owned Ltd (SAIL), Parliament was told on Tuesday. The New Public Sector Enterprise (PSEs) policy for Atmanirbhar Bharat classifies strategic and non-strategic sectors. Public sector undertakings (PSUs) in non-strategic sectors shall be considered for privatisation, or they shall be closed, said Minister of State Finance Bhagwat Karat in . As the policy puts steel manufacturing in the non-strategic sector, there is no scope to consider the of with other Central PSEs, Karad told lawmakers in response to a question. Karad also cited a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for rejecting the . The recently changed the privatisation policy and barred PSUs from bidding for other Central PSEs on the block for privatisation. It has said that transfer of management control from the government to any other government organisation or state government may continue the "inherent inefficiencies" of state-run firms, citing such a transaction would defeat the purpose of the new PSE policy. As per the changes made to the policy, (Central/State/Joint)/State Governments/Cooperative Societies controlled by the governments are not permitted to participate in the strategic disinvestment/privatisation of other PSUs as bidders unless otherwise specifically approved by the central government in public interest. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has appointed transaction adviser, legal adviser and asset valuer through a competitive bidding process, Karad said. The plans to sell its 100 per cent shareholding in RINL, also called Vizag Steel, along with RINLs stake in its subsidiaries/joint ventures through the strategic disinvestment process. India's largest gas distributor (India) Ltd has started gas rationing, cutting supplies to fertiliser and industrial clients after imports were hit under its deal with a former unit of Russian energy giant Gazprom, two sources familiar with the matter said. Lower gas supplies will affect impact India's urea production, and a sustained cut would lift imports of the soil nutrient, a fertiliser industry source aware of the cuts said. Neither nor India's fertiliser ministry responded to Reuters' requests for comments. Marketing and Trading Singapore (GMTS), now a subsidiary of Germania, has failed to deliver some liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes to and has said it may not be able to meet supplies under their long-term deal. GAIL, which imports and distributes gas and also operates India's largest gas pipeline network, has cut supplies to some fertiliser plants by 10% and restricted gas sales to industrial clients to the lower tolerance limit of 10%-20%, the sources said. The state-run company is operating its petrochemical complex at Pata in northern India at about 60% capacity to save gas for other clients, they said. GAIL has advanced maintenance shutdown of some units at the 810,000 tonne-a-year plant, one of the sources added. An industrial consumer said GAIL has restricted its gas quantities to a 'take or pay level', the lowest level at which it will not attract a penalty from the customer. GAIL's measures will cut gas supplies to clients by about 6.5 million cubic meters a day, while imports under the deal were averaging about 8.5 mcmd, a separate source said. "We don't know where else we can cut supplies... Indian customers cannot afford costly spot gas," the second source said. This source said that GAIL has written repeatedly to Gazprom Germania about supplies under the deal. Last month, GAIL bought a spot LNG cargo at $38 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for August loading, well above the level at which it was getting gas under its deal with Gazprom, at about $12-$14 per mmBtu. GAIL agreed a 20-year deal with Russia's Gazprom in 2012 for annual purchases of an average 2.5 million tonnes of LNG. Supplies under the contract began in 2018. GMTS had signed the deal on behalf of Gazprom. At the time, Gazprom Germania was a unit of the Russian state firm. However, following Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Gazprom gave up ownership of Gazprom Germania in early April without explanation and placed parts of it under Russian sanctions. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Jan Harvey) (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.) Parivartan on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Science, pledging Rs 107.76 crore for construction of Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital at . The three wings of the hospital to be supported by the bank are cardiology, radiology and emergency medicine, it said in a statement. is setting up a multi-speciality, not-for-profit, 832-bed hospital, called the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital along with a Postgraduate Medical School within its campus. The hospital is expected to be fully functional by the end of 2024 while the first batch of MD/PhD students will be admitted in 2025. Group Head, ESG & CSR, Business Finance & Strategy, Administration and Infrastructure, HDFC Bank, Ashima Bhat, said: The new hospital and the medical school will not only bolster the healthcare needs of the entire region but will also provide a new generation of physician-scientists". (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.) reported the most data breaches between June 2018 and March 2022 in attacks that stole business and personal information, said a minister on Tuesday. All banks reported 248 data breaches in the four-year period, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad told Rajya Sabha. Of those attacks, 205 were in and 41 in state-owned. The remaining two were at foreign banks. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has a Cyber Security Framework for Scheduled Commercial Banks, which requires banks to implement cyber/IT (Information technology) controls to prevent data leakage. Banks have been directed to strengthen their information technology (IT) risk governance framework that mandates an active role by their chief information security officers. The board and IT committee of banks must also be actively involved to ensure compliance with the required standards, the upper house of the was informed. Non-compliance by banks is assessed by the RBI during its IT examination, and action is taken based on the degree of severity and frequency of non-adherence. Supervisory actions taken by the central bank include directing banks to initiate corrective measures within a definitive timeline; advising board to examine and initiate actions against erring staff; and enforcement action in the form of imposition of the monetary penalty and/or restriction on business activities. The government separately told that 0.93 million incidents of compromise of customer accounts due to phishing, credential /one time password (OTP) compromise. The incidents and amount of loss incurred by customers were reported between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022, involving an amount of Rs 1,435 crore. According to government data, fraud amounting to Rs 6,861 crore was reported by private and public sector banks in the first quarter of the current financial year. The drive through the sprawling 100-acre campus of (SII) at Manjari on the outskirts of Pune is striking as you see pride in the eyes of people whove contributed to the making of Covid vaccine some way or the other. The worlds largest vaccine maker, which supplied about 80 per cent of the doses used in Indias Covid programme, is now working on the next plan. Serum Institute is building a plug-and-play vaccine making facility for the next pandemic at Manjari. SII wants the new facility to be available to any country that may need an urgent supply of vaccine doses in the event of an outbreak. Prior to the pandemic, the company had a capacity to make 1.5 billion annual doses. It was making about 1.2 billion doses and then scaled up in the last two years. Adar Poonawalla, CEO and brain behind the new age SII, says in an interaction with Business Standard that by the end of 2021, the company was making 250 million doses a month. It is now planning a 4-billion annual doses capacity. Of this, around 2 billion annual doses would come from the new pandemic facility. A visibly upbeat Poonawalla, sitting in his plush office in Manjri with two Rolls Royce and an aircraft parked outside, says that he has offered the 300,000 sq ft pandemic facility to all world leaders and countries in case they need to stockpile vaccines or require any product. It is designed as a pandemic facility it can handle all the different technologies. Thats where our additional 2 billion annual doses are coming from. The first product from this facility will be the HPV vaccine, Poonawalla says. SII will make the HPV vaccine now in an older site, and roll it out from the pandemic facility next year. What drives Poonawalla, 41, to continue building huge capacities? What happened during the second wave in India should never ever happen again, he believes. Every country in the world was vying for vaccines, and was looking at India for supplies, but SII had to stop exports to cater to local demand, he recalls. I decided that I dont want to be in that situation again, I dont want to make a choice between an African country or a South American country and India. There should be enough for everybody. Thats why we have put in thousands of crores of investments in recent times to take care of it, Poonawalla says. Currently, only 50 per cent or less of his current capacity is being utilized. Outbreaks and endemic type diseases will keep emerging, and the world will always need someone to manufacture it at a low cost, Poonawalla says. SIIs advantage is that it is privately held. We dont need only focus on profits. We can break even in some products and supply the other productsit does not really matter to us, he explains. SII has invested close to Rs 10,000 crore in the last five years. During the pandemic, the revenues have soared four to five times from the usual run rate, giving the company cash accruals to invest. At the moment, about 200 million doses of Covishield are lying in the cold storage at Manjri. About 20-30 million doses will start to expire starting August. At a packaging plant, a group of 20-odd employees are sorting Covishield doses (that are set to expire in November). The new booster dose drive has revived some demand and SII may end up salvaging about 50-100 million doses as a result. But SII is no longer making any Covishiled. Rather, its 6000-litre disposable bioreactors (touted to be the only functional ones in the world) are busy producing the bulk of Covovax, the Novavax vaccine. Poonawalla says the company will start making the Omicron variant of Novavax vaccine soon and is working with the US firm to develop a flu-shot and Covid19 vaccine combination. SII has big dreams. As one of its production heads said, When the pandemic hit, we were making 1.5 billion doses a year and we thought that was enough. And now we are talking of 4 billion doses a year.nothing is impossible. Three more persons have been arrested for allegedly torching Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence during last month's massive anti-government protests, taking the total number of arrests to seven, according to a media report on Tuesday. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested three suspects between the ages of 18 and 22 on Monday from Piliyandala and Narahenpita areas, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. Last month, Sri Lankan police had arrested four suspects in connection with the incident and were remanded in judicial custody till August 10 based on the instructions from Colombo Fort Magistrate Court, the report said. On July 9, in remarkable scenes of a country in meltdown, anti-government protesters set Wickremesinghe's private residence at Cambridge Place on fire. Wickremesinghe said much of the contents in his private residence were not salvageable, with extensive destruction to his 125-year-old piano and more than 4,000 books gutted. I have lost more than 4,000 books, including some that were centuries old, the former prime minister said last month. A 125-year-old piano was also destroyed in the fire, he added. A video released on July 10 showed grim visuals of Wickremesinghe's charred residence and a damaged sedan among others. Paintings and artworks were also seen strewn across the house and the compound. Wickremesinghe was elected Sri Lanka's eighth president last month after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country over a massive public uprising against him and his family over the gross mismanagement of the country's economy. (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 auction for the spectrum in India concluded on August 1, 2022. The auction will fetch the highest amount ever to the government of India at over Rs 1.5 trillion. emerged as the top buyer in the airwaves auction, spending over Rs 88,000 crore, more than half the total budding amount. stood a distant second by spending over Rs 43,000 crore. The other two bidders, (VIL) and Adani Data Networks (ADN) bid for selective spectrum. With the auction now completed, the Ministry of stated that the spectrum would be allocated by August 2022, and the rollouts will most likely commence by October 2022. A report by Nomura, however, said, "Given the nascent ecosystem (modest ~7% of the overall smartphone base is enabled) and evolving use cases, we think 5G rollouts would likely be granular, starting with metros and larger cities." Nevertheless, this is the highest amount the government has ever received from the auction of the spectrum. 2012 auction: 2G Spectrum, Rs 9,400 crore Six companies, Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Videocon, Telewings and Tata, participated in the auction fetching the government Rs 9,400 crore. It was far below the government's target of Rs 28,000 crore. No bids were received for the pan-India spectrum, which cost Rs 14,000 crore. In February 2012, the Supreme Court of India (SC) cancelled the licenses of new players. Out of every 11 blocks, three were reserved for the new players. In the 2G spectrum case, which surfaced in 2010, then telecom minister A Raja was accused of causing a loss worth Rs 1.75 trillion to the government of India by issuing 2G licenses at cheaper rates. It was alleged that he had fixed the prices based on 2001 and not 2008. Along with Raja, MK Kanimozhi, then telecom secretary Siddharth Behura and Raja's private secretary RK Chandolia were also accused. 2013 auction: 2G Spectrum, Rs 6,400 crore Only one bidder Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL), participated in the auction under the brand name MTS. The government planned to auction 50 MHz of airwaves in the 1800 MHz band and 76.25 MHz spectrum in the 800 MHz band. 900 MHz band and 1,800 MHz bands were also auctioned. However, the only bids received were for the 800 MHz band. 2014 auction: 2G Spectrum, Rs 61,200 crore Eight companies, Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea, Aircel, Reliance Communications, Reliance Jio, Tata Teleservices, and Telewings, had participated in the auction fetching the government Rs 61,200 crore. The 2G spectrum of 900 and 1800 MHz were auctioned in the year. Airtel emerged as the biggest bidder, followed by . 2015 auction: 2G and 3G Spectrum, Rs 1.09 trillion Eight companies, Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea, Aircel, Reliance Communications, Reliance Jio, Tata Teleservices, and Uninor, had given their names for the auction. Spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands were auctioned. Idea emerged as the largest bidder spending Rs 30,306 crore. It was followed by Airtel and Vodafone at Rs 29,130 crore and Rs 29,959 crore, respectively. 2016 auction: 2G, 3G ang 4G Spectrum, Rs 65,789.12 crore Seven companies, namely Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, Aircel and Reliance Jio, had applied to participate in the auction. The government auctioned seven bands of 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz in 22 cities across the country. It fetched Rs 65,789.12 crore for the government. It was the first auction when the spectrum of 700 MHz was auctioned. However, it remained unsold. 2021 auction: 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G Spectrum, Rs 77,814.80 crore Three companies, Airtel, (Vi) and Reliance Jio, participated in the auction. emerged as the biggest spender with Rs 57,122 crore worth of bidding. Airtel followed it at Rs 18,698 crore. The spectrum of 700 MHz and 2,500 MHz remained unsold in this auction. 2022 auction: 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G Spectrum, Rs 1.5 trillion Four companies, Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks, and Vi, participated in the auction. It fetched the highest-ever amount of Rs 1.5 trillion to the government. Jio emerged as the largest bidder with Rs 88,078 crore worth of bids. followed it at Rs 43,084 crore. The spectrum in 700 MHz was sold for the first time in 2022. Jio bought the spectrum, which could take the company a step closer to launching standalone 5G services. "700 MHz band could potentially give R-Jio an edge in terms of network quality, especially indoors, and this could increase investors concerns on further spectrum outgo for Bharti if R-Jio were able to offer significant differentiation in network quality (vs Bharti) with 5G on 700 bands," the Nomura report said. Chief Minister on Monday said the civil society and voluntary organisations have an important role in working for underprivileged people and understanding their basic needs. Addressing a workshop organised at the Birla Auditorium here to take the benefits of the state budget to the common man, Gehlot said important steps such as RTI, RTE, MGNREGA and the food security scheme were initiated in the country only after taking suggestions from the civil society. He said dialogue is of great importance in a democracy. "There is always scope for improvement. Our government welcomes suggestions from the members of the civil society, so that the schemes can be made more beneficial for the public by removing the shortcomings," Gehlot said. He announced the establishment of the Mahatma Gandhi Directorate of Peace and Non-Violence as a government department and said today, Gandhi's principles, ideals and philosophy are needed more than ever before. The veteran Congress leader said a number of incidents of violence are being witnessed in the state and the country and one must follow the path shown by Gandhi to establish peace, harmony and brotherhood. Appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said in view of the prevailing atmosphere of tension in the country, there is a need for him to give a message of harmony and brotherhood. Gehlot said his government is working with full sensitivity, transparency and commitment to provide good governance to people, adding that through the Jan Aadhar Yojana, it is being ensured that the benefits of various schemes and services reach the common man directly. On the occasion, social activist Aruna Roy said in a democracy, it is important for those in the government to communicate with people. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court on Monday directed the jail authorities to provide proper medical treatment to Khalid Saifi along with medication and tests. Saifi, an accused in the larger conspiracy of Northeast violence, had moved an application. He is in custody in connection with the North East riots larger conspiracy case. Additional Sessions Judge of Karkardooma Court Amitabh Rawat on Monday gave these directions to the concerned jail Superintendent. Saifi submitted before the court that he has a right to see the doctor. When he visited the jail doctor, he was asked to get the register from his cell. He also said he was not treated despite waiting for hours. Thereafter he came back to his cell and called his wife. After that, some jail authorities came to his cell and he was provided medical treatment in the dispensary. On the other hand, it was stated by the authorities that Saifi is not following the medication norms. Therefore his blood sugar level is fluctuating. The court had called for a report from Tihar Jail authorities on the application moved on behalf of Khalid Saifi seeking medical tests and treatment. The application had stated that Saifi is suffering from High Blood Sugar, high fever and diarrhoea. An application moved by lawyer of Saifi stated that Saifi is having a high fever, high sugar and diarrhoea and thus a medical report be called urgently. Khalid Saifi is an accused in the case of a larger conspiracy of North East Delhi riots. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) along with other accused. The special cell of Delhi police has filed the charge sheet against the accused persons including Tahir Hussain. The court had dismissed the bail plea of Saifi in a larger conspiracy case. He has challenged the order before the Delhi High court. (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 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its Small Launch Vehicle (SSLV) on August 7 from Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh. After being delayed for multiple times, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the space agency on Tuesday took to Twitter and revealed the launch date. The mission will be launched at 9:18 am and general public can view it on Isro's Launch Viewers gallery, for which they need to register on their website. The launch of the SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission is scheduled for Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 9:18 am (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. invites citizens to the Launch View Gallery at SDSC to witness the launch. Registration is open at https://t.co/J9jd8yDs4a pic.twitter.com/rq37VfSfXu (@isro) August 1, 2022 According to reports, SSLV aims to cater to the market for the launch of small satellites into Earths low orbits that have emerged in recent years to cater to the needs of developing countries, universities for small satellites, and private corporations. The SSLV is third launch vehicle of the research organisation after Polar Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV). According to ANI, the ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the new launch vehicle of i.e. SSLV was carried out on March 14, 2022 and all the propulsion parameters during the test are found satisfactory and were matching with the predictions. Here's all you need to know about the new SSLV Weighing only 110-tonne, it is the smallest vehicle and will only take 72 hours to integrate, unlike the current 70 days period for a launch vehicle. This can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg to a low earth orbit and provides an alternative to the tried and tested PSLV, which can carry satellites weighing in the range of 1,000 kg. It also supports multiple orbital drop-offs and is perfectly suitable for the launch of microsatellites at a time. Some of the key features of the new SSLV includes low cost, low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, launch-on-demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements among others. Former ISRO chairman K Sivan in 2019 said that, "only six people will be required to do the job, instead of 60 people. The entire job will be done in a very short time and the cost will be only around Rs 30 crore. It will be an on-demand vehicle." In its maiden flight, the new SSLV will carry AzaadiSat, which is built by 750 girl students of 75 schools across India, reported PTI. It will also carry one of India's Earth Observation Satellites EOS 2. Even as it is increasing precautionary measures, the government of has urged people not to be unduly worried about the monkey pox threat looming over the world. "There is no need to panic about Monkeypox. The government is taking all precautionary measures including thermal screening at airports and strict surveillance in districts bordering Kerala, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Tuesday. Speaking to the media after the high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on monkeypox, Sudhakar said: "No cases have been reported in Karnataka so far. There were 3 suspects out of which two in Bengaluru have turned out negative and another suspect -- a Belgium national, found in Uttara Kannada district is subjected to test and his report is awaited." Eight monkeypox cases have been reported in India so far. The minister said that vigil is being kept on the borders with neighbouring states, especially Kerala. "Our government has already issued circular for mandatory thermal screening at airports and other entry points. All district administrations have been alerted and instructed to take precautionary measures and particularly strict vigil is kept on districts bordering Kerala," he explained. The state government has also earmarked two hospitals as designated monkeypox treatment centres. "Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru are identified as designated hospitals for isolation of monkeypox suspects. Confirmed cases will be isolated and treated for 21 days until the rashes on skin are cured," minister said. On July 22 this year, the World Health Organisation had declared the monkeypox outbreak as public health emergency of international concern. About 20,000 cases have been reported in 80 countries across the world. Pointing out that studies indicate that monkeypox is not as contagious as Covid and it spreads only when a person is in prolonged contact with the infected person, Sudhakar appealed to people to maintain hygiene and follow all precautionary measures. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A red alert was declared by the in 10 districts of where incessant rains on Tuesday caused six deaths, landslides, rise in water levels and relocation of thousands to relief camps in various parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in all the districts of the state barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod, for August 2 and 3 and has predicted heavy rainfall in the state till August 5. The led to six deaths -- one each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts and three in Kannur district -- resulting in a total of 12 rain-related casualties in the state from July 31 till date, the State Emergency Operations Center (KSEOC) said. Besides that, three people have also gone missing from various parts of the state during the day, it said. In view of the heavy rainfall and anticipating landslides, flash floods and other disasters, the state government opened 95 relief camps across where 2,291 people have been relocated, KSEOC said. The heavy rainfall also damaged 126 houses between July 31 till date and of those 27 homes were completely destroyed, it said. In view of the red alerts issued by the and the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in the state in the next few days, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the warning of very in the state in the days ahead should be taken very seriously as continuous rainfall of more than 200 mm is likely to create a crisis. There is a need for vigilance and preparedness in the state in anticipation of natural disasters like landslides, mountain floods, flash floods, and waterlogging in cities and low-lying areas, the CM said in a Facebook post. Vijayan also said that the Central Water Commission has issued a warning regarding the water levels of various rivers, like Pampa, Manimala and Neyyar, crossing the danger marks at several places. He said the commission has also warned that water levels of rivers like Achankovil, Kaliyar, Thodupuzha and Meenachil are on the rise and therefore, people living on the banks of all these rivers should be cautious and steps are being taken to relocate them to safer locations. He has requested everyone not to be reluctant to relocate and to follow the instructions of the authorities. The CM also directed that the camps should adhere to COVID-19 norms and there should be special facilities for pregnant women, lactating mothers and persons with special needs. He further said, in the post, that the KSEOC was functioning as the state-level control room with representatives of the Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Rescue Forces and other departments concerned and control rooms have also been set up in all districts and taluks. Besides that, nine NDRF teams have been deployed in the state apart from the two units of the Defence Security Corps stationed in Kannur and Palakkad districts and one column of the Army in Thiruvananthapuram district, he said. As there is a possibility of strong winds along with rain, steps should be taken on a war footing to secure electric lines, posts, trees and hoardings to avoid accidents due to their collapse, he said and added that earthmovers and other machinery should be kept ready in advance in disaster-prone areas to deal with landslides and flash floods in hilly areas. Restricting travel to hilly areas and on water bodies, avoiding night time travel and advising fishermen not to go out to sea in view of possibility of strong winds and huge waves, were some of the other directions the state government has issued, the CM said. The CPI(M) state secretariat, in a release, said it has asked all its workers to be part of the relief and rescue work in the state. The Pathanamthitta Collector has been tasked with taking appropriate steps to ensure that the functions related to the Niraputhari festival, which marks the beginning of the harvest season, and Aranmula Vallasadhya at Sabarimala are not disrupted, a release said. Data on the daily water-levels of the dams operated by KSEB (Kerala State Electricity Board) indicate that water-levels in five Idukki dams -- Ponmudi, Kundala, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Lower Periyar -- as well as the Moozhiyar and Poringalkuthu dams in Pathanamthitta and Thrissur, respectively, have reached the red alert storage levels. Two Irrigation department reservoirs in Palakkad -- Meenkara and Mangalam -- reached Orange alert storage levels on Tuesday due to the heavy rains, according to the data on the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) website. The Ernakulam district officials also said that an emergency action committee comprising local bodies will be formed to take steps to prevent waterlogging in Kochi city and supervise rescue and evacuation operations. Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard also stepped into help with search and rescue operations. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm. (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.) Live news updates: A 35-year-old Nigerian man, living in Delhi and having no recent history of foreign travel, has tested positive for monkeypox, taking the total number of infected people in the country to six, official sources said on Monday. He is the second person in Delhi to test positive for the infection. He has no recent history of foreign or local travel, sources told PTI. The United States killed leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, President said on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder was killed in 2011. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Russian President said that there could be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed, noting that Russia Federation consistently followed the letter and spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The head of state sent a greeting to the participants and guests of the conference. The government is looking into cases of alleged tax evasion by Chinese mobile companies Oppo, Vivo India and Xiaomi and notices have been given to them, Finance Minister informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has issued a notice to Oppo for total customs duty of Rs 4,389 crore and these are on the grounds of misdeclaration of certain goods leading to a short payment in customs duty, she said, adding, "duty evasion we think is about Rs 2,981 crore". "Undervaluation of imported goods for the purpose of payment of customs duty, that we think is an evasion of Rs 1,408 crore," she said. She said voluntarily they have come about to deposit Rs 450 crore, much against the demand of Rs 4,389 crore. She was replying to supplementaries during Question Hour. Regarding the other companies, she said Xiaomi, which deals with assembled MI mobile phones, has been issued three show-cause notices. "'The approximate duty liability there is about Rs 653 crore. For the three show cause notices, they have been issued, they have deposited only Rs 46 lakh," the minister said. For Vivo India, a demand notice has been issued for Rs 2,217 crore for which they have deposited Rs 60 crore as a voluntary deposit, she informed the House. "Besides these, the ED is looking at 18 companies that were established by the same group Vivo and there they have voluntarily remitted Rs 62 crore as deposits but the parent company outside of India has total sales of 1.25 lakh crore. "Of the Rs 1.25 lakh crore total sales, Vivo has transferred through these 18 companies huge amounts of funds and it is believed that Vivo India has, in turn, remitted 0.62 lakh crore to its parent company which is outside India," Sitharaman said. In her written reply, the finance minister said a show cause notice demanding Rs 4403.88 crore has been served on Oppo Mobiles India Ltd. based on the investigation conducted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Five cases of Customs duty evasion have been booked against Xiaomi Technology India, she said "During the period 2019 to 2022, in respect of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), cases against 43 other such companies have been booked. "'As regards to Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Investigation Directorates have undertaken search & seizure actions in cases of five groups pertaining to the telecom sector, in which tax evasion has been detected," Sitharaman said in her written reply. (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 and visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday held extensive talks with an aim to ramp up overall bilateral strategic ties including in areas of trade and investment. Solih, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Delhi on Monday on a four-day visit. The is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties including in areas of defence and security have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years. After a meeting with Solih, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday evening said India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the Maldives' 'India First' policy are "complementary" and they take the special partnership forward. Besides official engagements in New Delhi, President Solih will also visit Mumbai and participate in business events. The ties between India and the have been on an upswing since Solih took charge of the top office in November 2018. Prime Minister Modi attended the inauguration ceremony of President Solih. In December 2018, Solih visited India, which was his first overseas tour after becoming the president. Modi visited the in June 2019 and it was his first overseas visit in his second term as the prime minister. Last week, Chief of Maldivian defence forces Maj Gen Abdulla Shamaal visited India. In March, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, during a visit to Male, handed over a coastal radar system to the country. India and Maldives share common perspectives on maritime security issues in the Indian Ocean and have been working together to expand defence cooperation. Development cooperation has been a key pillar of the India-Maldives relationship with New Delhi providing Lines of Credit of over USD 1.2 billion (one billion=100 crores) for infrastructure and grants for community development projects to the island nation. In August last year, the island nation sealed a contract for the implementation of an India-funded connectivity project. Under the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) project, a 6.74 km long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect the capital city Male with adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi. Funded under a grant of USD 100 million and a Line of Credit of USD 400 million from India, it will be reportedly the largest infrastructure project in the Maldives. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the special court allowing renewal of his passport on Tuesday, deck is almost clear for RJD chief Lalu Prasad to go to for undergoing . Sudhir Kumar Sinha, Lalu Prasad's lawayer has moved an application pertaining to renewal of his client's passport in the special court of Justice Mahesh Kumar in Patna. Earlier, Lalu Prasad, who is convicted in the fodder scam, filed an application for the renewal of passport in the special court of Ranchi and the court had already allowed the same on June 14. Lalu Prasad is suffering from multiple diseases, including severe infections in kidney lung, diabetes, blood pressure. Lalu Prasad has been consulting with the doctors of for the last one year. At present, both kidneys of the leader are damaged (more than 75 per cent), leading to other complications related to liver, heart, lungs, among others. Recently, during his stay in Patna at his wife Rabri Devi's residence at 10 circular road, he sustained a fracture in the shoulder and was airlifted to Delhi for treatment in AIIMS, Delhi. --IANS ajk/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday informed the Upper House that scientists have isolated the monkeypox virus and a vaccine, like that for Covid-19, might be developed. While replying to a question regarding the steps taken to create awareness about monkeypox, he said: "Monkeypox has been isolated by our scientists and has also floated an 'expression of interest'. Like it was done during the time of Covid. On the basis of that, our scientists come forward should be given an isolated virus so that its can be developed." Upon being asked in the about the progress of vaccines for the disease, the Health Minister said that studies are still being conducted to find proper vaccination for the disease. Only contact tracing and vaccinating people were in close contact with a disease carrier are required and there is no need for countrywide vaccination for this disease. Scientists have isolated the monkeypox virus and will also develop a in India, he added. According to the minister, monkeypox is not a new disease in India and in the world. Since 1970, many cases have been reported from Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has paid special attention to this infection. India has also started monitoring the cases. On the steps taken to create awareness about monkeypox, Mandaviya said that the government has set up a task force and steps are also being taken to increase awareness about the disease. He urged the people not to panic as the central government has been working in coordination with the state governments to contain the virus. "When cases started appearing in the world, India had already started preparations. Before the first case appeared in Kerala, we had issued guidelines to all the states. We have also written to the governments at the international level that the screening report of the travellers should also be sent to us. "If someone in the family has had monkeypox, then keeping a distance from him for 12-13 days can prevent the infection. With vigilance we can control it", Mandaviya said. Speaking about Kerala, where the first case of monkeypox was reported, Mandaviya said: "If the government of Kerala needs any kind of help from the central government, it will be done. Still, the expert team of the central government is guiding the state government from time to time." --IANS avr/sks/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CEO Adar Poonawalla Tuesday said his firm is conducting research to find a against monkeypox as cases rise in the country. Poonawalla is learnt to have briefed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the subject during a meeting at the Nirman Bhawan here on Tuesday. India has so far reported eight cases of monkeypox, the latest a man from Delhi. The Pune-based Institute of Virology (NIV), which functions under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has already isolated monkeypox virus from the clinical specimen of a patient. The on July 27 invited expression of interest (EOI) proposing to handover the virus strain to interested Indian manufacturers, pharma companies and in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) for developing an indigenous and diagnostic kits. Meanwhile, a task force on monkeypox has been constituted to closely monitor the emerging situation in the country and decide on response initiatives. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. According to the WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis -- a virus transmitted to humans from animals -- with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe. Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks. The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre, stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation. The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around three to six per cent. The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox, the guidelines stated. (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.) by Keren Setton JERUSALEM, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Growing grapes in Israel, which suffers from water shortage, used to waste a lot of water. But thanks to the invention of a smart irrigation system, it is now possible to not only save water, but also manage the quality and quantity of grape yields. In the decades before the invention of smart irrigation technology, Israeli farmers used to largely rely on their experience to estimate the conditions and water need of the grape crops. But Yishai Netzer, an Israeli agronomist from Ariel University, and his research team have changed this by inventing a digital irrigation system that has been altering the way table and wine grapes are being grown. Based on a large number of sensors that monitor the grape crops, the system lets farmers know how much water is needed for irrigation. The sensors monitor the humidity, radiation and wind speed, in addition to the water being given to the crops. By using the new drainage lysimeters, a type of measuring device, the amount of transpiration released by the plants is measured. This gives an accurate understanding of how "thirsty" the crops are. In his experimental greenhouses and vineyard, Netzer is currently testing five different water regiments to see their effect. The data is then collected by a computer and analyzed by the researchers, together with the farmers who have varying needs. Different needs require differences in the amount of water irrigated. The less water used, the more stressed the plant is considered. For grapes, however, stress isn't always a bad thing. "If you want to grow a lot of grapes, the quality will usually be compromised, and then we will irrigate more water," Netzer told Xinhua. "In premium wine areas, we do not want a lot of yields, then we will stress the vine more. The quality of the vine will be increased, but the quantity would be medium, and it won't be the maximum," he said. The higher the quality of the grapes, the more expensive the bottle of wine they produce will be, said Netzer, citing that the less water used, the more aromatic and deep shade of color the grapes will have. For wine grapes especially, this is a desired outcome. Managing the irrigation according to the precise needs of the grape crops are economically beneficial for the farmers. The climate change, which has impacted rainfall levels all over the world, also has an increasing effect on agriculture. Grapes are not exempt from this. Less water consumption due to the precision irrigation could mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming, Netzer said. Netzer said that all this data collected from his research, can allow farmers to "cheat the plant." "You can change the plant physiology with irrigation to the right point," he explained, "It depends what the farmer wants. If he wants a lot of yields, we will by irrigation make the vines to be less thirsty and have more yields." Netzer and his team have also begun using machine-learning in order to apply the research results to more areas. "There are a lot of places in the world, like the traditional wine producing countries such as France and Italy, where they still use the traditional ways to irrigate. But life is changing and they will also have to change," he said. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has asked Punjab, and to formulate a policy to ensure continuous supply of paddy straw for ex-situ utilisation and co-firing in thermal power plants. Co-firing of paddy straw pellets (up to 10 per cent) with coal in thermal power plants is one of the important ex-situ stubble management strategies. Paddy straw is also used as in waste-to-energy plants, brick kilns and end products such as pellets, bio-fuels (bio-ethanol, compressed bio gas), particle board, panel furniture and packaging material. Paddy straw burning in Punjab, Haryana, and is a major reason behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November. Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue before cultivating wheat and potato. generates around 20 million tons of paddy straw annually. and eight NCR districts of produce around 7.5 million tons and 0.75 million tons of paddy straw on an average. The National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), a potential major user of paddy straw in thermal power plants, had earlier told the commission that it is technically feasible to co-fire paddy straw-based pellets (5 per cent to 10 per cent) along with coal. It informed that efforts have been initiated for the use up to 5 million tons of biomass pellets per annum in 17 plants. The air quality panel has now directed the states to formulate a policy framework for "ensuring assured and continuous supply of raw material to plants utilising paddy crop residue". It also asked the states to utilise paddy straw pellets in their own thermal power plants in the NCR region "since huge quality of straw is available proximate to TPPs". States have been advised to develop low-cost, long-term paddy straw storage facilities and facilitate setting up of paddy straw pelletising units at strategic geographic locations to optimise supply chain logistics. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In just three months of the Centre directing power generators (gencos) to mandatorily blend imported coal with the domestic variety, it has revoked the order, leaving it to them to ship in the commodity from abroad if need be. This comes in the wake of a pushback from several states that said they will not pay higher tariffs on account of imported . Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were leading this pack, Business Standard had reported. Sector executives said blended led to power price increases of 50-70 paise per unit, which were borne by the customers. Among the generating units, has imported the highest amount -- 6.25 million tonnes (MT) -- to date and is in the process of importing 15 MT more. The union in a separate order directed as well to bring down imported blending to 5 per cent from earlier mandated 10 per cent. currently has 80 per cent of their normative coal stock available at its plant end. At Rs 10,000 a tonne, imported coal is five times costlier than domestic coal. The Union in an order on Tuesday said it had reviewed the coal stock position, which varied across state-owned power-generating companies (gencos). Many states have more than 50 per cent of normative levels whereas many other states still have stocks near critical levels. In view of the above facts, it has been decided that now onwards, states/IPPs (independent power producers) and ministry of coal may decide the blending percentage after assessing the availability of domestic coal supplies, said the order. The average coal stocks across power gencos in the country stand at 55 per cent of their demand or 10 days of the coal stock. This has increased slightly over the past months, when it ranged between six and nine days. Meanwhile, responding to questions regarding in Parliament, Union Power Minister R K Singh said India would have faced substantial load shedding (power cuts) if the country had not decided to blend imported coal. Coal production has increased but not at a pace that it can meet our growing demand. Today, our domestic coal stock is around 23 million tonnes (MT). If we had not blended it, it would have been 7.8 MT, which is the minimum level, the minister said. There was a shortfall of 120,000 tonnes between the average daily demand and supply of coal, he said. The on May 5 had issued a directive under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, asking gencos to import coal for blending up to 10 per cent at their generating units. On May 18, it told gencos the coal-blending benchmark would be increased to 15 per cent if they did not import coal by the end of the month. However, two weeks later, the ministry asked them to put their tenders in abeyance. Instead, it asked Ltd (CIL) to import coal for state and private gencos. State and private gencos were estimated to cumulatively require 38-40 million tonnes of imported coal for blending at 10 per cent. However, the demand with was 2.4 MT. The tender for importing coal worth Rs 4,500 crore went to Adani Enterprises. Till now, state gencos have imported barely 600,000 tonnes. Similarly, NTPC awarded tenders of 6.25 MT of imported coal, worth Rs 8,300 crore, to Adani Enterprises. According to a Lok Sabha reply, power gencos imported 9.2 million tonnes this fiscal year. Senior coal ministry officials said there was no need to import coal because had stepped up production and had asked gencos to stock up. After the mismatch in October last year, CIL, since the beginning of this year, has been pursuing gencos to stock coal in advance, said an official, adding that till July, the companys production increased by 24 per cent over the same period last year. Credit card spends in June, although down marginally month-on-month (MoM), remained above the Rs 1-trillion mark for the fourth consecutive month. In June, credit card spends topped Rs 1.09 trillion, down 4.34 per cent MoM, revealed the data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). However, on a year-on-year basis, spends were up 73 per cent. In May, credit card spends hit an all-time high, reaching Rs 1.14 trillion. The banking system added over 1.84 million in June, taking the outstanding in the system to 78.72 million. The surge in card addition was led by HDFC Bank, the largest card issuer in the country, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Axis Bank. HDFC Bank added 386,487 cards in June, followed by Kotak Mahindra Bank (262,942), Axis Bank (228,933), ICICI Bank (190,490), and SBI Card (166,976). Although down marginally MoM, credit card spends remain strong, Macquarie Research said in a report. Axis Bank has seen a sharp rise in the spends market share for June, while SBI Card has seen a sharp decline. The SBI Card management had mentioned it has had issues in running targeted customer campaigns due to some technology and human resource issues at the parent bank, which affected its market share, the report added. Industry spends growth is being driven by pick-up and commercial card spends, Puneet Sharma, chief financial officer, Axis Bank, had said at a post-earnings analyst call. Other large issuers, such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, had mentioned in their post-earnings analyst calls that spends have gone up substantially because of improvement in discretionary spending. HDFC Bank has the highest market share in credit card spends at 27.2 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank at 19.9 per cent, and SBI Card at 17.7 per cent. Axis Bank has a spends market share of 9.3 per cent as of June. The pace of card additions has gone up significantly ever since the allowed HDFC Bank to issue new in August last year. The bank faced an ban on issuances of new cards for eight months, from December 2020. We remain concerned about the steady decline in the spends market share for Citibank over the past 12 months as this has implications for Axis Bank in our view, Macquarie Research observed in its report. The government is taking action against dubious digital loan apps, including those originating from outside the country, and also Indians who helped in setting them up, Minister informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Most of the dubious apps are originating from one particular country and as a result a lot of borrowers are harassed and money is being extorted from by these apps, she said during the Question Hour while replying to a supplementary question. The minister was asked about reports of dubious digital loan apps backed by Chinese entities which do not follow guidelines in giving loans. Sitharaman said the Ministry of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and a few other departments, inclusive of Home, are all constantly discussing and working to ensure action is taken in these cases. "Only a couple of months ago particularly in the state of Telangana a lot of people have been put to harassment and action has been initiated. That's not to say we are not taking action elsewhere," she said. She also said the government is consciously taking action against Indian citizens who have also helped in establishing these companies and also what may be broadly defined as shell companies through which they are operating. So action in all these angles are being taken, she added. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das had recently said the central bank will soon come out with regulatory architecture for digital lending platforms. Most of the digital lending apps are not registered with the central bank and operate by themselves. There have been increasing cases of alleged suicides of borrowers due to harassment by a few of the operators of digital lending apps. (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.) At least one Palestinian was killed and another wounded during an Israeli military raid in the occupied town of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israeli forces have carried out regular operations into Jenin in recent months that the military says are aimed at dismantling militant networks in the wake of several deadly attacks inside . The raids often ignite gunbattles with Palestinian militants. The Health Ministry did not provide further information on the person killed in the military raid late on Monday. The Israeli military referred questions to the paramilitary Border Police, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jenin, home to a large refugee camp, has long been seen as a bastion of Palestinian militancy. captured the in the 1967 Mideast war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 5,00,000 Jewish settlers. The Palestinians want the West Bank, home to some 3 million Palestinians, to form the main part of their future state. The last serious peace talks broke down more than a decade ago. (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.) Al Qaeda chief and key plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ayman al Zawahiri, was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Saturday. US President Joe Biden confirmed it on Monday, saying that "Justice has been served". Zawahiri, who had just turned 71, took over the leadership of after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. 11 years after Laden was killed, Zawahiri had become an symbol of the group, and a global terrorist with a reward of USD 25 million on his head. Born in an Egyptian middle-class family of scholars and doctors, Zawahiri grew up to be a doctor. He was the grandson of Rabia al-Zawahiri, the grand imam of Al Azhar, which is the centre of Sunni Islamic learning in the Middle East and one of Islam's most important mosques. Zawahiri served three years as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army, but his journey from an eye surgeon to becoming a most wanted global terrorist started after he met Laden in 1986, and joined Laden as his personal advisor and physician. In 1993, he took over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt and became a leading figure in a campaign in the mid-1990s to overthrow the government and set up a purist Islamic state. He was found to be involved in the killing of over 1,200 Egyptians. Years later, Zawahiri became number two on the list of "most wanted terrorists" announced by the US government in 2001. In 1998, Zawahiri finally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with . Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the bombings of August 7, 1998, when nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa - 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. The culmination of Zawahiri's terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. Both he and bin Laden escaped US forces in Afghanistan in late 2001. In May 2003, Zawahiri was found involved in suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 23 people, including nine Americans, days after a tape thought to contain Zawahiri's voice was released. Zawahiri emerged as a prominent speaker of Al-Qaeda, in recent years after he appeared in 16 videos and audiotapes in 2007, four times as many as Bin Laden, as the group tried to radicalise and recruit Muslims around the world. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years, but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Monday reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's planned visit to and warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei, CNN reported. "We would like to tell the US once again that is standing by, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by. will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday. "As for what measures, if she dares to go, then let's wait and see," Zhao added. Pelosi is going to visit Taiwan, with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake, media reports said citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official. The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei. The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe. Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, is also expected to hold a meeting with other high-ranking officials while in on Tuesday and is scheduled to leave the island a day later. "She's definitely coming," the people whom Pelosi is planning to meet with in Taiwan have informed WSJ of her arrival. "The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei." However, there is no official announcement for Pelosi's visit, the stop, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not currently on Pelosi's public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point. According to CNN, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said that it is Pelosi's decision whether she visits, adding, "we do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do." "Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the Speaker's," Blinken said. US secretary noted that such a visit has precedent, noting past speakers and members of Congress have visited Taiwan. "And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken said. "We are looking for them, in the event, she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward," Blinken added. In a statement that was released on July 31, Nancy Pelosi's office said the US House speaker is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. However, there was no mention of Taiwan which China regards as its own. Since the reports of the US House Speaker's visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy's Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said it would "bury incoming enemies" in a video posted online Monday showing off its weaponry and fighting tactics. "Firmly stand by and ready for the fighting command; Bury all incoming enemies," a message posted on Weibo said. In a press briefing last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Pelosi's Taiwan visit will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations. Even Biden had said the US military believes it is not a "good idea" for House of Representatives Speaker to travel to Taiwan as planned. "The military thinks it's not a good idea right now," Biden was quoted as saying by the White House press pool. China has on many occasions firmly opposed any form of official interaction between the and the Taiwan region. While warning against the US House speaker's Taiwan visit, a Chinese state media outlet said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. Meanwhile, Pelosi kicked off her Asia tour, the delegation led by her made a courtesy call to President Halimah Yacob, and also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan today. The Congressional delegation led by comprises Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Mark Takano (D-California), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Congressman Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore said in a statement. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of the dreaded terror group tried to conceal that leader Ayman al-Zawahri who was killed in a US drone strike was at a safe house in Kabul and restricted access to the site, a media report said on Tuesday. An American drone strike killed al-Zawahri, a key plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attacks who took over as the leader of after Osama bin Laden's death, at a safe house in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden announced on Monday. Al-Zawahri was the No. 2 in when the group conducted the September 11 terror attacks, and American officials considered him a central plotter. While he lacked the charismatic leadership of bin Laden, he profoundly shaped al-Qaeda and its terrorist movements with his writing and arguments. "After the US drone strike that killed al-Zawahri, members of the terror group had tried to conceal that the al-Qaeda leader was at the house in Kabul, which reportedly was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, and restricted access to the site, The New York Times reported. The report citing a senior administration official said that according to one American analyst, the house that was struck was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is now the interior minister in the Taliban government in Kabul. The is an Islamist terror outfit founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who emerged as a top Afghan warlord and insurgent commander during the anti-Soviet war. The report added that the United States had multiple intelligence threads confirming that al-Zawahri was killed in the strike. Al-Zawahri was long believed to have been living in Pakistan. That he was killed in Kabul is a testament to not only the porous border between the two countries but also to Al Qaeda's decades-long use of facilities, houses, buildings and compounds throughout both countries, the report said, citing a US official. And unlike the relatively sleepy city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Bin Laden was killed by a commando raid in 2011, his successor apparently spent the last weeks of his life right smack in the Afghan capital, it said. The report further said that American intelligence sources had learned earlier this year that al-Zawahri's wife, daughter and grandchildren had relocated to a house in Kabul. American intelligence agencies grew increasingly confident that al-Zawahri was at the house as well. As they did in the case of Bin Laden, intelligence officials used different sources and methods to build a so-called pattern of life that confirmed his presence, the report said, quoting officials. Once al-Zawahri arrived at the location, American officials were never aware of him leaving, and he was observed for sustained periods on the balcony where he was ultimately struck, it said. Al-Zawahri was killed by an R9X, a Hellfire missile armed with long blades aimed at killing targets with kinetic energy to minimize major collateral damage. The US claims that the Taliban violated the peace agreement by letting al-Zawahri into the country. The Taliban claims the US violated the peace agreement by conducting a strike. (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.) US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby on Monday said that US Speaker has not confirmed her travel plans to yet but she has the right to visit and that her visit is not 'uncommon'. "If she goes it's not without precedent, it's not new," Kirby said adding, "The Speaker has not confirmed any travel plans and it is for the Speaker to do so, and her staff." "The Speaker has a right to visit ...We won't be commenting or speculating about the stops on her trip," he added. According to media reports, the US House Speaker is expected to arrive in Taiwan on August 2 and meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Pelosi is going to visit Taiwan, with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake, media reports earlier said citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official. The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei. Since the reports of the US House Speaker's visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy's Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. The Chinese officials have said Pelosi visiting Taiwan would violate the One China Policy and would constitute aiding an illegal rebellion. A Chinese state media outlet said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. Kirby said that the Biden administration will support Pelosi on a trip to Taiwan. "We want to make sure that when she travels overseas, she can do so safely and securely and we're going to make sure of that. There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There is no reason for any actions to be taken. It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan," CNN quoted Kirby as saying. The US official added that Defense Department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that it is Pelosi's decision whether she visits, adding, "we do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do." "Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the Speaker's," he added. Blinken said that such a visit has precedent, noting past speakers and members of Congress have visited Taiwan. "And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken said, adding, "We are looking for them, in the event, she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward." Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, is also expected to hold a meeting with other high-ranking officials while in Taiwan on Tuesday and is scheduled to leave the island a day later. "She's definitely coming," the people whom Pelosi is planning to meet with in Taiwan earlier informed the Wall Street Journal of her arrival. "The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei." However, there is no official announcement for Pelosi's visit, the stop, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not currently on Pelosi's public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point. Back in April, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the and Taiwan and stressed that the US should abide by the one-China principle, which is the political foundation for China-US relations. China stresses that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China. It firmly opposes separatist moves toward "Taiwan independence". Meanwhile, Pelosi kicked off her Asia tour, the delegation led by her made a courtesy call to President Halimah Yacob, and also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday. The Congressional delegation led by comprises Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Mark Takano (D-California), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Congressman Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore said in a statement. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Soon after rebuffing a break-up plan by its top investor, fielded questions from disgruntled retail investors on Tuesday and its executives defended their strategy to operate as a global bank at its first meeting in in three years. The London-headquartered lender is under pressure from Ping An Insurance Group Co of China to explore options including spinning off its mainstay Asia business to increase shareholder returns. Chairman Mark Tucker and CEO Noel Quinn were grilled for more than an hour by investors on the bank's strategy for dividends and growth in the meeting, attended by hundreds of shareholders in the business district. Resuming paying quarterly dividend in 2023 is too late and the promised level of dividend is too low, said Jay Chong, an activist shareholder, who is in his 30s and whose family holds more than half a million shares of . is HSBC Holdings biggest market and a key investor base for the Asia-focused bank. Some investors in the city have been vocal in their support of Ping Ans plan. About 30 HSBC retail investors staged a brief protest near the conference room entrance at Tuesdays meeting just before it began, chanting management should step down over dividend cancellations and sluggish returns. HSBC met the retail shareholders a day after rejecting the break-up call as it reported forecast-beating profits, raised a profitability goal and promised chunkier dividends. The bank has argued that a spin off would be costly, time consuming and require billions in technology spending, while also raising regulatory risks Our strategy which is now two and half years into execution should put the bank on the path to deliver returns in 2023 at a level we have not achieved in the last 10 years, Tucker said on Tuesday. This return should help drive and increase the share price and have a positive impact on the dividend. Analysts said Hong Kong's retail shareholders are unlikely to have the heft to eventually force a vote on a break-up. Big institutional investors have so far not commented. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Tuesday provided more details on a fatal incident on Sunday that involved UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The peacekeepers returning from leave to the DRC killed two civilians after initially being refused DRC entry, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Preliminary information showed the troops waited overnight in an area between the official exit point from Uganda and the official entry point into the DRC. The incident occurred the next morning (Sunday) in Kasindi in the DRC's North Kivu province, he said. "There's always a bit of a no man's land between border A and border B. The troops were returning. They crossed from Uganda. They were then in that kind of a no man's land. They were not granted immediate access into the DRC. They waited overnight, and the violence occurred the next morning," said Dujarric. The peacekeepers allegedly killed two civilians with gunfire and wounded 15 others. The spokesman identified the peacekeepers only as members of a battalion from the Force Intervention Brigade of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO. The force commander ordered the detention of the peacekeepers involved. Although Dujarric did not reveal the peacekeepers' number nor nationality, he said the mission contacted the country concerned "with a view to advancing a national judicial investigation" and that MONUSCO ordered an investigation. There are more than 12,000 peacekeepers in the DRC from more than 10 countries. The incident so outraged and saddened the secretary-general that he telephoned DRC President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday, apologized for the incident and offered his condolences. Peacekeepers in North Kivu were the subject of attacks in recent weeks by demonstrators complaining they were not doing enough to protect them from various armed groups terrorizing the eastern DRC. Three peacekeepers were killed last week in the protests. Relative peace has prevailed in recent days. An Israeli law that goes into effect on Monday limits cash payments in one business transaction to 6,000 new shekels ($1,785), as the country works to combat organised crime, money laundering and tax evasion. The law, which was introduced by the Tax Authority last week, requires that any payment to a business over 6,000 shekels must be made through other means such as digital transfer or a debit card. Individuals who are not listed as business owners can use up to 15,000 shekels in cash when it comes to trading, Xinhua news agency reported. Previously, the maximum amount of cash that can be used in one business transaction is 11,000 shekels. According to a statement issued by the Tax Authority, restrictions on cash use do not apply to money transfers between family members, with the exception of rent payments for which the maximum amount has been reduced from 50,000 shekels to 15,000 shekels. Analysts believe the law will compel people to pay with digital methods rather than cash so that transactions can be easily tracked. Cash payment limitations are intended to rein in tax evasion, black market activity, and even terrorist operations. Uri Goldman, an expert in taxation, economic crime, and money laundering prohibition, told Israeli media that the law primarily impacts people such as plumbers and handymen, as well as small landlords. The lowering of the cash payment ceiling "would have a significant impact on those who sells products like electrical goods and furniture," he said. Heavy fines are imposed for violators of the law, starting at 15 per cent of the cash payments of fewer than 25,000 shekels, rising to 20 per cent for payments of 25,000 to 50,000 shekels, and reaching 30 per cent for bigger payments, according to the Tax Authority. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish charitable funds that give and receive money in cash are exempt from the law. The enforcement of the law is currently not applicable to non-Israelis in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and Israeli citizens who give or receive cash to or from non-Israeli residents in the two regions. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Covid-19 cases in hit a three-month-high on Tuesday as the highly infectious variant has fuelled the resurgence. In the last 24 hours, the country registered 111,789 new infections, including 568 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,932,439, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as saying. Tuesday's figure jumped from the previous day's 44,689 and also increased from the 99,252 cases reported a week ago, driven by the fast spread of the sub-variant BA.5, which had become dominant among South Korean cases at 66.8 percent as of Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the country confirmed two more Covid-19 cases of BA.2.75, a new, fast-spreading sub-variant, taking the total such cases to nine. The two people, both fully vaccinated and boosted once, returned to after visiting India last month. They suffered mild symptoms and are now fully recovered, the KDCA said. Eased Covid-19 entry rules and a sharp rise in summer travellers led to record numbers of infection cases from overseas. Imported cases, which have stayed in the triple digits since June 24, hit an all-time high of 568 on Tuesday. The highly transmissible Omicron variant also caused a fresh wave of hospitalisations, with serious cases reaching the highest levels in nearly three months. The number of seriously ill Covid-19 patients was 282 on Tuesday, down five cases from a day earlier when the figure rose to the highest after May 18, when the tally stood at 313. The KDCA reported 16 fatalities from Covid-19, raising the death toll to 25,084. Health authorities said the current wave could peak at around 200,000 infection cases a day, a level that is lower than previously expected and deemed manageable. The government has said it was not considering reimposing stringent social distancing rules to fight the resurgent virus in a firm resolve to continue to move on from the pandemic and resume normal activities. --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.) New investment in through Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) fell to zero in the first half of 2022, while Chinese outlays in dropped by 56 per cent during the same period, the media reported. According to the RFE/RL, these are the findings of a new report from the Green and Development Center at Fudan University in Shanghai, which point to growing headwinds facing Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy venture that he once dubbed "the project of the century". Both and have been among the top beneficiaries of Chinese development spending through the BRI. Moscow signed deals worth about $2 billion in 2021 alone and Islamabad hosts a $62 billion collection of infrastructure and energy projects known as the China- Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Fudan University report highlights the changing nature of the BRI as it adapts to a combination of a strained global economy, China's shifting position in the world, and many countries who inked deals and took out loans through the initiative now grappling with a growing debt crisis, RFE/RL reported. BRI spending has been declining for several years as Beijing becomes more risk averse. The report shows a total of $28.4 billion in Chinese investment across 147 BRI countries over the first half of 2022, down from $29.6 billion over the same period last year. The BRI's rapid expansion since 2013 has helped become the world's largest source of development credit, and how Beijing navigates the programme's future will have global consequences. --IANS san/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.) A Army helicopter carrying six individuals, including two top commanders, is feared to have crashed while on a flood relief operation in the restive Balochistan province on Monday after losing contact with air traffic control. The helicopter, which took off from an area called Uthal, was headed for the Air Force base in Masroor in Karachi before it disappeared and lost contact with ATC. Major General Babar Iftikhar, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations - the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, said the helicopter was on a flood relief operation. "A army aviation helicopter which was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan lost contact with ATC. 6 individuals were on board including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan. The search operation is underway," Iftikhar tweeted. A police source said that the helicopter apparently crashed near a place called Sassi Pannu in a mountainous region off Lasbela. Police teams which have reached there found no survivors. The local area police received a call from some residents of the area that they had seen a helicopter crash, the source said. According to another source, the search and rescue operation team will require at least three hours to reach the crash site, but police teams have arrived there. The passengers included two top commanders, Director General of the Pakistan Coast Guards Major General Amjad and Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ahmad, Commander 12 Corps. Lt General Sarfaraz was seen as the next potential Chief of the Army Staff after the retirement of Lt General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the current army chief. (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.) Politicians from around the world have gathered in for the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) amid heightened tensions over nuclear arms in Russia and Iran. The UN describes the NPT as a landmark treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, news agency dpa reported. It is subject to review every five years, and the 10th review was to have taken place in 2020 but was postponed on account of the coronavirus pandemic. It takes place now amid stalling negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal and Russia's war in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of using its nuclear weapons to intimidate and threaten by engaging in "reckless, dangerous nuclear sabre rattling". Blinken added that there is no place in the world for "nuclear deterrence based on force and intimidation or blackmail". "We have to stand together in rejecting this," Blinken said. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the climate crisis, inequality, violent conflicts around the world, and the Covid-19 pandemic have placed the world under huge stress "at a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War". "Humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons forged in the terrifying fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Guterres warned. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also criticised Russia and North Korea for using nuclear weapons as threats, and Iran for "continuing to expand its nuclear programme". While calling for nuclear disarmament, she also said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown the reality of nuclear weapons into sharp focus. "Efforts for nuclear disarmament and nuclear deterrence are not mutually exclusive in these times," she said. Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote a greeting statement to the conference, which he is not attending in person. "We assume that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and therefore one can never be allowed to start," Putin said in the statement. He further gave assurances that Russia would fulfil its duties as a founding nation of the NPT. Concerns that Russia was considering the use of nuclear weapons were fuelled by the fact that Putin placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Almost 13,000 nuclear weapons exist across the world. Even before the war in Ukraine, efforts at disarmament had been stalling. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poland's President Andrzej Duda considers a "danger to Europe". "Should Ukraine, with its heroic resistance, fail to withstand Putin's imperial plans, and the Baltic states would be directly threatened by a further expansion of Russia's sphere of influence into Central Europe," Duda told Tuesday's edition of Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, news agency dpa reported. Duda spoke of "Great Russian ideas that are about subordinating other peoples." These are not only ideas of Russian President Vladmir Putin, he said, rather a large part of Russian society is imbued with them. "Thanks to Ukraine, this danger is contained today. But I think that this danger will unfortunately become topical in the future," the Polish President continued. "The only thing that can be done is to strengthen our own security." has donated 260 older T-72 tanks to Ukraine, according to Duda. This has created a gap in its own troops, he said, which must be filled by accelerating the acquisition of new tanks. also hopes for the delivery of German Leopard tanks. So far, however, a so-called circular swap, with which Polish deliveries to Ukraine would be compensated by replacements from Germany, has not come about. Poland was not satisfied with Berlin's previous offer of 20 Leopard 2 tanks to be delivered from 2023. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused of using its nuclear weapons to "intimidate and threaten". Speaking on Monday at the start of the Tenth Review Conference for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, Blinken said that had "engaged in reckless, dangerous nuclear sabre rattling", news agency dpa reported. Blinken added that "there is no place in our world for nuclear deterrence based on force and intimidation or blackmail. We have to stand together in rejecting this". He emphasised that the US would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances, if the vital interests of the US or its allies were in danger. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) will push OPEC+ to increase at an upcoming meeting on Wednesday, a Fox Business news reporter said on Monday. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz assured U.S. President Joe Biden on the production increase when they met on July 16, the reporter said in a tweet. The White House has said it anticipates major oil producers in the OPEC+ alliance will increase crude production following President Joe Biden's trip to the Middle East last month. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said a U.S.-Arab summit on Saturday did not discuss oil and that OPEC+ would continue to assess market conditions and do what is necessary. OPEC+, which also includes Russia, is set to meet on Aug. 3. (Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "A house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor. There were no casualties as the house was empty," Abdul Nafi Takor a spokesman of the Interior Ministry had claimed earlier. US President Joe Biden in a televised address on Monday (US time) announced that chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in an air strike by the United States stating that "Justice has been delivered." Al-Zawahiri was one of the world's most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attack. Zawahiri's targeted killing comes a year after the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. Meanwhile, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that the had grossly violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering the chief. "By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qa'ida in Kabul, the grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries," Blinken said in a statement. The US and the signed a peace agreement in February 2020 under the Presidency of former US President Donald Trump. The deal stated the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghan soil and the Taliban would abate violence and guarantee that its soil will not be a safe haven for terrorists. In the statement, Blinken said the Taliban also betrayed the Afghan people and their own stated desire for recognition from the community and normalisation of ties. "In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls," Bliken said in the statement. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny Tuesday of Afghanistan's rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure recognition and desperately needed aid. The had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members. Nearly a year after the U.S. military's chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, al-Zawahri's killing raises questions about the involvement of leaders in sheltering a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and one of America's most-wanted fugitives. The safe house is in Kabul's upscale Shirpur neighborhood, home to several Taliban leaders who had moved into mansions of former top Afghan officials of the toppled Western-backed government. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, which also includes a Taliban pledge not to shelter those seeking to attack the U.S. something al-Zawahri had done for years in internet videos and online screeds. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. Meanwhile, rumours persist of unease in the Taliban ranks particularly between the powerful group known as the Haqqani network, which apparently sheltered al-Zawahri, and other Taliban figures. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions," said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasn't authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qaida's leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by U.S. Navy SEALs. The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position," the official said. The strike early Sunday shook awake Shirpur, once home to historic buildings bulldozed in 2003 to make way for luxury homes for officials in Afghanistan's Western-backed government and aid organizations. After the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, the Taliban elite began taking some of the abandoned homes there. The house where al-Zawahri stayed was the home to a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Taliban officials blocked AP journalists in Kabul from reaching the damaged house on Tuesday. The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist insurgent group, built around the family of the same name. In the 1980s, it fought Soviet forces and over the past 20 years, it battled U.S.-led NATO troops and the former Afghanistan government. Sirajuddin Haqqani has also served as the first deputy leader of the Taliban movement since 2016. Since last August, he also served the appointed interior ministry of the Taliban government. The U.S. government maintains a $10 million bounty on him for numerous significant kidnappings and attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the Afghan government and civilian targets. But the Haqqanis, from Afghanistan's eastern Khost province, have disagreed with in the Taliban leadership, mostly from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Some believe Sirajuddin Haqqani wants more power. Other Taliban figures have opposed the Haqqanis' violent attacks against civilians in Kabul and elsewhere. It seems to me that the power struggle within the Taliban is general. It's not necessarily about the U.S. or about the community. It's about the new regime, how to share power within the new regime, who gets what position, who gets to control what ministries, to decide the general policies and so on, said Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst studying Islamist militant groups. It's not that surprising that the building would be owned by the Haqqani family. ... That creates a tension between what the Taliban movement is, especially in terms of how it's trying to reach out to the international community, to normalize itself and so on, he said. The timing of the strike also couldn't come at a worse time politically for the Taliban. The militants face international condemnation for refusing to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade, despite earlier promises. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan also criticised the Taliban for human rights abuses under their rule. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat in part over the abuses, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets. This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort. The Taliban have been trying to reopen the taps to that aid and their reserves. However, al-Zawahri's killing already has been seized upon by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign that the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances ... that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, however, alleged the U.S. violated the Doha Agreement by launching the strike. Afghanistan's state-run television channel now under the Taliban reported that President Joe Biden said al-Zawahri had been killed. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri closes a chapter of al-Qaida," said Imtiaz Gul, the executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies. In the Mideast, al-Zawahri's killing coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, which sparked U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia the same presence that bin Laden pointed to in launching the 9/11 attacks. Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, noted the timing. It's "a chance for the region to contemplate and reflect on the absurdity of extremism, terrorism and reckless military adventures and how all of this frayed (the region's) fabric," Gargash wrote on Twitter. The lessons and teachings are present, and hope rests on the countries of the region uniting together to guarantee security and shared development. (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.) ISTANBUL, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The first grain-laden cargo ship leaving the Ukrainian port under a UN-brokered deal anchors off Istanbul on the Black Sea on Tuesday, waiting to be inspected by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) before it resumes the voyage to Lebanon. The Turkish Defence Ministry tweeted that the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, which left Odesa early on Monday with 26,527 tons of corn, has reached the Black Sea entrance of the Bosphorus Strait and anchored at an assigned point. The ship will receive an inspection by representatives from the JCC at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Wednesday. The ministry is organizing a special program at a location on the shore with a perfect view of the site to enable press members to cover the delegation's boarding the ship. Once cleared, it will pass through the strait, sailing toward the Mediterranean as planned, and the JCC will closely monitor the vessel until it arrives at the destination. "The route and the humanitarian corridor that the ship follows, possible needs, and the details and preparations regarding its inspection are carried out in line with the procedures and principles agreed at the center," Turkish Rear Admiral Ozcan Altunbulak told reporters at the center on Tuesday. He also said currently, the preparations of the other ships that will carry grain and other foodstuffs from the three ports of Ukraine are continuing. The JCC was inaugurated in Istanbul last week. It has a total of 20 representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkiye to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations to allow food and fertilizer exports from the Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. The United States announced to deliver USD 550 million package of military aid to Ukraine, the State Department informed in a statement on Monday. "Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our seventeenth drawdown since August 2021 of up to USD 550 million in arms and equipment from US Department of Defense (DoD) inventories for Ukraine's self-defence," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Today's announcement includes more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 155mm artillery systems that Ukraine's forces are using so effectively on the battlefield to defend their country," the statement added. Blinken said this drawdown will bring total US military assistance to to approximately USD 8.7 billion since the beginning of the Administration of Joe Biden. "The United States continues to stand with Allies and partners from more than 50 countries in providing vital security assistance to support Ukraine's defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia's aggression," Blinken added. Blinken said that the people of inspire the world as they defend their country and their freedom from Russia's brutal and unprovoked assault for over five months. The US reiterated its support for Ukraine, "Our commitment to the people of will not waver. We stand united with Ukraine," Blinken stated. Earlier, condemning Russia's "premeditated, unprovoked, unjustified, and brutal war" on Ukraine, Blinken had said that the US will continue to provide Ukraine with the arms to defend itself. "These efforts, combined with direct US humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine, support documenting evidence of Russia's war crimes against Ukraine's civilians, and continued efforts to ratchet up pressure on Putin's crumbling economy together will help weaken the Russian Government's position and further isolate them from the world until Russia ends its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine," he had said. Blinken had also reiterated the US support of Ukraine's defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. "This is a tragic and catastrophic war of choice entirely of Russia's making, and the United States, its allies, and partners will stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their just cause the defence of their country and their democracy. Together, we continue to support Ukraine's defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table," he had stated. Notably, Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (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.) One man was killed and five were wounded in a shooting Monday night in Northeast Washington, the Metropolitan Police Department said. The circumstances of the shooting, including whether the victims even knew each other, were being investigated, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters. The shooting occurred outside an apartment building located at 15th and F Streets Northeast, Contee said. All the victims were adult males, Contee said, and those wounded were being treated at area hospitals. (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.) US House of Representatives Speaker arrived in late on Tuesday on a trip she said was intended to express American solidarity with the Chinese-claimed island, the first such visit in 25 years and one that risks pushing relations between Washington and Beijing to a new low. Pelosi and her delegation disembarked from a U.S. Air Force transport plan at Songshan Airport in downtown Taipei and were greeted by Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu and Sandra Oudkirk, the top U.S. representative in . "Our congressional delegation's visit to honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy," Pelosi said in a statement shortly after landing. "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." China immediately condemned Pelosi's visit, with the foreign ministry saying it seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, "has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The ministry said it had lodged a strong protest with the United States. Chinese warplanes buzzed the line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday before her arrival, and Chinese state media said People's Liberation Army would hold exercises near Taiwan from Thursday through Sunday. Pelosi, who is second in the line of succession to the U.S. presidency and a long-time critic of Beijing, was on a tour of Asia that includes announced visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Her stop in Taiwan had not been announced but had been widely anticipated. In a Washington Post opinion piece released shortly after she landed, Pelosi outlined her reasons for visiting, praising Taiwan's commitment to democratic government while criticizing China as having dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan in recent years. "We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan - and democracy itself," Pelosi said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Pelosi also cited China's "brutal crackdown" against political dissent in Hong Kong, as well as its treatment of Muslim Uighurs and other minorities, which the United States has deemed genocide. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier on Tuesday that U.S. politicians who "play with fire" on the Taiwan issue will "come to no good end". White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said after Pelosi's arrival that the United States "is not going to be intimidated" by threats or bellicose rhetoric from China. Kirby said the visit is not a violation of either any sovereignty issues or America's longstanding "one-China policy." "There's no reason for this visit to become a spurring event for a crisis or conflict," Kirby added. Taiwan's presidential office said President Tsai Ing-wen will meet with Pelosi on Wednesday morning and would have lunch with her. Four sources said she was also scheduled on Wednesday afternoon to meet a group of activists who are outspoken about China's human rights record. Pelosi, 82, is a close ally of U.S. President Joe Biden, both being members of the Democratic Party, and has been a key figure in guiding his legislative agenda through the U.S. Congress. On Tuesday night, Taiwan's tallest building, Taipei 101, lit up with messages including: "Welcome to Taiwan", "Speaker Pelosi", "Taiwan (heart) USA". With tensions already high, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday morning before leaving later in the day, a source told Reuters. Several Chinese warships have also sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday and remained there, the source said. The Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly "touching" the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby, the person said. Neither side's aircraft normally cross the median line. Four U.S. warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy called routine deployments. The carrier had transited the South China Sea and was now in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a U.S. Navy official told Reuters. It was operating with the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam and destroyer USS Higgins, with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli also in the area. Since last week, China's PLA has conducted various exercises, including live-fire drills, in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, in a show of Chinese military might. China views visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the democratic, self-governed island. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide the island's future. The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by American law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. 'STATE PROVOCATEUR' Russia - itself locked in confrontation with the West over its invasion of Ukraine - also chimed in on Pelosi's expected visit. Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the visit was a provocative U.S. attempt to pile pressure on China, a country with which Russia has forged a strong partnership in recent years. "The USA is a state provocateur," Zakharova said. "Russia confirms the principle of 'one China' and opposes the independence of the island in any form." Earlier on Tuesday, Pelosi visited Malaysia, having begun her Asia tour in Singapore on Monday. Her office said she would also go to South Korea and Japan but made no mention of a Taiwan visit. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said it had a full grasp of military activities near Taiwan and that it would dispatch forces appropriately in reaction to "enemy threats". China's defence and foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment. In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies opposite Taiwan and has a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armoured vehicles. During a phone call last Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Biden that Washington should abide by the one-China principle and "those who play with fire will perish by it". Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed and that Washington strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told reporters in a call that the damage to American-Chinese relations done by the Pelosi visit would be hard to repair. "We all know how bad this relationship has been in the past year. And I just think that this visit by is just going to take it to a new low," Glaser said. "And I think that it's going to be very difficult to recover from that." Website of Taiwan presidential office receives overseas cyber attack The website of Taiwans presidential office received an overseas cyber attack on Tuesday and was at one point malfunctioning, a source briefed on the matter said. The website was shortly brought back online, the source told Reuters. Around 5:15 pm local time, the presidential office in Taipei was hit with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack (Agencies). Issuing fresh sanctions on Iran, US targets Chinese, UAE firms The United States imposed sanctions on Chinese and other firms it said helped to sell tens of millions of dollars in Iranian oil and petrochemical products to East Asia as it seeks to raise pressure on Tehran to curb its nuclear programme. The US Treasury and the US State Departments imposed sanctions on 6 firms in actions that were announced in separate statements (Reuters). (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 MARS II multiple rocket launchers supplied by have arrived in Ukraine, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has announced on Twitter. "Thank you to and personally to my colleague Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht for these systems," the 56-year-old politician wrote. Lambrecht had already announced the delivery of the three missile launchers last week. In addition, has already delivered heavy weapons such as Leopard anti-aircraft tanks and self-propelled howitzer 2000 artillery systems to Ukraine, news agency dpa reported. MARS stands for Medium Artillery Rocket System and can fire missiles with different effects - such as guided missiles with GPS systems or mine ejection missiles to block off sections of terrain. The launch batteries with a combat load of 12 missiles are mounted on tracked vehicles that can develop a speed of up to 50 km per hour. The range of the projectiles is in some cases more than 100 km. MARS II is the third long-range artillery system supplied to by the West, alongside the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers supplied by the US and the M270 MLRS from the UK. --IANS int/shs (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Sensex and Nifty are heading for a muted start on Tuesday tracking weakness in US equities the previous night, which declined up to 0.3 per cent. At 7:30 am, the SGX Nifty futures were quoting at 17,320 level, down around 50 points from Nifty futures' Monday close. That said, here are some stocks that will likely be on investors radar today: Q1 Earnings: Bosch, Indus Towers, Siemens, Adani Green Energy, Bank of India, Voltas, Brigade Enterprises, Deepak Nitrite, Dhanuka Agritech, Dodla Dairy, Gateway Distriparks, Gati, Godrej Properties, Gravita India, JM Financial, Jubilant Pharmova, Lemon Tree Hotels, MOIL, and Paradeep Phosphates will be in focus ahead of their June quarter earnings on August 2. will release their today. Zomato: Food aggregator reported a consolidated loss of Rs 186 crore in the first quarter of 2022-23. Its losses eased on both year-on-year (YoY) and sequential bases. The companys consolidated loss was Rs 359 crore in Q1FY22 and Rs 359.7 crore in Q4FY22. Read here ITC: Cigarettes-to-hotels major on Monday reported a 33.98 per cent year-on-year (YoY) jump in its consolidated net profit, which came in at Rs 4,389.76 crore, amid growth across segments. In the year-ago period, profit was Rs 3,276.48 crore. Net sales came in at Rs 18,353 crore, up 39.2 per cent YoY and well ahead of expectations. Read more Telecom stocks: After seven days of bidding through 40 rounds, 5G spectrum auction has generated revenues of over Rs 1.5 trillion (Rs 150,173 crore to be precise). Reliance Jio was top of the charts, forking out more than double of Bharti Airtel at Rs 88,078 crore for 24,740 MHz of spectrum. But that includes the crucial 700 MHz band (considered key for 5G because of its coverage) apart from 1800 and the 5G bands of 3.3 GHz as well as 26 GHz. Read it here Carborundum Universal: Murugappa Group company Carborundum Universal (Cumi) has posted a 10 per cent rise in consolidated net profit for the first quarter of the financial year 2022-23. Profit went up to Rs 85.99 crore compared to Rs 78.01 crore during the April-June quarter of 2021-22. Read more Arvind: Leading textile manufacturer on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 101.62 crore for the first quarter that ended on June 30, 2022. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 11.42 crore during the April-June quarter of the previous fiscal, Arvind said in a regulatory filing. Read more Barbeque-Nation Hospitality: The company has reported a net profit of Rs 16.02 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2022. It had clocked a net loss Rs 43.85 crore in the April-June period a year ago. The firm will also acquire 6.34 per cent additional stake in subsidiary Red Apple Kitchen Consultancy (Toscano) for Rs 7.66 cr, by Aug 31. After the acquisition, the company's stake in Red Apple Kitchen Consultancy will increase to 75.16 per cent. The company has received Rs 180.48 crore from Mylan after it transferred Upjohn business (rimarily off-patent branded and generic established medicines business) comprising of six brands, which included Lyrica, Viagra, Celebrex, Amlogard, Daxid and Dilantin along with related business assets and liabilities to Mylan. Castrol India: The company reported a 47.3 per cent year-on-year growth in profit at Rs 206.26 crore for the quarter ended June 2022 despite higher input cost, driven by strong top line and operating performance. Revenue grew 40 per cent YoY to Rs 1,241.71 crore during the same period. NMDC: The mineral producer recorded a monthly production of iron ore at 2.05 million tonnes in July 2022, declining from 3.06 million tonnes in July 2021 and sales dropped to 2.95 million tonnes from 3.29 million tonnes during the same period. Eicher Motors: The company reported a 40 per cent rise in sales of commercial vehicles in July 2022 to 5,982 units compared to 4,271 units sold in same month last year, with domestic sales increasing 51 per cent to 5,360 units.But exports fell 22 per cent to 501 units in the same period. Kansai Nerolac Paints: The company reported a 36.5 per cent YoY growth in consolidated profit at Rs 152 crore in the quarter ended June 2022 despite sharp increase in input cost, supported by operating performance and top line. Revenue grew by 46 per cent YoY to Rs 2,051.40 crore during the same period. Escorts Kubota: The company has posted a 20.35 per cent decline in standalone net profit to Rs 147.5 crore in the quarter ending June 30, 2022 (Q1FY23) compared to a profit of Rs185.2 crore in the previous fiscal. The revenue from operations climbed to Rs 2,014.9 crore in Q1FY23 against Rs 1,677 crore in the same period last year. HeroMoto Corp: sold 445,580 units in July 2022 as against 454,398 units in July 2021, a marginal YoY growth of 1.9 per cent. Its motorcycle sales fell 0.7 per cent YoY to 421,288 units and scooter sales fell 19.8 per cent YoY to 24,292 units. The company exported 14,896 units, which were 40 per cent down. TVS Motor Company: The company registered a growth of 13 percent in July 2022 with sales of 3.14 lakh units as against 2.78 lakh units sold in July 2021, with two-wheeler sales growing 14 percent to 2.62 lakh units and total exports rising 9% to 1.12 lakh units during the same period. Thyrocare Technologies: The company has reported a 61 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated profits at Rs 21.73 crore for Q1FY23, dented by lower top line and weak operating performance. Its revenue fell 22.4 per cent to Rs 127.8 crore during the same period. HG Infra Engineering: The company has received the completion certificate for construction of eight lane carriageway in Rajasthan. The project has been declared fit for entry into operation on June 26, 2022. Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the 5G telecom services is likely to be launched by October this year. Briefing the media in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said, more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore of bids were received during the 5G auction, which commenced on 26th of last month. The spectrum will be assigned to the successful bidders for providing 5G services to the public and enterprises. The auction was held for spectrum in various Low, Medium, and High-frequency bands. The Government of India had put 72,098 MHz spectrum to auction, of which 51,236 MHz (71% of the total) has been sold with bid amounting to Rs 1,50,173 crore. Adani Data Networks has obtained 400 MHz spectrum in mm wave band (26 GHz). Bharti Airtel has obtained 19,867.8 MHz in 900, 1800, 2100, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands. Reliance Jio Infocomm has obtained 24,740 MHz spectrum in 700, 800, 1800, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz. Vodafone Idea has obtained 6,228 MHz spectrum in 1800, 2100, 2500, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz. The total bid amount of Rs 1,50,173 crore comprises the bids Rs 212 crore by Adani Data Networks, Rs 43,048 crore Bharti Airtel, Rs 88,078 crore by Reliance Jio Infocomm, and Rs 18,799 crore by Vodafone idea. The annual installment to be paid by all the participants is Rs 13,365 crore. The process of allocation of spectrum shall be completed within the timeframe and 5G services are likely to be rolled out by September/October, Ministry of Communications said in a statement. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bank of India reported 22% drop in standalone net profit to Rs 561 crore on a 4% fall in total income to Rs 11,124 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q1 FY22. Net Interest Income (NII) increased by 29% to Rs 4,072 crore in Q1 FY23 from Rs 3,146 crore in Q1 FY22. Net Interest Margin (NIM) was 2.55% in Q1 FY23 as against 2.16% in Q1 FY22. Operating profit fell 21% YoY to Rs 2,183 crore in the first quarter. Total provisions before tax declined by 20% to Rs 1,322 crore in Q1 FY23 from Rs 1,652 crore in Q1 FY22. However, provisions for bad & doubtful debts rose by 49% YoY to Rs 1,304 crore. Profit before tax (PBT) in Q1 FY23 stood at Rs 861 crore, down by 22% from Rs 1,097 crore in Q1 FY22. The bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 44,415 crore as on 30 June 2022 as against Rs 45,605 crore as on 31 March 2022 and Rs 56,042 crore as on 30 June 2021. The ratio of gross NPAs was 9.30% as on 30 June 2022 as against 13.51% as of 30 June 2021. The ratio of net NPAs was 2.21% as on 30 June 2022 as compared with 3.35% as on 30 June 2021. Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) stood at 87.96% as on 31 June 2022 as against 86.17% as on 31 June 2021. While bank's deposits increased by 3% YoY to Rs 6,40,734 crore, advances rose by 19% YoY to Rs 4,42,703 crore as on 31 June 2022. As on 30 June 2022, the bank's total capital adequacy ratio (CRAR) was at 15.61% while the CET-1 ratio stood at 12.86% as on 30 June 2022. Bank of India is a public sector bank. The Government of India held 81.41% stake in the bank as on 31 March 2022. The scrip advanced 2.85% to currently trade at Rs 50.50 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bank of Maharashtra is quoting at Rs 17.6, up 2.62% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 18.33% in last one year as compared to a 6.88% jump in NIFTY and a 16.44% jump in the Nifty Pharma. Bank of Maharashtra is up for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 17.6, up 2.62% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.57% on the day, quoting at 17240.85. The Sensex is at 57849.48, down 0.46%. Bank of Maharashtra has gained around 11.04% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Pharma index of which Bank of Maharashtra is a constituent, has gained around 16.52% in last one month and is currently quoting at 2831.2, up 2.41% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 24.54 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 26.05 lakh shares in last one month. The PE of the stock is 8.29 based on TTM earnings ending June 22. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On 09 August 2022 The Board of Hindustan Foods will meet on 09 August 2022 to consider a proposal for obtaining an enabling resolution from the Shareholders for fund raising by the Company, by way of inter alia, issue of Equity Shares or any other equity linked instruments or securities including convertible preference shares/ fully or partly convertible debentures or by way of a composite issue of non-convertible debentures and warrants entitling the warrant holder(s) to apply for equity shares, or any other eligible securities through inter alia, a private placement or through one or more Qualified Institutions Placements(QIP's) or further public issue of equity I debt securities, preferential issue or a rights issue or through any other permissible mode and/or combination thereof as may be considered appropriate, subject to such approvals as may be required including the approval of the Members at General Meetings or through Postal Ballot and further subject to such other Statutory /regulatory approval as applicable. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Central Bank of India is quoting at Rs 18.55, up 2.2% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 19% in last one year as compared to a 6.97% jump in NIFTY and a 16.79% jump in the Nifty Pharma index. Central Bank of India is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 18.55, up 2.2% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.49% on the day, quoting at 17254.95. The Sensex is at 57869.1, down 0.42%. Central Bank of India has gained around 3.92% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Pharma index of which Central Bank of India is a constituent, has gained around 16.87% in last one month and is currently quoting at 2831.2, up 2.72% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 24.36 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 21.08 lakh shares in last one month. The PE of the stock is 10.61 based on TTM earnings ending June 22. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LAGOS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and another two injured in an armed attack in central Nigeria's Plateau state on Sunday night, according to the state police. Alfred Alabo, police spokesperson in Plateau, said in a statement on Monday that unidentified gunmen attacked on Sunday night the Danda Chugwi village in the Jos South local government of the state. The two injured people were receiving medical care at a local health facility, Alabo said, adding that an investigation is underway with efforts to arrest the gunmen at large. The most populous African country has bee plagued by a series of armed attacks in recent months, which have caused the death of civilians and security operatives. IDFC advanced 3.63% to Rs 59.90 after the company said that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the divestment of IDFC Asset Management Company (IDFC AMC). On the BSE, 10.90 lakh shares of IDFC were traded in the counter during the day as compared with average daily volumes of 3.22 lakh shares in the past two weeks. "...The Competition Commission of India has, vide its letter dated August 01, 2022, informed that the Commission, at its meeting held on August 01, 2022, considered the proposed combination and approved the same under sub-section (1) of Section 31 of the Competition Act, 2022,, IDFC said in a statement. In April this year, a consortium of Bandhan Bank's parent Bandhan Financial Holdings (BFHL), private equity firm ChrysCapital and Singapore's sovereign fund GIC had announced the acquisition of IDFC Asset Management Company for Rs 4,500 crore. IDFC had informed that the Bandhan consortium was selected through a highly competitive divestment process which witnessed strong participation from strategic players and financial investors. The deal envisages continuity of the current management team and investment processes at IDFC AMC. This will be supplemented well by Bandhan's brand as well as GIC's and CC's international network and experience, which will aid IDFC AMC in further cementing its position in the asset management industry and propel further growth, IDFC said in a statement on Wednesday. Established in 2000, IDFC AMC is India's 9th largest asset manager by Asset Under Management (AUM), with an ontheground presence in over 50+ cities and investors in 750+ cities and towns across the country. It manages over Rs 1,15,000 crore of AUM at the end of 31 March 2022. IDFC is a financial services company in India and it advances infrastructure development in the country. The Corporation had reported a net profit of Rs 3.27 crore in Q4 FY22 as against a net profit of Rs 25.85 crore in Q4 FY21, down 87.4% YoY. Total income during the quarter increased by 73.9% YoY to Rs 8.07 crore. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TVS Motor Company's total sales rose by 13% in July 2022 with sales of 314,639 units as against 278,855 units in the month of July 2021. Total two-wheelers registered a growth of 14% in July 2022 with sales increasing from 262,728 units in July 2021 to 299,658 units in July 2022. While domestic two-wheeler sales increased by 15% to 201,942 units, exports grew by 12% to 97,716 units in July 2022 as compared with July 2021. Three-wheeler of the Company registered sales of 14,981 units in July 2022 as against sales of 16,127 units in July 2021. The company's total exports grew by 9% from 103,133 units in July 2021 to 112,032 units in July 2022. The company said that its electric vehicle TVS iQube Electric has received a very good response from customers and the future demand outlook is very positive. Efforts on increasing the capacity and delivery are showing results, and against a monthly average sale of 2,908 units in Q1 2022, the company sold 6,304 units of TVS iQube Electric in July 2022. "The company has invested in strategic relationships and action plans for the supply of semiconductors and the efforts are yielding results with improvements seen this month as well. We are very confident of the supplies improving further, TVS Motors said in a statement. TVS Motor Company is a reputed two and three-wheeler manufacturer globally. The company has four manufacturing facilities in Hosur, Mysuru and Nalagarh in India and Karawang in Indonesia. The company reported a standalone net profit of Rs 321 crore in Q1 FY23 as against a net profit of Rs 53 crore in Q1 FY22. Operating revenue was Rs 6,009 crore in the quarter ended June 2022 as against Rs 3,934 crore reported in the quarter ended June 2021, up 52.7% YoY. The scrip rose 0.72% to currently trade at Rs 934 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Zomato rose 7.87% to Rs 50 after the online food delivery platform reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 186 crore in Q1 June 2022, as against net loss of Rs 360.70 crore in Q1 June 2021. Zomato reported a net loss of Rs 359.70 crore in Q4 March 2022. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,413.9 crore in Q1 June 2022, up 67.44% from Rs 844.4 crore reported in Q1 June 2021. Adjusted EBITDA loss reduced to Rs 150 crore (-8% of adjusted revenue) in Q1FY23 compared with Rs 220 crore (-15% of adjusted revenue) in Q4 FY22. Zomato defines adjusted Ebidta as EBITDA (+) share-based payment expense (-) rental accounting adjustment for Ind AS 116. Growth in revenue was driven by ~10% QoQ growth in Gross Order Value ("GOV") to Rs 6430 crore in Q1FY23 and growth in revenue per order. GOV growth was in turn driven by robust growth in order volumes and mild growth in average order values as compared to the previous quarter. On the profitability front, the food delivery business hit a milestone last quarter by getting to adjusted EBITDA break-even. Contribution as a % of GOV increased to 2.8% in Q1FY23 as compared to 1.7% in Q4FY22 driven by improvements on both cost and revenue side. Deepinder Goyal, chief executive officer, said, "The real driver here is focus and mindset. Our focus on profitability has sharpened over the past few months with the change in market context, without compromising our focus on growth. We are doing that by assessing everything with a critical lens and allocating resources by taking a long-term view to sustainable growth, as well as profit." In a letter to shareholders, Goyal said there is no plan to make any more minority investments. "We are in cash conservation mode, and are busy executing what we already have on our plates right now," he said. Stating that the company has shut down many lines of business, cities and even country operations that no longer made sense, Goyal said, "operationally, we continue to say no to competing with our restaurant partners - we own zero restaurant brands or cloud kitchens, and have no investments or financial interest in any restaurant brand/kitchen." Going forward, the big driver of order volume growth, Goyal said, will be monthly transacting customers. "If you compare Q1FY23 with Q1FY22, average monthly transacting customers have increased by 36% while the average monthly order frequency has also increased by 10% in the same period. Growth in monthly transacting customers will be a function of higher repeat rate of the existing customer base of Zomato (50+ million annual transacting customers in FY22) and new customer addition which remains robust," he said. Goyal said losses for Blinkit are coming down every month - from Rs 204 crore in January 2022 to Rs 92.90 crore in July 2022E. The losses have come down owing to operating leverage and improved execution. Blinkit has also shut down a number of unviable dark stores, which were not scaling. This has also brought the losses down. In terms of geographic presence, the plan for now is to stay focused on the top 15 cities and deepen Blinkit's presence in these markets, he added. Goyal said that the Zomato cash balance stood at Rs 11,400 crore as at 30 June 2022. Zomato connects customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners. Customers use Zomato to search and discover restaurants, read and write customer generated reviews and view and upload photos, order food delivery, book a table and make payments while dining-out at restaurants. On the other hand, it provides restaurant partners with industry-specific marketing tools which enable them to engage and acquire customers to grow their business while also providing a reliable and efficient last mile delivery service. The company also operates a one-stop procurement solution, Hyperpure, which supplies high quality ingredients and kitchen products to restaurant partners. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indias judicial system has long been known for its clunky inefficiency. So when Prime Minister spoke of the need for ease of justice alongside ease of doing business and ease of living, he was reflecting a reality that most Indians have come to take for granted. Speaking at the first all-India legal district services authorities meet in Delhi, Mr Modi said that justice delivery was as critical as access to justice. The prime minister specifically referred to the need to speed up the release of under-trial prisoners languishing in Indian jails for want of legal aid. This is the second time this year Mr Modi has referred to the inhuman conditions of overcrowded Indian jails, an issue that indebted businessman Vijay Mallya could raise even in a British court. In May, he appealed to the judiciary to devise ways to release 3,500,000 under-trial prisoners. 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. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor BJP leader from West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari Tuesday urged Union Home Minister to implement the citizenship law CAA at the earliest, with the latter assuring him that rules regarding it will be framed after the Covid precaution dose vaccination exercise is over. The framing of rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will pave the way for its implementation. Passed by Parliament in December 2019, the Act is yet to be rolled out due to the absence of rules. The government has cited the outbreak of pandemic for not framing them so far. During the West Bengal assembly polls in 2021, the BJP had promised the implementation of the CAA. Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, told reporters after meeting Shah that he also handed him a list of nearly 100 Trinamool Congress leaders allegedly involved in the recruitment scam in which former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has been arrested. Seeking a wider probe to expose everyone involved in the scandal, Adhikari gave the home minister even letterheads of some TMC leaders, including MLAs, that were purportedly used for recommending certain names for jobs by allegedly taking bribes. He tweeted after meeting Shah, "It's an honour for me to meet Union Home Minister for 45 minutes at his office in Parliament. I briefed him how WB Govt is completely mired in corrupt activities such as the teachers recruitment scam. Also requested him to implement CAA at the earliest." Adhikari told reporters that the issue of CAA, slammed by critics for its alleged anti-Muslim bias, implementation is very critical for West Bengal where a large number of people who can benefit from its provisions. The CAA was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, and the Act was notified within 24 hours on December 12. In May, while addressing a rally in Bengal, Shah had said that the law would be implemented once the Covid pandemic ends. There is a view that the government is treading cautiously on the matter after the Act drew saw protests in different parts of the country. It seeks to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities of neighbouring countries, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who had come to India by December 31, 2014. Speaking to reporters, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumder also hit out at TMC leader and state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that without indications from her the recruitment scam could not have happened. "It is an organised crime. There was a 'cut money food chain' and some people would be based in every district to pick money and channel it through the party (TMC) organisation," he alleged. Adhikari said career of anywhere between 80-90 lakh teacher job aspirants were ruined by the scam. They have remain unemployed due to this, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior leader will attend the party's Karnataka unit's political affairs committee meeting on Tuesday evening, amid rumblings within ahead of 2023 Assembly polls. He will also take part in former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's 75th birthday bash in the district headquarters town of Davanagere on Wednesday. The political affairs committee will be meeting for the first time after its constitution, at Hubballi in North Karnataka around 8 PM on Tuesday. The 35-member committee including seven special invitees, constituted by President Sonia Gandhi on July 9, has AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala as its convenor. It has KPCC President D K Shivakumar, Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha M Mallikarjun Kharge, Campaign Committee chief M B Patil, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council B K Hariprasad, senior leaders like H K Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, M Veerappa Moily, and G Parameshwara, among others, as its members. The meeting is likely to discuss preparations for Assembly polls in Karnataka likely before May next year, and also organisational matters, party sources said. "He (Rahul Gandhi) has a task cut out as he may address the growing factionalism within the state and will try to send out a message of unity", sources said. Rahul's two-day visit to the State assumes significance as the Congress in Karnataka seems to be in a conundrum, as many within the party fear about it imploding ahead of assembly polls, amid a game of one-upmanship between its two top leaders -- Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar -- as to who will be the Chief Minister in the event of the party coming to power. There is also palpable worry within the party about a virtual division getting created between the camps of the two key leaders, hurting its prospects in the polls. Though both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have overtly maintained that the CM will be decided by party's newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining majority in the polls, their loyalists and camp followers have been projecting their respective leader, making things messy. Siddaramaiah's supporters have planned a grand celebrations on his 75th birthday, a mega convention on August 3, an apparent show of strength by his camp. The event comes ahead of the party sounding a bugle for Assembly polls, despite reservations from a section of old guard, which reportedly include Shivakumar, who has said that he is opposed to "personality cult" in the party. Rahul will also visit Chitradurga's Murugarajendra Mutt, a prominent Lingayat seminary in the region, during the visit on August 3, and meet Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru and seers of various mutts. The former Congress President during his last visit to the state in April had set a target of winning 150 seats to his party's state unit, in a bid to bring it back to power, and urged for unity among its rank and file. (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.) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the BJP is a party which emphasises nationalism and there is no question of discrimination against anyone. "Ours is a party. Nationalism is our stand. There is no question of discrimination against anyone," Bommai told reporters in Davangere. Referring to the protests over the murder of a BJYM worker, he said a sense of confidence is building among them as the investigation is progressing. "Our police would certainly nab the killers. I am confident about it," he said. On allegations of opposition parties, he said "the leaders of previous regimes should introspect on their conduct over such issues,'" he added. On July 26, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare, Dakshina Kannada. The Chief Minister said he will hold a meeting with the state Health Minister on Tuesday. "We have taken the Monkeypox infections seriously. The meeting with the Health minister and officials would take decisions on screening of passengers coming from outside and arrangements for treatment," Bommai 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.) Arrested minister has been "non-cooperating" with sleuths of the (ED) as he has "not replied" to most of their questions in connection with the probe into a school job scam, an officer of the central agency said on Monday. The suspended Trinamool Congress leader has "remained silent most of the time" during the questioning about a conspiracy that he referred to while speaking to journalists at ESI Hospital at Joka where he was taken for a medical check up, the ED official said. Chatterjee had on Friday asserted that he was a "victim of a conspiracy" and expressed unhappiness over TMC's decision to suspend him. "He has been non-cooperating with us since he was arrested. He is often complaining of tiredness and avoiding our questions. We have asked Chatterjee about his claims that the money does not belong to him So, we are looking for the source of the money," the ED official told PTI. Chatterjee, who is at the centre of a multi-crore school job scam, on Sunday claimed that the money recovered during ED raids does not belong to him, and only time will tell who all have "conspired" against him. Nearly Rs 50 crore in cash along with gold were recovered from apartments linked to Arpita Mukherjee, one of Chatterjee's close aides, as per the official of the central agency. During the interrogation, Mukherjee also claimed that the huge amount of cash and pieces of jewellery recovered from two of her flats "were not hers". The agency sleuths conducted another round of search operations at her flat in the northern part of the city on Monday evening, the ED official said. They also collected CCTV footage of her high-end apartment "to find out who used to visit there", he said. In fact, the ED officials on Monday summoned the secretary of the dwellers' association of the housing complex in Belghoria where the woman has two flats, he said. Meanwhile, the ED has also started looking for a GST number that is found in her possession. "She has used one GST number for running a business of beauty parlour, but there is another such number which is not linked to any business. We are trying to find out whether this one was generated in an illegal manner to evade tax," he said. The central agency is planning to interrogate Chatterjee and his close aide together on Tuesday, the official claimed. The ED on July 23 arrested Chatterjee in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the school job scam. Chatterjee had held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off. The ED is looking into the money trail involved in the scam. Another central agency CBI, as directed by Calcutta High Court, is probing the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group-C and -D staff, as well as teachers in government-sponsored and -aided schools, on the recommendations of the School Service Commission. (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 Narendra Modi announced a Rs 3 trillion package for reforms in the power distribution sector last week, while blaming freebies culture for the mounting dues of the . So, will this package address the problems plaguing the countrys power sector? Or there is more to be done to lift it out of its current crisis? From the stalemate on power subsidies, let us move on to the one on boards. A small town, about 50km off Chennai, is all decked up, hosting Indias first Olympiad. But a lot of efforts have gone into bringing the coveted international event to Poonjeri Village in Tamil Nadus Mamallapuram -- a UNESCO heritage site. Officials and wizards from 187 countries are brainstorming there. Let us move on to now. Domestic equity firmed up in July as slower FII outflows, ease in commodity prices and robust corporate earnings lifted investor spirits. But is the recent recovery sustainable or is it only a short-term bounce? While our previous segment offered a peek into the ongoing action on Mumbais Dalal Street, our next one will help you take a tour of the countrys financial alley. was relaunched in India recently, about six years after being banned from the country. Let us know more about it in this episode of the podcast. Launching the 3-trillion-rupee Revamped Distributor Sector Scheme last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states to clear their unpaid dues, estimated to be a staggering 2.5 trillion rupees, to distribution and generating companies. He said clearing these bills was not a case of politics but nation-building. According to Power Ministry data, states and union territories together owed more than 1.1 trillion rupees to generating companies while the total money owed to the discoms stood at 1.4 trillion. The vast majority of consumers in India, nearly 90%, are still served by state-owned utilities. But discoms continue to be the weakest link in the supply chain of the power sector, with most of them making losses as a result of expensive long-term power purchase agreements, poor infrastructure, and inefficient operations, among others. The losses prevent them from making the required investments to modernise the distribution infrastructure and improve the quality of power supply. The discoms inability to pay gencos, in turn, endangers the financial health of the generators and their lenders, causing a negative domino effect on the economy. Discom bailout packages The Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme is the fifth discom bailout scheme from the Centre in the past two decades and the third by the PM Modi-led government alone. The scheme will offer discoms financial assistance for infrastructure creation, including pre-paid smart metering and feeder separation, upgradation of systems etc., based on pre-qualifying criteria. The overall aim is to reduce pan-Indian aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to 12-15% from the current 21.73% and the gap between the average cost of supply and average revenue realised to zero by FY25 from the current 0.39 rupees per Kwh. 38 discoms have received funding approval to the tune of 1.9 trillion rupees after meeting the qualification criteria. The schemes implemented so far have not been able to ensure a sustainable turnaround of both finances and operations of the discoms. In May, the government notified a scheme to liquidate overdues that discoms owe gencos, by enabling them to pay their dues in 48 installments. According to CRISIL, the success of the scheme will depend on how discoms are able to enhance their revenues and an enforcement mechanism that ensures timely payment to gencos. Many states provide subsidised and sometimes free electricity for agriculture. The total of annual power subsidy schemes and financial assistance across a sample of five highly-indebted states like Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan adds up to Rs 42,155 crore. Further, theft of electricity continues to be rampant in many parts of the country. Tamil Nadus discom TANGEDCO owes Rs 25,760 crore to gencos For instance, the Tamil Nadu government has proposed an electricity tariff hike after a gap of eight years, though experts say the quantum of hike is not enough to overcome the state discoms financial crisis. The latest scheme focuses on capex and a certain portion of the outlay under it will be in the form of grants. The availability of these grants will be subject to the concerned state discoms meeting certain performance milestones, which will be monitored by the concerned nodal agency over the next 5 years. So, there is clearly an attempt to make the scheme result-oriented. However, the distribution segment is a state subject. Thus, strong political will and support is required across state governments for the scheme to succeed. ABUJA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commended the collective efforts of the international community toward tackling security challenges across the globe and within Nigeria, urging more collaboration to check terrorism, banditry and insurgency. Buhari, while receiving letters of credence in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, from some newly posted ambassadors to Nigeria, said the successes in taming insecurity had been recorded through collaboration across borders and more could be achieved. He said the devastating effect of global insecurity, climate change and the post-COVID-19 era has devastated global economies, adding nations continue to struggle to recover from these multiple global challenges. "Nigeria is not left out of the equation, as we are fighting to rid our country of banditry, kidnapping, herder-farmer crisis, and insurgency. We are, however, making meaningful progress with the support of friendly countries to sustain these fights until we overcome these challenges," Buhari said. According to him, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has undermined the progress countries have achieved in tackling food security in the last decade. Likewise, he said, the political instability in Libya continues to fuel terrorism in the Sahel, as well as scuttle democratic sustenance in both West and Central African regions. At the regional level, Buhari said Nigeria had been working with other member states of the Economic Community of West African States and other regional blocs, to deal with the problems of terrorism, trans-border crimes, maritime crimes, such as piracy, illegal fishing, human trafficking, banditry, as well as unconstitutional changes of government. "I believe that matters of security have become the business of all nations as these challenges go beyond the abilities of any single country to effectively contain. The world must, therefore, work closely together and Nigeria counts on your support in cementing the relations between our countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels to surmount these global threats to civilization," he added. A heatwave in China has brought drought to regions that rely on the Yangtze river, the countrys longest. In Southwest Chinas Chongqing, local media reports more than 600,000 people and 36,000 hectares of crops are affected. Further east, the extreme weather is also threatening crops in Jiangxi province. Local authorities have issued warnings for high temperatures and carried out drought relief measures in parts of the country Aug 17, 2022 05:59 PM From the NY Fed: Total Household Debt Surpasses $16 trillion in Q2 2022; Mortgage, Auto Loan, and Credit Card Balances Increase The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The Report shows an increase in total household debt in the second quarter of 2022, increasing by $312 billion (2%) to $16.15 trillion. Balances now stand $2 trillion higher than at the end of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is based on data from the New York Fed's nationally representative Consumer Credit Panel. Mortgage balances rose by $207 billion in the second quarter of 2022 and stood at $11.39 trillion at the end of June. Credit card balances also increased by $46 billion. Although seasonal patterns typically include an increase in the second quarter, the 13% cumulative increase in credit card balances since Q2 2021 represents the largest in more than 20 years. Auto loan balances increased by a solid $33 billion in the second quarter, while student loan balances were roughly unchanged from the first quarter and stand at $1.59 trillion. Other balanceswhich includes retail cards and other consumer loans increased by a robust $25 billion. In total, non-housing balances grew by $103 billion, the largest increase seen since 2016. Mortgage originations slightly declined in the second quarter and stood at $758 billion. The volume of newly originated auto loans increased to $199 billion, continuing the high volumes seen in dollar terms since Q3 2020. Aggregate limits on credit card accounts increased by $100 billion and now stand at $4.22 trillionthe largest increase in more than ten years. emphasis added Click on graph for larger image. Aggregate household debt balances increased by $312 billion in the second quarter of 2022, a 2.0% rise from 2022Q1. Balances now stand at $16.15 trillion and have increased by $2 trillion since the end of 2019, just before the pandemic recession. Aggregate delinquency rates were unchanged again in the second quarter of 2022 and remain very low, after declining sharply through the beginning of the pandemic, although aggregate delinquency rates have seen some change in the composition. The share of balances that are severely derogatory has declined to 1.1%, although the decline has been offset by increases in balances that are 30 days late. As of June, 2.7% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, a 2.0 percentage point decrease from the first quarter of 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. Here are three graphs from the report The first graph shows aggregate consumer debt increased in Q2. Household debt previously peaked in 2008 and bottomed in Q3 2013. Unlike following the great recession, there wasn't a huge decline in debt during the pandemic.From the NY Fed: The second graph shows the percent of debt in delinquency.The overall delinquency rate was unchanged in Q2. From the NY Fed:There is much more in the report Experts say Xi-Biden talks candid, in-depth, hope two countries play leading role Xinhua) 09:19, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on the phone at the request of the latter on Thursday evening. The two presidents had a candid communication and exchange on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual interest. Experts and scholars, in interviews with Xinhua, said the talks between the two heads of state are candid and in-depth. They hold expectations that in a world of change and disorder, China and the United States can take the lead in upholding world peace and security and in promoting global development and prosperity. They also urged the United States to honor the one-China principle and implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques both in word and in deed. DIRECT TALKS CONDUCIVE TO CHINA-U.S. TIES In the view of former U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus, talks between the two heads of state are "very good," because the more they talk to each other, the more likely that the two countries can resolve their differences. Singaporean political commentator Ang Teck Sin said candid and in-depth communication between the two countries' heads of state carries great significance. There is vast room for coordination and broad scope for cooperation between China and the United States, he said. Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, said the talks between the two heads of state sent a positive signal to the world, suggesting that as two important major countries, China and the United States would probably develop in concert for the sake of common interests of humanity. He expressed the hope that the two countries would strengthen coordination and help promote world prosperity and development. Lucio Blanco Pitlo, research fellow at Philippine think tank Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, said the phone conversation between Xi and Biden sent a positive signal, revealing that China and the United States attached importance to the impact of their relations on the world's development. It is hoped that the two countries can manage their differences through communication and dialogue, and preserve world peace and stability, Pitlo said. Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies in Nigeria, noted that the phone call came at an important time when tensions across the world are rising and headwinds facing the global economy are growing, and the communication between the two sides at the highest level itself bears great value. He noted that Washington is misperceived to see China as a strategic competitor and rival and that can easily send wrong signals both to people of the two countries and a larger world. There is no doubt that if China and the United States seek common ground while addressing their differences, they "can be in a better position to address issues not only of their concerns but that of the rest of world," Onunaiju said. MUCH-NEEDED LEADING ROLE AMID GLOBAL CHALLENGES French writer and sinologist Lea Bessis said she has seen from this conversation that President Xi is firm in looking for solutions to problems between China and the United States for the common good of the world. At the global macroeconomic level, coordination and dialogue between China and the United States are crucial, she noted, adding that the United States should refrain from economic decoupling, and that the two sides should work to strengthen trade ties and achieve win-win cooperation. Lins expressed his hope that China and the United States play a leading role in tackling global challenges such as poverty and social inequality, which are the common enemies of all countries. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said it is good to see the leaders seek candid solutions to the challenges facing bilateral relations, adding that premised on mutual respect and productive outcomes, Washington and Beijing can bring much value not just to themselves but also to the rest of the world. Gamal Zahran, professor of political studies in the faculty of Commerce at Egypt's Suez Canal University, called on Washington to demonstrate more sincerity in dealing with global economic and political problems. The world needs China-U.S. cooperation to limit stagflation and waits for the two major countries to overcome the state of uncertainty as well as the economic and political chaos that is troubling the world, he added. Bridging differences between China and the United States is a shortcut to properly resolving current international issues, said Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association. Only by sticking to the path of cooperation, can China and the United States promote cooperation in international security, help the world overcome the impacts of the pandemic at an early date, and get rid of the shadow of economic stagnation, so as to build a more stable and prosperous world, the South Korean expert noted. ONE-CHINA PRINCIPLE Adhere said the Taiwan question remains the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations simply because the United States has consistently used the Taiwan question to contain China. There is no question that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, a fact that is known to the United States, he added, noting that the U.S. side should respect China's core interests and major concerns. It is extremely wrong for the United States to try to undermine China's reunification, create instability in the region and even launch a propaganda war against China, Bessis said, referring to recent U.S. provocations over China's Taiwan. What the United States is doing is an extremely dangerous game. The U.S. should abide by the one-China principle, the French writer urged. Noting that the United States repeatedly tested China's bottom line, Onunaiju said Washington should match its words with deeds and stop making troubles. Referring to Xi's words that the will of the people cannot be defied and those who play with fire will perish by it, Kwon said it is China's warning to those external forces who attempt to undermine the one-China principle. The United States should stop arms sales to Taiwan, call off military actions that create tension across the Taiwan Strait, and implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Kwon added. Ang, the Singaporean political commentator, also noticed Beijing's warning to Washington on the Taiwan question. This clear warning once again demonstrates to the United States and the world China's firm will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. "We hope the United States will match its words with deeds and refrain from frequently provoking China's red line." (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) NAKURU, Kenya, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities said Tuesday they have beefed up security in parts of the northwestern region following circulation of hate leaflets ahead of next week's general elections. Fred Matiang'i, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination said eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the hate leaflets that have recently been circulated in parts of the Rift Valley region. Matiang'i said the suspects who are set to be arraigned in court were arrested through a multi-agency operation even as police intensified the hunt for more of their accomplices. "Police have arrested eight suspects in custody in connection with the circulation of those leaflets, and investigations continue. We have teams on the ground that have been working here for a long time, and we are collecting more intelligence in real time," he told journalists in Nakuru town, in northwestern Kenya. Matiang'i said the investigations will be extended to the masterminds of the leaflets whose content warns members of certain communities of retribution if they fail to elect particular leaders. The hate leaflets are intended to spread fear and panic among Kenyans of different ethnic communities living in Rift Valley, which is the most expansive region with unique policing challenges linked to the election season. After the general elections in 2007, inter-ethnic clashes and police violence left about 1,300 people dead and 650,000 displaced. Matiang'i said the government has increased the number of police officers and other resources deployed to secure the elections across the country. Matiang'i announced that a multi-agency command center has been established in Nakuru to coordinate harmonized responses to arising issues linked to next week's poll. Kenya will go to the polls on Aug. 9 to elect a new president and national lawmakers, as well as the governors and assemblies of its 47 counties. The August election is set to be contested between two major political alliances -- Kenya Kwanza headed by Deputy President William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. LAGOS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Five people were confirmed killed and two others injured in a road accident in south Nigeria's Cross River state on Tuesday, an official said. Abdullahi Hassan, a sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Cross River, told Xinhua on the phone a truck loaded with cement and a Toyota car collided on a road in the Biase local government area of the state on Tuesday morning. "Seven people were involved, but five people lost their lives," Hassan said, without giving further details. The cause of the accident could not be immediately ascertained, and the FRSC has launched an investigation into the incident, he said. Road accidents are frequently reported in Nigeria, mainly because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. A job seeker interacts with a potential employer at a job fair in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Aug. 2, 2022. The two-day Zimbabwe Job Fair opened Tuesday. Hosted by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center and Victory Milestone Recruitment, the event lived up to its billing as scores of job seekers exchanged notes with potential employers and left the curriculum vitae (CV) for possible placements. (Xinhua/Tafara Mugwara) by Tichaona Chifamba HARARE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural two-day Zimbabwe Job Fair opened Tuesday. Fifty companies, 25 of them Chinese-run enterprises, exhibited at the fair which also attracted high school pupils seeking career guidance ahead of tertiary education. Hosted by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center and Victory Milestone Recruitment, the event lived up to its billing as scores of job seekers exchanged notes with potential employers and left the curriculum vitae (CV) for possible placements. Victory Milestone Recruitment marketing director Donal Rushambwa said the fair presented employers with a platform through which they could tap into the vast human resources that the country offered. "The Zimbabwe Job Fair is an exhibition whereby we have companies coming to recruit job-seekers in all the fields. We've got mining, construction, agriculture, general administration jobs and even general hand jobs," he said in an interview with Xinhua. "We have about 600 jobs that are being exhibited today. There are 50 companies that are involved. There are local and Chinese companies -- 25 local companies and 25 Chinese," he said. Rushambwa said the organizers were trying to create a culture whereby people could wake up in the morning and go to look for jobs, while also allowing companies to employ the best talent on the market. "Nowadays because of nepotism companies haven't been trying to get the best in terms of recruitment because they are short-changed when nepotism comes into play," he said. The job fair would, therefore, push aside the hurdle of nepotism and corruption, thus allowing companies to recruit the best talent on the market, he added. "But today we're saying come through without knowing anyone, without paying anything for corruption reasons, with your experience and your talent, to show the companies out there what you're capable of and what you've been doing and try to get a chance at your dream job," he said. Rushambwa said the exhibiting companies were grateful for the event since they had come across talent that they did not know existed in the country. Administrator of Richmark Zimbabwe (Private) Limited Luna Zhao said they were happy with the fair as it had presented them with an opportunity to recruit drivers for their enterprise. She said she had received more than 10 CVs from potential employees by end of Tuesday morning and was hoping to get more applications through recommendations. "The jobs we're are offering are mostly for truck drivers because we're into mining. The response, I think, has been quite good because we received many CVs and they are also recommending their friends to me," she said. Among the job seekers was Given Kahwa, a Master in Business Administration (Innovation Management) graduate from China, who said he was hoping to land a job at the fair. "I recently came back from China, so, it's more like I'm looking for a job. I have talked to three or four companies and I have left my details, hoping they will call me soon," he said. He commended the organizers of the job fair, saying that it exposed job seekers to opportunities and helped school children prepare for the future. Takunda Manhuwa from a city school said although he was not yet looking for a job, the fair gave him focus on what he wanted to do in the future. "We came as a commercial class expecting to learn more about career guidance and what careers we may want to take as an individual," he said. His colleague, Oduho Ihude, who is from South Sudan, said the job fair "was fair" as it had presented him with a vision of what he wanted to do after high school. Job seekers communicate with potential employers at a job fair in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Aug. 2, 2022. The two-day Zimbabwe Job Fair opened Tuesday. Hosted by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center and Victory Milestone Recruitment, the event lived up to its billing as scores of job seekers exchanged notes with potential employers and left the curriculum vitae (CV) for possible placements. (Xinhua/Tafara Mugwara) A job seeker leaves her details to a potential employer at a job fair in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Aug. 2, 2022. The two-day Zimbabwe Job Fair opened Tuesday. Hosted by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center and Victory Milestone Recruitment, the event lived up to its billing as scores of job seekers exchanged notes with potential employers and left the curriculum vitae (CV) for possible placements. (Xinhua/Tafara Mugwara) High school students seeking career guidance arrive to attend a job fair in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Aug. 2, 2022. The two-day Zimbabwe Job Fair opened Tuesday. Hosted by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Center and Victory Milestone Recruitment, the event lived up to its billing as scores of job seekers exchanged notes with potential employers and left the curriculum vitae (CV) for possible placements. (Xinhua/Tafara Mugwara) MANILA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it has tallied 319 deaths from dengue fever this year as cases continue to rise during the wet season. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a press conference that the DOH has recorded 82,597 cases as of July 16, 106 percent higher than the cases recorded in the same period last year. DOH data showed the Central Luzon region recorded the highest cases with over 13,000, followed by the Central Visayas region with nearly 9,000, and Metro Manila with almost 7,000. Vergeire added that 10 of the Southeast Asian country's regions "have already exceeded the epidemic threshold in the past four weeks from June 19 to July 16 with three areas showing a sustained increase in the same period. Dengue is endemic in the Philippines. The water-borne infectious diseases, including dengue, usually peak at the start of the rainy season from July to October due to fluctuating weather conditions, flooding, and accumulation of contaminated water. Dengue mosquitos breed in stagnant water like water-filled containers and some plants including bananas. In severe cases, dengue can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure. The Philippines declared a "national dengue epidemic" in August 2019 due to an increasing number of people who died from the disease in the Southeast Asian country. Brazil: sustainable growth ICR Research By Published 02 August 2022 Following a challenging year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazils cement industry enjoyed better times in 2021. However, uncertainty on several levels has led to growth stalling at the start of 2022 as cement makers face lower market growth and the need to invest in reducing their carbon footprint. By SNIC, Brazil. After a sharp drop in 2020 largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic Brazils GDP increased by 4.6 per cent in 2021 the largest annual growth since 2010. However, the leap was primarily explained by the previous years low base when GDP fell by 3.9 per cent YoY. Economic growth in 2021 was driven by increases in services (+4.7 per cent) and industry (+4.5 per cent), which together represent 90 per cent of Brazilian GDP. In addition, the civil construction sector put in a strong performance by seeing an expansion of 9.7 per cent, having recovered from a 6.3 per cent decrease in the previous year. To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Mort Lloyd was a pioneer in Chattanooga television broadcasting with some of the highest news ratings in our citys history. Forty-eight years ago Mr. Lloyd was on his way to visit family in Shelbyville, Tn., when his small plane crashed taking his life at the age of 43. It was Aug. 24, 1974, and a near-normal news day. I was a young and inexperienced reporter at WDOD radio. My phone rang and it was a friend at the Tennessee Highway Patrol who said, Earl, are you listening to your scanner? Im hearing some distressing traffic out of Middle Tennessee. The dispatcher went on to say, Ill call you back. The next call was from my friend Tom Hogue who worked for WDEF. Id known Tom since my first day at WDOD in 1965. Hogue said he had the day off and was working at the Civil Air Patrol and we have a plane down south of Nashville.(long pause). Earl, the plane is registered to Mort Lloyd. Hogue said he would stay in touch. My next call was again from the friend at the THP. Earl, its true, the plane that crashed was Mort Lloyds and he was the only one on board. I hung up the phone and called the Mort Lloyd for Congress campaign headquarters and they confirmed the news. Immediately I asked seasoned broadcaster Lloyd Payne, who was on the air, what we should do. Should we go with what we have? He said, Call The Associated Press. They can get all the details and we can put the story on the air. In 30 seconds, the AP bell started ringing with a bulletin and we ran the story. In 1974, Watergate dominated every newscast and newspaper. Mr. Lloyd told his family he felt he could make a difference in Washington and decided to run for the Democrat Party nomination, Third District congressional seat. He won and was set to face incumbent Republican Congressman Lamar Baker in the November general election. Baker was a staunch supporter of embattled President Richard Nixon. In a wide-ranging interview with Marilyn Lloyd (Morts widow) on May 30, 2002, Mrs. Lloyd said Mort came to Chattanooga from WSIX Radio in Nashville after being hired to work for WDEF Radio. She said when WDEF TV signed on the air in 1954 they tapped Mort to anchor the evening news. During our conversation, Mrs. Lloyd said in addition to broadcasting, Mort loved airplanes. After arriving in Chattanooga he hung around Lovell Field and became good friends with Harry Porter. She said Mr. Porter, who had a 65-year aviation career, taught Mort how to fly. Mrs. Lloyd said she met Mort through mutual friends and they got married. She had worked in radio while in high school and the two shared a common interest. Mrs. Lloyd said the couple applied to the FCC for the 92.3 FM frequency in Chattanooga but the license was given to Park Broadcasting who owned WDEF AM radio. WDEF FM signed on the air in September 1964. Mrs. Lloyd jokingly said, Luther should have been working for me, referring to Luther Masingill, longtime morning radio host. The Lloyds didnt give up on their dream, applying for an AM station license in Dalton, Ga. The FCC approved WTTI, 10,000 watts at 1530, but Mrs. Lloyd said it was an uphill battle since they could only broadcast in the daytime. 1530 KHz is the frequency for the 50,000 watt WCKY which covers 38 states (including Georgia) at night. Mrs. Lloyd said when they went on the air she spent a lot of time at the Dalton family business because Mort was still anchoring the 6:00 news in Chattanooga. Mrs. Lloyd said the couple did host a talk show, Mornings with Mort and Marilyn. She said, Mort would read poetry and we both discussed a lot of issues in and around Dalton. I wrote the commercials, did the books and he sold advertising, Mrs. Lloyd said when Mort switched from Channel 12 to Channel 3 in the late 50s and back to Channel 12 in 1970; it was his decision. She said they discussed the moves, but she told him, You have to make up your mind as to what is best for you. Mrs. Lloyd said she was by herself working to get her husband elected at the Chattanooga campaign headquarters when the phone rang. It was WDEF newsman Hogue who also served as the public information officer for the Civil Air Patrol. She said when Mr. Hogue broke the news she was in shock and left speechless. Doris Ellis was at WDEF for 50 years serving part of that time as program director and she remembers Aug. 24 very well. Ms. Ellis said, Mort came into my office the day before his plane trip asking me to hold his mail; that was the last time I saw him. Ms. Ellis said in early afternoon the next day there was a loud commotion in the hall; someone called out that Morts plane had crashed and a few minutes later she learned hed been killed. She said: I had the strangest feeling because he was just in my office. Ms. Ellis described Mort as a staunch newsman but the nicest person with a heart of gold; it was one of the saddest days of my career. Mike King was Mr. Lloyds backup news anchor at WDEF TV. King said that day he was alone in the newsroom and the phone rang. King said it was the Coffee County, Tn. sheriff where Morts plane had crashed. King said to the sheriff, Is it bad enough to send a film crew? and the sheriff responded, Yes. Investigators said the crash was caused by the loss of a propeller blade. Retired broadcast executive Ben Cagle was working at WDEF TV at the time of the tragic accident. Lloyd was in his office the day before for about 20 minutes and they talked about his family. Mr. Lloyd has been a friend of ours since I was a kid and Mort wanted to know about my mom, dad and the boys. When the conversation ended Cagle said he got up from his desk and told Lloyd to have a safe trip. That was the last time I saw him. The next work day, Cagle said there was very little conversation among co-workers, but lots of tears and lots of closed doors. We all loved Mort, he was our friend. Cagle said he was in the Lloyds Brainerd home several times as a guest. Cagle said, Theres never been a news anchor to compare to Mort Lloyd, he was so believable and honorable, we never had trouble getting advertisers for the 6 p.m. news; at times there was a waiting list. Mort Lloyd was often seen around town with photographer Tommy Eason who shot a lot of the film for the evening news. One of the major stories of Lloyds career was the Bonny Oaks tank fire of 1972 which claimed three lives. Lloyd flew his plane over the scene while Eason did the filming. Mr. Lloyds favorite news writer was Dave Carlock. Mr. Carlock would prepare the copy for Lloyds preview and have it ready about 5 p.m. Carlock said the anchor used a black flair pen to make notes on the script. Carlock was asked what made Mr. Lloyd so popular; Mort Lloyd was always interested in the facts, not rumor, and his audience believed him. For most of the time the deep bass voice anchor brought the evening news into our homes, John Gray did the weather. In the early part of his career, Gray worked at WDOD Radio in Chattanooga and he knew the market. Mr. Carlock said, John Gray was the perfect match with Lloyd. Both Ms. Ellis and Mr. Cagle said it was several weeks before the staff adjusted to Lloyds absence. Cagle said, It wasnt the same, he was just part of the WDEF family. Popular TV news anchor David Carroll wrote about Mr. Lloyd, Well never know what Mort might have achieved in government. Would he have chosen to run for U.S. Senate, as many House members do? Would his popularity have spread statewide as it did in southeast Tennessee? What were his interests, his causes? What committees might he have served on? Would he have used his influence in constructive ways for TVA, the Chickamauga Lock, our highways and health care? Or would he have become frustrated by Washington, and opted to return to the local TV business? The WRCB news anchor went on to say, There are no definitive answers. Its important to note that he made quite an impact on the Chattanooga area in his life, cut short all too soon by tragedy. News Free Press Editor Lee Anderson wrote in 1974, "Lloyd was boosted by his television popularity, the Watergate Scandal but most of all his ability to connect with the people. Mort was one of the best communicators of our day. Luther is morning radio, Mort is television news. After Morts death, Mrs. Lloyd said friends quickly got her name on the November ballot. Mrs. Lloyd won the election and served in Congress for 20 years becoming the fourth woman elected from Tennessee. Mrs. Lloyd died at the age of 89 in 2018. In that 2002 radio interview, Mrs. Lloyd told me while in Washington she thought often of the issues dear to Morts heart (veterans and seniors) and would ask herself how he would vote. I tried to fill my husbands shoes while representing the people of the Third District. Bill Fauth recalls, "Back in the day, I was an air traffic controller at Lovell Field. Mort kept his airplane parked in front of the tower. All of us with the FAA enjoyed working Mort in and out of the airport. He was cooperative and friendly, the latter being difficult to convey via a radio transmission, but he did. "Navigation aids have names. One radio beacon is called Daisy while another is known as Choo Choo. After Morts death we wanted to honor him in an FAA kind of way so we requested that the outer marker (a navigation aid) to runway 2 be renamed Morrt (had to have five letters). Our request was approved. Inbound aircraft from the south use Morrt every day." SINGAPORE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Singapore purchasing managers' index (PMI), an early indicator of manufacturing activity, edged down 0.2 points from the previous month to post a slower rate of expansion at 50.1 this July, the Straits Times reported on Tuesday. The overall manufacturing sector has now recorded 25 months of consecutive expansion, said the Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management (SIPMM), which publishes the Singapore Purchasing Managers' Index on a monthly basis. Singapore's electronics sector PMI posted a decrease of 0.3 points from June to record a slower rate of expansion at 50.5 in July. This is the 24th month of expansion for the electronics sector. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction. I always say that you cannot believe anything someone brings out on a candidate in the last week of a campaign. Most of the time someone brings things out because they realize they are losing or sometimes it is calculated to wait just a few days before an election to bring out false accusations so the other side won't have time to respond. And here we go again. False accusations that Weston Wamp made racial and sexist comments at a business meeting years ago. Anyone who knows Weston knows this is absurd. It is amazing how desperate and unfair people get when they say they might lose. Here it is not from Weston's political opponent but from this ponzi group. They are obviously trying to keep Weston out of a position of power by him becoming the county mayor. They are afraid that he might be able to stop their movement for a new stadium. It is almost amusing that the local leader of the Democratic Party is now trying to jump onboard by saying Weston is unfit to become county mayor. Just two months ago the Democrats were saying they voted for him in the primary because he would be the best Republican to work with. You may disagree with Weston on the Lookouts stadium or politically, but don't slander a person's character falsely with ludicrous statements. I have known Weston and Coty Wamp all of their lives. I attended Red Bank High School with Weston and Coty's grandparents and I have attended Red Bank Baptist Church with Zach, Kim, Weston and Coty for many years. As our pastor Fred Steeleman said in a letter of support, you will not find a better Christian family than the Wamps. Both Weston and Coty are highly qualified to hold the offices they are seeking. They both are going to win and both will do a great job - if and when all this bickering and name calling goes away on Weston. Obviously these false comments have upset Weston and he has shot back at them. However, I will say that Weston went a little overboard on his good ole boys comment about our former political leaders. Our former political leaders, men and women, are fine people who have brought us such things as the Volkswagen plant, Amazon, the Riverwalk, the Aquarium and many more. He needs to correct that because he and his family have many great friends in the political arena on both sides. In my years, I have seen governments practically destroyed when the political leaders are at odds. A house divided. I encourage all parties to work together for the benefit of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, and get personalities and egos out of it. It's okay to have different opinions. Just talk it out. Work it out, but be civil about it. Russell Bean Logan Christopher Gordy on Tuesday entered a negotiated guilty plea to one count of homicide by vehicle and two counts of serious injury by vehicle. Gordy was sentenced to 10 years on probation, with eight months to be served in the county jail. The sentence was entered under the Georgia First Offender act. Gordy will also be required to complete a defensive driving course, perform 100 hours of community service, and surrender his drivers license for disposition to the Georgia DMV. The incident that gave rise to Gordys criminal charges occurred on Oct. 3, 2019. Gordy, now 20 years old, was a 17-year-old high school senior when he caused a motor vehicle collision on Daniels Road. The collision resulted in the death of Gordys front seat passenger Alexis Moore, life threatening injuries to another passenger, Aubreanna Baxley, and serious but non-life threatening injury to the driver of another vehicle, Matisha Barajas. The motor vehicle collision was thoroughly investigated by the Georgia State Patrols Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) led by Investigator Rodney Curtis with the assistance of Trooper Garrett King and Investigators Scotty Smith and Stephen Langham. The investigation revealed that Gordy and his passengers, all high school students, were passing time after school until time to attend the Dade County High School Homecoming Parade. Alexis Moore, as a member of the schools color guard, was expecting to perform in the parade. During this time, Gordy decided to joyride down McKaig Road, a road which has earned the nickname roller coaster road, within the community due to its series of hills, and connecting Daniels Road, also with hilly terrain. As Gordy traveled down McKaig Road and Daniels Road, he operated his vehicle in an excessively reckless manner by driving at a high rate of speed and swerving back and forth across the roadway, authorities said. As Gordy was driving west on Daniels Road, Matisha Barajas had just left her home and was driving east on Daniels Road, with her two small children, aged 7 and 9, on their way to the Homecoming Parade. As both vehicles approached a curve at the top of a steep hill, Gordy was traveling on the wrong side of the road and both vehicles collided head-on. Investigation conducted by the SCRT team, including data collected from both vehicles, determined the speed of Gordys vehicle to be in excess of 68 miles per hour. Several witnesses to the collision, including a resident on Daniels Road, estimated the speed of Gordys vehicle to be approximately 70 miles per hour. The speed limit on Daniels Road at the area of collision is 35 miles per hour. Gordy entered his guilty plea and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Brian M. House. The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hartline with the assistance of Victim Advocate Amy Reed, Administrative Assistant Tara Page and Investigator Christy Smith. District Attorney Chris Arnt said, "The mother of Alexis Moore has been outspoken that she did not want any charges brought in this case. The District Attorneys Office has a duty to prosecute violations of the law without fear, favor, or affection. In some instances we may decide the facts and circumstances of a case compel us to file charges despite the wishes of the victim or any public sentiment. "Given the serious nature of the charges here it would have been a dereliction of our constitutional and statutory duty to fail to bring charges in this case where the evidence established a clear and obvious violation of the law. In addition, the other victims in the case, who all sustained serious injuries felt that Gordy needed to face some consequences for his actions although they asked the District Attorneys Office to take into account the youth of Mr. Gordy and to try and create a sentence that provided some consequences for his actions but also allowed him the opportunity to move on with his life afterwards. "The fact that Mr. Gordy was given first offender treatment means that if he successfully completes his sentence, without getting into any additional trouble, he will not be a convicted felon. "The case received some media attention and due to Georgia State Bar ethical rules prohibiting pre-trial discussion about the facts of a pending case the District Attorneys Office has not been able to respond to the incorrect and misleading material. Until the case was resolved we have not been able to correct the false and misleading information that has been put out about this case. A newspaper article presented an utterly one sided version of the case which omitted critical details and mischaracterized other facts. The mischaracterization of the case in the media and in social media caused the Court to have grave concerns for the impartiality and fairness of the judicial process and therefore to issue an order that prohibited pre-trial statements by the parties, or any witnesses, outside of the courtroom. "The news story presented a false version of events that claimed an animal jumped into the road and caused the accident. There is no evidence to support this claim. "A 911 call placed by Matisha Barajas, immediately after the crash, captured the sounds of her young children crying in distress, and Mr. Gordy admitting the crash was his fault and that he was in the wrong lane. The investigation by the Georgia State Patrol SCRT clearly revealed the crash was the result of Mr. Gordys reckless driving. Mr. Gordy himself admitted this under oath during his plea hearing. "The article also mischaracterized the injuries suffered by the other victims as 'minor'. One of the victims suffered major injuries to her intestines and colon, spent nearly a month in intensive care, required seven surgeries to repair, and also had significant spinal and rib injuries. Another victim suffered a significant shoulder injury which required surgery. Neither of these victims or their families considered these to be 'minor' injuries. "There was also the false impression created that the District Attorney was seeking a 45 year long sentence. This was utterly false and no such recommendation was ever made and there was no legitimate basis for this claim. Additionally there was criticism of the length of time the case was pending. Our office moved this case as quickly as we could given all the surrounding circumstances. "The Georgia State Patrol SCRT does an incredibly thorough investigation in these cases but the investigation does take a considerable amount of time; about six months in this case. One of the reasons the investigation took that long is that one of victims required months of intensive medical care due to her injuries from this incident, and she was unable to give a statement to GSP for several months. "Once the report was turned over to the District Attorneys Office our court system had been shut down by the Supreme Court of Georgia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we were not permitted to empanel a new Grand Jury for many months. The case was indicted in April of 2021. The case was placed on the next trial calendar in October of 2021. Mr. Gordys attorneys requested and were given a continuance until the April 2022 trial term. The Court then continued the case again due to the misleading pre-trial publicity created by the article released just before the case was set for trial. "The case was set specially set for trial in August of 2022 but Gordy elected to accept the recommended plea agreement from the state instead of going to trial. Hopefully the facts we have set forth in this press release will set the record straight about the actual facts of the case. This case created a tragic and horrible situation for all the families involved, and nothing we do in court can ease the pain and loss suffered by the families of the victims. The plea agreement in this case reflects thoughtful consideration of the circumstances of the case, the input and wishes of all victims and family members of victims, and community safety. "I am pleased that Mr. Gordy chose to take responsibility for his actions that day and the irreparable harm that they caused. Nothing can bring back Alexis Moore, but hopefully all the families can find some measure of closure with the conclusion of this case. I know that my staff will continue to pray for all the families involved in this case. Patricia LaVerne Stott, 77, of Chattanooga, Tennessee passed away on Friday, July 29, 2022. She was born on Dec. 14, 1944, to the late John and Mildred Thomas. She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Stott, daughter, Sandra Bradley, brother, Gary Bud Thomas and sister, Charlotte Humphrey. Patricias greatest joy in life was spending time with her family. She will be missed greatly. Survivors include her daughter, Deborah Sutton, grandchildren, Alison (Thomas) Lee, Laurel (Kyle) Holley, Samantha Pierce, Thomas Bradley, great-grandchildren, Leo Wilson, Amelia Lee, Sage Holley and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, in the Valley View Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 12 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, in the funeral home with Rev. Ken McElhaney officiating. Interment will follow at Chattanooga National Cemetery. Please share your thoughts and memories online at: www.ChattanoogaValleyViewChapel.com. Arrangements are by Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, Valley View Chapel, 7414 Old Lee Highway, Chattanooga, Tn. 37421. I am a Presbyterian by faith but in the years I have grown to adore different church services, I have found almost all of them focus on the same cross and the same Savior. This is one reason I hold little regard for different denominations when compared to who I worship; I can appreciate the entire body of Christ rather than the tribes. It is with such whimsey I love listening to various religious leaders and is why last week I loved coming across Archbishop Timothy Dolan, former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an appearance on Fox and Friends. Now serving as the revered cardinal archbishop of New York, hes a frequent visitor among the national media and I love the guy. Whats wrong with America? I am assured Father Dolan has the answer. As he quotes the late Billy Graham, When we forget, ignore or deny God, we end up forgetting, ignoring and denying what is most noble, enlightened and decent in ourselves." Read this one and tell me this isnt the best answer youve seen lately: * * * WE, AS A PEOPLE, HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD By Cardinal Timothy Dolan NOTE: This opinion piece appeared on FOX News on July 24, 2022 Everywhere I go these days, the question I seem to hear most often is, "Whats wrong today? Why the violence, the shootings, the divisions, the vitriol in our nation, our cities, our society?" Im hardly the only one getting such questions: other spiritual leaders, teachers, politicians, parents and pundits tell me that they ask and get asked the same all the time. I listen intently to the answers given to that plea by so many respected voices in the country. Most will rattle off the usual suspects: its the lousy economy, some opine; its all the political strife that drives us apart, others might suggest. Still others point at the lingering effects of the isolation and loneliness brought on by COVID, or the rise in drug abuse, as being at the root of our difficulties. However, as troubling as this litany might be, these are simply more symptoms of the problem, not the cause. Let me attempt an answer, not starting with politics, the economy, or COVID, but starting with ... God! Simply put, were in trouble because we as a people have forgotten God. More troubling, we break the first Commandment of the Decalogue we Jews and Christians cherish as normative for a civil society by making ourselves gods! As Billy Graham observed on more than one occasion, "When we forget, ignore or deny God, we end up forgetting, ignoring and denying what is most noble, enlightened and decent in ourselves." Not that we as people of faith consider the economic, the political, the injustices of culture unimportant. Hardly. God, and the behavior true belief in Him inspires, compels us to consider such issues crucial. It just that, as the prophets of Israel and Jesus Himself often reminded, "Seek ye first" and the first is God. A nation that dares to print "In God we trust" on its currency and then ignores, denies and forgets the divine in daily living is a hypocrite. People in effective 12-step programs tell us that the first step is the most important: to admit that we are helpless over certain things that threaten to wreck us, and that recovery and healing cant come until we submit to a "higher power." While faith is certainly very personal, it can never be just private, or else it becomes meaningless, Cardinal Dolan writes. Whether we call this higher power Yahweh, Lord, Jesus or Allah, without this divine, were in a mess. As Rabbi Joshua Heschel pointed out, "Gods revelation can be summed up like this: there is a God ... and its sure not me!" When faith is snickered at, mocked, stored in Grandmas attic, eliminated from the public square, or reduced to some silly, outmoded superstition, we and the community we cherish are in jeopardy. While faith is certainly very personal, it can never be just private, or else it becomes meaningless. So, a decline in belief, worship, creedal loyalty, prayer, and an ethic based on what God has taught in the Bible is hardly to be applauded. The toxic results are raw, destructive, and all around us, prompting that haunting question, "Whats wrong today?" We celebrated Independence Day earlier this month (in July). While our enlightened founders celebrated independence from earthly tyrants, they were convinced that a common dependence upon the heavenly sovereign, freely expressed and practiced, was essential for this noble experiment in ordered and virtuous democracy to thrive. For, when we declare independence from the Lord, we turn into tyrants. Thats whats wrong! - - - I agree whole-heartedly and I believe the archbishop is totally on target. royexum@aol.com Judy Boyd Webster, 72, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, July 31, 2022. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving friends and family. Judy was born in Bethesda, Md., on March 7, 1950. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clayton McCoy Boyd and Barbara Hilda (Cookson) Boyd, her cousin and lifelong friend, Sheryal Sandoval, and many other beloved family members. While we are heartbroken, we know that she is soaring high with the angels above. Anyone who knew Judy, knew that she loved her family selflessly and fiercely. She loved watching her grandsons play ball, and she was so proud of the women her granddaughters have become. Judys daughters were her biggest heroes. She was highly regarded in the community and was a moral compass for anyone who knew her. Friends, family, and colleagues never hesitated to come to Judy when faced with any dilemma, because they knew she would point them in the direction that was right and good. Judy was loved by everyone who met her. She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, honesty, and overall greatness. She will be missed eternally by so many. One of Judys biggest passions, besides her family, was her real estate career which spanned over 35 years. She was a pioneer for women in commercial real estate and was highly regarded in her career and her community. Survivors include, her two daughters, Cindy Burnette Dodson (Jeff) and Laura Webster Norman; Five grandchildren, Georgiana Elise Dodson (Dino Ahmetovic), Gwyneth Gray Dodson (Jessica Adams), William Crew, Clayton Tag, and Fielder Vanderford Norman. Three brothers, Clayton, Paul, and Bruce Boyd as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m. at Heritage Chapel with Pastor David Hall officiating. Visit the online obituary at www.heritagechattanooga.com to post tributes and share memories. The family will receive friends Wednesday, Aug. 3, from 4-8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25 Since the beginning of Better Call Saul, many were curious about what happened to Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) after Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11, aptly titled Breaking Bad, clarifies Kims story line. Find out where she ended up after ending things with Jimmy McGill in Fun and Games. [SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11 Breaking Bad.] Bob Odenkirk as Gene Takavic | Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television Gene Takavic calls Francesca for information in a post-Heisenberg world Saul Goodman has always loved a good scoop. That personality trait didnt go away when he became Gene Takavic, Cinnabon manager in Omaha, Nebraska. In Breaking Bad,Gene connects with his former secretary Francesca Liddy (Tina Parker) via payphone. Gene seeks information because, after all, thats how he made his money as a criminal lawyer finding the right angle to play. Francesca is less than willing to gossip about the people impacted by Sauls work with Heisenberg. As his former associate, the heat is still on her back in Albuquerque. However, she does give up a few nuggets of information. Walter Whites (Bryan Cranston) wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) got a deal. Meanwhile, authorities found Jesse Pinkmans (Aaron Paul) car somewhere near the border. Moreover, the feds seized the money Saul made before becoming Gene Takavic, leaving him with nothing. Francesca also reveals Huell Babineaux (Lavell Crawford) went home to New Orleans and Sauls former colleague Bill Oakley switched sides. Hes now a Saul Goodman-inspired defense attorney. She concludes with a tidbit about Sauls ex-wife Kim. Kim Wexler called Francesca to see if Saul was alive after the events in Breaking Bad After everything went down, Kim reached out to Francesca to see if Saul made it out alive. Knowing this, Gene spends another few minutes in the phone booth in Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11. He dials the operator and asks to be connected to Palm Coast Sprinklers, a business in Florida where he believes Kim works. "She asked about me." #BetterCallSaul Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) August 2, 2022 Kim ends up in Florida, not Nebraska Some Better Call Saul fans thought Saul ended up in Nebraska on the hunt for Kim. However, Kims fate after she ends her relationship with Jimmy McGill lands her in Florida, as revealed in Breaking Bad. Gene Takavics phone call with Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11 When Gene reaches out to Kim on the payphone, we dont get to hear their conversation. However, we do see Jimmy/Saul/Gene pleading and shouting in the booth. Ultimately when their call ends, Gene smashes the receiver and kicks the glass panel of the phone booth until it shatters. We may never know what Kim and Jimmy/Saul/Gene talked about, or if he reached Kim on the other line at all. Gene embraces the art of the con in Better Call Saul episode Breaking Bad After pulling off the department store con with Jeff (Pat Healy) in episode 10, Gene was seemingly ready to put that life behind him. However, after learning his hidden fortunes were seized by the government,Gene feels like hes starting from square one. Bob Odenkirk as Gene | Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television So, he teams up with Jeff and Buddy (Max Bickelhaup) once again to rob Nebraskas wealthiest. Whether the cons have something to do with his conversation with Kim remains unclear, but they may allow him to feel connected to her in some twisted way. There are only two episodes left. Watch Better Call Saul on AMC Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. RELATED: Better Call Saul Season 6: Why We Wont Likely Get Another Episode Solely About Gene Takavic BANGKOK, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's health ministry said Monday that it has planned to administer the monkeypox vaccines to high risk groups. The first batch of 1,000 doses of vaccine are expected to arrive in Thailand in the second half of this month, according to the ministry. The first batch of vaccines will be available for 500 people, but the authorities have not decided on which groups to prioritize yet, said Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. Thailand has reported two monkeypox cases so far. The first case was a Nigerian man who tested positive in Phuket island, and the second was a Thai man identified in Bangkok. According to health authorities, close contacts of the confirmed cases have been traced and so far no further monkeypox infections have officially been detected in the Southeast Asian country yet. What happens to American politics and culture when white Southerners in the Bible Belt quit attending church? What religious views do they adopt? How do they vote? And will the mass exodus from church that already seems to be occurring in the South make the country less politically polarizedor more? These questions are particularly relevant this summer because of two major news developments: the sex abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention and the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which led to state restrictions that made abortion almost completely illegal the South and Midwest. Twenty years ago, revelations of the Catholic churchs sex abuse crisis accelerated a massive exodus of white northeastern Catholics that was already well underway, and it contributed to a secularization of New England culture and politics. A region that up until the late 20th century had some of the nations strictest policies on abortion and divorce became a leader in expanding abortion access and legalizing same-sex marriage. The same phenomenon occurred more recently in Ireland, in the wake of that countrys clerical sex abuse crisis. A nation that had some of the highest church attendance rates and strictest abortion and marriage policies in Europe legalized both abortion and same-sex marriage, even as church attendance rates plummeted. It might be easy to imagine, then, that something similar could occur in the southern Bible Belt. As in New England immediately before news of the Catholic churchs sex abuse crisis broke, church attendance rates in the South were already falling before the SBC crisis was fully publicized. Already, 30 percent of Southern Baptists seldom or never attend church, according to the Pew Research Centers Religious Landscape Survey. The southern Bible Belt is quickly becoming a region of unchurched or lapsed Protestants who may still hang onto their evangelical identity to some extent but who dont think going to church is necessary. But these de-churched Protestants are not adopting the political views of de-churched Catholics in the northeast. Instead, they remain strongly individualistic Republicans who still oppose abortion, even if some of their other views differ from those of their churched counterparts. A careful study of these non-churchgoing white Southerners might offer a clue as to what southern politics will look like during the next decade. What the data shows I did a careful analysis of data from the 2018 General Social Survey (GSS) to find out the political and religious views of unchurched southern whites who still identify as Protestant. The GSS asks thousands of respondents from across the country a wide range of questions about politics, religion, social views, and behavior. By running the data through a similar statistical software program (SPSS), its possible to isolate responses for particular groups of peoplesay, white male Protestants in the Southeast who attend church only once a year or less, or New England Catholics who attend church weekly and vote Democratic. The survey includes more than a hundred questions on a wide range of topics, so if one wanted to look at the questions, say, about racial attitudes or prayer practices, its easy to compare the differences between particular groups of people. Political scientists and other social science researchers do this all the time. (As a historian, I hadnt done much of this analysis until recently, but Im now finding it a very useful tool in my research.) What do the 2018 GSS data reveal about white Southerners who still identify as Protestant but who never attend church or go no more than once a year? Article continues below First, theyre numerous: According to the GSS survey, 45 percent of white Southerners self-reported attending church no more than once a year. If lapsed evangelical Protestant were a denomination, it would be by far the largest religious body in the South. Second, theyre not Democrats. Among the non-churchgoers (or once-a-year attenders) who voted in the 2016 election, support for Donald Trump outnumbered support for Hillary Clinton by more than 2 to 1. Theyre also deeply committed to colorblind conservatism and the politics of law and order. Sixty-six percent said that the courts in their area did not deal harshly enough with criminals; only 11 percent said the courts dealt too harshly. Seventy-seven percent agreed that it was sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good, hard spanking. They opposed preferential hiring for Blacks by a margin of more than 4 to 1. Likewise, by a margin of more than 4 to 1, they agreed with this statement: Irish, Italians, Jewish, and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the same. When asked why Blacks, on average, had worse jobs, income, and housing than white people, nearly half said it was because they just dont have the motivation or willpower to pull themselves out of poverty. They were deeply suspicious of most institutions, including medicine, government, labor unions, religious organizations, and especially the media. Sixty-five percent said they had hardly any confidence in the press. The only institution in which they expressed strong confidence was the military; 72 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in the military. Although they strongly supported legalizing marijuana and saw nothing morally wrong with homosexuality or premarital sex, the same was not true of abortion. Sixty-two percent opposed the legalization of elective abortion. A majority said the Supreme Court had acted wrongly in ruling against classroom prayer in public schools. Excepting views on marijuana and sex, most of these sentiments were also shared by white evangelicals in the South who regularly attended church. Even beliefs about the Bible did not differ too much between those who regularly attended church and those who did not. Eighty-nine percent said the Bible was the inspired Word of God; only 8 percent considered it a book of fables and legends. Nearly one-third said the Bible was to be taken literally, word for word. In short, the white Protestants in the South who dont attend church anymore havent changed their politics or most of their religious beliefs. Theyre still generally fundamentalistic when it comes to the Bible, and theyre still strong law-and-order, pro-military Republicans who believe in a Southern civil religion where people are free to pray in schools but not get abortions. They still identify as Protestant Christiansand, based on other surveys, they probably still call themselves evangelical (although the GSS survey didnt ask directly about that). But their understanding of evangelical Protestant Christianity has taken away most of the grace and left behind a deeply suspicious individualism, where law and order and self-defense are paramount. Conservative individualism without trust This strong individualism is apparent in areas where they most clearly differ from their churchgoing counterparts. First, sexual responsibility. Even while retaining their opposition to abortion, white Protestants in the South who go to church no more than once a year have rejected traditional evangelical teaching about premarital heterosexual sex. Sixty-eight percent said premarital sex between a man and a woman was not wrong at all. Article continues below By contrast, only 21 percent of white Protestant Southerners who attended church weekly or more thought that heterosexual premarital sex was not wrong at all, and 50 percent said it was always wrong. Those who never (or hardly ever) attended church overwhelmingly favored marijuana legalization, while a majority of those who attended church weekly did not. But perhaps the most interesting contrast came in the area of personal trust in other people. When asked, Do you think most people would try to take advantage of you if they got a chance or would they try to be fair? 54 percent of white Protestant southerners who attended church no more than once a year said that most people would try to take advantage of them. In response to the question Would you say that most of the time people try to be helpful or that they are mostly just looking out for themselves? 58 percent said the latter. The responses from white Southern Protestants who attended church every week were almost the direct opposite. Sixty-two percent said that most people would try to be fair rather than take advantage of them, and 57 percent said that most of the time people try to be helpful. Those who attended church weekly were also more likely to vote than those who hardly ever attended. It seems, therefore, that when white Southerners stop attending church, they dont lose the churchs political conservatism, moralism, or individualism. Instead, they become hyper-individualistic, strongly devoted to law and order, and overwhelmingly politically conservative (if they vote at all). But theyre also cynical and distrustful of others. Why de-churched white Southern evangelicals stay conservative Why did Northerners become more politically liberal when they left church, while white Southerners have remained just as politically conservative and individualistic as ever? Perhaps its because when people leave church, they retain the political ideology and moral orientation they imbibed from their religious community, even if it survives only in a distorted form. The liberal Democratic politics of the northeast reflect the theology of communal obligations that both mainline Protestant denominations and the Catholic Church championed for most of the 20th century. Even when people there have left the church, theyve retained those political sensibilities in secularized form. By contrast, the Bible Belt draws on a Southern white individualism that is even older than Southern evangelicalism. When whites there leave church, they dont usually become political liberals. Instead, the individualistic moralism they have imbibed from their regional milieu survives in secularized form. Contrary to popular stereotypes about religions polarizing effects, Southern churches may actually temper these inclinations at times. To be sure, the majority of Southern white churches have encouraged the Republican political ideology that contributed to Donald Trumps election as president and the maintenance of structural racism. But at the same time, even the most politically conservative churches have promoted a sense of community that encourages people to be concerned for others and trusting of them. They have encouraged sexual fidelity and have frowned on self-indulgence, especially when it comes to alcohol and marijuana. When people leave church, they retain that moralismat least insofar as it pertains to other peoplebut lose the sense of self-sacrifice and trust in others. They keep their Bible, their gun, their pro-life pin, and their MAGA hat, but also pick up a condom and a marijuana joint and lose whatever willingness they had to care for other people in community. Article continues below For decades, many pundits have warned about the political dangers of a Southern Christian Right that was intent on blurring the boundaries of church and state. But whatever those dangers might have been, perhaps the greater threat to democracy in the South right now is a de-churched populist Right that is just as angry about efforts to correct racial injustice and even more individualistic. Whether we call it evangelical or simply Southern populist, this post-church Southern Protestant Right is not going to go away just because the Southern Baptist Convention loses members. In fact, its likely to become stronger than ever. Daniel K. Williams is a professor of history at the University of West Georgia and the author of Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe v. Wade. A version of this piece originally appeared at The Anxious Bench at Patheos. Republished with permission. When the book In Praise of Good Bookstores released earlier this year, I started hearing from bookish friends and customers of Hearts & Minds, the Pennsylvania bookstore my wife and I have run together for almost 40 years. They would send us links to an interview with the author, Jeff Deutsch, a bookstore manager himself. For many, the conversation evoked memories and hopes of one of the great pleasures this side of Eden: browsing a well-stocked and interesting bookstore. Naturally, as a longtime bookseller, I shared the interview and devoured the book. But Ill admit that Deutschs perspectives made me a bit uneasy, and I am still trying to decipher my curious reaction toward a book most friends figured Id commend unreservedly. This side of Eden, few things are as simple as they seem. Scale and status In Praise of Good Bookstores gives a fascinating account of a former Jewish kid who grew up to love books and bookselling, and Deutsch waxes eloquent about the joy of connecting book and reader. He offers an intellectually stimulating essay that will appeal to those who like books about books, the reading life, and publishing-world curiosities. For many CT readers, In Praise of Good Bookstores would no doubt fit seamlessly alongside such titles as Karen Swallow Priors On Reading Well, Alan Jacobss Breaking Bread with the Dead, Jessica Hooten Wilsons The Scandal of Holiness, and Claude Atchos Reading Black Books. Deutsch is as learned as any of those authors, and his obvious passion for books is contagious. What makes Deutschs book stand out (despite an oddly tacky cover) is his status as a bookseller. Like the best of our trade, he is mostly self-taught and exceedingly eclectic in his reading habits, a practitioner of what John Milton called promiscuous reading. As the title indicates, Deutsch is offering not only a paean to the reading life, but also to the book-browsing life. In a real bookstore. So, whats not to love? Well, for starters, I think I was jealous. As would be the majority of bookstore owners, booksellers, and frankly, bookstore fans. When Deutsch describes his well-stocked and eccentric store, the legendary Seminary Co-op, set in a tony neighborhood near Hyde Park in Chicago, it is at once charming, vast, busy with book-buying customers, and just a bit intimidating. Who are these apparently important authors of literature, philosophy, poetry, religion, economics, and history that roll off his tongue, whose signature volumes are readily available in his jam-packed store? And what kind of customersbesides the famous onesbuy these substantive books? How does the store afford all that space, all that inventory? Most of us who run indie bookstores, frankly, are not surviving so well these days. And those of us offering uniquely Christian literature are doing even worse. Deutsch properly resists overcommercializing the booksellers vocation, and he gives the obligatory nod to our famously low margins. He knows how hard it is to make a living selling the blocks of paper and ink that we so cherish. Since most booksellers are constrained by what is ingloriously called the market, they will be a bit demoralized by The Seminary Co-ops remarkable inventory, scale, and status. After all, Deutsch can manage a store that is so impeccably curated (as one admirer described it) in large part because of his prime location and exceptionally well-educated customer base. I love our ordinary folk in our ordinary small town and never cease to be amazed at what people do read, but the good bookstore that Deutsch celebrates is, well, not like most. Truth be told, Im also a little jealous that, in the store he manages, Deutsch carries very few items apart from the books themselves. A few decades ago, the major Family Book Stores chain rebranded itself as Family Christian Stores to better reflect the range of products it was selling. Against that backdrop, the high-minded, bookish purity of the Seminary Co-op strikes me as nearly a prophetic witness against the shallowness and superficiality of our culture. Closer to home, the vision of a well-stocked bookstore evokes the tragedy of what Mark Noll famously named the scandal of the evangelical mind. Article continues below Its no wonder there are very few evangelical-minded bookstores that offer anything even close to the sort of well-curated, stimulating, and artful selection praised by Deutsch; too many of our people seem not to have been taught or nurtured in their discipleship to be people of the book. Leave aside the odd ways in which evangelical Christian authors (and their publishers and publicists) routinely promote Amazon, quickening the decline of the Christian bookstore industry; the bigger issue is that many evangelicals would rather lay down their hard-earned cash for celebrity worship albums or self-help DVDs than browse the shelves of a serious bookstore. In our store, for instance, we have large sections of books offering Christian perspectives on nursing, engineering, art, business, education, law, media studies, and the like. Christ is, after all, Lord of these areas, and we are called to serve him in all that we do. The virtue of intellectual curiosity, particularly as it relates to the relationship between faith and public life, simply isnt cultivated in most churches. I suspect many otherwise fine Christian people would be bored in a readers paradise like the ones Deutsch describes. At times, the grandness of In Praise of Good Bookstores inspired me to renew my vocational vows. Yet even as a bookseller of 40 years, there were moments that felt like reading an exotic ethnography of a rare tribe with exquisitely interesting customs and values in their exceptional habitat. Who are these strange people? The slow browse Despite its name, the beloved Seminary Co-op is no longer a seminary bookstore or even theologically oriented. Yet its hard to come away from In Praise of Good Bookstores without suspecting that Deutsch makes an idol out of books, learning, and the joy of human discovery. I believe God honors the writing and reading of books (we are to love him with all our minds, after all), and the Bible affirms what some might call secular learning. Creation actually speaks, as Job 12 and Psalm 19 attest, so learning from good science and social science is a Christian duty. All truth is Gods truth, as the late Wheaton College philosopher Arthur Holmes declared in a book by the same name. My wife and I have staked our livelihoods on that claim, despite the confusion it has caused some of our customers, who might wonder why a Christian bookstore would carry books about film or art or environmental science or urban design. Still, it is disconcerting when Deutsch calls his shop a book-lined house of worship. He insists that we make our own canon of essential books and, like his hero Walt Whitman, disapproves of submission to any deeper authority or tradition. As Whitman advised in a preface to his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, Take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men. He encouraged his readers to re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul. Deutsch preaches this gospel of free inquiry, quoting Virginia Woolfs counsel to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions. Article continues below For Deutsch, the bookstore offers a spirit of freedom. Well, sure. Nobody wants to be told what they have to think, and for all the churches fretting these days about the holdings of local libraries or the content of school curricula, few wise leaders want to get into the business of book-banning. Still, this spirit of freedom is only one way to think about books, one that prioritizes self-actualization and the cultivation of ones individualized worldview. It is fascinating (and ironic) that Deutsch was raised as a conservative Jew, and his book has glorious sections describing the communal reading habits at Shul and the celebrations of those who were learning together under the umbrella of a coherent religious tradition. My fear is that his upbeat celebration of the individual book buyers autonomy erodes the truths that matter most, leaving each reader to discover them on their own. The bookstore, on this model, is something like a cafeteria. Some serve better food than others, but the invitation is more or less identical: Eat up! Enjoy whatever you want. And yet, the freedom-thinking extremes of Whitman or Woolf aside, Deutsch is doubtlessly noble in envisioning a well-stocked and curated store as a place for serendipity and discovery. In fact, he sounds almost neo-monastic in his observation that the best bookstores invite people to the best sort of browsing and bookish consideration, actually summoning forth a renewed view of time itself, about which he waxes almost spiritually. You dont get this from one-click Amazon shopping or the cheapo remainder stores: The good bookstore fosters the expenditure of a certain kind of time: the slow browse. It is the time we take, for instance, to single out which Clarice Lispector novel we would like to read next. Or the time we take when our eye is first caught by the curious cover of Saint Augustines Confessions on the front table, to read the jacket copy of the book and the first few pages: Who will grant me repose? Deutsch continues with a long paragraph of other imagined curiosities (most almost laughably highbrow) found in a very good bookstore, nicely describing titles and authors the browser notices, the things she talks about with the bookseller behind the desk, and what said bookseller is most impressed by lately. It is all quite glorious, almost luminous. He evokes a sense of the holy, calling such moments thin places. Such discoveries take time, he writes. They happen by being in that space where we let ourselves submit to aimlessness. Sometimes the spine of a book will catch our eye as we are making our way to the register and well grab it on impulse, then buy it on good authority of the bookseller. All of this assumes, of course, that browsers have the free time and disposable income for such unplanned purchases. And that the bookseller loves books and is as well informed as this studious, open-minded book buyer. At The Seminary Co-op Store, that may be the case. Not so, everywhere else. Still, where there is conviviality among a group of browsers loyal to a team of wise booksellers in a given good place, something akin to community can emerge, and Deutsch cites older writers celebrating the bookshops that invite a commingling of various sorts of folks. He mentions a patron who reflects on the notable kindness found among the community of bookstore supporters. We, too, have seen that; we are grateful to our own shoppers who have become, as one of our early slogans had it, more than a customer. Im inspired when Deutsch writes, It makes me happy to think of wandering through the aisles as a journey of kindness, one that takes us beyond the narrow limits of the self. Yet this aspiration also strikes me as idealistic. Weve seen ugly debates develop on site; even Christian bookstores experience rudeness and dishonesty. Article continues below Even so, I dont want to dismiss Deutschs celebration of the communities formed around bookstores. In her recent book Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy, Mary McCampbell explores how empathy develops, showing how narrative artstories, poems, songs, movies, and certainly novelscan help us cultivate a biblical ethic of loving our neighbors. Serious reading, it can be argued, deepens our awareness of others and their unique lives. A labor of love Deutsch is also correct, I think, in imagining the local bookstore as part of the public square. The very diversity of titles on offer, which appeal to different sorts of readers, all loyal to the same local bookstore, facilitates a kind of deliberative spirit. As he puts it, This diversity of viewpoints neednt separate and splinter us. Instead, this sort of public discourse in the public square of the bookstore can bind us together, creating a more civic-minded populace. Few booksellers get rich creating these kinds of places. Deutsch rails against Amazon only a bit, although he does cite an old H. L. Mencken piece, Lo, the Poor Bookseller, which couldve been written yesterday. For those of us called to this vocation, it is a labor of love. Hopefully this book, dense and learned as it is, will inspire many to love more deeply the printed page and honor more intentionally the bookseller who sets the table for your hospitable encounters. Describing reopening The Seminary Co-ops doors after the worst of the pandemic a year ago, Deutsch writes: Bookstores are roused by their patrons; it is the encounter that fulfills a bookstores purpose. Reopening the doors in June 2021 felt like a resuscitation first, then a revival. If an argument ends when a bookstore closes, what argument is continued when a bookstore remains open? Ultimately, I wish Deutsch had made his book a bit more personal, a bit warmer, and a little less erudite. I wish, too, that he had leavened it with a few fun stories. For that missing element, we may have to take up the handful of novels set in bookstores or turn to other volumes by bookseller raconteurs. Like pastors, or maybe like bartenders, we hear a lot; most of us have seen it all. The job is more than curating and hosting the best books, and it is that more that I struggled to find in Deutschs intellectually vivid tribute to his book-lined spaces. Byron Borger owns and operates Hearts & Minds bookstore in Dallastown, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Beth. One day in March, Yowati Nthenga, the head of accounting at Nkhoma Mission Hospital, was sitting at his desk wondering where he would get the money to pay the hospitals roughly 400 employees the overtime and bonus pay they were owed. He had paid salaries, fortunately, but staff counted on that additional allowance, and it should have gone out already. Nthengas office is near the gate of the rural, 250-bed hospital, which serves a region of about 460,000 people in central Malawi. On that day, patients arrived on motorbike, on foot, and in minibuses: women in labor, older men with hypertension, a boy with kidney damage. The hospital took care of them, and then Nthenga and the other administrators had to figure out how to pay for it. If patients cant afford the hospitals subsidized feesa consultation costs about 90 centsNkhomas staff work out a doable amount or find some charitable program to cover the cost. Their policy is to not refuse anyone treatment. But eventually, the care must be paid for somehow. The hospital is run by the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, a Malawian denomination. Since it is the only hospital serving Nkhomas rural district, the Malawian government helps fund staff salaries. But the countys health care system relies heavily on foreign funding, as does the mission hospital. And Nthenga has been watching those foreign donations trend downward. This is happening in mission hospitals across Africa serving rural, poor populations. Giving from Western churches and organizations has declined, while the need for medical care is increasing with population growth. The pandemic worsened that trend, administrators at mission hospitals ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Hospital trust sets deadline for removing Archie Battersbee's life support UPDATE: 8 a.m. ET Aug. 3: Archie Battersbee's parents submitted an 11th-hour application to the European Court of Human Rights just before the 9 a.m. Wednesday deadline set by the lawyers for Barts Health NHS Trust to remove their son's life support. Original: Lawyers for Barts Health NHS Trust, responsible for 12-year-old Archie Battersbee's care at the Royal London Hospital, informed the boy's parents that his life support would be withdrawn as early as Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, the U.K. Supreme Court refused permission for Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, Archie's parents, to appeal to prevent their son's life support from being withdrawn, according to a Tuesday statement from The Christian Legal Centre. "Heartbreakingly, the hospital Trust have told us this evening that we cannot move Archie to a hospice," Dance said in a statement. "We want to make an urgent application to the European Court of Human Rights, but the Trust are saying that that has to be submitted at 9 a.m., which gives us and our lawyers no time to prepare it." "They also demand to see a copy of it, which they have no right to see. However, if this does not happen, they say they will withdraw treatment tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. This is cruel and we are absolutely appalled." The CLC has been representing the parents in their ongoing legal battle to prevent the removal of Battersbee's life support. In April, the child was found unconscious with a ligature around his neck, suffering a "catastrophic hypoxic ischaemic brain injury." He has not regained consciousness. Doctors and judges have agreed that the boy is brain dead. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt. Hon Steve Barclay, called for the U.K. Supreme Court to refuse the parents' urgent appeal on Tuesday. Government lawyers submitted to the U.K. Supreme Court on his behalf that the interim measures injunction by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) are "not binding" under international law. The UNCRPD had asked the United Kingdom last week to keep the boy on life support while it considered the case. Government lawyers wrote that "the notion that interim measures are binding has not been accepted as a facet of customary international law. There is no such consensus. On the contrary, the status of the committees' decisions is a subject of some controversy." The parents attempted to file a last-minute application with the U.K. Supreme Court Tuesday morning following a Court of Appeal hearing Monday. Representatives of Barts Health NHS Trust stated during the hearing that the institution would withdraw treatment on Tuesday afternoon if an application to the U.K. Supreme Court was not made. Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Court of Appeal family division, granted Battersbee's parents a brief stay on Monday so they could appeal to the Supreme Court, according to CLC. McFarlane rejected the UNCRPD injunction and said Battersbee shouldn't remain on life support and that ending treatment is in the boy's "best interests." The family applied to the UNCRPD because individuals and families can file complaints regarding potential violations of disabled people's rights. Battersbee's parents argue that stopping their son's treatment breaches the U.N. Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Children. The UNCRPD said in response to Battersbee's parents that its special rapporteur on communications "requested the State party to refrain from withdrawing life-preserving medical treatment, including mechanical ventilation and artificial nutrition and hydration, from the alleged victim while the case is under consideration by the Committee." "[T]his request does not imply that any decision has been reached on the substance of the matter under consideration," the response states. "The Committee may review the necessity of maintaining the request for interim measures once the State party's observations have been received.'" Last month, Justice Emma Arbuthnot ruled that the Royal London Hospital could discontinue Battersbee's life support, writing that the boy is likely dead "on the balance of probabilities." Despite her decision, Arbuthnot granted the parents permission to appeal. In a July 15 judgment, Justice Anthony Hayden ruled that it is in the child's "best interests" for his life support to be removed. Digital religion makes faith experience richer for millennial believers, study finds For religious millennials a generation with one of the lowest rates of participation in organized in-person religious activities in North America engaging with digital religion has made their faith experience richer, while some who don't go to church have found religion in digital spaces, a new study suggests. The study, "Digital Religion Among U.S. and Canadian Millennial Adults," recently published in the Review of Religious Research, explores the prevalence of some digital religion practices among 18- to 35-year-old millennials in the U.S. and Canada using data from the 2019 Millennial Trends Survey. The report was authored by University of Waterloo sociology professor Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme. Millennials are described as "generally those born and raised in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s." For the purposes of this study, the cohort was limited to the years 1984 to 2001. "As such, they are the first truly digital natives in North America, in that they were raised since childhood with the digital world at their fingertips," Wilkins-Laflamme said. Digital religion is defined in the study as an umbrella concept that reflects "a new frame for articulating the evolution of religious practices online" and "points to how digital media and spaces are shaping and being shaped by religious practice." Laflamme found that digital religion is practiced by a substantial minority of the millennial population. Some 29% of Canadian millennials in the study reported consuming religious or spiritual digital content at least once a month. That figure is much higher in the U.S., where 41% of millennials said they consume religious or spiritual digital content at least once a month. "We know that more and more people are turning toward digital mediums for spirituality such as chat groups with pastors, online sermons and religious content on social media," Wilkins-Laflamme said in a statement to The Christian Post. "We've found that while digital religion isn't necessarily attracting a lot of new millennials to participate, it is making the experience of those already involved richer." The study doesn't capture how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the consumption of digital religion among millennials since 2020 but suggests there was already a majority of millennials in both the U.S. and Canada consuming religious or spiritual digital content at least once a year. The study also indicates: "As rates of more conventional religious practices, such as in-person religious service attendance, have fallen in more recent years among younger generations, the expansion of the internet in our lives has meant that a larger proportion of millennials are coming into somewhat regular contact with religion and spirituality online." Most U.S. and Canadian millennials who engage with digital religion at least once a month also do at least one in-person religious or spiritual activity monthly, the study suggests. "There are only 5% of young adult respondents (16% of monthly or more frequent digital content consumers) who only do monthly or more frequent religious or spiritual digital content consumption without also attending religious services at least once a month or practicing an unchurched spirituality at least once a month," Wilkins-Laflamme said. About 11% of millennials in the study reported that they consumed digital content and attended religious services monthly or more frequently, while another 6% said they did monthly or more frequent digital content consumption and unchurched spiritual activities. About 10% reported that they did all three types of activities at least once a month. "In other words, 25% of millennial respondents across both countries take part in less conventional spiritual or religious activities at least once a month, and 11% include a digital component to these activities. Another 25% pair these frequent less conventional religious and spiritual activities with monthly or more frequent religious service attendance, among whom almost all include a digital component," the study noted. Only 7% reported taking part in conventional religious service attendance at least once a month without other digital or unchurched religious and spiritual activities. "We see a lot of overlap between digital religious and spiritual content consumption and religious service attendance among respondents. This said, it is also important to note that there is a significant minority of millennials who seem to do digital religion away from organized religion," the study added. Wilkins-Laflamme told CP that while digital religion is a phenomenon among many millennials, it is not the reality for most millennials. "It is still present though for a sizeable minority of the young adult population," she said. "And for many of them, digital religion plays an important complementary role to the in-person practicing of their faith." Chestly Lunday, an expert in innovative leadership who has helped churches and companies lead in the digital age, told CP last month that one of the biggest reasons behind an ongoing decline in traditional church membership is that the younger generation and innovative Christians have migrated online while older adults haven't. "What we're seeing [now] is the exodus of the late majority [from traditional churches]. We're not seeing the exodus of early adopters [of technology], and the early majority of innovators. They've been gone already for a while," Lunday said. "Church of the future is a network. And it's going to be digitally based. It's not going to be geographically based. It's going to be built on relationships and purpose." Health system to pay over $10.3M for denying religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandate A Chicago, Illinois-based healthcare system has agreed to pay over $10.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by employees who were denied a religious exemption to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. NorthShore University HealthSystem agreed to a class action settlement last month in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. As part of the settlement, NorthShore will deposit $30,000 into a settlement fund within 30 days after preliminary approval of the settlement, followed by depositing $10,307,500.00 into the fund within 35 days of a final judgment being entered. The healthcare system will also grant religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine to employees who request it, including those who were initially denied their exemption request. According to the settlement, around 520 employees had been denied a religious accommodation or exemption to the vaccine mandate between July 1 of last year and New Years Day 2022. Of this approximately 520 team members, NorthShore itself estimated that 200 became compliant with the Vaccine Policys COVID-19 vaccination requirement while 269 were discharged or resigned based upon their religious declination of a COVID-19 vaccine. Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, whose organization helped represent the employees suing NorthShore, released a statement Monday celebrating the decision. Let this case be a warning to employers that violated Title VII. It is especially significant and gratifying that this first classwide COVID settlement protects health care workers, stated Staver. Health care workers are heroes who daily give their lives to protect and treat their patients. They are needed now more than ever. For its part, NorthShore explained in a statement published by CBS Chicago on Monday that the settlement was part of the new vaccine mandate policy at Edward-Elmhurst Health. We continue to support system-wide, evidence-based vaccination requirements for everyone who works at NorthShore Edward-Elmhurst Health and thank our team members for helping to keep our communities safe, stated NorthShore. The settlement reflects implementation of a new system-wide vaccine policy which will include accommodation for team members with approved exemptions, including former employees who are rehired. Last October, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against NorthShore at the behest of several employees who were denied religious exemption requests from the systems vaccine mandate. This included those who objected to getting the COVID-19 vaccine because its development included the usage of aborted fetal cells in research. ISLAMABAD, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The wreckage of a missing Pakistani military helicopter has been found in the country's southwest Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday. All the six passengers aboard the helicopter, including an army commander, lost their lives in the crash, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. The wreckage of the army chopper was found in the Windar area of Lasbela district of the province, the ISPR statement said, adding that the unfortunate helicopter was on a flood relief operation in Balochistan on Monday evening when the accident occurred due to bad weather. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the crash, and extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families. The recent heavy rains and floods have wreaked havoc in Balochistan province, killing more than 130 people since June 14, whereas 13,535 houses were partially or fully damaged and over 13,000 livestock perished, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Pro-life teen assaulted ahead of Kansas abortion referendum; woman arrested, charged UPDATE: 1:30 p.m. ET Aug. 2: The Leawood Police Department told The Christian Post on Tuesday that a 37-year-old woman was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged attack on a pro-life canvasser Sunday. "The Leawood Police Department was contacted on Sunday by a subject. ... She stated that she had been going door-to-door regarding the upcoming election," the police statement reads. "As she was walking away from an address in Leawood, she was struck by a female resident. The victim was not injured. As part of our investigation on Sunday, the 37-year-old suspect was arrested, charged in Leawood Municipal Court with misdemeanor battery and released." Original: A pro-life student claims she was attacked while canvassing on behalf of the "Value Them Both" amendment that will go before Kansas voters Tuesday. The pro-life group Students for Life of America announced Monday that 18-year-old Grace Hartsock was assaulted in Leawood, Kansas, Sunday as she participated in the organization's door-knocking campaign. The campaign seeks to convince Kansas voters to support the Value Them Both Amendment to amend the Kansas Constitution so it "does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion." Supporters of the amendment aim to reverse the Kansas Supreme Court's creation of "a nearly unlimited 'right' to abortion" in the state constitution. In an interview with The Christian Post, Dana Stancavage, the press specialist and online editor for Students for Life of America, elaborated on the incident that occurred Sunday. Stancavage is one of several Students for Life activists on the ground in Kansas ahead of Tuesday's vote, along with Hartsock, a Texas native who is a rising freshman at Benedictine College. Stancavage told CP that Hartsock and other pro-life activists left to canvass around 11 a.m., noting that Hartsock "was with a team, but they had each broken up to different streets." While Hartsock was by herself at the time of the incident, the other pro-life activists were "very close by," Stancavage stated. About two hours into the door-knocking, Hartsock encountered a woman who shoved her "with both hands in the chest," Stancavage said. "Grace didn't fall, but the woman with closed fists began hitting her in the head, and Grace was trying to just block herself and move out of the driveway and flee from that woman." The woman also allegedly told Hartsock, "I hope you get raped" and "I hope you get hit by a car." "She did also throw a piece of bread [that] hit Grace in the face," Stancavage added. In a blog post, Students for Life of America said that Hartsock encountered the woman's mother after knocking on the door of the house. After the mother apologized and indicated that she didn't want to talk to Hartsock because she was not likely to support the amendment, Hartsock began to depart the property. As she was leaving, Hartsock reportedly heard the woman's daughter dropping expletives and reportedly uttering the words "Don't apologize to her, mom." Shortly after that, Students for Life claims she chased Hartsock and assaulted her. The pro-life teenager tried to record video footage of the encounter when the woman started retreating. Video footage released by Students for Life of America shows the woman flipping Hartsock off and appearing to direct an "F you" at the teenager before her mother meets her on the driveway and tells her to "stop it." Stancavage recalled that after taking the five-second video, Hartsock "called the other people that were door-knocking with her, and they came and picked her up immediately." The leadership team at Students for Life of America instructed Hartsock, who was "pretty shaken up for a few," to call the police and go to the emergency room. The organization "really put a priority to make sure nothing was wrong with her," Stancavage detailed. Hartsock allegedly experienced a "major headache," but a visit to the emergency room revealed that she was "all clear" with "no concussion or anything of that nature." Hartsock "doesn't have any sort of a physical injury," Stancavage said. The pro-life activist was back to canvassing on Monday. The organization's efforts in the heavily populated eastern Kansas will continue through 4:00 p.m. Tuesday. "This has never happened before," Stancavage insisted, stressing that "we engage in a lot of door-knocking." "[It's] astonishing because it's never been something we've experienced to this extent," she added. While the pro-life advocate expects to "run into people who take a different position," she reiterated that "someone running out of their house and acting this way has never happened." Stancavage believes that the door-knocking campaign, which has consisted of "smaller groups this summer" but increased to 20 this weekend, has been fruitful. "A lot of people have been receptive, which makes this particular incident very surprising," Stancavage contends. "But I will say it's helpful that we're here and working with other groups to try to educate voters on exactly what this amendment does because there has been some confusion around it. So I think our education has been effective." The canvassing team has had over 1,700 door-knocking conversations on Sunday, according to Stancavage. "So we're really trying to move the dial and have this amendment pass so that Kansas has the ability to pass pro-life laws," she said. "We've been encouraged by hearing from a lot of people who weren't planning on voting that it's been brought to their attention that there is a vote tomorrow." Hartsock told Leawood Police that she wanted to press charges against the woman who assaulted her. The police informed her that they intended to investigate the matter. In a statement, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, lamented that "a grown woman took out her frustrations over abortion on a teenager who volunteered to let people know about the Kansas ballot initiative." Hawkins cited Hartsock's return to canvassing so soon after the attack as evidence that "the Pro-Life Generation will not be forced into silence or fear because of radical pro-abortionists who show no regard for life, inside or outside of the womb, and no respect for the free speech rights of their fellow citizens." A poll conducted by co/efficient revealed that 47% of likely primary voters planned on supporting the Value Them Both Amendment while 43% would likely oppose it. The remaining 10% are undecided. The assault against Hartsock comes five weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Dobbs decision and the leaked draft opinion have caused outrage among pro-abortion activists, leading to much vandalism of churches and pro-life pregnancy centers across the nation. Hawkins classified the assault against Hartsock as the latest incident in the "Summer of Rage" promised by pro-abortion activists if Roe was overturned. This content is paid for by an advertiser and published by CP Brand Solutions. The Christian Post newsroom was not involved in creating this content. Learn more about CP Brand Solutions. The graduating class of 2023 is in for a big surprise this year. Are they ready for it? After a lackluster couple of years of job creation, 2023 is poised to be a much stronger year for new graduates. According to The New York Times, "Seniors and graduates are again in demand as companies revive recruiting, underscoring the economic premium that comes with a diploma." This is good news for this emerging generation, but there will still be obstacles. With more employers opening back up, the experienced employee will still be in demand, making things a challenge for new grads. Fortunately, "challenge" is not an unfamiliar word for Gen Z, and this new book from Dr. Billy Wilson shines a light on our new generation of leaders and sees tremendous potential for everyone's future. In "Generation Z: Born for the Storm," Dr. William M. "Billy" Wilson, president of Oral Roberts University, inspires and informs readers to help Gen Z-ers fulfill their destinies. It's fast-paced, packed full of insights, and richly researched. It is designed to call Gen Z to pursue God and serve His purposes in todays turbulent times we live in. Billy Wilson reveals that all people look for a cause, a reason, and a place where they can bury their hearts and that Gen Z will find in Jesus a cause so compelling that they will commit everything to it. Many times, God's greatest victories are seen amid a storm. Gen Z will see the glory of God as they achieve success because they are born for the storm. Generation Z: Born for the Storm Get First Chapter Free Generation Z: Born for the Storm is for: Members of Gen Z who long to live lives of purpose and make their lives count for God Parents who seek to raise sons and daughters committed to building God's kingdom Pastors and youth leaders who seek to understand better the challenges faced by today's youth, the potential this generation has for God, and how to inspire them to reach that potential Leaders, managers, and employers who seek to motivate their Gen Z employees to maximize productivity and impact Educators who seek to truly understand and impactfully connect with their students Gen Zborn in a time of unprecedented societal upheaval with a strong desire to make their lives countis distinguishing itself as the "purpose" generation. Because of this, Gen Z must be equipped to discover and fulfill their God-given purpose in a new way for the opportunities they will discover and the storms in their path. They are ready. They are willing. They are born for the storm. You can order Generation Z: Born for the Storm now at drbillywilsonbooks.com or click on the book title. Dr. William M. Wilson He is the fourth president of the globally recognized Oral Roberts University, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. William M. Wilson is the fourth president of the globally recognized Oral Roberts University, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Wilson is instrumental in developing Spirit-empowered leaders through whole person education to impact the world. Wilson possesses over four decades of executive leadership. He is a global influencer, a dynamic speaker with undeniable passion, and a profound ability for equipping new generations of leaders. Along with his role as the Chair of the Pentecostal World Fellowship, Dr. Wilsons leadership influence includes Empowered21, the National Association of Evangelicals, Mission America Coalition, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the City of Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. Wilson is a sought-after Bible communicator whose weekly television program, World Impact with Dr. Billy Wilson, inspires viewers in over 150 nations and multiple languages. Wilson and his wife Lisa, have one son, Ashley, who with his wife Jamie, have three children. Their daughter, Sara and her husband Shaun have four children. The Wilson family resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The myth of the modern self The sheer rage that has greeted the Dobbs decision demands reflection. The rhetoric regarding victims of incest and rape is powerful but hardly explains the anger, given that such cases are comparatively rare and exceptional. They make good material for emotional appeal to the populace but are neither foundational to the philosophy of the pro-abortion cause nor the real source of the outrage we are witnessing. Nor do they explain the violence and vindictiveness now being directed at Catholic churches and crisis pregnancy centers, still less the weirdly passionate response of people in other countries whose laws are often no more liberal than the Mississippi legislation that drove the Dobbs case. That abortion became the hallmark doctrine of modern feminism is itself fascinating, given that it requires a fundamental denial or repudiation of that which makes a woman a woman: a body formed around the potential for conceiving, gestating, and then bearing a child. Not all women can or do bear children, of course, but that does not mean they are not women in accordance with this biological definition. As Abigail Favale argues in The Genesis of Gender, to reject this definition on such grounds is to confuse act and potency. Therefore, a feminism that makes the destruction of the child a point of non-negotiable dogma is a feminism that rejects the very essence of what it means to be a woman. It is a perversion of what true feminism should be. This, incidentally, lies behind the current ironic and incoherent inability of those who are so passionate about womens rights to define what women actually are. And this gives us a clue to the outrage. The repeal of the right to abortion has two obvious consequences. First, it reasserts the importance of the physical body to female identity. Second, it strikes deep and hard at the idea that human beings are defined by their freedom and autonomy rather than by their dependency and obligation. In short, it contradicts two of the guiding myths of our contemporary culture, at least as understood by the elites. And when a cultures guiding myths are challenged, one can expect those committed to them to be very angry and to hit back with force. There is an analogy here to the academic world. Academics as a class assume that they run their institutions. I am an academic myself and can testify to this. I stand in front of a classroom of students every day, feeling that I am king of all I survey. Every intuition in my academic soul whispers to me that I and my colleagues are the most important people on campus. Yet academics do not run their institutions. Administrations and boards do and, every now and then, these latter two groups will pull rank and assert their authority. At that moment, we faculty usually cry out with anger, not simply because we may disagree with some policy decision, but because we have been painfully reminded that our self-perception as masters of our professional universe has been shown to be a myth. What is true in the groves of academe is even more powerfully true in our modern, technologized world. Western society is built on the myth that individuals are in charge of their identities. And when we are reminded that that is not the case, we tend to become rather angry. Rage is evident in other areas of our progressive culture for much the same reason. Recent years have seen the excesses of this disembodied, libertarian anthropology become more extreme with the advent of technologically enabled developments such as transgenderism and transhumanism. This has been accompanied by an increasingly angry response to any who dare to use language implying any kind of realism. To misgender or deadname a transgender person can be a career-ending mistake. The disproportionate nature of this reaction indicates the same phenomenon now greeting the Dobbs decision: Those who imply that we are accountable to bodily reality are pointing out the mythical nature of the modern self. This raises a further interesting question: When does a myth become a lie? Myths grip the imagination of a culture and are internalized by it. Therefore, they typically require no direct and powerful imposition by force. Once force and intimidation are necessary, the myth is surely becoming a lie, something that is known to be untrue but to which loyalty is demanded by our cultural powerbrokers anyway. That would seem to sum up the position we in the West now find ourselves in. We are furious that our bodies place limits upon us, pointing out that we have natural obligations to others and cannot be whatever and whoever we wish. It is why anyone who argues this and any court decision that moves society toward acknowledging this fact is greeted with irrational fury and vindictiveness. Ours is an age in which the myth is becoming an intentional lie. Originally published on First Things. Christian university sues Washington AG over probe into LGBT hiring policies A Christian university is suing the attorney general of Washington state over an investigation into its hiring practices that university officials say violate the school's religious freedom. Seattle Pacific University (SPU) filed suit on July 27 against state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is investigating potential illegal discrimination over the university's refusal to hire LGBT applicants based on its statement of faith. In the 22-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, SPU said Ferguson "is wielding state power to interfere with the religious beliefs of a religious university, and a church, whose beliefs he disagrees with." "He is using the powers of his office (and even powers not granted to his office) to pressure and retaliate against Seattle Pacific University," the suit stated. The complaint claims that Ferguson's investigation compels SPU to release "information on internal religious matters and decisions, detailed review of religious hiring practices, communications with ministerial employees, and even the selection of the University's president, senior leadership, and board of trustees." A June 8 letter Ferguson sent to SPU requests that the institution to "[p]roduce any policies governing the hiring, promotion, discipline, and/or termination of University faculty, staff, and administrators, as it relates to their sexual orientation or status of being in a same-sex marriage and/or intimate relationship." "The attorney general's probe inquires into confidential religious matters and is beyond the scope of authority granted under state law and the federal constitution," attorneys for SPU said in the complaint. In response to the lawsuit, Ferguson released a statement confirming the civil rights investigation. "We did not publicize the letter, nor did we announce our investigation. In response to our inquiry, Seattle Pacific University filed a federal lawsuit," the attorney general stated. "The lawsuit demonstrates that the University believes it is above the law to such an extraordinary degree that it is shielded from answering basic questions from my office regarding the University's compliance with state law." Ferguson launched the investigation after "[n]umerous Seattle Pacific University students, faculty, and others reached out to my office to file complaints or otherwise express deep concern that the University administration's policies illegally violate Washingtonians' civil rights." The private evangelical Christian and Wesleyan institution is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church and enrolls around 3,500 students. The institution claims it adheres to the biblical definition of human sexuality. Last year, SPU faced criticism after its board of trustees announced it would continue a hiring policy that prohibits hiring full-time faculty members who identify as LGBT. SPU's Faculty Senate obtained responses from around 90% of the faculty on the board's decision to maintain that policy despite objections from some in the school community. Around 72% of the faculty who responded agreed with the "no confidence" vote regarding the board and its decision, according to The Seattle Times. "The Board's decision to maintain SPU's discriminatory hiring policy related to human sexuality, as well as its manner of delivering that decision, have regrettably compelled the faculty of SPU to pass a vote of no confidence in the SPU Board of Trustees," the faculty senate said. In May, SPU's policies attracted national attention following a student protest over the board's vote to "retain Seattle Pacific University's current employee lifestyle expectations regarding sexual conduct." "We want the community of SPU to know that this was a thorough and prayerful deliberation," Board Chair Cedric Davis said in a statement. "While this decision brings complex and heart-felt reactions, the Board made a decision that it believed was most in line with the university's mission and Statement of Faith and chose to have SPU remain in communion with its founding denomination, the Free Methodist Church USA, as a core part of its historical identity as a Christian university." SPU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, which is opposing a lawsuit filed by former students from over two dozen Christian universities who say they felt discriminated against on their campuses. The lawsuit seeks to overturn religious exemptions to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act that allows faith-based institutions to adhere to scriptural beliefs on sexuality and gender. Ferguson, who has served as attorney general of Washington since 2013, has a history of bringing charges against Christian entities deemed to have violated the state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2013, Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Christian florist Barronelle Stutzman for refusing to provide floral arrangements to a same-sex wedding on the ground that doing so went against her Christian convictions. After a lengthy legal battle, Stutzman agreed to pay $5,000 to settle the lawsuit and announced her retirement. Russia releases captive Christian ministry workers: 'Prayers are still needed' A group of ministry volunteers and refugees taken captive in Ukraine were released after they were reportedly beaten by the Russian militia, although those familiar with the situation warn that the crisis is not over yet. Orphans Promise is a nonprofit organization operating in over 65 countries that works to transform communities impacted by poverty, war or starvation. The group offers education and employment programs to help enrich families in addition to ensuring children receive a healthy meal to better their learning experiences. The group is headquartered in Virginia Beach, and it has a center and residential home in Berdyansk, Ukraine. As CBN News reported Friday, the ten ministry volunteers taken captive in Berdyansk were released. Orphans Promise director Nataliya Khomyak thanked everyone who prayed for the volunteers. All are alive and have been released (even though they have been beaten severely and tortured and one is currently in a hospital after a heart attack), she said. "Prayers are still needed for their recovery after being detained. But it's a miracle that they've been released... Thank you for all the prayers!" One of the men from the group was elderly, and another man still being detained is a Mariupol refugee who attempted to escape to Ukraine-controlled territory, according to CBN News. The man passed through a filtration camp, which is reportedly similar to concentration camps, and those detained there are said to have been mistreated. Another two people from the group who tried to evacuate are still being held captive, and while all the other volunteers have been released, they are not permitted to leave Berdyansk. This means those who were taken captive are still within occupied territory. Yulia, an Orphans Promise worker in Ukraine, shared the details of the volunteers captivity in a Tuesday statement published by CBN News. She explained that on Tuesday, a group of volunteers and a local church evacuated people from Mariupol in a van to Ukrainian territory before the Russian military seized them. A group of ten people was then released after a few days, according to Yulie. It turned out that the elderly man had a tattoo, the Orphans Promise worker said. The invaders did not like it, because they thought that this man was a military man from Azov. They grabbed the whole group. They were holding them captive, she continued. Men were abused, beaten, humiliated, and tortured with electric current. They took a means of transport belonging to the church. Yulie thanked everyone for their prayers, adding that everyone is alive. However, another Orphans Promise volunteer taken captive earlier this year is still missing. As CBN News reported, a volunteer named Valentina was abducted by the Russians last March. The woman worked in an area near Mariupol for Orphans Promise Children of War Project, helping to distribute food to people hiding in bomb shelters. Eyewitnesses claim that they saw the people who took Valentina captive throw a bag over her head and abduct her in the street. Russian troops besieged the area where Valentina was volunteering, and it is believed that someone the woman knew betrayed her to the Russian troops by telling them she was helping the Ukrainians. "No one knows where they took her, where she is. So please pray for Valentina, CBN's Terry Meeuwsen, who founded Orphan's Promise, said in a statement published in March. "We're asking that she would be released, asking God to send angels with her that she would be released without harm." According to the United Nations, more than 6.5 million people from Ukraine have crossed international borders into neighboring countries since Russia began its military campaign in the country on February 24. Over eight million Ukrainians have been displaced, and at least 13 million people are reportedly stranded in affected areas, unable to leave. Pro-abortion violence and officials noncompliance: A dagger aimed at the heart of the rule of law Every freedom-loving American should be appalled at the violence and threats of violence against U.S. government employees. We have witnessed the chilling sight of a potential assassination of a sitting Supreme Court Justice at his personal residence. We have had to witness through national media film clips hundreds of American citizens protesting in front of the justices homes. Around the country we hear and see spreading reports of acts of violence against crisis pregnancy centers (whose only aim is to save the lives of the unborn and to minister to their mothers). Circulars and posters have popped up, declaring: Call to Action night of rage. These woke warriors declare: TO OUR OPPRESSORS: If ABORTIONS are not SAFE, THEN YOURE NOT EITHER. Some crisis pregnancy centers have been targeted with firebombs. Now we have the even more dangerous specter of thousands of elected officials, openly declaring that they will not enforce abortion-related laws. First, most of these protestors, or recalcitrant public officials, have been whipped into a frenzy by political operatives (including mass media) that have misinformed them that this is true. Thus, they proclaim if Roe is overturned, democracy dies! Nothing could be further from the actual truth. If Roe is overturned, democracy is restored in America. The citizens of each state will decide for themselves when and under what circumstances abortions would take place a decision taken out of their hands by an imperial Supreme Court 48 years ago. Given the current mood in the country, it is critically important to know the facts. I cannot think, however, of a greater threat to our nations rule of law, the bedrock of our entire legal system, than having public officials exercise a self-proclaimed right to disobey and ignore laws with which they are in disagreement laws which they have taken an oath to enforce. It is bad enough when private citizens refuse to obey the nations laws. When elected officials refuse to fulfill their oath of office, society has descended into a dark and dangerous place. The other day a very disturbing headline appeared in newspapers, If Roe falls, some DAs wont enforce abortion ban." In both red states and blue states, you have District Attorneys and other public officials who are openly declaring that they will not enforce laws they have taken an oath to uphold. As I said earlier, I cannot think of anything more destructive to the rule of law (a precious and fragile thing that Americans too often take for granted since it has always been part of the furniture in the room ever since the ratification of the Constitution in 1789). Once the rule of law is imperiled, it is a swift descent into oligarchy and then insurrection and chaos. Back in 1960, during one of the most intriguing presidential elections in our entire history as a nation, one huge issue was the fact that the Democrat candidate for president, Sen. John F. Kennedy, was a Roman Catholic and a Roman Catholic had never been elected to the presidency. This was a big deal! You must remember that you are dealing here with a pre-Vatican II Roman Catholicism, which could give formidable pause to your average American Protestant. Would the pope tell the president what to do under the threat of excommunication? So on September 12, 1960, a memorable weekday night during that hot and very contested campaign, which in the end would be decided by less than 100,000 votes (less than one vote per precinct nationwide), then Sen. John Kennedy came to my hometown of Houston, Texas, to answer the question of whether his Catholic beliefs would compromise his oath of allegiance if he were to be victorious. I was in my 14th year and new to all things political. Democrat presidential candidate John F. Kennedy was going to address the Greater Houston Ministerial Association (made up of Protestant ministers, including my pastor) on the question of his Catholicism and he was going to take questions. Trust me, it was a big deal! I have seen the video of the event several times and I have read the transcript at least 50 times. I deemed the speech important enough historically to have it reprinted as part of Appendix D (Presidential Addresses) in my book, The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are Missing in the God and Country Shouting Match! JFK was clearly miffed that he was having to address the issue at all. Near the beginning, he says, because I am a Catholic and no Catholic has ever been elected President, it is apparently necessary for me to state once again what kind of America I believe in! JFK then observes, Contrary to common newspaper usage, I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Parys candidate for President who happens also to be Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters and the church does not speak for me. Then the president gets down to the heart of the issue. Having declared his allegiance to religious liberty as defined in the First Amendment, JFK states: Whatever issue may come before me as PresidentI will make my decisionin accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to do otherwise. In other words, his Roman Catholic faith informs his conscience, and he would be guided by his, not the Roman Catholic hierarchys, conscience. The no power or threat of punishment undoubtedly refers to the threat of papal excommunication. Then JFK, in my opinion, threads the needle perfectly by saying: If the time should ever comewhen my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office. I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same. JFK was laying down a fundamental marker. He would not violate his conscience or his oath of office in which, if elected, he would, solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitutionso help me God. This should be an example for every elected official in the United States. You have sworn an oath to uphold the law as it is, not as you would like for it to be. If you cannot in conscience do so, resign and then protest the law as a private citizen. Just ignoring the laws you have sworn to uphold is not an option and some might legitimately call it treason. Pro-lifer punched in front of Supreme Court day after Amy Coney Barrett nomination A pro-life protestor demonstrating in support of Amy Coney Barretts nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court was allegedly punched in the face by a pro-abortion activist in front of the Supreme Court Building on Sunday in Washington D.C. Video footage captured by Breitbart documented the dueling demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court that took place less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump selected the 48-year-old 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judge to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Abortion rights protesters called their demonstration opposing Barretts nomination the No Confirmation Before Inauguration. Meanwhile, Students for Life of America held a counterprotest in favor of Barrett. The counterprotest featured members of the groups SCOTUS Squad. According to Students for Life, a network of pro-life student groups with chapters on college and high school campuses across the country, pro-life demonstrators were vastly outnumbered by pro-abortion protesters by a margin of 95% to 5% on Sunday. A picture posted on the Students for Life Twitter page showed that some pro-abortion demonstrators were not pleased about the presence of the pro-life group. About an hour into the video, Autumn Schimmer, the communications and market manager for Students for Life Action, can be seen conversing with a woman as a nearby pro-life protester chanted Pro-life is human rights! At the same time, a pro-abortion protester was yelling womens rights are human rights! I was approached by a pro-choice woman who wanted to have a conversation about what feminism means to me, Schimmer recalled in a statement. I told her that women are not empowered when they kill their own children, and we need to do better. After that, she was getting more aggressive, Schimmer continued. I took a step back to return to my group. She approached me and punched me in the face and ripped off my face mask. This is very upsetting. Being attacked by a pro-choicer just shows that the violence of abortion breeds a culture of violence and normalizes it. Breitbart caught up with Schimmer after the incident, who told the videographer: Im okay. But this just shows that the left is okay with violence and why are we okay with violence? While the Breitbart video did not catch the attack as it happened, it appears to have taken place at about the 1:02:45 mark of the recording. At this time, Schimmer was holding a sign that read Trust Pro-Life Women accompanied by the hashtag #Justice4Life and the Students for Life Twitter handle. The other side of her sign read: I cant believe these feminists are protesting a woman. Approve her now. Seconds later, the woman she was conversing with was shown walking away. Schimmer, who said she lives in Chicago, described the woman who punched her as a coward in her exchange with Breitbart. She was mad that I didnt respond to one of her questions and when I was chanting with one of my co-workers, she hit me in the face and told me that I was not willing to have a conversation, Schimmer recalled. After the attack, other pro-life protesters tended to a visibly shaken Schimmer, whose mask was removed. Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins announced via Twitter Sunday that the assault was reported to the police and the assailant was identified. The attack on the pro-life demonstrator is not a unique incident. A report compiled by the pro-life website Life News reports that more than 100 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment targetted pro-life advocates in 2019. The website listed over 40 examples of vandalism and attacks against pro-life and conservative groups that have taken place so far in 2020. SBC theologians clarify the meaning of pastor amid dispute over female ordination Prominent Southern Baptist theologians have published a statement clarifying the meaning of the word "pastor" amid controversy within the United States' largest Protestant denomination stemming from Rick Warren's Saddleback Church ordaining female pastors last year. The document "A Statement Concerning the Baptist Faith & Message and the Word' Pastor'" was released last week by two Southern Baptist seminary presidents and the former head of the denomination's public policy arm. The signatories are Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; and Richard Land, who served as the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission from 1988-2013 and is the president emeritus of Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina. The Confession Revision Committee assigned the three men to write a study guide for the new 2000 Baptist Faith & Message Confession. Aiming to bring clarity to a fractious debate within SBC life, the theologians said that when it comes to the word "pastor," Southern Baptists have always understood the term. In keeping with the spirit of Baptist Faith and Message 2000, "pastor" means "one who fulfills the pastoral office and carries out the pastor's functions." Article VI of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states that the scriptural offices are pastors and deacons and that "[w]hile both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." The function of the office and the office itself are inseparable, the three Baptist leaders maintained. They highlighted that the commentary they wrote on the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message notes that central to that pastoral role is "the responsibility to preach and teach." "[I]t is important to understand that the word pastor was chosen precisely because of its clarity among Southern Baptists. The statement carefully affirms that both men and women are gifted for service in the church, but the role of pastor is biblically defined and is to be held only by men as qualified by Scripture," they reiterated in the new statement. When the Baptist Faith & Message was adopted and revised in 2000, the committee established that "pastor" was not to be used to describe every ministerial position within a church, they added. Unlike other denominations with a hierarchical ecclesiastical structure, in Baptist ecclesiology, the local church calls and ordains its pastors, not the denomination as a whole or its affiliated entities. While the debate over what the Bible says about who is qualified to serve in a pastoral role is not new, the issue resurfaced at this year's annual SBC meeting in Anaheim, California. Many considered Saddleback's recent ordinations of female "pastors" contravening the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. In remarks from the floor of the annual meeting in June, Warren, the outgoing pastor of the Southern California megachurch, appealed to the denomination to stop fighting over the issue and that the subject is not a first-order doctrine. "As Western culture grows more dark, more evil, and more secular, we have to decide: Are we going to treat each other as allies or adversaries?" Warren asked. "Are we going to keep bickering over secondary issues, or are we going to keep the main thing the main thing?" Discussion of the issue, the theology surrounding it and whether to disaffiliate Saddleback Church from the SBC was ultimately tabled to a later date. It was sent to the convention's credentials committee for further study. Broadly speaking, those who oppose women being ordained as lead pastors are known as "complementarians" and believe that certain offices within the church are restricted to men. While espousing complementarian theology, there are others who believe that only the office of "senior pastor" is limited to men. By contrast, "egalitarians" believe that the specific scriptures that appear to restrict the pastoral office to men are not universal blanket restrictions. Land, one of the men involved in issuing the statement, is the executive editor of The Christian Post. He said in an interview Monday that "it should be remembered that this is a debate about ecclesiology, not soteriology, and should be treated as such in discussion among brothers and sisters in Christ." SPLC accused of pushing kids book that says kids can trans identify at age 2, sexualizes children The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing allegations that the group is promoting a book for elementary school students that normalizes sexual behavior among children, drawing criticism from conservative Christian groups. Conservative news website Breitbart published a report last week about the SPLC's "Learning for Justice" project, which includes an "LGBTQ Library" with a list of recommended books and practices that are controversial. Jeff Johnston, the culture and policy analyst for the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Focus on the Family, denounced the guide as promoting "false ideologies and damaging behaviors for children of all ages." "It promotes the false idea that there are not two sexes male and female but a variety of 'gender identities,'" said Johnston in a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Monday. "It encourages schools to violate privacy and safety in restrooms, locker rooms and showers by allowing students who 'identify' as the opposite sex into those spaces. And it urges schools to use curriculums that are radical and sexualized. This is ideology masquerading as education." Senior Fellow for Education Studies at the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council Meg Kilgannon also took issue with the guide, telling CP that the SPLC "has been in the business of sexualizing children in the name of 'diversity' for years." Kilgannon directed CP to a 2019 paper by the FRC, updated last year, which documented examples of the SPLC's "Learning for Justice" program engaging in controversial practices. "When sexual progressives want to teach children with 'no normative pressures around sex,' parents should know that kind of thinking can include the idea that age restrictions on sexual behavior adults and children is a 'normative pressure,'" she explained. "SPLC isn't interested in preserving childhood innocence when they train teachers to implement Queer Theory in classrooms in California and around the country. School systems that rely on teacher training materials from SPLC should be aware of the dangerous political and sexual ideologies SPLC's 'free materials' include." One of the recommended books in the guide, which received considerable attention from Breitbart, is Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, which is aimed at younger readers. "Less controversial than its title suggests, this comic book for kids includes children and families of all makeups, orientations and gender identities, providing an essential resource about bodies, gender and sexuality for young children that will help caregivers guide difficult conversations," claims the guide. The comic book features an illustration of a girl having an orgasm, with its author being quoted as wanting "a world with no normative pressures around sex." Elsewhere, the guide claimed that "children often know their gender as early as 2 or 3 years old" and that they "do not need to be pubescent or sexually active to 'truly know' their gender identity or sexual orientation." CP reached out to the SPLC for a response to the book, but a response wasn't received by press time. Under the category of "Classroom Culture," the guide encouraged teachers to wear nametags indicating their chosen pronouns and encouraged the conducting of "pronoun check-ins." "Collective pronoun check-ins help students learn peers' pronouns without forcing nonbinary students to come out repeatedly," the guide continued. "You may say, 'To make sure we're referring to each other accurately, let's go around so everyone can share their name and pronoun.' This process can help transgender and nonbinary students feel seen, not singled out." Launched in 1991 and originally named "Teaching Tolerance," "Learning for Justice" describes itself as an educational resource project helping schools combat discrimination and celebrate diversity. "Our free educational resources articles, guides, lessons, films, webinars, frameworks and more help foster shared learning and reflection for educators, young people, caregivers and all community members. Our engagement opportunities conferences, workshops, and school and community partnerships provide space where people can harness collective power and take action," its website states. "Through this continual cycle of education and engagement, we hope that we can build and maintain meaningful relationships with communities and we can all move from learning for justice to creating it." A far-left civil rights group, SPLC has garnered much controversy and backlash over its labeling of several conservative Christian organizations, including FRC, as "hate groups." This became a major point of contention in 2012 when a gay rights activist inspired by the SPLC entered FRC's Washington, D.C. headquarters and attempted to kill the staff. The SPLC apologized to ex-Muslim activist Maajid Nawaz in June 2018 and paid him $3.3 million in a settlement after wrongfully including him in a report on anti-Muslim activity. In March 2019, the SPLC fired its founder, Morris Dees, in response to several allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as claims of racist behavior within the progressive group. Digital Religion Enriches Experience For Millennials, Kentucky Flood Death Toll Rises, PureFlix Releases First Original Movie link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 09:06 09:06 Digital religion has made the faith experience of some millennial believers richer, while some who don't attend religious services have found religion in digital spaces, a new study suggests. The death toll from devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky has risen to at least 28 as search and rescue teams look for the stranded and missing, while more rain is expected in some areas already hit hard. Voters are less likely to support candidates who refuse to condemn violence against pro-life pregnancy centers, according to a new poll. A legal group that advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists is calling for an investigation into an Alabama teacher after she incorporated a coloring book picture of Jesus accompanied by a Scripture passage into a lesson plan. At a religious liberty summit in Rome, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito dismissed criticism by foreign leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the ruling he authored overturning Roe v. Wade. JAKARTA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Indonesian province of Central Java recently busted a money counterfeiting syndicate that had allegedly distributed 3 billion Indonesian rupiahs (about 200,000 U.S. dollars). The provincial police arrested two married couples in the case in two separate operations. The first couple identified with initials AD and NF were arrested in the province's district of Magelang on July 12, while the second couple with initials AP and IS were busted in the city of Kediri in neighboring province East Java on July 25. "They are able to print fake bank notes amounting 19 million rupiahs in one night," Central Java Police Chief Ahmad Luthfi told local media on Tuesday. He added that police have seized fake bank notes amounting to 90 million rupiahs. From the suspects police obtained information that they had used the fake money for transactions by mixing them with genuine banknotes. Police managed to bust the counterfeit money syndicate following reports from members of the public on a counterfeit money transaction that took place in the Temanggung area. He said that the police will cooperate with the country's central bank Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) concerning the case. "We're trying to minimize the spread of counterfeit money," Luthfi said. Voters less likely to support politicians who don't condemn abortion activists violence: poll Voters are less likely to support political candidates who refuse to condemn violence against pro-life pregnancy centers, according to a new poll. The conservative advocacy organization Judicial Crisis Network released the results of a survey examining Americans' attitudes toward the protests and violence that have erupted following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization reversing the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The poll, published Wednesday, collected responses from 1,600 registered voters between July 14-17 and had a margin of error of +/-2.45 percentage points. The poll was conducted three weeks after the Dobbs decision, following acts of vandalism at several pro-life pregnancy centers and churches. While pro-life advocacy groups and churches had become the target of vandalism after Politico published a leaked draft of the Dobbs opinion on May 2, the acts of violence against such organizations continued following the publication of the Dobbs decision on June 24. Eighty-six percent of respondents expressed their disdain for "acts of vandalism and violence against pregnancy resource centers and churches" by indicating support for ensuring that "protestors who engage in acts of vandalism and violence against pregnancy resource centers and churches should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." This feeling was shared by 91% of Republicans, 85% of Independents and 82% of Democrats. Similarly, 83% of likely voters wanted to see politicians "publicly denounce this behavior and call for those engaging in it to be brought to justice." Eighty-eight percent of Republicans, 81% of Independents and 80% of Democrats shared this sentiment. A nearly identical share of likely voters (85%), Republicans (89%), Independents (82%) and Democrats (85%) maintained that "engaging in rage, intimidation, and acts of vandalism or violence undermines our democracy." The survey inquired whether respondents would find themselves "more or less likely to vote for an elected official who refuses to speak out against acts of rage, vandalism, and violence against a pregnancy resource center." Fifty-nine percent of the sample characterized themselves as "less likely" to support a candidate who refuses to condemn such violence, with supermajorities of Republicans (69%) and Independents (61%) reporting that they feel that way. A plurality of Democrats (49%) also cited refusal to condemn pro-abortion violence as a factor that would make them less likely to support a candidate. In addition to the vandalism directed at pro-life pregnancy centers and churches, pro-abortion demonstrators have descended upon the homes of the six Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents on a recurring basis over the past couple of months. While Chief Justice John Roberts did not join with the five other Republican-appointed justices to form the majority opinion in Dobbs, he has found himself subject to protests outside of his home. One liberal protest group, Shut Down DC, offered $50 to anyone in the food service industry willing to send them a direct message on Twitter if they saw a Supreme Court justice patronizing their establishment and would increase the payment to $200 if they remained there 30 minutes after the message. Two days earlier, Justice Brett Kavanaugh had to exit out the rear of Morton's Steakhouse in Washington, D.C., when protesters showed up. DC Service Industry Workers... If you see Kavanaugh, Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Coney Barrett or Roberts DM us with the details! We'll venmo you for a confirmed sighting and 0 if they're still there 30 mins after your message. https://t.co/xXWZ5JZiE7 ShutDownDC (@ShutDown_DC) July 8, 2022 Strong majorities of likely voters (72%), Republicans (83%), Independents (74%) and Democrats (61%) described themselves as less likely to vote for "an elected official who bullies, threatens, or intimidates Supreme Court justices." The idea of offering "'bounties' for tips about where Supreme Court justices are dining out so they can show up and protest at the restaurant" did not sit well with Americans, 71% of whom classified such activity as "extreme and goes [too] far." Eighty-five percent of Republicans, 69% of Independents and 61% of Democrats opposed "bounties" for Supreme Court justices. When asked if "protesting outside the private homes of Supreme Court justices, showing up at restaurants where the justices are eating dinner, and seeking other ways to disrupt the justices' private lives" as well as "offering money to those who share locations of Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade" "undermines our democracy," 61% of respondents answered in the affirmative. Majorities of Republicans (71%), Independents (60%) and Democrats (52%) saw the aforementioned behavior as a threat to democracy. Sixty percent of those surveyed agreed that "elected officials should speak out against people who protest Supreme Court justices at their private homes or restaurants where they are eating." While majorities of Republicans (75%) and Independents (59%) thought politicians should condemn such behavior, a plurality of Democrats (48%) said the same. The survey also asked whether President Joe Biden, an outspoken opponent of the Dobbs decision, had a responsibility to "condemn protests at the homes of Supreme Court justices." Once again, 60% answered in the affirmative. Broken down by party, 75% of Republicans, 57% of Independents and 51% of Democrats wanted Biden to denounce protests at the justices' homes. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of Americans (84%) believed that "when protestors engage in acts of intimidation, vandalism, or violence, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." This feeling cut across party lines, achieving strong support among Republicans (89%), Independents (81%) and Democrats (82%). "Americans overwhelmingly agree: Threats, protests at the homes of Supreme Court justices, vandalism, violence, and other intimidation tactics undermine our democracy," said Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino in a statement. "From their unwillingness to enforce the law to their dangerous rhetoric, Democrats are putting the justices' lives at risk." In June, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives blocked a resolution that would have condemned the violence against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches. In 2020, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed that the two Supreme Court justices appointed to the bench by then-President Trump at the time, Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, would "pay the price" and "won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions," referring to the possibility of overturning or chipping away at Roe. A man expressing a desire to kill Kavanaugh was arrested outside his home in Maryland last month. This prompted the House to pass a bill bolstering security for the justices, which the Senate had passed unanimously before the assassination attempt. An FBI affidavit filed on Tuesday says that Nicholas John Roske also spoke of killing other Supreme Court justices named in the Politico leak. "I could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3," he said, according to the affidavit. Bible found 'mostly unburnt' in fire that destroyed SUV: 'God is protecting firemen' Can a man take fire to his car, and his Bible not be burned?" It's not exactly an accurate rendering of Proverbs 6:27, but that scenario played out in real life after a fire consumed an SUV in Virginia, inexplicably leaving a Bible intact. According to officials, crews with Rustburg Volunteer Fire Department in Campbell County responded to the fire just after 3 a.m. on July 25, where they found a Chevy Equinox ablaze along the northbound U.S. 29. Images posted on the departments Facebook page showed the SUV totally burned out, including significant damage to the body, doors, roof and bumper. Even the cars frame showed signs of buckling. But inside, fire crews found a Bible still intact and mostly unburnt, flipped open to 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, two Old Testament books which cover various genealogies of the people of Israel. Photos of the Bible showed the pages slightly burnt around the edges but otherwise still legible. I feel God is protecting firemen at scenes. I felt He protected these people, Lt. Eric Spitzer with the Rustburg Volunteer Fire Department told WSLS 10. As striking as the images are, its not the first miraculous story of a Bible surviving a fire in the U.S. Firefighters in West Virginia acknowledged Gods power after a devastating fire in March 2019 burned down a local church but spared all of the Bibles inside. Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt! Prayers for the pastor and the congregation today, the fire department wrote in a post on Facebook about the fire that destroyed Freedom Ministries Church. A Bible that is approximately 150 years old survived two church fires in Wisconsin, including one from earlier this month, with the pastor declaring it truly a work of God. Springs United Methodist Church of Plover recently endured a devastating fire, destroying the building and yet leaving the old Bible unscathed. The Good Book had previously survived a church fire in the 1950s when located at St. Paul's Methodist Church in downtown Stevens Point. But perhaps the most remarkable story of a fireproof Bible comes from Jerry Bowyer, a financial economist and president of Bowyer Research, who shared in a 2016 op-ed for The Christian Post the previously untold story of an unburned Bible at a 9/11 crash site. The story concerns the discovery of an "unburnt Bible among the smoldering and disintegrated wreckage" of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. "This is real. But it's not just a 'miracle,' which is to say a wonder from God meant to inspire us by telling us that He was there that day. It is what the New Testament called a semeion, a sign, which is to say a message to His people," Bowyer wrote. "I believe it is a message about what kind of age we are in, why we are in that kind of age, and what will happen to our nation if we (like the 'man of God' in chapter 14) are unfaithful to our calling," he added. Erin Hoover, who has worked as a volunteer firefighter, said she had a similar experience. I was a responding vol. firefighter on 9/11 to Flight 93 in Shanksville, Somerset County. We were walking in the woods yelling for survivors, and looking for the wreckage, when we got on scene. We found wallets and papers, blowing in the wind that were charred and burnt. Unreadable. We did, however, find a Bible. Untouched. Completely readable. I dont talk much about responding that day, but felt compelled to share my story too. I have PTSD from that callGod is with us on those bad calls, those bad days," she wrote. You just have to look up, she added. Atheist group demands investigation of teacher who used Easter coloring book in class Superintendent defends teacher A legal group that advocates for atheists, agnostics and nontheists is calling for an investigation into an Alabama teacher after she incorporated a coloring book picture of Jesus accompanied by a Scripture passage into a lesson plan. Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization that advocates for a strict separation of church and state, sent a letter to Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Jon Bret Smith on July 21 expressing concern that a first-grade teacher at the districts Moulton Elementary School taught students about Jesus Christ and Easter, and also provided students with religious coloring book pages to take home. The coloring book page in question featured a picture of Jesus Christ along with the words Jesus is alive and included a reference to Mark 16:6, a Bible passage that discusses the resurrection of Jesus. The FFRF letter to Smith follows a complaint from a concerned parent, who maintained that the coloring book page was not included in the class curriculum. FFRF Staff Attorney Christopher Line said that the purpose of the letter was to request that the District immediately investigate and ensure that [the teacher] and any other teachers in the district, are no longer teaching students religious lessons, distributing religious materials to students, or otherwise indoctrinating students into a particular religious belief. The District must make certain that none of its employees are unlawfully and inappropriately indoctrinating students in religious matters by giving religious assignments, teaching about religion, or promoting their personal religious beliefs, he added. We ask that the District immediately investigate this situation and ensure that [the teacher] fully complies with the Establishment Clause and stops violating the rights of her students and parents. Line instructed Smith: Please respond in writing, outlining the steps the District will take to correct this serious constitutional violation so we can notify our complainant. He also insisted that it is not a violation of the free speech rights of teachers when a school district regulates what they teach to students while acting in their official capacities. The letter cited the 1987 U.S. Supreme Court case Edwards v. Aguillard finding that [f]amilies entrust public schools with the education of their children, but condition their trust on the understanding that the classroom will not purposely be used to advance religious views that may conflict with the private beliefs of the students and his or her family." Using a religious holiday, Easter, as a pretext to teach religious lessons in a public school is unconstitutional, Line maintained. If the district turns a blind eye to the overt proselytization in [the teachers] classroom, it becomes complicit in an egregious constitutional violation and breach of trust. For his part, Smith contends that the teacher did nothing wrong. In a statement to The Decatur Daily, Smith said, From my point of view, an investigation is not warranted because the teacher was teaching from the course of study. "Every teacher in the state of Alabama is charged to thoroughly teach the course of study," Smith was quoted as saying. "That is covered under two objectives in the first grade course of study. Objective No. 11 in the Alabama Course of Study for First Grade Social Studies states that students will identify traditions and contributions of various cultures in the local community and state. Specific examples of such traditions and contributions include Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Fourth of July and Cinco De Mayo. Referring to Objective No. 11, Smith said that If Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa is in there, so also is Easter. Objective No. 12 in the first-grade social studies curriculum declares that students will compare common and unique characteristics in societal groups, including age, religious beliefs, ethnicity, persons with disabilities, and equality between genders. Stressing that No. 12 talks about religious beliefs, Smith identified Easter as an aspect of religious belief: Were definitely covered with the course of study. We want to make sure classroom discussions are based on the course of study. We teach what has been approved by the state. FFRF rejected the comparison of Easter to Christmas, describing Christmas as a national holiday with pagan origins and many seasonal and secular accompaniments in contrast to Easter, which it characterized as a celebration of the supposed resurrection of the Christian deity and not a federal holiday. FFRF officials believe that the teacher went beyond the course of study. Public schools exist to educate, not to indoctrinate, FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor asserted in a statement. The school district must take action to stop proselytization of a captive audience of 5- and 6-year-old students. Death toll rises in flood-stricken areas of Kentucky as search and rescue teams look for missing UPDATED at 6 p.m. ET: At least 28 people are confirmed dead following last week's flooding in Kentucky. Original report: The death toll from devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky has risen to at least 26 as search and rescue teams look for the stranded and missing, while more rain is expected in some areas already hit hard. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Sunday that the death toll had risen to 26 in a Sunday morning update. "There is widespread damage with many families displaced and more rain expected throughout the next day," the governor wrote on Twitter Sunday. "I know of several additional bodies, and we know it's going to grow," the governor told NBC News. "We are going to be finding bodies for weeks." Those who have died in the severe flooding that began Thursday include 10 adults and four children in Knott County, four in Breathitt County, three in Perry County, two each in Clay County and Letcher County, the governor's office said in a statement Saturday while the state remained in an active search and rescue operation. First responders not only from Kentucky but also from Tennessee and West Virginia were able to rescue at least 1,432 Kentuckians and over 300 people displaced by the flooding were being temporarily housed at state parks. For many residents reaching a safe place for the rescue was tough. My daughter is safe, wrote Terry Adams, a resident, on Facebook. She saved her dog by putting her in a container that would float and then swam with her to a neighboring rooftop. She waited hours until she could be rescued. She is a hero. I love you Chloe. You are simply amazing We lost everything todayeverything except what matters most. A friend commented on the post, saying, My goodness, I cant imagine your worry and heartbreak. Thank the Good Lord shes okay! Prayers. The governor said the search for potential victims of the flooding may carry on for weeks, suggesting that the death toll could rise further. We continue to pray for the families who have suffered unfathomable loss, Beshear said. We also pray for the first responders. This mission has been especially challenging, and what they are experiencing firsthand is tremendously stressful and difficult. We thank all those involved for their tireless efforts. Dozens of roads were blocked by debris, many water systems were partially or completely out of service, 17,000 were without power and about 700 natural gas connections were not functioning, The Weather Channel reported. The governor announced that the states flood relief fund had received donations worth about $684,000 and that some of the funds would be allocated for the funeral expenses of those who died in the flooding. This isnt over, Beshear said. While we are doing search and rescue, there are still real dangers out there, he continued, adding that flooding had not crested in some places and more rainfall was expected early this week. More storms are expected Sunday, so, unfortunately, flash flooding will remain a concern through the weekend at least, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. Uber driver charged with murder of Texas pastor in road rage shooting Police in Houston, Texas, have charged a 23-year-old Uber driver with murder in the death of the Rev. Ronald K. Mouton who was killed in a road rage shooting. The Uber driver, identified as Deshawn Longmire, was charged with murder on Friday and is being held in Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond, according to the Harris County District Clerks Office. Mouton, who served as the pastor of East Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, was shot and killed on the Gulf Freeway at Gould Road on June 24. Longmire, who was driving for Uber in his black Honda sedan, was seen by a witness at a stoplight on the Gulf Freeway arguing with the 58-year-old pastor who was in his white BMW. When both started moving, Longmire stretched his arm out of the driver window with a pistol in his hand and allegedly shot Mouton and took off, according to witness accounts, Click 2 Houston reported. A surveillance video from Pusch and Nguyen Injury Lawyers showed Moutons vehicle crashing at a curb. The pastors family released a statement after the suspect's arrest. The horrific loss of our beloved, Rev. Dr. Ronald Mouton Sr., is painful beyond words, the family said, according to Click 2 Houston. We are still grief-stricken over this senseless tragedy. We want the man who took his life to understand the seriousness of his crime. He took the life of a husband, a father. Our confidence and hope is in the proficient work the of police. We also hope the work of the entire criminal justice system is done thoroughly and that justice is duly served. We understand the public interest in this case, but we are not ready to speak publicly. On the Sunday after the incident, current and former members of the church set up a memorial at the site where the pastor died. He left behind his wife, four children and 10 grandchildren. He was such a wonderful man, Sonja Gilmore-King told ABC 13 at the time. He was a man of God. He loved family, his church, and this community. I had to come over to see, was it true? I couldnt believe a man of God who loves so hard was taken away from us. We cant believe it because this man would give you anything, the shirt off his back literally, and for this to happen to him, none of us could believe it. Wendell Hutchins II, the founding pastor of the Church of Champions in Houston, called Mouton a brilliant man who demonstrated his love for his people on a daily basis. I mourn the loss of a great man that was such a fixture of faithfulness in our Houston communities. Our prayers are lifting the Mouton family in their hour of grief, he wrote on Facebook at the time. Were also praying for the entire East Bethel Missionary Baptist Church family as they mourn the sudden loss of their pastor. Bishop James Dixon, a close friend of Moutons, told ABC 13, He was not just a great man inside the church, but outside the church walls. He was a family man, a loving husband, and father, and just a great human being, raised by a great father and mother. Let's get some facts straight on ethanol The recent opinion piece by Mark Hendrickson is an unnecessarily vicious attack on farmers and bioethanol based on ignorance of laws, facts, and realities. If not a purposeful misrepresentation, then it is shameful for its shallowness. The demand for clean burning ethanol has ushered in a new era of productivity that has allowed the industry to fuel and feed the world. His characterization of a recent decision by the U.S. EPA to allow higher blends of ethanol up to 15% as being a requirement is just plain wrong. It is not a requirement. It lifts a restriction based on a decades-old definition of fuel that will soon be corrected via legislation and provides an option to offer consumers a cleaner, lower-cost fuel. E15 was never banned. In fact, E15 is used year-round in some of the most polluted cities in the U.S. under the Federal Reformulated Gasoline Program. It has been limited due to those archaic regulations and the petroleum industry that refused to provide a suitable blend stock to accommodate the ethanol. The author reveals a lack of knowledge of the fuel industry. Among his falsehoods is saying the previous administration exempted small refineries from having to produce E15. Again, there is no requirement nor was there ever, to produce E15, or for that matter any ethanol blend. And ethanol is an additive, mixed with gasoline long after refiners turn filthy, often imported oil into a toxic carcinogenic product. The exemption he referred to was to waive the requirement that refiners augment their slate of toxic products with a modest amount of renewables under the Renewable Fuel Standard. There is no such thing as an ethanol requirement, and certainly not a corn ethanol requirement. Those that do comply with the law choose ethanol as the most efficient way to do so, they make a huge profit off it and it cleans up their gasoline by replacing toxic carcinogens used to increase octane. Another of his false statements is Mr. Hendricksons claim that small refineries are shutting down and will go out of business as a result of the new E15 regulations. We just established that there is no requirement to make this fuel so how is that an accurate statement? Of course, the source for this appears to be the refining industry itself, quoting the head of the refiners who are most interested in maintaining their 90% market share of fuels should tell you all you need to know. And cost? Again, with a little research, or seeking the input of anyone from the ethanol industry, he would have learned ethanol blends dramatically reduce the cost of gasoline. This idea that we grow corn for the singular purpose of converting it to ethanol is flawed in that there is no recognition that the process extracts and converts the starch from the corn, leaving behind a high protein feed that is returned to the feed market where it was headed, to begin with. A bushel of corn produces ethanol, CO2, and distillers grains. The net corn usage out of the 5.5 billion bushels used for ethanol production is roughly 3.3 billion. In other words, we are returning 33% of the corn back, and in terms of feed value, much more than that. An extension of this common misperception is to claim some large percentage of the total corn crop is being used for fuel, implying it would otherwise be used for food. On the contrary, if the ethanol market did not exist, much less corn would be grown. As for land? With USDA reporting a new national average of 177 bushels per acre, an increase of 3.3%, we are growing more corn on less land than ever. Iowa reports instances of a whopping 205 bushels per acre so the trend is an upward one for sure. The demand for ethanol has ushered in a new era of efficiency, inspiring farmers to maximize land and resources. Further multiplying the value of corn are constantly emerging technologies to extract more protein while still retaining protein value for feed. This can then be added to other forms of feed to increase efficiency and reduce the overall volume. Likewise for corn oil constant improvements in the process continue to produce more high-value co-products. Mr. Hendrickson, you should have spoken to the Christian farmers and ethanol producers we work with that volunteer time, money, and technology to help feed people around the world and improve their nutrition. You insult them and do readers a disservice with your article. The true moral obscenity is the war, drugs, premature deaths, and costs linked to our dependence on oil. Hmong Christians suffering severe persecution in Vietnam Officials vying with each other to create 'Christian-free zones' Severe persecution of Hmong Christians is underway in Nghe An Province in Vietnam. In the central Vietnam province, officials vying with each other to create Christian-free zones operate with no conscience or humanity, as if they were in a different country than the one whose religious freedom measures they are violating, Christian leaders say. Authorities put immense pressure on animist relatives to drive Christians from their homes, exiling them from family, livelihood and community with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Some Christians have been forcibly separated from spouse and children, home and fields, sometimes even their wedding rings, if they persist in their faith. Then officials wash their hands and say these outrages are purely family matters. The only way out is for the offending Christians to recant and revert to the animistic practices of their ancestral religion. Most steadfastly refuse to give up their new-found faith, which they testify has freed them from demonic oppression. More often than individuals, it is entire extended Christian families who are driven from their homes, but earlier this month one mother was separated from caring for her two sons. Though only 33, Lau Y Pa has two teenage sons whom she was unable to contact. When Morning Star News met with her on July 10, wet tissues were piled in front of her as she had just learned that another newly Christian relative, Lay Y Tong, had suffered the same fate. Such suffering, which has been quietly going on for years (especially in Nghe An Province), has hit mainly members of the not-yet-legally recognized Vietnam Good News Mission Church (VNGNMC) and the officially recognized Evangelical Church of Vietnam-North (ECVN-N). The VNGNMC connects its victims with congregations and Christians able to shelter them in the provincial capital of Vinh, or in Saigon or Hanoi. Both church organizations report the worst violations of religious liberty are taking place in the Ky Son District communes of Huoi Tu and Na Ngoi. Two extended families of 13 and 19 people in the Na Ngoi commune villages of Khu Kha I and Ka Duoi respectively have been regularly pressured and persecuted since April, when they were officially accepted as members of the government-recognized ECVN-N. Gangs of top local officials and police officers, numbering up to 20, come repeatedly, sometimes in the middle of the night, browbeating and bullying them and threatening worse unless they return to spirit worship. Refusal to recant for these families has meant the seizing of their livestock, crops, fields and farm machinery and tools, the ransacking of their homes and cutting off their electricity. It has resulted even in refusal to let their neighbors charge their cell phones. In the worse cases, villagers are pressured into seizing all the Christians property and driving them out of their community. This has happened regularly to ethnic minority families in various parts of northern Vietnam in recent years; such treatment leaves less photographical evidence than beatings but has graver consequences. ECVN-N leaders have appealed to local officials and federal agencies for redress by phone and in writing, pointing out that government officials are breaking specific articles of the national Law on Belief and Religion. Church leaders attempts to visit the persecuted have been blocked, and they have received no response from any government agency. The VNGNMC has written and/or phoned the commune, four district level agencies, four provincial level ones, and five federal ones. These appeals cite provisions of Vietnams religion law that authorities have broken. Church leaders have received no reply, leading them to believe they have no redress. The VNGNMC also has just reported the case of Vu Ba Sua; because of her faith, officials have refused to register the birth of her baby, now over 2 months old. This makes the child ineligible for social benefits. Sua took the child to the Ky Son hospital for a lung infection but was refused help. The hospital informed her that no Christians in Ky Son District were eligible for any government assistance. Further, because Sua and her husband made it clear they would not give up their faith, officials came to their home and confiscated livestock the government had earlier provided them. Nghe An Province is the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh and thus proudly considered the cradle of the communist revolution. Officials compete for the honor of calling their jurisdiction a Christian-free zone. Church leaders have found that they are sometimes better off working out problems quietly with local officials rather than reporting abuses for international exposure and advocacy. At this point, without any response to months of patient and polite requests for redress, the church leaders are left with no choice but to ask for international assistance and pressure. The serious religious liberty abuses in Nghe An Province, completely contrary to Vietnams own laws, beg for an international spotlight. It is easy to blame solely recalcitrant local outlier officials, but the refusal of any Vietnamese authority to intervene is inexcusable and argues for embarrassing exposure and international accountability. The urgent request of church leaders was, Please intervene for our persecuted Christians now! Originally published at Morning Star News 6 EWCA pastors killed, 27 Christians kidnapped in Nigeria so far this year: report ABUJA, Nigeria Suspected Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists in Nigeria have killed six pastors and kidnapped 27 Christians of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in the past seven months, according to an ECWA report. Among the 27 Christians kidnapped from January to date were six pastors, including one abducted in Kaduna state on Monday (July 25), Pastor Moses Dikko Usman. James Saleh, a coordinator of ECWAs Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS), reported that among the six pastors slain was the Rev. Ezra Shamaki, an ECWA missionary killed on June 21 in the Kurmin Musa area of Kaduna state. Ask God to comfort the family of the late Rev. Ezra Shamaki, our missionary serving in Kurmin Musa DCC, who was shot dead by terrorists, Saleh said. The terrorists kidnapped his wife, and they are yet to make any contact. Mac Philips, another EMS coordinator, said that 15 other women and five men were also abducted in the June 21 attack. At about 7 a.m., one of our missionaries was leading a prayer meeting when herdsmen stormed the village, killing and destroying anything in sight, Philips said. The armed terrorists stormed the prayer house, met them praying and opened fire on the missionary. Though Shamaki was dead, one of the herdsmen shot him again with an AK-47 assault rifle, he said. The herdsmen then abducted all the women in the church, and many other men and women in the community, and left, Philips said. Continue to pray for Gods protection upon our missionaries who are constantly in the line of fire, yet they have remained courageous to continue serving Him in various mission fields. On July 5, terrorists killed the Rev. Adamu Buba in Iburu, Kasuwan Magani, Kaduna state, Philips said. Saleh added that Pastor Buba leaves behind a wife and seven children. Paul said in Romans that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, Saleh said. As long as hell and heaven exist, the gospel must thrive. He said Pastor Nehemiah Ezekiel was killed in Unguwan Awallu of Kaduna states Kwassam area in an attack on the ECWA station there on April 5. Philips said pastors Isma Dogari, Bulus Bayi and Yakubu Waziri were also killed for their faith this year. To preach the Gospel for us is to die, to be safe is to stop preaching the Gospel, Philips told Morning Star News. Its a choice we all have to make for us, we choose the former. The Gospel in Nigeria cannot be preached without casualties. Our lives are increasingly on the line, but nothing compares to the excellency of sharing the Gospel to a dying world without Christ. Northern Nigeria is engulfed in terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists who invade predominantly Christian communities, he said. While we mourn every day for these tragedies, we remain resolute with our weapons of love and peace, knowing that the battle before us is a mopped-up operation because of the resurrection, we have won, Philips said. Two ECWA members in Kaduna state were also killed this year, one in Ungwan Busa and another in Ungwan Chiyaya, Saleh said. Among those kidnapped, he said, were Pastor Ahmadu Maikudi and two other Christians abducted along with him. They were abducted on June 16 in Gidan Isa Giwa, Zaria, Kaduna state. The wife of the Rev. Emmanuel Bako of Kasuwan Magani DCC, Kaduna state, was abducted on July 13. On May 9, gunmen kidnapped the Rev. Matthew Moses in Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, Saleh said. The Rev. Mamuda Lakwadon, serving in the Indache area of Abaji, Abuja, was wounded during an attack by the armed herdsmen, Saleh added. Many of our mission fields across the region are increasingly facing threats of attacks from terrorist herders/bandits and kidnap syndicates who continue to terrorize residents, he said. As the security situation in the country continues to deteriorate, our missionaries are increasingly facing grave danger. Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report. They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states. Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds. 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. Pope Francis says he may 'step aside' and retire, but only if it's God's will Speaking to journalists on a return flight from Canada, Pope Francis said he should slow down on his international travel and possibly consider retiring, but only if he discerns that it's Gods will. I think that at my age and with this limitation, I have to save myself a little bit to be able to serve the Church. Or, alternatively, to think about the possibility of stepping aside, Francis told journalists during an in-flight press conference on his return flight from Iqaluit, Canada, on Saturday, AFP reported. The Lord will say when it is time to retire, the 85-year-old pope added, according to Catholic News Agency. The door is open. Its one of the normal options, but up to today I havent knocked on that door. He clarified that he wasnt actively thinking of retiring and that he was just open to it. But maybe that doesnt mean the day after tomorrow I will start thinking. As a Jesuit, the pope said he will rely on discernment. The newswire said journalists asked the pope several times about the possibility of him resigning due to his health limitations. Francis has been suffering from knee pain and sometimes uses a wheelchair. Knee surgery is not planned in my case. The experts say yes, but there is the whole problem of anesthesia. Ten months ago I underwent more than six hours of anesthesia and there are still traces. You don't play, you don't mess around with anesthesia, he said. Francis said he would still make efforts to travel so that he could be close to people because I think it is a way of service. The pope added that he would like to go to Ukraine and is planning a trip to Kazakhstan in September to attend the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. His Q&A with reporters came after a week-long trip to Canada in which he traveled to Edmonton, Quebec, and the city of Iqaluit in the Canadian territory of Nunavut on what he called a penitential pilgrimage to apologize to the countrys indigenous communities. On Monday, Francis apologized for the alleged abuses at government-supported Catholic residential schools as he met with Native American tribal leaders. "I am here because the first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is that of again asking forgiveness, of telling you once more that I am deeply sorry," he said. "I ask forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the [Catholic] Church and of religious communities cooperated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools." Airbnb said Tuesday that it earned $379 million in the second quarter on record bookings and rising rates, and the short-term rental giant announced a plan to spend up to $2 billion to buy its own stock. The results showed a reversal from losses in the second quarter of both last year and 2019. Airbnb indicated that its third-quarter revenue will be better than analysts currently forecast, although the gross value of bookings in the second quarter fell short of Wall Street expectations. Airbnb has benefitted from the increase in travel and the exodus of workers from offices, which frees them to work from just about anywhere they can get internet access. Bookings in the second quarter were about one-fourth higher than last year and 2019, but their gross value of $17.0 billion was slightly below analysts' forecast of more than $17.1 billion, according to FactSet. Chief Financial Officer Dave Stephenson said the gross value of bookings is still rising sharply compared with 2019. The San Francisco-based company said customers were making more international bookings. Listings away from major cities rose nearly 50% compared with the second quarter of 2019, and Airbnb said urban listings grew compared with the previous three months. Stephenson said Airbnb saw higher numbers of cancellations late in the quarter, which he blamed on airlines canceling flights. Most of the cancellations were in North America, Stephenson said. He did not give figures. Airbnb said the daily rate paid by renters averaged $164, up 1% from a year ago and 40% from the same period in 2019. The shift in bookings from cities to less populated areas such as beach and mountain destinations, and toward renting an entire house has helped drive prices higher. Stephenson said, however, that now it's mostly just price appreciation, which has been stickier than what we anticipated maybe six months ago. Airbnb said it that excluding stock-based compensation and some other costs, it earned 56 cents per share. Revenue rose 58% from a year earlier and 73% from the second quarter of 2019, to $2.10 billion. Analysts expected revenue of $2.11 billion, according to a FactSet survey. Airbnb said third-quarter revenue would be between $2.78 billion and $2.88 billion on slightly higher average rental prices. Analysts expect $2.77 billion. Airbnbs stock fell more than 8% in about two hours of extended trading. WELLINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's Ministry of Health reported the third case of Monkeypox in the country on Tuesday. The person, who recently returned from overseas, is currently isolated in the South Island. There is no evidence of community transmission from this case, said the health ministry. A test has returned a positive result and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research is currently validating that result. This process is expected to be completed on Wednesday, said the ministry. Public health staff has assessed the risk of transmission from this case as low, it added. Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Europe and the Americas have been affected the most by the monkeypox outbreak, with these two regions having reported some 95 percent of the diagnosed cases, showed WHO data. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden announced Monday that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, an operation he said delivered justice and hopefully one more measure of closure to families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The president said in an evening address from the White House that U.S. intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out Sunday. Al-Zawahri and the better-known Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of al-Qaida. Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, in operation carried out by U.S. Navy SEALs after a nearly decade-long hunt. As for Al-Zawahri, Biden said, He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and were going to make sure that nothing else happens. This terrorist leader is no more, he added. The operation is a significant counterterrorism win for the Biden administration just 11 months after American troops left the country after a two-decade war. The strike was carried out by the CIA, according to five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Neither Biden nor the White House detailed the CIA's involvement in the strike. Biden, however, paid tribute to the U.S. intelligence community in his remarks, noting that thanks to their extraordinary persistence and skill the operation was a success. Al-Zawahris death eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as bin Ladens deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movements guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings. The house Al-Zawahri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed al-Zawahris death. On Tuesday morning, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC's Good Morning America that there was nobody on the ground in uniform when this strike occurred." Sullivan added that the U.S. government is in direct communication with the Taliban on this, and Im not going to telegraph our next moves, but the Taliban well understand the United States is going to defend its interests. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the U.S. targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. But Americas exit from Afghanistan last September gave the extremist group the opportunity to rebuild. U.S. military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the U.S. After his killing, the White House underscored that al-Zawahri had continued to be a dangerous figure. The senior administration official said al-Zawahri had continued to provide strategic direction," including urging attacks on the U.S., while in hiding. He had also prioritized to members of the terror network that the United States remained al-Qaida's primary enemy, the official said. The 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. U.S. intelligence officials have been aware for years of a network helping al-Zawahri dodge U.S. intelligence officials hunting for him, but didnt have a bead on his possible location until recent months. Earlier this year, U.S. officials learned that the terror leaders wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, according to the senior administration official who briefed reporters. Officials eventually learned al-Zawahri was also at the Kabul safe house. In early April, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Bidens homeland security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall were briefed on this developing intelligence. Soon the intelligence was carried up to national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan brought the information to Biden as U.S. intelligence officials built a pattern of life through multiple independent sources of information to inform the operation, the official said. Senior Taliban figures were aware of al-Zawahris presence in Kabul, according to the official, who added the Taliban government was given no forewarning of the operation. Inside the Biden administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were brought into the process. Through May and June, Biden was updated several times on the growing mound of intelligence that confirmed al-Zawahri was hiding out in the home. Over the last few weeks, Biden brought together several Cabinet officials and key national security officials to scrutinize the intelligence findings. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the planned operation, a briefing in which the president closely examined a scale model of the home al-Zawahri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Al-Zawahri was on the balcony of his hideout on Sunday when two Hellfire missiles were launched from an unmanned drone, killing him. Al-Zawahri's family was in another part of the house when the operation was carried out, and no one else was believed to have been killed in the operation, the official said. We make it clear again tonight: That no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out, Biden said. Al-Zawahri was hardly a household name like bin Laden, but he played an enormous role in the terror group's operations. The two terror leaders' bond was forged in the late 1980s, when al-Zawahri reportedly treated the Saudi millionaire bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan as Soviet bombardment shook the mountains around them. Al-Zawahri, on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorist list, had a $25 million bounty on his head for any information that could be used to kill or capture him. Al-Zawhiri and bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of al-Qaida. Photos from the time often showed the glasses-wearing, mild-looking Egyptian doctor sitting by the side of bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri had merged his group of Egyptian militants with bin Ladens al-Qaida in the 1990s. The strong contingent of Egyptians applied organizational know-how, financial expertise, and military experience to wage a violent jihad against leaders whom the fighters considered to be un-Islamic and their patrons, especially the United States, Steven A. Cook wrote for the Council on Foreign Relations last year. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the assembling of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Somalia, Yemen and Asia. Over the next decade, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks against U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. But even before bin Ladens death, al-Zawahri was struggling to maintain al-Qaidas relevance in a changing Middle East. He tried with little success to coopt the wave of uprisings that spread across the Arab world starting in 2011, urging Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. But while Islamists gained prominence in many places, they have stark ideological differences with al-Qaida and reject its agenda and leadership. Nevertheless, al-Zawahri tried to pose as the Arab Springs leader. America is facing an Islamic nation that is in revolt, having risen from its lethargy to a renaissance of jihad, he said in a video eulogy to bin Laden, wearing a white robe and turban with an assault rifle leaning on a wall behind him. Al-Zawahri was also a more divisive figure than his predecessor. Many militants described the soft-spoken bin Laden in adoring and almost spiritual terms. In contrast, al-Zawahri was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive. Some militants whose association with bin Laden predated al-Zawahris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from al-Zawahri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, sneered in a memoir posted on line in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. There had been rumors of al-Zawahris death on and off for several years. But a video surfaced in April of the al-Qaida leader praising a Indian Muslim woman who had defied a ban on wearing a hijab, or headscarf. That footage was the first proof in months that he was still alive. A statement from Afghanistans Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties. It said the Taliban strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement, the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region, the statement said. - Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, Ellen Knickmeyer, Zeke Miller, James LaPorta, Michael Balsamo and Darlene Superville in Washington; Rahim Faiez in Islamabad; and Lee Keath in Cairo contributed reporting. WASHINGTON (AP) One man was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting Monday night in Northeast Washington, the Metropolitan Police Department said. The circumstances of the shooting, including whether the victims even knew each other, were being investigated, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters. RIALTO, Calif. (AP) A fiery crash involving several cars killed at least three people and injured two others Monday east of Los Angeles. The crash, which involved at least seven vehicles, took place shortly before 7 p.m. in front of a gas station in Rialto in San Bernardino County, authorities told KABC-TV. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday with surprising ease, ending months of worry among GOP leaders that scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens might win the primary and jeopardize what should be a reliably red seat in November. In November, Schmitt will be opposed by Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, who defeated Marine veteran Lucas Kunce and nine others in the Democratic primary. Both also face a challenge from a well-funded independent, John Wood, who has the financial backing of former Sen. John Danforth. With nearly 90% of results in, Schmitt had more votes than his nearest two competitors U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and Greitens combined, turning what was expected to be a tight race into a blowout. Im proud of my working-class roots, and Im going to Washington to fight for working families, defeating socialism, and leading the fight to save America, Schmitt said in his victory speech in suburban St. Louis. Greitens told a downcast crowd in another St. Louis suburb to go home with strength and pride. "God has a plan, Greitens said. It doesnt always work on our timeline, but it does work on his. Sometimes we have to practice patience. Greitens resigned four years ago following a sex scandal, two criminal charges that were eventually dropped and a legislative investigation that could have led to impeachment hearings. This year, his ex-wife accused him of abuse. Republican Sen. Roy Blunts announcement last year that he would not seek a third term set off a frenzy for his job, with nearly three dozen people in the two major parties filing to run. Schmitt defeated a field that also included Hartzler, U.S. Rep. Billy Long and Mark McCloskey, who gained notoriety in 2020 when he and his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters outside their home. Voter Darrel Durham, a 63-year-old heavy equipment operator from Columbia, said he thinks Schmitt can bring a new voice to Washington. I like all of his positions on draining the swamp, Durham said. On Monday, former President Donald Trump expressed support for ERIC, presumably meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them. Comedian and Navy veteran Eric McElroy was also on the ballot in the GOP primary. I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement! Trump wrote. Voter Richard Greenup, a 66-year-old computer programmer from Columbia, said he wants somebody thats going to support Trump and that he chose Schmitt over Greitens because, good or bad, Schmitt, I dont think, has that baggage. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL officer and Rhodes scholar, had been governor for a year when in January 2018 he confirmed a TV report about a 2015 extramarital affair. He was subsequently charged with felony invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a nude photo of the woman and using it to keep her quiet. That charge was dropped months later amid allegations that the chief investigator and local prosecutor mishandled the investigation. Greitens, 48, says he was the victim of a political hit. He faced a second charge accusing him of illegally using a donor list from a charity he founded to raise money for his campaign. That was dropped when he resigned in June 2018 after the Missouri House began an impeachment investigation. Greitens has denied the abuse allegations from his ex-wife that she made in an affidavit in a child custody case. She cited one instance where he allegedly slapped their then-3-year-old son's face and yanked him by the hair. In another, she accused him of pushing her to the ground. Greitens also drew criticism for a June campaign video showing him brandishing a shotgun and declaring hes hunting RINOs, or Republicans in name only. Schmitt, 47, has gained attention for lawsuits that critics contend are politically motivated. He sued China over the coronavirus; school districts over mask mandates; and the city of St. Louis over its plan to provide $1 million for women to travel out of state for abortions. Ive always been a fighter and as your attorney general I have fought in court to protect our those liberties, Schmitt said in his victory speech, citing mask and vaccine mandates, among other things. Valentine, 65, is the daughter of August Gussie Busch Jr., the longtime chair and CEO of Anheuser-Busch who built the St. Louis-based company into the worlds largest beermaker. The brewery was sold to InBev in 2008. Valentine said she entered the race after witnessing the division in our country and the vitriol in our politics. After hundreds of career politicians, its time for a nurse in the Senate," Valentine said in a victory speech. Bob Westlake, 67, and his wife, Mary Jo, 69, both voted for Valentine. The Chesterfield couple liked her push for better health care coverage. Health care is a big deal to us, Bob Westlake said, adding that they have a daughter with a chronic illness and that he and his wife are on Medicare. Kunce, 39, lost despite the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Kunce served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, Kunce fashioned himself as a populist. Wood's entry into the race created new drama. Wood, 52, is a lifelong Republican, former U.S. attorney and most recently a top investigator for the U.S. House committee examining the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Danforth's PAC has pledged to spend up to $20 million in support of Wood's campaign. ___ Salter reported from O'Fallon, Missouri. Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri. BRIDGEPORT A California-based nonprofit that promotes civic engagement has awarded its top student prize to a group of middle school students who successfully convinced the school district to recognize a Muslim holiday. The Center for Civic Education awarded the honor to a class of eighth graders at Park City Magnet School after the students lobbied the Bridgeport Board of Education earlier this year to add Eid al-Fitr to the academic calendar. The class was one of two groups of students in the Northeast to be awarded a superior designation at the centers annual Project Citizen Research Program National Showcase, which highlights student-led public policy projects from schools across the country. I am very proud of our staff and students, said board member Joseph Sokolovic, who helped champion the change after the students first brought the proposal to the board in late March. They did not take no for an answer. The school board voted in April to include Eid, an annual celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, as a school holiday starting with the 2023-24 school year. The decision came after students in teacher Erik Johnsons social studies class argued the districts holiday policy discriminated against Muslim students who wanted a chance to participate in the annual religious celebration. To make their case, the students surveyed classmates and compiled demographic data to show the impact including the holiday would have on the citys substantial and growing Muslin population. They also pointed to religious freedoms spelled out in the state constitution and the U.S. Bill of Rights, according to meeting minutes. Its about equality among religions, Anjumanara Chowdhury, one of Johnsons students, said in April. When I was younger, I absolutely loved Eid, but hated the day after when I had to catch up on all the missed work and lessons, and simply just felt left behind because of celebrating a significant holiday that is a part of my religion. The school boards Educational Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee initially voted to deny the students request. But in a later meeting, in which the students offered more information, the committee reversed course and voted to send the request to the full board. The board then approved the change in an 8-0 vote with one abstention. The Muslin holiday, which is traditionally celebrated with charitable acts, prayer and celebratory feasting, falls on a different day each year since it is tied to the lunar calendar. The holiday was celebrated on May 3 this year, but will take place on April 21 in 2023 and April 10 in 2024. The student projects highlighted in the centers showcase were created by classes that participated in the Project Citizen Research Program, a federally funded initiative that aims to teach students how to interact with and influence government policy. Students who participated in the program, including those at Park City, worked together to conduct research in their community to discover problems that they think their governments are not handling at all or not handling well, according to the centers website. The other student-led projects that received the national awards included the preservation of a vulnerable tree canopy in North Carolina, a campaign to support mental health services for teenagers in Nebraska and a drive to enact prison reform in Illinois. richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com Joe Burbank/AP SANFORD, Fla. (AP) A political consultant who is accused of helping put a ghost candidate" on a ballot to siphon off votes from a Democratic candidate in a state Senate race in central Florida pleaded not guilty to election finance-related charges Tuesday during his first court appearance. James Eric Foglesong entered the plea during an arraignment hearing at the Seminole County Courthouse. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW DELHI (AP) India will give a $100 million line of credit to the Maldives to support development projects, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday after holding talks with his counterpart, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Solih arrived in India on Monday for a four-day visit. The two countries inked six agreements to boost cooperation in several areas, including disaster management, cyber security and affordable housing. The two leaders also marked the start of construction on the Greater Male Connectivity Project, a 6.74- kilometer- (4.2 mile)- long bridge and causeway funded by India that will connect the nation's capital, Male, to three other islands. Both stressed the importance of close ties between their two countries as vital for peace and stability in the region. There has been renewed vigor in the friendly ties between India and Maldives. Our closeness has increased, Modi said, adding that despite challenges sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, cooperation between the two countries has strengthened. Solih said the two leaders discussed terrorism and the need to enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean region. Neither mentioned China, but Solih's election in 2018 marked a shift from his predecessor, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who developed close ties with Beijing in an area India considers as its backyard. India has been concerned by Yameen's leaning towards China, which has sought to gain more influence in the Indian Ocean. The former president had pledged support for China's Belt and Road Initiative, with the country investing in many infrastructure projects in the Maldives. The Maldives will always remain a true friend of India, Solih said on Tuesday, adding that the relationship between the two will be of the highest priority. His visit follows an announcement that he will run for re-election in 2023. Since coming to power, the Maldivian president has touted his government's India-first policy and has pledged full support toward deepening ties with New Delhi. OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - In a major victory for abortion rights, Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected an effort to strip away their state's abortion protections, sending a decisive message about the issue's popularity in the first political test since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The overwhelming support for abortion rights in a traditionally conservative state bolsters Democrats' hopes that the historic Supreme Court ruling will animate their voters in an otherwise difficult election year for their party. The Kansas vote signals that abortion is an energizing issue that could affect turnout in the November midterm elections. The question presented to voters here was whether abortion should remain protected under the state constitution. A "yes" vote would allow Kansas's Republican-led legislature to pass future limits on abortion - or ban it altogether - in its coming session in January. A "no" vote would leave those protections in place. With 86 percent of the vote counted, 62 percent of voters wanted to maintain those abortion protections compared with 37 percent who wanted to remove them from the state constitution. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab predicted that turnout for Tuesday's primary election would exceed other contests in recent years, and possibly match that of the 2008 presidential election, when around 50 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots. About 40 miles away, at the Lawrence Heights Christian Church, Justice Ellis, 20, and her sister, Jordan Angermuller, 24, said they were "passionately" voting in favor of abortion rights. The sisters said they believe strongly in a woman's right to choose after watching the struggles of their own mom, who had Jordan at age 17 as a single mom and later became a nurse. "She started us on birth control early," said Angermuller, who works as a server in a restaurant. "Just because she had me when she was very young doesn't mean we think somebody should not have the option. They always say, 'Well, if you abort your baby that baby could grow up to cure cancer.' Well, the same thing is true of a young mom who instead of going to school had the baby." The antiabortion movement believes "women are meant to be child-makers," Angermuller continued. "They want us to be barefoot and pregnant all the time. Not to have aspirations." Ellis, who also works in food service, added, "It definitely feels like we're going back in time." Since the Supreme Court ruling, more than a dozen Republican-led states have moved to ban or further restrict abortion. Abortion is currently legal in Kansas in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy, and the state has become a refuge for pregnant patients seeking procedures who are from states with stricter laws, including Texas and Oklahoma. As voters went to the polls, The Washington Post reported that a Republican-backed group had sent voters intentionally misleading text messages about the ballot language. A political action committee led by Tim Huelskamp, a former hard-line Republican congressman from Kansas, paid a technology company to blast out texts that said, "Voting YES on the Amendment will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect women's health." Voting "yes" actually would have removed abortion protections from the state constitution. Across the state, signs that read "Vote Yes - Value Them Both" or "Stop the Ban - Vote No" ornament green summer lawns. The airwaves and social media have been inundated with more than $11 million in advertising spending by interest groups this year, according to reports filed with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. As the sun beat down and the temperature rose to nearly 100 degrees, a family divided over the abortion issue arrived together to vote at the Lawrence church. Parents Richard Balden, 71, a warehouse procurer, and Pamela Balden, 61, a financial analyst, voted "yes." But their daughter Emily, 24, a logistics coordinator, was a firm "no" vote. "I believe everyone has a right to bodily autonomy. . . . They don't force you to donate organs, why should they force you donating your whole body?" she said. Janice Dearinger, 75, a part-time alcohol and drug counselor in Shawnee, Kan., voted an early "yes" to the ballot referendum at Monticello Library on Friday. She said that the media and the "Vote No" forces had used scare tactics and unfairly described the amendment as a total ban on abortion; the Value Them Both amendment affirms there is "no Kansas constitutional right to an abortion" and gives the legislature the power to regulate it. Some Kansas legislators have previously said they would sponsor bills saying life begins at conception, had the amendment passed. "If you read what they're trying to pass, it's not about banning abortions altogether, it's about limiting the ones that don't need to be done," Dearinger said. "They're not saying you can't have an abortion at all. That's what the media is wanting you to hear." Dearinger, a Baptist, has long been against abortion and attended a vigil to pray for the passage of the amendment Monday evening at a Baptist church sponsored by Value Them Both, the key proponent group. "God said 'I knew you before you were born, I formed you in your mother's womb, I know every hair on your head.' That's the reason I say yes," Dearinger said. "That child belongs to God. He's given it to that mother, and if that mother don't want that child, there's many, many people that does. I don't think you have a right to do away with a baby for no reason just because you don't want to be pregnant. "It's a very touchy issue, and I get it. Bottom line is - that's a human being," Dearinger said. Value Them Both argued that the amendment wouldn't mean a total ban on abortion and is necessary to protect laws that were rendered unconstitutional by a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. But critics say this position is deceptive, pointing to previous statements from Republican state lawmakers who have said they are ready with legislation proposing an all-out ban on the procedure for their legislative session in January. Republicans in the state legislature also placed the abortion measure on the ballot as a special election alongside the previously scheduled primaries, where, traditionally, only party-affiliated voters are allowed to vote. Many of the state's unaffiliated voters - 29 percent of the electorate - may not be aware they can vote this time, abortion rights activists argue. Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said abortion rights advocates in the state are still playing catch-up with their more organized opponents. The Kansas ballot amendment "should be a wake-up call to anyone who supports abortion access that they need to mobilize and educate like they never have before on this issue, and that doing so won't be easy," Miller said. "There is nothing they can take for granted anymore." Aaron Hove, 70, the director of the Haskell Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Haskell Indian Nations University, and his wife, Gayleen Hove, 69 - who voted "no" on Tuesday - agreed with that sentiment. "A lot of people fell asleep after Roe was decided in 1973," he said. "Those on other side of the issue have been incredibly energized and worked hard to make their point of view known. That's why we are at where we are today." Kansas has long been a stronghold of antiabortion activism. During the "Summer of Mercy" antiabortion protests in 1991, thousands of protesters converged on Wichita and were arrested at sit-ins and clinic blockades. In 2009, George Tiller, one of the country's few third-trimester abortion providers, was assassinated in Wichita by an antiabortion extremist. Proponents of abortion rights say that the Republican legislature has stacked the deck in its favor, passing tighter restrictions that have made it harder to register new voters, choosing to hold the vote on a primary day rather than during the general election and selecting a ballot question with convoluted wording that has confused many voters. Abortions have increased 13 percent in Kansas over the past two years, according to statistics from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. That has led to criticism from abortion opponents that the state, led by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, is becoming an abortion "sanctuary" for out-of-staters seeking the procedure. Much of the increase between 2019 and 2020 was driven by short-term coronavirus shutdowns in Oklahoma and Texas, officials said. But preliminary data from 2021 shows that the bulk of those were in-state patients. However, Trust Women, an abortion clinic in Wichita, has seen a 60 percent increase in its out-of-state patients in the past year, according to Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, the clinic's communications director, and has doubled its overall patient volume this year over the same time period last year. - - - The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Scott Clement contributed to this report. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons prosecutor general decided a Syrian ship allegedly carrying Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia may leave a port in the countrys north, officials said Tuesday. The move came after an investigation showed the vessel wasn't carrying stolen goods. However, the Laodicea cannot immediately leave the port of Tripoli because a judge ordered Monday that it may not sail for 72 hours at the request of Ukrainian authorities. If the judge does not extend the order, the ship could sail in two days, a move likely to anger Ukraine. A Lebanese port official confirmed that the ship is still in Tripoli and will only sail if its gets clearance from the judge of urgent matters by Thursday. The judicial officials said the investigation into the ship, which docked in the port of Tripoli on Thursday and has been seized, showed it is not carrying stolen goods. The investigation was conducted by prosecutors and the intelligence arm of the Lebanese police, they said. The judicial officials said a lawyer for the Ukrainian Embassy was headed to Tripoli on Tuesday with documents proving the ship is carrying stolen grain. They gave no further details. The port and judicial officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The controversy surrounding the ship has underscored how tiny Lebanon, which borders Syria, has gotten caught up in Russias months-long war in Ukraine. The Laodicea is carrying 5,000 tons of flour and 5,000 tons of barley that Ukraines Embassy in Beirut says was illegally taken by Russia. After the embassy raised the alarm, Lebanese authorities initiated an investigation. The Russian Embassy has told Lebanese media that the Ukrainian claim was baseless. The U.S. Treasury Department had sanctioned the Laodicea in 2015 for its affiliation with the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, an ally of Russia. According to the Ukraine Embassy, the Laodicea is among scores of vessels that Kyiv alleges have transported grain stolen by Russia. Russias war on Ukraine that started in late February had prevented grain from leaving the breadbasket of the world. Together, Russia and Ukraine export nearly a third of the worlds wheat and barley. On Monday, the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set out from the port of Odesa heading to Lebanon under an internationally brokered deal to unblock the embattled countrys agricultural exports and ease the growing global food crisis. VIRGINIA CassComm founder and board chairman Gerald E. Gill died July 23 in Whitehall, Michigan. He was 91. He is credited with recognizing the importance of an emerging cable television technology in the 1960s, when he was managing the family business, Cass County Telephone Co., in Virginia. Gill created Cass Community Antenna Television in 1965 to serve Beardstown with what would eventually become cable television service. Over the years, the companies grew into CassComm and became a provider of telephone, television, long distance and internet service to more than 30 central Illinois communities. "Mr. Gill was a true pioneer in the telecommunications industry, with success in building, purchasing, upgrading and selling cable television systems nationwide, along with his many other business investments and ventures," the company said in a statement. "Gerald actively participated in every aspect of the business until his passing." He is survived by his wife, Mary; a son, Gerald; a sister, Wendy; and a number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A memorial service is being planned for the fall. Beacon Cremation & Funeral Service, White Lake (Michigan) Chapel, is handling arrangements. ISTANBUL, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul will closely monitor the first commercial vessel that left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon on Monday until it arrives at the destination, a JCC coordinator said on Tuesday. "The route and the humanitarian corridor that the ship follows, possible needs, and the details and preparations regarding its inspection are carried out in line with the procedures and principles agreed at the center," Turkish Rear Admiral Ozcan Altunbulak said in a press briefing at the center. The Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship, Razoni, sailed for Tripoli in Lebanon on Monday morning from Odesa. Carrying 26,527 tonnes of corn, Razoni will pass through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul to sail to the Mediterranean. Razoni is expected to arrive at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait on the Black Sea around midnight on Tuesday and anchor at the assigned anchorage, according to Altunbulak. "After the necessary procedures, an inspection will be carried out on the ship Razoni by a delegation consisting of representatives from Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations, and then it will continue on its way according to the results of the examination," he noted. Turkiye's Defence Ministry said the team will board the ship for inspection at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Wednesday. Altunbulak also said currently, the preparations of the other ships that will carry grain and other foodstuffs from the three ports of Ukraine are continuing. "We have undertaken a historical and humanitarian mission, and we will continue our duty and harmonious work at the center as we have done so far," he added. Last week, the JCC was inaugurated in Istanbul with a total of 20 representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations, and Turkiye to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations to allow food and fertilizer exports from the Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. A nursing student who saved the life of a Chicago boy through stem cell donation finally got to meet the boy and his family in person. Mads Pomranky, 3, was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in November 2019. His doctors said he would need a transplant. His parents were only partial matches. Kaelynn Speed was a freshman at Wright State University studying nursing when she signed up for a DKMS booth on campus. She went through the process of becoming a registered donor and later found out she was a 10/10 match for someone. After a successful transplant, Mads has been cancer free for two years. The emotional meeting between both families happened Friday after Mads' family made the trip to Cincinnati from the Chicago area where they live. "You're amazing. You're so nice. I love you," Jenn Pomranky, Mads' mom said through tears. "I love you too, honey," Speed said. "I'm experiencing a lot of overwhelming joy. How do I feel? How do you put a mark on something so great? I don't know." Mads' cancer journey was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital regulations were tight, and plans around Mads' transplant changed due to hospitals limiting procedures. "At first they were only allowing one parent, so I had to stay home for a while," Derrick Pomranky, Mads' father, said. "Yeah, it was terrible." Mads' perfect match lived about 300 miles away. Speed was preparing for her finals when she got the call. She passed the testing requirements with ease. In the spring of 2020, she received injections at home to boost her stem cell count. During an hours-long procedure, a machine filtered her blood and collected the blood-forming cells for Mads. Mercy Health Cincinnati Cancer and Cellular Therapy Center harvest the cells. The University of Chicago completed the process. A short time later Mads' doctors said he was cancer free. "It was a huge relief, and then every time he's went in for another biopsy, it's always been a relief," Derrick Pomranky said. The Pomranky and Speed families now share a special bond. "As soon as I grabbed Kaelynn I couldn't stop crying," Jenn Pomranky said. "I mean what she did is so amazing, and we just love her so much. And it's just so exciting to actually be able to give her a huge hug and just say thank you in person." "She feels like an extension of our family now," Derrick Pomranky said. Speed said the decision to donate was easy, and it did not take a lot of her time. "Ten hours of your life for the rest of someone else's is insane," she said. Speed has become a fierce advocate for DKMS and is passionate about raising awareness for stem cell donation. It starts with a quick cheek swab. You can learn more here. The debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza is staler than a three-day-old Dominos slice. For evidence of just how long this great national conversation has been going on, check out the finale of Netflix's nostalgia-heavy, 1980s-set "Stranger Things," in which a stoner pizza delivery guy tries to sell a skeptical teenager on its merits, or at least the virtue of keeping an open mind. "Try before you deny," he advises, like a Reagan-era sage. Not that the matter is settled, but after all these years, can't we agree that it's time to move on? Because there's a new, potentially divisive pie making its way onto menus around the country that deserves our attention instead: Ladies and gentlemen of the social media debate stage, I give you pickle pizza. Discuss. However you feel about this development in human history, it might be time to get your talking points ready. The pickle pie is having a moment. It's a new food item this year at the Minnesota and Indiana state fairs, and announcements about it have attracted attention from local media and social media oglers. Pickles have been popping up among more traditional offerings in pizza shops, too, from chain joints to cheffy pizzerias. Most often served atop a white or ranch sauce instead of the classic red, pickles are proving that they're more than a novelty act in the pizza-topping game. "There's this nice sweet, acidic, tangy bite," says Rachael Jennings, who recently opened her own pizza place, Boogy & Peel, in Washington, D.C., after years as a chef at the white-hot Washington restaurant Rose's Luxury. Pickles are the star of her Big Mac-inspired pie, which layers a version of the fast-food icon's special sauce (spoiler alert: it's basically Thousand Island dressing, she says) with American cheese and ground beef. Out of the blistering oven, the pie is topped with crunchy iceberg lettuce, slices of white onion, a lashing of more special sauce - and housemade pickles. Jennings acknowledges that her pies, whose style she calls "neo-neo-Neapolitan," aren't even close to traditional. "If you took this to your nonna in Sicily, she would spit in your face," Jennings says. "But, like, try it and tell me it's not tasty." Plenty of brine-loving fans would agree that pickles have earned their place in the topping pantheon. While there's no definitive history of the pickle pizza, a Nexis search of news stories indicates that after making the odd appearance at a handful of restaurants over the years, they began getting wider notice around 2018. That year, a video of a pickle pizza being made in New York went viral, and Al Roker and his "Today" show gang gamely tried out a pickle-topped pie for on-screen yuks - theirs came from Rhino's Pizzeria in Upstate New York, which they touted as the creation's inventor. Since then, it has taken off at a handful of state fairs, including in Ohio, Florida and West Virginia, as well as at the Calgary Stampede - venues where gimmicky food thrives. Pickle pizza, though, looks to be a breakout star. An early innovator was Dennis Schneekloth, the owner of QC Pizza, which has two locations in Minnesota and specializes in quirky recipes (think crab-rangoon- and avocado-toast-inspired pies). He was exploring ideas for his latest oddball offering, and it occurred to him to make a pizza based on a delicacy popular in the state, the pickle roll, sometimes called Minnesota sushi. That snack features pickles slathered in cream cheese and wrapped in a slice of ham. "I posted about it in a Facebook group, and people were like, 'No way, that sounds terrible,' " he says. "But I had a feeling about it." After some tinkering, and sourcing fresh pickles that could stand up to the 500-degree heat of his ovens, Schneekloth hit on what he determined was a winning combination. Its base is a garlic- and dill-accented white sauce, layered with pickles, mozzarella and strips of Canadian bacon that's been smoked for 48 hours. Because he makes his pizza in the Quad City style - a lesser-known genre of pies named for its origins in the region spanning four cities in Iowa and Illinois - most of the toppings go below the cheese (a final garnish of more pickles and fresh dill crowns the whole thing), and the pizza is cut into strips, not wedges. He proved his Facebook pals wrong - customers loved it. It drew international attention when the blog FoodBeast featured his creation in 2019. "It just blew up," he recalls. "I was in newspapers in the U.K." He now sells his frozen pizzas on the food-shipping service Goldbelly and drives a Mercedes Sprinter van covered in images of pickles. Since then, he's seen plenty more pickle pies sprouting up. "More power to 'em," he says. He's back in R&D mode, working on a deep-dish pickle pizza he's calling the Mega Dill. "If I can perfect this, people are gonna buy it," he says. At Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company in Vernon Hills, Ill., pickle pizza was a recent special menu item. Graeme Nyland, the restaurant's general manager, said the creation was a team effort. He had argued for it, pointing to the mile-long lines for the pickle-pizza stall at the Wisconsin State Fair, figuring they could do it in a more elevated way. Slyce's version used extra virgin olive oil and garlic as a base, topped with prosciutto, sliced tomato and pickles made in-house using English cucumbers. A chili oil drizzle finished it off. Nyland appreciates the star ingredient's culinary qualities - and its divisive appeal. "It just has that nice vinegary punch that sets things off," he says. "Pickles are the kind of thing that people either love 'em or hate 'em, and there are more that love them." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT. - Gretchen Van Winkle was transfixed as the hit Netflix series "Unbelievable" played across her TV screen in 2019. The dramatized version of a true story of one woman's rape and betrayal by police was so similar it could have been hers. Just like the protagonist, Van Winkle was sexually assaulted in her apartment by a knife-wielding intruder, who bound and gagged her. Van Winkle remembered the same kinds of searing questions lobbed at her, as detectives accused the woman on screen of making up her assault. "Unbelievable" ends with a measure of justice: A partial DNA match helps identify the victim's rapist and proves she was telling the truth all along. That moment had eluded Van Winkle for more than two decades. Van Winkle had already asked Virginia authorities to take a fresh look at her 1995 assault case, and now she pressed for new DNA testing. But any hope of an "Unbelievable"-style ending was soon dashed by a stunning series of calls and texts from a Fairfax County police cold-case detective. Van Winkle's rape kit had been destroyed, in what police officials later concluded was a violation of department policy. So had the knife, her bloody bedsheets and the clothes she wore when she was attacked. In fact, police said detectives scoured the property room and found every bit of physical evidence in her case was gone. Then the detective wrote in a text that she had discovered more missing evidence in another old case. Van Winkle responded in disbelief: "Wow. This has left me kind of speechless." "Me too," the detective punched out. The best chance for bringing Van Winkle's attacker to justice was gone, but the detective's words put her quest for answers on a new path. How could a department trash evidence in a sexual assault? How many other victims were in her shoes? What Van Winkle worked to uncover was worse than she had imagined - an accounting by Fairfax County police found the same detective who probed her case had marked evidence for destruction in dozens of unsolved felony sexual assault cases. Victims remain unaware. Why it happened, whether the evidence was improperly destroyed and the impact on cases is still not fully known. Fairfax County police have begun a review of each one to see what evidence remains and what can be salvaged, but they have refused to release many details about the cases in question or what the reexamination has found so far. Van Winkle's case is part of a broader, but little-known problem: hundreds of rape kits have been destroyed at police departments across the country in recent years. A top police commander in Fairfax now says the department believes Van Winkle's account of her sex assault, and police have apologized to her, but it has brought her little comfort. She decided to speak publicly because she thinks the reckoning within the department is not yet complete. "What the police did was worse than the rape," Van Winkle said. --- Van Winkle collapsed into bed after a night out in August 1995. She had just moved to Vienna, Va. after a stint with the Peace Corps in Antigua. At 24, she had a new apartment and a new job, and she had enrolled at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in D.C. She said the fresh start was thrilling. As Van Winkle drifted off to sleep, she heard a rustling. Suddenly, she said, a man was crawling up her bed. The intruder punched her in the face twice and started choking her. She recalls he gave her a gruff warning as he pressed a knife to her throat: "Don't scream or I'll kill you." The man bound Van Winkle's hands with her nightgown and stuffed underwear in her mouth. She said a harrowing sex assault followed. She can't forget small details. Van Winkle can still see the man's intense, wide-set eyes. She said the blue light that filtered through her bedroom window would be a recurring theme in her paintings for years. When the man set the knife down, Van Winkle said she knew she had to act. She said she wriggled her hands free, snatched the blade and cut him. He bolted from the bedroom and Van Winkle said she followed, slashing at his back. In the dining room, the man fell to his knees and Van Winkle thrust the blade at him one more time, she recalls. Instead of wounding him, the flimsy kitchen knife snapped on his back. Van Winkle screamed in terror and tried to run, but he tackled her onto her couch. The man choked Van Winkle, before she said she managed to push him off. "I remember distinctly saying, 'I don't want to die,'" Van Winkle said. "'Please don't kill me. Just leave.'" The man made her promise to tell no one about the attack, before slipping out a sliding door into the night. Van Winkle was in shock. She remembers walking into the bathroom and pulling on a robe. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. She recalls telling herself: "This really happened." Neighbors called police and the investigation unfolded in a blur. Still in her robe, Van Winkle said she was whisked to the hospital by officers for a sex-assault exam. Hospital workers swabbed her for blood and semen. Police said DNA was recovered. Van Winkle's boyfriend arrived and she was introduced to Fairfax County police Detective Cynthia Lundberg. She would investigate the case with her partner, June Boyle. Lundberg explained how officers found a banana peel in Van Winkle's trash. Van Winkle said she was chilled and disgusted by the thought her attacker had apparently snacked, while waiting for her to come home. Lundberg was sympathetic as Van Winkle described what happened, Van Winkle said, adding she felt a sense of reassurance that two women would handle the investigation. They seemed to take her case seriously. "I trusted her," Van Winkle said of Lundberg. --- Van Winkle said she worked with an artist to develop a sketch of her attacker the next day. A brief about the sexual assault ran in The Washington Times with the drawing. DNA testing was done at some point. Lundberg gave Van Winkle periodic updates on the probe, but detectives had no solid leads. Roughly six months after the sexual assault, Van Winkle said detectives asked her to meet with them one evening. Van Winkle was excited, assuming they had made a breakthrough. This account of what transpired during the 1996 meeting is based on interviews with Van Winkle and notes she said that she made the day after it happened. Lundberg and Boyle, who have since retired from the department, declined to comment. Fairfax County police officials said in an interview that Lundberg and Boyle's handling of the meeting was inappropriate, but declined to discuss specific allegations that Van Winkle made. Van Winkle recalled that Boyle greeted her as the elevator doors opened at police headquarters. Boyle led Van Winkle to a small, cluttered room to review a book of mug shots. Van Winkle remembers flipping through about a dozen pages, but the pictures were of Black men. Her attacker had olive skin and she told detectives none of the photos appeared to be him. Boyle reached over and shut the book, according to Van Winkle, and offered a rejoinder that made her freeze: You're making this up. Van Winkle recalled blurting out that she wasn't. A tense, hours-long interrogation followed that Van Winkle described as "being attacked again." Lundberg and Boyle told Van Winkle the evidence they found did not support her account of a rape, according to the notes that Van Winkle made. They said a metallurgist found no blood on the knife and doubted it could have broken the way Van Winkle said it did. They told her the blood spatter on her sofa and floor were consistent with the scene being staged, according to the notes. Van Winkle said in an interview they accused her and her boyfriend of getting the blood and semen found in the apartment from a hospital, where he was training to be a doctor. The detectives told her they thought she fabricated the attack, possibly to get out of her lease, according to the notes. They said she was not "the first woman to do this" and that she "hadn't planned on it getting this complicated," the notes show. Van Winkle recalls that they asked her what would happen to someone who filed a false police report. Finally, the detectives asked Van Winkle to take a polygraph test, she said. Van Winkle agreed, telling them "she had nothing to hide." At the time, polygraph tests were sometimes used in the interrogation of sexual assault victims. It is no longer common. Victims' advocates have long criticized the practice, saying the stress of recounting a rape can produce false signs of deception. The Fairfax County Police Department has discontinued the practice. Van Winkle recalled being hooked up to the polygraph machine. The examiner asked her name, address and other basic questions, before going over the rape detail by detail. Three tests and roughly two hours later, Van Winkle was finally done. The detectives told her she had failed. Lundberg asked her to tell them what really happened, Van Winkle recalled. She went over the rape yet again, but the detectives told her it could not have happened the way she claimed. "Go home, it's late," the notes show a detective told her. Van Winkle had spent roughly eight hours at the police station. Shaken, she said she rode the elevator down by herself and trudged across an empty parking lot to her car around 1:30 a.m. She never heard from Lundberg or Boyle again. --- Van Winkle resolved to move on, but the experience was a raw wound. During the rape, she could fight back, she said, but there was little she could do after she was discounted by the police. These were the very people who were supposed to help - who could she turn to? "She was just starting off life and it just derailed her," said Van Winkle's sister, Mieke Lozano. "It changed her in her core and her soul and everything she did after that was affected by this." Van Winkle said she developed PTSD and woke up many nights screaming in terror. Others she spent at an all-night Kinko's copy shop to be around other people. To this day, she checks her closets for intruders when she returns home. Large dogs are her constant companions. Van Winkle struggled forward, completing art school. She did silk-screens about polygraphs and paintings with shadowy, hovering figures. She married her boyfriend at the time of the attack, Kevin Curtis, and had two children who are now grown. She moved to New England. She got therapy. By 2014, Van Winkle had earned a masters in social work and began working with women who were victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She began to revisit her own experience. She did a raw dramatic reading about her experience titled, "The Worst Part." "To not be believed," Van Winkle concluded as the lights on the stage dimmed, "that is the worst of all." In the years that followed, she was buoyed by the #MeToo movement and began researching rapes that occurred in the area near her Virginia apartment for leads on her attacker. In the summer of 2019, she was finally ready to call police about reopening the investigation. --- A pair of Fairfax County police detectives and a victim advocate visited Van Winkle in New England in September 2019 to begin a fresh look at her case and hear her account of what transpired during the investigation. Van Winkle and Curtis, whom have since divorced, met the detectives at a hotel. Curtis said Van Winkle answered questions for an hour and a half, before the detectives cracked open a binder of photos from the crime scene for both of them to see for the first time. Curtis, who had only briefly been in the apartment after the attack, said he was struck by how much evidence there had been: Detectives flipped through images of the disheveled bedroom where the assault occurred, the knife, scattered blood and the broken frame of the apartment's sliding door where the attacker appeared to have entered. "It was exactly consistent with the story she related," Curtis said. In the days that followed, Van Winkle watched "Unbelievable" and asked police to retest the DNA recovered in her case. Shortly after the attack, police had used an early, rudimentary version of a DNA test on the genetic material recovered from the scene, but it failed to provide a match, they said. The detectives searched the property room and discovered that genetic material had been destroyed, police said. Angry, Van Winkle fired off a series of public-records requests. Van Winkle wanted to know whether Lundberg had ordered evidence destroyed in other cases, so she asked police for the disposition of all the detective's investigations between 1994 and 1997, when Lundberg worked as a sex-crimes detective. Van Winkle was floored when she got a spreadsheet that showed evidence was destroyed or missing in 43 unsolved cases - roughly half the investigations Lundberg undertook during the period. Van Winkle then requested an internal affairs investigation of how her rape was handled. The investigation, which concluded earlier this year, found the destruction of biological evidence in her case was "improper and in violation of department regulations," according to a letter to Van Winkle that summarized the findings. Fairfax County police said they attempted to contact Lundberg and Boyle during the internal investigation of Van Winkle's case, but neither gave a statement. Fairfax County Police Maj. Ed O'Carroll said department officials still don't know why the detectives accused Van Winkle of fabricating the assault, but said aggressive questioning was a tactic sometimes used at the time to try to ascertain if a victim was making up a story. He said nothing in the case file indicates why Lundberg and Boyle disbelieved Van Winkle. In an interview, O'Carroll apologized for the way Lundberg and Boyle treated Van Winkle and said "this case breaks my heart." Some top officials in the department met with Van Winkle. Others, working under a previous chief, sent her a letter saying "we shared in your frustrations and anger with the handling of the investigation." Last year, the department put out a press release seeking new leads in Van Winkle's case. O'Carroll said the department has no reason to believe Van Winkle fabricated the assault and there was substantial evidence corroborating her account. O'Carroll said Van Winkle "was truthful then and she's truthful today." "The department let her down then and let her down a second time when her evidence was destroyed," O'Carroll said. The evidence in Van Winkle's case was destroyed in 2005, shortly after a message went out to staff reminding them to dispose of evidence that was no longer needed, O'Carroll said. The department was running out of space in its property room. Department policy was then - and is now - to retain evidence in cases that might still be prosecuted, O'Carroll said. O'Carroll said evidence might be destroyed after the death of a victim. In Virginia, there is no statute of limitations on felony sex crimes. At the time, detectives had unilateral authority to dispose of evidence, O'Carroll said. In response to Van Winkle's case, he said the department has instituted a secondary review of any request to destroy evidence to prevent similar errors. --- Fairfax County police have not made public the evidence destruction in Lundberg's cases, and O'Carroll said victims had not been notified. He said the department would decide whether to do so on a case-by-case basis, based on the ongoing review. O'Carroll said the department would do the "right thing." Department officials declined to release to The Post what the review has uncovered so far, other than to say a handful of cases need to be examined more closely. They said all of the evidence in some cases had been destroyed, while items remained in others. Police said the destruction of evidence in some cases may not have violated department policies. Police said the majority of those in which evidence was destroyed are felony sex crimes. They denied a public records request for additional information. Van Winkle said that lack of transparency is unacceptable. She wants to see the victims notified in cases where evidence was destroyed. And she wants a comprehensive review of sex crimes cases to see if evidence destruction extends beyond Lundberg. The Post filed a public-records request seeking to find out if 10 other sex-crimes detectives active in the 1990s had destroyed evidence in cases that could still be prosecuted, but the department said it would cost thousands of dollars to fulfill because the records are not digitized and each case would have to be examined by hand. The department did agree to look at 33 randomly selected cases from 1995 and said evidence had been improperly destroyed in one unsolved rape case not handled by Lundberg. Improper evidence destruction in sex crimes is a wider issue. Maryland's attorney general found in 2020 that state police agencies had destroyed nearly 270 rape kits in the previous two years, despite a new law requiring they be retained for 20 years. That year, a Minnesota TV station found hundreds of rape kits had been destroyed in unsolved cases there. A CNN survey in 2018 found police had trashed 400 rape kits in cases that could have been prosecuted at dozens of agencies nationwide. In 2015, then-Fayetteville, N.C. police Chief Harold Medlock held a news conference to announce his department discovered that it had improperly destroyed 333 rape kits over a 13-year period to make space in its evidence room. The department notified each victim and apologized. Experts say there has not been a comprehensive assessment on the pervasiveness of evidence destruction in sex assault cases on a national level. The issue has gotten far less attention than the backlog of untested raped kits that has been publicized in recent years. Medlock said it's likely that evidence destruction in sex assaults remains hidden in some departments. "I took a pretty good beating from a lot of my peers," Medlock said. "They chastised me a bit for admitting it publicly when it had not been public. . . . There were other departments that had done the same thing and didn't feel the need to acknowledge it." O'Carroll credited Van Winkle with bringing the issue to light in Fairfax County and potentially preventing it from happening again. Van Winkle was gratified that police were re-examining her case, but said the department needs to do more. "I would like this police force to somehow be held accountable for messing up this case and other cases too." Van Winkle said. "If I had the evidence, it would be a whole different story." COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to headline a major gathering of Republicans in South Carolina this month as he considers a 2024 White House bid that could pit him against his onetime boss, former President Donald Trump. Pompeo will speak Aug. 22 at the Faith & Freedom BBQ in Anderson, according to the host of the event, U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan. The tenets of faith and freedom "are ingrained into the very fabric of our nation, and I am looking forward to celebrating them surrounded by veterans, first responders, and other patriotic Americans who make our country great! Pompeo said in a written statement Tuesday provided to The Associated Press. The fundraiser, which benefits Duncan's campaign, has long been a showcase for possible White House contenders, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, then-Vice President Mike Pence, Sens. Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst and Marco Rubio, and former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. According to Duncan, who represents South Carolinas 3rd Congressional District, the event is the states largest annual gathering of Republicans, typically drawing more than 1,000 attendees. Mike Pompeo epitomizes service to country and community over self, Duncan said, touting Pompeos unwavering commitment to America first foreign policy and his willingness to stand up to adversaries like China. Last year, Pompeo headlined a fundraiser for the state Republican Party in South Carolina, home to the first presidential votes in the South. His super PAC, which has raised nearly $6 million, last month released a digital ad in South Carolina and Iowa another early-voting state where he has been making appearances touting religious freedoms. Pompeo and Pence are among the former Trump administration officials attempting to establish themselves in the state as Trump continues to tease a 2024 bid. Pompeo, who served as CIA director and top diplomat, has remained on good terms with his former boss, continuing to defend him after the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Pence has made several recent visits to the state, including last year when he made his first public address since leaving office. Already this year, he has given commencement remarks at the Christian Columbia International University, spoken at a crisis pregnancy center fundraiser and outlined his policy vision for a post-Roe world. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. SEATTLE (AP) The medical examiners office in Washington state's most populous county, which includes Seattle, has reported six heat-related deaths following a heat wave that encompassed much of the Pacific Northwest last week. In Oregon, the state medical examiners office has said it was investigating 14 deaths as possibly heat-related during the hot spell. DALLAS (AP) A man who evaded arrest for more than 12 years after being accused of fatally shooting his two teenage daughters in a taxi parked near a Dallas-area hotel was obsessed with possession and control, a prosecutor said Tuesday during opening statements of his capital murder trial. He controlled what they did, who they talked to, who they could be friends with, if they and who they could date," prosecutor Lauren Black said. "And he controlled everything in his household." Yaser Said, 65, is accused of killing 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said on New Years Day in 2008. Said, who entered a not guilty plea Tuesday, faces an automatic life sentence if convicted. About a week before the sisters were killed, they and their mother fled their home in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville to Oklahoma to get away from Yaser Said, who worked as a taxi driver, Black said. The sisters had become very scared for their lives, and the decision to leave was made after Said put a gun to Amina's head and threatened to kill her, the prosecutor said. But, Black said, in another act of control and manipulation by Said, he told them he had changed and convinced them to return home. The evening the sisters were shot, their father wanted to take just the two of them to a restaurant, she said. In a letter written to the judge overseeing the case, Said said he was not happy with his kids dating activity but denied killing his daughters. Defense attorney Joseph Patton said in opening statements that the evidence would not support a conviction, that police were too quick to focus on Said and suggested that anti-Muslim sentiment played into that focus. Said was born in Egypt. Before the sisters were found shot to death in a taxi parked near a hotel in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Sarah Said had managed to call 911 using a cellphone, telling the operator that her father shot her and that she was dying. Black said Sarah Said was shot nine times and Amina Said was shot twice. In moments of extreme trauma, like being shot multiple times, people can have hallucinations, Patton said. In an email to her Lewisville High School history teacher 11 days before she and her sister were killed, Amina Said said that she and Sarah did not want to live by their fathers culture and marry men from the Middle East, especially men we dont know or love. So they were running away from their father's home, she said in the email prosecutors read into evidence. I know that he will search until he finds us, and he will without any drama nor doubt kill us, the email read. After the sisters were found fatally shot in the taxi, police contacted the taxi's registered owner, who said Yaser Said had been driving the taxi for the past 10 days, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant. Said, who had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the slayings, was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list. He was finally arrested in August 2020 in Justin, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. His son, Islam Said, and his brother, Yassim Said, were subsequently convicted of helping him evade arrest. Black said the sisters, both high school students in Lewisville, dreamed of becoming doctors, and that Yaser Said grew angrier as they grew up and became more educated and independent. When they had more independence, that was less control for him, Black said. ___ This story has been updated to clarify that an email one of two Texas sisters who were killed in 2008 sent to a teacher was sent 11 days before their deaths. On Tuesday the father of a Sandy Hook mass shooting victim blasted Infowars host Alex Jones for not appearing in court to hear the words he and his wife were there to deliver as part of their defamation case against the right-wing provocateur. Neil Heslin and his wife, Scarlett Lewis, both testified during the Tuesday morning session in Austin district court, which Jones did not attend. The celebrity conspiracist didn't arrive for proceedings until the afternoon session started, an absence Heslin decried as "a cowardly act." Ive been here for a week and a half and [during] my final testimony Mr. Alex Jones does not have the courage to sit in front of me or face me, Heslin said. Both Heslin and Lewis described in detail the torment they suffered for nearly 10 years following the murder of their six-year-old son Jesse, one of 26 individuals killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012an attack Jones and his followers have labeled a government-masterminded hoax. Heslin and Lewis say they have since been doxxed, harassed and threatened by believers of conspiracy theories spread by Jones. "My life has been threatened," Heslin said. "I fear for my life. I fear for my safety and my familys safety and their life." When he eventually showed up at the district courthouse Tuesday afternoon, a defiant Jones did not address the parents' testimony. Instead, Jones launched into an attack on Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, falsely claiming that the judge had "lied when she said we didn't give them the discovery [documents]." Jones claimed that Gamble had issued a default ruling against him "so she could have a 'show' trial," Fox 7 reported. Jones' remarks refer to a default ruling in favor of Heslin and Lewis issued months ago after Jones and his legal team failed to provide documents and records as required during pre-trial discovery. The current proceedings will determine the extent of the damages Jones is liable for in the case. Heslin and Lewis "just have to prove the damages at this point, because [Jones] abused the discovery process so much," said Bill Ogden, one of the parents' attorneys. Tuesday's absence isn't the first time Jones has been missing from a trial session in the case. On Friday, Jones skipped appearing in court and instead spent the afternoon live-streaming another episode of his show Infowars, during which he attacked Judge Gamble and plaintiffs' attorneys as shills of the 'New World Order' and encouraged viewers to buy supplements from his website to help pay his legal fees. A Houston man on Saturday sold dozens of homemade 3-D printed guns to the city at its first-ever gun buyback event, Fox 26's Matthew Seedorff reported. The man, who chose to remain anonymous, told Fox 26 that "the goal was not personal profit, but to send [Houston leaders] a message about spending $1 million tax dollars on something that has no evidence of any effect on crime." The man traded in 62 3D-printed guns, often referred to as 'ghost guns,' and received $50 per gun. He claimed making the weapons only cost $3 each, he told Fox 26. The large trade-in of non-traditionally-crafted firearms has prompted city officials to change guidance for future buybacks. "Were going to exclude those next time around," Mayor Sylvester Turner said to Fox 26. "This is a program designed for people who want to voluntarily relinquish their guns." "Youll always have people who will try and take advantage of the programs," Turner added. "I was there when that person brought in those guns. The reason we went ahead and did that was we had not said we werent going to." Officials from the mayor's office said the city collected more than 840 guns and gave participants $50, $100, $150, and $200 Visa gift cards, depending on the gun type: $50 for broken guns, $100 for shotguns and rifles, $150 for handguns, and $200 for automatic weapons. The buyback event is part of Mayor Turner's sweeping anti-crime initiative "One Safe Houston." The program has $53 million in federal dollars to carry out a number of different initiatives designed to reduce violent crime across the city; Mayor Turner said $1 million of those federal dollars are earmarked for gun buyback events like Saturday's, according to Fox 26. Despite the anonymous man's apparent gaming of the initiative, Mayor Turner called Saturday's buyback a success. City officials have at least two more buyback planned in the near future, the Mayor told Fox 26. Paleontologists from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas recently unearthed the fossils of a mosasaur, a 30-foot marine lizard that existed around 80 million years ago, according to a report from the Dallas Morning News. Starting in mid-July, scientists excavated parts of the mosasaur's skull, lower jawbones and several vertebrae from its spine near the fossil-rich North Sulphur River in North Texas. Stephen Kruse, an amateur enthusiast, told the Dallas Morning News that he first came across a piece of the creature's spine as he hiked near the river. "When I turned this corner, he was just sitting there, coming right out of the wall," Kruse said. Perot Museum of Nature and Science It's not the first time mosasaur bones have been discovered near the North Sulphur River. Ron Tykoski, the Perot Museum's director of paleontology and curator of vertebrae paleontology, told the Morning News that during the mosasaur's time, most of Central Texas was underwater. The mosasaur, which Tykoski described as the great white shark or killer whale of prehistoric times, was a top marine predator that fed on turtles, sharks and even other mosasaurs. "Imagine a 30-foot swimming point-nosed Komodo dragon with flippers and a forked tail," Tykoski told the Morning News. ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA/Getty Images/Science Photo Libra Perot Museum of Nature and Science In order to remove the fossilized bones from the creek bed's claylike rock, Tykoski and his team used picks and shovels, as well as finer tools like probes and paintbrushes to remove remaining pieces of rock. They also shot glue made of plastic and acetone into the bone cracks to prevent the fossils from breaking apart. The entire process took about six days, the Morning News reported. "It's like a puzzle: The whole time you're working, you never know where it's going to lead," Dory Contreras, a curator of paleobotany at the Perot Museum, told the Morning News. "And so, as you dig further back, you discover more, you find more." Perot Museum of Nature and Science The fossils are currently housed at the Perot Museum's collection facility as scientists continue to work on removing remaining rock from the fossils and prepare to study and compare them to other previously found mosasaur skeletons. The team plans to return to the creek bed site in the fall to finish excavating the rest of the lizard, per the Morning News. WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, August 1, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Central Inyo County in south central California... * Until 715 PM PDT. * At 512 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain on State Route 190 between Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life-threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings, creeks, normally dry washes and roads. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... State Route 190 between Panamint Springs and Stovepipe Wells This road has been closed due to flooding from storms yesterday, however, this area is experiencing more heavy rain and could be resulting in the rapid onset of flooding over State Route 190. If anyone is in fact traveling on this roadway, they could be impacted by flash flooding. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. In hilly and desert terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather South Africa: Warning against illegal landlords operating in informal settlements The City of Johannesburg Human Settlements has warned illegal landlords operating in informal settlements to stop demanding money for government services. The warning comes after the department relocated over 300 families who were victims of shack fires in KwaMaiMai in June. The families were temporarily sheltered at Hofland Park Community Centre until Friday, when they were relocated to Kaserne Informal Settlement. During the relocation process, it was established that some of the new structures were locked by illegal landlords, who demanded payment from residents before they could occupy the new shacks. Law enforcement was called in to break the locks and give residents access to the temporary homes. Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements in the City, Mlungisi Mabaso emphasised that the services are provided free of charge to deserving residents. We cannot allow illegal activities in our communities. No one can demand payment for government services that are provided free of charge. We do not recognise these so-called landlords, in fact, they are criminals defrauding desperate residents, Mabaso said. Mabaso added that the issue of illegal landlords is prevalent in many informal settlements and other government properties. These illegal landlords cannot claim government property as their own. I urge community members to work with the department to report anyone who demands money for government services so that we can clamp down on this lawlessness and victimisation of vulnerable people, the MMC said. Fraudulent activities can be reported to Group Forensic and Investigation Services toll-free hotline: 0800 002 587 or email: whistle@joburg.org.za SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. China's Jilin takes steps towards all-round revitalization Xinhua) 09:24, August 02, 2022 CHANGCHUN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Economic operation has progressed steadily in northeast China's Jilin Province over the past decade, with industrial structure optimized and the business environment improved, according to a press briefing in the provincial capital of Changchun on Monday. Jilin has strived to develop three major industries, including the automobile industry, food processing industry and ecological tourism. In 2021, the province saw its gross domestic product grow 6.6 percent year on year and attracted over 10,000 high-caliber talents. In the past 10 years, Jilin has been increasing its grain production capacity, with annual grain output exceeding 35 million tonnes for nine consecutive years, according to the press briefing. In addition, grain output in Jilin has reached some 40.39 million tonnes in 2021, up 20 percent compared with that of 2012. Boasting over 3 million market entities, the province will continue to foster an efficient and conducive business environment to benefit enterprises. Meanwhile, it will accelerate to build the digital government and inject strong impetus into revitalization and development. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) NICOSIA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus confirmed its first case of monkeypox on Tuesday, a health ministry spokesman said. The patient is a 40-year-old man with recent travel history, the spokesman said without revealing the name of the country he had traveled to. The spokesman said the man sought medical help on Monday after developing early symptoms of an infection. The infection was confirmed on Tuesday through a molecular laboratory test at the Nicosia General Hospital where the patient is being treated in a special ward reserved for monkeypox cases, he added. The spokesman said there had previously been 11 false alarms of suspected cases in Cyprus, which helped medical authorities test protocols prepared after the first monkeypox cases were reported by the World Health Organization. A health ministry statement said that anyone with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, lymphadenopathy, chills and exhaustion, followed by a rash appearing one to five days after the onset of symptoms, will be considered a suspected case and required to have a PCR test. WFO ALBANY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, August 4, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Albany NY 330 PM EDT Tue Aug 2 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM EDT THURSDAY... ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values in the mid 90s to lower 100s expected both Thursday and Friday afternoon. * WHERE...In Connecticut, Litchfield County. In New York, Dutchess and eastern Ulster County. * WHEN...11 AM to 8 PM EDT Thursday and noon to 8 PM EDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. * WHAT...Heat index values in the upper 90s to lower 100s expected. * WHERE...The Mohawk and Hudson River Valleys and central Taconics in eastern New York. * WHEN...From 11 AM to 8 PM EDT Thursday. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form by Peter Mertz DENVER, the United States, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Mother Nature stands poised to do something in 30 years that the federal government could not do in over a century -- remove a Native American tribe from its ancestral lands forever. "It is heartbreaking, terrible, scary. What we need is no longer there," Ute Mountain Ute irrigation manager Michael Vicenti told The Denver Post, while looking at a diminishing water supply and an annual reduction in corn output that keeps the tribe alive. Each evening he calls operators of McPhee Reservoir to set the flow into a 39-mile clay canal, the Utes' only source of water, and makes a difficult choice -- either he saves scarce water or he saves corn, the daily reported. Water levels at McPhee are "50-feet (15.24-meter) below normal," San Juan National Forest officials told Xinhua on Friday, adding even with the weekend's monsoon rains that upped that level up to 47 feet (14.33 meters), it will take "years of heavy monsoons and heavy winter snowpack" to offset a record drought that scientists say is the worst in 1,200 years. The record drought and pending doom are most noticeable at the country's largest reservoirs, especially Lakes Powell and Mead, now in critical condition with historically low water levels that threaten power and drinking water supplies for seven states and at least 40 million people. In the southwest corner of Colorado, these harsh conditions have pushed the original owners of these vast lands, the Utes, to the brink of extinction. They were once one of the dominant Native American tribes in the west, whose ancestors lived in a vast area that included Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Utes were forced away from their land at gunpoint that their ancestors had inhabited for thousands of years, and "forced in the 19th Century onto some of North America's harshest land, high desert southwest of Cortez, with limited access to water." These Utes were moved into a 7,700-acre (3,116.08-hectare) reservation and settled the town of Towaoc, where today some 2,200 registered Ute Mountain Utes reside, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB). The town is located less than 15 miles (24 km) west of the famous Mesa Verde National Park, where more than half a million people visit each year. But it is unlikely that many of the national park visitors have made the trip to Towaoc, accessible by a 30-mile (48-km) road, where residents live in rundown buildings, many streets are unpaved, and where the average income is 12,330 U.S. dollars a year per person and 25 percent of households live in poverty, according to USCB data. When the Ute Nation once ranged across millions of acres of land, they dealt with droughts by migrating into nearby areas where farming was more feasible and game more plentiful. But today, these places are occupied by private ranches and farms, shopping centers, housing developments, or belong to the U.S. Forest Service or Department of the Interior. Even 30 years ago, the Utes living beneath Ute Mountain had to backpack down from the high mountains each winter in the snow for irrigation and drinking, according to tribal leaders. In the late 1970s, at the behest of local white ranchers and farmers, Ute leaders traveled to Washington to convince the Carter administration's reluctant Interior Department to build McPhee Reservoir, a 500-million-U.S.-dollar project that included the 39-mile (63-km) canal to irrigate nearby properties. But the Feds classified the Utes as "not an agrarian tribe -- they were hunters and gatherers," and thus limited the tribe's allocation of water and chance for economic growth. Even today, "the Ute annual allocation of reservoir water remains relatively low in the region. Tribal negotiators had to give up senior water rights on rivers, and they were not able to gain priority for reservoir water during dry times," the Post report noted. Ute leaders would like to see water allocation agreements revisited in what has become a deal killer for the tribe's ability to eke out a living on land already severely challenged, existing in a high-elevation desert climate zone. Water releases from McPhee have been reduced in six of the past nine years, according to Ken Curtis with the Dolores Water Conservancy District (DWCD) and more reductions are expected in the coming years. DWCD officials did not respond to a Xinhua request on how the water quantity allocations are made, if allotments can be adjusted, and why the Utes pay DWCD 500,000 dollars a year for the water. "Dry times led reservoir operators to cut the Utes' water to 10 percent of their allotment last year and 25 percent this year," Simon Martinez, general manager of Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprises (UMUFRE) told the Post, and that "only 13 of the tribe's 110 center pivot irrigation sprinklers can run." Ute farming operations once covered 7,700 acres (3,116.08 hectares) and now are only 1,000 acres (404.69 hectares) planted. But a modern corn mill built in 2014 allows the tribe to eke out a living selling "Native American Grown whole grain Non-GMO" and other sales to whiskey distilleries, health-oriented grocery stores and other retailers, according to UMUFRE data. "Even with limited water, the Utes are navigating record dry times. A combination of alfalfa hay sales, far less than in the past, and mill production has proved economically sustainable," the Post noted, an assertion hard to fathom. The highest-paid workers living in Towaoc work at the mill and make 20,000 dollars a year, while the average income has hovered around 12,000 dollars a year for a decade, USCB data said. But the mill has big expenses, from water, to insurance, to maintaining state-of-the-art factory production equipment, Martinez noted, with nothing looming as deadly to the tribe's survival as water scarcity. Always optimistic, Martinez told the Post that "being able to sell corn meal products at low volumes when possible in Sprouts and Trader Joe's markets could make a big difference," he said. Ute tribal leaders disagree, and say that in the future, expected water cuts could cripple the mill -- the only lifeline left for the tribe's economic survival. If IT leaders arent already thinking about the impact of an economic recession, their CEOs certainly are. In fact, nearly 8 in 10 business leaders expect a recession in their primary region of operation within the next 12 to 18 months or believe one is already under way, according to the Conference Boards C-Suite Outlook Mid-Year. Among CEOs surveyed globally, 15% believe recession has already taken hold while another 61% expect a recession will arrive before the end of 2023. While recessions are inevitable, we never know when they will hit, says Dan Roberts, president at Ouellette & Associates and host of the Tech Whisperers podcast. There is a tricky balancing act at play. C-suite leaders cant hit the brakes and risk missing market opportunities. But on the flipside, if they continue to invest at the same levels and the economy tanks, they run the risk of spending getting out ahead of revenue. A decade on from the last recession, many CIOs have never had to lead their organizations through such economic challenges, Roberts points out. But theyll be charged with cutting costs and building efficiencies to sustain their businesses through the cycle. Companies underinvested in technology will be in the worst position. Theyll have few choices but going into survival mode scavenging coins out of the sofa to save money, says Peter Pisciotta, managing director and senior consultant at Fine Line Partners. Its not pretty. IT costs can account for a significant portion of operating expenses (SG&A) and capital investments, so when cost reduction is needed, IT can be at the top of the list for cuts. It is essential for IT leaders to have a plan, says Patrick Anderson, director of technology, strategy, and architecture at global consulting firm Protiviti. Without a plan from the IT leader, other leaders will step in and that could have devastating consequences. Following are actions CIOs can take to realign investments in advance of a possible recession. Transform fixed costs into dynamic costs In a recession, cash is king. IT can help the business maintain liquidity by converting some fixed capital expenses into more dynamic operating costs, says Shawn Fitzgerald, senior research director of the finance advisory practice at The Hackett Group. Shifting more workloads to the cloud ahead of the recession can help. Organizations that have migrated the majority of eligible workloads to the cloud see an average cost savings three times greater than those companies who have been slower to move to cloud, according to a June 2022 Hackett Group report. Reassess IT services contracts In some cases, contracts may be automatically renewed without reassessment or optimization. Now is a good time to examine the outsourcing portfolio. Those providers that can deliver demonstrated, quantifiable, financial value can and should continue to be rewarded by their clients and customers, as this is key to successful growth in a recessionary environment, says Marc Tanowitz, managing partner in advisory and transformation at West Monroe. That said, buyers need to be sure that their value-added partners are financially strong and are not at risk of decreasing their investments in their products and services to the point that performance and quality can suffer. IT leaders can work with partners to identify cost reduction opportunities. Work closely with your external partners, as they are likely in a similar position, advises Erik Bailey, CIO at IP software and services company Anaqua. Restructuring a service to reduce costs, rather than eliminating it altogether, can be mutually beneficial. Lean in with your partners, says Michael Fuller, principal at The Hackett Group. They can figure out ways to streamline their delivery, migrate more work to lower cost locations. Asking for significant price concessions may not work as IT service providers are dealing with rising labor costs. But customers have a lot of options for relaxing contract restrictions to cut cost, says Brad L. Peterson, partner and global lead for technology transactions at law firm Mayer Brown. They can reduce supplier obligations, take more risk, permit transformative change, and commit to help the supplier more. Saving money is not about getting the lowest contract charges its about reducing total cost. Prioritize volume adjustments over price cuts IT leaders can reduce their unit costs by asking vendors for a discount or they can seek out quantity savings by rationalizing units used. They might, for example, optimize the number of software licenses theyre paying for. From experience, reducing prices is not overly successful, says Pisciotta. Vendors [may use] the opportunity to claw-back terms they didnt like such as reducing SLAs in exchange for reduced charges. Shut down redundant systems Take time to evaluate your asset base of software and hardware. There could be opportunities to reduce these costs, particularly if some of these assets are close to retirement or are good candidates for retirement, says Anderson of Protiviti. There also could be opportunities for consolidation or rationalization. Redundant systems are a good target for cost cutting. It can be hard to kill an application, but CIOs that are risk takers will shut down a system and see if anyone complains, says Rick Pastore, senior research director and IT advisor at The Hackett Group. CIOs should make sure that the discharge makes financial sense, however. If you decommission something thats still depreciating, youll take a financial hit, says Fitzgerald. You need to a team sport approach to intelligent cost management, partnering with finance and those who can do that analysis and provide decision support. Press pause on low priority projects CIOs should also re-evaluate their project portfolio to ensure they are still aligned to business strategy. Prioritize your pending investments, suggests Ryan Prindiville, partner-in-charge of consulting at accounting and business consulting firm Armanino. Dont stop on the critical investments that are going to sustain you through a recession. But the third, fourth, fifth, sixth on your list you may want to take a pause on. Revisit open job postings Most CIOs have a big backlog of open positions theyre trying to fill. Eliminating those openings may or may not make sense given how lean many IT shops are right now. But cutting back on contractors at least for a while could be worthwhile for most IT leaders. That can be the first wave of labor cost cuts, says Pastore. It may be the only wave. Scale successful pilots Experimentation and evaluation are important, but pilots are always more expensive than adoption at scale. Accelerate those deployments so you can get out of pilot purgatory and clear the decks of the stuff that is not delivering value, says Fitzgerald, senior research director of the finance advisory practice at The Hackett Group. Whatever reductions CIOs are considering, its critical to be thoughtful: Consider not just the potential short-term benefit, but the possible long-term consequences. I can lose 50 pounds today by cutting off one of my legs, but I wont be running tomorrow, says Fitzgerald. You have to be intelligent and selective when doing this. Being shortsighted in cost cutting will be punishing. Energy and carbon neutrality are hot topics of conversation today due to the rapidly escalating costs consumers are paying for gasoline and electricity, and increasing concerns about global warming, climate change, and the future of the planet. As a technology executive for a leading energy producer, Alejandro Reyes shares those concerns, not only because he also feels the pain at the pump, but also because many people may view energy companies as a source of the problem. This is not the case at Applied Energy Services (AES), which was founded as a consultancy in 1981 and today is a leading independent energy company and a pioneer in sustainability efforts such as carbon offset programs, reforestation, and renewable energy technologies. Reyes has been with AES since 2007, working his way up the organization ladder from an SAP integration lead in Buenos Aires to application security manager, IT project director, and director of digital transformation today. In his current role, he is responsible for developing innovative solutions to drive revenue and better serve the companys customer base, and he works closely with other executives to forge new paths toward a more energy efficient and sustainable future. Reyes accomplishments and success in the IT industry was acknowledged last year in an award-winning CIO.com article profiling Hispanic technology executives who have broken through barriers to rise to the top of the IT industry, paving a path for others to follow. AESs digital transformation chief recently took part in a CIO Executive Council Future Forward podcast interview, during which he discussed topics such as sustainability and the use of enabling technologies like AI and machine learning, the importance of investing in predictive analytics and so-called smart grids to improve operations and be more in tune with changing customer demands and requirements. Click on the podcast players below to listen to Parts 1 & 2 of the conversation. Following are excerpts from this conversation with Reyes. Tim Scannell: Customers today are taking more responsibility in controlling their energy usage. What kind of an impact does that have on the IT organization in terms of objectives and planning, or developing more customer-facing tools? Alejandro Reyes: The change is widespread on the customer-facing side and impacting our operational side since the use of mobile apps and engagements are becoming more common. Theres an expectation that you have to be available on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram to answer questions. You also have all these different channels that are a constraint to some of the legacy technologies. One of the main priorities of the team is how to partner with the business to create and support all these channels and ways that customers want to engage There are also commercial and industrial companies trying to fulfill their commitments on sustainability and partner with companies like AES to provide renewable energy services. For this customer segment there are some very specific technology solutions we need to provide that let them see energy produced, consumed, and the need for extra capacity. From an operational perspective, we also have to make investments in a smart grid, in smart meters, and in the way that we collect and send that information to our customers, so the grid becomes more of a self-healing network. Data analytics and business intelligence are critical to every business, but especially important in the energy industry, as information is channeled from consumers and commercial clients related to usage that feeds into AES sustainability and services planning. What role does AI and machine learning play in this effort, not only for general analysis but for predictive analytics as well? Reyes: We started a program in 2019 for analytics, AI, and machine learning and began by working heavily with the business to identify areas of potential ML use cases. In the two or three years since then we have models that have significantly helped our business in such areas as predictive maintenance by combining data from different sources. We have also developed a team of data scientists, with different levels of expertise, who are experts in looking at the data, identifying trends, and making sense of it. We also have others on the business side who are very focused on how we produce energy and how the assets are maintained. What were trying to do now is have discussions with, with our businesses to understand what problems theyre seeing, and then try to relate that with the data that we have. We are also combining that with data from different sources as a pilot to see if it makes sense and tests out a hypothesis. If it doesnt work, and we dont understand why, then, we pivot to a different model and a hypothesis. What is the biggest challenge for you in this area right now? The technologies that we have in place are not up to date. Thats one. The second is the data quality in our legacy systems. Its not complete enough to make good recommendations or decisions to our business. So, as we implement new solutions, we are looking at the data quality component and really thinking through why it matters to collect certain data in some categories and making sure that solutions are part of that new implementation. So, data quality is definitely one of our biggest challenges that is tied closely to the foundational changes. Attracting and retaining qualified talent is a priority with most IT organization today. Looking at your entire staff, what are you planning to do in terms of personnel over the next six to eight months? Reyes: Right now, we want to become a little better in applications management. We want to become more agile and push the boundaries in how we are implementing our solutions, so we are looking to add more in that area. Investments over the last couple of years have been on data analytics and the business relationship sides so that we have better alignment in prioroties and know that we are working on the same things. But agile development and applications development are areas where we want to grow over the next couple of years. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Concurs pentru selectarea unei companii pentru servicii de cazare, alimentare si locatie pentru sesiuni de instruire Se angajeaza profesor pentru predarea disciplinelor de turism, Centrul de Excelenta in Viticultura si Vinificatie din Chisinau For the first time in the organisations' history, Greenpeace UK has appointed two people to the role of executive director. Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum will take over from interim executive director Pat Vendetti in October. They succeed John Sauven, who retired earlier this year after 30 years in post. Both will be paid a salary of 90,000 per annum. A Greenpeace UK spokesperson told Civil Society News: Given the urgency of the issues now facing us and the breadth of our campaigning programme, we feel having two EDs is commensurate with the scale of the crisis. With such a short amount of time to bring about the huge change we need in society, two people will allow Areeba and Will to run Greenpeace UK making the best use of resources, while also looking outside of Greenpeace, listening, learning and collaborating with as diverse a range of people and organisations as possible. First woman and person of colour to lead the organisation Hamid joins from The Sunrise Project, a global climate change campaign group that works to end the financial support for fossil fuels. She will be the first woman and first person of colour to lead Greenpeace in the UK. Hamid is also a board member of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Migrants. She has worked in senior roles in several Greenpeace offices around the world. McCallum will be promoted from head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, a role he has occupied since 2015. During his time in post he spearheaded a campaign to secure a Global Oceans Treaty and helped make the government act on destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas. He oversaw the first major Greenpeace campaign on plastic. He has been a trustee for Kaleidoscope Trust, an LGBT+ charity, since 2018. Andrew McParland, chair of the Greenpeace UKs board, said: Were really excited to have found such a dream team to lead the organisation. Areeba and Will are both smart, brave, dynamic campaigners with a fantastic track record of running campaigns that have made a real difference. Theyll bring their combined experience, skills and energy to one of the most challenging jobs in the environmental sector. As the impacts of the climate emergency escalate all around us, we need a new, compelling vision for how Greenpeace UK can achieve the change we so badly need Areeba and Will have shown they have that vision. We wish them best of luck in their new roles. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, At the Charity Finance Group (CFG) annual conference the chair of mental health charity Mind, Stevie Spring, said that more charities were likely to merge as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis . Earlier this year, Eastside Primetimers released their Good Merger Index (GMI) which backs up Springs claim identifying 77 mergers in the year April 2020-21 involving 166 charities in all. When charities merge the focus is often on finding a partner who has the same beliefs and values something potentially easier to find when involving faith charities. Last year, the Methodist charity All We Can agreed a formal partnership with Y Care International to combine their workforces in order to achieve greater impact. The charities began working closely together over three years ago and from that collaboration came discussion around formalising their partnership. The move saw both organisations maintain their own identities but make use of shared office space and back office functions, helping them to grow and to create new roles to fulfil the greater needs of both organisations while providing support to even more people. But what does a merger mean in real terms? While closer partnership working and collaboration may help to increase charities impact and share back office costs, the decision to combine resources shouldnt be taken lightly. I have developed a handy mnemonic for charities to consider when taking the decision to merge. M - Mergers - A merger of charities means two or more separate charities coming together to form one organisation. Either a new charity is formed to continue the work or take on the assets of the original charities, or one charity assumes control of another (Charity Commission for England and Wales). E - Environmental risk factors are forcing some charities to start thinking about mergers and associated benefits. Charities can overcome financial challenges by merging with another charity this maybe an option for pure survival! Improved access to funding increasingly funders see partnership working as a way of getting better value for money. Increased reach of services charities can reach a wider number and range of beneficiaries. Reduced costs and duplication making better use of resources and focusing on those activities that have the biggest impact. Improved learning and skills sharing experience and learning new and better ways of working. R Risk Management needs to be an integral part of the process when considering a merger. An initial assessment should be carried out early in the process. This will flag any potential issues or barriers to be addressed through discussions. The assessment will need to be revisited and expanded later in the process. Barriers can be cultural, structural, financial, professional or political. Identifying the following barriers and risks at an early stage, and looking at whether they can be overcome, will help in deciding whether or not to proceed with a merger: Lack of leadership. Poor communication. Staff resistance. Fear of losing identity and independence. Poor planning. Increasing costs. Insufficient resources. Inability to integrate systems. Lack of project planning/process management. G Gains of merging must be clear to see and in the interest of each charity. Compatible objectives, culture and values are key. There should also be a unified approach at board level, with the trustees collectively being clear that they believe the merger is the best way forward with clear reasons. E Evaluate initial discussions from key stakeholders (internal and external), results of your risk analysis and advice from legal, finance and HR professionals and progress to the next stage if appropriate. R Reach an informed decision based on: A detailed business case outlining the reasons you want to merge with associated costs, risks and benefits. Most importantly consider and demonstrate that the merger is in the best interest of your charity and beneficiaries. Due diligence consider all the risks and liabilities you are about to take on e.g. Commercial, Financial, Legal, HR. Stakeholder and change management you will have many charity stakeholders. They will have concerns about the proposed merger. Communicate, understand and involve people in the change. S Success measures will be key to determine if the merger has been completed successfully e.g. increased income, extended reach, cost savings, improved outcomes, staff satisfaction. Consider how the measure will be evaluated. Clear success measures should be identified at the beginning and be used to monitor the mergers achievements against its original objective(s) defined in the business case. Sarah Pearson is head of enterprise risk management at Ecclesiastical Civil Society Voices is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. Find out more about contributing and how to get in touch. is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. I owe a lot to cable news. When I saw the coverage of the Gulf War on CNN in 1991 it changed my whole understanding of everything. Peter Arnett was on the roof of the Al Rasheed Hotel, describing what it looked like when American bombs exploded in Baghdad. Sometimes wed be shown footage of precision bombs from the bombs-eye view. We, the viewing public of the United States, were the bomb. The whole thing was wrong and horrible. Horrible, obviously, because it killed human beingssoldiers on a highway of death and civilians in their beds in a country we didnt understandand horrible also because, as we discovered later, it created a specific kind of rage, a fiercely focused, retributive rage. Things that blow up from the air make groups of people really mad. The rage of the bombed lasts for years and years. I learned about war from CNN and I became a pacifist. I also stopped watching cable news altogether, because it made me crazy. Until now, when a nice editor asked me to write about CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Well, OK, I thought, let me give it a go. The year 1991 was a long time ago. Maybe everythings different. There was a problem, which was that my wife and I didnt actually have a TV. Wed given ours to my mother-in-law, who lives in a retirement home. She watches PBS: Amanpour & Company, Paul Simon singing The Sound of Silence, and British comedy shows with loud laugh tracks. Sometimes the staff at the retirement home turns it to Fox News, but we turn it back. My wife and I still watch TV, of course, but we watch TV on a laptop, using Netflix. Is there anything better than watching reruns of Friends on Netflix? I dont think so. So I had to buy a TV, which I did, for $150a beautiful 24-incher. The cable guy came a week or so later and hooked us up. He had a few things to say about the news shows. He didnt like Donald Trump, he said, but he didnt like the way CNN and MSNBC were using anything and everything to bring him down, either. It took me a few days to work up the nerve to turn the TV on for more than a few minutes at a time. When I did, there in front of mealong with the ads for Gold Bond Lotion and Gortons fish sticks and the worlds best pillow from MyPillow.com and the Funeral Advantage program and Sheex, which are a new kind of sheet with a 30-night guarantee, and the Shark vacuum cleaner, which can vacuum up potato chips on a couch, and the Ozempic injection device, which lowers your blood sugar and is not a weight loss drug and allows you to be a happy fireman or farmer againalong with all these interesting and revealing ads (ads are themselves news, after all) was something momentous and fascinating. It was the memorial service for George Herbert Walker Bush. The very person who had gotten us into the Gulf War was the person who was now being mourned. I watched, and was sad. Any life that ends, anywhere on the planet, leaves a ghostly trail of grief in the world. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Bush was loved by many patriotic people, and Im sorry hes gone, because with him goes another piece of the living past. The fact that hed been in charge of a good deal of destructive international meddling as head of the Central Intelligence Agencythat hed launched a military attack on Panama City to get rid of Manuel Noriega, a dictator who had been on the CIA payroll; that hed sent warplanes into Iraq, destroying the country and setting in motion a generation of international turmoilwas immaterial for the moment. Here on TV was a heavy coffin with a formerly living person in it, being slowly walked down the steps of the Capitol Building, held by men in uniform, step by step. And CNN, normally so talkative, said nothing. There was just the flag-wrapped coffin, the uniformed men, the synchronized downward steps, and the music of the military band. The Bush family was lined up near the hearse. Wolf Blitzer, who had gotten his start by narrating the bombing of Bushs Gulf War, was silent. Jake Tapper was silent. Finally, Blitzer spoke. Another very, very moving ceremony at the US Capitol honoring the 41st president of the United States. The casket is now on that presidential hearse. He described what was to come at the National Cathedral. What works on television is moment-to-moment political scrimmaging between war hawk Democrats and war hawk Republicans. Then Jake Tapper spoke. What a sad but also odd moment this must be for President George W. Bush, one of only two men in the history of this nation to have served as president after his father served as president, he said. Not only is he going through what must be a heart-wrenching experience, helping to bury the man who he revered so much, he is also getting a glimpse of what his funeral will be like. Very few Americans will have the opportunity to be honored in such a way, with a state funeral such as this one. And he is seeing how heand obviously President Obama, President Clinton, and others, not to get too macabrebut the send-off that they will all experience. Not to get too macabre. Those words stuck in my head. Later that morning, when all of the living former presidentsBarack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carterwere seated in the front row of the cathedral with their wives, some announcer again noted that these men were being given a foretaste of what was in store for them. This is what an American presidential funeral looks like. This is what life after death looks like. Carter seemed sad and a little lost. Was he sad because he knew that his national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinskithe father of Mika Brzezinski, costar of MSNBCs Morning Joe with her husband, Joe Scarboroughbegan the program of arming and indoctrinating right-wing religious fanatics in Afghanistan as a way of pushing Russia out? Was he regretting that his administration had set in motion a giant, spreading tide of terror in the Middle East? Probably not. He has done many good things in his life as well. I looked at Obama. In his last year in office, his administration dropped more than 26,000 bombs on six faraway countries. Was he thinking, on this day of public mourning, of how many civilians hed killed, how many drone assassinations hed ordered? And Hillary Clintonwas she thinking about her own ill-fated intervention in Syria as secretary of state, her covert arming of the rebel factions, beginning in 2011, which fueled yet another war? And what about Bill Clinton and his years of harassment strikes on Iraq, his unconscionable sanctions, the aerial chaos he unleashed on Belgrade? What about George W. Bush, who took advantage of 9/11 to unleash the furies on Afghanistan and Iraq? Did any of them regret what theyd done? I doubted it. Bush wept for his fathermovinglybut in that cathedral, filled with Washingtons finest, nobody was weeping for the millions of families who have suffered as a result of what America has become under their leadership: a monstrous, amoral, bipartisan, deficit-financed engine of international provocation and precision-guided mayhem. And then Donald and Melania Trump arrived. They found their seats at the end of the pew. Trump was a bulky presence, radiating truculence, with a mouth expression that seemed modeled not on Benito Mussolini but on Mr. Toad of The Wind in the Willows. From the presidents seated alongside him Trump had inherited air wars and semi-covert interventions all over the Middle East and Africa. Hed moved quickly to make everything worse by appointing James Mattis as his defense secretary. Marine General Mad Dog Mattis, as his colleagues sometimes call him, who held high military commands under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and had served on the board of General Dynamics, a defense contractor, was best known for saying, in 2005, that its fun to shoot some people and that killing enemies was a hell of a hoot. According to Esther Schrader and Tony Perry of the Los Angeles Times, a clip of these remarks was cheered by troops in Iraq when it was played on CNN. In Iraq last year, under General Mattiss annihilation plan for the Islamic State, Mosuls Old City was blasted to ruins, and Raqqa, in Syria, suffered the same fate. Civilian death rates doubled. These fearsome urban attacks received minimal coverage on cable news, however. Obsessed with the seemingly daily updates in the Stormy Daniels story or the impeachment potential of the Russia investigation, the American media is paying even less attention now to a topic it never focused on with much zeal, Margaret Sullivan wrote in The Washington Post last March. Why so little coverage? Because the reality of permawar is tiresome. It doesnt work well on cable. It becomes unmentionable, embarrassing, almost taboo. Somewhere off in the distance, American hardware is again blowing up a neighborhood and wailing, rocking parents are holding dead children in their arms. Its been going on for so long, under the Bushes, Clinton, Obama, and now Trump, that it simply doesnt register. Small sites like TomDispatch and Antiwar.com try to get word out, as do larger outfits such as Reuters and The Intercept, but most people arent paying attention. What works on television, for a larger audience, is the moment-by-moment political scrimmaging between war hawk Democrats and war hawk Republicans, the incessant flag-flappery of support for the troops, the perpetuation of the fiction that the United States, as a political power, is a force for good in the world, when it so obviously isnt. Whats actually on cable these days is a bizarre legalistic death battle. Cohen, Manafort, Flynn, Butina, Mueller, Giuliani, et al. We arent debating whether Trump has been responsible for the deaths of innocents, because everyone knows that he ispresidents and collateral damage go hand in hand. If Trump goes to prison, it will not be for child murder, but for distributing hush money to silence former mistresses and for taking bribes and for engaging in back channel machinations with Russia. Whatever it takes, I suppose, but I have to agree with my cable guy: theres something unseemly about the means employed. Fox News is addictive and awful: choirboys gone to seed and womens dresses with weird portholes at the shoulders or at the cleavage. The anchors jeer smilingly at ideas that any sensible person of generous mind can see make sense. Quick clips of closed-circuit footage of humans with darker skin doing bad things are injected into the river of commentarymug shots includedto create little mental firecracker pops of righteous wrath among the pickup-truck crowd, along with funny attacks on progressive causes by rightist comedians who love steak and country music. Fox & Friends is a hot mess of clean living and white-right American self-deception, and I cant watch it for very long without feeling queasy. But its an easy mark. CNN, with its glass-topped tables crowded with center-right commentators perched on high stools, and its appealing specials on kindly geniuses like Gilda Radner, is much better than Fox, though still at times heartbreakingly wrong. John Berman is quick on his feet, and Don Lemons delivery, with dramatic pauses and piercing lets get real eye contact, is sometimes remarkably strong. And then there are voices of reason soaring in from deep time: for instance, John Dean, of Watergate fame. Hes good. MSNBC, though, has the sharpest news anchors and reporters and guest experts. Hallie Jackson and Ari Melber seem like genuine human beings trying to think things through. Sometimes, watching MSNBC, listening to all the fine points of analytical commentary, I have been thrilled by the level of legal insight. But other times, it feels like Im watching a pack of hungry dogs circling around some giant blundering pachyderm, tearing out hunks of flesh and splattering the screen with blood and saliva. On the night of George H.W. Bushs funeral, Lawrence ODonnells The Last Word on MSNBC was about the eulogy by Alan Simpson, a former senator. Bush never hated anyone, Simpson had said. He knew what his mother knew and my mother always knew: Hatred corrodes the container its carried in. This is a Chinese proverb (although Simpson didnt give the Chinese credit), and its true. Cable news, because theres so much of it, because its always on the prowl for new outrages and trespasses, because lurid headlines are always creeping, creeping across the bottom of the screen, feeds hatred, and feeds on hatred, and thereby corrodes the American brain. On December 19, President Trump did one small good thing: he announced that troops were leaving Syria. (Intermittent bombing and lethal droning, presumably, would continue.) Mattis promptly announced his resignationthank goodnessreleasing a letter about how important it was to be clear eyed about our enemies Russia and China. Instantly, MSNBC and CNN had all sorts of national security experts on to extol Mattiss wisdom and attack child leader Trumps single positive presidential act. Later, after the dustup, Trump, our most devoted consumer of cable news, tweeted that the pullout was going to happen slowly. Its all a game. People seem to crave a ludicrously evil enemy, like Uncle Joe Stalin, like the Penguin on the old Batman shows. Trump is perfect for that role. But the enemy is not Trump (or Putin, or Stalin, or the Penguin), its us. Weve got to figure out a way to live less intrusively on this gorgeous, multilingual, fast-melting, parti-colored planet. We need news that helps us do that. Ive learned a lot from journalist-historians like Tom Engelhardt, Nick Turse, and Ann Jones, and from the hardworking people at Common Dreams, edited in my own beloved state of Maine. Time to turn the TV off nowmute the animatronic moving mouths of the opinionators. Cable news overpoliticizes usat least, it overpoliticizes me. It turns me into somebody I dont recognize: a frowny, beard-plucking, wave-whitened, despair-darkened ancient mariner. I did, however, enjoy the ad for Gortons fish sticks. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Nicholson Baker is the author of many books, including his most recent, Baseless: My Search for Secrets in the Ruins of the Freedom of Information Act. YREKA, Calif. (AP) Two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle in a driveway in the wildfire zone of a raging California blaze that is among several burning in the western U.S. amid hot, dry and gusty conditions that boost the danger that the fires will keep growing, officials said Monday. The McKinney Fire in Northern California near the stateline with Oregon exploded in size Sunday to more than 82 square miles (212 square km) after erupting Friday in the Klamath National Forest, firefighting officials said. It is Californias largest wildfire of the year so far and officials have not determined the cause. The vehicle and the bodies were found Sunday in the driveway of a residence near the remote community of Klamath River, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. The blaze cast an eerie, orange-brown hue, in one neighborhood where a brick chimney stood surrounded by rubble and scorched vehicles on Sunday. Flames torched trees along State Route 96 and raced through hillsides in sight of homes. Firefighting crews on the ground were trying to prevent the blaze from moving toward the town of Yreka, population about 7,500, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) away as of Sunday. A second, smaller fire in the region that was sparked by dry lightning Saturday threatened the tiny California community of Seiad. Overall, officials said about 400 structures were threatened by the two fires. Authorities have not confirmed the extent of the damages far in the areas that have burned, saying assessments would begin when it was safe to go inside them. A third fire, which was on the southwest end of the McKinney blaze, prompted evacuation orders for around 500 homes Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokesperson with the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office. The office said crews had been on the scene of the fire since late Saturday but by the following morning it became active and escaped its containment line. The childhood home of one sheriffs deputy burned on Friday, Kreider said, Thunderstorms that brought barrages of lightning and threatened to spark new fires in dry fuel beds in Northern California were expected to move out of the area starting Monday, forecasters said. In northwest Montana, a fire sparked in grasslands near the town of Elmo had grown to about 17 square miles (44 square km) Sunday after advancing into forest. Crews worked along edges of the fire, and aircraft were expected to continue to make water and retardant drops to help slow the fires advance, said Sara Rouse, a spokesperson for the interagency team assigned to the fire. High temperatures and erratic winds that can help fan flames were predicted, she said. In Idaho, the Moose Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest has burned on more than 75 square miles (196 square km) in timbered land near the town of Salmon and was 21% contained by Sunday. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday, allowing him more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and to tap federal aid. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The U.S. Forest service shut down a 110-mile (177 kilometer) section of the famed Pacific Coast trail in Northern California and southern Oregon and hikers in that area were urged to abandon their treks and head to the nearest towns. About the photo: Scorched vehicles and residences line the Oaks Mobile Home Park in the Klamath River community as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) New state rules require access to water, shade and breaks on hot days, but workers say theyre still laboring in unsafe conditions. Skyler Fischer is forklift driver at a Fred Meyer distribution center in the town of Clackamas. Hes been working there for 12 years and works at least four days a week, 10 to 12 hours each day. Fischer said he gets two 15-minute breaks each shift. On Tuesday, when temperatures soared to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in the Portland metro area, Fischer said he was drained. He said the warehouse has no air conditioning, no ceiling fans or any type of air circulation in the building. He said the only time he can cool down is during his lunch break when he gets to eat inside an air-conditioned office. Usually, I get home and I do stuff, but I just collapsed on the couch pretty much because Im so exhausted, he told Oregon Public Broadcasting. In May, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division adopted permanent rules to protect workers laboring in excessive heat or wildfire smoke. They are some of the nations strongest protections for employees working outdoors or in workplaces without air conditioning. But this week, with daily highs consistently hitting triple-digits, is putting Oregon OSHAs recently implemented heat rules to the test. Some Oregonians have said theyre still laboring in unsafe conditions despite the new heat rules. The rules went into effect last month and apply when temperatures in a work environment reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They require employers to provide access to shaded areas, cool drinking water, and additional rest breaks to cool down and acclimate to the heat. The rule also requires employers to provide heat illness prevention training. Aaron Corvin, Oregon OSHAs public information officer, said the agency has opened an inspection related to the Fred Meyer facility. A statement from Fred Meyer said the company has installed a mechanical cooling station at its 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Clackamas. On days with high temperatures, the company provides employees with access to water bottles on ice, water fountains, frozen treats and cooling towels. A distribution team also takes daily temperatures throughout the facility and said this week temperatures have not exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the statement said. Last summer, the Pacific Northwest experienced a heat dome event in which nearly 100 people died from heat-related illness in Oregon alone. At least four of those happened on the job and were reported by Oregon OSHA. That included a farmworker who collapsed and died on a farm north of Salem and a construction worker who became ill while inspecting a roof in Hillsboro, went to a hospital and died nine days later. Shortly after the first workplace death was reported, several labor rights groups and environmental organizations called on Gov. Kate Brown to take action and direct Oregon OSHA to issue temporary heat rules to protect workers. The agency has since adopted those rules permanently after more than a year and a half of rulemaking. That process lays out the expectations for employers and their obligations to protect workers against the dangers of extreme heat, Oregon OSHAs Corvin said. He said that since the rules took effect on June 15, there have been at least 137 open inspections that relate to work hazards and heat complaints. Oregon OSHA has thus far issued nine citations for not following heat rules. I would certainly expect that we will have more, Corvin said. Most of the inspections currently underway involve the restaurant industry, warehouse workplaces and construction sites. A citation or violation can lead to a fine. Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, known as PCUN, along with other labor rights groups and environmental groups, has been advocating for rules like these for years. PCUNs climate policy associate Ira Cuello-Martinez said, for the most part, PCUN is hearing from its members that employers are following the new rules. Some even go beyond what is required like providing salty crackers and electrolyte drinks to help with maintaining hydration and encourage extra breaks. But Cuello-Martinez has also heard from farmworkers that some employers arent applying any of the rules. Some workers were unaware of the rule even being in effect and have not received any sort of training from their employers when it comes to excessive heat, he said. Under the new rules, workers should be receiving training in language they understand about the dangers of working in extreme heat conditions, Cuello-Martinez said. He said its unclear whether employers are providing flyers, allowing employees to ask questions or giving them time to digest the new information. Meanwhile, several business organizations criticized the new rules, saying theyre not helpful to employers or employees. Three groups _ Oregon Manufacturers and Commerce, Associated Oregon Loggers Inc. and the Oregon Forest Industries Council _ even sued the state in June to try to prevent the rules from taking effect. Mary Anne Cooper, vice president of government and legal affairs for the Oregon Farm Bureau said the rules are overly prescriptive and theyve caused confusion for farmers, ranchers and farmworkers. New documentation and reporting requirements also provide logistical challenges to some smaller family farms, Cooper added. Its just been a real challenge this year for our employers to meet these pretty burdensome new rules while maintaining a workforce and keeping their employees happy, Cooper said. Last year, the Biden administration pledged to begin developing federal rules to protect workers from heat-related illnesses after extreme heat left dozens of workers injured or dead. Currently, Washington and California have temporary rules for protecting workers and are developing permanent rules. Workers in other states are protected through the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administrations General Duty Clause, which requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to employees. Groshell said he hopes other states pass laws similar to Oregons, so that it forces the federal government to adopt stronger regulations. Or the other way that its going to happen is were going to have more and more people die, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. 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. CryptoLocker. WannaCry. DarkSide. Conti. MedusaLocker. The ransomware threat isnt going away anytime soon; the news brings constant reports of new waves of this pernicious type of malware washing across the world. Its popular in large part because of the immediate financial payoff for attackers: It works by encrypting the files on your hard disk, then demands that you pay a ransom, frequently in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, to decrypt them. But you neednt be a victim. Theres plenty that Windows 10 and 11 users can do to protect themselves against it. In this article, Ill show you how to keep yourself safe, including how to use an anti-ransomware tool built into Windows. (Administrators, see "What IT needs to know about ransomware and Windows" at the end of this article.) This article assumes that youre already taking the basic precautions against malware in general, including running anti-malware software and never downloading attachments or clicking links in email from unknown senders and suspicious-looking email. Also note that this article has been updated for the Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2) and the Windows 11 October 2021 Update (version 21H2). If you have an earlier release of Windows 10, some things may be different. Use controlled folder access Microsoft is concerned enough about ransomware that it built an easy-to-configure anti-ransomware tool directly into Windows 10 and Windows 11. Called controlled folder access, it protects you by letting only safe and fully vetted applications access your files. Unknown applications or known malware threats arent allowed through. By default, the feature is not turned on, so if you want to protect yourself against ransomware, youll have to tell it to get to work. And you can customize exactly how it works by adding new applications to its whitelist of programs that can access files, and adding new folders in addition to the ones that it protects by default. To switch it on, youll need to access Windows Security. There are several ways to get to it in both Windows 10 and Windows 11: Click the up arrow on the left side of the taskbar, then click the Windows Security icon a shield. Click Start > Settings to open the Settings app, then select Update & Security > Windows Security in Windows 10 or Privacy & Security > Windows Security in Windows 11. Use Windows Search. In Windows 10, the search box is in the taskbar next to the Start button. In Windows 11, click the search icon on the taskbar to open the search pane. Type windows security into the search box next and select Windows Security from the results. In Windows Security, select Virus & threat protection. Scroll down to the Ransomware protection section and click Manage ransomware protection. From the screen that appears, under Controlled folder access, toggle the switch to On. Youll get a prompt asking if you want to make the change. Click Yes. IDG Switch the toggle to On to turn on controlled folder access. (Click image to enlarge it.) You shouldnt leave it at that and feel safe yet, because theres a chance that you have folders youd like to protect that the feature ignores. By default, it protects Windows system folders (and folders underneath them) like C:\Users\UserName\Documents, where UserName is your Windows user name. In addition to Documents, Windows system folders include Desktop, Music, Pictures, and Videos. But all your other folders are fair game for any ransomware that makes its way onto your PC. So if you use Microsofts OneDrive cloud storage, for example, any OneDrive folders and files on your PC arent protected. Given that Microsoft is trying to move everyone it can onto OneDrive, this is a surprising omission. To add folders you want protected, click the Protected folders link that appears after you switch on controlled folder access. A prompt appears asking if you want to make the change. Click Yes. Click the Add a protected folder button that is on top of the list of protected folders that appears, then navigate from the screen that appears to the folder you want to protect and click Select Folder. IDG Click Add a protected folder to protect more of your folders with controlled folder access. (Click image to enlarge it.) Continue to add folders in this way. Remember that when you add a folder, all folders underneath it are protected as well. So if you add OneDrive, for example, theres no need to add all of the folders underneath it. (Note: Depending on your version of OneDrive, you may be able to restore OneDrive files, even if you dont control them with controlled folder access. For details, see the Microsoft documentation Restore deleted files or folders in OneDrive.) If you decide at any point to remove a folder, get back to the Protected folders screen, click the folder you want to remove, and then click Remove. Note that you wont be able to remove any of the Windows system folders that are protected when you turn the feature on. You can only remove the ones that youve added. Microsoft determines which applications should be allowed access to protected folders, and unsurprisingly, among them is Microsoft Office. Microsoft hasnt published a list of which applications are allowed, though, so consider taking action to let applications you trust access your files. To do it, go back to the screen where you turned on controlled folder access and click Allow an app through Controlled folder access. A prompt appears asking if you want to make the change. Click Yes. From the screen that appears, click Add an allowed app, navigate to the executable file of the program you want to add, click Open, and then confirm you want to add the file. As with adding folders to the list of protected folders, you can remove the app by getting back to this screen, clicking the application you want to remove, then clicking Remove. Hint: If youre not sure where executable files are located for programs you want to add to the whitelist, look for the folder name with the programs name in the Windows\Program Files or Windows\Program Files (x86) folders, then look for an executable file in that folder. Back up... but do it properly The whole point of ransomware is to hold your files hostage until you pay to unlock them. So one of the best protections from ransomware is to back up your files. That way, theres no need to pay the ransom, because you can easily restore your files from the backup. But when it comes to ransomware, not all backups are created equal. You need to be careful about choosing the right backup technique and service. Its a good idea to use a cloud-based storage and backup service rather than only backing up to a drive attached to your PC. If you back up to a drive attached to your PC, when your PC gets infected with ransomware, the backup drive will likely be encrypted along with any other disks inside or attached to your PC. Make sure that your cloud-based storage and backup uses versioning that is, it keeps not just the current version of each of your files, but previous ones as well. That way, if the most current version of your files gets infected, you can restore from previous versions. Most backup and storage services, including Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Carbonite, Dropbox and many others, use versioning. Its a good idea to get familiar with the versioning feature of whichever service you use now, so you can easily restore files in a pinch. IDG Microsoft Word makes use of OneDrives versioning capabilities in its Version History feature. (Click image to enlarge it.) Get free ransomware protection Just about any anti-malware program includes built-in anti-ransomware protections, but there are several programs that promise to specifically target ransomware. A number of them are paid, but there are also some free options, such as those Im listing here. Bitdefender offers free decryption tools that can unlock your data if youve been attacked by ransomware and its being held ransom. They can only decrypt data thats been encrypted with certain specific pieces or families of ransomware, including REvil/Sodinokibi, DarkSide, MaMoCrypt, WannaRen and several others. And Kaspersky offers anti-ransomware software for free for both home and business users, although there are limitations on the number of devices you can use it on. IDG Kaperskys free anti-ransomware tool. (Click image to enlarge it.) Stay patched Microsoft regularly releases Windows 10 and Windows 11 security patches, and theyre automatically applied via Windows Update. But if you hear about a ransomware outbreak, you shouldnt wait for Windows Update to work you should immediately get the update yourself so that youre protected as soon as possible. And its not just Windows updates you want to get. You also want to make sure Windows Security, Microsofts built-in anti-malware tool, has the latest anti-malware definitions. To do both in Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click the Check for updates button. In Windows 11, go to Settings > Windows Update and click the Check for updates button. (If updates are already waiting for you, youll see them listed instead of the Check for updates button.) If Windows finds updates, it installs them. If it requires a reboot, it will tell you. IDG Checking for Windows 11 updates. (Click image to enlarge it.) You need to worry not just about Windows staying patched, but other software as well. If you use an anti-malware program other than Windows Security, make sure it and its malware definitions are up to date. And the other software on your PC should be kept up to date as well. So check how each piece of software gets updated and make sure to update each one regularly. Disable macros in Microsoft Office Ransomware can be spread via macros in Office files, so to be safe you should turn them off. Microsoft now disables them by default, but that doesnt necessarily mean that theyre turned off in your version of Office, depending on when you installed it and whether youve updated it. To turn them off, when youre in an Office application, select File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings and select either Disable all macros with notification or Disable all macros without notification. If you disable them with notification, when you open the file youll get a message warning that the macros were disabled and letting you turn them on. Only turn them on if youre absolutely sure theyre from a safe, trusted source. IDG Heres how to disable macros in Office. (Click image to enlarge it.) What IT needs to know about ransomware and Windows Theres plenty that IT can do to keep companies free from ransomware. The most obvious: Apply the latest security patches to not just all PCs in an organization, but all servers and any other enterprise-level hardware. Thats just a start, though. IT needs to disable the notoriously insecure SMB1 Windows networking protocol. Multiple ransomware attacks have spread through the 30-year-old protocol; even Microsoft says it should be used by no one, ever. The good news is that Windows 10 version 1709, released in October 2017, finally did away with SMB1. (Its not in Windows 11, either.) But thats only for PCs with clean installs of version 1709 or later, including new PCs that have come out since then. Older PCs that were updated from earlier versions of Windows still have the protocol built in. There are multiple places IT can go to get help to turn it off. A good place to start is the SMB Security Best Practices document from US-CERT, run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It recommends disabling SMB1, and then blocking all versions of SMB at the network boundary by blocking TCP port 445 with related protocols on UDP ports 137-138 and TCP port 139, for all boundary devices. The Microsoft support article How to detect, enable and disable SMBv1, SMBv2, and SMBv3 in Windows offers details about how to turn off the protocol. It recommends killing SMB1 but keeping SMB2 and SMB3 active, and only deactivating them for temporary troubleshooting. For the most up-to-date and detailed information about turning off SMB1, go to the Microsoft TechNet article Disable SMB v1 in Managed Environments with Group Policy. Administrators can use the Controlled Folder Access feature (covered earlier in this article) to stop ransomware from encrypting files and folders of PCs running Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 1709 or later. They can use the Group Policy Management Console, the Windows Security Center, or PowerShell to turn on Controlled Folder Access for users on a network, customize which folders should be protected, and let additional applications access the folders beyond the Microsoft defaults. For instructions, go to the Microsoft article Enable controlled folder access to turn it on, and to Customize controlled folder access to customize which folders should be protected and which applications should be allowed through. One potential issue with Controlled Folder Access is that it might block apps that users typically use from accessing folders. So Microsoft recommends using audit mode first, to see what will happen when Controlled Folder Access is turned on. For information about how to do it, go to Microsoft's Evaluate exploit protection documentation. As noted above, Office macros can spread ransomware. Microsoft is now blocking macros downloaded from the internet by default, but to be safe, IT should use Group Policy to block them. For advice on how to do it, go to the Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet section on Microsofts Macros from the internet will be blocked by default in Office documentation and to its Helping users stay safe: Blocking internet macros by default in Office blog post. Bottom line The good news in all this: Windows 10 and Windows 11 have specific anti-ransomware features built right in. Follow the advice weve outlined here to keep the ransomware threat at bay. This article was originally published in January 2018 and most recently updated in August 2022. New growth drivers to be cultivated 09:28, August 02, 2022 By Ouyang Shijia, Zhou Lanxu, Zhong Nan ( Chinadaily.com.cn China is firmly committed to cultivating new growth drivers to address challenges from both home and abroad, securing a decent growth for this year and fostering high-quality development for the future. Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, highlighted the key role of capital markets in funding innovative industries. As China's economic restructuring is in a crucial period, the nation will give full play to the role of capital markets in promoting direct and indirect financing, supporting funding for emerging industries and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Yi wrote in an edition of the Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, published on Monday. Yi's remarks came after Guo Shougang, deputy director-general of the equipment industry department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized the importance of boosting technological innovation and industrial transformation at the Global Future Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Conference in Beijing last week. To provide a better environment for industrial development, China will upgrade services in auto manufacturing, remove caps on contract manufacturing in an orderly manner, and intensify the regulation of product safety, cybersecurity and data safety, Guo said. Despite the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the international environment, experts believe China has the ability to keep economic operations within a reasonable range in 2022, and they expect to see a steady rebound in the second half of the year through more policy stimulus and infrastructure funding. David Wang, chief China economist at Credit Suisse, said infrastructure investment, including green investment, will be the key driver of recovery in the second half. As for emerging industries and economic upgrading driving potential growth in China, Wang's team expects a modest acceleration in the country's technological progress over the next five years. Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, said the country should pay more attention to deepening reform and opening-up and to unleashing the potential of innovation in the second half to stabilize the economy. While macroeconomic adjustments deal with short-term downward pressures, the ultimate impetus for growth can come from tapping into structural growth drivers, Liu said at a recent news conference. The People's Bank of China, the nation's central bank, said at a work conference on Monday that it has provided strong financial support for stabilizing the overall economy, and medium and long-term loans to manufacturers have increased notably. For the second half of 2022, a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee urged efforts to consolidate the upward trend of economic recovery, keep the economy running within an appropriate range and strive for the best possible outcome. It was decided at the meeting that major economically developed provincial-level regions should play a leading role, and eligible provinces should strive to meet the objectives set for economic and social development this year. Liu Dian, an associate researcher at Fudan University's China Institute, said that as China is gradually shaking off the impacts of the pandemic, regions hit hard by COVID-19 outbreaks, such as Shanghai and Jiangsu province, will gradually recover in the second half. Liu said more efforts should be made to foster new growth drivers, with a key focus on boosting the development of modern services as well as emerging high-tech sectors, such as new infrastructure, digital economy and green development. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) The data-reliance of digital banking means an AI-driven approach to cybersecurity and risk management is integral to success, UnionDigital Bank CISO Dominic Grunden tells CSO. For him and his team, this took on greater significance given the speed at which UnionDigital Bank was created to empower the Philippines digital economy. The bank enables the Filipino people, communities, businesses, problem solvers, and regulators to leverage digital banking, fintech, blockchain, and open-finance technologies. It was established in just five months, a timescale unheard of in the banking industry, Grunden says. From the get-go, Grunden recognized the need to adopt an AI-first security policy to keep pace with both the unprecedented growth of the company and the complexities of the digital banking sphere. Key to achieving this has been a seamless relationship with the firms Chief Data Officer (CDO), Dr. David R. Hardoon. Working together, the two used autonomous technology to instill a truly holistic AI-enhanced security and risk management strategy. How AI-driven cybersecurity enables UnionDigitals banking needs The proliferation of digital financial technology is big in the Philippines, as is a growing demand for and reliance upon cryptocurrencies and other payment methods, Grunden says. This presents digital banking with an unprecedented opportunity, but at the same time it heralds a new age of digital crime. I say that because its one characterized by a complex interconnectivity and undefined geographies. Its not like a traditional bricks and mortar bank; we dont technically have borders. The biggest challenge in the digital banking space is that the threat landscape changes quickly, and criminals are constantly evolving, using more electronics, and getting more sophisticated, Grunden adds. Theyre impersonal, theyre complex, theyre interrelated, and theyre leveraging data and advanced techniques that humans cannot keep up with. Thats what drives UnionDigital Banks AI-first security focus, Grunden says. We need to be able to keep up to be both defensive and offensive at the same time by innovating to protect our customers and their data. AI has given us that mechanism to feel like we are keeping up with the pace of the industry, where we can also understand the behaviors and motivations of individuals, consumers, detect criminal activity quicker, and advance our collective capacity to fight and repel financial crime, because ultimately, thats what it comes down to in the digital banking space. I have a firm belief that digital banking is going to be more than just finance; were going to be the custodians of customers data. There is going to be a need for faster risk decisions such as real time blockage of payments and detection of fraud, and were going to have to detect breaches quicker and respond to breaches faster, while also meeting higher expectations around consumer experience as digital banking becomes more pervasive. AIs potential for data transparency its key security, risk management quality Data transparency is key to achieving this, and AIs capability to deliver vast, accurate data pattern analyses is its chief security benefit for UnionDigital Bank, according to Hardoon. AI is fundamentally about identifying patterns and/or irregularities in patterns, and through that the ability to offer a hyper-personalized service that can recognize abnormalities. To me, the premise of security, governance, compliance, and crime prevention is part and parcel of serving the customer. Thats the goal and embedding anything and everything from a defensive line point of view that necessitates data implants a dynamic understanding of behavior that helps to better manage risk, he says. Grunden concurs, adding that this transparency of data also offers diverse viewpoints around threat patterns that can be understood and used to identify potential new risks based on trends within the digital banking perspective, lowering the cost and time to detect and respond. Hardoon cites an example of when he was asked to use AI-powered data analyses to help predict non-compliance before it occurred. Again, this was all about establishing if there was a pattern and asking if we can learn from it. Sometimes the answer is no, but in this case, we were able to predict the likelihood of non-compliance some two or three months ahead of time. He admits the term likelihood is important here because there is no way to 100% guarantee risk, but if you can say that theres an 85% chance of non-compliance, it allows you to shift from only being able to react once it occurs to taking preventative measures ahead of time. In a way, it lets you create a capability that you want to eventually be proved wrong because it allows you to put every control and measure in place to make something much less likely to happen. Thats a real shift in risk operation using data and leveraging on AI to find something that might happen, so you can put in place preventative measures to make sure it doesnt. This allows UnionDigital Bank to enhance its attack and threat prevention capabilities, moving from merely catching the idiots that fall into simple traps to implementing a more sophisticated way to stop attackers that are using their own autonomous technology to carry out malicious campaigns. Attackers are getting far more sophisticated than we may want to acknowledge, Hardoon says. The systems we put in place go beyond that, and we think in terms of better service for customers and more relevant and heightened defense. Ultimately, I think this needs to be an industry-wide approach. Grunden reflects on plans to go one step further. Were definitely pushing the envelope, and a lot of that comes down to the maturity of the security function, despite the fact that were a new bank. Excitement and alignment integral to AI security success Grunden says he and his team are motivated by an excitement about AIs potential to enhance their cybersecurity strategy, something that plays a key role in their collaboration with Hardoons department. We look at what AI solutions Davids team either currently has in place or what can be built to enhance things, because we might be buying a product thats out of the box but not good enough for us. We want to go above and beyond, so we leverage AI to create enhanced capabilities and push the envelope on the products, services, and platforms that we buy. Grundens team works in close collaboration with Hardoons especially in areas where AI plays in and how it can make things better, he notes. Ive never had that same level of excitement and engagement in previous organizations Ive worked for, Grunden adds. Its also about keeping that excitement for an AI-first policy there so that we can use the technology to make security our own, and my staff fully embrace that. Both Grunden and Hardoon believe that true AI-driven cybersecurity must be holistic, a concept they are passionate about ensuring is in place at UnionDigital Bank. This means operationalizing end-to-end application of AI with regards to cybersecurity and risk management. AI is still evolving with challenges to consider This strategy does not come without challenges or at least important factors that must be considered Grunden and Hardoon agree. One of those is a higher call for talent in relation to AI and cybersecurity, Grunden says. Currently AI technology is still in the early stages, and so the cost of creating a talent pool that is very good with both AI and cybersecurity is high. Theres also the fact that AI can benefit attackers in certain ways if its not well understood, implemented, and used, he adds. Then theres the old cliche that more data creates more problems, and while I dont suffer from this at UnionDigital Bank due to the way our CDO has structured data, its generally an issue in that you are required to entrust data to third parties. That would be more of a challenge if we were based in Europe with the GDPR to consider, for example. Lastly, if theres room for human error in how AI is deployed, you can still be vulnerable to mistakes. From Hardoons perspective, the main point of consideration in applying AI to security and risk management centers around establishing a definition of what good risk is. Of course, there is always risk, but AI makes the questions a lot more acute i.e., how much risk is okay? It can tell you up front your risk levels, which is very different from an operational perspective whereby you, in hindsight, detect that youve missed something, because x, y or z happened downstream. So, if you decide you dont want to accept the level of risk presented to you, it can impact the businesses operationally moving forward, so there does need to be careful consideration about how to best leverage on the output. Ultimately though, the benefits of AI in cybersecurity far outweigh the negatives or the challenges for UnionDigital Bank, Grunden says. AI will be more critical to cybersecurity than many think Looking forward, Grunden thinks the need for an AI-driven approach to cybersecurity is only going to increase for the digital banking sector and beyond. Its going to be more critical than many experts think, he says. In my opinion, AI will be pulled into some type of security standard in the next five to ten years, whether that be an ISO standard or something else. For digital banking specifically, I also believe theres a very solid chance that it may become illegal or a form of regulatory non-compliance if an organization is not using AI in their cybersecurity. I think AI will be a catalyst for determining whether the digital banking industry can keep up with the threat actor community, and I can see a time when well have good AI threat hunting bots working against bad bots changing on the fly depending on the threat landscape. Hardoon concurs. AI simply needs to be a staple component of cybersecurity defense. If not, youre just going to get clobbered maybe not now, but someday. Axis Security, a provider of cybersecurity services focused on zero trust, has announced a set of new features on Atmos ZTNA (zero trust network access), the software-defined network access module within its cloud-native SSE (security service edge) platform, Atmos. Additionally, the company has revealed a suite of tools to help companies migrate from traditional ZTNA to Atmos' ZTNA service. ZTNA 1.0 lacked support for legacy network protocols, few even failing to inspect private traffic, says Gil Azrielant, CTO and co-founder of Axis. Atmos ZTNA supports all ports and protocols to fully replace VPNs. Additionally, the multicloud architecture with the new features added makes Atmos ZTNA the most highly available, and scalable ZTNA solution. The additions to Atmos ZTNA come shortly after the companys formal release of Atmos in April as a cloud-native alternative to data center-based, legacy network architectures and SSE platforms. Other modules on Atmos SSE include a secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), and a custom dashboard monitor into network data. Atmos ZTNA, on launch, offered connectivity through its 350 Atmos edge facilities running on the backbone of global cloud services such as AWS Global Accelerator, Google Cloud Platform, and Oracle. Atmos ZTNA includes automation enhancements Atmos ZTNA has now onboarded several "hyperintelligent" features that provide an edge over legacy ZTNA solutions, adds Azrielant. One of these features includes leveraging telemetry data gathered from identities, devices, and connectors to allow multicloud point of presence (PoP) resolution for the selection of the most optimal connectivity path and autoselecting between AWS, Google, or Oracle PoP for brokering. Also added using this continuous telemetry is an autosession termination capability to terminate live sessions if an identity or user group changes take place. The telemetry now powers the "live" device posture status added on the Atmos dashboard to help IT admins autodetect jailbroken end-user devices, the company said. New features in Atmos ZTNA also include a domain discovery tool that helps auto-discover additional unknown related domains every time a new application is onboarded, to allow adding to the applications existing policies. One of the biggest goals we wanted to accomplish was to make onboarding new apps extremely easy for customers, adds Azrielant. With this tool, the admin simulates access and behavior in the new web application as the system learns the domains, compiling a list of additional domains. The list is then presented to the admin for approval, allowing the admin to select the domains to add to the application's configuration. Additionally, Atmos ZTNA has added a user group pairing capability to define the IP ranges and destinations specific user groups have access to, providing a granular segmentation and control through a master override of any other default policies to achieve "true least-privilege access," according to the company. Rounding out the enhancements are a set of new PoPs Axis has added in San Jose, Phoenix, North Virginia, London, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, and Sydney responding to increased customer demands. Axis also revealed a new "PoP desert" initiative to add customers as design partners to discover geographic areas for deploying new Atmos PoPs. Axis adds migrations tools and a buyback program Axis outlined many problems with ZTNA 1.0 solutions, calling them inadequate to support legacy protocols like voice over internet protocol (VOIP), internet control message protocol (ICMP), and Application System AS/400. Atmos ZTNA, being a cloud service, supports all ports and protocols (including VOIP, ICMP, and AS400), adds Azrielant. It also provides agentless support for secure shell (SSH) protocol, remote desktop protocol (RDP), Git, and databases. This allows for full VPN replacement." To allow enterprise teams to migrate from legacy ZTNA applications to the Atmos ZTNA service, Axis has added a suite of tools it claims to be "industry first." The migration tool takes application segments developed in Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) and converts them to Atmos ZTNA applications. Customers can then use the services policy system to define policies within a few minutes, Axis said. All of the new tools and Atmos ZTNA enhancements are generally available now. Additionally, Axis has launched a ZTNA buyback program, giving ZTNA application customers up to six months of free service when they replace their ZTNA service and agree to a three-year Atmos Core Edition subscription. CHICAGO (AP) Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones arrived at a Texas courthouse for his defamation trial for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack a hoax with the words Save the 1st scrawled on tape covering his mouth. Although Jones portrays the lawsuit against him as an assault on the First Amendment, the parents who sued him say his statements were so malicious and obviously false that they fell well outside the bounds of speech protected by the constitutional clause. The ongoing trial in Austin, which is where Jones far-right Infowars website and its parent company are based, stems from a 2018 lawsuit brought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son was killed in the 2012 attack along with 19 other first-graders and six educators. Jones took the stand Tuesday and Wednesday in his own defense. Briana Sanchez/AP Heres a look at how the case relates to the First Amendment: ARE ALL DEFAMATION LAWSUITS FIRST AMENDMENT CASES? They are. Defamation laws evolved through decades of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on what is and isn't protected speech. Typically, the first question jurors answer at trials is whether the speech qualifies as unprotected defamation. If it does, they address the question of damages. Jones' trial largely skipped the first question and went straight to the second. From the start, it focused not on whether Jones must pay damages, but how much. WHY IS HIS TRIAL DIFFERENT? Jones seemed to sabotage his own chance to fully argue that his speech was protected by not complying with orders to hand over critical evidence, such as emails, which the parents hoped would prove he knew all along that his statements were false. That led exasperated Judge Maya Guerra Gamble to enter a rare default judgment, declaring the parents winners before the trial even began. Judges in other lawsuits against Jones have issued similar rulings. I dont know why they didn't cooperate, said Stephen D. Solomon, a founding editor of New York University's First Amendment Watch. It is just really peculiar. ... Its so odd to not even give yourself the chance to defend yourself." It might suggest Jones knew certain evidence would doom his defense. It is reasonable to presume that (Jones) and his team did not think they had a viable defense ... or they would have complied, said Barry Covert, a Buffalo, New York, First Amendment lawyer. HAVE BOTH SIDES REFERRED TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT? Yes. During opening statements last week, plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Bankston told jurors it doesn't protect defamatory speech. Speech is free," he said, "but lies you have to pay for. Jones' lawyer Andino Reynal said the case is crucial to free speech. And Jones made similar arguments in a deposition. If questioning public events and free speech is banned because it might hurt somebodys feelings, we are not in America anymore," he said. Jones, who had said actors staged the shooting as a pretext to strengthen gun control, later acknowledged it occurred. WHAT ARE KEY ELEMENTS OF DEFAMATION? Defamation must involve someone making a false statement of fact publicly typically via the media and purporting that it's true. An opinion can't be defamatory. The statement also must have done actual damage to someones reputation. The parents suing Jones say his lies about their child's death harmed their reputations and led to death threats from Jones followers. IS IT EASIER FOR NON-PUBLIC FIGURES TO PROVE DEFAMATION? Yes. They must merely show a false statement was made carelessly. In New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, the Supreme Court said the bar for public figures must be higher because scrutiny of them is so vital to democracy. They must prove "actual malice, that a false statement was made with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. ARE THE PARENTS PUBLIC FIGURES? Their lawyers say they clearly aren't in the category of politicians or celebrities who stepped voluntarily into the public arena. The high court, however, has said those who temporarily enter public debates can become temporary public figures. Jones argues that Heslin did just that, entering the national debate over guns by advocating for tougher gun laws on TV and before Congress. WHAT DAMAGES ARE BEING SOUGHT? The plaintiffs are seeking $150 million for emotional distress, as well as reputational and punitive damages. Reynal told jurors that his client has been punished enough, losing millions of dollars being booted off major social media platforms. He asked them to award the plaintiffs $1. CAN FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES INFLUENCE THE TRIAL'S OUTCOME? Indirectly, yes. Jones can't argue that he's not liable for damages on the grounds that his speech was protected. The judge already ruled he is liable. But as a way to limit damages, his lawyers can argue that his speech was protected. Jurors could say (Jones' defamatory statements) is actually something we don't want to punish very hard, said Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment specialist at the Maryland-based Freedom Forum. COULD JONES HAVE WON IF THE TRIAL WAS ALL ABOUT FREE SPEECH? He could have contended that his statements were hyperbolic opinion that wild, non-factual exaggeration is his schtick. But it would have been tough to persuade jurors that he was merely riffing and opining. It was a verifiable fact the massacre occurred at Sandy Hook, said Solomon. That's not opinion. It is a fact. Even if the parents were deemed public figures, imposing the higher standard, I think Alex Jones would still lose, he said. But Covert said defamation is always a challenge to prove. I wouldnt discount the possibility Jones could have prevailed, he said. Trying to speculate what a jury would find is always a fool's errand. MIGHT THE SUPREME COURT BE SYMPATHETIC TO ANY JONES APPEAL? Conservatives and liberal justices have found that some deeply offensive speech is protected. In 2011, the high court voted 8-to-1 to overturn a verdict against the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church for picketing military funerals with signs declaring that God hates the U.S. for tolerating homosexuality. "As a Nation we have chosen ... to protect even hurtful speech ... to ensure that we do not stifle public debate, the ruling said. But it and the Jones case have key differences. "They were both extreme, outrageous, shocking, deplorable. But the Westboro Baptist Church was also manifestly political and not defamatory ... not about any one person's reputation" Goldberg said. He added: I'd be shocked if (Jones') case ever ended up in the Supreme Court. ___ For more of the APs coverage of school shootings: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas voters on Tuesday sent a resounding message about their desire to protect abortion rights, rejecting a ballot measure in a conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright. It was the first test of voter sentiment after the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in June that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, providing an unexpected result with potential implications for the coming midterm elections. While it was just one state, the heavy turnout for an August primary that typically favors Republicans was a major victory for abortion rights advocates. With most of the vote counted, they were prevailing by roughly 20 percentage points, with the turnout approaching what's typical for a fall election for governor. The vote also provided a dash of hope for Democrats nationwide grasping for a game-changer during an election year otherwise filled with dark omens for their prospects in November. This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions, President Joe Biden said in a statement. After calling on Congress to restore the protections of Roe in federal law, Biden added, "And, the American people must continue to use their voices to protect the right to womens health care, including abortion. The Kansas vote also provided a warning to Republicans who had celebrated the Supreme Court ruling and were moving swiftly with abortion bans or near-bans in nearly half the states. Kansans bluntly rejected anti-abortion politicians attempts at creating a reproductive police state, said Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. Todays vote was a powerful rebuke and a promise of the mounting resistance. The proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution would have added language stating that it does not grant the right to abortion. A 2019 state Supreme Court decision declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the states Bill of Rights, preventing a ban and potentially thwarting legislative efforts to enact new restrictions. The referendum was closely watched as a barometer of liberal and moderate voters anger over the Supreme Court's ruling scrapping the nationwide right to abortion. In Kansas, abortion opponents wouldn't say what legislation they'd pursue if the amendment were passed and bristled when opponents predicted it would lead to a ban. Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the vote as a huge disappointment for the movement and called on anti-abortion candidates to go on the offensive. She added that after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, We must work exponentially harder to achieve and maintain protections for unborn children and their mothers. The measures failure also was significant because of Kansas' connections to anti-abortion activists. Anti-abortion Summer of Mercy protests in 1991 inspired abortion opponents to take over the Kansas Republican Party and make the Legislature more conservative. They were there because Dr. George Tiller's clinic was among the few in the U.S. known to do abortions late in pregnancy, and he was murdered in 2009 by an anti-abortion extremist. Anti-abortion lawmakers wanted to have the vote coincide with the state's August primary, arguing they wanted to make sure it got the focus, though others saw it as an obvious attempt to boost their chances of winning. Twice as many Republicans as Democrats have voted in the state's August primaries in the decade leading up to Tuesday's election. This outcome is a temporary setback, and our dedicated fight to value women and babies is far from over," the coalition leading the vote yes campaign said. The electorate in Tuesdays vote wasnt typical for a Kansas primary, particularly because tens of thousands of unaffiliated voters cast ballots. Kristy Winter, 52, a Kansas City-area teacher and unaffiliated voter, voted against the measure and brought her 16-year-old daughter with her to her polling place. I want her to have the same right to do what she feels is necessary, mostly in the case of rape or incest, she said. I want her to have the same rights my mother has had most of her life. Opponents of the measure predicted that the anti-abortion groups and lawmakers behind the measure would push quickly for an abortion ban if voters approved it. Before the vote, the measures supporters refused to say whether they would pursue a ban as they appealed to voters who supported both some restrictions and some access to abortion. Stephanie Kostreva, a 40-year-old school nurse from the Kansas City area and a Democrat, said she voted in favor of the measure because she is a Christian and believes life begins at conception. Im not full scale that there should never be an abortion, she said. I know there are medical emergencies, and when the mothers life is in danger there is no reason for two people to die. An anonymous group sent a misleading text Monday to Kansas voters telling them to vote yes to protect choice, but it was suspended late Monday from the Twilio messaging platform it was using, a spokesperson said. Twilio did not identify the sender. The 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights blocked a law that banned the most common second-trimester procedure, and another law imposing special health regulations on abortion providers also is on hold. Abortion opponents argued that all of the states existing restrictions were in danger, though some legal scholars found that argument dubious. Kansas doesnt ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The Kansas vote is the start of what could be a long-running series of legal battles playing out where lawmakers are more conservative on abortion than governors or state courts. Kentucky will vote in November on whether to add language similar to Kansas proposed amendment to its state constitution. Meanwhile, Vermont will decide in November whether to add an abortion rights provision to its constitution. A similar question is likely headed to the November ballot in Michigan. In Kansas, both sides together spent more than $14 million on their campaigns. Abortion providers and abortion rights groups were key donors to the no side, while Catholic dioceses heavily funded the yes campaign. The state has had strong anti-abortion majorities in its Legislature for 30 years, but voters have regularly elected Democratic governors, including Laura Kelly in 2018. She opposed the proposed amendment, saying changing the state constitution would throw the state back into the Dark Ages. State Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican hoping to unseat Kelly, supported the proposed constitutional amendment. He told the Catholic television network EWTN before the election that theres still room for progress in decreasing abortions, without spelling out what he would sign as governor. Although abortion opponents pushed almost annually for new restrictions until the 2019 state Supreme Court ruling, they felt constrained by past court rulings and Democratic governors like Kelly. ___ This story has been updated to correct the attribution for the quote that begins, This outcome is a temporary setback." It came from a statement issued by the coalition that led the vote yes campaign, not Emily Massey. ___ Stafford reported from Overland Park and Olathe. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna. For more AP coverage of the abortion issue, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOLLAND A local man was charged with vandalizing a Pride flag sign Saturday, according to state police. The Tolland Democrats sign on a private property on Merrow Road is adorned with the rainbow flag. But, on July 17, 49-year-old Dean Andrew Colombaro allegedly spray-painted red all over the sign, state police said. The resident state troopers office received a complaint about the incident at about 8:10 p.m. on July 17. Police took Colombaro into custody at his place of business on Saturday morning. He was charged with second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace. He was later released on $1,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court in Rockville on Aug. 9. One resident said she was heading to Vernon when she saw the man deface the sign with spray paint. When she asked him what he was doing, he said he didnt want THAT stuck in his face as he gestured to the sign, she wrote. When he finished spray painting the sign, he flashed his middle finger to the resident, got on his motorcycle and took off, she said. The Tolland Democratic Town Committee said it was extremely disappointed that someone defaced the sign. The Pride flag is there in our beautiful town as an intentional reminder of inclusion, the committee said in a Facebook post. It is of prime import to Tolland Democrats that every person feels safe and accepted in Tolland. We condemn this individuals actions, which appear to be motivated by hatred and intolerance. The Tolland Town Council also condemned the vandalism. We value the lives of our LGBTQ+ neighbors and their contributions to our community, the town council said in a statement. The Tolland Town Council condemns the vandalism that occurred on Sunday, July 17th and the hatred behind this targeted daytime attack of a pride flag painted on privately owned property. Despite the vandalism, the Tolland Democratic Town Committee turned a negative into a positive. Now the sign has Love conquers all in large, bold, white letters on top of the red spray paint and more than a dozen Pride flags border the sign. We continue to steadfastly champion love in all forms, and we recognize the rights of every person to pursue their own path of happiness, the Tolland Democrats said. The Tolland Town Council thanked the volunteers who repaired the sign. We will continue to celebrate the impact our LGBTQ+ neighbors have throughout Tolland and seek opportunities to promote the importance diversity and inclusion have in building a stronger community, the town council said. The Tolland Town Council appreciates the diligent efforts of the Town Managers Office, our Resident State Troopers and neighbors who helped identify and led to the apprehension of the suspect on July 30th. We look forward to their vandalism being prosecuted and justice being served so our community can heal. MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor endorsed by Donald Trump would not commit Monday to supporting Trump should he run for president again in 2024, but also didn't rule out trying to decertify his 2020 loss in the battleground state. Trump-backed candidate Tim Michels, at a town hall event a week before the Aug. 9 primary, also said he did not think Trump did anything wrong on Jan. 6, 2021. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence, said she would support whoever wins the Republican primary for president in 2024. A third candidate who has made decertification the keystone of his candidacy, state Rep. Tim Ramthun, also did not commit to endorsing Trump in 2024 should he run for president. The winner of next week's primary will advance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November. Whoever wins will be governor during the 2024 presidential race and in position to sign, or veto, election law changes passed by Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Legislature. Trump has hung heavy over the Republican primary race for governor. He endorsed Michels, who co-owns an energy and infrastructure construction company, passing over Kleefisch who served eight years as lieutenant governor under Scott Walker. She scored an endorsement from Pence last week. Trump has scheduled a rally in a conservative Milwaukee suburb on Friday night. Michels said he won Trump's endorsement because he is a businessman and political outsider. But he refused to say he would support Trump in 2024. 2024? Im focused on this election right now," Michels said. "I have made no commitment to any candidates in 2024. What I am focused on is beating Tony Evers. Kleefisch said, I will support the Republican nominee and it looks like we have an assortment to choose from. Ramthun, who polls show is far behind Michels and Kleefisch, said 2024 was going to be a whole new game and he will support whoever wins the primary. Ramthun has pushed for decertification of the 2020 election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden in Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes. The outcome has withstood two partial recounts, multiple lawsuits, a nonpartisan audit and a review by a conservative law firm. A review by a former conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice also did not turn up evidence to overturn Biden's win. Michels did not rule out signing a bill to decertify Trump's loss, even though legal experts, including conservative attorneys, have said it is unconstitutional and impossible to do. Michels said if elected governor he would look at all the evidence of what happened in the 2020 election and everything will be on the table." Kleefisch, in her strongest comments to date on the issue, ruled out decertification. It's not constitutionally possible, she said. There is no path to decertifying an election that has already happened. All three of the candidates said they would accept the results of next week's primary election. As for the Jan. 6 insurrection, Michels and Kleefisch blamed those who stormed the Capitol but not Trump for what happened after his Stop the Steal rally. Donald Trump, he had a rally," Michels said. I haven't see any evidence that Donald Trump said Go to the Capitol now and storm it.' I dont think he would have done it. ... I don't think he did anything wrong. Kleefisch said, Ultimately those people who stormed the Capitol are responsible for what they did." More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 340 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. More than 220 have been sentenced, with nearly half of them receiving terms of imprisonment. Approximately 150 others have trial dates stretching into 2023. A special U.S. House committee continues to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump's role in it. The town hall, hosted by WISN-TV in Milwaukee, was the last scheduled joint appearance by the Republican candidates before the election. LONDON (AP) Britains Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to prevent a hospital withdrawing life support from a 12-year-old boy with catastrophic brain damage, rejecting a bid by his parents to extend his treatment. The parents of Archie Battersbee had aske Supreme Court justices to block a lower courts ruling that the Royal London Hospital can turn off the boys ventilator and stop other interventions that are keeping him alive. Archies treatment had been due to end at noon Tuesday, but the hospital said it would await the decision of the Supreme Court. Justices at the U.K.'s top court said Archie had no prospect of any meaningful recovery, and even with continued treatment would die in the next few weeks from organ and heart failure. The judges agreed with a lower court that continuing treatment serves only to protract his death. Archie's mother, Hollie Dance, said the family would fight until the end," but it was unclear what legal options they have left. Archie was found unconscious at home with a ligature over his head on April 7. His parents believe he may have been taking part in an online challenge that went wrong. Doctors believe Archie is brain-stem dead and say continued life-support treatment is not in his best interests. Several British courts have agreed. The family appealed to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and wanted the withdrawal of treatment put on hold while the committee examines the case. We do not understand what the rush is and why all of our wishes are being denied, Dance said. The case is the latest in the U.K. that has pitted the judgment of doctors against the wishes of families. In several cases, including this one, the families have been backed by a religious pressure group, Christian Concern. Under British law, it is common for courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree on the treatment of a child. In such cases, the rights of the child take primacy over the parents right to decide whats best for their offspring. On Monday, the Court of Appeal said that "every day that (Archie) continues to be given life-sustaining treatment is contrary to his best interests and, so, a stay, even for a short time, is against his best interests. A panel of three Supreme Court judges said it could only overturn that ruling if it is satisfied that the Court of Appeal has made an error of law or principle." It said it is not persuaded that there is an arguable case that the Court of Appeal has so erred. The panel reaches this conclusion with a heavy heart and wishes to extend its deep sympathy to Archies parents at this very sad time, the court said. AUSTIN, Texas Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis have gone into isolation with an around-the-clock security detail following an unspecified number of encounters that left the parents terrified while in Texas for their defamation case against Alex Jones, their attorney said Monday. Mark Bankston, the familys attorney, confirmed the situation in a handwritten statement to Hearst Connecticut Media on Monday afternoon, as Jones' jury trial to determine damages for spreading conspiracies about Sandy Hook continued into its second week. Unfortunately, due to some encounters this week outside of the courthouse, Neil and Scarlett have gone into isolation under the protection of security professionals, Bankston said. Citing ongoing security concerns, Bankston declined to provide additional details about the encounters, other than to say that there have been multiple incidents around the city of Austin involving both Heslin and Lewis, who he said have remained together since they arrived in the Texas capital. Jones attorney, F. Andino Reynal, declined to comment on the situation Monday when told of Bankstons statement. Heslin and Lewis are the parents of Jesse Lewis, a first grader who was among the 20 children and six adults killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They sued Jones four years ago after facing repeated threats from Jones followers, egged on by his claims that the shooting did not happen and that Jesse Lewis did not actually die. Jones has since said that he believes the shooting happened and that children did die On Monday, a pair of therapists testified that both parents have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety as a result of threats and the resurgent publicity around Jesses death caused by conspiracy theories. A forensic therapist hired by the parents legal team, Dr. Roy Lubit, testified that Heslin had become withdrawn from friends after repeated run-ins with believers in Jones conspiracies, and after someone fired shots at Heslins home and vehicle. Scarlett Lewis now sleeps next to a gun and knife, he said. In his statement Monday, Bankston said that those fears have continued during the parents stay in Austin for the trial. The simple and depressing truth is that they are in fear of their lives, Bankston said. The encounters occurred in Austin, but not directly outside the courthouse, he said. For protection, Bankston said the parents have hired a large and well-trained team of security guards that are constantly by their side whenever they are not in the courtroom. Bankston declined to say whether the parents or their guards have filed a police report, though he later added if it becomes necessary to call law enforcement, they will be called. CT Insider reached out to the Austin Police Department and the Travis County Sheriffs Office on Monday to confirm if any complaints have been made pertaining to the concerns. As yet, police haven't provided comment. The parents have been a steady presence in the fifth-floor courtroom in downtown Austin since opening statements began last week. Monday was the first day of the trial during which both parents were absent from most of the testimony, due to the advice of their therapists who said it could impact their ongoing treatment. Both Heslin and Lewis were seen in the courtroom Monday morning. Despite their fears, both are still expecting to testify on Tuesday, Bankston said. Neil and Scarlett are committed to finishing this trial because this moment is bigger than just them, Bankston wrote in the statement. Bankston also offered praise for the bailiffs and courtroom deputies that provide security in and around the courthouse for the Travis County Sheriffs Office, saying they had performed superlative work during the trial. Jones has his own security detail in constant tow whenever he shows up at the courthouse, which he has done sporadically since the trial began last week. A California winery owner who has financed an eclectic mix of Republican causes is paying for polling to coax the GOP to reappraise its chances of winning U.S. Senate races in Connecticut and four other states not currently targeted. On John Jordans dime, the national Republican pollster John McLaughlin surveyed Connecticut voters last week for fresh evidence of disenchantment with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat seeking a third term. The survey returned mixed results: Blumenthal remains the favorite, with vulnerabilities. McLaughlins poll for Jordan found Blumenthal with an 11-point lead over his closest Republican challenger, Themis Klarides, similar to the results of an Emerson College poll conducted for WTNH in May. But respondents were unfavorable when asked if Blumenthal deserves to be reelected. Jordan is working with McLaughlin and Dick Morris, the controversial operative-turned-pundit who lives in the exurban Fairfield County town of Redding. Morris provided a copy of the Connecticut poll, which was conducted over two days last week, and identified Jordan as its patron. He just decided that the Republican Party needs to expand the map and not just focus on the four or so Senate races its focusing on, Morris said. He commissioned a bunch of polls for Colorado, New York, Connecticut, Washington and Oregon to see if those races are doable. Jordan, McLaughlin and the target of their polling the National Republican Senatorial Committee could not be reached for comment. Jordan spent $1.4 million on independent expenditures in a special election for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 2013, but Morris said polling is not a prelude to Jordan attacking Blumenthal or supporting the winner of next weeks Republican primary. Morris said Jordan has no favorite in the primary though his pollster presumably does. McLaughlin also conducts polling for Leora Levy, one of the candidates in the three-way Republican primary for Senate. Levy trailed Blumenthal by 12 points in the McLaughlin poll, compared to 16 in the Emerson survey. McLaughlin ignored the third candidate, Peter Lumaj, whom Levy has accused of helping Klarides, a social moderate, by splitting the conservative vote. A video shows Levy heckling Lumaj as he spoke last week to Connecticut Residents Against Medical Mandates, a group opposed vaccination mandates. Levy shouted an accusation made at a debate last week: He was colluding with Klarides. McLaughlin also is a consultant to Republican Bob Stefanowskis gubernatorial campaign, as he was in Stefanowskis first run in 2018. Unclear is whether the new poll will nudge the National Republican Senatorial Committee to take a fresh look at Connecticut. The NRSC has committed no money to Connecticut, but the committees chair, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, recently has mentioned the state as a potential target. According to an NRSC plan obtained by Politico in May, the committee had budgeted $9.5 million for Georgia, $9 million for Wisconsin, $9 million for New Hampshire, $8 million for Arizona, $8 million for Pennsylvania, $6.5 million for North Carolina and $3 million for Nevada. Ben Proto, the Republican state chair of Connecticut, and others in the state said they expected the NRSC to take another look at the state after the primary, with or without Jordans polling. The assessment most likely will be based on polling and whether the Republican nominee is attracting donors. My understanding is were on that next tier down with Washington and Colorado and the like, said Brian Werstler, a spokesman for the Klarides campaign. And if we can put together the money and prove ourselves competitive, I think theyre going to be there in some form or fashion. The McLaughlin poll had Blumenthal with leads of 45% to 34% over Klarides and 45% to 33% over Levy. The poll of 500 likely voters had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points In a separate question, voters were asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the candidates and a one-time candidate not on the ballot, Nicholas Connors. Blumenthal was eight points above water in his favorable rating: 49% favorable to 41% unfavorable. Klarides was three points above water: 21% to 18%. Levy was underwater, with 10% favorable and 16% unfavorable. McLaughlin asked another question: Do you think Richard Blumenthal deserves to be reelected as U.S. senator or do you think its time to choose someone new? Forty-seven percent replied it was time for someone new, 41% favored his reelection and the rest offered no opinion. Those responses, and Blumenthal falling short of 50% in the matchups and overall approval question, add up to vulnerability, according to Morris. The duo of McLaughlin and Morris have had some bad stretches in the business of measuring voter opinions. A New York Magazine headline two years ago described McLaughlin as Famously Wrong Pollster. Morriss miscues include his prediction that Mitt Romney would unseat Barack Obama in a landslide in 2012. Whatever the reliability of the new poll, Republicans say they are working to ensure that Connecticuts candidates get national financial support after the primary. I think they already have Connecticut on their radar, said Proto. He noted that while the NRSC has yet to commit funds, the Republican National Committee has opened an office in New Britain and the House Republican caucus has reserved significant time on television to promote the candidacy of George Logan, the Republican challenger in the 5th Congressional District. Proto said he will press Connecticuts case this week at a meeting of the Republican National Committee in Chicago, though no final commitments are likely until the fall after another round of fundraising by the candidates and polls. Part of my job is to go make that argument in the fall when we see the numbers, he said. Blumenthals campaign had no comment on Jordans poll or his push to make Connecticut a targeted race. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Tim Lindberg, University of Minnesota (THE CONVERSATION) While public opinion and different state laws on abortion rights are sharply dividing the country, theres growing indication that most people agree on another once-controversial topic protecting same-sex marriage. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on July 19, 2022, to enshrine same-sex marriage into law with a bipartisan vote all 220 Democratic representatives voted in favor, joined by 47 Republican colleagues. The Respect for Marriage Act, as it is called, would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. The bill faces an uncertain fate in the closely divided Senate so far, five Republicans out of 50 have said they would vote for it. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the Senate will vote on the bill once it has 10 Republican votes. I am a scholar of political behavior and history in the U.S. I believe that its important to understand that the bipartisan support for this bill marks a significant political transformation on same-sex marriage, which was used as a contentious point separating Democrats and Republicans roughly 15 to 20 years ago. But over the past several years, same-sex marriage has become less politically divisive and gained more public approval, driven in part by former President Donald Trumps general acceptance of the practice. This environment made it politically safe for nearly a quarter of Republican House members to vote to protect this right under federal law. What makes opinions change? Seventy-one percent of Americans say they support legal same-sex marriage, according to a July 2022 Gallup poll. In 1996, when Gallup first polled about same-sex marriage, 27% supported legalization of same-sex marriage. This shift in public opinion has happened despite increasing polarization in the U.S. about gun control, racial justice and climate change. What becomes, remains or ceases to be a divisive political issue in the U.S. over time depends on many factors. Changes to laws, shifting cultural norms and technological progress can all shape political controversies. My research, for example, explores how Mormons in Utah territory what would later become Utah state were denied statehood by Congress until they gave up their religious belief in polygamy. Polygamy was outlawed under U.S. law, and known polygamists were excluded from voting and holding office. In the 1880s, an estimated 20% to 30% of Mormons practiced polygamy. Yet, political pressure led the Mormon Church president in 1890 to announce that polygamy would no longer be sanctioned. In 2011, 86% of Mormon adults reported that they consider polygamy morally wrong, nearly in line with general public opinion. Many political leaders, both on the left and right, were also largely hostile to same-sex marriage until the early 2010s. A rising controversy In 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state must have a compelling reason to ban same-sex marriage, after a gay male couple and two lesbian couples filed a suit that a state ban on same-sex marriage violated their privacy and equal protection rights. Concern among conservatives that this legal reasoning would lead the Supreme Court to acknowledge a right to same-sex marriage led to a Republican Senator and Congressman introducing the Defense of Marriage Act. President Bill Clinton signed the bill in 1996 after 342 or 78% of House members and 85 senators voted for it. Polling at the time showed support among the general population for same-sex marriage was 27% overall, including just 33% among Democrats. Seven years later, in 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Court struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage. With a strong majority nationally of Republicans and independents opposed to same-sex marriage, former President George W. Bush used conservative reactions to that decision to encourage voter turnout in 2004. Bushs campaign highlighted state amendments to ban same-sex marriage, all of which easily passed. Although voters prioritized other issues in the 2004 elections, the opposition to same-sex marriage helped Bush win reelection, while Republicans picked up seats in both the House and Senate. A political change The legal and political landscape on same-sex marriage became much more liberal in the years following 2004. In 2008, state courts in California and Connecticut struck down bans on same-sex marriage. Vermont became the first state in 2009 to pass legislation and legalize same-sex marriage. A major national shift occurred in 2012 when then-Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama openly supported same-sex marriage. This was a major change for both men. Biden had voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Actin 1996. Obama publicly supported marriage as being between a man and a woman in his 2004 senatorial campaign. In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down all national and state restrictions on same-sex marriage, making same-sex marriage the law of the land. The Trump effect The lack of attention Trump paid to same-sex marriage is one factor that contributed to it becoming a less divisive issue. While Trumps actual record on LBGTQ rights generally aligns with conservative Christian values, Trump had said in 2016 that he was fine with legalizing same-sex marriage. Still, despite the legality of same-sex marriage, many conservative Midwestern and Southern states deny other legal protections to LBGTQ persons. Twenty-nine states still allow licensed professionals to conduct youth gay-conversion therapy, a discredited process to convert LGBTQ people into no longer being queer. More than 20 states allow discrimination in both housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation. Respect for marriage Some Republican leaders have grown bolder in their opposition to same-sex marriage since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision. Other Republicans have said that codifying federal law same-sex marriage is not necessary since they dont believe the Supreme Court is likely to overturn federal protections for same-sex marriage. Democrats first moved to protect same-sex marriage in federal law because Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that the court should reconsider, all of this Courts substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell, the latter being the case that legalized same-sex marriage. But despite public opinion polls showing that most people favor legalizing same-sex marriage including nearly half of Republicans the issue could still be a liability for Republican politicians. They have to answer to their core conservative constituents who largely oppose the practice. This could mean that Senate Republicans may have to consider splitting from their own base, or stepping away from moderate voters. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/congress-is-considering-making-same-sex-marriage-federal-law-a-political-scientist-explains-how-this-issue-became-less-polarized-over-time-187509. WATERBURY Jury selection in the Connecticut defamation damages case against Alex Jones began Tuesday and then stopped abruptly after Jones lawyers filed paperwork to put the case before a federal judge. Chris Mattei, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the case, said the maneuver was a last-ditch effort and that Jones was only delaying the inevitable. As long as it takes, our families will wait and persist in their effort to get justice for themselves and their families and the memories of their loved ones, Mattei said. Jones, the conspiracy theorist and Infowars host, faces three separate defamation damages trials two in Texas and one in Connecticut in connection with his repeated claims that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax. In the Connecticut case, eight families of the victims and an FBI agent are suing Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems. They already won their case by default, so this trial will determine how much Jones owes them in damages. Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection last week and argued in a court filing in the Connecticut case that all proceedings should be stayed. The judge handling the case, Barbara Bellis, noted prior to the beginning of jury selection Tuesday that only the company and not Jones himself had filed for bankruptcy, ordering the case to go forward. But she halted proceedings after Jones lawyers filed paperwork to have the case removed to federal bankruptcy court in Connecticut. Bellis put lawyers involved on 24 hours notice to resume jury selection should the case come back to state court. Jones Connecticut lawyer, Norm Pattis, said he doesnt know when the case will be heard in federal court. Our position is the (bankruptcy) stay freezes the entire case, he said. Mattei said he would be filing a motion to take the case back to state court. Well be moving to remand this case back to Judge Bellis just as soon as we can get a motion to remand on file, he said. To remove the case as a last-ditch effort to stop jury selection in the middle of picking jurors for a trial next month is just another way Mr. Jones has tried to delay his accountability in Connecticut. Erica Lafferty, the daughter of Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Dawn Hochsprung, who was killed in the shooting, was the only plaintiff to attend Tuesdays proceedings. She declined to comment to reporters afterward. Mattei said Lafferty and the other plaintiffs are determined to see the case through. A Naugatuck man who was the first person interviewed by lawyers in the case was admitted to the jury after about 40 minutes of questioning, though its unclear whether he will serve given the status of the case. A total of six jurors and four alternates were due to be chosen, with jury selection scheduled for the next several weeks and the trial due to begin Sept. 6. We loved the panel (of prospective jurors) today and we liked the first juror a lot, Pattis said. As for today were off and were ready to return when ordered to do so. Earlier Tuesday, the judge ordered jury selection to go forward after dismissing a last-minute lawsuit filed by a lawyer on his behalf. Another lawyer representing Jones filed a cross-claim on his behalf in the case last week against Free Speech Systems alleging the company agreed to indemnify Jones from any damages or costs against him. The complaint asked the judge to order the company to honor the agreement. Bellis dismissed the lawsuit after ruling it could not be conveniently heard given the fact that jury selection was about to begin, but said that Jones could file a separate lawsuit against Free Speech Systems. That is the most efficient way to proceed, but it will not be part of this present case, she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Doctors fear they could face criminal charges when they provide emergency treatment for pregnant women if a proposal aimed at banning nearly all abortions in Indiana becomes law, several physicians told state lawmakers Tuesday. That testimony came after an Indiana House committee changed the abortion ban proposal narrowly approved over the weekend by the Republican-dominated state Senate. The committee broadened the language to include an exception allowing abortions to protect the health of the mother and adjusted the time frame when abortions would be permitted in cases of rape and incest. Republican Rep. Wendy McNamara of Evansville, who is sponsoring the bill, outlined the exceptions to protect the physical health and life of the mother, a frequent request among doctors and others testifying before a Senate committee last week. The amendment also would allow abortions if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. It additionally removes the Senate-approved time frames based on age for abortions in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks for those under 16 and eight weeks for those 16 and older. The House version, instead, would create a blanket ban after 10 weeks post-fertilization on abortions in cases of rape and incest. Victims would also no longer be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack. Several dozen people on both sides of the abortion debate filled a Statehouse corridor outside the committee's meeting that lasted about nine hours, during which chants such as safe and legal from abortion-rights supporters could be heard inside as more than 100 people testified. The House committee voted 8-5 to advance the bill to the full House for action later this week. Republicans who control the House indicated a divide similar to the Senate, as one committee member who voted in favor said he was reluctant to support rape and incest exceptions. GOP Rep. Cindy Ziemke of Batesville joined Democrats in voting against the bill, saying she believe most residents didn't support an abortion ban and that allowing first trimester abortions would be a more measured approach. Dr. Daniel Elliott, representing the Indiana chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told the committee that the group worried that a broad abortion ban could allow prosecutors to second-guess the emergency decisions of doctors, leaving them exposed to criminal charges. The House proposal would require the state medical board to revoke the licenses of doctors found to have performed illegal abortions, along with retaining current provisions in state law under which doctors could face felony criminal charges and up to six years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. In emergency situations, physicians often work with a lack of complete information and must make quick decisions in the best interests of our patients, Elliott said. Overall, we feel like licensure and going to the medical licensing board is where the gray areas within medicine should lie. The Indiana proposal followed a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring Ohio to end a pregnancy. The case gained wide attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to travel to Indiana because a new Ohio law bans abortions if cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Anti-abortion activists said they were offended that women from Ohio and Kentucky were coming to Indiana for abortions after strict laws took effect in those states following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. They said Indiana shouldnt allow any exceptions, arguing all abortions are murder and evil and that the state law declaring life begins at fertilization should be strictly enforced. Jodi Smith, a lobbyist for the anti-abortion group Indiana Right to Life, said the organization remained opposed to the proposal because it is too lax. Smith said a signed affidavit should still be required for rape or incest exceptions and criticized the proposals language allowing abortions to protect the mothers health as very vague and poorly defined. The concern is that will either open carte blanche of opportunity for abortion-minded doctors, or it could ensure that good doctors that need more clarity dont know what the allowable procedures are, and they will hesitate, Smith said. Either option, it ends poorly for women. House Republicans are facing similar disagreements over how strict the abortion ban should be after the bill cleared the Senate on Saturday in a 26-20 vote, the minimum number of votes needed to pass. A few Republican senators said they opposed the bill as written but wanted the bill to stay alive for consideration during the special legislative session, which must adjourn by Aug. 14. ___ Arleigh Rodgers 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. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers ___ Find APs full coverage of the overturning of Roe v. Wade at: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion Meg McLaughlin/AP DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Four eastern Iowa media organizations are joining a nonprofit media rights group in filing a lawsuit against the Bettendorf school board and other officials after they blocked journalists from covering a meeting about school violence that was attended by hundreds of people. The lawsuit filed Monday by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, the Quad-City Times and television stations KWQC, WQAD and WHBF asks a state court judge to find the school district in violation of Iowas open meetings law and to issue an injunction prohibiting the school board from violating the statute in the future. The lawsuit also asks the court to fine members of the board who took part in the meeting held May 25 that was attended by as many as 300 people, the majority of the school board and Superintendent Michelle Morse. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi flew in aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwan's foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel. Her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The speaker framed the trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Her visit comes after she led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and it serves as a capstone to her many years of promoting democracy abroad. "We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the Taiwan independence forces seeking independence. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility." Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement that referred to the U.S. as "the world's biggest saboteur of peace." Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative were utterly absurd. I believe she has every right to go, McConnell said in a Senate speech. Senators are considering legislation to bolster Taiwans defense as direct response to Chinas rhetoric. The Taiwan Policy Act, which has support from both parties, will be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The package would bolster Taiwans defense capabilities with nearly $4.5 billion in security assistance over the next four years and provide other support for Taiwans democratic government and civil society. The measure would also designate Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally, which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. Backers call it the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Pelosi's trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei. Journalists and onlookers thronged the streets just outside and pressed against the hotel's lobby windows as they awaited Pelosi's motorcade. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. China has stepped up overflights and other provocative moves toward Taiwan and neighboring territory in recent years, asserting broad claims of its rights around the region. Chinas military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House insisted that China had no valid cause for anger. The United States will not seek, and does not want, a crisis, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a White House briefing Tuesday. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling. U.S. officials have said the American military will increase its movements in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosi's visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their home port in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosis aircraft, an Air Force version of the Boeing 737, took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. The speaker has long challenged China on human rights, including traveling to Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after China crushed a wave of democracy protests. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour Monday in Singapore. She is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. ___ Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) Two more bodies were found within the burn zone of a huge Northern California wildfire, raising the death toll to four in the states largest blaze of the year, authorities said Tuesday. Search teams discovered the additional bodies Monday at separate residences along State Route 96, one of the only roads in and out of the remote region near the state line with Oregon, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. This brings the confirmed fatality number to four, the sheriffs statement said. At this time there are no unaccounted for persons. Other details were not immediately disclosed. Sheriff's officials said two bodies were also found found Sunday inside a charred vehicle in the driveway of a home near the tiny unincorporated community of Klamath River, which was largely destroyed in the McKinney Fire. The fire jumped the Klamath River over the weekend and raged through the tiny community of about 200, destroying many of the homes along with the post office, community hall and other scattered businesses. When that fire came over that ridgeline, it had 100-foot flames for about 5 miles and the wind was blowing. It was coming down like a solid blowtorch. There was nothing to stop it, said Roger Derry, 80, whose home was among a handful that survived. Its very sad. Its very disheartening," said his son, whose name is spelled Rodger Derry. Some of our oldest homes, 100-year-old homes, are gone. Its a small community. Good people, good folks, for the most part, live here and in time will rebuild. But its going to take some time now. More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned in the McKinney Fire since it erupted last Friday. The blaze remained out of control, authorities said. Thunderstorms dumped some much-needed rain on Monday and into Tuesday even as temperatures hit the 90s Fahrenheit (above 32.2 Celsius) and the brush, fields and forest remained generally bone-dry. But the storms also meant a threat of lightning strikes that already sparked several small blazes and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through late Tuesday night because of concerns that heavy rain could send rocks, mud and water pouring down the fire-scorched slopes. In addition, the moisture and storms were creating an unstable atmosphere which may make firefighting conditions much more hazardous with wind speeds potentially reaching 50 mph (80 kph) during those storms," fire officials said. However, the fire didn't grow on Tuesday, and fire officials said crews were able to use bulldozers to carve firebreaks along a ridge to protect homes and buildings in the county seat of Yreka. The Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers), and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest. A smaller fire near the tiny community of Happy Camp forced evacuations and road closures as it burned out of control Tuesday. Still more fires are raging in the Western U.S., threatening thousands of homes. In northwestern Montana, a fire that started Friday near the town of Elmo on the Flathead Indian Reservation has burned some structures, but authorities said they didn't immediately know if any were homes. The blaze measured 25 square miles (66 square kilometers) on Tuesday, with 10% containment, fire officials said. Some residents were forced to flee Monday as gusting afternoon winds drove the fire. The Moose Fire in Idaho has burned more than 85 square miles (220 square km) in the Salmon-Challis National Forest while threatening homes, mining operations and fisheries near the town of Salmon. It was 23% contained Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. And a wildfire raging in northwestern Nebraska led to evacuations and destroyed or damaged several homes near the small city of Gering. The Carter Canyon Fire began Saturday as two separate fires that merged. It was more than 30% contained by Tuesday. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. ___ This story has been updated to correct two quotes that were misattributed. The quote in the sixth paragraph is from Roger Derry, while the quote in the following paragraph is from his son, Rodger Derry. ___ Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN, Texas In more than 90 minutes of often heart-wrenching and halting testimony Tuesday, Neil Heslin spoke of his 6-year-old Jesse, killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the pain he says Alex Jones has caused by repeating lies that the murders didnt occur. Alex was the person with a match who started the fire, Heslin told a jury in a Texas courtroom. People are bringing wood to throw on the fire. But it was Jesses mother, Scarlett Lewis, who was able to confront Jones after he finally showed up at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon. I wanted you to know that I am a mother and my son existed, she said. Heslin and Lewis won their defamation lawsuit against Jones, who promoted the Sandy Hook shootings that killed their son Jesse as a hoax staged with crisis actors. Lewis spoke to Jones directly during her testimony. Do you think Im an actress? she asked Jones. No, I dont think youre an actress, Jones replied. The judge quickly cut him off and told Jones he does not get to speak during her testimony. In some way, you've impacted every day of my life, negatively, almost since Jesses murder, Lewis said later to Jones, her hands folding together to get her point across. I'm so glad this day is here, I'm relieved actually. Jones attorney Andino Reynal unsuccessfully attempted to get Judge Maya Guerra Gamble to end the proceedings before his client testified. Jones, wearing a white shirt and blue suit jacket, told the jury that he felt good about testifying. I actually feel good because for the first time I get to say whats really going on, Jones said. He apologized and said he never intentionally meant to hurt you, I never even said your name until this case. He claimed that the few times we covered it (Sandy Hook), he and his staff had questions about what happened and were seeking answers. I've made a lot of mistakes and I've learned a lot in that process, Jones said, adding that he is shifting the focus of his show toward Christianity and self-help than discussing news and politics. Jones will continue his testimony on Wednesday. Attorney Mark Bankston, representing Lewis and Heslin, asked the judge once the jury left the room for the day to sanction Jones after he slipped in that he was bankrupt when Reynal asked a question about how many employees he would need to respond to the emails Infowars receives. Bankston also accused Reynal of trying to solicit testimony from Jones that the judge has barred from being discussed in front of the jury. Gamble said she would address sanctions after the trial. You may not tell this jury you are bankrupt, that is not true, you may have filed for bankruptcy but that doesnt make you bankrupt, Gamble told Jones. It seems absurd for me to tell you, you must tell the truth while you testify, Gamble said before instructing him to answer the exact question he was asked. The judge also accused Jones of breaking his oath to tell the truth twice while on the stand. Soon after the judge left the courtroom, Lewis approached Jones, and then Heslin walked over. I let your son down and I apologize about everything, Jones said, shaking Heslins hand. The parents attorney, Mark Bankston, asked if Jones would apologize for calling Heslin slow. This led to shouting between the attorney and Jones. Attorney Wesley Todd Ball, representing the parents, stepped in and separated the two sides, saying, that's not what's going to happen right now...Thats not the way this goes. Jones coughed heavily throughout his testimony, blaming it a torn larynx. When he spoke to reporters outside the courtroom later, his cough had gone away. He told reporters the cough flares up, but then goes away. Grieving Earlier, Lewis argued that Jones and his followers have hindered her grieving process, describing losing her child as like losing a limb. When you lose a limb, you feel it, she said in her midday testimony. Its like its always there but its not. He should be here, but hes not, she said of her son. The trial is focusing on how much the jury will award the parents, who are claiming Jones lies are causing fear, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, on top of the grief that comes with losing a child. I wish it was true, Heslin said of Jones claims. I wish that Jesse was alive. But that's not the case. Before arriving in the courtroom, Jones insulted Heslin on his Infowars show calling him slow and saying he thought he was on the spectrum, which makes me feel like an even bigger jerk, according to a clip from the show that was played to the jury. Jones arrived at the courthouse during the courts lunch break on Tuesday afternoon and refused to answer questions from reporters as to why he wasnt in the courtroom in the morning. Earlier in the day Heslin began to choke up as he spoke, before regaining composure. Lewis, who was in the courtroom waiting to testify next, nodded along with him whenever he stumbled. But neither were able to look Jones in the eye until he finally arrived after a lunch break. I wouldn't wish upon Alex or anybody the loss that I sustained, the loss of a child, Heslin said. He has anxiety attacks in the middle of the night and recently went to the hospital with chest pains, he said. Memories of Jesse Jesse was a tornado whose force was felt every time he walked into a room, his father said. He was proud that he was learning to add numbers and loved animals, including his dog who he worshiped, his father said. One of his sons biggest joys was returning bottles to collect coins, he said. Jesse loved collecting scrap metal and taking it to the scrapyard for money, Heslin said. Heslin smiled when his attorney Wesley Todd Ball published Jesses class photo one of his last which the family received after his funeral, Heslin said. He died two weeks after it was taken, Jesses father said. Heslin stopped to wipe his tears often and at some points was so unintelligible the judge had to tell him to speak up. Jesse was 11 pounds at birth, she recalled. The first time she saw him, she had walked to the nursery at the hospital to find a crowd of nurses taking photos, Lewis said. When I asked what was going on they said they were taking pictures of a large baby that was trying to crawl out, she said. The day the shootings occurred, Lewis and Heslin were supposed to be at the school for 2 p.m. to build gingerbread houses with his class, she said. Heslin took him to school but she ran outside to give him a hug. It was then that she discovered he had written I love you in the frost on her car and drew hearts on her windows, she said. She ran inside to get her phone to take a photo with Jesse and his artwork it would be his last, she said. He was given a heroes funeral because he had told classmates to run while the shooter reloaded his gun, she said. Almost every member of the jury stared at Heslin as he described seeing his sons body with a grazing bullet wound on the side of his head, along with the fatal shot to his forehead. It shattered his skull, Heslin said. The exit wound was about the size of a softball. Infowars questioning of this account from Heslin had sparked the lawsuit, and the father said that he is forced to replay those images every time his story about holding his sons body is doubted by Jones followers. He called Jones decision to not attend his testimony Tuesday morning, disrespectful and cowardly. Fear due to Sandy Hook deniers Lewis said she owns a gun because as a single mother, she said she feels she needs to protect her sons. I was not able to keep one of them safe, she said. Lewis said she has been aware since the day Jesse died that there are some people who deny the Sandy Hook shootings. A contingent from the Hells Angels motorcycle group showed up at his wake, she said. She later discovered they were there to prevent any disturbances. She finds it surreal and unsettling that people dont believe the shooting happened, Lewis said. Ball read aloud excerpts from an email she received questioning whether she could produce a birth certificate for Jesse. In another case, Ball played for the jury a phone message received by another Sandy Hook family who alerted Lewis to death threats. The woman on the message could be heard swearing and threatening the family. Encounters with Sandy Hook deniers cause her great fear, Lewis said. Its not only fear for myself, she said. Its fear for my surviving son, its fear for the other people brought into this, family and friends, she said. The loss of a child is a lifelong journey but it can be processed, she said. But you cant make sense of nonsense, she said referring to the followers of Alex Jones who continue to harass her. Heslin and Lewis have been under heavy security after run-ins in Austin, Bankston said. Its a rough day, its not an easy one obviously, their attorney said. Theyve been in isolation in Austin, theyve had some run-ins. Its scary to get up on that stand but they know its bigger than them. The only avenue Heslin had to stop Jones and his followers who have harassed the family was to file a lawsuit, he said. Alex Jones apologies are worthless at this point, Heslin said. An apology wouldnt be sincere, its way too late. The parents are asking for $150 million $1 in compensation and $1 in punishment for the estimated 75 million Americans who experts claim dont believe or doubt the shooting occurred. Their goal, they said, is to punish Jones for his lies in the hope that hell think twice about promoting conspiracy theories on Infowars. Jones faces a similar but separate trial in Connecticut that began with jury selection on Tuesday. Jury selection was halted however when Jones attorney asked that the case be moved to federal bankruptcy court in Connecticut after Jones parent company filed for bankruptcy last week. Jones called the shooting of 26 first graders and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors. As a result, the parents argue, 75 million Americans doubt or disbelieve the shooting happened on Dec. 14, 2012. Staff writers John Moritz and Rob Ryser contributed to this story. Last month, in New Haven, Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law the Connecticut Clean Air Act. This legislation requires Connecticuts school districts to transition to 100 percent zero-emissions (fully electric) school buses in districts that serve environmental justice communities by 2030, and requires all school districts in the state to phase out diesel buses by 2035. The act also sets aside $20 million to replace diesel buses. While this will only make a small dent in the number of diesel school buses in the state, it is a source of matching funds to leverage federal funding from the EPA Clean School Bus Program. Bridgeport Public Schools is one of these districts that must complete the transition by 2030. Bridgeport is also a priority district to receive some of the half-billion dollars in funding the Biden-Harris administration has appropriated for clean school buses. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made $500 million to replace diesel school buses available through the EPA with an expected additional $4.5 million appropriation over the next four years. As a priority district, Bridgeport may be awarded funding for up to 25 zero-emissions buses and necessary charging infrastructure. At up to $375,000 per zero-emissions bus and up to $20,000 per bus for the charging infrastructure, thats worth nearly $10 million. Electric buses cost roughly $350,000 and could be covered in full for priority districts like Bridgeport. But capacity and staffing limits often lead to missed opportunities to seek such funding in the districts that need the money most. With the deadline for the first round of EPA Clean School Bus Program grants rapidly approaching (the deadline is Aug. 19), stakeholders fear Bridgeport could miss out without swift action from city officials and the school district. Members of the Bridgeport community are advocating for Bridgeport Public Schools and its bus operator WE Transport to apply for the EPA grant with help from community partners. The Bridgeport Carbon Free & Healthy Schools Steering Committee, populated by invested residents, stakeholders, parents, school employees and city employees, is willing to assist in the application process to help Bridgeport secure a grant. A city of Bridgeport employee has offered to write the application on behalf of the district and environmental nonprofits in the region have also offered their technical expertise to districts interested in seeking this funding. Understandably, there is a lot to consider as a district transitions to a zero-emissions fleet of vehicles. The EPA program aims to make it an easy lift for school districts with informational webinars, abundant online resources and a short application. The funding covers a full range of associated costs including charging equipment, design and engineering costs, and installation costs such as trenching, wiring and electrical upgrades, labor and permitting. The regular use of zero-emissions electric school buses can create substantial savings from fuel costs that can be used to fund infrastructure needs as the electric fleet grows. As a community, Bridgeport residents should support efforts to reduce diesel emissions and ensure our children have cleaner air and a lower prevalence of asthma, allergies and congestion from diesel exhaust, especially on their way to school and while buses are idling in front of the school building. With the next round of funding five years away, Bridgeport cannot afford to miss this opportunity. We must encourage our local leaders to take advantage of this funding and the assistance available to seek it. Now is the time to act. If were going to meet the statutory requirement of 100 percent zero-emissions school buses by 2030, then its going to take the efforts of all of us. Bridgeport cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity. Residents, parents and public officials of Bridgeport must get involved for this and other clean energy efforts like this to succeed. We must invest in our children in order to invest in our future as a community. Mustafa Salahuddin is president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1336, and a former Bridgeport school bus driver and transit bus operator outside of being a Bridgeport parent. He is also a member of the Carbon Free & Healthy Schools Steering Committee in Bridgeport and a board member of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. Today, Sir Keir Starmer finds himself in a crucial battle with the trade unions, and it is one he cannot afford to lose. The row was triggered by the Labour leaders decision to sack shadow transport minister Sam Tarry. Tarry, a former transport union official, joined a picket organised by striking rail workers last week. Of course, Starmer was right to show Tarry the door but he should never have appointed the ardent Corbynista in the first place. The union dinosaurs reacted with predictable fury and, as usual, cautious Sir Keir tried to defuse the row and appease the Left. He claimed Tarry had been sacked not for joining a picket line but for doing interviews without notifying Labour HQ first and for making up policy on the hoof. 'Sir Keir Starmer finds himself in a crucial battle with the trade unions, and it is one he cannot afford to lose' Instead of facing down the unions, Starmer wrote an article for a Leftwing newspaper. I completely understand why people are going on strike to secure better pay and better conditions, he wrote. I support their right to do so. He said he wanted Labour to win power, then hand that power to working people . . . only in power can Labour deliver the changes trade unions and working people want to see. He even boasted that he had backed Arthur Scargills striking miners: When I was a lawyer, I represented striking miners for free. Who does he think will be impressed by his involvement in a divisive battle that ripped Britain apart almost 40 years ago? There is not a single person who voted Conservative at the last election including the voters in Red Wall constituencies he needs to woo back who will be persuaded to vote Labour by that revelation. Irrelevant Sir Keir needs to stop appeasing his internal critics and instead take them on. Talk to the country instead of the Labour Party and the unions. Better still, stand up to the Labour Left and the union leaders. Show some leadership and show the rest of us the party has changed. In fact, I believe the best outcome for Labour would be if this showdown ends in divorce and I write as someone who joined the union on his first day at work in the 1980s. Yes, the unions helped establish the Labour Party in the early years of the last century, but that was in an era when unscrupulous bosses routinely exploited their employees. Workers some of them children slaved in appalling conditions. Trade unions were needed to fight for decent wages and safety at work. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, millions of workers in traditional industries such as the pits, potteries, car factories, steelworks and shipyards were linked to the Labour Party by moderate unions who worked on their behalf. It was a them-and-us economy. But those industries are largely history. There are, of course, still workers who really do need a better deal, including care workers, delivery drivers, people in garment industry sweatshops and those struggling in shops and restaurants on insecure zero-hours contracts. MP Sam Tarry, a former transport union official, joined a picket organised by striking rail workers last week They, however, are hard to reach. Recruiting union members in the public sector monopolies is much easier. Local council staff join routinely. Teachers, nurses, firefighters and so on sign up as an insurance policy in case they run into trouble at work. But while the world of work and workers has moved on, the trade-union movement remains stuck in the last century in its attitudes, while still exercising enormous influence over the Labour Party, whose constitution guarantees their power. What other organisation in modern Britain has rules based on a constitution drawn up more than a century ago? How can a party with structures designed when people relied on horses and carts be relevant to a modern economy where citizens use the internet, order goods from around the world online and rely on Amazon or other delivery companies? There have been a few changes over the years but the unions still have half the votes at the annual conference, a third of votes on the National Executive Committee and huge influence on elections for the partys leader. They have real power when choosing candidates for Parliament as well. Cynical And, of course, they contribute millions to keep the party running and pay for election campaigns. All of which means they have a big say on policy, too, which makes it very difficult for Labour to criticise Conservative vested interests. Keir Starmer must face the fact that the relationship between Labour and the unions is outdated and utterly irrelevant to most working people in the modern economy. The unions claim to represent seven million workers but that is a fraction of the 30 million people at work in Britain today. And most sensible mainstream members are too busy leading normal lives to waste evenings attending boring union meetings, so hardline zealots find it easy to get elected and spend time playing politics. Officials are elected on tiny turnouts. Look at last years election for the general secretary of Unite, my old union. They have 1.2 million members but Sharon Graham was elected with fewer than 47,000 votes. Barely one in ten of the members bothered to vote. Unison, the largest union, has 1.3 million members but its new boss, Christina McAnea, won with just 63,900 votes less than five per cent of the membership. Tiny turnouts suit the union bosses. They know that to keep their jobs they need only appeal to Left-wing activists. That is why some unions campaign against arms exports, even though defence industries provide thousands of well-paid jobs. Others want closer ties with Cuba or Colombia, or demand a boycott of Israel causes that bear no relationship to peoples everyday lives. So instead of pandering to these out-of-touch and cynical Left-wing union barons, Sir Keir must draw up policies that appeal to the electorate. What has he got to lose? Will the unions really walk away and squander their funds on a hard-Left party run by communists and cranks that could never win an election? And even if they did turn their back, Labour would be free to look to the future and regroup to earn the publics trust, to provide the strong opposition a healthy democracy needs, to win elections and to change the country. Millions of ordinary people are crying out for a sensible, modern centre-Left alternative to the Tories. Risks Freed from union control, Keir Starmer could build a modern party with the ideas and policies needed to boost the economy and promote businesses in new industries, and bring new jobs to towns in the Midlands and the North that have lost their traditional employment. Look what happened when Tony Blair was in charge. The unions carped and complained but by standing up to them he demonstrated to the public he was strong enough to run the country. Blair showed that if you build a modern, progressive movement, plenty of people will donate to support it and millions will vote for it. Sensible unions would surely applaud a party that creates jobs and has policies aimed at ensuring Britain prospers in the future. Unfortunately for Britain, we dont have sensible unions. And right now, we have in Sir Keir Starmer a Labour leader who risks looking like hes too frit to take them on. Fifty years ago this month, the playwright Tom Stoppard threw a summer party. Among his guests was the novelist Kingsley Amis, who had established a reputation for extreme, almost parodic, grumpiness. Already bristling at the lacklustre conversation of the actor Michael Caine, Amis was further incensed by the showy arrival by helicopter of the childrens author Roald Dahl. Amis was irritable and Dahl was irritating. The two men were never likely to get on. What are you working on at the moment, Kingsley? asked Dahl. As soon as Amis began to tell him, Dahl interrupted. That sounds marvellous, but do you expect to make a lot of money out of it however well you do it? I dont know about a lot. Enough, I hope. The sort of money I usually make. Since his death in 1990, sales of Roald Dahl's books have soared - with a book sold every 2.6 seconds. Recently, Netflix bought the film rights to his works for 500million According to Amis, Dahl then gave the knife a further twist: I hate to think of a chap of your distinction having to worry about money at your time of life. Dahl advised Amis to try his hand at a childrens book . Thats where the money is today, believe me. I couldnt do it . . . Ive got no feeling for that kind of thing, replied Amis. Dahl then said something that might, in our less forgiving times, have destroyed his reputation. Never mind, he said, the little bastardsd swallow it. Amis insisted that these were Dahls exact words. Dahl died in 1990; Amis died five years later. Since then, Amiss sales figures have dwindled, while Dahls have soared. A book by Dahl is now sold every 2.6 seconds. Recently, Netflix bought the rights to his works for 500million. For some reason, Amiss revelation about Dahls bullish attitude to his young readers little bastards has been dismissed, forgotten or ignored. At a time when some authors are being cancelled simply for holding unfashionable opinions, it is odd that others, infinitely more dodgy, are issued with the equivalent of a Get Out Of Jail Free card. He was a plagiarist, a racist, anti-Semitic , misogynistic and overbearingly rude, noted one reviewer last Sunday of a new biography of Dahl. Roald Dahl with wife Patricia Neal and children Olivia, Tessa, and Theo at their home White Fields in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire To this list, one might also add malicious liar. When Dahl came to write his autobiography, Boy, he chose to turn on his old headmaster, Geoffrey Fisher later to become the Archbishop of Canterbury accusing him of delivering the most vicious beatings to the boys under his care. He described one beating in detail. The victim was told to wash away the blood before pulling up his trousers. But Dahl knew full well that he was pointing the finger at the wrong man. At the time those beatings had taken place, someone else was headmaster. In fact, Dahl had always enjoyed a good relationship with Geoffrey Fisher, describing him as frightfully nice in a letter home, and continuing to visit him as an adult. As a successful author, Dahl had even sent Fisher a copy of one of his books, signing it: With gratitude and affection. Moreover, when Dahls seven-year-old daughter Olivia died suddenly, it was to Fisher he had turned for consolation. Soon after Fishers death, he praised him in a speech as thoroughly good. Why did Roald Dahl make these false accusations against someone he knew was innocent? The only possible explanation is that Dahl thought it would make a better, more commercial, story to pretend that his sadistic headmaster was the same man who had later been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. For all his talent and charisma, there was, it must be said, something a little creepy about Roald Dahl. A friend of mine, who was once a regular visitor to his house, was surprised at how often he would bump into Gary Glitter there. During Gary Glitters 1992 appearance on This Is Your Life, Dahls daughter Tessa was a guest. Gary actually came to live in my house when he was between jobs ... she said. When I was absolutely broke! laughed Glitter. My sister Lucy turned it into quite a successful venture because she used to pack the train full of her adolescent school friends in school uniform and then skive school... At this point, you can see Gary Glitter putting his forefinger to his lips and miming: Shhh! Who knows? If ever a TV company wishes to revive Dahls Tales Of The Unexpected, this might make the perfect episode. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is a principled woman. Her visit to Taiwan is entirely consistent with the admirable stance she's displayed against the Chinese government since it massacred thousands of its own protesting citizens in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Pelosi has been a Cassandra figure on Capitol Hill for decades, warning of Beijing's menace but ignored by the Washington establishment much as Winston Churchill's warning about the danger of Hitler's Germany in the 1930s was only heeded too late. Pelosi doubted the consensus which held that as its economy grew, China would fold into Western institutions and begin to behave like us. It hasn't. It won't. And she was right. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is a principled woman, writes Mark Almond. Pictured: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being greeted by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posed for photos after she arrived in Taipei, Taiwan. She became the highest-ranking American official to visit in 25 years But by visiting Taiwan officially part of the People's Republic of China but in reality an independent democracy for more than 30 years Pelosi is dousing the fiery breath of the Chinese dragon with petrol. I wonder how thankful for her principles the denizens of the Taiwanese capital Taipei would be when their city resembles downtown Kharkiv? For her visit is dangerously provocative to the Chinese for whom having a Chinese-speaking democracy just 100 miles away from the mainland is unacceptable. And with so much military hardware in the South China Sea region, the potential for one spark to light the tinderbox of war is alarming to say the least. There are moments in history when one event defines an era. The shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 ignited the First World War, while the torpedoing of the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, a few hundred miles south of Taiwan, in 1964 raised the curtain to the horrors of the Vietnam War. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu greets U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi, right is greeted by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan Could history judge a wholly unnecessary visit to Taiwan of a US House Speaker, now in her 80s, in a similar vein? History is important here. There are those who see Pelosi's pitstop to the disputed island (part of her tour of East Asian countries) as a show of strength, a sabre to rattle across the Strait of Taiwan at the swelling number of naval ships ranged against the island in China's southern ports. The exact same show of solidarity was lacking in the build-up to the Ukraine war. So, goes the thinking, if the West had only stood up more to Moscow, wrapping its arm more protectively around Kyiv early on, then Russia would never have felt emboldened enough to invade. I, however, am with the late historian AJP Taylor when he warned that we like to avoid history's past mistakes by making new ones. Beijing has certainly taken the bait. The Chinese government warned of repercussions if Pelosi pushed ahead with her trip, saying its military would 'never sit idly by'. The distinction that she is acting independently of President Joe Biden who must be squinting at events through his fingers will be lost on most Communist apparatchiks. On a visit to Japan in May, Biden made it clear that the US would be prepared to defend Taiwan if it were attacked. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, walks with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as she arrived in Taipei, Taiwan In the last couple of days, Chinese warplanes have buzzed around the median line that divides the two countries in the Strait of Taiwan. Several of its warships have sailed provocatively close to the unofficial line too. Yesterday video emerged purportedly showing amphibious tanks lined up on beaches on the Fujian coast opposite the island. But it is difficult to gauge just how serious the Beijing rhetoric is. President Xi Jinping is buffeted by domestic headwinds, not least by the state of the economy, hobbled as it has been by his zero-Covid policy. From April to July, the country's epicentre of world trade, Shanghai, a port city of 24million people, has been under lockdown. Workers haven't been able to get into factories, which, in an economy built around manufacturing, has crippled exports. So anything that distracts attention from his failing Covid strictures will be warmly embraced by Xi. Yes, he might be playing to the public gallery, but make no mistake, the gallery is fervently nationalistic and will lap up any show of might against the West. Police officers line up outside the Grand Hyatt hotel as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan And Nancy Pelosi is a particularly incendiary figure in China. She was kicked out of the country in 1991 for unfurling a banner in Tiananmen Square commemorating those shot dead there two years before. Now she is third in line to the US presidency. As Speaker, if anything were to happen to Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, she would be given the keys to the Oval Office. A figure of her seniority hasn't visited Taiwan since Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich did in 1997. Back then, all China could do was blow hot air. It was seeking to join the World Trade Organisation and needed then president Bill Clinton's agreement. A member since 2001, China is in a much stronger position now. Today it also has a forceful ally in Moscow which, 25 years ago when Gringrich was in Taipei, was mired in the economic chaos of Boris Yeltsin. The war in Ukraine is also a telling difference. President Vladimir Putin is slowly degrading the West's military arsenal. The sophisticated, American-made HIMARS rocket systems, for example, have been pouring into the Donbas of late. The Pentagon hoped each set of warheads would last the Ukrainians a month, but they are burning through them in two to three days. Let's pray that those sirens are never sounded for real, for then the nuclear fuse will be well and truly lit and I'm afraid Nancy Pelosi will have held the lighter, writes Mark Almond. Pictured: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being greeted by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Could the West really put up a fight in the South China Sea? Britain would certainly deploy one of its aircraft carriers to support the US and Japanese navies as a deterrent. But would they open fire on a nuclear-armed country? We haven't yet. Would the West want the Taiwanese to do that with weapons donated by us? America's condition for supplying Ukraine with rocket systems was that they were not fired into Russia, after all. Xi could use the Pelosi visit as a pretext to a blockade of Taiwan. And while much has been made of the impact on global hunger of Ukrainian grain holed up in Black Sea ports, a sudden drop in Taiwanese-made electrical semi-conductors, used in everything from phones to computers, would hurt the West far more. Xi may feel bold enough to even attack Taiwan's smaller islands close to China's coast, last done under Mao. Or, short of a very tricky amphibious invasion, its missiles could bombard the main island, turning high rises and shopping centres to rubble, much as Russia has done in Ukraine. I wrote on these pages last week about the mournful wail of air-raid sirens clearing the streets in Northern Taiwanese towns as part of the Taipei government's mass defence drill then. Let's pray that those sirens are never sounded for real, for then the nuclear fuse will be well and truly lit and I'm afraid Nancy Pelosi will have held the lighter. Mark Almond is the Director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford The situation is unimaginable. You do not have to be a parent to feel utter anguish at the thought of what Archie Battersbees parents must be going through now forced to contemplate a future without the hope that has kept them going. Without their boy. Because when your child is desperately ill, or even at the point of death, a parent will cling to hope. You believe that a miracle might happen. You scrutinise your childs poor face and tell yourself the situation is changing look, a movement Archies parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee were sure they glimpsed positive changes in their beloved son, who has been in a coma since April. The people who know the child best of all the ones who brought him into this world, fed him, heard his first words, taught him to walk, played with him, watched him grow, chose his Christmas presents, probably told him to work harder at school, loved him to bits those ordinary people have had all their extraordinary devotion and hope crushed by doctors and judges. By the system, if you like. If that sounds brutal, it is because it is. Archie Battersbee's mother Hollie Dance (second from right) waits outside the London hospital Archie has been kept alive by NHS medics for four months and I have no doubt they did all they could and agonised over the lack of progress as the child remained lost to the world within his coma. How terrible that Archies future then had to be decided by a series of judges who (again I have no doubt) are as decent and compassionate as they are knowledgeable. Yet those doctors and judges, all representing the system, have combined to put Archies parents through the most terrible torture. Paul and Hollie must have felt the whole world was against them as they said what most of us would say in that tragic situation: You have no right to switch off our child. Hollie kisses Archie, who has not regained consciousness since a freak accident at his home in Southend on April 7 All cases of medical ethics like this one are immensely complex. Even expert opinions can differ and the rest of us can only read the details and tremble, wondering how we could possibly cope if it was our child there on that hospital bed. Would you give in to expert opinion? Or would you take the fight to the highest court, shouting from the rooftops that you know your child better than any hospital trust? One thing is sure: This individual case while quite small when compared with all the sorrow and suffering in the world is yet another testimony to the enormous, self-sacrificing power of parental love. It also makes me reflect that most of us will always try to protect those we love, and that perhaps we can do so because deep down we never really give up hope. When my daughter was born in 1980 with a rare congenital bowel disease, I had no idea just how many years of hospitalisation and crippling anxiety lay ahead. I was moved and encouraged by so many brave, loving parents whose children were desperately ill, deeply damaged, and sometimes at the point of death. Again and again in Great Ormond Street, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Lewisham Hospital I met selfless mothers and fathers who faced up to the very worst thing a parent can contemplate with extraordinary strength and courage. Like them, I know what it is like to endure a dark night of the soul when you have been told that the long operation your child must endure on the morrow may kill her. You keep vigil in the intensive care unit, you weep to see her pierced by tubes like a pin cushion, you pray. At those times you feel all existence concentrated into the small flicker of life on that bed knowing you would give your own life for your child. That you would take up arms against anything which threatened the small head that you love. Hollie and Archie pose in a wholesome TikTok. Specialists treating the 12-year-old believe it's 'highly likely' that Archie is brain dead - but campaigners have fought to keep life support on I weep to know that Archies parents Paul and Hollie gave their all but it was not enough against the power of the system. And the trouble is, I am left with a deep feeling of disquiet that, after all, that system (rational or not, depending on your point of view) represents you and I. Could they not have left it for longer? If Archies organs had failed (as would most likely have been the case) then no one would have been ultimately responsible for this decision which has caused the family such anguish. Didnt those parents have the right to continue hoping for Gods mercy and a miracle? No wonder Hollie has spoken out with all the rage of a loving mother, describing the final verdict that Archies life support must be withdrawn as an orchestrated execution. Bitter words indeed, but are they true? All that is left is to wish Archies grieving parents strength and support in the weeks and months ahead, and to hope that his young soul can rest in peace. This is the tense moment a British woman confronted her Lebanese boyfriend over going out with other women on a new episode of 90 Day Fiance UK. Bridie, from Rotherham, was visiting boyfriend Host in his native Beirut to see if they could have a serious future together after a long-distance relationship. But she was disappointed to learn that he continues to go out with other women but keep it secret. Bridie (pictured) from Yorkshire calls out her Lebanese boyfriend Host for talking to women. The mother-of-two has had a jealousy problem with her long-distance partner Host (pictured) was angered by Bridie's jealous inquisition and immediately shut down saying it wasn't the right time to bring it up and that the couple had already had similar conversations She challenged him about it in their hotel room, leading to an argument and making them late for a lunch with his family. During one scene, Host's uncle Wissam explained: 'He's a young guy, he's active, he's handsome. So if we have some girls with us, he talks to them. 'When he drinks, he gets more friendly. Before he knows you, of course he used to talk to girls.' Yet for Bridie, the thought of Host on the town with other girls sparked her jealous streak and her insecurities. She said: 'Lebanese women are hot, they are so beautiful. Also confirmed by Wissam, sometimes they go out with girls, which Host has not said.' When they got back to the hotel, Bridie prepared to confront her boyfriend about what his uncle had said about him going out with other women. Host was clearly frustrated by Bridie and looked exasperated whilst she tried to get him back on side Bridie said that she only wanted clarification for what happens when she is away from her boyfriend back in the UK She confessed to the camera: 'For me, what the issue would be is if he intentionally hid it from me because of my jealously or because of my hot headedness.' So whilst ironing one of Host's shirts, she casually brought up her conversation with Wissam. 'He said that sometimes you do have girls going out with you guys,' she said bluntly. 'You didnt tell me because you thought I was going to kick off, so youd rather just not say who was there.' Trying to remove himself from the firing line, Host said: 'This is an awkward subject to bring up right now.' As the tension rose in the room, Host struggled to hold back his feelings after being questioned about his behaviour. Bridie who was furious about the change in lunch plans, decided to call her children back home whilst Host was waiting in the car, getting more annoyed at them being late for his family Bridie, who had just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, got angry again when she heard Host organising a lunch for eight people He said to his girlfriend: 'I am disappointed at this point, I tell you everything.' Bridie responded: 'And I do feel that, and that's why I thought I'd ask to I wasn't just letting it drive me crazy inside.' This didn't appease Host who is aware of Bridie's jealous side and reminds her that they have spoken on this issue multiple times. 'I'm frustrated that we're talking about this because we've tackled this jealousy issue before.' Bridie said she just wants 'clarity' on what he does while she is at home in the UK. Bridie was angry about Host organising the lunch behind her back saying that she didn't feel comfortable in her outfit and was anxious about the language barrier 'I felt like I was just asking for clarity on a situation, and hes took it like accusations or mistrust,' she said to the cameras. 'My jealousy with Host was a big issue for a long time, so I think me asking this question has put him like, "oh, weve gone back three months in progress."' The pair did reconcile, but only for a moment, before Host threw another spanner in the works by inviting multiple people to lunch. Bridie, who had just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, got angry again when she heard Host telling the restaurant that the table was for eight people. Because Bridie was so late getting in the car, Host rushed to the restaurant, driving so quickly that she was scared Sensing the rising tension again, Host admitted to Bridie that he did change the booking behind her back. He revealed: 'I think Bridie is annoyed with me. I might have invited like six other people to the lunch today, and I know she is not good when there is a large group of people around.' Hot head Bridie told Host exactly how she felt: 'I'm not happy about going. Sometimes I think, how about running it by me? 'Everyone's going to be sat at the table, you're all going to be talking Arabic, I'm just going to be sat there, do you know what I mean? You just didn't run it by me.' Host told the programme that he was stuck in the middle trying to please everyone. The anger between the couple was too much to disguise and they were unable to enjoy themselves. In addition, the language barrier became a problem for Bridie, who was unable to join in with the conversations He said to Bridie: 'It's really hard for me to say no, I just feel it would be really rude.' It was too much for her however and she snapped: 'I don't feel good about how I look, I don't feel good about my outfit choice.' Still arguing, Host went to the car to wait for his girlfriend and let his frustration out. He said: 'We're running late for lunch, and I'm pretty sure Bridie's annoyed with me.' Oblivious to the time, Bridie called her children back home before leaving the hotel room. Host then rushed to the restaurant, driving so quickly that he frightened Bridie. But when they got to the restaurant Host was furious and told Bridie that he wasn't okay. 'I want to have lunch with my family, I just want to be with them.' The tension continued to build at the dinner table with Bridie admitting that she was nervous about sitting down with such a big group of people, especially many that she had never met before. She said: 'I'm a bit nervous about the group dynamic, these are couples who go out with each other quite often.' The anger between the couple was too much to disguise and they were unable to enjoy themselves. In addition, the language barrier became a problem for Bridie, who was unable to join in with the conversations. 'They talk fast, they talk loud, it's not the most ideal situation for me. I'm really sad; I'm going to go back to my girls.' The brand-new series of 90 Day Fiance UK is available to stream now exclusively on discovery+, with new episodes dropping every Sunday The incorrect use of quotation marks can often be the difference between a innocent comment and something wildly offensive. And these cringe-worthy signs, shared online by people around the world, show how misusing inverted commas can grab attention for all the wrong reasons. Collated by Bored Panda, the collection of pictures illustrate that when it comes to quotation marks, just their very presence can be baffling, concerning, and somewhat hilarious. From an ornament insisting it has been placed in a 'happy home' to a toy machine insisting that there is a 'guaranteed' win every time, FEMAIL look at the most humorous signs with a totally inappropriate use of quotation marks... Not the sweetest sign: This note left some American customers unsure as to whether they should purchase the 'clear out candies' Are you sure? The emphasis on 'GOOD' in this British school's sign could potentially make parents doubt just how great the place is Who are you trying to fool? This 'electric fence' on a North American farm looks anything but The quotation marks on this cake seemingly make a person question whether their father is their actual 'dad' The collection of images also includes this ornament insisting it has been placed in a 'happy home' Confusing descriptions: Customers at this diner were left puzzled about just what kind of milk would be used in the milkshake Undercover: If there is one thing that shouldn't be ambiguous, it's the law, yet these quotations appear to put the 'make a difference' statement in doubt on this US vehicle Not a soup we're rushing to try! Diners suggested they would be avoiding this dish due to the extra use of quotation marks 'So' loved and 'never' forgotten: Some social media users noted that this sign's use of quotation marks made the emotions described seem not as sincere 'Grandma baked a cake for the team but her use of punctuation made it sound sarcastic', revealed on Twitter user when sharing the above image This sign for Covid-19 testing left some people feeling suspicious over whether the results given at the building would be accurate That's hard to believe: A toy machine sign insists that there is a 'guaranteed' win every time when played This church's sign appeared rather eerie after saying there was a free trip to 'heaven' available, with details to be found 'inside' Advertisement Princess Charlotte threw her hands into the air as she cheered on Commonwealth Games gymnasts with William and Kate today - after joining her parents at the swimming and hockey earlier this afternoon. The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, was in high spirits as she arrived at the tournament alongside her husband the Duke, and their seven-year-old daughter, where they took their seats in Sandwell Aquatics Centre to watch the swimming heats, watched the The mother-of-three appeared trendy in her 1,945 white Alexander McQueen trouser suit for the event, which she first wore during the Caribbean tour earlier this year. Meanwhile Princess Charlotte, who was wearing a 39 Rachel Riley dress, appeared delighted to be attended the contest, gesturing wildly to her parents as they sat in the stands. Although Charlotte appeared thrilled by the action, she looked somewhat less impressed by a performance from the Commonwealth Games 2022 mascot, Perry the bull, who put on a dance for her. Watching Perry punch the air enthusiastically, little Charlotte scrunched up her face and looked perplexed. However, her apparent lack of enthusiasm didn't stop the princess from picking up a teddy bear of Perry on her way home after watching the hockey. Today's occasion marked the first time the little Princess has joined her parents for a solo outing without one of her brothers, Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four. In a cheeky display, the seven-year-old could be seen clapping along enthusiastically, sticking out her tongue and gasping at moments of action - while her mother tenderly tucked locks of her hair behind her ear which had fallen from her neat plaits. She went on to watch a hockey match outside with her parents, before she joined them inside the Arena Birmingham where she appeared delighted to be watching the gymnastics. The little royal is proving to be quite the sporting fan - days ago, she joined her father for a video message in sending her best wishes to the Lionesses ahead of the Euro 2022 final. Princess Charlotte, seven, carried a teddy bear of the Commonwealth Games 2022 mascot, Perry the bull, as she left the Women's Hockey Group Stage match at the University of Birmingham Hockey & Squash Centre on day five of the Games Charlotte's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, carried matching teddy bears as they left the event with their daughter Kate Middleton, dressed in her favourite Alexander McQueen suit, proudly carried the mascot teddy with her Kate wore her brunette tresses down and in curls, swept back behind her shoulders Princess Charlotte looked like the day's excitement had taken its toll on her as Prince William patted her on the head Charlotte's father put his arm around the young princess as she looked exhausted while watching the hockey Charlotte had more important things to worry about than the hockey match, and was seen picking her nose while other spectators including Sophie Wessex had their eyes on the pitch Charlotte looked like she was too tired to concentrate as she sat in between her parents in the stands The young princess put her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes after a long day of energetic support Despite feeling tired after the day's events, cheeky Charlotte still had bursts of energy and pulled funny faces as she sat next to her mother, Kate Middleton The princess twirled her pigtails with her fingers as she sat with her mother, Kate Middleton while Sophie Wessex sat on the row in front Princess Charlotte, seven, was the star of the show today as she joined her parents Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 40, in Birmingham to cheer athletes competing in the Commonwealth Games today The little royal clapped cheerfully along during the men's swimming heats at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham Thumb's up for a great day out! The little royal appeared to be having a whale of a time at the event today, offering her father an enthusiastic gesture after the swimming heats The many faces of Charlotte! The little royal was animated as she sat in the stands and watching the swimming heats earlier this morning The Duchess could be seen tucking Princess Charlotte's behind her ear as they sat next to one another at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre today Having a great time! The Duchess could be seen bending low to chat to her daughter during the event (left) before the seven-year-old offered her father Prince William an enthusiastic thumbs up (right) Feeling tense! Princess Charlotte bit her lip as she and her parents, Kate and Prince William, gave a round of applause at the event in Birmingham The family were joined at the event by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who attended alongside their children Lady Louise and James (pictured left and right) Before taking their seats at the event, the Duke and Duchess greeted Prince William's uncle Prince Edward and his wife Sophie Wessex, and children, with whom they have a close relationship Theresa May alongside Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands at Sandwell Aquatics Centre on day five of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham The royals watched from the stands as the men's swimming heats took place in the Aquatic Centre this afternoon After the outing to the Aquatics Centre, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to a programme supporting young athletes, pictured. Right, shaking hands with Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid Princess Charlotte was on her best behaviour as she joined her parents to meet athletes at SportsAid House at the 2022 Commonwealth Games The sweet family then made their way to watch the Women's Pool A hockey match between India and England, sitting in the stands Kate was dazzling in the 1,370 fresh white jacket with matching 575 trousers from her favourite designer Alexander McQueen. The mother-of-three has a close affiliation with Alexander McQueen having worn the British fashion house's designs on notable occasions, most famously to her wedding in 2011. This is the third time this year the Duchess has worn the suit - having first worn the suit during her controversy Caribbean tour earlier this year, she went on to visit a youth group with Prince William to mark Windrush Day. The royal swept her long brunette locks back from her face in a bouncy blow dry for the occasion. The little royal, who revealed today her favourite sport is gymnastics, leaned her face against her hand as she watched the games today At one stage, the seven-year-old appeared to show off her glowing pink wristband to her mother the Duchess during the day out The little princess appeared particularly excited to watch the gymnastics during the Commonwealth Games today, and appeared to be cheering confidently from the stands At one stage, the little royal threw her hand into the air with delight as she watched the gymnasts competing at the event Really enjoying herself! Princess Charlotte appeared to be having a fantastic day out during the public appearance with her parents today Elsewhere she was seen cheering enthusiastically as she joined her parents to watch the Artistic Gymnastics at Arena Birmingham on day five of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Meanwhile the family appeared delighted during the outing and could be seen sharing a smile with one another during the day out Meanwhile she kept her makeup neutral for the occasion, opting for a sweep of dark eyeliner and a touch of lipstick. Keeping her look simple, the Duchess opted for minimal jewellery - but added some glitz to her look with her Mappin & Webb Empress Earrings in White Gold. Today is just the latest public appearances from Princess Charlotte over the past few months. The little royal attended a number of different events to mark the Queen's Jubilee earlier this summer. Meanwhile she and Prince George took part in their first official engagement at the same time, joining the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to visit Cardiff in June. Meanwhile Princess Charlotte appeared a little unsure when Prince William posed for a selfie with spectators during a swimming event at Sandwell Aquatics Centre Charlotte remained side-by-side with her mother Kate during the outing in Birmingham today, which marked her first solo appearance with her parents without her brothers The Cambridges and Wessexes, who have a close friendship, appeared jovial during the fifth day of the tournament this afternoon The Duke and Duchess appeared animated as they chatted with their daughter following the men's swimming heats earlier today A happy princess! The little royal could be seen giving her thumbs up to the event at Sandwell Aquatics Centre during the Commonwealth Games today A moment with Mum! Princess Charlotte appeared amazed by the entire afternoon out, gazing around with wide eyes while her mother watched on Meanwhile at another stage, Princess Charlotte pulled a funny face as she chatted to her mother Kate during the men's 1500m freestyle heats swimming event Already practicing the royal handshake! The confident seven-year-old chatted with those attending the event in Birmingham today This is the third time this year the Duchess has worn the suit - having first worn the suit during her controversy Caribbean tour earlier this year, she went on to visit a youth group with Prince William to mark Windrush Day The Duchess could be seen tucking her daughter's hair, which was tied back into plaits, behind her ear during the event in Birmingham today At one stage, the little royal lent across to touch her mother's arm while they looked at the programme of events for the afternoon The family appeared animatedly as they sat next to one another in the stands of the aquatic centre to watch the swimming heats today Princess Charlotte has become a favourite of royal fans thanks to her sassy personality. She has been snapped pulling funny faces, waving to photographers - and even sticking her tongue out on a family outing. Charlotte appeared curious about her surroundings and the people around her at Birmingham University, and a little apprehensive at times, but received a reassuring arm around her shoulder or word in her ear from William, and held Kate's hand at other moments. The young princess revealed gymnastics was the sport she liked most and joined a nutritional workshop helping her parents place pictures of foods like nuts, bread and grapes into the right groups, whether protein, carbohydrates, antioxidants or healthy fats. At one point Charlotte was asked to update a Team England medal board and added a bronze, won in the men's team table tennis event, and a silver from the lawn bowls men's pairs. She was also taken by William and Kate to events at the Commonwealth Games and was photographed grinning during swimming heats and later joined her parents to watch a hockey match. Tim Lawler, chief executive of Sports Aid, a partner organisation of the Team England Futures programme, hosted the royal visit at Birmingham University. The youngster was described as a 'charming' young girl by Tim Lawler, chief executive of Sports Aid, a partner organisation of the Team England Futures programme, hosted the royal visit at Birmingham University. He said: 'I did notice the duke and the duchess, as we were trying to do, include Charlotte in the conversations - we were very mindful of that and it was really very evident the duke and duchess were doing that to, I suppose, include her and reassure her. 'She was charming, very willing to put the medals on the medal board, and she asked the right question, which was 'where exactly should I put this?'. It was by date and she checked. 'She really, really loved seeing the swimming, but she's interested in the gymnastics, and while they're trying lots of different sports at home, I understand, when I asked her about sport she answered very easily and said 'it's gymnastics that I like'.' Senior royals are representing the Queen at the Commonwealth Games as she continues to take a step back from royal duties. The monarch, 96, remains in residence in her Scottish home of Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire. Today's occasion marked the first time the little Princess has joined her parents for a solo outing without one of her brothers, Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four Meanwhile the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also appeared delighted to be attending the event alongside their young daughter The little seven-year-old, who is proving to be quite the sports fan, appeared delighted to be attending the event in Birmingham today At one stage the seven-year-old appeared on the edge of her seat while watching the swimming heats earlier today, with her mouth agape (left and right) Look Mum! The Duchess of Cambridge leaned in to her daughter Princess Charlotte, who appeared to be excitedly gesturing during the heats today While Princess Charlotte was dressed in a striped black Rachel Riley dress, her mother Kate opted for a smart white suit for the outing The seven-year-old royal appeared delighted to be attending the event with her parents and was beaming as she sat alongside them Taking in the action! Charlotte could be seen grinning broadly and widening her eyes as she watched the action during the swimming heat this afternoon The mother-of-three appeared trendy in her white Alexander McQueen trouser suit for the event, which she first wore during the Caribbean tour earlier this year Prince Charles stood in for his mother at the spectacular opening ceremony and was greeted by cheers as he drove into the stadium in an Aston Martin. Meanwhile Sophie and Edward have made a number of appearances during the competition thus far. The couple attended the contest yesterday alongside their children Lady Louise, 18, and James, 14. James and Lady Louise joined the rest of the family for the Queen's Jubilee celebrations earlier this year, but have largely grown up away from the limelight. Lady Louise looked pretty in a pink and blue dress at the event, rewearing a Peter Pilotto gown from her mother's wardrobe, while James and Sophie showed emotional reactions as they watched the action. The Countess first wore the pretty Pilotto dress for a trip to the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2015. Keeping her look simple, the Duchess opted for minimal jewellery - but added some glitz to her look with a pair of dangling earrings The royal swept her long brunette locks back from her face in a bouncy blow dry for the occasion. She kept her makeup neutral for the outing today Kate and Sophie appeared delighted to see one another earlier today, offering a close embrace as they sat next to one another at the games Princess Charlotte walked hand-in-hand with her mother through the Aquatics Centre as they arrived to take their seats and watch the event William, Kate and Charlotte all appeared in high spirits as they posed for photos during their visit to SportsAid House William and Kate laughed as Charlotte shot the camera a sassy look while they took photos during the sports charity visit A grinning Kate doted on Charlotte as she shook hands with the charity's athletes Charlotte looked adorable as shared a handshake with Tim Lawler, the CEO of SportsAid Charlotte shot the camera a subtle smile while the family posed in a group photo on the day William, Kate and Charlotte looked every inch the loving family they seem in the photos The royals looked to be enjoying attending the Games together Charlotte glanced at the camera as her parents intently listened on during a conversation with athletes at the charity The family was deep in thought during the conversation at SportsAid as they enjoyed a day at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham The whole family looked captivated by their chat with athletes at SportsAid as they stopped by the charity for a visit during a day at the Games Charlotte sat in-between her parents as they family spoke to athletes at SportsAid today The family gathered to listen to athletes at the charity speak Kate smiled as listened to and conversed with the athletes Kate looked stunning in a chic white suit Kate stunned in the all-white elegant ensemble as she enjoyed a day at the Games Charlotte greeted athletes at the charity with a handshake Young Charlotte stuck a Medal to the Medal wall during a visit to SportsAid House Charlotte appeared in deep concentration as she stuck the medal on Charlotte appeared to be tired from a long day of interaction She smiled at the camera during the charity visit Charlotte placed herself between a grinning William and Kate for the group photo Last week, the Countess of Wessex re-wore a favourite blue patterned dress as she joined Prince Edward at the Commonwealth Games on Friday. Sophie donned a 795 frock from royal-approved designer Peter Pilotto to take in the action across a number of sporting events. The couple started off with a trip to the gymnastics arena before taking their seats for a rugby sevens match. Prince Edward put on a particularly animated display, holding his head in his hands as he struggled to watch. Kate leaned down to check in on Charlotte, who covered her ears during the exceptionally athletic smoothie demonstration Charlotte plugged her ears during a seemingly noisy demonstration of a bicycle powered smoothie maker during a visit to SportsAid House Tim Lawler followed Charlotte's lead and also plugged his ears during the demonstration The impressed group looked on while the bike-powered smoothie was blended William and Kate looked in awe of the bike-powered smoothie whereas Charlotte plugged her ears at the noise William, Kate and Charlotte all posed for a group photograph during a visit to SportsAid House amid the Commonwealth Games The sweet family appeared to be enjoying their day together as they strolled during the Commonwealth Games The family enjoyed the day out at the Games together Kate stunned in a chic white suit Charlotte took part in an interactive learning experience during the family's visit to the sports charity earlier today Charlotte held onto her mum's hand as the family stepped out to enjoy the Women's Pool A hockey match between India and England Kate held onto Charlotte, and William followed closely behind as the trio made their way to watch a hockey game at the Games The family arrived at the Hockey and Squash centre at the University of Birmingham The family donned matching summery outfits as they made their way to a hockey match William cheered as Kate and Charlotte observed the exciting match while sat in the stands Charlotte appeared preoccupied with her hair as Kate seemed to gesture at the ongoing hockey match while the young family enjoyed the Games The royals enjoyed themselves in the stands during the game William pointed to something in the distance as a curious Kaye and an unimpressed Charlotte looked on Charlotte had her arms crossed as she observed the match William and Kate laughed and giggled as they enjoyed the match The young family appeared to enjoy one another's company as they watched the hockey in the stands William winced at the match as the family looked on at the game The family looked to be attentively spectating the match Charlotte appeared tired as she pulled on her hair during the match The young princess pulled on her pigtails while sat in the stands A worn out Charlotte appeared to be feeling tired during the day out The family chatted amidst one another in the stands A restless Charlotte pulled on her hair during the hockey match William leaned in, appearing to check in on his seven-year-old Kate pointed the match events out to her seemingly restless daughter William winced at one point as he took in the match Super Surgeons viewers were left amazed last night as doctors removed a 'huge' cancerous tumour weighing 1st from a pensioner's stomach - after other professionals had told him treatment was impossible. Ian, 71, appeared on the Channel 4 show last night as he described how a mass had 'gradually spread' across his stomach, and was now the size 'of a rugby ball.' He explained how he had been referred to palliative care after doctors told him it was 'untreatable' - but it was there a nurse told him to seek a second opinion at the Royal Marsden in London. After he asked surgeon Mr Dirk Strauss to give him a 'potential future', the doctor went on to remove the full tumour from Ian's stomach. Many of those watching were amazed by the skill involved in the complex operation, with one saying: 'How does someone train for something like this? Mind-blowing.' Super Surgeons viewers were left amazed last night as doctors removed a 'huge' cancerous tumour weighing 1st from Ian, 71,'s stomach - after other professionals had told him treatment was impossible After he asked surgeon Mr Dirk Strauss to give him a 'potential future', the doctor went on to remove the full tumour from Ian's stomach - which was the size of a rugby ball Meanwhile another wrote: ' Unbelievable - how they managed to remove a mass of that size.' Appearing on the programme, Ian said: 'My first encounter with cancer was actually way back when I was 23 and I was diagnosed with a testicular tumour. 'It didn't stop me being a man or doing what I want to do - it did stop me having children which was a great loss. 'I've had 35 years and for that I'm grateful. If there's a chance to grab some more of it than I will.' Many of those watching the programme were left amazed by the 'skill and empathy' from the doctors - whom they call 'unbelievable' But he went on to describe how he had since developed a second kind of cancer - a fatty sarcoma. He said: 'When I first started noticing it, it was about the size of a book and it's gradually spread. It's basically the size of a rugby ball. 'They did a biopsy and they decided it was this particular type of cancer. 'The team said basically, "We can't do anything" and concluded it was untreatable. So we're basically into palliative care.' WHAT IS SARCOMA? Sarcomas are uncommon types of cancer which can grow anywhere in the body on muscle, bone, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissue. Bone sarcomas are rare and affect approximately 670 people per year but there are other types of bone cancers. There are around 100 different types of sarcomas and about 5,300 people are year are diagnosed with them in the UK. Sarcomas can be treated well if people catch them early, but many people do not get diagnosed until their tumours are about the size of a tin of beans. Only slightly more than half of people with sarcomas (55 per cent) survive for five years or more after their diagnosis. Symptoms of sarcomas can include bone pain, swellings or lumps, and restricted movement if it is growing near a joint. Treatment may involve typical cancer therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Source: Sarcoma UK Advertisement However once they began palliative care, Ian said it was another healthcare professional who advised they seek a second opinion. He said: 'The nurse was very quick to say, "You must talk to Marsden, because they have some expertise in this area." Mr Strauss said: 'As a surgeon, sarcomas are a fascinating job. 'It can affect either the bone or the soft tissue. 'It's very very rare. If you look at the UK, there will only be 3,500 cases.' He continued: 'It's a very privileged situation to be in, to be able to help a patient with a rare and complex problem. 'Ian's cancer is a very large tumour in the back of his tummy. 'It involves several organs - the liver and the right kidney is completely encased. 'It has only one curative treatment, and that is surgery where you have to remove the whole tumour as well as the organs involved. 'That is quite an undertaking so we need to be very careful so we don't risk the patients life.' During a meeting about the future surgery, Mr Strauss was determined to make the risks clear to Ian. He said it was 'complex and very major surgery', adding: 'The aim is to remove the whole of the tumour and the organs - most likely a kidney and a bowel on the right hand side. 'I think we are doing the right thing. However, all this is based on the judgement of the scans. 'We are sometimes surprised at the surgery and we find it's not possible to remove the whole of the tumour because of the things it has grown into.' However Ian made it clear he was determined to push ahead, despite the warnings from Mr Strauss. Mr Dirk Strauss was keen to stress to his patient that he couldn't guarantee the operation to remove the tumour would be a success He said: 'You're giving me a potential future, and that's all I can ask for. Do your best job, and I'll be happy.' Mr Strauss continued: 'If we do not do anything about it, it will get bigger. 'You have to make sure when you put someone through a major operation, the risk is justified by the opportunity to cure them from the cancer. 'This is quite risky but I would think he has a chance to be cured from this disease so I think its the right decision.' He explained the first step of the surgery was to get to the tumour without cutting into it. Meanwhile Ian said he was determined to go ahead with the surgery because it could offer a 'potential future' Mr Strauss said: 'Surgeries always have inherent risks and sometimes things to do wrong. 'it would be great if everything always goes well, but it does sometimes go wrong.' After working his way around the blood vessels and different organs in Ian's stomach, Mr Strauss removed the tumour in his arms and passed it to another member of the team. He said: 'This is basically the whole of the tumour - for reference, this is a ruler only 15 cms long. 'We have to put it on human weighing scales. It weighs 7.5kgs.' After working his way around the blood vessels and different organs in Ian's stomach, Mr Strauss removed the tumour in his arms and passed it to another member of the team He added: It's always a worry, especially when patients get turned down elsewhere for surgery, whether your judgement is accurate. 'It's a great relief when it is actually possible to remove it completely, and it all went well, so I'm very happy.' 'The scans and the blood tests have so far shown I'm clear as far as cancer is concerned.' Meanwhile the doctor added: 'We start off with the goal to help people so when things go well, it makes you proud of what you've been able to do for them.' Many of those watching were left amazed by the programme, with one writing: 'In awe of these absolute heroes.' Another wrote: 'I'm continually amazed by the skill of the Super Surgeons and their theatre support, also the empathy/understanding they show to their patients. Great series.' 'That was so inspiring - seeing how passionate the surgeons are about the future. There is always hope,' another added. The Duchess of Cambridge once again demonstrated her thrifty approach to dressing by re-wearing a favourite suit for the Commonwealth Games today. Kate Middleton, was joined by her husband Prince William, both 40, and their daughter Princess Charlotte, seven, at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham, to watch the swimming heats. The royal mother-of-three opted for her trusty 1,945 white Alexander McQueen blazer and matching trousers when attending the tournament. She first wore the ensemble in Jamaica, in March, during her and Prince William's Caribbean tour, before again sporting the outfit to attend a series of engagements to mark Windrush Day in London. Kate Middleton opted for her trusty 1,945 white Alexander McQueen blazer and matching trousers when attending the Commonwealth Games today She first wore the ensemble in Jamaica, in March, during her and Prince William's Caribbean tour (pictured) The Duchess again sported the outfit to attend a series of engagements to mark Windrush Day in London (pictured) Kate has a close affiliation with Alexander McQueen having worn the British fashion house's designs on notable occasions, most famously to her wedding in 2011. Online, the blazer is described as 'a testament to Alexander McQueen's expert tailoring skills' with 'strong shoulders'. The designer describes it as 'perfect for a city hall wedding.' Proving she's a Queen at colour co-ordination, the Duchess paired the ensemble with a white blouse. Adding a touch of glitz to her attire, she completed the look with a matching silver necklace and drop earrings. She added a touch of makeup to her features and kept her hair in loose waves. A moment with Mum! Princess Charlotte appeared amazed by the entire afternoon out, gazing around with wide eyes while her mother watched on Already practicing the royal handshake! The confident seven-year-old chatted with those attending the event in Birmingham today At one stage, the little royal lent across to touch her mother's arm while they looked at the programme of events for the afternoon In May, stylists revealed how a white suit has become a new must-have for royals after Kate, Meghan Markle and former Princess Tessy of Luxembourg all wore the ensemble this season. The Duchess of Cambridge appeared to kick off the trend during her tour of the Caribbean in March, when she was dazzling in the 1,370 fresh white jacket with matching 575 trousers by Alexander McQueen. Weeks later, the Duchess of Sussex, sported a 3,200 Valentino white suit as she stepped out at the Invictus Games in The Hague. And then in May, both Tessy Antony De Nassau and Princess Isabella of Denmark stepped out in white ensembles for different events. Celebrity stylist Rochelle White told FEMAIL the suit has become a 'timeless piece' which gives off a 'powerful and successful look'. While Princess Charlotte was dressed in a striped black Rachel Riley dress, her mother Kate opted for a smart white suit for the outing This is the third time this year the Duchess has worn the suit - having first worn the suit during her Caribbean tour earlier this year 'Sometimes, suits can be seen as powerful and give off a successful look and feel, even sometimes can be seen as having it all together. This look has been worn by many celebrities, models and royals,' she said. The Duchess was in high spirits as she arrived at the tournament alongside her husband the Duke, and their seven-year-old daughter, where they took their seats in Sandwell Aquatics Centre to watch the swimming heats. Meanwhile Princess Charlotte, who was wearing a 44 Rachel Riley dress, appeared delighted to be attended the contest, gesturing wildly to her parents as they sat in the stands. Today's occasion marked the first time the little Princess has joined her parents for a solo outing without one of her brothers, Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, four. In a cheeky display, the seven-year-old could be seen clapping along enthusiastically, sticking out her tongue and gasping at moments of action - while her mother tenderly tucked locks of her hair behind her ear which had fallen from her neat plaits. The little royal is proving to be quite the sporting fan - days ago, she joined her father for a video message in sending her best wishes to the Lionesses ahead of the Euro 2022 final. A Tennessee woman who was advised by doctors to terminate her pregnancy for her own safety has opened up about how her abortion was canceled when she was lying on the ultrasound table, nearly 19 weeks pregnant. Madison Underwood, 22, and her fiance, Adam Queen, 24, had been told two weeks before that their baby had a rare defect and would not survive outside the womb. If Underwood tried to carry the baby to term, she could become critically ill or die. 'We were debating on it because I thought, maybe I can beat the odds,' she told The New York Times. 'But then I got scared.' Madison Underwood, 22, from Tennessee, was nearly 19 weeks pregnant when her abortion was canceled, three days after the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade Underwood and her fiance, Adam Queen, 24, had been told two weeks before that their baby had a rare defect and would not survive outside the womb Underwood and Queen were excited to start a family together, and the decision to terminate her pregnancy was one that they never imagined they would have to make. Queen, a manager at a Dollar General store, was the one who first suspected Underwood was pregnant. She had thrown up almost every morning for a week and was craving foods she normally disliked when he brought home the test in May. The laws that stopped a Tennessee mother from undergoing an abortion: Inside state's strict laws On June 28, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Tennessee began outlawing abortions for any fetus that is found to have a heartbeat. The state's trigger law, known as the Heartbeat Bill, bans abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, whenever a heartbeat is detected. Tennessee also requires anyone who is seeking an abortion to go through two appointments with a physician, at least 48 hours apart, before they can undergo a termination. However, Tennessee lawmakers are planning to implement a near-total ban on all abortions from fertilization beginning on August 25. Source: Center for Reproductive Rights Advertisement It was the first pregnancy test had ever taken, and they were both thrilled when they saw it was positive. Queen, who has a daughter with a previous girlfriend, hoped for a boy while Underwood wanted a girl. The couple shared the news with both sets of their parents on Mother's Day. They faced some heat for getting pregnant before they were married, but their wedding was set for June, and the excitement over the new baby won out. Underwood, who didn't have health insurance, had her first checkup at a free local clinic. She was 13 weeks pregnant and due on November 23. They waited to be approved for Medicaid before scheduling an appointment with a licensed obstetrician. Queen worked full time, and they lived with his mother, Theresa Davis, and his stepfather, Christopher Davis, in their farmhouse in Pikeville to save money. Underwood recalled how the nurse got 'real quiet' at her next appointment and told her that the nurse practitioner would be in to talk to her. The nurse practitioner thought it was a mile case of encephalocele, a sac-like bulge of the brain and the membranes that cover it that pokes through an opening in the skull. Underwood and Queen were told the congenital condition could be fixed through surgery after she gave birth. There was a chance the baby could have an intellectual disability or developmental delay, but they were 'OK with that.' They also learned the baby was a girl and named her Olivia after Underwood's grandfather Oliver. Underwood was referred to Regional Obstetrical Consultants, a practice that specializes in high-risk pregnancy. The practice declined to comment for The Times's story. At Regional Obstetrical Consultants, the couple learned the fetus had not formed a skull, and surgery would not help. Without anything to protect the brain, the baby would only survive a few hours at best after birth. The fetus had not formed a skull and brain matter was leaking into the umbilical sac, putting her at risk for sepsis If Underwood tried to carry the baby to term, she could become critically ill or die The doctor at the clinic canceled Underwood's abortion at the last minute over fears of being prosecuted for performing the procedure in Tennessee Despite the devastating diagnosis, Underwood still wanted to carry the pregnancy to term. She wanted to meet her daughter and donate the baby's organs if possible. Doctors explained that the fetus's brain matter was leaking into the umbilical sac, putting Underwood at risk for life-threatening sepsis. She was advised to terminate the pregnancy for her own safety. 'I wanted to make sure that I wasnt going to regret it,' Underwood told The Times. 'Because me and Adam, were going to have to be the ones dealing with it our whole life.' It took Underwood and Queen days to make the decision to terminate the pregnancy. They postponed their wedding and scheduled the abortion for June 27. At the time, Tennessee allowed abortion up until 24 weeks into pregnancy, though The Times reported that it was rarely performed in the state after 20 weeks. Three days before Underwood's appointment, U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal at the federal level. Underwood was dreading the abortion and cried on her way to the clinic, but it didn't occur to her that the procedure could be canceled over Roe v. Wade. She thought it would be allowed because she had scheduled the appointment before any state ban had been put into effect. Underwood was lying on the ultrasound table with sonogram gel on her exposed stomach when the doctor came in and told her the abortion had been canceled. 'Theyre just going to let me die?' she recalled thinking. Underwood and Queen had to travel to Georgia and pay out of pocket for her potentially life-saving abortion Queen's mother, Theresa Davis, started a GoFundMe to help the couple cover the out-of-state procedure, travel costs, and the fetus's cremation The doctor and nurses told them about a clinic in Georgia, where abortions were still legal up to 22 weeks, after deeming the legal risks of performing an abortion in Tennessee to be too high. In 2020, the state passed a law that banned abortions after a heartbeat can be detected, which occurs around six weeks of pregnancy. It had been blocked by a federal judge, but it could soon go into effect following the undoing of Roe v Wade. The day after Underwood's abortion was canceled, the nearly two-year injunction that had stopped the six-week abortion ban was lifted. A complete abortion ban will go into effect in the state on August 25. The only exception is if the pregnancy puts the mother's life in danger. However, as Underwood had experienced, doctors in the state already fear facing prosecution for performing an abortion under the new law. Underwood's parents and grandparents are opposed to abortion and saw the cancellation as a sign from God that she should carry the pregnancy to term despite the risks. However, she resisted their urging to reconsider and told them no. Queen had to quit his job at Dollar General to take care of his fiancee while trying to figure out how they would pay out of pocket for an abortion in Georgia. Queen's mother, who had supported their decision from the beginning, launched a GoFundMe page for the couple and raised over $5,000 in donations to cover the out-of-state procedure, travel costs, and the fetus's cremation. Last month, Underwood and Queen drove four hours to an abortion clinic in Georgia with his mother, her parents, and one of her brothers. At the clinic, they were confronted by protesters who accused them of 'killing babies.' Underwood wore headphones to help muffle their cries. She had a procedure known as dilation and evacuation, or a D&E, over the course of two days. On the first day, she was given medication to induce dilation. She returned to the clinic the next day to have the fetus and placenta removed. Underwood is among the growing number of people who have shared their stories after struggling to get an abortion in their home states following the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Earlier this month, it was reported that an unidentified woman in Wisconsin was refused help by doctors while having an incomplete miscarriage. She bled for ten days after staff refused to remove the fetal tissue over fears they would be violating the state's 1849 ban on abortions. Melinda Gates posed like a 'supermodel' while enjoying a girls getaway to London with her daughter, Phoebe. The Microsoft general manager jetted off to the English city with her and her ex-husband Bill Gates' youngest daughter, 19, and it appeared as though the mother-daughter-duo had some fun modeling during the trip. Phoebe shared a glimpse into their vacation in a video shared to her Instagram on Monday, which showed her mom, 57, striking various hip poses while touring the British capital. 'Mom: let's take some photos. OK supermodel,' she wrote in the beginning of the clip, before a montage of pictures of Melinda flashed across the screen. Melinda Gates posed like a 'supermodel' while enjoying a girls getaway to London with her daughter, Phoebe The Microsoft general manager jetted off to the English city with her and her ex-husband Bill Gates' youngest daughter, 19 (seen together in 2018) Phoebe shared a glimpse into their vacation in a video shared to her Instagram on Monday, which showed her mom, 57, striking various hip poses. Phoebe is seen on the trip One showed the computer scientist standing in the popular restaurant Sketch with a big smile on her face, while donning a pink, striped top with a ruffled collar and puffy sleeves. She paired the look with white pants. Another snap featured her standing with her hand on her hip in front of a white building. Other photos saw her kicking her leg up and leaning against the pretty architecture. 'My momma sure knows best,' Phoebe captioned the post. Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 and were together for 27 years before they announced that they were getting a divorce in May 2021. They welcomed three children over the years, including Phoebe, Jennifer, 25, and Rory, 23. The mother-daughter trip comes just weeks after Phoebe was subjected to a slew of racist abuse from trolls who criticized her for allegedly dating a black man. The University of Stanford student appeared to confirm that she was in a relationship with the mystery man last month, when she shared a few photos of herself cozying up to him on Instagram. However, dozens of people left nasty comments on the pictures, with some slamming her for being in a relationship with a person of color and others accusing him of using her for her money. One showed the computer scientist standing in the popular restaurant Sketch with a big smile on her face, while donning a pink, striped top with a ruffled collar and puffy sleeves Another snap featured her standing with her hand on her hip in front of a white building. Other photos saw her kicking her leg up and leaning against the pretty architecture Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 but announced that they were getting a divorce in May 2021. They welcomed three children - Phoebe, Jennifer, and Rory. The family is seen in 2019 'Bill about to smash a vase against the wall,' one person commented. 'Bro become a millionaire in a matter of seconds,' another added. Someone else said: 'Now we know why Bill Gates been tellin' his kids they aint gon' inherit s**t,' referring to Bill's previous revelation that he will not leave the majority of his wealth to his children. The Microsoft billionaire - who is one of the richest men in the world with an estimated net worth of $123.7 billion - announced at a TED conference in Canada in 2014 that he will instead leave most of his fortune to his family's foundation. However, that didn't stopped social media users from making sordid suggestions about Phoebe's rumored new romance - with several urging the unnamed suitor to 'get her pregnant,' and others joking that he 'secured the bag.' One person tweeted: 'Her net worth is projected [to be] $130 Billion. I don't think he is her equal or they are doing 50/50. Just my guess [though].' Another chimed in: 'Phoebe Gates has a black boyfriend, young brotha do not pull out BE GREAT.' 'When Phoebe Gates' boyfriend gets added to the joint checking account,' one person added, while sharing a video of a black man doing a celebratory dance. The mother-daughter trip comes just weeks after Phoebe was subjected to a slew of racist abuse from trolls who criticized her for allegedly dating a black man (pictured) She shared a few photos of herself cozying up to the mystery man on Instagram. However, dozens of people left nasty comments on the pictures Some slammed her for being in a relationship with a person of color and others accused him of using her for her money Someone else tweeted a video of a black man waving a gun around while swerving his car across a road, writing: 'Phoebe Gates and her boyfriend pulling up to Bill Gates' house for Thanksgiving.' Meanwhile Melinda has been pursuing a number of new projects since splitting from Bill in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, most recently announcing a partnership with the Women's Tennis Association. Melinda - who is understood to been awarded close to half of her ex-husband's estimated $130 billion fortune in their divorce settlement when it was finalized in August of last year - announced the project at this year's Wimbledon, where she took part in a press conference to share details of the collaboration between the WTA and her and Bill's foundation. The collaboration will see the two organizations working together to raise awareness about women's health and nutrition around the world, while also promoting gender equality and female leadership. However the mother-of-three has also been making strides in her personal life, revealing in March that she had 'dipped her toe' into the dating world and that she 'definitely' wanted to find love again in the future. 'You know, I'm dipping my toe in that water a little bit,' Melinda said of her love life during an interview with CBS Mornings. 'I feel like, I'm in a really good place. And I'm really, really excited about my life and about the worldthe work ahead.' A foodie has shared her simple, fuss-free hack for dicing an onion in under 30 seconds. Cookbook author and nutritionist Melanie Lionello demonstrated the 'literally life-changing' trick she said will 'save so many tears' in a now-viral clip. The Melbourne cook, who heads From My Little Kitchen, chopped the stem off a whole onion and placed in on a chopping board with the root facing upwards. Scroll down for video Melbourne foodie and nutritionist Melanie Lionello has gone mega viral with her simple way to chop and onion in under 30 seconds that won't make your eyes water After taking the onion skin off, she makes multiple slices the whole way around the onion from the root to the stem with each cut meeting in the centre. Melanie then turns the onion on its side and makes a series of thin vertical cuts starting at the stem and making her way up to the root. She was left with finely diced pieces of onion perfect for cooking and dry eyes. 'I was today years-old when I learnt that I could dice an onion like this. Please tell me that I'm not the only one,' she said in an Instagram video. The cookbook author chopped the stem off a whole onion, placed in on a chopping board with the root facing upwards and made multiple slices the whole way around the vegetable Melanie then turns the onion on its side and makes a series of thin vertical cuts starting at the stem and making her way up to the root The video has racked up more than 11.4million views on the platform as well as hundreds of thankful comments. 'THIS IS A GAME CHANGER,' one viewer exclaimed. 'Wow I'm trying this, never cut an onion like this but it looks so easy!' wrote another. 'I like chopping onions like this. It saves my eyes from tearing up,' said a third. 'Cut it in half first so you have it firmly on a flat surface will make it safer to do, you may cut yourself doing it whole,' a fourth recommended. Lip fillers should be made prescription-only, MPs demanded today in a clampdown on the UK's cowboy cosmetic market. Influencers should also be forced to add disclaimer logos to photoshopped images so vulnerable social media users know they're not natural. These images, created through various filters, have been blamed for fostering body dysphoria among Britons unsatisfied by how they look. The Health and Social Care Committee said the Government is 'not doing enough to understand the scale of the risks' linked to body image dissatisfaction. It also called for an end to the 'conveyor belt' of non-surgical cosmetic procedures including lip-fillers and Botox by bringing forward a licensing regime. This should include minimum training standards for people providing the services and a 'cooling off' period between consent and the procedure. Under current rules, an aesthetic practitioner in the UK doesn't need any mandatory qualifications. It means that anyone can go on a training course and then be allowed to perform dermal filler treatments. Thousands of Britons, mostly young women, get fillers every year. They can cost in the region of 200. The procedure sees a substance, usually hyaluronic acid, injected into the face to fill out wrinkles or make lips and cheekbones bigger or look more defined. Its popularity has boomed in recent years as women aspire to look like celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, prompting concern from experts worried that Britons are falling victim to a largely unregulated cosmetic aesthetic industry. Lip fillers should be made prescription-only and influencers should add disclaimers to photoshopped images, a report by MPs on the House of Commons' Health and Social Care Committee claimed today Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt says 'there are a lot of backstreet cowboys where you can turn up and get non-surgical cosmetic procedures done to change your face' What does the MPs report on body image recommend? Dermal fillers should be made prescription-only substances, in line with Botox New law so 'commercial images' which feature bodies that have been doctored are required to carry a logo National disorder eating strategy with increased investment in research National review of the growing use of anabolic steroids in England as it relates to body image Government to work with advertisers to feature a wider variety of body aesthetics, and work with industry and the ASA to encourage advertisers and influencers not to doctor their images Cross-departmental strategy across Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Education to tackle the current growing problem of body dissatisfaction and its related health, educational and social consequences; Fund new research to understand the causal pathways that are leading to a rise in body image dissatisfaction across the population and the impact of social media on body image Advertisement Chairman of the committee, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: 'The Government must act urgently to end the situation where anyone can carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures, regardless of training or qualifications. 'We heard of some distressing experiences a conveyor belt approach with procedures carried out with no questions asked, procedures that have gone wrong, the use of filthy premises. 'It was clear throughout our inquiry that some groups are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in this growing market that has gone largely unregulated. 'We need a timetable now for a licensing regime with patient safety at its centre to reduce those risks. 'We hope that ministers will listen to our recommendations and set about creating the safety standards that anyone seeking treatment has a right to expect.' The report also calls for more to be done to tackle obesity and to help prevent chidden from developing body image issues in early life. MPs urged the Government to restrict multibuy deals for foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar. Meanwhile, the Government should review the growing use of anabolic steroids for cosmetic purposes, the group said. MPs proposed a safety campaign for those at risk. Mr Hunt told Sky News: 'There are a lot of backstreet cowboys where you can turn up and get non-surgical cosmetic procedures done to change your face, the shape of your nose. 'We say that shouldn't be something you can just turn up and get done on the spot, there should be a cooling-off period. 'And, in particular, there should be an obligation on whoever is conducting that procedure to look into your full history, including your mental health history, and talk about that with you, because it might be that this isn't actually anything to do with your look, it is to do with mental health issues. 'The thing to do is to look at the root cause of those problems, not to change your face.' He added: 'In some ways, access is too easy for people who are feeling depressed or anxious about their body image. 'They can go and get these procedures done on the spur of the moment, without proper consideration, and then they find out that it hasn't actually solved the root problem. 'We now think that around 60 per cent of 17- to 19-year-olds may have a possible eating disorder, so this is a very dramatic increase over the last couple of decades. Cosmetic procedures like dermal fillers have boomed in Britain over the past few years as women seek to emulate the looks of celebrities like Kylie Jenner (left) and Kim Kardashian (right) What are the risks with getting lip fillers? The beauty industry in the UK is an unregulated 'wild west', with clinics not required to register or meet basic hygiene or safety standards. Ministers are currently preparing to regulate it, however, with plans now making their way through parliament. The NHS says the risks of getting fillers depend on whether the procedure was done correctly or what filler was used. Serious complications include: An infection; A lumpy appearance under the skin; Filler moving away from the intended treatment area; Scarring; Blocked blood vessels in the face, which can cause tissue death or blindness. Source: NHS Advertisement 'And social media appears to be one of the causes we call for some research to be done so that we can properly understand that. 'But, at the very minimum, when commercial companies photoshop images to make people more thin than they would be in real life, we think that should be labelled we think people looking at those images should know this is not a real human being. 'And that's part of the way that we can help people use social media with more awareness, (to know) some of the tricks of the trade if you like, and therefore stop this ever-focus on our bodies, which is so damaging for so many young people, particularly young women. 'I think the social media landscape is in need of an overhaul in areas like this, particularly when it affects young people.' Victoria Brownlie, chief policy officer for the British Beauty Council, urged the Government to take the committee's recommendations forward, adding: 'We want a beauty industry that stands as a beacon for body positivity with world-leading standards of care. 'Regulation for non-surgical cosmetic procedures can't come soon enough and, while the Government has committed to addressing this, current party politics means that such policy changes are in limbo. Timelines are unclear.' Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at eating disorder charity Beat, said: 'We welcome the Health and Social Care Committee's proposal to ensure digitally altered images are clearly marked. 'Whilst viewing irresponsible advertising or social media images would not be the sole cause of an eating disorder developing, the pressure to conform to a particular body shape or size can have an incredibly detrimental effect on self-esteem and wellbeing, particularly in younger people.' A Government spokesman said: 'We know the devastating impact issues around body image can have on a person's mental and physical health, and we are continuing to take steps to support those affected. 'As part of our ongoing effort, we will be introducing a national licensing scheme to help prevent exploitation, improve safety and ensure individuals are making informed and safe choices about non-surgical cosmetic procedures. 'This will build on the existing support we have put in place, from expanding mental health services including for those with body dysmorphic disorder with an additional 2.3billion a year by 2024, to changing the law preventing under-18s accessing Botox and filler treatments for cosmetic purposes.' New data shows six times more patients are waiting at least 12 hours in A&E than official data states This underplays scale of the NHS casualty crisis, as patients may have arrived hours before being admitted NHS divulge stats on 'trolley waits' time between deciding to admit patient and giving them a bed Advertisement The number of patients waiting at least 12 hours in A&E units is six times than official statistics show, it emerged today. Currently, health bosses only divulge data on 'trolley waits' the time between medics deciding a patient needs to be admitted and when they actually are given a bed. This drastically underplays the scale of the NHS casualty crisis, given that patients may have arrived hours before their condition was deemed serious enough for further treatment. Trusts in England are now, however, beginning to publicly declare the number of patients who have endured waits of 12-plus hours from the time they entered a casualty department. Nearly 700,000 people have waited half a day in A&E in 2022 so far a figure six times greater than the 120,000 stated in routinely published NHS data. Campaigners warned the 'apocalyptic' figures show the 'real state' of the country's overwhelmed emergency care service, which has seen performance standards fall to an all-time low. Ambulance response times have been hit as a result, as packed hospitals scramble to find beds for 999 patients, leaving ambulances queuing outside hospitals for up to 20 hours. More in-depth data, published by hospital executives in their own board papers, reveal the true toll was closer to the 34,000 mark over the same timespan. This metric measures the number of 12-hour waits between when a patient arrives at A&E until they are admitted, discharged or transferred. At the worst-affected trusts, just a handful of waits were recorded under the official measure. This includes Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, which registered 2,667 12-hour waits in its board papers for May but just four in the NHS publication for the same month. And Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust only reported one 12-hour wait in the routinely-published nation-wide log but stated there were 400 half-day waits in their board papers Some 22,034 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England in June from a decision to admit to actually being admitted, NHS England said. The figure is up from 19,053 the previous month, but still below a record of 24,138 in April, which was the highest for any calendar month in records going back to August 2010. The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission stood at 130,109 in June, up from 122,768 the previous month. A total of 72% of patients in England were seen within four hours at A&Es last month, down from 73% in May Heart attack patients waited more than 50 minutes for an ambulance on average in England last month nearly triple the NHS target. There were more than 300,000 category two callouts in June At the same time, the NHS backlog for routine treatment grew from 6.4million to 6.6million in May, the latest month with data, meaning one in eight people in England are now waiting for elective care, often in pain Six times more patients are waiting at least 12 hours in emergency departments than official data states, it emerged today 12-hour A&E waits may be SIX TIMES more common than NHS makes out The NHS shares figures on 'trolley waits' the time between medics deciding a patient needs to be admitted and when they actually are given a bed. But trust-level data uses a metric which measures the number of 12-hour waits between when a patient arrives at A&E until they are admitted, discharged or transferred. Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 1 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 400 East Suffolk And North Essex Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 2 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 510 Imperial College Healthcare Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 144 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 1,197 Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 4 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 2,667 Manchester University Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 20 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 3,519 Mid And South Essex Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 9 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 2,751 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 31 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 504 The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 0 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 104 The Royal Wolverhampton Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 30 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 1,277 University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire Trust Trolley waits over 12 hours: 13 Arrival to decision waits over 12 hours: 1,424 Advertisement The damning analysis, by the Health Service Journal, looked at A&E attendances at 20 NHS trusts, including some of England's busiest. NHS England statistics show the organisations logged 5,309 12-hour waits between them during their most recent collection period. More in-depth data, published by hospital executives in their own board papers, reveal the true toll was closer to the 34,000 mark over the same timespan. This metric measures the number of 12-hour waits between when a patient arrives at A&E until they are admitted, discharged or transferred. At the worst-affected trusts, just a handful of waits were recorded under the official measure. This includes Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, which registered 2,667 12-hour waits in its board papers for May but just four in the NHS publication for the same month. And Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust only reported one 12-hour wait in the routinely-published nation-wide log but stated there were 400 half-day waits in their board papers. East Suffolk And North Essex Foundation Trust (two vs 501), Mid And South Essex Foundation Trust (nine vs 2,751) and Manchester University Foundation Trust (20 vs 3,519) were also among the trusts with large discrepancies. Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told MailOnline: 'These figures are shocking and show the real state of our accident and emergency service as experienced by patients. 'It can no longer properly be described as an emergency service in many parts of the country. 'Until the social care crisis has been sorted out, so that hospital beds are freed up, these gross blockages in the system will continue indefinitely. 'Patients are languishing in hospital corridors or in the back of ambulances in their thousands every day and the Government appears to have no plan to sort it out.' Meanwhile, separate analysis by The Independent shows the number of 12-hour waits per month nationally is 144 per cent higher in the first six months of 2022, compared to the same timeframe in 2019. Dr Steve Black, a statistician who has authored research on how delays in treating patients in A&E affect fatality rates, told the online newspaper that the figures mean around 1,000 extra patients per month may be dying in emergency departments over long waits. He added: 'The current state of waits in major A&Es is apocalyptic and we are seeing neither honesty about the numbers nor any good ideas about how to improve them.' Daniel Pryor, head of research at the think tank Adam Smith Institute, told MailOnline: 'We know that the NHS fails to live up to patient expectations, but this data shows that the problem is even worse than we thought. 'Politicians urgently need to get a grip of the A&E crisis and adopt best practices from European countries with better healthcare outcomes.' Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: 'The sheer number of patients waiting for over half a day is shocking and shows the scale of the problems we face. 'The pandemic will have made things worse, but it is untruthful to suggest this is anything other than the long-term result of having too few beds, staff and lack of social care for over a decade. 'We know that waits of over six hours are associated with increased risk of mortality, so this data shows just how many lives are potentially at risk.' She added: 'Yet this data is only made available on an annual basis, despite being regularly collected by NHS England. This data must be published regularly you cannot attempt to solve a problem without knowing the scale of it. 'The 12-hour data that is currently published monthly is measured from the time a decision to admit a patient to a bed has been made, meaning that the patient may already have been wait four, five, eight hours. 'There should be no excuse the actual number of patients waiting for over 12 hours, measured from time of arrival, must be published monthly as a matter of urgency.' Just 220 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours of arriving at an emergency department, on average per month, in the decade before Covid hit, while nine in 10 patients (92 per cent) were seen within four hours. The worst monthly national A&E performance figures pre-pandemic logged was nearly 3,000 patients waiting 12 hours or more and 80 per cent being within four hours. But last summer, the number of 12-hour waiters started to creep up and hit a record of 23,138 in April more than seven times higher than the worst month pre-coronavirus. In June, the latest month figures are available for, the number stood at 22,034. The proportion of patients seen within four hours the health service's own target also began falling last summer and dropped to an all-time low of 71.6 per cent in March. By June, the rate had only recovered slightly (72.1 per cent). The NHS blames soaring demand with the busiest June on record logged this year Covid pressures, higher than usual staff absences due to the virus and the social care crisis. Ambulances have queued outside A&E for up to 20 hours waiting for a space inside choked-up hospitals, which has had a knock-on effect on response times. Heart attack and stroke patients have even been told they face waits of several hours before being picked up. # An NHS spokesperson said: 'Official, published NHS statistics show hospitals have been contending with record levels of patients in A&E and emergency ambulance call outs and thousands of patients in hospital with Covid. 'The latest figures are another reminder of the crucial importance of community and social care in helping people in hospital leave when they are fit to do so, not just because it is better for them but because it helps free up precious NHS bed space.' Two children have tested positive for monkeypox in Indiana, state health officials have revealed bringing the U.S. tally among youngsters to four. The Indiana Department of Health announced the infections, but refused to give any further information citing privacy concerns. They join a toddler in California who has caught the virus, and a baby who tested positive while traveling through Washington D.C. A pregnant woman was also found to have been infected last week. It raises concerns because children under the age of eight years are at higher risk of a more severe monkeypox infection. More than 5,800 cases have been spotted in America so far the biggest outbreak in the world, mostly among men and gay or bisexual individuals. But experts warn the disease will likely spill over into other groups because it only requires physical touch to be passed on. No deaths have yet been recorded in the United States, but ten fatalities have been registered worldwide including four out of Africa. The two in Spain are reported to be among young men. The above map shows countries that have detected monkeypox (yellow) and that have confirmed a monkeypox death (red). There have been ten fatalities globally so far Revealing the cases in children last week, the state added: 'No additional information about the cases will be released at this time due to patient privacy.' They did not say whether they had been hospitalized, or what treatments they were being offered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the first two cases in children a fortnight ago, but said both were 'doing well' at the time. DailyMail.com has asked for an update. Timeline of monkeypox in the United States 1958: Monkeypox is discovered when an outbreak of pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. 1970: First human case of the disease is recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was later detected in a number of other central and western African countries. 2003: America's former largest monkeypox outbreak occurs. A total of 47 people are infected after having contact with pet prairie dogs that picked up the disease at a farm. July, 2021: Monkeypox case detected in the U.S. in a citizen who had recently returned from Nigeria. November, 2021: Monkeypox is detected in another U.S. resident who recently returned from Nigeria. May, 2022: A man in Massachusetts is diagnosed with monkeypox, becoming the first case in the current outbreak. There are now more than 5,000 cases nationwide. July, 2022: Monkeypox cases are detected in children and a pregnant woman in the U.S., in a sign it is spreading to other groups. Advertisement It is thought they most likely became infected from 'household contacts', which can include family members as well as visitors to where they live. Dr Rochelle Walensky said both the children had contact with gay or bisexual men the community where most cases are being detected currently. The two youngsters were receiving the antiviral TPOXX, which can help stop an infection in its tracks by interfering with how the virus matures. Monkeypox infections have been mostly confined to adult men who were behind more than 99 percent of total cases last week. But experts are repeatedly warning the virus will spill over into other groups because it only requires physical contact with lesions to transmit. This has sparked concern if it spreads to children, because evidence suggests they are at risk of more severe disease. The World Health Organization warns that children alongside older people and pregnant women are more at risk from monkeypox. Scientific studies suggest that between three and ten percent of youngsters with monkeypox die from the disease, although this depends on the strain they catch. Announcing the case in Indiana, state health commissioner Dr Kris Box said: 'Monkeypox does not easily spread through brief casual contact, but it's important to remember that anyone can be affected if they are a close contact of a positive case. 'Hoosiers who believe they may have been exposed or who develop symptoms consistent with monkeypox are urged to contact a healthcare provider.' Indiana has the 17th biggest monkeypox outbreak in the United States, with 54 infections recorded to date. But this has grown rapidly from two weeks ago, when there were just 11 cases detected. The biggest outbreak is in New York City where 1,390 cases have now being detected followed by California (827) and Illinois (520). Neither has declared cases in children. Advertisement The United States allowed its monkeypox vaccine stockpile to dwindle from 20million to just 2,400 doses because it had only planned for a smallpox outbreak and was working on alternatives, it was revealed today as California and Illinois declared a state of emergency over the virus. Official documents showed how the 'strategic' stockpile was allowed to plummet to 0.012 percent from its peak in 2013, as doses of the Jynneos vaccine which only have a three-year shelf life ran out. An attempt was made to restock it in 2015 when another 8million doses were ordered. Once these were expired, America signed for another 1.3million but mostly these were still in Denmark when monkeypox struck because the Food and Drug Administration still hadn't inspected their manufacturing facility. Thousands of gay or bisexual men have been left waiting weeks to get doses, with many left with no option but to spend hours sitting at home hitting refresh on their browsers in the hopes of securing a coveted appointment. States have also complained they are getting too few doses from the national stockpile. The revelation published by the New York Times came as America's cases tally hit 5,800, with a further 622 infections detected this weekend. There have been no deaths to date, but four have been detected outside Africa including two in Spain which has a similar-sized outbreak. California and Illinois which have the second and third highest case counts both said they would declare a state of emergency over monkeypox today. They join New York City and San Francisco in hitting the panic button over the outbreak, although federal officials are yet to make a similar move. America once had 20million doses of Jynneos vaccine - the preferred option for fighting monkeypox - in its national stockpile. But these jabs, with a shelf-life of three years, quickly expired. It has moved to replenish stocks since then, but bought less as the strategy shifted to developing a longer-lived jab The above map shows where in the U.S. monkeypox cases have been detected. New York has the largest outbreak and is the only state to confirm more than 1,000 cases Pictured above are men waiting in line for the monkeypox vaccine in Encino, California. It came after the state's governor declared a state of emergency in the area Pictured above are men standing in long lines to get doses of the monkeypox vaccine in San Francisco in early July. The city was the first place to declare monkeypox an emergency America's national stockpile of these jabs was ramped up after the 9/11 attacks over fears terrorist groups could get hold of and re-release the smallpox virus, which is currently eradicated. The Jynneous doses were only ever meant to be offered to vulnerable people in this case, such as young children and older adults. Millions of doses of other jabs like ACAM2000 and Dryvax were held for the general population, but these are generally not preferred because of the risk of side-effects. As the Bavarian Nordic-made jabs expired, however, federal officials decided to invest in developing new 'freeze-dried' jabs that could last for up to ten years or three-times longer than current stocks. Timeline of monkeypox in the United States 1958: Monkeypox is discovered when an outbreak of pox-like virus occurred in monkeys kept for research. 1970: First human case of the virus is recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was later detected in a number of other central and western African countries. 2003: America's former largest monkeypox outbreak occurs. A total of 47 people are infected after having contact with pet prairie dogs that picked up the virus at a farm. July, 2021: Monkeypox case detected in the U.S. in a citizen who had recently returned from Nigeria. November, 2021: Monkeypox is detected in another U.S. resident who recently returned from Nigeria. May, 2022: A man in Massachusetts is diagnosed with monkeypox, becoming the first case in the current outbreak. There are now more than 5,000 cases nationwide. July, 2022: Monkeypox cases are detected in children and a pregnant woman in the U.S., in a sign it is spreading to other groups. Advertisement They have invested more than $1billion in this to date, but the longer-lived jabs are still yet to be developed. Amid dwindling supplies, the Federal Government also switched to buying the vaccine in bulk or as a fluid stored in plastic bags. This is stored in Denmark and could not immediately be rolled out because it still needed to be filled-and-finished, or put into vials to be distributed to the population. An order of 1.3million more Jynneos doses was placed in 2020 to augment the national stockpile records showed. Of these, 372,000 doses had been filled and finished by an FDA-approved contractor meaning they could quickly be shipped to the U.S. for use. But the rest nearly a million jabs went through this process at the company's new factory which was yet to get the rubber-stamp from the FDA. It meant that when monkeypox struck they were held up in Denmark while officials carried out the inspection. Federal officials revealed that when monkeypox first struck they had just 2,400 Jynneos doses available. Dr Gary Disbrow, who directed the agency that supported the development of Jynneos and other jabs, told the NYT that with the national stockpile: 'Our planning was for smallpox.' 'We have to prepare against multiple threats with a limited budget.' Monkeypox which had been known since the early 1950s from Africa had not entered high on their list of threats because it generally did not circulate beyond the continent. All the vaccines being used were designed to fight smallpox, but officials say they can also be used against monkeypox because the two viruses are closely related. It was revealed as the governors of California and Illinois declared states of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak, joining New York and San Francisco. Both states have seen cases escalate in recent weeks, with California now having the second-biggest outbreak in the country and Illinois the third largest. They have declared the emergencies to make more resources available to combat the virus, and ramp up the number of people that can dish out the jabs. Declaring the emergency in California, Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was 'working urgently... to slow the spread of monkeypox.' He added they were leveraging testing and contact tracing knowledge from the pandemic to fight the virus. Local LGBT group Equality California applauded the move, saying in a statement that the virus 'continues to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and queer men'. Pictured above are vials of the monkeypox and smallpox vaccine in Chicago, Illinois, after the state today declared an emergency over the outbreak of the virus In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker said: 'I am declaring a state of emergency to expand the resources and co-ordination efforts of state agencies in responding to, treating and preventing the spread of monkeypox. 'In Illinois, we will ensure our LGBT community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring members are not stigmatized as they access critical health care.' It is understood that the federal government is also considering declaring monkeypox an emergency, but is yet to take the step. It was reported this could be as soon as last week. California has received 61,000 doses of the vaccine to date, and in some areas is aiming to roll them out to everyone who requests one. Los Angeles is receiving a separate vaccine allocation. This tally is far below the 600,000 to 800,000 jabs that have been requested. The health department says it is 'hopeful the federal government will deliver additional vaccine to meet the state's request'. To date more than 336,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine have been dished out to states from the national stockpile. A further almost 800,000 doses have also been delivered to the country, and are now being allocated to different states and cities. A mother-of-two who suffered a miscarriage after eating ice cream laced with listeria is suing its manufacturer, a lawsuit revealed today. Kristen Hopkins, was visiting Clearwater, Florida, for a family wedding when she ate a frozen sweet treat from Big Olaf Creamery in late May. The mother then 11-weeks pregnant with a baby boy flew home to Billerica, Massachusetts, but a week later began to suffer mild cramps and 'persistent' indigestion. When she woke up one morning pale and shivering, husband Frank Imbruglia rushed her to hospital. Doctors there diagnosed her with listeriosis, and said her baby had already died. She had told family members about the pregnancy during the wedding just weeks earlier that was also attended by daughers Natalia, 5, and Amelia, seven months. It is the second case to be brought against the ice cream maker after the family of Mary Billman, a grandmother-of-eight who died from the infection, also filed against them. Billman, who ate contaminated ice cream on January 18, died 11 days later after the infection spread to her spinal fluid and brain. Testing by health officials showed 16 of 17 ice cream flavors manufactured by the company were contaminated with listeria, prompting a major recall. A total of 23 people became ill during the outbreak, and 22 were hospitalized. Five were also pregnant. Big Olaf Creamery claimed early last month that the listeria has not been definitively linked to its ice cream. Kristen Hopkins and husband Frank Imbruglia told family members at a wedding that Hopkins was 11 weeks pregnant with a baby boy. They had flown to Clearwater, Florida, where Hopkins ate the frozen sweet treat from Big Olaf Creamery Kristen Hopkins pictured above with husband Frank Imbruglia and children Natalia, 5, and Amelia, seven months. The family live in Billerica, Massachusetts, but had been in Florida for a family wedding A total of 16 of 17 flavors at Big Olaf Creamery had tested positive for listeria. The brand has previously insisted it has not been linked to the outbreak Hopkins' lawsuit was filed at Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court in early July. The couple are also suing the owner's of Beverly's Ice Cream, the store from which they say they purchased the listeria-infected ice cream. Listeriosis is a potentially deadly infection sparked by the bacteria listeria contracted through eating contaminated food, such as unpausterized milk or unwashed vegetables. Listeria is a bacteria that infects people through contaminated food WHAT IT IS, THE RISKS, AND HOW TO AVOID IT Listeria is everywhere in the environment It's a type of bacterium that infects humans and other warm-blooded animals through contaminated food It's found in dirty water, irrigation water, soil and fertiliser Soft cheeses such as Camembert; cold chicken and deli meats; raw seafood and cold seafood such as smoked salmon; ice cream, fresh fruit and bagged vegetables can also carry Listeria Infection can also occur through contact with animals and pests and insufficient cleaning of contaminated fruit and unclean hands WHO IS SUSCEPTIBLE ... AND THE SYMPTOMS Pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk Listeria starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and sometimes diarrhoea The time from consuming the bacterium to showing the signs of illness can often be between 8 to 90 days Some people end up in hospital with dehydration HOW TO AVOID IT Don't buy bruised or damaged fruit, wash it before eating and refrigerate within two hours of slicing Avoid foods past their 'best before' or 'use by' date Cook foods thoroughly Reheat food until it is steaming hot Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 24 hours, or freeze Ready to eat food should never be stored in the fridge for too long as Listeria is one of the few pathogens that can grow in the refrigerator Source: Food Authority NSW, Food Safety Information Council Advertisement Early in infection patients may suffer fever and diarrhoea, which can progress to confusion, loss of balance and seizures should the disease spread in the body. Listeria is particularly dangerous in pregnant women, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 'usually leads to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn'. It is also more risky among people over the age of 65 and people who have a weakened immune system due to an underlying condition. About 1,600 cases are detected in America annually, of which 260 or 16 percent are fatal. In the filing, the couple say Hopkins is 'emotionally distraught' over the 'traumatic loss of her baby' and two months later has 'not fully regained her strength'. The couple who married in December fear the incident has impacted their fertility. After being told her baby had died during the hospital visit on June 12, Hopkins' condition continued to deteriorate. She was rushed to the ICU where she suffered seizures, and doctors also performed a procedure to remove her dead baby. At one point the family was advised her situation was 'critical' and that she may need a hysterectomy ending the chance of another pregnancy, the filing says. Blood tests revealed she was infected with listeria, with further swabs showing this matched the strain involved in the outbreak. Hopkins was discharged from hospital on June 17, but still required regular care from a home health nurse. Big Olaf Creamery insisted in a statement on July 3 that the link between listeria and its ice cream had not been confirmed. 'We have been transparent and have answered all their questions and provided them with all the information requested from us, as the health and well-being of the public is our first priority,' it said. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for further comment. Revealing the outbreak in June, the CDC said that all 23 patients across 10 states had recently visited Florida. It connected the outbreak to Big Olaf Creamery in a June 30 food safety alert. Among flavors that tested positive for listeria were blueberry cheesecake, chocolate, cookie dough, vanilla and white chocolate raspberry. Listeria has also been detected at their processing facility in Sarasota, Florida. The ice creams had been sold at Big Olaf retailers, restaurants and senior homes in Florida and one place in Ohio. A body representing car dealers has spoken out on London Mayor Sadiq Khan's plans to extend the Ultra-Low Emission Zone next year, blasting the decision as 'the wrong move at the wrong time' with the nation gripped by a cost-of-living crisis. Expanding the zone from 29 August 2023 could have a 'disproportional and adverse effect on London's most deprived communities and motorists' at a time when family finances are significantly squeezed by escalating energy bills, higher food prices and inflated petrol and diesel bills, the National Franchised Dealers Association warns. The consultation open to the public regarding the expansion of the emissions charging zone in the capital closed on Friday with the expectation that the boundary will be extended to cover all 33 London boroughs. Car dealers blast ULEZ expansion plans: The NFDA says the proposal to extend the charging zone in August 2023 is the 'wrong move at the wrong time' during a cost-of-living crunch The decision to extend the ULEZ for a second time in as many years will force Londoners driving older cars to trade them in for newer models that meet the zone's emission requirements - else face a daily charge of 12.50. While this could see more demand for new and used cars as showrooms around the capital, dealers say the move will likely push many people out of car ownership if they can't afford to replace their existing motors. Sue Robinson, chief executive of the NFDA, said: 'Although action to counter London's air pollution is necessary, the proposed extension of the ULEZ scheme is being brought through with little consideration to affected stakeholders. 'The additional cost to some of London's poorest communities will push some families over the brink and force a reduction in their access to private mobility, this in the backdrop of Britain's worst cost of living crises, which hasn't been fully considered by TfL.' The Mayor has proposed for the ULEZ boundary to be widened from the North and South Circular roads (green are) to cover all 33 London boroughs (the larger purple area) from 29 August 2023 in a bid to reduce toxic air pollution in the capital Mayor Khan's proposal includes the 'biggest scrappage scheme feasible' to help motorists in outer London. However, the only details about how this would work say it will be available only to disabled motorists and those on benefits, which will mean many low-income workers who rely on the vehicles for commuting, taking children to school and running errands will likely not qualify. 'The TfL has yet to provide a detailed plan for its scrappage scheme, which it argues will support less-affluent motorists in ensuring their vehicles are compliant with ULEZ,' Robinson said. Sue Robinson, NFDA chief exec, says the proposed ULEZ expansion has 'little consideration to affected stakeholders' and will drive hard-pressed drivers off the road 'The lack of transparency around this, the benefit the expansion will have, and the justification for the expansion all cast doubts in many affected stakeholders' minds. 'We would urge TfL to work with relevant automotive industry stakeholders in exploring other policy tools which can be utilised to improve the quality of air within the capital as extending the ULEZ boundary is the wrong move at the wrong time.' Mr Khan says an expansion of the zone is necessary to tackle the 'triple challenges of tackling toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and traffic congestion'. He says: 'We simply don't have time to waste. 'The climate emergency means we only have a small window of opportunity left to cut harmful emissions to help save the planet. 'Toxic air pollution is still permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners and leading to thousands of premature deaths every year.' While the mayor suggests the ULEZ has made a 'significant difference' in reducing harmful roadside emissions, the latest TfL report suggests last October's expansion to the North and South Circular Road is has shown very little impact on reducing both nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter pollution. Sadiq Khan oversaw the extension of the original zone (introduced in April 2019) to the North and South Circular roads in October last year. A six-month report published recently showed it has so far had little impact on reducing harmful roadside emissions This graph taken from the TfL report suggests nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions have increased in the most central part of the capital in the last six months This chart, also taken from the report, shows no dramatic improvement in reducing particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in London in the six months since ULEZ was extended last October Vehemently opposing Mr Khan's proposed extension of the zone, Howard Cox, founder of the FairFuelUK campaign says: 'It is proven that expanding the cash grabbing ULEZ further will have a negligible reduction, if any, on roadside emissions. His own data tells him, this is the case. Is your vehicle ULEZ compliant? More than 100,000 cars are set to be affected by the expansion scheduled for 29 August 2023 next year. The ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week - though not Christmas Day. Those with older, non-compliant, vehicles have to pay the daily charge of 12.50. This could mean an extra 4,500 a year in outgoings for hard-pressed motorists - and an additional 450million raised for City Hall's annual coffers. Below are the emission standards required to be exempt from the daily charge for different vehicle types: Petrol cars and vans: need to meet Euro 4 standards (vehicles post-2006) Diesel cars and vans: need to meet Euro 6 standards (vehicles post-2015) Motorbikes and mopeds: need to meet Euro 3 standards (post-2007 vehicles) If you're unsure about the emission standard of your vehicle, you can use the ULEZ registration look-up. 'This ill-thought-out plan is simply an easy cash grab by a virtue signalling myopic, to pay off the massive debts he has accumulated for his own political intentions. 'All as per usual, at the inevitable expense of already high taxed and demonised drivers.' Conservative MPs also rallied in opposition to the expansion proposals. Robert Halfon, Tory MP for Harlow described the plans as 'yet another tax for hardworking motorists in greater and outer London. He added: 'It will be a hammer blow my Harlow constituents many of them are van drivers who have to travel to Greater London every day. 'Instead of assaulting working people with extra costs, the Mayor should be trying to cut the cost-of-living.' Gareth Bacon, Conservative MP for Oprington, added: 'Transport for London's own assessment finds that expanding ULEZ will have little to no effect on to air pollution levels in Greater London. 'It will also have a negligible effect on carbon emissions. It's about raising money, not about cleaner air.' Penny Mordaunt, Tory MP representing Portsmouth North said an expansion in August is 'poor timing given the pressures small firms and families are under.' Drivers have been warned to be extra vigilant when using parking apps after a motorists had 230 taken from her bank account after trying to pay for a 1-a-day car park. The woman fell victim to the scam when she tried to buy a ticket at an old Somerfield car park in Connah's Quay, Flintshire, Wales, using an application she had downloaded to her smartphone. Three payments were taken in total by fraudsters under the name of 'The Happy Hormone'. The company responsible for the official parking payment app at the car park - PayByPhone - has warned motorists that several bogus websites have been created in an attempt to impersonate theirs and dupe drivers into entering their bank details. Scam alert: A driver had 230 taken from her back account after using what she thought was a legitimate parking app to pay for this 1-a-day car park in Connah's Quay, Wales An investigation was launched after three payments of 1, 59.99 and 170 were taken from the victim's bank account shortly after trying to pay to park. The woman, who lives in Manchester, posted about the con on Facebook as a warning to other motorists. She said she was visiting her home town of Connah's Quay and decided to stop in the old Somerfield car park, currently earmarked for a new Lidl store. Motorists can pay 50p to park for four hours or 1 for the whole day at the council-run facility. She posted: 'I used the app to pay. I ended up being scammed and 230 coming out of my bank. 'The first withdrawal was 1, the second was 59.99, and the third was 170. 'It shows up on your account as the Happy Hormone. 'They apply for the money from your bank account as "music". 'Just be careful everyone. I'd never used an app to park there before, and I won't be using an app to park anywhere again.' The user is believed to have been duped by a fraudulent website impersonating PayByPhone, which is the car park's official payment operator She swiftly raised the fraudulent activity with her bank, NatWest, which has investigated the complaint but been unable to identify who had taken her money. They cancelled her cards, passed the case to their specialist fraud department and promised to repay the stolen money into her account. Regular users of the car park say they've never had problems there, which could likely suggest that the victim had been conned by a bogus website. However, reading about the scam has spooked some motorists who responded to the post on Facebook. 'Even more reason to not have pay via app at car parks' posted one person. 'Keep with cash or, if really needs must, use a card payment option,' they added. PayByPhone has urged drivers to 'be vigilant' that they are using its genuine website and app and said it is 'in the process' of shutting down fraudulent sites impersonating their own Flintshire Council is investigating whether the woman used the official app advertised at the car park, which is called PayByPhone. It is operated by Volkswagen Financial Services AG and is used by councils across Britain. Katie Wilby, Flintshire's chief officer for Streetscene and Transportation, said: 'We have been alerted to a potential fraudulent parking app, which we are currently investigating with our official provider, after a report from a customer that she had experienced online banking fraud when trying to pay for parking recently. 'We wish to warn people to take extra care and be on guard against scammers when paying online for your parking. Please ensure that only the official website and app are used which is https://paybyphone.co.uk/. 'Any illegal activity identified will be reported to the police.' PayByPhone has urged drivers to 'be vigilant' that they are using its genuine website and app, adding: 'We're in the process of shutting these fraudulent sites down.' BP shareholders are in line for a mammoth 2.9billion windfall as it launched another share buyback after delivering its highest quarterly profit in 14 years. The sum, announced alongside the company's results for the second quarter, follows a 2billion ($2.5billion) buyback unveiled earlier this year. While the results have caused outrage among motorists, energy bill payers and politicians, they are good news for shareholders many of whom have been long-term investors. BP shareholders are in line for a 2.9bn windfall as it launched another share buyback The buybacks will boost the nation's pension coffers as well as retail investors and institutional backers including Legal & General and Royal London Asset Management. They are popular among investors as they reduce the number of shares in a company available for trading, boosting the value of the remaining stock. BP also raised its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent to $0.06 per share, taking the payout to just around 820million. The bumper payments came as the energy giant reported profits for the three months to the end of June had tripled to 6.9billion from 2.3billion last year. It is a hefty reward for investors in the oil giant, which saw its shares crash to a 26-year low in 2020 as lockdown measures caused energy demand to plunge. The stock has since regained most of its lost ground and rose another 2.8 per cent, or 11p, to 403.35p following the quarterly results. But Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said the buyback and dividend hike could serve as a 'high water mark' for the company. BP has cashed in on soaring oil and gas prices BP has cashed in on soaring oil and gas prices that have been fuelled by supply disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, as well as a rebound in demand as the global economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent months, Russia has cut back supplies of natural gas to Europe, raising fears that it could turn off the taps altogether as winter approaches and sending prices soaring on international energy markets. The crisis has also caused energy bills in the UK to skyrocket, with the average household expected to be paying over 3,600 per year at the start of 2023. Last year, BP boss Bernard Looney described the energy market as a 'cash machine.' But the enormous profits across the industry have attracted outrage from politicians and campaigners, who have argued that the companies are profiting off the cost of living squeeze. In a bid to ease growing popular anger, Looney, 52, and BP finance boss Murray Auchincloss have also said they will donate their 400 energy bill discount from the Government to charity. But the gesture is unlikely to cause much financial pain for Looney, who was paid nearly 4.5million by BP last year. He is on course to receive 11.4million this year if bonus targets are met. HSBC faced a grilling from investors at a chaotic shareholder meeting in Hong Kong. The bank's chairman Mark Tucker hit back at growing calls for it to split its eastern and western operations, insisting 'the best structure is our existing structure'. The meeting, attended by around 1,000 retail investors, began in disarray as several were denied access to the Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre due to Covid restrictions. HSBC faced a grilling from investors at a chaotic shareholder meeting in Hong Kong Many who did get in were keen to back a proposal launched earlier this year by Chinese insurer Ping An, which wants to hive off HSBC's western operations and keep it as an Asia-focused bank. Some held placards, which read: 'Spin off Asia business, relocate back to Hong Kong, appoint shareholder Ping An to the board.' HSBC's large retail investor base in Hong Kong was angered when the Bank of England banned lenders from paying out dividends during the pandemic. They have now latched on to the break-up proposals suggested by Ping An, which claims the bank's western operations are dragging down its value. On Monday, as it unveiled its half-year results, HSBC brushed off these claims. It said its shake-up plan was on course, and that dividends would soon be back to their pre-pandemic level. Ken Lui, a shareholder and founder of the Hong Kong Investor and Entrepreneur Institute, is trying to gather a group of investors to push for a break-up and has even stuck billboards to lorries which read: 'Spin off HSBC Asia now.' Tucker hit back at investors' demands, warning that a split of HSBC would damage Hong Kong's status as a global financial hub. 'I think it would negatively impact the ability of Hong Kong to remain a vibrant dynamic international financial centre.' Savers can now stash cash in an easy-access savings deal paying 1.8 per cent, after a challenger bank upped its rates once again. Al Rayan Bank's everyday saver is offering the market-leading easy access savings rate. It provides instant access to savers, with no notice required to make withdrawals and no limit on the number a saver can make. Savers will need at least 5,000 in order to open an account, with deposits protected up to 85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. King of savings: Someone depositing 20,000 into the account could expect to earn 360 return after one year. The move has fired Al-Rayan to the top of our independent best savings rate tables. It follows moves last week by Virgin Money, which upped easy-access linked saver to 1.71 per cent on balances up to 25,000. After that the next best easy-access deals are offered by Sainsburys Bank and Yorkshire Building Society, both paying 1.55 per cent. Some savers may be worried about putting their cash into a lesser known bank that they may not have heard of. Al Rayan Bank is the oldest and largest Islamic bank in the UK, Founded in 2004, the Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The bank currently serves more than 90,000 customers throughout the country and is the only Islamic bank in the UK to receive a public credit rating. Instead of paying an interest to savers, Al Rayan Bank - as an Islamic bank - invests customers' deposits in ethical, Sharia compliant activities to generate a profit. Such profit rates deliver a Sharia-compliant expected return rather than interest, as with standard accounts. Since the Bank was founded in 2004 it has always paid at least the profit rate it has quoted to its customers. What about fixing your savings instead? Although Al Rayans easy-access deal is a best buy savers can do better if they are prepared to fix their money for six months or more - losing access in the interim. The best one-year deal pays more than 1 percentage point more than Al Rayans deal. Charter Savings Bank is currently paying 2.83 per cent. However, studious savers will be conscious that the Bank of England may hike the base rate once again on Thursday, with some suggesting it could rise from 1.25 per cent to 1.75 per cent. Savers bracing for better deals ahead many may want to refrain from fixing their cash away for long periods of time. Easy-access deal can therefore make a great way to remain able to react and move cash to another account if and when better deals arrive. However, for savers deciding between the convenience of an easy-access account and better returns on offer from fixed-rate deals could pick an option in the middle. Investec has launched a market leading 90-day notice savings account paying 2.1 per cent on balances of between 5,000 and 250,000. Saver deposits are protected up to 85,000 per individual under the FSCS. A notice account is a halfway house between an easy-access and fixed rate account. They enable savers to withdraw their funds following a notice period, typically ranging between 30 and 120 days, but can offer savers a better return than they might otherwise achieve with an easy-access account. The Investec 90-Day Notice Saver, which can be opened online, offers the highest rate of interest of any notice savings accounts currently available and pays interest on a monthly basis. It also offers unlimited deposits and withdrawals, albeit subject to a 90-day notice period. A lawyer for a millionaire Pennsylvania dentist accused of fatally shooting his wife urged jurors on Friday to dismiss what he said was a government case built on gossip and innuendo and acquit him. Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph's attorney, David Markus, said there was a 'lot of noise' during the three-week trial about the 67-year-old defendant's affairs, cash payments to his girlfriend and whether the funeral he organized for his wife was nice enough. But he said federal prosecutors had not proven that Bianca Rudolph, his client's wife of 34 years and a nervous traveler, did not accidentally shoot herself. Bianca Rudolph died after being shot by their Browning shotgun in their cabin as she packed in a hurry on the October 2016 morning they were supposed to leave Zambia and start their journey home to the United States. Lawyers gave their last arguments Friday in Denver federal court before handing the case off to a jury of six women and six men. A lawyer for millionaire Pennsylvania dentist Larry Rudolph (pictured right) accused of fatally shooting his wife Bianca (pictured left) urged jurors on Friday to dismiss what he said was a government case built on gossip and innuendo and acquit him Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph's attorney, David Markus (pictured), said there was a 'lot of noise' during the three-week trial about the 67-year-old defendant's affairs, cash payments to his girlfriend and whether the funeral he organized for his wife was nice enough Jurors did not reach a verdict by the end of the day and will resume deliberations on Tuesday. Dr Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph said he'd been in an open marriage with his late wife Bianca from the year 2000, until he allegedly shot her dead during a Zambian safari in October 2016. Rudolph maintains the shooting was an accident that took place while he was in another room. But prosecutors say he wanted to kill his wife to pocket a $4.8 million life insurance payout. He's also said to have been keen to move in with his girlfriend Lori Milliron. 'I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife,' Rudolph told jurors, his voice cracking over two hours of testimony about his open marriage to Bianca Rudolph and her death in October 2016. Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron (pictured), who is charged with lying to a grand jury and being an accessory after the fact. She is being tried alongside Rudolph Dr. Larry Rudolph said an unfamiliar shotgun he and his wife, Bianca Rudolph, brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack Rudolph was charged in December 2021 for the 2016 murder of his wife in Zambia, then fraudulently claiming $4.8 million in life insurance payouts. Rudolph, 67, said he was in the bathroom when he heard his wife say 'come here and help me' before hearing the shot and finding his wife on the floor bleeding. He is charged with murder and mail fraud in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime and faces life in prison or the death penalty, if convicted. The trial is being held in federal court in Denver, Colo., because that's where the insurance companies that paid him nearly $5 million for his wife's death are based. Despite martial problems, Rudolph said he and his wife, with whom shared two children, agreed to stay married but were free to pursue sexual relationships with other people A defense investigator, left, for Pittsburgh dentist Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph heads into federal court with the dentist's children, front center and back right, for the afternoon session of the trial Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, who is charged with lying to a grand jury and being an accessory after the fact. She is being tried alongside Rudolph. In opening statements, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out: 'I killed my f***ing wife for you!' during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020, after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife's death. Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI's probe. Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. Rudolph practiced dentistry out of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Dental Rudolph said what he actually said was 'Now they're saying I killed my f***ing wife for you.' Despite marital issues and twice being close to divorce, Rudolph said he and his wife, with whom he had two children, agreed to stay married but were free to pursue sexual relationships with other people. Rudolph said neither Milliron nor his wife issued him any ultimatums about ending his relationship with the other. Rudolph's lawyer, David Markus, argued that Rudolph had no financial motive for murder. Rudolph was worth more than $15 million when his wife died and the insurance payout went into a trust for their children. Zambian authorities determined two days after the Oct. 11, 2016, shooting that it was accidental, according to the defense. Investigators for the insurers who later paid $4.8 million reached the same conclusion. Prosecutors counter that evidence shows Bianca Rudolph's wounds came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet away, and say the barrel of the gun was too long for her to have shot herself. Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell (above) has opened up on why he called Dan Andrews the worst premier in Victoria's history Top-rating Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell has opened up on why he launched a furious on-air attack to call Dan Andrews the worst premier in Victoria's history. Mitchell has held the number one spot on 3AW's morning program over almost every ratings survey for three decades but Andrews has not spoken to him for more than five years. The broadcaster also no longer has access to senior ministers in the Labor cabinet and thinks it likely not one of them will come on his program before the November state election. Mitchell does not believe Andrews is obligated to speak to him personally but says the premier should be talking to his 19 per cent share of the Melbourne radio audience, which peaks at 200,000 each day. 'It's a strategy that goes right through government,' Mitchell told Daily Mail Australia. 'If you've got a problem, avoid it. If you don't want to face tough questions, just put your head down and hide. 'It's a deliberate strategy of evasion, which is quite insulting to Victorians. Don't worry about talking to a whacker like me but you should be talking to the people who pay your wages and they won't.' Neil Mitchell has held the number one spot on 3AW's morning program over almost every ratings survey for three decades but Dan Andrews (above) has not spoken to him for more than five years. 'It's a strategy that goes right through government,' Mitchell said The pair has not spoken since 2017 when Mitchell accused Andrews of political trickery over the consultation process for Melbourne's elevated rail line 'sky rail' project. 'I've made a few critical comments after that and never was he seen again and never will he be seen again,' Mitchell said. 'I don't think he'll ever forgive me.' He will stop at nothing. Nothing. He puts politics and political life ahead of Victorians On June 17, Mitchell called Andrews 'the worst premier in our history' and said he had not seen anyone like him in more than 50 years as a journalist watching Victorian politics. 'It's time to end the cult of Daniel Andrews,' Mitchell said back then. 'He seems to run this dictatorial style of government, a one-man band where his cabinet falls at his feet. 'I believe that what's happening now is were seeing a man [who is] arguably the worst premier in our history, because he will stop at nothing. Nothing. He puts politics and political life ahead of Victorians.' 'It's a deliberate strategy of evasion, which is quite insulting to Victorians,' Mitchell said. 'Don't worry about talking to a whacker like me but you should be talking to the people who pay your wages and they won't.' Mitchell and Andrews are pictured before the premier barred him 'Worst premier in Victoria's history' Asked why Andrews was the worst premier he had seen, Mitchell told Daily Mail Australia: 'Because he's developed this strategy of evasion. It's evasion and a lack of accountability.' 'It's a cliche but he's a Teflon premier. Nothing sticks and he won't answer to anything. He's a master of deflection.' Mitchell said Andrews became increasingly autocratic during the Covid-19 pandemic and ruled by fear. 'I think a lot in his cabinet are frightened of him,' he said. 'He can be a very charming man. He can be a very intimidating man. I've seen his charm when he was Opposition leader and I've seen his intimidation now he's premier. 'I think there's a cult where people have become frightened to question him.' Mitchell said Andrews became increasingly autocratic during the Covid-19 pandemic and ruled by fear. 'I think a lot in his cabinet are frightened of him,' he said. Police are pictured speaking to a woman trying to enjoy the sun during Melbourne's lockdown last year 'Lost the plot during pandemic' Mitchell, who takes credit for coining the phrase Dictator Dan - 'I liked the alliteration' - said the powers Andrews assumed over Victorians during the state's lockdowns brought out the worst in him. 'During the pandemic the belief was he was this strong and determined leader we needed,' he said. 'And to be fair there were certainly glimpses of that. Particularly in the outer suburbs of Melbourne there is a real dislike for Andrews... 'But that disappeared in the sense that he became autocratic. Rather than determined and positive he because autocratic, in my view. 'He won a lot of supporters during that period and he lost a lot of people during that period. 'Particularly in the outer suburbs of Melbourne there is a real dislike for Andrews because of the level of the lockdown and the damage it caused.' Mitchell said while he supported Melbourne's initial lockdowns before vaccines were freely available the harsh restrictions that followed were not needed. 'It's only now we're really starting to see it really wasn't necessary to go the way he did,' he said. 'At the very least he was paternalistic. Mitchell said while he supported Melbourne's initial lockdowns before vaccines were freely available the harsh restrictions that followed were not needed. A woman is pictured with her child passing a closed playground in August last year 'He got carried away with it and the next thing he's chasing kids out of the playground, harassing old ladies sitting in the park because they're not wearing a mask. You're not allowed to go and watch the sunset. It was just ugly. He got carried away with it and the next thing he's chasing kids out of the playground... 'It was almost like he lost touch, that the power of it all went to his head. He started well, he did some things that were necessary and he lost the plot, in my view. Many would disagree but that's what I think.' Mitchell did not see himself as the effective Opposition in Victoria but said the Coalition was struggling to get traction against Andrews. 'He's a very, very hard opponent,' Mitchell said. 'Am I seen as the Opposition? I doubt it. I think people are more sophisticated than that. 'They just see me as a critic and a voice and doing what media should do.' Mitchell, who takes credit for coining the phrase Dictator Dan - 'I liked the alliteration' - said the powers Andrews assumed over Victorians during the state's lockdowns brought out the worst in him 'Ministers should stand up to him' Mitchell believed Andrews was protected by much of the media who fell into line with his rabid #IStandWithDan supporters on Twitter. 'I think some of the reporting's just been atrocious,' he said. 'And embarrassing and unquestioning.' At the time Mitchell described Andrews as the worst premier in the state's history he pleaded for members of his cabinet to stand up to their leader. 'This is a point for the decent people in the government, and there are some - I know some,' he said. 'I know the decent ones. Stand up. 'Please look around you and stand up for decency. Stand up for honesty in government. Stand up for the people of Victoria before it's too late.' Mitchell did not name the 'decent' ministers because it would be the 'kiss of death' for them but at that time he was still talking to Police Minister Lisa Neville and Martin Pakula, who held a variety of portfolios. At the time Mitchell described Andrews as the worst premier in the state's history he pleaded for 'decent' members of his cabinet to stand up to their leader. He did not name those MPs but ministers Lisa Neville (left) and Martin Pakula (right) were still speaking to him then On June 24, Neville, Pakula, Deputy Premier and Education Minister James Merlino and Health Minister Martin Foley all announced they were retiring and quit cabinet. 'They've both gone,' Mitchell said of Neville and Pakula. 'The other two were not talking to me. The other one who does is Tim Palass the state treasurer but I haven't heard from him for ages so I don't know if he's talking to me.' Mitchell launched his extraordinary attack on Andrews after the Premier's response to the closing of a Victorian brick business due to the spiralling price of gas, which the presenter said was 'tokenistic' and lacked humanity. Andrews had said of the closure: 'The best thing we can do for every business across our state is to have more renewables. That puts downward pressure on prices.' Mitchell had contacted the Premier's office ahead of that spray to give Andrews a right of reply but was ignored. 'Every now and then we give it a try,' he said. Mitchell (above) did not see himself as the Opposition in Victoria but said the Coalition was struggling to get traction against Andrews. 'He's a very, very hard opponent,' he said. 'Am I seen as the Opposition? I doubt it. I think people are more sophisticated than that' State embroiled in scandal Victoria has been embroiled in a scandal over Labor misusing almost $400,000 in public funds during the 2014 election campaign in which 21 MPs signed off on wages for casual electorate officers who were working as campaign organisers. Labor repaid the money and police did not lay charges but the matter came up again amid branch stacking allegations against party factional leaders in 2020. The state's ombudsman, Deborah Glass, found last week there was no evidence Andrews had 'designed, propagated or facilitated' the scheme. Mitchell said Andrews had insisted he and his ministers would cooperate with the police investigation into the red shirts affair. 'When the police requested interviews with the cabinet ministers every one declined,' he said. 'Refused to be interviewed. And the police didn't even attempt to interview Andrews.' 'It was almost like he lost touch, that the power of it all went to his head,' Mitchell said of Andrews and the Covid-19 pandemic. 'He started well, he did some things that were necessary and he lost the plot.' A lone pedestrian is pictured in Melbourne's CBD in October last year Mitchell said Andrews, who has been premier since 2014, managed to avoid accountability for what happened within the government he led. 'I think some of the things they've done have just been atrocious,' he said. 'I think the red shirts thing was atrocious. 'The latest evidence in the corruption commission about branch stacking and rorting of public dollars is just atrocious. It's obscene. It's the lack of integrity that gets to me. 'They've made some decisions which are purely based on political benefit like putting in a massive underground rail loop around the edge of the city which will probably never be built and we'll waste a couple of hundred billion on it along the way.' Mitchell said Andrews did not seem to care about his audience, which numbers more than 500,000 over a week, because like most talkback listeners they were predominantly conservative. Police are pictured at a lockdown protest at Queen Victoria Market in 2020 'Money wasted on doomed projects' Mitchell said Andrews had form when it came to wasting money on infrastructure, citing the promise he kept to scrap the 18-kilometre East West Link during the 2014 election campaign. It was bloody transparent it was going to cost us money. It cost us $1.1billion not to build the road 'I said, "Hang on, that's going to cost us money to get out of the contract" - he was talking to me in those days,' Mitchell said. 'He said, "No, it's not worth the paper it's written on". I'll never forget this. I said, "That's not the point". All he would do is repeat this line that it wasn't worth the paper it was written on. 'It was bloody transparent it was going to cost us money. It cost us $1.1billion not to build the road. That's why he gave that stupid answer that it's not wroth the paper it's written on. To treat the public that way really offends me.' Mitchell believed it likely Andrews would be returned to government in what leaked polling he had seen suggested would be a 'very close' election. 'He got carried away with it and the next thing he's chasing kids out of the playground, harassing old ladies sitting in the park because they're not wearing a mask,' Mitchell said of Andrews. A woman is pictured exercising during lockdown in 2020 'Doesn't care about conservative vote' 'He sees massive risk in talking to me and very little benefit,' he said. 'You might only be talking to a couple of hundred thousand people but they stuff up and the whole country knows. 'It's the old story - risk versus benefit - and they all do it. But Andrews has turned it into a mantra.' Mitchell said Andrews did not seem to care about his audience, which numbers more than 500,000 over a week, because like most talkback listeners they were predominantly conservative. 'Talk radio does skew older but they all vote,' he said. 'They've all got opinions, they all need to be represented, they all need to be looked after in a sense by government and they need to be heard. 'His argument is we don't need them because we're never going to change their vote. Well, how about talking to them because they're Victorians. How about talking to them because they pay your bloody wages mate.' When Daily Mail Australia put Mitchell's claims and observations to the premier's office a spokeswoman replied: 'No comment'. Treasure hunters digging for 10 tonnes of Nazi gold in the grounds of an 18th century Palace in Poland say they have been given permission to raise a buried canister which they think could contain the loot next month. Led by a group called the Silesian Bridge Foundation, the dig in the village of Minkowskie has been concentrating on an old orangery in a small area of the 14-hectare palace park. It is thought treasures, stolen on the orders of SS boss Heinrich Himmler to set up a Fourth Reich, are buried there. In May this year, the group uncovered a 5ft metal canister buried 10ft below the surface. Posting a video with English subtitles on YouTube on July 31, Roman Furmaniak, from the Silesian Bridge Foundation said: 'We are excited to share with you the receiving of our latest permit required for the final excavation of the deposits. 'Save the date - September 1st! Big Date for a Big Day! Things are moving, we would love to make it a sprint, as much as we can, but we do understand your impatience and we are doing our best with what we have!' Thought to include the so-called 'Gold of Breslau' which went missing from police headquarters in what is now the nearby Polish city of Wroclaw, the canister is also thought to include jewellery and valuables from the private collections of wealthy Germans who lived in the region. In order to protect their prized possessions from the advancing Red Army, the wealthy Germans handed their loot over to the SS. Treasure hunters digging for Nazi gold say they have found a metal canister which could contain four tons of looted treasure. Pictured: A tube above ground shows the area where they say the canister is buried A visualisation of what the Silesian Bridge foundation says the area may have looked like when the Nazis were burying the canister The discovery was made using a geo radar search of an abandoned conservatory at an 18th century palace in the village of Minkowskie in southern Poland The discovery was made using a geo radar search (pictured) of an abandoned conservatory at an 18th century palace in the village of Minkowskie The dig which began in May last year at the palace which was used by Hitler's SS as a brothel is hoped to uncover 10 tonnes of gold along with other valuables in the grounds The treasure was stolen on the orders of SS boss Heinrich Himmler (pictured) towards the end of WWII to set up a Fourth Reich The pencil-written pages of the diary (left) are said to identify 11 locations across Lower Silesia which before and during the war was German territory. Right: Roman Furmaniak, head of the Silesian Bridge foundation leading the hunt for the treasure, holding the diary The dig is taking place in the grounds of the 18th century palace in the village of Minkowskie, Poland The location was revealed by secret documents, an SS officer's diary and a map that the treasure hunters received from the descendants of officers belonging to a secretive lodge dating back over 1,000 years. The same diary, said to have been written by a high-ranking SS officer, is also said to reveal the location of another palace in the region where it is thought 28 tonnes of treasure is buried at the bottom of a well. Among the bundle of documents is a letter from a senior SS officer called von Stein to one of the girls who worked at the palace in Minkowskie and who later became his lover. The officer wrote: 'My dear Inge, I will fufill my assignment, with God's will. Some transports were successful. The remaining 48 heavy Reichsbank's chests and all the family chests I hereby entrust to you. 'Only you know where they are located. May God help you and help me, fulfil my assignment.' The pencil-written pages of the diary are said to identify 11 locations across Lower Silesia which before and during the war was German territory. An entry from March 12, 1945, referring to the treasure at the palace in Minkowskie says: 'A trough has been dug in the orangery, which is a safe ''home'' for the delivered chests and containers.' It continues: '48 chests from the Reichsbank, in good condition, were hidden, very well covered with earth and ''greened'' with still living plants. 'Let providence watch over us.' Among the bundle of documents is a letter from a senior SS officer called von Stein to one of the girls who worked at the palace in Minkowskie and who later became his lover. The officer wrote: 'My dear Inge, I will fufill my assignment, with God's will. Some transports were successful. The remaining 48 heavy Reichsbank's chests and all the family chests I hereby entrust to you. Only you know where they are located. May God help you and help me, fulfil my assignment' Roman Furmaniak, from the Silesian Bridge Foundation which is leading the search, said that the Geo-radar readings from the latest search revealed 'anomalies' Furmaniak said the Foundation had been led to the site by one of the girls, Inga, who had worked at the palace The location was revealed by secret documents, a diary (pictured) and a map that the treasure hunters received from the descendants of SS officers belonging to a secretive lodge worshipped by Himmler and dating back over 1,000 years Speaking on the newly-released video, Furmaniak said they had now been given permission to raise the canister from the Opole Heritage Conservator. He said: 'The Foundation's goal is to verify the stories contained in the diary, which we have been doing for many years already.' He added: 'The Foundation has finally received a PERMIT. Permit to carry out archaeological works and to check whether the deposits are still there. 'This task awaits us in the near future.' The palace in Minkowskie dates back to the 18th century when it was built by Prussian general Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz. Over the years it changed hands several times and after the war the Red Army and the Polish Army were stationed there at different times. Later it was used as a local council office, a kindergarten and even a cinema. Now, in a dilapidated state and in private hands, the Silesian Bridge foundation has taken a long-term lease on the property. Treasure hunters have started digging for 10 tonnes of Nazi gold at an 18th century palace in Minkowskie, southern Poland In May, the treasure hunters began digging for 10 tonnes of Nazi gold at the palace, with the dig initially concentrating on an old orangery in a small area of the 14-hectare palace park. A team of specialists carefully removed layers of earth by hand as it is also being treated as an archaeological site to uncover the foundations of the orangery. The city of Breslau - modern day Wroclaw in Poland - was one of the wealthiest in Hitler's Third Reich. But, the impending arrival of the Red Army meant that the Germans had to hide tonnes of gold and valuables. These included bank deposits from the Reichsbank as well as private German banks, and civilian deposits as the population had been urged to deposit gold, money and jewellery. According to legend, the treasure was collected in the building of the police headquarters and packed into crates. It was then transported under an SS guard from Breslau towards what was then the town of Hirschberg, today's Jelenia Gora in Poland, and then the Sudeten mountains. But, soon after departing, the trail went dead and the gold has never been seen or heard of since. One of the theories is that it was stolen on Himmler's orders to go towards the creation of a Fourth Reich. Roman Furmaniak, head of the Silesian Bridge foundation leading the hunt for the treasure, told MailOnline: 'Several people took part in hiding the deposits in Minkowskie. One of them was an officer called von Stein. He used to stay in the palace (an interior image, pictured) because he had a lover there. Due to its location it was often visited by high-ranking SS officers who treated it like a brothel' The palace in Minkowskie (archive picture) dates back to the 18th century when it was built by Prussian general Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz The lodge that handed over the documents takes its name from Quedlinburg, a small town in Saxony-Anhalt. Quedlinburg members were appointed to top positions in many Nazi-era institutions, most notably the fearsome Waffen SS. Among them was SS monster General Hans Kammler (pictured) who led work on the design of gas chambers and crematoria used in death camps Inge was the guardian appointed by von Stein to keep an eye on the hiding place. Furmaniak said: 'She was in love with the handsome officer in a black SS uniform. They were like gods. 'She believed that she would have to stay there for a year, maybe two, then it would all be over. 'Nobody believed then that the region would come under the control of the Soviet Union. 'There was a two-month period in 1945 when she had to hide in the forest from the Russians. But when she got back, the area had not been disturbed. 'If they had dug a hole, they would have taken what they wanted and then left the hole. We have seen this in history many times in Poland.' At the end of the war, the region was handed over to the new Soviet-controlled Poland, the entire German population was expelled and Poles who had been living in Western Ukraine arrived. To blend in with the new population, Inge changed her appearance and identity - eventually marrying a local man - and continued to watch over the treasure until her death 60 years later. Three House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump could see the end of their political careers on Tuesday evening, as Republican primary voters in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington head to the polls. Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washington and Peter Meijer of Michigan are all facing tough challenges from Trump-backed primary opponents. They're just three of the high-profile races that will test the former president's endorsement strength ahead of the November midterm elections. Meanwhile Republican establishment figures have rushed to prop up candidates that would have a broader appeal among Independent and suburban voters amid concerns that Trump's more fringe-right picks could cost the GOP critical swing districts in November. In Washington's Third Congressional District, Beutler is facing Trump-endorsed retired Green Beret Joe Kent, who believes the former president's election fraud claims and has claimed 'deep state' operatives were behind the violence on January 6. Beutler, who was elected in 2010, is also up against Heidi St. John, a Christian podcaster competing with Kent for the district's most conservative voters. In the neighboring deep-red Fourth Congressional District, Newhouse faces seven primary challengers - including Trump-backed military veteran and former police chief Loren Culp. Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer (left) and Washington Reps. Dan Newhouse (center) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (right) are three of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the Capitol riot. They're now facing primary challengers backed by the ex-president Meijer faces the steepest uphill battle to keep his seat, however, with a competitive primary challenger on Tuesday and an increasingly blue district to woo overall in November if he makes it past the first round. The former Army officer made a national name for himself with his vocal criticism of President Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan. But he's now up against former Trump administration official John Gibbs, who wildly accused Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign chair John Podesta of taking part in a satanic ritual. Gibbs had served under Ben Carson in the Housing and Urban Development Department. Beutler, Newhouse, and Meijer are three of 10 House Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump over the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Four have already announced their retirements. GOP Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina lost his primary in June after netting less than half the votes his Trump-backed challenger, Russell Fry, received. Many of Tuesday's primary races are expected to be endurance tests of Trump's influence over the Republican Party California Republican Rep. Dave Valadao is the only one of the anti-Trump set to have won his primary. January 6 Committee Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney is projected to lose her primary later this month to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman. Another closely-watched race on Tuesday will be the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary, where former local news anchor Kari Lake is facing off against Karrin Taylor Robson, who was a staffer in Ronald Reagan's administration. Lake, who has been vocal in promoting Trump's election fraud lies in her battleground state, has appeared at two Arizona rallies alongside the former president this year. Robson, meanwhile, has support from former Vice President Mike Pence as well as the state's current term-limited GOP governor, Doug Ducey. After months of early polls showing Lake with a comfortable lead, Robson quickly caught up thanks to her high-profile backers. An Emerson poll taken at the end of July shows Robson with 49 percent of the vote compared to Lake's 48 percent, a virtual dead heat. Arizona Republicans head to the polls on August 2 to choose between Trump-backed former local news anchor Kari Lake (left) and a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents who also served in the Reagan administration, Karrin Taylor Robson (right) Also in Arizona, Trump-backed Senate candidate Blake Masters holds a commanding lead in his GOP primary race. He's up by 18 points compared to his next-closest opponent, businessman Jim Lamon, according to Emerson's survey. The winner of that primary will face Democrat Senator Mark Kelly in November. In Kansas, the most closely-watched race won't be for a candidate but rather a ballot measure that will have residents decide whether they want to keep or repeal the state's abortion protections. Voting 'yes' would overturn the Kansas state constitution's abortion rights, leaving the door wide open for its Republican legislature to ban or limit the procedure. The bill would likely face a veto from Democrat Governor Laura Kelly, which the legislature has the votes to override. The arrest of Jose Ruben Zamora, the prize-winning founder of a Guatemalan newspaper, has drawn condemnation from press freedom groups and human rights groups. Zamora was apprehended by the police at his Guatemala City home last Friday. He is facing money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling charges. Authorities also raided the offices of his newspaper, El Periodico, and didn't allow employees to leave for almost 15 hours. Zamora founded the print news outlet in 1996 and it immediately drew recognition for uncovering government corruption. The newspaper made reporting scoops on the current administration of President Alejandro Giammattei and at least three of his predecessors. Jose Ruben Zamora, the prize-winning founder of a Guatemalan newspaper, El Periodico, has been held at a Guatemala City prison since last Friday. Authorities in Guatemala accuse him of money laundering, blackmail and influence peddling Jose Ruben Zamora founded Guatemalan newspaper, El Periodico in 1996. The print outlet has focused investigating the corrupt activities of the current administration of President Alejandro Giammattei and at least three of his predecessors The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists denounced Zamora's apprehension. Guatemalan authorities should immediately release and drop any criminal charges against journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, president of elPeriodico,' CPJ Advocacy Director Gypsy Guillen Kaiser said. 'Judicial persecution against journalists is a mechanism of intimidation, and authorities in Guatemala need to put an end to their campaign to intimidate and threaten the press.' Human rights activists Eleonora Muralles said Zamora was arrested as part of a plot to keep the unearthing of crooked activities under wrap. 'This is an orchestrated plan, where the aim now is not to pursue those who are corrupt, but rather opponents,' Muralles said. 'The strategy is to corrupt the whole system and have judges - with serious doubts about their impartiality - put together cases and evidence against opponents.' US Congressman James P. McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote that he was 'deeply concerned' by the detention. McGovern wrote in his Twitter account, 'The judiciary is already decimated, is the Free Press next? Journalism is not a crime!' 'This is not a case against my father, it is a systematic attack against freedom of expression and democracy,' Zamora's son, Ramon Zamora, said. 'They started with the activists, continued on to the prosecutors and now they are starting to pursue journalists.' Jose Ruben Zamora was a target of the government in 2003 when agents search his home and threatened his life after he wrote a column suggesting former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt, then president of the congress, was running a parallel government. Five years later, armed men abducted him in Guatemala's capital before releasing him 10 hours later outside the city beaten and drugged. No one was arrested, but at the time it was believed to be in response to his newspaper's work. Guatemalan journalists and members of the Guatemalan Civil Society take part in a sit-in against the arrest of Jose Ruben Zamora Journalists hold placards as they take part in a demonstration in support of Jose Ruben Zamora on Saturday Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin, founder and president of El Periodico newspaper, receives a hug from a journalist after a hearing in a judicial building in Guatemala City on Saturday Jose Ruben Zamora was scheduled to appear in court Monday, but the hearing was cancelled because there weren't enough police vehicles for the escort. He declared a hunger strike Saturday. Last year and this year, El Periodico published a series of investigations about the visit of Russian business people to Guatemala who met with Giammattei. The paper's investigation accused Giammattei of accepting bribes in exchange for a concession of property in the port of Santo Tomas de Castilla. Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who was recently reappointed by Giammattei to another term as the country's top law enforcement official, has been sanctioned by the United States for pursuing investigations against prosecutors and judges who investigated corruption. Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of newspaper El Periodico, arrives at court in Guatemala City after he was arrested Friday. Security forces raided the home of renowned Guatemalan journalist, winner in 2021 of one of the King of Spain International Journalism Awards, who was arrested for the alleged crimes of blackmail, influence peddling and money laundering On Monday, authorities searched the home of one of those earlier targets, former judge Erika Aifan, who had fled to the United States after denouncing corruption. Porras special prosecutor against corruption, Rafael Curruchiche, who is handling Zamora's case, was also sanctioned by the U.S. government as an alleged obstacle to investigating corruption. Curruchiche has said the case is focused on Zamora's work as a businessman not as a journalist, but has offered no details. That was difficult for others at El Periodico to reconcile because the government froze the newspaper's bank accounts. 'The bank accounts were suspended at the request of the (prosecutor's office), with the only intention being to paralyze the finances of said media outlet, making it impossible to meet with its labor and contractual obligations,' said Gerson Ortiz, El Periodico's news director. Families of LA' slain are speaking out against the city's recent push to commute their loved ones' murderers' death sentences to life in prison - a campaign implemented by the city's progressive district attorney George Gascon. Several grieving relatives slammed Gascon's relentless resentencing efforts Monday as an offensive 'crusade' - one they said further victimizes the deceased's families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones. Some said the felt lied to, and others blindsided, by the campaign - with one family revealing they only learned that their loved one's killer's sentence had been lightened thanks to a formality in the city's court system. That family further revealed the murderer - who was transferred out of death row and into a program for inmates with good behavior thanks to Gascon's efforts - was resentenced without a hearing, leaving them no opportunity to object in person. So far, Gascon has officially filed three resentencing motions for killers who had been doomed to die - but sources say that the office is planning to file motions to resentence at least 65 post-conviction cases, further fueling families' rage. They accuse the office of turning its back on them, and Gascon - an outspoken opponent of the death penalty - of ignoring their repeated cries of outrage. Meanwhile, Gascon is facing a second recall effort in less than a year to remove him from office over his controversial policies, after narrowly escaping the first by the skin of his teeth. Several grieving relatives slammed Gascon's relentless resentencing efforts Monday as an offensive 'crusade' - one they said victimizes the deceased's families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones Heather Scott, seen at bottom right in this undated image, was only 12 years old when her father, Fred Rose, top middle, was gunned down by a man in 1992. Gascon's office recently campaigned to nix the killer's death sentence, outraging the family 'When you take someones life, there has to be consequences,' the daughter of one victim, Heather Scott, told The New York Post Monday, criticizing the DA's most recent, woke campaign. 'There have been massive consequences for my family that is permanent.' Scott was only 12 years old when her father, Fred Rose, was gunned down 'execution-style' in 1992 by Scott Forrest Collins, who kidnapped and robbed the 42-year-old father-of-three on his way home from work before killing him. Collins, 52, was subsequently convicted and sentenced to die in 1996, but escaped being put to death thanks to a series and Golden State's relatively recent aversion to doling out the death penalty. The state has not ordered an execution since 2006. Earlier this year, officials from Gascon's office reportedly reached out to Scott, 43, who still lives in the City of Angels, to tell her they had filed a motion to resentence Collins, who has since been transferred out of death row and into a program at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, Calif., for inmates who have shown good behavior. Scott, 43, told the paper that she was completely taken aback by the revelation, which saw city officials assure her that a life sentence 'would be the same thing' due to a recent moratorium placed on death row cases by Governor Gavin Newsom. The motion, if granted, would see Collins' sentence reduced to life without parole - and would make the case the first to be offiically reversed as a result of the embattled DA's campaign. Scott Forrest Collins was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for kidnapping and robbing 42-year-old Rose at gunpoint 'I was in total shock but then I began to realize that maybe we have been lied to because it's not true when they told us that nothing would change,' Scott told The Post. 'I asked why they would do this because that sounds like something (Collins') defense attorney would do, not the DA,' she added. 'The response I got was, "He would never would've been executed in the first place," but that's not true. 'They can't guarantee that he will never get out of prison, and that's our biggest fear.' Scott said her family were only notified by the DAs Office about the resentencing motion - which is currently being considered - as a formality, with documents revealing that prosecutors had plotted to proceed with the resentencing without a hearing, leaving Scott and her family with no opportunity to object in person. Scott would then reache out to the city's former Deputy DA Kathy Cady, who along with former DA Steve Cooley, agreed to help the family, file an opposition to resentence Collins without a hearing. Cady Monday panned the maneuver as premeditated and 'scandalous' - a systematic way to try to undo every death sentence based on (Gascons) policy. 'Policy does not mean that the law has changed when there is no legal mechanism to do what you want to do. Thats not how the law works,' the prosecutor told the Post. Last month, Scott, along with her husband and her mother, Sharon, appeared in court to plead their case before a judge, asking the jurist to deny Gascons motion - a request the court is still mulling over. The family is now waiting for action from the city, who insist that Collins is a 'model prisoner' and was only 21 years old at the time of the offense. Deputy DA Shelan Joseph wrote in Gascon's resentencing motion in February that the con 'experienced hardship as a child,' including the death of his father, and that he had multiple learning disabilities that were 'never adequately treated in school' - thus earning him a second chance at life. The family, however, is unhappy with the city's explanation, and say they will accept nothing less than the motion being denied. 'Anything short of denying the motion to resentence would be to victimize my family again,' widow Sharon wrote in her statement to the court. ''In the end, a jury and a judge handed down the correct verdict and chose a sentence, which is still to this day a legal sentence in California. 'What the current DA is doing changes everything. It changes our entire judicial system and the faith we can place in verdicts and sentences today.' LA County DA officials, meanwhile, argued that they have made every effort to reach out to victims and their families, telling The Post Friday that they will continue to do so as more motions are filed. 'We have made every effort to reach out to the victims next of kin in these cases,' spokesperson Greg Risling told the paper. Another citizen scorned over Gascon's recent resentencing movement was Jane Bouffard, whose elderly wheelchair bound father and mother's killer may see his sentence nixed thanks to the campaign We center the needs of the victim and have a licensed social worker available to support them if they wish to consult with her. 'While we understand that some victims may not wish for the defendant to be resentenced, we must evaluate each case individually and on the merits of the legal issues presented.' Another citizen scorned over Gascon's recent resentencing movement was Jane Bouffard, whose elderly wheelchair bound father and mother, Elmer and Gladys Benson, were slain in their home in South Gate, a city in LA county, in 1996. Bouffard also got a call from the DA's office to inform her that Gascon has filed a motion to resentence her parents killer, Samuel Zamudio - and said Monday that she and many other families feel the DAs Office has turned its back on them. Both in their 70s at the time of the 1996 slaying, the pair were found lying on the living room floor on Feb. 11, 1996, having been stabbed multiple times, with Elmer's wheelchair tipped over next to their corpses. Elmer and Gladys Benson, were slain in their home in South Gate, a city in LA county, in 1996. Bouffard also got a call from the DA's office to inform her that Gascon has filed a motion to resentence her parents killer, Samuel Zamudio (pictured) - and said Monday that she and many other families feel the DAs Office has turned its back on them Prosecutors revealed during the ensuing trial that Zamudio had been the couples neighbor and borrowed money from the Bensons, leading to the brutal slaying. In their recent motion, the DAs Office argued that proceeding with Zamudios previously planned death sentence would be unconstitutional, citing supposed intellectual disabilities present in the con. A judge, however, has since denied the DAs disability claim, setting an evidentiary hearing in the case for August. During that hearing, the judge will hear from a court-appointed expert hired to observe Zamudio, and determing whether the sentence should be reversed. Bouffard, however, told the Post Monday that prosecutors have repeatedly blocked her attempts to obtain pertinent records regarding Zamudio. 'he opinion that he had a disability was never mentioned in the trial as far as I know, but now they are also saying we cant read any of his records that proves this,' Bouffard told The Post. 'What really bothers me is that in these proceedings, there is no consideration given to my parents whatsoever about who they were and anything they did in their lives,' she added. 'They are never mentioned. Its all about getting him (Zamudio) off death row and back into the general population.' Meanwhile, Gascon is facing a second recall effort in less than a year to remove him from office over his controversial policies, after narrowly escaping the first by the skin of his teeth Last week, Gascon also filed a motion to reverse the sentence of Raymond Oscar Butler, who has been housed at San Quentin State Prisons death row since he was found guilty of murdering two Marymount College students, Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, in 1996. Butler, now 46, was 18 years old when he killed Marymount California University students Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura in a 1994 carjacking in San Pedro. Gascon has now requested to overturn his capital punishment sentence in a 264-page filing earlier this month, according to the Whittier Daily News. The DA said the murderer suffered from 'significant cognitive impairment' during the time of the crime due to mental illness and trauma. The motion stated that Butler's cognitive impairment caused him to abuse drugs and alcohol to numb his distress, the Whittier Daily News reported. If the motion is granted, Butler's sentenced will be reduced to life without parole. However, it does not reverse the separate death penalty Butler received for fatally stabbing another inmate in 2012. In a video posted to his Twitter, Gascon - who is strongly against capital punishment - said that 'over 50 percent of the people that are on death row today, including those from this county, which is approximately 250, have severe mental health problems.' Last week, Gascon also filed a motion to reverse the sentence of Raymond Oscar Butler, who has been housed at San Quentin State Prisons death row since he was found guilty of murdering two Marymount College students, Takuma Ito and Go Matsuura, in 1996 The two aspiring filmmakers (pictured) had pulled into Ralph's grocery story after having dinner with their friends when Butler shot them both in the back of the head and carjacked them Gascon, 68, recently filed a 264-page report calling for the reversal of Butler's death penalty sentence, asking for it to be reduced to life without parole (pictured: Butler in 1994) He also criticize the mass amounts of money that goes into capital punishment. Capital punishment costs more than imprisoning an inmate for life. Gascon said imprisoning inmates for life without parole costs around $100,000 a year, whereas death row convicts cost around 'a half-a-million dollars a year.' The DA, who has been immensely criticized for his lax bail laws, said he was 'against the death penalty, but that does not equate to no accountability.' The 68-year-old also criticized that the death penalty has been 'disproportionately applied to people of color, to poor people, to people with mental health problems.' However, no matter how Gascon morally justifies his decision, critics are blaming him for not being 'transparent' and not 'respecting the jury's decision.' 'George Gascon doesnt subscribe, understand, or agree with these values. And, as this case makes clear, he still believes he is above the law and beyond question,' Eric Siddall, the VP of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, told the Whittier Daily News. Back in 1994, the students' murder garnered international headlines after they were fatally shot on March 25 in a supermarket parking lot. The aspiring filmmakers had just finished having dinner with friends when had pulled into Ralph's when Butler carjack them. Gascon, who is largely against the death penalty, said Butler's sentence was 'racist and morally untenable' due to his mental illness. He also argued that 'over 50 percent' of death row inmates are mentally ill, people of color, or poor and it costs significantly more to house them than regular inmates Butler shot both men in the back of the head before jumping into the 1994 Honda Civic after dumping the bodies. The men were taken to the hospital and put on life support until their families were able to fly over from Japan. Butler was arrested a few days later after being picked out of a lineup. At the time, Butler's mother Donna said the 'system' had failed him and her son suffered from suicidal tendencies and alcohol addiction, the Los Angeles Times reported in 1994. Butler attempted suicide at the age of 17 by drinking two bottles of liquor and had been committed to a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours, his mother said in 1994. She reportedly begged doctors to keep him longer, but he was discharged after his mandatory hold. It comes as Gascon faces a second recall effort in less than a year to remove him from office over his controversial policies. Last May, Gascon's opponents organized the first, ill-fated recall effort to oust him from office. Despite garnering more than 200,000 signatures from LA citizens in a matter of months, the campaign fell short in October, failing to amass the needed 580,000 LA County voters needed to remove Gascon. A rash of 'flash mob'-style robberies, assaults and shootings since the have only made matters worse for Gascon, with a second recall effort launched against the DA on Monday. The renewed recall attempt has been spurred by the string of smash-and-grab attacks and brazens shootouts, which have seen a variety of high-end retailers in the city relentlessly ransacked and hundreds dead this year. People are being killed in the famously progressive county at a faster pace than 2021, when homicides hit a 15-year high. So far this year, LA has seen 210 slayings - just 10 less than the same time last year. Assaults are also up nearly roughly 2 percent from 2021, with police so far recording 11,250 incidents. Robberies, meanwhile, are up my a more marked 22 percent. Advertisement President Joe Biden on Monday evening announced a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who was the mastermind behind multiple attacks over the last two decades that have left thousands of Americans dead. In his remarks, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks, which al-Zawahiri helped plan, and said the slaying of the world's top terrorist target demonstrated the resolve of the US to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed by two Hellfire 'Ninja' missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones as he stood on the balcony of his safe house in a wealthy area of downtown Kabul this weekend in a mission that took six months to plan. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren were living with him but were not harmed, American officials said. The home targeted in the strike was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister for the Taliban, who is close to senior al Qaeda officials and is wanted by the FBI for questioning. Biden laid out al-Zawahiri's role in the terrorist organization, noting that, in addition to the 9/11 attacks, he was behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and the attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. 'He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests,' Biden said. Biden concluded his remarks with a warning: 'To those around the world who continue to seek to harm the United States, hear me now. We will always remain vigilant, and we will act, and we will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and around the globe.' It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Al-Zawahiri replaced bin Laden as the terrorist group's top leader. Biden, who remains in isolation after a rebound case of COVID, made his address from the first floor balcony off the Blue Room of the White House. Al-Zawahiri was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list. There was a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. Elsewhere in the deadly attack: The Taliban condemned the air strike in a statement and claimed that it 'violated international principles'; The heir apparent to al-Qaeda after the killing emerged as canny, military-trained operative Saif al-Adel; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, alleged Biden allowed the group to re-emerge. President Joe Biden on Monday evening announced a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri (pictured right earlier this year), Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who was the mastermind behind multiple attacks over the last two decades that have left thousands of Americans dead Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed by two Hellfire 'Ninja' missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones as he stood on the balcony of his safe house The home was in a wealthy area of downtown Kabul and is believed to be linked to a high ranking Taliban official in its government Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in Al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo. Al-Zawahiri took over the organization after Bin Laden was killed in a SEAL team raid in 2011, but he was being hunted by the U.S. as far back as 1998 Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a safehouse in Sherpur, a wealthy area of downtown Kabul that's home to multiple Taliban officials, when he was taken out in the drone strike The terrorist leader was killed by two Hellfire missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones in a mission that took six months to plan. U.S. officials didn't confirm the model, but it is believed they used the R9X 'Ninja' missile that don't have explosives and limit collateral damage From 9/11 to death on his balcony: How US tracked and killed Zawahiri Sept. 11, 2001 - Attack on twin towers of the World Trade Center. Al-Zawahiri is Osama bin Laden's top deputy and widely credited with masterminding the attack May 2, 2011 - Successful US operation to take out bin Laden at compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan 2011 - Al-Zawahiri succeeds bin Laden following the successful U.S. operation to take out world's top terror leader. US intelligence over several months gains 'increased confidence' terror leader's family has relocated to a safe house Early April - Top security staffers are informed of 'developing intelligence'. Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan briefs President Biden US officials develop 'pattern of life' for Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri arrives at the safe house location; US not aware of him ever leaving after he arrived Al-Zawahiri continues to crank out videos attacking the US and allies. The US then investigates 'construction and nature of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the terror leader without endangering civilians. Officials undertake operation to determine the identity of all the people in the safe house. Officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike. Officials hold a series of 'close-hold' briefing to vet intelligence. 'Key' agencies are brought into the process to make sure information is 'rock solid' and develop alternatives and minimize risks to civilians During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convenes several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize intelligence May and June - Biden receives updates July 1 - Biden is briefed on a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room by key members of his cabinet. Attending are CIA Director William Burns, counterterrorism experts, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Finer Biden examines a model that was constructed of the safe house inside the Situation Room. Biden requests further information on building plans and likely effects of a strike. Directs intel community to prepare impact analyses. Asks intel to consider risks to Mark Randall Frerichs, an American who disappeared in Afghanistan in 2020, impact on future access to Afghan air space, and on efforts to evacuate Afghan partners June and July - Principals and deputies convene in Situation Room multiple times to 'test the intelligence picture'. 'Tight circle' of agency lawyers confirms legal basis. They conclude al-Zawahiri is a lawful target. Biden asks all present for their view. 'All strongly recommended approval of this target' July 25 - Biden convenes advisors and key cabinet for final meeting on updated intel. Asks again about other options, the layout of rooms, and impacts. At the end of the meeting, Biden 'authorized a precise tailored airstrikes on the condition that have strike minimize, to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties.' July 30, 9:48 pm EDT - US undertakes 'precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul' to take out al-Zawahiri Advertisement In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of 'international principles.' The strike was conducted on a residential house in Kabul's Sherpur area, a wealthy downtown neighborhood where several Taliban government officials live. Al-Zawahiri was standing on the balcony of the three-story home when two R9X missiles - a hellfire missile armed with long blades aimed at killing targets with kinetic energy to minimize major collateral damage - struck. The hellfire missiles were developed for precision drone strikes and are often used against high-value targets. The strike was carried out in the early morning hours of Sunday Kabul time 6:18 am there and 9:48 pm Saturday night in the United States after U.S. intelligence officials learned al-Zawahiri moved to Afghanistan in the last year. 'This year we identified that al-Zawahiri family his wife, his daughter, and her children relocated to a safe house in Kabul,' a senior administration official told reporters on a background briefing call ahead of Biden's speech. Al-Zawahiri was never seen leaving that safe house, the official said. The official said only al-Zawahiri was killed and that members of the Haqqani network, a terrorist group that is part of the Taliban government, removed his family from the safe house 'to another location consistent with a broader effort to cover up that they had been living in the space.' 'Al-Zawahiri family members were present in other parts of the safe house at the time of the strike, and were purposefully not targeted and were unharmed,' the official said. Biden was first briefed on Al-Zawahiri's location on July 1. The official described their intelligence as 'rock solid.' The official said Biden asked 'detailed questions' on their intelligence, examined a model of the house that intelligence officials built and brought into the Situation Room for him to see, and asked about the possibility of civilian casualties. On July 25th, Biden made the decision to authorize the strike. 'He was particularly focused on ensuring that every step had been taken to ensure the operation would minimize that risk. And he wanted to understand the basis upon which we had confidence in our assessments. The President requested further information on the building plans and about likely effects of a strike,' the official said. Biden was in isolation with his rebound case of covid when the strike was carried out but was kept informed when it began and when it ended, the official noted. The Biden administration also made clear they expect the Taliban to abide by the terms of the Doha agreement, which outlined the terms for the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that al-Zawahiri's presence in the Afghan capitol city was a 'clear violation' of the agreement. 'Obviously this is a very important point for us to make clear that follow up on that we expect them to abide by the terms of the Doha agreement, and the presence of al-Zawahiri in downtown Kabul with a clear violation of that,' the official said. 'Going forward with the Taliban, we will continue to hold them accountable for their actions,' the officials. 'We will take action to protect our interests, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, which is firm that it al Qaeda should never be allowed to re-establish itself in Afghanistan.' It was the first attack in Afghanistan since American forces left last year. It took six months to plan. Biden was in isolation with his rebound case of covid when the strike was carried out but was kept informed when it began and when it ended, the official noted Al-Zawarihi and his family were living at home in Kabul owned by Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani (above) Al-Zawahiri's FBI wanted poster - there was a $25 million reward for information on him Fanatical ideologue whose new brand of terror prized massacring innocents: Ayman al-Zawahiri inspired Bin Laden to attack the US and wanted Al-Qaeda to get NUCLEAR weapons Al Quaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a recorded message Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been killed by a CIA drone strike, led a new brand of terror that prized massacring innocents, having inspired the former leader to gather nuclear and biological weapons. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following the US strike. The terrorist leader is said to have guided al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon, also called The Doctor, led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As part of this, al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. His own militant group began when he was 15, having organized an underground cell of friends to overthrow Egypt's Islamic theocracy and government, after it executed Qutb in 1966. This cell grew to become the Jihad Group, which plotted the assassination of Egyptian leaders in the early 1980s, and was also involved in the killing of the country's president, Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, the Washington Post reported. 'We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam,' he shouted in the courtroom. He was briefly jailed for three years for the possession of arms, having been acquitted of the main charges. Later, he claimed to have been tortured while behind bars. After his release, he began touring South Asia and became the personal doctor to Bin Laden. In 1997, while living in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was involved in planning an attack on Egyptian tourists visiting the Luxor ruins. Advertisement President Biden, in his remarks, said the drone strike on al-Zawahiiri was evidence that he was right when he told Americans last summere that removing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan would not undermine the United States' ability to fight terrorism. 'When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I made the decision that after 20 years of war, the United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan, to protect America from terrorists who seek to do us harm. 'And I made a promise to the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. We've done just that,' he said. Al-Zawahiri took over al Qaeda after bin Laden's death in 2011, when bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011. In 1998, he was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. On August 7, 1998, nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa - 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. Both he and bin Laden escaped U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late 2001. Zawahiri's whereabouts had long been a mystery. Rumors have spread since late 2020 that al-Zawahiri had died from illness. But he appeared in a new video in April, where he denounced the 'enemies of Islam.' He appeared after a school in India banned the wearing of the hijab. Before April, Al-Zawahiri last appeared in a video last year marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, months after thee rumors spread that he was dead. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. SITE said al-Zawahiri also noted the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. Al-Zawahiri was born in Egypt in 1951 and worked as a surgeon. He grew up in an upper-class neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, the son of a prominent physician and grandson of famous scholars. An Islamic fundamentalist, al-Zawahiri joined the outlawed Egyptian Islamic Jihad group as a teenager, being jailed twice for helping plot assassinations of two Egyptian leaders. He eventually became the group's leader, which was dedicated to the creation of an Islamic state in Egypt, and in the 1980s he joined Mujahedeen fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan. There he befriended and joined forces with bin Laden, becoming his personal physician. He formally merged his group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, with al Qaeda in 1998. The two men later issued a fatwa, or decree, that said: 'The judgment to kill and fight Americans and their allies, whether civilians or military, is an obligation for every Muslim.' Al-Zawahiri's slaying has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in, having previously developed ties with the terrorist group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Speculation is rising as to whether his living arrangements with Taliban interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani could create further difficulties for the West's relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Smoke rises from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in this frame grabe from TV, after a suspected car bomb exploded outside in 1998; al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya Armed US Marines stand guard by the US embassy entrance in Nairobi in 1998 as FBI agents gather evidence in the bombing U.S. military pall bearers carry the first five flag-draped coffins of 10 Americans killed in the bombings at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, during a memorial service at Andrews Air Force Base in 1998 Republicans slam Biden's 'ridiculous victory lap' after killing Bin Laden's longtime No. 2 Republicans are slamming President Joe Biden for applauding the killing of Al Qaeda's top leader, alleging his 'disastrous withdrawal' from Afghanistan paved the way for the group's resurgence. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blamed Biden's botched exit from the Taliban-ruled country on the 'possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda,' alleging the US must take action to prevent terrorists from entering the nation. GOP Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed McCarthy's sentiment saying that even Americans will be glad Zawahiri is dead, 'Joe's victory lap is ridiculous.' Biden's critics allege the drone strike demonstrates the president's failure to combat terrorism and his blatant lies to the American people, citing previous statements he made claiming Al Qaeda was not present in Afghanistan. 'Today is further proof that our United States Military and Intelligence Community personnel will not stop pursuing those who threaten the United States of America and our interests,' McCarthy said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'This news also sheds light on the possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago,' he continued. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of Al Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' Advertisement It comes as US President Joe Biden's officials said that Haqqani Network leaders knew al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul. 'Immediately after the strike, Haqqani operatives sealed off the area and relocated Zawahiri's relatives. A damning indictment of Taliban credibility,' said director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister. It may add further credibility to recent intelligence claims from the US that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the Taliban government, has allowed al-Qaeda to re-emerge in Afghanistan, after taking over the country last year. In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' Is this Al-Qaeda's next terror chief? Secretive heir apparent who 'oversaw Black Hawk Down operation' and helped carry out 9/11 attacks is poised to take over Pictured in just one of three published photos, al-Adel is the likely successor to the al-Qaeda throne. He is credited with masterminding the bombings of three US embassies in 1998 as well as playing a key role in the notorious 'Black Hawk Down' plot The heir apparent to the al-Qaeda throne after tonight's confirmed death of Ayman al-Zawahiri is a canny, military-trained operative with experience killing British and American soldiers. Egyptian ex-army officer Saif al-Adel was a founding member of al-Qaeda, having joined pre-cursor terrorist group Maktab al-Khidamat in the late-1980s. There he met future allies Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, whose separate group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) he would soon join. Little else is known about Saif al-Adel, who at around 60 years of age is one of the younger al-Qaeda bosses. Al-Adel was around 30 when he oversaw the infamous 'Black Hawk Down' operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 American soldiers were killed and had their bodies dragged through the streets. Seven more were slain when two helicopters were shot down in the east Africa ambush, including two British soldiers, three Turks and a Frenchman. And since the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011, al-Adel has become an increasingly important strategist within the depleting terror cell. The only thing standing in his way to become the next al-Qaeda leader is that he is likely stuck in Iran - and may well have been for the past 19 years. In 2003, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Javad Zarif refused to confirm nor deny whether al-Adel was being held in the country. He told ABC News that terrorists tend to have multiple passports, with the Iranian government unable to confirm their identities. With what's left of al-Qaeda now based in Afghanistan - and in coexistence with the Taliban - al-Adel's geographic isolation could stop him taking the helm, foreign policy analyst Charles Lister suggested tonight. With his real name thought to be Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, al-Adel's made-up moniker translates to 'Sword of Justice'. Thought not as brainwashed by Islamist ideology as his al-Qaeda colleagues, al-Adel used his military training to rise to the top of the shadowy organization in the wake of the September 11 attacks, in which senior operatives killed themselves. Al-Adel was in fact against the so-called 'Planes Operation', as it was known by members of the terror cell. Al-Adel is pictured (centre) on an al-Qaeda who's who published in 2005. Osama bin Laden is pictured top-left, with al-Zawahiri to his right and Mullah Omar to the right of al-Zawahiri. Saif is now one of the only original al-Qaeda leaders still alive The FBI Most Wanted poster on Al-Adel states the reward of up to $10million for information Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors But he helped organize the single most deadly terrorist attack in history after bin Laden became committed to the idea. According to ex-FBI agent and counter-terrorism expert Ali Soufan, who suggested al-Adel would be 'al-Qaeda's next leader' last year, Saif possesses a 'poker face' and a 'caustic tongue'. When training young soldiers, he was known to kidnap them in the middle of the night and conduct savage beatings in order to harden the troops. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors. Osama's assumed successor son Hamza was killed in 2019 and fellow senior strategist Abu Muhammad al-Masri was assassinated in 2020. US intelligence states: 'Al-Adel is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.' Two hundred and twenty-four people died in the three East Africa blasts, including 12 Americans, with more than 4,500 people wounded. A $10million reward for information has been placed on al-Adel's head. And with ex-leader al-Zawahiri now slain, the attention of America's terrorist hunters will likely go onto Saif al-Adel. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following a US airstrike this evening. The terrorist leader is said to have guided Al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Advertisement The six-blade 'ninja missile' used to mince terrorists: CIA deployed two R9X Hellfires to shred Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri - a month after it was used to wipe out ISIS thug in Syria Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became the latest victim of the feared Hellfire Ninja R9X missile that uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, according to military experts. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden. The terrorist leader was 71 years old. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 1 that a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader as he walked on to the balcony of his safe house. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. The existence of the missile has not been confirmed by the US military. The official described the al-Zawahiri assassination as a 'precise tailored airstrike.' The possibly closest look we have of a used R9X in Yemen in June 2022. The red ball is the pneumatic accumulator that helps to propel the missile Other targets shed to pieces by Hellfire RX9 missiles: List includes al Qaeda targets, an Iranian general and a mysterious terror financer The Hellfire RX9 missile is a highly secretive collaboration between the CIA and the DOD that has its origins during the Obama administration in 2011. The purpose of the project was to limit the amount of collateral damage and civilian casualties caused during conventional drone strikes. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. Here are some of the known victims of one of the CIA's most sophisticated pieces of weaponry: Abu Khayr al-Masri - February 2017 Then al-Qaeda's second in command, Abu Al-Khayr al-Masri is thought to have been the first person killed by the RX9 missile. Al-Masri was killed alongside another militant in Idlib, Syria, on February 26, 2017. According to GlobalSecurity.org, locals at the scene, while suspecting a drone strike, were shocked that there was 'no real sign of a large explosion' and that the terrorist leader's Kia sedan remained largely in tact. Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi - January 2019 This photo provided by the FBI shows Jamal al-Badawi. He was the mastermind behind the the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors On New Year's Day 2019, Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, a prime suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, was killed by an R9X missile in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen. He was driving alone when he was killed and there were no other reported casualties. The bombing of the USS Cole killed 17 American sailors. He was the first high-profile terrorist target that US forces killed in Yemen. Then President Donald Trump tweeted at the time: 'We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!' Mohibullah - January 2020 In January 2019, the Afghani government confirmed that a mysterious financier of terrorism, known only as Mohibullah, was killed in a targeted strike in the northeastern part of Afghanistan. He was driving in a car when killed. Mohibullah was a Pakistani citizen. General Qassem Soleimani - Janaury 2020 A demonstrator holds the picture of Qassem Soleimani during a protest against the assassination of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. A report from The Hill at the time of Soleimani's death found that the height from which the general was struck had the characteristics of the RX9 missile. Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sanaani - June 2020 Hurras Al-Din leaders Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sananni were killed in Syria's Idlib province in June 2020. Like al-Masri, the pair were traveling in a car when they were hit by a drone strike. Similarly, local reported no explosion and their vehicle remained largely intact. Al Urduni was a close ally of key US target, al Qaeda organizer Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in bombing in 2006. Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki - August 2020 Military trainer for al-Qaeda Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki was killed by what one news source referred to as a '100-pound flying switchblade' in August 2020. Al-Uzbeki had also been work in with Hurras Al-Din at the time of his death. Abu Hamzah al-Yemini - June 2022 Abu Hamzah al-Yemini, the leader of Hurras al Din, was killed in northwestern Syria on June 29 this year. ' Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni was travelling alone on a motorcycle at the time of the strike,' US Central Command said in a statement, adding that an 'initial review indicates no civilian casualties.' Multiple experts said that the scene of al-Yemini's death showed the hallmarks of the RX9 missile. Advertisement Osama Bin-Laden's former number two was staying in the home with members of his family. President Biden said that there other injuries as a result of Saturday's strike. It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. In fact, the RX9 was considered when plans were being drawn up to permanently take down the 9/11 mastermind. The R9X Hellfire missile has become one of the US military's favored weapons for precision assassinations as it carries a lower risk of collateral damage. Developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 amid concerns over the number of civilians being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East, the 'ninja' missile is so nicknamed because it foregoes the use of an explosive warhead. It the result of a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman. It is not clear how many R9X missiles that the Pentagon have in their possession. The R9X is not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement. The secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020, reports the New York Times. But it has reportedly been used on nearly a dozen other occasions to take out specific targets. During the Korean and Vietnam wars in the 1950s, the US military pioneered an idea of non-explosive kinetic bombs named Lazy Dogs. The bombs were designed to kill using kinetic energy after being dropped from aircraft. The weighed between 560 and 625 pounds. Lazy Dogs did not prove to be popular among commanders and their development was halted in the 1960s. The existence of the R9X was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019. The newspaper said that the missile was used in attacks on persons in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. The Journal said that those worked with the R9X is referred to as the 'flying Ginsu,' a reference to a popular brand of steak knives. An unnamed official source told the newspaper at the time that the missile was created with the 'express purpose of reducing civilian casualties.' The article referred to the weapon as being similar to a 'speedy anvil.' The example that the Journal provides suggests that the R9X was so precise that if a target was in a car with an innocent driver, the missile would take out the target and spare the driver. The same report said that the missile's blades can cut through buildings, and car roofs. At the time of the WSJ report, Human Rights Watch's Letta Tayler wrote on the group's website that the RX9 should not necessarily be viewed as a more ethical weapon. Tayler said: 'On its own, the R9X won't resolve the host of legal issues surrounding the US targeted killing program, which since 2002 has killed thousands of people with scant transparency.' In August 2021, the R9X was thought to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. According to Task and Purpose, the missiles were fired from a MQ-9 Reaper drone. Following that strike, Army Major General William 'Hank' Taylor bragged about the lack of civilian casualties adding: 'Without specifying any future plans, I will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage over-the-horizon capability to conduct counterterrorism operations as needed.' That strike was in response to the Hamid Karzai International Airport attack that killed 13 US servicemembers. In addition to the August 2021 attack, the R9X is thought to have been used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. It was used again to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan in January 2019, that same month the missile was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri in June 2019 The following year, the missile was the cause of death of Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria. The latter featured the use of three 100-plus-pound warheads, according to the Military Times. Al-Zawahiri joins a list of undesirables that includes, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in 2004 by the Israeli Air Force, who have been taken out by variations of the traditional Hellfire missile. While in use by the US military, conventional Hellfire missiles have taken out Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda organizer as well as high-ranking Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2012, Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr, who met his end in 2014 in Somalia, not to mention Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John who was killed in 2015 in Syria. The explosive warhead on a traditional hellfire missile weighs around 20 pounds. The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022. Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target. Hurras al Din is a relatively small but powerful armed group led by Al Qaeda loyalists, which was led by Yemeni until his death yesterday. It's estimated to have 2,000 to 2,500 fighters in rebel-held Syria, according to the United Nations. The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. In his remarks following al-Zawahiri's killing, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks and said the killing of al-Zawahiri demonstrated the resolve of the United States to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' The motorbike, that was reportedly being ridden by jihadist leader Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni at the time that he was killed by a US drone strike, is shown mangled after being hit by the R9X Blitzed on his balcony: How CIA spied on Ayman al-Zawahiri for six months before pounding terror chief with two Hellfire missiles when he stepped out of Kabul home and 'lingered' The United States killed al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike Saturday, following a more than 20-year effort to assassinate the terrorist. Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011. The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US. The early morning attack saw al-Zawahiri killed by two hellfire missiles fired from drones deployed by the CIA, as he stood on the balcony of the safe house in downtown Kabul. The Egyptian-born jihadist apparently proceeded to linger on the landing, as U.S. intelligence had noted he often did, allowing the drone ample time to execute the attack. The mission, officials said, took six months to plan - but served as the culmination of a much wider, carefully coordinated campaign to track down and kill the al Qaeda head, who had successfully evaded US armed forces up until this point. The slaying came more than 11 years after Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy Seals on May 2, 2011, in a more hands on, drone-less strike that came after a nearly decade-long hunt for the 9/11 mastermind. Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011 An Egyptian born to a comfortable family in Cairo in 1951, al-Zawahiri first came on authorities' radars in the 90s, shortly after the formation of the terror group in 1988 by Bin Laden - at which time al-Zawahiri was already a member. The two terrorists reportedly met sometime in late 1980s, when al-Zawahri reportedly kept the Saudi millionaire safe in the caves of Afghanistan from Soviet bombardments that then had been common in the region. In 1998, he was named Bin Laden's deputy, further raising his profile, as he began to appear alongside the Saudi national at al-Qaeda held news conferences, airing anti-American sentiment and calling for other likeminded Muslims to join their cause. That same year, al-Zawahiri, then 47, was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The August 7 attack saw nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing 224 - including 12 Americans - and wounding more than 4,500. At the time, al-Zawahri - who was radicalized after he and hundreds of militants were tortured in Egyptian prison after Islamic fundamentalists' assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - had bolstered the terror group by merging it with his own group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which he had started in the 80s. He would then help hone the group secretly in his home nation, all while evading Egyptian intelligence, until it achieved cells of followers all across the globe. After years of quietly assembling suicide attackers, funds and plans, al-Zawahri, Bin Laden and several others would carry out the infamous September 11 attacks, putting him and other conspirators at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Going into hiding, al-Zawahri would then work to ensure that al-Qaeda members survived the global manhunt that would ensue - all while rebuilding the group's shattered leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, and serving as the supreme leader over branches in Iraq, Asia, Yemen, In this 1998 photo, Ayman al-Zawahri, left, listens during a news conference with Osama bin Laden in Khost, Afghanistan. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader al-Zawahri Saturday In the years that followed, al-Zawahri and Bin Laden would take credit for a series of attacks across Europ and Africa, as US forces successfully rounded up several accused of masterminding the 9/11 plot. Despite efforts that included a combination of unrelenting raids and missile and drone strikes, both al-Zawahri bin Laden would successfully manage to evade US forces, and hide elsewhere in the Middle East. It would take roughly a decade before US armed forces were able to track down at least one of the terror group's elusive top members, with a group of US Navy seals successfully taking out Bin Laden, then 54, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was at this point that al-Zawahiri assumed leadership of the group, taking over immediately after the death of his friend. US intelligence would then learn over the course of several months from sources with 'increased confidence' that the terror leader's family had relocated to an unspecified safe house somewhere in the Middle East. The next clue to the al-Qaueda kingpin's whereabouts would not come for another decade, after rumors swirled in 2020 that the terror boss had died from illness. Those rumors were put to bed, however, the very next year, on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Zawahiri appeared in a video where he celebrated the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. The sudden spot seemingly did not provide US officials any clues as to where al-Zawahiri was hiding - however, seven months later, top US security staffers were reportedly informed of 'developing intelligence' that he and his family were back in Afghanistan. The breakthrough came in April, after US officials learned that the terror leader's wife, daughter and children had relocated to Kabul, at an al-Qaeda safehouse - the one struck over the weekend. Officials eventually determined that al-Zawahri, too, was at the house - setting into motion a plan that would see officials construct a scale model of the multifloored, terraced property. That model would eventually be brought it into the White House Situation Room to President Joe Biden, who along with several senior security officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, would plot the attack, knowing that al-Zawahri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony. The group then painstakingly constructed 'a pattern of life,' as one official put it, for the terror leader, and said Monday that they had been confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew. In this television image from Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden, right, listens as his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri speaks at an undisclosed location, in this image made from undated video tape broadcast by the station April 15, 2002 Inside the administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were allowed into the highly classified planning process. During this time, as the US investigated the 'construction and nature of of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the target without putting civilians in danger, al-Zawahiri would continue to crank out videos attacking the US and its allies Shortly after, US officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike, after confirming the identities of all the people inside. 'Key' agencies, officials said, were then brought into the process to make sure that intel was 'rock solid' before eventually carrying out the top-secret operation. During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convened several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize the intelligence and analyze various updates as to the situation at hand. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Just as US officials had planned, the jihadist had been standing on the balcony of his hideout when the early-morning strike was carried out. 'We make it clear again tonight: That no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,' Biden said Monday, announcing the attack's success to the nation. Hours later, a statement from Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties. It said it ''strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. The wife of Queens 'duck sauce killer' was arraigned on weapons charges after cops raided her Briarwood home and found eight handguns and ammunition weeks after her husband shot dead a Chinese restaurant delivery driver over duck sauce. Dorothy Hirsch, 62, pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Monday in Queens Supreme Court as her attorney Mark Bederow stood nearby. Hours after the Monday arraignment, Bederow told DailyMail.com that his client has 'nothing to do with the allegations against her husband and is absolutely innocent,' he said in part. Bederow said Dorothy, who works as a registered nurse, hasn't lived with her husband, Glenn Hirsch, for years. 'The DA is fully aware that he had access to her apartment and that the guns were recovered in boxes and garbage bags, among Glenn Hirschs other junk in a closet used by him,' Bederow said. 'The DAs own paperwork acknowledges that the other items recovered from the closet were his things. He is linked to at least one and possibly more of the firearms by forensic evidence.' He added: 'To prosecute Dorothy, a decent 62 year old woman who has never been arrested with knowingly possessing his firearmswith the intent to use them unlawfullyis preposterous.' On June 3, Hirsch was arrested after police conducted a raid at her home two days after her husband and alleged killer was charged in the April 30 shooting death of Zhiwen Yan. Dorothy Hirsch, 62, during her arraignment on Monday in Queens Supreme Court. On June 3, Hirsch was arrested after police conducted a raid at her home two days after her husband and fanatic customer, Glenn Hirsch, was charged in the April 30 shooting death of Zhiwen Yan Hirsch, 62, pleaded not guilty after as her attorney Mark Bederow stood nearby Arrested and charged with criminal possession of a firearm for the deadly shooting and the murder of Zhiwen Yan, who was dropping off a Chinese food delivery in a dispute over duck sauce. Photo at Queens court by John M. Mantel for Daily Mail, June 27 Zhiwen Yan, 45, (pictured) with his wife in what appears to be a wedding photo. Yan, who worked as a Chinese food delivery man, 45, was shot dead in New York City: The shooter was a disgruntled customer who had 'multiple' disputes with the restaurant over his orders and twice threatened workers with a gun During the bust authorities seized eight handguns and ammunition from Hirsch's Briarwood home, officials said. Police records show the couple live in separate homes with Glenn living in nearby Jamaica. Bederow told DailyMail.com that even his client's bail was set at an exorbitant amount, well over $150,000. He said at her July 12 court hearing he was able to get it substantially reduced to $30,000. 'She is a good and decent, law-abiding woman who is being prosecuted merely because she is legally married to the person who is accused of committing a heinous murder.' 'She should be judged on the merits of the credible evidence against her, not the alleged criminal acts of her husband.' 'She is absolutely innocent of possessing any firearms in her apartment certainly with the intent to use unlawfully,' Hirsch's attorney, Mark Bederow (pictured left), said. 'She is a good and decent, law-abiding woman who is being prosecuted merely because she is legally married to the person who is accused of committing a heinous murder.' A photo of the contents of the closet that authorities searched during the June raid Eight fireams concealed in garbage bags and kept in a closet in the Briarwood home of Dorothy Hirsch. Dorothy hasn't lived with her husband, Glenn Hirsch, for a year, the attorney said Hirsch had nine prior arrests and while he has been in custody, a police search was conducted at the home of his wife, who he doesn't live with, during which eight guns were recovered. Over at Hirsch's Briarwood home, cops discovered his refrigerator packed with sweet and sour duck sauce. 'His whole refrigerator was filled with duck sauce,' a police source told the New York Daily News. 'And other condiments.' 'He's a hoarder. And when you open the refrigerator, it's like, condiments - there's duck sauce, soy sauce, ketchup.' The source suggested the piles of condiments at his apartment on 141st Street were all a part of what was going on in Hirsch's brain that may have lead him to kill. 'I guess in some pathology people like that take that stuff very seriously - you didn't give him enough duck sauce,' they said. Hirsch, who had nine prior arrests on his record, has pleaded not guilty. Yan, a father-of-three who moved to New York more than two decades ago, was doing delivery-rounds on his scooter in Forest Hills, Queens, cops say, when he was blasted in the chest. The shooting saw Yan and Hirsch, who was believed to be driving an older model of a Lexus RX3 SV at the time, briefly exchange words at a traffic light before Yan was hit near 108th Street and 67th Drive, in what is usually a quiet and close-knit area. A witness nearby later told investigators that Hirsch fled the scene. Police revealed they captured Hirsch on surveillance footage pacing around the restaurant for roughly an hour on the night of the shooting before following Yan. Hirsch's lawyer, Michael Horn, told DailyMail.com that a warrant was issued for his arrest after the grand jury's proceeding. However, he added that the Queens District Attorney's office 'decided not to honor my professional courtesy to bring [Hirsch] in whenever as possible, where's necessary and they basically broke down his door last night and forced their way to a scared man who doesn't know what's going on.' Yan, who worked seven days a week and held three jobs to support his family, had been working at the Great Wall restaurant for more than a decade prior to his death, 53-year-old employee Kai Yang told the New York Daily News. Hirsch was arrested nine times between 1995 and 2012, but none of them are disclosed as they are sealed. One of the arrests is related to Hirsch committing a robbery with a gun, police sources told the Daily News. Horn said: 'They're not relevant. We know that accusations are meaningless without any judication... The District Attorney is taking what I consider to be a thin case and trying to put as much garnish as possible to make the sandwich look bigger.' A restaurant employee, Soi Chung, 70, told DailyMail.com that Hirsch had 'multiple' disputes with staff at the eatery and pulled a gun on staffers during one incident in January. Another incident last year saw the angry customer become peeved over the amount of duck sauce given to him in one of his orders, Chung told The New York Post, spurring a campaign of harassment, vandalism, and threats from the customer. The most brazen threat from the customer, Chung said, came earlier this year, when Hirsch menacingly waved a gun at the restaurant workers, spurring them to call 911. Restaurant owner Kai Yang told the Post that the angry customer was put to the ground by employees, which included Yan, shortly after he came inside with the firearm. Horn said on Thursday: 'If my client had an argument with the manager, then why is he having a fight or assaulted a delivery guy who everybody seems to like. There was no delivery.' Scene at the Great Wall Chinese food restaurant in Forest Hills were a makeshift memorial was set up for murdered delivery man Zhiwen Yan Mourners left flowers, candles, photos, and drawings at the scene at the Great Wall Chinese food restaurant in Forest Hills for murdered delivery man Zhiwen Yan Meanwhile, Yan leaves behind a wife and three children, aged two, 12, and 14. 'This was a father of three children working three jobs - all food delivery,' Yan's nephew, who identified himself as Michael, said during a presser in April held outside the family's home in neighboring Middle Village. 'He came here in 2001,' the relative went on. 'He has been in this country over 20 years.' He added: 'It's unacceptable that this happened. This is a very peaceful community. This never happened, this kind of issue.' Despite Yan's colleagues' claims concerning Hirsch's threatening behavior, it is currently unclear if the delivery man was a specific target. A GoFundMe page was created by Kunying Zhao - Yan's wife. 'I'm starting a fundraiser for my husband because he passed away last night,' Zhao wrote on May 1. 'He was a hardworking delivery man and always provided for his family.' A woman has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly killing a man at a home in Perth's northwest. Police were called to a house on Minoan Way, Alkimos, around 6.20am on Saturday, where a 34-year-old man was found dead. A 28-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and later charged with his manslaughter. It is understood the man was found in the garage and the pair were a couple. A 34-year-old man was found dead at a home in Minoan Way (pictured), Alkimos, about 6.20am on Saturday Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Deputy Police Commissioner Allan Adams said there was a 'fair bit of work' that needed to determine exactly what happened at the scene. Deputy Commissioner Adams said there was a 'solid contingent' of homicide squad and local detectives working to determine the mans cause of death. 'To those neighbours in the vicinity who have concerns, be assured that the police are taking this extremely seriously (which is) evidenced by the number of officers there and are very hopeful of coming to a resolution in the short term,' he said. The woman was refused bail and is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Tuesday. An off-duty senior police officer has been taken to hospital after he was allegedly bashed with a bike pole by three boys at a train station. The 60-year-old NSW Police chief inspector approached the three boys, who were allegedly behaving in an offensive manner and abusing passengers and railway staff, at Rooty Hill train station in Sydney's west at about 4.25am on Monday. After identifying himself as a police officer, the man told the three boys to curb their behaviour. A senior officer was allegedly bashed on the head with a bike pole by three boys at train station in Sydney's west The officer was helped by a member of the public as he placed one of the boys under arrest. However, the boy allegedly resisted before verbally abusing and assaulting the officer, who was struck repeatedly on the head with a bike seat pole. More police arrived at the scene and arrested the boys who are aged 14, 13 and 12. Paramedics from NSW Ambulance treated the officer at the scene before he was taken to Blacktown Hospital with head injuries. He was treated and later released. The alleged incident occurred at Rooty Hill train station in the early hours of Monday morning The member of the public helping the officer was also allegedly assaulted but did not require medical treatment. The boys were taken to Mt Druitt Police Station where they were charged with affray, resisting arrest and attacking a police officer. All three were refused bail to appear at a childrens court tomorrow on Tuesday. The officer was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital but later released Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or took mobile phone footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A huge reward has been offered for information as police attempt to solve the cold case of a 21-year old woman who disappeared on her way home more than 30 years ago. In 1989, Michelle Lewis rode away from her friend's Rockhampton house on a bike - and was never seen again. Retired detective Ann Gumley alongside officer-in-charge Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell announced a $500,000 reward for information on the disappearance of the then 21-year old Queensland woman. A $500,000 reward has been offered for information that helps find missing Queensland woman Michelle Lewis On the afternoon of January 14, 1989, Michelle rode her red and white bike to her friend's house on nearby Stenlake Avenue to watch movies. Just after 10pm Michelle left to return home but never made it. She was last seen wearing a pink surf singlet. Retired detective Ann Gumley, who originally led the investigation, said the key to finding Ann is her bike, previously telling the Courier Mail, 'if you find that bike, you'll find Michelle'. Michelle came from a broken family, shuffled between relatives after her mother gave her up. She was put into foster care at 16 years of age after her grandmother and carer died. Michelle Lewis was last seen wearing this type of pink tie-dyed surf singlet After her grandmother passed local Rockhampton woman Adeline Salhus, also known as Dell to her friends, opened her home to the teenage girl. The divorcee didn't have much but made sure the teenager was well looked after. On the night Michelle didn't return home Ms Salhus said she was convinced something terrible had happened to her foster daughter. Police interviewed hundreds of people during the investigation before Ms Gumley eventually moved to another part of Queensland, some seven years after Michelle's disappearance, leaving behind an unsolved mystery. The make and colour scheme of the bike that Michelle Lewis was last seen riding 'It was probably one of the saddest things I've ever done,' Ms Gumley said. 'I'd worked on a lot of fairly big jobs up in 'Rocky' but she was the one where I always said if it ever came to light what had happened, I wanted to be the one to arrest the person involved. I needed to have that closure myself.' The $500,000 reward to find Michelle Lewis was offered as part of Missing Persons Week Deceased serial killer Leonard John Fraser has long been suspected of involvement in Michelle's disappearance. As part of Missing Persons Week a $500,000 reward was put up for information on Michelle's disappearance to try to solve the three-decades old cold case. The US Secretary of State slammed the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha agreement by housing the leader of Al Qaeda, after the group denounced the US for killing the terrorist in a drone strike. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over as leader of Al Qaeda after founder Osama bin Laden's death, was killed in a CIA drone strike in Kabul on Sunday. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said their government 'strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext' and claimed it violated the Doha peace treaty. However, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Donald Trump-era agreement. The deal was signed in February 2020 and secured the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan on the condition the Taliban would not allow the territory to be used as a launchpad for Al Qaeda or Islamic State attacks against the US. UN security intelligence experts revealed in June that Al Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. President Joe Biden, addressing Zawahri's death Monday night, said he hopes it brings 'one more measure of closure' to families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left) slammed the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha agreement by housing Al Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri (right), after the group denounced the US for killing the terrorist in a drone strike The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Donald Trump-era agreement 'In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,' Blinken said in a statement Monday. He also applauded al-Zawahiri's killing and the US military's 'commitment to act against terrorist threats.' 'We have delivered on our commitment to act against terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. The world is safer following the death of al Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,' he said before pledging: 'The US will continue to act against those who threaten our country, our people, or our allies.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured August 2021) condemned the US air strike that killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, alleging it 'violated international principles' Blinken's remarks came hours after Mujahid publicly denounced the air strike Monday, calling it a 'blatant violation of international principles and the Doha agreement.' 'The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext,' he said in a statement, referring to the organization by its official name. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region,' he continued. 'Repeating such actions will damage the available opportunities.' US intelligence officials tracked Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. President Joe Biden approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday. 'Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan,' a senior administration official said. 'The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties.' The house Al-Zawahri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed al-Zawahri's death. Planning for the operation began six months ago, but intensified in the last two months, the official said. Biden, during a televised address from the White House (pictured), confirmed Monday night that a US drone strike in Kabul had killed Zawahri. He said: 'This terrorist leader is no more' Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri during an interview with a Pakistani journalist. The photo was supplied by Dawn newspaper on November 10, 2001 Biden, during a televised address from the White House, confirmed Monday night that a US drone strike in Kabul had killed al-Zawahiri. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens,' Biden said, adding: 'This terrorist leader is no more.' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, slammed the resurgence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, alleging Biden allowed the group to re-emerge with his 'disastrous withdrawal' from the country last year. 'Today is further proof that our United States Military and Intelligence Community personnel will not stop pursuing those who threaten the United States of America and our interests,' McCarthy said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'We owe a debt of gratitude to these brave Americans for defending our freedoms and protecting the homeland. Republicans will continue to support them in that effort and make sure they have the resources they need to accomplish that mission. 'This news also sheds light on the possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of Al Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' US intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The house was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani (pictured speaking during a police cadet graduation ceremony in March 2022) Ayman al-Zawahiri (left) and Osama Bin Laden the leader (right) are pictured together after a press conference on May 26, 1998 Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout al-Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that Al Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring Al Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that Al Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got al-Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' Roggio served as a signalman and infantryman in the U.S. Army and New Jersey National Guard from 1991 to 1997. Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. His death marks the biggest blow to the militant group since bin Laden was killed by US special forces in 2011. Al-Qaeda is enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April Taliban officials are seen as spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid holds a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan on September 7, 2021 The United Nations reported in June that Afghanistan has been serving as a safe haven for Al Qaeda under the Taliban and that an undisclosed number of the group's members were living in Kabul's former diplomatic quarter. Communications from al-Zawahiri also showed he believed 'he may be able to lead more effectively than was possible before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.' Experts earned in the intelligence report to the UN Security Council that the country could become a base for terrorist attacks, The Guardian reported. However, they added neither IS nor Al Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them.' Nonetheless, it said the presence of IS, Al Qaeda, and 'many other terrorist groups and fighters on Afghan soil' is raising concerns in neighboring countries and the wider international community. The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again (Taliban patrol in Kabul) However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them' There are also concerns about the Taliban's inability to keep its promise not to allow terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan. The panel said the Haqqani Network, a militant Islamist group with close ties to the Taliban, moved quickly after their takeover to gain control of key portfolios and ministries including interior, intelligence, passports and migration. It now 'largely controls security in Afghanistan, including the security of the capital, Kabul,' the report stated. 'The Haqqani Network is still regarded as having the closest links to al-Qaeda,' and the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda also remains close. The experts pointed to the reported presence of Al Qaeda's 'core leadership' in eastern Afghanistan, including Zawahri. Al-Zawahiri's whereabouts - variously rumored to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan - had been unknown until Sunday's air strike. Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people With other senior Al Qaeda members, al-Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 US sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said. He was indicted in the US for his role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. Both bin laden and al-Zawahiri eluded capture when US-led forces toppled Afghanistan's Taliban government in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Biden's decision to kill al-Zawahiri is sure to be compared to the cautious stance he initially took in meetings that led to then-President Barack Obama's order for the Pakistan raid that killed bin Laden in 2011. Biden, who was then vice president, has acknowledged that he advised Obama to take more time. But he also told him to 'follow your instincts' and ultimately supported his decision to go ahead. Obama, in his memoirs, wrote that Biden was concerned about 'the enormous consequences of failure' and counseled the president to 'defer any decision until the intelligence community was more certain that bin Laden was in the compound.' A public housing property resembled a garbage tip when its tenants were finally evicted after a lengthy court battle. Neighbours in the Richmond area in Melbourne said they complained to the Department of Families, Fairness and House multiple times before action was finally taken earlier this year. Photos show huge piles of rubbish with the floor barely visible - and even animal poo left behind by the evicted tenants. There were also hundreds of discarded cigarette butts and a large amount of drug paraphernalia. Photos show huge piles of rubbish with the floor barely visible - and even animal poo left behind by the evicted tenants The Department of Housing told 9News it applied to terminate the tenancy. A Supreme Court ordered that the tenants finally be evicted after a lengthy court process - but they have since moved into another social housing complex. Cleaners went in on Monday to begin the mammoth task of cleaning up the three- bedroom apartment. There were also hundreds of discarded cigarette butts and a large amount of drug paraphernalia They said it is one of the worst public housing units they have ever seen. Locals said they were relieved the tenants had been evicted, but have been left frustrated with the blowing out of public housing wait-lists. There are currently 50,000 people waiting for public housing across Victoria. 'If people are homeless, they are the people that should be in a property like this, not people who have no respect,' one local said. Throughout the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021, no inspections of public housing were undertaken, resulting in a huge backlog for the Department. The clean-up will continue over the coming days before new tenants can be allocated to the apartment. Former Conservative leader William Hague yesterday urged party members to back the 'highly disciplined' and 'rational' Rishi Sunak. In a video message addressed to the Tory grassroots, Lord Hague said the former chancellor was the best choice to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister. He described how Mr Sunak replaced him as the MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire in 2015, despite being 'new to farming issues' and 'not local'. Lord Hague said: 'I have campaigned with literally thousands of candidates. I have mentored dozens. It was soon apparent that this one was the most assiduous and effective I had ever known. In a video message addressed to the Tory grassroots, Lord Hague, pictured, said the former chancellor was the best choice to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister 'If I said he should visit someone in the hills, he would be there the next day for hours, just listening to them. 'He has a hunger to learn, to understand. One day, when I suggested he take it easy after a late event, he said he was getting up at 5am to join a farmer milking cows. 'You don't really have to do that,' I assured him. 'I know', he said, 'but I really want to know what it's like. I've got to understand for myself'.' The video also featured Richmond constituents, with one saying: 'He [Rishi Sunak] is an icon up here.' Lord Hague said: 'Having grown to admire him through months of touring Yorkshire villages together, I almost don't wish on him this position, one of the hardest jobs in the world at the worst moment in decades. But then I think about the next prime minister, sitting late at night in Downing Street, working out how to help people with energy bills, sort out the Northern Ireland Protocol, maintain the unity of the West. 'The best hope is a highly disciplined, rational individual, one who always does their utmost to understand... such a person is a very rare find in British politics. 'Members should realise that they have one in their midst. His name is Rishi Sunak. He has my full support.' An Aboriginal activist yesterday called the Queen a coloniser as she was sworn in as an Australian senator. Dressed in black, 48-year-old Lidia Thorpe marched across the floor of the Senate in Canberra and mockingly recited her version of the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty. With her right fist in the air in a Black Power salute, she recited: I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As other senators voiced criticism, Labors Senate president Sue Lines told the Greens senator: You are required to recite the oath as printed on the card. Please recite the oath. Miss Thorpe, who has Aboriginal and European ancestors, reluctantly repeated the oath as printed. Amid the commotion another senator was heard to say: None of us like it. She was immediately condemned by other politicians and received widespread criticism from Australians. One described her as an Angela Davis wannabe a reference to the US Black Power leader and admonished for her unthinking and infantile approach to closing the gap between caucasian and indigenous people. Social media critics described Miss Thorpe as an embarrassment. But Miss Thorpe tweeted that indigenous people who lived in Australia before the British arrived never surrendered to colonialists. Sovereignty never ceded, she wrote. There is growing support for the nation to sever ties with the monarchy, particularly now that a new Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, believes the time is ripe for a move towards becoming a republic. He has even appointed a minister of the republic, but a referendum would have to be held before anything could move forward. Lidia Thorpe strode into the Senate with her fist in the air and then mockingly called the Queen a 'coloniser' Her conduct received support from Greens Leader Adam Bandt, who tweeted: 'Always was. Always will be.' Australia was a British colony for more than 100 years, a period during which thousands of Aboriginal Australians were killed and communities were displaced wholesale. The country gained de facto independence in 1901, but has never become a fully fledged republic. In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against removing the queen, amid a row over whether her replacement would be chosen by members of parliament, not the public. Polls show most Australians are in favour of being a republic, but there is little agreement on how a head of state should be chosen. However, scores of social media users criticised Senator Thorpe's behaviour on Twitter. 'What an absolute idiot is Lidia Thorpe,' wrote one. 'A total embarrassment to parliament and those she claims she represents.' Another commented: 'Racist, anti-Australian, hate speech spewing trolls like you have no place in government and should be behind bars.' 'How childish Lidia... Another look at me moment for you. Can you please tell me one good thing you've done for indigenous Australians?' a third said. The Greens senator was forced to recite the oath of allegiance again after she marched into Federal Parliament and sarcastically recited it. Her conduct received support from party leader Adam Bandt It comes as the Greens senator claimed that Australia's parliament had no permission to exist - and that she was only a member so she could 'infiltrate' the institution, while still accepting the salary and benefits of a parliamentarian. Ms Thorpe, who has both European and Aboriginal ancestors, said in June that her entry into the 'colonial project' of parliament was due to her aspirations to 'renew the nation' and be a voice and spokesperson for First Nations people. The senator is part of a family succession of women who have had careers in Aboriginal activism: her grandmother Alma Thorpe established Victoria's Aboriginal health service while her mother Marjorie Thorpe was part of the national inquiry into what became known as the stolen generations. Appearing on Channel 10's The Project, the senator said she also removed the Australian national flag during press conferences after Greens leader Adam Bandt was criticised for the same move. 'The Australian flag does not represent me or my people,' she told the panel. 'It represents the colonisation of these lands, and it has no permission to be here, there's been no consent, there's been no treaty, so that flag does not represent me.' Panellist Waleed Aly asked the senator if her argument could also apply to the Australian parliament, in which she serves. 'Absolutely, I'm here to infiltrate,' she replied emphatically. Senator Thorpe (pictured on Tuesday night) said her decision to enter the 'colonial project' was due to her aspirations to 'renew the nation' and be a voice that questioned 'I signed up to become a senator in the colonial project, and that wasn't an easy decision for me personally, and it wasn't an easy decision for my family either to support me in this,' she continued. 'However, we need voices like this to question the illegitimate occupation of the colonial system in this country.' The panellist asked Senator Thorpe if she had given up her First Nations sovereignty by pledging allegiance to the Queen when she entered parliament. The line of questioning enraged some viewers, who took to social media to brand him 'offensive' with others calling the interview a 'train wreck'. 'We have never ceded our sovereignty as First Nations people in this nation ever, ever, ever,' senator Thorpe said of her dismissal of the national flag. What exactly IS the 'Voice to Parliament' they want Australians to vote for? Aboriginal ABC editor calls for payments to First Nations people for past injustices - and she wants it to have real power A senior ABC editor has called for the planned Indigenous Voice to Parliament to include 'reparations' and for the 'transfer of power' and 'control' to Aboriginal people. Reparations involve making amends for a wrong that has been done, by providing payment or other assistance to those who have been wronged. On Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese drew criticism from some quarters over the ill-defined and very broad powers of the Voice to Parliament would work - after announcing it will be the subject of a referendum over the next three years. Among those was the Coalition spokesman for Indigenous Australians Julian Leeser, who said 'we need to see more of the detail' while broadly supporting the idea of a race-based body that will have the power to instruct government over any policies that impact Aboriginal people. Speaking on the Insiders program, the public broadcaster's Indigenous Affairs editor Bridget Brennan filled in some of the blanks on what she thinks the Voice should mean. 'This has to be about justice. It has to be about reparations. It has to be about giving some power to Aboriginal communities,' she said. Country Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Price (pictured) called the Voice to Parliament 'a gravy train' So far, all that is certain about the Voice to Parliament is what the referendum question will be. The question likely to be put to the public is: 'Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?' The Prime Minister is concerned that giving too much detail would mean people voting 'no' if they 'disagree with one out of 50' clauses put forward. 'We're not doing that, we're learning from history,' said Mr Albanese - referring to the failed 1999 referendum on Australia becoming a republic, which many voted down not because they were against it in principle but because there was conflict over how the head of state would be chosen. Speaking at the Garma Festival in the Northern Territory on Sunday, Ms Brennan said a Voice to Parliament would not supersede the Federal Parliament. 'The Parliament will have ultimate supremacy, of course,' she said. What are reparations? Reparations involve making amends for a wrong that has been done, by providing payment or other assistance to those who have been wronged. They can also be the compensation for war damage paid by a defeated state. Advertisement 'But what sort of transfer of power does this mean for Indigenous people, because that needs to happen.' Ms Brennan said the Prime Minister has a difficult task ahead of him, in convincing people across the country to vote Yes in the referendum. '(Mr Albanese) is going to have different messages to sell to people. But I actually think there is an appetite now to see some transformative change,' she said. Ms Brennan, who has Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta heritage, emphasised that a Voice to Parliament needs to be strong and powerful. 'When we imagine was a Voice (to Parliament) would look like, I think it does need to have teeth, it does need to be feared (and) revered. 'It needs to be a building, it needs to be an institution that has much more than a voice. It has (to have) some control and some autonomy,' she said. The Aboriginal flag is seen in Canberra. A referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament is expected to be held next year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured with Aboriginal dancers at the Garma Festival in the Northern Territory However there was concern that leaving the parameters of the Voice undefined risked making it too powerful. Janet Albrechtsen, a columnist with The Australian, said the wording of the constitutional change establishing the Voice must include the right of parliament to abolish it. Poll Should the Australian Constitution be amended to include an Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes No Unsure, I need to know more about it Should the Australian Constitution be amended to include an Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes 499 votes No 3013 votes Unsure, I need to know more about it 634 votes Now share your opinion 'The only safe way to ensure this novel indigenous body does not become a governance disaster of unholy scale is to give parliament the ultimate control to abolish it,' she wrote. She also argued that the wording in the Constitution establishing the Voice must restrict the role of the Voice to making representations to parliament and to MPs, and not - as the proposed wording says - to being able to lobby 'executive government' over the fine detail of policies. 'Extending the reach of this body to everything done by executive government means it could permanently second-guess everything that passed across the desk of ministers or public servants,' Ms Albrechtsen wrote. 'This extension is an act of massive overreach that will radically change our system of government.' Anthony Albanese is pictured speaking at the Garma Festival in the Northern Territory on July 30, 2022 However Ms Brennan said it was important the Voice 'has much more than just an advisory role'. Speaking on the same panel as Ms Brennan, ABC's Q&A program host Stan Grant said there are many questions yet to be answered about the referendum. '(Without knowing) how much of the detail will come before the referendum, what the Opposition does is critical,' he said. 'We know the bar is set very high with passing a referendum.' Linda Burney, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, is set to partly answer that in this Monday's edition of Q&A (ABC, 9.36pm), which has already been recorded at the Garma Festival. 'There will be a lot of information out to the community about what people are voting on. It would be nuts for that not to happen,' she will say. ABC's Indigenous Affairs editor Bridget Brennan (pictured) said a Voice to Parliament 'has to be about reparations' Some of the criticism of the process of getting a Voice to Parliament has come from within the Indigenous community. Writing on Facebook Sunday, Country Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Price, a Warlpiri-Celtic woman, said 'the voice is being (led) by members of the Indigenous elite who've spent their lives on the backs of the most marginalised and changed nothing for them... 'The Voice to Parliament is a gravy train attempting to ingrain itself into the constitution so despite its failures and lack of accountability can never be dismantled.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the ABC seeking comment on whether or not it supports Ms Brennan's comments on the Voice to Parliament. A Brisbane mum faces life without her husband after an incurable muscle-deteriorating disease struck down the healthy dad out of nowhere. Sherie McCowen, 40, said that when the couple, who have two children, were given the grim news it was the darkest and scariest moment in her life. Her husband Johnny McCowen, 41, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - a terminal motor neurone disease - in July last year. Mr McCowen's illness is more aggressive than what doctors initially thought, with the dad admitting 'I can't hold my girls anymore' just 10 months after his diagnosis. Mr McCowen said he and his wife Sherie (pictured) spent 'half a lifetime' looking for each other A GoFundMe page for the family (pictured with baby Riley and their elder daughter Darcy) has reached the halfway mark to raise $750,000 to support the family. Their savings have been 'depleted' since Mr McCowen's illness came on Six months ago he was able to take his two daughters, Darcy, 2, and six-month-old Riley to the park but the tables have turned. The disease has wiped out his ability to speak, eat, walk and hold things with his hands as his health deteriorates. Ms McCowen said the shocking diagnosis last September floored them, after five doctors came into his hospital room to give the bad news. 'I was wearing a mask, I couldn't breath and I was pregnant with Riley - I ran to the bathroom and was sick and Johnny came in and I have this image of him engraved in my mind I'll never forget - his eyes were so horrid and scared,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'He looked like a little child, so scared, it was so horrible to watch. I could hear Darcy screaming, calling for us, she was crying, we all were crying.' The electrical engineer's symptoms started while the family was living in Canada last year before the birth of Riley when a colleague told him he was speaking slower than normal - then a friend mentioned the same thing. Ms McCowen said her husband's condition changed dramatically as she noticed him starting to drag his feet when he walked. 'He had slurred speech and his right arm was a little bit weaker at that point,' the mum said. 'He also started having twitches in his arms,' she said. Even holding things in his hands became a struggle as he lost movement in his fingers - at one point he had to ask someone next to him on a plane to open a water bottle for him. Ms McCowen said 'it's just scary to be a single mum, we always thought we were going to be a team', as she faces life without her husband (pictured, the family together) After a series of tests, where doctors thought he had either cancer, a tumor or a lesion on the brain, the bombshell diagnosis finally came. Later in January Ms McCowen gave birth to Riley and weeks after her husband had a fall, fracturing his cheekbones. Soon after the family moved back to Brisbane where they had met, as they had always wanted to go back. Meanwhile Mr McCowen's breathing capacity continued to weaken, with one test revealing his lungs were at 65 per cent capacity. One month later the figure was 45 per cent. 'His lungs were not in a good state, that was the scary bit. Usually with this disease that's how it ends,' Ms McCowen said. 'The lung muscles stop working.' Mr McCowen's rapid decline was due to his illness being more aggressive than doctors originally thought (pictured a still from the GoFundMe page for Mr McCowen and his family) The money raised through the crowdfunding platform will go towards a home for his family and a 'secure future' (pictured, the couple with their eldest daughter, Darcy, when she was younger) 'My body may be breaking down around me but my mind its crystal clear and I am continuing to stay positive for the journey ahead of me,' the engineer said on the GoFundMe page Their two-year-old daughter Darcy (pictured pushing her dad) and six-month-old Riley face a life without their father Members of Mr McCowen's family put up a GoFundMe page where they hope to raise enough money to fund a home and a 'secure future' for them should Mr McCowen succumb to the disease. 'I have imagined such a bright future for [my family] but I didn't know I wouldn't be in it,' Mr McCowen said. 'My wife and my two baby daughters are everything to me.' 'But now our world has crumbled. A diagnosis of ALS ... is causing my body to shut down around me and it's all happened in just nine months. 'My body may be breaking down around me but my mind its crystal clear and I am continuing to stay positive for the journey ahead of me.' The Irishman said the money will go towards getting a home for the family when he is gone as the medical costs have left their savings 'depleted'. The mum of two said her biggest concern was her two little kids (pictured, two-year-old Darcy with six-month-old Riley) The family (pictured) made a heartfelt plea via a GoFundMe page set up by relatives - thanking people for their support After the diagnosis the couple tried stem-cell research, Chinese medicine and a $900 15-minute conversation with a homeopath in the US - but it all came to nothing. After he and his wife 'spent half-a-lifetime looking for each other', she now is full-time carer to all three. Ms McCowen said: 'My biggest concern now is my two little kids and it's just scary to be a single mum, we always thought we were going to be a team, that's just heartbreaking - he can't be there for their future.' The family have so far passed half of the ambitious goal for $750,000 on the crowdfunding platform and have thanked donors for their support. Six months ago Mr McCowen was able to take his two daughters, Darcy, 2, (pictured, left in July 2020) and six-month old Riley (right, in June this year) to the park - yet he says 'I can't hold my girls anymore' 'But now our world has crumbled. A diagnosis of ALS ... is causing my body to shut down around me and it's all happened in just nine months,' Mr McCowen (pictured with his family) said. 'My wife and my two baby daughters are everything to me' 'I have imagined such a bright future for (my family) but I didn't know I wouldn't be in it,' Mr McCowen (pictured with his daughter Darcy) said on his GoFundMe page The man charged with stabbing a nine-year-old girl to death in a town centre has been pictured being kissed by two women at a family party. Lithuanian national Deividas Skebas, 22, was remanded into custody at Lincoln Crown Court, hours after an initial appearance at the city's magistrates' court on Monday. Lilia Valutyte was found with a stab wound outside her mother's embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, where she had been playing with her five-year-old sister. Skebas, a fruit picker, was arrested on Saturday. A newly unearthed image shows Skebas being kissed by two women at a family party from his life before being charged with murder. No bail application was made yesterday and the judge adjourned the case for a plea and trial preparation hearing on September 19, when a provisional trial date will be fixed. Lilia's death has prompted an outpouring of grief in a town known for its large Eastern European community. A newly unearthed image shows Skebas being kissed by two women at a family party from his life before being charged with murder Lilia Valutyte was found with a stab wound outside her mother's embroidery shop in Boston, Lincolnshire, where she had been playing with her five-year-old sister Deividas Skebas, 22 leaves Lincoln Crown Court on August 1 A family friend described Lilia as 'a nine-year-old angel' and 'one of the most beautiful creatures', adding: 'None will feel her mother's pain. The girl was a ray of the sunlight, just like her parents, who were the main helpers of our community and school events. The pain is unspeakable. We are devastated at this shocking news! Rest in peace, little angel.' Skebas came from the industrial city of Utena in north-east Lithuania, where members of his family still live. A property overlooking Boston's Central Park was searched by forensic officers over the weekend. Skebas is pictured in Lithuania when he was younger Chief Superintendent Martyn Parker described Lilia's murder as 'heartbreaking', adding that the case 'has affected many people in Boston, and further afield'. The officer added: 'Our thoughts continue to be with Lilia's family at this exceptionally difficult time.' Lincolnshire Police said that Lilia's parents were being supported by specially trained officers. Lilia died from a single stab wound at around 6.20pm in Fountain Lane, Boston, just 100 yards from the town's famous St Botolph's Church known as the Boston Stump. She is said to have been playing with her little sister outside the Sava Code embroidery and screen printing shop which was opened by her Lithuanian mother Lina Savicke in March this year. Her death has prompted an outpouring of grief in the town which is known for its large Eastern European community. Hundreds of floral tributes as well as cuddly toys have been left by local people in tribute to Lilia at the top of Fountain Lane. Skebas came from the industrial city of Utena in north east Lithuania where members of his family still live. He is said to have moved to the UK, and then returned to his home country, before arriving back in Boston recently. The death of the nine-year-old girl has left local people in Boston in a 'profound shock' His home in Thorold Street which overlooks Boston's Central Park was searched for clues by white-suited forensic officers over the weekend. A service of prayers and reflection was held in memory of Lilia at St Botolph's church on Sunday afternoon heard how the Boston community had been left 'scarred' by her death. Some of the 150 people at the service wept openly while lighting candles to remember the Lithuanian schoolgirl. Jane Robertson, the associate rector, told how the 14th century Gothic church had echoed to the sound of children's happy voices during play activities earlier last week. She said: 'Who would know that these scenes would be replaced with such sadness?' Describing the 'sheer pain' of Lilia's family, she added: 'We can't begin to understand how they are feeling. 'How can this happen in a quiet market town in Lincolnshire?. There is perhaps anger, as well as grief, and maybe some fear as well.' Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became the latest victim of the feared Hellfire Ninja R9X missile that uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, according to military experts. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden. The terrorist leader was 71 years old. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 1 that a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader as he walked on to the balcony of his safe house. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. US Central Command hasn't revealed the weapon used to carry out the assassination of al-Zawahiri, but in the past has deployed the fearsome R9X Hellfire 'Ninja' missile for similar surgical strikes The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022 Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target The official described the al-Zawahiri assassination as a 'precise tailored airstrike.' Osama Bin-Laden's former number two was staying in the home with members of his family. President Biden said that there other injuries as a result of Saturday's strike. It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. In fact, the RX9 was considered when plans were being drawn up to permanently take down the 9/11 mastermind. The R9X Hellfire missile has become one of the US military's favored weapons for precision assassinations as it carries a lower risk of collateral damage. Developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 amid concerns over the number of civilians being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East, the 'ninja' missile is so nicknamed because it foregoes the use of an explosive warhead. It the result of a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman. It is not clear how many R9X missiles that the Pentagon have in their possession. The R9X is not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement. The secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020, reports the New York Times. But it has reportedly been used on nearly a dozen other occasions to take out specific targets. During the Korean and Vietnam wars in the 1950s, the US military pioneered an idea of non-explosive kinetic bombs named Lazy Dogs. The bombs were designed to kill using kinetic energy after being dropped from aircraft. The weighed between 560 and 625 pounds. Lazy Dogs did not prove to be popular among commanders and their development was halted in the 1960s. Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone attack in Kabul this weekend Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden The existence of the R9X was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019. The newspaper said that the missile was used in attacks on persons in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. The Journal said that those worked with the R9X is referred to as the 'flying Ginsu,' a reference to a popular brand of steak knives. An unnamed official source told the newspaper at the time that the missile was created with the 'express purpose of reducing civilian casualties.' The article referred to the weapon as being similar to a 'speedy anvil.' The example that the Journal provides suggests that the R9X was so precise that if a target was in a car with an innocent driver, the missile would take out the target and spare the driver. The same report said that the missile's blades can cut through buildings, and car roofs. At the time of the WSJ report, Human Rights Watch's Letta Tayler wrote on the group's website that the RX9 should not necessarily be viewed as a more ethical weapon. Tayler said: 'On its own, the R9X won't resolve the host of legal issues surrounding the US targeted killing program, which since 2002 has killed thousands of people with scant transparency.' The possibly closest look we have of a used R9X in Yemen in June 2022. The red ball is the pneumatic accumulator that helps to propel the missile In August 2021, the R9X was thought to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. According to Task and Purpose, the missiles were fired from a MQ-9 Reaper drone. Following that strike, Army Major General William 'Hank' Taylor bragged about the lack of civilian casualties adding: 'Without specifying any future plans, I will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage over-the-horizon capability to conduct counterterrorism operations as needed.' That strike was in response to the Hamid Karzai International Airport attack that killed 13 US servicemembers. In addition to the August 2021 attack, the R9X is thought to have been used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. It was used again to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan in January 2019, that same month the missile was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri in June 2019 The following year, the missile was the cause of death of Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria. The latter featured the use of three 100-plus-pound warheads, according to the Military Times. Al-Zawahiri joins a list of undesirables that includes, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in 2004 by the Israeli Air Force, who have been taken out by variations of the traditional Hellfire missile. While in use by the US military, conventional Hellfire missiles have taken out Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda organizer as well as high-ranking Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2012, Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr, who met his end in 2014 in Somalia, not to mention Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John who was killed in 2015 in Syria. The explosive warhead on a traditional hellfire missile weighs around 20 pounds. The motorbike, that was reportedly being ridden by jihadist leader Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni at the time that he was killed by a US drone strike, is shown mangled after being hit by the R9X The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022. Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target. Hurras al Din is a relatively small but powerful armed group led by Al Qaeda loyalists, which was led by Yemeni until his death yesterday. It's estimated to have 2,000 to 2,500 fighters in rebel-held Syria, according to the United Nations. The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. In his remarks following al-Zawahiri's killing, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks and said the killing of al-Zawahiri demonstrated the resolve of the United States to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' A desperate search is underway to find Leal Amaral, 27, after she vanished from Sydney's inner-west on Monday afternoon A desperate search is underway to find a young woman who vanished from Sydney's inner-west after leaving a mysterious note. Leal Amaral, 27, was last seen about 4pm Monday on New Canterbury Road, in Dulwich Hill, wearing a light green tracksuit. A friend reported on social media that Ms Amaral left a note before she disappeared. When she could not be located, she was reported missing to police who have launched search efforts to find her. Police and family hold serious concerns for Leals welfare. 'My friend disappeared yesterday after leaving a note,' Luara Lavor wrote online. 'Please anyone who saw her yesterday or today call the police immediately. 'Please help us find her.' Leal is described as being about 170cm tall with olive complexion, dark hair and thin build. She is known to frequent the Dulwich Hill, Lilyfield and Watsons Bay areas, and may be driving a light blue Hyundai IX35, bearing NSW plates CDV20Q. Anyone with information into Leals whereabouts is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Friends said Ms Amaral left a note before she disappeared. She was last seen wearing a green tracksuit Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul. It has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan, having previously developed ties with the terrorist group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was hiding out with his family in a downtown Kabul property owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. Speculation is rising as to whether this living arrangement could create further difficulties for the West's relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. It comes as US President Joe Biden's officials said that Haqqani Network leaders knew al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul US intelligence officials tracked Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The house was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani (pictured speaking in March 2022) Al-Zawahiri, 71, was hiding out with his family in a downtown Kabul property owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani 'Immediately after the strike, Haqqani operatives sealed off the area and relocated Zawahiri's relatives. A damning indictment of Taliban credibility,' said director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister. It may add further credibility to recent intelligence claims from the US that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the Taliban government, has allowed al-Qaeda to re-emerge in Afghanistan, after taking over the country last year. In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured August 2021) condemned the US air strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, alleging it 'violated international principles' Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' The Taliban formed links with al-Qaeda between 1996 and 2001, when the Islamist group ruled over Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda reportedly paid the Taliban $20million each year to operate in Afghanistan, as the group orchestrated its attack on New York City's World Trade Centre, killing almost 3,000 people. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. As the Taliban and al-Qaida spilt across the region, many collaborated and regrouped in factions, with ISIS emerging in 2014. The US's exit from Afghanistan last September gave al-Qaida the opportunity to rebuild. US military officials, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said that al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the US. Ayman al-Zawahiri's location has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan. Pictured, a Taliban fighter stands guard at a market in Kabul on December 20, 2021 Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. Pictured, President Joe Biden confirms the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri In 2020, the Taliban signed the Doha peace deal with Donald Trump's administration, saying that said it would keep ISIS and al-Qaida out of Afghanistan. But critics at the time said that the Taliban would provide a 'safe haven' for terrorist groups. 'Al-Qaeda will probably come back,' UK defence secretary Ben Wallace warned at the time. A statement from Afghanistans Taliban government confirmed the air strike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties. It said it 'strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 US pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. President Joe Biden confirmed in a televised speech that a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Sunday killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, declaring 'justice has been delivered.' Al-Qaeda is enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again (Taliban patrol in Kabul) However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them' 'This terrorist leader is no more,' Biden said in an evening speech from the White House. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens.' The strike, carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, was confirmed by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity before Biden was set to brief the American people. Al-Zawahiris loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as Osama bin Ladens deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movements guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the September 11, 2001, World Trade Centre and Pentagon attack. When the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahiri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also reshaped the organisation from a centralised planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the assembling of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Somalia, Yemen and Asia. Over the next decade, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks against US soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. A wealthy City banker was left infuriated because bosses only awarded him an annual bonus of 300,000, an employment tribunal heard. Fabio Filippi shouted at his superiors and said the mere sum was unacceptable having received more than 100,000 the previous year. Bosses at BNP Paribas London felt the highly-paid bankers work had dropped off and he ended up being sacked as they concluded he was an expensive resource who didnt add value, the tribunal heard. The Italian - who had a combined salary package of nearly 700,000 at its highest - has now lost an unfair dismissal case against the French bank. Filippi first started working at BNP Paribas in London in 1999 and worked his way up to senior roles, the London Central hearing was told. By 2009 he and the team he led met revenue targets of 10million and 20million respectively, the panel was told. That year his bonus was 700,000. From 2009 to 2016, in bonuses alone Mr Filippi earned an eye-watering 3.25million, according to figures shown to the tribunal. In 2012 he relocated to Milan to lead a team and became Head of Distribution Retail Sales for Italy earning a basic salary of 210,000. Fabio Filippi (pictured) shouted at his superiors and said the mere sum was unacceptable having received more than 100,000 the previous year However, by 2016 BNP Paribas bosses started noticing his work performance had dipped. That year he was upset that he was given a 400,000 (303,000) bonus. A tribunal report said: '(BNP Paribas) decided to award (Mr Filippi) a bonus of 400,000 for 2016. That was 140,000 less than he had been awarded the previous year. 'Generally all the bonus awards were lower in 2016, but in (his) case the managers also took into account the fact that his performance had not been satisfactory in certain areas. '[His bosses] met with him on March 3, 2017, to tell him about his bonus. 'He was infuriated by the decision to award him "a mere" 400,000 bonus and said that it was unacceptable. 'He shouted at [one of his bosses] and said that he was being treated unfairly because he was not French and not based in Paris. A tribunal heard Mr Filippi's (pictured) bosses at BNP Paribas London felt the highly-paid bankers work had dropped off and he ended up being sacked as they concluded he was an expensive resource who didnt add value' 'He said that he was the best manager among his peers as evidenced by the performance of his team and that if he wanted to he could find a new job in a matter of a few days. 'He left the meeting without saying "goodbye" or "thank you".' The following year, his output continued to decrease, the tribunal was told. The report said: '[He was] spending less time maintaining existing client relationships, his team had evolved and could function equally well without him, some members of his team had complained about his style of management and he was an expensive resource. 'There was a discussion about whether they really needed him in that role. They concluded that his usefulness to the business had run its course. 'They recognised his historic contribution to the business but his role in the team no longer made sense from a business perspective.' Mr Filippi was informed that he was being dismissed and was given six months to find another role. He was angry that BNP Paribas repatriated him back to London and eventually left the bank in 2018. At the tribunal he accused the bank of sacking him for whistleblowing after he raised concerns about alleged 'illegal' business conducted by BNP Paribas. However, Employment Judge Harjit Grewal dismissed his claims. Judge Grewal said: '(His) reaction to the bonus awarded to him made it clear that he believed that he was entitled to high remuneration notwithstanding the performance shortcomings. Bosses at BNP Paribas London felt the highly-paid bankers work had dropped off and he ended up being sacked as they concluded he was an expensive resource who didnt add value (stock image) '[BNP Paribas] view in essence was that the team would function just as well if it was restructured and his role was removed and his main responsibilities were absorbed by an existing member(s) of the team and it would save the business a lot of money. '(Mr Filippi) was an expensive resource who was seen as adding no value to the team at that stage. 'The fact that he had made protected disclosures [whistleblowing] in the early part of 2010 or with others in his team between 2014 and 2016 played no part in the decision to terminate his employment. 'He was a very highly paid employee and BNP Paribas was entitled to expect him to deliver to a high standard to justify that level of remuneration. 'BNP Paribas had made it clear to him at the end of 2016 the areas in which he had fallen below the standards expected and the improvement that it expected to see. '(Mr Filippis) failure to take on board and act on the feedback given to him at the appraisal and his reaction to the bonus made it clear that he continued to expect the same high levels of remuneration without addressing the concerns that had been raised.' According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Filippi now runs a boutique luxury lifestyle property company. It prompted Hilton, 34, to lash out and scuffle with the officers and a paramedic Police tried to arrest Hilton's brother at Labrador on the Gold Coast in Sept 2020 Luiz Rulon Hilton has avoided jail time after he assaulted police and paramedics A father who assaulted police and a paramedic in the middle of the road after they tried to help his brother's girlfriend has escaped prison time. Shocking footage shows the moment Luiz Rulon Hilton pushed two police officers before attacking a paramedic on a Gold Coast, Queensland highway on September 28, 2020. The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of seriously assaulting a police officer and one count of serious assault of a public officer in Southport District Court on Monday. Luiz Rulon Hilton (pictured) has walked free from court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of seriously assaulting a police officer and one count of serious assault of a public officer in Southport District Court Paramedics were called to Marine Parade in Labrador to help a woman who was the girlfriend of Hilton's younger brother. The brother reportedly became hostile towards paramedics because of their 'delayed response time', according to the Gold Coast Bulletin. Police attempted to arrest the brother as Hilton and two other men gathered next to officers. Hilton can be heard in bodycam footage yelling, 'That's my brother!' as police arrested the man. They advised the 34-year-old to 'move back' before Hilton lashed out at the officers and a scuffle broke out. The brawl spilled out onto the middle of the road, forcing one vehicle to brake. Hilton pushed one police officer onto the road, which caused him to sprain his arms. The other officer, a senior constable, also suffered sprains and cuts when Hilton pushed him in the face and forced him to the ground. Paramedic Adam Flory was also pushed in the face during the scuffle. He told media outside the court that the assault was not acceptable. 'We're here to help you, we're not here to harm you. And we don't want to be harmed while we're doing our job as well,' Mr Flory said. 'Paramedics generally come to work to do goodit's not ok to verbally abuse or assault a paramedic.' Police bodycam footage shows the moment the 34-year-old father lashed out at police who were trying to arrest his younger brother The scuffle between the two police officers and Hilton spilled out onto the road at Labrador on the Gold Coast The two other men with Hilton fled the scene before he was arrested. The court heard that Hilton was remorseful for his actions. His family were reportedly gathered on Marine Parade at the time to mark the anniversary of his brother's death before the commotion unfolded. Hilton was sentenced to nine months imprisonment but with an immediate release on parole. Meghan Markle's half-brother has lashed out at her and Harry, saying they should 'stay out of politics.' Thomas Markle Jr, 56, also criticised Meghan for not contacting their father after he suffered a stroke in May which left him hospitalised for five days. Their father, Thomas Markle Sr, 77, lost his speech in the stroke and is still recovering. He made his first public appearance since then in an exclusive video on GB News as host Dan Wooton interviewed Thomas Jr. Thomas Jr was upbeat about his father's condition, saying he was making strong progress in recovering his speech. He said: 'Dad is doing amazing. There's a lot of work to do but every single day is just another milestone progression in the right direction, which is ultimate recovery on everything. He's doing fantastic.' However, when asked whether half-sister Meghan had been in touch about their father's condition, Thomas Jr said: 'Not not at all, nothing at all. Absolute zero. Dan Wooton (left) interviewed Thoms Markle Jr on his show on GB News on Monday Thomas Jr said Harry and Meghan should 'stick to rescue chickens in Motecito and stay out of politics' 'What's to be expected at this point? She didn't call for the first heart attack or the stroke - why would she call now? 'Obviously they're just doing other things - other things that they deem necessarily more important than their father. 'It's a mystery - it does bother him continuously, but he gets through it.' Harry and Meghan now live in their 11 million mansion in Montecito, California since giving up royal duties in 2020. Thomas Jr mocked Harry's wide-ranging speech on Nelson Mandela Day at the United Nations in which he spoke about climate change, the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US and the invasion of Ukraine. Thomas Jr said: 'You're going to a memorial for Mandela at the UN building which is an open invitation to anybody in the general public and then you start talking world peace and politics which has nothing to do with anything there at that point. 'The Sussexes need to stick to rescue chickens in Motecito and stay out of politics.' In his first appearance since his damaging stroke, Meghan Markle's father thanked the British public for their support. In the video, Mr Markle can be seen sitting at a table overlooking a windy beach. He holds a whiteboard and pen, holding up the sign to the camera. The sign reads: 'Hi Dan, Thank you and the British people for the best wishes and good will'. The retired Hollywood lighting director suffered a stroke on May 23 and spent five days in hospital. He fell over while shopping and had to be helped to his feet just days before he was hospitalised. After being discharged, he said: 'I feel hugely grateful and know how lucky I am to be alive. 'I want to thank everyone, especially the wonderful doctors and nurses who saved my life. They are angels. 'I have been deeply moved by loving messages I've received from all over the world. People have been so kind. I can't speak right now, but I am working hard and will thank people properly when I can.' Mr Markle had been planning to fly to the UK in June to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, but the stroke, which left him with limited speech, scuppered the trip. Thomas Markle, 77, appeared in the video above a windy beach in his first public appearance since his stroke in May Mr Markle thanked presenter Dan Wooton and the British public for their 'best wishes and good will' Thomas Markle was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke - he was hospitalised for five days and lost his speech Writing on a whiteboard with a felt-tip pen at the time, he said: 'I wanted to come to pay my respects to the Queen. I wish her a happy Jubilee and many more years.' The severe stroke was caused by a blood clot on the right side of Mr Markle's brain. He was rushed to a hospital near his home in Rosarito, Mexico, before being transferred by ambulance to the US border where an ambulance was waiting to ferry him to a hospital in San Diego, California. He has been in a critical-care ward all week and has made what one doctor told him was 'remarkable progress'. On leaving the Californian hospital, he was able to speak a few words, but faces what he calls 'an uphill battle' to regain his power of speech. 'I have lots of hard work to do and will do it,' he wrote. 'I want to get well. I'm so lucky to have had amazing care and love. Thank you everyone.' Mr Markle was be cared for by his 56-year-old son, Thomas Jr, who drove 11 hours through the night to be with his stricken father. 'I was visiting my son and his family in Oregon when I got the call,' said Thomas Jr at the time. 'I will be here for Dad and do whatever it takes to help him on his road to recovery. It's been a terrible shock for everyone but Dad is a strong man and he is determined to get well. 'He's already started working with a speech therapist and is making great progress. We've received hundreds of messages of support for him from people all over the world. 'We are so grateful for the outpouring of love for Dad. I'm here for him for as long as it takes.' Mr Markle's daughter Samantha previously said that he may need a year of therapy to recover his speech after being struck down by the stroke. His family had been worried about his high blood pressure for some time before he fell ill, resulting in him losing even the ability to tell paramedics what was wrong with him. The 77-year-old had to write down his symptoms on a piece of paper. Mr Markle was forced to miss his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 after he had two heart attacks just days before. Dan Wootton Tonight airs Monday-Thursday at 9pm on GB News. Chinese people honor PLA soldiers on 'special' Army Day, vow to defend motherland to death amid Taiwan Straits tensions By Leng Shumei (Global Times) 09:37, August 02, 2022 Photo: Li Hao/GT At a time when tension is rising in the Taiwan Straits amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the island of Taiwan, Chinese soldiers and people celebrated the special anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday, the Army Day, with a strong passion to demonstrate that whether they are soldiers or not, Chinese people always have the faith and spirit of the PLA in their hearts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Starting on Monday morning, China's national flags were raised in multiple military camps and cities from the northernmost city Mohe to the southern Yongshu Reef to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA. The video of guards raising the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing went viral on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with many netizens saying that they were impressed and touched by the strong sound of the footsteps of the flag guards, which reminded them of the firm steps of the PLA, from where China was faced with enduring impoverishment and long-standing debility to where it is now. "We guard the flight of 'Flying Sharks' in the Bohai Bay. Please rest assured, the Party and the people!" Standing next to the "Flying Sharks" (China's J-15 fighter jets), several PLA Navy officers and soldiers vowed to protect the country and the people in a video released by military.cnr.cn on Monday. The Eastern Theater Command also released a video on Monday showing advanced weapons and hot-blooded scenes of its training. "We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations! We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death," soldiers from the command said in the video. Traning scenes of two of China's aircraft carriers, the Shandongand Liaoning, are also displayed in the video. With growing combat capacity, it will be normal to see that the two Chinese aircraft carrier groups train together, executive officer of the Shandong Xu Ying told China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday. Some veterans also sent their greetings on the social media platform and vowed that they would return to the army without hesitation whenever duty calls. Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times and a veteran, said on his Weibo account on Sunday that although he had retired, he is still hale and experienced in reporting under fire. "Whenever the country encounters a war and needs me, I surely will return!" he said. The post has drawn about 40,000 likes. An exhibition of over 100 photo portraits of PLA veterans was unveiled in Beijing on Monday. They were taken by Guo Haipeng, who spent 20 years taking photos of PLA veterans aged from 88 to 107 as a way to uphold their spirit of patriotism and resisting aggression. Chinese people sent their best wishes and respect to the army and Chinese soldiers - the most admirable people in China. A hashtag reading "the 95th anniversary of the founding of PLA" on Weibo had attracted nearly 1 billion views as of Monday. Another hashtag reading "respect to the people's own army" had been viewed nearly 300 million times as of the same day. A Chinese military enthusiast made a miniature of China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, out of around 60,000 building blocks as a gift to celebrate the anniversary, which garnered wide interest from netizens. The model has a length of 3.2 meters and weighs 150 kilograms, with models of J-15 and Z-20 aircraft landing on it. The military enthusiast also wrote on paper netizens' wishes for the motherland and the PLA, and inserted them into the model. In Zhangzhou, East China's FujianProvince, 600 drones formed the characters of "95," "support the army, support the government and love the people," as well as images of the aircraft carrier Fujianand J-20 fighter jets on Sunday night to celebrate the 95th founding anniversary of the PLA. The Chinese people's great passion manifested in the anniversary shows that the country has a solid basis for the education of national security and patriotism. If every citizen in a country has a strong patriotic feeling, the country would be invincible, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and retired military instructor, told the Global Times on Monday. On the eve of the anniversary,the PLA displayed its readiness to celebrate the day by not only revealing some of its latest achievement in weaponry and equipment development, but also with concrete and realistic combat preparations to warn off "Taiwan independence" secessionist and external interfering forces, who are just like what Chairman Mao Zedong once said, all reactionaries are paper tigers. As the old Chinese saying goes, everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of a country. It is the same nowadays - the Chinese people will definitely realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with firm faith, Song said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) Advertisement It was 6:18 a.m. on Sunday and the sun was still rising over the Afghan capital of Kabul when an American MQ-9 Reaper drone - circling up to 50,000ft overhead - fired two R9X 'Ninja' Hellfire missiles at a house in the city's upmarket district of Sherpur. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's former deputy and leader of the al Qaeda terror group since his master's death 11 years before, had just completed his morning prayer - the second of the day - and was watching the dawn from his rooftop balcony in keeping with a well-worn routine. Moments later, the 71-year-old was no more, pulverized into oblivion by the R9X's 100lbs reinforced metal warhead and six katana-like blades that would've silently popped out of the fuselage moments before impact. Timeline of the hunt for Ayman al-Zawahiri this year - Early April: Top security staffers are informed of 'developing intelligence.' Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan briefs President Biden US officials develop 'pattern of life' for Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri arrives at the safe house location - May and June - Biden receives updates - July 1 - Biden is briefed on a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room by members of his cabinet - June and July - Principals and deputies convene in Situation Room multiple times to 'test the intelligence picture'. They conclude al-Zawahiri is a lawful target. - July 25 - Biden convenes advisors and key cabinet for final meeting on updated intel. Asks again about other options. Biden 'authorized a precise tailored airstrikes on the condition that have strike minimize, to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties.' - July 30, 9:48 p.m. - US undertakes 'precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul' to take him out Advertisement It marked the end of at least 21 years of hunting by the United States seeking justice for the almost 3,000 victims of the 9/11 terror attack, which Zawahiri had helped mastermind, and hundreds more killed in bombings on American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and the USS Cole years before. Zawahiri's death means all of the 9/11 plotters have now been captured or killed. 'No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,' President Joe Biden said Monday. The strike was the culmination of six months of intensive intelligence work by the CIA, which had tracked Zawahiri to the safe house and detailed his daily routine. US officials said the operation dates back to April, when they received intelligence that Zawahiri's wife, their daughter and her children had moved into a safe house in Kabul, in the old diplomatic quarter that used to house Western officials and embassies. The family was being kept under the protection of the Haqqani network, a notorious terror organization run by two brothers and their uncle who are closely associated with both al Qaeda and the Taliban - which returned to power in Afghanistan last August, after America's shambolic withdrawal. Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the group's founder Jalaluddin, is the current interior minister for the Taliban and leader of the network. One of his aides is thought to own the house where Zawahiri's family moved. Over the course of three months, the US carried out painstaking work to confirm that Zawahiri was also living there; he was spotted multiple times spending 'sustained periods' on the balcony. Spies constructed a model replica of the home and, through 'multiple intelligence sources,' built up a detailed picture of Zawahiri's habits. President Biden was kept briefed as the intelligence built up throughout May and June, and on July 1 he was given a run-down of the plan to kill Zawahiri by members of his cabinet in the Situation Room. Biden is said to have closely scrutinized the plans - which called for a precision strike on the balcony - and was keen that every possible precaution was taken to ensure nobody other than Zawahiri would be killed. On July 25, the cabinet re-convened to examine updated intelligence and look again at the blueprint for the strike. Biden is said to have asked about other options and, satisfied that the best plan had been selected, 'authorized precise tailored airstrikes on the condition that the strikes minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the risk of civilian casualties.' Ayman al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and leader of Al Qaeda following Osama Bin Laden's death, was killed early Sunday in a drone attack on his safe house in the Afghan capital Kabul An MQ-9 Reaper drone fired two R9X 'ninja' Hellfire missiles at Zawahiri as he stood alone on his balcony watching the sun come up, obliterating him with 100lbs metal warheads and six blades that popped out of the fuselage before impact An image of the safe house after the attack shows how the missiles appear to have smashed through the floor of the rooftop balcony and damaged two of the windows in the room below - but did not harm anyone other than the terror leader The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US. President Biden is briefed on the mission to kill Zawahiri by CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain Smoke rises over Kabul in the wake of an early-morning US drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's leader Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's No. 2, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011 Watching al-Qaida chief's 'pattern of life' was key to his death U.S. officials had built a scale model of the safe house where Ayman al-Zawahiri had been located and constructed 'a pattern of life' prior to the drone strike that ended his life. Intelligence experts knew al-Zawahiri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony and were confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew Sunday. His family, supported by the Haqqani Taliban network, had taken up residence in the Kabul home after the Taliban regained control of the country last year. But the lead on his whereabouts was only the first step, as confirming al-Zawahiri's identity, devising a strike in a crowded city that wouldn't recklessly endanger civilians, and ensuring the operation wouldn't set back other U.S. priorities took months to fall into place. That effort involved independent teams of analysts reaching similar conclusions about the probability of al-Zawahiri's presence, the scale mock-up and engineering studies of the building to evaluate the risk to people nearby, and the unanimous recommendation of Biden's advisers to go ahead with the strike. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the strike planning, said al-Zawahiri was identified on 'multiple occasions, for sustained periods of time' on the balcony where he died. The official said 'multiple streams of intelligence' convinced U.S. analysts of his presence, having eliminated 'all reasonable options' other than his being there. Two senior national security officials were first briefed on the intelligence in early April, with the president being briefed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly thereafter. Through May and June, a small circle of officials across the government worked to vet the intelligence and devise options for Biden. Advertisement Five days later the strike was carried out. Photos of Zawahiri's safe house after the attack appeared to show how the Hellfire missiles smashed through the floor of the balcony and into the room below, breaking one window and blowing out another. Despite Zawahiri's family being at home at the time - intelligence suggests they never left the building in all the months they lived there - the US says nobody else was killed. Members of the Haqqani network are said to have swarmed the home shortly afterward, moving Zawahiri's surviving relatives to a new location. Though Pentagon chiefs were 'confident' Zawahiri was on the balcony at the time of their attack, they worked over the course of the next day to be sure he was dead before giving confirmation to the president. Biden addressed the nation Monday night announcing Zawahiri's death, telling Americans: 'Justice has been delivered. And this terrorist leader is no more.' Zawahiri 'carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests,' Biden said, adding he hoped the death would 'bring one more measure of closure' to those who lost family or loved ones on 9/11. Biden laid out Zawahiri's role in the terrorist organization, noting that, in addition to the 9/11 attacks, he was behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. It was the United States' most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. Zawahiri replaced bin Laden as the terrorist group's top leader. Zawahiri was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list and there was a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. An Egyptian born to a comfortable family in Cairo in 1951, Zawahiri first came on authorities' radars in the 90s, shortly after the formation of the terror group in 1988 by Bin Laden - at which time al-Zawahiri was already a member. The two terrorists reportedly met sometime in late 1980s, when Zawahiri reportedly kept the Saudi millionaire safe in the caves of Afghanistan from Soviet bombardments that then had been common in the region. In 1998, he was named bin Laden's deputy, further raising his profile, as he began to appear alongside the Saudi national at al Qaeda held news conferences, airing anti-American sentiment and calling for other likeminded Muslims to join their cause. That same year, al-Zawahiri, then 47, was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The August 7 attack saw nearly simultaneous bombs blow up in front of the embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing 224 - including 12 Americans - and wounding more than 4,500. The United States killed al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike Sunday, following a more than 20-year effort to assassinate the terrorist Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in Al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo The terrorist leader was killed by two Hellfire missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones in a mission that took six months to plan. U.S. officials didn't confirm the model, but it is believed they used the R9X 'Ninja' missile that don't have explosives and limit collateral damage Smoke rises from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in this frame grab from TV, after a suspected car bomb exploded outside in 1998; al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya Armed US Marines stand guard by the US embassy entrance in Nairobi in 1998 as FBI agents gather evidence in the bombing Fanatical ideologue whose new brand of terror prized massacring innocents: Ayman al-Zawahiri inspired Bin Laden to attack the US Al Quaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a recorded message Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been killed by a CIA drone strike, led a new brand of terror that prized massacring innocents, having inspired the former leader to gather nuclear and biological weapons. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following the US strike. The terrorist leader is said to have guided al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon, also called The Doctor, led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As part of this, al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. His own militant group began when he was 15, having organized an underground cell of friends to overthrow Egypt's Islamic theocracy and government, after it executed Qutb in 1966. This cell grew to become the Jihad Group, which plotted the assassination of Egyptian leaders in the early 1980s, and was also involved in the killing of the country's president, Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, the Washington Post reported. 'We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam,' he shouted in the courtroom. He was briefly jailed for three years for the possession of arms, having been acquitted of the main charges. Later, he claimed to have been tortured while behind bars. After his release, he began touring South Asia and became the personal doctor to Bin Laden. In 1997, while living in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was involved in planning an attack on Egyptian tourists visiting the Luxor ruins. Advertisement At the time, Zawahiri - who was radicalized after he and hundreds of militants were tortured in Egyptian prison after Islamic fundamentalists' assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - had bolstered the terror group by merging it with his own group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which he had started in the 80s. He would then help hone the group secretly in his home country, all while evading Egyptian intelligence, until it achieved cells of followers all across the globe. After years of quietly assembling suicide attackers, funds and plans, Zawahiri, bin Laden and several others would carry out the infamous September 11 attacks, putting him and other conspirators at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Going into hiding, Zawahiri would then work to ensure that al Qaeda members survived the global manhunt that would ensuem, all while rebuilding the group's shattered leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, and serving as the supreme leader over branches in Iraq, Asia, Yemen, In the years that followed, Zawahiri and bin Laden would take credit for a series of attacks across Europe and Africa, as US forces successfully rounded up several accused of masterminding the 9/11 plot. Despite efforts that included a combination of unrelenting raids and missile and drone strikes, both Zawahiri and bin Laden would successfully manage to evade US forces, and hide elsewhere in the Middle East. It would take roughly a decade before US armed forces were able to track down at least one of the terror group's elusive top members, with a group of US Navy seals successfully taking out bin Laden, then 54, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was at this point that Zawahiri assumed leadership of the group, taking over immediately after the death of his friend. US intelligence would then learn over the course of several months from sources with 'increased confidence' that the terror leader's family had relocated to an unspecified safe house in the Middle East. The next clue to the Qaeda kingpin's whereabouts wouldn't come for another decade, after rumors swirled in 2020 that he had died from illness. Those rumors were put to bed, however, the very next year, on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when Zawahiri appeared in a video where he celebrated the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. The sudden spot seemingly did not provide US officials any clues as to where Zawahiri was hiding - however, seven months later, top US security staffers were reportedly informed of 'developing intelligence' that he and his family were back in Afghanistan. The breakthrough came in April, after US officials learned that the terror leader's wife, daughter and children had relocated to Kabul, at an al Qaeda safehouse, the one struck over the weekend. Officials eventually determined that Zawahiri, too, was at the house - setting into motion a plan that would see officials construct a scale model of the multifloored, terraced property. That model would eventually be brought it into the White House Situation Room to President Joe Biden, who along with several senior security officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, would plot the attack, knowing that Zawahiri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony. The group then painstakingly constructed 'a pattern of life' for the terror leader, and said Monday that they had been confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a safehouse in Sherpur, a wealthy area of downtown Kabul that's home to multiple Taliban officials, when he was taken out in the drone strike Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention Zawahiri, pictured here in 2006, or any other casualties Blinken hits back at the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha deal by sheltering al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri after group slammed US for Kabul drone strike The US Secretary of State slammed the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha agreement by housing the leader of Al Qaeda, after the group denounced the US for killing the terrorist in a drone strike. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said their government 'strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext' and claimed it violated the Doha peace treaty. However, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Donald Trump-era agreement. The deal was signed in February 2020 and secured the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan on the condition the Taliban would not allow the territory to be used as a launchpad for Al Qaeda or Islamic State attacks against the US. UN security intelligence experts revealed in June that Al Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Joe Biden, addressing Zawahri's death Monday night, said he hopes it brings 'one more measure of closure' to families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda 'In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,' Blinken said in a statement Monday. He also applauded al-Zawahiri's killing and the US military's 'commitment to act against terrorist threats.' 'We have delivered on our commitment to act against terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. The world is safer following the death of al Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,' he said before pledging: 'The US will continue to act against those who threaten our country, our people, or our allies.' Advertisement Inside the administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were allowed into the highly classified planning process. During this time, as the US investigated the 'construction and nature of of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the target without putting civilians in danger, al-Zawahiri would continue to crank out videos attacking the U.S. and its allies Shortly after, US officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike, after confirming the identities of all the people inside. 'Key' agencies, officials said, were then brought into the process to make sure that intel was 'rock solid' before eventually carrying out the top-secret operation. During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convened several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize the intelligence and analyze various updates as to the situation at hand. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahiri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Just as U.S. officials had planned, the jihadist had been standing on the balcony of his hideout when the early-morning strike was carried out. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happen,' Biden declared during his Monday evening address. 'This terrorist leader is no more.' Afghanistan's Taliban government denounced the U.S. for killing al-Zawahiri in the drone strike, saying it 'strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. However, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hit back, arguing the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Trump-era deal. 'In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,' Blinken said in a statement Monday. He also applauded al-Zawahiri's killing and the U.S. military's 'commitment to act against terrorist threats.' 'We have delivered on our commitment to act against terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. 'The world is safer following the death of al Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,' he said before pledging: 'The US will continue to act against those who threaten our country, our people, or our allies.' On July 1, President Joe Biden - pictured announcing the strike's success Monday - was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahiri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation four days ago Al-Zawahiri's FBI wanted poster - there was a $25 million reward for information on him Republicans slam Biden's 'victory lap' after killing al Qaeda chief Republicans are slamming Biden for applauding the killing of Al Qaeda's top leader. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blamed Biden's botched exit from the Taliban-ruled country on the 'possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda'. GOP Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed McCarthy's sentiment saying that even Americans will be glad Zawahiri is dead, 'Joe's victory lap is ridiculous.' Biden's critics allege the drone strike demonstrates the president's failure to combat terrorism and his blatant lies to the American people, citing previous statements he made claiming Al Qaeda was not present in Afghanistan. 'Today is further proof that our United States Military and Intelligence Community personnel will not stop pursuing those who threaten the United States of America and our interests,' McCarthy said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'This news also sheds light on the possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago,' he added. Advertisement In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. 'But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. 'The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' The six-blade 'ninja missile' used to mince terrorists: CIA deployed two R9X Hellfires to shred al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri - a month after it was used to wipe out ISIS thug in Syria Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became the latest victim of the feared Hellfire Ninja R9X missile that uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, according to military experts. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden. The terrorist leader was 71 years old. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 1 that a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader as he walked on to the balcony of his safe house. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. The existence of the missile has not been confirmed by the US military. The official described the al-Zawahiri assassination as a 'precise tailored airstrike.' The possibly closest look that has been given to a used R9X in Yemen in June 2022. The red ball is the pneumatic accumulator that helps to propel the missile Other targets shed to pieces by Hellfire RX9 missiles: List includes al Qaeda targets, an Iranian general and a mysterious terror financer The Hellfire RX9 missile is a highly secretive collaboration between the CIA and the DOD that has its origins during the Obama administration in 2011. The purpose of the project was to limit the amount of collateral damage and civilian casualties caused during conventional drone strikes. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. Here are some of the known victims of one of the CIA's most sophisticated pieces of weaponry: Abu Khayr al-Masri - February 2017 Then al-Qaeda's second in command, Abu Al-Khayr al-Masri is thought to have been the first person killed by the RX9 missile. Al-Masri was killed alongside another militant in Idlib, Syria, on February 26, 2017. According to GlobalSecurity.org, locals at the scene, while suspecting a drone strike, were shocked that there was 'no real sign of a large explosion' and that the terrorist leader's Kia sedan remained largely in tact. Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi - January 2019 This photo provided by the FBI shows Jamal al-Badawi. He was the mastermind behind the the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors On New Year's Day 2019, Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, a prime suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, was killed by an R9X missile in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen. He was driving alone when he was killed and there were no other reported casualties. The bombing of the USS Cole killed 17 American sailors. He was the first high-profile terrorist target that US forces killed in Yemen. Then President Donald Trump tweeted at the time: 'We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!' Mohibullah - January 2020 In January 2019, the Afghani government confirmed that a mysterious financier of terrorism, known only as Mohibullah, was killed in a targeted strike in the northeastern part of Afghanistan. He was driving in a car when killed. Mohibullah was a Pakistani citizen. General Qassem Soleimani - Janaury 2020 A demonstrator holds the picture of Qassem Soleimani during a protest against the assassination of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. A report from The Hill at the time of Soleimani's death found that the height from which the general was struck had the characteristics of the RX9 missile. Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sanaani - June 2020 Hurras Al-Din leaders Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sananni were killed in Syria's Idlib province in June 2020. Like al-Masri, the pair were traveling in a car when they were hit by a drone strike. Similarly, local reported no explosion and their vehicle remained largely intact. Al Urduni was a close ally of key US target, al Qaeda organizer Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in bombing in 2006. Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki - August 2020 Military trainer for al-Qaeda Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki was killed by what one news source referred to as a '100-pound flying switchblade' in August 2020. Al-Uzbeki had also been work in with Hurras Al-Din at the time of his death. Abu Hamzah al-Yemini - June 2022 Abu Hamzah al-Yemini, the leader of Hurras al Din, was killed in northwestern Syria on June 29 this year. ' Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni was travelling alone on a motorcycle at the time of the strike,' US Central Command said in a statement, adding that an 'initial review indicates no civilian casualties.' Multiple experts said that the scene of al-Yemini's death showed the hallmarks of the RX9 missile. Advertisement Osama Bin-Laden's former number two was staying in the home with members of his family. It was the US's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. In fact, the RX9 was considered when plans were being drawn up to permanently take down the 9/11 mastermind. The R9X Hellfire missile has become one of the US military's favored weapons for precision assassinations as it carries a lower risk of collateral damage. Developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 amid concerns over the number of civilians being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East, the 'ninja' missile is so nicknamed because it foregoes the use of an explosive warhead. It the result of a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman. It is not clear how many R9X missiles that the Pentagon have in their possession. The R9X is not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement. The secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020, reports the New York Times. But it has reportedly been used on nearly a dozen other occasions to take out specific targets. During the Korean and Vietnam wars in the 1950s, the US military pioneered an idea of non-explosive kinetic bombs named Lazy Dogs. The bombs were designed to kill using kinetic energy after being dropped from aircraft. The weighed between 560 and 625 pounds. Lazy Dogs did not prove to be popular among commanders and their development was halted in the 1960s. The existence of the R9X was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019. The newspaper said that the missile was used in attacks on persons in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. The Journal said that those worked with the R9X is referred to as the 'flying Ginsu,' a reference to a popular brand of steak knives. An unnamed official source told the newspaper at the time that the missile was created with the 'express purpose of reducing civilian casualties.' The article referred to the weapon as being similar to a 'speedy anvil.' The example that the Journal provides suggests that the R9X was so precise that if a target was in a car with an innocent driver, the missile would take out the target and spare the driver. The same report said that the missile's blades can cut through buildings, and car roofs. At the time of the WSJ report, Human Rights Watch's Letta Tayler wrote on the group's website that the RX9 should not necessarily be viewed as a more ethical weapon. Tayler said: 'On its own, the R9X won't resolve the host of legal issues surrounding the US targeted killing program, which since 2002 has killed thousands of people with scant transparency.' In August 2021, the R9X was thought to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. According to Task and Purpose, the missiles were fired from a MQ-9 Reaper drone. Following that strike, Army Major General William 'Hank' Taylor bragged about the lack of civilian casualties adding: 'Without specifying any future plans, I will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage over-the-horizon capability to conduct counterterrorism operations as needed.' That strike was in response to the Hamid Karzai International Airport attack that killed 13 US servicemembers. In addition to the August 2021 attack, the R9X is thought to have been used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. It was used again to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan in January 2019, that same month the missile was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri in June 2019 The following year, the missile was the cause of death of Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria. The latter featured the use of three 100-plus-pound warheads, according to the Military Times. Al-Zawahiri joins a list of undesirables that includes, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in 2004 by the Israeli Air Force, who have been taken out by variations of the traditional Hellfire missile. While in use by the US military, conventional Hellfire missiles have taken out Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda organizer as well as high-ranking Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2012, Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr, who met his end in 2014 in Somalia, not to mention Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John who was killed in 2015 in Syria. The explosive warhead on a traditional hellfire missile weighs around 20 pounds. The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022. Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target. Hurras al Din is a relatively small but powerful armed group led by Al Qaeda loyalists, which was led by Yemeni until his death yesterday. It's estimated to have 2,000 to 2,500 fighters in rebel-held Syria, according to the United Nations. The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. In his remarks following al-Zawahiri's killing, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks and said the killing of al-Zawahiri demonstrated the resolve of the United States to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' Is this Al-Qaeda's next terror chief? Secretive heir apparent who 'oversaw Black Hawk Down operation' and helped carry out 9/11 attacks is poised to take over after Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Afghanistan The heir apparent to the al-Qaeda throne after tonight's confirmed death of Ayman al-Zawahiri is a canny, military-trained operative with experience killing British and American soldiers. Egyptian ex-army officer Saif al-Adel was a founding member of al-Qaeda, having joined pre-cursor terrorist group Maktab al-Khidamat in the late-1980s. There he met future allies Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, whose separate group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) he would soon join. Little else is known about Saif al-Adel, who at around 60 years of age is one of the younger al-Qaeda bosses. Al-Adel was around 30 when he oversaw the infamous 'Black Hawk Down' operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 American soldiers were killed and had their bodies dragged through the streets. Seven more were slain when two helicopters were shot down in the east Africa ambush, including two British soldiers, three Turks and a Frenchman. And since the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011, al-Adel has become an increasingly important strategist within the depleting terror cell. The only thing standing in his way to become the next al-Qaeda leader is that he is likely stuck in Iran - and may well have been for the past 19 years. Al-Adel is pictured (centre) on an al-Qaeda who's who published in 2005. Osama bin Laden is pictured top-left, with al-Zawahiri to his right and Mullah Omar to the right of al-Zawahiri. Saif is now one of the only original al-Qaeda leaders still alive The FBI Most Wanted poster on Al-Adel states the reward of up to $10million for information In 2003, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Javad Zarif refused to confirm nor deny whether al-Adel was being held in the country. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors He told ABC News that terrorists tend to have multiple passports, with the Iranian government unable to confirm their identities. With what's left of al-Qaeda now based in Afghanistan - and in coexistence with the Taliban - al-Adel's geographic isolation could stop him taking the helm, foreign policy analyst Charles Lister suggested tonight. Yet Foundation for the Defense of Democracies senior fellow Bill Roggio remained bullish about al-Adel's chances of succeeding the role, telling Task and Purpose he remains the 'likely' candidate. With his real name thought to be Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, al-Adel's made-up moniker translates to 'Sword of Justice'. Thought not as brainwashed by Islamist ideology as his al-Qaeda colleagues, al-Adel used his military training to rise to the top of the shadowy organisation in the wake of the September 11 attacks, in which senior operatives killed themselves. Al-Adel was in fact against the so-called 'Planes Operation', as it was known by members of the terror cell. But he helped organise the single most deadly terrorist attack in history after bin Laden became committed to the idea. According to ex-FBI agent and counter-terrorism expert Ali Soufan, who suggested al-Adel would be 'al-Qaeda's next leader' last year, Saif possesses a 'poker face' and a 'caustic tongue'. President Biden confirmed tonight in an address from the White House that an American drone strike killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan When training young soldiers, he was known to kidnap them in the middle of the night and conduct savage beatings in order to harden the troops. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors. Osama's assumed successor son Hamza was killed in 2019 and fellow senior strategist Abu Muhammad al-Masri was assassinated in 2020. US intelligence states: 'Al-Adel is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.' Two hundred and twenty-four people died in the three East Africa blasts, including 12 Americans, with more than 4,500 people wounded. A $10million reward for information has been placed on al-Adel's head. And with ex-leader al-Zawahiri now slain, the attention of America's terrorist hunters will likely go onto Saif al-Adel. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following a US airstrike this evening. The terrorist leader is said to have guided Al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Saif al-Adel's rival, Osama Bin Laden's son Hamza, was killed by American forces in 2019 Hamza bin Laden (left as a child) is the son of deceased former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (right) who is believed to have groomed him to take over the terror group At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with Al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind Al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, Al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However, the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of Al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. It comes after a top ISIS official was assassinated by the United States early in July when he and his deputy were hit by an American drone strike in northwest Syria. The strike killed senior ISIS leader Maher al-Agal, US officials said, taking credit for the daytime attack in the northern village of Khaltan in the Syrian countryside. Al-Agal - one of the top five leaders in the terrorist group - was riding a motorbike in the village when he was targeted by the American missile, which killed him instantly. Another senior ISIS official was also hit by the attack, officials said, but survived. The official, who was not named, was reportedly wounded. Al-Agal's body, which was badly burned and mutilated in the attack, was transported to an Idlib hospital. The attack took place in the Jenderies district in Afrin - an area northwest of Aleppo, near the country's shared border with Turkey. The war-torn region has been under occupation by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) since March 2018. The strike killed senior ISIS leader Maher al-Agal taking credit for the attack in the northern village of Khaltan in the Syrian countryside. Pictured are Syrian Civil Defence officials surveying the site The attack took place in the Jenderies district in Afrin - an area northwest of Aleppo, near the country's shared border with Turkey. The region has become a haven for hundreds of ISIS terrorists and leaders in recent years, as the country continues to face a civil war A $5million reward for any information leading to his capture was offered by the State Department. It was late doubled to $10million as al-Rimi was linked to numerous plots against the U.S. In January 2020, the United States carried out an airstrike that killed a leader of Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen after months of tracking him. Qassim al-Rimi, 41, was killed in the January strike but officials had been waiting to confirm the information before making public statement. In November, CIA personnel learned of al-Rimi's location from an informant. The government then started using surveillance drones to track him, according to an U.S. official who was briefed on the strike. Local news in Yemen reports that the strike killed two militant suspects in the area of Wadi Abedah in central Yemen, but did not identify who those people were. Al-Rimi is a veteran of the Queda training camps in Afghanistan and whose 'terrorist pedigree traces to the era before the September 11 attacks,' NYT reports. He then returned to Yemen and was sentenced to five years in prison there for plotting to kill the American ambassador there. Al-Rimi broke out of jail after only a year and quickly rose in the ranks of the Qaeda affiliate. A $5million reward for any information leading to his capture was offered by the State Department. It was late doubled to $10million as al-Rimi was linked to numerous plots against the U.S. In 2017, al-Rimi notably sent President Donald Trump an audio message taunting him for a Special Operations Forces raid on an al Qaeda compound in Yemen that led to the first military combat death under the Trump administration, CNN reports. Qassim al-Rimi, 41, was killed in the January strike but officials had been waiting to confirm the information before making public statement President Joe Biden confirmed the leader of ISIS was dead in February in what he described as a cowardly move to blow up himself and his family instead of facing justice for his terrorists acts. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a bomb that killed himself as well as his wife and two children during a raid by U.S. commandos on a house in northwest Syria. 'United States military forces successfully removed a major terrorist threat to the world,' Biden said in remarks at the White House. Thirteen were reported killed, including six children and four women during the mission, which involved 24 Special Operations commandos backed by attack jets, Reaper drones and helicopter gunships. 'As a final act of desperate cowardness, [al-Qurayshi] with no regard to the lives of his own family or others in the building, he chose to blow himself up,' Biden said, adding the ISIS leader blew up 'that third floor rather than face justice for the crimes he has committed, taking several members of his family with him.' ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a bomb that blew himself up during a raid by U.S. special forces 'This horrible terrorist leader is no more,' he added. After al-Qurayshi was named the head of ISIS in 2019, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head. Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room, according to a photo released by the administration. 'This operation is testament to America's reach and capability to take out terrorist threats, no matter where they try to hide anywhere in the world. I'm determined to protect the American people from terrorist threats, and I'll take decisive action to protect this country,' Biden said in his short remarks where he took no questions. 'We remain vigilant. We remain prepared. Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you,' the president added. In the raid, U.S. special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted the house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, near the border with Turkey, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said in local reports. The raid targeted a large house in Atmeh in the Idlib region of Syria where the ISIS leader was hiding. The three-story house was left with its top floor shattered in the wake of al-Qurayshi's suicide bomb. It was a gruesome scene, according to local reports, with blood splattered on the white bricks that constructed the home and body parts scattered around the area. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, also known as Abdullah Qardash or Hajji Abdullah, became the leader of the ISIS terrorist organization after former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also blew himself up in a similar raid by U.S. forces in 2019 in the nearby town of Barisha. American helicopters carrying 24 commandoes arrived just after 1am. When they left two hours later ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was dead A general view shows on February 3, 2022 the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against a suspected high-ranking jihadist in Atmeh, in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, which left at least 13 people dead A Syrian man takes a picture of a blood soaked kitchen at the scene of a US anti-terror raid in Atmeh, Idlib The raid by the U.S. commandos targeted a suspected jihadist leader in a house in Syria's northern town of Atmeh. The operation, which residents say lasted about two hours, jolted the village near the Turkish border - an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria's civil war. The target was killed in Atmeh, located mere miles from the town of Barisha where former ISIS leader al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019 This combination of pictures created on February 3, 2022, from images released by the US Department of Defense shows the compound housing ISIS leader Al-Qurayshi Proof the Taliban has welcomed Al Qaeda back? Bin Laden's No. 2 al-Zawahiri was staying at house in Kabul linked to Afghan deputy interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani when he was minced by US Hellfire missile Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul. It has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan, having previously developed ties with the terrorist group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was hiding out with his family in a downtown Kabul property owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. Speculation is rising as to whether this living arrangement could create further difficulties for the West's relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. It comes as US President Joe Biden's officials said that Haqqani Network leaders knew al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul US intelligence officials tracked Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The house was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani (pictured speaking in March 2022) 'Immediately after the strike, Haqqani operatives sealed off the area and relocated Zawahiri's relatives. A damning indictment of Taliban credibility,' said director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister. It may add further credibility to recent intelligence claims from the US that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the Taliban government, has allowed al-Qaeda to re-emerge in Afghanistan, after taking over the country last year. In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured August 2021) condemned the US air strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, alleging it 'violated international principles' Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' The Taliban formed links with al-Qaeda between 1996 and 2001, when the Islamist group ruled over Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda reportedly paid the Taliban $20million each year to operate in Afghanistan, as the group orchestrated its attack on New York City's World Trade Centre, killing almost 3,000 people. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. As the Taliban and al-Qaida spilt across the region, many collaborated and regrouped in factions, with ISIS emerging in 2014. The US's exit from Afghanistan last September gave al-Qaida the opportunity to rebuild. US military officials, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said that al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the US. Ayman al-Zawahiri's location has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan. Pictured, a Taliban fighter stands guard at a market in Kabul on December 20, 2021 Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. Pictured, President Joe Biden confirms the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri In 2020, the Taliban signed the Doha peace deal with Donald Trump's administration, saying that said it would keep ISIS and al-Qaida out of Afghanistan. But critics at the time said that the Taliban would provide a 'safe haven' for terrorist groups. 'Al-Qaeda will probably come back,' UK defense secretary Ben Wallace warned at the time. A statement from Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the air strike, but did not mention al-Zawahiri or any other casualties. It said it 'strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 US pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. President Joe Biden confirmed in a televised speech that a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Sunday killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, declaring 'justice has been delivered.' Al-Qaeda is enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again (Taliban patrol in Kabul) However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them' 'This terrorist leader is no more,' Biden said in an evening speech from the White House. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens.' The strike, carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, was confirmed by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity before Biden was set to brief the American people. Al-Zawahiri's loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as Osama bin Laden's deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movement's guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the September 11, 2001, World Trade Centre and Pentagon attack. When the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaida's safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahiri ensured al-Qaida's survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the assembling of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Somalia, Yemen and Asia. Over the next decade, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks against US soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. A toxicology expert has revealed four possible reasons why authorities are yet to receive test results for two Saudi Arabian sisters found dead in their apartment. Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead under 'suspicious circumstances' inside their apartment in Canterbury, in Sydney's west, on June 7. Police believe the women, who were found in separate bedrooms, may have been dead for a month before officers discovered their decomposing bodies while conducting a welfare check. Despite previously insisting the toxicology tests were being 'fast-tracked', almost two months later police are still yet to be handed the reports - which usually only take four to six weeks. Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos, chief toxicologist and head of Forensic Scientific Services at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, said decomposition, staff shortages, high work load, and peculiar findings requiring further testing can all contribute to delays. Pictured: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and her younger sister Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23 Dr Gerostamoulos said there are typically a number of toxicology tests carried out in homicide investigations, which need to be robust and reliable for potential future use in court. 'More often than not, a comprehensive drug screening is conducted looking for things like drugs, alcohol, poisons, or other substances,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Depending on the number of specimens - which can include stomach contents, urine, blood, or other samples - there may be more tests that need to be run.' Dr Gerotamoulos said homicide cases usually only take between four to six weeks, but 'can take longer depending on what drugs are found'. If a drug is detected, he said further testing may be needed to ascertain the level of the substance in the person's system. 'It [the delay] could be that they have discovered something that needs special analysis,' he said. 'Sometimes when a drug turns up that is not expected, methods dont always exist to test them, so they need to undergo specialised tests. 'Not only are these tests challenging, but there are legal requirements to get them to a standard where they can be used in court, which does take time because they need to be watertight.' Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos, chief toxicologist and head of Forensic Scientific Services at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (pictured) says there are a number of reasons toxicology results could be delayed Dr Gerostamoulos said testing also varies depending on the qualities of the bodies, with those already decomposed or putrefied potentially needing specialist analysis. 'They are not ideal specimens,' he said. 'Forensics laboratories will have protocols in place to handle them, but decomposition can present a number of challenges. 'The samples may also need specialised tests, which need to meet certain analytical criteria. That can lead to delays but it will depend on the laboratory and their degree of expertise.' Dr Gerostamoulos said the other work being undertaken by NSW Forensic and Analytical Science Service (FASS), which is processing the women's tests, would also impact their turnaround time. Pictured: NSW Forensic and Analytic Science Services in Lidcombe, in western Sydney UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF SYDNEY'S SAUDI SISTERS - May have fled Saudi Arabia as teens. - Had access to money and drove a BMW. - Both had Australian business names, but police can't confirm what they did for work. - Filed an AVO, and then withdrew it. - BMW was keyed. - Three police welfare checks. - Stopped paying rent. - Bodies found a month after they died. - Cause of death unknown. Advertisement He said the sheer volume of tests being submitted to laboratories around the country are 'higher than ever before' as authorities and legal cases become increasingly reliant on forensics. And like many industries across the country, Dr Gerostamoulos said testing facilities were also grappling with workforce absenteeism amid the nation's winter wave of Covid. 'Laboratories are overwhelmed at the moment. It is not just hospitals - it is all facilities,' he said. 'We are just as impacted by shortages in staff like any health care provider.' As of Tuesday, NSW Police said it had not obtained the results from the lab. Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Forensic and Analytic Science Services for comment. Police discovered the sisters' bodies in June after they failed to pay rent for several weeks and the Sheriff turned up to serve the pair with an eviction notice. Investigators believe the women died in May, around the time they stopped paying rent. The women left Saudi Arabia in 2017, were not known to be in regular contact with their family, and were both actively seeking asylum in Australia. While their reasons for leaving their homeland remain unclear, they had been in contact with a refugee service for the past five years, which helps foreign nationals escaping persecution and seeking asylum. Police are to yet rule out homicide or suicide as investigations continue. Hollywood star Dev Patel is among the witnesses to a horrific stabbing outside a petrol station in Adelaide. The Slumdog Millionaire star was seen speaking to police after a woman allegedly stabbed a man in the chest just after 8:45pm on Monday night. Witnesses had tried to separate the pair just moments before the 34-year-old woman allegedly stabbed the 32-year-old man on the street. The English actor is understood to be spending time in South Australia with his girlfriend and Hotel Mumbai co-star Tilda Cobham-Hervey. The Slumdog Millionaire star was pictured speaking to police after a woman allegedly stabbed a man on Gouger Street on Monday night (pictured) The English actor is understood to be spending time in SA with his girlfriend and Hotel Mumbai co-star Tilda Cobham-Hervey (the pair are pictured with their co-star Armie Hammer in 2018) Police were called to the scene in Gouger street following reports of a couple fighting in the street. The 32-year-old was treated by paramedics before he was rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The woman has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing harm. The 34-year-old from Park Holme, southwest of the city, was refused bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Police said the pair are known to each other and that it was not a random attack. Patel and Cobham-Hervey met back in June of 2016 while filming the based-on-a-true-story drama, Hotel Mumbai. The Australian-American thriller is based on the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai about the attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India in 2008. Patel shot to fame on Skins alongside the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Daniel Kaluuya and Joe Dempsie and starred in The Lion alongside Nicole Kidman. Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King apparently used donor funds to purchase an award-winning show dog which he later returned for having a 'little too much energy.' King's political action committee, Grassroots Law, made two contributions to California-based Potrero Performance Dogs in the last year, finance disclosures revealed. The funds, totaling more than $40,000, were for 'contractor services.' Days after Grassroots made its second contribution in February, King welcomed Marz, a Potrero-bred thoroughbred, to his family. The dog was returned to the breeder last month. King has battled allegations of fraud for many years, but has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Grassroots, which he founded to help get soft-on-crime officials elected to office. Skepticisms surrounding King's contributions to Potrero come as BLM-backed politicians and organizational leaders face scrutiny over the misuse of charity funds. Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King allegedly used donor funds to purchase an award-winning show dog which he later returned for having a 'little too much energy' Days after the second Grassroots donation, King welcomed thoroughbred Marz to his family. Marz won best in show at an AKC competition last month (pictured) Grassroots Law paid $10,000 to Potrero in December 2021 and another $30,650 on February 16. King then obtained Marz a few days later, announcing the addition of the American Kennel Club competitor to his family a since-deleted Facebook post. He claimed Marz would offer 'alertness and protection,' as well as serve as the King family pet, The Washington Free Beacon reported. However, the dog - who won best in show at an AKC competition last month - was reportedly recently returned to the breeder. Potrero, also in a since deleted social media post, said Marz had 'a little too much energy to be a family dog so he came back.' King's political action committee, Grassroots Law, donated more than $40K to California-based Potrero Performance Dogs in the last year, finance disclosures revealed Grassroots Law contributed nearly the same amount of money to Potrero as it did to political candidates in the last year. Campaign finance disclosures revealed the PAC has given $56,000 to politicians and political hopefuls since 2021. King has also been accused of fraud on various occasions, including by the mother of Tamir Rice - a 12-year-old Ohio boy killed by Cleveland police - who claims he held unauthorized fundraisers in her son's name. Last December the Real Justice PAC, which King cofounded, was ordered to pay the city of Philadelphia $30,000 after having admitted to making omissions in its finance reports while working on District Attorney Larry Krasner's campaign. In 2019, King released an audit claiming he received a monthly salary of $4,166 from Real Justice PAC and 'no compensation at all' from Grassroots predecessor Action PAC. He alleged he was 'literally the only person' on the PAC's staff who didn't receive a salary, saying: 'I have not received a salary or a stipend of any kind for the entire year. I do it all for free.' That same year, he was accused by former ally DeRay Mckesson of following a 'uniform pattern' of fraud for many years. In an open letter, Mckesson alleged King acted in ways that 'compromise others, compromise the collective work, and compromise a shared sense of integrity.' King has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. King (pictured in Sept. 2019) has been accused of fraud on various occasions over the last several years, but has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Grassroots. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing Grassroots Law paid $10,000 to Potrero in December 2021 and another $30,650 on February 16. King obtained Marz (pictured) just days after the second contribution was made News of King's family pet comes just days after failed Democratic congressional candidate Karen Carter Peterson was hit wire fraud charges for inappropriately using campaign and party funds after admitting to a gambling addiction. Peterson is a former State Senator from Louisiana and longtime chair of the state's Democratic Party who came in second place in the Democratic primary to represent the state's 2nd District in Washington. She was the only candidate for federal office BLM endorsed in this election cycle, spending more than $100,000 in independent expenditures on her failed campaign through their political action committee, according to Fox News. Things have spiraled for Peterson since losing the primary. In April, she resigned from her state senate seat and admitted to being a gambling addict. In July, she was charged with wire fraud for using campaign donations on personal expenses. She signed a plea deal admitting to taking money from campaign and party coffers to four individuals and four companies who would then allegedly cash the check and give Peterson the money, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. Peterson would then take the money and either gamble or use it for other personal expenses, along the way filing what the Department of Justice called 'false and misleading' campaign finance reports. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013. Co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza are pictured in November 2016 News of King's family pet comes just days after failed Democratic congressional candidate Karen Carter Peterson (pictured July 2021) was hit wire fraud charges for inappropriately using campaign and party funds after admitting to a gambling addiction Peterson was the only candidate for federal office BLM endorsed, spending more than $100,000 on her failed campaign through their political action committee. A BLM protester is pictured in April 2021 The Black Lives Matter PAC is a BLM Global Network Foundation-affiliated committee. It's another example of the national Black Lives Matter organization's spending coming into question. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in mid-May released a 63-page Form 990, covering the fiscal year from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, at which point the group had $42 million in net assets. This is BLM foundation's first public accounting of its finances since incorporating in 2017. The tax filing shows that nearly $6 million was spent on a Los Angeles-area compound. The Studio City property, which includes a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space, was intended as a campus for a black artists fellowship and is currently used for that purpose, the board member said. Co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who resigned last year after it was revealed she amassed a $3.2 million property portfolio, has used the property twice for personal reasons - once for a Biden inauguration party, and another time for her son's birthday. She paid $390 for its use, according to tax filings. The filings also show that Cullors used charity funds to pay her friends and family large sums for various 'consulting' services, as well as charter a private flight. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is still worth tens of millions of dollars, despite spending more than $37 million on grants, real estate, consultants, and other expenses, according to tax documents filed with the IRS. Black Lives Matter spent millions on luxury properties in Los Angeles and in Toronto - including a $6.3 million 10,000-square-foot property in Canada that was purchased as part of a $8M 'out of country grant'. On Tuesday, the organization released its tax filings, which showed that it had $42M in assets. Its co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, stepped down last year after it was revealed she amassed a $3.2M property portfolio The Toronto mansion was purchased with funds that came from an $8M BLMGNF grant Black Lives Matter spent $6M on a mansion in Studio City, California That investment is expected to become an endowment to ensure the foundation's work continues in the future, organizers say. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. But it was the 2014 death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, that made the slogan 'Black lives matter' a rallying cry for progressives and a favorite target of derision for conservatives. The foundation ended its last fiscal year - from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 - with nearly $42 million in net assets. It had an operating budget of about $4 million, according to a board member. THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF BLM CO-FOUNFER PATRISSE CULLORS WHO GOT PAID BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors received $120,000 for 'consulting fees' and reimbursed BLM $73,523 for a charter flight. She denies taking money from BLM for personal matters and says all purchases - including a lavish $6mm LA home - were legitimate. The father of Cullors' child, Damon Turner, was paid nearly $970,000 to help 'produce live events' Her brother, Paul Cullors, received more than $840,000 for providing security services to the foundation. Fellow BLM director Shalomyah Bowers was paid more than $2.1 million for providing operational support. Advertisement As a fledgling nonprofit, it had been under the fiscal sponsorship of a well-established charity, and wasnt required to publicly disclose its financials until it became an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit in December 2020. The tax filing suggests the organization is still finding its footing: It currently has no executive director or in-house staff. Nonprofit experts told the AP that the BLM foundation seems to be operating like a scrappy organization with far fewer resources, although some say black-led charities face unfair scrutiny in an overwhelmingly white and wealthy philanthropic landscape. The tax filings released revealed that BLM paid a company owned by Damon Turner, the father of co-founder Patrisse Cullors' child, nearly $970,000 to help 'produce live events' and provide other 'creative services.' The co-founder's brother, Paul Cullors, received more than $840,000 for providing security services to the foundation. Leaders have attempted to justify the expense by saying the foundation's protection could not be entrusted to former police professionals who typically run security firms because the BLM movement is known for vehemently protesting law enforcement organizations. Last year, when Cullors revealed the windfall of donations, local chapter organizers and families of police brutality victims reacted angrily. Until then, the foundation had not been transparent with the most devoted BLM organizers, many of whom accused Cullors of shutting them out of decisions about how financial resources would be allocated. The foundation will launch a 'transparency and accountability center' on its website to make its financial documents available for public inspection, Bowers said. An Australian brand marketing start-up that was valued at $1billion by venture capitalists just months ago has collapsed leaving dozens of staff stunned. Metigy, founded in 2015 by CEO David Fairfull and CTO Johnston Lin, appointed administrators Cathro Partners on Friday night. About 75 staff are understood to work for the company and were notified on Monday, with some writing online they had no clue of the situation. Metigy's clients are small to medium businesses which use the company's artificial intelligence technology for marketing insights and growth strategies. Metigy helped small to medium businesses with marketing using AI-powered technology Co-founder and CEO of Metigy David Fairfull (pictured) had previously helped build and sell two other start-ups, We Are Social and The Brave Group Prominent investment firms had already bought into the business and another round of capital raising was being pitched at more investors as recently as two months ago. A presentation for that round of funding claimed Metigy's revenue surged more than 300 per cent in 2020 and 2021 and it had more than 25,000 clients across 92 countries, reports the Australian Financial Review. Investors were using the company as an example of a well performing start-up that could shoot up in value if it went public under an Initial Public Offering. According to documents lodged with corporate watchdog ASIC, Metigy had 30 shareholders including the founders, their associates, and investors. There had been talk of expanding in the US and South-East Asia and floating the company on the ASX. One investor, private equity and venture capital firm Five V, valued the company at $1billion as of April 2022. It had invested $2.5million in 2020 and another $5.3million the following year. CEO David Fairfull had previously helped build and sell two tech companies - We Are Social, sold to China's BlueFocus in 2013, and The Brave Group, sold to Powerlan in 1999. Metigy's name comes from the Greek goddess of wisdom Metis and the word strategy. Co-founder and Metigy's chief technology officer Johnston Lin (pictured) Employees took to LinkedIn after being told of the appointment of administrators on Monday. 'We're pretty shell-shocked,' one employee wrote. 'It's not because we didn't care enough or because we did a bad job or the market conditions weren't in our favour and that will always be the toughest thing to deal with when you work as hard as we did.' 'It's heartbreaking ... I could see that we were turning a corner with the product in the last few months and what was coming up in the next few months,' another wrote. Administrators Simon Cathro and Andrew Blundell of Cathro Partners said they were hopeful investors would see a return of their money. 'We are exploring the urgent sale of Metigy's assets and intellectual property as part of the voluntary administration process and consider a sale could be an outcome in this process,' they said. Advertisement A furious Beijing today warned US politicians they will 'come to no good end' if they 'play with fire' over Taiwan as video emerged purportedly showing tanks lined up on beaches opposite the island. Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage shows military equipment on the move in the city of Xiamen. The unverified videos emerged amid soaring tensions between China and US with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touching down in Taipei today. Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997. Her jet left the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The site crashed earlier after 300,000 people tried to chart Pelosi's journey. Beijing had earlier warned that the United States will 'pay the price' if Pelosi visits Taiwan while Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that those U.S. politicians who 'play with fire' on the Taiwan issue will 'come to no good end'. Moscow also weighed in and accused the US of 'destabilizing' the world by allowing Pelosi to travel to Taiwan, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning that such a visit would be 'extremely provocative'. Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a US Navy official confirmed on Tuesday. The Japanese-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. The US Navy official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that started in early May from its home port of San Diego. Taipei has vowed to defend itself and dispatch its military forces in reaction to 'enemy threats' as risk of Beijing attacking Taiwan grows. Taiwan has also made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills, including designating air-raid shelters where civilians can take cover if Beijing launches missiles at the democratic island. Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. Beijing tries to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and opposes countries having official exchanges with it. Nancy Pelosi has arrived for a controversial visit to Taiwan. She disembarked wearing a pink pants suit and was greeted by Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait Further footage shows military equipment on the move in the Chinese city of Xiamen The Taipei 101 skyscraper is illuminated with 'Taiwan loves US' ahead of the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday Pelosi's jet left the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The site later crashed after 300,000 people tried to chart Pelosi's journey. Pelosi's visit has sparked heightened tensions between Taiwan and China - and in response to new fears that Beijing could attack Taipei, the democratic island is preparing its air-raid shelters. Pictured: People demonstrate taking shelter with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouth open, during a drill at a basement parking lot that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, in Taipei, on July 22 It comes as comes as signs emerge of military activity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait ahead of Pelosi's visit. In a 'provocative' move, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan strait on Tuesday. Meanwhile, several Chinese warships had remained close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday, a source briefed on the matter said. A source said both Chinese warships and aircraft 'squeezed' the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move the person described as 'very provocative.' The person said the Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly 'touching' the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby. Neither side's aircraft normally cross the median line. Video shared by China showed off their military as soldiers in the footage vowed to fight to the death to defend their 'motherland'. 'We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations,' the troops said, reports Chinese state media outlet The Global Times. 'We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death.' Taiwan has vowed to defend itself and has made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills. The preparations include designating shelters where people can take cover if Chinese missiles start flying in, not in purpose-built bunkers but in underground spaces like basement car parks, the subway system and subterranean shopping centers. The capital of Taipei has more than 4,600 such shelters that can accommodate some 12 million people, more than four times its population. Taiwan's Defense Ministry on Tuesday said it has a full grasp of military activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to 'enemy threats.' China's defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, unspecified hackers launched a cyberattack on the Taiwanese Presidential Office's website, making it temporarily unavailable Tuesday evening. The Presidential Office said the website was restored shortly after the attack, which overwhelmed it with traffic. 'China thinks by launching a multi-domain pressure campaign against Taiwan, the people of Taiwan will be be intimidated. But they are wrong,' Wang Ting-yu, a legislator with the Democratic Progressive Party, said on Twitter in response to the attack. People demonstrate taking shelter with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouth open, during a drill at a basement parking lot that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, in Taipei, Taiwan An instructor shows participants how to transport an injured person with everyday objects during a first aid training in Taipei, Taiwan on July 23 Tourists pose for photos at an underground tunnel that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, beneath the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan Wu Enoch, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party and an organizer of first aid trainings, speaks at the end of a course in Taipei, Taiwan US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and her counterpart, Azhar Azizan Harun (right), before a meeting at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday Malaysia's Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Azhar Azizan Harun (front, 4R), posing with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (front, 4L) and officials before a meeting at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Taipei 101 skyscraper is illuminated ahead of the expected visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan, on 2 August Moscow accuses US of 'destabilization' over Pelosi visit to Taiwan Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Washington of destabilizing the world after the potential visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan sparked rage in Moscow's ally Beijing. 'Washington is bringing destabilization to the world. Not a single resolved conflict in recent decades, but many provoked ones,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media. Faced with unprecedented sanctions and international isolation over its military campaign in pro-Western Ukraine, Russia has sought closer ties with China and expressed solidarity with Beijing over Taiwan. China considers Taiwan its territory and has indicated through repeated warnings that it would view a visit by Pelosi as a major provocation. American officials often make discreet visits to Taiwan to show support, but Pelosi - who is currently on a tour of several Asian countries - would be a higher-profile visitor than any in recent history. Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of being seized by China. Russia's assault on Ukraine has heightened fears that Beijing might similarly follow through on threats to annex its much smaller and outgunned neighbour. Advertisement In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies opposite Taiwan and is home to a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armored vehicles on the move on Tuesday and posted pictures online. Chinese social media was abuzz with both trepidation about potential conflict and patriotic fervor over the prospect of unification with Taiwan, and the topic of Pelosi's visit was the top-trending item on the Twitter-like Weibo. China has repeatedly warned against Pelosi going to Taiwan, which it claims as its own, and the US said on Monday that it would not be intimidated by Chinese 'sabre rattling' over the visit. One person familiar with Pelosi's itinerary said most of her planned meetings, including with President Tsai Ing-wen, were scheduled for Wednesday, and that it was possible her delegation would only arrive in Taiwan early on Wednesday. 'Everything is uncertain,' the person said. Pelosi was visiting Malaysia on Tuesday, having begun her Asia tour in Singapore on Monday. Her office said she will also go to South Korea and Japan, but made no mention of a Taiwan visit. Taiwan's foreign ministry said it had no comment on reports of Pelosi's travel plans, but the White House - which would not confirm the trip - said she had the right to go. Beijing's responses could include firing missiles near Taiwan, large-scale air or naval activities, or further 'spurious legal claims' such as China's assertion that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Monday. 'We will not take the bait or engage in sabre rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated,' Kirby said. Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Tuesday strongly warned the United States against provoking China with Pelosi's trip saying it will raise tensions to a new dangerous level. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that such a visit would be 'extremely provocative,' adding that it would 'exacerbate the situation in the region and fuel tensions.' Speaking in a call with reporters, Peskov reaffirmed Russia's 'absolute solidarity' with China, noting that the issue of Taiwan is very sensitive for Beijing. 'Instead of dealing with this sensitivity with respect, the U.S. has regrettably chosen the path of confrontation,' he added. 'It will bring no good, we can only express regret.' Peskov's comments reflected close ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have grown stronger since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24. China has pointedly refused to criticize Russia's action, blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking Moscow, and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Moscow. Russia and China have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops for the first time deployed to Chinese territory for joint maneuvers. Even though Moscow and Beijing in the past rejected the possibility of forging a military alliance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that such a prospect can't be ruled out. He also has noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability. Meanwhile, four sources said Pelosi was scheduled to meet a small group of activists who are outspoken about China's human rights record in Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting is likely to take place at the National Human Rights Museum at New Taipei City, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Military police officers get into position for a drill on how to guide citizens to safety in the event of an attack, in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 22 Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (file photo), were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments Why China set its sights on Taiwan China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's sovereignty. China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China's Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. The island was under the Republic of China's ruling after World War II, with the consent of its allies the US and UK. The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang's son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratising Taiwan. In 1980, China put forward a formula called 'one country, two systems', under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But its political status remains unclear. Advertisement Meanwhile, Taiwan's citizens are preparing their air-raid shelters amid fears China could attack. Harmony Wu, 18, was surprised to learn that an underground shopping concourse where she and other youngsters were recently rehearsing some dance moves would be turned into an air-raid shelter in the event of war. But she said she could understand why. 'Having shelter is very necessary. We don't know when a war might come and they are to keep us safe,' Wu said at the venue near a Taipei subway station. 'War is brutal. We've never experienced it so we aren't prepared,' she said. Taipei officials have been updating their database of designated shelters, putting their whereabouts on a smartphone app and launching a social media and poster campaign to make sure people know how to find their closest one. Shelter entrances are marked with a yellow label, about the size of an A4 piece of paper, with the maximum number of people it can take. A senior official in the city office in charge of the shelters said events in Europe had brought a renewed sense of urgency. 'Look at the war in Ukraine,' Abercrombie Yang, a director of the Building Administration Office, told Reuters. 'There's no guarantee that the innocent public won't get hit,' he said, adding that that was why the public had to be informed. 'All citizens should have crisis awareness ... We need the shelters in the event of an attack by the Chinese communists.' Last month, Taiwan held a comprehensive air-raid exercise across the island for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted regular drills. Among the instructions citizens got in case of incoming missiles was to get down in their basement parking lots with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouths open - to minimize the impact of blast waves. Some civil defense advocates say more needs to be done. Authorities are required by law to keep the shelters clean and open but they don't have to be stocked with supplies like food and water. Researchers in parliament called in June for shelters to be provided with emergency supplies. Wu Enoch of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party says the public must prepare survival kits to take with them when they seek shelter. 'What's important is what you bring with you, for people to stay there for a long period of time,' Wu said, citing medical supplies and even tools to build a makeshift toilet. After decade of saber-rattling across the Taiwan Strait separating the democratic island from China, many Taiwan people appear resigned to living with the threat of a Chinese invasion. 'I'm not stressed. I carry on with my life as usual. When it happens, it happens,' said Teresa Chang, 17, who was also going through her paces at the underground dance practice. On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said it would be 'a gross interference in China's internal affairs' if Pelosi visits Taiwan, and warned that 'the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by.' Asked what kind of measures the PLA might take, Zhao said: 'If she dares to go, then let us wait and see.' US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) shakes hands with Singapore's President Halimah Yacob at the Istana Presidential Palace in Singapore to kick off her tour of Asia and the Indo-Pacific China views visits by US officials to Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp in the island. Washington does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. A visit by Pelosi, who is second in the line of succession to the US presidency and a long-time critic of China, would come amid worsening ties between Washington and Beijing. The White House has dismissed China's rhetoric as groundless and inappropriate. Kirby said that nothing about Pelosi's possible trip changed US policy toward Taiwan, and that Beijing was well aware the division of powers within the US government meant Pelosi would make her own decisions about the visit. 'The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan,' he told the White House briefing. Without directly saying Pelosi will make a stop on the self-governing island that Beijing sees as its own territory, Kirby warned repeatedly - if she did go, there was no reason to escalate any military action. 'We're going to watch this very, very closely,' Kirby said, and asked reporters what the 'drama' of her trip is - following 10 days of threats from Beijing after the prospect of her visit first surfaced. 'I don't know about the drama you're claiming exists. It's quite the contrary here,' he told reporters. China's People's Liberation Army posted a video on WeChat showing missiles being launched, hours after reports of the visit surfaced The video included missile strikes and simulated what an invasion may look like. Taiwan has also canceled leave for some soldiers in case of military action Chinese state media personality Hu Xijin also issued a grim message to the top Democrat: 'Let her go to Taiwan. But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait' China's military might: The world's biggest standing army with 2 MILLION soldiers and more Navy ships than any other nation With Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan raising the prospect of a military intervention, the size of the Chinese forces and its arsenal has come to the foreground. General Secretary Xi Jinping has said he plans to surpass America's military - long seen as their biggest rivals - by 2049 with improvements investments in hypersonic missiles and cyber-attack capabilities. The People's Liberation Army has 2,035,000 members, making it the largest active military force in the world. The US has 1,195 million members as of September 2021, according to Department of Defense data. The Chinese Navy is the biggest in the world determined by the 355 front-line ships, compared to the U.S. which only has 305. It is known that Beijing ships are often smaller, but there are plans to increase their fleet of warships by 2030 by 70, while the US is planning to add just 42, according to a Pentagon report on China's military. There are also only 300,000 active personnel in the Chinese Navy, compared to 350,000 in the U.S. Currently the PRC only has 320 warheads in its stockpile, but it wants to have at least 700 nuclear warheads and by 2030 it wants 1,000, far outpacing US predictions from 2020. There are also heightened concerns that China is rapidly developing nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missiles - on-top of being able to launch warheads from the ground and sea. The US generally has more capability for launching high-powered attacks and has 800 overseas bases compared to just three run by the Chinese. There are 450 intercontinental ballistic missile silos on American soil compared to 250 in China and the US has 2,717 combat aircraft compared to Beijing's 1,571. The Pentagon also has 5,414 combat helicopters at its disposal compared to the Chinese Communist Party's 902. But military analysts worry that China's expansion plans will make its military the largest in the world in the matter of decades. The American military is also in the middle of a recruitment crisis that could shrink its number, while China grows. Advertisement 'We're going to make sure that she has a safe and secure visit, because that's our responsibility. And we urge as I said at the outset, we urge China to see this - if she goes - to see this for exactly what it is: nothing new, no change to our policy, and certainly not an unprecedented visit by the Speaker of the House,' Kirby added. The Chinese People's Liberation Army issued multiple warnings ahead of Pelosi's expected trip, including a new one on Monday that contained a video simulating a missile strike, aircraft carriers advancing and fighter jets in formation. There was also a stern warning from state media. The video was posted on WeChat on Monday morning following reports the Speaker will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night - despite Beijing warning they could shoot her plane down and launch a military response. Chinese state media personality Hu Xijin issued a grim message to the top House Democrat: 'Let her go to Taiwan. But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait.' The White House said Pelosi has a right to visit Taiwan but reiterated its one-China policy. Kirby also reminded Beijing the speaker makes her own decisions on where to go and that her visit is not unprecedented. 'We have been clear from the very beginning that she will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government,' Kirby said. 'Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers this is well known to the PRC given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations. The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the Speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year.' Pelosi would be visiting at a time when the Democrats control the House, Senate and the White House, so there are concerns that the Chinese may see this as an administration move. 'Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long standing US policy into some sort of crisis or conflict. Or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. And yet, over the weekend, even before Speaker Pelosi arrived in the region, China conducted a live fire exercise. China appears to be positioning itself to potentially take further steps in the coming days, and perhaps over longer time horizons,' Kirby said on Monday. He warned Beijing not to take any military action. 'We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated,' Kirby said. 'There's no reason to use a potential visit to justify or to spark some sort of crisis or conflict. We certainly aren't, have no interest in that. And there's no justification to use a potential visit as a pretext to conduct what could be escalatory measures,' he said. Last Friday, Chinese state media said the government was prepared to shoot Pelosi's plane down if it was detected in its airspace accompanied by a fighter jet escort. The latest warning was issued during a Chinese foreign ministry briefing by spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who said that because of Pelosi's status as the 'No. 3 official of the US government', a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would 'lead to egregious political impact'. Lijian added that it would be 'a gross interference in China's internal affairs' and would lead to 'very serious developments and consequences.' 'We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Zhao told a regular daily briefing. Asked what kind of measures the PLA might take, Zhao said: 'if she dares to go, then let us wait and see.' The White House has also sent mixed messaging on the trip. Initially, President Biden said he didn't think it was a 'good idea', but last week National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was ultimately her decision. Kirby was also on CNN on Monday morning criticizing the Chinese for their rhetoric. 'There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There's no reason for any actions to be taken. It is very much in keeping with our policy.' Pelosi kicked-off a tour of four Asian countries in the early hours of Monday morning in Singapore amid intense speculation that she may risk the wrath of Beijing by also visiting self-ruled Taiwan. The House Speaker touched down in Singapore just before 4:30am local time on Monday, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged her at a meeting to strive for 'stable' ties with Beijing. A press release from Pelosi's office on Sunday said she would visit four Asian countries - Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. During Monday's visit in Singapore, Pelosi and Lee discussed climate change and economic stability. He also 'highlighted the importance of stable US-China relations for regional peace and security'. Later, she will attend a cocktail party at the American Chamber of Commerce. But it is her potential visit to Taiwan that is overshadowing the whole trip. During a phone call last Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Joe Biden that Washington should abide by the one-China principle and 'those who play with fire will perish by it'. Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed and that Washington strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide the island's future. Pelosi has also sparked anger from China in the past by meeting with pro-democracy dissidents and the Dalai Lama. She also unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square in 1991 which read 'to those who died for democracy,' in reference to the victims of the 1989 massacre. In July, the speaker who is number three in the line of presidential succession told the media in a press conference: 'It's important for us to show support for Taiwan.' The Global Times, China's state-run tabloid, suggested that Pelosi might use 'emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refuelling' to land at a Taiwanese airport. 'If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits,' Hu Xijin, a former Global Times editor and now commentator, tweeted. Beijing's foreign ministry on Monday warned a visit would 'seriously threaten the peace and stability' of the Taiwan Strait if it goes ahead. Bloomberg's China editor John Liu said in an appearance on the network on Sunday: 'I do think it's worth mentioning that not mentioning if there will be a trip to Taiwan on her itinerary is different from saying she will not go to Taiwan.' He added: 'It is not off the table that there could be a surprise visit.' An Australian woman has revealed the enormous cost of maintaining her dog's social media fame. Alina Michaels, 32, who lives in Sydney's Northern Beaches, has lavished her love and attention on Coco the 'peekapoo' - a breed that is three quarters toy poodle and a quarter Pekingese - to make up for not having any children. Ms Michaels told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that she has spent more than $150,000 on Coco since establishing her own Instagram page four and a half years ago. Alina Michaels (pictured left), 32, has spent more than $150,000 on her Peekapoo 'Coco' (right) since creating her Instagram page four and a half years ago This includes a wardrobe worth more than $100,000 (pictured) and a $500 remote control pink Lamborghini which she loves to ride around in That includes a wardrobe worth more than $100,000, as well as a $500 remote control pink Lamborghini which she loves to ride around in. Ms Michaels got the idea of making Coco a canine influencer after she 'noticed a friend dress her dog up with fancy clothes and then post photos on social media.' Since creating her dog's Instagram page @coco_the_peekapoo a few years ago, it has gained more than 62,000 followers who 'cannot wait to see what Coco wears next.' The page is a money spinner, as many of Coco's devoted followers purchase the products that she poses in. Ms Michaels said that Coco's followers purchase the products that she poses with in photos (pictured) As a result of her social media fame, Coco usually gets spotted while out and about (pictured) Ms Michaels said organising Coco's Instagram page is 'like a full-time job.' Coco was crowned Australia's Top Dog in 2021, Sydney's Top Dog in 2019 and has had several television appearances, including 'Pooch Perfect' with Rebel Wilson, Studio 10, Sunrise and The Morning Show. She models for DOGUE's range of clothes and accessories, Indie Boho and Bravecto, As a result of her social media fame, Coco often gets spotted by fans while out and about. 'I don't think she really has any idea what is going on,' Ms Michaels expressed. 'Coco likes to wear all sorts of clothing and gets excited when she put the outfits on...she knows she will get photos or leave the house.' Ms Michaels revealed that she spends up to $8,000 on Coco's birthday party each year, while sponsors also provide up to $15,000 worth of products for the influencers and party guests to take home. The budget for Coco's 8th birthday party in two weeks' time is $4,000. Ms Michaels spends up to $8,000 every year for Coco's birthday parties (pictured) Every post on Coco's Instagram page generates up to $750 through brand partnerships and Ms Michaels said this money more than offsets the spending on these expensive birthday parties. 'For anyone wanting to be successful, it's important to have relationships with brands and businesses...opportunities will arise from this,' Ms Michaels said. 'We have met so many nice people along the way through networking.' While majority of Coco's followers share positive comments, there are also jealous dog mothers out there who are not so impressed. Ms Michaels said: 'The growing world of pet influencers can be very competitive, like a pack of school mums.' Alinas story will air on SBS Insight tonight at 8.30pm AEST. Top congressional Democrats have accused the US Secret Service of engaging in a cover-up immediately after the January 6 attacks on the nation's Capitol, by allegedly scrubbing text messages that could have incriminated them. The potentially damning allegations were aired in a letter to the agency's inspector general Monday, penned by New York Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, and Mississippi's Bennie Thompson. The note saw the two prominent progressives accuse Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of overseeing the cover-up, and demanded he step aside from his post as the House continues to probe the 2021 riots. The embattled Homeland security official, who serves as the agency's watchdog, has come under fire after it was revealed he first learned of the missing messages in May 2021 - months earlier than previously known and more than a year before he alerted the House that potentially crucial information may have been erased. It comes as part of a deepening investigation into the agency's handling of the now-deleted texts, which the reps argue may have provided proof that agents received instruction from higherups during the brazen daytime raid. Top congressional Democrats have accused the US Secret Service of engaging in a cover-up immediately after the January 6 attacks on the nation's Capitol, by allegedly scrubbing text messages that could have incriminated them. The potentially damning allegations were aired in a letter to the agency's inspector general Monday, penned by New York Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, and Mississippi's Bennie Thompson 'We are writing with grave new concerns over your lack of transparency and independence, which appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office,' Maloney, who also serves as the House Oversight Chair Carolyn and Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson wrote in the letter. 'According to recent reports, your office learned that the Secret Service was missing critical text messages as part of your investigation of the January 6 attack against the U.S. Capitol in May 2021 - seven months earlier than previously revealed.' The high-powered Dems continued: 'The Committees have obtained new evidence that your office may have secretly abandoned efforts to collect text messages from the Secret Service more than a year ago. 'These documents also indicate that your office may have taken steps to cover up the extent of missing records, raising further concerns about your ability to independently and effectively perform your duties as Inspector General (IG).' The letter further accused the agency of knowingly refusing to hand over the messages despite the House's probe, which began just over a year ago in July in 2021. The note saw the two prominent progressives accuse Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of overseeing the cover-up, and demanded he step aside from his post as the House continues to probe the 2021 riots The deletion of the messages are of particular interest to the House, due to it potentially shedding light on Donald Trump's actions during the insurrection - particularly after recent rumors about a supposed confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the riot It called for two of the offices top employees to testify this month about the deleted texts and their contents, and asked that an immediate replacement be named for Cuffari. The Secret Service, meanwhile, maintains that the text messages lost on at least 10 agents' phones days after the riots were lost as a result of a previously scheduled data migration of agents' cell phones that began on January 27, 2021. After the data migration was completed in May of last year, the agency argues, the Secret Service told Cuffari's office that they tried to contact a cellular provider to retrieve the texts when they realized they were lost. Those efforts, they said, were ultimately unsuccessful - with Cuffari sending a letter to the two committees last month disclosing that Secret Service text messages sent and received around Jan. 6, 2021, were deleted despite requests from Congress and investigators they be preserved. The deletion of the messages are of particular interest to the House, due to it potentially shedding light on then-President Donald Trump's actions during the insurrection - particularly in the wake of recent rumors about his supposed confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol. The note saw the two prominent progressives accuse Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of overseeing the cover-up, and demanded he step aside from his post as the House continues to probe the 2021 riots An internal Secret Service investigation reportedly found 10 agents had records of sent or received text messages from the days surrounding the January 6 attacks, but they had since been deleted. Agents are seen here entering the Capitol to evacuate senators during the riot Investigators were working to determine whether the content of these texts contained information about the Capitol insurrection, and should have been preserved amid an ongoing House investigation into the riot (pictured) It's unclear now what will happen to the 10 Secret Service members who were found to have deleted text messages from the time, as the Inspector General ordered the agency to cease its internal investigation amid a criminal probe. Secret Service agents, though, say the texts could have been deleted accidentally, when the agency conducted a months-long data migration of its phones beginning Jan. 27, 2021. The agency left it up to individual agents to decide what electronic records to keep and what to delete during the process. Among the text records the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General requested were those of the heads of the detail for both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence: Bobby Engel and Tim Giebels, respectively. It is unclear whether they are included among the 10 personnel whose phones contained metadata showing records of deleted texts Joe Maher, the principal deputy general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, was tasked with circulating a January 2021 letter to component agencies - presumably including the Secret Service - ensuring they preserve records related to the insurrection. The agency now says it never received that message According to a letter sent to the Secret Service from the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection, the inspector general first asked for records from 24 personnel in June 2021. 'The Select Committee seeks the relevant text messages, as well as any after action reports that have been issued in any and all divisions of the USSS pertaining or relating in any way to the events of January 6, 2021,' January 6, panel Chairman Bennie Thompson wrote in a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray. The committee also specifically requested 'all documents and communications related to actual or attempted conversations between any DHA official and President Trump and/or any other White House official' about the January 5 rally and January 6 riot. The request came more than two months after the data migration should have been complete, according to CNN. At the time, Secret Service agents were supposed to manually back up their texts before the migration, sources allege. If an employee failed to do so, their messages would've been permanently deleted during the process. 'Any message that was not uploaded by the employee as a government record would have been lost during the migration,' a Secret Service official told CNN Tuesday. He came up with the illegal sex ring idea which netted $24 million in Brisbane 'Porn king' Michael Pratt among the FBI's most wanted - on the run since 2019 A 'porn king' who is among the FBI's Most Wanted is on the run - possibly in Australia - after making $24million from an illegal sex ring, while his Kiwi co-conspirator faces life behind bars in the US. Michael James Pratt, 39, created the 'GirlsDoPorn' website while living in Brisbane in 2006 - before moving to the United States and creating the multi-million dollar empire. Now Pratt is wanted for sex trafficking and the production of child pornography with the FBI offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest. US authorities allege Pratt along with his New Zealand business partner, childhood friend Matthew Isaac Wolfe and 'adult film performer' Ruben Andre Garcia used deception and false promises to lure the alleged victims. Twenty-two female victims, identified as Jane Doe 1 to 22, filed a civil lawsuit that they were fooled into participating in pornography under the false promise they wouldn't appear online, prompting an FBI investigation. Charges were laid and a 99-day trial ensued with Superior Court Judge Kevin Enright in 2020 ordering the trio to pay the women more than $18million. Michael James Pratt (pictured) , 39, came up with the idea of the 'GirlsDoPorn' website while living in Brisbane in 2006 - before moving to the United States and creating a business empire The 'porn king' is among the FBI's Most Wanted and is on the run - possibly in Australia - after making $24million from an illegal sex ring The Plot The women allegedly responded to ads on Craiglist which sought 'clothed models' with payments of around $7000 before it was eventually revealed the job was for adult films. Authorities said they convinced the women their videos would not be posted online, with some told they were only for a private Australian collector. Many of the videos were shot in hotel rooms or short term rental units in San Diego, with the victims flown in to shoot the videos. The victims were told the contracts they were presented with simply stated what the victims had been told, including that the videos would not be posted online. Nowhere in the contract did it mention 'GirlsDoPorn,' 'GirlsDoToys' or pornography at all. The companies were instead hidden with innocuous names, such as 'Bubblegum Casting' and the victims were not provided a copy of the contracts they signed. 'Porn king' Michael Pratt (pictured) who is among the FBI's Most Wanted is on the run - possibly in Australia - after making $24million from an illegal sex ring As a part of the conspiracy victims were coerced into completing the videos once they were underway. If they did not comply they were threatened with being sued, having their flight home cancelled, and with having the videos posted online, if they did not complete the sex scenes. The victims were also misled about how long the video shoots lasted as many were under the illusion the video production would be around half an hour, when in reality often lasted for several hours. The sex for the video shoots was described in court documents as 'rough' and caused many victims pain, in some instances even causing bleeding. The victims were also often paid significantly less than originally promised after the group would cite a tattoo, a mole, or some other perceived 'imperfection' as a reason for paying them less. Once the videos were posted online many victims reached out seeking to get their videos taken off the websites but their calls were blocked or ignored. Pratt's pornography websites 'GirlsDoPorn' and 'GirlsDoToys' are said to have generated more than $24 million in revenue. According to court documents the site GirlsDoPorn charged a subscription fee to access the websites content. To promote the content on both sites, shorter versions of the videos were posted on free porn sites such as PornHub.com - one of the world's most popular porn sites. According to PornHub's view counters, many of these videos were viewed millions of times To promote the content on both sites, shorter versions of the videos were posted on free porn sites such as PornHub.com - one of the world's most popular porn sites. According to PornHub's view counters, many of these videos were viewed millions of times. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Pratt in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, in November 2019 and he has been on the run ever since. The human cost of his actions, according to the women, was described as tragic with some contemplating suicide after their videos appeared online and boyfriends, family, work colleagues and others in their communities saw them. 22 women victims, identified as Jane Doe 1 to 22, filed a civil lawsuit that they were fooled into participating in pornography under the false promise they wouldn't appear online, with said filing prompting an FBI investigation All of Pratt's co-conspirators have been arrested and have either pleaded guilty or are awaiting trial. Special agent in charge, Suzanne Turner, labelled Pratt as 'a danger to society' as he is 'likely still victimising people while on the run with his continued lies and false promises'. 'The defendant lied and tricked these women, made millions along the way, and left his co-conspirators to face justice while he fled,' said Ms Turner. Pratt has ties to numerous countries and is understood to have the financial means to cross borders with relative ease. Both Australia and New Zealand have been cited as potential locations where Pratt may be hiding. Chief co-conspirator admits coercing young women Co-conspirator Matthew Wolfe (pictured), 40 - a childhood friend of Pratt - admitted to coercing young women, many as young as 18, into performing in videos viewed over a billion times In the US federal court on Monday, co-conspirator Matthew Wolfe, 40 - a childhood friend of Pratt - admitted to coercing young women, many as young as 18, into performing in videos viewed over a billion times. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, which has a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. He confessed to filming more than 100 porn videos, many under the belief of the victim they would never appear online. In 2019, the NZ Herald revealed Wolfe and Pratt had been involved in the porn industry since leaving high school, founding three sites in 2000. Their business model consisted of teenage amateurs who had never done porn before and young women who 'looked like the girl next door'. 'This is the one and only time they do porn,' the website claimed. Wolfe is scheduled to be sentenced at a San Diego court on October 10. 'Performer' and producer Ruben Garcia is jailed Co-conspirator, adult film performer and producer Ruben Andre Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2020, for his role in the two websites. He was found guilty of recruiting young women to appear in sex videos for adult websites using force, fraud, and coercion on the two sites. From approximately 2013 to 2017, Garcia worked as a recruiter, producer, and actor for the sites. He admitted to recruiting victims to appear in pornography videos for the websites promising the videos would never be posted online. At his sentencing in 2020, Acting U.S Attorney Randy Grossman labelled his crimes as 'utterly callous in nature' and driven purely by greed. 'This defendant lured one victim after another with fake modelling ads, false promises and deceptive front companies, ultimately devolving to threats to coerce these women into making sex videos,' said Mr Grossman. 'Even when victims told Garcia how the scheme had devastated their lives, he showed no regard for their well-being. The crime was utterly callous in nature and there is no excuse or justification for his conduct, which was driven purely by greed. The harm inflicted by this defendant will last a lifetime for his victims. Hopefully today's sentence will offer them a sense of justice.' Two others charged over the pornography ring Two others have been charged over the conspiracy with cameraman Theodore 'Teddy' Wilfred Gyi, 39, and bookkeeper Valorie Moser, 44, still awaiting to learn their fate. They both pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, the same charge Wolfe pleaded guilty to. The mascot for a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in New Jersey has become the latest costumed character to be accused of racism. The incident on July 30 occurred when Natyana Muhammad took her children to the chain's location in Wayne, New Jersey - and the employee playing Chuck E. Cheese allegedly ignored her daughter during a meet-and-greet period. She posted a video of the encounter to Twitter which shows the employee walk past as a small child holds her hand out for a high-five. Muhammad wrote of the incident: 'My 2-year-old was racially discriminated against.' 'As you can see, he gives all of the [white] kids [high fives] and PURPOSELY ignored my black baby.' Muhammad, who goes by Umm Safa on Twitter, claims when she confronted the person playing the musical mouse, he ignored her and the restaurant's manager, who she named as Angie Valasquez, 'made excuses for him'. It comes after a similar incident where two other black girls from New York were apparently snubbed by Rosita at the Sesame Street theme park in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia. But many have questioned whether the alleged acts of racism could instead be chalked up to the fact that staff members are often wearing unwieldy costumes with low visibility - therefore making them unable to see every child reaching out for attention. The mascot for a Chuck E. Cheese location in New Jersey has become the latest mascot to be accused of racism The incident allegedly occurred on July 30, when a woman who goes by the name Umm Safa took her children to the location in the North Jersey town of Wayne She posted a video of the encounter to Twitter and wrote: 'My 2-year-old was racially discriminated against. As you can see, he gives all of the [white] kids [high fives] and PURPOSELY ignored my black baby' She then says that the restaurant 'insisted' her daughter take a picture with Chuck E The incident took place at long-running location of the restaurant chain in Wayne, New Jersey, one of just 612 left This latest video shows the woman's daughter popping up and down before attempting to high five Chuck E. The character clearly high fives several other kids before walking past the young girl. 'When she turned around she was excited to see him, she saw that he was giving all the other kids high fives,' Muhammad told ABC7. 'She put her hand out. It was her turn. He just put his hand in and down acting like he didn't see her.' She then says that the restaurant 'insisted' her daughter take a picture with Chuck E. Chuck E. Cheese released a statement saying, in part: 'Chuck E. Cheese is saddened when any family or child has a less than perfect experience. We want to thank the family who brought this to our attention ... and for giving the onsite manager an opportunity to apologize and address their concerns in person'. The company did not appear to suggest that any punishment was in order for the employee or the manager. Muhammad was dismissive: 'Gave the onsite management the opportunity to apologize when she said, 'I'm sorry you feel that way,' Was that the apology?' Muhammad recounted how sad her daughter was afterward: 'Her demeanor changed from she was excited, happy, jumping, high five - to when it was time to take a picture, just stood right beside him. 'I hugged her, told her that she would never have to beg for love, because she is loved by many.' The alleged incident comes following the uproar after black children were filmed apparently being ignored by Sesame Street characters at parades at the Pennsylvania theme park. Quinton Burns, left, spoke of his anguish Wednesday as he filed a lawsuit claiming daughter Kennedi, right, was ignored by characters at a Sesame Street theme park parade because she is black The lawsuit comes in the wake of a video, shared widely on social media, showing two other black girls from New York apparently being snubbed by a costumed employee during a parade at the park in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia Skeptics have questioned whether the alleged acts of racism were actually just staff members in unwieldy costumes unable to see every child reaching out for attention. One family alleged four employees dressed as Sesame Street characters ignored Quinton Burns, his daughter Kennedi Burns and other black guests during the meet-and-greet on June 18. 'Just looking at her face, it makes me want to cry every time I see it,' Quinton Burns said during a press conference announcing a $25 million lawsuit against the theme park's parent company. The massive lawsuit comes after a viral video showing two other black girls from New York apparently being snubbed by Rosita during a parade at the park in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia. Sesame Place apologized in a statement for that incident and explained that the actor inside the Rosita suit simply couldn't see their daughter due to the costume's limited field of vison. The furor triggered more families to come forward with similar experiences. The lawsuit says 'SeaWorld's performers readily engaged with numerous similarly situated white customers.' During a press conference held Wednesday, one of the family's attorneys, Malcolm Ruff, called for transparency from SeaWorld and for the company to compensate the Burns family. 'She was ignored amongst a sea of other young white children who were able to interact, give hugs, high fives,' Ruff said. 'Kennedi was forced to experience racism at the age of 5. This is unacceptable and we will not stand by and let this continue,' Ruff continued. A few years ago, a similar incident happened at a New Orleans Chuck E. Cheese, when Damon Payne said one of the chain's mascots 'ignored' his child and hugged white kids instead. He recorded footage of her meeting the restaurant's iconic mouse character at an outlet in Metairie, New Orleans. Damon Payne, (pictured), criticized Chuck E. Cheese for alleged racist behavior, saying one one of its mascots 'ignored' his child Damon Payne was at Chuck E. Cheese on Monday to celebrate his three-year-old daughter Dynver's birthday. But he claimed she was ignored by the Mouse mascot at the restaurant Payne recorded video of her meeting the mouse, which shows her standing up and looking at Chuck E with her arms outstretched. He is seen waving and embracing other children as little Dynver stands not knowing what to do. Her father says, 'go in front of him, go ahead.' She then puts her arms up to hug the mouse but the instead the worker turns to hug other children. Damon can be heard saying: 'You don't see her?' 'She's right there,' he adds. He then says: 'You saw that right?' to a person stood next to him. The mouse can be seen standing as the child looks at the character in the play area while the father repeatedly says 'You don't see her?' Payne uploaded a short clip of the video to his Instagram page with the caption: 'MY KIDS WILL NEVER STEP FOOT BACK IN Chuck E Cheeses. #racismdoesn'tcarewhat age. 'Please do me a favor share this and tag anybody with power she didn't deserve that. That's at the one in Metairie.' Payne recorded video of her meeting the mouse, which shows her standing up and looking at the character The little girl puts her arms up to hug the mouse character but the worker instead he turns to hug other children WDSU reported that Payne informed the manager of the employee's behavior and showed the manager the video. The manager reportedly offered the family 50 free tickets to redeem at the store's shop - an offer the father claimed was insulting. Payne said another manager got in touch with him on Tuesday and said it is company policy that the character should not engage in contact with any child - and instead wait for the child to approach. Chuck E. Cheese could not be reached by DailyMail.com for a comment at the time. But the company issued a statement to WDSU, saying: 'Our cast members are trained not to initiate physical contact with the children - in case they are afraid of Chuck E. 'We want to assure our guests that we take great measures to protect the experience all children and families have in our restaurants.' Two years after dubbing Clive Palmer an 'enemy of the state', Mark McGowan has been ordered to pay defamation damages to the mining magnate, but will himself receive an even larger sum. On Tuesday, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee delivered his long-awaited verdict in a defamation trial between the billionaire and Western Australia's premier. Both were found guilty of defamation with the premier receiving a slightly larger $20,000 payout, compared to the $5,000 awarded to Mr Palmer. Justice Lee rejected all of their defences and found they both defamed the other. Premier Mark McGowan was found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay Clive Palmer $5,000 Clive Palmer was also found guilty and ordered to pay $20,000 Mr Palmer in 2020 sued Mr McGowan, claiming public comments the Labor premier had made about him had damaged his reputation. The Queensland businessman was seeking aggravated damages which could've allowed for a payout above the $432,500 cap. Mr Palmer accused Mr McGowan of being consumed by malice and seeking to 'blacken his name at every opportunity'. Mr McGowan, who counter-sued for defamation, made his own appeal for aggravated damages. The premier claimed qualified privilege as a defence. It requires proof there was a legal, social or moral duty for him to say those things. Mr Palmer defended various comments he made on the basis of qualified privilege, and substantial and contextual truth. At the trial's conclusion in April, Justice Michael Lee said it was possible neither side would be able to make out any defences. He flagged each man could receive a nominal damages sum, describing them as political combatants with entrenched reputations. The defamation bid is one of several legal challenges Mr Palmer has pursued against the WA premier, including a failed bid in the High Court to have the state's coronavirus-related hard border closure deemed unconstitutional. Mr Palmer (pictured with his wife Anna) repeatedly took Mr McGowan and the WA government to court during the Covid pandemic Mr McGowan wrote in reference to Mr Palmer: 'He's the worst Australian who's not in jail' in personal text messages to attorney-general John Quigley It emerged in 2020 that Mr Palmer was seeking up to $30 billion in damages over a 2012 decision by the former Liberal state government not to assess his proposed Balmoral South iron ore project. The McGowan government subsequently rushed through extraordinary legislation to prevent Mr Palmer from suing the state. In his evidence, Mr Palmer said he was scared because provisions in the legislation protected the government from criminal prosecution. Referring to the fictional character James Bond and his 'licence to kill', Mr Palmer told the court: 'I didn't know what the limits might be.' Any suggestion Mr Palmer had a genuine fear for his physical safety was 'inherently incredible', Mr McGowan's lawyers said. In private text messages made public during the trial, Mr McGowan described Mr Palmer as 'the worst Australian who's not in jail'. His attorney-general John Quigley privately labelled Mr Palmer a 'big fat liar'. China issued more stark language and announced Tuesday it would hold live fire military exercises in the Taiwan Straight, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied warnings and touched down in Taiwan aboard a U.S. military aircraft. The United States will 'pay the price' if Pelosi visits Taiwan during her Asia trip, China warned, as tensions between the two superpowers continued to soar. Soon after she landed, Beijing said the People's Liberation Army would hold military exercises around the island defying White House urgings to lower the temperature. The exercises will take place from August 4 to 7, when the PLA 'will conduct important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,' according to the state Xinjua News Agency. Surrounded: China is planning live fire military exercises around Taiwan from August 4-7, the Xinjua News Agency announced The map showed six areas of fire surrounding the island sending an unmistakable signal of encirclement. The US does not recognize Taiwan as part of the 'one China policy,' but the Taiwan Relations Act commits the US to providing defensive support to Taiwan. The warnings came a day after the White House warned against inflammatory rhetoric or actions from Beijing, even while not officially confirming Pelosi's trip. Pelosi touched down in Taipei Tuesday night. She is the highest profile US official to visit since then Speaker Newt Gingrich visited 25 years ago. Pelosi, 82, was greeted by Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu as she stepped off the government plane. 'Our delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy,' Pelosi's official Twitter account tweeted moments after she arrived. She said her visit 'in no way contradicts' US policy in the region. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Kuala Lumpur for her second stop in an Asian tour that has sparked rage in Beijing over a possible stop in Taiwan The prospect of her visit triggered increasingly bellicose warnings from Beijing that have set the region on edge. She took the visit as part of an ongoing Asia tour. 'The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said 'the US breach of faith on the Taiwan issue is despicable' in comments published on his ministry's website Tuesday that did not specifically mention Pelosi. Four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, are positioned in waters east of Taiwan The US is sending its own signals, maintaining a navy presence in the region, including the usually Japan-based aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan which sailed through the South China Sea last week. The Seventh Fleet's official Twitter reported Tuesday that the aircraft carrier was now in the Philippine Sea. As a US military plane believed to be carrying the house speaker approached Taipei on Tuesday evening, Chinese state media said advanced SU-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Strait. The brief report have no details on timing or precise location of the crossing. Beijing considers self-ruled, democratic Taiwan its territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary. It tries to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and opposes countries having official exchanges with it. In a call with US President Joe Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the United States against 'playing with fire' on Taiwan. While the Biden administration is understood to be opposed to a Taiwan stop, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Pelosi was entitled to go where she pleased. 'There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with longstanding US policies into some sort of crisis,' he told reporters. The last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997. Kirby cited intelligence that China was preparing possible military provocations. He said Pelosi was travelling on a military aircraft and that while Washington did not fear a direct attack, it 'raises the stakes of a miscalculation'. Kirby reiterated, however, that US policy was unchanged toward Taiwan. This means support for its self-ruling government, while diplomatically recognising Beijing over Taipei and opposing a formal independence declaration by Taiwan or a forceful takeover by China. Meanwhile, Moscow said it was 'absolutely in solidarity with China', calling the prospect of a Pelosi visit 'pure provocation'. China has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for the Kremlin by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv. - All eyes on Taiwan - Pelosi arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday where she met Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. Press access around Pelosi has been tightly restricted and limited to a handful of short statements confirming meetings with Malaysian and Singaporean officials. The remainder of her itinerary includes stops in South Korea and Japan -- but the prospect of a Taiwan trip has dominated attention. Taipei has kept silent on whether they expect to roll out the red carpet. Multiple Taiwanese media outlets carried comments from deputy parliament speaker Tsai Chi-chang saying Pelosi was 'very likely' to visit in the coming days. And Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying she would land Tuesday night, then meet President Tsai Ing-wen the next day before departing in the afternoon. On Tuesday evening, Taiwan's presidential office said its website was briefly offline for 20 minutes because of a DDoS attack that was halted. It was not clear why, but the office said it would up its monitoring in the face of 'hybrid information warfare by external forces'. - 'Seek to punish Taiwan' - The island nation's 23 million people have long lived with the possibility of an invasion, but that threat has intensified under Xi, China's most assertive leader in a generation. The island's military on Tuesday said it was 'determined' to defend it against increased threats by China over the potential Pelosi visit. 'The probability of war or a serious incident is low,' tweeted Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia programme at the US-based German Marshall Fund think tank. 'But the probability that... (China) will take a series of military, economic, and diplomatic actions to show strength & resolve is not insignificant,' she added. 'Likely it will seek to punish Taiwan in myriad ways.' Taipei's Council of Agriculture said on Tuesday that China had suspended the import of some Taiwanese goods, including some fishery products, tea and honey. The council said China cited regulatory breaches. Pelosi's potential visit has been preceded by a flurry of military activity across the region that highlights how combustible the issue of Taiwan is. Last week, both Taiwan and China held live-fire drills. Three Britons accused of being mercenaries will stand trial in a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine, two months after a British pair were sentenced to death. John Harding, Cambridgeshire aid worker Dylan Healy, 22, and military volunteer Andrew Hill will be tried in the Moscow-backed Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to Russian state news agency Tass. Tass reported all three men were refusing to co-operate with investigators. They will be tried alongside two other men from Croatia and Sweden as 'foreign citizens accused of mercenarism', a court representative told the agency. Prosecutors in the self-proclaimed DPR allege all five men were members of the Azov battalion and other military units captured in Mariupol. Tass also said 60-year-old Mr Harding had fought in Syria on the Kurdish side but had denied killing anyone. It comes after a video shown on Russian television in April featured a man speaking with an English accent who appeared to give his name as Andrew Hill from Plymouth. Pictured: 60-year-old Briton John Harding, who is one of three men accused of being mercenaries who will stand trial in a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine In addition to John Harding, Cambridgeshire aid worker Dylan Healy, 22, and military volunteer Andrew Hill will be tried in the Moscow-backed Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to Russian state news agency Tass In June, the Russian-backed Donetsk court - which is not internationally recognised - sentenced British men Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner to death by firing squad in what the Foreign Office considers 'sham judgements'. The European Court of Human Rights has been forced to intervene in the case. The Strasbourg-based human rights court indicated to Moscow that it should ensure the death penalty imposed on Mr Aslin, 28, originally from Newark in Nottinghamshire, and Mr Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, was not carried out. It was also revealed last month that Paul Urey, 45 - another British man who was captured in the Zaporizhzhia region on April 25 - died on July 10 from 'illness and stress' in the so-called DPR after being taken to a prison camp in Ukraine's east. The Foreign Office is understood to be actively investigating the situation regarding the captured men and is providing support to the men's families. A spokeswoman said: 'We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes and have raised this with Russia. 'We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released.' Amnesty International UK last month criticised Moscow for 'exploiting' the men's capture. The charity's crisis response manager Kristyan Benedict said: 'In exploiting their capture of Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill like this, Russia and its proxies in the Donetsk People's Republic are already adding to a huge catalogue of war crimes they're committing in this war.' In June, the Russian-backed Donetsk court - which is not internationally recognised - sentenced British men Aiden Aslin (right) and Shaun Pinner (left) to death by firing squad in what the Foreign Office considers 'sham judgements' Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry on Monday issued a list of 39 newly sanctioned individuals including David Cameron, Sir Keir Starmer, Labour MPs David Lammy and Lisa Nandy, Ian Blackford - Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons - and BBC presenter Huw Edwards it said are no longer allowed to enter the Russian Federation. Others in the British media on the list included ITV's political editor Robert Peston, the Time's columnist David Aaronovich, Sunday Times' political editor Caroline Wheeler, TalkTV's Piers Morgan and Guardian's war news editor Dan Sabbagh. Russia said the action was in response to UK sanctions issued against Russian ministers, officials and members of influential families linked to the Kremlin following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. London has been one of Kyiv's most vocal supporters after President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on February 24. Russia's foreign ministry said the citizens listed 'contribute to the hostile course of London aimed at the demonisation of our country and its international isolation'. 'The choice in favour of confrontation is the conscious decision of the British political establishment, which bears all responsibility for the consequences,' the ministry added. Prosecutors in the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donestk allege the men were members of the Azov battalion and other military units captured in Mariupol. Pictured: Azovstal steel plant is pictured in the city of Mariupol on August 1, 2022 Moscow has banned several dozen British citizens - mostly politicians and journalists - from entering Russia since the start of its military campaign in Ukraine. In a separate development on Monday, the General Prosecutor's Office designated the Calvert 22 Foundation, a UK not-for-profit group, an 'undesirable' organisation. The group was founded in 2009 by a Russia-born economist, Nonna Materkova. It published The Calvert Journal, an award-winning online magazine exploring culture in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, and Central Asia. Its publication was suspended after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine. The 'undesirable organisation' tag, which is reserved for foreign groups, allows Russian authorities to ban their work in the country. It also carries the risk of fines or prison time for Russians working with the organisations. Google boss Sundar Pichai told employees last Wednesday during an all-hands meeting their productivity is lacking and that they need to come up with ideas to help the company become more creative. The Alphabet CEO told his staff that he expects them to help as the tech giant evolves to meet new economic challenges. Alphabet is the name of Google's parent company. Last year, Pichai said he would allow 20 percent of the company's staff - about 140,000 workers - to permanently work from home, but their pay would be adjusted based on their work locations. Most workers are required in the office three days a week. At last week's meeting, Pichai told staff: 'Google's productivity as a company isn't where it needs to be even with the head count it has,' according to CNBC. The network said that Google staff expressed anxieties about potential layoffs at the tech giant. The meeting came as the company reported sluggish revenue growth of just 13 percent compared against 62 percent for the same period last year. Pichai is also quoted as saying: 'I wanted to give some additional context following our earnings results, and ask for your help as well.' That, a reference to Google's recent second quarter earnings report. He added: 'It's clear we are facing a challenging macro environment with more uncertainty ahead.' Pichai went on: 'There are real concerns that our productivity as a whole is not where it needs to be for the head count we have.' Google CEO Sundar Pichai apparently told his employees during an all hands meeiting that the 'Google's productivity as a company isn't where it needs to be even with the head count it has' A Google employee is pictured in one of the sitting areas at Google's new Bay View Campus in Mountain View, California Google share price is up nearly eight percent since last week's second quarterly earnings report The CEO, who has a net worth of around $1.3 billion, wants his workers to 'create a culture that is more mission-focused, more focused on our products, more customer focused. We should think about how we can minimize distractions and really raise the bar on both product excellence and productivity,' CNBC reported. He added: 'I would love to get all your help.' For the second-straight quarter, Google came up short in its earnings report. The company's growth in the second quarter was 13 percent. In the second quarter of 2021, the growth was around 62 percent as the world began to reemerge from the Covid-19 lockdown. In the second quarter in 2021, the company had just over 144,000 employees. As of right now, the company has over 174,000 employees, reports The Verge. Earlier in July, the company's CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google would slow hiring for the rest of the year while asking employees to be 'more entrepreneurial, working with greater urgency, sharper focus, and more hunger than we've shown on sunnier days,' according to the Wall Street Journal. In the second quarter in 2021, the company had just over 144,000 employees. As of right now, the company has over 174,000 employees The CNBC report on last Wednesday's all-hands meeting said that the company was offering an internal survey through August 15. In the meeting, Pichai told employees that the survey would help the company 'get better results faster.' Questions on the survey include: 'What would help you work with greater clarity and efficiency to serve our users and customers? Where should we remove speed bumps to get to better results faster? How do we eliminate waste and stay entrepreneurial and focused as we grow?,' CNBC reported. When asked directly if layoffs were planned, Pichai dodged the question, handing it off to chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, who said that there are no plans to let staff go but didn't completely rule it out in the future. Last week, Alphabet posted quarterly sales close to Wall Street targets, sending shares up on relief that the world's biggest seller of online advertising had avoided the deep disappointment of rivals including Snap. Sales from Google's search ad business actually topped expectations, while revenue from YouTube ads, cloud computing and Alphabet's 'other bets' unit all came in lower than anticipated, according to data from FactSet and Refinitiv. Shares of Alphabet were up three percent in after-hours trade after rising to as much as 4.3 percent following the July 26 results bringing the price to $110 per share. 'Despite the underwhelming quarter, expectations were so low that investors blew a sigh of relief,' said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com. Alphabet reported second-quarter revenue of $69.69 billion, 13 percent higher than the year-ago period, and nearly in line with the average expectation of $69.88 billion among investment researchers tracked by Refinitiv. The company also barely missed sales expectations in the first quarter. It last missed estimates in consecutive quarters in 2015. An SEC filing from January shows that four Google's executives saw their base pay rise from $650,000 to $1 million following a fifth straight quarter of record profits. Rising wages as well as rising prices of fuel and other items have forced some ad buyers this year to pare marketing, including even ads on internet services such as Google that served as an essential link to consumers during pandemic lockdowns. Last week, Snap Inc and Twitter Inc posted disappointing quarterly results, heightening concerns about the slowdown in ad spending. Snap shares plunged 25 percent following its results. The second quarter of 2022 marks the slowest quarterly sales growth posted by Google in two years Twitter lost $270 million in the second quarter with company referencing uncertainty over Elon Musk's acquisition as one of the reasons for the shortfall During the quarter, Twitter lost $270 million with company referencing uncertainty over Elon Musk's acquisition as one of the reasons for the shortfall. Big U.S. multinationals including Alphabet also are increasingly bringing in less cash when converting foreign revenue because of the strong dollar. Alphabet said the currency affected sales growth by 3.7%, and that sales would have been close to $72 billion if not for currency swings. About 55 percent of the company's sales come from outside the United States. The currency impact will be even greater in the third quarter, Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat told reporters, according to CNBC. During the interview, Porat made reference to 'uncertainty in the global market.' Porat told the network: 'Going forward, the very strong revenue performance last year continues to create tough comps that will weigh on year on year growth rates of advertising revenues for the remainder of the year.' Google's ad business accounted for 81 percent of the quarterly revenue, with search ads generating $40.69 billion in sales, beating FactSet estimates of $40.15 billion. Liz Truss has branded Nicola Sturgeon an 'attention seeker' and said the best thing to do is 'ignore her' - sparking fury with the SNP who said they and the Scottish people were 'insulted'. Leadership hopeful Ms Truss made the comments at the Conservative hustings in Exeter last night and was swiftly backed by Jacob Rees-Mogg today who declared that Ms Sturgeon 'waffles on endlessly', is 'very often wrong', and is 'always moaning'. The Foreign Secretary is competing with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. A member of the audience had asked: 'What are you going to do to get Scotland on board? Because I'm sick to death hearing about Nicola Sturgeon trying to break up the Union.' The chairman of the hustings, Whitehall editor of the Financial Times Sebastian Payne, added: 'The bond of the United Kingdom has weakened over the past 12 years of the Conservative government, and if you look at Northern Ireland or Scotland, independence is very much a question again. What is your plan to reverse that?' In response, Ms Truss, who described herself as 'a child of the Union' said: 'We're better together and I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is to ignore her. 'I'm sorry, she's an attention seeker, that's all she is. What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we are delivering for them and make sure our policies are delivering for them right across the United Kingdom.' Deputy First Minister John Swinney said comments about Nicola Sturgeon by Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss are 'deeply troubling and concerning'. He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that people in Scotland, regardless of political opinion, will be 'really concerned, and in many cases, insulted'. He added: 'Nicola Sturgeon has far more democratic legitimacy than Liz Truss is going to have if she becomes the prime minister, and I think Liz Truss has absolutelyno right or foundation to make these remarks.' Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss speaks during a hustings event in Exeter where she laid into the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon She branded the First Minister an 'attention seeker' and said the best thing to do was 'ignore her' - sparking fury with the SNP Former Chancellor to the Exchequer Rishi Sunak speaks to Tory members. He is promising income tax cuts Rishi Sunak has pitched himself as the fiscally conservative candidate and has criticised his rival's tax-cutting plans as 'comforting fairytales' Liz Truss wages 'war on Whitehall waste': Civil servants including teachers, nurses and police officers could have pay decided based on where they work in bid to save 11bn Liz Truss today launched a 'war on Whitehall waste' as she pledged to slash 11billion per year including ending national pay deals for NHS staff, police and teachers and scrapping hundreds of jobs aimed at increasing diversity in the civil service. The Foreign Secretary will also save 2billion by reducing public sector workers' holiday allowance from 27 to 25 days and calculate pay based on where they live in the UK. But a statement from her team revealed that up to 8.8billion of the savings would come from pay cuts for public sector workers living outside the south-east of England. Her aides said this was the potential savings if the system were to be adopted for 'all' public sector workers, suggesting that teachers, nurses and police officers' salaries were in the firing line. Truss's team hit back saying the changes, implemented by regional pay boards, will ensure pay accurately reflects where civil servants work and prevent local businesses being priced out of the labour market. Liz Truss said: 'As Prime Minister I will run a leaner, more efficient, more focused Whitehall that prioritises the things that really matter to people and is laser-focused on frontline services. There is too much bureaucracy and stale groupthink in Whitehall.' Advertisement Ms Truss, who grew up in Paisley, added: 'Nicola Sturgeon can carry on talking about an independence referendum we had the referendum in 2014 it was agreed it was once in a generation so we've got to call her out on that but, at the same time, really delivering for Scotland. So some of the policies I'm talking about the investment zones, the free ports we need to make sure they're delivered in Scotland too.' Responding to her comments, SNP councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu posted a message on social media saying: 'How disrespectful and ignorant! Like her or not she is the democratically elected First Minister of Scotland with a larger mandate than any Tory Prime Minister!' SNP minister Christina McKelvie said: 'You watching Scotland ... utterly disgraceful contempt for our democratically elected First Minister.' Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said Liz Truss has shown 'total disrespect' to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and 'a contempt for everyone that voted for a pro-independence majority of MSPs in last year's election'. 'She knows that the democratic case for a referendum is unanswerable, so she would rather patronise us and ignore us,' she said. 'Neither Truss nor (Rishi) Sunak would offer the fresh start that we need. They have both backed every single disastrous policy that (Boris) Johnson has implemented. 'They supported his failed Brexit deal and the Universal Credit cuts that plunged thousands of people into poverty. 'They are both happy to let the oil and gas companies rake in record profits while millions of people are suffering.' The row came as Penny Mordaunt last night threw her support behind Liz Truss in a major coup for the frontrunner's leadership campaign. The trade minister dramatically declared she was backing her former rival at the start of a hustings event for party members. She had not been expected to endorse either finalist after coming third in the contest. But taking to the stage in Exeter last night, she said the choice of the next Conservative Party leader was 'too important' to be left to chance. She said she had decided to back Ms Truss, paying tribute to her 'graft, her authenticity, her determination, her ambition for this country, her consistency and sense of duty'. 'She knows what she believes in, and her resolve to stand up against tyranny and fight for freedom that's what our country stands for. 'And that's why I know with her we can win,' Ms Mordaunt said. 'She for me is the 'hope' candidate.' Meanwhile Ms Truss secured more support from Holyrood than Rishi Sunak with nine MSPs writing a joint article stating that the Foreign Secretary will stand up for the Union and can trusted to deliver for Scotland. It means she has now received more public declarations of support than the former Chancellor, who had initially secured the backing of a series of high-profile MSPs but has failed to add any in the last week. The unexpected backing from Ms Mordaunt came just hours after another former leadership candidate, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, lent his support to Ms Truss. Mr Zahawi praised her 'booster' approach to the economy in contrast to that of her 'doomster' rival Rishi Sunak. Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss and FT journalist Sebastian Payne embrace Ms Truss has also stated her intention to turn brownfield sites and other locations into 'investment zones', dubbed 'full-fat freeports'. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks during the second Conservative party membership hustings with Sebastian Payne Ms Truss also vowed to cut costs in the civil service including plans to cut pay for those outside the south-east Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt (L) greets Foreign Secretary Liz Truss ahead of the second Conservative party membership hustings She has promised a 'war on Whitehall waste' to save 11 billion, cutting Civil Service time off and ending national pay deals. Rishi Sunak has re-iterated his support for the Government's controversial Rwanda asylum policy, saying he would do 'whatever it takes' to get it up and running Now Nadhim Zahawi comes out for Truss Liz Truss's campaign gathered more momentum yesterday as she secured the backing of another Cabinet Minister as well as a major group of Scottish Tories. The leadership frontrunner's 'booster' approach to the economy was contrasted with that of 'doomster' Rishi Sunak by new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi. 'Liz will overturn stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way,' he wrote in the Telegraph, as he became the tenth member of the current Cabinet to lend her his support, compared with eight for her rival. Mr Zahawi who previously claimed he would not endorse a candidate when he dropped out of the contest added: 'Liz's plans for a low-tax economy that puts growth first are what we need.' Advertisement 'Liz will overturn stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way,' Mr Zahawi wrote in The Daily Telegraph, as he became the tenth member of the current Cabinet to back her, compared with eight for her rival. Answering questions about her personal life, Ms Truss said she 'shared the values' of the Church of England but was not a regular worshipper. Asked where the money was going to come from for her tax cuts and infrastructure investment, she replied: 'Thriving enterprises, thriving businesses and economic growth'. She added: 'If we tax people and businesses too much, and we've currently got the highest tax rates for 70 years in our country, we will throttle that growth.' But she suggested she would offer her rival a role in Government if she became prime minister, saying: 'Of course I would have Rishi Sunak as part of my team, he's a fantastic guy and we need all of our best talent on the pitch.' Mr Sunak sought to revitalise his campaign by portraying himself as the 'change candidate' at the hustings. And he again highlighted the fact he backed Britain leaving the EU while his rival supported Remain. 'I supported change. I supported Brexit, I believed in my principles then, and I believe in my principles now,' he said. The nine MSPs who wrote the joint article for The Times supporting Ms Truss included frontbenchers Murdo Fraser, Stephen Kerr, Liam Kerr, Oliver Mundell and Rachael Hamilton, as well as Finlay Carson, Sharon Dowey, Douglas Lumsden and Graham Simpson. It said: 'Having spent her early years living in Scotland, Liz is a child of the Union. She knows from personal experience that we are stronger when we work together across the United Kingdom. 'We have achieved so much over the past 300 years working together and we can achieve so much more in the future. This is why Liz is so positive about Scotland's future in the United Kingdom.' A spokesman for Mr Sunak's campaign said: 'Polls continue to show that Rishi is the best candidate to beat Labour and stop the SNP from getting into power via the backdoor.' A teenage soldier died while training in last month's record-breaking heatwave after the Army refused to cancel a physical training exercise. The Army has confirmed that Sapper Connor Morrison, of the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, died on July 23. It is believed the 20-year-old, who is originally from Renfrewshire, near Glasgow, collapsed while taking part in a training session on July 21 in East Anglia. It is understood that an investigation is now underway into the circumstances of his passing, with Suffolk Police, the Health and Safety Executive and the Defence Safety Authority all involved. An inquest is expected to follow which will determine a cause of death. Sapper Connor Morrison, of the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, died on July 23. Here he is pictured in his cadet uniform while he was a member of West Lowland Battalion Army Cadet Force, in Scotland Sapper Morrison was based at MoD Woodbridge in Suffolk (pictured). Suffolk Police is investigating his death An Army spokesperson said: 'It is with sadness that we confirm the death of Sapper Connor Morrison of 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment on 23rd July 2022. 'Our thoughts are with Sapper Morrison's family and friends at this difficult time, and we ask that their privacy is respected. 'As his death is being investigated it would be inappropriate to comment further.' The West Lowland Battalion Army Cadet Force, which he had been a member of before joining the army, paid tribute to him. In a post the day after his death, it said: 'The Battalion were saddened to hear of the tragic passing of former Balaklava Cadet CSM Connor Morrison yesterday. It is reported Sapper Morrison was on a training exercise during last month's record-breaking heatwave when he died. Pictured: British Army soldiers in a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales 'Connor was a well liked and respected young man who had been member of our Erskine detachment for five years, leaving in 2020. 'He touched the lives of many of our adult instructors and cadets during his time in the ACF, and will be remembered by many as a charismatic and enthusiastic young man. He will be sorely missed. 'Our condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time.' It was earlier reported by The Sun that a soldier had collapsed and later died while doing a physical training exercise two days after the UK saw record-breaking temperatures of 40.3C last month. A source told the paper that the exercise had gone ahead 'despite the weather warning, ' and the regiment the soldier was in had 'carried on physical training'. The Army told the paper the training took place early in the morning, well before the worst of the heat, and conditions fell within safety guidelines for heat and humidity. According to Ministry of Defence data, between January 2000 and August 2021, the number of Armed Forces personnel who have died due to heat in training exercises is five. That's compared to 29 aircraft accident deaths, 22 land transport deaths and 17 live fire incidents. However, the Armed Forces have come under fire in recent years over a number of incidents in training exercises linked to high heat. A total of 20 British soldiers have died in the Brecon Beacons since 1984, most of which were undertaking gruelling SAS training at the time. Corporal James Dunsby, pictured, was one of three Army reservists who died undergoing SAS selection in the Brecon Beacons in 2013 Corporal Edward Maher, left, and Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, right, also died on the SAS selection march in 2013. The Army runs two such marches a year Three army reservists - Corporal James Dunsby, Corporal Edward Maher and Lance Corporal Craig Roberts - died during a selection march in 2013. Recruits are expected to carry a 45lb pack and their rifle on a 16-mile course. Another soldier to have died on the march was Corporal Joshua Hoole in July 2016. An inquest into his death found 'very serious; training and planning failings at every level during what was a hot day. Building giant Metricon has fired dozens of its sales staff via an online video chat as the company confirms it is in the middle of a restructure and will shed jobs. In a Microsoft Teams video chat on Monday, Metricon told its staff it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would let go 15 trainee sales consultants. Staff unable to be redeployed were offered redundancy payouts while trainee staff were terminated without job offers elsewhere in the company or severance payments. In a Microsoft Teams video call, Metricon announced it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would terminate 15 trainee sales consultants Metricon's NSW state sales manager David Shorten reportedly read out a statement to staff which explained the decision was 'not undertaken lightly' but was made for the company's short and long term goals. 'To better accommodate and reflect the requirements of the current market and ensure the most appropriate deployment of resources, we have undertaken an important review of the sales team,' Mr Shorten read, according to news.com.au. 'This is necessary to ensure we remain competitive in both the short and long term. The review was not undertaken lightly and has resulted in proposed changes to the current structure of the team. 'We understand that you may feel anxious at this time and that you are likely to have a number of questions. Under the proposed structure, the number of new home advisors will be reduced to 18.' Employees have until 12pm on Wednesday to offer their 'thoughts, insights or feedback' regarding the restructure while terminated employees will be informed by the end of the week. The construction giant said it will select the most 'appropriately skilled individuals' for the limited remaining roles at the company. Those who turn down an opportunity to remain with the company may not be entitled to redundancy payments. A statement letter (pictured) was read out to employees explained the company's staff restructure It comes as construction companies in Australia are unable to met fixed price contracts as they face mounting financial challenges caused by supply chain issues, labour shortages and the soaring costs of raw materials. 'With the current headwinds buffeting the industry, specifically labour costs due to competition for skills, combined with present global material cost hikes and with our very strong existing pipeline of work,' Metricon's Acting CEO Peter Langfelder said in a statement given to Daily Mail Australia. 'We need to carefully balance the pipeline of new builds with the construction side of the business. 'We are working to restructure our front-end of the business given the current climate and the need to move forward efficiently. 'We are committed to looking after any of our people who may be impacted by these proposed changes, and they will continue to have ongoing access to the company's support and mental health services.' Metricon's financial stability was under intense scrutiny earlier this year before its lender, Commonwealth Bank, agreed to a rescue deal in May. Metricon held crisis talks amid cashflow pressures after its founder, Mario Biasin, 71, (pictured) suddenly died on May 16 Mr Langfelder said the company's owners would also give $30million to help the business. In early May sales staff were reportedly told to increase cash flow by securing more deposits. Metricon held crisis talks amid cashflow pressures in the building industry after its founder, Mario Biasin died on May 16. The company confirmed the 'sudden and unexpected' death of Mr Biasin and added the 71-year-old had been 'experiencing mental health issues'. Last month, Metricon listed at least 56 display properties worth almost $65million for sale despite reports the company was struggling financially. The sales include homes in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland ranging from $650,000 to $3.2million. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Metricon for comment. Liz Truss U-turned to scrap a major part of a proposed 'war on Whitehall waste' today after Tory critics warned it meant cutting the pay of millions of workers and lead to electoral disaster. The Foreign Secretary announced last night plans to save up to 11billion with major reforms to Civil Service pay and conditions. Some 8.8billion of savings was to come from axing national pay boards outside the South East and tailoring pay for new starters to reflect local private sector rates. But in order to save the colossal sum experts said the scheme would have to reduce pay for all public sector workers - including teachers, nurses and soldiers - and not just civil servants. This was denied by Team Truss. But she reversed the plan today after criticism from Northern Tories and supporters of Rishi Sunak over how it would be seen in the Red Wall seats the party took from Labour at the last election, at a time of growing cost-of-living fears. Ben Houchen, the mayor of Tees Valley who is seen as a rising star of the party, said the plan could not be achieved 'without a massive pay cut for 5.5m people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London' and warned it was 'a ticking time bomb set by team Truss that will explode ahead of the next general election'. He told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: 'It is just a huge mis-step and I'm just pleased that she's realised it and has back-tracked and has decided that this isn't going to happen moving forward.' He added: 'Is it a moment - I'm not entirely sure, it might be - we might look back in four or five weeks' time and this could be Liz's ''dementia tax'' moment. It very easily could be, but it's to be seen.' He went on: 'How anybody can deliver a policy of this nature in the eye of the storm of a cost-of-living crisis with energy bills going up, to suggest that those in the North of England should be worse off, just really goes to the heart of the credibility of the Liz Truss campaign.' Some commentators have drawn comparisons with Theresa May's proposals in the 2017 election to tackle funding for social care, which were swiftly dubbed a 'dementia tax' and were regarded as a key reason for the Conservatives' poor performance. Northern MPs Richard Holden and Jacob Young had also called on Ms Truss to drop the plan, while North Dorset's Simon Hoare told Politics Home: 'It's the absolute antithesis of one nation Conservatism, politically suicidal, and economically illiterate. 'It drives a coach and horses through the levelling-up agenda - it's just nonsense.' But a Truss campaign source said: 'This is all a bit rich coming from Sunak's backers when they stayed schtum on the steady stream of U-turns from Rishi over the recent weeks. He's flip-flopped on tax cuts, VAT, grammar schools, China , EU regulations, Northern Ireland protocol and planning to name a few.' A spokeswoman for Ms Truss this morning accused critics of 'a wilful misrepresentation of our campaign', before adding: 'Our hard-working frontline staff are the bedrock of society and there will be no proposal taken forward on regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers.' It came as a new poll suggested her lead over Mr Sunak might be smaller than previously thought. Liz Truss today launched a 'war on Whitehall waste' as she pledged to slash 11billion per year Ben Houchen (right), the mayor of Tees Valley who is seen as a rising star of the party, said: 'There is simply no way you can do this without a massive pay cut for 5.5m people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London' Northern MPs Richard Holden and Jacob Young called on Ms Truss to drop the plan Nicola Sturgeon? Just IGNORE her! Liz Truss brands the First Minister an 'attention-seeker' Liz Truss has branded Nicola Sturgeon an 'attention seeker' and said the best thing to do is 'ignore her' - sparking fury with the SNP. Leadership hopeful Ms Truss made the comments at the Conservative hustings in Exeter last night. The Foreign Secretary is competing with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. A member of the audience had asked: 'What are you going to do to get Scotland on board? Because I'm sick to death hearing about Nicola Sturgeon trying to break up the Union.' The chairman of the hustings, Whitehall editor of the Financial Times Sebastian Payne, added: 'The bond of the United Kingdom has weakened over the past 12 years of the Conservative government, and if you look at Northern Ireland or Scotland, independence is very much a question again. What is your plan to reverse that?' In response, Ms Truss, who described herself as 'a child of the Union' said: 'We're better together and I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is to ignore her. 'I'm sorry, she's an attention seeker, that's all she is. What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we are delivering for them and make sure our policies are delivering for them right across the United Kingdom.' Advertisement A survey of Tory members by polling firm Techne suggested 48 per cent support the Foreign Secretary and 43 per cent the ex-chancellor. The gap was only six points in a wider group of Tory 2019 voters. Last night Ms Truss said: 'As Prime Minister I will run a leaner, more efficient, more focused Whitehall that prioritises the things that really matter to people and is laser-focused on frontline services. There is too much bureaucracy and stale groupthink in Whitehall. 'There is too much bureaucracy and stale groupthink in Whitehall. If I make it into Downing Street, I will put an end to that and run a government that focuses relentlessly on delivering for the British public, and offer value to hard-working taxpayers. 'I have shown in my time in Government that I'm prepared to take on the Whitehall orthodoxy and get things done. 'The British people can trust me to deliver on my promises and tackle the cost of living immediately.' Her proposals met with a furious response from a major civil service union, which vowed to oppose her plans 'every step of the way'. And Institute for Government programme director Alex Thomas told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The whole Civil Service pay bill is only about 9 billion. 'You're not going to reduce the Civil Service pay bill to 200 million unless you pretty radically reshape the state. 'I know she wants to be radical but possibly not quite that much, so it's going to come from the wider public sector, it's going to come from nurses and teachers and local authorities.' The Truss campaign argued that because Civil Service pay is negotiated at a national level, no account is taken of the regional cost of living. By introducing regional boards, civil servants' pay can be adjusted in line with the actual areas where they work, saving the taxpayer billions but also ensuring private employers are not 'crowded out' by higher public sector wages. The savings could be enhanced by moving more civil servants out of London. Around 2 billion would be saved by bringing the average Civil Service leave entitlement down from 27 days to the 25 found in the manufacturing and private services sectors. Scrapping Whitehall diversity officers would save around 12 million a year - Ms Truss's campaign said there are at least 326 of the roles in government departments. Backing the plans today, Jacob Rees-Mogg said the jobs were created by the 'woke for the woke'. Facility time, under which trade union representatives receive paid time off to focus on union work, would be banned - as would allowing the use of grants, offices and equipment - saving up to 137 million, the Truss campaign said. The package of measures set out by Ms Truss are likely to meet fierce resistance from Civil Service unions if she tries to implement them from No 10. A campaign source said: 'Liz is a low-tax, small state Conservative with a distrust of big government. She will shake up Whitehall and take the radical steps required to tackle the waste and inefficiencies that lie at the heart of government. 'She will make sure every single official knows their job about delivering the pledges made in the 2019 manifesto and the things that the public care about.' Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said: 'If Liz Truss is elected, and if she tries to go ahead with these proposals, she'll face opposition every step of the way. 'Civil servants are not a political tool to be used and abused for one person's ambition; they are the hard-working people who keep the country running, day in day out, and they deserve respect.' Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect union, said: 'Liz Truss has spent the last few weeks trashing the record of her own Government. Judging by this vacuous attempt to garner headlines friendly to her selectorate, she plans more of the same economically illiterate and insulting ideological nonsense that this Government has been churning out in recent years.' Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner condemned Ms Truss's plans, saying: 'This wannabe prime minister is stuck in the past, fighting old battles, and promising a race to the bottom on public sector workers' pay and rights. 'Her 'tailored' pay plans would level down the pay of northerners, worsening the divide which already exists. This out-of-touch Government's commitment to levelling up is dead.' A wealthy dentist is facing the death penalty after shooting his wife in the heart with a shotgun during a African safari holiday before cashing in her $4.8million life insurance and starting a new life with his mistress. Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph, 67, was found guilty of murder and will be sentenced in February for gunning down his wife Bianca Rudolph in Zambia in 2016. After a three-week-long trial in a Denver federal courthouse, he was found guilty of murder as well as mail fraud for cashing in her $4.8 million life insurance claims in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. A jury of six men and six women sided with prosecutors - who believed the dentist pre-planned to killed his wife of 34 years in cold blood to begin a new life with his mistress, Lori Milliron. On Friday Rudolph's lawyer, David Markus, had tried to dismiss what he said was a government case built on gossip and innuendo about the defendant's affairs, cash payments to his girlfriend and whether the funeral he organized for his wife was nice enough. Rudolph's girlfriend Milliron was found guilty by the same jury of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. She was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. A lawyer for millionaire Pennsylvania dentist Larry Rudolph (pictured right) accused of fatally shooting his wife Bianca (pictured left) urged jurors on Friday to dismiss what he said was a government case built on gossip and innuendo and acquit him Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron (pictured), who is charged with lying to a grand jury and being an accessory after the fact. She is being tried alongside Rudolph Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. FILE - The son, left, and daughter, back right, of Pittsburgh dentist Lawrence "Larry" Rudolph head into federal court for the afternoon session of the trial, July 13, 2022, in Denver. Rudolph accused of shooting and killing his wife in their cabin at the end of an African safari trip has denied that he killed her. Rudolph took the stand Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at his murder trial in Denver federal court Rudolph maintained his innocence and the two adult children he had with his wife sat in court to support him during the trial. Markus said they would appeal his conviction. 'We believe in Larry. We believe in his family,' he said outside court. Bianca Rudolph died after being shot by a Browning shotgun in their cabin while she was packing up as they were set to leave Zambia and start their journey home to the United States. At around 5am on October 11, gamekeepers and scouts heard a gunshot coming from their cabin. When they got there, they found Bianca lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest. Rudolph's defense team had argued that federal prosecutors had not proven that Bianca Rudolph, his client's wife of 34 years and a nervous traveler, did not accidentally shoot herself. Prosecutors alleged Rudolph killed his wife to be with Milliron, who had been the dentist's mistress for 20 years. In a previous hearing, it was revealed that the day after his wife's funeral, Rudolph allegedly booked a plane ticket for his girlfriend to fly from Pittsburgh to Phoenix, but he then canceled the ticket and booked a different flight for a different woman, who he met up with in Las Vegas. He had gone to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico with the first woman in the months before his wife's death, according to the FBI agent. Rudolph waved to Milliron as he was led out of court and back to jail. He did not have any interaction with her in the courtroom in previous days. Milliron will remain free with an ankle monitor until she is sentenced. Colorado's US Attorney Cole Finegan thanked the FBI for traveling around the world to collect evidence and interview witnesses in the case and said he hoped the verdict brings some peace to Bianca Rudolph's family. 'Bianca Rudolph deserved justice,' he said. Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph's attorney, David Markus (pictured), said before the verdict that there was a 'lot of noise' during the three-week trial about the 67-year-old defendant's affairs, cash payments to his girlfriend and whether the funeral he organized for his wife was nice enough Dr Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph said he'd been in an open marriage with his late wife Bianca from the year 2000, until he shot her dead in October 2016. Rudolph maintained the shooting was an accident that took place while he was in another room. 'I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife,' Rudolph told jurors, his voice cracking over two hours of testimony about his open marriage to Bianca Rudolph and her death in October 2016. Dr. Larry Rudolph said an unfamiliar shotgun he and his wife, Bianca Rudolph, brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack Despite martial problems, Rudolph said he and his wife, with whom shared two children, agreed to stay married but were free to pursue sexual relationships with other people Rudolph was charged in December 2021 for the murder. The 67-yer-old said he was in the bathroom when he heard his wife say 'come here and help me' before hearing the shot and finding his wife on the floor bleeding. In opening statements, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out: 'I killed my f***ing wife for you!' during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020, after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife's death. Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI's probe. Rudolph practiced dentistry out of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Dental which made him a small fortune Rudolph said what he actually said was 'Now they're saying I killed my f***ing wife for you.' Despite marital issues and twice being close to divorce, Rudolph said he and his wife, with whom he had two children, agreed to stay married but were free to pursue sexual relationships with other people. Rudolph said neither Milliron nor his wife issued him any ultimatums about ending his relationship with the other. Rudolph's lawyer, David Markus, argued that Rudolph had no financial motive for murder. Rudolph was worth more than $15 million when his wife died and the insurance payout went into a trust for their children. Zambian authorities determined two days after the October 11, 2016, shooting that it was accidental, according to the defense. Investigators for the insurers who later paid $4.8 million reached the same conclusion. Prosecutors counter that evidence shows Bianca Rudolph's wounds came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet away, and say the barrel of the gun was too long for her to have shot herself. A crook has been jailed for ten years after carrying out a series of armed robberies using his walking stick to pretend he had a gun. Brett Mullan, 50, folded up his collapsible walking aid and wrapped it in a plastic bag to stage the ambitious south London heists. Mullan, from Gravesend, targeted bookmakers during a month-long spree in April and made off with thousands of pounds. But he was snared over his habit of brazenly catching the train to where he was going to rob. A railway revenue ticket inspector caught him fare dodging on his way to his third crime on April 13 and he gave his real name. Police - who had pieced together the offender was using trains - discovered his identity through the dodge and they amassed CCTV of him going to his crimes. Brett Mullan, 50, used a collapsible walking stick to pretend he had a shotgun during the heists Mullen, from Gravesend marched into five bookmakers and used stick (circled) to do robberies Mullan, 50, used a collapsible stick like this one and wrapped it in a bag to look like a shotgun They pounced as he was leaving his home on April 25 and charged him with robberies in Lee, Norwood, Sutton and Crayford between Monday, 4 April and Sunday, 24 April. Inside his home they found the walking stick he had used to carry out the five crimes, by pretending it was a shotgun. Yesterday he was sentenced to ten years in jail at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Police amassed CCTV of Mullan going in and out of trains on his way to the five robberies Mullan's walking stick crime spree in full Mullan carried out armed robberies on: April 4 - High Street, Sutton April 13 - Burnt Ash Road, Lee April 18 - Burnt Ash Road, Lee April 23 - High Street, Norwood Junction April 24 - Crayford Road, Crayford Advertisement He had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of robbery and five counts of being in possession of an imitation firearm at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on April 26. During his crime spree he managed to take a total of 2,780 over the course of the robberies. Detective Constable Carl Stallabras, from the Met's Flying Squad, said: 'Mullan terrified members of the public and staff at the bookmakers who were going about their normal lives when he demanded cash and made threats of serious violence. Those people feared for their lives. 'But a simple mistake on his way to the second offence was all we needed to track him down, and from there the wealth of evidence we obtained left him no choice but to plead guilty. 'Tackling violent crime in all its forms is our top priority, and the Met is determined to reduce the number of robberies. If you are targeted by robbers you can give us the best chance of catching them by contacting us as soon as possible. Dial 999.' Dean Kronsbein, 61, was on the deck of his 70ft yacht Amore with his wife and daughter on Sunday when it ploughed into some rocks, throwing him into the ocean. He was pulled from the ocean, but could not be saved A British man who died after being thrown from his yacht when it hit rocks off an Italian island has been identified as a millionaire company director. Dean Kronsbein, 61, was on the deck of his 70ft yacht Amore with his wife and daughter on Sunday when the captain was forced to take evasive action to avoid another boat. The vessel ploughed into a stretch of rocks and lost its bow in the force of the impact which happened at Il Nibani, just off the coast of Porto Cervo on the island of Sardinia. Mr Kronsbein was pulled from the water by a passing Maltese flagged yacht but despite attempts to save him was declared dead onboard. His wife Sabine, 59, and daughter Sophia, 27, were also seriously injured and taken to a hospital at Olbia before being transferred to a more specialist unit at Sassari 60 miles away. Mr Kronsbein was the owner of a firm called Ultrafilter Medical based in Ross-on-Wye which made highly specialised medical equipment and distributed millions of masks during lockdown. The family owns 5 million Cubberley House a beautiful country home close to Ross on Wye and also a four bedroom villa on the outskirts of Porto Cervo. Just last month Mr Kronsbein featured in an article in the Financial Times on how foreign holidaymakers were returning to the millionaire playground around Porto Cervo. Describing how he had bought his new home he said: 'We've rented here every summer and I thought it a good time to buy. The houses are built to blend into the hillsides and don't stick out and spoil the landscape.' The vessel (pictured after the crash surrounded by rescue vessels) ploughed into a stretch of rocks and lost its bow in the force of the impact which happened at Il Nibani, just off the coast of Porto Cervo on the island of Sardinia Pictured: The 70ft Amore is seen on-land in Porto Cervo, Sardinia after being seized by the local authorities while an investigation into the crash is carried out Pictured: The damage to the yacht's bow is seen in pictures taken after it was towed ashore Pictured: Dean Kronsbein's 70ft yacht Amore is seen impounded by local authorities While last month Mr Kronsbein hosted a party in the 100 acre grounds of his seven bedroom country home for the Bentley Drivers Club which was attended by his close friend TV presenter Richard Hammond and Prince Michael of Kent. Mr Kronsbein owned a 1953 R Type continental Bentley and he and wife Sabine were committed fund raisers for charity. MailOnline can also reveal the captain of the Amore, Mario Lallone, has also been placed under investigation by local authorities and will be questioned later today. Several other witnesses including four friends of Mr Kronsbein who were on the yacht will also be questioned as will rescuers on other boats that came to help. Family lawyer Egidio Caredda told MailOnline: 'As you can imagine this has been a terrible shock for the family. 'I was contacted by Mr Kronsbein's son to help them with the situation, and I am giving them all the assistance I can. 'The local authorities are still investigating the exact circumstances and we will also be speaking to witnesses to establish what happened. 'Mr Kronsbein's son Dustin flew out from England when he heard the news and he has been with his mother and sister. They are both very seriously hurt and are receiving significant medical treatment in hospital.' Last month, Mr Kronsbein hosted a party in the 100 acre grounds of his seven bedroom country home for the Bentley Drivers Club which was attended by his close friend TV presenter Richard Hammond (pictured together) and Prince Michael of Kent Pictured: Dead yachtsman Dean Kronsbien (left) with MP Philip Dunne (right). Mr Kronsbein was the owner of a firm called Ultrafilter Medical based in Ross-on-Wye which made highly specialised medical equipment and distributed millions of masks during lockdown Mr Kronsbien's owns 5 million Cubberley House a beautiful country home close to Ross on Wye and also a four bedroom villa on the outskirts of Porto Cervo (pictured) The yacht was towed off rocks by coastguard vessels and impounded while an investigation is carried out. Coast guards yesterday also sealed off the area where the crash happened until the investigation is completed. It was reported that an autopsy was expected to be performed on Monday. One source said: 'The theory is the boat that ran aground was trying frantically to steer out of the way of another which didn't have right of way and she ended up on the rocks.' One bystander on social media said: 'Five ambulances around a boat last night at Porto Cervo which was towed in. Doesn't look good.' The MY Amore is registered in the Italian port of Monfalcone near Trieste. However, it is unclear whether the dead Briton had chartered the vessel or owned it. A picture of the rocks struck by the Amore was released by coastguards and white paint from her hull was clearly visible on the surface of the stones. This terrifying image taken after the crash laid bare the full extent of the damage - with the bow of the Amore completely torn off with the force of the impact on the rocks Paint was also left imprinted on the rocks that the vessel hit, killing one and injuring six - two of them with serious wounds. Mr Kronsbien's wife Sabine, 59, and daughter Sophia, 27, were also seriously injured and taken to a hospital at Olbia before being transferred to a more specialist unit at Sassari 60 miles away Vessels are showed moored in Porto Cervo late on Sunday night after the stricken craft was towed back to shore, where it was met by emergency services The crash happened near a set of islands called Il Nibani, which are around two miles off the coast from Porto Cervo, Sardinia Yesterday, coastguard commander Francesco Colarullo told Mail Online: 'The damaged boat was towed back to Porto Cervo and has now been seized by the local prosecutor while the investigation into what happened exactly continues. 'It's possible speed may have been an issue and we know that other vessels were in the area at the time and the accident may have happened while evasive action was taking place. 'Every effort was made to save the life of the British man but there was nothing that could be done and he was unconscious when he was recovered. 'The alarm was raised by the Amore with a mayday and they reported they were taking on water after striking rocks and a rescue operation was immediately launched. 'Two coastguard vessels were involved as well as several other pleasure boats in the area at the time.' A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: 'We are providing support following a maritime accident in Sardinia, including to the family of a dual national who has died. We are in contact with the local authorities.' Frank Abrokwa, 37, who allegedly smeared his feces on a woman's face after defecating into a bag, was attacked in jail. Abrokwa was arrested for allegedly spitting on a Jewish man back in September A career criminal accused of smearing his feces on the face of a subway commuter may be permanently disfigured after a fellow inmate threw boiling water into his face. Frank Abrokwa, 37, is expected to 'have scars for the rest of his life' after a fellow Rikers Island detainee splashed him with boiling water at the Anna M. Kross Correctional Facility last week on the notorious Rikers Island, where he is being held on bail. His attacker, who ironically went by the name of 'Burns' within the jail, was moved to a different housing area following the incident, a source told The New York Post. 'You can wash st off your face and remain with the mental scars. When it comes to hot water, you will have physical and mental scars for the rest of your life,' the source said. Abrokwa was seemingly caught on video rubbing his own excrement on a woman after defecating into a bag at the East 241st Street station in The Bronx on February 21. He was arrested following the disgusting act, but because his misdemeanors were legally non-violent, the judge could not set bail and he was released back onto the streets. Abrokwa walked free, only to be locked up following another allegedly violent assault. On February 21, Abrokwa was caught on video attacking a woman without any provocation at the East 241th Street station in The Bronx Abrokwa smeared human faces on the commuter's face and back, as seen in the video He is said to have tossed a dumbbell through a glass window at a Harlem storage facility, shattering a window there after threatening a worker. He was seen showing a rude hand gesture as he was led into Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on charges of criminal mischief and harassment. Abrokwa was accused of violating the conditions of his supervised release related to the feces attack. The vile, apparently unprovoked, attack took place just three days after New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled the Subway Safety Plan to deploy 1,000 cops to secure the crime-plagued transit system. During his arraignment, a judge set Abrokwa's bail at $15,000 and ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, after the barefoot defendant caused a scene in court by yelling at the top of his lungs, hurling profanities and daring the judge to give him bail. A defiant Frank Abrokwa, 37, is pictured showing a rude hand gesture as he is led into Manhattan Criminal Court for violating the conditions of his release Abrokwa, a career criminal, is accused of throwing a dumbbell through a window less than a month after allegedly smearing feces on a woman's face Finally, a Manhattan judge set Abrokwa's bail at $15,000 and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation. During his arraignment, the barefoot man yelled and used profanities The latest incident involving Abrokwa took place on Friday at the Treasure Island Storage Facility in Manhattan, where he allegedly broke a window after demanding a refund According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the latest charges against Abrokwa are related to an altercation that took place at the Treasure Island Storage Facility on West 145h Street, where the suspect arrived at 6.30pm. Abrokwa was described as being 'upset' and proceeded to yell at the general manager of the business as he was assisting another customer. Abrokwa later walked away, and the manager spotted him carrying a dumbbell. '[The manager] then went to find the defendant to assist him and while walking towards the defendant he observed a window that had been shattered,' according to a complaint. While the manager was cleaning up the broken glass, he said Abrokwa came up to him, saying: 'I want my refund. I'm leaving Monday, that is why I broke the glass.' Abrokwa, whose record includes more than 44 arrests, was arraigned on charges stemming from the feces attack on March 1 (pictured), but a judge released him Abrokwa then left, but he returned to the storage facility the following day and was quoted as telling another employee: 'If I don't get my refund by Monday, I'm gonna come back here and catch a felony.' Abrokwa was previously arraigned on March 1 on charges of forcible touching, menacing, disorderly conduct and harassment stemming from the feces attack. 'S**t happens. Haha,' Abrokwa said after his arrest in the feces-smearing case, according to a criminal complaint. 'This is a s***ty situation. Haha.' After being released without bail, Abrokwa was immediately taken into custody for allegedly threatening to murder a Jewish man in Brooklyn last September. Menachem Minkowitz, 46, told the New York Daily News that he was leaving a deli in Crown Heights, minding his own business, when Abrokwa appeared out of nowhere and targeted him because of his Jewish garb. 'Everything happened so quick,' he said. 'A person comes up and spits on me. I said, 'What the f**k is wrong with you?' And he said, 'F**king Jew.' Police said Abrokwa yelled at the man, 'I'm going to kill you!' before taking a swing at him. 'I saw the evil in his eyes,' Minkowitz added. 'I love people, but I saw the evil in his eyes. It was bad.' Abrokwa was arraigned in that case on March 2 on counts of aggravated harassment, menacing in the third degree as a hate crime, menacing in the third degree, and disorderly conduct, and was then released under supervision. Abrokwa, seen here in a photo released by the NYPD in September, allegedly spat on and made anti-Jewish comments to a 46-year-old Jewish man in the Crown Heights The 37-year-old's vast criminal record also includes a January 7 arrest for allegedly punching a 30-year-old man on a subway platform at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue, followed by a February 5 arrest for allegedly hitting a 53-year-old man at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. But each time, thanks to New York's lax new bail reform laws, the career criminal did not have to post bail and was freed to continue roaming city streets. In mid-February, Abrokwa was arrested for allegedly threatening a hardware store employee with a screwdriver during a robbery, but like his previous run-ins with the law, it ended with the suspect being turned loose. A week later, on February 21, Abrokwa was seen on surveillance video walking along the platform at East 241th Street when he lunged at a woman sitting on a bench and smeared his feces on her face after she ignored his attempts to talk to her. When the woman leans forward, he walks behind her and presses a plastic bag containing his waste against the back of her head and her back. New York City has been in the throes of a massive crime wave, with the rates of shootings, robberies, rapes and assaults all registering dramatic increases. There have been 504 subway crimes reported this year as of March 20, compared to 288 during the same period in 2021, representing a 75 percent increase, according to New York Police Department (NYPD) statistics. A drunk-driving estate agent crashed her Mercedes into a bus stop while over double the limit before trying to flee police on foot, a court heard. Kirsty Ogden, 30, drank 'three or four' drinks at a work leaving party before getting behind the wheel and was told yesterday she was lucky no one had been hurt. She appeared in Bromley Magistrates' Court in south London, where she pleaded guilty to driving the white Mercedes with excess alcohol in her breath in Charlton Park Road on July 15. Magistrate Timothy Nathan told her: 'You were very lucky there was no one standing in the queue at that bus stop and God forbid, had anyone been injured or even killed then you could have gone to prison for many years.' Kirsty Ogden, 30, (pictured above outside Bromley Magistrates' Court) pleaded guilty to driving over the limit after drinking four drinks at a work party, before getting behind the wheel of her white Mercedes Ogden (pictured above in Instagram selfie) was caught drink-driving by police after she drove her car into a bus stop in south-east London Ogden's defence said she will lose her job at 'one of the most profitable branches in the country,' after being banned from driving for 22 months, due to not being able to carry out her duties. She was also fined 300 and ordered to pay a 120 victim surcharge and 85 costs. Ogden, of Woolwich, had 78 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, while the legal limit for driving is 35 micrograms per 100ml. Prosecutor Dwain Coward told the court that when police arrived on the scene, Ogden tried to run away, which magistrate Mr Nathan noted was an 'aggravating factor'. Mr Coward said: 'Police received a call from an informant that a car had crashed into a bus stop and the female driver had exited and was walking away. 'The witness said the female was on a mobile phone, saying 'I need your help' to whoever she was talking to. 'The police officers searched the area on foot and saw this defendant walking a short distance away. The estate agent (pictured above in Instagram selfie) has been banned from driving for 22 months, which her defence says means she will lose her job 'When she saw the police officers, she began to run away and was chased and arrested and admitted she had been driving the vehicle and crashed it.' Ogden's lawyer Michael Gallagher told the court: 'She says she had been drinking at a leaving do in Blackheath for a member of staff in her office. 'She had three or four drinks and felt fine to drive even though she had not eaten all day and decided to drive the short distance and misjudged and clipped the curb and collided with the bus stop. 'She says she was pacing back and forth while on the phone and was walking around in circles. 'The police officers say she was crying, upset, frightened, disorientated and was asking for help. 'She does not believe she was running away from the police, but returning to the scene and accepts she had four drinks and was the driver. The court heard how Ogden (pictured above in Instagram selfie) tried to run away from the police when they arrived on the scene, which magistrate Timothy Nathan said was an "aggravating factor" 'After an abusive relationship she came to London five years ago with no family support and was working in the hospitality industry until it was destroyed by Covid. 'After that career, she began working as an estate agent. 'Her employer has told her if she does not have a car she cannot work. She is unable to take people to viewings and travel to properties for what is one of the most profitable branches in the country. 'She wants to be an estate agent and I ask you to go outside the guidelines of an approximate 17-month disqualification due to her remorse and co-operation.' Magistrate Mr Nathan disagreed. 'We don't share Mr Gallagher's view. The police officers say, quite clearly, Ms Ogden left the scene and was running away and we regard that as an aggravating factor.' He told Ogden: 'You could have been charged separately for leaving the scene. 'We know you will lose your job and we are sorry about that.' Police in Majorca are investigating the death of the brother of British cannabis millionaire Maximillian White. Tobias White, 35, died at Son Llatzer Hospital on Sunday nearly a week after being admitted to intensive care and placed in an induced coma following an incident at a Magaluf nightclub. He was restained forcefully by several bouncers and later members of the Spanish Civil Guard after he allegedly assaulted one of the doormen at popular nightspot Boomerang. He is said to have been rushed to hospital after being sedated by a doctor at the scene. The ongoing investigation is understood to be focusing on whether Mr White, whose famous elder sibling has made a fortune selling medicinal marijuana, consumed drugs before his hospitalisation in the early hours of last Tuesday morning and whether they played any part in his death. Tobias White, 35, died at Son Llatzer Hospital on Sunday nearly a week after being admitted to intensive care and placed in an induced coma following an incident at the Boomerang nightclub in Magaluf (pictured) Bouncers are seen restraining White, who allegedly head-butted one doorman when asked to put his shirt on The deceased was the brother of British cannabis millionaire Maximillian White, who is pictured here in Dubai Local reports say he is believed to have binged on alcohol and taken a cocktail of drugs including ecstasy and cocaine before the nightclub incident and went into cardiac arrest at the scene before being revived. Well-placed sources said a witness told police he had consumed cocaine before he was admitted to hospital. Relatives have reportedly asked a court in Palma for permission to carry out their own autopsy amid concerns over the behaviour of the club bouncers and police. Respected island newspaper Ultima Hora has reported several revellers filmed bouncers restraining Mr White 'forcefully' after his alleged assault on one of the doormen before police arrived. A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed Tuesday morning the British man had died in hospital on Sunday. He said: 'We are investigating the death of a British man who died at Son Llatzer Hospital on Sunday five days after being admitted to intensive care following an incident at a club in Magaluf.' He also confirmed Mr White had been under police guard in hospital ahead of an anticipated court appearance on suspicion of assault if he had survived. The spokesman said: 'Officers responded to an incident at a nightclub in Magaluf in the early hours of last Tuesday morning where a client had allegedly head-butted a bouncer after he asked him to put his top on. 'That client, a well-built British man, was still acting very aggressively when officers arrived and he had to be restrained using appropriate force by four or five responders for his own safety and that of others around him. 'He was harming himself, hitting his head against the floor, biting and acting very violently.' A Civil Guard spokesman said: A Civil Guard spokesman said: 'Officers responded to an incident at a nightclub in Magaluf (pictured) in the early hours of last Tuesday morning where a client had allegedly head-butted a bouncer after he asked him to put his top on' Mr White's brother Maximillian (pictured), originally from Nottingham, has made a fortune by selling medicinal marijuana to wholesalers across the world A well-placed source said: 'Medics also attended the nightclub as part of the emergency response and had to sedate the man arrested before he was taken to hospital. 'He had a cut to his lip from the incident involving the bouncer but wasn't in hospital because of any physical injuries as far as the authorities were concerned. 'A witness told the police he took cocaine on repeated occasions that night.' No-one from Son Llatzer Hospital was immediately available for comment late Tuesday night. Boomerang Nightclub has been contacted for comment. Mr White's brother Maximillian, originally from Nottingham, has made a fortune by selling medicinal marijuana to wholesalers across the world. The 41-year-old is now said to live in Dubai although he also owns a luxury property in Majorca. He became Britain's youngest landlord at the age of 17. He snapped up 40 hectares of land in the Portuguese Algarve to build Europe's biggest medical cannabis farm. The rider of the $100,000 horse attacked by a pitbull in a Sydney park has unleashed on the behaviour of the vicious dog's owners who refused to provide their details and fled the scene. Lunar was attacked by a white pitbull cross Australian bulldog in Centennial Park in the city's inner-east on Saturday afternoon in front of a number of shocked families and passersby. Ian Benson, Lunar's owner, was walking her through the parkland's horse trail when he saw the dog 'lock on' from about 50metres away, with the owners unable to call the animal back. The ferocious pitbull then spent as much as five minutes attempting to bite the distressed horse, before Ian managed to grab it by the collar and pin it to the ground. He said the dog's owners refused to co-operate, telling them his horse was 'fine' before scooping up the pet and running off to their car. 'These dogs can do a lot of damage. Last time we had an attack from a dog like that, the horse had to be put down from the injuries,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Bystanders captured the horrifying moment an off-leash pitbull attacked a horse in front of shocked families at a Sydney park Lunar was attacked by a white pitbull in Centennial Park in the city's inner-east on Saturday afternoon in front of a number of shocked families Lunar's owner said the pitbull came bolting in from some distance, with its owner walking without a lead and unable to restrain it. He said he was shocked the dog wasn't killed after Lunar kicked it in the head twice trying to escape its jaws. 'I'm amazed it's not dead,' Ian said. 'It was kicked twice in the head. I did everything I could to get it away but it wouldn't stop. Lunar 'amazingly' suffered no injuries from the attack, but the rider said it was the second incident they'd had with a dog that week. 'It's not even about the breed of the dog, if you get any sort of dog go after a horse, if a young girl is on a pony, the rider can get dropped,' Ian said. 'A horse will try to gallop home naturally, a family of four could be driving past and see a horse jump through the windscreen. 'Generally speaking dogs realise after a second or two they're outmatched or outsized. Lunar is good with dogs too, she'll just stand there.' Ian with his beloved horse Lunar - the rider said amazingly she suffered no injuries Ian said the most disappointing part of the incident was the unwillingness of the pitbull's owner to exchange details or show any remorse over the situation. 'After it all finished and I caught the dog and pinned him down, I told him to keep his dog on a lead and asked for his license and phone number. He asked why, and I said because your dog attacked my f***ing horse,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'He told me my horse was fine, that I didn't need his details and scooped up his dog and ran off. 'I'm dealing with a 750kilogram animal who is startled, I can't go chasing after him to get his details. Thankfully she was fine because to call a vet out alone is $200.' He lamented the lack of responsibility the owner showed. 'If a dog attacks someone, the owner is liable. If my horse runs away as a result of this dog and hits a mother pushing a pram it's my fault,' Ian said. 'I've had incidents in the park before and they've always been good enough to hand over details and that be that. You can't run away.' The pitbull owner was fined $330 for having the dog off-lead on the horse track, and rangers told Ian he had asked them for his number to apologise, after the incident had gotten to the media. 'I'm dealing with a 750kilogram animal who is startled, I can't go chasing after him to get his details,' owner Ian told Daily Mail Australia The attack was caught on camera by local resident Shannon Bishop, who described the incident as 'awful.' 'I saw the horse rear up on its hind legs and thought s**t what's going on there?' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Then I saw the dog. I was absolutely shocked at how aggressive the dog was, I could see it trying to snap at the underbelly of the horse. It was also snapping at the legs.' The pitbull repeatedly runs back and forth attempting to dodge the good Samaritans trying to block it from taking more chunks out of horse's hind legs. Lunar eventually kicks the dog off him with a powerful defensive swing. The attack was caught on camera by local resident Shannon Bishop, who walked into the section of the park several minutes into the attack Eventually Ian grabs the dog by the collar and swings it away, before the animal's two owners scoop him up and run away without even offering an apology. 'It was awful to see,' Ms Bishop said of the pair, who were 'without any regard' for the horse. 'I was incredibly shocked at how useless the dog's owners were, at one stage they were attempting to block the dog but it went on for ages. It was quite confronting,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I really was afraid it was going to get the horse.' The pitbull runs back and forth attempting to dodge the people blocking it before repeatedly biting at the horse's legs In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for the Parklands said the incident was currently being investigated. 'Dogs are prohibited from being walked on the horse track and must be on-leash in all other areas inside Grand Drive,' they said. 'Fines may be issued pending the outcome of the investigation.' Daily Mail Australia has also contacted the dog's owner for comment. Police have released CCTV in the hunt for a man allegedly spotted with images of a woman's upper leg on his phone screen following an 'upskirting' incident on a London tube. The incident is said to have taken place on a Piccadilly line service on July 12, at around 7.30pm, while the train was near King's Cross Underground station. The woman says she noticed a man was filming her at inappropriate angles and then spotted photos of her thigh on his phone screen. The man got off the eastbound service at Arsenal Underground station approximately ten minutes later, at 7.40pm. The British Transport Police made a public appeal on Friday when they released CCTV image of a man they want to speak to in relation to their investigation. Officers believe he may have useful information which could help their investigation into the incident. British Transport Police released this CCTV image in relation to the upskirting incident which happened on Tuesday, July 12. Police say the man may have information which could help their investigation A British Transport Police spokesperson said: 'Officers investigating an incident of upskirting on a Piccadilly line service are today releasing this image in connection. 'On Tuesday, July 12, at around 7.30pm, the victim noticed a man filming her at unorthodox angles before spotting photos of her upper leg on his phone screen. 'At the time of the incident, the service was near Kings Cross Underground station. The incident took place on an eastbound service on the Piccadilly line at 7.30pm and the man alighted at Arsenal Underground station 'The man got off the eastbound train at Arsenal Underground station at 7.40pm. 'Officers believe the man in the CCTV image may have useful information which could help their investigation.' Police have asked anyone who recognises the man pictured to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 2200069578. Anyone with information can alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. One of Vladimir Putin's leading henchmen claimed he was hacked after his social media called for a return of the USSR - with Russia invading Georgia and Kazakhstan after 'liberating' Ukraine. If true, it means Dmitry Medvedev - now deputy head of Vladimir Putin's powerful security council - was hit by a major and embarrassing security breach. The 4am post - that has since been deleted - claimed 'all the peoples who once lived in the great and mighty Soviet Union will once again live together in friendship and mutual understanding. 'We will spare no effort and no means to achieve that. We have already begun to move along this road.' Some expressed doubts over whether the post was a hack. It was written in the style of his recent bellicose posts, and while his aide claimed it was a hack, it was seen by foes as setting out exactly what many Putin supporters dream of. Dmitry Medvedev has previously served as Russia's president (from 2008 to 2012, when Putin stepped down from the post to serve as prime minister for four years) and later as Prime Minister (from 2012 to 2020). Dmitry Medvedev (pictured holding a rifle) - former Russian president and one of Vladimir Putin's leading henchmen - claimed he was hacked after his social media called for a return of the USSR - with Russia invading Georgia and Kazakhstan after 'liberating' Ukraine The 4am post - that has since been deleted - claimed 'all the peoples who once lived in the great and mighty Soviet Union will once again live together in friendship and mutual understanding. Pictured: The post is seen on one of Medvedev's official social media accounts The post suggested what would happen after the 'liberation of Kyiv and all the territories of Little Russia from the gangs of nationalists' in Ukraine. Russia would 'again become united, powerful and invincible, as it was a thousand years ago in the days of the Old Russian state', the post said. Next 'under the united hand of Moscow, led by the Slavic people, we will go on the next campaign to restore the borders of our homeland, which, as you know, do not end anywhere'. Threatening pro-Western Georgia, the post claimed this country 'was created in its current borders only within the Russian Empire. 'Georgia reached out to Russia, because it understood that Russia was its only ally in a rather hostile environment of Muslim states 'Now the same story is repeating itself. 'North and South Ossetia, Abkhazia and the remaining territory of Georgia can be united only as a single state with Russia.' The post then threatened the sovereignty of Kazakhstan, the world's ninth largest country by territory. Dmitry Medvedev (pictured speaking with Putin in 2019) has previously served as Russia's president (from 2008 to 2012, when Putin stepped down from the post to serve as prime minister for four years) and later as Prime Minister (from 2012 to 2020) 'In the beginning of the 17th century, Russians established the first settlements on the wild lands of northern Kazakhstan. 'Colonisation of the territory by Russians continued for three centuries, mainly as a result of the opening of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Stolypin agrarian reforms. 'Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, 62.5 per cent of the population of northern Kazakhstan were Slavs. 'Kazakhstan is an artificial state. 'In this century Kazakh authorities started initiatives on resettlement of various ethnic groups inside the republic, which can be qualified as the genocide of Russians. And we do not intend to turn a blind eye to this. 'Until the Russians get there, there will be no order.' Moscow has used 'genocide' - of which there is no evidence - as a means to justify its barbaric invasion of Ukraine, that started in February this year. One Telegram channel queries whether it was a hack suggesting he may have been drunk and 'became too open about what he thinks during the night'. It was possible 'he actually thinks this, but isn't allowed to say it', the channel said. Pictured: Vladimir Putin (left) speaks with Deputy Chairman of Security Council Dmitry Medvedev in January 2020 TV presenter and ex-presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak - Russia's leading woman opposition politician - said: 'Medvedev's post about Kazakhstan was explained as a hack [by] his aide Oleg Osipov.' But she asked: 'Do we believe it?' A security source said: 'Are we sure this was a hack? Medvedev is covered by huge security; he remains a high official guarded by the Federal Protection Service. 'If so, it was a big security breach. Maybe it is his way of getting his threatening message out. Or perhaps it reflects a war inside the elite with someone out to embarrass him.' Ospiov said 'those who yesterday hacked his page. will be dealt with by the VK administration, and those who are supposed to sort out things like this'. In 2008 - in what is regarded the first war of the 21st century - Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia fought against Georgia in the country's South Caucasus region. Russia falsely accused Georgia of committing 'genocide' and 'aggression against South Ossetia' and launched a full-scale invasion of the country - including its undisputed territory. The fighting lasted 12 days, and ended on August 12. At the start of the year, Russia sent in its military into Kazakhstan to quell an uprising, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians and injuries to many more. The two countries were both part of the USSR, which collapsed in 1991. In 2008 - in what is regarded the first war of the 21st century - Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia fought against Georgia in the country's South Caucasus region. Pictured: Georgian soldiers ride tanks on August 11, 2008 At the start of the year, Russia sent in its military into Kazakhstan to quell an uprising, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians and injuries to many more. Pictured: A burnt car is seen by the burning mayors office in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 5, 2022 On Monday, Medvedev dismissed a call by U.S. President Joe Biden to press on with talks on a new nuclear arms treaty, saying the appeal was out of place in a changed world. He said he had told Washington repeatedly that major issues, like a framework to replace the New START treaty, could not be done without Russian involvement. Medvedev, writing on his Telegram channel, said Biden had 'reluctantly spat out' the call for new talks, referring to Soviet-U.S. arms agreements concluded despite difficulties in the Cold War era. 'All this, of course, is good. But let me say it once again - the situation now is much worse than in the Cold War,' wrote Medvedev, who served as president for four years while Vladimir Putin was prime minister. 'A lot worse! And through no fault of our own. The main thing is. ... do we really need this? The world is a different place.' A Russian foreign ministry source had earlier expressed puzzlement about Biden's proposal to negotiate the New START Treaty when it expires in 2026. Biden said in a statement on Monday that his administration was ready to 'expeditiously' negotiate a new framework but that Russia should demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control with the United States. 'Is this a serious statement or has the White House website been hacked?' a Russian foreign ministry source told Reuters. 'If this is still a serious intention, with whom exactly do they intend to discuss it?' The New START Treaty, struck in 2011, obliged the United States and Russia to limit deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments. It also put limits on nuclear warheads on those deployed missiles and bombers and the launchers for those missiles. Both sides reached the central limits of the treaty by Feb. 5, 2018, and the treaty has been extended to the end of Feb. 4, 2026. Britons holidaying in Spanish party hot-spots have been warned about a spate of women being injected with date-rape drugs. The first case was reported in Ibiza, but revellers in Navarra, San Fermin and Catalonia on the Spanish mainland have since come forward to say they were also attacked. Police are now probing at least 35 such complaints and have opened 17 investigations in the space of just a few days. It comes after dozens of similar cases were reported in the UK, Switzerland and France dating back to winter last year. Spanish police are investigating at least 35 reports of mostly-female clubbers being injected with what they believe are date rape drugs (file image) Cops say the alleged victims are usually under the age of 30 and female, but at least one man has reported being injected. A young Spanish woman reported one of the first cases to the Civil Guard. She said that, after partying with her friends in a nightclub in Ibiza, she noticed a puncture in her arm and concluded that she had been drugged against her will. Investigators say liquid MDMA - commonly known as ecstasy - or GHB could be used to intoxicate people, because the substances disappear quickly from the body. They can be administered orally or by diluting the drug in the victim's drink, although the one that is gaining prominence now is through injection. 'The aggressors use this method and choose the arms or legs to deliver the substance to the victim. The drug begins to take effect in the victim's body after 15 minutes after the sensation of the prick,' one expert explained. The young women who have recently received the punctures have raised the alert through social networks, revealing their symptoms so that other women in the same situation can act as quickly as possible. The main ones are dizziness, vision and memory loss, inability to speak, numbness in the arms or legs, drowsiness, loss of consciousness and a rapid heartbeat. Investigators believe the motive is to incapacitate victims before a sexual assault. Reports of clubbers being injected in Spain follow dozens of similar complaints from across the UK, France and Switzerland dating back to winter last year (file image) In Andalusia, police have confirmed they are investigating six complaints, including a 22-year-old French girl who said she was abused in a Malaga nightclub. She says she left the club with a man and they went to his apartment. She believed she was drugged and attacked 'when defenceless' and woke up the next morning with two puncture wounds in her arm. In Cordoba, police are investigating four possible attempts of chemical submission at a fairground. And in Catalonia, there has been up to 20 complaints in nightclubs in Barcelona and Lloret de Mar (Girona). Montserrat Escude, spokesperson for Los Mossos police, said they are investigating this new 'phenomenon' intensely, saying it creates 'social alarm' and 'anguish' for young people trying to enjoy themselves after pandemic lockdowns. The National Police of Cantabria are also investigating the punctures of five people who attended a beach festival in Santander. One young woman who saw a man with a syringe in his hand before a friend was pricked said on the social network: 'What was going to be a night out with friends has turned into a nightmare, into fear and anxiety. 'Now all that remains is to make it visible, because there is little else we can do. Learn to act and, sadly, assume the fear, because it could have been you. 'I have been afraid and anxious since last night and I don't know how to manage it well. I close my eyes and I continue to see the situation, which I wish I could forget.' Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the disappearance of a student nurse who vanished almost a month ago. Owami Davies, 24, was last seen just after midnight on Derby Road, West Croydon on July 7 after leaving her family home on July 4 in Grays, Essex. But on Monday, two men aged 27 and 23 were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into her disappearance, Scotland Yard said. The men, who were arrested in the Croydon area, were taken to a south London police station and will remain in custody. Announcing the arrests on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said: 'Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command are now leading enquiries to locate 24-year-old Owami Davies because they have the resources and expertise required for a complex investigation. 'This remains a missing person's investigation.' It comes after police appealed to residents of Croydon to check their sheds and outbuildings for anything suspicious after she was last seen in a 'vulnerable state'. Owami Davies, 24, was last seen in a 'vulnerable state' when she went missing shortly after midnight on July 7. Two men, aged 27 and 23, have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection to the investigation A timeline of events from the moment Ms Davies left her family home in Grays, Essex, to the point where two men were arrested on Monday in the Croydon area The student nurse was last seen on Derby Road in West Croydon. Police have called on the public to help them piece together her movements on the night of July 7 The missing student has not had contact with family or work since her disappearance last month with detectives calling on the public's help in 'piecing together her movements' from the night she was last seen. Detective Constable Marie Spear said: 'Owami was in a vulnerable state when she was last seen and we need the publics help in piecing together her movements on the night she went missing. 'I would urge anyone who has seen her, or knows where she is, to contact police immediately. 'Id also ask people in the west Croydon area to check their sheds and outbuildings and report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.' A teenage son who stabbed his mother more than 80 times with a hunting knife has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Aaron Matthew, 19, repeatedly knifed 54-year-old Ingrid Matthew before slitting her throat and leaving her to die on his bedroom floor. Leicester Crown Court heard that her body was found in a pool of blood by her former partner, and Aaron Matthews father, Andrew Marshall at the property in Leicester on September 11 last year. In a victim statement read out during the hearing, Ms Matthews brother Curtis described his sister as completely selfless and spoke of how the family were still learning to live without her almost a year on from her death. Aaron Matthew handed himself in to police in Cambridgeshire the day after his mother's body was discovered. He was charged with murder but entered a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with the court being told that his previously undiagnosed Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) had substantially impaired his ability to exercise self-control at the time his mother was killed. The teenager was given a life sentence yesterday and ordered to serve a minimum of six years and 226 days after a judge deemed him a serious risk to the community. Ingrid Matthew, 54, whose body was inflicted with 82 knife wounds, was described by her family as 'kind', 'happy' and 'completely selfless' Detective Inspector Nicole Main, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said afterwards: Only Aaron Matthew can explain why he took his own mothers life. I hope todays sentencing can provide a degree of closure to Ingrids family and those to whom she was closest. Sadly, no sentence given will bring her back and my heartfelt condolences go out to them as they continue with the grieving process to come to terms with their loss. Ms Matthews family said in a statement after the case: Ingrid was a private person but a kind, vibrant and special soul. Aaron Matthew, 19, was given a life sentence yesterday after pleading guilty to manslaughter. He killed his mother by stabbing her repeatedly with a hunting knife She was always happy, dancing and willing to help anyone in any way she could. She was completely selfless and we are devastated that shes gone. Learning to live without her has become our new reality. We miss Ingy. We are grateful for everything she did to help her mum and others. We are so proud of how she always supported others and rejoiced in their achievements. Ingrid will be forever missed by family, friends and the community. We love her very much and hope one day we can come to terms with her passing. We know the criminal justice system has its role to perform in ending violence towards women and young girls. But we, as individuals, members of the community and society as a whole, also have our part to play. As a family we know first-hand just how important this is. Ms Matthew was one of more than 100 women killed by men in the year between March 2021 and March 2022. Less than a week after Ms Matthew was killed 28-year-old teacher Sabina Nessa was murdered in south east London. The most recent Femicide Census from 2020 found that during the last decade a woman was killed by a man every three days. A Royal Navy engineer sexually assaulted a female sailor while she climbed a ladder after touching another crewmate inappropriately, a court martial has heard. Able Seaman Daniel Goffey, 25, denied three counts of sexual assault before a court martial at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire yesterday. The alleged incidents all happened after an 'alcohol-fuelled' barbecue onboard the 3.1billion HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier. Goffey is accused of touching the bottoms of two fellow sailors, including one as she climbed a ladder on the ship. However his defence said he could not have balanced on the ladder and grabbed the woman at the same time due to his 'intoxicated' state. Able Seaman Daniel Goffey (pictured at Bulford Military Court) is accused of 'grabbing a fellow sailor's bottom' as they climbed a ladder onboard the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier. He denies three counts of sexual assault The court heard Goffey approached his first victim when she was stood with a group of sailors. Captain Rebecca Slee, prosecuting, said he 'put one arm around her waist and one on her bottom and tried to pull her towards him', while the victim said he was 'intoxicated, slurring his words, put his arms around me and was not letting me go anywhere'. She added: 'He kept saying "why are you not calm?" The alleged incidents all happened after an alcohol-fuelled barbecue onboard the 3.1billion HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier (pictured in February arriving into Portsmouth Harbour) 'I said "get off me, I don't know you". I felt trapped, he wasn't letting me go anywhere.' The sailor managed to push Goffey away but he later went into her mess room - an area onboard where sailors socialise, eat and live - as she was watching TV, pecking her 'all over' her face as she put up her hands to stop him. Soon after this Goffey approached his second victim, the martial heard. She told the court: 'He put his right hand on my waist and then, with his left hand, touched my right butt-cheek,' she told the court. 'I felt very uncomfortable and moved away.' A group of sailors tried to draw Goffey away from the mess area but, as they went up the ladder one-by-one, he allegedly assaulted the sailor by grabbing her bottom. She said: 'We all went up single-file. I felt two hands on either side of my butt-cheeks for about two seconds. 'I turned around to push him away and he just sniggered. I slapped his hands away.' The court martial heard later on, in another mess, Goffey would not leave the victims alone and made them very uncomfortable. Barrister Helen Easterbrook, defending Goffey, told the court he could not have balanced himself to touch the woman's bottom with both hands on the ladder because of his intoxicated state. Goffey, now understood to be based at the HMS Nelson in Portsmouth, Hampshire, denies three counts of sexual assault. The Court Martial trial continues. Bereaved families have labelled the elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber a 'coward' after he fled the UK and failed to give evidence at a public inquiry into the devastating terror attack. Ismail Abedi, 29, boarded a flight from Manchester to Istanbul claiming to be going on holiday last summer but never returned to the UK and his current whereabouts is unknown. Lawyers for some of the families said they remain 'gravely concerned' about how he was able to leave the country last year. He failed to attend a hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court today, having last month been found guilty of failing to comply with a notice which compelled him to co-operate with the inquiry into the May 2017 atrocity - where his brother Salman killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert. Now, an arrest warrant has been issued and Abedi faces a prison sentence of up to 51 weeks for the offence if he is captured or hands himself into the authorities. Kim Harrison, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who represented 11 of the families, said today: 'We welcome the arrest warrant that has been issued for Ismail Abedi today and expect all of the relevant authorities to do their utmost to ensure he has to answer the many questions we have about what happened that night. 'His leaving the country should never have happened and despite the conviction he is unlikely to face any real justice until he is apprehended, if at all. Ismail Abedi fled the country and refused to help with the public inquiry. His whereabouts is currently unknown 'The families deserve to know the truth about what happened that night and the contempt Ismail Abedi has shown them is truly despicable. 'Now we expect the authorities to do everything in their power to bring Abedi to justice.' Sophie Cartwright QC, prosecuting, told the court that notification of today's hearing had been sent to Abedi's last known address. An email was also sent to an address he had previously used to correspond with the solicitor to the inquiry, as well as a message to his former solicitors, she said. District Judge Jack McGarva said he was satisfied that Abedi was aware of the hearing and noted that the proceedings had received a 'great deal of publicity'. Issuing a warrant without bail, he said: 'We will now have to wait for him to be apprehended.' CCTV released by Greater Manchester Police showing Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena on the night of the attack An undated picture of Ismail Abedi shown during the Manchester Arena bombing public inquiry The victims were (top row, from left) Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row, from left) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row, from left), Chloe Rutherford, 17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row, from left) John Atkinson, 26, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row, from left) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row, from left) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51 Ismail, who worked in IT, was ordered by the chairman of the subsequent public inquiry Sir John Saunders to attend to give evidence and was described as a key witness, since he would be able to answer questions about the radicalisation of his younger brothers. The inquiry also wanted to probe Ismail about a 2015 'port stop' at Heathrow Airport, when his phone was found to have a 'significant' amount of 'very disturbing' material described as of an 'Islamic State-mindset' on it. He had potential evidence to give, the inquiry heard, on the preparation of the arena bomb, given his DNA was found on a hammer in a car used to store the explosives. Ismail was stopped by police at Manchester Airport on August 28 last year and told them he was planning to return to UK the following month. But he did not appear as a witness and the inquiry was told he is no longer in the country having boarded a flight from Manchester to Istanbul, claiming to be going on holiday, and his current whereabouts are unknown. He was listed for Thursday's hearing under his alias, Ishmale Ben Romdhan. Hashem Abedi (pictured) is the younger brother of the Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi. He was jailed for life for assisting with the bomb plot Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a suicide bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. A third brother Hashem Abedi, 25, was jailed for life for assisting with the bomb plot. In February, he was sentenced to another three years and 10 months of jail time after attacking two Belmarsh prison officers - but vowed 'we will be leaving soon'. Their father, Ramadan Abedi, was associated with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militia that had links with terror organisation al Qaida, the public inquiry heard. Ramadan lives in Libya, but has also failed to co-operate with the inquiry and police want to question him as a suspect. Tributes have been paid to one of Britain's youngest D-Day veterans following his death who has died at the age of 95, just two days before his birthday. His death follows the passing of fellow D-Day veterans Lance Bombardier Les Pring, who was the last man standing from his brigade, in March and Ray Lord in October last year. Fred Lee was just 17-years-old when his frigate HMS Nith dropped the first wave of troops on Gold Beach at 7.25am on June 6, 1944. The engine room stoker went on deck 40 minutes later to find 'all hell had let loose'. He later recalled how he saw a soldier's body float by having been killed on the beach at Arromanches. Weeks later, Fred miraculously survived when his vessel was hit by a deadly German guided 'Mistel' bomber in the sea off Normandy. Two enemy aircraft flew attached to each other and the pilot released the plane below, which was full of explosives. The pilot then 'remote-control' guided it towards HMS Nith and it struck the starboard side, causing a huge explosion. Fred was usually positioned there but on this occasion had, against his wishes, been assigned watch duties on the port side. As a result he emerged unscathed from the attack which killed nine seamen and injured 27 others. Fred Lee, pictured above at the memorial to Sir Alexander Stanier of the 231st Infantry Brigade, died at the age of 95 just two days before his 96th birthday Lee served in World War Two at the age of just 17-years-old, working as an engine room stoker, and was responsible for getting troops to Gold Beach on D-Day, 1944 Fred, from Richmond, south west London, had the task of recovering the dead and injured and the ship was towed back to the Isle of Wight for repairs. He also escorted shipping convoys in the English Channel and spent World War Two's final months in the Far East. Fred sailed up the Rangoon River but had to keep his head down to avoid being shot by Japanese snipers. He returned home in 1946 and married sweetheart Joyce Osborne a year later, settling down in Yateley, Hants, where they had three children, Kevin, Karen and Katrina. He then became a transport manager for a concrete company. Fred returned to Normandy for the first time since the Allied invasion in 2003 and was an active member of the Surrey branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. Joyce died in 2013 and he made his final trip to Arromanches last month to commemorate the 78th anniversary of D-Day. Fred, a Legion D'Honneur recipient, France's highest military honour, died following a short illness at his home in Odiham, Hants, surrounded by his family, on July 28. Ian Allen, Fred's son-in-law, who runs the veterans' memorial page Normandy Post, said: 'On June 5, 1944, the Nith set sail for Normandy acting as headquarters for the 231st Infantry Brigade, which was to land on Gold Beach, close to the town of Arromanches. 'After working all night to get his ship to Normandy, at 8am on D-Day Fred was allowed on deck for a brief respite where he witnessed the might of the invasion force. 'It was here that he first saw a dead British soldier floating in the sea. 'Fred told how he could see the soldier's pay book coming out of his pocket, and how it was like his own. 'They were not allowed to recover the soldier's body. The veteran served aboard the warship HMS Nith (pictured) which was attacked by a German guided 'Mistel' killing nine and injuring 27 'Having successfully put the 231st Infantry Brigade ashore, the ship's next assignment was to take up position off Courseulles to control incoming shipping. 'On the night of June 23-24, 1944, Fred was asked to undertake a second spell on watch on the port side, not his usual starboard side position. 'Shortly after, the ships guns briefly opened fire before there was a huge explosion on the starboard side, with hot shrapnel flying through the air. 'The ship had been hit by a Mistel, a new German weapon where two aircraft flew attached to each other. 'The pilot would release the plane below which was full of explosives, and remotely control it onto its target. 'Casualties on board the Nith amounted to nine dead and 27 injured. 'Fred had argued with his commanding officer beforehand to go back on watch at his normal position on the starboard side of the ship. 'He was told to do as he was told and go on watch on the port side of the ship. Fred would have been killed if he had been in his normal starboard watch position. 'He helped recover the dead and injured and the ship was taken under tow back to the Isle Of Wight for repairs, the dead being buried at sea on route.' Post-war, Fred worked for AEC which made London buses, then as a transport manager for RMC (Ready Mixed Concrete). He is survived by five grand-daughters and one great-granddaughter. Fred Lee is pictured with Chris Evans for an interview and was known for taking numerous pilgrimages visits to Normandy Paying tribute, the Musee du Debarquement in Arromanches said: 'We learned with sadness the passing of Fred Lee, two days before his 96th birthday. 'During the June 2022 commemorations, he was the last Surrey Branch veteran to lower the Normandy Veterans Association flag. 'Condolences to his family and loved ones from the entire museum team. We will not forget you.' Richard Palusinski, of the Spirit of Normandy Trust, said: 'Fred undertook numerous pilgrimage visits to Normandy and was well known and loved by the people of Arromanches.' Fred was praised on social media for his 'courage and dedication' fighting the Nazis. Rebecca Hoare wrote: 'RIP Fred you have truly earned your rest thoughts and prayers for you family at this sad time and thank you for being amazing and you were true hero.' Allison Wallentin wrote: 'We can not thank you enough Fred for your courage, dedication and for giving us the freedom we enjoy today. 'We are forever in your debt and words are not enough to say thank you. Now you can rest in peace which is so deserved xxx' Yvonne Somrani added: 'RIP Fred, we were so pleased to see you in Normandy again this year. 'Thank you for your service; it was a pleasure to know you xx' D-Day veteran Fred Lee's family said in a statement today: 'Besides his family, Fred Lee treasured his friends. 'They were always greeted with a warm smile, a handshake, hug or kiss. 'So many people are missing him right now. We raise a glass of red in his honour - a lovely man.' The families of those murdered in the 9/11 terrorist attack are today celebrating the death of al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri who was killed in a CIA drone strike. Al-Zawahiri, 71, Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who helped mastermind multiple attacks including 9/11, was killed by two Hellfire 'Ninja' missiles whilst he stood on a balcony of his safe house in Afghanistan's capital Kabul this weekend. Former President George W. Bush's senior adviser Brad Blakeman, whose nephew - a first responder - was killed in 9/11 said Al-Zawahiri's death was 'a long time coming'. Blakeman's nephew, former Army medic Thomas Jurgens, was a New York court officer at the time and after the first plane hit the Twin Towers, he filled a jury van with first aid supplies and drove to the chaotic scene. But Jurgens died after the second plane hit and his body was never recovered. Speaking of Al-Zawahiri's killing, Blakeman told Fox News: 'It was a long day in coming. It should have been done a long time ago if we had had the opportunity.' 'What really dismays me is the fact that why is the United States always the one to take action against the terrorists when they're harbored in sovereign countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan in the case of (Osama) bin Laden? Why are these countries giving safe haven to these murderers and terrorists,' he said. Former President George W. Bush's senior adviser Brad Blakeman, whose nephew - a first responder - was killed in 9/11 said Al-Zawahiri's death was 'a long time coming' Patrick Dowdell, whose father FDNY Lt. Kevin Dowdell, was among 342 other members of the FDNY to die on 9/11 His brother, James Dowdell (third left front) said: 'Thank God for the military,' upon hearing of al-Zawahiri's death. 'They're still getting it done' FDNY Lt. Kevin Dowdell, who died on 9/11, left behind two sons, Patrick and James Dowdell 'So, while I thank the US for taking such bold action, I'm mad as hell that these countries are harboring these horrible people.' Firefighter James Dowdell was in the quarters of Rescue Co. 2 in Brooklyn when he got word of the death of the most wanted fugitive in the murder of his father, FDNY Lt. Kevin Dowdell, and 342 other members of the FDNY on 9/11. 'Thank God for the military,' he told the Daily Beast. 'They're still getting it done.' The news that Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed came just as the younger of fallen Kevin Dowdell's two sons was beginning to feel that people were forgetting about 9/11. His older brother, Patrick Dowdell, was in the military and deploying to serve in Afghanistan. He is now working in sales and cybersecurity. He was at home with his young family when a friend called to make sure he had heard about Zawahiri. 'We always say, 'Never forget,' Patrick said. 'The government as a whole, it's good to see that they don't. They're still going after the bad guys.' Despite the elation the brothers felt at the news of al-Zawahiri's death, it did not compare to their celebrations at the the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. On that day the Dowdell brothers went down to Ground Zero and join a crowd in chanting, 'U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!' Alice M. Greenwald, president and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, remarked that Zawahiri's death 'demonstrates how the 9/11 story continues to evolve, even 21 years later, and reinforces the need for us to keep educating younger generations about the continued impact of 9/11 on the world we live in today.' Alice M. Greenwald, president and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, remarked that Zawahiri's death 'demonstrates how the 9/11 story continues to evolve, even 21 years later' A list of missing firefighters was released by the Fire Department of New York City in the days after 9/11 Al-Zawahiri was killed as he stood on the balcony of his safe house in a wealthy area of downtown Kabul this weekend in a mission that took six months to plan. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren were living with him at the time of his death but were not harmed, American officials said. The home targeted in the strike was owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister for the Taliban, who is close to senior al Qaeda officials and is wanted by the FBI for questioning. In a grim and ironic twist, it was the Taliban harboring of Al-Qaeda terrorists that prompted the US to go into the country originally in 2001. US and NATO forces pulled out of Afghanistan in chaotic fashion a year ago last August, handing the country back to the Taliban. President Joe Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks when he announced the CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' Biden laid out al-Zawahiri's role in the terrorist organization, noting that, in addition to the 9/11 attacks, he was behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and the attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. 'He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests,' Biden said. Biden concluded his remarks with a warning: 'To those around the world who continue to seek to harm the United States, hear me now. We will always remain vigilant, and we will act, and we will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and around the globe.' It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Al-Zawahiri replaced bin Laden as the terrorist group's top leader. Biden, who remains in isolation after a rebound case of COVID, made his address from the first floor balcony off the Blue Room of the White House. Al-Zawahiri was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list. There was a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. Elsewhere in the deadly attack: The Taliban condemned the air strike in a statement and claimed that it 'violated international principles'; The heir apparent to al-Qaeda after the killing emerged as canny, military-trained operative Saif al-Adel; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, alleged Biden allowed the group to re-emerge. President Joe Biden on Monday evening announced a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri (pictured right earlier this year), Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who was the mastermind behind multiple attacks over the last two decades that have left thousands of Americans dead Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed by two Hellfire 'Ninja' missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones as he stood on the balcony of his safe house Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in Al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo. Al-Zawahiri took over the organization after Bin Laden was killed in a SEAL team raid in 2011, but he was being hunted by the U.S. as far back as 1998 Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a safehouse in Sherpur, a wealthy area of downtown Kabul that's home to multiple Taliban officials, when he was taken out in the drone strike The terrorist leader was killed by two Hellfire missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones in a mission that took six months to plan. U.S. officials didn't confirm the model, but it is believed they used the R9X 'Ninja' missile that don't have explosives and limit collateral damage From 9/11 to death on his balcony: How US tracked and killed Zawahiri Sept. 11, 2001 - Attack on twin towers of the World Trade Center. Al-Zawahiri is Osama bin Laden's top deputy and widely credited with masterminding the attack May 2, 2011 - Successful US operation to take out bin Laden at compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan 2011 - Al-Zawahiri succeeds bin Laden following the successful U.S. operation to take out world's top terror leader. US intelligence over several months gains 'increased confidence' terror leader's family has relocated to a safe house Early April - Top security staffers are informed of 'developing intelligence'. Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan briefs President Biden US officials develop 'pattern of life' for Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri arrives at the safe house location; US not aware of him ever leaving after he arrived Al-Zawahiri continues to crank out videos attacking the US and allies. The US then investigates 'construction and nature of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the terror leader without endangering civilians. Officials undertake operation to determine the identity of all the people in the safe house. Officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike. Officials hold a series of 'close-hold' briefing to vet intelligence. 'Key' agencies are brought into the process to make sure information is 'rock solid' and develop alternatives and minimize risks to civilians During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convenes several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize intelligence May and June - Biden receives updates July 1 - Biden is briefed on a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room by key members of his cabinet. Attending are CIA Director William Burns, counterterrorism experts, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Finer Biden examines a model that was constructed of the safe house inside the Situation Room. Biden requests further information on building plans and likely effects of a strike. Directs intel community to prepare impact analyses. Asks intel to consider risks to Mark Randall Frerichs, an American who disappeared in Afghanistan in 2020, impact on future access to Afghan air space, and on efforts to evacuate Afghan partners June and July - Principals and deputies convene in Situation Room multiple times to 'test the intelligence picture'. 'Tight circle' of agency lawyers confirms legal basis. They conclude al-Zawahiri is a lawful target. Biden asks all present for their view. 'All strongly recommended approval of this target' July 25 - Biden convenes advisors and key cabinet for final meeting on updated intel. Asks again about other options, the layout of rooms, and impacts. At the end of the meeting, Biden 'authorized a precise tailored airstrikes on the condition that have strike minimize, to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties.' July 30, 9:48 pm EDT - US undertakes 'precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul' to take out al-Zawahiri Advertisement In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of 'international principles.' The strike was conducted on a residential house in Kabul's Sherpur area, a wealthy downtown neighborhood where several Taliban government officials live. Al-Zawahiri was standing on the balcony of the three-story home when two R9X missiles - a hellfire missile armed with long blades aimed at killing targets with kinetic energy to minimize major collateral damage - struck. The hellfire missiles were developed for precision drone strikes and are often used against high-value targets. The strike was carried out in the early morning hours of Sunday Kabul time 6:18 am there and 9:48 pm Saturday night in the United States after U.S. intelligence officials learned al-Zawahiri moved to Afghanistan in the last year. 'This year we identified that al-Zawahiri family his wife, his daughter, and her children relocated to a safe house in Kabul,' a senior administration official told reporters on a background briefing call ahead of Biden's speech. Al-Zawahiri was never seen leaving that safe house, the official said. The official said only al-Zawahiri was killed and that members of the Haqqani network, a terrorist group that is part of the Taliban government, removed his family from the safe house 'to another location consistent with a broader effort to cover up that they had been living in the space.' 'Al-Zawahiri family members were present in other parts of the safe house at the time of the strike, and were purposefully not targeted and were unharmed,' the official said. Biden was first briefed on Al-Zawahiri's location on July 1. The official described their intelligence as 'rock solid.' The official said Biden asked 'detailed questions' on their intelligence, examined a model of the house that intelligence officials built and brought into the Situation Room for him to see, and asked about the possibility of civilian casualties. On July 25th, Biden made the decision to authorize the strike. 'He was particularly focused on ensuring that every step had been taken to ensure the operation would minimize that risk. And he wanted to understand the basis upon which we had confidence in our assessments. The President requested further information on the building plans and about likely effects of a strike,' the official said. Biden was in isolation with his rebound case of covid when the strike was carried out but was kept informed when it began and when it ended, the official noted. The Biden administration also made clear they expect the Taliban to abide by the terms of the Doha agreement, which outlined the terms for the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that al-Zawahiri's presence in the Afghan capitol city was a 'clear violation' of the agreement. 'Obviously this is a very important point for us to make clear that follow up on that we expect them to abide by the terms of the Doha agreement, and the presence of al-Zawahiri in downtown Kabul with a clear violation of that,' the official said. 'Going forward with the Taliban, we will continue to hold them accountable for their actions,' the officials. 'We will take action to protect our interests, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, which is firm that it al Qaeda should never be allowed to re-establish itself in Afghanistan.' It was the first attack in Afghanistan since American forces left last year. It took six months to plan. Biden was in isolation with his rebound case of covid when the strike was carried out but was kept informed when it began and when it ended, the official noted Al-Zawarihi and his family were living at home in Kabul owned by Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani (above) Al-Zawahiri's FBI wanted poster - there was a $25 million reward for information on him Fanatical ideologue whose new brand of terror prized massacring innocents: Ayman al-Zawahiri inspired Bin Laden to attack the US and wanted Al-Qaeda to get NUCLEAR weapons Al Quaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a recorded message Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been killed by a CIA drone strike, led a new brand of terror that prized massacring innocents, having inspired the former leader to gather nuclear and biological weapons. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following the US strike. The terrorist leader is said to have guided al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon, also called The Doctor, led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As part of this, al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. His own militant group began when he was 15, having organized an underground cell of friends to overthrow Egypt's Islamic theocracy and government, after it executed Qutb in 1966. This cell grew to become the Jihad Group, which plotted the assassination of Egyptian leaders in the early 1980s, and was also involved in the killing of the country's president, Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, the Washington Post reported. 'We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam,' he shouted in the courtroom. He was briefly jailed for three years for the possession of arms, having been acquitted of the main charges. Later, he claimed to have been tortured while behind bars. After his release, he began touring South Asia and became the personal doctor to Bin Laden. In 1997, while living in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was involved in planning an attack on Egyptian tourists visiting the Luxor ruins. Advertisement President Biden, in his remarks, said the drone strike on al-Zawahiiri was evidence that he was right when he told Americans last summer that removing all US troops from Afghanistan would not undermine the United States' ability to fight terrorism. 'When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I made the decision that after 20 years of war, the United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan, to protect America from terrorists who seek to do us harm. 'And I made a promise to the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. We've done just that,' he said. Al-Zawahiri took over al Qaeda after bin Laden's death in 2011, when bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011. In 1998, he was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. On August 7, 1998, nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa - 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. Both he and bin Laden escaped U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late 2001. Zawahiri's whereabouts had long been a mystery. Rumors have spread since late 2020 that al-Zawahiri had died from illness. But he appeared in a new video in April, where he denounced the 'enemies of Islam.' He appeared after a school in India banned the wearing of the hijab. Before April, Al-Zawahiri last appeared in a video last year marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, months after thee rumors spread that he was dead. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. SITE said al-Zawahiri also noted the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. Al-Zawahiri was born in Egypt in 1951 and worked as a surgeon. He grew up in an upper-class neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, the son of a prominent physician and grandson of famous scholars. An Islamic fundamentalist, al-Zawahiri joined the outlawed Egyptian Islamic Jihad group as a teenager, being jailed twice for helping plot assassinations of two Egyptian leaders. He eventually became the group's leader, which was dedicated to the creation of an Islamic state in Egypt, and in the 1980s he joined Mujahedeen fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan. There he befriended and joined forces with bin Laden, becoming his personal physician. He formally merged his group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, with al Qaeda in 1998. The two men later issued a fatwa, or decree, that said: 'The judgment to kill and fight Americans and their allies, whether civilians or military, is an obligation for every Muslim.' Al-Zawahiri's slaying has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in, having previously developed ties with the terrorist group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Speculation is rising as to whether his living arrangements with Taliban interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani could create further difficulties for the West's relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Smoke rises from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in this frame grabe from TV, after a suspected car bomb exploded outside in 1998; al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya Armed US Marines stand guard by the US embassy entrance in Nairobi in 1998 as FBI agents gather evidence in the bombing U.S. military pall bearers carry the first five flag-draped coffins of 10 Americans killed in the bombings at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, during a memorial service at Andrews Air Force Base in 1998 Republicans slam Biden's 'ridiculous victory lap' after killing Bin Laden's longtime No. 2 Republicans are slamming President Joe Biden for applauding the killing of Al Qaeda's top leader, alleging his 'disastrous withdrawal' from Afghanistan paved the way for the group's resurgence. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blamed Biden's botched exit from the Taliban-ruled country on the 'possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda,' alleging the US must take action to prevent terrorists from entering the nation. GOP Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed McCarthy's sentiment saying that even Americans will be glad Zawahiri is dead, 'Joe's victory lap is ridiculous.' Biden's critics allege the drone strike demonstrates the president's failure to combat terrorism and his blatant lies to the American people, citing previous statements he made claiming Al Qaeda was not present in Afghanistan. 'Today is further proof that our United States Military and Intelligence Community personnel will not stop pursuing those who threaten the United States of America and our interests,' McCarthy said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'This news also sheds light on the possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago,' he continued. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of Al Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' Advertisement It comes as US President Joe Biden's officials said that Haqqani Network leaders knew al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul. 'Immediately after the strike, Haqqani operatives sealed off the area and relocated Zawahiri's relatives. A damning indictment of Taliban credibility,' said director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister. It may add further credibility to recent intelligence claims from the US that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the Taliban government, has allowed al-Qaeda to re-emerge in Afghanistan, after taking over the country last year. In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' Is this Al-Qaeda's next terror chief? Secretive heir apparent who 'oversaw Black Hawk Down operation' and helped carry out 9/11 attacks is poised to take over Pictured in just one of three published photos, al-Adel is the likely successor to the al-Qaeda throne. He is credited with masterminding the bombings of three US embassies in 1998 as well as playing a key role in the notorious 'Black Hawk Down' plot The heir apparent to the al-Qaeda throne after tonight's confirmed death of Ayman al-Zawahiri is a canny, military-trained operative with experience killing British and American soldiers. Egyptian ex-army officer Saif al-Adel was a founding member of al-Qaeda, having joined pre-cursor terrorist group Maktab al-Khidamat in the late-1980s. There he met future allies Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, whose separate group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) he would soon join. Little else is known about Saif al-Adel, who at around 60 years of age is one of the younger al-Qaeda bosses. Al-Adel was around 30 when he oversaw the infamous 'Black Hawk Down' operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 American soldiers were killed and had their bodies dragged through the streets. Seven more were slain when two helicopters were shot down in the east Africa ambush, including two British soldiers, three Turks and a Frenchman. And since the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011, al-Adel has become an increasingly important strategist within the depleting terror cell. The only thing standing in his way to become the next al-Qaeda leader is that he is likely stuck in Iran - and may well have been for the past 19 years. In 2003, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Javad Zarif refused to confirm nor deny whether al-Adel was being held in the country. He told ABC News that terrorists tend to have multiple passports, with the Iranian government unable to confirm their identities. With what's left of al-Qaeda now based in Afghanistan - and in coexistence with the Taliban - al-Adel's geographic isolation could stop him taking the helm, foreign policy analyst Charles Lister suggested tonight. With his real name thought to be Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, al-Adel's made-up moniker translates to 'Sword of Justice'. Thought not as brainwashed by Islamist ideology as his al-Qaeda colleagues, al-Adel used his military training to rise to the top of the shadowy organization in the wake of the September 11 attacks, in which senior operatives killed themselves. Al-Adel was in fact against the so-called 'Planes Operation', as it was known by members of the terror cell. Al-Adel is pictured (centre) on an al-Qaeda who's who published in 2005. Osama bin Laden is pictured top-left, with al-Zawahiri to his right and Mullah Omar to the right of al-Zawahiri. Saif is now one of the only original al-Qaeda leaders still alive The FBI Most Wanted poster on Al-Adel states the reward of up to $10million for information Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors But he helped organize the single most deadly terrorist attack in history after bin Laden became committed to the idea. According to ex-FBI agent and counter-terrorism expert Ali Soufan, who suggested al-Adel would be 'al-Qaeda's next leader' last year, Saif possesses a 'poker face' and a 'caustic tongue'. When training young soldiers, he was known to kidnap them in the middle of the night and conduct savage beatings in order to harden the troops. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors. Osama's assumed successor son Hamza was killed in 2019 and fellow senior strategist Abu Muhammad al-Masri was assassinated in 2020. US intelligence states: 'Al-Adel is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.' Two hundred and twenty-four people died in the three East Africa blasts, including 12 Americans, with more than 4,500 people wounded. A $10million reward for information has been placed on al-Adel's head. And with ex-leader al-Zawahiri now slain, the attention of America's terrorist hunters will likely go onto Saif al-Adel. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following a US airstrike this evening. The terrorist leader is said to have guided Al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Advertisement The six-blade 'ninja missile' used to mince terrorists: CIA deployed two R9X Hellfires to shred Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri - a month after it was used to wipe out ISIS thug in Syria Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became the latest victim of the feared Hellfire Ninja R9X missile that uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, according to military experts. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden. The terrorist leader was 71 years old. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 1 that a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader as he walked on to the balcony of his safe house. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. The existence of the missile has not been confirmed by the US military. The official described the al-Zawahiri assassination as a 'precise tailored airstrike.' The possibly closest look we have of a used R9X in Yemen in June 2022. The red ball is the pneumatic accumulator that helps to propel the missile Other targets shed to pieces by Hellfire RX9 missiles: List includes al Qaeda targets, an Iranian general and a mysterious terror financer The Hellfire RX9 missile is a highly secretive collaboration between the CIA and the DOD that has its origins during the Obama administration in 2011. The purpose of the project was to limit the amount of collateral damage and civilian casualties caused during conventional drone strikes. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. Here are some of the known victims of one of the CIA's most sophisticated pieces of weaponry: Abu Khayr al-Masri - February 2017 Then al-Qaeda's second in command, Abu Al-Khayr al-Masri is thought to have been the first person killed by the RX9 missile. Al-Masri was killed alongside another militant in Idlib, Syria, on February 26, 2017. According to GlobalSecurity.org, locals at the scene, while suspecting a drone strike, were shocked that there was 'no real sign of a large explosion' and that the terrorist leader's Kia sedan remained largely in tact. Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi - January 2019 This photo provided by the FBI shows Jamal al-Badawi. He was the mastermind behind the the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors On New Year's Day 2019, Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, a prime suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, was killed by an R9X missile in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen. He was driving alone when he was killed and there were no other reported casualties. The bombing of the USS Cole killed 17 American sailors. He was the first high-profile terrorist target that US forces killed in Yemen. Then President Donald Trump tweeted at the time: 'We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!' Mohibullah - January 2020 In January 2019, the Afghani government confirmed that a mysterious financier of terrorism, known only as Mohibullah, was killed in a targeted strike in the northeastern part of Afghanistan. He was driving in a car when killed. Mohibullah was a Pakistani citizen. General Qassem Soleimani - Janaury 2020 A demonstrator holds the picture of Qassem Soleimani during a protest against the assassination of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. A report from The Hill at the time of Soleimani's death found that the height from which the general was struck had the characteristics of the RX9 missile. Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sanaani - June 2020 Hurras Al-Din leaders Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sananni were killed in Syria's Idlib province in June 2020. Like al-Masri, the pair were traveling in a car when they were hit by a drone strike. Similarly, local reported no explosion and their vehicle remained largely intact. Al Urduni was a close ally of key US target, al Qaeda organizer Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in bombing in 2006. Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki - August 2020 Military trainer for al-Qaeda Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki was killed by what one news source referred to as a '100-pound flying switchblade' in August 2020. Al-Uzbeki had also been work in with Hurras Al-Din at the time of his death. Abu Hamzah al-Yemini - June 2022 Abu Hamzah al-Yemini, the leader of Hurras al Din, was killed in northwestern Syria on June 29 this year. ' Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni was travelling alone on a motorcycle at the time of the strike,' US Central Command said in a statement, adding that an 'initial review indicates no civilian casualties.' Multiple experts said that the scene of al-Yemini's death showed the hallmarks of the RX9 missile. Advertisement Osama Bin-Laden's former number two was staying in the home with members of his family. President Biden said that there other injuries as a result of Saturday's strike. It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. In fact, the RX9 was considered when plans were being drawn up to permanently take down the 9/11 mastermind. The R9X Hellfire missile has become one of the US military's favored weapons for precision assassinations as it carries a lower risk of collateral damage. Developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 amid concerns over the number of civilians being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East, the 'ninja' missile is so nicknamed because it foregoes the use of an explosive warhead. It the result of a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman. It is not clear how many R9X missiles that the Pentagon have in their possession. The R9X is not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement. The secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020, reports the New York Times. But it has reportedly been used on nearly a dozen other occasions to take out specific targets. During the Korean and Vietnam wars in the 1950s, the US military pioneered an idea of non-explosive kinetic bombs named Lazy Dogs. The bombs were designed to kill using kinetic energy after being dropped from aircraft. The weighed between 560 and 625 pounds. Lazy Dogs did not prove to be popular among commanders and their development was halted in the 1960s. The existence of the R9X was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019. The newspaper said that the missile was used in attacks on persons in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. The Journal said that those worked with the R9X is referred to as the 'flying Ginsu,' a reference to a popular brand of steak knives. An unnamed official source told the newspaper at the time that the missile was created with the 'express purpose of reducing civilian casualties.' The article referred to the weapon as being similar to a 'speedy anvil.' The example that the Journal provides suggests that the R9X was so precise that if a target was in a car with an innocent driver, the missile would take out the target and spare the driver. The same report said that the missile's blades can cut through buildings, and car roofs. At the time of the WSJ report, Human Rights Watch's Letta Tayler wrote on the group's website that the RX9 should not necessarily be viewed as a more ethical weapon. Tayler said: 'On its own, the R9X won't resolve the host of legal issues surrounding the US targeted killing program, which since 2002 has killed thousands of people with scant transparency.' In August 2021, the R9X was thought to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. According to Task and Purpose, the missiles were fired from a MQ-9 Reaper drone. Following that strike, Army Major General William 'Hank' Taylor bragged about the lack of civilian casualties adding: 'Without specifying any future plans, I will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage over-the-horizon capability to conduct counterterrorism operations as needed.' That strike was in response to the Hamid Karzai International Airport attack that killed 13 US servicemembers. In addition to the August 2021 attack, the R9X is thought to have been used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. It was used again to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan in January 2019, that same month the missile was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri in June 2019 The following year, the missile was the cause of death of Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria. The latter featured the use of three 100-plus-pound warheads, according to the Military Times. Al-Zawahiri joins a list of undesirables that includes, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in 2004 by the Israeli Air Force, who have been taken out by variations of the traditional Hellfire missile. While in use by the US military, conventional Hellfire missiles have taken out Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda organizer as well as high-ranking Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2012, Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr, who met his end in 2014 in Somalia, not to mention Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John who was killed in 2015 in Syria. The explosive warhead on a traditional hellfire missile weighs around 20 pounds. The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022. Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target. Hurras al Din is a relatively small but powerful armed group led by Al Qaeda loyalists, which was led by Yemeni until his death yesterday. It's estimated to have 2,000 to 2,500 fighters in rebel-held Syria, according to the United Nations. The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. In his remarks following al-Zawahiri's killing, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks and said the killing of al-Zawahiri demonstrated the resolve of the United States to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' The motorbike, that was reportedly being ridden by jihadist leader Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni at the time that he was killed by a US drone strike, is shown mangled after being hit by the R9X Blitzed on his balcony: How CIA spied on Ayman al-Zawahiri for six months before pounding terror chief with two Hellfire missiles when he stepped out of Kabul home and 'lingered' The United States killed al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike Saturday, following a more than 20-year effort to assassinate the terrorist. Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011. The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US. The early morning attack saw al-Zawahiri killed by two hellfire missiles fired from drones deployed by the CIA, as he stood on the balcony of the safe house in downtown Kabul. The Egyptian-born jihadist apparently proceeded to linger on the landing, as U.S. intelligence had noted he often did, allowing the drone ample time to execute the attack. The mission, officials said, took six months to plan - but served as the culmination of a much wider, carefully coordinated campaign to track down and kill the al Qaeda head, who had successfully evaded US armed forces up until this point. The slaying came more than 11 years after Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy Seals on May 2, 2011, in a more hands on, drone-less strike that came after a nearly decade-long hunt for the 9/11 mastermind. Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011 An Egyptian born to a comfortable family in Cairo in 1951, al-Zawahiri first came on authorities' radars in the 90s, shortly after the formation of the terror group in 1988 by Bin Laden - at which time al-Zawahiri was already a member. The two terrorists reportedly met sometime in late 1980s, when al-Zawahri reportedly kept the Saudi millionaire safe in the caves of Afghanistan from Soviet bombardments that then had been common in the region. In 1998, he was named Bin Laden's deputy, further raising his profile, as he began to appear alongside the Saudi national at al-Qaeda held news conferences, airing anti-American sentiment and calling for other likeminded Muslims to join their cause. That same year, al-Zawahiri, then 47, was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The August 7 attack saw nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing 224 - including 12 Americans - and wounding more than 4,500. At the time, al-Zawahri - who was radicalized after he and hundreds of militants were tortured in Egyptian prison after Islamic fundamentalists' assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - had bolstered the terror group by merging it with his own group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which he had started in the 80s. He would then help hone the group secretly in his home nation, all while evading Egyptian intelligence, until it achieved cells of followers all across the globe. After years of quietly assembling suicide attackers, funds and plans, al-Zawahri, Bin Laden and several others would carry out the infamous September 11 attacks, putting him and other conspirators at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Going into hiding, al-Zawahri would then work to ensure that al-Qaeda members survived the global manhunt that would ensue - all while rebuilding the group's shattered leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, and serving as the supreme leader over branches in Iraq, Asia, Yemen, In this 1998 photo, Ayman al-Zawahri, left, listens during a news conference with Osama bin Laden in Khost, Afghanistan. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader al-Zawahri Saturday In the years that followed, al-Zawahri and Bin Laden would take credit for a series of attacks across Europ and Africa, as US forces successfully rounded up several accused of masterminding the 9/11 plot. Despite efforts that included a combination of unrelenting raids and missile and drone strikes, both al-Zawahri bin Laden would successfully manage to evade US forces, and hide elsewhere in the Middle East. It would take roughly a decade before US armed forces were able to track down at least one of the terror group's elusive top members, with a group of US Navy seals successfully taking out Bin Laden, then 54, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was at this point that al-Zawahiri assumed leadership of the group, taking over immediately after the death of his friend. US intelligence would then learn over the course of several months from sources with 'increased confidence' that the terror leader's family had relocated to an unspecified safe house somewhere in the Middle East. The next clue to the al-Qaueda kingpin's whereabouts would not come for another decade, after rumors swirled in 2020 that the terror boss had died from illness. Those rumors were put to bed, however, the very next year, on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Zawahiri appeared in a video where he celebrated the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. The sudden spot seemingly did not provide US officials any clues as to where al-Zawahiri was hiding - however, seven months later, top US security staffers were reportedly informed of 'developing intelligence' that he and his family were back in Afghanistan. The breakthrough came in April, after US officials learned that the terror leader's wife, daughter and children had relocated to Kabul, at an al-Qaeda safehouse - the one struck over the weekend. Officials eventually determined that al-Zawahri, too, was at the house - setting into motion a plan that would see officials construct a scale model of the multifloored, terraced property. That model would eventually be brought it into the White House Situation Room to President Joe Biden, who along with several senior security officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, would plot the attack, knowing that al-Zawahri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony. The group then painstakingly constructed 'a pattern of life,' as one official put it, for the terror leader, and said Monday that they had been confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew. In this television image from Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden, right, listens as his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri speaks at an undisclosed location, in this image made from undated video tape broadcast by the station April 15, 2002 Inside the administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were allowed into the highly classified planning process. During this time, as the US investigated the 'construction and nature of of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the target without putting civilians in danger, al-Zawahiri would continue to crank out videos attacking the US and its allies Shortly after, US officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike, after confirming the identities of all the people inside. 'Key' agencies, officials said, were then brought into the process to make sure that intel was 'rock solid' before eventually carrying out the top-secret operation. During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convened several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize the intelligence and analyze various updates as to the situation at hand. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Just as US officials had planned, the jihadist had been standing on the balcony of his hideout when the early-morning strike was carried out. 'We make it clear again tonight: That no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,' Biden said Monday, announcing the attack's success to the nation. Hours later, a statement from Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahri or any other casualties. It said it ''strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. The family of a mother-of-five who died from an allergic reaction after eating a 'dairy-free' 3.75 Pret sandwich say testing of the food after she died was 'inadequate'. Celia Marsh, 42, suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction after eating a 'super-veg rainbow flatbread' during a family meal at a Pret A Manger in Bath, Somerset, in December 2017. The sandwich's yoghurt dressing was supposed to be vegan, but was later found to have traces of dairy protein in it. Mrs Marsh, a dental nurse, was rushed to Royal United Hospital in the city, but later died two days after Christmas. The tragic incident came just a year after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died in similar circumstances when she suffered a reaction to hidden sesames in a Pret baguette purchased at Heathrow Airport which did not display it had them as an ingredient. A pre-inquest review into Mrs Marsh's death today heard the lack of investigation into the food item by Pret had 'caused both the family and others great concern'. A lawyer for the family also told the hearing it was 'deeply regrettable' that 'contents were not kept and properly analysed', adding that the testing was 'inadequate'. Avon and Somerset Coroner's Court heard there was a 'mismatch' between the information held by Australian-based coconut yoghurt firm CoYo and its UK distributors Planet Coconut about the potential for dairy contamination in its products. Coroner Maria Voisin said she will request a statement from Henry Gosling, the founder of CoYo. Celia Marsh, pictured, died after ingesting milk protein when she ate a wrap she thought was dairy-free But Ms Voisin also emphasised that the scope of an inquest is only to establish how someone died, and was not to place blame or replace civil litigation. CoYo and Mr Gosling have not been named as interested parties in the inquest. Mrs Marsh's inquest is due to begin on September 6 and is expected to last between two and three weeks. Bath and North East Somerset Council had earlier taken legal action against Pret and supplier Planet Coconut, but later dropped the case, while a personal injury claim by her husband Andy Marsh is ongoing. At today's hearing, Ms Voisin was told the family of Mrs Marsh, who lived in the Wiltshire town of Melksham, are 'keen that the inquest does not divert into an investigation into an investigation'. A lawyer for the family said: 'It is about how the deceased came about their death. 'But there are clearly concerns with the investigation and that forms part of the context and background, which we will be exploring with the experts.' The mother-of-five, pictured here with her husband Andy Marsh, was rushed to hospital after the incident in December 2017 but she sadly later died In the largely administrative two-hour hearing, the coroner also ruled the full inquest will take place without a jury at Ashton Gate, Bristol, and will not have remote access facilities. It was also deemed that it is necessary to obtain a statement from the director of CoYo, which was described as the 'missing link' in the chain, to probe to what extent the risk of milk contamination in the product was passed on. The flatbread contained a coconut milk yoghurt alternative supplied by company CoYo, that was supposed to be dairy free. These branded yoghurts are made by Planet Coconut. Ms Voisin added: 'We will request a statement but it is going to be very limited. We are not asking him to go above and and beyond that one area of concern.' She said this would be the last pre inquest hearing ahead of the full inquest listed for three weeks and due to take place from September, 6. In a statement released today, Pret a Manger said it would fully cooperate with the hearing. A spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies remain with the Marsh family over their terrible loss and we are doing everything we can to support this inquest. Mrs Marsh died after eating a 'super-veg rainbow flatbread' (pictured) which had been contaminated with milk protein 'Following Celia Marsh's death in 2017, charges were brought against Pret. The prosecution ended due to the lack of evidence and as a result, Pret was found not guilty. 'Over the past few years, Pret has established an industry-leading approach to helping customers with allergies, through the Pret Allergy Plan. 'We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that every customer has the information they need to make the right choice for them.' Mrs Marsh's family previously paid a tribute to their 'much-loved mother, daughter, sister and wife' following her death. In a statement following the opening of her inquest in October 2018, her family said: 'We have kept a dignified silence since the death of Celia in December last year as the family has come to terms with her sudden and unexpected death. She had bought the item from a Pret A Manger store in Stall Street, Bath, in December 2017 'We are also awaiting the outcome of the investigations into how she died. 'She was a much-loved mother, daughter, sister and wife. We miss her greatly and we just want the answers to why she died after eating lunch with her family.' At the time of the incident, the firm blamed by Pret A Manger for supplying the yoghurt described claims that it was responsible as 'unfounded'. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it investigated supplier CoYo, which later issued an allergy alert and recalled its coconut yoghurts. But CoYo denied the recall was linked to Ms Marsh's death and accused Pret of hampering its own probe by failing to provide vital information. Mrs Marsh's death came after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, pictured, died after eating a Pret baguette which had packaging that did not display it had sesame seeds baked into it Mrs Marsh's death came a year after Ms Ednan-Laperouse died in 2016. The 15-year-old, who had a nut allergy, died after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette unaware that it contained sesame seeds. She suffered a severe allergic reaction after the flight took off, and despite her father administering two Epi-pen injections on her, the teenager had two cardiac arrests. She died later that day in hospital in France. Following her death, her family campaigned for the introduction of Natasha's Law, requiring all food retailers to display the full ingredients and allergens on every food item made at that locations and pre-packed for sale. Advertisement Military experts today blamed Joe Biden's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan for the presence of an al-Qaeda leader in Kabul, who was killed in a US drone strike overnight. Ayman al-Zawahiri - Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who helped plan 9/11 and many other attacks on the West - was wiped out from the balcony of a safe house in the Afghan capital. President Biden issued a rallying cry as he delivered the news in the early hours of this morning, saying: 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' But the presence of a terrorist leader in Afghanistan intensified global scrutiny of its Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the US withdrawal from the Asian country that they would not harbour al-Qaeda members. Nearly a year after the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, al-Zawahri's killing raises questions about the involvement of Taliban leaders in sheltering a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and one of America's most-wanted fugitives. Scott Lucas, Professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham, was among those to voice criticism this morning. President Joe Biden on Monday evening announced a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader's Ayman al-Zawahiri (pictured right earlier this year), Osama Bin Laden's fanatical deputy who was the mastermind behind multiple attacks over the last two decades that have left thousands of Americans dead Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in Al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo. Al-Zawahiri took over the organization after Bin Laden was killed in a SEAL team raid in 2011, but he was being hunted by the U.S. as far back as 1998 A full flight of 265 people are evacuated out of Kabul by the UK Armed Forces on August 21, 2021 British armed forces work with the U.S. military to evacuate eligible civilians and their families out of the country on August 21, 2021 He told GB News: 'I think it's significant from the standpoint of how we consider the Taliban, because the Taliban - having taken power last August, having had the experience more than 20 years ago of being kicked out of power in part because they sheltered al-Qaeda - they went ahead and let al-Zawahiri come in. 'I think the Republicans will try to make political capital about it but I don't think many Americans will really actually care that much about it. 'The fact is the real betrayal in Afghanistan was the betrayal of the Afghan people when the Americans left so quickly. 'To give you a quick snapshot of how many people were involved in that betrayal of Afghanistan: by 2003, the idea we were in Afghanistan to contain al-Qaeda was gone. 'The fact is Osama Bin Laden wasn't in Afghanistan, he was in Pakistan and the US administration then a Republican administration was more concerned about invading Iraq to get rid of Saddam Hussein. 'This has been a long term thing, I think the Biden administration will say they're trying to control terrorism with what they call over-the-horizon strikes but the fact is Afghanistan was abandoned politically, economically and socially by the US and others several months ago.' Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also raised concerns, telling Sky News: 'I'm afraid a lot of people will draw that inference [that the Taliban's claim they're not harbouring terrorists can't be trusted] and I draw that inference as well. 'I think the withdrawal from Afghanistan was a very big low point for many, many reasons but this was the most important thing of all. 'We were supposed to be negotiating that Afghanistan would not go back to being a harbour for terrorists, I think this indicates we can't be sure that's not the case.' A view of Sherpur neighborhood where al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed by US Drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan Taliban security stand guard in the neighborhood where a US drone strike killed the Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in Kabul, Afghanistan Taliban security patrol in the neighborhood where a US drone strike killed the Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in Kabul, Afghanistan Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed by two Hellfire 'Ninja' missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones as he stood on the balcony of his safe house Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a safehouse in Sherpur, a wealthy area of downtown Kabul that's home to multiple Taliban officials, when he was taken out in the drone strike The terrorist leader was killed by two Hellfire missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones in a mission that took six months to plan. U.S. officials didn't confirm the model, but it is believed they used the R9X 'Ninja' missile that don't have explosives and limit collateral damage Al-Zawahiri's FBI wanted poster - there was a $25 million reward for information on him The safe house is in Kabul's upscale Shirpur neighborhood, home to several Taliban leaders who had moved into mansions of former top Afghan officials of the toppled Western-backed government. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, which also includes a Taliban pledge not to shelter those seeking to attack the US - something al-Zawahri had done for years in internet videos and online screeds. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. Meanwhile, rumors persist of unease in the Taliban ranks - particularly between the powerful group known as the Haqqani network, which apparently sheltered al-Zawahri, and other Taliban figures. 'The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions,' said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasn't authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qeida's leader after bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by US Navy SEALs. 'The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position,' the official said. Fanatical ideologue whose new brand of terror prized massacring innocents: Ayman al-Zawahiri inspired Bin Laden to attack the US and wanted Al-Qaeda to get NUCLEAR weapons to incinerate infidels Osama bin Ladens second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been killed by a CIA drone strike, led a new brand of terror that prized massacring innocents, having inspired the former leader to gather nuclear and biological weapons. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Ladens death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following the US strike. The terrorist leader is said to have guided al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon, also called The Doctor, led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. Al Quaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a recorded message where he threatened that attacks on London would continue as a result of Tony Blair's policies in the middle east 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As part of this, al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. Osama bin Ladens second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed by a CIA drone strike, after the FBI put a $25million bounty on the al-Qaeda leader's head. His own militant group began when he was 15, having organised an underground cell of friends to overthrow Egypt's Islamic theocracy and government, after it executed Qutb in 1966. This cell grew to become the Jihad Group, which plotted the assassination of Eqyptian leaders in the early 1980s, and was also involved in the killing of the country's president, Anwar Sadat on Octover 6, 1981, the Washington Post reported. 'We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam,' he shouted in the courtroom. He was briefly jailed for three years for the possession of arms, having been acquitted of the main charges. Later, he claimed to have been tortured while behind bars. After his release, he began touring South Asia and became the personal doctor to Bin Laden. In 1997, while living in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was involved in planning an attack on Egyptian tourists visiting the Luxor ruins. Al-Zawahiri is pictured on an al-Qaeda who's who published in 2005. Osama bin Laden is pictured top-left, with al-Zawahiri to his right A five-year-old British girl was one of the 62 who died during the 45-minute killing rampage, the Washington Post reported. The next year, al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed hundreds of people. Both he and bin Laden escaped U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late 2001, and was thought to have fled to Pakistan. He took over Al-Qaeda in 2011, when bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan. A succession of Al-Zawahiri deputies were also killed after bin Laden's death, weakening his international coordination efforts. Al-Zawahiri appeared in a video last year marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, months after rumours spread that he was dead Al-Zawahiri's whereabouts had been a mystery, with rumours spreading since late 2020 that he had died from illness. But he appeared in a new video in April, where he denounced the 'enemies of Islam', after a school in India banned the wearing of the hijab. In a nine-minute video released by As-Sahab Media, al-Qaedas official media wing, al-Zawahiri praised Muslim student Muskan Khan after she wore the Islamic scarf at a school in Karnataka state, governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to translations provided by counter-terror experts on Twitter, including the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors jihadist websites, the Egyptian-born doctor accused the pagan Hindu democracy of India of seeking to oppress Muslims. Al-Zawahiri also decried France, Holland, and Switzerland, as well as Egypt and Morocco, as enemies of Islam for their anti-hijab policies. Ayman al-Zawahiri, left, with Osama bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon He further criticised the governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh, accusing them of defending the very enemies that have empowered them to fight us. His death will be formally announced by President Joe Biden in an address to the nation from the White House at 7:30 pm ET. 'Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,' a senior administration official confirmed. The drone attack is the first known over-the-horizon strike by the United States on an al-Qaeda target in Afghanistan since American forces withdrew from the country on August 31, 2021. US officials did not clarify where in Afghanistan the strike took place. The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN were among outlets reporting the target's identity, citing unidentified sources. On Saturday morning the Afghan interior ministry denied reports circulating on social media of a drone strike in Kabul, stating that a rocket struck 'an empty house' in the capital, causing no casualties. Early Tuesday in Kabul, however, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that an 'aerial attack' was carried out on a residence in the Sherpur area of the city. 'The nature of the incident was not revealed at first. The security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident and found in their preliminary investigations that the attack was carried out by American drones,' his tweet said. Somalis hold a poster as they demonstrate against the Al Shebab Somali rebel group's announcement that they will officially join the Al Qaeda Islamic militant network. Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri officially announced the union between the two terror groups in 2012 In recent months the Taliban have largely barred media from covering the aftermath of security incidents and frequently deny or downplay any casualties. Al-Zawahiri last appeared in a video last year marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, months after rumours spread that he was dead. In that video, he proclaimed Jerusalem will never be Judaized and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. SITE said al-Zawahiri also noted the US militarys withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. In recent years, al-Qaeda has faced competition in jihadi circles from its rival, the Islamic State group. IS rose to prominence by seizing large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a caliphate and extending affiliates to multiple countries across the region. ISs physical caliphate was crushed in Iraq and Syria, though its militants are still active and carrying out attacks. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of IS, was killed by US special forces in a raid in northwestern Syria in October 2019. Al-Zawahiri was born in Egypt in 1951 and worked as a surgeon. He moved to Jeddah in the 1980s, where he met bin Laden. He became his personal advisor and physician. Have you been devastated by the flooding in Kentucky? Get in touch at claudia.aoraha@mailonline.com Advertisement A teenage girl has revealed that she 'prepared for death' as her home filled with deadly floodwater and she was forced to escape to a rooftop with her dog Sandy in Kentucky. Quick-thinking Chloe Adams, 17, put her dog in a plastic container that could float before swimming to her neighbor's roof, where she waited five hours to be rescued amid the calamitous flash floods in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Kentucky's catastrophic downpours, which have so far killed 37 people, obliterated entire towns and submerged houses in deadly flood water last week, as emergency services still try to desperately find missing people. Chloe's family, like hundreds of Kentuckians, lost everything in the fatal flood - and the 17-year-old said her priority was saving herself and her beloved mixed breed dog Sandy. In an image posted online by her father, brave Chloe was seen sitting on the peak of a rooftop, soaked through, and completely encircled by unprecedented floodwater. She sat on the summit with her pup in the torrential rain for five hours before being saved on Thursday during Kentucky's most deadly flood in history. Speaking about the horrific ordeal, Chloe told DailyMail.com: 'When I realized I had to get out I instantly began to put a plan together to get me and my dog out safely. 'I tested to see if Sandy would be able to swim and when she couldn't I looked for floating objects that would safely get her across. 'I first tried her dog bed and that quickly sunk, so then I tried a plastic container but she was too heavy for that, then I found a couch cushion and put the plastic container on top allowing her to get across the waters safely.' SHE'S A HERO: Chloe Adams, 17, is pictured sitting on her neighbor's rooftop with her dog Sandy, curled up in a plastic container, after the horrific flooding destroyed her home and she was forced to wait five hours to be rescued last Thursday Chloe said she 'prepared herself for death' in the moments she realized she had to evacuate her home and swim to a neighboring roof to safety. She has been hailed a hero for her brave actions, while the death toll in Kentucky rises to 37 Despite knowing the dangers of swimming in moving water, Chloe said she felt she had no choice. After wading through waist-deep water to get the plastic container, she quickly swam through the deluge and got the pair to the rooftop. She added: 'Of course all this was very scary and stressful, just I knew I needed to focus on getting out instead of panicking. It was sink or swim. 'What was going through my head was that I needed to save my dog Sandy. I was not leaving her behind, so that whole time I was just thinking of a plan. 'And sadly at some points during this traumatic experience, I was also trying to prepare for death because I didn't think Sandy and I were going to make it out.' The brave 17-year-old, who had been separated from her grandparents in the cold rushing water, had to swim from her sliding deck door to her neighbor's rooftop - which was one of the only structures not yet submerged in water. She and her father were finally reunited after being rescued by her cousin in a kayak five hours later, and she was taken to her grandmother's home. The family's belongings were obliterated by the intense downpours - but dad Terry said that they still have 'what matters most.' Chloe continued: 'I had to swim from my sliding door deck to my neighbor's garage building roof. 'I'm currently staying at my grandmothers house until further notice. My dad and I lost our home.' Chloe's father Terry Adams wrote on social media: 'My daughter is safe and whole tonight. She saved her dog by putting her in a container that would float and then swam with her to a neighboring rooftop. 'She waited hours until she could be rescued. She is a hero. I love you Chloe. You are simply amazing. We lost everything todayeverything except what matters most.' The family have started a GoFundMe page after their lives were devastated by the flooding in eastern Kentucky. Chloe, pictured with Sandy when she was younger in happier times. Despite knowing the dangers of swimming in moving water, Chloe said she felt she had no choice. After wading through waist-deep water to get the plastic container, she quickly swam and got the pair to the rooftop KENTUCKY: An aerial view of a car on a road submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky, on July 28 DESTRUCTION: A car is submerged in flood waters along Right Beaver Creek, following a day of heavy rain in in Garrett, Kentucky 'MULTIPLE FAMILIES WILL BE LOST': Lewis Ritchie, pulls a kayak through the water after delivering groceries to his father-in-law on July 28 outside Jackson, Kentucky This comes as the death toll hit 37 in Kentucky, with hundreds of people displaced and temporarily housed and thousands still without power. Gov Bashear said that the number of fatalities is expected to increase Tuesday after telling a press conference: 'I know we found more bodies overnight and this number will grow.' He updated the nation this morning since the state is set to be hit with another intense weather front in the coming days - scorching temperatures. After days of catastrophic rainfall, he said: 'It's going to be really hot, and really dangerous.' Kentucky are now having to set up cooling centers because the state is bracing for high temperatures this week - fearing that there may not be enough drinking water available. So far, Kentucky Police have provided over 1,000 wellness checks for missing people desperately try and locate lost friends and family in the hardest-hit areas. Dramatic drone footage over Hindman, one of the hardest hit cities in eastern Kentucky, showed several homes and buildings almost completely submerged by the flooding, with only their rooftops of some visible. Last week, homes with families inside were 'completely swept away in the middle of the night, possibly while they were sleeping,' in the violent mega storms that have plagued the state. Raging thunderstorms pummeled the area, causing mudslides and 'years' worth of damage in what has been Kentucky's most devastating flood in history. Waterlocked, saturated ground continued to swell on Friday while rivers and creeks burst their banks with additional downpours over the weekend. It will take the hundreds of people whose homes have been submerged in the dire flooding years to rebuild and recover from this cataclysmic disaster, Beshear said on Friday. Devastating images show the catastrophic destruction the flooding has caused, with vehicles floating through streets which now resemble rivers and lakes. KENTUCKY: An abandoned pick-up truck is seen submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky DEADLY STORM: A house is seen half submerged by flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. The death toll, which is expected to continue rising, has now reached 19 RESCUE MISSION: A group of stranded people are rescued from the flood waters of the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky Homes and businesses were submerged up to their rooves in the unrelenting deadly torrent. Residents were forced to climb trees and scramble to rooftops to look for safety as many locations in eastern Kentucky exceeded 10 inches of rain in 24 hours. The Governor declared a state of emergency in six counties on Thursday morning. Rain water was as high as the leaves of nearby trees and power poles were sticking up from greenish brown water, images from the destruction showed. On Friday, it was revealed that four young siblings drowned in Kentucky's disastrous flash floods after being swept from their mother's arms. Brittany Trejo said that her four young cousins - who were aged eight, six, four, and one and a half - were killed in the catastrophic floods. The bodies of all four children had been recovered from the Knott County community of Montgomery, devastated Trejo said, who is the cousin of the children's mom. The children's parents Amber Smith and Riley Noble live in Montgomery, and their home began filling with water on Thursday before the family-of-six were washed off of their roof with a big tide. They were holding on to a tree for hours - before another tide washed them all away and the parents lost sight of their children. Trejo revealed: 'They got on the roof and the entire underneath washed out with them and the children. They managed to get to a tree and held the children a few hours before a big tide came and wash them all away at the same time. The mother and father was stranded in the tree for 8 hours before anyone got there to help.' Little Riley Jr., six, and Nevaeh Noble, four, were found dead yesterday - and the bodies of Maddison Noble, eight, and Chance Noble, one and a half, were found Friday morning, Trejo said. TRAGIC SIBLINGS: From left to right - Maddison Noble, eight, Nevaeh Noble, four, Riley Jr., six, and Chance Noble, one and a half, all drowned in the Kentucky floods, according to their mother's cousin The owner of the dog that attacked a horse in front of shocked families in a busy Sydney park is a reality TV star who runs a hipster kombucha drink company. Daily Mail Australia can reveal Giacomo Franceschi - the maitre d' on Channel 10's First Dates and manager of top Merivale bar Charlie Parker's - is the pet's owner. Mr Franceschi said he is 'fundamentally sorry' for the ugly incident where Lunar - a $100,000 horse - was attacked by his white dog Supi in Centennial Park in the city's inner-east on Saturday afternoon as horrified onlookers watched on. Ian Benson, Lunar's owner, was walking her through the parkland's horse trail when he saw the dog 'lock on' from about 50 metres away, with the owners unable to call the animal back. The agitated canine then spent as long as five minutes attempting to bite the distressed horse, before Mr Benson managed to grab her by the collar and pin her to the ground. He said the dog's owners were telling them his horse was 'fine' before scooping up the pet and running off to their car. But Franceschi, founder of non-alcoholic drink company Beesbucha, has now expressed his regret over the incident and says it was the first time he took his pet pooch Supi to the park after rescuing her last year. Daily Mail Australia can reveal the dog's owner is Giacomo Franceschi, the maitre d' on Channel 10's First Dates Franceschi works as the host at the restaurant on the popular dating show, which sees strangers meet for the first time at a swanky restaurant in Sydney's CBD 'I take full responsibility for what happened. I never could have imagined it happening and of course, I have learnt a huge lesson the hard way,' he said. 'I will continue to be the best owner possible for Supi and I am so sorry to the owner of the horse and to the horse. 'I have spoken with the park rangers to express my sincere apologies and pay the $330 fine for not having Supi on the leash.' Franceschi works as the restaurant host on the popular dating show which sees strangers meet for the first time at a swanky eatery in Sydney's CBD. He greets the men and women who arrive at the establishment before showing them to their tables - often engaging in small talk with the love-seeking contestants. On a recent episode, professional wrestler Paris showed off his fighting skills by jokingly brawling with Franceschi after his date asked him to demonstrate his 'signature move'. Franceschi said he had rescued the dog named Supi last year and it was her first time at the park. He said he was 'fundamentally sorry' for the incident The dog runs back and forth attempting to dodge the people blocking it before repeatedly attempting to bite the horse's legs The Italian-born actor also runs the organic drink brand Beesbucha, which is based out of trendy Bondi. Franceschi, who has images with Supi on his Instagram with hashtags that include '#whitepitbull', said the dog is an Australian bulldog - and not a pitbull as first reported. He said he was walking with her off-leash because he had never seen her 'act out before', claiming the attack continued as long as it did because she was 'provoked'. 'I rescued Supi who is an Australian bulldog one year ago and she has been nothing but incredible, calm, and friendly,' Franceschi said. 'Supi had a tough start to her life and since rescuing her she has been a truly wonderful dog. 'On Saturday I took her to Centennial Park for the first time. It is my fault that I didnt have her on a leash, but she has never acted out before. 'She saw the horse - her first time seeing a horse - and she reacted. In the process of trying to grab her she was provoked and continued to try and go for the horse.' Franceschi, who has images with Supi on his Instagram with hashtags that include '#whitepitbull', said the dog is an Australian bulldog - and not a pitbull Franceschi works as the restaurant for the popular dating show, which sees strangers meet for the first time at a swanky restaurant in Sydney's CBD On a recent episode, professional wrestler Paris showed off his fighting skills by jokingly brawling with Franceschi after his date asked him to demonstrate his 'signature move' Mr Benson said the most disappointing part of the incident was the alleged unwillingness of Franceschi to exchange details. 'After it all finished and I caught the dog and pinned him down, I told him to keep his dog on a lead and asked for his license and phone number. He asked why, and I said "because your dog attacked my f***ing horse",' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'He told me my horse was fine, that I didn't need his details and scooped up his dog and ran off.' The First Dates star insisted he did apologise to Lunar's owner but left abruptly to ensure she didn't attack again. 'Once I got control of Supi, I apologised to the horse rider, we helped him find his AirPods that were lost in the commotion and then removed Supi from the scene,' Franceschi said. 'As you can imagine adrenaline was running high and I wanted to get Supi away.' The reality TV maitre d' said he was 'saddened by the aggressive response on social media' and promised not to have the dog off leash again. 'I appreciate people are seeing the video and not understanding how much of a mistake it was,' he said. 'This is the first time Supi has ever shown behavior like this and it goes without saying that I will ensure she is never in a situation like this again and will of course be on a leash.' Ian Benson (pictured) said the most disappointing part of the incident was the unwillingness of Franceschi to exchange details The First Dates star told Daily Mail Australia he did apologise to Lunar's owner and left abruptly to ensure Supi (pictured) didn't attack again Lunar's owner said the dog came bolting in from some distance, with her owner walking without a lead and unable to restrain her. He said he was shocked the dog wasn't killed after Lunar kicked her in the head twice while trying to escape her jaws. 'I'm amazed it's not dead,' Mr Benson said. 'It was kicked twice in the head. I did everything I could to get it away but it wouldn't stop. 'These dogs can do a lot of damage. Last time we had an attack from a dog like that, the horse had to be put down from the injuries.' Lunar 'amazingly' suffered no injuries from the attack, but the rider said it was the second incident they'd had with a dog that week. 'It's not even about the breed of the dog, if you get any sort of dog go after a horse, if a young girl is on a pony, the rider can get dropped,' he said. 'A horse will try to gallop home naturally, a family of four could be driving past and see a horse jump through the windscreen. 'Generally speaking dogs realise after a second or two they're outmatched or outsized. Lunar is good with dogs too, she'll just stand there.' Lunar was attacked by a white dog in Centennial Park in the city's inner-east on Saturday afternoon in front of a number of shocked families The attack was caught on camera by local resident Shannon Bishop, who walked into the section of the park several minutes into the attack 'I'm dealing with a 750kg animal who is startled, I can't go chasing after him to get his details. Thankfully she was fine because to call a vet out alone is $200.' He said if Lunar had acted erratically from the attack the incident could have ended significantly worse. 'If a dog attacks someone, the owner is liable. If my horse runs away as a result of this dog and hits a mother pushing a pram it's my fault,' Mr Benson said. 'I've had incidents in the park before and they've always been good enough to hand over details and that be that.' The attack was caught on camera by local resident Shannon Bishop, who described the incident as 'awful.' 'I saw the horse rear up on its hind legs and thought s**t what's going on there?' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Then I saw the dog. I was absolutely shocked at how aggressive the dog was, I could see it trying to snap at the underbelly of the horse. It was also snapping at the legs.' Mr Benson with his beloved horse Lunar - the rider said amazingly she suffered no injuries in the ugly incident Bystanders captured the horrifying moment the off-leash dog attacked Lunar in front of shocked families on Saturday In the footage, the dog repeatedly runs back and forth attempting to dodge the good Samaritans trying to block it from taking more chunks out of the horse's hind legs. Lunar eventually kicks the dog off him with a powerful defensive swing. 'It was awful to see,' Ms Bishop said of the pair. 'I was incredibly shocked at how useless the dog's owners were, at one stage they were attempting to block the dog but it went on for ages. It was quite confronting,' she said. 'I really was afraid it was going to get the horse.' A Florida dentist who was arrested Friday for sexually assaulting a patient once raped a worker in the hallway and gave another woman too much nitrous oxide before fondling her. More than 20 females have accused Dr. Charles Emmanuel Stamitoles, 65, of Pensacola, of sexual battery. His many alleged abuses, which began in Florida in 2003, became so frequent that Florida licensing officials, in an emergency injunction against in June, only allowed him to treat male patients. The dentist has been arrested four times in the last two months over sexual battery allegations and is currently released on a $25,000 bond. It is unclear how the series of sexual allegations against him has not been sent to court. Charles Emmanuel Stamitoles, 65, of Pensacola, Florida DailyMail.com has contacted the Georgia police department for the records and the Escambia DA's Office for comment. In a 33-record disclosure, obtained by DailyMail.com, showed Stamitoles' fervent abuses in Florida being documented throughout the years, including an alleged rape of a janitorial worker. He has been arrested four times since late May over sexual abuse accusations from his dentistry patients In May 2006, the 65-year-old reportedly sent his entire staff home, except the janitorial worker, who was cleaning the office. He allegedly 'rape her while they were in the hallway and by the X-ray machine.' She told police that Stamitoles 'pulled her shorts down and had sexual intercourse with her against her will,' a 2007 incident report said. After the alleged rape, the worker, whose name was redacted from the report, said she left the establishment and never returned. The worker told police she providing 'cleaning' work for the office in 'exchange for dental work.' After the incident, she received counseling and delayed reporting due to being 'scared,' the incident report read. Stamitoles was charged with a second-degree felony for sexual assault. The case was dropped after the investigator 'exhausted all investigative leads' and was unable to get someone to speak on the 'victim's behalf.' Another victim, who reported in June 2022, said she was given too much nitrous oxide during one of her appointments in 2005 or 2006, causing her to pass out, the incident report read. After receiving the medication, she said she 'began to feel strange' and the dental hygienist told the dentist he had 'given her too much.' When she awoke, she found Stamitoles' 'forehead pressed to her and [he] was, at the time, rubbing her upper thigh nears her private areas with his hands,' the incident report said. When she asked what he was doing, despite feeling 'disorientated,' he reportedly told her she was 'fine' and 'moved toward her feet while he continued to rub her legs.' She reported the incident after seeing the dentist's recent allegations being reported in the news and said she 'wished to pursue charges.' However, her case has exceeded its statute of limitations. In a 33-record disclosure, obtained by DailyMail.com, several woman accused him of a series of misconduct, including a former worker claiming he raped her. Another, a child sexual assault victim, also revealed he has her if she 'liked' the abuse as she got older. And another said she 'passed out' after getting too much nitrous oxide and woke up to find him rubbing her inner thighs Sexual battery has a statute of two years in Florida. In 2005 case, another woman claimed Stamitoles made 'lewd comments' toward her and 'touched her inappropriately' during several visits. In February 2005, he reportedly 'stroked her hair' and 'ran his finger up and down her stomach,' which was exposed due to 'lying on her back in the dentist chair.' He also reportedly 'scratched her back' and asked her she was a 'prude.' She revealed she was a child sexual assault victim and that 'sexual talk and actions' made her 'uneasy' due to her past. The woman was reportedly raped between the ages of 12 and 18 by a family member. After revealing this intimate bit, Stamitoles reportedly asked her 'if she began to like the sexual abuse as she got older.' In an additional visit in March 2005, when he entered the room to examine her teeth, he allegedly 'tilted her head and pointed it toward his waist.' She said she 'believed' he was 'looking down her shirt at her breasts' at the time, but now believes he 'wanted her to look at his penis area.' The woman had another appointment a day later for unknown reason and was browsing a Glamour magazine while she waited. He took the glossy magazine from her and allegedly to told her that 'most men would be looking at the model's breasts, but not him, he was looking at the model's teeth.' He also reportedly told her she had 'better looking' breasts than the model and he went on to 'running his finger in and out of her mouth, in an oral sex motion, asking her if she liked the feeling of him inside of her,' the investigation documents reported. Stamitoles also allegedly asked her if she thought he had stamina and endurance and told her he would 'wear her out' as he began a 'humping motion' while sitting in a chair. The dentist also reportedly spoke to her about his sexual battery allegations at the time and asked her if she thought he had touched her inappropriately, documents show. The woman, however, did tell investigators she would continue going to Stamitoles because he was 'such a good dentist.' In a 2021 report, a woman accused him of kissing her on the forehead and 'touching her cheeks.' He also allegedly 'grabbed her breasts and smashed them together with his hands, along with grabbing her hand and attempting to bring it to his private region against her will,' a Escambia County Sheriff's Office report said. She told police she didn't say anything at the time because he was about to administer a shot. The woman would later bring a friend with her to all her appointments. At her various appointment over the years, she said he often kissed her forehead and would tell her 'how beautiful she was.' The dentist has also been accused by other patients of attempting to forcibly make them touch his crotch area and making inappropriate comments. He also allegedly told one patients where she should get Botox and asked her if she wanted to go 'upstairs to see the salon he was building. In 2018, a woman reported on June 3 that the dentist 'placed his legs around her head' while in the reclining chair. He also allegedly kissed her cheek. In another June 3 report, a woman claimed the dentist had pulled her shirt and bra strap off her shoulder and began rubbing her tattoo, arm and thigh, according to the Pensacola News Journal. Another unnamed woman filed a report on June 7 about a November 2019 incident, where Stamitoles allegedly gave her 'gas' to help with her anxiety and, after the procedure, allegedly kissed her cheek. Yet another woman filed a report on June 7, saying that in 2019 he 'had an erection' and 'brushed his arm against her left breast' during her appointment. '[The victim] stated while Stamitoles was rubbing her arm and leg his face was extremely close to hers. So close to her personal space that I felt his breath heat and could probably tell you what he had for lunch,' the report said. Stamitoles also allegedly began 'shaking' a patient's shoulder, which made her breasts rub up against his chest, a report said, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The incident occurred sometime between 2018 and 2019. An arrest report from May 27 - the first time him he was apprehended - an employee accused him of slapping her on the butt, hugging her and kissing her on the head without her consent. He has been accused of forcibly kissing female patients, trying to force their hands toward his crotch and saying inappropriate things to them. In June, an emergency injunction was ordered, limiting his license to only treat male patients He allegedly asked her how a particular dentistry tool worked before reportedly grabbing her arm and open-handedly slapping her butt. The next day, Stamitoles allegedly cornered the employee in the bathroom while she was cleaning it, shutting the door and began to kiss her on the back of the head, WEAR TV reported. In a June 6 filing, a woman claimed Stamitoles grabbed her face and hovered six inches away from her, telling her 'I can help you with your teeth' after she told him she might go to another dentist as she felt his care was inadequate. After telling her he was happy to help her, he allegedly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. He also allegedly played the drums and piano for her - which he had in his office - and spoke to her in a 'weird (baby-like) voice,' according to WEAR TV. As she was leaving, she said he put his arm around her and whispered in her ear that he 'really loves her yellow blouse' and not to 'tell the other girls.' 'I do hope he loses his license, because I think he will continue to hurt people,' victim Jerri Jones told WEAR TV on June 23. 'He has shown patterns that he will continue to hurt people.' Another victim, Marta Andrews, said she has been 'praying for 19 years' for him to 'receive justice' after her 2003 battery case was acquitted. Two of his victims, Jerri Jones (left) and Marta Andrews (right), have spoken out publicly against the doctor. Jones said she 'hopes he loses his license, because I think he will continue to hurt people' Stamitoles' own staff allegedly knew about his abuse but did nothing about it because he was a 'very intimidating' man, a former employee told WEAR TV in June. DailyMail.com has contacted Stamitoles' staff for comment. Stamitoles has been accused so many times that Florida licensing officials held an emergency injunction in June, barring him from treating female patients as he posed a 'significant danger' to them. 'Dr. Stamitoles has exhibited a pattern of increasingly predatory and sexually aggressive behavior. Dr. Stamitoles has willfully abused his position as a dentist to sexually violate patients,' the court documents said. Although Stamitoles is still allowed to practice in the state of Florida at the moment, the dentist was barred from practicing in Georgia in 2004, after receiving similar allegations. According to public records, Stamitoles has received various reprimand letters and limited licenses for 'quality of care issues' in the state of Florida. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail on Friday and charged with felony battery - his first felony charge, according to WEAR TV. He has since been released on a $25,000 bond. Stamitoles has pleaded not guilty to all counts, including the felony battery charge. Advertisement A Brazilian bodybuilder and TikTok star who gained 1.6 million followers by injecting himself with life-threatening oil to create 23-inch biceps has died on his 55th birthday in Ribeirao Preto. Valdir Segato had been using synthol injections for years despite risking strokes and infections to produce hulking biceps, pectorals and back muscles. Segato, originally from Sao Paulo, previously said he was inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and fictional characters like The Hulk, and spoke of how he was proud to be known on the streets as 'the monster'. Six years ago he was warned he faced amputation, or at the very least nerve damage and muscle disfigurement, if he continued to use the injections to bulk himself out. But Segato, previously a construction worker, said he liked the attention it brought - and wanted to get even bigger. Scroll down for video Valdir Segato (pictured) had been using synthol injections for years despite risking strokes and infections to produce hulking biceps, pectorals and back muscles Six years ago he was warned he faced amputation, or at the very least nerve damage and muscle disfigurement, if he continued to use the injections to bulk himself out. But Segato, previously a construction worker, said he liked the attention it brought - and wanted to get even bigger Segato, originally from Sao Paulo, previously said he was inspired by the physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger and fictional characters like The Hulk, and spoke of how he was proud to be known locally as 'the monster' in the street As a youth Segato (pictured left) was an emaciated skinny drug addict and lost so much weight he was known as 'Skinny Dog' Speaking in 2016, he said: 'They call me Hulk, Schwarzenegger and He-Man all the time and I like that. I've doubled my biceps but I still want to be bigger.' He proudly posted images and videos to social media, calling himself 'Valdir Synthol' on Instagram. But according to local media, by the time of his death he had few friends of visitors, and lived an isolated life despite the huge social media following he had gained posting videos over the years. One man named Moises da Conceicao da Silva said the bodybuilder had rented a property built to the rear of his family's house in Ribeirao Preto, in southeast Brazil, for more than 15 years. Moises said on the day Segato died, he had asked Moises' mother for help - complaining about a shortness of breath. 'It was around 6 am, more or less. He came crawling through the back house and came to the front. Then he knocked on my mother's window, knocked, knocked, then she woke up and he said 'help me, help me because I'm dying,'' Moises said, according to Brazil's Globo news publication. He was taken to the North Emergency Care Unit (UPA) - a medical facility in the city - but could not be saved. 'They put him in the car and then the neighbour went to the UPA. He arrived at the UPA, he fell at the reception, having a heart attack. I think he had a heart attack', Moises told the news website. Moises' brother, Jadson da Conceicao, told Globo that this was not the first time Segato had to be rushed to hospital, and had previously complained of shortness of breath. The first time, he said, they were able to get him to the hospital on time. This time, he said, there was no saving him. Pictured: Valdir Segato is seen in one of his TikTok videos before his death The construction worker who called himself Valdir Synthol on social media, after the oil which he injects, said he used to be a drug addict before becoming addicted to bodybuilding Segato was known as 'Skinny Dog' in his youth (left) but today people compare him to the Hulk and Arnold Schwarzenegger (right) As a youth he was an emaciated skinny drug addict and lost so much weight he was known as 'Skinny Dog'. He previously stated: 'I got involved with drugs and I started losing weight because you don't eat, you lead a wrong life.' Segato quit drugs and joined a gym but he wanted more extreme effects than he could achieve from exercise alone. He was offered synthol by someone in the gym and, having an addictive personality, soon became hooked on the muscle-enhancing substance. Many bodybuilders swerve the lengthy list of side effects posed by anabolic steroids by opting for synthol, but the oil also poses huge risks. According to Europe PubMed Central: 'The side effects of synthol are manifold and they can also cause a damage of nerves, oil embolic of the pulmonary, occlusion of the pulmonary artery, myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and infectious complications.' The injections are comprised of 85 percent oil - often sesame oil - 7.5 percent lidocain, a painkiller, and 7.5 percent alcohol, used to sterilise the concoction. In addition the results are purely cosmetic and did not make Segato any stronger, and despite being warned that continued use of the oil could result in amputation, he carried on with the dangerous practice. Synthol is comprised of 85 percent oil - often sesame oil is used - 7.5 percent lidocain, a painkiller, and 7.5 percent alcohol, used to sterilise the concoction His rippling back muscles around his neck - the injections can cause nerve and muscle damage and he had refused to heed warnings of amputation Throwback: He previously stated: 'I got involved with drugs and I started losing weight because you don't eat, you lead a wrong life' His friend Fernando Carvalho da Silva, previously said: 'The oil thing is stupidity. He thinks it's good and I'm a friend so I stay quiet, but deep down I want to tell him to stop but he doesn't want to. He's happy like that. 'It's the risk he takes - he wants to look good and wants to be famous.' Advertisement The White House on Tuesday released a photo of President Joe Biden meeting with his national security team on July 1, where they outlined the operation to take out al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. In the photo, Biden is seen interacting with CIA Director William Burns, who is sitting to the president's right and wearing a face mask. The meeting took place in the Situation Room at the White House. During the briefing, Biden questioned his team about the proposed operation and examined a model that was constructed of the safe house in Kabul where al-Zawahiri was hiding. The White House tweeted the picture with the caption: 'On July 1, President Biden meets with his national security team to discuss the counterterrorism operation to take out Ayman al-Zawahiri. At this meeting, the President was briefed on the proposed operation and shown a model of the safe house where Al-Zawahiri was hiding.' Attending the meeting along with Burns were Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. President Joe Biden in the Situation Room at the White House meeting with his national security team on July 1, where they outlined the operation to take out al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Attending the meeting with President Biden were CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain In comparison, above is the model of Osama bin Laden's compound that U.S. intelligence used to plan the 2011 that resulted in his death A senior administration official said that during the meeting President Biden 'asked detailed questions about what we knew and how we knew it.' 'He was particularly focused on ensuring that every step had been taken to ensure the operation would minimize' the risk to civilian casualties, the official noted. 'And he wanted to understand the basis upon which we had confidence in our assessments,' the official said. He also asked his team to consider the risks to Mark Randall Frerichs, an American who disappeared in Afghanistan in 2020. More meetings would take place throughout the month and, on July 25th, Biden authorized the operation. It took place on July 30th. It was 6.18am on Sunday and the sun was still rising over the Afghan capital of Kabul when an American MQ-9 Reaper drone - circling up to 50,000ft overhead - fired two R9X 'Ninja' Hellfire missiles at a house in the city's upmarket district of Sherpur. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's former deputy and leader of the Al Qaeda terror group since his master's death 11 years before, had just completed his morning prayer - the second of the day - and was watching the dawn from his rooftop balcony in keeping with a well-worn routine. Moments later, the 71-year-old was no more - pulverised into oblivion by the R9X's 100lbs reinforced-metal warhead and six katana-like blades that would have silently popped out of the fuselage moments before impact. Timeline of the hunt for Ayman al-Zawahiri this year - Early April: Top security staffers are informed of 'developing intelligence'. Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan briefs President Biden US officials develop 'pattern of life' for Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri arrives at the safe house location - May and June - Biden receives updates - July 1 - Biden is briefed on a proposed operation in the White House Situation Room by members of his cabinet - June and July - Principals and deputies convene in Situation Room multiple times to 'test the intelligence picture'. They conclude al-Zawahiri is a lawful target. - July 25 - Biden convenes advisors and key cabinet for final meeting on updated intel. Asks again about other options. Biden 'authorized a precise tailored airstrikes on the condition that have strike minimize, to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties.' - July 30, 9:48 pm EDT - US undertakes 'precision counterterrorism operation in Kabul' to take him out Advertisement It marked the end of at least 21 years of hunting by US intelligence and the military - seeking justice for the almost-3,000 victims of the 9/11 terror attack which Zawahiri had masterminded, and hundreds more killed in bombings on American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and the USS Cole years before. Zawahiri's death means that all of the plotters of 9/11 have now been captured or killed. 'No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,' President Biden said yesterday. The strike was the culmination of six months of intensive intelligence work by the CIA which had tracked Zawahiri to the safe house, detailed his daily routine, and picked the ideal moment to hit him. US officials said the operation dates back to April, when they received intelligence that Zawahiri's wife, their daughter, and her children had moved into a safe house in Kabul, in the old diplomatic quarter that used to house Western officials and embassies. The family was being kept under the protection of the Haqqani network, a notorious terror organisation run by two brothers and their uncle who are closely associated with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban - which returned to rule in Afghanistan last August after America's shambolic withdrawal. Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the group's founder Jalaluddin, is the current Interior Minister for the Taliban government and leader of the network. One of his aides is thought to own the house where Zawahiri's family moved. Over the course of three months the US carried out painstaking work to confirm that Zawahiri was also living there, which culminated with multiple sightings of him spending 'sustained periods' on the balcony. Spies constructed a scale-model replica of the home and, through 'multiple intelligence sources', built up a detailed picture of Zawahiri's daily routine - trying to pick the ideal moment to strike him. President Biden was kept briefed as the intelligence built up throughout May and June. He closely scrutinised the plans - which called for a precision strike on the balcony - and was keen that every possible precaution was taken to ensure nobody other than Zawahiri would be killed. Ayman al-Zawahiri, mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and leader of Al Qaeda following Osama Bin Laden's death, was killed early Sunday in a drone attack on his safe house in the Afghan capital Kabul An MQ-9 Reaper drone fired two R9X 'ninja' Hellfire missiles at Zawahiri as he stood alone on his balcony watching the sun come up, obliterating him with 100lbs metal warheads and six blades that popped out of the fuselage before impact An image of the safe house after the attack shows how the missiles appear to have smashed through the floor of the rooftop balcony and damaged two of the windows in the room below - but did not harm anyone other than the terror leader The strike was carried out early Sunday at an Afghanistan safe house the elderly terrorist had be holed up in, at 6:18 am local time and 9:48 pm Saturday in the US. Smoke rises over Kabul in the wake of an early-morning US drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda leader Labeled by US officials as Osama bin Laden's number-two, al-Zawahiri, 71, was a key plotter of the September 11 terrorist attacks and took over as the leader of the notorious terror group following bin Laden's death in 2011 Watching al-Qaida chief's 'pattern of life' was key to his death U.S. officials had built a scale model of the safe house where Ayman al-Zawahiri had been located and constructed 'a pattern of life' prior to the drone strike that ended his life. Intelligence experts knew al-Zawahiri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony and were confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew Sunday. His family, supported by the Haqqani Taliban network, had taken up residence in the Kabul home after the Taliban regained control of the country last year. But the lead on his whereabouts was only the first step, as confirming al-Zawahiri's identity, devising a strike in a crowded city that wouldn't recklessly endanger civilians, and ensuring the operation wouldn't set back other U.S. priorities took months to fall into place. That effort involved independent teams of analysts reaching similar conclusions about the probability of al-Zawahiri's presence, the scale mock-up and engineering studies of the building to evaluate the risk to people nearby, and the unanimous recommendation of Biden's advisers to go ahead with the strike. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the strike planning, said al-Zawahiri was identified on 'multiple occasions, for sustained periods of time' on the balcony where he died. The official said 'multiple streams of intelligence' convinced U.S. analysts of his presence, having eliminated 'all reasonable options' other than his being there. Two senior national security officials were first briefed on the intelligence in early April, with the president being briefed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly thereafter. Through May and June, a small circle of officials across the government worked to vet the intelligence and devise options for Biden. Advertisement Five days later, at 9.48pm on July 30 Washington time - early morning the following day in Kabul - the strike was carried out with lethal precision. Photos of Zawahiri's safe-house after the attack appear to show how the Hellfire missiles smashed through the floor of the balcony and into the room below, breaking one window and blowing out another. Despite Zawahiri's family being at home at the time - intelligence suggests the never left the building in all the months they lived there - the US says nobody other than the terrorist leader was killed. Members of the Haqqani network are said to have swarmed the home shortly afterwards, moving Zawahiri's surviving relatives to a new location. Though Pentagon chiefs were 'confident' Zawahiri was on the balcony at the time of their attack, they worked over the course of the next day to be sure he was dead before giving confirmation to the President. Biden then made an address to the nation Monday night announcing Zawahiri's death, telling Americans: 'Justice has been delivered. And this terrorist leader is no more.' Zawahiri 'carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests,' Biden said, adding that he hoped the death would 'bring one more measure of closure' to those who lost family or loved ones on 9/11. Biden laid out al-Zawahiri's role in the terrorist organization, noting that, in addition to the 9/11 attacks, he was behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and the attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. It was the United State's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. Al-Zawahiri replace bin Laden as the terrorist group's top leader. Al-Zawahiri was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list and there was a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. An Egyptian born to a comfortable family in Cairo in 1951, al-Zawahiri first came on authorities' radars in the 90s, shortly after the formation of the terror group in 1988 by Bin Laden - at which time al-Zawahiri was already a member. The two terrorists reportedly met sometime in late 1980s, when al-Zawahiri reportedly kept the Saudi millionaire safe in the caves of Afghanistan from Soviet bombardments that then had been common in the region. In 1998, he was named Bin Laden's deputy, further raising his profile, as he began to appear alongside the Saudi national at al-Qaeda held news conferences, airing anti-American sentiment and calling for other likeminded Muslims to join their cause. That same year, al-Zawahiri, then 47, was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The August 7 attack saw nearly simultaneous bombs blow up in front of the embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing 224 - including 12 Americans - and wounding more than 4,500. The United States killed al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike Sunday, following a more than 20-year effort to assassinate the terrorist Al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's No 2 in Al-Qaeda, the radical jihadist network once led by the Saudi millionaire. The two are seen above in this September 2006 file photo The terrorist leader was killed by two Hellfire missiles - fitted with extending blades - fired from CIA drones in a mission that took six months to plan. U.S. officials didn't confirm the model, but it is believed they used the R9X 'Ninja' missile that don't have explosives and limit collateral damage Smoke rises from the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in this frame grabe from TV, after a suspected car bomb exploded outside in 1998; al-Zawahiri was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya Armed US Marines stand guard by the US embassy entrance in Nairobi in 1998 as FBI agents gather evidence in the bombing Fanatical ideologue whose new brand of terror prized massacring innocents: Ayman al-Zawahiri inspired Bin Laden to attack the US Al Quaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in a recorded message Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been killed by a CIA drone strike, led a new brand of terror that prized massacring innocents, having inspired the former leader to gather nuclear and biological weapons. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following the US strike. The terrorist leader is said to have guided al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon, also called The Doctor, led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped to plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As part of this, al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. His own militant group began when he was 15, having organized an underground cell of friends to overthrow Egypt's Islamic theocracy and government, after it executed Qutb in 1966. This cell grew to become the Jihad Group, which plotted the assassination of Egyptian leaders in the early 1980s, and was also involved in the killing of the country's president, Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, the Washington Post reported. 'We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam,' he shouted in the courtroom. He was briefly jailed for three years for the possession of arms, having been acquitted of the main charges. Later, he claimed to have been tortured while behind bars. After his release, he began touring South Asia and became the personal doctor to Bin Laden. In 1997, while living in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was involved in planning an attack on Egyptian tourists visiting the Luxor ruins. Advertisement At the time, al-Zawahiri - who was radicalized after he and hundreds of militants were tortured in Egyptian prison after Islamic fundamentalists' assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - had bolstered the terror group by merging it with his own group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which he had started in the 80s. He would then help hone the group secretly in his home nation, all while evading Egyptian intelligence, until it achieved cells of followers all across the globe. After years of quietly assembling suicide attackers, funds and plans, al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden and several others would carry out the infamous September 11 attacks, putting him and other conspirators at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Going into hiding, al-Zawahiri would then work to ensure that al-Qaeda members survived the global manhunt that would ensue - all while rebuilding the group's shattered leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, and serving as the supreme leader over branches in Iraq, Asia, Yemen, In the years that followed, al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden would take credit for a series of attacks across Europe and Africa, as U.S. forces successfully rounded up several accused of masterminding the 9/11 plot. Despite efforts that included a combination of unrelenting raids and missile and drone strikes, both al-Zawahiri bin Laden would successfully manage to evade U.S. forces, and hide elsewhere in the Middle East. It would take roughly a decade before U.S. armed forces were able to track down at least one of the terror group's elusive top members, with a group of U.S. Navy seals successfully taking out bin Laden, then 54, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was at this point that al-Zawahiri assumed leadership of the group, taking over immediately after the death of his friend. U.S. intelligence would then learn over the course of several months from sources with 'increased confidence' that the terror leader's family had relocated to an unspecified safe house in the Middle East. The next clue to the al-Qaueda kingpin's whereabouts would not come for another decade, after rumors swirled in 2020 that he had died from illness. Those rumors were put to bed, however, the very next year, on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Zawahiri appeared in a video where he celebrated the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan 20 years after the invasion. In that video, he proclaimed 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' and praised al-Qaeda attacks including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January 2021. The sudden spot seemingly did not provide U.S. officials any clues as to where al-Zawahiri was hiding - however, seven months later, top U.S. security staffers were reportedly informed of 'developing intelligence' that he and his family were back in Afghanistan. The breakthrough came in April, after U.S. officials learned that the terror leader's wife, daughter and children had relocated to Kabul, at an al-Qaeda safehouse - the one struck over the weekend. Officials eventually determined that al-Zawahiri, too, was at the house - setting into motion a plan that would see officials construct a scale model of the multifloored, terraced property. That model would eventually be brought it into the White House Situation Room to President Joe Biden, who along with several senior security officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, would plot the attack, knowing that al-Zawahiri was partial to sitting on the home's balcony. The group then paintakingly constructed 'a pattern of life' for the terror leader, and said Monday that they had been confident he was on the balcony when the missiles flew. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was in a safehouse in Sherpur, a wealthy area of downtown Kabul that's home to multiple Taliban officials, when he was taken out in the drone strike Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the airstrike, but did not mention al-Zawahiri, pictured here in 2006, or any other casualties Blinken hits back at the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha deal by sheltering al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri after group slammed US for Kabul drone strike The US Secretary of State slammed the Taliban for 'grossly' violating the Doha agreement by housing the leader of Al Qaeda, after the group denounced the US for killing the terrorist in a drone strike. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said their government 'strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext' and claimed it violated the Doha peace treaty. However, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Donald Trump-era agreement. The deal was signed in February 2020 and secured the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan on the condition the Taliban would not allow the territory to be used as a launchpad for Al Qaeda or Islamic State attacks against the US. UN security intelligence experts revealed in June that Al Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Joe Biden, addressing Zawahri's death Monday night, said he hopes it brings 'one more measure of closure' to families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken argued the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda 'In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,' Blinken said in a statement Monday. He also applauded al-Zawahiri's killing and the US military's 'commitment to act against terrorist threats.' 'We have delivered on our commitment to act against terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. The world is safer following the death of al Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,' he said before pledging: 'The US will continue to act against those who threaten our country, our people, or our allies.' Advertisement Inside the administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were allowed into the highly classified planning process. During this time, as the U.S. investigated the 'construction and nature of of the safe house' and building integrity so the strike could kill the target without putting civilians in danger, al-Zawahiri would continue to crank out videos attacking the U.S. and its allies Shortly after, U.S. officials 'systematically eliminated all reasonable options' other than a strike, after confirming the identities of all the people inside. 'Key' agencies, officials said, were then brought into the process to make sure that intel was 'rock solid' before eventually carrying out the top-secret operation. During the last few weeks of this period, Biden convened several meetings with advisors and cabinet members to scrutinize the intelligence and analyze various updates as to the situation at hand. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahiri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Just as U.S. officials had planned, the jihadist had been standing on the balcony of his hideout when the early-morning strike was carried out. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happen,' Biden declared during his Monday evening address. 'This terrorist leader is no more.' Afghanistan's Taliban government denounced the U.S. for killing al-Zawahiri in the drone strike, saying it 'strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 U.S. pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. However, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hit back, arguing the Taliban failed to 'abide by their commitment' to prevent Al Qaeda from operating in areas under its control - as outlined in the Trump-era deal. 'In the face of the Taliban's unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,' Blinken said in a statement Monday. He also applauded al-Zawahiri's killing and the U.S. military's 'commitment to act against terrorist threats.' 'We have delivered on our commitment to act against terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. 'The world is safer following the death of al Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,' he said before pledging: 'The US will continue to act against those who threaten our country, our people, or our allies.' On July 1, President Joe Biden - pictured announcing the strike's success Monday - was briefed in the Situation Room about the operation, and closely examined the model of the home al-Zawahiri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation four days ago Al-Zawahiri's FBI wanted poster - there was a $25 million reward for information on him Republicans slam Biden's 'victory lap' after killing al Qaeda chief Republicans are slamming Biden for applauding the killing of Al Qaeda's top leader. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blamed Biden's botched exit from the Taliban-ruled country on the 'possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda'. GOP Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed McCarthy's sentiment saying that even Americans will be glad Zawahiri is dead, 'Joe's victory lap is ridiculous.' Biden's critics allege the drone strike demonstrates the president's failure to combat terrorism and his blatant lies to the American people, citing previous statements he made claiming Al Qaeda was not present in Afghanistan. 'Today is further proof that our United States Military and Intelligence Community personnel will not stop pursuing those who threaten the United States of America and our interests,' McCarthy said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'This news also sheds light on the possible re-emergence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago,' he added. Advertisement In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. 'But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. 'The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' The six-blade 'ninja missile' used to mince terrorists: CIA deployed two R9X Hellfires to shred al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri - a month after it was used to wipe out ISIS thug in Syria Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri became the latest victim of the feared Hellfire Ninja R9X missile that uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, according to military experts. Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul on Saturday, according to President Joe Biden. The terrorist leader was 71 years old. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on August 1 that a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader as he walked on to the balcony of his safe house. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. The existence of the missile has not been confirmed by the US military. The official described the al-Zawahiri assassination as a 'precise tailored airstrike.' The possibly closest look that has been given to a used R9X in Yemen in June 2022. The red ball is the pneumatic accumulator that helps to propel the missile Other targets shed to pieces by Hellfire RX9 missiles: List includes al Qaeda targets, an Iranian general and a mysterious terror financer The Hellfire RX9 missile is a highly secretive collaboration between the CIA and the DOD that has its origins during the Obama administration in 2011. The purpose of the project was to limit the amount of collateral damage and civilian casualties caused during conventional drone strikes. The R9X carries 45kg of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades designed to shred the target upon impact without triggering a blast that could prove deadly to those nearby. Here are some of the known victims of one of the CIA's most sophisticated pieces of weaponry: Abu Khayr al-Masri - February 2017 Then al-Qaeda's second in command, Abu Al-Khayr al-Masri is thought to have been the first person killed by the RX9 missile. Al-Masri was killed alongside another militant in Idlib, Syria, on February 26, 2017. According to GlobalSecurity.org, locals at the scene, while suspecting a drone strike, were shocked that there was 'no real sign of a large explosion' and that the terrorist leader's Kia sedan remained largely in tact. Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi - January 2019 This photo provided by the FBI shows Jamal al-Badawi. He was the mastermind behind the the Oct. 12, 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors On New Year's Day 2019, Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, a prime suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, was killed by an R9X missile in Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen. He was driving alone when he was killed and there were no other reported casualties. The bombing of the USS Cole killed 17 American sailors. He was the first high-profile terrorist target that US forces killed in Yemen. Then President Donald Trump tweeted at the time: 'We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!' Mohibullah - January 2020 In January 2019, the Afghani government confirmed that a mysterious financier of terrorism, known only as Mohibullah, was killed in a targeted strike in the northeastern part of Afghanistan. He was driving in a car when killed. Mohibullah was a Pakistani citizen. General Qassem Soleimani - Janaury 2020 A demonstrator holds the picture of Qassem Soleimani during a protest against the assassination of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. A report from The Hill at the time of Soleimani's death found that the height from which the general was struck had the characteristics of the RX9 missile. Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sanaani - June 2020 Hurras Al-Din leaders Abu al Qassam al Urduni and Bilal al Sananni were killed in Syria's Idlib province in June 2020. Like al-Masri, the pair were traveling in a car when they were hit by a drone strike. Similarly, local reported no explosion and their vehicle remained largely intact. Al Urduni was a close ally of key US target, al Qaeda organizer Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in bombing in 2006. Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki - August 2020 Military trainer for al-Qaeda Abu Yahya al-Uzbeki was killed by what one news source referred to as a '100-pound flying switchblade' in August 2020. Al-Uzbeki had also been work in with Hurras Al-Din at the time of his death. Abu Hamzah al-Yemini - June 2022 Abu Hamzah al-Yemini, the leader of Hurras al Din, was killed in northwestern Syria on June 29 this year. ' Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni was travelling alone on a motorcycle at the time of the strike,' US Central Command said in a statement, adding that an 'initial review indicates no civilian casualties.' Multiple experts said that the scene of al-Yemini's death showed the hallmarks of the RX9 missile. Advertisement Osama Bin-Laden's former number two was staying in the home with members of his family. It was the US's most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. In fact, the RX9 was considered when plans were being drawn up to permanently take down the 9/11 mastermind. The R9X Hellfire missile has become one of the US military's favored weapons for precision assassinations as it carries a lower risk of collateral damage. Developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 amid concerns over the number of civilians being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East, the 'ninja' missile is so nicknamed because it foregoes the use of an explosive warhead. It the result of a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman. It is not clear how many R9X missiles that the Pentagon have in their possession. The R9X is not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement. The secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020, reports the New York Times. But it has reportedly been used on nearly a dozen other occasions to take out specific targets. During the Korean and Vietnam wars in the 1950s, the US military pioneered an idea of non-explosive kinetic bombs named Lazy Dogs. The bombs were designed to kill using kinetic energy after being dropped from aircraft. The weighed between 560 and 625 pounds. Lazy Dogs did not prove to be popular among commanders and their development was halted in the 1960s. The existence of the R9X was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2019. The newspaper said that the missile was used in attacks on persons in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. The Journal said that those worked with the R9X is referred to as the 'flying Ginsu,' a reference to a popular brand of steak knives. An unnamed official source told the newspaper at the time that the missile was created with the 'express purpose of reducing civilian casualties.' The article referred to the weapon as being similar to a 'speedy anvil.' The example that the Journal provides suggests that the R9X was so precise that if a target was in a car with an innocent driver, the missile would take out the target and spare the driver. The same report said that the missile's blades can cut through buildings, and car roofs. At the time of the WSJ report, Human Rights Watch's Letta Tayler wrote on the group's website that the RX9 should not necessarily be viewed as a more ethical weapon. Tayler said: 'On its own, the R9X won't resolve the host of legal issues surrounding the US targeted killing program, which since 2002 has killed thousands of people with scant transparency.' In August 2021, the R9X was thought to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. According to Task and Purpose, the missiles were fired from a MQ-9 Reaper drone. Following that strike, Army Major General William 'Hank' Taylor bragged about the lack of civilian casualties adding: 'Without specifying any future plans, I will say that we will continue to have the ability to defend ourselves and to leverage over-the-horizon capability to conduct counterterrorism operations as needed.' That strike was in response to the Hamid Karzai International Airport attack that killed 13 US servicemembers. In addition to the August 2021 attack, the R9X is thought to have been used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. It was used again to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan in January 2019, that same month the missile was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri in June 2019 The following year, the missile was the cause of death of Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria. The latter featured the use of three 100-plus-pound warheads, according to the Military Times. Al-Zawahiri joins a list of undesirables that includes, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in 2004 by the Israeli Air Force, who have been taken out by variations of the traditional Hellfire missile. While in use by the US military, conventional Hellfire missiles have taken out Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda organizer as well as high-ranking Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2012, Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr, who met his end in 2014 in Somalia, not to mention Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John who was killed in 2015 in Syria. The explosive warhead on a traditional hellfire missile weighs around 20 pounds. The last high-profile use of the Hellfire Ninja was when Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni - the leader of the Hurras al Din - was compromised in the city of Idlib in Syria in June 2022. Images from that scene showed the twisted remains of a motorcycle strewn across the ground, suggesting the missile scored a direct hit on its target. Hurras al Din is a relatively small but powerful armed group led by Al Qaeda loyalists, which was led by Yemeni until his death yesterday. It's estimated to have 2,000 to 2,500 fighters in rebel-held Syria, according to the United Nations. The R9X missile is also suspected of having been used in the air strike which killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January, catapulting Washington and Tehran to the brink of war, although this was never confirmed. In his remarks following al-Zawahiri's killing, Biden repeatedly invoked the September 11th terrorist attacks and said the killing of al-Zawahiri demonstrated the resolve of the United States to go after terrorist leaders, no matter where they hide and how long it takes. 'Now, justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,' he said. 'We made it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' Is this Al-Qaeda's next terror chief? Secretive heir apparent who 'oversaw Black Hawk Down operation' and helped carry out 9/11 attacks is poised to take over after Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Afghanistan The heir apparent to the al-Qaeda throne after tonight's confirmed death of Ayman al-Zawahiri is a canny, military-trained operative with experience killing British and American soldiers. Egyptian ex-army officer Saif al-Adel was a founding member of al-Qaeda, having joined pre-cursor terrorist group Maktab al-Khidamat in the late-1980s. There he met future allies Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, whose separate group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) he would soon join. Little else is known about Saif al-Adel, who at around 60 years of age is one of the younger al-Qaeda bosses. Al-Adel was around 30 when he oversaw the infamous 'Black Hawk Down' operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 American soldiers were killed and had their bodies dragged through the streets. Seven more were slain when two helicopters were shot down in the east Africa ambush, including two British soldiers, three Turks and a Frenchman. And since the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011, al-Adel has become an increasingly important strategist within the depleting terror cell. The only thing standing in his way to become the next al-Qaeda leader is that he is likely stuck in Iran - and may well have been for the past 19 years. Al-Adel is pictured (centre) on an al-Qaeda who's who published in 2005. Osama bin Laden is pictured top-left, with al-Zawahiri to his right and Mullah Omar to the right of al-Zawahiri. Saif is now one of the only original al-Qaeda leaders still alive The FBI Most Wanted poster on Al-Adel states the reward of up to $10million for information In 2003, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Javad Zarif refused to confirm nor deny whether al-Adel was being held in the country. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors He told ABC News that terrorists tend to have multiple passports, with the Iranian government unable to confirm their identities. With what's left of al-Qaeda now based in Afghanistan - and in coexistence with the Taliban - al-Adel's geographic isolation could stop him taking the helm, foreign policy analyst Charles Lister suggested tonight. Yet Foundation for the Defense of Democracies senior fellow Bill Roggio remained bullish about al-Adel's chances of succeeding the role, telling Task and Purpose he remains the 'likely' candidate. With his real name thought to be Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, al-Adel's made-up moniker translates to 'Sword of Justice'. Thought not as brainwashed by Islamist ideology as his al-Qaeda colleagues, al-Adel used his military training to rise to the top of the shadowy organisation in the wake of the September 11 attacks, in which senior operatives killed themselves. Al-Adel was in fact against the so-called 'Planes Operation', as it was known by members of the terror cell. But he helped organise the single most deadly terrorist attack in history after bin Laden became committed to the idea. According to ex-FBI agent and counter-terrorism expert Ali Soufan, who suggested al-Adel would be 'al-Qaeda's next leader' last year, Saif possesses a 'poker face' and a 'caustic tongue'. President Biden confirmed tonight in an address from the White House that an American drone strike killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan When training young soldiers, he was known to kidnap them in the middle of the night and conduct savage beatings in order to harden the troops. Al-Adel has risen to the top of al-Qaeda as much because of his own talents as by the United States' ruthlessness in killing his superiors. Osama's assumed successor son Hamza was killed in 2019 and fellow senior strategist Abu Muhammad al-Masri was assassinated in 2020. US intelligence states: 'Al-Adel is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.' Two hundred and twenty-four people died in the three East Africa blasts, including 12 Americans, with more than 4,500 people wounded. A $10million reward for information has been placed on al-Adel's head. And with ex-leader al-Zawahiri now slain, the attention of America's terrorist hunters will likely go onto Saif al-Adel. Al-Zawahiri, who took over Al-Qaeda after Bin Laden's death in 2011, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan following a US airstrike this evening. The terrorist leader is said to have guided Al-Qaeda to become one of the biggest radical movements, having been identified as a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Saif al-Adel's rival, Osama Bin Laden's son Hamza, was killed by American forces in 2019 Hamza bin Laden (left as a child) is the son of deceased former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (right) who is believed to have groomed him to take over the terror group At 15, the Egyptian spearheaded his own militant group, Jamaat al-Jihad, that championed large-scale attacks and the murder of civilians. As it grew, he later merged it with Al-Qaeda in the 1990s, bringing this focus on indiscriminate killing to the terrorist group. The 71-year-old was on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list, having declared the US 'the far enemy', with a $25 million reward for information leading directly to him. The surgeon led a terrorist lab developing biological weapons and was the force behind Al-Qaeda's ambition to gain nuclear weapons. 'To kill Americans and their allies civilian and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it, Al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto. Three years later, he helped plan the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Al-Zawahiri was planned follow-on attacks across the US, and started a biological weapons program in Afghanistan. He sent group disciples out to find lethal strains of anthrax and scientists that would engage with his plans. However, the Egyptian abandoned the biological weapons laboratory after a US-backed military effort forced Taliban allies of Al-Qaeda out of power in Afghanistan. It comes after a top ISIS official was assassinated by the United States early in July when he and his deputy were hit by an American drone strike in northwest Syria. The strike killed senior ISIS leader Maher al-Agal, US officials said, taking credit for the daytime attack in the northern village of Khaltan in the Syrian countryside. Al-Agal - one of the top five leaders in the terrorist group - was riding a motorbike in the village when he was targeted by the American missile, which killed him instantly. Another senior ISIS official was also hit by the attack, officials said, but survived. The official, who was not named, was reportedly wounded. Al-Agal's body, which was badly burned and mutilated in the attack, was transported to an Idlib hospital. The attack took place in the Jenderies district in Afrin - an area northwest of Aleppo, near the country's shared border with Turkey. The war-torn region has been under occupation by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) since March 2018. The strike killed senior ISIS leader Maher al-Agal taking credit for the attack in the northern village of Khaltan in the Syrian countryside. Pictured are Syrian Civil Defence officials surveying the site The attack took place in the Jenderies district in Afrin - an area northwest of Aleppo, near the country's shared border with Turkey. The region has become a haven for hundreds of ISIS terrorists and leaders in recent years, as the country continues to face a civil war A $5million reward for any information leading to his capture was offered by the State Department. It was late doubled to $10million as al-Rimi was linked to numerous plots against the U.S. In January 2020, the United States carried out an airstrike that killed a leader of Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen after months of tracking him. Qassim al-Rimi, 41, was killed in the January strike but officials had been waiting to confirm the information before making public statement. In November, CIA personnel learned of al-Rimi's location from an informant. The government then started using surveillance drones to track him, according to an U.S. official who was briefed on the strike. Local news in Yemen reports that the strike killed two militant suspects in the area of Wadi Abedah in central Yemen, but did not identify who those people were. Al-Rimi is a veteran of the Queda training camps in Afghanistan and whose 'terrorist pedigree traces to the era before the September 11 attacks,' NYT reports. He then returned to Yemen and was sentenced to five years in prison there for plotting to kill the American ambassador there. Al-Rimi broke out of jail after only a year and quickly rose in the ranks of the Qaeda affiliate. A $5million reward for any information leading to his capture was offered by the State Department. It was late doubled to $10million as al-Rimi was linked to numerous plots against the U.S. In 2017, al-Rimi notably sent President Donald Trump an audio message taunting him for a Special Operations Forces raid on an al Qaeda compound in Yemen that led to the first military combat death under the Trump administration, CNN reports. Qassim al-Rimi, 41, was killed in the January strike but officials had been waiting to confirm the information before making public statement President Joe Biden confirmed the leader of ISIS was dead in February in what he described as a cowardly move to blow up himself and his family instead of facing justice for his terrorists acts. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a bomb that killed himself as well as his wife and two children during a raid by U.S. commandos on a house in northwest Syria. 'United States military forces successfully removed a major terrorist threat to the world,' Biden said in remarks at the White House. Thirteen were reported killed, including six children and four women during the mission, which involved 24 Special Operations commandos backed by attack jets, Reaper drones and helicopter gunships. 'As a final act of desperate cowardness, [al-Qurayshi] with no regard to the lives of his own family or others in the building, he chose to blow himself up,' Biden said, adding the ISIS leader blew up 'that third floor rather than face justice for the crimes he has committed, taking several members of his family with him.' ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a bomb that blew himself up during a raid by U.S. special forces 'This horrible terrorist leader is no more,' he added. After al-Qurayshi was named the head of ISIS in 2019, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head. Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room, according to a photo released by the administration. 'This operation is testament to America's reach and capability to take out terrorist threats, no matter where they try to hide anywhere in the world. I'm determined to protect the American people from terrorist threats, and I'll take decisive action to protect this country,' Biden said in his short remarks where he took no questions. 'We remain vigilant. We remain prepared. Last night's operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield and sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will come after you and find you,' the president added. In the raid, U.S. special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted the house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, near the border with Turkey, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said in local reports. The raid targeted a large house in Atmeh in the Idlib region of Syria where the ISIS leader was hiding. The three-story house was left with its top floor shattered in the wake of al-Qurayshi's suicide bomb. It was a gruesome scene, according to local reports, with blood splattered on the white bricks that constructed the home and body parts scattered around the area. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, also known as Abdullah Qardash or Hajji Abdullah, became the leader of the ISIS terrorist organization after former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also blew himself up in a similar raid by U.S. forces in 2019 in the nearby town of Barisha. American helicopters carrying 24 commandoes arrived just after 1am. When they left two hours later ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was dead A general view shows on February 3, 2022 the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against a suspected high-ranking jihadist in Atmeh, in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, which left at least 13 people dead A Syrian man takes a picture of a blood soaked kitchen at the scene of a US anti-terror raid in Atmeh, Idlib The raid by the U.S. commandos targeted a suspected jihadist leader in a house in Syria's northern town of Atmeh. The operation, which residents say lasted about two hours, jolted the village near the Turkish border - an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria's civil war. The target was killed in Atmeh, located mere miles from the town of Barisha where former ISIS leader al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019 This combination of pictures created on February 3, 2022, from images released by the US Department of Defense shows the compound housing ISIS leader Al-Qurayshi Proof the Taliban has welcomed Al Qaeda back? Bin Laden's No. 2 al-Zawahiri was staying at house in Kabul linked to Afghan deputy interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani when he was minced by US Hellfire missile Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul. It has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan, having previously developed ties with the terrorist group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was hiding out with his family in a downtown Kabul property owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. Speculation is rising as to whether this living arrangement could create further difficulties for the West's relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. It comes as US President Joe Biden's officials said that Haqqani Network leaders knew al-Zawahiri was living in Kabul. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a drone strike while staying at a house owned by a top aide to a senior Taliban leader in Kabul US intelligence officials tracked Zawahiri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The house was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani (pictured speaking in March 2022) 'Immediately after the strike, Haqqani operatives sealed off the area and relocated Zawahiri's relatives. A damning indictment of Taliban credibility,' said director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister. It may add further credibility to recent intelligence claims from the US that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official name of the Taliban government, has allowed al-Qaeda to re-emerge in Afghanistan, after taking over the country last year. In June, UN security intelligence experts revealed that al-Qaeda was enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban and warned the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again. Following the drone strike location reveal, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: 'This news sheds light on the possible re-emergence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following President Biden's disastrous withdrawal a year ago. 'The Biden administration must provide Congress with a classified briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the region over the past year, the current foreign terrorist threat to America, and the steps we must take to keep our country safe and prevent terrorists from entering the United States.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured August 2021) condemned the US air strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, alleging it 'violated international principles' Bill Roggio, military commentator and managing editor of The Long War Journal, warned DailyMail.com ahead of the address that Biden would tout Zawahiri's death as a victory. 'The message tonight is going to be that this was a huge counter-terrorism success. But really this means that al-Qaeda is in Afghanistan and never left.' Roggio said. He also cautioned there is more concern the Taliban is again harboring al-Qaeda. 'The big lie the Biden Administration told us to get out of Afghanistan was that al-Qaeda was gone,' Roggio explained. 'It is likely the US got Zawahiri because was over confident and operating in Kabul. 'He wasn't hiding out in the mountains. We're hearing that he was being sheltered by a top Taliban deputy. The Biden Administration is going to tout this as some victory of their 'over-the-horizon' capabilities, but that's the spin.' The Taliban formed links with al-Qaeda between 1996 and 2001, when the Islamist group ruled over Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda reportedly paid the Taliban $20million each year to operate in Afghanistan, as the group orchestrated its attack on New York City's World Trade Centre, killing almost 3,000 people. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. As the Taliban and al-Qaida spilt across the region, many collaborated and regrouped in factions, with ISIS emerging in 2014. The US's exit from Afghanistan last September gave al-Qaida the opportunity to rebuild. US military officials, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said that al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the US. Ayman al-Zawahiri's location has sparked questions as to whether the Taliban has welcomed the terrorist group back in Afghanistan. Pictured, a Taliban fighter stands guard at a market in Kabul on December 20, 2021 Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. Pictured, President Joe Biden confirms the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri In 2020, the Taliban signed the Doha peace deal with Donald Trump's administration, saying that said it would keep ISIS and al-Qaida out of Afghanistan. But critics at the time said that the Taliban would provide a 'safe haven' for terrorist groups. 'Al-Qaeda will probably come back,' UK defense secretary Ben Wallace warned at the time. A statement from Afghanistan's Taliban government confirmed the air strike, but did not mention al-Zawahiri or any other casualties. It said it 'strongly condemns this attack and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement,' the 2020 US pact with the Taliban that led to the withdrawal of American forces. 'Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region,' the statement said. President Joe Biden confirmed in a televised speech that a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Sunday killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, declaring 'justice has been delivered.' Al-Qaeda is enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April The experts said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that the country could become a base for international terrorist attacks once again (Taliban patrol in Kabul) However, they added neither IS nor al-Qaeda 'is believed to be capable of mounting international attacks before 2023 at the earliest, regardless of their intent or of whether the Taliban acts to restrain them' 'This terrorist leader is no more,' Biden said in an evening speech from the White House. 'He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens.' The strike, carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, was confirmed by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity before Biden was set to brief the American people. Al-Zawahiri's loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as Osama bin Laden's deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movement's guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the September 11, 2001, World Trade Centre and Pentagon attack. When the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaida's safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahiri ensured al-Qaida's survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the assembling of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Somalia, Yemen and Asia. Over the next decade, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks against US soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. Advertisement The execution of Ayman al-Zawahiri marks 21 years of US intelligence forces and military tirelessly hunting down those responsible for Americas worst terror attack. On September 11 2001, 2,973 people died and thousands were injured as two hijacked planes flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Two other planes were crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon in northern Virginia, and a farm field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Osama bin Laden plotted with al-Zawahiri, his number two, to carry out the violent attacks in the US along with six other men in Afghanistan. The two terrorists reportedly met sometime in late 1980s, when al-Zawahiri kept the Saudi millionaire safe in the caves of Afghanistan from Soviet bombardments that were common in the region. al-Zawahiris death was the United States' most significant strike against al Qaeda since the killing of bin Laden in 2011. Six other men were arrested in the years following the atrocity, and five currently remain in Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial. All of the co-conspirators were put at the top of the FBIs most wanted list, forcing them to go into hiding to evade U.S forces. We take a look at the terrorist masterminds and their hijackers who have been captured or killed in the 21 years since 9/11: OSAMA BIN LADEN Killed 2 May 2011, Afghanistan U.S. Navy Seals successfully took out al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, 54, almost a decade after the 9/11 terror attacks. Bin Laden, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the architect of the September 11 attacks, with reports claiming that he had planned further terror plots in the wake of the atrocity. Military and intelligence forces were able to track down at least one of the terror group's elusive top members, before he was killed just after 1am at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Operation Neptune Spear took place after CIA analysts tracked down the al-Qaeda leader, with then President Barack Obama closely watching on from the White House. The CIA led the operation in a joint effort with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) which coordinated the actions of the special units involved in the raid. He publicly praised other group's attacks on Americans, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. In October 2004 he released a tape in which he claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks, and continued to periodically release audio messages. He threatened retaliation for the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza strip in 2008, and challenged new U.S. president, Barack Obama, to continue the fight against al-Qaeda in 2009. Bin Laden was also believed to have a hand in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, where over 200 died. He was also reportedly behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, a US warship harbored in Yemen, which saw 17 sailors killed. It is thought that during his time at King Abdul Aziza University in Jeddah he received instruction from Abdullah Azzam, a military leader, which influenced his radical views. Osama Bin Laden, left, was killed in a military attack by U.S. Navy Seals more than a decade before Ayman Al-Zawahiri, right, was killed in a drone attack AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI Killed 31 July 2022, Afghanistan Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed on Sunday while sitting on the balcony of his al-Qaeda safehouse in Kabul, Afghanistan. The 71-year-old was struck by the R9X's 100lbs reinforced-metal warhead and six katana-like blades that would have silently popped out of the fuselage moments before impact Al-Zawahiri, from Egypt, first came on authorities' radars in the 90s, shortly after the formation of the terror group in 1988 by Bin Laden - at which time al-Zawahiri was already a member. He was named Bin Laden's deputy, further raising his profile, as he began to appear alongside the Saudi national at al-Qaeda held news conferences, airing anti-American sentiment and calling for other likeminded Muslims to join their cause. That same year, al-Zawahiri, then 47, was indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The August 7 attack saw nearly simultaneous bombs blow up in front of the embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing 224 - including 12 Americans - and wounding more than 4,500. After years of quietly assembling suicide attackers, funds and plans, al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden and several others would carry out the infamous September 11 attacks, putting him and other conspirators at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. The strike on July 31 was the culmination of six months of intensive intelligence work by the CIA which had tracked Zawahiri to the safe house, detailed his daily routine, and picked the ideal moment to hit him. Biden is said to have closely scrutinized the plans - which called for a precision strike on the balcony - and was keen that every possible precaution was taken to ensure nobody other than Zawahiri would be killed. Ayman al-Zawahiri, mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and leader of Al Qaeda following Osama Bin Laden's death, was killed early Sunday in a drone attack on his safe house in the Afghan capital Kabul KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED Captured 1 March 2003, Pakistan Khalid Sheik Mohammed, known as KSM, has often been credited as the principal architect behind the 9/11 attacks. The 9/11 Commission found that he was the man who came up with the idea and took it to al-Qaeda, who made the horror a reality. Mohammed, 57, was born in Kuwait, and studied in America before fighting in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and was then linked to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. He had reportedly made a money transfer to one of those who was involved, coming to the attention of US authorities. In 1995 he was then linked to a plot to blow up multiple international airlines over the Pacific, with the FBI hunting him after the 1993 attack. The FBI agent who was hunting him, Frank Pellegrino, has admitted that in the mid 90s the terrorist mastermind was not seen as a high priority target and was not on Americas Top Ten Most Wanted. He is understood to have gone to the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, with the idea of training pilots to fly planes into buildings. The CIA arrested him in 2003, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where he was taken to a black site where enhanced interrogation techniques were used. Mohammed was moved to Guantanamo Bay in 2006, where he remains awaiting a trial over the 9/11 atrocity. He is one of five defendants who remain at the prison, with the controversial hearing yet to get underway over claims evidence was contaminated by what happened at the black sites.' Khalid Sheik Mohammed, known as KSM, has often been credited as the principal architect behind the 9/11 attacks depsite not being the leader of the terrorist outfit AMMAR AL-BALUCHI Captured 29 April 2003, Pakistan Ammar al-Baluchi, 44, was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, on 29 April 2003 alongside Walid bin-Attash as part of an operation by the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau and a team of Pakistani rangers. He was born and raised in Kuwait, and was radicalized by his family of extremists, as the nephew of Khalid Shaykh Muhammad and the cousin of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef. During his teen years he spent most of his time in Iran, before moving to the UAE as a computer programmer in Dubai in 1998, with Yousef as his chief mentor. According to US intelligence he served as a key lieutenant for his uncle during the terror attack on September 11 and went on to assist in various plots against the US and UK. He helped to facilitate 9/11 by transferring money to US-based operatives and acting as a travel facilitator to the hijackers travelling to the states. After his arrest he was initially held in foreign government custody, where he was interrogated about a planned attack on the US Consulate in Karachi. In May 2003 he was then handed over to CIA custody at the Cobalt detention site in Afghanistan, before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 alongside his uncle. He remains at the prison, and is also set to have a controversial trial in the US over the 9/11 terror attack. Ammar al-Baluchi was born and raised in Kuwait, and was radicalized by his family of extremists, as the nephew of Khalid Shaykh Muhammad and the cousin of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef MUSTAFA AL-HAWSAWI Captured 1 March 2003, Pakistan Mustafa al-Hawsawi was captured alongside Khalid Sheik Mohammed during a CIA and Pakistani intelligence raid in Pakistan in 2003. Al-Hawsawi, 53, was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is one of the five men who are currently residing in US military detention in Guantanamo Bay. He was reportedly a senior al-Qaeda member, and a key financial player in the terrorist organization over a number of years. Al-Hawsawi is facing capital charges before a US Military Commission in Guantanamo Bay for his alleged involvement as a financier of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He is facing the death penalty after being formally charged in 2008, but his case, along with the others, have not advanced to trial. The terrorist was transferred alongside Khaled Sheikh Mohammed to CIA custody and was held on their site for over three years. While in a CIA black site he was one of several who were reportedly subjected to water-dousing, walling, attention grasps, facial holds, cramped confinements, psychological pressures and sleep deprivation. Al-Hawsawi, 53, was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is one of the five men who are currently residing in US military detention in Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial over the 9/11 attacks WALID BIN ATTASH Captured 29 April 2003, Pakistan Walid bin-Attash, 44, was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, on 29 April 2003 alongside Ammar al-Baluchi as part of an operation by the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau and a team of Pakistani rangers. He was born and raised in Azan, Yemen, and is the brother of Hassan bin-Attash, who also remains in Guantanamo Bay accused of being a senior a-Qaeda operative. The terrorist left Saudi Arabia, where the family had moved to, at age 14 to join the jihad in Afghanistan and lost his lower right leg in a battle that killed his older brother. Bin-Attash was reportedly a senior lieutenant for the terror group and was a personal bodyguard for the leader bin-Laden. He is accused of training two of the hijackers in hand-to-hand combat in 1999, as well as researching flight timetables and testing the ability of hiding a razor knife in various flights. The terrorist was charged with conspiracy in relation to the 9/11 attacks in 2008 and was rushed to a CIA detention site shortly after he was captured. Documents claim that while under the guard of the CIA he was subjected to facial grabs, facial insult slaps, abdominal slaps, walling and water dousing. Walid bin-Attash was born and raised in Azan, Yemen, and is the brother of Hassan bin-Attash, who also remains in Guantanamo Bay accused of being a senior a-Qaeda operative RAMZI BIN AL-SHIBH Captured 11 September 2002, Pakistan Born in Hadramawt, Yemen, Ramzi bin al-Shibh was captured by Pakistani authorities in Karachi on 11 September 2002, a year after 9/11. The 50-year-old is accused of organizing the Hamburg, Germany, cell of the hijackers by researching flight schools and wiring money to them. Bin al-Shib is also accused of acting as a go between for KSM, and relaying the word to al-Qaeda that the date of September 11 had been chosen for the attack. He was the first of the five defendants currently in Guantanamo Bay to be captured in a security services raid, and reportedly continued to plan attacks alongside bin Laden until his capture. The terrorist was also kept under CIA black sites at the beginning of his incarceration but was moved along with the other high value detainees in 2006. After his capture he was detained in Morocco for some time, with the CIA being passed two videotapes and audiotapes by Moroccan intelligence. The footage apparently showing a straight question-and-answer interrogation session rather than the use of torture. Bin al-Shib reportedly relayed the word to al-Qaeda that the date of September 11 had been chosen for the attack. He was the first of the five defendants currently in Guantanamo Bay to be captured in a security services raid MOHAMMED AL-QAHTANI Captured January 2002, Afghanistan Mohammed al-Qahtani, 46, was accused of being one of the other masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks. He was captured on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in January 2002 and was taken to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba a month later. After 20 years at the center he was released in March this year back to Saudi Arabia after a review board determined he was no longer a significant threat.' US authorities have alleged that Qahtani was meant to be onboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, but he had been prevented from entering the country the month before. Qahtani was reportedly tortured so badly by US interrogators after his detention in 2001 that he could not be put on trial with the other five who were charged in 2008. CIA Investigators at a black site reportedly received approval to use more aggressive interrogation techniques on Qahtani after he resisted conventional methods. Between November 2002 and January 2003, he was subjected to prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and exposure to cold. Qahtani was reportedly tortured so badly by US interrogators after his detention in 2001 that he could not be put on trial with the other five who were charged in 2008. He was repatriated back to Saudi Arabia in March Four pilots and 15 'muscle hijackers' crashed the commercial planes into the Twin Towers on 9/11 - with one more stopped before boarding the jet Nineteen hijackers, split between four planes, were behind the 9/11 terror attacks, inspired by their leader bin Laden and had several links to the leaders of the new Taliban government. Four of the group were trained pilots and each accompanied by three to five muscle hijackers who overwhelmed the passengers and crew while they took control of their respective aircrafts. The group, who came from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon and Egypt, were chosen by al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan in 2000 before undergoing training at various camps across the country. Al-Qaeda is enjoying a 'safe haven' in Afghanistan under the Taliban, a UN report has warned. Pictured: A Taliban special forces soldier stands guard in Kabul in April 1. KHALID AL-MIDHAR Al-Mihdhar was already known to the CIA at the time of the attacks, and was most likely recruited by al-Qaeda after leaving home to fight during the Bosnian War. He was initially trained as a pilot, but fell short of the requirements and was demoted to being a lesser hijacker, and had to be convinced to return to Afghanistan for training. Al-Mihdhar was on board American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757, when it crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon after departing from Washington Dulles for LA. Nineteen hijackers, split between four planes, attacked the US on September 11. Al-Mihdhar was already known to the CIA at the time of the attacks 2. MAJED MOQED Moqed, born in Medina, Saudi Arabia, had been studying law at university when he was recruited by al Qaeda. He was onboard American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757, when it crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon after departing from Washing to Dulles for LA. Moqed was friends with Satam al Suqami, who was a hijacker on the first 9/11 flight. Majed Moqed had been studying law when he was recruited by al-Qaeda and was one of many hijackers from Saudi Arabia 3. NAWAF AL-HAMZI Nawaf al-Hazmi was one of the first attackers to arrive in the US in preparation for the attacks. He was also already still on the CIAs watchlist, and was earmarked as a potential pilot but underperformed in his flying lessons in San Diego. Al-Hazmi was on board American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757, when it crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon after departing from Washington Dulles for LA. Nawaf al-Hazmi was one of the first attackers to arrive in the US in preparation for the attacks, adn reportedly begged bin Laden to allow his brother to take part 4. SALEM AL-HAMZI Salem al-Hazmi was the younger brother of Nawaf and was on the same American Airlines flight as him. The hijackers brother reportedly pleaded with Osama bin Laden to let him take part in the attacks. He arrived in the US on a tourist visa in June 2001 and settled in New Jersey before 11 September. Salem al-Hamzi, who was the brother of Nawaf al-Hamzi, arrived in the US on a tourist visa in June 2001 and settled in New Jersey before 11 September 5. HANI HANJOUR Hani Hanjour was the only pilot flying the commercial plane at the time of the atrocity who already had his commercial license before being selected by al Qaeda. He lived in California in 1996 before training to become a pilot in Arizona, finally getting his license in 1999. The hijacker was on board American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757, when it crashed into the west wall of the Pentagon after departing from Washington Dulles for LA. All three pilots including Hani Hanjour were part of the Hamburg, Germany, terror cell who helped to plot the 9/11 attacks 6. SATAM AL-SUQAMI Al-Suqami was born and brought up in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and had been studying law when he was recruited to undergo terrorist training in Afghanistan. Reports at the time of the terrorist attack claim that his passport was found close to the World Trade Center, with a member of the public picking it up and handing it to police shortly before the towers fell. He was onboard American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower. Reports at the time of the terrorist attack claim that Satam al-Suqami's passport was found close to the World Trade Center 7. WALEED M. AL-SHEHRI Waleed al-Shehri was born in Asir, a deprived region of Saudi Arabia that borders Yemen, and was recruited by al-Qaeda in 2000 to take part in the 9/11 attacks, arriving in June 2001. He was onboard American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower. Waleed was not instructed to take surveillance flights like some of the other attackers, but chose to make serval flights across the US. Waleed al-Shehri was on the American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower 8. WAIL AL-SHEHRI Wail al-Shehri was recruited by the terrorist outfit alongside his brother Waleed in 2000. He was also onboard American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower. The hijacker had previously been a primary school teacher in Khamis Mushait but traveled to the holy city of Medina in 2000 for help with his mental health problems. Wail al-Shehri, previously a primary school teacher, was recruited by the terrorist outfit alongside his brother Waleed in 2000 9. MOHAMED ATTA Atta, 33, was one of the pilots who flew the commercial planes, travelling on several prior to the attacks to understand how to carry out the hijacking. He was onboard American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower. The Egyptian arrived in the US in the summer of 2000 and underwent flight training in south Florida. Mohammed Atta, 33, was reportedly one of the most involved hijackers in the 9/11 attacks. He organized finances for other hijackers planning to take part in the atrocity 10. ABDULAZIZ AL-OMARI Al Omari was onboard American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA before crashing into the North Tower. The 22-year-old was married with a daughter and often served as an imam at his mosque and is understood to have been radicalized by Saudi Cleric Sulayman al Alwan at his mosque in al Qassim province. He was identified by his passport, which was left in luggage at the airport that never made it onto his flight. Abdulaziz al- Omari often served as an imam at his mosque and is understood to have been radicalized by Saudi Cleric Sulayman al Alwan at his mosque in al Qassim province 11. HAMZA AL-GHAMDI Al-Ghamdi was among the youngest hijackers involved in 9/11 and was born in the Al Bahah region of Saudi Arabia. He left Saudi to fight in Chechnya and was recruited to al Qaeda there. Al-Ghamdi was able to enter the US on a tourist visa, and boarded the United Airlines 175 flight, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA and crashed into the South Tower. Al-Ghamdi was among the youngest hijackers involved in 9/11 and arrived in the United States on a tourist visa 12. MOHALD AL-SHEHRI Al-Shehri was not related to the two other al-Shehri brothers on the flight, but they were from the same region. He attended a training camp in Afghanistan and was selected by senior al-Qaeda officials to take part in 9/11. Al-Shehri was part of the group which boarded the United Airlines 175 flight, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA and crashed into the South Tower. Al-Shehri attended a training camp in Afghanistan and was selected by senior al-Qaeda officials to take part in 9/11 13. MARWAN AL-SHEHHI Al-Shehhi was the youngest of the four pilots on 9/11, and he flew the United Airlines 175 flight, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA and crashed into the South Tower. He met two of the other pilots at the al Quds mosque in Hamburg, Germany, and offered himself to the terror group. He was heavily involved in the planning of the attacks and took several surveillance flights to study how they would be carried out. Al-Shehhi was the youngest of the four pilots on 9/11, meeting two of the other pilots at the al Quds mosque in Hamburg, Germany 14. SAEED AL-GHAMDI Al-Ghamdi, 21 was identified by his passport which was discovered at the crash site. He dropped out of education to fight the Russians in Chechnya and was rediverted to Afghanistan to train with al Qaeda. Al-Ghamdi was on the United Airlines 93 flight, a Boeing 757, which crashed in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania, after taking off in New Jersey. Saeed al-Ghamdi dropped out of education to fight the Russians in Chechnya and was rediverted to Afghanistan to train with al Qaeda 15. AHMED AL-HAZNAWI Al-Haznawi arrived in the US in June 2001, living in Florida as he prepared for the attacks. He boarded the United Airlines 93 flight, a Boeing 757, which crashed in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania, after taking off in New Jersey. Ahmed Al-Haznawi arrived in the US in June 2001, living in Florida as he prepared for the attacks, onboard the United Airlines 93 flight 16. AHMED AL-NAMI Al-Nami arrived in the US on a tourist visa in May 2001 and lived in Florida ahead of the attacks. After being recruited by al Qaeda he went to an Afghan training camp where he met the al Shehri brothers and Saeed al-Ghamdi, who was also on his plane. He was on the United Airlines 93 flight, a Boeing 757, which crashed in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania, after taking off in New Jersey. After being recruited by al Qaeda he went to an Afghan training camp where he met the al Shehri brothers and Saeed al-Ghamdi 17. ZIAD JARRAHI Jarrah flew the final plane, a United Airlines 93 flight, a Boeing 757, which crashed in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania, after taking off in New Jersey. He was the only hijacker to come from Lebanon, and met Atta and al-Shehhi in Hamburg. They formed what became known as the Hamburg cell and joined al Qaeda. Jarrah flew the final plane, a United Airlines 93 flight, and was the only hijacker to come from Lebanon 18. FAYEZ AHMED/ FAYEZ BANIHAMMAD Banihammad also went by Fayez Ahmed and was one of the only two hijackers from the UAE. He was recruited to the terrorist cell after travelling to the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. Banihammad traveled to the US on a tourist visa, before boarding the United Airlines 175 flight, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA and crashed into the South Tower. Banihammad was one of the only two hijackers from the UAE, travelling to the United States on a tourist visa 19. AHMED AL-GHAMDI Al-Ghamdi was one of four hijackers to come from the Saudi region of Al Bahah. He was an imam and known as being particularly religious, arriving in the US in May 2001 on a tourist visa. The hijacker boarded the United Airlines 175 flight, a Boeing 767, which departed Boston for LA and crashed into the South Tower. Ahmed al-Ghamdi he was an imam and known as being particularly religious before becoming involved in the 9/11 atrocity ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI Zacarias Moussaoui has been dubbed the 20th hijacker amid speculation that he was supposed to join the 19 who did participate in the atrocity. He was arrested before the attacks took place, in August 2001, after his behavior at a Minnesota flying school aroused suspicion. Mr. Moussaoui is awaiting trial on charges connected to the 9/11 plotting. A Labour-run Welsh county council has reversed its decision to introduce 20mph speed zones and returned them to 30mph after locals accused them of causing 'chaos'. Road bosses in Monmouthshire, South Wales, reduced speeds in several villages from 30mph to 20mph to trial new road rules set to be introduced from next September. Mark Drakeford's Labour Government is set to be the first in the world to lower the limit from 30mph to 20mph in all residential areas across the country in a bid to encourage people to walk and cycle more. That nationwide plan is set to come into force in September next year. But rather than creating more 20mph zones ahead of the new scheme, Monmouthshire Council is now reverting roads back to their former limit. They say the move, which could see up to three 20mph trial zones scrapped, is to 'address some of the community concerns raised while balancing this with the benefits of reducing speed limits' after outrage from residents. Road bosses in Monmouthshire are pulling a U-turn as they return 20mph zones to 30mph after complaints from locals. Mark Drakeford's Labour Government is set to introduce a nationwide 20mph speed limit in residential areas next September. Pictured: A speed limit sign in North Cardiff The new proposals are for the B4245 to revert to 30mph from Mitel roundabout through Castlegate Business Park to Portskewett. Caldicot could also revert back to 30mph from Woodstock Way to Mitel roundabout - but that stretch will include a part-time 20mph area operating during school start and finish times for Durand School and Caldicot Comprehensive School. The B4245 between Undy and Rogiet will become 40mph and the rural stretch from Rogiet to Caldicot will remain 40mph. Monmouthshire Council confirmed the very eastern end of the B4245 in Caldicot will remain at 30mph even when the changes are introduced in September 2023 after discussions with Welsh government officers. However some motorists say the council's U-turn does not go far enough. Taxi driver Daniel Thompson said driving at 20mph was adding a lot of time to journeys and traffic problems were only worsening. He said: 'I had an incident a few weeks ago where it took me 25 minutes to get an elderly lady to her doctor's appointment. 'I got her there with one minute to spare. We were held up due to traffic and speed restrictions. Mark Drakeford (pictured) welcomed the move and said that he wants 'to see that become the default position right across Wales' 'Traffic is a lot worse currently. Emissions are a lot higher due to idling engines. I am putting more wear and tear on my engine. 'I get it works in larger areas such as Cardiff or London where there are a lot more pedestrians, but not in an area like this.' It comes as the Welsh Government is planning to introduce the world's first blanket 20mph limit on all residential roads in a bid to cut back on people driving - in a 32million plan. Mother Adie Drury, 39, (pictured) started a petition against the rollout in Buckley, Flintshire in North Wales saying the move will lead to 'bikes overtaking cars' First Minister Mark Drakeford said: 'We know that 20mph zones reduce speed of traffic, reduce accidents - particularly accidents to children. 'We want to see that become the default position right across Wales.' How will the 20mph speed limit work in Wales? The 20mph speed limit in Wales will come into force on all restricted roads if voted for in Parliament. It's a plan that is projected to have cost 32million. Restricted roads are defined as those that have lampposts placed not more than 200 yards apart. This normally includes areas where there is lots of pedestrian activity and residential housing. Local authorities can make exceptions on certain roads, but the limit will be in place outside schools. The Welsh Parliament will vote on it on Tuesday - and if successful, the speed limits will change in September 2023. If drivers are caught going over 20mph, there is currently a minimum penalty for speeding is 100 fine. Three points can also be added to your licence. Advertisement Campaigners for the new speed limits say the chances of someone surviving a 20mph collision is seven times higher than at 30mph. The Welsh Government says the move will save 58million over 30 years due to reduced pressure on the emergency services and and hospital treatment. Shadow transport minister Natasha Ashgar called the blanket 20mph speed roll-out 'frankly ridiculous' while a petition opposing the plans gained more than 38,000 signatures. Mother Adie Drury started the petition after her hometown of Buckley in North Wales was also used as a pilot area for the scheme. She said: 'It is causing chaos, people avoiding the area and people having to take new routes. 'Many of these roads aren't suitable for a 20mph speed limit. They are busy access roads on steep hills. 'Lorries are struggling to get up the hills in such a low gear and sticking to such a low speed downhill is hard on the brakes. 'This is doing nothing to reduce emissions, instead there will be more pollution from more cars struggling in a lower gear for a longer time. 'It has caused bus delays, making environmental commuting more inefficient than it was before.' A spokesperson for Monmouthshire County Council said: 'Monmouthshire County Council recently introduced two area wide 20mph speed limits (Abergavenny & Llanfoist and Severnside) as part of phase one of Welsh Governments proposal to reduce the national speed limit for restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph. 'Following concerns received about the new 20mph speed limit on the B4245, MCC are intending to revoke part of the new 20mph and revert this back to 30mph with a part time 20mph proposed outside a primary school. 'Monmouthshire County Council is one of eight phase 1 schemes in Wales to reduce speed limits in built-up areas across the county from 30mph to 20mph. 'We support these changes which form a key part of the Welsh Governments policy for Road Safety and Active Travel by aiming to create a culture for slower speeds. 'As part of the legislative change, which will be implemented in September 2023 across Wales, the Welsh Government has produced place criteria to be used to consider if 30mph can remain on A or B class roads. 'This criteria has been carefully considered across the pilot area and weve worked with Welsh Government officers to identify that the very eastern end of the B4245 in Caldicot will remain at 30mph.' Taiwan has infuriated Beijing today after their tallest building displayed an LED message thanking Nancy Pelosi for visiting as cheering locals lined the streets as she arrived in Taipei. Pelosi arrived in her Air Force plane - with its distinctive blue and white colors and American flag on the tail - in Taipei on Tuesday night and is set to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a day after landing in Singapore to kick off her tour of Asia. Dozens of cheering supporters stood with welcome banners outside the hotel where the US House Speaker is staying, despite the continued aggression from China. The TAIPEI 101 skyscraper, the tallest building on the island, was also illuminated ahead of Pelosi's visit, with signs reading: 'TW hearts US' and 'Welcome to TW Speaker Pelosi.' It was confirmed at 10:47pm local time that Pelosi's airplane had landed in Taiwan. She disembarked at 10:53 pm, wearing a pink pants suit and white face mask. A contingent of Taiwan officials, including Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, greeted her on the tarmac. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wearing a pink suit, touches down in Taiwan at 10:45pm local time despite threats from China The Taipei 101 skyscraper was seen illuminated with signs welcoming the US House Speaker to the city Cheering supporters held banners welcoming Nancy Pelosi to the country Nancy Pelosi (right) being greeted by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as she arrives at Songshan airport in Taipei, Taiwan The city's tallest building projected LED messages welcoming the US House Speaker to the contested island Local residents stood with banners, promoting the freedom and friendship between Taiwan and the US as Pelosi touched down in the city US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (center) posing for a group photo with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (second from left) and other officials as she arrives at the Songshan airport in Taipei, Taiwan After arriving in the country, Pelosi said on Twitter: 'Our delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner and promote our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 'Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy.' The Chinese, meanwhile, backed up their words with a shore of force. As the speaker's Air Force C40 approached Taipei, Chinese Air Force Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Straits, local media outlets reported. And chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage shows military equipment on the move in the city of Xiamen. This comes after flight tracking website Flighttradar24 crashed earlier after 300,000 people logged on to watch Nancy Pelosi's flight approach Taiwan - crippling the site's servers. A series of Chinese threats to shoot her airplane down caused concern - as hundreds of thousands of people tried to track her flight ahead of the landing. White House spokesman John Kirby said yesterday: 'We're going to make sure that she has a safe and secure visit, because that's our responsibility. 'And we urge as I said at the outset, we urge China to see this - if she goes - to see this for exactly what it is: nothing new, no change to our policy, and certainly not an unprecedented visit by the Speaker of the House.' Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves as she arrives in Taipei. She is the first speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997 A billboard in Taipei shows a sign welcoming Speaker Pelosi to the city as cheering crowds gathered on the street A demonstrator holds a sign during a gathering in support of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit The Boeing C-40C flight SPAR19 carrying the delegation headed by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arriving in Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan Hundreds of thousands of people were watching the US airplane - which took Pelosi to Malaysia - depart from Kuala Lumpur ahead of her landing in Taipei People lined the streets of Taipei ahead of Pelosi's arrival, with banners that read: 'democracies together stronger' and 'madam speaker welcome to Taiwan' Flightradar24 said on Twitter this morning: 'Because of unprecedented sustained tracking interest in SPAR19, Flightradar24 services are under extremely heavy load. 'Some users may currently experience issues accessing the site, our teams are working on restoring full functionality to all users as quickly as possible.' The Chinese People's Liberation Army issued multiple warnings ahead of Pelosis expected trip, including a new one on Monday that contained a video simulating a missile strike, aircraft carriers advancing and fighter jets in formation. There was also a stern warning from state media. The video was posted on WeChat on Monday morning following reports the Speaker will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night - despite Beijing warning they could shoot her plane down and launch a military response. Chinese state media personality Hu Xijin issued a grim message to the top House Democrat: 'Let her go to Taiwan. But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait.' The White House said Pelosi has a right to visit Taiwan but reiterated its one-China policy. Kirby also reminded Beijing the speaker makes her own decisions on where to go and that her visit is not unprecedented. A series of Chinese threats to shoot Pelosi's airplane down has caused concern - as hundreds of thousands of people tried to track her flight ahead of the suspected landing Despite the cheering crowds, there were some protesters that clearly did not like Pelosi's visit - as they are seen here protesting on the streets of Taipei US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) and her counterpart Azhar Azizan Harun (right) pose for photograph at Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 2 August Taiwanese people hold placards during a protest against the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan Some locals have not been so nice about Pelosi's visit - as she becomes the first high-ranking US official to enter the country in more than two decades We have been clear from the very beginning that she will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government. Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers this is well known to the PRC given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations. 'The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the Speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year, Kirby said in an opening statement. Pelosi is the first speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997. Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich was the last to visit and he has encouraged Pelosi to go there. White House officials are concerned the Chinese don't fully understand the concept of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Pelosi would be visiting at a time when the Democrats control the House, Senate and the White House, so there are concerns that the Chinese may see this as an administration move. Last Friday, Chinese state media said the government was prepared to shoot Pelosi's plane down if it was detected in its airspace accompanied by a fighter jet escort. The latest warning was issued during a Chinese foreign ministry briefing by spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who said that because of Pelosi's status as the 'No. 3 official of the US government', a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would 'lead to egregious political impact'. Lijian added that it would be 'a gross interference in China's internal affairs' and would lead to 'very serious developments and consequences.' 'We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Zhao told a regular daily briefing. Asked what kind of measures the PLA might take, Zhao said: 'if she dares to go, then let us wait and see.' The heartbroken family of a young lawyer are fundraising to build a fresh water well in a developing African country after she was killed in a horror motorbike accident overseas. Melburnian Saarah Hannah Bulbul, 25, was on holiday with her parents and two sisters in Turkey when she was tragically killed in a crash on July 28. She was travelling on the back of the motorbike in Istanbul when the rider lost control. Saarah Hannah Bulbul (above) was tragically killed during a motorbike accident in Istanbul while holidaying from Melbourne with her family in Turkey She was pronounced dead on the way to hospital while the motorbike rider sustained only minor injuries. Ms Bulbul's family said they are now fundraising to build a well in a developing African country to memorialise her in line with her Muslim faith. Her emotional sister Nesi, 30, said she was taken 'way too quick'. 'We're all devastated, she genuinely was full of life and had everything she ever wanted and everything was going right for her,' she told the Herald Sun. Nesi added that her family have buried Ms Bulbul at a cemetery in Turkey, where they stayed since her death. The family of Ms Bulbul (pictured with her mother Janice Bulbul) are fundraising to build a well in a developing African country in honour of the young lawyer Ms Bulbul was born in Australia but spent most of her childhood in Turkey before her family settled in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham. She later studied at Swinburne University and was 10 months into her first job as a lawyer when she died. 'She loved her job and she was smashing it, she loved working there and recently they told her she was going places,' Nesi said. She described Ms Bulbul as an active and witty young woman whose friends 'meant everything to her'. Nesi recalled that when the family moved to Australia Ms Bulbul thrived in her new environment and always made her family laugh. 'Culturally moving to Australia you've got to put yourself out there, and she did that, no issues,' she said. Twitter has issued a flurry of legal requests seeking information about an array of elite Silicon Valley investors in Elon Musk's inner circle, as the company pursues its lawsuit attempting to force the billionaire to complete his $44 billion takeover. In one subpoena issued on Monday, Twitter requested information on a wide range of Musk's inner circle, including some who were not previously reported as having any involvement with the deal, according to the Washington Post. Named in the request were investors Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sacks, Steve Jurvetson, Marc Andreessen, Jason Calacanis and Keith Rabois, among others. Investor Joe Lonsdale, an associate of Musk, said on Twitter that he had also received a subpoena from the social media firm. Lonsdale said he had nothing to do with the deal aside from making 'a few snarky comments' and called the legal probe a 'giant harassing fishing expedition.' The individuals named in the subpoenas could potentially be compelled to testify in court as Twitter's lawsuit heads for trial in October. Twitter has issued a flurry of legal requests seeking information about an array of elite Silicon Valley investors in Elon Musk's inner circle Investors Marc Andreessen (left) and Jason Calacanis (right) were named in new subpoenas from Twitter. They were previously reported to be involved in financing Musk's bid Chamath Palihapitiya is a prominent venture capitalist with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. His connection with the Twitter deal is unclear Analysts said that Twitter is likely trying to find evidence that Musk made statements privately that contradicted his public stance that the company's issues with fake accounts made the buyout untenable. For instance, if Musk hypothetically downplayed the bot issue as he sought financial backing for the deal, or revealed to confidantes that he had other reasons for backing out of the acquisition, it could bolster Twitter's case. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on the subpoenas when reached by DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning. Calacanis and Andreesen were previously known to be involved in financing aspects of the deal. This spring, Calacanis launched an investment pool known as a special purpose vehicle to raise money from smaller investors at a minimum buy-in of $250,000 in support of Musk's bid. Sacks and Jurvetson are members of Musk's inner circle who were said to be advising the billionaire as he pursued the Twitter deal in the spring. Sacks (left) and Jurvetson (right) are members of Musk's inner circle who were said to be advising the billionaire as he pursued the Twitter deal in the spring Keith Rabois is another early PayPal executive who worked there alongside Musk. His connection to the Twitter deal is unclear The Silicon Valley elite targeted in Twitter's latest subpoenas Chamath Palihapitiya: A prominent venture capitalist with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. His connection with the deal is unclear, but he attended the All-In Summit in May with Musk's other financial backers. David Sacks: Sacks is a member of the so-called PayPal mafia who helped found the payments startup with Musk in the late 1990s. He was said to be a key advisor in Musk's inner circle as the takeover bid unfolded this spring. Steve Jurvetson: Another member of Musk's reported 'brain trust' who counseled the billionaire. Jurvetson was an early investor in Tesla, where Musk is CEO. He once served on the Tesla board, and currently serves on the board of Musk's SpaceX. Marc Andreessen: A Silicon Valley titan worth an estimated $1.6B and co-founder of the VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, which agreed to invest $400 million in Musk's takeover deal. Jason Calacanis: Also previously reported as involved in funding the deal. Launched an investment pool known as a special purpose vehicle to raise money from smaller investors at a minimum buy-in of $250,000 Keith Rabois: Another early PayPal executive alongside Musk. His connection to the Twitter deal is unclear. Joe Lonsdale: A partner at 8VC, a San Francisco-based VC firm. 'I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments,' he said of Musk's Twitter takeover. Advertisement Sacks is a member of the so-called PayPal mafia who helped found the payments startup with Musk in the late 1990s. Jurvetson was an early investor in Tesla, where Musk is CEO. He once served on the Tesla board, and currently serves on the board of Musk's SpaceX. Twitter also reportedly issued subpoenas over the weekend to several banks involved in putting together financing for the deal, including Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley. The subpoena reported by the Post included extensive requests for communications, including 'checklists, timelines, presentations, decks, organizational calls, meetings, notes, recordings' related to the deal's financing. That subpoena also specifically asks for communications regarding spam accounts, as well as well as for information about the All-In Summit 2022 in May. The event in Miami was attended by Palihapitiya, Calacanis, Sacks, who host a podcast together, and Musk spoke at the summit by videoconference. Adam Badawi, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley who is not involved in the case, told the Post that Twitter is probably seeking a few key pieces of information with its requests. 'The first would be anything nice Musk said about Twitter to encourage people to participate in the equity financing,' he said. 'The second would be anything he said that contradicts his public statements about bots.' He noted that investors targeted by the subpoenas could likely be compelled to testify in the Delaware business court where the lawsuit was filed. 'Most venture capitalists have portfolios of companies incorporated in Delaware so they probably don't want to run afoul of its courts,' he said. On Friday, Musk countersued Twitter, escalating his legal fight against the social media company over his bid to walk away from the $44 billion purchase. While the 164-page document was not publicly available, under court rules a redacted version could soon be made public. Musk's lawsuit was filed hours after Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery ordered a five-day trial beginning October 17 to determine if Musk can walk away from the deal. Investor Joe Lonsdale, an associate of Musk, said on Twitter that he had also received a subpoena from the social media firm Musk signed an agreement on April 25 to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, but on July 8 he was abandoning the takeover and blamed Twitter for breaching the agreement by misrepresenting the number of fake accounts on its platform. Twitter sued days later, calling the fake account claims a distraction and saying Musk was bound by the merger contract to close the deal at the agreed upon price. The social media platform has urged shareholders to endorse the deal, setting a vote on the merger for September 13. 'We are committed to closing the merger on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk,' Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal and board chairman Bret Taylor said in a copy of a letter to investors. Georgia is bolstering its abortion ban with legislation intended to support its definition that life begins in the early stages of development in the womb. A provision in the state's restrictive abortion law - which bans abortions after six weeks - allows people to claim embryos and fetuses as dependents worth $3,000 in tax credits. The state will also consider those embryos and fetuses legal residents and count them in its census surveys as part of the population. Mothers will also be allowed to file for child support once a fetal heartbeat is detected - typically around six weeks - and fathers will be required to pay child support. These 'personhood provisions' come after an injunction of Georgia's abortion ban was overruled in federal appeals court on July 20, allowing the law, which was first first introduced in 2019, to come into effect less than a month after Roe v Wade was overturned. A Georgia woman demonstrating in favor of abortions in Georgia on July 23, 2022 Critics of the law have said its personhood provisions will have messy and complicated implications in the state, arguing it has untold variables that will be difficult to keep in order. 'What happens if a person claims an unborn child on their taxes and then has a miscarriage? What happens if they claim the unborn child and then travel out of state for an abortion?' wrote Vanity Fair political columnist Bess Levin, 'These are obviously just two of about a million questions the new law raises.' Other critics voiced fears the personhood provisions would be a powerful tool for prioritizing the lives of embryos and fetuses over the lives of mothers. An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Reproductive Freedom Project, Julia Kaye, said the provisions would enable 'Gov. Kemp and his radical political allies to force Georgians to carry pregnancies and give birth against their will, with profound medical risk and life-altering consequences.' Georgia governor Brian Kemp said he was 'overjoyed' by the decision, saying health care providers were prepared to bring mothers 'the resources they need to be safe, healthy and informed' Georgia governor Brian Kemp said he was 'overjoyed' by the decision, saying health care providers were prepared to bring mothers 'the resources they need to be safe, healthy and informed.' 'Since taking office in 2019, our family has committed to serving Georgia in a way that cherishes and values each and every human being, and today's decision by the 11th Circuit affirms our promise to protect life at all stages,' Kemp said in July. The new law makes abortions illegal after six weeks - often before women know they are pregnant - and includes exceptions for rape, incest, or when the pregnancy endangers a woman's life. While appeals of the law argued considering a fetus or embryo a 'natural person' was unconstitutionally vague, Chief Judge William Pryor disagreed in his decision to uphold the bill. 'When focusing on the text, as we must, it is hard to see any vagueness,' reads the court's opinion, 'The Act defines a natural person to include unborn humans in the womb at any stage of development.' Pryor did concede that application of the law could be complicated. 'To be sure, there might be vague applications of that definition in other provisions of the Georgia Code,' he wrote. Exactly how those 'vague applications' will be addressed, and what their effects on the state will be, remains to be seen. When the bill was first introduced in 2019, Rep. Ed Setzler, the Republican lawmaker who sponsored it, said a private accountant estimated tax breaks from personhood claims could cost the state between $10million and $20million. Tax losses notwithstanding, after Roe was overturned in June, Setzler maintained his support for the personhood provisions. 'Georgia recognized when it passed the [bill] that living, distinct, whole human beings inside their mothers deserve full legal recognition, and that's what Georgia did.' Pro-abortion rights protestors demonstrating outside the Georgia Capital after Roe V Wade was overturned But Democratic Georgia state Senator Jen Jordan said most Republicans who supported the bill when it was introduced in 2019 never expected it to become a reality, and therefore did not consider the complications it brought with it when Roe was unexpectedly overturned three years later. 'I had conversations with Republicans behind closed doors, where they were basically like, 'Jen, I don't know why you're getting so worked up about this, this thing's gonna get stopped by the courts, it's never gonna go into effect. This is really just political maneuvering for us. We know it's bad policy for the state of Georgia, but it's good politics for us, as Republicans,' Jordan told the Georgia Recorder. 'So I think now, we've got a situation where there's going to be an incredibly damaging law that's going to go into effect, and nobody, including the people who were pushing it, who voted for it, who supported it, whatever, had any clue what they've done and the damage that it's really going to do to the state on so many levels.' Jeremy Corbyn has criticised the UK's decision to send military aid to Ukraine, accusing the West of 'prolonging and exaggerating' Russia's war. The ex-Labour leader, who infamously refused to blame Russia for the Salisbury poisoning in 2018, said leaders should instead force a peace deal between the pair - turning to the African Union and Arab League, including Syria, for mediation. He also bemoaned the fact that 'Ukrainians are dying... and Russian soldiers are dying' in an interview with a pro-Assad TV channel, whilst condemning NATO expansion for causing 'greater strain and greater stress.' Jeremy Corbyn told a pro-Assad TV station in the Middle East that Western weapons sent to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia were 'prolonging' the war Corbyn said leaders should focus on forcing a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, despite polls showing a majority of Ukrainians don't want one (Ukrainian troops with a US howitzer) Anti-NATO Corbyn's soft touch on Putin 'On Ukraine, I would not condone Russian behaviour or expansion. But it is not unprovoked. [T]here are huge questions around the West's intentions in Ukraine.' Morning Star, 2014 Asked if he supports NATO, Corbyn said: 'I would want to see a world where we start to ultimately disband all military alliances.' Times Radio, 2022 Refusing to point finger at Putin for Salisbury poisonings, he said: 'If we are going to make a very, very clear assertion like that we have got to have the absolute evidence to do it. You have got to have incontrovertible evidence otherwise you reduce your ability to criticise other people.' Andrew Marr Show, 2018 'We ended up with NATO expanding into a global role, including its activities in Afghanistan and obviously its involvement in the Balkan war, and that has not always been a good thing.' RFE/RL, 2022 NATO is an 'engine for the delivery of oil to the oil companies' - it 'must give up, go home and go away'. Speech, 2014 Western alliance must focus on 'reducing tensions in Europe and beyond' and 'de-escalate conflict with Russia [for] a wider perspective on the most serious threats to our common security'. Manifesto launch, 2019 Advertisement A recent poll showed 61 per cent of Ukrainians are against ending the war until all territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea, is back under their control. There is also a broad consensus between experts and analysts that striking a deal now would favour Moscow, allowing Putin to 'freeze' the war while rearming and reinforcing before restarting it at a time of his choosing - as he did in 2014. But speaking to Al Mayadeen, a pro-Assad TV station based in Lebanon - which is controlled by Iran-backed proxy group Hezbollah - Corbyn argued the opposite. He said: 'What I find disappointing is that hardly any of the world's leaders use the word "peace", they always use the language of more war and more bellicose war 'Ukrainians are dying and Ukrainians have gone into exile, thousands and thousands of them. And Russian soldiers are dying, conscripted young Russian soldiers are dying... Therefore there has to be more, much more, effort put into peace.' Corbyn did say he 'disagrees' with the Russian invasion, but then parroted a Kremlin talking-point by adding that arming Ukraine will 'prolong and exaggerate' the war. Meanwhile, he praised UN chief Antonio Guterres for travelling to Moscow to meet with Putin, insisting the global body should be at the forefront of negotiating peace. If the UN cannot help, Corbyn suggested, then the African Union or Arab League - which includes Syria - should mediate because they 'have no direct economic interest one way or the other'. In fact, Russia has arms-dealing agreements with dozens of African nations from whom it also imports natural resources. Moscow also has troops and paramilitaries stationed across the Middle East. "Boris Johnson is a man of many illusions." Jeremy Corbyn voices his opinion on the former #UK PM #BorisJohnson.@jeremycorbyn @MoussaSrour pic.twitter.com/dNScnspZgM Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 1, 2022 Corbyn praised UN chief Antonio Guterres for going to Russia to talk to Putin, and said that if he cannot secure peace then the African Union or Arab League should be asked to do it A Ukrainian boy rides his scooter past a blown-out building in the Sumy region, that was destroyed by Russian forces in the early days of the war Vladimir Putin with Deputy Chairman of Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who has recently said Russia will only accept peace 'on our terms' Ending the war would also allow Russian gas to start flowing into Europe once again, Corbyn added, suggesting that Germany 'cannot survive' without it. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence select committee and a former defence minister, told The Telegraph: '[Corbyn] is illustrating yet again why he would have been such an inappropriate prime minister for the nation. 'He doesnt understand that the geopolitical consequences of supporting democracy occasionally means using hard power. 'This is deeply irresponsible for a senior politician. I hope his comments are not seen to undermine the wider support for, and the commitment to, supporting Ukraine following this unprovoked invasion by Putin.' Corbyn currently sits in parliament as an independent MP after having the whip withdrawn by Labour because he said anti-Semitism in the party had been overstated for political reasons. He was also kicked out of the party, though he was reinstated by the membership. Al Mayadeen was established in 2012 by journalists and executives from Al-Jazeera and Al Arabiya, some of whom were upset by their criticism of Syria's rulers. Ukrainian artillery crews are pictured near the frontline in Kharkiv, where they have been using western-supplied guns to shell Russian positions Its head of news at the time was married to a PR adviser for dictator Assad - also a close ally of Russia - and it has been accused of getting support from his regime. The station has also been accused of getting support from Iran, though it has denied all such charges. Previous guests have included the likes of George Galloway. Britain has been one of the largest providers of military aid to Ukraine, having stepped up to provide anti-tank launchers even before Putin ordered his invasion. Kyiv said the weapons proved invaluable at destroying convoys of tanks and trucks headed towards the capital in the early days of the war. Britain has also provided valuable anti-air defences to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian jets and cruise missiles, anti-ship rockets to guard the coast, and long-range rocket artillery to blow up ammo dumps and command posts. Russia is currently five months into what was supposed to be a days-long war in Ukraine, with its main offensive largely stalled. Kyiv's men are now trying to reverse some of the territorial gains Putin's men have made since late February, and are targeting the southern city of Kherson. President Zelensky has acknowledged the ultimate need for a peace deal, but says it will be up to the Ukrainian people to chose when and on what terms the war stops. 'We have no right to do this this land belongs to Ukrainian people,' he said in a recent interview. Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, said recently that peace will 'be on our terms' - without spelling out exactly what that means. Before the war, Moscow had been demanding that Ukraine agree never to join NATO, cede territory in its eastern Donbas, and that the alliance should withdraw all forces from ex-Soviet states - terms categorically ruled out by allies and the US. GEICO, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, has closed all 38 of its offices in California, resulting in hundreds of layoffs. California customers hoping to walk into a GEICO office to sign up for a policy are out of luck, the Sacramento Bee reported, as several were turned away this week. It was also reported that agent offices in the state that sell auto and homeowners policies have ended the practice of selling insurance in-person and through telephone agents. However, the company told the paper GEICO will still be offering policies online, through a computer or mobile device. But buying policies directly through agents by phone will not be possible. The reasons for the closures in California are unclear at this time. It is unknown if more closures across the United States are possible. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for more information. California customers hoping to walk into a GEICO office to sign up for a policy were out of luck this week as several were turned away this week after 38 offices in the state closed The California Department of Insurance is keeping a close eye on GEICO's actions. 'We are monitoring to make sure consumers are protected,' California Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller told the Sacramento Bee. A GEICO spokesperson would not comment to the Sacramento Bee on the new changes but confirmed that the company was not leaving California. 'We continue to write policies in California, and we remain available through our direct channels for the more than 2.18 million California customers presently insured with us,' GEICO wrote in a statement on Monday. Agent offices in California that sell auto and homeowners policies have ended the practice of selling insurance in-person and through telephone agents Several GEICO customers were startled when they attempted to meet with local agents at the GEICO office at 5211 Madison Avenue in Sacramento and were turned away. Instead, they were told to call a 800 number. 'We are permanently shut down and can't write new policies,' an agent told a reporter on Thursday. Local media reported that office doors were locked and signs were posted on the windows, saying it was temporarily closed. An agent told the Sacramento Bee that the closure was permanent and due to corporate decisions by GEICO, not the local agency, which is independently owned. According to the company's website, GEICO hires local agents who must spend between $100,000 and $250,000 to open an office. The agents then make their money on commissions and can only sell GEICO products. GEICO, which is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is one of the largest auto insurance companies in the nation Offices in Roseville, Fresno and Modesto were among properties that have closed recently. The new GEICO changes mean their only options are online or on a mobile device, but not through a telephone agent. 'The company's actions will make it harder for consumers to buy GEICO policies, particularly those who are computer challenged or prefer to meet an agent in person', former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones told the Sacrament Bee. GEICO is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the company run by famed investor Warren Buffett. Advertisement Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday in a visit that defied warnings from China Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied Beijing on Tuesday when she landed in Taiwan after repeated warnings from the Chinese not to visit the island nation, which they said marked a 'violation of the one-China principle.' Her Air Force plane - with its distinctive blue and white colors and American flag on the tail - touched down in Taipei at 10:45 pm local time. She disembarked a few minutes later, wearing a pink pants suit and white face mask. A contingent of Taiwan officials, including Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, greeted her on the tarmac. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately blasted the move, calling it a 'serious disregard of China's strong opposition and violation of one-China principle.' 'It has a severe impact on the political foundations of China-U.S. relations and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' the ministry said. Pelosi's visit makes her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. It enraged China, which sees the self-governing island nation as its own territory, despite never having governed it. Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to unite the two nations by force. Pelosi said her trip was to show America's committment to democracy. 'Our Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy,' Pelosi said in a statement released shortly after she landed. The Chinese, meanwhile, backed up their warnings with a show of force, including live-fire drills. Soon after Pelosi landed, Beijing said the People's Liberation Army would hold military exercises around the island defying White House urgings to lower the temperature. The exercises will take place from August 4 to 7, when the PLA 'will conduct important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,' according to the state Xinjua News Agency. Additionally, Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on day of Pelosi's visit. As the speaker's Air Force C40 approached Taipei, Chinese Air Force Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Straits, local media outlets reported. And chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage showed military equipment on the move in the city of Xiamen. The White House defended Pelosi's right to go to Taiwan even as President Joe Biden's administration pointed out the speaker makes her own decisions, heads a different branch of government and that there have been no changes to the United States' one-China policy. The administration also warned Beijing not to harm the speaker. Eight US F-15 fighter jet and five tanker aircraft took off from a U.S. base in Okinawa to provide protection for Pelosi's flight, NHK reported. Taiwan gave Pelosi a warm welcome. The island's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi and supporters held welcome signs out of the hotel she will reportedly stay in. Her visit, which was never publicly announced due to security reasons, is part of a broader trip she is taking to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. 'Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,' Pelosi said. And she reaffirmed America's one-China policy. 'Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,' she noted. Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a photo of the Congressional delegation's arrival in Taipei with the words: 'Our visit reiterates that America stands with Taiwan: a robust, vibrant democracy and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific' Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Air Force plane - with its distinctive blue and white colors and American flag on the tail - touched down in Taipei at 10:45 pm local time Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied repeated warnings from the Chinese not to visit Taiwan Speaker Pelosi disembarking from her Air Force jet Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves after her arrival on Taiwan The speaker was greeted by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Police officers stand guard outside Grand Hyatt hotel as demonstrators take part in a protest against U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit in Taipei Surrounded: China is planning live fire military exercises around Taiwan from August 4-7, the Xinjua News Agency announced Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on day of Pelosi's visit Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her car arriving at her hotel in Taipei, where she was cheered on by locals Supporters hold a banner outside the hotel where U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is supposed to be staying in Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi A US military aircraft with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Sungshan Airport in Taipei Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997. The White House is aware of her location. 'The speaker's flying aboard a military aircraft so we'll know,' spokesman John Kirby said at Monday's press briefing when asked how the White House would know if Pelosi touched down in Taiwain. A group of 26 Republican senators released a statement supporting the speaker's trip. 'We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United States' One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations,' the senators said. The speaker's Air Force jet left the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The site later crashed after 300,000 people tried to chart Pelosi's journey. Beijing earlier warned that the United States will 'pay the price' if Pelosi visits Taiwan while Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that those U.S. politicians who 'play with fire' on the Taiwan issue will 'come to no good end'. Moscow also weighed in and accused the U.S. of 'destabilizing' the world by allowing Pelosi to visit Taiwan. Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a US Navy official confirmed on Tuesday. The Japanese-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. The US Navy official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that started in early May from its home port of San Diego. Taipei has vowed to defend itself and dispatch its military forces in reaction to 'enemy threats' as risk of Beijing attacking Taiwan grows. Taiwan has also made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills, including designating air-raid shelters where civilians can take cover if Beijing launches missiles at the democratic island. Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. It comes as comes as signs emerge of military activity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait ahead of Pelosi's visit. In a 'provocative' move, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan strait on Tuesday. Meanwhile, several Chinese warships had remained close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday, a source briefed on the matter said. A source said both Chinese warships and aircraft 'squeezed' the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move the person described as 'very provocative.' The person said the Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly 'touching' the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby. Neither side's aircraft normally cross the median line. Video shared by China showed off their military as soldiers in the footage vowed to fight to the death to defend their 'motherland'. 'We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations,' the troops said, reports Chinese state media outlet The Global Times. 'We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death.' Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait Further footage shows military equipment on the move in the Chinese city of Xiamen Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (file photo), were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments Beijing's warning came as Pelosi left the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24 and witnesses. Pelosi's delegation is due to arrive in Taipei at 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, after visiting Malaysia, sources told the Taiwanese newspaper, Liberty Times Pelosi's jet left the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The site later crashed after 300,000 people tried to chart Pelosi's journey. Pelosi's visit has sparked heightened tensions between Taiwan and China - and in response to new fears that Beijing could attack Taipei, the democratic island is preparing its air-raid shelters. Pictured: People demonstrate taking shelter with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouth open, during a drill at a basement parking lot that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, in Taipei, on July 22 Taiwan has vowed to defend itself and has made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills. The preparations include designating shelters where people can take cover if Chinese missiles start flying in, not in purpose-built bunkers but in underground spaces like basement car parks, the subway system and subterranean shopping centers. The capital of Taipei has more than 4,600 such shelters that can accommodate some 12 million people, more than four times its population. Taiwan's Defense Ministry on Tuesday said it has a full grasp of military activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to 'enemy threats.' China's defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A history of tensions between China and Taiwan: A battle for control and dominance in the semiconductor market that could spark a global supply chain crisis Just 100 miles separate mainland China and Taiwan - a distance shorter than the gap between Florida and Cuba - but for decades they have been locked in a diplomatic and political battle over control. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that is part of mainland - but the island insists it is a separate nation with its own democratically elected officials and a standing Army. It sits in the 'first island chain' and is surrounded by nations - including Japan and South Korea - who are friendly to the U.S. Nancy Pelosi and the controversy surrounding her planned trip to Taipei have put the spotlight on the tensions that have been slowly reaching boiling point. The Biden administration has consistently said they do not back Taiwanese independence and the One-China policy in place since Jimmy Carter has not changed. Only 13 countries, including the Vatican, recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. But actions by previous Presidents including Donald Trump suggest that the diplomatic situation is open to interpretation in the West, angering Beijing. Taiwan also produces more than 60 percent of the world's semiconductors - that are critical for operating smartphones, computers and the brake sensors in cars. A conflict between China and Taiwan could plunge the pair into an economic crisis that could spark a global supply chain meltdown. When and where did the tensions begin? Centuries of displacement and friction Taiwan has changed hands since AD 239, when Beijing sent an expedition to explore the area and ended up claiming it as its own. Between the 13th and early 17th century, the Hoklo and Hakka Chinese people started to settle there fleeing hardship and still make up the largest demographics on the island. It came to be known as Formosa by European nations when the Dutch set up a colony between 1624 and 1661 and the Spanish built a small enclave in the north of the island in 1626. In 1662, the island changed hands to and became integrated into the Qing dynasty until 1895 when the Japanese won the First Sino-Japanese War and had to cede the territory to Tokyo - which was then known as Edo. Modern China was then formed in 1911, after the revolution - and Taiwan insists they were never a formal part. Just 100 miles separate mainland China and Taiwan - a distance shorter than the gap between Florida and Cuba - but for decades they have been locked in a diplomatic battle Japan then surrendered the island after their defeat in the Second World War and handed the control of Taiwan back to China - with the backing of western allies including the US and the UK. But then the Civil War broke out between Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong. Overrun by Mao's forces, Kai-shek and the remainder of his government fled to Taiwan in 1949 and dominated politics on the island while the communists took over in Beijing. Taiwan becomes an ally of the United States, which was at war with China in Korea. The United States deployed a fleet in the Taiwan Strait to protect its ally from possible attack from the mainland. Kai-shek's son began a process of democratization when there was an uprising by the rest of the people living on the island started to protest. Since then the island has moved to put more democratic institutions. After the Second World War, Civil War broke out between Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek (left) and the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong (right) The 'One China' policy: The U.S. and its longstanding position on Taiwan The policy acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government, and Taiwan is not an independent or sovereign state. In 1979, after years of improving relations between the U.S. and China, Jimmy Carter travelled to Beijing to meet leader Deng Xiaoping and severed formal ties with Taipei. He closed the U.S. embassy and established formal relations with China. However, Congress also passed the Taiwan Relations Act. The legislation guaranteed that the U.S. would protect the island and help it defend itself - which is why the U.S. sells them arms. Administrations since Carter's have recognized the policy and stood by it. President Biden has insisted Taiwan should be independent, but the there was been remove to remove. In December 2016, Donald Trump spoke to President Tsai Ing-wen to congratulate her on the election win - breaking three decades of policy precedent and angering China. Trump noted in the call that the U.S. and Taiwan have 'close economic, political and security ties'. The encroachment of the U.S. and their willingness to protect Taiwan has made the Beijing-Washington relationship increasingly tenuous in recent years and ramped up friction in the build-up to Pelosi's visit. At the end of July, Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a two-hour call, where Biden underscored that 'the United States policy has not changed - but strongly opposed unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Xi Jinping fired back at Biden and said 'those who play with fire will perish by it' over Taiwan. In 1979, after years of improving relations between the U.S. and China, Jimmy Carter travelled to Beijing to meet leader Deng Xiaoping and severed formal ties with Taipei Recent tensions between China and Taiwan - and the back and forth over relations Chen Shui-bian wa elected Taiwan's president in 2000, marking the first time in power for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which supports Taiwanese sovereignty and formal independence. It was a move that marked the start of the island's slow move towards trying to split from Beijing. In March 2005, Beijing adopted an anti-secession bill in March that made secession by Taiwan illegal. That April, leaders of Taiwan's major opposition KMT and the Communist Party of China meet for the first time since 1949 to try and ease the souring relationship. In 2008, the KMT-backed President Ma Ying-jeou, who favored closer ties with China, came into power and set aside political disputes to discuss deals ranging from tourism to commercial flights. But in 2016, Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP won the presidential race on a platform of standing up to China. Months later, Beijing suspended all official communications with Taiwan. In 2016, Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP won the presidential race on a platform of standing up to China. Months later, Beijing suspended all official communications with Taiwan Taiwan's dominance in the semiconductor market - and how a conflict could cause a global crisis Taiwan manufactured more than 60 percent of the globe's semiconductors last year, and the industry is now in the spotlight. The chips allow smartphones, computers and the brake sensors in cars to function. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, counts Apple, Qualcomm and Nvidia as its clients and took in 54 percent of global revenue in 2021. TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said on Monday August 1 that there would be an economic crisis on both sides of the strait if China and Taiwan entered a conflict. He told CNN TSMC factories will be rendered 'non-operable' in the event of a Chinese attack because the sophisticated manufacturing facilities depend on connections with the rest of the world. He stressed it would cause a supply chain crisis which would extend as far away as the U.S., which last month passed a bill trying to fix the shortage. Protesters gather in Taiwan to mark the anniversary of the Chinese crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989 Advertisement People demonstrate taking shelter with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouth open, during a drill at a basement parking lot that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, in Taipei, Taiwan An instructor shows participants how to transport an injured person with everyday objects during a first aid training in Taipei, Taiwan on July 23 Tourists pose for photos at an underground tunnel that will be used as an air-raid shelter in the event of an attack, beneath the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan Wu Enoch, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party and an organizer of first aid trainings, speaks at the end of a course in Taipei, Taiwan US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and her counterpart, Azhar Azizan Harun (right), before a meeting at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday Malaysia's Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Azhar Azizan Harun (front, 4R), posing with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (front, 4L) and officials before a meeting at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Moscow accuses US of 'destabilization' over Pelosi visit to Taiwan Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Washington of destabilizing the world after the potential visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan sparked rage in Moscow's ally Beijing. 'Washington is bringing destabilization to the world. Not a single resolved conflict in recent decades, but many provoked ones,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media. Faced with unprecedented sanctions and international isolation over its military campaign in pro-Western Ukraine, Russia has sought closer ties with China and expressed solidarity with Beijing over Taiwan. China considers Taiwan its territory and has indicated through repeated warnings that it would view a visit by Pelosi as a major provocation. American officials often make discreet visits to Taiwan to show support, but Pelosi - who is currently on a tour of several Asian countries - would be a higher-profile visitor than any in recent history. Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of being seized by China. Russia's assault on Ukraine has heightened fears that Beijing might similarly follow through on threats to annex its much smaller and outgunned neighbour. Advertisement In the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, which lies opposite Taiwan and is home to a large military presence, residents reported sightings of armored vehicles on the move on Tuesday and posted pictures online. Chinese social media was abuzz with both trepidation about potential conflict and patriotic fervor over the prospect of unification with Taiwan, and the topic of Pelosi's visit was the top-trending item on the Twitter-like Weibo. China has repeatedly warned against Pelosi going to Taiwan, which it claims as its own, and the US said on Monday that it would not be intimidated by Chinese 'sabre rattling' over the visit. One person familiar with Pelosi's itinerary said most of her planned meetings, including with President Tsai Ing-wen, were scheduled for Wednesday, and that it was possible her delegation would only arrive in Taiwan early on Wednesday. 'Everything is uncertain,' the person said. Pelosi was visiting Malaysia on Tuesday, having begun her Asia tour in Singapore on Monday. Her office said she will also go to South Korea and Japan, but made no mention of a Taiwan visit. Taiwan's foreign ministry said it had no comment on reports of Pelosi's travel plans, but the White House - which would not confirm the trip - said she had the right to go. Beijing's responses could include firing missiles near Taiwan, large-scale air or naval activities, or further 'spurious legal claims' such as China's assertion that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Monday. 'We will not take the bait or engage in sabre rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated,' Kirby said. Four sources said Pelosi was scheduled to meet a small group of activists who are outspoken about China's human rights record on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting is likely to take place at the National Human Rights Museum at New Taipei City, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Military police officers get into position for a drill on how to guide citizens to safety in the event of an attack, in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 22 Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary Why China set its sights on Taiwan China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's sovereignty. China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China's Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. The island was under the Republic of China's ruling after World War II, with the consent of its allies the US and UK. The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang's son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratising Taiwan. In 1980, China put forward a formula called 'one country, two systems', under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But its political status remains unclear. Advertisement Meanwhile, Taiwan's citizens are preparing their air-raid shelters amid fears China could attack. Harmony Wu, 18, was surprised to learn that an underground shopping concourse where she and other youngsters were recently rehearsing some dance moves would be turned into an air-raid shelter in the event of war. But she said she could understand why. 'Having shelter is very necessary. We don't know when a war might come and they are to keep us safe,' Wu said at the venue near a Taipei subway station. 'War is brutal. We've never experienced it so we aren't prepared,' she said. Taipei officials have been updating their database of designated shelters, putting their whereabouts on a smartphone app and launching a social media and poster campaign to make sure people know how to find their closest one. Shelter entrances are marked with a yellow label, about the size of an A4 piece of paper, with the maximum number of people it can take. A senior official in the city office in charge of the shelters said events in Europe had brought a renewed sense of urgency. 'Look at the war in Ukraine,' Abercrombie Yang, a director of the Building Administration Office, told Reuters. 'There's no guarantee that the innocent public won't get hit,' he said, adding that that was why the public had to be informed. 'All citizens should have crisis awareness ... We need the shelters in the event of an attack by the Chinese communists.' Last month, Taiwan held a comprehensive air-raid exercise across the island for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted regular drills. Among the instructions citizens got in case of incoming missiles was to get down in their basement parking lots with their hands covering their eyes and ears while keeping their mouths open - to minimize the impact of blast waves. Some civil defense advocates say more needs to be done. Authorities are required by law to keep the shelters clean and open but they don't have to be stocked with supplies like food and water. Researchers in parliament called in June for shelters to be provided with emergency supplies. Wu Enoch of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party says the public must prepare survival kits to take with them when they seek shelter. 'What's important is what you bring with you, for people to stay there for a long period of time,' Wu said, citing medical supplies and even tools to build a makeshift toilet. After decade of saber-rattling across the Taiwan Strait separating the democratic island from China, many Taiwan people appear resigned to living with the threat of a Chinese invasion. 'I'm not stressed. I carry on with my life as usual. When it happens, it happens,' said Teresa Chang, 17, who was also going through her paces at the underground dance practice. On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said it would be 'a gross interference in China's internal affairs' if Pelosi visits Taiwan, and warned that 'the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by.' Asked what kind of measures the PLA might take, Zhao said: 'If she dares to go, then let us wait and see.' US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) shakes hands with Singapore's President Halimah Yacob at the Istana Presidential Palace in Singapore to kick off her tour of Asia and the Indo-Pacific China views visits by US officials to Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp in the island. Washington does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. A visit by Pelosi, who is second in the line of succession to the US presidency and a long-time critic of China, would come amid worsening ties between Washington and Beijing. The White House has dismissed China's rhetoric as groundless and inappropriate. Kirby said that nothing about Pelosi's possible trip changed US policy toward Taiwan, and that Beijing was well aware the division of powers within the US government meant Pelosi would make her own decisions about the visit. 'The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan,' he told the White House briefing. Without directly saying Pelosi will make a stop on the self-governing island that Beijing sees as its own territory, Kirby warned repeatedly - if she did go, there was no reason to escalate any military action. 'We're going to watch this very, very closely,' Kirby said, and asked reporters what the 'drama' of her trip is - following 10 days of threats from Beijing after the prospect of her visit first surfaced. 'I don't know about the drama you're claiming exists. It's quite the contrary here,' he told reporters. China's People's Liberation Army posted a video on WeChat showing missiles being launched, hours after reports of the visit surfaced The video included missile strikes and simulated what an invasion may look like. Taiwan has also canceled leave for some soldiers in case of military action Chinese state media personality Hu Xijin also issued a grim message to the top Democrat: 'Let her go to Taiwan. But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait' China's military might: The world's biggest standing army with 2 MILLION soldiers and more Navy ships than any other nation With Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan raising the prospect of a military intervention, the size of the Chinese forces and its arsenal has come to the foreground. General Secretary Xi Jinping has said he plans to surpass America's military - long seen as their biggest rivals - by 2049 with improvements investments in hypersonic missiles and cyber-attack capabilities. The People's Liberation Army has 2,035,000 members, making it the largest active military force in the world. The US has 1,195 million members as of September 2021, according to Department of Defense data. The Chinese Navy is the biggest in the world determined by the 355 front-line ships, compared to the U.S. which only has 305. It is known that Beijing ships are often smaller, but there are plans to increase their fleet of warships by 2030 by 70, while the US is planning to add just 42, according to a Pentagon report on China's military. There are also only 300,000 active personnel in the Chinese Navy, compared to 350,000 in the U.S. Currently the PRC only has 320 warheads in its stockpile, but it wants to have at least 700 nuclear warheads and by 2030 it wants 1,000, far outpacing US predictions from 2020. There are also heightened concerns that China is rapidly developing nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missiles - on-top of being able to launch warheads from the ground and sea. The US generally has more capability for launching high-powered attacks and has 800 overseas bases compared to just three run by the Chinese. There are 450 intercontinental ballistic missile silos on American soil compared to 250 in China and the US has 2,717 combat aircraft compared to Beijing's 1,571. The Pentagon also has 5,414 combat helicopters at its disposal compared to the Chinese Communist Party's 902. But military analysts worry that China's expansion plans will make its military the largest in the world in the matter of decades. The American military is also in the middle of a recruitment crisis that could shrink its number, while China grows. Advertisement 'We're going to make sure that she has a safe and secure visit, because that's our responsibility. And we urge as I said at the outset, we urge China to see this - if she goes - to see this for exactly what it is: nothing new, no change to our policy, and certainly not an unprecedented visit by the Speaker of the House,' Kirby added. The Chinese People's Liberation Army issued multiple warnings ahead of Pelosi's expected trip, including a new one on Monday that contained a video simulating a missile strike, aircraft carriers advancing and fighter jets in formation. There was also a stern warning from state media. The video was posted on WeChat on Monday morning following reports the Speaker will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night - despite Beijing warning they could shoot her plane down and launch a military response. Chinese state media personality Hu Xijin issued a grim message to the top House Democrat: 'Let her go to Taiwan. But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait.' The White House said Pelosi has a right to visit Taiwan but reiterated its one-China policy. Kirby also reminded Beijing the speaker makes her own decisions on where to go and that her visit is not unprecedented. 'We have been clear from the very beginning that she will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government,' Kirby said. 'Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers this is well known to the PRC given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations. The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the Speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year.' Pelosi would be visiting at a time when the Democrats control the House, Senate and the White House, so there are concerns that the Chinese may see this as an administration move. 'Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long standing US policy into some sort of crisis or conflict. Or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. And yet, over the weekend, even before Speaker Pelosi arrived in the region, China conducted a live fire exercise. China appears to be positioning itself to potentially take further steps in the coming days, and perhaps over longer time horizons,' Kirby said on Monday. He warned Beijing not to take any military action. 'We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated,' Kirby said. 'There's no reason to use a potential visit to justify or to spark some sort of crisis or conflict. We certainly aren't, have no interest in that. And there's no justification to use a potential visit as a pretext to conduct what could be escalatory measures,' he said. Last Friday, Chinese state media said the government was prepared to shoot Pelosi's plane down if it was detected in its airspace accompanied by a fighter jet escort. The latest warning was issued during a Chinese foreign ministry briefing by spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who said that because of Pelosi's status as the 'No. 3 official of the US government', a visit to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would 'lead to egregious political impact'. Lijian added that it would be 'a gross interference in China's internal affairs' and would lead to 'very serious developments and consequences.' 'We would like to tell the United States once again that China is standing by, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will never sit idly by, and China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Zhao told a regular daily briefing. Asked what kind of measures the PLA might take, Zhao said: 'if she dares to go, then let us wait and see.' The White House has also sent mixed messaging on the trip. Initially, President Biden said he didn't think it was a 'good idea', but last week National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was ultimately her decision. Kirby was also on CNN on Monday morning criticizing the Chinese for their rhetoric. 'There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There's no reason for any actions to be taken. It is very much in keeping with our policy.' Pelosi kicked-off a tour of four Asian countries in the early hours of Monday morning in Singapore amid intense speculation that she may risk the wrath of Beijing by also visiting self-ruled Taiwan. The House Speaker touched down in Singapore just before 4:30am local time on Monday, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged her at a meeting to strive for 'stable' ties with Beijing. A press release from Pelosi's office on Sunday said she would visit four Asian countries - Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. During Monday's visit in Singapore, Pelosi and Lee discussed climate change and economic stability. He also 'highlighted the importance of stable US-China relations for regional peace and security'. Later, she will attend a cocktail party at the American Chamber of Commerce. But it is her potential visit to Taiwan that is overshadowing the whole trip. During a phone call last Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Joe Biden that Washington should abide by the one-China principle and 'those who play with fire will perish by it'. Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed and that Washington strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide the island's future. Pelosi has also sparked anger from China in the past by meeting with pro-democracy dissidents and the Dalai Lama. She also unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square in 1991 which read 'to those who died for democracy,' in reference to the victims of the 1989 massacre. In July, the speaker who is number three in the line of presidential succession told the media in a press conference: 'It's important for us to show support for Taiwan.' The Global Times, China's state-run tabloid, suggested that Pelosi might use 'emergency excuses like an aircraft fault or refuelling' to land at a Taiwanese airport. 'If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits,' Hu Xijin, a former Global Times editor and now commentator, tweeted. Beijing's foreign ministry on Monday warned a visit would 'seriously threaten the peace and stability' of the Taiwan Strait if it goes ahead. Bloomberg's China editor John Liu said in an appearance on the network on Sunday: 'I do think it's worth mentioning that not mentioning if there will be a trip to Taiwan on her itinerary is different from saying she will not go to Taiwan.' He added: 'It is not off the table that there could be a surprise visit.' A Japanese master swordsmith has copped flak on Twitter after he advertised an apprenticeship which requires candidates to work five days or more a week for at least five years with no pay. The swordsmith, whose social media profiles bear the name Masanari or Yoshihiro Kudo, makes traditional Japanese swords known as katanas in Kiryu City, Gunma prefecture. Kudo last week tweeted a link for candidates interested in joining his shop as an apprentice to learn the ancient art, but his post quickly went viral when jobseekers discovered the startling terms of the position. 'Training from 8:30 to 18:30 - this is voluntary training by the disciple himself, not employment, so it is unpaid,' the advert read. 'Please prepare breakfast and dinner, work clothes, etc, by yourself... Originally, I wanted to provide a ''live-in'' training environment like the one I experienced, but due to housing issues, I regrettably have to commute.' The swordsmith, whose social media profiles bear the name Masanari or Yoshihiro Kudo, makes traditional Japanese swords known as katanas in Kiryu City, Gunma prefecture The blademaker began to bite back at those criticising the job posting, accusing detractors of ignorance and arguing that he never offered any employment, only an opportunity for students passionate about the craft to learn The posting even said it could take apprentices up to 10 years to complete, but added 'disciples' could undergo a 'Sword Craftsmanship Preservation Workshop' led by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs to acquire a proper qualification and begin earning money, provided they had reached an adequate skill level. However, as Kudo duly pointed out, the criticism directed at him is somewhat misplaced. The All Japan Swordsmith Association maintains strict requirements stipulating that certified swordsmiths must 'train for more than five years', arguing that what is now seen as an apprenticeship should be viewed as free tuition in a highly respected vocation. Unsurprisingly, the number of swordsmiths registered in Japan has declined considerably in recent years with the average age for the profession rapidly increasing. Despite highlighting that his apprenticeship offer was bound by the requirements of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, Kudo received a torrent of criticism on social media. The blademaker began to bite back, accusing his critics of ignorance and arguing that he never offered any employment, only an opportunity for students passionate about the craft to learn. 'Is the 'kid' who wants to become a Buddhist monk and trains at the head temple protected by the Labour Standards Act?' he quipped. 'The lack of understanding and ignorance of many people made me feel sad... Aspiring students are free to choose their master. I was the same.' He continued: 'As this kind of thing grows, the number of people who say that it is selfish will increase... but the premise is that the master and the disciple are not in an 'employment relationship'. 'We only provide opportunities for those who want to learn and acquire skills.' Kudo also retweeted the words of another swordsmith who leapt to his defence amid the criticism, arguing the master has nothing to gain by taking on an apprentice and could actually lose money by taking time out to teach. Kudo retweeted the words of another swordsmith who leapt to his defence amid the criticism, arguing the master has nothing to gain by taking on an apprentice and could actually lose money by taking time out to teach The art of swordmaking is highly respected in Japan but the number of registered swordsmiths has been declining for years Swordsmithing has long been a part of Japan's cultural heritage (Sir Tony Robinson, right, is pictured with master swordsmith Genrokuro Matsunaga in Kumamoto, Japan) 'Is there anyone who goes to a piano class and asks for money?,' the defender declared. 'Once you get the qualification you can start your own business independently, so there is no return for master swordsmiths. I teach with pure goodwill. 'Sales will go down for instruction time!' Swordsmithing has long been a part of Japan's cultural heritage, but the long-term, unpaid apprenticeships mean the barrier for entry into the profession is extremely high. Apprentices can generally only undertake the lengthy training period if they have enough savings to survive for five years with little to no income, or if they have wealthy parents or family members willing to front them the cash to see their studies through. Tetsuya Tsubouchi, one of the Japanese Swordsmith Association's directors, told Sora News that although there had been a slight uptick in applications for such apprenticeships in the past decade, few apprentices obtain their sought-after qualification as they are unable to see the training through. A snorkeller was left 'screaming for help' after being bitten by a shark off Cornwall in the first attack of its kind in 175 years - in what the victim branded a 'very scary incident' at sea. The woman - who has not been identified - was in Penzance, Cornwall, with Blue Shark Snorkel Trips when the accident happened last Thursday. According to the Sun, the woman may have required minor plastic surgery following the vicious bite, while witnesses told the paper she let out 'piercing screams', adding that there was 'blood everywhere.' The unlucky adventurer had been swimming some 15 miles out to sea during the 180 per person excursion when the shark, unprovoked, suddenly bit her leg. The swimmer was rushed back into the chartered boat where she was given immediate first aid and taken ashore for further treatment. It is the first shark attack of its kind on a person in British waters since 1847. Several fishermen have been bitten in recent years but only after bringing the sea creatures on board their vessels. The tour group said it was investigating how last week's attack could have happened. In a statement put out by the trip company on Tuesday afternoon, the bite victim said: 'What was a very scary incident was made so much easier by the kindness and calmness of the people around me. The woman - who has not been identified - was in Penzance, Cornwall, with Blue Shark Snorkel Trips when the accident happened on Thursday. She was swimming some 15 miles out to sea during the 180 per person excursion when the shark, unprovoked, suddenly bit her leg. The female swimmer is said to have been on a snorkelling trip to see blue sharks in Penzance harbour. Pictured: Blue shark stock image 'Thank you to the trip team for getting me back to shore quickly and carefully and making me feel as safe as I possibly could. 'We all take these risks when we enter the habitat of a predator and we can never completely predict the reactions of a wild animal.' The woman was rescued by the coastguard and left in the care of paramedics. HM Coastguard has confirmed that it is believed the injury was caused by a suspected shark bite. The victim added that 'despite how the trip ended', it was 'amazing to see such majestic creatures in the wild'. She said: 'I don't for a second want this freak event to tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species.' Trip organiser Victoria Walker, who runs Blue Shark Snorkel from Penzance harbour, told the Daily Mail last night: 'We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved. 'Following advice and assessment from the coastguard, the person walked off the boat and received further treatment ashore.' Miss Walker, who wants to 'help people overcome their fear of sharks', added: 'These occurrences can be blown out of control without a clear understanding and scientific back-up. 'They are extremely rare and can be easily misunderstood. 'These things can happen when we choose to interact with wild animals in their own environment. The last thing we want is to let speculation drive the media into a world of bad press for the sharks, under no fault of their own.' Trip organiser Victoria Walker (pictured), who runs Blue Shark Snorkel from Penzance harbour, told the Daily Mail last night: 'We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved.' A local shark fisherman said yesterday that he saw 'massive' blue sharks at the same spot the day before the bite incident. An coastguard spokesperson said: 'HM Coastguard sent Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeler who suffered a suspected shark bite. 'The coastguard was notified just before 12.30pm on Thursday (July 28). It is believed the swimmer suffered a leg injury. 'The coastguard team met the casualty at Penzance harbour to assist with passing them into the care of the ambulance service.' Shark expert Richard Peirce told MailOnline: 'It was most likely an exploratory bite, sharks obviously do not have hands or feet, they have mouths. They are very inquisitive creatures. 'Hopefully this bite is relatively mild stuff but that is not to say that blue sharks cannot inflict much damage because they can. 'I started the shark diving trips off Cornwall in 2006 and myself and my guides were always in the water with those we were taking out. 'We used a Shark Billy, poles that we could prod away a shark if they got too close. You don't want to be using your hands to do it. 'I don't know what's happened on this occasion, I've heard that it was a tourist on a shark snorkelling trip who was injured, but the water would have been chummed first to attract the sharks. 'The blood in the water would have stimulated the sharks senses and they would approach initially looking for dinner. 'These sort of trips have to be handled both sensitively for the shark and also safely for those who are taking part. Hopefully the appropriate safety guidelines have been followed on this occasion.' The victim had been swimming in the waters off Cornwall after sailing 15 miles out to sea on the Celtic Fox (pictured) as part of a snorkelling excursion Blue Shark Snorkel Trips said in a statement: 'We want to make everyone aware that we have had an incident. 'These occurrences are extremely rare and can be easily misunderstood so we want this to be dealt with as sensibly as possible. 'As we know, these things can happen when we choose to interact with wild animals in their own environment. The last thing we want is to let speculation drive the media into a world of bad press for the sharks, under no fault of their own. 'We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved. 'Following advice and assessment from the coastguard, the person walked off the boat and received further treatment ashore. 'We've tried to understand why it happened and are in continued talks with shark experts.' The company did not respond to numerous phonecalls or messages and simply posted the information on its Facebook page. Its website promises a 'unique and unforgettable wildlife experience' and the 'chance to have up close and interactive encounters with blue sharks in their natural environment.' While you do not need to have a diving qualification, some previous experience with snorkelling is required. A spokesman for Visit Cornwall told the Telegraph there was no reason for tourists to be concerned, adding: 'You don't have to worry as long as you swim on a lifeguarded beach. 'Sharks don't eat people off Cornwall and we certainly don't get Great Whites in our waters. There's no need to close the beaches at this stage.' Penzance Harbour, where the organised excursion had set off from before the bit happened Several species visit the Cornish waters every year, including blue sharks, porbeagle sharks and basking sharks - who do not tend to attack humans - but shark attacks remain rare, especially in the UK. The British Sea Fishing website said: 'Blue shark attacks on humans are extremely rare but have been recorded. In total, on a world-wide basis, there are four confirmed cases of fatal blue shark attacks on humans with twenty-five confirmed non-fatal attacks. 'In August 2012 a beach in Ceredigion, Wales was closed to bathers due to the presence of a blue shark. 'The shark was spotted swimming in between boats and came very close to the shore, swimming past tourists in just a few feet of water. 'Later in the same month another beach in West Dorset had to be closed for an hour and a half due to another blue shark.' In 2017 surfer Rich Thomson was also apparently bitten on the thumb by what was believed to be a smooth hound - a relative of sharks. The last recorded unprovoked 'attack' was at Felixstowe when a windsurfer's board was bitten by a shark in 2016. Despite this, the windsufer sustained no injures and shark bites tend to only happen when provoked during fishing or other activities. James Weems Jr. 57, is being held in custody in Baltimore on 13 charges The retired Baltimore cop shot by his daycare owner wife over allegations he'd been abusing children has now been charged with ten child sex offenses involving three different kids she'd been caring for. James Weems Jr. 57, is being held in custody in Baltimore. He has been charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of third degree sexual assault, three counts of fourth degree sexual assault and one count of displaying obscene material to a minor. He was also charged with an additional three counts of second degree assault. The alleged offenses took place on July 3rd at the Lil Kidz Kastle daycare run by his wife Shanteari Weems. On July 21, Shanteari drove to the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Washington DC to confront her husband. James Weems Jr. was shot in the leg by his wife Shanteari on July 21 at the Mandarin Oriental. She had just been told by a mother of one of the kids who attends her daycare that her husband was abusing children. He has now been charged with 10 child sex offenses Daycare owner Shanteari Weems, 50, in a photo provided to DailyMail.com. She has spent 20 years working in childcare before her husband was accused of child molestation earlier this month Andrew Barrett, the son of daycare owner Shanteari Weems, visibly upset outside court on Friday She had just been told by one of the mothers from her daycare center that Weems had abused their child. It was the second allegation against her husband; the first temporarily closed the center. Shanteari, 50, took her gun with her. Once inside her husband's hotel room, she claims he became aggressive towards her - so she shot him in 'self-defense'. She had also, however, written notes talking about her desire to hurt him as payback for the alleged abuse. Shanteari remains locked up on domestic violence charges for shooting her husband in the leg. Her attorney Tony Garcia told DailyMail.com last week that she is remorseful, but that she is 'relieved' he has been charged. Details of the allegations have not yet been made public but they involve three kids. The incidents took place on July 3 at the daycare center in Randallstown, where James was working as a bus driver for the business. Shanteari Weems, 50, is shown outside the Mandarin Oriental, having just shot her husband James in the leg The couple had been at the $400-a-night hotel in Washington DC for James, a retired cop, to attend an event Shanteari Weems' daycare center, the Lil Kidz Kastle in Randallstown, near Baltimore Shanteari Weems, 50, is the owner of Lil Kidz Kastle in Owing Mills, Maryland The 57-year-old served in the Baltimore Police Department previously, and was also a security guard for a time. Shanteari has worked in childcare for 20 years, but has only been married to her husband for five. Last week, as she was denied bond, her attorney told DailyMail.com: 'It's ironic that they think she is a safety risk when the only reason she's in jail is because she was trying to protect the safety of children.' He added that she was 'relieved' her husband had been charged with child sex crimes because it proves 'she was right'. 'She is remorseful but it's a relief that law enforcement believes he molested children. 'He was denying it, but now that it's been confirmed. She was right. He was molesting them. 'And in fact, it's worse than what she thought because there are three children involved, not two.' It is unclear whether or not James Weems has an attorney. The court docket in his case suggests he may soon be represented by a public defender. 50 Cent claims Beyonce 'jumped' out at him after he tried talking to her husband Jay-Z in Las Vegas amid rivalry: 'She came out like she was ready' Mexican security forces discovered 45 migrants concealed within the covered walls of a tractor-trailer that was disguised as a garbage truck in the coastal state of Veracruz. The National Institute of Migration said National Guard soldiers stopped the driver for a routine inspection on a highway on Monday at 4:50 a.m. Crushed metal sheets, pipes, lids and cans rose from the floor to the ceiling of the freight container when the guardsmen opened the cargo's door and subsequently became suspicious when they heard voices. The individuals crawled out of the container through a small space on the bottom right side of the garbage pile. Agents with Mexico's National Institute of Migration escort one of the 45 migrants who were found inside a tractor trailer disguised as a garbage truck by smugglers in Veracruz on Monday Immigration agents canvassed the container and found that the 45 migrants were hidden between mesh fencing and mattresses lined up over a wall, leaving the group without any access to ventilation Immigration agents canvassed the container and found that the migrants were hidden between mesh fencing and mattresses lined up over a wall, leaving the group without any access to ventilation. According to the National Institute of Migration, the migrant group was comprised of: 20 people from Venezuela, nine from the Dominican Republic, five from Ecuador and three from Bangladesh. The other three migrants were from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The nine women and 34 men, all adults, were taken to a local National Institute of Migration facility in the town of Acayucan. The driver was arrested and placed in custody of the Veracruz State Attorney Generals Office. A migrant is helped after crawling through a pile of metal sheets, pipes, lids and cans that rose from the floor to the ceiling of the freight container where they were hidden as part of the smuggling network's efforts to get them to the U.S. border The migrants were taken to the local immigration station in Acayucan, Veracruz, where they were processed The migrant group was comprised of 20 people from Venezuela, nine from the Dominican Republic, five from Ecuador and three from Bangladesh. The other three migrants were from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Its the latest smuggling ring busted by Mexican security forces and immigration agents after almost 400 migrants escaped from a hot and airless tractor trailer that was abandoned near Acayucan last Thursday. In that incident, villagers and workers from a nearby gas station sprung to action after they heard the cries for help coming from the freight container and helped pry its doors open. Some of the migrants broke holes in the cargo container to get out, while others escaped through the roof. About 94 migrants were treated by paramedics on the scene while the rest were able to flee. At least 6,592 migrants have died or disappeared in the Americas during their journey to the United States, according to the International Organization for Migration. At least 652 had died or gone missing in 2021 as of last Friday, on pace to eclipse last year's totals when 1,248 deaths or disappearances where reported. Rishi Sunak today insisted he would not ignore Nicola Sturgeon - after Liz Truss said she would - and accused his leadership rival of having no plan to defeat the First Minister and the independence movement who said the Foreign Secretary was 'holding Scotland in contempt'. Ms Truss also branded Nicola Sturgeon an 'attention seeker' - sparking fury with the SNP who said they and the Scottish people were 'insulted' and 'absolutely horrified'. The former chancellor has now dismissed Foreign Secretary's controversial comments made in Exeter last night and said it is 'not good enough to simply ignore the SNP when we need a plan to beat them'. Mr Sunak believes that 'confronting the nationalists and beating them at the ballot box' is the only way to defeat Ms Sturgeon and the SNP. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said her comments were 'deeply troubling and concerning', adding that people in Scotland, regardless of political opinion, will be 'really concerned, and in many cases, insulted'. He said: 'Nicola Sturgeon has far more democratic legitimacy than Liz Truss is going to have if she becomes the prime minister, and I think Liz Truss has absolutely no right or foundation to make these remarks.' SNP councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu posted a message on social media saying: 'How disrespectful and ignorant! Like her or not she is the democratically elected First Minister of Scotland with a larger mandate than any Tory Prime Minister!' SNP minister Christina McKelvie said: 'You watching Scotland ... utterly disgraceful contempt for our democratically elected First Minister.' Leadership hopeful Ms Truss made the comments at the Conservative hustings in Exeter last night and was swiftly backed by Jacob Rees-Mogg today who declared that Ms Sturgeon 'waffles on endlessly', is 'very often wrong', and is 'always moaning'. Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss speaks during a hustings event in Exeter where she laid into the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon. Rishi Sunak has now said his leadership rival has no plan to beat the First Minister She branded the First Minister an 'attention seeker' and said the best thing to do was 'ignore her' - sparking fury with the SNP Former Chancellor to the Exchequer Rishi Sunak speaks to Tory members. He is promising income tax cuts Rishi Sunak has pitched himself as the fiscally conservative candidate and has criticised his rival's tax-cutting plans as 'comforting fairytales' Liz Truss U-TURNS on civil service cost-cutting plans that would 'reduce pay for Northern teachers, nurses and police officers' just HOURS after announcing them amid furious Tory backlash Liz Truss U-turned to scrap a major part of a proposed 'war on Whitehall waste' today after Tory critics warned it meant cutting the pay of millions of workers and lead to electoral disaster. The Foreign Secretary announced last night plans to save up to 11billion with major reforms to Civil Service pay and conditions. Some 8.8billion of savings was to come from axing national pay boards outside the South East and tailoring pay for new starters to reflect local private sector rates. But in order to save the colossal sum experts said the scheme would have to reduce pay for all public sector workers - including teachers, nurses and soldiers - and not just civil servants. This was denied by Team Truss. But she reversed the plan today after criticism from Northern Tories and supporters of Rishi Sunak over how it would be seen in the Red Wall seats the party took from Labour at the last election, at a time of growing cost-of-living fears. Ben Houchen, the mayor of Tees Valley who is seen as a rising star of the party, said the plan could not be achieved 'without a massive pay cut for 5.5m people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London' and warned it was 'a ticking time bomb set by team Truss that will explode ahead of the next general election'. Advertisement A member of the audience had asked: 'What are you going to do to get Scotland on board? Because I'm sick to death hearing about Nicola Sturgeon trying to break up the Union.' The chairman of the hustings, Whitehall editor of the Financial Times Sebastian Payne, added: 'The bond of the United Kingdom has weakened over the past 12 years of the Conservative government, and if you look at Northern Ireland or Scotland, independence is very much a question again. What is your plan to reverse that?' In response, Ms Truss, who described herself as 'a child of the Union' said: 'We're better together and I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is to ignore her. 'I'm sorry, she's an attention seeker, that's all she is. What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales what we are delivering for them and make sure our policies are delivering for them right across the United Kingdom.' Ms Truss, who grew up in Paisley, added: 'Nicola Sturgeon can carry on talking about an independence referendum we had the referendum in 2014 it was agreed it was once in a generation so we've got to call her out on that but, at the same time, really delivering for Scotland. So some of the policies I'm talking about the investment zones, the free ports we need to make sure they're delivered in Scotland too.' Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said Liz Truss has shown 'total disrespect' to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and 'a contempt for everyone that voted for a pro-independence majority of MSPs in last year's election'. 'She knows that the democratic case for a referendum is unanswerable, so she would rather patronise us and ignore us,' she said. 'Neither Truss nor (Rishi) Sunak would offer the fresh start that we need. They have both backed every single disastrous policy that (Boris) Johnson has implemented. 'They supported his failed Brexit deal and the Universal Credit cuts that plunged thousands of people into poverty. 'They are both happy to let the oil and gas companies rake in record profits while millions of people are suffering.' The row came as Penny Mordaunt last night threw her support behind Liz Truss in a major coup for the frontrunner's leadership campaign. The trade minister dramatically declared she was backing her former rival at the start of a hustings event for party members. She had not been expected to endorse either finalist after coming third in the contest. But taking to the stage in Exeter last night, she said the choice of the next Conservative Party leader was 'too important' to be left to chance. She said she had decided to back Ms Truss, paying tribute to her 'graft, her authenticity, her determination, her ambition for this country, her consistency and sense of duty'. 'She knows what she believes in, and her resolve to stand up against tyranny and fight for freedom that's what our country stands for. 'And that's why I know with her we can win,' Ms Mordaunt said. 'She for me is the 'hope' candidate.' Meanwhile Ms Truss secured more support from Holyrood than Rishi Sunak with nine MSPs writing a joint article stating that the Foreign Secretary will stand up for the Union and can trusted to deliver for Scotland. It means she has now received more public declarations of support than the former Chancellor, who had initially secured the backing of a series of high-profile MSPs but has failed to add any in the last week. The unexpected backing from Ms Mordaunt came just hours after another former leadership candidate, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, lent his support to Ms Truss. Mr Zahawi praised her 'booster' approach to the economy in contrast to that of her 'doomster' rival Rishi Sunak. Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss and FT journalist Sebastian Payne embrace Ms Truss has also stated her intention to turn brownfield sites and other locations into 'investment zones', dubbed 'full-fat freeports'. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks during the second Conservative party membership hustings with Sebastian Payne Ms Truss also vowed to cut costs in the civil service including plans to cut pay for those outside the south-east Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt (L) greets Foreign Secretary Liz Truss ahead of the second Conservative party membership hustings She has promised a 'war on Whitehall waste' to save 11 billion, cutting Civil Service time off and ending national pay deals. Rishi Sunak has re-iterated his support for the Government's controversial Rwanda asylum policy, saying he would do 'whatever it takes' to get it up and running Now Nadhim Zahawi comes out for Truss Liz Truss's campaign gathered more momentum yesterday as she secured the backing of another Cabinet Minister as well as a major group of Scottish Tories. The leadership frontrunner's 'booster' approach to the economy was contrasted with that of 'doomster' Rishi Sunak by new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi. 'Liz will overturn stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way,' he wrote in the Telegraph, as he became the tenth member of the current Cabinet to lend her his support, compared with eight for her rival. Mr Zahawi who previously claimed he would not endorse a candidate when he dropped out of the contest added: 'Liz's plans for a low-tax economy that puts growth first are what we need.' Advertisement 'Liz will overturn stale economic orthodoxy and run our economy in a Conservative way,' Mr Zahawi wrote in The Daily Telegraph, as he became the tenth member of the current Cabinet to back her, compared with eight for her rival. Answering questions about her personal life, Ms Truss said she 'shared the values' of the Church of England but was not a regular worshipper. Asked where the money was going to come from for her tax cuts and infrastructure investment, she replied: 'Thriving enterprises, thriving businesses and economic growth'. She added: 'If we tax people and businesses too much, and we've currently got the highest tax rates for 70 years in our country, we will throttle that growth.' But she suggested she would offer her rival a role in Government if she became prime minister, saying: 'Of course I would have Rishi Sunak as part of my team, he's a fantastic guy and we need all of our best talent on the pitch.' Mr Sunak sought to revitalise his campaign by portraying himself as the 'change candidate' at the hustings. And he again highlighted the fact he backed Britain leaving the EU while his rival supported Remain. 'I supported change. I supported Brexit, I believed in my principles then, and I believe in my principles now,' he said. The nine MSPs who wrote the joint article for The Times supporting Ms Truss included frontbenchers Murdo Fraser, Stephen Kerr, Liam Kerr, Oliver Mundell and Rachael Hamilton, as well as Finlay Carson, Sharon Dowey, Douglas Lumsden and Graham Simpson. It said: 'Having spent her early years living in Scotland, Liz is a child of the Union. She knows from personal experience that we are stronger when we work together across the United Kingdom. 'We have achieved so much over the past 300 years working together and we can achieve so much more in the future. This is why Liz is so positive about Scotland's future in the United Kingdom.' A spokesman for Mr Sunak's campaign said: 'Polls continue to show that Rishi is the best candidate to beat Labour and stop the SNP from getting into power via the backdoor.' A 'heartbroken' Richard Hammond has paid tribute to his millionaire friend who was killed when his yacht smashed into rocks off Sardinia on Sunday. Dean Kronsbein, 61, was on the deck of his 70ft yacht Amore with his wife and daughter when the captain was forced to take evasive action to avoid another boat. The vessel ploughed into a stretch of rocks and lost its bow in the force of the impact which happened at Il Nibani, just off the coast of Porto Cervo. It is believed Mr Kronsbein was thrown into the water by the collision, before being pulled out by a passing Maltese flagged yacht. Despite attempts to save him, was declared dead onboard. His wife Sabine, 59, and daughter Sophia, 27, were also seriously injured and taken to a hospital at Olbia before being transferred to a more specialist unit at Sassari, some 60 miles away. Mr Kronsbein's family said he would be 'deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know him.' Today TV star Richard Hammond - who was a close friend of Mr Kronsbein - also paid poignant tribute to him. He told MailOnline: 'I'm genuinely shocked at this heartbreaking news. A 'heartbroken' Richard Hammond (left) has paid tribute to his millionaire friend Dean Kronsbein (right) who was killed when his yacht smashed into rocks off Sardinia on Sunday Pictured: The 70ft Amore is seen on-land in Porto Cervo, Sardinia after being seized by the local authorities while an investigation into the crash is carried out 'He really was a larger than life character and I know people often say that but he really was and the world needs more people like him. 'He was big hearted, fun character who wanted people to enjoy themselves when they were with him and he was also an astute businessman. He opened factories in Ross-on-Wye, who does that for goodness sake!?' Mr Kronsbein was the owner of a firm called Ultrafilter Medical based in Ross-on-Wye which made highly specialised medical equipment and distributed millions of masks during lockdown. His family also owns 5 million Cubberley House - a beautiful country home close to Ross on Wye - and also a four bedroom villa on the outskirts of Porto Cervo. Dean Kronsbein, 61, was on the deck of his 70ft yacht Amore with his wife and daughter on Sunday when it ploughed into some rocks, throwing him into the ocean. He was pulled from the ocean, but could not be saved 'I just cant believe I wont see him again in his colourful waistcoat and looking at his pocket watch, the last time I saw him was a couple of weeks ago at the party he hosted at Cubberley House,' Mr Hammond, known for Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Brainiac, told MailOnline. The party was hosted in the 100 acre grounds of his seven bedroom country home for the Bentley Drivers Club, and was also attended by Prince Michael of Kent. Mr Kronsbein owned a 1953 R Type continental Bentley and he and wife were committed fund raisers for charity. 'Im just heartbroken for his family, they are tremendous people and I just wish Sabine and Sophia a speedy recovery. Ive spoken to some people at the factory which is shut because of whats happened and they are all devastated as well. 'He brought jobs and work to the area and locals were genuinely delighted for what he did for them and the town. I really shall miss him tremendously and the life of the party has left. 'Dean was on fine form at the party last month and gave a great speech as always and was the life and soul of the event. This is just such really, really sad news. 'We were drawn together by a love of cars and we would often meet up to talk about them and I would come along to factory openings. Mr Hammond also revealed how he had introduced Mr Kronsbein to BBC motoring journalist Zog Ziegler, and added: 'They love talking about cars, machinery and business and when I called him earlier to tell him what had happened he was as shocked as I was. 'He called me back a few minutes later to say he had just processed it all and couldnt believe it. Thats the sort of person was he was a really big guy with a heart to match. Im absolutely devastated, he was much loved and will be sadly missed. In a statement to MailOnline, Mr Kronsbein's family confirmed his tragic death. 'It is with great sadness that we can confirm that Dean Kronsbein has been killed in a boating accident,' the statement said. 'A much-loved and respected family man, friend and business colleague, it is a tremendous shock and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know him. We politely request that the family are allowed time and space to come to terms with their loss.' The vessel (pictured after the crash surrounded by rescue vessels) ploughed into a stretch of rocks and lost its bow in the force of the impact which happened at Il Nibani, just off the coast of Porto Cervo on the island of Sardinia Pictured: The damage to the yacht's bow is seen in pictures taken after it was towed ashore Pictured: Dean Kronsbein's 70ft yacht Amore is seen impounded by local authorities Just last month Mr Kronsbein featured in an article in the Financial Times on how foreign holidaymakers were returning to the millionaire playground around Porto Cervo. Describing how he had bought his new home he said: 'We've rented here every summer and I thought it a good time to buy. The houses are built to blend into the hillsides and don't stick out and spoil the landscape.' MailOnline also revealed today the captain of the Amore, Mario Lallone, has also been placed under investigation by local authorities and will be questioned later today over the crash. Several other witnesses including four friends of Mr Kronsbein who were on the yacht will also be questioned as will rescuers on other boats that came to help. Family lawyer Egidio Caredda told MailOnline: 'As you can imagine this has been a terrible shock for the family. 'I was contacted by Mr Kronsbein's son to help them with the situation, and I am giving them all the assistance I can. 'The local authorities are still investigating the exact circumstances and we will also be speaking to witnesses to establish what happened. 'Mr Kronsbein's son Dustin flew out from England when he heard the news and he has been with his mother and sister. They are both very seriously hurt and are receiving significant medical treatment in hospital.' Pictured: Dead yachtsman Dean Kronsbien (left) with MP Philip Dunne (right). Mr Kronsbein was the owner of a firm called Ultrafilter Medical based in Ross-on-Wye which made highly specialised medical equipment and distributed millions of masks during lockdown Mr Kronsbien's owns 5 million Cubberley House a beautiful country home close to Ross on Wye and also a four bedroom villa on the outskirts of Porto Cervo (pictured) The yacht was towed off rocks by coastguard vessels and impounded while an investigation is carried out. Coast guards yesterday also sealed off the area where the crash happened until the investigation is completed. It was reported that an autopsy was expected to be performed on Monday. One source said: 'The theory is the boat that ran aground was trying frantically to steer out of the way of another which didn't have right of way and she ended up on the rocks.' One bystander on social media said: 'Five ambulances around a boat last night at Porto Cervo which was towed in. Doesn't look good.' The MY Amore is registered in the Italian port of Monfalcone near Trieste. However, it is unclear whether the dead Briton had chartered the vessel or owned it. A picture of the rocks struck by the Amore was released by coastguards and white paint from her hull was clearly visible on the surface of the stones. This terrifying image taken after the crash laid bare the full extent of the damage - with the bow of the Amore completely torn off with the force of the impact on the rocks Paint was also left imprinted on the rocks that the vessel hit, killing one and injuring six - two of them with serious wounds. Mr Kronsbien's wife Sabine, 59, and daughter Sophia, 27, were also seriously injured and taken to a hospital at Olbia before being transferred to a more specialist unit at Sassari 60 miles away Vessels are showed moored in Porto Cervo late on Sunday night after the stricken craft was towed back to shore, where it was met by emergency services The crash happened near a set of islands called Il Nibani, which are around two miles off the coast from Porto Cervo, Sardinia Yesterday, coastguard commander Francesco Colarullo told Mail Online: 'The damaged boat was towed back to Porto Cervo and has now been seized by the local prosecutor while the investigation into what happened exactly continues. 'It's possible speed may have been an issue and we know that other vessels were in the area at the time and the accident may have happened while evasive action was taking place. 'Every effort was made to save the life of the British man but there was nothing that could be done and he was unconscious when he was recovered. 'The alarm was raised by the Amore with a mayday and they reported they were taking on water after striking rocks and a rescue operation was immediately launched. 'Two coastguard vessels were involved as well as several other pleasure boats in the area at the time.' A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: 'We are providing support following a maritime accident in Sardinia, including to the family of a dual national who has died. We are in contact with the local authorities.' Wind turbines could get bigger blades and be made 65 feet taller to get around restrictions limiting onshore wind farm expansion. Octopus Energy, which currently powers more than three million UK homes and businesses, say they can provide electricity for a further half a million by reconfiguring or replacing up to 1,000 turbines, the Telegraph has reported. The average height of an onshore wind turbine in the UK is currently 246 feet, according to RenewableUK, but the new plans could see them soaring well above 300 feet. It comes as Rishi Sunak, who is in the running to become the next Prime Minister, said he wanted to reassure communities that he would scrap plans to relax the ban on onshore wind in England, focussing instead on offshore turbines. Repowering plans could see wind turbines increasing in height by about 25%, which Octopus Energy claims could help them provide electricity to half a million more households Nearly 60 per cent of the UKs wind power is currently generated by onshore wind turbines but installation has slowed since David Cameron stopped the technology from receiving subsidies in 2015. Planning laws were also changed to give local councils tougher powers over whether onshore wind turbines were built in their areas. As well as increasing the height of the turbines and the size of the blades, the machines can also be made more powerful by replacing the internal technology. A spokesperson for Octopus Energy told the MailOnline: 'Some of them are quite old and the technology has come such a long way since then. It is just about making better use of that and we can do that quickly by repowering.' Octopus Energy Generations chief executive Zoisa North-Bond said the company has teamed with turbine manufacturer EWT who will help them to replace inefficient machines, many of which are in the North of England, with more powerful models by 2030. Chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation Zoisa North-Bond said repowering existing turbines is key to meeting sustainability targets given the restrictions on building new ones According to WindEurope, repowering can triple the electricity output of wind farms, which could be a big step towards boosting the countrys energy security. Ms North-Bond added: Its something that could be really imperative to our onshore wind strategy if its difficult to build more given current planning restrictions. Octopus Energy said they will only go ahead with the repowering if nearby homeowners support the plan. Nearly 60 per cent of the UKs wind power is currently generated by onshore wind, with around 9,000 turbines across the country. (Stock image) While some fear the impact of bigger turbines on the rural landscape, these homes could be able to buy cheaper electricity when the wind is blowing hard, providing much-needed reductions to household bills. Under its existing fan club tariff, households living within five to ten miles of Octopus Energy turbines get discounts of up to 50 per cent on their electricity when it is windy. Leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak said he will not relax the ban on onshore wind in England. Pictured here at the Octopus Energy headquarters in October 2020 This deal currently only applies to customers in Market Weighton, Yorkshire and Caerphilly, Wales but the company has previously said it wants to spend about 4billion on introducing fan club projects around the world within the decade, half of which could be in the UK. Ms North-Bond added: Theres a huge untapped opportunity to repower wind turbines that communities have already hosted for many years. 'This means powering even more homes with cheaper, local, green energy, helping to drive down energy bills and provide energy security. A spokesperson for Octopus Energy said work to upgrade the wind turbines will begin this autumn and is set to go on until 2030. Earlier this year Boris Johnson announced plans to increase Britains offshore wind power five-fold by the end of the decade but in its energy security strategy the Government said it would not introduce wholesale changes to current planning rules for onshore wind. However, last month Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was reportedly considering plans to offer communities up to 350 off their annual energy bills if they agreed to a wind farm being built nearby. A government source said: There is potential for more onshore wind but it has to be done with community consent. 'As part of that we do think it is right that communities should be offered a share of the financial rewards.' A 20-year-old man has been charged with intending to injure or alarm the Queen under the Treason Act following an incident on Christmas Day at Windsor Castle. Jaswant Singh Chail was charged with an offence under section two of the Treason Act 1842 - last used more than 40 years ago - which is 'discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm Her Majesty'. Chail, of Southampton, has also been charged with threats to kill, contrary to section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Jaswant Singh Chail (pictured) was charged with an offence under section two of the Treason Act 1842 - last used more than 40 years ago - which is 'discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm Her Majesty' Armed police officers on guard at the Henry VIII Gate at Windsor Castle on December 27 Windsor Castle in Berkshire is pictured being guarded by armed police in January this year Police confirmed a crossbow was found after the intruder was detained in the castle grounds while the Queen (pictured delivering the annual Christmas Day speech) was in residence Furthermore, he has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, contrary to section one of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. Chail is currently being detained ahead of an appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 17. The Metropolitan Police said Chail had been charged following an investigation by its Counter Terrorism Command in relation to an incident which took place within the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day last year. Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said it has authorised the Met to charge Chail 'after he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle on December 25, 2021 carrying a crossbow'. The last time the act was used was to prosecute a defendant was more than 40 years ago, when Marcus Sarjeant was also charged with trying to injure Elizabeth II. He fired six blank shots at the Queen as she rode down The Mall during Trooping the Colour in London in 1981. This section of the Treason Act 1842 is still in force and was introduced under Queen Victoria after two men fired at her in the space of two days that year. One man, John Francis, aimed at Victoria but did not fire as she was riding in a carriage along The Mall, in central London. She went out again the next day to bait Francis to try again. He managed to get a shot off at the monarch, but was arrested by plain clothed policemen. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrived for the Christmas Matins service in Windsor Castle on December 26 Sophie and Edward were accompanied by their daughter Lady Louise and son James, Viscount Severn on Christmas Day at Windsor Castle The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrive to attend the Christmas Day morning church service at St George's Chapel Two days later in a similar attack, John William Bean fired a pistol at the Queen, but it was loaded only with paper and tobacco. Feeling the death penalty was too harsh, Prince Albert encouraged Parliament to pass a law fitting lesser crimes against the monarch, such as intent to alarm or wound. It created a new offence of the less serious than high treason of assaulting the Queen, or of having a firearm or offensive weapon in her presence with intent to injure or alarm her or to cause a breach of the peace. Sarjeant was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to firing blank shots at Elizabeth II when she was on parade. Winston Churchill bravely stepped in to donate a skin graft from his arm to help a badly wounded fellow officer and prevent a nurse from having to do so instead, a new medical journal reveals. A sword strike to the arm had severed the muscles of Churchills colleague Richard Molyneux during the 1898 Battle of Omdurman, in the Anglo Sudan War. The then 23-year-old Lieutenant Churchill had been serving with the 21st Lancers - a cavalry regiment in the British Army - and had also been serving as a war correspondent for the newspaper the Morning Post. After the battle, in which the future politician had participated in the last cavalry charge in history, Churchill recounted how he had skin taken from his arm to patch a wound suffered by fellow Lieutenant Molyneux. The details of Churchills heroics are reported by a team of doctors as part of an article about the history of skin grafting in the medical journal Clinics in Dermatology. Winston Churchill bravely stepped in to donate a skin graft from his arm to help a badly wounded fellow officer and prevent a nurse from having to do so instead, with the details of his heroics outlined in a new report by a team of doctors It was after the Battle of Omduran in September 1898 - in which Churchill participated in the last cavalry charge in history - that the future politician had skin taken from his arm to patch a wound suffered by a fellow Lieutenant, Richard Molyneux It was a horrible gash, and the doctor was anxious that it should be skinned over as soon as possible, Churchill reportedly explained. He said something in a low tone to the nurse, who bared her arm. They retired into a corner, where he began to cut a piece of skin off her to transfer to Molyneuxs wound. The poor nurse blanched, and the doctor turned upon me. Churchill then described how the doctor, a great, raw-boned Irishman, told him Oill have to take it off you. He continued: There was no escape, and as I rolled up my sleeve he added genially, Yeve hear of a man being flayed aloive? Well this is what it feels loike. The doctors said that the way Churchill described the procedure suggested it was likely a full thickness graft, which was a relatively new procedure at the time, having only been introduced in 1875 He then proceeded to cut a piece of skin and some flesh about the size of a shilling from the inside of my forearm. 'My sensations as he sawed the razor slowly to and fro fully justified his description of the ordeal. 'However, I managed to hold out until he had cut a beautiful piece of skin with a thin layer of flesh attached to it: This precious fragment was then grafted on to my friend's wound. 'It remains there to this day and did him lasting good in many ways. I for my part keep the scar as a souvenir.' The team, from the University of Miami, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University and private practice, used newspaper reports from the time to write the new medical journal. The doctors said that the way Churchill described the procedure suggested it was likely a full thickness graft, which was a relatively new procedure at the time, having only been introduced in 1875. This type of graft was developed by an ophthalmic surgeon, John Reissberg Wolfe, in Breslau, now the Polish city of Wroclaw. It was popularised in 1893 by the German surgeon Fedor Victor Krause, the team added. Churchill's doctor Lord Moran reads a statement outside his London home, in Hyde Park Gate, in January 1965 during the former Prime Minister's final days Although Winston Churchill did not expect to be a skin graft donor, he rose to the occasion and came to the rescue of a wounded colleague, although with modesty and humour he implies that the situation left him little choice in the matter, the doctors concluded in their report. He deserves much credit for his skin graft donation as do all persons who give the gift of life, whether their blood or an organ, to help a fellow human being. Churchill's personal doctor from 1940, Lord Moran, recorded in 1954 how Churchill, who was then in his second stint as Prime Minister, showed him the scar following the death of Molyneux. 'That's where I gave some skin for grafting to Dick Molyneux after the battle of Omdurman it hurt like the devil,' Moran said Churchill told him. After pointing out Molyneux's funeral in that day's paper, Moran said Churchill added, 'He will take my skin with him, a kind of advance guard, into the next world.' Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday declared the monkeypox outbreak a state of emergency in California, despite a gay, leather kink festival taking place in San Francisco over the weekend - a little more than a year since kids were banned from going back to school due to COVID. California became the second state in three days to take the step, after New York, and Newsom said the declaration will help state officials better coordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on where people can get treatment and vaccination. 'We'll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization,' Newsom said. A booth offers information on monkeypox at the 'Dore Alley,' or also called the 'Up Your Alley' fetish and leather festival on Folsom Street in San Francisco on Sunday, as the viral disease keeps spreading in California. Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the state Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials. But that didn't stop the LGBTQ+ community on Sunday from organizing a street fair called 'Dore Alley' or 'Up Your Alley,' a leather and fetish event that is commonly compared to to the Folsom Street Fair California's third-largest single-day and outdoor spectator event as well as the world's largest leather event and showcase for BDSM products and culture. Festival officials made sure that this year's venue was more spread out and that hand sanitization stations were seen California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over monkeypox on Monday, becoming the second state in three days to take the step after New York -- the epidemic of the viral disease Kinky games and street vendors selling leather apparel including chokers, collars, whips and bondage kits are a common at the venue, which mostly attracts gay men out of any demographic. A sound stage was also set up for festivalgoers to dance. 'I like to think of it as the biggest leather block party,' Executive Director Angel Adeyoha told ABC 7. She raised her concerns, however, over the timing of this year's festival, especially as it took place soon after the City of San Francisco announced a state of emergency over monkeypox on July 28. 'I don't know if you came in previous years, but you would be body to body. Clearly that's not the case now, we've made room for folks,' Adeyoha told ABC 7. In 2020, both the Up Your Alley Fair and Folsom were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the San Francisco Department of Public Health was on-site to inform the local community about the viral disease and to keep them safe by adding hand sanitizing stations. The festival was also more spread out than usual so people could freely roam around. 'I think probably more risky things in both Outside Lands and Dore Alley will be the things that happen after the event or around the private event spaces, where people are intimate with each other,' UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong told NBC Bay Area. With a growing monkeypox outbreak that has so far predominately affected gay and bisexual men, city officials in San Francisco have declared a state of emergency. Pictured: a volunteer handing out informational sheets on the viral disease at the 'Dore Alley' festival in San Francisco on Sunday A volunteer working at the 'Dore Alley' festival on Sunday checks a festivalgoer's COVID vaccine status, sideways to a flying promoting monkeypox awareness Festivalgoers (pictured) were more spread out than usual at the 'Dore Alley' festival on Sunday compared to other years. In 2020, the venue was canceled due to COVID The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, which can include hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as through the sharing of bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have mainly been men who have sex with men, though health officials note that the virus can infect anyone. 'Public health officials are clear: stigma is unacceptable and counterproductive in public health response,' Michelle Gibbons, executive director of the County Health Executives Association of California said. 'The fact is that monkeypox is primarily spread by skin-to-skin contact and sharing objects like bedding or towels, without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity.' The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal and people usually recover within weeks. But the lesions and blisters caused by the virus are painful and can prevent swallowing or bowel movements if in the throat or anus. The declaration in California came after a similar one in New York state on Saturday, and in San Francisco on Thursday. Newsom's administration had said as recently as Friday that it was too soon for such a declaration. After pressing for Newsom to make such a declaration, State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-SF) hailed the governor's decision. 'The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it,' Wiener said. People stand in long lines to receive the monkeypox vaccine at San Francisco General Hospital on July 12 A man holds a sign urging increased access to the monkeypox vaccine during a protest in San Francisco, July 18 Newsom's proclamation allows emergency medical personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the federal government. That's similar to a recent law that allows pharmacists to administer vaccines, Newsom's administration said. It said the state's response is building on the steps developed during the coronavirus pandemic to set up vaccination clinics and make sure there is outreach to vulnerable populations in cooperation with local and community-based organizations. California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses and has distributed more than 25,000 doses. 'We don't have any time to waste,' Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. She said the nation's most-populous county must use all available resources to speed the distribution of vaccines and help to those who have been infected. Newsom's office said Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine. As of last week, the state had expanded its testing capacity to process more than 1,000 tests a week. Critics have said the long wait for test results delayed treatment options. New York City is home to one of the United States largest LGBT communities, and is in line to receive 110,000 doses of the federal governments 800,000 upcoming monkeypox vaccines - but Governor Kathy Hochul still wants more. Case counts in New York City, the current US epicenter of the outbreak, surpassed 1,400 on Friday. In the entire country, the total amount of cases surpasses 5,000. A Brazilian woman has shared her surprise after ants made a nest inside her Amazon Kindle device, and even started 'buying' books. Journalist Mariana Lopes Vieira shared a video of the ants crawling all over the Kindle, which appeared to be emanating from the tablet's charging port. In the footage, hundreds of the bugs can be seen scurrying over the front and back of the infested Kindle and in and out of the hole at its base. Vieira said she had put her kindle down for a few weeks to read a physical book. Once she finished, she wanted to return her virtual reading. But when she want to pick up her Kindle, she found the ants had invaded it. Writing a blog post about the incident, she said the ants had entered the charger hole and made a nest inside the device - rendering it unusable. Brazilian journalist Mariana Lopes Vieira shared a video (pictured) of the ants crawling all over the Kindle, which appeared to be emanating from the tablet's charging port. They had made a nest inside the device, rendering it unusable 'I was desperate! I have several digital books, many of them are sold out titles in the physical edition, I thought it was gone', the journalist wrote. Vieira said the ants even changed from their usual darker colour to a 'albino' shade - suggesting those coming from the hole were young ants from the nest. 'Ants, little red ants, started their diaspora out of the device, in a terrifying scene. After a while, the dots change colour and scale, and even smaller, albino animals run over each other. Puppies,' she wrote. Some species of ants, such as the Nylanderia fulva (Raspberry Crazy Ants) that originate in South America, tend to hide in small placed that generate heat. As a result, electronic devices can be a popular nesting place for such bugs. She said she was even more shocked when she started getting email notifications saying two books had been purchased on her account. The purchases had been made by the ants, she said, which had gotten into the casing of the Kindle and were causing it to send commands as if in use by a person. Vieira said she had the 'one-click purchase' option enabled, meaning she can purchase books with just a single tap. This would have made it easier for the insects to trigger the device to make purchases, she said. After seeing that the ants had 'bought' two books: 'Robots and the Empire' and 'The Ring of Gyges: An Ethical Fantasy', she quickly used her computer to disable the one-click buy option on her Amazon account. However, because of the infestation she found that many of the tablet's other functions were not working, or causing it to carry out other unwanted actions - such as eBook pages turning by themselves. Her friend, writer Fabiane Guimaraes, shared her video on social media. Her post gained more than 66,000 likes and sent the name of Amazon's e-book reader to the top of Brazil's trending list on Twitter. Speaking to TecMundo, a Brazilian tech news website, Rafael Rech di Muzio explained how the ants were causing the unwanted actions. A jornalista Mariana Lopes Vieira teve seu Kindle INVADIDO POR FORMIGAS E o pior: os insetos ainda compraram livros usando a conta dela no leitor digital da @amazonBR pic.twitter.com/QsoEfmbEmw TecMundo (@Tec_Mundo) July 28, 2022 'Kindle uses a capacitive touch, which detects capacitance changes on the display so it knows where the touch was made,' the Mechatronics Engineering graduate said. He explained the ant's movements were registered by the devices as touches. 'The ants, in large numbers, can change the capacitance of the tracks and the equipment understands that there was a touch or some gesture on the screen.' Another owner of an Amazon Kindle also went viral for the same issue, posting a separate video on TikTok of their ant-infested device. Renata Alves Frederi went a step further, however, and demonstrated how to clear the Kindle of the infestation of ants - first banging the device on a surface to clear it of as many ants as possible before opening its casing up while spraying a fabric sheet with ant killer. She then placed the kindle on the sheet and waiting for the ants to slowly craw away in an attempt to escape from the spray and eventually die from the fumes. Ms Vieira, meanwhile, said she put her device in her freezer to freeze the ants. Experts have said that neither method will be foolproof, while both could damage the device, with Amazon explaining to the tech website that customers 'should also not use their devices near sinks or wet places (if their model is not waterproof) and should not leave them exposed to extreme heat or cold.' At least 18 alleged members of a migrant smuggling ring were arrested in Guatemala on Tuesday, including four wanted by the United States in connection with the death of a migrant woman in Texas in 2021. The arrests took place Tuesday during a series of raids across the provinces of Huehuetenango, Quiche, Totonicapan, Baja Verapaz and Alta Verapaz that the border with Mexico. The groups leader, Felipe Diego Alonzo, was arrested at a mountain ranch in Huehuetenango. Helicopters flew over the site that contained at least a dozen wooden homes and a number of vehicles. Various guns were also seized. Juan Gutierrez Castro was among the four defendants taken into custody on extradition warrants to the United States and are reportedly linked to the death of Guatemalan migrant, Marta Raymundo, who was found dead on a road near Odessa, Texas, on May 4, 2021. Authorities said he was involved in smuggling Raymundo from Mexico to the United States. A detainee who identified himself as Felipe Diego Alonzo is escorted off his property during a police raid against alleged migrant smugglers near the Mexican border in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 2. Police identified Alonzo as the leader of a network that made $2 million in smuggling proceeds since 2019 The body of Guatemalan native, Marta Raymundo, was found abandoned on a road near Odessa, Texas on May 4, 2021, after she allegedly died at a warehouse where she and other migrants were being kept after they were crossed over the United States-Mexico border. On Tuesday, authorities conducted raids across five provinces in Guatemala and arrest 18 alleged members of a migrant smuggling network, including four men wanted by the US in connection to Raymundo's death Detainee Juan Gutierrez Castro is escorted in handcuffs to court after a police operation against alleged migrant smugglers in Guatemala City on Tuesday. Authorities said he was involved in smuggling Marta Raymundo from Mexico to the United States The 22-year-old woman is said to have fallen sick and died at a warehouse where she and other migrants were being held. Francisco Raymundo, who lives in Atlanta, told Univision at the time of his daughters death that one of the smugglers contacted his son in Guatemala to tell him she had fainted at the warehouse where she was being held. A couple of days passed before a smuggler reached out to him directly to provide the exact location where they had dumped her dead body. Stuardo Campo, Guatemala's prosecutor for crimes against migrants, said the US Department of Homeland Security had supported the operation. Guatemalan authorities had documented 11 operations by the smuggling network to move migrants since last October, but Campo did not say how many migrants were smuggled. He also said they had traced $2 million in smuggling proceeds to the group since 2019. A Guatemalan police officer walks near alleged human traffickers, far right, who covered their faces, during a police raid against migrant smugglers near the Mexican border in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on Tuesday Detainee Abel Mateo Baltazar (front) and his sister Ana Mateo Baltazar (left) are escorted in handcuffs to court after a police operation against alleged migrant smugglers in Guatemala City on Tuesday The arrests came a month after 53 migrants, including 21 Guatemalans, died in a failed smuggling attempt when they were abandoned inside a sweltering trailer in San Antonio, Texas. Authorities didn't say if no those arrested Tuesday were involved in the San Antonio tragedy. The extradition of alleged migrant smugglers known as "coyotes" has been rare and these would be the first known cases in Guatemala of smugglers allegedly pursued for the death of a migrant in the United States. Detainee Ana Mateo Baltasar (second from the right) stands handcuffed next to a police officer after she and detainee Abel Mateo (first from left) and detainee Andres Francisco Fernando (right) were escorted to court after a police operation against alleged migrant smugglers in Guatemala City on Tuesday The property of alleged migrant smugglers feature sculptures and a pool, during a raid that ended with arrests near the Mexican border in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on Tuesday Horses stand in stables on the property of alleged migrant smugglers during a raid that ended with arrests near the Mexican border in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on Tuesday Prosecutions of migrant smugglers in Guatemala have proven exceedingly difficult because migrants are almost never willing to identify or testify against their smugglers. In some cases they hope for another chance to migrate to the US with the smuggler's help and in others they are afraid of the smugglers or their organized crime connections. The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions between Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei and Washington. The Biden administration has been outspoken in its criticism of perceived backsliding on corruption prosecutions. The US government sanctioned Guatemalas Attorney General Consuelo Porras, alleging she was an obstacle to anti-corruption work and was now pursuing judges and prosecutors who had worked on corruption cases. A mixed-race Sky engineer has won 14,000 in a discrimination claim after her white 'Inclusion Advocate' colleague told her she must have been oppressed because of her ethnic minority background. Jane Bradbury, 50, was left 'distressed' after Rosemary Cook - a colleague at Sky - insisted she must have experienced prejudice due to her Latino heritage. Ms Cook made the remark during a conversation about a presentation she was due to give about racism following the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter, an employment tribunal heard. Mrs Bradbury, who joined Sky as a Customer Advisor in 2010, 'forcibly' rejected the assumption that was made from her colleague. 'I have never felt oppressed in my life and I think it is wrong for this person to assume because of the colour of my skin I have without even knowing anything of my background ethnicity or upbringing,' she said. The 50-year-old proceeded to take several days off work after she became self conscious about her skin colour and had concerns over whether she was being treated differently because of her race. But the field engineer has successfully sued Sky In-Home Services for race discrimination and has been awarded 14,000 in compensation. The tribunal ruled that though Ms Cook had not meant to cause offence, the remark was 'blunt' and an assumption which amounted to stereotyping. In March 2018, Mrs Bradbury moved to the broadcasting giant's In-Home Services department as part of its first cohort of female trainees taking part in a new 'Women in Home Service' scheme dedicated to getting more women engineers. Jane Bradbury has won 14,000 in a discrimination claim Jane Bradbury, 50, is believed to have been based at the Sky offices in Stockport (above) from 2018. She has been awarded 14,000 in compensation after her colleague Rosemary Cook suggested she must have been oppressed because of her ethnic minority background She is believed to have been based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The tribunal heard that by September 2018, Mrs Bradbury - who was adopted and raised by white parents - had qualified as a field engineer and later became an Inclusion Advocate with Ms Cook. In June 2020, she was left upset by Ms Cook and rang her to discuss her views on the presentation. The tribunal report revealed that they had a discussion of about 45 to 60 minutes about a presentation that Ms Cook was to give on issues of inclusion and diversity. The report said: 'It was not specifically about race discrimination but that featured as it was taking place against the relatively recent murder of George Floyd in the USA, and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. 'Mrs Bradbury stated that she did not agree with the terms of all of the slides she was told about, although at that time she did not have access to them. 'She had seen many of the slides earlier but new slides for the presentation had been developed by Ms Cook, which included slides to promote discussion on issues of systemic racism, amongst other matters. 'Ms Cook explained those slides. Ms Cook said to Mrs Bradbury words to the effect that she would have suffered oppression because of her race, and the colour of her skin. 'Mrs Bradbury expressed her views to the contrary, forcefully.' Mrs Bradbury was awarded the payout after her white 'Inclusion Advocate' colleague told her she must have been oppressed because of her background After the call, Mrs Bradbury complained to managers, saying she was 'very upset by the comments' but she was removed from her role as an Inclusion Advocate to protect her 'emotional well-being'. In September 2020 Mrs Bradbury was sacked for gross misconduct after she went on holiday to Spain but failed to self-isolate on her return, as the then government guidelines required her to do. She returned to work as normal and carried out appointments at the homes of 38 customers, before admitting that she should have stayed at home. Mrs Bradbury argued she didn't think she had to self-isolate as her son worked as airline cabin crew and that Sky presenters Kay Burley and Beth Rigby had not been sacked for Covid breaches, but her arguments were dismissed. Mrs Bradbury was later sacked for gross misconduct after she failed to self-isolate on her return from Spain when Covid guidelines were in place. She lost a claim of unfair dismissal but won her claim of race discrimination. Pictured: Sky Stockport At the employment tribunal, she lost claims of unfair dismissal relating to her sacking as well as a claim of sex discrimination. However, she won the claim of race discrimination for Ms Cook's comments. The panel ruled: 'The remark was one particularly concerning the colour of Mrs Bradbury's skin, which is not white. 'It was clear to the Tribunal that the remark was made because of that colour, such that it was a kind of discrimination. 'In short, the remark equated the colour of Mrs Bradbury's skin with her having been oppressed and that she would have felt that oppression, which had not been her view or experience. 'We should make it clear that we did not consider that Ms Cook deliberately used offensive language, nor did she deliberately seek to cause harm. 'It caused Mrs Bradbury understandable distress.' Madrid's regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, a maverick populist who refused to implement Covid-19 restrictions during the pandemic, has squared up to the Spanish government yet again, this time on EU-wide energy saving measures. Ayuso has vowed that 'Madrid will not switch off' after the Spanish cabinet approved measures requiring shops and public buildings to turn off lights by 10pm each night. The head of the central region, one of Spain's wealthiest, said the measures would 'generate insecurity and scare away tourism and consumption'. The plan, which includes temperature limits for businesses, museums and public transport as well as restrictions on street lighting, was approved after the European Union agreed on July 26 to cut gas use by 15 per cent from August to March to save up for an uncertain winter threatened by supply cuts from Russia. EU states are desperately trying to find ways to cut their energy use before winter arrives, after Russia began throttling gas supplies to the continent. Madrid's regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso (pictured), a maverick populist who refused to implement Covid-19 restrictions during the pandemic, has squared up to the Spanish government yet again, this time on EU-wide energy saving measures Ayuso has vowed that 'Madrid will not switch off' after the Spanish cabinet approved measures requiring shops and public buildings to turn off lights by 10pm each night (file image of Madrid) Germany has already begun turning off street lights in Berlin while Hanover will shut off hot water in public buildings. Oktoberfest and Christmas markets also face being scrapped, politicians have admitted, and breweries could be closed. In Austria, the city of Linz has stopped lighting historic landmarks at night while Salzburg is drawing up plans to follow suit. The EU agreement involved a wide range of exemptions, however, and opposition at a regional level could compound problems with its implementation. The Spanish government's measures, published in the official gazette on Tuesday, aim to cut the energy bill by seven per cent by ordering shops and public buildings to turn off their lights by 10pm. The rules will be implemented in seven days, after which those in breach would face fines of 100 - 30,000 euros (83 - 25,051). The measures will apply until November next year at least. 'This won't be applied in the Madrid region. Madrid will not switch off,' Ayuso wrote on Twitter. 'Before closing, banning, shutting down, why not talk to citizens and administrations as adults and ask them to cooperate based on clear criteria?' She said the restrictions would 'generate insecurity and scare away tourism and consumption'. Ayuso added: 'It causes darkness, poverty, sadness while the government silences the question: what savings are you going to apply to yourselves?' Germany has already begun turning off street lights in Berlin while Hanover will shut off hot water in public buildings. Pictured: The Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great on Unter den Linden avenue with its illumination turned off in Berlin to save energy The Spanish government dismissed Ayuso's threat. 'It is a royal decree-law that must be complied with, but we are used to this type of response from Ms. Ayuso, she always shows a lack of solidarity and selfishness,' Economy Minister Nadia Calvino told Cadena Ser radio on Tuesday, arguing that the energy-saving measures are compulsory for the regional governments. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told Spaniards to take off their ties at work to cool down rather than relying on air con as Europe struggled to get to grips with its energy crisis today. Ayuso, from the conservative People's Party, has locked horns with the leftist minority coalition government during most of the pandemic, defying measures to contain the virus with her own, much more permissive, strategy for Madrid which allowed bars and restaurants to remain open. Also known as 'the Iron Lady of Madrid', Ayuso won the 2021 regional election by a landslide after she allowed stores, restaurants and nightclubs to remain open during the pandemic to protect businesses. It comes as Europe is facing an acute energy crisis as Putin weaponises energy supplies in apparent retaliation for leaders defying him over Ukraine. The continent typically gets around 40 per cent of the gas it uses from Russia, but is now facing the reality of a winter without it or with very restricted supplies. Germany will be the worst-hit because it is overly-reliant on Russia - getting more than half of the supplies it used in a typical year piped in direct from Moscow. And, unlike other EU countries, it does not have ports capable of getting gas shipped in from elsewhere. It is building two, but they won't be ready until the New Year. Berlin Cathedral is only partially illuminated overnight as Germany desperately tries to find ways to save energy, with Russia throttling gas supplies German households have been told to brace for bigger-than-usual bills this winter as energy companies pass on the cost of gas. The invoice for a typical household could double from October 1, German group RheinEnergie warned in a statement on Monday, the first major provider to give a detailed estimate. The company supplies approximately 2.5 million people with energy in the region around the city of Cologne, in western Germany. 'An increase of almost 450 percent in the procurement cost for natural gas' over the past year was behind the punishing increase, RheinEnergie said. The 'market deteriorated significantly again with the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine', which further sent up the price, RheinEnergie said. A two-person household, with an average gas consumption of 10,000 kilowatt-hours annually, would see their bill jump from around 960 euros (801) a year ago to 2,002 euros (1,671), the company said. Germany has been highly reliant on supplies of Russian gas to meet its energy demands, but Moscow has slowly dwindled supplies since the start of the war. The threat that Russia could cut deliveries completely has raised the possibility of shortages over the winter and brought Germany closer to rationing supplies. In order to avert shortages, Germany is restarting mothballed coal-fired plants and is looking to extend the life-spans of its three remaining nuclear plants which were due to be taken out of service at the end of the year. Similar moves are underway in Belgium, where talks are ongoing between the government at a French contractor which runs two nuclear plants to extend their lifetimes by another ten years. However, the firm has said the plants cannot come back online until 2026 at the earliest - far too late to help in the coming crisis. In France itself, which has one of the biggest and most-advanced collections of nuclear power plants anywhere in the world, there are also problems. Half its reactors are currently offline because of an unexpected problem with their cooling systems, and there is no set date for them to be powered back up. In the meantime, EDF - the firm which runs them - is being forced to run up huge debts buying energy from elsewhere in Europe to bridge the gap. France is considering nationalising energy provider EDF in order to get around half the country's nuclear power plants back online, which are closed for maintenance The situation has become so severe that Emmanuel Macron's government is floating the idea of nationalising the company in order to get the plants operational again. Countries are also trying to stockpile as much gas as possible before winter arrives, which has driven up prices to near-record levels. Households in both the UK - which buys gas from Europe - and Germany have been warned bills could triple, while Germans also facing paying an additional 'gas surcharge' to stop supplies going bust. The exact amount has yet to be announced, but economy minister Robert Habeck has warned it will definitely be in the 'hundreds' of euros while some experts have calculated it could be as much as 1,000 extra per year. The charge will take effect from October, and last until at least March 2024. It will affect about half of German homes that use gas boilers. While the energy crisis has been brewing for some time, things escalated this week when Russia reduced the amount of gas coming through the Nord Stream 1 pipe - the main route into Germany - to 20 per cent capacity. Officially, Moscow says flows are being choked off because of repairs to turbines which pump the gas, but Germany says this is merely an excuse. Instead, most believe Putin is exacting revenge on European leaders for defying him over the war in Ukraine. The move is a desperate one. Russia relies on revenue from energy to keep its economy afloat, and will almost certainly face a deep recession without it. But Putin appears to be betting that European unity over Ukraine will break before the worst effects are felt back home. If Kyiv loses its Western backing, then it may be forced to seek a peace deal that would favour Putin - or may lose more ground to his troops. A Navy veteran and competitive bodybuilder drowned on Friday while rescuing a pair of distressed tubers from a California river. Joshua Crane, 30, a fourth year medical student at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, was paddle boarding with classmates in the San Juan rapids on the American River when two female friends became stuck and called for help. Crane heroically leaped from his board to rescue the women and managed to pull them to safety, but he was swept away before he could get himself out of the water. A three-person rescue crew from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District was called to the scene, and Crane was eventually found dead downstream from the rapids. Crane's sister, Jessica, described him as 'a humble guy and anybody who knew him knew he had the biggest heart ever imaginable.' He had competed in the National Physique Committee's 2022 Governor's Cup, and was expecting to graduate from medical school in the Spring of 2023. A Navy veteran and competitive bodybuilder Joshua Crane, 30, drowned on Friday while rescuing a pair of distressed tubers from a California river Crane while serving in the US Navy. He was also a fourth year medical student at the University of California Davis School of Medicine 'There were two females that were stuck on tubes and my brother was on a paddleboard and they were asking for help,' Crane's sister told ABC 10, 'So he jumped off his paddleboard, like he would [to] help anybody, and no hesitation, no questions asked, jumped off his paddleboard and jumped in the water and got them out.' Fire chief Captain Parker Wilbourn warned the river could be dangerous, and cautioned people to remain vigilant on its waters. 'This river could potentially be unforgiving,' Wilbourn said, 'The number one thing you can do is wear your life jacket.' Wilbourn added that his department often responds to multiple rescues on the river per day in the summer. Joshua Crane in his Navy uniform alongside his sister Jessica. She described him as 'a humble guy and anybody who knew him knew he had the biggest heart ever imaginable' Crane with his two nephews, who his sister Jessica said he was very close with and would do anything for Crane had competed in the National Physique Committee's 2022 Governor's Cup, and was expecting to graduate from medical school in the Spring of 2023 Crane's medical school also issued a statement characterizing him as 'an extraordinary young man devoted to helping others.' 'We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Joshua Crane, one of our MS4s, in a tragic American River accident. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones as we support each other through this heartbreaking loss.' Though he had no children of his own, Jessica said her brother was very important to her two children. 'I always want them to remember that he loved them and he would do anything for them and anybody else in this world.' She said her brother 'lived to serve and help people.' 'He would do anything, he'd give you the shirt off his back and just be there,' she said. The stretch of the American River in California near the San Juan rapids where Crane drowned Crane while serving with fellow soldiers in the Navy. he drowned while saving a pair of tubers on Friday Crane's family said his dream was to work in internal medicine to help people. 'That was his goal,' Jessica said, 'He lived to serve and help people, and that's who he is in a nutshell.' She also characterized him as somebody who always took hold of his own life, describing how he quit his high school rock so he could prepare to enlist in the military after graduation. 'One day, he cut his hair off and started carrying a backpack with 40 pounds of rocks in it. He'd run every day trying to cut weight and get in shape, so he can join right out of high school when he was 18 years old,' Jessica said. 'The biggest thing that gets me is that a great life was cut short. I know he touched a lot of lives, and he made a lot of great friends and people along the way.' South African police shot one person dead and arrested 42 today, adding to the two killed and 80 detained yesterday, after eight models shooting a music video near an abandoned gold mine were viciously gang-raped by illegal miners. The shocking crime took place while the women were filming out in the wilds close to Krugersdorp, near Johannesburg on July 28. The models and crew, the youngest of whom was 19 and the eldest 37, were raped up to ten times each over several hours by the criminals. The gang also systematically robbed the crew and girls of their mobile phones, rings, jewellery, handbags, cash and cameras. None of the more than 120 detainees has been directly tied to the heinous assaults, but Police Minister Bheki Cele said the crimes inspired police to ramp up a planned crackdown on general criminality in the area, including arms trafficking, illegal immigration and theft of valuable metals. 'We need to find those people [the rapists], but this operation is not just to respond to that [incident],' he said, admitting that his department still did not know who exactly was responsible for the sex crimes. The incident has further blighted the declining reputation of a nation which is suffering from soaring crime rates and the third highest rate of rape in the world. More than 300 demonstrators, the majority of whom were women, were pictured marching outside the Krugersdorp courtroom yesterday evening carrying placards decrying the shocking crimes and the startling frequency of sexual violence in South Africa. 'We are going to demand that the police station should be placed under administration because the community has reported many crimes committed by the (criminals) but nothing has been done,' said Zandile Dabula, secretary-general of Operation Dudula, an organisation that protests against illegal immigrants in South Africa. The organisation was part of the Monday protest outside the courthouse. 'It is clear that they are failing to deal with crime in this area so they should be placed under administration,' said Ms Dabula. South African police are pictured rounding up members of an illegal mining camp near Krugersdorp following a horrifying gang rape of eight women last week Women protest outside the Krugersdorp, South Africa, Magistrates Court Monday, Aug. 1, 2022 Scores of demonstrators, the majority of whom were women, were pictured marching outside the Krugersdorp courtroom yesterday evening carrying placards decrying the shocking crimes The man killed by police this morning was shot at a disused mine in Luipaardsvlei, roughly 6 miles from a camp where many of the illegal miners - known locally as 'zama zamas' - are thought to be based. Police said they spotted the man and an accomplice carrying a rifle and pistol, and shot one of them when they went to draw their weapons. The other suspect was arrested. The miners, who have populated disused mines in the area and many of whom are believed to be illegal immigrants, are blamed for stealing precious metals and various other crimes but the shocking gang rape of the contingent of models last week gave police the impetus to launch a major operation against them. Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed that police were investigating 32 counts of rape 'What happened in Krugersdorp is just a shame of the nation,' Cele told a press briefing on Sunday, adding some of the victims would suffer long-term consequences. 'Some of those destructions are permanent with those kids.' The latest arrests and the death of one suspected illegal miner today comes after more than 80 were rounded up and hauled into court yesterday, while two more were shot and killed by armed officers. National police chief Fannie Masemola and Cele confirmed that DNA samples from the raped women will be used to identify the perpetrators. Those who are ultimately absolved of responsibility for the sex crimes are expected to face additional charges of illegal immigration and illegal mining. Eight models were gang raped at gunpoint by an armed gang as they shot a gospel music video near an illegal gold mine in South Africa last week The shocking crime took place while the a production team were filming out in the wilds near West Village, Krugersdorp, near Johannesburg on July 28 The girls tried to run when attackers burst out of the bush wearing balaclavas and Basotho blankets, but the gang fired a volley of gunshots at them. The models and production crew were ordered to lay down at gunpoint before more assailants appeared from the scrub. The gang took the models one at a time into the bush and raped them up to ten times each, while also relieving them of their personal property including phones, cash, wallets, purses, cameras and other valuables. A 19-year-old victim said she lied to her attacker that she had suffered a miscarriage to be saved from being raped further, according to a Sunday Times South Africa report. 'I had no way out but to lie, because they were picking us up one by one. There were others who were raped by six to 10 men,' she said. Her 21-year-old sister, who was raped in a ditch, said the girls' ordeal lasted four hours. The woman who had organised the models for the shoot said that she tried to protect them from the rapists and she was violated first. The gang rape has shocked a nation which already has some of the highest crime rates and the third highest rate of rape in the world 'They kept telling the younger boys to rape us and they'd hit them and force them to do so,' she said. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday said the 'horrible acts of brutality are an affront to the right of women and girls to live and work in freedom and safety', declaring that 'rapists have no place in our society'. Questions still remain about the incident, with a source telling the Sunday Times that police did not believe the crew and models were there to make a music video as has been reported. The zama zamas are known for illegally venturing into old, closed-down mines where they burrow into the rock to try gold ore and other precious metals. Many die when long-disused tunnels collapse, and others who strike gold are often murdered by jealous rivals. A resident of Krugersdorp speaking on condition of anonymity told News 24 that news of the sexual violence last week came as no surprise. She said: '[Zama zamas] have long terrorised residents and we hear gunshots at night. It's not something new. It is an old and ongoing problem that petrifies us all. 'Women have previously been raped and dragged into the bush. The zama zamas are an old problem, but now we're at a place where it's destructive and dangerous.' South Africa has the third highest crime rate in the world, according to World Population Review, having 'notably high rates of assaults, rape, homicides, and other violent crimes.' The dentist found guilty of murdering his wife during a 2016 African safari has vowed to appeal his conviction with the support of his family. Larry Rudolph, 67, was yesterday found guilty of murdering his wife Bianca in 20156 during a trip to Zambia. Prosecutors argued that he killed her in order to be with his mistress, who had given him an ultimatum about leaving his wife. Now, he is facing the death penalty. A judge will decide what sentence to impose. Rudolph, maintaining his innocence, has vowed to appeal. 'We are extremely disappointed. We believe in Larry and his children. 'There are lots of really strong appellate issues which we will be pursuing after we have had a chance to regroup,' his attorney David Markus told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. Larry Rudolph, 67, was yesterday found guilty of murdering his wife Bianca in 20156 during a trip to Zambia. She was found with a gunshot wound to the chest Among those at court yesterday for Larry's conviction was his daughter, Ana, shown with her husband. She is standing by her father Among them is the fact that prosecutors refused to separate his trial from that of his mistress, Lori Milliron. Larry Rudolph's mistress Lori Milliron was found guilty of being an accessory to murder She was found guilty of being an accessory to his crimes because he told her he had killed his wife and she failed to report it. There to watch the verdict yesterday was the couple's 36-year-old daughter Ana, who works with her father in the dental group. She was seen arriving at the courthouse in Denver, Colorado, with her husband. She is standing by her father despite the shocking allegations. Larry and his wife were on a dream safari in Zambia in 2016 when she died. He told police that she accidentally shot herself while handling a gun in their room. The Zambian authorities believed him, and it was not until he claimed millions of dollars in life insurance payouts from multiple companies that he was charged. In a previous hearing, it was revealed that the day after his wife's funeral, Rudolph allegedly booked a plane ticket for his girlfriend to fly from Pittsburgh to Phoenix, but he then canceled the ticket and booked a different flight for a different woman, who he met up with in Las Vegas. Rudolph, an avid hunter, told police at the time and now that his wife died in an accident He had gone to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico with the first woman in the months before his wife's death, according to the FBI agent. Rudolph waved to Milliron as he was led out of court and back to jail. He did not have any interaction with her in the courtroom in previous days. Milliron will remain free with an ankle monitor until she is sentenced. Colorado's US Attorney Cole Finegan thanked the FBI for traveling around the world to collect evidence and interview witnesses in the case and said he hoped the verdict brings some peace to Bianca Rudolph's family. 'Bianca Rudolph deserved justice,' he said. Rudolph said he'd been in an open marriage with his late wife Bianca from the year 2000, until he shot her dead in October 2016. Rudolph maintained the shooting was an accident that took place while he was in another room. 'I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife.' Ana has not given any kind of comment since her father's conviction. Bianca's brothers are quoted in the original charging documents. Visa may have facilitated child pornography from being distributed by providing payment services to Pornhub and other sites operated by parent company MindGeek, a judge has ruled. Last week, US District Court Judge Cormac Carney in California denied Visa's request to be dismissed from a case where 34 women who said that Pornhub had hosted videos of them being sexually assaulted or abused as children without their consent. Carney found that the plaintiff had credibly alleged that 'Visa knew that MindGeek's websites were teeming with monetized child porn.' 'Visa lent to MindGeek a much-needed toolits payment networkwith the alleged knowledge that there was a wealth of monetized child porn on MindGeek's websites,' wrote Carney in his decision. The lead plaintiff said that in 2014, when she was 13, her boyfriend uploaded a sexually explicit video of her to Pornhub without her knowledge or consent. The video was titled '13-Year Old Brunette Shows Off For the Camera' and garnered 400,000 views before the girl learned of it, according to court filings. On Tuesday, billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman slammed Visa for failing to ban payments to the site. 'Visa's conduct here is inexcusable, likely to cause the company incalculable financial and reputational damage,' Ackman said in a tweet following a key court ruling in the case. The suit was filed by 34 women who said that Pornhub had hosted videos of them being sexually assaulted or abused as children without their consent Billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman has slammed Visa for failing to ban payments on Pornhub, amid a lawsuit accusing the pornography website of hosting child porn Both Visa and Mastercard came under public scrutiny in December 2020 when the case came to light, and billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman pressured the companies to stop providing their services. Ackman textet Mastercard CEO Ajay Bunga a link to a story, saying: 'Amex, VISA and Mastercard should immediately withhold payments or withdraw until this is fix. PayPal has already done so.' American Express does not provide payment services to porn sites. Both Mastercard and Visa cut ties to Pornhub as a result, but less than 24 hours later the site claimed it had scrubbed 10 million videos. Visa later reinstated its services. The suit against Pornhub and Visa alleges that the site took weeks to remove the lead plaintiff's video, and that in the meantime it was downloaded, copied and recirculated extensively. After the video's publication, the girl suffered harassment and bullying, dropped out of school, attempted suicide, and became addicted to heroin, the suit alleges. The plaintiff's lead attorney Michael Bowe told DailyMail.com: 'The court's holding that our detailed complaint adequately pleads Visa was engaged in a criminal conspiracy to monetize child porn means Visa and other credit card companies are finally going to face the civil and perhaps criminal consequences of this unconscionable and illegal activity.' 'Visa will not tolerate the use of our network for illegal activity. We continue to believe that Visa is an improper defendant in this case,' a company spokesman said A Visa spokesman responded in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'Visa condemns sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse materials as repugnant to our values and purpose as a company.' 'This pre-trial ruling is disappointing and mischaracterizes Visa's role and its policies and practices,' the company added. 'Visa will not tolerate the use of our network for illegal activity. We continue to believe that Visa is an improper defendant in this case.' MindGeek did not respond to a request for comment but previously called the allegations in the lawsuit 'utterly absurd, completely reckless and categorically false.' According to the suit, Montreal-based MindGeek owns more than 100 pornographic sites, including Pornhub, RedTube, Tube8 and YouPorn, and sees some 3.5 billion visits each month. The porn giant has faced a growing backlash since the New York Times published an article in December 2020 which accused Pornhub of posting illegal content online, including child pornography and rape videos -- claims it has denied. 'Why does Canada host a company that inflicts rape videos on the world?,' wrote Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. According to the suit, Montreal-based MindGeek owns more than 100 pornographic sites, including Pornhub, RedTube, Tube8 and YouPorn The public outcry led Visa and Mastercard to suspend payments on Pornhub. The other major payment network, American Express, does not service pornography merchants. But after MindGeek deleted millions of user-uploaded videos, Visa apparently considered the matter resolved and resumed payment processing. Carney said in his ruling: 'Visa made the decision to continue to recognize MindGeek as a merchant, despite its alleged knowledge that MindGeek monetized child porn.' 'The court can comfortably infer that Visa intended to help MindGeek monetize child porn,' wrote Carney. Ackman has been outspoken on the case, telling CNBC on Tuesday: 'My interest comes from the fact that I have four daughters.' 'When you think about the worst harm economic, physical, mental harm you can impact upon a human being it's having a child trafficked ... video of the rape appear. I find it hard to talk about it,' he said. Police have revealed that a second teenage girl was injured alongside a 16-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting outside a family gathering to mark the first anniversary of a pensioner's death. A gunman fired a shot from a car into a crowd of people standing outside the party in Quinney Crescent in the Moss Side area of Manchester at around 10.30pm on Friday. It was originally reported by the police that a 16-year-old girl was injured in the shooting, but the force today said that a second girl aged 13 was also hurt, with both caught in the crossfire and hit by pellets before the car sped off. The girls both received hospital treatment after the incident. It is thought that the gang in the car were targeting someone else in the crowd but hit the 16-year-old and 13-year-old instead. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) sent out an appeal for the public's help to track down the people responsible for the attack. The police cordoned the area off until Saturday morning. A gunman fired a shot from a car into a crowd of people standing outside the party in Quinney Crescent in the Moss Side area of Manchester at around 10.30pm on Friday. Pictured: Police at the scene after Friday night's shooting It was originally reported by the police that a 16-year-old girl was injured in the shooting, but the force today said that a second girl aged 13 was also hurt, with both caught in the crossfire and hit by pellets before the car sped off. Pictured: Police at the scene after the shooting in Moss Side The party was a family gathering to mark the first anniversary of the death of Joan Spence, a 70-year-old woman who died in a road traffic collision. Police say that the girls were 'lucky' to have not been killed after being caught in the crossfire. Detective Superintendent Chris Downey said: 'There was a gathering at an address where family were coming together to celebrate a loved one who passed away. 'Unfortunately there was a vehicle in the area that seemed to have a number of males on board. It's a black or dark-coloured SUV that has been seen going around and around the address for some time. 'From within this vehicle a firearm was produced and discharged at a group of people outside this address. 'Thankfully we didn't have any murders or very serious injuries but we did have two young victims. 'Two young girls, 16 and 13, were involved in this incident and were hit by pellets from the shot. The girls both received hospital treatment after the incident. It is thought that the gang in the car were targeting someone else in the crowd but hit the 16-year-old and 13-year-old instead. Pictured: A major police presence at the scene in Moss Side on Saturday morning after Friday night's shooting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) sent out an appeal for the public's help to track down the people responsible for the attack. The police cordoned the area off until Saturday morning. Pictured: GMP at the scene on Saturday 'I'm sure everyone can imagine how concerning this is and from my point of view I think we're incredibly lucky that we didn't have two murders on that evening.' He said that police were made aware two days after the incident that the 13-year-old girl had also suffered minor injuries and that both of those hurt received hospital treatment. 'One of them who was hit by pellets, that will be a long road to recovery and thankfully it's not life changing,' he said. 'I can only imagine the trauma a 16 and 13-year-old will be going through. I think the physical injuries are probably secondary to the trauma or the mental injuries.' The party was a family gathering to mark the first anniversary of the death of Joan Spence, a 70-year-old woman who died in a road traffic collision. Pictured: Quinney Crescent after the police cordon was lifted on Saturday morning He added: 'It was a totally innocent family gathering.' But he said that police believed the address was targeted specifically as the car had been seen around it on a number of occasions. Det Supt Downey appealed for anyone in the vicinity on the evening who saw or heard anything suspicious or had seen a dark-coloured SUV abandoned since, to contact police. He also called for anyone who attended the gathering but had not yet spoken to police to come forward. To contact police call 0161 856 4382, quoting incident 3388 of 29/07/2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Horror author Stephen King has testified at a trial to block a $2.2billion merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster calling the proposed plans post-merger 'a little bit ridiculous.' King, author of 'The Shining,' 'Carrie' and other blockbusters, told a court that if the two mammoth publishing houses merge and still fight against each other for books it will be like 'a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house.' He is among a group of people standing against the $2.2billion merger at the antitrust trial, along with publishing executives and authors' agents. Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the United States, said it planned to buy rival Simon & Schuster in November 2020. The publishing house is owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Simon & Schuster is owned by ViacomCBS, now Paramount Global. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in a bid to block the merger in November 2021. King is fighting against his own publisher Simon & Schuster, who has represented him for years - as many fear that the 'Big Five' publishing houses becoming four will do harm to the industry. He has published more than 60 novels and sold over 350 million copies worldwide. The paperback advance he received for Carrie in 1974 was $400,000 - which today is the equivalent of $2.4million. Horror author Stephen King, 74, arrives at court today to testify against his own publisher, Simon & Schuster, on behalf of the government during a trial in which the US Department of Justice is trying to convince a federal judge to prevent the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster Stephen King, known as the King of Horror because of his best-selling books, signs an autograph for a fan outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC If the merger goes ahead, it's feared the combined company would produce a disproportionate percentage of top-selling books in the US. This means authors who normally have the two houses fighting for their titles would no longer reap the benefits from that competition. Defense lawyer Daniel Petrocelli is expected to argue that the merger will only make the market for books and bidding over titles even more competitive, claiming that Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster 'are rarely the top two bidders' for top author's new titles. Government attorney Mel Schwarz questioned the top author during the trial, where there were moments of humor and brief flashes of gentle outrage. Wearing an all gray suit, Stephen King started his testimony and the courtroom chuckled when a Department of Justice attorney asked King to state his occupation. He told them: 'My name is Stephen King. Im a freelance writer.' The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington DC heard that Penguin Random House promised that its imprints will still bid against Simon & Schuster for authors' titles - even if merger goes through and the companies effectively become one. When asked about the prospect, King called the idea 'a little bit ridiculous,' and added: 'You might as well say youre going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house.' He quipped, gesturing with a polite sweep of the arm: 'It would be sort of very gentlemanly and sort of after you, and after you.' Telling the room why he is testifying, the author said: 'I came because I think consolidation is bad for competition. It becomes tougher and tougher for writers to find money to live on. 'The Big Five are pretty entrenched. That's my understanding of the book business, and I've been around it for 50 years.' In a surprising move, defense attorney Petrocelli said that he did not have any questions for him in the cross-examination. In the publisher merger trial, the government has focused not on what consumers pay for books - but on advances paid to the most successful authors, especially those given $250,000 or more. In a surprising move, defense attorney Petrocelli said that he did not have any questions for the author in the cross-examination King is fighting against his own publisher Simon & Schuster, who has represented him for years - as many fear that the 'Big Five' publishing houses becoming four will do harm to the industry Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the United States, said it planned to buy rival Simon & Schuster in November 2020. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in a bid to block the merger in November 2021 US publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster also own a number of smaller sub publishing units - for both adults and children Some of the most highly-paid authors from both publishing houses include Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Bruce Springsteen - who were all allegedly paid over $10million in advances for their books. Typically, celebrities, politicians, and award-winning authors are those who earn $250,000 or more in book advances, since publishing houses can already gauge their sale potential. The government said in a pretrial brief: 'The evidence will show that the proposed merger would likely result in authors of anticipated top-selling books receiving smaller advances, meaning authors who labor for years over their manuscripts will be paid less for their efforts.' The government also intends to show there was concern among the merging parties that the deal is not legal. King has long spoken out against the $2.2billion merger, tweeting last year: 'The more the publishers consolidate, the harder it is for indie publishers to survive.' The top five publishers are Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette, with Walt Disney Co and Amazon.com Inc also in the market. HarperCollins is owned by News Corp. Judge Florence Pan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia will decide if the deal may go forward. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks. Simon & Schuster also own a number of smaller sub publishing units - for both adults and children. They include: Adams Media, Atria, Emily Bestler Books, Enliven, Folger Shakespeare Library, Free Press, Gallery, Howard, Jeter Publishing, One Signal, Scout Press, Avid Reader Press, Scribner, Simon Element, Threshold and Touchstone. For children's books, the company also owns 11 additional publishing units, including Paula Wiseman Books, Atheneum, and Saga Press. Simon & Schuster published Hillary Clinton's book Living History - in which they paid her a reported $14 million in advance. It's believed that the merger will mean top selling authors won't get paid as much in advancements Former President Bill Clinton holds a copy of his autobiography, My Life Bill Clinton as he speaks with the media before the start of a book signing in Indianapolis Bruce Springsteen was paid a reported $10million advancement by Simon & Schuster for his 2017 book Born to Run Penguin Random House is the home to nearly 275 editorially and creatively independent publishing imprints - including Penguin Classics, Writer's Digest Books, and Harmony Books. It's believed that this merger will impact how much authors are paid for their work, but will not necessarily impact how much consumers are charged for books. Some of the top authors who have been paid large sums in advances include Jennifer Egan. Her novel Manhattan Beach was published by Simon & Schuster in 2017, and she allegedly was given a $1million advancement for the book. In 2016, Penguin Random House paid author Emma Cline an advancement of $2million for her novel The Girls. Bruce Springsteen was paid a reported $10million advancement by Simon & Schuster for his 2017 book Born to Run. Simon & Schuster also published Hillary Clinton's Living History - in which they paid her a reported $14 million in advance. And her husband and former President received a $15million advance from Penguin Random House subsidiary publisher Alfred A. Knopf for his title My Life, published in 2004. The trial continues. Veteran teachers have been fleeing Iowa schools at such an alarming rate that the Des Moines School District is now paying them $50,000 to stay for at least one more year. Buffeted by culture war clashes and burnout, Iowa educators have had enough and are checking out in droves, leaving the public school system depleted of teachers for the next year. More than 500 teachers resigned or retired from the Des Moines public school system this summer alone, according to Axios. And this summer is better than last, the news outlet reported. In an effort to end the exodus, Iowa's largest school system has offered teachers 60 years old or older with 15 years in the classroom an extra $50,000 to stay on for the 2022-2023 school year. The Des Moines School District held a job fair recently trying to fill the 150 open positions before the school year starts Des Moines public school teachers union head, Joshua Brown, said that teachers are burnt out because of the culture wars Even after 58 teachers agreed to stay on an extra year and delay retirement, the city school district is still short 100 support staff With less than a month to go before classroom doors open for the year, Des Moines schools are still down 50 instructors and an estimated 100 support staff. Statewide, there are a staggering 5,400 school jobs open, according to Teach Iowa, an Hawkeye State education employment service. More than 1,600 of those openings were for teachers. The desperate school district recently held a job fair to encourage applicants for the open positions. Des Moines, pictured here, lost 500 teachers this summer alone. Statewide Iowa has 1,500 job openings in the public school system We're trying to staff up as much as possible so we're ready for next month when our kids come back to the classroom,' Des Moines School District spokesman Phil Roeder said. The shortage of teachers and staff could mean that afterschool programs will be canceled or that classes will be combined, creating large class sizes, which have been found to decrease learning. The problem isn't just in Iowa. Teachers across the country give their jobs an F grade. A national survey by the American Federation of Teachers, a union with 1.7 million members, found an 80 percent dissatisfaction rate with their positions. School board meetings have become the frontline for culture wars over mask mandates, gender identity, racial inequality, critical race theory and sex education. Des Moines Education Association, a local chapter of the state union, said that they foresaw the shortage last year and was able to work with the district to offer more money to keep teachers on. 'We saw that we would potentially would have a tough time filling positions,' president Joshua Brown told the MailOnline. He said that they sent a letter out last year asking who was about to retire and if they would consider staying on for another year. 'We're coming for your seat' Alecia Vaught, left, told Montgomery County School Board chair Susan Kass, right, as she stalked out of a public meeting. 'You can have it' Kass replied 'It helps us in two ways. We are able to keep staff on, getting some of them to delay retirement, and secondly we are able to find out early who is planning on retiring so that we can begin the process of finding their replacement,' he said. He echoed Beranek's statement that teachers are fed up with taking heat over cultural issues. 'In Iowa in particular, the attacks against public schools and making teachers feel like the villain are making them feel why bother,' he said. Brown, who represents 3,500 teachers and support staff, said that the district is still short of 58 teachers. 'We knew this wasn't going to be the magic bullet, but it did help,' he said. 'Instead of being short 108, we're short 50 [teachers.]' The shortfall on educators will have a ripple effect in the coming years. Mother-of-four Melissa Bakondy says her 'first amendment rights were trampled on actually' when she was ejected 'It means that it's going to be even more stressful on teachers who are already being asked to do more than they are paid for,' Brown said. The union president said that there's a generational shift in which many Baby Boom educators are finally reaching retirement age, and he suggested that the Great Resignation is also at play with the staffing issues. The Iowa State Education Association president Mike Beranek told the Des Moines Register in March that the reason for the defections is simple. 'They're tired,' he told the paper. 'This is due to them feeling exhausted and demoralized. They are seeing attacks on their profession and themselves through the legislative bills that have been presented and through various forums such as board of education meetings.' In October last year, Amanda McClanahan read sexually explicit excerpts from three LGBTQ books found in the Northwest High School library in Waukee, Iowa. Though she doesn't have children in the district, the school board was prompted to remove the books from the library. Mask mandates have also become stressors for educators. In February 2022, students walked out of classrooms in Illinois, New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut over extended mask mandates. A man from Singapore stands accused of murdering his 'nagging' wife by smothering her with a pillow in a hotel room to 'keep her quiet' while on holiday in England, a court has heard. However their son, who they were visiting in Newcastle, told jurors his father Soong Hert Fong, 51, had never 'laid a finger' on his mother in the past. Pek Ying Ling, known as Evelyn Pek, died at the County Aparthotel hotel in Newcastle on December 6 during a European holiday with her husband after travelling from their native Singapore. Mrs Pek, 51, was found by emergency services lying with her legs hanging over the bottom of the bed and a pillow over her face. Newcastle Crown Court heard that Fong had told police in the aftermath that he 'lost it', and had tried to 'shush' his wife so he covered her mouth. Pek Ying Ling (pictured), 51 and known as Evelyn Pek, died at the County Aparthotel hotel in Newcastle on December 6 during a European holiday with her husband after travelling from their native Singapore Mrs Pek was found dead County Aparthotel (pictured) in Newcastle in the early hours of December 6 by emergency services lying with her legs hanging over the bottom of the bed and a pillow over her face The couple, who had been married for 27 years, were in the city where their eldest of three sons was studying at university. The court had heard that after the incident, Fong texted him to say: 'I have hurt your mother. She's gone. She's dead. 'I just lost it. I tried to cover her mouth to shush her. I just lost it.' Fong, of Marine Vitsa, Floor Unit, Singapore, denies murder and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court. Today, their son Alonzo Fong gave evidence from the stand where he was asked about his parents' marriage. In a pre-written statement, Mr Fong said: 'For my 26 years of life, not once had my dad laid a finger on my mum. 'There's never been an argument of physicality even when he was on his medication or when he was stressed. 'He would always protect my mother.' Asked if he would change that view after having time to reflect, he said: 'I'm not changing a word of that. 'I think I know my father very well. I would never think of any circumstance he would seek to hurt my mother.' Jurors heard previously that during their stay in the UK, Fong senior had suffered a number of falls which required hospital treatment - including one from roughly 50ft while taking photographs in Scotland. Prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court (pictured) argued that Fong smothered his wife Mrs Pek to death after he snapped and lost his temper to stop her 'from scolding him or nagging him or to keep her quiet' Prosecutor Peter Makepeace QC said that Mrs Pek would 'scold' her husband for not taking proper care of himself as he continued to smoke while he was unwell. When asked about what that meant, their son said: 'When I say scold - I'm not sure what the understanding is in the UK for that word - but in Singapore it's mostly like a telling off. 'For example, if my mum saw my dad doing a certain thing she would ask why, that's what I meant by the word scold. 'She would be constantly asking him to be going to hospital to get it checked and stop acting so tough.' Fong claims he has 'no memory whatsoever' of the killing and has diminished responsibility for it. However, it's the prosecution's argument that he smothered his wife to death after he snapped and lost his temper to stop her 'from scolding him or nagging him or to keep her quiet'. The trial continues. President Joe Biden's 'loose cough' returned on Tuesday, according to his physician's assessment, as he continued to test positive for COVID-19 some 13 days after first being diagnosed. It means the 79-year-old remains stuck on the White House complex, isolating from staff and family members. 'The president continues to feel well, though he is experiencing a bit of a return of a loose cough,' wrote Dr. Kevin O'Connor. 'He remains fever-free and in good spirits.' Biden tested negative for COVID twice last week, but tested positive again on Saturday in what O'Connor described as a 'rebound' case seen in a small percentage of patients who take the antiviral drug Paxlovid. It scuppered the president's plans for a weekend back in Delaware. But he was able to make a video appearance on Monday, announcing that the U.S. had killed Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri at the weekend. In his letter, O'Connor said the president would continue his strict isolation. President Joe Biden's 'loose cough' has returned as he continues to test positive for COVID-19, according to White House physician Dr Kevin O'Connor O'Connor is providing daily updates on the president's health while he tests positive for COVID According to Pfizer, 40,000 Paxlovid prescriptions are being written every day 'He will continue to conduct the business of the American people from the executive residence, he wrote. 'As I have stated previously, the president continues to be very specifically conscientious to protect any of the executive residence, White House, Secret Service and other staff whose duties require any (albeit socially distanced) proximity to him.' A day earlier, the White House said the president continues to have mild 'lingering symptoms.' Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the comment after O'Connor said in a letter Biden continues to 'feel well' after suffering a rebound case of the virus shortly after testing negative. 'No reoccurring symptoms meaning like, if you look at [O'Connor's] original letter, there's nothing. There's nothing severe right? Because he feels fine. He feels he feels good.' 'But as we know, all of us have had COVID, we do have a little bit of a lingering cough, a little bit of maybe a lingering sniffle. That's not uncommon to happen, so that's what we are talking about,' she said, without specifying the exact nature of the president's ailments. 'Many of us have had COVID before and they tend to be lingering symptoms and that's what I'm talking about,' White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday, while offering few details about what symptoms the president is experiencing after his 'rebound' case He appears to be doing better than he was following his original diagnosis last month. During Biden's first round, 'we had talked about a little fatigue, we talked about aches, you know there was a little bit of discomfort. That has not occurred,' she said. Jean-Pierre continued to dance around the exact nature of what the president was going through, while rattling off minor symptoms. 'And there are some, you know, you still have a dry cough, you still have you know a little sniffles that lasts for a little bit longer,' she said. 'Many of us have had COVID before and they tend to be lingering symptoms and that's what I'm talking about,' she said, speaking to a press corps that, like much of the country, has seen a series of covid cases during the pandemic. Pressed on whether Biden was still experiencing some things, she said 'of course' he was and then pointed to Biden's chronic dry cough, which proceeded his positive tests for COVID. Her remarks drew repeated questions from the press about the precise nature of the president's symptoms, what he was doing in isolation, and when he would resume travel. Biden's dog Commander has been his companion. First lady Jill Biden is in Wilmington Biden released a video from COVID isolation on Sunday where he FaceTimes with advocates on Capitol Hill in lieu of going down there to help champion the PACT Act, which was defeated by Republicans and aims to aid veterans who were impacted by burn bits and other toxic chemicals It all comes at crunch time in Washington, where Biden is in sight of grabbing some policy wins even as he eschews sitting down with lawmakers. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D), who spent months negotiating directly with Biden, announced last week he had reached a deal with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on a package that raises $739 billion in revenue, with $433 billion in spending on climate and other measures, and about $300 billion in deficit reduction. But Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), whose vote would be crucial for passage, has yet to give the 'reconciliation' proposal, which is protected from Republican filibuster, a green light. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on a tour of Asia, with aggressive statements out of Beijing over reports she plans to visit Taiwan. Governor Ron DeSantis had his office issue a scathing response to ABCs The View after the talk show asked him to appear as a guest. The daytime show reached out to the Republican governor of Florida to invite him on the show. The governor declined the invitation in a blistering email that detailed at least four occasions that the woke show hosts and guests, including Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behard and Sunny Hostin, had openly slammed the governor and his policies. DeSantis' team declined to allow him to go into the lions den with the liberal ladies, instead opting to take the row to Twitter. DeSantis' deputy press secretary Bryan Griffin claimed that he received the request on Friday asking to arrange the appearance, with the show saying they would be honored to have the governor. Posting his email online, Griffin wrote: Thanks for the invite. I understand that you are sending this request on behalf of your team. But are the hosts of the View really interested in hearing from Governor DeSantis about all of the important work he is doing on behalf of Floridians to protect their health and livelihoods, to stand up for parents and children, and to defend freedom? All of the incident detailed by DeSantis' team happened in the last year, with the earliest of the four incidents taking place in August last year where it was said he had a white supremacist base' The Republican governor of Floridas office detailed at least four occasions that the woke show hosts and guests The program criticizes conservative leaders on a regular basis, with DeSantis emerging as a regular target for hosts like Joy Behar Which of the below statements from the hosts of the View do you recommend our team consider when deciding if the interview will be a genuine pursuit of the truth? 'Or worth the time? We will pass on this offer. Griffin added, 'also please note we dont coordinate appearances or events of a political nature from the official office. Our role is to serve the people of Florida. All of the incidents listed by DeSantis' team occurred within the last year. The first of the four incidents came from co-host Joy Behar, who said DeSantis had a white supremacist base' in August last year. Behar, as well as several of her co-hosts, criticize conservative leaders on a regular basis, with DeSantis emerging as a frequent target. Sunny Hostin, a legal analyst, even labeled him as DeathSantis for his COVID-19 policies in one of the incidents his team identified. Griffin claims that he received the request to their office on Friday asking to arrange the appearance, with the show saying they would be honored to have DeSantis despite comments made previously by Sunny Hostin and others Users on social media were quick to mock the Governor for refusing to face off with the ladies of The View DeSantis office offered four examples of the woke hosts targeting him, including when Behar called the governor a homicidal sociopath last year. Hostin declared him a fascist and a bigot and criticized his policies as anti-Black history laws,' while host Ana Navarro branded him as anti-Black. Users on social media were quick to laugh at the Governor for being a 'cry baby' in his response to the request. One branded him as unable to 'handle a little heat from the old ladies' on The View, while another said that the 'easy solution' was to 'ignore' the critiques. Others were on the side of the Floridian Governor, with one Twitter user calling the response a 'home run.' DeSantis office offered four examples of the woke hosts targeting him, including when Behar called the governor a homicidal sociopath last year But others were on the side of the Floridian Governor, with someone calling the response a 'home run' and perfect Florida's Republican leader has built a national brand for himself as one of the most vocal opponents of the Biden administration. DeSantis wished the United States a 'speedy recovery from Joe Biden' in the wake of the president's COVID-19 diagnosis. 'I want to, on behalf of the State of Florida, wish President Biden a speedy recovery from COVID. And I also want to wish the United States of America a speedy recovery from Joe Biden,' the governor said before an audience of young Republican voters in Tampa, Florida on July 22. Chatter of a possible 2024 White House bid from DeSantis is gaining steam with voters in the battleground state of Michigan, where more than four in 10 Republicans said last month that they'd prefer him over Donald Trump. Winning Michigan was critical to Biden's 2020 victory, after the state narrowly went to Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Out of a choice between DeSantis and Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, only 45.2 percent said they would back the former commander-in-chief. DeSantis recently filed a complaint against Miami restaurant R House for hosing lewd activity while minors were present. This week on the show Navarro said that Florida had been dealing with a housing crisis, insurance crisis and climate crisis,' before blasting the Florida Governor for being too focused on children being exposed to drag shows. The complaint obtained by DailyMail.com argues that 'Florida Statutes, prohibits unlawful exposure of sexual organs. Specifically, it provides that "exposing or exhibiting ... sexual organs in public or on private premises of another... in a vulgar or indecent manner" is unlawful.' The investigation puts the restaurant at risk of losing its liquor license, an act that could put it out of business. Ana Navarro also branded him anti-Black' while discussing his 'Don't say Gay' policy on the show People smugglers use social media to advertise cross-Channel dinghy crossings, charging as much as 5,500, a probe has shown. A GB News investigation revealed that dozens of Albanian accounts on TikTok speak about getting the men, women and children from France to Britain and boast about it. Pieces of footage show the journey, which starts in Albania and then moves onto Brussels in Belgium. Afterwards, people travel through France, including Paris, Lille and Dunkirk. One of the clips posts a map of the coast, saying 'water' with a laughing emoji face. A GB News investigation revealed that dozens of Albanian accounts on TikTok speak about getting the men, women and children from France to Britain and boast about it Pieces of footage show the journey, which starts in Albania and then moves onto Brussels in Belgium. Pictured: A group of migrants enters the sea with an inflatable dinghy, to leave the coast of northern France in 2021 Other videos show how cramped the boats can get with the migrants wearing life jackets. On one of the accounts, asylum seekers are encouraged to send them a message via WhatsApp with a UK contact number posted. Other clips on TikTok include the dates of crossings as well as footage of people leaving France and getting into boats. Additionally, migrants pose for pictures and do peace signs at cameras. In the background, Border Force are seen ready to intercept the dinghies. Accounts often include pictures of the UK including Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament- to prove the successful journey. Another clip posted last month, translated from Albanian to English, says: 'Today we passed three rafts of 60 people from Dunkerque, tomorrow the other way. '5,500 the way - we are the strongest group in France.' Accounts often include pictures of the UK including Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament- to prove the successful journey. Pictured: Migrants call the Abeille Languedoc for help after their boat's generator broke down in French waters while they were trying to cross the Channel illegally to Britain And a separate similar post said: 'We have a route every day until the end of July. We are the best group in France to pass people. Price is 5,000, DM for the next route.' Another said: 'Only for 4,000, what are you waiting for? Leave today, tomorrow, contact in DM. 'Direct line every day France - England at four o'clock.' Meanwhile, another TikTok claimed to get people from Brussels to the UK for 4,550 in 'just one day.' One account also offered a 'summer sale' to customers for a cut price of 3,500. Meanwhile, another TikTok claimed to get people from Brussels to the UK for 4,550 in 'just one day.' Pictured: Migrants are rescued by crew members of the Abeille Languedoc ship after their boat's generator broke down in French waters The source who found some of the videos told GB News: 'I'm just a normal member of the public and got myself down a rabbit hole on TikTok where I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 'There's videos of people putting how to contact them and when they're going with their contact details. Even ones of people videoing themselves coming over and you can see Border Force in the background. They added that it is 'unbelievable' that the information is there and easy to find when you start looking and queried why the authorities were not doing anything about it. It comes as 696 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Monday- the highest number on a single day so far this year. It comes as 696 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Monday- the highest number on a single day so far this year. Pictured: One of the TikTok videos The figure means that more than 17,000 have crossed the Channel this year and that the total of 28,526 from 2021 is likely to be surpassed. Previously, the Daily Mail reported that Albanian criminals were charging up to 20,000 to smuggle migrants to the UK on TikTok last year. It means more than 17,000 made the trip this year meaning it is likely 2021's total of 28,526 is expected to be surpassed. These clips go against TikTok's terms which state that users 'must not post, live stream or otherwise distribute any content on the platform which constitutes, encourages or provides instruction for a criminal offence, or dangerous activities that may lead to serious injury or death or self-harm'. Harsher rules for online content were earlier this year included in the Online Safety Bill which classes people smuggling as an extra priority illegal offence. The Bill wants to ensure that companies are more proactive when it comes to content and prevent people 'being exposed in the first place.' The figure means that more than 17,000 have crossed the Channel this year and that the total of 28,526 from 2021 is likely to be surpassed. Pictured: A dinghy in the English channel Ofcom can also take faster action against companies which fail to remove illegal content. A spokesman for TikTok said: 'Our policies state that to prevent users from engaging in life-threatening activities or being exploited by others, content depicting, promoting, coordinating or facilitating human smuggling is not allowed on TikTok. 'I am currently reviewing the content with the relevant language support, the accounts flagged are likely to be banned as per policy mentioned above.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Posts used by people smugglers to promote lethal crossings are totally unacceptable and requires social media companies to engage in dialogue to prevent their platforms being exploited. 'The Government is tackling this online disinformation, recently launching our own social media campaign to warn people of the risks of these deadly journeys and expose the lies sold to vulnerable people by inhumane smugglers.' A 20-year-old man has been arrested for shooting a McDonald's worker in the face outside a Brooklyn store, leaving him in critical condition, after they got into an over cold fries. The unidentified worker, 23, is now clinging to life at Brookdale Hospital after being shot about 7pm on Monday. The incident unfolded after the alleged shooter's mother started hassling the fast food worker because her fries were cold. At the same time, she was on FaceTime with her son, a source told the New York Post. Shortly after, the son - who was nearby - stormed into the Fulton Street McDonald's and began fighting with the employee. The shooting occurred here along in Fulton Street in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood when a McDonald's employee became involved in a dispute that spilled on to the street The 23-year-old worker was shot in the neck following an argument with a female customer over cold French fries The woman was Facetiming with her 20-year-old son when the argument happened prompting him to show up at the McDonald's and open fire, police allege At the time of writing, the McDonald's employee was said to be in critical condition at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn The 20-year-old assailant is in police custody. It's not clear what charges he will face The source told the NYPD the dispute was taken 'outside,' where the thug pulled out a gun and shot the 23-year-old in the head. Thick streams of bright red blood were seen pouring down the sidewalk as the employee lay unconscious on his back. A man cradled the young worker's head as witnesses waited for authorities. Other witnesses told the New York Daily News (NYDN) that a man used his own shirt to help stop the victim's bleeding. The shooter is custody, according to the New York Post. No charges have been filed yet. The worker was described by colleagues as being a 'really nice guy.' The thug's mother also reportedly told police what happened and 'admitted she called her son,' a vendor said, who witnessed the attack. A local business owner told the Post she heard a 'pop' and 'thought it was a firecracker' when the gun went off. 'I was scared. Thats why I didnt run to the scene. You dont know who is around,' she told the Post. When she came outside, she saw the young man laying on the ground. 'I feel like crying. You shot someone over French fries?' Another witness wondered where the 20-year-old got the gun before calling Fulton Street the 'craziest street.' The shooting took place outside the Fulton Street McDonald's (pictured) in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Another witness wondered where the 20-year-old got the gun before calling Fulton Street the 'craziest street' Another man told ABC 7 that 'we need to get the proliferation of guns out of New York City' 'Its getting worse, and the shooters are getting younger. They have lost their sense of direction,' he told the Post. 'It says something when a mother is with her son who is carrying a gun.' The man also said there were two officers 'at the corner all week,' but they were not there at the time of the shooting. 'They should be at every single corner every day,' he said. Another man told ABC 7 that 'we need to get the proliferation of guns out of New York City.' 'We got to teach people, once again, civility and how to respect each other and how important life is.' New York City has been experiencing a heightened sense of crime over the past few years since the pandemic began and guns - especially ghost guns - have become an increasing problem in the five boroughs. The Supreme Court recently struck down NYC's gun laws last month, overturning a 108-year-old law that required New Yorkers to have a 'proper cause' to carry a concealed weapon. The 6-3 ruling on Thursday reversed a lower court's opinion, which had upheld the law restricting licenses to carry concealed weapons in public only to those demonstrating 'proper cause.' Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the majority opinion, writing that the New York law prevented law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights. New York is not alone in severely limiting who can get a license to carry a concealed weapon in public, and the new ruling will likely make it easier to legally carry a gun in major cities including Los Angeles, Boston and Baltimore. Crime is up nearly 40 percent in the Big Apple, although shootings are down 5.8 percent. NYC does have an increasing gun problem and many young people are being found with weapons Overall crime and robbery is up a shocking 39 percent. Rape and assault are also up 11 and 19 percent, respectively. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, 61, has promised New Yorkers time and time again that he will crack down on crime, and even ran his election campaign on it. A few weeks ago, he promised citizens again, stating: 'We're going to turn this crime thing around, and when we do so, people are going to really see the progress we've made in other parts of the city.' He also went on to blame the city's criminal justice system for the increase in violence. 'It is unfortunate the climate we're working under where the entire criminal-justice apparatus has turned away from the public and the rights of the public to live safe in their city,' he said. 'We took almost 3,800 guns off the streets, and many of the people who had carried those guns were able to return to the streets.' Annual fitness tests will no longer be a requirement for members of the Space Force, also known as Guardians, starting in 2023, and will instead start wearing trackable fitness devices as they don't have to be as fit as service members in all other five branches of the United States military. The devices, which will be made by Garmin and Oura, will allow members of the newest US military branch to track their physical activity and mental health, as well as their eating and sleep history year-round. Leaders of the world's only independent space force said the change in approach was made to increase awareness of the general well-being of its service members rather than to assess them only once per year. The decision was also based on suggestions that annual physical tests have caused eating disorder symptoms for personnel in the past, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms within the military. Air Force service members are pictured going through their paces at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The US Space Force has opted to stop annual physical evaluations starting in 2023, instead providing service members with fitness tracking devices 'We're still using the Air Force PT standards. The difference is in our approach,' Chief Masters Sgt. James Seballes, who is the senior enlisted leader of the Space Training and Readiness Command, told NPR. The Space Force will likely provide fitness tracking devices made by Oura (left) and Garmin (right) for its modern fitness model. Space Force members, also known as Guardians, will also be able to track and share their data with their peers on FitRankings, a fitness and health platform He added that the new approach will not alter fitness goals, as service members of the Space Force will soon be under more scrutiny due to data reporting. The devices, mostly watches and rings, will also report and compare fitness data between the Guardians themselves on a digital platform built by Austin-based tech company, FitRankings. The fitness and health platform will also focus on other activities that the Guardians participate in rather than focus on specific exercises provided in the annual fitness evaluation. 'Maybe you're not good at running, maybe you're not good at pullups,' FitRankings CEO Patrick Hitchins told NPR. 'There is some amount of dimensionality to these tests that favors one activity form over another.' Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton, commander of Space Training and Readiness Command, said he is in favor of the more modern and digital approach, as he believes it will oblige Guardians to pay more attention to their health. 'There's increased responsibility on me, not just once a year to take a fitness test, for example, but maybe to exercise 90 minutes a week,' Bratton told NPR. Chief Masters Sgt. James Seballas, who is the senior enlisted leader of the Space Training and Readiness Command, told NPR fitness goals will still be measured to the Air Force PT standards. 'The difference is in our approach,' he added 'The ring helps me keep track of that as well as my sleep patterns.' Seballes also said he desires space servicemembers be ready for whatever tasks they are told to take on. 'Many times fitness is used as a 'go, no-go' kind of thing either you have it or you don't,' Seballes said. 'I know folks who can do all of their PT aspects and run a really fast mile and a half, and yet their eating habits are poor, their sleeping habits are poor. They're not healthy.' The Space Force was first created in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump announced there would be a new division of the United States military devoted to threats in outer space. 'When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space,' Trump said. 'We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal. It is going to be something. So important.' Trump signed the Space Force into law with a $738 billion defense spending bill that December, and last May the first Air Force academy graduates commissioned directly into the Space Force. President Joe Biden has also voiced his support toward the new military branch since taking office two years ago. The Space Force signed a cooperative agreement with NASA in 2020 to collaborate on future cislunar space research and technologies, and on June 13 2021, the Space Force successfully launched into obit a 'space domain awareness' military satellite. US Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor CMSgt Roger Towberman, with then-US President Donald Trump, presents the US Space Force Flag on May 15, 2020, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC Meanwhile, the constant fear of being weighed at regular fitness checks and the pressure to complete annual fitness evaluations is a deep concern in the military, as well as the food provided to active service members. In the past, former first lady Michelle Obama lent her voice to the military's efforts to overhaul the food it serves. The changes implemented in 2012 brought more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and food choices that are lower in fat to 1,100 service member dining facilities in the US. According to the White House, back then, more than one-quarter of 17- to 24-year-olds are too overweight to serve in the military. Active members of the military are also becoming more overweight, a Pentagon official said at the time, and that causes a 'readiness problem.' In an effort to promote good choices, the military redesigned menus and tried to supply healthier foods in mess halls and on bases and in vending machines and snack bars on military bases. The trial of the father who authorities believe to have murdered his teenage daughters in a 2008 'honor killing' began Tuesday after Monday's jury selection. The prosecution is not seeking death penalty against Yaser Abdel Said, 65, but he would automatically receive a life sentence if convicted. The Egyptian-born cab driver who lived with his family just north of Dallas, Texas, allegedly shot to death his daughters, 17-year-old Sarah and 18-year-old Amina, in his taxi after telling them they were going out to eat on New Years Day 14 years ago. 'Help, my dad shot me! I'm dying,' Sarah could be heard in a 911 call she managed to make after she was shot. Investigators said Amina was killed instantly. It is widely speculated Said committed the honor killing - a practice where individuals are murdered for bringing perceived shame on their family - after he discovered Amina had a non-Muslim boyfriend and because he thought they were becoming 'too American.' Said vanished after the murders and spent six years on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was found hiding out in Justin, Texas - barely 30 miles from the scene of the murder - where he had been being harbored by his son, Islam, who, at the time of the killings, was aged 19, and brother Yassein, who was approximately 45. Both relatives were arrested after the capture and are serving sentences in federal prison. Speaking with The Dallas Morning News after the capture, Said's former wife and the mother of the girls, Patricia Owens, said she thought it was possible her girls had been killed over in an honor killing but that she ultimately did not know the motivation. 'My daughters were loving, caring, smart, loved everybody, would help anybody,' Owens said, 'They were two of the most awesome kids in the world, and they did not deserve what happened to them.' Yaser Abdel Said, 65, an Egyptian-born cab driver who lived with his family just north of Dallas, Texas, allegedly shot his daughters, 17-year-old Sarah (center) and 18-year-old Amina (right), to death in his taxi after telling them they were going out to eat on New Years Day 14 years ago. Said vanished after his daughters' bodies were found, and made it onto the FBI Most Wanted Fugitives list in the following years Police received Sarah's frantic 911 call at about 7:30pm on that New Years Day. Though she accused her father in the call, she seemed to lose consciousness before dispatchers could determine her location or any other information. Shortly after the call, the cops received another call from a man reporting two women unconscious in a car in the parking lot of the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving, Texas. There, police found the girls dead inside their father's taxi with multiple gunshot wounds each. Said immediately became the prime suspect, and when authorities raided the family's home the next day he was nowhere to be found. The sisters were allegedly murdered by their own father, 17-year-old Sarah (left) and 18-year-old Amina (right) Said (right) pictured with his son Islam, and daughters Sarah (center, right) and Amina (left). Islam helped harbor his father after he allegedly murdered the girls The day before the shooting, Said had convinced his daughters and wife to return home after they had run away around Christmas that winter. The women had all fled from Said after he allegedly threatened to shoot Amina in the head when he found out about her boyfriend. Sarah reportedly told a friend her father had gone as far as to hold a gun to her Amina's head while he threatened her. Owen's sister, Connie Moggio, corroborated the abuse after the shooting, and said she didn't know why her sister and nieces returned to Said. 'What prompted her to go back home is beyond me,' said Moggio. Said's abuse of his family extended back as far as 1998, when Owens and the girls signed an affidavit alleging he had sexually abused his daughters. Those charges were later dropped after the girls recanted their story because they said they didn't want to be forced to relocate. In the years following those allegations, friends of the girls reported they often saw them wit bruises on their bodies or witnessed Said being physically violent to his family. The girls reportedly confided in friends that their father was obsessively controlling, and that they often feared he was surveilling them wherever they went. In a home video recorded by Said, the girls are filmed in their bedroom while Said can be heard suggestively saying 'Sarah sleeps with her pants? Mmm, very nice,' and 'Wow, look at those eyes. I got my eye on you.' Said's son, Islam (left) and his brother, Yassein (right). They are both serving time in federal prison for harboring Said while he was a wanted fugitive Said's abuse of his family extended back as far as 1998, when Owens and the girls signed an affidavit alleging he had sexually abused his daughters Owens divorced Said in 2009. She said she feared her ex-husband would turn up and kill her one day. In 2011, while Said was still at large, Owens told The Dallas Morning News that she thought the killings could have been because of her ex-husband's belief that the girls were shaming the family with their western ways. 'He would say things like, 'They're becoming too American,'' she said. A senior adviser was unfairly sacked after branding her Labour MP boss a 'first class idiot' in an email copied into Sir Keir Starmer, an employment tribunal has ruled. Khalid Mahmood fired his long-term aide Elaina Cohen after she sent him a series of messages accusing him of being 'cruel', 'bullying', 'spiteful' and and an 'insecure crooked womaniser'. The former shadow Cabinet member - an MP for more than 20 years - dismissed Ms Cohen, who he had previously dated for several years, for disrespecting and trying to intimidate him. But the tribunal ruled that by overseeing the disciplinary process himself and deciding to fire her, the 61-year-old had treated her unfairly. In addition, the MP's decision to stop talking to her after she accused one of his parliamentary staff of being involved in illegal activity made her feel isolated, the panel ruled. He will now have to pay her compensation, although the amount may be reduced due to her behaviour, the tribunal said. The hearing in central London was told that Ms Cohen started to work for the MP for Birmingham Perry Bar in his House of Commons office in 2003. They entered a 'romantic relationship' shortly afterwards which ended in 2005 at the earliest, the panel was told. Khalid Mahmood fired his long-term aide Elaina Cohen (after she sent him a series of messages accusing him of being 'cruel', 'bullying', 'spiteful' and and an 'insecure crooked womaniser' Following their break-up, Ms Cohen continued to work for Mr Mahmood but their relationship became increasingly 'dysfunctional' with multiple Whatsapp messages and emails exchanged. '(Ms Cohen) frequently fumed and ruminated in such communications making bitter and provocative remarks directed at (Mr Mahmood) mixed in with information relating to the business of his office,' the tribunal heard. '(He) rarely replied.' For example, in a WhatsApp message sent on 2 January 2020, Ms Cohen wrote: 'So sorry to remind you that I'm a member of your staff I haven't heard from you in relation to Parliament since election. 'If this continues I'm just going to do my own thing as I have since 2005 when you decided I was surplus to requirements due to favours & new female admirers & girlfriends.. happy new year.' The tribunal was told that in 2019 Mr Mahmood had given a parliamentary pass to a charity worker, Saraya Hussain, with whom Ms Cohen clashed. In January 2020 Ms Cohen met with a whistleblower who alleged Ms Hussain had been blackmailing, grooming and bullying vulnerable charity service users. She reported what she had been told to West Midlands police and told Mr Mahmood that vulnerable individuals had been encouraged to shoplift, as well as making allegations of charity fraud. However, the police investigation came to nothing and Ms Cohen said Mr Mahmood 'went ballistic and accused me of lying. He accused me of making more trouble for Saraya Hussain because I was jealous.' As part of that exchange Mr Mahmood copied in Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) into an email that referenced her 'first class idiot' comment Following this, Ms Cohen said she was excluded from parliamentary staff Zoom calls while Mr Mahmood's communications with her dried up, leaving her feeling 'marginalised and isolated'. In February 2020 she messaged him to call him a 'spiteful, untrustworthy, liar womaniser...you brought this on yourself. Serves you right. Another message that month accused him of 'catfishing' = a slang term for someone who uses a fake or misleading photograph in a social media or online dating context. It read: 'Cat fishing women is nt (sic) a crime but when you are an MP and do it on your MP Facebook it's unethical.. especially with your history... as a continuing victim to this day of trusting a crooked womaniser if for nothing else you deserve a front page on your sleaze.' On 23 August 2020, the tribunal heard Ms Cohen emailed Mr Mahmood: 'If I were to put all our messages over the years into the public domain most would regard you as a first class idiot'. Their relationship deteriorated further, the panel heard, with Mr Mahnood accusing her of unprofessionalism and suggesting she go off sick from work. The tribunal was told that on 11 October the pair spent a Sunday afternoon 'duelling by emails'. As part of that exchange Mr Mahmood copied in Labour Party leader Sir Keir into an email that referenced her 'first class idiot' comment. On 23 August 2020, the tribunal heard Ms Cohen emailed Mr Mahmood (both pictured above): 'If I were to put all our messages over the years into the public domain most would regard you as a first class idiot'. The following month after the death of the MP's father-in-law, Ms Cohen sent him a 'crass and insensitive' email, the hearing was told, concluding with the remark 'I am daily astounded at the shenanigans in the parliamentary office.' Mr Mahmood then launched formal disciplinary action against Ms Cohen making five allegations against her including her emails which led to him firing her in January 2021. He told her: 'You have repeatedly disrespected me, calling me names and copying in additional people to emails sent from you to me in order to intimidate me, make me feel discomforted, and to damage my reputation. 'I believe your actions have potentially brought me into disrepute and your actions have made me feel harassed and bullied.' Ms Cohen took him to the tribunal and won her claims for unfair dismissal relating to the process and having suffered a detriment due to her whistleblowing. However, her claims for religious discrimination and harassment - she was the only Jew on Mr Mahmood's staff - were dismissed. The panel concluded that although her actions may have amounted to gross misconduct, the way her sacking was carried out was unfair. 'Mr Mahmood was the complainant, he chaired the investigation meeting, presided over the disciplinary hearing and made the decision to dismiss and also heard the appeal. 'We have concluded that not to have at least one other decision-maker as part of this overall process took it outside of the range of reasonable responses.' In addition, the decision to cut off full contact with her after her allegations of January 2020 were wrong, the tribunal found. 'There was some need for communication,' the panel said. 'By his own admission he had stopped speaking to her on the telephone. He had no contact with her by Zoom. 'To a large part he cut off communication with her. The Tribunal finds that fact that he did not is partly attributable to the protected disclosures.' A hearing to determine Ms Cohen's compensation will be held at a later date. A hospital has launched an investigation after a 25-year-old pregnant woman died from a suspected epileptic seizure after her medication was changed. Megan Gardiner was 17 weeks pregnant when she and her unborn son died overnight on June 4 at her home in Barry, South Wales. Her 'devastated' mother Alison Woodcock, 51, has paid tribute to her 'perfect' daughter while raising concerns over the epilepsy treatment she received from Cardiff's University Hospital. Alison said it was worrying to learn that another pregnant Barry woman, 28-year-old Paige Ellis, died following a suspected epileptic seizure overnight on July 23 after being given new medication by the same hospital. The hospital has now launched a review but said it has yet to find any 'immediate care and treatment concerns'. Alison, a former Barry councillor, described Megan as 'full of life' and 'a thoughtful and caring soul'. She leaves behind boyfriend Jowad Ahmad, father Robert and sister Tesni. Megan Gardiner, 25, was 17 weeks pregnant when she and her unborn son died overnight on June 4 at her home in Barry, South Wales. (Pictured left to right: Megan, father Robert, mother Alison and sister Tesni) It is the second loss of a child for Robert and Alison (pictured together) after their middle daughter Ellie died in 2001 of sudden infant death syndrome shortly before her second birthday It is the second loss of a child for Robert and Alison after their middle daughter Ellie died in 2001 of sudden infant death syndrome shortly before her second birthday. 'We've already been through this once and we're going through it again,' said Alison. 'It's just devastating.' Megan, who was living at the family home, had not experienced a seizure since April. She appeared to be in good form the night before she died, said Alison, who is now a social worker. She said she only realised something was amiss when she called up to ask if she had taken her medication, as she does every morning. She recalled: 'I called her at 9.30am and there was no response. Her bedroom was a mess and I didn't see her there. I kept trying to ring her and couldn't get an answer. It was unusual because she was 25 but I'd always know where she was. I thought maybe she had gone into town so I drove through Barry, went into shops, rang her sister. 'I thought I'd check her bedroom one more time and saw what I'd thought was a pile of clothes on the bed. Where she'd had a seizure, she had fallen down between the bed and the wall. I rang the ambulance service and there was a woman on the phone telling me what do, but I knew there was no point.' The paramedics arrived 'really quickly' but Megan had died some time earlier. Alison called family members who rushed to the home. 'I'm one of five and I have nephews and nieces,' she said. 'We're all heartbroken.' The hospital has now launched a review but said it has yet to find any 'immediate care and treatment concerns' (Pictured: Megan and boyfriend Jowad) Megan had battled epilepsy since she was 13. In good periods she would only have one seizure a month but at its worst she could have as many as four in one day. On one occasion she lost teeth after having a seizure in the street. On others she sustained scars on her cheek and eyebrow. Because her epilepsy was so severe Megan was taking three medications - Lamotrigine, Brivaracetam and Zonisamide. Megan and Alison attended an appointment on May 23 at University Hospital of Wales, where Alison says they were told that there was no risk to the foetus from using Lamotrigine and Brivaracetam but that the research around Zonisamide was not clear. Alison said Megan took the medical advice of upping her dosage of Lamotrigine and tapering off the Zonisamide. Alison added: 'Meg really wanted to be a parent. She was happy about being pregnant. Any parent told that taking something could harm their baby would listen to that advice. She wanted to do the best she could for her baby.' Alison claimed that one of Megan's recent hospital notes said she had myoclonic seizures, despite her only ever having tonic-clonic seizures. In an email to the hospital after Megan's death, Alison wrote: 'Whilst you say her care met the guidance, I still feel like she was not seen as an individual with epilepsy but in more general terms. 'The fact that the wrong type of epilepsy was written on her notes reinforces that. 'With the conversation about removing Zonisamide, had they looked at her notes and seen that her epilepsy was not easily controlled and that was the reason that a third medication was introduced? Why in pregnancy would you look at removing that additional medication...?' Paige Ellis' partner Dan Dredge said he believes a similar change in medication was prescribed for her. The hospital has allocated a consultant midwife to look into the concerns, said Alison. Alison (pictured holding photo of Megan) claimed that one of Megan's recent hospital notes said she had myoclonic seizures, despite her only ever having tonic-clonic seizures She added: 'We chose for Megan to be buried holding her little boy, resting on her chest. She is buried in Barry Cemetery with Ellie, so the two of them are back together.' Alison got necklaces for Megan's boyfriend, sister and father which have Megan's fingerprint on one side and her baby's footprint on the other. 'They will always have something of them,' said Alison. She added that Megan was always 'really easy' to parent and had a 'sweet nature' and would often campaign on social issues. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board - which runs University Hospital of Wales - said in a statement: 'Our thoughts are with the families at this incredibly sad time. 'The concerns are being reviewed in line with our governance process but due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment on individual cases. 'Once completed, the investigation findings will be shared with the next of kin and based upon preliminary review we have not identified any immediate care and treatment concerns. 'We appreciate how difficult this time is for family and loved ones. However, if the families wish to discuss anything further we would ask they speak with their named point of contact.' Some 7,091 has been raised in Megan's memory for bereavement support charity 2 Wish after Alison started a Justgiving page. A New York City woman has sued the at-home massage service app Soothe, claiming one of its therapists raped her at home after being hired by her husband for a Valentine's Day treat. The woman is not named in her lawsuit against the California-based start-up, filed yesterday in Brooklyn's Supreme Court. She claims the man - who used the fake name of Hernando Giraldo - raped her in her Brooklyn home, and that he had a past arrest on his record for sexual assaulting a different Soothe customer. Now, the woman is suing the app, which has thousands of therapists in the 73 cities across the US, UK, Canada and Australia and which claims to be the 'leading' app for at-home massages. Like Uber and Lyft, which contracts out drivers, the company gives gig worker contracts to the therapists. It was founded in 2013 in California and has raised more than $70million in funding over the last nine years while retaining private ownership. On Tuesday, the woman claimed through a video played at a press conference that she now wakes up in the middle of the night, fearing another attack. The woman is not named in her lawsuit against the California-based start-up, filed yesterday in Brooklyn's Supreme Court. In a pre-recorded statement obtained by DailyMail.com, she recounted how he raped her while she was at her 'most vulnerable' The lawsuit filed against Soothe in Brooklyn's Supreme Court on Monday The woman's husband was out-of-town when he ordered the massage for her on February 14, 2022. She claims that the therapist, using the fake name, arrived then promptly attacked her. He fled and is still at large. She reported the assault to police immediately and was then told that the man - whose real name is not known - was previously reported by a different Soothe customer over similar allegations. The details of that incident remain unclear. 'While alone in my home and most vulnerable, with a considerably larger man, he abused that power and raped me. I've been traumatized by this event. Soothe, a California-based start-up, has not commented on the allegations 'He knows where I live.. I live in fear of this monster returning to my home. 'I've entered therapy and wake up a million times at night. Does he have a criminal record? Does he have a mental illness? Is he incredibly violent? Does he own a gun? 'I don't know. Does Soothe know?' the woman said in a saddening video-recorded statement obtained by DailyMail.com where her identity is obscured. 'This fear is so strong that I've seriously considered moving, upending my life. just to flee the grasp of this predator who Soothe sent to my doorstep. Embarrassed and extremely upset, my husband and I contacted Soothe about the incident. 'Soothe referred us to their tryst and safety team, didn't contact me or my husband for almost a full week and only after we contacted the CEO on LinkedIn. 'They provided us with a fake name. This has shocked me to the core...I fear not only for myself but for others who may be victim to this individual.' Soothe did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries about the multiple allegations on Tuesday afternoon. On the company's website, it claims to vet all of the thousands of independent therapists it works with. Chinese officials summoned U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in the middle of the night for a meeting to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. Burns was summoned to appear by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, who is specifically in charge of managing China's relationship with the United States. Pelosi's visit infuriated Beijing, who repeatedly warned Pelosi not to make a stop there during her South Asia tour. Chinese officials called the visit a 'violation of the one-China principle.' In the summons, Xie stressed the 'nature of Pelosi's visit is extremely vicious and the consequence is very grave. The Chinese side will not sit idly by,' Chinese state media reported. Xie said President Joe Biden's government should have 'restrained Pelosi's unscrupulous move and prevented her from going against the historical trend but instead indulged her and colluded with her.' 'China will take necessary and resolute countermeasures and we mean what we say,' Xie said. The White House said they know Burns has been in discussions with the Chinese but refused to confirm the middle-of-the-night meeting. 'We know that Ambassador Burns has had discussions with his Chinese interlocutors, but I'd refer you to the State Department in terms of being summoned in the middle of the night,' said White House spokesperson John Kirby at Tuesday's press briefing. Biden's administration tried to tamp down the situation. Officials have said repeatedly that Pelosi made an independent decision to go to Taiwan. China sees the self-governing island nation as its own territory. Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to unite the two nations by force. 'The United States will not seek and does not want a crisis. We are prepared to manage what Beijing chooses to do,' Kirby said. 'There's just no reason to amp this up.' He noted that the U.S. does not 'support Taiwan independence' and pointed out the Biden administration has communicated this repeatedly, including by the president himself in his two-hour call last week with Xi. Kirby said there was no reason for 'Beijing to turn this visit - which is consistent with long-standing U.S. policy - into some sort of crisis, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressiveness and military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. Now or beyond her travel.' Pelosi's Air Force plane - with its distinctive blue and white colors and American flag on the tail - touched down in Taipei at 10:45 pm local time. Her visit makes her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. Security is tight as all sides ramped up their military presence. Biden's had a prickly relationship with China since he entered the White House but as tensions between Washington D.C. and Beijing have escalated since there were reports Pelosi would drop by the island. The speaker's hotel in Taipei was surrounded by security as China backed up their warnings with a show of force, including live-fire drills. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu greeted Speaker Nancy Pelosi upon her arrival Police officers line up outside the Grand Hyatt hotel as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan amid Chinese fury Chinese officials summoned U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns (left) in the middle of the night for a meeting to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan; Burns was summoned to appear by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng (right), who is specifically in charge of managing China's relationship with the United States The White House tried to tamp down the situation: 'The United States will not seek and does not want a crisis,' said White House spokesperson John Kirby. 'There's just no reason to amp this up' Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her car arriving at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Taipei, where she was cheered on by locals Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a photo of the Congressional delegation's arrival in Taipei with the words: 'Our visit reiterates that America stands with Taiwan: a robust, vibrant democracy and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific' Speaker Nancy Pelosi disembarking from her Air Force jet in Taiwan Police officers stand guard outside Grand Hyatt hotel as demonstrators take part in a protest against U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit in Taipei Surrounded: China is planning live fire military exercises around Taiwan from August 4-7, the Xinjua News Agency announced Soon after Pelosi landed, Beijing said the People's Liberation Army would hold military exercises around the island despite pleas from the White House to tone it down. The exercises will take place from August 4 to 7, when the PLA 'will conduct important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,' according to the state Xinjua News Agency. Additionally, Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on day of Pelosi's visit. As the speaker's Air Force C40 approached Taipei, Chinese Air Force Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Straits, local media outlets reported. And chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage showed military equipment on the move in the city of Xiamen. Biden's administration downplayed Beijing's military moves. 'What I would tell you is that what we've seen thus far, and she just arrived, is consistent with the playbook that we expected them to, to run, and we'll just keep watching it,' Kirby said. But, he said, the White House will ensure Pelosi's safety. 'We're going to make sure that Speaker Pelosi trip - the whole trip - is safe and secure for her,' Kirby said. Pelosi said her trip was to show America's committment to democracy. 'Our Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy,' Pelosi said in a statement released shortly after she landed. Eight US F-15 fighter jet and five tanker aircraft took off from a U.S. base in Okinawa to provide protection for Pelosi's flight, NHK reported. Taiwan gave Pelosi a warm welcome. The island's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi and supporters held welcome signs out of the hotel she will reportedly stay in. Her visit, which was never publicly announced due to security reasons, is part of a broader trip she is taking to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. 'Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,' Pelosi said. And she reaffirmed America's one-China policy. 'Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,' she noted. Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on day of Pelosi's visit Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her car arriving at her hotel in Taipei, where she was cheered on by locals Supporters hold a banner outside the hotel where U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is supposed to be staying in Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi A US military aircraft with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Sungshan Airport in Taipei Chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait Beijing earlier warned that the United States will 'pay the price' if Pelosi visits Taiwan while Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that those U.S. politicians who 'play with fire' on the Taiwan issue will 'come to no good end'. Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a US Navy official confirmed on Tuesday. The Japanese-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. The US Navy official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that started in early May from its home port of San Diego. Taipei has vowed to defend itself and dispatch its military forces in reaction to 'enemy threats' as risk of Beijing attacking Taiwan grows. Taiwan has also made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills, including designating air-raid shelters where civilians can take cover if Beijing launches missiles at the democratic island. Self-governed Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. Taiwan has vowed to defend itself and has made strengthening its defenses a priority, with regular military and civil defense drills. Major concerns have been sparked in the tech industry over supply if China were to invade Taiwan amid the rising tensions between the two countries. Experts have said that the most-advanced chip factory in the world on the island would be rendered not operable, plunging the global supply chain into chaos resulting in a shortage of smartphones, computers and brake sensors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has visited Taiwan despite repeated warnings from the Chinese not to, claiming it is a violation of the one-China principle. She touched down in Taipei earlier this morning and was greeted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, before China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately blasted the move, calling it a 'serious disregard of China's strong opposition. Apple's chipmaker, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), has warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make everybody losers,' sparking economic turmoil. Scroll down for video: TSMC Chair Mark Liu, pictured, said earlier this week that the chipmaker's plant, which is the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturer, would not be able to operate if the Chinese invaded as it cannot be run 'by force' Apple chipmaker, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), has warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make everybody losers Liu stressed it would cause a supply chain crisis which would extend as far away as the U.S., which last month passed a bill trying to fix the shortage Police officers stand guard outside Grand Hyatt hotel as demonstrators take part in a protest against U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit in Taipei TSMC Chair Mark Liu said earlier this week that the chipmakers' plant, which is the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturer, would not be able to operate if the Chinese invaded. He told CNN: Nobody can control TSMC by force. If you take a military force or invasion, you will render TSMC factory not operable. Because this is such a sophisticated manufacturing facility, it depends on real-time connection with the outside world, with Europe, with Japan, with U.S., from materials to chemicals to spare parts to engineering software and diagnosis. He urged Bejing to think twice before taking any action, because China accounts for 10 percent of the TSMCs business. Liu stressed it would cause a supply chain crisis that would extend as far away as the U.S., which last month passed a bill trying to fix the shortage. Taiwan manufactured more than 60 percent of the globe's semiconductors last year, with Liu urging all parties to think of ways to avoid war so the engine of the world economy can continue humming.' He added that lessons from the Russian invasion of Ukraine should be learned, as the war there has created a lose, lose, lose situation for the Western world as well as Russia and Ukraine. Pelosi's visit makes her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday in a visit that defied warnings from China, angering the government Supporters hold a banner outside the hotel where U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is staying in Taipei, Taiwan Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on the day of Pelosi's visit Amid the intensifying warnings from China over Pelosi's visit, four US ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (pictured in a file photo), were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on 'routine' deployments Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a photo of the Congressional delegation's arrival in Taipei with the words: 'Our visit reiterates that America stands with Taiwan: a robust, vibrant democracy and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific' Why China set its sights on Taiwan China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's sovereignty. China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China's Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. The island was under the Republic of China's ruling after World War II, with the consent of its allies, the US and UK. The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang's son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratizing Taiwan. In 1980, China put forward a policy called 'one country, two systems,' under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But its political status remains unclear. Advertisement It enraged China, which sees the self-governing island nation as its own territory, despite never having governed it. Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to unite the two nations by force, with Beijings Peoples Liberation Army holding live fire drills in a direct defiance to White House urgings. The exercises will take place from August 4 to 7, when the PLA 'will conduct important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in the following maritime areas and their air space bounded by lines joining,' according to the state Xinjua News Agency. Additionally, Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's airspace on the day of Pelosi's visit. As the speaker's Air Force C40 approached Taipei, Chinese Air Force Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Straits, local media outlets reported. chilling footage shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage showed military equipment on the move in the city of Xiamen. The White House defended Pelosi's right to go to Taiwan even as President Joe Biden's administration pointed out the speaker makes her own decisions. They added that she heads a different branch of government and that there have been no changes to the United States' one-China policy, with the administration warning Beijing not to harm the speaker. Eight US F-15 fighter jets and five tanker aircraft took off from a U.S. base in Okinawa to provide protection for Pelosi's flight, NHK reported. Taiwan gave Pelosi a warm welcome. The island's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi and supporters held welcome signs out of the hotel she will reportedly stay in. Her visit, which was never publicly announced due to security reasons, is part of a broader trip she is taking to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Jeremy Corbyn was branded a 'disgrace' last night after attacking Britain for 'pouring arms into Ukraine' instead of seeking peaceful negotiations with Vladimir Putin. The former Labour leader said providing military aid would only 'prolong and exaggerate' the conflict. He made the remarks during an interview with Al Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based TV channel accused of having sympathies with terrorist organisation Hezbollah and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Mr Corbyn currently sits as an independent MP after having the Labour whip removed in 2020, and last night party sources suggested his comments would only make his readmission less likely. Jeremy Corbyn was branded a 'disgrace' last night after attacking Britain for 'pouring arms into Ukraine' instead of seeking peaceful negotiations with Vladimir Putin The former Labour leader said providing military aid would only 'prolong and exaggerate' the conflict. Pictured: Ukrainian troops with a US howitzer The former Labour leader (left) made the remarks during an interview with Al Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based TV channel accused of having sympathies with terrorist organisation Hezbollah and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad ... as we send in two Navy minesweepers Royal Navy Sandown Class mine hunter at sea off the coast of Scotland The Royal Navy will provide Ukraine with minesweepers to clear Russian munitions from the Black Sea. Two highly specialised British ships will be transferred to the Ukrainian navy this autumn, months ahead of schedule. The mine countermeasure vehicle, pictured left, is a small but effective 160ft-long vessel with a reinforced plastic hull. The ships, which clear mines from sea routes to allow the safe passage of larger forces, will be sent to speed up the export of blockaded Ukrainian food supplies. Advertisement Refusing to condemn Putin or his illegal invasion, Mr Corbyn said: 'Pouring arms in isn't going to bring about a solution, it's only going to prolong and exaggerate this war.' He noted the recent grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but added that 'putting more and more arms into Ukraine' would not help such deals hold. Alexander Stafford, a Tory MP with Ukrainian heritage, said: 'These comments are an absolute disgrace and smack of the worst type of appeasement. 'History is clear that the only way to stop despots attacking innocents is to show strength.' Former Labour MP Mike Gapes said: 'So many Labour MPs and members were prepared to support this threat to our national security. And he is still a member of Labour. Why?' And Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons defence committee, warned: 'Russia will re-broadcast his words in an attempt to show UK support for Ukraine is slipping.' The Tory Government has provided more than 2.3billion in military aid to Kyiv since the Russian invasion. Labour supports the provision, claiming the 'stand against Russian aggression is very important'. A party source said: 'There cannot be any ambiguity about the choice [Mr Corbyn] is making, and that is to put himself outside the Labour mainstream. 'It is difficult to see a path back for him if this is the position he continues to articulate.' A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said 'he has always condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine...[and] he has a long record as a staunch critic of Vladimir Putin'. Refusing to condemn Putin or his illegal invasion, Mr Corbyn said: 'Pouring arms in isn't going to bring about a solution, it's only going to prolong and exaggerate this war' Raging forest fires in Northern California claimed two more lives as the death toll rose to four from what has become the state's largest blaze brought on by blistering heat and bone-dry conditions, authorities said Tuesday. The Siskiyou County Sheriff said two bodies were found in separate residences on Monday along Route 96, one of the only roads in and out of the area. On Sunday, first responders found the first two bodies inside a burned-out vehicle inside a gated driveway of a home near the Klamath River. Flames overtook the vehicle before they could escape. 'It's really tragic when a fire gets up and moves this fast and basically takes out a community. And that's what happened in the Klamath River area,' Mike Lindbery, a spokesman with the fire's incident management team, said Tuesday. The McKinney Fire in Northern California has claimed four lives over five days as firefighter struggle to contain it Officers with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's office carry away the remains of one of two people found burned to death in separate residences in the Klamath River area Officials said that the devastating McKinney fire, the largest in the state, is zero percent contained Authorities have not identified the dead, pending notification to their families. About 2,500 people have had to evacuate the area and two million more are under red flag warnings of fire conditions across the states of California, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska. The McKinney Fire, as it is called, ripped through 88 square miles, fed by 50 mph winds, and is considered the largest of the state's wildfires. It's is by no means the only one. There are 10 different fires burning in the area. 'Klamath National Forest is a big and beautiful forest, but it also has some steep and rugged terrain. And with that, coupled with the high temperatures, low humidity, they all come into play and make it a very extreme fire danger situation right now,' Tom Stokesberry of the US Forest Service told KTVL. The roaring inferno threatening wildlife and homes in California has now become fatal - after four people have died The threatening blaze is now engulfing 88 squared miles of dry tinderbox wildland in the area as firefighters work tirelessly to calm the inferno Flames burn to the Klamath River during the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California The McKinney Fire burns near Yreka, California, as it ravaged 88 square miles of vegetation, destroying a dozen homes and forcing local residents to evacuate The blaze, which started on July 29, was considered zero percent contained on Tuesday. California Gov. Gavin Newsome declared a state of emergency on Monday, freeing up state and federal funds to help those affected by the blaze. Cloudy weather and scattered rain continued to help firefighters Tuesday as bulldozers managed to ring the small and scenic tourism destination city of Yreka, with firebreaks. Crews carving other firebreaks in steep, rugged terrain also made progress, fire officials said. James 'Mac' Benton was forced to evacuate in his RV from his Klamath River area home on Friday. He got one of his dogs, Moon Bear, in the vehicle, but had to leave one of his dogs - his three-month-old pit bull puppy Patches behind, along with another dog and his cat, according to the Sacramento Bee. Early Saturday, when freelance videographer, Jonathan Rivas, was documenting the devastation to the area, Patches came sheepishly out of the smoldering debris, wagging his tail. He took the dog to Rescue Ranch, a no-kill shelter nearby that has taken in 165 dogs orphaned by the fire, where Benton was reunited with the pooch. 'He's very resourceful,' Benton told the Bee. 'He's a very smart dog.' Patches, a three-month-old pit bull puppy was rescued by a freelance videographer on Saturday Early Saturday, when freelance videographer, Jonathan Rivas, was documenting the devastation to the area, Patches came sheepishly out of the smoldering debris, wagging his tail James Brenton, seated, grins in relief over being reunited with Patches, the three-year-old pit bull pup who he had to leave behind when he was escaping the McKinney wildfire He hasn't heard about his other pets, but he's hoping they'll survive, according to a Facebook post from Rescue Ranch. The blaze was holding about 4 miles from downtown Yreka, a population of about 7,500. 'There's still a lot of people in town, people who refused to leave,' he said. 'A lot of people who don't have vehicles and can't go. It's really sad.' Thom has lived in Yreka all his life but said it was the first time he had been threatened by a wildfire. 'I never thought it would ever happen,' he said. 'I thought, 'We're invincible.' ... This is making a liar out of me.' Firefighters say they are doing their best to douse the blaze. 'We've got the weather,' said Todd Mack, an incident fire commander with the U.S. Forest Service. 'We've got the horsepower. And we're getting after it.' The charred remains of a boat on a trailer are seen at the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California A dead fawn is seen after the McKinney Fire engulfed the area and caused thousands of people to flee their homes But lightning over the weekend also sparked several smaller fires near the McKinney Fire. And despite the much-needed moisture, forests and fields in the region remained bone-dry. Among those waiting out the fire at the shelter in Yreka on Monday was Paisley Bamberg, 33. She arrived a few months ago from West Columbia, South Carolina, and had been living in a motel with her six children, ranging in age from 15 to 1-year-old twins, when she was told to evacuate. 'I started throwing everything on the top of my truck,' but had to leave many things behind, she said. Bamberg said she had just been hired at an Arby's restaurant and wondered if it would survive the fire. 'There might not be much there when we get back,' she said. 'I don't know if I have a job. The kids were supposed to start school and I don't know if the school is still standing.' Bamberg added: 'I'm trying to keep up my spirits. I have six little humans that are depending on me. I can't break down or falter.' Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The U.S. Forest Service shut down a 110-mile section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and southern Oregon. Authorities helped 60 hikers in that area evacuate on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office in Oregon. The ongoing probe into wiped Secret Service emails from around Jan 6 took a new turn Tuesday, when it was revealed that the Defense Department wiped the phones of top Pentagon officials when they left the Trump administration. Among the officials who had their information wiped are former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who assumed leadership after Trump fired Pentagon boss Mark Esper in Nov. 2020. The texts, had they been preserved, could provide additional information about Jan. 6th, as well who reached out and when about whether to send National Guard forces to quell the riot. The panel, as part of its wide-ranging probe, has examined such issues as what preparations were undertaken by the National Guard, which US officials did and did not phone seeking to deploy Defense Department assets, and contacts over use of the 25th Amendment to remove former President Donald Trump from office. American Oversight sought the data from top Defense Department officials seeking communications for Jan. 6th. The Pentagon said the cell data was wiped after the officials left government The admission came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by American Oversight, which sued to obtain communications of officials who had contacts with former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 6. Meadows turned over digital to the committee before he started resisting a subpoena and claiming privilege. The text messages belonging to the officials 'were not preserved and therefore could not be searched,' DOD told the court. It stated in the filing that 'when an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government issued phone, and the phone is wiped.' The group sought records for former acting DOD Secretary Christopher Miller, who oversaw the Pentagon after Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper in November 2020 Kash Patel, a former chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, is followed by reporters as he departs from a deposition meeting on Capitol Hill with the House select committee investigating the January 6th attack, on December 09, 2021 in Washington, DC. He said he cooperated with the committee Watchdog group sought the data of former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who would have knowledge of information about the use of National Guard on Jan. 6th American Oversight filed its suit just days after the Capitol riot, before the House created its own select committee to probe January 6th -- setting off a series of clashes for documents with individuals and agencies. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Jan. 6th chair Rep. Bennie Thompson have blasted the IG for the Homeland Security Department over missing data that the agency attributed to a data conversion, also undertaken just weeks after the new administration came in. The panel is probing claims by witness former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson that Trump had a confrontation with Secret Service agents who wouldn't let him go to the Capitol Jan. 6. 'We are writing with grave new concerns over your lack of transparency and independence, which appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office,' the lawmakers wrote Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. 'For those custodians no longer with the agency, the text messages were not preserved and therefore could not be searched,' according to the filing The group sought communications by Miller, former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Miller's former chief of staff Kash Patel, and other officials. All are considered critical witnesses. The group asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to open a probe into DOD's failure to preserve electronic communications. The House Jan. 6th panel, which has been releasing video snippets from witness testimony, last week put out comments from Miller where he denied ever receiving an order from Trump to have 10,000 troops at the ready to be deployed to the Capitol. 'I was never given any direction or order or knew of any plans of that nature,' Miller said. Trump doubled down on the claim in a statement from his Save America PAC Tuesday. 'The Unselect Committee of Political Thugs has not devoted one hour to the massive Election Fraud and Irregularities that took place in the 2020 Presidential Election, the reason that hundreds of thousands of people went to Washington on January 6th,' he wrote. 'When will they start? The Unselects also refuse to look at why Crazy Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of D.C. turned down from 10-20,000 troops. Why is this, I wonder?' Harriet Hageman is running in Wyoming's August 16 Republican primary to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney, the state's lone lawmaker in the House of Representatives Rep. Liz Cheney's Republican opponent Harriet Hageman slammed the Wyoming congresswoman's 'Hollywood' endorsement from Kevin Costner on Tuesday, exactly two weeks before their heated race comes to a close. Hageman is an attorney whose bid to unseat Cheney as Wyoming's lone lawmaker in the House of Representatives has garnered the support of Donald Trump. The former president's endorsement has been enough to skyrocket Hageman to the top of Wyoming GOP voter polls. On the other side, Cheney's high-profile role on the House January 6 committee has earned her bipartisan and high-profile accolades - fueling her critics' accusations that former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter is out-of-touch with her local constituents and is more concerned with goings-on in Washington than Wyoming. That perception was further fueled by Cheney's endorsement from Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner, Hageman suggested to DailyMail.com when asked for her reaction to the news. 'Yellowstone is a good show, but Kevin Costner is a pretend rancher in a Hollywood production shot mostly in Montana, not Wyoming,' Hageman said, referring to the show Costner is starring in. 'And I'd bet that if he had to work a real ranch for a day, he'd call his agent to get him out of there. She added, 'I'll take the support of the people of Wyoming any day of the week over a liberal actor who voted for Joe Biden.' Cheney has been criticized by members of her own party for her work on the January 6 committee and vocal opposition to Donald Trump Cheney unveiled the endorsement on Twitter, where she posted a photo of Costner clad in a black cowboy hat and a t-shirt that reads 'I'm for Liz Cheney.' 'Real men put country over party,' the lawmaker wrote. Hageman's political adviser Tim Murtaugh retweeted the image with the actor's shirt instead stating, 'I'm for Liz Cheney leaving office.' Murtaugh captioned: 'This is better.' Hageman's campaign for Congress has largely focused on her own Wyoming roots. She had grown up on a ranch in the state that was and is run by her family. Hageman led Cheney by more than 20 points in a late July poll by the Casper-Star Tribune and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. The challenger held a 52-percent majority in the survey, while just 30 percent of people backed Cheney. Eleven percent said they were undecided. It appears Hageman's message is resonating with Trump supporters in Wyoming as well. At a Save America rally in Casper earlier this year, the one-time gubernatorial candidate received as enthusiastic of a welcome on stage as the former president did. And Wyoming voters told DailyMail.com ahead of that May 28 rally that they felt like Cheney 'lost her way.' She touted the endorsement of Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner on Twitter on Monday evening 'I'm gonna support Hageman,' a man named Ed who was having breakfast at Johnny J's Diner told DailyMail.com. 'I'm pretty disappointed in Liz Cheney's whole just kind of everything that's going on. She seems to have kind of lost her way. And I don't know if, I guess it's Trump loathing or something. I don't know. She just does not seem to me like she's American.' His wife Liz said she was also supporting Hageman, 'not because of Trump though.' 'I'm voting because I don't believe in Liz Cheney,' she said. Trump put Cheney on his list of political enemies when she voted to impeach him over last year's Capitol riot. Four of the ten House Republicans who voted to remove Trump have already announced their retirements. Three are facing Trump-backed primary challengers on Tuesday. Another, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, lost his re-election bid to Trump-endorsed state politician Russell Fry. Voters head to the polls in Cheney and Hageman's race on August 16. Liz Truss said she will order a review into whether failing to pay for a TV licence should be a criminal offence. Watching television or the BBC iPlayer without a 159-a-year licence can currently lead to a court appearance and a 1,000 fine or even jail if the fine goes unpaid. But ministers have argued that prosecutions take up too much court time and the penalties are disproportionate. In an interview with The Mail+, the Tory leadership favourite raised concerns about the number of women being punished. Around three-quarters (74 per cent) of the 114,000 people convicted for licence fee dodging in 2019 were female. The Foreign Secretary said she will look at all the options to overhaul the licence fee system if she becomes prime minister, including decriminalisation. Liz Truss (pictured) said she will order a review into whether failing to pay for a TV licence should be a criminal offence She told The Mail+: What Im very concerned about on the TV licence fee is how many women have ended up in prison for non-payment, a disproportionate number. I want to look at how we can make sure that we reform the TV licence fee, so we dont end up with those punitive results. Ill look at all the options... I do want to reform the way it works. Her leadership rival Rishi Sunak has suggested that he could look at abolishing the licence fee altogether. But supporters of Miss Truss have accused Mr Sunak of blocking such a move during his time as chancellor. In an article for The Mail+ at the weekend, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said he had been a roadblock to reviewing the licence fee. She wrote: It was a policy enthusiastically supported by the Prime Minister and the vast majority of Conservative MPs. However, Rishi and the Treasury refused to sign off the review and blocked it for many months. It meant we would be stuck with the ever-increasing and outdated BBC licence fee forever. I appealed to Rishi but he refused to budge. I spoke to him again just after Cabinet on the morning of the day he launched his coup. He flashed me that smile and said something which amounted to nothing. I was obliged to write to the Prime Minister asking him to intervene unaware there was no time left as Boris would be forced to step down. Imagine my utter amazement when one of Rishis first policy announcements as a leadership candidate was a review of the BBC licence fee! Watching television or the BBC iPlayer without a 159-a-year licence can currently lead to a court appearance and a 1,000 fine or even jail if the fine goes unpaid (file image) A policy he had previously been unwilling to engage with, she wrote. The ten-year BBC Charter means that the licence fee cannot be scrapped before 2027 at the earliest. Ministers launched a consultation on decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee in February 2020 over concerns that the criminal sanction is unfair and disproportionate, but they decided not to move forward with plans. In the broadcasting White Paper earlier this year, the Government raised concerns about the enforcement action being taken against vulnerable elderly people. Ministers said that there was an ongoing disparity in the proportion of sanctions against women. A BBC spokesman said: There is always a debate to be had about the best way to manage non-payment of the licence fee, but the independent Perry Review [of 2015] found the current system to be fair and proportionate, and according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures, nobody is in prison for not paying the licence fee. Last night a YouGov poll put the Conservatives just behind Labour, with the Tories on 34 per cent (+2) and Labour on 35 per cent (-4). Meanwhile, hedge fund manager Andrew Law, who has given more than 3million to the Conservatives, has become the latest senior businessman to back Liz Truss. He dismissed criticism of her economic plans as bonkers. The first flights transporting migrants to Rwanda will be grounded until late autumn at the earliest after European judges upheld a legal block. The European Court of Human Rights, whose 11th-hour intervention halted the first jet from taking off seven weeks ago, has now thrown out a formal challenge by Home Secretary Priti Patel. It means any new attempt to send migrants to the African country from the UK is unlikely to take place before November. It comes after Miss Patel made submissions to the Strasbourg court asking judges to quash its decision to issue an injunction barring the removal of the migrants. But an anonymous official has confirmed judges have decided to maintain the interim measure. Crew members board the jet at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire hours before its halting by judges Last night Miss Patel said she was disappointed by the decision, insisting she will not be deterred from delivering on the policy. It emerged 696 migrants arrived in the UK from the Channel on Monday the highest number in a single day so far this year. The total number to have crossed since the start of the year now stands at 17,095, not including an unconfirmed number who reached Kent yesterday. Ministers believe that if Strasbourg judges had agreed to cancel the injunction known as a Rule 39 order the Home Office would have been able to proceed with a second attempt at removing migrants to the Rwandan capital Kigali on a charter plane. Almost 700 migrants crossed the Channel on Monday, the highest number on any day this year A series of senior British judges refused to intervene to block the removals earlier this year, so campaigners against the policy including the trade union representing thousands of the Home Offices own Border Force officers were only able to thwart removals flights when they went to the European Court. After the decision to uphold the judgment, Miss Patel said she will not be deterred from delivering on this policy which is an essential part of our wider plans to break the business model of people smugglers who exploit people for profit. A Home Office source added: The European courts original decision came in so late at night and was so rushed, we felt it had not been a proper consideration of the facts... We had asked them to look again at the specific cases and properly consider what British judges had ruled. But they have effectively replied Thanks but no thanks. The Rwanda deal, signed in April, will transport potentially thousands of migrants who arrive in the UK through irregular routes, such as across the Channel in small boats, to the east African nation to claim asylum there. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has already set out new legal changes in the Bill of Rights, which is currently going through Parliament, which say ministers can disregard Strasbourg interim measures, such as Rule 39 orders. Controversial Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King claimed he needed a pricey guard dog for 24/7 security for his family due to the barrage of threats from white supremacists, who he alleges have tried to break into his home and harass his children. On Tuesday, King wrote in a lengthy Facebook post about what his 'life has become.' 'I spend more time each day now thinking about how to keep my family safe than I do doing the actually work Im called to do,' he wrote. 'So know this, when you see reports about the money it costs to keep me and my family safe, its nowhere near enough. Not at all. Not even close.' That's how he justified allegedly using $40,000 in donor funds to pay for an award-winning guard dog, a mastiff he named Marz. He later returned the dog because he said the pup had a 'little too much energy.' On Tuesday, King wrote in a lengthy Facebook post about what his 'life has become.' 'I spend more time each day now thinking about how to keep my family safe than I do doing the actually work Im called to do,' he wrote. 'So know this, when you see reports about the money it costs to keep me and my family safe, its nowhere near enough. Not at all. Not even close' A photo of Shaun King (pictured center) with his family Days after the second Grassroots donation, King welcomed thoroughbred Marz (pictured) to his family. Marz won best in show at an AKC competition last month In the last year, his political action committee, Grassroots Law, made two contributions to California-based Potrero Performance Dogs, finance disclosures revealed. The funds, totaling more than $40,000, were for 'contractor services.' But days after Grassroots made its second contribution in February, King welcomed Marz, a Potrero-bred thoroughbred, to his family. King has battled allegations of fraud for many years, but has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Grassroots, which he founded to help get soft-on-crime officials elected to office. Skepticism surrounding King's contributions to Potrero come as BLM-backed politicians and organizational leaders face scrutiny over the misuse of charity funds. King (pictured in Sept. 2019) has been accused of fraud on various occasions over the last several years, but has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Grassroots. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing In Tuesday's post, King wrote about the death threats he has gotten in the mail, and on social media. 'White supremacists and people whove meant my family harm have now shown up to our last three homes. Multiple times,' he said. King spoke about how complete strangers have shown up to his home, 'frightening the hell of out my family.' 'Before you talk about how I should defend myself with guns, New York City wont even allow me to have a gun. New Jersey doesnt have stand your ground laws and hardly allows you to even own guns. News outlets have shown our home and exact location online, which then caused a slew of strangers to show up at our home.' He also spoke about the 'fake police reports,' people have filed against them that have prompted the police to show up at their home. 'Weve had people file fake child abuse reports against us. Causing child services to harass us for months,' he wrote. He shared his agony of receiving death threats in the mail, in email and across social media. He claimed hundred of threats, including from police, military snipers and white supremacist groups. He said that even when he did file the cases with the FBI, they've 'done nothing,' so he said he stopped even filing them. News of King's family pet comes just days after failed Democratic congressional candidate Karen Carter Peterson (pictured July 2021) was hit wire fraud charges for inappropriately using campaign and party funds after admitting to a gambling addiction 'Ive had complete strangers confront me in public because of total fabrications they heard about me online and even had someone put their hands on me over lies they read online. He also spoke about how his daughter almost died when she was hit by a car and how he needed extra security because people were coming to the hospital to harass them. 'A dozen white supremacists and police officers are in prison right now because of my work. Several have recently been released,' he said. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013. Co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza are pictured in November 2016 Grassroots Law paid $10,000 to Potrero in December 2021 and another $30,650 on February 16. King then obtained Marz a few days later, announcing the addition of the American Kennel Club competitor to his family a since-deleted Facebook post. He claimed Marz would offer 'alertness and protection,' as well as serve as the King family pet, The Washington Free Beacon reported. However, the dog - who won best in show at an AKC competition last month - was reportedly recently returned to the breeder. Potrero, also in a since deleted social media post, said Marz had 'a little too much energy to be a family dog so he came back.' King's political action committee, Grassroots Law, donated more than $40K to California-based Potrero Performance Dogs in the last year, finance disclosures revealed Grassroots Law contributed nearly the same amount of money to Potrero as it did to political candidates in the last year. Campaign finance disclosures revealed the PAC has given $56,000 to politicians and political hopefuls since 2021. King has also been accused of fraud on various occasions, including by the mother of Tamir Rice - a 12-year-old Ohio boy killed by Cleveland police - who claims he held unauthorized fundraisers in her son's name. Last December, the Real Justice PAC, which King cofounded, was ordered to pay the city of Philadelphia $30,000 after having admitted to making omissions in its finance reports while working on District Attorney Larry Krasner's campaign. In 2019, King released an audit claiming he received a monthly salary of $4,166 from Real Justice PAC and 'no compensation at all' from Grassroots predecessor Action PAC. He alleged he was 'literally the only person' on the PAC's staff who didn't receive a salary, saying: 'I have not received a salary or a stipend of any kind for the entire year. I do it all for free.' That same year, he was accused by former ally DeRay Mckesson of following a 'uniform pattern' of fraud for many years. In an open letter, Mckesson alleged King acted in ways that 'compromise others, compromise the collective work, and compromise a shared sense of integrity.' King has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Peterson was the only candidate for federal office BLM endorsed, spending more than $100,000 on her failed campaign through their political action committee. A BLM protester is pictured in April 2021 The Toronto mansion was purchased with funds that came from an $8M BLMGNF grant In 2019, King released an audit claiming he received a monthly salary of $4,166 from Real Justice PAC and 'no compensation at all' from Grassroots predecessor Action PAC. He alleged he was 'literally the only person' on the PAC's staff who didn't receive a salary, saying: 'I have not received a salary or a stipend of any kind for the entire year. I do it all for free.' That same year, he was accused by former ally DeRay Mckesson of following a 'uniform pattern' of fraud for many years. In an open letter, Mckesson alleged King acted in ways that 'compromise others, compromise the collective work, and compromise a shared sense of integrity.' King has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Black Lives Matter spent $6M on a mansion in Studio City, California News of King's family pet comes just days after failed Democratic congressional candidate Karen Carter Peterson was hit wire fraud charges for inappropriately using campaign and party funds after admitting to a gambling addiction. Peterson is a former State Senator from Louisiana and longtime chair of the state's Democratic Party who came in second place in the Democratic primary to represent the state's 2nd District in Washington. She was the only candidate for federal office BLM endorsed in this election cycle, spending more than $100,000 in independent expenditures on her failed campaign through their political action committee, according to Fox News. Things have spiraled for Peterson since losing the primary. In April, she resigned from her state senate seat and admitted to being a gambling addict. In July, she was charged with wire fraud for using campaign donations on personal expenses. She signed a plea deal admitting to taking money from campaign and party coffers to four individuals and four companies who would then allegedly cash the check and give Peterson the money, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. Peterson would then take the money and either gamble or use it for other personal expenses, along the way filing what the Department of Justice called 'false and misleading' campaign finance reports. The Black Lives Matter PAC is a BLM Global Network Foundation-affiliated committee. It's another example of the national Black Lives Matter organization's spending coming into question. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in mid-May released a 63-page Form 990, covering the fiscal year from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, at which point the group had $42 million in net assets. This is BLM foundation's first public accounting of its finances since incorporating in 2017. The tax filing shows that nearly $6 million was spent on a Los Angeles-area compound. The Studio City property, which includes a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space, was intended as a campus for a black artists fellowship and is currently used for that purpose, the board member said. Co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who resigned last year after it was revealed she amassed a $3.2 million property portfolio, has used the property twice for personal reasons - once for a Biden inauguration party, and another time for her son's birthday. She paid $390 for its use, according to tax filings. The filings also show that Cullors used charity funds to pay her friends and family large sums for various 'consulting' services, as well as charter a private flight. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is still worth tens of millions of dollars, despite spending more than $37 million on grants, real estate, consultants, and other expenses, according to tax documents filed with the IRS. That investment is expected to become an endowment to ensure the foundation's work continues in the future, organizers say. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. But it was the 2014 death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, that made the slogan 'Black lives matter' a rallying cry for progressives and a favorite target of derision for conservatives. The foundation ended its last fiscal year - from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 - with nearly $42 million in net assets. It had an operating budget of about $4 million, according to a board member. As a fledgling nonprofit, it had been under the fiscal sponsorship of a well-established charity, and wasnt required to publicly disclose its financials until it became an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit in December 2020. The tax filing suggests the organization is still finding its footing: It currently has no executive director or in-house staff. Nonprofit experts told the AP that the BLM foundation seems to be operating like a scrappy organization with far fewer resources, although some say black-led charities face unfair scrutiny in an overwhelmingly white and wealthy philanthropic landscape. The tax filings released revealed that BLM paid a company owned by Damon Turner, the father of co-founder Patrisse Cullors' child, nearly $970,000 to help 'produce live events' and provide other 'creative services.' The co-founder's brother, Paul Cullors, received more than $840,000 for providing security services to the foundation. Leaders have attempted to justify the expense by saying the foundation's protection could not be entrusted to former police professionals who typically run security firms because the BLM movement is known for vehemently protesting law enforcement organizations. Last year, when Cullors revealed the windfall of donations, local chapter organizers and families of police brutality victims reacted angrily. Until then, the foundation had not been transparent with the most devoted BLM organizers, many of whom accused Cullors of shutting them out of decisions about how financial resources would be allocated. The foundation will launch a 'transparency and accountability center' on its website to make its financial documents available for public inspection, Bowers said. The Foreign Secretary has extended her lead over Rishi Sunak by 34 points despite being forced to abandon part of her planned war on Whitehall waste. Liz Truss, who has for weeks been the favourite to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister, is supported by 60 per cent of Conservative members, a survey for The Times revealed last night. Just 26 per cent said they were backing former chancellor Mr Sunak, who has been launching a policy blitz in a bid to catch up with his rival. Liz Truss, who has for weeks been the favourite to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister, is supported by 60 per cent of Conservative members. Pictured: Liz Truss during her visit to Twelve Oaks Farm in Newton Abbot, Devon, as part of her leadership campaign Just 26 per cent of Tory members said they were backing former chancellor Mr Sunak (pictured), who has been launching a policy blitz in a bid to catch up with his rival Miss Truss bolstered her lead despite pledging on Monday night to save 8.8billion by ending the process where civil servants' pay is set nationally. Her campaign said the introduction of regional pay boards would not only save money, by paying staff in the North or South West less than those in London, but also boost growth in areas where private firms struggle to match state wages. But the policy was criticised by many who claimed that it would mean a pay cut for millions of public sector workers. Tees Valley's Tory mayor Ben Houchen said: 'There is simply no way you can do this without a massive pay cut for 5.5million people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London.' The policy unravelled within a few hours yesterday morning after critics including many in Miss Truss's own party warned it would undermine the Tories' drive to 'level up' the country including the areas of the North and Midlands that secured the party's majority at the last election. St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double said: 'This would be hugely damaging to public services in Cornwall where we already struggle to recruit NHS staff. 'The billions saved would be coming straight out of rural economies. This is levelling down, not up.' Yesterday Miss Truss's campaign ditched the plan for regional pay boards. A spokesman said: 'Over the last few hours there has been a wilful misrepresentation of our campaign. Current levels of public sector pay will absolutely be maintained. Anything to suggest otherwise is simply wrong. 'Our hard-working frontline staff are the bedrock of society and there will be no proposal taken forward on regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers.' Speaking for the first time about the U-turn, Miss Truss insisted: 'I never had any intention of changing the terms and conditions of teachers and nurses. But what I want to be clear about is I will not be going ahead with the regional pay boards. That is no longer my policy.' And asked if it had been an error of judgment, she said: 'I'm being absolutely honest, I'm concerned that people were worried unnecessarily worried about my policies and therefore I'm being clear that the regional pay boards will not go ahead.' 'There is simply no way you can do this without a massive pay cut for 5.5million people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London,' said Tory critic of Liz Truss Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen. Pictured: Rishi Sunak (left) speaks with Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, during a visit to Teesside Freeport, Teesworks, in Redcar Mr Sunak's camp had hoped that the hostile reception to Miss Truss's plans and her U-turn would have helped turn the contest in his favour. But the latest poll shows just 26 per cent backing for the former chancellor, while Miss Truss is 34 points ahead of Mr Sunak. The Foreign Secretary is more popular among all age groups and regions across the country, with Mr Sunak only coming out on top with Remain voters, last night's YouGov poll revealed. Conservative members said Miss Truss trounced Mr Sunak on the major issues, with 55 per cent saying she would handle the cost of living situation more effectively, while more than two-thirds backed her defence plans. Some 74 per cent said she was in touch with ordinary people, which compared to just 11 per cent for Mr Sunak. The findings suggest Miss Truss's campaign has gained huge momentum in recent weeks. The previous YouGov poll in the wake of Penny Mordaunt's elimination from the leadership race had just an 18-point gap between the final two contenders. Miss Truss then gained momentum after a series of Cabinet ministers and other big names in the Conservative Party threw their weight behind her. Her calls for immediate tax cuts have also been well received while Mr Sunak initially rejected similar promises before belatedly saying VAT on energy bills should be removed. Comanchero bikie boss Mark Buddle has been taken into police custody after he was secretly deported to Australia from Turkey. The nation's most wanted man was apprehended by Australian Federal Police over alleged drug importation after he touched down in Darwin. AFP confirmed on Tuesday morning a 37-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly importing more than 160kg of cocaine - which has an estimated street value of $40million - into Melbourne in May, 2021. Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said Buddle, who was the subject of an Interpol red notice, arrived in Darwin after Turkey made an 'independent decision' to deport him. 'He was escorted by Turkish authorities by charter flight to Darwin where he was taken into AFP custody and arrested,' Assistant Commissioner Ryan told reporters at a press conference. The AFP was well place to respond to his return due to the progress of an ongoing AFP investigation and the AFPs strong global law and enforcement intelligence networks.' Comanchero bikie boss Mark Buddle (pictured) has been taken into police custody in Darwin Buddle is scheduled to appear in a Darwin court on Tuesday, where AFP will apply to have him extradited to Victoria, where he is facing charges of allegedly importing cocaine. Assistant Commissioner Ryan said each offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. 'The AFP will allege that Operation Ironside South-Britannic led the man to a transnational syndicate, operating out of Hong Kong and Turkey, which was using dedicated encrypted communications to coordinate the shipment of cocaine from Hong Kong to Melbourne via Sydney,' he said. 'The AFP has been methodical and patient in putting a brief of information together to ensure that the man can face the justice system.' AFP engaged with the Director of Public Prosecutions in October in preparation to seek a warrant for Buddle's arrest, which was granted by a Melbourne court in mid-July this year. Assistant Commissioner Ryan said Buddle had been a target of Operation Gain, a transnational off-shore disruption task force, since March 2021. 'This is the first time the AFP has publicly revealed the existence of this task force, which targets Australia's biggest organised crime threats offshore' he said. 'Australians who think they can hide offshore, in perceived safe havens, pedalling drugs into Australian communities, making huge illicit profits at the expense of Australian lives, take this as a warning.' 'The AFP will be relentless in pursuing you.' Buddle became leader of the infamous Comanchero gang in 2009 after the former leader, Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi, was jailed for a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport. Mark Buddle pictured with his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his two kids Mel Ter Wisscha He left Australia for Dubai in 2016 with his glamorous long-time girlfriend Mel Ter Wisscha and their two children. The AFP alleges he moved overseas to avoid the scrutiny of Australian law enforcement. Buddle then flitted between a range of countries including Greece, Turkey and Iraq before settling in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus where he received a residency permit on the grounds his 'high income' would bring wealth to the territory. Australian authorities had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to extradite Buddle from Turkey. The development comes after a tumultuous few weeks in Europe for Buddle after he was last month held at gun point and arrested in Turkey on visa violations. After initially receiving a residency permit, authorities later ruled that the his presence was 'inconvenient in terms of public peace and security'. That led to a top-secret mission involving the National Turkish Coast Guard Command, local police and Interpol agents raiding his hideout. Buddle left Australia in 2016 and has spent time in Dubai, Iraq and Lebanon In the days that followed, it emerged he and Ter Wissa had split up when he moved to Northern Cyprus in July 2021 and she moved to Bodrum. Sources also revealed Buddle married a woman called Ozge, a few months after he arrived in Northern Cyprus. 'I haven't seen Mark for a year. He's the father of my children. They see him, I don't,' Ms Ter Wisscha told The Daily Telegraph in July 'I haven't left Turkey. 'My kids have gone to and from (Northern Cyprus) but I have stayed away.' According to the sources, Buddle's marriage to Ozge - one of his former employees - is 'fake' and the pair were living together at one of his three properties in the Iskele area of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, where he was arrested. Assistant Commissioner Ryan said Ozge was being detained in Turkey by local authorities, for a matter separate to the AFP investigation. China tonight sent 21 military planes into Taiwan's air defence zone, Taipei claimed, as Beijing boasted that it had dispatched its elite J-20 stealth fighter jets toward the tiny island nation. Beijing's fighter planes had earlier sent a warning as they buzzed the Taiwan Strait, the 100 mile-wide strip of water that separates the two nations, in the immediate aftermath of House of Representative speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taipei. Chinese media confirmed its J-20 stealth jets had taken to the skies around the island, and two of Beijing's warships a destroyer and a frigate are in the seas to the east. The Global Times reported: 'Additional important drills [were] announced for days to come.' The firing of missiles into the Taiwan Strait would be the first such act since 1995, the last time there was deep concern about the possibility of all-out war. United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was greeted by Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu (left) as she stepped off the plane in capital city Taipei in the last few hours for a brief trip The Taiwanese defence ministry posted images of Chinese planes violating its defence zone Beijing's fifth generation J-20 stealth fighter jet is among the most advanced in the world (picture from September 2021 airshow). They were reportedly sent toward Taiwan tonight Pictures posted on Chinese social network Weibo appeared to show tanks amassing on the coast of Fujian, the closest point on mainland China to the island. In bizarre scenes, beachgoers stood watching as dozens of tanks rolled across the sand. Columns of armoured vehicles were also seen moving through the nearby city of Xiamen, and a video posted on state media sites earlier this week showed off Chinese military hardware and urged troops to 'be ready to fight upon command, bury all incoming enemies'. China considers Taiwan its territory and has indicated through repeated warnings that a visit from the US speaker of the House of Representatives would be a major affront. The Taiwanese defence ministry published this map of the Chinese planes' manoeuvres The Taiwanese defence ministry published a serious of images of the violating aircraft today Mrs Pelosi's US C-40C military aircraft took an indirect route to Taiwan from Malaysia yesterday in an apparent attempt to avoid being intercepted by Chinese jets before landing at 10.30pm local time. Beijing's foreign ministry said: 'These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it.' Nathan Ruser, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the hastily announced military exercises, due to last until Sunday, were 'unambiguously escalatory' and 'the most provocative moves by China in decades [which] would qualify for the UN definition of state aggression.' Taipei's defence ministry said the 'Chinese manoeuvres aim to intimidate our citizens psychologically [but] we are closely monitoring the situation and have strengthened our preparations'. 'We have confidence and the ability to protect our security,' it added. Surrounded: China is planning live fire military exercises around Taiwan from August 4-7, the Xinjua News Agency announced Mrs Pelosi's visit comes amid fears that China could invade self-ruled Taiwan in order to unify the island with the mainland. The US, like the UK, does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it is seen as a bulwark against China's influence in Asia and Joe Biden has vowed to defend it. In a statement released moments after she landed, Mrs Pelosi said the visit was to 'honour America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy'. The speaker, 82, said the trip to Asia, which includes stops in Singapore, South Korea and Japan, was 'focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance' rather than changing US policy. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Air Force plane - with its distinctive blue and white colors and American flag on the tail - touched down in Taipei at 10.45pm local time She said: 'America's solidarity with the 23million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy'. In an article for the Washington Post, which went online after her arrival, Mrs Pelosi escalated her rhetoric, saying that Taiwan's democracy was 'under threat'. She wrote that the US Department of Defence had concluded that the ramping up of military activity by the Chinese meant they were 'likely' to be planning to use force to take the island. Mrs Pelosi criticised China's 'abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law', which continued as 'President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power'. She wrote: 'We cannot stand by as the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself.' In a telephone call with President Xi last week, Mr Biden explained that he could not control Mrs Pelosi because Congress is an independent branch of government. Ordering her not to go would also have been seen as buckling to Chinese pressure. The speaker has been a staunch critic of China throughout her three decades in Congress and 30 years ago unfurled a banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in memory of those killed in the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Mrs Pelosi was also a strong supporter of the 2019 freedom protests in Hong Kong. She was expected to meet Taiwan's president today and visit the country's parliament during the trip, which was not officially announced and will last at least a day. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei where Mrs Pelosi was expected to stay amid heightened security. The visit showed 'rock solid' support from Washington, Taiwan said. But there were some protests against her presence. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said there would be 'serious consequences' for America resulting from the trip. During his call with Mr Biden, President Xi warned him about 'playing with fire' over Taiwan. Adding to the tensions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Mrs Pelosi's visit would 'exacerbate the situation in the region' and that it fully supported China. The US military is expected to increase its movements in the region during the visit. The White House defended Pelosi's right to go to Taiwan even as President Joe Biden's administration pointed out the speaker makes her own decisions, heads a different branch of government and that there have been no changes to the United States' one-China policy. The administration also warned Beijing not to harm the speaker. Eight US F-15 fighter jet and five tanker aircraft took off from a U.S. base in Okinawa to provide protection for Pelosi's flight, NHK reported. Taiwan gave Pelosi a warm welcome. The island's tallest building, TAIPEI 101, lit up with a welcome message for Speaker Pelosi and supporters held welcome signs out of the hotel she will reportedly stay in. Her visit, which was never publicly announced due to security reasons, is part of a broader trip she is taking to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. 'Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,' Pelosi said. And she reaffirmed America's one-China policy. 'Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo,' she noted. The rape prosecution of a young tradie continues to ruffle feathers within Victoria's Office of Public Prosecutions amid claims it ignored its own guidelines. Daily Mail Australia revealed last month Phoenix Cooper believed he had become a victim of the 'MeToo Movement' gone mad after Victoria Police and prosecutors pushed ahead with its case against him. Last week, Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd, QC, published an extraordinary defence of its case against the 25-year old after a Melbourne newspaper claimed the prosecution had proceeded on 'obviously flimsy evidence'. Phoenix Cooper was wrongly accused of drugging and raping a woman he had simply hit-it-off with at a trendy pub. The woman's law student mates described him as 'some random' Phoenix Cooper was forced to employ high-priced barrister Philip Dunn, QC (right) to defend himself at the Supreme Court of Victoria Kerri Judd, QC, launched an extraordinary defence of the decision to prosecute a young tradie over rape allegations the supposed victim could not remember 'It is not the role of the OPP to determine guilt or innocence. It is the role of the OPP to assess the evidence in the case and determine whether it meets the prosecution test that there are reasonable prospects of conviction; and that the prosecution is in the public interest,' the statement read. 'This determination is made after proper and full analysis of the evidence by both an OPP lawyer and a Crown Prosecutor. It then rightfully became a matter for a jury to determine whether Mr Cooper is guilty or not guilty.' Victoria Police has launched an investigation into the prosecution of Mr Cooper, with Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission also believed to be looking into the matter. For eight months the investigating officer had been convinced Mr Cooper had drugged his supposed victim, who claimed she could not remember having sex with him. But when the results came back negative - he was charged anyway. On May 6, Mr Cooper was found not guilty by a Supreme Court of Victoria jury of raping the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Mr Cooper claimed he had been the victim of a 'one-sided' investigation. 'The (police) spent hours with (the woman) and her university mates, but 30 minutes with me. It's like their mind was made up that I was guilty,' he said. Walk of Shame: Phoenix Cooper was chased down the road and photographed after wrongly being accused of raping a drunken law student, who was convinced by her mates that he had done wrong. Cooper is pictured with lawyer Zyg Zayler from Melasecca Kelly Zayler In the statement, Ms Judd noted that 'a Magistrate made the decision to commit Mr Cooper to stand trial' and the assertions made in the newspaper article about victims of crime were 'disappointing and out of touch with community values and sentiment'. 'We know that coming forward with allegations of this kind is often very difficult for victims of sexual offending. To see this kind of commentary after a matter has gone through a jury trial, must be extremely disappointing for victims.' Ms Judd denied reported allegations Mr Cooper's legal team had information withheld from it at trial and claimed he had every opportunity to argue for the matter to be dropped when it first appeared at court. 'At no time during the trial, did Mr Coopers legal team assert that he had no case to answer or that the matter should be stayed as an abuse of process,' she wrote. One of Australia's top legal minds, who did not wish to be named, told Daily Mail Australia Victoria's OPP had huge internal problems following its bungled prosecution of Cardinal George Pell. On April 7, 2020, the High Court upheld Cardinal Pells appeal against conviction and acquitted him of five sexual offences. A single judgment was given for the full court, which held there was a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt. Cardinal George Pell arrives at the County Court in Melbourne in 2019. 'They're a bit nervous for another reason because they insisted on charging Pell. That went through the system and the High Court found seven-nil that there wasn't any evidence,' the legal expert told Daily Mail Australia. 'The consequence of that for the OPP, who insisted on proceeding with it, is that they charged him in a case where the High Court has said there was no evidence. That's got some similarities (with Mr Cooper).' The expert claimed the OPP seemed more interested in cutting deals with women offenders and running rape trials against men. 'They seemed to have breached their rules (in this case) that there has got to be a reasonable prospect of conviction,' he said. Mr Cooper told Daily Mail Australia he hoped no one else would have to endure what he had. 'Why did nobody put the brakes on this? Why has it gone this far? Imagine you had a son and your son was in a situation like this? Or a mate? Or a brother? It could happen to anyone,' he said after his acquittal in May. Mr Cooper believes he inadvertently became embroiled in the 'MeToo Movement' - a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicise their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. 'Look, don't get me wrong, I believe in the MeToo Movement. But this is wrong. This is not rape in any world. There are guys going through this every single day that are facing years in prison and they can't afford proper legal support and end up in jail on flimsy, flimsy charges,' he said. Mr Cooper, who was represented by top Melbourne silk Philip Dunn, QC, said his defence cost more than $200,000. Amazon's carbon emissions grew 18 per cent in 2021, largely due to demand for its services during the Covid pandemic. In a new report, the Seattle tech giant has revealed it emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent last year. This marks a 40 per cent rise, and the third straight year of increased emissions, since the company started sharing the figures back in 2019. It follows Amazon posting a $2 billion loss last week for the second straight quarter, as shoppers return to stores following the pandemic. Amazon has revealed it emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent in 2021. The firm separated its emissions into three categories - Purchased (emissions from purchased electricity), Direct (direct emissions such as fossil fuels) and Indirect emissions. The largest emissions growth by percentage was in capital goods (in the Indirect category). Capital goods includes building construction, servers and other hardware, equipment and vehicles. In a new report, Amazon revealed it emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent last year - a 40 per cent rise since 2019 (pictured, Amazon offices in Seattle) AMAZON'S CARBON EMISSIONS 2019 Direct: 5.76 Purchased: 5.50 Indirect: 39.91 Total: 51.17 2020 Direct: 9.62 Purchased: 5.27 Indirect: 45.75 Total: 60.64 2021 Direct: 12.11 Purchased: 4.07 Indirect: 55.36 Total: 71.54 Figures are per million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e), the number of metric tons of CO2 emissions with the same global warming potential as one metric ton of another greenhouse gas. Advertisement Amazon aims to become carbon neutral by 2040, and power 100 per cent of its operations with renewable energy by 2025. But in a blog post, Amazon said its 'carbon-intensive endeavours' mean the path to decarbonisation 'remains challenging'. 'We operate businesses delivery and transportation logistics, physical stores, grocery, manufacturing, and cloud computing services that involve moving products, manufacturing goods, and creating computing capacity, all at scale,' the firm said. 'While some of these businesses including cloud computing and e-commerce offer greater efficiencies, some are more carbon-intensive endeavours.' Amazon said it had to scale its business 'at an unprecedented pace' to help meet the needs of customers through the pandemic. Amazon's sprawling business covers fulfillment centres, delivery vehicles, technology devices, grocery stores, cloud services, data centres and more. The firm separated its emissions into three categories Purchased (emissions from purchased electricity), Direct (direct emissions such as fossil fuels) and Indirect emissions. The largest emissions growth by percentage was in capital goods (in the Indirect category). Capital goods includes building construction, servers and other hardware, equipment and vehicles. In a positive spin on its enormous carbon emissions, Amazon said its carbon intensity its carbon emissions divided by gross merchandise sales decreased by 1.9 per cent. According to the firm, 2021 is the third year in a row that its carbon intensity decreased, and continued decreases in carbon intensity can lead to lower absolute emissions. 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent marks a 40 per cent rise, and the third straight year of increased emissions, since the company started sharing the figures back in 2019 In its quest to become carbon neutral by 2040, Amazon will build more sustainable buildings, use more zero-emission vehicles and decarbonise its supply chain, as well as power all operations with fully renewable energy in just two years' time. Last year, it reached the milestone of using 85 per cent of renewable energy. Amazon is constantly expanding its zero-emission transportation options such as electric delivery vans, cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries. Amazon's sprawling business covers fulfillment centres, delivery vehicles, technology devices, grocery stores, cloud services, data centres and more Last year, more than 100 million packages were delivered to its customers doorsteps globally using zero-emission vehicles. In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge and made a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040, which is 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. This means any of its carbon emissions would be balanced by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. There are now more than 300 businesses and organisations that have signed The Climate Pledge, also committing themselves to net-zero by 2040, including Sainsbury's, Virgin Media O2, Salesforce, HP, Logitech and Avivia. Environmental campaigners have accused the UK government of 'cowardice', over its decision to publish less than a third of the metrics it uses to track the health of nature in England this year. Keeping a close eye on indicators of biodiversity is an essential part of monitoring and managing threats, like climate change. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had previously said it would pause reporting on all biodiversity indicators in 2022, so that it could bring them in line with the UN's targets. However, following pressure from environmentalists, it has now announced it will publish seven of the 24 indicators for England for 2022 - excluding those on water quality, habitats and bird populations. Defra added that this year's full assessment will be published in 2023, and it does not anticipate that the delay will result in any loss of data. However, campaigners claim that the announcement, ahead of the UN Biodiversity Summit in December, is a shameless attempt to 'bury the evidence' that it is failing to tackle wildlife loss. 'It is inappropriate and irresponsible to try and cover up the scale of the challenge we face,' Elliot Chapman Jones, head of public affairs for The Wildlife Trusts, told MailOnline. Only seven of the 24 indicators for England will be published for 2022, excluding those on water quality, habitats and bird populations. Pictured, a redshank one of the United Kingdom's threatened bird species The quiet announcement of the reduced list of biodiversity data comes after the government said it would temporarily pause publishing any of the 2022 metrics. Pictured: Pollution in Lake Windermere, Lake District WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY? Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It encompasses diversity the number of species of plants and animals, the genetic diversity within and between these species and the different biomes and ecosystems of which they are part of. It provides us with food directly or through pollination, medical discoveries and ecosystem services. The latter include everything from cleaning water and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen for us to breathe. The Earth's biodiversity is in decline due to activities such as deforestation, land-use change, agricultural intensification, over-consumption of natural resources, pollution and climate change. Advertisement The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced decision to publish the data in a footnote on last year's biodiversity strategy and indicators assessment. Last year, New Scientist revealed that the government would temporarily stop publishing any of its biodiversity data for 2022. Defra now appears to have backtracked, and decided to instead publish a reduced set of indicators this year. These include Global biodiversity impacts, Air pollution, Protected areas, Status of priority species (relative abundance), Butterflies, Pollinating insects and Biodiversity Expenditure. These 'have been chosen based on data availability, user needs and timeliness', according to Defra. However they exclude Status of threatened habitats of European importance, Woodland species, Pollution (air and marine) and greenhouse gas removal by forests, along with 13 others. Richard Benwell at the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition told the ENDS Report: 'This year's limited set of indicators can't cover up the story behind the numbers. 'Instead of rapid progress toward the recovery of species and habitats, we find that sites and species continue to decline.' The Wildlife Trust's Mr Chapman Jones added: 'Our natural world is in dire straits with 15 per cent of species at risk of disappearing forever. 'The UK Government must present the full picture about how species are faring, rather than choosing numbers that help to tell the best PR story. 'Our future on earth depends on the health of our natural world.' Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB told MailOnline: 'It is an odd and deeply concerning decision, in the midst of a climate and nature emergency, not to publish progress on the majority of the nature indicator targets this year for England. 'These targets really matter because they show how the Government is actually doing on the ground in making progress towards the welcome ambitions it has set for restoring our natural world within a generation. 'In just a few months, the UK is looking to play a leading role in the global COP 15 on nature. 'How can we lead others to action if we are not being transparent and measuring our own progress on the wildlife and wild spaces people love so much at home?' Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham told New Scientist: 'Cherry-picking which ones is just cowardice. 'Claiming that they need a pause at a time of absolute crisis, that's like saying we'll stand down the fire brigade in the middle of the Blitz so we can pull ourselves together and think about what we're doing. 'It's ludicrous. I think principally it's because the news that will emerge is bad news.' Conservationist Mark Avery, co-founder of campaigning non-profit Wild Justice, told New Scientist: 'Defra is failing to tackle wildlife loss and so it has decided to bury the evidence. 'This is a department with no shame.' In a statement, Defra said that the decision to delay the publication of its biodiversity indicators will not lead to any missing data. 'Data which would have been published this year will be available in 2023,' it said. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) state that the review of the indicators is 'to take account of the new global biodiversity framework to 2030 being negotiated under the Convention on Biological Diversity' The next UN Biodiversity Summit - where the Parties of the Convention meet to - will be held in Montreal, Canada in December. This is to discuss the Global Biodiversity Framework and set out a series of targets for halting the reduction in biodiversity worldwide by 2030. The first part of the landmark meetings occurred virtually from Kunming, China last October and has been delayed due to the pandemic. It is intended to be a successor to the strategic plan for biodiversity from 2011 to 2020, which set out the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The UN Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 report, published in 2020, revealed the world has failed to fully meet any of the conservation targets. Getting up early for school has to be the bane of any teenager's life. Now, a new study suggests that starting the school day later and letting them sleep in can improve their mood, which in turn could affect academic performance. Researchers shifted back the starting time of a school in Brazil by one hour and monitored students' sleep, sleepiness and emotional health. Overall, the adolescents reported feeling less depressed, angry, tense and fatigued at school, the academics found. The new results stake a claim for delaying the school start time across the UK something the Department of Education refused to implement three years ago. This is even though prior studies have already shown a link between sleep deprivation and poor emotional health in adolescents. Teenagers love a lie-in, and a new study shows that a bit more sleep can benefit their performance at school (file photo) The new study was led by a team of Brazilian experts, led by academics at Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA) in Foz do Iguacu and Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Realeza. 'Later school start time is effective to increase sleep duration, improve sleepiness, and mood profile,' they say in their paper, published in the journal Sleep Health. UK SCHOOL START TIMES In the UK, a normal school day begins between 8am and 9am and ends between 3pm and 4pm. The school hours are determined by each school but on average is about five to six hours per day. In 2019, the Department for Education said it had no plans to require secondary schools to start later. 'Government has given all schools the ability to set their own school hours so all schools have the autonomy to make decisions,' it said. Source: InterNations Advertisement 'The findings presented in our study provide additional support to the growing amount of evidence on the positive outcomes of delaying school start time.' The researchers say our circadian rhythm the 24-hour cycle that's part of the bodys internal clock changes significantly during adolescence and can make it hard for teens to stay awake in the morning. Before puberty, the body induces sleepiness at around 8pm or 9pm, but when puberty begins, this rhythm shifts a couple hours later to 10pm or 11pm. Because the circadian rhythm in many teenagers naturally encourages the body to stay up later into the evening, the shift makes it harder for them to wake up. Therefore, changing school start time would be the best strategy to tackle adolescent sleep deprivation, they argue. For the study, the team recruited 48 students at a high school in Palotina, Brazil, who were made to wear actigraphs wrist-worn devices that record sleep and wake cycles continuously for three weeks. During 'week A' and 'week C', school started at the regular time 7:30am but during 'week B', the school start time was delayed one hour to 8:30am. Because of this, adolescents were required to wake up later during week B (7:42am) in comparison to weeks A (6:54am) and C (6:46am). During week B, the school board decided to slightly shorten break times and classes, and extend the school end time by 25 minutes, to account for the later start. During 'week A' and 'week C', school started at the regular time - 7:30am, but during 'week B', the school start time was delayed one hour to 8:30am Through all the three weeks, the actigraphs measured sleep timing and duration, while the participants also completed surveys about their sleepiness, sleep quality, mood, and levels of anxiety and depression. Results showed that starting school later in the morning had a positive impact on both sleep and mood. During week B, the students had lower levels of fatigue, tension, confusion, anger and depression, and higher levels of vigor. Interestingly, while they started school later, participants did not alter their bedtime, so they benefitted from waking later, as well as increasing their overall sleep duration. Also, following longer sleep, adolescents reported feeling less somnolence (drowsiness or sleepiness) when arriving and before leaving school. The researchers acknowledge that delaying school start time is 'not an easy solution to implement'. Students were made to wear ActTrust AT0503 actigraphs - a wrist-worn devices that record sleep and wake cycles (file photo) During week B, the students had lower levels of fatigue, tension, confusion, anger and depression, and higher levels of vigor 'We acknowledge the logistical challenges for implementing a significant delay on school start time, but even so, efforts must be made to build a more inclusive educational system,' they say. However, better sleep can improve emotional regulation, the study shows, which could lead to improvements in school attendance and performance. Academics in the US have already shown that forcing teenagers to wake up before the body clock tells them to can stunt their academic growth. A 2011 study involving 19-year-olds from the US air force found that those who started classes at 8:50am instead of 7am achieved higher results in their exams. In the UK, Parliament was made to debate the issue of school start times in 2019, following an online petition signed by more 179,000 people, entitled 'School should start at 10am as teenagers are too tired'. However, the Department for Education said it had no plans to require secondary schools to start later. 'Government has given all schools the ability to set their own school hours so all schools have the autonomy to make decisions,' it said. 'The Department has no plans to require secondary schools to start later. We trust head teachers to decide how best to structure their school day to support their pupils education.' In 2013, secondary school UCL Academy in London decided to push back its start time to 10am, to allow pupils to 'fully wake up' before classes. However, the school now requires students to arrive at 08.25am from Monday to Friday, it website shows. MailOnline has contacted the school regarding the decision to revert its start times back to normal. The identity of the first astronaut to blast off onboard the Artemis I mission to the moon has been revealed - and it is none other than Shaun the Sheep. A figurine of Aardman's beloved character will be placed onboard the NASAs Orion spacecraft before liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA later this summer. The mission, which will include the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Service Module for the first time, is due to go around the moon before heading back to Earth. The spacecraft will be controlled by operatives on the ground, while Shaun keeps everything 'sheep shape' inside the Orion capsule. 'This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA,' said Dr David Parker, Director for Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA. 'We're woolly very happy that he's been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, it's a giant leap for lambkind.' Shaun's spacecraft will enter a low-Earth orbit before its upper stage fires off, taking it into a translunar orbit. The Orion capsule will then perform a flyby of the moon, using the gravity to gain speed and propel itself 43,500 miles (70,000 km) beyond the lunar satellite, before splashing back down in the Atlantic Ocean up to 42 days later Shaun the Sheep also took a flight on the Airbus 'Zero G' A310 aircraft, during one of its parabolic flights that recreates the 'weightless' conditions of those experienced in space Shaun and the Orion will be launched by NASA's Space Launch System - a 322 feet (98 meters) tall, $23 billion megarocket - later this summer Nasa's Space Launch System: The largest rocket ever made Space Launch System, or SLS, is a launch vehicle that NASA hopes will take its astronauts back to the moon and beyond. The rocket will have an initial lift configuration, set to launch in the early-2020's, followed by an upgraded 'evolved lift capability' that can carry heavier payloads. Space Launch System Initial Lift Capability - Maiden flight: Mid-2020's - Height: 322 feet (98 metres) - Lift: 70 metric tons - Weight: 2.5 million kilograms (5.5 million lbs) Space Launch System Evolved Lift Capability - Maiden flight: Unknown - Height: 384 feet (117 metres) - Lift: 130 metric tons - Weight: 2.9 million kilograms (6.5 million lbs) Advertisement Shaun and the Orion will be launched by NASA's Space Launch System - a 322 ft (98 metre) tall, $23 billion megarocket. The spacecraft will enter a low-Earth orbit before its upper stage fires off, taking it into a translunar orbit. The Orion capsule will then perform a flyby of the moon, using its gravity to gain speed and propel itself 43,500 miles (70,000 km) beyond and around the lunar satellite, before splashing back down in the Atlantic Ocean up to 42 days later. In preparation for this flight, Shaun began a programme of astronaut training and familiarisation with the Orion spacecraft in 2020. He travelled to locations across Europe and the USA to see different aspects of the mission, which will be presented in a series of ESA blog posts leading up to launch. The Shaun model also took a flight on the Airbus 'Zero G' A310 aircraft in 2019, during one of its parabolic flights that recreates the 'weightless' conditions similar to those experienced in space. It offered insight into the rigorous training that all astronauts undertake to prepare for spaceflight, which he will now experience for real. The woolly character's trip marks the 15th anniversary of Shaun's first TV series, produced by animation company Aardman. Lucy Wendover, Marketing Director at Aardman says, 'Aardman is excited to be joining ESA in making history by launching the first "sheep" into space. 'As one of the first astronauts to fly an Artemis mission, Shaun is leading the way in lunar exploration, a great honour for our woolly adventurer!' Artemis I, which has experienced several delays over the past two and a half years, will finally launch an uncrewed Orion capsule that will soar around the moon and back to Earth NASA engineers use a suited mannequin - known as 'Commander Moonikin Campos - to conduct vibration testing at Kennedy Space Center. It will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft Accompanying Shaun on the Orion spacecraft will be NASA's 'Moonikin' mannequin. Known as 'Commander Moonikin Campos', the test dummy has been successfully installed in the commander's chair at the head of the Orion Capsule. It is named after Arturo Campus, an electrical engineer who was a key player in bringing the Apollo 13's safe return to Earth in 1970. Commander Campos will provide NASA experts with data on what human astronauts may experience during flight in the future. Sensors in the headrest and behind the seat will measure vibrations and accelerations, while radiation sensors will monitor exposure. Two other mannequins - Helga and Zohar - will also be installed in the Orion over the coming weeks to record radiation levels. Last month, NASA announced it had selected three potential dates for its Artemis I mission - August 29, September 2 or September 5. James Free, associate administrator at NASA's Washington DC headquarters, said the exact date will be determined about a week before launch. Artemis 1 mission will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft. Pictured is a cutaway of Orion showing Helga and Zohar and above them another male mannequin called Campos A giant piece of metal found outside an Indonesian village is believed to be part of Chinas out-of-control Long March 5B rocket that plummeted through the atmosphere on Sunday. Officials found the charred fragment Monday after residents of Pengadang reported hearing 'a loud roar from the sky' around midnight local time. The area is now closed off to the public in fear the metal is radioactive. The object measures 16 feet long and seven feet wide, and appears to be light weight as a video shows a single man able to pick it up off the ground. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told DailyMail.com: 'This is one of the domed ends of the propellant tanks. No doubt in my mind that this is part of the Chinese rocket stage. 'Also, it was found exactly on the reentry path, which adds credibility.' Scroll down for videos Residents of the Pengadang reported hearing 'a loud roar from the sky' around midnight local time. Officials later found a large piece of metal laying on the ground The Long March 5B rocket launched July 24 to deliver the Wentian module to China's Tiangong Space Station, which the nation hopes to finish by the end of this year. It is expected to have a mass between 180,000 and 220,000 pounds roughly one-fifth the mass of the International Space Station, which is 925,335 pounds. Although the module was successfully delivered, the 25-ton core stage did not have a set return spot and fell back to Earth. Because the booster stage raced around Earth's orbit every 90 minutes, the exact point it would plunge from the sky had been impossible to predict. An astronomer with Harvard University told DailyMail.com that it is part of the propellant tank The Long March 5B rocket launched July 24 (pictured) to deliver the Wentian module to China's Tiangong Space Station Fortunately most of the rocket burned up in the atmosphere, but up to 40 percent of it was predicted to survive the fall from space and now reports of them are starting to surface around South Asia. McDowell shared a tweet on Monday: So, CZ-5B [Long March 5B] recap: significant debris falls in Kalimantan, Indonesia and [Sarawak], Malaysia (both on Borneo). 'No casualties or property damage reported, but debris is near villages and a few hundred meters either way could have been a different story. Officials say they have closed off the clearing outside Pengadan where the metal chunk was found and are asking people to stay far away in case radioactive substances are lurking on the debris, Borneo Post reports. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told DailyMail.com the debris was found exactly on the reentry path, which adds credibility Reports also state there were no injuries from the debris, which could have been quite the opposite if the rocket fragments fell on a heavily populated area. Initially, parts of Mexico, South America and the Philippines were under the potential re-entry zone. The uncertainty sparked a statement from NASA administrator Bill Nelson on Saturday, who criticized China for its blatant disregard of public safety. All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices, and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy-lift vehicles, like the Long March 5B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property,' Nelson shared in a press release. Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth. The metal measures 16 feet long and seven feet wide, and appears to be light weight as a video shows a single man able to pick it up off the ground Although some of the pieces did survive the fall, most crashed into the Indian Ocean. These remnants put on a stunning display in the night sky as they disintegrated over Malaysia (pictured) US Space Command confirmed that the debris re-entered the atmosphere at approximately 12:45pm ET earlier Saturday, referring all questions about the precise location of re-entry and debris dispersal to the Chinese government. Although some of the pieces did survive the fall, most crashed into the Indian Ocean. And these remnants put on a stunning display in the night sky as they disintegrated over Malaysia. A video posted July 30, shared by a Twitter user who initially thought it was a meteorite, shows the craft racing across the sky before it burns in the atmosphere upon its re-entry. Many in the replies to the original poster were speculating that it was the debris from the original rocket meeting its natural end. Australia digs a hole for EU, Asian allies with possible LNG move (Global Times) 10:05, August 02, 2022 Photo: Xinhua Weeks before the Russia-Ukraine conflict started, Australia's former prime minister Scott Morrison suggested Australia could step in and help when it comes to supplying its huge reserves of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to its European allies. Awkwardly, some in Australia are now warning of a potential shortage in the country and urging to set aside gas for Australia's own electricity network before selling to the rest of the world. Australia said on Monday that it will consider whether to curb exports of LNG after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) warned of a significant risk of a shortfall and soaring prices of domestic LNG next year, according to a Reuters report. How Australia manages its gas production and exports is, of course, planned in accordance with its own national interests. However, when the backlash from Western sanctions against Russia endangered all parties involved in the sanctions, Australia's first concern was its own interests. This reflects the difficulties of coordination within the West. It is foreseeable that as sanctions and counter-sanctions intensify, more complex disputes of interests will emerge within the Western camp. The cracks in Western coherence will widen. In its latest interim report, the ACCC said that Australia's east coast gas market could face a shortfall of 10 percent to the forecast domestic demand, which is why extra gas is needed to supply the gap. The development is both laughable and serious - laughable, because this reflects Australian officials' overconfidence and arrogance in making empty promises it cannot deliver; serious, because a potential move could significantly affect already disrupted global energy supplies, given that Australia is known as one of the world's top LNG exporters. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, the international demand for LNG has increased significantly. At this juncture, if Australia decides to impose export restrictions on its LNG that hasn't been sold under long-term contracts, no matter how small the amount is in the global market, a call to cut global supplies is enough to generate a significant negative impact on global markets. Ironically, a potential Australian restriction on its LNG exports might hurt some of its European and Asian allies the most. With countries competing to ensure the supply stability and security of traditional fossil fuels, the fear of a potential disruption to traditional energy supplies has forced governments, not just in Europe, but also in Asia, to step up LNG purchases for the winter. Many, especially those in Asia, like Japan and South Korea, have turned to Australia. But the majority of Australia's LNG is sold under long-term contracts, and it is impossible for Australia to raise its gas output in the short term. So it's nothing but an empty promise for officials like Morrison to say that Australia will help its allies in need. In Europe, since capacity in the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which connects Russia with Germany, was first cut to 40 percent in June, the European benchmark TTF contract has more than doubled from the level it traded at in early June. Because of their high dependence on Russian energy supplies, European countries have been stockpiling gas in preparation for the winter in case Russia cuts off their gas supplies. Germany, for example, has set up a plan that requires gas storage facilities to be filled to 75 percent of capacity by September 1, 85 percent by October 1 and 95 percent by November 1. It is clear that a possible reduction in Australia's LNG exports would further exacerbate the global energy crisis and push up prices, while increasing the energy anxiety in countries that used to see Australia as a reliable source of supplies. Some of its allies may also be annoyed by Australia's inability to actually offer help in areas where it apparently has an advantage. China has made efforts in recent years to diversify its energy imports amid tensions with Australia. For example, in 2021, the country signed six LNG contracts with the US and none with Australia. But as a major energy importer and consumer, China will inevitably be affected by the fluctuations in the global energy market. To hedge against geopolitical risks, China is expected to further explore more diverse energy supplies to ensure security. Any move by Australia will not fundamentally undermine China's energy security. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) A robotic surgeon is set to be tested aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and could one day independently perform surgery on humans in space. After years of support and sponsorship from NASA, scientists in Nebraska have developed a robot called MIRA, short for 'miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant'. In 2024, the miniature surgical robot will blast off towards the space station, where it will demonstrate its ability to cut simulated tissue. Scientists claim it could one day repair an astronaut's ruptured appendix during a mission to Mars, or remove shrapnel from a soldier injured by an explosive thousands of miles away. The ISS (pictured) floats in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 254 miles. It flies around the world every 90 minutes, travelling at 5 miles per second WHAT IS THE MIRA ROBOT? MIRA, (miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant), is a robotic system developed by experts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. MIRA can be inserted through a small incision, enabling doctors to perform abdominal surgery in a minimally invasive manner. In previous tests, surgeons have successfully used the device to perform colon resections. In April, NASA announced it had awarded University of Nebraska-Lincoln $100,000 to ready the surgical robot for its 2024 mission to the ISS. Advertisement MIRA is the creation of Shane Farritor, a professor at College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). In April, NASA announced it had awarded the university $100,000 to ready the surgical robot for its 2024 test mission. 'NASA has been a long-term supporter of this research and, as a culmination of that effort, our robot will have a chance to fly on the International Space Station,' Professor Farritor said. MIRA weighs only two pounds and is essentially a long robotic cylinder with two moveable prongs at the bottom. Each of these prongs has two tiny tools at the end one to clasp objects, and the other to cut objects. Eventually they will be used to cut and hold real human organs and tissue, but due to safety, years of R&D and testing has to be completed first. Currently, the tools are inserted through a single incision in the patients abdomen, controlled by a nearby human operator at a surgeon console, but in the future, the robot could be made to work autonomously. 'As people go further and deeper into space, they might need to do surgery someday,' Professor Farritor said. 'We're working toward that goal.' During its trip aboard the space station, MIRA will work autonomously, without the guiding hand of a doctor or an astronaut, although it won't be anywhere near human tissue. Inside a microwave oven-sized experiment locker, it will cut tautly stretched rubber bands and push metal rings along a wire, gestures that simulate those during surgery. MIRA weighs only two pounds and is essentially a long robotic cylinder with two moveable prongs at the bottom. Each of these prongs have two tiny tools at the end one to clasp objects, and the other to cut objects. Eventually they will be used to cut and hold real human organs and tissue, but due to safety years of testing has to be completed first Although Professor Farritor anticipates MIRA will function on its own in 50 to 100 years, the 2024 mission's goal is not autonomy, but to fine-tune the robot's operation in zero gravity. The device is being programmed to work autonomously to conserve space station communications bandwidth and to minimise the amount of time astronauts spend with the experiment. 'The astronaut flips a switch, the process starts and the robot does its work by itself,' Professor Farritor said. 'Two hours later, the astronaut switches it off and it's done.' During the next year, he and UNL engineering graduate student Rachael Wagner will work together on the final stages prior to launch. Nebraska Engineering Professor Shane Farritor (pictured) invented 'MIRA', described as a miniaturised robot for remote surgery They will write software, configure MIRA to fit inside a space station experiment locker and exhaustively test the device to make sure its robust enough to survive launch and its systems will perform as anticipated in space. MIRA's surgical ability has already been proven on the ground in a previous experiment with MIRA, retired NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson took the robot's controls while at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He directed MIRA to perform surgery-like tasks in an operating room 900 miles away at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Professor Farritor and colleagues have been developing MIRA for nearly 20 years. In 2006, he co-founded Virtual Incision, a startup based on Nebraska Innovation Campus, to bring it to life. The company thus far has attracted more than $100 million in venture capital investment since its founding. Conservation rangers in India are using the power of artificial intelligence to protect the country's vulnerable tigers from poachers and other perils. Most of the nation's tigers - believed to number about 2,967 in total - live in one of 51 tiger reserves that cover a large area stretching 45,900 miles. Quantifying the beautiful creatures isn't always easy and the same can be said for protecting them, with deaths resulting from poaching, seizures, accidents or conflicts with humans totaling about 300 over the last four years. Scroll down for video Most of the India's tigers - believed to number about 2,967 in total - live in one of 51 tiger reserves that cover a large area stretching 45,900 miles. AI is helping conservation rangers to track the animals' movements AVI Foundation has developed an AI that can use data collected by cameras and rangers, in combination with satellite data and information from the local population. Pictured above is a graphic showing the causes of tiger mortality from 2012 to 2020 India's National Tiger Conservation Authority has deployed camera traps in 26,838 locations to take more than 34 million images of wildlife. Researchers also covered several hundred thousand miles on foot to seek out signs of tigers or their prey. A new artificial intelligence system being developed will give rangers the best routes to patrol in the extremely vast areas under their watch - by analyzing data about the tiger population, how it moves and the local topography, reports BBC News. 'Artificial intelligence will help rangers in detecting wildlife crimes,' Mohmad Sajid Sultan, assistant inspector general at the NTCA, told the British news outlet. AVI Foundation has developed an AI that can use data collected by cameras and rangers, in combination with satellite data and information from the local population. India's National Tiger Conservation Authority has deployed camera traps in 26,838 locations to take more than 34 million images of wildlife. Artificial intelligence can sift through the data much faster than any one human India has made it a priority to grow its wild tiger population by 35 percent to as many as 4,000 in the next decade. Pictured above is an image from a resort at Pench National Park Jerryl Banait, chairman of AVI Foundation, told BBC News that he hopes that forest departments across India will use this more sophisticated hybrid technology to better protect wildlife, particularly animals that are outside National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the future. He also pointed out that poachers have become smarter as well - mapping the routes of rangers, avoiding standard trails and even knowing where the cameras are located. 'With the limited territories available for the wild animals, it is of paramount importance that there is no human interference in the already shrunk wildlife habitats,' he stated. The technology is useful in combination with rangers on the ground. 'Unless we are able to expand our protected area network and our wildlife corridors, the tiger population is not likely to increase,' environmentalist Debi Goenka said. Goenka also said that more human patrols are needed that are better equipped. 'What is really needed is more field patrolling and better use of technology for monitoring and protection. The use of drones, camera traps, real-time tracking of poachers, and use of metal detectors for locating snares and traps needs to be increased and intensified,' he said. India has made it a priority to grow its wild tiger population by 35 percent to as many as 4,000 in the next decade - something that officials have said would protect the biodiversity of forests and also boost economic gains, reports Bloomberg. 'Tiger reserves are bringing benefits for society, environment and the economy,' S.P. Yadav, additional director general of Project Tiger, a government-run program for conservation of the species, told Bloomberg. 'Economic benefits will increase going forward.' However, all that population growth for tigers can also bring more peril, in the form of contact with humans. 'Predation of livestock and attacks on human beings has led to a negative perception about tigers,' Sunil Limaye, the chief forest conservator for Tadaoba National Park in Maharashtra, explained to BBC News. Tiger numbers in his state have increased from 312 to 400 over the last four years. Jerryl Banait, chairman of AVI Foundation, told BBC News he hopes that forest departments across India will use this more sophisticated hybrid technology to better protect wildlife Tiger population growth can bring more peril, in the form of contact with humans. The image above shows camera trap deployment in the Kanha Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh, India The animals are also threatened when they move from one forested area to another, and experts hope that AI will be able to help by monitoring their movements in these harder-to-reach areas. 'It is still not possible for AI to replace human intelligence,' Limaye added. At Pench National Park, veterinarian Akhilesh Mishra is hopeful that conservation work can prevent tragedies like the death of one well-known tiger - Baghin nala tigress, a 12-year-old animal found dead in March 2016 in the Pench Tiger Reserve after having been poisoned along with two of her cubs. Mishra managed to rescue a third cub, which has thrived in the reserve and now has cubs of its own: 'It was a sight of joy when we brought her up in captivity, developing her hunting skills to survive in the harsh forest.' BMW is recalling a total of 83 iX M60 and i4s electric vehicles due to irregularities in the Samsung-made batteries that could catch fire. Owners have been asked to stop driving the cars and park them outside. The iX M60 starts at $105,100 and the i4 just shy of $53,000, and those recalled were manufactured with high voltage battery that 'may have internal damage.' The issue is impacting BMW iX SAV models built from 2022 to 2023 and i4 M50 vehicles produced between November 22, 2021 and July 30, 2022, according a letter BMW of North America sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Vehicles were sold at several dealers: Autogermana BMW, Puerto Rico; BMW Fairfax, Virginia; Checkered Flag BMW in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Pacific BMW in Glendale, California; and Fields BMW in Orlando, Florida. The iX M60 (pictured) starts at 105,100 and the i4s just shy of $53,000, and those recalled were manufactured with high voltage battery that 'may have internal damage' The issue was first brought to light in with a US-based BMW i4 eDrive40 in April, which sparked BMW to look at Samsung SDI and led them to find irregularities in how some of the battery cells were manufactured, The Drive reports. Samsung has long been plagued with battery failures of its own specifically the 2017 Galaxy Note 7 fiasco that resulted in 2.5 million devices being recalled because the defective batteries were also catching fire. BMW plans to replace all affected battery cells, free of charge, but owners must wait until the carmaker has new batteries to swap in place. The carmaker, however, has not acknowledged an alleged fire of a new i3 eDrive35L that occurred in the city of Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan province on July 27 - the North American recall was announced July 28. Vehicles were sold at several dealers: Autogermana BMW, Puerto Rico; BMW Fairfax, Virginia; Checkered Flag BMW in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Pacific BMW in Glendale, California; and Fields BMW in Orlando, Florida. Pictured is the new BMW i4 The recall was also issued a day after one of BMW's electric vehicles caught fire on a highway in China. The blue sedan was parked in the middle of the right lane with flames shooting out from underneath. According to CNEVPOST, the BMW i3 was being test driven by a dealership when it caught fire in the middle of the trip. The carmaker released this EV on March 30 in a bid to compete with Tesla, which owns the electric car space in China. A dealer was taking a potential buyer out for a spin when the vehicle caught fire. The driver stopped dead in their tracks on a busy highway and the pair quickly exited. The recall was also issued a day after one of BMW's electric vehicles caught fire on a highway in China. The blue sedan was parked in the middle of the right lane with flames shooting out from underneath The model starts at $52,870 and was specifically launched in China to target the market where the Tesla Model 3 is located BMW said Tesla's electric vehicle dominance is over in an April statement. Speaking to US journalists at a press event, BMW Group sales chief Pieter Nota said the company will focus 'on a very strong and fast ramp-up of electric vehicles,' according to Automotive News. 'Tesla had a unique selling point for quite some time. That's over.' Its new iX M60 and i4s vehicles were poised to be BMW's weapon to destroy Tesla, but the recall may spell trouble for the German carmaker. However, Tesla does not have a clean record either, as many as 300 fires have been confirmed from the Elon Musk-founded company. The fires have occurred when the car was in motion, parked and charging. Advertisement According to science, the most beautiful city in the world is Chester. A study has revealed that the walled cathedral city, in the northwest of England, has the highest percentage of buildings - 83.7 percent - that align with the 'golden ratio'. Using this ratio as a guide, researchers drew up a ranking of the most eye-catching cities on the planet, with Venice coming second. It has a 'beauty score' of 83.3 percent. In third place, meanwhile, it's London (83 percent). Fourth place is scooped up by Belfast (82.9 percent), while Rome slides into fifth place at 82 percent. Chester is the most beautiful city in the world, according to science, because it has the most buildings that align with the 'golden ratio.' Researchers scanned Google Street View for front-facing photos of thousands of iconic buildings and streets lined with homes from cities worldwide, before plotting points at the corners of each building to calculate the proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions. Those proportions were then compared to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to see how well they matched. For reasons that can't really be explained, humans find objects that unfold with this ratio inherently beautiful. Above is Chester's Eastgate Street Second-place Venice (pictured above), known as the City of Water, scores 83.3 percent London has been revealed as the world's third most beautiful city with a score of 83 per cent. Above is the city's St Paul's Cathedral, which was previously named the world's most beautiful building, because it adheres closely to the 'golden ratio' formula by an alignment of 72.28 per cent The rest of the top 10 is comprised of Barcelona (sixth, 81.9 percent), Liverpool (seventh, 81 percent), Durham (eighth, 80.5 percent), Bristol (ninth, 80 percent), and Oxford (10th, 79.7 percent). The highest-ranking US city is New York, landing in 17th place with a score of 77.7 percent. What is the golden ratio? It's long been used as a barometer of beauty and numerically is a ratio of 1:1.618. So a building that aligns with it would contain shapes and structures that have a relationship with each other in this ratio. For reasons that can't really be explained, humans find objects that unfold with this ratio of expansion inherently beautiful. THE TOP 20 MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES IN THE WORLD - ACCORDING TO SCIENCE 1. Chester, UK - 83.7 per cent alignment to the golden ratio 2. Venice, Italy - 83.3% 3. London, UK - 83% 4. Belfast, UK - 82.9% 5. Rome, Italy - 82% 6. Barcelona, Spain - 81.9% 7. Liverpool, UK - 81% 8. Durham, UK - 80.5% 9. Bristol, UK - 80% 10. Oxford, UK - 79.7% 11. Birmingham, UK - 79.4% 12 = Edinburgh, UK - 78.9% 12 = Cardiff, UK - 78.9% 13. Prague, Czech Republic - 78.7% 14. Exeter, UK - 78.5% 15. Bath, UK - 78.2% 16. Canterbury, UK - 77.8% 17. New York, U.S - 77.7% 18. Worcester, UK - 77.6% 19. Athens, Greece - 77.5% 20. Cambridge, UK - 76.1% Source: Online Mortgage Advisor Advertisement Fourth place is scooped up by Belfast (82.9 percent). Pictured is the Belfast City Hall in Donegall Square Above is Rome's ancient Colosseum - the Italian capital slides into fifth place at 82 percent Barcelona ranks sixth overall at 81.9 percent. Above is the city's iconic Sagrada Familia Above is the Liverpool skyline with The Royal Liver Building clocktower in the centre. The northern city ranks in seventh place at 81 percent Fascinatingly this 'golden ratio' can be found in Sonic the Hedgehog's head, in flowers, waves and even galaxies. This YouTube video explains it brilliantly and reveals even more mind-blowing examples of where the ratio can be found. For the cities ranking, created by Online Mortgage Advisor, researchers scanned Google Street View for front-facing photos of hundreds of streets and more than 2,400 buildings in historical cities worldwide. Next, they plotted points at the corners of each building to calculate the proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions. Those proportions were then compared to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to see how well they matched. The highest-ranking US city is New York (above), landing 17th place with a score of 77.7 percent The third most beautiful building in the world is London's Westminster Abbey (above), according to golden ratio number-crunching We previously revealed that Sir Christopher Wren's St Paul's Cathedral in London is the most beautiful building in the world, because it adheres closely to the 'golden ratio' formula by an alignment of 72.28 percent. Marina Bay Sands resort (70.88 percent) in Singapore, meanwhile, was revealed as the world's second most beautiful building, based on 'golden ratio' analysis, while London's Westminster Abbey (70.50 percent) ranked third. Commenting on the research, Online Mortgage Advisor said: 'Many artists over the past few centuries have incorporated the golden ratio into their work, believing it to be a gold standard in natural aesthetic perfection. Using the golden ratio to measure regular buildings and iconic landmarks, we set out to discover which city in the UK and around the world can lay claim to having the most beautiful buildings.' Visitcheshire.com says: 'Chester has the most complete city walls, the oldest racecourse and the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Britain, plus a 1,000-year-old cathedral with Europe's finest example of medieval carvings. The ancient city is a truly breathtaking experience.' Read more about the top 20 most beautiful cities here. Kalyn Franke, who runs GirlGoneLondon.com A few surprises lay in wait for Kalyn Franke before she moved from Florida to the UK. To begin with, not everyone is like a Mary Poppins character. 'I think as Americans, we are brought up thinking that British people are essentially straight out of Mary Poppins, with that same kind of accent,' she tells MailOnline Travel. 'Being exposed to a wide variety of British people and culture definitely helped me see that this is just a small segment of society here. The accents vary so much across the UK, as a starter.' Kalyn, 30, is originally from Florida but has lived in the UK capital for 10 years and now produces blogs, videos and online courses about life in the country full-time. She has a website called GirlGoneLondon.com and there's even a Girl Gone London book 'a frank and honest look at the differences between the UK and America'. Kalyn moved to London via her U.S university's 'study abroad program', 'fell in love with the city and never looked back'. She reveals that one of the most memorable first impressions was how clean the UK seemed. She says: 'I remember being incredibly impressed by how clean everything felt compared to some major US cities.' And she was pleased about feeling safe, too. She continues: 'It felt safe. And I loved that I could travel around by myself as a solo female traveller without much worry, including worries that I have in the U.S regarding guns.' Kalyn was also surprised by how muted the locals were. She says: 'I was surprised by how quiet it felt to me in certain situations. As an American, I'm used to a more boisterous culture - you can usually hear us coming from a mile away - but in the UK I was struck by how quiet it was on a commuter-hour train, for instance.' Kalyn has noticed that Britons tend to be quite self-deprecating, but says that Americans see through this. She says: 'I think the self-deprecating culture of the UK doesn't easily translate to the U.S. I think Americans perceive Britons in a higher regard than most Britons would talk about themselves because of this culture.' Kalyn reveals that she'd love to inject the British with that renowned American 'can-do attitude'. She continues: 'I'd like to bring over that sense of American optimism and enthusiasm. We are brought up in the U.S to believe that "we can become anything we want to" and while it may not be entirely grounded in reality, I prefer it to the more British mentality that often feels like you should "know your place" and perhaps "dream, but not too big". American visitors shouldn't miss Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament (above), says Kalyn 'I often think this relates to the differences in the class system and ruling in both countries as well. In the U.S, if you are a U.S-born citizen, you technically can become president one day. In the UK, no matter how hard you tried, unless you were born into the royal family, you will never be at the very "top" of the UK system.' However, Kalyn believes there's something the British have that Americans could benefit from. Britons know it as the 'Blitz Spirit'. Kalyn says: 'From the UK to America, I'd like to bring over the "we're in this together" spirit. We saw during Covid how many Americans definitely didn't view the pandemic as something to band together about, whereas in the UK, there was a feeling of doing the right thing by your neighbour and others in the community and banding together to all work towards a common goal.' The writer is also a big fan of the UK's healthcare system and its 'far superior work-life balance'. A must-visit outside London is the Lake District, says Kalyn. Above is the area's stunning Buttermere lake Kalyn's book 'weaves practical advice about life in the UK' with her 'funny anecdotes and experiences to help Americans who want to move to the UK know what it's really like' What bits of the UK does she tell Americans they should make their priority to visit? She reveals: 'Obviously London, because it is the heartbeat of the south of the UK and is such an international city. Visitors shouldn't miss Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, the British Museum (where Cleopatra and the Rosetta Stone can be found), and Borough Market for its thriving street food scene and electric atmosphere.' Her personal go-to haunts in London are Da Mario in Kensington, one of Princess Diana's favourite Italian restaurants 'I love it there' - as well as Camden Market 'for its quirky shopping', Regent's Park 'for that beautiful view of the city from Primrose Hill' and Ben's Cookies (there are kiosks spread around London), which are 'genuinely the best cookies I've ever eaten'. Outside the capital, Americans, says Kalyn, should make a beeline for the Lake District, 'for its stunning beauty and natural scenery', the coast of Wales 'for some of the best UK coastline you've ever seen', Edinburgh 'for its charm and that gorgeous castle' and Belfast 'for its incredible history, museums, and insight into the history of the UK and Ireland'. For more, buy Kalyn's book, which 'weaves practical advice about life in the UK' with her 'funny anecdotes and experiences to help Americans who want to move to the UK know what it's really like, from visas to homesickness to crying in the grocery store - supermarket in the UK - because you can't figure out what that vegetable is called'. Footage has resurfaced of a problematic Neighbours storyline in which a Chinese family on Ramsay Street was accused of eating a dog. In the extraordinary clip, which has gained attention on YouTube after the series finale last week, Jim Robinson's daughter Julie Martin (played by Julie Mullins) accuses the Lim family of eating her missing dog. 'That sort of thing might be acceptable in your country, Mrs Lim, but in Australia we consider it barbaric,' Julie says. Footage has resurfaced of a problematic Neighbours storyline in which a Chinese family on Ramsay Street was accused of eating a dog. (Pictured: Jenny Lim, played by Diane Bakar-Coleclough) A shocked Jenny Lim responds: 'You think we ate her? This is what you think of us. How dare you suggest such a thing. I've never been so insulted.' The short-lived storyline, which reflected suburban prejudices against Asian Australians in the early '90s, re-emerged after the Neighbours finale on Thursday night. The last-ever episode of the long-running series, which first began in 1985, aired Down Under on Thursday and in the UK on Friday. In the extraordinary clip, which has gained attention on YouTube after the series finale last week, Julie Martin (played by Julie Mullins) accuses the Lim family of eating her missing dog Now it has been confirmed that the fictional suburb of Erinsborough situated on Ramsay Street in Melbourne, Victoria, will be demolished. Terry Smit of Go West, the team behind the official Neighbours tour, told the Daily Star: 'We are advised by Fremantle Media that the sets will be dismantled and that the space will be used for their next project, whatever that may be.' Mr Smit added: 'As the sets are being dismantled, there is nothing left for us to tour, so the tour will be discontinued.' The short-lived storyline, which reflected suburban prejudices against Asian Australians in the early '90s, re-emerged after the Neighbours finale on Thursday night. (Pictured: Jenny and Raymond Lim, played by Diane Bakar-Coleclough and T.S. Kong) The finale of Neighbours, which first began in 1985, aired Down Under on Thursday and in the UK on Friday. (Pictured: Jane Harris and Mike Young, played by Annie Jones and Guy Pearce) Although Erinsborough is fictional, the tour's website notes: 'Ramsay Street is a real street where ordinary people live!' The long-running Australian soap came to an end after 37 years last week. The likes Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie returned to bid farewell to the show that launched their journeys to stardom. The finale focused on Toadie's (Ryan Moloney) wedding to Melanie (Lucinda Cowden) as he finally got his happily ever after. Billionaire publican Justin Hemmes, 49, and his model girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel, 26, touched down in Sydney via private jet on Monday. Joined by a mystery blonde gal pal, the jet-setting couple were spotted disembarking the aircraft with the help of a squad of private security detail and assistants. Madeline was all smiles as she excitedly sprung down the jet's staircase and greeted the staff waiting below. Billionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes, 49, (right) and his model girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel, 26, (left) arrived in Sydney via private jet on Monday She looked chic in a designer black puffer jacket, straight-leg jeans and a button-up white blouse. She completed her jet-setting ensemble with white sneakers and a pair of $500 Fendi sunglasses. Justin meanwhile sported a black button-up shirt, matching trousers and a pair of cream sneakers, while slicking his hair into a ponytail. Joined by a mystery blonde gal pal (centre) the jet-setting couple were spotted disembarking the aircraft with the help of a squad of private security detail and assistants Madeline looked chic in a black puffer jacket, straight-leg jeans and a button-up white blouse She completed her jet-setting ensemble with white sneakers and a pair of $500 Fendi sunglasses The mysterious blonde pal was also spotted climbing down the stairs of the aircraft, toting a large Louis Vuitton hobo bag worth $3,000. Once all three had made it safely onto the tarmac, Madeline and Justin began saying their farewells to the blonde. As the couple hugged and chatted to their pal, a group of staffers were busy transporting Madeline and Justin's luggage to a waiting car. Justin meanwhile sported a black button-up shirt, matching trousers and a pair of cream sneakers, while slicking his hair into a ponytail Justin squinted in the sun's glare as he descended the jet's staircase and greeted the staff waiting below The mysterious blonde pal was also spotted climbing down the stairs of the aircraft, toting a large Louis Vuitton hobo bag worth $3,000 Once all three had made it safely onto the tarmac, Madeline and Justin began saying their farewells to the blonde Justin made his debut on the Financial Review Rich List in 2018 with an estimated net worth of $951million. Last year, his net worth grew to $1.2billion, making him the 97th richest person in Australia. While it's not known exactly how long they've been dating, they have been publicly together for about two years. As the couple hugged and chatted to their pal, a group of staffers were busy transporting Madeline and Justin's luggage to a waiting car Justin made his debut on the Financial Review Rich List in 2018 with an estimated net worth of $951million Last year, his net worth grew to $1.2billion, making him the 97th richest person in Australia However, Madeline previously hinted they'd known each other for much longer. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald in October 2020, she said they'd actually met two years before reports emerged of their relationship. 'We have known each other for two years and met when I was modelling in Singapore,' she said at the time. While it's not known exactly how long they've been dating, they have been publicly together for about two years However, Madeline previously hinted they'd known each other for much longer Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald in October 2020, she said they'd actually met two years before reports emerged of their relationship It was also reported that Madeline was living in a penthouse apartment owned by Justin in the beachside Sydney suburb of Coogee. She added that while the majority of her family was yet to meet her boyfriend, her older sister Simone Holtznagel was a fan. Simone, 28, was a finalist on the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model. It was also reported that Madeline was living in a penthouse apartment owned by Justin in the beachside Sydney suburb of Coogee Tess Daly took to Instagram to share a glimpse of her and husband Vernon Kay's sun-soaked Greek getaway. The Strictly star, 53, showcased her incredible figure in a red swimsuit before the couple met up with DJs Pete Tong and Calvin Harris, who were performing on the island. Tess captioned the snaps 'Missing Ibiza' as she returned to normality on Monday morning. 'Missing Ibiza!': Tess Daly, 53, showcased her toned figure in a red swimsuit in a throwback snap from her sun-soaked Greek getaway on Monday The television personality looked ravishing in the sultry swimsuit which featured a halter neck and clung to every inch of her age defying physique. The blonde beauty sat on the back of a private boat as she flaunted her toned legs and held a large golden rubber ring. Tess wore her long blonde locks in a braid as she shielded her eyes from the scorching sun behind cat eye shades. Famous friends: Later the couple met up with DJs Pete Tong and Calvin Harris, who were performing on the Island (L-R) Tess, Pete, Calvin Harris, Vernon Back to reality: She captioned the snaps: 'Missing Ibiza, but feeling fresh and ready for a busy week, hope everyones having a lovely Monday!' Later the couple seemingly met the musician backstage at his gig as Tess donned a colourful striped boob tube for the occasion. Accentuating her natural beauty with simple make-up the host accessorised with gold jewellery as her tresses fell in a gentle wave. Meanwhile Vernon, 48, looked smart in a check grey shirt as he swept his dark hair from his handsome face. Lovebirds: It comes after Vernon, with whom Tess shares two daughters, shares a snap the couple enjoying an amazing sunset on the island She captioned the snaps: 'Missing Ibiza, but feeling fresh and ready for a busy week, hope everyones having a lovely Monday!'. It comes after Vernon, with whom Tess shares two daughters, shared a snap of the couple enjoying an amazing sunset on Saturday. Beaming for the camera Vernon gushed: 'Ibiza a beautiful place with awesome people!' In the snap the duo appear to have been surfing as they settle to take in the spectacular views across the calm waters. Out to sea: In another post the radio personality shared a selfie from a luxurious boat ride where he donned a pair of 300 Gucci aviator shades Vernon went topless as his long dark locks were wet from a swim as he cuddled up to his wife of 19 years. Tess looked gorgeous as she shielded her eyes behind retro inspired shades while her blonde tresses cascaded to her shoulders. The beauty accessorised the look with large hoop earring as well as a carefully chosen gold pendant. Vernon captioned the sweet snap: 'Superb few days in Ibiza! A beautiful place with awesome people and great vibes'. In another post the radio personality shared a selfie from a luxurious boat ride where he donned a pair of 300 Gucci aviator shades. He also ventured to the famous Cafe Mambo, where he enjoyed another sunset as well as the party atmosphere. Blac Chyna has filed legal paperwork to end her longtime court battle with ex Rob Kardashian over claims of revenge porn. The 34-year-old reality star had come to a settlement on the issue with Kardashian, 35, in June, and on Friday requested the Los Angeles County Superior Court dismiss the revenge porn claim with prejudice, People reported after reviewing documents in the case. The action would put an end to the ongoing legal issue and prohibit future claims in connection with the case between the exes, who are parents to daughter Dream Renee, five. The latest: Blac Chyna, 34, has filed legal paperwork to end her longtime court battle with ex Rob Kardashian, 35, over claims of revenge porn The outlet in June reported that Chyna, whose real name is Angela Renee White, and Kardashian came to an accord on the case after Kardashian's legal team was denied a motion to the court to implement a settlement after saying that 'Chyna and her counsel have acted in bad faith.' Previously in June, Kardashian's legal team told the court in a motion that Chyna had tried to broker a deal in which she would drop the case if he helped her with a 2017 lawsuit from her ex Justin C. Jones. Jones in his case claimed Chyna and Kardashian had outed him as gay and publicly release his contact information, claiming 'intentional infliction of emotional distress' and 'public disclosure of private facts,' TMZ reported. After Kardashian reached a pact with the Washington D.C. native this past May, Chyna 'changed her mind' and vowed to continue with the revenge porn lawsuit. On the move: Chyna was snapped last week at a screening in Atlanta; pictured on July 26 in Atlanta Ongoing: Chyna has had a number of legal clashes with the KardashianJenner family over the past five years; seen July 26 in Atlanta The case with Kardashian is one in a number of legal clashes Chyna has had with the KardashianJenner family over the past five years, as she had also sued them claiming they had negatively impacted her brand, as well as abused her verbally and physically. Chyna sued Rob Kardashian after he posted naked photos of her on Instagram, and claimed she was unfaithful to him, and used drugs and alcohol. Chyna said the aforementioned incident, in addition to the Kardashian-Jenner family's power with the E! network led them to cancel the show Rob & Chyna, costing her millions in potential earnings. This past May, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner prevailed in a defamation trial, as Chyna was awarded no damages in the case, with her lawyer saying they would appeal the decision. In June, the Kardashian-Jenner legal team requested Chyna pay almost $400,000 in court costs related to the case. Dolph Lundgren and his fiancee Emma Krokdal enjoyed lunch at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills after Sylvester Stallone slammed his involvement in a possible Drago spin-off. Just a day after responding to his longtime pal's furious comments about being left out of the project via social media, the actor, 64, and fitness trainer, 25, stepped out for some upscale Italian food at the celebrity hotspot. Before getting into his white Porsche, in video footage obtained by DailyMail.com, he told photographers he that he was 'sure everything would work out' between him and Stallone and that they were able to talk through their recent 'misunderstanding.' Relaxing: Dolph Lundgren and his fiancee Emma Krokdal enjoyed lunch at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills after sparking drama with Sylvester Stallone over a possible Drago spin-off film For their excursion, the Swedish filmmaker looked handsome in a black polo shirt, white trousers and black aviator sunglasses. Meanwhile, his bride-to-be sported a cropped white t-shirt, a ripped jean skirt, which showcased her toned legs, and a pair of white platform sandals. Across town, in Burbank, Rocky producer Irwin Winkler and his sons, Charles and David, were spotted running into a studio. Their latest sighting comes after Stallone expressed outrage that Winkler and his sons are creating a Drago spin-off, that would tell the origins of Ivan Drago. Avoiding the drama: Across town, in Burbank, Rocky producer Irwin Winkler and his sons, Charles and David, were seen running into a studio Headline: Their latest sighting comes after Stallone expressed outrage that Winkler and his sons are creating a Drago spin-off, that would tell the origins of Ivan Drago In response to a Thursday report from The Wrap that Robert Lawton was brought on to write the screenplay, Stallone called Winkler 'pathetic' and his sons 'moronic vulture children.' Stallone took to Instagram on Saturday, sharing photos of the headline from The Wrap, plus a headline from November 2021 when Lundgren teased the possibility of a Drago spin-off. 'Another Heartbreaker Just found this outONCE AGAIN , IRWIN WINKLER , this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles And David , are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me,' Stallone began. Heartbreaker: 'Another Heartbreaker Just found this outONCE AGAIN , IRWIN WINKLER , this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles And David , are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me,' Stallone began 'I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites' he added. He also called out Lundgren, adding, 'By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him !!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold.' Stallone wrote and starred in the first Rocky movie, directed by John G. Alvidsen which went on to a surprising Best Picture win at the Oscars, which Winkler won as a producer. Called out: He also called out Lundgren, adding, 'By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him !!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold' Best Picture: Stallone wrote and starred in the first Rocky movie, directed by John G. Alvidsen which went on to a surprising Best Picture win at the Oscars, which Winkler won as a producer Stallone would go on to write, direct and star in 1979's Rocky II, 1982's Rocky III, 1985's Rocky IV, 1990's Rocky V and 2006's Rocky Balboa. He would also star in and produce the 2015 spin-off Creed, directed by Ryan Coogler and its 2018 sequel Creed II. He's also attached to produce Creed III, though it will be the first Rocky movie that he won't be featured in front of the camera. Creed: He would also star in and produce the 2015 spin-off Creed, directed by Ryan Coogler and its 2018 sequel Creed II Vampire: Stallone also took to Instagram on Sunday, sharing photos that portray Winkler as a bloodsucking vampire, and an illustration that appears to show Winkler and his sons stabbing Stallone in the back Stallone also took to Instagram on Sunday, sharing photos that portray Winkler as a bloodsucking vampire, and an illustration that appears to show Winkler and his sons stabbing Stallone in the back. He also shared shots of him as Rocky landing blows on Lundgren's character Ivan Drago, along with a scathing message that pulled no punches. 'After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY ! Presumed to be the most hated , untalented , decrepited , Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal Drago , RETURN MY RIGHTS BLOODSUCKERS!' Stallone said. Rights: 'After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY ! Presumed to be the most hated , untalented , decrepited , Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal Drago , RETURN MY RIGHTS BLOODSUCKERS!' Stallone said 'Throughout history so many artists in every industry ,recording , painting writing , you name it have been destroyed by these blood suckers,' he added. 'Who have destroyed so many families, lining their pockets with other people! DOLPH, why? Not a phone call? #Parasite producers #exploited artists victims,' Stallone concluded. In response, Lundgren took to Instagram on Sunday, sharing a photo of him and Stallone playfully throwing some punches. Dolph: Lundgren took to Instagram on Sunday, sharing a photo of him and Stallone playfully throwing some punches 'Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff. Theres no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor,' Lundgren said. 'There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa - just so all the fans can relaxThere ya go,' he concluded. No plot details were revealed and it's unclear if Lundgren or Florian Munteanu, who played Ivan Drago's son Viktor in Creed II, will return in the spin-off. Jared Kushner sheds new light on Kim Kardashian's work with Donald Trump's administration in his forthcoming memoir. In Breaking History: A White House Memoir, the 41-year-old businessman goes into detail about when the mogul, also 41, fought for clemency for Alice Johnson. An excerpt obtained by People revealed that Kardashian first got in touch with his wife, Ivanka Trump, about the case in 2017. New information: Jared Kushner sheds new light on Kim Kardashian's work with the Trump administration in his forthcoming memoir; Kim visited the White House to discuss criminal justice reform in 2019 From there, Kushner explained that he was drawn to help out once he learned about the nonviolent offender. 'Shed become an ordained minister, completed multiple vocational certifications, mentored fellow inmates, and maintained a spotless behavioral record,' he wrote. He added, 'With the president increasingly supportive of criminal justice reform, I decided it was the perfect moment to bring him Johnsons clemency case. In an Oval Office meeting in May, after working closely with Kim Kardashian to vet the file, I presented Alices case to the president.' It wasn't smooth sailing from there, however, as the investor went on to share that White House counsel Don McGahn was apprehensive. How it started: An excerpt obtained by People revealed that Kardashian first got in touch with Ivanka about the case in 2017; Kardashian pictured with Johnson in 2018 Fortunately for Alice, the then-president was interested in learning more anyway. 'She gracefully presented Alice's case to the president. She knew the details backward and forward,' he said of the reality TV personality. Next, he recalled when Trump, who's also his father-in-law, made his decision. 'Two days later, he called me early in the morning and said, "Lets do the pardon. Lets hope Alice doesnt go out and kill anyone!" Jared explained. Despite McGahn allegedly planting falsehoods to the press about the president being influenced by Kim's pop culture prominence, Trump went forward with granting clemency. Moving forward: Following the clemency maneuver, Kim spoke passionately about criminal justice reform at the White House in June 2019 After the move, the New Jersey native wrote about Alice: 'Her emotion was raw, her joy contagious, her long suffering and love emanated from her smile. 'The president called me afterward. "Jared, that is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Ive been around for a long time, and that was beautiful."' Trump would later go on to pardon Alice in August 2020, one day after she spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Prepared: 'She gracefully presented Alice's case to the president. She knew the details backward and forward,' Jared said of the reality TV personality; seen in 2019 In other public extracts from the book, Kushner also revealed he was treated for thyroid cancer while serving in the White House. He wrote that he recalled a conversation he had with White House physician Sean Conley on an October 2019 trip to Texas. 'On the morning that I traveled to Texas to attend the opening of a Louis Vuitton factory, White House physician Sean Conley pulled me into the medical cabin on Air Force One,' Kushner wrote. '"Your test results came back from Walter Reed,'' he said. ''It looks like you have cancer. We need to schedule a surgery right away.''' Breaking History hits shelves on August 23. Kourtney Kardashian showcased her fit summer body in a new photo she shared onto her Instagram Stories on Monday. The TV personality, 43, donned a leopard-print body suit as she prepared for a rejuvenating Pilates session. The mother-of-three has been on the go with her own business, collaborations, and supporting her husband, Travis Barker, after his recent health scare. Stunning: Kourtney Kardashian, 43, looked glamorous wearing a leopard-print one-piece in her Instagram Stories on Monday The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star shared a snap to her 193 million followers of herself pulling off the stylish body suit. She showed off her toned legs in the form-fitting one-piece, which included a belt made of the same material to accentuate her waist. Kourtney posed by slicking her long hair back with her hands and chose to have a her eyes closed as she began to unwind and relax for her quick fitness routine. Hard-working: The TV personality has her own website, named Poosh, and recently hinted a new business collaboration The beauty opted to stay comfortable and chose to go shoeless for the quick snap. At the top of the photo, Kourtney added a link to her lifestyle website Poosh, which takes her fans to an article detailing a Pilates workout for arms. The fashion influencer is the CEO of the site, which focuses on a variety of topics, including fashion and healthy living. Poosh was launched in 2019, and according to the official website, Kourtney created the website for a 'curated experience and a destination for modern living.' In some social media photos, the hard-working mom will link to helpful tips and articles on the site. CEO: The media influencer created her own lifestyle website in 2019 and has become a major success since its launch Fashionable: The beauty is often in the spotlight for her stylish choices, from streetwear to glamorous events Partners: Both Kourtney and actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, collaborated to create their own candle earlier this year in June Kourtney recently teased her fans and followers of an upcoming business venture on her Instagram. In the caption, she kept details under the table, but wrote, 'Its giving boss lady with business venture coming soon.' The socialite donned a professional and chic blazer in the post. She recently collaborated with Gwyneth Paltrow, who also has her own lifestyle brand called, Goop. The two worked together to create a candle earlier in June. According to People, a press release stated, 'The goop x Poosh collaboration is not just about a candle there's a deeper message: the importance of women supporting women.' However, in her few moments of down time, the media star enjoys taking time for herself and focusing on her health and fitness. On-the-go: Kourtney recently teased on her Instagram that she was working on a new business venture British chef Nigella Lawson may be a culinary great. But according to her My Kitchen Rules co-star Manu Feildel, 48, she doesn't know how to use chopsticks. Manu found it 'hilarious' the 62-year-old didn't know what to do with the utensils when they were put down during a judging segment on the show. According to Nigella Lawson's My Kitchen Rules co-star Manu Feildel the British chef doesn't know how to use chopsticks '(Nigella) can't use chopsticks,' Manu said on News.com.au's podcast I've Got News For You. 'I remember sitting at the table. We had just had chopsticks placed next to the plate and she turned around to me and she whispered in my ear, ''I don't know how to use chopsticks. 'And I thought it was hilarious!' 'I remember sitting at the table. We had just had chopsticks placed next to the plate and she turned around to me and she whispered in my ear, ''I don't know how to use chopsticks," he explained It comes after Nigella made headlines back in 2020 for her very odd pronunciation of microwave. After pronouncing it as 'meecro-wah-vey' on her BBC2 cooking show Cook, Eat, Repeat, Nigella later said it was all part of a 'camp joke that's become habit'. She added it is a part of her sense of humour to 'deliberately pronounce things wrong' and even joked she says Worcester as 'wusster-shusster'. Meanwhile, according to The Australian Nigella will only appear in half the episodes of the show. Meanwhile, according to The Australian Nigella will only appear in half the episodes of the show The publication reported Nigella, 62, 'will appear only for the first round of the show with Manu Feildel.' Chef Matt Preston will then replace her for the second round, before Colin Fassnidge and Curtis Stone man the show's finals. Nigella's scant appearance comes despite her 'reputedly huge fee' the publication reports. Global home-cooking sensation Nigella is replacing disgraced Pete Evans, who was axed from the Seven network in 2020 amidst the show's falling ratings in its then eleventh year of production. Nigella has previously spoken about her excitement about starring on the series. 'When you think about the food you love, it's nearly always home cooking,' she said. 'I'm a home cook and it's the food that I want to eat. I've come 17,000 kilometres to find Australia's best home cooks.' My Kitchen Rules returns to Seven on Sunday at 7pm. Manu Feildel has revealed how he feels about hosting My Kitchen Rules without his former co-star Pete Evans. Evans, a disgraced conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer, was booted from the Seven reality show in 2020 amid plunging ratings, before being replaced by British cook Nigella Lawson for the rebooted program this year. Speaking to I've Got News For You podcast this week, Feildel admitted that he felt Evans' absence while filming the latest season. Manu Feildel (left) has revealed how he feels about hosting My Kitchen Rules without his former co-star Pete Evans (right). Feildel and Evans are pictured on a previous season of MKR 'Of course, Pete and I have known each other for a long time, we're still good friends today, so yeah missing that,' he told the podcast. 'At the same token, you know, it was nice to work with someone new and someone different. The show has been on the shelf for a couple of years, so it was exciting to be working with someone else.' Fieldel and Evans co-hosted My Kitchen Rules for a decade before Evans was sacked from his $800,000 contract in May 2020. Evans, a disgraced conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer, was booted from the Seven reality show in 2020 amid plunging ratings, before being replaced by British cook Nigella Lawson (right) for the rebooted program this year The pair were often the subject of rumours they didn't like each other, with a source revealing in 2017 that Manu thought Evans was 'stranger than strange'. Evans has been involved in a string of controversies since being sacked by Seven. He previously claimed COVID-19 was a 'f**king hoax' and that the pandemic 'doesn't compare to what is happening in the world on a large scale'. Speaking to I've Got News For You podcast this week, Feildel admitted that he felt Evans' absence while filming the latest season. 'Of course, Pete and I have known each other for a long time, we're still good friends today, so yeah missing that,' he told the podcast Among his false claims about the pandemic, Pete previously declared he's immune to coronavirus, and blamed the health crisis on 5G technology. He also endorsed fellow conspiracy theorist David Icke, a Holocaust denier who was denied entry to Australia last year after protests from the Jewish community. He was dropped by 15 sponsors and companies in the space of 48 hours in November 2020. Feildel worked with Evans (pictured) as judges on My Kitchen Rules for 10 years, before Pete was sacked from the network in May 2020 MKR had once been a ratings juggernaut for Seven, but its popularity nosedived in recent years as viewers flocked to Channel Nine's Married At First Sight instead. In 2020, its eleventh season drew an average of 500,000 metro viewers per episode. At its height in 2014, the fifth season had attracted an average audience of 1.891 million across the five major cities. Evans has been involved in a string of controversies since being sacked by Seven. He previously claimed COVID-19 was a 'f**king hoax' and that the pandemic 'doesn't compare to what is happening in the world on a large scale' In April it was announced that home-cooking sensation Lawson would replace Evans as a judge on a revamped new season of My Kitchen Rules. The best-selling author will travel around the country with Feildel as they critique a new batch of passionate home cooks. 'When you think about the food you love, it's nearly always home cooking,' she said in a statement. 'I'm a home cook and it's the food that I want to eat. I've come 17,000 kilometres to find Australia's best home cooks.' In April it was announced that home-cooking sensation Lawson would replace Evans as a judge on a revamped new season of My Kitchen Rules Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa Hochstein says her estranged husband Lenny Hochstein is making efforts to 'financially strangle her' and put her in 'financial peril' amid their divorce. Lisa, 40, said in court docs viewed by Page Six that when she doesn't give in 'to each and every one of [his] demands,' the 56-year-old plastic surgeon 'retaliates by restricting [her] access to funds.' Lisa told the court that the situation has gotten worse since Lenny who filed to divorce Lisa this past May began dating Austrian model Katharina Mazepa, 26. Lisa and Lenny are parents to son Logan, seven, and daughter Elle, two. The latest: Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa Hochstein, 40, says her estranged husband Lenny Hochstein, 56, is making efforts to 'financially strangle her' and put her in 'financial peril' amid their divorce. She was seen in a selfie on social media in June Lisa said that Lenny had given her a joint credit card to cover 'personal expenses, expenses for the household and expenses for the parties children,' but has severely cut off her resources since his relationship with Mazepa began. 'While the husband is presently traveling on a no-expense-spared vacation with his presumed girlfriend to Europe,' Lisa's legal team said in court docs, 'he has left the wife and children without cash, access to funds and less than $3,000 of available credit on the joint credit card.' Lisa said that a source of dissension with Lenny has been his hope 'to host, produce and throw a lavish Halloween party with his girlfriend at the marital home for 8001,000 people with the children present.' Lisa told the court that her attempts to communicate her concerns to Lenny about the issues have 'fallen on deaf ears,' and that Lenny 'gets upset and verbally confronts [her] with demeaning comments' whenever the issues arise. Exes: Lisa and Lenny were snapped at a Miami event in 2019; he filed for divorce from her this past May New love: Lisa said in court docs that Lenny has severely cut off her resources since his relationship with model Katharina Mazepa (pictured in Miami last month) began Lisa, who signed a prenuptial agreement in her October 2009 marriage to Lenny, has petitioned the court for temporary support amid the disagreement. Lisa in May told the outlet that she felt 'blindsided' by her breakup with Lenny, who she characterized as 'reckless' in his actions. Mazepa told the outlet last month that she was proud of her relationship with Lenny, and accused Lisa of setting up a phony Instagram to harass her. Lisa responded to the allegations to Page Six, saying, 'Ive got no time for Katharinas childish antics and accusations. They are false and just show her true colors and motives. I have my children to focus on, and I am trying to keep them away from her and this negativity. None of these allegations are true.' Madison Prewett accepted her boyfriend Grant Michael Troutt's proposal on Sunday following a whirlwind eight-month romance. Less than 24 hours after getting engaged, the Bachelor alumna from Alabama shared a slideshow of stunning pictures of them kissing on the beach as she showed off her new diamond ring to her Instagram. In the images, the 26-year-old son of billionaire Kenny Troutt can be seen getting down on one knee as he asked the reality star, also 26, to marry him. She said yes! Bachelor alum Madison Prewett revealed she accepted her boyfriend Grant Michael Troutt's proposal following a whirlwind eight-month romance on Sunday As her man popped the question, she stood in awe with her hands over her mouth while surrounded by candles arranged in a big heart shape on the sand at dusk. For the beachfront photoshoot in Palm Beach, Florida, Prewett, who has been vocal about abstaining from sex until marriage, wore a white backless gown and no shoes. Troutt cut a dapper figure in a light blue suit and whisked his bride-to-be in his arms as she lovingly wrapped her arms around his neck. Engaged: Less than 24 hours after getting engaged, the TV personality, from Auburn, Alabama, shared a slideshow of stunning pictures of them kissing on the beach as she showed off her huge new diamond ring Blissful: In the images, the 26-year-old son of billionaire Kenny Troutt can be seen getting down on one knee as he asked the reality star, also 26, to marry him '7.31.22. You were worth the wait,' the TV personality captioned the photos, which earned more than 380,883 likes in less than three hours and thousands of comments. Members of Bachelor Nation, including Becca Tilley, who is dating Hayley Kiyoko, flooded the comment section with congratulatory messages. 'Congratulations madi!!!!!!!!' the Scrubbing In with Becca Tilley & Tanya Rad host, 33, wrote. Romantic: As her man popped the question, she stood in awe with her hands over her mouth while surrounded by candles arranged into the shape of a heart on the beach 'Grant was waiting for me and led me out to the beach, where he had candles and flowers and a Bible with my new name on it,' Prewett told PEOPLE. 'And the ring of my dreams!' She also noted that she 'had no idea the proposal was coming' and was told they were 'taking birthday pictures on the beach.' But, when best friend led her 'into the bathroom' with her mom and sisters and 'the dress I wanted to get engaged in.' That changed when, she said: 'When I came down, my best friend led me into the bathroom where my mom and sisters were with the dress I wanted to get engaged in.' Unforgettable: For the beachfront photoshoot in Palm Beach, Florida, Prewett, who has been vocal about abstaining from sex until marriage, wore a white backless gown and no shoes 'In that moment, I knew,' she confessed, adding they want a short engagement and are already brainstorming about a 'chic and classy wedding.' Back in May, Grant shared news of their relationship after quietly dating for five months. 'Uhhh ohhhh. Sooo kinda got something I've been keeping on the low low. My shawty. Madison, crazy how fast 5 months has flown by? You make me smile like nobody else. You have an infectious laughter and joy about you that is so attractive to the world,' he began. 'You love people fiercely. I've never met somebody that walks with such grace and beauty.' He continued: 'You seek to honor God with all that you are. You inspire me to be better. I laugh hard with you and have also cried deeply with you. Been in some really awesome highs with you, and had some really hard moments too you're my first call through it all. You're by my side. I'm so glad I met you lil Madi rose.' '7.31.22. You were worth the wait,' the TV personality captioned the photos, which earned more than 380,883 likes in less than three hours and thousands of comments 'Hand in hand. My ride or die. I've enjoyed every second of this ride,' he concluded. 'Could write a book on what I've learned from your heart, but I'll save that for another time. For now just know, like drizzy drake said, 'I got z's for these other girls I'm sleepyyyy.'' At the time, she also shared a post about their relationship, in which she called the 'the best and wildest adventure.' 'Full of highs and lows but there's nobody else in the world I'd rather do life with. It's been special since the first date: when u forgot to open my car door because we were both so nervous, when we barely touched our quesadillas at dinner because of our deep convos and intentional questions, and then ending the night riding around listening to Drake in the car on full blast for hours,' she recalled. In love: Back in May, Grant shared news of their relationship after quietly dating for five months Additionally, the star called her then-beau was her 'favorite hello' and 'hardest goodbye.' 'There's nobody else in the world like you. Let's keep dreaming, vibing, serving, and loving,' she raved. The past few months, they've attended the Kentucky Derby together, a wedding in Aspen, Colorado and various other cities. A young Australian designer has scored a major career win after the world's biggest pop star Beyonce wore her design in a photo shoot for her new album Renaissance. Bethany Cordwell, who works as a costumier for Queensland Ballet, crafted the black and white bodysuit using plastic document folders she bought while working at office supplies retailer Officeworks. Ms Cordwell spent one month painstakingly sewing 12,000 individually hand-cut plastic shards to a bespoke bodysuit to form a figure-hugging silhouette. A young Australian designer has scored a major career win after the world's biggest pop star Beyonce wore her design in a photo shoot for her new album Renaissance 'I couldn't believe it. It still doesn't feel real. [Beyonce] looks incredible in my bodysuit and earrings,' Ms Cordwell told he Courier Mail on Monday. Ms Cordwell was contacted by Beyonce's team earlier this year, after they stumbled across her unique bodysuit and matching earrings on Instagram. 'I was in absolute shock I quickly replied and we started discussing further details instantly,' she said. Bethany Cordwell (pictured), who works as a costumier for Queensland Ballet, crafted the bodysuit using plastic document folders she bought while working at Officeworks Ms Cordwell spent one month painstakingly sewing 12,000 individually hand-cut plastic shards to a bespoke bodysuit to form a figure-hugging silhouette (pictured on a model) Plastic document folders such as this leaflet cost just a few dollars at Officeworks, yet were used by Ms Cordwell to create an exquisite bodysuit that is no doubt now worth hundreds 'The lead time was tight. I wasn't able to make a custom bodysuit specific to Beyonce's measurements due to time constraints. Thankfully they accepted my existing bodysuit which was sent express to LA.' Ms Cordwell also discussed her career boost with Stav, Abby & Matt on Tuesday, telling them Beyonce's management had agreed to purchase the bodysuit. When asked how much the garment is worth, the designer said: 'The materials didn't cost very much, but the work and the time that went into it would have absolutely equated to quite a price.' It comes as Beyonce's first solo album in six years, Renaissance, is projected to dominate the charts in its first week of sales It comes as Beyonce's first solo album in six years, Renaissance, is projected to dominate the charts in its first week of sales. According to Hits Daily Double, the 40-year-old superstar's new album 'will easily' debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with the trade publication projecting it will move a total of 275,000-315,000 units in the first seven days since its release last Friday. In addition, the outlet reported the hitmaker's seventh studio album will be streamed more than 170 million times in the United States over the next week. Brad Pitt rocked a rather colorful ensemble while hitting the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for his new film Bullet Train. The 58-year-old actor was all smiles at the premiere, held at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday. The actor was also seen posing on the red carpet with his co-star Logan Lerman and his longtime manager Cynthia Pett-Dante. Colorful: Brad Pitt, 58, rocked a rather colorful ensemble while hitting the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for his new film Bullet Train. He actor was all smiles at the premiere, held at the Regency Village Theatre in LA on Monday Pitt stepped out with a teal knit top under a light lime green coat with matching baggy pants. He also sported the early makings of a salt-and-pepper goatee for his night on the red carpet. The actor completed his look with a pair of yellow Adidas sneakers with maroon stripes. Brad and Logan: The actor was also seen posing on the red carpet with his co-star Logan Lerman Brad and Cynthia: Brad Pitt also hit the red carpet with his longtime manager Cynthia Pett-Dante Brad's look: Pitt stepped out with a teal knit top under a light lime green coat with matching baggy pants Goatee: He also sported the early makings of a salt-and-pepper goatee for his night on the red carpet The Los Angeles premiere marked a return home for Pitt, after the last few weeks jet-setting around the globe for international premieres of Bullet Train. He was first spotted in Paris on July 18, before traveling to Berlin for a premiere there the very next day. He completed his three-cities-in-three-days promo tour with the London premiere just a day after Berlin. Jet setting: The Los Angeles premiere marked a return home for Pitt, after the last few weeks jet-setting around the globe for international premieres of Bullet Train Berlin: He was first spotted in Paris on July 18, before traveling to Berlin for a premiere there the very next day Bullet Train is based on the 2010 novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka, which was adapted for this film by Zak Olkewicz (Fear Street: Part Two 1978). Pitt stars as an assassin known as Ladybug, who is trying to leave his deadly world behind when he's coaxed into one last job by his handler Maria Beetle (Sandra Bullock). His mission is to board a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and retrieve a briefcase, though he soon learns there are other assassins on board with the same objective. New movie: Bullet Train is based on the 2010 novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka, which was adapted for this film by Zak Olkewicz (Fear Street: Part Two - 1978) Assassin: Pitt stars as an assassin known as Ladybug, who is trying to leave his deadly world behind when he's coaxed into one last job by his handler Maria Beetle (Sandra Bullock) More assassins: His mission is to board a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and retrieve a briefcase, though he soon learns there are other assassins on board with the same objective After Bullet Train hits theaters, Pitt will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Damien Chazelle film Babylon. The film is set in Hollywood's transitional period from the silent film era to the 'talkies,' arriving in limited release Christmas Day and January 6, 2023 in wide release. He's also slated to reunite with his Ocean's Eleven co-star George Clooney in an untitled project about a pair of high-powered fixers who get assigned the same job. Coming soon: After Bullet Train hits theaters, Pitt will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Damien Chazelle film Babylon Dylan Sprouse and longtime girlfriend Barbara Palvin got their week off to a great start by hitting the red carpet at the Bullet Train premiere. Sprouse, 29, and model Pavin, 28, rocked matching black-and-white ensembles at the premiere, held at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday. The couple, who have been dating since 2018, were all smiles on the red carpet before the highly-anticipated film. Red carpet ready: Dylan Sprouse and longtime girlfriend Barbara Palvin got their week off to a great start by hitting the red carpet at the Bullet Train premiere Palvin, a Hungarian-born model who was named a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2019, opted for a lacy, sleeveless black crop top that showed off her midriff. She also wore a strapless black bra and black panties under a matching lacy black skirt with a slit up the leg. She completed her look with white knee-high boots and a small black and silver handbag. Barbara's look: Palvin, a Hungarian-born model who was named a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2019, opted for a lacy, sleeveless black crop top that showed off her midriff Dylan's look: Her boyfriend of four years Sprouse hit the red carpet with a slightly-unbuttoned white dress shirt with no tie under a classic black suit coat Her boyfriend of four years Sprouse hit the red carpet with a slightly-unbuttoned white dress shirt with no tie under a classic black suit coat. He sported a singular ruby red earring in his left ear and had the early makings of a beard for his red carpet appearance. The actor completed his look with black pants and shiny black dress shoes. Actor: Dylan started his acting career with his twin brother Cole Sprouse when they were just one year old, starring in Grace Under Fire Party: Sprouse and Palvin first met in 2017 at a party in New York City, after which she started following him on Instagram and he slid into her DMs Dylan started his acting career with his twin brother Cole Sprouse when they were just one year old, starring in Grace Under Fire. They also starred in films like Big Daddy, The Astronaut's Wife, Eight Crazy Nights and The Master of Disguise. They would go on to star in the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zach and Cody and appear in several other Disney Channel shows as well. Hey: 'I was like, "Hey, I don't know if you're in New York for very long, but we should hang out if you want to. Here's my number." And she didn't message me for six months,' Sprouse told W Magazine in 2019 Date night done right: The couple appeared relaxed as they waited for their car after the premiere and prepared to head home Stepping out in style: Barbara put on a leggy display in her white knee-high boots Sprouse and Palvin first met in 2017 at a party in New York City, after which Palvin started following Sprouse on Instagram and he slid into her DMs. 'I was like, "Hey, I don't know if you're in New York for very long, but we should hang out if you want to. Here's my number." And she didn't message me for six months,' Sprouse told W Magazine in 2019. They officially started dating in June 2018, after she flew to China to visit him during a movie shoot. Elle Ferguson appears to be ramping up her Instagram posts after ongoing backlash over her abrupt exit on The Block. The influencer, who quit the series after less than 48 hours on the show with her partner Joel Patfull, has shared several sponsored posts over the last few days for a number of luxury brands. In three consecutive posts, Elle announced her recent collaboration with A-lister Kim Kardashian and her shapewear brand SKIMS. Elle Ferguson appears to be ramping up her Instagram posts after ongoing backlash over her abrupt Block exit 'Still cant believe Im working with @skims!!!' she wrote, before plugging her favourite range. 'Trust me when I say theres something quite amazing about the way SKIMS makes you feel' she added. In another post, she wrote, 'They really are that good.' More recently, Elle, 36, shared her collaboration with designer brand Louis Vuitton. 'What a day!!! The sun was shining, blue sky all round and a massive day of shooting!!!' she wrote, alongside a stop motion reel of herself carrying a yellow Louis Vuitton shopping bag and tan leather handbag. Elle announced her recent collaboration with A-lister Kim Kardashian (pictured) and her shapewear brand SKIMS The podcast host has also plugged brands like Chanel, Tory Burch, Versace, Dior and Miu Miu 'S U N S H I N E. Loving these new @louisvuitton pieces from the FW22 Collection,' she wrote in a separate post, adding the hashtags #gift and #louisvuitton. The Sliding Doors podcast host has also plugged brands like Chanel, Tory Burch, Versace, Dior and Miu Miu. Elle has been posting non-stop since it was revealed that she and her partner Joel departed the upcoming season of The Block. The Block's executive producer accused 'quitters' Joel Patfull and Elle Ferguson (pictured) of throwing in the towel because they couldn't handle 12 weeks on a building site The couple's time on the show was over before it really began, after they threw in the towel for 'family reasons' after just 48 hours on the building site in country Victoria. As reported by TV Week, host Scott Cam told the other contestants Elle and Joel left because the show wasn't 'on brand' for them as Sydney influencers. He also said they had complained 'the toilet paper was too scratchy'. The Block host Scott Cam told the other contestants Elle and Joel left because the show wasn't 'on brand' for them as Sydney influencers The fashion influencer and her 37-year-old retired AFL player boyfriend, have disputed this, insisting they quit because of a legitimate family emergency. However, Block executive producer Julian Cress said the crew was blindsided when the couple downed tools during the first week of shooting in April. '[Elle] seemed a bit shocked that she was going to have to spend 12 weeks in hi-vis on a worksite,' he told Herald Sun. Mr Cress said The Block is always willing to accommodate teams during family emergencies, and once shut down production for an entire week in 2013 when a contestants' mother fell ill It was later revealed that Joel's mum suffered a nasty fall. They initially tried to stay on the show but left after they 'couldn't get a definitive answer' from producers as to whether Joel could 'come and go' from the construction site in Gisborne to visit his ailing mother in South Australia. Elle later posted a cryptic message on Instagram: 'Wherever you are in the world. Whatever you are doing. Family always comes first.' After their exit, Elle shared this photo to Instagram of their suitcases at Melbourne Airport, and wrote: 'Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, family always comes first' Scott wasn't convinced by this explanation however, telling TV Week he hadn't heard anything about Joel's mother before the couple's abrupt exit. 'Of course, family comes first on The Block - we've stopped production before when people have had family emergencies,' he said. 'And of course, I wasn't referring to somebody going to visit their sick mother... It was because they'd given us no reason.' The couple downed tools in April - just two days into filming and after the first challenge - after Joel's mother fractured her neck during a fall at her home in Adelaide Scott wasn't convinced by the pair's explanation, however, telling TV Week he hadn't heard anything about Joel's mother before the couple's abrupt exit Scott previously said at the Logie Awards that Elle and Joel quitting so soon into the competition was 'unAustralian' and 'p**s poor'. He told TV Tonight: 'We had a 48-hour challenge to choose the house that you get and they scarpered after 48 hours. It's something that's never happened before.' 'Forty-five thousand people applied to be on The Block and win life-changing money. These guys got on and they just couldn't handle the pace after 48 hours,' he continued. While the pair insist they quit the production because of a family emergency, Mr Cress told the Herald Sun that Elle (pictured) baulked at the idea of donning hi-vis workwear instead of her usual chic wardrobe 'Which to me is a bit unAustralian! Have a go! It's p**s poor.' A Nine spokesperson confirmed their departure to Daily Mail Australia, saying: 'Over the weekend, we were surprised to have one of our new contestant teams depart The Block a few days into filming for the upcoming season. 'We wish them all the best for the future and we're excited to cast two new Aussies for the opportunity of a lifetime on The Block. The Block Tree Change will air as scheduled later this year.' Their exit from The Block will be a major storyline in the first few episodes of the new season, which premieres Sunday, August 7, on Channel Nine and 9Now. Sophia Forrest, the daughter of billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, has shared a sweet tribute to her actress fiancee Zara Zoe to mark their four year anniversary. The 27-year-old posted a sweet video to Instagram on Tuesday of 'fun memories' the couple have shared and gushed over her fiancee. 'Happy anniversary darling, the last four years have been a transformation,' Sophia wrote. Billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest's daughter Sophia gushed over her actress fiancee Zara Zoe as they celebrated their four year anniversary on Tuesday 'Some fun memories after you said yes and made me the happiest little bean in all the land.' Sophia and Zara met on the set of the 2018 film Ride Like A Girl, with the pair playing sisters in the movie. They announced their engagement in April by sharing a cute clip of the engagement on Instagram. The 27-year-old shared a sweet video to Instagram of 'fun memories' the couple have shared and gushed over her fiancee 'She makes heaven a place on earth,' Sophia wrote, alongside a ring emoji and the date '21.4.22'. The clip showed the newly engaged couple then sharing dinner with friends, before celebrating by drinking champagne with Andrew and his wife Nicola. Sophia is known for her roles in the 2018 blockbuster hit Aquaman and the popular 2017 Australian television series Love Child. 'Happy anniversary darling, the last four years have been a transformation,' Sophia wrote She previously splashed out $1.8 million for an apartment in Sydney's Waterloo. The new penthouse property is a stark change from her upbringing on the family's 230,000-hectare cattle station in Minderoo, Perth. Her famous father previously confirmed that his three children - Grace, Sophia and Sydney - will not be left with his estimated $23billion fortune. Brigitte Nielsen was spotted enjoying a relaxing afternoon treating herself to a mani-pedi on Monday. The actress, 59, donned a casually chic ensemble for her outing, wearing form-fitting pants and comfortable sandals. The star stepped out amid the recent Rocky drama, with her ex-husband Sylvester Stallone calling out producer Irwin Winkler and fellow co-star Dolph Lundgren for being involved in a Rocky spin-off without him knowing. Treating herself: Brigitte Nielsen, 59, was spotted getting a mani-pedi out in Los Angeles on Monday Brigitte starred in Rocky IV with the two actors in 1985. The former model opted for a stylishly casual ensemble during the summer day, and donned a pair of tan pants. She tucked in a short-sleeved, cream-colored shirt into the waist of her bottoms. To stay comfortable, the actress slipped into a pair of open-toed sandals. Brigitte carried a tan backpack in her hand instead of holding a heavy purse or tote bag. Going about her day: Although Sylvester Stallone slammed the new Rocky spin-off, the actress appeared to be unbothered by the drama as she enjoyed a relaxing afternoon Co-stars: Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte starred in the 1985 sequel, Rocky IV, together Her short, blonde hair was classically styled for her day out by herself. She threw on a pair of black sunglasses as she walked out into the bright sun. The star kept her accessories minimal, and wore a watch on her right wrist, and a dainty necklace. The Rocky IV alumna appeared to be in high spirits and unbothered by the recent Rocky spin-off drama. The Danish actress played the role of Ludmilla Vobet Drago, the wife and supporter of champion boxer, Ivan Drago, played by Dolph. She also reprised her character in Creed II. The new Drago spin-off, however, would center on the character of Ivan. Sylvester did not exactly take the news too lightly, and recently jumped onto his Instagram to vent his frustration. Iconic roles: The Danish actress played the role of Ludmilla Vobet Drago, and Dolph Lundgren was cast as champion boxer, Ivan Drago Called out: The First Blood actor also slammed his costar Dolph, stating that he went 'behind my back' 'Another Heartbreaker Just found this outONCE AGAIN , IRWIN WINKLER , this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles And David , are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me,' Stallone began. 'I APOLOGIZE to the FANS , I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites' he added. He also called out Lundgren, adding, 'By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him !!! REAL FRIENDS Are more precious than gold.' Upset: The actor jumped onto his Instagram to express to his fans how frustrated he was that he was never told of spin-off and not involved Sylvester wrote and starred in the first Rocky movie, directed by John G. Alvidsen which went on to a surprising Best Picture win at the Oscars, which Winkler won as a producer. He would go on to write, direct and star in 1979's Rocky II, 1982's Rocky III, 1985's Rocky IV, 1990's Rocky V and 2006's Rocky Balboa. After years of creating and taking part in the production of the iconic film franchise, the Hollywood star was upset to suddenly not have any part, and appeared to feel betrayed. Reprised: Years later, Brigitte had the chance to jump back into the shoes of Ludmilla in the Rocky spin-off, Creed II 'Press leak': Dolph jumped to his own Instagram amid the controversy, stating he thought Sylvester had a part in the production somehow Shortly after the controversy had sparked, Dolph leaped onto his own Instagram to give his side of the story. He explained that, 'Theres no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor.' The Aquaman star added that there was a press leak, but that he was 'in touch' with Sylvester. Brad Pitt gave a bizarre explanation for wearing a quirky skirt to the Bullet Train screening in Berlin recently. The actor, 58, opted for an eye-catching style choice as he donned a trendy knee-length skirt for a screening of his new film. He took a moment to comment on his bold fashion choice and revealed what inspired the look while attending a Bullet Train premiere in Los Angeles. Bold: Brad Pitt gave a bizarre explanation for wearing a quirky skirt to the Bullet Train screening in Berlin recently Brad told Variety: 'I don't know! We're all going to die, so let's mess it up.' The Hollywood heavyweight sported a breezy ensemble, teamed with a salmon pink button-up in a bid to overcome the scorching heat in the German capital. He threw on a light brown cardigan and accessorised with a cluster of layered pendant necklaces. Throwing on some shades, Brad finished the look off with some black combat boots, showing off the tattoos on his sculpted calves. Stylish: The actor, 58, opted for an eye-catching style choice as he donned a trendy knee-length skirt for a screening of his new film Commenting on the bold ensemble, Brad told Variety : 'I don't know! We're all going to die, so let's mess it up.' The Oscar winner stars in the David Leitchdirected film as a hitman with the codename Ladybug who is looking to go straight, until he's lured back to retrieve a special briefcase aboard a high-speed train heading from Tokyo to Kyoto. The thrilling movie also includes appearances by Joey King, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Logan Lerman, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz and Bad Bunny. Bullet Train was originally slated for an April 2022 release, but several delays have pushed it back to an August 5 release date. New: Bullet Train was originally slated for an April 2022 release, but several delays have pushed it back to an August 5 release date The film's bright trailer suggests it will be a candy-colored affair, in contrast with the dark and violent subject matter. The film is about five assassins who all end up on a fast-moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka. There are only a few stops in between which makes fleeing impossible. But over time the assassins realize their jobs are intertwined as they are all going after a strange silver briefcase and they eventually go on the hunt to find out who is behind the plan. In the meantime, no one trusts each other and everyone is looking over their shoulder in case they become a target. Director David Leitch has previously shown off his action bona fides by working as an uncredited co-director on the first John Wick films, while going solo to direct Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. He has a special connection to Brad, as he served as the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood star's stunt double in several films before moving behind the camera. The thrilling movie also includes appearances by Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Logan Lerman, Michael Shannon, Zazie Beetz and Bad Bunny. Advertisement Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu has been crowned the winner of the 2022 series with her beau Davide Sanclimenti, and the brunette beauty is already being tipped to become the show's highest earner in history. The Essex-based actress, 27, has already scooped 25,000 in prize money, and a source has told MailOnline she's already being inundated with lucrative offers, meaning she could surpass multi-millionaire Molly-Mae Hague, 23, who was runner-up on the 2019 series, to become the show's richest ever star. Ekin-Su, who entered the villa on the third day as a bombshell, has already had a taste of the spotlight, having starred in Turkish soap operas and reality shows before entering the Love Island villa, and the brunette is now set to cash in with an estimated 1 million payday. A source close to Ekin-Su told MailOnline: 'We've never seen the likes of the deals that are already coming through the door. It's not just your typical reality TV fodder. 'She's absolutely inundated with lucrative offers from brands and they're prepared to pay big money to get her onboard. She's going to be the new Molly-Mae Hague!' Riding high! Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu has been crowned the winner of the 2022 with her beau Davide Sanclimenti, and the brunette beauty is already being tipped to become the show's highest earner in history Who is Ekin-Su Culculoglu? Born in north London, Ekin-Su is of Turkish descent and relocated to Essex at the age of 10, later studying musical theatre at the East 15 Acting School. In what may be no surprise due to her stunning looks, she also competed in several beauty pageants, representing Ireland in Miss Asia Pacific World in 2011. Before making a name for himself on Turkish TV, Ekin-Su also starred on the small-budget reality show Lancashore while studying at the University of Central Lancashire, which focused on a group of students living in Preston. Riding high! The brunette beauty was crowned series champion during Monday's live final, and a source has now told MailOnline she's already being inundated with offers Early days: Before entering the villa, Ekin-Su made a name for herself as an actress, appearing in the small-budget reality show Lancashore while she was at university In one scene saw Ekin-Su discussing a group of lads who were living upstairs, saying: 'Are they hot? Because I'm single, so...' while another scene saw her confess she fancied one of the men during a drinking game. During the show, Ekin-Su went by the name Suzie Hazel, and the beauty is no stranger to using a stage name, having previously gone by Su Hayzel and Su Ekin Culculoglu. In 2020 Ekin-Su then landed a role in the Turkish soap opera Kuzey Yildizi, which told the tale of a man who abandoned his fiancee for a new woman after going to university. Sexy: In 2020, two years before entering the villa, Ekin-Su landed a role in the Turkish soap opera Kuzey Yildizi as a photographer from London However, two decades later, karma hits when his wife leaves him and he is forced to go back to his hometown and the family who cut all ties with him. In the soap, which translates to North Star in English, Ekin-Su starred as Isl, a photographer from London, and her character ends up saying the life of leading character Kuzey, with clips from the show displaying her acting skills while speaking in fluent Turkish. While on Love Island, Ekin-Su also revealed that she played a serial killer on a Turkish show, though it is not known whether this was in Kuzey Yildizi, or another series. Brazen: From her bombshell arrival on the third day of the series, Ekin-Su was quick to make an impact, having said in her pre-show interview she had no interest in making 'seasonal girlfriends' What did Ekin-Su do in the Love Island villa? From her bombshell arrival on the third day of the series, Ekin-Su was quick to make an impact, having said in her pre-show interview she had no interest in making 'seasonal girlfriends', and was determined to find 'the love of her life.' It was clear from the start that she had caught the eye of Italian hunk Davide, with the pair enjoying a cosy date. But it wasn't plain sailing for the couple, as the arrival of Jay Younger turned Ekin-Su's head, and she famously crawled across the balcony so they could enjoy a secret smooch, while she and Davide were coupled up. Unsurprisingly Davide was furious when he learned the truth, branding Ekin-Su a 'liar' in one of the viral moments of the series, and broke off their romance. Sneaky: Ekin-Su famously crawled across the balcony in the villa in her secret pursuit of Jay Younger, wiht their steamy kiss leaving Davide furious On the mend! After a long and turbulent road for their relationship, Ekin-Su and Davide eventually managed to get their romance back on track, and confessed their love for each other at the summer ball during Monday's final Champions: In Monday's final, the couple were then crowned winners, and an emotional Ekin-Su jumped into her Italian beau's arms as they celebrated their win and speechless Davide, also 27, exclaimed he 'couldn't believe it' While it seemed the couple weren't going to be able to rebuild their romance, the pair couldn't deny their spark, and after a first date together in a vineyard, began to get their relationship back on track. Ekin-Su's stint in Casa Amor sparked yet more drama for the couple, as while she remained loyal to her man, Davide enjoyed a kiss with blonde beauty Mollie Salmon. In a tense confrontation, Davide noted Ekin-Su's own behaviour earlier in their romance, and the pair eventually reconciled and slowly rebuilt their trust. By the show's final weeks, Ekin-Su and Davide were on the brink of making their relationship official, with the hunk making her a tiramisu with the message 'Be mine,' followed by a memorable final date where he confessed his love for the first time. In Monday's final, the couple were then crowned series champions, and an emotional Ekin-Su, 27, jumped into her Italian beau's arms as they celebrated their win and speechless Davide, also 27, exclaimed he 'couldn't believe it'. Cashing in: Even before she had left the villa, Ekin-Su was being tipped to become the show's highest earning star in history, with one expert estimating she could receive a 1 million payday after the show Following in her footsteps: The show has produced a string of millionaires, including Molly-Mae Hague who inked a 500,000 deal with PrettyLittleThing after the show What's next for Ekin-Su? Even before she had left the villa, Ekin-Su was being tipped to become the show's highest earning star in history, with a source telling MailOnline she has already been inundated with offers, and she became the first star this series to hit 1 million followers on Instagram. An expert has also estimated that she could receive a 1 million payday after the show, profiting from fashion endorsements and club appearances. A source predicted that brands will be lining up to work with them thanks to Ekin's 'captivating' personality, telling the Mirror: 'Ekin-Su and Gemma have been the stand-out stars in terms of marketability. Ekin-Su is not only beautiful, but she also has a captivating personality. A source also reported that Ekin-Su had already sparked a 'bidding war' even before she left the villa. An industry insider told the Daily Star: 'Ekin-Su is hot property. Plenty of lucrative offers are already on the table. 'Quite a few make-up companies and clothing brands want to work with her and they're prepared to pay big money. 'And then there are some TV offers as well. A bidding war has already started. Ekin-Su's earning potential is massive. She'll rack up 1m pretty quickly.' The show has produced a string of millionaires, including Molly-Mae Hague who inked a 500,000 deal with PrettyLittleThing after the show, and series two stars Olivia, 28, and Alex Bowen, 31, who are thought to have made around 4 million in sponsorship deals since their time on the show. Stunner: A source predicted that brands will be lining up to work with them thanks to Ekin's 'captivating' personality It's also thought that ITV are keen to sign Ekin-Su and Davide for a spin-off show, documenting their life together after departing the villa, with their Love Island contracts including exclusivity rights for the channel. A source told The Sun: 'Just like with Olivia and Chris from 2018 then Jack and Dani in 2019, a spin-off show following Ekin and Davide would be a real ratings spinner. Figures published by William Hill also showed that Ekin-Su could be making almost six times the average UK salary through sponsored posts on Instagram within the next year. If Ekin-Su achieved similar sponsors to previous Islanders, including the likes of boohooMAN and Ann Summers, a single sponsored post a month could equate to an annual earning of 55,000. Following their win, Ekin-Su and Davide personally thanked voters for supporting them and helping them get to the final. The pair had already moved fans to tears with their heart-warming declarations of love, as she admitted: 'Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were we,' while Davide told her 'te amo', something he'd previously said he would only say to the woman he wants to marry. Reading her declaration during the Islanders' final ball, Ekin said: 'It's been a hell of a ride for us but good things don't come easy and with every bump in the road, our connection has become stronger and deeper. 'I love everything about you. You have shown me what happiness is. Davide, only you can annoy me so much and at the same time have a passion to kiss you right back after. End of the road: Viewers waited to discover the winners following an eight-week run of the ITV2 dating show 'I just love being together. The Turkish delight and the Italian stallion. Perfect for one another, you're my soulmate. I want you in my present and my future.' Show fans went into meltdown as they heard Davide say 'te amo' during his declaration which was seen writing in the bedroom earlier in the episode. The heartwarming scenes aired before it was announced Ekin-Su and Davide had won the series. The couple finished ahead of Gemma and Luca who were awarded second place, with bosses deciding to ditch the 'split or steal' twist that usually comes at the end. Indiyah and Dami were awarded third place on the dating programme ahead of Tasha and Andrew who finished narrowly behind them in fourth place. Happy: Reflecting on his own experience, Davide said: 'I didn't expect this at the beginning - I'm with my other half it's like a dream now!' 'Out of all things I expected him to do for a living': Love Island fans are shocked as they discover Davide's job and financial status as a shisha business owner By Milly Veitch for MailOnline Love Island fans have admitted to being shocked over Davide Sanclimenti's occupation and rumoured financial status. The Love Island winner, 27, runs a shisha business that provides hookah products to restaurants and nightclubs. He has avoided discussing his job while on the show, leading to many fans being unware of his occupation. Doing well for himself: Love Island fans have admitted to being shocked over Davide Sanclimenti's occupation and rumoured financial status The Italian has a company called S Deluxe Shisha, which provides electronic devices from 'the best manufacturers in the world and which was reportedly launched in May 2021 in Manchester. The website's mission statement says: 'S Deluxe Shisha is a premium service offered in some of the most exclusive hospitality venues located in North West, England. 'We have partnership with the most exclusive restaurants and nightclubs around the UK, carrying a wide selection of top quality hookah products in different shapes and sizes. Entrepreneur: The Love Island winner, 27, runs a shisha business that provides hookah products to restaurants and nightclubs 'We offer catering-service, with the highest quality of luxury electronic shisha and the purest French made e-liquids. High quality ingredients combined with the latest technology on the market.' There has been lots of rumours that Davide is also a self-made millionaire as a result of his business. He also holds a masters degree in finance and banking, according to his LinkedIn. Several fans took to Twitter to express their surprise at Davide's job and joke that he was not in need of the prize money that came with his win. One said: 'Davide owns a multimillion shisha company idk if any of these people needed 50k'. Another echoed: 'I just learnt that Davide is an entrepreneur owning a shisha business. This guy was always meant to have a Turkish wife. Im convinced theyre soulmates. I cant get over them two!! #EKINDE'. A third chimed in: 'Out of all things I expected Davide to do for a living .. I did not expect him to own a shisha lounge on the curry mile'. And someone else tweeted: 'Me when I found out Davide is a whole a** millionaire entrepreneur'. Shocked: Several fans took to Twitter to express their surprise at Davide's job and joke that he was not in need of the prize money that came with his win It comes after Davide and Ekin-Su were crowned the winners of Love Island 2022. As the news was announced, emotional Ekin-Su, 27, jumped into her Italian beau's arms as they celebrated their win and speechless Davide exclaimed he 'couldn't believe it'. Congratulations rushed in for genetically-blessed couple Ekin-Su and Davide as viewers celebrated their win on social media, admitting that they thought the 'right couple had won'. The couple finished ahead of Gemma Owen, 19, and Luca Bish, 23, who were awarded second place and narrowly missed out on the money, with bosses deciding to ditch the 'split or steal' twist that usually comes at the end for the first time in the history of the ITV2 show. In previous years, winners have picked an envelope which either has the prize money or nothing enclosed, with one person in the couple being given the 50,000 with the option to 'split or steal' the cash. This year, host Laura Whitmore, 37, announced during Monday night's live final they would automatically be sharing the money as producers opted to scrap the tradition which has been in place since series one. Filming for the much-anticipated fourth season of You resumed last month. And Penn Badgley, 35, was seen transformed into the terrifying serial killer Joe Goldberg as he shared a kiss with his co-star Charlotte Ritchie, 32, in London on Monday. The sinister character appeared to have his sights set on yet another woman as they smooched in the street. Upcoming: Penn Badgley, 35, and his co-star Charlotte Ritchie, 32, shared a kiss during season four filming of You in London During the scenes, Penn's character sported a heavy beard and a bushy haircut, while sporting a dapper pin striped shirt and trousers. He accessorised with a paisley printed tie as his new female interest wore his blazer over her shoulders. Charlotte's character, Kate, donned an orange Sixties inspired mini-dress and went barefoot as she carried a pair of metallic, skyscraper heels in one hand. New love interest: During the scenes, Penn's character sported a heavy beard and a bushy haircut, while sporting a dapper pin striped shirt and trousers He's back: Penn was seen transformed into the terrifying serial killer Joe Goldberg once again Loved-up: He accessorised with a paisley printed tie as his new female interest wore his blazer over her shoulders The duo walked down the street beside each other before Joe pulled Kate in for a kiss and tucked a white flower behind her ear. You's third season ended on a dark and dramatic note as Joe decided to flee his suburban life, killing his girlfriend Love and abandoning their child. It was reported in March that former EastEnders star Tilly Keeper was among several British soap stars joining the case for You's fourth season, which has begun filming after the third season was lauded by critics last year. Stalking: The duo walked down the street beside each other before Joe pulled Kate in for a kiss and tucked a white flower behind her ear Stylish: Charlotte's character, Kate, donned an orange Sixties inspired mini-dress and went barefoot as she carried a pair of metallic, skyscraper heels in one hand All new: You's third season ended on a dark and dramatic note as Joe decided to flee his suburban life, killing his girlfriend Love and abandoning their child Penn will be joined by the likes of Dario Coates, 29, who played Alex Neeson, the son of Kym Marshs Michelle Connor in Coronation Street, and Eve Austin, who portrayed Tabitha Taylor-Rudd in Emmerdale. A TV insider told the publication: 'This will come as a huge surprise to the millions of fans of the show around the world, who got used to the first three seasons being based in various locations in the US. 'The last thing they would have expected was for the next outing to move lock, stock and barrel across the Atlantic and feature a largely British cast.' Sixties chic: Charlotte's hair was styled in in a brunette bob with a sweeping fringe and bouffant back Coming soon: You's fourth season began filming after the third season was lauded by critics last year They continued: 'But the producers wanted to provide a fresh take on the show, though Joe will no doubt be going back to his dark deeds when he arrives in London.' Other Brit additions to the new series reportedly include Ed Speleers, who appeared as Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey and as Stephen Bonnet US series Outlander. MailOnline contacted Netflix and representatives for the British actors for comment at the time. Line-up: Penn will be joined by the likes of Dario Coates, 29, who played Alex Neeson, the son of Kym Marshs Michelle Connor in Coronation Street, and Emmerdale's Eve Austin A TV insider said: 'This will come as a huge surprise to the millions of fans of the show around the world, who got used to the first three seasons being based in various locations in the US' Across the pond: They added: 'But the producers wanted to provide a fresh take on the show, though Joe will no doubt be going back to his dark deeds when he arrives in London' You was renewed for a fourth season in October 2021, ahead of the third season's premiere. The series is based on Caroline Kepnes' best-selling novels, You, Hidden Bodies, and You Love Me. In March the official Instagram account for the series revealed that season four is officially in production, posting a bloody film slate to mark the new beginning. 'Feeling YOU-4-ic. YOU Season 4 is now in production,' the caption read. The first season initially aired on the Lifetime network before it switched to the streaming platform Netflix. Onset: Penn had a chat with the crew in between takes It's back: You was renewed for a fourth season in October 2021, ahead of the third season's premiere Inspiration: The series is based on Caroline Kepnes' best-selling novels, You, Hidden Bodies, and You Love Me In the first season, Joe is a bookstore manager who falls in love with a woman and eventually murders her. Meanwhile in the second season he changes his name to Will Bettelheim and meets a new target of his obsession - a girl named Love, however as fate would have it, she also turns out to be a killer. The third season follows the couple as they raise their child in a suburb. But when Joe's compulsive obsessions kick in again, he begins focusing his attention on Marienne. When Love discovers their relationship, she plans to murder Joe, but he ends up outsmarting her and creating the perfect murder-suicide scenario that leaves him off the hook and presumed to be dead. Advertisement Zara McDermott pulled out all the stops to make her Made In Chelsea boyfriend Sam Thompson feel special on his 30th birthday in Marbella on Tuesday. Influencer Zara, 25, looked incredible in a colourful bandeau bikini worn with a cream crocheted sarong as she took her love out to dinner and planted lots of passionate kisses on him. She wore her brunette hair in a bun and wore minimal make-up for the beach outing, while Sam wore an open shirt and shorts, purple board shorts and khaki coloured Crocs. Made in Chelsea/Marbs! Zara McDermott stepped out in a colourful bandeau bikini and as she put on a PDA with boyfriend Sam Thompson on his 30th birthday in Marbella on Tuesday Close: She took her love out to dinner and planted lots of passionate kisses on him The couple, along with friends, appeared to be having a great time, with Zara choosing to spectate as Sam and a pal indulged in a go on a flying fish inflatable. While Zara and Sam have fun in Spain, his older sister Louise, 32, revealed over the weekend that she wouldn't be attending the holiday for his birthday celebrations. Referencing her ongoing recovery from PTSD after she almost died while giving birth to her baby son Leo, Louise wrote: 'I am SOOO sad not to be travelling to Spain with Sam for his 30th today. Wet 'n' wild: Sam appeared to be having a great time as he got stuck into the water sports Snapping away: Zara giggled as she prepared to take videos of Sam and his pal out on the water Stunner: Zara showed off her golden glow as she watched her beau in the water, but didn't head in herself Up they go! The couple, along with friends, appeared to be having a great time, with Zara choosing to spectate as Sam and a pal indulged in a go on a flying fish inflatable Beach chic: The couple had looked perfectly put together as they headed to the beach earlier in the day That golden hour: She looked stunning as she smiled at the birthday boy lovingly She added: 'This year couldn't have turned out further from how I imagined. Literally thought 2022 was going to be THE ONE.' Louise has closely documented her struggle with her followers and was recently admitted to hospital, where she felt 'more safe' during her recent stay in hospital than at home as she could focus solely on her own health. She shared a tribute to her beloved brother on Instagram on Tuesday, writing: 'Happy 30th birthday to my baby brother. 'I am devestated [sic] not to be there to celebrate with you in person on this big milestone but Im spending the day thinking of you guys, looking through all the photos and missing you like mad. 'There are lots of nice things that I could say but mainly Im super proud of who youve become over the past few years. I cant believe how damn grown up youve become, living with your dream girl, talking about upcoming projects and investments, working on exiting new shows and even giving me advice. 'Up until recently I still thought of you as my 18 year old baby brother, but in this past year something has changed - youre actually an adult now. Happy: The couple could not seem to get enough of each other and forgot about the others they were dining with at the table One to remember: Zara has tried to make Sam's birthday a very special one by all accounts Something making her chuckle? Zara (left) was glued to her phone as she walked along the golden sands Tucking in: The group enjoyed delicious desserts during their special day out Sweet: Sam and Zara confirmed their relationship in May 2019, with Sam telling OK Magazine that Zara made the first move. She slid into my DMs. It was great and Im glad she did' Capturing every moment: Zara was seen taking content for social media on her phone throughout dinner 'You always used to say later Sam will deal with that, referring to your grown up self dealing with problems, and that time has come. You can handle anything like a champ. You are LATER SAM. Youve achieved more than most will in their lifetime and I genuinely see you as someone I can learn a lot from. You are an inspiration to me and many others. 'I feel incredibly lucky to have you as my sibling because I know not all brothers and sisters get along. In fact I dont know what I would do without you living next door. Family and friends have got me through the last year of hell. 'It hasnt always been that way though. What started out as me chasing you round the sofa trying to pull your hair out, verbally annihilating you, thinking that Im way cooler than you and refusing to hang out with you and your friends has blossomed into such an indestructible friendship. Im blessed to have you in my life. Siblings: Sam's older sister Louise, 32, revealed she wouldn't be attending the holiday for his birthday celebration due to her ongoing recovery from PTSD after she almost died while giving birth to her baby son Leo, (pictured) Support network: Louise shared this long and emotive post alongside a picture of Sam and her son Leo and Sam wrote that her words had made him cry 'Its funny how things change, now everyone I know wants to know you. Everyone always asks after you because you are one of the most interesting people I know. You have the best stories and you are also incredibly funny. I admire you for always going against the grain, I wish I could do that. 'Never change. Keep doing you and take over the world. Love always L x.' Sam wrote in the comments that her words had made him cry. A nice surprise: Sam seemed overcome when his pal, TOWIE star Pete Wicks surprised him on the trip and turned up Sam and Zara confirmed their relationship in May 2019, telling OK Magazine that Zara made the first move. She slid into my DMs. It was great and Im glad she did, Sam revealed. They briefly split but got back a few months later in November 2020 after Sam forgave Zara for cheating on him. A source told MailOnline exclusively at the time: 'They are certainly back together again. This finally happened about two weeks ago now. He took her back.' Sam had previously stated on Made In Chelsea that their 16-month relationship was well and truly over, following revelations Zara had cheated. Let's go, boys! Sam's pal clenched his fists in delight as they enjoyed some fun in the sun Hold on tight! Sam looked like he was giving his all to not fly off the flying fish Picture perfect: Zara was seen looking out to the horizon in her beach attire Smiley, happy people! Zara looked like she was having a ball as she filmed her man Making a splash: He and his pal grimaced as they landed in the water - luckily they were wearing life jackets Birthday bumps: Sam's best mate Pete Wicks made a surprise appearance at his birthday which Zara had secretly organised BFF's: Sam's Made In Chelsea pal Reza Amiri-Garroussi also flew to Marbella to celebrate his big day Cheers: The TV favourite toasted his birthday while partying at Nikki Beach in Marbella Later on in the day Sam was surprised by his best mate TOWIE star Pete Wicks who made a surprise appearance at his birthday bash which Zara had secretly organised. His Made In Chelsea pal Reza Amiri-Garroussi also flew to Marbella to celebrate his big day. Sam and his best mates, including musical artist Eddy B, reality star Pete, model James Dunmore and property broker Harry Baron later enjoyed a pool party at Nikki Beach to round off the special day. She's known for hunting down 'bent coppers' as the ruthless Detective Inspector Kate Fleming. And Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure got to meet a real-life AC-12 team on Thursday as she opened Nottinghamshire Police's new joint headquarters. The actress, who starred on the BBC show from 2012 to 2021, was given a tour of the force's professional standards department by Chief Constable Craig Guildford, adding she felt 'very lucky' to get a glimpse of the team. Guest of honour: Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure got to meet a real-life AC-12 team as she opened Nottinghamshire Police's new joint headquarters on Thursday Vicky, who also recently starred in the series Trigger Point, was joined on the tour by her fiance Jonny Owen, an actor, writer and producer who has previously starred in shows such as Shameless. The star also got to see the forces other key departments including the force control room, digital forensics and operational support before cutting the ribbon at the ceremony. Donning a stylish denim boiler suit, Vicky also witnessed Nottinghamshire Police's latest recruits being welcomed into the force at their passing out parade and enjoyed a performance by the Nottinghamshire Police Band during her visit. Iconic: The actress starred as Kate Fleming in the BBC police drama from 2012 to 2021, opposite Martin Compston as DI Steve Arnott Stylish: Vicky donned a denim boiler suit as she visited Nottinghamshire Police's professional standards department Star guest: The star also got to see the forces other key departments including the force control room, digital forensics and operational support Together: She was joined at the opening by her fiance Jonny Owen, before cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony Exciting: Speaking at the event Vicky said: 'It's a real honour to be asked here and see the incredible work that's being done' She said: 'It's a real honour to be asked here and see the incredible work that's being done. 'You don't tend to get access to these kind of facilities so I do feel really lucky to get this opportunity.' Vicky starred in Line Of Duty for six series alongside Martin Compston as DI Steve Arnott and Adrian Dunbar as Superintendent Ted Hastings, with the trio tasked with hunting down corrupt policemen and exposing their sneaky ways. It's open! After receiving a tour of the facility, Vicky and Jonny cut the ribbon to officially open the police and fire department's new headquarters Grand display: She also got watch the latest recruits being welcomed into the force through their passing out parade Sensational: Line Of Duty first aired on BBC Two in 2012, and was upgraded to BBC One for its fourth series after becoming a ratings hit More please! Since the sixth series aired last year, fans have been calling for writer Jed Mercurio to pen another instalment after it ended on a cliffhanger The show originally began on BBC Two, but was upgraded to BBC One from its fourth series after becoming a ratings hit. Since the sixth series aired last year, fans have been calling for writer Jed Mercurio to pen another instalment after it ended on a cliffhanger with the AC-12 team's powers significantly reduced. The finale divided many fans, as the mysterious antagonist 'H' was finally unmasked as DSI Ian Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle. Loyal viewers took to social media in their droves to share their frustrations as officers from the police anti-corruption unit AC-12 discovered the identity of the elusive 'fourth man' - leading to a demand for another series of the show. It's was thought at the time that BBC bosses were resuming talks with Jed to pen a seventh series, after the sixth run left things open-ended, according to The Sun. Comedian Dane Cook is an engaged man. The 50-year-old actor popped the question to his 23-year-old girlfriend Kelsi Taylor on July 13, five years after they started dating, during a trip to Maine, People confirmed on Tuesday. Dane previously faced bitter backlash over the age-gap romance after it was revealed that he had started dating Kelsi when she was just 18 years old. In 2018, he joked about their 27-year-age gap, quipping: 'The only thing you have to do is plan that your deaths will be somewhat far apart.' Opening up about his decision to propose, the actor told People: 'I was so ready to ask her. I was completely zen about it. 'The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy.' Soon to be Mr and Mrs Cook: Comedian Dane Cook became engaged over two weeks ago on July 13. The actor popped the question to his 23-year-old girlfriend Kelsi Taylor after five years together, People confirmed on Tuesday. Seen in 2019 Dane has also reportedly dated Jessica Simpson, 42, and Nicole Scherzinger, 44. He also called Kelsi his 'best friend' and 'the woman who I've shared some of the greatest times of my life with.' And he said he was happy to 'start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked.' Cook shared it was the 'best feeling ever,' to propose to his lady love. Ready at 50! 'I was so ready to ask her. I was completely Zen about it,' the Employee Of The Month star told the site. 'The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy.' Seen in 2019 Planner: Cook started mapping out the proposal months ago. He wanted to get down on one knee while at York Beach in Maine, which holds a 'special place in our hearts,' he told People Taylor also talked to the site as she said, 'The second he began to reach for his back pocket, my stomach flipped. I couldn't have asked for the moment to have been more perfect. 'All that was going through my brain was, "Wait, is this actually happening right now? Is he proposing?" 'I was also just really focused on what he was saying to me because I was trying desperately to etch the words into my brain,' she added. 'They were so beautiful, I really wanted to soak it in.' After her asked for her hand in marriage they sat together on the deck, shared laughs, held hands and 'watched that giant moon sparkle across the ocean.' TLF: He also called Kelsi his 'best friend' and 'the woman who I've shared some of the greatest times of my life with.' And he said he was happy to 'start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked.' Seen in 2019 Is age just a number? Dane previously faced bitter backlash over the age-gap romance after it was revealed that he had started dating Kelsi when she was just 18 years old Cook started mapping out the proposal months ago. He wanted to get down on one knee while at York Beach in Maine, which holds a 'special place in our hearts,' he told People. 'When we started dating, we went there on our first trip together so to return five years later was meaningful to us,' he shared. 'It's a place I spent much time in growing up so I have such fond memories there. After my mother passed away, she asked me and my siblings to release her at her favorite spot, the breathtaking location, at the tip of Cape Neddick Point, Nubble Lighthouse, where our vacation cottage is located. It felt like the right place.' In June this year, a TikTok user slammed Dane for dating Kelsi - as she was allegedly 18 when the romance began - and his bio on the video-sharing platform read: 'coming of age against my will.' TikTok user Natanial (@nathanielrosenberg) ranted: Has anyone else noticed that since he started dating a teenager, Dane Cook has been trying to pretend hes a teenager too? Look at that. Growing up against my will. What do you mean by growing up, you are 50 years old! Your girlfriend is the one growing up against your will, His ex: He used to date his Employee Of The Month co-star Jessica Simpson; seen in 2006 Having the time of her life: Simpson seen this summer on her 42nd birthday; she now heads a massive clothing and accessory company ` Advertisement Blanca Blanco took some time off this week to soak up the sun on Compass Cay Island in the Bahamas where she enjoyed an afternoon on a yacht. The Tale Of Tails actress shared several new images to Instagram where she was posing in a lime green string bikini that made the most of her curves. The day before the pinup from Washington state shared video where she was swimming with sharks in the shallows as she modeled a black and white two piece bathing suit. Yacht time: Blanca Blanco took some time off this week to soak up the sun on Compass Cay Island in the Bahamas where she enjoyed an afternoon on a yacht. The Tale Of Tails actress shared several new images to Instagram where she was posing in a lime green string bikini that made the most of her curves Glam gal: In the new images the looker wore her brunette hair down in soft waves with glamorous makeup and large round dangling earrings on as she showed off her fit frame thanks to workouts on her Peloton In the new images the looker wore her brunette hair down in soft waves with glamorous makeup and large round dangling earrings on as she showed off her fit frame thanks to workouts on her Peloton. The actress looked to be in great spirits as she took time off from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. The siren has been working hard all year on her new projects Eye For Eye and The Downside of Bliss so she wanted some down time. The girlfriend of veteran Hollywood actor John Savage of The Deer Hunter and Hair fame was also seen in a black and white suit that made the most of her toned tummy. This comes after she released her memoir called Breaking The Mold earlier this year. In March she chatted up at her book signing at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. Day on the high seas: The siren has been working hard all year on her new projects Eye For Eye and The Downside of Bliss so she wanted some down time No worries: The actress looked to be in great spirits as she took time off from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles During a Q&A session, the actress commented on her past brushes with A list stars. 'He was a gentleman and kind,' said the Tale Of Tales star about Brad Pitt whom she met in 2019 when at a private party in Hollywood for the film If Beale Street Could Talk. She also shared that the Oscar-winner was 'shy' and talked about how much he loved producing movies. Brad had not gone out much because he was in the process of divorcing Angelina Jolie and wanted to keep a low profile. A photo of him at the time was very rare, even if it was blurry and at an event. So the photo of the two went viral and she was in shock. She doesn't go casual: Her nails were also ultra glam as they were long and painted a bright pink color A picture says 1,000 words: here she sat on the edge of the yacht as she put one hand on her head 'It just shows you the power of the internet that one little photo like that can be circulated and all these assumptions can be made,' said Blanca who was in a Fendi dress and Balmain boots. So what was Pitt really like? 'He was incredibly polite, I was taken aback by that, like a gentleman from another era,' noted Blanco. 'We talked for about 15 minutes about films and he says he loves bringing stories to the screen, he relishes his role as movie producer. And he walked me through the process a bit, saying he reads a lot of books and scripts to find the right content.' Pitt has produced Moneyball, The Departed and 12 Years A Slave, to name a few. But there was no romance. The big swim: The day before the pinup from Washington state shared video where she was swimming with sharks in the shallows as she modeled a black and white two piece bathing suit Not a Jaws type of day: The sharks were smaller than the Great White Sharks that swim along the California coast 'No, there was no flirting or romance, it was just a friendly conversation, he was unassuming and almost shy,' she added. 'But I can understand he has not really dated since he split from Angelina, so everyone wants to know who's next? What is he up to? It's the nature of our culture.' And when asked who the most 'real' celebrity is that she has ever met in her 20 years in Hollywood, she said Lady Gaga. 'I met her a few years ago when she released an album. We were at a the Four Seasons hotel,' she said. Her book is in stores now 'We have some friends in common so she came over to our table and talked. When I spoke with her about acting she gave me her full attention and she told me how much passion she has for acting. 'I was really impressed with her because she spoke from the heart and was so genuine. She was not a star but a real person, there was no wall, she was not guarded at all. I am happy to see she is having so much success, she was fascinating to watch in House Of Gucci.' Chevalier's Books is located at 133 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Breaking The Mold has become a bestseller. The book shares many details of her life like how her father use to beat her with a horse whip and how she was sexually assaulted in her 20s by a man pretending to be a movie producer. In the chapter about her sexual assault, Blanca writes that she was asked to star in a film by a small company. The Washington state native checked out the company and the man and everything seemed legitimate. So she went to meet the producer, who seemed legit and ready to work with her. But when he asked her to meet him on the film's set in a parking lot, there were no movie sets or crew members which made Blanca very nervous. She asked him where the staff was and that is when he sexually assaulted her. Luckily Blanca was a runner in high school and was fast enough to run away from the man but he caught up to her in her car and almost stopped her from driving away. The door shut on her leg, almost breaking it, but she managed to drive away - with dog open and leg injured from the man. Blanca went to the police and she later found out there had been other complaints about the man, but he was not caught. No flirting: But there was no romance. 'No, there was no flirting or romance, it was just a friendly conversation' Brad moment: During a Q&A session, the actress commented on her past brushes with A list stars. 'He was a gentleman and kind,' said the Tale Of Tales star about Brad Pitt whom she met in 2019 when at a private party in Hollywood for the film If Beale Street Could Talk She told the story in her book because she wanted to warn other young women about wily con artists who pretended to be what they were not. Last year she told DailyMail.com exclusively about the release. 'I wrote 'BREAKING THE MOLD' during the COVID lockdown, as I felt my story could help others because poverty and abuse has been increasing. I will take you on my journey from poverty to success and how I made it happen,' the Mission: Possible actress told DailyMail.com. 'I share and provide tools and techniques that worked for me,' she said about her book which is coming out from Briton Publishing. The Cannes Film Festival favorite added, 'My book is an autobiography and I share about childhood poverty, abuse, and how I overcame it. I feel it will motivate readers if they are caught in a bad situation.' Big Shot star John Stamos and his second wife Caitlin McHugh brought their four-year-old son Billy to Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim on Monday in honor of Spider-Man Day. At 58, the two-time Emmy-nominated producer is 22 years older than the Wilhelmina Model, but they've been happily married for four years. Despite the 88F-degree summer weather, John wore a black leather jacket over a red collared top, black jeans, and Adidas shell-toe sneakers. Web slingers! Big Shot star John Stamos and his second wife Caitlin McHugh brought their four-year-old son Billy to Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim on Monday in honor of Spider-Man Day Stamos enthusiastically posed with Spider-Man and Iron Man costumed characters at the Avengers Campus in the popular theme park. 'OG Iron Man?' the Orange County native - who boasts 9.1M social media followers - captioned his Instagram video with Tony Stark. 'There's a new kid in town and he's on Spidey and his Amazing Friends. Catch me beginning August 19th as the new voice of Tony Stark/Iron Man.' Indeed, it was all a promotional appearance for John, who made sure to pose in front of the Spidey and his Amazing Friends backdrop. Turning 59 on August 19! At 58, the two-time Emmy-nominated producer is 22 years older than the Wilhelmina Model, but they've been happily married for four years Have mercy! Despite the 88F-degree summer weather, John wore a black leather jacket over a red collared top, black jeans, and Adidas shell-toe sneakers VIP treatment: Stamos enthusiastically posed with Spider-Man and Iron Man costumed characters at the Avengers Campus in the popular theme park The Orange County native - who boasts 9.1M social media followers - captioned his Instagram video with Tony Stark: 'OG Iron Man? There's a new kid in town and he's on Spidey and his Amazing Friends' Welcome to the MCU! Indeed, it was all a promotional appearance for John, who made sure to pose in front of the Spidey and his Amazing Friends backdrop Fans can catch Stamos' new voiceover gig as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the second season of Spidey and His Amazing Friends, which premieres August 19 on Disney Junior. Last Saturday, the eighties heartthrob attended the Malibu wedding of his former Full/Fuller House castmate Jodie Sweeetin to clinical social worker Mescal Wasilewski. John will next perform drums/percussion with The Beach Boys at their 'Sixty Years of the Sounds of Summer' concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles next Sunday. Stamos' history with The Beach Boys 'goes back to the 1980s when he in an attempt to avoid fans hid backstage at one of their concerts and was invited by Mike Love to play the encore with them.' Premieres August 19 on Disney Junior! Fans can catch Stamos' new voiceover gig as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the second season of Spidey and His Amazing Friends Families displaced by construction of the Polavaram project are bitter over denial of relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package to their daughters as well as family members who had to leave their houses and look for jobs. (Photo: File/ By Arrangement) KAKINADA: Families displaced by construction of the Polavaram project are bitter over denial of relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package to their daughters as well as family members who had to leave their houses and look for jobs after being deprived of their livelihood following construction of the dam. When the state government prepared a list of Project Displaced Families (PDFs) affected by the Polavaram project, it included in the list boys and girls of these families who had not reached the 18 years as on the cut-off date in 2017. However, the R&R package had not been provided within the period stated. Since then, PDFs had to perform weddings of their daughters who had crossed 18 years of age. Likewise, the boys too who had aged had to go out looking for jobs or for higher education. Now, officials are saying that such boys and girls are not going to be paid any compensation as they are not living in the project-affected villages, Veerapuraju Chittibabu of Sivagiri village in Polavaram mandal of Eluru district pointed out. Many families, particular the poorer lot, are in a piquant situation. When they had got their daughters married off, they had promised to give the grooms family the compensation amount they would get from the R&R package. As per Dharma, we have to make that payment. But officials are refusing to pay anything saying the girls are not staying in the same village, Chittibabu underlined. He pointed to the obvious logic that a married girl would move to her in-laws place or be staying with her husband in another place. G. Gandhi Babu of V.R. Puram in Yetapaka division belonging to Alluri Seetharama Raju district said many of the village people, including boys, who had grown up in villages like Koruthuru, Cheeduru and Sivagiri that had got marooned, had to leave for other places and stay in rented accommodations. He requested the government to do justice for such families by paying the R&R package immediately. Further, some of the heads of PDFs had passed away before the compensation could be paid by the state government. Members of their families must be paid the compensation due to them, Gandhi Babu maintained. Many families have urged Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and state government to look into such special cases and pay them their rightful compensation. She regularly gives insight into her ongoing battled with post-traumatic stress disorder and perinatal anxiety, following the birth of her son Leo in December with partner Ryan Libbey. And on Monday, Louise Thompson, 32, admitted that she longs to feel 'normal' after her recent hospital stint as she continues 'losing hope and losing days.' The former Made In Chelsea star took to Instagram where she posted a slew of photographs showing her doting on her baby boy, but confessed that sometimes she feels like she's 'drowning and someone has thrown her a child.' Longing for normality: On Monday, Louise Thompson, 32, admitted that she longs to feel 'normal' after her recent hospital stint as she continues 'losing hope and losing days' In a lengthy caption alongside, Louise penned: 'Me and my Leo lamb (lump). Some days I feel like I am doing EVERYTHING in my power to do right by me and my brain and my recovery and it's just not enough. 'Nothing will drag my brain out of the ditches. Why does this feel so chemical? What is going on? I go round and round in circles questioning EVERYTHING and wondering when I will feel normal and balanced again. 'Is it the steroids? Is it the mirtazapine? Is it the trauma? What da heck!!! I should be happy. Everything else in life is looking pretty good. I have a healthy son that I should be grateful for, and I am, but honestly sometimes I feel like I'm drowning and someone has thrown me a child. 'Things seem straightforward and I have soooo much going for me so why can't I bloody enjoy them. Why am I stuck in this stressed, panicked state?! What triggered this? Candid: The star took to Instagram where she posted a slew of photographs showing her doting on her baby boy, but confessed that sometimes she feels like she's 'drowning' Opening up: In a lengthy caption alongside, Louise detailed what she's going through following her recent hospital stint 'I have slept well, eaten really well, done yoga, rested, chatted to friends, ticked things off the list to try and boost those little feel good satisfaction endorphins but nothing is a certain. 'My brain feels like mush and it's so irritating. I feel irritable x 10000000 like someone has turned off a few receptor buttons in there that I really need on. Something is definitely lacking and it doesn't feel like happiness or calm that's missing, it feels more than that. 'Yesterday was really rough. Like having the worst brain fog in the world, I can hardly see and I'm so so dizzy. I can act ok, but inside I'm not. Just when I think I'm gaining momentum I start to feel really physically drained. 'I felt amazing (mentally and physically) on drips and iv hydrocortisone and lots of prednisone tablets in hospital and now I'm weening off them I feel really unwell again. Why did no one warn me about this? Gorgeous mummy: Louise cradled her son in her arms as she stood by a river barefoot in a colourful skirt and white shirt Bonding: The MIC star gazed at Leo as he rested during the peaceful family day out 'Maybe all the trauma and significant blood loss have contributed to some further problems. I need to get some answers because I can't keep going round and round in circles losing hope and losing days. 'Surely I can't only feel ok to function on lots of steroids? My gut stuff is all fixing up nicely so it isn't that. Do I have adrenal insufficiency? Low cortisol? 'I've read that antidepressants can actually contribute to the development of adrenal fatigue so maybe that's making things worse? I still haven't had Mr P either so hormones are likely to be out of whack. Any help? Help. 'Despite all of this chaos, I did have one delicious day on Saturday spent down by the river with family in Windsor, so I'm clinging onto that. I'm still pretty panicky about my recovery and my future and the lack of ability to plan when I feel like this, but then when I feel really down I'm thrown a golden egg.' Doting dad: Louise also shared snaps of her partner Ryan Libbey, 31, with their baby boy Cute: Little Leo looked adorable in a red and white striped baby outfit Following a recent stint in hospital, Louise has recently been attempting to lower her antidepressants dosage with guidance from her medical team. Last week the mum-of-one admitted she was struggling with her emotions as she contended with 'mum guilt' and her disappointment at missing her close friend's wedding. WHAT IS POSTNATAL ANXIETY? As many as 17 per cent of new mothers experience postnatal anxiety after giving birth, studies suggest. It is thought to be caused by a combination of the shock of parenthood, hormonal fluctuations, and the impact family life has on sleep and stress levels. Some women experience postnatal generalised anxiety disorder, which is defined as a constant state of anxiety. This is where you worry about everything from your child's feeding patterns to your ability as a parent. Postnatal obsessive compulsive disorder occurs when a woman experiences distressing thoughts about harm coming to her baby. And postnatal health anxiety is when the mind becomes preoccupied that there may be something wrong with the baby's health. Many anxiety sufferers feel tense and on edge, and battle a constant sense of dread. They may also become paranoid that people can tell something is wrong. And their mind is often busy with thoughts and continuously dwelling on negative situations. Physical symptoms may include: Tense muscles and headaches Pins and needles Feeling lightheaded or dizzy Sweating or hot flushes Palpitations Insomnia Needing the toilet more or less frequently Churning feeling in the stomach Panic attacks Treatment is made up of talking therapies and anti-anxiety medication. People can help themselves cope by shifting their focus onto something small, like the details on a picture or the fabric of their clothes. Breathing exercises and staying active can also help. Advertisement Sharing photos from her London home on Wednesday, Louise admitted she was 'struggling quite a lot this morning'. 'I have to be honest I feel a great sense of comfort and connectedness sharing on here. I feel a sense of safety, like nothing can go wrong because we're all in this together. So I hope you don't mind but I'm going to stick with it,' she added of her willingness to share her feelings. Louise demonstrated her morning qigong routine, a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation, which she has been practising over the past week to give her 'stability'. She then clarified why she was finding the day so tough, explaining she was attempting to lower the dosage of her antidepressants. 'I am trying to lower my mirtazapine dose,' she wrote. 'I really just want to stabilise my body and brain naturally. I'm 4 days into a lower dose and this morning I feel all over the place.' 'I feel really dizzy and confused and quite outa body. Like I don't know where to place myself. I can't sit down or think straight.' 'I feel like my nervous system is malfunctioning. Thank goodness Leo is at nursery and I have Ryan.' 'Sometimes I think how the heck did this all happen to me? Give me my old brain back. I beg of you.' Louise later shared her feelings of 'mum guilt' about sending her son to nursery two days a week, explaining that she hasn't even told her fans about Leo's nursery routine because she felt 'so guilty for sending him'. 'I think Ryan nonchalantly mentioned it on a story a while back and I freaked out a bit,' she admitted. 'Tbh when I think back to a few months ago I find it noting short of miraculous that I managed to achieve the simple task of finding and enrolling him into a lovely little school. Need to eliminate the mum guilt.' To add to her struggles, Louise said she was gutted to be missing out on an important event this month- her best friend Binky Felstead's wedding in Corfu. 'Also feeling quite pants because I'm missing my beautiful besties wedding in Greece this week due to a boring hospital infusion tomorrow and other non negotiable medical appointments this week,' Louise wrote. 'I love you @binkyfelstead.' Louise's MIC pal Binky held a second wedding ceremony with her fiance Max in Greece last week after legally getting hitched in London last year. If you have been affected by this story please contact Birth Trauma Association at birthtraumaassociation.org.uk For help and support with perinatal mental illness please contact PANDAS on 0808 1961 776 Amy Schumer got people talking after she posted a nipple-baring shot to her Instagram account on Monday. The comedienne, 41, flashed a hint of her exposed breast as she posed with a pal in a now-deleted Instagram snap captioned 'Just got engaged.' Fans took to the comments section to joke about the exposed cleavage - including Orlando Bloom. 'Free the nipple': Amy Schumer put on an eye-catching display after she posted a nipple-baring shot to her Instagram account on Monday 'Free the nipple,' he commented, along with a laughing crying emoji. Hundreds of people 'liked' the comment. The post, which has since been removed, also garnered comments from Chelsea Handler and a slew of others who joked about the nipple flash. 'Congratulations,' Chelsea jokingly commented. 'Thanks for keeping us abreast,' remarked one witty Instagram user. 'Nipsey Russell,' another commented. Caught his eye! 'Free the nipple,' Bloom commented, along with a laughing crying emoji; Bloom pictured L in September 2021 and Schumer R in June 2022 'Thanks for keeping us abreast': Fans joked about the exposed nipple in the comments section of the snap One fan brought up Instagram's notorious nudity policy, which limits showing female nipples on the app. 'I wonder how long this will stay up before the ig police notice,' she commented. Amy is currently traveling around the U.S. as part of her Wh*re Tour, and on Monday posted shots from her latest performance, which took place in a rather unique venue. 'Sometimes you perform in a barn,' she captioned a shot of her cracking jokes to fans from inside the rustic setting. 'Sometimes you perform in a barn': Amy is currently traveling around the U.S. as part of her Wh*re Tour, and on Monday posted shots from her latest performance, which took place in a rather unique venue Stand-up: Schumer cracked jokes from inside a barn Amy has shows coming up in New Jersey, Canada, Seattle, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and more this month. She is also coming off the success of her critically-acclaimed Hulu dramedy Life & Beth, which costars Michael Cera as a romantic interest inspired by her husband Chris Fischer. Amy and Chris have been married since 2018. They share three-year-old son Gene. Last year on Instagram Amy gushed about her chef hubby as she noted, 'I feel loved and supported always. He takes care of our family and is a husband and father beyond my wildest dreams.' She's known for her love of travel and lavish getaways. And Montana Brown looked nothing short of sensational on Tuesday as she was captured in a slew of stunning shots during a recent trip to Italy. The former Love Island star, 26, flaunted her toned physique and peachy posterior in swimwear looks from her Swim Society brand's new Tuscany collection as she enjoyed some time on a yacht on the Amalfi coast. Sail away: Montana Brown flaunted her toned physique and peachy posterior in looks from her Swim Society brand's new Tuscany collection as she enjoyed some time in the Amalfi coast The stylish print accentuated the brunette beauty's tanned physique while she wore her hair in a relaxed bun. Looking radiant with a stunning backdrop, the swimwear designer completed her look wearing a pair of animal print sunglasses. Montana also visited some of the idyllic hidden gems southern Italy has to offer, including a photo of her exploring the ancient shoreline. She was also seen posing from what appears to her a hotel balcony at one stage, soaking up the rays in a tiny lavender bikini while also taking some time out to reflect. Tan time: Montana looked nothing short of sensational as she shared a slew of stunning shots during a recent trip to Italy Exploring: Montana also visited some of the idyllic hidden gems southern Italy has to offer, including a photo of one of the country's ancient caves What a view: She was also seen posing from what appears to be her hotel balcony at one stage, soaking up the rays in a tiny lavender bikini. Time out: The reality star took some time to reflect during the trip Last week the TV favourite jetted off to Lebanon for a friend's wedding with her boyfriend Mark O'Connor. Montana showcased her bronzed physique as she packed on the PDA with her real estate beau ahead of their friends big day on Tuesday. The brunette beauty flaunted her sensational figure in a selection of skimpy swimsuits from her sustainable brand Swim Society. Loved-up: Montana showcased her bronzed physique as she packed on the PDA with her real estate beau ahead of their friends big day last week The TV favourite swept her brunette tresses back from her face in a high-bun keeping her hair out of her face placing a pair of square black sunglasses on her head. Meanwhile, ex-rugby player Mark showcased his lean physique in a pair of black board shorts as he placed a tender kiss on his stunning girlfriend. Another image showed Montana looking sensational in a green bikini - with it's ring feature accentuating her gorgeous hourglass figure. The reality star cooled down wearing a straw hat as she shielded under from the sun under a parasol while enjoying a day a beach day. Cooling down: The reality star cooled down wearing a straw hat as she shielded under from the sun under a parasol while enjoying a day a beach day Stunner: Another image showed Montana looking sensational in a green bikini - with it's ring feature accentuating her gorgeous hourglass figure The former ITV2 star founded the luxury sustainable swimwear brand in 2019 to be inclusive for all body types. The reality star also donned an aztec print swimsuit as she cooled down at their resort ahead of her friends wedding. Getting all dolled up for the big day, Montana wowed in a metallic green gown as a dapper Mark placed an amorous around her. Unique: The reality star also donned an aztec print swimsuit as she cooled down at their resort ahead of her friends wedding Recently Montana proudly displaced her 'cellulite' and 'leg hairs' as she spoke about embracing the female body in an Instagram post in March. The influencer admitted the pictures were 'unposed' and although she 'didn't think they were the best ones' she shared how important it is to share natural images. Montana wore her brunette locks up for the pictures, which showed her taking a hot tub dip at luxury mountain resort Six Senses Residences Courchevel in the French Alps. Venue: Getting all dolled up for the big day, Montana wowed in a metallic green gown as a dapper Mark placed an amorous around her Talking to her followers, Montana wrote: 'Monday motivation today is embracing the female body. Everything Swim Society represents is loving your body as it is TODAY. Including skin texture, stretch marks, cellulite, wonky boobies and all the rest.' 'I've fluctuated with my weight, loving the gym, not loving the gym, dealing with depression/anxiety and I refuse to feel bad about what I see in a picture. 'Bit of cellulite on my a**, you can zoom in and see my little hairs on the tops of my leggies and if you scroll to the end my armpit legit looks like a vagina for no apparent reason / our new collection for all women is now available, all bodies welcome,' she concluded. Montana was open in the post, talking about her weight fluctuating and struggling with mental health issues, as she showcased off her 'real' body - talking candidly on cellulite and body hair. Montana rose to fame on season three of Love Island, making it to the final with ex Alex Beattie and ultimately coming in fifth place. While the Hertfordshire-born beauty ended things with Personal Trainer Alex, she has since found love with real estate guru Mark O'Connor. Whilst Montana keeps the relationship fairly quiet, the pair were first spotted together in early 2021. Montana reportedly met her beau through a gym in London, as friends of Mark told MailOnline last year: 'He played rugby for Chiswick and Wales 1st Teams as a prop, and has a proprietary interest in Forge Gym London. That's likely how he met Montana.' She welcomed the birth of her fourth child, Becker, in March. And Jessie Cave shared a candid breastfeeding snap to her Instagram on Tuesday as she revealed nursing her newborn makes her feel 'calm'. Posting a picture of herself with Becker, five months, the Harry Potter star and illustrator, 35, shared how she has really 'enjoyed' the experience this time round. Honest: Jessie Cave shared a candid breastfeeding snap to her Instagram on Tuesday as she revealed nursing her newborn makes her feel 'calm' The actress, and comedian Alfie Brown also share sons Abraham, 22 months, and Donnie, 7, plus daughter Margot, 5. Taking to her Instagram she penned: 'I've had very varied experiences with breastfeeding but I'm really happy to be enjoying it this time round. It's the only thing I feel completely calm about these days, or maybe it calms me. 'I feel like I've done it all. Double pumping, formula, prescribed formula, combined feeding, EBF, expressed bottles, breast pumping addiction.' Mammy's boy: She welcomed the birth of her fourth child, Becker, in March She continued: 'With 3rd baby being an extreme vomiter I was fully prepared for this one to vomit everything back up and do the "sit upright for 45 minutes after each feed even during the night" dance. Crazy. Looking to the future, she added: 'About to embark on some more challenging days and weeks of workHOWEVER I am still determined to breastfeed 'on demand' AND not use a bottle OR do any kind of pumping AND I ALSO KNOW THIS IS KINDA IMPOSSIBLE (?) so I'm sucking up each blissful feed while I can. She concluded: 'Trying to be open and appreciative for the time I've had doing the on demand thing and accepting of my own needs for my work too.' Breastfeeding: Posting a picture of herself with Becker, five months, the Harry Potter star and illustrator, 35, shared how she has really 'enjoyed' the experience this time round Update: Taking to her Instagram she penned a lengthy post on her breastfeeding journey The sincere post comes after Jessie revealed how Becker was hospitalised in May after suddenly falling ill. The author posted on Instagram to mark Maternal Mental Health Week, sharing photos of him as he recovered in hospital. Jessie thanked NHS staff for looking after both of them, explaining how 'sometimes the mum and her well-being gets a little forgotten.' 'Scary few nights': Jessie revealed how Becker was hospitalised in May after suddenly falling ill Writing alongside photos of Becker with his hand bandaged after having a cannula inserted, Jessie explained: 'Thank you to @uclh once again for being amazing. Me and Becker just had a scary few nights back at hospital but he's recovering and he was looked after so well.' 'As it's #maternalmentalhealthweek I wanted to share & add that I was looked after so well too, with every nurse and doctor asking me 'how are you?' one nurse overnight tried for about two hours to calm him down without me feeding him so I could sleep - something she didn't need to do.' 'When needles were going into him - I was asked if was okay too. Sometimes the mum and her well-being gets a little forgotten.' Doing well: The author posted on Instagram to mark Maternal Mental Health Week, revealing how NHS staff kindly looked after her as well as little Becker (pictured in May) Illness: Writing alongside photos of Becker with his hand bandaged after having a cannula inserted, Jessie explained: ' I was looked after so well too, with every nurse and doctor asking me 'how are you?'' 'Babies get sick so quickly and it's important to be extra vigilant. I went in as soon because things weren't quite right and I was right to go in.' Jessie ended her post by confirming little Becker is 'okay' and they were now home, as she happily pointed out the photo which showed her newborn is bigger than the toy seahorse next to him. 'Not quite what we needed after last weeks mastitis but newborns are a ROLLERCOASTER!' she wrote. Jessie's 20-month old son Tennessee, who was born in October 2020, was hospitalised soon after his difficult birth before the then three-month-old son was treated for coronavirus in January 2021. He went on to make a full recovery. Happy news: The actress took to Instagram on March 22 to reveal she had welcomed her fourth child Baby joy: Jessie and her partner Alfie Brown are also parents to 18-month old Tennessee, Donnie, six, and Margot, four Jessie was also hospitalised after testing positive for Covid during her third trimester. The actress, who is widely known for her role as Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter franchise, took to Instagram on March 22 to reveal she had welcomed her fourth child. Alongside an image from her hospital bed breastfeeding, her partner Alfie wrote: 'Welcome Becker Brown. Thank you to UCLH. Thank you to the midwives Amy and Emi-Lou. Thank you to Alisson Becker.' David Leitch's action comedy Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt doesn't hit UK theaters until Wednesday and US theaters until Friday, but critics are not exactly loving the 'high-octane bore.' Many reviewers singled out their praise for the 58-year-old Oscar winner, the fight sequences, and performances from Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tyree Henry, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - but not much else. THR's David Rooney called the Japan-set two-hour flick 'soulless' and wrote it was 'so busy delivering violent action with a self-satisfied wink that its contorted plotting and one-note characters get real tedious real fast.' Reviews are in! David Leitch's action comedy Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt (R) doesn't hit UK theaters until Wednesday and US theaters until Friday, but critics are not exactly loving the 'high-octane bore' Rooney added: 'It's dispiriting to see so many capable actors put to such poor use...We don't care about who gets pounded to a pulp or shot to pieces because there are no characters to root for - good guys or bad.' Variety's Peter Debruge called Bullet Train 'a Kill Bill-like mix of martial arts, manga, and gabby hitman movie influences, minus the vision or wit that implies.' 'It's essentially a live-action cartoon, with high-profile cameos sprinkled in for added laughs,' Debruge noted. 'Stylistically, Leitch is trying his darnedest to channel the likes of Tarantino and Ritchie, even if the dialogue and mock-British accents aren't nearly strong enough to earn such comparisons.' Standouts: Many reviewers singled out their praise for the 58-year-old Oscar winner, the fight sequences, and performances from Hiroyuki Sanada (pictured), Brian Tyree Henry, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - but not much else 'There are no characters to root for': THR's David Rooney called the Japan-set two-hour flick 'soulless' and wrote it was 'so busy delivering violent action with a self-satisfied wink that its contorted plotting and one-note characters get real tedious real fast' 'It's essentially a live-action cartoon': Variety's Peter Debruge called Bullet Train 'a Kill Bill-like mix of martial arts, manga, and gabby hitman movie influences, minus the vision or wit that implies' AV Club's Todd Gilchrist loathed the 'improbability' of staff and passengers sharing the train with the hitmen as well as the timespan of the two-hour journey between Tokyo and Kyoto seemingly lasting all night. 'This film is not just bloated, tedious, dim-witted, and glib, its also redundant,' Gilchrist blasted. 'What proves to be more offensive is the film's unskilled attempt to inject seriousness into what should have been a cheeky summer distraction. It's fine for a movie about a bunch of competing killers to itself place no value on human life, and even to joyfully indulge in that kind of nihilism, but the way the filmmakers inject a sense of pathos feels about as earnest and meaningful as an airport gift shop souvenir before the flight home from some far-flung foreign country.' Deadline's Pete Hammond also called Bullet Train a 'live-action cartoon' that 'felt repetitive after a while.' 'It's not just bloated, tedious, dim-witted, and glib, its also redundant': AV Club's Todd Gilchrist loathed the 'improbability' of staff and passengers sharing the train with the hitmen as well as the timespan of the two-hour journey between Tokyo and Kyoto seemingly lasting all night 'None of the characters, Pitt's included, remotely resembles actual human beings': Deadline's Pete Hammond also called Bullet Train a 'live-action cartoon' that 'felt repetitive after a while' 'It's an airless affair': The Wrap's Alonso Duralde said the big-screen adaptation of Kotaro Isaka's 2010 novel Maria Beetle a 'pretty much leaves no cliche of this subgenre unturned' 'I can't say the thing ever goes off the rails because it never was on the rails to begin with,' Hammond wrote. 'It all seems like an attempt to draw an undemanding international audience with a well-chosen and game cast that has something for everyone who wants to submit to mindless adventure. None of the characters, Pitt's included, remotely resembles actual human beings but they give it the old college try.' The Wrap's Alonso Duralde said the big-screen adaptation of Kotaro Isaka's 2010 novel Maria Beetle a 'pretty much leaves no cliche of this subgenre unturned.' 'It's an airless affair. It's clear in the first 20 minutes that this movie operates in such a vacuum of smug artificiality that nothing that transpires could possibly matter,' Durlade wrote. 'Bullet Train is not a good film': IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave it a C grade, calling it an 'over-cranked story that feels like what might happen if someone typed "Guy Ritchie anime" into DALL-E 2' 'It can't quite hide its lack of originality': Screen Daily's Tim Grierson called it a 'self-consciously hip lumbering locomotive' that 'proves to be neither hilariously amoral nor liberatingly violent' 'Crash and burn': The Daily Beast's Nick Schager labeled Bullet Train 'dead on arrival' and said it 'more than slightly resembles Joe Carnahan's 2006 fiasco Smokin' Aces' 'And rather than lean into next-level snarkiness, Bullet Train builds to a place where, as the bodies start piling up, we're suddenly supposed to care about at least some of these characters and their relationships to each other.' IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave Bullet Train a C grade, calling it an 'over-cranked story that feels like what might happen if someone typed "Guy Ritchie anime" into DALL-E 2.' 'Bullet Train is not a good film, but Pitt is having a truly palpable amount of fun in it,' Ehrlich wrote. 'And the energy that radiates off of him as he fights Bad Bunny over an explosive briefcase or styles his hair with the blow dryer function of a Japanese toilet is somehow magnetic enough to convince us that we're having fun, too. Even though we usually aren't.' 'It's got a ticket a ride': On the opposite end was EW's Leah Greenblatt, who gave the $90M-budget flick a B+ grade and concluded it 'largely delivers on the high-speed berserkery of its premise' 'Just a bunch of celebrities attempting to kill each other': Collider's Ross Bonaime gave Bullet Train a B grade, writing that 'it relishes in the sort of caveman-brain enjoyment' and 'always barely skates by on the right side of stupid' Screen Daily's Tim Grierson called it a 'self-consciously hip lumbering locomotive' that 'proves to be neither hilariously amoral nor liberatingly violent.' 'But far too often director David Leitch indulges in a pseudo-Tarantino mix of outlandish violence and quirky character beats, resulting in a lot of strained irreverence that can't quite hide its lack of originality,' Grierson noted. The Daily Beast's Nick Schager labeled Bullet Train 'dead on arrival' and said it 'more than slightly resembles Joe Carnahan's 2006 fiasco Smokin' Aces.' 'Incapable of devising a simile for his wretched condition, Pitt's Ladybug opines that bad luck follows him "like... something witty,"' Schager wrote. 'His failure to come up with a suitable joke is Bullet's Train own, causing it to crash and burn long before it reaches its disappointing destination.' On the opposite end was EW's Leah Greenblatt, who gave the $90M-budget flick a B+ grade and concluded it 'largely delivers on the high-speed berserkery of its premise.' 'At 126 minutes, Bullet Train is maybe 20 minutes too long,' Greenblatt wrote. 'The movie seems to be having too much fun to reach its final station on time, and too many winky drop-ins from A-list action heroes to wedge in...Bullet Train doesn't have a destination, really, or a moral imperative other than mayhem. But it's got a ticket a ride.' And Collider's Ross Bonaime gave Bullet Train a B grade, writing that 'it relishes in the sort of caveman-brain enjoyment' and 'always barely skates by on the right side of stupid.' 'It's at its best when it's just a bunch of celebrities attempting to kill each other and having fun little conversations in between,' Bonaime wrote. Dane Cook stepped out with his new fiancee Kelsi Taylor two weeks after popping the question in Maine. The couple were spotted heading to lunch at McDonald's in Sherman Oaks on Sunday, two days before going public with their engagement. Kelsi, 23, however, was not wearing her dazzling diamond engagement ring. Where's the ring? Dane Cook's fiancee Kelsi Taylor was not sporting her engagement ring as they stepped out for lunch at McDonald's in Sherman Oaks on Monday She wore a taupe tank top, grey shorts, and a sweatshirt tied over her shoulders. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and a pair of fashionable frames shielded her eyes from the sunshine. Dane wore a Nike tank top, black shorts, and red trainers. He beamed with joy as they crossed the parking lot alongside his lady love. No doubt, the couple are flying high after their engagement last month. She said yes! Cook proposed to Taylor during a getaway to Maine in mid-July He put a ring on it! The beauty flashed her dazzling ring in video announcing their engagement The comic revealed the proposal to People and the couple also took to social media to share the news of their betrothal on Tuesday. Kelsi's new ring was on full display in video Dane posted announcing the engagement. 'She said yes!' he captioned the clip. Dane previously faced bitter backlash over the age-gap romance after it was revealed that he had started dating Kelsi when she was just 18 years old. Bling bling: The 50-year-old actor popped the question to his 23-year-old girlfriend Kelsi Taylor on July 13, five years after they started dating, during a trip to Maine, People confirmed on Tuesday Newly engaged! Cook was spotted leaving Earthbar in Los Angeles on Tuesday In 2018, he joked about their 27-year-age gap, quipping: 'The only thing you have to do is plan that your deaths will be somewhat far apart.' Opening up about his decision to propose, the actor told People: 'I was so ready to ask her. I was completely zen about it. 'The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy.' Soon to be Mr and Mrs Cook: Cook became engaged over two weeks ago on July 13. The actor popped the question to his 23-year-old girlfriend Kelsi Taylor after five years together, People confirmed on Tuesday. Seen in 2019 Dane has also reportedly dated Jessica Simpson, 42, and Nicole Scherzinger, 44. He also called Kelsi his 'best friend' and 'the woman who I've shared some of the greatest times of my life with.' And he said he was happy to 'start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked.' Cook shared it was the 'best feeling ever,' to propose to his lady love. Ready at 50! 'I was so ready to ask her. I was completely Zen about it,' the Employee Of The Month star told the site. 'The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy.' Seen in 2019 Planner: Cook started mapping out the proposal months ago. He wanted to get down on one knee while at York Beach in Maine, which holds a 'special place in our hearts,' he told People Taylor also talked to the site as she said, 'The second he began to reach for his back pocket, my stomach flipped. I couldn't have asked for the moment to have been more perfect. 'All that was going through my brain was, "Wait, is this actually happening right now? Is he proposing?" 'I was also just really focused on what he was saying to me because I was trying desperately to etch the words into my brain,' she added. 'They were so beautiful, I really wanted to soak it in.' After her asked for her hand in marriage they sat together on the deck, shared laughs, held hands and 'watched that giant moon sparkle across the ocean.' TLF: He also called Kelsi his 'best friend' and 'the woman who I've shared some of the greatest times of my life with.' And he said he was happy to 'start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked.' Seen in 2019 Is age just a number? Dane previously faced bitter backlash over the age-gap romance after it was revealed that he had started dating Kelsi when she was just 18 years old Cook started mapping out the proposal months ago. He wanted to get down on one knee while at York Beach in Maine, which holds a 'special place in our hearts,' he told People. 'When we started dating, we went there on our first trip together so to return five years later was meaningful to us,' he shared. 'It's a place I spent much time in growing up so I have such fond memories there. After my mother passed away, she asked me and my siblings to release her at her favorite spot, the breathtaking location, at the tip of Cape Neddick Point, Nubble Lighthouse, where our vacation cottage is located. It felt like the right place.' In June this year, a TikTok user slammed Dane for dating Kelsi - as she was allegedly 18 when the romance began - and his bio on the video-sharing platform read: 'coming of age against my will.' TikTok user Natanial (@nathanielrosenberg) ranted: Has anyone else noticed that since he started dating a teenager, Dane Cook has been trying to pretend hes a teenager too? Look at that. Growing up against my will. What do you mean by growing up, you are 50 years old! Your girlfriend is the one growing up against your will, His ex: He used to date his Employee Of The Month co-star Jessica Simpson; seen in 2006 Having the time of her life: Simpson seen this summer on her 42nd birthday; she now heads a massive clothing and accessory company ` Sarah Jessica Parker has long been hailed as a trendsetter for fashionistas all over the world thanks to her role as style icon Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City. But it would appear her look on the hit show falls some way short of approval from self-styled queen of sustainability Livia Firth who has hit out at the star for showcasing her unrealistic flat stomach. Livia, 52, the estranged wife of Oscar-winner Colin Firth, has attacked the actress for showing off something Livia suggests so few women can aspire to, it may cause eating disorders. The ethical fashion campaigner voiced her disgust by sharing a picture of Parker, 56, top left, on set as Carrie wearing a cropped pink blouse with her taut midriff accentuated by a tight, above-the-waist belt. Sarah Jessica Parker has long been hailed as a trendsetter for fashionistas all over the world thanks to her role as style icon Carrie Bradshaw (pictured left) in Sex And The City Livia Firth (left), 52, the estranged wife of Oscar-winner Colin Firth, has attacked Sarah Jessica-Parker (right) for showing off something Livia suggests so few women can aspire to, it may cause eating disorders 'Every time I see images like this (and I see a lot of them) I wonder A, why do we create clothes that only women who don't eat can wear?' asks Livia. 'And B, why do we want to make women feel bad about their bodies if their tummies are not like these (and the majority of women don't have a tummy like this). And C, why do we demonise eating?' Livia adds: 'So many girls and women I know suffer from food disorders because of this and I wonder what will it take to turn the tide on fashion as a vehicle of so much mental health issues and destruction and instead use it for wellbeing and construction?' Despite her criticisms of the actress known as SJP, Livia may be surprised to learn they actually sing from the same hymn sheet. The star has previously criticised Victoria Beckham and other slender stars for shedding their baby weight too quickly. 'There's all this emphasis on losing weight. Look at Posh Spice or whoever. But that life is not what's real,' she said. Art's enfant terrible joins the cafe society The world's richest artist, Damien Hirst (left of both pictures), has shared a glimpse of a new artwork, a cappuccino (right picture) depicting in its milk foam the 57-year-old and his ex-ballerina girlfriend Sophie Cannell (right of both pictures), 28 Could this be the most expensive cup of coffee ever made? The world's richest artist, Damien Hirst, has shared a glimpse of a new artwork, a cappuccino depicting in its milk foam the 57-year-old and his ex-ballerina girlfriend Sophie Cannell, 28. Hirst is to burn thousands of his famous dot paintings next month. Buyers who spent 1,600 on the physical art were given the option to see their investment torched in exchange for a digital version known as a non-fungible token, a type of digital asset. They probably needed something stronger than coffee after making that decision. Absent ROWAN'S POETIC faux pas Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (pictured) was booked both to preach in St Michael's Church and speak about R.S. Thomas's poetry in Eglwys Fach There are likely to be more than a few irate festival-goers in Eglwys Fach next month, as the birthplace of R.S. Thomas hosts a literary event honouring the great poet. Organisers were thrilled to have lined up former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams both to preach in St Michael's Church and speak about Thomas's poetry. But Williams, 72, has now realised that he will be some way from north Wales on the weekend in question in Canada, in fact. 'Rowan was absolutely appalled when he realised,' churchwarden Alison Swanson tells me. Williams says that 'habitual inefficiency' compounded by correspondence 'that hasn't shrunk that much since retirement' were to blame. A recording of his talk will be played in his absence. Its title? Keeping Faith In Poetry. Bake Off's Paul has Dame Prue down to a cup of tea Great British Bake Off judges Paul Hollywood (left) and Prue Leith (right) Paul Hollywood reckons the damehood that fellow Bake Off judge Prue Leith received last year has gone to her head. So much so, junior staff on the show are now apparently given lessons on how to make the perfect cup of tea for the 82-year-old. 'Prue is so precious about her tea on Bake Off,' the 56-year-old master baker told the audience at Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York, where he was promoting his book, Bake. 'We take the runners to show them how to make tea. You can't squeeze the bag against the tea cup as she knows. She is a dame now, so you can't do that to her.' Hollywood was also less than gallant about former Bake Off judge and fellow dame Mary Berry, 87. Speaking about the origins of baking, he said: 'When you look back on history like Pompeii . . . Mary Berry used to have a bakery there.' Miaow! Lady Clara's little boy Ludo comes out to play Actress and model Lady Clara Paget (right), 33, with husband Burberry model Oscar Tuttiett (bottom left), 33, and newborn son Ludo (middle left) Actress and model Lady Clara Paget spent most of her pregnancy keeping up appearances at events such as Glastonbury Festival but she may be now on a break from the party scene. For the 33-year-old daughter of the 8th Marquess of Anglesey has given birth to her first child, a boy named Ludo. Lady Clara, who has appeared in films including St Trinian's 2 and Fast & Furious 6, married Burberry model Oscar Tuttiett, 33, last summer. Her friend Poppy Delevingne congratulated the couple on their new arrival, saying: 'Welcome little Ludo, we love you.' Brad Pitt made a rare comment about one of the teenaged daughters he shares with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. While at the Los Angeles premiere for his new action movie Bullet Train on Monday, the 58-year-old Oscar winner said that Shiloh is 'beautiful.' And the actor also told ET's Nischelle Turner that the 16-year-old's incredible dance moves are so good 'it brings a tear to the eye, yeah.' Dad talks: Brad Pitt made a rare comment about one of the teenaged daughters he shares with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Seen Monday at the Bullet Train premiere in LA Proud papa: While at the Los Angeles premiere for his new action movie Bullet Train on Monday, the 58-year-old Oscar winner said that Shiloh is 'beautiful' She has star power! And the actor also told ET 's Nischelle Turner that the 16-year-old's incredible dance moves are so good 'it brings a tear to the eye, yeah.' Seen in 2021 Shiloh has been seen recently on social media performing dance moves with her pals. 'I don't know where she got it from. I'm Mr. Two-Left-Feet here,' he added with a laugh. In June Shiloh was seen in a black Beatles T-shirt when dancing to Doja Cat's song Vegas in a video posted on YouTube by Los Angeles-based choreographer Hamilton Evans. 'Shiloh loves dancing. She's seriously talented and has been going to these classes for a few years now,' an insider told Us Weekly. The family: From left, Shiloh, Zahara, Angie, Vivienne, Maddox and Knox in 2021 Earlier days: Jolie with Shiloh , Vivienne, Zahara and Knox at the Dumbo film premiere in 2019 So long ago: In 2010 in Paris with dad Pitt; they were shopping at Bonpoint 'She's made some good friends through the dancing community too, and they're all in chat groups and share their favorite playlists and that type of stuff. 'The teachers are all very impressed with her and say the sky's the limit if she wants to take it to the next level, and Shiloh may just do that.' When asked by ET on Monday if he thinks his kids may go into acting like he or Jolie, he said he just wants them to be happy. 'I love when they find their own way, find things they are interested in and flourish,' Pitt said of his children. Shiloh sure can dance: here she is seen center in a Beatles T-shirt as she danced He has three bio kids with Angie: Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. And three that were adopted: Maddox, Pax and Zahara. This comes after Jolie said Zahara had landed a place at the historically black liberal arts college for women and will be relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in the coming months. Angelina shared a photo of 17-year-old daughter and some of her fellow students, some of whom were in Spelman shirts, and wrote on Instagram: 'Zahara with her Spelman sisters! Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and an honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl. #spelman #spelmancollege #spelmansisters #HBCU.' The former couple's eldest son, 20-year-old Maddox studied at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, though his classes moved online and he returned to the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their second son, Pax, now 18, graduated last summer but is not believed to have taken up a place at college. They were a Hollywood golden couple: Jolie and Pitt attend the World War Z film in 2013 Meanwhile, the 47-year-old actress previously joked Zahara is a better organize than her. She said: 'I want to give them a bit of structure. I try to make schedules at home. My daughter Zahara is better at organizing things than I am.' She has also opened up about how she adopted some of her children, and how exciting and wonderful their journeys have been. She previously said: 'Each is a beautiful way of becoming family. What is important is to speak with openness about all of it and to share. 'Adoption' and 'orphanage' are positive words in our home. With my adopted children, I can't speak of pregnancy, but I speak with much detail and love about the journey to find them and what it was like to look in their eyes for the first time. All adopted children come with a beautiful mystery of a world that is meeting yours.' Bullet Train will be released in theaters on August 5. Paul Hollywood reckons the damehood that fellow Bake Off judge Prue Leith received last year has gone to her head. So much so, junior staff on the show are now apparently given lessons on how to make the perfect cup of tea for the 82-year-old. 'Prue is so precious about her tea on Bake Off,' the 56-year-old master baker told the audience at Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York, where he was promoting his book, Bake. Candid: Paul Hollywood reckons the damehood that fellow Bake Off judge Prue Leith received last year has gone to her head. 'We take the runners to show them how to make tea. You can't squeeze the bag against the tea cup as she knows. She is a dame now, so you can't do that to her.' The broadcaster was given her damehood in May 2021 for services to food, broadcasting and charity Paul was also less than gallant about former Bake Off judge and fellow dame Mary Berry, 87, as he joked about her age. Speaking about the origins of baking, he said: 'When you look back on history like Pompeii . . . Mary Berry used to have a bakery there.' Demands: So much so, junior staff on the show are now apparently given lessons on how to make the perfect cup of tea for the 82-year-old It comes after Paul's co-star Prue branded cancel culture 'ridiculous' and 'silly', admitting she expects she'll fall victim to the form of ostracism soon. The TV judge also confessed she doesn't plan to continue in her role on the Channel 4 reality show 'for the long-haul' due to being 'so old'. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she admitted of the call-out craze: 'Oh yeah, no I'm sure. It does sound like me. Being cancelled because I said something.' Prue was recently slammed by eating disorder campaigners from charity Beat for joking about calories on Bake Off. It had been noted by viewers that the food critic often questions, 'Is it worth the calories?' as she quips about the contestants' sweet treats. She told MailOnline of the controversy: 'Well I've had to stop doing it because everyone gets so upset and actually I think it's all too ridiculous. But I think the world will stop being silly. Paul said: 'We take the runners to show them how to make tea. You can't squeeze the bag against the tea cup as she knows. She is a dame now, so you can't do that to her' 'The really good charity called Beat which is something about eating disorders, they say it's fat-shaming and it makes people feel guilty about themselves which is obviously not what I mean. 'Of course you don't want to offend people and, of course, it's important that overweight don't people feel like that so I've stopped doing that but if you have any sense of humour, you'll know that I didn't mean to be... I've got to be tactful.' Prue joined the baking competition following its move from BBC One to Channel 4 in 2017, but has now stated that she doesn't expect to stay for too long. She said: 'God, I'm so old, I don't think I'll be there for the long-haul but I'm very happy at the moment. 'The wonderful thing about being in the food business is that two hours later you want to do it all over again. 'It's not something you get sick of, or grow out of, you don't grow out of hunger.' The First Lady will not be back for a second season following a vote of no confidence from its network Showtime. 'Showtime can confirm that the anthology series The First Lady will not be moving forward with another season,' a spokesperson for the network shared with Deadline on Monday. The series which stars Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson as famous wives of American presidents incited controversy during its brief tenure for Davis' portrayal of Michelle Obama, which some viewers found to be 'insulting' and over-the-top. No second term: Showtime has canceled its historical drama series The First Lady after just one season; (LR) stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Viola Davis and Gillian Anderson pictured 'We would like to applaud the artistry and commitment of our showrunner Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our amazing cast led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson and our studio partner Lionsgate for their dedicated work in telling the unique stories of three remarkable leaders,' the statement concluded. In addition to Davis playing Obama, Pfeiffer starred on the anthology series as Betty Ford, while Anderson played Eleanor Roosevelt. The series wasn't a hit with critics, and it currently has a 41 percent rotten rating from reviewers surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes. The first season was spread between the three leading ladies, and future seasons were expected to show the trials and tribulations of other famous First Ladies. Too much: The series incited controversy during its brief tenure for Davis' portrayal of Michelle Obama, which some viewers found to be 'insulting' and over-the-top True to life: Pfeiffer appeared on the 10-episode season as Betty Ford During a TCA event in February, Schulman and Bier expressed interest in charting the lives of Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Dolly Madison, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and even Melania Trump in future seasons, though those plans appear to be on ice now. The first episode of the series premiered on April 17, and it instantly stirred up controversy thanks to Davis' performance, which was featured in the episode. Part of the complaints were inspired by the Oscar-winning actress' habit of pursing her lips repeatedly. Although Michelle Obama was known to affect the expression from time to time, some viewers thought Davis went overboard with the tic, which made the first lady appear comical. No more: Gillian Anderson played Eleanor Roosevelt. The creators considered other figures including Hillary Clinton, Melania Trump and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for future seasons 'So Viola Davis is gonna do that "something smells funny" face as Michelle Obama through the whole movie?' mused one viewer on social media. 'I feel like, they couldve just found someone who looks more like Michelle rather than have Viola Davis contort her face like this,' wrote another person. Davis may have had a hint as to how her portrayal would be received, as she admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live shortly before the premiere that she was riddled with 'anxiety' and 'stress' over the show. 'I'm glad it's over!' she admitted. 'I mean, the stress. Because everybody likes loves Michelle Obama. They know what she sounds like, they know what she looks like. 'And I'm like, "I don't want Michelle Obama calling me, cussing me out,"' she joked. Thiruvananthapuram: A person who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in Kerala after he showed symptoms of monkeypox, state Health Minister Veena George said here on Thursday. The minister said his samples have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. She said the disease could be confirmed only after getting the test results. Without revealing more details, George said the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe. With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health. Yazmin Oukhellou was seen without her arm in a sling just more than a month after after surviving a car accident that killed her boyfriend Jake McLean. The reality TV star, 28, appeared to be on the mend as she was seen out-and-about in London on Tuesday after breaking her arm in the horror car crash. She was a passenger in the vehicle which plunged 70ft off a cliff in Turkish port city Bodrum on July 3, leaving her with severe injuries. Out and about: Yazmin Oukhellou was seen without her arm in a sling as she recovers just more than a month after after surviving a car accident that killed her boyfriend Jake McLean The crash took place at around 4.30am and investigators established that the car, driven by Jake, hurtled around 70 feet over a left turn bend and landed in a ravine almost 30 feet below. Jake was pronounced dead at the scene while Yazmin was rushed to hospital, where she underwent treatment for her injured arm. And on Tuesday, Yazmin appeared to be recovering as she was once again seen with nothing supporting her arm, after first being spotted without a sling on Sunday. The TV personality stepped out in a grey gym co-ord set made up of fitted leggings and a cropped zip-up long-sleeved jacket. Recovering: The reality TV star, 28, appeared to be on the mend as she was seen out-and-about in London on Tuesday after breaking her arm in the horror car crash She kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and put her essentials in a grey designer Celine handbag. Yazmin wore her dark locks in loose waves and accentuated her features with a full-coverage bronzed make-up palette for the outing. She was seen for the first time without wearing a cast on her arm on Sunday during a weekend away in Lincoln with her co-stars Junaid Ahmed, Ella Rae Wise and Dani Imbert. The group spent some time touring the city, stopping for lunch at TGI Fridays before picking up some food shopping to take back to their rented accommodation. Stylish: The TV personality stepped out in a grey gym co-ord set made up of fitted leggings and a cropped zip-up long-sleeved jacket The week before, Yazmin still had her arm in a cast as she recovered from the car crash - which has left her with 'permanent scarring'. Jake and Yazmin were driving in a blue Mercedes E class saloon along a windy, mountainous road between the coastal city of Bodrum and the seaside town of Yalikavak as they returned from a night out. She severed an artery and a nerve during the accident- with UK doctors warning that she may never have full use of her right arm again. During the crash, Yazmin deliberately broke her trapped arm to escape the scene and rush for help - while partner Jake lay unconscious. Running errands: She kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and put her essentials in a grey designer Celine handbag With doctors telling her it is a 'miracle' she's still alive following her brush with the 'notorious' crash spot, Yazmin opened up to The Sun about the experience upon returning to the UK. Admitting she is unable to sleep without her mother Lisa by her side following the ordeal, the traumatised star shared her inability to comprehend surviving when Jake did not. She said: 'I severed an artery and a nerve, that's why I bled so much. The doctors called me an angel, a miracle, because it's a notorious spot and people have never survived. 'Now I'm just wondering how the hell did my partner die while I've survived? It's made me look at life totally differently.' Yazmin continued: 'I am definitely going to need therapy for a while, and I'm going to try some in-patient treatment too. I know this will live with me forever, I need to take it slowly.' 'I could have been like Jake and not survived so I'm just very grateful and lucky that if that's the worst case scenario, I will deal with it as best I can,' she explained. 'The scarring that I have is awful so I will always have that as a reminder. But at least I'm still alive.' As she continues to recover from the terrifying experience, Yazmin told how her emotions are 'very up and down' as she processes the grief of losing Jake. She detailed how she had lost relatives in the past, including her beloved Nan last year, but no one who she's loved in an 'intimate way', admitting it's 'very difficult'. The star had been on holiday with Jake in the resort of Bodrum where the terrifying incident took place, as the pair were currently 'off' but had taken the trip to reconcile. Crash: Yazmin was a passenger in the vehicle which plunged 70ft off a cliff in Turkish port city Bodrum on July 3, leaving her with severe injuries and killing her boyfriend Jake McLean But Yazmin fears she may be banned from her boyfriend's funeral over tensions with his family, as his mother Anita Walsh, believes an argument between Jake and Yazmin could have contributed to the crash. While the reality star denies reports of a bust up and claims the trip made things 'perfect' between her and Jake, an Assistant Prosecutor, who cannot be named under Turkish Law, told MailOnline on July 6: 'We have spoken with Jake's mother and she has told us that something was going on in the car that distracted him. 'She does not believe that this accident was caused by his poor driving. She said that he is a very skilled and experienced driver and would not have lost control of the car like this.' Prosecutors are investigating whether Jake was drink-driving, while the on-off couple argued outside a club at 3am, shortly before Sunday's crash. Vicky Pattison brought viewers to tears as she discussed her relationship with drinking in the Channel 4 documentary Alcohol, Dad And Me. The former Geordie Shore star, 34, broke into a sweat when she watched old footage of herself drunk on the programme. The show took a look at Vicky's relationship with her father John who has struggled with alcoholism for much of his life. Emotional: Vicky Pattison brought viewers to tears as she discussed her relationship with drinking in the Channel 4 documentary Alcohol, Dad And Me His relationship with booze worsened after he retired from the civil service to the point where he was drinking vodka every morning and was hospitalised with cirrhosis of the liver. His addiction caused the breakdown of his marriage of 30 years to Vicky's mother Carroll, who admitted she doesn't know how he is still alive. During the show, Vicky said in a voiceover of her own relationship with booze: 'Three or four drinks and Im sociable, fun and I can function the next day. 'Any more and I dont know when to stop. Id go so far as to say I cant stop'. Candid: The show took a look at Vicky's relationship with her father John who has struggled with alcoholism for much of his life Her candour impressed viewers, with many taking to social media to say the programme made them emotional. Other viewers who have alcoholism in their family said they related to the documentary and thanked Vicky for making it. One Twitter user wrote: 'Just watched Vicky Pattison documentary. So so brave to tell this story. There is such a stigma attached to alcoholism and more help is needed. Well done Vicky xxxx'. Another said: 'Well that had me crying with you. So relatable, so very brave and I am sure it will help lots of people going through it.' Reaction: Her candour impressed viewers, with many taking to social media to say the programme made them emotional Another added: 'Thanks Vicky Pattison for sharing your story so honestly - we should all talk more openly about some of the problems alcohol can cause in our lives. Im sure your story will help plenty of people!' One viewer said: 'I found this a really moving and self aware portait of your relationship with your dad and alcohol, and I really hope we get to see more of you on tv in this way, you speak so eloquently. I wish you both well on your journey.' Another wrote: '#AlcoholDadAndMe hit me right in the feels. I love and miss you dad and I know you didnt choose that life.' Heartbreaking: His addiction caused the breakdown of his marriage of 30 years to Vicky's mother Carroll, who admitted she doesn't know how he is still alive It comes as Vicky said she no longer reaches for a drink to calm her nerves - and she has credited her fiance Ercan Ramadan with helping her. She told the Mirror: 'If we had met 10 years younger, we just wouldn't have worked at all, I probably would've thought he was boring. But he's exactly what I need, he provides me with a sense of calm.' Vicky claims she drinks because she is 'neurotic', adding that she's 'nervous all the time'. She said: 'When I have a drink, that relaxes me and that was all I'd ever found that calmed me down until Ercan. He makes it feel like it's OK to be totally myself.' Vicky confirmed she is set to tie the knot with her partner after he got down on one knee during a sunset proposal in Dubai in February. If you're worried about your own or someone else's drinking call Drinkline for free and confidentially on 0300 123 1110 Hyderabad: Health minister T. Harish Rao asked officials to be alert over monkeypox, and advised doctors to increase their awareness of the disease. The minister held a video conference with doctors of the Directorate of Medical Education and Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP) on Sunday to create awareness about the symptoms, tests, identification and treatment of monkeypox. He said there was no need to worry about the virus, but advised officials to be vigilant. He said although up to 12,000 cases had been registered in more than 60 countries, only one case has been registered in the country in Kerala. Incidentally, another case of the virus was confirmed in Keralas Kannur district on Monday. The minister said a special centre for diagnosis of suspected monkeypox cases has been set up at Gandhi Hospital, while Fever Hospital had been selected as a nodal hospital for immediate treatment of suspected cases. RTPCR tests will be done in Gandhi Hospital and the samples will be sent to Pune for confirmation of the positive strain. Harish Rao also suggested that doctors should increase their own awareness about the symptoms, tests and treatment of monkeypox and explain it to the field level staff. Travellers coming to the state from countries where monkeypox has been reported should remain in isolation, and if they show any suspicious symptoms, they should immediately go to the nearest government hospitals and undergo basic tests, he said. The general public can dial 04024651119 or 9030227324 to obtain information on monkeypox, seasonal diseases, vaccinations, and for advice regarding flood affected areas. The Minister also said that due to rains and floods, seasonal diseases were likely to increase and doctors have been advised to be alert in all hospitals for 10 days. Khammam: To resolve the issue of hiring unskilled workers under Category-3, the Khammam municipal corporation is imparting two-day training in coordination with the National Academy of Construction, to certify them as skilled professionals. Previously, Deccan Chronicle reported that Category-2 workers were being bumped up to Category-3 without following due process. The development was reported against a backdrop of the state government hiking salaries for outsourced workers by around 30 per cent. Following the revision, Category-1, 2 and 3 workers are being paid Rs 15,600, Rs 19,500 and Rs 22,750, respectively. Around 150 employees were moved to Category-3 since the hikes were announced. After the director of municipal administration sought an explanation from the commissioner of the civic body, it was found that the 150 employees were working as electricians, fitters, plumbers and computer operators. In the backdrop of the NAC certification, it was alleged that officials were also collecting money from outsourced workers to upgrade their status. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Revenue Department Special Chief Secretary Rajat Bhargava paying tributes to statue of the National Flag Designer Pingali Venkaiah on the occasion of centenary birth anniversary celebrations at the camp office on Tuesday. Photo BY ARRANGEMENT. VIJAYAWADA: Tuesday marked rich floral tributes to freedom fighter and designer of National Flag Pingali Venkaiah on his 146th birth anniversary celebrations across AP. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy garlanded and paid floral tributes to the portrait of Pingali at his camp office. The portrait had been done by cultural department director Regulla Mallikarjuna Rao. Panchayatraj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and advisor to government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy were present. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan said the National Flag designed by Pingali Venkaiah had become synonymous with the spirit of free and independent India. He was taking part in a symposium on Tiranga, the Unifier-Literary Portrayals of National Flag in Indian Languages held under the aegis of Sahitya Akademi at PB Siddhartha College. At another programme held at their party office, several BJP leaders spoke, including BJP state general secretary B. Sivannarayana. In Visakhapatnam, mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari and senior officials of Visakhapatnam paid rich tributes to Pingali Venkaiah and well known stage artist Ballari Raghava. A huge rally was taken out in the morning on the beach road led by the mayor in which police commissioner Ch. Srikanth, GVMC commissioner G. Lakshmisa and others participated. Many government and private institutions paid rich tributes to designer of the National Flag throughout the state on Tuesday. Rajamahendravaram district collector K. Madhavi Latha said a statue of Pingali Venkaiah will be installed at the Kotipalli Bus Stand Park soon. At Eluru, district collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh garlanded the photos of Pingali Venkaiah and Ballari Raghava. At Bhimavaram, West Godavari district collector P. Prashanti, Bhimavaram MLA Grandhi Srinivas, and in-charge joint collector K. Krishna Veni released tri-colour balloons into the air. At Kakinada, students of PR Government Degree College led by principal B.V. Tirupanayam took out a huge procession holding a 100 feet National Flag in the city. The chief minister held a review on the Jagananna Saswata Bhu Hakku Bhu Raksha scheme at Tadepalli on Tuesday. (File Photo/ Twitter) VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy took a major decision for the settlement of land disputes in AP by establishing tribunals on a permanent basis. The chief minister held a review on the Jagananna Saswata Bhu Hakku Bhu Raksha scheme at Tadepalli on Tuesday. He asked officials to set up the tribunal in each mandal and operate it on a permanent basis. Reviewing the Comprehensive Land Survey (CLS) system, he emphasized on evolving a proper mechanism to resolve land disputes, which may arise during the ongoing survey. Officials must keep mobile tribunal units ready. Jagan asked officials to introduce a flawless system for resolving land disputes. It should help the people win legal rights on their land at the earliest. Officials must classify the land disputes with the government and mention them in the list of survey numbers, to easily identify whether a land is legally clear or not. The chief minister stressed on ensuring quality and standards in the survey process and the authorities should adopt these in the settlement of land disputes. He said third-party supervision must be there while considering the appeals, to ensure a transparent process and avoid causing any loss to the claimant. Action must be taken against the staff who commit mistakes, the CM said. Jagan said a survey should be done if and when a person applies for it. Officials must take action against the errant juniors if the survey is not done within the stipulated time. Jagan asked the officials to increase the monthly targets for aerial flying and drone flying as part of the survey process and told them to expedite the survey in municipalities and corporations. The officials explained to the chief minister that they are covering 1000 villages per month and would complete the entire survey by September 2023. The chief minister advised the officials to seek support from renowned legal firms in the comprehensive survey for resolving critical issues and ensuring better output. Roll out the registration services in village and ward secretariats by the time the present survey is completed, he said, and told officials to keep dummy documents available for people in creating awareness on the registration process. The chief minister asked the officials to display the ACB toll-free number through posters in all government offices. Energy minister Peddireddy Ramachandra and officials were present. According to Dr Shiva Raju K., head of medicine department at KIMS Hospital, chronic and acute waterborne diseases caused by contaminated water can be classified based on the chemicals and bacteria present in the water. "Considering the pollution in the Musi river, heavy rains bring water-borne diseases such as typhoid, viral Hepatitis A and E, diarrhoea, dysentery, and acute gastrointestinal infections. (Photo: Pixabay) Hyderabad: Untreated water from chemical and pharmaceutical companies is being directly discharged into Hussainsagar and Musi, along with hazardous waste, domestic sewage, and garbage, posing a risk to the downtown villages. Environmental experts noted that groundwater contamination was a major issue in the areas where the Musi and Krishna rivers meet at Vadapally. Nearby villages at this intersection have complained about the groundwater in borewells becoming contaminated over time due to the seepage from the Musi. Prof. Purushotham Reddy Kumbham, an environmentalist, emphasised that the city's water contamination problem was not limited to Hussainsagar and Musi. "To understand the city's water pollution, one must first understand the history of industrialisation in Hyderabad," he noted. Pharmaceutical industries that thrived in the 1970s and 1980s, including the major industry Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDBL) in Balanagar, which acquired 990 acres of land, contributed significantly to waterbody and groundwater contamination, particularly in industrial areas." Hyderabad has three major common effluent treatment plants (ETPs) at Jeedimetla, Patancheru, and Bolaram, but these are inadequate. Partially treated water effluents are eventually discharged into Musi via direct pipelines, reaching Hussainsagar and the Musi river basin. The contaminated and toxic water that flows down the Musi up to Suryapet enters the fields in the downtown stream villages, stated Prof. Purushotham Reddy. According to Dr Shiva Raju K., head of medicine department at KIMS Hospital, chronic and acute waterborne diseases caused by contaminated water can be classified based on the chemicals and bacteria present in the water. "Considering the pollution in the Musi river, heavy rains bring water-borne diseases such as typhoid, viral Hepatitis A and E, diarrhoea, dysentery, and acute gastrointestinal infections. He stated that excess metal toxicity and chemical elements in the groundwater had proven to be a major health threat. Excess chemical elements and metals in the water such as mercury, selenium, cadmium, and copper because of contamination from plastic waste, chemical industries can bring different types of health disorders," he said. Menstrual irregularities, fertility issues, anaemia, and various infections are all long-term issues for women. These can also have an effect on children's cognitive abilities as they age, he noted. Meanwhile, Edulabad village sarpanch B.Shankar told Deccan Chronicle, "Borewells located approximately 2 kilometres along the Musi River's banks are receiving contaminated water from Patancheru's chemical and pharmaceutical industries. During March, April, and May, highly concentrated polluted water flows from the Musi to the village and eventually into the groundwater." The sarpanch stated that the milk output of cows and buffaloes had decreased over time from around eight litres to three to four litres. Cattle were experiencing miscarriage and an increase in the number of abortions, as well as intestinal and gut diseases, to name a few. Animals and cattle drink polluted water, and we have seen serious illnesses in cows and buffaloes as a result. Unfortunately, we are unable to find a remedy to the problem. The only thing we are fortunate about is that we are not using the river water for our drinking needs. However, we use the same water for farming in our fields, and farmers are hesitant to eat grains grown in their fields," he added. Despite several letters to officials from the Pollution Control Board, HMDA, and irrigation department, no one has paid a visit to the village in the last six years. "I pressed the authorities to build an effluent treatment plant in the village, but nothing was done, he said. J. Sumathi, a scientist with the Telangana Pollution Control Board, was unavailable for comment. Millers said that refusal of the FCI will force them to sell the rice to beer companies, which will pay them Rs 1,800 per quintal, as opposed to Rs 3,000 per quintal by the FCI. Representational Image/DC Khammam: The refusal of the Food Corporation of India to buy 30,000 tonnes of discoloured custom milled rice (CMR) from 63 rice mills of Khammam has left mill owners facing a bleak future. The development comes after months of a tussle between the state and Centre over the procurement of 1.52 lakh tonnes of CMR. Following discussions, the FCI bought 1 lakh tonnes in December 2021. After another round of back and forth, the Centre agreed to buy 52,000 tonnes, but the FCI refused to buy around 30,000 tonnes of it claiming that the rice colour changed to light yellowish. Even as the FCI cited guidelines not allowing for procurement of light yellowish rice, district civil supplies officer Somulu said that efforts are underway to shift the rice to FCI. Bomma Rajeswara Rao, the Telangana Rice Millers Associations district president, said, It is a life and death problem to the rice millers and we had never experienced such a problem. We have to face Rs 36-crore loss due to the scuffle between the state and Central governments. We approached the collector on the issue, but we did not get relief on it. The state government escaped saying it had no role over the quality of rice. Millers said that refusal of the FCI will force them to sell the rice to beer companies, which will pay them Rs 1,800 per quintal, as opposed to Rs 3,000 per quintal by the FCI. J. Nagesh, district general secretary of Telangana Rice Millers Association, said, Ninety per cent of the rice millers will have to move away from the business and leave the mills if they sell the rice to the beer companies. We are not at fault here; we made the CMR ready by December, but the FCI is only picking it up now. B. Madhu, the district secretary of the association, said, We will fight it in Delhi to exert pressure on the Central government. We have no other option. HYDERABAD: The youngest daughter of former chief minister late N. T. Rama Rao, K. Uma Maheswari, allegedly died by suicide at her apartment at Jubilee Hills on Monday. The victims daughter Dikshitha, in her complaint with the Jubilee Hills police, stated that Uma Maheswari resorted to the extreme step due to health problems. Dikshitha informed the police that her mother went into her bedroom at 12 noon and latched the door from inside. She tried to call her mother as it was getting late for lunch. As Uma Maheswari did not respond, Dikshitha grew suspicious and at 2.30 pm called the police from her mobile. We broke open the bedroom and found her body, a police officer said. Dikshitha stated that her mother was mentally depressed over her prolonged illness, the officer said. The Jubilee Hills police registered a case of suspicious death under Section 174 CrPC and shifted the victim's body to Osmania General Hospital mortuary for post-mortem. The victims brother and Tollywood actor Balakrishna, nephew Nara Lokesh and other family members received the body after post-mortem, the police said. Former AP chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu along with his wife Nara Bhuvaneshwari, a sister of the victim, and former union minister Daggubati Purandeswari, apart from other relatives, friends and film actors paid last respects to the victim. Uma Maheswari had eight brothers and three sisters. MUNUGODE: The Munugode electorate, by and large, believes that if there is a byelection, it would be a fight between MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), with the former having an edge as of now. Even hardcore Congress workers, who refused to sail with Rajgopal Reddy in the event of his switching over to the BJP, seem to have resigned to the bitter reality that the Congress is being relegated to the third position. The TRS has been facing anti-incumbency for various reasons including delay in pensions, steep hike in prices of essential commodities, unemployment and flip flops over the paddy procurement besides the general boredom. But, the electorate is confident that the TRS candidate, whoever it is, will have the support of traditional voters and the Left parties, which represented the segment earlier. We have seen how entire government machinery and loads of money were kept at the disposal of the TRS candidate in Huzurabad, pointed out Lakshminarayana, a local shopkeeper. People with whom Deccan Chronicle interacted seem to have understood Rajgopal Reddys limitation in developing the constituency as an Opposition MLA. He got the streetlights fixed with his own fund, said a coconut vendor at Munugode Crossroads and a bystander added, He extends financial aid in the event of marriages, accidents or funerals. In a repeat of Huzurabad, it will be Rajgopal Reddy who will make an impact on his own rather than as being a BJP candidate. However, the party, unlike in Huzurabad, had minimal base in the constituency with its candidates securing 27,000 and 12,000 votes in previous polls. Rajgopals entry will give a huge fillip to the BJP, said Pradeep, a hotel worker who migrated from Karnataka and a staunch bhakt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rajgopal Reddys entry could become the gateway for BJPs journey into the combined Nalgonda district. The worst-hit would be the local Congress leaders who see a bleak future for the party in what was its stronghold. We made repeated requests to Rajgopal Reddy not to resign and made it clear that we would not accompany him to BJP, said a party leader having a position in Chandur mandal. The leaders also feel that party stalwart and former MLA Palvai Govardhan Reddys daughter could not have her way in constituency politics till now due to the presence of Rajgopal Reddy. The TRS is bogged down with internal feuds with two more leaders Karnati Vidyasagar, a confidant of minister K.T. Rama Rao, and Ravi Mudiraj, a rich businessman from Munugode pitching for party ticket along with former MLA Prabhakar Reddy. In terms of development, the area is well connected with roads most of which are in good condition. Farmers have been getting Rythu Bandhu and were appreciative of adequate power supply to the farm sector. Construction of burial grounds for performing last rites in a dignified manner has also been appreciated by the villagers. Israeli ruthlessness was most evident in recent times by its retaliation on the Gaza Strip, horrific its ferocity and far exceeding any limits of justifiable and even acceptable retribution (Representational Image/AFP) Israel acquired a heroic sheen from the manner it had created a nation for itself, after over two millennia of exile from their homeland, starting with the Babylonian exile in the sixth century BCE. Several other exiles followed and the Jews of the diaspora all over the world, amidst their suffering and humiliations, mostly in Europe, never forgot to sing LShana Habaah BYerushalayim or Next year in Jerusalem at the end of the Passover Seder and at the end of the Neila service on Yom Kippur. The Aliyah Bet, or illegal immigration, of the Jewish survivors of the German Holocaust and the pogroms in Eastern Europe led to the determination of building a new nation driven by egalitarian values and strong enough to never let it happen again. The world admired them for it. Except for a few like the RSS gurus M.S. Golwalkar and V.D. Savarkar who openly admired Adolf Hitler and his Die Endlosung, or Final Solution, our Hindu nationalists began admiring the Israelis only when their heroics inflicted defeat after defeat of the overwhelmingly numerous Muslim Arabs. But Israels heroic burnish is now dulled after the emergence of Israel as the pre-eminent and most ruthless power in the Middle East. Israeli ruthlessness was most evident in recent times by its retaliation on the Gaza Strip, horrific its ferocity and far exceeding any limits of justifiable and even acceptable retribution. Gaza is just 41 km long, and around 6-12 km wide, and has a total area of 365 sq. km. It is a self-administered territory, but a virtual prison, with 2.1 million inmates. If you factor the Israel-imposed buffer zone in it, it is the most densely packed place in the world. It also is subject to a cruel and crushing economic Israeli blockade that is supported by the United States. The irony of this being imposed by a people long experienced in prison-like existence in Europe cannot be missed. The founding of the State of Israel held out the promise of a new nation that being tempered by their experiences and motivated by the high idealism of its founders would give the world something to look up to. It was this idealism that inspired India to be among the first three countries to recognise it. The first generations of Israeli leadership were drawn from European Jewry known as the Ashkenazim, and were generally liberal and progressive. This was seen in the early Israel when most agriculture was under co-operative farming organised around the kibbutz, which also entailed a communal (sharing) lifestyle. The Histadrut, the labour union, which was the bedrock of the Labour political movement led by Israels founding father, David Ben-Gurion, is also Israels biggest employer that owned much of its transport, dairy, construction and service sectors. Israel was intended as a progressive, socialist and democratic state. During the initial years of its existence Israel heroically defied the odds and many writers like the late Leon Uris captured this new spirit of the Israeli people. His 600-page masterpiece Exodus created a sensation in 1957 and propelled him to the highest literary fame. It was a detailed and heroic chronicle of European Jewry from the turn of the last century to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Exodus, while being the epic story of a nation seeking a state, was also the touching love story of Ari Ben Canaan, an Israeli freedom fighter, and Kitty Fremont, an American nurse who joins Canaans fight for a Jewish state. In 1958, Exodus was made into a film by Otto Preminger and featured Paul Newman as Ari Ben Canaan. The book and the movie contributed the most to the mythologising of the Israeli fighter as an indomitable and idealistic hero. But it is not that Israel lacked such men those days. The founders of the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Haganah that was the forerunner of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), were men like Moshe Dayan, Haim Bar Lev, Ezer Weizmann, Yigael Yadin, Yitzhak Rabin and Yigal Allon, all men of heroic proportions and each one could have been a prototype for Ari Ben Canaan. The Haganah was founded in 1920 as the underground military organization of the Jewish yishuv, or community, and was then a loose organisation of various local defence groups. The Palmach was its first mobilised unit and gained battle experience in the Second World War as the Jewish Brigade under British command. The Palmach consisted of many first-generation Sabras, or Palestine-born Israelis, who were also fluent Arabic speakers, which gave it the ability remain concealed among the Arab population and to wage a lethal unconventional war on them. The British learned as much from this experience. Capt. Orde Wingate, who led the famous Chindits Brigade in Burma, was originally associated with the Palmach. Wingate was a charismatic dreamer, who though born a Christian, had joined the Jewish movement and led the Special Night Squad of the Haganah, which carried out reprisals against the Arabs. Wingates Palestine experience found expression in Burma and its successes led all traditional armies to establish special warfare forces to give them similar deep strike capabilities. Of the three battalions who formed the original Chindits Brigade, the 2/4 Gurkha Rifles is still with the Indian Army and carries the Chindits tag with great pride. The heroic sheen of the IDF has now largely dissipated with its emergence as a mighty army with the latest weapons and the unstinted support of the United States. It is now no longer David with a slingshot facing mighty Goliath. In the four major wars it has fought, the IDF had worsted numerically superior Arab armies with ease. Its difficult to remain a heroic David against such adversaries for long. The Palestinian intifada is now the heroic struggle of a people seeking to find their identity, their freedom and a piece of their ancient homeland to call it theirs. Just like Israels struggle was before 1948. But the continued occupation of the West Bank since 1967 and the continued building of settlements in defiance of UN resolutions and in the face of world opinion are ugly and contemptuous manifestations of a narrow nationalism. Israel is no longer the valiant and beleaguered underdog, but increasingly seen as an increasingly arrogant oppressor seeking to crush another old nation under its jackboots. The sad truth about Israel is that now Benjamin Netanyahu is fact and Ari Ben Canaan is fiction. When President Joe Biden entered the White House, the Middle East appeared reasonably stabilised by the robust and energetic policies of his predecessor Donald Trump. Thereafter, the Covid-19 pandemic and its worldwide effects took away much of the attention and then there was Chinas rising aggressiveness, which demanded attention in the Indo- Pacific. Sometime later Afghanistan and the unfortunate turn of events there had plummeted Mr Bidens approval ratings to a record low. The abandoning of Afghanistan was reportedly done in order to conserve strength for the coming confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific, and subsequently to regain the ratings. Mr Biden relatively ignored the Middle East. Its the Russia-Ukraine war that turned things around and America has been forced to focus again on the Middle East. Mr Bidens idea was that the worlds geopolitical centre of gravity was the Indo-Pacific region, and he appeared content that the Middle East wasnt causing any of the proverbial pull that Iraq and Afghanistan had done on US Presidents in the past. However, since February 2022, the Middle East has progressively returned to the forefront linked with the energy crisis, the general proximity to the centre of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the potential of China and Russia using diplomatic manoeuvres to secure greater influence in this region as the global focus was elsewhere. A review of some of the significant issues in the Middle East will help understand why the circumstances have forced President Biden to alter his priorities and focus. The recent visit took him to Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia, where he also met the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other Arab states. Interestingly, the visit also focused on some non-traditional security issues such as energy, water, food and climate, and conceptual issues such as multilateralism and new alliances; like the I2U2 (India, Israel, the US and the UAE) and the Abraham Accords. Yet there remain far too many things that remain in slow ferment in the Middle East and emerge from time to time, but analysts are pointing to some basic changes. First, the Palestinian conflict seems to be on the backburner although an Arab concern is still reflected; its not all abandoned. Donald Trump had outsourced its management to his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and it had taken a decided tilt in favour of Israel. Mr Biden seems quite certain that this isnt the time to get involved in such complex conflicts and the international environment is not conducive to any lasting progress in this field. He realises that his abiding belief in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue cant be carried through at present. Its a virtual admission that there are more pressing things for the US to commit to. The commitment to Israel may have lacked substance ever since Mr Trump demitted office. The fact that Mr Biden is still in negotiations on Irans nuclear programme without any overt messaging of being fully in sync with Israels security needs may have been misread. This visit did make that unequivocal commitment. The exceptional relationship between the US and Israel during the Trump presidency, which also led to the Abraham Accords, was expected to become much less warm under Mr Biden. That is the direction it had moved while Mr Bidens focus was on the pandemic, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific. However, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the importance of the Middle East and the inevitability of the US-Israel special relationship. Mr Biden has tried to move back to support it more fully. Mr Bidens antipathy towards Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) due to the Jamal Khashoggi affair is quite well known. However, realism and pragmatism brought him to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The US has invested much in its strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis also depend greatly on US assurances and support to remain secure against multiple threats, such as from Iran, its proxies and non-state actors. However, what really forced Mr Bidens move towards an approach to the Saudis, despite his avowed intent of not being seen in the company of MBS, was the need to reconfigure the energy diplomacy which the US is deeply involved in. Mr Bidens focus was on enhancing the oil production of Saudi Arabia and its GCC partners to create a wedge within OPEC. Increased oil production would lead to an easing of global energy prices, including within the US where fuel prices are $5 a gallon as the congressional elections loom in November. Surprisingly, the GCC countries all stood up to resist attempts to dictate the agenda on energy. They were extremely keen to see a path towards more stabilisation through regional cooperation, including improvement of relations with Israel, and not being drawn into the US-Russia-China rivalry. The seeding achieved by the Abraham Accords has been positive. The bolder attitude is reflected in these nations also remaining unhappy with the US attitude of treating the Middle Easts security as a second priority while pursuing its interests in other areas, especially the Indo-Pacific. The Saudis probably perceive the US as playing a tepid role in relation to the war in Yemen or the drone attacks on Saudi energy installations. Hidden in this message is a clear concern about Iran and its nuclear programme; a convergence of interests between these Arab states and Israel is much more real than ever before. Noticeably, a yawning gap exists in the US promises on this. The US-Saudi joint statement looks at all elements of its national power to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapon status. Conversely, the GCC summits statement mentions the centrality of diplomatic efforts as the chief focus. What was clear from the summit is that the Arab states in general do not favour playing down the Palestinian issue and do not wish to bring about any arrangement in which they would be in a security partnership with Israel against Iran. As much progress which may have been made in the region to water down old conflicts, there appears a trend not to take this beyond a threshold. Fortunately, there are many initiatives within the region towards stabilisation and the animosity towards Israel is only measured, just enough to prevent the Palestinian issue being forgotten. From all angles, the Middle East remains as important as its geostrategic and geopolitical setting demands. Any attempt to ignore old conflicts can only lead to an inevitable return to them, even as the world races towards a new order. Iranian courts have sentenced three people to be blinded in one eye under the Islamic republic's retribution laws, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Hamshahri, the Tehran municipality's daily, said a woman was among the three sentenced to the eye-for-an-eye punishment. She had hurled acid at another woman in a 2011 dispute, causing her to lose an eye, it said. Hamshahri said the supreme court has upheld the sentence of having her right eye gouged out, on top of a jail term and a fine. A man has been handed down the same punishment for causing his victim to lose an eye in a knife assault in 2017. In a third case, dating back to 2018, a man has been convicted for blinding a friend in the left eye with a hunting weapon. Hamshahri said the plaintiff has "insisted" that his assailant suffer the same fate. The three cases have been transferred to the Tehran prosecutor's office to prepare for the sentences to be carried out. Iran applies the eye-for-an-eye law at the request of victims or their families, unless they grant a pardon. Amnesty International and other rights groups condemn such punishment in Iran as cruel and tantamount to torture. India is likely to subtly nudge Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to bury the hatchet with the Speaker of the countrys Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, soon and deny China and its proxies in the Indian Ocean nation any opportunity to take advantage of the differences between the two. Just hours after Solih arrived in New Delhi on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on him and exchanged views on the ways to take the special partnership between the two nations forward. He told Solih that Indias Neighbourhood First and Maldives India First policies were complementary to each other. Solih, who is likely to seek a second term in office next term, will also have a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. The President of Maldives is visiting India at a time when the infighting within his ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) reached a flashpoint after police in the island nation arrested the brother of the Speaker of the Peoples Majlis, accusing him of homosexuality. Though New Delhi has a good rapport with both the leaders, it is unlikely to overtly play the role of a go-between to end the feud within the ruling party of the Indian Ocean nation. A source told DH that New Delhi on Monday would convey to Solih this week and subsequently to Nasheed that India being a close and friendly neighbour of Maldives would like to see both leaders work together for the best interest of the island nation. President @ibusolih's administration has arrested my brother selectively accusing him of homosexuality. Arrest was made against criminal procedures & (and) is politically motivated to appease Hardline Extremists in coalition, Nasheed, who himself held the office of President of Maldives from November 2008 to February 2012, tweeted on July 28. He has been accusing Solih of succumbing to the pressure of radical Jumhooree Party and Adhaalath Party partners of the MDP in the ruling coalition. He survived an assassination attempt in Male on May 6, 2021, when the suspected religious extremists carried out an explosion near his home when he was getting into a car. Nasheed is also opposed to Solihs plan to renominate himself as the ruling MDPs candidate to contest the next presidential elections in 2023. The regime led by Abdulla Yameen, who had held the presidential office from November 2013 to November 2018, had put the Maldives into a debt trap by awarding the state-owned companies of China contracts to build several infrastructure projects mostly on unsustainable loan terms. Yameens government had also got Nasheed arrested and put him on trial, accusing him of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act of Maldives by ordering the Criminal Court Judge's arrest during his tenure as president. He had been convicted and sentenced to 13 years in jail but had later been allowed to go to the United Kingdom for spinal surgery. He had returned home after Solih was elected as the President of Maldives in 2018. Though Beijings influence over Abdullah Yameen regime had resulted in strains in New Delhis relations with Male, it saw a reset after Solih and Nasheed led the Maldivian Democratic Party to victory in the November 2018 elections. Solihs government has over the past few years been pursuing its India First policy, while Abdullah Yameens party, on the other hand, has been running an India Out campaign, which, according to New Delhi, is being sponsored by Beijing to elbow out India and pull the Indian Ocean island nation into Chinas orbit of influence. How did life begin on Earth? While there are several theories, an Indian-origin scientist working in the USA has proposed a new set of "origins of life", chemical reactions that can lead to the development of amino acids - the building blocks of proteins and DNA from chemicals and gases present on ancient Earth. Four billion years ago, Earth looked very different, devoid of life and covered by a vast ocean. Over the course of millions of years, in that primordial soup, life emerged. There are multiple hypotheses on how life emerged from inorganic molecules. Now, a team led by Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy at Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California has discovered a new set of chemical reactions that use cyanide, ammonia and carbon dioxide all thought to be common on the early earth to generate amino acids and nucleic acids, the building blocks of proteins and DNA. "We came up with a new paradigm to explain such a shift from pre-biotic to biotic chemistry," said Krishnamurthy, lead author of the study. "The experiments led to the formation of the amino acids that are produced by the modern citric acid cycle - glycine, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. In modern biology, amino acids are converted to proteins by polymerisation and also to nucleobases," Krishnamurthy, who did his graduation from Vivekananda College in Chennai and M.Sc from IIT-Bombay, told DH. The experiment also required water that was abundant on the carth and a chemical named alpha keto acid, which may have been formed by ultra violet-light mediated chemical reactions of carbon dioxide. Alpha keto acids are precursors from which amino acids are generated in cells in the presence of nitrogen and enzymes. In the 1920s Russian scientist Aleksandr Oparin and English scientist J B S Haldane separately proposed that life on Earth could have arisen from non-living matter through a process of "gradual chemical evolution". Three decades later, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey in 1953 demonstrated that it was indeed possible to create organic molecules required for life on the primordial earth spontaneously. In their quest to get an answer to one of the most fundamental questions, Krishnamurhty, his colleagues Sunil Pulletikurti and Mahipal Yadav, and Greg Springsteen from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta decided to use cyanide to set off chemical reactions that can convert prebiotic molecules and water into basic organic compounds required for life. They got the cue from their earlier success when they used cyanide to drive other chemical reactions. The plan was to try cyanide, without enzyme, and see if it helps turn alpha-keto acids into amino acids. As they knew nitrogen would be required in some form, they added ammonia a form of nitrogen that would have been present on early earth. Then, through trial and error, they discovered a third key ingredient: carbon dioxide. With this mixture, the team began to see formation of amino acids. Unlike previously proposed reactions, this one worked at room temperature and in a wide acid-base range. "We were expecting it to be quite difficult to figure out, but it turned out to be even simpler than we had imagined," said Krishnamurthy. "If you mix only the keto acid, cyanide and ammonia, it just sits there. As soon as you add carbon dioxide, even trace amounts, the reaction picks up speed." Because the new reaction is relatively similar to what occurs today inside cells except for being driven by cyanide instead of a protein it seems more likely to be the source of early life, rather than drastically different reactions, the researchers say. The study published in Nature Chemistry last week - also helps bring together two sides of a long-standing debate about the importance of carbon dioxide to early life, concluding that carbon dioxide was key, but only in combination with other molecules. The BJP on Tuesday cited the uncovering of cash and assets allegedly acquired illegally by some opposition politicians to refute the charge of vendetta politics levelled against its government and asserted that those who swindled people's money will not be allowed to go scot-free. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra spoke about the corruption allegation against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, the seizure of a "mountain of cash" suspected to be of Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee and money laundering allegation against AAP's Satyendar Kumar Jain. All these leaders were arrested by the federal agency Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Opposition has been accusing the government of misusing central agencies, especially the ED, to target political opponents and muzzle their voice. "Should they be allowed to go scot-free just because they are big politicians? The charges against them are based on facts and evidence and not rhetoric. The Opposition should not politicise corruption," Patra said. Speaking to reporters, he claimed the governments run by the BJP will never override constitutional values and not interfere in the work of investigation agencies. Also Read | CAA rules to be framed after Covid booster vaccine drive gets over: Amit Shah to Bengal BJP leader "But we have zero tolerance for corruption. Whosoever defrauded people's money will not be let off," he said. Another BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also took a swipe at opposition parties for playing the "victimhood card", saying the Indian National Congress (INC) is all "I Need Corruption" while the TMC is "Too Much Corruption." Along with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiv Sena, they are the "four pillars of corruption,'' he alleged Reacting to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's allegation that the ED searches in various locations related to the National Herald case were the BJP's "vendetta politics", Poonawalla asked if the denial of any relief to the Gandhi family by courts in this matter was also "vendetta." Also Read | Opposition raising issue of price rise due to Modi-phobia: BJP in Lok Sabha Raut allegedly conspired to deprive 672 families of a roof but Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was defending him, he said. Noting that it was the Calcutta High Court that had ordered a CBI probe into the SSC recruitment scam in West Bengal, he slammed the state's ruling Trinamool Congress for accusing the central government of misusing probe agencies. Patra noted that Raut is allegedly involved in a scam worth close to Rs 1,040 crore related to a 2007 project for the redevelopment of a 47-acre plot where 672 families lived as tenants for decades. The Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) had registered the case in 2018, he said. Should the ED not act against them because they are politicians and "entitled", he asked and added that the opposition parties had raised a hue and cry even when NCP leader Nawab Malik was arrested in February in a money laundering case. He remains in jail because the court has not given him bail due to the seriousness of the charges against him, he said. Demolition of a mosque by the municipal authorities at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Tuesday triggered protests. Masjid-e-Khaja Mahmood in Green Avenue colony was demolished by the municipal staff early morning amid heavy police presence. The incident led to strong protest by local Muslim residents and leaders of various parties. Leaders of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) lodged their protest. MBT leader Amjedullah Khan said the mosque was constructed three years ago and daily five times namaz including Friday prayers were being performed regularly. He pointed out that Green Avenue Colony on 15 acres of land was plotted and sold after due permission from Shamshad Grampanchayat. Two plots of 250 square yards were marked as a site for masjid. A person, whose house is beside the mosque, had, along with some other residents, complained to Shamshad Municipal authorities against the construction of the mosque. The MBT leader said though the case was in the court, the municipal authorities resorted to demolition, hurting the religious sentiments. AIMIM's local leaders also staged a sit-in at the municipal office. They demanded action against the officials responsible for demolition and immediate reconstruction of the mosque. Police later arrested the protesters who were led by AIMIM incharge of Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency, Mirza Rahmath Baig. Muslim leaders have condemned the demolition and urged the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to take immediate action against those responsible. MBT leader Khan said that the TRS government headed by K Chandreskhar Rao has been following in the footsteps of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged since the TRS party came to power in 2014, six mosques were demolished in Telangana. He questioned the silence of those Muslims organisations and politicians who claim KCR as a secular leader. He said the demolition was carried out by the Municipal Department headed by KCR's son K T Rama Rao. In February this year, KCR had remained absent during the Prime Minister's visit to Hyderabad. (ANI) Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will not receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport, who is arriving in the city today to participate in the two-day long Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive meeting. KCR will receive Opposition's presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha at the Begumpet Airport just a couple of hours before PM Modi lands at the same airport, according to the sources. KCR has announced his support to Sinha in the upcoming presidential polls slated to be held on July 18. During the arrival of the Prime Minister today, only one TRS Minister will be present at the airport for his welcome while all other ministers including the Chief Minister will receive Yashwant Sinha. Notably, this is for the third time in six months that CM KCR is skipping the protocol of receiving a visiting Prime Minister. Earlier, he had flown to Bengaluru in May when PM Modi visited the state to attend the 20th annual celebrations at the Indian School of Business (ISB). In February this year, KCR had remained absent during the Prime Minister's visit to Hyderabad. The two-day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive meeting will start in Hyderabad today. The meeting will be attended by BJP national president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of 19 states and other BJP senior leaders at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. PM Modi will attend the meeting and is expected to address the national executive on Sunday. In his speech and then BJP national executive the Prime Minister is expected to give a roadmap for the party in the coming times especially when they look at Assembly elections in the big states like Gujarat. On Sunday afternoon the Prime Minister will address a public rally at the Parade grounds. This is the first time that a meeting is taking place with complete participation by the BJP national executive members since the COVID-19 pandemic. The last meeting which took place in November 2021 happened in a hybrid manner in which leaders were present physically as well as joined virtually. The entire city of Hyderabad has donned a saffron hue with the BJP flags and banners ahead of the party's mega show. The posters showcase the achievement of the central government. Every nook and cranny of the city is decked up with big cutouts and banners of top BJP leaders. The BJP's initiative comes at a time when Telangana is heading for Assembly polls in 2023 and the BJP sees a huge prospect of bringing down the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi government. This two-day meeting of the BJP has seen the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership taking potshots at the Modi government especially when the leaders talk about development. The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) is continuing with its current visiting guidance to hospital sites allowing for one visit, for one hour per day per patient from three nominated visitors. Exceptions continue to apply in some areas. If the number of COVID-19 cases continue to decrease in the local community over the coming weeks, it is hoped that the Trust will move to gradual easing of restrictions. This will be reviewed on Monday August 15 2022. A spokesperson for the Trust said: "Our Maternity Services continue to allow one visit, one hour per day from two nominated adults at the same agreed time, however, consideration will be given outside this in exceptional or individual circumstances. This will also need to be agreed with midwife in charge. "The Trust treats the safety of our patients, staff and everyone attending our facilities with the utmost importance and we are therefore emphasising the social responsibility our visitors have by ensuring they please continue with adherence to infection prevention and control measures in our efforts to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 into high risk and vulnerable settings. "We would also ask that visitors please wear a face mask (covering their nose and mouth) when inside our healthcare facilities, even when in the presence of a patient. "It is extremely important that any individual displaying symptoms of COVID-19 should self-isolate and take a LFD in line with current advice for the general population they should not visit a hospital. "Visitors are strongly encouraged to take a Lateral Flow test prior to visiting. It is important that all visitors who undertake LFD testing report the result of their test, irrespective of whether the LFD test is positive, negative or void. "To report an LFD test result visitors should visit https://www.gov.uk/report- covid19-result or alternatively phone 119 (free from mobiles and landlines) from 7am to 11pm. "Visitors should note that despite the latest government guidance that you no longer need to self-isolate from day five, as a precautionary measure, you should avoid contact with people you know to be at higher risk from COVID-19 for 10 days, especially those with a weakened immune system and/or in hospital, to make sure you are no longer infectious." "Important information on visiting any Western Trust hospital: One visitor (from three nominees) is permitted to visit for one hour, once per day. The Trust treats the safety of our patients, staff and everyone attending our facilities with the utmost importance and therefore strongly advise that anyone attending any of our facilities to visit a loved one, to take a lateral flow test prior to attending. Do not attend any Western Trust hospital or facility if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is confirmed COVID-19 positive. Do not attend any Western Trust hospital or facility after Day five of testing positive. You should wait until after day 10 before visiting. All infection and prevention control measures must be adhered to when attending any Western Trust hospital or facility and this includes wearing a facemask properly which covers your nose and mouth at all times. In addition you must adhere to proper hand washing and social distancing guidelines at all times when visiting. Based on high risk of COVID-19 transmission it is important to note that some wards are unable to allow visiting at this time and you will be informed of this when you ring to book your visit. Depending on the continued level of COVID-19 transmission in the community, all temporary measures are subject to review. There will also continue to be exceptional circumstances in respect of visiting guidance to the North West Cancer Centre, attending outpatient appointments, maternity scans, neonatal and visiting patients in end of life care. For further information, please refer to the Trust website. "We would encourage you to keep in contact with your loved ones via Virtual Visiting arrangements. You can continue to arrange a virtual visit with your relative or friend on a smartphone or tablet. "Our hospitals have access to free Wi-Fi and our staff can help set this up. Please be patient as there continues to be significant staffing pressures at present and our staff will have to prioritise clinical work and patient care at this very busy time. "For anyone attending any Western Trust hospital or facility, we ask that you continue to work with us and please respect our staff and the guidance they give you at all times. "There have been incidents where our staff have received verbal abuse and harassment and we would ask everyone to please refrain from such behaviour and remind everyone that we operate a Zero Tolerance policy towards abuse across our Trust. "We would like to thank you for your cooperation in relation to all essential recent changes to our visiting arrangements. Your support helps us to provide safer care for your relatives and friends who are currently in hospital." Updated Visiting Guidance and specific information is provided on the Western Trust Website specific page at: https://westerntrust.hscni. net/western-trust-covid-19- information-updates/western- trust-covid19-visiting- guidance/ The WHSCT will meet to review the visiting arrangements again on Monday August 15 2022. Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Minister John O'Dowd has said he is 'committed' to improving rail infrastructure in the North West. The Sinn Fein MLA today met with representatives from Into the West, a group campaigning for improvement in rail services for the area. "I am committed to improving transport connectivity for the benefit of our economy and communities and to help with the climate crisis," he said. "I therefore welcomed the opportunity to meet with Into the West to hear their views and discuss my Departments ongoing work to improve rail services in the North West and across Ireland. A delegation frm Into The West spent day in Belfast discussing rail in West Ulster. First meeting with @Translink_NI to discuss operational issues. Followd by trip to Stormnt to meet Infra Ministr @JohnODowdSF & @DeptInfra colleagues. Good discussions had on existing & futur rail pic.twitter.com/NbZfokZxTf Into The West (@RailDerry) August 2, 2022 "Options for the Phase 3 upgrade to the Coleraine to Derry railway line are currently been assessed. If approved, Translink will be in a position to commence this important project for the North West. "In addition, my Department is taking forward the All Island Strategic Rail Review in conjunction with colleagues in the Department for Transport. "This work, which Into the West has input to via the consultation process, is focusing on how our rail network can better connect people throughout the island of Ireland. The Review is entering into its final modelling stages with a final report due later this year. Once complete, this work will provide an overarching framework that will allow for investment in our rail network across this island. "While I cannot pre-empt the outcome of the review I want to reassure the public that consideration of our services to the North West is an important part of this work." A second man has appeared in court accused of the murder of Victor Hamilton in Ballymena. Mario Menezes, 33, of Portmore Street in Portadown appeared via video-link at Antrim Magistrates Court sitting in Ballymena to face a single charge of murder. He indicated he understood the charge when it was put to him. A detective said he believed he could connect the accused to the charge. No bail application was made during the brief hearing of the case, however, it was indicated to the court that one may be made at the next appearance. The case was adjourned until August 25 when Menezes is set appear via video-link before Ballymena Magistrates Court. Mr Hamilton was found dead in the driveway of his home in Orkney Drive in the Co Antrim town last Wednesday morning. Another man appeared before a district judge on Monday, accused of the murder of the 63-year-old. Mamadu Saido Djalo was remanded in custody. The 29-year-old, from Springfield Crescent in Belfast, appeared before Coleraine Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, via video-link from Musgrave Street police custody suite in Belfast. During the short hearing, he spoke only to confirm he understood the charge he was facing. A detective sergeant told the court he could connect Djalo to the charge. Blaine Nugent, representing Djalo, said he was not in a position to make an application for bail on Monday. He requested that the case be listed again in a weeks time so a bail application could be made. Deputy District judge Philip Mateer remanded Djalo in custody until August 8 when he will appear before the court again. A 23-year-old woman arrested in Belfast on Friday by detectives investigating the murder was released on bail on Sunday pending further police inquiries. A 30-year-old man has been arrested as part of an investigation in which 20,000 in suspected class B drugs were seized in Belfast in July. A PSNI spokesperson said: On July 13, police conducted proactive searches in the east Belfast area and recovered a number of other items including an estimated 7,000 in cash, two automatic knives, a stun gun and other electronic devices. A quantity of suspected Class B controlled drugs were recovered during the search operation and was taken away for further forensic examinations. The man was arrested in the east Belfast area on August 2 and is in police custody at this time. By targeting drug related activity not only do we remove illegal drugs from the street, which in themselves cause harm through addiction, debt and their effects on physical and mental health. We also remove funds from the pockets of paramilitaries and therefore loosen their control on the communities who ultimately want to see them gone. Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Irelands Organised Crime Unit have arrested two people following searches of properties in east Belfast and Newtownabbey today, Tuesday 2nd August. #OpDealBreaker pic.twitter.com/r4ZMaihmV0 Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) August 2, 2022 Meanwhile, detectives arrested two people following searches of properties in east Belfast and Newtownabbey on Tuesday. A man and a woman, both aged 27, were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including possession of a Class A controlled drug with intent to supply. A PSNI spokesperson said: Officers seized a number of items including a quantity of class A and class B drugs, two suspected firearms and a number of electronic items. They both remain in police custody at this time. Baywatch movie review: Priyanka Chopra deserves better. The film deserves to be drowned 'Devon Ke Dev Mahadev' fame Sonarika Bhadoria all set to debut in Tollywood The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are all set to launch later this year and today a popular tipster has shed some light on the launch details of both these phones. The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are all set to launch later this year and today a popular tipster has shed some light on the launch details of both these phones. Google teased the Pixel 7 series during its Google I/O 2022 presentation alongside the Pixel 6a. The Pixel 6a (review) was recently launched in India priced at Rs 43,999 and is powered by the Tensor chip featuring a 6.1-inch OLED display, dual rear cameras and more. According to a report by Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will launch on October 6 in the US and will go up for pre-orders on the same day. As per the report, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will go on sale from October 13 in the US. While we will advise our readers to take this with a pinch of salt, Prosser has been accurate in the past with his leaks on the Pixel 6 series launch details. Google revealed the design of the rear panel of the upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro but that hasnt stopped the rumour mill from dishing out some of the specs of the upcoming Pixel phones. As per the leaks, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro could be powered by the second-generation 4nm Tensor processor and will likely run on Android 13 out-of-the-box. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are also rumoured to get a 50MP camera that uses Samsungs GN1 sensor. As per the teaser, the Pixel 7 has dual cameras on the back while the Pixel 7 Pro has three cameras on the rear, just like the Pixel 6 lineup. Well know more about the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro launch as we near the expected release date. Though, theres no word on Googles plans to launch the Pixel 7 series in India anytime soon. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. August is going to a packed with various smartphone launches. We have curated a list of the most anticipated launches of the month here. Have a look The OnePlus 10T On August 3, OnePlus will unveil its next-generation flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 10T, at a special event in New York. On the same day, the phone will make its debut in India. OnePlus revealed several vital details about the phone before its official launch. The OnePlus 10T will have three rear cameras, including a 50 MP primary camera and a 50 ultra-wide camera. It will include a 16MP selfie camera. The phone will have a 6.7-inch display and be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. Pricing is yet to be determined. iQOO 9T On August 2, iQoo will release the iQoo 9T in India. The company has revealed that the phone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, flash charging technology, a 120Hz E5 AMOLED show, and a 50MP triple back camera arrangement. The 8+128GB variant is expected to cost Rs 49,999, while the 12+256GB variant is expected to cost Rs 54,999. Motorola Razr 2022 On August 2, Motorola will release the Moto Razr 2022. Compared to the original Moto Razr smartphone, the phone will have a more extensive cover display and a dual rear camera setup. Users can take selfies and control music via the secondary display, according to a teaser of the phone shared by the company on Weibo (via GSMArena). The device is expected to have a 6.67-inch OLED primary display and a 2.65-inch OLED secondary display. It is also likely to have up to 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 On August 10, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Z Flip 4 globally and in India. The company has begun pre-orders for the phone in India before its launch. Pre-orders for the phone are available for Rs 1,999. In terms of specifications, the Flip 4 is expected to have a 6.7-inch primary display and a 2.1-inch HD+ external display. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC is expected to be used, along with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It is expected to have a dual rear camera setup with a primary lens of 12MP and an ultra-wide sensor of 12MP. On the front, a 10MP camera is expected. It will most likely have a 10MP selfie camera on the show. On the battery front, a 3,700mAh battery with support for a 25W or 15W fast charger is expected. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 On August 10, Samsung will release the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The company has begun pre-orders for the phone in India before its launch. Pre-orders for the phone are available for Rs 1,999. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expected to have a 7.6-inch QXGA+ primary display and a 6.2-inch HD+ cover display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz. It will most likely be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 flagship SoC and housed in a 4,400mAh battery. The phone is expected to have a 50MP + 12MP + 12MP camera setup and a 10MP selfie camera. Little Red Hen changes hands SEATTLE The Little Red Hen building, at 7111 Woodlawn Ave. N.E., sold last week for over $4.6 million, according to King County records. The seller was Seattle Mingde Investment LLC, which acquired the property in 2010 for $2.4 million. The buyer was RLD Group LLC, which is associated with married Green Lake investors. No new plans have been filed. Brokers were not announced. For the land, the deal was worth about $397 per square foot. The corner at Northeast 72nd Street is on the block immediately east of Green Lake Park. The property shares the block with Starbucks, Shelter Lounge and La Escuelita Bilingual School. Those three properties have two different owners, so the Little Red Hen sale isn't an assemblage. RLD once attempted to develop a Shoreline restaurant property with a seven-story, 160-unit mixed-use building. RLD owned and operated Super China Buffet, but recently sold the property at 15323 Westminster Way. N. to a developer for $4 million. No permits are in place there. HYDERABAD: Ending days of suspense, Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy on Tuesday announced his resignation from the Congress and his Assembly seat. With the Assembly constituency all set to go for bypoll after the development, the Congress began to search for the right candidate. While announcing the decision to mediapersons at his residence, Rajgopal Reddy refuted the charge that his decision was made under pressure, and said it was for the sake of the people of his constituency. He said he would be formally submitting a letter of resignation to the Assembly Speaker shortly. However, he clarified that a decision on joining the BJP would be taken after discussing it with the people of his constituency. No one forced me and it is a decision taken voluntarily. Before joining any other party, I shall be discussing with people, he clarified, in an emotional tone. However, Rajgopal Reddy who refuted reports that he would join the BJP in the first week of August gave clear indications of joining the saffron party by emphasising that it was only the BJP leadership which had the strength to take on the autocratic rule of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. If suspended from the Congress, I would have continued as an independent. But this will be a wakeup call for the people of Telangana. I took this decision so that people will get justice by ending the family rule. This will save democracy and I shall continue to serve Munugode, which has given me a chance to serve for the past 3-4 years, he said. Younger brother of MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Rajgopal Reddy took strong exception to the way allegations were being made that his decision was influenced by business prospects. There is no relationship between my business and politics and I never misused my position. Our family business is being handled by my son and the coal contracts being highlighted were won transparently through Global Open Competitive Tender. I praised the BJP some three years ago and Chhattisgarh's contract was sealed in March 2022, he emphasised. Rajgopal Reddy who always remained critical of TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday openly flayed the undemocratic style of the outsider. It is a clear case of hijacking the party and the party men need not work hard to make him a Chief Minister, he said. ArcelorMittal to acquire Brazilian steelmaker CSP for $2.2 billion ArcelorMittal, the world's leading steel and mining company, on Thursday announced the signing of an agreement with the shareholders of Brazils Companhia Siderurgica do Pecem (CSP) to acquire the company for an enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion. CSP, with its state-of-the-art steel facility in the state of Ceara in northeast Brazil, is a world-class steel maker, producing high-quality slab at a globally competitive cost. CSP operates a three million tonne capacity blast furnace and has access via conveyors to the Port of Pecem, a large scale, deep water port located 10 km from the plant. Operating within Brazils first Export Processing Zone, CSP benefits from various tax incentives, including a low corporate income tax rate. The acquisition brings several strategic benefits to ArcelorMittal, including the potential to expand the companys position in the high-growth Brazilian steel industry. CSP can add 3 million tonnes of high-quality and cost-competitive slab capacity, with the potential to supply slab intra-group or to sell into North and South America. Besides, the acquisition will allow ArcelorMittal capitalise on the significant planned third-party investment to form a clean electricity and green hydrogen hub in Pecem. Further, the company will have the option to add primary steelmaking capacity (including direct reduced iron) and rolling and finishing capacity. ArcellorMittal has identified over $50 million of identified synergies, including SG&A, procurement and process optimisation. The state of Ceara has ambitious plans to develop a low-cost green hydrogen hub. The Pecem Green Hydrogen Hub, a partnership between the Pecem Complex and Linde, a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, is a large-scale green hydrogen project at the Port of Pecem which is targeting to produce up to 5GW of renewable energy and 900 kt/y of green hydrogen in a series of phases. The first phase, which the partnership currently expects to be completed over the course of the next five years, targets the construction of 100-150MW of renewable energy capacity. In CSP, we are acquiring a modern, efficient, established and profitable business which further enhances our position in Brazil and add immediate value to ArcelorMittal. There is significant potential to decarbonise the asset given the state of Cearas ambition to develop a low-cost green hydrogen hub and the huge potential the region holds for solar and wind power generation, ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal said. What makes this acquisition so exciting is the medium to long-term potential and options it presents. As we continue to develop the downstream capabilities of our NAFTA and Brazilian businesses over the medium-term, we have the option for CSP to become an important intra-group slab supplier. Over the longer-term there is also the option to significantly increase its slab capacity and add rolling and finishing capabilities on a low-carbon emissions basis, he added ArcelorMittal on Thursday reported a 2 per cent decline in its net income at $3.92 billion for the second quarter ended 30 June 2022. The company posted a net income of $4.0 billion in the corresponding period last year. Second quarter (April-June 2022) operating income stood at $4.5bn, marginally higher compared to $4.4bn in the previous quarter (January-March 2022) and an operating income of $8.9bn for the first half (January-June 2022) against $7.1bn in H1 2021. ArcelorMittal also announced the completion of its acquisition of Voestalpines world-class hot briquetted iron plant located in Texas, USA, with a potential to generate more than $130 million in EBITDA per year The company generated $3.2bn of free cash flows in H1 2022 and returned $2.3bn to shareholders (via share buybacks and base dividends while also committing $1.0bn to M&A (primarily the Texas HBI facility) ArcelorMittal had net debt of $4.2bn at the end of June 2022, which remained essentially stable compared to $4.0bn as of the end of last year. The company also announced a new buyback programme of 60 million shares (at $1.4bn current share price) to be completed by the end of May 2023. Though Mr Soren broke ranks with this ally, the Congress, to support the NDA candidate in the Presidential elections, the ED raids and investigations against his adviser in the mining case are continuing. Earlier, the CMs constituency representative was also arrested in the ongoing probe. PTI There is no easy day at office for the top leaders of the Congress. Barely has the storm settled down in Maharashtra, with the party losing power as part of the MVA coalition, and its partner Uddhav Thackeray losing not just his seat of power as Chief Minister but now cornered to fight for control over the Shiv Sena, the party his father founded, that early troubling signs are emerging from Jharkhand. For starters, the arrest of three Congress MLAs belonging to Jharkhand in West Bengal is all wrong but not for moral reasons. The cordon, search and arrest was not conducted by some central agency but the West Bengal state police. The Trinamul Congress (TMC) government, still reeling under the arrest of its minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate with a cash seizure of `50 crore, would in normal circumstances not have acted with such rigour to arrest three Congress MLAs from a neighbouring state, with a cash in the car boot of less than `50 lakh. For one, the TMC, notwithstanding the angry response over the Vice-Presidents election, would not have gone so out of the way to conduct this matter in such a manner over a friendly party, especially if they belong to another state. Secondly, these Congress MLAs, Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachhap and Naman Bixal, had just returned from Assam, and could barely justify the cash, saying they were out to buy saris for a tribal festival in Kolkata. The Congress, forced to not be on the wrong side of the issue of corruption, dismissed the three leaders but accused them of having become part of a conspiracy to topple the coalition government led by Hemant Soren. The suggestion that this was meant to topple a state government is ludicrous. It is hard to get a shift of loyalty of a single MLA, or even a municipal corporator, with that kind of cash in India today. But it is not hard to see value in the larger panic if the BJP can get power shifted in Ranchi, it would unlikely miss an opportunity. Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka were two states in which the BJP installed its own Chief Minister after the Congress had a government there within the same term, and barely missed doing the same in Rajasthan. It pulled the ground beneath the feet of Mr Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray in Mumbai. Though Mr Soren broke ranks with this ally, the Congress, to support the NDA candidate in the Presidential elections, the ED raids and investigations against his adviser in the mining case are continuing. Earlier, the CMs constituency representative was also arrested in the ongoing probe. The most interesting thing is the matter, of course, is the alacrity of response of the Congress. In most states, the Congress has largely remained clueless, while the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, which has truly established politics as an unending game, a 24-by-7 war, has pulled off legislative coups. Will Jharkhand be the next? It will be no surprise if it will be, but for a welcome change, the Congress is watching with some alertness too. Irish Water working in partnership with Louth County Council will carry out essential maintenance works to the Cavan Hill Water Treatment Plant. Customers on the Cavan Hill & Dunbin supply networks may experience some low water pressure for periods from 8am on Wednesday 3 August to midnight on Friday 5 August. Irish Water says that crews will make every effort to minimise the disruption to impacted customers and will work to complete these maintenance works as quickly and as safely as possible. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water will receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. Speaking about the maintenance works, Michael Cunniffe, Regional Asset Operations Lead at Irish Water said, Irish Water understands that essential works can be inconvenient and working in partnership with our colleagues in Louth County Council, we will make every effort to minimise the disruption that these necessary maintenance works may cause. "The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website. "Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies. To mark the centenary of the famous Dundalk Jail breakout, Louth Sinn Fein, chaired by Cllr Edel Corrigan, held a vigil on the Ardee Road side of the Jail at 6.45pm on Wednesday 27th July. Main speaker Councillor Kevin Meenan welcomed relatives of some of those who took part in the daring escape and described it as momentous. We had the biggest jail escape in Irish history right here in Dundalk by Republicans and talking to the relatives of those involved the story would certainly rival anything Netflix could come up with. Cllr Meenan referred to conversations he had with descendants, in particular who related how their family member had spent the night before the escape at Tipping Wood in Ravensdale unaware of the events that would be unfolding the next day. The following morning they were awoken by John McCoy who informed them that a jailbreak was about to take place. They were then moved to Angela McDonalds farm which is now where Fitzpatricks restaurant is where they were fed and a priest was made available to them in the event they wish to make what could be a last confession. The reality probably sank in when Angela McDonald gave each of those present some holy water. They were then ordered to the Barrack Street/Quay Street area to ensure troops from the Barracks could not go to the aid of the prison authorities when the break occurred. Residents in Barrack Street were told to remain indoors with their doors locked to ensure that there would be no cover for troops who would normally have ducked in and out of doorways if under attack. Cllr Meenan then read extracts from a book compiled by Donal Hall for Louth County Council which relates the story of the events leading up to and including the event. 105 prisoners escaped through a hole in the wall of the Jail led by Frank Aitken. Over half of the escapees were from the 4th Northern Division while most of the remainder were from Meath and the Midlands. Cllr Meenan said: This is a decade of centenaries and Dundalk certainly played its part at that time. It is important that we remember these events and for the families of those involved to know how we appreciate that these events are what shaped our country today and the sacrifice of their families should not and will not be forgotten. This September, the Mater Foundation is challenging people all across Louth to take part in the 100 Miles in a Month challenge to support patient care at the Mater Public Hospital. In the past two years alone, over 500 people from County Louth have raised an incredible 55,000 for the Mater Public Hospital, which its says, has made a huge difference to its patients who come from all across Ireland. So once again, it is calling on the people of Louth to take on its 100 Miles in Month challenge this September. Walk, jog, run, or even hike! its completely up to you. By signing up to take part, the 100 Milers will be invited to join a buzzing online community that will be on hand with fitness tips and tricks as well as lots of motivation to get them through the miles! And every mile tracked will be making an incredible difference to the Maters staff and patients. Funds raised from the challenge will allow the Mater Foundation to provide life-saving equipment across the hospital, equipment like its new state of the art PETCT scanner. This scanner, funded by its supporters, enables Mater staff to quickly diagnose and treat patients with cancer, heart disease and brain disorders. For more information or to register for 100 Miles in a Month Challenge, go to: https://www.materfoundation.ie/event/100-miles-in-a-month-september-2022/ Or to donate, visit www.materfoundation.ie/donate Mary Moorhead, Chief Executive of the Mater Foundation said, Our 100 Miles in a Month challenge this September is so important. The funds raised from the challenge will directly impact patients from all across Ireland as they will ensure that we always have the funds needed to upgrade and replace life-saving equipment as it is needed. "It is only with the support of the Irish public, that we are continuously able to transform patient care, saving even more lives and make a long and lasting difference to all who come through the hospital doors. "I am ever so grateful to the incredible people of County Louth who have continued to support our work at the Mater Foundation, as well as to all of those who sign up to take on this tough physical challenge. On behalf of the Mater Foundation and the Mater Hospital we cannot begin to thank everyone enough for their support. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Irish Water, working in partnership with Louth County Council, says that it wishes to notify customers on the Woodlands Estate, Dunleer, that following the completion of remedial measures and the receipt of satisfactory monitoring results, the boil water notice issued on Monday, 18 July has been lifted. This decision follows consultation undertaken with the Health Service Executive (HSE). The notice, Irish Water says, was originally issued as a precaution due to low chlorine levels in the treated water. Irish Water operation and compliance experts worked with colleagues in Louth County Council to carry out the necessary works to enable the notice to be lifted as quickly as possible. Consumers in the Woodlands Estate, Dunleer, unless otherwise advised, can resume normal use of the water supply for drinking, food preparation, and brushing teeth. Michael Cunniffe of Irish Water said: Irish Water and Louth County Council wish to thank everyone for their patience, co-operation and assistance during this boil water notice and we greatly regret any inconvenience caused to homes in the community. Irish Water, the Local Authority and the Health Service Executive Water Liaison Group will continue to meet and will review ongoing process control, monitoring and testing of the drinking water supply. The Irish Water Customer Contact Centre (1800 278 278) is available to answer customer queries in relation to this water notice. Further information is available on www.water.ie. Irish Water and Louth County Council say they acknowledge the patience, cooperation, and assistance of the general public during the period of the boil water notice and greatly regrets any inconvenience caused to householders and the business community. Close to 25,000 people had to wait longer than 24 hours in an emergency department (ED) in the first five months of the year, latest figures show. Figures also show that out of that number, 8,204 were aged over 75. Overall hospital attendances have increased by 5pc in the past two years. A statement from the Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed that 2022 saw an "increase in ED attendances with a significant increase in the number of patients aged 75 and over attending EDs with complex care needs and often requiring admission to hospital for further treatment". HSE Interim Chief Clinical Officer Damien McCallion, speaking on RTE News at One said overall hospital attendances have increased by 5pc since 2019. "We are seeing more people who are accessing care, perhaps who were restricted over recent years. We know general practice (GPs) in particular are very busy in recent times, he said. "In our hospitals, they still have pathways for Covid and non-Covid patients and that impacts on the flow in hospitals number one, but there are also a number of other ways that, that impacts hospitals as well in terms of our utilisation of single rooms for infection, for people with Covid. "None of our hospitals want any elderly person, particularly at the most important part, potentially in their life in terms of when theyre ill, to have to wait for those sort of periods. From our perspective, thats one of the key areas that were focusing on now in terms of trying to improve, he said. "We know that age is one of the factors in terms of impacting on health and thats an area that all of our hospitals and our community systems will be focusing on as we move into what could well be a very difficult period of winter," Mr McCallion said. The INMO, in its latest Trolley Watch analysis, has recorded 9,961 admitted patients without hospital beds in June 2022. Among the 9,961 patients, 123 were children the INMO noted. It expressed concern at overcrowding in hospitals. INMO Director of Professional Services Tony Fitzpatrick said: The level of hospital overcrowding we have seen throughout this summer has been a cause of serious concern. Since the beginning of May we have seen 27,832 patients without a bed in Irish hospitals including 9,191 in July. The fact that 95 children under the age of sixteen have been without hospital beds in July should absolutely not be tolerated. Unless we see a hospital-by-hospital plan to tackle overcrowding, we are in for a very bleak winter in Irish hospitals which will see nurses and patients in extremely unsafe circumstances. We need to heed the warnings from our colleagues in Australia when it comes to mitigating the impact of both flu and COVID in Irish hospitals over the coming months. We cannot afford to have a COVID and flu twindemic in Irish hospitals this winter. Vaccinations for both COVID and flu should be offered to healthcare workers as soon as possible. Nurses and other healthcare staff cannot be expected to sustain this type of pressure right into the winter. If the Government and HSE are serious about retaining those who already work in the health service, meaningful action must be taken to ensure safe care conditions for both patients and staff. No nurse wants to have to care for patients in sub-optimal conditions, Mr Fitzpatrick said. China is a firm supporter of UN: Chinese UN ambassador Xinhua) 11:00, August 02, 2022 UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China is a firm supporter of the United Nations in its role in addressing global challenges, upholding peace and security, and promoting common development, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Monday. In a press briefing on China's Security Council presidency for the month of August, Zhang said that the United Nations is a banner of multilateralism and a symbol of collective strength and that its role will remain irreplaceable no matter how the international situation may change. However, he said, the United Nations does not exist in a vacuum. The strength of the world body originates from the support and contribution of its member states. In this regard, major countries, in particular, should take the lead in carrying out their obligations and playing a responsible role, he said. He said China is committed to practicing true multilateralism. One fundamental goal of China's approach to international affairs is to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at the center, and to support its central role in international affairs, he said. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, the partnership with China is an important pillar of the United Nations and multilateralism. China is committed to safeguarding world peace and security. China firmly champions the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China believes that hotspot issues must be solved politically, and fully supports the mediation efforts of the UN secretary-general, he said. China has been making unremitting efforts in advancing the UN development agenda. China has achieved the poverty reduction goal in the 2030 Agenda 10 years ahead of schedule. China's Global Development Initiative injects fresh impetus to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing the global food crisis and inequality and imbalance in global development, thus making China's contribution in this regard, he said. China is taking concrete climate action. As the largest developing country, China strives to achieve carbon peak before 2030, and carbon neutrality before 2060. This will be the world's fastest transition from carbon peak to neutrality, said Zhang. "We know this will be a huge task and requires enormous sacrifices, but we will honor our commitment," he said. Noting that China has been actively carrying out its financial obligations to the United Nations, he said China is the second-largest contributor to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping assessments. Despite arduous tasks at home in addressing the pandemic, developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, China still manages to overcome these difficulties and pays its dues and assessments in full and on time, offering strong resource support for the UN's work and its peacekeeping efforts, he said. Last year, China and the United Nations celebrated the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations. As China continues its development, it will make even greater contributions to the cause of the United Nations, and peace and development of the world, said Zhang. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) This is higher than 19 lakh such accounts banned by WhatsApp in May, 16 lakh accounts in April, and 18.05 lakh such accounts in March.(PTI Photo) New Delhi: WhatsApp has banned over 22 lakh Indian accounts in June on the basis of complaints received via its grievance redresal channel and through its own mechanism to detect violations, according to the messaging platform. This is higher than 19 lakh such accounts banned by WhatsApp in May, 16 lakh accounts in April, and 18.05 lakh such accounts in March. The new, tougher IT rules, which came into effect last year, mandate large digital platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken. Big social media firms have drawn flak in the past over hate speech, misinformation and fake news circulating on their platforms. At times, concerns have also been flagged over digital platforms acting arbitrarily in pulling down content, and 'de-platforming' users. "As captured in the latest monthly report, WhatsApp banned over 2.2 million accounts in the month of June," WhatsApp spokesperson said as the Meta-owned platform published its latest monthly update. The user-safety report has details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as its own preventive actions to combat abuse on the platform, the spokesperson said. An Indian account is identified via the +91 phone number prefix. According to the report, 22.10 lakh Indian accounts were banned by WhatsApp between June 1 and June 30, 2022 using the "abuse detection approach, which also includes action taken in furtherance to negative feedback received from users..." "Over the years, we have consistently invested in artificial intelligence and other...technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform," the spokesperson further said. As many as 632 grievance reports were received, and 64 accounts were "actioned" during June 2022. Of of the total reports received, 426 pertained to 'ban appeal' while others were in the categories of account support, product support and safety, among others. "We respond to all grievances received except in cases where a grievance is deemed to be a duplicate of a previous ticket. An account is 'actioned' when an account is banned or a previously banned account is restored, as a result of a complaint," the report said. The government is in the midst of formulating new social media rules that propose to give users a grievance appeal mechanism against arbitrary content moderation, inaction, or takedown decisions of big tech companies. The IT ministry, in June, circulated the draft rules that propose a government panel to hear user appeals against inaction on complaints made, or against content-related decisions taken by grievance officers of social media platforms. At present, "there is no appellate mechanism provided by intermediaries nor is there any credible self-regulatory mechanism in place", the ministry had said. The government had last year notified IT rules to make digital intermediaries more accountable and responsible for content hosted on their platforms. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Washington: Al-Qaeda's reclusive emir Ayman al-Zawahiri, who played a key role in the 9/11 attacks and later formed the group's regional affiliate in the Indian subcontinent, has been killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, in the biggest blow to the global terror network since its founder Osama bin Laden was eliminated in Pakistan in 2011. Zawahiri, who assumed the leadership of al-Qaeda after the death of bin Laden, was killed in a drone strike carried out by CIA on Saturday evening at a house in a posh locality in the Afghan capital where he was sheltering to reunite with his family, US President Joe Biden said on Monday, declaring that "justice has been delivered and this terrorist is no more." The 71-year-old Egyptian surgeon, on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list, had a USD 25 million bounty on his head, was bin Laden's second-in-command during 9/11 attacks and took over as the head of al-Qaeda after his killing. He remained a visible international symbol of the terror group, 11 years after the US killed bin Laden during a raid in Pakistan's garrison city of Abbottabad in May 2011. "My fellow Americans, on Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the emir of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri," President Biden said. "I authorised a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all," Biden, still isolating due to a Covid-19 reinfection, said in a speech from a balcony of the White House. According to officials, Zawahiri was on the balcony of a safe house in Kabul when the drone fired two Hellfire missiles at him. Other family members were present, but they were unharmed. "He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11, one of the most responsible for the attacks that murdered 2,977 people on American soil. For decades, he was the mastermind of attacks against Americans, said Biden, referring to the victims of the 2001 attacks in which hijackers crashed passenger jets into landmark buildings in New York and Washington. "Now, justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer," Biden said. "The US continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm. We make it clear again tonight, that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out," he said. Biden said the precision strike targeting was the result of the "extraordinary persistence and skill" of the nation's intelligence community. The strike comes one year after Biden ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, prompting Taliban forces to rapidly seize control of the war-torn nation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the world is a safer place following the death of Zawahiri as he accused the Taliban regime of grossly violating its commitments to the international community by "hosting and sheltering" the al-Qaeda chief in Kabul. Blinken said the US will continue to act against those who threaten the country, its people and its allies. Zawahiri comes from a distinguished Egyptian family, according to the New York Times. His grandfather, Rabia'a al-Zawahiri, was an imam at the prestigious al-Azhar University in Cairo. His great-uncle, Abdel Rahman Azzam, was the first secretary of the Arab League. He played central role in the attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and eventually helped to mastermind the deadliest terror attack on American soil, when hijackers turned US airliners into missiles. In September 2014, Zawahiri had announced the creation of Al-Qaeda's regional affiliate - the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), taking advantage of sanctuaries in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. "A new branch of Al-Qaeda was established - Qaeda al-Jihad in the Indian subcontinent, seeking to raise the flag of jihad,...and return the Islamic rule across the Indian subcontinent," Zawahiri had said at the time. The al-Qaeda's regional affiliate was led by Asim Umar - an Indian and former member of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami. Umar was killed in a joint US-Afghan military raid in the Afghan Province of Helmand in September 2019. In April, Zawahiri's 8.43-minute video clip was released by the terror group online in which he had praised a Karnataka college student for confronting a group of students opposing hijab in her college in early February. However, the girl's father distanced himself from Zawahiri's comments, terming them as "wrong" and said he and his family were living peacefully in India. Meanwhile, the Taliban condemned the drone attack that killed Zawahiri. Taliban senior spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the attack occurred on a residential home in the Sherpur area of Kabul, a diplomatic neighbourhood where several Taliban commanders currently reside. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the US, Afghanistan, and the region, Mujahid was quoted as saying by Afghanistan's Khaama Press News Agency. Zawahiri was constantly on the move once the US-led invasion of Afghanistan began after the September 11, 2001, attacks. At one point, he narrowly escaped a US onslaught in the rugged, mountainous Tora Bora region of Afghanistan. He made his public debut as a Muslim militant when he was in prison for his involvement in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. By that time, Zawahiri, a young doctor, was already a committed terrorist who conspired to overthrow the Egyptian government for years and sought to replace it with fundamentalist Islamic rule. He proudly endorsed Sadat's assassination after the Egyptian leader made peace with Israel. He spent three years in prison after Sadat's assassination. After his release, he made his way to Pakistan, where he treated wounded mujahideen fighters who fought against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. That was when he met bin Laden and found a common cause, the CNN reported. "We are working with brother bin Laden," he said in announcing the merger of his terror group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, with al-Qaeda in May 1998. "We know him for more than 10 years now. We fought with him here in Afghanistan," he had said. Together, the two terror leaders signed a fatwa, or declaration: "The judgment to kill and fight Americans and their allies, whether civilians or military, is an obligation for every Muslim." EBRD approves 20 million loan to Agricover Credit IFN for on-lending to Romanian farmers Romanias leading financiers of agriculture expanding farmers access to finance Loans will help local producers overcome impact of war on Ukraine The EBRD is enhancing food production and security in Romania and beyond by approving 20 million to Agricover Credit IFN, a non-bank agricultural lender, to on-lend to farmers for their investment or working capital financing needs. The loan is part of the EBRDs 2 billion Resilience and Livelihoods Framework helping countries and companies affected by the war on Ukraine. Neighbouring Ukraine and Russia are both major grain producers, and wheat prices, which were already close to 50 per cent above their 2017-2021 average in February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, have risen additionally since the war began. After poor harvests, the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues exacerbated by the war, global cereals stocks were more than 30 per cent below the five-year average. Romania reached record agricultural production in 2021 and has significant capacity for grain and oilseeds production. While Romanian farmers are facing increased input prices and rising energy bills, this record production, coupled with high output prices and higher international demand for crops now, combine to support local farmers to adapt to the current environment. Agricover Credit IFN works with more than 4,700 farmers in Romania. It is a subsidiary of Agricover Holding, which offers agribusiness and financial services to farmers through a highly integrated business model centred around satisfying the essential needs of farmers. The company, an existing EBRD client since 2018, is wholly owned by Agricover Holding S.A., a major player in the Romanian agricultural sector with over 20 years of activity, in which the EBRD is a shareholder. To date, the EBRD has invested almost 9.7 billion in 488 projects in Romania. Read in Romanian Investment will lead to increased production capacity Energy efficiency measures and renewable energy for sustainable growth Training programmes for staff to increase knowhow The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 10.8 million loan to Stax Technologies, a manufacturer of paper tissue packaging machines in Serbia. The company will use the funds to expand its production facilities, purchase new equipment and implement energy efficiency improvements, such as installation of solar panels. This will allow it to increase its production capacity in Serbia by over 70 per cent, while improving energy efficiency and productivity. The new production plant will use state-of-the-art equipment and a new 300KW rooftop solar power system will allow the company to produce the energy it needs for its own operations while reducing electricity costs. Matteo Colangeli, EBRD Regional Director for the Western Balkans, Head of Serbia, said: We are very pleased to support Stax Technologies in expanding and upgrading its operations, investing in the green transition and in raising skills and standards, which in turn will contribute to greater competitiveness and access to global markets. Stax Technologies, which currently employs around 360 people, expects to hire more staff as it expands its production. To address the growing need for skilled workers, the EBRD will help the company expand the Stax Academy, its training centre. The Academy will develop its vocational training programmes, but also dual learning and develop partnerships with universities. Particular attention will be paid to attracting and enrolling women into technical training programmes to promote women in engineering and technical positions. Stax Technologies in Serbia is partly owned by the Barry-Wehmiller Group, a worldwide leading supplier of production technologies for packaging, corrugated cardboard, foil and paper processing. The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Serbia. The Bank has invested more than 7.3 billion in the country to date. Its focus in Serbia is on private-sector development, improving public utilities and facilitating the countrys transition to a green economy. Its investments are combined with support for policies that promote a more enabling business environment. I USED to be a right hand man, jokes Kieron OConnor. Now I am a left hand man! Kieron is a professional landscape and travel photographer who suffered a stroke in his late thirties and as a result suffers with aphasia, a condition that leaves him with difficulty speaking and writing. Kieron became interested in the art of photography and has now taken it up as a career, despite dealing with aphasia. He travelled the world as an engineer when he was a young man. In my twenties, I started working on boats as an engineer. I first became interested in photography when I was travelling the world years ago, says Kieron. I just wanted to remember all these places I was seeing and what was going on. Kieron went around the world a few times. It normally took four months, he says. Kieron OConnor has opened a photographic gallery at 6, Pearse Square, Cobh. The start-up business is located in the former Arch Bar in the harbour town. Picture: Larry Cummins He saw most of the world in his twenties. The fastest time I did around the world was flying to London from Cork, flying to Miami, got onto a boat with two ports, Panama, Long beach, USA, Kobe in Japan, Hong Kong. Then fly back to London, to Cork. That took one month. The countries I was in were China, Taiwan, Seoul, Tokyo, USA, Mexico, Panama, Canada, UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Gibraltar, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Port Said, Suez, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, India and Sri Lanka. I took photographs and videos everywhere I went and I stored them away. I wanted to remember life as I went along. When Kieron had got wanderlust out of his system, he started work in Dublin as a Maintenance Manager Contractor.. This was a bit different to his previous occupation? It was, just a bit! says Kieron. A normal day at the office changed his life. It was a normal day at work, about 4pm, recalls Kieron. I went to take a drink of water and it spilled all down my front onto my clothes. I called my sister and it turned out I had had a stroke. Just out of the blue. I thought I was fine but I wasnt. Luckily, I had good doctors in Dublin who helped me. I thought Id be back to work very soon, but I wasnt. When I had the stroke, I thought I was going back to work the next week. I thought it was no issue for me. But it was. When I had the stroke, I thought I cant go to work, what else do I do? Its back to zero. I couldnt use a phone or a computer. I was very lucky though. Every day I was trying to get better, talking to people, taking pictures, places in Ireland, and working on the computer, trying to get better at this as well. Now, Im just enjoying life. I was very lucky. Some people who suffer a stroke bounce back and carry on in life; is this true of Kieron? I think it depends on what happens to that person, says Kieron. I think some people are very lucky. Myself, I think Im just very lucky that Im alive. I have one leg, one arm, am doing as much as I can on my own. I have family support and friends. Kieron is creative. One year it was very cold and I took some photos then and they were on RTE news. I thought, now is the time to try and I opened my shop. I received an overwhelming amount of support from family and friends and I credit them with helping me open the showroom on Pearse Square, Cobh. In his gallery, Kieron is selling his latest photography book Lockdown Ireland 2020, which is full to the brim with photos of Cobh and Cork Harbour. He describes making the book as a way to just remember what was going on over the lockdown. Stroke survivor Kieron OConnor also published a book of photos during lockdown. I never had time to work on good quality pictures before. The book was not a real plan. I just knew the pandemic was going to be crazy all over the world. As it got worse and worse, and coming to Europe, I still never imagined it was coming to Ireland. Then I saw the Taoiseach talking on the news, this was the calm before the storm. I didnt know what was going to happen. I knew I was going to take as many pictures as I could and talk about it afterwards. At that time I tried to find out if anyone else had done a book on lockdown. I could buy none of them in Ireland. So I wanted to show where I was during that time, during the lockdown, and thats what I have in the book. It is a way to remember what was going on over the lockdown. And thats what I have. Kieron is proud of his new shop at Pearse Square in Cobh. I had been trying to buy a shop for more than five years, and I couldnt. This year I found a shop that was closed and someone helped me look into it and now I have the shop there. My family and friends have been through this with me. Its open now and its going good. Kieron has turned his passion for photography into his full-time career. He has upgraded his hobby to his profession and he has a real love for his work. Im really happy with the shop, he says. Kierons prints and books are for sale in the Cobh Gallery that is open Monday to Friday, or from his website www.kieronoconnor-photography.com WATER services workers in Cork City Council and Cork County Council are set to stage another protest in the city tomorrow afternoon arguing that they are entitled to a vote on the planned changes for the future of water services. Under the Governments framework for the future of water services, Irish Water is to assume responsibility for all water services. Between now and 2026, some 3,200 local authority water services staff will be asked to voluntarily transfer to Irish Water as permanent employees. Those who do not wish to transfer to Irish Water can continue in local authority employment. However, Irish Water will have responsibility for managing and directing water workers even if they remain in local authority employment. It is the Governments ambition that local authorities will no longer have staff working in water services beyond the end of 2026. After this time, local authorities will no longer be involved in the public water system and staff would be reassigned to suitable vacancies in other areas of council work. Speaking to The Echo ahead of a protest held by local authority water services workers in the city centre last month John Mullins, a water services worker with Cork City Council, said the framework would see the premature ending of an existing service level agreement. What this framework effectively means is that all public service water provision will be handed over to Irish Water on January 1, 2023, even though there is a service level agreement in place until 2026, Mr Mullins said. 'NO SAY' He claimed that water services workers have had no say on the planned changes. Our unions are telling us were not getting a vote on it, he added. Following on from the protest last month, water services workers are holding another protest outside the offices of their main trade union, SIPTU, on Lapps Quay which is due to commence at 12:30pm. Were saying that democratically were entitled to a vote on this. This affects all our futures, Mr Mullins said. In a recent statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government told The Echo the framework was recently identified through an engagement process facilitated by the Workplace Relations Commission and that it will enable Irish Water to work in conjunction with local authorities and current water services staff to complete the integration of public water services into its own organisational structure, as envisaged in the Governments Policy Paper on Water Sector Transformation. Public ownership remains central to the Government's vision for water services as is clear from the Policy Paper and the Framework document," the spokesperson added. Kenneth Fox The government has issued contracts worth 99.3 million for private accommodation and services for Ukrainian refugees. According to tender documents published by the Department of Integration, Citywest Hotel were awarded contracts worth under 10 million for providing their hub. While Youghal's Quality Hotel which has a care centre, secured a contract worth 12.5 million. According to the Irish Examiner, 90 tender documents have been signed to date, however the state are still seeking additional solutions such as housing families on islands. As reported last week, the Aviva Stadium had been used to temporarily house around 100 refugees before they were moved to other accommodation. It comes as the Government has also been reaching out to the GAA and religious organisations in a bid to secure temporary housing for Ukrainians. Councils are also looking for properties on islands off the Irish coast to accommodate Ukrainians living in student accommodation. Student accommodation Thousands of refugees face having to leave accommodation before the next academic year, with many being told they need to vacate their flats over the next two weeks. Of the 32,000 who have sought accommodation since their arrival, around 28,000 have been placed in serviced accommodation with a further 1,100 in emergency accommodation. Citywest has been acting as a hub for arrivals before they move elsewhere, and the Department of Integration awarded contracts worth 2.45 million and 8.34 million since the invasion began. Six locations in Cork have been providing accommodation and/or other services according to the tender documents. Over three-quarters of the 43,000 refugees arriving into Ireland since the end of February have sought accommodation from the State. It is understood that the Government has modelled for up to 50,000 people to have arrived by the end of August. When students return to university in the coming weeks, it will put further strain on the system as many had student accommodation spaces had been used for Ukrainian people during the summer. The Department of Integration said that of the 4,900 student accommodation beds it contracted around the country, including Cork, some 3,200 are currently in use. Several thousand people are also living in pledged accommodation either vacant or shared. Shiok Meats in joint effort to set up cell-cultured shrimp facility in Vietnam Vietnam-headquartered Minh Phu Seafood and Singapore-based cell-cultured meat and seafood producer Shiok Meats have signed a memorandum to collaborate on research and development. The two companies will establish a joint R&D facility in Vietnam, according to a joint statement released on July 27. Based on the MoU, the two sides will continue to discuss the establishment of the joint facility, Minh Phu chief executive officer Le Van Quang told SeafoodSource, without providing any timeframe for construction to begin. The collaboration with the cell-cultured shrimp start-up will help conventional seafood producer Minh Phu take advantage of advanced cell-cultured seafood technology to create a more-diversified portfolio, Minh Phu said. Through the joint R&D facility, Shiok and Minh Phu will collaborate in the development, production, marketing and distribution of cell-cultured shrimp products. The companies are also studying the feasibility of building a manufacturing plant to produce cell-based products in Vietnam. The companies' collaboration is in line with Minh Phu's strategy to apply advanced technologies in the production of seafood for the sustainable development of the industry, Quang said. "Setting up a joint R&D facility with Minh Phu Seafood is a major milestone for us. Our vision has always been collaborating with established seafood companies and hatcheries to add variety to the portfolio and food security narrative through aquaculture innovation, research, and tech transfer," said Shiok Group CEO, chairman and co-founder Sandhya Sriram. "Our satellite R&D facility in Vietnam will focus on high-quality cultivated shrimp research and technology." - SeafoodSource Salmonella contamination of poultry highlighted during IAFP session in Pennsylvania, US During an IAFP 2022 session held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the United States, on August 1, speakers talked about how the contamination of poultry with salmonella continues to be one of the most pressing issues in food safety. In part one of the three-part sessiontitled "Salmonella in Poultry: Issues and Solutions", Janell Kause of United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), provided an overview of the federal government's efforts to better understand and control salmonella contamination on poultry to improve public health. Kause said that because Salmonella infections have remained relatively steady, "We're ready to try a new approach." The FSIS is actively seeking guidance and input. The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) is advising FSIS to build on the latest science to improve its approach to salmonella control in poultry products. When Kause was asked what actions FSIS are taking to reach out to consumers directly and inform them on safe handling practices, she said: "We have a farm-to-table strategy. We have a whole office devoted to that." She encouraged attendees to check out FSIS's webpage on salmonella. "Utilizing Serotype and Quantification Data to Address Salmonella in Poultry Part two" featured Shanice Krombeen of Pilgrim's Pride Corp. Krombeen discussed novel diagnostic approaches that can provide more robust testing data for salmonella in poultry and how they can be useful for enhanced monitoring control strategies. When asked if the reduction of common strains makes the harboring of potential for other kinds of more dangerous strains, Krombeen said: "It's certainly possible, we can definitely do more digging in that." She added that it is important to do more data mining into it. Krombeen was asked if Pilgrim's Pride Corp. is targeting Salmonella Infantis specifically. "We are not at a point yet where we are targeting that one," she said. "We are still in the gathering information stage." In the last part of the session, Xiangyu Deng of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety discussed his study, titled "Salmonella Enteritidis and Breeder Supply Chain". The study hypothesised that the international trade of infected breeding stocks causes the global spread of the pathogen. The study discovered recent, genetically near-identical salmonella isolates from domestically raised poultry in North and South America. They also identified patterns of international trade of breeding stocks and quantitatively established a driving role of the trade in the geographic dispersal of Salmonella Enteritidis, suggesting that the centralised origins were infected breeding stocks. They also identified patterns of international trade of breed stocks and discovered that it was the driving course behind the dispersal so Salmonella enteritidis. Overall, the study suggested that the origin of S. Enteritidis was from infected breeding stock. - Food Safety News This content is made possible by our sponsor; it is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Engadget's editorial staff. A well-planned trip to a foreign land can be exciting and life changing, but the logistics involved might stress you out mid-journey and even deter some folks from booking their vacation. This could happen because of hodophobia , which WebMD describes as a fear that usually results from a past negative experience while you were traveling. The memory of the event creates a heightened physical and emotional stress response from you. Unfortunately, many circumstances can influence your experience if you were to book your trip today. Contracting COVID can upend months of planning , and visiting a destination whose language youre unfamiliar with might make you feel anxious. You likely wont solve these issues overnight, but a bit of preparation could make your adventure more comfortable. The World Traveler Bundle features resources that can help, and its $160 with code ROSETTA20 . With airlines passing fuel upcharges on customers, searching for affordable airfare may seem challenging. The bundle can alleviate some of the cost with a three-year subscription to Matts Flights. This tool scours the internet for domestic and international deals and sends them to your inbox as soon as theyre available. Matt finds some bookings mistakenly priced below market value, allowing you to fly on a budget. The collection also features the Complete 2021 Travel Hacker Bundle, containing 13 hours of tips that could build your confidence before and during your next excursion. The lessons are designed for groups and solo adventurers alike, and youll find resources on saving money as you vacation. And if you want to turn travel into a permanent lifestyle, Learn To Become A Digital Nomad illustrates ways to earn a living with the entire world as your home . Finally, the bundle offers a lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone, which can be valuable if you only speak your native tongue. This app has been trusted by organizations like NASA for nearly three decades, and with this membership, you can learn up to 24 languages (one at a time) by discovering basic conversational topics such as shopping, ordering food, hailing taxis and more. Rosetta Stone uses speech recognition to analyze and provide nearly instantaneous feedback on your pronunciation. Experiencing cultures and lifestyles different from your own can be intimidating, but the Complete 2021 Travel Hacker Bundle aims to make the experience as comfortable as possible. You can save 20 percent off this three-part collection using code ROSETTA20 at checkout, lowering the price to $160. Logitech and Tencent have announced that they're working on a handheld cloud gaming device. They're blending the Logitech G brand's hardware knowhow with Tencent's software prowess. According to a landing page (where you can plug in your email address to receive updates), the device is tentatively called the Logitech G Gaming Handheld. The system should come to market later this year and it will "support multiple cloud gaming services," Logitech said. Tencent and Logitech are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now teams at Microsoft and NVIDIA, respectively, so expect the handheld to support both of those platforms at the very least. Whether the device actually goes on sale as scheduled remains to be seen, given the ongoing supply chain crisis that's making production difficult for just about every electronics company. However, many cloud gaming services are accessible through web apps on phones, so the device likely wouldn't need a ton of processing might. It probably won't need to be as powerful as, say, the Steam Deck. Using lower-power components that aren't super difficult to come by could make it easier for Logitech and Tencent to actually build the handheld. In any case, we should find out more about the device in the coming months. Microsoft quietly announced the launch of Outlook Lite for Android, a streamlined version of the company's email service designed to use less battery and storage space than the default Outlook app without sacrificing features or performance. Specifically, Microsoft says that Outlook Lite has all the main features of the Outlook experience neatly packed into a 5MB app that's optimized for speed, even on lower-end Android devices. The company says the app was designed to run fast on devices with as little as 1GB of RAM, use less battery impact than the full app and offer good performance on older 2G and 3G networks. That lower data, storage and battery impact is, of course, the point. And Microsoft isn't alone: pared down, lightweight apps serve a huge market of users with budget devices on older networks. That's why Google offers Android Go, a pared down version of the mobile OS designed specifically for lower-end phones, and why Meta has put so much effort into building small, but feature-rich versions of its Instagram and Facebook apps. You can find lightweight apps for Twitter, Tiktok and even Tinder. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on Like most lightweight apps, this one has its caveats. Microsoft's new mail app doesn't cut any major features to earn its 'lite' moniker, but it won't work with as many email providers as the primary Outlook app. At present, Outlook Lite is only compatible with Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts. Likewise, the app is also only available in select countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela though Microsoft says it may add support for more locations in the future. The US network that matches donated kidneys, livers and hearts with desperate patients has serious issues and "needs to be vastly restructured," according to a government review seen by The Washington Post. It reportedly relies on out-of-date technology, has crashed for hours at a time and has never been audited by federal for security or other flaws by federal officials. The current system has been administered by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) for 36 years. That non-profit is overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Around 106,000 people are on a waiting list for organs, with most seeking kidneys. Over 41,000 organs were transplanted last year, setting a record, but 22 people die each day waiting, according to the article. In its review completed 18 months ago, the White House's US Digital Service recommended that the government "break up the current monopoly" held by UNOS. "In order to properly and equitably support the critical needs of these patients, the ecosystem needs to be vastly restructured." A big sticking point is that the government has never been allowed to inspect the computer code behind the system, because UNOS hasn't allowed it. "The code is extremely large," said UNOS chief executive Brian Shepherd. "They can come in and ask for specific pieces." Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on The Washington Post obtained the review in draft form as it has yet to be finalized. Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee who saw the report reportedly warned DHS officials that they had "no confidence" in the security of the network, asking the White House to step in to protect it from attacks. "We request you take immediate steps to secure the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network system from cyber-attacks," wrote committee chair Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Charles E. Grassley. The other main issue is the requirement for manual input that can lead to mistakes or create timing issues for organ matches. "When nearly 100 percent of hospitals use electronic records, the notion that we rely on human beings to enter data into databases is crazy. It should be 85 to 95 percent automatic," a former chair of the UNOS liver transplant policy committee told The Post. The transplant results are the most disconcerting part of the report. In the US in 2020, 21.3 percent of donated kidneys weren't transplanted, according to a report. That compares to 9.1 percent in France, 10 to 12 percent in the UK and eight percent in the Eurotransplant consortium of eight EU countries including Germany. "You would be hard pressed to think you couldnt at least get 5 percent better [in the US], which would be thousands of transplants," a former HHS official told The Post. For more, check out the article here. NASAs Artemis 1 test flight dummy will have company on its flight to the Moon. On Tuesday, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that Shaun the Sheep will join the unmanned mission when it hopefully takes off later this year. With the announcement, Aardmans beloved character will technically become the first ESA astronaut to participate in the Artemis program. This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA, ESA Director for Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said. Were woolly very happy that hes been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, its a giant leap for lambkind. Following a successful fueling test of its next-generation SLS rocket, NASA said Artemis 1 could launch as early as August 23rd. The mission will send the agencys Orion spacecraft as well as Shaun and Commander Moonikin Campos on a trip beyond the moon. If all goes according to plan, the capsule should return to Earth after spending 39 to 42 days in space. The spacecraft will perform a flyby of the Moon, using lunar gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70 000 km beyond the Moon, almost half a million km from Earth farther than any human, or sheep, has ever traveled, the ESA said. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on Aardman didnt say as much, but the Shaun puppet will likely serve as the missions zero-g indicator. Ever since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin took a small doll with him on the first-ever human spaceflight, its become a tradition for space crews to bring toys on missions. Even some unmanned flights have taken part in the practice. In May, for instance, Boeings Starliner capsule brought Jebediah Kerman from Kerbal Space Program to the International Space Station. As more than 300,000 people anxiously watched the flight path of SPAR19 , the US Air Force plane carrying Nancy Pelosi on her tour of Asia, Taiwans presidential website went down to an apparent cyberattack, reports Reuters . In a Facebook post spotted by Gizmodo , Taiwanese presidential spokesperson Chang Tun-Han said a distributed denial-of-service attack took down the website early Tuesday evening. According to Tun-Han, the attack originated outside of Taiwan and saw the website bombarded with more than 200 times the amount of traffic it normally sees. They claim the website was back to normal operation within 20 minutes. However, when Engadget went to visit, there was only a single line to be seen stating, OK. Our delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 2, 2022 Pelosis plane landed in Taiwan late Tuesday evening Taipei Standard Time, reports The Associated Press . According to local news outlets, she is expected to stay the night. As Speaker of the House, Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Ahead of Tuesdays visit, China warned there would be resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went ahead with the trip. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory, and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. The US maintains a so-called policy of strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwan. In 1972, former President Richard Nixon visited mainland China. During Nixons visit, the US agreed that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is part of China. China views visits by foreign government officials to Taiwan as recognition of its sovereignty though members of Congress have routinely traveled to the self-governing island over the years. In a recent filing, Microsoft told New Zealands Commerce Commission that Activision Blizzard produces no must-have games. Weird thing to say when the company plans to spend $68.7 billion to buy the gaming giant behind Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft and plenty more. In the document, Microsoft said: There is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that is a must have for rival PC and console video game distributors that give rise to a foreclosure concern. Attempting to downplay the importance of Call of Duty is just one of the ways Microsoft has tried to placate regulators. In February, the company pledged it would continue to make the franchise available on PlayStation consoles beyond any existing agreements between Sony and Activision. Mat Smith Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on The biggest stories you might have missed It left its equipment in the streets in some cities. An e-bike- and scooter-sharing startup co-founded by Olympian Usain Bolt appears to have stopped operations. Bolt Mobility offered bikes in five cities, including Portland, Burlington, Vermont and Richmond in California, and others. "We learned a couple of weeks ago (from them) that Bolt is ceasing operations," a transportation planner in Chittenden County, Vermont, told TechCrunch. "Theyve vanished, leaving equipment behind and emails and calls unanswered. Continue reading. You'll also see them on individual app pages. Apple famously bragged itll never invade your privacy to serve ads, but it does have an ad business on its App Store and elsewhere. The company is now expanding that business by adding a new ad slot to its Today homepage tab and on individual app pages. The company says these new ad slots will adhere to Apple's policies on privacy and transparency, by not offering personalized ads to users under 18, never using sensitive data and avoiding hyper-targeting. Continue reading. Whether you have Series X, Series S, One X or One S, there's something here for you. Engadget Microsofts console strategy is unique. Someone with a nine-year-old Xbox One has access to an almost-identical library of games as the owner of a brand-new Xbox Series X. That makes it difficult to maintain meaningfully different lists for its various consoles at least for now. But while next-gen exclusives may be few and far between, there are a lot of gamers who simply havent experienced much of what Microsoft has had to offer since the mid-'10s. Its in that frame of mind that we approach this list, now updated: What games would we recommend to someone picking up an Xbox today? Expect more updated guides to the best games throughout the week. Continue reading. The proposed class action suit accuses Musk of breaching his fiduciary duty to Twitter shareholders. Reuters It's not only Twitter trying to force Elon Musk to buy the company for $44 billion. An investor filed a proposed class action lawsuit to try stopping Musk from backing out of the deal. Luigi Crispo's suit accuses Musk of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty to Twitter's shareholders. Musk last month claimed the company made false and misleading representations, and that it misrepresented the number of bots and fake accounts on its platform. Crispo concurred with Twitter's claims that Musk is using false claims about bots and spam to wriggle out of the deal without a valid legal standing. Continue reading. Premium features. Its 2022 and Spotify is adding the most basic of functions to its iOS and Android apps: dedicated play and shuffle buttons on playlists and album pages. Until now, tapping the button on most playlists started playback, shuffled. This vanilla playback feature, however, will only be available to Spotify Premium subscribers. Continue reading. Theres already a "TikTok Music" trademark application filed. TikToks parent company, ByteDance, has filed a trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for "TikTok Music." The service would let users "purchase, play, share, download music, songs, albums, lyrics... live stream audio and video... edit and upload photographs as the cover of playlists... [and] comment on music, songs and albums." Continue reading. Gravel-filled trucks and tankers that blocked north Kosovo roads were removed after being placed there by protesters. NATO-led peacekeepers oversaw the removal. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to visit Taiwan, three sources said. The United States said it wouldn't be intimidated by Chinese threats to never 'sit idly by' if she made the trip to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. At the end of 2016, two representatives of Antonian College Preparatory High School paid a visit to Christopher Chris Pettit at his San Antonio law office. The pair then-Principal Tim Petersen and alum Charles Montemayor detailed a capital campaign to fund improvements at the Catholic school in hopes Pettit would contribute. While they didnt solicit Pettit to give money during the visit, he later committed to help fund the campaigns first phase the conversion of a building on the Castle Hills campus to a library, learning center and six classrooms. The school subsequently named the building the Pettit Family Center for Academic Excellence. A plaque in the lobby reflects that the building was dedicated in honor of Pettits parents. Pettit and his three brothers graduated from Antonian. Pettits pledge $500,000, according to a person familiar with it but who did not want to be identified is drawing scrutiny in the former San Antonio attorneys bankruptcy case as he faces allegations that he stole millions of dollars from former clients. Pettit reported about $40.5 million in assets and $112.2 million in liabilities for himself and his now-defunct law firm in the massive Chapter 11 case, but so far has been unwilling or unable to explain where his clients money went. On ExpressNews.com: Embattled San Antonio lawyer files, accused of defrauding clients of millions, files huge bankruptcy case An amended bankruptcy filing last month showed Pettit contributed $225,000 to Antonian from 2019 to 2021. The pledge was spread over multiple years, and its not clear how much, if any, remains unpaid. Under bankruptcy law, a trustee can claw back assets on behalf of a bankruptcy estate if they were fraudulently transferred within two years before the filing of the case. State law expands that time to four years. Mary Elizabeth Heard, a San Antonio lawyer who represents longtime Pettit clients who lost $2 million, said she hopes Chapter 11 trustee Eric Terry will void Pettits fraudulent transfers so that the money will be available to pay his creditors including her clients. Although the bankruptcy code provides that some charitable contributions are exempt from being clawed back into the bankruptcy estate, I do not believe those conditions exist in Mr. Pettits case as it relates to the $225,000 contribution, Heard said in an email. Here, we do not know if Chris Pettit has made any legitimate income in the years leading up to the bankruptcy filings, she added. It is certainly possible that he used his clients money to make charitable contributions in his name. On ExpressNews.com: Judge declines to hold ex-lawyer Chris Pettit in contempt; puts him on a $100 per diem for next 10 days San Antonio attorney Martin Seidler, also representing creditors in the case, agreed that the donation warrants review. If he gives something away and hes insolvent, thats a constructive fraud on the creditors, Seidler said. Terry, his lawyers and forensic accountants have been investigating various transactions made by Pettit. Terry didnt respond to a request for comment, so it couldnt be determined if the donation to Antonian is among them. His team has identified at least 149 bank accounts Pettit or his firm maintained and now wants the funds and account information for many of them turned over. The archdiocese Antonian Principal John Mein said he was not allowed to comment on the situation and directed questions to the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Antonian is an archdiocesan school. The archdiocese is obviously aware of what is occurring with Mr. Pettit, spokesman Jordan McMorrough said. As far as the name on the building , were looking at the situation on our end and were in the process of determining the next steps. McMorrough wouldnt say whether that includes removing the Pettit name. The amount of Pettits pledge was confidential, he said. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Its not clear if excising the name from the building would open the school or archdiocese to legal trouble. But leaving the name creates a public relations headache for them given Pettit has admitted he misappropriated and dissipated money from a trust account in at least one of about a dozen lawsuits filed against him and his firm. That is a quandary, said Montemayor, a 1984 Antonian graduate who visited with Pettit about the capital campaign. I thought the same thing as soon as the stories started coming out. The bankruptcy put on hold the litigation that was pending against Pettit and his firm. The allegations in those complaints have triggered an FBI investigation. Henry Hank Valdespino, president of the Antonian School Council, said there have been no discussions about Pettit by the council. Its not set up the way that the school could make those decisions on their own, he said about decisions regarding the building name. We have to run all that through the archdiocese. Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer 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. Happy to join in Pettit, 55, graduated from Antonian in 1985. He followed in the footsteps of his brothers Jonathan, who graduated in 1978, and Martin, a 1982 graduate. Their youngest brother, Charles, graduated in 1991. With the recent death of Charles, who had worked at Petitts law firm until it was shuttered about two months ago, all three of Pettits brothers are deceased. Work on the building named for Pettits parents started in 2016. The cost was estimated at $1.5 million, a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows. In his speech at the 2017 ribbon-cutting and blessing for the building, Pettit recalled the visit from Petersen and Montemayor to discuss the capital campaign. Principal Petersen was mentioning the fact that you were looking for people to donate and help do a wonderful tribute to this school, Pettit told the audience during the ceremony, which was recorded and posted on YouTube. I was happy to join in and do that. He added how tremendously fulfilling it was for him to answer legal questions posed by former teachers who helped mold him as a student. The Docket: Local crime and courtroom news, delivered to your inbox weekly Montemayor, who has been an associate judge in Bexar County Childrens Court, recalled the visit with Pettit near the end of 2016. I believed he was, at the time, a person of much resource or potential, Montemayor said. And Mr. Petersen just asked me to go update him on Antonian just to tell him whats going on at the school. And that was it. Montemayor was a year ahead of Pettit at Antonian but both graduated from St. Marys University School of Law in 1991. Montemayors wife also attended Antonian and before that, like Pettit, St. Gregory the Great Catholic School, for grades kindergarten through eighth. He was always courteous and very nice, Montemayor said of Pettit. I know whats happened to him. It hit me out of left field, to be honest with you. I dont know the details of everything. But I have to admit, Im shocked by it all. Pettits bankruptcy lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. pdanner@express-news.net The City of San Antonio is throwing a $17 million lifeline to small businesses left reeling by the pandemic. Applications are being accepted for the COVID Impact Grants program, which provides from $15,000 to $35,000 to small businesses that had major declines in sales in 2020 and 2021. Business owners have until Aug. 22 to apply. These past two years have been a challenge for many of our small businesses, which have suffered revenue losses, supply shortages, rising costs and the loss of staff, making it difficult to keep up with monthly bills and expenses, said Mayor Ron Nirenberg, adding that the program will support San Antonios small businesses as they work to recover from the pandemic. On ExpressNews.com: Initial trainees graduate as voter-approved SA: Ready to Work program lifts off The first of two virtual information sessions is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, with the second at 6 p.m. Aug. 25. Visit cityofsanantoniocovidgrants.com/ to register and for more information. The program is funded with some of the $327 million the city received through the American Rescue Plan Act. Passed last year, the $1.9 trillion measure was designed in part to buttress state and local governments budgets hit by lower-than-usual tax revenues during the pandemic. Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-News City Council in February directed $31 million from the act to small businesses. The remaining $14 million is to provide businesses with access to flexible capital funds, programs to help businesses strengthen their web and business capabilities, among other services. West Side-based small business lender LiftFund will be doling out the grants, a role similar to one it played in the early days of the pandemic, when it doled out federal dollars to keep small businesses afloat. On ExpressNews.com: CPS Energy bills jump more than 50 percent in June as temperatures and gas prices rise Its not clear how many grants will be made. Thats because theres an additional $10,000 construction impact supplement available for businesses located in 19 areas with heavy construction, such as the Alamo or North St. Marys street. 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. To be eligible, small businesses must be located within San Antonio and show they experienced at least a 20 percent sales decline in both 2020 and 2021 compared with 2019. Business that saw a sales drop of 40 percent or more in both of the past two years are eligible for the maximum $35,000 grant. The city and LiftFund will award grants between Sept. 7 and Dec. 5. Business ineligible for the grant program may be able to receive a zero interest loan through the city and LiftFund. LiftFund also offers free business counseling. This grant program is a key component to helping businesses stay open, to stabilize and thrive, Janie Barrera, president and CEO of LiftFund, said in a statement. diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The downtown bar Texas T Pub on Broadway is two doors down from Maverick Whiskey, an upscale distillery, bar and restaurant that opened in 2019, and next door to Paris Hatters, the world-famous hat shop thats been keeping tourists and celebrities in cowboy hats for more than 100 years. Neither the fame nor modernity of its surroundings have touched Texas T, where a cracked and weathered sign promising cocktails is overshadowed by the neon window signs for Bud Light, Bud Light and Bud Light, and hints strongly at the dive bar within. Well, fame may claim it soon, actually, thanks to its inclusion in a new book, Texas Dives: Enduring Neighborhood Bars of the Lone Star State (Texas A&M University Press, $35), set for release Aug. 12. Chuck Blount/Staff The book, written by Anthony Head and photographed by Kirk Weddle, both from Central Texas, celebrates the states old-school drinking havens popular with blue-collar workers and hipsters alike. Head says dive bars cant be manufactured; they have to evolve organically, and that requires time, something Texas T, which opened in 1986, has on its side. You cant just decide to open a dive bar, Head said. You absolutely must have the stories that go into it, and we wanted to celebrate that. Im not sure if there is any place more genuine. Head and Weddle scoured the states watering holes, and the result is a book that spotlights 12 different dive bars, including Shortys Place in Port Aransas, Showdown in San Marcos and the late great Alices Tall Texan in Houston, which closed during COVID. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios best dive bar food menu is at Oak Hills Tavern in the Medical Center. Duck confit, yall Among these, Texas T stands tall. Billy Calzada/Staff photographer Owner Adela Fuller, 74, shrugs off the idea that Texas T, named after her late husband, Thomas, and her son Tommy, is a dive bar. But while the place does smell cleaner than most dives and Fuller discourages foul language, the bar is pretty textbook. The dark interior is mostly lit by neon signs and a few muted TVs illuminating decades worth of graffiti and carvings on the walls, peeling linoleum floors and two pool tables with green felt marred by white steaks and bald patches from countless breaks and bank shots. The door to the mens restroom doesnt lock. The clientele is a mix of longtime customers and curious tourists lured in by the AC and beers that cost less than $7, served by bartenders who may have voted for Ronald Reagan. Chuck Blount/Staff Head and Weddle discovered the bar a few years ago when they ducked out of a convention to grab a drink. At Texas T, they found love, they found ambiance, and they found Kitty Cat, the bar cat who wanders among the tables looking for attention. It was one of those bars that was inviting and had immediate appeal and was incredibly photogenic, Weddle said. I mean, it checked off all the list for what we were looking for. They got to spend plenty of time with Fuller, who still comes to work each morning wearing red lipstick and a hat from her collection to open the bar at 9 a.m. She starts her morning shift by drinking a few beers the only medication she takes and then mingles with the crowd throughout the day as if she has known everybody her entire life before handing the reins to the bar manager, her younger sister Terry Loera. Im a people person, and I think that keeps you young, Fuller said. I truly love doing what I do. Courtesy Kirk Weddell Veronica Salas works downtown in hospitality and has been a regular for 10 years, enough time to call Fuller Mama. I started coming here, and they welcomed me like family. This place has helped me weather a lot of storms in my personal life, but I always know when I come here, Ill have a good time, Salas said. On ExpressNews.com: Chuck Blounts Top 10 San Antonio-area breweries According to Head, who has worn many hats in the hospitality industry and written for publications such as Bon Appetit, the book tells the story of the properties to make them come alive. There is a certain romance to the dive bar that we appreciate, he said. They often dont get the attention they deserve, but for so many people, these are special places in the lives of those that come to them. Head and Weddle will be at Texas T for a book release event at 4 p.m. Aug. 10, with live readings and music. Buy the book, get it signed and drink a beer with the authors, soaking in the stories of the great dive bars of Texas. And if you do plan to attend, bring cash. True dive bars dont do credit cards, and neither does Texas T. Bexar County Sheriff's Office A San Antonio man caught on video in 2019 beating his dog named "Buddy" received one of the longest recorded punishments in Texas in connection with an animal cruelty case. Frank Javier Fonseca, 56, was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison in the 226th District Court, Animal Care Services said in news release on Tuesday. His prior criminal history allowed for the lengthy sentence, the release said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONOLULU (AP) A U.S. defense contractor and his wife who lived for decades under the identities of two dead Texas children have been charged with identity theft and conspiring against the government, according to federal court records unsealed in Honolulu. Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, both in their 60s, who allegedly lived for decades under the names Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, respectively, were arrested Friday in Kapolei on the island of Oahu. Prosecutors are seeking to have the couple held without bail, which could indicate the case is about more than fraudulently obtaining drivers licenses, passports and Defense Department credentials. Those documents helped Primrose get secret security clearance with the U.S. Coast Guard and as a defense contractor and old photos show the couple wearing uniforms of the KGB, the former Russian spy agency, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck said in court papers. Faded Polaroids of each in uniform were included in the motion to have them held. A close associate said Morrison lived in Romania while it was a Soviet bloc country, Muehleck said. Morrison's attorney said her client never lived in Romania and that she and Primrose tried the same jacket on as a joke and posed for photos in it. Even if the couple used new identities, attorney Megan Kau told The Associated Press, they have lived law-abiding lives for three decades. She wants everyone to know shes not a spy, Kau said. This has all been blown way out of proportion. Its government overreaching. Prosecutors said there is a high risk the couple would flee if freed. They also suggested that Primrose, who was an avionics electrical technician in the Coast Guard, was highly skilled to communicate secretly if released. The couple is also believed to have other aliases, Muehleck said. A lawyer for Primrose declined comment. A bail hearing was scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court. The secret clearance Primrose had provides access to information that is enormously valuable to our enemies, said Kevin OGrady, a Honolulu defense attorney not involved in the case. The Coast Guard works closely with the Army and Navy, helps with counterintelligence and serves as the countrys maritime border patrol, said OGrady, an Army reservist and lieutenant colonel judge advocate. The Coast Guard has a unique perspective on our vulnerabilities, he said, including how to infiltrate the country through water ports. Hawaii, a major military center, is a prime target for a lot of espionage and such, he said. For one family whose deceased child's name was stolen, the news Wednesday came as a shock. John Montague, who lost his daughter Julie in 1968 at 3 weeks of age, was stunned to learn someone had been living under her name for so long. I still cant believe it happened, Montague, 91, told AP. "The odds are like one-in-a-trillion that they found her and used her name. People stoop to do anything nowadays. Let kids rest in peace. Primrose and Morrison were born in 1955 and they attended high school together in Port Lavaca, Texas, and then went to Stephen F. Austin University, according to court records. They married in 1980. There is no indication in court papers why the couple in 1987 assumed the identities of deceased children who would have been more than a decade younger than them. But an affidavit filed by Special Agent Dennis Thomas of the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service noted that the couple lost their home in Nacogdoches, Texas, to foreclosure that year. They remarried under their assumed names in 1988, Thomas said. Court records don't provide any information about what happened from the time they assumed their new identities until 1994, when Primrose, then about 39, enlisted in the Coast Guard as Fort, who would have been about 27. If there was an obvious age discrepancy between what Primrose looked like and the birth certificate he presented, thats an abject failure, OGrady said. Thats something if they can figure it out now, they should have caught it then, he said. Montague said that somebody's not doing their jobs. Primrose and Morrison applied for and received multiple passports under their assumed names, according to court records. But in 1999 Primrose also applied for and was issued a passport under his legal name while also holding a passport in Fort's name. Primrose was in the service until 2016, when he began work for an unnamed defense contractor at the U.S. Coast Guard Air station at Barbers Point. While he held that secret clearance with the U.S. Coast Guard, defendant Primrose was required to report any foreign travel," prosecutors wrote. Investigation has revealed that defendant Primrose did not report several trips to Canada while he did report other foreign travel. The couple lived in a Honolulu suburb in a modest two-bedroom bungalow beneath palm trees. They owned a neighboring house they rented to military personnel, said Mai Ly Schara, who lived next door. She knew them as Bob and Lynn, with Morrison apparently Julie Lyn Montague's middle name. Primrose did yard work for Schara for $50 a month, she said. Morrison took in, fed and spayed and neutered cats. She also had several rabbits and dedicated a room to the pets. They kept to themselves, but they were friendly, Schara said. They just kind of were, like, a little nerdy. Schara wasnt sure what Primrose did for a living, but thought it was military related. Morrison once worked as a parking attendant at a Waikiki hotel but had been tutoring neighborhood children. The FBI created a scene in the quiet neighborhood when they searched the house and took photos. It was just shocking, like, oh my gosh, Schara said. It was pretty crazy. The State Department declined to comment on the arrests. The couple is charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., false statement in passport application and aggravated identity theft. Fort, who lived fewer than three months, died in October 1967 at the same hospital where Julie Montague passed away about three months later in January 1968. They are buried 14 miles (23 kilometers) apart. When Tonda Ferguson learned from her father that Morrison had used her late sister's birth certificate to create an alias, she thought of her mother, who died in 2003, and how many years had gone by. For all the mothers who are living and have to know this happened to their babies, I cant even begin to imagine," Ferguson said. "Im glad my mamas with the Lord. This would be so traumatic for her. Ferguson was in eighth grade when her sister died. She never got to see her little sister or hold her. She was buried in Burnet, Texas, the small town where they lived at the time outside of Austin. She came from a place of love, deep love, Ferguson said. For someone to turn around to steal her identity for evil, its tough. Its hurtful. ... I hope they rot. ___ Melley reported from Los Angeles. Caleb Jones in Kapolei, Hawaii, and Rhonda Shafner in New York City contributed to this report. Bexar County Sheriff's Office A 32-year-old man walked into a North Side gym on Monday night and shot and killed another man who was working out, according to San Antonio police. Police don't know what led to the shooting at LA Fitness located in the 7100 block of Blanco Road but have arrested Jessie Marqui MacWilliams on suspicion of murder. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Monday posted a video to Instagram of a possible rare species of coyote known as the "ghost wolf." The photo shows a young coyote playing in the dunes of Galveston Island, possibly looking for a snack, TPWD said in the post. The Texas agency said it does not know for sure if it was a ghost wolf, a coyote with the rare DNA of endangered red wolves. Red wolves are an endangered species once found on the coast and in the thickets of East Texas, but have not been seen in the state since the 1980s, according to a Houston Chronicle story earlier this year. Red wolves were not as big as the more common gray wolf and not as small as coyotes, and they survived by scavenging on rabbits, opossums and carrion. The original range of the Texas red wolf is largely unknown due to its secretive nature. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio neighborhoods with the most animal bites There has since been a genetic study aimed at determining the prevalence of the rare red wolf DNA, or "ghost alleles," that researchers thought had gone extinct, the Houston Chronicle reported. The "ghost wolf" could be a reservoir for previously lost red wolf ancestry, per TPWD, offering a chance to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. According to TPWD, other examples of red wolf ancestry have appeared, including a wild-caught, captive-raised coyote in the Panhandle that showed as much as 35 percent red wolf genetics when tested in 2019. shepard.price@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONDO An angry crowd from Uvalde descended on the Hondo City Council this week as it weighed a vote to revoke a rental hall agreement for a local National Rifle Association group that included raffling off an AR-15, a weapon similar to one used to gun down 21 people at Robb Elementary School. The group, Friends of the NRA, had signed an agreement to rent the city-owned Medina Fair Hall for a fundraising event Saturday. The group has held similar fundraisers here for about 15 years and had leased the hall last spring, before the May 24 mass shooting. Backers of the NRA event insisted it helped young people learn how to responsibly handle guns and that no one meant disrespect to the shooting victims. But Angel Garza, stepfather of victim Amerie Jo Garza, and others condemned the event, saying it would come too soon after the massacre. My daughters dirt hasnt even settled in her grave yet, Garza told reporters, cradling a framed color photo of the girl. After a 53-minute closed-door session Monday evening, the council voted 4-1 to rescind the rental contract, drawing cheers and applause from Uvalde residents and some from Hondo who filled the small chamber, making it one of the most crowded meetings here in years. Hallelujah! one woman cried, anticipating the vote before it was taken. It was the best news that we got. Were so happy, were so happy, Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Jo, 10, said through tears after the vote. Its out of courtesy and its out of compassion that they did that. It was greatly appreciated. Now Playing: Uvalde victim's father is escorted out of a Hondo City Council meeting where they voted on whether to rent a facility to the Friends of NRA for a fundraiser. Video: San Antonio Express-News On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde school shooting report: Lackadaisical police response Hondo City Manager Scott Albert said the council did not need to approve the rental agreement in April when Friends of the NRA reserved the hall, which was built in the 1970s and seats around 700 people. But the council decided to revisit the agreement and met a little more than nine weeks after Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old gunman, killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary, making it the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history. He legally purchased his rifle despite a troubled history well known to his family, friends and some acquaintances. I think, for the most part, everyone obviously understands the reasoning for individuals wanting the fundraiser in Hondo to be rescheduled for a later date, Albert told the Express-News before the meeting. But at this point, its really left up to City Council, the governing body, to make that decision. The NRA, if they would be willing or the Friends of the NRA if they would be willing to reschedule, we would accept that, he said. Defenders of the annual fundraiser said it backs programs that teach good citizenship and gun safety skills to young people. Im sorry, but hes a murderer, one speaker, George Mandry of New Braunfels, said of Ramos during a comment period at the start of the meeting that drew dozens to address the council for more than an hour. But if theyd have caught him earlier in his life, maybe it could have changed. Thats what the Friends (of the NRA) program is designed to do. Councilman Brett Williams, who cast the dissenting vote, warned that he was not going to make a lot of you happy, but this is what God has put into my heart. The solitary, deranged individual whose motives will never be fully known shattered the lives of numerous families in Uvalde, he said, adding that intense emotions oftentimes lead to unjustified knee-jerk reactions. At this time, we are faced with one of those reactions, and Im by myself in this. Denying the rights of legal, law-abiding organizations and individuals is not the answer, Williams said. On ExpressNews.com: Body cam videos show disastrous police response to Uvalde shooting The council chamber holds 75 people, and Mayor John McAnelly said more than twice that number were expected to attend. The turnout was somewhat lower, with about two dozen who had to listen from outside, alternately cheering, jeering and yelling while holding handmade placards saying, Cancel NRA Fundraiser and Children Are More Important Than Guns. Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Angel Garza got into a brief shouting match with a pro-NRA speaker, Hank Seay III, before being escorted by police from the chamber. I need for folks to understand that we, the city, are not sponsoring the event. We, the city, simply are renting the Fair Hall and this outfit has rented it in the past, as have other outfits, said McAnelly, who served nine years on the council and has been mayor for the past three months. The demand to pull the permit is something that has to be very carefully considered. A person involved in the local NRA group and a national NRA executive in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Trouble in Gods country Just 27 miles from San Antonios city limits as the Alamo City sprawls westward, Hondo is a farming and ranching town of 9,492 that is perhaps best known for its famous admonition to motorists to slow down as they drive through on U.S. 90. Signs in town announce, This is Gods country. Please dont drive through it like hell. A local Lions group came up with that in the 1930s, later adding please to the message because some here thought the original was too peremptory. The city has 23 police officers. On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde City Council, school board ask for tighter Texas gun laws Controversy is rare here, but both NRA denouncers and defenders were among the locals in Hondo and the delegation from Uvalde who attended Mondays council session. One NRA supporter, Joseph Breton of Hondo, noted that his three kids were among 30 million children who have taken the groups Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, which he said was funded by Friends of the NRA. He echoed Gov Greg Abbotts assertion that untreated mental health issues and also questionable law enforcement were in play during the Uvalde shooting, and he claimed that out-of-state gun activists had come to Hondo. I think a few of them are in this room right now hoping to find weak-willed city managers, weak-willed city councils and weak-willed city government where they can bully, he said. And were expecting hundreds of paid protesters Saturday night. Jazmin Cazares of Uvalde called the fundraiser a slap in the face to all of Uvalde but went on to say that whats an even harder slap in the face is the AR-15 you get if you donate $5,000 to the NRA. Carlos Lopez, the Uvalde County Democratic Party chairman, told the council that people in his town had been slapped by every institution in authority, from the local police to the state police to the federal agents there at that location to everybody involved. Dont make this another slap in the face to them. These families grieve every day. On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde principal disputes security lapse finding in House report He urged the council members to put themselves in the places of Uvalde families and friends who lost love ones at Robb. After the meeting broke up, the mayor read a brief statement, saying, I assure you that all parties interests in this matter were considered before the City Council voted this evening. Outside the council chamber, Angel Garza and Brett Cross, a guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, faced a gaggle of reporters. If you can listen to us and try to I know you cant feel what were feeling, but if you can listen to us and try to put yourself in our shoes, then that means a lot to us because this is something thats just unbearable, Garza said. Cross called the councils decision just. Heres the thing: You have people saying, Oh, my children grew up and did this, my children grew up and did that. Our children didnt get to. So be more compassionate, he said. Thats one thing that this whole thing was lacking, was compassion. Like weve said, its a slap in our face, he said. So for them to do that, I mean, I have mad respect for the City Council here. A Friends of the NRA supporter who didnt identify himself had a different view of the council. They were bullied into submission, he said while walking away from a reporter. sigc@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The testimony of two little girls who found their mother lying in a pool of blood almost two years ago marked the start of their fathers murder trial Tuesday. The oldest, now 10, said she texted their grandmother to say, I think mom is dead. The girls are witnesses for the state in the trial of Jorge Izquierdo, accused of fatally shooting his on-and-off girlfriend, Cora Ann Nickel, 27, on Aug. 20, 2020. Izquierdo, 31, cried and wiped tears from his eyes at the defense table as his daughters walked by, each holding a stuffed animal. Neither looked in his direction. They are not being identified because they are minors. The youngest is now 7. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Prosecutor Kristen Mulliner said in her opening statement that Izquierdo and Nickel had an argument as they left a party for Izquierdos mother and when they got home, it spilled over into the house. Mulliner said Nickel asked Izquierdo to leave, but he did not. Jorge bent her (Cora Nickel) over the sink, put a gun to her head and shot, Mulliner said. The Docket: Local crime and courtroom news, delivered to your inbox weekly She said Izquierdo fled, leaving his car in the driveway on Maverick Draw on the Northwest Side, and a neighbors surveillance camera caught someone running between houses around that time, Mulliner said. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Authorities would later arrest Izquierdo in California. Defense attorney Jennifer Zarka implied that the death was a suicide, saying Izquierdo was upset and left the state because a beautiful, young mother had died of a single gunshot wound to the head. She said the evidence against her client was circumstantial, that there were no witnesses to the shooting and no weapon was found at the scene. The older daughter said Izquierdo had picked up her, her sister and mother to go to Izquierdos mothers birthday party. We had a good time, but when they got back in the car to leave, mom and dad started arguing, the 10-year-old said. My mom told my dad to leave. The girl testified that Nickel put both sisters to bed in her master bedroom upstairs. Before she and her sister fell asleep, she said, she heard a door open, then close, then heard someone walk in. The girl said she woke up at 4 a.m. On ExpressNews.com: Killer of ex-wife in San Antonio gets 15 years Charlie Blalock/ Contributor I went downstairs because mom wasnt in bed with us, she said. I saw her lying there, with liquid around her. I thought it was a nightmare, and I went back to bed. The girl said her little sister woke her up at 7 a.m. I told her, I think mom is dead, and we both went down to look, the girl said. We then said, Mom is dead. Scared, the girls went back upstairs, and the older one began texting and calling Izquierdo on her mothers phone, she said. The phone went to voicemail, she said. I freaked out, the older sibling said. I called my grandma and she came immediately. The childs 7-year-old sister gave similar testimony, adding that her father was drinking in the car when they were on the way home from the party. On cross-examination, Zarka asked each girl if they ever saw their mother with a gun. Each said no, but stated that they knew their father had a gun he kept in his home, and one in his car. Their grandmother, Lynette Robinson, told the jury she considered the relationship between her daughter and Izquierdo to be toxic, with the couple repeatedly splitting up and getting back together. They shared a home for a while, but mostly lived apart. Robinson said she missed her granddaughters phone call, and when she called back, the girl said, Somethings happened, theres red stuff all over the floor. I think mom is dead. They sounded distraught. Charlie Blalock/ Contributor Once Robinson got to the house , she went upstairs and immediately took the girls outside. Then, she checked on her daughter. As soon as I walked in, I knew, Robinson said. I had to physically touch her. She was ice cold. When a prosecutor showed Robinson a photograph of her daughter with her girls for a positive identification, Robinson cried. I saw my daughter lying on the floor with blood surrounding her, she told the jury. Her eyes were wide open. The case is being heard in the 175th District Court, Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl presiding. If convicted, Izquierdo faces up to life in prison. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 More than a dozen news organizations filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, accusing the agency of unlawfully withholding public records related to the May school shooting in Uvalde. The organizations which include The Texas Tribune and its partner ProPublica and other local, state and national newsrooms have each filed requests under the Texas Public Information Act for information detailing the response by various authorities, including law enforcement, to the massacre. DPS has refused to release records in response to these requests, even as the agency has selectively disclosed some information through public testimony, third-party analyses and news conferences. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, and continuing throughout the ensuing two months, DPS has declined to provide any meaningful information in response to the Requests regarding the events of that day despite the awful reality that some 376 members of law enforcement responded to the tragedy, and hundreds of those were in the school or on school property not going into the unlocked classroom where the gunman continued killing helpless youth, the lawsuit states. At the same time, DPS has offered conflicting accounts regarding the response of law enforcement, the conduct of its officers, the results of its own investigation, and the agencys justifications for withholding information from the public. A comprehensive report released in July by a Texas House of Representatives committee found numerous law enforcement agencies, including the state police, failed to aggressively confront the gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers over the course of about 77 minutes. DPS has provided little information about the actions of its 91 officers who responded to the scene. Under state law, records are presumed public unless a government body cites a specific exemption under the Public Information Act that allows information to be withheld. DPS is claiming an exemption for records related to an ongoing investigation, but the news organizations argue there is no such investigation, given the guilt of the gunman is not in dispute and authorities say the 18-year-old acted alone. The local prosecutor, Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee, has acknowledged that she is not conducting a criminal investigation. The records requested include emails; body camera and other video footage; call logs, 911 and other emergency communications; interview notes; forensic and ballistic records; and lists of DPS personnel who responded to the tragedy, among other information. The Texas Department of Public Safety has offered inconsistent accounts of how law enforcement responded to the Uvalde tragedy, and its lack of transparency has stirred suspicion and frustration in a community that is still struggling with grief and shock, said Laura Lee Prather, a First Amendment lawyer at Haynes Boone who represents the plaintiffs. DPS has refused numerous requests by these news organizations even though it's clear under Texas law that the public is entitled to have access to these important public records. We ask that the court grant our petition so that the people of Texas can understand the truth about what happened. The other plaintiffs include The New York Times Company, The Washington Post, NBC News, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Scripps Media and Gannett. The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, who also joined the suit, have filed about 70 records requests. The suit was brought in state district court in Travis County. Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. The League of United Latin American Citizens has done so much throughout its history to empower U.S. Latinos and defend their rights. Founded in Corpus Christi in 1929, it began the struggle at the most basic level, when Mexican Americans were experiencing some of the harshest forms of discrimination. LULAC filed lawsuits against school segregation and stood up to hatred, and it is still in the forefront fighting new challenges, including gerrymandering and voter suppression. Its the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the country, and its leaders have entree to the White House, Congress and the executive suites of corporate America. On ExpressNews.com: Ayala: LULAC must hold election officials accountable, including its own At its best, LULACs councils, or chapters, represent an army of volunteers devoted to nonpartisan projects of all kinds, including the most noble getting out the vote. But, as my late mother liked to say of scheming children, what they say parecen la mera verdad. It seems to be the truth. But as the phrase implies, sometimes its just the opposite. That, Im afraid, is how LULAC appeared this past weekend in wrapping up its national convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, without conducting board elections. Paper councils Voting was shut down by a temporary restraining order that preemptively declared the election entirely illegitimate. On ExpressNews.com: Disgraced LULAC president may prove difficult to unseat The restraining order named LULACs national president, Domingo Garcia, among the defendants. The plaintiffs are a group of LULAC members, including at least one Garcia ally. Their petition alleges that a political party based in Puerto Rico with a history of corruption and crime has devised a scheme to take over LULACs leadership, including the majority of the national board and national president position. Plaintiffs have learned that, as part of its scheme, the New Progressive Party and certain LULAC insiders allegedly paid travel, hotel and other expenses for more than 1,480 illegitimate LULAC voters at the upcoming assembly. The petition, which I read in an early version, alleges that 300 of 370 LULAC councils on the island are paper councils, created fraudulently in just the last three months. Because councils are allowed to have as few as 11 members and each council sends four voting delegates to the convention the alleged scheme could have generated 1,480 new delegates. The petition says the new councils, linked to a pro-statehood party, sought to take over LULACs leadership to advance Puerto Rican statehood. LULAC is formally nonpartisan and has sought to remain neutral on the question of statehood. An obvious rub here is that LULAC, founded in South Texas, has had a strong Mexican American base. Garcia, who is Mexican American and a Texan, was running for re-election. Hes a former Dallas City Council member and state representative who once wrote editorials for the now-defunct Dallas Times Herald. Garcia has been accused of orchestrating the restraining order to prevent the board election because Puerto Rican voters were set to oust him. Frankly, its hard to know whom to believe, but the election controversy isnt the first to put the civil rights organization in a bad light. One voice of sanity has been Nancy Vera, director of LULACs District 11, which encompasses 10 South Texas counties. The former teacher is now president of the Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers. Vera said the restraining orders real purpose was to prevent an election Garcia seemed poised to lose. Delegates must be present at the convention to vote, and Garcia said that most LULAC members could not attend ... because of COVID and exorbitant travel expenses beyond their means. LULAC members from Puerto Rico, however, were at the conference in force, several people said. Juan Carlos Lizardi, a New Yorker with island roots, was on the ballot for president, too. According to news reports, hes the son of LULAC board member Elsie Valdes, a statehood activist. Hostile takeover Garcia said statehood activists were trying to seize the national leadership of LULAC and use it for partisan political purposes. He said the restraining order required him to recess any further business of the league. The controversy may grow. Litigation could leave current officers in place for months, and a campaign may be afoot to impeach Garcia. San Antonian Henry Rodriguez, founder of a local LULAC council and one of the plaintiffs, said the restraining order was necessary to stop a hostile takeover. It seems blatant what they are trying to do, Rodriguez said of the newly created paper councils. Money came from some source, which is why we needed to stop to investigate, said Rodriguez, a Garcia supporter. Then theres this. The problem of paper councils has arisen before. Garcia once was accused of creating them for his own benefit. A lot of our mothers would say he was about to get a taste of his own medicine. eayala@express-news.net UVALDE Father and daughter stood side by side last Sunday afternoon, taking in this grand mural. So vibrant, joyful and strong. Just like their beloved Eva Mireles. Purple, orange, pink and yellow flowers grow in front of mountains, accented with sparkling hints of bling. Mireles bright smile is framed by her open arms holding two flags: Always Strong and Crossfit symbols of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. Father and daughter studied the 18-by-30-foot mural of Mireles, a wife, mother, sister, friend and Robb Elementary School teacher. A lover of CrossFit. A hiker. A victim of gun violence. A hero. The father, Ruben Ruiz Jr., is one of the five Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officers who responded to the shooting. He is the officer who lost his wife, the desperate husband who was ready to enter the classroom with his gun, but instead was ushered out of the school's hall. Now Playing: Uvaldes unrelenting grief was palpable on Sunday in the shadow of a beautiful mural for teacher Eva Mireles. Video: Abigail Im Multimedia Producer, Nancy M Preyor Johnson, Monte Bach Express News Their daughter, Adalynn Addy Ruiz, 23, is their only child. Mireles called her Nanis. Their nightmare this small, rural towns nightmare began nearly two months ago when an 18-year-old murdered 19 children, Mireles, and her co-teacher and friend, Irma Garcia with an assault rifle. Both teachers died trying to save their students. Ruben and Addy Ruiz stood at the mural last Sunday afternoon, nearly two months after the Robb Elementary mass shooting on the same day a Texas House committee released the most complete telling to date of the May 24 massacre. The report outlined, in fine detail, layers of failure in Uvalde nonchalance about school security, including unlocked school doors, missed opportunities to stop a troubled boy from turning into a mass shooter and a chaotic, botched police response that has set this community on fire. On ExpressNews.com: Victims families furious after horrific details surface in new report on Robb Elementary shooting Ruben and Addy were less than a half mile away from the civic center where the House committee released the report to victims families. But their focus wasnt on the report or the outrage and strife that is roiling this community. No, on this Sunday, they focused on this vibrant mural, as Tejano and Latin pop rock music filled the air and they spent time with the people who knew Mireles best and loved her most. The mural adorns the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building, where volunteers once tutored some of the Robb Elementary children who were killed. More than 20 of Mireles closest family and friends sat under a tent for hours in the oppressive summer heat to watch the artists complete the mural. They listened to Mireles favorite music and shared cups of melon. Some helped. Paint brushes in their hands, they did their best to make the painting beautiful just like their Eva Mireles. This scene is what Express-News photojournalist Sam Owens and I first saw when we visited the mural just after the committee meeting. Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Artists Sandra Gonzalez, left, and Silvy Ochoa work on a portrait mural honoring Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles. On the right, Eva Mireles daughter Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde. (Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News) Artists Sandra Gonzalez, left, and Silvy Ochoa work on a portrait mural honoring Robb Elementary teacher Eva Mireles. On the right, Eva Mireles daughter Adalynn Ruiz, 23, helps paints flowers on the bottom of a mural honoring her mother on the side of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building in Uvalde. (Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News) Its beautiful, Ruben said. Its perfect, Addy said. She said she could feel her mothers presence, especially when one of her mothers favorite songs, Marco Antonio Solis Si No Te Hubieras Ido, (If You Hadnt Left) played. Tears filled their eyes. I miss you more than ever, and I dont know what to do, the song begins. Never forget The Healing Uvalde mural project, which will include murals to honor each of the 21 victims, plus two additional murals that local children will help paint, isnt complete. The project originated with Abel Ortiz, a Uvalde artist and Southwest Junior College art professor. The day after the tragedy, Ortiz heard Felix Rubio, a deputy with the Uvalde County Sheriffs Office, say he didnt want the death of his 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria Lexi Rubio, to be in vain. We will celebrate these lives every day, throughout town, down the alleys, in the barrio and in our hearts, Ortiz said. I had to take action to help heal the community and make sure these beautiful souls names and their faces are never forgotten. The murals are a collaborative work of art and love. Monica Maldonado, founder of MAS Cultura, an Austin-based Latino arts nonprofit, is helping manage the effort. She set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $15,000 over several weeks. George Meza, an art collector, was also instrumental in organizing the project. Erika DeLaRosa at San Anto Cultural Arts, a community-based arts nonprofit, reached out to Texas volunteers. The project should be completed by the end of August. Sandra Gonzalez, an art teacher with Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, said she worked on the mural of Eva for five days, with the help of assistants and volunteers. At one point, they worked until 5:30 a.m. I was really devastated when I heard the news, especially being a teacher and it being the last week of school, she said. It really broke me. The grief in Uvalde is so deep, its impossible to imagine healing. Feeling her presence And yet, each mural brings some solace to families suffering a life-shattering loss. She would have loved it, Ruben said. She ran through here all the time, Addy said. So its a good spot. We would ride our bikes through here. Addy works out at the gym near the mural, so she will see it every day, feeling her moms presence. This is my favorite picture of her, she said, referring to the photo used for the mural. The photo was also on the front of Rubens black T-shirt, the words In loving memory of hanging above Mireles smiling face. Below, her date of birth March 17, 1978 and date of death May 24, 2022. The same image was tattooed on Addys forearm. The photo was taken in November 2016 when Mireles, an avid hiker, had reached the Top of Texas Guadalupe Peak. Having ascended 8,751 feet, she held two American flags, one in each hand. A triumphant smile spread across her face. Her sister, Maggie Mireles Thomas, told me Mireles hiked the peak several times. Her final hike there was May 15, 2021. On her lifes journey, there were other hikes, like a visit to Yosemite in 2021. On the weekend the family gathered at the mural, Mireles had planned to climb up the Stairway to Heaven at the Manitou Incline in Colorado with her best friend Angela Velasquez. Velasquez still made the trip. For Mireles and Velasquez, hiking the hard climb, the time to reflect, the sweet reward of an amazing view grounded and energized them. They kept a to-do list of peaks to fulfill. Each step, Velasquez thought of Mireles. Breathless, weeping for her friend throughout the 2,000-foot climb, Velasquez held Mireles photo high in the air at the summit. Eva, you made it, Eva! she called to heaven. Always remembered I have come to Uvalde several times since the shooting, but each visit feels like a first as the story continues and the grief deepens. I was nervous speaking with Addy and Ruben, unsure of what to say. I was heavy with heartbreak for their family and Uvalde. I talked too much. On ExpressNews.com: My whole body aches for her: A Uvalde High School senior graduates without her little sister. I told Addy her social media posts about her mom often made me cry. I cry, too, Ruben said.. In a note to her mother, posted on Twitter the day after the shooting, Addy called her mom her twin, her best friend, her hero. She thanked her mom for being an inspiration, for raising her to be so strong. She wrote about how her mom was a teacher during the day and a hardworking CrossFitter in the afternoon. I want to hug you one last time and I want to feel the calluses on your hands . . . I want you to come back to me mom. I miss you more than words can explain, she wrote. My heart will forever be broken. On July 2, she tagged her mom in a Facebook post, having celebrated her 23rd birthday at her mothers grave. Standing at the mural, Addy and her boyfriends mom, Sue Ellen Vera, told me more about that birthday celebration. How it came about. How Addy felt her mother was with her. It was a birthday tradition to have lunch with her mom. On this birthday, Addy bought Wendys chicken nuggets and headed to the cemetery. She had planned to sit on a towel at her mothers grave, but once there, she was met with a surprise. A Happy Birthday sign. Balloons. Cake. Gifts. Photos of her with her mom. Homemade posters featured motherly messages. Dont worry about your chicken. Its perfect, a reference to how Addy often asked her mom for cooking advice. Promise to talk to me everyday at 4:30 and I promise Ill listen, an acknowledgment of Addys daily afternoon phone call with her mom. There were letters to guide her with each step. Drink with me, because her mom was the life of every party. There was a bottle of wine one glass with Addys name and another labeled Mom. Please sit on my couch with Kane, who was Mireles beloved dog. Theres CrossFit in Heaven. Im keeping my calluses rough, just for you. Keep living for both of us and continue to make me proud like you always have. Happy Birthday, Princess. Vera, who planned the picnic, prayed for Mireles to guide her, saying, Tell us what to write. Tell us what to do. Addy also had prayed to her mother. The day before, I was talking to her, telling her, Please be with me, please show your presence on my birthday. I want to feel you, Addy said. Its like she told them exactly what to do. It was perfect. Addy often writes and talks to her mom. Mom, I miss you everyday, especially today, Addy wrote on Facebook on her birthday. This pain will never end, but it brings me peace knowing you are everywhere I go. You are home. I will live every day of my life for you. Momma, thank you for shining extra bright for me today. See you when I see you, I miss you Momma. On ExpressNews.com: Preyor-Johnson: In Uvalde, a stepgrandfather grieves Uvaldes unrelenting grief was palpable on Sunday in the shadow of the beautiful mural. I told Addy and Ruben that I had just come from the contentious Texas House committee meeting. I mentioned the damning report and the upcoming Uvalde school board meeting, which proved to be as combative as expected. They nodded, blankly. They were clear they only wanted to talk about Mireles and the mural. I told them that I couldnt imagine something like this happening in my childhood small town of Mathis or to my loved ones. We take it a day at a time, you know? Its all we can do, Ruben said. Sam Owens, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Addy has said she never imagined her moms beautiful face would be seen by so many people for the wrong reason. But we remember her, and honor her, for the right reasons. Eva Mireles name, her smiling face and open arms, her spirit and love, will endure in this mural, and beyond. Healing isnt possible for Mireles family, or any of the other families. These murals wont take away their pain. But they will be a reminder of how the beloved victims who represented all that was right in our world lived their lives. Due to incorrect information received from the Uvalde mural projects founder, this column has been updated to correct errors. George Meza, an art collector, is not a Cheech Marin Center board member. Also, it took several weeks to raise the first $15,000 of the GoFundMe campaign. Nancy.Preyor-Johnson@express-news.net This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Semiconductors are crucial components of many everyday items. From vehicles to devices, countless products need these chips to function. When the pandemic disrupted supply chains, consumers became aware of how vital semiconductors are to their daily lives. As chip shortages strained manufacturers, it made new products tough to find and prices for used products skyrocketed. Just look at the market for vehicles. In the 1990s, the U.S. manufactured 37 percent of the global semiconductor supply, but that has fallen to 12 percent. While consumers have recently been inconvenienced with delays and higher prices, the semiconductor shortage poses national security risks. Two firms in Asia produce 70 percent of the global semiconductor supply. With Chinas saber-rattling, the time is now for the U.S. to invest in American ingenuity. The U.S. House recently passed the CHIPS and Science Act. This legislation couldnt have come at a better time. The bill has Texas roots as Sen. John Cornyn led in the Senate on a CHIPS Act, which this broader legislative package incorporates. Texas is already seeing the benefits of this initiative. New plants have been announced in Austin and Sherman, and Samsung is considering another exponential expansion in the Austin area, with the potential for a $197 billion investment in 11 new plants and 10,000 good jobs. For Texas to take full advantage of this opportunity and solidify itself as the global leader in tech manufacturing, cybersecurity and innovation, leaders in Austin should restructure an economic development package that benefits the communities where these businesses break ground. They then should ensure we have the talent pipeline to staff these facilities with the right STEM employees. Arguably our most successful economic tool, Chapter 313 was not renewed last legislative session. States are courting businesses looking to relocate, and those businesses owe it to their boards and stakeholders to get the best deal. Texas is already attractive, boasting a low cost of living and no state income tax, but if Texas doesnt have any offer on the table, it will lose. The states strategic higher education plan has a goal of 60 percent of our workforce obtaining a postsecondary credential by 2030. As of 2018, the state sat at just over 43 percent attainment. There is a movement gaining traction to create opportunities for Texans to earn and learn, while finishing high school in some cases. The beauty of this work especially in localities where semiconductor plants are being built is that it creates opportunities for students to succeed in high-demand career fields while creating an educated labor pool for the company to produce in-demand products, like chips. These talent pipelines take time to develop. In the meantime, a firm needs to hire its STEM talent from somewhere overseas if need be. In recent years, there has been an influx of high-skilled STEM talent seeking to join the American workforce, but limits on green cards and temporary visas are inhibiting too many bright minds from remaining here. I had hoped to see a provision in the final CHIPS bill that would have included visa and immigration provisions. The CHIPS and Science Act is a great accomplishment. If Texas can find a way to multiply its benefits to businesses and job seekers, we have a real opportunity to supercharge the Texas Miracle so the Lone Star State grows more globally competitive for decades. John Dickson is a cybersecurity entrepreneur, former intelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force and member of the Texas Business Leadership Council. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON President Joe Bidens move to close private prisons is uniting the Texas delegation like little else has during his time in office. A group of Texas lawmakers that includes both Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, is urging Biden to leave private detention centers in South Texas open as his administration works to end federal contracts with private prisons across the country. The lawmakers, who also include U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and South Texas Democratic U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, say the closures threaten to wreak havoc on both the legal system and on local economies, with the rights of inmates and hundreds of jobs on the line. IN-DEPTH: Veterans slam Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn for stalling aid for burn-pit exposure The March closure of a facility in Willacy County has already forced inmates to travel 160 to 240 miles round trip for court appearances, preventing some from accessing pretrial legal counsel and making it difficult for family visits, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Susan Rice, the director of Bidens Domestic Policy Council. This has caused long periods of confinement in crowded spaces, while being shackled for the entire day, for hundreds of pretrial detainees, they wrote The administration plans to close another detention center in Laredo in October, which the lawmakers say will put another 1,600 detainees in a similar situation. Placing pretrial detainees in overcrowded facilities, housing cooperating witnesses with sentenced defendants, or relying on small overcrowded local jails is not a solution, they wrote. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Biden issued an executive order during his first month in office directing the attorney general not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately run criminal detention centers. To decrease incarceration levels, we must reduce profit-based incentives to incarcerate by phasing out the federal governments reliance on privately operated criminal detention facilities, Bidens order said. It was a move to make good on his campaign pledge to end the federal use of private prisons, thought the president has been under pressure to extend the moratorium to cover U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement contracts with private facilities where immigrants are detained. The move to end the contracts has seen resistance in some parts of the country, where the prisons are major employers. The 500-bed Willacy County facility employed about 200 area residents and pumped $400,000 a year into county coffers, according to the Valley Morning Star. The administration has granted similar requests to keep private correctional facilities open in Youngstown, Ohio, and San Diego, Calif. It is our shared hope that the administration will extend the same carve-out to our South Texas detention facilities, the lawmakers wrote. ben.wermund@chron.com The Collin County Republican Party censured U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Monday, the latest group of Texas conservatives to openly criticize Texas senior senator for his bipartisan work on gun legislation, education and presidential appointments. The resolution targeted Cornyns history of crossing over and voting with the Democrat Party to accomplish their objectives and accused him of violating seven of the state partys core principles, including one that reaffirms a right to self defense. TEXAS GOP CONVENTION: With gun talks wavering, Cornyn returns home to boos from fellow Republicans We, the Republican Party of Collin County, in solidarity with Republicans across both our county and our state, are stridently opposed to Senator Cornyns continued defamation of Republican principles, and we hereby demand his immediate resignation from the U.S. Senate for his faithlessness to our party and our principles, reads the resolution, which was posted on the conservative website Texas Scorecard. A representative for Cornyn did not immediately comment on the resolution but noted that the senator voted with former President Donald Trump more than 92 percent of the time and backed Trumps three conservative nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court. Cornyn has faced growing backlash from Republican Party activists over the past two months, after he served as a lead negotiator on bipartisan firearm legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June, marking the most significant tightening of gun laws in nearly three decades. The law bolstered background checks, increased scrutiny of young buyers and provided support for states that adopt red flag laws allowing courts to temporarily remove guns from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. The law passed the evenly divided U.S. Senate weeks after a string of mass shootings across the United States, including the May 24 massacre at a Uvalde elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Cornyn was booed at the Texas GOP convention for that work in June, as attendees jeered and called him a Republican in name only during his speech. Cornyn repeatedly attempted to reel in the crowd, telling them that he would never support bans on assault-style weapons or high-capacity magazines, mandatory waiting periods to purchase a gun or universal background checks. Cornyns disapproval rating among Republicans doubled that month, jumping from 17 percent in April to 34 percent, according to polling by the University of Texas at Austin . The Collin County resolution primarily focused on the gun bill, but it also mentioned Cornyns recent work on a civics education bill that local Republicans allege would foster the imposition of critical race theory. Critical race theory is a decades-old academic framework declaring that racism is a social construct and deeply embedded in legal systems. More recently, critical race theory has been used as the catch-all term for GOP-led efforts to limit discussion of racism in the classroom. Cornyns campaign said the senator worked with the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation on the measure, which actually bans the teaching of critical race theory. The resolution also took issue with Cornyns votes to advance or confirm several of President Joe Bidens nominees, including some federal judges and a member of the Federal Election Commission. Cornyn, who has served in the Senate for two decades, is not up for election again until 2026. He easily won his 2020 re-election bid with nearly 54 percent of the vote. cayla.harris@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An Austin developer already working on projects near Pearl and on the South Side is investing in Cattleman Square, a dilapidated area west of downtown peppered with government facilities, industrial buildings and empty lots. Sabot Development recently bought the National Grocer Co. building at 421 N. Medina St. and 3.3 acres of vacant land behind the Scobey complex and VIA Metropolitan Transits headquarters. Jim Young, a San Antonio native and U.S. Army veteran who leads Sabot, said hed been eyeing the empty 70,416-square-foot building for years. Im a history nerd. I just thought it was beautiful property and in a great location, he said. I like old buildings and architecture. An old LoopNet listing indicates the structure was built in 1920 but the Bexar Appraisal District pegs the year as 1950. Sabot acquired it and the land from Medina Martin Ltd. for an undisclosed price. On ExpressNews.com: Austin firm proposes mixed-use project near the Pearl Young said hes not decided what to do with the property and will solicit input from neighbors. Id like to brainstorm on it for a few months, he said. Id love to be part of a redevelopment of that area. Other projects In Tobin Hill, Sabot plans to build 299 apartments and about 12,000 square feet of retail space on a block bounded by East Euclid, East Myrtle, East Elmira and East Locust streets. On the South Side, the firm could build as many as 380 apartments on the 9400 block of Southeast Loop 410. Young said hes getting residents input before designing the development. Hes also worked on projects in San Marcos and Austin. While apartments, offices and retail buildings have been going up downtown and neighborhoods nearby, little development has spilled into the Cattleman Square area. As the University of Texas at San Antonio expands its downtown campus, San Pedro Creek undergoes improvements and Weston Urban begins residential developments, some residents say that will change. The area is cut off by railroad tracks and a highway and is home to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and Haven for Hope homeless shelter. Youngs property surrounds the Scobey complex, a row of vacant industrial buildings owned by VIA. The transportation agency has an agreement with San Antonio developer DreamOn Group to turn the complex into a mixed-use development with housing, commercial and retail space, and other components. The buildings are next to VIAs headquarters and near its Centro Plaza transit center. Julissa Carielo and Rene Garcia formed DreamOn in 2019. Carielo started contracting firm Tejas Premier Building Contractor Inc. and Garcia spent over 35 years working for the Zachry family in construction and development. DreamOn presented several options to VIA for the agencys role in the project, which its board and staff are discussing, Carielo said. After they approve an option, DreamOn would conduct survey and environmental work and develop designs. 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. Previous efforts Local developer Ed Cross previous attempts to revitalize the buildings fizzled. He purchased the property in 1999 and pitched it as a potential headquarters for the San Antonio Water System and San Antonio Police Department, but both organizations chose other locations. A deal to sell it to another developer who wanted to convert it to offices and multifamily units also fell through. In 2017, VIA bought it for $5.2 million from two partnerships managed by Cross. On ExpressNews.com: The climber: How Julissa Carielo rose from accountant to founder of construction, development firms DreamOn is interested in partnering with nearby property owners to broaden the development. The firm is working with the Geyser Group, a real estate investor that will help with financing, and has worked with Young, Carielo said. We are looking to meet and collaborate as much as we can ... to really help expand this project to be more of a district improvement instead of just the five buildings, she said. What we want is to bring life into those buildings in a way that serves the community. We also believe that the (Centro) Plaza is a main attraction that could be activated differently as well, she said. If we can provide mixed use of housing, but also business space and retail space and food and beverage, then it will turn into another place to come and enjoy. madison.iszler@express-news.net With the exception of cities along some of our nations coasts, there are probably few spots around the country where people rely on current weather updates than they do here in Montana. One of the greatest tools for observing conditions in the sky is Doppler Radar. The closest such radar for our area is in Great Falls, near the airport. When we learned that the Great Falls radar was set up undergo some major overhauls, we reached out to Robert Hart, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Great Falls to ask a few questions about the radar and the work being done: Describe this radar? How old is it? Is this the current state of the art in weather radar? Our radar is one out of about 160 world-wide, owned and operated by the Departments of Commerce and Defense. This network of weather radars is often considered to be one of the most advanced and sophisticated networks in the world. The radar is primarily used to track the location of precipitation and to aid in weather forecasts, watches, and warnings. The radar in Great Falls was installed in the mid-1990s. Since installation, there have been numerous software upgrades to the radar system. However, over the last few years we have started to conduct hardware upgrades. We just recently began the third phase (out of four phases) of our hardware upgrades. The first two phases consisted of replacing the part of our radar that transmits the radar beam. This upcoming phase will refurbish the pedestal that rotates the radar dish. The final phase is renovation of the small buildings that house the radars backup generator and power supply. Is this type of radar something that is getting upgrades throughout their lifespan? Each of the approximately 160 radars are in the process of going through these hardware upgrades. Officially, these upgrades are known as the Service Life Extension Program. These upgrades are designed to allow the radar to operate properly for at least another 20 to 25 years before additional upgrades may be required. As of early July, about 100 of the radars have already been through the third upgrade phase. Tell us about the current upgrades? Are they primarily structural? Here are the official descriptions of the upgrades: The signal processor and transmitter were refurbished over the last few years. The pedestal phase is occurring in July, followed eventually by the equipment shelters. What is the range of this radar? Each NWS radar has a maximum detection range of 286 miles. Of all the WX radars in Montana, and with Great Falls being near the center of the state, how popular is the Great Falls unit? Does the NWS Great Falls get a lot of internet traffic? Every weather radar throughout the world tends to be extremely popular to the local population. By law, the weather radar data is provided free-of-charge to any private citizen. This link [ https://bit.ly/3BdQ0fG ] will take you to our real-time radar data for the Great Falls area. Internet traffic to our radar webpage is one of the most heavily trafficked webpages maintained by the NWS. However, it should also be noted that numerous third-party apps also display our weather radar data to their users, of which we do not have usage data. Is it true that some media outlets promote their own radar but are actually using the National Weather Service product with their own interpretation? The NWS weather radars are top-of-the-line and are a multi-million dollar project. Some media outlets across the nation own and operate their own weather radars while others simply choose to display and provide their own interpretation of the NWS weather data. For the media outlets that have their own radars, there is a large range of cost and sophistication availableranging from low-end radars of less than $100k to high-quality costing several million. How large is the staff at NWS Great Falls? Our staff consists of 24 individuals ranging from forecasters to management to technicians. (The Center Square) A new ad campaign launched Monday in California mocking an ad California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched July 4 in which he attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and invited Floridians to move to the free state of California. In Newsoms first reelection campaign ad in California, he targeted Floridians, saying, Freedom is under attack in your state. Republicans were banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors. The ad points to news headlines about Florida laws banning public schools from teaching sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 grades, banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, among others. In response, VOTE THE R, a Florida-based Super PAC, launched a 30-second ad mocking Newsom last month. After raising enough money to run the ad in California, the PAC launched its $25,000 digital ad campaign Monday. Its two 30 and 60-second spots, California freedom: skip a meal or two or ten to pay for gas, have no affiliation with DeSantiss reelection campaign. Both governors are running for reelection and are considered by political pundits as rivals in a potential 2024 presidential election matchup. The shorter ad depicts Newsom speaking with a voiceover saying, I urge you to join us in California where well take the money you earn and give it to people who dont work. Visit San Francisco, where you can walk through human feces. If youre lucky, you might step on a syringe. Check out Los Angeles, where gas is so expensive your kids only need to skip a meal, or two, or 10, to afford it. The ads are running to expose Newsoms ridiculous hypocrisy while giving its despondent citizens hope, the PACs founder, Trey Radel, said. He told The Center Square, Gavin Newsom is the worst kind of liberal. Hes a hypocrite who locks down his state, while he fine-dines. He advocates for and implements insanely expensive gas prices, hurting the middle class and poor, while he flies private. He forces you to mask up, while he hangs with his buddies at the Super Bowl, eating, drinking, and even snapping pictures unmasked like an entitled pre-teen. Newsom apologized in November 2020 after being criticized for eating at the French Laundry, an expensive Napa Valley restaurant, while ordering Californians to stay at home or be fined. He was also criticized for sending his children to private schools to attend in-person instruction while he banned public schools from providing in-person instruction for nearly two years. Radels ad is targeting state lawmakers reconvening in Sacramento Monday. VOTE THE R wants Californians who havent yet fled to Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Texas, or Florida, to know that freedom-loving Americans stand with them, he says. In response, to Newsoms ad, DeSantis said hes treated Californians like peasants and in Florida, we werent locking [residents] down, we were lifting our people up. Newsoms campaign hasnt responded to request for comment. During Newsoms first term in office, California lost more residents to migration in recorded U.S. history, lost a congressional seat, grew one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S., and increased its already high tax burden on individuals and businesses who continue to leave citing high taxes and cost of living, among other policies. During DeSantis first term, Florida gained a congressional seat, became the third-most populous state, implemented a budget with record tax breaks, has the highest surplus in state history of $21.8 billion, leads the U.S. in economic growth and has one of the lowest unemployment rates. British pork is heading to Chile this month to fulfil the first commercial order since market access was granted earlier this year. The UKs largest pork processor Cranswick is in the process of preparing the first shipments, which will leave its plant in Hull early next week. It follows a new agreement announced in March which granted market access for 27 pork processing sites in the UK, enabling the first ever exports of pork products to this new and potentially lucrative market. The UK has an association agreement with Chile, which largely maintains prior preferential trading arrangements and rules of origin. This means that UK pork exporters can benefit from the import tariff under the Most Favoured Nation tariff of six percent, subject to certain conditions. AHDB estimates Chile market access could be worth up to 20 million over the first five years of trade. A spokesman from Cranswick said: We have received our first order for British pork which will be shipped to a customer in Chile this month. As the largest processor of pork in the UK, it is imperative we continue to have access to new and emerging international markets. "We welcome this access agreement between the UK and Chile. We continue to work closely with AHDB to identify and develop new market opportunities. Pork production in Chile remained stagnant last year, with imports rising year after year for the last decade due to increased demand. As the second most consumed meat in Chile, consumption is expected to increase steadily, reaching an estimated 26.8kg per capita by 2029. The deal came hot on the heels of securing new market access to Mexico, a market which is believed to be worth up to 50m to pork producers during the first five years of trade. Access to both markets was secured through collaborative working between AHDB, Defra, the UK Export Certification Partnership and wider industry. AHDBs international market development director, Dr Phil Hadley said: We are delighted to see the first shipments of pork heading to Chile following the market access win earlier in the year. Chilean consumers will now be able to enjoy pork from the UK and our exporters have access to another important and growing market, bringing a much-needed boost to the UKs pork sector. As part of our strategy, AHDB will continue to identify new opportunities overseas and work with government to help our red meat processors export more products around the world. Two first-generation dairy farmers have opened a new 114-acre farm in Twyford with the support of a 130,000 funding package. Having secured a 10-year Dorset County Council farm tenancy, Deen Taylor and Hannah Williamson will use the HSBC UK funding to purchase up to 120 dairy heifers. By milking the heifers in a year-round calving pattern, the former master thatcher and childcare assistant will supply produce to Blackmore Vale Dairy, based in Shaftesbury. As the business grows, the young farmers plan to bring in an apprentice to give a local aspiring farmer the chance to gain work experience. This will see Deen and Hannah work with local secondary schools and offer students the opportunity to use the farm for a hands-on learning approach. Deen Taylor said: Its an incredibly exciting time for Hannah and I to be opening a new dairy farm. "It will contribute to providing fresh produce to the local community at a time when the cost of living is increasing. This funding was secured from the 15bn HSBC UK SME Fund, a ring-fenced fund for small and medium sized businesses. Gary Horton, agricultural relationship manager at HSBC UK, said the bank was committed to helping small businesses. "Were pleased to be supporting Deen and Hannah as they establish a new dairy farm which will help meet the demand for dairy products, whilst benefitting the local community. Two experienced shearers will be making a record-breaking attempt to shear more than 1,457 lambs in nine hours next month. Nick Greaves and Llyr Jones from North Wales will be attempting to beat the current two stand 9 Hour British Lamb Shearing record which was set by Gareth Daniels and Ian Jones in 2016. Both Nick and Llyr have been busy shearing in recent weeks and have spent months preparing themselves mentally and physically for their record attempt in Staffordshire on 12 August, between 5am and 5pm. Nick, 28, is a beef and sheep farmer and farms in partnership with his parents, running 1,100 sheep and 150 cattle. He also has a contract shearing business which he started at the age of 16 and now operates across the Midlands. Shearing has also given me an opportunity to see different farming systems around the world and Ive made great friends and memories, he said. His shearing partner on the day will be Llyr Jones, 24, who grew up on his familys beef and sheep farm in the Conwy Valley. Llyr has been shearing in Wales and England for the past six years as well as completing six seasons in Norway and four in New Zealand. Shearing is a very good way to meet new people and see other countries, said Llyr. For me, competitive show shearing is one of my favourite parts. "Ive competed all over the world and I enjoy the buzz of competing as well as catching up with everyone." Richard Schofield, shearing manager at British Wool, welcomed the pair's attempt to break the record. As a key industry body, we are totally committed to supporting champions as representatives and ambassadors. "Were delighted to be supporting Nick and Llyr to help them achieve their goals and wish both Nick and Llyr the very best of luck. Fundraising for two farming charities - the DPJ Foundation and Farming Community Network will take place on the day. Farmers in Wales are being advised to ensure their waste exemptions are renewed before they expire this summer. Most farmers need to register waste exemptions with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to use waste in common farming activities. These include building tracks with rubble, using tyres on top of silage sheets, or burning hedge cuttings. All of which need an exemption registered at the farm. Exemption holders are asked to renew their exemptions every three years as their registration expires in order to continue managing waste safely and legally. A waste exemption allows a holder to carry out small scale waste management activities including the use, treatment, storage and disposal of waste. Exemptions are free to apply for and come with conditions to avoid damaging the environment. The NRW is encouraging farmers to renew using the online system. If the exemptions are due to expire within the next month the renew option will be visible. Farmers can find their existing registration on the system by typing in their farm name or the name of the farm owner. If they dont have these details, they can find them on the NRW's exemptions public register. The NRW said: "Keeping track of the waste activities going on across Wales and ensuring theyre being carried out safely is a big part of the work we do and making sure people and businesses have their exemptions up to date is a big help in doing that. Renewing your exemption is free, easy and much quicker than having to start a new application if your exemption expires. This is a busy time of year for us so were asking anyone who has an exemption due to expire to head over to our website to get the renewal process started as soon as possible. "You can also give us a ring on 03000 65 3000 if you need help with your renewal. Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions enter here to gain access. If you are not a Current Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you! Funeral homes often submit obituaries to the newspaper as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we are happy to accept obituaries from family members. You may use the form linked below, or you may email Jeanne Cobert at jcobert@fauquier.com or call her at 540-270-4931. Go to form China recently launched one of its 'hypersonic aircraft carrier killer' missiles in reaction to the reported Nancy Pelosi trip to Taiwan. A video showed a DF-17 ultra-fast missile that Chinese experts said can turn the USA's most powerful warships to scrap. Ultrasonic Missiles Shake Up the US Navy According to a military analyst, adversaries will be powerless to stop it, as it is undetectable and capable of mobile launching in a major threat to its targets, noted Global Times. The hypersonic aircraft carrier killer reaches supersonic++ speeds and approaches targets in an uncontrolled descent, and the US military is powerless to halt it. This missile poses a threat to the northeast Asian region, the Taiwan Strait, and the length of the South China Sea. This impacts the US reliance on slow carrier strike groups that are left in the PLA rocket force's sights, reported Sputnik News. The Maritime Safety Administration advised ships to stay away from the area on Saturday from 8 am to 9 pm. On July 29 and 30, Beijing also conducted naval drills in the South China Sea, citing Benar News. US Deploys the USS Ronald Regan Carrier Strike Group In light of the recent tensions concerning Pelosi's visit to the area, the US Navy this week announced that a strike group and an aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, are now operating in the South China Sea. China had previously warned Washington not to cross any lines and to stay out of the South China Sea. China Policy, which China cautioned the US to follow, is about to have an explosive reaction from Pelosi's trip. Read Also: Xi Jinping: 5 Things To Know About China's President Since the Financial Times first revealed the claimed plans of the US House Speaker in mid-July, there has been speculation about the potential visit. During their two-hour phone call on July 28, Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden that meddling in Taiwanese affairs was dangerous and harmful. Washington must be conscious of the implications in Taiwan after Beijing described the US as playing with fire. Which region of China will be fiercely defended by its military? Chinese officials clearly state that the One China Policy does not allow Taipei to be recognized by foreign governments. Nancy Pelosi is not welcome in the enclave. Taiwan Not on the House Speaker's Itinerary The US House Speaker did not mention the island in the most recent report on her trip to Asia, per RT. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, has announced the itinerary of her trip to Asia amid warnings from China that if she tries to visit Taiwan, there will be a severe response. In a social media post, the US official mentioned visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, where she will hold high-level discussions. The information follows rumors that Pelosi may visit Taipei unannounced as part of her tour. Taiwan, which has been under independent governance ever since the late 1940s, is regarded by China as a sovereign territory. Beijing vehemently opposes any formal recognition of Taiwan, including foreign dignitaries' visits. China brandishes its captured launch of its hypersonic aircraft carrier killer to give the US a hint that the Pelosi visit to Taiwan is something to reconsider. Related Article: White House Redefines Recession as Ill-Performing Economy Besets the US @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Uzbekistan and Bangladesh will form a joint working group (JWG) this year to boost bilateral trade and investment, according to the latters commerce minister Tipu Munshi, who recently said it has been proposed to set up an Uzbek embassy in Dhaka. The third meeting of the Bangladesh-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held in Dhaka recently. The fourth meeting of the commission will be held in Uzbekistan next year, he said. Uzbek deputy prime minister Jamshid Khodjaev led his countrys delegation at the meeting, which discussed enhancing cooperation in areas like trade, textile, garments, agriculture, food, fruits, pharmaceuticals, leather, footwear, tourism and transport, according to Bangladeshi media reports. Uzbekistan and Bangladesh will form a joint working group this year to boost bilateral trade and investment, the latter's commerce minister Tipu Munshi has said. It has been proposed to set up an Uzbek embassy in Dhaka. The third meeting of the Bangladesh-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held in Dhaka recently.# Being the 6th largest producer and 12th largest exporter of cotton, Uzbek entrepreneurs can invest in the cotton-based textile industry in Bangladesh, Bangladesh pointed out. Bangladesh highlighted duty-free market access opportunities in major developed economies and the reputation of its garment and textile industries. It also stressed on collaborating in areas of high fashion design, fashion accessories and fashion garments. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Textile millers in Bangladesh recently urged the government to offer cash incentive to exporters of readymade garments (RMG) made from man-made fibre (MMF) only after ensuring that they use locally-produced yarn and fabric. Such a move would help develop the backward linkage industry in the country and achieve higher realisation of export proceeds, they argued. In a letter to the commerce minister Tipu Munshi, the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) made the request after the ministry backed a demand by RMG manufacturers that they be provided 5 per cent cash incentive on exports of non-cotton apparel items. The commerce ministry then wrote to the finance ministry regarding the issue. Textile millers in Bangladesh recently urged the government to offer cash incentive to exporters of readymade garments made from man-made fibre only after ensuring that they use locally-produced yarn and fabric. Such a move would help develop the backward linkage industry in the country and achieve higher realisation of export proceeds, they argued.# "Larger share of exports of non-cotton RMG items is made using the imported fabrics and thus little value addition takes place, resulting in low foreign currency retention against exports," BTMA president Mohammad Ali Khokon wrote in the letter. As global demand for MMF garments rises, BTMA member firms are producing viscose, polyester, various filament yarn and blended yarn using imported MMF and making 'deemed exports' to local RMG exporters, he said. Several mills to produce MMF and its raw material PET chips are also being set up in the country to meet local MMF requirement, he said, hoping that these units will start production by the end of next year, according to Bangladeshi media reports. Khokon urged the government to provide a 5 per cent additional cash incentive on exports of RMG produced from MMF, considering the three stages of productionyarn from MMF, fabric from yarn and then RMG production. BTMA said around 0.15 million tonnes of MMF were imported in the last fiscal. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / August 1, 2022 / On August 1, 2022, the Associated Press reported that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike. The strike immediately prompted questions of who is likely to take over leadership of the organization - a power transfer that has not happened since Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011. The MEMRI Jihad And Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) research team published an analysis two weeks ago on Al-Qaeda's leadership, titled "A Look Into Al-Qaeda's Current Leaders." Below are excerpts from the introduction of that analysis. From the last known Al-Zawahiri recording, released July 14, 2022. Excerpt From MEMRI JTTM EXCLUSIVE REPORT: 'A Look Into Al-Qaeda's Current Leaders' Al-Qaeda has seen significant changes in the past few years, primarily due to the targeting of many of its leaders by U.S. military and intelligence counterterrorism campaigns, as well as the decline of some of the group's regional affiliates in the face of the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other jihadi groups, like Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) in Syria. The group's original circle of command has diminished, as the number of members who fought in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Osama Bin Laden era and remain alive and at large continues to shrink, leaving few potential heirs if top leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri dies or is captured. Al-Qaeda functions as a highly decentralized network of affiliated insurgent groups, each active in its own region, with minimal oversight from the organization's Central Command. These groups mainly carry out military operations against their local governments. The most recent attack against the U.S. or Western countries was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in December 2019 - an attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. MEMRI JTTM has reviewed the statements, books, and multimedia productions disseminated by Al-Qaeda and its affiliated media outlets, which highlight the messaging and combat strategies of the organization's branches and leadership. Based on this research, the following report will provide insight on the remaining first generation of Al-Qaeda's leaders and on the modus operandi of its current regional leaders. It will also provide the available background information, presumed location, and media appearances of the leaders who are involved in localizing the organization's strategy across its regions of activity. More details on this topic are available at the JTTM website. Contact Information: MEMRI media@memri.org 202-955-9070 www.memri.org SOURCE: Middle East Media Research Institute View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710483/Following-Reported-Death-In-Drone-Strike-Of-Al-Qaeda-Leader-Ayman-Al-Zawahiri--Exclusive-MEMRI-Jihad-And-Terrorism-Threat-Monitor-JTTM-Analysis-Of-Al-Qaedas-Remaining-Leadership WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cosmetics major Estee Lauder Companies (EL) is in talks to buy fashion brand Tom Ford for at least $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter. There are no guarantees the companies will reach an agreement. Estee Lauder isn't the only suitor for Tom Ford, the report said. Tom Ford is best-known for its menswear, but it also sells womenswear and accessories as well as a cosmetics and fragrances. Bloomberg reported in early July that Tom Ford was for sale. 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. The Employee Retention Tax Credit is examined in two new reports launched by Scott Hall, explaining what it is, and how employers can calculate their rebates. New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 1, 2022) - Scott Hall has launched a new report detailing the latest amendments introduced to the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). The latest report is part of the company's educational campaign highlighting the important updates to the eligibility requirements for the program, which was initiated in 2020, and examining the impact of these changes on employers. The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/132414_eb1fdb4c54224a9f_001full.jpg More information about recent changes can be found in the full report, at https://scotthall.co/what-is-ertc-tax-credit The new eligibility requirements explained in the latest report allow organizations with up to 500 full-time employees to apply for tax rebates, as well as non-profit organizations, startups, and new businesses founded during the pandemic. The author also clarifies how companies that have already enrolled in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) may now be eligible for ERTC refunds. When the ERTC was first introduced, employers who received PPP loans were ineligible for rebates, but the report highlights how that changed with the passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Unlike the PPP, the ERTC provides rebates that are not a loan, never need repayment, and have no restrictions on how the funds can be spent. Employers can find the qualification requirements for the ERTC program in the new report, as well as links to a no-cost, no-obligation eligibility assessment. The assessment uses 10 simple questions to help business owners determine if they qualify for rebates under the most recent guidelines, without requiring any proprietary business information. A second new report launched by Scott Hall explains how employers can properly calculate their ERTC rebates, and what factors need to be included. The report explores how the maximum allowable rebates have changed since the program started, and how employers may claim up to $26,000 per W-2 employee in rebates. The second new report covers which documents are required to complete a rebate application, and includes a link to a "done-for-you" application service provided by a team of ERTC accounting specialists. The author also discusses the deadline for ERTC claims and the updated cut-off date for eligible wages. An excerpt from the report reads, "It's not unusual for business owners to be unsure of whether they qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit. With all the changes, many businesses don't know the ERTC benefits. It's reported that 47% of businesses might take advantage of the tax credit." More information about calculating ERTC rebates and eligibility can be found at https://scotthall.co/how-to-calculate-ertc-correctly Contact Info: Name: Scott Hall Email: scott@scotthall.co Organization: ScottHall.co Address: 60 West 23rd St. Suite 638, New York, NY 10010, United States Website: https://scotthall.co To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132414 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - NINE MILE METALS LTD. (CSE: NINE) (OTCQB: VMSXF) (FSE: KQ9) (the "Company" or "Nine Mile") is pleased to announce that, on Friday, July 29, it completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") for proceeds of $1,682,153 from the issuance of 8,858,625 units of its securities. 876,000 of the units are flow-through (each, an "FT Unit") at a price of $0.28 per FT Unit, and 7,982,625 of the Units are non-flow-through units (each, a "NFT Unit") at a price of $0.18 per NFT Unit. Each FT Unit consists of one flow-through common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, an "FT Warrant"), with each FT Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one common share at a price of $0.38 for a period of 24 months. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (each, an "NFT Warrant"), with each NFT Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one common share at a price of $0.28 for a period of 24 months. Charles MaLette, CEO and President, commented, "This private placement has brought several motivated new investors into Nine Mile as the Company prepares to take our high-grade Nine Mile Brook VMS Project to a new level over the next few months." In consideration for their services in introducing subscribers to the Company under the Private Placement, finders and brokers received 54,080 common share purchase warrants, exercisable to purchase one common share at a price of $0.38 for a period of 24 months, and 386,400 common share purchase warrants, exercisable to purchase one common share at a price of $0.28 for a period of 24 months, and cash of $84,694.40. The proceeds from the sale of the FT Units will be used for exploration costs, including drilling, splitting core samples, assays, and surveys. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the sale of the NFT Units for additional exploration costs, evaluating potential other properties contiguous or nearby for acquisition and general working capital. All securities issued in the Private Placement are subject to a four month and a day hold period. About Nine Mile Metals Ltd.: Nine Mile Metals Ltd. is a Canadian public mineral exploration company focused on VMS (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag and Au) exploration in the world-famous Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada. The Company's primary business objective is to explore its three VMS Projects: Nine Mile Brook VMS Project; California Lake VMS Project; and the Canoe Landing Lake (East - West) VMS Project. The Company is focused on exploration of Minerals for Technology (MFT), positioning for the boom in EV and green technologies requiring Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc with a hedge with Gold. ON BEHALF OF NINE MILE METALS LTD. CEO, President, Director & Secretary T: 604-428-5171 E: info@ninemilemetals.com Forward-Looking Information: This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of Nine Mile. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Nine Mile. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "could" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include that (a) the Company will use the proceeds as described above. Although Nine Mile believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Nine Mile can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132517 All regulatory clearances received for the acquisition of Vifor Pharma AG Settlement of the offer is scheduled for 9 August 2022 Seasoned biopharma executive, Herve Gisserot, designated to lead the business as General Manager upon settlement of the offer Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005796/en/ AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR CSL Limited (ASX: CSL; USOTC:CSLLY) is pleased to announce it has now received all necessary regulatory clearances for the acquisition of Vifor Pharma AG (Vifor) announced on 14 December 2021. CSL has set the settlement date of the public tender offer for Vifor for 9 August 2022. If the offer conditions that remain in effect until the settlement remain fulfilled until that date, shareholders who accepted the offer will receive the offer price for each share tendered into the offer on the settlement date, subject to the terms of the offer. CSL anticipates that it will hold more than 97% of Vifor shares upon the settlement of the offer and intends to have Vifor apply for the delisting of the Vifor Shares after the settlement. Also, CSL has filed an action to cancel the remaining publicly held Vifor Shares in accordance with Swiss takeover rules. The proceedings are currently suspended and will be resumed after the Settlement. Planning for the integration of Vifor is well advanced. CSL's Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr. Paul Perreault said, "We are excited to complete the acquisition of Vifor Pharma enhancing CSL's well-established patient focus and ability to protect the health of those facing a range of rare and serious medical conditions. I would like to thank our employees, strategic partners and shareholders who have shown their unwavering support throughout the acquisition process." "Joining CSL, the Vifor business adds near-term value along with a clear path to long-term sustainable growth. It also adds an outstanding management team, along with a high-value and complementary portfolio of products and market leading position in the nephrology and iron deficiency spaces." "We are pleased about the regulatory clearance for the transaction," commented Abbas Hussain, Chief Executive Officer of Vifor Pharma. "As we complete the final steps on the CSL acquisition journey, I am full of confidence that Vifor Pharma will have a successful future as part of a larger, global organization. This will allow us to accelerate growth and to successfully drive multiple product launches as we continue to help even more patients around the world live better, healthier lives." Appointment of General Manager CSL also advises Mr. Herve Gisserot, a demonstrated global leader with diverse biopharma experience, has been designated to lead the Vifor business as General Manager upon settlement of the offer. He will report to CSL's Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Paul McKenzie. Mr. Gisserot is currently the Chief Commercial Officer for Vifor Pharma, joining in January 2022 following 13 years at GlaxoSmithKline where he served in multiple Senior Vice President (SVP) roles, including most recently as SVP Head of Pharmaceuticals Vaccines for Greater China Intercontinental. Prior to that, he held various leadership roles of progressively more responsibility at Sanofi-Aventis, Aventis, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Fournier Group. Dr. McKenzie said: "I'm pleased to welcome Herve to the role of General Manager. With his proven track record of leading high-performing organizations, executing successful product launches across a number of geographies around the world, and delivering profitable growth, we have confidence in his leadership." Due to the closing of the acquisition, the current CEO Abbas Hussain will leave Vifor Pharma in the coming months. Jacques Theurillat, Chairman of the Board of Vifor Pharma, commented: "On behalf of the company, I would like to thank Abbas Hussain for his commitment and leadership during his tenure at Vifor Pharma. We wish him all the best for the future." Exemptions from SIX disclosure and publicity obligations Due to the advanced stage of the acquisition process, SIX Exchange Regulation AG granted Vifor Pharma various exemptions from certain disclosure and publicity obligations in a decision dated 29 July 2022, including an exemption from the obligation to publish a Half-Year Report 2022. These exemptions will take effect upon publication of this ad hoc announcement. The relevant parts of the decision of SIX Exchange Regulation AG are as follows: I. Vifor Pharma AG (Issuer) is hereby exempted from the following obligations until the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule pursuant to Art. 10 para. 1 of the Ordinance of the Swiss Takeover Board of 21 August 2008on Public Takeover Offers (Takeover Ordinance, TOO), until and including 22 September 2022: a. Publication of the Half-Year Report 2022 (Art. 49 ff. LR in conjunction with art. 10 et seq. Directive on Financial Reporting [DFR] and Directive Regular Reporting Obligations [DRRO]); b. Publication of ad hoc notices (Art. 53 LR in connection with the Directive on Ad Hoc Publicity [DAH]), with the exception of the publication of an ad hoc notice concerning the announcement of the date of delisting of the Issuer's registered shares as soon as such date is determined; c. Disclosure of management transactions (Art. 56 LR); d. Keeping of the corporate calendar (Art. 52 LR); e. Fulfillment of the following regular reporting obligations (Art. 55 LR in conjunction with Art. 9 DRRO): para. 1.05 (Change of external auditors), para. 1.06 (Change of balance sheet date), para. 1.08 (4) (Change of weblink to the corporate calendar), para. 1.08 (5) (Change of weblink to the annual reports), para. 2.01 (Filing of annual reports), para. 3.05 (Resolutions regarding opting out/ opting up), para. 3.06 (Changes in connection with restrictions on transferability of shares), para. 5.02 (Reporting of conditional capital). II. The exemptions pursuant to Section I shall commence with the publication of the ad hoc notice in accordance with the requirements in Section VI. III. After the expiry of the Best Price Rule on 22 September 2022, the issuer shall be exempted from the obligations pursuant to Section I until 29 October 2022, if and to the extent that none of the following events has occurred by 22 September 2022 or occurs by 29 October 2022: a. Entry of a minority shareholder or several minority shareholders in the proceedings for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares pursuant to Art. 137 of the Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructures and Market Conduct in Securities and Foreign Exchange Trading of 19 June 2015 (Financial Market Infrastructures Act, FMIA) before the competent court; b. Withdrawal of the action for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares before the competent court by the plaintiff or by a legal successor; c. Dismissal of the action for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares by the competent court; d. The judgment of the competent court regarding the cancellation of the issuer's registered shares is upheld. Should one of the events pursuant to this Clause a. to d. occur before the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, the issuer's obligations pursuant to Section I shall revive immediately after the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, i.e. on 23 September 2022. If one of the events pursuant to this Clause a. to d. occurs after the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, i.e. by 29 October 2022, the issuer's obligations pursuant to Section I shall be revived immediately. In the event of a revival of the obligations pursuant to Section I, the issuer must publish and submit to SIX Exchange Regulation AG the Half-Year Report 2022 within six weeks of the date of the respective revival of the obligations pursuant to Section I (Art. 50 LR in conjunction with Art. 11 et seq. Art. 11 ff. DFR and Art. 9 para. 2.01 (2) DRRO). About Vifor Pharma Group Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency and nephrology. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions across iron, dialysis, nephrology and rare conditions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe, chronic and rare diseases lead better, healthier lives. It specializes in strategic global partnering, in-licensing and developing, manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and includes the companies: Vifor Pharma, Sanifit Therapeutics, and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348). For more information, please visit viforpharma.com About CSL CSL (ASX: CSL; USOTC: CSLLY) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus provides life-saving products to more than 100 countries and employs more than 25,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. For more information visit csl.com. Legal Disclaimers Important Additional Information This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to purchase, sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, purchase or subscribe for any registered shares or other equity securities in Vifor Pharma Ltd., nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor. This release is not part of the offer documentation relating to the tender offer. Terms and conditions of the tender offer have been published in CSL's offer prospectus regarding the tender offer. Shareholders of Vifor Pharma Ltd. are urged to read the tender offer documents, including the offer prospectus, which are or will be available at www.CSLtransaction.com. Certain Offer Restrictions The tender offer is not made, directly or indirectly, in any country or jurisdiction in which it would be considered unlawful or otherwise violate any applicable laws or regulations, or which would require CSL or any of its subsidiaries to change or amend the terms or conditions of the tender offer in any material way, to make an additional filing with any governmental, regulatory or other authority or take additional action in relation to the tender offer. It is not intended to extend the tender offer to any such country or jurisdiction. Any documents relating to the tender offer must neither be distributed in any such country or jurisdiction nor be sent into such country or jurisdiction, and must not be used for the purpose of soliciting the sale or purchase of securities of Vifor Pharma Ltd. by any person or entity resident or incorporated in any such country or jurisdiction. The tender offer is made in the United States pursuant to Section 14(e) of, and Regulation 14E under, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "U.S. Exchange Act"), subject to the applicable exemptions provided by Rule 14d-1 under the U.S. Exchange Act and Rule 14e-5(b) under the U.S. Exchange Act and any exemptions that may be granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Swiss law. Accordingly, the tender offer is subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to withdrawal rights, settlement procedures and timing of payments that are different from those applicable under U.S. domestic tender offer procedures and laws. Neither the SEC nor any securities commission of any State of the United States has (a) approved or dis-approved of the tender offer; (b) passed upon the merits or fairness of the tender offer; or (c) passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in the offer prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The communication is not being made by, and has not been approved by, an "authorised person" for the purposes of Section 21 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Reference is made to the offer prospectus for full offer restrictions. Other Important Additional Information Forward-Looking Statements This announcement may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "aim", "project", "forecast", "estimate", "risk", "likely", "intend", "outlook", "should", "could", "would", "may", "will", "continue", "plan", "probability", "indicative", "seek", "target", "plan" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements, opinions and estimates in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance and estimates. Forward-looking statements are provided as a general guide only. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are not indications, guarantees or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSL, its officers, employees, agents and advisors, and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct, and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. This announcement is not financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire or sell securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It does not constitute an invitation or offer to apply for securities. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial or tax situation or needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, prospective investors should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal and taxation advice appropriate for their jurisdiction. CSL is not licensed to provide financial product advice in respect of an investment in securities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005796/en/ Contacts: CSL Steve McKeon Associate Director, Investor Relations CSL Limited +61 402 231 696 stephen.mckeon@csl.com.au Jimmy Baker Communications, Asia Pacific CSL Limited +61 450 909 211 jimmy.baker@csl.com.au Switzerland Europe Martin Meier-Pfister (IRF) +41 432 448 140 meier-pfister@irf-reputation.ch Vifor Pharma Thomas Hutter Corporate Communications, External Relations +41 79 957 96 73 media@viforpharma.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - StreamCoin, a blockchain company with an NFT and streaming-focused ecosystem, is celebrating its first anniversary by highlighting all its achieved milestones. Within a single year, the company was able to develop a complete set of products and services, providing many utilities for its users with a token listed on 115+ exchanges. StreamCoin To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8840/132514_5415be82a431b9cf_001full.jpg According to its blog, StreamCoin started on August 1, 2021. Its inception was by a team with a shared vision of blockchain's potential in creating a space where creators, artists, and other users can interact freely from anywhere in the world. After its seed funding, StreamCoin accelerated the development of its core products: the STRMNFT marketplace for video NFTs; the MeiTalk platform for video multi-streaming; and the Stream Chain network (Mainnet). StreamCoin moved fast to prepare its ecosystem for global adoption, focusing on many aspects to make STRM - its primary token - accessible to everyone worldwide. To achieve this, the company built many partnerships with other blockchain firms, including Real Research, Metabase Network, Daoverse Capital, WeBlock, and most notably, TNC Group. In late March, after nearly two months of starting its public sale (ICO), StreamCoin sponsored a platinum booth at the Dubai-based World Live Streamers Conference (WLSC) 2022. This crypto and metaverse-focused event gathered 30,000+ industry insiders, influencers, artists, and other attendees from around the globe. At WLSC 2022, the company revealed the Alpha version of MeiTalk to the public along with the first preview of STRMNFT. After the public sale closed on April 30, it was able to achieve its soft cap by raising $11.7 million from individual participants along with another 200 million STRM corporate ICO participation from TNC Group. During the first week of May, StreamCoin launched the STRM Staking portal with exclusive high-return plans for its participants. Furthermore, a swapping service called Stream Bridge was launched, making STRM compatible with four other blockchains. The listing for STRM started a few days after. Over 100+ centralized and decentralized exchanges listed the token simultaneously, breaking an industry record and making STRM available to millions worldwide. However, StreamCoin's continued success did not stop after this large-scale listing. It moved on with its roadmap by launching STRMNFT with a zero-fee minting offer for early registrants. Afterward, TNC Group opened the sale of its much anticipated Lady Ape Club (LAC) NFT collection on STRMNFT. All the available NFTs from this collection were sold out within four hours, totaling 9,000 units. This sale was considered a new record has rarely seen within the NFT atmosphere. The company did not reveal much about its plans. Instead, it stated that the team is working on adding new features to STRMNFT so all artists, creators, and other users will be able to create and sell their own NFTs. StreamCoin also announced that starting this August, it will begin burning 50% of the fees accumulated from its services every following month. To learn more about StreamCoin, users can check its website or follow its social media channels to be up to date with future announcements from the company. Contact Company: StreamCoin CEO: Michael Ein Chaybeh Email: social@stream-coin.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132514 Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION 2 August 2022 REDDE NORTHGATE PLC ("Redde Northgate" or the "Group" or the "Company") Transaction in Own Shares Redde Northgate plc (LSE:REDD) announces that on 1 August 2022 it purchased the following number of its own shares to be held in treasury: Class of shares : Ordinary shares of 50p ("shares") Number of shares purchased : 60,000 Weighted average purchase price paid : 366.279 pence per share Highest purchase price paid : 368.5 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid : 363.5 pence per share Following the above transaction, the Company's issued share capital consists of 246,091,423 ordinary shares of 50p each, of which 7,031,189 ordinary shares are held in treasury, and 1,000,000 preference shares of 50p each which do not carry any rights to vote. Therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company is 239,060,234, which may be used by shareholders 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 under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) as incorporated into UK domestic law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the schedule below contains detailed information about the purchases made by Numis Securities Limited on behalf of the Company as part of the Company's buyback programme. Schedule of Purchases - Individual Transactions (all of 1 August 2022) Number of shares purchased Transaction price (GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 270 367.50 08:16:54 00060315558TRLO0 LSE 184 367.50 08:16:54 00060315559TRLO0 LSE 1901 367.50 08:42:02 00060316407TRLO0 LSE 1932 367.50 08:42:02 00060316408TRLO0 LSE 992 368.00 08:57:23 00060316990TRLO0 LSE 943 368.00 08:57:23 00060316991TRLO0 LSE 3562 368.00 08:57:23 00060316992TRLO0 LSE 1861 367.50 11:26:17 00060323611TRLO0 LSE 143 368.50 13:08:56 00060326820TRLO0 LSE 171 368.50 13:08:56 00060326821TRLO0 LSE 400 368.50 13:08:56 00060326822TRLO0 LSE 2258 368.50 13:08:56 00060326823TRLO0 LSE 171 368.50 13:08:56 00060326824TRLO0 LSE 143 368.50 13:08:56 00060326825TRLO0 LSE 400 368.50 13:08:56 00060326826TRLO0 LSE 171 368.50 13:08:56 00060326827TRLO0 LSE 143 368.50 13:08:56 00060326828TRLO0 LSE 151 368.50 13:08:56 00060326829TRLO0 LSE 339 368.50 13:19:30 00060327144TRLO0 LSE 1824 368.50 13:19:30 00060327145TRLO0 LSE 1074 368.00 13:19:45 00060327156TRLO0 LSE 600 368.00 13:19:45 00060327157TRLO0 LSE 920 368.00 13:19:45 00060327158TRLO0 LSE 3091 368.00 13:19:45 00060327159TRLO0 LSE 527 368.00 13:19:45 00060327160TRLO0 LSE 171 368.00 13:19:45 00060327161TRLO0 LSE 206 368.00 13:19:45 00060327162TRLO0 LSE 339 368.00 13:19:45 00060327163TRLO0 LSE 2217 366.50 13:59:29 00060328600TRLO0 LSE 2720 366.00 14:02:01 00060328792TRLO0 LSE 1991 365.50 14:30:55 00060330412TRLO0 LSE 2461 365.00 14:30:55 00060330413TRLO0 LSE 17 364.50 14:33:31 00060330703TRLO0 LSE 895 364.50 14:33:31 00060330704TRLO0 LSE 394 364.50 14:35:01 00060330782TRLO0 LSE 207 364.50 14:35:01 00060330783TRLO0 LSE 1504 363.50 14:57:16 00060332285TRLO0 LSE 499 363.50 14:57:16 00060332286TRLO0 LSE 1854 363.50 14:57:16 00060332287TRLO0 LSE 1865 363.50 14:57:16 00060332288TRLO0 LSE 395 363.50 14:57:16 00060332289TRLO0 LSE 221 365.50 15:11:52 00060333254TRLO0 LSE 210 365.50 15:11:52 00060333255TRLO0 LSE 1915 365.50 15:15:18 00060333589TRLO0 LSE 1819 365.50 15:15:18 00060333590TRLO0 LSE 1996 365.00 15:17:30 00060333753TRLO0 LSE 691 365.00 15:17:30 00060333754TRLO0 LSE 600 364.50 15:28:25 00060334386TRLO0 LSE 1056 364.50 15:28:25 00060334387TRLO0 LSE 386 364.50 15:28:25 00060334388TRLO0 LSE 392 364.00 15:35:11 00060335653TRLO0 LSE 1186 364.00 15:35:11 00060335654TRLO0 LSE 367 364.00 15:35:11 00060335655TRLO0 LSE 579 365.50 15:46:06 00060336904TRLO0 LSE 1578 365.50 15:46:06 00060336905TRLO0 LSE 2057 366.00 16:03:04 00060339081TRLO0 LSE 2226 366.00 16:04:04 00060339152TRLO0 LSE 815 365.50 16:12:26 00060340163TRLO0 LSE Notes This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 12.4.6. For further information contact: Buchanan David Rydell/Jamie Hooper +44 (0) 207 466 5000 Notes to Editors: Redde Northgate is the leading integrated mobility solutions platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle. The Company offers integrated mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across seven key areas: vehicle rental, vehicle data, accident management, vehicle repairs, fleet management, service and maintenance, vehicle ancillary services and vehicle sales. The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, whether through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With its considerable scale and reach, Redde Northgate's mission is to offer a market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group aims to achieve this through the delivery of its strategic framework of Focus, Drive and Broaden. Redde Northgate services its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 120,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 600,000 managed vehicles, with more than 170 workshop, body shop and rental locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 6,000 automotive services professionals. Further information please visit the Company's website: www.reddenorthgate.com Launch of a Capital Increase With Shareholders' Preferential Subscription Rights for an Amount of Approximately EUR 50 Million Subscription ratio: 27 new shares for 4 preferential subscription rights Subscription price: EUR 0.75 per new share Trading period of the preferential subscription rights: from 5 August 2022 to 7 September 2022 (included) Subscription period: from 9 August 2022 to 9 September 2022 (included) Underwriting: transaction fully underwritten by Alcentra and Fidera (equally between them) Liquidity Offering: undertaking by Alcentra and Fidera to acquire from all holders of preferential subscription rights who so wish, said preferential subscription rights at a unit price of EUR 0.20 from 12 August 2022 to 1st September 2022 (included) Regulatory News: This press release may not be distributed directly or indirectly in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. This press release is not a promotional communication and does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. Pierre et Vacances (Paris:VAC) (the "Company") announces that, in accordance with the anticipated timetable, the Paris Commercial Court adopted the Company's accelerated safeguard plan on 29 July 2022, approved by all the relevant creditors on 8 July 2022 (the "Accelerated Safeguard Plan The judgment of the Paris Commercial Court is rendered in the context of the deleveraging and equity strengthening transactions of the group Pierre Vacances Center Parcs (the "Restructuring Transactions") provided for under the agreement announced on 10 March 2022 (the "Agreement In this context, the Company launches today a capital increase with shareholders' preferential subscription rights ("Subscription Rights") for a maximum gross amount of EUR 50,085,641.25, including issue premium (the "Rights Issue"). The prospectus relating to the Rights Issue was approved on 1 August 2022 by the by the Autorite des marches financiers (the "AMF") under number 22-332 (the "Prospectus Main terms and conditions of the Rights Issue The Rights Issue will result in the issuance of a maximum number of 66,780,855 new ordinary shares (the "New Shares") at a unit price of EUR 0.75, including the issue premium, i.e. a maximum gross amount of EUR 50,085,641.25. Each shareholder of the Company will receive one Subscription Right for each share recorded in his securities account on 8 August 2022 (after the close of the trading day). The existing shares will thus be traded ex-rights to the Subscription Rights as from 5 August 2022. 4 Subscription Rights will give the right to subscribe, on an irreducible basis (a titre irreductible), to 27 New Shares, at a subscription price per New Share of EUR 0.75 (i.e., EUR 0.01 nominal value and EUR 0.74 issue premium). Subscription requests on a reducible basis (a titre reductible) are admitted but remain subject to reduction in the event of oversubscription. Only the New Shares that may not be absorbed by subscriptions on an irreducible basis (a titre irreductible) will be allocated and allotted to subscribers on a reducible basis (a titre reductible). Orders for subscriptions subject to reduction will be served within the limit of their requests and in proportion to the number of existing shares which rights would have been used in support of their subscription on irreducible basis (a titre irreductible As the case may be, the Board of Directors of the Company will allocate the unsuscribed New Shares to Alcentra and Fidera (equally between them), which committed to fully underwrite the Rights Issue pursuant to the Agreement. Based on Pierre et Vacances' closing share price on 29 July 2022, of EUR 4.70: the issue price of the New Shares of EUR 0.75 represents a discount of 84% to the share price; - the theoretical value of the Subscription Right is EUR 3.4403; - the theoretical value of the share ex-rights would therefore be EUR 1.2597; - the theoretical value of the Shareholder Warrant is 0.0776 and the theoretical value of the Shareholders' Warrants received for one share held is 0.33; - the theoretical value of the share ex-rights ex-warrants amounts to 0.93 euro; and - the issue price of the New Shares represents a discount of 40.5% to the theoretical value of the share ex-rights and a discount of 19.5% to the theoretical value of the share ex-rights ex-warrants. These values do not prejudge either the value of the Subscription Right during the period of trading of the Subscription Rights or the value of the share ex-rights or discounts, as they will be recorded on the market. The Rights Issue will be open to the public in France only. Indicative timetable The trading period for the Subscription Rights will last from 5 August to 7 September 2022 (included). During this period, the Subscription Rights will be tradable on the regulated market of Euronext Paris under ISIN code ISIN FR001400B4D8. It will no longer be possible to buy or sell the Subscription Rights after the close of the trading day of 7 September 2022. The subscription period for the New Shares will last from 9 August to 9 September 2022 (included). The non-exercised Subscription Rights will automatically become null and void at the close of the subscription period, i.e. on 9 September 2022 at the close of the trading day. The settlement-delivery and admission to trading of the New Shares are scheduled for 16 September 2022 according to the indicative timetable, it being specified that such date may be postponed up to 23 September 2022, in accordance with the Accelerated Safeguard Plan. The New Shares will carry immediate rights to dividends, and will be immediately assimilated to the existing shares of the Company and will be traded on the same quotation line under the same ISIN code FR0000073041. Underwriting Commitment, liquidity offering and subscription intentions It is recalled, on the one hand, that the Rights Issue and the Reserved Capital are fully underwritten by Alcentra and Fidera, equally between them and, on the other hand, that Alcentra and Fidera have committed to acquire (equally between them) on the market, from all holders of Subscription Rights who so wish, the outstanding Subscription Rights, at a unit price of EUR 0.20, comprised in the range between EUR 0.19 and EUR 0.22 provided for in the Agreement, i.e. the economic value of the Subscription Right determined on 29 July 2022 (day preceding the approval by the AMF of the Prospectus)1. It is specified that the Subscription Rights of shareholders whose shares are registered will be automatically converted to bearer form shortly (un instant de raison) before they are sold on the market. The liquidity offering will last from 12 August to 1st September 2022 (included) in order to enable the settlement and delivery transactions. Shareholders willing to participate in the liquidity offering are advised to contact their financial intermediary in order to find out the deadlines and methods of participation that apply to them. In compensation of these underwriting commitments and this liquidity offering, Alcentra and Fidera benefit from a free allocation of Guarantors' Warrants (as defined hereafter) (equally between them), which they have irrevocably committed to exercise no later than 15 October 2022. The Company is not aware of the intentions of other shareholders or members of its administrative or management bodies. Lock-up commitments The Company has agreed to a lock-up period of 180 days following the completion of the Rights Issue, subject to certain exceptions. As part of the Accelerated Safeguard Plan, it is provided that a plan for the free allocation of preferred shares to Mr. Gerard Bremond will be authorized by the General Meeting called to meet on 30 September 2022. In this context, each investor party to the Agreement (including Alcentra, Fidera and Atream) has individually undertaken to keep its shares, to be receive as part of the Restructuring Operations, until the date of this General Meeting. Mr. Gerard Bremond will, for his part, be bound by an obligation to retain his free preferred shares for one year from the end of the acquisition period, which will itself be one year from their allocation by the Board of Directors. To the knowledge of the Company, there is no other lock-up commitment from other existing shareholders of the Company or of investors that are not parties to the Agreement intending to become shareholders of the Company in the context of the Restructuring Transactions. Use of proceeds of the Rights Issue The gross proceeds of the Rights Issue amount to EUR 50,085,641.25. The net proceeds are estimated at EUR 44.2 million and will contribute in full to the reimbursement of the share of the Group's debt, amounting to EUR 160 million, called to be extinguished as a result of the Restructuring Transactions. It is specified, for information purposes, that the gross proceeds in cash from the Restructuring Transactions, i.e. EUR 200 million euros, including EUR 50 million from the Rights Issue and up to EUR 150 million from the Reserved Capital Increase (the Conversion Capital Increase not generating a cash payment for the benefit of the Company), will reimburse the entire share of the Group's debt, in the amount of EUR 160 million, called to be extinguished as a result of the Restructuring Transactions. The balance of this gross proceeds, i.e. EUR 40 million, will be allocated in the amount of EUR 39.5 million to the payment of expenses related to the Restructuring Transactions (commission due to certain creditors of the Company having accepted or adhered to the Restructuring Transactions for an amount of EUR 2.7 million, expenses related to related agreements for an amount of EUR 2 million, and financial intermediary, legal and administrative expenses for an amount of EUR 34.8 million). The surplus, i.e. EUR 0.5 million, will contribute to the financing of general corporate purposes of the Group. Restructuring Transactions It is recalled that the transactions provided for in the Accelerated Safeguard Plan, aside from the Rights Issue, are the following: a capital increase without preferential subscription right for the benefit of a category of persons meeting specific characteristics for a maximum amount, issue premium included, of EUR 149,914,344 at a subscription price of EUR 0.75, to be subscribed for exclusively in cash (the " Reserved Capital Increase a capital increase without preferential subscription right for the benefit of a category of persons meeting specific characteristics for a maximum amount, issue premium included, of EUR 554,820,400 at a subscription price of EUR 4.00, to be subscribed exclusively by set-off with specific, liquid and payable claims held on the Company and its subsidiary Pierre et Vacances FI 2 (the " Conversion Capital Increase (the " the issuance and free allocation of warrants for Company shares (the " Shareholders' Warrants ") for the benefit of all of its shareholders; ") for the benefit of all of its shareholders; the issuance of warrants for Company shares (the " Creditors' Warrants ") upon their detachment from the new shares issued in the context of the Conversion Capital Increase; and ") upon their detachment from the new shares issued in the context of the Conversion Capital Increase; and the issuance and free allocation of warrants ("Guarantors' Warrants") of the Company for the benefit of qualified persons. It is specified that the issuance and admission to trading on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris ("Euronext Paris") of (i) the new ordinary shares resulting from the Reserved Capital Increase and the Conversion Capital Increase (together, the "Capital Increases without Subscription Rights"), (ii) the Shareholders' Warrants, Creditors' Warrants, Guarantors' Warrants (together, the "Warrants"), and (iii) the new ordinary shares likely to be issued upon exercise of all the Warrants, were the subject of a prospectus approved by the Autorite des marches financiers (the "AMF") on 16 June 2022 under number 22-217. The reader is therefore invited to refer to the prospectus for further information. It is expected that (i) the settlement-delivery of new ordinary shares resulting from the Rights Issue, the Reserved Capital Increase and the Conversion Capital Increase as well as (ii) the issuances of the Shareholders' Warrants, the Creditors' Warrants and the Guarantors' Warrants occur simultaneously on 16 September 2022 according to the indicative timetable. These transactions form an indivisible whole, so that if one of them could not be carried out, none of them would then be carried out. Impact on the shareholding structure of the Company After the issue of the new shares resulting from the Capital Increases without preferential Subscription Rights, the Rights Issue and the full exercise of the Guarantors' Warrants alone and assuming that the existing shareholders (excluding S.I.T.I.) exercise in full their Subscription Rights, the breakdown of share capital and voting rights would be as follows: Shareholders Non diluted basis* Diluted basis** Number of shares % of the share capital and voting rights**** Number of shares % of the share capital and voting rights **** Alcentra 112,407,408 24.7 116,947,172 21.7 Fidera 107,181,189 23.6 110,140,933 20.5 Debtors of state guaranteed loans*** 53,867,907 11.9 70,153,553 13.0 Atream 40,000,000 8.8 40,000,000 7.4 Free float 140,817,574 31 200,868,149 37.3 Treasury shares 98,267 98,267 Total 454,372,345 100 538,208,074 100 The transition from the non-diluted basis to the diluted basis results from the full exercise of the Shareholders' Warrants and the Creditors' Warrants. Calculations not taking into account the issue of a maximum number of 43,415,988 shares which will be allocated free of charge under the free share allocation plans to be implemented as part of the Restructuring Transactions, including the preference shares to be allocated free of charge to Mr. Gerard Bremond. Holding of the Group's lending institutions as a result of the conversion of an amount of EUR 215 million of the loan guaranteed by the State of EUR 240 million obtained by the Company on 10 June 2020. As announced in the press release of the Company dated 10 March 2022, the State benefits under its guarantee from a repayment obligation in accordance with the decree of 23 March 2020. This repayment obligation is structured under the terms of a contract of trust whose settlors are the lending institutions and the beneficiaries are, on the one hand, the State and, on the other hand, the lending institutions, after deduction of the expenses of the trustee. The lending institutions have informed the Company that they are not acting in concert, within the meaning of Article L. 233-10 II, 5 of the Commercial Code, either among themselves or with the fiduciary. This table takes into account the cancellation of double voting rights approved on 8 July 2022 by the special meeting of shareholders holding double voting rights and the combined general meeting of shareholders of the Company subject to the condition precedent of the completion of the Restructuring Transactions. New governance On the date of completion of the Restructuring Transactions, i.e. 16 September 2022 according to the indicative timetable, a new governance of the Company will be put in place with a completely renewed Board of Directors and composed of eight or nine members (excluding member(s) representing the employees), in compliance with the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code, in particular in terms of independence, it being recalled that (i) Mr. Franck Gervais, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, (ii) Alcentra Flandre Limited (iii) Fidera Limited and (iv) Mr. Pascal Savary were appointed directors of the Company by the General Meeting subject to the condition precedent of the definitive completion of the Restructuring Transactions. The remaining four or five directors will be co-opted on the basis of the terms of office of the resigning directors on the day the Restructuring Transactions are carried out. Confirmation of growth and profit forecasts for 2021/2022 For the current 2021/2022 financial year, given the activity generated in the 1st semester, the level of tourism reservation portfolio and the progress of the strategic plan, the Group confirms, in accordance with its announcement of 31 May 2022: a turnover from tourism activities above budget, up by almost 7% compared to the turnover achieved in 2019. In 2019, this turnover amounted to EUR 1,365.1 million, up by 7.2% compared to the last financial year; and - an adjusted EBITDA3 also higher than the budget, estimated at EUR 96 million, excluding the profit from non-recurring items (which could represent a positive total of more than EUR 50 million, including in particular the so-called "closure" aid received in France, the subsidies requested from the German federal government and the impact of the agreements entered into with the Group's lessors) (vs. EUR 79 million at 30 September 2019); and a cash position estimated at EUR 451 million as of 30 September 2022, including the benefit of the aforementioned aid and after completion of the Restructuring Operations (vs. EUR 113.5 million as of 30 September 2019). Available Information Copies of the Prospectus composed of (i) the Company's Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 17 March 2022 under number D.22-0119 (the "Universal Registration Document"), (ii) the first amendment to the Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 16 July 2022 under number D.22-0119-A01 (the "First Amendment"), (iii) the second amendment to the Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 1st August 2022 under number D.22-0119-A02 (the "Second Amendment") and (iv) a securities note (including the summary of the Prospectus) dated 1st August 2022 (the "Securities Note"), are available free of charge at the registered office of Pierre et Vacances, L'Artois Espace Pont de Flandre, 11 rue de Cambrai, 75947 Paris Cedex 19, on the Company's website (http://www.groupepvcp.com/fr) as well as on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org). Investors are invited to carefully consider the risk factors detailed in section 2.2 of chapter 2 of the Universal Registration Document (p. 37 to 47), in section 2.13 of the First Amendment (p. 19 to 22) and in section 2 of the Second Amendment (p.10 to 12) as well as in section 2 of the Securities Note, before making their investment decision. Disclaimer This press release and the information it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe, or a solicitation of an order to buy or subscribe, Pierre et Vacances S.A. securities in Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States of America or in any other country in which such an offer or solicitation would be prohibited. The dissemination, publication or distribution of this press release in certain countries may constitute a violation of the legal and regulatory provisions in force. Accordingly, persons physically present in such countries and in which this press release is disseminated, distributed or published should inform themselves of and observe any such local restrictions. This press release must not be disseminated, published or distributed, directly or indirectly, in Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States of America. This press release is a promotional communication and does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market and repealing the Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC (the "Prospectus Regulation"). No communication or information relating to the transactions described in this press release may be disseminated to the public in any jurisdiction in which registration or approval is required. No action has been taken (nor will be taken) in any jurisdiction (other than France) in which such action would be required. The subscription to or purchase of Pierre et Vacances S.A. securities may be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain countries. Pierre et Vacances S.A. assumes no liability for any violation by any person of these restrictions. With regard to the Member States of the European Economic Area other than France, no action has been nor will be taken to allow a public offering of securities requiring the publication of a prospectus in any of the Member States concerned. Consequently, any offer of securities of Pierre et Vacances S.A. may only be made in one or other of the Member States (i) to qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation; or (ii) in any other case exempting Pierre et Vacances S.A. from publishing a prospectus in accordance with Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation. This press release and the information it contains are being distributed to and are only intended for persons who are (x) outside the United Kingdom or (y) in the United Kingdom who are qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) and are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities and other such persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("high net worth companies", "unincorporated associations", etc.) or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to participate in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial 4 Services and Market Act 2000) may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (y)(i), (y)(ii) and (y)(iii) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities to which this press release relates will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this press release or any of its contents. This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities nor of any offer or solicitation to sell securities in the United States. The securities mentioned herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Pierre et Vacances S.A. does not intend to register any portion of the proposed offerings in the United States nor to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements", including, without limitation, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives, based on certain assumptions and all statements that do not directly relate to a historical fact. These forward-looking statements are based on the management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, as a result of which actual results could differ materially from the forecast results explicitly or implicitly mentioned in the forward-looking statements; for more information on these risks and uncertainties, please refer to the documents filed by Pierre et Vacances S.A. with the Autorite des marches financiers. 1 The economic value of the preferential subscription right is based on (i) the central value of the Discounted Cash-Flow per share (EUR 2.10), (ii) the subscription price (EUR 0.75) and (iii the share price of the Company. 2 The receivables held on Pierre et Vacances Fi subject to compensation will be subject to prior delegation and will be held on the Company at the time of the Conversion Capital Increase. 3 Adjusted EBITDA current operating income from operating reporting (consolidated operating income before other income and non-recurring operating expenses, excluding the impact of IFRS 11 and IFRS 16), restated for provisions and net allocations to depreciation on fixed operational assets. Adjusted EBITDA includes the benefit of rental savings carried out by the Villages Nature project as a result of the agreements concluded in March 2022, in the amount of 14.4 million for fiscal year 2022/23, 14.6 million for fiscal year 2023/24, 8.9 million for fiscal year 2024/25 and 4.0 million for the 2025/26 financial year. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005783/en/ Contacts: Pierre et Vacances Senior Taiwanese government officials and US officials have confirmed that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia. This is in spite of concerns from Biden administration officials who are concerned about China's reaction to such a high-profile visit. The visit, which is the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not on Pelosi's current public agenda and occurs at a time when ties between the US and China are already at an all-time low. The Taiwanese official noted that she is anticipated to spend the night in Taiwan. When exactly Pelosi will arrive in Taipei is unknown. Pelosi Heads to Taiwan The US official also stated that personnel from the Defense Department continuously observe any Chinese moves in the area and develop a strategy to protect her. One of the most problematic issues is still Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as part of its borders. As tensions between Washington and Beijing increased, President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a lengthy conversation over the phone on Thursday for two hours and 17 minutes. Biden stated last month that the US military warned against Pelosi visiting Taiwan, but he has since declined to provide any clarification. The House Speaker decides where she travels, and the White House has stated that they have little influence over her decisions, CNN reported. Representatives for Pelosi have consistently declined requests to discuss travel to Taiwan. Taiwan and China were not mentioned in her Sunday statement about her trip to Asia. Other locations, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, were listed. Taiwan has been independent for many years, but Beijing has always asserted that it is a part of China. China has been waging a protracted effort to persuade other nations not to recognize Taiwan diplomatically and has recently increased its military activity in the area. Read Also: First Grain Shipment from Ukraine Leaves Odesa Under New Deal with Russia To Ease Global Food Crisis House Speaker Has a History of Angering China According to military strategists, China may eventually attack and occupy the island in masse. Strategic ambiguity refers to the US's non-recognition of Taiwan's independence and its provision of military assistance to Taiwan in order to deter Chinese aggression. US officials warned last week that the Department of Defense was ready to send fighter aircraft and warships to defend Pelosi on her Asia trip. President Joe Biden said last month that US military authorities thought a Pelosi trip to Taiwan was "not a good idea." According to a US official, Pentagon officials were keeping an eye on Chinese activity nearby and working to keep her safe. It "wouldn't be appropriate," a spokeswoman told Insider last week, to comment on congressional travel arrangements. Pelosi has already angered China by hosting meetings with dissidents who support democracy and the Dalai Lama. To honor the victims of the 1989 tragedy, she also hung a banner at Tiananmen Square in 1991 that said, "to those who died for democracy." Per Daily Mail, Pelosi would use "emergency excuses like an aircraft problem or refueling," to land at a Taiwanese airport. A visit would significantly threaten the Taiwan Strait's peace and stability, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday. Related Article: [Report] China Warns To Shoot US Jets Escorting Nancy Pelosi If House Speaker Continue Plan To Visit Taiwan @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (FSE: DTC) (OTC Pink: DTCFF) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to report the discovery of a novel DNA damaging function triggered by one of its lead compounds AccuTOXTM, which effectively elicits cell death in cancer cells. Cancer can be generally described as a state of uncontrolled cell proliferation. This is mainly due to losses in the ability of a given cell to activate its own cell death via a specific set of proteins known to sense unusual activities. Although it is difficult to reactivate these specific pathways to elicit cancer cell death, AccuTOXTM can address this. Defence previously reported (see press release of June 22, 2021) the discovery of an AccumTM variant, AccuTOXTM, capable of controlling cancer growth when injected directly in tumors. The use of AccuTOXTM in combination with multiple immune-checkpoints results in a survival rate between 60% and 100%, based on the pre-clinical tumor models studies in mice. The mode of action of AccuTOXTM approached is a non-biased transcriptomic application and revealed that the compound impairs several crucial pathways including DNA replication, cell division, nuclear integrity, and multiple modifications affecting DNA activity. The accumulation of exhaustive cell repair mechanisms triggered by AccuTOXTM combined to the build-up of misfolded proteins and generation of free radicals induce irreversible DNA damages leading to a general collapse in several cellular pathways resulting in effective cancer cell death. "Defence's breakthrough discovery with its AccuTOXTM formulation as a novel potent small molecule capable of killing cancer cells is a significant advancement and development for oncology cancer treatment applications with AccumTM. Discovering that AccuTOXTM can behave as a chemotherapeutic agent targeting the DNA of cancer cells and an immune-checkpoint inhibitor booster is a new discovery that is highly valuable to Defence's pipeline and future potential developments. The AccuTOXTM presents a novel discovery as a platform for targeting multiple cancers. This novel discovery creates significant values and applications to our Antibody Drug Conjugate ("ADC") pipeline. Results are convincing that AccuTOXTM is the perfect potent small molecule to use in the development of our own ADC," says Mr. Plouffe, the CEO of Defence Therapeutics. Defence is currently conducting GLP studies on AccuTOXTM prior to initiate a Phase I trial in North America. About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUMTM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com www.defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information 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 events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132523 Localz powers MRI's Find My Engineer technology, which keeps residents updated at every point in their repairs service journey while driving operational savings LONDON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Localz , leading experts in last-mile location and messaging technology, have partnered with MRI Software, a global leader in real estate technology , to improve customer experience, increase first-time access and drive operational savings for the social housing sector. MRI's solutions empower social housing providers to adopt digital innovations and customer-centric technologies that drive efficiencies and transform communities. MRI has over 40 years of industry experience, and brings together the best in social housing solutions, including Castleton Technology, Real Asset Management, Orchard, and Housing Partners. Localz technology complements and extends the functionality of MRI's existing repairs platform to provide 'Uber-style' solutions to ensure no appointments are missed. Find My Engineer keeps customers in the loop by sending automated ETA messages with real-time tracking to view the arrival of mobile operatives. These messages reduce failed appointments by over 20% and increase customer satisfaction, while saving time and money and improving overall efficiencies. Localz powers Find My Engineer by MRI with these key features: Reminders - automated reminders and notifications make it easy to keep customers in the know. - automated reminders and notifications make it easy to keep customers in the know. Tracking - real-time operative tracking ensures customers are ready and waiting for their appointment. real-time operative tracking ensures customers are ready and waiting for their appointment. Messaging - two-way communication between the customer and mobile operative speeds up access. two-way communication between the customer and mobile operative speeds up access. Feedback - dynamic feedback forms are sent to customers the moment an operative leaves the property. "We know that customers are accustomed to personalized, "Uber-style" services, so we want to ensure that we can match these experiences in our solutions," said Trevor Youens, Senior Director of Partners and Residential Solutions at MRI Software. "Localz technology enables us to do just that, plus increase operational efficiencies, drive cost savings, and even help organisations reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary journeys." "Today's end-customer is accustomed to ultra-connected experiences. Keeping your customers informed on the day of service with clear, real-time location visibility they can trust is crucial to maintaining customer satisfaction. Not only that, MRI will be able to increase the value of its service for its customers, their tenants and operatives and gain a competitive edge in the market," said Tim Andrew, CEO and Co-Founder at Localz. About Localz Localz are experts at digital customer engagement, combining real-time location tracking and multi-party customer communications. Localz takes the last mile complexity out of service appointments, offering businesses configurable solutions to make the day of service awesome and keep customers in control. The Localz modular platform enables real-time service tracking, accurate ETAs, two-way and multi-party communication, along with instant feedback forms. Localz is proven to reduce no-access rates, call centre volume, follow-up calls and operational time while increasing customer satisfaction. Industry-leading clients around the world use Localz, including Clarion Housing, Watford Housing Trust, Wates, RAC, HSS Hire, OVO Energy, Welsh Water, Autoglass, Rentokil, and Woolworths. For more information: www.localz.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks fell in cautious trade on Tuesday, as a likely visit by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to the self-governing island of Taiwan raised jitters about an escalation in tensions between the world's two superpowers. China said it would take resolute measures if Pelosi trip to Taiwan goes ahead. The benchmark DAX dropped 70 points, or half a percent, to 13,409 after ending little changed the previous day. Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology shares plunged nearly 7 percent. The manufacturer of vacuum solutions reported higher Q2 profit and confirmed its previous guidance for fiscal 2022 in an increasingly volatile environment. Krones AG gained half a percent. The packing and bottling machine manufacturer reported a rise in first-half profit and confirmed its full-year guidance. Fresenius Medical Care gained half a percent and Covestro was little changed after unveiling their quarterly results. 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. 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. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Alpha Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: ALEX) ("Alpha" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement financing of units ("Units") at a price of C$0.70 per Unit (the "Offering Price"), for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$3,600,000 million and a maximum of 5,142,857 Units (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit is comprised of one ordinary share (each, a "Share") of the Corporation and one whole ordinary share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $1.05 per Warrant Share (the "Exercise Price") for a period of 24 months immediately following the Closing Date (as defined below). The Corporation expects to close the Private Placement on or before September 8, 2022 (the "Closing Date"). In connection with the Private Placement, Alpha may pay certain arm's length parties a cash finder's fee payment equal to up to 6.0% of the Units that are sold to subscribers introduced by such parties. The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund ongoing exploration work on the Kerkasha project located in Eritrea, operating and administrative expenses, working capital and general corporate purposes. In connection with its participation in a previous private placement of the Corporation, which was disclosed in a press release dated April 13, 2022, the Corporation granted a participation right to Crescat Portfolio Management LLC ("Crescat"), which provided Crescat the right to purchase additional securities of the Corporation in future offerings of securities of the Corporation to maintain its proportional percentage, pursuant to the terms of a participation rights agreement dated March 10, 2022. The Corporation has received a binding commitment from Crescat for subscriptions totaling C$700,000.00 in the Private Placement, such subscriptions subject to the conditions outlined below. Completion of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSXV. The TSXV has not approved the Offering Price or the Exercise Price and these remain subject to the change. The Shares, Warrants and the Warrant Shares will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the Closing Date, in accordance with applicable securities legislation. It is expected that certain Insiders of the Corporation (as such term is defined under the policies of the TSXV) may participate in the Private Placement. The participation of Insiders in the Private Placement will constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Corporation intends to rely upon exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 based on a determination that the fair market value of the Private Placement, insofar as it involves the related parties, does not exceed $1,800,000. About Alpha Exploration Ltd. Alpha is an exploration company listed on the TSX-V exchange under the symbol ALEX. The company is focused on the discovery of gold and base metals deposits in the highly prospective Arabian-Nubian shield, on either side of the Red Sea. Alpha currently holds a 100% interest in the large (771 km2) Kerkasha Exploration License in southwest Eritrea on which 17 in prospects have been identified to date. A drilling program on four of these prospects, namely Tolegimja, Kona, Anagulu and Aburna, started last month and is expected to be completed later this month. For further information go to the Alpha webpage at www.alpha-exploration.com or contact: Michael Hopley President and Chief Executive Officer Alpha Exploration Ltd. Email: mhopley@alpha-exploration.com Tel: +44 207129 1148 Cautionary Notes Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release. This press release is intended for distribution in Canada only and is not intended for distribution to United States newswire services or dissemination in the United States. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Forward Looking Information Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the terms and conditions of the Private Placement; the closing date for the Private Placement; and anticipated use of net proceeds from the Private Placement, including any advancement of exploration work on the Kerkasha Project. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, Alpha has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions and the price of gold and other minerals. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. Although management of Alpha believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to Alpha's financing efforts; risks associated with the business of Alpha given its limited operating history; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); risks related to the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 including, but not limited to, its impact on general economic conditions, the ability to obtain financing as required, and causing potential delays to exploration activities; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time. Alpha does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132560 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Islamist terrorist outfit al-Qaeda, has been killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan. Announcing this late Monday, President Joe Biden said Zawahiri, one of the United States' 'most wanted terrorists', was eliminated in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday. 'My fellow Americans, on Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the emir of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri,' Biden said in an address to the nation from the White House. 'I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all,' Biden said. He made it clear once again that 'no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.' Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Zawahiri together declared war on the United States and organized the terrorist attack of 9/11 that killed 2,977 people on American soil. For decades, Zawahiri was a mastermind behind attacks against Americans, including the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, which killed 17 American sailors and wounded dozens more. He played a key role in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and wounding more than 4,500 others. He carved a trail of murder and violence against U.S. citizens, troops, diplomats, and American interests. Zawahiri took over al Qaeda leadership in June 2011 after Bin Laden was killed. From hiding, he coordinated al Qaeda's branches around the world and provided operational guidance that called for and inspired attacks against U.S. targets. He made videos, including in recent weeks, calling for his followers to attack the United States and its allies. After relentlessly seeking Zawahiri for years under Presidents George Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, the U.S. intelligence community located Zawahiri earlier this year. He had moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family, months after the U.S. forces withdrew from the terror-stricken country. Biden said that 'after carefully considering the clear and convincing evidence of his location', he authorized 'a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all'. The President added that this mission was carefully planned and rigorously minimized the risk of harm to other civilians. One week ago, after being advised that the conditions were optimal, Biden gave the final approval to carry on with the final attack. None of his family members were hurt, and there were no civilian casualties in the drone strike, according to Biden. This is the third successful operation by the Biden administration targeting three key and top-most terrorist leaders this year. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS, was killed in a U.S. military raid in Syria in February. Another key ISIS leader was killed last month. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices fell on Tuesday to extend losses from the previous session on concerns about global oil demand. Amid lingering concerns about supply shortages, traders also awaited the outcome of OPEC+ meeting this week for directional cues. Brent crude futures for October delivery fell 0.6 percent to $99.41 a barrel as concerns over demand destruction outweighed supply constraint fears. WTI crude futures for September settlement were down half a percent at $93.47. Global recession fears, returning oil supply from Libya and the resumption of Russian gas flows to Europe helped ease supply restraints. Several countries reported weak manufacturing data on Monday, adding to concerns about the outlook for energy demand. The OPEC+ group is meeting on Wednesday to discuss future supply. Despite pressure from the United States to increase output, the meeting is not likely to see a surprise outcome in terms of a production hike. 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. OSLO, Norway, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker Solutions has been awarded a contract1 from Shell UK for the delivery of a not permanently attended installation (NPAI) for the Jackdaw gas field. Located east of Aberdeen in the North Sea, the field at peak production rates, could represent over 6% of projected UK North Sea gas production in the middle of this decade. The award follows completion of front-end engineering and design work (FEED), awarded in June 2019. The scope includes engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the complete wellhead platform, consisting of a topside and a steel jacket, as well as related load-out and offshore hook-up and commissioning. Fabrication of the wellhead platform will happen at Aker Solutions' yard in Verdal, Norway, and at its peak the project will employ over 300 people. The steel substructure including a pre-drilling deck is to be delivered from Aker Solutions' facilities to Shell in 2023, and the topside in 2024. In the project, Aker Solutions will continue the cooperation with external suppliers Rambll and Leirvik, who were part of developing the FEED. "We are pleased that Shell selects us to develop a cost-effective platform for this major North Sea gas field. We will build on our strong topside solutions and executions model which involves reusing facilities and equipment and bringing onboard solid experience from similar developments from both internal Aker Solutions resources and external partners," said Sturla Magnus, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions' topsides and facilities business. "We aim to be a leading supplier of energy solutions, and the Jackdaw development contributes to the ambition of the British government to boost domestic energy output to enhance energy security. The project forms part of our broader intent to both play a key role in the transformation of Europe's energy sector and help accelerate security of supplies," said Kjetel Digre, chief executive officer of Aker Solutions. 1Aker Solutions will book the award as an order intake of between NOK 2-3 billion in the third quarter of 2022 in the Renewables and Field Development segment. ENDS CONTACT: Media Contact: Torbjrn Andersen, mob: +47 928 85 542, email: torbjorn.andersen@akersolutions.com Investor Contact: Fredrik Berge, mob: +47 450 32 090, email: fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/aker-solutions-asa/r/aker-solutions-asa--aker-solutions-awarded-epci-contract-for-the-jackdaw-platform-from-shell,c3609287 27 kW solar generator installed at Snowline's camp is expected to provide the vast majority of in-camp electrical power Fuel savings estimates are as high as 12,527 litres, translating to a 90% reduction in carbon emissions for camp power production based on 2021 camp data Strong collaborative relationship with Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation continues to provide direct economic impacts to the First Nations and to the Yukon VANCOUVER, BC / ACCCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / SNOWLINE GOLD CORP. (CSE:SGD)(OTCQB:SNWGF) (the "Company" or "Snowline") is pleased to announce it has entered into a 5-year lease agreement with the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) for installation and use of a 27 kilowatt solar generator system. Designed and built by Yukon-based Solvest Inc., the solar generator will dramatically reduce diesel consumption at Snowline's 45-person "Forks" camp on its Rogue Project in the eastern Yukon, located within the Traditional Territory of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (FNNND). Figure 1 - Solar panels in position at Snowline's newly built Forks Camp. Designed by Solvest Inc. the hybrid-solar generator system is among the first of its kind to be used to power a remote exploration camp in Canada. Estimates provided by Solvest based on data collected from Snowline's 2021 field program predict the new solar generator could save up to 12,572 litres of diesel per season, reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the camp generator by 90%. This reduces not only fuel costs, but also the total number of flights required to support the project, resulting in a net positive impact both financially and environmentally. Additional benefits include the associated reduction in diesel generator operating time, which lessens camp noise to create better living standards for crew, while also lowering the potential for disturbance of local wildlife. "Investments such as this are examples of how Indigenous businesses are leading the way in accelerating the green economy, and innovations such as this provide opportunities for such entities to become increasingly engaged in the mineral resource sector," said Jani Djokic, CEO of NNDDC. "We see this investment as just the first of many of its kind and we are working towards building a fleet that can be deployed throughout the Traditional Territory." Figure 2 - Snowline Forks Camp panorama. Estimates provided by Solvest Inc., put annual fuel savings as high as 12, 572 litres of diesel, a decrease of 90% of camp generator fuel use. "This project is a tangible example of how Snowline is realizing our corporate vision," said Steve Rennalls, Operations Manager for Snowline. "It increases efficiency while creating financial and environmental value. It improves our employees' work environment, it is yet another collaborative project with the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation, and it is provided by Solvest, one of the Yukon's most innovative companies." Added Scott Berdahl, CEO and Director of Snowline: "We are grateful to the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation and to Solvest for presenting Snowline with this opportunity to innovate. The initiative puts Snowline into another 'first mover' category as we look for ways to eliminate the negative and enhance the positive impacts of our exploration activities. We trust the data collected will be instrumental in allowing additional resource companies to effectively assess potential renewable energy solutions." Installation of the solar generator system is complete, and the system is now fully operational, providing a majority of the camp's power. Cooperation with NNDDC owned and affiliated companies has been instrumental to Snowline's discovery successes. These companies have provided substantial support to the Company's 2021 and 2022 field programs, providing general exploration services, vegetative reclamation, drilling, fixed and rotary wing air support, and other services. Figure 3 - Solar panels in position at Snowline's newly built Forks Camp. Located on a plateau in a wide, open valley at 63.8 N latitude, the Forks Camp is ideally situated to take advantage of long hours of summer sunlight. Figure 4 - Project location map for Snowline Gold's eastern Selwyn Basin properties. The newly built forks camp is equidistant to its Valley and Jupiter drill discoveries and central to multiple additional targets. ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP. Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with a seven-project portfolio covering >127,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >85,000 ha Einarson and Rogue gold projects in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline's project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross' Fort Knox mine, Newmont's Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine. The Company's first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district. ABOUT NACHO NYAK DUN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION This year NNDDC is celebrating 25 years of business. NNDDC is the primary active business arm of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, developing and managing business interests that provide a return to the Nation, both within and outside the Traditional Territory. This project is just one example of the types of partnerships that NNDDC has created over the years. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF SNOWLINE Scott Berdahl CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Snowline Gold Corp. +1 778 650 5485 info@snowlinegold.com Jani Djokic, CEO Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation +1 867 456 4340 execassist@nnddc.ca Alex Maltais, Marketing Manager Solvest Inc. +1 867 457 5690 amaltais@solvest.ca CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the expected performance of the leased solar generator system and plans for exploring and expanding a new greenfield, district-scale gold system. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company's plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. SOURCE: Snowline Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710521/Snowline-Gold-Announces-Agreement-With-Nacho-Nyak-Dun-Development-Corporation-To-Power-Main-Camp-With-Large-Scale-Solar-Generator TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Western Alaska Minerals (the "Company" or "WAM") is pleased to announce the first assay results for massive Carbonate Replacement Deposit ("CRD") sulfide mineralization cut in the Waterpump Creek target area at its 100% owned Illinois Creek Project in western Alaska. The results reported here are from drillholes WPC22-07, 08, 11 and 13; all drilled prior to the 47m and 101m intercepts cut in drillholes WPC22-17 and 18 for which visual observations were reported last week (See News Release of July 20, 2022). The hole highlighted herein is WPC22-11, which cut 11.5m of massive sulfide grading 337 g/t (10.8 oz/t) silver; 16.7% zinc and 10.0% lead, including 3.1m grading 565 g/t (18.2 oz/t) silver; 8.9% zinc and 15.0% lead. The assays (Table 1 below) confirm the high silver, lead and zinc values expected based on previously reported visual mineralogical observations (See News Release of July 5, 2022). Holes WPC22- 17 and 18, for which assays are pending, show similar mineralogy over their 47m and 101m thicknesses, respectively. Drilling continues at 50m spacing. Additionally, visual observations confirm WPC22-20, located 50 meters south and 30 meters east of WPC22-18, hosts two intervals of massive sulfide mineralization: 11.4 meters from 166.6-178.0; and 20.7 meters from 185.2-205.9. The mineralization appears similar to that observed in WPC22-18. "These high-grade assays confirm our visual sulfide identifications and really whet our appetite for the results from the similar looking, but much thicker intercepts we reported last week from Holes 17 and 18", said Kit Marrs, President and CEO of Western Alaska Minerals. "Those holes, along with the newly announced visual intercept in WPC22-20, further define an emerging mineralization trend now over 300m long. We are very excited about the near-term potential for drilling out a preliminary bonanza-grade silver resource with base metal credits high enough to cover operating costs." Kit Marrs continued, "I would like to thank Dr. Peter Megaw for his support and technical input into the company's recognition of the major CRD potential at Illinois Creek. Peter's input has been invaluable in helping formulate our strategic planning and to better identify the world-wide analogues and the commonalties with other CRD deposits." Table 1. Assay results - WPC22-07, 08, 11 and 13 Drill hole From (meters) To (meters) Thickness (meters) Est. True Thickness (meters) Ag g/t Ag Oz/t Zn % Pb % AgEq g/t* WPC22-07 136.4 142.5 5.1 5.1 459 14.8 12.1 14.8 1340 WPC22-07 150.1 164.4 14.3 14.3 54 1.7 10.3 1.9 504 WPC22-08 114.6 125.5 10.9 9.9 157 5.0 9.9 6.4 720 WPC22-11 139.1 150.6 11.5 11.3 337 10.8 16.7 10.0 1259 WPC22-11 152.7 156.3 3.6 3.5 151 4.9 22.3 5.1 1130 WPC22-13 150.1 152.9 2.8 2.6 1304 41.9 2.5 37.1 2434 WPC22-13 158.4 160.8 2.4 2.2 820 26.4 15.0 13.0 2041 * Silver Equivalent (AgEq) based on assumed prices of $22/oz Ag, $1.00/lb Pb, and $1.30/lb Zn and assumed recoveries of 95% for all metals The massive sulfide intervals encountered at Waterpump Creek all show massive sphalerite and argentiferous galena in a matrix of secondary dolomite like that reported from previous drilling (See News Releases of July 5, 2022, and November 15, 2021). Each intercept shows multiple sulfide mineralization stages with alternating zinc-dominant sphalerite-rich and lead-dominant galena-rich sulfide mineralization zones. Historic assays and the assays disclosed in this release show a strong silver/lead correlation with approximately 1 oz/ton silver (31.1 g/t) per 1% lead. The grades and thicknesses encountered to-date in both the historic drill holes of Anaconda and NovaGold and the five initial drill intercepts of WAM at Waterpump Creek point to exceptional grade potential for the growing discovery. Grades vary considerably between Ag-rich lead-dominant mineralization and Ag-poor zinc-dominant mineralization. These sulfide intercepts show a weighted average grade of just over 350 g/t Ag, 14.6 % Zn and 9.4% Pb. Note that these results do not include any assay results for the exceptionally thick visual intervals encountered in WPC22-17 and 18 and released on July 20, 2022, nor WPC22-20, mentioned in this release. CRD Discussion To better understand the implication of WAM's ongoing CRD exploration at Waterpump Creek and the greater Illinois Creek District, a brief discussion on CRD's geometries, zoning and scale is attached as Appendix 1 to this news release and a more detailed discussion will be available on the Company website later this week. Waterpump Creek Drilling: Analysis To-Date The mineralization forms an elongate body roughly 30-60+ meters wide plunging gently to the south in the footwall dolomite adjacent to the WPC Creek structure. The overall architecture defined in the 2022 CSAMT profiles, indicates this structure is the western margin of a graben-like depression roughly 500 to 600 meters wide that down-drops and drapes the overlying chlorite and graphite schist package onto the underlying dolomite section. Current drilling is focused on following the dolomite along this western margin as it continues south and folds into the depression. Figure 1 (below) shows an EW cross-section (7105150N) through mineralization in WPC22-07.Mineralization replaces the dolomite along the fold hinge of the dolomite as it is draped or faulted into the Waterpump Creek graben. Alteration forms a halo around the massive mineralization often as bleached dolomite along with quartz, dolomite, and calcite veins. Fluorescent fugitive calcite veins are often concentrated peripherally at or near the top side of the massive mineralization and form a local vector of up to 50-100 meters around the massive sulfide. Figure 1. Cross-section (7105150N) Figure 2 (below) is a longitudinal section along the axis of 2022 Waterpump Creek drilling. The mineralized body plunges to the south at roughly 20 degrees along the western margin of the Waterpump Creek graben. Mineralization thickens dramatically south of 7105050N and could be changing from manto form mineralization to a vertical chimney. Ongoing drilling should further define the geometries of the mineralized body. Figure 2. Longitudinal Cross-section down the axis of the Waterpump Creek manto Figure 3 (below) is a pierce point plan map of 2022 drilling at Waterpump Creek. The plan map shows the limits of the current drilling and thicknesses of the massive sulfide manto as it strikes south from the WPC21-09 discovery hole. Mineralization to the north is offset along a NW trending post mineral fault. WPC22-14 and 15 drilled over and under the horizon respectively as the manto progresses south. Exceptionally thick intercepts in WPC22-17 and 18 are shown and visual results were recently released (See News Release of July 20, 2022). Follow-up drilling along the extensions of the manto from WPC22-18 is ongoing. Recently drilled WPC22-20 is located 50 meters south and 30 meters east of WPC22-18. WPC22-20 hosts two intervals of massive sulfide mineralization. The mineralization appears similar to that observed in WPC22-18. Core from WPC22-17, 18 and 20 is currently being processed and assays are pending. Figure 3. Pierce point Plan Map of the Waterpump Creek manto CSAMT Geophysical Program In addition to the ongoing two rig drill program, a major system-wide CSAMT (controlled-source audio-magnetotellurics) program has been completed covering the roughly 8 km distance between the Illinois Creek oxide mineralization, the Last Hurrah area and the Waterpump Creek target area. Inversion modeling of the CSAMT sections is ongoing. Importantly, preliminary results show a complex interplay of stacked thrusts and high-angle syn-mineral faults. The Waterpump Creek structure, which appears to be the major ore control at Waterpump Creek, is apparent over at least 6 km of strike within the CSAMT sections south from Waterpump Creek through Last Hurrah to just east of the major East IC manto/gossan. A preliminary geologic re-interpretation is shown in Figure 4 (below) based on the initial CSAMT inversions. A follow-up press release is planned highlighting additional high quality CRD replacement mineralization targets on the property once the final inversions and interpretation is complete. Figure 4. Preliminary Geologic interpretation based on the 2022 CSAMT program Qualified Person The qualified person who reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this release is Stuart Morris, P. Geo., a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Morris is an independent consultant with a MS in Economic Geology and 40 plus years of experience in mineral resources, mine, and exploration He is a Registered Geologist with the British Columbia Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (BC-APEG) No. 135066 and with the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration No. 16289. His review verified the data disclosed, including geology. sampling, analytical and QA/QC data underlying the technical information in this news release, including reviewing the reports of ALS, methodologies, results, and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice. All technical matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgement. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Quality Assurance/Quality Control of drill sample assay results are independently monitored through a quality assurance/quality control ("QA/QC") protocol which includes the insertion of blind standard reference materials, blanks, and duplicates at regular intervals. All logging and sampling procedures are completed at WAM's core handling facilities located at the Illinois Creek mine camp in Alaska. Drill core is logged under an established procedure using Geospark commercial logging software, then diamond sawn on site. Half drill-core samples are then securely transported to ALS facilities in Fairbanks, Alaska from Illinois Creek under a strict chain of custody protocol. Sample pulps are then sent to ALS's lab in Vancouver, Canada, for analysis. Gold content is determined by fire assay of a 30-gram charge with ICP finish. Silver, lead, copper, and zinc along with other elements are analyzed by ICP methods utilizing a four-acid digestion. Over-limit samples for silver, lead, copper, and zinc are determined by ore-grade titration analyses. ALS Inc. is independent of Western Alaska Minerals and its affiliates. ALS also performs its own internal QA/QC procedures to assure the accuracy and integrity of results. Parameters for ALS' internal and WAM' external blind quality control samples are acceptable for the elements analyzed. WAM is unaware of any drilling, sampling, recovery, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein. About WAM WAM began trading on the TSX-V in November 2021 and maintains corporate offices in Alaska and Arizona. WAM fully controls all claims in the historic Illinois Creek Mining District located in western Alaska near the Yukon River, covering 55,360 acres (86.5 square miles or 22,403 hectares). This district was originally discovered by Anaconda Minerals Co. in the early 1980's. Since 2010, WAM and its private precursor company Western Alaska Copper & Gold Inc. has reassembled the Anaconda property package and been engaged in exploring the district. The district encompasses at least five deposits containing gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The Company currently has approximately 19,240,000 common shares issued and outstanding and 238,643 proportional shares issued and outstanding. Each proportional share is convertible to 100 common shares at the request of the shareholder and in the discretion of the Company. Because of these conversion rights, for market capitalization and financial analysis purposes, it is appropriate to convert the proportional shares to common shares and add the product of the conversion to the current number of common shares outstanding. When doing so, the sum of the approximate number of common shares (19,240,000) and converted proportional shares (23,864,300) equals 43,104,300 shares. Further information regarding the Company's share structure is available upon request. On behalf of WAM "Kit Marrs" Kit Marrs President & CEO Phone: (520) 200-1667 For further information please contact: Vanessa Bogaert, Director of Corporate Communications/IR at vanessa@westernalaskaminerals.com Or visit our website at: www.westernalaskaminerals.com Forward Looking Information Certain statements made, and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, 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 and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guaranteeing of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws. 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. Appendix 1 - CRD Discussion A critical element in effective exploration of carbonate replacement (CRD) deposits is a clear understanding of the orebodies' geometries and metal zonation patterns as seen in CRD analogs from around the world. Figure 1 (below) shows plan views of mineralized mantos and chimneys at the Santa Eulalia deposit in Mexico and the Tintic deposit in Utah. Mantos are often characterized as elongate rods of high-grade massive sulfide replacement mineralization in carbonate rocks often 20-100 meters wide, 10-40 metres thick and up to as much 3-4 kilometers in length. These ore body geometries typically result in a 'skeletal hand' distribution of the orebodies exemplified in the figure below. Figure 1. Skeletal Hand Orebody Geometries Santa Eulalia district, Mexico and the Tintic district, Utah (courtesy Peter Megaw) Figure 2 (below) demonstrates that mineralized mantos can be stacked over a significant vertical relief in any given district. At Santa Eulalia, ore bodies are stacked over a kilometer of vertical stratigraphy. Importantly and as a rule of thumb in CRD exploration, the first favorable limestone or dolomite (i.e., the deepest) encountered by the ascending mineralizer is often by far the most productive. Mantos in general attenuate in scale as you move outward in the system. Figure 2. Cross-section of the West Santa Eulalia district showing stacked mantos over 1km of stratigraphic thickness. (courtesy Peter Megaw) The final critical targeting aspect in CRD exploration is the metal zonation patterns indicative of where in the 'skeletal' geometry the encountered mineralization occurs. Figure 3 (below) shows a plan map of the Hermosa/Taylor deposit in southern Arizona. The deposit exhibits classic CRD metal zonation both laterally and vertically between stacked mantos with proximal Cu-Zn-Ag-Au, intermediate Zn-Pb-Ag and distal Ag-Pb-Zn and Ag-Mn. Figure 3. Plan view of the Hermosa/Taylor Deposit, AZ showing both lateral and vertical metal zonation in the stacked mantos. (modified from AZ Mining, 2018) SOURCE: Western Alaska Minerals Corp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710451/Western-Alaska-Minerals-Reports-337-GT-108-OzT-Silver-167-Zinc-and-100-Lead-Over-115-Meters-in-WPC22-11-Drilled-Prior-to-the-101-Meter-WPC22-18-Discovery-Hole-at-Waterpump-Creek China's Liaoning launches freight train transporting PV products to Europe Xinhua) 13:04, August 02, 2022 SHENYANG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train carrying 50 containers of photovoltaic (PV) products left a train station on Sunday in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, for Duisburg, Germany. These PV products were manufactured by a company in Jinzhou City of Liaoning. The whole journey of the train totals 10,517 km. It is expected to arrive at Duisburg in 21 to 25 days. The freight train will help the company boost exports while catering to the demand of overseas markets. By July 29, the China-Europe freight trains launched from Liaoning Province had made a total of 199 trips this year, a year-on-year increase of 20.6 percent. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) Taiwan has allegedly prepared its air defense assets in preparation for war, as China continues to issue warnings over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's likely visit to the island. According to a senior Taiwanese government source and a US official, Pelosi will visit Taiwan as part of her Asia tour, despite Biden administration officials' concern about China's reaction to such a high-profile visit. China Fumes as Nancy Pelosi Refuses To Rule Out Taiwan Visit The trip, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not on Pelosi's public agenda and comes at a time when US-China ties are already strained. She is likely to spend the night in Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese official. It is unknown when Pelosi will arrive in Taipei. According to the US official, Defense Department personnel are working around the clock to monitor any Chinese activity in the region and devise a plan to keep her safe. During a regular foreign ministry briefing on Monday, China warned against the egregious political impact of Pelosi's planned visit to the self-governing island that China claimed as part of its territory and reiterated that its military would not sit by idly. In a tweet on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying warned that the US government must honor its commitments in both word and deed, otherwise, the US government must accept responsibility and suffer the repercussions for any activity that occurs. As per Reuters, Chinese official Zhao Lijian stated earlier Monday that the Chinese military would not sit idly by if Pelosi visits Taiwan. China believes Taiwan to be part of its territory, notwithstanding Taiwan's claim to independence. The United States has attempted to defend Taiwan without offending Beijing. The visit comes at a time when the United States is deploying additional armaments to the island to assist it in defending itself against China. Pelosi met with officials in Singapore on Monday to explore ways to boost US economic participation through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Read Also: US Political Commentator Says Democratic Party Turmoil Powers the Upcoming Republican Wave Pelosi Arrives in Singapore Her office confirmed Pelosi's Asia schedule, which includes trips to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, on Sunday. The tour will focus on mutual security, economic collaboration, and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region, USA Today reported. Unverified news reports in July that Pelosi, a Democratic California congresswoman, might visit Taiwan in August prompted Chinese authorities and state media to issue threats. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijian stated that such a visit would have "consequences" for the US and that China is opposed to any type of formal cooperation between the US and the Taiwan area. Pelosi, the US House Minority Leader, landed in Singapore early Monday on a trip to Asia that would supposedly include a visit to Taiwan. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US General Mark Milley, stated last week that the military would try to secure her safety if a decision is made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel. Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China (ROC), is located in the western Pacific Ocean and has been ruled autonomously by mainland China since 1949, according to a Council on Foreign Relations explanation of the China-Taiwan relationship. Chinese officials have maintained that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged in October last year to pursue peaceful reunification with the ROC, according to Newsweek. Related Article: US Officials Expect House Speaker Nancy Pelosi To Visit Taiwan Despite Angry Military Threats From China @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The United States announced an additional $550 million security assistance package to bolster Ukraine's arms and ammunition in the fight against Russian invasion. 'Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our seventeenth drawdown since August 2021 of up to USD 550 million in arms and equipment from US Department of Defense (DoD) inventories for Ukraine's self-defense,' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. 'Today's announcement includes more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 155mm artillery systems that Ukraine's forces are using so effectively on the battlefield to defend their country,' he added. The package also includes 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition that Ukraine's forces are using so effectively on the battlefield against Russians. The United State has been consistently reinforcing Ukrainian defense with modern artillery since Russia started attack on Ukraine more than five months ago. This drawdown will bring total U.S. military assistance that the Biden Administration provided to Ukraine to approximately $8.7 billion. U.S. Secretary Of Defense Lloyd J. Austin had called his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov on Friday and previewed upcoming security assistance plans. On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Blinken, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley held a joint call with Head of the Office of the Ukraine President Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Gen. Valery Zaluzhnyy. They discussed the United States' enduring support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de To meet the needs of more entrepreneurs and startups, Blockchain/Crypto and Aero-Astro tracks have been added, with a new track for CivTech on the horizon Berkeley SkyDeck, the global hub for entrepreneurship and leading accelerator, today announced that applications are now open for its 15th cohort class, with a final deadline of August 31, 2022. Applications are available here. Batch 15 cohorts can take advantage of new tracks added in the last year, including the Aero-Astro Track, led by advisor Robin Riedel of McKinsey and Company, and the Blockchain/Crypto Track, led by advisor Linda Kreitzman. Berkeley SkyDeck's Chip Track also named a new advisor, David Horsley of UC Davis. In addition, Berkeley SkyDeck will launch a CivTech Track in the coming year, in partnership with the Center for Security in Politics at UC Berkeley, with former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano leading the track as a primary advisor. In addition to these new tracks, SkyDeck will continue to work with startups in industries that have always been an area of focus for venture investors, including consumer, enterprise software, biotech, greentech and more. Berkeley SkyDeck accepts just over 1.5% of startups that apply and approximately 20 to 25 startups overall for each of its cohorts. Cohort companies receive $200,000 in funding, $750,000 worth of free and discounted resources, and access to SkyDeck's unsurpassed network of UC Berkeley alumni, faculty, and advisors. Alumni of Berkeley SkyDeck have enjoyed great success in their respective industries, collectively raising more than $1.7 billion in funding. The recently launched Berkeley SkyDeck Europe is currently working with its first group of cohorts, who will present their own Demo Day on October 20, 2022. "Our mission at Berkeley SkyDeck is to continue the tradition of excellence in entrepreneurship and innovation that makes UC Berkeley one of the top public universities in the world. Expanding our operations in Europe and opening additional tracks for our cohorts are just a couple examples of how we are striving to meet the needs of founders around the world," said Caroline Winnett, Executive Director. "I am looking forward to seeing what these batch applicants have to offer and how we can leverage the university's vast resources to set them up for success." Berkeley SkyDeck's newest tracks reflect trends in growth and investments. Last year, for example, aerospace startups raised $15.4 billion while US semiconductor and chip investment reached $2.6 billion in 2021, nearly doubling in just three years. Civtech is also burgeoning, with the industry's transaction volume rising to $14 billion total in 2021. "While Berkeley SkyDeck might be rooted here in Silicon Valley, our reach is global, and we're excited to see how both homegrown and international startups tackle the issues in their industries across all of our tracks," said Chon Tang, Founding Partner, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund. "As we evaluate, advise, and potentially invest, we are continually energized by these fresh ideas and new approaches. The SkyDeck Fund is ready and waiting to take these newest cohort companies to the next level." In March 2022, Berkeley SkyDeck recently announced the close of the $60 million SkyDeck Fund II, which continues to actively fund companies. The SkyDeck Fund has invested in 160 companies to date, representing a wide range of businesses and industries, from 30 countries around the world. Unlike other VC funds, the SkyDeck Fund shares half of its profits with UC Berkeley, helping to continue the university's mission of delivering excellence in education. Berkeley SkyDeck will conduct extensive research on applicants, and will hold interviews between September and October 2022. The six-month program will begin in November 2022, concluding at the end of April 2023. Berkeley SkyDeck will host the cohort's Demo Day for investors on April 4, 2023. About Berkeley SkyDeck Berkeley SkyDeck is a leading accelerator and the global hub for entrepreneurship. As UC Berkeley's largest and most prominent accelerator, SkyDeck combines hands-on mentorship with the vast resources of its research university. SkyDeck is the only accelerator of its kind that offers the value of a dedicated investment fund alongside the resources and network of a top university. To date, SkyDeck startups have raised more than $1.7 billion in aggregate. Participating startups have access to SkyDeck's 420 advisors, 70 industry partners, and a network of more than 510,000 UC Berkeley alumni. For more information, see skydeck.berkeley.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005245/en/ Contacts: Songue PR for Berkeley SkyDeck skydeck@songuepr.com Joining Microsoft, T-Mobile, Adobe, PayPal and other innovation leaders Fast Company today announced its fourth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, honoring organizations and businesses that demonstrate a steadfast commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. DoiT International came in at no. 15 for its emphasis on versatile, independent thinkers who are empowered to pursue passion projects and nurture their skillsets. Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2022 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, engineering, diversity, sustainability, B2B and consumer products and services. Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers worked together to score nearly 1,500 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies. The 2022 awards feature workplaces from around the world. DoiT's unique approach to growth focuses on empowering creative problem solvers across the organization. More than half of DoiT's employees are engineers, an unusual structure in the cloud space. But by over-indexing here, DoiT allows its engineers to dedicate one-third of their time to skill development and experimentation, a focus which drives innovations like Kubent (Kube No Trouble), Cloud Blaster or Iris all authored by Do'ers and made available last year. "DoiT is intentional in how we've created a work culture dedicated to innovation," said Chief People Officer Kristen Tronsky. "Our employees come here because they're seeking a workplace where they'll be empowered to create and challenge themselves. Do'ers aren't cogs in a machine they're spark plugs generating the lightning that powers this company." The company's commitment to innovation led to the development of Flexsave, the ML-powered cost optimization technology that enables customers to manage and optimize their cloud compute savings with automation and flexibility. Available for DoiT customers since 2021, Flexsave became generally available in June 2022 as a standalone offering for AWS and Google Cloud customers. The focus on supporting creativity is matched with a firm commitment to core values and a strong referral pipeline that keeps Do'ers embedded in a supportive culture and able to function with a high level of autonomy. Paired with some of the most intelligent technology in cloud management, DoiT is a haven for innovation at all levels. "This year's list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators recognizes organizations that have demonstrated a deep commitment to cultivating creativity across the board," says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "In the face of powerful headwinds, these leaders and teams continue to spur innovation." To see the complete list, visit: https://www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/list About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com. About Accenture Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 710,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com. About DoiT International DoiT International provides intelligent technology to simplify and automate public cloud use, alongside expert consultancy and unlimited technical support for digitally savvy companies. An award-winning strategic partner of Google Cloud and AWS, DoiT operates in more than 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit doit-intl.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005417/en/ Contacts: For press inquiries, contact press@doit-intl.com. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - AMETEK, Inc. (AME) said, for 2022, the company expects overall sales to be up high single digits compared to 2021. Adjusted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $5.46 to $5.54, an increase of 13% to 14% over the comparable basis for 2021. The company noted that this is an increase from previous guidance range of $5.34 to $5.44 per share. The company expects overall sales in the third quarter to be up mid-single digits versus the prior year. Third quarter adjusted earnings per share are anticipated to be in the range of $1.36 to $1.38, up 8% to 10% compared to the third quarter of 2021. Second quarter earnings came in at $282.37 million, or $1.23 per share compared with $231.68 million, or $1.00 per share, prior year. Excluding items, adjusted earnings was $1.38 per share for the period. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.29 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 8.6% to $1.51 billion from $1.39 billion last year. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. 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. - Alakin to be utilized in a Parkinson study set to commence in Paris, France - TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / AI/ML Innovations Inc. (CSE:AIML)(OTCQB:AIMLF)(FWB:42FB), a company committed to acquiring and advancing Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning technologies that address urgent societal needs, is pleased to announce that its minority-owned subsidiary, Tech2Heal SAS, has reported a second pilot study for its Alakin HEALTHcare MAnagement Platform ("health.map" for short). Alakin is targeted for release in August 2022, with pilot studies to commence in hospitals and clinics in multiple locations, for a six-month trial period. Alakin consists of a clinical dashboard for use by multi-disciplinary care teams that interacts with a conversational mobile app for patient use (IOS and Android). Alakin is a readily configurable, user-friendly "Swiss army knife" tool that promotes improved productivity of healthcare organizations, while providing them with the ability to create easily scaled engagement tools that link multi-disciplinary care teams with their patients - both for monitoring and vertical digital therapy purposes. Alakin is available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. In the second of a series of planned studies involving Alakin, a clinical research team in Paris, France is preparing to launch a digital therapy program for Parkinson patients, a disease which impacts 200,000 people in France. Alakin's "no code" design permits this clinical team to effortlessly create and customize a complete vertical therapy process to assist patients in their daily life with a structured and adaptable program of monitoring and engagement. The research team will integrate digital biomarkers that use the accelerometer, the camera, and the microphone of the Alakin mobile app to aid in diagnosis, monitoring, and progression of the disease's evolution in patients. "We at AI/ML are excited by the potential and versatility of Alakin" said Tim Daniels, Chairman of AI/ML Innovations Inc. "In addition to Tech2Heal's plans for the platform in Europe and South America, we are also looking forward to deploying the technology in the North American marketplace through AI/ML's subsidiary, AI Rx Inc., which owns the North American distribution rights to this exciting technology. Parkinson's afflicts nearly one million Americans currently, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year. This clinical study will demonstrate the malleability and applicability of Alakin to a variety of case settings, such as its use as an aid for Parkinson's." Alakin is a SaaS-modelled comprehensive, HEALTHcare MAnagement Platform ("health.map") targeted for use by healthcare providers and pharma, is natively developed in FHIR standards to guarantee high interoperability, and is fully HIPPA compliant. Alakin consists of a clinical dashboard for multidisciplinary care teams and a conversational mobile app for patient use (IOS and Android). Alakin is available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. The Alakin solution facilitates connected care delivery across any clinical condition, patient profile, and treatment plan, significantly increasing patient engagement while helping to reduce adverse events. The flexibility of Alakin enables it to easily adapt to any healthcare setting or workflow - from oncology to primary care, from diabetes to hospital-to-home transition, or even post-acute care. This flexibility is possible thanks to a powerful care pathway creator. It allows doctors to fine-tune care workflows to their needs and protocols, either creating remote care programs from scratch, or by leveraging existing protocols from ICHOM standards. These workflows are then instantly transformed into a conversational patient app, empowering patients to manage parts of their care journey themselves. Alakin has highly configurable features and an integrated series of tools unique in the market, such as scheduling management, collaborative tools, embedded telemedicine and chat, a triage dashboard, patient records, a prescription builder, a care pathways studio, and a mobile app for patients. About Tech2Heal Tech2Heal is a Paris, France based healthcare innovator specializing in digital health technologies with the objective of creating a compassionate, collaborative and patient-centered healthcare ecosystem. T2H has developed a portfolio of health-tech products and services designed to improve an individual's mental and physical well-being by utilizing a unique blend of proprietary digital assets and remote live counselling. Tech2Heal's premier products include: Qookka - clinically supported and evidence-based digital therapy for anxious and depressed patients delivered via a secure digital platform Alakin - a bespoke, digital HEALTHcare MAnagement Platform ("health.map") designed for healthcare providers and pharma. Assisted self-care become reality for patients and care team members alike. For more information: https://www.tech2heal.com/ About AI/ML Innovations Inc. AI/ML Innovations Inc. has realigned its business operations to capitalize on the burgeoning fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with an initial investment focus on emerging digital health and wellbeing companies that leverage AI, ML, cloud computing and digital platforms to drive transformative healthcare management solutions and precision support delivery across the health continuum. Through strategic partnerships with Health Gauge (70% owned by AIML), Tech2Heal (up to 22% ownership rights, with 9.44% currently owned), AI Rx Inc. (70% owned by AIML) and other planned accretive investments, the Company continues to capitalize on expanding growth areas, to the benefit of all the Company's stakeholders. AI/ML's shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "AIML", the OTCQB Venture Market under "AIMLF", and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under "42FB". On behalf of the Board of Directors Tim Daniels, Executive Chairman For more information about AI/ML Innovations : For detailed information please see AI/ML's website at https://aiml-innovations.com/ or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com. For further information: Blake Fallis at (778) 405-0882 or info@aiml-innovations.com. Corporate video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2QSjo7clXc&feature=youtu.be Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCfOj2P_Fu3TOK6Jl1G9vEQ Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to, the uncertainty of competition by other industry players, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals and the ability to raise additional capital as may be needed in the future. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in preparing such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove imprecise and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. SOURCE: AI/ML Innovations Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710176/AIML-Innovations-Tech2Heal-Announces-Second-Pilot-Study-of-its-Proprietary-Healthcare-Management-Platform-Alakin Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Blue Thunder Mining Inc. (TSXV: BLUE) ("Blue Thunder" or "the Company") is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its Muus Gold Project (the "Project"), near Chibougamau, Quebec. Overview of 2022 Field Activities: GEOSIG Inc. has completed the induced polarization (IP) geophysical survey, previously announced on April 13, 2022 over the Lac Bernard, Lac Caopatina and Lac Irene areas. Results are expected imminently and will be integrated with all other Project data with the aim of confirming drill targets. A total of 26-line kilometres of surface Max-Min ("EM") geophysical surveying has been completed over four separate areas of the Muus Property (one of several properties comprising the Project), with the aim of identifying near-surface conductors (i.e., less than 50 metres depth). Interpretation of the EM data is progressing. Field crews have completed further geological prospecting and sampling activities over select areas, including: the Discovery Zone target, which is prospective for "Nelligan-style" gold mineralization within Caopatina meta-sedimentary rocks; the Lac Caopatina target, which occupies the same geological setting as Royal Fox's Philibert gold deposit; the Lac Irene target, which occupies a geological and structural setting similar to those observed at IAMGOLD's Monster Lake project, located about 8 km on-trend to the northeast; the Chesbar target, which is prospective for VMS-style mineralization in volcanic rocks. For a description on these projects, please refer to end of this news release A total of 74 channel samples and 33 grab samples have been collected and dispatched to ALS Laboratories for analysis. "Over the last few months we have been actively following-up on newly defined target areas on our flagship Muus Property. We are very optimistic for the potential that these targets represent and look forward to integrating data collected from recent field activities into our latest geological models, with the aim of advancing to the drilling stage." - Jean-Francois Metail, President The Company also wishes to remind investors that the previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to C$500,000 will be closing on or before August 18, 2022. Insiders will be among the significant participants. Shareholders wishing to participate in the Offering should contact the Company through Grove Issuer Services Inc. at placements@grovecorp.ca. (See news releases of July 11 and July 4, 2022 on the Company's website: www.bluethundermining.com). The Offering remains subject to receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About the Muus Property Blue Thunder's Muus Gold project (the "Project") is among the largest aggregate claim holdings in the Chibougamau Gold District (the "District"), comprising more than 51,000 hectares in five non-contiguous claim blocks; namely, the Muus, Fancamp, Muus East, Nisk and Embry properties. The Project is strategically located in the eastern part of the Archean Abitibi Greenstone Belt and underlain by several key regional structures, including the Guercheville Deformation Zone, the Fancamp Deformation Zone and the Philibert-Joe Mann Deformation Zone. These major structural discontinuities are associated with many of the known gold deposits and occurrences in the District, including the recently discovered Nelligan and Monster Lake deposits, which underlie properties adjacent to and along strike from some of Blue Thunder's properties. The Project is host to numerous underexplored mineralized occurrences, some currently being further explored. Mineralization underlying adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Company's properties. QAQC and Qualified Person All rock samples collected from the trenching, drilling and regional prospecting programs have been submitted to ALS Minerals Inc., in Val d'Or, Quebec, part of the ALS Global group ("ALS") for gold and ICP multi-element analysis (Nacera Amara & Saa Traxler, Analytical Chemists). The soil samples have been processed by the Company's staff and the analytical signal of the soil samples has been obtained by an XRF portable analyzer and interpreted as a qualitative geochemical signal only. The soils samples have then been analysed for gold (Au) by Laboratoire Expert Inc. in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec (Joe Landers, Analytical Chemist). The till samples have been processed and analysed by IOS Services Geoscientifiques Inc. in Saguenay, Quebec (Karen Gagne, Analytical Chemist). The Company follows rigorous quality assurance/quality control (QAQC) protocols for the sampling programs that include the regular insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates into the sample stream. The scientific and technical information that forms the basis for parts of this press release was reviewed and approved by John Langton (M.Sc., P.Geo.) of JPL GeoServices, who is a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101. COVID-19 In conformity with guidelines proposed by the Quebec government's Commission des norms, de l'equite, de la sante et de la securite du travail, the Company has implemented a strict COVID-19 management plan that complies with provincial government directives and guidelines with the main objective to safeguard the health and safety of its workers, stakeholders and local community members in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. About Blue Thunder Blue Thunder (TSXV: BLUE) (OTCQB: BLTMF) is a gold exploration company that controls 100% of a large land position near Chibougamau, Quebec. The Muus Project covers approximately 51,000 hectares in five separate blocks of prospective ground in the eastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Project is considered particularly prospective for gold mineralization, as a series of prominent ductile and brittle fault-sets transect the Property, including the Guercheville and Fancamp deformation zones, both of which are associated with numerous past and currently producing precious- and base-metal mines in the District. Notes: The Nelligan gold discovery is subject to a joint-venture between by Iamgold Corporation and Vanstar Mining Resources Ltd., which hosts NI 43-101 Inferred Resources of 97 million tonnes grading 1.0 grams per tonne of gold, equivalent to 3.2 million ounces of gold (Nelligan NI 43-101 Technical Report, Oct 22, 2019, Prepared for Iamgold Corp. and Vanstar Mining Resources). Nelligan represents a large tonnage, low grade gold deposit, with gold predominantly associated with disseminated sulphides and quartz veining/stockworks, hosted within Caopatina metasediments. The Nelligan deposit is situated on trend and approximately 20 kilometres east-southeast of Blue Thunder's Muus Property. The Philibert deposit hosts a historic gold resource estimate of approximately 1.4 million tonnes grading 5.3 g/t gold with a 4 g/t cut-off grade (1991 economic potential study by Groupe Conseil Roche Ltee - see SEDAR Filing Statement filed under Hornby Bay Mineral Exploration Ltd on May 11, 2020). Gold mineralization is associated with disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite within highly sheared gabbroic sills hosted in Obatogamau basalts within the Guercheville Deformation Zone. The Philibert deposit occurs on trend and approximately 10 kilometers to the east of Blue Thunder's Muus Property. The Monster Lake gold deposit hosts NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 1,109,700 tonnes of inferred resources averaging 12.14 grams of gold per tonne for 433,300 ounces of contained gold (Amended Technical Report and Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Monster Lake Project, prepared by InnovExplo Inc. for Iamgold Corporation and Tomagold Corporation, effective April 9, 2018). Gold mineralization at Monster Lake is associated with smokey quartz veins and sulphide minerals spatially associated with thin graphitic volcanogenic horizons within the Monster Lake shear Zone. On behalf of the Board of Directors Blue Thunder Mining Inc. Chad Williams Non-Executive Chairman and Director For more information, please visit our website at bluethundermining.com, or contact: Ms. Christina Slater, cslater@bluethundermining.com, (647) 848-1009, or info@bluethundermining.com. 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, anticipated exploration program results, the ability to complete future financings, the ability to complete the required permitting, the ability to complete the exploration program and drilling, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, the analytical results from surface trenching and sampling program, including diamond drilling programs, the results of IP surveying, the results of soil and till sampling program. the quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, the potential impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. This news release contains information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties in the Chibougamau District in respect of which the Company has no interest or rights to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any such properties, and that mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties, are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties or any potential exploitation thereof. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132553 HIGHLIGHTS High grade intercept from near surface in last drillhole of the April 2022 campaign Assays for RHW22-006 returned: 26.4m at 1.01% Li 2 O, 355ppm Ta 2 O 5 , 980ppm Cs, 1601ppm Rb 2 O from 7.4m; including 12.7m at 1.29% Li2O, 423ppm Ta2O5, 1160ppm Rb2O, 600ppm Cs; and 3.7m at 2.61% Li 2 O, 579ppm Ta 2 O 5 , 1061ppm Rb 2 O, 441ppm Cs Very high-grade (+2.5% Li2O) with tantalum, rubidium and caesium association RHW22-001, 002, 003 and 005 show lithium caesium tantalum (LCT) signatures confirming the presence of multiple dyke systems in the area Hole RHW22-006 was collared directly into weathered pegmatite Multiple newly identified outcrops surround the RHW22-006 collar RHW22-006 potentially not collared optimally to fully test the pegmatite intrusion Historical 2008 core discovered at the Eastmain site shows unsampled pegmatite intervals mistakenly referenced as granite up to 80m thick Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Benz Mining Corp. (TSXV: BZ) (ASX: BNZ) (the Company or Benz) is pleased to provide an update on its lithium exploration activities. Assays for the 6 holes drilled in April 2022 at Ruby Hill West as part of Benz's maiden lithium drilling have been received and confirm thick high-grade pegmatite as well as the presence of multiple dykes system in the area. Figure 1: Spodumene bearing pegmatite in core, Ruby Hill West drilling RHW22-006. The interval returned 26.4m at 1.01% LiI2O from 7.4m including 3.7m at 2.7% Li2O. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_001full.jpg. CEO, Xavier Braud, commented: "These results prove that the Ruby Hill West pegmatite we drilled this year carries both grade and thickness. We are currently in the field at Ruby Hill West and Windy Mountain identifying more pegmatite outcrops and stripping the outcrops near last winter's drilling. "We have seen some pretty spectacular spodumene mineralisation in outcrop near RHW22-006 collar with single spodumene crystals up to 50cm long. "This region has been underexplored and we believe we can find more of those lithium bearing pegmatites, turning Ruby Hill West into a lithium camp for the benefit of Benz shareholders. "Every campaign we have conducted has been successful and returned high grade gold and now high-grade lithium mineralisation. We will keep exploring and making discoveries in the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt, a new frontier area that Benz is bringing to the world's attention. "Finding core from holes drilled in 2008 which has unsampled pegmatites is a welcome discovery. This pegmatite shows high rubidium and niobium content on a hand held XRF indicating probable fertility. Sometimes, discoveries are made in the core yard unearthing historical core and looking at it with a fresh eye." Figure 2: Ruby Hill West pegmatite, outcrop with 50cm long spodumene crystal To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_002full.jpg. Ruby Hill West Lithium Drilling Results The Ruby Hill West Lithium Project is a surface occurrence of spodumene bearing LCT pegmatite within the Ruby Hill West Project, located 50km due west of the Eastmain exploration camp. The occurrence was first sampled in 2016 by Eastmain Resources and then by Quebec government geologists in 2018. Only limited sampling was conducted by both groups. In the summer of 2021, a team of consultants working for Benz sampled the outcrop without sufficiently attempting to scrape the moss and other vegetation covering the underlying rocks. The samples collected returned best assay values of: 2.59% Li2O, 1970ppm Rb, 1030 ppm Ta, 7530 ppm Cs 1.9% Li2O, 3160ppm Rb, 3820 ppm Cs, 274ppm Ta Figure 3: Spodumene rich part of RHW22-006 intercept, this part is from the 3.7m at 2.70% Li2O To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_003full.jpg. In March 2022, Benz conducted a drilling program at the Ruby Hill West lithium pegmatite prospect and reported a 31.2m interval of visible pegmatite with zones of visible spodumene in the drilling (ASX & TSX-V releases dated 29 April 2022 "Multiple spodumene pegmatites intersected at Ruby Hill West"). Drillholes RHW22-001, RHW22-002, RHW22-003 and RHW22-005 were drilled 100m apart from each other and targeted the geology at depth under lithium bearing pegmatite outcrop and sub-crop sampled in 2021. The limited time spent on the outcrop during the 2021 campaign had not allowed for detailed exploration and the structural directions guiding drilling direction were inferred from historical airborne magnetics data. Those holes were located north west of the outcrop and drilled towards 155 azimuth. Benz's best hole of the 2022 drilling campaign was RHW22-006 which returned 31.1m of pegmatite from near surface. Assays for this hole returned: 31.1m at 0.9% Li2O, 323ppm Ta2O5, 1093ppm Cs, 1558ppm Rb2O from 2.6m including: 26.4m at 1.01% Li2O, 355ppm Ta2O5, 980ppm Cs, 1601ppm Rb2O from 7.35m 12.7m at 1.29% Li2O, 423ppm Ta2O5, 600ppm Cs, 1156ppm Rb2O from 21m 3.7m at 2.61% Li2O, 579ppm Ta2O5, 441ppm Cs, 1057ppm Rb2O from 30m Hole RHW22-006, drilled only 4.0m away from hole RHW22-004 was collared directly into weathered pegmatite. Multiple newly identified outcrops surround the collar and it now looks like the hole was not collared optimally to fully test the intrusive pegmatite body. Benz will have to reassess the geometry of the system as the pegmatite is potentially thicker than what was intercepted in hole RHW22-006. Figure 4: Schematic cross section with Benz's best result from RHW 2022 drilling campaign. Note, drillholes RWH22-003 and 004 are interpreted to be drilled below a pegmatite body dipping toward the reader and sub parallel to the section. To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_004full.jpg. Drillhole RHW22-004 was unfortunately collared in the host basalt 2m from the pegmatite/basalt contact and is believed to have been drilled continuously above the contact for the whole length of the hole. Field observation conducted following extensive vegetation removal from the outcrops shows that there are two main bodies of spodumene bearing pegmatites and secondary dykes of lower size and importance. The current interpretation is that drillholes RWH22-001, 002, 003 and 005 were drilled at angles which could not adequately test the main body of pegmatite now at outcrop. Figure 5: April 2022 drilling with simplified drillhole geology over satellite image. To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_005full.jpg. Figure 6: Schematic section of RHW22-005 with assays results. To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_006full.jpg. Figure 7: Schematic section of RHW22-001. The hole may have been drilled below the main pegmatite intrusion body. The geometry of the main outcropping pegmatite body seems to be dipping towards the reader and be parallel to the current section with RHW22-001 having only intercepted small secondary cross cutting dykes. To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_007full.jpg. Figure 8: Schematic section of RHW22-002 with assay results. The geometry of the main outcropping pegmatite body seems to be dipping towards the reader and be parallel to the current section with RHW22-002 having only intercepted small secondary cross cutting dykes. To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_008full.jpg. Figure 9: Ruby Hill West, Summer 2022 - uncovering spodumene pegmatite. To view an enhanced version of Figure 9, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_009full.jpg. Figure 10: RHW main pegmatite outcrop, removing cover allowed identification of a basalt/pegmatite contact (under the geologist's feet and allowed for the discovery of very large (+50cm euhedral and subhedral spodumene crystals) as shown by the geologist. To view an enhanced version of Figure 10, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_010full.jpg. Figure 11: Uncovering RHW main pegmatite outcrop, located between drillholes RHW22-001,003 and 004 and potentially dipping parallel to the drillholes. To view an enhanced version of Figure 11, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_011full.jpg. Historical Drilling: During a site inspection in late June 2022, core from a 2008 drilling campaign at Ruby Hill West was discovered in the core racks at the Eastmain mine site. Three holes had pegmatite core in the racks. Figure 12: Racks with core from the 2008 drill campaign at Ruby Hill West - Note: Eastmain Decline in the background To view an enhanced version of Figure 12, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_fig%2012%20benz.jpg. Figure 13: RHW-08-003 core displaying pegmatite (80m of cumulative length). To view an enhanced version of Figure 13 please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_015full.jpg. The 2008 drilling campaign led by Eastmain Resources at Ruby Hill West was targeting VTEM targets, interpreted from a 2005 airborne survey. A limited number of intervals were sampled and analysed for a suite of elements in the search for gold mineralisation. In total, 3 holes (RH-08-002, RH-08-003, and RH-08-014) showed intervals of pegmatites in the core. The core was never sampled or assayed for any other commodity and there is potential for the pegmatites in those three holes to be part of a system prospective for lithium and associated tantalum, caesium and rubidium. Benz is currently cutting the core and samples will be submitted in due course to ALS Laboratories in Montreal for analysis by a suitable method. Eastmain Gold Project The Eastmain Gold Project, situated on the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada, currently hosts a NI 43-101 and JORC (2012) compliant resource of 376,000oz at 7.9gpt gold (Indicated: 236,500oz at 8.2gpt gold, Inferred: 139,300oz at 7.5gpt gold). The existing gold mineralisation is associated with 15-20% semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite in highly deformed and altered rocks making it amenable to detection using electromagnetic techniques. Multiple gold occurrences have been identified by previous explorers over a 12km long zone along strike from the Eastmain Mine with very limited but highly encouraging testing outside the existing resource area. Figure 14: Benz's tenure over Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt simplified geology. To view an enhanced version of Figure 14, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/132478_4bb49e63945c187d_016full.jpg. This release was prepared under supervision and approved by Dr. Danielle Giovenazzo, P.Geo, acting as Benz's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 for the reporting of exploration and drilling results. This release was prepared under supervision and approved by Dr. Marat Abzalov, PGeo, holder of an OGQ temporary permit, acting as Benz's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 for the purposes of exploration target compilation and calculation. This release was prepared under supervision and approved by Mr Xavier Braud, PGeo, holder of an OGQ temporary permit, acting as Benz's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 for the purposes of exploration results and field observations. About Benz Mining Corp. Benz Mining Corp. (TSXV: BZ) (ASX: BNZ) brings together an experienced team of geoscientists and finance professionals with a focused strategy to unlock the immense mineral potential of the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Northern Quebec, which is prospective for gold, lithium, nickel, copper and other high-value minerals. Benz is earning a 100% interest in the former producing high grade Eastmain gold mine, Ruby Hill West and Ruby Hill East Projects in Quebec and owns 100% of the Windy Mountain Project. At the Eastmain Gold Project, Benz has identified a combination of over 380 modelled in-hole and off-hole DHEM conductors over a strike length of 6km which is open in all directions (final interpretation of some of the conductors still pending). In 2021, Benz confirmed the presence of visible spodumene in a pegmatite at the Ruby Hill West Project, indicating lithium mineralisation which Benz intends to further explore in 2022. This announcement has been approved for release by the Board of Directors of Benz Mining Corp. For more information please contact: Paul Fowler Head of Corporate Development (Canada) Benz Mining Corp. Telephone: +1 416 356 8165 Email: info@benzmining.com Xavier Braud CEO, Head of Corporate Development (Aus) Benz Mining Corp. Telephone +61 8 6143 6702 email: info@benzmining.com Forward-Looking Information: Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains regulatory approval. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, that occurrences such as those referred to above are realized and result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, and delays in regulatory approval, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as 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 ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE. Competent Person's Statements: The information in this report that relates to Exploration Results is based on and fairly represents information and supporting information compiled by Mr Xavier Braud, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG membership ID:6963). Mr Braud is a consultant to the Company and has sufficient experience in the style of mineralisation and type of deposits under consideration and qualifies as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Braud holds securities in Benz Mining Corp and consents to the inclusion of all technical statements based on his information in the form and context in which they appear. The information in this announcement that relates to the Inferred Mineral Resource was first reported under the JORC Code by the Company in its prospectus released to the ASX on 21 December 2020. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcement and confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement Appendix 1: Drilling data to date - Eastmain Mine Table 1: Collar data from Ruby Hill West Pegmatite Drilling DDH ID Area X-NAD83- Z18N Y- NAD83- Z18N Elevation Azimuth Dip Final Depth RHW22-001 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658490 5796350 540 155 -50 170 RHW22-002 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658445 5796330 544 155 -50 200 RHW22-003 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658525 5796455 534 155 -50 250 RHW22-004 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658614 5796219 546 335 -50 200 RHW22-005 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658330 5796335 554 155 -50 200 RHW22-006 Ruby Hill West Pegmatite 658614 5796219 546 155 -50 200 Table 2: Ruby Hill West Lithium Assays DDH ID From To Length Li2O % Ta2O5 (ppm) Cs (ppm) Rb (ppm) RHW22-001 72.00 72.97 1.00 0.08 2 65 377 RHW22-001 72.97 73.90 0.90 0.24 156 1350 686 RHW22-001 73.90 74.80 0.90 0.23 117 1330 655 RHW22-001 74.80 75.77 1.00 0.66 196 1540 1135 RHW22-001 75.77 76.60 0.80 0.16 96 1060 1345 RHW22-001 76.60 77.45 0.90 0.22 133 1050 565 RHW22-001 77.45 78.55 1.10 0.07 1 84 431 RHW22-001 78.55 80.00 1.50 0.15 119 361 558 RHW22-001 80.00 81.00 1.00 0.07 26 53 547 RHW22-001 89.30 90.30 1.00 0.05 0 12 199 RHW22-001 90.30 90.97 0.70 0.06 47 11 85 RHW22-001 90.97 92.10 1.10 0.12 7 13 10 RHW22-001 92.10 93.35 1.30 0.06 124 11 3 RHW22-001 93.35 95.35 2.00 0.06 199 8 109 RHW22-001 95.35 97.42 2.10 0.09 4 5 47 RHW22-001 97.42 98.45 1.00 0.01 109 4 3 RHW22-001 98.45 100.00 1.60 0.08 5 8 79 RHW22-002 66.33 67.33 1.00 0.10 1 54 209 RHW22-002 67.33 68.33 1.00 0.11 160 137 196 RHW22-002 68.33 69.90 1.60 0.17 3 431 454 RHW22-002 69.90 71.00 1.10 0.66 203 387 886 RHW22-002 71.00 72.00 1.00 0.42 197 587 1265 RHW22-002 72.00 73.10 1.10 0.76 300 832 940 RHW22-002 73.10 74.00 0.90 0.29 37 2510 1925 RHW22-002 84.00 85.00 1.00 0.09 14 103 629 RHW22-002 85.00 86.00 1.00 0.12 165 286 639 RHW22-002 86.00 87.00 1.00 0.11 13 213 475 RHW22-002 87.00 88.60 1.60 0.15 7 214 455 RHW22-002 88.60 89.33 0.70 0.08 215 247 308 RHW22-002 89.33 89.73 0.40 0.23 6 2010 2880 RHW22-002 89.73 91.00 1.30 0.18 182 1970 1790 RHW22-002 91.00 92.00 1.00 0.04 72 678 5620 RHW22-002 92.00 93.00 1.00 0.50 329 463 2030 RHW22-003 155.00 156.50 1.50 0.01 71 4 3 RHW22-003 172.50 173.00 0.50 0.04 87 14 175 RHW22-003 173.80 174.30 0.50 0.05 74 22 175 RHW22-005 83.00 83.50 0.50 0.00 203 360 224 RHW22-005 111.90 112.80 0.90 0.00 90 165 473 RHW22-005 114.6 115.1 0.5 0.03 103 740 695 RHW22-005 118 118.5 0.5 0.00 80 913 1155 RHW22-005 119.1 120.7 1.6 0.00 90 409 316 RHW22-005 124.4 124.9 0.5 0.04 71 1260 1680 RHW22-005 127.4 128 0.6 0.14 116 1125 966 RHW22-005 128 128.6 0.6 0.11 112 984 280 RHW22-005 142.55 143.5 1 0.24 41 405 1060 RHW22-005 143.5 144.65 1.2 0.16 115 393 3910 RHW22-006 2.6 3.4 0.80 0.24 35 254 526 RHW22-006 3.4 4.5 1.10 0.40 237 2540 1785 RHW22-006 4.5 6 1.50 0.31 142 1545 1115 RHW22-006 6 7.35 1.40 0.25 149 2100 1240 RHW22-006 7.35 9 1.70 1.23 215 1285 2370 RHW22-006 9 10.5 1.50 0.33 216 484 1895 RHW22-006 10.5 11.9 1.40 1.41 214 969 1315 RHW22-006 11.9 12.66 0.80 1.43 195 1250 1340 RHW22-006 12.66 13.65 1.00 0.25 185 345 1135 RHW22-006 13.65 14.6 1.00 0.23 190 1575 1925 RHW22-006 14.6 15.6 1.00 0.77 201 922 1280 RHW22-006 15.6 17 1.40 1.04 259 1355 1635 RHW22-006 17 18.5 1.50 0.43 487 1615 1930 RHW22-006 18.5 20.2 1.70 0.56 495 2780 2510 RHW22-006 20.2 21 0.80 0.38 434 1560 2440 RHW22-006 21 22.8 1.80 1.16 709 846 1075 RHW22-006 22.8 24 1.20 1.08 395 1570 980 RHW22-006 24 25.5 1.50 0.55 213 633 902 RHW22-006 25.5 27 1.50 0.08 354 264 770 RHW22-006 27 28.5 1.50 0.86 196 495 1865 RHW22-006 28.5 30 1.50 0.72 223 331 974 RHW22-006 30 31 1.00 2.38 521 451 986 RHW22-006 31 32.5 1.50 2.63 526 522 1080 RHW22-006 32.5 33.7 1.20 2.76 694 331 819 RHW22-006 33.7 34.7 1.00 0.04 738 218 1180 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132478 Rise in vehicle manufacturing and increase in number of accidents drive the growth of the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market. PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Electric Power Steering (EPS) Sensor Market by Type (Speed Sensor, Steering Torque Sensor, Steering Wheel Position Sensor), by Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicle (LCV, HCV).), by Distribution Channel (OEM, Aftermarket): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030". As per the report, the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor industry generated $14.64 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach $26.58 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2022 to 2030. Download Sample Report (Get Full Insights in PDF - 293 Pages) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/18890 Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Rise in vehicle manufacturing and increase in number of accidents drive the growth of the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market. However, lack of experience of driving electric power steering vehicles hampers the market growth. On the contrary, lightweight nature of electric power steering systems as compared to hydraulic steering systems would encourage driving enthusiasts, which, in turn, would open new opportunities in the future. Covid-19 Scenario: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market, due to severe disruptions in the supply chain and unavailability of raw materials. During the pandemic, the manufacturing activities of automotive industry were completely or partially shut down, owing to the operating restrictions imposed by government. This, in turn, hampered the growth of the market to a great extent. Customers were focused on fulfilling daily needs instead of purchasing new vehicles during the pandemic, which, in turn, decreased the demand for EPS sensors. However, as the world is slowly getting back on track, the demand for private vehicles is expected to rise in the post-pandemic. Get Detailed COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/18890?reqfor=covid The Steering Wheel Position Sensor Segment held the Largest Share By type, the steering wheel position sensor segment held the largest share in 2021, accounting for nearly half of the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market, and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. However, the steering torque sensor segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period, owing to increase in use magnetoelastic, photonic, and SAW technologies as these technologies enable tiny and lightweight sensors with considerable resolution, great linearity, and exceptional immunity. The Passenger Vehicle Segment dominated the Market By vehicle type, the passenger vehicle segment held the lion's share in 2021, contributing to around three-fourths of the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market, and is projected to continue its leading position throughout the forecast period. In addition, the segment is estimated to manifest the highest CAGR of 7.1% from 2022 to 2030. The passenger cars are important form of global transportation and the demand and sales of commercial vehicles and integration of EPS system into the vehicles is expected to increase in the coming years. These factors supplement the growth of the segment. The report also analyzes commercial vehicle segment. The OEM Segment held the lion's Share By distribution channel, the OEM segment held the largest share in 2021, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market, and, and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. This is due to its increase in use to save development time and surge in utilization of equipment in various cars. However, the aftermarket segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 7.3% from 2022 to 2030, owing to rise in need for updates to current vehicle electronics systems, which incorporate EPS sensors. Interested to Procure the Data? Inquire Here @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/18890 Asia-Pacificto Maintain its Dominance by 2030 By region, the global electric power steering (EPS) sensor market across Asia-Pacific dominated in 2021, holding nearly two-fifths of the market, and is projected to continue its leading position throughout the forecast period. In addition, the region is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period, owing to extensive manufacturing in China, Japan, and South Korea, and considerable investment in new vehicle technologies. The market is analyzed across various regions including North America, LAMEA, and Europe. Major Market Players Robert Bosch GmbH HELLA GmbH & Co. KgaA DENSO Corporation Valeo Continental AG Infineon Technologies AG Sensata Technologies TT Electronics NXP Semiconductors Asahi Kasei Corporation The report analyzes these key players of the market. These companies have adopted several strategies such as partnerships, expansion, collaborations, new product launches, and mergers & acquisitions to maintain their foothold in the industry. In addition, the report is essential in determining the business performance, product portfolio, operating segments, and developments by every market player. Key Benefits for Stakeholders This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) Sensor market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing Electric Power Steering (EPS) Sensor market opportunities. The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders to make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) Sensor market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global Electric Power Steering (EPS) Sensor market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. Key Market Segments Type Speed Sensor Steering Torque Sensor Steering Wheel Position Sensor Vehicle Type Passenger Vehicle Commercial Vehicle (LCV, HCV). Distribution Channel OEM Aftermarket By Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe U.K. Germany France Spain Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea Australia Rest of Asia-Pacific LAMEA South Africa Rest of LAMEA Brazil Saudi Arabia UAE Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access | 1 Year Subscription | Sign up for Avenue subscription to access more than 12,000+ company profiles and 2,000+ niche industry market research reports at $699 per month, per seat. For a year, the client needs to purchase minimum 2 seat plan. Request for 14 days free trial: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter "We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market." Trending Reports in Semiconductor Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount + Covid-19 scenario): Pressure Sensor Market was valued at $11.38 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $24.84 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 10.3% from 2020 to 2027 Humidity Sensor Market size is expected to reach from $4.0 billion in 2019 and projected to grow $11.85 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.2% from 2020 to 2027 MEMS Sensor Market was valued at $25.7 million in 2018, and is projected to reach $60.6 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 10.4% from 2019 to 2026 Level Sensor Market was valued at $4.44 billion in 2018, and is projected to reach $7.36 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 6.50% from 2019 to 2026 Window Sensors Market size was valued at $7,430.0 million in 2017 and is projected to reach $15,392.3 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 9.3% from 2018 to 2025 Intra-Oral Flat Panel Sensor Market size is expected to reach $446.00 million by 2030 from $315.70 million in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 3.90% from 2021 to 2030 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Jackpot Digital Inc. (the "Company" or "Jackpot") (TSXV:JJ)(TSXV:JJ.WT.B)(TSXV:JJ.WT.C)(OTCQB:JPOTF)(Frankfurt Exchange:LVH3) is pleased to announce that it has signed a licensing agreement with Piggs Peak Hotel & Casino ("Piggs Peak"), located in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Africa, to install four (4) Jackpot BlitzTM Electronic Table Games ("ETGs"). The licensing agreement is subject to obtaining the customary regulatory approvals. President & CEO Mr. Jake Kalpakian states, "We are excited to be working with Piggs Peak Hotel & Casino, our first official agreement signed on the African Continent. Demand for Jackpot Blitz TM is strong and growing across all markets, and we are confident that this one-of-a-kind technology will establish a large footprint worldwide." Mr. Willie Delport, Managing Director at Piggs Peak, comments, "Piggs Peak Casino is excited to introduce Jackpot Blitz to our guests, as we strive to bring back the poker culture as per our rich history of tournament poker action. We have historically run large tournaments at Pigg's Peak and are thrilled to bring poker action back in our casino that's always live. Keep your eyes on our social channels and the press for when this will be live." About Jackpot Digital Inc. Jackpot Digital Inc. is a leading electronic table games manufacturer for the cruise ship industry and regulated casino industry. The Company specializes in multiplayer gaming products, including poker and casino games, which are complemented by a robust suite of backend tools for operators to efficiently control and optimize their gaming business. For more information on the Company, please contact Jake H. Kalpakian, President and CEO, at (604) 681- 0204 ext. 6105, or visit the Company's website at www.jackpotdigital.com. On behalf of the Board of Jackpot Digital Inc., "Jake H. Kalpakian" Jake H. Kalpakian, President & CEO Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking". Forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, obtaining the customary regulatory approvals for new customers, projected financings, costs, objectives, economic or technical performance, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this News Release, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "enable", "feel", "seek", "project", "predict", "potential", "should", "might", "objective", "believe", "to be", "expect", "propose", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "plans" "estimate", and similar words are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, projections and estimations, there can be no assurance that these assumptions, projections or estimations are accurate. Readers, shareholders and investors are therefore cautioned not to place reliance on any forward-looking statements as the plans, assumptions, intentions or expectations upon which they are based might not occur. SOURCE: Jackpot Digital Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710309/Jackpot-Digital-Signs-Four-Table-Contract CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(FRA:J94)(OTCQB:MYLKF) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is pleased to announce that the Company's subordinate voting shares ("Shares") will commence trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") on August 2, 2022, under the symbol "MYLKF". The Shares are also eligible for electronic clearing and settlement through the Depository Trust Company ("DTC") in the United States ("US"). "Trading on the OTCQB represents another important milestone achieved for The Planting Hope Company," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "Founded in the United States, with operating headquarters in Chicago and significant distribution of our products in more than 48,000 retail facings across the US, we're excited to be able to offer opportunities for US investors to own stock in our company and broaden the audience for our story. We believe this move will also increase transparency and liquidity to both existing and prospective shareholders and support our growth plans as we execute our business plan and continue to grow distribution, sales, and fans of our plant-based, planet-friendly, pantry-staple foods." Designed for early-stage and developing companies in the United States and abroad, the OTCQB is operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. To be eligible for OTCQB quotes, companies must be current in their disclosure filings, have audited financial statements, and undergo an annual validation and management certification process. Companies must also meet minimum bid testing and other financial terms. OTCQB is recognized as an established public market by the Securities and Exchange Commission and provides current public information to investors in need of securities analysis, valuation, and trading. DTC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, an American company that manages the electronic clearing and settlement of publicly traded companies. DTC eligible securities can be electronically cleared and settled, which simplifies the process of trading, improves execution speeds, and enhances liquidity in the United States. About The Planting Hope Company Inc. Planting Hope develops, launches and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. Planting Hope's cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company with a focus on nutrition, sustainability and diversity. For more information visit: www.plantinghopecompany.com. Contacts Julia Stamberger CEO and Co-founder (773) 492-2243 julia@plantinghopecompany.com For IR Inquiries: Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital (905) 326-1888 ext. 1 glen@bristolir.com Caroline Sawamoto, IR Labs (773) 492-2243 ir@plantinghopecompany.com For Media inquiries: Alex Jessup, Jessup PR (323) 529-3541 alex.jessup@jessuppr.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. 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 such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated January 6, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710473/Planting-Hope-Announces-Commencement-of-Trading-on-OTCQB-Market-and-DTC-Eligibility A member of the Texas militia who took a gun to the US Capitol during the January 6 violence has been imprisoned for more than seven years. Guy Reffitt, 49, the first Jan. 6 defendant to face a jury, has been sentenced to the worst punishment yet for those who attempted to attack the Capitol in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump's election defeat. Guy Reffitt Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison He was one of over 850 persons accused in connection with the disturbance, which saw members of Congress flee for their lives and Mike Pence carried away by Secret Service officers as the crowd approached within 40 feet of the vice president. Reffitt was found guilty of five felony counts, including interfering with police during a civil disturbance, hindering electoral vote tallying, and threatening his children if they reported him to authorities. However, US District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich, nominated by Donald Trump, denied prosecutors' request to categorize the offenses as terrorism, which would have significantly raised Reffitt's sentence. Reffitt, according to Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Nestler, is in a class by himself. According to a bipartisan Senate study, at least seven individuals died as a result of the incident, including participants and law enforcement officers. Reffitt, of Qylie, Texas, was a recruiter for the Three Percenters, a right-wing militia. In March, he was found guilty by a jury in Washington, DC. The court had seen a video of Reffitt climbing a stone banister by scaffolding placed for Joe Biden's inauguration. In another film, Reffitt is seen engaging Capitol police officers and motioning to the mob behind him, urging them to the building's entrances. The jury was also shown footage obtained by Reffitt himself using a 360-degree camera mounted on his helmet, according to Telegraph. Read Also: Former Trump Envoy Scathes the US State Department for Backing Potential Kosovo-Serbian War Refitt Addresses Court, Makes Apologies Reffitt's new counsel, F. Clinton Broden, disagreed with the prosecution's portrayal of his client. In written documents and court, he claimed Reffitt never entered the Capitol, never pulled his weapon from his holster, and never showed any indication he would hurt his children. Peyton, the defendant's daughter, testified passionately in court on Monday in favor of her father, explaining that his mental health was a serious issue. Friedrich seemed particularly concerned about Reffitt's mental health and prospects once he is released, saying at one point, "What is this man going to do once he is released from prison?" Friedrich also took issue with Reffitt's violent threats against legislators, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Five additional defendants have been found guilty by juries since Reffitt's conviction by a 12-person jury. Five others have been convicted in bench trials by judges. A court acquitted one defendant, Matthew Martin, of numerous criminal counts. As reported by Washington Post, Friedrich also criticized Reffitt's violent threats against legislators such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Five additional defendants have been found guilty by juries since Reffitt's conviction by a 12-member jury. Judges in bench trials convicted five others. A court acquitted one defendant, Matthew Martin, of several misdemeanor counts. He was accused of playing a central role in driving a crowd of Donald Trump supporters against police and into the Capitol. To make matters worse, Reffitt threatened his son and teenage daughter after the occurrence, telling them that "if you give me in, you're a traitor, and traitors are shot." Prosecutors contended that federal sentence recommendations were inadequate in light of Reffitt's misdeeds, which included obstruction, firearms violations, and witness tampering, as per CBS News. Related Article: Former State Secretary Mike Pompeo Blasts Biden Administration's Inaction Amid China's Threat to US During Nancy Pelosi's Asia Trip @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Upgrade to Calyx RIM on Microsoft Azure drives efficiencies and patient safety NOTTINGHAM, England and MORRISVILLE, N.C., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Calyx , the eClinical and Regulatory solutions and services provider relied on for solving complex data challenges in clinical research, today announced that long-term client, Krka - one of the world's leading generic pharmaceutical companies - is expanding its investment in the Calyx Regulatory Information Management (RIM) system for an additional five years. "We chose to continue our relationship with Calyx based on our successful experience working with their regulatory experts over the past decade, and our trust in the robustness of the Calyx RIM system," said Krka. "We're excited about the investment Calyx has made in innovating the system with reliable cloud technology, which will help us to ensure patient safety, even during system updates." Since 2011, Krka has relied on Calyx RIM to comply with increasingly complex global publishing requirements and for the management and tracking of detailed product information, registrations, and authorizations. Krka's contract extension includes an upgrade to Calyx RIM on Microsoft Azure for increased efficiencies, including simplified activities and tailored, direct delivery of system updates to minimize operational disruptions. "We value the trust that Krka continues to place in Calyx RIM and are delighted to extend our relationship as they strive to comply with evolving worldwide regulations and ensure patient access to much needed medical treatments," said Jo English, Vice President, Regulatory Information Management, Calyx More than 20 million regulatory records have been seamlessly migrated into the Calyx RIM system, representing over 1 million global submissions to date. Notably, over 100 COVID-19 vaccine authorizations have been granted by worldwide regulatory bodies based on clinical trial data submitted via Calyx RIM. Click here for more information on the benefits of Calyx RIM. About Calyx Through innovative eClinical and Regulatory solutions and services, Calyx turns the uncertain into the reliable, helping bring new medical treatments to market reliably. With deep expertise in clinical development and 30 years supporting trial sponsors and clinical research organizations, Calyx harnesses its intelligence and experience to solve complex problems, deliver fast insights, and get new drugs to market every day. CTMS | EDC | IRT | Medical Imaging | RIM Take your trials further with intelligent insights at Calyx.ai or at LinkedIn , Twitter , or Facebook . About Krka Krka (LJSE: KRKG) was established in 1954 and has developed into one of the leading generic pharmaceutical companies in wider Europe. Globally, it ranks among the top 20 generic companies, and is present in overseas markets and Asia. Krka has a broad portfolio of effective and innovative medicines and a strong development pipeline of 170 products. Krka's medicines are available in unique strengths and combinations, innovative dosage forms, including sustained release dosage forms, and are manufactured in advanced and patented technological processes. Our flexibility allows us to be agile and first to market. Krka has grown to become an international company with 12 thousand employees and global presence in more than 70 markets around the world. In addition to the 47 subsidiaries and representative offices abroad, the company's international presence is consolidated through its own production plants in Slovenia, Poland, the Russian Federation, Croatia, Germany, and now in China. Krka's products are marketed under our own brand names, ensuring market recognition. New products are constantly being added to the wide Krka product range, reinforcing the company's ability to enter new therapeutic areas. Krka's group business model is based on a high degree of vertical integration at all levels of its operation. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1396338/Calyx_Logo.jpg LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Hanryu Holdings, a global Korean Pop Culture platform company, announced today it will be attending KCON 2022 LA, the World's No. 1 K-Culture Festival, in Los Angeles August 19-21. The Company will have a booth display to promote its popular, and growing, FANTOO smartphone app for fans of K-Culture. The booth will be a place for K-Culture fans to find out more about FANTOO's features and capabilities, as well as sign up for exclusive events, including a live performance from one of the winners of FANTOO's Global KPOP Dance Competition. The Competition featured 1,312 teams from around the world. During KCON 2022 LA, one of the most beloved KPOP groups-whose name will be revealed as the event draws near-will visit the FANTOO booth for a special meet-and-greet only for FANTOO subscribers. The booth will also feature plenty of convention swag and prizes. Fans will also be challenged to play Red Light/Green Light, a game from the popular Netflix show Squid Game, to win prizes and tickets to various KCON 2022 LA events. For more details and a chance to win free tickets to KCON 2022 LA, please visit FANTOO's landing page for this event at https://event.fantoo.co.kr/ First held in 2012 in the U.S., KCON played an instrumental role in spreading K-Culture throughout the world. The event has amassed millions of fans across nine cities/regions in North America, Europe, Asia, and more. From its first event, which attracted 10,000 visitors, KCON has seen incredible growth, gathering 291,000 attendees in 2019 (the last in-person event). During the pandemic, the event went virtual with "KCON:TACT," which has seen more than 22 million K-pop fans tune in over the last two years. "K-culture is sweeping the world, and KCON 2022 LA is the epicenter of the culture-quake that expanded the influence of Korean art, music and film to the rest of the world," said company spokesman James Lee. "We can't wait to join fans, content creators and K-Culture celebrities alike back in the place where the movement began back in 2012. We look forward not only to meeting new fans, but also to bringing the 4 million-plus members of our FANTOO app all the big news and exclusive content from the show." About Hanryu Holdings Inc. Hanryu was established in 2018 as Hanryu Bank Co., Ltd, in the Republic of South Korea, aiming to spread K-Culture (Hanryu) across the globe. In 2021, Hanryu launched FANTOO, an all-in-one fandom platform. FANTOO connects users who share the same interest, particularly K-Culture, by providing communication, content creation, and e-commerce services. Through these experiences, FANTOO users can stay connected and up to date with their fandom communities. About FANTOO FANTOO is a social networking platform for global fans of K-Culture, with a suite of features and functionalities built to engage K-Culture fans and keep them engaged through its comprehensive services, fair and efficient rewards system, and various fan events. Fans can socialize and get up-to-date news and information in the communities, create their own clubs to bond with others who share common interests, live chat with each other in different languages, as well as create, share, and sell content to other fans. Fantoo is part of the next generation of digital fandom apps designed to become part of the global fan economy. Investor Contact: Dave Gentry, CEO RedChip Companies Inc. 407-491-4998 hanryu@redchip.com Hanryu Holdings, Inc. Contact: Ahra Cho ahra@fns.ai Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the ability of Hanryu to continue increasing its user-base; and Hanryu's ability to monetize its user-base. 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. Hanryu 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: Hanryu Holdings View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710536/Hanryu-Holdings-Takes-Fantoo-to-KCON-2022-LA Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Battery Mineral Resources Corp. (TSXV: BMR) ("BMR" "Battery" or the "Company") is very pleased to announce the appointment of Derek White to the board of directors. Mr. White was previously an advisor to the company and is currently the President & CEO of Ascot Resources Ltd., a Canadian mineral development company publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange focused on re-starting the processing plant at the historic Premier gold mine, a mine once named North America's largest gold mine. Derek has over 30 years of experience in the mining and metals industry. He holds an undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia and is also a Chartered Accountant. Prior to joining Ascot Resources, Mr. White, was the Principal of Traxys Capital Partners LLP, a private equity firm specializing in the mining and minerals sectors. Mr. White was President and CEO of KGHM International Ltd. from 2012 to 2015, and held the positions of Executive Vice President, Business Development and Chief Financial Officer of Quadra FNX Mining Ltd. from 2004 to 2012. Mr. White has held executive positions with International Vision Direct Ltd., BHP-Billiton Plc, Billiton International Metals BV and Impala Platinum Ltd., in Vancouver, Toronto, London, The Hague, and Johannesburg. Mr. White is also an ICSA Accredited Director. Battery's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Lazaros Nikeas, states; "We are delighted to welcome Derek to the board of directors of the company. Derek was instrumental in sourcing and evaluating the Punitaqui mine, our flagship asset and has extensive experience in both copper mining and in operating in the country of Chile. We look forward to working with him to accomplish our goals of restarting mining operations at Punitaqui and establishing positive cash flow for the company." About Battery Mineral Resources Corp. Battery Mineral Resources ("BMR") is a battery mineral company focused on growth through cash-flow, exploration, and acquisitions in favourable mining jurisdictions. BMR is currently developing the Punitaqui Mining Complex, a past copper-gold producer, in the Coquimbo region of Chile and pursuing a potential near-term resumption of operations in late 2022. Battery Mineral's mission is the discovery, acquisition, and development of battery metals (namely cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel, and copper), in North America, South America and South Korea, to become a premier and responsible supplier of battery minerals to the electrification marketplace. BMR is the largest mineral claim holder in the historic Gowganda Cobalt- Silver Camp in Ontario, Canada, and continues to pursue a focused program to build on the recently announced, +1-million-pound high-grade cobalt resource at McAra. In addition, Battery Mineral owns 100% of ESI Energy Services, Inc. a profitable pipeline equipment rental and sales company with operations in Alberta, Canada and Arizona, USA. Battery Minerals Resources is based in Canada and its shares are listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the symbol "BMR" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "BTRMF". Further information about BMR and its projects can be found on www.bmrcorp.com. For more information, please contact: Martin Kostuik, CEO Phone: +1 (604) 229 3830 info@bmrcorp.com Mars Investor Relations +1 (604) 335-1976 bmr@marsinvestorrelations.com Harbor Access Corp. 475-477-9402 jody.kane@harbor-access.com Twitter: @BMRcorp_ www.bmrcorp.com Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections of the Company on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to complete exploration and development activities, the ability of the Company to complete the Debenture offering, risks related to share price and market conditions, the inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties, the ability of the Company to meet its anticipated development schedule, government regulation and fluctuating metal prices. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Battery undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether because of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132526 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Japan Gold Corp. (TSXV: JG) (OTCQB: JGLDF) ("Japan Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce completion of an additional seven drill holes at the Ryuo prospect, and commencement of drilling at the Kitano-o prospect, both prospects are located within the 100% owned Ikutahara Project in Hokkaido, Japan. Seven additional drill holes were completed at Ryuo for a total of 2,888 m of diamond drill core between April and June this year. Drilling was positioned to step-out at approximate 50 m intervals from high-grade mineralization encountered in the 2021 drill program, and test continuity of mineralization along strike and to depth (Figure 1 & 2). Samples from the 7 drill holes have been submitted to the ALS laboratory in Vancouver for assay and results are expected to be released in September. For more information on the 2021 drilling results at the Ryuo prospect refer to the Company's news release dated 22nd February 2022. Drilling operations have now moved to the east side of the Kitano-o prospect where three 700 m deep drill holes are planned. Drilling will target below combined geochemical and geophysical anomalies to locate the deeper source of gold mined from the Kitano-o placer deposits. Surface programs previously completed on the eastern side of the Kitano-o prospect show elevated gold and pathfinder element geochemistry in soil and rock supported by CSAMT resistivity anomalies which lie proximal to the intersection of major gravity inferred graben-bounding and transfer faults (Figure 1). More than 96,000 ounces of gold were produced from the Kitano-o mine, prior to the government-imposed closure in 19431. Gold was mined along a 3 km long zone from clay-rich placer deposits located immediately below the Kitano-o sinter. 2022 Ikutahara Project Surface Exploration Programs Sampling of extensions to soil grids completed in 2021 at the Ryuo and at Kitano-o prospect has also commenced (Figure 1). Extensions to the soil grid at Ryuo will aim to advance additional drill targets both parallel and along strike of the known prospect area. At East Kitano-o, open-ended gold and pathfinder element anomalies on the north side of the grid extend towards the flank of Maruyama rhyolite dome. Dome margins are a prime site for epithermal vein deposits in the region. A good analogy of this is seen at the Konomai mine located 20 km to the north of the Ikutahara project where 2.35 Moz of gold were mined from a series of veins located within and along the margin of a rhyolite dome complex. A 3 km southward extension of the Kitano-o soil grid will further define the strike potential of en echelon veining at the historical Ikutahara and Showa mine workings. Sampling of historic mine dump material by the Company on these shallowly developed workings gave gold grades up to 93.3 g/t Au, refer to the Company's news release dated May 7, 2018. Reference 1 Metal Mining Agency of Japan, March 1990, Geological Survey Report for Fiscal Year 1989, Northern Hokkaido Area B-Metalliferous Deposits Overview. On behalf of the Board of Japan Gold Corp. "John Proust" Chairman & CEO Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Japan Gold Vice President of Exploration and Country Manager, Andrew Rowe, BAppSc, FAusIMM, FSEG, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Japan Gold Corp. Japan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused solely on gold exploration across the three largest islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu. The Company has a country-wide alliance with Barrick Gold Corporation to jointly explore, develop and mine certain gold mineral properties and mining projects. The Company holds a portfolio of 31 gold projects which cover areas with known gold occurrences, a history of mining and are prospective for high-grade epithermal gold mineralization. Japan Gold's leadership team represent decades of resource industry and business experience, and the Company has an operational team of geologists, drillers and technical advisors with experience exploring and operating in Japan. More information is available at www.japangold.com or by email at info@japangold.com For further information please contact: John Proust Chairman & CEO Phone: +1 778-725-1482 Email: info@japangold.com Website: www.japangold.com Cautionary Note Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated results related to future partnerships and the Company's 2022 gold exploration program. These statements are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to, general economic, market and business conditions; competition for qualified staff; the regulatory process and actions; technical issues; new legislation; potential delays or changes in plans; working in a new political jurisdiction; results of exploration; the timing and granting of prospecting rights; the Company's ability to execute and implement future plans, arrange or conclude a joint-venture or partnership; and the occurrence of unexpected events. Actual results achieved may differ from the information provided herein and, consequently, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this News Release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable laws. Figure 1: Ikutahara Project: simplified geology, historical mines and workings and 2022 work program locations. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/132559_d9e6514dc47ac809_001full.jpg Figure 2: Ryuo prospect alteration map with rock chip samples, 2021 drill holes, completed 2022 drill holes and historic workings To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/132559_d9e6514dc47ac809_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132559 G2 Secure aChat and G2LINK selected by Spaces4Learning for their noteworthy ability to enhance learning environments TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company"), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions and school communication platforms, today announced that it won three platinum 2022 New Product Awards from Spaces4Learning, a leading publication for education institutions. G2 Secure aChat won the platinum award for the K-12 category and G2LINK Classroom Audio System won the platinum award for both K-12 and Higher Education categories. "Galaxy's suite of products continues to be recognized by the education technology industry for our differentiation and innovative approach," said Gary LeCroy, Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Next Generation. "We are honored that the panel of judges selected several of our offerings to be platinum winners, particularly given the presence of industry leading brands in other respective categories." Spaces4Learning is a leading publication for education institutions, the architectural community, service providers and others interested in creating high-quality facilities. The brand's magazine, website and digital products bring together a broad array of vital resources and services that keep facilities professionals abreast of current issues, trends and research; provide professional development opportunities; and connect those sharing a common interest. The New Product Award program honors the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered to be particularly noteworthy in their ability to enhance the learning environment. About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. Galaxy Next Generation ( OTCQB:GAXY ) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales. For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Company Contact IR@GalaxyNext.us P: 888-859-1274 Investor Relations Brooks Hamilton MZ North America +1 949-546-6326 GAXY@mzgroup.us SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710487/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Wins-Three-Platinum-2022-New-Product-Awards VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / The popular annual web scraping conference announces agenda and speakers The digital future is strongly shaped by web scraping - a technology that allows collecting large amounts of public web data to then translate it into business insights. The latest pulse of this game-changing technology will be captured in the industry's leading conference OxyCon. It will provide an opportunity to hear from the elite web scraping professionals who will dive deep into data gathering systems, architecture, and daily scraping challenges. A free to register event OxyCon, organized by a leading global provider of public web data gathering solutions Oxylabs, will take place on 7-8 September online. The event's presentations will fall under three major themes, each representing a different aspect of the data gathering process. "With this year's OxyCon, we aim to provide both strategic insights that inspire rethinking one's approach to public web data collection and easily applicable practical tips. We gathered together a team of A-list speakers - those who either depend on web scraping in their business or solve the development challenges of this technology everyday. Together, they'll provide a comprehensive view on how the web scraping industry looks today and where it's heading", - says Julius Cerniauskas, CEO of Oxylabs. The first section - The World of Public Data Collection for Businesses - will focus on the application of public web data gathering. For example, some of the most pressing questions for data-dependent businesses concern the legalities of web scraping. Alex Reese, Partner at the law firm Farella Braun + Martel, will present the most recent developments on the U.S. scraping law. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion of leading scraping lawyers, moderated by Denas Grybauskas, Head of Legal at Oxylabs. A practical business case of web scraping in SEO will be presented by Karsten Madsen, a CEO of a fast growing company called Morningscore. Meanwhile, a regular OxyCon speaker and the CEO at The DataWorks Allen O'Neill, promises to provide A Crash Course in Machine Learning for Text Using Web Data. In the latter part of presentations the speakers will tackle the scraping challenges of developers. From practical application of web scraping techniques, demonstrated by Oxylabs' Technical Team Lead Eivydas Vilcinskas, to tips on how to scrape the web of tomorrow by Ondra Orban, COO at Apify - this part of the conference will create a discussion platform for like-minded professionals. Finally, the third major theme of this year's OxyCon - Scraping infrastructure management and solutions - will revolve around scalability. Glen De Cauwsemaecker from OTA Insight will share his company's journey from small-scale design to a system capable of handling millions of daily requests. Additionally, Paul Morgan, Data Collection Team Lead at Datasembly will talk about different aspects of the data collection process: orchestration, observability, and introspection. Meanwhile Sarah McKenna, CEO at Sequentum, will talk about ensuring quality and compliance when scraping at scale. During the two days of the online event, OxyCon will host 12 comprehensive presentations, demonstrations and panel discussions. Free registration is available here . About Oxylabs Established in 2015, Oxylabs is a premium proxy and public web data acquisition solution provider, enabling companies of all sizes to utilize the power of big data. Constant innovation, a large patent portfolio, and a focus on ethics have allowed Oxylabs to become a global leader in the data acquisition industry and forge close ties with dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies. In 2022, Oxylabs was named the fastest-growing public data gathering solutions company in Europe in the Financial Times' FT 1000 list. Media Contact: Vytautas Kirjazovas Email: press@oxylabs.io Website: www.oxylabs.io SOURCE: Oxylabs View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710540/OxyCon-2022-to-Connect-Worlds-Leading-Public-Web-Data-Gathering-Experts Rise in demand for single cell analysis and high-end technological advancements coupled with surge in R&D activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries drive the growth of the global single cell analysis market. PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Single Cell Analysis Market By Product (Consumables, Instruments), By Techniques (Flow Cytometry, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Mass Spectrometry, Others), By End User (Academic and Research Laboratories, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals and Diagnostic Laboratories, Others), By Application (Oncology, Immunology, Neurology, Stem cell, Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis, In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." According to the report, the global single cell analysis industry was estimated at $2.64 billion in 2021, and is anticipated to hit $13.62 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 17.8% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers an explicit analysis of the changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chain, competitive scenario, and regional landscape. Download Sample Report- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6553 Drivers, restraints, and opportunities: Rise in demand for single cell analysis and high-end technological advancements coupled with surge in R&D activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries drive the growth of the global single cell analysis market. At the same time, increase in focus on personalized medicines and growing prevalence of cancer have supplemented the growth even more. On the other hand, high cost of single cell analysis products restrains the growth to some extent. Simultaneously, high growth potential of single cell sequencing is projected to pave the way for lucrative growth opportunities in the industry. Covid-19 scenario: Governments in almost all countries had increased financing for vaccine development and manufacturing, which in turn gave way to a rise in the usage of single-cell analytic tools for Covid-19 research, thus impacting the global single cell analysis market positively. A deeper understanding of the host immune response during illness progression is highly essential in order to more precisely fabricate prognostic and diagnostic indicators and initiate proper therapeutic approaches for patients. Researchers can gain a better comprehension of immune cells at the single-cell level and how functional cells put up immune protection by taking recourse to single-cell analysis. These factors have boosted the market growth in several ways. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Single Cell Analysis Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/6553?reqfor=covid The consumables segment to dominate by 2031: By product, the consumables segment contributed to around two-thirds of the global single cell analysis market share in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. The same segment is also expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 17.9% from 2022 to 2031. This is due to high usability of products, frequent purchase of reagents, increase in prevalence of target diseases, and constant need for consumables required for assay. The next generation sequencing (NGS)segment to maintain the lion's share: Based on techniques, the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) segment generated around one-third of the global single cell analysis market revenue in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. The same segment would also manifest the fastest CAGR of 18.0% from 2022 to 2031, due to rise in genome mapping programs, increase in applications of next-generation sequencing, surge in healthcare expenditure, and technological advancements in sequencing platforms. The oncology segment to rule the roost: By application, the oncology segment garnered more than one-third of the global single cell analysis market share in 2021, and is expected to retain its dominance by 2031. The fact that single cell analysis has proven to be highly effective for prior diagnostics of cancer cells drives the segment growth. The neurology segment, on the other hand, is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 18.8% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to increase in the prevalence of neurological disorders. North America garnered the major share in 2021: Based on region, North America held the major share in 2021, generating nearly half of the global single cell analysis market. Rise in the well-established healthcare system, surge in number of geriatric patients, and supportive reimbursement policies in the healthcare system propel the market growth. Europe, on the other hand, would garner the fastest CAGR of 21.6% by 2031. Increase in incidences of cancer and a spike in government funding for single cell analysis research fuel the market growth. The other provinces analyzed throughout the report include Asia-Pacific and LAMEA. For Purchase Inquiry- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6553 Key players in the industry: Danaher Corporation Becton Merck KGAA QIAGEN N.V. Illumina, Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. BGI Genomics Co.Ltd. Dickinson and Company Agilent Technologies, Inc., Sartorius AG Takara Holdingsinc Oxford Nanopore Technologies. 10x Genomics Bio-Rad Laboratories Berkley Light INC. Dolomite Bio Standard Biotools Diasorin Group The report analyzes these key players in the global single cell analysis market. These players have incorporated various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in assessing the operating segments, their business performance & product portfolio, and so on. Official Press Release: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/single-cell-analysis-market.html Similar Research Reports for Information, Communication and Technology: Internet of Things in Healthcare Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Medical Tourism Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 3D Cell Culture Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Neurovascular Devices Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Manufacturing Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model): AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports. Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access About Allied Market Research: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Liberty Defense (OTCQB: LDDFF) ("the Company"), a company that provides multi-technology security solutions for enhanced detection of concealed weapons and other dangerous or prohibited items. Its technology solutions are ideal for deployment in high-volume foot traffic areas and locations that require enhanced security such as airports, stadiums, government buildings, ports of entry, schools, and more. Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, Jay Adelaar, joined Stock Day host Sever Copley, to take us through some of the significant milestones that the Company has achieved on both the commercial and technological fronts. The interview kicked off with a refresher on the Company's background and focus: "We develop and commercialize breakthrough technology solutions that can keep busy public and private spaces safer, while also improving the experience of the associated security screening," explained Adelaar. "Our flagship product, HEXWAVE, is a walk-through portal that can be situated indoors or outdoors, and is unique in its ability to identify both metal and non-metal items that may be hidden on a person's body." "We also have two additional products in development that we have secured exclusive licenses for from a corporation that is funded by the U.S. government, and that works directly with agencies such as the TSA," continued Adelaar. "These products are tailored to serve the aviation industry and include the High-Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) upgrade to the existing full body scanners, as well as a shoe scanner that could eliminate the need to remove shoes at the airport." The conversation then turned to the commercialization of the Company's HEXWAVE product: "We are thrilled to be at the stage where we are gearing up for on-site beta testing with a range of potential clients including an airport, stadium, and more. This exciting phase is the culmination of seven years and $40 million of focused engineering, testing, trials, and refinement. And we are now ready to showcase what we have built in the field," said Adelaar. "We plan to launch at the end of August this coming year with a handful of select beta testing partners. We have a long list of interested test sites, but it is very important to our team to ensure that this next step is done thoughtfully." "What kinds of companies have been showing interest in testing HEXWAVE?" asked Copley. "The range of potential client verticals for this technology is stunning, it's clear that security is top of mind to many these days," said Adelaar, adding that government buildings, schools, religious centers, ports of entry, stadiums, office buildings, airports, and more are all locations that could benefit from this technology. "Why should investors be following Liberty Defense at this time?" asked Copley. "We are at that pivotal point where we have done the considerable legwork to get the product to the place where we feel it is ready to be tested in the field," said Adelaar, before elaborating on the Company's experienced and dedicated team. "We are really on the cusp of going from a development and engineering company to a company that is selling a cutting edge, never before seen technology that could transform the way security is managed in public spaces forever." To hear Jay Adelaar's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8131330-liberty-defense-discusses-highly-anticipated-in-field-beta-launch-and-commercialization-strategy Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About Liberty Defense Liberty Defense (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FSE: LD2A) provides multi-technology security solutions for concealed weapons detection in high volume foot traffic areas and locations requiring enhanced security such as airports, stadiums, schools, and more. Liberty's HEXWAVE product, for which the company has secured an exclusive license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a technology transfer agreement for patents related to active 3D radar imaging technology, provides discrete, modular, and scalable protection to provide layered, stand-off detection capability of metallic and non-metallic weapons. Liberty has also recently licensed the millimeter wave-based, High-Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) body scanner and shoe scanner technologies as part of its technology portfolio. Liberty is committed to protecting communities and preserving peace of mind through superior security detection solutions. Learn more: LibertyDefense.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Liberty believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Liberty. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Liberty's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The parties undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of their securities or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable). Liberty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Liberty's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Liberty has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Liberty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Liberty does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. SOURCE: Stock Day Media (602) 821-1102 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132576 FLOWER MOUND, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Black Bird Biotech, Inc. (OTC:BBBT), manufacturer and distributor of plant-based MiteXstreamTM biopesticide, announced that its marketing team will be exhibiting MiteXstreamTM at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield from August 11th to the 21st, the Du Quoin (Illinois) State Fair from August 26th to September 5th and Cannabis Conference 2022 in Las Vegas from August 23th to the 25th. "Exhibiting at the State Fairs in Illinois will have us in front of over 100,000 farmers from all over the Midwest where, on top of the usual challenges, spider mites have been invasive in many locales this year," said Fabian Deneault, BBBT's President and developer of MiteXstreamTM. "Spire+ has been leading the effort necessary to achieving distribution within the Ag Industry, in addition to implementing its online strategies, including our MiteXstream Amazon Store. Likewise, Bill LoBell, our Sales V.P., will be heading our team at Cannabis Conference 2022, an exciting post-pandemic opportunity to expose large cannabis operators to the value proposition of MiteXstreamTM." The company will be posting regular updates from these events on Twitter at @BBBT_Corporate. For other news and updates, shareholders, prospective investors and prospective business partners are encouraged to follow @BBBT_Corporate on Twitter and @BlackBirdBiotech on Instagram. Also visit BBBT's corporate website, BlackBirdBiotech.com, for additional information about the company. About BBBT Black Bird Biotech is positioned to exploit market segments with powerful, re-imagined biotech products. Its EPA-registered biopesticide, MiteXstreamTM, eradicates mites and similar pests, including spider mites (a lethal pest in cannabis, grapes, hops, coffee, strawberries and many other agricultural crops), and eliminates molds and mildews. MiteXstreamTM is a pesticide, but it is not a poison - it's a pesticide re-imagined. The MiteXstreamTM Edge: use through the day of harvest without concern for residual "pesticide" violations, including as it pertains to state cannabis testing. MiteXstreamTM is the foundational element of the company that carries vast potential worldwide as a highly effective, safe and extremely cost-effective replacement for many traditional "poisonous" pesticides. Forward Looking Statements: This current press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to, any products sold or cash flow from operations. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with distribution and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact: Eric Newlan Vice President 833-223-4204 eric@newlanpllc.com BlackBirdBiotech.com SOURCE: Black Bird Biotech, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710551/Black-Bird-Biotech-Readies-for-Illinois-State-Fair-and-Du-Quoin-State-Fair-in-Americas-Heartland-and-Cannabis-Conference-2022-in-Las-Vegas Includes largest US-based order of satellite solution to date Blackline Safety Corp. (TSX: BLN), a global leader in connected safety technology, today announced the close of three deals with leading North American energy companies. They have a combined value of over $10 million based on their five-year lifetime product and services value. The largest deal-with a lifetime value of almost $7 million-saw a Texas-based oil and gas company purchase G7x wearables, supported by G7 Bridge portable satellite base stations, for connected gas detection and lone worker protection. This is a new customer for Blackline Safety, validating the increased market penetration of its products and services. The other two deals represent new business with current energy customers, each with a five-year lifetime value of approximately $2 million. The first involves the purchase of G7x satellite connected wearables with G7 Bridge base stations and the second includes a combination of G7c cellular wearables and G7x wearables with satellite bridge-all support both connected gas detection and lone worker protection. The 1,200+ purchased devices across the three companies will include 24/7 live monitoring by Blackline Safety's Safety Operations Centre (SOC). Blackline's SOC is the only in-house safety monitoring service operated by a connected vendor-providing round-the-clock safety for tens of thousands of workers. "These deals demonstrate the positive impact of the ongoing rebound in the North American energy industry delivering strong growth across this sector for Blackline. Customers in this market see the enduring value of our all-in-one solution to meet the diverse safety needs of workers in an industry increasingly moving toward connected solutions to transform their operations," said Sean Stinson, Chief Growth Officer, Blackline Safety. "No other competitive solution offers this combined level of connectivity, gas detection, and live monitoring, which is especially relevant to protect workers in the oil and gas industry who can work in remote areas where connectivity is low. These attributes are what enhance the stickiness of our solution and key to the reason we deliver a 100%+ customer retention rate." Blackline's G7 lone worker and personal gas detection devices are robust and intelligent connected wearables that accurately detect gas hazards, instantly notifying both workers and managers in real time and enabling corrective action to be taken to mitigate future incidents. Supported by Blackline's professional 24/7 live monitoring service, they ensure maximum worker protection with automated safety incident and health event monitoring, including features such as no-motion and fall detection, and missed check-ins. About Blackline Safety Blackline Safety is a technology leader driving innovation in the industrial workforce through IoT. With connected safety devices and predictive analytics, Blackline enables companies to drive towards zero safety incidents and improved operational performance. Blackline provides wearable devices, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and enhance overall productivity for organizations with coverage in more than 100 countries. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, Blackline provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 180 billion data-points and initiated over five million emergency responses. For more information, visit BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005499/en/ Contacts: MEDIA Matt Glover or Jeff Grampp, CFA Gateway Group, Inc. BLN@GatewayIR.com +1 949 574 3860 Cherine Hlady Manager Communications, Blackline Safety chlady@blacklinesafety.com Telephone: +1 403 999 7820 United States President Joe Biden revealed that the military has successfully killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, marking the latest terrorist leader to fall in the hands of U.S. troops. The individual, who had just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group even 11 years after the death of Osama bin Laden. At one point, he also acted as bin Laden's personal physician. Al-Qaeda Leader Killed Authorities said that Zawahiri was sheltering in a safe house in Kabul and was killed in a "precise tailored airstrike" using two Hellfire missiles. U.S. forces conducted the drone strike at 9:48 p.m. ET on Saturday and were authorized by Biden following weeks of meetings with his Cabinet and key advisers. Officials said that no American personnel was on the ground in Kabul near where Zawahiri was at the time of the strike. On Monday, it was revealed that senior Haqqani Taliban figures were aware of Zawahiri's presence in the area, which was a "clear violation of the Doha agreement," as per CNN. One official said that they even took steps to conceal Zawahiri's presence after Saturday's successful strike, restricting access to the safe house and rapidly relocating members of his family, including his daughter and her children. The latter was intentionally not targeted during the strike and remained unharmed. Read Also: New Zealand Authorities Lift Final COVID Restrictions, Fully Reopening Border for International Travelers Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, was also dealing with a rebound case of the virus while speaking outdoors from the Blue Room Balcony at the White House. In his remarks, he noted that Zawahiri was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 and was one of the most responsible for the attacks that took the lives of 2,977 people on American soil. According to Reuters, Zawahiri had a bounty of $25 million prior to the drone strike, with Biden now saying that "justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more." U.S. intelligence determined with "high confidence" that the man killed was Zawahiri. Terrorist Groups American officials said that Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to U.S. persons, interests, and national security. They added that his death dealt a significant blow to al-Qaeda and will degrade the group's ability to operate. In recent years, many rumors in recent years said that Zawahiri was already dead, while others noted that he was in poor health. The terror leader's death raises questions about whether or not Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The incident comes nearly a year after the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, removing all military troops from the region. The withdrawal devolved into a chaotic situation and one of Biden's worst stretches as president, as the U.S. was forced to carry out a major evacuation of more than 100,000 people trying to flee the country after an astonishingly quick takeover by Taliban militants, Politico reported. The United States has also insisted that the Taliban group now allow Afghan soil to be used by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. The killing of Zawahiri also gives the Biden administration some good news to trumpet ahead of a grim anniversary. Related Article: First Grain Shipment from Ukraine Leaves Odesa Under New Deal with Russia To Ease Global Food Crisis @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSXV:LG)(OTCQB:LGCXF) (the "Company" or "Lahontan") is pleased to announce drill results from ten reverse-circulation rotary ("RC") drill holes exploring the Santa Fe pit area of the Company's 19 km2 Santa Fe Project in Nevada's Walker Lane. Eight drill holes, totaling 2,614 metres, are the final RC holes from the 2021 drilling campaign. These drill holes targeted down-dip plus northwest and southeast step outs from known gold and silver mineralization along the Santa Fe fault. Highlights include: SF21-015R and -016R: These two RC drill holes targeted expansion of known mineralization in the high-wall of the Santa Fe Pit between the Bonanza and Big Horn zones and were collared approximately 120 metres northwest of SF21-007R (please see map below). SF21-015R cut 138.6m grading 1.01 gpt Au and 3.4 gpt Ag (1.06 gpt Au Eq) while SF21-016R intercepted 102.1m grading 0.69 gpt Au and 1.7 gpt Ag (0.71 gpt Au Eq). These drill holes expand potential resources in this portion of the Santa Fe pit and define the extent of transitional mineralized rock. Kimberly Ann, CEO, President, Director, and Founder of Lahontan Gold Corp commented: "The Company is excited to release the final results from our Phase One drilling program. In total, Lahontan drilled 9,410 metres in its 2021 Phase One drilling campaign resulting in the discovery of two new high grade "feeder" zones, Bonanza and Big Horn, the expansion of the BH high-grade zone, and impressive volumes of good grade shallow oxide and transition gold and silver mineralization at both the main Santa Fe pit target area and at the Slab target area (see cross sections of the Santa Fe Pit below). RC drilling has resumed at Slab, targeting more shallow oxide gold and silver mineralization. We remain on track to deliver our maiden resource estimate in 2022 and take the next steps to advance the Santa Fe Project back into production." Cross section through all 2021 Lahontan drill holes in the Santa Fe pit area. The 2021 drilling campaign was extremely successful in expanding the volume of gold and silver mineralization in areas adjacent to 0.17 gpt grade shell defined by previous drilling (shown in red above). Note how Lahontan drilling has opened-up potential new gold and silver resources, especially in the newly discovered high-grade zones and deeper portions of the BH zone. Cross section through RC drill holes SF21-007R, SF21-008R, and SF21-015R through -018R, Santa Fe pit area, Santa Fe Project, Mineral County, Nevada. These drill holes greatly expand the volume of gold and silver mineralized rock adjacent to the 0.17 gpt Au grade shell defined by historic drilling (pink outline). Central Santa Fe Pit Drill Holes: As noted above, RC drill holes, SF21-007R, -008R, -015R through -18R targeted expanding potential resources in the central portion of the Santa Fe pit by stepping out into the pit high-wall. While SF21-008R was lost above the intended target, previously reported drill hole -007R intercepted what may be the edge of more high-grade mineralization: 1.5m grading 3.50 gpt Au and 61.9 gpt Ag (4.33 gpt Au Eq, 240.8 - 242.3m). Drill holes SF21-015R and -016R successfully expanded the volume of transition mineralization between the Big Horn and Bonanza high-grade zone (please see cross sections above). Based on the silver grades, it appears that drill holes SF21-015R and -016R drilled the margins of the Big Horn high-grade zone, confirming tonnage potential of this important high-grade target. Of note, SF21-007R, -015R and -018R all bottomed in mineralized rock, emphasizing that the Santa Fe deposit remains open at depth. South-Southeast Extension of the Santa Fe Pit: RC drill holes SF21-010R through -013R were drilled to further define the boundaries between transition mineralization and fresh rock south-southeast of the Santa Fe pit. All four drill holes intercepted significant widths of mineralized material and confirmed suspected boundaries of the metallurgical domains in this area. Drill Hole Total Depth (m) From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (gpt) Ag (gpt) Au Eq (gpt) Metallurgical Domain SF21-010R 274.3 128.0 153.9 25.9 0.80 12.9 0.97 Fresh SF21-011R 304.8 129.5 150.9 21.4 0.50 5.4 0.57 Fresh SF21-012R 259.1 167.1 196.6 29.5 0.95 15.1 1.15 Fresh SF21-013R 304.8 155.5 185.9 30.4 0.60 8.2 0.71 Fresh SF21-015R 350.5 137.2 275.8 138.6 1.01 3.4 1.06 Transition & Fresh SF21-016R 365.8 149.4 251.5 102.1 0.69 1.7 0.71 Transition & Fresh SF21-017R 342.9 155.4 179.8 24.4 0.61 16.0 0.82 Transition including: 164.6 169.2 4.6 1.65 54.8 2.38 Transition 253.0 342.9 89.9 0.79 2.2 0.82 Fresh SF21-018R 411.5 175.3 204.2 28.9 0.97 12.1 1.13 Fresh including: 189.0 193.6 4.6 2.93 26.7 3.29 Fresh 298.7 355.1 56.4 1.07 12.1 1.23 Fresh *Notes: Au Eq equals Au (gpt) + (Ag gpt/75). Metallurgical recovery has not been factored as insufficient test-work is available to determine potential Ag recoveries. True thickness of the intercepts shown above are estimated to be 80-90% of the drilled interval. Drill hole location map, Santa Fe pit area, Santa Fe Project, Mineral County, Nevada. Bright green drill hole traces are those reported here, black traces were previously reported holes. The high-grade Bonanza, Big Horn and BH zones are outlined and remain open down-dip and along strike. Line of long section is shown. QA/QC Protocols: Lahontan conducts an industry standard QA/QC program for its core and RC drilling programs. The QA/QC program consisted of the insertion of coarse blanks and Certified Reference Materials (CRM) into the sample stream at random intervals. The targeted rate of insertion was one QA/QC sample for every 16 to 20 samples. Coarse blanks were inserted at a rate of one coarse blank for every 65 samples or approximately 1.5% of the total samples. CRM's were inserted at a rate of one CRM for every 20 samples or approximately 5% of the total samples. The standards utilized include three gold CRM's and one blank CRM that were purchased from Shea Clark Smith Laboratories (MEG) of Reno, Nevada. Expected gold values are 0.188 gpt, 1.107 gpt, 10.188 gpt, and -0.005 gpt, respectively. The coarse blank material comprised of commercially available landscape gravel with an expected gold value of -0.005 gpt. As part of the RC drilling QA/QC process, duplicate samples were collected of every 20th sample interval at the drill rig to evaluate sampling methodology. Samples were collected from the reject splitter on the drill rig cyclone splitter. Samples were collected at each 95- to 100-foot (28.96 - 30.48m) mark and labeled with a "D" suffix on the sample bag. No duplicates were submitted for core. All drill samples were sent to American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Sparks, Nevada, USA for analyses. Delivery to the lab was either by a Lahontan Gold employee or by an AAL driver. Analyses for all RC and core samples consisted of Au analysis using 30-gram fire assay with ICP finish, along with a 36-element geochemistry analysis performed on each sample utilizing two acid digestion ICP-AES method. Tellurium analyses were performed on select drill holes utilizing ICP-MS method. Cyanide leach analyses, using a tumble time of 2 hours and analyzed with ICP-AES method, were performed on select drill holes for Au and Ag recovery. AAL inserts their own blanks, standards and conducts duplicate analyses to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. We have all results reported in grams per tonne (gpt). About Lahontan Gold Corp: Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX.V: LG; OTCQB: LGCXF) is a Canadian mineral exploration company that holds, through its US subsidiaries, three top-tier gold and silver exploration properties in the Walker Lane of mining friendly Nevada. Lahontan's flagship property, the 19 km2 Santa Fe Project, is a past producing gold and silver mine with excellent potential to host significant gold and silver resources (past production of 375,000 ounces of gold and 710,000 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1992; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1996). Modeling of over 110,000 metresof historic drilling, geologic mapping, and geochemical samplingoutline both shallow, oxidizedgold and silvermineralization as well as deeperhigh grade potentialresources. The Company is completing an aggressive 25,000 metre drilling program with the goal of publishing a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant mineral resource estimate in 2022. For more information, please visit our website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com All scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewedand approved by Quentin J. Browne, P.Geo., Consulting Geologist to Lahontan Gold Corp., who is a qualified person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Directors Kimberly Ann Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Lahontan Gold Corp. Kimberly Ann Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Director Phone: 1-530-414-4400 Email: Kimberly.ann@lahontangoldcorp.com Website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com Cautionary Note Regarding 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. Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a varietyof risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com SOURCE: Lahontan Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710553/Lahontan-Drills-1386m-Grading-106-Gpt-Au-Eq-at-Santa-Fe Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Li3 Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LILI) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new name "Li3 Lithium Corp." under the new ticker symbol of "LILI" following its name change from Western Troy Capital Resources Inc. (the "Name Change"), previously under the ticker symbol of "WRY". No action will be required by existing shareholders with respect to the Name Change. Certificates representing common shares of Western Troy Capital Resources Inc. will not be affected by the Name Change and will not need to be exchanged. The Company encourages any shareholder with any questions or concerns to contact the Company or to discuss any of the foregoing with their broker or agent. About Li3 Lithium Corp Li3 Lithium Corp is a lithium focused exploration and project development company that recently acquired a 50% interest in Li3 Resources Inc. ("Li3"). Li3's corporate plan is to acquire an attractive portfolio of highly prospective lithium exploration projects worldwide of which the Mutare Lithium Project is the first. Li3's senior management team have successfully executed similar transactions in the past during their 30+ year history in the mining sector. Zimbabwe - Mutare Lithium Project The Mutare Lithium Project consists of 1,500 hectares of licences within the Mutare Greenstone Belt of Zimbabwe located close to the eastern border with Mozambique. The area was deemed prospective for LCT-type pegmatites based on prior target generation work. Contact Information: Li3 Lithium Corp Stephen Dunn, CEO Tel: 416-361-2827 Email: dunnsteve@protonmail.com www.lithium3.com CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is 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 information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132585 The program is best suited for early-mid career professionals with 2+ years of work experience. Upon program completion, learners will receive a certificate from Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn. The program includes masterclasses delivered by distinguished faculty from the University of Minnesota and industry experts from IBM. The bootcamp will also include career assistance from Simplilearn. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, a global digital skills training provider, announced its partnership with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management for a Bootcamp in Business Analytics . The program will provide a well-planned, high-level understanding of business analytics and the real-world application of analytics across multiple domains. Anyone who has completed their bachelor's degree (in any background) is eligible for this program. The bootcamp is best suited for early-mid career professionals having 2+ years of formal work experience, such as IT professionals, Banking and Finance professionals, Marketing Managers, Supply Chain Network Managers, Analysts, and Consultants. The six-month program will be based on a blended format of online self-learning and live virtual classes. The key features of the program include: Program completion certificate from the Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn Membership to University of Minnesota's Alumni Association Alumni Association Masterclasses delivered by Carlson School of Management faculty and industry experts from IBM Industry-recognized IBM certificates for IBM courses Ask-Me-Anything sessions & hackathons conducted by IBM More than twelve industry-relevant projects Simplilearn career assistance Integrated labs The program curriculum consists of R Programming for Data Science, SQL, Business Analytics with Excel, Data Analytics with Python, Capstone Projects, and other modules. Speaking about the program, Mr. Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearn, said, "In today's business-driven environment, every organization is devising ways to make their decision-making more insightful and impactful. As a result, the role of business analytics continues to grow in importance. Business Analytics provides companies the ability to derive deeper insights and create stronger business recommendations for their own success. Given the industry relevance of the program, we have partnered with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management to curate this Business Analytics Bootcamp that will provide learners an extensive knowledge of the topic and widen growth and professional opportunities." Speaking on the partnership with Simplilearn, Dr. Ravi Bapna, Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Business Analytics and Information Systems at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota said, "Business Analytics can help companies make better, more informed decisions and achieve various goals. Its ability to navigate crises has further increased its importance to the business. Business analytics has certainly changed the dynamics of working in the digital economy and how companies operate." Simplilearn conducts more than 3000 live classes, with an average of 70,000 learners who together spend more than 500,000 hours each month on the platform. Simplilearn's programs allow learners to upskill and get certified in popular domains. In 2020, Simplilearn introduced a free skills development program called SkillUp . SkillUp lets learners explore in-demand topics in top professional and technology fields for free, helping them make the right learning and career decisions. About the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is a recognized leader in business education and research. Established in 1919 and located in Minneapolis, the Carlson School is committed to developing leaders who believe business is a force for good through experiential learning, international education, and the school's strong ties to the dynamic Twin Cities business community. With 13 degree programs that are ranked consistently among the world's best, the school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted both domestically and abroad. Today, the Carlson School has nearly 60,000 alumni in more than 100 countries. About Simplilearn Founded in 2010 and based in San Francisco, California, and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn, a Blackstone company is the world's #1 online Bootcamp provider for digital economy skills training. Simplilearn offers access to world-class work-ready training to individuals and businesses around the world. The Bootcamps are designed and delivered with world-renowned universities, top corporations, and leading industry bodies via live online classes featuring top industry practitioners, sought-after trainers, and global leaders. From college students and early career professionals to managers, executives, small businesses, and big corporations, Simplilearn role-based, skill-focused, industry-recognized, and globally relevant training programs are ideal upskilling solutions for diverse career or/and business goals. For more information, please visit www.simplilearn.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1100016/Simplilearn_Logo.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / FALCON GOLD CORP. (FG:TSX-V), (3FA:GR), (FGLDF:OTCQB); ("Falcon" or the "Company") provides corporate update letter to shareholders in an address from its Chief Executive Officer, Karim Rayani. The Company further reports its AGM is approaching and will be held on August 10th, 2022. Please visit www.sedar.com for further details. Falcon is well positioned for a remarkably busy summer; Falcon has had a successful year in acquiring projects of merit. My focus is and always has been on creating value for shareholders, I am pleased with the progress we have made in a very challenging market environment. Falcon has acquired and currently holds over 140,000 hectares of ground in Central Newfoundland tied on to Major Structures. Putting us in the top 8% for land holders. Most of our assets in Central Newfoundland we control 100% with no property payments or Net Smelter Royalties. This makes us uniquely positioned for greater success as new discoveries are potentially made. On April 18th, 2022, the Financial Post profiled an article on Billionaire Investor Eric Sprott founder of Sprott Asset Management Inc., who is widely known for his success in the gold and silver space. Eric Sprott has made one of his biggest bets on what he believes could be "the greatest gold discovery in the history of Canada." Eric Sprott was an early investor of what became one of the worlds largest gold miners when Kirkland Lake Gold merged with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. A transaction valued at $ 13.5 billion. Sprott has since invested heavily in Central Newfoundland holding over 125.9 million shares of New Found Gold alone, Sprott has invested over $200 million into New Found Gold Corp. bringing his total stake to over 30%. Link to full article: Eric Sprott makes his biggest bet yet on what he believes could be 'the greatest gold discovery in the history of Canada' | Financial Post Crews are currently mobilized on multiple projects in Central Newfoundland, the Company has completed its first phase of exploration at Gander North which included base line prospecting, soil sampling and trenching. The Gander North project covers 10,150 hectares and is 25 kms due east of New Found Gold's Queensway discovery and are directly contiguous to Gander Gold which were previously held by Sassy Resources, which were optioned from Sean Ryan. The Company looks forward to reporting back in the coming weeks on its exploration progress. Expansion into Latin America: Viernes Project Northern Chile December 16, 2021, the Company signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Viernes project. The project is located within a world class cluster with extensive development by Yamana, BHP-Rio Tinto, and Antofagasta Minerals. The property is highly prospective and is adjacent to the epithermal vein-hosted Gold-Silver producing El-Penon mine in which the Viernes may host similar geochemical and structural features. Yamana's latest 43-101 complaint resources and reserves estimates published in March 2021 states total proven and probable mineral reserves of 921,000 ounces of gold and 29.2 million ounces of silver. Barrick Gold in 2015 sold a 50% stake in Zaldivar Mine for a $1.005 Billion in cash forming a partnership with Antofagasta PLC one of the world's leading copper companies. Antofagasta has an outstanding track record of building and operating mines in Chile, the Zaldivar project is approximately 35kms NE of our claims. Since the 1990's this area has produced 30.6 million tons of copper - 57 times the annual Canadian production, 9.2 million Ounces of Gold - 1.5 Times the Canadian production, 129.3 million ounces of Silver - 8.6 times the Canadian annual silver production and has generated multiple discoveries. Plan of Arrangement, SPIN-OUT Latamark Resources Corp. On June 1st, 2022, the Company announced its intent to spin-out its rights, obligations and interest in the Esperanza Gold project located in La Roja Argentina to Falcon's wholly owned subsidiary Latamark Resources Corp. The transaction is being completed by way of a plan of arrangement. Pursuant to the arrangement shareholders of Falcon will be entitled to receive one common share in Latamark for 5.8 shares held in the company as of the effective date of the arrangement. Further details on the transaction will be reported as they become available, with the record date estimated for early September 2022. The Company believes this to be a highly advantageous situation to Falcon shareholders if approved, this further protects the share capitalization, capital expenditures needed allowing Falcon to focus on its Canadian operations while Latamark would focus on new opportunities outside North America. It is the intention of Latamark Resources to raise new capital and seek listing on the TSX Venture Exchange. However, there is no assurance the plan of arrangement will take effect, which is subject to shareholder, court and TSX Venture approvals. Green Metals Acquisitions: On June 6th, 2022, the Company acquired 2 Battery Metal focused projects in Ontario and Quebec. Kamiskotia Gabbroic Complex (KGC) The Ontario project covers 1,940 hectares within the Kamiskotia gabbroic complex (KGC) located 20 kilometres (km) northwest of Timmins, Ont. The KGC is a gabbroic to anorthositic intrusive mafic to ultramafic body that has documented nickel-copper-cobalt (Ni-Cu-Co) mineralization. An outcrop grab sample in 2004 reported 0.44 per cent Ni, 0.64 per cent Cu and 0.033 per cent Co hosted by 10 per cent pyrrhotite. The property lies 40 km southwest of the Crawford Ni-Co project being developed by Canada Nickel. The KGC property shares many similarities to other well-known complexes such as the Bushveld complex (South Africa), the Stillwater complex (United States) and Bell River Dore Lake complexes (Quebec). Outarde Project The Quebec project covers 5,138 hectares located 120 km northwest of Baie-Comeau, Que. The Outarde property contains nickel-copper-cobalt-style mineralization and was last explored by Falconbridge in 1997. The property is located at the folded nose of a gabbro-norite suite of mafic rocks, part of the large anorthositic-gabbro pluton of the De La Blache mafic plutonic suite. The gabbro-norite body occupies the entire length of the property (about 30 km) and has only been intermittently explored. Nickel- and copper-bearing sulphides are generally located in fracture or shear zones. Highlights of the best Ni and Cu assays are 1.28 per cent Ni, 1.38 per cent Cu and 700 ppm Co from a grab sample. The property has not been drilled. Recommended work includes a high-resolution airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey, followed by ground-truthing of detected anomalies. Grab samples are selected samples and not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property. Alex Pleson P.Geo. Legal Dispute The Company is also pleased to report Falcon has settled the lawsuit filed against its former consulting geologist Alex Pleson of Pleson Geoscience. The Company filed the lawsuit on November 23, 2021, for failure to transfer claims he staked on behalf of the company and for failure to report the work performed. The Company has since resolved all issues and the matter is now closed. All outstanding claims have been transferred to Falcon. Qualified Person Greg Robinson, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. About Falcon Gold Corp. Falcon is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on generating, acquiring, and exploring opportunities in the Americas. Falcon's flagship project, the Central Canada Gold Mine, is approximately 20km southeast of Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Gold Deposit which has currently estimated 3.32 million ounces of gold (123.5 million tonnes grading 0.84 g/t gold) mineral reserves, and 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated mineral resources (133.4 million tonnes grading 0.54 g/t gold). The Hammond Reef gold property lies on the Hammond shear zone, which is a northeast-trending splay off the Quetico Fault Zone ("QFZ") and may be the control for the gold deposit. The Central Gold property lies on a similar major northeast-trending splay of the QFZ. The Company holds 14 additional projects: The Esperanza Gold/Silver/Copper mineral concessions located in La Rioja Province, Argentina, The Viernes Gold/Silver/Copper project in Antofagasta Chile, The Springpole West Property in the world-renowned Red Lake mining camp; a 49% interest in the Burton Gold property with Iamgold near Sudbury Ontario; and in B.C., the Spitfire-Sunny Boy, Gaspard Gold claims; and most recently the Great Burnt, Hope Brook, and Baie Verte acquisitions adjacent to First Mining, Matador, Benton-Sokoman's JV, and Marvel Discovery in Central Newfoundland. CONTACT INFORMATION: Falcon Gold Corp. "Karim Rayani" Karim Rayani Chief Executive Officer, Director Telephone: (604) 716-0551 Email: k@r7.capital Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, etc. Forward looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Falcon Gold Corp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710557/Falcon-Corporate-Update-Annual-General-Meeting-Spin-Out The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has selected Vector drones from Quantum-Systems. The delivery in military support for Ukraine's armed forces is being financed by German funds for security capacity building MUNICH, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Munich-based drone manufacturer Quantum-Systems has received an order from Ukraine for the delivery of reconnaissance drones. Part of the ordered drones is already in use in Ukraine. Delivery of the larger part of the ordered quantity is still in the preparation and processing stage and will take place after the training of Ukrainian forces and drone pilots. The details of modalities and logistics will be clarified in close consultation between the partners involved. Training on the use of the Vector reconnaissance drone usually takes no more than four days. For security reasons, no further details on the quantity and timing of the deliveries will be given until the handover has taken place. Florian Seibel, founder and CEO of Quantum-Systems, himself deployed for 16 years with the German Armed Forces, also as an army pilot, on the current situation: "It is important to me to be able to supply the Ukrainian army with a system that supports in the defense of their country. Due to the state of emergency on site and thanks to the support of the German Ministry of Defense, we were able to serve and realize the order from Ukraine very quickly. This applies not only to the financing, but also to the coordination of the training services and the export license. The solidarity with Ukraine and the defense of our common democratic values has led to a much faster procedure than would normally be the case." The high-tech Vector drone meets the Ukrainian Army's requirement profile for aerial reconnaissance. It flies without almost any noise emission and delivers high-resolution video images from the air via an encrypted data link, contributing to an accurate situational awareness. The Vector long-range reconnaissance drone also is equipped with state-of-the-art digital connectivity to communicate in real time with other systems and achieve an increased combat performance for the whole network. - Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) - Press contact: Claudia Steinhoff, csteinhoff@quantum-systems.com , +49 8105 7709 128 Plans to train more than 12,000 employees on various Microsoft technologies by 2024 Larsen Toubro Infotech (BSE: 540005, NSE: LTI), a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has announced the expansion of its collaboration with Microsoft to focus on developing high-value cloud solutions for enterprises. As a part of this multi-year collaboration, LTI has launched a dedicated Microsoft business unit that develops and offers end-to-end digital transformation solutions. Through this association, LTI will also train 12,000 professionals from its existing workforce on various Microsoft technologies by 2024. The main objective of this effort is to enable skill development of LTI employees that are a part of the Microsoft unit and enhance their competencies across technologies like cloud, data, IoT and security. Nachiket Deshpande, Chief Operating Officer, LTI, said, "LTI has a long-standing relationship with Microsoft as a strategic partner, service provider, and customer. Our reaffirmed partnership with Microsoft will enable us to innovate and offer 170+ distinct services to our joint customers. Additionally, we will also focus on the training and upskilling of our talent pool that is a part of the dedicated Microsoft business unit, to empower them to meet changing business and market requirements." Siddharth Bohra, Chief Business Officer Head of Cloud Business Unit, LTI, said, "Enterprises across the globe are increasingly embracing cloud, and LTI has made impressive strides in developing a multi-dimensional capability on Azure to meet this demand. As part of this collaboration, LTI and Microsoft will jointly innovate, develop, and sell solutions to assist enterprises in acceleration of their digital transformation journeys." Julie Sanford, Vice President, Partner GTM, Programs Experiences, Microsoft, said, "Through their new Microsoft Business Unit, LTI will be able to help customers implement cloud strategies and drive business transformation across industries and geographies. We look forward to working with LTI as they build new capabilities and deliver innovative solutions on the Microsoft Cloud." Through this association, LTI will attain the Solution Partner designation across all the Microsoft Solution Areas. LTI also has the following advanced specializations on Azure: SAP on Azure: Validating the capability of implementing SAP solutions on Azure. Analytics on Azure: Demonstrating the expertise in delivering analytics solutions in Microsoft Azure. Windows Server and SQL Server: Expertise in migrating production workloads to Microsoft Azure. Modernization of Web Applications: Validating expertise in migrating and deploying production web application workloads, applying DevOps, and managing app services in Microsoft Azure. Kubernetes on Azure: validating capabilities in deploying and managing production workloads in the cloud using containers and managing hosted Kubernetes environments in Azure. Low Code Application Development: Expertise in building solutions using Power Apps. The Data Warehouse Migration to Microsoft Azure: Validating expertise in analyzing existing workloads and performing ETL operations to migrate data to cloud-based data warehouses. Cloud Security:Validates a means for your company to showcase capabilities to implement comprehensive security solutions across Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. Threat Protection: provides a means for your company to showcase proven, verifiable expertise in deploying Microsoft Threat Protection or Microsoft Cloud App Security workloads. AI and Machine Learning in Microsoft Azure:Validates capabilities on enabling customer adoption of Al and implementing Azure solutions for Al-powered apps. LTI is an Azure Expert MSP Partner which demonstrates deep knowledge, extensive experience, and proven success in implementing specialized workloads such as Migration and Modernization, SAP on Azure, Data Analytics, Internet of things (IoT), Security, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. About LTI LTI (NSE: LTI) is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 495 clients succeed in a converging world. With operations in 33 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation journeys. Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Larsen Toubro Limited, our unique heritage gives us unrivalled real-world expertise to solve the most complex challenges of enterprises across all industries. Each day, our team of more than 46,000 LTItes enable our clients to improve the effectiveness of their business and technology operations and deliver value to their customers, employees, and shareholders. Find more at https://www.lntinfotech.com or follow us at @LTI_Global. Connect with LTI Read our News and Blogs Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn Like us on Facebook Read More: LTI Becomes Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider LTI has Earned the Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005556/en/ Contacts: Shambhavi Revandkar Lead- Media Relations +91 9769509545 shambhavi.revandkar@lntinfotech.com LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading sociologist Stephen Turner explains that social science has moved from a focus on knowledge gained through research to an experiential focus shaped by expertise. Complete with extensive qualitative research and case studies, Nancy Dome'sLet's Talk About Race (and Other Hard Things) shows people how to lean into difficult conversations, how to recognize the role emotions play when they are not in control of them, and how to create a solid foundation for change, progress, healing and resolution. The protocol that is central to her approach helps people feel seen, safe, heard, and valued; supports clearer, more productive communication; empowers compassionate problem solving; and successfully facilitates tough discussions on sensitive topics. It's all about building capacity to open minds and transform communities. as a handbook to teach young people of color how to successfully navigate the world and to cultivate their genius along the way. It will also help guide parents through some critical topics of conversation that affect them and their children. Unjustified by Gahrey Ovalle is intended as a handbook to teach young black people how to navigate the world and how to cultivate their genius along the way. It also guides parents through some critical topics of conversation that affect them and their children. LibraryBub, an industry first, was established in 2015. It is dedicated to making strong, mutual connections between indie and small-press authors and an extensive network of libraries. It works in conjunction with all major libraries. The core commitment of the LibraryBub service is to help librarians to identify acclaimed books from the independent publishing sector. LibraryBub introduces thousands of librarians to bestselling and award-winning books from the independent publishing sector. These books hold immense potential for enhancing the lives of their readers. Acclaimed novelist Ken Follett recalls how he was shaped by library books as a child. "My parents were neither rich nor poor, but they could not afford to buy the number of books that I wanted to consume. I would get a book for my birthday and a book for Christmas and that was nowhere near enough.Less than half a mile from our house, there was a public library and I joined it when I was 7. From then on, for many years, I went to the library once a week and that's where I got all my reading. Of course, everyone who eventually becomes a writer starts out as a voracious reader." Librarians enable writers to make that kind of difference to people's lives, and LibraryBub CEO Alinka Rutkowska considers it a privilege to support them in that role. Below is this month's selection by category. FICTION Literature & Fiction Book of 5 by Richard T. ASIN: B095JHSLKW Dancing the Labyrinth by Karen Martin ISBN: 978-0645192209 Friendship City: Hanging by a Thread by Carl H. Mitchell ISBN: 978-1638854333 Love Poems: Are You the One? by Steve Ryan ISBN: 978-0615937946 Mystery & Thriller Corrupted Souls (Book Three of the Joe Erickson Mystery series) by Lynn-Steven Johanson ISBN: 978-1685121006 Romance Decanted by Linda Sheehan ISBN: 978-1684337033 The Love Hex or Nicest Flings in Mexico by Mike Meier ISBN: 978-1649901910 Young Adult Hart Street and Main by Tabitha Sprunger ISBN: 978-1637529119 NON-FICTION Biographies & Memoirs Delilah and Others like Her by Trish Titus ISBN: 978-1732335219 Business Everyone Is an Entrepreneur: selling economic self-determination in a post-Soviet world by Gregory V. Diehl ISBN: 978-1945884597 Health & Fitness Take Charge of Your Happiness, Bellyfat & Sexiness: a woman's 'rapid reset' for body, mind and hormones by David Musgrave ISBN: 978-0473456405 Politics & Social Sciences Let's Talk about Race (and Other Hard Things) by Nancy A. Dome ISBN: 978-1544524191 Unjustified: Where Have Our Black Leaders Gone? by Gahrey Ovalle ISBN: 978-1736142004 Religion & Spirituality Arise and Shine: morning devotional by Bev Burton ISBN: 978-1775319313 Christianity and the Tribal Societies of North East India by Thomas Kochuthara ISBN: 979-1220104500 The Sin Paradox: the case against Adam, Eve, and the Serpent by D. B. Evans ISBN: 978-1489723239 Self-Help Create Your Calm Waters by Bev Burton ISBN: 978-1775319306 Our Highest Priority: embrace courage, abandon fear by Marva Smith ISBN: 978-1631353925 Share Your Message with the World by Tony Gambone ISBN: 978-0992817381 Children's fantasy writer Neil Holland is impressed with how his books "have had great exposure through LibraryBub", being seen on ABC, CBS and NBC networks as well as being brought to the attention of many librarians. Librarians are asked to sign up for LibraryBub at http://librarybub.com/ Independent publishers should visit http://librarybub.com/authors/ to submit their books for consideration. Media Contact: Maha Energy AB (publ) is pleased to announce the signing of an Agreement with Gulf Drilling LLC ("Gulf")a wholly owned subsidiary of MB Petroleum Services Worldwide, in Muscat, Oman for the drilling of a minimum of six wells, on Block 70, onshore Oman. The Drilling Rig, Gulf Drilling 109 is a 1,000 hp kelly rig and is currently located in Adam, Oman. The rig will now be prepared for the campaign and expected mobilization is in October, 2022. The drilling program will consist of a minimum of six wells on the Mafraq structure. Immediate plans for the Mafraq oilfield include obtaining important reservoir information to assist in developing a full Field Development Plan. Information that will be acquired from two appraisal wells includes, but is not limited to, the Oil Water Contact (OWC), petrophysical and structurall properties, and the identification of possible water disposal zones. Four horizontal pilot production test wells will also be drilled on the structure to ascertain oil productivity. These four wells will be completed with state-of-the-art PCP pumps from Canada and then placed on an extended flow test. About the Mafraq field Maha was successful in securing Block 70, which contains the Mafraq heavy oil discovery, in a 2019 - 2020 bid round. The Mafraq structure is a delineated heavy oil field that was extensively tested by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in 1988 and 1991. The field tested 15,700 barrels of 13 API oil over a period of 24 days using a Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP) from a single well. The test well, MF-5, tested 100% oil for less than a day after which water encroachment stabilized at a 25 - 28% watercut. It is unknown why PDO did not develop the field at the time, but it is likely that prevailing commodity prices (US$ 18 - US$ 20 per bbl) and access to other lower cost opportunities precluded Mafraq as a development option at the time. According to the independent reserve auditor, Chapman Petroleum Engineering Ltd. of Calgary, Canada, the Mafraq field may hold approximately 35 million barrels of recoverable oil (2C + 2P as at 31 December 2021). The OWC has not been penetrated yet which renders possible further upside to these volumes. The Mafraq structure is an East-West fault bounded anticline with the productive interval being at +/- 430 meters below the ground level. The oil flows freely in the reservoir at 51 C and is expected to cold flow to surface in commercial quantities. Miscellaneous The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, 17:30 CET on 2 August, 2022. For more information, please contact: Jonas Lindvall Victoria Berg About Maha Maha Energy AB). The head office is in Stockholm, Sweden with a technical office in Calgary, Canada, as well as operations offices in Grayville, Illinois, USA and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. For more information, please visit our website www.mahaenergy.ca Attachment NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Zion Market Research study, the global color-coated steel market size was worth around USD 23,184.50 million in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 29,505.44 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.10% over the forecast period. Color-Coated Steel Market: Overview Coated steel is steel with a layer of organic or metallic chemicals put \on it to stop rusting. The three primary varieties of coated steel are tinplate, organic (non-metallic), and metallic coated steel. Applications requiring corrosion protection, a beautiful aesthetic, or food safety can benefit from coated steel. Customers who want to protect steel from corrosive environments at a reasonable cost may want to consider coated steel. The zinc coating will sacrifice itself to protect the underlying steel by serving as a barrier between it and the elements. Items with metal coatings are made to withstand harsh environments, extending the useful life of the finished product by protecting the steel from corrosion. Coated steel is the best material for many building uses, especially walls and roofs because it also offers good corrosion resistance. Coated steel can be roll-formed, pressed, punched, and connected to many structural and adorning components for various purposes. Food packaging applications, such as food cans and beverages, have seen tremendous growth in recent years, particularly in the Asia Pacific, due to shifting regional demographics, such as houses that are getting smaller in conjunction with the young generation's adoption of a fast-paced lifestyle. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/color-coated-steel-market Our Free Sample Report Includes: 2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included 166 + Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research) Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request 2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends Includes an Updated List of tables & figures Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research methodology Key Industry Insights & Findings of the Color-Coated Steel Market Reports: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Color-Coated Steel Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 4.10 % (2022-2028). (2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Color-Coated Steel Market was valued at approximately USD 23184.50 million in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly USD 29505.44 million by 2028. million in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly million by 2028. The growing population and rising demand for infrastructure in nations like China , India , Japan , and South Korea , Asia Pacific is predicted to have a substantial CAGR in the global color-coated steel market during the forecast period. , , , and , is predicted to have a substantial CAGR in the global color-coated steel market during the forecast period. the significant presence of manufacturers in the area and the quick expansion of numerous end-use industries, the region is experiencing tremendous growth in office space, retail establishments, and public safety construction activities, which fuels the Asia Pacific market. market. Europe has a sizeable portion of the market due to the region's increased emphasis on infrastructure development and construction activities in Germany , the United Kingdom , and Russia during the forecast period. has a sizeable portion of the market due to the region's increased emphasis on infrastructure development and construction activities in , the , and during the forecast period. The market is being hampered by the tariffs that the U.S. government has imposed on most nations, including Canada , the European Union, India , and Mexico , for the trade of steel and aluminum. Zion Market Research published the latest report titled "Color-Coated Steel Market By Type (Metallic Coated Steel, Organic Coated Steel, and Tinplate), By Application (Building & Construction, Appliances, Automotive, and Others) and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2022 - 2028." into their research database. Industry Dynamics: Color-Coated Steel Market: Growth Drivers A rise in electric vehicle sales is driving the demand for color-coated steel. One of the key factors propelling the growth of the global color-coated steel market is the rising demand for electric vehicles around the globe. The exteriors of electric cars frequently feature pre-painted galvanized steel. Additionally, the IEA (International Energy Association) reports that the global market for electric vehicles will reach 2.94 million units in 2020, up 40% from the previous year. The body of electric vehicles forms the entire vehicle construction and is coated steel. On the body of the electric automobile, ready-made coated steel is a cost-effective material. The market for color-coated steel is now experiencing significant demand from the electric vehicle sector. Color-Coated Steel Market: Restraints Stringent regulatory framework imposed by the government to restrict market growth The market is being hampered by the tariffs that the U.S. government has imposed on most nations, including Canada, the European Union, India, and Mexico, for the trade of steel and aluminum. In addition, the U.S. government has imposed tariffs on imported goods from China, including steel, which is hurting the steel industry. Transporting color-coated steel from one location to another necessitates vertical packaging and uploading & unloading. To prevent relative product movement or rolling during transportation and damage to the color-coated steel, the product must be fastened firmly in the truck or other vehicle. Additionally, the market is being constrained by high transportation costs to the manufacturers brought on by ongoing fuel price hikes. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/color-coated-steel-market Color-Coated Steel Market: Opportunities Growing adoption of environment-friendly products to create growth prospects for market. Environmentally friendly items are becoming more widely used, and steel production produces less CO2 than previous generations. Because non-ferrous metals like zinc and copper can contaminate soil and are quickly absorbed into the ground by rain, various governments around the world forbid their use. Steel sheets with colored coatings are recycled, melted, or processed to create different roofing materials. Because of this, the steel sheet or coil is completely eco-friendly. Steel is generally preferred in construction because it can be efficiently utilized again. Additionally, the global color-coated steel market is being opened up by investments in eco-friendly, efficient engineering projects, and increased funding for sustainable living. Color-Coated Steel Market: Challenges The availability of inexpensive substitutes is impeding the expansion of market. The affordability of low-cost alternatives like aluminum and galvanized aluminum is a significant obstacle to expanding the global color-coated steel market. Galvanized aluminum products provide many benefits over coated steel items, including being lighter, more accessible, and more inexpensive. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that compared to November 2020, aluminum output grew by 16 percent to 77,000 metric tonnes in December 2020. Global Color-Coated Steel Market: Segmentation The type, application, and region categories are used to segment the global color-coated steel market. Tinplate, organically coated steel, and metallically coated steel make up the three varieties of the market based on type. In 2021, the metallic coated sector had the biggest market share in the coated steel industry. The metals are coated through various procedures, including hot-dip galvanization and the annealing of steel sheets. Metallic steel coat offers great defense for metal surfaces against oxidation, corrosion, and other forms of obsolesce. One of the main reasons metallic coating is chosen over other types of coating, such as organic coating and tin coating, is that it also offers the benefit of quick assembly and disassembly. The demand for metallic coated steel in the color-coated steel industry is primarily driven by it. Automotive, appliances, building & construction, and other industries are included in the application-based area. The building & construction industry held the largest share in the color-coated steel market. The demand for coated steel goods like pipe and tubular is primarily driven by the rise in construction activity worldwide. The World Bank projects that the cost of spending in the construction industry will reach US$11.9 trillion by 2023, an increase of 4.2 percent over the previous year's cost. This major factor driving the building and construction industry's need for coated steel. Get More Insight before Buying@: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/color-coated-steel-market List of Key Players in Color-Coated Steel Market: ArcelorMittal Essar Steel POSCO Voestalpine AG JFE Steel Corporation Nippon Steel Corporation OJSC Novolipetsk Steel Baosteel Group SSAB AB Severstal JSW ChinaSteel Kobe Steel Ltd. Nucor Tata Steel . Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Color-Coated Steel Market? What are the key driving factors propelling the Color-Coated Steel Market forward? What are the most important companies in the Color-Coated Steel Market Industry? What segments does the Color-Coated Steel Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the Color-Coated Steel Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 23184.50 Million Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 29505.44 Million Growth Rate CAGR of almost 4.10 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 - 2021 Forecast Years 2022 - 2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, And By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered ArcelorMittal, Essar Steel, POSCO, Voestalpine AG, JFE Steel Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, OJSC Novolipetsk Steel, Baosteel Group, SSAB AB, Severstal, JSW, ChinaSteel, Kobe Steel Ltd., Nucor, and Tata Steel. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/7019 Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/color-coated-steel-market Recent Developments To introduce their new premium color coated steel product lines, "KALASH" and "KALASH GOLD," ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corporation formed a joint venture in March 2021 . . Tata Steel launched two new coated product names in June 2020 in partnership with ECAs: GalvaRoS and Colornova (Emerging Corporate Accounts). These products were released to satisfy the ECAs' expanding needs (Emerging Corporate Accounts). Regional Dominance: Asia Pacific dominated the color-coated steel market in 2021. Due to the growing population and rising demand for infrastructure in nations like China, India, Japan, and South Korea, Asia Pacific is predicted to have a substantial CAGR in the global color-coated steel market during the forecast period. Due to the significant presence of manufacturers in the area and the quick expansion of numerous end-use industries, the region is experiencing tremendous growth in office space, retail establishments, and public safety construction activities, which fuels the Asia Pacific market. Europe has a sizeable portion of the market due to the region's increased emphasis on infrastructure development and construction activities in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Russia during the forecast period. Pre-painted metal is created by continuously applying a paint coating to strip metals, such as steel and aluminum, and was initially utilized in Europe, where it is anticipated that demand for color-coated steel will increase. Further, in the markets like Latin America and the Middle East & Africa witnessed consistent growth. The market is anticipated to be stimulated by the increasing use of color-coated steel in various regional industries. Global Color-Coated Steel Market is segmented as follows: Color-Coated Steel Market: By Type Outlook (2022-2028) Metallic Coated Steel Organic Coated Steel Tinplate Color-Coated Steel Market: By Application Outlook (2022-2028) Building & Construction Appliances Automotive Others Color-Coated Steel Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release For Color-Coated Steel Market: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-color-coated-steel-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Zion Market Research Alunite Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global alunite market is anticipated to attain a value of USD $3.95 billion by the year 2028 growing at a CAGR value of 3.4%. The global alunite market is anticipated to attain a value of USD by the year 2028 growing at a CAGR value of 3.4%. Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Materials Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global extruded polystyrene insulation materials market was worth around USD 5.86 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 7.98 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.9 percent over the forecast period. The global extruded polystyrene insulation materials market was worth around in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.9 percent over the forecast period. Terrazzo Flooring Market - Global Industry Analysis: The global terrazzo flooring market was valued at around $26372 million in 2021 and is projected to reach $4077.7 million by 2028 with a healthy CAGR of 5% over the forecast years. Browse through Zion Market Research's coverage of the Global Chemical & Materials Industry Follow Us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook About Us Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, and company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to us-after all-if you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Contact Us: Zion Market Research 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite N202 New York, 10001, United States Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.com Website: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/ Blog: https://techpru.com/ http://thehealthypandas.com/ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1605489/Zion_Market_Research_Logo.jpg Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares For immediate release 2 August 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 846.90 pence 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 5,243,411; 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 219,747,892. The figure of 219,747,892 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 United States authorities revealed that the number of Kentucky Flood deaths has risen to 35 and more victims are expected to be found as hundreds of residents remain missing. On Monday, the death toll from last week's devastating flood rose to 37 after another round of severe storms threaten to bring further rainfall, high winds, and flash flooding to Kentucky residents who are still trying to find their footing. Kentucky Flooding Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during a Monday morning news conference that five days after the beginning of the flooding, a minimum of "hundreds" of people remain unaccounted for in the state. The death toll in the area is still expected to rise as search efforts continue this week. In a video posted on Twitter, the Kentucky governor said that more rain, as well as the possibility of isolated flooding and damaging wind, is expected into Monday afternoon. The official encouraged residents to stay away from flooded areas and take shelter on higher ground, as per USA Today. Beshear said that their goal moving into tonight is that everybody gets a safe place to stay in and sleep. He noted that they did not want to have to search for any people that are already in a safe area. The situation comes as a Kentucky man was able to rescue five children and two of his former teachers from their flooded homes after receiving a message asking for help. Nathan Day was getting ready for work on Thursday morning when he received a message from a neighbor. Read Also: Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit: China Warns Military "Won't Sit By Idly" Amid Political Threat They asked him to save their grandchildren from the rising floodwaters that were threatening their lives. The former coal miner who lives in Hindman, Knott County, said that he was unaware of what was happening in the region until he received the message saying that children needed help getting out of their house. According to CNN, Day and his wife, Krystal, had no boat, which forced them to wade through the water to help save the five children and two mothers who were stuck on the roof of their home. After the incident, the couple set their sights on rescuing Day's former high school English teacher, Ella Prayer, and his second-grade teacher, Irma Gayheart, who both lived nearby. Dangerous Rainfall Day said that he was pacing back and forth because he saw that the water was rising and knew that his two former teachers were probably trapped inside their homes. He then asked for help from three other neighbors to help check on his teachers, who both live alone. The director of the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University, Megan Schargorodski, said that the biggest danger that came with the flooding in the region is that most of the rain happened very quickly, very heavily, and overnight. Furthermore, the geography of the region contributed to the devastation, with Appalachia's complex terrain causing waterways and low-lying areas to quickly become inundated. Schargorodski noted that many routes get blocked due to flood waters and it can sometimes actually be more dangerous to evacuate, NBC News reported. Related Article: Georgia University Professor Fatally Shoots Incoming Freshman While Sitting in Her Car @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Local Manufacturer Donates $2,500 to The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc. FORT MYERS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Local cannabinoid manufacturer and retail brand, Creating Better Days, is on a mission to give back to its community! As a part of its Kindness Program which exists to support different organizations championing great causes throughout the year, the company donated $2,500 to The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc. this August. In doing so, the aim is to keep educational resources accessible to students and teachers in need. The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc. was established in 1986 by a group of business and community leaders. These residents sought to improve the public education system because they understood the correlation between quality academics and a strong economy. With their sights set on a brighter future, organization members work tirelessly - even now after three decades - to raise funds and get supplies for underserved students and teachers. Today, the non-profit offers services like summer programs, mentorships and other great programs as well. This commitment, coupled with its financial transparency, makes it easy to see why the foundation ranks highly on Charity Navigator. A visit to the foundation's Education Resource Center (ERC). Along with providing one large donation, Creating Better Days has a Back to School sales event happening from August 1st until the 12th. With 25-percent off site-wide, the company hopes to give parents, teachers and college students access to premium CBD products that can help keep stress at bay and regulate a proper sleep schedule for an affordable price. Best of all, shoppers will have the opportunity to donate to The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc. on the site during this campaign. In this way, Creating Better Days facilitates a shopping experience that benefits people and their communities in more ways than one. About Nature's Way - Creating Better Days: Since being founded in 2015, Creating Better Days has grown substantially. One reason for its rising popularity in the market is because all of its products are made in-house by experts at a modern facility which ensures better quality control and consistency. Another reason consumers choose the brand over others is because of its continued dedication to charitable work with organizations including but not limited to the Gulf Coast Humane Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Toys for Tots, Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge, Second Harvest Food Bank and more. The combination of outstanding products and great people is what makes Creating Better Days a brand to love. 1-800-215-0223 | www.creatingbetterdays.com info@creatingbetterdays.com SOURCE: Creating Better Days View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710203/Creating-Better-Days-Supports-Academic-Accessibility-in-Lee-County-Florida WINNIPEG, MB / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / FP NEWSPAPERS INC. (TSXV:FP) ("FPI") FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership (FPLP) is pleased to announce a major new investment in press production capacity in Winnipeg. FPLP has signed agreements with Machinery Solutions Group Inc. to acquire assets from a production facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, which until recently printed the New York Daily News. The equipment includes a KBA Commander CT Press System and Ferag mailroom equipment as well as additional machinery to enable and enhance the capacity of the press equipment. All of the equipment will be moved to Winnipeg over the next several months and installed at the production facility located at 1355 Mountain Avenue. It is expected to be operational in 2023. The new equipment will result in significant efficiencies that will reduce FPLP's production costs. It will also dramatically expand web printing capacity at the Winnipeg facility, which will be able to perform a wide variety of commercial printing jobs. The total approximate cost of the initiative is $10 million. It will be financed in part from an amended credit facility with HSBC, which holds FPLP's long-term debt. "This is a major vote of confidence in our future," said Bob Silver, chairman. "It will position us to print our newspapers at lower costs and to grow our commercial business as a Manitoba-based printer of high-quality publications." Existing press equipment in Winnipeg will continue operating, producing the Winnipeg Free Press and other publications, until the KBA press is fully operational. At that time, it will be decommissioned. FPLP owns and operates the Winnipeg Free Press, along with several other Manitoba-based news and media publications that are available in both print and digital formats. The informative and engaging content we produce has an extensive reach throughout the province of Manitoba. The breadth of our reach provides compelling platforms for those looking to effectively reach a Manitoba audience. FP Newspapers Inc. owns securities entitling it to 49% of the distributable cash flow of FPLP. For further information please contact: Ryan Kolaski, CFO FP NEWSPAPERS INC. Phone 204-771-1897 SOURCE: FP Newspapers Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710570/FP-Newspapers-Inc-Announces-A-Major-Investment-In-Equipment London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Livesilver, the UK-based Legal Tech consultancy company, has launched its new I~Quantum Metaverse Justice VR project to modernize the legal industry. The new Virtual Reality platform makes it possible for people to attend hearings without needing to travel to court in person. As the world has embraced the idea of remote working being the new normal during the pandemic, Livesilver is setting out to extend this to the legal industry. It is hoping to enable people that remain worried about catching COVID or that are simply unable to travel to attend court hearings from the comfort of their homes. Crime in the modern world continues to become less location-based, due to the increase in cyber-attacks during the pandemic, for instance, and this can lead to great complexities in terms of jurisdiction and extradition. Livesilver's I~Quantum Metaverse Justice VR project is looking to simplify the entire process and move into line with the increasingly intangible and cross-country nature of crime today. Senior officials from Livesilver's team underline that the company's newly unveiled facility for attending court through the metaverse seeks to bring the legal industry into the modern, post-COVID era. During the pandemic, the use of remote court hearings were shown to be effective, with 93% of legal representatives responding positively about them and emphasizing that they felt these were an acceptable alternative to in-person trials. Furthermore, more than half of judges surveyed reported that they thought remote hearings were successful in creating an environment comparable to real-life hearings. The CEO and Founder of Livesilver, Anthony Silver, concludes, "Some argue that the legal industry has historically been slow to embrace change. At Livesilver, we're aiming to ensure that this is no longer the case. Our unique I~Quantum Metaverse Justice VR project is the latest step towards our overarching objective of modernizing the industry and improving the ease with which people can access justice." Livesilver is a UK-based firm offering consultancy for clients in need of Legal Tech services. Within its umbrella, the company oversees projects such as MetaverseJusticeVR, Livesilver Britannia Group and RoboAdvisor. Media Contact: Name: Anthony Silver Email: info@livesilver.net To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132610 The Carpenters' Line uncovers the art of master woodworking from the densely forested Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. uncovers the art of master woodworking from the densely forested Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. The title refers to both the lineage of woodworking in Hida and a sumi-tsubo - a carpenters' line - a fundamental Japanese carpentry tool used for marking straight lines on wood. a carpenters' line a fundamental Japanese carpentry tool used for marking straight lines on wood. Starting with the wood itself, the free exhibition also explores tools, techniques and products synonymous with Hida's woodworking heritage. 1,300 years of woodworking history are conveyed through exhibits ranging from works by historical wood carvers to interactive examples of joinery typical of Japan as well as contemporary chair design with international influences. as well as contemporary chair design with international influences. Also highlighted is the historical role of highly skilled craftspeople from Hida in building the shrines and temples of historical capitals, often in lieu of paying tax. Press Preview 28 September; book your place by emailing press.office@japanhouselondon.uk Press images available at the Japan House London Media Centre Exhibition runs from 29 September 2022 to 29 January 2023. LONDON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Japan House London presents The Carpenters' Line: Woodworking Heritage in Hida Takayama, an exhibition exploring the art of master woodworking from Japan's well-known woodworking region. The exhibition celebrates the essence of Japanese craftsmanship through the story of an enduring woodworking heritage cultivated in the densely forested Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan. From the raw materials of the Hida forests and the tools developed to work them, to the involvement of Hida craftsmanship in global furniture design of today, visitors to the exhibition will be immersed in extraordinary craftworking legacy. The city of Takayama in Gifu Prefecture has maintained a vibrant woodworking tradition for over 1,300 years, developing in that time an international reputation for its highly skilled carpenters. First recorded in the eighth century CE, the woodworking skills of these craftspeople were provided to the imperial capital in place of taxation, such was the importance placed upon the carpentry techniques originating in Hida. It was the extraordinary skill of these Hida craftspeople that built many of the famous shrines and temples still seen in the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto today. Today, the practice of woodworking still thrives in Hida, with internationally renowned workshops well known for their collaborations with international designers, the results of which can be seen in museum collections across the globe. Visitors to The Carpenters' Line encounter a series of installations demonstrating the legacy of skill and innovation that runs as a continuous strand through Hida's woodworking history, including: Woodcraft techniques and materials: From ichii itt o -bori , or sculptures carved from Japanese yew and mageki (wood bending), a vital element of contemporary furniture making, to latticework and masterful joining techniques, The Carpenters' Line highlights the materials and techniques from this region Technology and Innovation: The Carpenters' Line will shine a spotlight on where centuries of tradition meet new technology, maintaining working lifestyles while adapting to new methods of manufacture. Hida boasts a design legacy of excellence that continues to this day as exemplified by makers such as celebrated furniture manufacturer Hida Sangyo. From , or sculptures carved from Japanese yew and (wood bending), a vital element of contemporary furniture making, to latticework and masterful joining techniques, highlights the materials and techniques from this region will shine a spotlight on where centuries of tradition meet new technology, maintaining working lifestyles while adapting to new methods of manufacture. Hida boasts a design legacy of excellence that continues to this day as exemplified by makers such as celebrated furniture manufacturer Hida Sangyo. Products: For hundreds of years, products from Hida have embodied beauty and utility both in Japan and more recently further afield. Visitors to The Carpenters' Line can admire delicate Hida-shunkei lacquerware, intricate kumiko latticework, and the culmination of several craft techniques in an example of a yatai. Yatai are large, ornate festival floats that are paraded around the town the spectacular Takayama Festival, which takes place twice a year in spring and autumn. For hundreds of years, products from Hida have embodied beauty and utility both in and more recently further afield. Visitors to can admire delicate lacquerware, intricate latticework, and the culmination of several craft techniques in an example of a are large, ornate festival floats that are paraded around the town the spectacular Takayama Festival, which takes place twice a year in spring and autumn. People: As the exhibition title suggests, the craftspeople of Hida are at the heart of The Carpenters' Line. This exhibition shines a spotlight on the skills and lives of those people whose livelihoods have depended, and still depend, on working with the natural materials of their local environment. Visitors can connect with the people aurally by listening to the stirring medeta, a celebratory song sung by residents of the Hida region, as well as through soundscapes that allow the visitor to inhabit the world of the craftspeople. Simon Wright, Director of Programming, Japan House London said: "The fabled woodworking tradition of the Hida region of Japan - Hida no Takumi - continues to inform the present and future of industry and design in the area. The densely forested mountains which surround the city of Takayama have for generations continuously provided the gifts of nature which have helped maintain the livelihoods of its inhabitants. This heritage is a constant thread throughout the history of this region providing a respected woodworking lineage and our story for TheCarpenters' Line." The Carpenters' Line runs from Thursday 29 September to Sunday 29 January 2023. Admission is free and booking is recommended. Visit the Japan House London website to book. A series of themed events and workshops will also accompany the exhibition, further details to be announced in the coming weeks. Please visit the website for more information. Press images: Japan House London Media Centre Notes to Editors About Hida Hida is a region of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan, consisting of three cities and one village: Takayama city, Hida city, Gero city, and Shirakawa village. Shirakawa is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its steep, thatched-rooved gassho-zukuri style of buildings. Surrounded by the rich nature of the northern Alps, including dense forests and 3000m high mountains, Hida is home not only to a long woodworking heritage, but also to mixture of cultures originating in Edo (present day Tokyo) and Kyoto, Japan's old capital. The streets of Takayama City remain largely unchanged since the end of the 19th century, offering visitors the opportunity to experience the architecture of a bygone era. About Japan House London Japan House London is a cultural destination offering guests the opportunity to experience the best and latest from Japan. Located on London'sKensington High Street, the experience is an authentic encounter with Japan, engaging and surprising even the most knowledgeable guests. Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology, it deepens the visitor's appreciation of all that Japan has to offer. Part of a global initiative led by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are two other Japan Houses, one in Los Angeles and the other in Sao Paulo. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1871080/Japan_House_London.jpg VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Freedom Battery Metals Inc. ("Freedom" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's common shares (the "Shares") have been conditionally approved for listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and that trading of the Shares is expected to commence at market open on August 3, 2022. The Shares will trade under the symbol "FBAT" and the ISIN and CUSIP numbers of the Shares are, respectively, CA35634R1001 and 35634R100. The Company also announces that it has obtained a receipt for its final long form prospectus dated July 25, 2022 (the "Prospectus") from the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Alberta Securities Commission, the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan and the Ontario Securities Commission. The Prospectus qualifies the distribution of the 2,945,666 Shares and 2,945,666 Share purchase warrants of the Company that were distributed, without additional payment, upon the deemed exercise of the Company's previously outstanding 2,945,666 special warrants. A copy of the Prospectus is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com. About Freedom Battery Metals Inc. Freedom Battery Metals (CSE:FBAT) is a mineral exploration based in British Columbia. Its objective is to locate and, if warranted, develop economic mineral properties in the battery metals space. The Company is working to advance its ZigZag Lake Lithium Property, located in Thunder Bay Mining Division, Crescent Lake Area, Ontario, Canada. On Behalf of the Board of Directors David Jason Bowen Chief Executive Officer and Director 778 858 9639 Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the date on which the Shares are expected to begin trading on the CSE are "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Freedom Battery Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710606/Freedom-Battery-Metals-to-Begin-Trading-on-the-Canadian-Securities-Exchange-Under-the-Symbol-FBAT-on-August-3-2022 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Even as the US Justice Department tries to convince a federal judge that the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster would be harmful to the careers of some of the most popular authors, the Justice Department is putting all weightage on on the testimony of a writer who has been around like few others like Stephen King. The author of best-sellers like Carrie, The Shining and many others, King has willingly and surprisingly placed himself in opposition to Simon & Schuster, his long-time publisher. He was not chosen by the government just for his fame, but for his public criticism of the $2.2 billion deal announced in late 2021, joining two of the world's biggest publishers into what rival CEO Michael Pietsch of Hachette Book Group has called a 'gigantically prominent' entity. 'The more the publishers consolidate, the harder it is for indie publishers to survive,' King tweeted last year. One of the few widely recognizable authors, known for his modest-sized glasses and gaunt features, King is expected to take the witness stand on Tuesday, the second day of a federal antitrust trial anticipated last two to three weeks. He may not have the business knowledge of Pietsch, the DOJ's first witness, but he has been a published novelist for nearly 50 years and knows well how much the industry has changed: Some of his own former publishers were acquired by larger companies. 'Carrie,' for instance, was published by Doubleday, which in 2009 merged with Knopf Publishing Group, and now is part of Penguin Random House. King's affinity for smaller publishers is personal. Even while continuing to publish with the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner, he has written thrillers for the independent Hard Case Crime. Years ago, the publisher asked him to contribute a blurb, but King instead offered to write a novel for them, 'The Colorado Kid,' released in 2005. King himself would likely benefit from the Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster deal, but he has a history of favoring other priorities beyond his material well-being. He has long been a critic of tax cuts for the rich, even as 'the rich' surely includes Stephen King, and has openly called for the government to raise his taxes. On Monday, attorneys for the two sides put forward contrasting views of the book industry. Government attorney John Read invoked a dangerously narrow market, ruled tightly by the 'Big Five' - Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishing, Macmillan and Hachette - with little chance for smaller or start-up publishers to break through. Attorney Daniel Petrocelli argued for the defense said that the industry was actually diverse, profitable and open to newcomers. Publishing means not just the Big Five, but also medium-size companies. The merger, he contended, would in no way upend the ambitions so many hold for literary success. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de NAPOLEONVILLE, LA / ACCESSWIRE/ August 2, 2022 / Impact Fusion International Inc. (OTC PINK:IFUS) today announced that it has paid the taxes due on their property located at 204 Highway 1011 Napoleonville, LA 70390. Impact Fusion's 62 acre property is home to their Supreme Gold Plus brand production plant. The Company's proprietary Nutri-Mastic component is infused into the sugar cane waste fiber, known as Bagasse, and creates a cattle feed supplement that is unique in the world. Our product has been widely accepted by ranchers in Mississippi, Texas and Georgia. To the best of the Company's knowledge, Impact Fusion has the only plant of its kind in the world. www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2021/12/29/ifus-cattle-turning-bagasse-trash-into-a-cash-cow/ The Company continues to be committed to helping address the lack of quality animal feed for ranchers throughout the United States. The feed shortages are a direct result of the 10-year drought, wildfires, and the unavailability of fertilizer for this growing season due to the conflict in Ukraine. As a consequence of these conditions, ranchers, both cattle and horse, who are unable to secure quality feed for their herds or any feed at all, are being forced to slaughter them. www.progressivecattle.com/news/market-reports/drought-conditions-pull-cattle-forward-in-2022-limited-cattle-supplies-draw-down-2023-production/ Impact Fusion is working to fill the backlog of orders from ranchers, most notably in the hardest drought -stricken areas of the American Southwest. Our customers have an option to travel to the plant in Napoleonville to pick up their bagasse or they can opt to have the Supreme Gold Plus brand with our proprietary Nutri-mastic ,whether bailed or loose, shipped directly to their ranches or feedlots. All orders are always COD. The plant has a capacity of producing 35 bales per hour weighing 2200 lbs each, with the ability of increasing production exponentially as needed. Marc Walther/CEO About Impact Fusion International Inc. Impact Fusion International, Inc. is in the business of marketing products in the "Health and Wellness" sector of all international markets. It is the company mission to invent, develop and market these proprietary products worldwide for the health and well-being of humans and animals. The information contained in this release includes some statement that are not purely historical and that are "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our and their managements expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including our financial condition, results of operations. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates", "believes", "continue", "could", "estimates", "expects", "intends", "may", "might", "plans", "possible", "potential", "predicts", "projects", "seeks", "should", "would" and similar expressions, or the negatives of such terms, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and the potential effects on the parties and the corporate and administrative transactions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and represent our management; beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Updates can be found at the official Impact Fusion Twitter account @impactfusionl Contact: Impact Fusion International Inc. 204 Highway 1011 Napoleonville LA 70390 1-800-775-4130 Email: impactfusionintl@gmail.com http://www.impactfusionbrands.com/brands http://www.impactfusionint.com Twitter: @impactfusionl SOURCE: Impact Fusion International Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/710625/Impact-Fusion-International-Inc-Pays-its-Outstanding-Taxes-for-its-Property-in-Napoleonville-LA CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - New Zealand will on Wednesday release Q2 figures for unemployment, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The jobless rate is expected to come in at 3.1 percent, down from 3.2 percent in the previous three months - while the employment change is seen higher by 0.4 percent on quarter after rising 0.1 percent in Q1. Australia will provide June figures for retail sales and July results for the Performance of Construction Index from AiG. In May, sales were up 0.9 percent on month - while the construction index score was 46.2 in June. Australia also will see July results for its services and composite indexes from S&P Global; in June, the scores for both were 52.6. Japan also will see July results for its services and composite indexes from Jibun bank; in June, their scores were 54.0 and 53.0, respectively. China also will see July results for its services and composite indexes from Caixin; in June, their scores were 54.5 and 55.3, respectively. Hong Kong and Singapore will see July results for their private sector PMIs from S&P Global; in June, their scores were 52.4 and 57.5, respectively. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Heliostar Metals Limited (TSXV: HSTR) (OTCQX: HSTXF) (FSE: RGG1) ("Heliostar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated June 23, 2022 it has closed its non-brokered private placement offering (the "Offering"). 12,020,000 units (each a "Unit") of the Company were issued at a price of $0.25 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of $3,005,000. About the Private Placement Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall initially entitle the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 per Common Share until the date (the "Transition Date") that is six months following the Closing Date. On the Transition Date, each outstanding Warrant shall automatically (without any need for notice or action) convert into a half-warrant (each, a "Half-Warrant") and thereafter the holder will only be entitled to purchase one Common Share upon the exercise of two Half-Warrants at an aggregate exercise price of $0.75 per Common Share. The Half-Warrants will expire eighteen months after the Transition Date. In the Offering, the Company paid finders fees to three qualified finders, consisting of an aggregate amount of $14,700 in cash and 58,800 non-transferable broker warrants ("Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant is exercisable into one Share (each a "Broker Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.50 per Common Share until the Transition Date. On the Transition Date, each outstanding Warrant shall automatically (without any need for notice or action) convert into a Half-Warrant and thereafter the holder will only be entitled to purchase one Common Share upon the exercise of two Half-Warrants at an aggregate exercise price of $0.75 per Common Share. The Half-Warrants will expire eighteen months after the Transition Date. The Shares, any Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of any of the Warrants and any Broker Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of any of the Broker Warrants are subject to a four month and one-day restricted resale period expiring December 3, 2022 in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and securities laws applicable in Canada. In addition to Canadian resale restrictions, any of the securities sold to investors from other jurisdictions may be subject to additional resale restrictions, including those of the federal laws of the United States of America and any State or territory thereof. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance its Alaskan and Mexican projects, focusing primarily on a proposed drill program at Unga, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes. Geologic Resource Partners LLC, a company wholly owned and controlled by George Ireland, a director, purchased 400,000 Units in the Offering, and the Offering is therefore considered to be a "related party transaction", as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101, Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 of the TSX Venture Exchange, which require that the Company, in the absence of exemptions, obtain a formal valuation for, and minority shareholder approval of, the related party transaction. However, the Offering is exempt: (i) from the formal valuation requirement of MI 61-101 (and Policy 5.9) pursuant to the exemption contained in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 as none of the Company's securities are listed on any of the markets specified in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101, and (ii) from the shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 (and Policy 5.9) pursuant to the exemption contained in section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 because the fair market value of the securities sold to related parties in the Offering did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. None of the securities to be issued in the Offering have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. About Heliostar Metals Ltd. Heliostar is a junior exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in Alaska and Mexico. The company's flagship asset is the 100% controlled Unga Gold Project on Unga and Popof Islands in Alaska. The project hosts an intermediate sulfidation epithermal gold deposit, located within the district-scale property that encompasses 240km2 across the two islands. Additional targets on the property include porphyry, high sulphidation and intermediate sulphidation epithermal veins. On Unga Island, priority targets include: the SH-1 and Aquila, both on the Shumagin Trend, the former Apollo-Sitka mine, which was Alaska's first underground gold mine and the Zachary Bay porphyry gold-copper prospect. Gold mineralization at the Centennial Zone is located on neighbouring Popof Island within four kilometres of infrastructure and services at Sand Point. In Mexico, the company owns 100% of three early stage epithermal projects in Sonora that are highly prospective for gold and silver. Cumaro forms part of the El Picacho district, while the Oso Negro and La Lola projects are also prospective for epithermal gold-silver mineralization. For additional information please contact: Charles Funk Chief Executive Officer Heliostar Metals Limited Email: charles.funk@heliostarmetals.com Rob Grey Investor Relations Manager Heliostar Metals Limited Email: rob.grey@heliostarmetals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include Heliostar's planned use of proceeds.. Although Heliostar believes that 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 may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, weather, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132649 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Ambari Brands Inc. (CSE: AMB) ("Ambari" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with MIC Market Information & Content Publishing GmbH ("MIC") for marketing services for an initial term of six months, commencing in August 2022. MIC has been engaged by the Company to heighten market and brand awareness for Ambari and to broaden the Company's reach within the investment community through various online platforms and methods of engagement. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, the Company will pay a fee of EUR 250,000 for the initial marketing campaign. About Ambari Ambari Brands is a luxury skincare and consumer brand company that, through its main subsidiary, Ambari Beauty, has developed a line of products based on its proprietary "Modern Blend", and through which it intends to expand by acquiring brands that have a promising future and positive revenues. Ambari's products are carried in the world's largest retailers and sold direct-to-consumer through its own ecommerce platform. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Nisha Grewal CEO, Corporate Secretary and Director inquiries@ambaribrands.com +1 (424) 284-4022 Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws with respect to the Company. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions and in this news release include statements respecting the Company's engagement of MIC and the services provided thereunder. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release including, without limitation, the risk factors described in the Company's final long form prospectus dated July 13, 2022. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132652 A lawmaker from Russia stated that the Kremlin would take Belgrade's side if NATO insisted on igniting a conflict by siding with Kosovan forces. Given the potential for an armed confrontation, this could end up being another simmering Russia-NATO crisis. Show of Western Powers According to the Russian senator, the turbulence in Serbia-Kosovo raises the possibility of a new confrontation, but Moscow assures its partner that it will remain on its side. Both opposing groups engaged in fighting last Sunday while protesters set up barricades and attackers shot Kosovo police, reported RT. In an interview with RIA Novosti news agency on Monday, Vladimir Dzhabarov, a member of the Russian Federation Council, reportedly discussed the matter, noted CSM Times. Because NATO forces are stationed there, he continued, it is highly hazardous, the hub of Europe and everything might end in a very horrible way. According to Dzhabarov, it could lead to hostilities, and as soon as NATO nations enter the fray, other Serbian friends also run the risk of becoming entangled. Russia To Side Belgrade His comments were in response to a conflict between Serbia and its secessionist province, which was recognized by some Western nations in 2008 and is officially known as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija in the Serbian constitution. Beginning on August 1, the Kosovo government intended to outlaw the use of license plates and ID cards supplied by Serbia, deny entry to anyone using such plates or cards, and deny generating temporary documents for travelers, citing Euractiv. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth? Serbian Leaders Call It an Assault on Their People President Aleksandar Vucic claimed it was an assault on the Serb minority in Kosovo and charged Pristina with violating the rights of the community's Serbs, whom he promised would not endure any more horrors. He stated on Sunday that there was a possibility for peace but stressed that his administration would not sit by if Serbs were being attacked. Kosovo has refuted reports of repression against Serbs and charged Belgrade authorities with undermining the rule of law. Albin Kurti, the prime minister, alleged that Belgrade was spreading Serbian national chauvinism and misinformation and that local Serbs had begun firing on the authorities. Trouble at the Kosovo-Serbia Border On Sunday, tensions on the Kosovo-Serbia border escalated. The breakaway province's northern Serbs mounted roadblocks and issued a warning as Pristina's fully armed special police took control of two official crossings with Serbia. Kosovo officials spoke to Washington and opted to postpone the implementation of the controversial law for 30 days on the condition that Serbia remove barricades from the de facto border. The foreign ministry condemned the US, EU, and Pristina's prejudiced campaign on Serbs, per RT. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said on Sunday that Pristina and its sponsors in Brussels and Washington should cease inciting unrest and respect the rights of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. Residents in the northern part of the breakaway province-built barriers, and Serbian forces were placed on high alert as ethnic Albanian police readied for a raid. The lawmaker from Russia official made it clear that Moscow will be at Belgrade's side if the Kosovan forces ally themselves with NATO. Related Article: Former Trump Envoy Scathes the US State Department for Backing Potential Kosovo-Serbian War @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Boatsetter, a Miami, FL-based marketplace for on-the-water experiences and boat rentals, raised $38M in Series B funding. The round was led by Level Equity, with participation from Suntex Marinas, Certares and others. The company intends to use the funds to enrich the product features, boat inventory, and experiential offerings, as well as to bring it to new markets across the globe. Led by Jaclyn Baumgarten, Co-Founder and CEO, Boatsetter offers a diverse collection of rental boats, as well as a wide array of water activities. Boat owners and captains are creating new on-the-water experiences daily, including wakeboarding, sunset cruises, party boats, fishing excursions, sand bar hopping, and so much more. Launched commercially in 2014, Boatsetter has more than 50,000 boat listings in 700 locations worldwide. Renters can download the Boatsetter app or visit the website to book a boat. FinSMEs 02/08/2022 Eleven Therapeutics, a Tel Aviv, IL & Cambridge UK-based biotechnology company focused on advancing nucleic acid therapeutics, raised a total of $22m in seed funding. Backers included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which committed $9m in funding to Eleven, including $5m towards future equity investment supporting the development of a platform that designs small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) with ultra-long durability by utilising high throughput combinatorial chemistry and AI. The additional $4m by the Gates Foundation was awarded as a non-dilutive grant furthering Elevens development of prophylactics against endemic and pandemic-poised respiratory viruses. Importantly, the Gates Foundations funding will promote wide accessibility of Elevens ultimate treatments to people in need in developing countries. The company additionally has a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Vaccine Research Centre of the NIAID. Additional funding sources included Kindred Capital; NFX Bio (formerly TechBio); Harel Technology Investments; Entree Capital; and the Innovate UK Smart Grant. Led by Prof. Yaniv Erlich, CEO, Eleven Therapeutics brings new RNAi therapeutics for patients in need by capitalising on some of the worlds best pools of talent through its three collaborative hubsin Cambridge, UK; Boston, U.S.; and Tel Aviv, Israel. Eleven is currently focusing its development pipeline on siRNA treatments for a range of respiratory diseases. Its flagship invention features a new modality, dubbed SCSI-RNA (smart-combinatorial, small interfering RNA), a fully programmable molecule, rationally designed to address the delivery, durability, and efficacy challenges of any disease and biological target of interest. FinSMEs 02/08/2022 NTX, a Singapore- and Shangai, China-based global textile technology company, completed nearly 200 million US dollars in a C2 round of financing. The round was led by Centurium Capital, with participation from existing shareholder NRL Capital. The company intends to use the funds to fund operational needs to meet the demand of the expanding customer base. Led by Kalvin Chung, Chairman and Co-founder, NTX specializes in textile digital transfer printing and dyeing technology, and has more than 70 domestic and global inventions and application patents. The company has introduced NTX Cooltrans, a waterless dyeing & printing system that delivers up to 90% in water savings, alongside reduction in energy usage and virtual elimination of water waste. With NTX Cooltrans as a foundation, the company has established a Southeast Asia-based ecosystem of textile processing plants to become the next generation sustainable eco- friendly supply chain partner for some of the worlds biggest fashion and apparel brands. NTX functions as a complete environmentally friendly textile processing solution provider by putting in place best practices, technical expertise, staff training, raw material sourcing and market opportunities across its ecosystem. Have a look at the the companys brands here. The funding was secured after NTX became a preferred supplier to global international brands such as Adidas. NTX also demonstrated continued expansion of its textile manufacturing ecosystem developed around the waterless coloration technology NTX Cooltrans. FinSMEs 02/08/2022 Introducing Ottobot 2.0 Ottonomy.IO, a Brooklyn, NY-based autonomous robotics delivery startup, raised $3.3m in seed funding. The round, which brought total funding to date to $4.9m, was led by Pi Ventures with participation from Connetic Ventures, Branded Hospitality Ventures, and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar. The company intends to use the funds to scale Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries. Founded in late 2020 by Ritukar Vijay, Pradyot Korupolu, Ashish Gupta and Hardik Sharma, Ottonomy.IO provides fully autonomous robots for airports, curbsides and last mile deliveries of F&B, retail and eCommerce packages. Earlier this year, the companys robots Ottobots became the worlds first autonomous robots to deliver food, beverage and travel retail items at airports. Ottobot 2.0 evolved from early pilots to include fully customizable modular cabins, increased access for customers and directional mobility, including crab mode. With customer validation and positive response from customers at Cincinnati International Airport (CVG), the company has started partnerships with multiple airports across the US and Europe. In addition to expanding its curbside and last mile delivery technology advances, the company is involved with top Fortune 500 corporations in the retail and restaurants industry across North America for wide adoption. The robotics company has completed pilots at the Newlab 5G Studio in New York using Verizons 5G networks, making a leap in capability to deploy large fleets and increasing its footprint across North America, Europe and the Middle East. FinSMEs 02/08/2022 Territorium, a San Antonio, TX-based global education technology company with 9 million users worldwide, closed a $4.4m seed funding round. The round, which brought total funding to $5m, to date, was led by Cometa. The company intends to use the funds to drive U.S. growth and adoption of TerritoriumCLR, its comprehensive learner record product. Led by Guillermo Elizondo, Cofounder and CEO, Territorium is a global education technology company that makes learning and skills acquisition more accessible and measurable. Its solutions enable educators and companies to deliver, test, measure, and record learning and skills acquisition, wherever it happens. Certified by 1EdTech Consortium, previously IMS, TerritoriumCLR captures all aspects of learning into a complete competencies and skills transcript, not a transcript of only course names and grades. the system is able to map and analyze every learning experience inside and outside the classroom as learning artifacts and turn into a granular competencies and skills record that demonstrates proof of learning. For higher ed students, TerritoriumCLR recommends courses, learning experiences, and job pathways tailored to each students interests and needs, positioning them to be a strong candidate for their desired job and career. FinSMEs 02/08/2022 On July 8, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the latter's request on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Bali Island. Wang Yi said, if China-Australia relations, which are facing both challenges and opportunities, can achieve sound development, that will serve the common interests of the two peoples and will also be conducive to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. As the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia draws near, China is ready to re-examine, re-calibrate, and reinvigorate bilateral ties in the spirit of mutual respect, and strive to bring bilateral relations back on the right track. Penny Wong said, Australia and China are comprehensive strategic partners, with extensive associations and close economic and trade exchanges benefiting the two peoples. The new Australian government will follow the purposes of the UN Charter, abide by the international law and norms governing international relations, and continue to pursue the one-China principle. The Australian side hopes to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to make bilateral relations more stable and mutually beneficial. Faced with some complicated factors in Australia-China relations, Australia has no intention to exaggerate the differences between the two sides, nor does it intend to take part in containing China. Australia will, on the basis of mutual respect and in a rational and pragmatic manner, maintain constructive contacts and exchanges between the two sides, enhance mutual trust, expand equal-footed cooperation and remove obstacles in bilateral relations. Wang Yi said, the root cause of the difficulties in China-Australia relations in the past few years lies in the fact that the former Australian government insisted on regarding China as a "rival" or even a "threat", with a series of irresponsible words and deeds against China. China values the fact that the new Australian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the positioning of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and appreciates Australia's adherence to the one-China principle. It is our shared responsibility to abide by the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations. China hopes that Australia will seize the current opportunity, take concrete actions, reshape a correct perception of China, and reduce negative assets and accumulate positive energy for improving China-Australia relations. First, stick to regarding China as a partner rather than a rival. Second, stick to the way we get along with each other, which features seeking common ground while reserving differences. Third, stick to not targeting any third party or being controlled by any third party. Fourth, stick to building positive and pragmatic social foundations and public support. The two sides also communicated on affairs related to Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Wang Yi stressed, China and PICs, all sovereign and independent countries, have carried out equal-footed exchanges and cooperation at the request of PICs and in accordance with the needs of their people. At the same time, China has also carried out tripartite cooperation with countries including Australia and New Zealand in the South Pacific region, which has yielded positive results. China is ready to leverage the respective strengths of all parties to achieve win-win outcomes. A right-wing sheriff's group is setting up the stage for another Jan. 6 situation by denying election results and believing that the 2020 presidential elections were robbed from Donald Trump. The influential network of conservative activists has fixated on the idea that the former president won the 2020 elections and is now working to recruit county sheriffs to investigate elections based on the false notion of voter fraud. Right-Wing Sheriff's Group On the other hand, Loudoun County Sheriff Michael L. Chapman was removed as a member of the Protect America Now organization. Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said in emails that while Chapman had a professional relationship with many of the sheriffs listed, he did not sign up as a member and did not understand why he was listed in the first place. The removal of Chapman's name from the group's member list came after the Loudoun's Sheriff's Office was questioned about his support of the Protect America Now's goals. The group was founded after the 2020 presidential election by Pinal County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Lamb, as per the Loudoun Times. Lamb believes in The Big Lie, where Democrats allegedly stole the election from the former president. This comes as the results of the election were both confirmed by national news outlets and certified by the federal government. However, the Pinal County sheriff has spoken out in support of "stop the steal" efforts in Arizona and in support of the Jan. 6 rioters. As recently as last month, Lamb has made comments in televised speeches suggesting voter fraud was rampant in 2020. Read Also: Hunter Biden Probe: Sen. Ron Johnson Casts Doubt on FBI's Transparency, Expects "Deal" To Hide First Son's Indictment According to MSNBC, the Protect America Now is joined by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association in promoting claims of voter fraud. While the situation does not yet constitute an emergency, it is deeply concerning because it is another sign of efforts from the far right to organize and mobilize to destroy the integrity of the electoral process. Voter Fraud Having powerful law enforcement officials banding together means that it could spiral well beyond a typical symbolic show of dissent. Three sheriffs affiliated with the groups from Michigan, Kansas, and Wisconsin have butted heads with election officials when they pursued investigations into 2020 election fraud. This includes an effort to "charge state election officials with felonies for measures they took to facilitate safe voting in nursing homes during the pandemic." The groups are even hosting conferences, running television ads, and advocating for increased police presence at polling locations. Furthermore, Protect America Now has partnered with conservative vote-monitoring Texas non-profit True the Vote, which has spread unsubstantiated and debunked voter fraud claims. This was done all in order to raise "$100,000 toward a goal of $1 million for grants to sheriffs for more video surveillance and a hotline to distribute citizen trips." The clerk of Barry County, Michigan, Pam Palmer, said that he was "absolutely sick of it," referring to the investigation carried out by the groups, He noted that they did not do anything wrong during the election but argued that the groups have cast a cloud over the entire country that makes people doubt the accuracy of their ability to run an election, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Trump-Backed Conspiracy Theorist Makes Progress To Claim Chief Election Position in Arizona @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Amber Heard's legal team believes that she lost $47-50 million as a result of Johnny Depp's defamatory remarks against her during a 3-5 year period. According to recently revealed court records, Amber Heard walked away from tens of millions of dollars by refusing to accept Johnny Depp's earnings from the fifth 'Pirates of the Caribbean film. Amber Heard Urges Court To Conduct New Trial During Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's marriage, the sequel was formed as a community property asset, making Heard eligible for half of the revenues. Johnny Depp got $33 million for the fourth "Pirates" film, and he is certain to make the same or maybe more for the fifth. Amber Heard declined to take the money during her divorce procedures, and as a result, no divorce-related evidence was allowed to be cited in the defamation trial, as per Marca. Heard was charged with three counts of defamation in connection with a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse who spoke out against sexual assault. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor claimed the article cost him $50 million in reputation and career harm, causing Heard to file a $100 million complaint against Depp. On June 1, after 61 hours of testimony from each side, involving dozens of specialists and witnesses, all of which was live-streamed to a hungry audience, the jury concluded that Heard had defamed Depp, paying him $10.35 million in damages; Heard, on the other hand, was awarded $2 million. Heard's attorneys have since filed a post-trial motion asking the court to vacate the verdict or order a new trial, arguing that Amber Heard had no role in crafting the op-headline, ed's which included the phrase sexual violence (this was revealed during the trial); that the amount awarded to Johnny Depp was disproportionate; and that a juror may have impersonated another juror. The court denied the requests, but Heard can still appeal. Johnny Depp, for his part, created a TikTok account, apparently as a thank you to his legions of adoring admirers, who filled the algorithm with carefully edited clips from the trial that favored their hero. He secretly resolved a lawsuit with a crew member who claimed the actor attacked him on the set of City of Lies while he inebriated. More than 6,000 pages of court records in the Depp v. Heard trial were released over the weekend. The documents, which were obtained by The Daily Beast, provide new light on the well-publicized case, revealing additional insights into each team's legal approach, Daily Beast reported. Read Also: 'Star Trek' Icon Nichelle Nichols Dies at 89; Fans, Celebrities Mourn Shocking Passing Amber Heard Admits to Sister That She Cut Off Johnny Depp's Finger Meanwhile, released court records indicate that Amber Heard's sister informed her supervisor that the 'Aquaman' actress did sever Johnny Depp's finger when she threw a vodka bottle at him. The newly released records include a deposition from Jennifer Howell, a former friend, and supervisor of Heard's sister Whitney Henriquez, who spoke about the alleged finger incident in 2015. She recalls Amber's sister yelling in the office, "she's hacked off his God damn finger!" while the celebrity pair was in Australia filming the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film. Furthermore, leaked court filings suggest Amber Heard turned down a divorce settlement from Johnny Depp that might have totaled tens of millions of dollars, as she sells her cherished California house. After they filed for divorce in 2016, the 'Aquaman' actress, 36, defied legal advice and pursued Depp for the full amount of money she was entitled to. Because the fourth chapter of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was made while they were married, she might have demanded half of Depp's $33 million. During Depp's defamation case against Heard, a judge declined to allow such evidence to be included. She was forced to pay Depp a total of $8.3 million after being found guilty of defamation, but she claims she lacks the funds. She may have begun to raise part of that money by selling her Yucca Valley property in the California desert for $1.05 million, netting Heard roughly $500,000 in profit. The actress allegedly purchased the home in 2019 through an anonymous trust associated with the actress. There is some doubt regarding Heard's capacity to cover the costs right away, which include $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive penalties. Depp will also pay her $2 million in a counter-lawsuit, leaving her with little over $8 million to pay, as per Daily Mail. Related Article: Britney Spears Accuses Mom Lynne of Abusing Her, Planning Involuntary Commitment Ahead of Conservatorship @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Corvallis man was arrested by the Benton County Sheriffs Office on Saturday morning, July 30 after allegedly kidnapping a female known to him and eluding deputies in a car chase. Daniel Lee Adams, 51, was charged in Benton County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon, Aug. 1 with two counts of first-degree kidnapping, coercion, fourth-degree assault, felony attempt to elude, menacing, reckless driving and reckless endangering, according to Oregons online court database. The charging document states that Adams kidnapped the female with the purpose of causing physical injury to her and terrorizing her. Six of the charges, including both kidnapping counts, were categorized as domestic violence. Adams pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judge Locke Williams appointed Christian Strahl as Adams defense attorney, and the next hearing in the case was scheduled for Aug. 11. The Benton County Jail website listed Adams bail as $25,000. Adams was arrested at about 6 a.m. Saturday. Authorities were dispatched to an argument in the 29800 block of Highway 99W, south of Corvallis, early Saturday morning when they spotted the suspects red Lincoln sedan traveling east on Bruce Road, according to a BCSO news release. Deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop, and they could see the male holding the female, preventing her from leaving the car as the Lincoln began to accelerate away from them. The vehicle drove north on Highway 99W at a high rate of speed, passing vehicles both in its own lane and in the oncoming lane, the news release states. While the vehicle was continuing north at speeds of about 80 mph, the passengers door opened and the deputies could see the female attempting to exit the car, but then being pulled back in multiple times. The driver then pulled into a store on Greenberry Road where his vehicle was disabled. Deputies immediately took the driver into custody and safely secured the female, according to the news release. The involved deputies did an amazing job of bringing this situation to a quick resolution and I couldnt be prouder, said Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall, in the news release. Russia has indicated that it is ready to help China as tensions with Taiwan escalate ahead of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to the self-ruled island. On Monday, the Ostankino television tower in Moscow unveiled two big signs that said, "Russia is with you." The statement atop the 540-meter structure was in Chinese and came as Beijing issued increasingly harsh warnings to Washington over its stance on Taiwan. Russia Expresses Support to China According to Alexander Gabuev, a senior expert at the Carnegie Moscow think tank, the sign could hardly have been placed on the tower without official authority, implying that the decision came from the Kremlin. Despite not having a formal alliance, China and Russia have the best relations they have had since the late 1950s. Meanwhile, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin praised their bond as limitless. As China-US relations look to be fraying, Moscow's engagement - in the form of a show of support for Beijing - would come as no surprise. Pelosi, who began her Asia tour in Singapore on Monday, was scheduled to spend Tuesday night in Taiwan, according to three persons briefed on the subject. The prospective Taiwan portion of the tour, however, is not currently on her public calendar. Last Wednesday, US President Joe Biden stated he felt the US military thought a Pelosi travel to Taiwan was not a smart idea right now, and Beijing's forthright reaction to the likelihood of the US House Speaker visiting the island suggested Mr. Biden was correct. If Ms. Pelosi visits Taiwan, it will be a blatant intervention in China's domestic affairs, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, and will result in extremely serious events and repercussions, as per Express. Read Also: Ukraine's Largest Grain Export Company Owner Killed by Mykolaiv Shelling as Shipments Set To Resume Biden Offers Russia, China To Discuss Nuclear Arms Control Meanwhile, Biden has made a rare offer to reach out to Russia to begin talks on a new weapons control framework to replace the START or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which the US signed with the Russian Federation and went into force in 2011. The initial period of the pact was ten years, which expired on February 5, 2021. However, the structure allows both parties to agree to prolong it for up to an extra five years. According to the US president, there is no value to any of our nations, or the world, in resisting real engagement on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation. As per President Joe Biden, who spoke at the ninth Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review meeting on Monday, the US and Russia must begin talks to extend the treaty through February 4, 2026. According to Biden, who spoke at the ninth Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review meeting on Monday, the US and Russia must begin talks to extend the treaty through February 4, 2026. He emphasized that the United States joined the Nuclear Weapons States in January 2022 to reinforce its position that a nuclear war cannot and should not be conducted. The Biden administration has prioritized lowering the role of nuclear weapons in its national security policy, and as a result, the US president has gone out to Moscow to begin discussions, Republic World reported. Moscow and Washington renewed their New START deal, which limits the amount of strategic nuclear warheads they may deploy and the missiles and bombers they can use to deliver them, until 2026 last year. However, Russia's UN envoy questioned if the US was willing to discuss, accusing Washington of retreating from negotiations with Moscow on strategic stability in the Ukraine war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the UN conference that Washington was committed to achieving a comprehensive risk reduction package that would include safe communications channels among nuclear-armed nations. Blinken also stated that a restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement is the best conclusion for the US, Iran, and the rest of the world, and accused North Korea of planning for a seventh nuclear test. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida encouraged all nuclear powers to act "responsibly." Kishida comes from Hiroshima, which was the first city in the world to be bombed with a nuclear device on Aug. 6, 1945, as per US News. Related Article: Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit: China Warns Military "Won't Sit By Idly" Amid Political Threat @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is only one miscalculation away from what he called "nuclear annihilation" amid several global issues. The UN chief made his remarks while speaking at the start of a conference in New York and came as leaders met at the United Nations for the 10th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), an agreement that first came into force in 1970. Nuclear Annihilation He noted that today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from the once-unthinkable nuclear conflict situation. Guterres said that the climate crisis, stark inequalities, conflicts, and human rights violations, as well as the personal and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to this possibility. The UN chief warned that this situation occurred at a time of nuclear danger that has not been seen since the height of the Cold War. Guterres warned that humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons learned during the terrifying fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as per DW News. Furthermore, the war between Russia and Ukraine has exacerbated this issue by raising geopolitical tensions to levels that have not been seen since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The NPT is a landmark international treaty that was made to prevent the increase of nuclear weapons and to promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Read Also: Al Qaeda Leader Dead: Joe Biden Reveals US Slays Ayman al-Zawahiri in Done Strike Under normal circumstances, the treaty is subject to review every five years, but the 10th conference was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes as concerns are rising about China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal and the spread of nuclear technology, especially in Iran and North Korea. According to the Associated Press, Guterres is not alone in expressing concerns regarding the use of nuclear technology. Authorities from the United States, Japan, Germany, and many others expressed their thoughts on the matter during the conference. Global Catastrophe On the other hand, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that North Korea is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test, Iran "has either been unwilling or unable" to accept a deal to return to the 2015 agreement, and Russia is "engaged in reckless, dangerous nuclear saber-rattling" in Ukraine. Blinken also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin warned after its Feb. 24 invasion that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences you have never seen," emphasizing that his country is "one of the most potent nuclear powers." The remarks are contrary to the assurances given to Ukraine of its sovereignty and independence when it gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in 1994, said Blinken. He noted that it sends "the worst possible message" to any country thinking it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself and deter aggression. The UN chief also said that eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee that they will never be used in the future against any nation. He added that he would visit Hiroshima for the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the Japanese city that happened on Aug. 6, 1945, The Guardian reported. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Vows To Back Xi Jinping Over Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit; Joe Biden Calls on Russia, China To Engage Nuclear Arms Control Talks @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Republic of South Africa Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Acquisitions LLC (RSAMMDA.LLC) and Protext Mobility, Inc (OTC PINK: TXTM) are pleased to provide the following business update. Dylon Du Plooy, Protext CEO, commented #TXTMTribe, we want to thank you all for coming together in unity to push the movement forward, your dedication has not gone unnoticed, We thank you for the harmony we have seen across the platforms and look forward to taking this journey together, let's change the world. We have some exciting news regarding the next generation live plant extraction technology. As previously reported in 2020, under special permission from the State (who took possession of the Kettles in 2018) we were able to ship one of the Kettle units to New Castle Permitted Farms for conducting initial testing to validate whether we could produce a full profile, non-psychoactive extract using live Genus Cannabis Sativa Plants. While the testing was successful, additional testing on Genus Cannabis Sativa was not possible due to the off-season and lack of biomass and the extraction equipment had to be returned to the State after the day of testing. We have always envisioned commercializing this extraction technology for our own purposes, as well as, for potential global licensing. However, we needed to get the Kettle equipment back for additional testing. We are pleased to report that through the human capital and the credibility of our Government Relationships, our permits and licenses being in place at New Castle Farms, allowing for the transportation of the Kettle and our conducting R & D for Genus Cannabis Sativa, as well as for the integration of this equipment, technology and processes for commercialization, we have been granted the use of the kettle without any time constraints. How did this happen? Its been a series of lengthy negotiations and proposals submitted to the State. Over the past few months prior to merger, we have been in negotiations with the State to regain possession of the Kettle Extraction Equipment to continue with the final phase of testing before moving into the closed loop system and onto Commercialization. As part of the process, we have had to allow the State Senior Representative permission to come to the farm and conduct inspections at Leeds BOERDERY, Controlled by Dr. Jamaloodeen, for the purpose of the kettle finding its new home. Subsequently, the inspection and one on one meetings with State inspectors were such a success that permission was granted by unanimous decision and further to that the State has enthusiastically entered into and requested amongst other things a discussion to be part of our Pilot being at the forefront of Genus Cannabis Sativa in the world. When we talk about the value of the merger and the human capital that came with it, there are certain business developments that would simply not be possible without existing infrastructure in place controlled by current management. As an example, the kettle falls under cannabis paraphernalia and requires both a permit and cross county insurance to qualify Genus Cannabis Sativa for in-transit insurance policy... notwithstanding crossing of provinces (Equivalent of states in USA), Guess who has been the first and only one ever to be issued this in in-transit insurance to date (Dr J - Tata) who has benevolently allowed the TXTM Tribe use of the same, due to the shift in energy over the past week promoting the TXTM Tribe Random Acts Of Kindness are infections, so much so, that he has included the use of the truck, diesel, driver, tolls and insurance to relocate the kettle to Newcastle. Getting back to the Technology, if we look at the progress that was achieved in a single afternoon at the farm the last time the kettle visited, how much more productive will we be now that it's found its final Home in Dr Hurley's Laboratory. Currently Dr H is extracting at least 2.5 times higher Cannabinoid recover retention rate than most others globally and at a significantly higher overall potency per liter and at a significantly lower cost. Now factor in what the impact of potentially being 10-15 times more bio-available as previously proven with using the same extraction equipment for Phytofare green tea capsules under scientific clinical studies conducted at Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP) With greater bioavailability comes significantly less dosage, of full extract cannabis oil usage, to produce the same result notwithstanding our significantly lower overall cost of production and operating cost which equates to exponential Profits for $TXTM and conceivably year on year disproportionately high increases in EBIDA. Rogers primary objective was to produce the slow release, long acting, and therefore effective caps and herewith capsules currently being manufactured at Dr H's lab with full global distribution and existing customer base, it was previously overlooked that the same formulations can be used in other products of which the TruLeaf Line is already established globally as one client only, to make it tangible. To get from the point of the kettle arriving at the farm to the point we have just discussed requires permits , biomass , customer base globally, distribution channels, export permits, import permits into international jurisdictions, expertise, credibility, cash flow, resources and like Roger mentioned machinery, technology and the experts to lead the same and just like that by a simple merger in good faith with blessed intentions all of the previously mentioned and necessary enablement became available to TXTM as Our Devotion towards the random acts of kindness. To put this in context these were just some of the hurdles Roger could not get over, so the future for TXTM and the Subsequent Healing that will result globally is more eminent and the time line shortened significantly. $TXTM is now significantly closer than it ever has been to commercialization in its history. Dr. Jamaloodeen commented: And now, with the acquisition complete Protext has management in place with the knowledge, Government relationships and other, compliance, resources, facilities, biomass, human capital and infrastructure that is invaluable. The Permits we are in possession of allow for Genus Cannabis Sativa import, export, grow & cultivation, research, testing, developing end product for global distribution, all of which are anticipated to be utilized by Protext with the end goal to commercialize the live plant extraction technology and bring superior end products to the global market. Having technology thats been proven to increase bioavailability by 10-15x greater is Significant and puts us Miles ahead of all competitors. Additional testing is anticipated to be conducted over the next few weeks as we are excited to announce the kettle equipment has arrived back at the farm and Now rests safely in the Laboratory its new Home. The testing will focus on maximizing yield as well as testing various strains of Genus Cannabis Sativa. We will also begin conducting the R&D using the New Age Extraction Technology for other Indigenous Plant Flora with medicinal properties. I feel that the Significance of the Extraction Technology with its 10-15X Bioavailability has been over looked and that is due to the complexity of the science and lack of understanding by the shareholders but in laymans, terms we stand to produce Natural Plant Base Medicine with 10-15 Times more Bioavailability than current products on the market. As we are focused on the reduction of opioids in the pharmaceutical industry we look towards the indigenous plant flora for their healing properties and turn back towards natural plant based medicine from whence it came. Dr.J continued, As we previously stated, but worth repeating, we entered into this transaction with Protext as we believe there to be numerous synergies by allowing access to certain assets of our established business with Protext as well as commercialize the Protext proprietary live plant extraction technology and processes into our existing Genus Cannabis Sativa infrastructure. Prior to the merger, Protext had collaborated with RSAMMD and Leeds Boerdery, whereby the companies utilized Protexts proprietary live plant extraction technology along with Kettle extraction equipment to conduct a series of live cannabis extraction testing at New Castle Farm under permits for Genus Cannabis Sativa, with the goal to produce an emulsion rich with cannabinoid but with little to no conversion of THC-A to psychoactive THC. We undertook a series of tests to prove out that the Kettle system and extraction technologies did what they were supposed to do. As part of our previous investigations, various tests were completed using live cannabis flower and leaf, rendered into liquid emulsions supplied by the farm in New Castle. Prior to now, it was hypothecated that processing live Genus Cannabis Sativa under lower temperatures would yield a rich nano-emulsion of phytocannabinoids while retaining the non-psychoactive precursor acid form (THC-A). Our investigations have conclusively demonstrated that full-spectrum cannabinoids can be extracted using the proprietary Kettle system, with minimal metabolic conversion, paving the way for advancement of medical research using non-psychoactive cannabis. What has also intrigued us are the findings from prior research and clinical trials that have shown that the Kettle system, when applied to other medicinal plants, can create an extract that is significantly more bioavailable (10-15x) than a standard extract. This means that our cannabis extract should be more potent while providing a dose that could potentially last up to 24 hours in the bloodstream, which is in-line with prior clinical results using other medicinal plants. Medically, this opens the door to a line of natural pharmaceuticals derived from cannabis but at a fraction of the price and with potentially superior outcomes. From a business perspective, an increase of bioavailability in that magnitude can be a game changer for cultivators as it essentially could increase the net yield by a factor of 10-15x per plant, per acre, per farm. All of this work was made possible through existing permits and Infrastructure to conduct research and testing of Genus cannabis sativa at the New Castle Farm, managed and controlled by Dr.J. We are enthusiastic about commercializing the proprietary extraction technology. By devising a way to extract the phytocannabinoids without metabolic conversion of THC-A, we can retain the entourage effect and the full medical potential of Genus Cannabis Sativa, but without the psychoactive property delivered by THC. We believe what we have now shown is a scientifically important milestone and a technology breakthrough that has global significance and we look forward to taking this to commercialization which may include global licensing opportunities to other grow and extraction facilities around the world, This is the turning point of $TXTM in its history thus far concluded Protext CEO, Mr. Du Plooy. #LetsGoTXTM CONTACT INFORMATION for all media inquiries or for further information, please contact Dylon Du Plooy at: dylon@rsammd.co.za Dr.J at: exportintl@aol.com Follow us at: https://twitter.com/RSAMMD https://twitter.com/ProtextP About RSAMMDA.LLC: RSAMMDA.LLC. is a jointly owned company focused on acquisitions with two principals, Mr. Dylon Du Plooy and Dr. Ahmed Jamaloodeen (Dr. J). Mr. Du Plooy is a South African pioneer in the research, cultivation, production and distribution of medical cannabis and cannabinoids. Dr. J operates the 5000 Hectare New Castle Farms that are permitted for Genus Cannabis Sativa. Together, we partner with leading hospitals and universities globally to advance the clinical benefits and applications of cannabinoids. RSAMMDA.LLC founders are a group of medical doctors and pharmacists, and cannabis activists who have been at the forefront of medical cannabis legislation and South African cannabis legalization, which took place in September 2018. We are committed to the advancement of technology and scientific research that leads to an improved quality of life for patients around the world. About Protext (OTC PINK: TXTM) Through its prior acquisitions, Protext has engaged in the research, testing and development of highly bioavailable botanical products all-natural ingredients formulated for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications through the use of proprietary live plant extraction technology. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give no assurance or guarantee that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Forward- looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward- looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to: adverse economic conditions, competition, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, international governmental regulation, inadequate capital, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and other specific risks. To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, including statements as to revenue projections, business strategy, outlook, objectives, future milestones, plans, intentions, goals, future financial conditions, events conditioned on stockholder or other approval, or otherwise as to future events, such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. The company disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement. This press release shall not be deemed a general solicitation. Newark, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global mobile phone accessories market is expected to grow from USD 84.1 billion in 2021 to USD 157.3 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.20% during the forecast period 2022-2030. Get a Sample Copy of the Report at: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/12811 The increasing young working population has also pushed the market development to the next level in current times. Transforming the perspective of the customer has also impacted market growth. The women consumer group often chooses to switch phone covers, affecting the overall market development. Additionally, the men customer group likes to change additional accessories such as fast-chargers and headphones. The point is that the products make mobile phones' use more effortless and smoother, making them famous. For example, the launch of smartwatches has made it easier to see notifications and calls without checking the mobile phone. The invention of power banks has made it simpler for customers who use smartphones and travel often. Competitive Strategy To enhance their market position in the global mobile phone accessories market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships. Beats (Apple) presented collar earphones that operate through Bluetooth, deliver noise cancellation, and can play for eight hours during a single charge. For more information about this report visit: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/report/mobile-phone-accessories-market-12811 Market Growth & Trends The increased need for wireless accessories pushes the mobile phone accessories market development. The rise in demand is due to the shift in consumer choices to hear music on portable devices, like tablets and smartphones. Music is readily obtainable via music streaming platforms, including SoundCloud and YouTube. The need for mobile phone accessories has grown due to an expansion in per capita income and the popularity of social networking sites in metropolitan areas. An upsurge in internet penetration also expands the online retailing platform in addition. Regardless, excessive usage of headphones impacts the hearing capability of the consumer, which limits the market growth. Quick technological advances, including the execution of noise-canceling technology, built-in fan, light in selfie sticks, and Bluetooth/NFC speakers, are anticipated to propose lucrative development prospects. However, taxes on imports and exports among top manufacturing countries result in substantial transformations in the global technological landscape. The future market unpredictability limits the companies from funding and decreases development speed. Similarly, the mobile phone accessories market is succeeding due to the high adoption of mobile phones worldwide. Inquire or Share Your Questions If Any Before the Purchasing This Report: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/buying-inquiry/12811 According to the survey, the absolute number of smartphone shipments in Q3 of 2019 hit 352.4 million units. Growing penetration of AI & IoT technologies, plus innovative technological progress in voice recognition systems, clip-on headphones, wireless audio products, and exact integration of speech recognition software, are propelling the global market's growth. In 2021, the premium segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with 34% and a market revenue of 28.5 billion. The price range segment was divided into mid, low, and premium in 2021; the premium segment accounted for the largest market share, with 34% and market revenue of 28.5 billion. Changing lifestyles and an increase in the buying power of customers have created a preference for premium products. Globalization and financial growth, particularly in developing countries, are also proposing lucrative opportunities for different companies to capitalize and strengthen their market position. In 2021, the protective cases segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with 12% and a market revenue of 10.09 billion. The product type segment is divided into popsockets, headphone/earphone, portable speaker, battery, protective case, power bank, charger, memory card, battery case, screen guards, and others. In 2021, the protective cases segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with 12% and market revenue of 10.09 billion. Mobile phones are delicate to operate and are exposed to physical damage; the requirement for protective accessories like tampered glasses, screen guards, and protective cases increases segment growth. In 2021, the offline segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with 62% and a market revenue of 52.1 billion. The distribution channel segment is divided into online & offline. In 2021, the offline segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with 62% and market revenue of 52.1 billion. The segment growth is the traditional way of shopping and the disparity in price in local retail outlets and other wholesale markets. Purchase this Report (Price 4700 USD for a Single-User License): https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/buy-now/12811/single Regional Segment Analysis of the Mobile Phone Accessories Market North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and the Rest of South America) The Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) Among all regions, the North American region emerged as the largest market for the global mobile phone accessories market, with a market share of around 34.5% and 29.0 billion of the market revenue in 2021. Due to the factors such as increased adoption of wireless accessories, the existence of cutting-edge technology, and increased preference towards digitalization. Asia-Pacific has projected rapid growth in the global mobile phone accessories market due to high- income and advancements in product technologies, which support the market growth. Key players operating in the global mobile phone accessories market are: Apple India Pvt. Ltd. Belkin India Pvt. Ltd. Callmate (India) Pvt. Ltd. Case Mate India Pvt. Ltd. Eon Electric Ltd. Intex Technologies (India) Ltd. Moftware Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Optiemus Infracom Ltd. PNY Technologies Asia Pacific Ltd. Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. This study forecasts revenue at global, regional, and country levels from 2019 to 2030. The Brainy Insights has segmented the global mobile phone accessories market based on the below-mentioned segments: Global Mobile Phone Accessories Market by Price Range: Mid Low Premium Global Mobile Phone Accessories Market by Product Type: Popsockets Headphone/Earphone Portable Speaker Battery Protective Case Power Bank Charger Memory Card Battery Case Screen guards Others Global Mobile Phone Accessories Market by Distribution Channel: Online Offline About the report: The global mobile phone accessories market is analyzed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analyzed on a worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining critical insight into the market. The study includes porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis. About The Brainy Insights: The Brainy Insights is a market research company, aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirement whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-315-215-1633 Email: sales@thebrainyinsights.com Web: http://www.thebrainyinsights.com The polio virus was found in wastewater in a New York City suburb a month before health officials there identified a case of the disease last month, state health officials said on Monday, encouraging people to ensure they had been vaccinated. The fact that the sickness was discovered in wastewater samples gathered in June indicates that the virus was circulating in the community before the Rockland County adult's diagnosis was made public on July 21. New York Health Officials Monitor Wastewater For Polio According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the presence of the virus in wastewater suggests that more persons in the community are shedding the virus in their feces. However, the CDC said that no new cases have been detected, and it is unclear if the virus is actively spreading in New York or elsewhere in the United States. Laboratory testing also proved the strain in the case is genetically connected to one identified in Israel; however, officials cautioned that this did not imply the patient had flown to Israel. According to the CDC, genetic sequencing linked it to samples of the highly infectious and potentially fatal virus in the United Kingdom. The patient's symptoms began in June when local officials encouraged doctors to be on the lookout for instances. Polio, which can cause irreversible paralysis in rare cases, has no treatment, but it can be avoided using a vaccine developed in 1955, Reuters reported. According to experts, America's first polio patient in a decade was infected with the same type of virus that was discovered earlier this year in Jerusalem and London. Testing confirmed that the Jewish man in his twenties from Rockland County, New York, who was crippled by the disease, had contracted type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), similar to that found in wastewater in other countries. Testing at Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) labs indicated that the New York patient had contracted the same strain discovered this year. Some nations, but not the United States, continue to employ an oral poliovirus vaccination. This method employs a live virus that, in rare situations, can be passed on to others when recipients excrete it. After many infections, it may change into the more lethal ancestral types. The American polio sufferer exposed last month is a young Jewish guy who did not receive the three-dose polio vaccination. He has now been released from the hospital and moved into the home he shares with his wife and parents. However, the infection's paralysis has left him unable to move. It was unclear how he contracted the illness, but the man had not recently been overseas, implying he contracted it from another unvaccinated person, as per Daily Mail. Read Also: President Joe Biden Tests Positive for COVID-19 Again, Goes to Isolation Despite Saying He Feels Fine New York Declares State of Emergency Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams announced a state of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak on Monday, allowing him to suspend municipal laws and implement new restrictions to better handle the outbreak. The mayor's emergency executive order follows the city's health department's declaration of a public health emergency for monkeypox on Saturday. Under that city declaration, Ashwin Vasan, the city's health commissioner, has the authority to issue orders altering the city's health code to prevent the spread of the virus. On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency, putting pressure on the federal government to deploy more vaccinations to the state. Hochul's decision allowed Adams to declare a local emergency. When COVID-19 initially spread across the city, former Mayor Bill de Blasio utilized the same approach to enhance his mayoral authority. Similar emergency declarations were issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing officials to suspend some contract-procurement procedures, demand electronic reporting of Covid-related deaths, and enforce immunization or testing for workers in public healthcare facilities. Though monkeypox is a distinct hazard, now that Adams and the health department have declared a state of emergency, the city might take comparable steps, such as demanding data gathering regarding hospitalization and vaccine. As of Monday, New York City had recorded 1,472 instances of monkeypox, with the majority of cases involving homosexual, bisexual, and other males who have sex with men. Cases of the virus, which may afflict anybody, continue to climb throughout the city and across the country, and true case numbers are likely far higher than those recorded owing to a lack of diagnosis, according to Politico. Related Article: New Zealand Authorities Lift Final COVID Restrictions, Fully Reopening Border for International Travelers @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Upsizes available liquidity, with an increase in borrowing capacity of approximately $100 million, to $315 million total Immediately lowers the effective credit spread by 25 basis points Significantly reduces required quarterly term loan amortization Adds covenant flexibility and accelerates timeline to enable acquisitions PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MISTRAS Group, Inc. (NYSE: MG) a leading, "one source" multinational provider of integrated technology-enabled asset protection solutions used to maximize the uptime and safety of critical energy, industrial, and public infrastructure today announced that it and certain of its subsidiaries, as guarantors, have entered into a new credit facility with a syndication of banks, led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and with Bank of America, N.A., continuing as Syndication Agent. The new credit facility consists of $315 million of aggregate credit, including a funded $125 million 5-year Term Loan A and a committed $190 million 5-year revolving facility. The maturity of the new credit agreement is July 30, 2027. The prior credit agreement was set to mature in December 2023. The new credit facility significantly expands the total committed credit by almost $100 million at closing, which provides the Company with the ability to fund future growth initiatives. The arrangement also includes a significant reduction in required term loan amortization, specifically decreasing the required payments to $1.6 million per quarter for years one and two, $2.3 million per quarter for year three, and $3.1 million per quarter for years four and five. These reduced amounts compare to $5 million per quarter of amortization under the Companys prior credit agreement. This credit facility also provides the Company with leverage flexibility by increasing the maximum allowable total funded debt to 4.0 times adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2022 through the second quarter of 2023 measurement periods, with a step down to 3.75 times for the third quarter of 2023 and all periods thereafter. The prior credit agreement had a maximum allowable total funded debt of up to 3.5 times adjusted EBITDA through maturity. The Company also retained a $75 million uncommitted accordion. We are very pleased to maintain strong banking relationships with each of the seven premier financial institutions included within our bank syndicate, said Ed Prajzner, MISTRAS Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Since upsizing our facility in December of 2018 to finance the Companys Onstream acquisition, we are proud to have repaid nearly $80 million of debt to our bank group, especially during times when many of our end markets were weakened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This syndication was considerably oversubscribed and we are appreciative of our supportive bank group and their willingness to partner with us in creating shareholder value. This new credit agreement provides us with ample liquidity to fund our growth initiatives. And while the reduction of required term loan amortization provides us with additional leverage flexibility, we anticipate further deleveraging as our current capital allocation strategy remains to apply residual free cash flow to debt service. This new financing enables MISTRAS to continue to pursue our strategic initiatives in data solutions and renewable energy, allows us to continue to serve our end markets, and provides the ability to continue winning over new customers and enhancing value to our existing customers, said Dennis Bertolotti, MISTRAS Group President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This agreement also provides us long-term flexibility to drive growth both organically and potentially via strategic acquisitions, return value to our shareholders, and invest in our employees and infrastructure. MISTRAS continues to invest in data solutions, including the OneSuite software ecosystem and Sensoria Wind Blade Monitor and Insights Web Portal. This new credit agreement provides the Company with the ability to continue to grow and scale these growth initiatives for both near- and long-term success. About MISTRAS Group, Inc. One Source for Asset Protection Solutions MISTRAS Group, Inc. (NYSE: MG) is a leading "one source" multinational provider of integrated technology-enabled asset protection solutions, helping to maximize the safety and operational uptime for civilizations most critical industrial and civil assets. Backed by an innovative, data-driven asset protection portfolio, proprietary technologies, strong commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, and a decades-long legacy of industry leadership, MISTRAS leads clients in the oil and gas, aerospace and defense, renewable and nonrenewable power, civil infrastructure, and manufacturing industries towards achieving operational and environmental excellence. By supporting these organizations that help fuel our vehicles and power our society; inspecting components that are trusted for commercial, defense, and space craft; building real-time monitoring equipment to enable safe travel across bridges; and helping to propel sustainability, MISTRAS helps the world at large. MISTRAS enhances value for its clients by integrating asset protection throughout supply chains and centralizing integrity data through a suite of Industrial IoT-connected digital software and monitoring solutions. The companys core capabilities also include non-destructive testing field and in-line inspections enhanced by advanced robotics, laboratory quality control and assurance testing, sensing technologies and NDT equipment, asset and mechanical integrity engineering services, and light mechanical maintenance and access services. For more information about how MISTRAS helps protect civilizations critical infrastructure and the environment, visit https://www.mistrasgroup.com/. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global packaging films market is anticipated to reach US$ 143.7 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach US$ 209.7 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2022 to 2032. Packaging films have diverse usage in various industries like beverage, homecare products, food, healthcare products, personal care products electronics & electrical, and other industrial goods. A steady CAGR of 2.6% was registered in the packaging films market during the historic period of 2015-2021. The period marked the entry of various market players and product innovations. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-14376 Key Takeaways The packaging films are affordable lightweight, safe, convenient, and sustainable. They have remained a preferred packaging solution across several industries. Backed by such attributes, the packaging films industry is propelled to witness growth during the forecast years. Based on the material used for packaging film manufacturing, polyethylene (PE) accounted for a dominant market share of 35% in 2021. It is expected to remain the leading segment through the course of the forecast period. The polyethylene (PE) film segment was estimated to account for the maximum share in the global packaging films market with almost 36% of the market share. The food industry is expected to remain the top end user of the packaging films market through 2032. The food industry is witnessing growth, especially in this new post-pandemic world. The emergence of direct to customer delivery eCommerce platforms has led to the growth of this industry. The customer delivery eCommerce platforms have resolved logistical issues faced on a large scale due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19. Technological advancements in the food industry are playing a crucial role in its growth journey. The greater the sales of food, the greater the opportunity for the packaging film industry as the food segment contributed 43% of the global market share in 2021. Competitive Landscape Berry Global, Mondi Group, Ampac Holdings, LLC, Huhtamaki Oyj., Smurfit Kappa, WestRock Company, Amcor Plc, Sealed Air Corp, Winpak, Novolex, Printpack are some of the key companies profiled in the full version of the report. Many of the key players are adopting the strategy of product innovation and making their products more eye-catchy and acceptable among consumers. Not only this, but manufacturers are also planning to expand production capabilities in the untapped markets to cater for the increasing demand for packaging films. Key manufacturers operating in the packaging films market are focusing on producing lighter-weight, durable and sustainable products. A lot of innovations are coming up in this domain to make packaging more sustainable and functional. Ask an Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-14376 More Insights into the Packaging Films Market China accounts for the largest share in the packaging films industry with approximately 22% of the global market share. Owing to the growing need for convenience owing to busy lifestyles and cultural factors, demand for diverse packaging solutions is considerably high in the country. The increasing consumer preferences toward health consciousness alternatives results in helping the expansion of the packaging films market in China. The surge in demand for pocket-friendly packaging and the use of recycled materials for packaging film manufacturing will keep the packaging film demand high in China. According to the recent report published by the Plastics Europe Association of Plastics Manufactures, Europe holds nearly 16% market share in global plastic production and resulting in 57.9 Mn Tons of plastic production in 2019. It has been anticipated that Germany is the leading country for plastic consumption and approximately 1/4th of plastic production in Europe is consumed by the German end users. Following this, demand for plastic is consistently increasing in Italy, France, and Spain. As per FMI analysis, the surging production of plastic in Europe is projected to cater for the increasing demand for plastic in Germany. Resulting in a significant impact on the packaging films market. Germany is estimated to hold lions share in the European packaging films market and is expected to reach over US$ 11.3 Mn, by the end of 2032. India and China are anticipated to showcase massive growth in terms of the usage of packaging films. Both the countries are the fastest growing economies in the world accounting for skyrocketing growth in the future. India & China will see a CAGR of 5.6% & 4.2%, respectively, in their market share during the period 2022-2032. India will see an increment of US$ 9 bn and will grow by 1.8x during the forecasted period to reach a market size of US$ 21 bn. On the other hand, China will see an increment of US$ 16 bn and will grow by 1.5x during the forecasted period to reach a market size of US$ 48 bn. Packaging Films Market By Category By Material Type, Packaging Films Market is segmented as: Polyethylene (PE) Polypropylene (PP) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Polyamide (PA) Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) Polyvinyldiene Chloride (PVDC) Bioplastics Others By Product Type, Packaging Films Market is segmented as: Pouches Bags & Sacks Tubes Liners Sachets & Stick Packs Tapes & Labels Wraps/Rolls By End Use Packaging Films Market is segmented as: Food Meat, Seafood and Poultry Ready to Eat Meals Dairy Products Bakery and Confectionery Other Food Products Beverages Alcoholic Beverages Non-Alcoholic Beverages Homecare Products Personal Care Products Healthcare Products Electronics & Electricals Other Industrial Goods By Region, Packaging Films Market is segmented as: North America Latin America Europe Middle East and Africa East Asia South Asia Oceania Report Customization available @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-14376 Table of Content 1. Executive Summary 1.1. Global Market Outlook 1.2. Demand-side Trends 1.3. Supply-side Trends 1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis 1.5. Analysis and Recommendations 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy 2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations 3. Market Background 3.1. Market Dynamics 3.1.1. Drivers 3.1.2. Restraints 3.1.3. Opportunity 3.1.4. Trends 3.2. Scenario Forecast 3.2.1. Demand in Optimistic Scenario 3.2.2. Demand in Likely Scenario 3.2.3. Demand in Conservative Scenario 3.3. Opportunity Map Analysis 3.4. Product Life Cycle Analysis 3.5. Supply Chain Analysis Top Reports Related To Packaging BOPET Packaging Films Market Size : Expanding at a CAGR of 5.5%, the global BOPET packaging films market is projected to increase from a valuation of US$ 6.8 Bn in 2022 to US$ 9.9 Bn by 2029 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Packaging Films Market Share: Asia Pacific PVC packaging films market is expected to witness steady growth over the forecast period mainly due to an increasing demand from economies such as India and China Micro Perforated Films Packaging Market Trends: FMI has projected North America to remain one of the lucrative and developed markets for micro perforated films. One of the key factors supporting expansion is the regions high food spending. Nylon Films for Liquid Packaging Market Analysis: The global nylon films for liquid packaging market is estimated to value at US$ 454 million in 2022 and is projected to reach US$ 599 million by 2027 Biodegradable Packaging Market Outlook: A mounting number of manufacturers in the packaging industry are making a move towards the use of unique biodegradable materials in their packaging solutions. Cast Stretch Films Market Value: The cast stretch films market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period, up from US$ 2.45 Bn in 2021 to reach a valuation of US$ 4 Bn by 2032. Specimen Transport Bags Market Trend: The specimen transport bags market is expected to record a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period 2022-2032 Plastic Sterilization Trays Market Analysis: The plastic sterilization trays market is likely to record a strong CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period. Sterilization Box Market Growth: The sterilization box market is likely to record a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period, up from US$ 14.84 Bn in 2022 Corrugated Open-head Drums Market Forecast: The corrugated open head drums market is likely to record a strong CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. Download complimentary copy of FMIs white paper on Intelligent Packaging for Circular Economy in collaboration with Graham Packaging and Avery Dennison About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights (ESOMAR certified market research organization and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel and End Use over the next 10-years. Contact: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX: HWO) "High Arctic" or the "Corporation is pleased to announce that it has agreed to terms with its principal customer in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a three-year contract renewal covering customer owned Heli-portable Drilling Rig 103 and High Arctics services related to the supply of personnel, camp accommodation and rental equipment to support the drilling operations. The renewals are effective August 1, 2022 and include options to further extend the contracts on the same terms and conditions beyond July 31, 2025. In late 2021, High Arctics principal PNG customer merged with one of the largest energy exploration and production companies operating in the Asia Pacific, to create a regional champion of quality, size and scale. Both companies have extensive history in PNG. The resulting company has large stakes in the two LNG projects as well as operatorship of all producing PNG oil fields and several gas fields supplying the existing PNG-LNG export facility. Mike Maguire, CEO of High Arctic, stated, High Arctic has worked continuously with this principal customer since first arriving in Papua New Guinea in 2007. Together we have forged a strong partnership that set the benchmark for safe and efficient operations in the remote and logistically challenging PNG environment. We are proud to have continued our strong symbiotic relationship supporting their field operations through the challenges brought upon by Covid-19 and the recent transition of ownership. We are excited to be working closely with the new management team and are proud to remain their drilling service company of choice in PNG. Key technical personnel have started deployment and work is underway to prepare Drilling Rig 103 and its leapfrog unit for recommencement of drilling in early Q4 2022. The terms of the contract renewals are substantially similar to those contained within previous contracts. This cornerstone contract is flexible and scalable to align with activity which positions High Arctic to respond quickly to future incremental drilling opportunities. This contract announcement follows recent positive developments that highlight the tremendous expansion potential for LNG production in PNG. On July 20, 2022, TotalEnergies, operator of the Papua-LNG joint venture, announced commencement of upstream FEED studies in PNG targeting a final investment decision on the two-train Papua-LNG project by the end of 2023, and commencement of production in 2027. Earlier this year ExxonMobil, operator of the PNG-LNG joint venture, announced the signing of a gas agreement for the development of the Pnyang gas field in the Western Province of PNG, which is anticipated to result in the addition of another train to the world class PNG-LNG export facility. Mike Maguire, CEO of High Arctic, commented, Papua New Guinea is key to High Arctics long-term business strategy. There have been significant LNG investments in PNG made by large oil and gas companies. High Arctic is positioned well to support future investments given high barriers to entry due to the technical expertise required to operate the heli-portable drilling rigs in remote locations. High Arctics contract drilling service history in PNG includes our long-term principal customer and both major multi-national companies operating the two LNG project joint ventures, among many others. We are currently providing services to both our principal customer and the PNG-LNG operator, and we are pleased to be returning to consistent drilling operations. All the rigs under High Arctics care have been maintained during the Covid-19 induced PNG drilling suspension and are in good preservation for quick redeployment into service. These include our principal customers other heli-portable Drilling Rig 104, High Arctics own versatile heli-portable Drilling Rigs 115 & 116 and our high-capacity heli-portable hydraulic workover unit Rig 102. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, seek, propose, estimate, expect, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Corporations current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Corporations actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this press release. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements pertaining to the following: for recommencement of drilling in early Q4 2022, tremendous expansion potential for LNG production in PNG, a final investment decision on the two-train Papua-LNG project by the end of 2023, the addition of another train to the world class PNG-LNG export facility, quick redeployment of the rigs under High Arctics control, and, returning to consistent drilling operations. The Corporations actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors set forth above and elsewhere in this press release. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These statements are given only as of the date of this press release. The Corporation does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law. About High Arctic High Arctic is an energy services provider. High Arctic is a market leader in Papua New Guinea providing drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rental equipment including rig matting, camps, material handling and drilling support equipment. In western Canada High Arctic provides nitrogen services and pressure control equipment on a rental basis to a number of exploration and production companies. For further information, please contact: Lance Mierendorf Chief Financial Officer 1.587.318.2218 1.800.668.7143 High Arctic Energy Services Inc. Suite 2350, 3305th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0L4 website: www.haes.ca Email: info@haes.ca FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GridGain Systems , provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions powered by the Apache Ignite distributed database, today announced that Eoin OConnor has been named as President and Chief Executive Officer. OConnor succeeds Abe Kleinfeld, who retired after more than eight years at GridGain. OConnor has been with GridGain since 2016, serving as CFO and more recently as COO. He has been central in transforming the company into a leader in distributed in-memory computing solutions. OConnor will drive GridGains next stage of growth, broadening the customer base and enhancing the product offering. Eoin is the ideal person to take over as CEO, combining his expertise in operations with a deep understanding of GridGain and the rapidly evolving needs of our customers, said Geoff Baehr, GridGains Chairman of the Board. I want to thank Abe for his leadership, and I am delighted that we are now handing the reins to someone who will help us continue our rapid growth. I am excited to lead GridGain as we continue to grow and build on the momentum we have created over the last few years, said OConnor. At a time of rapid digital transformation across many businesses, I expect to see more and more enterprises turning to GridGain to address their data challenges. Prior to joining GridGain, OConnor was an executive at a number of public companies, including Oracle and Siebel. He began his career at KPMG specializing in Initial Public Offerings and the audits of hi-tech public companies. He has spent many years in leadership roles across both finance and operations. More recently, at ON24 and Space Time Insight, he was instrumental in managing fast revenue growth in a very short time span. OConnor has facilitated multiple venture capital funding transactions for GridGain and with other growth-stage companies. OConnor holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Commerce from University College Cork, Ireland, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. The GridGain in-memory computing platform, built on Apache Ignite, provides in-memory speed and massive scalability to existing data-intensive applications without ripping and replacing existing databases. It can also be deployed as an in-memory database. The platform scales by adding new nodes to the cluster, which can handle petabytes of data. Companies of all sizes see GridGain as a key to the success of their digital transformation initiatives. As a result, GridGain has averaged 40% annual sales growth since 2017, with eight consecutive years of revenue growth. About GridGain Systems GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform powered by the Apache Ignite distributed database. Common use cases for the GridGain platform include application acceleration and digital integration hubs for real-time data access across data sources and applications. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial services, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom, transportation and other major sectors, with a client list that includes ING, Citibank, American Express, AutoZone, UPS, 24 Hour Fitness, Microsoft, American Airlines, Agilent and UnitedHealthcare. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed, massive scalability, and real-time data access for both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers (RDBMS, NoSQL and Apache Hadoop), requiring no rip-and-replace of the existing databases, or it can be deployed as a distributed database for high performance computing with in-memory speed. For more information, visit gridgain.com . CONTACT: Brigit Valencia For GridGain Systems Brigit@compel-pr.com (360) 597-4516 GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Ignite, and Ignite are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b499a794-1cf9-4cf2-9af7-1f1d228fc375 Turkey, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The middle east buy now pay later market was valued at USD 9.5 billion in 2022. The buy now pay later market has seen a good growth in the Middle East region in the previous years and it's expected to grow due to an increased use of ecommerce platforms. COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the growth of this market in a positive way. The buy now pay later market has grown by about 99% in the year 2022. Get the Free Sample Copy of Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1980 Due to an increasing number of startups entering the market and a variety of products offered by the already existing companies is expected to drive the market in the coming years. There is an increasing demand for the buy now pay later platform from many consumers. There has been a major shift in the purchasing habits of the consumer people in the United Arab Emirates have adopted the online platforms for various purchases and it has also accelerated the growth of the buy now pay later market in this region. The buy now pay later method is growing faster than expected. The already existing companies are launching better products that will make it possible for the consumers that seek using buy now pay later schemes across all different types of shops. The company's existing in the Middle East region are planning to provide or expand their business for the B2B segment. The buy now pay later market is providing many opportunities for growth in the Middle East region and also across the globe. The central Bank of Saudi Arabia has made it compulsory to obtain a permit in order to offer the buy now pay later services and this has been helpful in creating more demand for this platform as it now comes under the authorities. Report highlights By enterprise size , the large enterprises are expected to have a dominant position in the coming years. In order to provide affordable and flexible payment options for the purchasers the large-scale enterprises have adopted the buy now pay later solution. , the large enterprises are expected to have a dominant position in the coming years. In order to provide affordable and flexible payment options for the purchasers the large-scale enterprises have adopted the buy now pay later solution. By end user , the fashion and the government segment is expected to dominate the market. There's an increased purchase of sportswear as well as the accessories as the payment options are almost always interest free. , the fashion and the government segment is expected to dominate the market. There's an increased purchase of sportswear as well as the accessories as the payment options are almost always interest free. Online segment will have the largest market share in the coming years as there is a growth in the adoption of this payment method across all the e-commerce websites. Recent Developments A UAE based organization postpay Collaborated with the Dubai based commercial bank. This collaboration aims at increasing the product portfolio of the financial products offered in this region. Ask here for more customization study@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/1980 Scope of the Report Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 7.18 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 89.27 Billion CAGR 32.31% from 2022 to 2030 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2030 Key Players Pay flex, Tabby, Tamara, Post Pay, Spotty, Others Market Dynamics Drivers Regulatory authorities are taking necessary steps in order to legalize this platform. It happens to be the fastest growing market as many major market players are innovating the products that they offer. The buy now pay later companies need to obtain a permit in order to survive in the market. This mandatory tome has created more trust in these platforms. This announcement which was made by the central Bank of Saudi Arabia will help in the growth of the market in the coming years. The fear of stealing the credit card information and the fear of entering the credit card related information on a third-party website is also leading to the growth of the market. Younger generation with less affordability for various luxury products are also increasing the use of buy now pay later platforms as they be able to purchase various products. As the amount to be paid is spread out in the future in the form of EMS which can be paid weekly or monthly depending upon the amount of transactionbeard there's an increasing demand for this market in the elderly population as the source of income of this generation it's not structured and this platform offers a flexible paying option. Restraints The amount of money of which the purchases have been made is spread out in the future in the terms off EMI spread out for multiple weeks or months but in case the person defaults from paying there is a late fee charged and this happens to be a drawback in the market. The buy now pay later platform can be used for purchasing only a few items. The buy now pay later market does not offer purchases of all the commodities and hence this is also a restraint in the growth of the market. Opportunities Major market players are investing in the research and development activities in order to provide better platforms that will be technologically advanced for usage across all the stores. Companies are investing money in order to make this platform accessible even at the smallest of the stores to increase its market. The central Bank of Saudi Arabia has announced a legal action against the platforms that do not apply for a permit. This step is also expected to provide a good opportunity for the growth of the market in the coming years period. Many traditional financial institutes are entering into partnership with the why now pay later platforms in order to expand the market for the same. Challenges The availability of other payment methods happens to be a major challenge for the growth of this market. With every purchase the provider of the buy now pay later market needs to sign an agreement which makes this process is extremely time consuming. There are many platforms that offer the buy now pay later service and the availability of various platforms can create an extremely confusing situation at the point of sales or at the time of purchase as there is a need to add the different buy now pay later providers. It also happens to be expensive as there is a processing fee charged for these transactions which happens to be about 3 to 7%. Increase the margin of the products that are sold is not that great the cost incurred by the merchant happens to be a challenge for the growth of the market. Market Segmentation By Component Platform/Solutions Services By Purchase Ticket Size Small Ticket Item (Up to US$ 300) Mid Ticket Items (US$ 300 - US$ 1000) Higher Prime Segments (Above US$ 1000) By Business Model Customer Driven Business Driven By Mode Online Offline By Vertical Home & Furniture Electronics Fashion Others By Countries Egypt Israel Jordan Turkey Rest OF ME Immediate Delivery Available | Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/checkout/1980 You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@precedenceresearch.com | +1 9197 992 333 About Us Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally. For Latest Update Follow Us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/precedence-research/ https://www.facebook.com/precedenceresearch/ https://twitter.com/Precedence_R PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantifind, a provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions used by banks to streamline risk management, announces the appointment of Graeme Clark as Executive Vice President of Global Sales. Clark brings three decades of experience in start-up leadership and executive sales expertise to the company, particularly in the field of intelligent automation and financial crime risk management. "Having Graeme join Quantifind in this critical leadership role is truly a momentous occasion for the company," commented Ari Tuchman, Quantifind's CEO and Co-Founder. "As Quantifind continues its rapid growth and focuses across the United States and Europe, Graeme's sales leadership and his strong background in building top-performing sales teams will accelerate Quantifind's growth. We are thrilled to have him on board!" Most recently, Clark served on the executive team at Blue Prism, a robotic process automation company (RPA). He was instrumental in driving the initial product offering (IPO) along with the company's subsequent growth and valuation to $1.6 billion. His previous roles include executive positions in US software companies including Sun Microsystems, Peoplesoft, and Workday. "I'm delighted to join Quantifind, this truly great company which operates in a sector I know well," said Clark. "The Quantifind value proposition is outstanding, making it a global market leader in fighting financial crime. Looking to the future, I believe that Quantifind will be a force for good not just for banks but for businesses and their customers across the world." Quantifind will release a podcast about AI-driven perpetual KYC (know your customer), and host a booth and knowledge session at the ACAMS Las Vegas Conference taking place October 11-13. To learn more about Quantifind and the Graphyte platform, visit www.quantifind.com. About Quantifind Quantifind was founded in 2009 upon pioneering work building machine learning technology to discover meaningful patterns across large, disparate, unstructured datasets. Quantifind's Graphyte platform embodies over a decade of R&D and deployment experience in machine learning, natural language processing, risk modeling, name science, and entity resolution, and is helping many large financial institutions and public sector agencies to combat crime. Quantifind is headquartered in Palo Alto, with teams in Boston, Washington, and New York. Contact Information Mike Albanese mike.albanese@newswire.com Related Images Image 1 Image 2 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment New York, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three areas in Brooklyn and Queens will soon be renamed in homage to the people that help shape their community and culture. Photo: Bangladeshi Community Leader and Bangladesh former Foreign Advisor Zahid F. Sarder Saddi with US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer The New York City Council on Thursday, July 14th approved a bill to rename Macdonald and Church in Brooklyn as Little Bangladesh, Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn as Ukrainian Way, and Woodside Avenue between 76th and 79th streets in Queens as Little Thailand. Bangladeshi Activist Zahid F. Sarder Saddi publicly voiced appreciation for the US Senate Majority Leaders strong support as the city recognizes the Bangladeshi community and renames a part of Brooklyn, Little Bangladesh. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi also thanks Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council for their help in passing the bill. This initiative is a celebration of the many contributions made by the Bangladeshi community in New York City, says Bangladeshi Community Leader Zahid F. Sarder Saddi, Foreign Advisor to the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia. US Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) recently made an appearance and spoke in New York at the Gulshan Terrace Party Hall in Woodside, a residential neighborhood in Queens. Senator Schumer spoke with the press at the event about the importance of small businesses as well as fair wages for cab drivers in New York City. The Senator spoke about his familys small business, something he shares with many Bangladeshis that have become the owners of many small-to-medium businesses in the city. The senator also spoke about the role of the Bangladeshi community in the taxi industry in New York City, speaking about how hes been vocal on behalf of the community for higher pay. Photo: Bangladeshi-American community rejoices as Little Bangladesh is declared in NYC. According to a recent study, 40% of New York City taxi drivers hail from South Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Prior to the pandemic, Asians in New York City owned 23% of all businesses. Bangladeshi New Yorkers by these accounts make a significant contribution to the city economically. Senator Schumer also said that despite being from a different culture and speaking a different language, the Bangladeshi community has come to America from far and wide because they want to fill their lives with happiness and to give their children a future. For this, he explained, everyone has to invest a lot of labor and talent, and through this, the Bangladeshi community is improving Jackson Heights, moving Queens to prosperity, and improving the community in New York and across the United States. Referring to the appointment of Bangladeshi-American Nusrat Chowdhury, who the Senator endorsed in her nomination for federal judge, Senator Schumer said, that hes determined to do everything for the welfare of the hardworking Bangladeshi community. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi has been involved in the Bangladeshi-American Community for over 25 years. He is an influential civil society leader that receives consistent praise for his efforts in playing a major role in drumming up support and facilitating action to carry the voice of Bangladeshi-Americans to lawmakers. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi has taken action on the behalf of Bangladeshi community members worldwide. He has done work during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening numerous vaccine clinics to guarantee access for many people who may have otherwise not received vaccines. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi has spoken out against human rights abuses when he addressed the UN earlier this year, as well as speaking with US congress, and other governmental bodies. Working closely with smaller bodies as well, such as New York City Council and the mayors office, to ensure the well-being of the Bangladeshi-American community. Photo: Bangladeshi Community Leader and Bangladesh former Foreign Advisor Zahid F. Sarder Saddi. On the importance of culture to the Bangladeshi community of New York City, Zahid F. Sarder Saddi says, As a society, were dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Bangladesh for people who have emigrated from Bangladesh, but still wish to keep the history, traditions, and culture of their home country alive. From providing taxi services to newsstands, from small businesses to doctors, the Bangladeshi community makes crucial contributions to New York Citys economy and culture. At every corner of NYC business, the medical sector, and even occupying a third of the NYPDs traffic division, this community provides essential support to its city. Community leaders like Zahid F. Sarder Saddi, continue their work to ensure the voices of the growing community of Bangladeshis living in the United States are heard. About: Zahid F. Sarder Saddi is an influential civil society leader, humanitarian, and advocate for Bangladesh and its people. He helps Bangladeshi expatriates assimilate into life in the United States while also preserving their own values and traditions. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi works with several organizations, and holds a special passion for helping the Bangladeshi community in the United States and around the world. BOSTON, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sungage Financial , a residential solar finance company that provides homeowners with easy, online access to low-cost financing for solar equipment, and Bodhi , the leading solar customer experience platform, today announced a partnership to support growing solar installation businesses. Through the new partnership, Sungage customers will be able to easily harness Bodhis customer experience platform to address common operational challenges, including homeowner communication and follow-on sales. All Sungage customers will be entitled to the first month of Bodhis solar customer experience platform for free as well as a 50% discount on Bodhis implementation fee. The new partnership with Bodhi aligns with Sungages mission to enable solar installers to build strong and resilient businesses at every stage, from financing to installation and beyond. Today, the majority of solar businesses are unable to offer homeowners a customer experience that matches consumer expectations. In a survey of solar homeowners, Bodhi found that four out of five remembered their installation and commissioning process negatively. As solar adoption is disproportionately driven by referrals , especially among low- to moderate-income households, these negative customer experiences stunt the industry and hurt individual solar installers bottom lines. We are always on the lookout for tools and technologies which better support our installer network through better consumer experiences, said Doug Pierce, Director of Sales at Sungage. Homeowner communications can be both difficult and challenging for growing solar businesses. Bodhi provides a targeted tool to manage these potential pain points and allows our partners to focus on what they do best. Bodhis solar customer experience platform automates post-sales customer communications for solar businesses. By integrating with solar installers existing CRM, monitoring systems, and other operational tools, Bodhi is able to turn a solar business's existing customer data into clear, hyper-personalized customer interactions that keep homeowners informed and engaged. In doing so, the platform allows solar installers to streamline the post-sales experience while driving lifetime value and reducing support costs 50%. Were honored to be partnering with a company like Sungage who shares our commitment of providing incredible customer experiences to homeowners while making solar installers lives easier, said Emmett Miranker, Head of Business Development at Bodhi. This is really the kind of partnership that just makes sense and benefits everyone in the industry, from solar businesses to the solar customers. Interested solar businesses already within the Sungage network should contact Sungage or their Account Manager for more information about how they can begin their first free month of Bodhi, as well as apply their 50% implementation discount. For solar businesses not yet a part of the Sungage Network, Bodhi and Sungage will be hosting a webinar on August 16th at 12pm CT about how solar businesses can automate communications and improve their customer experience. Interested individuals can register here: https://pages.bodhi.solar/sungage-customer-experience-webinar About Sungage Financial Sungage Financial is shaping the residential solar industry by offering reliable and flexible financing solutions at the lowest rates available. Sungage enables solar installers to build strong and resilient businesses while helping families save money and live more sustainably. Headquartered in Boston, MA, with offices in Oakland, CA, and Honolulu, HI Sungage currently operates in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.sungagefinancial.com. NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- All-domain defense and technologies partner HII (NYSE:HII) announced today that the companys scholarship fund, now in its seventh year, has awarded 190 scholarships to dependent children of HII employees for the 2022-2023 school year. HIIs scholarship fund has awarded more than $3 million in 1,170 scholarships over the life of the program, providing educational opportunities to more than 600 children of employees across the HII enterprise. This program is an important reflection of who we are, said Chris Kastner, HIIs president and CEO. Through these scholarships we are supporting our employees and their families, with benefits long-term for our communities and ultimately the nation. I am committed to supporting this program and the educational opportunities it brings to students. The HII Scholarship Fund was formed to provide financial assistance to dependent children of HII employees who are pursuing a post-secondary college or technical/vocation degree and to dependent children who are enrolled in qualifying pre-kindergarten school readiness programs. A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-scholarship-fund-2022. Of the scholarships awarded, 30 were granted to students in four-year college education programs, 20 were granted to students in two-year degree or vocational programs, and 50 were granted to students in early childhood school-readiness programs. Individual award amounts ranged from $3,000 for selected students enrolled in a four-year college program to $1,500 for selected students enrolled in two-year programs; the post-secondary awards are renewable for recipients who remain in good academic standing. The fund also awards scholarships of up to $3,000 for pre-school education costs. Children of all HII employees are eligible to apply for the scholarship fund, with the exception of children of senior executives and those employees who have been with the company for less than two years. The HII Scholarship Fund is administered through Scholarship America. The selection process for awards is independent of HII and based on both academic scholarship and financial need. No employee or officer of HII plays a part in the selection process. To view testimonies from this years recipients, learn more about how to make a tax-deductible donation to the fund, or for more details on how to apply for 2023, please visit: https://hii.com/hii-scholarship-fund/. Through the decades, HII has made numerous investments in education programs; partnerships with local high schools, community colleges and technical schools to develop trade-based curriculum; summer internships for both students and teachers, and industry-leading apprentice schools at the companys two shipyards. Additionally this year, HII provided scholarships to Aerospace Industry Associations 2022 American Rocketry Challenge graduating seniors and Wings of America Naval aviation families to help the aerospace and defense industry provide opportunities for the next generation of technology providers. About HII HII is an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as Americas largest shipbuilder. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable an all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, please visit: HII on the web: https://www.hii.com/ HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII Contact: Danny Hernandez Danny.j.hernandez@hii-co.com (202) 580-9086 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed013029-8564-43fe-8e16-49a053ed2ac3 Washington, D.C., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) has announced the promotion of Therese Badon to the position of senior vice president. In this new capacity, Badon will be responsible for oversight of the Southern Division, which encompasses 30 employees and eight area offices located in New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. These offices are responsible for fundraising in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Texas and New Mexico. Badon will also manage the Development Special Events Division for the organization and the National Faith and Education Initiative. She also assists in managing the joint campaigns with UNCFs 37 member institutions. Badon has a fundraising goal of $15 million. Badon has been a strong advocate and supporter of education for minorities and low-income students aspiring to fulfill the dream of earning a college degree. She has also been engaged in efforts to help improve schools, health disparities and assistance to families from low-income communities. Since first joining UNCF in 2005, two weeks prior to hurricane Katrina, Badon served as the area development director of the New Orleans office. Specifically, she handled all fundraising and major events in the market that covered Louisiana and Arkansas. During that time, Badon was credited with a variety of important accomplishments, including working with two former U.S. presidents, President Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush on the Wave of Hope campaign to raise funds for those historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that were devastated on the Gulf coast after hurricane Katrina. Shortly thereafter, in 2008 Badon was promoted to regional development director with additional fundraising responsibilities to include Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico along with her existing responsibilities in Louisiana and Arkansas. Badon consistently exceeded her fundraising goals each year. In 2012, Badon was promoted to Vice President of Development for her outstanding fundraising performance, commitment to service, UNCF member institutions, students and her excellence in leadership. As Vice President of the Special Events Division, due to Covid, Badon was instrumental in managing the first virtual UNCF national walk for education. Through this event, the fundraising team generated $2.9 million in 2020 and in its second year $2.6 million. Badon also managed the newly created UNCF national faith and education initiative, bringing together prominent national faith leaders across all denominations in support of UNCF, its HBCUs and the students they support. UNCF is fortunate to have a strong fundraising leader like Therese Badon, said UNCF Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr. Badon is a tremendous asset to UNCF and continues to demonstrate her talents and climb the ladder of success. As you may know, UNCF has a long-standing policy of promoting from within whenever possible. Badon is a great example of this. This way, both our staff and donors benefit from the knowledge and skills acquired over time, while ensuring the continued high quality of our UNCF brand. Prior to joining UNCF, Badon served as the executive director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at her alma mater, Dillard University in New Orleans. She also served as a banking officer at Capital One Bank, formerly Hibernia National Bank, where she worked 12 years in the industry. Badon is an elected official serving on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee representing District E. Shes a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and served on the Alumni Relations Commission for CASE. Badon has been rated as a Faculty Star for her presentation skills during the CASE/Kresge HBCU Learning Institute and she is a Kresge Advancement Fellow. She is published and acknowledged in the book, Changing the Odds: Lessons learned from the Kresge HBCU Initiative. Badon holds a bachelors degree in business administration and management from Dillard University in New Orleans. Badon has served as commencement speaker for St. Marys Academy, Womens Day and Martin Luther King Day speaker at St. Peter Claver Church and several other engagements. Badon is involved in many other community activities. She served as a member of the Human Relations Commission for the City of New Orleans appointed by former Mayor Mitch Landrieu and former Mayor C. Ray Nagin. Badon also served as a board member for the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans, board member for Marillac Health Center, board member for the Girls Scouts of Southeast Louisiana, and a previous board member for KIPP New Orleans Schools. Badon was honored as one of New Orleans City Business Women of the Year and is a member of Pontchartrain chapter of The Links, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. She has received numerous other awards and honors. Badon is also a notary public in New Orleans and the wife of former Louisiana State Representative Austin Badon who currently serves as the clerk of First City Court in New Orleans and mother of her loving son, Ayden. ### About UNCF UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 13% of bachelors degrees, 5% of masters degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 24% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF. Attachment Actually, the US proposed IPEF will lead Asia to nowhere 13:30, August 02, 2022 By Yang Chao, Tian Guangqiang ( People's Daily Online The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) proposed by the United States during Mr. Bidens trip to Japan is ideological, divisive, and does not serve the peoples interests in Asia. As former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has rightly pointed out, the IPEF championed by US President Joe Biden is inherently political, since it excludes China. Indeed, the IPEF is too ideological to leave any space for economics. The four pillars laid out in IPEF are like a laundry list of American policy requests. It raises widespread concerns among countries in Asia. Firstly, The United State claimed that IPEF is free and fair, but it is not. The four pillars have nothing to do with tariff reduction and market access, which means that the US has not prepared to open its markets to exporters from Asia. An economic framework without market access is detached from the reality in Asia, as trade is still much needed for developing Asia to grow its economies. As many commentators have pointed out, the IPEF is designed to serve the interests of US corporates rather than the interests of the people. By including the digital economy as a pillar, the USTR has an important agenda of promoting its big techs in Asia and creating new markets on their behalf, dominating the rules and standards of digital technologies, which are a proxy for realizing US geopolitical goals. IPEF is proving once again the USs long tradition of writing rules for its mega-corporations, rather than workers from both in Asia and the US. Secondly, the US and some of its allies asserted that they would like to work with like-minded Asian nations. This is an old tactic used by the U.S by putting ideology above economics. Most Asian nations in Asia do not agree with USs China policy. They do not want to be forced to choose sides between the US and China, and they refuse to become a pawn for US in Sino-US strategic competition. Members in the IPEF grouping do not see eye to eye on many issues either, and their economic and diplomatic interests diverge profoundly. Just look at three recent UN resolutions, both India and Indonesia, along with many other countries, abstained their votes on Russia Ukraine conflict. Historical experiences showed that the US adjusts its policies and strategies according to its own interests, while ignoring and even damaging the interests of its trading partners. For example, in 2018 then President Donald Trump launched a trade war against not only China but also Canada, Mexico and European Union. Starting from the year 1988, the US treasury reviewed on a biannual basis trade and foreign exchange policies of many of its trading partners, by listing some of them on its monitoring list of currency manipulation, including China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Mexico, many of whom are allies of the US. If countries on the list were to be tagged as so-called currency manipulator, the US will weaponize its financial power at will without the slightest consideration on whether you are like-minded or not. Thirdly, The IPEF is against economic logic. Supply chains in the region will not be more resilient by excluding China. The Chinese economy is both complementary and closely intertwined with Asian countries. Statistics show that China has been ASEAN's largest trade partner for 13 consecutive years since 2009. Outside ASEAN, China is the largest trading partner for Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, and they rely heavily on the Chinese market for exports and imports, and its hard to find an alternative. For example, in 2020 nearly 43 percent of Australian exports went to China, while only 6 percent of its exports went to the US. Nearly one-third of New Zealands exports are with China, compared to 11 percent of its exports with the US. What the US wants to achieve with the supply chain resilience pillar, is a synchronized diversification away from China. The consequence will be a prolonged rise in trade protectionism and production cost in Asia. In the meantime, countries are likely to relinquish the ability to maintain sovereignty, when orders of export tightening and control toward China come from the United States. Singaporean academic Kishore Mahbubani once said it is a strategic mistake of fighting tomorrows war with yesterdays strategies. Over the past decades, the center of economic gravity has been marching toward Asia very rapidly, and Asia has emerged as one of the most dynamic regions in the world. The achievement that Asia has garnered so far is the result of pragmatism and commitment to integration rather than alienation. If the US wants to reap the benefits of working with countries in Asia, it should get rid of its cold war mentality and ideological tactic. The USs intention to divide Asia-Pacific economic cooperation violates the Asian way of economic development. Its Indo-Pacific economic strategy is bound to fail. The authors are researchers of the National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming) Republicans are criticizing President Joe Biden for cheering the assassination of Al Qaeda's top commander, claiming that his 'disastrous retreat' from Afghanistan cleared the path for the group's resurgence. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over the terrorist organization after its founder, Osama bin Laden, died in a CIA drone attack in Kabul on Sunday. Biden expressed optimism on Monday that al-killing Zawahiri's will provide 'another measure of closure' to families of 9/11 victims, which he helped orchestrate. GOP Reacts to Killing of Alman al-Zawahiri The president said that al-Zawahiri will "never again allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist haven because he is gone," and vowed that his government will "make certain that nothing else occurs." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, on the other hand, blamed Biden's failed escape from the Taliban-ruled country on the "potential re-emergence of Al Qaeda," claiming the US must take steps to prevent terrorists from entering the country. GOP Sen. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed McCarthy's sentiment, saying that even Americans will be relieved al-Zawahiri is dead, and that "Joe's victory lap is ridiculous." Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA led air strike. Zawahiri is credited in planning 9-11 & attack on the USS Cole, but most Americans dont know or have forgotten who he is, but once they know they will be glad hes dead. But Joes victory lap is ridiculous. 1/5 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) August 1, 2022 Meanwhile, 9/11 organizations and families of victims are celebrating al-death, Zawahiri's but argue that those who plotted the attacks must face greater accountability. During a White House address on Monday evening, Biden announced that al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul on Sunday, an operation he praised for bringing "justice." US intelligence tracked al-Zawahiri to a downtown Kabul residence owned by a major assistant to senior Taliban commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, where he was hiding out with his family. However, opponents of Biden believe that the drone strike exposes the president's inability to confront terrorism and his outright lying to the American people, noting earlier remarks he made asserting that Al Qaeda was not present in Afghanistan, according to Daily Mail. In a nighttime address from the White House, President Obama stated that US intelligence personnel tracked al-Zawahri to a residence in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The procedure was approved by the president last week and carried out on Sunday. Al-Zawahri and the more well-known Osama bin Laden organized the 9/11 attacks, which introduced many ordinary Americans to al-Qaida for the first time. On May 2, 2011, Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in a US-led operation. Navy SEALs have been apprehended following a nearly decade-long quest. According to five persons familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the strike was carried out by the CIA. Neither Biden nor the White House elaborated on the CIA's role in the operation. Al-Zawahri's death eliminates the individual who formed al-Qaida more than anyone else, first as bin Laden's deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the Islamic movement's firearms on the United States, carrying out the worst attack on American soil - the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings. According to a senior intelligence officer, the residence Al-Zawahri was in when he was murdered was owned by a major adviser to senior Taliban commander Sirajuddin Haqqani. A CIA ground team and aircraft reconnaissance following the drone operation verified al-death. Zawahri', AP News reported. Read Also: Ukraine's Largest Grain Export Company Owner Killed by Mykolaiv Shelling as Shipments Set To Resume Who Is Ayman al-Zawahri? Ayman al-Zawahiri was born in 1951 in Cairo, Egypt. He came from a well-to-do family of professors and physicians. His grandfather was the grand imam of al-Azhar, the Middle East's center of Sunni Islamic study, and one of his uncles was the Arab League's first secretary-general. Zawahiri grew interested in political Islam while still in high school. He joined Egypt's oldest, biggest, and illegal Muslim Brotherhood at the age of 15, for which he was subsequently incarcerated. He followed in his family's footsteps and became an Egyptian doctor, opening a medical clinic in Cairo. Since he was a youngster, Zawahiri had an extremely strong extremist attitude. This is why he was drawn to Islamist organizations seeking to destabilize Egypt's government. In 1973, he joined the Egyptian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. In the 1980s, Zawahiri was imprisoned for his role in militant Islam. He was initially accused of involvement in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat but was subsequently exonerated. He was, nevertheless, convicted of illegally possessing weapons. According to other Islamist detainees, Zawahirir was tortured and brutally punished by jail officials. This encounter seemed to have shaped him into a violent zealot. After his release in 1985, he fled Egypt and became active in worldwide jihadist groups. Zawahiri established a section of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Afghanistan. In the country, he also worked as a doctor, as per USA Today. Related Article: China Slammed After Uncontrolled Rocket's Debris Crashes Into the Atmosphere Over the Indian Ocean @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ketchikan, Alaska, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The health and wellness of communities have become the forefront for many organizations. One of the core concepts for Cape Fox Corporations (CFCs) mission is to support, enhance, and provide for our communities. CFC believes that by making the community stronger, we are strengthening our corporation, our culture, and ourselves. CFC is delighted to announce a new endeavor that will enhance communities with new and innovative technology solutions, the new CFC Innovation Hub in Ketchikan, Alaska. The CFC Innovation Hub was created to develop emerging and smart technologies that provide, enhance, and strengthen native communities. Cape Fox has partnered with Planet Defense LLC to develop and refine the Innovation Hub and will be supported by founding partners Verizon, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Virginia Smart Community Testbed, which the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) manages, creating a private/public partnership, and will seek additional strategic partners in the future. Innovation is the founding competency for community development, health & wellness, public safety, and workforce empowerment. The vision for CFCs Innovation Hub is tomorrows community today the next generation, the next innovation, the next cure. The goal is to transform lives and communities through research and development of new technologies, educate and prepare a future-ready workforce, and strive for excellence. CFCs Innovation Hub will bring advanced technologies to help indigenous peoples globally. One of the first endeavors for the Innovation Hub is to bring Smart City technologies to Ketchikan, Alaska. VIPC started the Virginia Smart Community Testbed in Stafford County, Virginia, which is the home to developing smart technology for the Commonwealth. It is the first Smart City Testbed involving an IoT platform, fully integrated with 5G and other emerging technologies for Smart Cities around the country. Through our partnerships, we will have access to existing case studies and applications which can be used to advance the mission of the innovation hub in Ketchikan. With modern technology, we can enhance the quality of life, create new opportunities, and maintain the cultural integrity of the Native People, says Todd Morgan, President of Strategy and Innovation for the Cape Fox Corporation. By working with our strategic partners, we will maintain the native culture while advancing the community into the world of tomorrow by providing easier access to smart and connected healthcare, advanced online education, research, and public safety using drone technology. The Innovation Hub will collaborate with community leaders and global Indigenous stakeholders to create equity and ensure no indigenous person gets left behind. We are pleased to find new and innovative ways to support and augment our communities with a better quality of life. For additional information, email Heather Kaiser at hkaiser@capefoxss.com or call (703) 749-3045. About Cape Fox Corporation Cape Fox Corporation (CFC) was formed as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971. Cape Fox Corporation is the Alaska Native Corporation for the village of Saxman. Today, Cape Fox Corporation is comprised of a family of businesses divided between two distinct groups: The Federal Contracting Group and The Commercial (Tourism) Group. Collectively, CFC and its subsidiaries specialize in tourism, information technology and cybersecurity; professional services; health care services; marketing; training services, and logistical services. Visit Cape Fox Corporation to learn more. Attachment Aurora, Colo., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madison Williams, an Aurora Public Schools (APS) alumna, has been named the 2022 Golden Eagle Scholar. As the recipient, Williams will receive a four-year scholarship to attend Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), a fully online university, as part of a program created in partnership with APS to provide 100% tuition coverage exclusively to APS seniors. Williams is pursuing a bachelors degree in Human Services and will begin classes in August 2022. With her degree, she aspires to help children in therapy understand trust and communication. Her passion for the field stems from Willams own experiences growing up. At age 12, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and at such a young age, it was difficult for her to fully understand what that diagnosis meant physically. During that time, Williams connected with her therapist who made her feel relaxed and safe, which kick-started her passion for wanting to provide the same experience for other children in similar circumstances. Until a few years ago, my priority in school was to look good, fit in, and have a lot of friends, even if they did not like me as much as they portrayed. Now I know that you are your top priority. You are what makes your goals come to life, said Williams. This scholarship to me is hope and faith that I am, and will continue to be, my best self. Not just because I have to, but because I want to. Even starting off very low financially and physically, I found a way to grow. It shows that you can do anything you put your mind to. I am so thankful for this gift Ive been granted and will honor it in every way. The Golden Eagle Scholarship allows APS graduates the opportunity to earn a bachelors degree debt-free and accelerate them toward achieving their career goals. The scholarship is awarded based on academic merit, demonstration of financial need, community engagement and work experience, plus a statement of goals. The Golden Eagle Scholarship includes a minimum $7,500 annual award each year for four years, which, coupled with a generous tuition discount issued by CSU Global to all APS students, will cover costs of tuition and books as Williams completes her degree. We are grateful for our partnership with APS and the opportunity to lift up students in our home-base of Aurora, said CSU Global President Pamela Toney. In its fourth year, this scholarship allows students who may not have been able to go to college otherwise, the ability to earn a degree entirely online, without worrying about debt or transportation costs. CSU Global Senior Enrollment Counselor Susan Smith assists the Golden Eagle Scholars with enrollment each year and has been preparing Williams to begin classes this fall. We are honored to welcome Madison into the CSU Global community and excited to watch her carry out her goals of helping others, said Smith. Working with these students is such an honor, and it is inspiring to see the next generation of leaders continuing their educational journey at our university. ### About Colorado State University Global Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) offers career-relevant bachelors and masters degree programs for working adults and nontraditional learners. As the first 100% online, fully accredited public university in the United States, CSU Global is focused on student success as its number one priority. Embracing the land grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty who are recognized as industry leaders and trained in working with adults in an online learning environment. CSU Global offers accelerated eight-week courses that start every four weeks. Visit CSUGlobal.edu to learn more. About Aurora Public Schools Aurora Public Schools is the fifth largest school district in Colorado. APS serves approximately 40,000 students and includes over 60 schools. It is one of the most diverse districts in the state with students from more than 130 countries who speak over 160 languages. Over the past several years, APS has made noteworthy improvements in graduation rates, dropout rates and overall student growth and achievement. In fact, since 2013, APS graduation rates have increased by almost 25%. During that same period of time, its dropout rate has sharply declined from 4.8% to 1.6%. APS 2026 is the district's strategic plan, which includes four strategic goals: 1) Every student will have a plan for their future, 2) Every student will have a set of skills to implement their plan, 3) Every student will have credentials that open doors and 4) Every student will identify and connect with a community of support. It is the district's vision that every student shapes a successful future. Attachment New Delhi, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The rise in the number of elderly people, the rising use of smart devices and wearables, and technical improvements are the main drivers of the United States patient monitoring system market. The prevalence of chronic diseases including COPD, genetic disorders, respiratory illnesses, and others is also on the rise, which is boosting the market for patient monitoring systems. Additionally, it is anticipated that partnerships between businesses, hospitals, and academic institutions would result in the introduction of new products, which will aid in boosting market growth and revenue.. A recent study conducted by the strategic consulting and market research firm, BlueWeave Consulting, revealed that the United States patient monitoring market was worth USD 13.48 billion in the year 2021. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2022-2028 (forecast period), earning revenues of around USD 21.36 billion by the end of 2028. The market is growing on account of increased demand for devices that monitor patients coming from hospitals and clinics. The characteristics of a patient are tracked or continuously measured using patient monitoring devices. It is important to constantly monitor a critically ill patient's oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature, pain, pulse, degree of consciousness, urine output, and breathing rate. All of these features are easily tracked with the use of various patient monitoring devices. Major hospitals, clinics, and different outpatient facilities are using pulse oximeters, capnographs, and heart monitors more often to monitor patients. These tools are frequently used during small and large procedures to track patients' physiological indicators and act if issues arise. Additionally, these tools can assist medical practitioners in simultaneously monitoring the vital signs of many patients. When parameter values are either above or below the limit specified by doctors, some of these devices are also utilized to warn them. Utilizing Mobile Technologies and Smart Devices More Frequently for Remote Patient Monitoring During the projected period, the market for patient monitoring systems in the United States is anticipated to expand significantly. The population of elderly people is growing, and remote patient monitoring systems are becoming more widely used. The market for patient monitoring devices is expanding as chronic illnesses including COPD, diabetes, cancer, and atherosclerosis become more common. Additionally, it is anticipated that partnerships between businesses, hospitals, and academic institutions would result in the release of new products, helping to raise market revenue and, therefore, the expansion of the United States patient monitoring systems market. Request for Sample Report @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/united-states-remote-patient-monitoring-market/report-sample Concerns Pertaining to the Use of Invasive Monitoring Systems The use of invasive monitoring systems comes with a number of hazards, including the inconvenience of inserting monitoring devices such as pulmonary artery catheters (PACs). Other important problems include thrombosis, air embolism, infection, bleeding/hematoma development, cardiac arrhythmias, reduced circulation to the distal limb, hemorrhage, nerve injury (during insertion) and necrosis of the pulmonary capillaries. In this regard, the mortality rate in invasive operations increases. As a result, the above hazards limit the use of intrusive monitoring equipment. However, the expansion of the US patient monitoring market is likely to be held back by privacy and data security concerns. The market for patient monitoring systems in the US is also constrained by government regulations and payment issues. Impact of COVID-19 on the United States Patient Monitoring Market Although most markets are seeing a decline, the COVID-19 epidemic has had a favorable impact for a number of healthcare-related sectors, including patient monitoring systems. The market for patient monitoring systems is expanding really quickly right now. They are essential in the fight against pandemics and in patient monitoring. Due to its extensive usage in patient treatment and IoT technologies, patient monitoring systems, such as heart monitors, respiration devices, and temperature monitoring devices, are in high demand. Additionally, IoT has a variety of uses in patient monitoring that have proved helpful throughout the crisis, especially when integrated with other transformational technologies like the cloud and artificial intelligence (AI). Please Visit Press Release: https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/press-release/united-states-patient-monitoring-market-projected-to-grow-at-a-significant-rate-during-2022-2028 Competitive Landscape Medtronic, Philips Healthcare, ResMed, 100-Plus, A&D Company, Abbott Laboratories, AltumView Systems, BIOTRONIK, Boston Scientific, Bardy Diagnostics, Cardiomo Care, Cardiologsm Dragerwerk, Hoffmann-La Roche, GE Healthcare, and other well-known companies are among the major players operating in the market. Smart Meter, the leader in cellular-enabled remote patient monitoring (RPM) data and devices, announced a partnership with A&D Medical, to develop and deliver top-quality RPM devices that use advanced cellular-enabled technology best to connect patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Dont miss the business opportunity of the United States patient monitoring market Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth. The report's in-depth analysis provides information about growth potential, upcoming trends, and United States patient monitoring market. It also highlights the factors driving forecasts of total market size. The report promises to provide recent technology trends in United SStates patient monitoring market along with industry insights to help decision-makers make sound strategic decisions. Furthermore, the report also analyses the market's growth drivers, challenges, and competitive dynamics. Recent Development In December 2021, Smart Meter, the leader in cellular-enabled remote patient monitoring (RPM) data and devices, announced a partnership with A&D Medical, to develop and deliver top-quality RPM devices that use advanced cellular-enabled technology best to connect patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Scope of Report: Attribute Details Years Considered Historical data- 2018-2021 Base Year- 2021 Forecast- 2022-2028 Facts Covered Revenue in USD Billion Market Coverage United States Product/Service Segmentation By Components, By Application, and End User Key Players Medtronic plc, Koninklijke Philips N.V., ResMed Inc., 100plus, A&D Company, Abbott, AltumView Systems, BIOTRONIK, Boston Scientific, Bardy Diagnostics, Cardiomo Care, Cardiologs, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, GE Healthcare, Grand Care Systems, Honeywell International, iHealth Unified Care, Qardio, Inc., MedM, and other prominent players By Components Devices Hemodynamic Monitoring Neuromonitoring Cardiac Monitoring Fetal & Neonatal Monitoring Respiratory Monitoring Multiparameter Monitoring Weight Monitoring Temperature Monitoring Urine Output Monitoring Others Services Consulting System Integration and Deployment Support and Maintenance By Application Cardiovascular Diseases Diabetes Cancer Hypertension Infections Others By End-User Hospitals & Specialty Clinics Homecare Settings Ambulatory Surgical Centers Long Term & Acute Care Centers Other End User Please Find Below Some Related Report: About Us BlueWeave Consulting provides all-inclusive Market Intelligence (MI) Solutions to businesses regarding various products and services online & offline. We offer comprehensive market research reports by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to boost your business solution's performance. BWC has built its reputation from the scratches by delivering quality inputs and nourishing long-lasting relationships with its clients. We are a promising digital MI solutions company providing agile assistance to make your business endeavors successful. Contact Us: BlueWeave Consulting & Research Pvt. Ltd +1 866 658 6826 | +1 425 320 4776 | +44 1865 60 0662 WESTPORT, Conn., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HMG Strategy, the Worlds #1 digital platform for enabling technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world, is excited to announce five finalists for its 2023 Global Leadership Institute Awards (GLIA) program. The five finalists from the Greater Atlanta area who will be recognized at HMG Strategys 2022 Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit on August 11 include: Jay Ferro , EVP, Chief Information & Technology Officer, Clario , EVP, Chief Information & Technology Officer, Clario Art Hopkins , Consultant, Russell Reynolds Associates , Consultant, Russell Reynolds Associates Ryan Loy , Partner, McKinsey & Company , Partner, McKinsey & Company AJ Rodrigues , Head of Global Technology Delivery and The Delta Tech Hub, Delta Air Lines , Head of Global Technology Delivery and The Delta Tech Hub, Delta Air Lines Bill VanCuren, EVP & CIO, NCR Corporation Since the inception of its Transformational CIO Awards in 2012, HMG Strategy has been recognizing the industrys premier technology executives who are making a difference in their organizations through the industrys most distinguished and recognizable global leadership awards program. In 2020, HMG Strategy introduced the Global Technology Executives Who Matter Awards to recognize the top-performing Chief Information Officers, Chief Information Security Officers, Senior Technology Leaders, Venture Capitalists and Search Executives who have demonstrated unparalleled leadership in areas such as Innovation, Business Transformation and Digital Disruption. Now in its 11th year of recognizing the exceptional contributions of technology executives, HMG Strategy extended its recognition program beginning in 2021 to honor exemplary technology leaders and their teams who are making outstanding contributions to their organizations. The 2023 Global Leadership Institute Awards recognize top-tier technology executives for their courageous, empathetic and inclusive leadership in the face of a global health crisis and turbulent socio-economic challenges, said Hunter Muller, Founder and CEO of HMG Strategy. The global technology executives were honoring in Atlanta are being recognized for their extraordinary leadership in helping to foster a culture of trust, to drive innovation, to reimagine the business and develop new go-to-market strategies with fellow members of the C-suite and line of business in incredibly challenging times. Technology leaders being recognized by HMG Strategy under the 2023 Global Leadership Institute Awards are being cited in the following areas: Demonstrate Exceptional Leadership Which Drives Unique Innovation, Disruption, and/or Business Reinvention Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leading Into the C-Suite Creating New Go-to-Market Business Models Modernizing Enterprise Architecture Building a Culture of Trust New recognition categories for HMG Strategys 2023 Global Leadership Institute Awards include: CEO Legends : Partner CEOs whose vision has reshaped the technology industry or their industry segment : Partner CEOs whose vision has reshaped the technology industry or their industry segment The HMG Strategy Hall of Fame : World-class technology executives who have demonstrated high-caliber leadership, character and integrity : World-class technology executives who have demonstrated high-caliber leadership, character and integrity HMG Strategy Industry Legends : Leaders whose contributions, leadership and innovation have had an indelible impact on the industry : Leaders whose contributions, leadership and innovation have had an indelible impact on the industry The HMG Strategy Lifetime Achievement Award : Recognizes those leaders for their career accomplishments and industry contributions : Recognizes those leaders for their career accomplishments and industry contributions HMG Global Thought Leadership Champions : Honors industry executives for the expertise shared with the HMG community : Honors industry executives for the expertise shared with the HMG community Emerging Leaders: Honors up-and-coming technology executives who are making a difference in their organizations To learn more about HMG Strategys 2022 Global Leadership Institute Awards and to nominate a deserving technology leader, click here or contact August Pelliccio, Managing Editor Digital, at august.pelliccio@hmgstrategy.com. To learn more about HMG Strategys 2022 Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit on August 11 and to register for the event, click here. About HMG Strategy HMG Strategy is the world's leading digital platform for connecting technology executives to reimagine the enterprise and reshape the business world. The HMG Strategy global network consists of more than 400,000 CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, CDOs, senior business technology executives, search industry executives, venture capitalists, industry experts and world-class thought leaders. HMG Strategys global media model generates more than one million impressions per week, providing vast opportunities for business technology leaders and sponsor partners to promote themselves and their brands. HMG Strategy was founded in 2008 by Hunter Muller, a leadership expert who has worked side-by-side with Fortune 2000 executives with strategic planning and career ascent for the past 30+ years. HMG Strategys regional and virtual CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, authored books and Digital Resource Center deliver unique, peer-driven guidance from CIOs, CISOs, CTOs, CDOs and technology executives on leadership, innovation, transformation and career ascent. HMG Strategy offers a range of peer-led research services such as its CIO & CISO Executive Leadership Alliance (CELA) program which bring together the worlds top CIOs, CISOs and technology executives to brainstorm on the top opportunities and challenges facing them in their roles. HMG Strategys Global Peer Actionable Insights Services Stack is a unique set of research services that are designed to keep business technology executives up to speed on the latest leadership, business, technology and global geo-economic trends that are impacting businesses and industries. HMG Ventures is a venture capital unit thats designed to connect CIOs, CTOs, CISOs and other technology executives with innovative early-stage technology companies from Silicon Valley to Tel Aviv. HMG Ventures provides technology executives with a window into hot emerging technology companies that can help move the needle for their businesses while also offering these executives unparalleled personal investment opportunities. One early-stage investment in an enterprise-level AI-powered service management provider has generated a 100X return. HMG Strategy also produces the HMG Security Innovation Accelerator Panel, a new webinar series thats designed to connect enterprise technology and security leaders with the most innovative technology and cybersecurity companies from across the world. To learn more about the 7 Pillars of Trust for HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ddadaa10-81ef-4cfc-a5ee-539c3269d795 Parsippany, New Jersey, USA, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wireless Telecom Group, Inc. (NYSE American: WTT), a leader in wireless communications and radio frequency instrumentation, announced it will release its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, before the market opens. The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 8:30 am EDT in which management will discuss its financial results. To participate in the conference call, dial 800-346-7359 or 973-528-0008. The conference identification number is 455180. The call will also be webcast over the internet at the following URL: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1690/46304 A replay will be made available on the Wireless Telecom website following the conference call. - END - About Wireless Telecom Group Wireless Telecom Group, Inc., comprised of Boonton, CommAgility, Holzworth, and Noisecom, is a global designer and manufacturer of advanced RF and microwave components, modules, systems, and instruments. Serving the wireless, telecommunication, satellite, military, aerospace, and semiconductor industries, Wireless Telecom Group products enable innovation across existing and emerging wireless technologies. With a product portfolio including peak power meters, signal generators, phase noise analyzers, signal processing modules, 5G and LTE PHY/stack software, noise sources, and programmable noise generators, Wireless Telecom Group supports the development, testing, and deployment of wireless technologies around the globe. Wireless Telecom Group, Inc.s website address is wirelesstelecomgroup.com. Investor Contact Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger& Company Tel: (216) 464-6400 andrew@smberger.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affinor Growers Inc. (Affinor or the Company) (CSE: AFI; OTCQB: RSSFF), a vertical farming technology and operations company with a commercial production facility in Abbotsford, BC, announces that it has entered into debt settlement agreements with certain creditors (the Creditors) to settle an aggregate of CAD$229,355 in debt (the Debt). In settlement of the Debt, the Company will issue an aggregate of 2,293,550 units of the Company (the Units) at a deemed price of $0.10 per Unit (the Debt Settlement), with each Unit to be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one Share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional Share (a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.15 per Warrant Share for a period of twelve months from the issue date. The Creditors are Nick Brusatore, an officer and director of the Company, and Pavenham Development Corp. (Pavenham), the owner of more than 10% of the Companys currently issued and outstanding common shares. Mr. Brusatore will be issued 693,550 Units and Pavenham will be issued 1,600,000 Units. The issuance of Units to Mr. Brusatore and Pavenham officer constitute "related party transactions" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company is relying on the exemption from valuation requirement and minority approval pursuant to subsection 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the securities do not represent more than 25% of the Companys market capitalization, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The participation by the officer in the Debt Settlement was approved by directors of the Company who are independent in connection with such transactions. All securities issued in connection with the Debt Settlement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation. About Affinor Affinor is a publicly traded company listed on the CSE under the symbol AFI and on the OTCQB under the symbol RSSFF. Affinor is focused on developing vertical farming technologies and using those technologies to grow fruits and vegetables in a sustainable manner. The Company is currently growing strawberries for local markets in its 15,000 square foot greenhouse in Abbotsford, BC. To learn more about Affinor, visit: www.affinorgrowers.com Affinor Growers Inc. Nick Brusatore: nick@affinorgrowers.com Tel: (604) 356-0411 www.affinorgrowers.com CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as anticipate, plan, estimate, expect, may, will, intend, should, and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of competitive factors and competition for investment opportunities, challenges relating to operations in competitive markets, changes to the Company's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable based on current expectations, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company 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 securities legislation. GENEVA, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Etrion Corporation (Etrion or the Company, and, together with its subsidiaries, the Group) released today its condensed consolidated interim financial statements and related managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022. Q2-2022 HIGHLIGHTS Etrion closed the second quarter of 2022 with an unrestricted cash balance of US$16.1 million and a positive working capital of US$14.9 million. The Company sold all the solar assets in 2021 and is not developing any new project in the second quarter 2022. Subject to the possibility of the Board of Directors identifying other potential business opportunities, the Company may deploy the remaining capital into a new venture or complete its windup activities and proceed with the dissolution within approximately 36 months after the sale of the Japanese assets. Any cash remaining at the completion of the windup activities and settlement of all liabilities of the Company will be distributed to shareholders. As previously mentioned and most recently in the April 15th, 2021 Management Information Circular to shareholders, the Company has been in the last few years actively pursuing reimbursement of certain tax payments (Tremonti Ambiente) in Italy regarding years 2010-2013, 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 before the Italian Courts. On July 27th, 2022, the Regional Tax Court in Rome ruled partially in favor of the Company and recognized the right of refund of EUR 6 million (gross) for the 2010-2013 tax years. Having said that, the Italian Tax Authorities can still appeal the ruling of the Regional Tax Court before the Supreme Court; the appeal should be filed within 60 days from the official notification of the ruling which would consequently delay final resolution by a few years. Therefore, the Company expects to be in a position to assess the certainty / likelihood and timing of the recovery of the funds by early November 2022. At same time, on July 13, 2022 a negative ruling was issued by the First Instance Tax Commission of Rome on the refund for the tax years 2016-2017, which the Company will appeal. On the whole, litigation for the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 years continues at various stages before the Courts and the Company will inform should positive developments arise. Management Comments Marco A. Northland, the Companys Chief Executive Officer, commented, The Company going forward will maintain very limited resources; however, we will continue to explore potential opportunities for future deployment of the Companys remaining cash or eventually proceed with a windup of the Company as previously disclosed. FINANCIAL SUMMARY Three months ended Six months ended US$ thousands (unless otherwise stated) Q2-22 Q2-22 Q2-22 Q1-22 Financial performance from continuing operations EBITDA (813) (4,934) (1,628) (6,716) Net Loss (4,192) (1,977) (9,029) (4,430) Financial position Jun 2022 Dec 2021 Unrestricted cash at parent level 16,155 20,578 Working capital 14,912 18,835 About Etrion Etrions largest shareholder is the Lundin family, which owns approximately 36% of the Companys shares directly and through various trusts. For additional information, please visit the Companys website at www.etrion.com or contact: Christian Lacueva Chief Financial Officer Telephone: +41 (22) 715 20 90 The information was submitted for publication at 11:05 p.m. CET on August 2, 2022. Non-IFRS Measures: This press release includes non-IFRS measures not defined under IFRS, specifically earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and Adjusted operating cash flow. Non-IFRS measures have no standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and therefore such measures may not be comparable with those used by other companies. EBITDA is a useful metric to quantify the Companys ability to generate cash before extraordinary and non-cash accounting transactions recognized in the financial statements. In addition, EBITDA is useful to analyze and compare profitability between companies and industries because it eliminates the effects of financing and accounting policy decisions. The most comparable IFRS measure to EBITDA is net income (loss). Refer to Etrions MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021, for a reconciliation of EBITDA and adjusted operating cash flow reported during the period. Forward-Looking Information: This press release contains certain forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements relating to amount of funds that will be required to satisfy potential warranty claims under the sale agreements, other corporate level liabilities and anticipated expenses to cover continuing operations and windup costs, the possibility of acquiring or commencing an alternative business and the possibility that the Company may proceed to wind up its activities and dissolve following the completion of the sale of its solar assets) constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company as well as certain assumptions including, without limitation, assumptions as to the amount of funds that will be required to satisfy future obligations and costs associated with the dissolution of the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Company may have insufficient funds to satisfy its future obligations, including without limitation warranty claims under the agreements pursuant to which its projects were sold; the risk that the Company may not be successful in identifying and pursuing an alternative business; and uncertainties with respect to the timing of the any alternative business venture or the windup and the dissolution of the Company. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Sarepta, Louisiana, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After a brief hiatus in production, IntegriCo returns to the railroad industry full steam ahead with a new c-suite armed with decades of combined leadership experience in the industry. Integrico named Douglas Fox, former Senior Vice President at Stella-Jones Corporation, as CEO, to elevate the brand and assemble a solid team to grow IntegriCos footprint across the country. Fox brings 40 years of leadership experience in the railway industry and currently oversees all business operations at IntegriCo. We have an experienced team and are turning out a unique and sustainable product, explains Fox. With current R&D activities, we will be launching a new product that addresses the concerns of Class 1 Railroad Engineers with composite ties. We look forward to meeting with industry representatives this fall in the launch of the next generation of composite ties. Rejoining IntegriCo leadership this year is General Manager Ken Webber. Webber was part of the original IntegriCo team and is responsible for developing the original composite material formula that turns hard-to-recycle plastics into sustainable products. Webbers formula is highly regarded in the industry and will serve as the key to getting more transit systems to act sustainably and replace their wooden or concrete ties with IntegriCos IntegriTies - composite railway ties made entirely from recycled plastics. Vice President of Sales, Scott Moe, has been with the company since 2015 and continues to work towards growing IntegriCos client base. With his extensive knowledge of the railroad industry and railway ties, Moe has been an invaluable asset to IntegriCo, having grown the company by 500% with the acquisition of the military, transit agencies, overseas customers, and alternative products. Scott Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, has been with the company since 2020. From 2014 to 2022, Stewart worked as an engineering and operations consultant and held positions such as Principal Consultant, Project Management Office (PMO) Direct and Portfolio Manager. Prior to this, Stewart served as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, where he reached the rank of Commander. Stewart also holds a masters degree in Management from Harvard University with a focus on Corporate Sustainability and has multiple degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management. New to the IntegriCo leadership team is Glenn Jackson, Director of Finance. Jackson has served in accounting and management positions for nearly thirty years including CEO of Valair Aviation and CFO of Aviation General and Dirt Motorsports. With leadership at IntegriCo stronger than ever, GM Ken Webber reflects on what his return to IntegriCo means for the future of the company. I have always believed in IntegriCos proprietary technology and how it could greatly benefit our environment as well as the end user, Ken says. When Scott Moe approached me about returning, I had a lot of questions. After discussions with Doug Fox and Scott Stewart, it became clear to me that the right Management Team was now in place to move the company forward with their vison and expertise. I am excited to again be part of the IntegriCo Team and be a part of the effort to resume making a difference utilizing our unique process, innovation, and integrity. About IntegriCo Composites Founded in 2007, IntegriCo is a manufacturer of composite railway crossties and construction matting. Utilizing patented manufacturing technology, IntegriCo produces its products from 100% recycled plastics. Since commencing operations, IntegriCo has diverted in excess of 80 million pounds of landfill-bound plastics to the manufacture of valuable infrastructure products sold to a widely varied customer base. Current IntegriCo clients include T-Rail, U.S. Army, BaltimoreLink for Rail, Chilean Railroads, Toronto Transit, Bay Area Rapid Transfer, NYC Subway System, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, and Superior Energy Sources. For additional information, visit www.integrico.com. Attachments Chicago, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Ariztons latest research report, Poland construction equipment market revenue to cross $2 billion by 2028. The market is projected to witness the sale of more than 43k units by 2028. The demand for forklifts construction equipment is expected to grow significantly due to rise in investment in logistics and port development projects across Poland in the upcoming years. There has been a considerable rise in investment in Poland renewable energy sector, the government planned to invest $735 million for solar & wind projects in 2022. Also, the country s logistics & warehouse sector witnessed sharp growth in 2021. Thus, the growth of the renewable energy and logistics sectors is expected to propel the demand for material handling equipment, such cranes, and forklifts, in Poland. Poland Construction Equipment Market Report Scope Report Attributes Details MARKET SIZE (2028) Over $2.01 Billlion MARKET SIZE (2021) Around $2 Billion CAGR (2022-2027) Over 4% MARKET SIZE (VOLUME) 43,683 Units (2028) HISTORIC YEAR 2019-2020 BASE YEAR 2021 FORECAST YEAR 2022-2028 TYPE Earthmoving Equipment, Road Construction Equipment, and Material Handling Equipment END-USERS Construction, Manufacturing, Mining, and Others KEY VENDORS Caterpillar, Volvo Construction Equipment, Liebherr, XCMG, JCB, Komatsu, Manitou, Hyundai Construction Equipment, Wacker Neuson & CNH Industrial Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report High Demand for Construction Equipment Due to Surge in Infrastructure Projects In the medium and long term, the Polish construction industry looks promising. Various public road and railway infrastructure development projects undertaken by the largest public investors and supported by EU-backed funding will drive the growth of the construction equipment market. Under the Polish New Deal Plan, the Polish government announced an investment of $47 billion in rail and road infrastructure in 2021. Furthermore, under the 20212026 Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), Poland has been allocated approximately $39 billion in total, including $25.8 billion in grants and $13.2 billion in loans. Additionally, the country has allocated around $7.5 billion for other construction-related activities. With numerous transportation and public infrastructure development projects slated for completion in the coming years, the demand for construction equipment is expected to rise during the forecast period. Key Insights Poland construction equipment market is expected to grow at steady pace by a CAGR of 4.20% during the forecast period (2022-2028) with high demand for excavator in earthmoving segment. The surge in infrastructure investment under the European Recovery & Resilience Plan (20212026) is expected to have positive impact on the demand of construction equipment in Polish market. In 2021, the European Union granted $24.9 billion under its Recovery & Resilience Program. Additionally, the Polish government unveiled its plans to invest $44.6 billion on the development of roads and railways. Some of the major infrastructure projects such as Baltic offshore pipeline, Mokotow residential complex, Gustorzyn to Wronow Gas Pipeline & Zamosc residential community are under progress in 2022. Rising construction material and labor costs are the major challenges in Poland. According to Polish Association of Construction industry, construction material such as iron, steel, cements, & concrete prices increased by 22% as compared to 2021. Polish major vendors such as Caterpillar, Volvo Construction equipment, XCMG, JCB & Komatsu held 34.2% share in 2021. Caterpillar, Komatsu, Volvo Construction Equipment, SANY, JCB, Liebherr, Hyundai Construction equipment, XCMG, CNH industrials, Manitou & Wacker Neuson are prominent vendors. Hitachi Construction machinery,LiuGong, FAYAT, Tur Poland, Huss Mach are the other prominent vendors in Polish construction equipment market. Key Vendors Caterpillar Volvo Construction Equipment Liebherr XCMG JCB Komatsu Manitou Hyundai Construction Equipment Wacker Neuson CNH Industrial Other Prominent Vendors Hitachi Construction Equipment LiuGong Fayat Tur Poland Huss Mach Distributors Profiles Warynski Trade Sp. o.o. M&M Polska DENISON Toolmex Truck EWPA Sp. Z o. o. Biuro Handlowe Ruda Sp. z o. o. Sp. k. Segmentation by Type Earthmoving Equipment: Excavator Backhoe Loaders Motor Graders Other Earthmoving Equipment (Other loaders, Bulldozers, Trenchers) Road Construction Equipment Road Rollers Asphalt Pavers Material Handling Equipment Crane Forklift & Telescopic Handlers Aerial Platforms (Articulated Boom Lifts, Telescopic Boom lifts, Scissor lifts) End Users Construction Manufacturing Mining Others Explore industrial machinery profile to know more about the industry. Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals, and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Click Here to Contact Us Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States TORONTO, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NiCAN Limited (formerly, 1000268474 Ontario Ltd.) (NiCAN or the Company) has received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) in respect of its previously announced business combination transaction and listing of its common shares (the NiCAN Shares) on the TSXV (the Transaction). The Final Exchange Bulletin of the TSXV in respect of the Transaction was published on July 29, 2022. Trading of the NiCAN Shares will commence effective at the market open on August 3, 2022 under the symbol NICN and the Company will be listed as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSXV). NiCAN has filed a filing statement dated July 19, 2022 (the Filing Statement) with the TSXV and under its profile on SEDAR. Additional information in respect of the Transaction, NiCAN, and its Wine Property can be found in the Filing Statement. Readers are encouraged to review the Filing Statement for full details on the Transaction. About NiCAN NiCAN Limited is a mineral exploration company, focused on high quality nickel-copper opportunities in stable jurisdictions on known mineral belts. NiCAN is actively exploring the Wine Property and holds an interest in the Pipy Project, both located in known mining jurisdictions in Manitoba Canada. Contact Information: NiCAN Limited Brad Humphrey Shaun Heinrichs CEO CFO Phone: 416.565.4007 Phone: 604.839.2788 info@NiCANLtd.com sheinrichs@NiCANLtd.com Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the Filing Statement prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS IN NO WAY PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF THE TRANSACTION AND HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained herein contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the listing of the NiCAN Shares on the TSXV and the expected listing date; future development plans; and the business and operations of NiCAN. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with NiCANs expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to NiCANs prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in NiCANs disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the NiCAN does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from NiCANs expectations or projections. Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles developed by India with Russian collaboration have successfully inked a deal with the Philippine government. After the defense deal, the next step is to offer it as an alternative to the US Harpoon ship killer as Delhi is looking to sell these weapons to Indonesia. Indian Weapons Systems as Alternative to US Systems According to BrahMos Aerospace CEO Atul Rane, three to four ASEAN nations and the Middle East could purchase the weapons within the next several years, noted TASS. Oman is looking into getting a set of the supersonic cruise missiles, remarked Rane. If a good agreement is achieved with Indonesia, it will become the second Asian country after Manila to receive a defense contract. In January, a $375 million contract was signed for three ground-launched versions of the India-made ship killer, reported the EurAsian Times. In 2018, Indonesia expressed interest in purchasing the Indo-Russian cruise missile; afterward, experts from the armaments industry visited a Surabaya shipyard to see how the missiles could be fitted to Indonesian Navy warships, according to the Hindustan Times. The latest developments in the talks with Jakarta are on the agenda for the Indonesian Defense Minister's state visit to India in July 2020. Indonesian planners desire the offensive potential of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, and the short-range weapon outfitted with a ramjet can be deployed on numerous platforms. The home-grown missile's top speed of Mach 2.8 is a positive. New Delhi intends to finalize more agreements, including one with Indonesia, by the end of 2022. As a major defense supplier, BrahMos intends to export additional armaments worldwide. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine Conflict Exposes Main Battle Tanks Flaws Hindering Battle Victory ASEAN states prefer this Russian-Indian collaboration weapon over the US Harpoon missile. Except for Taiwan, no deal has been struck despite the US's leverage over these countries. US Harpoon vs. Indian BrahMos A Harpoon is a stand-off distance missile with a subsonic, explosive warhead that can be directed till it explodes on a preset target. Its warhead weighs 224 kilograms and is designed to deliver a concentrated burst. Capable of launching from numerous platforms, it also underwent several variations and developments. The Block 2 Harpoon is less vulnerable to electronic and physical spoofing and has improved targeting and other enhancements. BrahMos is one of the few that travels at nearly Mach 3, making it difficult to hit while reaching terminal velocity. Kinetic weapons can more successfully attack subsonic US weaponry. The Indian defense included a design with minimal radar return, which could deceive Aegis radar systems. The Block II Harpoon has a range of 240 kilometers, although the BrahMos outreaches that by 40 kilometers. The Indian missile's warhead weighs 200-300 kilos instead of 224 kilograms. Both can be launched from planes, boats, and submarines; unlike its competitor, the Indian superfast missile can be launched from a ground launcher. The Philippines chose a ground-launched ship-killer, whereas Indonesia received a battleship-deployed variant. Unlike its American counterpart, the Indian weapon emphasizes adaptability. Despite its antiquity, the Harpoon is tested and operated by various US allies; it flies slowly, has an outmoded radar homing system, and is a weapon similar to Indonesian Exocets. BrahMos has emphasized versatility in its excellent design by BrahMos Aerospace, giving customers many ways to deploy. Deployment of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles is excellent multiple launch modes and systems in modern missiles package that ASEAN will be interested in. Even the US harpoon needs to amp its specs in a more advanced combat arena. Related Article: China Brandishes 'Hypersonic Aircraft Carrier Killer' as Indo-Pacific Seethes Over Pelosi Trip \ @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Taiwan is reportedly preparing for war after it scrambled fighter jets and placed its military on high alert prior to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the region which has received criticism and threat from China. Pelosi is expected to visit Taipei, Taiwan's capital, as part of her tour of Asia despite warnings from China that they will gun down the American Democrat. The threats include one from the ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, who said that the country's military "will not sit idly by when it comes to safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Taiwan "Preparing for War" On the other hand, Taiwan has also said that it sends "warm welcomes" to foreign guests ahead of the expected visit. However, Beijing news agency NEXTA reported that "Taiwan is preparing eight French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets to escort Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan's airspace." Later, it added that China's Foreign Ministry had reiterated Chinese President Xi Jinping's determination to respond harshly if the visit continues. Last week, a Chinese Government propagandist suggested that Beijing's military could attack the plane carrying Pelosi if it was escorted to Taiwan, as per Express. A commentator with the Chinese-state-owned Global Times, Hu Xijin, wrote in a now banned tweet, "If U.S. fighter jets escort Pelosi's plane into Taiwan, it is [an] invasion." It added that the People's Liberation Army has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane and the U.S. fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movements of obstruction. One Chinese citizen also shared several pictures and videos on social media that showed military personnel and equipment moving across roads. The situation adds to the concern that the two parties may become embroiled in a war. Read Also: Russia To Side With Belgrade If NATO Assists Kosovan Forces Hu also noted that if all of these warnings and precautionary tactics fail, then the Chinese air force should shoot down Pelosi's plane. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., flight trackers reported that a U.S. Air Force plane that took Pelosi to Malaysia had just departed from Kuala Lumpur. According to RT, the base where Taiwan relocated its Mirage 2000 fighter jets was located in the southeastern part of the island from where Pelosi's plane is expected to approach. Furthermore, the island nation's Navy deployed two additional anti-submarine helicopters to patrol the waters near the island. Pelosi's Taiwan Visit The U.S. House speaker is expected to become the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in more than two decades. But Beijing has argued that the visit would be an affront to the "One China" policy that lays claim to sovereignty over Taiwan and which Washington formally acknowledges. Taiwan was where Chinese nationalist forces retreated when they were defeated by communists during the 1940s civil war. The U.S. supported the losing side and kept unofficial relations going even after switching diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979. The island nation's government also called back officers from leave amid the mobilization of their forces. Amid widespread speculation over whether or not she would make a stop in Taiwan, Pelosi's office said Sunday that she was leading a congressional delegation to the region that would include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan but did not have any mention of Taiwan, Mirror reported. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Vows To Back Xi Jinping Over Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit; Joe Biden Calls on Russia, China To Engage Nuclear Arms Control Talks @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Democratic lawmakers were able to secure a deal with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin to expedite the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in an attempt to address the issue of energy shortage due to sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine. The deal includes a commitment from United States President Joe Biden, Leader Chuck Schumer, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Manchin's office noted that the commitment from the three officials will be used to pass legislation for the MVP to be completed. Democrats and Joe Manchin His office noted that they will also be used to "streamline the permitting process for all energy infrastructure." The commitments will be used from "transmission to pipelines and exports facilities." The West Virginia senator's office said that it will be voted on at the end of the fiscal year, which would be on Sept. 30, 2022. It added that the MVP is already 94% completed and will unlock "2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day" once it is operational, as per WOWK-TV. Manchin's office said that $1.2 billion will be used in additional investment to complete the MVP project which would take roughly four to five months. It is expected to produce roughly 2,500 construction-related jobs, provide $40 million in new tax revenue for West Virginia, and give $200 to $250 million more per year in royalties for state landowners. Read Also: Right-Wing Sheriff's Group Setting the Stage for the Next Jan. 6 Situation by Denying Election Results The deal is part of Democrats' broader deal on an economic package that would overhaul the United States' process for approving new energy projects. In order to get Manchin to support the healthcare package that was etched last week, Democrats agreed to attempt to advance separate legislation on expediting energy projects. According to the Washington Post, the changes will fall outside the bounds of the Senate budget procedure that the party is using to pass its budget bill. That would make it impossible for Democrats to approve with only 51 votes. Mountain Valley Pipeline The new agreement would require 60 votes to be approved and would require GOP support to be signed into law. Republicans have previously supported similar measures but the agreement could face defections from liberal Democrats who have warned against making it easier to open new oil and gas projects. The deal comes as the 100-seat Senate is now evenly split between Democrats and Republicans with Vice President Kamala Harris being able to cast a tie-breaking vote. The side deal would set new two-year limits, or maximum timelines, for environmental reviews for "major" projects. Furthermore, it would aim to streamline the government processes for deciding approvals for energy projects by centralizing decision-making with one lead agency. Other provisions would limit legal challenges to energy projects and give the Energy Department more authority to approve electric transmission lines that are deemed to be "in the national interest." The deal comes as Manchin has been a long-time supporter of the MVP and was among several lawmakers who previously asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to support the pipeline's completion and approve a four-year permit extension, Metro News reported. Related Article: Student Loan Pause To End in September; Borrowers Hope Biden Administration Will Cancel Their Debt @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused the US on Tuesday of "provoking" China amid reports that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi might go to the region this week and stop in Taiwan. Peskov made his remarks as Pelosi, who had just arrived in Malaysia for the second phase of her Asian tour, had just left Singapore. Russia Condemns Pelosi's Potential Visit to Taiwan Although the Biden administration stated clearly on Monday that the US will "not be scared" by China's "saber-rattling" after facing harsh criticism from Beijing, neither Pelosi's office nor the White House have announced that she would be visiting Taiwan. Pelosi said in a statement on Tuesday that she will speak with Malaysian officials about "security issues, economic possibilities, and governance goals," though Taipei was not directly addressed. Pelosi is reportedly scheduled to arrive in Taipei Tuesday night, according to Taiwanese local media. Jake Sullivan, the White House security advisor, was also questioned on Tuesday morning about Pelosi's plans to travel to Taiwan, where she would be the highest-ranking elected US official to do so in more than 25 years, given the heightened hostilities with Beijing. Sullivan said that House Speakers had previously visited Taiwan and that numerous members of Congress traveled to Taipei earlier this year. He claimed that the United States still adheres to the one-China policy. As Moscow seeks to strengthen its connections with China in the face of deteriorating geopolitical relations with the West as a result of its conflict in Ukraine, Russia has been involved in the difficult relations between Washington and Beijing. Rebekah Koffler, a former intelligence officer in Russian doctrine and strategy for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), claimed on Fox News that the controversy over Pelosi's speculated visit serves Putin's purposes by drawing attention away from the West's involvement in Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. Per TASS, the Kremlin spokesman added that US actions often cause regional tensions to rise. "We probably can't say with certainty right now whether she will or won't go there, but we can definitely say that everything that is associated with this trip and with a potential visit to Taiwan is, of course, totally provocative. We can see this and the whole world can see it," Peskov said. Read Also: First Grain Shipment from Ukraine Leaves Odesa Under New Deal with Russia To Ease Global Food Crisis China Sends Fighter Jet in Taiwan Ahead of Pelosi's Expected Arrival As news of Pelosi's potential trip to Taipei spread, the tension in the Taiwan Strait escalated. Two aircraft carriers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy had earlier been reported to have sailed and were en route to the Taiwan Strait region, according to Taiwanese media and an unidentified military observer. Fearing an invasion, Beijing has sent both of its ships-the Shandong and the Liaoning-out to sea in an extraordinary display of force. The aircraft, SPAR19, is seen flying out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before turning north and headed for Taiwan. According to reports, the US military plane is flying in a wide course to avoid passing over the highly fortified South China Sea. Both the US and China maintain significant military presences in the area, with Beijing amassing warships, aircraft, and tanks in Xiamen and Fujian, close to the Taiwan Strait. Both Shandong and Liaoning weigh over 60,000 tons and can accommodate many airplanes and helicopters. The two carriers, which Beijing views as a source of national pride, are the cornerstone around which China is erecting its fleet, as per The Sun. The third carrier in China is called Fujian, although it is currently being built. Videos of the battleships departing port-Liaoning leaving Qingdao and Shandong leaving Sanya-were posted by the state media. In advance of Pelosi's anticipated trip to Taiwan, both ships are at sea as tensions in the area rise. Second only to Vice President Kamala Harris in line for the president is the US Speaker of the House. She will also be the most senior US politician to visit the island if the trip goes on, which will enrage China. The USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier, and her strike force are now operating close to Taiwan. Taiwanese citizens assert that they are a separate country, despite Beijing's assertion that the island is theirs. The entire globe is anxiously awaiting news of Pelosi's arrival in Taipei in the coming hours and China's response. Any interaction between Washington and Taiwan's capital Taipei is seen by China as a US support for the island's independence. Recently, war drills have been held between China and Taiwan. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Vows To Back Xi Jinping Over Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan Visit; Joe Biden Calls on Russia, China To Engage Nuclear Arms Control Talks @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Toronto, Canada,-- Rykka Care Centre to provide more seniors with a comfortable place to call home with the Ontario government's pledge for a new building at Eatonville Care Centre. Long-term care is an often overlooked albeit critical component of healthcare. The continuum of medical and social services offered in long-term care allows individuals who can no longer function normally to live independently in a safe environment. Through quality long-term care, individuals who become incapacitated by age, illness, disability or other reasons enjoy health, personal, and support services. These services aim to help individuals through social adjustment and prevent fast deterioration that comes with age or chronic health issues. At the center of long-term care in Ontario, Canada, are companies such as Rykka Care Centre which owns a number of facilities throughout the region that support over 115,000 people every year. These homes ensure seniors and other residents enjoy better care and improved quality of life. Over recent years, the Ontario government has made strides to improve long-term care as part of its plans to revamp the health care system. Recently, the government has announced plans to support long-term care by constructing a new building at Eatonville Care Centre, Toronto, operated by Rykka Care Centres. The upgrade of the existing 247 bed-home to a modern 320-bed building is a major step in improving long-term care for residents of the region. When announcing these plans, Paul Calandra, the Minister of Long-Term Care, was emphatic about the importance of the increased bed capacity at the home, "We're after a long-term fix for long-term care and the plan to upgrade this Rykka Care Centre is just one step in the process. Our goal is to provide safe and more comfortable homes for our seniors and with the modern building, more seniors will have a better place to call home," the ministers said. After completing the project, Eatonville Care Centre through Rykka Care Centre staffing will offer enhanced specialised services such as convalescent care, behavioural support, and palliative care. The community and local government officials have welcomed the development with a lot of enthusiasm, "It's a happy day for me and the entire community seeing more investment in long-term care around here. The increase in long-term care beds is a milestone for this community," said Minister Kinga Surma MPP for Etobicoke Centre. "As a community, we appreciate the impact the new building will have by helping many families to take care of their aging relatives. Every family with a senior can now live happily knowing their aged relative is well cared for in a loving and improved to modern standards environment. The best thing about these long-term care facilities is that our aged loved ones remain with us here in Etobicoke." The new building at Rykka Care Centre will start between Spring 2024 and Spring 2025 and promises to be a game changer. The project will also involve moving 73 beds to Cooksville Care Centre another long-term care home licensed to Rykka Care Centre. The government of Ontario has already invested $2.68 billion in long-term care overhaul and from 2024-25, it has committed an additional $3.7 billion. The massive investment in this critical aspect of healthcare means about 26,323 new and 22,469 upgraded beds are in the pipeline. This investment is set to revolutionise long-term care in Ontario and set a standard nationally. Ben Friedman started Rykka Care Centre about 12 years back. He lives with his family in Ontario, Canada. Today, Rykka Care Centre has multiple long-term care facilities in Ontario, Canada, among them Eatonville Care Centre in Toronto, which is set for an upgrade by the government. The family runs the homes in partnership with Responsive Management Inc. While initially, the plan was to honour his father's legacy, Friedman and his wife have helped many families struggling to provide the best care for their aged loved ones. The government has also recognized the critical role that Friedman and his family continue to play in long-term care. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. bp plans to invest up to 50 million (around $60 million) in a new electric vehicle (EV) battery testing center and analytical laboratory in the UK. bp has previously announced its intention to invest up to 18 billion (US$22 billion) in the UKs energy system by the end of 2030; this additional new investment is a further example of bps commitment to the country. Planned to open by the end of 2024, the new facilities will be located at bps existing global headquarters for its Castrol business in Pangbourne, Berkshire, and will support the technology, engineering and science roles housed there today. The site already undertakes research and development of fuels, lubricants and EV fluids and aims to become a leading hub for fluid technologies and engineering in the UK. The new facilities will help advance the development of leading fluid technologies and engineering for hybrid and fully battery-electric vehicles. Castrol ON advanced e-fluids manage temperatures within the battery which enables ultra-fast charging and improves efficiency, which help EVs to go further on a single charge and extend the life of the drivetrain system. In addition, the advanced e-fluid technologies and engineering can be applied to other industries such as thermal management fluids for data centers where demand is rising exponentially. We are committed to supporting the electrification of transport and the take-up of electric vehicles. The growth of EV fluids is a huge opportunity, and we aim to be the market leader in this sector. Two thirds of the worlds major car manufacturers use Castrol ON EV fluids as a part of their factory fill and we also supply Castrol ON EV fluids to the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team. This significant new investment will now allow us to build additional strategic technologies and capabilities to further advance EV fluids for the future. The facilities will also be an amazing showcase to demonstrate our integrated technology expertise to customers as we help drive the transition to EVs. Michelle Jou, CEO Castrol Castrol intends to use the new facilities to continue to work with car manufacturers and suppliers to co-engineer future battery technology and associated thermal management fluids. It will also look to develop future technologies required to help to enable the ultra-fast charging which underpins bp pulses growth strategy. FCA US LLC (FCA US), formerly Chrysler Group LLC, was sentenced in federal court in Detroit and ordered to pay a fine of $96,145,784 and a forfeiture money judgment of $203,572,892. The court also imposed a three-year term of organizational probation. FCA US had reached an agreement on the terms of the settlement early in June. The conviction results from the companys conspiracy to defraud US regulators and customers by making false and misleading representations about the design, calibration, and function of the emissions control systems on more than 100,000 Model Year 2014, 2015, and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 diesel vehicles, and about these vehicles emission of pollutants, fuel efficiency, and compliance with US emissions standards. According to the companys admissions and court documents, beginning at least as early as 2010, FCA US developed a new 3.0-liter diesel engine for use in FCA US Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 vehicles that would be sold in the United States. FCA US designed a specific marketing campaign to market these vehicles to US customers as clean EcoDiesel vehicles with best-in-class fuel efficiency. However, according to court documents, FCA US installed software features in the vehicles and engaged in other deceptive and fraudulent conduct intended to avoid regulatory scrutiny and to help the subject vehicles fraudulently meet the required emissions standards, while maintaining features that would make them more attractive to consumers, including with respect to fuel efficiency, service intervals, and performance. Specifically, FCA US purposely calibrated the emissions control systems on the subject vehicles to produce less NO x emissions during the federal test procedures than when the vehicles were being driven by FCA US customers under normal driving conditions. FCA US then engaged in deceptive and fraudulent conduct to conceal the emissions impact and function of the emissions control systems from its US regulators and US customers by (a) submitting false and misleading applications to US regulators to receive authorization to sell the vehicles, (b) making false and misleading representations to US regulators both in person and in response to written requests for information, and (c) making false and misleading representations to consumers about the subject vehicles in advertisements and in window labels, including that the vehicles complied with US emissions requirements, had best-in-class fuel efficiency as measured by EPA testing, and were equipped with clean EcoDiesel engine[s] that reduced emissions. FCA US referred to the manner in which it manipulated one method of emissions control as cycle detection and cycle beating. Without the cycle beating use of this emissions control software, the vehicles were unable to pass the emissions portions of the federal test procedures while also receiving a fuel efficiency rating that could be marketed to FCA US potential customers as best-in-class, consistent with FCA US 3.0-liter diesel programs goals, timing, and marketing strategy. Because FCA US knew that the decision to calibrate the emissions control system used on the vehicles to perform differently on cycle versus off cycle would be subjected to significant scrutiny by US regulators, FCA US made false and misleading representations to regulators to ensure that it obtained regulatory approval to sell the vehicles in the United States. Under the terms of FCAs guilty plea, which has been approved by the Court, FCA has agreed to continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice in any ongoing or future criminal investigations relating to this conduct. In addition, FCA US has also agreed to continue to implement a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect fraudulent conduct throughout its operations and will report to the department regarding remediation, implementation, and testing of its compliance program and internal controls. The government reached this agreement with FCA US based on several factors including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense conduct, the companys failure to disclose voluntarily and in a timely manner the conduct that triggered the investigation, and its failure to conduct sufficient, timely, or appropriate remedial action. FCA US received credit for cooperation with the departments investigation and has enhanced, and committed to further enhance, its compliance program and internal controls. In the related criminal prosecution, three FCA employees, Emanuele Palma, Sergio Pasini, and Gianluca Sabbioni were indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Clean Air Act and six counts of violating the Clean Air Act. They await trial. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The FBI and EPAs Criminal Investigations Division are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Michael P. McCarthy and Assistant Chief Michael T. ONeill of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section; White Collar Unit Chief John K. Neal and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Wyse of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan; and Senior Trial Attorney Todd W. Gleason of the Environment and Natural Resources Divisions Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case. By Norman Solomon August 02, 2022: Information Clearing House -- The arrogance of power is especially ominous and despicable when a government leader risks huge numbers of lives in order to make a provocative move on the world's geopolitical chessboard. Nancy Pelosi's plan to visit Taiwan is in that category. Thanks to her, the chances of a military confrontation between China and the United States have spiked upward. Long combustible over Taiwan, the tensions between Beijing and Washington are now close to ablaze, due to Pelosi's desire to be the first House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Despite the alarms that her travel plans have set off, President Biden has responded timidlyeven while much of the establishment wants to see the trip canceled. "Well, I think that the military thinks it's not a good idea right now," Biden said about the prospective trip on July 20. "But I don't know what the status of it is." Biden could have put his presidential foot down and ruled out Pelosi's Taiwan trip, but he didn't. Yet, as days went by, news trickled out that opposition to the trip was extensive in the upper reaches of his administration. "National security adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior National Security Council officials oppose the trip because of the risk of escalating tension across the Taiwan Strait," Financial Times reported. And overseas, "the controversy over the trip has sparked concern among Washington's allies who are worried that it could trigger a crisis between the U.S. and China." Get Our Free Newsletter Underscoring that the U.S. commander in chief is anything but an innocent bystander in terms of Pelosi's trip, officials disclosed that the Pentagon intends to provide fighter jets as escorts if she goes through with the Taiwan visit. Biden's unwillingness to clearly head off such a visit reflects the insidious style of his own confrontational approach to China. More than a year agounder the apt New York Times headline "Biden's Taiwan Policy Is Truly, Deeply Reckless"Peter Beinart pointed out that from the outset of his presidency Biden was "chipping away" at the longstanding U.S. "one China" policy: "Biden became the first American president since 1978 to host Taiwan's envoy at his inauguration. In April, his administration announced it was easing decades-old limitations on official U.S. contacts with the Taiwanese government. These policies are increasing the odds of a catastrophic war. The more the United States and Taiwan formally close the door on reunification, the more likely Beijing is to seek reunification by force." Beinart added: "What's crucial is that the Taiwanese people preserve their individual freedom and the planet does not endure a third world war. The best way for the United States to pursue those goals is by maintaining America's military support for Taiwan while also maintaining the 'one China' framework that for more than four decades has helped keep the peace in one of the most dangerous places on earth." Now, Pelosi's move toward a visit to Taiwan has amounted to further intentional erosion of the "one China" policy. Biden's mealy-mouthed response to that move was a subtler type of brinkmanship. Many mainline commentators, while very critical of China, acknowledge the hazardous trend. "The Biden administration remains committed to being more hawkish on China than its predecessor," conservative historian Niall Ferguson wrote on Friday. He added: "Presumably, the calculation in the White House remains, as in the 2020 election, that being tough on China is a vote-winneror, to put it differently, that doing anything the Republicans can portray as 'weak on China' is a vote-loser. Yet it is hard to believe that this calculation would hold if the result were a new international crisis, with all its potential economic consequences." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal summed up the current precarious moment with a headline declaring that Pelosi's visit "would likely sink tentative rapprochement between U.S., China." But the consequencesfar from being only economic and diplomaticcould be existential for all of humanity. China has several hundred nuclear weapons ready to use, while the United States has several thousand. The potential for military conflict and escalation is all too real. "We keep claiming our 'one China' policy hasn't changed, but a Pelosi visit would clearly be precedent setting and can't be construed as in keeping with 'unofficial relations,'" said Susan Thornton, a former acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department. Thornton added: "If she goes, the prospect of a crisis goes way up as China will need to respond." Last week, a pair of mainstream policy analysts from elite think tanksthe German Marshall Fund and the American Enterprise Institutewrote in the New York Times: "A single spark could ignite this combustible situation into a crisis that escalates to military conflict. Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan could provide it." But July ended with strong indications that Biden has given a green light and Pelosi still intends to go ahead with an imminent visit to Taiwan. This is the kind of leadership that can get us all killed. Norman Solomon is co-founder and national coordinator of RootsAction.org. His books include "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death" (2006) and "Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America's Warfare State" (2007). This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For the partners at Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka & Welsh, choosing a lawyer thats sensitive to your personal needs as well as your legal ones is paramount. As Connecticuts oldest family law firm, they understand this concept better than anyone else. During the duration of a litigation, we talk and email with our clients on a daily basis were on call for you, Partner Peter Bryniczka said. Our lawyers can handle legal needs as well as emotional needs in an excellent fashion. Theyre a human companion you can mesh with over the course of a case. Since 1996, the firm has serviced a wide range of clients with sophisticated and multifaceted family law matters, including divorce, child custody and visitation, spousal and child support, geographic relocation, pre-nuptial negotiations, post-nuptial and separation agreements, same-sex partner dissolution, grandparent visitation, and paternity matters. Its team of attorneys and professional staff handle custody matters, spousal and child support issues, asset division and other specialties via litigation, mediation, and arbitration all under one roof. They strive to provide high-quality legal services while maintaining client communication and accessibility, respecting client confidences, negotiating when possible but litigating when necessary, and satisfying a clients economic and emotional goals. We deal with complex assets like trust and estate plans and employment compensation packages, and represent hedge fund and private equity employees, Partner Aidan Welsh said. Clients come to us because they know we have certain expertise. Although the practice is known for representing high-end clientele, its attorneys are in tune to the family unit as a whole. We are really interested in helping our clients get through extremely difficult times in their lives as efficiently and easily as possible, Welsh said. The goal is to get them the best resolution. While high-profile legal cases can often get a lawyers professional blood pumping, Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka & Welshs attorneys never lose sight of the human aspect at hand. Were keenly aware of the fact that no client wants to have a marquee case that gets litigated and appealed to the Supreme Court and back at an astronomical expense, Bryniczka said. We always have conversations with our clients to give advice, the concrete pros and cons, and address non-quantifiable benefits of our approach. Since some of Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka & Welshs lawyers are involved in the current revamp of Connecticuts family court system, Welsh said they present a legal knowledge base that is unparalleled. Additionally, many of their attorneys are associated with bar associations at the local, state, and federal levels. Were constantly speaking and educating other professionals about our areas of expertise, which provides a more well-rounded service to our clients, she added. Were leaders in the law. It could be argued that the firm is a leader in the community, too most of their lawyers are actively involved in the towns they live and work in, Welsh said. Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka & Welsh has offices in Old Greenwich (1700 East Putnam Ave., Suite 206) and Westport (180 Post Road East, Suite 202). Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit sgbfamilylaw.com or email office@sgbfamilylaw.com. The preceding content is a paid advertisement for Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka & Welsh, P.C. GREENWICH West Nile virus was found in mosquitoes caught in the east end of Greenwich, state and town health investigators announced Tuesday. A number of insects captured near the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center tested positive for West Nile virus, the first time it has been detected in mosquitoes in town this year. In addition to Greenwich, WNV-positive mosquito pools have been found in Darien, Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Stratford and Westport this summer in Connecticut. The testing is carried the State of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program. West Nile virus can cause serious illness and even death in humans. According to health authorities, six state residents developed WNW-associated illnesses in 2021, including one Greenwich resident. Those cases were not fatal. West Nile has been found in Greenwich on numerous occasions in past years. Health authorities in Greenwich say they are working to mitigate the spread of mosquitoes in the community. The town is applying a chemical larvicide to public and private roadway catch basins, public-school catch basins and other properties owned and operated by the town as needed. The mosquitoes breed in standing water, often found in used tires, birdbaths and catch basins. Health officials recommend residents use mosquito repellent or layers of clothing when they are likely to come in contact with the insects, such as at dawn or dusk. Avoiding bug-laden areas such as wooded area is also recommended. Controlling the mosquito population in the larval stage through the application of larvicide has been found to be a prudent action; however, this measure only helps to reduce the mosquito population, not eliminate it, said Caroline Calderone Baisley, town director of health. The recent warm weather and periodic rain events have increased the ability for mosquitoes to breed. Residents are encouraged to protect themselves whenever they are outdoors, she said. Residents are also urged to get rid of standing water on their properties to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It is important to recognize that the highest risk of exposure to West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes is during the months of August and September, said Michael Long, the towns director of environmental services. Symptoms associated with West Nile virus usually occur suddenly from five to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms can include slight fever, headache, rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, malaise and eye pain. Serious symptoms present as a severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, severe muscle weakness and gastrointestinal distress. In the worst cases, coma or death can result, though health officials say most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito fight off the infection and experience mild or no symptoms at all. The elderly and persons with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable to side effects impacting the central nervous system. For more information on West Nile virus, visit the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Businesswoman and conservative commentator Tudor Dixon won the Republican primary for Michigan governor on Tuesday, setting up a tough race against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as anger and division within the state GOP threaten the partys efforts in the battleground state this fall. Dixon, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump last week, defeated four male candidates in a race between little-known political newcomers. She also had backing from the prominent Michigan Republican family of Betsy DeVos, who was education secretary in Trumps Cabinet but was critical of him and resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, as well as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and several anti-abortion groups. Taking the stage at a victory party, Dixon pledged to fight for families who struggled through COVID-19 lockdowns that Whitmer imposed and who can't afford to put gas in their vehicles and pay bills. She called the first-term governor the queen of lockdowns" and recounted how her own grandmother died in a nursing home, alone, during the pandemic. Frankly Michigan, we deserve better, Dixon said. Now we have the opportunity to truly hold Gretchen Whitmer accountable for the pain she has inflicted on each and every one of us during the past four years. Whitmer, who did not have a Democratic opponent, was seen as potentially vulnerable heading into 2022 because of anger over her pandemic restrictions, rising gas and food prices, and her ties to President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings are low. But some of those hopes were dashed after top Republican candidates didnt make the ballot because they didnt file enough valid nominating signatures and the remaining field struggled to compete in fundraising with Whitmer and her multimillion-dollar campaign fund. None of the GOP candidates had held public office, and many had baggage that could hurt in a general election. Dixon is a former steel industry executive who also hosted a conservative program on a streaming channel and once acted in low-budget zombie movies in what her campaign described as an admittedly lame hobby. Democrats criticize her far-right positions on issues, which also could be a tough sell for independent voters who decide elections in Michigan. Dixon opposes abortion, except to save the mother's life, and says Michigan should eliminate the requirement for permits to carry concealed weapons. In a statement Tuesday, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said Dixon has a dangerous agenda that would devastate Michigan working families." Dixon is the first woman Republican nominee for Michigan governor. The matchup adds to an already record number of contests between two women nominees this cycle, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Three in Iowa, Oregon and Alabama were set before Tuesday, up from a previous record of two. Arizona's primary Tuesday also was expected to result in an all-women race. Dixon has campaigned as a mother of four who focused heavily on education, saying she wants to keep drag queens and talk of sex and gender out of elementary schools. She said she would end critical race theory from being taught in Michigan public schools and wants all districts to post teaching materials and curriculum online for parents to review. Dixon also says families should be able to use per-student state funds on private schools, home schooling or other education settings of their choice. Dixon defeated real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who pleaded not guilty to misdemeanors in the Capitol riot; chiropractor Garrett Soldano; former auto dealership owner Kevin Rinke and pastor Ralph Rebandt. They blasted Dixon during the campaign as the establishment pick, criticizing her connections to DeVos and saying she hadnt done enough to stand up to Whitmer when she imposed COVID-19 restrictions. Contentious primaries are not new, but the hostility seems heightened in some places this year as Republicans split over whether to relitigate the 2020 election or look ahead, including to the 2024 presidential race. The divide has been particularly public and pronounced in Michigan, where Trump has pushed the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him and has endorsed many candidates who back him including for secretary of state and attorney general with an eye on a possible 2024 bid. Michigan is also among states where subpoenas have been issued to fake electors who submitted paperwork saying Trump, not Biden, won the states election. Trump lost Michigan by about 154,000 votes in 2020, and multiple audits and courts as well as an investigation by the Republican-led state Senate have upheld that. Dixon has wavered on the issue. She raised her hand during a debate when candidates were asked who among them believes the election was stolen. But has been less explicit in recent weeks, criticizing Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and saying on Fox News Sunday, We have to make sure our elections are secure and what happened in 2020 doesnt happen again. Trump's late-stage endorsement of Dixon gives him a win to tout, though he also has experienced some high-profile defeats. Voter Mark Orsinger of Grand Rapids said he decided to cast his ballot for Dixon after Trumps endorsement. I didnt know Tudor until Trump mentioned her, Orsinger said. She seems like an OK person. I only know her from 20 seconds of a commercial. ___ Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Grand Rapids and Mike Householder in Delhi Township contributed to this report. Q1 was the worst first quarter for smartphone shipments in Europe since 2013, based on data by Counterpoint Research. In the second quarter the market fell 13% compared to Q1 for a total of 40.3 million units shipped the worst Q2 since 2020. Compared to Q2 last year, the market is down 11%, but that doesnt paint a complete picture of the interesting dynamics at work. The war, the shaky economy and the resurgence of COVID-19 all hampered smartphone makers. Quarterly Smartphone shipments in Europe and change compared to Q2 2021 (source: Counterpoint) At first glance Samsung and Apple did okay their shipments and market share rose compared to the same period last year. However, both showed a sharp decline from Q1 of this year. In Samsungs case, Q2 2021 was its weakest quarter in over a decade since at the time the company was struggling with shutdowns at its Vietnamese factories. That makes the numbers for this Q2 less impressive. There was another factor at play Samsung pulled out of Russia, which lead to a decline in shipments compared to the first three months of this year. The same goes for Apple, according to Counterpoint. Shipments rose on the back of the popular iPhone SE (2022), but total shipments were not as high as they could have been since Apple withdrew from the Russian market. Top 5 smartphone makers in Europe by market share, Q2 2021 vs. Q2 2022 (source: Counterpoint) Xiaomi experienced the opposite of Samsungs situation. Q2 2021 as its best ever quarter on the European market, Q2 2022 not so much. However, the company benefited from Samsung and Apples withdrawal from Russia, which allowed it to ship more units. Oppo and Realme round off the Top 5 and also had opposite fates. Oppo was hit hard by supply and manufacturing issues in China, while Realme posted double-digit growth on a yearly basis. The situation in Europe unfortunately remains bleak. Many countries in Europe are slipping closer to recession, and domestic political tensions in numerous countries beyond Russia and Ukraine are rising, for example in France, Germany and the UK. We remain hopeful, though, that the bottom has been reached and the trajectory should turn upwards soon, but the recovery will likely be long and slow, said Counterpoint Researchs Associate Director Jan Stryjak. Source While Apple loves to launch its new phones in September, Google has been all about October for its main Pixel release of the year, and according to a new report, things won't change in 2022. The information allegedly comes from "very reputable sources" and is disseminated by FrontPageTech, which also accurately predicted the launch date for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro last year. So, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will apparently go on pre-order on October 6 and will become available on October 13. While this hasn't been specifically stated, we can infer that the launch event itself will take place on October 6 if pre-orders start at the same time, or perhaps a day or two earlier at most. And thus, once again Google sticks with October, though if all of this pans out then this year the launch will be slightly earlier in October than in 2021. The unveiling event still has some gaps to fill for us, but Google has already shown us the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, months in advance, back in May at its annual developer conference, in an obvious effort to outmaneuver the leaksters. Let's just say that Google's strategy may have worked somewhat, but definitely not entirely - after all, what you've just read is purportedly leaked information. Source August 02, 2022: Information Clearing House -- " Antiwar " -- Lets begin with a syllogism: Major Premise: Biden Does Not Want War With China Minor Premise: He is Commander-in-Chief Conclusion: Biden can order a Navy carrier battlegroup to change direction In other words, a solution to the still up-in-the-air (so to speak) visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, amid Chinese threats of military action, should be a no-brainer for President Joe Biden. The more so since he did seek and find a similar solution with respect to Ukraine in April 2021. Granted, for the conclusion to hold, one would have to assume the validity of both premises: that Biden wants to avoid war; and that he is up to acting like a commander in chief and can face down his own neocons, and MacArthur-esque 4-stars (as President Harry Truman did). Those who cannot buy into those two premises might wish to read further, anyway, as a kind of exercise in logic. In April 2021 Biden Turned Ships Around Someone should remind the president how the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops to the border area near Ukraine in spring 2021 grabbed his attention to the point he called Russian President Putin directly and showed flexibility in working out a deal. Heres how things went down during those crucial weeks: March 24, 2021: Volodymyr Zelensky issued a formal decree amounting to a de facto declaration of war on Russia, making the taking back of Crimea the official policy of Ukraine. Tons of Ukrainian military equipment began to roll south and east. On the other side of the border, Russian troops moved south and west, toward Crimea and the Donbas. April 13, 2021: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that over the three preceding weeks Moscow had sent two armies and three airborne formations to western regions "as a response to the alliances [NATO] military activities threatening Russia". NATO had been increasing the number of its own troops and maneuvers from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Later that same day: April 13, 2021: Biden suddenly telephoned President Putin to express concern over the Russian military buildup and called on Putin to "de-escalate tensions". Later that same day: April 13, 2021: The U.S. canceled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea. Russia had called the intended deployment a provocation, and the Russian navy had begun a drill in the Black Sea that rehearsed firing at targets on the surface and in the air. April 13, 2021: Biden suggested to Putin, in a surprise move (and an oh-by-the-way vein), a bilateral "summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia". (The summit took place on June 16 in Geneva.) April 21, 2021: Keeping the pressure on, Putin warned, "Russias response to provocations from Ukraine "will be asymmetrical, swift, and tough" and that the provocateurs "will regret what they have done in a way they have not regretted anything for a long time." April 22, 2021: Defense Minister Shoigu announced that the large military exercises near Ukraine had been completed and that he had ordered troops to return to their permanent bases by May 1. Bottom Line If the syllogism above holds up, President Bidens earlier display of flexibility on Ukraine suggests that he can quench the fires of Pelosi-Taiwan-gate in similar manner. If he is up to it, he can simply order the aircraft carrier battle group now headed toward Taiwan to go to Hawaii instead. Biden may not be willing/able to order Pelosi around; he should be able to move the US navy. Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. His 27-year career as a CIA analyst includes serving as Chief of the Soviet Foreign Policy Branch and preparer/briefer of the Presidents Daily Brief. He is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). Local artist Aja Reyes opens her first solo show, A Colorful Human Reaction, this weekend at Lees-Reyes Art Gallery with works as lush in color and texture as they are in depth and meaning. Reyes paints in a wide range of styles, moving deftly from post-modern clean lines and bold colors meant to call to mind the aerial perspective of forests and canals to softer, expressionist applications exploring the experience of poverty and begging. With a swath of the show touching on various elements of CHamoru and Micronesian identity as well as environmental conservation, it seems that there is no corner of human experience that Reyes will not visit though shed rather her art invite people toward questions and conversation rather than force discomfort upon them. It can be a conversation starter in a topic. For example, watershed management, Red Hill, city and County of Honolulu groundwater contamination, gun rights, shootings, cancer, loss of knowledge good and bad generational transmission of knowledge. So those topics are all there, but it comes into a much more pleasing presentation. If someones not ready then we can keep it on a lighter level, and then maybe later go deeper, Reyes said. Fine art Where Reyes sees a pleasing presentation, most will see fine art. Her work is undeniably skilled when it comes to technique and her choice to address meaningful issues with such nuance and induction is masterful. Shockingly, Reyes has only taken one formal art class but she has been sketching the natural world since childhood. Reyes recalls growing up with plenty of inspiration from time in the water and hiking around Guam, leading her to eventually pursue a career in marine biology, as well as benefiting from the presence of her artist aunt and gallery owner, Dawn Lees-Reyes. Reyes recalls her aunt sharing her materials and knowledge with her throughout her childhood, including old video cassettes about art history and famous artists. Growing up on Guam, you didnt have access to beautiful paintings. In the movies you saw things like the galleries, people go into the galleries and its so elegant, but it was also expensive. I just thought, Well, Im never going to be able to afford it. I should try to create it. And that helped open up the possibility of having access to something that I thought was not accessible, Reyes said. Influences Now, despite the absence of formal training, she counts cubist and dadaist masters like Paul Gauguin, Max Ernst, Henri Matisse and Marcel Duchamps as major influences and is seeking out women artists from the same movements, such as Barbara Hepworth or the more contemporary Cecily Brown. There are so many; Ive just scratched the surface of learning all of their names. You look at the art and you would never know their name, but their work is familiar because they cut their teeth with the famous male artists, but they just didnt come into the foreground with them at the time, Reyes said. Old photos Some of Reyes most powerful pieces are paintings made from turn of the century photographs, including those of her great grandparents, inspired by an article published by the Pacific Daily News in the 1980s about the different family branches in Guam. That actually helped me understand my roots and I wanted to do portraits like what you see in Europe or other Western countries where theyre actually really held in high regard, we dont really have that here, Reyes said. That line of thinking led her to other photographs, including a 1996 photo taken by Bruce Campbell of a Yapese woman, Eulelie Ranganbay, preparing for a menstrual chant. I was struck by her pose, her posture and again, women being such a strong figure. But I was also thinking as much as I dont see portraits of CHamoru families and prominent people like would be commonplace in Europe I dont see that much at all for other Micronesian islands. So I really wanted to do a portrait that brought the dignity and grace and majesty, really, of those people, Reyes said. That approach, one that celebrates the dignity, grace and majesty of the people, land and cultures around her, is pervasive in all of Reyes work and the invitation to look deeply into her subtle imagery is met with ample reward, as in her painting Y Achun Palaoan, or Rock Woman. The first glance reveals a grayscale, geometric and feminine figure. A second glance might uncover the mestiza style of her Spanish era hair and clothing but a longer look may find yet another layer, that her shape is also one of a latte stone. Storytelling Reyes joins the grand CHamoru tradition of storytelling in the way she paints it may not be oral storytelling, but it will no doubt prompt the sharing of stories and thoughts among viewers. She said it best in her description of two large companion pieces, Until They Disappear, or La Reduccion. Its not only the significance of the taotaomona tree, but its also the importance of the mangrove roots in coastal stabilization. I remember people getting these drawings of the person being enveloped by the taotaomona tree, like youd see their head or something, this is my version of it, Reyes said. So this is called Until They Disappear, and its about having the conversation before people go away. Talking story before we lose that information and lose that connection. As Korean Air Flight 801 approached Guam early on the morning of Aug. 6, 1997, flight officers discussed the islands rainy weather, crew fatigue and whether the glideslope part of the instrument landing system was working properly. It was not. The planes 42-year-old captain, a former pilot in the South Korean air force, was originally supposed to fly from Seoul to Dubai on Aug. 5, but he didnt have enough rest, so he was put on the shorter Guam flight instead. Toward the end of the flight, he made several comments about crew scheduling and problems getting enough rest. At 1:21 a.m. he remarked, eh ... really ... sleepy. In addition to the captain, the first officer and the flight engineer, there were 14 flight attendants and 237 passengers on board. They included three babies and three children between the ages of 2 and 12. Fireball Less than a half-hour after the captain said he was sleepy, Guam Fire Department dispatchers received an emergency call from a resident who reported seeing a fire in the hills. Then the crew of another airplane told air traffic controllers that we got a big fireball on the hillside up here. On Saturday, the island will mark the 25th anniversary of Flight 801s crash with a ceremony at the Nimitz Hill monument erected to remember the 228 who were killed. The facts surrounding the crash, as well as transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder, are detailed in the National Transportation Safety Boards 212-page report on the tragedy. But a quarter-century later, the memory of the crash still weighs on the people who went to the hillside that morning. Called to the scene Carl T.C. Gutierrez was serving his first term as governor in 1997 when he was awoken by a phone call reporting that a passenger plane went down in the Nimitz Hill area. I remember jumping out of bed, throwing on the first clothing I could find, and literally bolting down the main staircase at Government House, two steps at a time, Gutierrez said. He got in a truck with police officer Cecil Sulla, a member of the former governors executive security team, and the two could see smoke in the sky as they made the short drive up to Nimitz Hill. Mangled fuel distribution pipes in the road prevented Guam Fire Department rescue vehicles from getting closer, so Gutierrez, Sulla and then-Fire Chief Chuck Sanchez went as far as they could in Sullas truck. Then they traveled by foot. I started running towards the screams and asked the firefighters as well as the GPD motorcycle officers to follow me, Gutierrez said. In those pre-dawn hours, the rain was heavy, and the area was almost completely dark. It sounds odd, but that terrain, which I camped at numerous times in my Boy Scout days decades earlier, had become suddenly familiar to me all over again. I was literally the first one to arrive at the crash site, with Cecil and Chief Sanchez close behind. In interviews with the National Transportation Safety Board, surviving passengers reported intense flames and heat swept through the cabin. The crash investigation report said: One survivor, who was seated in the aft economy class section (row 34), stated that her husband was engulfed by fire in the seat next to hers. Another passenger, a professional helicopter pilot, stated he felt what he thought was a hard landing but that the airplane then rolled and began to disintegrate. The passenger stated that he exited the burning cabin by walking through a large hole in the fuselage. He also said that a ball of flame was going down the center of the airplane and that passengers were screaming and calling for help. Gutierrez later met that helicopter pilot, Barry Small of New Zealand. Very early on in our efforts, I came across a young girl who was scraped up pretty bad, and she was clinging to a woman who, by her uniform, I could tell was a flight attendant, Gutierrez said. The flight attendant was in pretty bad shape, and I gathered them both and pulled them into a depression in the ground about 20 yards from the wreckage. I remember voices of other rescuers warning that parts of the plane may blow up, and my only thought was to get this little girl and woman into a ditch or something where they might be shielded if there were another explosion. The little girl, who told us her name was Rika, clung to me and motioned toward the plane and said mama or mommy, imploring me with her eyes and gestures to go save her mom from the plane. I knew by the flames that there was little hope if her mom was, in fact still in the plane, but to pacify Rika, I ran toward the plane as far as I could before I knew for certain it was impossible. As he continued to help passengers, Gutierrez heard a man speaking English. I ran toward the voice in hopes of finding a passenger who could tell me what might have happened. I found a man who identified himself as Barry Small. I identified myself and assured him that help was on the way. I learned that he was from New Zealand. He was lying in the grass, and I could see his bone protruding from his leg. I got another jacket from a fireman and placed it under Barrys head, then found some sticks and reeds to help hold his leg steady. With another firemans jacket, I shielded Barrys face from the rain. After tending to Small, Gutierrez said he returned to help Rika and the flight attendant. On my way toward them, I saw that medics from Naval Hospital had arrived, and I yelled out to them and waved them over, pointing out the flight attendant whose condition was deteriorating. She was badly gashed and going in and out of consciousness. The child was placed on a stretcher and carried up the hillside. When we got to the clearing by the road, I commandeered an SUV, and we loaded Rika in it. I jumped in and rode with her to GMH. There was a Japanese doctor on duty at the ER, and he spoke to Rika, whom we learned was half Japanese. Through the interpretation of the doctor, Rika was able to tell us that she was 11 years old, that her mother was Korean and had been stuck in her airplane seat and unable to break free. She told us that her father was in Japan, and thankfully we were able to contact him. I stayed at GMH with Rika for as long as I could. As we suspected, however, Rikas mother perished in the crash. When Gutierrez returned to the crash site later that morning, body bags lined the hillside. The rain had mostly passed by then. The adrenaline surge that had kept me hyper-focused hours earlier had normalized, leaving me to finally experience the emotions from everything that had happened. And there, in the starkness of the daylight, with the carnage around me and the smoldering wreckage before me, that was the first time I remember really breaking down. But it was by no means the last. Called to work Bernadette Sterne covered the public safety beat for Pacific Daily News 25 years ago. Like Gutierrez, she got a phone call in the middle of the night alerting her of the crash. She drove to the top of Nimitz Hill and parked on the side of the road. When she looked down at the plane, she saw flames everywhere. At that moment it was just a real dark realization for me that this was real. This was it, she said. A major disaster was unfolding, right on our island. When she finally got close to the crash site, she felt the heat from the flames, smelled fuel from the wreckage and heard screams from the injured. I was a cops and courts reporter, so I have seen death before, and tragedy, but nothing of this magnitude ever, she said. Honestly, I dont think anything can prepare you for that. Sterne saw many first responders, federal and local police, firefighters and medical personnel. In testimony to Congress in September 1997, then-Del. Robert Underwood said there were more than 500 civilian and military rescue workers at the site before 6 a.m. on the day of the crash. None of the first rescue personnel ever gave up hope of saving lives. As if unsatisfied with the toll on human life, the crash of Korean Air Flight 801 also claimed the life of an Air Force volunteer who suffered a heart attack while assisting at the crash site, Underwood testified. Sterne described the scene in the early hours. I remember the first responders are just rushing in without any concern for their own safety, and pulling survivors out of the wreckage, and then carrying them up this really slippery, muddy hill to like a triage area, she said. They just like had this complete exhaustion, like you could see it on their faces, and they were just so distraught over the kind of the magnitude of death surrounding them. There were so many heroes that night. That plane was still on fire. And a lot of them werent even on duty. They just responded, and so they werent in uniform. They were just in whatever, their regular clothes, and they were just running in, she said. Guam had a lot to be proud of that night ... It was a horrific, horrific tragedy. But there were so many people who were just so heroic that night, or that morning, and I think they saved a lot of lives. I saw it myself. I saw them saving lives. Not a drill Joseph San Agustin, now a pilot with Asia Pacific Airlines, was a Navy liaison officer with the National Transportation Safety Board at the time of the crash. He said an islandwide safety drill was planned that day. His phone rang at 3 a.m. The call was not a drill. The Navy was surprised because we were waiting for a drill, but it happened to be the real thing. That was the misfortune of it, said San Agustin. When he got to the site, San Agustin said he was taken aback because the tail of the aircraft was there, but the rest of the aircraft was in pieces that barely resembled a plane. It was really torn up. At first, you would never believe that a 747 can crunch against a hill like that, he said. San Agustin said part of his job was coordinating Navy helicopters to airlift survivors to hospitals and remove the dead. People were sliding down the hillside trying to get to the crash site. It was hard. The crash fire personnel were still in heavy gear, boots helmets and stuff. They were slipping and sliding, scrambling down the hill because the adrenaline was on. They had to save people, said San Agustin. He worked the scene of the crash for 68 days. After the crash The National Transportation Safety Board report described the accident as a controlled flight into terrain, and concluded the probable cause was the captains failure to adequately brief and execute the non-precision approach and the first officers and flight engineers failure to effectively monitor and cross-check the captains execution of the approach. Fatigue, inadequate crew training and problems with the minimum safe altitude warning system on Guam were listed as continuing factors. In March 1998, a public hearing was held in Honolulu, which Sterne covered as a reporter. She said one of the main issues that was discussed, and one of the changes that has been instituted as a result of the crash, involves subordinate officers challenging a captain. In the case of Flight 801, the copilot knew that the pilot was too low, Sterne said. The copilot was trying to tell him, and the pilot was getting mad at him because, you know, he felt it wasnt his place to question his authority. And then they crashed. San Agustin said since the crash, changes have been made. Lower-ranking crew members are supposed to challenge a higher-ranking officer if they notice a mistake that will endanger lives. Communication and open dialogue in the cockpit was a problem on that flight, he said. Youre not going to see a lot of that these days. Now pilots are not reluctant to speak up. Learn More If interested in spay or neuter services, fill out the interest form at snipclinicguam.com. For more information, contact the SNIP program at snip@guamanimals.org. Guams dance community gathered Sunday for Project Inspires Made to Move event at the Agana Shopping Center its first virtual dance concert that doubled as a way for the creative company to give back to the community. We wanted to provide more of an experience than just watching the movie and we wanted to bring everyone together through dance, said Neil Darren Romero, Project Inspire director. We partnered up with Guam Dance Community to create a virtual dance concert and now that things are starting to slowly pick up, back to normal, we wanted to try to have a public viewing for everyone. Established in 2011, the creative production company does a variety of projects within the media field, from short and feature length films to choreography and stage production. The Made to Move event had dance workshops instructed by local choreographers and a free premiere of Project Inspires feature-length film called Made to Move. The event paid tribute to two prominent figures in the islands dance community: Noel Santos Jr. and Dominic Cadiz, prominent members of the local dance community. Santos died in July 2018 and Cadiz died in Jan. 2019. A portion of the proceeds from Sundays event will go to Guam Cancer Care, to help continue the nonprofits mission to provide direct services to Guams local cancer patients. The goal was to raise at least $2000, made through donations and payment from the dance workshops. Its organizations like this that help us with our mission in the fight against cancer here on island, said Nona Perez, program screening and prevention manager for Guam Cancer Care. Unfortunately, cancer is growing here on Guam and so when we receive these benefits, it helps us with our programs to help the community of Guam. It goes to any cancer patient who is diagnosed, and then they come and register with us. The company executive announced a new initiative that will gather employee feedback on efficiency. On Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced to employees that the company was launching "Simplicity Sprint," a new effort that will gather ideas from its employees on how to focus and improve efficiency. Google's more than 174,000 employees will now have a chance to personally provide input in the midst of the uncertain economy. CNBC reported that during Wednesday's regular all-hands, executives had an urgent tone as employees expressed concern over news of layoffs. Pichai then asked workers for input, as reported by attendees and related internal documentation. During the meeting, Pichai said that while Google's productivity as a company was where it needed to be despite its headcount, he wanted to provide "additional context" after its dismal Q2 earnings results on Tuesday and ask for their input as well as the company faces economic uncertainty. Sundar Pichai Wants Employees to Be 'More Mission-Focused' During Wednesday's meeting following the Q2 earnings report, Pichai said that there were concerns over Google's productivity. To address this, he wanted to create a company culture that was "more mission-focused, product-focused, and customer-focused" while eliminating distractions in order to elevate both product excellence and productivity. These concerns come after Google's parent company Alphabet reported decreased profits for the second quarter in a row, The Verge reported. Despite bringing in more money, Alphabet reported $16 billion in profit during its second quarter of 2022, a decrease from the company's $18.5 billion during the same period last year. Rising expenses have played a part in Alphabet's decreasing profits, as the company brought in more revenue than it did during last year's same period. The company reported a revenue of almost $69.7 billion, an increase from last year's $61.9 billion. But Google has been spending about $3 billion more on research and development, as well as sales and marketing. Also Read: Alphabet Q2 Earnings Report Show $2.5 Billion Drop from Last Year 'Simplicity Sprint' as a Solution Now, not only is Google slowing down hiring and investments beginning now through 2023, it is also enlisting the help of its employees to gather ideas for more efficient product development through the "Simplicity Sprint" initiative. The effort will see employees participating in an internal survey that will run through August 15, which asks if Google management could reach out for follow-up questions. Pichai said that "Simplicity Sprint" is an effort to achieve better results in less time. The survey will ask employees on how they could work with increased clarity and efficiency, where speed bumps must be removed to ensure better results faster, and how to eliminate waste and "stay entrepreneurial and focused" as the company grows. The survey also comes at a time when Google is trying to relieve tensions between employees and executives. A recent annual "Googlegeist" survey revealed that employees gave a low rating on pay, promotions and execution. Google announced in May that it would redesign its performance evaluation process, which would spark better results in increased salaries while reducing bureaucracy regarding compensations and pay raises. Related Article: Alphabet Takes $1 Billion Hit in First Quarter - Is YouTube the Culprit? Haiti - FLASH : Results of the 9th AF 2022 exams for 3 departments (by school and by subject) The Ministry of National Education has made available the results of the 9th fundamental year exams 2022 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36927-icihaiti-education-203-440-candidates-are-preparing-to-undergo-the-state-exams.html for the departments of Grand'Anse, Nippes and North-East. According to the figures provided by the National Bureau of State Examinations (BUNEXE), the success rates are : GrandeAnse : Success rate 79% (down) previous year 79.28%; Nippes : Success rate 65.54% (down) previous year 78.68%; Northeast : Success rate 78.33 (up) previous year 72%. As announced by the Minister of National Education, the results are also published by school and by subject for each school in the department concerned in order to allow each parent to better assess the quality of educational services provided by the schools where they decide to entrust their children. Download the results by department, by school and by subject : GrandAnse: https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/9af-Grand-Anse-2022.PDF Nippes: https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/9af-Nippes-2022.PDF North-East: https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/9af-Nord-Est-2022.PDF School officials are encouraged to withdraw their institution's rankings in the school district of their respective zone. Schools whose success rate varies between 0 and 20% will be subject to special monitoring by the Ministry, following the 6th of the 12 measures https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11781-haiti-education-exam-results-disappointing-the-minister-manigat-announced-a-package-of-measures.html relating to the Presidential Decree of September 17, 2014 which stipulates "Public schools and subsidized schools, whose success rate for official exams is less than or equal to 20% are automatically placed under the supervision of an Interim Management Committee responsible to help them for two consecutive years by accompanying the Director and teachers to improve the level of student achievement." The results of the other departments will be published gradually, as soon as the data processing is finalized. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37283-haiti-flash-results-of-the-9th-fundamental-year-exams-2022-for-2-departments.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36927-icihaiti-education-203-440-candidates-are-preparing-to-undergo-the-state-exams.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11781-haiti-education-exam-results-disappointing-the-minister-manigat-announced-a-package-of-measures.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Les Cayes : Strike followed Monday August 1st, 2022, following the call for a strike launched by unions of public transport drivers for August 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2022, to denounce the persistence of the scarcity of gasoline in service stations a been followed. Several roads in the city of Les Cayes were completely paralyzed. No access either at the level of Cavaillon on the national road number 2 as well as the road leading to the south coast of Haiti (at the level of Torbeck). Aggravated denial of justice The Fondasyon Je Klere (FJKL) and Beyond Borders/Depase Fwontye Yo (BB/DF) deplore an aggravation of the denial of justice for Haitian victims of human trafficking, in particular child victims of domestic service. India : 44th Chess Olympiad As part of the 44th edition of the Chennai Chess Olympiad in India (July 28 to August 10, 2022) the young 15-year-old player, Cadeau Merisena from Cite Soeil won another victory for Haiti by beating Guyana. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37297-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37289-haiti-news-zapping.html UNICEF : 950,000 liters of drinking water distributed Since July 20, UNICEF has delivered nearly 950,000 liters of drinking water, able to meet the urgent needs of 16,000 people per day for a week and 500 hygiene kits to serve 2,500 people in Cite Soleil. PAHO/WHO Support The Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in support of the Directorate of Epidemiology, Laboratory and Research (DELR) organized a workshop for the dissemination of the official document framing the implementation implementation of Community-Based Epidemiological Surveillance (SEBAC) whose objective is to contribute to reducing the negative impact of health-related events in the communities by setting up an early community warning system, the systematic and continuous collection of data, their analysis and the production of health information at the local level for decision-making. Summer School of Tourism/B> About fifteen young people and professionals from various backgrounds took part in the first edition of the Summer School of Tourism in Haiti organized by Sco Tour Haiti (STH) around the theme "Tourism and Local Culture in Haiti", this initiative was carried out with the participation of professionals from the tourism sector in Haiti. HL/ HaitiLibre NASA will be on time to replace the International Space Station (ISS), or so the space agency says. NASA and the companies it chose for the development of commercial space stations recently assured the public that the commercial space stations currently in development would be ready for launch in time for the retirement of the ISS, per Space News. NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) was previously reported to be warning the space agency of a "precarious trajectory" that has placed the ISS' replacements too late to replace it by 2030. NASA, Blue Origin, Nanoracks, And Northrop Grumman Assurance Details NASA, along with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman, was reported to have said that they don't share the concerns raised by watchdogs regarding the tardiness of the commercial space stations the two commercial companies are developing in regards to the ISS' retirement. The space agency, along with the previously mentioned companies, said during a panel at the ISS Research and Development Conference on July 27 that their main goal is "a continuous human presence," according to Angela Heart, NASA's CLD program manager. Hart mentioned that the companies with CLD awards are moving quickly and that the agreement's framework are created to allow the companies to run quickly and a lot faster than NASA's typical development. She also added that ASAP and NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) made a mistake by comparing the space stations' development with more traditional government programs because the companies with CLD agreements are pushed to be the first to launch their space station. Read More: Tim Hortons Canada Settles Multiple Location-Tracking Lawsuits, Agrees to Give Free Food to Eligible Customers However, there are still some concerns regarding the readiness of the commercial space stations by 2030. Christian Maender, executive president of in-space solutions at Axiom Space, said although he doesn't agree with the IOG and ASAP, he is concerned that the space stations are "going to be ready for us." Another concern is from Rick Mastracchio, director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman, who said that the ability of the space stations to be ready before 2030 depends on the market. "That's really the big question. We can get there before [the] ISS comes down, but it's all dependent on the market," Mastracchio added. It isn't exactly known who will be the space station's customers will be other than NASA and how much demand they will create. NASA ASAP And OIG Concerns You may remember that NASA's ASAP is concerned about NASA not being able to maintain a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) presence due to the space stations launching later than planned. The lateness would create a gap between the ISS' retirement and the launching of the commercial space stations. To avoid such a scenario, NASA was previously reported to be planning to issue formal requirements that the space stations being developed by the two commercial companies are ready for use by 2024. This announcement is even though the most ideal time to finish them is in the late 2020s. NASA ASAP member Amy Donahue said that there would be very little margin for maintaining a "continuous US preresence in LEO" if NASA were to go ahead with its plan. She also added that the current schedule requires speeding up development at a pace faster than any other human spaceflight program since Project Mercury during the space race. The OIG also voiced its concern on Nov. 30, 2021, in a report stating that NASA's schedules for the commercial space stations were "unrealistic." "[NASA] projects that the first phase of its destination strategy will complete early design maturation in 2025," the OIG said in its report. "In our judgment, even if early design maturation is achieved in 2025, - challenging prospect in itself - a commercial program is not likely to be ready until well after 2030." Related Article: NASA's Future Space Stations Might Not be Ready in Time for ISS Retirement China renews yellow alert for high temperatures Xinhua) 13:47, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Tuesday continued to issue a yellow alert for high temperatures as an intense heatwave lingers in many regions of the country. During daylight hours on Tuesday, parts of Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, and Tianjin are expected to experience temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said. Temperatures in parts of Chongqing may surpass 40 degrees Celsius, according to the forecast. The center has advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods in the afternoon and suggested workers exposed to high temperatures, or who work outdoors for a long time, take necessary protective measures. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) Shuffles is a new iOS social networking app from Pinterest's TwoTwenty incubator, which launched Pinterest TV live shopping last fall. Pinterest's TwoTwenty Incubator Develops a New iOS Social Networking App According to a report from TechCrunch cited by The Verge, Pinterest has just launched a brand-new social media app for iOS called Shuffles that allows users to collaborate and create digital mood boards. Shuffles are currently only accessible by invitation. However, you may put your name on the waiting list for the app. Users of the standard Pinterest interface have the choice to explore, save their material, and make picture libraries of their pins. The program has many built-in picture editing tools, including Cut Out to isolate certain things in a shot, Collage to combine images to express your thoughts, and Animate to add effects to objects. The software was developed by Pinterest's TwoTwenty incubator, responsible for the Pinterest TV live shopping initiative last autumn. Shuffles seem like a reasonable app branch to provide users more creative control over their ideas than "concept pins." Not just Pinterest has recently experimented with the concept. Adobe unveiled Canvas in October 2021, allowing users to share and edit one other's work on a Creative Cloud mood board. TwoTwenty, established in November and named after Pinterest's first headquarters, aims to speed up innovation by encouraging more internal experimentation within the social network. With their separate incubators, NPE, Microsoft Garage, and Area 120, other tech behemoths Meta, Microsoft, and Google, are making comparable efforts. Pinterest is trying to transition from its past as an image pinboard and bookmarking site that drives e-commerce transactions to adapt to today's creator-driven world. In response to user demand for video, Pinterest created Idea Pins and Pinterest TV, a live shopping tool launched by TwoTwenty. Read Also: Alibaba Group Holding May be Delisted from US Stock Markets - Here's Why Pinterest Shares Surge User Counts While Missing Sales and Profit Estimates Despite missing revenue and earnings projections and providing a disappointing third-quarter outlook, Pinterest shares rose on higher-than-expected user numbers. According to activist investor Elliott Management, the largest shareholder in Pinterest also expressed "confidence in the value-creation opportunities" in the business. Refinitiv reports that its adjusted earnings per share were 11 cents as opposed to the predicted 18 cents. At the same time, its revenue is $666 million as opposed to the $667 million expected. There are 433 million monthly active users on Pinterest, down 5% from a year ago. Analysts had predicted a more significant decline to 431 million, even though this kind of decline concerns a social media site that relies on users to attract advertising. As was common in the social media sector, the company's financial performance was dismal. The parent company of Facebook, Meta, Twitter, and Snap all reported second-quarter earnings that were missed on both the top and bottom lines due to a weak online advertising market. Pinterest's statement about what was anticipated for this quarter was more concerning than its second-quarter numbers. The business expects third-quarter revenue to increase by "mid-single digits on a year-over-year percentage basis," falling short of analysts' expectations for sales to increase by 12.7%. Related Article: Pinterest is Being Sued by a Friend of One of the Founders Who Claims She Helped Create It When you open and read emails with tables, like Uber's receipt emails, Outlook crashes. This also stops Microsoft Word from working. Outlook Crashes When Opening and Reading Emails According to Microsoft, the Outlook email client will crash when opening and reading emails that include tables, such as the emails that Uber sends as receipts. According to an internal support document provided by the firm, "Outlook stops responding when opening, replying to or forwarding some emails that involve complicated tables." The situation is made much more difficult because emails with identical table contents will likewise cause the Microsoft Word program to stop responding. Even though the known problem only affects Microsoft 365, which uses the Current Channel Version 2206 Build 15330.20196 or a higher version, it can potentially cause freezes in both the current Beta and Current Channel Preview releases. The team working on Microsoft Word has already devised a remedy, and when it has been tested and validated, it will shortly be made available to consumers of the Beta channel. On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, users who use Outlook versions that are part of the Current Channel will get the patch as part of the monthly patch Tuesday update that Microsoft is distributing. Microsoft Proposes a Solution for Users Who Can't Wait for the Remedy Microsoft also offers a workaround that requires users to go back to a version that isn't affected by this known problem for customers who can't wait for the update to start rolling out. You will need to take the following actions in order to resolve this problem by rolling back your Office installation to a previous build: Launch a Command Prompt as an Administrator Press Enter after each command you type, copy, or paste into the Command Prompt window. Go to the Common Files/Microsoft Shared folder under program files. ClickToRun /update user updatetoversion=16.0.15225.20288 officec2rclient.exe Microsoft fixed another Outlook bug last month when desktop applications for Windows 11 computers could not show recent emails when using Outlook Search. Only users of POP, IMAP, and offline Exchange accounts that utilize the neighborhood Windows Search service to index email were impacted. In January, Redmond also resolved problems with Outlook search brought by the November 2021 and subsequent Windows 10 security upgrades. Users have also encountered search difficulties in Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, and Outlook 2016 after switching to Windows 11, as BleepingComputer reported in December. Read Also: Pinterest's Shuffles App: Here is Everything You Need to Know - Is It Available for Everyone? Microsoft Released Outlook Lite for Android A new Outlook Lite software from Microsoft is being made available to Android users in a few areas starting August 1. Although it comes in a 5 MB package designed for phones with only 1GB of RAM, the new app supports all of the primary functions of the standard Outlook app for Android. Outlook Lite, in the words of Microsoft, "offers quick performance for lightweight devices on any network." According to Microsoft, the software should function well on 2G and 3G networks and consumes less battery life than the default Outlook app for Android. It utilizes a bottom navigation bar to access emails, calendars, and contacts, unlike Outlook for Android. The search button has been relocated to the top right corner of the program. The Focused Inbox function is still available if you prefer it. However, the software currently only supports Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts. Only Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela presently provide Outlook Lite for download. The business said, "We will examine extending support for more nations in the future." Read Also: Leaks of Microsoft's New Email Client 'One Outlook' Look Promising Two recent submissions by Google and Amazon to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may hint at a few possibilities. Google and Amazon's FCC Filings Autumn hardware season is rapidly approaching. Two new (FCC) filings from Google and Amazon may indicate a few goods that the company may or may not announce. Google's offering is a "Wireless Device," a 5V USB connection may power it, and one diagram shows it connected to a laptop for testing, but there is no AC connection. 9to5Google says the file may be a Nest device because specific Nest cameras use 3.65V rechargeable batteries. Whatever this "Wireless Device" is, Google may expose it when it provides more information on the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch, which are all expected to launch this autumn. Google didn't respond right away when asked for comment. Additionally, the Amazon file seems to imply an improved Echo Studio smart speaker. The new "Digital Media Receiver" has a Zigbee radio for controlling smart home devices and an AC power connection for plugging into an outlet. However, Flake LLC, not Amazon, made the actual filing. Amazon sometimes submits FCC applications via fictional shell corporations to disguise its wares, and photos of Flake's other product, a "Digital Media Receiver," resemble those of the Echo Studio. The latest petition states that the Echo Studio and the second item are electrically similar The exact reason for the move is unknown. Read Also: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Leak: Has the Price of These Wireless Headphones Lowered? However, Amazon may be addressing supply chain difficulties. Tesla replaced chips to sustain manufacturing, and Panic said it would use a different CPU following Playdate shipments. Amazon didn't respond right away when asked for a comment. Given how modest the adjustment appears to be, there's a potential that Amazon won't announce anything at all. The firm regularly has a September event jam-packed with gadget news. Purchase Google's Pixel 6a, and Amazon will Give You a $50 Gift Card There isn't much better than the $449 Google Pixel 6a from last month, claims Mashable tech columnist Alex Perry. Perry praised Google for "once again making a quality experience accessible." It may not be groundbreaking, but it doesn't make it any less commendable. You will receive a $50 gift card from Amazon when you purchase the Pixel 6a. That is a comparable offer to the one Google is making available online, in which you receive a $50 Google Store credit for every Pixel 6a purchase. However, most customers will undoubtedly benefit more from the free-spending money for Amazon. The Pixel 6a is a smaller version of last year's excellent Pixel 6, with a 12.2MP back camera instead of a 50MP one, Night Sight, and Portrait Mode. It also has 128GB of storage instead of up to 256GB. These shortcomings may sound like deal-breakers, but Perry insisted that they are just "minor concessions" overall, especially in light of the phone's silky smooth performance, its all-day battery life, and its low pricing. Read Also: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Reportedly Buy Gold from Illegal Brazilian Miners Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Chance of a shower or two during the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 66F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. The New York Police Department (NYPD) must make public records relating to its investigation of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, under a judge's ruling. A public records request concerning the use of face recognition and other forms of monitoring on protestors by the New York police must now be complied with. Before we discuss the decision of the court, let us first have a brief background on the issue. NYPD Allegedly Bought Surveillance Tools With No Public Oversight The facial recognition software provider Clearview AI was allegedly an acknowledged vendor to the NYPD as early as 2018 and continued to have a cordial connection with officers on the force long after that, despite claims made by the NYPD in early 2020 that it had no affiliation with the company, as per the report of Buzzfeed last year. Documents revealed as a result of a public records request made by Rachel Richards refute the NYPD's previous statement to the media that it "does not have any contract, agreement, or relationship with Clearview AI, formally or informally." According to Buzzfeed, Clearview AI, which is infamous for illegally obtaining 3 billion photographs from websites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, has given out their software to tens of thousands of police officers around the nation. Meanwhile, the NYPD also allegedly purchased a number of surveillance equipment, including "stingray" cell site simulators, predictive policing software, vans equipped with x-ray machines to detect firearms, and facial recognition software, according to a previous Wired report. The records reveal that the NYPD has spent at least $159 million since 2007 using an obscure "Special Expenses Fund" that was not subject to review by the city council or other municipal officials. Two civil rights organizations, the Legal Aid Society and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), which claim that the practice amounted to a "surveillance slush fund," made the records public. Read More: Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Police Car Joins NYPD's Fleet - 100 EVs Incoming? New York Judge Said NYPD Is Required to Disclose How Its Facial Recognition Procedures Used During the Black Lives Matter Protests Amnesty International and the STOP had previously asked the NYPD for records pertaining to its use of facial recognition and surveillance tools on activists, but the NYPD had previously refused their request. As a result, both organizations sued the law enforcement agency last year. Engadget reported that the police department has argued that complying with the records request would be "unreasonably burdensome" because it would encompass more than 30 million documents. Meanwhile, Justice Lawrence Love of the New York Supreme Court disagreed with the NYPD's argument in a ruling issued on Friday. The judge also ordered both Amnesty International and STOP to re-submit their FOIL request, this time tailoring it to cover the 2,700 documents in question. Since the lawsuit was filed, legal teams for the NYPD and Amnesty International have met and reduced the number of documents to 2,700 in total, an amount that Love called "far more reasonable." Related Article: NYC Mayor Will Reassess NYPD's Use of Facial Recognition Technology Conjoined twins in Brazil were successfully separated following a virtual reality surgery conducted by a British neurosurgeon. Twin boys who lived the first three years of their lives conjoined at the head were finally separated following a virtual reality surgery. Brazilian twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima were born with fused brains and recently underwent several operations in Rio de Janeiro to finally be separated. According to the PEOPLE, the surgeries were conducted by pediatric surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital as the actual operation took place at the Instituto Estadual do Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The final two of the seven procedures took up to 33 hours and were attended by almost 100 medical staff. Jeelani called the procedures a "remarkable achievement" that required medical professionals to excel in virtual reality training programs for months before they carried it out in real life. It was this training that enabled surgeons from different countries to work together in a singular "virtual reality room" to conduct the procedure. Doctor-led Charity Foundation Funded the Miraculous Surgery on the Brazilian Conjoined Twins The grueling virtual reality surgery was funded by the charity Gemini Untwined, an organization geared towards the research and treatment of craniopagus twins, that was founded by Jeelani in 2018. Jeelani described it as one of the most complex separation processes ever completed, the Evening Standard reported. Surgeons in both London and Rio had to undergo months of challenging techniquest using virtual reality projections of the conjoined twins based on CT and MRI scans, which Jeelani said were "space-age stuff." He added that the virtual reality surgery helped them practice for the surgery before placing the conjoined twins at any risk, something that he called "reassuring" for doctors like himself. Read Also: VR Technology Can Help Doctors To Explore The Body Virtual Reality Surgery Described as 'Risky' The Brazilian conjoined twins had previously undergone unsuccessful attempts at surgical separation, leaving them with scar tissue. This worried Jeelani, who admitted that he was "absolutely shattered" after the hours of labor in the surgical room. But all their hard work paid off as the virtual reality surgery was successful and the conjoined twins were finally separated. As with other newly separated conjoined twins, however, their blood pressures were high until they were reunited four days later and got to see each other face to face. The boys are now recovering well. Jeelani and his charity continue to work hard to establish a "global repository for knowledge and experience" for conjoined twins separation surgery and hopes that it would become a leading example for providing expert care in other rare illnesses. The surgeon has conducted five other separation procedures with Gemini Untwined, operating on twins from Pakistan, Sudan, Israel, and Turkey. Jeelani led the procedure alongside Dr. Gabriel Mufarrej, who serves as the head of pediatric surgery at Instituto Estadual do Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer in Brazil. Mufarrej shared that the twins had been cared for at the hospital where he serves for two and a half years now and their much-awaited separation was truly "life-changing." Gemini Untwined said that one in 60,000 births are of conjoined twins. Of that figure, 5% are joined at the head in a condition called craniopagus children. Annually, 50 sets of twins are born joined at the head, but only 15 survive beyond the first 30 days after their birth. Related Article: 5 Technological Gadgets Changing the Lives of Seniors Noor-Us-Sabah Palace will celebrate Bhopal's Nawabi heritage and signals global momentum for The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced plans for the debut of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand in India with the signing of a management agreement for Bhopal's Noor-Us-Sabah Palace. One of Bhopal's oldest and most sought-after hotels, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace will undergo extensive refurbishment to join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand as a 60-room heritage hotel and is expected to open in 2025. Noor-Us-Sabah Palace will offer cultural moments for guests seeking a sophisticated yet unscripted experience. Spread across 18 acres, the hotel was originally built as a royal residence in the 1920s by Bhopal's erstwhile ruler, Begum Sultan Jehan and it was subsequently converted into a hotel in 1998. The hotel will be completely renovated to bring alive the history and legacy of the Nawab's royal residence through its interior design, and its storied past will be harnessed to deliver unique and authentic experiences. The hotel will also provide a distinctive and unique location for weddings and events, in addition to catering to premium business and leisure travelers. Currently situated in one of Bhopal's most affluent neighborhoods, the hotel offers a commanding view of the Upper Lake - one of the largest artificial lakes in the nation. The hotel's regal architecture, coupled with the legacy of Bhopal's Nawabi culture and the hotel's scenic landscape, offers guests an unmatched experience. The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is a collection of truly distinctive properties, all with a different story to tell. Inspiring guests to discover new places with rich history, a fascinating past or a distinct sense of place, each property embodying the uniqueness of its location. Once open, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace is expected to join 30 hotels within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio globally, including: Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California, Jinmao Hotel Lijang in Lijang, China, Hotel La Compania in Panama City, Panama, Parisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, and Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London, as well as a number of properties in the pipeline: Magma Resort Santorini in Greece, Grand Hansa Hotel Helsinki, Fuji Speedway HOTEL in Shizuoka, Japan, Rancho Pescadero in El Pescadero, Mexico, La Zambra in Mijas, Spain, Hotel Rhodania Crans Montana in Switzerland, The Barai Hua Hin in Hua Hin, Thailand, and more. The term "Hyatt" is used in the release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. Hotel website Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with over 9,000 hotels across over 95 countries, announces the opening of the 112-room Super 8 by Wyndham Koblenz in partnership with leading hotel management company GS Star GmbH, Grunwald. The newly built hotel marks an important milestone in the growth of the design-focused economy brand, Super 8 by Wyndham, and is the tenth property under the Super 8 by Wyndham brand to open in Germany. Super 8 by Wyndham Koblenz joins one of the world's largest economy hotel brands worldwide with nearly 2,700 properties offering affordable, innovative accommodation in central locations. Since its German debut in 2016 with GS Star, Super 8 by Wyndham has expanded its presence across notable destinations such as Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Augsburg, Mainz, Oberhausen, Freiburg and Chemnitz. Super 8 by Wyndham Koblenz adds to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts already strong presence of over 100 hotels and 10 established brands across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Situated near the city centre of Koblenz, one of Germany's oldest and most beautiful cities, the stylish hotel is within walking distance of Koblenz Stadtmitte station making it an ideal base for visiting popular sights such as St. Kastor Basilica, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle and Rein rivers meet. Super 8 by Wyndham Koblenz boasts bright, light-filled rooms, an onsite breakfast restaurant and cafe serving light bites and refreshments for on-the-go travellers as well as bicycle rentals to tour the city. Wyndham hotels in Germany and around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the world's most generous hotel rewards programme with thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Hotel website Fairfield by Marriott Mumbai International Airport is pleased to welcome Javedakhtar Sayyad as the Executive Chef. His solid experience and passion for curating exquisite meals and crafting remarkable dining experiences for our guests which makes him the ideal choice to lead the team. With a rich experience of over three decades in the culinary industry, he served various global hospitality brands such as Taj Group of hotels, Renaissance Mumbai, Sahara Star, Grand Sarovar Premiere Mumbai and is also very well known for his associations with Saudi Arabian Airlines and Yemen Airlines as Head Chef. Chef Javedakhtar's culinary knowledge will enhance the grandeur of Fairfield by Marriott, further adding to our vision to cultivate and maintain the finest experience for our guests. He finds it exhilarating to bring people together through food, by creating unique and memorable dining experiences for guests. Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort is delighted to announce the appointment of Ritchard Cariaga as Executive Chef. Cariaga will be responsible for overseeing the menus and staff for all food and beverage programming at Andaz Maui including Ka'ana Kitchen, Bumbye Beach Bar, and Lehua Lounge, in addition to banquet operations, in-room dining, and overseeing the operations for The Feast at Mokapu Luau. Cariaga comes to Andaz Maui with over 16 years of progressive hospitality leadership experience. Cariaga began his Hyatt career at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in 2008, where he completed the CMT program in Culinary and went on to become Chef De Cuisine at the property's Asian fusion restaurant, Yum Cha. In 2013 Cariaga joined the opening team at the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort as Banquet Chef and was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine of Ka'ana Kitchen. During his time at Andaz Maui, Cariaga traveled to Mexico City to represent the property at the 'Good Taste Series' and to New York City to headline a sold-out dinner at the legendary James Beard House as part of 'The Great Chef Exchange.' Most recently, Cariaga worked as Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa as well as Director of Culinary and Food and Beverage Operations at Carmel Valley Ranch. Cariaga grew up in Kauai and is thrilled to return to Hawaii with his family. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, hiking, cooking, and enjoying his favorite cuisine, Filipino food. Hailing from Tabanan Regency, with over 26 years of experience in culinary industry. Alila Ubud is delighted to announce the new leadership I Wayan Joni Arthanawa. Starting his career as apprentice in the age of 19 at the Bali Intercontinental Resort - Jimbaran, a five-star resort away of his hometown, doesn't stop him to develop his passion in culinary. After graduating and finish his internship. He decided to back to hometown to begin his professional career in Le Meridien Nirwana Beach - Tanah Lot as a commis. After two years' experience. He decided to make a big step by joining Le Meridien Dubai as Demi Chef Partie in all-day restaurant. After one and half year in Dubai. He decided to back to Bali and continuing his journey as Demi Chef Partie in The Ritz Carlton Bali - Jimbaran for more than 7 years. After more than 7 years at The Ritz Carlton, he starts his leadership in Ayana Resort Jimbaran as Chef De Partie. He grows his leadership skill for 3 years, and make a big step as Junior Sous Chef, pre-opening team of The Stones Legian Kuta. Only in a year, his career is rise as the Sous Chef in that hotel. In 2014, he eventually proves himself that he is a true leader in the culinary world by joining pre-opening team of The Ritz Carlton Nusa Dua as Chef de Cuisine. Here he developed himself to be a great leader in the industry. After three years of experience, he continues his journey in The Ritz Carlton as Senior Chef de Cuisine. Here he worked together with the Executive Chef to make sure all the operations in kitchen are running well. As the Senior Chef de Cuisine, he also responsible to maintain and improve the standard hygiene and the cleanliness as well as the HACCP standard of all outlets. Eventually, after four years at The Ritz Carlton, in 2018, he appointed The Seminyak Beach Resort as Executive Sous Chef for four years. And in this 2022, he appoints Alila Ubud as Executive Chef. Youri Sawerschel is a Branding Expert and Founder of Creative Supply, a strategic branding agency based in Zurich. Solicited for his creative thinking skills, Youri has been involved with projects focused on creating, launching and managing brands in Europe, China and the Middle-East. He has worked with brands as diverse as Kempinski Hotels, UBS, EPFL and Mondelez. Youri is also the author of dozens of articles on the topics of brand strategy and entrepreneurship and is a visiting lecturer at EHL in Lausanne and Singapore, ESSEC Business School in Paris and Geneva School of Business (HEG). London, UK - A new study by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed the recovery of Frances Travel & Tourism is at risk as more than 70,000 jobs remain unfilled across the country. The research looked into labour shortages across France and other major Travel & Tourism destinations, such as the U.S., Italy, Spain, the UK and Portugal. According to the global tourism body, the supply of labour could fail to match the increased travel demand across the sector, which is estimated to be near pre-pandemic levels by the third quarter of 2022. The data shows France is expected to see a shortfall of 71,000 jobs, with one in 19 vacancies left unfilled this year. In 2019, before the pandemic, more than 1.3 million people were employed by Travel & Tourism in France. But by 2020, nearly 175,000* had lost their jobs. France saw the beginning of the recovery in 2021, with a 40.6% growth to the sectors contribution to the national economy. However, staff shortages have been prevalent in the country, with thousands of vacancies that remain unfilled, putting the sector under pressure. WTTC analysis shows Frances aviation is expected to be one of the worst affected, struggling to find candidates for nearly one in three (38%) job postings, while travel agencies could also face one third (39%) of staff shortages. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: The sector needs more staff to meet the current demand. The widespread travel disruption being experienced by millions of French holidaymakers is clear evidence of this." If these 71,000 jobs remain unfilled, they could threaten the revival of Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country, which have struggled for more than two years from the impact of the pandemic. Last week WTTC revealed that up to 1.2 million jobs across the EU will remain unfulfilled, with hospitality, aviation, and travel agencies being the most affected. Some of the key measures identified in the report for both governments and the private sector to address the talent gap are: Facilitate labour mobility across international borders, with more favourable visa policies Enable flexible and remote working where feasible allowing part time or contractor-based opportunities, where possible Ensure decent work and competitive employee benefits and compensation packages Attract talent by improving the perception of jobs and promoting viable career paths with growth opportunities Develop and support a skilled workforce through comprehensive educational programs, as well as upskilling and reskilling current talent Adopt innovative technological and digital solutions to alleviate pressure on staff, improve daily operations and provide an enhanced customer experience. The global tourism body believes by implementing these measures, Travel & Tourism businesses will be able to attract more workers. This in turn would enable the sector to meet the ever-growing consumer demand and further speed up its recovery, which is the backbone to generating economic well-being across the country. *Refers to total DIRECT employment. About WTTC The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector. According to WTTC's 2021 Economic Impact Report, during 2020, a year in which it was devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel & Tourism made a 5.5% contribution to global GDP and was responsible for 272 million jobs. WTTC Press Office WTTC WASHINGTON, D.C. To mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, today the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation), ECPAT-USA and Marriott International launched a trafficking prevention training program for the hotel industry, titled Recognize and Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry. This new training program was developed by Marriott in collaboration with non-profit organizations and survivor experts. The program was donated by Marriott to ECPAT-USA and is now free and available to the hotel industry through ECPAT-USAs online learning platform thanks to the support of the AHLA Foundation. Building on the foundation of the Your Role in Preventing Trafficking training, released to the industry in 2020, this new training features unique learning paths for associates and managers around increased guidance on responding to potential trafficking situations and interacting with potential victims. Furthering training and education to raise awareness about human trafficking is a main goal of No Room for Trafficking, an AHLA Foundation national awareness program that builds on the industrys ongoing commitment to unite the hotel and lodging industry in thought leadership and action to drive forward the next phase of anti-trafficking efforts. One of No Room for Traffickings goals is to train every single hotel employee to identify and respond to a potential human trafficking situation. Through this innovative new training, the industry as a whole will be better equipped to help identify and stop cases of human trafficking, said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. We are extremely grateful to Marriott International and leading trafficking prevention partners who are offering this free training with support from the AHLA Foundation. Earlier this month, the AHLA Foundation hosted a No Room for Trafficking Summit in Washington, D.C. to provide a forum for industry leaders to join with public and private sector partners to discuss emerging trends and areas of innovation to build upon efforts to eradicate human trafficking and support survivors. During the Summit, the AHLA Foundation announced a total of $1 million in donations from Hyatt Hotels Foundation, G6 Hospitality, and Extended Stay America to launch the No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund. We know first-hand that our training helps associates recognize and respond to human trafficking, and we are proud that it will have an impact well beyond Marriotts workforce, said Anthony Capuano, Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. Working together with the AHLA Foundation and ECPAT-USA, we are equipping the broader industry with an innovative and effective tool to combat human trafficking. ECPAT-USA is honored to partner with the AHLA Foundation and Marriott International in our work to end human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and is grateful for their continued leadership and support. Recognize and Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking Hospitality Industry will serve as a timely and deeply impactful resource for the entire travel sector, said Lori Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of ECPAT-USA. There is no greater moral cause for our industry than ending the scourge of human trafficking. As we mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we are extremely proud of our industrys efforts and commitment to human trafficking prevention and training all hotel employees, Eliza McCoy, Vice President of Awareness & Prevention Programs of the AHLA Foundation. There is so much more work to be done, but together, through this new training and the recently launched No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund, our industry will continue to play an important role in ending trafficking. With the launch of this new training, Recognize and Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry, the AHLA Foundation has launched a challenge to all industry members to extend their training efforts to include this program and help bring the industry one step closer to ending human trafficking. Learn more about the hotel industrys efforts to end trafficking here. About the AHLA Foundation The AHLA Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, is dedicated to helping people build careers, improve their lives, and strengthen the lodging industry. From lifting individuals out of poverty and connecting them with a life-long career in the industry to providing certifications to promote current hotel employees into leadership positions, the Foundation's programs are changing the industry by changing lives. We are committed to elevating, educating, and empowering individuals and the public on the industry's story of opportunity and advancement. The Foundation is funded solely by contributions from generous individuals and companies who want to give back to the hotel industry and ensure a successful future. Learn more at www.ahlafoundation.org. Reports said that Oracle will reduce workers across the U.S., Canada, India, and some parts of Europe. Oracle Cuts Workforce Oracle is laying off employees in its U.S. customer experience division, a move that suggests a slowdown in the company's consumer analytics and advertising services. The customer experience division has long lagged behind the growth of the rest of the software company, according to Bloomberg. Four individuals with direct knowledge of the situation claim that certain employees received notice on Monday that their roles had been eliminated. A division sales director and junior employees were among those let go, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous. One former employee claimed that although there had been rumors of impending layoffs in the division in recent weeks, management had assured them that their jobs were secure. Meanwhile, Reuters (via The Information) reported that following its goal of making cost reductions of up to $1 billion, Oracle was considering eliminating thousands of positions from its global workforce. According to the company's most recent annual report, as of May 31, there were around 143,000 full-time employees. A separate The Information report also said layoffs are also anticipated in the upcoming weeks and months in Canada, India, and other regions of Europe. Read More: Bird Is Laying Off 23% of Its Workforce - How Many Are Affected? Other Tech Companies Also Cut Their Workforce Oracle is not the only tech company which announced staff retrenchment this year. Car manufacturer Ford reportedly plans to focus on electrification by cutting one-fourth of its employees. The company is prepared to lay off up to 8,000 salaried employees, or roughly one-fourth of its present employment in the U.S., due to the rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs). To help finance its drive into EV manufacturing, The Blue Oval wants to cut $3 billion in operational costs by 2026. Reductions in staff were recently revealed by yet another automaker. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, recently announced that he intended to downsize the staff by 10% because he had an awful feeling about the state of the economy. As a result, Tesla has started to drastically reduce its workforce. The economic slump has an impact on more than just auto manufacturers. While canceling forthcoming augmented reality (AR) games and projects, Pokemon Go creator Niantic conducts staff reductions. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Hanked informed the workers that the gaming company is currently letting go of about 8% of its employees. To be more specific, the Niantic CEO further estimates that it, regrettably, impacts anywhere between 85 and 90 staff. Several crypto companies also disclosed worker reductions. The market's current condition is acknowledged to be the primary cause of the recent wave of corporate layoffs. Gemini has announced that they are laying off 10% of their workforce as of June. The crypto company has an estimated 1,000 employees, which means 100 of them might be let go. Meanwhile, Coinbase announced they would lay off 18% of their workforce, or about 1,100 people. Related Article: Tonal Lays Off 30% of Its 750 Employees Wilmington, Del. - Driftwood Capital, a vertically integrated commercial real estate firm providing superior risk-adjusted returns in hospitality, is pleased to announce the completion of the new $31 million Staybridge Suites hotel in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Located at 1220 N. Market Street in Downtown Wilmington, the 11-story property features 134 suite-style accommodations, a lounge, fitness center, sundries shop and a business center with meeting spaces designed for todays business and leisure travelers. A former office building converted to a hotel, the property is located in a designated Opportunity Zone, and is the only extended-stay hotel affiliated with IHG Hotels & Resorts within a four-mile radius. Delaware is a top location for U.S. and international businesses, with more than 65 percent of all Fortune 500 companies and more than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies incorporated in the state. As the corporate capital of America, Wilmington has built-in demand for quality, convenient accommodations to serve corporate travelers as well as the increased number of leisure travelers visiting the area, said Carlos Rodriguez Sr., CEO of Driftwood Capital. Driftwood identified a void in the hospitality market, with little new hotel development in the city over the past twenty years and is excited to deliver a new extended stay option to travelers in the heart of Downtown Wilmington. The Staybridge Suites was financed with a $14.95 million construction loan from First International Bank & Trust and $16.7 million raised from private investors, primarily through a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF). Additionally, the Staybridge Suites was awarded a $1.02 million grant from the Delaware State Housing Authoritys Downtown Development Districts (DDD) Rebate Program. Driftwood Hospitality Management (DHM), a national hotel operator with over 20 years of expertise, will manage the property. Design and construction were led by Whiting-Turner Contractor Co. and Dever Architects, respectively. Driftwood Capitals investment strategies include hospitality acquisition, development and lending. Award-winning properties in its portfolio include the Canopy Tempe and Canopy West Palm Beach; the Wylie Hotel in Atlanta; the Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego; and the Margaritaville Lake of the Ozarks. It is also developing the $388 million Westin Cocoa Beach and the $200M Riverside Wharf/Dream Hotel in Downtown Miami, both in Florida. About Driftwood Capital Driftwood Capital is one of the country's leading hospitality sponsors. A vertically integrated commercial real estate firm with investment, development, lending and management platforms, Driftwood's unique business model provides accredited investors access to institutional-quality hotel assets or capital solutions on a direct deal basis following deal closing. Since its inception, Driftwood Capital has transacted on more than $3 billion in hospitality assets, including new ground-up hotel development projects, cash-flowing hotels and hotel-backed loans, backed by an international network of more than 1,200 investors. Driftwood's in-house team of experts oversee deal sourcing, underwriting, financing, asset management, operations, development and legal issues, ensuring a total alignment of interests with investors. For more information, visit www.driftwoodcapital.com. Angelo Gordon and Westmont acquire Room Mate American alternative investment fund Angelo Gordon, in partnership with Westmont Hospitality Group, have completed the acquisition of Spanish hotel chain Room Mate, with the approval of the Mercantile Court of Madrid. The acquisition of the productive part of the group out of insolvency comes after the completion of its financial restructuring. The purchasers initially invested in Room Mate in April 2022, providing additional working capital at the time. Under the deal now approved by the courts, Room Mates current workforce of more than 400 employees will be kept in place and the purchasers will assume nearly 40 million in debts to lessors, suppliers and clients. Room Mate operates 15 properties across Europe, the USA, Mexico and Turkey. PRODEA and Invel acquire Hotel Bellevue Suites & Spa in Cortina, Italy Greek real estate investment company PRODEA Investments and independent London-based investment firm Invel Real Estate have jointly acquired the Hotel Bellevue Suites & Spa in Cortina dAmpezzo in northern Italy. The price was not disclosed. The resort town is scheduled to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The centrally located, four-star hotel features 66 guest rooms including 21 suites, plus 46 service apartments and a wide range of facilities across its 7 floors. City ID acquires Capel Street property in Dublin Dutch aparthotel group City ID has acquired its fifth property, on Dublins historical Capel Street, which will contain 104 apartments on completion, featuring fully furnished kitchens and living spaces. This latest acquisition adds to the groups three properties in Amsterdam and one in Westminster in London that is due to open in 2024 and is part of the aparthotel groups larger plan to invest 1 billion over the next five years in European cities. The Netherlands largest pension provider, APG, acquired a stake in City ID in 2019, matching that of previous City ID backer, Australian pension fund Aware Super. Fairtree acquires Daffodil Hotel & Spa in the UKs Lake District South African investment manager Fairtree, with the backing by funds advised by Blantyre Capital Limited, has acquired the independently owned, four-star Daffodil Hotel & Spa in Grasmere in north-western Englands Lake District, for an undisclosed price. Overlooking Lake Grasmere, the 78-room hotel features four F&B outlets as well as function and leisure facilities. This transaction marks Fairtrees and Blantyres third deal of the year already, following their acquisition of two Scottish luxury properties, Fonab Castle Hotel and Dunkeld House in Perthshire. Costafreda family acquires El Hotel Curious in Barcelona The son of Spanish pastry group Panricos founder, Albert Costafreda, has acquired the 24-room El Hotel Curious in Barcelona for 6 million (250,000 per room) through one of his investment firms. The property is centrally located in the Catalonian capitals lively Gothic Quarter, close to the Mercat de la Boqueria, the Picasso Museum and Plaza Catalunya. El Hotel Curious is the only urban property of the vacation hotel chain operator ALEGRIA Hotels. About HVS HVS is the world's leading consulting and valuation services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 4,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. Through a worldwide network of over 50 offices staffed by 300 experienced industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com. Nothings official, but Elon Musk may be building his own airport near Austin. The Tesla CEO, who moved to Texas from California in late 2020, flies to and from Austin regularly to check in on his EV makers Gigafactory Texas and his other ventures in the state. Those include private space flight company SpaceX and tunneling business The Boring Co. Now, Musk is reported to be planning a private airport east of Austin, according to Austin news site Austonia. Without identifying them, Austonia reported multiple sources confirmed there are conceptual plans for such a private facility near Bastrop. HOW HE VOTED: Elon Musk says he voted Republican for the first time in Mayra Flores' Texas special election On Monday, Bastrop County officials said they were unaware of such plans. There has been no formal communication with the county regarding this airport, said Adena Lewis, director of tourism and economic development in Bastrop. The Boring Co., SpaceX and Tesla didnt respond to requests for comment. To build a private airport, Musk would need approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and be required to follow the agencys environmental standards. Such a facility could provide Musk access to The Boring Co.s headquarters, which is 3 miles from Austin Executive Airport. The Tesla electric vehicle manufacturing gigafactory is 15 miles from that private airport and 5 miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. SpaceXs rocket testing facility in McGregor is located about 97 miles north of the city-owned airport. Musk, who currently travels mainly in a 2015 Gulfstream G650ER, has ordered a Gulfstream 6700, according to multiple sources. The $78 million aircraft is expected to be delivered in early 2023. According to public flight plan data, Musk has made several landings and takeoffs from Austin on his Gulfstream in the past two weeks, a schedule not out of the ordinary based on reviews of his planes activity. Heres a look: On July 18, Musk returned to Austin from Greece. He left later the same day for Long Beach, Calif. On July 21, he flew from Long Beach to Brownsville near his SpaceX Starship compound in Boca Chica and from there back to Austin. Tuesday, he flew from Austin to San Jose, Calif. Wednesday, he returned to Austin from San Jose. Thursday, he flew from Austin to Brownsville. Friday, he returned to Austin from Brownsville. The possibility of Musk building a private airport comes after Tesla made a deal with a Mexico state to open a dedicated lane to fast-track border crossings at the Colombia Solidarity checkpoint, upriver from Laredo, Bloomberg reported last month. Nuevo Leon, which has at least six suppliers for Tesla, borders the United States for about 10 miles. eric.killelea@express-news.net Episcopal Health Foundation announced Tuesday that Dr. Ann Barnes will be its next president and CEO. Barnes will take the role Oct. 3. She is currently the chief health officer and senior vice president for Harris Health System, a public system for Harris County residents. She will succeed founding CEO Elena Marks, who helped build the Episcopal Health Foundation from a startup to a $1.4 billion philanthropic organization dedicated to improving health and health care. After Marks announced her plans to retire, EHF board member Bill Montgomery was appointed to lead a national search for her successor. Dozens of candidates from across the country applied and were considered for the position. It was Barnes experience that made her stand out, Montgomery said. Anns body of work is so impressive, Montgomery said. She has the proven track record to build upon what Elena started and she really stood out as the best person, with the best experience. On HoustonChronicle.com: Elena Marks founding CEO of Episcopal Health Foundation to retire this year Barnes said she wanted to work at Episcopal Health Foundation because of its mission. The organization was created to address health disparities through research and policy analysis. It provides grants to organizations that look at so-called upstream ways to improve public health, such as access to healthy food and having a safe place to live. A lot of dollars go into acute care, hospital care and sick care, but (Episcopal Health Foundation) took the stand that we're really going to focus on upstream drivers with health and so that was incredibly exciting to me, Barnes said. Barnes, originally from Houstons Fifth Ward, graduated from Yale University and Harvard Medical School before returning to Houston in 1999. While working as a primary care doctor she noticed many of her patients were coming in with similar health issues such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. It was then in real time she saw how people's living conditions, socioeconomic status, and other social determinants affected their health. For instance, it was difficult to advise patients to eat healthier if they didnt have a grocery store in their neighborhood or access to transportation. I would prescribe medications and make recommendations, Barnes said, but when they went back out into their lives, it was hard for them to use any of my recommendations because of their economic or environmental circumstances. On HoustonChronicle.com: Its in business owners best interest to provide better parental benefits, report says. Heres why. This sparked her interest in health equity. At Harris Health, Barnes was responsible for developing the systems health equity strategy. This included making sure its workforce was diverse and had undergone unconscious-bias training. Before starting at Harris Health 2019, Barnes was chief medical officer at Legacy Community Health, a large federally qualified health center system in Houston that serves more than 170,000 patients. She oversaw all clinic services and was part of a rolling out a model for patient health that focused on social determinants of health. Barnes also served as the principal investigator for a National Institute of Health project that established a first-of-its-kind registry to understand what led to successful weight loss in African Americans. Given this experience and track record, founding CEO Marks said she is confident that Barnes is the right person to lead the organization. Ann is a well-known leader in working in practical ways toward health equity and theres no better expert in finding new ways to get social services, health care systems and health policy to work together to improve health, Marks said. The potential for EHFs next chapter is limitless and I really look forward to seeing where Ann takes it. One bite of a mushroom taco erased any doubts I had about moving from New York City to Houston. A few muggy evenings ago, about three dozen Houstonians and I descended on a strip mall and formed a line that was like bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 45. We were at Tatemo, a tasting menu-driven tortilleria that was hosting a pop-up with Alex Bremont Diaz, a former head chef at the acclaimed restaurant Pujol in Mexico City. Some customers, including myself, waited for two hours and could only order a single taco because the kitchen ran out of ingredients. I chose a mix of mushrooms, which Diaz says he seared and seasoned with avocado leaf and the Mexican herb called epazote before topping it off with a chile oil. It was one of the best tacos Ive tasted in recent memory. In the past month, Ive been exploring the Bayou City by eating more than three meals a day as often as possible. Night after night, packed dining rooms and a growing list of new restaurants were just further confirmation that this is a top-notch food town something locals have been telling me for years. As a former New Yorker, Ill take it one step further: Houstons restaurant scene is more exciting than New York City's right now. MY HIT LIST: 31 dishes Bao Ong ate during his first month in Houston One of New York Citys best selling points is its diversity. Houston, however, ranks above the Big Apple when it comes to racial and ethnic diversity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People of color, especially a wave of Asian Americans, keep flocking to the fourth largest city in the country. It was Houstons many Vietnamese restaurants that lured me to Texas on my first visit in 2014. In the half decade leading up to that trip, I spent years complaining how New Yorks Vietnamese food offerings paled in comparison to Orange County in Southern California or even just outside Washington, D.C., in Falls Church, Virginia. While a new generation of young Vietnamese have recently expanded New Yorks landscape beyond pho and banh mi, its nothing like what youd find along Bellaire Boulevard in Houstons Asiatown or at the newer spots in Katy. Whether its traditional recipes or more creative riffs on classics, a number of Vietnamese American friends believe the food is even better here than in Vietnam. Southeast Asia is only part of the story, as there are also plenty of Nigerian, Japanese, Persian, Tex-Mex, Thai, Indian and, of course, barbecue establishments to check out in Houston. The success of Blood Bros. BBQ is just one example of a younger generation of chefs that have infused a part of their culture with a Texas tradition while garnering local and national attention. Q&A: Critic Alison Cook gets to know restaurant columnist Bao Ong Theres no doubt that New York offers a great range of cuisines. The media coverage of these restaurants often located outside of downtown Manhattan and trendy neighborhoods in Brooklyn often group these spots into a so-called affordable dining category. Writers would suddenly parachute into a neighborhood, which they considered far flung, and set in motion what felt like Columbusing at times. (To give credit where its due, some publications, including those I have worked for in the past, have gotten better in their coverage in recent years.) The playing field feels much more balanced in Houston even if steakhouses, barbecue and Tex-Mex will likely always have a strong presence. Long before New Yorkers ever began praising a certain Mexican restaurant that charges nearly $100 for duck carnitas (it does serve two people), Hugo Ortega proved that a menu with complex moles and handmade corn tortillas could command the same prices as Eurocentric menus. Houstonians have been going to the Mexican chefs restaurant for two decades and counting. Maybe the large number of people who work in energy or the medical field means there are more customers willing to drop a good chunk of change for dinner. In my month here, I get a sense that Houstonians want good food more than all the bells and whistles (New York has the edge for well-designed spaces and restaurateurs knowing how to create an ambiance, like a well orchestrated dinner party). Ive seen a mix of customers in Houston handing over their hard-earned dollars at one of the most impressive fine dining Indian restaurants around (that would be Musaafer) and guys in business suits standing in line for breakfast tacos. People eat out here more than any other city, said Aaron Bludorn, the chef of Bludorn, referring to statistics released in past Zagat surveys. Theres a level of fanfare that rolls out for new Houston restaurants here. Bludorn, who spent 10 years cooking in New York for renowned French chef Daniel Boulud, moved to Texas and opened his eponymous restaurant in 2020 to great fanfare. His restaurant is one of the most sought-after reservations in town. At Bludorn and other similar popular restaurants in town, there's an energy and vibrancy that is often missing from New York restaurants since the pandemic. As chefs and restaurant owners know all too well, the economics of operating a restaurant make it a challenging business to operate in any city no matter the level of success. Its especially difficult in a place like New York, with sky high rents and an industry where few employers pay their workers livable wages, let alone health insurance. After 14 years living and dining out constantly in New York, it doesnt feel like the city is the epicenter of dining culture, especially when you see the same dishes at the next hottest restaurant of the moment: a burger, caviar topped something or the same pattern used to smear a sauce on the ceramic plate. Young chefs no longer feel like they have to pay their dues or slave away at Michelin-rated restaurant in order to be successful in New York or elsewhere. Most chefs could never afford to open their own restaurant in New York, but they do know a demand for chef-y food is in high demand beyond the big cities on the East and West coasts. Just ask Diaz, who in 2012 cooked at the wonderful Portuguese restaurant Aldea, which closed in 2020. The Mexican-born chef worked at the Manhattan spot for a year but living with multiple roommates and two-hour long commutes just wasnt worth it, he said. After a successful run at Enrique Olveras Pujol, these days the 36-year-old chef is working on opening a restaurant in Mexico City. The Tatemo pop-up in Houston was not completely random, however, since he did live here for about a decade after high school. It kind of pisses me off how Houston can be underrated, said Diaz. People think its Chicago, New York or California, but whats happening in Houston is pretty impressive. Perhaps more impressive, at least on the night I was there, is that not one person complained or left during Diazs taco pop-up when we were informed each person could only order a single taco. There was no grumbling or let-me-speak-to-the-manager antics. That would never happen in New York. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Many of the children and young adults had never met before they traveled from across the globe to gather in Houston. They were brought together by a shared diagnosis that, until six years ago, had been a mystery. Each of them had been diagnosed with EBF3-related Hypotonia Ataxia Developmental Delays Syndrome (HADDS). The neurodevelopmental disorder causes a range of symptoms, including delayed development and autism-like tendencies. Dr. Hsiao-Tuan Chao, a pediatric neurologist and investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, and her colleagues identified the disorder in 2016 while she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. Fewer than 1,000 people across the globe have been diagnosed with HADDS since its discovery, Chao said. For many of the children and young adults who attended the 2022 HADDS Conference, held from July 21 to 23 at the Duncan NRI at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor, it was the first time they met someone else with the same diagnosis. They're part of a community; it's a support system, Chao said. Who else can better understand what you're going through than another family going through something very similar? Denholm Willmer, 25, traveled flew in from Australia. He and his mother are the first known instance of a mother and son sharing the condition. Willmer didnt know he had HADDS until he was 20 years old, but since that time hes become an active member of a Facebook group that connects families living with the condition. He was excited to attend the conference, though, to meet them in person. Were all close-knit. Were like a family, Willmer said. We all understand each other. HADDS is caused by a mutation in the EBF3 gene, and symptoms can range in severity. Common symptoms include autism-like tendencies; developmental delays, including with talking and walking; balance and coordination issues; difficulties expressing emotion; and a high pain tolerance. Many babies with HADDS have difficulty laughing or smiling, and do not cry when theyre injured or getting injections, Chao said. Chao believes many children and young adults with HADDS are underestimated, because they seem different. But many are bright and high-functioning. Willmer, for example, works as a delivery driver and likes to repair cars, build computers and even fly airplanes in his spare time. They're who they are. It's not this diagnosis, Chao said. Its just a part of them. Making the discovery Chaos interest in genetic research dates to her childhood. Her mother was as a special education teacher and later worked at the Rosedale School in Austin, which serves students with disabilities. She spent her summers volunteering at her mothers school, and saw first-hand the challenge of teaching children with significant disabilities. It really brought home the fact that we have to understand this better, she said. Her first introduction to what was eventually identified as HADDS came during her medical residency in the Dr. Hugo Bellens lab at Baylor. The first case assigned to her was Chase Morita, a Hawaii boy who was part of a clinical study through the National Institutes of Healths Undiagnosed Diseases Network. He was bright, but had difficulty talking and smiling as a child, Chao said. Chases genetic sequencing showed several abnormalities, including a change in the EBF3 gene. That stood out because the gene is important for brain development, serving as a master regulator to other genes, Chao said. It's basically controlling which switches need to flip on and which switches need to flip off so that your cells develop the way they're supposed to, she said. If you throw it off even a little bit, it kind of has a cascade effect. Chases case languished for years, though, because the mutation had not been identified in anyone else. Chao and her colleague, Dr. Michael Wangler, reached out to Baylor Genetics to ask whether they had seen anyone else with a mutation in the same gene. The lab pointed them to two more children, including a 5-year-old girl from Houston. Chao and Wangler met with the Houston girl. After meeting her, Chao realized that one of her own patients named Collette LeMaire, who was less than 1 year old and also lived in Houston, likely had the same condition. When you hear from multiple families, you sort of know. Everything just clicked, said Wangler, an assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor and Texas Childrens. You've found a new medical condition. Collettes parents, Ashley and Mark LeMaire, noticed early on that their daughters eyes werent focusing and that she never laughed or cried. But they didn't know why, even with Ashley LeMaire being a neuropsychologist at The Menninger Clinic. An MRI, a lumbar puncture and blood tests didnt offer an answer. Collette eventually took a genetic test, and the results showed a mutation in her EBF3 gene. Chao delivered the news that Collette had HADDS in 2016, months before she and her colleagues publicly revealed their discovery of the disorder. Ashley LeMaire said shell never forget the phone call. Shes on the phone crying, and Im on the phone crying. Like I can't believe I got an answer, that her neurologist discovered it, she said. Collette was delayed in learning to walk and talk, and barely spoke until age 4. But shes now 7 years old and speaking at an average level for her age. She was also reading at a second-grade level by the time she finished kindergarten. The LeMaires started the Facebook group that has connected HADDS patients. In 2019 they and two other families formed the nonprofit HADDS Foundation to promote awareness, research and support for individuals living with the condition. The foundation hosted the 2019 and 2022 conferences. It just made all the sense in the world that we should be doing this, Mark LeMaire said. It was obvious that this doesn't happen to everyone, and we really wanted to be able to take our experience and use that to help grow the community. Searching for more answers Its unclear what causes a mutation in the EBF3 gene. Strong mutations can just occur in an individual, while milder mutations can run in a family, Chao said. Those stronger mutations will cause more severe symptoms. Some of these genetic changes are really strong. It's like a raging Colorado River, it's hard to miss, she said. And some of the other changes are going to be like turning on alittle faucet its going to cause subtle changes. At the moment there is no treatment for HADDS. But with early identification, a child can begin therapy to improve their balance, speech and other things, Chao said. We know that they do very well with therapy, and the earlier we start therapy, the better they do, Chao said. Chao now leads her own lab at the Duncan NRI, where she and her team continue to study the EBF3 gene. She believes it could provide better understanding of how the brain works, which could help researchers understand how neurodevelopmental disorders occur. She and her colleagues are also hoping to identify more older HADDS patients. They need more data to help them predict how the disease may present in older patients. At the moment, they know young adults may develop psychiatric symptoms like anxiety and ADHD. While the HADDS community is small, Chao thinks it could be much larger. The true prevalence is difficult to gauge, because international data can be difficult to obtain. But she estimates 3,000 babies are born with the condition every year. We know that this is actually pretty prevalent, she said. And what that means is that there are a lot of families that are still depending on us to give answers. The Houston Food Bank is opening the parking lots of Traders Village to families in need of food for a pilot food distribution event, with the goal of giving 1,000 families 50 pounds of food each. The distribution will take place from at Traders Village, 7979 N. Eldridge Parkway, on Aug. 3 from 8-11 a.m. or until supplies run out, states a Houston Food Bank announcement. The event is a drive-thru, but walk-ups are also welcome. Food boxes include nonperishables and fresh produce, with 50 pounds of food given per household. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Luis Mario Rodas described his older brother as a good father, a good brother a good son. Mauricio Rodas-Garcia, was also trying to be a good husband when his wife lost her balance Sunday while the couple was wading in the partially submerged sandbar that extends into Long Island Sound at Calf Pasture Beach. The Norwalk man went to help when his wife had difficulty regaining her balance and he was pulled under water, city officials said. Despite the efforts of heroic bystanders who tried to save Rodas-Garcia from the area that is not monitored by lifeguards, the 60-year-old Colombia native died. He left a lot of good people behind, Luis Mario Rodas said in a phone interview Monday. Its just very unfortunate, the way he died, he added. The area of Calf Pasture Beach where the incident occurred near the sailing school and Coast Guard auxiliary building is not designated as a swimming area or watched by lifeguards, according to city officials. The unfortunate incident where Rodas-Garcia and his wife accidentally fell into the water occurred in an area that is not a designated swim area and where no lifeguards are on duty, city spokesperson Michelle Woods Matthews said Monday. This is typically a quiet, secluded area where beachgoers go to sit and read and is near city signage that notes that there are no lifeguards on duty in this area. Lt. Terry Blake said the tide had begun to go out at the time of the incident, but he was unaware of any other issues such as a riptide. Bystanders pulled Rodas-Garcia from the water and performed CPR until a Norwalk police officer arrived, officials said. The city has an officer assigned to Calf Pasture Beach on a daily basis. The officer who arrived on the scene was at the beach and arrived immediately after being notified as heroic bystanders were bringing the victims to shore, Woods Matthews said. Woods Matthews said the Norwalk police officer took over CPR until medics arrived. Rodas-Garcias wife was conscious when her husband was pulled from the water and was not injured, according to police. Norwalk resident Maryellen Frank was on the beach when the incident occurred and initially thought the couple was swimming and not in distress. It was a busy day at the beach, lots of boats in the channel, people in the water, and toward evening, I saw the woman on the sandbar and she was waving her arms and it looked like the man was standing beside her, Frank said. It was strange, but wasnt clear, and that was the hard part, it took a few minutes for people to realize there was a problem. It didnt look a lot different from people playing around in the water. A Norwalk resident of about 30 years, Frank said she lives near the water and is an avid open-water swimmer and beachgoer. She first noticed something was wrong when she heard Rodas-Garcias wife shout ayude, or help in Spanish. The man looked like he as standing. I could see his head and hat and in the maybe 30 seconds it took to run to the sandbar, he had gone under, Frank said. Two young men from the sailing rental ran out, strong swimmers, trying to find him. Its so frightening because the water looks deceptively calm. You can see the bottom, but if you cant swim, its easy to panic. The swimmers who dove in to locate Rodas-Garcia struggled for several minutes to find him below the surface, but eventually were able to remove him from the water, Frank said. Frank said the police officer assigned to the beach reached the victims quickly and the fire department soon arrived, but it took a little longer for the ambulance to get there. It felt like a long time before the ambulance got there, Frank said. It was so tragic. He had been under for several minutes. People were arriving for the concert at the beach, so there was a lot of onlookers. The ambulance crew worked on him for some time too, doing medical intervention, but it was just so unfortunate. Beachgoers, swimmers and people walking along the shore all gathered to help, including several women comforting Rodas-Garcias wife, Frank said. Everyone on the beach was very galvanized to help. The woman in the water had never gone all the way under. People on the beach brought her towels and comforted her. Someone brought a phone so she could make a call, Frank said. It was a happy Sunday that just turns so dark. Luis Mario Rodas said his brother has five adult children from previous marriages. He said his brother grew up in Colombia before coming to the United States where he worked as a jeweler. He was a great brother, a good son and great person, his brother said. Hell never give you a reason to fight him or be upset with him. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. abigail.brone@ hearstmediact.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who witnessed the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection days after taking office and then cast one of the 10 Republican votes to impeach Donald Trump over it, has lost his reelection bid. Meijer was defeated in a primary Tuesday by Trump-endorsed John Gibbs, a businessman and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Two Republicans in Washington state who incurred Trump's wrath by voting for impeachment also went before voters. Races involving Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse were too early to call by Wednesday morning. Trump vowed revenge against the 10 who crossed party lines on the impeachment vote, and he endorsed party challengers to them in the midterm elections. In other races, Rep. Haley Stevens ousted Rep. Andy Levin in their Democratic primary in Michigan. Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both members of the progressive Squad in Congress, sailed through. In Arizona, a leading figure in the QAnon conspiracy movement fell way short. Some of the top elections: FACING VOTERS AFTER IMPEACHMENT VOTES Gibbs defeated Meijer despite the first-term incumbent having a large fundraising advantage. Gibbs cast Meijer as not a true Republican because of the impeachment vote. He also chastised Meijer for supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June. Meijer, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, had criticized Biden over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his handling of the economy. A Constitutional Republic like ours requires leaders who are willing to take on the big challenges, to find common ground when possible, and to put their love of country before partisan advantage, Meijer said in a statement. Though this was not the outcome we hoped for, I will continue to do everything possible to move the Republican Party, West Michigan, and our country in a positive direction. Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November in the Democratic-leaning 3rd Congressional District. Herrera Beutler and Newhouse had an advantage over Meijer because their primaries are nonpartisan, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will move on to the general election in November. Each incumbent faced multiple Republican candidates. Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011, was in second place in early returns in the 3rd Congressional District, trailing Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez but slightly ahead of fellow Republican Joe Kent. Kent, a former Green Beret whose wife was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, was endorsed by Trump. He heavily promoted the former presidents lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a Zoom call with reporters after early returns posted, Herrera Beutler said she was cautiously optimistic about the results that indicate she could advance. If I get through this, Im not going to change, Im not going to be a different person, she said. No one will work harder for this district than I will. Newhouse had a narrow lead over Democrat Doug White in the 4th Congressional District, which Newhouse has represented since 2015. Republican Loren Culp, a former small-town police chief endorsed by Trump, was in third place in early returns. Of the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment, four opted not to run for reelection. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina lost to a Trump-endorsed challenger in June and Rep. David Valadao of California survived a primary challenge. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is bracing for defeat in her Aug. 16 primary against a Trump-backed rival. ___ CANDIDATE LINKED TO QANON Ron Watkins, one of the most prominent figures in the QAnon conspiracy movement, will not be heading to Congress this year. Watkins was last in early returns in his Republican primary for Arizona's sprawling 2nd Congressional District. He served as the longtime administrator of online message boards that helped seed the conspiracy movement whose adherents believe a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. Watkins no longer runs the message boards and has denied fueling the QAnon movement. He said he was running for Congress because he hopes to fix the machine from the inside. He was considered a long shot in the crowded GOP field, having been outpaced in campaign fundraising by the other candidates. State Rep. Walter Blackman and Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL who owns a bottle opener business and was endorsed by Trump, were at the top of the field. The winner will take on Democratic Rep. Tom OHalleran in November in a district that favors Republicans. ___ FROM COLLEAGUES TO COMPETITORS Stevens' victory over Levin came in a newly drawn 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit that favors Democrats, which means Stevens will likely win the seat in November. Stevens got a financial boost from the United Democracy Project, a super PAC launched by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly called AIPAC. Levin, a progressive member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been highly critical of Israels record on human rights. The congresswoman flipped a district in 2018 that was long held by Republicans. Before running for office, she led the auto bailout under President Barack Obama. ___ CHALLENGING THE SQUAD Tlaib defeated three Democratic challengers in her quest for a third term. Because of redistricting, she is running in the newly drawn Detroit-area 12th Congressional District that favors Democrats and is expected to prevail in November. Tlaibs main competition came from longtime Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who had strong name recognition in the city. Bush's win in the 1st Congressional District was against state Sen. Steve Roberts, who hedged his campaign on the idea that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, was too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis. Bush promoted her accomplishments, including persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. ___ 10 YEARS AFTER TUCSON SHOOTING, INTERN SEEKS GIFFORDS' SEAT Daniel Hernandez Jr., the intern credited with saving then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' life after an attempted assassination in 2011, lost in the Democrat primary for her former seat. Hernandez was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords when he went to her Congress on your corner constituent event. A gunman there opened fire, killing six and injuring 13. Hernandez kept the Democratic congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived. ___ Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. ___ SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexicos state forester on Monday lifted fire restrictions that had been imposed in the spring due to extreme wildfire danger, saying summer rains were bringing relief. Still, State Forester Laura McCarthy warned that some parts of New Mexico remain dry and that people should be cautious with any use of fire and fireworks. "New Mexicans are living through historic climate change that is becoming our new normal, she said in a statement. The state restrictions prohibiting campfires, smoking and other opening burning were put in place in late April as hot, dry and windy conditions fueled multiple large fires. That included two planned burns by federal land managers that became the largest wildfire in New Mexicos recorded history. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate and hundreds of homes in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range were destroyed as a result of the massive blaze. Now, surrounding communities are dealing with deadly flooding as storm runoff flows from barren mountainsides within the burn scar. Three people died last week when they were swept away by fast-moving floodwaters northwest of the community of Las Vegas. Residents say they are getting pounded daily by storms. Ive never seen so much water in my life up here, and theres nothing to hold the water back. Theres nothing, Isidro Archuleta, 58, told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The Federal Emergency Management Agency last week granted the governor's request to include flooding impacts in New Mexicos disaster declaration for counties affected by wildfires. Forest officials said Monday that areas across the fire still were experiencing dangerous conditions, such as flooding and debris flows and that as weather allows, crews will continue repairing culverts, mending fences and doing other work to control erosion. Twitter is probing to investigate numerous people that it is associated with that influenced Elon Musk's decision to acquire the social media company. The social media company searches for legal documents regarding the ongoing legal battle between the company and Musk. Twitter was the first one to sue Elon Musk for backing out of its $44 billion acquisition deal, and Musk recently counter-sued the platform. This legal battle has been rapidly developing in Delaware Chancery Court. The most recent turn of events in this matter is a plethora of document requests that were sent out throughout the course of the weekend and carried over into Monday. Twitter's Issued Subpoena In addition to Elon Musk, who is supposedly responsible for the decision to buy the social media firm, Twitter is looking into a number of people. Twitter's legal team issued a subpoena on Monday to the suspected Silicon Valley elite that had involvement in the acquisition deal. These are: Keith Rabois, Marc Andreessen, Steve Jurvetson, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Sacks are among the others who received the legal request. According to The Washington Post, "Some of the individuals have not been identified in the past as having any kind of role in the transaction, which suggests the scope of Twitter's quest for facts to bolster its legal attempt to force Musk to follow through with his agreement to buy the firm." The legal team at Twitter is responsible for issuing the subpoena. Twitter served subpoenas throughout the course of the weekend to a number of financial institutions that were involved in the transaction. These financial institutions include Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. The Washington Post also acquired some of the contents of the subpoena involving multiple requests for communications related to the acquisition's financing. These requests include checklists, organizational calls, presentations, notes, meetings,timelines, decks, and recordings. Aside from Musk's associates and the financial institutions, Joe Lonsdale, an associate of Musk, also received one. Lonsdale went to Twitter and stated that he had nothing to do with the acquisition deal. Lonesdale said, "I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments, but got a "YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED" document notice." lol, lawyers w/ TWTR are sending subpoenas to friends in the ecosystem around @elonmusk and @pmarca and @DavidSacks et al, a giant harassing fishing expedition. I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments, but got a "YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED" document notice. Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) August 1, 2022 Elon Musk's Subordinates Twitter would not further comment on the matter. Requests for comment that were made to Palihapitiya, Sacks, Calacanis, Jurvetson, and Rabois were not immediately met with a response. Prior to this, it was known that Jason Calacanis and Marc Andreesen were involved in various stages of the funding for the acquisition. Furthermore, it is well known that Musk counts Calacanis and Sacks among his acquaintances. When both Sacks and Musk were running PayPal, billionaire Peter Thiel, who is a friend of both Sacks and Musk, worked alongside them. Thiel's close friend, Rabois, also worked as an executive for PayPal. Additionally, Jurvetson has also been Musk's friend for a very long time. He currently serves on the board of Musk's company SpaceX and previously sat on the board of Tesla. Read Also: Tesla is Partnering with Two China Suppliers to Secure Battery Materials; GM, Ford Follow Twitter Acquisition Deal Twitter's acquisition all started in April when Musk swayed the company's board to allow him to purchase the remaining shares of the company. The board then agreed. However, in a sudden turn of events, after a few weeks, Musk seemed to be backing off from the acquisition deal. Musk did not comment on why he pulled out of the deal, but publicly, it looks like it might be because of the issues surrounding the bot and spam accounts. According to iTechPost's previous report, Twitter decided to sue Musk for the chaos he caused to the company and wants to keep him accountable, hence the lawsuit filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Related Article: Twitter Has Spent $33 Million in Q2 With Elon Musk's Halted Acquisition AURORA, Colo. (AP) Tony Ramaeker averages around 14,000 steps a day as he walks around the Nebraska high school where he is assigned to work as a sheriffs deputy, greeting students arriving in the morning, wandering the hallways to talk to them and watching out for those who might be eating alone in the cafeteria. The former Marine and longtime youth pastor keeps his office in suburban Omaha stocked with treats such as Little Debbie snacks and Pop-Tarts because eating helps kids in crisis calm down and talk. But in the back of his mind, a thought always looms: What would he do if a gunman attacked the school? The latest reminder of that danger came in May when 19 children and two teachers were killed in a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas. The fear that the next shooting could happen in their hallways hangs over school resource officers across the United States, exacerbating an already difficult job: They're called on to be battle-ready officers whom parents and students can trust to protect them while not making students feel uncomfortable or targeted. Reminders of the threat of school shootings were omnipresent at a recent National Association of School Resource Officers conference in Colorado where hundreds of officers gathered for training. An exhibit hall featured booths with businesses selling ideas to stop the next school shooter, like door locks, and simulation machines to mimic shootings. One business showed off foldable semi-automatic rifles it said one school resource officer takes in a Hello Kitty backpack to his school in Alabama. Mom and Dad dont want to see this weapon in their school, but its got to be there, said Dan Pose, CEO of Gulf Coast Tactical, which sells the rifles. Officers also sat in on sessions to learn about what went right and wrong at past school shootings. In one of those, they heard about the failure by a school safety monitor to send out an alert when he initially spotted the Parkland school shooter walking onto the campus. The armed school resource officer accused of hiding during the shooting was later charged with being criminally negligent. In another, they got a briefing on a 2019 school shooting in Colorado, in which a private security guard who was secretly armed accidentally wounded two students. A Colorado county sheriff also pointed to a more subtle failure in the response to that fatal 2019 shooting: Officers unnecessarily traumatized evacuated elementary students by having them line up with their hands on their heads even though authorities knew the gunmen involved were either teens or adults. That right there will last a lifetime, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said, pointing to the photo of the children, one of whom has her hands folded in prayer instead. Later, he explained that he wanted to encourage school resource officers to use their discretion and find ways to minimize trauma to children. Officer Roy Mitchell Jr. said he tries not to let preparing for a shooting rule his thoughts, but he watches out at entrances and windows for anyone unfamiliar headed into the suburban Baltimore high school where he works. He also considers where he would he would try to move students to should there be an attack. I try to always have some type of a game plan in my head, he said. Ramaeker said he believes he wouldnt hesitate to do whatever he could to protect his students and staff. He has even thought through how he would use the handgun he has holstered to his hip if he didnt have time get a rifle he has kept secured in the building since the 2018 Parkland school shooting. They and other officers in Colorado for the conference stressed that building relationships and getting to know what's going on in the lives of students is vital for all aspects of the job whether they're acting as confidants or cops. Some offer to help make waffles and pancakes in cooking class or fill-in to serve lunch when cafeteria workers are out sick. Others squeeze into desks in the back row to observe what students are learning. Theyre encouraged to teach a class, on topics such as citizens civil rights and the legal process. They keep an eye out for who drives what cars, who is dating whom and who might be eating lunch in the bathroom because they have no friends. Its an intense version of community policing that they hope will make them positive role models while also helping them learn about any kinds of threats that emerge in their schools. Lt. Sandra F. Calloway-Crim, who has been a school resource officer in Valley, Alabama, for 18 years, said she got a call late one night after patrol officers found a 13-year-old student at one of her schools wandering outside alone in his pajamas. She knew the boys father would be working the night shift but that his mother would be at home, and directed the officers to take the boy there. Still, some activists say police don't belong in a school at all. Some districts got rid of police officers in schools during the protests over racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 amid criticism that they have disproportionately arrested Black students, sweeping them into the criminal justice system. Officers from Fremont, California, were removed from schools but brought back a year later after negotiating terms of a new agreement with officials. They spoke at the recent conference, encouraging supervisors to keep track of all the positive interactions they have with students to help balance the reports about investigations and arrests that police normally only document. Don Bridges, who started a school resource officer program in suburban Baltimore in 1989, bristles at the school to prison pipeline criticism. Bridges, who is Black, saw the program as a way to build relationships between students and law enforcement after seeing too many people who looked like him getting arrested when he worked in patrol. He said having police in schools does not lead to Black students being targeted when officers are properly trained. Detective Beth Sanborn drops what she is doing at home and heads into work whenever her phone explodes with messages from students at the campus where she works in suburban Philadelphia about a social media post seen as threatening. She feels guilty sometimes for putting the needs of her school kids ahead of her own children. Emotional crises, fights and the fallout from failed relationships tend to be more at the front of her mind than the possibility of a shooting but she said building relationships with her students is the key to preventing all kinds of problems. "While it always has the potential to be there, what we hope is that by stressing that sense of community, that we can avert any kind of violence, she said. After Parkland's school resource officer failed to intervene when a student opened fire in 2018, students at a high school in Cullman, Alabama, asked Officer Seth Sullivan if he would promise to protect them. Youre damn skippy Im going to be in there. Those are my kids," Sullivan said. ___ Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report. ___ This version corrects the style on the guns referenced in the story's sixth paragraph, semi-automatic rifles, not assault rifles. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images Two Houston-area men are facing federal charges after being accused of defrauding companies of $39 million at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by promising much-needed medical gloves the duo never had, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Caleb McCreless, 32, of Richmond allegedly told the companies he had a stockpile of in-demand nitrile gloves, with one business paying him more than $13 million for them. That cache, the U.S. Attorney's office said, never existed, and 39-year-old Christopher McGinnis of Spring allegedly served as a logistics operator and stalled deliveries when the businesses grew worried about their orders. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When prosecutors told a Harris County judge that they believed Frederick Jeffery was innocent last month, he became the fifth defendant convicted on the testimony of a now-disgraced former Houston police officer to have his case marked for reversal. Jeffery, 40, was among hundreds of defendants Gerald Goines arrested over his career. The former narcotics officer came under suspicion in early 2019, after a fatal drug raid that led to the deaths of two people and sparked an investigation into Goines and his alleged misconduct. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer More than 3 1/2 years after the Harding Street raid, the case against Goines has yet to go to trial but thereve been a lot of developments along the way. Heres what you need to know to get up to speed on where things stand: THE RAID In January 2019, a squad of Houston police narcotics officers raided a home in south Houston. At the time, they said it was a heroin den. The raid immediately devolved into a firefight; officers said theyd entered the house and shot an aggressive pit bull, only to have a woman, Rhogena Nicholas, reach for one officers gun. They shot her; then, they said, her husband emerged from the back of the house and started shooting at them. HPD/File photo By the time the gunfire subsided, both Nicholas and Tuttle were dead and four officers were wounded by gunfire. Former Chief Art Acevedo initially portrayed his officers as a band of heroes who'd come under attack by dangerous criminals, and praised the lead agent. But THE INVESTIGATION Just weeks after the shooting, search warrants accidentally posted on the District Clerks website showed police were investigating Goines for potentially lying about ever having bought drugs from the house. And a defendant in another case accused Goines of framing him, and his brother. The scandal was immediate, and deafening. Police launched an internal probe into their narcotics operation -- the first serious audit of the division in 20 years. After completing the audit, the department spent months refusing to release the document publicly. Internal investigators found widespread sloppiness, poor supervision and a host of other problems. The audit confirmed a Chronicle investigation that found wider problems within HPDs narcotics operations, including other errant drug raids, lackluster productivity by street narcotics teams, and poor supervision and oversight of the department's drug squads. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Karen Warren/Staff photographer State Rep. Gene Wu and other lawmakers speak to the media to address the HPD Narcotics Division audit, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Houston, in front of the home where Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle, were killed on Harding Street. (Karen Warren/Staff Photographer) State Rep. Gene Wu and other lawmakers speak to the media to address the HPD Narcotics Division audit, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Houston, in front of the home where Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle, were killed on Harding Street. (Karen Warren/Staff Photographer) Prosecutors opened an investigation into Goines' work, dismissing dozens of pending court cases and reviewing hundreds of past convictions won on his testimony or casework. Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle Goines retired, along with his two former partners, and several supervisors within the narcotics division. Two brothers, Otis and Steven Mallet, were the first people to have their convictions overturned. Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Otis Mallet, left, and his attorney Troy Locklear enter the 338th District Court Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, in Houston. / Steven Mallet leaves from court Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 in Houston after being declared 'actually innocent' of drug charges for which he was convicted on the casework of Gerald Goines. (Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer) Otis Mallet, left, and his attorney Troy Locklear enter the 338th District Court Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, in Houston. / Steven Mallet leaves from court Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 in Houston after being declared 'actually innocent' of drug charges for which he was convicted on the casework of Gerald Goines. (Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer) THE CRIMINAL CASES As prosecutors reviewed Goines past convictions, others pursued a criminal investigation against the former officer and his comrades. In August 2019, local prosecutors announced the first of a series of indictments against Goines, two of his former partners, and eventually, eight other current and former police officers. Goines got hit with a felony murder charge and tampering charges. Later, another officer, Felipe Gallegos, would get hit with a murder charge as well. The other officers were charged with so-called paperwork crimes such as illegally padding their overtime or lying or tampering with government records. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Federal prosecutors also got into the act, announcing Goines had been charged with violating Tuttle and Nicholas civil rights. They also charged a woman whod called 911 and lied about drugs being in the couples home. That woman, Patricia Ann Garcia, was ultimately sentenced to 40 months in prison. Ken Ellis / Staff THE LAWSUITS Tuttle and Nicholas relatives eventually sued over their deaths. Houston city attorneys managed to delay the case for years. Nicholas brother, John Nicholas, pursued the lawsuit against the city until his death in September, 2021 almost two years after his sisters death. Jon Shapley, Staff photographer / Staff photographer Attorney Mike Doyle commissioned an independent review of the crime scene, finding significant amounts of evidence that crime lab technicians failed to collect when they canvassed the area. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Doyle's expert, a retired supervisory special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, concluded that officers fired some shots through the homes exterior wall meaning they were unable to see anyone inside including the round that killed Nicholas. Steve Gonzales/Staff photographer Otis Mallet, the defendant who first accused Goines of framing him, also filed a lawsuit against the former officer. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS In the months since, the number of Goines defendants whose convictions have been overturned or are slated to be overturned has grown to five. Prosecutors have also identified a sixth they say needs to be re-examined. At least four other people have appealed convictions or said they were wrongfully arrested. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer District Attorney Kim Ogg says prosecutors have made a legal decision that anyone who Goines arrested dating back to 2012 is presumed to have potentially been the victim of deceitful testimony or casework. That window may soon extend much farther back. Another Goines defendant, arrested in 1991, has also raised issues about his case. PROSECUTORS SLAMMED As the criminal cases against the police officers have moved forward in state court, defense attorneys for the accused officers have denounced the behavior of District Attorney Kim Oggs prosecutors, who they say have withheld evidence and violated rules of discovery. Several judges have agreed with defense attorneys, batting down requests from prosecutors to not turn over notes and other investigative casework. After prosecutors charged Gallegos, defense attorney Rusty Hardin held a news conference lambasting Ogg for bringing the case against the narcotics officer, and said prosecutors had denied the man a chance to speak before the grand jury hearing the case. Ogg later abruptly dismissed Gallegos charge a month before the case was set to go to trial. She cited unrelated misconduct by the prosecutor who had been overseeing the case. In a highly unusual move, the prosecutor testified in open court that he believed Ogg used his firing as political cover to dismiss the case against Gallegos. The dismissal was part of a pattern, critics said, of Ogg announcing high-profile indictments but then failing to follow through in court. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Oggs prosecutors have not tried to re-present the case to another grand jury. Ogg also dismissed the charge against former Lt. Robert Gonzales, a supervisor whod overseen Goines unit. Hed been charged with one count of misapplication of fiduciary responsibility, a complicated charge essentially accusing him of failing to supervise the units finances closely enough. WAITING FOR TRIAL Now, Goines trial in state court is set for mid-September though it could easily be delayed, again. In federal court, prosecutors have still not said when they plan to try the case. A status conference, which would hash some of those issues out, is set for mid-September as well. Another retired narc, Steven Bryant, pleaded guilty to the federal charges against him and turned states witness against his former partner. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer He has yet to be sentenced. The parents of two young students are suing Clear Creek ISD after they say the school neglected their kids and treated them differently because of race. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Chanda and Tatiawana Jackson allege that North Pointe Elementary School in Clear Lake City repeatedly swept incidents under the rug rather than deal with "apparent" racial discrimination of their children. "The school turned a blind eye to harassment and physical attacks of these children to the point that their inaction is a violation of the law," the lawsuit states. "Moreover, the schools failure created a hostile environment." The lawsuit outlines a series of incidents alleging the children, the school's only two Black kids at the time, were repeatedly attacked and bullied by others students, with school officials ignoring the abuse. One student, identified as John Doe in the lawsuit to protect the minor's identity, was allegedly tripped, punched in the eye and choked by other students. The lawsuit alleges the school "inexplicably" did not tell John's parents about the continued physical abuse. ANOTHER LAWSUIT: Former FedEx worker sues company over allegedly allowing religious discrimination, harassment The other student, identified as Jane Doe, was allegedly slapped so hard that she could not hear out of her ear. On a separate occasion, a student bit her on the hand causing a wound that required stitches, according to the lawsuit. In another incident, Jane looked to a teacher for help after a "bully" stepped on her fingers and elbowed her arms. Instead of handling the problem, the teacher complained about Jane's behavior in progress reports, according to the suit. Once again, the school allegedly failed to notify the parents of the abuse, the lawsuit states. In addition to physical abuse suffered, the lawsuit alleges that teachers targeted the two kids by isolating them and punishing them. John Doe was allegedly punished for going to the bathroom and forbidden from going during the day. "He had to 'hold it' and often ended up wetting his pants during and after school" while other white students could go as needed, according to the lawsuit. On HoustonChronicle.com: Why are 1,000 Rubiks cubes coming to four Clear Creek ISD schools? A teacher allegedly removed Jane Doe from the lunch table and made her eat alone, and the school failed to provide a "reasonable explanation" why she was isolated. A representative for Clear Creek ISD said the district had not been served with the lawsuit, as of Monday afternoon. "However, we believe each child, regardless of race or gender, deserves to learn in a physically safe and nurturing environment," spokesperson Elaina Polsen wrote via email. "In the event there is an allegation of mistreatment by a CCISD educator, it is investigated, and appropriate discipline is taken if allegations are found to be true," This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Everyone from lunchroom staff to administrators from 31 southwest Houston preschools gathered Monday to learn about how to prepare themselves and the children for an active shooter. About 500 staff from the nonprofit BakerRipley gathered in a cavernous conference room at the NRG Center to learn a protocol for responding to active shooters in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre. Teachers had spent much of the day on training, including how to confront an armed attacker, before returning to their classrooms later this month. FIGHTING THE CLOCK: After messy handling of Uvalde shooting, experts say even the fastest response can't outrun bullets The nonprofit has been preparing age appropriate language and visual aids for its charges, who range in age from 6 weeks to five years, said Cimberli Darrough, BakerRipleys senior director of Head Start programs. If you hear pop pop, hide, said Darrough, explaining how the preschoolers will be taught active shooter protocols. When we say it is time to hide, you need to hide. You need to stay still. We are turning the lights out, barricading the door. Sounding practical rather than alarmist, Alvin ISD Sgt. Jermaine Jackson, instructed the preschool workers on avoidance and defense tactics he said would help them react quickly during a school shooting. Run, hide, fight, he repeated, citing the basic tenets of active shooter protocols promoted by the FBI. You want to be a moving target instead of a stationary target. Educators said the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde has cast a shadow over their preparations for the upcoming school year. At BakerRipley preschools, the new teacher and student trainings come amid criticisms of law enforcements response to the attack and questions about whether leaders at the school failed to adequately defend against the tragedy that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Can we feel secure as educators that law enforcement is going to protect us? asked Adriana Cano, the director of a Head Start program for low-income children in Mission Bend. REPORT TAKEAWAYS: 5 important new details from the Uvalde massacre investigation released by a Texas House committee Jackson assured the response would not be similar to Uvalde. When we hear gunshots, we go in, he said, eliciting cheers. Robb Elementary Principal Mandy Gutierrez has defended her schools efforts against a Texas House committees finding that she and others failed to address security lapses at the Uvalde school making it easier for the gunman to enter the school and slaughter 19 students and two teachers on May 24. The new trainings also come amid calls some Texas Republicans to arm teachers. While none of the hundreds of teachers at BakerRipley preschools are armed while inside their classrooms, the program takes safety seriously, Darrough said. Mondays active shooter training was about making sure teachers are aware, prepared and have the resources in case someone threatens the life of any of our children, she said. We are doing everything in our power to ensure they are returned home safely. Ruth Raudales, whose 4-year-old son attends Klein Head Start and who serves as president of its parent policy council, said knowing her sons teachers are trained gives her some peace of mind ahead of the new school year. Its something we dont want to think about happening at our kids schools, but I feel better knowing the school will know what to do if something happens, Raudales said. UVALDE RESPONSE: 'Room full of victims': Body-cam videos of Uvalde school shooting show disastrous police response Preschool teacher Chasity Hahn would prefer more frequent active shooter training to prevent teachers from getting "relaxed" during the school year. Hahn, with more than a decade of teaching experience under her belt, said Monday's session reminded her to be more vigilant for the sound of gunfire, even if it results in a false alarm. She applauded the "informative" training. "When I started teaching, we never worried," Hahn said. "Intruders -- that is something totally new." Darrough, the Head Start director, agreed. Being ready to face an active shooter in a preschool is a scenario staff just have to be ready for, she said. "Times have changed," she said, "and this is the era we are living in." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Taiwanese Americans in Houston reacted with a mix of emotions to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan Tuesday despite threats from Beijing of serious consequences. She is the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China in 25 years. Pelosis visit has triggered increased tension between China and the United States. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. EXPLAINER: Why is a Pelosi visit to Taiwan causing tension? Some in the Houston region felt the visit signified a strong show of support to the self-governed island, while others questioned whether the move would needlessly provoke China amid worsening tensions with the United States. No one was particularly surprised by the dispute, however. Im a little bit worried, but not really scared, said Chien-Ping Chen, 53, of Richmond. The Taiwanese have shouldered this threat for 40 years, so it becomes like white noise, he said. Pelosi embarked on a tour of Asia on Monday with a trip to Singapore, joined by a small congressional delegation. While her official itinerary lists Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan as its destinations, multiple outlets reported before her visit that Pelosi would also spend Tuesday night in Taiwan. Chinese officials have responded to the rumors she was heading to Taiwan with threats and indignation, and reportedly view the trip as a sign that the U.S. would support a move for full independence, in violation of current U.S. policy. Liu Xiaoming, a Chinese diplomat, tweeted Monday that the visit would greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-US relations and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences. The White House on Monday distanced itself from the trip and said it will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling, arguing that other members of Congress regularly visit the island and that Pelosi is free to act as she pleases. On HoustonChronicle.com: Chinatowns Starry Nites night market is so Taiwan and so Houston In Houston, where tens of thousands of Taiwanese Americans are thought to live in the metro area, some echoed the sentiment and questioned why the U.S. should let another country dictate where its elected officials may or may not travel. From the perspective of an American citizen, I dont see how any country can just tell the Speaker of the House where they can visit. They dont have the right to do so, Chen said. Others agreed, but questioned how much Taiwan really had to gain from a visit by Pelosi, given the risks involved, and wondered whether it might be more self-serving than in Taiwans interest. Anybody who wants to visit Taiwan is 100 percent welcome but it wont affect Taiwan too much, and it will just make U.S. relations with China worse. We didnt actually invite her to come, said Jemmy Lo, 66, a former radio personality on Houstons KCHN 1050 AM, an Asian radio station. Lo was not personally worried about military attacks on Taiwan, but thought China could attempt to punish Taiwan economically if Pelosi followed through with her trip. On Tuesday, his prediction came true, as China reportedly barred exports from over 100 Taiwanese food companies. More from Sam Gonzalez Kelly: Asia Society Texas' $10.7M interactive exhibition aims to improve education about Asian culture We are caught in the middle, Lo said in an interview Monday. Regardless of the risks, some believe that Pelosis visit is an important show of solidarity with the Taiwanese people as China ratchets up its diplomatic and military aggression against the island. While the U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a country of its own, it is also legally obligated to help Taiwan defend itself if China were to move against it. For Pelosi to visit, it shows she wants peace and that democracy is the number one form of government. For her to support us, we truly appreciate it, said Elaine Tao, president of the Taiwanese Association of Americas Houston branch. The Associated Press contributed to this report. sam.kelly@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Stephanie Malmstrom of Baytown received a phone call Monday from a Borger, Texas, animal control officer saying he had found her dog, stolen four years ago, she was in disbelief. "My initial thought was, "OK. Yeah right. Let me guess, I won a cruise and a million dollars also'," she posted on her Facebook page. DANGEROUS HEAT: Houston's heat has killed 5 dogs in 1 week. Cruelty teams walk a fine line to help before time's up. The officer found Malmstrom's dog 6-year-old German Shepherd Sheba in an alleyway early Monday morning while on a routine patrol, according to Borger's Public Engagement Coordinator Diedra Thomas. "When he saw her in an alley, he got out and loaded her up," Thomas said, adding the dog was very friendly. "She was just out there wandering around." Once the officer was back at the city's animal shelter, he checked to see if the dog had a microchip and found the dog's owners had reported her stolen in 2018 in the midst of a number of dog snatching incidents in Baytown, authorities said. The officer then contacted Malmstrom, who confirmed the dog was hers. Sheba had initially gone missing Jan. 6, 2018, after a suspect in a white Ford truck took the dog from Malmstrom's home, according to a lost dog flyer from the Chambers County Sheriff's Office. The family, local animal advocates and Chambers County Crime Stoppers initially gathered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the Sheba's safe return. It is unclear how the dog made it to Borger, which is over 600 miles from Baytown, Thomas said. A GOOD BOY: Dog's barking helps search party find missing Katy woman in far west Houston, authorities say "It makes you wonder, who knows if the person who stole her dumped her here? There's really no way to tell because of the distance between there and here." More on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston districts trying to fill thousands of teacher vacancies just 2 weeks before school starts Malstrom hopes Sheba, who was two years old at the time of the theft, will recognize the family. "Shes aged a bit but were hopeful she will remember all of us and coming running into our arms." City officials are working with Pilots N Paws, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transporting rescued animals, to reunite the dog with Malmstrom and her family in the coming days, according to Thomas. DOG RESCUE: Houston neighbors came together to save a dog from Willow Waterhole Bayou and it wasn't the first time "They are basically going to fly the animal back to its owner. I don't know if it will be today or tomorrow but it will be shortly." Malmstrom hopes her family's story encourages other pet owners to microchip their pets. "We had flagged her chip as stolen immediately after she was taken and the officer assured me the dog would not be released to anyone other than our family or organizations working toward getting her home," she said. "If you take anything from this story please microchip your animals." Joel.Umanzor@chron.com When he heard of Houstons gun buyback event Saturday, one Spring Branch man figured he could make some money. He drove down to Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Third Ward with his guns in his trunk and, like hundreds of others, spent hours in a 2-mile line that stretched down Scott Street. An old pistol he was gifted and no longer had use for was taken when it was his turn to relinquish it, but his two privately assembled and untraceable handguns commonly known as ghost guns were turned away. (Staff) just said they didnt want any more of these ghost guns, said Chris Kelm, who manufactured two 3D-printed handguns at a cost of $5 each with the purpose of making a profit at the event. Theyre fully functional firearms with firing pins and everything else. The ghost guns, often cheap to make and accessible, became a contentious point for Mayor Sylvester Turner and One Safe Houston, his $53 million public safety initiative, after some were exchanged for gift cards. At the next such event, likely held in the next couple of months near Alief, ghost guns wont be accepted. Annie Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Contributor It was not designed for people to manufacture those guns and come get a Visa gift card, he said. GUN BUYBACK: Massive turnout for gun buyback event surprises city officials The Biden administration and Department of Justice, in recent months, have worked to curb access to gun kits used to make them. About 20,000 of these weapons were recovered by law enforcement officials in 2021, administration officials said in April. In 2016, that number was 10 times less. Earlier this year, a Houston-area gun manufacturer sued the Department of Justice and ATF over the federal regulations, arguing the policy will put them out of business and violates the Second Amendment. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area company sues Biden admin. over federal ghost gun policy Buying unwanted guns was the point of the citys heavily publicized event, which public officials lauded as a success after more than 840 firearms were turned in for nearly $100,000 in gift cards, but some missed the mark by making their own firearms and turning them in for profit, Turner said. Youll always have people who will find a way to profit off of anything, the mayor said. There is no fool-proof method, but you do learn. Annie Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Contributor There was no mention of ghost guns in the planning of the event, Turner added, and initially, some were exchanged Saturday because they werent explicitly prohibited beforehand. Houston Police Department, which helped organize the event and collect firearms, did not have an estimate on how many ghost guns were collected at the buyback event. Kelm, who said he waited in line for six hours at Saturdays buyback event, wishes public officials had been more clear about what guns would and would not be accepted. HOUSTON PROGRAM: Gun buybacks make little impact, crime experts say, but Houston officials say any change is worth it It was a little disappointing, he said. There should have been something in the paperwork saying no 3D-printed guns because these are handguns. They fit the definition completely. Despite some people being turned away, Turner said the program showcases the demand for gun buyback events around the city. With $1 million from One Safe Houston dedicated to buybacks, the mayor said the city is looking to hold other events in areas such as Greater East End. If nothing else, the program emphasizes the fact that there are way, way, way too many guns in the city of Houston, he said. jhair.romero@chron.com AUSTIN, TEXAS - Alex Jones is expected to take the stand in his own defense today after the parents of Jesse Lewis testify about the impact he has had on their lives following the death of their son at Sandy Hook. But their older son, J.T. Lewis, will not be testifying as originally planned, attorneys for his parents said. LAWYER: Sandy Hook parents isolate with security due to safety concerns during Texas Alex Jones trial Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis won their defamation lawsuit against Jones who promoted the Sandy Hook shootings that killed their 6-year-old son Jesse as a hoax staged with crisis actors. The trial is focusing on how much the jury will award the parents, who are claiming Jones lies are causing fear, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, on top of the grief that comes with losing a child. They are asking for $150 million $1 in compensation and $1 in punishment for the estimated 75 million Americans who experts claim dont believe or doubt the shooting occurred. Heslin and Lewis will be the final witnesses testifying before the case is turned over to the defense, their attorney told the court Monday. Attorney Andino Reynal, representing Jones, initially didnt know what to tell the judge; If I call any witnesses at all, it would be him, Reynal said. But when pressed a second time for an answer, the attorney said he had to make a phone call and left the courtroom. A few minutes later, Reynal returned and said Jones would be testifying. MORE: Infowars star at Alex Jones trial admits he failed to verify story that defamed Sandy Hook dad Personally, I'm glad Alex Jones isn't going to run from this trial Were going to show the jury who the real Alex Jones is tomorrow, attorney Michael Bankston, who represents Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, said on Monday. Jones faces a similar but separate trial in Connecticut that begins with jury selection on Tuesday. The Connecticut trial, which will decide how much money Jones will pay an FBI agent and eight Sandy Hook families he defamed, was nearly complicated by a legal maneuver late last week by Jones in which he sued his own parent company and that parent company filed for bankruptcy. But a Connecticut judge has said counsel should show up as scheduled on Tuesday morning, despite the bankruptcy filing. At the same time, Jones announced on his Infowars platform in Texas, Obviously, Ill testify on my side next week, referring to the Austin trial. Jones called the shooting of 26 first graders and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors. As a result, the parents argue, 75 million Americans doubt or disbelieve the shooting happened on Dec. 14, 2012. The parents contend that since Jones promoted the shootings as a hoax they have been confronted by Sandy Hook deniers and fear for their safety including while they are in Austin for the trial. Staff writer Rob Ryser contributed to this story. After the plane took off with too much fuel, passengers had to spend two hours flying at low altitude before landing back at the airport. Vueling Flight VY6227 Had Excessive Fuel At 9.32 p.m., Vueling aircraft VY6227 departed from the Sussex airport with a projected arrival time in the Italian city of just before 1 a.m. local time. Instead, two hours after takeoff, the Airbus A320, which had about 170 passengers on board, landed at Gatwick once again, according to a news story of The Independent. For an hour and 51 minutes, the plane circled England's south coast. According to Business Insider, citing flight-tracking site FlightRadar24's data, the plane's height while circling went from 5,900 feet to 8,000 feet. Passengers that were there tweeted about the incident. Twitter user Francesco Ricci claimed that the aircraft needed to return to Gatwick so that extra fuel could be unloaded. VY6227 Flight Update: After 5 minutes from the take off the pilot found out there was too much fuel on the planee so it couldn't high (because of the weight) now they are back in Gatwick and removing the unnecessary fuel. Francesco Ricci (@Frances72965262) July 31, 2022 A Twitter account called Flight Emergency said that the plane had returned to the airport after burning fuel for more than an hour just off the south coast "due to having too much fuel onboard." Vueling flight VY6227 has now been burning fuel just off the south coast for over an hour after climbing out of Gatwick and will be returning Flight Emergency (@FlightEmergency) July 31, 2022 According to The Independent, it is unclear what plans were put in place for passengers to continue their flights. However, they appear to be entitled to a $220 per person reimbursement for the delay. FlightRadar24 data, on the other hand, showed that the plane arrived in Barcelona on schedule after departing from London for a different flight the following day. Read More: Boom Supersonic Reveals New Design for Overture, an Airliner That Can Fly From New York to London in 3.5 Hours Why Can't an Airplane Have Too Much Fuel? A separate Business Insider report said that planes are intended to land at lower weights. A heavier plane has a higher chance of making a rough landing and suffering damage. Most flights don't take off or land with a full tank, but they may not take off with a full tank either. The flight planner determines how much fuel is required for the entire flight before launch. In order for the plane to safely land, enough fuel must be burnt off during the duration of the flight, and the weight of the aircraft must decrease. What Can a Pilot Do in Case the Plane Has Excessive Fuel? This entails deliberately creating drag and flying in circles to burn up the extra fuel if the pilot has a little more time or doesn't have the ability to dump fuel like in many smaller craft, as noted by Business Insider. The pilot doesn't really have time to fly around and burn fuel unless there is a medical emergency on board or someone is dying. Therefore, in that scenario, the pilot would dump fuel to swiftly drop weight. To put it simply, a plane losing weight before it lands is called fuel dumping. However, the pilot can't do this as he pleases as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a handful of regulations in place for fuel dumping. Related Article: EasyJet Flight to Spain is Intercepted by Fighter Jet After Teenage Passenger Posts Fake Bomb Threat In Washington things are rarely what they seem. Its why Congress labels bills with names they think will be more palatable to the public rather than a name that would accurately reflect the content of the legislation. Notice how many times over the years the word civil rights has appeared in legislation that often has had little or nothing to do with civil rights. Now Democrats have junked the original title of President Bidens Build Back Better massive spending plan and rebranded it The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Clearly this was in reaction to poll numbers showing the public blames the president and Democrats for the rise in food and gas prices, increased mortgage rates and so much else. It appears the name change and some behind-the-scenes bargaining was enough for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to end his opposition to the original bill, which he used to say would add significantly to the debt and not produce the results claimed by the administration. According to The Wall Street Journal: The deal would dedicate $64 billion to extending healthcare subsidies for three years for some Affordable Care Act users. This has been a high priority for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats because some subsidies are set to expire Jan. 1, 2023 and affected Americans would find out about their increased premiums this fall ahead of the midterm elections. The change would push the next expiration beyond the 2024 election. How convenient. How cynical. The measure includes $369 billion to combat climate change and incentives for consumers to buy electric and hydrogen vehicles. Some Republicans call the bill frivolous. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who negotiated the secret deal with Manchin, appears ready to call for a vote this week. Manchin says he agrees with Schumer who claims the bill which includes new spending to fight climate change and tax increases on the wealthy and those evil corporations Democrats love to hate will reduce the deficit because the extra revenue from the tax hikes will be used for that purpose. The government is taking in record amounts of revenue, but the national debt is over $30 trillion and rising. Higher taxes are not the way to erase red ink. The answer is to cut spending, but you might as well ask a politician to accept term limits. Last week before the announcement of the second straight month of economic decline, President Biden said, Were not going to be in a recession in my view. He and his supporters not only deny the traditional definition of a recession two straight quarters of negative growth they are trying to redefine the definition they once accepted. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton, once accepted a two-month decline in economic growth as the definition of a recession. Now he says there are other factors at play. To quote Humpty Dumpty from Through the Looking Glass: When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean... Democrats appear to be in a panic three months before the congressional elections, so they are trying to pretend they are finally getting things done before their vacations, other time off and what could be for them judgment day. The way this works is that Schumer will meet out of public view with fellow Democrats, asking what they need in exchange for their support of this and other bills Democrats want to pass. It almost always works because it seems the primary concern of too many politicians is the preservation of their careers, not the general welfare. Cal Thomas is a columnist with the Tribune Content Agency. Harris County Commissioners Court, by a 3-2 partisan vote, agreed to explore legal options, including a possible lawsuit, to challenge the results of a random drawing by the Texas Secretary of States Office that means another round of election scrutiny for Texas largest county. It ought to be the state of Texas that is audited, said Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who proposed the lawsuit. This place has gone back to the bad old days. Harris County learned last week it was one of two large counties chosen for an election audit by state officials, under new procedures lawmakers approved for election scrutiny. It is the second audit of Harris County, after another approved weeks following the 2020 general election. Procedures for the upcoming audit, which covers both the 2020 and 2022 elections, have not been outlined by the state yet, said Beth Stevens, Harris Countys interim elections administrator. COUNTY BOND: Commissioners Court to decide whether to support $1B referendum this year Under the 2021 law passed by the Texas Legislature, four counties are to be selected at random for election audits. Two of the four are to be counties with populations under 300,000, and two are to be counties of 300,000 or more residents. Eighteen counties in Texas have a population of more than 300,000. Harris and Cameron counties were the two large ones chosen in a drawing from a bucket, the Secretary of States office announced; Eastland and Guadalupe counties were the two small counties selected. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, however, questioned the authenticity of the drawing, saying the broadcast of the drawing looks like a video out of a sketch comedy show. The camera does not show the slips going into the bucket, Menefee said, noting various aspects of the drawing that are not filmed. They dont even show the slips to the camera. The Secretary of States office defended its process, citing the video. Counties in each category had an equal chance of being selected, were drawn from strips of paper placed in a bucket, and although not required by statute it was done on camera, Assistant Secretary of State for Communications Sam Taylor said in an email. The suggestion that Harris County or any other county was deliberately chosen for a randomized election audit is completely false. Unfortunately, this is a counterfactual, delusional conspiracy theory that some officials in Harris County have chosen to perpetuate. Commissioners court approved the exploration of Harris Countys legal options with Ellis, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia voting yes; Precinct 3s Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle voted no. While Ellis lambasted state officials for what he called voter suppression by restricting voting access and creating long lines at polls, Ramsey said the weak link in local election integrity is at the county level, where officials have struggled in recent years to perform and announce a timely tally of election day results. In this years March primary elections, counting and announcements of results in Harris County were delayed after a series of glitches and mistakes in the elections office. The former elections administrator, Isabel Longoria, resigned as a result. Nothing is more disconcerting to the voters out there than the delays to count the votes, Ramsey said. Simply because we dont know how to run an election. The divide over elections and proper oversight of them follows a mostly partisan divide nationally since 2020. Republicans, including those in Texas, have strengthened state controls on local elections, and questioned the outcry from Democratic-controlled counties. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, called Tuesdays decision frivolous in an emailed statement. Meanwhile, Democrats in many major metro areas argue the intense scrutiny is unwarranted and is more focused on haranguing minority voters. I do think it is worth calling out the fact, Hidalgo said in supporting a lawsuit, noting the rancor caused by the 2020 election and false allegations of voter fraud. She added many horrendous truths are coming out of the Jan. 6 hearings held last month in Washington, which should make people concerned about the way elections are being managed and the rationale of many states seeking greater oversight. It is our duty to remember and remind everybody that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Hidalgo said. dug.begley@chron.com Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. From left are director Lee Sang-yeob and co-writers Song Jae-jeong and Kim Kyung-ran who created the series adaptation of the popular webcomic "Yumi's Cells." Courtesy of Tving Tving's series follows romance, work life of single woman in 30s By Lee Gyu-lee When news of the live adaptation of the smash-hit webcomic "Yumi's Cells" was announced, many of its fans had mixed reactions, both welcoming the series adaptation and showing concerns about its animated depiction of the cell characters. However, despite the concerns, the series has proven itself capable of winning viewers' hearts with its fusion of live action and animation as well as compelling storytelling delivered through the lead actor Kim Go-eun's performance. "I feel this series expanded the scope of the genres that a series can tackle. At first, no one could imagine how (the series) would come out to be. Everyone was like, 'Is it possible?' and we showed that it is possible to have both live action and animation," Song Jae-jeong, the co-writer of the series, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "As a writer, this series is meaningful as I've had a chance to dwell on finding the appropriate line (in making an adaptation)." The original series of Tving revolves around Yumi (Kim), a single woman in her 30s whose life is masterminded by different functioning cells. With the help of her cells, portrayed as human-like figures, she goes on a journey in search of happiness in her personal life, romance and work. Actress Kim Go-eun plays the title role of Yumi in the series "Yumi's Cells." Courtesy of Tving Following its first season last September, the series started work on its second season, which started streaming on July 22. It picked up on Yumi's new romance with her co-worker Babi (Park Jin-young) while taking off with her new career path as a writer. The latest season was a success on the streaming platform, bringing in the highest amount of new subscribers since Tving's launch. It also garnered popularity overseas, streaming to over 160 regions through the global platform Rakuten Viki. The creators director Lee Sang-yeob and co-writers Kim Kyung-ran and Song expressed excitement for the series' success. "It's very exciting that a lot of people are responding (to the series). I was able to grasp (the popularity) more with season 2 than with season 1. We talked about how viewers abroad might also like it when we were making the animation. And we're glad to hear praises," Kim said. The director shared that he wanted to deliver a message on love through Yumi's story. "This is a personal but a universal story. The series follows a universal story, but it can be very special (because it's personal). I wanted to deliver a message in a new way that anyone can meet someone to love regardless of your age, nationality or sex," he said. "As the title itself is 'Yumi's Cells,' I wanted the message to show that Yumi's life is hers. Although she went through a lot, I wanted to encourage her that 'you might make mistakes and have regrets but you are doing well.' It might be directed at myself or viewers." Actors Park Jin-young, left, and Kim Go-eun in a scene from the series "Yumi's Cells" / Courtesy of Tving Song shared that adapting a popular webcomic had clear pros and cons. "The best thing about adopting 'Yumi's Cells' was that the original webtoon was such an outstanding work to remake. But the bad thing was that it was too popular so it didn't have any surprise factors," Song said. She added while season 1 was about creating the imagery of the cells and bringing the webcomic into live action, the second season was about developing the series' original plot of Yumi and Babi's romance story. In the original webcomic, the two break up after Babi cheats on Yumi. But the series took out the cheating part and portrays a more subtle melodrama between the two, as a couple trying to save their relationship from falling apart. "I felt that it would be boring to take the same pattern for season 2. Since Babi has been hated by many fans (of the webcomic), it felt like viewers would feel they have nothing to look forward to in season 2," Song said. "So we needed to make a lot of changes to unfold the story as it gives hope that (Yumi and Babi) might work out." The second season of the series "Yumi's Cells" ended in late July. Courtesy of Tving Hudson, NY (12534) Today Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Administrators Push for Taconic's Transition to All Vocational PITTSFIELD, Mass. District leaders continue to push for Taconic to become a vocational school, reporting that the four-year-old facility is quickly outgrowing the secondary model. The School Committee at its last meeting continued this conversation that started about two years ago. In March, it was recommended that the school move toward the all-vocational model beginning next year. The transition would start with Taconic only accepting Career Technical Education (CTE) students in the fall of 2023. Non-CTE students in Grades 10 through 12 would remain at the school and by the fall of 2026, the whole student body would be vocational. "Taconic High School is growing out of its building capacity to serve all secondary students who want CTE," Assistant Superintendent for College and Career Readiness Tammy Gage said. "Thereby reducing access to our own Pittsfield students who want to enter a vocational program, including students who would already be attending Taconic High School." Pittsfield High would receive roughly 40 to 60 non-CTE students from the Reid Middle School district, said its retiring Principal Henry Duval. He explained that this would allow the students to have more scheduling choices and would balance the shrinking class sizes that PHS has experienced since the new Taconic opened. Duval also reported that PHS is looking into adopting programming that is designed for non-college-bound students. Before the pandemic, PHS faculty began the process of talking about "clusters" or "pathways" for such students and plans on designing what they will look like once new Principal Maggie Esko takes over in the fall. Various "myths" about Taconic's transition to a vocational school were addressed including concerns about enrollment, that CTE is not as academically challenged, and that it does not prepare students for college. Taconic Principal Matthew Bishop said enrollment is the driver of the conversation. "We said this last time, [it] was the problem we had hoped for when we envisioned this new school building," he said. "So here we are going into our fifth year of the new building and we are full." In the last four years, the increase in just CTE students is 327 and in the coming school year's freshman class there are only 45 non-CTE students in a class of about 250. Bishop explained that there has been a push to modify language when talking about the two kinds of pathways. When conversations first began, they were described as CTE or academic classes. "We realized that that's not true. CTE is extremely academic, as we talked about here. A CTE student has the same basic requirements as any student in Pittsfield Public Schools," he said. Lanesborough, for Now, Avoids Special Town Meeting on School Boiler Project LANESBOROUGH, Mass. Town officials and the Mount Greylock Regional School District agreed Monday that the district will bear the upfront cost of replacing a failing boiler at the elementary school and be reimbursed by the town at a later date. The town's Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee held a joint meeting with a single-item agenda: to review warrant articles for a special town meeting. Such a meeting would be necessary to fund the boiler replacement out of town coffers. But it was clear at the outset that the parties had agreed to avoid the step of calling a special town meeting to appropriate funds either from free cash or the town's stabilization fund. "Basically, we've asked the school to front the money," Chair John Goerlach said moments after the meeting began. "We will save the cost of a special town meeting unless we need one at a further date. And we'll reimburse the school at a later date." Town Administrator Joshua Lang said Goerlach had suggested that strategy and Lang brought it to the superintendent. "He said that would work, but they would want something in writing from the town," Lang said. "I did talk to town counsel a little bit in regard to this, and we can't necessarily have a 'yes or no' type of phrasing. It would be up to the townspeople at a special town meeting. "There is a chance that folks could say, 'No, we're not going to do this.' But you have to explain to them that in the lease agreement, we're required to cover these kind of expenses." The town, which built the school two decades ago, before the Mount Greylock district fully regionalized, still owns the Lanesborough Elementary School (as does Williamstown in the case of WES), and the municipality is responsible for extraordinary maintenance, like boilers and the roof. Mount Greylock Superintendent Jason McCandless brought the boiler issue to the attention of the School Committee earlier this summer. At the time, he said he was talking to the town about using funds from the town's proceeds from the American Rescue Plan Act to fund the $50,000 project. The town's ARPA Committee then balked at that idea, which raised the possibility of a special town meeting to generate the funds. At Monday's joint meeting, Finance Committee Chair Jodi-Lee Szczepaniak-Locke asked why the ARPA funds were off the table. "I'm still concerned why the ARPA money was quickly shut off when it would be an excellent investment," Szczepaniak-Locke said. "We've spent a lot of ARPA money on vehicles and things. This is a building that could be used in an emergency for housing. "It's an investment in the future and our safety." No one at Monday's meeting addressed Szczepaniak-Locke's question head on. There was a discussion about the other capital needs at the 20-year-old elementary school. Finance Committee member Ron Tinkham said the town should look at all the long-term expenses for the school building and consider seeking grants or, perhaps, bonding out large capital items, especially with the building bond for the structure itself coming off the town's books. "I have no problem with getting the job done," Tinkham said. "I have no problem with authorizing the money to ensure we have a good system. But we have to look at the overall bigger picture." Finance Committee member Robert Reilly asked how the town was monitoring systems on its properties, including the school. Mount Greylock Operations Director Rob Wnuk said a leak in the boiler was reported by the school's custodian on March 30 and an HVAC contractor was brought in immediately to check it. Both the school's boilers are given annual cleanings and maintenance checks, Wnuk said. Lang told Reilly that the town is in the process of doing an asset inventory to look at all of its properties and the school could be added to that process in addition to the monitoring already done by the district. In the end, both the Select Board and Finance Committee voted to approve a motion for "the school to use their funds until ours are available to reimburse." No other potential special town meeting warrant articles were discussed at the meeting. Medical Matters Weekly Welcomes Psychologist Sheehan Fisher BENNINGTON, Vt. Sheehan Fisher, PhD, an associate professor and clinical psychologist at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, is the guest on Medical Matters Weekly at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11. The show is produced by Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). Viewers can view on facebook.com/svmedicalcenter and facebook.com/CATTVBennington. The show is also available to view or download as a podcast on svhealthcare.org/ medicalmatters. Dr. Fishers research career focuses on the effects of parental mental health on infant/child health outcomes, with a specialization in the emerging field of father mental health. Dr. Fishers research dovetails with his perinatal clinical practice, including being an individual and couples therapist for perinatal families and the clinical director of the Fathers Mental Health Specialty Clinic. He aims for his research to optimize the health and effectiveness of the parental team and to positively influence the child health trajectory starting from infancy. Medical Matters Weekly features the innovative personalities who drive positive change within health care and related professions. The show addresses all aspects of creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for all, including food and nutrition, housing, diversity and inclusion, groundbreaking medical care, exercise, mental health, the environment, research, and government. The show is broadcast on Facebook Live, YouTube, and all podcast platforms. After the program, the video is available on area public access television stations CAT-TV (Comcast channel 1075) and GNAT-TV's (Comcast channel 1074), as well as on public access stations throughout the United States. ADAMS, Mass. Adams and a number of other Berkshire and regional communities were among the 138 municipalities and seven Regional Transit Authorities awarded funding through the state's Shared Streets and Spaces Program. This is the largest round of funding to date with $16.4 million being distributed and 138 awards with Adams receiving more than $240,000. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito made the announcement on Tuesday in Plymouth with Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver and local officials. "We've been proud to award a total of $50 million dollars in grant funding to cities and towns to facilitate 494 projects since launching Shared Streets and Spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic in June of 2020," said Polito. "We are pleased to partner with local leaders to create safer and more connected cities and towns." Adams received the highest award with $190,314.00 to repair 11 pedestrian crosswalks along Columbia Street with new granite curbing and 22 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps, in addition to two rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, or RRFBs, north of Valley Street and Burt Street. The town also received $50,000 for snow-removal equipment for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. North Adams received $32,659 for speed feedback/messaging signs for calming traffic. Mayor Jennifer Macksey had informed the City Council about the grant last month, saying it would be used on Main, Church and Eagle streets as well as in some other areas to address speeding concerns. "It includes everything crossing signs to radar speed and message trailers, portable signs to calm and slow, that kind of stuff," she said. Stockbridge received $132,994.95 to install raised and improved crosswalks and ADA-compliant curb ramps and Great Barrington, in partnership with the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, received $62,500 to upgrade bus stops with signage, more accessible curbs, new bus shelters, solar-powered lighting, and benches. Alford received $33,462.86 for speed feedback/messaging signs and Otis received $46,417 for snow removal equipment for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The program provides technical assistance and project funding to help Massachusetts cities and towns design and implement changes to curbs, streets, and parking areas in support of public health, safe mobility, and community growth and revitalization. This round of funding placed particular emphasis on two new types of projects: those to reduce vehicle speeds in order to increase safety, and those to purchase equipment needed to improve and maintain infrastructure for active transportation. "Our Shared Streets and Spaces grant program is just one of the many municipal grant programs that has demonstrated what we can accomplish by working together with our partners at the local level," said Gov. Charlie Baker in a statement. "Today's announcement represents the largest award round since the program was launched and we are glad to be funding projects that reduce vehicular speeds and provide safe mobility for children, for seniors, to public transportation, housing, and to open space and parks." Tuesday's announcement represents the largest award round since the program was launched in June 2020. Of the awarded municipalities, 53 percent are designated Environmental Justice communities and a total of 31 percent have never received a Shared Streets and Spaces grant before. The Shared Streets and Spaces program provides grants as small as $5,000 and as large as $500,000 for municipalities and transit authorities to make changes to their streets that allow for safer walking, biking, public transit, recreation, commerce, and civic activities. These improvements can be intentionally temporary or permanent. This grant round also offered municipalities a new opportunity to apply for grants for up to $50,000 to purchase equipment to support active transportation. Other awards in towns near the Berkshires included Charlemont, $44,332.96 for snow removal equipment for pedestrian and bicycle facilities and speed feedback/messaging signs; Chesterfield, $45,458 for speed feedback/messaging signs; Cummington, $31,802 fora crosswalk and new ADA-compliant curb ramps on Main Street and $19,729.00 for speed feedback/messaging signs; and Goshen received $45,558 for speed feedback/messaging signs. Brayton/Greylock Architects Focus on Natural Light, Durability & Fun Designs NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Natural light, durability, security and child-friendly vibes are all hallmarks of schools designed by TSKP Studios. The School Building Committee heard a presentation last week by the Hartford, Conn., design team that will be taking on the feasibility study for the Brayton/Greylock school project. The committee approved hiring the architecture firm in June. TSKP, formerly Tai Soo Kim Partners, is an award-winning design firm that has done projects for schools, colleges and museums in New England and South Korea. North Adams' team will include Randall Luther, principal at TSKP, with Jesse Saylor as project manager and Julia McFadden as lead architect. Luther said Saylor was one the company's most experienced architects and McFadden the most experienced in community outreach, which will be "instrumental in moving the project forward." "If you were to visit any of our projects, there are certain kinds of themes that are recurrent," said Luther, but continued that "we always try and look at each project fresh. Every community, every program, every site are usually totally different. And they really require a set of unique responses. And so we do an enormous amount educational work to try to you know, wipe the slate clean and start a clean page every time." One of those recurrent themes is access to natural light. Luther said numerous studies have shown people work better and feel better with lots of light and connections to the outdoors. "that's some of the issues with schools you have right now, access to the light," he said. "It's really important that wherever you are in the building that you can kind of see what's going on [outside.] "It would be even more lovely perhaps if we had views of the beautiful scenery which you have around here that's spectacular. So the world is really changing rapidly and we need to design spaces that can accommodate changes that we can't even begin to perceive." The goal is to make the design flexible for an unknown future but also incorporate non-intrusive security and safety. Luther said it's not about building a fortress but the opposite and that TSKP has had a lot of success in that area. Planning for the future also means preparing for the normal wear and tear that these buildings will undergo during the decades-long lifetimes. Finishes need to stand up to abuse and that the scale also has to be taken into account because the main occupants will be children. The team will also look at energy efficiency and the firm is currently working on four schools at various design steps that will be net zero. "Sometimes it's somewhat controversial that we believe that schools should be child friendly," Luther said, and quoted Mr. Rogers: "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." He said the concept was "somewhat controversial" because of their design for a Connecticut school that incorporated a slide to the cafeteria. "We thought it would be great if the kids could take a slide to lunch every day. Well, when we presented this to the town council, some members were outraged, acturally outraged that we would spend public dollars on a slide, something that's superfluous," he said. "That was a minority view. But it was a very controversial thing for a while." Since then, he's learned from talking to staff is that they love it, and it's often used as a reward for good behavior. Luther said one of the differences he's found in working in two states is that Connecticut pushes renovation and Massachusetts leans toward new construction. "Since our home office is in Connecticut, we do a lot of renovation work," he said. "Unlike most Massachusetts firms that do not do a lot of renovation work ... and if that's the way that makes sense in this space, we're perfectly comfortable with it." Because most of their work has been renovations and addition, Luther said they have a lot of experince in phasing projects while schools are open. That will require blocking out large areas for work and timing schedules so the heaviest work is done during the summer. He said the main drivers of the project's budget will be determined in early in the process with the feasibility study and the decisions that will come from that. "We're getting at those decisions that we're going to make on the program, where we do the visioning, whether we do a reno or new, where these things are going in or whether these initiatives are going or not," he said. "Those are the big decisions that are really going to set the budget. ... "Your ability to make changes and to tweak where you can save money gets smaller and smaller and smaller. So you know, we bring in our most experienced people now because this is when it matters." The study will include the implications in terms of phasing, the costs and the pros and cons for each option with the hope that the committee will "coalesce around an option that makes the most sense." "I think it is a nice place to close though in bringing it back to our options, right, because we do have two schools that are also part of the consideration representing to two communities," said Superintendent Barbara Malkas. "I think that's very appropriate because I want to acknowledge that Greylock is still on the map. Right. And Brayton is still on the map, that both of these sites have consideration as we move forward into feasibility." Luther acknowledged that communities feel passionate about their schools but at the same time, consolidations have been a reality. The fundamental issue, he said, is how you get to that consensus about which school makes the most sense. The committee approved the fee proposal from TSKP of $645,000. Mayor Jennifer Macksey said this had been reviewed by MSBA reminded the committee that this will come from the school choice funds appropriated to the city's side of the ledger. iciHaiti - PNH : Wanted notice of Pierre Guintheur On the run, after escaping his arrest on Friday July 29, 2022 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37293-icihaiti-pnh-fight-against-kidnappings-major-seizure-of-equipment.html , Pierre Guintheur is now the subject of a search warrant issued by the National Police of Haiti (PNH), which accuses him of kidnapping followed by forcible confinement, in more than a dozen cases in Turgeau and on the airport road, association of criminals and illegal possession of weapons of war. The PNH asks the population to provide any information that could lead to the arrest of Pierre Guintheur. In case of identification or location, the PNH asks to call the numbers: 3834-1111 / 3836-1111 / 3838-1111 / 2817-0545 Pierre Guintheur claims to be innocent and the victim of a slanderous denunciation by people jealous of his success as a businessman. Regarding the important material seized from his home by the police, https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37293-icihaiti-pnh-fight-against-kidnappings-major-seizure-of-equipment.html he assures that the uniforms belong to police officers they had hosted at his home. Finally he assures that he fled on the advice of his lawyer. IH/ iciHaiti gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-young Korea's gap with Japan in total exports narrowed to its smallest amount ever, triggering expectations that it will surpass the neighboring economic powerhouse soon. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea's total exports this year as of May were $16.2 billion less than that of Japan. The gap is narrower than seen in the same period last year, in which Korea fell short of Japan by $55.7 billion. In terms of monthly exports this year, Korea overtook Japan in May, when it logged $61.6 billion in exports, surpassing Japan's $56.3 billion. This rise by Korea is notable when considering Japan's status in the global market as an exporting powerhouse. In 1980, Korea's total exports were only 13.4 percent of Japan's $134 billion. The ratio, however, has been surging steadily, to 35.9 percent in 2000, 60.6 percent in 2010, and 85.2 percent last year. As of May this year, Korea's total exports are at a staggering 94.8 percent of Japan's total exports. While the figure is fueling hopes that Korea may soon surpass Japan in total exports, it still falls far behind in overall industrial competitiveness. Korea has been recording an annual trade deficit against Japan since 1965 when the two countries normalized ties. Korea recorded a $10.4 billion deficit in its total trade in the first half of this year, but its deficit against Japan was even bigger at $12.2 billion Korea is using dollars it has earned from other countries to make up for the deficit it has with Japan. The trade deficit is continuing as Korea is still relying heavily on Japanese high-tech companies for materials, components and equipment. Building Lives: The bright pearl on the roof of Africa (People's Daily App) 14:46, August 02, 2022 On the Ethiopian plateau, the Roof of Africa, Addis Ababa's skyline is no longer just shaped by mountains, but also by the African Union Conference Center, built with China's assistance. By looking at the African Union project, you will find the various interpretations of it. It interprets the civilization, the culture and unity of Arica, and the vision of the development and reform of Africa. At the same time, it also exemplifies the firm partnership between China and Africa, said Fantahun Hailemichael, the project coordinator of the AU Conference Center. As you enter the building, your eyes are drawn to the art wall in the hallway. The sculpture Ascension was expressly created for the African Union. The embossment is set in the African savannah, and full of various African animals. In the golden part is a stylized English letter U, inlaid with the artistic logo of the African Union. In the middle of the golden pattern is the map of Africa. 55 stars embedded along the border represent the 55 member states of the African Union and symbolize the unity, progress, and peace of the African people. CSCEC delivered us an environmentally-friendly building with a low-cost maintenance and ventilation system, Fantahun Hailemichael continued. In order to realize the delicacy and lightness of the ellipsoid structure of the large conference hall, the building has a steel structure. In addition, a stepped daylighting window is formed with curved steel beams with varying heights and rhythms, making artificial lighting and air conditioning unnecessary for the whole annular hall. The AU Conference Center is one of the largest aid projects of the Chinese government in Africa. The total construction area is about 50,000 square meters, and the office building is 99.9 meters high. The center includes a large conference hall with more than 2,500 seats, a medium conference hall with 697 seats, as well as a small conference hall, VIP conference room, multi-purpose hall, emergency medical center, and digital library. The project was undertaken by CSCEC in January 2009 and inaugurated in 2012. During construction, one of the biggest difficulties to be overcome was the climate in Ethiopia. The annual rainy season there begins in June and lasts for nearly four months. Within the contract period of 30 months, the project was caught in three major rainy seasons, the equivalent of one year, bringing unimaginable difficulties and challenges to the construction work. "The long rainy season in Ethiopia leads to a shortage of construction time. CSCEC chose to overcome the corresponding difficulties by increasing the input in all aspects, employing more workers, and even working 24 hours. It is amazing that they have completed the project construction with such high quality in such a short period!" said Ewnetu, former Estate Officer of the AU Headquarters. After the completion and handover of the project, China Technical Team continued to stay, providing technical support, helping train local technical staff, ensuring the normal operation of the facilities and equipment of the building, and ensuring the smooth convening of various important meetings. Yosef, a local worker, is one of the local technicians. He took responsibility for daily inspection and maintenance. At first, he had zero foundation in the equipment operation and maintenance of the conference center, and was at a loss in the face of unexpected problems. With the encouragement and guidance of his "exclusive Chinese tutor" Bi Dongsheng, he worked hard to acquire the knowledge of maintenance and inspection and gain experience from his Chinese tutors. Finally, he became a "local technical expert" and is able to complete the maintenance work alone. "Several times late at night, the high voltage system of the conference center broke down. Mr. Bi was always the first to arrive on site, calmly determined the problems and troubleshot, and patiently explained it to me. Following his face-to-face practical training, I not only mastered the methods to solve some unexpected problems and learned a lot of technical knowledge, but also learned his serious and responsible attitude towards his work. And I thanked Mr. Bi for his patient guidance," said Yosef. To date, more than 260 professional and technical workers have been trained and more than 2,000 jobs created at the AU Conference Center. Nowadays, the AU Conference Center holds annual meetings at the level of heads of state and government. Various important decisions related to Africa's future development are discussed here, "constructing & witnessing and guaranteeing the convening of a series of important AU conferences and the birth of major resolutions. Chinese people are joining hands with African people to create a better future through in-depth and close collaboration! (Video source: China State Construction Engineering Corporation) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Hongyu) French-American economics and philosophy columnist Guy Sorman / Courtesy of CICI By Kim Rahn Korean architect and Hongik University professor of architecture Yoo Hyun-joon / Courtesy of CICI Renowned architects and scholars will discuss the role of real-life and digital spaces in cultural communication at this year's Culture Communication Forum (CCF). The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), the organizer of the forum, said Tuesday that the annual forum will take place on Aug. 25. Participants in Korea will gather at Grand Hyatt Seoul while those abroad will join online. Under the theme of "Space and cultural communication," the participants will talk about how real-life and digital spaces respectively affect cultural communication and how they can be integrated. "Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept and meaning of 'space' has become diverse, with a growing number of people seeking shared spaces," the CICI said in a release. "Also some 'new spaces' are emerging along with the development of digital technology such as the metaverse. The participants will discuss what changes have been made to 'spaces' in terms of cultural communication and what the spaces will be like in the future." A keynote speech will be delivered by Guy Sorman, a French-American columnist in economics and philosophy who, as the presidential adviser to then-President Lee Myung-bak in 2010, suggested the National Museum of Korea be the banquet place of the G20 Seoul Summit, presenting the influence and importance of a space in cultural communication, according to the CICI. French architect and New York University Institute of Fine Arts professor of the history of architecture Jean-Louis Cohen / Courtesy of CICI Other speakers of this year's CCF include Jean-Louis Cohen, a French architect and professor of architecture history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University; Katrina Sedgwick, director and CEO of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corp.; Yoo Hyun-joon, principal of Hyunjoon Yoo Architects, CEO of Space Consulting Group and professor of architecture at Hongik University; David Pierre Jalicon, president of D.P.J. & Partners and chairman of the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Simon Lee, CEO of Flitto. Designhouse CEO Lee Young-hye, New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner and Tmonet CEO Park Jin-woo will also take part in the forum as panelists. Launched in 2011, the CCF is an annual event where cultural leaders around the world seek ways to promote cultural exchanges and communications. Its been a decade since the Internet Society organised the World IPv6 Launch. On 6 June 2012, operators, network equipment manufacturers and web companies switched on IPv6 for their products and services. Ten years later, IPv6 adoption and deployment has progressed in terms of routing, end-user capabilities and traffic. Routing data sees IPv6 traffic on the rise, more ASNs announcing IPv6 prefixes and IPv6 adoption at the end user side is measuring between 30% and 40% globally, though with large differences between regions and countries. However, despite this, issues like the IPv6 skills gap continue to pose an obstacle to its wider adoption. Across the world, public and private sectors are increasingly aware of the need to make services available over IPv6 and promote its use, but adequate knowledge remains a major blocker in transitioning to IPv6. Users need a thorough understanding of the protocol and how to deploy, implement and maintain it, as well as how to keep IPv6 networks secure. Many IT professionals still lack enough knowledge and experience to do so. Bridging the skills gap by finding the right technical information is key to continue this upward trend in IPv6 deployment. The skills gap today isnt what it was, say ten or even five years ago. IPv6 training needs are a moving target and IPv6 skills are a complex topic. Closing the skills gaps depends on people acquiring the right skills at the right moment. IP is used all over any modern infrastructure and it involves many different professional profiles, each one with different tasks and skills. What each person would need to learn is different but this is not the only variable to consider. The time, or better said, the maturity level of IPv6 on any given infrastructure also makes the required skill needs very different. It is also worth considering that technology changes and best practices are created or evolve over time, so skillsets need to evolve with continuous training as well. Skills required to decide when and how to deploy IPv6, are very different from those required to design and plan a deployment, implement IPv6 in production infrastructure or when maintaining and troubleshooting IPv6 networks. What weve also seen in recent years are the skills required to innovate; IPv6 is not the ultimate goal, it is an enabler of new and better things to come. Although grasping IPv6s features may seem daunting at first, closing the skills gap is often quite straightforward. What organisations, particularly IT managers, need is an investment in training their teams. While some may speculate that technology requires the largest investment when deploying IPv6, in actuality, its the people who need to be equipped with the right skills and know-how. Only after a team has gone through the whole learning process can change happen. Regional Internet Registries and the internet community have spent the last decade championing the deployment of IPv6. Governments are now taking heed and transitioning from IPv4 to dual-stack or IPv6-only with the support of good training. In 2020, the U.S. government released plans to transition the majority of U.S. Government networks and services to IPv6-only networks. In the same year, the Dutch government also stated that IPv6 would be a mandatory requirement for all government websites and email domains. The Regional Internet Registry, RIPE NCC and the Dutch government recently cooperated by running a pilot project to address the skills gap and rolled out IPv6 training for employees and continue their transition to IPv6. The main government website and many others are now IPv6 enabled. Even the website of the Dutch royal family is dual-stack. Its true that businesses are still wary to embrace IPv6 even if the protocol has already been ingrained in our day-to-day technology since its launch in the 1990s. However, as demonstrated, there is a clear trend towards IPv6 and the benefits of investing in training needs to be taken seriously. From ensuring safety and understanding features, to training up IT teams so theyre equipped with the right knowledge, all these ingredients can help businesses deploy - and embrace - IPv6 with the utmost confidence. Its becoming clear that it is necessary for all organisations to pay attention to this trend and as we continue to see how dependent organisations are on secured IPv6 networks, this process should begin sooner rather than later. Alvaro Vives is the Technical Training and Development Team Manager for the RIPE NCC's Learning & Development department. His role as a trainer involved frequent travel throughout the RIPE NCC service region (Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia) to deliver training courses on behalf of the RIPE NCC on a number of topics, including Local Internet Registries, IPv6, BGP, Security, RIPE NCC services, the RIPE Database and the Routing Registry. At least 23 journalists and media workers are imprisoned in Egypt for simply carrying out their professional duties according to IFJ statistics. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has backed a call from human rights organisations on August 2, condemning the Egyptian authorities for their repressive practices and urging them to release all journalists in jail. Seven human rights organisations have called for the immediate release of journalists, media workers and activists detained for exercising their right to express their opinion on news articles and social media. The signatories call on the Egyptian authorities to stop using terrorism charges to prosecute those who criticise the government. Among the journalists currently in jail, several suffer from health problems and need appropriate medical care. In May this year, the IFJ expressed its concern about the fate of Tawfiq Ghanem, a retired Egyptian journalist arrested on 21 May 2021 on charges of allegedly joining a terrorist group. The IFJ is also concerned about the health of journalist Rabie el-Sheikh, who worked as a producer for Al Jazeera. His health has deteriorated in the past days after a year in solitary confinement, reports the Qatar-based network. El Sheikh was arrested in August 2021 in Cairo Airport on a visit to his family and accused of allegedly spreading false news. The Egyptian authorities have renewed his detention by 45 days holding him incarcerated without trial or charge for a year. These detentions are part of a pattern of arbitrary arrests of Egyptian journalists, activists, academics, and critics says the IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger. The Egyptian authorities have turned the country into the biggest prison for journalists in the region. We urge the Egyptian authorities to stop targeting the press and release all arrested journalists without delay. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken makes remarks after addressing the 2022 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Aug. 1. AP-Yonhap U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on Monday, citing threats posed by North Korea and Iran. The top U.S. diplomat reiterated the world faced a "critical moment" amid fears of a potential North Korean nuclear test. "And so we come together at a critical moment. The DPRK continues to expand its unlawful nuclear program and continues its ongoing provocations against the region," Blinken said, addressing the 10th NPT Review Conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York. "As we gather today, Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test. Iran remains on a path of nuclear escalation," he added. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Seoul and Washington have said the North appears to have completed "all preparations" for a nuclear test and that it may be only gauging the timing. Pyongyang conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017. The reclusive country withdrew from the NPT in January 2003. Blinken said the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons, unless necessary to defend itself and its allies. "As long as nuclear weapons exist, the fundamental role of U.S. nuclear weapons is to deter nuclear attacks on the United States, on our allies and partners," he said. "The United States would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances to defend the vital interests of the United States and its allies and partners," added Blinken. He noted the treaty was facing many challenges. "This is a critical moment for the NPT," Blinken said while speaking later to reporters in New York. "It's a challenging one, too, because different parts of this regime are under challenge, and of course, we see that particularly in the area of non-proliferation. One, we have challenges being posed by Iran, by North Korea, and now in different ways by Russia," he added. Blinken also underscored the need to implement and further strengthen the NPT. "This has now been enforced for 50 years. It's made a powerful difference to the world in making the world a safer place, making it less dangerous," he said. "So (in) the next 30 days, the work that's being done here by countries around the world to reaffirm the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to strengthen it, to strengthen each one of its pillars disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful use is more vital than it's ever been," added Blinken. (Yonhap) Officers of the primary riot police unit of the Hellenic Police (MAT) physically attacked and teargassed several journalists and covering a protest in central Athens on 28 July, during the demonstration in solidarity with jailed anarchist Yiannis Michailidis. The International and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ - EFJ) condemn the police brutality against several journalists and call on the Greek judicial authorities to prosecute the perpetrators of such violence. Among the victims identified were journalists Eleftheria Komandou (Golden Dawn Watch), Lefteris Partsalis and Manos Fragioudakis (News 24/7). The Journalists Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), an IFJ affiliate, denounced in a statement the attack against Komandou, calling it a provocation. Video footage taken from the protest showed Partsalis being hit with shields and teargassed by police on two separate occasions. Other videos showed other reporters and photojournalists being pushed and teargassed by police. An investigation into the actions of the police was launched by the Hellenic Police Headquarters on July 29. Police officers involved in the disciplinary offences against media professionals and protesters were removed from their duties until the investigation is completed. IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said: "These attacks and threats against press freedom should not be tolerated and justice should be served. The IFJ stands on its affiliates' side to denounce any drift harming journalists". Together with our Greek colleagues, we strongly condemn this police violence, which violates the right of Greek citizens to access information, said the EFJ President Maja Sever. The watch-dog role of journalists is of crucial importance during protests and demonstrations. Their presence is a guarantee that the authorities can be held to account for their conduct, including the methods used to control or disperse protesters. Any attempt to remove journalists from the scene of demonstrations must therefore be subject to strict scrutiny. We consider the behaviour of the Athens riot police to be an act of censorship, said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez. The IFJ and EFJ call for the conviction of the police officers involved and for the Greek authorities to implement the EU Recommendation on the protection of journalists without delay. The Government of the Solomon Islands has ordered the national radio and television broadcaster, the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), to censor its programs of anti-government voices on August 1. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the restriction of press freedom in the Solomon Islands and calls for the reinstatement of an independent SIBC. Prime Minister of the Solomon Island Manasseh Sogavare (C) arrives for the opening remarks of the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva on July 12, 2022. Credit: William West / AFP The Prime Minister and Cabinet Office of the Solomon Islands mandated the SIBC censor its programs of perspectives critical of the incumbent government. According to SIBC staff, the acting chairman of the board, William Parairato, outlined the new guidelines on July 29. Both news and paid programs are to be vetted in line with government regulations, as the government attempts to crack down on disunity. Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Albert Kabui, indicated the SIBC will now be beholden to a government-appointed board of directors, who are appointed solely from the Prime Ministerial office. The SIBC, which has moved from a state-owned enterprise to receiving all funding from the ruling government, had previously allowed paid programs to broadcast criticism of the government. The broadcaster also provided full live coverage of Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wongs visit to Honiara in June, with coverage funded by the Australian High Commission. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavere has been unavailable for comment, as reported by several news organisations. In recent months the Solomon Islands has further developed existing links to China, which the Australian Broadcaster Corporation argues is indicative of authoritarian and anti-journalist developments in Solomon Islands leadership. The IFJ raised concerns surrounding press freedoms in the Solomon Islands during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis visit to the Pacific in May. Wang Yis press tour of the Solomon Islands featured heavily restricted press conferences, with local journalists collectively confined to one question for the nations Foreign Minister. The IFJ said The censoring of the Solomon Islands national broadcaster is an assault on press freedom and an unacceptable development for journalists, the public, and the democratic political process. The IFJ calls for the immediate reinstatement of independent broadcasting arrangements in the Solomon Islands. The health of Yemeni journalist Tawfiq Al-Mansoori, who was sentenced to death together with three other journalists in April 2020 by the Houthi Movement, has critically deteriorated in the past days. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) in calling for the release of all journalists in jail and the urgent transfer of Al-Mansoori to hospital. According to a report from Al-Mansooris family received by YJS, the journalist health is in grave danger due to its deterioration in the Central Security Camp prison in the capital, Sanaa. Al-Mansoori alongside with AbdulaKhleq Amran, Akram Al-Waleedi and Hareth Humaid were kidnapped by the Houthi Movement/Ansar Allah in July 2015. The four journalists have been unfairly sentenced to death for simply carrying out their journalistic duties. Their detention was motivated by their reporting on human rights violations committed by Houthi forces, who charged them with espionage for foreign states and spreading fake news. The IFJ and YJS launched an emergency call to international governments in February 2022 to put pressure on the Houthi authorities to release the four Yemeni journalists. On February 21, the IFJ sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, urging him and his government to do everything possible to save their lives. The YJS said: We condemn the continued detention of journalists and the repressive treatment against them, and call for the immediate transfer of our colleague Tawfiq Al-Mansoori to a hospital and the provision of necessary medical care. IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said: We are deeply concerned about the health of Al Mansoori and we urge the Houthi Movement to provide him with urgent health care. We renew our demands for an immediate release of all kidnapped journalists and the abolition of unjust death sentences against our colleagues. Ansar Allah leaders must be held accountable for the health and safety of the journalists in their jails. The FEU Tech schools, comprised of FEU Alabang, FEU Diliman, and FEU Institute of Technology, have long recognized the importance of innovation. This is why they are proud to announce that the innovation efforts of its FEU Tech campus were recently recognized in the latest rankings of the WURI (Worlds Universities with Real Impact) Top Global Innovative Universities for 2022. The WURI rankings notably compared universities all around the world using criteria measuring a universitys contributions to society and innovative approaches to education. FEU Tech ranked alongside universities like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard and placed in four major categories: #19 in Progress during the Fourth Industrial Revolution, #30 in Entrepreneurial Spirit, #37 in Crisis Management, and #44 in Student Mobility and Openness. These categories considered a schools ability to invest and use emerging digital technologies, support student innovation, craft an agile response during the pandemic, and continue collaboration with schools around the world. Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Off the news of the recent WURI rankings, FEU Tech Schools are also proud to reiterate that both the FEU Tech and FEU Alabang campuses will be offering leveled-up undergraduate Bachelor of Science (BS) courses in the fields of data science, entrepreneurship, and business analytics. These programs seek to prepare fresh grads for a swiftly-evolving job market, equipping them with the practical skills they need to land jobs in growing fields like tech. The innovation-focused courses offered by FEU Tech include BS Computer Science with specialization in Data Science, BS Information Technology with specialization in Innovation and Business, and BS Information Technology with specialization in Business Analytics. Graduates from these programs can expect to pick up critical skills such as design thinking, marketing principles, project management, software development, and so much more. According to FEU Techs Director of Information Technology Dr. Ace Lagman, programs like Information Technology are designed to future-proof students and prepare them for an increasingly competitive job market. Its not enough anymore to leave students with a degree, we want to equip them with skills theyll be able to use for their whole career. Additionally, the specializations offered by FEU Tech give students a birds-eye view of the changing structure of the business. For example, specializing in business analytics will provide students with an overview of the current trends in information technology that drives businesses. Meanwhile, data science will teach them how to analyze large volumes of often unstructured data, with the goal of producing meaningful insights. By using scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems they can extract knowledge and apply this knowledge from data across a broad range of application domains, explained OIC Program Director Computer Science Elisa Malasaga. When they put all their learnings together, graduates of our programs can go on to be business development officers, innovation and growth specialists, and even startup founders, added Rolan M. Garcia, FEU Techs Group Chief Innovation Officer and Director of New Ventures. Partnerships with business Yet FEU Techs relentless dedication to innovation and shaping future-ready graduates doesnt stop at the courses they offer. Recently, they partnered with business process outsourcing giant Accenture to initiate research and development programs on the use of 5G and Industry X technologies. The partnership is part of Accentures initiative to help innovation-focused local universities via a Php80 million grant to strengthen programs focusing on emerging technologies, sustainability, inclusion, and diversity. The partnership with Accenture is part of FEU Techs rich tradition of working with both large enterprises and startups. By working with established businesses and startups, were able to give students an accurate picture of what life will be like when they start working, said Gianina Napo, FEU Tech Innovation Centers Director for Innovation Programs. Theyll access key resources and see firsthand what it takes to innovate and grow a businessand understand how they can contribute, even before they graduate. Overall, FEU Tech schools are more than happy to support innovation. Whether its by constantly updating its course offerings to be more relevant to the real world or working closely with changemakers in business, the institutions dedication to innovation never stops. Students looking to be part of FEU Techs and FEU Alabangs pursuit of excellence and innovation can visit the official websites here and here. FEU Tech Senior Executive Director Dr. Benson Tan himself had much to say on the topic of innovation. The importance of innovation cant be overstated, Dr. Tan concluded. Though its a big part of it, we dont pursue innovation solely because it will help our students in their future. The pursuit of innovation is important because we believe our students will have a big part in nation-building and creating a better society. That alone makes everything we do worth it. Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. 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The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others. Pankaj Tripathi's humbleness, humility and down-to-earth nature have made him unparalleled to those whose lives he has touched. He is indeed a big star today, but he doesn't like living like one. While most Bollywood stars go to Maldives or Paris for a vacation, Pankaj Tripathi instead takes some time off to visit his village, cook Litti Chokha and take a bath in a tubewell. Twitter Not just this, even at the peak of his career, he remains to be humble. The Director of the film Laali, Abhiroop Basu recently revealed that Tripathi doesn't have a starry aura around him. He shot for his film in the absence of any vanity van or spot boys and didn't even complain. Twitter "At the peak of his career, Pankaj Tripathi shot Laali in Calcutta for three days in the absence of any vanity van or spot boys specially dedicated to him or any special kind of arrangement or luxury we usually associate with stars. He ate the food we ate, he went back to his hotel when we did. If a picture could speak a thousand words, here you go.. just an actor sitting on a wooden chair out on the open streets, with his bottle of water.. nonchalantly speaking over the phone, waiting for the next shot," Abhiroop Basu said. Facebook He calls working with Tripathi a life-changing experience . "No two ways about it, working with him was a life-changing experience for we got a chance to learn way beyond the craft.. we learnt about life and how to keep our feet rooted to the ground always.. and that will teach you about films way more than any film school ever can." Also Read: From Farmer's Son To Finest Actor, Here's A Peek Into Pankaj Tripathi's Inspirational Journey Pankaj Tripathi Did you know Pankaj Tripathi's peer humiliated the actor? During his initial days in the industry, he was humiliated by a couple of people from the industry. He says they don't even remember it now. "When they met me later, they did not know if they had said something to me," he told RJ Siddharth Kannan in an interview. Web Screen Grab When asked if he felt bad, Tripathi said, "Yes, yes. Indeed. I am a human being, after all, why wouldnt I feel bad? I felt angry even, but then I try to forget that, as bearing grudges only harms me. So I moved on." Also Read: 14 Times Pankaj Tripathi Enriched Our Lives With His Wisdom & Made Us A Fan Of His Words (For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.) For Yashika Arora, life took a turn in ways she had never imagined when she got herself a pet dog. As someone who enjoyed baking cakes and other items, Yashika, a resident of Gurugram felt that her pet, Cristo should also get to enjoy what she prepares. Indiatimes From UX designing to baking for pets "After I got Cristo, felt like I need to prepare something for him that is not too commercial, full of chemicals and it is safe for him to eat. So I started baking for him and after my friends and family got to know about what I was doing, they started asking for their pets as well. As they liked the biscuits and other items I was preparing they started spreading the word around. That is how Paw Petisserie got its start," Yashika told Indiatimes. Yashika comes from a business family and is a UX designer by qualification. After working as a UX designer for a few years in Pune, she realised that it wasn't what she wanted to do and returned to Delhi with a plan to join the family business. Indiatimes "I started baking for Cristo in late 2016 and soon I was getting calls from friends and even strangers asking for a menu. It is at this point I realised that there are other dog parents like me who are looking for safe bakery items for their pets. So I started exploring more and added more items to the menu and in mid-2017 Paw Petisserie was born," she said. Today, Paw Petisserie caters to both dogs and cats, and almost all the products on the menu are suitable for both. Indiatimes Cakes, cookies and more for pets The items on the menu include handcrafted cakes, cupcakes, brownies, treats, jerkies, and ice creams. The cakes are available in both veg and non-veg including chicken, mutton, and fish flavors. "I did some research, spoke to some vets and dog parents to learn what dogs like. I also tested a lot of items with Cristo to get his feedback. While we don't have breed-specific items, most items on our menu are customisable to meet the preferences of individual dogs," she said. Indiatimes Prepared with love for pets As a dog parent herself, Yashika said it was important for her to put the well-being of the pets first and ensure that none of the ingredients trigger any allergic or other adverse reactions on them. "Most pet brands available in the market today are made of wheat, have preservatives, chemicals, sugar, salt, etc. But we are not using any of these and all our ingredients are pet-safe and are organic, including the colour. We do extensive quality check to make sure that the products are safe," she said. How family reacted to her business idea Despite their business background, Yashika said her family was not initially convinced by her idea of starting a bakery for pets. "They were always supportive in whatever I wanted to do, but they didn't even understand what I was planning to do as a pet bakery was still a rare thing then. But once I started getting some orders they understood that there is a market," she said. Indiatimes Growing presence in the market Based in Saket, Delhi, Paw Petisserie today serves customers across the national capital. While cakes, cupcakes, and ice creams are delivered within 24 hours in Delhi, other items like brownies, cookies, chips, etc are dispatched across the country. Customers can place their orders through Paw Petisserie's website or social media. Today the bakery serves close to 100 customers every month and what started as a hobby is a business with an annual turnover of around Rs 18 lakhs. For more on news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Tired of experiencing difficulties due to the increase in prices of 'Maggi' and her 'pencils,' a girl from Lucknow took it into her own hands to make her voice heard. A six-year-old girl in class one has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the "hardship" she is experiencing due to rising prices. Nestle In her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Class 1 girl student tried to explain that she couldn't buy a packet of Maggi noodles simply because she only had five rupees with her, and the shopkeeper demanded seven rupees. Unsplash Kriti Dubey of Chhibramau, Kannauj district, Uttar Pradesh, wrote in her letter, Instagram "My name is Kriti Dubey. I study in class 1. Modiji, you have caused an immense price rise. Even my pencil and rubber (eraser) have become costlier, and Maggi's price has also increased. My mother now beats me for asking for a pencil. What should I do? Other kids steal my pencil." The letter, written in Hindi, has gone viral on social media. Six-year-old girl of Class 1 has written a letter to PM Modi about hardship she is facing due to price rise. The girl, Kriti Dubey, of Chhibramau town in UP's Kannauj,wrote in her letter, "My name is Kriti Dubey.I study in class 1.Modiji, you have caused immense price rise. pic.twitter.com/vj9o9TZuZf Aroone Harry (@arunharimowar) August 1, 2022 Her father, Vishal Dubey, who is an advocate, said, Unsplash "It is my daughter's Mann Ki Baat'. She got annoyed recently when her mother scolded her when she lost her pencil in school." Chhibramau SDM Ashok Kumar told reporters he learned about this little girl's letter after it started doing the rounds on social media. He was quoted as saying, Unsplash "I am ready to help the child in any way and will also try my best to ensure that her letter reaches concerned authorities," he said. This is not the first time kids have complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about something. Unsplash Last year, a 6-year-old girl from Jammu and Kashmir posted a video whining about the coronavirus pandemic's impact on online classes. She also mentioned homework and long classes. Learning Liftoff Soon after the video went viral, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha declared that he had directed the school education department to issue a policy within 48 hours. (With agency inputs) Follow us on telegram. Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho has met with U.S. technology and space officials and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and alliance in the field of cutting-edge technology, officials said Tuesday. Lee met with Alondra Nelson, acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in Washington on Monday (U.S. time) and discussed the need to strengthen the countries' technology alliance based on agreements of a bilateral summit held in May, the science ministry said. According to the ministry, Nelson said she was pleased with recent semiconductor investment plans announced by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in the U.S., and Lee asked for the U.S. government's interest and support for the two companies. The two officials also shared the need to bolster cooperation in the field of quantum technology and agreed to announce a joint statement on cooperation in the field in the second half of the year. Lee also held meetings with Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the White House National Space Council, and Bill Nelson, administrator of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the area of space exploration. The minister plans to travel to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida later this week to observe the launch of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, Korea's first homegrown lunar orbiter, scheduled for Friday morning (KST). (Yonhap) College grads who land high-paying jobs at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Google, and many other prestigious brands often make national news. These stories are not just about their hard work but also about their parents' efforts and pride. A BTech student from Haryana's Ambala Cantonment named Madhur Rakheja has made his parents happy by accepting a lucrative job offer from Microsoft worth Rs 50 lakh. shutterstock Madhur's father is a shopkeeper while his mother is a housewife. He rejected enticing offers from companies like Amazon, Cognizant, and Optum. According to a report in India Today, Madhur Rakheja completed his BTech in computer science engineering with a specialization in oil and gas informatics from the UPES School of Computer Science. Linkedin/Madhur Rakheja The multidisciplinary university is based out of Dehradun. In an interview with India Today, Rakheja said, "I have always been interested in technology and its potential to transform and impact millions of lives around the globe, and I always wanted to be a part of something huge like this." He further added why Microsoft was his chosen company. Unsplash He said, "I had a list of companies in my mind where I wanted to be selected. Microsoft was on that list, and I prepared for the selection process by reading about other people's interview experiences and learning the required skills. It was a campus placement," Madhur had religiously applied to multiple jobs on and off-campus, including companies like Amazon, DE Shaw, Optum, Cognizant, Infosys, and more. He has accepted an SDE role at Amazon. About Amazon Why did Madhur choose Microsoft over other companies? He listed that multiple perks are offered by Micorost, including a handsome salary and good stock options. Madhur will soon be joining the Microsoft office in Bangalore. Madhur's dream is to become a better software developer while working full-time with experienced people. (For more trending stories from around the world, follow us on telegram.) Corporate ownership of a life insurance policy, however, has its share of advantages and drawbacks and depending on how it is managed, this form of cover can play a crucial role in helping a business move forward. Read more: Canadians to cut down on expenses in 2022, except on insurance survey How does life insurance for business owners work? Corporate-owned life insurance can be tailored to meet the different needs of a business. Policies generally fall into two categories, with each type working differently. 1. Term life insurance As the name suggests, business-owned term life insurance provides coverage for a specific period or term, typically five, 10, or 20 years. Premiums stay the same for the duration of the term and are relatively less expensive compared to those of permanent life insurance. This type of policy is often used during working years, providing financial benefits when the business owner dies. The funds can be utilized to replace lost income and cover liabilities. 2. Permanent life insurance Permanent policies offer guaranteed lifetime coverage and come in many forms, including whole, participating, and universal life insurance. Apart from financial protection, permanent life insurance provides a tax-deferred investment component which is subject to a limit and a cash value element that builds up over time and can be used as collateral if a business decides to borrow. If the policy is voluntarily terminated before maturity or death, the insurance company pays the policyholder the cash surrender value. Permanent life insurance plans often play a key part in estate planning, allowing businesses to accumulate value long-term and cover estate taxes. Read more: More than half of Canadians lack a financial plan Sun Life survey How can businesses use life insurance to their advantage? There are several instances where companies can use business-owned life insurance to their benefit. These include: 1. Funding buyout agreements A buy-sell life insurance agreement is designed to protect a business in the event a co-owner dies. In such an agreement, the death benefit is used to fund buy-sell transactions. Typically, the benefit amount depends on a relative portion of the companys value. If there are two co-owners, for example, the death benefit will be 50% of the businesss worth. The money is then given to the late owners family, while their stake goes to the surviving partner. A buyout agreement often happens when the remaining owners are not interested in having the deceaseds family stay involved in the business and the family likewise shows no interest in doing so. There are several ways a buy-sell transaction goes. These include using the proceeds to redeem shares or paying a capital dividend to fund a personal purchase of shares from the deceaseds estate. To avoid confusion and potential conflict later, the buyout process including the intended use of the life insurance benefits and the capital dividend account should be documented in the co-owner's agreement. 2. Key employee insurance This type of protection is essentially a life insurance policy that covers a vital team member and provides financial benefit to the company at the time of the employees death. It is particularly useful for small businesses that rely on specific workers for critical tasks. The payout is intended to provide monetary support as the company goes through a transition period to find and train a replacement. 3. Estate equalization Business owners can also utilize life insurance if they want to pass along a company with multiple beneficiaries to a single family member. The process, called estate equalization, allows them to bequeath the entire business to one family member while still leaving something for their other dependents. According to brokerage firm Life Insurance Canada, estate equalization operates this way: The business owner takes out a life insurance policy worth the value of the business and names the other dependent (who isnt inheriting the business) as beneficiary. If there are more children, additional life insurance policies worth the same amount can be purchased. This life insurance strategy also generates more wealth for the next generations, doubling or tripling the business owners estate value when they die. 4. Rewarding key employees Business-owned life insurance can be strategically used to improve employee experience and retain valuable workers. Companies can do this by rewarding key employees with a life insurance contract. This works with the business owners putting workers bonuses towards a permanent life insurance policy, giving them access to a death benefit and the policys cash value. Read more: 10 life insurance misconceptions What are the drawbacks of taking out corporate-owned life insurance? Taking out life insurance under a corporation exposes business owners to potential drawbacks. Limited liability partnership BDO Canada listed five risks businesses can face when investing in corporate-owned life insurance policies: Risk of capital losses eroding the amount of life insurance proceeds that can be paid out tax-free to shareholders Exposure of life insurance proceeds to creditors of the company Coordination with other post-mortem planning Permanent life insurance does not have the liquidity of marketable securities Policies may affect the companys ability to claim the lifetime capital gains exemption (LCGE) on their shares How much life insurance do business owners need? Life insurance needs of businesses can vary significantly depending on a range of factors, including the cost of replacing a key person, taxes incurred upon the death of the owner, ongoing business expenses, and outstanding loans. To work out how much coverage a company needs, the owners should get in touch with an experienced insurance professional. Developing your brand allows you to have that consistent approach to who you are, how you view your work and life, and the balance between the two, said Lisa Gentile (pictured), vice president of middle market umbrella, at Liberty Mutual. When I started in the industry in the early 90s, it was very male-dominated, as you would expect. But I never apologized for leaving at 4:30 [in the afternoon] every day because I had things that I wanted to do outside of work, she recalled. I decided that I needed to get that stake in the ground because that would define who I was in the industry and how I was known, even if that meant having to turn away or give up certain jobs that would require me to be available 24/7. Gentile, who has over 25 years of insurance expertise, is set to speak about the importance of a personal brand at the Women in Insurance conference in San Francisco. Sharing her story with Insurance Business, she said she made it a point to push back against the nine-to-five mentality throughout her career. I wanted to come into work earlier but also leave on the earlier side. That involved stepping back and having a conversation with my manager, saying, You can have confidence in me getting the job done. Women need to be somewhat unapologetic about our priorities and how work fits into that, Gentile said. But authenticity sometimes comes with sharp edges that must be softened with gentle firmness, Gentile added: Being unapologetically you is essential, obviously with tact and grace. But its important to stay true to who you are because your career is incredibly long and will take many right and left turns. Sometimes, you may be in a position where you feel like youre taking a step back. But [your brand] should always be embedded in your truth. Gentiles career has taken her through a gamut of insurance roles, from underwriting, to broking, to consulting and executive leadership. Throughout her journey, she said it had been important for her to draw work-life boundaries. But she also admitted it hadnt been an easy subject to tackle. These days, as remote work and Zoom business meetings become the norm rather than the exception, employees can often feel like the lines between work and personal time are blurring. As we became more of a global economy, we got some folks from all over the world on these phone calls. It isnt easy to get away from that. Someone somewhere is making a sacrifice. Its all about choosing the times when you feel that its essential to put that boundary in place. But then you have to show some flexibility around that at other times, Gentile advised. The insurance industry has come a long way in improving work-life balance, and Gentile said this makes those uncomfortable conversations about priorities easier for both men and women to broach. I know three or four colleagues at Liberty Mutual that recently went on paternity leave. That was unheard of when I was coming up in the ranks, she noted. Gentiles confidence about taking control of her boundaries helped her gain a sense of respect from colleagues thats now become a part of her brand. According to the insurance veteran, a brand is that package of things that folks think theyre going to get when they get you. Its important to figure out what those things are and what characteristics are important to you because they will shine through, added Gentile. Women in the insurance industry, particularly in upper management positions, are still trying to find our way. But we dont all need to come from the same cookie-cutter image [of a leader]. We can all have various attributes that give us strength as well. Want to join the discussion on personal branding and other hot-button issues in the insurance industry? Join the Women in Insurance summit in San Francisco on October 4 at the JW Marriott Union Square. The in-person conference is returning this year to unite women leaders for a day of empowerment and celebration. Find out more about the summit and how to register on sanfrancisco.ibwomenininsurance.com. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain will pay $8 million to several states over a 2019 data breach that involved some 34 million payment cards, authorities announced Tuesday. The Pennsylvania attorney generals office said Wawa Inc. did not take reasonable security measures to prevent hackers from installing malware that is thought to have collected card numbers, customer names and other data. The company said in December 2019 that its information security team discovered the malware and two days later were able to stop the breach, which affected hundreds of Wawa locations along the East Coast, from Pennsylvania to Florida. In-store payments and payments at fuel dispensers were affected but ATM machines were not. In a statement Tuesday, Wawa said it notified authorities, cooperated with investigators and has assisted those affected by the breach. From the outset, our focus has been to make this right for our customers and communities, the companys news release said. We continue to take the necessary steps to safeguard our information security systems. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Wawa has agreed to new policies to toughen its security efforts to combat data breaches. The settlement was made with attorneys general in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Pennsylvania New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The chief executive officer and president of a Taunton, Massachusetts insurance agency has pleaded guilty in connection with an embezzlement scheme that left client companies uninsured, according to state officials. Attorney General Maura Healey announced that David G. Pietro and his company, DGP-Miles Insurance Agency, of Taunton, have pleaded guilty to five felony counts of larceny by embezzlement. Following the guilty pleas, Judge Daniel OShea sentenced Pietro to two years of probation and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service and pay restitution to the victims in an amount to be determined. The judge also ordered DGP to surrender its business entity insurance license, effectively barring the company from continuing to operate as an insurance agency or producer in the industry, according to Healey. According to court documents, Pietro, a licensed insurance producer and broker, collected insurance premiums from commercial clients through DGP, but repeatedly failed to remit those premium payments to his clients insurance carriers. Instead, he used his clients money to pay for his own business and personal expenses. In total, Pietro and DGP stole $295,278 in insurance premiums from five commercial clients, mostly small businesses, officials said. Pietro was indicted by a grand jury in June, 2021. Topics Agencies Massachusetts Korea plans to provide $200,000 in humanitarian aid to the Philippines, which was struck by a deadly earthquake last week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. A 7.1-magnitude quake hit the northern Philippine island of Luzon on July 27, reportedly killing 10, injuring over 370 and displacing thousands as of Monday. The ministry said it hopes the emergency relief could help quake victims and restore the disaster-stricken region. (Yonhap) New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Marylands wage and hour law may extend beyond the time an employee spends at a prescribed workspace to include time spent getting to the work site using transportation required by the employer, Marylands highest court has decided. In a 7-0 decision, the Maryland Court of Appeals on July 14 reversed two trial court dismissals of claims by workers seeking unpaid and overtime wages under the Maryland wage and hour law. The court returned the cases to lower court for further proceedings so a jury can decide on the facts of each case. The high court found that the time (two hours per day) that construction workers spent gathering at a specified parking area and being bussed to the construction site of the MGM National Harbor resort and casino, if required by the employer, constitutes work compensable under Marylands wage and hour law. If, however, the workers were not required to report to the parking area, under Marylands law the workers would not be entitled to compensation for that time. The construction firm, DGS Construction, maintained that federal lawsthe Portal-to-Portal Act (PPA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provide that traveling to the actual place of principal employment activity is not compensable. However, the state s high court found that the issue had not been resolved under Maryland law and that the state has not implicitly adopted the federal position. What constitutes work under Maryland law is not limited to what is compensable work under the PPA and FLSA, the court said. In the two cases, workers accessed the construction site on buses supplied by the general contractor for the MGM project. The buses took them from a parking area to the construction site and back. The firm did not compensate the workers for their wait and travel time, either coming or going from the parking area. The workers were told that this was the only way they could get onsite, and that they could be fired for reporting to work any other way. The general contractor stated that it would revoke access to the MGM project site for any construction worker who violated the policy by parking a vehicle elsewhere. The contractor said it provided the parking area located approximately 2.3 miles from the MGM project construction site, and provided the buses, because there was no location to park at the MGM project site. Also the contractor and it had adopted a good neighbor policy to avoid disruptions, such as increased traffic, in the community surrounding the site. The workers contend that, in Maryland, a worksite is a location where an employer exercises control over an employees time or requires the employee to report. They assert that under Maryland law, a worksite is not limited to a place where an employee is performing a job function or principal activities of employment. Rather, a worksite under Maryland law includes a location where an employer exercises some control over an employee, they maintain. This was a tremendous victory for Maryland workers. When the boss tells workers to do something, even outside of their regular duties, they are working, and now they will get paid, said Brian Markovitz, a principal at the Joseph, Greenwald & Laake law firm who represented the workers. The court concluded that there are genuine disputes of material fact in both cases as to whether the workers were required to report to the parking area and whether in using the parking area the workers were required to be on the employers premises or on duty or at a prescribed workplace. Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Maryland Aston Lark Ireland, the insurance broker that recently became part of Howden Broking Group, announced the acquisition of Sparrow Insurances Ltd. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Sparrow Insurances has a history of success and growth across Leinster and Munster, operating out of offices in Portlaoise, Blanchardstown, Nenagh and Thurles, according to Aston Lark Ireland. Sparrow Insurances offers a full range of commercial and personal insurance products as well as life, pensions and investment products. Sparrow Insurances has established a strong brand and excellent reputation as a trusted adviser with a team of talented, experienced and highly motivated professionals, Aston Lark went on to say. Robert Kennedy, Aston Lark Ireland CEO, said the acquisition is another boost to our ambition of becoming Irelands leading independent insurance broker. With the fast-changing landscape within the broker market, Eilish [Sparrow] and I, having considered all the options, chose Aston Lark, now part of the Howden Broking Group, as the best home for our business, said Michael Sparrow, managing director of Sparrow Insurances Ltd. Most importantly, it was very clear from our discussions with Robert, that Aston Lark and Howden share the same culture and values, with integrity at the core of their business. We believe they will be the best partners for our clients and afford staff excellent career opportunities for the future, he continued. Source: Aston Lark Ireland Topics Mergers & Acquisitions A series of winter storms in Europe, record floods in Australia and South Africa as well as a high number of thunderstorms in the U.S. and Europe resulted in US$35 billion of insured losses from natural catastrophes in the first half of 2022, according to Swiss Re Institutes preliminary estimates. Man-made events triggered an additional US$3 billion in insured losses, bringing total H1 catastrophe insured losses to US$38 billion. The record-high temperatures in many parts of Europe may lead to further losses caused by droughts and wildfires. The severe weather events of the past six months once again highlight that natural catastrophes, particularly secondary perils, are increasing in frequency and severity in all regions. The effects of climate change are evident in increasingly extreme weather events, such as the unprecedented floods in Australia and South Africa, commented Martin Bertogg, head of Catastrophe Perils at Swiss Re, in a statement. This confirms the trend we have observed over the last five years, that secondary perils are driving insured losses in every corner of the world. Unlike hurricanes or earthquakes, these perils are ubiquitous and exacerbated by rapid urbanisation in particularly vulnerable areas. Given the scale of the devastation across the globe, secondary perils require the same disciplined risk assessment as primary perils such as hurricanes, he added. Europe, Australia Storms In February, a series of winter storms hit Europe and prompted estimated insured losses of US$3.5 billion, bringing this key peril back on the insurance industrys agenda, said Swiss Re. In February and March, torrential rains led to widespread flooding in Australia, which set a new record for flood losses in the country at so far close to US$3.5 billion. Swiss said this is one of the costliest natural catastrophes ever in Australia for the insurance industry and the costliest event globally for insurers in the first half of 2022. Floods in South Africa as well as in India, China and Bangladesh further confirm the growing loss potential from floods in urbanized areas globally, the reinsurer added. In the first half of 2022, severe weather including hailstorms and heavy rain hit France, so far causing an estimated 4 billion of insured market losses, based on data from the French Federation of Insurance Companies. Heatwaves Two severe summer heatwaves resulting in record-high temperatures across Europe have sparked destructive forest fires across southwest Europe. The global average temperature for June 2022 was about 0.3C higher than the 1991-2020 average, making it the third warmest June on record, Swiss Re noted. As warming climate is predicted to exacerbate droughts, the likelihood of wildfires increases, causing greater damage where rapid urban sprawl overlaps the wildland-urban interface, the report added. Climate change is one of the biggest risks our society and the global economy is facing. With 75% of all natural catastrophes still uninsured, we see large protection gaps globally exacerbated by todays cost-of-living crisis, according to Jerome Jean Haegeli, Swiss Res group chief economist. Partnering with the public sector, the insurance industry is critical for strengthening societys resilience to climate risks, by investing in and underwriting sustainable infrastructure. Global economic losses from natural and man-made catastrophe events are estimated at US$75 billion in the first half of 2022, which is below the average of the past 10 years (US$80 billion). Source: Swiss Re Institute Photograph: In this photo provided by the State Emergency Service, a home is threatened by flood water near Singleton, Australia, on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Photo credit: State Emergency Service via AP. Topics Catastrophe USA Profit Loss Flood Windstorm Swiss Re Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance announced that consumer specialists will be at Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC) to assist residents impacted by recent flooding in the St. Louis region. The specialists will be at these locations: Tuesday (August 2) 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Element Church, 100 Mall Parkway, Wentzville, MO. Wednesday (August 3) 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. John F. Kennedy Community Center, Florissant, MO. Thursday (August 4) 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Centennial Common, University City, MO. Friday (August 5) 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friendly Temple, St. Louis, MO. Saturday (August 6) 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friendly Temple, St. Louis, MO. Consumer specialists will be able to provide consumers with assistance in understanding their insurance policies and the process of filing a claim as well as company contact information. If you have questions regarding what your policy covers, we are here to assist, said Chlora Lindley-Myers, director of the department. We have trained technical experts standing by who can help review policies and assist with claims if needed. Generally, homeowners insurance does not offer protection against flood losses. Homeowners should check their policies for exclusions, such as water damage. Source: Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance Topics Flood Missouri A crash involving a wrong-way car on an interstate in northern Illinois left seven people dead Sunday, including five children, authorities said. The crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Interstate 90 in McHenry County, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Chicago. Lauren Dobosz, 31, of Rolling Meadows and five children, all in a Chevrolet full-size van, were killed, according to Illinois State Police. The children were ages 5 to 13. Jennifer Fernandez, 22, of Carpentersville, was driving an Acura TSX and also died, police said. Fernandez was driving in the wrong direction for unknown reasons before striking the van in the westbound lanes of I-90, police said, adding that both vehicles were engulfed in flames. The driver of the van, Thomas Dobosz, 32, was seriously injured. Topics Illinois New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Broker Arthur J. Gallagher filed another poaching lawsuit against Alliant Insurance Services, alleging Alliant is presently engaged in a corporate raid of Gallaghers Chicago office. According to the lawsuit filed on July 28 in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, Gallagher said eight employees abruptly resigned without notice in July and headed to Alliant. The broker said the resignations were orchestrated by Alliant as part of a scheme to steal Gallaghers clients before Gallagher could take contractually-protected steps to protect its business interests, including its client relationships and confidential information. Gallagher said the alleged raid that is currently underway is not an isolated incident, and this is by far not the first time Gallagher has accused competitor Alliant of taking employees and clients. In September 2020 Gallagher sued Alliant for poaching and has filed similar suits, all ongoing, in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas. A.J. Gallagher Alleges Alliants Poaching Playbook Has Cost It Employees, Clients Other competitors have likewise sued Alliant. The complaint said Alliant faces more than 40 lawsuits in dozens of jurisdictions from the likes of Aon, Lockton, Willis, and NFP. Alliant has stolen employees, customers, revenue, and confidential information, and it used present and former Gallagher employees to accomplish its unlawful goal, Gallagher said. Alliant has effectuated its leveraged hire strategy consistent with its past unlawful conduct directed at competitors, and Gallagher has unfortunately become a primary target. Gallagher, which is seeking a restraining order, said in the complaint that outgoing employees conspire with Alliant to act as double agents allegedly continuing to collect a paycheck from competitors while acting in the interests of Alliant until a coordinated resignation is determined. Alliant consistently disputes the reality of coordinated schemes. Yet in case after case and jurisdiction after jurisdiction, employees of its competitors resign simultaneously, violate contractual non-solicit provisions, violate contractual notice provisions, show up at an Alliant office on the same day to immediately begin their formal employment with Alliant, and proceed to misuse confidential information to solicit and thereafter service their former employers clients, Gallagher alleged. This is not coincidence. Alliant is the common thread (or as one court recently termed it, the puppet master), driving this tortious conduct across the country. Updates: Alliant Response to Gallagher Poaching Suit: Female Employees Left Due to Poor Treatment | Gallagher Calls Alliants Filing in Poaching Suit a Masterclass in Deflection Topics Lawsuits A.J. Gallagher Alliant A Baton Rouge, Louisiana roofing contractor who ignored federal safety inspectors February 2022 warnings that not complying with required fall protection standards exposed their workers to serious dangers now faces the consequences after an investigation into a workers deadly fall at a different work site two months later found the incident could have been prevented if protective devices were used. Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that Premier South Roofing LLC exposed six employees to fall hazards by failing to ensure required fall protection was used on April 2, 2022. Workers were repairing and replacing a roof when one of the roofers lost their footing, stepped on and fell about 30 feet through a skylight. The 22-year-old worker succumbed to their injuries later at a hospital. Falls continue to be the leading cause of deaths in the construction industry and yet, employers like Premier South Roofing LLC repeatedly failed to protect their workers from the risk of disabling injuries or worse, said OSHA Area Director Roderic Chube in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ensuring that workers are trained on and use proper fall protection, as required by law, can prevent tragedies such as this from recurring. On Feb. 2, 2022, an OSHA inspector observed five Premier South employees working on a roof without adequate fall protection, and initiated an inspection as part of the agencys Regional Emphasis Program for Construction. Following its April inspection, OSHA cited the company for two repeat violations for failing to provide fall protection and verify employee training. The company now faces $249,323 in proposed penalties. Based in Baton Rouge, Premier South Roofing, LLC has about 200 employees providing residential and commercial roofing services in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, North Shore and other areas of Louisiana. The company has 15 business days from receipt of 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 Louisiana Contractors New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Just two weeks after the Demotech financial rating firm set off a firestorm of controversy by warning that it could soon downgrade as many as 17 Florida property insurers then promised to hold off the firm has now downgraded three significant carriers. The actions could potentially add to the confusion and concern about the stability of the Florida insurance market and Demotechs long-term role in it. The announcements also raised questions about whether the three downgrades are part of the 17 that the rating firm signaled were on the way. Demotech President Joe Petrelli could not be reached for comment Monday. The financial stability rating change for United Property & Casualty Insurance Co., from A Exceptional to M Moderate, may come as little surprise. The insurer stopped writing in Florida in January and has undergone significant reorganization in recent months. But Demotech also said the rating for Weston Property & Casualty Insurance Co. had been withdrawn. Until this week, the 11-year-old company, based in Coral Gables, had enjoyed an A exceptional stability rating. Weston reported having 19,655 policies in force at the end of June. UPC does not report its policy numbers. UPC and Weston officials could not be reached for comment Monday. Demotech late Monday also announced that FedNat Insurance Co.s stability rating had been withdrawn as of Aug. 1. The withdrawal came three months after Demotech downgraded FedNat from an A rating to an S Substantial. The carrier, facing heavy losses in the last two years, is under a restructuring plan required by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Rating withdrawals have historically preceded insolvencies or rehabilitation for struggling carriers. The M rating may not be as severe, but it is not generally accepted by federal home loan buyers, known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That means the lesser mark could wreak havoc with policyholders who have mortgages and are insured by United. After Demotechs mid-July letter to the 17 carriers, warning of the potential downgrades, Florida regulators reacted with outrage and sprang into action. Last week, they devised a plan to allow Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-created insurer of last resort and now practically the largest property insurer in the state, to act as a reinsurer for carriers that become insolvent. The novel cut-through endorsement idea would, at least temporarily, help solve the Fannie and Freddie issue, the OIR said last week, obviating the need for Demotech ratings. The corporations allow an exception to ratings if carriers claims are fully backed in case of financial troubles. After the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association pays its statutory limit on claims for a defunct carrier, Citizens would pay the rest, according to the plan. The president of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, which blasted Demotech in a blog post last week, could not be reached for comment this week about the latest ratings reports. FAIA and others in the industry have questioned if Demotech has outlived its usefulness in Florida. And regardless of whether the Citizens cut-through plan works out for the long term, some have asked if other financial rating firms cant take on the task of measuring the strength and stability of more Florida carriers. To help answer that, the Insurance Journal interviewed officials with the AM Best rating firm and with the Kroll Bond Rating Agency, both of which rate a number of Florida insurers. Both firms said they would welcome the opportunity to review more insurers in the Sunshine State: All carriers have to do is ask. The companies come to us and request a rating. Thats how the conversation starts, said Jeff Mango, managing director at AM Best since 2004. When we are engaged to do a rating, it gets turned over to the local team and the team has initial meetings with the companies. Peter Giacone, head of insurance ratings for KBRA, said the same: We already rate several carriers in the Florida market and there is no reason we couldnt rate more of them if they come to us and request that we do so. It may not be as simple as asking and receiving, though. Mango said his organization, which rates about 3,500 insurers around the world and 13 that are domiciled in Florida, performs a deep dive on insurers finances, looking at the risk of major losses, premiums versus capital ratios, surplus levels, and more. He was asked why AM Best doesnt already rate more Florida companies. We get that question a lot, he said. If you look at the population that is not rated by us, they tend to have more very high-leveraged premium. I think other agencies may have different standards than what we do. KBRA, in the Florida market since 2017 and which rates seven Florida insurers, said as much. KBRAs insurance rating methodology is different from other agencies and employs rigorous quantitative analysis, robust stress testing and a detailed overlay of qualitative factors, Giacone said in an email. KBRA does not use a proprietary capital model but follows a more holistic, transparent, and interactive process, Giacone said. Our ratings are forward-looking and account for differences in individual company risk profiles, business strategies, capital structures and operating environment. This leads to ratings which we believe are more accurate and stable over time. He added: In order to best serve the markets and those who rely on credit ratings, KBRA rates to credit fundamentals, NOT headlines. Demotechs Petrelli has pointed out that his firm was one of the only ones that stepped up in Florida in the 1990s, after Hurricane Andrew drove some insurers into insolvency and scared some major carriers away from the state. Why did no one else step forward in 1996 when contacted by the state of Florida to review take-out carriers? Petrelli said. They should be asked. He has said Demotech, too, puts companies finances under the microscope. Some insurance industry professionals have praised the firm for doing its job and for shining a light on the fact that many carriers in Floridas distressed market are in deep trouble. Others have said that Demotechs recent letter to carriers lumped healthy insurers with those in dire straits, and that the firm has not adhered to its own standards and methodology. So, its not crystal clear, technically speaking, how AM Best and KBRAs methodologies differ from Demotechs, or if Florida insurers would fare any better under the firms scrutiny. AM Best has a 95-page book explaining its methodology. A condensed version is here. If AM Best were asked to review more property insurers in Florida, it could take a minimum of eight weeks before a rating is published, Mango said. It really depends on the company, Mango said. The reason why it stretches out sometimes is that a company may not be ready to pull all the information together. It may be sidetracked with other priorities. A common belief is that AM Best rates only the largest insurers, and some of those have eschewed the Florida market for years. But Mango said thats something of a myth. If the question is, Does AM Best only rate companies that are $50 million in surplus or higher, the answer is no. Theres no minimum, he said. We look at each company. They could have a small capital base or equity base, but if they write premium and have constraints in place and they underwrite prudently and dont write an exorbitant amount of premium on their books, and have to rely on reinsurance carriers to step in, then, as long as the have the capital base and match it with a prudent premium base, then we can rate those companies. The question of who rates whom may end up being a moot one. Some in the industry have suggested that with Citizens providing the backstop for teetering insurers, the Fannie and Freddie problem is solved. Otherwise, the ratings are not needed. The Citizens cut-through endorsement could also have a positive impact on carriers strength ratings, perhaps solving the problem that way, at least for some companies. My initial thought is that prior to assigning any level of FSR (financial stability rating), we would want to view the reinsurance cut-through endorsement, Petrelli said in an email. Second, although Citizens is a government-backed agency, we would also need to do a review of its ability to be a reinsurance company. Topics Florida AM Best GEICO is closing all of its offices in California, according to reports. The company shut down all of its 38 offices in the state and hundreds of GEICO workers are being laid off, the news website SFGate is reporting. We continue to write policies in California, and we remain available through our direct channels for the more than 2.18 million California customers presently insured with us, GEICO stated in a Sacramento Bee article. Chevy Chase, Maryland-based GEICO is private subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the nations biggest auto insurers. GEICO reported a 63% drop in pretax underwriting income in 2021. Fitch Ratings said in its U.S. Personal Lines Market Update that private passenger auto joined homeowners in unprofitable territory last year, however analysts also said that GEICO and Progressive will overtake State Farm on the personal auto leaderboard in terms of premium volume in 2023. A GEICO spokesperson has been reached out to for comment. Related: Topics California Authorities said two bodies were found inside a burned vehicle in the path of a raging Northern California wildfire that is one of several major blazes burning across the U.S. West amid hot, dry, gusty conditions. The McKinney Fire exploded in size to more than 82 square miles after erupting Friday in a largely unpopulated area in the Klamath National Forest just south of the Oregon state line, according to a Sunday night incident report. It is Californias largest wildfire of the year so far. Two bodies were found Sunday inside the charred vehicle located in a residential driveway near the remote community of Klamath River, California, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement Monday. The victims were not immediately identified. Flames torched trees along State Route 96 and raced through hillsides in sight of homes on Sunday. The blaze cast an eerie, orange-brown hue, in one neighborhood where a brick chimney stood surrounded by rubble and scorched vehicles. Crews on the ground worked to keep the fire from moving east into the town of Yreka, home to 7,500 people. A second, smaller fire just to the west that was sparked by dry lightning Saturday threatened the tiny town of Seiad. About 400 structures were under threat from the two California fires. Authorities have not confirmed the extent of the damage yet, saying assessments would begin when it was safe to reach the area. A third fire, which was on the southwest end of the McKinney blaze, prompted evacuation orders for around 500 homes Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokesperson with the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office. The office said crews had been on the scene of the fire since late Saturday but by the following morning it became active and escaped its containment line. Several people in the sheriffs office have been affected by evacuation orders due to the fires and theyre still showing up to work so, (a) very dedicated crew, she said. A deputy lost his childhood home to fire on Friday, she said. Thunderstorms that brought barrages of lightning and threatened to spark new fires in dry fuel beds in Northern California were expected to move out starting Monday, forecasters said. In northwest Montana, a fire sparked in grasslands near the town of Elmo had grown to about 17 square miles Sunday after advancing into forest. Crews worked along edges of the fire, and aircraft were expected to continue to make water and retardant drops to help slow the fires advance, said Sara Rouse, a spokesperson with the interagency team assigned to the fire. High temperatures and erratic winds were expected, she said. A section of Highway 28 between Hot Springs and Elmo that had been closed was reopened with drivers asked to watch for fire and emergency personnel. Visibility in the area was poor, Rouse said. In Idaho, the Moose Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest has burned on more than 75 square miles (196 square km) in timbered land near the town of Salmon. It was 21% contained by Sunday. Pila Malolo, planning operations section chief on the fire, said in a Facebook video update that hot, dry conditions were expected to persist Sunday. Officials said they expected fire growth in steep, rugged country on the fires south side. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the McKinney Fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access federal aid. California law enforcement knocked on doors in the towns of Yreka and Fort Jones to urge residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock onto trailers. Automated calls were being sent to land phone lines as well because there were areas without cell phone service. Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to get to the nearest town while the U.S. Forest Service closed a 110-mile section of the trail from the Etna Summit to the Mt. Ashland Campground in southern Oregon. In Hawaii, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency said a brush fire was 90% contained but a red flag warning was in effect for much of Sunday. And in north Texas, firefighters continued in their effort to contain the 2-week-old, 10 1/2-square-mile Chalk Mountain Fire. The crews now report 83% containment of the fire that has destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. No injuries have been reported. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Auto Wildfire Korea's industry minister on Tuesday asked for Vietnam's support to ensure that Korean companies can participate in gas-fueled power plant projects in the Southeast Asian country, his office said. Lee Chang-yang, minister of trade, industry and energy, made the request during a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Hong Dien, who is in Seoul for a four-day visit as part of an 18-member delegation. Under a long-term national power plan, the Vietnamese government is pushing for gas-fired power plant projects as part of efforts to achieve a net-zero goal by 2050 and to improve its energy self-sufficiency. Lee also stressed the need to expand bilateral trade and investment and to boost cooperation on supply chains to better respond to fast-changing international trade circumstances. "The two sides agreed to strengthen ties in terms of regional trade and the establishment of a new trade order through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)," the ministry said in a release. The mega trade pact of the RCEP has 15 members, including Korea, China, Japan and the 10 ASEAN nations. Korea and Vietnam also participated in the U.S.-led IPEF, which involves 14 nations. Vietnam is Korea's No. 1 trading partner among the ASEAN nations, with the bilateral trade volume standing at $80.7 billion in 2021, Korea's government data showed. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. (Yonhap) This year sees the return of in-person events for National Heritage Week, happening all around the country from August 13 to 21. Having received such a great reaction to online events during lockdown restrictions over the past two years, the organisers have decided to continue to cater for this new appetite for digital projects, online talks and exhibitions, which is excellent news. Here are just some of the Biodiversity events you can take part in: Douglas Biodiversity Walk (August 13, noon-1.30pm) Take a guided walk with ecologist Karen Loxton from Wild Work, who worked on the development of the Douglas Biodiversity Action Plan. Karen will introduce the biodiversity on our doorstep and explain what you can do to protect it. Meet outside Douglas Community Centre, Church Road, Douglas. info@douglastidytowns.ie Biodiversity Walk on the slopes of Mount Errigal (August 17, 6-7.30pm) Errigal Mountain, in County Donegal, is a nationally important site for biodiversity it contains many rare and threatened bird species as well as numerous upland habitat types listed under Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. This walk will be led by Dr Florence Renou-Wilson, who has more than 20 years experience of peatlands ecology. Booking is essential. Launch of the Mountmellick Swift Project (August 18, 3-4pm) A talk on swifts from Ricky Whelan of BirdWatch Ireland and a presentation on the planned public mural from Creative Ireland Laois. Mountmellick Library, O'Moore Street, Mountmellick, County Laois. Bat Talk and Walk (August 18, 7.30-9pm) An amusing, yet informative, talk especially for children and their parents which then moves on out into the woods near Dromoland Castle to find the bats. Organised by Clare Association of An Taisce. Venue: The Inn at Dromoland, Co. Clare. Email: clare.antaisce@gmail.com Photography at Killaun Bog with Tina Claffey (August 20, 6-8pm) Join photographer Tina Claffey at Killaun Bog for an introduction to the beautiful world of her macro photography Entrance at Syngefield Industrial Estate, Kinnitty Road, Birr, County Offaly. Tina Claffey, author of the beautiful photography book Portal, has gained much of her inspiration at Killaun Bog. She will lead a walk for a small number of photographers who would like to explore this site through Tina's macro-lens perspective. Places very limited. Booking essential with kgray@offalycoco.ie or heritage@offalycoco.ie The Ellen Hutchins Festival also takes place throughout Heritage Week This festival was inspired by the life of Irelands first female Botanist, Ellen Hutchins, who was born in Ballylickey in 1785, and celebrates botany, botanical art and the beauty of Bantry Bay. There will be guided nature walks, botanical art workshops and poetry, a seaweed event, talks on trees, living history events, archives to see, self-guided trails and traditional craft and art demonstrations. Coastal Wildflowers along the O'Sullivan Mile: Trafask to Faha (August 21, 10am-12.30pm) Coastal Wildflowers along the OSullivan Mile (Trafask to Faha) will be led by the excellent guide and NPWS conservation ranger Clare Heardman. Ellen Hutchins Festival This one is led by the excellent guide and NPWS Conservation Ranger Clare Heardman. Starting and finishing at Trafrask, this gentle walk will explore the special plants that can survive in a salt-splashed environment. Advance booking essential. Email: botanistellen@gmail.com Tel. 087-6781613 Water Heritage Day celebrations on Sunday, August 21 The aim of this day is to celebrate our seas, as well as our great rivers, lakes and wetlands throughout Ireland, and our connections, cultural heritage and history around Irish waters. It also gives an opportunity to reflect on the importance of water and water quality to our daily lives and consider what more we can do to conserve this valuable resource. Events include river walks, boat tours, marine biodiversity talks and childrens workshops. For example, the Ellen Hutchins Festival is offering an opportunity to kayak Adrigole Harbour and explore its ecology with marine biologist Niall McAllister of Wild Atlantic Wildlife. Niall will be discussing everything from seals to seaweed, and the importance of the local marine environment. 2-4pm. Advance Booking Required. Email: botanistellen@gmail.com Tel. 087-6781613 Live display of the aquatic invasive species in the River Shannon (August 20, 10am-5pm) Coosan Point, Lough Ree, Athlone, County Westmeath. An informative display of some of our invasive alien species that are threatening the ecology and native species of the River Shannon. A live display will be presented on the banks of Lough Ree by researchers who are monitoring and surveying the Shannon. Email: janrobert.baars@ucd.ie heritageweek.ie Patients considering waiving their right to public healthcare in hospital should not do so until sitting in a private bed, a leading health insurance expert has advised. All patients are entitled to free public care, but legislation allows hospitals to charge patients with health insurance as private patients. This was the subject of a High Court judgement in July outlining details of a previous decision which said patients can only be charged if they agree to this. Hospitals usually seek agreement by asking patients to sign a waiver form. The High Court said patients should also be told about consequences that flow from opting for private care. Dermot Goode, founder of TotalHealthCare, said there is a mistaken belief people with health insurance must sign. We will say to people even if they (the hospital) say to you will get a private room, dont sign the form until you are in the private room, and in the bed, he said. Lots of people have signed those forms, expecting to get the private room and it never materialises. We advise all of our customers you dont have to sign the form. The judgement indicates if a private room cannot be found and the person is treated on a shared ward, the charge still applies. I always say to all of our clients, if somebody approaches you in a hospital and asks you to sign that form, your response should be no problem at all, what changes for me if I sign that form?, he said. Changes should include a private bed, and consultant-led care, he said, adding: "Nine times out of ten the answer will be that nothing is going to change, there are no private rooms. Risks He also warned of risks for people who are new members of an insurance scheme. If you are a new member, and there is a risk you are being admitted for a pre-existing condition, then there is a risk your claim may not be paid by the insurance company, he said. You need to make sure you know exactly where you stand. This is nothing to do with the HSE, its could be just somebody who has not been insured long enough. The HSE told the courts of a 170m potential exposure to loss since the disputed waiver form started being used. Private patients are charged between 813 and 1,000 per night compared to 80 per night for public. Single approach Patient advocate Stephen McMahon also urged caution. Certainly the Irish Patients Association would like to see the protocol and guidelines for obtaining consent from patients, he said. You have to have a single approach everywhere, and you cant have people feeling they are being coerced into one route or the other route. He said patients having emergency treatment may find decision-making stressful. Ive had anecdotal reports of people being asked to sign this waiver in the Emergency department, going out the ED door or bring approached there, he said. They were very vulnerable and sick. People have said to me in the past Ill sign it because it will make a few bob for the HSE rather than feeling like a burden. The judgement also clarified it was the patient and not the insurer who is charged though insurers have direct settlement arrangements with most hospitals. Northern Irelands political leaders will return to Stormont later for a special sitting to deliver tributes to Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble. MLAs will also observe a minutes silence and sign a book of condolence in memory of one of the key architects of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement which ended decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. David Trimble died last week at the age of 77 following an illness. The former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party was jointly awarded the Nobel prize with late SDLP leader John Hume in recognition of their efforts to stop the bloodshed and establish a powersharing system of devolved governance in the region. Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets Lady Daphne Trimble after the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble on Monday (Liam McBurney/PA) He then served as Northern Irelands inaugural first minister. The Stormont institutions are currently in limbo, with the DUP blocking the creation of a powersharing administration in protest at Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President Michael D Higgins were among the mourners who gathered at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church in Lisburn, Co Antrim, on Monday for the funeral of Lord Trimble. Rev Dr Charles McMullen appealed at the funeral service for politicians to use the occasion as inspiration to redouble their efforts to resolve their differences over the protocol. Former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Charles McMullen appealed for politicians to resolve their differences at the funeral of Lord Trimble (Liam McBurney/PA) He said: Can we use this service today, in a fitting tribute to one of the great, to redouble our efforts on this island home of ours? With courage, pragmatism and generosity of spirit, may our politicians engage wholeheartedly in resolving the outstanding issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, so that our democratic institutions are quickly restored and we can all move forward together. A recall of the Assembly to attempt to elect a new Speaker was postponed last week following the death of Mr Trimble. The recall session will now take place on Wednesday. The radical redevelopment of Cork's South Docks has passed the first stage of the planning process. Cork City Council has given the go-ahead for the first phase of development, under O'Callaghan Properties (OCP) branded South Docks development banner. The development is valued at 350m, on a 4.1-acre plot on the city's Kennedy Quay. The ambitious first phase includes a 122,000sq ft 130-bed rehabilitation hospital to be owned by French health and nursing home operators Orpea; 450,000sq ft of offices; two apartment blocks of about 80 units each, one for the rental sector, the other for owner-occupiers. This phase of the South Docks project has the potential to create approximately 5,000 new jobs when fully developed. OCP is also planning to lodge an application shortly for 1,300 apartments on the adjoining Gouldings site in South Docks, under the Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) process. The South Docks scheme envisages demolition of the early 1900s-built concrete R&H Hall grain silos which the company says are not adaptable to new purposes. In tandem with the planned relocation of port operations to Cork's lower harbour the South Docks redevelopment is set to further redefine Cork's docklands which have already seen extensive redevelopment in recent years on the River Lee's north bank close to Kent Station. The South Docks plans include the repurposing of the iconic red-brick Odlums building on Kennedy Quay, dating to the 1890s and extended upwards in the 1930s. Planners in City Hall last week granted approval for the South Docks' initial plan, however, the decision could be subject to an appeal to An Bord Pleanala. The council imposed 49 conditions including requirements to adequately mark the former grain silos such as artwork that will demonstrate the original use of the structure. Development contributions of 5.6m must also be paid to the council. The South Docks plans include the repurposing of the iconic red-brick Odlums building on Kennedy Quay, dating to the 1890s and extended upwards in the 1930s. "OCallaghan Properties very much welcomes the decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission for what will be a transformative re-vitalisation of Cork citys South Docks area," Brian OCallaghan, Managing Director of OCP said. "The Councils decision is a really positive confirmation of our projects potential to create a major driver of economic activity and employment in Cork city centre and a cultural and tourist landmark for years to come. The project will be a key enabler to achieve the objectives set out in key national and local strategic policies such as Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan and the current and proposed City Development Plan. "This is very good news for Cork but there is a lot of detail in the permissions to be worked through at this point. We will be starting that work with our consultants immediately with a view to starting on site as quickly as possible," Mr O'Callaghan said. Conor Healy, the Cork Chamber CEO, said the regeneration of the docklands has been much anticipated, and they are pleased that this transformative project is progressing. The significance of delivering this project and the opportunities for it to drive economic growth have been long recognised, he said. The ambition and vision of OCallaghan Properties in acting upon and working to deliver this project is to be commended. The South Docks pose the opportunity to contribute to a diverse and vibrant residential and business community. As housing supply is at critical levels, viability, affordability and a constructive process for developments are key to ensuring housing and infrastructure plans already in the making are delivered at pace. The redevelopment of Cork's South Docks will have a major impact on the region's economic development and represent the latest stage in the transformation of the city's docks. While proposals for significant development in the dockland areas have been mooted for decades, it is only in the past 20 years that new developments have progressed. Office and hotel developments such as Lapp's Quay and One Albert Quay replaced port-related infrastructures such as coal yards and warehouses. The Elysian apartment complex, for a time Ireland's tallest building, replaced the former An Post sorting office. OCP began their entry to the Docklands with the 2019-completed One Navigation Square and the 2020-completed Two Navigation Square. Work is also likely to proceed on a third element of this development. Developers JCD say they are also at detailed design, costing, and tendering phase for their office development on the site of the former Sextant pub with the project likely to commence construction early next year. The North Docks in Cork have been similarly redrawn. As reported in the Irish Examiner in June, the Penrose Dock development from JCD defied any fears of a post-pandemic slump in demand for office space. The 250,000 sq ft development is now fully let. It is located close to Kent Station and near the HQ development facing Horgan's Quay where Apple has taken further city-centre offices. Construction is also well underway on the adjacent No 2 Horgan's Quay through a joint venture between Bam and Clarendon. The partnership also developed The Dean hotel which opened in 2020. Burma Executed Activist's Wife Requests World to Stop More Myanmar Junta Hangings Executed democracy activist Ko Jimmy. / Ma Nilar Thein's Facebook Ma Nilar Thein, the wife of executed pro-democracy activist Ko Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, has asked the international community to stop more junta hangings in Myanmar. Following the juntas executions of four democracy activists, including the prominent 88 Generation Students leader, the remaining 77 political prisoners on death row are at risk. The juntas spokesman said the regime will execute more prisoners. Ma Nilar Thein urged all other governments and international organizations to take more effective action against the junta. I dont want to see any similar cases like my husbands, the widow said. Ma Nilar Thein, another 88 Generation Student leader, is in hiding for her anti-junta activism. She has a teenage daughter. The junta also hanged former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw and activists Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw in late July less than two months after regime leader Min Aung Hlaing ordered the executions. They were the first executions of prisoners since the 1970s. Their trials were heard by closed military tribunals. Shortly before the executions, three of their families were allowed to have video meetings lasting about 20 minutes with the prisoners but no one was warned about the executions. The junta refused to return their bodies or give any details on the executions. Ma Nilar Theins statement said the junta was guilty of murder and war crimes. Unjust executions insult all of us, including diplomatic missions and ASEAN human rights organizations pressuring the State Administrative Council not to carry them out, she wrote. The National Unity Governments (NUG) foreign minister Daw Zin Mar Aung asked the world at the weekend to act against the junta instead of legitimizing it or issuing ineffective statements of regret, to stop more civilian deaths. We appreciate the statements of condemnation after the execution of our friends but without practical action, they are hollow words. Effective, decisive, united collective action is needed immediately, she said. Daw Zin Mar Aung called on the United Nations Security Council to send troops and weapons using the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle, for UN member states and the international community to cut junta revenue streams, suspend all its international representation and recognize the NUG as the official government. Burma Myanmar Militarys Proxy Party Involved in Pro-Execution Rallies Pro-execution rally on July 29 in Yangon. The Myanmar juntas proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was involved in organizing pro-execution rallies held last week in Yangon and Mandalay. The rallies came as the executions of four pro-democracy activists in late July sparked condemnation around the world. Although the USDP has not expressed official support for the hangings, over 1,800 USDP members, including lawmakers, as well as USDP supporters have reportedly been killed by anti-regime forces since the 2021 coup. The USDP, too, has many former members of the Myanmar military in leadership roles. Notorious nationalist U Hla Swe, a former army lieutenant colonel, was one of the lead organizers of a pro-execution demonstration that took place near City Hall in downtown Yangon on July 29. Junta soldiers provided security for the rally. U Hla Swe represented the USDP in the Upper House from 2011 to 2015 under the U Thein Sein administration. He also organized pro-military rallies under the now ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government and was charged with sedition then. Last Fridays demonstration was joined by pro-regime mobs, USDP members and Buddhist nationalists, including some monks holding posters accusing executed pro-democracy activists Ko Jimmy and former NLD lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw of being terrorists. U Hla Swe and other nationalists delivered speeches filled with criticisms and curses of the civilian National Unity Government and its armed wing, the Peoples Defense Forces. Another pro-execution rally was staged in Mandalay the following day. Junta-controlled media covered both rallies extensively. A few days prior to the rallies, pro-regime mobs attacked the Yangon homes of Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, throwing stones at their houses and denouncing the pair while trying to intimidate their grieving relatives. Sources confirmed that people who were present at the pro-execution rally in Yangon were among the thugs that stoned the houses of the two men. The USDP and extreme nationalists have long experience in staging pro-military rallies for propaganda purposes. The military regimes current immigration and population minister U Khin Yi, who is also a USDP vice-chair, organized rallies targeting the Union Election Commission after the commission declared the NLD the winner of the 2020 general election. Similar rallies were organized in Naypyitaw by former defense minister Lieutenant General Wai Lwin, who is also the chairman of the Naypyitaw USDP branch, according to The Second Democratic Government and Myanmar, a book written by U Soe Thane, a USDP lawmaker who served as the Presidents Office Minister in the U Thein Sein administration. Junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is hoping that the USDP will help him achieve his dream of becoming president. With the Myanmar military guaranteed 25 per cent of all seats in the national legislature under the army-drafted 2008 constitution, the coup leader is hoping that the USDP can win at least 26 per cent of parliamentary seats in the election planned for next year, so enabling him to become president. Burma Who are Executed Hlaing Tharyar Activists? Ko Aung Thura Zaw (left), Ko Hla Myo Aung. / The Irrawaddy Daw Myint Myint San has been weeping tears of sadness and bitterness. Her son Ko Aung Thura Zaw was executed by the military regime in late July along with three other anti-coup activists. Now his mother feels an unbearable pain in her heart whenever the thought comes into her mind that she will never see her eldest son again. Ko Aung Thura Zaw was not a politician, and neither was he a criminal or a terrorist as the junta has alleged. He ran a steel workshop in Yangons Hlaing Tharyar Township and was just an ordinary family man who felt the call of duty to join the Spring Revolution. He was a helpful man and tolerant of anyone. He properly supported the family and was the eldest son on whom I relied. So I am overcome with inconsolable grief, said Daw Myint Myint San. Her son was just 27 when he was hanged at Yangons Insein Prison. When he was arrested in March 2021, his wife was two months pregnant. Ko Aung Thura would never see his child. The regime refused to return his body and did not even let his mother see him for the last time. When I asked them [prison authorities] to allow me to see his body, they told me that the funeral happened immediately after the execution, said Daw Myint Myint San. Nor did the junta reveal exactly when Ko Aung Thura Zaw was hanged. His relatives were told that the executions were carried out on either July 23 or 24, meaning that the family were unsure when to perform the traditional Buddhist funeral rites, which should be held on the seventh day after death. Ko Hla Myo Aung, another of the executed activists, was also from Hlaing Tharyar Township. Like Ko Aung Thura Zaw, he was also portrayed by the regime as a murderer, robber and terrorist. Some 26 people were arrested and tried at a military tribunal for killing an alleged military informant in Hlaing Tharyar in March last year. Only two of them Ko Aung Thura Zaw and Ko Hla Myo Aung were sentenced to death on April 12 last year. But as it had been over three decades since the last execution in Myanmar, people assumed that the two would not be hanged. But on July 25, junta-controlled newspapers announced that the two men had been executed along with veteran pro-democracy activist Ko Jimmy and former National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw. Family members were denied access to Ko Hla Myo Aungs body. Nor were any of his relatives able to see him before his execution. His wife is serving a three year sentence for incitement in Kyaikmaraw Prison in southern Myanmars Mon State and, alone out of the four condemned men, Ko Hla Myo Aung didnt get to see his family before he was executed. His father-in-law heard the news of the other men on death row being allowed to see their relatives and was waiting for a call to see Ko Hla Myo Aung, only to learn two days later that he had been hanged. As devoted NLD supporters, Ko Hla Myo Aung and his wife drove most days from their home in Hlaing Tharyar to join anti-coup protests in Hledan and Myaynigone. The couple went into hiding after their names became known to the junta. Then, the regime held Ko Hla Myo Aungs parents-in-law and a teenage nephew hostage at Hlaing Tharyar police station for almost a month before the couple were arrested. In April, the family met in the cells at Hlaing Tharyar police station. It was to be their last meeting. In Yangon, Hlaing Tharyar is known as an industrial suburb that is home to squatters and factory workers, low-income families who struggle daily to make ends meet and have no time to keep up with political affairs. But when the Myanmar military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021, the residents of Hlaing Tharyar came out onto the streets to show their opposition to the military takeover. As anti-coup demonstrations gathered momentum in Hlaing Tharyar, the military sent several truckloads of soldiers to crush the protests there on March 14. On that bloody Sunday, at least 22 people were killed by the military in a brutal crackdown. It is believed that the real number of those killed is higher, as the regime disposed of some bodies and some funerals were held quietly due to pressure from the junta. On March 15, the regime declared martial law in Hlaing Tharyar and began to arrest residents on various charges. Ko Aung Thura Zaw and Ko Hla Myo Aung were among the people arbitrarily detained. Ko Hla Myo Aung, a short and plump man with a round face, was affectionately nicknamed big pig by his neighbors. The 41-year-old was known as a kind man who actively engaged in social welfare and charitable works in his community. Before the coup, he lived a normal, simple life running a roadside eatery in Hlaing Tharyar. Most residents of Hlaing Tharyar are migrants from other parts of Myanmar, especially Ayeyarwady Region. Ko Aung Thura Zaw was one of them. He left his native Bogale Township in Ayeyarwady to work in Yangon after he failed the matriculation examination. He settled in Hlaing Tharyar and his mother and two siblings later moved there to live with him. His death is a big loss for our family. But I take great pride in it and I respect him, said his mother. Burma Myanmar Pipeline Leak Disrupts Gas Delivery to Thailand The Zawtika onshore natural gas pipelines operation center in Dawei / Supplied Onshore natural gas delivery from Myanmar to Thailand has been suspended after a leak in the pipeline was discovered in Dawei on the Myanmar side on Monday. Thailands PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP), which jointly drills and delivers gas under the project, confirmed the leakage and temporary suspension in a statement. The preliminary investigation found no trace of explosion or fire, it said, addressing initial concerns that the leak may have been caused by an attack by anti-regime resistance groups active in the area. The natural gas drilled at the offshore Zawtika Project in the Gulf of Mottama in Myanmar is channelled to the Zawtika Operation Center (ZOC) in Kanpauk Township in Dawei, Tanintharyi Region in Myanmars deep south. The offshore project is jointly developed by Thailands PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Ltd (PTTEP) and Myanmar state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). A production-sharing contract was signed in 2003 and gas was discovered in 2007. Under that contract, around 70 percent of the natural gas channelled to ZOC is rerouted to Kanchanaburi, Thailand, for electricity. The remaining gas is converted into electricity for domestic consumption. Local residents said the pipeline leakage happened in an area between Michaung Laung Village and Eainna Yarzar Village near Kaleinaung town in Dawei at 3 a.m. on Monday. They also said the Myanmar militarys No. 285 Light Infantry is stationed in the area to provide security along the pipeline. A spokesperson from the local resistance group in Kanpauk, the Kanpauk Defense Force, told The Irrawaddy that it didnt attack the pipeline. There are regime forces along the pipeline. We have nothing to do with the leak, he said. The pipeline repairs will take two weeks, according to the company. After U.S. firm Chevron and French firm TotalEnergies withdrew from the Yadana gas field under international pressure from human rights groups to cut financial ties with the Myanmar junta in January 2022, PTTEP decided to take over the running of the vital gas field. Burma Over 1,400 Myanmar Troops, 150 Resistance Fighters Killed in Kayah Since Coup KNDF troops More than 1,400 Myanmar junta soldiers and almost 150 resistance fighters were killed during clashes in Kayah State over the past 14 months since last years military coup. Armed resistance against military rule in the state began in late May last year while regime forces were conducting lethal crackdowns on peaceful anti-regime demonstrations across the country. Since then, intense firefights, heavy air strikes and bombardments have been reported in the state nearly every day. Currently, the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces (KNDF); the Karenni Armywhich is the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Partyand many Peoples Defense Force groups are fighting against regime forces in the state and in neighboring townships in southern Shan State. The Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF), an ethnic rights group that documents human rights violations and incidents in the state, said on Monday that 1,451 regime troops and 147 resistance fighters were killed in a total of 393 clashes through July 31. During the clashes, the junta conducted 157 air strikes on both resistance forces and civilian areas. The PKPF said 255 civilians were killed during the incidents along with 38 internally displaced persons. Meanwhile, 260 civilians have been detained by regime forces. A total of 1,133 houses and 23 religious buildings were also destroyed in regime forces indiscriminate attacks and arson attacks. As of May 31, 153,600 people out of an estimated total population of 300,000 in Kayah State had been forced to flee their homes due to the conflict, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, a think tank. The resistance group KNDF said on Monday that a total of 48 clashes with regime forces broke out in the state in July alone, killing 88 junta soldiers and two resistance members. In the shootouts, the military regime conducted 21 air strikes against resistance forces. Regime forces also looted 60 million kyats (US$32,500) in cash and stole a civilian vehicle while torching a house, two vehicles and three motorbikes. During the clashes, resistance forces managed to seize 21 military weapons and some ammunition, the KNDF claimed. The Myanmar junta faces increasingly intense attacks and ambushes from PDFs and ethnic armed organizations across the country nearly every day. Burma Resistance Fighters Seized in Myanmar Junta Safe House Raid Junta soldiers and police carry out checks in Mandalay. / CJ Myanmar junta troops raided a resistance safe house and detained around 10 fighters in Aungmyaythazan Township, Mandalay, on Monday. The Myanmar Return Ranger Force (MRRF) leader and members of other groups were seized, according to revolutionary sources. Bo Phoenix, a leader of a Mandalay group, said: Their phones were seized and the regime has taken control of their apps. We alerted those who had contact with them. I think the house was raided because the regime noticed that only men were living there. The MRRF and two other groups have attacked the military-owned Myawaddy Bank, Kanbawza Bank, which is owned by pro-junta crony U Aung Ko Win, administrative offices, and other junta-linked targets since April in Mandalay. The identities of the detainees, their organizations and where they were taken are unknown, said resistance groups. On Monday, junta soldiers detained a young man from a filling station in Mandalay. They later sent him back to the filling station, saying that they arrested the wrong person and detained one of his colleagues. In early July, resistance fighters from DRM Rangers Mandalay were arrested during a raid on a safe house. The regime has stepped up security checks and arrests of young people since early July, according to residents and resistance groups. More than 80 resistance fighters and civilians have been detained so far. The regime is targeting protest leaders and urban resistance fighters. But it has also detained those who have nothing to do with the revolution who are prosecuted with trumped-up charges, said Bo Phoenix. Junta soldiers, police and armed men in civilian clothes are carrying out security checks on roads, using private cars and vehicles from charities and monasteries. The regime has also been checking houses for overnight guests as it hunts for protest leaders and resistance fighters. Troops surround areas before knocking on doors to prevent suspects escaping, said resistance fighters. Arrests have significantly increased. Some resistance fighters have been arrested without their comrades knowledge. Searching houses for overnight guests has also increased, said a Mandalay Peoples Rescue member. A man was detained in Maha Aungmyay Township on July 27 and raids followed that day and his comrades were detained. The following day, five people, including three members of a family, were detained. The same day, witnesses saw a young man pointing out houses at gunpoint. Bo Ye Kaung from Shwebo Peoples Defense Force said: Soldiers shoot to kill us in raids although they could capture us alive. Some die in interrogation. Some are held in solitary confinement. On July 29, U Aung Naing Soe, the National League for Democracy chairman for Nyaungbintha village in Patheingyi Township, was detained by five police officers and his whereabouts are unknown. Some resistance groups, including DRM Rangers, have suspended operations, while others have left Mandalay. The regime has been combing Mandalay for us. We barely receive intelligence from the public so it is difficult to continue our operations in Mandalay and we have to move our base, said Bo Naung Lay from the Black Death group. He said the group told people to avoid going near junta soldiers and regime-linked buildings and not to alert the regime if they find something suspicious. He said they have aborted missions because civilians show up at the wrong time. Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing said in his speech on Monday that 4,026 attacks targeting junta-linked targets had taken place in Sagaing since the coup, 2,442 in Yangon, 2,194 in Mandalay and 1,359 in Magwe. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 11,820 people had been detained by July 29 since last years coup and 1,364 of them have been given prison sentences. An estimated 119 have been given death sentences, 42 of whom in absentia. gettyimagesbank Pelosi visit another ticking bomb for bilateral relations By Kang Seung-woo Korea is at a critical juncture over its ties with China as it faces increasing pressure to choose a side amid the intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry, with any decision potentially causing further uncertainties in bilateral relations. Currently, Korea has been asked to respond to the U.S. invitation by the end of August to participate in the envisaged strategic alliance of four global chip powerhouses that also includes Japan and Taiwan, also known as the Chip 4 or Fab 4, a platform apparently aimed at countering China's growing influence in global supply chains. In addition, Beijing has urged Seoul to stick to the previous Korean government's commitment to the "Three Nos" policy on the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment, which called for no additional THAAD deployment, no Korean integration into a U.S.-led regional missile defense system and no trilateral alliance with the United States and Japan. Foreign Minster Park Jin admitted during the first interpellation session of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration at the National Assembly, Monday, that the U.S. had proposed a preliminary conference on the chip alliance. "We have yet to make a decision on whether to participate in the platform," he said during a session at the National Assembly in Seoul. "We will consider the issue comprehensively based on national interests." Chung Jae-hung, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said there were thorny issues between Korea and China that may greatly affect their bilateral relations. "Amid the competition between the U.S. and China, if Korea decides to participate in the Chip 4 alliance, believed (by the Chinese Communist Party to be) an anti-China platform, it may heavily yet negatively affect its ties with China," Chung said. Kim Han-kwon, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, also said there were "increasing challenges to Korea-China relations" as the new Korean administration is seeking to strengthen its alliance with the U.S. amid the hegemonic competition between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. proposal regarding the semiconductor alliance comes as the chip sector has emerged as a key sector of bilateral cooperation between Korea and the U.S., as highlighted by U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to a Samsung Electronics chip plant which was the first stop on his trip to Korea in May. "In that respect, uncertainties in Korea-China ties are looming large," Chung said. As for the Chinese calls regarding the THAAD deployment in Korea, it is also a volatile matter between the neighboring countries. Last week, the Chinese foreign ministry took issue with THAAD a U.S. anti-missile shield. In 2016, Korea and the U.S. decided to deploy the missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, but China, claiming that the system's radar can be used to spy on Chinese military maneuvers in surrounding airspace and hurts its security interests, insists that the new Korean government continue the Moon Jae-in administration's stance on the issue. "We still remember vividly that in 2017, the ROK side made a solemn statement on the THAAD issue," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. The ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. "It played a crucial role in boosting mutual trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries. A commitment made should be a commitment kept despite change of government. When it comes to major sensitive issues concerning the security of its neighbors, the ROK side needs to continue to act prudently and find a fundamental solution to the issues." However, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's stance on China's claim is that the Three Nos is just a measure that the Moon Jae-in administration had pursued at the time, not an official policy. "The Three Nos are not something we had promised to China. As far as I know, the government at the time had only explained it as its position toward China," Park said. "The Three Nos policy is directly related to our sovereignty, and it should be us making decisions on our own security. It would be hard to accept if China tells us to continue the Three Nos." In addition, Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho reiterated the Yoon administration's stance on its ties with China during his appointment ceremony, Monday, that mutual respect is the key principle in their diplomatic relations. Ever since Korea approved the THAAD deployment, China has been carrying out an economic retaliation campaign by imposing unofficial boycotts on Korean products and enforcing tourism restrictions. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, shakes hands with Malaysia's Parliamentary Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun during their meeting at the Malaysian Houses of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap Burma Sixty Young Children Trapped in Myanmar Junta Raid Myinmu in Sagaing Region. / CJ Sixty young children were trapped in their school when Myanmar junta helicopters attacked a village in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region, on Monday. Troops arrived in two helicopters at Latpankyin village in the north of the township while two Russian-made MI-35 helicopters attacked the village, although there had been no fighting with anti-regime forces, according to a resistance group. A villager was shot dead and another injured while they were farming outside the village, Ko Nway Oo, a leader of the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung, who witnessed the junta raid, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. The dead villagers body was left behind by fleeing villagers but the injured woman was evacuated. Around 100 villagers were reportedly detained while around 60 pupils were trapped in the school run by the civilian National Unity Government. The helicopters also attacked a neighboring village, said Ko Nway O, who witnessed the airstrikes. Pro-regime Telegram channel Fifty Two News reported on Tuesday that regime troops killed five peoples defense force (PDF) members and seize many improvised firearms, ammunition and equipment, six vehicles and 30 motorbikes during a raid on a camp in the village. However, Ko Nway Oo said none of his comrades in the village were killed. He said those killed must be villagers. On Tuesday morning, the same troops burned betel farms outside the village while shelling neighboring villages. The conditions of detained Latpankyin villagers and children are unknown until Tuesday. Large numbers of troops are deployed at the entrances to Myimu town. Last Wednesday the regime raided and burned down a PDF camp in Myinmu Township using five helicopters, including two MI-35s. Following the raid, troops killed four civilians after occupying a nearby village. Amid daily attacks from PDFs and ethnic armed organizations, junta forces have relentlessly committed atrocities and arbitrary killings, burned people alive, used civilians as human shields, conducted airstrikes and shelled residential areas, looted and burned houses and committed acts of sexual violence. Guest Column Myanmars Unfulfilled Irenic Dream Myanmar regimes forces on the Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March 2022. / Cincds The beautiful dream of unified peace in Myanmar has always been phantasmagoric. Since independence in 1948, the country has never been at peace. Political and ethnic rivalries have destroyed the modicum of communal trust that might once have existed. Personal or institutional enmities have morphed into antagonisms so profound and complex that they defy solutions within this generation. Military-civilian hatred, complicated by the 1 February 2021 coup, has erupted in a virtual civil war, or perhaps multiple civil wars. Atrocities and recent executions exacerbate bitterness. Ethnic minorities, badly split among diverse groups as to the type of federalism or autonomy that might be acceptable, distrust each other. Often such populations physically overlap, complicating resolution. The majority Bamar ethnic group of whatever government has denied effective authority to the periphery. And now, religious discrimination and politicization have compounded the myriad issues facing any government. Surely, the Myanmar military has made an already difficult situation far more dire, its arrogance and antagonisms more profound. Its leadership is of one ethnicity, one religion, and one self-defined set of self-accommodating rules of governance. Power is concentrated: in the barrel of a gun but also in the highly personalized leadership of that institution. History is being rewritten to justify its role, and the censorship that so plagued the state for many years has been reintroduced. The deaths and violence of the present, with the military responsible for its instigation, is now nationally virtually ubiquitous, haunting the memories of those present, and in the subsequent generation making trust even more elusive. Solutions are virtually impossible for many years. Urban guerilla warfare results in assassinations, murders, score-settling, fears, and recriminations. The concept of peaceful resistance to military brutality is over. It may never have been an efficient response, but the present mutual, if unbalanced, violence multiplies tensions and lessens amelioration. All governments, whether civilian, military or mixed, have called for peace and held formal or informal talks to resolve issues. Despite official media responses from a variety of diverse government sources, real negotiations have never taken place. A cease-fire here or there has been ephemeral, usually verbal. Compromise on essential issues, such as the extent of political power and the distribution of resources to the periphery, has been lacking. Local armed forces or militia have now proliferated, creating fragmented authority and questioned legitimacy. The charade of National Day on 12 February, the anniversary of the 1947 Panglong conference that allowed the formation of an independent Burma, is simply song and dance without substance. The quintessential holiday for the military is now not Independence Day on January 4, but Armed Forces Day on March 27. The military, perhaps inadvertently, has limited its own options. It has encased itself in a political, ideological, and economic bubble. It protects its leadership from both national and international intellectual and informational pollution, creating its own schools, medical facilities, and economic enterprises to be as independent as possible from the civilian society it strives to control. There is a self-perpetuating orthodoxy of military-speak even by people who are fully cognizant of the outside world and who recognize the depths to which Myanmar has sunk. Public dissent among its leadership is not evident. The benign image of Buddhism has been contaminated. The military has attacked the elements of the sangha it fears, and, with the connivance of strong leadership elements within, used it to further its control and made it an element of political power. Every government since independence has used Buddhism to enhance its political legitimacy, but the militarys contemporary campaign directly links it to a partisan political base and exacerbates conflict with Muslim and Christian groups and thus minorities. There does not seem anyone of sufficient stature within the sangha hierarchy whose reputation transcends these secular affiliations. The West, perhaps Americans more than most, erroneously like to believe there are answers to all problems. Myanmar, alas, defies their aspirations, for neither internally will they be easily resolved, nor externally will they be positively affected. Sanctions here, international pariah status there, assuage foreign morality rather than threaten internal power. Whatever the results of the present conflicts, whatever element emerges with titular authority, the issues will not disappear. Neither present military nor civilian leadership has indicated a capacity to generate a minimum of trust sufficient to govern effectively. An army-controlled state, either unilaterally or through manipulated elections, might command under duress but would be anathema. A government under any civilian leadership now evident could not resolve the fissures. And an effectively balkanized state with diverse ethnic entities would foster regional manipulation and insecurity. Various formal or informal governments have picked up diverse bureaucratic burdens, often in conflict with each other. The opposition National Unity Government, the juntas State Administrative Council, the Arakan Army, the Wa, and others vie for bureaucratic control and a funding/tax base within their regions. Administrative chaos results: the people suffer. Now, Peace in our time as in 1938, is more than unlikely: a slogan rather than a plan. A need for hope sustains a beleaguered population, but a constant call for hope defies reality. Would that it were possible to offer it, but illusions destroy policy. A new generation of resilient Burmese of all ethnicities needs to arise to sterilize the cancerous growth of hatred and distrust, and who see a future in unified civility. Only they can accomplish this. So much for soothsayers who, according to Dante, go to a very low circle of hell, where I am sure to be joined by many of those alluded to above. The prospects, alas, for the present are dim indeed. David I. Steinberg is distinguished professor of Asian studies emeritus, Georgetown University The politicization of traditionally nonpartisan local school board races continues with first Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsing candidates, followed by Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Crist and now the Florida Democratic Party has also issued endorsements in local school board races. Party chairman Manny Diaz announced endorsements in 18 races in 13 counties. Floridas public education system needs help right now. Our governor is playing politics with our children, Diaz said. We need to elect school board members who believe that public education is the bedrock of the American dream, and that public education must afford every child the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, to be responsible citizens, and participate in a competitive global economy, in a written statement. DeSantis has endorsed at least 16 candidates in school board races, saying in a tweet: Its crucial we elect strong candidates who are committed to advancing our pro-parent, student-first education agenda in FL. These candidates will ensure our students succeed, protect parental rights in education, & combat the woke agenda from infiltrating our public schools. The governor has battled with school boards that tried to impose mask mandates for schoolchildren to try to protect them against COVID infections, arguing such measures were unnecessary but constituted an abuse of power. The backlash to those efforts spawned Moms for Liberty, which is organizing around this years school board elections. Charlie Crist, a Democratic congressman seeking his partys nomination against DeSantis, has also issued a slate of school board endorsements. Here are the Democratic Partys endorsements by county: Alachua: Sarah Rockwell, Prescott Cowles; Diyonne McGraw; Tina Certain. Brevard: Kimberly Hough. Escambia: Ray Guillory Hillsborough: Damaris Allen, Karen Perez Indian River: Cindy Gibbs Lee: Gwynetta Gittens Miami-Dade: Maribel Balbin Osceola: Teresa Terry Castillo Pinellas: Brian Martin Polk: Sara Estelle Jones Santa Rosa: Gregory Seltzer Johns: Lauren Townsend Abell Volusia: Ruben Colon, Justin Kennedy District 3 Portions of this article appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee. For more, click here. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ordered telcos AirTel, Just ISP, New Sprout, City Communications, 1Telecom, and PennyTel to comply with the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code after failing to submit compulsory compliance statements in 2021 and fined Exetel for $13,320 after also failing to submit the same documents in 2019. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said under the code, telcos that supply services to residential and small business consumers must provide compliance attestation statements each year to the independent compliance monitoring body Communications Compliance. The statements are required to show that a telco has met all of its obligations under the TCP code, which protects customers who use mobile phone, landline and internet services, and includes rules for issues such as: 1. advertising and sales information; 2. bills and disputes; 3. how to assist customers in financial hardship. 4. the ways customers can pay; 5. how to assess credit for new customers. The ACMA has required that the telcos mentioned above must lodge their 2022 compliance attestation by 1 September 2022. This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 1 August 2022. The Guide Dogs Australia free digital hub, CatchUp, has launched a host of new features in the last few weeks to enhance connection amongst the low vision and blind community. Endeavouring to find creative ways to improve user experience, CatchUp says it has launched several digital hub updates off the back of client feedback, including a highly sought-after events feature. With the update, members can now find events of interest hosted by various providers across the country. With options spanning across categories such as sport, the arts, education, and more, the feature update has been welcomed as a comprehensive way to facilitate connection opportunities within the low vision and blind community, says Guide Dogs. Earlier this year, Guide Dogs Australia launched CatchUp as an online community hub designed to foster connections, provide education opportunities, and offer support for people with low vision or blindness. CatchUp Members can access regular news articles in the hub, as well as what's on community listings, social group discussions, private and group messaging facilities, profile personalisation options, and more - with all features designed to facilitate a premium experience for people with low vision or blindness. Guide Dogs client, David, signed up as a CatchUp member earlier this year and described the hub as a space that "breaks down some of the personal isolation of being blind", providing the opportunity to "meet new like-minded people and maybe make a friend or two". Guide Dogs Australia says that as an organisation that strives to offer the best experience, service and support for people with low vision or blindness, it is committed to enhancing the CatchUp platform for its members, with additional features such as a welcome tour to assit in locating the platforms top features now part of the digital hubs functionality. In an effort to enable even greater connections within the CatchUp Community, Guide Dogs has also introduced member polls, as well as the ability to comment on articles and 'like' comments from other members, says Guide Dog. Guide Dogs Australia says the CatchUp digital hub is not only for Guide Dogs clients but welcomes everyone in the community, including families, friends, health professionals and vision industry organisations. Designed with the voice of its members in mind, the future of the platform will be shaped by client feedback, requests, and trends to help facilitate the best possible user experience, Guide Dogs concluded. For further information or to sign up for the free CatchUp hub, visit https://catchup.guidedogs.com.au/welcome/ Singapore telco Singtel plans to invest a further US$100 million into Singtel Innov8, its corporate venture arm, raising its total capital commitment to US$350 million. One of the earliest corporate venture capital firms in Southeast Asia, Innov8 invests in start-ups that align with Singtel Group businesses in the areas of 5G, Artificial Intelligence, the digital economy, sustainability, cyber security and emerging technologies. It operates on an evergreen fund model, re-investing returns from portfolio exits into new investments. Announcing its plan, Singtel said that with the capital injection, Innov8 will further expand its portfolio of investments in Southeast Asia, United States, China, Israel and Australia. This capital infusion is meant for identifying and growing innovative start-ups with new technologies and capabilities that are synergistic and in lockstep with Singtels strategic reset to drive greater improvements in our core operations, accelerate our new growth engines, and place us at the forefront of new and fast-evolving areas, said Yuen Kuan Moon, Group Chief Executive Officer of Singtel and Chairman of Singtel Innov8. As we sharpen our business focus, we will recycle our assets and capital into selected growth areas, reshaping our portfolio to better serve our stakeholders and build momentum for the longer term. Edgar Hardless, Chief Executive Officer, Singtel Innov8 said, Singtel Innov8 is empowered to move quickly to capture investment opportunities in the fast-paced venture market. Our mandate is flexible, allowing us to invest in both early and growth stage companies. We believe in backing founders to execute on their vision and support the companys growth through partnerships with the Singtel Group. Innov8 facilitates access to businesses units across the Groups footprint, evangelises innovative technologies within the Group, and supports partnerships with the business units. This additional funding and our proven approach will help drive further investment deal flow and greater collaboration with the start-up ecosystem, unlocking more value for both the Group and our portfolio companies. Singtel says Innov8 has invested in over 95 start-ups since its inception in 2010 and has had over 35 exits. Four of the exits were unicorns Arista, Ruckus, Jasper, and Shape start-ups that achieved a valuation in excess of US$1 billion. Innov8s portfolio also includes a number of companies that have demonstrated scale BitSight, Carro, Cato, FinAccel, SenseTime, Shopback, and Sygnum amongst others - and some of Innov8s recent investments in notable high growth start-ups include Endowus, a leading wealth-tech platform, and Wiz.ai, which offers interactive AI-driven talk bots that have a human-like voice and can converse in Southeast Asian languages in the respective local accents. Singtel notes that apart from investing capital, Innov8 facilitates access and partnerships with business units across the Singtel Groups footprint and evangelises innovative technologies within the Group, facilitating meaningful and strategic collaborations - and more than 350 commercial engagements with start-ups such as like BitSight, Silverfort, and Wiz.ai have been driven through such engagements. Today Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 108F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow Mostly sunny skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 106F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Today Scattered thunderstorms. High 108F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 84F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 108F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Korea's foreign ministry refused Tuesday to comment on U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's expected visit to Taiwan but reiterated its position on the importance of "stability and peace" in the Taiwan Strait. Pelosi was reportedly expected to arrive in Taiwan later in the day, a high-profile trip that Beijing has opposed, as it views the self-governing island as part of its territory under a one-China principle. "It is not appropriate for us to comment on a visit to a foreign country by a U.S. congressional figure," Ahn Eun-joo, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, told a regular press briefing. Ahn reiterated Seoul's position on the importance of stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait and its continued support for the "peaceful development of cross-strait relations." "In that regard, we have always been making constant efforts to make contributions where we can," she added. Beijing's foreign ministry has warned against Pelosi's anticipated visit to Taiwan, saying it would amount to an interference with China's domestic affairs and could lead to "very serious" consequences. The latest development in the context of an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry has highlighted a policy dilemma for Korea, which seeks to maintain its security alliance with the United States, and its sprawling economic and other partnerships with China. (Yonhap) Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, right, and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles shake hands during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, in this June 12 file photo. Newsis By Jung Min-ho Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup departed for Canberra, Tuesday, for talks with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles on arms industry cooperation and regional security. According to the Ministry of Defense, the two are scheduled to meet in the capital Thursday, in the first official talks between the nations' defense chiefs since the Australian Labor Party took power in May. Minister Lee's five-day visit there comes at a time when the Redback, an infantry fighting vehicle developed and manufactured by Korean arms maker Hanwha Defense, is competing for the Australian Army's high-profile procurement project known as Land 400 Phase 3. Invited by Marles, Lee plans to visit Geelong, Victoria, where the company is constructing its first overseas factory for the production of K9 self-propelled howitzers. In December 2021, the country signed a contract to purchase 30 units of the howitzers among other weapons. "During the visit there, they (the two ministers) plan to reaffirm the two nations' will for bilateral arms industry cooperation," the ministry said in a statement. The Redback infantry fighting vehicle / Courtesy of Hanwha Defense Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, center, answers reporters' questions in front of the police bureau set up under the interior ministry at the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps By Nam Hyun-woo Kim Sun-ho, head of the new police bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, enters the bureau at the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap An official of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea speaks to reporters in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap The military police have arrested an Air Force service member on charges of sexually assaulting a female subordinate between January and April this year, a civic group said Tuesday. The 44-year-old warrant officer at the Air Force's 15th Special Activity Wing was accused of groping the shoulders and the feet of the female technical sergeant in her 20s on the pretext of a massage, the Center for Military Human Rights Korea said. He also allegedly lifted her top to administer cupping therapy against her will and forced her to drink a beverage left by a COVID-19-positive male technical sergeant, eventually causing her to test positive for the virus, according to the civic group. The warrant officer also verbally abused her, telling her "I want to hear you say 'I love you'" or "I want you to break up with your boyfriend." The military police booked and arrested the warrant officer for investigation in April upon the victim's report of the case to the Air Force's gender equality center the same month, according to the civic group. The sexual harassment marks the latest in a series of recent abuse cases involving the Air Force. Lee Ye-ram, a female master sergeant affiliated with the 20th Fighter Wing, killed herself in late May 2021 after claiming she was sexually abused by a male colleague of the same rank. Last month, a 21-year-old technical sergeant, surnamed Kang, was found dead in her official residence in the 20th Fighter Wing in Seosan, some 120 kilometers southwest of Seoul, leaving behind a suspected suicide note suggesting she may have been bullied by a superior. The civic group accused the military of mishandling the sexual abuse case, pointing out it failed to provide proper protection for the victim so as to let the warrant officer coerce and threaten her to drop the case through a mobile messenger before his arrest. (Yonhap) SW Chinas Guizhou designs diverse sightseeing routes, provides coupons for tourists People's Daily Online) 16:06, August 02, 2022 Southwest Chinas Guizhou Province has created multiple themed sightseeing routes, launched a health care-themed tourist route for road trips, and issued tourist coupons to boost its tourism industry. Photo shows a beautiful view of Huaxi National City Wetland Park in Guiyang, southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) The thematic tourist route featuring UNESCO world heritage sites allows tourists to enjoy breathtaking views of the starlit sky over the Fanjing Mountain in Tongren city, the magnificent Danxia landform and Chishui waterfall in Chishui city, the beautiful Maolan National Nature Reserve (Maolan Karst Forest) and the Xiaoqikong (Small Seven Arches) Bridge and Daqikong (Large Seven Arches) Bridge Scenic Zones in Libo county, as well as spectacular dolomite karst in and changing clouds above the Yuntai Mountain scenic area in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou. The tourist route, specially designed for road trips, allows tourists to visit a wide range of locations and to experience numerous aspects of local culture. Tourists travelling along the route can enjoy thrilling experiences, including being able to visit the Houer Sinkhole, or the Monkey-Ear Sinkhole, a giant karst sinkhole in Kaiyang county of Guiyang city, Guizhou. Tourists will also be able to learn about the unique local culture and folk customs of the Miao people in Basha village, Congjiang county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Tourists can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wanfenglin scenic spot in Xingyi city, Guizhou. Finally, tourists will be able to listen to the impressive Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, which has been designated by the UNESCO as World Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Zhaoxing village, Liping county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Photo shows the scenery of Fanjing Mountain in Tongren city, southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) Endowed with a spectacular ecological environment and a pleasant climate, Guizhou Province has been known as a great summer resort. In an effort to further tap into the potential of its tourism industry in summer, the provinces culture and tourism authorities have actively supported the development of tourist experiences that integrate leisure activities, sightseeing, cultural and creative products, rural tourism, eco-agriculture, among other business forms of tourism. Guizhou has also issued 160 million yuan (about $23.73 million) worth of tourist coupons through multiple platforms. The coupons can be used in scenic areas, hotels, travel agencies as well as stores selling cultural and creative products. Photo shows a performance of the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, which has been designated by the UNESCO as World Intangible Cultural Heritage, in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) In particular, the province has launched different tourist products and preferential policies for students, civil servants, and citizens of cities experiencing high temperatures. Photo shows the cloud-shrouded Wanfenglin scenic spot in Xingyi city, southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) Photo shows a dreamlike view of Wujiangzhai scenic area in Zunyi city, southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) Photo shows a stunning view of Longgong cave (dragon palace cave) scenic area in Anshun city, southwest Chinas Guizhou Province. (Photo/Courtesy of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism) (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) A newborn in a crib / gettyimages Centuries-old preference for sons fades with some improvements in women's status and aging society By Lee Hae-rin Among younger parents planning to have children, there is a popular belief about how many children of a certain gender it is ideal to have. It goes that parents with two daughters are the most ideal, while those who have one daughter and one son are the second most ideal. Those who end up having two sons without any daughters are the least desirable, it goes. Kim Yeon-ju, 30, a Gyeonggi Province-based office worker who has been on maternity leave since March said she fully agrees with this belief. "I clearly see the trend that daughters are more preferred than sons, particularly among young couples who are planning to have a baby," she told The Korea Times, adding that she is one of the parents who prefers daughters over sons. "We younger mothers say that while growing up, boys become distant like strangers, and they just leave home once they get married and form a new family, as few of them share emotional interactions with their parents." Every child should be a blessing. But, as the saying goes, daughters are pervasively more preferred than sons in Korea these days. According to a recent survey by Hankook Research which was conducted on over 1,000 people across the country, 55 percent think that "having a daughter is a must," while only 31 percent said that having boy is a must. In the survey, daughters are preferred over boys by parents of all age groups, but the trend was especially remarkable among respondents over age 60. In that age group, 70 percent preferred girls, which is significantly higher than the 43 percent who prefer boys. Korean parents preferring daughters over sons is an irony in that the country has been male-dominated for centuries, due to the emphasis on neo-Confucian values. Historically, mothers with daughters were encouraged to and even threatened to bear additional children to secure their family lineage through male descendants. Female family members were treated as second-class citizens who could take only limited part in filial duties including inheriting property, carrying on the family line, ancestral worship and supporting one's parents. Since sex selection technology was introduced and became widely available in the 1970s and 1980s, the gender preference appeared more visible through female infanticide at birth, sharply raising the sex ratio at birth to 116 boys per 100 girls in 1990, whereas the natural average is 103 boys to 107 girls. Seen is a neonatal unit at a hospital in Seoul in this file photo taken in February 2019. Korea Times file photo However, Korea has overturned the gender preference and become "the first Asian country to reverse the trend in rising sex ratios at birth," according to a World Bank policy research paper from 2007. The country's sex ratios at birth first reached the natural range of 103 to 107 boys per 100 girls in 2007, at 106.2, while the latest figure from 2020 is as low as 104.8 boys per 100 girls, it found. The growing preference for daughters is remarkable in the adoption sector as well. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that 65.4 percent of 260 domestically adopted children in 2020 were female. "Korea is not only the first, but it is also the only country in the world to see a quick decline in son preference," said Cho Young-tae, a professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health who specializes in demography and population profiling. Cho explained that the reverse trend was partly due to the shifts in filial functions from sons to daughters. "Normally, societies that have a strong and pervasive preference for sons tend to hold a strong belief in continuing the family lineage. But that has quickly disappeared in Korea, and older generations have changed to value their lives before death over the family's future," Cho said, explaining that sons no longer have the same degree of privilege over their functions as family members that they had in the past. On the other hand, Korean parents have begun to be aware of the benefits of having daughters and come to rely on them in their sunset years. The parent generations have learned through their experiences that daughters tend to make better emotional connections with parents and eagerly support their parents in their later years, Cho said. As a result, parents have grown more dependent on daughters, who are better candidates to take care of them when they are weak and old, especially as life expectancies have increased. In this picture taken on May 3, children run across a barley field at Sangnim Park in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province. Yonhap A group of civic activists stages a rally in Seoul, Monday, calling for the government to withdraw a plan to move up the elementary school entry age by one year to 5 starting as early as 2025. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol has ordered the education ministry to swiftly put to public debate the government's proposal to lower the elementary school starting age by one year to 5, an official said Tuesday. Yoon also instructed the ministry to play a role in facilitating bipartisan discussions about the plan in the National Assembly because the plan is subject to parliamentary approval, said senior presidential secretary for social affairs Ahn Sang-hoon. "Even if necessary reforms are needed, public discussion and deliberation are needed due to conflicts of interest among stakeholders, so the Ministry of Education should quickly push for public discussion and act as a facilitator for bipartisan discussion in the National Assembly," Yoon told Ahn. The remarks are seen as a step backward after many teachers and parents have been voicing objections to the plan that they say could further deepen already fierce competition for grades and put the burden of schooling on the intellectually unprepared 5-year-olds. Teachers and parents also point out the plan could put many students at competitive disadvantages, as the 5- and 6-year-olds who would start school at the same time in the transition period would have to compete more for college admissions and job opportunities. Ahn Sang-hoon, the senior presidential secretary for social affairs, speaks during a press conference at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday, about the government's proposal to lower the elementary school starting age to 5. Yonhap remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. SBS' Sunday variety program "Running Man" confirmed that director Choi Bo Pil parted ways with the team. Curious why he left the show? Then keep reading the article to know more! SBS Confirmed Choi Bo Pil's Departure From 'Running Man' Every successful show has a fantastic team who goes hand in hand with delivering the best content for its viewers. One of Korea's most loved and watched variety shows is "Running Man." Unfortunately, one of its most valuable staff bids his farewell to the whole production team. Korean broadcasting company SBS announced on August 2 that one of the "Running Man" team's creatives Choi Bo Pil PD officially resigned from his position after working with the production for almost two years. Since Jung Chul Min departed from the program in 2020, Choi Bo Pil returned and took over "Running Man" as the main PD. The show's fans and viewers enjoyed watching the close bond between Mr. Choi and the "Running Man" mainstays Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook, Song Ji Hyo, HaHa, Jeon So Min, and Yang Se Chan. Director Choi Hyung In Takes Over the Show Starting August 1 Regarding his departure, SBS stated that Choi Bo Pil would work on a new project with the company soon. On the other hand, Choi Hyung In is expected to take over the show as the main program director starting August 1. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Cha Eun Woo Makes Hearts Swoon After Doing THIS in 'Running Man' Meanwhile, the "Running Man" team delivered their farewell message to the former program head. On August 1, the actress and one of the cast members, Song Ji Hyo, shared photos on Instagram of the banner made by the crew to celebrate Choi Bo Pil's last day in the show. The "Princess Hours" star captioned her post with "Dear beloved Bo Pil! You worked hard running with us all these years!" 'Running Man' Pens Apology Letter for the Disabled Parking Violations In the episode broadcast last July 31, the "Running Man" team was under fire after violating disabled parking. However, on August 1, the production immediately released an apology letter posted on their Instagram. According to their statement, they confirmed that their staff owned the vehicle parked in disabled parking. In addition, the team has rented the entire building of the Seoul rock climbing center to ensure the safety of everyone while filming. They apologized for the team's mistake and promised to be more careful when producing content in the future. "Running Man" runs every Sunday at 5 p.m. (KST) on SBS. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Here's How Jeon So Min Handled Hater on Latest Instagram Post What are your thoughts about Choi Bo Pil's departure from "Running Man"? Share your comments with us! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Kim Min Jae's new drama "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist" featured how a young and promising physician was swept away by accusations criticizing his ability to treat people. The newest historical K-drama follows the story of a physician named Yoo Se Poong (Kim Min Jae), known for his internal medicine expertise. Unfortunately, he was expelled from the royal court due to an unexpected incident. Keep on reading for the full run down on the episode! 'Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist' Viewership Rating As for the pilot episode, the historical K-drama kicks off with a good start. According to Nielsen Korea, "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist" episode 1, garnered a nationwide rating of 3.864 percent, which is a decent figure for a debut. 'Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist' Episode 1 Highlights: Yoo Se Poong Barred to Enter Hanyang Yoo Se Poong is among the trusted physicians of the royal family after he managed to save the crown prince's life. Because of this, he was dubbed by the King as the "divine needle" for treating the young royal through acupuncture. Interestingly, besides working at the palace, he is also a noble man's son. Yoo Se Poong's father works as a Minister and one of the allies of the King. His once peaceful life turned upside down after the King's health slowly deteriorated. Boils on his face became severe, prompting Yoo Se Poong to have emergency surgery. During the procedure, he noticed that something was off, causing the royal to lose a lot of blood. Because of this, the King died, and Yoo Se Poong was detained for medical malpractice. On the other hand, his father investigated and found out that Yoo Se Poong's needles and knives were poisoned. As he dug about the possible scenarios, a mysterious person killed him and made his death an accident. Following the King's death, the crown prince stripped the title of Yoo Se Poong's father and recovered the properties that the palace gave him. As for Yoo Se Poong, he was left with no home and barred from entering Hanyang. Yoo Se Poong Meets the People Who Will Change his Life Wandering with his aid, Man Bok, they traveled town to town in hopes of finding a shelter. Just when he is thinking about ending his life, he meets Seo Eun Woo, who comes from a noble family. She knew that Yoo Se Poong was a member of a royal physician. Since she thought he was on the verge of ending his life, Seo Eun Woo made a remarkable statement, reminding him that he should use his God-given talent to save lives. In one of the scenes in "Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist" episode 1, Yoo Se Poong unexpectedly meets Seo Eun Woo, whom he saved from drowning. He brought her to the nearest safe place, which happens to be the residence of Kye Ji Han. he was able to treat her but couldn't find her the next day. Yoo Se Poong was left with a massive debt to Kye Ji Han, and because he was penniless, he agreed to repay through his service. The last part of episode 1 featured how Yoo Se Poong struggled to treat people and do acupuncture. Interestingly, it seems like Kye Ji Han will play a huge part in how Yoo Se Poong will reignite his love and passion for treating people. KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills The ruling People Power Party (PPP) will propose a package of two bills to strengthen Korea's competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, the party's special panel on chips said Tuesday. One of the bills calls for enabling a government committee to designate special zones on strategic industries and provide support for their establishment, and expanding education programs to foster students to work in such key industries, including specialized high schools. The other bill calls for extending the period of tax credit for investments in high-tech industries to 2030, with the deduction rate raised to 20 percent for conglomerates, 25 percent for midsized enterprises and 30 percent for small businesses from the current 6 to 16 percent range. The bills also stipulate extending the tax exemption period for foreign technical experts in the areas by five years to 10 as part of efforts to induce an influx of technicians. "I ask lawmakers of rival parties to actively participate in the legislation of these bills to help the semiconductor industry to have a bright future with persistent support," Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, a Samsung Electronics executive-turned-lawmaker leading the PPP panel, said. Yang also called for the establishment of a parliamentary standing committee on the semiconductor industry to continue discussing support measures. On Thursday, a special law on creating an innovative environment for the growth of advanced industries and increasing their competitiveness will also take effect. (Yonhap) The Kenosha City Council voted Monday evening overwhelmingly in support of an advisory referendum to measure public opinion on marijuana use. The City Council voted 14 to 3 for the resolution sponsored by Ald. Anthony Kennedy and co-sponsored by Alds. Jan Michalski, David Mau, Brandi Feree, Curt Wilson, Rollin Pizzala and Kelly Mackay. It passed the citys Public Safety & Welfare Committee unanimously last week. Alds. Dominic Ruffalo, Holly Kangas and Ruth Dyson voted against it Monday. The advisory referendum aims to measure public opinion on allowing adults 21 and older to engage in the personal use of marijuana, while also regulating commercial marijuana-related activities and imposing a tax on the sale of the drug. The question that will appear on ballots in the November general election is: Should marijuana be legalized for adult use, taxed, and regulated like alcohol? No matter the results, the referendum will not legalize the drug in Kenosha. The results will instead be sent to state lawmakers currently debating medical marijuana and full legalization of the drug. Kenosha is failing to benefit from marijuana-related small business opportunities and sales tax that neighboring communities in Illinois are increasingly capitalizing on, the resolution reads. It also states that legalization would undercut the illicit market, and ensure that marijuana use and sale are regulated and safe. More than half of states across the nation, including every state surrounding Wisconsin, have legalized some form of marijuana. Kenosha County residents voted to legalize medical marijuana in an advisory referendum in 2018 with 56,000 votes, or 88% of the ballots cast. The state Legislature in Madison is currently considering a handful of bills on marijuana. According to a Gallup survey conducted in July 2021, 49% of Americans say they have used marijuana, up from 30% in 1985. A Marquette University Law School poll conducted in February 2022, found 61% of Wisconsinites said that marijuana should be fully legalized and regulated like alcohol. Support and opposition Kennedy said its important to gauge public opinion on the matter and the results could be helpful to the process in Madison. Kennedy said all the resolution does is ask people in the city whether they think legalization should occur, he said. This will be an advisory referendum. It does not bind the state legislature to do anything. But again, there is bi-partisan support for some type of legalization or medical use of marijuana in Madison. I was hoping that this, if passed in the City of Kenosha with a referendum, would help that process. Michalski echoed Kennedys sentiments and said its inevitable the state will legalize the drug in some form. Im here to simply say by passing this resolution we are giving the City of Kenosha residents and voters a voice, he said. We are giving them a chance to let legislators in Madison know how we feel about it. Ald. Daniel Prozanscki said public referendums are one of the best ways to learn what voters think. Its about as democratic as you can get, he said. However, Ruffalo said he is strongly opposed to the resolution and by extension any future legalization of recreational marijuana. Ruffalo said as the voice of the person in recovery he believes marijuana is a gateway drug. Were not doing anybody any favors by legalizing it, he said. He also said the referendum is a way for Democrats to get more voters to the polls this fall. This smells like the Wisconsin Democratic Party, he said. This is just to get people to the polls. ... In my mind thats all it is. Kangas expressed similar sentiments about what she said are the dangers of legalized recreational marijuana. If this was medical marijuana I would support it. Because its recreational, I wont, she said. President Yoon, left, and first lady Kim Keon-hee pose during Yoon's official trip to Spain for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in this June 30 file photo. Korea Times file University judges papers 'inappropriate,' draws backlash from DPK lawmakers over results By Lee Hae-rin Kookmin University has cleared first lady Kim Keon-hee of allegations of having plagiarized some of her academic papers and dissertation, which she produced when she attended the university's Graduate School of Techno Design. The university unveiled the results on Monday after an eight-month probe into two of Kim's research papers and her Ph.D. thesis that she submitted, saying that they didn't find any serious violations of the academic code of conduct or plagiarism. However, the university's decision drew a backlash from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). DPK lawmaker Rep. Kang Min-jung said the university has given up its reputation as an academic institution, "I think Aug. 1, 2022, is the date when the university declared itself dead," she said on an YTN radio news show. "I think so because what the university did amounts to its giving up its basic duty as an academic institution It seemed that the university had been struggling to make a decision on the matter as they were facing two choices: one to keep its honor as a university and the other to seek its own survival by siding with (the first lady.) I think they had someone they had to curry favor with." Another DPK lawmaker, Rep. Jang Kyung-tae, criticized university's decision in a social media post: "Kookmin University's announcement to maintain that first lady Kim's academic papers (do not constitute plagiarism) is deplorable," he wrote. "I urge the university authorities to look back on what it did and reflect on if they still feel they made the right decision. I wonder if they still feel fine about the some 20,000 students attending the university and 113 alumni who took legal action against the case." Kim, who received her doctorate from Kookmin University's Graduate School of Techno Design in 2008, has been accused of using text without attribution, which is considered plagiarism. Kim used paragraphs without quotation marks from an article published in March 2006, according to a media report, and several blog posts with few changes to the words. Also, Kim's 2007 paper published in the Korea Design Forum journal, titled "Use satisfaction of users of online fortune contents and member Yuji by dissatisfaction and a study for withdrawal," has been coming under fire for its incomprehensible use of the Romanized Korean words, "member Yuji." It should have been translated as "A research paper on the satisfaction and dissatisfaction about online fortune teller sites and its impacts on subscriptions and cancellation of subscriptions." Kookmin University said that Kim's papers contain some "shortcomings including English translations and quotations," which could make the papers look "inappropriate according to the current standards," but that these "insufficiencies" don't constitute plagiarism. The university claimed that the decisions on whether the research work contains academic misconduct should be made based on the social standards and academic norms of the time in other words, 2008 at which time it claimed "there was no system for evaluating research ethics." Regardless of the investigation results, Kookmin University said that a thorough investigation was not possible because the academic papers in question were all published before August 31, 2012 and the "statute of limitations of five years for verifying the papers has expired." 65 Shares Share I left practice 25 years ago when I saw portents of clinical practice as it exists today: impersonal, with electronic records and assembly-line labor heralding the movement to institutional employment over private practice. But it was also my genuine interest in population health and pharmaceutical medicine that propelled me into a nonclinical career. The jobs I chose in this millennium were with health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, where medical licenses were optional, at least in pharma. Nevertheless, I maintained an active license in Pennsylvania, where I worked most of my career. I moved to Florida about ten years ago, so I applied for a medical license thinking my Pennsylvania license would be reciprocal in the sunshine state. I was dead wrong. In order to become licensed in Florida, I had to demonstrate active participation in medical practice for at least two of the previous four years. I hadnt seen a patient in more than ten years. Storm clouds threatened my employment in the sunshine. I completed the licensing application, including my practice history, and sent it off to Tallahassee. I received a letter summoning me to appear before the medical board to discuss my clinical experience. Scores of physicians attended the same meeting the medical boards credentialing committee meeting. Most of the physicians were accompanied by their attorneys, pleading to have their licenses reinstated following revocation for criminal offenses. I came alone. Dr. Lazarus, a board member asked me, how long has it been since you last practiced medicine? I answered that it was over a decade since I had seen a patient face-to-face. The audience gasped (everyone was privy to everyone elses testimony). In my defense, I explained that I had no intention of practicing medicine in Florida, that I intended to work in industry, and that I maintained a license in Pennsylvania as well as a medical school faculty appointment with a well-established record of presentations and publications. The medical board was not impressed. They said my faculty appointment was an adjunct appointment and that it did not involve medical practice or supervising residents. They did not consider my job in industry tantamount to the practice of medicine, even though I went into detail about how my work incorporated clinical elements related to patient safety and treatment efficacy. I sensed I was losing the battle. I made one last attempt to persuade the board. I told them it was ironic that physicians like me working in nonclinical positions might be forced to go without a license, yet state medical boards could discipline them for egregious behavior, which meant that licensing boards did, at times, provide nontraditional physicians a license and consider them engaged in practice. You cant have it both ways, I argued. The Florida medical board was not swayed by my logic. Dr. Lazarus, the committee member continued, if you want a Florida medical license, youll have to retake your specialty boards [in psychiatry] to prove your competence. But I passed my boards in 1986 and was granted lifetime certification, I countered. The medical board, however, wanted additional assurance beyond lifetime certification, a faculty appointment, and achievements and accomplishments outlined in my 30-page curriculum vitae. So, I took a weekend crash course in New York to prepare for the boards and passed them again. My Florida license was issued a year after my initial application. Surprisingly, retaking and passing the boards triggered maintenance of certification (MOC) requirements. The organization that issued my lifetime certification, The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), was unwilling to waive the MOC requirement. I tried enlightening them explaining that retaking the boards was a condition of obtaining a Florida medical license. Still, ABPN was unmoved by my circumstances. They said if I failed to maintain certification, my official record would read certified, MOC not met. Huh? I asked ABPN, What if I had taken my psych boards on my own initiative, just to prove to myself I still have what it takes to be a psychiatrist? I received the same answer although you will be considered to have lifetime certification, you are still required to complete MOC requirements and retake board examinations every ten years. How ridiculous! Pony up more money? For what? A process that is burdensome, irrelevant, not evidence-based, and misaligned with adult learning theory not to mention that the very act of renewing a medical license requires continuing medical education (CME) courses that maintain ones medical acumen. The majority of states, like Florida, require that physicians be engaged in active practice to receive a medical license. For trainees, this is usually not an issue. But for physicians in nonclinical positions who move from one state to another, and for physicians on the move who are active in settings that routinely do not involve direct patient care for example, preventive medicine physicians and physicians who are primarily in research, academic, or administrative roles they are at odds with the often narrow definitions of clinical practice and active medical practice defined by state legislatures and medical boards. Nonclinical physicians tend to become lumped with physicians who have a gap in practice due to illness, sabbaticals, motherhood/fatherhood, disenfranchisement, and other personal reasons. To regain or reactivate their medical licenses, they are at the mercy of state licensing boards re-entry requirements extensive CME, refresher training, mentorship programs, mini-residencies, passing clinical assessments and board exams, etc. From that perspective, only being ordered to retake my boards was a gift. The takeaway from this story is to maintain your medical license even if it is not a requirement for your current job or intended line of work. However, if you envision moving to another state and have not seen patients within two years find out what the requirements are for licensure in that state before you move there or accept a new position. Some states may be willing to relegate you to a second-tier license, but accepting a license with a lesser status (e.g., administrative, retired, or faculty) only postpones an inquisition should you decide to return to traditional practice. Arthur Lazarus is a psychiatrist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com As a physicians attorney focusing on physician contract review, I spend all of my professional life reviewing and negotiating physician employment agreements. In my experience, women physicians have several issues that need special attention when negotiating their physician employment agreements. Any physician needs to be familiar with appropriate compensation through benchmarking data such as that published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). However, while this may be one of several critical issues for a male physician, the benchmarks are especially important for women physicians. A recent survey by the physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins provides shocking data concerning gender pay discrepancies in Maryland. The Merritt Hawkins survey, based on 2020 tax information, found that the difference in pretax income between male and female physicians in Maryland overall was 49.6 percent. Primary care female physicians had a pay discrepancy of 41.2 percent, while female physicians in surgical, diagnostic, and other specialists had a pay discrepancy of 33.5 percent. Male physicians in Maryland who were in private practice made 30.9 percent more than female physicians in private practice. Accordingly, insistence on compensation consistent with benchmarks is obviously of critical importance for female physicians. An employer must explain the discrepancy if the salary, signing bonus, relocation allowance, or other compensation offered is less than the relevant benchmark. Female physicians must also walk a fine line when asked questions that are illegal. Male physicians are almost never asked if they intend to have a family. Although male physicians are frequently asked if they are married (another illegal question), marriage is rarely viewed as a negative for a male physician. After all, the male physician may take a day or two off for the birth of a child. For a female physician, however, the birth of a child will have a much bigger impact. Ascertaining the culture of a new employer is another factor that is important to male physicians but absolutely vital to female physicians. Rating sites such as Rate Your Healthcare Employer can help you avoid a miserable working environment. I am currently representing a female physician who is interested in renegotiating her contract. I sent a letter discussing all of the contractual issues to the employers legal counsel. A few days later, my client was accosted in the hall by her supervisor, who said they needed to talk about my letter. Notwithstanding her protests that her lawyer should be involved, her supervisor insisted that this will only take a minute and that the two physicians should discuss the situation. The meeting drug on for over an hour, and my client became increasingly upset by how her supervisor treated her. At one point, the supervisor asked her why she was so sensitive and emotional. Presumably, a male physician would not be expected to become upset when discussing a little detail such as his career, no matter how much disrespect he may be shown. Another issue that is important to all physicians, but can assume enormous importance for a female physician, is the disability provisions of a contract. Although federal law requires the employer to treat pregnancy like any other disability, many employers (hopefully unknowingly) violate this law. Some employers have specific maternity leave provisions. If a female physician thinks it is at least possible that she may wish to have a child in the future, these provisions should be carefully examined. Although I am obviously biased, having your attorney inquire about these provisions in the context of many other questions might reduce the possibility of setting off alarms for the employer. All physicians need to be concerned about issues such as potential delays in the start date, restrictive covenants, potential ownership in a private practice, malpractice tail coverage, employee benefits, etc. Unfortunately, until discrimination against female physicians ends, female physicians need to be especially vigilant in protecting their rights. Dennis Hursh is a physician contract lawyer. He blogs at Physicians Contracts Blog. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Absurd remark casts doubt over watchdog's neutrality "The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) is an agency that supports the president's conduct of state affairs." That surprising remark came from BAI Chair Choe Jae-hae during his administrative report at the National Assembly last Friday. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea wasted no time demanding Choe's resignation, saying, "The BAI head admitted his agency's support for political retaliation." Even Rep. Kim Do-heup of the governing People Power Party, who chairs the Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, "The remark made me doubt my ears." Choe's comment is hard to dismiss as a mere slip of the tongue, as it raised questions about the BAI's top two priorities independence and political neutrality. Clause 1, Article 2 of the Board of Audit and Inspection Act says, "The BAI shall belong to the president but shall have an independent position concerning its duties." The nation's top watchdog audits the state's revenue and expenditure settlements and inspects government employees' performance of duties. If needed, the BAI can and should check the president's administrative acts. So, it's a shame that Choe, who has worked at the BAI for nearly three decades and must know its role better than anyone else, reduced the agency to a supporting organ of the chief executive. Choe's inappropriate remark cannot help but adversely affect the BAI's work. The agency is now conducting audits of various agencies, including the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission and the Korea Communications Commission. Coincidentally or not, the heads of these agencies have caused friction with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration by refusing to step down despite the change in political power. All of this shows why the opposition party's accusation of the BAI's "targeted auditing" doesn't just sound like a political offensive. The BAI was also embroiled in controversy several times under the former Moon Jae-in administration over "biased and easygoing" audits and nepotistic personnel appointments. Suppose the agency or its head causes any more controversies. In that case, it will neither be good for the BAI itself nor help the new government. Choe's role is not to support the government but to protect the BAI from external pressure. The watchdog must defend its independence and neutrality on its own. The BAI head's taking extra care of his every word and action ought to be the first step to attaining it. David Sinnott, originally from Wexford, is set to take up the Port of Waterford CEO role at Belview in South Kilkenny. Sinnott has been working in Germany for the last ten years for Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, where he held the role of Vice President of Product Management. David is to leave his position there to return to the Southeast to take up the role of CEO at the Port of Waterford Company following the completion of Frank Ronans term at the end of September. Prior to Davids time in Product Management at Carl Zeiss Vision he served in several positions for the company in supply chain management. Starting out in materials management at their former manufacturing facility in Wexford, David then spent time as Director of European Supply Chain, before taking a role as Director of Business Integration. David Sinnott is from Wexford town and was president of Wexford Chamber of Commerce in 2002 and 2003. Commenting on the appointment, Chairman of the Port of Waterford Des Whelan stated that the board of directors look forward to welcoming David Sinnott to Port of Waterford. "The board are confident that David will continue to build on the progress of the port in recent years," he said. "David has the relevant experience and skills to provide strong stewardship at the Port and we wish him every success. "The board and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Frank Ronan for his excellent work at Port of Waterford over the last seven years and we wish him the very best for the future." Responding to the announcement of a 25% emissions reduction for agriculture, Pat McCormack, the President of the ICMSA, the states specialist dairy farmer organisation, said that the Governments decision would have wholly negative and predictable economic, social and demographic consequences for the massive areas of the state that depended on farming and food production and represented a sell-out of our family farm model. Mr McCormack said that farmers and the communities they formed and which depended upon them, were not interested in hearing any more platitudes from politicians and groups who professed to appreciate the dilemma faced by farming communities but who cheerfully signed-off on policy that at a stroke made whole classes of farms unviable. It was now clear that faced with the choice of doing anything that impinged upon more favoured sectors like aviation - or undermining our irreplaceable family farm system, those same politicians with a few notable exceptions were happy to sacrifice the one sector in which Ireland enjoyed a unique natural benefit, global reputation, and which had been the one and only economic sector left working after the crash of a decade ago. Mr McCormack said that the decision to go past 22% to 25% represented much more than just an additional three percent. The original target was going to be very difficult but at least warranted an effort. Pushing that to 25% reduction over an eight-year timeframe now moved policy from difficult to impossible and actually meant that the policy was now literally incredible in that it was not credible or possible to have confidence in. ICMSA has repeatedly stressed that if we are to move forwards together towards the new low-emissions farming and primary food production now set as policy, then the ambitions and targets must be possible and achievable. If the historic process and transition is to win the confidence that will be necessary for it to succeed, then it simply must be realistic. If it is not realistic and 25% is not realistic then the whole process loses all momentum, trust and confidence, said Mr McCormack. The ICMSA President concluded by noting that while todays decision will be presented as a win for the extreme environmental element in Government, it would transpire to be a PR stunt and pointless over-reach that would inflict incalculable harm to long-term ambitions for lower emissions and sustainability. The Government has badly let down family farms and their communities and we wont be fobbed off by vague promises of future income streams. Our livestock industry - both dairy and beef - is the lifeblood of rural Ireland and Minister McConalogue and the three party leaders of the coalition have struck it at its very heart today concluded Mr McCormack. A State agency responsible for rivers and lakes has thrown a spanner into the works of a plan to recommence mining in Kilkenny at Galmoy. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala against the Kilkenny County Council granting of permission to Shanoon Resources to start mining in County Kilkenny. The agencys appeal centres on the environmental impact of mining on surface water. It holds the local authority in Kilkenny responsible for not scrutinising the impact sufficiently. There have been multiple failures by the planning authority in their consideration of this application and that permission should be overturned pending satisfactory resolution of the concerns documented, states the appeal. The applicants claim 190 jobs could be created if zinc and lead mining recommences underground between Kilkenny and Laois. Shanoon also has an application pending with Laois County Council which is due to reach a decision shortly. The mine closed in 2014 but the applicants believe there is reserves remaining to justify reopening. Up to 310,000 tonnes of ore would be mined annually under the plan to recommence. ORIGINAL APPLICATION Proposed works at the site in the original application included an access portal, declines, ventilation shafts and extensions to existing underground workings. The refurbishment of a number of existing mine related surface structures, dewatering wells, and buildings including the Goul pumphouse were also envisaged in the application. There were also plans for a fire and fresh water pumphouse, mine change house, security hut, weighbridge, transformers, sub-stations and switch-rooms, stormwater pond and conditioning pond, rock storage area for the storage of soil, overburden and rock from the mine workings and the ore storage structure (teepee) as part of the ore crushing plant. The provision of two new wells and associated ancillary pumping infrastructures for the supply of supplementary water to the Galmoy-Rathdowney public water supply (GRPWS) were also sought in the plans. China slammed for excessive demands on THAAD China has come under criticism for having asked South Korea to abide by its previous pledge of "Three Nos" regarding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Wednesday, "South Korea expressed its respectful stance on the THAAD issue in 2017." He added, "A new leader can't turn a blind eye to past debts," calling on Seoul to act with caution in relation to the sensitive issue affecting the security of neighboring countries. His comment came in response to Foreign Minister Park Jin's statement at the National Assembly on July 25 that the "Three Nos" was just an explanation of the South Korean government's stance on the matter, not a formal agreement between the two countries. The former Moon Jae-in administration said it would neither deploy additional THAAD missiles, nor participate in the missile defense (MD) regime initiated by the United States, nor join the trilateral military alliance with the U.S. and Japan. Such a stance came to prevent China from stepping up its economic retaliation against Seoul's THAAD deployment. Lijian's remark is entirely improper as it was taken to mean that pressure on the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is continuing so as to keep the promise for the "Three Nos." It is an infringement on the nation's sovereignty. South Korea has its sole right to opt for the THAAD deployment as a military tactic to cope with the threats from North Korea's potential nuclear and missile attacks. Should China earnestly want to see peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia, it should first proactively persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear development program. If Beijing succeeds in dissuading Pyongyang from its nuclear ambition, there would be no reason for Seoul to seek THAAD deployment. China is not authorized to ask South Korea to stay away from the MD regime and the prospect of a three-way military alliance. China should stop such reckless and rude interventions. The U.S. said THAAD is a safe and trustworthy defense system being used to protect South Korea's sovereignty from outside aggression. Martin Meiners, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, said in a press briefing, "Future development of THAAD missiles will be bilaterally agreed." The U.S. State Department also said that the THAAD decision was made for defensive purposes. China has taken flak by installing in Shandong Province a large radar network with a longer detection range than THAAD radars to target the Korean Peninsula and Japan. China's pressuring of South Korea in relation to the THAAD issues is "wolf warrior diplomacy" due to their aggressive foreign policy. Minister Park is set to leave for China soon to discuss bilateral issues including THAAD. He needs to clarify that the THAAD issue cannot be the object of China's pressure and that Seoul is authorized to determine the matter as it wishes. We hope the two nations will mutually respect each other and improve relations for a better future as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties. Liquid biopsy technology is offered by Eone Diagnomics Genome Center for predicting cancerous risks in people with the highest precision. Gettyimagesbank Predictive diagnosis touted as future direction for 'cancer moonshot' By Ko Dong-hwan Early detection has been touted as the easiest way to treat cancer. What if there were technologies that could help predict the likelihood of cancer? Experts gathered at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, for a forum aiming to look into a game-changing predictive diagnostic technique against cancer and how it can be applied in today's medical environment. Titled "Korea Cancer Moonshot," the forum hosted by Rep. Lee Yong-bin from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, a former family physician and a member of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, looked into what the liquid biopsy technique developed by genome sequencing research firm Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC) does, how effective it is in preventing cancer, as well as caveats in making the technique a more common practice in the country's tightly regulated medical environment. EDGC, headquartered on Incheon's Songdo, has been implementing results of clients' genetic sequencing analysis in a non-intrusive fashion to general medical applications, including family tree discovery and disease prevention, since 2013. Rep. Lee, in his speech to open the forum at the National Assembly lawmakers' office building, said that for the technique to become more widely used, fundamental infrastructure to enable it in the prediction of diseases at the earliest stages should be compatible with the existing policies and theories that are focused on field operations. What the forum has shed new light on was OncoCatch derived from the word oncology the name of EDGC's liquid biopsy technique. The diagnostic technique, using only a single-drop blood sample, can predict which cancers a person is at risk of developing. One of its exclusive advantages over other liquid biopsy techniques is that it can predictively diagnose multiple cancers at once. "OncoCatch's diagnosis of bowel cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer showed higher precision than that of Grail," EDGC's Chief Technology Officer Lee Sung-hoon said during the forum, referring to a California-based firm considered a leading player in liquid biopsy in the U.S. "We will expand the technique's accuracy to the 10 most common cancers and start researching in the U.S. and Europe. We are also taking steps to get an approval from Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to commercialize the technique in the country." Participants from Monday's forum held at the National Assembly discussed prospects and caveats behind implementing liquid biopsy technology as a predictive diagnostic technique against cancer. Fifth from left is EDGC's Chief Technology Officer Lee Sung-hoon. Ninth from left is Harvard Medical School associate professor Towia Libermann who delivered a keynote speech during the forum. Seventh from left is EDGC's co-founder Lee Min-seob. Courtesy of EDGC Hyundai Motor said Tuesday it will ship 27 hydrogen-powered trucks to Germany in its second European export deal for the zero-emission commercial car. Hyundai will supply 27 Xcient hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks to seven German companies. The German firms will receive local government subsidies for environment-friendly commercial cars, the company said in a statement. The company said it plans to gradually begin delivering the Xcient trucks later this year. Previously, the Korean carmaker delivered 47 hydrogen trucks to 23 companies in Switzerland from 2020 through June 2022. Based on the deals, Hyundai aims to promote its hydrogen trucks in European markets, such as Austria, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, the statement said. (Yonhap) Similar to the Valley Stewardship Network, the Wallace Center collaborates with others to build resilient farms and food systems. The Wallace Center operates as a unit of Winrock International, an organization working to increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources worldwide. The Wallace Center is focused solely on the United States. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. In this file handout picture released by the SITE Intelligence Group on Oct. 4, 2009 shows Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al-Qaeda number two, giving a eulogy for Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi. AFP-Yonhap President Joe Biden on Monday confirmed that a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, declaring ''justice has been delivered.'' ''This terrorist leader is no more,'' Biden said in an evening speech from the White House. Biden said U.S. intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday. A U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend killed Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as al-Qaida leader after Osama bin Laden's death in a U.S. raid. President Joe Biden was set to announce the killing Monday, delivering a significant counterterrorism win just 11 months after American troops left the country after a two-decade war. The strike, carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, was confirmed by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity before Biden was set to brief the American people on the details of the operation in a 7:30 p.m. EDT address to the nation. Al-Zawahri's loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as Osama bin Laden's deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movement's guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. Current and former officials began hearing Sunday afternoon that al-Zawahri had been killed in a drone strike, but the administration delayed releasing the information until his death could be confirmed, according to one person. White House officials declined to confirm al-Zawahri was killed but noted in a statement that the United States conducted a ''successful'' counterterrorism operation against a significant al-Qaida target, adding that ''there were no civilian casualties.'' President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House Monday, Aug. 1, in Washington, as he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan. AP-Yonhap Candidates for the U.S. Senate seat were all over Missouri Monday in a last ditch effort to win votes. By Mark Leonard BEIJING Is Russia's invasion of Ukraine merely the first in a series of conflicts that will make Europe seem more like the Middle East in the coming years? A Chinese academic who requested anonymity put that question to me recently, and his reasoning showed just how differently non-Westerners view a war that is reshaping the European geopolitical order. In speaking with Chinese academics to understand how they view the world, I have found that they start from a fundamentally different position than many in the West do. It's not just that they are more likely to blame the Ukraine war on NATO enlargement than on the Kremlin; it is that many of their core strategic assumptions are also the opposite of our own. While Europeans and Americans see the conflict as a turning point in global history, the Chinese see it as just another war of intervention one that is even less significant than those launched in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan over the past 75 years. To them, the only material difference this time is that it is not the West that is intervening. Moreover, while many in Europe think that the war has marked America's return to the global stage, Chinese intellectuals see it as further confirmation of the incoming post-American world. To them, the end of American hegemony created a vacuum that is now being filled by Russia. Whereas Westerners see an attack on the rules-based order, my Chinese friends see the emergence of a more pluralistic world one in which the end of American hegemony permits different regional and sub-regional projects. They argue that the rules-based order has always lacked legitimacy; Western powers created the rules, and they have never shown much compunction about changing them when it suits their purposes (as in Kosovo and Iraq). These are the arguments that lead to the Middle East analogy. My Chinese interlocutor sees the situation in Ukraine not as a war of aggression between sovereign countries, but rather as a revision of post-colonial borders following the end of Western hegemony. Likewise, in the Middle East, states are questioning the borders that the West drew after World War I. But the most striking parallel is that the Ukraine conflict is widely regarded as a proxy war. Just as the wars in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon have been fueled and exploited by great powers, so, too, has the war in Ukraine. Who are the main beneficiaries? My Chinese friend argues that it certainly is not Russia, Ukraine, or Europe. Rather, the United States and China ultimately stand to gain the most, and both have been approaching the conflict as a proxy war in their larger rivalry. The Americans have benefited by locking Europeans, Japanese, and Koreans into a new alignment of U.S.-dictated priorities, and by isolating Russia and forcing China to clarify where it stands on issues such as territorial integrity. At the same time, China has benefited by cementing Russia's subordinate position, and by prodding more countries in the Global South to embrace non-alignment. While European leaders cast themselves as 21st-century Churchills, the Chinese see them as mere pawns in a bigger geopolitical game. The consensus among all the scholars I spoke with is that the war in Ukraine is a rather unimportant diversion when compared to the short-term disruptions of COVID-19 or the longer-term struggle for supremacy between the U.S. and China. Obviously, one could argue with my Chinese interlocutor's points. Europeans certainly have more agency than he implies, and the West's vigorous response to Russia's aggression could well prevent the war from being the first in a longer series of border conflicts (as occurred during the decade-long wars of Yugoslav succession in the 1990s). Nonetheless, the fact that Chinese observers frame things so differently than we do should give us pause. At a minimum, we in the West should think harder about how the rest of the world perceives us. Yes, it is tempting to dismiss Chinese arguments as mere talking points, designed to stay on the good side of a hostile, undemocratic regime (public discussions about Ukraine are heavily controlled in China). But perhaps some humility is in order. The fact that Chinese observers have such a radically different perspective may help to explain why the West has not garnered near-universal support for its sanctions against Russia. At a time when the politics of "taking back control" is ascendant, we should not be so surprised to see other governments discounting the importance of Ukraine. Where we see a heroic self-defense of the rules-based order, others see the last gasp of Western hegemony in a world that is quickly becoming multipolar. Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is the author of "The Age of Unpeace: How Connectivity Causes Conflict" (Bantam Press, 2021). This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, Aug. 1. EPA-Yonhap The United Nations chief warned Monday that ''humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,'' citing the war in Ukraine, nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East and many other factors. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave the dire warning at the opening of the long-delayed high-level meeting to review the landmark 50-year-old treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually achieving a nuclear-free world. The danger of increasing nuclear threats and a nuclear catastrophe was also raised by the United States, Japan, Germany, the U.N. nuclear chief and many other opening speakers at the meeting to review progress and agree to future steps to implement the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known as the NPT. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said North Korea is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test, Iran ''has either been unwilling or unable'' to accept a deal to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement aimed at reining in its nuclear program, and Russia is ''engaged in reckless, dangerous nuclear saber-rattling'' in Ukraine. He cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning after its Feb. 24 invasion that any attempt to interfere would lead to ''consequences you have never seen,'' emphasizing that his country is ''one of the most potent nuclear powers.'' This is contrary to assurances given to Ukraine of its sovereignty and independence when in gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in 1994, Blinken said, and sends ''the worst possible message'' to any country thinking it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself and deter aggression. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said divisions in the world since the last review conference in 2015, which ended without a consensus document, have become greater, stressing that Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war has contributed ''to worldwide concern that yet another catastrophe by nuclear weapon use is a real possibility.'' United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at the start of the tenth annual review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at U.N. headquarters on Aug. 1, in New York City. AFP-Yonhap South Africa: South African National Parks Week dates announced The annual SA National Parks Week will run from 11 to 16 September 2022, said the South African National Parks (SANParks). Announcing the dates in a statement on Tuesday, SANParks said the 17th annual SA National Parks Week initiative, in partnership with Total South Africa and First National Bank, is in line with its vision statement of "A Sustainable National Park System Connecting Society". The week grants free access to most of the 22 national parks for day visitors, especially people from the local communities. However, it should be noted that free access to parks does not include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities. Some of the parks will be extending the week to include the weekend. For individual park dates and participating parks the public can visit: http://www.sanparks.org/about/events/parks_week/default.php . Since its inception in 2006; National Parks Week, under the theme 'Know Your National Parks', has seen an influx of over 619 252 day visitors in all participating parks. SANParks Acting Chief Executive Officer, Hapiloe Sello, said the idea of a national parks focus week is a worldwide campaign. "The week was established in a bid to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa's natural, cultural and historical heritage, protected by the national parks system, she said. SA National Parks Week has proved to be a successful campaign in terms of education and awareness of conservation issues. "The survival of the South African national parks system and our natural and cultural heritage lies in the people of South Africa. Environmental education and protection is the responsibility of everyone, not just a privileged few," said Sello. "This initiative aims to give the public an understanding of the role that SANParks plays as custodian of the country's natural heritage. If we are to create a sense of ownership of the natural heritage of South Africa in all South Africans, then all South Africans must be able to have access to such. We especially want our young people to take advantage of this opportunity because this heritage will be under their protection in the near future," said the Acting Chief Executive Officer. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. U.S. should take full responsibility for escalating tensions across Taiwan Strait: Chinese spokesperson Xinhua) 22:57, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The world knows clearly that U.S. provocation has led to escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and the United States should take full responsibility, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Tuesday. Hua's comment came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government, and that House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi would make her own decisions about whether to visit Taiwan. "And so, if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken has said. "Blinken's remarks called black white, once again demonstrating the hegemonic mentality and gangster logic of some people in the United States that 'I can provoke you at will, but you can't oppose it or defend yourself,'" Hua said at a regular news briefing. Hua said that the U.S. Congress, as a part of the U.S. government, should strictly follow the foreign policies recognized and committed to by the U.S. government. "The U.S. House speaker is the third highest-ranking official in the U.S. government. It is by no means an unofficial act for the House speaker to visit Taiwan taking a U.S. military aircraft," Hua said. The wrong actions of some U.S. politicians in the past should not constitute a precedent, still less can they become an excuse for the U.S. side to repeat its mistakes on the Taiwan question, Hua said. She said the one-China principle is a widely recognized basic norm for international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. "It is on the basis of the one-China principle that China has established diplomatic ties with 181 countries, including the United States." However, in recent years the U.S. side has only claimed to follow the one-China policy in words, but has continued to go backward in terms of actions, Hua said, citing the heightened level of contact with Taiwan and the increased arms sales to the region. Many people, including mainstream U.S. media and think tanks, as well as former political dignitaries of U.S. allies, have commented publicly that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan under any pretext would be foolish, dangerous and unnecessary and that it is perilous gambling, said Hua. "It is hard to imagine a more reckless and provocative action than this," she said. "If the U.S. side miscalculates or mishandles the cross-Strait situation, it will bring catastrophic consequences to the security, prosperity and order of the Taiwan region and the world at large." Considering the wanton U.S. actions in disregard of China's repeated solemn representations, it will be justified and necessary for China to take any countermeasure, she said. The position of the Chinese government and Chinese people on the Taiwan question is consistent, and it is the firm will of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, Hua said. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) A demonstrator tears a U.S. flag during a protest against U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit, in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2. Reuters-Yonhap Four U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy called routine deployments on Tuesday amid Chinese anger over U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit the island. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a U.S. Navy official told o Reuters. The Japan-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. "While they are able to respond to any eventuality, these are normal, routine deployments," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. They would not comment on precise locations. The official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area. U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi / AP-Yonhap Here are the Walworth Countys weekly criminal complaints from July 26-Aug. 1. The cases still need to make their way through the Walworth County Court System. All information is from criminal complaints filed in Walworth County Circuit Court. To follow the cases, go to wcca.wicourts.gov. Kaitlyn R. Roberts, 26, 5511 S Lake Dr., Cudahy, has been charged with possession of cocaine second and subsequent offense, repeater and possession of drug paraphernalia, repeater. She was pulled over for a traffic stop in Elkhorn on July 15, in which the defendant admitted to having a warrant. A glass pipe was found in the vehicle and cocaine was found in a rolled up dollar bill, which she admitted to. Joshua F. Danielsen, 41, 225 Turtle Creek Dr., Delavan, has been charged with identity theft-avoidance, repeater and obstructing an officer, repeater. He was pulled over during a traffic stop in the Town of Darien on March 19. In April, it was found that the defendant used her husbands identity to evade a warrant. Neftali E. Jaramillo, 27, 515 Shah Ave., Fort Atkinson, has been charged with several possession charges. He is charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine-as a party to a crime, repeater, second or subsequent offense. He has also been charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver Psilocybin-as a party to a crime, repeater, second or subsequent offense; one count of possession with intent to deliver THC (Tetrahydrocannabinols) as a party to a crime, repeater, second or subsequent offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia-as a party to a crime, repeater. From the jail, Jaramillo made a phone call and to another individual to go to his residence and remove a large amount of drugs. That individual was pulled over and found to have a large amount of drugs that included 4-to-8 lbs. of marijuana, approximately 190 grams of cocaine and Psilocybin mushrooms. Aranda admitted to the phone call with Jaramillio who asked him to do it. Christian D. Indermuehle, 31, W9497 Lake Lorraine Rd., Delavan, has been charged with identity theft-avoidance, possession of methamphetamine three counts of felony bail jumping, obstructing an officer and resisting an officer. On July 17, in the Town of Richmond, police arrived to meet the defendant who gave the wrong name, was non-compliant with the officers and was found to have medical syringes, a scale, and a baggie with white powder, which was later was found to be methamphetamine. Stephanie N. Vierck, 34, 403 S Franklin St., Elkhorn, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of drug paraphernalia-as a party to a crime. On June 21, in the Town of Lyons, a backpack containing a glass meth pipe, and a multicolored silicone bong was found in the driver seat area where Vierck was seated. James D. Patrick-Yance, 23, 2419 Barton BLVD., Rockford, Illinois, has been charged with possession of a firearm by out of state felon, carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing an officer and possession of tetrahydrocannabinols. On July 21, in Whitewater, the defendant provided a different license that wasnt his. Upon searching the vehicle, weed and a small semi automatic pistol that was loaded was found in the vehicle. Jonathan D. Heath, 41, 2330 Hwy 120 Lake Geneva, has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, repeater, second or subsequent offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, repeater, second or subsequent offense, possession of tetrahydrocannabinols-second or subsequent offense, repeater, possession of a controlled substance, repeater, and possession of drug paraphernalia, repeater. Heath, who was the passenger in a vehicle pulled over on June 29 in Elkhorn. He admitted to having a backpack in the car, which contained a meth pipe, several unknown substances and a scale. Kasie S. Daley, 41, 2005 North Shore Drive, Delavan, has been charged with two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) and possession of a controlled substance. During a traffic stop in Elkhorn on February 27, 2021, the defendant was found to have 1.8 grams of Suspected Marijuana, three glass pipes with marijuana residue, one methamphetamine kit (pipe with meth residue, baggy containing trace amounts of meth, scrapper, Q-tips, straw, a Grinder with Marijuana residue and two Vyvanse pills ( schedule 2 controlled substance). Juan L. Avila, 47, 755 N. Tratt Street, Whitewater, has been charged with possession of narcotic drugs, repeater, second or subsequent offense, obstructing an officer, repeater, misdemeanor bail jumping, repeater, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A traffic stop was conducted in May in Whitewater, in which Avila was found with a scale in the sunglass holder that contained a white powder on the weighing plate and cover. Matthew J. Nickelsen, 22, W7970 Sweet Rd., Darien, has been charged with throwing or discharge bodily fluids at a public safety officer and disorderly conduct. Nickelsen was reported to be throwing rocks at passing vehicles on Highway 50 in Delavan. He was placed in the back of the cop car, where he attempted to stand up and get out of the vehicle. When an assisting officer pushed him back into the squad, the defendant then spit in his face. Anthony L. Brooks, 37, 317 Burr Oaks, South Beloit, Illinois, has been charged with attempted strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct. Brooks was at a hotel in Lyons on July 6. The caller was seen to have bruises and cuts on his face and said the defendant began choking him up against the wall. Adam Isaac Cooper. 39, 340 N Newcomb St., Whitewater, has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence-fourth offense, three counts of felony bail jumping, criminal damage to property, possession of Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) and disorderly conduct. Cooper was pulled over in Whitewater on July 26. The car had an odor of intoxicants and the defendants eyes were bloodshot and glassy. Ryan Anthony Hartung, 48, 25429 W Cedar Crest Ln., Lake Villa, Illinois, has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated-fifth offense, operating with prohibited alcohol concentration-fifth offense and operating a motor vehicle while revoked-first offense. Hartung was pulled over in January in the Village of Genoa City. He emitted an odor, had bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred his speech, could not keep his balance and admitted to consuming intoxicants. Wayne J. Bigelow, 61, 710 Faryl Ave., Delavan, has been charged with simple battery as a felony, domestic abuse assessments, domestic abuse repeater and disorderly conduct as a felony, domestic abuse assessments, and domestic abuse repeater. The incident took place on July 3 at an apartment complex in Delavan. The caller said he dragged a woman off the couch. When the caller intervened, she said the defendant grabbed her right arm and grabbed her face to move her out of the way. Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 2 (ANI/PNN): Chairman of The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council ( TEXPROCIL), Manoj Patodia, extended his thanks to Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution and M. Sentilnathan, Chairman, ECGC Ltd for the announcement of a new scheme to provide enhanced export credit risk insurance cover to the extent of 90 per cent to support small exporters under the Export Credit Insurance for Banks Whole Turnover Packaging Credit and Post Shipment (ECIB- WTPC & PS). "The enhanced export credit risk insurance cover will enable the small exporters in the textile sector to explore new markets/new buyers and diversify their existing product portfolio competitively", said Patodia. Also Read | The Hood: Indian Adaptation of Israeli Live-Action Teen Drama in Works. The new scheme shall be available for the manufacturer- exporters availing fund-based export credit working capital limit of up to Rs 20 crores (i.e., total Packaging Credit and Post Shipment limit per exporter/exporter-group). "The new scheme will enable small exporters to get export credit from the banks at a lower rate of interest", according to the Chairman, TEXPROCIL. Also Read | Nag Panchami Special: From Mouni Roy, Hina Khan to Tejasswi Prakash - Here Are the Most Glamourous Naagins of Television. www.texprocil.org This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN) (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, Aug 2 (PTI) A total of 14,077 dengue cases have been reported in the country till June this year against 13,580 cases in the corresponding period of 2021, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. In 2021, a total of 2,05,243 cases of dengue were reported in India, she said in a written reply, adding that the number of cases stood at 44,585 in 2020 and 1,93,245 in 2019. Also Read | DCW Issues Notice to 3 Matrimonial Sites Over Cases of Fake Suitors. Responding to a question on precautionary steps taken by the government to prevent the spread of dengue this year, the minister said the Centre has taken several measures for prevention and control of the disease. Also Read | Karnataka: Five Killed in Rain-Related Incidents, IMD Issues Yellow Alert for Three More Days in 12 Districts. Listing the measures, she said the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) had issued nine advisories between March 23 to June 30 to states/UTs for detection and control of outbreaks, preparedness and capacity building to take effective vector control, involvement of non health sector, ensuring logistics to be in place such as drugs, diagnostics, insecticides, equipment and for filling up the vacant positions of entomologists. Trainings have been imparted to doctors on case management and to entomologists on integrated vector control from March to July at central and state level, Pawar said in the written reply. To accelerate pre-monsoon preventive activities and community sensitisation, National Dengue Day (May 16, 2022) and anti-dengue month (July, 2022) have been observed across the country. She also told the House that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed vector borne diseases, including the dengue situation and preparedness of 13 states/UTs, on July 8 with state health ministers. Besides, free diagnostic facilities through 769 sentinel surveillance hospitals and 17 apex referral laboratories have been made functional and 1.92 lakh IgM tests have been provided by the government. NCVBDC provides technical guidelines for the prevention, control and management of dengue cases in states and Union territories (UTs), the MoS said. Under the National Health Mission, budgetary support is provided to states and UTs for dengue control activities such as dengue case management, vector control activities (provision of domestic breeding checkers, insecticide, fogging machines), training support, awareness activities, among others, she added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 2 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched 'Mission Bhumiputra', a digital way to issue digitalised caste certificates to students. The Chief Minister inaugurated a Bhumiputra Portal at a programme held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra. Also Read | International Airfares May Get Cheaper As India Signed Pact with 116 Countries. "Implemented by the Departments of Tribal Affairs (Plain) and Social Justice Empowerment, the mission has been implemented to carry forward the government's mission of easy public service to the public," said an official statement. Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that the government will create two pillars under the mission. Also Read | Ambur Biryani Festival 2022: Dont Avoid Beef Biryani on Festival, Says Tamil Nadu SC/ST Commission. "Henceforth, the manual system of issuing caste certificates will be ceased," he said. The Deputy Commissioners will give the format of applications for the caste certificates to the Headmasters of educational institutions from August 8 onwards. "The headmasters will fill up the application formats for their onward submission to the Deputy Commissioners who then forward the applications to the Boards of respective caste or tribe. The DC then will convene a meeting with the Boards to decide on the protocol for issuing caste certificates to the students. If any doubt in the process crops up, the application may be sent for further verification," said the statement. "The certificates will be available in the digi locker under the IT Act with digitally signed by the respective Deputy Commissioners," it added. The Chief Minister said that the problems that people faced earlier relating to securing the documents will be solved with the launch of Mission Bhumiputra. "Earlier people before joining any government job had to bear encumbrances to secure such documents. However, with the lunch of Mission Bhumiputra, such problems will be solved without any glitch," he said. "From next year, students from Class VIII can apply for caste certificates through this portal which will also be lined with CM's dashboard to enable the Chief Minister's Office to monitor the entire process," the Chief Minister added. He also asked the Departments of Tribal Affairs (Plain) and Social Justice Empowerment to generate awareness on this new initiative. Sarma said that the government will release a Tribal Land Policy. "As a part of government's commitment to the welfare of the people belonging to different tribes, along with launching Basundhara-II, the government will release a Tribal Land Policy," he said. The Chief Minister also said that government has laid emphasis on issuing EWS certificates to the people as steps will be taken to issue such certificate to the students from class VIII onwards. An awareness rally will be organised from 1 to 15 September. With regards to OBC certificates, State government will take necessary steps. Chief Minister Sarma said that following the emphasis of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 'Minimum government, Maximum governance', the state government has been facilitating different public services seamlessly to the people. "Moreover, with the introduction of digitalization, different services have been rendered to the people transparently and expeditiously. This system has put an end to the menace of 'middleman'," the Chief Minister added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) With the Delhi government going back to its old excise regime, its four corporations have geared up to ensure supply of liquor through vends managed by them. Before the Excise Policy-2021-22, 475 out of 864 liquor vends were being run by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Consumer's Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS), and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC). Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Jeweller Shot at During Robbery in Najafgarh Area, Two Held After Encounter. The DTTDC used to run 122 liquor shops and DSIIDC 89 of them, while the rest of the shops were managed by the two other corporations. The government had made retail liquor sale completely private with its new excise policy implemented on November 17,2021 -- recalled recently in the backdrop of a CBI probe. Also Read | 'Jholewala Fakir in Parliament Since 2019, Says Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Over Accusations of Hiding Her Expensive Bag. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Saturday said that the government will revert to the old excise policy regime and will operate liquor stores through its four corporations from September 1. However, it was not clear whether private licences will also be issued by the government. In the old excise regime, out of total 864 vends 389 were operated by individual retail licensees. Officials privy to the development said that preparations are underway to chalk out a plan for sale of liquor at government-run liquor vends managed by the four corporations. "Meetings are being held with stakeholders to finalise modalities about sale of liquor in retail through government vends. We are pondering over the number of liquor vends to be kept to meet the challenges ahead," a government official said. "Things will get clearer in the coming days." They said that it will be ensured that there is no shortage of liquor in the city till the government forms a new policy. They said that various aspects of the business such as the number of liquor vends, their functioning, and procurement of liquor are under discussion. From September 1, the Excise Policy 2021-22 will cease to exist and the Delhi government will revert to the old excise regime and run liquor stores in the city through its corporations. These four government agencies will run the liquor stores as per the old excise policy regime till the government comes out with a new policy. Delhi government has formed two committees including one for ensuring smooth transition from existing policy to the old one. The other committee will formulate a new excise policy. The excise department of the Delhi government had on Monday issued orders for extension of retail and wholesale licences up to August 31, on payment of applicable fee for the period. The latest excise policy was withdrawn in the backdrop of a CBI probe recommended by the LG into alleged violation of rules and procedural lapses in its implementation. The policy was extended twice since April this year as the government worked on a revised excise policy for 2022-23 for which necessary approvals were yet to be taken. (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], August 2 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi in the case of illegal coal mining by Anup Majee and others. In the supplementary charge sheet, Gurupada Maji and 6 companies controlled by him have been arraigned as accused. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Jeweller Shot at During Robbery in Najafgarh Area, Two Held After Encounter. Gurupado Maji was arrested by ED on May 26 and currently, he is in judicial custody, the official press release of the ED read. On May 26, the said supplementary complaint was placed before the Hon'ble Court and after taking cognizance of the same, the accused Gurupado Maji was also produced before the court. Also Read | 'Jholewala Fakir in Parliament Since 2019, Says Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Over Accusations of Hiding Her Expensive Bag. After hearing at length, the Hon'ble court fixed the next date for August 8. In this case, the 1st Prosecution Complaint was filed on May 13, 2021, against Vikas Mishra and Ashok Kumar Mishra. Both of them were also arrested by ED. ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, Kolkata against Anup Majee, several other officials of ECL and other public servants and private persons for illegal excavation and theft of coal from the leasehold area of ECL in active connivance of the officials of ECL, CISF, Indian Railways and concerned other departments for alleged commission of a cognizable offence under various sections of IPC and Section 13(2) r/w section 13(1)(a) of the P.C. Act,1988, it added. The total proceeds of crime identified to date is Rs. 2742.32 Crore. Till now, POC to the tune of Rs. 204.64 have already been attached by ED vide seven Provisional attachment orders and three persons have been arrested by ED to date. Further, an investigation is in progress. (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, Aug 2 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate raids at the head office of the Congress-owned National Herald newspaper here and other locations evoked a sharp reaction from the Opposition party which condemned the action as "vendetta politics", even as the ruling BJP asserted that law would take its own course. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the head office of the National Herald newspaper here and 11 other locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation, officials said, a week after it questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Also Read | Monkeypox in India: African Man Tests Positive for MPV in Delhi, 8th Case in Country, 3rd in National Capital. The searches were carried out under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to "gather additional evidence with regard to the trail of funds and they are against those entities who were involved in the National Herald-linked transactions", the officials said. Reacting sharply, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The raids on Herald House, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg are a part of the continued attack against India's principal opposition -- Indian National Congress." Also Read | Karnataka: ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 3.35 Crore of Former Bengaluru Corporator CG Gowramma. "We strongly condemn this vendetta politics against those who speak up against the Modi Govt. You cannot silence us!" he said. Reacting to Ramesh's allegation, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked if the denial of any relief to the Gandhi family by courts in this matter was also "vendetta". BJP general secretary C T Ravi also responded to Ramesh's charge, saying there is nothing "Indian nor National about the INC". "Corrupt Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi are facing action from the ED for the only reason that they looted the Congress in the National Herald case. Slaves can call it vendetta, but the law will take its own course," Ravi said. At a Congress party press conference here, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the raids on National Herald is a ploy to divert attention from price rise and unemployment. "In Independent India, there is perhaps no other governmental and no other place, where politics has sunk to this rock bottom. To settle petty personal scores, to intimidate India's opposition, the Modi government is doing exactly what the British did during the freedom struggle. During the freedom struggle, the British had banned and had raided National Herald, that's exactly what the Modi government is doing," Shrinate said. "You have questioned the Congress President for three days, you have questioned the former Congress President for 50 hours. Either the ED is completely incompetent and has not been able to gather enough (evidence) or the ED has actually become the Election Department of the BJP and that seems to be exactly what the ED has reduced itself to," she alleged. The reality of the day is there are only two issues that matter in this country -- price rise and unemployment -- and no matter how hard the government tries, the Congress will continue to raise these relevant issues, Shrinate said. "There may be some people who may be intimidated by what your agencies can do, the Indian National Congress is certainly not one of those. We condemn it, we will fight it, but we will continue to expose the failures of this government because the future of our youth is at stake due to unemployment and every Indian is suffering and reeling under high prices," she said. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram claimed that the ED has become a "weapon of mass destruction" and would be known as the "hatchet agency" of the government. He made these remarks while hitting out at the BJP government for the ED raids. Comparing the ED with Stasi of East Germany and Schutzstaffel of Nazi Germany, Chidambaram said, "During Second World W ar, Stasi was used as hatchet agency for East Germany and Schutzstaffel by Nazi Germany. When the history of this country is written, the ED will be known as the hatchet agency of the BJP." "The ED has now become a weapon of mass destruction. And the entire exercise of the ED is only to embarrass or humiliate political opponents," he alleged. He further said they are being harassed for the transactions which have been captured in the books of accounts and income tax returns filed. "I can't see any reason why an agency would want to raid premises after 12 years. Even by law, you're not required to keep financial records beyond eight years. So this is only for the voyeuristic pleasure of certain people who want to see the opposition being crushed, humiliated and harassed," Chidambaram told reporters. The raids come after the probe agency questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi at its headquarters here. While Sonia Gandhi was questioned for more than 11 hours, spread over three rounds, last month, Rahul Gandhi was probed by the ED for five days, at intervals, clocking over 50 hours in June. Senior Congress politicians like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were also questioned by the ED in April. The National Herald is published by the Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL), and its holding company is Young Indian. Officers of the federal agency searched the office of the National Herald located in the 'Herald House' building at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg near ITO in central Delhi. The office is registered in the name of AJL. (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], August 1 (ANI): Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday summoned some more people in connection with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's money laundering case. Earlier in the day, the probe agency conducted raids at two different locations in Mumbai in connection with the Patra Chawl scam. Also Read | Monkeypox in India: Delhi Govt Directs 3 Private Hospitals To Create 30 Isolation Rooms for MPV Cases. Sanjay Raut is currently in the custody of the ED in a money laundering case related to irregularities in a chawl re-development project in Mumbai's Goregaon area. He has been sent to Enforcement Directorate's custody till August 4. ED on Monday told a special PMLA court in Mumbai that former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd Pravin Raut was the frontman of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam. Also Read | West Bengal SSC Scam: Woman Hurls Slipper at Partha Chatterjee. Sunil Raut had earlier said that the Shiv Sena leader has been framed since the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre is afraid of him. On Monday, ED produced Shiv Sena MP before a special sessions court after his arrest here early this morning in connection with the Patra Chawl money laundering case. ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader's home on Sunday, and after detaining and questioning him for several hours, arrested him in the early hours today. Raut is a close aide of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Meanwhile, another FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, believed to be a close aide of the Shiv Sena MP. The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504, 506 and 509 of IPC. An audio clip had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening Swapna Patkar. Notably, Swapna Patkar is a witness in the Patra Chawl land case in connection to which the ED detained Raut on Sunday. According to sources, ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakh unaccounted cash from the residence of Raut earlier on Sunday. ED sleuths reached Raut's residence around 7 am on Sunday and conducted the raid. Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, the Shiv Sena leader said that "Jhukega nahi" (will not be cowed down)". Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Raut said, "False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut will not be cowed down. I will not leave the party." On June 28 this year, Raut was summoned by ED in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam. Refusing to join the probe and citing the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a reason for not joining the probe, he then dared the probe agency to arrest him. Later, he reached the ED office. In April this year, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Raut's wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of its investigation. (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, Aug 2 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said GST Council has not imposed any new levy on essential items consumed by the poor, though such products were taxed in one form or the other by almost all states in the pre-GST era. The minister, replying to a short-duration discussion on price rise in the Rajya Sabha, also said GST has not increased the burden on families. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Jeweller Shot at During Robbery in Najafgarh Area, Two Held After Encounter. She also said the government has contained prices of tomato, onion, and potato, while comparing rates with those prevailing in November 2013. Almost every state, including West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Kerala, imposed levies on items like pulses, flour, curd, paneer, and buttermilk before the GST regime kicked in on July 1, 2017. Also Read | 'Jholewala Fakir in Parliament Since 2019, Says Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Over Accusations of Hiding Her Expensive Bag. The GST Council has not imposed any new tax on essential items, the minister said while replying to a short-duration debate on price rise in the Rajya Sabha. "...every state had one or the other tax on all these items," she said and cited taxes on items like pulses, flour, buttermilk, and paneer. The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament has witnessed several disruptions by the opposition after GST was imposed on several pre-packed and labelled essential items. The minister said all states at the last GST Council meeting held at Chandigarh had agreed to the proposal to levy 5 per cent GST on pre-packed, labelled food items. Not one person (state minister) spoke against the GST during the meeting, she added. Sitharaman stressed that taxes have not been levied on food items consumed by the poor, as the GST has not been imposed on items that are sold loose. While the minister was referring to a tax on a food item in West Bengal in the pre-GST era, TMC party leader Derek O'Brien tried to raise a point of order and later his party staged a walkout. Sitharaman also clarified there is no GST on crematoriums, but the tax is only on the construction of a new crematorium. Also, there is no GST on hospital beds or ICUs, but only on rent of Rs 5,000 per day in a hospital. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kochi, Aug 2 (PTI) Police officials engaged in traffic duty will face action if they use mobile phones, the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday. Also Read | CAA Rules to Be Framed After COVID-19 Precaution Dose Exercise, Amit Shah Tells West Bengal BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari. Justice Amit Rawal, in proceedings initiated by the court on its own against the use of mobile phones of traffic police while on duty, said public can inform the higher officials about the mobile usage through photos or videos. Also Read | 12% GST on Inns Targets Devotion of Pilgrims Staying at Golden Temple Sarais, Says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. The court also said the city police commissioner can take note of the complaints and initiate action accordingly. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Panaji (Goa) [India], August 2 (ANI): Ahead of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday urged the people to participate in the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign and hoist the national flag at their houses from August 13 to 16. "I urge Goans to keep the national flag as their display picture on social media from 2nd August onwards," Sawant said addressing the media. Also Read | International Airfares May Get Cheaper As India Signed Pact with 116 Countries. He further said that Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav will be celebrated in a big way in Goa. "The PM will chair a meeting at Prime Minister Bhavan to decide on various programs for Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav," he added. Also Read | Ambur Biryani Festival 2022: Dont Avoid Beef Biryani on Festival, Says Tamil Nadu SC/ST Commission. Sawant further informed that 71 freedom fighters who sacrificed their life for Goa's liberation will be given a certificate of Honour on August 15. The Chief Minister said that the handicrafts from Goa will make one lakh flags on the occasion. "Now people need not bring down the hoisted flags at 6 pm as was the earlier mandate by the Government as the Central Government has permitted the hoisting of flags throughout the period and removed the 6 pm clause," Goa CM said. "The flags will be available at stationery shops and other stores across Goa from tomorrow onwards for the initiative," he added. Notably, The initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12 to celebrate and commemorate 75 glorious years of Independence of India. With over 50,000 events successfully held across 28 States, 8 UTs, and over 150 countries, the initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is one of the largest programs ever organized in terms of scope and participation. A citizen, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist or display the National Flag on all days and occasions. There is no restriction on timing of flag display. Machine-made flags are permitted in addition to hand-made flags. The government has amended the Flag Code of India to allow the tricolour to be displayed in the open and on individual houses or buildings through day and night. The Flag Code of India was earlier amended in December last year allowing the use of polyester, apart from cotton, wool, silk and khadi for making hand-spun, hand-woven and machine-made flags. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' movement will be held from August 13-15, and urged citizens of the country to use 'tiranga' as their profile picture in social media accounts between August 2 and August 15. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 2 (ANI): Punjab Power minister Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday said that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has been successful in providing uninterrupted power supply to paddy farmers of the state, in accordance with the promise made by chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. Singh said electricity has been provided to all Agricultural Pumpsets in the state and 8 hours of power supply is ensured daily to the tubewell connections. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Jeweller Shot at During Robbery in Najafgarh Area, Two Held After Encounter. A notification was issued by the state government on May 23 which directed to provide 8 hours of power supply daily from June 10 to all AP tubewell connections across the State, he said. He said that during the summer season from March to July, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on June 29 set a record by meeting the peak demand of 14,207 MW of electricity which is 5.78 percent higher than the peak demand of 13,431 MW electricity last year on July 01, 2021. Also Read | 'Jholewala Fakir in Parliament Since 2019, Says Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Over Accusations of Hiding Her Expensive Bag. The Power Minister further said that the total electricity consumption in the State from March to July is 31,505 million units, which is 14.23 percent higher than last year's consumption of 27,580 million units in the corresponding period. He said that PSPCL has broken the previous year's record of supplying 13,431 MW of electricity by successfully meeting the highest demand of 14,207 MW of electricity during the current year. Despite the increasing demand for power due to the rise in temperature during this summer season, PSPCL has successfully provided electricity supply to agricultural consumers for 8 hours daily and to all other categories of consumers 24 hours without power cuts. The Power Minister said that due to its concerted efforts, the State Government has secured additional provision of about 17 lakh metric tonnes of coal over and above the PSPCL linkage coal. The State Government also was able to secure an allocation of 1300 MW power from the Central Pool which has helped PSPCL in successfully meeting the 24x7 demand for electricity during the paddy season without cutting power to any category of consumers. He said that during the current year PSPCL has made a banking arrangement of 3047 MW of electricity which is 12.85 percent more than 2700 MW last year. The Punjab Power Minister informed that in view of the continuous high demand, PSPCL developed the strategy to adopt various demand side management (DSM) measures for reactive power management to optimize resources. He said that in order to compensate for the reactive power requirement of the system, the condenser mode of unit no. 3 of Ranjit Sagar Dam plant, which was not being used for many years, has now been made operational to compensate for the 60 Mega Volt Amps Reactive (MVAR) requirement of reactive power in the system. Besides this, the Mega Volt Amps Reactive MVAR capacity of the system has also been increased through a special drive by the addition of 341.61 Mega Volt Amps Reactive MVAR capacity with 251 units of capacitor banks at the grid substations and the addition of shunt capacitors of required capacity at 11 KV feeders to improve the voltage profile of the system, he added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Yasin Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, who began his hunger strike in the Tihar Jail on July 22, ended his fasting after he was told that his demands/concerns have been forwarded to the senior authorities, as per the prison authorities. The Kashmiri separatist, who was lodged in jail number 7 of the Tihar prison, had alleged that his case was not being investigated properly. Also Read | International Airfares May Get Cheaper As India Signed Pact with 116 Countries. As per the officials, Malik has deferred his hunger strike for a period of two months at the request of DG Prisons Sandeep Goel. "Malik was admitted to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on July 26 and was back in the jail on July 29," said the prison officials. Also Read | Ambur Biryani Festival 2022: Dont Avoid Beef Biryani on Festival, Says Tamil Nadu SC/ST Commission. Malik, who was arrested shortly after the JKLF was banned in 2019, was on May 19 this year convicted by an NIA court in terror funding cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25. The NIA court while sentencing Malik also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. On July 15 this year, Rubaiya Sayeed, the sister of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, identified Malik in connection with her kidnapping by JKLF militants on December 8, 1989. Rubaiya was abducted in Srinagar on December 8, 1989, and freed from captivity after five days on December 13 after the then V P Singh government at the Centre, released five terrorists in exchange. Malik is an accused in this case along with others. Apart from the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, Malik is also facing charges in the case of the gunning down of four Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in January 1990 in Srinagar. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 2 (ANI) Top officials of police, Army, intelligence agencies and paramilitary met on Tuesday to discuss security arrangements ahead of Independence Day celebrations on August 15. The police was represented by Additional Director General of Police, Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh. Also Read | Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Announces Rs 40 Lakh Cash Prize for Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur. ADGP Singh in his address highlighted the latest trends in terror activities and urged each agency to work towards mitigating the threat. He stressed on Anti-drone measures, the Border deployment grid, the launching of offensive operations in Rajouri and Kishtwar, besides preventive measures in other districts. Stress was laid on joint nakas at vulnerable locations and at inter-district boundaries. While maintaining a high level of alertness in the preparation for 15th August, he stressed, "We should also ensure the peaceful culmination of the Amar Nath Yatra." Also Read | Infinix Hot 12 Pro With Dual Rear Cameras Debuts in India. He also stressed on implementing the "Har Ghar Tiranga" programme. He suggested, "The Bands of the Army, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police should perform every day at important locations within the Jammu city and distribute National flags to the public who gather for the band performance." There have been many instances of drones being spotted on the international border with Pakistan. Previously, on the intervening night of July 26 and 27, BSF troops had spotted the movement of a drone along the international border in Rajasthan as it was found to be moving near the Gharsana sector of Sri Ganganagar district. In another incident on July 22, the BSF troops fired at a drone coming from the Pakistani side near the international border in Jammu. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thane, Aug 2 (PTI) Two persons were arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of a woman in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Tuesday. Also Read | Moto G32 India Launch Set for August 9, 2022; Flipkart Availability Confirmed. The police on Monday apprehended Satyam Suresh Singh (24) and Avdesh Shyamsingh Shiaghar (35) from Rasulabad in Uttar Pradesh, senior inspector Madan Ballal of Narpoli police station said. Also Read | IBPS PO Recruitment 2022: Registration Begins For 6432 Posts at ibps.in; Check Details Here. The high-decomposed body of an unidentified woman in her 30s was found wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a drain in Valpada area of the town on July 26, following which a case of murder was registered, he said. During the probe, the police found that the victim had been in a live-in relationship with Singh, who had not reported to work since July 1, the official said. According to the police, Singh would come home drunk from work and beat up and harass the victim. Singh killed the woman with the help of four of his associates on July 1, dumped her body in a drain and then fled the town, the official said. While two of the accused have been arrested, the police are on the lookout for the others, 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) Washington, August 2: One person was killed and at least six men were shot late on Monday (local time) at an apartment complex in the northeastern part of Washington DC. The shooting was reported at about 8:30 pm in the 1500 block of F Street North East, outside the Azeeze Bates apartment complex The Washington Post reported citing Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said in a news conference. Contee said that the five injured were taken to a hospital and their conditions were not known. During the conference, Contee said that he did not know the reason for the shooting and even have no idea whether they knew each other or not. He said there appeared to be a large group of people in the area when the shots were fired. An investigation is ongoing. "I'm angered at the fact that residents have to experience this in their community tonight," Contee said. The residents didn't deserve this. They did not deserve to have people shot in the communities where they live," Police Chief said as quoted by The Washington Post. Contee further said that the investments have been made to stem the tide of violence in the communities. "Yet it seems that we have people in our communities who have just lost their sense of humanity," he added. Errol Musk Says He Is 'Not Proud' of His Son As Elon Is 'Unhappy' With His Own Career Progress. The site of the shooting is in the Kingman Park neighbourhood near the northeastern edge of Capitol Hill. A neighbour, one of several at the scene as ambulances lined the street, said she heard at least 15 shots. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Laura Gentile spent the evening talking with residents who live near the shooting and said that it is horrible, according to Washington Post. Monday's violent night included three other shootings, none of which were fatal. A woman was shot on Gainesville Street SE; a man was shot on Newton Place NW; and another man was shot on Oglethorpe Street NE, all within the space of a few hours, officials said. With increasing incidents of gun violence in the United States, President Joe Biden had said that the US needs to ban assault weapons for the sake of protecting children and families or raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21. Pakistan: Army Helicopter With 6 Senior Officers on Relief Mission Feared Crashed in Balochistan Province. Furthermore, on June 22, a group of US lawmakers reached a much-awaited deal on a bipartisan gun safety bill after recent mass shooting incidents in Uvalde, Buffalo and Texas, that struck a nerve in the country. The new bill aims to take firearms away from dangerous people and provide billions of dollars in new mental health funding. The bill does not ban assault-style rifles or significantly expand background-check requirements for gun purchases, but it gives states more resources to take guns away from dangerous individuals. In recent incidents,7 people were hospitalized on Sunday after a mass shooting erupted in Orlando, Florida. An unidentified assailant pulled out a handgun and fired into the crowd, injuring seven people, reported CNN. A similar incident took place in the Haltom City of Texas on Saturday where two people were killed and four others including three officers were injured. Police said that one woman was found dead inside the home and a man was found fatally shot in the home's driveway. An elderly woman who called 911 was shot but expected to survive. On May 24, a mass shooting incident took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in which several people including 19 children were killed. This was the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN. On June 20, a teenager was shot dead and three others including a police officer were injured in a shooting in the area of 14th and U Street Northwest in Washington, DC. The shootout incidents in the US have been increasing. (ANI) London, Aug 2 (PTI) A 20-year-old British Sikh man found in the grounds of Queen Elizabeth II's Windsor Castle on Christmas Day last year has been charged with treason offences on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton who had identified himself as Indian Sikh who wanted to "assassinate" the monarch in revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre at the time, has also been charged with threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon. He is in police custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on August 17. Also Read | US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Raising China Tensions. The charges were brought after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, the police force said. Chail has been charged with offences under Section 2 of the 1842 Treason Act, namely "discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm her Majesty". Following an investigation by the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, a man has been charged with offences in relation to an incident within the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day last year, the Met Police said. Also Read | US Air Forces Plane Carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan Becomes Worlds Most Tracked Flight. Chail, initially held under the Mental Health Act, was arrested in the grounds with a crossbow. His father, Jasbir Chail, 58, said days later in December last year that his son Jaswant needed help after he scaled the walls of the castle in Berkshire, south-east England, on Christmas Day while the 96-year-old monarch was in residence. A social media video, which was to be reviewed by Scotland Yard, later emerged in which a masked man identifying himself as Indian Sikh Jaswant Singh Chail says he wanted to assassinate the Queen as revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. In the video clip posted on The Sun' website, the 'Star Wars' film-like masked figure holds a shiny black weapon and speaks in a distorted voice. It was reportedly sent to followers of the man's Snapchat account 24 minutes before armed security officers arrested him near the Queen's private apartments. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) San Francisco, Aug 3 (AP) Elon Musk's wealthy high tech allies don't seem too happy about receiving subpoenas from Twitter as part of the company's legal battle with the Tesla CEO. San Francisco-based Twitter is suing Musk in Delaware in an attempt to get him to complete his USD 44 billion acquisition of the social media company, a deal Musk is trying to get out of. According to a report from The Washington Post, Twitter's legal team on Monday asked for information about a host of tech investors and entrepreneurs connected to Musk in a wide-ranging subpoena. Twitter declined to comment. Also Read | Chinese Foreign Ministry on Nancy Pelosis Visit to Taipei, Says Stop Playing Taiwan Card to Contain China. According to the Post, the subpoena includes "extensive requests for communications, including 'checklists, timelines, presentations, decks, organisational calls, meetings, notes, recordings' related to the deal's financing.'" Well-known venture capitalists included in the subpoena, according to the report, are Marc Andreessen, founder of VC firm Andreessen Horowitz; former Facebook exec and CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya; and David Sacks, the founding chief operating officer of PayPal and current general partner at Craft Ventures. Also Read | US Delegation Visit Honours Commitment to Taiwans Democracy, Says US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sacks posted Monday on Twitter that "news that I am being subpoenaed by Twitter's lawyers reminded me of this issue of Mad Magazine, I don't know why." He included a photo of the magazine's cover showing a hand raising a middle finger. Joe Lonsdale, general partner at 8VC, called Twitter's subpoenas sent to "friends in the ecosystem" surrounding Musk, Andreessen and Sacks a "giant harassing fishing expedition." "I have nothing to do with this aside from a few snarky comments, but got a "YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED" document notice," he tweeted on Monday. Representatives for Sacks, Andreessen and Palihapitiya did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Tuesday. Lonsdale did not immediately respond to a message sent through LinkedIn. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, August 2: Indian PM and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched the "Greater Male connectivity projects in the Maldives" and also entered pacts in areas like cyber security, disaster management, and police infrastructure development. The Male connectivity projects will be built under India's USD 100 million grant and USD 400 million line of Credit. India also extended a USD 100 million line of credit for development projects in the Maldives. Addressing mediapersons, Solih said the "Maldives-India relationship goes beyond diplomacy. This visit is an affirmation of the close bond between our two countries." Both countries exchanged six documents on areas like cyber security, disaster management, and police infrastructure development. PM Modi and the Maldivian President were present at the exchange of agreements. Jaishankar Calls on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Ahead of the exchange, a video was shown about the Greater Male Connectivity project and other developmental projects that are making the India-Maldives bond stronger. During the joint press statement with the Maldivian President, Prime Minister Modi said, "We have also decided to provide an additional line of credit of USD 100 million to the Maldives so that all projects can be completed in a timely manner." Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "A partnership bound by the waves of the Indian Ocean, underpinned by close historical and cultural ties. PM @narendramodi and President @ibusolih of Maldives reviewed the progress in our bilateral ties and discussed ways to further deepen the special partnership." Besides official engagements in New Delhi, President Solih will be holding a discussion with an Indian business delegation in Delhi. During this visit, President Solih will also visit Mumbai, Maharashtra and participate in business events. Maldives is India's key neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in India's Neighbourhood First Policy. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed rapid growth in all areas of cooperation. For India, the Maldives has always been a close and important maritime neighbour. Multifaceted ties between the two countries have strengthened despite the pandemic-related disruptions.India's "Neighborhood First" policy and Maldives's "India First" policy work in tandem to tackle shared concerns and advance mutual interests. Back in March, President Solih highlighted the positive role played by India in the country's affairs in the last two years. In a national address, Solih thanked the Indian government for its role in helping his country cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, including giving vaccines. Solih mentioned several friendly bilateral partners. However, he singled out New Delhi for assisting the Maldives' COVID-19 response efforts. (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], August 2 (ANI): Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. "Welcoming President Solih at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said that she was happy to receive a close friend of India and an eminent leader under whose leadership Maldives has emerged as a stable and prosperous nation," the office of the Indian President said in a statement. Also Read | US Delegation Visit Honours Commitment to Taiwans Democracy, Says US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The President said that Maldives is a major partner and close friend of India in the Indian Ocean Region. "The peoples of the two countries have enjoyed strong cultural, economic and trade ties for centuries. Maldives has a special place in India's 'neighbourhood first policy." She was happy to note that India's need-based financial and development assistance is supporting Maldives government's development priorities. Also Read | Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan: Chinese Media Reports Troop Movement in Taiwan Straits As US House Speaker Lands in Taipei. The President said that the rapid expansion of India-Maldives development cooperation, defence and security initiatives, economic ties and people-to-people contact augurs well for India's relationship with the Government and people of Maldives. She appreciated the courage and perseverance of the government and people of Maldives during the COVID-19 outbreak. She was happy to note that the strong India-Maldives cooperation during the pandemic has been lauded as a model for the entire region. The President noted that capacity building has emerged as a major pillar in the India-Maldives partnership. She expressed confidence that MoUs signed during this visit will further strengthen capacity building initiatives in Maldives. Maldives President is on an official visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is President Solih's third visit to India since assuming office on November 17, 2018. President Solih is accompanied by a high-level official delegation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). During the visit, President Solih had restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Prime Minister Modi also hosted an official lunch for President Solih and the accompanying delegation. (ANI) (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], August 2 (ANI): Russia on Tuesday accused the United States of direct involvement in the Ukraine war. Lt Gen Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for Moscow's defence ministry said that they intercepted calls between Ukrainian officials that revealed the direct involvement of the US in the Ukraine war. Also Read | US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan, Raising China Tensions. He alleged that the US was approving targets for American-made Himars artillery used by Ukrainian forces. "It is the Biden administration that is directly responsible for all rocket attacks approved by Kyiv on residential areas and civilian infrastructure facilities in settlements of Donbass and other regions that caused mass deaths of civilians," said Konashenkov. Also Read | US Will Have To 'Bear Responsibilities' & 'Pay the Price' if Nancy Pelosi Visits Taiwan, Warns China. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is the most technically advanced, affordable and sustainable artillery solution. It is a multiple rocket system which can launch precision-guided missiles at targets as far as 70km (45 miles) away - far further than the artillery that Ukraine previously had. Meanwhile, US officials have not commented on the Russian accusations. Russia previously had accused the US of fighting a "proxy war" in Ukraine. Notably, the US announced delivering a USD 550 million package of military aid to Ukraine, the State Department informed in a statement on Monday. "Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our seventeenth drawdown since August 2021 of up to USD 550 million in arms and equipment from US Department of Defense (DoD) inventories for Ukraine's self-defence," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Today's announcement includes more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 155mm artillery systems that Ukraine's forces are using so effectively on the battlefield to defend their country," the statement added. Blinken said this drawdown will bring total US military assistance to Ukraine to approximately USD 8.7 billion since the beginning of the Administration of Joe Biden. "The United States continues to stand with Allies and partners from more than 50 countries in providing vital security assistance to support Ukraine's defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia's aggression," Blinken added. The US reiterated its support for Ukraine, "Our commitment to the people of Ukraine will not waver. We stand united with Ukraine," Blinken stated. Earlier, condemning Russia's "premeditated, unprovoked, unjustified, and brutal war" on Ukraine, Blinken had said that the US will continue to provide Ukraine with the arms to defend itself. Meanwhile, the ship with grain that left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday will undergo an inspection in Istanbul on August 3, Sputnik News Agency reported citing sources on Tuesday. The Turkish Defence Ministry on Monday confirmed the departure of the first shipment with grain cargo from the Ukrainian port. Earlier, the ministry said that the first ship with grain cargo will depart from Ukraine on Monday at around 8:30 am (Turkish time). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that grain exports via the Black Sea will begin in the coming days. Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kyiv, Aug 2 (AP) The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour more than five months ago was off the coast of Bulgaria on Tuesday as it headed toward Istanbul, putting to the test an agreement signed last month between Moscow and Kyiv that aims to help alleviate a global food crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which set sail from the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Monday, is expected to reach Istanbul early on Wednesday after hitting bad weather that slowed its progress, according to Rear Admiral Ozcan Altunbulak, a coordinator at the joint centre established to oversee the grain shipments. Also Read | US Will Have To 'Bear Responsibilities' & 'Pay the Price' if Nancy Pelosi Visits Taiwan, Warns China. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials are to inspect the ship after it anchors in Istanbul. The inspections are part of a UN-and Turkish-brokered deal to shift Ukrainian grain stockpiles to foreign markets and ease the mounting world food crisis. As part of the July 22 agreement on shipments, which include Russian grain and fertiliser, safe corridors through the mined waters outside Ukraine's ports were established. Also Read | Pakistan Military Commander Lt Gen Sarfaraz Ali, 5 Others Killed in Chopper Crash, Balochistan Rebels Suspected. By early afternoon on Tuesday, the Razoni was about 200 kilometers north of Istanbul, according to the Marine Traffic vessel tracker. Altunbulak said preparations and planning are continuing for other ships expected to leave Ukraine's ports, but he did not provide details. The situation in the Black Sea remains tense. Some mines have reportedly become detached and are floating free, and in a sign of mistrust between the warring sides Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged international partners to keep a close eye on Moscow's compliance with the deal. The safe corridors are supposed to allow more ships to leave from Ukraine's ports. At Odesa, 16 more vessels, all blocked since Russia's invasion on February 24, were waiting their turn, with others to follow, Ukrainian authorities say. But there was no immediate word on when a second ship might set sail. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia on Friday for talks with President Vladimir Putin will offer a good opportunity to review the efficiency of the mechanism for resumed grain exports. The more than 26,000 tons of corn on board the Razoni, destined for Lebanon, will make barely a dent in what the World Bank last week called rising food insecurity across the world. Record high food prices have triggered a global crisis that will drive millions more into extreme poverty, its latest food security update said, blaming the war in Ukraine, global supply chain problems and the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the roughly 20 million tons of grain stuck in Ukraine since the start of war is to feed livestock, according to David Laborde, an export on agriculture and trade at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC. Only 6 million tons of that trapped grain is wheat, and just half of that is for human consumption, Laborde said. He said Monday's departure of a large shipment of corn from Ukraine to Lebanon is actually chicken feed. A few ships leaving Ukraine is not going to be a game changer, he told The Associated Press. But the voyage of the Razoni has at least raised hopes that the global food situation could improve. Ukraine and Russia are major world suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil. The fertile Black Sea region has long been known as the breadbasket of Europe, and Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat to developing countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The shipping developments came against a backdrop of continued fighting, especially in southern and eastern Ukraine. Moscow's forces stuck to their familiar pattern of bombarding areas they don't hold, with Ukrainian officials reporting that the Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in eastern areas overnight. In the Donetsk region at the forefront of the Russian offensive, the bombardments targeted towns and villages, especially Bakhmut which has taken the brunt of recent shelling. Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenlo said that the Russians are leveling Bakhmut with a massive barrage from the ground and from the air. The shelling of Bakhmut is continuing around the clock, leaving civilians little chance to survive, Kyrylenko said in televised remarks. The United States said it was sending an additional USD 550 million worth of military aid to Kyiv. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a tweet late on Monday that the package included 75,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and more ammunition for the American-built HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, which have given Ukrainian forces an advantage on the battlefield. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, August 2: A 35-year-old man of African origin with no recent history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox in Delhi, making it the country's eighth case and the city's third, official sources said on Tuesday. The man was admitted to the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital on Monday, they said, adding that he is in stable condition. The first monkeypox patient in Delhi was discharged on Monday night. A source, close to the hospital authorities monitoring the monkeypox situation, also confirmed that the third case in Delhi has been reported. "This man (third case) tested positive yesterday for monkeypox, but he is doing fine. Two suspected cases are also currently admitted at the LNJP Hospital's monkeypox isolation ward," the source told PTI. Monkeypox in India: Delhi Govt Directs 3 Private Hospitals To Create 30 Isolation Rooms for MPV Cases. "We are on alert and closely monitoring the situation," the source said. LNJP Hospital, the largest hospital under the Delhi government, is the nodal centre for treatment of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in the city. Also, the man who was the first reported case of monkeypox in Delhi, was discharged on Monday, the sources said. He was admitted on July 22. Though the 34-year-old man from west Delhi had no history of international travel, he had attended a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh recently. A 35-year-old Nigerian man, living in Delhi but also having no recent history of foreign travel, had tested positive for monkeypox, official sources had said on Monday. He became the second person in Delhi to have tested positive for the infection, they had said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, several thousands of cases of monkeypox have been reported from a large number of countries and death in many cases also being reported due to this viral zoonotic disease. Monkeypox in India: Scientists Have Isolated Monkeypox Virus, Possibility of Developing Vaccine, Says Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre says that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation. All his predecessors have retired after two years. Xi has highlighted integration of Taiwan with the mainland as his main goal while in power. Besides the foreign ministry, the Chinese legislature - the National People's Congress (NPC) - issued lengthy statements condemning Pelosi's visit. Two men, aged 76 and 47, have been arrested in Chhattisgarh's Baloda Bazar for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl from a poor family, luring her with Rs 10 each time, a senior district police officer said after the arrest of the two men on Sunday. Three Britons held by rebels in #Ukraine and accused of being mercenaries will stand trial in the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, media reports said. pic.twitter.com/BE99QN03iK IANS (@ians_india) August 2, 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.) West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari meets Home Minister Amit Shah, urges him to implement CAA at earliest. Adhikari says the home minister assures him rules under citizenship law will be framed after Covid precaution dose vaccination exercise is over. Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 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.) The largest California wildfire today continues to serve its wrath, as McKinney Fire claimed the lives of two people, since the blaze ignited on Friday last week. According to Associated Press, the two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle in a driveway of a wildfire zone of McKinney Fire, per ABC News. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the two bodies were found on Sunday in a driveway of a residence near the remote community of Klamath River. The condition of the corpses found on Sunday was not mentioned by the authorities. Furthermore, their identities were still unclear as of Monday. READ NEXT: Arizona Tunnel Fire Chars Over 19K Acres of Land; Prompts Evacuation for People, Animals California Wildfire Today: 2 Arrested in Evacuation Area On early Monday morning, sheriff's deputies announced that two were arrested in an evacuation area amid the McKinney Fire that continues to scorch in Siskiyou County. According to Sacramento Bee, one was arrested over suspicion of possessing burglary tools, and the other one was arrested for burglary inside a closed disaster area. "California law defines the crime of looting as taking advantage of a state of emergency to commit burglary, grand theft, or petty theft," Yreka Police said in a statement. The department added that looting and entry inside the evacuation zone will not be tolerated and will be handled accordingly by all their officers. As of Saturday, around 2,000 residents were forced to evacuate, per CNN. On Sunday, 500 hundred homes were also forced to be evacuated in the aftermath of the McKinney Fire. Around 60 hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail on California's side of the Red Buttes were assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue as well as Rogue Valley Transportation District personnel in Oregon. An evacuation was set up in the Weed Community Center at 161 E. Lincoln Ave. Moreover, officials also began compiling a list of missing or found animals amid the wildfire. California Wildfire Today: McKinney Fire Update As of Monday the largest California wildfire today, also known as McKinney Fire, has expanded to over 55,000 acres, still with no containment. It can be recalled that the blaze started at the Klamath National Forest, specifically at Highway 96 and McKinney Creek Road, located southwest of the Klamath River. Firefighters from all over Bay Area were summoned on Monday to respond to the McKinney Fire. Alameda County Fire said that their crew was reassigned to McKinney Fire eight days after working at the Oak Fire in Yosemite National Park. The San Francisco Fire Department also noted that they sent crews to respond to California's largest wildfire today. The National Weather Service said that "abundant lightning" is expected as well as scattered thunderstorms through Monday, which could spread flames out further. Red flag warnings were imposed on several states, including some parts of northern California, central Oregon, and eastern Washington, due to the McKinney Fire. READ NEXT: Mega Millions Winner From Illinois Bags Lottery's Jackpot Prize | Here's How Much the Player Can Take Home This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: McKinney Fire Burns 80 Square Miles - From KTLA 5 VIP trips were reportedly offered by smugglers to migrants who boarded the truck that was discovered in Texas in June, with 53 dead people inside. According to New York Post, the family of the victims identified as Pablo Ortega and Julio Lopez confirmed that both of the migrants were offered VIP trips on a journey to the U.S. that became a Texas truck tragedy. The families of Ortega and Lopez noted that both migrants agreed to pay $13,000 and $12,000 respectively, to avail the alleged VIP package, per Reuters. This amount is much higher than the average $2,000 to $7,000 for Mexican migrants per the 2019 data from the Mexican government. Ortega, 20 years old, left his home in Tlapacoyan, Mexico in mid-May to join his mother in Florida as well as earn enough money to build a home for him and his newly pregnant girlfriend. His mother reportedly sold a mobile home to pay for his smuggling fee, but smugglers asked for an additional $2,000 for a safer route. Meanwhile, Lopez, 32 years old, left on June 8 from Benito Juarez to get help for his youngest son who has autism. Both of the migrants reportedly borrowed thousands of dollars and paid extra to secure what smugglers promised to be a comfortable trip avoiding the dangers of illegal border crossing. READ NEXT: Texas Semi-Truck Driver No Show in Detention Hearing After Death of 53 Migrants Texas Truck Tragedy Smugglers Promised Safe Travel to U.S. - Family The family members also noted that smugglers promised to reach the U.S. without danger. "You won't go through the desert ... there won't be any danger," Lopez's wife, Adriana Gonzales, recalled what she heard from one of the smugglers who called her husband. The smuggler also promised that the trip her husband availed is "100% safe." Meanwhile, Ortega's mother warned her son that the air might run out in the truck, a few weeks before he embarked on the journey. Both migrants were promised to travel alone or in small groups for a short time. Migrants Ortega and Lopez Updates Their Family Amid Smuggling Journey to the U.S. Ortega sent photos and videos to his relatives including a photo where he was at a comfortable stash house, and he was given pizza beer and even allowed to play video games. Lopez meanwhile sent a video to his family where he stayed at a private hunting lodge, which he called "super cool." Lopez communicated to his family on June 21 for the last time, telling them that coyotes (smugglers) would be confiscating his phone. Ortega on the other hand last texted his mom on June 22, as he got worried about the number of migrants who arrived at the safe house. On June 27, the truck with 53 dead migrants, including Lopez and Ortega, was found in San Antonio, Texas. Ortega's mother tried to get in touch with the smugglers, but she was blocked after 30 attempts. She later traveled to San Antonio to identify his body which was returned to his hometown. According to reports, violence, poverty, and COVID-19 exacerbated the migration from Latin America to the United States. Reuters noted that smugglers also utilize riskier methods, including 18-wheeler big rigs, in bringing migrants into the United States. United Nations data suggests that vehicle and transport-related border deaths grew more quickly than any other cause between 2020 and 2021. READ NEXT: California Wildfire Today: 2 Victims Burned to Death After Failed Attempt to Escape McKinney Fire This article is owned by Latin Post. Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Families Of Victims Of San Antonio Migrant Tragedy Mourn As Four Arrests Are Made - From NBC News Records reveal that Hispanics make up almost 40% of the actual recorded cases in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom just placed the entire state of California in a state of emergency because of the monkeypox outbreak in the country. Newsom follows the lead of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who both placed their respective states in a state of emergency because of the virus. Based on the current data, Hispanics or Latinos make up almost 40% of the actual cases in the state. California Governor Gavin Newsom Declares State of Emergency According to CNBC, Governor Gavin Newsom placed the state in a public health emergency to ramp up its vaccination efforts amid the fast-rising monkeypox cases in the area. Over the past few days, there has been a strong demand for monkeypox vaccines in the state, and the supply needed to suffice the jabs is scarce. Last week, Mayor London Breed of the City of San Francisco placed the city in a state of emergency after being declared the epicenter in California. Reports reveal that San Francisco has tallied almost 300 cases, making up almost 40% of the cases in California. Like Mayor Breed, Governor Gavin Newsom's emergency declaration aims to mobilize the state's Emergency Medical Services personnel to help administer the monkeypox vaccines. "California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment, and outreach. We'll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said in a statement released on his website. READ NEXT: San Francisco: State of Emergency Declared Amid Rising Monkeypox Cases, Poor Vaccine Rollout Monkeypox Vaccine Rollout in California Unlike the COVID-19 vaccine that is readily available in clinics nationwide, the monkeypox vaccine can be more difficult to find in California. In a Los Angeles Times report, Californians are actually looking for vaccination drives within their area. Google Trends has confirmed the spike in searches across the state. However, the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine remains scarce across the country despite the high demand, especially in major states like New York, California, and Illinois. The Jyenneo vaccine is the only FDA-approved vaccine that could ensure protection from monkeypox preventatively and post-exposure. Newsom, in his statement, said that health officials in clinics across the state were already short-handed of staff members while the supply of the monkeypox vaccine remains scarce. President Joe Biden has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike for his slow response to the monkeypox outbreak and vaccination rollout. He recently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus again in the last two weeks. California Hispanics the Most Affected of Monkeypox in California? Based on the California Public Health Department (CPHD) records, the cases of monkeypox in the state balloons to 786 confirmed cases as of Jul. 28, 2022. Among those 786 confirmed cases, Hispanics or Latinos make up 239 (35.8%), trailing behind Whites with 299 (44.8%). No studies have been published yet linking how race affects the likelihood of contracting the virus. However, a recent medical journal reveals that gay and bisexual men account for most infected cases. True enough, the CPHD data corroborates the study. It is found that 769 (98.3%) of the infected persons are Male, 5 (0.6%) are Transgender males, while there are only 3 (0.4%) recorded Female cases. READ MORE: Can Monkeypox Virus Spread Through Clothes, Linens? Kentucky Doctor Explains How This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ivan Korrs WATCH: Newsom declares state of emergency amid spread of monkeypox across California - From Fox 11 Los Angeles An improvised explosive device detonated in the city of Irapuato in Guanajuato state. The device was an apparent booby trap, and its explosion wounded a detective and a forensic examiner while they were investigating a crime scene. A local website, TVConsequencias, was filming when the two state agents were doing their investigations. The video showed police agents walking around the house when the detective and a forensic examiner were about to enter, and then the explosion occurred. According to Guanajuato-based security analyst David Saucedo, the booby trap may have come from a grenade connected to a door, and the device was designed to go off whenever that door was opened. Police Discovered Plastic Bags Covered With Blood Inside Booby-trapped Building The police were called into the house located in Jose Zapata Street in the El Comunal neighborhood last Thursday. They were investigating the area when one of their agents opened the booby-trapped door. Two agents were caught in the blast and got injured. They were immediately given medical treatment and are now in stable condition, according to the Guanajuato State Prosecutor's Office. TVConsequencias reported that following the device's explosion, police said that they found several plastic bags covered in blood. Inside those bloody plastic bags are dismembered body parts, which have now become a common occurrence in Mexico's bloody war against drugs, as cartels and local gangs often dispose of their enemies by cutting them up and placing them in plastic bags. Meanwhile, local media also reported that the police also found a severed head inside the house as well. It is still unclear whether it was found after the explosion or before or whether it was also inside one of the bloody plastic bags. READ NEXT: 25 Bodies Found in Mexico's Lakeside Tourist Destination Reportedly Turned Into 'Narco Cemetery' by Jalisco Cartel An Ongoing Turf War Between the Jalisco Cartel and a Local Gang According to the Associated Press, violence had been a common occurrence in the city of Irapuato because of an ongoing turf war between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a local gang called the Santa Rosa de Lima gang. Mexican gangs and drug cartels have adopted tactics used by insurgents in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. These include the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). According to CBS News, gangs in the neighboring state of Michoacan have begun using them on roads to disable army vehicles. However, reports also say that the use of booby traps, like the one used in Irapuato, is still quite rare. One of the most infamous and violent factions in the state is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, led by Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, one of the FBI's Most Wanted men. He currently has a $10 million bounty on his head. The cartel is noted for its often-violent executions, including ISIS-inspired beheading videos and mass graves. However, it is still unclear whether the booby trap came from the cartel or their local rival, or another gang. READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel Leader 'El Senoron' Who Receives Orders From Boss 'El Mencho' Arrested in Mexico This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Una granada exploto durante un operativo en Irapuato - MILENIO A U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan killed Al-Qaeda leader and key 9/11 plotter Ayman al-Zawahiri over the weekend, according to U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement. Sources also familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News Go that the operation killed al-Zawahiri in the drone strike. A senior administration official also earlier said that the U.S. engaged in a successful counterterrorism operation against a "significant" al-Qaeda target. The official added that there were no reported civilian casualties. The counterterrorism operation happened in Wazir Akbar Khan, which is considered to be one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Kabul. Al-Zawahiri was born in Cairo in 1951 and trained as a physician before founding the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Al-Zawahiri's group had aimed to overthrow the Egyptian government through "violent means" before they joined al-Qaeda between 1998 and 1999. READ NEXT: Afghanistan Ambassador Says Pres. Joe Biden Doesn't Care About Women, Children Left Behind; Will Take Time Before Country Trusts Another U.S. President Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Killed President Joe Biden said in his announcement that al-Zawahiri was the mastermind behind attacks against Americans, including the 2000 USS Cole attack and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Justice Department said that al-Zawahiri coordinated the 9/11 attacks that nearly killed 3,000 people in the U.S. Biden also took note of al-Zawahiri's role in leading the terrorist group since Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, according to an NPR report. The president then said that the killing of al-Qaeda's leader has made clear that one is a threat "to our people, the United States will find you and take you out." Biden said that al-Zawahiri's family, who were also in a safe house, were not hurt in the U.S. drone strike. An administration official briefed reporters before Biden's announcement, saying that the al-Qaeda leader's death is a huge blow to the group. The official said that al-Zawahiri was also an "active threat to U.S. national security." The administration official noted that there was unanimous support to strike the target, with the president allowing a "tailored" airstrike to minimize civilians being affected. Al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri The former top U.S. liaison to the Taliban described the strike as a "validation" of the rationale for withdrawing from Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as the special envoy for Afghanistan peace negations under Biden and former President Donald Trump, said that the air strike was proof that the United States can "protect our interests against terror threats in Afghanistan" without any military presence. The United States alleges the Taliban violated the peace agreement by letting al-Zawahiri into the country, as reported by The New York Times. Meanwhile, the Taliban accused the U.S. of breaking the peace agreement through the launch of the drone strike. Senior administration officials said that a terrorist group part of the Taliban government, the Haqqani network, tried to hide that Zawahiri had been at the house while also restricting access to the site. The U.S. president noted that he dedicated his decision to launch the strike to the victims' families of 9/11 attack, hoping it would bring some "measure of closure." READ MORE: 2 Afghan Refugees Staying in Wisconsin Arrested for Trying to Rape Child, Strangle Woman This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri killed in Afghanistan - from CNBC Television CNN, New York Times, The Texas Tribune, and other local and national news outlets have filed the lawsuit. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is facing a legal headache after major news organizations sued them for allegedly withholding public records about the Uvalde school shooting incident. CNN, and The Texas Tribune, among other media outlets, filed a lawsuit against the state department in an Austin state court earlier today. The DPS has repeatedly refused requests from the media on documents and records concerning the state authorities' response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. News Organizations File Lawsuit Against Texas Department of Public Safety Per a CNN report, over a dozen of media organizations, including them, have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety for alleged unlawful withholding of Uvalde school shooting documents. Over the past months, media outlets have each filed requests on the state department requesting pertinent documents and information under the Texas Public Information Act - but to no avail, they refused to release such information. According to the lawsuit, they have been trying to obtain information on behalf of the public amid conflicting accounts from different officials and persons of authority on the issue. "In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, and continuing throughout the ensuing two months, DPS has declined to provide any meaningful information in response to the requests regarding the events of that day," the lawsuit reads. Elsewhere in the lawsuit, the plaintiffs have argued that the DPS has "selectively disclosed" information but refused to acknowledge more thorough inquiries or produce documents stating more in-depth information. This move, or the lack thereof, prompted local and national media outlets to pursue legal action to produce the requested records. READ NEXT: Uvalde Police Who Responded to School Shooting Next in Line for Suspension as Victims' Families Call for It News Orgs Uphold Texas Public Information Act In the lawsuit that major news organizations have filed against the Texas Public Safety department, they have particularly noted and used the state's Public Information Act as the main driving force of the legal action. According to the State law, the DPS could actually withhold information from the public, by extension, the media, if it is involved in an ongoing investigation. But The Texas Tribune reports that Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee has acknowledged that she is not currently conducting a criminal investigation on the issue. "The Texas Department of Public Safety has offered inconsistent accounts of how law enforcement responded to the Uvalde tragedy, and its lack of transparency has stirred suspicion and frustration in a community that is still struggling with grief and shock," the media lawyer states. ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have filed over 70 requests on the embattled Public Safety department for public records. These include body camera and other video surveillance footage, interview notes, forensic and ballistic records, call logs, 911, and other relevant communications, among many others. Aside from CNN, The Texas Tribune, and ProPublica, the coalition that filed the lawsuit against Texas DPS also includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Scripps Media, and Gannett. As of this writing, the Texas Department of Public Safety has not responded to the served lawsuit. READ MORE: Firing of Uvalde School District Police Chief 'Complicated' Despite Growing Proof of Negligence in Handling the Deadly Shooting This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ivan Korrs WATCH: CNN confronts Uvalde incident commander. See the interaction - From CNN The Biden administration has scored a huge victory as the Supreme Court certified its ruling that will allow the government to end the controversial Trump-era rule called the "Remain in Mexico" policy. The administration tried to end the policy, but a lower court decision forced it to be reinstated last December. However, this new Supreme Court decision overrules that lower court decision, which means the Biden administration can end it anytime. The Associated Press reported that the White House has still not revealed when or how they will dismantle the policy. U.S. and Mexico Officials Declined to Comment on Supreme Court Victory However, it may not be that easy for the government to end the controversial policy. Shortly after the Supreme Court victory, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement saying that the Supreme Court justices still need to communicate their decision to the lower court. That should lift that court's order to reinstate the policy, which was upheld after the state of Texas filed a lawsuit to keep the policy going. The administration did not say anything else other than Mayorkas' statement. It is still unknown when those forced to stay in Mexico while seeking asylum in the United States can be allowed back to the country as their cases play out. From Mayorkas' statement, the Biden administration is still waiting for a judge who reinstated the rule, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, to lift it. Kacsmaryk is a judge in Amarillo, Texas, and a Trump appointee. However, as the Biden administration waited on the judge to reverse his judgment, rights activists started voicing their frustrations. Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said the administration's hands are no longer tied and must immediately act and make good on their promise to scrap the rule. Politico reported that the government's silence on the Supreme Court ruling had caused more tension between the president and immigration rights activists who continue to press the president to uphold his campaign promise to end the policy. READ NEXT: Remain in Mexico Policy: Joe Biden Gets Power To End Donald Trump-Era Rule What is the Remain in Mexico Policy? The policy is officially known as "Migrant Protection Protocols," or MPP. Former President Donald Trump introduced it in January 2019 before President Joe Biden suspended it on his first day in office. However, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit that it should continue, and a Texas judge ruled that it must be reinstated. This forced Biden to reinstate the policy until the Supreme Court decided last month that the administration had the power to end it. The Supreme Court then certified its decision last Monday. The controversial policy forced migrants who wanted to seek political asylum in the United States to stay in Mexico as they waited for their cases to be heard. However, these migrants were forced into often-squalid conditions while in Mexico and are vulnerable to crime. According to the Business Standard, around 70,000 migrants were subject to the policy when Trump first introduced it. When it was reinstated in December, nearly 5,800 people were affected. The largest number is Nicaraguans trying to flee their country's political unrest. Others include people from Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela. A sign outside the Salvation Army migrant shelter in Tijuana reads, "Wait for official information! The Remain in Mexico (MPP) program remains in effect. The United States government will inform you of any changes." READ MORE: Joe Biden's ICE Nominee, Ed Gonzalez, Withdraws This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin Watch: The Reality of Biden Reversing Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' Policy - From Vice News Award-winning journalist and newspaper editor Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin was arrested by Guatemala's authorities, who accused him of money laundering. Guatemala City police seized Zamora Marroquin's phones when he was arrested at his home on Friday night. Zamora Marroquin is a world-renowned journalist who won the King of Spain Journalism Award in 2021. He is the president and editor of the Guatemalan newspaper El Periodico. According to the Associated Press, Zamora Marroquin was overseeing corruption investigations at the time of his arrest. Protests and Condemnations Following Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin's Arrest in Guatemala City Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin's arrest sparked protests from journalists, who gathered on Saturday around the courthouse where his case was to be heard. The arrest also garnered condemnation from various politicians, anti-corruption activists, and civic groups. Human rights activist Eleonora Muralles was one of the people who denounced his arrest. She said this was an orchestrated plan which does not aim to pursue the corrupt officials but their opponents. Zamora Marroquin's arrest also drew the attention of several U.S. politicians. One of them was Massachusetts Democrat and U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern. He released a statement on social media, saying he was "deeply concerned" with the Guatemalan government detaining the world-renowned journalist. "The judiciary is already decimated, is the Free Press next? Journalism is not a crime!" McGovern noted. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which fights for the freedom of the press worldwide, also condemned the arrest. The group called for Zamora Marroquin's immediate release and stated that his arrest was an act of intimidation. The CPJ also called on the Guatemalan government to end their "campaign to intimidate and threaten the press." Zamora Marroquin's own publication, El Periodico, reported that the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) has also joined in the condemnation. They called on Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei to give the journalist due process. During his detention, Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquin declared a hunger strike and told the court that he had not eaten or drunk anything in 36 hours. READ NEXT: Mexico: 94 Migrants Who Almost Died Inside Truck Managed to Escape After Driver Abandoned Them Guatemala's Corruption Forces Government Critics, Journalists to Flee Guatemala has been weakening its anti-corruption efforts, with Alejandro Giammattei's government and prosecutors undoing a U.N.-backed anti-corruption campaign that placed various politicians, including former presidents, behind bars. The eroding of these measures has brought sharp criticism from the United States. The U.S. even canceled the visa for Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who pursued prosecutors conducting corruption investigations against various corrupt officials. They also placed the country's new special prosecutor against impunity as part of the U.S. list of people suspected of corruption or undermining democracy for obstructing corruption investigations. The U.S. State Department alleged there was an effort to stack the Supreme and appellate courts with corrupt judges. However, Giammattei dismissed these criticisms. The crackdown on the critics of the government's efforts to erode these anti-corruption measures have forced many to flee Guatemala. It used to be that former anti-corruption officials were the only ones who fled. However, the Associated Press reported that with the arrest of Zamora Marroquin, journalists are also doing the same. READ MORE: Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy Talks to Argentina and Chile Presidents Amid Russia's Invasion This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Polemica en Guatemala Por Prision Provisional De Jose Ruben Zamora - From DW Espanol Billionaire Elon Musk reportedly plans to build a private airport outside of Austin, Texas, not only for his personal use but also for top executives of his companies. Daily Mail reported that the conceptual plans had been confirmed for the private airport. Sources told Austonia it would be somewhere east of Austin, near Bastrop. However, the exact location and schedule of the construction were not revealed. Musk owns several companies in the state of Texas. His companies could also use the planned private airport outside of Austin. Giga Texas is officially Tesla's headquarters, and it covers 2,500 acres along the Colorado River in southeast Travis County. Another company owned by Musk is called Boring Company, which is located about three miles from the Austin Executive Airport. Building a new private airport would need approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Aviation Administration. Musk's representatives have yet to comment on the report about the billionaire building his own private airport. READ NEXT: Elon Musk's Child Wants to Change Name, Cut Ties With Tesla CEO Father Elon Musk's Companies in Texas Elon Musk's companies also own thousands of acres of land in the state's center, with the Tesla headquarters moving to Texas from Silicon Valley at the end of last year. SpaceX is also located in Texas. Independent reported that Musk currently uses a 2015 Gulfstream G650 for his travels. However, he has ordered a new private jet for 2023. Musk announced Tesla's move from Palo Alto, California to Austin, Texas during a 2021 shareholder meeting. The meeting was at Tesla's vehicle assembly plant under construction outside of Austin on a property that borders the Colorado River. The company plans to ramp up its production in California despite the headquarters move. Musk said at the time that they plan to increase output from Fremont and Giga Nevada by 50%, according to CNBC News. Musk added that it would take some time to reach full production in the Austin plant even after it is completed. The Tesla CEO had also relocated to the Austin area from Los Angeles, where he used to live for two decades. California imposes the highest personal income taxes on its wealthy residents, while Texas has no personal income tax. Tesla is not the first company from California to move its headquarters to Texas. The other tech giants who made the same corporate move were Oracle and Hewlett Packard. Elon Musk Twitter Case The Tesla CEO countersued Twitter last week after the social platform, and Elon Musk entered a deal regarding the procurement of Twitter. CNBC News reported that Musk's counter lawsuit is not yet available to the public. Reasons still not known why Musk asked the court to keep details of his lawsuit confidential. In April, Musk and Twitter announced that the billionaire would buy the social media company for $44 billion. After signing the deal, Musk accused Twitter of lying about the number of spam and bot accounts on its platform, which prompted him to say he wanted to terminate the deal. Elon Musk backing out of the deal led Twitter to sue him in the Delaware Court of Chancery. READ MORE: Twitter Net Worth 2022: How Much Is Twitter Valued After Elon Musk Made $43 Billion Offer? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Elon Musk Is Building a Private Airport in Texas, Report Suggests - From Ameen Tech Lab Amber Heard's sister has reportedly admitted that the actress had cut off Johnny Depp's finger during an argument in Australia in 2015. According to Crime Online, this was revealed in unsealed court documents. During the defamation trial in Virginia, Depp testified in April that his ex-wife severed the tip of his finger when she threw a vodka bottle at him. According to a deposition that was disclosed following the unsealing of more than 6,000 pages of court documents over the weekend, Jennifer Howell, a former boss of Heard's sister, Whitney Henriquez, witnessed the latter receiving texts from the actress in which she admitted her role in the incident. Howell, an art curator, testified that Henriquez just screamed: "She's done it now. She's cut off his Godd**n finger," and "made this huge proclamation, New York Post reported. Howell added: "And she goes, 'She cut off his finger. She cut off his finger.' And then she bolted out the door and was like, 'I got to call somebody'." When Henriquez returned, Howell said Heard's sister told her it was her sister and Johnny Depp, and the actress apparently threw a bottle and cut off his finger. Heard has denied causing the injury as the actor hurt himself during a drunken rage. During the trial, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor also admitted that he lied to a doctor when he said he had smashed his finger between accordion doors at the time to protect Heard. READ NEXT: Amber Heard Wealth: How Much Is the 'Aquaman' Actor's Net Worth Before and After the Trial Amber Heard and Johnny Depp Divorce Court documents also showed that Amber Heard walked away from an eight-figure payout from Johnny Depp she was entitled to after they filed for divorce in 2016, Daily Mail reported. The "Aquaman" actress could have sought half of Depp's $33 million he made filming the fifth installment of "Pirates and the Caribbean" since it was filmed while they were married. However, the actress chose not to, saying she was being true to her word, that "this is not about the money," her lawyers wrote in the filing. During the trial, Heard's lawyers said the actress took less money than she could have during the split, which was against her counsel's advice. In the end, Heard struck a $7 million divorce settlement in 2016, which she pledged to donate to charity. In June, a Virginia court ruled that Heard must pay her ex-husband $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. And with Johnny Depp's former lawyer referring to Amber Heards' claims as a "hoax," the actress was awarded $2 million by the jury in compensatory damages for her counterclaim but nothing in punitive damages. Both parties are appealing the judgment. Amber Heard Sells California Desert Home Amber Heard seems to have started raising some cash by selling her Yucca Valley home in the California desert. The California desert oasis home reportedly has a three bedroom and three bathrooms. The property was placed on six acres of land, according to New York Post. The compound comes with a 110-foot engineered bridge leading to a mountainside gazebo. The property has solid iron front doors and a kitchen with a double griddle stove, including wiring for the whole-home surround stereo system. The main bedroom features dual walk-in closets and grand stone dual sinks with a soaking tub. The new owners of the Yucca Valley estate were New Jersey-based Richard and Carol-Jeanette Jorgensen. The two also own property in Nevada and are founders of Jorgensen & Company LLC. It was not immediately clear how the two discovered the off-market home or if they had a direct connection to the actress. Amber Heard first purchased the house in 2019 for $570,000. She managed to sell the property for $1.05 million. READ MORE: Is Johnny Depp Returning to 'Pirates of the Caribbean'? Here's the Truth About His Rumored $301 Million Disney Deal This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by Mary Webber WATCH: Amber Heard Sells Desert Home as $8M Johnny Depp Debt Looms - From New York Post An alleged smuggler ferrying migrants in a pickup truck was shot dead by authorities near the Mexico-Guatemala border early Monday. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the pickup truck that the smuggler was riding was carrying five migrants. The Daily Mail reported that authorities were flagging down the vehicle at a checkpoint in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. However, the pickup truck refused to stop. The truck was reportedly heading north when they encountered municipal police from San Cristobal de las Casas. Police noted that somebody inside the truck opened fire at cops manning the checkpoint, so they responded by firing back at the truck. Migrant Smuggler Dies in Mexico The police response managed to kill one of the smugglers, identified as Fernando. The other smuggler, the driver, was injured and identified as Marcelino. In his interview with authorities, Marcelino admitted that they picked up the migrants in the Mexican border town of Comitan de Dominguez. They tried heading north but encountered police in the town of San Cristobal de las Casas a few minutes past midnight. The Chiapas State Attorney General's Office released a statement regarding the incident. They said that the truck was shot at on different occasions, and Fernando, sitting in the backseat, was hit and killed. READ NEXT: Supreme Court Junks Donald Trump's Controversial Remain in Mexico Policy Smuggler's Death Sparks Protests, Police Vehicle Burned in Mexico Following the incident, Fernando's death sparked protests in San Cristobal de las Casas. Family and friends sought answers. These protests have even turned somewhat violent, as protesters overturned a police vehicle in the town and burned it near the state prosecutor's building at around 3 a.m., according to the Associated Press. Many migrants from Central America are bound for the United States in search of a better life. But in order to get there, they often pass through border towns such as San Cristobal de las Casas. The sparsely-populated mountains in San Cristobal de las Casas have become popular routes among migrant smugglers. The municipality is located nearly 270 miles from the border city of Tapachula, where thousands of United States-bound migrants wait on Mexico's government to approve special 30-day permits that will allow them to move freely through the country while waiting for their immigration process to play out. These migrants often pay big money in order to get into Mexico before getting to the United States. They are also exploited by smugglers who offer "V.I.P. trips" to these desperate people who are more than willing to pay huge amounts of money. A famous example is the Texas migrant truck tragedy, where 54 people, including several Guatemalans, died. Some of the passengers inside that doomed trailer were reportedly offered "V.I.P. treatment." Instead, however, many of them died due to extreme heat after their smugglers abandoned them. READ MORE: Mexico: 94 Migrants Who Almost Died Inside Truck Managed to Escape After Driver Abandoned Them This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Why migrants are fleeing Guatemala - From ABC News Four people have been charged with burglary at a house in Portlaoise last month. Sgt Sean Keane said gardai discovered the four in a house in Carmody Way on June 23 last and contacted the owner. She said nobody had permission to be in the house. Glen Conroy, 34, 21 The Park, Balbriggan Road, Skerries, Dublin was charged with burglary and possession of articles at the property. Thomas Gaffney, 27, 11 Mourne View, Skerries, Dublin is charged with burglary and possession of articles. Frances OBrien, 26, 59 Hillview Drive, Knockmay, Portlaoise is charged with burglary, possession of articles and assault.Tiffany OBrien, 23, 59 Hillview Drive, Knockmay, Portlaoise is charged with possession of articles, burglary and possession of cannabis at Portlaoise Garda Station arising from the same incident. Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick expressed concerns about social media posts and Facebook messages by the alleged injured party in relation to the matter. Judge Andrew Cody warned against any such posts in relation to matters before the court. He said if people thrash out issues on social media it may well be treated as contempt of court. Judge Cody ordered disclosure and put all of the cases back to October 27 in order for pleas or a date for hearing. Electric Picnic has announced a brand-new arts and culture arena called Theatre, with a ballet and an opera for September's long awaited Laois music and arts festival. Ballet Ireland, The Belfast Ensemble, The Big Gay Ball, Dungeons and Naggins and more will take to the stage for the Theatres inaugural programme. Whether youre a ballet lover or looking for a belly laugh, there is something for you in Theatre say Festival Republic. "One for the drama kings and queens, the culture vultures and those simply seeking a good time, the Theatre promises to have you shouting encore, encore! as a stellar line-up of players and prodigies enter stage left to deliver a suite of spectacular performances over the festival weekend. Its bound to bring arias, arabesques and cabaret to a whole new level. So, take your seats the shows about to begin!" Ballet Ireland will put on a show to Rolling Stones' most famous tunes. "Forget what you thought you knew about plies and pirouettes and experience ballet like never before at Electric Picnic. Ballet Ireland will mesmerise audiences with the rock n roll swagger of The Rolling Stones as dance comes thrillingly to life in Rooster, choreographed by Christopher Bruce. Dancers encapsulate the essence of time during the swinging sixties with sharp-suited, snake-hipped men and strong, sassy women performing some of The Rolling Stones most famous tunes, including Not Fade Away, Paint It Black, Sympathy for the Devil and Little Red Rooster." The Belfast Ensemble will present their smash hit opera Abomination a DUP opera (in concert). "After a sell-out run at the Abbey, this award-winning opera comes to Electric Picnic 'in concert'. Winner of the Irish Times Best Opera Production 2020 and revolutionary in form, Abomination centres on the scandalous live radio interview given by NI Politician Iris Robinson, when she referred to homosexuality as an abomination an act that has gone down in Irish queer history and instantly re-ignited the Northern Irish equality debate. "With their unique high-impact, multi-disciplinary style, the Belfast Ensemble wrap this story in a fresh web of incendiary historical comments by DUP members on the subject of gay rights, marriage equality, poofs and perverts to shockingly theatrical effect challenging the power of words in the hands of the powerful Contemporary, political, comic, and emotionally complex, this riotous Northern Irish original redefined what a 21st-century opera could say, and why with just a touch of drag!" Theatre also presents Xnthony: The Big Gay Ball. "Join party starter extraordinaire Xnthony and his troupe of international drag stars, comedians and she-hooligans each and every night in the Theatre at The Big Gay Ball at Electric Picnic! Get ready to dance. This is a 90-minute rampage of glitter, bops and death drops. Youre gonna have a ball. Or two." Dream Gun will present a parody unrehearsed comedy show called Film Reads. "At Electric Picnic Dreamgun will present a Film Read of your dad's favourite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Stuffed with jokes and read by the unprepared Ronan Carey, Stephen Colfer, Gavin Drea and Hannah Mamalis. Theyve been writing and performing it since 2017, at festivals around the world. The world includes: the Edinburgh Fringe, London, Adelaide Fringe, Galway, Limerick, Kilkenny Animated, Dublin Fringe, Dublin Podcast Festival, Cat Laughs, Vodafone Comedy Festival and now Electric Picnic!" Finally there is the interestingly titled Dungeons and Naggins. "Billed as 'madcap comedy, adventure and booze for nerds and noobs' Dungeons and Naggins is an RPG like DnD but for people who don't know what those acronyms mean! Whether youre a nerd or a noob, youll have fun at this live version of the popular podcast with comedian Steve Bennett aka. the Nagginlord. Join Steve and two special guests, as he invites the audience to embark on a fantasy adventure". Electric Picnic makes its long-awaited return to Stradbally Hall, Co. Laois on September 2 to 4 2022, with Dermot Kennedy, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Megan Thee Stallion, Picture This, Snow Patrol and much more performing over the sold-out weekend for 70,000 fans. The final line-up of music acts is expected to follow in early August. A call has been made to take a bus stop off a busy big Laois road, and move it into the village it bypasses. Picturesque Castletown village in Laois, famed for its River Nore weir, has no bus stop near the green. Instead locals have to venture out onto the busy R445 regional road between Mountrath and the M8 motorway to catch a bus. Below: the bus stop across the road from the entrance to Castletown village. Image: Google Maps It is dangerous, says Cllr James Kelly. He is calling on the National Transport Authority to move the bus stop. He tabled a motion to the July meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District, asking Laois County Council to put in an urgent request to the NTA via Transport for Ireland to relocate the stop into Castletown village "for the benefit of all". "You have said you need a 6.5 metre setback from the road so this bus stop is not in line with guidelines. It is creating danger for anyone coming in from the hurling field. Cars pull in there waiting for the bus. "There will be an accident. Traffic is flying through on a hill coming down. We have a commitment for a bus stop to come in Castletown but we have to move this now," he said. Cllr Conor Bergin seconded and asked for a bus shelter as well as a bus stop sign. Cllr Kelly added that this is already planned. Cllr Bergin said more shelters are needed in the western Laois area. Laois County Council has offered to send an Active Travel engineer to meet Cllr Kelly and identify a preferred bus stop location. Then they will bring the issue to the National Transport Authority. The lack of rental properties in Laois is very worrying and leaving people in tears, a local auctioneer has said. Speaking after official figures shows standarised Laois rents are now above 1,000 a month Caroline Bergin of CBPM Real Estate in Portlaoise spoke about what she has witnessed the impact of the crisis in supply first hand. There are people coming in in tears. I am in the business 20 years in rentals and I have never, ever, ever seen anything like it, she said. Speaking to the Leinster Express last Thursday, July 28 Mrs Bergin outlined the stark reality of supply problems. Yesterday was the first day I have ever seen nothing(rentals) for the whole of Laois, she said. She said a lack of stock, tax, the cap on rent increases and rising house prices are leading to landlords exiting the market. Not to have one property for rent in Laois is very, very scary at this time, she added. According to Mrs Bergin a lot of landlords are private investors who would have gotten into the market in 2007 or 2008 just before the crash. She claims they would have gone through negative equity but are now able to profit from the sale of those properties. Nearly every second landlord is selling up because there is no incentive to stay in, she said. She doesnt see a resolution to the problem any time soon. I find developers are very cagey. They will buy land but they are not going in straight away, she explained. Mrs Bergin said incentives are needed to bring landlords back into the market. She said the Government need to get rid of the rent pressure zones and consider tax breaks. In Portarlington, DNGs Ruth Kelly remarked on the amount of people who are coming into the office looking for places to rent. There is just nothing whatsoever for renters. She said the people that are on their books are rented and arent moving. Last Wednesday, a search of myhome.ie, sherry fitzgerald and Daft.ie revealed just one three bed house available for rent and it cost 1,300 a month . Rents in Laois rose by 7.8 % in a year putting the county in the top ten most expensive rental counties in Ireland. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)s new figures for the first three months of the year reveal that average rent in Laois is now 1,069, up from 992 for the same period last year and more than double the average 522 from 10 years ago in 2012. Rents in Laois are now the highest in the midlands and more expensive than Waterford city, where the figure is 1,054. The RTB figures cover the period from January to March 2022. Laois remains below the national average of 1,460 per month and below the yearly increase of 9.2%. However, renters in the Portlaoise and the Portarlington Local Electoral areas who are supposed to be insulated from big and continuos rises are under pressure. The RTB report shows that the rent in Portlaoise is now 1,109.51. It's risen by more than 7% in each quarter since the winter of 2021. In the Port Graigue district, rents have risen by more than 7% in each of the last four quarters since last summer. Rent is now 1,012.47 per month in the large district. There are no figures for the Borris in Ossory Mountmellick because it is not in a rent pressure zone. Laois was one of fourteen counties to have standardised average rents in new tenancies above 1,000 per month in Q1 2022. The highest standardised average rent in new tenancies for Q1 2022 was in Dublin at 2,015 per month while the lowest monthly rents were in Leitrim, where the standardised average rent in new tenancies stood at 734 per month. The RTB Rent Index is based on the total private tenancies newly registered with RTB each quarter. It is independently analysed by the Economic and Social Research Institute. The Index provides rental indicators based on actual rents paid in the private rental sector in Ireland. RTB Director Niall Byrne said: The latest Rent Index, which is based on new tenancies registered with the RTB in the first quarter of 2022, shows continued growth in rents nationally with a yearly increase of 9.2%. We also see a continued fall in the number of tenancies that were registered with the RTB in Q1 2022. These results are likely still indirectly impacted by COVID-19 public health measures along with constraints in supply and tenants choosing to stay longer in their existing tenancies. In reading the Index, it is also important to note that these results only provide us with a snapshot into a small proportion of the private rental sector in Ireland. Mr Byrne said: The RTB would like to remind landlords that annual registration was introduced on 4 April 2022 requiring landlords to register their tenancies on a yearly basis. He also noted there were new changes to rental legislation which took effect on 6 July 2022 in relation to how a landlord can end a tenancy. To find out what these changes mean for landlords and tenants, please visit our website at www.rtb.ie. St Pauls Church sits perched on Ballysax hill, on the Curragh plains. It has been there since 1826. It goes without saying that quite a bit of time has passed since then and like everything else in the world, the church has changed quite a bit since 1826. If you fancy some futile but fun historical context, this was the year in which Thomas Jefferson died, 50 years on from signing the Declaration of Independence. One of the most fascinating men of that time in Ballysax was Rev Dr George B Wheeler. His reputation in his field of editing several classical textbooks in Greek and Latin led to his appointment as only the second ever editor of The Irish Times soon after it was founded in 1859, a position which he held until his death. In 1865, he was appointed to the parish of Ballysax where, according to his obituary, he used to repair with delight every Saturday morning, the occupations of which parish were a healthful and mentally most beneficial relief after his weeks drudgery at the press. Each Sunday in Ballysax would bring another installment of Wheelers sermons to a congregation typically made up of British Army soldiers who came to the Church of Ireland venue. The following night, Wheeler would return to Dublin to resume his role in charge of The Irish Times editorial team and it was while travelling on one of these journeys that he died, when his horse-driven car overturned. His burial place at Ballysax is marked by a high obelisk and it carries the words He tried to do his best. The Church was closed to public worship in 1972, and as a result the parishes of Ballysax and Ballyshannon became amalgamated with Newbridge. The building remained uncared for and in a state of decay for many years. Despite the church being unused for those years, it was cherished by locals as part of their heritage. In 1991 an approach was made via the rector to purchase the building for restoration as a centre for arts, heritage and culture. However, it was not until 1994 that a local community action group became successful in their attempts to obtain the building. The committee was set up and the initiative driven by the late David Knowles. This culminated in the formation of a voluntary community action group, the Friends of Saint Pauls. The Friends of St Pauls say they do this work in the hope of preserving the heritage of the people of Ballysax for generations to come Derry Nolan, a committee member for over 20 years with the Friends of St Pauls, said of his role with the church, I started in the late 90s as a committee member and in 2005 took over as treasurer from the late Tom Kiernahan. I still hold that position now. In addition to documenting the finances of St Pauls, Derry and chairman Arthur Benz do the maintenance around the grounds to keep the venue in its pristine condition. We are so grateful to all the people who make donations to facilitate the upkeep of the church. I love the church and where it is, its a fantastic local heritage and commnity site, Derry said. We have had visitors from Italy, America and Australia who have come to visit the church when travelling. Some of whom have to come to find out about their ancestors who have been buried here. Many events have been held at the church, including a number of Christmas carols celebrations. With many couples choosing to host their special day at the Ballysax church. Most recent of these was Laura OByrne from Newbridge, who had her wedding to her husband Barry in St Pauls recently. It was just brilliant. When I got there the sun was shining and I arrived in a horse drawn carriage. But everyone was talking about the church and now my sister is going to get married there in August. My sister was a bridesmaid and her husband was a groomsman and when they saw the church they said they had to have it as well, Laura recalled. Laura and Barry O'Byrne who were married in St Paul's Church in Ballysaxhills, the Curragh last month Its a little gem and people didnt know about it, that was what all our guests were talking about, that little church. Barry added, The location up on the hill, the surrounding scenery, its lovely. St Pauls has played host to many brilliant events while under the care of the Friends of St Pauls, and the committee are now extending a callout to the public to get involved in any way they can. You can get involved by volunteering, donating and new committee members are always welcome to help make more special memories for people in this stunning venue in the Ballysax hills. To get involved you can contact Derry Nolan at 086 3139589 or any member of the committee. Kildare has been listed among a number of counties with the highest sign-ups for charity's mental health services. Turn2Me, a national mental health charity, has stated that, since the start of 2022, the highest new user sign-up numbers came from: Dublin (33 per cent), Cork (10 per cent), Galway (6.1 per cent), Kildare (5.1 per cent), Meath and Wicklow. The charity said that these new users avail of the charity's free mental health support services, including: one-to-one counselling, support groups on anxiety, depression, grief and relationship issues, and an online mood diary called a 'Thought Catcher'. Turn2Me added that the most common reported issue in its new users was anxiety, which it said was the most commonly reported issue from all counties in 2021 and is the most commonly reported issue thus far in 2022. Commenting on the news, Fiona O'Malley, CEO of Turn2Me, said: "The higher sign-up rates coming from cities could be because they are more densely populated, or it could be because the cost of living is generally higher in the cities, which brings greater stresses and strains, which could lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression. "Our services are very appealing to people because they are run by mental health professionals, they all come in a free format, and they are available 365 days a year. She added that another reason there has been a spike in the demand for our services is because two of Turn2Me's services, its support groups and its Thought Catcher mood diary, have no waiting lists. Ms O' Malley continued: "A new user could create an account on our website, and within an hour, start using our Thought Catcher or sign up for our support groups which run most evenings at 6pm." The charity has said that people from anywhere in Ireland can avail of its free mental health support services, which run 365 days a year there are support groups available for young people between the ages of 12-17, and support groups available for adults on relationship issues, grief, anxiety and depression, which run most evenings at 6pm. BACKGROUND Turn2Me was founded in 2009 by Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard who sadly lost their brother, Cormac, to suicide in 2003. The charity was set up with an aim to break the common barriers to accessing professional mental health services. Explaining the impacts of depression and anxiety, Ms O' Malley said: "Sometimes people don't even want to leave the house or get out of bed if they're going through a period of anxiety or depression. "This barrier of the physical journey going to and from mental health support sessions is exacerbated because of the rising costs of living and the increase in fuel prices. "Turn2Me has removed this barrier by hosting all our services on a secure platform built into our website, Turn2Me.ie. Our one-to-one counselling sessions are conducted by mental health professionals via the chat function or the video function on the website." She elaborated: "We have also removed the barrier of waiting lists by making two of our services, our Thought Catcher service and our support groups, available almost immediately to anyone who signs up to our services. "We have also tried to remove the barrier of the cost of mental health services as much as possible by having free unlimited support groups available to our users, free unlimited use of the Thought Catcher (to those over the age of twelve), and up to six free counselling sessions for people living in Ireland." The three most common barriers to accessing mental health services in Ireland are the cost of mental health services, the waiting lists and the journey to and from mental health services. Turn2Me's services are funded by the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). For more information, visit Turn2Me.ie. The launch of the International Youth Leadership Conference in Kildare this morning was praised by the CEO of Foroige. 250 teenagers from around the world gather in Kildare for Foroiges Leadership for Life Youth Conference today. The conference, which was launched this morning (02/8/22) on the grounds of NUI Maynooth, brings together young people from the USA, Ukraine, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa and Ireland to learn how to become leaders in their own lives. During the week-long conference the teens learn crucial life skills such as empathy, decision making, communication skills, critical thinking and team-work. Speaking about the importance of the event, Sean Campbell, the CEO of Foroige, said: "The conference gives young leaders the opportunity to not only learn from the speakers and facilitators, but to learn from each other in a fun and safe environment. "Young people are playing a greater role than ever before in highlighting the issues that really matter and youth activism and community action are central pillars of our Leadership programme." He added: "Im always in awe of what young people can achieve when given the opportunity." Opening the event was Eoghan Flood, 18, from Truagh Foroige Club, County Monaghan, who said, "Im so excited to be continuing my leadership journey! "I have learnt so much from this programme so far and feel so privileged to be here again this week." SPEAKERS As part of the week-long conference, the delegates will meet inspirational guest speakers including: Yemi Adenuga, the first black woman to be elected as a public representative in Ireland. Yemi is an outspoken anti-racism advocate and campaigner. (Speaking on Wednesday, August 3rd, 11.15am 12.15am, Iontas Building at NUI Maynooth) (Speaking on Wednesday, August 3rd, 11.15am 12.15am, Iontas Building at NUI Maynooth) Professor Mark Brennan, the UNESCO Chair for Rural Community, Leadership and Youth Development at Pennsylvania State University. (Speaking on Thursday, August 4th, 11.15am 12.15am, Iontas Building at NUI Maynooth) Jordan Lee, professional high jump athlete on the Irish Paralympic team. (Speaking on Friday, August 5th, 11.15am 12.15am, Iontas Building at NUI Maynooth) When asked about speaking at this years event, Yemi Adenuga said: "As a woman who is very passionate about building women and young people, I am always thankful for every opportunity to inspire, empower and impact the youth so their future can be brighter and their lives better than ours." Professor Mark Brennan also weighed in, saying: "Im very excited and honoured to have been invited to be part of the Foroige leadership conference. "After a few years away during Covid, itll be amazing to see young people back where they belong: being active leaders for positive social change." In addition, Jordan Lee explained how important it is for young people to learn from each other: "My story is one of resilience, perseverance and determination; Im looking forward to speaking to these young leaders and give them a detailed insight into my life story and what Ive learnt from my experiences to help people learn to thrive in perceived difficult circumstances and be able to achieve their goals." Foroige is a youth organisation in Ireland. It works with over 50,000 young people and 5,500 adult volunteers annually, through a network of more than 500 youth clubs and cafes, 180 targeted projects and national programmes such as Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Health and Wellbeing, Citizenship and Entrepreneurship. The Foroige Leadership for Life Programme was developed in Ireland in 2009 and is open to young adults aged 15-18. Northern Irelands political leaders will return to Stormont later for a special sitting to deliver tributes to Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble. MLAs will also observe a minutes silence and sign a book of condolence in memory of one of the key architects of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement which ended decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. Lord Trimble died last week at the age of 77 following an illness. The former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party was jointly awarded the Nobel prize with late SDLP leader John Hume in recognition of their efforts to stop the bloodshed and establish a powersharing system of devolved governance in the region. He then served as the Northern Irelands inaugural first minister. The Stormont institutions are currently in limbo, with the DUP blocking the creation of a powersharing administration in protest at Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Irish President Michael D Higgins were among the mourners who gathered at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church in Lisburn, Co Antrim, on Monday for the funeral of Lord Trimble. Rev Dr Charles McMullen appealed at the funeral service for politicians to use the occasion as inspiration to redouble their efforts to resolve their differences over the protocol. He said: Can we use this service today, in a fitting tribute to one of the great, to redouble our efforts on this island home of ours? With courage, pragmatism and generosity of spirit, may our politicians engage wholeheartedly in resolving the outstanding issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, so that our democratic institutions are quickly restored and we can all move forward together. A recall of the Assembly to attempt to elect a new Speaker was postponed last week following the death of Lord Trimble. The recall session will now take place on Wednesday. The crisis-hit Stormont Assembly has reconvened for a special sitting to pay tribute to David Trimble, one of the principal architects of the devolved institutions in Belfast. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party died last week at the age of 77 following an illness. He was buried on Monday after a funeral service that was attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Irish President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin. The powersharing structures Lord Trimble helped create in the landmark Good Friday Agreement of 1998 are currently in limbo, with the DUP blocking the creation of a governing executive in protest at Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol. The DUPs refusal to agree to the nomination of a new speaker has also prevented the reconstitution of the legislative assembly following Mays election. Despite the impasse, party whips agreed to hold a special gathering in the chamber of Parliament Buildings on Tuesday to allow for tributes to be paid to Lord Trimble. Current UUP leader Doug Beattie said it could be difficult for the current generation of MLAs to fully understand the impact the unionist statesman had on Northern Ireland politics. Stormonts inaugural first minister was jointly awarded the Nobel prize with late SDLP leader John Hume in recognition of their efforts to end the Troubles and establish a powersharing system of devolved governance in the region. Mr Beattie said that before 1998 unionists and nationalists would not be seen in the same room together, never mind share a handshake or form a government with joint responsibilities. He contrasted that to scenes at Mondays funeral where political leaders from across the divide came together. At Davids humble and dignified funeral, handshakes and pats on the shoulder were offered freely from every political corner with warm words of condolence thats progress, he said. The sitting saw MLAs on opposing sides of the protocol debate reference Lord Trimbles legacy as they stressed a desire for powersharing to return. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill said it would be a travesty if the institutions were not restored before the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next year. History will be kind to David Trimble for the huge part he played, but it will be unforgiving to those of you who obstruct progress or refuse to show leadership, she said. What was achieved by David Trimble together with the leaders of nationalism and republicanism, the Irish and British Governments, the United States and the EU cannot be underestimated. It can never be taken for granted. He and all of them leave a legacy for which any politician would be rightly proud. The Good Friday Agreement is a gift to todays generation and its promise must be fully realised. I stand here today as a leader of the Good Friday Agreement generation, and I want to lead and work with you all and those whom you represent. Anyone who sets out to undermine this work and turns this place upside down should not be in politics. However, DUP veteran Edwin Poots highlighted Lord Trimbles opposition to the protocol and how he maintained it was inconsistent with the terms of the Good Friday deal. He quoted from a newspaper article in which the former UUP leader claimed the protocol was pulling the Good Friday Agreement apart. I think wed do well to listen to the words of David Trimble over the course of the next number of weeks, Mr Poots told the Assembly. And I trust that we do get this executive up and running, I trust that we will ensure the peace that exists in Northern Ireland over the course of the last 25 years is something which exists for many years to come, and that we give the political leadership in doing that. Outgoing Stormont Speaker Alex Maskey said it was only right MLAs were recalled to pay tribute to Lord Trimble. There is no doubt that David Trimble took risks and took decisions often in the face of fierce opposition when it would have been personally easier not to do so, he said. The Good Friday Agreement and this Assembly do exist because of him. Mr Maskey also noted the passing of many significant political leaders in recent years, including former DUP leader Ian Paisley, SDLP leader Mr Hume and Sinn Feins Martin McGuinness. I would therefore close by saying that while many of you in this chamber today may not have met them, the legacy of realising the potential of this Assembly and the agreements that were hard won now falls to yourselves, he said. Alliance Party MLA Andrew Muir described Lord Trimble as a complex character, and said that while he would not have agreed with him on some matters, he said he had made a significant, substantial and positive contribution. Northern Ireland is, thankfully, a very different place now than it was back in 1998, but we should not kid our self that we dont have much further to travel. We do, he said. The prize of a truly reconciled people, a place where everyone is proud to call home, and fully functioning institutions sadly remains yet to be achieved. With so many of the giants of the peace process now no longer with us, current and future generations turn to us all here to take the baton on and complete the journey set out in 1998. SDLP MLA Matthew OToole hailed Lord Trimbles achievements. He used a legal mind and remarkable tenacity to achieve and then implement a deal which esteemed both historic traditions and constitutional aspirations and acknowledged the interconnectedness of this island, and of both islands, he said. In the SDLP, we feel an acute sadness at the passing of David Trimble, partner in peace and co-Nobel Laureate as he was with John Hume, and then serving in the first ministers office alongside Seamus Mallon, and then Mark Durkan. They walked the difficult road of peace-making together. TUV leader Jim Allister said he disagreed with Lord Trimble on the Belfast Agreement, describing it as having been built on the mass injustice of the release of terrorist prisoners. He said the Assembly has been failing and dysfunctional since it was set up in 1998. However, in a broadside at the DUP, he paid tribute to Lord Trimble as more honest politically than those who supplanted him as the leader of unionism. He described common cause with Lord Trimble in recent times in opposing the protocol. At the conclusion of the tributes, MLAs held a minutes silence for the late peer in the Assembly chamber before moving to the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings to sign a book of condolence. Mr Maskey was first to sign, followed by Mr Beattie and then Ms ONeill. A picture of Lord Trimble was placed on a table in the hall with a floral tribute. MLAs formed a long line extending out from the Assembly chamber as they waited to add their signatures. River-front property in the community of Klamath River left in ruins after it burned in the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest, northwest of Yreka, California, on August 1, 2022. DAVID MCNEW / AFP A wildfire that has forced evacuations and destroyed some homes in the Nebraska Panhandle grew to about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) on Monday, August 1, but firefighters were managing to limit the spread of the fire. The blaze south of Gering, dubbed the Carter Canyon Fire, was reported Saturday evening and began as two separate fires in heavily treed areas of the Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area and Carter Canyon Public Land, fire and emergency management officials said. Officials said tinder-dry conditions, rough terrain and 32 kph winds hampered efforts to control the fires, which merged over the weekend into one fire. The fire had grown to about 65 square kilometers and was burning in an area of grassland and large trees, said Ben Bohall, public information officer with the Nebraska Forest Service. The fire destroyed three homes and damaged several more in the Carter Canyon community that was evacuated Sunday. No injuries were immediately reported. About 200 people were fighting the fire, with crews from Wyoming and South Dakota helping those from Nebraska, Mr. Bohall said. About 35 fire departments from the area and aircraft were brought in to battle the flames. By Monday, the fire was about 33% contained and wasn't spreading significantly, officials said. Fire crews will face difficult conditions as they try to control the blaze in the coming days. The National Weather Service forecasts continued winds and temperatures around or in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit over the next six days, with only a 20% to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback The fire is in an area suffering from moderate to severe drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. The Nebraska fire was burning at a time when other large fires were raging in the West, including a Northern California fire that has burned through nearly 225.33 square kilometers in the Klamath National Forest. Another fire has grown to about 51.80 square kilometers in the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana and Idaho's Moose Fire has burned more than 20.15 square kilometers. Le Monde with AP DRIVERS are being warned that a section of the M7 in Limerick will be closed for a number of weeks for resurfacing works. Phase 1 of the project to lay a new road surface between Junction 28 Castletroy and Junction 30 Rosbrien will begin on Tuesday, August 2. The resurfacing works will be carried out in both directions of the road and are due to be completed by late September/early October. All work will take place at night on a phased approach to protect workers and minimise traffic disruption. Each phase will require the M7 to be closed in one direction with traffic diverted on the local road network within Limerick. The first phase of the project will see the westbound lane of the M7 closed between Junction 28 and Junction 29 between 8pm and 6am. Outside of these times the road will be open and traffic will be running on a temporary road surface with a mandatory reduced speed limit of 60Kph in place for the duration. The project is part of a larger scheme to resurface the road to reduce noise pollution in the area. Phase 2 will see the road closed between J29 to J30 westbound, Phase 3 involves the closure of the eastbound lane between J30 and J29. The final phase will see the eastbound lane closed from J29 to J28 during the fourth phase of the project. TWO charities have an extra bounce in their step thanks to Europes largest single-day charity bungee jump. It was held in the Top of the Town pub car park in Askeaton last month a perfect spot in case anyone needed a stiff drink after taking the plunge! The event, helped by the participation of around 80 brave jumpers and lovely weather, proved an immense success. Initially, we werent even sure the jump was a good idea, acknowledged Jessica Lawlor, committee member. But once it was out there, the whole lot just grew legs, and more legs. A few of us put a fair bit of work into it, in the run-in, and there was no shortage either of volunteers on the day. Josh Sheahan hosted the jump, which consisted of participants leaping 180 feet from a crane that towered over the town. Each jumper committed to raising a minimum of 300 each, and most surpassed this target. The final amount collected was 30,000, and this was split between Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, and Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Ireland, who have been presented with their cheques. This is a phenomenal amount for ourselves and no words of mine can truly thank the people of Askeaton for this contribution, said Josephine Corbett of Treaty Suicide Prevention. Alan OConnell, ABI Ireland said: Like Josephine, this sort of unknown funding at the start of the year is a very welcome boost for us, based in Limerick. We too thank the committee and participants for their generous support which will help continue our work. A COUNTY Limerick farmer is being tormented by young people trespassing on his land through a neighbouring housing estate, citing fears of a possible farm machinery accident. The safety concern was raised by Cllr Liam Galvin, FG, following a housing delivery update at the most recent meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District. He said: This man, a farmer, is tormented with people coming into his lands, whether it is playing ball, partying or leaving bottles and cans all over the place. He stressed that there needs to be boundary walls placed around the development at Cois na Feile, Abbeyfeale, in the interest of protecting both children and livestock, and to avoid a serious accident. The Housing Directorate told councillors that they are due to meet with an Approved Housing Body (AHB) with a view to demolishing houses in the estate, some of which have no doors or roofs. They detailed that it may take some time for the estate to be demolished following planning permission, which is being sought. Cois na Feile, a 2.6m unfinished social housing development in the town, had previously been characterised as an unholy mess by councillors in the district back in 2015. The 12-unit site was a private development, which was then purchased by Cluid Housing Association. Last year, the council compulsorily acquired the derelict properties under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990. Call for work on Limerick ghost estate to be stopped LOCAL councillors have called on housing agency Cluid to stop work on rehabilitating 12 houses on the controversial Cois na Feile ghost estate in Abbeyfeale. Mayor of Limerick, Francis Foley, FF, expressed his disappointment at the demolition of the houses. It seems a shame to knock down all those buildings, he said. Cllr John Sheahan, FG, echoed the sentiments of his colleague, Cllr Galvin, citing very serious "safety concerns" brought to attention by the adjoining landowner. Cllr Galvin asked council officials present if the AHB was responsible for keeping children off the farmers land, requesting that they sit down with the council to figure out building a boundary wall to avoid any possible accidents. Council officials told Cllr Galvin that they will not be responsible for the site but will talk to the AHB on improving future safety. A PROPOSED redevelopment of a 42 kilometre rail line between Limerick city and the Port of Foynes has received a boost. Irish Rail is seeking expressions of interest for contractors to rebuild the link which has been out of action since 2001. It's hoped the tender contract will be awarded later this year, with an 18 month construction period then expected on the line which also covers the Mungret area. The Limerick-Foynes line was opened in April 1858 by the Great Southern and Western Railway. Passenger traffic ended in 1963, with freight trains no longer using the line after the year 2000. This saw the branch line disconnected from the broader Irish Rail network. However, there have been widespread calls for its re-opening given much of the track remains in place. The Shannon Foynes Port Company has said the link would represent a huge boost to plans to make the Shannon Estuary a global floating offshore wind energy and Atlantic transhipment hub. It's anticipated the re-opening of the line - a project which enjoys the support of Transport Minister Eamon Ryan - would cost in the region of 45m. Local Green Party TD Brian Leddin has welcomed the move, saying it's something he has campaigned for since he was elected to the Dail. "We have a better urban rail network than Cork, Galway or Waterford but we need to have a strategy to get the maximum benefit from bringing this infrastructure back into use. That means we need to focus residential and commercial development in line with this rail potential. This will put Limerick in a place to be the primary growth location in the country for the next decade and beyond. These are a lot more than just rail projects. They are the critical elements of our vision to grow Limerick and the Mid-West region in a quick and sustainable way so that we compete with the Dublin region and with European city-regions. New development must be focused around this sustainable infrastructure," he said. Really thrilled to see this get going. It's something I've been working on for a long time, as have many before me. It's the start of a major expansion of rail services and infrastructure in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary in the coming years. https://t.co/2bEc1FPT3T Brian Leddin (@BrianLeddin) August 1, 2022 Councillor Emmett O'Brien, who represents Foynes on the local authority, said: "There is a move nationally away from car to public transport, and significantly so since it was announced the Ryder Cup is going to be in Adare in 2027. It's obvious people coming to Shannon we have a good rail network. It'll be a slow process, but really and truly it's the way to go." In a tender document, Irish Rail has detailed what would be involved. The proposed construction contract, the company says, will include earthworks, the installation of sleepers and rail - supplied by Irish Rail - and also the maintenance and renewal of bridges, culverts, fencing and the road infrastructure at public road level crossings. A contractor will be asked to clear vegetation, and the removal of existing track, a new ballast-bed will be needed, while bridges along the route will need to be made safe. There are 13 level crossings along the route which will need to be renewed, as will boundary fencing and drainage, plus the installation of service routes for future line signalling, telecoms infrastructure and level-crossing automation. The potential re-opening of this line will also come as a boost to a community on the city's southside. That's because it passes through Rathbane, and the out-of-use level crossing there has become a hotbed for illegal dumping. Councillor Sarah Kiely - who has campaigned for a clean-up of the site in the area she represents - has welcomed the publication of the tender. She said: "The railway line has been the bane of the lives of residents for years. I have been given commitment after commitment with no action of note. Some work was completed recently at my request however it was not enough. The daily lives of people in Rathbane and Janesboro and surrounding areas will benefit from the refurbishment of the lines, the contractor will have one hell of a clearance job to do in parts , hopefully it will start soon." The New York State Department of Financial Services imposed a $30 million fine on the cryptocurrency trading unit of online brokerage Robinhood Markets Inc. for alleged violations of anti-money-laundering and cybersecurity regulations, in the departments first crypto enforcement action. Health experts suggested stepping up surveillance to prevent silent transmission of monkeypox after the National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed the first monkeypox fatality in the nation. The moment has come, according to Dr. PS Indu, professor and head of the department of community medicine at the Government Medical College in Kollam, who was speaking to ANI. She warned about problems and silent transmission of monkeypox if surveillance is not strengthened and stressed the importance of bolstering surveillance in order to prevent quiet transmission. Also Read: Monkeypox: How to protect yourself? what to do if you catch it? Stressing the surveillance, Dr Indu said, "Surveillance is important. To know what is happening around us, we need data. And this can only happen when people screen them and get tested." "Screening is important, otherwise, the silent transmission can spread and then people will come with complications. All countries have to take action and share data with important information," she added. Also Read: Rajasthan reports first suspected case of monkeypox The medical expert went on to discuss the virus's side effects. "It is a virus which can create issues like infection in the mouth, cavity, rashes that you see in the face, lymphadenopathy, lesions on palms and soles," Dr Indu said. "The secondary infections are dermatology complications and central nervous system complications which can result in mortality death. And other issues that affect the brain. Encephalitis is an infection of the brain," she added. Also Read: Nigerian man tests positive for monkeypox in Delhi She emphasised the value of wearing masks to prevent making direct contact. and said, "We need to continue to wear masks and avoid face-to-face and skin-to-skin contact with people who are not aware of their potential symptoms." There is also a monkeypox vaccine but these are the policy decisions which have to come up in the long run, she added. Veena George, the Kerala Health Minister, announced earlier in the day that tests on a 22-year-old who passed away on July 30 revealed a positive result for the viral zoonotic virus. The young man from Chavakkad Kuranjiyur in the Thrissur district tested positive and displayed symptoms of monkeypox On July 30, he passed away in Kerala. He received antibiotics as well as treatment for encephalitis, abnormal seizures, and other illnesses. Twenty high-risk connections, including three health professionals from the private hospitala doctor and two nursesare currently being watched. Notably, India has so far documented five instances of monkeypox, with three cases occurring in Kerala, one in Delhi, and one in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The Central government is now on high alert as a result, despite an increase in the number of infections in several other nations. There is definitely no need for alarm, according to Dr. V K Paul of NITI Aayog, who represents the health sector. This is because the government has taken considerable steps to control the disease. Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. The disease is endemic in regions like West and Central Africa but lately, cases have been reported from non-endemic countries too, according to the WHO. (With ANI inputs) For many years, Trichlet Decruz lived a comfortable life in the capital of Sri Lanka. The 42-year-old traveled abroad for vacations, dined out with her family and spent freely at the grocery store. Starbucks on Tuesday reported record revenue in the April-June period, as strong U.S. demand made up for COVID shutdowns in China. The Seattle-based coffee giant exceeded sales expectations despite continuing store closures and reduced hours in China due to coronavirus measures. Starbucks said its same-store sales in China __ its second-largest market after the U.S. __ were down 44% in its fiscal third quarter. Starbucks said it ended the quarter with roughly 2,000 stores in 50 cities operating with COVID restrictions. But strong U.S. demand made up for that. Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, rose 9% in the U.S., where customers are spending more on customizable cold beverages and food, like lime-frosted coconut bars. Morning traffic was also picking up as more people returned to offices. Interim Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the company isn't yet seeing any impact from inflation, despite increasing prices about 5% over the same period last year. While we are sensitive to the impact inflation and economic uncertainty are having on consumers, its critically important that you all understand we are not currently seeing any measurable reduction in customer spending or any evidence of customers trading down," Schultz said Tuesday on a conference call with investors. Schultz added that cold drinks, which now make up 74% of U.S. beverage sales, have become a huge competitive advantage for Starbucks and are bringing in younger customers. The premium, customized cold coffee opportunity is simply enormous," Schultz said. Starbucks' revenue rose 9% to $8.2 billion, a quarterly record. That surpassed Wall Streets forecast of $8.1 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet. New stores, including many that are more focused on drive-thru and curbside service, are helping sales. The company said it has opened 298 net new stores in its North America region since June 2021 and 1,355 new stores in international markets. Starbucks said its net income fell 21% to $912.9 million as it spent more on labor, worker training and supply chain costs. Last fall, the company announced a $1 billion investment in employee wages and benefits in an effort to lift U.S. workers pay. U.S. workers currently make an average of $17 per hour, Starbucks North America chief John Culver said. Training hours have also increased. Schultz said Starbucks is in the midst of a modernization plan that he hopes will help it retain employees and better keep up with customer demand. The plan __ which will be fleshed out in more detail at the company's investor day in September __ comes amid growing employee dissatisfaction at some U.S. stores. More than 200 of Starbucks' 9,000 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize since last December, a move the company opposes. Schultz didn't mention the union campaign Tuesday. Schultz, a longtime CEO of Starbucks who rejoined the company in April, reiterated his plan to remain through the first few months of 2023 even after a new CEO is named. Schultz said the company has narrowed down its list of potential CEOs who are excited and positive and in agreement" about the modernization plan. I have committed myself to stay as long as necessary to ensure that the new CEO has a soft landing and then I transition to the board," he said. Adjusted for one-time items, Starbucks earned 84 cents per share. That was higher than the 77-cent profit Wall Street forecast. Starbucks shares rose nearly 2% in after-hours trading. On Monday, Laredo City Council was presented with a homeless assessment that indicated the data of homelessness in Laredo. This provided more information on how to address the homegrown versus out-of-town homeless population, an expansion with a 24-hour facility, a panhandling campaign and a commitment to allocate funding over five years. After the discussion, two items were approved. The first was to enter a five-year commitment with Bethany House of Laredo for $979,000 annually. This was to ensure a long-term commitment to ensure the success and sustainability of the proposed homeless low barrier shelter project. Furthermore, $1.95 million was approved to also enter a contract with Bethany House for a proposed shelter expansion project. The funding is from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Act Plan. The new expansion could be a possible step forward in bringing mental health counselors to the facility and addressing the issues at the root. Robert Marbut of Marbut Consulting said the assessment and recommendations were akin to the San Antonios Haven for Hope program and are data driven to ensure homelessness is reduced, not doubled. This would allow for partnerships with city agencies to address the mental health problem of the homeless population that is believed to also cut down on self-medication with alcohol and in some cases, other illegal substances. First off, Marbut indicated the work Bethany House has done with its low budget was amazing, considering the city has no formal system and is not Martin vs. Boise compliant. According to the City of Boise, the agreement ensures people experiencing homelessness will not be cited or arrested for sleeping outdoors when no shelter is available, and the city will continue to take steps to put every person experiencing homelessness in Boise on a path to permanent housing. A large focus of the presentation was to identify and clarify the different responses to homeless populations that are homegrown, out of towners, the gender mix and children. Marbut indicated different clinical tracks were recommended as each category requires different responses. City councils concerns were raised when Marbut indicated that without change, male out-of-town homeless population may double in four years. This may be due to the welcoming nature of the city, which provides food and supplies regardless of if the individual is from Laredo or not. Marbut said this should be stopped, and the out-of-town track would prioritize calling the individuals hometown and sending them back for a higher chance of recovery. The higher chance of recovery has different factors, including if a homeless individual was born and lived in Laredo, had a job prior to being homeless and/or if they are one year or less into their homeless situation. Marbut said the quick intervention would be the most cost-effective solution. With mental illness a troubling aspect of homelessness, a strong focus will be integral to addressing issues. When asked about the drug problem plaguing the Laredo homeless population, Marbut said 80% are self-medicating with alcohol, while only some are medicating with crack or meth. Regardless, he said alcoholism is the biggest problem the city has. Beyond that, panhandling was another concern of Mayor Pete Saenz that Marbut had a simple response. If you think (it's OK) funding drugs and prostitution and alcohol, keep giving money out the window," Marbut said, highlighting that the food provided by city partners allows the continuation of alcoholism through panhandling. You should be honest about it. "Most of the money going out the door is going straight to alcohol at the corner store." He added that the culture of Laredo needs to change and compared the citys situation to Clearwater, Florida. He said once the culture of handing money out the window changed, there was a drastic reduction in Clearwater. "(Panhandling) is not only bad for the community but it's bad clinically, because it funds the bad habit," he said. According to Tina Martinez, Community Development Director, a panhandling campaign will be part of the approved projects. A man claimed he fired about 15 shots to scare migrants in Rio Bravo, according to the Webb County Sheriffs Office. On July 25, Carlos Eduardo Fraga Torres, 44, was served with arrest warrants charging him with making a false report and tampering with physical evidence. At about 4:27 a.m. July 9, deputies canvassed the Centeno Lane area for a report of shots fired. Initial reports indicated about 15 to 20 shots were fired. There were no complaints of shots hitting any of the neighboring residences. An investigation led deputies to a home in the 1700 block of Centeno, where Fraga Torres met with deputies at the front gate of his residence. Deputies told him they were conducting a welfare check because of possible shots fired coming from his residence. Fraga advised that he did hear the shots and he also heard people running around near his residence around that time, states the affidavit. Fraga Torres then allowed deputies to search his home. He did tell deputies he had two handguns in his vehicle but those firearms always remain inside his black Chevrolet Tahoe. Deputies then located one 5.56 mm spent casing outside the back door of the house. Fraga then voluntarily confessed to deputies of him discharging a firearm he stashed underneath his dinner table. Fraga verbally stated that he was tired of the undocumented illegal immigrant activity occurring near and inside his residence, states the affidavit. Fraga Torres added when he heard the dogs barking and noises outside his home, he took his firearm and fired half of his 30-round magazine into the ground to scare potential intruders, according to court documents. Deputies pointed out Fraga Torres had stated he fired 15 rounds but authorities had only recovered one spent casing. Authorities recovered a Diamondback 5.56 from underneath the dinner table. The Diamondback and the two handguns were cleared. Fraga Torres deliberately tried to alter the course of the investigation by claiming the gunshots were heard from a neighbor. When asked about weapons, Fraga Torres disclosed two firearms inside his vehicle and purposely failed to disclose the rifle he had under his kitchen table, states the affidavit. The investigation also revealed Fraga Torres had tossed all but one casing over to an empty lot on Margarita Lane. He also claimed he had sold his rifle and that it was taken to Mexico, the affidavit states. More than a dozen news organizations filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, accusing the agency of unlawfully withholding public records related to the May school shooting in Uvalde. The organizations which include The Texas Tribune and its partner ProPublica and other local, state and national newsrooms have each filed requests under the Texas Public Information Act for information detailing the response by various authorities, including law enforcement, to the massacre. DPS has refused to release records in response to these requests, even as the agency has selectively disclosed some information through public testimony, third-party analyses and news conferences. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, and continuing throughout the ensuing two months, DPS has declined to provide any meaningful information in response to the Requests regarding the events of that day despite the awful reality that some 376 members of law enforcement responded to the tragedy, and hundreds of those were in the school or on school property not going into the unlocked classroom where the gunman continued killing helpless youth, the lawsuit states. At the same time, DPS has offered conflicting accounts regarding the response of law enforcement, the conduct of its officers, the results of its own investigation, and the agencys justifications for withholding information from the public. A comprehensive report released in July by a Texas House of Representatives committee found numerous law enforcement agencies, including the state police, failed to aggressively confront the gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers over the course of about 77 minutes. DPS has provided little information about the actions of its 91 officers who responded to the scene. Under state law, records are presumed public unless a government body cites a specific exemption under the Public Information Act that allows information to be withheld. DPS is claiming an exemption for records related to an ongoing investigation, but the news organizations argue there is no such investigation, given the guilt of the gunman is not in dispute and authorities say the 18-year-old acted alone. The local prosecutor, Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee, has acknowledged that she is not conducting a criminal investigation. The records requested include emails; body camera and other video footage; call logs, 911 and other emergency communications; interview notes; forensic and ballistic records; and lists of DPS personnel who responded to the tragedy, among other information. The Texas Department of Public Safety has offered inconsistent accounts of how law enforcement responded to the Uvalde tragedy, and its lack of transparency has stirred suspicion and frustration in a community that is still struggling with grief and shock, said Laura Lee Prather, a First Amendment lawyer at Haynes Boone who represents the plaintiffs. DPS has refused numerous requests by these news organizations even though it's clear under Texas law that the public is entitled to have access to these important public records. We ask that the court grant our petition so that the people of Texas can understand the truth about what happened. The other plaintiffs include The New York Times Company, The Washington Post, NBC News, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Scripps Media and Gannett. The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, who also joined the suit, have filed about 70 records requests. The suit was brought in state district court in Travis County. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Click here to view the story in its original format. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering in the Cambodian capital for meetings addressing persisting violence in Myanmar and other issues, joined by top diplomats from the United States, China, Russia and other world powers amid tensions over the invasion of Ukraine and concerns over Beijings growing ambitions in the region. The meeting in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will see U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov together at the same venue for the second time in a month, though it's not clear whether the two will meet. The two did not meet separately when they both attended the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in early July. But they had their first direct contact since before Russia invaded Ukraine in a phone call Friday, when Blinken urged Moscow to accept a deal to release American detainees Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and discussed other issues. Also attending is Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Many have urged Beijing to use its partnership with Russia to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and to help promote peace and a return to civilian rule in Myanmar after a February 2021 coup sparked mass protests and an armed resistance. The meetings come at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing as the U.S. pushes back against Chinas growing economic and military influence in the Asia-Pacific. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is touring the region and arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. That has heightened friction further, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cautioning last week that those who play with fire will perish by it. Communist-ruled China considers Taiwan its own territory, and has said it might take the island by force if it deems it necessary. The U.S. follows a one China policy in which it recognizes Beijing as the government of China yet maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan. In a call last week with U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping objected to the possibility of a visit by Pelosi, who became the highest-level U.S. official to travel to Taiwan in more than 25 years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, its impact on global food and energy prices and escalating China-U.S. friction are of high concern for the 10 ASEAN nations, said Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program for Australias Lowy Institute. This is one of the first regional meetings of foreign ministers to have been held in person since 2019, so for the United States, China and even Russia, meetings like this are a really important opportunity to demonstrate their support for ASEAN and present their own narratives about their commitment to regional security and prosperity, she said. Blinken, Wang and Lavrov have all been jockeying for influence recently in multiple foreign trips. Following the meetings, Blinken heads to the Philippines and then on to Africa. Biden hosted ASEAN leaders at the White House in May at the group's first-ever summit in Washington. During those meetings, Biden announced he was nominating one of his top national security aides as ambassador to the group, underscoring the Asia-Pacific region's importance to the U.S. Most recently, Lavrov has focused on Africa, while Wang visited multiple Pacific islands in May and made a five-nation swing through Southeast Asia last month. During that trip, he said China was speeding up talks with ASEAN, which includes four countries that are in dispute with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, to come up with a nonaggression pact called a code of conduct to turn the body of water into a sea of peace and cooperation. The ASEAN meetings also bring together some countries that have, or are negotiating, partnerships with ASEAN, including India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Australia, in particular, has highlighted the importance of the ASEAN nations, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying last month that they should see new alliances, including the Quad group of Australia, U.S., India and New Japan and the AUKUS group of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., as beneficial to the region. ASEAN centrality means that we will always think about our security in the context of your security, she said at a forum in Singapore. We understand deeply the ways in which they are interconnected. We believe that Australia must find its security in Asia, not from Asia, and that means, above all, in Southeast Asia. Myanmar, where the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, is a member of the 10-nation ASEAN group. It is not sending any delegates after other members decided no Myanmar political representatives could attend. Escalating violence in the country is prominent on the ASEAN agenda as it struggles to implement a five-point consensus it reached on Myanmar last year. It calls for dialogue among all concerned parties, providing humanitarian assistance, an immediate end to violence and a visit by a special ASEAN envoy to meet with all parties. Suu Kyis ouster triggered widespread peaceful protests that were violently suppressed. They have evolved into an armed resistance and the country has slipped into what some U.N. experts characterize as a civil war. Blinken has criticized ASEAN for not doing enough on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The resumption of judicial executions in late July, when the military-led government hanged four political prisoners, has driven a stronger backlash against its military rulers, with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah condemning the act as a crime against humanity. New sanctions are being considered and Saifuddin said ahead of the meetings that the group should consider scrapping or revising its five-point consensus. He said ASEANs special envoy also needs to meet with the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration established outside Myanmar, to help develop a new political framework. The end game is a democratic, inclusive and just, peaceful and harmonious, prosperous Myanmar whose civil and political rights are guaranteed by the constitution, he said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has proposed that ASEAN hold a special meeting on Myanmar specifically to discuss recent developments. More than 2,100 people have been killed by the military government since it took power and nearly 15,000 have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organization that tracks killings and arrests. All developments in Myanmar, including the death penalty for political prisoners, show a setback rather than progress from the implementation of the five-point consensus, Marsudi said. Cambodia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, which also includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei in addition to Myanmar. ___ Associated Press journalists Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C.; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia; Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this story. Chris Stokes/MySA A self-proclaimed "minister of the gospel" showed up to Beto O'Rourke's town hall in Hemphill, in East Texas, on Saturday, July 30, asking questions about abortion and if Jesus was the gubernatorial candidate's "lord and savior." The man did all this while carrying an assault-style rifle over his shoulder just months after a gunman used a similar rifle to kill students and teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde. The man, who claimed to be a preacher, is seen in multiple videos posted to Twitter over the weekend. Before asking his question, the man says in the video that he was not at the town hall to talk about guns, asking O'Rourke how to "deal with the murder of the unborn for anything other than to save a womans life." The man then goes on to claim that there are plenty of "great men of god who are the product of rape." Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Statement by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Xinhua) 23:10, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement on Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region. Following is the full text of the statement: On 2 August, in disregard of China's strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence". China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious demarche and strong protest to the United States. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This has been clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. In 1979, the United States made a clear commitment in the China-U.S. Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations -- "The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan." Congress, as a part of the U.S. Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the U.S. Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China's Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by U.S. congressional members, and the U.S. executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this. The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, go all out to push forward "de-sinicization", and promote "incremental independence". The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it. The position of the Chinese Government and people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm commitment of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the common aspiration and sacred responsibility of all Chinese sons and daughters to realize the complete reunification of the motherland. The will of the people is not to be defied, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed. No country, no forces and no individual should ever misestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese Government and people to defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker's visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China and the United States are two major countries. The right way for them to deal with each other lies only in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, no-confrontation and win-win cooperation. The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, and no other country is entitled to act as a judge on the Taiwan question. China strongly urges the United States to stop playing the "Taiwan card" and using Taiwan to contain China. It should stop meddling on Taiwan and interfering in China's internal affairs. It should stop supporting and conniving at "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in any form. It should stop its acts of saying one thing but doing the opposite on the Taiwan question. It should stop distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle. It must take credible actions to observe strictly the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, deliver on the "five noes" commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a "new Cold War"; not seek to change China's system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support "Taiwan independence"; not look for conflict with China), and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Monkeypox transmission occurs mainly through direct physical contact from a person with monkeypox or by touching objects, fabrics, and surfaces used by someone with the virus. Meteorlogist Clay joined the Local 3 Weather Storm Alert Team as the weekend meteorologist and reporter in June of 2021. He came to Local 3 from WABG Channel 6 in Greenville, Mississippi where he served as the morning meteorologist for 2 years. Check out our latest E-Edition Accessible anytime and anywhere on your desktop, tablet and smart phone devices. The Lodi News e-Edition is enhanced with the latest digital tools, including RSS feeds, social networking and much more. Check out our latest E-edition! GOVERNMENT says it has set aside mining concessions in eight of the countrys 10 provinces for the youths. During a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said government had agreed to reserve mines for prospecting and pegging of areas in the eight provinces. Section 20 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that the State and its institutions and agencies at every level must take reasonable measures, including affirmative action to ensure that youths are afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment, she said. Accordingly, Cabinet approved to reserve against prospecting and pegging portions of areas in the eight provinces. A framework which will clearly outline the implementation modalities for the programme will be shared with the public soon. Cabinet also approved the Finance ministry to fund the youths in mining, a programme to enable the youth to optimise the mining concessions. Cabinet also approved the memorandum of understanding between government and the African Diaspora Development Institute, which will fund the development of a gold mining centre in Pondoroza village, Mashonaland West province. Newsday After their impressive march to the All-Ireland B title decider, the Longford ladies minor football squad will be in a fairly confident frame of mind in their bid to cross the final hurdle at the Donaghmore Ashbourne GAA grounds, Co Meath this Wednesday evening, throw-in 7pm. Standing in their way are Monaghan and on the evidence of their excellent comeback win over Kerry in the semi-final the Ulster B champions will be difficult to beat. Looking in big trouble when trailing by seven points at the break, they came storming back to triumph by a single point in a thriller. Goals were the decisive factor in the 5-7 to 3-12 success and Monaghan will be on a high in the firm belief that they can come out on top in the battle for All-Ireland glory. The Longford attack is also packed with plenty of scoring power as they clearly showed in the most emphatic 5-14 to 2-7 win over Sligo in the All-Ireland semi-final. Thanks to first half goals from Elle Lynn, Kate Shannon (2) and Anna Hayden it was all over as a contest at the break with Longford holding a commanding 4-6 to 0-3 lead and the manager Pat Tiernan will be hoping that his side can produce the same sort of impressive form in the final. Pat and his fellow mentors Paddy Ganly, Mairead Reynolds, Liz Heaney and Ronan Gallagher deserve a lot of credit for guiding this talented team to within one step of All-Ireland glory and with a bit of luck the B title can be captured. The County U-18 girls stormed through the Leinster campaign with fine wins over Louth, Wexford, Westmeath, Laois and Dublin on the path to provincial success and they will certainly not fear Monaghan. Captain Caoimhe McCormack (Carrickedmond) will be joined by Funmi Talabi (Mostrim) and Ella Duggan (Clonguish) in a strong half-back-line while Grace Kenny (Longford Slashers) is proving to be a commanding figure at full-back. Ella OReilly (Mullinalaghta) and Sian Gallagher (Ardagh St Brigids) have developed into a powerful midfield pairing while the key players in a generally sharp attack are Kate Shannon (Slashers) and Kate McEntire (Dromard). Getting so far is a fantastic achievement for Longford and with the backing of a large contingent of supporters the midlanders could be good enough to master Monaghan. Local News By Long Island Published: August 02 2022 AG James Offers Tips to Help New Yorkers Identify and Avoid Scam Calls New York Attorney General Letitia James today took action to crack down on rampant robocalls and protect consumers nationwide. Attorney General James joined a coalition of 50 attorneys general to form a nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for enabling a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. The taskforce will work to cut down on illegal robocalls made to consumers nationwide. Robocalls are more than just a nuisance, they are used to scam seniors and defraud consumers, said Attorney General James. Across the country, phones are ringing off the hook with robocalls that sound legitimate but are actually a fraud. New Yorkers should not have to worry about being scammed whenever they answer their phone. I am proud to join this coalition to dial up our efforts to block these unwanted calls and protect consumers nationwide. According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls target Americans every day. These scam calls include Social Security Administration fraud against seniors, Amazon scams against consumers, and many other scams often targeting vulnerable groups. These calls typically involve scammers falsely impersonating government agencies or well-known companies to deceive recipients. An estimated $29.8 billion dollars was stolen through scam calls in 2021. Most of this scam robocall traffic originates overseas. The Task Force is focused on shutting down the providers that profit from this illegal scam traffic and refuse to take steps to otherwise mitigate these scam calls. The Task Force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers and other entities that are allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic. Gateway providers that bring foreign traffic into the U.S. telephone network have a responsibility to ensure the traffic is legal, but these providers are not taking sufficient action to stop robocall traffic. In many cases, they appear to be intentionally turning a blind eye in return for steady revenue. The Task Force will focus on the bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry to reduce the flow of illegal robocalls to New Yorkers. Todays action builds on Attorney General James commitment to end illegal and unwanted calls. In 2021, Attorney General James co-led a bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general in urging Congress to pass the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act, which included provisions addressing robocalls. Attorney General James offers the following tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls: School & Education, Local News By Chris Boyle Published: August 02 2022 $53 Million for Hiring New Full-Time Faculty at Over 30 Campuses. Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that the State University of New York Board of Trustees approved the criteria for allocating $113 million in direct funding from New York State. This essential investment will support campus programs designed to increase services to SUNY students, bolster enrollment at SUNY institutions, and support college completion rates. The funding is a part of the Governor's and state legislators' historic budget commitment to higher education, and will help secure SUNY's place as a global leader in higher education. "SUNY has provided life changing educational opportunities for countless of students and we must continue to provide the resources needed for the next generation of students seeking a world class education," Governor Hochul said. "With today's approval by the SUNY Board of Trustees, we have delivered on the commitment made in the budget to revitalize the SUNY system, hire additional faculty, increase diversity among the student body, and expand the reach of our campuses to attract and retain students." Included in the $113 million is $60 million to be distributed across SUNY's campuses for investing in enrollment, academic programs, student services, and operational efficiencies. Campuses receiving funding must report to SUNY System Administration how the funds will address enrollment issues, address academic program offerings, build on existing operational efficiencies while seeking new opportunities, and provide essential student services. In addition, funds would be utilized to support initiatives such as microcredentialing and other programming for all learners. The additional $53 million will be used to hire new full-time faculty. Following an analysis that primarily relied on a comparison of SUNY campuses versus other public institutions, over 30 SUNY campuses were selected to receive this funding that will be used to support the salary and benefit costs. The SUNY Board of Trustees also approved an automatic application fee waiver for any high school student choosing to apply to a SUNY campus from one of the 500 New York State public high schools that have more than 75 percent of their student population eligible for free and reduced-price lunch on a three-year rolling basis. SUNY will begin promoting the fee waiver to ensure eligible students are aware of the program. The Board also voted to keep all state-operated campus tuition rates and board-based fees flat at 2021-2022 levels. About The State University of New York Man Arrested for Bail Jumping with Assistance of Police K-9 Unit Local News, Crime By Long Island Published: August 01 2022 Defendant is charged with Bail Jumping in the 3rd Degree, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the 3rd Degree, multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law infractions, and the defendant has two open ... The Seventh Squad reports the arrest of a man that occurred on Monday, August 1, 2022 at 4:20 a.m. in Seaford. According to Detectives, Officers were dispatched to investigate a call for a suspicious vehicle, a 1999 White Ford Econoline E350, in the vicinity of Island Channel Road in Wantagh. Officers observed the defendant, Angelo Santamaria, 45, of 1814 Green Way in Westbury, operating the 1999 Econoline when he swerved into oncoming traffic creating a substantial safety hazard while almost hitting a marked Police Vehicle. Officers attempted to initiate a Vehicle and Traffic Law stop, but the defendant refused to stop, parked his car and then fled on foot. Police set up a perimeter and with the assistance of the K-9 unit were able to arrest the defendant in the vicinity of Cecilia Place without further incident. It was later determined that the defendant was driving with a suspended license. Defendant Santamaria is charged with Bail Jumping in the 3rd Degree, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the 3rd Degree, multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law infractions, and the defendant has two open warrants, one in Nassau County and one in Suffolk County. He will be arraigned on Monday, August 1, 2022 at First District Court in Hempstead. Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness By Chris Boyle Published: August 02 2022 Scott, Former Communications Director for Suffolk County, Tragically Lost his Life in Car Crash on the LIE. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone recently joined friends, family, and colleagues of Scott Martella to announce a blood drive in his honor will take place on Wednesday, August 3rd at four locations across Suffolk County in partnership with the New York Blood Center. Scott was the former Communications Director for County Executive Bellone who was tragically killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway in 2016. In addition to donating blood, the County Executive also announced a donation drive to collect school supplies in support of the annual Back to School Drive hosted by Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. The school supply drive will also be in Scotts honor to benefit children in need on Long Island. Scott Martella was one of the most dedicated and talented public servants that I have had the pleasure of working with, said Suffolk County Executive, Steve Bellone. He touched the lives of countless individuals and this years blood drive will not only help address the current critical blood shortage, but will honor his passion for giving back and his legacy and commitment to serving others. Were grateful to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Martella family for partnering with us to encourage blood donations during this critical time and for choosing our organization to honor Scotts memory, said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Vice President at New York Blood Center. We highly encourage all who are able to donate blood and give back to the community. One blood donation can save up to three lives. Scott, who was 29 at the time of his passing, was widely considered a rising star in New York State government and public service. He impacted thousands of lives across Long Island and the state through his work in public service. Before the age of 30, Scott had already begun to assemble a list of accomplishments that included being the youngest person to be elected to the Smithtown Board of Education. The New York Blood Center encourages all who are able to sign up and donate blood today, especially during the summer months, when warmer weather and vacation plans make blood donation less of a priority. One blood donation has the ability to save up to three lives. The blood drive will take place on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m at the following locations: Riverhead County Center , 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901 DSS MacArthur Building , 3455 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Suffolk County Fire Academy , 103 East Avenue, Yaphank, NY 11980 H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Hauppauge, NY 11788 It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more. To make an appointment at this blood drive, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit this link If you cant make it and would still like to donate in honor of Scott at a New York Blood Center Location, please use the blood drive code 71573. About New York Blood Center Local News, Crime By Long Island Published: August 02 2022 The Sixth Squad reports the arrest of a Little Neck man for an incident that occurred on Monday, August 1, 2022 at 11:55 a.m. in Great Neck Plaza. The Sixth Squad reports the arrest of a Little Neck man for an incident that occurred on Monday, August 1, 2022 at 11:55 a.m. in Great Neck Plaza. According to Detectives, Frank Prestia, 26, of 25401 Pembroke Avenoe in Little Neck, is a former employee of a pizzeria in the Great Neck Plaza area. Defendant Prestia was aware that he is not allowed back on the property due to past incidents. Defendant Prestia arrived at the pizzeria and began threatening other employees with a knife while demanding money. The manager was able to detain the defendant until Police arrived. Defendant Prestia was arrested and there were no injuries reported. Defendant Prestia is charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Menacing in the 2nd Degree, Attempted Robbery in the 1st Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in ZIMBABWE Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwayas application for discharge in her bribery trial was dismissed by Harare magistrate Learnmore Mapiye yesterday. The magistrate ordered Rushwaya to her defence, which means she has to explain why airport officials would lie that she attempted to bribe them. Rushwaya took to the witness stand and testified as the star witness in her defence. She denied offering Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe employee Owen Sibanda any money, as alleged, saying she had no reason to do so. I didnt possess any $5 000, I didnt offer him any money because I didnt have anything, she said. I didnt offer him any money. I had no reason to offer him any money considering that his duty is scanning bags and to ensure the free passage of travellers. There was no need for me to give him money over a duty that doesnt entail him to receive money for him to allow free passage. If I had the intention to smuggle, I would have given it to someone else. Assuming I had the money, according to Zimbabwean laws, upon such an offer Sibanda should have caused my arrest because one is allowed to pass with US$2 000 only and that amount would have been in excess. Rushwaya said she believes Sibanda teamed up with her enemies in the mining industry to tarnish her image. In cross examination, Sheila Mupindu, on behalf of the State, questioned Rushwaya whether she had proof of the connivance between State witness Sibanda and her so-called enemies. Mupindu also asked why they would lie under oath if she didnt offer them a bribe? In his submissions last week, Sibanda said he was not offered money in any form. The matter will return to court on August 11 for judgment. H Metro (Alliance News) - Bunzl PLC on Tuesday announced it has continued to expand internationally and domestically, with four new acquisitions. The London-based distribution firm completed the acquisition of the Australian company Containit, which is a distributor of warehouse storage solutions to the resources and defence sectors in Australia. It generated AUD17 million, around GBP9 million, in revenue in 2021. "The expansion into warehouse solutions complements Bunzl's existing offering in the Australian safety market, further strengthening our position there," the firm said. It also agreed to acquire Corsul Group a distributor of personal protective equipment to end users in Brazil, which brought in BRL260 million, about GBP35 million, last year. Bunzl completed the acquisition of AFL Groep in July, which is a distributor of logistics and warehouse supplies to Benelux customers, which generated annual revenue of EUR19 million, GBP16 million, in 2021. It also completed the acquisition of catering, cleaning and hygiene product distributor London Catering & Hygiene Solutions "The acquisition of Corsul will allow Bunzl to develop its operations in the Southern Brazilian PPE market. AFL drives our continued expansion into the attractive logistics sectors in Benelux and, at the same time, increases our digital footprint. Furthermore, the acquisition of LCHS supports our UK business by growing our presence in the south of the UK," explained Chief Executive Officer Frank van Zanten. Shares in Bunzl were up 0.5% to 3,084.00 pence each in London on Tuesday morning. Bunzl did not provide financial details of the acquisitions, but noted it has a "total committed acquisition spend of more than GBP220 million". It also noted it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Hygi.de, an online distributor of cleaning and hygiene products in Germany. By Elizabeth Winter; elizabethwinter@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Comptoir Group PLC - operator of restaurants with Lebanese and Middle Eastern offering - Following requests by Founder & Creative Director Tony Kitous, Chair Richard Kleiner and Chief Executive Officer Chaker Hanna have resigned with immediate effect. Kleiner has been replaced by Beatrice Lafon, while Jean-Michel Orieux has been appointed as non-executive director. Company will start search for a new CEO through an executive search firm, considering both internal and external candidates. "I would like to thank our chairman, Richard Kleiner and the entire team at Comptoir for their dedication and commitment in building the company over the past 12.5 years with all the challenges that we had to face. I am leaving the business with current record performance in sales, profit and also record cash position. To this end I'm very grateful to each of our team to enable me to be leaving the business in such a state. I wish the company well," Hanna stated. Current stock price: 9.00 pence 12-month change: up 20% By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. John Menzies PLC - Edinburgh-based aviation services and cargo handling - Company's takeover by GIL International Holdings V Ltd, a subsidiary of Kuwait's Agility Public Warehousing Co KSCP is granted Court sanction. As a result, trading in John Menzies shares are to be cancelled at the open on Friday. In March, John Menzies had accepted the offer from Agility Public for 680 pence per share, which values the company at GBP571 million on a fully diluted basis. Agility, which is listed in Kuwait and Dubai, will combine Menzies with its National Aviation Services unit. Current stock price: 607.05 pence 12-month change: up 98% By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Wizz Air Holdings PLC - Budapest-based budget airline - Carries 4.8 million passengers in July, up 61% from 3.0 million a year before and up 12% from 4.3 million in June. Capacity increased by a less steep 41% from a year before to 5.3 million from 3.8 million, so load factor improved to 89.7% from 78.5%. Load factor in June had been 86.1%. On a rolling 12-month basis, Wizz Air carried 45.9 million passengers, more than doubled from a year before, with an 83.0% load factor, improved from 67.6%. The airline noted it recently announced new routes from Abu Dhabi, meaning its just-over-a-year-old operation in the capital of the United Arab Emirates will fly to 34 destinations. Current stock price: 2,227.00 pence, down 0.6% on Tuesday in London 12-month change: down 56% By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - IP Group PLC on Tuesday said its portfolio company Hysata Pty Ltd has raised GBP24.3 million to help develop a pilot manufacturing facility, aimed at delivering the "world's lowest cost green hydrogen". IP Group is a London-based intellectual property commercialisation company. Hysata is an Australian electrolyser company. IP Group said that Hysata is developing a new type of electrolyser featuring the "world's most efficient" electrolysis cell, which operates at 95% system efficiency. "This high efficiency, coupled with the simple approach to mass manufacturing and low supply chain risk puts the company on a path to delivering the world's lowest cost green hydrogen," IP Group explained. IP Group committed a total of GBP10.9 million to the funding round, including GBP5.1 million from IP Group Australia and GBP5.7 million through its cleantech platform Kiko Ventures. Following completion, IP Group's stake in Hysata will be valued at around GBP19.0 million. IP Chief Executive Officer Greg Smith said: "Hysata has made excellent technical progress with research in Nature Communications, the scientific journal, confirming its efficiency earlier this year and we're delighted to see Hysata attract such strong interest in this round." IP Group shares were down 0.8% to 85.75 pence each in London on Tuesday morning. By Sophie Rose; sophierose@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Liz Truss has received a boost in her bid to replace Boris Johnson after she received the backing of former leadership rival Penny Mordaunt. Trade minister Mordaunt narrowly lost out to Truss for a place in the final two in the Conservative Party leadership race with Rishi Sunak. Mordaunt opened the latest hustings in Exeter by giving her support to Foreign Secretary Truss, calling her the "hope candidate". The Portsmouth North MP said the Conservatives will "short-change the country, we may lose an election" if they get the decision wrong. She said: "I could have remained undeclared, I could be off sipping pina coladas right now but I'm not because this is too important and I'm not going to leave this to chance." Mordaunt noted choosing between the two candidates is hard, adding: "Who can lead? Who can build that team and deliver for our country? Who does have that bold economic plan that our nation needs? "Who has got reach? Who can relate to people? Who understands that people need help with the cost of living now? And who is going to rightly clobber our opponents? "Who is going to hold seats and win back councils and who most embodies the vision and values the British public had in their heads and their hearts when they voted in 2016 and 2019? "At the start of this final phase of this contest, I didn't know the answer to those questions but I've seen enough to know who the person I'm going to put my faith in is and that is Liz Truss." Tory members cheered the announcement, with Mordaunt adding: "Her graft, her authenticity, her determination, her ambition for this country, her consistency and sense of duty she knows what she believes in, and her resolve to stand up against tyranny and fight for freedom. "That's what our country stands for and that's why I know with her we can win. "And actually seeing her over the last few weeks has made me want to help her, to help her win, to help build the team we need to win the country, and to give ourselves as a party and as a nation the pride and confidence we need to reach our full potential. "In short folks, to give us all hope. She for me is the hope candidate." Truss, in her opening speech, said of Mordaunt: "She's a great person, she's a great politician, she's a great patriot and I'm proud to call her my friend." The unity between the two Conservative MPs was in stark contrast to earlier exchanges in the leadership campaign, which saw allies of Truss deny involvement in a "black ops" campaign against Mordaunt. The hustings event in Exeter involving Truss and Sunak was a calmer affair than the head-to-head television debates, with both candidates appearing separately on stage to face questions. Truss branded the Treasury a "block on progress" and hinted at making changes to the way it operates if she were to become prime minister. Asked if the Treasury should be broken up, Truss laughed as she said: "Well, I wouldn't want to give them any advance warning if I was going to do that." She added: "I do think the Treasury needs to change. And it has been a block on progress." Former chancellor Sunak criticised the Foreign Secretary's economic plans, saying to applause: "I want to reform the corporate tax system Liz Truss's policies on corporate taxation are exactly the failed Treasury orthodoxy of the last 10 years, which hasn't worked. I want to change it and grow the economy." Truss also signalled a departure from her 2014 desire to repeal the Hunting Act 2004, a piece of legislation which led to a ban on fox hunting in England and Wales. She said: "I remember being a minister under David Cameron's government and looking at this issue, and I think opening Pandora's box could possibly make the situation worse for people who enjoy country sports." Sunak outlined a greater role for technology in reforming the NHS, explaining: "Right now we've got this massive problem with the backlogs and, as they've already done in some trusts, we can use software automation and AI to massively rip through all of the triaging and processing of them and clear up the lists, and that's going to clear up processing times." But while the tone of the hustings was largely devoid of blue-on-blue attacks, Truss criticised "attention seeker" Nicola Sturgeon. She said of Scotland's First Minister: "I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her." By Richard Wheeler and Ben Hatton, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Sharecast News) - London stocks were little changed in early trade on Tuesday amid tensions between the US and China, but BP was a bright spot after well-received second-quarter results. At 0920 BST, the FTSE 100 was up just 0.1% at 7,416.90. Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, said: "There's plenty of disquiet about Nancy Pelosi's rumoured visit to Taiwan. Asian markets fell around 1-2% overnight. It's really quite hard to read too much into this mooted visit by the Speaker of the House of Representatives - the war of words between the US and China is likely to be spicy but unlikely to be material. "Longer term, we simply don't know how Beijing will respond; for today it's a case of muscle flexing: buzzing the skies with jets, military drills and even firing the odd missile. Ultimately the worry is that tensions becoming inflamed enough for Beijing to use this as the pretext it seeks to invade? I'm not an Asian policy expert so I will leave that to those in the know; for traders I would simply urge you to play what's in front of you." In equity markets, BP jumped to the top of the FTSE 100 after the oil giant said underlying cost replacement profit rose to $8.45bn in the second quarter from $6.25m in the first, coming in well ahead of analysts' expectations of $6.8bn. This was driven by strong realised refining margins, a continuing "exceptional" oil trading performance and higher liquids realisations. Elementis rallied as it said its full-year performance was set to be towards the top end of consensus expectations as it hailed good demand. High Street bakery chain Greggs gained as it reported a 22.4% rise in like-for-like sales for the half-year as trading normalised after the lifting of Covid restrictions. Biffa and Rotork were also trading higher after results. On the downside, Fresnillo lost its shine after the precious metals miner posted a decline in interim profits mainly due to lower gold volumes sold and a drop in silver prices. Synthomer lost ground after it reported a fall in interim pre-tax profit but struck a confident note on the outlook as it said all businesses had grown apart from the elastomers segment. Travis Perkins was under the cosh after the DIY retailer said its Toolstation business swung to a loss in the first half as the pandemic boost faded. Man Group and Domino's were also in the red after half-year results. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,416.90 0.05% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,916.77 -0.81% techMARK (TASX) 4,336.48 -0.44% FTSE 100 - Risers BP (BP.) 407.70p 3.91% Pearson (PSON) 874.60p 2.58% British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,306.50p 2.37% BAE Systems (BA.) 800.00p 1.65% Centrica (CNA) 90.12p 1.49% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,838.50p 1.46% National Grid (NG.) 1,133.00p 1.25% Shell (SHEL) 2,161.00p 1.17% United Utilities Group (UU.) 1,105.50p 0.77% Mondi (MNDI) 1,574.00p 0.70% FTSE 100 - Fallers Fresnillo (FRES) 700.80p -3.76% Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 819.60p -3.19% Abrdn (ABDN) 160.85p -3.07% Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 660.20p -2.88% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 124.50p -2.73% Aveva Group (AVV) 2,282.00p -2.69% Barratt Developments (BDEV) 492.40p -2.61% Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 3,626.00p -2.53% Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 4,194.00p -2.42% Kingfisher (KGF) 253.00p -2.32% FTSE 250 - Risers Elementis (ELM) 117.00p 6.85% Biffa (BIFF) 383.60p 6.32% Rotork (ROR) 267.80p 3.80% Tullow Oil (TLW) 51.15p 2.30% Greggs (GRG) 2,122.00p 2.12% Abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust (APEO) 499.00p 1.84% Balfour Beatty (BBY) 286.60p 1.42% National Express Group (NEX) 187.00p 1.41% Plus500 Ltd (DI) (PLUS) 1,683.00p 1.20% QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 394.60p 1.18% FTSE 250 - Fallers Synthomer (SYNT) 215.00p -8.51% Travis Perkins (TPK) 948.20p -7.94% Chrysalis Investments Limited NPV (CHRY) 96.10p -6.15% Man Group (EMG) 252.10p -5.86% Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 278.00p -4.40% Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 474.00p -3.99% Coats Group (COA) 71.80p -3.75% Bridgepoint Group (Reg S) (BPT) 246.80p -3.37% Currys (CURY) 66.20p -3.22% Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) 241.50p -3.21% (Alliance News) - Vietnam Enterprise Investments Ltd on Tuesday reported its net asset value had declined by 20.5% over the second quarter of 2022. This was against a fall of 20.9% for its reference index, the Vietnam Index, over the same period. Vietnam Enterprise is a close-end fund investing primarily in Vietnam. It is a FTSE 250 company. At June 30, its total NAV was USD2.0 billion. "Heightened risk aversion amongst domestic retail investors hampered market performance during the second quarter. Neither positive news on the domestic economic front nor robust results from individual companies flowed through to prices," explained Dien Vu, portfolio manager. Nonetheless, the firm said its investment manager believes the outlook for 2023 to be more attractive, citing health credit growth, steady net interest margins, and higher fees. "While we believe the sector, like the market, may still be vulnerable to further market declines, the banks cheap ratings cannot be denied," Vu said. Shares in Vietnam Enterprise Investments were down 0.3% at 663.00 pence on Tuesday morning in London. By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Last month we shared with you the bombshell rumours that Lift was set to be banished to the "junk food graveyard", AKA: Being discontinued. These rumours found their way to the Coca Cola head offices, so naturally they had to make a statement on the future of Lift. And in a nice twist of fate it turns out that Lift is going no where, it is indeed here to stay! Coca-Cola in New Zealand can confirm that Lift is not being discontinued here," the company told us in a statement. "It is a well-loved product by Kiwis and rest assured you can still find it on shelves across the country. The chat about Lift being discontinued began with Aussie TikTokker @russ.eats, who heard through the grapevine that Coca-Cola Australia could be set to give the lemony fizzy drink the chop. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez almost had to eat his own words in Palma this morning when he met King Felipe at the Marivent Palace. Just hours after telling civil servants to ditch their ties because of the heatwave he arrived in Palma wearing a suit and tie! But when he spoke to the media after the audience he took it off! During a presentation at the Moncloa Palace on Monday Sanchez pointed out that he wasn't wearing a tie, a gesture that helps use less air conditioning. "We can all make energy savings. When it is not necessary to wear a tie, we will save money." During his audience with King Felipe the two discussed a wide range of issues and Sanchez said that political stability was needed at the moment as a result of the war in Ukraine and said that the general elections would take place, as planned, in December next year. King Felipe and his family are enjoying a family holiday at the Marivent Palace. Manchester, VT (05254) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Rain. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Win an all-expense paid, three-day, two-night trip for two with American Standard Tour Like A Star promo American Standard, the leading brand in sanitary ware, is celebrating its 60th anniversary! As a way of thanking Filipinos for making the sanitary brand their dependable partner all these years, American Standard is treating them with a big blowout treat: While customers revamp their bathrooms, they can get a chance to win an all-expense paid vacation for two in the most visited local destinations in the country! Dubbed American Standards Tour Life A Star, the raffle promo is open to all customers who will make a single-receipt purchase. The higher the purchase, the more chances of winning! Single-receipt purchase should be at least a minimum of P 10,000 to be eligible for a raffle entry. Six lucky winners get to enjoy an all-expense paid, three-day, two-night trip for two with pocket money to any of the countrys top local destinations, namely, Boracay, Cebu, and Puerto Princesa! So fulfill the much-needed bathroom upgrade with American Standard and join the Tour Life A Star contest in the process! Meanwhile, customers who have already made their purchase starting from May 30, 2022, only need to register to get a raffle entry. Raffle entry numbers are issued via email. To register, log in to www.americanstandardpromos.ph and type in proof of purchase. Customer must completely fill out the registration form including name, address, contact number, mailing address, product code, store of purchase, total purchase value, and a photo of the purchase receipt. Customers must keep the official receipt and the raffle entries provided by email. Deadline of registration is at 11:59 PM on August 12, 2022. Winners will be announced during the grand raffle draw on August 17, 2022. Announcement of winners will be made on the American Standard Philippines official FB page: HERE Through this celebration, American Standard is committed to be around in the next 60 years and beyond, serving customers for all their bathroom needs and continue harnessing their trust that the brand has built over the years. Visit any American Standard store near you to avail of this exciting promo! To know more about the American Standard Tour Like A Star Promo, visit https://www.americanstandardpromos.ph/ and follow @AmericanStandardPH on Facebook and @americanstandard_ph on Instagram. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) Withering heat was descending on a region of eastern Kentucky already reeling from massive flooding, forcing residents laboring to clean up after the deluge to cope with an oppressive new threat. The grim task of cleaning up from the flooding continued, but rising heat and humidity prompted officials to open cooling centers Tuesday as forecasters warned of the risk of heat-related illnesses and some residents remained without power. In Knott County, Kirsten Gomez said her flood-ravaged doublewide trailer was being gutted by her husband and cousin. They were stripping drywall, flooring and cabinets ruined by floodwaters from nearby Troublesome Creek that engulfed their home early last Thursday. It is so miserable. The humidity is so high, it takes your breath," Gomez said Tuesday. "Your clothes stick to you. Your hair sticks to you. This mud is caked on you. "But Im just blessed that we dont have rain anymore. The blast of heat and humidity comes as some residents try to salvage what they can, and as search-and-rescue crews continued looking for people unaccounted for days since the floods hit. Extreme heat, extreme humidity, thats stressful in itself," said Jerry Stacy, the emergency management director in hard-hit Perry County, Kentucky. Were just fighting through this and hoping that this weather dont make it too stressful. It dont get a lot worse than what it is. A heat advisory was issued for flood-ravaged regions of eastern Kentucky from midday Wednesday until Thursday evening, with heat index readings expected to approach triple digits, the National Weather Service said. Weve got to make sure that those that are vulnerable either have a cool place with family ... or that we get them to cooling stations," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. We didnt make it through the worst flooding that we have ever seen in our lifetime to lose somebody now in the heat." The death toll stood at 37 on Tuesday after more bodies were found Monday in the devastated landscape, and while more than 1,300 people have been rescued, crews were still trying to reach some people who remain cut off by floods or mudslides. It is absolutely devastating out there," Beshear said. "Its going to take years to rebuild. People left with absolutely nothing. Homes that we dont know where they are, just entirely gone. And we continue to find bodies of our brothers and sisters that we have lost. On a positive note, Beshear said most of the people reported as missing to Kentucky State Police had been found and that cellphone service had been restored though much of the region. In Perry County, Kentucky, search and rescue teams scouring debris-littered creek banks were expected to wind up their work by Wednesday, Stacy said. The historic flooding that inundated communities in eastern Kentucky also hit areas just across the state line in Virginia and West Virginia, where some people also remained without power. Beshear said about 7,500 power outages remained in eastern Kentucky as of Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, he warned Kentuckians to be mindful of the heat as the cleanup continues. I know you may be out there working to salvage whatever you can. But be really careful Wednesday and Thursday when it gets hot, he said. "Were bringing in water by the truckloads. Were going to make sure we have enough for you. But youre going to need a cool place at least to take a break. For hundreds of people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, that place was an emergency shelter. As of Tuesday, nearly 430 people were staying at 11 such shelters, and 191 more were being housed temporarily in state parks, Beshear said. Meanwhile, the flooding has forced some eastern Kentucky districts to delay the start of school. Several schools in the region were damaged, officials said, and the focus now is on helping families whose homes were damaged or destroyed. Just that in and of itself is going to take time before we can even start the conversation with the community about where kids are going to go to school, said John Jett, superintendent in Perry County, where classes were supposed to start Aug. 11 but have been delayed. Two of the Perry County districts nine schools suffered severe damage and one will likely have to be rebuilt because of a partial collapse, he said. In Knott County, Superintendent Brent Hoover said classes would be delayed until the district can assess damage at the high school, an elementary school and the technology center. In Letcher County, Superintendent Denise Yonts said six of the districts 10 schools were damaged by flooding and two staff members died. The district is committed to getting students back into classrooms as soon as possible to restore some sense of normalcy, she said. Our community as a whole is devastated, Yonts said. President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to counties flooded after 8 to 10 1/2 inches (20 to 27 centimeters) of rain fell in just 48 hours in parts of eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia and western Virginia. The disaster was the latest in a string of catastrophic deluges that have pounded parts of the U.S. this summer, including St. Louis. Scientists warn that climate change is making such events more common. ___ Schreiner reported from Frankfort, Ky., and Reynolds reported from Louisville, Ky.. Other Associated Press contributors include Dylan Lovan in Louisville and Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate From mothers and fathers to members of the National Rifle Assocation, people of all politics agree that gun owners need to be SMART about safely locking away their firearms. The gun safety program, Be SMART, has three upcoming events in the Great Lakes Bay area where volunteers will be spreading information about the importance of gun security: On Aug. 2 from 5-8p.m., they will be tabling at Bay City National Night Out in Wenonah Park, on Aug. 5 from 12-4p.m. they will be at the Play it Safe program in Mount Pleasant, located at 331 N. Main St. and on Aug. 28 at 1 p.m., they will be tabling at the Loons Game at Dow Diamond in Midland. The volunteers are not preaching their politics they aim to share information to help minimize gun accidents. I grew up in a hunting family; gun safety was always paramount, said Karla Castellanos, a Midland volunteer with the program. She recalled an incident from her childhood in which she could have shot her grandfather. How to Be SMART in schools Be SMART is working towards initiating "Safe School Procedures" across Michigan, in which school boards specifically adopt proclamations of gun security and storage for their school district. "Everyone's working towards safe schools," said Kathy Kinkema, a volunteer group leader in the Great Lakes Bay Region. "But they've added this layer now to say 'we are asking all of our family members in our school district to practice safe gun storage'." Kinkema said some schools in Southern Michigan, like Oxford and Bloomfield Hills, have adopted these procedures to promote gun safety. Other education groups, like the Michigan PTA, the Michigan Education Association, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety have also approved of the policy by displaying it on their website, or encouraging their groups to use Be SMART as a model for secure gun storage and education. Volunteers also said as of this past winter, Be SMART was inducted into several pediatricians offices. See More Collapse I saw the look of terror on his face and my mother's face and I was like, whoa, this isn't a toy, she said. That close call made Castellanos want to get involved with educating others about the importance of gun safety by tabling with Be SMART. Volunteer Chris Klykken views gun safety education as a precaution similar to child-proofing your home, wearing a helmet on your bike or a seatbelt in the car. We're here to help educate people to add that to the list of things that keep our lives safer, Klykken said. Safety is not a political issue When tabling at a previous event, Klykken was approached by a member of the NRA, who initially said he wasnt concerned about the Be SMART initiative because his children are well educated on the topic. Klykken thanked the father for taking action to model gun safety for his own children, but she was prepared to give him the information he needed to take his precautions a step further. If a child comes to your home, and hasn't been given the education, how do you know how to monitor that child? she asked. Or if your child goes to somebody else's home, and you don't know whether they follow the rules that you follow, how do you monitor that? Klykken said her discussions while tabling tend to be an ah-ha moment for many gun owners who might overlook the dangers of having an open weapon in the home. Just 30 seconds into me talking to him, he realized, I am not political. I am not trying to remove his gun. I support the Second Amendment, she said. But we're here to prevent accidents. And who can argue against preventing accidents? What does it mean to Be SMART? The first word -and one of the most important words in the Be SMART acronym is secure. Like hiding away Christmas presents, volunteers from the Be SMART program said parents are fooling themselves if they think a gun in the home won't be discovered by curious kids. That's one of the things that we've heard over and over again from police officers, is if there are guns in the home, children know where they are, said Kathy Kinkema, a volunteer group leader in the Great Lakes Bay Region. The real issue is making sure that they are locked and that the ammunition is locked, separate from where the gun is stored. "Modeling" responsible behavior around guns is the second point in the acronym which is crucial to help kids understand what to do when in the presence of a gun. The next step in being SMART is "ask." Volunteers said it is important to be informed about any unsecured firearms when visiting someone else's home to ensure the safety of yourself and your kids. Among many resources on the Be SMART website, there is a convenient list of ways to go about asking the firearm question as a house guest without seeming invasive. Volunteers want people to recognize that firearms have become the leading cause of death for children in the United States. The "R" in SMART stands for "recognizing" the risks of teen suicide with a gun in the home. The unfortunate aspect about suicide with gun is it's almost always successful, Klykken said. If you find a child that maybe has taken some pills, you have a chance to save that child. So that's why you need to recognize and you need to be aware. The final "T" in SMART is "tell:" Volunteers said gun safety should start with a conversation at home within your own network of family and friends. We have to find a way to keep people safe, we have to find a way to keep kids safe, we have to find a way to keep people from committing suicide, Castellanos said. That's what we're about. You can find more information about the Be SMART program on their website, or by scanning the QR code in the attached photo. BOSTON (AP) A former parishioner at a Massachusetts church has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused as a child more than 30 years ago by a Roman Catholic priest who is now an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit. The plaintiff, identified in court documents as John Doe No. 12, was a 12-year-old parishioner at Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart Parish in Lynn in 1989 and 1990 when he was sexually assaulted about 25 times by Paul Fitzpatrick Russell, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Boston. The Archdiocese of Detroit in a statement said Russell denied the allegations. Abp. Russell is shocked and saddened by the claims that have been made," the statement said. He states that the allegations are totally without merit and that his conscience is perfectly clear. Russell has been placed on limited ministerial duty, and Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron has pledged complete cooperation. The suit also names as defendants the Archbishop of Boston and Russell's supervisor at Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart. Given it is a pending legal matter we will withhold comment at this time," a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Boston said in an email. The suit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages. Russell, who was ordained in 1987, went on to become priest-secretary for the late Boston Cardinal Bernard Law, joined the Vaticans diplomatic service where he served as the churchs top ambassador to Turkey, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, and was named auxiliary bishop in Detroit in May. The plaintiff met Russell when he volunteered at the parish food bank, according to the lawsuit. Russell invited the boy back to the parish rectory where he began to groom him" before sexually assaulting him, the suit said. The man turned to alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, considered suicide, sought mental health treatment, and still experiences flashbacks as well as feelings of guilt and shame, according to court documents. He did not understand he had been harmed by the conduct of the defendants" until 2021. He wishes to remain anonymous because he thinks making his name public will cause him to be stigmatized, affect his personal relationships, and further harm him emotionally, according to court documents. The plaintiff, now in his mid-40s and living outside of Massachusetts, was inspired to come forward by others who have reported allegations of abuse that occurred decades ago, said his attorney, Carmen Durso. The age at which people have been coming forward has been getting lower, and mostly it's because they have heard about other people coming forward, and that has given them the courage to talk about this," he said. Its not so overwhelmingly shameful as it was before. Durso said to his knowledge Russell has never before faced abuse allegations. According to the lawsuit, church officials in Boston have for decades hidden sexual abuse by priests, conspired to keep the information from becoming public, and protected suspected priests from criminal prosecution. Boston became the center of the Catholic clergy abuse scandal that spread worldwide when The Boston Globe published a series of Pultizer Prize-winning stories that showed priests suspected of abuse had been transferred from parish to parish without alerting parishioners. The stories were the basis for the 2015 movie Spotlight, which won a Best Picture Academy Award. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a church accountability and victim support group, called on the church to release its records on Russell. Given Bishop Russells high position in the Catholic church ... we believe true transparency and accountability will only come when the files on the clergyman held by the church are publicly disclosed, the group said in a statement. BRETHREN Students at Kaleva Norman Dickson Schools will be perched upon new desks in the 2022-23 school year. The district's board of education voted 6-0 during its July 18 meeting in favor of a motion to purchase classroom furniture from Interphase Interiors in an amount not to exceed $200,000. "This is going to be a 30- or 40-year commitment," said Jakob Veith, superintendent. "This furniture is going to last a very long time." Board trustee Josh Morrison was absent from the meeting. The purchase will be made with money from the district's Zero Mill bond issue which was passed in November 2019. "Part of that (bond) is updating all of our facilities. ... All new heating systems throughout the classrooms, new boiler, new roof and the bus barn were all part of our bond purchases," Veith said. "We're using bond money to purchase our furniture, and we still have a few other things that we're looking toward for the future. We have to spend the rest of our bond money by the end of summer next year." Amy VanderMeer, Interphase senior designer and account executive, said all the furniture is made in the United States. "The majority of the product is made in Texas," she said. "We also are looking at a lot of Haworth furniture, which is right out of Holland, Michigan." Veith said getting all the furniture in place before the first day of school is not feasible, so just two classrooms will be furnished prior to the start of the school year. "We're not going to be able to get this done by the beginning of the school year. Amy's going to work with her distributors to be able to pilot two rooms at the beginning of the school year," Veith said. "We're going to pilot a room in the elementary and a room in the middle school/high school." As it stands, the district would pay $188,377.74 to have the furniture supplied, assembled on site and moved into the designated rooms, though the order could be altered depending on feedback received from the teachers in the pilot classrooms. "If we need to make changes, we'll have some time at the beginning of the school year," Veith said. "We'll work quickly, get our order in, make any changes that need to be made and everything can be switched out over Christmas break." Veith said the district sought feedback from its teachers to find out which furniture options would best suit their needs. "For the middle school/high school it's more of a triangle-shaped desk that we can lock in so (students) can come together as a group, or they can separate them out to individuals," he said. "At the elementary, we have choices that we'll pilot. ... There's a four-person clover desk and a six-person flower desk. We'll have two of those four-person desks and two of those six-person desks, and we'll have some individual hexagon desks, as well. "We'll have moon-shaped tables for our elementary, as well," Veith continued. "So basically, the teacher's in the middle and the students can wrap around so they can get one-on-one instruction." KND is slated to start its school year Aug. 29. UNIVERSITY CENTER Three Manistee County students earned academic honors from Saginaw Valley State University during the winter semester. Nearly 600 students from SVSU were recognized for their determination and commitment to academic excellence by being named to the president's list for the winter semester. Among those earning the honor were Alexis Tracy, of Kaleva, and Anna Lee, of Manistee. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must take at least 12 credit hours and earn a 4.0 grade point average. Additionally, over 1,600 SVSU students earned a spot on the dean's list. Claire Ball, of Wellston, was among those honored for academic excellence. To be eligible for the dean's list, a student must take at least 12 credit hours and carry a semester GPA of 3.4 or better. Saginaw Valley State University is a comprehensive university with more than 90 programs of study for its more than 8,000 students. Located on a suburban campus in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region, SVSU is committed to a supportive and empowering environment for students. Visit svsu.edu for more information. Midland Public Schools needs to hire additional staff just ahead of the start of the 2022-23 academic year. Human Resources Manager Susan Sadek helped arrange a job fair within a few weeks in an effort to fill open support staff positions across the district. "We're down to the wire ... but, we're hopeful," she said. The district hopes to fill about 30 paraprofessional positions before the start of the school year. Three people were hired, and multiple job offers were made, about two hours into the four-hour-long Tuesday job fair at the Administration Center. Paraprofessional staff members have a broad range of responsibilities. The staffing needs call for substitutes, part-time and full-time paraprofessionals. Sadek said some workers will have general office duties, others will work within an emotional impairment room with individual students. "They're just a huge help to both staff and students," she said. "An integral part of Midland Public Schools is having the support staff." The district also has openings for substitute teachers and bus drivers. Jessica Benedict, of Midland, was hired Tuesday as a paraprofessional on site. The mother of a school-aged child said she wanted a job schedule to reflect school schedules. She said she had "happy nerves" for the new adventure. "It was smooth," she said of the event. "I'm just excited." Midland Public Schools begins classes on Aug. 22. SANAA, Yemen (AP) The United Nations said Yemens warring parties agreed Tuesday to renew an existing truce for two more months after concerted international efforts. The already 4-month-old cease-fire has been the longest nationwide ease in fighting since the war began in the Arab world's poorest country nearly eight years ago. The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement that the country's internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels also agreed to try to arrive at an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible. Yemens civil war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis descended from their northern enclave and took over the capital, forcing the government to flee to the south before its exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition then backed by the United Sates entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power. Since then, the conflict has turned into a proxy war between regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran, which backs the Houthis. The truce renewal announcement came hours after an Omani delegation concluded three days of talks with the Houthi leadership, including with the rebels chief Abdel-Malek al-Houthi in the capital of Sanaa. After the announcement, Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthi chief negotiator and spokesman, thanked Oman for its efforts and called for the U.N. to work to open the airport in Sanaa, and the key port of Hodeida in a tweet. The cease-fire initially took effect April 2 and was extended June 2. However, there have been offensive actions during recent months, including a suspected Houthi shelling last month that killed at least least one child and wounded 10 in Taiz province. Both sides have publicly announced that they have bolstered their front-line positions, particularly around the oil-rich city of Marib, which the Houthis have been trying to seize for over a year. There were also shows of power through military parades featuring thousands of soldiers. The government and the Houthis both claimed to have documented dozens of truce violations on a weekly basis. But the cease-fire has brought relief for Yemenis who have suffered from a decade of political turmoil and conflict. Around a third of Yemens 30 million population has been facing starvation due to the war and a lack of funding for humanitarian aid, according to the U.N. food agency. Aside from the lull in violence, the truce established two commercial flights per week from Sanaa to Jordan and Egypt, after the country's airport was closed to passenger flights for years. The truce also called for the Saudi-led coalition to allow a total of 36 vessels carrying fuel into the port of Hodeida over the course of four months. Only 29 vessels were allowed into Hodeida as of Tuesday, said Essam al-Motwakel, spokesman for the Houthi-run oil corporation. Both Sanaa and Hodeida are controlled by the Houthi rebels, but blockaded by the Saudi-led coalition. The truce has also called for opening the roads around Taiz, Yemens third largest city, which the Houthis have besieged for years. But the rebels rejected two U.N. proposals to lift the blockade, according to the envoy office. Another item on the agenda is finding a way to pay the country's public servants, many of whom have gone with little or no salaries for years due to the civil strife. The source of the funding for government employees salaries remains a serious point of contention. Ahmed Bin Mubarak, the foreign minister of the internationally recognized government, called for the Houthis to reopen Taiz roads and to ensure that revenues of the Hodeida ports are used to pay public servants salaries. The ports revenues are collected by the Houthis. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the truce extension as a positive development, his spokesman said. We very much welcome this positive development. The people of Yemen of deserve a country at peace," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. U.S. President Joe Biden applauded the extension of the months-long truce. He urged the warring parties to seize the moment and reach a conclusive, comprehensive agreement to end the conflict. Aid groups also welcomed the decision to renew the truce and called on Yemeni leaders to see it as an opportunity for more serious work towards peace to be done. We hope this two-month extension will allow for the reopening of roads linking cities and regions, enable more displaced people to return to their homes safely, and ensure humanitarian aid can reach people who have been out of reach for far too long because of hostilities, said Erin Hutchinson, Yemen director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in a statement. Mohammed Abdulwasea, advocacy manger for the Oxfam charity, called to the implementation of all terms of the truce and to achieve permanent peace. Now is the time for all parties and the international community to work towards a lasting and inclusive peace. he said. Tuesday's extension fell short of a proposed six-month renewal of the cease-fire, according to a government official. The Houthis had wanted more flights from Sanaa airport and more fuel vessels allowed to arrive in Hodeida to agree on that longer period. The internationally recognized government would not discuss the Houthi demands before the opening of Taiz roads, the official said. He spoke on condition anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the presidential government, to press for the truce renewal. He said the cease-fire provides the best opportunity for peace in years we must not let it slip away. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. CROMWELL The Cromwell Planning and Zoning Commission recently received two applications requesting special permits for retail cannabis establishments less than a half-mile from each other Route 372/Berlin Road. The applications, dated June 27, are the first of their kind to be submitted to the town since adult-use cannabis was legalized in Connecticut last year. The first proposed facility would be located in a former laundromat at 33 Berlin Road previously occupied by Riverdale Cleaners. The application was submitted by the East Hampton-based 6 West Ave., which has proposed repurposing the vacant 3,184-square-foot laundromat into a retail pot facility. The businesss proposed hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday, according to the application. The facility will also have about 40 employees who will be compensated above market rate and will be provided benefits, the application says. Our experience with retail cannabis locations is very positive and the municipalities where they are located would agree, the application reads. We believe with the correct operator, this type of retail establishment would be considerate of the town residents while providing a great contribution to the community and keeping public safety and welfare in mind. The second application, submitted on behalf of Bantry Bay Ventures, proposes to construct a new 5,000-square-foot building on 5.3 acres of vacant land at 5 Berlin Road. The store would have about 15 to 23 employees, who will be working during regular business hours, according to the application. Customers would be required to place orders online before receiving a designated time slot for pickup. When the PZC adopted zoning regulations for cannabis retailers, it promoted new opportunities for economic development in Cromwell, the application says. The proposed facility at 5 Berlin Road, the application continues, represents the logical next step in the economic development process by bringing a new business to the area. PZC Vice Chairman Michael Cannata, who is listed as the owner of the vacant commercial parcel at 5 Berlin Road, has recused himself from voting on the application, Town Planner Stuart Popper said. The board will consider the applications during separate public hearings at its Sept. 6 meeting, Popper added. Connecticut became the 19th state to legalize adult-use cannabis last June, but recreational sales arent yet permitted. The state Department for Consumer Protection, which is responsible for regulating the adult-use market, is expected to issue provisional licenses later this year, spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt said. According to the state, an applicant can obtain a retail license through a few different ways: going through the states lottery system, converting its medical dispensary to a hybrid retailer, applying as a social equity partner, or applying as an equity joint venture, among other options. Last week, the Social Equity Council, the organization that oversees Connecticuts cannabis equity initiatives, voted to forward five retail lottery applications to the DCP for further processing, the council said in a news release. If approved for provisional licenses, the council said, retail applicants can prepare for full licensure from DCP, which would allow them to sell recreational cannabis directly to adult consumers or through a delivery service. Applicants who receive a provisional license will have 14 months to get their business up and running, Krasselt added. The council also said in the news release it anticipates adult-use cannabis retail sales to begin in Connecticut by the end of 2022. Some municipalities have adopted new zoning regulations pertaining to retail cannabis establishments in anticipation of their arrival. After a series of recent public hearings, Cromwells PZC approved regulations that would allow cannabis retailers to open in the highway business zone district. Cannabis cultivators, or growers, are permitted to open in the industrial zone district, according to the PZC regulations. The Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission approved zoning regulations in August 2021 allowing the retail and cultivation of cannabis as a special exception use in certain zones. There is no population-based cap for the number of retailers or growers a town may have, the states marijuana bill says. If granted special exception permits, the two Cromwell stores wouldnt be allowed to open until their owners receive licenses from the DCP. The applicants for the proposed facilities couldnt be immediately reached, and its unclear through which avenue they have applied for a retail license. austin.mirmina@hearstmediact.com A teenager was arrested over the weekend after being accused of setting four fires at military housing units at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. Early in the morning on Saturday, July 30, base security forces rushed to the fires at Nellis Landings, the on-base housing complex. The fires were tamed quickly, but a pair of residents needed to be taken to the hospital as a result of one blaze. "All fires were quickly extinguished and no significant damage occurred to three units," base spokesman Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry said in an emailed statement. "Residents of one housing unit were safely evacuated to a medical facility and treated for smoke inhalation." Read Next: Military Leader Warns of 'Pre-Serial Killer Tendencies' After 4 Mutilated Cats Found at Nellis Air Force Base When the smoke cleared, a "civilian dependent" was taken into custody by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, McGarry added. Las Vegas Metro Police replied to an email from Military.com saying the suspect was a teenager. "LVMPD responded to Nellis Air Force Base for a report of several buildings set on fire," an emailed statement from the local police said. "A 13-year-old female juvenile was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center." Nellis authorities did not comment on the estimated damage to the housing facilities but said they were "fully cooperating with Las Vegas Metro police on the investigation." The on-base fires are the latest example of criminal activity at the base's housing. In June, Nellis leaders warned airmen about "pre-serial killer" activities at the Nevada base after four cats were found mutilated in recent months, leading security forces to start an investigation into the animal abuse. The cats' bodies were discovered by housing maintenance workers. "The only parts found have been the lower portion and the cuts have been clean indicating it is not a natural attack by a coyote or any other predator," a June email to base personnel said. The reported arson, in combination with the cat killings, received intense scrutiny on Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook -- a popular page where airmen often vent. "Isn't this the same base that keeps finding dead mutilated cats by the gate?" one commenter wrote. "So someone at Nellis is slicing cats in half, now arson?.....Related?" another commenter wrote. The incidents do not appear to be related, and base officials said there have been no updates on the cat slayings. "The investigation into the cat incident is also ongoing and we have no further information for you at this time," an emailed statement from Nellis to Military.com said. -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: Animal Group Accuses Hawaii Soldiers of Shooting Cats with Blowguns Brought Home from Deployment Since Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency in Kentucky on July 26, the National Guard has been working at a furious pace to try to rescue residents trapped amid record floods. The Kentucky National Guard -- along with partners from bordering states -- has rescued an estimated 580 people, according to Kentucky Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Carla Raisler. The unit will soon be transitioning to food and water distribution for those affected by the disaster, she told Military.com. "We are one part of the whole of the Governor's response to the flooding in Eastern Kentucky," Raisler said in an email. "As the National Guard we are conducting a joint mission using both Army and Air resources and capabilities and also reaching across state lines to West Virginia and Tennessee for assistance." Read Next: Veterans Protest at US Capitol as Pressure Mounts on Senate Republicans over Toxic Exposures Bill That effort includes search-and-rescue dogs like Callie, assigned to the Kentucky National Guard, who has spent days with her team staring intently out of a UH-60 Black Hawk through scratched-up "Rex Specs" searching for survivors. Tech. Sgt. Rudy Parsons, a pararescueman with the Kentucky Air National Guards 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, and his search and rescue dog, Callie, exit a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as part of Callies familiarization training at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Nov. 29, 2018. (Joshua Horton/U.S. Air National Guard) It is one of several missions Callie has been on since last week -- in the air, on the ground, and with boat teams -- in response to the unprecedented flooding in Kentucky. "Although Callie is trained in live find detection (searching for missing, living people) and we were activated quickly to respond to both the tornado and flood, the missing people in the areas we were deployed to sadly were already deceased," Master Sgt. Rudy Parsons, a K9 handler, told Military.com via email. "No one could have known that beforehand, but Callie did a great job of telling us specific locations to investigate more thoroughly to help bring closure to those individual's families." Parsons said that, despite the tragedy, the response has been rewarding to assist family, friends and neighbors of the commonwealth -- an element that is unique to the Guard, as many members are from the communities they serve. A Kentucky National Guard flight crew from 2/147th Bravo Co. aided in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky on July 29, 2022. (Jesse Elbouab/U.S. Army National Guard) "When it comes to disasters and tragedy, it's all hands on deck," he said. "The Guard are true 'Minute Men' and it was apparent in the flood response." Thus far Kentucky has confirmed that 37 residents have died from the flooding, including at least four children, according to a Tuesday press conference from the governor's office. "Don't give up," Beshear said this week, announcing that federal resources were en route after President Joe Biden's approval last week. Amid the ongoing and devastating tragedy, the commonwealth's own response demonstrated a return to the National Guard's primary domestic responsibility after almost three years of balancing a nationwide COVID-19 crisis. Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen aided in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky late July 2022. (Jessica Elbouab/Kentucky National Guard) "I believe we have the best National Guard in the country," Beshear said in a Tuesday press conference. "And I think they prove it time and time again," he added, going on to laud the component's quick response to the disaster with "rescue after rescue after rescue." Since the beginning of the pandemic, the National Guard has been asked to step in and help with a whole range of labor shortages, performing duties like bus driving, nasal swabbing and even substitute teaching. "I think [the National Guard has] continued to do this consistently on top of COVID," a National Guard soldier told Military.com. "They've been doing all sorts of firefighting and rescue the last two years; it just doesn't get the same kind of attention." Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen aided in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky late July 2022. (Jessica Elbouab/Kentucky National Guard) One National Guard officer told Military.com that, as the service component is coming off of the COVID mission, morale is low given the strain of balancing federal and state missions during the pandemic. "Federal and state missions have taxed the Guard far too much," he said. "We cannot be the force that the federal government or the state governments can use to flex to any issue that they cannot manage themselves." The Kentucky National Guard continues to deploy overseas while maintaining a presence at home to address disasters like the flooding last week. Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen aided in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky late July 2022. (Jessica Elbouab/Kentucky National Guard) "In the National Guard, one of the good things or the benefits we have is we're based in all of the communities around the country," Gen. Daniel Hokanson, head of the U.S. National Guard Bureau, told The Associated Press, lauding the Kentucky Guard's flood response. "And so in many cases, we're the first ones that are able to work with the local first responders and regional first responders to get in there and save as many lives as we can and try and mitigate as much damage as quickly as possible." Callie, the rescue working dog, has responded to several crises in the last eight months herself, including tornado destruction that affected Mayfield, Kentucky, in December. This week, though, has been a different experience for the canine. -- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence. Related: DC Requests National Guard Help with Busloads of Migrants In a remarkable find that adds a new chapter to New Jerseys distinguished Revolutionary War history, the 245-year-old remains of a group of soldiers have been found in a field in Gloucester County near the site of a key battle in the nations fight for independence. An archeological dig just outside Red Bank Battlefield Park has uncovered the skeletal remains of up to 12 individuals believed to be Hessian soldiers fighting for Great Britain against the Continental Army who were killed during a battle in 1777, according to Rowan University officials who help coordinate the excavation. They also uncovered a wide range of other items, including musket balls, brass buttons, a uniform knee buckle containing human blood, and a King George III gold guinea that would have been the equivalent of a soldiers monthly pay, officials said. The recovery effort began with the June 26 discovery of a human femur bone on the fourth and final day of a public dig that attracted more than 100 people who wanted to help excavate the site, university officials said. The bone was found inside a 4 1/2-foot deep trench about 400 yards from the main parking lot of Red Bank Battlefield Park along the Delaware River in the borough of National Park. The trench extends onto an adjoining, quarter-acre site that was acquired by Gloucester County in 2020 and had not been thoroughly explored by archeologists. The discoveries will broaden the awareness of the 44-acre, county-owned parks significance, the Battle of Red Bank and the sacrifices of Revolutionary War soldiers, according to Red Bank Battlefield Park director Jennifer Janofsky. Too often, the revolution is viewed as a sanitized event. Its one thing to discuss the battle in the abstract. Its another to witness firsthand the violence of that day, Janofsky, who is also the public historian at Rowan University, said in a press release. We now have the opportunity to work with our visitors to understand the emotion, pain, loss and absolute horror of war, Janofsky said. All of the remains have been excavated and turned over to the New Jersey State Polices Forensic Unit, which has been extracting DNA from the newly discovered bones and teeth. The forensic scientists hope to identify some, or perhaps all, of those who were lost on the battlefield 245 years ago, Janofsky said. If we can extract their stories, and if we can tell their stories, it lets us put a name to a face. And that, to me, is a very powerful moment in public history, Janofsky said. The Battle of Red Bank was a crucial victory for the Continental Army, in which an outnumbered group of colonists beat back an effort to capture Fort Mercer. Of the 2,000 Hessian soldiers, 377 were killed, while the victorious Continental Army only lost 14 of its 500 troops. In a 7-minute video released by Rowan on Tuesday, Janofsky described the Battle of Red Bank as the greatest upset victory of the American Revolution. The fort was of vital importance in 1777. Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia were charged with keeping the British supplies out of Philadelphia, so they were here to keep the supply lines from going into the city, she added. Of the 500 colonists fighting in the battle, approximately 10 percent were Black. You had a fully integrated fighting force at the Battle of Red Bank. Side by side, people of African descent with white soldiers defended this fort, Janofsky said in the video. They were fighting against British forces that included Hessians, who were German soldiers who fought along side King George IIIs troops and had a key role in may Revolutionary War battles. Though the British eventually captured the site a month later after the colonists retreated, the delay slowed the shipment of supplies up the Delaware River to Philadelphia and offered some breathing room for Gen. George Washingtons army, which was stationed near the city. Officials emphasized that the remains were removed in a manner aimed at preserving the dignity of those killed in battle. Based on everything weve found and the context of what weve found, these appear to be Hessians. We will do more research on that, but, right now, our working hypothesis is that these are Hessian soldiers, Wade Catts, president and principal archaeologist for South River Heritage Consulting of Delaware, said in a press release. Catts led the archaeological dig of the site of the site. James Lewis, department head for the North Jersey History & Genealogy Center, told NJ Advance Media he had not heard of any other Revolutionary War-era skeletons being unearthed recently in New Jersey. But the discovery at the Red Bank battle site did not surprise him. Its been said there was more fighting done in New Jersey than in any other of the original 13 states, Lewis said. A $19,000 New Jersey Historical Commission project grant, secured by Janofsky last year, funded the initial archaeological survey of the trench, along with a public education and outreach program. Gloucester County allotted $30,0000 for the second phase of the project. There have been other unexpected finds from the Battle of Red Bank over the years. Part of a British cannon, weighing up to 400 pounds, was located two feet underground in 2015 by researchers using ground-penetrating radar. It was identified as a British canon because it had a broad arrow insignia used by the British Royal Navy, officials said. Janofsky said once the study of the finds is complete the remains of the soldiers will eventually be reinterred at another site. The trench at some point will be refilled and the land will be incorporated into the park. History is an ongoing process, Janofsky said. Its not like weve written the Battle of Red Bank and we know everything that happened. Archaeology is helping us better understand what happened on the battlefield. Now, we have a better opportunity to tell a more complete story of these individuals, she added. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Gen. George S. Patton may have been one of the most controversial generals ever to command an American army, but the results speak for themselves. He turned a struggling group of green GIs who lost their first encounter with the Nazis into a fighting force that kicked them all the way back to Germany. "Patton," the 1970 film, was nearly 20 years in the making. The Patton family, believing that the media contributed to the general's wartime struggles and ultimate death, refused to have anything to do with it. Even upon its release, the controversial legacy of Patton proved to be alive and well. The Patton family loved it, and you might, too. While you go back and watch (or rewatch), keep these eight interesting things about Patton the man and Patton the movie in mind. 1. The Film's Senior Military Adviser Hated Gen. Patton. Parts of the plot of "Patton" were taken from Gen. Omar Bradley's World War II memoir, "A Soldier's Story," and 20th Century Fox hired Bradley to serve as the film's senior technical adviser. Throughout the movie, Karl Malden's Omar Bradley and George C. Scott's Patton appear to be close friends. They were not. Bradley not only knew Patton well, but he knew Patton well enough to dislike him, both personally and professionally, according to Patton biographer Carlo d'Este. This might be why "Patton" the film tends to glorify Bradley more than it does Patton himself. Reel Life versus Real Life. (20th Century Fox/U.S. Army) 2. Patton's Opening Speech Was a Real Speech. Mostly, anyway. The speech in the beginning of the movie was a recreation of one Patton really gave to the Third Army many times, and all without any notes. No one ever transcribed these speeches because they were too vulgar to be repeated. In the book "Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War," historian Terry Brighton called that real Patton speech "the greatest motivational speech of the war and perhaps of all time." But since it was considered too vulgar for the screen, it had to be altered and toned down for the "old ladies at the afternoon tea parties." 3. There's Real War Footage in the Movie. Look closely to catch it, but there's real war footage shot by U.S. Army combat cameramen throughout the movie. Some scenes were shot by future director Sgt. Russ Meyer, who served as a combat cameraman with the 166th Signal Photographic Company, the official photo unit in Gen. Patton's Third Army. 4. George C. Scott Was Almost the Last Choice for Patton. Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Lee Marvin, Rod Steiger and even Ronald Reagan, all of them turned down the title role. Most of them later said it was one of the biggest regrets of their careers. No one wanted to cast John Wayne, the one actor who wanted the role. Based only on looks, my vote would have been for Robert Mitchum. (20th Century Fox) Director Frank Schaffner not only wrangled a reluctant George C. Scott after seeing his performance in the 1966 film "The Bible: In the Beginning," he helped get the alcoholic Scott through production, during his drinking binges. 5. The Cast and Crew Were Full of World War II-Era Veterans. Scott was in the Marine Corps, though he graduated from boot camp as the war was ending. Schaffner and cinematographer Fred Koenekamp were both in the Navy. Actors Karl Malden, Lawrence Dobkin and Edward Binns served in the Army Air Forces. A number of other actors served in the armed forces of the United States or United Kingdom during the war. Producer Frank McCarthy reached the rank of brigadier general during World War II and was aide-de-camp to Gen. George C. Marshall before becoming secretary of the General Staff of the Department of War. Being so close to Gen. Marshall, McCarthy had an intimate knowledge of how Patton's behavior was received back in Washington. 6. Patton's Family Was Originally Against the Movie, and So Was the Army. When the idea for a Patton movie arose in 1951, the general's wife, Beatrice, would not entertain the idea. The general died in 1945 (more on that later), but when his widow died in 1953, hopes for a production were revived, but Patton's son, George Patton IV, and his daughter, Ruth, campaigned against it. Based on their response, the Army agreed not to support it. Eventually, they both agreed to support the film, but by the time production started, the U.S. Army wasn't using the tanks, aircraft and equipment needed. Luckily for the film's producers, Francisco Franco's Spanish Army was still using those items. The movie was filmed in Spain with real Spanish troops portraying the Third Army. "Patton" Spaniards being tossed around than the Running of the Bulls. (20th Century Fox) 7. Another War Movie Legend Wrote a Script for "Patton." When the time finally came to get a script together and start filming, 20th Century Fox paid columnist Robert S. Allen, a former colonel on Patton's Third Army staff, to write part of it. Allen had also written a book about the Third Army. Another author, Calder Willingham, was brought in afterward. When neither of those efforts bore fruit, the studio brought in a young writer named Francis Ford Coppola, who knew little about Patton or the Third Army. Coppola mentions in the DVD commentary that he was fired from the production, because his version opens with Patton's speech, but the final cut uses most of Coppola's 1966 script. Coppola would go on to make "Apocalypse Now." 8. George C. Scott Made an Unofficial "Patton" Sequel. Historical Spoiler Alert: Patton was paralyzed after a bizarre car accident where his limo driver hit the broad side of an Army truck. He died of a related blood clot a few days later. His wife decided he would want to be buried among his fallen men, which is where his grave is today: the American Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg. (Michel Dieleman) "Patton" doesn't end with the general's death. Scott would reprise his role as the famous general in a made-for-TV movie in 1986, "The Last Days of Patton." This film picks up where "Patton" left off, with the general relieved of his command for using former Nazis in his post-war administration. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. Taiwan Work Office of CPC Central Committee issues statement on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Xinhua) 23:26, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Tuesday issued a statement on the visit to China's Taiwan region by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The following is the full text of the statement: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region on Tuesday, marking an escalation in the collusion between the United States and Taiwan. The move is of egregious nature and has serious consequences. It gravely infringes on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, severely violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously tramples on international law and the basic norms governing international relations, breaks the serious political commitment the United States has made to China, and sends a seriously wrong signal to forces seeking "Taiwan independence." We firmly oppose the move and express our strong condemnation and protest. There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a widely recognized norm of international relations and a consensus accepted by the international community. The Taiwan question is a matter of China's internal affairs and allows no external interference. For some time, the U.S. government has repeated wrong acts and remarks regarding the Taiwan question, continued to upgrade the levels of official exchanges with Taiwan, intensified their military collusion, and continued arms sales to Taiwan to support Taiwan's attempt to "resist reunification by the use of force." The U.S. Congress has repeatedly made false remarks on Taiwan, put forward, deliberated and passed multiple negative bills regarding Taiwan. Such U.S. moves attempt to distort and hollow out the one-China principle, play "the Taiwan card," "contain China with Taiwan," and obstruct China's complete reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The current U.S. administration has not fixed the grave mistakes made by the previous administration. Instead, it has moved further to get allies on board and gang up with them to play "the Taiwan card," flagrantly attack the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and spread the erroneous "uncertain status of Taiwan" theory in an attempt to internationalize the Taiwan question. The separatist attempt seeking "Taiwan independence" is the biggest obstacle to the reunification of the motherland, and a serious potential danger to China's national rejuvenation. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have entrenched themselves in the erroneous position of "Taiwan independence," served as a tool for anti-China forces in the United States to contain China, and become even more utterly brazen in the provocative attempt to seek "independence." This is a total misjudgment and miscalculation of the situation. Out of their selfish motives, the DPP authorities have been headstrong in challenging the one-China principle, refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus, ignited cross-Strait confrontation, and clung to U.S. support to seek "independence." The DPP authorities' separatist actions and collusion with the United States which betrays China's national interests, will only plunge Taiwan into the abyss of disaster, and bring great suffering to Taiwan compatriots. The reunification of the motherland and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation have become a historical inevitability. China must be and will surely be reunified. This will not change regardless of the will of some die-hard anti-China forces from the U.S. side or the illusion of separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence." The time and tide of achieving the reunification of the motherland have always been held firmly in our hands. The fact that Taiwan is part of China will not be changed no matter what actions are taken by the anti-China forces in the United States and by the DPP authorities. The historical process of China's reunification will not be stopped no matter how Nancy Pelosi and her likes attempt to "contain China by supporting Taiwan." We urge the U.S. side to stay clear-eyed about the historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question, recognize the fact and the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, strictly abide by the one-China principle with concrete actions, implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and refrain from sliding further down the wrong path. We urge the DPP authorities to completely give up the separatist schemes seeking "Taiwan independence," stop going further down on the doomed path of "Taiwan independence" to the point of no return. Any activity seeking "Taiwan independence" will be smashed by the mighty anti-secession and pro-reunification forces of the Chinese people. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) The Royals and Diamondbacks are nearing agreement on a deal thatll send right-hander Luke Weaver to Kansas City for infielder Emmanuel Rivera, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7FM radio in Phoenix (Twitter link). Weaver was once a high-profile acquisition of the Diamondbacks, coming over as part of the package they received for sending superstar Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals. After the first 12 starts he made for Arizona, it seemed like they had a rotation stalwart on their hands. Weaver put up a 2.94 ERA in 2019 with a 40.7% ground ball rate, 26.5% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate. Unfortunately, a forearm strain ended his season early and he hasnt been quite the same since. Weaver was healthy for the shortened 2020 campaign, making 12 starts and throwing 52 innings but putting up an ERA of 6.58 in that time. He was better in 2021, getting his ERA down to 4.25, but was limited to just 13 starts by a shoulder injury. Coming into this season, the D-Backs moved him to the bullpen, which has led to results both encouraging and discouraging. His 7.71 ERA is certainly unappealing, though there are reasons to believe that isnt a true reflection of his work. His 24.1% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate are both better than league average, and hes also allowing just 7.7% of his fly balls to leave the yard. What seems to be hurting his ERA is an unsustainable .434 batting average on balls in play and a 55.9% strand rate. Still, this is a sample of just 16 1/3 innings after multiple seasons of disappointing results. The Royals wont have a ton of time to get Weaver back on track, as he is set to reach free agency after the 2023 campaign. Hes making a salary of $2.875MM this year and is eligible for another pass through arbitration next year. In exchange for Weaver, the Diamondbacks are getting Rivera, 26, a corner infielder who hasnt hit much in the majors but has shown plenty of promise in the minors. Since making his MLB debut last year, hes gotten into 92 games and hit .243/.294/.378 for a wRC+ of 87. However, in 63 Triple-A games last year, he hit .286/.348/.592 for a wRC+ of 144. In 20 games there this year, his line is .307/.388/.520, 142 wRC+. Rivera is primarily a third baseman and would likely slot behind Josh Rojas on Arizonas depth chart, though Rojas is capable of moving to other spots on the field if they really want to give Rivera a shot. Riveras also played some first base and could perhaps see some time there if the D-Backs pull the trigger on a Christian Walker trade, as they have reportedly considered. However hes deployed, Rivera comes with an extended window of control, having come into this season with less than a year of MLB service time. He also can be optioned for the remainder of this year as well as another season, potentially delaying his free agency and arbitration. For the Royals, they likely felt Rivera was squeezed out due to their crowded corner infield mix, with Nicky Lopez getting a lot of playing time at third, while Vinnie Pasquantino, Nick Pratto and Hunter Dozier are also around for first base or corner outfield duty. The designated hitter slot is also a little busy between that group and the catching duo of Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez. Theyve used that surplus of corner infield bats to add an intriguing arm, while the Diamondbacks have taken a pitcher they couldnt get good results out of and turned him into a controllable infield depth option. The Phillies have made a notable addition to their bullpen, reportedly acquiring David Robertson from the Cubs. Pitching prospect Ben Brown is going back to Chicago in return. Robertson was arguably the top bullpen arm available this summer. The veteran righty signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with Chicago during Spring Training. He quickly emerged as the clubs primary closer, saving 14 games during his 36 appearances. Robertson tossed 40 1/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball, striking out over 30% of opposing hitters while inducing ground-balls at an above-average 48.3% clip. The 37-year-old has issued a few more walks than one would like (11.5%), but Robertsons cutter-curveball combination is easily handling opposing hitters. Hes generating swinging strikes on a strong 13.7% of his offerings thats not too far off the rates of his best days with the Yankees and White Sox. A former All-Star, Robertson was a durable and atypically consistent reliever for the bulk of his time in New York and on the South Side of Chicago. That led to a two-year contract with the Phils over the 2019-20 offseason, but Robertsons first stint in Philadelphia didnt go as hoped, though not through any fault of his own. Robertson blew out his elbow just seven games into that deal. He missed the rest of 2019 and 20 recovering, then returned midway through the 2021 campaign with the Rays. Since getting back to health, Robertson has a 2.75 ERA through 52 1/3 frames. The Phils will take another shot on him to bolster the mid-late innings mix. Robertson will be a free agent at the end of the year. In addition to his base salary, hes on pace to reach all of his incentives (including a $100K trade bonus), which would bring his total salary up to $5.1MM. Still, for a pitcher with his track record, thats a reasonable price to pay. The Phils bullpen has been solid of late, but the club has had longstanding issues finding consistent results in the back end. In exchange for their low-cost dice roll on Robertson, the Cubs recouped a half-season of excellent work and eventually turned him into a longer-term addition to the organization. Brown, 22, was a 33rd-round pick back in 2017. The 66 hurler has had a breakout 2022 season, pitching to a 3.08 ERA through 73 innings at High-A. Hes fanned 35.4% of opponents against a 7.7% walk rate. Baseball America recently ranked him the #7 prospect in the Philadelphia system, praising his plus fastball-slider combination but suggesting sporadic control could eventually push him to a bullpen role. Brown will have to be added to the Cubs 40-man roster this winter to avoid being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Phillies were acquiring Robertson. Robert Murray of FanSided reported Browns inclusion in the deal. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. Lydia Forson, a Ghanaian actress and social critic, believes that the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government has always shied away from its responsibilities. She said government always makes citizens feel they are the problem. The vocal actress said in a tweet monitored by Modernghana News on Monday, August 1. This governments response to our grievances is to always make us the problem, she stated. She buttresses her claim with examples of the Fix The country where the government responded by urging Ghanaians to change their attitudes. According to Miss Forson, the NPP government has also blamed the Accra flooding situation solely on the citizens and recently the SIM re-registration challenges. Nollywood veteran actress, Hilda Dokubo has blamed some of her colleagues for painting the public with a wrong picture of their lavish lifestyle. The movie star made this known via her Instagram page on Sunday, July 31, 2022, while reacting to the N71m ransom being demanded by the kidnappers of two actors, Cynthia Okereke and Cornel Clemson. Nollywood is about moving from one level of begging for alms to save an ill or dying colleague to now facing the worse of fears over two of their colleagues facing God knows what in the hands of kidnappers! she wrote. Where will we turn if not the public using our social media platforms? WellFinally, the kidnappers have made their demands. They want money! 100k dollars! From where? Unfortunately, they misjudged the financial status of the actors they kidnapped! And think that as it is in the movies that are how it is in real life. What a life! The movie veteran wondered how the families and friends of the abducted actors would be able to raise the ransom. Where will we get one hundred thousand US dollars from? God save all of us from this pain and give us your grace for this period. I know some actors paint the wrong picture on social media all the time but it is only in line with the Show part of Showbiz. Hopefully, youll understand what I mean, she complained. I am pained because I know these two personally, have worked with them and I know the truth of how it is with them. Just been asking myself one question all day; How much does an average actor make in Nigeria, she added in a report by Pulsenigeria. The two actors were kidnapped while they were returning from a movie set at Ozalla town in the Enugu state of Nigeria on Friday, July 29. Cynthia Okereke Clemson Cornel Traditionally, political debates have been shaped by mainstream media. Kenya's mainstream media, however, remain strongly wedded to factional ethnic and class interests. This has undermined their capacity to facilitate fair and open debate, most evidently during elections. Social media platforms have exploited this trust deficit, acting as important alternative sites for political deliberation. But they have also become powerful tools for disinformation and misinformation. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are reframing democracy and the way citizens engage and organise in digital space. Through these platforms, politicians can engage directly with voters, which is especially important for independent candidates, who may not have the backing of a major party. Reflecting the growth in the power of the internet, many governments have moved to regulate it or even shut it down. Ethiopia, Cameroon, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Chad, Sudan and Zimbabwe have all used internet shutdowns to try to limit free expression. Kenya, which will hold a hotly contested election on 9 August 2022, has yet to order an internet shutdown. The government has issued assurances that it will not do so. Kenya's media landscape is an important field of research and analysis highlighted in this selection of previously published articles. Media risk and reward As Kenya heads towards elections, concerns about the outbreak of electoral violence tend to rise. Research has explored the question of how, when and why political elites encourage ordinary citizens to engage in violent conflict. Newspapers, television, radio, and online platforms can inform perceptions of what's at stake in elections. Media narratives, in other words, can offer an early sign of the risk of violence. Read more: From message to violence: what to watch for in the media ahead of Kenya's elections There is no evidence that disinformation and misinformation practices can on their own influence the outcome of elections. Still, they pose a danger to democratic processes. In politically charged environments, such as Kenya's, they have the capacity to exploit long-held divisions with the potential to trigger violence. Read more: Social media is being misused in Kenya's political arena. Why it's hard to stop it African political parties are spending huge sums hiring consultants with expertise in digital campaigning and even manipulation of social media content. It is evident that those with political power and money can easily hire automated systems, like bots, to influence the flow of political content across social media. They can also distort information. Read more: Algorithms, bots and elections in Africa: how social media influences political choices Social media has the potential to allow for more direct communication between politicians and citizens. But an analysis of candidates' tweets in the 2017 election does not suggest that Twitter democratised political discourse in Kenya. While candidates in the upcoming election will continue to expand their reach and visibility through social media, Twitter may not yet replace patronage networks and traditional campaigning. Read more: Twitter in Kenya's last poll: a great way to reach voters, but not a game-changer Value of TV debate Political debates have become part of the election calendar. Their stated intention is to give citizens the information they need to decide whom to elect. But debates are held at the end of an election season. They cannot replace the electorate's need for the granular, mundane, day-to-day information about candidates and what they stand for. Read more: Political debates in Kenya: are they useful or empty media spectacles? By Julius Maina, Regional Editor East Africa At the outset, the government must be commended for extending the deadline for SIM registration to 30th September, 2022. This is a mark of a listening and empathetic government determined to promote inclusive development and growth, through and through. The master stroke in all this is the introduction of the SIM Registration App which will be available for download on both android and IOS this week barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Minister of Communication, Hon. Ursula Owusu intimated that each registration via the app will be subjected to a GHS5 surcharge. Its obvious that the cost of registering via the App is far cheaper than boarding a taxi or Trotro to a registration center. The App also brings convenience, comfort and time savings to Ghanaians for which it must be embraced wholeheartedly. I will encourage Ghanaians to take advantage of the deadline extension and the introduction of the App to register their SIM. Its normal to have non-conformists, pessimists and anti-development agents within a big population like Ghana with the sole aim of fighting to compromise development. Such unpatriotic persons act on the premise of varied. However, Ghanaians shouldnt be hoodwinked by their false pronouncements and misinformation. Let me hasten to add that the NIA outfit should scale up its delivery mechanism in order to serve Ghanaians in need of the Ghana card for varied purposes including SIM registration on time. Its in the interest of every Ghanaian to obtain a Ghana card and use same to register their SIM. The SIM card registration exercise would be of utmost help to the citizenry as government strives to fight crime, develop the telecommunications space and promote e-business. The SIM registration would contribute to national security. Every single SIM operational in the system with unique user who can be identified easily would help the government keep track of illegal immigrants, criminals, and individuals who might pose a risk to Ghana. Furthermore, the SIM registration would prevent identity theft and fraud. No one can use another persons SIM to commit any form of crime including mobile money fraud. Nonetheless, the SIM registration would promote law enforcement goals by making it easier for police to determine the identity of individuals and criminal suspects. Ghana has made giant strides in eliminating the issue of multiplicity of identity card which has been a concern to many for decades. The Ghana Card Data Harmonisation and Integrations program has so far enabled the integration of data between NIA and the following institutions: National Health Insurance Authority Social Security and National Insurance Trust Ghana Revenue Authority Student Loans Trust Fund Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority The Bank of Ghana Telecommunication Companies (Airteltigo, MTN, Vodafone and GLO) Twenty-three (23) universal banks have been successfully connected to the Verification System Platform. Let me reiterate the call on Ghanaians to as a matter of urgency, acquire their Ghana card and register their SIM before the 30th September deadline. Thank you. Evans Osei Yeboah TSOOBOI NPP E/R Communications Director 01.08.2022 LISTEN Mr Yusif Adams, Asante-Akim South Communication officer has suggested that Chief Executive Officers of State institutions must be restrained from contesting sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). In an open letter to the National Executives of the party that was copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Adams pointed out that restraining the CEOs from contesting, should be part of measures to avoid a repeat of abysmal performance of the party in the 2020 parliamentary elections. While applauding the leadership of the party for cautioning the executives not to take sides in the race to elect a flag bearer, he believed more needed to be done to achieve the unprecedented three consecutive victories for the party under the Fourth Republic. In our attempt to ensure that our MPs get full concentration to serve their constituents without distractions, some key officers in the party were tactically banned from contesting in our last parliamentary primaries. Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), secretaries and chairpersons were asked to quit their positions two clear years if they have interest in contesting in the parliamentary primaries, part of the letter read. That decision by the leadership of the party, he noted, went a long way to prevent the MMDCEs from sabotaging the MPs but rather focused on their mandates as expected. He believed a similar directive should have been extended to the CEOs whose activities adversely affected the 2020 campaign of the party as most of the CEOs never used their positions to help the party grassroots, denying them job opportunities. There has been several complaints and allegations to the effect that most of these CEOs sell job opportunities to the highest bidders and deny party people. Their focus has always been to make more money to get the financial strength to contest parliamentary primaries, he alleged. He said in the 2020 parliamentary primaries of the party, some CEOs succeeded in ousting incumbent MPs who had committed their time and resources to build their constituencies. Despite doing virtually nothing to support the mobilisation of the party's support base, these CEO wrestled the seat from the MPs on the back of lies and propaganda, he noted. I wish to draw the attention of the General Secretary and the rest of the National Executives that if indeed we are serious to break the eight, we must extend the restriction to the CEOs against contesting in our next parliamentary primaries as has been done to the MMDCEs and other executive members, he concluded. GNA Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, is perplexed after Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, the leader of the Glorious Word Ministries revealed that he told lies to cover up challenges with the national cathedral project. He responded by asking if the self-proclaimed man of God should admit guilt for his unwavering support for President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo for all these years. Confession time? the NDC legislator wrote in response to the news on his Facebook page today Monday, August 1, spotted by Modernghana News. In a phone interview with Accra-based Okay FM monitored by Modernghana News, Prophet Owusu Bempah admitted that he frequently fabricates stories when people approach him about the National Cathedral projects. People just call and insult me over the Cathedral meanwhile I'm not part. A number can just call and insult me that I'm foolish but I know nothing about it. Sometimes, you call me about the Cathedral and I lie to defend them but I'm not part. I was defending them. If they invite me [to the presidency], I will honour it but I can't go without their invite," he confessed. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, like many Ghanaians, has criticized the national project, calling it unnecessary in light of the country's current economic difficulties. He expressed disappointment in Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta after he read the Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Monday, July 25 for failing to reconcile monies he (Ablakwa) believed were illegally spent on the project. "Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta did not say a word in the Mid-Year Review about his unconstitutional withdrawals of some GHS200million from the Consolidated Fund for the infamous National Cathedral project. "He also made absolutely no effort to address the many illegalities and controversies that have dogged the US$400million project which his boss, President Akufo-Addo, describes as his priority of priorities," Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on his Facebook page. The outspoken MP added, "How long will government keep running away from accountability and what is the fate of the stalled project after so many structures including a diplomatic property, a modern luxury apartment complex, judges' bungalows, Scholarship Secretariat, Passport Office, Judicial Training Institute and an IT firm have all been demolished with many awaiting compensation?" 01.08.2022 LISTEN The Techiman Circuit court in the Bono East Region has remanded Kojo Agyei, alias Kojo Cocaine, to reappear on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 for his alleged role in last week's violent attack visited on members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Techiman South constituency. Four others, namely Illiasu Sulemana, a.k.a Oboot, Andrew Kemire, Fatau Abdallah and Alhaji Nuhu were, however, granted bail to reappear on Friday August 5, 2022. These alleged NDC thugs, who are said to have been terrorising people for some time now, were arrested by the Police in their hideouts around Techiman following their alleged involvement in attacks at the NDC party office in Techiman on Thursday July 28, 2022. Prior to that, they had also visited similar violence on some party executives who had gathered at Akina Hotel for a meeting. One person sustained multiple knife wounds and is currently on admission at the hospital while several others suffered various degrees of injury during the attacks. Free for all fight It would be recalled that some NDC thugs descended on some party executives and supporters twice last week at the partys office, and also at the Akina Hotel in Techiman. They disrupted the intended activities of the party. This resulted in a free-for-all fight among them, resulting in the injury of many party faithful present. The NDC Techiman South constituency secretary, Sulemana Twi Brempong; youth organizer, Halidu Sulemana, and the communications officer, Alhaji Sulemana Issah, were mercilessly beaten to pulp by their own party thugs and had to be rushed to the hospital. A video being circulated on social media about the incident captures parts of the melee as one of the thugs is seen hitting people with a bench. Reports say it took the timely intervention of the Military Patrol Team to rescue the executives from being lynched by the party thugs. NDC communicators in the constituency are said to have suspended their services following this incident and have subsequently boycotted all radio discussion programmes to register their displeasure about happenings in the party. 02.08.2022 LISTEN The Tempane District Chief Executive (DCE) Issaka Anabida has said inadequate staffing, registration materials and unavailability of a district National Identification Authority (NIA) officer are affecting the SIM re-registration exercise in the district. The DCE noted that the entire exercise is moving at a snail's pace. "We only have one registration officer, the one who manages the system, and another part-time person who is there to assist them. So basically, they are just three working in the district for NIA. "The way they are doing the work, I don't know whether they don't want the exercise to flow or what. Unlike when they started the exercise in a day, they could register as many as possible but now is not the case on the ground," Mr Issaka Anabida laments. However, he advised the NIA to make sure they provide sufficient registration materials to fasten the process. According to him, several people have registered for a long time but are yet to receive their Ghana cards to enable them re-register their SIM cards. His fear is that many not meet be able to the deadline again due to those delay tactics. He added that the productive hours of residents, who are mostly farmers are wasted. The DCE is appealing to the NIA to stop the torture they are putting the poor old men and women through and resolve the challenges immediately. The former Member of Parliament for the Binduri Constituency Dr. Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem has said a Bolga-based sculpturist has in his possession a bust of the late President Evans Atta Mills which he claims has more resemblance to the late President than what was erected at the Asomdwee Park in Accra. The former Binduri MP noted that the recent bust at the renovated Asomdwe Park lacks quality. Dr. Kuganab-Lem added that the bust is not a true representation of the late President and must therefore be replaced with the Bolga-made bust. According to the former MP, the nice-looking bust was made in Bolgatanga in 2016 in honor of the late former President Mills. He added that some young men in Bolgatanga came together and decided that following the late President's decent and exemplary life they formed an Atta Mills Virtues Club. Mr. Kuganab-Lem indicated that the purpose of the club was to look critically at the late President's life, establish critical values he stood for and use them to guide themselves and generations to come. 02.08.2022 LISTEN Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) personnel at the Base Ammunition Depot in Michel Camp, have arrested a middle-aged man who was in the process of breaching the perimeter fence in order to gain entry into the Ammunition Depot. The suspect, Yaw Boateng claimed he was from Ashaiman Tulaku and was trying to access the Ammunition Depot to seek aluminium plated materials for sale. Upon his arrest, 18 pieces of aluminium plates, iron pickets and a broken street light lamp holder were found among his possessions. He has been handed over to the Police CID for further action. GAF however wishes to caution the general public that the Base Ammunition Depot is a highly sensitive and restricted security zone which is out of bounds to the general public. It is strongly advised that the public desists from tampering with the perimeter fence or attempting to gain any unauthorized access, for their own safety and that of all others, as there could be serious repercussions for such actions. Intruders and encroachers are also cautioned of dire consequences for their actions if they fail to pay heed to the numerous public warnings and education on the need to stay clear off a high-security zone such as an Ammunition Depot. GAF therefore kindly requests the cooperation and support of all stakeholders and the general public in ensuring security and safety of all. By Citi Newsroom The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has dismissed claims that the Akufo-Addo administration has ignored the development needs of the Ashanti Region. Dr Bawumia believes the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has done enough for the region which he emphasized deserves recognition. He said this during the commissioning of the 100 kilometres Kumasi Inner City Ring Road and Adjacent Streets Project at Kentinkrono in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region on Monday, August 1, 2022. Addressing the gathering, Dr Bawumia disclosed that the construction of the four-tier Suame Interchange Project will commence in September 2022. He added that President Akufo-Addo will in September this year commission the Kumasi International Airport, a clear indication that the current NPP administration is delivering the end of his bargain for the Ashanti Region. Roads Development in Ashanti region Touching on roads, the Vice President disclosed that a total of 1180 killometres of roads have been completed in the Asantin region by government from 2017 to 2022. The completed roads according to him include 264 kilometres of highway road projects, 421 killometres of feeder roads projects and 495 killometres of urban road projects. "These road infrastructural projects form parts of the governments efforts to provide accessible routes for the people of Ghana. "Government is committed to ensure a cost-effective and sustainable transport system, reduce congestion and travel on roads at ease across the country," he emphasised. Kumasi Inner City Ring Road and Adjacent Streets Project Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in December 2019 cut sod for the commencement of work on the rehabilitation and construction of the Kumasi Inner City Ring Road and Adjacent Streets Project. Five municipalities as well as four sub-metros under the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) are the main beneficiaries of the 100-kilometre roads project at a cost of 55m. Under the project, roads that have been completed in the region included Suame 6.0 kilometers, Tafo Pankrono4.5 kilometers, Manhyia 11.8 kilometers, Bantama 11. 2 killometres. Other areas include Kwadaso- 13. kilometers, Subin -13 kilometers, Oforikrom -13 kilometers, Nhyiaeso -14. 4 killometres and Asokwa -13.2 kilometres Meanwhile, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon Kwasi Amoako Atta urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives in the beneficiary areas to ensure the road is well protected from unscrupulous activities of recalcitrant residents. He bemoaned instances where some people turn parts of the road into workshops, washing bay and markets among others. He described the act as shameful and unpatriotic and warned persons engaging in such acts to desist from it. Ethiopias 21-month-old civil war is accelerating the deterioration of press freedom in the Horn of Africa nation. The conflict between the federal government and the rebel forces led by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has prompted a media crackdown that extinguished the glimmer of hope sparked by the initial reforms of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Research by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that Ethiopia now ranks with Eritrea as sub-Saharan Africas worst jailer of journalists. Here is CPJs briefing on the deteriorating conditions for Ethiopias journalists, the context of the crackdown, and recommendations to improve the countrys climate for press freedom. Whats behind the hostility toward the media? Ethiopian journalists are no strangers to repression. Ethiopia used to be one of the worlds most-censored countries. Under the Abiy administration and the previous TPLF-led administrations, they have experienced internet shutdowns and had anti-terror laws used against them. Now, the fight to control the narrative of the war is one of the major reasons for the increasing hostility against the press. On-the-ground fighting is accompanied by misinformation, disinformation, and a war of narratives on social media. In the beginning the government even insisted on calling the conflict a law enforcement operation rather than a war. Journalists and commentators expressing dissenting views, or doing independent reporting, became vulnerable to arrest, threats, expulsions, and other forms of attacks. The crackdown on the press is also happening within the context of human rights violations from all sides of this war, as documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. In some cases, detained journalists have been held as part of broader sweeps in which thousands of people have been arbitrarily arrested, according to CPJs own reporting as well as reports by human rights watchdogs and the media. How many journalists have been arrested in Ethiopia since the start of the war? CPJ has documented the arrest of at least 63 journalists and media workers since November 4, 2020, at least eight of whom remain detained as of August 1, 2022. All the detentions that CPJ has documented so far have been in Addis Ababa, the capital; Oromia, Amhara, Afar, and Somali states; and more recently in rebel-held Tigray state, which has been under a telecommunications blackout for most of this war, making it difficult to researchreports that even more journalists are held there. Most detentions follow a similar script: authorities arrest a journalist or media worker and present them in court requesting more and more time to hold them for investigations. These proceedings have resulted in formal charges in very few of the cases documented by CPJ. When the courts eventually grant bail, police frequently mount appeals that delay the journalists releases. Some journalists are detained without access to family or legal counsel, such as in the cases of Gobeze Sisaywho was arrested on May 1 and held for a weekand Yayesew Shimelis, who was held at an unknown location from June 28 to July 8. Freed journalists have told CPJ of restrictions on their bank accounts and movements even after their release. These detentions have a ripple effect on the broader media community. In 2021, Awlo Media Center shut down after its staff were arrested in mid-2021. CPJ also spoke to four previously detained journalists who said they were no longer working in journalism. Self-censorship becomes an inevitable by-product in an environment of fear, eroding the diversity within public discourse and undermining the publics right to know. What other actions have been taken against the media? Journalists have faced physical attacks. In February 2021, men thought to be intelligence personnel raided the home of freelancer Lucy Kassa and warned her about reporting on the conflict. A group of four unidentified men abducted and assaulted online journalist Abebe Bayu in June 2021. In 2021, CPJ documented the first killing of an Ethiopian journalist Sisay Fida in connection with their work since 1998. Sisays death was attributed by authorities to the Oromo Liberation Army, an insurgent group allied with the TPLF. CPJ continues to investigate the motive behind the killing of a second journalist, Dawit Kebede Araya, who was shot in Mekelle, Tigray, in January 2021, at a time when the city was in the hands of federal authorities. Addis Standard, an independent publication, was suspended for a week in 2021. New York Times correspondent Simon Marks was expelled in May 2021. Tom Gardner, an Economist correspondent expelled from Ethiopia in May 2022, has recounted how he was harassed online and offline. Telecommunications disruptions also continue to affect Tigray region, as well as parts of Amhara and Afar state, undermining media coverage of the war, according to CPJs reporting and research by the digital rights organization Access Now. The shutdown has hampered CPJs research into the killing of Dawit Kebede Araya, the recent detention of five Tigrai TV reporters, as well reports that other journalists may be detained in the region. CPJs annual prison census documented at least nine journalists jailed in Ethiopia on December 1, 2021. CPJ has since confirmed that seven others were also in jail on that date. How does that affect CPJs census data for that year? Its important to understand that CPJs census reflects research based on a specific indicator it is a snapshot of journalists jailed around the world on December 1. We do not include journalists released before or arrested after that date, or if we cannot confirm until after the census deadline that a journalist was in jail on December 1. We did not include an additional seven journalists in the 2021 census because we either were not aware of their detention at the time, or we were still investigating the details of their cases. Had we been able to confirm the details ahead of the 2021 census publication, the data would have reflected that Ethiopia had 16 journalists in jail on December 1 meaning that it would have tied with Eritrea as sub-Saharan Africas worst jailer of journalists. We have since reported the additional arrests as part of our daily coverage on our website andwill adjust our 2021 prison database when we publish our census for 2022. What does CPJ recommend to improve Ethiopias press freedom climate? The authorities at federal and state level need to stop detaining journalists for their reporting. That would go far in clearing the fog of fear that characterizes the current media climate. Authorities need to address the injustices committed against journalists and ensure state institutions cannot be used to gag and harass the press in the future. Impunity breeds attacks on journalists, so authorities must do more to conduct credible, transparent investigations into physical attacks and to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable. Ongoing telecommunications disruptions should end, and journalists should be allowed the free access they need to not only report the war, but other matters of public interest in Ethiopia. *Muthoki Mumo is CPJs sub-Saharan Africa representative. She is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and has a masters in journalism and globalization from the University of Hamburg. Ethiopian authorities should release journalist Temesgen Desalegn immediately and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On July 28, Ethiopias federal Supreme Court overturned a lower courts decision to grant bail to Temesgen, editor of the privately owned magazine Feteh, and ruled that he should remain in detention for the duration of his trial, according to news reports and the journalists lawyer, Henok Aklilu, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Prosecutors argued that keeping Temesgen behind bars was necessary so he could not continue spreading false rumors and leaking secrets through his writing, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ. Ethiopian authorities are holding Temesgen Desalegn in custody to bar him from continuing his journalistic work; such blatant abuse of the judicial system is appalling, said CPJs sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. Authorities should release Temesgen immediately, drop the charges against him, and stop criminalizing journalists work. Authorities detained Temesgen on May 26 and charged him with disclosing military secrets, a crime which carries up to five years in prison for convictions, and disseminating inaccurate, hateful, or subversive information meant to demoralize the public, which carries a prison term of up to 10 years, as CPJ documented at the time. If a court rules that he had disseminated false information with the intent to cause a mutiny, he could face life in prison. On July 4, a federal court granted Temesgen bail of 100,000 Ethiopian birr (US$1,917), which the journalist posted; however, he was not released pending an appeal from the prosecution, according to Henok and that reporting by CPJ. The Deputy Minority Ranking Member on the Communications Committee in Parliament, Samuel Nartey George says they are not opposed to the SIM re-registration. He noted on the Accra-based JoyNews PM Express show on Monday, August 1, monitored by Modernghana News, that the Minority in Parliament is just concerned about how this is being done, especially the SIM re-registration. The NDC is not opposed to this. We passed the law. We are just worried about the application of the law, he noted. The vocal Ningo Prampram legislator is also worried that the National Identification Authority (NIA) may not be able to issue even 4 million cards to about 10 million Ghanaians who still don't have the Ghana card. He explained his worry that the NIA used a whole four years to issue only 15.5 million cards arguing that, "so how come they can issue 4 million in a space of two months when the new deadline is expected to elapse? That's his worry." He added, It took the NIA 4 years to produce 15.5 million cards. Can they produce 3 million cards in 2 months? "The biggest challenge is the issuance of the Ghana Card. He continues Hope and faith are instruments of religion and not public policy. In Ningo-Prampram they are printing 15 cards per day so it is not possible to print that much in 2 months. Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu, at a presser on Sunday, July 31, announced a deadline extension to September 30 to allow all Ghanaians who are having difficulty completing the process to do so. The deadline has been extended for the second time since its inception in October 2021. "Upon consultation, Government has decided to grant a final conditional extension. The programme will be extended to September 30 to end on the anniversary of its commencement, which will give us one full year of SIM re-registration," the minister stated. She continues It will be reviewed at the end of this month [July] and any SIM that has not been fully registered by the end of August will be barred from certain services including voice and data. It will also be more expensive to use unregistered SIMs. The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has admired the future benefit of the Ghana card. When everyone gets their Ghana card, he says it can be used as a voter ID card. Speaking at the 2022 Civil Service Week Celebration Awards Ceremony in Accra on Monday, August 1, he explained that the move will help eliminate the challenges and high costs associated with voter registration. Very soon youll see that our problem with voter registration will disappear, he stated. The Vice President stressed that Its only a matter of time. If not at the next elections, the elections after, because we spend so much on voter registration but ones unique identifier is determined and you cant have underage people coming to register and vote. He believes that the Ghana card will be an excellent identification document. Ghana card will be a good identification document as were already seeing so that we sanitize the voter registration system, the Vice President emphasised. His claims, however, have been refuted by Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Deputy Chief Scribe of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). On Monday, August 1, he said on Accra-based JoyNews' top story show, which Modernghana News monitored that it is too early for Dr. Bawumia to be talking about the general elections at "this ungodly time in our economy." He quizzes, Why should the vice president be talking to us about voter ID cards and elections? Dr. Otokunor adds The role of the vice president and the position must be given some modicum of integrity. 02.08.2022 LISTEN Some 10 persons who attacked and molested a teacher of the Anyinasin Methodist Junior High School after he punished some students for misconduct have been arrested by police in Abuakwa North Municipality of the Eastern Region. The 10 which includes one JHS 3 student and two JHS 2 students of the school were picked up by the police at the Anyinasin Chiefs Palace immediately after they gave their side of the story as part of a MUSEC stakeholders engagement held on Monday. The students who admitted to trading an illicit drug called D10 in school, which makes its users feel high and drowsy, will be arraigned on Tuesday. In an interview with Citi News after the stakeholders engagement, the Public Relations Officer of the Abuakwa North Education Directorate Maxwell Kofi Owusu confirmed the arrest and indicated that academic activities will resume on Tuesday. Mr. Owusu however indicated that the traumatized teacher may be transferred to a different school for his own safety and security. Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive of Abuakwa North and Chairman of MUSEC, Alhaji Umar Bodinga who led the engagement has assured that all suspects found culpable will be dealt with according to the law. He also indicated that the supplier of the said drug D10 will be arrested by the police. By Citi Newsroom The Ghana National Tanker Drivers Association has escalated its ongoing strike to include drivers who transport all forms of petroleum products in the country. The strike which began on Monday saw drivers who transport mainly LPG abandoning their trucks in protest of their treatment by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited and the National Petroleum Authority. They have been unhappy with the continuous ban on LPG Stations under construction since 2017. Some LPG marketing companies also shut down their stations in solidarity. Following the government's failure to address their concerns, the group says transportation of products such as Petrol, Diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and petrol will be halted as well until their demands are met. The Chairman of the association, George Nyaunu, said this escalation is necessary to stress their demands. We don't want to take the country to ransom but with this indication failing to address the issue, the white product drivers will also join, he said. The group was absent from a meeting with the National Petroleum Authority on Monday. Mr. Nyaunu noted that the decision not to attend a meeting scheduled by the authority was because it was not notified in time. The union was engaged in a meeting of its own at the time. We told them we were sorry, we were having an emergency meeting concerning this sit-down strike, he said to Citi News. National Petroleum Authority says it would schedule another meeting with the striking unions. By Citi Newsroom As the United States, Britain and France urge Russia to stop "its dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour," UN head Antonio Guterres has warned that a misunderstanding could spark global nuclear destruction. At the opening of a nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference in New York, Guterres warned that the world now faces "a nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War". Citing Russia's conflict with Ukraine and tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the Middle East, Guterres said he feared that crises "with nuclear undertones" could escalate. "Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," Guterres told the tenth review conference of the NPT, an international treaty that came into force in 1970 to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. "We have been extraordinarily lucky so far. But luck is not a strategy. Nor is it a shield from geopolitical tensions boiling over into nuclear conflict," he added, calling on nations to "put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons." Elimination is the only guarantee The meeting, held at the UN's headquarters in New York, has been postponed several times since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will run until 26 August. Guterres said the conference was "a chance to strengthen" the treaty and "make it fit for the worrying world around us. "Eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee they will never be used," the secretary-general said, adding that he would visit Hiroshima for the anniversary of the 6 August 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city by the United States. "Almost 13,000 nuclear weapons are now held in arsenals around the world. All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening," Guterres said. The Ghana Police Service says it has opened an investigation into the suspected murder of a 31-year-old man at Nkonya Kodzi in the Biakoye District of the Oti region. The deceased, Brempong Daniel was ambushed and shot dead by an unknown assailant whiles on his way to the farm in a restricted area in that part of the district at about 07:00 am on Monday. His body had been deposited at the Margaret Marquart Hospital Hohoe for autopsy, while investigations continued into the incident. A statement issued by the police and signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Nchor, Public Affairs Officer of the Police in the Oti Region said they have intensified patrols in Nkonya and other areas to ensure law and order. Though it had not been established yet about any relations between the murder and the existing conflict, but suspicion is high and cautioned locals against entering the restricted area, and the police have cautioned the public to remain calm and ensure peace in the area Monday's assault comes after prolonged calm following efforts by stakeholders at addressing the long-standing land feud between the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo, which had claimed several lives over several decades. ---DGN online 02.08.2022 LISTEN A man has been arrested after he attempted to breach the Buse Ammunition Depot in Michel Camp. According to the information gathered, personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces grabbed the middle-aged man while he was in the process of breaching the perimeter fence in order to enter the Ammunition Depot. The suspect who has been identified as Yaw Boateng is being treated as a thief. Upon preliminary interrogation, he is alleged to have revealed that he is from Ashaiman Tulaku and was trying to access the Ammunition Depot for aluminum plated materials for sale. He had already stolen 18 pieces of aluminum plums, iron pickets and a broken street light lamp holder at the time he was arrested. The Armed Forces have handed him over to the Ghana Police Service for further actions to be taken. Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces have warned that there will be dire consequences for intruders who ignore caution signs to enter any of its bases without invitation. GAF however wishes to caution the general public that the Buse Ammunition Depot is a highly sensitive and restricted security zone which is out of bounds to the general public. It is strongly advised that the public desists from tampering with the perimeter fence or attempting to gain any unauthorized access, for their own safety and thin of all others as there sold be serious repercussions for such actions. Intruders and encroachers are also cautioned of dire consequences for their actions if they fail to pay heed to the numerous public warnings and education on the need to stay clear of a high-security zone such as an Ammunition Depot, parts of a release from the Ghana Armed Forces signed by Naval Captain M.A Larbi, Director of Public Affairs reads. It added: GAF therefore kindly requests the cooperation and support of all stakeholders and the general public in ensuring security and safety of all. The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed. He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday. He and Osama Bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks together, and he was one of Americas most wanted terrorists. Mr Biden said Zawahiri had carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens. Since the United States delivered justice to bin Laden 11 years ago, Zawahiri has been a leader of al-Qaeda, Mr Biden said. From hiding, he co-ordinated al-Qaedas branches and all around the world, including setting priorities for providing operational guidance and calling for and inspired attacks against US targets. Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more, he added. Zawahiri took over al-Qaeda after the death of Bin Laden in 2011. Officials said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a safe house when the drone fired two missiles at him. Other family members were present, but they were unharmed and only Zawahiri was killed in the attack, they added. Mr Biden said he had given the final approval for the precision strike on the 71-year-old Egyptian after months of planning. His killing will bring closure to families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attacks, Mr Biden added. No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out, said Mr Biden, adding that we shall never waver from defending our nation and its people. Mr Biden said Zawahiri had also masterminded other acts of violence, including the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors, and the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 223 people died. He insisted that Afghanistan would never again become a safe haven for terrorists. A Taliban spokesman described the US operation as a clear violation of international principles but did not mention Zawahiri. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region, the spokesman added. However, US officials maintained that the operation had had a legal basis. The killing of Zawahiri comes nearly a year after US troops completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on the orders of Mr Biden, bringing an end to a 20-year military presence there. Under a 2020 peace deal with the US, the Taliban agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in areas under their control. However, the Taliban and al-Qaeda are long-time allies and US officials said the Taliban were aware of Zawahiris presence in Kabul. In background briefings, US intelligence officers said Taliban affiliates had visited the safe house after the strike in an attempt to cover up evidence of his presence there. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri in Kabul, the Taliban had grossly violated the peace agreement. The drone strike is the first known US intervention inside Afghanistan since the military pullout last August and, despite the withdrawal, the decades-old war on terror grinds on, the BBCs North America Correspondent John Sudworth observes. Days before the withdrawal, a miscalculated US drone strike killed 10 innocent people in Kabul, including an aid worker and seven children. The US said it had been a tragic mistake and had been aiming to target a local branch of the Islamic State group. Source: BBC The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, is urging calm among inhabitants of the region as demand for better roads continues to grow. Residents in parts of the Ashanti Region have in recent times resorted to a series of protests to demand better roads, with the peak of these agitations being the confrontation of the Member of Parliament for Suame. Mr. Osei Mensah admitted the road infrastructure deficit in the Ashanti Region but appealed to inhabitants to be patient as efforts are being made to fix them. He blamed the lack of development on the National Democratic Congress government, which left power in 2017. After the previous regime had left this region for eight good years, almost all our roads got deteriorated, the minister said. Mr. Osei Mensah, however, assured that things would be changed for the better by the end of President Akufo-Addos administration. If you are in a valley, and you want to climb up, it is not easy. The government has done a lot. Let's have patience for the government and I know that, by the end of 2024, we will be boasting of so many good roads. The Minister made the remarks when the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, commissioned the rehabilitation and auxiliary infrastructure of Kumasi Inner Ring Road and Adjacent streets projects. The Vice President also insisted that the current administration has worked to improve the road infrastructure in the Ashanti Region. But it is not yet over. There is still a lot more to be done in Greater Ashanti, Dr. Bawumia added. By Citi Newsroom 02.08.2022 LISTEN Dr Sa-ad Iddrisu, a Ghanaian economist based in the United States is asking the Haruna Iddrisu-led Minority group in Parliament to summon the Trade Minister, Mr Alan Kyerematen, to answer questions in Parliament regarding the One- District One -Factory (1D1F) programme of the government. According to Dr Iddrisu, the Finance Minister in his Mid-year budget statement said that 125 factories have been completed since 2017 but that is false. He said The 1D1F, based on available data, is a sham perpetuated by this government on the Ghanaian taxpayer. The programme is dominated by nonexistent factories. These factories can only be found on paper but cannot be traced to any physical office and employees. In short, the government 1D1F program is dominated by shell/suitcase companies. Dr. Iddrisu went further to explain, A shell/suitcase company is a company/factory that only exists on paper but has no office nor employees. Suitcase companies are mostly set up by people in power with the sole aim of transferring stolen and ill-gotten wealth so as not to get caught, and it seems that is exactly what 1D1F is doing under this current government by Nana Addo. The reason the Minority group in Parliament must dig deeper into the 1D1F program to ensure value for money for the Ghanaian taxpayer. Dr. Iddrisu in a statement also added that available data on government websites shows only eight factories are operating and not 125 as claimed by the Finance Minister. Using data from the ministry of trade website, 1D1F official website, ministry of finance website, Ghana Exim bank website, and other several external sources, one can confidently say that not all the 125 factories mentioned in the Mid-year budget are in existence. More than 90% are only existing on paper without any physical factor building nor employees. For this reason, Dr. Iddrisu believes that The Minority group in Parliament, therefore, owes it a duty to Ghanaians to call the appropriate government representative on the 1D1F, the Trade Minister, to answer some questions. Below is the full statement released by Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu For Immediate Release 02/08/2022 Govt 1D1F Is A Sham And The Minority in Parliament Must Summon The Trade Minister For Questioning The Minority group in Parliament must summon the Trade Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen, to answer questions in Parliament regarding the One District One Factory (1D1F) program of the government. According to the Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, in his Mid-year budget statement on Monday July 25, Out of 296 1D1F projects undertaken since 2017, 125 are currently operational across the country. This statement is incorrect according to available data. The 1D1F, based on available data, is a sham perpetuated by this government on the Ghanaian taxpayer. The program is dominated by nonexistent factories. These factories can only be found on paper but cannot be traced to any physical office and employees. In short, the government 1D1F program is dominated by shell/suitcase companies. A shell/suitcase company is a company/factory that only exists on paper but has no office nor employees. Suitcase companies are mostly set up by people in power with the sole aim of transferring stolen and ill-gotten wealth so as not to get caught, and it seems that is exactly what 1D1F is doing under this current government by H.E. President Nana Addo. The reason the Minority group in Parliament must dig deeper into the 1D1F program to ensure value for money for the Ghanaian tax payer. Using data from the ministry of trade website, 1D1F official website, ministry of finance website, Ghana Eximbank website, and other several external sources, one can confidently say that not all the 125 factories mentioned in the Mid-year budget are in existence. More than 90% are only existing on paper without any physical factor building nor employees. Available data seems to suggest that only 8 factories are physically in existence with factory buildings and few workers. These are: 1. $15 million Ekumfi Fruits and Juice Factory in Ekumfi Abor District in the Central Region 2. GHC 12 million Central Oil Mills factory in Denkyira District 3. GHC 10 million CH Global Food processing factory in Krachi East District in Oti region 4. $16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing factory in Domefete in Berekum West District of the Bono Region 5. GHC 45 million Bodukwan Multi-Fruit Processing factory in Ashanti region 6. $34 million Starch processing factory in Amantin in Bono East Region 7. GHC 14 million Casa De Ropa Potato in Central Region 8. $30 million Atlantic Life Sciences (Pharmaceutical factory) in Ningo-Prampam Therefore, the claim by the Finance Minister in the Mid-year budget statement of 2022 alluding to the fact that 125 factories have been completed, is false and a deliberate misrepresentation of reality. The Minority group in Parliament therefore owes it a duty to Ghanaians to call the appropriate government representative on the 1D1F, the Trade Minister, to answer some questions. The ordinary Ghanaian including myself will be interested to hear from the Trade Minister on questions such as: 1. How much of the Ghanaian taxes have been spent on these factories as subsides or other forms of cost? 2. How many actual factories have been duly completed under the 1D1F program since 2017? 3. In each district/region, what is the physical verifiable address for each completed factory? 4. How many direct and indirect jobs have been created by each of the completed factories since 2017? 5. How much output in quantity/volumes have been produced from each of these factories for domestic and foreign (exports) consumption? 6. In revenue terms, how much has the government raised in taxes (income and corporate taxes) from these completed factories since 2017? 7. In growth terms, what is the output growth from these factories to Ghanas Gross domestic product (GDP) since 2017? 8. What is the percentage of government ownership in each completed factory? These are valuable questions every tax payer in Ghana will be interested to hear answers to from the Trade Minister on the 1D1F program and I hope the Minority group in Parliament will not relent on their duties to the Ghanaian Voter. Thank you, Signed Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu Economist, Louisiana State Government U.S.A Source: Classfmonline.com Ghana TVET Service is participating in the ongoing 2022 Civil Service Week Celebration under the theme; Digitalization in the Civil Service of Ghana: An Agenda for Improved Productivity and Service Delivery. As part of this years celebrations, an open day event dubbed Policy Fair/Exhibition and Tourism Day is being held at the forecourt of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOSSAG) and the main ministerial enclave. Institutions under the Service have exhibited some craft works at the fair which commenced Monday 25th and ends on Thursday 28th July 2022. The Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service was established by the Pre-Tertiary Education ACT 2020, ACT 1049, as a corporate body to manage, oversee, and implement approved national policies and programmes relating to Pre-Tertiary Technical and Vocational Education and Training. With the establishment of the Ghana TVET Service under the Pre-Tertiary Education Act 2020 (ACT 1049), all TVET providing Institutions under 9 Ministries have ben realigned (GES-TVED, DICCES, NVTI, OIC, Social Welfare Training Centres, Youth Leadership Training Institutes, GRATIS, Technology Solution Centres, Farm Institutes, Roads and Highways Training Centre, Government Technical Training Centre, Community Development Vocational Institutes) to the Ghana TVET Service under the Ministry of Education. Prince Henry, NDC Communicator 02.08.2022 LISTEN Communication team member of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern region Prince Henry is unhappy with government for making Ghanaians go through what he described as stress in registering their SIM cards. He said Ghanaians are currently going through stress just to acquire their Ghana cards which is the only identity for the registration of SIM cards. In a statement, Prince Henry noted, "I went back to the NIA to get a replacement and was told I should write my name and come back on 25th September 2022 with a police report before they could fill another form for me to obtain a replacement of my lost Ghana card". He is asking why the Voters' ID card is not allowed to be used as an identity to register SIM cards despite using same to register for the Ghana card. "My question is, why are Mrs Ursula Owusu and Prof Ken Attefuah making me and many other Ghanaians go through all these problems and stress when we have our voters card of which we obtained through the use of our Ghana card to register our SIM cards," he queried. Madam Ursula Owusu on Sunday, 31st July, 2022 extended the SIM re-registration deadline to September 30. Former President John Dramani Mahama's Special Aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari has advised Ghanaians to learn how to be honest and trustworthy at all times. In a tweet intercepted by Modernghana News today, August 1, the legal practitioner stated that doing so would attract investors to the country. According to her, it must be consistent in the daily lives of people since integrity and honesty are prioritized in some countries. We should as a people learn to develop our personal integrity and begin to demonstrate integrity at all levels until it becomes an integral part of our culture, some countries actually promote integrity and honesty to attract investment and employment opportunities, she said. Many Ghanaians have praised her for her good advice on social media. Ryan Burl was the unlikely 54-run star as Zimbabwe made 156-8 in the series-deciding third Twenty20 international against Bangladesh in Harare on Tuesday. After winning the toss and opting to bat, the home team slumped to 67-6 after 13 overs with regular top scorer Sikandar Raza out for a golden duck. Batting at number seven, all-rounder Burl put on 79 for the seventh wicket before partner Luke Jongwe, batting at number eight, was dismissed. Burl struck six sixes and two fours off 28 deliveries while Jongwe's 35 from 20 balls included two sixes and four fours. Both Jongwe and Burl were dismissed during the 18th over as they looked to hammer medium-pacer Hasan Mahmud over the ropes. Mahmud and Mehidy Hasan were the pick of the bowlers, both finishing with identical figures of 2-28 off four overs. Bangladesh were without captain Nurul Hasan due to a finger injury, which has also ruled him out of a three-match one day international series beginning in Harare on Friday. The winners of this match will take the three-match series with both sides having won one each so far. A US-based economist, Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu is calling on the Minority in Parliament to dig into the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative of President Akufo-Addos government. In a statement issued on the flagship programme of the ruling government, the Ghanaian economist describes 1D1F as a sham and insists that the programme is dominated by non-existent factories. According to him, many of the companies the government claim to have set up are non-existent. "The 1D1F, based on available data, is a sham perpetuated by this government on the Ghanaian taxpayer. The program is dominated by nonexistent factories. These factories can only be found on paper but cannot be traced to any physical office and employees. In short, the government 1D1F program is dominated by shell/suitcase companies. A shell/suitcase company is a company/factory that only exists on paper but has no office nor employees. Suitcase companies are mostly set up by people in power with the sole aim of transferring stolen and ill-gotten wealth so as not to get caught, and it seems that is exactly what 1D1F is doing under this current government by H.E. President Nana Addo, Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu opines in his statement. The US-based economist wants the Minority in Parliament to summon the Minister of Trade and Industry to Parliament to give an account of the 1D1F programme The reason the Minority group in Parliament must dig deeper into the 1D1F program to ensure value for money for the Ghanaian taxpayer. The Minority group in Parliament, therefore, owes it a duty to Ghanaians to call the appropriate government representative on the 1D1F, the Trade Minister, to answer some questions, Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu adds in his statement. Below is a copy of the release; Govt 1D1F Is A Sham And The Minority in Parliament Must Summon The Trade Minister For Questioning The Minority group in Parliament must summon the Trade Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen, to answer questions in Parliament regarding the One District One Factory (1D1F) program of the government. According to the Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, in his Mid-year budget statement on Monday July 25, Out of 296 1D1F projects undertaken since 2017, 125 are currently operational across the country. This statement is incorrect according to available data. The 1D1F, based on available data, is a sham perpetuated by this government on the Ghanaian taxpayer. The program is dominated by nonexistent factories. These factories can only be found on paper but cannot be traced to any physical office and employees. In short, the government 1D1F program is dominated by shell/suitcase companies. A shell/suitcase company is a company/factory that only exists on paper but has no office nor employees. Suitcase companies are mostly set up by people in power with the sole aim of transferring stolen and ill-gotten wealth so as not to get caught, and it seems that is exactly what 1D1F is doing under this current government by H.E. President Nana Addo. The reason the Minority group in Parliament must dig deeper into the 1D1F program to ensure value for money for the Ghanaian tax payer. Using data from the ministry of trade website, 1D1F official website, ministry of finance website, Ghana Eximbank website, and other several external sources, one can confidently say that not all the 125 factories mentioned in the Mid-year budget are in existence. More than 90% are only existing on paper without any physical factor building nor employees. Available data seems to suggest that only 8 factories are physically in existence with factory buildings and few workers. These are: 1. $15 million Ekumfi Fruits and Juice Factory in Ekumfi Abor District in the Central Region 2. GHC 12 million Central Oil Mills factory in Denkyira District 3. GHC 10 million CH Global Food processing factory in Krachi East District in Oti region 4. $16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing factory in Domefete in Berekum West District of the Bono Region 5. GHC 45 million Bodukwan Multi-Fruit Processing factory in Ashanti region 6. $34 million Starch processing factory in Amantin in Bono East Region 7. GHC 14 million Casa De Ropa Potato in Central Region 8. $30 million Atlantic Life Sciences (Pharmaceutical factory) in Ningo-Prampam Therefore, the claim by the Finance Minister in the Mid-year budget statement of 2022 alluding to the fact that 125 factories have been completed, is false and a deliberate misrepresentation of reality. The Minority group in Parliament therefore owes it a duty to Ghanaians to call the appropriate government representative on the 1D1F, the Trade Minister, to answer some questions. The ordinary Ghanaian including myself will be interested to hear from the Trade Minister on questions such as: 1. How much of the Ghanaian taxes have been spent on these factories as subsides or other forms of cost? 2. How many actual factories have been duly completed under the 1D1F program since 2017? 3. In each district/region, what is the physical verifiable address for each completed factory? 4. How many direct and indirect jobs have been created by each of the completed factories since 2017? 5. How much output in quantity/volumes have been produced from each of these factories for domestic and foreign (exports) consumption? 6. In revenue terms, how much has the government raised in taxes (income and corporate taxes) from these completed factories since 2017? 7. In growth terms, what is the output growth from these factories to Ghanas Gross domestic product (GDP) since 2017? 8. What is the percentage of government ownership in each completed factory? These are valuable questions every tax payer in Ghana will be interested to hear answers to from the Trade Minister on the 1D1F program and I hope the Minority group in Parliament will not relent on their duties to the Ghanaian Voter. Thank you, Signed Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu Economist, Louisiana State Government U.S.A The Nabdam District in the Upper East Region has recorded 19 percent teenage pregnancies as of June 2022. Cases of defilement, incest and rape were high in the district. This came to light during a multi-stakeholders engagement organized by Rise-Ghana, on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Rights (ASRHR) and Guarding and Protection in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service with funding support from United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) Ghana. In an interview with our correspondent, the Nabdam District Nutrition Officer Kolgo Timbire Jonas in Nangodi explained that most pregnant girls are anaemic increasing the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy in the District. He indicated that results from the Antenatal Care records revealed that 709 women were pregnant. He said, haemoglobin (HB) test was conducted on the blood level on 513 pregnant women during the 36th week and out of that, 258 were anaemic representing 50.3 percent. Mr. Kolog stated that the worrying trend is that week 36 which is closer to their delivery and the consequences are dire. He further indicated that poor nutrition and eating habits among that adolescent is a contributing factor. A Project Officer with Rise-Ghana, Ellen Masumba Sa-ambo said Adolescent Reproductive Health Right (ARHR) is being implemented by Rise-Ghana in six districts in the Upper East Region. It include Builsa South, Bawku West, Talensi, Nabdam, Bongo and Kassena Nankana West. She stated that this years project is titled, Enabling a protective environment for Adolescent Reproductive Health Right, nutrition and Safeguarding. She noted Rise-Ghana noticed that defilement, incest and rape were common cases in recent times. She said there was the need to redouble their effort at providing a broad base campaign by bringing on board all the stakeholders and the adolescent to share the knowledge with them, deliberate and come out with solutions for the district medium term development plan. 02.08.2022 LISTEN Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu, a US-based economist has raised concerns on data provided by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta regarding companies under the governments One District One Factory (1D1F) programme. In a statement issued by the economist, he insists that the claim by the Finance Minister that 125 factories have been completed is false. According to him, his checks have revealed that only eight of the factories are physically in existence with factory buildings and few workers. Using data from the ministry of trade website, 1D1F official website, ministry of finance website, Ghana Eximbank website, and other several external sources, one can confidently say that not all the 125 factories mentioned in the Mid-year budget are in existence. More than 90% are only existing on paper without any physical factor building nor employees. Available data seems to suggest that only 8 factories are physically in existence with factory buildings and few workers. Therefore, the claim by the Finance Minister in the Mid-year budget statement of 2022 alluding to the fact that 125 factories have been completed, is false and a deliberate misrepresentation of reality, parts of a statement by Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu reads. Describing the 1D1F programme as a sham, the US-based economist has tabled eight questions at the doorstep of the Minister in charge of Trade and Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen. Among the questions, he wants answers to the number of factories that have been duly completed under the 1D1F program since 2017 and how much of the Ghanaian taxes have been spent on these factories as subsidies or other forms of cost. Below is the statement from Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu with his 8 critical questions: Govt 1D1F Is A Sham And The Minority in Parliament Must Summon The Trade Minister For Questioning The Minority group in Parliament must summon the Trade Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen, to answer questions in Parliament regarding the One District One Factory (1D1F) program of the government. According to the Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, in his Mid-year budget statement on Monday July 25, Out of 296 1D1F projects undertaken since 2017, 125 are currently operational across the country. This statement is incorrect according to available data. The 1D1F, based on available data, is a sham perpetuated by this government on the Ghanaian taxpayer. The program is dominated by nonexistent factories. These factories can only be found on paper but cannot be traced to any physical office and employees. In short, the government 1D1F program is dominated by shell/suitcase companies. A shell/suitcase company is a company/factory that only exists on paper but has no office nor employees. Suitcase companies are mostly set up by people in power with the sole aim of transferring stolen and ill-gotten wealth so as not to get caught, and it seems that is exactly what 1D1F is doing under this current government by H.E. President Nana Addo. The reason the Minority group in Parliament must dig deeper into the 1D1F program to ensure value for money for the Ghanaian tax payer. Using data from the ministry of trade website, 1D1F official website, ministry of finance website, Ghana Eximbank website, and other several external sources, one can confidently say that not all the 125 factories mentioned in the Mid-year budget are in existence. More than 90% are only existing on paper without any physical factor building nor employees. Available data seems to suggest that only 8 factories are physically in existence with factory buildings and few workers. These are: 1. $15 million Ekumfi Fruits and Juice Factory in Ekumfi Abor District in the Central Region 2. GHC 12 million Central Oil Mills factory in Denkyira District 3. GHC 10 million CH Global Food processing factory in Krachi East District in Oti region 4. $16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing factory in Domefete in Berekum West District of the Bono Region 5. GHC 45 million Bodukwan Multi-Fruit Processing factory in Ashanti region 6. $34 million Starch processing factory in Amantin in Bono East Region 7. GHC 14 million Casa De Ropa Potato in Central Region 8. $30 million Atlantic Life Sciences (Pharmaceutical factory) in Ningo-Prampam Therefore, the claim by the Finance Minister in the Mid-year budget statement of 2022 alluding to the fact that 125 factories have been completed, is false and a deliberate misrepresentation of reality. The Minority group in Parliament therefore owes it a duty to Ghanaians to call the appropriate government representative on the 1D1F, the Trade Minister, to answer some questions. The ordinary Ghanaian including myself will be interested to hear from the Trade Minister on questions such as: 1. How much of the Ghanaian taxes have been spent on these factories as subsides or other forms of cost? 2. How many actual factories have been duly completed under the 1D1F program since 2017? 3. In each district/region, what is the physical verifiable address for each completed factory? 4. How many direct and indirect jobs have been created by each of the completed factories since 2017? 5. How much output in quantity/volumes have been produced from each of these factories for domestic and foreign (exports) consumption? 6. In revenue terms, how much has the government raised in taxes (income and corporate taxes) from these completed factories since 2017? 7. In growth terms, what is the output growth from these factories to Ghanas Gross domestic product (GDP) since 2017? 8. What is the percentage of government ownership in each completed factory? These are valuable questions every tax payer in Ghana will be interested to hear answers to from the Trade Minister on the 1D1F program and I hope the Minority group in Parliament will not relent on their duties to the Ghanaian Voter. Thank you, Signed Dr. Sa-ad Iddrisu Economist, Louisiana State Government U.S.A Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI 03.08.2022 LISTEN In the wake of the economic hardships facing the country, the Omanhene of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI has added his voice to the numerous calls on His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to shake up his appointees, especially the non-performing Ministers to bring in competent people. "We all know, President Akufo Addo is doing marvellously but most of his ministers and appointees are disappointing Ghanaians. They are simply incompetent and are sleeping on the job. "They don't care about the numerous hardships people are going through. It is becoming an embarrassment to the NPP Government. "We need appointees who would open their doors and treat people well irrespective of their political, tribal, religious beliefs or background. "Nananom must support the government of the day to succeed but we must also be frank when things seem to be going wrong. The masses are suffering. "I want to appeal to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to put in place friendly and pro-poor policies to cushion Ghanaians economically in these hard times," Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI made the call in his welcome address at the State Council Meeting of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Council held at Gomoa Ajumako on Friday. The meeting was mainly to review the bye-laws and resolutions of the Council. Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI urged his traditional rulers to be submissive to their subjects saying that was the essence of being a traditional leader. He admonished them against arrogance and autocratic leadership but rather humble themselves in order to relate well with their people. "As the motto of the Traditional Council indicates; 'Peace, Justice and Development', let's make peace with each other, be justice in our ruling of cases and seek development for our communities. Nananom must treat their Oman, sub-chiefs and subjects with utmost respect to receive same respect from them. "If Nananom continues to respect their subjects, same respect will be accorded the Paramount Stool and will create peace and harmony in the Traditional Area. We (Nananom) must avoid listening to some few people in our communities to make decisions as they may not be the actual problems or situations on the ground. "We must always seek the collective ideas of the people for easy governance. We should bear in mind that before we became where we are today, we were like the same people in our communities, that should be a reminder to check us. Let be extra careful with our relationship with them. Nananom are to serve but not to lord themselves over them," he stated. "It was out of the lot that we were chosen to lead them as a Chiefs. The Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Council will not entertain any act of illegality and will accordingly deal drastically with anyone who goes contrary to the norms of the Traditional Council. Today, other traditional councils are emulating Gomoa Ajumako because of our lifestyle and inspirational leadership," Obrempong Nyanful Krampah noted. Some of the reviewed bye-laws to be launched in November, 2022 include Academic Performance of Pupils and Students with adopted measures to improve the academic performance of schools in the Traditional Area. On curses, the traditional council indicates that it was an offence for anyone to invoke the wrath of the gods, ancestors or any magic powers on any person without consulting the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional. He noted that anyone found guilty shall suffer penalties thereof. The Council also reviewed its bye-laws on teenage pregnancy among children of school-going age with appropriate sanctions and punishment. It will also ban swearing of chiefs and one-week funeral celebrations in the demise of a Chief in the Traditional Area among others. In attendance were Mankradohenmaa of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Appiah Baiduah III, Esihene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Esoun Abonyi Kwaata II and Amankorahene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Odum Amanfo IV. From the fourth year of schooling, the majority of South African schools teach all subjects in English only. The devastating learning consequences of this for children who speak African languages at home have been compellingly captured in the documentary film Sink or Swim . These consequences include lack of conceptual understanding and little identification with the content. In South Africa there are 12 official languages, including South African sign language. The constitution allows that any of these languages may be used as a medium of instruction in schools. But only English, and in a minority of schools Afrikaans, is used and resourced beyond Grade 3. Only 9% of the population speak English as a home language and the majority of these speakers are white. This means that the school children who were advantaged during apartheid are still advantaged today. Therefore the Bua-Lit language and literacy collective, of which we are members, has described the language policy in action in South African schools as racist. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga's announcement in parliament on 9 March 2022 that indigenous African languages will be used as languages of instruction beyond Grade 3 is therefore very heartening. No implementation details have been given yet. The department's decision is based on a pilot project in the Eastern Cape province using mother-tongue based bilingual education as a model. The pilot initiated the use of Sesotho and isiXhosa as languages of instruction in Grade 4 in 2012 and in 2020 the maths, physical science and history exam papers were available in Sesotho and isiXhosa as well as English. In 2019 Grade 6 learners involved in the bilingual pilot scored on average 28 percentage points higher in natural science and technology than their English-only counterparts. The Department of Basic Education's announcement has had a mixed reception , with commentators debating whether African language medium of instruction can work. But the bilingual aspect of the Department of Basic Education's project is getting lost in the debate. And the fact that the majority of South African teachers already teach bilingually is unacknowledged. They do so illicitly , in the form of oral code-switching between the African language(s) used by the children and English as the official language of learning and teaching. Decades-long research into code-switching has shown it can be effective in South African classrooms. But code-switching is not supported by bilingual materials or assessments and is often frowned upon by department officials. This is because of fears that English will be compromised as well as colonial ideas about African languages being irrelevant for use in education. The new move by the Department of Basic Education is an opportunity to acknowledge, strengthen, and importantly, resource these bilingual practices. Bilingual education for who? In South Africa, bilingual education is associated historically with the education of white children. During apartheid, Afrikaans and English were the two official languages, with the goal that all white South Africans would become bilingual in these languages. Bilingual education was implemented in different ways. It was common to use one language as the medium of instruction and teach the second as a subject. There were also schools that used both Afrikaans and English as languages of instruction for different classes in the same grade. In dual medium schools the teacher used both English and Afrikaans to teach, and learners could choose the language of assessment. Dual medium bilingual schools continue to be highly successful in producing bilingual speakers of English and Afrikaans. Until now, bilingual education at scale using any of the nine official African languages and English as dual languages of instruction has not been available for children. Language policy and multilingual teaching Schools need assistance to develop language policies that support bilingual or multilingual education. One size will most definitely not fit all schools in a richly multilingual and diverse society. For example, in many schools in the rural Eastern Cape where isiXhosa is dominant, it is feasible to implement a bilingual model using isiXhosa and English. Bilingual teachers can teach using both languages as they currently do unofficially and use textbooks written in both. A school with learners from multiple language backgrounds in a more diverse urban setting like Soweto will need a different approach making use of translanguaging . Translanguaging involves the fluid use of more than one language to communicate. For example, children can be grouped according to their dominant languages when solving a maths problem or translating a poem. Or they can work in mixed language groups to produce multilingual science definitions . The goal is to support deep learning in content subjects as well as to increase competence in all the languages used in the classroom (including English). Multilingual materials and assessments A major challenge for learning in South Africa has been the lack of availability of materials in languages other than English and Afrikaans beyond Grade 3. As with classroom methodology, there is a wide range of approaches to learning materials that can support bilingual or multilingual education. For example, bilingual textbooks have been successfully developed in Rwanda . The same textbook can be available in more than one language. The two languages can be in parallel (all the text is available in two languages) in one textbook. Or a more flexible approach can be used where different aspects of the text, such as glossaries, are available in different languages. An example of this is iSayensi Yethu (Our Science), which has been developed in English and isiXhosa. Subject-specific dictionaries can also be excellent learning resources, for example one developed at the University of Cape Town and one developed by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa . Final school-leaving exams have been available only in English and Afrikaans, with the exception of the isiXhosa exam pilot in the Eastern Cape in 2020. Bilingual assessments in English and an African language have been trialled and proven to be successful in the Western Cape province and in Zimbabwe . Again, a diversity of approaches is preferable. Teacher training Successful implementation depends on preparing teachers for bilingual education. The pioneering bilingual university teacher education programmes at South Africa's University of Fort Hare and Nelson Mandela University have begun this work, which can be expanded to other universities. Practising teachers will need appropriate materials as well as in-service education that builds on their existing bilingual practices. Bilingual education is possible for all South Africa's children. With a multi-pronged approach to implementation as outlined here, bilingual models will contribute to the goal of decolonising the country's schooling system. Robyn Tyler is affiliated with the bua-lit language and literacy collective. Brian Ramadiro is deputy director of the Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural development at the University of Fort Hare. The institute received funding for its educational programmes from Zenex Foundation, Old Mutual and Zenzele Trust. Carolyn McKinney receives funding from the National Research Foundation. She is affiliated with the bua-lit language and literacy collective. Dr Xolisa Guzula receives funding from the Department of Higher Education and Training for her Phd study and lecturing position at UCT under the New Generation of Academic Professionals Project. She is a member of the Bua-lit Language and Literacy Collective. By Robyn Tyler, Senior research fellow, University of the Western Cape And Brian Ramadiro, Deputy Director, University of Fort Hare And Carolyn McKinney, Associate Professor in Language Education, member bua-lit collective, University of Cape Town And Dr Xolisa Guzula, Lecturer, Applied Language and Literacy Studies, University of Cape Town Three persons are battling for their lives after some individuals suspected to be Nigerian nationals assaulted them at Kasoa Free Town in the Awutu Senya East Municipality. According to residents in the area, one of the victims, who is currently receiving treatment at a hospital, earlier assaulted a 20-year-old lady after an argument ensued between them. Police sources say the lady went home and informed her Nigerian boyfriend who also organized his friends and retaliated in what appears to be a cutlass fight, leading to the three Ghanaians getting injured. The leader of the Nigerian group, who fired gunshots during the incident, is in police custody, according to Citi News sources. An eyewitness recounted the incident. We bumped into the boys fighting. They were about 9, seven of them are [reportedly] Nigerians. I do not really know what the issue is but from what I gathered, it seems one of the injured persons assaulted the lady. The lady rushed to call her Nigerian boyfriend, who came with his friends to fight back. The fight was bloody, leading to the three Ghanaians getting injured. They had cutlasses on them and were bent on cutting the Ghanaians. We quickly rushed to get help. Assemblyman for the area, Mohammed Kwabena Ali wants enhanced security in the area to prevent crime. The street lights in the area do not work. This area has become a playing field for armed robbers. We need enhanced security in this area. By Citi Newsroom The Savannah Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has deployed armed joint police-military team to Mempeasem in the West Gonja Municipality following reports of an armed attack and kidnapping of women farmers in the area by some suspected kidnappers. Information gathered by this portal indicates that some gunmen who are suspected to be kidnappers have captured women who went to farm in Mempeasem to harvest groundnuts. The screams from the women got to some male farmers who immediately mobilized to rescue the women. One of the suspected kidnappers, a female, was overpowered and arrested by the local search party and handed over to the chief of the community. At the time of filing this report, well armed military and police officers were being dispatched to the area. Savannah Region Minister and Chairman of REGSEC Saeed Muhazu Jibril has assured the residents the security is in control of the issue. He appealed to the residents to remain vigilant and report any suspected persons to the security for swift action. ---3news.com The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education has expressed satisfaction with the ongoing printing of textbooks for basic schools by Appointed Time Press (ATP), a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies. So far ATP has printed and distributed 600,000 Science textbooks to government basic schools in the country. ATP is one of five printing houses contracted by the government to print textbooks for basic schools across the country. The company is expected to print 800,000 basic school Science textbooks for distribution across the country. In July, this year, the company announced that it was 50 per cent through with the project. This followed an inspection tour of ATP's facilities by the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum. The committee was particularly, excited at the state-of-the-art printing machines used by ATP in its operations. The Chairman of the committee, Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, said ATP has done an impressively good job. The committee members were on an inspection tour of ATP's head office in Accra on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, to appraise the state of the printing project being undertaken by the company. Briefing journalists after the inspection tour of the printing house, Mr Amankwa Asiamah, said school children at the basic level will now get books to read and study. According to him, the quality of printing and the books was top notch, adding that it meets the required standard, especially for school children at the basic level. He, however, called on the government to take a critical look at the tax components on the importation of printing materials. He noted that the prices of textbooks imported from India and China were cheaper. He attributed this to tax rebates given by the governments of these two countries to the printing firms in their respective countries. The Managing Director of ATP, Ms Jacqueline Afful, disclosed her outfit had so far printed and distributed 600,000 basic Science textbooks across the nation. She gave the assurance that the remaining 200,000 textbooks will be ready on schedule. She rehashed her company's commitment to print the remaining textbooks by the end of August 2022, for onward distribution to basic schools. She disclosed that the company paid particular attention to the quality of the books owing to the fact that children were going to use them. 02.08.2022 LISTEN A search has been mounted at Mempeasem in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region to rescue a kidnapped woman. The kidnapping incident happened on the farm while she was harvesting some groundnuts. Reports indicate that a gang of heavily armed men and a woman stormed the farm and abducted the woman amid screams for help. Her screams managed to draw the attention of other farmers who were working on their farms. Although they rushed to help, they only managed to overpower the woman who was part of the gang. The other gunmen escaped with the woman as the other farmers arrested and sent the woman to the palace of the chief in the community. With the matter reported to the Police, personnel of the service have been deployed together with well-armed military officers to find and rescue the kidnapped woman. Mr. Saeed Muhazu Jibril, the Savannah Region Minister and Chairman of REGSEC has given the assurance that the necessary resources will be committed to rescuing the woman. Residents have been advised to report suspicious persons to help in the search. Violent anti-UN protests that rocked eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week, claiming 36 lives, reflect local anger at persistent insecurity in the turbulent region. Conflict has raged for three decades across eastern DRC, a mineral-rich region roamed by more than 120 armed groups, which regularly massacre civilians. Suspected rebel violence killed around 4,000 civilians in the eastern Congolese provinces of North Kivu and Ituri between 2020 and 2022, according to Kivu Security Tracker, a respected monitor. Many locals view UN peacekeepers -- who first arrived in eastern Congo in 1999 -- as standing idly by while militias attack them. With an annual budget of over $1 billion, the peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO has more than 16,000 uniformed personnel, according to UN figures from November 2021. Local anger boiled over on July 25, when anti-UN protesters ransacked MONUSCO bases in North Kivu's capital Goma. Demonstrations then quickly spread. The following day, clashes in the town of Butembo led to the deaths of four peacekeepers, according to a government tally published on Monday. Nine civilians were also killed there. At total of 36 people were killed over several days of unrest, the government said, including 13 civilians in Goma. On July 31, peacekeepers also opened fire and killed three people during an incident on the Congolese-Ugandan border. "It often happens that militiamen massacre women, children and elderly people 50 metres (164 feet) away from the Blue Helmets' positions," said Losuire Shabani of the pro-democracy movement Fight for Change in the eastern town of Beni. Antoine-Roger Lokongo, a political scientist at Joseph Kasa-Vubu University in western Congo, said "everything is happening as if MONUSCO has received a mission to subjugate the DRC in complicity with neighbouring countries". Many in Congo believe that MONUSCO is a front for countries with evil designs on the central African nation. By Michel Lunanga (AFP) He accused Rwanda and Uganda of "creating and sustaining armed groups in the east". Many in Congo believe that MONUSCO is a front for countries with evil designs on the central African nation. There is little to no evidence to support the idea. MONUSCO was not immediately able to respond to questions from AFP. However, its spokesman Mathias Gillmann regularly points out that the mission has lost some 400 staff serving in the DRC over the past 22 years, and that it intervenes alongside Congolese armed forces. 'Enemies of the republic' Pro-democracy movements and some local politicians have been calling for MONUSCO to leave since 2019. Speaking at a public meeting on July 15, weeks before the protests broke out, senate president Modeste Bahati called on the mission to "pack its bags" and claimed the DRC would defend itself. Augustin Muhesi, a university professor in North Kivu, said the recent protests were "the consequence of speeches by politicians who pull the strings in the shadows". Pro-democracy movements and some local politicians have been calling for MONUSCO to leave since 2019. By GLODY MURHABAZI (AFP) "These speeches are poisoning the atmosphere of distrust that already existed between part of the population and MONUSCO." Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi told his cabinet on Friday that "appropriate communication" should protect the population from "manipulators, enemies of the republic" who stir up anti-MONUSCO sentiment "to serve their own interests". Jason Stearns, director of New York University's Congo Research Group, said it was "completely possible" that the anti-UN protesters were manipulated. "But what is clear is that the mission has lost a lot of popularity," he added. Muhesi believes the Congolese government must also take responsibility for popular anger. "If MONUSCO is still in Congo, it's because the state is yet to escape its institutional fragilities," he said, explaining that Congolese security forces were too weak to bring peace to the east. The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed the Member of Parliament for Walewale, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu as Gender Minister designate. If approved by Parliament, she will be elevated from the Deputy Minister role she has occupied for the last six years to the position of a substantive Minister. The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection position has become vacant following the sacking of absentee Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament, Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo. A press release issued from the Communications Bureau of the Jubilee House adds that President Akufo-Addo has also nominated Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah, Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, as Deputy Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection. The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in accordance with article 78 of the Constitution, has appointed the Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu, the Member of Parliament for Walewale, as Minister-designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection. Her appointment is subject to the approval of Parliament. Pursuant to article 79 of the Constitution, President Akufo-Addo has also nominated Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah, Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, as Deputy Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, subject to the approval of Parliament, parts of the release signed by Eugene Arhin who is Director of Communications at the Jubilee House reads. Below is a copy of the release: 02.08.2022 LISTEN Mortuary attendants at the Atua Government Hospital in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality say bodies preserved in the morgue are going bad due to power cuts for days. According to them, the use of generators as an alternative is not sustainable. Benjamin Angmor, a mortuary attendant, told Citi News the situation is taking a severe toll on their work. We have to use very strong chemicals to preserve the bodies because the generator is not sustainable, he added. At the time of Citi News visit, the hospitals technicians had gone to town to buy diesel to power the plant. All departments in the hospital, including the theatre, had no electricity when Citi News got to the health facility. The Krobo land has been without electricity for over a week. The Tema region of the Electricity Company of Ghana, in a press statement issued on August 2, 2022, indicated that the power cut is for safety reasons. Meanwhile, some residents who spoke to Citi News in Somanya said weve agreed to use the prepaid meters, but we would resist any attempt by ECG to force us to pay old debts. According to some of them, theyve seen a significant change in their light bills following the installation of prepaid meters. In terms of cost, I now pay less. In a month, I pay about GH100, but previously, I used to pay ten times the current amount due to irregularities in meter reading, Johnson Kyei Appiah, a fashion designer told Citi News. The residents believe the company hasnt been fair to them. According to them, the situation can be resolved if all stakeholders sit at the discussion table. ---citinewsroom The Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Lariba Zuweira Abudu has been appointed to take over from dismissed Sarah Adwoa Safo. Her appointment is subject to the approval of Parliament. She is also the Member of Parliament for Walewale. The President has also nominated Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Francisca Oteng Mensah as Deputy Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection. The President is hopeful that Parliament will expedite the approval of his nominees for this important Ministry, so they can assist in the effective delivery of his mandate for his second term in office, a statement signed by the Director of Communications for the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said. The President revoked the appointment of Adwoa Safo, who is also a Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya on July 28, 2022. The President took the decision for absenting herself from Parliament since the beginning of the year. The National Identification Authority (NIA) has given indication that not all who are applying for a new card or correcting errors on old ones or even seeking a replacement will be able to get them sorted out by Friday, September 30. Executive Secretary of the Authority Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah told host Alfred Ocansey on TV3s Ghana Tonight on Monday, August 1 that his outfit was not established to operate by deadlines but rather in perpetuity. The national identity cards, popularly known as the Ghana Cards, have become the primary document for the recent re-registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. Failure by many to get their SIM cards re-registered saw the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, extend the July 31 deadline by two more months. It was the second extension after the first on Thursday, March 31. Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, while addressing the press on Sunday, said she had to extend the deadline again reluctantly. Upon consultation with the industry and in view of the challenges enumerated above, I have very reluctantly decided to grant a final conditional extension. She said this latest decision will take the exercise, which started on Friday, October 1, to exactly a year since it started. The programme will be extended to 30th September to end on the anniversary of its commencement. That will give us one full year of SIM registration. Leisure and pleasure With the Ghana Card as the single most sought-after document for the registration, pressure is on the NIA to get applicants captured for their cards. But Prof Attafuah said the Authority was set up to allow Ghanaians the luxury of time to get their cards. NIA was not set up with a specific deadline, he stressed. NIA is an organisation set up in perpetuity. What that means is that we are to deliver our mandate pretty much the same like the hospital or a maternity ward that people go there as and when they need to. He explained that the law that set up the NIA required it to conduct a mass registration within a one-year period and get Ghanaians who turn 15 years and non-citizens the luxury to register. That is the scheme prescribed by law and that is the scheme we are implementing and we are doing so in perpetuity. There is no timeline and the intendment of the law is that people will go to the NIA at their leisure and pleasure to go and get registered and those people will be those who were not captured during registration. Prof Attafuah, however, expressed hope that a large chunk of Ghanaians out of the over 800,000 left will get their cards for the SIM re-registration before the latest deadline. ---3news.com The Upper West Regional Police Command says it has opened investigations into the killing of a 62-year-old private security guard in Kpaguri, a suburb of Wa. According to the police, a search party was commissioned when the family of the deceased reported him missing on Saturday, and his body was uncovered in an uncompleted building. Residents reported that, they have found a shallow grave close to where the deceased used to guard. The police went to the scene together with Environmental Health Officers too and the body was conveyed to the Regional Hospital. The body was sent to the mortuary for preservation, and it was released to the family after post-mortem for burial, the Public Relations Officer for the Upper West regional Police command, Inspector Gideon Ohene Boateng, said. He further called on residents to help police bring the perpetrators to book. Police personnel in the Upper West Region will try to ensure that those perpetrators are arrested. The modus operandi used by these criminals is baffling, so the police will urge the general public to be cautious so we can curb the menace. By Citi Newsroom The late Rhodaline Amoah-Darko 03.08.2022 LISTEN A senior lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey who is standing trial over the disappearance of his wife, Rhodaline Amoah-Darko, who is also a staff of the Lands Commission in Kumasi is still languishing in custody after being granted bail. He has reportedly been granted a GH300,000 bail with one surety to be justified by the Kumasi High Court. However, per a report carried by Citi FM, Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey is yet to meet the bail conditions hence he is still behind bars. Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to October 17, 2022. On August 30, 2021, Rhodaline Amoah-Darko went missing. Her husband and two other persons were arrested and have been standing trial over the matter. The two other accused persons are Yaw Boateng and Justice Appiah Rhodaline's phone was found in their possession. Three teaching assistants of the KNUST lecturer have testified and cross examined in relation to the case. There have been contradictory remarks when the witnesses mounted the box in court. Though Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey in his statement to the police said his wife did not return home on August 30, 2021, and that he slept in the house with his kids and the teaching assistants, the teaching assistants however contradicted his claims. The teaching assistants told the court that they slept with their lecturer's kids at their hostel and returned to the house the next day when Rhodaline was not around. The court had previously denied Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey bail, but after the lawyers finished the cross-examination for the third witness, it has now granted bail to him. ---DGN online A Private Legal Practitioner, Chris A. Ackummey has expressed worry over the planned enstoolment of a new Dutor (overlord/founder) of Anlo in the Volta Region. Following several speculations in the last few months, it was finally confirmed last month that the Laofe Clan in Anlo has decided to hold an event at Hogbe Park for the coronation of Torgbiba Wenya III and Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II while His Royal Majesty Torgbui Sri III remains the Awomefia of Anlo. Amid fears that the planned enstoolment scheduled for August 13 could fuel violent clashes, a tripartite meeting was held last week at Anloga between Togbi Sri III, Torgbi Addo, and Togbe Tenge Gligui Dzokoto. At the meeting attended by the clan seeking to install Torgbiba Wenya III and Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II, it was made clear that no proper procedure has been followed in accordance with the Chieftaincy Act. With no record of an existing stool that proves there was ever a Torgbiba Wenya and Mamaga Abui Buiekpor in the history of Anlo, there was a call for the planned coronation this month to be called off to avert a potential dispute. From the information gathered, the determined group aiming to enstool Torgbiba Wenya III and Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II staged a walkout from the meeting. Besides that meeting, the Anlo Traditional Council has written to the Anlo District Security Council (DISEC) about the looming tension in the midst of speculations that the coronation may go ahead despite being unlawful. My attention has been drawn to Social media stories making rounds about a purported installation of Torgbui Wenya by some members of Loafe clan. This purported activity has a high potential of breaching the peace, cohesion, and stability of our dear Anlo State because it has not been sanctioned by the Anlo Traditional Authority. I must state, the traditional authority in Anlo is THE ANLO TRADITIONAL COUNCIL and this council has not given the right nor authority for any such installation because it does not exist in the Anlo Chieftaincy Structure. This purported activity should be regarded as null and void, a letter sent to DISEC and signed by His Royal Majesty Torgbui Sri III who is President of Anlo Traditional Council reads. Concerned about tension in Anlo, Lawyer Chris Ackummey who is an Elder of the ruling Adzorvia Clan of Anlo has called on the state security apparatus to intervene. At a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, August 2, he appealed to DISEC and REGSEC to show interest and ensure that any potential disruption is averted. He fears that if the installation of Torgbiba Wenya III and Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II is allowed to see the light of day, Anlo will experience clashes that will disrupt its peace. Those pushing this are bent on unleashing violence in Anlo. I dont think we want to see the country being thrown into another turmoil at a time when the economy is not doing so well. That is why we want the security to be up and doing. I believe in the law court and the Justice system. Obviously, we will go to court to seek an injunction but it may not stop them. The best thing for me will be a step-in by the security apparatus, Lawyer Chris. Ackummey told journalists at his press briefing. Reports suggest that the people behind the agenda for the installation of Torgbiba Wenya III want him to become the Dutor of Anlo while His Royal Majesty Torgbui Sri III continues to be the Awoame fia of Anlo. August 02, 2022 Ukraine - Mines, Missiles, Warcrimes And A Warning To Zelenski Russia continues its special military operation in Ukraine in a relatively slow manner. Its military is tasked with the 'demilitarization' and 'denazification' of Ukraine. This task does not require large movements of the front line as the Ukrainian government continues to send fresh troops and nazis units towards the Russian lines. There the Russians reliably maul them without taking significant casualties on their own side. --- The Ukrainian government and its military continue to commit war crimes. Since a few days the Ukraine is firing missiles with thousands of anti-personal mines into Donetsk city and other population centers in the east. These are not powerful enough to kill but are designed to maim anyone who steps on them or tries to pick them up. bigger --- Their color is green and brown so one will hardly see them when they are laying in grass or on rough ground. The Russian's once had similar mines but those deactivated themselves after 24 hours. The Ukrainian ones do not do that. They will still be dangerous months from now. Russia has send hundreds of troops to help with the demining. On July 29 two HIMARS missiles were fired onto a prison camp in Olenivka (also written Elenovka), some 30 kilometers south of Donetsk city. They hit the barracks that housed Azov nazi fighters who had been caught in Mariupol. Fifty of those died and some 70 were wounded in the missile attack. Ukraine denied that it had launched the missiles and accused the Russians of willfully killing the prisoners. However Russia does not need to fire missiles or bomb barracks to kill prisoners it already holds. It can simply take them out of of their barracks and hang or shoot them. It also would not wound 70 people it now must additionally care for. Via Politico U.S. officials are covering for the Ukraine: American-made rocket launchers not used in Ukraine prison strike, U.S. assesses The U.S. has assessed that Ukraine did not attack a prison in a Russian-occupied eastern region of Donetsk with American-made rocket launchers last week, directly contradicting Russian claims, according to two U.S. officials. ... However, no traces of the U.S.-provided weapons were found at the site, according to two U.S. officials with knowledge of the assessment, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. We know Ukraine didnt attack the site with HIMARS because the site doesnt have the indications it would have if it was hit with HIMARS, one of the officials said. While one of the officials stopped short of saying Ukraine was not responsible for the strike, the other official said the evidence showed the attack was not conducted by Kyiv. Satellite photos of the site released by Maxar Technologies on July 30 appear to show damage only to the section of the detention center housing Ukrainian prisoners, with no collateral damage to surrounding buildings. The warheads of the shorter range HIMARS missiles have 91 kilogram (200 pound) warheads. That is a relative little amount of explosives. HIMARS hits are precise and do not create wide ranging collateral damage. That is there whole point. The claim that 'no traces of the U.S.-provided weapons were found at the site' is also definitely false. Several TV teams have visited the side and filmed the collected debris on the same day the incident had happened during the early morning hours. The diameter of these rocket motor parts fits to HIMARS missiles. Other filmed debris showed typical fragments of the HIMARS missile war head. bigger It was the Ukraine, and especially its dubious leaders, who had an interest in killing the Azov prisoners. These had started to talk with Russian interviewers and were revealing war crimes for which the leadership in Ukraine is directly responsible. On July 28 the Russians published a video of an interview with Azov nazi soldier Dmytro Kozatsky, call sign Orest, who directly accused Zelenski advisor Arestovich of ordering the killing of Russian soldiers who had been taken prisoners. Kozatsky was running the public relation side for his Azov unit. Even before the war started, Kozatsky says, Arestovich was preparing an information campaign with shock videos that were supposed to show the torture and killing of Russian soldiers taken prisoners. Kozatsky received such an order and passed it on. He later noted that such shock videos were indeed made and published on social media sides. bigger bigger That witness statement is enough to put Arestovich into jail for a very long time. He responded by sending HIMARS missiles to kill the prisoners which were taking to the Russians and accusing him. Publishing videos of the torturing and killing of Russian prisoners was supposed to deter Russian soldiers from further fighting in the war. This tactic was also used in the 1940s by the Ukrainian nazi collaborators of the OUN. It had the opposite effect of what it was supposed to do. The Russian were enraged about those films and photographs and fought even harder. Today the Russian defense ministry accused Washington of being behind the missile attacks: Russian Defence Ministry has recorded and is taking into account for the future an official admission by General Skibitsky, deputy head of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, that Washington directly coordinates each target for Kiev before strikes from US-made HIMARS MLRS. Speaking to The Telegraph's British journalists, Skibitsky admitted that "before rocket launches, there are consultations between intelligence officials from both countries, which allow Washington to stop any potential attacks if they were unhappy with the intended target". All this undeniably proves that Washington, contrary to White House and Pentagon claims, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine. It is Biden administration that is directly responsible for all Kiev-approved rocket attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in populated areas of Donbas and other regions, which have resulted in mass deaths of civilians. No one else in Ukraine or in the world should have any doubts that the strikes by HIMARS rockets on Novaya Kakhovka on July 12, on Stakhanov on July 17, on Krasniy Luch on July 24, dozens of strikes on Donetsk and, of course, the July 29 strike on the detention facility in Elenovka, which killed 50 and injured 73 Ukrainian POWs, were planned by Zelensky regime and approved by Washington. Political, criminal and moral responsibility for the Elenovka massacre and other war crimes in Ukraine, along with Zelensky, lies directly with Biden administration. The relevant Telegraph piece was published yesterday: Britain helps Ukraine hunt for Russian spies eyeing Western military aid Asked how the US-provided Himars multiple-launch rocket systems have so precisely targeted Russian fuel and ammunition depots, as well as battlefield headquarters in eastern Ukraine, Gen Skibitsky said in this case in particular, we use real-time information. US officials are not providing direct targeting information, which would potentially undermine their case for not being direct participants in the war, Gen Skibitsky said. However, he suggested there was a level of consultation between intelligence officials of both countries prior to launching missiles that would allow Washington to stop any potential attacks if they were unhappy with the intended target. --- Someone in the Biden administration told New York Time columnist Thomas Friedman to fire a warning shot against the Ukrainian president Zelenski. He does so today in a column that warns about Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. Why Pelosis Visit to Taiwan Is Utterly Reckless Dear reader: The Ukraine war is not over. And privately, U.S. officials are a lot more concerned about Ukraines leadership than they are letting on. There is deep mistrust between the White House and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky considerably more than has been reported. And there is funny business going on in Kyiv. On July 17, Zelensky fired his countrys prosecutor general and the leader of its domestic intelligence agency the most significant shake-up in his government since the Russian invasion in February. It would be the equivalent of Biden firing Merrick Garland and Bill Burns on the same day. But I have still not seen any reporting that convincingly explains what that was all about. It is as if we dont want to look too closely under the hood in Kyiv for fear of what corruption or antics we might see, when we have invested so much there. (More on the dangers of that another day.) ... In short, this Ukraine war is SO not over, SO not stable, SO not without dangerous surprises that can pop out on any given day. Yet in the middle of all of this we are going to risk a conflict with China over Taiwan, provoked by an arbitrary and frivolous visit by the speaker of the House? It is Geopolitics 101 that you dont court a two-front war with the other two superpowers at the same time. As long as the U.S. keeps financing Zelenski he will continue to rule as he sees fit while also growing his already considerable nest egg. Posted by b on August 2, 2022 at 14:53 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page A video compilation of photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from their uni days has been released online and it's taken the internet by storm. With over 5 million views on the video, viewers have gotten a glimpse of the royal couple living and enjoying a "normal" life. All the pictures in the video are from their younger party nights out. The video was uploaded by a royal fan who captioned, "party hard like normal young people ". The photos in the post are far cry from how we are used to seeing the royals presented. Police have warned Kiwis about a new text scam that has been circulating around and claiming to be from the government. With the recent 'cost-of-living' payment rollouts, scammers have found an opportunity to trick people. The texts appear like they are from the government and ask people to "verify" in order "to receive the amount" by filling in their personal or financial details. You should not click on any of the links, IRD or banks will never ask for your information in a text. "Often scammers use timely and current events to try and deceive people in to being scammed. They will use a sense of urgency to get you to act without thinking and will include a link," police wrote on their Facebook post. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it is seeking possession of a Venezuelan cargo jet that has been grounded in Argentina since early June because it was previously owned by an Iranian airline that allegedly has ties to terror groups. The request to Argentina was revealed a day after an Argentine judge allowed 12 of the 19 crewmembers of the plane to leave the country as authorities continue to investigate possible terror ties of those traveling in the Boeing 747. Federal Judge Federico Villena said late Monday that the remaining four Iranians and three Venezuelans must stay. The U.S. request sent to Argentina on Tuesday followed the unsealing of a warrant in federal court in the District of Columbia that was issued last month and that argues the U.S-made plane should be forfeited because of violations of U.S. export control laws. The plane, according to the Justice Department, was transferred from Iranian airline Mahan Air which officials have alleged provides support for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Venezuelas state-owned Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios Aereos, or CONVIASA. CONVIASA is under U.S. sanctions. By transferring the airplane to the Venezuelan firm in October without prior U.S. government authorization, Mahan Air violated a 2008 order issued by the Department of Commerce that has since been periodically renewed, the U.S. says. The Justice Department says Emtrasur subsequently re-exported the plane between Caracas, Tehran and Moscow -- also without U.S. government approval. The Department of Justice will not tolerate transactions that violate our sanctions and export laws, Matthew Olsen, the head of the Justice Departments national security division, said in a statement. Working with our partners across the globe, we will give no quarter to governments and state-sponsored entities looking to evade our sanctions and export control regimes in service of their malign activities. The moves marked the latest development in the saga of the mysterious plane, which landed June 6 at Ezeiza International Airport outside Buenos Aires and was grounded two days later. The case has raised attention in several South American countries as well as the United States and Israel amid allegations that the plane was a cover for Iranian intelligence operations in the region. Iran and Venezuela vehemently deny those claims. The issue has caught the attention of members of U.S. Congress. On July 26, a dozen U.S. Republican senators wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accusing the Justice Department of failing to assist Argentine authorities in its investigation of the Venezuelan plane. Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, pressed Olsen about it at a hearing last week and lamented that in his view Iran was not receiving the scrutiny it deserved. Olsen said he was aware of the case but added: This is an ongoing matter. I cant talk about the specifics." The U.S. Commerce Department took its own action Tuesday, announcing it had suspended for 180 days the export privileges of Emtrasur. The Israeli government has praised Argentina for grounding the plane and contends at least some the Iranian crew members were involved directly in the trafficking of weapons to Syria and the terrorist organization Hezbollah of Lebanon. Among those who will continue to be prohibited from leaving Argentina is the Iranian pilot of the plane, Gholamreza Ghasemi. Ghasemi is a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and is a shareholder and board member of Iran's Qeshm Fars Air, which the U.S. Treasury Department has said is controlled by Mahan Air and provides material support to the Quds Force. The other crew members required to remain in Argentina are Abdolbaset Mohammadim, Mohammad Khosraviaragh and Saeid Vali Zadeh of Iran and Mario Arraga, Victor Perez Gomez and Jose Garcia Contreras of Venezuela. What is being investigated is whether, under the appearance of legal activity, they are financing terrorism operations (specifically with Hezbollah) or whether they are part of a plan that has ties with Hezbollah, the judge wrote. Villena emphasized that connections with Irans Revolutionary Guard are not under investigation because Argentina does not consider it to be a terrorist organization. Mahan Air has denied any ties to the aircraft and Venezuela has demanded that Argentine authorities release the plane. Yet Argentine authorities who searched the plane found a Mahan Air flight log documenting the aircrafts flights after the transfer to Emtrasur, including a flight to Tehran in April, the Justice Department said. The plane was carrying cargo for several Argentine auto parts companies that it loaded in Mexico before stopping in Caracas and arriving in Argentina. The plane is also under investigation in Paraguay, where the plane landed in May and spent three days in Ciudad del Este, near the border with Argentina, where it loaded cigarettes to transport to Aruba, according to Paraguayan authorities. There are suspicions the planes cargo was a facade that hid the real reason for its time in Paraguay, says Rene Fernandez, a former prosecutor who leads Paraguays National Anticorruption Secretariat. Villena said the planes stopover in Paraguay was at least striking and added that further investigation was needed. - Tucker reported from Washington. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate On July 19, Midland Habitat for Humanity dedicated its 179th house, located at 813 Wolfberry Court, to a deserving homeowner. The home was funded by Endeavor Energy Resources and individual donors to MHFHs year-end campaign. Endeavor employees spent two weeks volunteering on the job site, the Habitat ReStore and office. Midland Habitat is one of the premier institutions responsible for constructing affordable housing in the Permian Basin. The organizations partnership model offers deserving, hard-working families a hand-up. Midland Habitat uses a rigorous qualifying process that includes progress from the application through homeownership. Each participant contributes a minimum of 350 hours of sweat equity on the worksite and completes a homeownership education program. Successful candidates are then awarded a 0% interest mortgage, making homeownership a reality for some of the neediest families in the Permian Basin. Anyone interested in supporting Midland Habitats efforts in the Permian Basin can contact Jeff Meyers, chief of staff, at 432-686-8877. For more information visit www.habitatmidland.org or call 432-686-8877 Truth Consulting Opens Office in South Africa London-based strategic insight agency Truth Consulting has launched an office in South Africa, where it has appointed former Kantar exec Lee Appleton as Director to drive the growth of the business. Truth, which also has an office in Germany, focuses on brand, innovation, audience and business strategy, and is now the insight and research division of Instinctif Partners, an EMEA business communications consultancy. Appleton (pictured) joins in Johannesburg after around thirteen years at TNS, where he latterly served as Account Director, managing a team supporting a large African media broadcasting client. During his time with the firm, Appleton led the team on the MultiChoice account, working on strategic studies to drive business growth and inform pricing strategies. He began his career at BMRB in the UK, and then moved to TNS as an RE before relocating to South Africa. During his career, Appleton also spent a year at full-service market research agency KLA Africa as Senior Research Manager. In his new role, Appleton will also work closely with Deanne Chatterton, who has overall responsibility for the development of Instinctif Partners' Africa business. Leanne Tomasevic, Head of Truth, comments: 'We are pleased Lee chose to join us and we look forward to further growing the team and working more closely with our clients in Africa.' Web sites: www.truth.ms and www.instinctif.com . A woman holds mock-up vials labeled "Monkeypox vaccine" in this illustration taken on May 25, 2022. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio welcome U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Guam. Speaker Pelosi touched down Sunday night at Andersen Air Force Base. She is leading a congressional delegation through Asia. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate YREKA, Calif. (AP) At least two people have died from a raging California blaze that was among several menacing thousands of homes Monday in the Western U.S. Two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle Sunday in the driveway of a home near the remote community of Klamath River, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. The names of the victims and other details weren't immediately released. The McKinney Fire in Northern California near the state line with Oregon exploded in size to nearly 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) after erupting Friday in the Klamath National Forest, firefighting officials said. It is Californias largest wildfire of the year so far and officials have not yet determined the cause. Gusty winds from a thunderstorm powered the blaze of a few hundred acres into a massive conflagration while lightning caused a couple of smaller blazes nearby, including one near the community of Seiad Valley, fire officials said. On Monday, heavy rain helped dampen the fire but it still threatened structures after torching more than 100, ranging from homes to greenhouses, fire and sheriff's officials said. About 2,500 people remained under evacuation orders. If you get an order, that means go. This fire behavior, as you'll hear, is incredible. Don't try to fight it. Don't try to stick around," Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services Director Bryan Schenone said at a community meeting Monday evening. Stormy and cloudy weather helped fire crews attack the blaze, and bulldozers had managed to ring the town of Yreka, fire officials said. As of Monday, the blaze was about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from the town of around 7,500 people. Valerie Linfoot's son, a fire dispatcher, called to tell her their family home of three decades in Klamath River had burned. Linfoot said her husband worked as a U.S. Forest Service firefighter for years and the family did everything they could to prepare their house for a wildfire including installing a metal roof and trimming trees and tall grasses around the property. It was as safe as we could make it, and it was just so dry and so hot and the fire was going so fast, Linfoot told the Bay Area News Group. She said her neighbors have also lost homes. Its a beautiful place. And from what Ive seen, its just decimated. Its absolutely destroyed, she told the news group. In northwestern Montana, winds picked up Monday afternoon on a fire burning in forested land west of Flathead Lake, forcing fire managers to ground all aircraft and leading the Lake County Sheriffs Office to start evacuating residents on the northeastern corner of the fire. The fire was putting up a lot of smoke, creating visibility problems for aircraft, said Sara Rouse, a spokesperson for the fire management team. The fire, which started Friday afternoon near the town of Elmo on the Flathead Indian Reservation, measured 20 square miles (52 square kilometers), fire officials said. The Moose Fire in Idaho has burned more than 85 square miles (220 square kilometers) in the Salmon-Challis National Forest while threatening homes, mining operations and fisheries near the town of Salmon. It was 23% contained Monday. And a wildfire raging in northwestern Nebraska led to evacuations and destroyed or damaged several homes near the small city of Gering. The Carter Canyon Fire began Saturday as two separate fires that merged. It was about 30% contained by early Monday. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday, allowing him more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and to tap federal aid. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The U.S. Forest service shut down a 110-mile (177-kilometer) section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and southern Oregon. Sixty hikers in that area were helped to evacuate on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office in Oregon, which aided in the effort. ___ Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Fighting back tears and finally given the chance to confront conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the parents of a 6-year-old killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting described being put through a living hell of death threats, harassment and ongoing trauma over the last decade caused by Jones using his media platforms to push claims that it was all a hoax. The parents led a day of charged testimony that included the judge scolding the bombastic Jones for not being truthful with some of what he said under oath. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse was killed at Sandy Hook, took the witness stand Tuesday on the final day of testimony in the two-week defamation damages trial against Jones and his media company Free Speech Systems. They are seeking at least $150 million in damages. In a gripping exchange, Lewis spoke directly to Jones, who was sitting about 10 feet away. Earlier that day, Jones was on his broadcast program telling his audience that Heslin is slow and being manipulated by bad people. I am a mother first and foremost and I know you are a father. My son existed, Lewis said to Jones. I am not deep state... I know you know that... And yet youre going to leave this courthouse and say it again on your show. At one point, Lewis asked Jones: Do you think Im an actor? No, I dont think youre an actor, Jones responded before the judge admonished him to be quiet until called to testify. Lewis continued trying to impress on Jones that the Sandy Hook shooting and trauma inflicted in the decade since then were real. It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this that we have to implore you, to punish you to get you to stop lying, Lewis said. I am so glad this day is here. Im actually relieved. And grateful... that I got to say all this to you. Jones visibly shook his head several times while Scarlett Lewis was addressing him. Heslin and Lewis are among several Sandy Hook families who have filed several lawsuits alleging that Sandy Hook hoax claims pushed by Jones have led to years of abuse by Jones and his followers. Heslin and Lewis both said they fear for their lives and have been confronted by strangers at home and on the street. Heslin said his home and car have been shot at. The jury heard a death threat sent via telephone message to another Sandy Hook family. I cant even describe the last nine and a half years, the living hell that I and others have had to endure because of the recklessness and negligence of Alex Jones, Heslin said. Scarlett Lewis also described threatening emails that seemed to have uncovered deep details of her personal life. Its fear for your life, Scarlett Lewis said. You dont know what they were going to do. Heslin said he didnt know if the Sandy Hook hoax conspiracy theory originated with Jones, but it was Jones who lit the match and started the fire with an online platform and broadcast that reached millions worldwide. What was said about me and Sandy Hook itself resonates around the world, Heslin said. As time went on, I truly realized how dangerous it was. Jones skipped Heslins morning testimony while he was on his show a move Heslin dismissed as cowardly but arrived in the courtroom for part of Scarlett Lewis testimony. He was accompanied by several private security guards. Today is very important to me and its been a long time coming... to face Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore the honor and legacy of my son, Heslin said when Jones wasnt there. Heslin told the jury about holding his son with a bullet hole through his head, even describing the extent of the damage to his sons body. A key segment of the case is a 2017 Infowars broadcast that said Heslin didnt hold his son. The jury was shown a school picture of a smiling Jesse taken two weeks before he was killed. The parents didnt receive the photo until after the shooting. They described how Jesse was known for telling classmates to run! which likely saved lives. An apology from Jones wouldnt be good enough, the parents said. Alex started this fight, Heslin said, and Ill finish this fight. Jones later took the stand himself, initially being combative with the judge, who had asked him to answer his own attorney's question. Jones testified he had long wanted to apologize to the plaintiffs. I never intentionally tried to hurt you. I never said your name until this came to court," Jones said. "The internet had questions, I had questions. Later, the judge sent the jury out of the room and strongly scolded Jones for telling the jury he complied with pretrial evidence gathering even though he didnt, and that he is bankrupt, which has not been determined. Plaintiffs attorneys were furious about Jones mentioning he is bankrupt, which they worry will taint a jury decision about damages. This is not your show, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. Your beliefs do not make something true. You are under oath. Last September, Guerra admonished Jones in her default judgment over his failure to turn over documents requested by the Sandy Hook families. A court in Connecticut issued a similar default judgment against Jones for the same reasons in a separate lawsuit brought by other Sandy Hook parents. Heslin and Lewis suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder that comes from constant trauma, similar to that endured by soldiers in war zones or child abuse victims, a forensic psychologist who studied their cases and met with them testified Monday. Jones has portrayed the lawsuit against him as an attack on his First Amendment rights. At stake in the trial is how much Jones will pay. The parents have asked the jury to award $150 million in compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury will then consider whether Jones and his company will pay punitive damages. The trial is just one of several Jones faces. Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax. In both states, judges issued default judgements against Jones without trials because he failed to respond to court orders and turn over documents. Jones has already tried to protect Free Speech Systems financially. The company filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week. Sandy Hook families have separately sued Jones over his financial claims, arguing that the company is trying to protect millions owned by Jones and his family through shell entities. ___ Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber contributed to this report. ___ For more of the APs coverage of school shootings: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings ASHLAND Ashland village officials are finalizing a new contract with the Cass Rural Water District that would include a slight increase in the rate for the district to transport water from Virginia to Ashland. Mayor Kitty Mau said the village has maintained a contract with the water district, however the district approached the village about raising its rates earlier this year. "The rate will increase a little, which is basically just a pass-through fee," Mau said. "We pay Virginia for the water, but the district transports it." Mau said the increase, once approved, will only be minimal and will not impact customer rates. "This is not going to impact the residents at all," Mau said. "We won't be raising any rates. The increase is small enough that the town will be able to cover it. I was adamant that we will not raise rates for our residents. That was my only stipulation that any changes not raise our residents' rate." Mau said the village and the board was able to negotiate a new rate that would allow the village to cover the increased cost without increasing water bills. Though the contract is mostly finished and agreed upon, Mau said the board has not voted to approve it. Before the board will sign the contract, the village has asked the district to inspect the village water tower, which holds the water supplied by the district. Mau said the district is responsible for the water tower's upkeep. "Because the water goes through the tower, we just wanted to make sure everything was in working condition to make sure Ashland is getting a good water supply," Mau said. Mau said the tower is routinely inspected. Currently the inspection is scheduled for later in the month. Once the inspection is complete and everything appears to be good, the village board is expected to vote on the approval of the contract. "I don't anticipate any problems," Mau said. "We already had a contract with them, this is just for an increase they didn't anticipate needing, so it shouldn't really be a big issue." The board also received a Rebuild Illinois Public Infrastructure Grant for $1.157 million to replace the lift station for the village sewer system. David Hayes of Benton & Associates said the grant should cover the full cost to replace the outdated and aging lift station. "The lift station is past its useful life and this will completely replace that," Hayes said. The lift station is the system that collects the waste and pumps it up into the sewage plant. Mau said the current station has a lot of work that is needed and can be potentially dangerous for workers that have to fix the pumps. The current station is underground, which requires workers to go underground in order to fix the pumps when they stop working. In addition, the current station doesn't grind any debris going through the system. Instead it is collected in a basket which has to be manually emptied by village employees. "The new system will be safer for our guys," Mau said. Prior to the beginning of construction, Ashland has to undergo several studies, including an environmental review, eight-step flood plain review and a wetlands review. Hayes said the studies could take up to 90 days to complete. Once the studies are done, the design for the new station can begin. "The design process can take about six months, so I expect to go out for bids probably May to June," Hayes said. Construction will likely begin in late spring or summer next year. While the new station is being built, the existing station will continue to be used. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California's governor on Monday declared a state of emergency to speed efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreak, becoming the second state in three days to take the step. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the declaration will help California coordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on where people can get treatment and vaccination. Well continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said in a statement announcing his declaration. Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, which can include hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as through the sharing of bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have mainly been men who have sex with men, though health officials note that the virus can infect anyone. Public health officials are clear: stigma is unacceptable and counterproductive in public health response," Michelle Gibbons, executive director of the County Health Executives Association of California said in a statement. The fact is that monkeypox is primarily spread by skin to skin contact and sharing objects like bedding or towels, without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal, and people usually recover within weeks. But the lesions and blisters caused by the virus are painful, and they can prevent swallowing or bowel movements if in the throat or anus. The declaration in California came after a similar one in New York state on Saturday, and in San Francisco on Thursday. Newsom's administration had said as recently as Friday that it was too soon for such a declaration. After pressing for Newsom to make such a declaration, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco hailed the governor's decision. The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it, Wiener said. Newsom's proclamation allows emergency medical personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the federal government. That's similar to a recent law that allows pharmacists to administer vaccines, Newsom's administration said. It said the state's response is building on the steps developed during the coronavirus pandemic to set up vaccination clinics and make sure there is outreach to vulnerable populations in cooperation with local and community-based organizations. California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses and has distributed more than 25,000 doses. We dont have any time to waste, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. She said the nation's most-populous county must use all available resources to speed the distribution of vaccines and help to those who have been infected. Newsom's office said Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine. As of last week, the state had expanded its testing capacity to process more than 1,000 tests a week. Critics have said the long wait for test results delayed treatment options. In San Francisco, Peter Tran was among hundreds who lined up sometimes for hours to receive the monkeypox vaccine at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Monday after the clinic was forced to close last week because it did not receive enough doses. Its horrible. Like this is a vaccine thats been out for such a long time. And like, its not even a deadly disease. Its harder to be transmitted than COVID. But the rollout of the vaccines throughout this nation is absolutely horrible, Tran said. I think the science shows that protection is greatly improved with the vaccine. So thats why Im doing it. And I honestly just dont want the lesions on my body. I heard the lesions are painful and leave scarring. So I think thats another motivation to go out and get it. Before making their own emergency declaration last week, San Francisco city officials were criticized for not responding rapidly enough to the outbreak. They, in turn, faulted the federal government for failing to deliver enough vaccines. The city received about 4,000 doses on Friday, enabling it to restart vaccinations, and hopes to administer them by mid-week, said Dr. Lukejohn Day, chief medical officer at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The city had 305 cases as of Monday, he said. The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency. ___ Associated Press videographer Terry Chea contributed from San Francisco. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) The woman who was in Daunte Wrights vehicle when he was fatally shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb last year is suing the city and the former officer who killed him. The lawsuit says passenger Alayna Albrecht-Payton, 21, of St. Paul, was physically injured when Wright's vehicle crashed into another SUV after Kim Potter shot him. Potter has said she mistook her firearm for her Taser when she fired at the 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center on April 11, 2021. Albrecht-Payton said in her complaint that she has also suffered from post traumatic stress disorder since watching Wright die of his gunshot wound. Potter, who is white, was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in Wright's death and sentenced to two years in prison. Albrecht-Payton was a blameless witness to a horribly traumatic event, which a lot of people heard her testify to in the felony trial. And she has suffered some significant and permanent injuries, including the broken jaw and the cuts, and just scared inside and out from this event, her attorney Kathryn Bennett told the Star Tribune. Albrecht-Payton underwent surgery for her broken jaw following the shooting and still struggles with the injury and teeth misalignment, according to the lawsuit. Jason Hiveley, from the law firm Iverson Reuvers, is the attorney representing Potter and the city. Because this matter is in active litigation, we are unable to say much other than we are in the process of reviewing Ms. Albrecht-Paytons medical records and evaluating our legal defenses. We anticipate filing a Motion for Summary Judgment once depositions are complete, Hiveley said in a statement. Albrecht-Payton's lawsuit said she is seeking at least $150,000 in damages. The city of Brooklyn Center last month agreed to pay a $3.2 million settlement to Wrights family. The fallout from Wrights death led the Brooklyn Center City Council to pass a series of reforms, including the use of social workers and other trained professionals to respond to medical, mental health and social-needs calls that dont require police. The shooting happened at a time of high tension in the area. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was standing trial just miles away for the killing of George Floyd, who was Black. Floyds May 2020 death prompted a reckoning over police brutality and discrimination against people of color. ATHENS, Greece (AP) Five people were arrested on a Greek island Tuesday and charged with trying to smuggle nearly 100 migrants into Europe on an unsafe vessel last week, using what appears to be a new direct sea route from crisis-afflicted Lebanon to Italy. It was the second such incident in about a month involving a boat departing Lebanon. The more common sea route for asylum-seekers from the Middle East and Africa seeking a better life in Europe is from Turkey to Greece or Italy. But it has become less used amid increased vigilance by Greek and European Union border agencies. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A Utah man has been arrested on accusations he started a wildfire while trying to burn a spider with his lighter. Cory Allan Martin, 26, told deputies that he spotted the spider Monday while he was in a hiking area in the foothills south of Salt Lake City near the city of Springville, shows a probable cause statement. He acknowledged starting the fire, but didn't explain why he was trying to burn the spider. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The wife of a U.S. defense contractor, who together are charged in Hawaii federal court with fraudulently cloaking themselves in the stolen identities of two deceased Texas infants for three decades, said Tuesday that shes not the person prosecutors say she is. When the case of Gwynn Darle Morrison was called in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, she said: Thats what theyre calling me. She claims shes actually Julie Lyn Montague, who prosecutors said died in 1968 when she was three weeks old and later had her identity stolen. The assertion put her at odds with her husband, who has acknowledged hes Walter Glenn Primrose and not Bobby Edward Fort, the identity he allegedly used to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1994 and gain secret security clearance that allowed him to work as a defense contractor. Fort was about 10 weeks old when he died in late 1967 at the same Burnet, Texas, hospital where Montague died a few months later. Not guilty pleas were entered Tuesday on behalf of the couple to charges of conspiracy, false statement in a passport application and aggravated identity theft. They face up to 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Both were ordered detained until a trial was scheduled Sept. 26. The dispute over the real name of the wife added a new layer of intrigue to a case that may amount to more than stolen identities. A search of the couples Hawaii home turned up photos that appear to be shot in the 1980s of the two wearing uniforms of the Russian KGB, the former spy agency, prosecutors said. Investigators also found an invisible ink kit, documents with coded language and maps showing military bases. When the couple were left in a room together, they were unwittingly recorded saying things consistent with espionage, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Myers said last week. Defense lawyer Megan Kau said Montague is the only name her client has ever used. Kau said the couple appeared to wear the same KGB jacket in the photos and her client was only in a T-shirt. Kau said she hasn't heard the recording of a discussion allegedly involving espionage. All my client remembers is that her husband told her, They think were spies," Kau said. So, yes, the word spy was brought up because the government is accusing them of being spies. Kau argued that her client had no criminal record and there was not enough reason to keep her locked up while facing trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck said it was a little strange she maintains she's Montague rather than choosing to not address the identity issue. The father and sister of Montague last week told The Associated Press last week that Julie died shortly after birth and was buried in a cemetery. Morrison and Primrose both born more than a decade before Fort and Montague went to high school and college together and married in 1980 and bought a house in Nacogdoches, Texas, prosecutors said. They left Texas in the early 1980s, telling at least one family member they were going into the witness protection program, prosecutors said. They resurfaced later as Fort and Montague, telling some people they had changed their identities for financial and legal reasons. An unnamed sister of Morrison said the photo on the Hawaii driver's license with Montagues name appeared to be her sister though it listed the wrong birth date, Muehleck said. We have a situation here where this defendant and her co-defendant, of course, have used false identities to deceive Social Security, the Department of Defense, Hawaii Department of Transportation, the State Department national passport center for 30 years, Muehleck said. "Theres no verification of who she says she is. U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader said he was holding her without bail because he couldn't trust her to comply with terms and conditions of release if he wasn't sure of her identity. At the core of this case, is some serious, albeit unusual, circumstances where the defendant claims to be an individual other than the person named in the indictment, Trader said. I cant even really say that I have confidence in who Miss Morrison or Miss Montague really, truly is. NPC Standing Committee spokesperson makes remarks on U.S. House Speaker Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region Xinhua) 23:26, August 02, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- On behalf of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, a spokesperson for the NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday made remarks on the visit to China's Taiwan region by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The following is the full text of the remarks: On Aug. 2, in disregard of China's solemn representations and firm opposition, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went ahead with her visit to China's Taiwan region. The move has gravely violated the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, gravely undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, gravely impacted the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and sent a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China's NPC firmly opposes and strongly condemns the move. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is the premise for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and is also the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. The United States has made solemn commitment to China on the Taiwan question, but in real action, it has constantly upgraded substantive relations and official exchanges with Taiwan, emboldened and supported "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, attempted to use Taiwan to contain China, and severely undermined the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese government and the Chinese people have taken and will continue to take resolute and forceful measures to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests. The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For China, there is zero room for compromise and not an inch to give. The Anti-Secession Law has made clear stipulations on major issues including upholding the one-China principle, deterring separatist moves toward "Taiwan independence" and opposing interference in the Taiwan question by external forces. The stance of the Chinese government and the Chinese people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm will of over 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt to obstruct China's complete reunification and great national rejuvenation is doomed to fail. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) US House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, defying Beijing View Photo TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi flew in aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwans foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel. Her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The speaker framed the trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Her visit comes after she led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and it serves as a capstone to her many years of promoting democracy abroad. We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the Taiwan independence forces seeking independence. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washingtons betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility. Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan, Wang said in a statement that referred to the U.S. as the worlds biggest saboteur of peace. Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative were utterly absurd. I believe she has every right to go, McConnell said in a Senate speech. Senators are considering legislation to bolster Taiwans defense as direct response to Chinas rhetoric. The Taiwan Policy Act, which has support from both parties, will be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The package would bolster Taiwans defense capabilities with nearly $4.5 billion in security assistance over the next four years and provide other support for Taiwans democratic government and civil society. The measure would also designate Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally, which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. Backers call it the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Pelosis trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei. Journalists and onlookers thronged the streets just outside and pressed against the hotels lobby windows as they awaited Pelosis motorcade. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. China has stepped up overflights and other provocative moves toward Taiwan and neighboring territory in recent years, asserting broad claims of its rights around the region. Chinas military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House insisted that China had no valid cause for anger. The United States will not seek, and does not want, a crisis, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a White House briefing Tuesday. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling. U.S. officials have said the American military will increase its movements in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosis visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their home port in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwans Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosis aircraft, an Air Force version of the Boeing 737, took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. The speaker has long challenged China on human rights, including traveling to Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after China crushed a wave of democracy protests. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour Monday in Singapore. She is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. ___ Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. By HUIZHONG WU, EILEEN NG and LISA MASCARO Associated Press US ambassador to Japan warns of Chinese economic coercion View Photo TOKYO (AP) The United States is working with Japan and other likeminded countries to counter Chinas efforts to use its economic might to force political change around the world, the U.S. ambassador to Japan said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. Rahm Emanuel, who was previously mayor of Chicago and chief of staff for President Barack Obama, is pushing what he calls commercial diplomacy, the idea that the United States and Japan will be more eager to do business with each other and with similar secure and stable countries amid worries caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Chinese economic coercion. From intellectual property theft to coercion to debt dependency that China creates, the idea that they could actually honestly say, We dont coerce, and then you have not one, not two, not three many worldwide examples where they use their economic market access to force a political change in a country I think everybodys woken up to that, Emanuel said in the interview at his residence in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Emanuel, who arrived in Japan in January, laid out a number of examples of Chinese coercion, including with Japan, which saw Chinese shipments of rare earth metals blocked over a territorial dispute; South Korea, which suffered Chinese business boycotts when it installed a U.S. missile defense system; Australia; and countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Chinas growing economic importance and spending abroad have rattled those countries, which worry that Beijing is increasing its strategic and political influence in their traditional spheres of influence. China has become one of the biggest lenders to developing countries through its Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Europe. This has prompted accusations Beijing is using debt to gain political leverage, but Chinese officials deny that. China has been more assertive about pressing other governments to embrace Chinese-led initiatives including a trade group, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Emanuel said that finding ways for Japan and the United States to stand up to Chinese economic coercion was one of the first issues he raised with Japans foreign minister. Japan has expressed deep worry about increased Chinese activities in regional seas, including near a Japanese-controlled island claimed by Beijing, and has pushed for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Emanuel praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas pledge of a significant increase in both the countrys defense budget and its military capabilities. Kishidas attempts to revise Japans national security strategy and basic defense guidelines are a legacy of his hawkish mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July. Kishida has also said he is open to the development of possible preemptive strike capabilities, which opponents say would go far beyond Japans war-renouncing constitution, which restricts the use of force to self-defense. Kishida also has proposed significantly increasing Japans defense budget possibly doubling to 2% of GDP, a NATO standard over the next five years. Much to the prime ministers credit, he looked around the corner and realized what was happening in this region and the world Japan needed to step up in ways it hadnt in the past, Emanuel said. Emanuel also mentioned economic opportunities for Japan and the United States in electric vehicle batteries, energy, new research and technology in small modular nuclear reactors, aviation technology and semiconductors. The business leaders whom he has met with as ambassador to Japan would have evaluated a capital expenditure decision in the past purely by considering cost, logistics and efficiency, he said, but they are now willing to pay more to avoid sanctions and instability. That is a major change in thinking, he said. For the last 20 or 30 years, cost and efficiency were the driving factors. They drove public policy, and they drove corporate decisions. Today cost and efficiency are being replaced, supplanted by stability and sustainability, Emanuel said. ___ AP writer Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report. By FOSTER KLUG and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press House Minority Leader Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) delivered a speech on the House Floor on how the House Democrat drought and wildfire bill fails to deliver for our community. McCarthy was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words from July 29th: Mr. Chairman, while its been described as a solution to both the drought and the wildfires devastating western states, this bill does little to address either issue. But later this morning the House will consider my amendment, which would simply establish a program to incentivize larger communities to integrate nearby smaller, rural communities into their drinking water systems when the smaller communities drinking water wells run dry. In my district, the community of Tooleville has run out of water as the groundwater table drops and aging infrastructure fails or becomes obsolete. While the long-term solution is to connect Tooleville to the City of Exeters drinking water system, that can be expensive for both Exeter and Tooleville. This amendment would reduce connection costs for Tooleville residents while also enabling Exeter to increase its water supply to meet increased demand with its new customers. Tulare County advises me that if Californias drought continues, more small and rural communities in my district with older infrastructure could meet a similar fate as groundwater tables drop, making this amendment even more important. We cant leave our western communities vulnerable to drought and aging infrastructure, and I encourage my colleagues to support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the record a letters supporting my amendment from the County of Tulare, the County of Kern, and the City of Exeter, all of which are located in my congressional district. Communities like Tooleville wont get access to the water they need by Congress spending billions of dollars on studies, plans, or new red tape for much-needed water infrastructure projects. If this Majority were serious about addressing the drought, they would ensure we can capture water and snowmelt in wet years by investing in new reservoirs and expanding existing ones today. Instead, my Democrat colleagues, led by the Speaker, have fought for years to block the near shovel-ready Shasta Reservoir Enlargement Project. From their opposition to expand water supplies through Shasta or bringing more water to the Central Valley and southern California by extending the bipartisan WIIN Act, the Democrats seem intent on making it even harder to bring water to our communities that desperately need it to survive. The Natural Resources Committee has refused to act on any of the bills introduced this Congress or last Congress to extend key California water conveyance provisions from the WIIN Act. And on top of this, the Biden Administration is working to roll back science-based, peer reviewed regulations issued under the last administration, which would create even more hurdles to bringing water to the Central Valley and southern California from the Delta. Even on this bill, where my colleagues offered common-sense amendments to address these and other California water issues and put them to a vote, Democrats failed to make even one other Republican amendment in order. Unsurprisingly, the wildfire provisions of this bill are no better. This legislation includes no new authorities for the land management agencies protecting our forests, nothing to stop frivolous lawsuits from tying up critical management projects, and no streamlining provisions to address the bureaucracy that stops federal agencies from conducting fire prevention activities before the forest burns. The West is literally on fire right now. This bill would do little, if anything, to prevent these fires in the future. It locks up 58 million acres of roadless areas, making it harder to reduce the hazardous fuels in our forests and parks that cause large fires. In fact, its so poorly drafted that it could result in lay-offs of more than 600 federal firefighters during the fire season! Nothing in this bill would make much-needed updates to the National Environmental Policy Act also known as NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, or the National Historic Preservation Act. These laws have resulted in a bureaucratic nightmare of red tape that has delayed critical forest management projects. They are used by extremist special interests to bog down agencies with frivolous lawsuits designed to stop nearly all work in our forests and national parks. These laws have become the very reason we cannot get critical forest management projects done quickly, and the results are devastating to the environment, wildlife, and historic resources in our National Forests and parks. And egregiously, theres not a single mention in this bill of our most iconic trees the Giant Sequoias that are under significant threat from the wildfires raging in the west. Growing up in California, I had always understood the significance of these trees. In fact, they are so iconic that the Giant Sequoia is the official logo for the National Park Service. These trees have stood on this planet for more than 2,000 years. Yet, in the past 3 years, we have lost nearly 20% of these iconic trees to catastrophic fires. The last time this occurred was in 1297 more than 700 years ago. Thats why earlier this year, I took a bipartisan Congressional delegation to my district to see firsthand the devastation the Castle Fire wreaked on the Sequoia National Forest, its Giant Sequoia groves, and nearby communities. On this trip, my colleagues and I learned more about Giant Sequoias, including their resiliency to fires, and had the opportunity to compare the difference between groves that were properly treated prior to wildfire season versus those that were not. The contrast couldnt be more stark. And though wed been briefed on what we were about to witness, nothing could prepare us for the extent of the devastation. The poor state of these Giant Sequoia groves was shocking, and in many areas, all that was left of these trees which had once stood hundreds of feet tall were short stumps now charred and blackened. The patches of desecrated forest were evident as far as the eye could see, and though the extent of the destruction we saw was devastating, what made things worse was learning from the experts on the ground that these fires and their destruction could have been prevented with the right tools and forest management techniques. As my colleagues and I soaked it all in, we knew that we had to act, and soon. That is why my colleagues and I introduced the bipartisan Save Our Sequoias Act to immediately declare an emergency and save these iconic trees, and why we offered it as an amendment in this bill. This commonsense legislation would give the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management the necessary tools to respond to the unfolding fire-related disasters in the Giant Sequoia groves and surrounding areas in the Sierra Nevada. Specifically, it would reduce the risk of catastrophic fires by enabling these agencies to use emergency authorities to expedite hazardous fuels removal projects in these areas. It would also remove the barriers that prevent the Forest Service and local experts from taking action to protect these trees and nearby communities. It would provide funding for a comprehensive reforestation strategy to rebuild the resources we have already lost. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the months of work put in toward crafting this bipartisan legislation. As we debate this bill today, not only is the Washburn Fire threatening over 500 giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park, including the worlds largest and oldest tree, the Grizzly Giant, but another fire, the Oak Fire, has sprung up near the park over the weekend. The Oak Fire, which is only 26% contained, is threatening Giant Sequoias and has forced the evacuation of many area residents. Thats why it is shocking that House Democrats did not make this bipartisan amendment in order. This is an immediate crisis, and we cant afford to wait. The American people, especially those in the West, deserve more. Fires and droughts are not partisan things they affect both Republicans and Democrats. But theres no excuse for wasting time on bills that just pay lip service to wildfires and our Giant Sequoia groves. We must not be the generation that stood by as the flames of wildfires and a fealty to bureaucratic red tape damned these ancient natural wonders out of existence. We must act now on the bipartisan solutions to address these critical challenges. Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Sacramento, CA California Governor Gavin Newsom is declaring a State of Emergency in response to a rising number of monkeypox cases in the state. He put out a statement, reading, California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach. Newsom continues, Well continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization. California has had about 800 confirmed cases of monkeypox. It joins New York and Illinois in declaring State of Emergencies. California currently has the capacity to process about 1,000 tests per week, and plans to expand it over the coming weeks. To date, California has distributed 25,000 monkeypox vaccines. Al-Zawahris path went from Cairo clinic to top of al-Qaida View Photo CAIRO (AP) The doors of jihad opened for Ayman al-Zawahri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan. With that offer in 1980, al-Zawahri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, al-Qaida, after the death of Osama bin Laden. Already an experienced militant who had sought the overthrow of Egypts infidel regime since the age of 15, al-Zawahri took a trip to the Afghan war zone that was just a few weeks long, but it opened his eyes to new possibilities. What he saw was the training course preparing Muslim mujahedeen youth to launch their upcoming battle with the great power that would rule the world: America, he wrote in a 2001 biography-cum-manifesto. Al-Zawahri, 71, was killed over the weekend by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced the death Monday evening in an address to the nation. The strike is likely to lead to greater disarray within the organization than did bin Ladens death in 2011, since it is far less clear who his successor would be. Al-Zawahri became crucial to turning the jihadi movement to target the United States as the right-hand man to bin Laden, the young Saudi millionaire he met in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Under their leadership, the al-Qaida terror network carried out the deadliest attack ever on American soil, the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. While bin Laden came from a privileged background in a prominent Saudi family, al-Zawahri had the experience of an underground revolutionary. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. Bin Laden always looked up to him, said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University. Al-Zawahri spent time in an Egyptian prison, he was tortured. He was a jihadi from the time he was a teenager. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also became the movements public face, putting out a constant stream of video messages while bin Laden largely hid. With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and a prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive a contrast to bin Laden, whose soft-spoken presence many militants described in adoring, almost spiritual terms. Yet he reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the creation of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Asia. In the decade after 9/11, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks on U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. After Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, al-Qaida proclaimed al-Zawahri its paramount leader less than two months later. The jihad against America does not halt with the death of a commander or leader, he said. Chase America, which killed the leader of the mujahedeen and threw his body into the sea. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings around the Mideast threatened a major blow to al-Qaida, showing that jihad was not the only way to get rid of Arab autocrats. It was mainly pro-democracy liberals and leftists who led the uprising that toppled Egypts President Hosni Mubarak, the longtime goal al-Zawahri failed to achieve. But al-Zawahri sought to co-opt the wave of uprisings, insisting that they would have been impossible if the 9/11 attacks had not weakened America. And he urged Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. Al-Zawahri was born June 19, 1951, the son of an upper-middle-class family of doctors and scholars in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. His father was a pharmacology professor at Cairo Universitys medical school and his grandfather, Rabia al-Zawahri, was the grand imam of Al-Azhar University, a premier center of religious study. From an early age, al-Zawahri was enflamed by the radical writings of Sayed Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who taught that Arab regimes were infidel and should be replaced by Islamic rule. In the 1970s, as he earned his medical degree as a surgeon, he was active in militant circles. He merged his own militant cell with others to form the group Islamic Jihad and began trying to infiltrate the military at one point even storing weapons in his private clinic. Then came the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic Jihad militants. The slaying was carried out by a different cell in the group and al-Zawahri wrote that he learned of the plot only hours before the assassination. But he was arrested along with hundreds of other militants and served three years in prison. During his imprisonment, he was reportedly tortured heavily, a factor some cite as turning him more violently radical. After his release in 1984, al-Zawahri returned to Afghanistan and joined the Arab militants from across the Middle East fighting alongside the Afghans against the Soviets. He courted bin Laden, who became a heroic figure for his financial support of the mujahedeen. Al-Zawahri followed bin Laden to his new base in Sudan, and from there he led a reassembled Islamic Jihad group in a violent campaign of bombings aimed at toppling Egypts U.S.-allied government. In the most daring attack, Jihad and other militants tried to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a 1995 visit to Ethiopia. Mubarak escaped the hail of gunfire aimed at his motorcade, and his security forces all but crushed the militant movement in Egypt in the crackdown that followed. The Egyptian movement failed. But al-Zawahri would bring to al-Qaida the tactics that he honed in Islamic Jihad. He promoted the use of suicide bombings, to become al-Qaidas hallmark. He plotted a 1995 suicide car bombing of Egypts embassy in Islamabad that killed 16 people presaging the more devastating 1998 al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200, attacks al-Zawahri was indicted for in the United States. In 1996, Sudan expelled bin Laden, who took his fighters back to Afghanistan, where they found a safe haven under the radical Taliban regime. Once more, al-Zawahri followed. Two years later, their bond was sealed when bin Laden, al-Zawahri and other militant leaders issued the Declaration of Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. It announced that the United States was Islams top enemy and instructed Muslims that it was their religious duty to kill the Americans and their allies. The message consecrated a dramatic shift that al-Zawahri underwent under bin Ladens influence, changing from his longtime strategy of attacking the near enemy U.S.-allied Arab regimes like Egypt to target the far enemy, the United States itself. Some in al-Zawahris Islamic Jihad broke away, opposed to the move. And some al-Qaida militants whose association with bin Laden predated al-Zawahris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from al-Zawahri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, sneered in a memoir posted online in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. Soon after the alliance came the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa, followed by the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen, an attack al-Zawahri is believed to have helped organize. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, al-Zawahri and bin Laden fled into Pakistan as a U.S. airstrike killed al-Zawahris wife and at least two of their six children in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. The CIA came tantalizingly close to possibly capturing al-Zawahri in 2003 and killing him in 2004. The CIA thought it finally had al-Zawahri in its sights in 2009, only to be tricked by a double agent who blew himself up, killing seven agency employees and wounding six more in Khost, Afghanistan. In his 2001 treatise, Knights Under the Prophets Banner, al-Zawahri set the long-term strategy for the jihadi movement to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Americans, while trying to establish control in a nation as a base to launch the battle to restore the holy caliphate of Islamic rule across the Muslim world. Al-Qaida did make inroads in Europe. The bombers in the Madrid attacks that killed 191 were said to have been inspired by al-Qaida, although direct links remain uncertain. Al-Zawahri claimed al-Qaida responsibility for the 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52, saying some perpetrators trained in al-Qaida camps. Not all terror campaigns were successful. Al-Qaidas branch in Saudi Arabia was crushed by 2006. Al-Zawahri himself had to write to the head of al-Qaidas branch in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to rein in his brutal attacks on Iraqi Shiites, which were hurting the networks image among Muslims. That underlined al-Zawahris ultimate failure. With his concentration on a Muslim vanguard carrying out dramatic attacks, he never gained widespread popular support for al-Qaida in the Islamic world beyond a fringe of radical sympathizers. His answer, in Knights Under the Prophets Banner, was for jihadis to continue hitting Americans, hoping to exploit anti-U.S. sentiment and draw in the public. He echoed that strategy in a June 2011 video eulogy to his slain boss. Bin Laden terrified America in his life, he said, and will continue to terrify it after his death. ___ Former Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this story. By LEE KEATH Associated Press US approves massive arms sale to Saudi, UAE to counter Iran View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration on Tuesday approved two massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help them defend against Iran. The more than $5 billion in missile defense and related sales follow President Joe Bidens visit to the Middle East last month, during which he met with numerous regional leaders in Saudi Arabia. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been hit in recent months with rocket attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. Although Tuesdays approvals are for defensive weapons, they may be questioned by lawmakers who had supported Bidens decision last year to cut Saudi Arabia and the UAE off from major purchases of offensive U.S. arms because of their involvement in the war in Yemen. The new sales include $3 billion for Patriot missiles for Saudi Arabia specifically designed to protect itself from rocket attacks by the Houthis, and $2.2 billion for high-altitude missile defense for the UAE. The proposed sale will improve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias capability to meet current and future threats by replenishing its dwindling stock of PATRIOT GEM-T missiles, the State Department said in its notice informing Congress of the sale. These missiles are used to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias borders against persistent Houthi cross-border unmanned aerial system and ballistic missile attacks on civilian sites and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the department said. For UAE, the department said the sale would support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The UAE is a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East. Early in his administration Biden had pledged to cut off or cut back weapons sales to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE because of their actions in Yemen. By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer Bidens COVID sequel: back on the balcony, dog for company View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) Its back to the White House balcony and the Treaty Room for President Joe Biden as he contends with a rebound case of COVID-19. Trapped in the White House for the second time in as many weeks, the president knows the drill this time: Hes got an office in the residence and his dog Commander to keep him company while he governs by Zoom and FaceTime. Bidens latest bout with COVID-19 came with a new wrinkle: how to announce a major counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan from isolation. Biden, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, walked to a lectern that had been wheeled onto the balcony of the Blue Room on Monday evening and informed the American people of the killing of Ayman al-Zawahri, the top al-Qaida leader, in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan over the weekend. The White House allowed just one print reporter to watch Biden deliver his speech, by looking through a window in the adjacent Red Room. A TV cameraman filmed the president and a still photographer took photos a smaller footprint than the group of journalists that is usually at the presidents appearances. Bidens initial COVID-19 diagnosis left him with a lingering cough and runny nose, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. His rebound case labeled such because he tested positive on Saturday just three days after being cleared from isolation with two negative tests last Tuesday and Wednesday has left him antsy about returning to a normal schedule. Bidens rebound disrupted a trip home to Wilmington, Delaware, to reunite with first lady Jill Biden, who has been there since Bidens initial diagnosis. A trip Tuesday to Michigan to promote a $280 billion high-tech manufacturing bill he intends to sign was also scuttled. Instead, Biden is stuck in COVID-19 isolation through at least Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, and perhaps longer under the White Houses stricter protocols, which require a negative test to return to work. Hes someone who likes to be out there with the American people, said Jean-Pierre on Monday. Hes looking forward to being out there again. White House physician Dr. Kevin OConnor said in a Monday letter that the president continues to feel well this time around, even as he tests positive. Shortly after Saturdays announcement that he was returning to isolation, the president tweeted a picture of himself masked, tieless and signing a declaration that added individual assistance for flood survivors in Kentucky. He followed up by tweeting a 12-second video of himself on a White House balcony with Commander. Im feeling fine, everything is good, said Biden, a pair of aviator sunglasses in his hand. But Commander and I got a little work to do. Minutes later, he called Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on FaceTime as he visited with people camping outside the U.S. Capitol in a bid for health benefits for military veterans exposed to toxic substances from burn pits during their service. Biden tweeted that he had planned to visit the group in person on Saturday before he tested positive again, but instead sent McDonough with a delivery of pizza. He invited the advocates to the White House once hes cleared by his doctors to receive visitors. It doesnt stop him from doing his job and doing the work of the American people, Jean-Pierre said of the presidents rebound infection. During his course of isolation, Biden told reporters that his canine companion served as his alarm clock while the first lady was away. Matter of fact, my dog had to wake me up this morning, he said last Tuesday. My wifes not here. She usually takes him out in the morning while Im upstairs working out. And so, I felt this nuzzle of my dogs nose against my chest about five minutes to seven. Biden has been working from the ornate second-floor Treaty Room or stepping onto the adjacent Truman Balcony overlooking the South Grounds and the Washington Monument. A limited number of essential staff are with him in the residence, including security and medical personnel and a small number of aides, who remain masked for their protection. Bidens usual in-person meetings, including his daily national security briefing, have shifted to virtual formats. Plans for enabling a president to work in isolation were first developed when then-President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020, which required him to be admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. As the highly infectious omicron variant spread and cases closed in around Biden, his administration refined plans for Biden to carry out his duties while isolating at the White House, according to two aides. Biden, 79, was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid after he first tested positive on July 21. He tested negative for the virus last Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26 and 27, and was then cleared to leave isolation while wearing a mask indoors. His positive tests put him among the minority of those prescribed the drug to experience a rebound case of the virus. The CDC says most rebound cases remain mild. Jean-Pierre said 17 people initially identified as close contacts of Biden when he first tested positive, as well as six people deemed at risk from his rebound infection, have continued to test negative for COVID-19. By ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press Indiana doctors raise worries about proposed abortion ban View Photo INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Doctors fear they could face criminal charges when they provide emergency treatment for pregnant women if a proposal aimed at banning nearly all abortions in Indiana becomes law, several physicians told state lawmakers Tuesday. That testimony came after an Indiana House committee changed the abortion ban proposal narrowly approved over the weekend by the Republican-dominated state Senate. The committee broadened the language to include an exception allowing abortions to protect the health of the mother and adjusted the time frame when abortions would be permitted in cases of rape and incest. Republican Rep. Wendy McNamara of Evansville, who is sponsoring the bill, outlined the exceptions to protect the physical health and life of the mother, a frequent request among doctors and others testifying before a Senate committee last week. The amendment also would allow abortions if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. It additionally removes the Senate-approved time frames based on age for abortions in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks for those under 16 and eight weeks for those 16 and older. The House version, instead, would create a blanket ban after 10 weeks post-fertilization on abortions in cases of rape and incest. Victims would also no longer be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack. Several dozen people on both sides of the abortion debate filled a Statehouse corridor outside the committees meeting that lasted about nine hours, during which chants such as safe and legal from abortion-rights supporters could be heard inside as more than 100 people testified. The House committee voted 8-5 to advance the bill to the full House for action later this week. Republicans who control the House indicated a divide similar to the Senate, as one committee member who voted in favor said he was reluctant to support rape and incest exceptions. GOP Rep. Cindy Ziemke of Batesville joined Democrats in voting against the bill, saying she believe most residents didnt support an abortion ban and that allowing first trimester abortions would be a more measured approach. Dr. Daniel Elliott, representing the Indiana chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told the committee that the group worried that a broad abortion ban could allow prosecutors to second-guess the emergency decisions of doctors, leaving them exposed to criminal charges. The House proposal would require the state medical board to revoke the licenses of doctors found to have performed illegal abortions, along with retaining current provisions in state law under which doctors could face felony criminal charges and up to six years in prison for performing an illegal abortion. In emergency situations, physicians often work with a lack of complete information and must make quick decisions in the best interests of our patients, Elliott said. Overall, we feel like licensure and going to the medical licensing board is where the gray areas within medicine should lie. The Indiana proposal followed a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring Ohio to end a pregnancy. The case gained wide attention when an Indianapolis doctor said the child had to travel to Indiana because a new Ohio law bans abortions if cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo or fetus, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Anti-abortion activists said they were offended that women from Ohio and Kentucky were coming to Indiana for abortions after strict laws took effect in those states following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. They said Indiana shouldnt allow any exceptions, arguing all abortions are murder and evil and that the state law declaring life begins at fertilization should be strictly enforced. Jodi Smith, a lobbyist for the anti-abortion group Indiana Right to Life, said the organization remained opposed to the proposal because it is too lax. Smith said a signed affidavit should still be required for rape or incest exceptions and criticized the proposals language allowing abortions to protect the mothers health as very vague and poorly defined. The concern is that will either open carte blanche of opportunity for abortion-minded doctors, or it could ensure that good doctors that need more clarity dont know what the allowable procedures are, and they will hesitate, Smith said. Either option, it ends poorly for women. House Republicans are facing similar disagreements over how strict the abortion ban should be after the bill cleared the Senate on Saturday in a 26-20 vote, the minimum number of votes needed to pass. A few Republican senators said they opposed the bill as written but wanted the bill to stay alive for consideration during the special legislative session, which must adjourn by Aug. 14. ___ Arleigh Rodgers 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. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers ___ Find APs full coverage of the overturning of Roe v. Wade at: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion By ARLEIGH RODGERS and TOM DAVIES Associated Press Arizona official refutes review that counted 282 dead voters View Photo PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Monday his investigators found just one dead voter after thoroughly reviewing findings from a partisan review of the 2020 election that alleged 282 ballots were cast in the name of someone who had died. The finding by the Republican attorney general, who is running for U.S. Senate in Tuesdays primary, further discredits the review conducted last year. The review was led by an inexperienced firm, Cyber Ninjas, and conducted largely by supporters of Donald Trump who falsely believe the election was stolen from him. Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn that they were allegedly deceased, Brnovich wrote in a letter to state Senate President Karen Fann, who used her subpoena power to obtain ballots, tabulators and election data and hired Cyber Ninjas for what she called a forensic audit. For the one substantiated incident, the facts of the case did not support prosecution, said Ryan Anderson, a spokesman for Brnovich. He said the dead persons ballot was not counted. None of the three criminal cases the attorney general has filed over dead voters was connected to the Cyber Ninjas investigation, he said. Brnovich did not say whether any charges had been filed in connection with the one substantiated incident, and his spokesman, Ryan Anderson, did not respond to a phone call and text message. All other people listed by Cyber Ninjas as deceased were found to be current voters, Brnovich wrote. Combined with other reports of dead voters, Brnovichs Election Integrity Unit investigated a combined 409 names and produced only a handful of potential cases. Brnovich vouched for the legitimacy of the election immediately after President Joe Bidens victory but later publicized his investigation of the Cyber Ninjas allegations as he sought Trumps endorsement for his Senate campaign. Trump ultimately released a scathing statement saying Brnovich wasnt doing enough to advance his claims of fraud and endorsed businessman Blake Masters. Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. The Cyber Ninjas review looked at data, machines and ballots from Maricopa County, the states largest. It produced a report that experts described as riddled with errors, bias and flawed methodology. Still, even that partisan review came up with a vote tally that would not have altered the outcome, finding that Biden won by 360 more votes than the official results. By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press Consultant pleads not guilty in ghost candidate case View Photo SANFORD, Fla. (AP) A political consultant who is accused of helping put a ghost candidate on a ballot to siphon off votes from a Democratic candidate in a state Senate race in central Florida pleaded not guilty to election finance-related charges Tuesday during his first court appearance. James Eric Foglesong entered the plea during an arraignment hearing at the Seminole County Courthouse. In May, prosecutors filed charges against Foglesong; the candidate, Jestine Iannotti; and Seminole County GOP chairman Ben Paris. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Iannotti illegally accepted a $1,200 cash donation from Foglesong for her campaign. Iannoitti and Foglesong falsely used the names of others as contributors in state campaign finance reports to skirt Florida laws on campaign contributions, the FDLE said. The Seminole County race was one of three state Senate races where independent candidates filed to run but did not campaign in 2020. The candidates were promoted in an advertising blitz paid for by a dark money nonprofit group run by consultants working closely with Florida Power & Light, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In one of the other races, former state Sen. Frank Artiles is accused of bribing a friend to run. Artiles has also pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial next month. Iannotti and Paris have entered not guilty pleas. CRESWELL, N.C. (AP) A single-engine plane made an emergency landing on a North Carolina highway on Monday, but no injuries were reported, officials said. The Washington County Sheriffs Office said the plane had a problem and landed on Highway 64 west of Creswell, news outlets reported. "We have had such grrrr-eat conversations," the woman says, sounding not unlike the Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger as she enunciates. It's mid-July, and pacing around her North Texas neighborhood, her glasses atop her short blonde hair, the sweating, determined, middle-aged white woman recording a front-facing video on a suburban, middle class street, could be mistaken for what is pejoratively termed "a Karen," albeit the first one in history with a nose ring. And she might be Karens vote blue too but on this day, she's block-walking for Beto O'Rourke, the democratic candidate for Texas governor, and the Grand Prairie woman who goes by Angie Mommadukes online is recording it for her 92,500 TikTok followers. Her main interests now, after a lifetime of being a registered Republican, are getting Governor Greg Abbott out of office and having frank, open-minded conversations on social and political issues, the latter of which nuance makes her an anti-Karen. "I think having these healthy conversations and the open dialogue," she says, breaking to inhale the hot North Texas air, "is going to be what makes the difference." Angie Fenimore says that everyone in her family growing up was conservative except for her mother, who describes herself as a moderate Democrat. A married Navy veteran raising four children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as an adult, Fenimore gravitated toward like-minded media properties that only reinforced her childhood views, like Fox News. It's why she's block-walking for Beto, beyond the El Paso politician's simply being someone other than Abbott, who is seeking a third term as Texas governor. When people burst through their echo chambers, she says, they'll find that diversity of thought. It's as simple as talking to your neighbor. "Being able to learn from each other," Fenimore tells me on a recent phone call, "I think there's far more of us there in the middle than what anybody likes us to think." Fenimore's conversion is a fairly recent one, and the swift transition is book-ended by two events: the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and the overturning of Roe v. Wade exactly one month later. She was already headed in that direction, but says her moment of change came the day abortion access was essentially eliminated in Texas. "It being left up to Greg Abbott, my daughters' all of our daughters' bodily autonomy, that was my pivoting point," she says, putting a little extra stink on the governor's last name. But even after deciding that Abbott wasn't the answer, Fenimore was what she calls a "Beto skeptic." After a lifetime of voting for (mostly) Republican candidates, she says she wasn't sure she could trust someone so diametrically opposed. Again, it came down to a one-on-one conversation, and it happened just a few days after the Roe v. Wade decision. "I heard the sincerity in his voice," Fenimore says, referring to a 25-minute phone call she had with O'Rourke in late June. Following the massacre in Uvalde, Fenimore was dismayed at how O'Rourke's rushing the stage during Abbott's press conference was stripped of context in the right-wing news media. "They never said he had met with the parents. They've never said that he marched with the parents," she says. "[When we spoke] that's when I understood that he was sincere." In the comments of her TikTok videos, Fenimore sees many former and current Republicans expressing admiration for her ability to look at issues like gun violence and abortion rights with some nuance. As refreshing as it is for some of her fans, though, in real life, she has faced some backlash among friends. One texted her all night long, repeatedly calling her a bad person and fixating on abortion. "He actually said, 'abortion is murder,' and that this abortion ban would cause cause people to have more 'moral behaviors,'" she says, laughing. "Are you kidding me? I had to block that person." Billy Calzada/Staff photographer Mostly, though, Fenimore is surprised by the amount of fruitful conversations she has, both online and off, even if she doesn't change anyone's mind. After all, that's not what she's after. The day before we speak, she tells a family member that she doesn't want to sway their decision in the upcoming election. Instead, she tells me, she suggested that they read the entire 40-page 2022 Texas GOP platform PDF and then do the same for the Democratic party. At this point, it's how Fenimore is making her decisions: through the most literal reading of the oft-repeated phrase "gotta hear both sides." "Make a decision from there," she says, "but do your own homework." When Fenimore and I speak, she hasn't yet met Beto, but she's about to, at a town hall in Palestine in East Texas at the end of the week. Despite having almost 100,000 followers on TikTok, she's still a media neophyte. Even speaking with a reporter was unexpected, and she says she is surprised that people reach out to ask her questions. That the democratic candidate wants to speak with her in person during his tour of Texas is blowing her mind. Sure enough, a few days later, O'Rourke asks her to join him as he addresses the assembled crowd. Calling Fenimore his friend, he helps her up and rests a hand on her shoulder, imploring those in attendance to find her on TikTok. "I have yet to meet a more independent person than Angie right here," he says. "Finding the common ground ... that's how we're going to win this election." If it wasn't obvious by this point, Fenimore spells it out for anyone who may not have caught on in a text overlay: Beto has her vote. Texans far and wide have always been loud about their love for the Lone Star State. That pride is no doubt part of the Texan experience, one that is hard to resist and often eventually adopted by transplants who cant help but love living in Texas. But while theres a mass of folks moving to Texas, especially here to San Antonio, theres also quite a bit of Texans leaving the state, or at the very least thinking about it. The political and social landscape as of late has made residents more vocal about their intention or desire to move away from Texas, but there are a variety of factors at play. Some have already left Texas, while others are ready to get the hell out of dodge. Here are some of their stories. Note: For privacy reasons some of the people mentioned in this article have requested only their first names be published. Steve Satushek/Getty Images San Antonio to Portland Thomas Barwick/Getty Images For San Antonio native Carrie, moving away from Texas wasnt as difficult as it may be for others. For quite some time before she finally moved away, she said the decision to leave Texas became more and more clear. Ultimately, Carrie says it was the states extreme heat that made her and her husband flee the Lone Star State. Ive had the opportunity to travel throughout my life so I certainly have seen different cultures, she says, adding that she lived in California for a year during college and in Colorado for about six months. Yet after spending most of her life in San Antonio, Carrie said goodbye to the Alamo City and moved to Portland, Oregon in August 2020. Id go to H-E-B and see my third grade teacher, she admits. Theres definitely none of that when you move to a new, random city. The choice of where to relocate was pretty apparent to Carrie, who grew up in Alamo Heights. After honeymooning in Seattle and Vancouver nearly a decade ago, Carrie and her husband returned to vacation in the Pacific Northwest multiple times, particularly enjoying their time outdoors. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was especially rough on the couple and their 15-month-old son. It was so miserable being outside with the baby in the heat, she says. We just got so stir crazy. Soon after, Carrie says she started looking for jobs in the Pacific Northwest. Now, the 32-year-old is enjoying her role as a marketing manager in Portland. I work in beer and this is kind of a mecca for my career out here, she says. Even though she was born and raised in San Antonio, Carrie says leaving the Alamo City doesnt mean shes far away from family. My son has his two aunts three hours away, she says, noting that two of her sisters live in Seattle. But perhaps best of all, Carrie is eager to further build out her life in Portland, where she says shes 45 minutes away from the mountains and an hour and a half away from the ocean. She says, Its just a place where Im excited to raise a family with that outdoors activity lifestyle. Riddhish Chakraborty/Getty Images Austin to Charleston After living in Austin for more than a decade, Corrin Foster, a native of Chicago, is ready to say goodbye to Texas capital. The reason I initially moved to Austin certainly was to get away from Chicago winters, but it offered an opportunity to purchase a home and potentially set out in a city that was up and coming, she tells MySA. We certainly didnt realize at the time how quickly Austin was growing. Foster moved to Austin in 2010 and hoped to buy a home with her then-husband. They werent able to purchase back then and Foster wasnt able to more recently on her own. At the beginning of the pandemic I attempted to buy a house and was just immediately shut out, the 42-year-old says. I make a decent living for a single woman. Everyone was coming in with cash offers over asking price and its just really hard to compete with that. Foster, who is a senior director within the world of publishing, has decided its time to head out of Texas. While shes thought about leaving the state for some time, noting housing prices, Texas electrical grid, and political issues as her main concerns, Foster says it was a new job opportunity that made her ready to move on. Within the next two months, shell be relocating to Charleston, South Carolina. Ultimately I would really love to be a homeowner and it wasn't really in the cards in Austin unless I moved quite a bit out of the city limits, which I wasnt willing to do, she says. I got the same feeling when I first visited Charleston as the first time I visited Austin, she admits. I feel like Charleston is one of the next Austins. Foster says that even with the job opportunity, she was still mindful of the pros and cons of leaving Texas, especially for another conservative state. Just as a woman, I currently have more rights in South Carolina than I do in Texas, she says. There is a purple wave coming to South Carolina just as there is to Texas. Im hoping to be part of that. Now, she knows that she wants to buy a home and be part of the Charleston community sooner than she was in Austin. Its exciting, almost like I get a little bit of a do-over, she says. dszc/Getty Images San Antonio to Los Angeles A native of Texas Brazoria County, Ben lived in San Antonio for 10 years before he chose to move on from the Alamo City. In November 2021, he moved out west with his fiance and their baby girl. Ben, 26, says the idea of leaving Texas first came up a few years prior to the move. It didnt hurt to want to leave, he admits. A lot of it had to do with the changing cultural aspects of Texas, just being a solidly red state during the Trump administration. With his career as a musician and record producer in mind, the young family landed in Los Angeles. Despite being in Southern California for less than a year, he says the move is paying off already. Its been really rewarding, he says. Even in the short amount of time, Ive found a lot of work pretty quickly in my field and just a lot of opportunities that definitely never presented themselves to me in the 10 years of doing this back home. No matter where he lives, Ben says his heart will always be in the Lone Star State. Texas is always going to be home, he says. I definitely miss H-E-B more than I ever thought I would. It really makes you believe that no store does more. Amen. James Michael House/Getty Images/iStockphoto San Antonio to Seattle For other native Texans, a single issue prompted a move away from home. Blanca, who lived in multiple cities throughout the state, says the last few years caused a trifecta that prompted her and her husband to call it quits on Texas. Im a second-generation Texan and it means a lot for me to be from there, she says. Ive always thought Id live [in San Antonio] for a really long time. Born in Houston and primarily raised in Pleasanton south of San Antonio, Blanca says she moved to the Alamo City for college and began to build a life here. However, she says the idea of leaving the city and Texas altogether began as a thought in the back of her head when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She and her husband, who was furloughed at the time, quickly realized how adaptable they were, making changes to their finances and acknowledging the priorities in their lives. When the winter storm of 2021 came the following year, the thought of leaving Texas grew louder. That was very difficult to navigate. I think it was pretty traumatic for everybody who lived through that and not just because it was cold, she says, recalling her thoughts on how the state leaders were handling the event. Maybe things will start being put into place to prevent this from happening in the future. The 33-year-old was disappointed when Governor Abbott and the Texas GOP focused on womens health instead of improving the states power grid and infrastructure. Thats when I was like, Why am I living here? she remembers asking herself. I started to feel real concern for my future as a person who can get pregnant. It was kind of like the final nail in the coffin. Its also when she and her husband started to joke about leaving the Lone Star State. Eventually, Blanca says she admitted to herself that she wanted a change in her career and decided to browse job openings. On a whim, she applied for a position in Seattle not thinking she would get an offer. She was wrong. It became very real, she says, recalling a conversation with her husband when they asked themselves if they were really going to do this. For the last seven months, Blanca says they have been enjoying their new life in Seattle. Things arent perfect anywhere, she admits. But there are things here that make it really nice to live here instead of Texas. She says its difficult being far away from friends and loved ones in San Antonio, but it helps that she and her husband are making friends in their new home. I just knew in my heart that it was something if I didnt take a chance on I would always regret, she says. I dont know that Ill ever move back, honestly. Texas is forever leaving it doesnt have to be The Texans I talked to had a mix of reasons for moving away from home, but most of them had a similar piece of advice, a proposed mentality almost, for those also considering the move. Dont be afraid to take that leap, Blanca says, admitting that having a plan makes the move easier. You can always return. I dont think theres anything wrong with that. Nothing is permanent, Foster says. Just go for it. Theres nothing that says you cant move back, Carrie says. You can always move back. You can always move somewhere else. I dont think youre ever going to regret that as an experience. Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press A collection of texts, photos, and video messages show that more than 60 immigrants collected thousands of dollars to pay for what smugglers billed as a "VIP" trip across the Texas-Mexico border. Instead, 53 of those immigrants died after being abandoned in the back of hot semi-truck on a San Antonio road on June 27. Two of the Mexican immigrants that died, Pablo Ortega, 19, and Julio Lopez, 32, received texts from the smugglers promising a "special" and "secure" trip that promised beer, safe houses with video games, and a week at a hunting ranch, Reuters reported. Ortega paid $13,000 and Lopez paid $12,000 to the smugglers for the transport, their families told Reuters. UPDATE: 9:25 a.m., Tuesday, August 2: The San Antonio Police Department have identified the shooter that killed a man at a Northside LA Fitness as 32-year-old Jessie Marquis MacWilliams. He has been charged with murder, according to SAPD. Original story An evening workout turned deadly on Monday night, August 1. The San Antonio Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at an LA Fitness on the Northside of San Antonio. The incident occurred close to 7 p.m. at the location off Loop 410 at 7140 Blanco Road. Witnesses described a man walking into the gym and firing a single gunshot at the victim's head after approaching him from behind, according to SAPD. "He just walked up to him point blank and just aired him out," Quincy Mason, a witness at the scene, told KENS 5. "Like it was in a movie. It was crazy man. Luckily, the kids didn't get hurt. We have kids here at daycare." The victim was pronounced dead on the scene by EMS. The weapon was recovered at the scene. The suspect was still nearby when police arrived and was taken into custody without incident before being transported downtown. CSI and the SAPD homicide unit processed the scene. The homicide unit is currently investigating the case. While the shooter's motive is currently unknown, police suspect the incident is targeted. The LA Fitness location is closed as of Tuesday morning, August 2, according to KENS 5. This incident is not the first time a shooting has taken place at this specific LA Fitness. In July 2021, two people were shot exiting the gym. A 24-year-old man died and a 28-year-old man was left in critical condition. Photo courtesy of Animal Care Services A San Antonio man is headed to prison on one of the longest sentences for animal abuse in Texas History. Animal Care Services said that Frank Javier Fonseca was sentenced to 25 years in prison on animal abuse charges for a violent beating of his puppy, which was captured on video. He was sentenced in June and has previous felony convictions that include drug possession and crimes of retaliation, according to an ACS news release. As the Mexican governments commitment to energy independence smashes into US financial interests, President Lopez Obrador threatens to put sovereignty above the USMCA trade deal. The US is not only fighting (and to all intents and purposes losing) a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine while escalating tensions with its biggest geostrategic rival, China; it is also locked in a high-stakes game of economic brinkmanship with its second largest trading partner, Mexico, which could, in an extreme case scenario, end up shattering the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement just four years after its inauguration. The latest escalation occurred on July 20 when the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai revealed that the US has requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under USMCA over alleged violations of the trade agreement in the energy sphere. The news came just days after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO for short, had met with President Joe Biden to discuss shared policy interests. In her statement Ambassador Tai accused Mexicos government of: Granting competitive advantage to the Mexican state-owned companies to the detriment of private companies. Obstructing the operation of private companies, particularly in the renewable energy sector; in the import, export and storage of fuels and electricity, as well as in the construction and operation of fuel stations. Granting Mexicos state-owned oil company Petroleos de Mexico (Aka Pemex) a deadline extension to comply with sulphur content limits in automotive diesel. Favoring Pemex, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and their products in the use of Mexicos natural gas transportation system, again to the detriment of private companies. Sovereignty Versus Trade Canada quickly followed suit and requested its own consultations on the matter. Last Thursday, AMLO responded by upping the ante. In his daily morning press conference he argued that the USs decision to request consultations under the USMCA trade deal is not only unfounded but infringes on Mexicos sovereignty. Using his strongest language yet in the dispute, AMLO declared that if it came down to a choice between national sovereignty and the USMCA Agreement, he would choose the former. Even if [the US] is the most important market in the world, if having access to that market means giving up sovereignty, we do not accept it. We will not surrender our independence to any foreign government, AMLO said, adding that such a rupture will not occur, since it is in the interest of neither country. But as Jacobin contributor Kurt Hackbarth noted in a tweet, the implicit threat is there. This is not the first time that a dispute settlement consultation has been brought against a USMCA member. In fact, there have already been four since the trade agreement was signed in 2018, three of which have been brought by the US. The last one was brought last year by Canada and Mexico against the US over interpretation of content rules for automobiles. If the consultation against Mexicos energy policies doesnt lead to a resolution in 75 days, the US can request the formation of an arbitration panel to settle the dispute. Trying to resolve the differences between Mexico and its two northern trading partners is not going to be easy. Crucially, the changes AMLO is seeking to make in Mexicos energy policy mix are not administrative or technical in nature but structural. What AMLO ultimately wants to ensure is that control over Mexicos energy resources lies in the hands of the Mexican nation. And that flies in the face of what Washington wants, which is ultimately an energy-rich neighbor to the south that is open to unrestricted foreign investment. Another reason why AMLO is unlikely to back down in this battle is that energy independence is the capstone of his so-called fourth transformation program. Whats more, it enjoys even stronger public support today than on his election four years ago. This is partly due to the recent masterclass the European Union has given the world on the dangers of depending excessively on foreign states to meet your own energy needs, especially if you then decide to declare economic war against the state you most depend on. Crucially, AMLOs government is not even talking about nationalizing Mexicos energy market unlike, say, French President Emmanuel Macron, who is in the early stages of fully nationalizing Frances heavily indebted electricity giant EDF. By contrast, what AMLO seeks is to fortify Mexicos public energy providers, Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (FCE), as a means of bolstering Mexicos energy independence, while leaving plenty of room for private enterprise. To that end, he has reversed some the 2014 liberalization reforms of his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto. Those reforms were supposedly meant to usher in lower energy prices for domestic consumers as well as thrust Mexico into a more prominent position in the global hydrocarbons market. Instead, the opposite happened: domestic prices of gas, diesel and natural gas soared as public subsidies were withdrawn while Pemex got weaker and weaker as private companies, most of them foreign-owned, moved in on its turf. Hilary Clintons Role The irony is that much of the damage AMLO is now trying to undo, which the Biden Administration is trying its damnedest to prevent, was largely the result of behind-the-scenes pressure from Hilary Clintons State Department. As Desmog reported in 2015, Clinton and her staff at the State Department, many of whom would end up working in the US energy industry, were actively promoting the privatization of Mexicos oil industry after then-Mexican President Felipe Calderon began speaking about possible reforms in 2008. Mexico officials remain extremely sensitive about any public especially US comments regarding energy reform and production, reads a February 2010 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, prior to a visit to the country by Goldwyn. We should retain the (U.S. governments) long-standing policy of not commenting publicly on these issues while quietly offering to provide assistance in areas of interest to the (Mexican government). If AMLO is ultimately forced to backtrack, US companies would not be the only ones who would stand to benefit, as the Spanish corporate law firm Garrigues notes in an alert to clients: [A]lthough this dispute has been raised by the United States government in the State-to-State modality and for the benefit of its nationals, the effects of a favorable resolution could benefit private companies with investments in the energy sector in Mexico regardless of their nationality. One company that will be keeping a very close eye on events is Houston-based Talos Energy. It leads a consortium of companies, including UK energy company Premier Oil and Sierra Oil, which is owned by Hamburg-based DEA Deutsche Erdoel, that is vying with Pemex for control of Zama, a disputed shallow-water field in the Gulf of Mexico that is among the 10 biggest oil discoveries in Mexicos history, offering an estimated 850 million barrels of light crude. In 2021, Mexicos government gave Pemex controlling interest of the project and that has not gone down well with Talos. Pemex on the Mend? The irony is that this is all happening as Mexicos state-owned oil giant PEMEX just unveiled its biggest quarterly profits ($6.5 billion) in more than a decade. The company also appears to have put an end to an unbroken 15-year rough patch of sliding production. It was even able to increase its natural gas production 5.3% year on year. The ultimate irony is that in Mexico gasoline is now significantly cheaper than in both the US and Canada, largely due to Pemexs substantial role within the countrys energy market. Mexico will also soon be refining much of its own oil for the first time in decades, thanks to the AMLO governments construction of the new Dos Bocas refinery as well as the rehabilitation of the six refineries already in operation. Chronic under-investment in the sector as well as Pemexs declining output had played a key role in driving the countrys growing dependence on US gasoline. By 2017, a year before AMLO became president, Mexicos refineries were operating at 51% of capacity. No new refineries had been built for 40 years. This left Mexico with little choice but to ship its oil to the US and buy it back as gasoline, turning it, in the process, into the worlds second-largest gasoline importer. Since taking office AMLO has pledged to reverse this trend. In August 2021 he announced that Pemex would soon stop selling crude oil abroad and only extract the oil that it needs to produce the gasoline and diesel the country requires. It is all part of the presidents quest for energy self-sufficiency. But it is not good news for US refiners form whom Mexico was their biggest customer in 2021. This is the crux of the issue: Mexicos desire for energy independence flies directly in the face of US financial interests. And AMLO is not just talking about energy independence; he is also interested in bolstering Mexicos food security and self-sufficiency. His government has already pledged to ban GMO corn. Thanks to NAFTA and US agricultural subsidies, Mexico has become a major importer of US-produced staples such as corn, rice and beans. In 2021, it was the worlds second largest importer of corn. As such, talk of food security and self-sufficiency is just as likely to raise the hackles in Washington. The financial repercussions of Mexicos pursuit of greater energy self sufficiency are likely to be significant on their own. If the consultation process over AMLOs energy policies does not produce a resolution and the US then wins the subsequent international arbitration process, which it invariably tends to, Mexico could end up facing the imposition of potentially tens of billions of dollars of duties on some of its key export industries. Expert Trolling For the moment AMLO seems unperturbed. He insists that chapter 8 of the trade agreement, whose inclusion his government insisted on, gives his government the right to pursue energy independence regardless of the cost to US companies. Chapter 8s two paragraphs make clear that both the US and Canada recognize that Mexico has the direct, inalienable, and imprescriptible ownership of all hydrocarbons in the subsoil of the national territory as well as the sovereign right to reform its Constitution and its domestic legislation as it sees fit. Trade experts on both sides of the US-Mexican border beg to differ, arguing that Chapter 8 does not include any mention of Mexicos electricity sector, which is the main focus of the dispute. Whats more, the ratchet clause in the original NAFTA states that once a sector is liberalized for investment or services even unilaterally, as happened with Mexicos 2014 energy reforms this openness would become part of the agreement. But AMLO does not seem to be in the mood for compromise. He knows that taking a firm stance against US economic demands will probably garner even more votes for his party, the National Regeneration Movement, or Morena. AMLOs Energy Secretary Rocio Nahle Garcia has even said that Mexicos energy balance and policy are issues of national security. For his part, AMLO seems content to troll Washingtons political establishment. A couple of weeks ago, he belittled the White Houses rhetoric, arguing that Mexico has not contravened the trade agreement and that the trade spat was merely a result of corrupt right-wing lobbying in Washington. He then asked his staff to play a popular 70s Mexican song by Chico Che titled Uyyyyy, que miedo (Ooooh, Im so scared). In reality, the trade dispute between the US and Mexico bears all the hallmarks of a slow-motion train crash, says geopolitical analyst Jesus Lopez Almejo. On the one hand, Mexico, a country that wants to protect its own energy sovereignty, is standing off against the US, a country that is determined to prise open Mexicos energy markets for the benefit of US companies. As the worlds long-standing albeit declining hegemony as well as Mexicos number one trading partner, accounting for 86% of purchases of Mexican exports, the US can inflict enormous damage on Mexicos economy. On the other hand, the US economy is already in a stagflationary recession and it desperately needs as much oil as it can get its hands on, including from Mexico. It is also true that Washington is rapidly losing influence across Latin America as a whole. Whats more, Joe Biden is the least popular president of the polling era. And in its dispute with Mexico, his administration is standing off against one of the most widely supported governments in recent Mexican history. In other words, there are a lot of dimensions to this brewing conflict. In an article (in Spanish) for the Mexican news website Sentido Comun (translation below by yours truly) Kurt Hackbarth suggests that AMLO and his party, Morena, largely have themselves to blame for not subjecting the proposed USMCA trade agreement to the scrutiny it deserved: In 2019, the USMCA was ratified by a Morena-dominated congress with hardly any discussion, a very different scenario from the heated debates surrounding NAFTA in the 1990s. The president of Mexico has even proposed a political and economic union of the Americas that would include the United States and Canada. Let us ask ourselves: if already with USMCA they intend to interfere in this way with the democratic decisions of Mexico, what would things be like within an even closer union? Just consider how the so-called core countries of the European Union (such as Germany) have treated the peripheral countries: through the mechanisms and treaties of the Union, in coordination with its central bank, they have imposed structural adjustment programs and onerous loans, project cuts and tax increases; they have even removed governments. Is that what we want? It is worth recalling, as Yves has done on numerous occasions over the years, Dani Rodriks policy trilemma which holds that democracy, national sovereignty and global economic integration are mutually incompatible: we can combine any two of the three, but never have all three simultaneously and in full. In this case, of course, it is regional, not global, economic integration that is on the table. For AMLO, national sovereignty appears to be sacrosanct. If that is indeed true, the question is: which of the other two is he willing to forego? If it is to be regional economic integration, AMLO may soon discover that it is a lot easier to enter a trade agreement with the US than it is to exit one, especially when the agreement in question (in its original NAFTA form) has been designed, in the words of Eastman Kodak chairman Ken Whitmore, to lock in the opening of Mexicos economy so that it cant return to its protectionist ways. Yves here. We hope youll be able to watch this mornings talk with Brian Berletic and Alexander Mercouris, moderated by Gonzalo Lira, either live or later on YouTube. Well definitely be talking about China and other topics if time permits. Note that the countdown is confusing. This You Tube feature rounds down, so four hours and 50 minutes to showtime is reported as four hours. Enjoy! Yves here. This is yet another important finding by private equity mavens Rosemary Batt and Eileen Appelbaum, here on the role real estate investment trusts in looting nursing homes and hospitals. Appelbaum and Batt discussed the importance of real estate asset stripping in their landmark book, Private Equity at Work. There, the object lesson was retailers and restaurant chains. They often owned their real estate to reduce their vulnerability to economic cycles. Buyout firms would sell that real estate, often at inflated prices by virtue of saddling the operating business, as in the retailer or restauranteur, with very high lease payments. The real estate sale price would routinely be so high as to make the investors indifferent to the probable failure of the operating business. The same sort of scheme here is in play in nursing homes and hospitals, with the wrinkle that the buyers of the real estate are healthcare REITs. Appelbaum and Batt warn that this model is particularly ill-suited for nursing homes and hospitals, since they need to be able to manage the property to ensure meeting health and safety standards. By Rosemary Batt, Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work, ILR School, Cornell University and Eileen Appelbaum, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are important financial actors that control over $3.5 trillion in gross assets and over 500,000 properties in the U.S. Yet they have been largely ignored because tax rules define them as passive investors. They exist as tax pass through entities and pay no corporate taxes if they invest at least 75 percent of their assets in real estate, derive 75 percent of their gross income from real property, and pay out at least 90 percent of taxable income (excluding capital gains) as shareholder dividends each year. In our new report, The Role of Public REITs in Financialization and Industry Restructuring (Institute for New Economic Thinking Working Paper #189), we question this conventional view of REITs as passive investors. Our evidence shows that they are financial actors that aggressively buy up property assets and manage them to extract wealth at taxpayers expense. They do not simply wait patiently to buy real estate through market transactions, sit back passively, and collect the rent. The case studies in this report suggest that their tax-exempt status should be revisited. We identify three important ways in which REITs have had a powerful impact on the US economy in general and on productive enterprises more specifically whether intended or not. We draw on cases from markets where REITs have a major presence nursing homes, hospitals, and hotels. First, because REITs were designed to facilitate retail investing in the real estate market, they have become an important mechanism for expanding the financialization of the US economy. That is, they increase the power of finance capital by expanding its reach into larger swaths of the productive economy. They have expanded the pool of capital available for transactions that monetize real property and turn it into tradable assets financial widgets with little or no connection to the real purpose of the productive enterprises that occupy the properties they own. Second, REITs have played a major role in industry restructuring and consolidation. They have done so by promoting REITs as a separate asset class one that should be legally separate from the commercial enterprises that produce goods and services on real estate property. By separating ownership of real property (property company or PropCo) from the enterprises operating on that property (operating company or OpCo), investors may more precisely calculate the returns to capital based on the risk-reward features of the asset class in this OpCo/PropCo model, real estate assets versus the goods or services produced on the property. And the stock market values these assets differently. Thus, REITs have grown and expanded their reach by separating real estate assets from productive assets. They have dominated M&A activity in real estate markets due to their tax-exempt status, which allows them to pay higher premiums for properties than non-REIT property owners. As REITs buy up local property and consolidate it into national or global property corporations, they also facilitate the consolidation of the operating companies that become their tenants. That is, they facilitate industry consolidation both at the property level and at the commercial enterprise level. This is evident in the three sectors analyzed in this study. In healthcare, healthcare REITs have partnered with private equity firms to separate assets into property and operating entities with REITs financing the expansion and consolidation of PE-owned nursing homes and hospitals into mega-chains with enhanced local, regional, or national market power. The anti-competitive implications of these developments in healthcare have become a major focus of scholarly research and a major concern for political leaders and anti-trust regulators. A similar pattern of concentrated ownership is evident in the hotel sector, where REITs have dominated M&A activity and fostered industry consolidation both at the level of the hotel real estate and also at the level of the brands and operating companies that manage the property assets. A third effect of REITs occurs at the level of operating companies and the outcomes for the companies, employees, and consumers. By law, REITs must act as passive investors to retain their tax-exempt status, which means that they cannot interfere with the management or operating decisions of their tenants. This has led to the OpCo/PropCo model described above, which separates property and operations ownership into separate legal entities entities that by law must maintain arms-length relations. But this separation poses major problems from the standpoint of effective business management and service delivery. That is because productive operations depend importantly on the quality and maintenance of the underlying property. The quality of patient care depends on how well facilities are maintained; hotel revenues depend on customer satisfaction with both services and facilities. In other words, the separation of property ownership from operations is driven entirely by the financial logic of maximizing returns for investors NOT the business logic of providing high quality integrated services. The legal requirement for an arms-length relationship between property and operating companies is in conflict with the needs of the business, and ironically, also the ability of real estate owners to make sure that operations on their properties are managed effectively. To overcome this dilemma, REITs have developed work arounds to allow them to influence or partner with the companies that manage their properties strategies that are at odds with the original conditions for their tax-exempt status. They have successfully lobbied for legal changes that have freed up REITs to behave more and more like publicly traded corporations, but without paying the corporate taxes that their counterparts pay. These work arounds vary based on different risk-reward assumptions across industries. Moreover, the cases in this report show how REITs achieve their financial goals through work arounds that directly or indirectly shape the decisions or business strategies of their tenants and in turn, outcomes for consumers, patients, and employees. However, they bear no legal liability for what happens to the operating company or any of these stakeholders. While these REIT strategies may be technically legal, they undercut the original intent of the laws. In healthcare, REITs use sale-lease back agreements with healthcare operating companies in which the companies are tenants and the REITs are landlords. These agreements assume that government reimbursement systems provide long term predictable funding mechanisms. The tenants bear all of the profit-loss risks, as well as the costs and risks of property maintenance. Thus, healthcare REITs are viewed as safe investments that yield reliable dividends, almost as safe as bonds. They bear little risk if an operating company fails; and in that event, their properties may be repurposed for a new tenant. Healthcare operating companies in nursing homes and hospitals, however, bear substantial risk of financial failure due to ongoing cost increases and uncertain and unpredictable funding. Healthcare REITs have teamed up with private equity firms to strip property assets from healthcare providers. Our case studies show how private equity firms have bought out nursing homes and hospitals using extensive debt, and then have sold the underlying property to a REIT, in what is known as a sale-leaseback. The PE firms have taken the proceeds from these sales to pay dividends to themselves and their investors, rather than using them to improve healthcare services for patients. The REITs have received inflated rents from healthcare providers, while the healthcare providers have become tenants of the property they formerly owned. Now they are burdened with triple net leases in which they pay rent subject to annual escalator clauses (and continue to pay the costs of property maintenance and improvements, taxes, and insurance). While REITs appear to be passive investors in these cases, a deeper analysis shows how they have made it possible for private equity firms to extract wealth through excessive debt financing; and how they have undermined healthcare providers financial stability through charging excessive rents with unsustainable escalator clauses in long-term renewable leases. Our case analyses illustrate how this happens. They include examples in skilled nursing: Healthcare Properties (HCP) (a healthcare REIT) and HCR ManorCare (owned by PE firm Carlyle Partners); and Health Care REIT and Genesis (owned by Formation Capital). In hospitals, they include Medical Properties Trust (a healthcare REIT) and its involvement with Cerberus-owned Steward Health, Leonard Green-owned Prospect Medical Holdings, and LifePoint Healthcare, owned by PE firm Apollo. In hotels, by contrast, REITs bear most of the risk of profit and loss, as they lease their properties to taxable REIT subsidiaries, which in turn contract with hotel operators paying them a fee for managing the REITs properties and reimbursing them for labor and other expenses. Hotel REITs hide behind the complexity of contracting relationships to argue that they maintain arms-length relations with operators. But their financial concerns over risk management lead them to promote strategies to actively manage their assets and drive down hotel operating costs, which became particularly evident during the COVID pandemic. Notably, if operating companies or their stakeholders suffer negative consequences due to REIT ownership strategies, the REITs bear no liability or responsibility for these outcomes. In sum, this working paper suggests that scholars and policy makers need to take a much closer look at REIT activities. Their profits and executive compensation have been extraordinary in recent years, with little discomfort caused by the COVID pandemic. Their financial transactions offer little or no transparency, and taxpayers deserve a clear assessment of how much they are subsidizing yet another asset class that may be contributing to greater inequality in the US economy. (Natural News) A survey conducted by a national health organization reported that 43 percent of the parent-respondents with children five years and younger will definitely not have their babies take the experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines. According to the Kaiser Family Foundations (KFF) survey titled COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, another 40 percent of the parents would prefer to wait and see before submitting their kids to the vaccination or get their child inoculated only if required. This means that 83 percent of parents are refusing the shots for their young children. The survey asked an open-ended question on the main reason why they will not vaccinate their eligible child right away, and the responders deduced that the vaccine is very new and not enough testing and research were done to prove its efficacy. There were also concerns about the adverse effects, and most of them worry about the safety of their children in general. Eight in ten parents of young unvaccinated children say they are very or somewhat concerned that their child might experience serious side effects from the injections and that not enough is known about the long-term effects of the vaccine in children, the survey read. The researchers noted that even among parents who are vaccinated but have not yet vaccinated their child, 79 percent express concerns about side effects while 74 percent are worried about the unknown long-term effects. The said poll has raised the hopes of many other fathers and mothers out there who feel too mandated to have their children vaccinated. The concerns about the safety and health security of young ones should be heard and considered valid, especially since a lot of studies are coming out proving the vaccines to be gene-altering, causing a lot more diseases due to adverse events and even life-threatening. Even though a study found that mRNA vaccines can cause children to suffer from serious vaccine-associated enhanced disease, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the mRNA jabs from Pfizer and Moderna for children aged six months old and up back on June 17 via a press release. The agency announced the fast-tracked emergency use authorization (EUA) despite the vaccines clinical trials being determined not to be reliable due to the low number of COVID-19 cases that occurred in the study participants. (Related: FDA greenlit COVID-19 shots for kids as young as 6 MONTHS while ignoring study about VAED.) FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said they are acutely aware of the importance of having vaccines available for the youngest children. As we have seen with the older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection for the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death, he said. Canadian parents more inclined to believe Big Pharma and Big Government narrative Meanwhile, parents in Ontario are now booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for their babies and preschoolers via their provincial governments booking portal. They were convinced by the government and Big Pharma narrative that their children are safer when vaccinated. This has been a long time coming, a mother said in an interview. Im very happy to give kids some extra protection. Less than 2,000 miles away, Alberta parents are calling for swift action as their provincial government isnt moving more quickly to start vaccinating their children. While all other provinces are either already offering the shots, or are at least allowing bookings, the Alberta government has yet to release a detailed plan. It makes me mad and envious of the other provinces, said an Edmonton mother named Ameila Vela. She said shes frustrated the provincial government hasnt at least offered the parents information on its plans to vaccinate the young. David Cloutier, a father of two children both under the age of five from Calgary, said it is really frustrating that other provinces already have this dose in childrens arms. I feel so left behind. And I feel like I have no way to get answers. Because Im not able to reach anyone. No one is sharing any information as to how these doses are going to get to children that are eligible for this vaccine, Cloutier said. Visit VaccineInjuryNews.com for more news related to the severe adverse effects of mRNA vaccines. Watch the below video where a diagnostic pathologist revealed that COVID vaccines for six months to four years old kill children. This video is from the TNTVNEWS channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: GENOCIDE: FDA officially authorizes covid vaccines for children as young as 6 months. Republicans demand explanation from FDA regarding necessity to inject children with COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizers covid injections are killing people, including babies, and the FDA has known the entire time. FDA grants full approval to untested Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents. FDA used critically flawed risk-benefit analysis to approve covid vaccines for children. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com KFF.org Expose-News.com CBC.ca 1 CBC.ca 2 Brighteon.com (Natural News) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ordered the deployment of tanks in the central province of Henan to prevent people from withdrawing their money from the Bank of China, which wants to turn the savings of depositors into investment products. Henans Bank of China branches collaborated with the CCP to prevent depositors from withdrawing their savings since April, leading to massive ongoing protests. The bank was joined by four rural banks in Henan and one rural bank in neighboring Anhui province. The total worth of all frozen deposits is at least $1.5 billion. On July 21, videos started popping up online of tanks bearing the logos of the Peoples Liberation Army, Chinas armed forces, rolling through the streets of Henans cities. According to reports, the tanks were there to protect Bank of China branches in the province, scare off protesters and prevent locals from reaching the banks to make withdrawals. The Bank of China told their depositors that their savings accounts are now investment products and can no longer be withdrawn, commented Greg Reese of InfoWars. To stop the people from trying to withdraw their money, the CCP deployed tanks. Reese noted that this incident serves as proof of how Big Banks all over the world are just too powerful to the point that they could enslave humanity. (Related: Central banks are willing to destroy the global economy if it means saving the stock market.) The Big Banks and their royal inbred masters are responsible for the entire clown show we are seeing today, he said. [They are] a cabal of parasite crime families feeding off of humanity. CCP blames incident on criminal gang that took over rural banks Following the massive national backlash, central CCP authorities reacted by distancing themselves from the scandal in Henan and calling it a scheme conducted by a criminal gang. The ringleaders of this alleged gang apparently used their positions in a private investment company to take control of the five rural banks that participated in the asset freeze through cross-shareholding, increasing capital and shares and manipulating bank executives. The CCP then promised the depositors in Henan that they will get their money back in batches, with the first tranche released on July 15 for deposits below 50,000 yuan ($7,413). The second tranche is set to be released on Aug. 1 for clients with deposits of between 100,000 to 150,000 yuan ($14,827 to $22,241). The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) also said it was opening investigations on two provincial officials one from CBIRCs Henan office and another from CBIRCs sub-office in the city of Kaifeng in the same province due to potentially participating in or otherwise aiding the scheme. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, an internal control institution for the communist party, is also opening an investigation into a provincial party member who was tasked with overseeing financial stability at the Bank of Chinas branch in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou for unspecified serious disciplinary violations. Learn more about whats happening in China in CommunistChina.news. Watch this clip from InfoWars as Greg Reese talks about how Big Banks enslave humanity. This video is from the Heaven Reigns channel on Brighteon.com. More related articles: China deploys TANKS in the streets to prevent citizens from withdrawing their money from banks amid collapsing financial system. Angry Chinese storm Bank of China branch over frozen deposits. China bank collapse under way; Saudi Arabia distances from the petro dollar to join BRICS monetary order. China using bogus covid tests as excuse to freeze billions in deposits, lock residents out of bank accounts. The next Great Depression begins: Bank run in China being ignored by Western media could be precursor to massive economic collapse. Sources include: Brighteon.com FirstPost.com TheDeepDive.ca Reuters.com (Natural News) Sometimes persistence with a just cause pays off, as was seen by the more than 500 current and former health care workers who just won a lawsuit the first of its kind! against NorthShore University HealthSystem, which reportedly fired or threatened to fire them over their unvaccinated status. According to Liberty Counsel, the historic settlement included a $10.3 million payout to the affected workers, who were deemed by the courts to have been unlawfully discriminated against when they were denied religious exemptions from mandatory Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination. The federal Northern District Court of Illinois filed the settlement on Friday, and it must now be approved by the court. (Related: Covid injections can trigger prion illnesses like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease that are incurable.) We are very pleased with the historic, $10 million settlement achieved in our class action lawsuit against NorthShore University HealthSystem, announced Liberty Counsel Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel Horatio G. Mihet. The drastic policy change and substantial monetary relief required by the settlement will bring a strong measure of justice to NorthShores employees who were callously forced to choose between their conscience and their jobs. Fired for refusing covid injections? SUE! Mihet went on to note that the settlement should also serve as a strong warning to employers across the nation that they cannot refuse to accommodate those with sincere religious objections to forced vaccination mandates. We know, however, that many of them already did just that, which means the lawsuits have only just begun against the medical fascists who inflicted these horrors on hard-working Americans. In addition to paying out $10,337,500 to the affected employees, NorthShore will also have to change its unlawful no religious accommodations policy across its entire system. No position in any NorthShore facility will be considered off limits to unvaccinated employees with approved religious exemptions, CBN reports. If they apply within 90 days of the final settlement approved by the court, employees who were terminated following their religious refusal of the shots will also be eligible for rehire at NorthShore, retaining their previous seniority level if successful. Each of these employees will receive a notice of the settlement, as well as be given the opportunity to comment, object, request to opt-out, or submit a claim form for payout of the settlement fund. The court will decide all appropriate deadlines for this. Liberty Counsel estimates that, if approved by the court, all or nearly all of the affected employees will end up receiving about $25,000 each. Those who took the shots against their will just to keep their jobs will receive about $3,000 each. Thirteen health care workers who served as lead plaintiffs in the case will also receive an additional amount of about $20,000 each for their trouble. The process began back in October 2021 when Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to NorthShore on behalf of the affected workers. Had the hospital system responded and realigned with the law, the suit never would have continued and it would have cost nothing. But when NorthShore refused to comply and instead denied all religious exemption and accommodation requests, Liberty Counsel filed a class action lawsuit, along with a motion for a temporary restraining order and injunction, CBN explains. Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver is pleased with the outcome and thinks, too, that it should function as a wake-up call to every other employer out there that has or is engaging in similarly illegal behavior. Let this case be a warning to employers that violated Title VII, Staver is quoted as saying. It is especially significant and gratifying that this first classwide COVID settlement protects health care workers. Health care workers are heroes who daily give their lives to protect and treat their patients. They are needed now more than ever. The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at Vaccines.news. Sources for this article include: CBN.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent Joe Banister has revealed that the agency wants to further tax hard-working Americans. Banister, also known as the Agent For Truth, made this revelation during the July 26 episode of The Sheriff Mack Show on Brighteon.TV. As you and many Americans know, the IRS wants you to put on your tax return that you had income from working hard at [a] job and trading your time for money, Banister told constitutional sheriff Richard Mack. The former IRS agent added that the taxmans own instruction booklets point out the specific law that requires every federal agency to ask information from taxpayers. According to Banister, the IRS tells Americans that they must file a tax return for any taxes they are liable for. He then questioned whether Americans are really liable for any income tax and if they really need to file returns for it. One thing that is definitely not income [which] the Supreme Court and many other state court cases say is when you trade an hour of your work for an hour of pay, theres no gain there. You and the person thats paying you decide how much youre worth for an hour. And then, you take part of your life and invest it in that hour. Furthermore, he pointed out the lack of a liability statute that makes the average American liable for income tax. Congress has never passed this statute, he added. Banister mentioned that the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the 16th Amendment known as the income tax amendment did not expand federal taxation power. The amendment states that Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. Whatever power the federal government had before the 16th Amendment was the amount of power it had after the 16th Amendment. What is that power? Well, there is a power to tax either directly or indirectly, stated the Agent for Truth. He added that indirect taxes must be uniform, while direct taxes must be apportioned. He also cited the Supreme Courts definition of income as a gain which is something that is separated from the capital that was invested. IRS method of implementing 16A is unconstitutional Banister clarified that while income tax itself is constitutional, the IRS and its enforcement of the 16th Amendment is not. They are basically going outside of the authority that they have been given by the law and the Constitution, Banister told Mack. The constitutional sheriff agreed, pointing out that there is no IRS statute or policy mentioning that Americans are liable for every dollar they make while working at any particular place or establishment. He added that a self-employed individual is not liable for income tax because it is an even trade with their time for the hourly wage that they receive. According to Banister, the forces who wanted the 16th Amendment or income tax amendment to be part of the Constitution intended it to be a blanket way to tax the American people. The Supreme Court stepped in at this point, ruling that Americans cannot have an amendment that conflicts with the rest of the Constitution that it is amending. (Related: Dems propose $3 trillion tax hike on working families and small businesses.) Following the ratification of the 16th Amendment in 1913, Congress had to put the brakes on it as it was ushering in an ubiquitous tax. It was only after the Supreme Court issued rulings three years later in 1916 that the statutes began to change, targeting people and circumstances that could pass constitutional muster. Read more stories like this at BigGovernment.news. Watch the July 26 episode of The Sheriff Mack Show below. Catch The Sheriff Mack Show with Sheriff Richard Mack every Tuesday at 10-11 a.m. on Brighteon.TV. More related stories: IRS also targeted adoptive families for intimidation and oppression. YES, The IRS has an emergency apocalypse plan to collect taxes. New IRS reporting rules send chills throughout crypto world. Sources include: Brighteon.com Investopedia.com (Natural News) North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un announced in a speech on Wednesday, July 27, that his communist government is fully ready to use its nuclear weapons if necessary against the U.S. and its allies. I once again make it clear that North Korea is fully ready for any military confrontation with the United States, Kim said. (Related: North Korea ready to nuke America world should be ready warns high-level defector who confirms nuke launch plans with NBC News.) Kim confirmed that his countrys relationship with the U.S. is at a limiting point, a point of fierce collision, which cannot be reversed any further. He also vowed to confront the U.S. imperialists to the end. In the same speech given to mark the anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire that ended the intense fighting in 1953, Kim also warned the military ruffians and gangsters of South Korea that they would pay dearly if they maintain ties with the U.S. and continue to threaten North Korea. Our armed forces are now fully prepared to cope with any sort of crisis, and our states nuclear war deterrent is also fully ready to demonstrate its absolute power accurately and promptly true to its mission, Kim said in his speech based on the English-language translation by the communist regimes official news service Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North Korean leader was speaking to Korean War veterans in an attempt to strengthen national unity amidst economic struggles related to a coronavirus outbreak and U.S. sanctions. Kim accused the U.S. of double standards and gangster-like activity over its joint military drills with South Korea while denouncing North Korea for its missile tests. He also accused the U.S. of demonizing North Korea to legitimize its own antagonistic policies. The duplex act of the United States, which is misleading all the routine actions of our armed forces as provocation and threat while holding large-scale joint military exercises that seriously threaten our security, is literally a robbery. That is driving bilateral relations to the point where it is difficult to turn back, into a state of conflict, Kim said. The dictator also criticized newly elected South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon, who has taken a very strict position against North Korea and formed a strong military alliance with the United States. According to Kim, Yoon is being directed by confrontation maniacs and gangsters from the United States. Talking about military action against our nation, which possesses absolute weapons that they fear the most, is preposterous and is very dangerous suicidal action. Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful strength and the Yoon Suk Yeol government and his military will be annihilated, Kim warned. Yoon has sought to boost South Koreas preemptive strike capabilities to counteract nuclear threats from North Korea. We once again urge North Korea to take the path of dialogue to achieve substantive denuclearization and peace, Yoons office stated in response to Kims remarks, while saying that South Korea is competent in defending itself. North Korea ready to conduct first nuclear test since 2017 Kims speech came after officials in Seoul and Washington revealed that North Korea had finished preparations to carry out its first nuclear test since 2017. South Koreas foreign minister announced on Wednesday that North Korea is expected to face tougher sanctions along with measures aimed at containing its cyberattack capabilities if it moves forward with the test. Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said the speech could be seen as an attempt to bolster national pride in the face of South Koreas successful post-ceasefire development. Kims rhetoric inflates external threats to justify his militarily focused and economically struggling regime. North Koreas nuclear and missile programs are in violation of international law, but Kim tries to depict his destabilizing arms buildup as a righteous effort at self-defense, Easley said in an email. North Korea has already conducted some weapons tests this year. In January, it tested a hypersonic missile and later launched a banned intercontinental ballistic missile including missiles that it said could carry tactical nuclear warheads. Follow NuclearWeapons.news for more news related to nuclear weapons. Watch the video below to know more about Kim Jong-uns threats against the U.S. and South Korea. This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: North Korea readying nuclear-capable ICBMs for launch, analyst warns. Global alert as North Korea revealed to be pursuing biological weapons that could exterminate humanity. North Korea vows to test more nuclear weapons, aims threats at US. Sources include: Infowars.com FoxNews.com Aljazeera.com (Natural News) It is now becoming more difficult for proponents of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to hide the truth about the experimental shots. Infections and deaths continue to mount in various countries despite nationwide vaccination programs. Vaccine injuries and deaths are also being recorded at an alarming rate worldwide, especially in highly vaccinated countries. Big Pharma and their cohorts are sensing that people are beginning to wake up and push back. Deaths continue to increase in Australia, while 15 percent of American adults are diagnosed with a new condition after getting COVID-19 vaccines. Over 40 percent of parents in the U.S. say they will definitely not vaccinate their children, while the German Hospital Federation demands withdrawal of vaccine mandate. Highly vaccinated countries are not doing well against COVID-19 Based on July 27 graphs from Our World in Data, the U.K. has the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations; Germany has the highest number of patients in the ICU with COVID-19; and Australia has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths. Australia also has the highest number of COVID patients per million followed by Canada, Ireland, the U.S., Denmark and the Netherlands. Despite two years of radical and experimental mandatory public health policy with the goal of zero-COVID-19 at all costs, Australia now has 15,572 excess deaths for 2021-2022 above baseline (nine percent higher) and 8,308 excess deaths above the five-year range based on graphs from Our World in Data. As of writing, Australia is over 96 percent vaccinated. Despite the high vaccination rate, over 100 deaths a week are reported due to the coronavirus. More than two years after Operation Warp Speed began, Childrens Health Defense tasked John Zogby Strategies with conducting two surveys about attitudes and the overall health of American adults. Data from the first survey comprised of 1,038 adults indicated that 67 percent of respondents received one or more COVID-19 vaccines six percent received one dose, 28 percent received two doses, 21 percent received three doses and 12 percent took four or more. Thirty-three percent were unvaccinated. Among adults who received a COVID-19 vaccine, 15 percent reported that they were diagnosed by a medical practitioner with a new condition within weeks to several months after vaccination. (Related: The HighWire with Del Bigtree: VICP and CICP are overwhelmed with vaccine complaints.) A follow-up question provided a list of medical conditions and asked diagnosed respondents to select all that apply. Out of the participants who were medically diagnosed with a new condition within weeks to several months after getting vaccinated, the top five cited conditions were: blood clots (21 percent) heart attack (19 percent) liver damage (18 percent) leg clots/lung clots (17 percent) stroke (15 percent ) In the second survey comprised of 829 adults aged 18 to 49, 62 percent of respondents received a COVID-19 vaccine and 38 percent did not. Twenty-two percent of the vaccinated reported being medically diagnosed within weeks to several months after the shot. The top five cited new conditions include: autoimmune disease (21 percent) blood clots (20 percent) stroke/lung clots (19 percent) liver damage/leg clots/heart attack (17 percent) disrupted menstrual cycle/Guillain-Barre/Bells palsy (15 percent) When describing the conditions, 47 percent said mild, 43 percent said serious and 10 percent said severe. About 30 percent also reported knowing someone else who has been medically diagnosed within only weeks to several months after getting vaccinated. Regarding trust in the government to handle future pandemics, only 23 percent said it has increased, 34 percent said it has decreased, 32 percent said it has remained the same and the rest were unsure. More than 4 in 10 parents wont let their kids get vaccinated American parents are also making a stand by telling the government that they dont want their kids to get vaccinated. Parents cited concerns about the newness of the vaccine and not enough testing or research, concerns over side effects, and worries over the overall safety of the vaccines. As of July 15, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) has received over 1.3 million reports of coronavirus-related vaccine injuries and 29,635 deaths. The risks of childhood COVID-19 vaccination need to be weighed against the benefits. Here are five things to consider before you vaccinate your child: The risk of COVID-19 is low among children. Why risk their health with potentially dangerous vaccines? Vaccines and oversight of them have failed, as proven by the many recorded cases of vaccine injuries and deaths. The risk is probably more than the benefit, from various adverse side effects to severe health conditions. Vaccine harm is minimized, usually by Big Pharma and mainstream media. The government is unsuccessful in monitoring vaccine injuries and deaths. Dont just listen to Big Pharma or the government. Weigh the pros and cons before subjecting yourself or your children to the potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. Visit Vaccineinjurynews.com to learn more about COVID-19-related vaccine injuries and deaths. Watch the video below to know more about how COVID-19 vaccines can damage the immune health of children. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Nearly 8,000 non-COVID excess deaths in UK traced to COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots. VACCINE VIOLENCE: If you want to stop deaths from shootings, ban vaccines, not guns. Nearly 1.3 million adverse events linked to COVID-19 vaccines, reveal VAERS reports. Sources include: Expose-News.com OurWorldInData.org ArkMedic.substack.com ChildrensHealthDefense.org KFF.org Rescue.Substack.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Referring to womens chests as breasts and calling what they produce mothers milk is no longer acceptable, according to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). The group, whose name itself is now obsolete it should be called the Academy of Chestfeeding Medicine based on the new politically correct rules says that traditional terms such as breast milk make transgenders from the LGBT community feel excluded. Instead, the group wants people to call it human milk or parents milk, or even fathers milk because apparently men can produce chest milk, too. (Related: Real breastmilk from actual women fights cancer cells.) A screenshot of ABMs new guide that was shared by evolutionary biologist Colin Wright shows other trans-compliant language suggestions such as gestational parent instead of mother and lactating person as opposed to nursing mother. Breastfeeding has also got to go in order to make way for chestfeeding, as does the word breast itself, which ABM wants to replace with the term mammary gland. This document was sent to me by a friend whose wife is a hospital nurse for new moms and their babies, Wright told The Post Millennial. He said this new inclusive terminology is being implemented at her hospital, and that nurses and other health professionals are being required to ask each patient what terms they wish to have used when discussing their care. Wright went on to explain that patients are more concerned with doctors and nurses focusing on important things like medications and proper dosages instead of devoting mental real estate to memorizing lists of inane inclusive terminology. The trans cult wants everyone to be referred to using machine or animal language Last year, ABM issued a statement apologizing and pandering to the trans cult for not changing its language sooner. ABM recognizes that not all people who give birth and lactate identify as female, and that some individuals identify as neither female nor male, the group said. There was also a statement made about how desexed language can be used in many settings as opposed to traditional language, and that desexed language can be broadened and expanded as time goes on. All references to male and female are now obsolete, we are told, and must be replaced with language that makes human anatomy sound like a machine or an animal. In the past, Wright has been censored on Twitter for challenging these notions. At one point, Twitter punished him for tweeting a chart showing that men are biological stronger than women, even if they have undergone gender reassignment surgery and hormone procedures. Wright is constantly calling out sex pseudoscience whenever it emerges from the likes of ABM, which like many other medical organizations these days has gone woke in support of LGBT madness. At first, this nonsense is for biological women, who declare themselves to be men and take hormones to become more masculine, then cease treatment to become pregnant, someone wrote at Infowars. Next, biological men will receive advanced hormone treatments to enable them, perhaps with transplantation surgery, to breastfeed. Another added that no matter how many times the trans cult tries to say that men can change into women and vice versa, it will never be true. Email the organization or call (847) 375-4726 and ask for Carol Pape, the director who made this decision, wrote another about who is behind the new ABM guide. Just endlessly and relentlessly mock these frauds online, over the phone, and in person, said another about how everyday folks can challenge the trans insanity. The latest news about the trans cults efforts to recreate all language can be found at Transhumanism.news. Sources for this article include: Infowars.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) More than 18 months since describing Hunter Bidens laptop as a Breitbart rabbit hole, CNN has finally jumped in and started reporting about it. In late 2020, former CNN chief Jeff Zucker explained why his network refused to cover the explosive story about the Biden familys corruption. The Wall Street Journal reported that their review of all corporate records showed no role for Joe Biden on the Chinese deal. And yes, I do put more credibility in the Wall Street Journal than I do in the New York Post, he said. But with the Left no longer willing to support Joe Biden for reelection, the Breitbart rabbit hole has become valuable for them to make sure that they have a different nominee for 2024. So CNN is now in the same rabbit hole, reporting on the laptop. CNN noted that no final decision had been made on whether or not to bring charges against Hunter Biden, but their sources say that the probe has intensified in recent months, along with discussions among prosecutors in Delaware, investigators running the probe and officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters. David Weiss, U.S. attorney in Delaware, is now leading the probe, which started in 2018. Discussions have also centered around possibly bringing charges that could include alleged tax violations and making a false statement concerning Bidens purchase of a firearm at a time he was prohibited from doing so because of his acknowledged struggles with drug addiction. (Related: Column: Suddenly, Hunter Biden scandals are real.) This same investigation also loomed large among already politically fraught issues Merrick Garland faces as attorney general, with Weiss being one of a handful of appointees of former president Donald Trump, who were kept on by the Biden administration because they were overseeing politically sensitive investigations. Politico noted that the Washington Post and the Daily Mail both obtained their copies of the laptop from Jack Maxey, a former co-host on Steve Bannons War Room podcast. In June 2021. the Washington Posts Glenn Kessler also served as an intermediary for a meeting between Maxey, editor Peter Wallstein and investigative reporter Tom Hamburger. They said that they had problems with the first copy of the drive, and Maxey subsequently gave the paper three other digital copies, one of which is more user-friendly. FBI shows major bias over claims against Hunter Biden Meanwhile, Senator Ron Johnson accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation of major bias over whistleblower claims against Biden. He told Fox News that he had no faith in FBI Director Christopher Wray to oversee anything related to the presidents son. The FBI is currently pursuing an unrelated tax investigation into Hunter Bidens overseas business dealings. Johnson said it is important for the American public to know that the FBI had Hunter Bidens laptop since December 2019 and that the agency saw evidence of criminal activity on it. Johnson also accused the FBI of having done nothing with the supposed evidence. Here we are at the end of July, early August 2022. What have they done with it? he asked. (Related: Hunter Biden evidence wrongly labeled disinformation by FBI: Whistleblower.) He added that people cannot trust the DOJ and the FBI to get to the bottom of the issue. Some current and former DOJ officials are saying there is an unwritten rule that prosecutors avoid bringing politically sensitive cases within 60 days of an election. However, other current and former DOJ officials are saying that this does not necessarily apply in this instance since Joe Biden is not on the ballot during midterms. A lawyer for Hunter Biden declined to comment on the matter. However, he has not been charged with any crimes and has previously denied any wrongdoing. His father has not been investigated as part of the probe of his business activities, either. Visit BidenCrimeFamily.news for more information about Hunter Bidens controversial laptop. Watch the video below about the FBI trying to protect Hunter Biden. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Matrixxx Grooove: Company of Joe Bidens son funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine Brighteon.TV. The plot thickens: Hunter Biden investment firm funded Ukraine biolabs. After denying existence of US bio labs in Ukraine, Biden regime warns that Russia could release the bioweapons they contain. Bidens new disinformation chief was pleased by censorship of Hunter Biden laptop stories. Hunter Bidens controversial laptop contents will soon be made available to the public. Sources include: Breitbart.com Edition.CNN.com Politico.com DailyMail.co.uk Brighteon.com (Natural News) As crime continues to soar in New York City (NYC), one drugstore in the Big Apple has resorted to locking cans of Spam and tuna in plastic cases as an anti-theft measure. Twitter user Willy Staley pointed out that the Duane Reade branch located at the Port Authority Midtown Manhattan bus depot was following the practice. The thoroughly revamped loss-prevention regime at the Port Authority Duane Reade has finally created something of beauty, a sort of Jeff Koons homage, he tweeted alongside a picture of a Spam can inside a plastic case. Staley subsequently posted a picture of canned ham from the same store, also inside a plastic case, with this caption: Id love to have one to keep, case and all but theres only one way to do that. Aside from canned meat, canned seafood products such as tuna and sardines were also stored in anti-theft cases. Louisville, Kentucky resident Jenny Kenny said that while she was aware of the ongoing crime wave in NYC and other cities, she could not believe the sight of so many things in boxes. The 43-year-old remarked: Some of these things are pretty ridiculous. Patron Dennis Snow, 46, had strong words for the practice: To put Spam in a cage is stupid, and kind of insulting to the customers that would buy it. Snow argued that if Spam is the most-targeted item in larceny attempts, then anybody stealing it would be looking for a quick and easy meal. Twenty-eight-year-old Delia Kemp agreed, saying: Someone is stealing this because they need it. Home health attendant Liz Tawfik, meanwhile, derided the added security measures saying that they annoy customers like herself and hamper a smooth shopping experience. If youre [going to] catch a train and you [want to] get something quick, its not quick anymore, she lamented. You might as well have someone take your order at the door and get what you want. Store defends plastic cases as necessary security measure Employees at the Duane Reade store said thefts have been surging over the past two years, with one staff member estimating a minimum of four shoplifters every evening shift. However, one store clerk expressed criticism of the anti-theft plastic cases. Its security theater, commented a 21-year-old store clerk named Iggy. I dont think they stop anything. If you really needed it, you would stomp on it. Iggy cited one instance that occurred on July 28, where a shoplifter asked an employee to open a glass case that had a $38 electric razor inside. Once the case had been opened, the male suspect darted past the security guard and out the door with the electric razor in tow. A spokeswoman for Walgreens, the parent company of Duane Reade, refused to answer questions why Spam cans were stored in plastic cases at the Port Authority location. However, she explained that the use of the plastic anti-theft cases was done in response to theft data. (Related: Rampant theft, ongoing supply chain disruptions leaving drug store shelves in New York City barren.) Another Duane Reade employee attested that the practice is not just limited to canned goods. Dariel Cepin, who is assigned to the West 44th Street location, said his branch locks up ice cream. Not all drug stores have put Spam under lockdown. Two other Duane Reade stores and a CVS branch in the Times Square area are not putting their Spam cans inside plastic cases. Another CVS branch and a Rite Aid branch in Central Harlem also sell their Spam cans without protective cases. Midtown Manhattan where the Duane Reade branch that put its Spam cans in plastic cases is located is known as one of the Excelsior States grimiest areas. It gained a reputation as a mecca for homeless people, fueling speculations that ready-to-eat items such as canned meat and seafood are locked away due to thieves targeting them most of the time. Watch Owen Shroyer of InfoWars as he talks about the retail crime problem in NYC that prompted the use of anti-theft plastic cases. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Small business owners getting ripped off regularly by petty thieves as Soros-installed DA does nothing. Grocery stores across America are hiring security guards to combat exploding crime and product theft. British supermarkets now putting security tags on cheese to prevent shoplifting amid economic turmoil. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk NYPost.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) If Joe Biden was a Republican, he would have been hauled before a grand jury and indicted long ago for corruption. But because hes a Democrat, the fake news media, the Washington swamp, and the deep state continue to protect him from persecution and prosecution at least for as long as they need him. Our dementia patient has regularly denied that he had any knowledge whatsoever of his son Hunter Bidens corrupt business deals in Ukraine, Russia and China, but new revelations have added to previously reported information proving even further that he has been lying about that all along. As noted by George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley, a constitutional expert who has turned into an amateur sleuth of sorts: New disclosures are demolishing the continued denials of President Biden that he had no knowledge and nothing to do with his sons business interests. The emails (reviewed by Fox and The Daily Mail) include exchanges with at least 14 of Hunter Bidens business associates while Joe Biden was vice president. They cast further doubt on the presidents repeated claims that he had no knowledge of his sons foreign business dealings. In one almost plaintive email, Hunter actually complains to an associate that he had delivered on everything that was demanded of him in getting access to his father and the White House. Turley, who is politically liberal but far more loyal to the Constitution than the vast majority of our elected and appointed leaders, went on to point out what Joe Biden said on the campaign trail in 2019 (and many times since): I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings. It did not seem plausible then because it wasnt; Biden has been in politics forever and for anyone to think his son wasnt trying to cash in on selling access to papa is either not paying attention or is a blatant political hack. Turley noted that Bidens denials continued despite the surfacing of an audiotape in which Joe Biden left his son Hunter a message specifically addressing media coverage of some of those business dealings. Some of us have written for two years that Bidens denial of knowledge is patently false. Indeed, it is baffling how Attorney General Garland can ignore the myriad of references to Joe Biden in refusing to appoint a special counsel, Turley noted further, no doubt well aware that its because Garland is little more than a gatekeeper for the regime, not a serious law enforcement official. There are emails of Ukrainian and other foreign clients thanking Hunter Biden for arranging meetings with his father. There are photos from dinners and meetings that tie President Biden to these figures, including a 2015 dinner with a group of Hunter Bidens Russian and Kazakh clients, Turley continued. He went on to note that because of the sensitivity of actually mentioning Joe Biden in communications, directly or indirectly, business participants were told not to do so. One former business associate, Tony Bobulinski, has said that he was told by Biden associate James Gilliar not to speak to anyone of Joe Bidens connection to any transactions: Dont mention Joe being involved, its only when u [sic] are face to face, I know u [sic] know that but they are paranoid. Joe Biden is referred to as the big guy or Celtic in most communications. Of course, they are paranoid; they are dirty and dirty people worry their illicit behaviors will be discovered. Mind you, the Bidens illicit behaviors have long been known, but they will continue to be covered up. Until the deep state doesnt need Joe Biden any longer. Sources include: JonathanTurley.org NYPost.com (Natural News) The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech claimed the life of a nine-year-old child from California. The girls death was included in the data released July 27 by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). According to the system, the girl was injected with her first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine on Dec. 13, 2021. She died two weeks later on Dec. 27, 2021. The child experienced abdominal pain, sore throat and chest pain around two or three days before her death. She did not have any pre-existing conditions, as per the VAERS report. Within the 14-week gap between her vaccination and her death, she did not visit a doctors office or an emergency room. The girls death was among the 12,232 adverse events linked to the COVID-19 vaccine for five- to 11-year-old children between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 22, 2022. A total of 101 reports of seizures in the aforementioned age group comprised that total amount. Forty-seven reports of blood clotting and 24 reports of cardiac inflammation myocarditis and pericarditis were also included in the report. (Related: COVID vaccines found to increase risk of myocarditis in children by over 13,000 percent.) For children aged six months to five years old, a total of 2,429 vaccine-related adverse events were recorded in VAERS. There were 23 instances of seizures, 15 instances of blood clotting disorders and four reports of cardiac inflammation in the cohort during the same period. Moreover, vaccine-related adverse events for the 12 to 17 age group between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 22, 2022 totaled to 32,835 including 44 fatalities. Most of these adverse events were linked to the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. Of the 657 reports of cardiac inflammation for this age group, 645 cases or about 98 percent were attributed to the Pfizer vaccine. BNT162b2 was also linked to 100 percent of blood clotting disorders and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Individuals affected with POTS experience a faster heartbeat whenever they change positions, such as from lying down to standing up and vice versa. Most parents wont let their kids get the COVID vaccine, survey finds Given the nine-year-olds death and the number of vaccine-related adverse events among children aged six months to 17 years, it is not surprising that a significant number of parents did not want to get their children injected with the COVID-19 shot. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundations (KFF) COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, whose results were published July 26, reflected this sentiment. It found that 43 percent of respondent parents did not plan on getting the COVID-19 vaccine for their children younger than five years old, a 13 percent jump from the 30 percent of parents who said the same a year ago. The KFF survey also found that 64 percent of Republican-leaning parents with children aged between six months and four years will not get their child vaccinated. Sentiment was also similar among unvaccinated parents, with 64 percent saying that their child will follow their example. Parents worries about side effects and about the newness of the vaccines are evident when they explain in their own words why they will not get their young child vaccinated for COVID-19 right away, KFF stated. It also cited concerns about the efficacy of the vaccine and the feeling that the vaccine is not needed as reasons for respondents rejecting the vaccine for their children. Moreover, the KFF survey found that 55 percent of respondent parents deem information about COVID-19 vaccines from federal agencies confusing. Previous KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor research found that many parents of children under age five thought information about the COVID-19 vaccines for children in that age group was confusing. Following the FDAs recent emergency use authorization of two COVID-19 vaccines for children ages six months through four years old, many parents continue to find the information from federal agencies unclear. Visit VaccineDeaths.com for more stories about children dying after their COVID-19 vaccination. Watch this video about a VAERS report on 63 children below three years old who died from the COVID-19 vaccine. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: VAERS: COVID-19 vaccines have injured over 50,000 children. 7-year-old died of cardiac arrest 13 days after Pfizer shot, VAERS data show. Two-year-old baby DIES during Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine experiments on children. Study: 397 Children diagnosed with heart inflammation after receiving Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. VAERS COVID vaccine data show surge in reports of serious injuries, as 5-year-olds start getting shots. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org MedAlerts.org KFF.org Brighteon.com (Natural News) Despite an urgent plea from the World Health Organization (WHO) for homosexual and bisexual men to stop their sexual escapades to limit the spread of monkeypox (aka pridepox), the city of San Francisco is moving forward anyway with an LGBT superspreader event called Up Your Alley. The sex festival, also known as Dore Alley, is a filthy leather fetish carnival that promotes same-sex casual encounters and public demonstrations of kink. It is a petri dish, in other words, for the spread of not only pridepox but a host of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that we now know are provoked by Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines. It would seem as though pridepox is an exclusively gay disease that is activated, perhaps, by Fauci Flu shots, and spread through homosexual perversions which makes Up Your Alley the worst thing that could happen in the face of efforts to eliminate pridepox before it has the chance to become a real public health threat (assuming it even exists and is not just a covid jab side effect under a different name). AIDS Foundation comes out in support of Up Your Alley, urges gays to be aware, but not overly afraid while participating in orgies It is said that of Californias 786 confirmed cases of pridepox, 257 of them exist in San Francisco, a longtime LGBT bastion. Overall, 91.7 percent of Californias pridepox cases are gay, lesbian or same gender loving, while another 5.6 percent are bisexual. So far, nobody in the United States power structure has spoken out against perverse LGBT activity as the primary superspreader vector for pridepox. In fact, the powers that be are going out of their way to deny that LGBTs are responsible for the disease which is a far cry from how they treated normal people during the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic. Weve heard from people who are worried about attending events out of fear of contracting monkeypox. We hope you partake while also taking steps to reduce your risk, announced the AIDS Foundation, adding the politically correct caveat that gays should be aware of pridepox but not overly afraid of it. The group says that gays should only go to sex parties with people you know this after the entire country, including children, were told to mask up and get jabbed to stop the spread of so-called covid. Should a gay encounter someone at the festival with bumps and rashes, it is best to cover those rashes before engaging in a night of debauchery, the AIDS Foundation added. Remember when the establishment pulled a similar double standard back in 2020 by declaring church events and schools to be superspreader events but not Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots? Donald Trumps rallies were also declared to be superspreader events while protests against police brutality were simultaneously decreed to be safe expressions of freedom, despite the restrictions that were applied to everybody else. Monkeypox must not be as big of a problem as they claim if they are okay with allowing this trash festival to proceed, wrote a commenter in response to the news. Watch and see: as soon as this is over, they will be back to screaming about how monkeypox is a pandemic. Its all lies. Over at Natural News, a reader said he absolutely will not shed any tears for these perverts who are insistent upon wiping themselves out. However, who is going to speak up for the rest of society, which could be plunged right back into medical tyranny the moment this summer of pride has ended? The latest news about pridepox can be found at Infections.news. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com AmericasFrontlineNews.com (Natural News) The United Kingdom has rejected Venezuelas latest petition to gain control of more than $1 billion of its own gold reserves stored in the Bank of Englands underground vaults in London. The British High Court of Justice in London ruled on Friday, July 29, that a recent ruling by Venezuelas Supreme Tribunal of Justice (STJ) should be disregarded. The STJ supported Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros plea for his country to take back ownership of the gold reserves stored by the U.K. (Related: Ukraine has sold $12 billion of its gold reserves since start of Russian invasion.) This marks the latest victory for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has won a series of legal clashes over the gold reserves after the British government recognized him rather than Maduro as the rightful president of Venezuela. Maduro and Guaido have each appointed a different board to the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), and the two have issued conflicting instructions regarding what to do with the gold reserves. I conclude that there is no basis for the recognition of the judgments upon which the Maduro Board relies, said Judge Sara Cockerill. The Guaido Board therefore succeeds. The ruling supports the British governments decision to recognize Guaido as the legal ruler of Venezuela over Maduro. The long-running case has been heard by several British courts since Maduro first sued the bank for access to the Venezuelan bullion during the early stages of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He claimed his country needed the money to build up a pandemic relief fund. Guaidos camp claims Maduros cash-strapped administration will use the money raised from selling the bullion to pay off his foreign allies. He then claimed that his camp needs the gold to help future generations of Venezuelans. The Venezuelan opposition asked the Bank of England to prevent Maduros government from gaining access to the gold in 2019, which is when Maduros central bank board started suing the Bank of England to recover control, saying the bank was depriving Venezuelans of necessary funds. Juan Guaido could take custody of disputed gold cache Guaido and his camp applauded the ruling in a statement, writing that the decision is another step in the process of protecting Venezuelas international gold reserves and preserving them for the Venezuelan people. This type of honest and transparent judicial process does not exist in Venezuela. Maduros camp said it rejects the courts ruling and intends to file an appeal, writing that it reserved all legal action at its disposal to appeal this unusual and disastrous decision. The Venezuelan state will continue to defend its interests, protecting and guaranteeing the rights of all Venezuelans, said Maduros Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in a statement for a state television station. This is an unfortunate ruling, said Sarosh Zaiwalla of Zaiwalla & Co, which represented Maduros central bank board. The BCV remains concerned that the cumulative effect of the judgments of the English Court appears to accord a simple statement by the U.K. government recognizing as a head of state a person with no effective control or power over any part of that state. A hearing set for October will decide which issues the British courts are willing to continue taking up. Learn more about gold and the gold reserves of different nations at GoldReport.news. Watch this episode of Zoon Politikon as host Holly Seeliger talks about the London High Court ruling against Venezuela in its legal battle with the Bank of England. This video is from the Zoon Politikon channel on Brighteon.com. More related articles: Zimbabwe central bank announces gold currency to combat inflation. Russia is considering bringing back the GOLD STANDARD to maintain financial sovereignty amid economic sanctions. US move against Russian gold reserves may signal impending monetary reset. Venezuelans turn to gold nuggets as the local currency implodes. Hyperinflation causes Venezuelans to use gold flakes as currency. Sources include: GreatGameIndia.com Reuters.com Bloomberg.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Leilani Lutali, who last year was denied kidney transplant surgery because she refused to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, finally got the critical operation she needed to save her life. Lutali, 57, from Colorado, made headlines last year when the UCHealth system refused to approve her kidney transplant surgery until she got vaccinated. Lutali, a born-again Christian with stage five kidney disease that puts her at risk of dying without a new kidney, said that the requirement unfairly pitted her health needs against her religious beliefs. (Related: Hospitals discriminating against unvaccinated organ transplant candidates.) As a Christian, I cant support anything that has to do with abortion of babies, and the sanctity of life for me is precious, she said at the time. UCHealth claimed that the vaccine mandate is necessary because it lowers the risk of contracting the coronavirus as well as being hospitalized and dying from it. The hospital further claimed that transplant patients who contract COVID-19 have a mortality rate that is 20 percent higher than vaccinated transplant patients. Del Bigtree, during an episode of his show, The Highwire, noted that the COVID-19 vaccines are actually what is getting in the way of people getting the proper medical care that they need. Those that need heart transplants, liver transplants and kidney transplants, the hospital system will deny transplants to the unvaccinated in almost all situations, he commented. Bigtree further noted that Lutali had already found a willing kidney donor for her who was also unvaccinated, Jaimee Fougner, a woman she met at a Bible study group who had the same blood type as her. Despite finding a willing donor who did not mind her vaccination status, UCHealth still refused to accommodate Lutalis pressing medical needs. They were ready to go, but then the hospital said, No, Im sorry, youre going to die because you wont get a vaccine for what were calling a deadly virus,' said Bigtree. That doesnt make sense. Lutali and Fougner received necessary medical care in Texas Lutali and Fougner were given accommodation by a surgeon in Dallas who was willing to consider their case. This opportunity went nowhere though as the surgeon claimed Fougners left kidney had a few vessels that disqualified her from being a donor. The two sought a second opinion because they both believed that Fougners kidneys were perfectly healthy. This is why they attempted to apply for accommodation at the nearby Baylor University Medical Centers kidney transplant surgery center, the Twice Blessed House. Baylors medical providers accepted the duo and quickly enrolled them into their system and scheduled the transplant surgery. Their status as unvaccinated individuals never became an issue. UCHealth gave me a death sentence, said Lutali. Baylor gave me a chance [at life]. Just days following the surgery, Lutalis kidney function immediately skyrocketed from five percent to around 73 percent. The doctors that operated on Lutali and Fougner commented that the latters kidney was an overachieving marvel. Without faith in Christ, we would not be sitting here today. We were either going to listen to men or listen to God, and we chose the path of God, said Leilani. She and Fougner have now committed themselves to battling religious and medical discrimination against Christians. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine mandates and policies at MedicalTyranny.com. Watch this episode of The Highwire with Del Bigtree as he interviews Lutali and Fougner about how they won the battle to get the operation Lutali needed. This video is from the channel The Highwire with Del Bigtree on Brighteon.com. More related articles: Canadian legal group blasts Alberta magistrate who ruled that doctors can require COVID vaccination before organ transplants. Vanderbilt finally agrees to heart transplant for unvaccinated six-month-old b aby following negative press, petitions. Texas man with natural immunity DIES after being forced to take COVID-19 vaccine while awaiting lung transplant. Tom Renz slams medical violence being committed against unvaccinated organ transplant patients Brighteon.TV. Doctors, hospitals are now refusing to treat unvaccinated patients. Sources include: Brighteon.com APNews.com NorfolkDailyNews.com (Natural News) The globalist elite have decided that the sun needs to be blocked out in order to save the planet from global warming. Adopting a proposal by MIT scientists who want to use so-called space bubbles to keep the suns ultraviolet rays from reaching Earth, the World Economic Forum (WEF), as part of its Great Reset, is planning to cool the planet by plunging it into darkness. The stated goal is to just deflect 1.8 percent of incident solar radiation back into the atmosphere, leaving the rest to blanket the earth. Doing this, the WEF says, will fully reverse todays global warming. Also described as a solar shield, the technology, which differs from the aerosol particles advocated for by billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, will ensure a sustainable future for the planet sustainable is a word often used in place of depopulation. Wheres the definitive proof that the planet is warming and changing? Like with aerosols and geoengineering (chemtrails), those proposing this new space bubbles sun-shielding concept insist it is just a working hypothesis, and not something they are already trying to do while just now telling us about it. Back when chemtrails were still widely regarded as a wild conspiracy theory, many observed that they were, in fact, blanketing the skies while the concept was still just hypothetical. Then, years later, the elite started to let the cat out of the bag, pretending as though their machinations were something new. Now, there is a chance that the WEF has already been up to schemes that aim to block out the sun while only just now leaking the truth to the public to see how people respond. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) insists that geoengineering of some kind is a necessary Plan B if global temperatures do not decrease. There is still no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the planet is warming or changing in any way that is directly caused by human beings through commerce and industry. Even so, the powers that be are moving right along with their plans and schemes as if we were all on the verge of dying from a mythical climate heatstroke. In 2019, the WEF signed a strategic partnership with the UNs IPCC, the explicit goal of which involves accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Again, whenever you see the term sustainable or sustainable development, this is code for depopulating the planet and turning it into a green paradise for the elite. The few remaining peons following the purge are intended to be the elites slaves. Following the WEFs partnership with the UN, many spoke out against this corporate takeover. Hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks and government officials signed an open letter calling it out. The provisions of the strategic partnership effectively provide that corporate leaders will become whisper advisors to the heads of UN system departments, using their private access to advocate market-based profit-making solutions to global problems while undermining real solutions embedded in public interest and transparent democratic procedures, part of that letter reads. That letter went nowhere, of course, as the WEF has only continued to amass power and influence ever since had anyone ever even heard of Klaus Schwab prior to last year? Part of Schwabs envisioned Great Reset is to make himself and his elitist cohorts global stakeholders who will steer the future state of global relations, the direction of national economies, the priorities of societies, the nature of business models and the management of a global commons. The latest news about the climate change hoax can be found at ClimateAlarmism.news. Sources for this article include: HumansBeFree.com NaturalNews.com Can you die from space junk? Scientists calculate the likelihood that someone may die from space debris. Data, after all, indicates that it is truly feasible. Space Debris It may seem absurdly unlikely that somebody might be killed by space debris that fell from the sky. After all, although there have been incidents of injury and property damage, no one has yet died in such an accident. But do we need to start taking the danger more seriously now that we send more satellites, rockets, and spacecraft into orbit? A recent study in Nature Astronomy calculates the likelihood of fatalities falling rocket pieces over the next 10 years. We are exposed to the danger of debris falling from space on us every minute. Around 40,000 tonnes of dust are produced annually by the minuscule fragments from asteroids and comets that patter through the atmosphere and land undetected on the Earth's surface. Although we are not affected by this, spacecraft can be harmed by this debris, as was recently revealed with the James Webb space telescope. A body tens of meters wide occasionally manages to drive through the atmosphere to create a crater, and occasionally a bigger sample enters the atmosphere as a meteorite. Additionally, albeit extremely infrequently, kilometer-sized objects can reach the surface and cause death and destruction, as seen by the absence of dinosaurs from the planet today. These are a few instances of natural space debris whose unexpected arrival is unpredictable and dispersed relatively equally worldwide. However, the current study focused on the unplanned influx of manmade space debris from satellites and rocket launches, including discarded rocket stages. The scientists calculated the locations of rocket debris and other space trash when they fall to Earth using mathematical modeling of rocket part inclinations and orbits in space and population density below them, as well as 30 years' worth of prior satellite data. Also Read: Satellite Avoids Collision with Debris Scrambled by Space Weather A Small Possibility They discovered that there is a little but considerable chance of pieces returning in the next ten years. However, this is more likely to occur across southern latitudes rather than northern ones. The study calculated that Jakarta in Indonesia, Dhaka in Bangladesh, or Lagos in Nigeria is around three times more likely to have rocket corpses land than New York in the US, Beijing in China, or Moscow in Russia. The authors also estimated the risk to human life from uncontrolled rocket reentries during the next ten years. They discovered an average 10% risk of one or more casualties during the following ten years, assuming that each reentry disperses fatal debris across an area of ten square meters. To date, it has been believed that there is very little chance that satellite and rocket debris will affect the surface of the Earth or aviation traffic in the atmosphere. Most research on this type of space debris has been on the danger posed by abandoned spacecraft that might interfere with the safe operation of active satellites. Explosions in orbit caused by unused fuel and batteries also produce more trash. However, it is quite expected that the number of mishaps, both in space and on Earth, like the one that occurred after the launch of the Chinese Long March 5b, will also climb as the number of entrants into the rocket launch sector rises and shifts from government to private company. The 10 percent number is thus a modest estimate, according to the current study. It is undoubtedly feasible to regulate debris reentry thanks to various technologies, but doing so is costly. For instance, spacecraft can be "passivated," where any remaining energy (such as fuel or batteries) is used up rather than saved after the mission's completion. A satellite's chosen orbit can potentially lessen the likelihood of junk formation. Instructing a retired satellite to fly into low Earth orbit, where it will burn up, is possible. Additionally, there have been attempts to launch reusable rockets, such as those developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. As they return to Earth in a controlled manner, these produce much less debris, but there will be some from paint and metal shavings. The hazards are taken seriously by several agencies. The European Space Agency is preparing a mission to use a four-armed robot to try and gather and remove space junk. The UN published a set of Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines through its Office of Outer Space Affairs in 2010, which were updated in 2018. These are recommendations, not international law, and do not provide instructions on how mitigation actions should be carried out or managed, as the authors of the current study note. A Chance to Take Action The paper makes the case that improving technology and more careful mission design will lower the uncontrolled reentry of spacecraft debris, reducing the danger of hazards worldwide. Uncontrolled rocket body reentries are a collective action issue; solutions are available, but each launching state must embrace them. Government cooperation is not unusual, as seen by the agreement to outlaw ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon compounds. But unhappily, before taking such action, there typically has to be a large incident with ramifications for the northern hemisphere. Additionally, international agreements and protocol modifications take time. It has been seventy years since the first satellite was sent into orbit in five years. It would be appropriate if all UN member states could sign a stronger and binding international convention against space debris to commemorate that day. In the end, such an agreement would be advantageous to all countries. Related Article: Space Junk Heading Towards the Moon at Super Speed For more cosmic news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! A cold front forecasted during the weekend to hit Australia this week has made its way into the country as it crosses the state of Western Australia. Australian weather authorities have updated their forecast and issued renewed severe weather warnings for damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous surf conditions. The cold front crosses the coast of the region, communities are reportedly at risk again of the adverse weather conditions. As of Monday, 1 August, the state is expected to be continuously hit within the 72-hour period. The greatest threat posed by the system, are gale force winds which could bring a cascade of weather hazards, including flash flooding and coastal flooding. Specifically, dangerous winds and rainfall are affecting Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Katanning, Perth, Mandurah, Manjimup, Merredin, Moora, Mount Barker, Northam, and Narrogin. This are included in the warning issued by the Australian government's meteorological service. The cold front update of Monday serves as the second article about the cold front forecast covered by Nature World News, with the first being on Sunday, July 31. During the first article, the country's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said the weather phenomenon will hit the western state this week. Cold Front Update As part of its cold front update, the BoM on Monday stated the tri-weather hazard only occurs once a year but is expected to continue in Western Australia at least until Wednesday, August 3. In the previous forecast it says the weather system consists of a series of cold fronts that will consecutively strike the Australian region. With this, the bureau predicts a second cold front will move across the western coast later this week. Also Read: Massive Cold Front and Low Pressure System Brings Adverse Weather to Southeast Australia Rainfall and Wind Gust Latest developments still indicate rainfall will not result in riverine flooding. Yet, it has already affected multiple areas, including York East, Gingin, and Swanbourne from morning to noon on Monday. On average, rainfall accumulation ranged between 20 to 30 millimeters. In addition, wind gust of up to 91 kilometers per hour has been recorded in Cape Naturaliste and 81 kilometers per hour in Bickley. Geraldton Airport also recorded wind speed of up to 87 kilometers per hour on the same day. Australia Flooding The current weather event Western Australia is facing comes almost a month after torrential rain inundated Eastern Australia with massive flooding. The BBC reported that local authorities have urged around 50,000 people to evacuate their homes in Sydney and other areas of New South Wales, notably the Greater Sydney Area. Last month's inclement weather was attributed to the La Nina weather system, which brought abnormal amount of rainfall and killed over 20 people this year, most in New South Wales, the UK media outlet says. Western Australia Cold Front While Western Australia was relatively far from the repercussions of the said weather system, a cold front battered the region since late May all the way to early June. Other areas nationwide were also affected. According to ABC News, the first series of cold fronts has brought rain and thunderstorms to many locations, including in the city of Perth. Related Article: Australia Weather Update: BoM Forecasts Continuance of Cold Front Into the Weekend Pet beds encourage homeless people in Brazilian cities to enter shelters. Homeless people are persuaded to stay inside by the beds for their dogs. Letting Pets Stay A tiny community in southern Brazil has discovered a method to accept people's pets to draw more homeless people to one of its shelters on freezing winter evenings. Canoas, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul with an estimated 348,000 residents, realized that many homeless people avoided the city's 14 shelters during the current Southern Hemisphere winter because their pets were not allowed, according to Fabiane Tomazi Borba, the city's animal welfare special secretary. Encouraging the Homeless According to the animal care professional, "many times, they choose not to stay in a shelter, so as not to abandon their dogs." With space for up to 150 individuals each day, the La Salle Sao Paulo school facilities can now provide refuge from the cold for homeless people and their dogs. A shelter resident named Machado de Lima has been sleeping with his pets. "I would bring them (the dogs) to sleep with me if I couldn't remain at the shelter. They join me in the street to sleep, he claimed. Breakfast and supper are served, and homeless persons also get an amenity box with soap, towels, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. A veterinarian examines their animals. Precautionary Measures According to animal care expert Borba, pets are examined for parasites, given vaccinations, and castrated or neutered. The assurance that they won't spread diseases allows them to reside here with their parents and sleep in a warm, healthy environment. Therefore, the viewpoint is to care for both humans and dogs. Also Read: Cats Now Considered as Alien Invasive Species in Poland Why do people feel safe with pets? Animals have the power to cheer us up when we're down, anxious, terrified, or unsure about how we will handle whatever life throws at us. Interacting with animals, including fish, has been found in studies to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and lessen depressive symptoms. Additionally, researchers have shown that contact with animals raises oxytocin levels. The body experiences a variety of significant consequences from oxytocin. It lowers blood pressure, decreases breathing and heart rate, and prevents the release of stress chemicals. All of these adjustments contribute to the feeling of security and comfort. Oxytocin has some powerful effects on us in the body's capacity to be in a state of readiness for healing, as well as to grow new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our bodies where we can be healthier, according to Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Due to oxytocin's ability to make us feel good, foster trust, and foster bonds with others, this healing can also be emotional and physical. This contributes to the understanding of why we genuinely adore our dogs. Helpful Critters Pets give us their unconditional love-and yes, even empathy-in return simultaneously. Pets don't criticize or advise people who have been diagnosed with cancer or are undergoing treatment. They don't inquire about anything or want assurances that everything will be well. Pets are always there for you when you need them, offering comfort, companionship, and displays of devotion. Related Article: Fatal Flystrike: Extreme Heat Can Be Fatal to Pets, Here's How to Save Them For more news about the latest animal trends, don't forget to follow Nature World News Two enormous tiger muskies, a species of carnivorous fish, were caught by a Connecticut fisherman in the state's Lake Lillinonah, shocking social media users. In the state's Lake Lillinonah, a Connecticut angler stunned online users by reeling in two enormous tiger muskies, a species of carnivorous fish. The two fish, caught by Oxford resident Joe Rivas, were released after measuring 41 inches and 42 inches, respectively. The 42-inch fish was caught a few weeks after the first one, which was caught earlier this month. Tiger Muskellunge The large carnivorous fish are known as the tiger muskie, also referred to as the tiger muskellunge, is a member of the pike family. The fish is specifically a sterile hybrid of the muskellunge and the northern pike. The fish has a pronounced snout and a long, cylindrical body. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says that mature adults of the fish can reach a size of between 34 and 48 inches and weigh more than 30 pounds. The fish's average size varies with age (WDFW). According to the WDFW, tiger muskies are known for being challenging to catch and have the moniker "fish of a thousand casts." Anglers frequently need to use large lures to catch the fish because they frequently hunt other large fish, such as northern pikeminnows. Rivas Reels In Right On July 28, the Connecticut Fish and Wildlife published a photo of Rivas holding one of the recently caught tiger muskies, emphasizing how large the fish are. The account tweeted saying that they appreciate Joe sharing his picture of a magnificent tiger muskie he just caught. People commented on the length of the catch in the comments section. A Facebook user claims they no longer want to go swimming anywhere. One user claims that the gigantic fish in the image is a monster, while another disagrees. Rivas, on the other hand, said the fish was "angry" and that when he recognized what he had caught, his adrenaline shot through the roof. Read also: Maryland Angler Reels in Record-Breaking Giant Carp while Bass Fishing Rivas said he planned to have a taxidermist create a replica of the 41-inch fish he caught, which he described as the fish of a lifetime despite releasing it. The 42-inch fish was not weighed, but that particular fish came in at 26 pounds. Despite the enormous size of the fish Rivas caught, it is not a tiger muskie world record. According to the website ModernMuskieRecords.org, Ed Kalinowski caught the 44 pounds, 4 ounces tiger muskie that holds the world record. A northern pike with a length of 45.75 inches was the longest catch-and-release freshwater fish ever caught in Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says that David Jones caught it in the Housatonic River in Falls Village in 2009, Newsweek reports. Fishing Spots in CT Connecticut has several fishing spots that anglers flock to. This includes Trout Parks, Community Fishing Waters, Enhanced Opportunity Shore Access, and Fishing Areas With Disabled Access. Related article: A 16-Foot Oarfish Has Been Found in Chile: Sign of Impending Earthquake? A walking shark was discovered by scientists on a remote outcropping on the Papua New Guinea coast on May 3, 2022, at dusk. The small, tan-and-black-speckled shark slithered across a tide pool with just enough water to cover its belly while using its fins to propel itself forward. While dragging its body across the shore, it moved like a waddling sea lion. The new discovery of walking sharks immediately sparked a new study. Epaulette Shark The animal was an epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum), which can walk on land, unlike any other shark species. In a recent Shark Week special for Discovery Channel called "Island of the Walking Sharks," biologist and conservationist Forrest Galante shared previously unreleased footage of this unusual species. Galante said that this is so amazing because it's the first time in recorded history that one of the Papuan epaulette species has been seen walking. Epaulette sharks, a species found all along the northern and southern coasts of Australia, are thought to have evolved the ability to walk since it allowed them to forage for food in areas where other sharks couldn't. Gavin Naylor, the Gainesville Florida Museum of Natural History director for the Florida Program for Shark Research, said that all traits are chosen for when they help a species survive and eke out a living in a safe environment with access to food. Epaulette sharks, which can reach a length of about 3.3 feet, dive into shallow coral reefs in search of their preferred food, crabs, and other invertebrates. They are content to hang out in tide pools and eat these creatures when the tide recedes. As Naylor noted, once they finish, they are trapped. To get to the next tide pool, epaulettes have learned to climb up in the reef. Epaulette sharks can haul themselves 100 feet or more across dry land. And using fins for walking is not the only adaptation that allows them to do so. According to a previous article by Live Science, this species can survive when oxygen is in short supply and can stay on land for up to an hour on a single breath. Additionally, this ability enables epaulettes to flourish in low-oxygen tide pools. Read also: World's Five Largest and Terrifying Deep Sea Sharks! Speedy Evolution In a 2020 study that was published in the journal Marine & Freshwater Research, scientists concluded that the ability to walk in epaulette sharks probably evolved within the last 9 million years. To put that into perspective, the Natural History Museum in London estimates that hammerhead sharks, one of the most recent shark groups, evolved roughly 45 million years ago. This makes the evolution of the epaulette shark quite fast. Naylor also mentioned that epaulette sharks may be creating new species at a startlingly rapid rate. Due to the sharks' unusual mobility, isolated small populations are common. Naylor continued to explain that geographical barriers, such as a river, could move just far enough to isolate a few sharks from the rest of the population. As these populations' genes randomly mutate and adapt apart from other gene pools over time, they may eventually become genetically distinct. Because the species' populations have such low genetic diversity, scientists are interested in it. So how could it produce individuals with such a wide range of physical characteristics? No two individuals of the epaulette shark have the same pattern in their distinctive spots, and Naylor and other researchers think that epaulettes may be able to change their patterns and colors at will. Naylor said that although it hasn't been proven yet, they are coming to this conclusion, Live Science reports. Related article: Deep-Sea Creatures that Dwell North of Mariana Trench Just the beginning is sweltering heat waves. According to a top UK scientist, before we can prevent a worldwide disaster, we must acknowledge how awful things are. Full Acceleration of Climate Change is Unstoppable Hothouse Earth, the most recent book by Bill McGuire, couldn't have been out at a better time. This week, it will be available in stores where it will be browsed by hot customers who have just experienced record-breaking high temperatures across the UK and now fear weeks of drought to add to their misery, as per The Guardian. McGuire, an emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, thinks that this is just the beginning. People have - for far too long - disregarded unequivocal warnings that rising carbon emissions are gravely warming the Earth, as he made clear in his harsh description of the impending climate catastrophe. Now that people have become complacent, they will pay for it with storms, floods, droughts, and heat waves that will easily transcend the extremes of the past. McGuire contended that the most important issue is that there is no longer any way for people to prevent a dangerous, all-pervasive climatic breakdown. A future where deadly heatwaves and temperatures above 50C (120F) are common in the tropics, where summers at temperate latitudes will always be scorching hot, and where the oceans are doomed to become heated and acidic is what we may expect now that people have crossed the point of no return. According to McGuire, a child born in 2020 will face a significantly more hostile world than its grandparents faced. The volcanologist, who served on the UK government's Natural Hazard Working Group, adopts an extreme stance in this regard. The majority of other climate specialists continue to believe that although there isn't much time left, people can still make significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. They assert that the reversal of global warming and a rapid transition to net zero is yet possible. Those allegations are refuted by McGuire. He said that he is aware of numerous climate scientists who speak in public but act very differently in private. They are all much more afraid of the future people face in private than they are in public, but they won't say it. This is what he refers to as climate appeasement, and he thinks it simply makes matters worse. Before people can begin hope to start tackling the situation, the world has to realize how bad things are going to get. Also Read: Researchers Discovers Importance of Carbon Cycle in Predicting Climate Change Can We Still Stop Climate Change? Major climatic changes have already been triggered by humans, and further changes are currently in the works, as per NASA. However, the rise in global temperatures would start to level out within a few years if we stopped producing greenhouse gases right away. Then, for many centuries to come, temperatures would level but would still be very high. Between what we do and when we feel it, there is a little lag of fewer than ten years. Even though the consequences of human activity on the climate of Earth to date are irreversible on the timescale of humans alive now, every little bit of future temperature increase avoided results in less warming that would otherwise endure for virtually forever. On the same timetable as the political actions that result in those reductions, the advantages of lower greenhouse gas emissions also happen. However, it might still be possible to prevent or mitigate some of the worst consequences of climate change. Adapting to climate change will require a two-tiered strategy. Reducing the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere is known as mitigation. Learning to live with and adapt to the already-in-motion climate change is what is meant by adaptation. Related Article: Eating Healthier Food Could Help Mitigate Climate Change, Find Out How The Valley Fever, caused by a fungal infection, has seen a rise in cases in the Western United States, particularly in the southwestern states. However, the strange thing about the infectious disease is that they are linked to dust storms that have occurred in the region in recent years and months. The latest developments were revealed by a new study published last month, which challenged a 2021 study, that implied there is no consistent link between dust storms and the Valley Fever. In this context, scientists are currently contesting on whether or not the fungal fever is connected to the natural event. Dust Storm-Linked Disease In a news release by Nature on Monday, August 1, the UK-based scientific journal summarized various scientific evidence, including those from the study published in the journal GeoHealth on July 17. In the said July research, its authors reportedly said that the data set used by the Storm Events Database contains error, lacks information, and defined "dust storm" that is inconsistent with the conventional usage by most meteorological organizations. According to the new study's co-author, Morgan Gorris, a scientist from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, their knowledge about the fungus is that it can be transported in dust. With this, there is no reason the pathogen could not be carried by dust storms, Gorris added, as cited by Nature. Also Read: Air Pollution Linked to Childhood Autism? Valley Fever The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that Valley Fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infectious disease caused by Coccidioides, which is known to live in the soil of the Western US, as well as some parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America. The CDC explained that people receive the pathogen by inhaling on the microscopic fungal spores from the air. While most people breathing the spores do not get sick, those who exhibit symptoms usually get better on their own, ranging between weeks and months. The US health body lists the following high-risk areas in the Southwest US where residents or visitors can get the Valley Fever: Arizona California Nevada New Mexico Texas Utah Furthermore, the CDC outlined the following high-risk groups that are susceptible to the fungal infection: Pregnant women People with diabetes People with weakened immune systems, including from HIV/AIDS What is a Dust Storm? While the new study implied that the Valley Fever is linked to the dust storm, the natural phenomenon itself only acts as a medium to carry Coccidioides from the ground. In the past, certain health hazards affecting an individual's respiratory system have been linked to dust storms. Similar to the new research, past linkage between the dust cloud and such medical conditions are still mainly due to the inhalation of airborne particles from the sand storms. In terms of weather factors, dust storms are caused by thunderstorm-triggered strong winds which are capable of blowing dust and debris into the air, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Being prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the NOAA states sand storms can still occur anywhere in the US, which are most common in the Southwest US where they peak at springtime from March to May each year. Related Article: Valley Fever On The Rise In Dry Parts Of America According to information published by the DoS on August 2, 2022, the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Greece of follow-on support and sustainment of S-70B Seahawk helicopters for an estimated cost of $162.07 million. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link S-70B Seahawk Naval helicopter The S-70B, is the naval version of the helicopter Sikorsky S-70. His first was in 1979. Although it uses a structure very similar to the original S-70, known in the U.S. Army as a UH-60. The S-70B aircraft is more complex than the version used in the Army or Air Force, with almost 20% of different components. The Seahawk is more expensive than previous versions, to have several additional refinements such as additional brake rotors or blades of the electric drive system for the collection of shovels. The landing gear has a shorter distance and the Seahawk's engines are specially adapted for naval use, with special treatment for use in environments with high salinity, with a local probe for refueling and an emergency flotation system. In addition, the S-70B, is an aircraft adapted for use on board ships, with the task of increasing the capabilities of anti-submarine vessels in which they are embedded. In many countries, this helicopter has replaced the SH-3H Seaking of anti-submarine warfare. Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). From left: Chuck Zelinsky and Community Media Groups Chris Ard, Travis Vandiver and Grant Thompson at the flagpole at The News-Gazette. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 The CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team recently conducted a study to investigate the safety profile of a fourth dose, otherwise referred to as a second booster dose, of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in people aged 50 years and older. Study: Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Second Booster Doses Among Adults Aged 50 Years United States, March 29, 2022July 10, 2022. Image Credit: Marina Demidiuk / Shutterstock.com Background According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines, U.S. residents aged five years and above are recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose after completion of the two-dose primary vaccine series. Subsequently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a second mRNA booster dose for adults aged 50 years and above, as well as for immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years and older, four months after receiving a first booster dose. Study design The safety profile of the second mRNA booster dose was assessed by reviewing second booster vaccination-related adverse events and health issues that were reported to v-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). V-safe is a smartphone-based voluntary active surveillance system in the U.S. that monitors COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events. Comparatively, the VAERS is a CDC- and FDA-controlled passive surveillance system used to monitor vaccination-related adverse events. Approximately 16.8 million U.S. residents aged 50 years and older received a second booster vaccine dose between March and July 2022. The current safety analysis included individuals who received homologous or heterologous mRNA vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Analysis of v-safe data In v-safe, a total of 286,380 individuals aged 50 years and above reported receiving a homologous or heterologous second mRNA-based booster dose. Regarding local adverse events, 49% of Pfizer vaccine recipients and 62% of Moderna vaccine recipients reported injection site reactions. Systemic adverse events were reported by 44% and 51% of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients, respectively. Both local and systemic reactions were mild to moderate in intensity and most frequently reported the day after vaccination. FIGURE. Adverse reactions and health impacts* reported by adults aged 50 years who received COVID-19 vaccine booster, by dose v-safe data, United States, March 29July 10, 2022 In the week after receiving the second mRNA booster dose, about 10% and 15% of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients reported an inability to perform normal daily activities, respectively. Moreover, about 3% and 4% of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients reported an inability to work or attend school, respectively. About 0.8% and 0.7% of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients reported receiving medical care through telehealth or direct clinic visits, respectively. Of all second booster recipients, only 0.03% reported hospitalization, with most individuals indicating that their hospitalization was not due to vaccination. Of all v-safe registrants, about 87% reported receipt of a homologous second mRNA booster vaccination. Among these individuals, local and systemic effects, as well as an inability to perform daily activities, workplace activities, or attend school, were less frequently observed after a homologous second mRNA booster dose as compared to that after any previous vaccine doses. However, the requirement of medical care was reported more frequently after homologous Pfizer and Moderna second booster vaccination as compared to that after their first booster vaccination. Analysis of VAERS data The VAERS data included a total of 8,515 reports on second mRNA booster vaccination-related adverse events in individuals aged 50 years and older. About 95% of these reports were about nonserious events, including vaccination errors, COVID-19 diagnosis, as well as local and systemic adverse reactions. The most commonly reported local and systemic effects after vaccination included fatigue, headache, and fever. Among reports mentioning vaccination errors, such as improper vaccine storage or administration of an expired vaccine, about 13% also included information on adverse health issues, such as COVID-19, injection site pain, and fever. Overall, the VAERS data included 12 reports of myocarditis after receipt of the second mRNA booster dose. Among 442 serious events reported in VAERS, 52 were death reports and 84 were COVID-19 diagnosis reports. The cause of death was mentioned in six reports and included congestive heart failure, aortic dissection, grand mal seizure, end-stage dementia, and cardiac arrest secondary to coronary artery disease. Study significance The findings of the current CDC report demonstrate that second mRNA booster vaccination in adults aged 50 years and older is not associated with any unexpected adverse events and health issues. According to the available literature, the efficacy of second booster vaccination against COVID-19-related hospitalization is 80% among adults aged 50 years and above. Given the high vaccine efficacy, both the CDC and FDA recommend that all eligible individuals receive a second booster dose. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely impacted the lives of millions of people throughout the world. To date, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of over 6.4 million globally. Many have suggested that people with chronic urinary disorders are more susceptible to severe COVID-19. Furthermore, men with comorbidities like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction (ED), and infertility are also considered to be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Study: Impact of COVID-19 on male urogenital health: success of vaccines. Image Credit: Studio Romantic / Shutterstock.com Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses its spike (S) protein to bind to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor located on the surface of host cells. The priming of the S protein is carried out by transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), which divides the S protein at the S1/S2 site. The expression of ACE2 in testicular tissues can increase their risk of being targeted by SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, the association of androgen receptor signaling with COVID-19 severity has also provided evidence as to why men are often at a greater risk of severe disease. A recent Drug Discovery Today journal study discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the urogenital health of males. Prostate cancer Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer and is responsible for most cancer-related deaths in men globally. High levels of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 expression have been observed in the prostate tissue. Previous studies have reported that downregulation of ACE2 expression, along with an increase in ACE2 activity, is associated with prostate carcinogenesis. The overexpression of TMPRSS2 in prostate cancer further suggests a link between prostate cancer and SARS-CoV-2. Researchers have postulated that TMPRSS2 and anti-androgen inhibitors can potentially be used as effective treatments for prostate cancer patients who are suffering from COVID-19. Thus, the potential benefit in altering TMPRSS2 expression levels can assist in the development new therapies for treating COVID-19, which might include inhibition of TMPRSS2 and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Benign prostatic hyperplasia Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is defined as increased growth of epithelial and stromal cells in the prostate gland transition zone, is one of the most common conditions reported in older males. BPH can lead to urinary incontinence, urinary retention, as well as many forms of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The inhibition of the ACE2/Ang(1-7)/Mas pathway due to SARS-CoV-2 infection can worsen BPH. In fact, several previous studies have reported increased LUTS following COVID-19 in older males. The international prostate symptom score (IPSS) that evaluates BPH and LUTS has been reported to be higher for male COVID-19 inpatients as compared to their score before their COVID-19 diagnosis. The class of drugs known as 5- reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs), when used alone or in combination with 1-adrenergic receptor (1-AR) antagonists, are most commonly used in the treatment of BPH. Importantly, 5-ARIs are capable of modulating ACE2 levels and reducing TMPRSS2 expression, thereby protecting patients on these drugs against severe COVID-19. Conversely, 1-AR antagonists reduce hyperinflammation and the release of cytokines. These agents have shown to further reduce mortality rates and hospitalization duration among COVID-19 patients taking these medications. Bladder disorders After the urinary bladder senses that it is full, it will modulate its nerves and muscle functions. An overactive bladder, cystitis, and other bladder dysfunctions led by bladder inflammation have been reported to occur following COVID-19. Male reproductive function Secretion of androgens by Leydig cells is important for spermatogenesis and secondary sex character maintenance. Leydig cells have also been found to regulate testicular lymphocyte and macrophage levels. Expression of ACE2 receptors has been observed in Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, and spermatogonia, thus making these testicular tissues potential targets for SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, COVID-19 in males has been reported to increase serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and decrease the testosterone: LH ratio. COVID-19 has been reported to induce testicular spermatogenic dysfunction through immune or inflammatory reactions. High levels of proinflammatory cytokines, epididymitis, autoimmune orchitis, as well as disruption of blood-testis barrier integrity have also been observed due to COVID-19. COVID-19 is also associated with decreased sperm concentration, increased seminal inflammation, decreased semen volume, and increased seminal apoptotic marker activity. Sperm DNA fragmentation by SARS-CoV-2 is associated with impaired embryo development, an increase in miscarriage rates, and a reduced implantation rate. Erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED) in COVID-19 patients can arise due to altered pulmonary hemodynamics, non-symptomatic hypogonadism, significant psychological burden, and endothelial dysfunction. Several pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and hypertension have been reported to increase the severity of COVID-19 and ED. Anosmia and ageusia associated with COVID-19 can also lead to the development of ED. Prevalence of ED has also been observed in healthcare workers who were at a higher risk of suffering from COVID-19. Negative impacts on the sexual and mental health of males can also lead to ED. Cytokine storms in some COVID-19 patients that subsequently lead to vascular endothelial cell apoptosis can also increase the risk of ED. Following recovery from COVID-19, ED can be used as an indicator of general health in males. Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors are reported to be effective in the treatment of COVID-9 and ED. COVID-19 vaccines Vaccination against COVID-19 has been found to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases with urological symptoms. Vaccination can also be helpful in prostate cancer patients, as it can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. However, further in vivo studies are needed to determine the benefit of COVID-19 vaccines in prostate cancer patients. Recently, the urological safety of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines has been reported. To this end, no significant changes in sperm parameters have been observed after the administration of two doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine. Conclusions The current review determines that higher severity and mortality rates are associated with older males suffering from COVID-19. COVID-19 adversely impacts the male reproductive function, thus leading to impaired fertility and prostate pathologies. Expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 might lead to an increased risk of severe COVID-19 in males. The extreme changes in the daily lives of most men due to the pandemic have impacted their overall mental and sexual health, which has most commonly led to the development of ED. Taken together, further research is needed to ensure urogenital safety during times of continuously changing therapies and vaccine protocols. SARS-CoV-2 causes a broad range of clinical symptoms, including potentially fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A study published August 1 in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Kirsty Short at University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia, and colleagues suggests the nasal epithelium (the lining of the nose) of children inhibits infection and replication of the ancestral strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant, but not the Omicron variant. Children have a lower COVID-19 infection rate and milder symptoms than adults. However, the factors driving this apparent pediatric resistance to COVID-19 infections are unknown. In order to better understand lower infection and replication of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus in children, researchers obtained samples of primary nasal epithelium cells (NEC) from twenty-three healthy children aged 2-11 and fifteen healthy adults aged 19-66 in Australia. They exposed the cells of adults and children to SARS-CoV-2 and then observed the infection kinetics and antiviral responses in children compared to adults. The researchers found that ancestral SARS-CoV-2 replicated less efficiently and was associated with a heightened antiviral response in the nasal epithelial cells of children. This lower viral replication rate was also observed with the Delta variant, but not the more recent Omicron variant. The study had several limitations however, including a small sample size, so future clinical studies will be needed to validate these preliminary findings in a larger population and to determine the role of other factors, such as antibodies in protecting children from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, pediatric protection from emerging variants has yet to be quantified. According to the authors, "We have provided the first experimental evidence that the pediatric nasal epithelium may play an important role in reducing the susceptibility of children to SARS-CoV-2. The data strongly suggest that the nasal epithelium of children is distinct and that it may afford children some level of protection from ancestral SARS-CoV-2." We use nasal epithelial cells from children and adults to show that the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and Delta, but not Omicron, replicate less efficiently in pediatric nasal epithelial cells." Kirsty Short at University of Queensland A new smartphone app, which has been made available to the public today, has been found to be successful in helping UK veterans to reduce alcohol consumption. The 28-day brief alcohol intervention app was tested with more than 120 UK veterans as part of a trial funded by Forces in Mind Trust. After using the Drinks:Ration app, veterans consumed 28 fewer units of alcohol (approximately 9 pints of standard UK beer) over a week than they had previously, compared with a control group who received only government advice on drinking alcohol, who consumed 10.5 fewer units of alcohol. The app, developed by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, led by Dr Daniel Leightley, and supported by Lancaster University and national veterans' mental health charity Combat Stress, is designed to help people track their alcohol consumption. Previous research has shown that alcohol misuse is higher in the UK Armed Forces than in the general population, and that this persists after an individual leaves service, particularly for those who are seeking help for a mental health condition. At present, no app exists in the United Kingdom, which is designed to support the UK Armed Forces community to manage the amount of alcohol that they drink. The app targets individual users' motivations for drinking and promoting positive changes in behavior by using personalized messaging and data-driven infographics. The app is also designed to target shorter-term impacts of alcohol, such as the impact on relationships or finance and to provide daily personalized messaging. Most users taking part in this study were recruited from Combat Stress and had probable depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Following on from this successful trial, the UK Ministry of Defence, led by Surgeon Commander Kate King, will be trialing the Drinks:Ration app to assess its use and benefit to the serving community. The trial is due to start later this year. Our trial demonstrated that the Drinks:Ration app was effective in reducing alcohol misuse in help-seeking veterans in the medium term. This could make it a valuable tool for the Armed Forces community while they are waiting for treatment and support. This digital intervention could provide a novel, low-cost alternative to conventional help-seeking and be as effective as face-to-interventions. I am pleased that the UK Ministry of Defence will be undertaking a trial of the app with the serving community. Dr Daniel Leightley, Lead Researcher at the IoPPN, King's College London Professor Dominic Murphy, Head of Research at Combat Stress commented, Our research shows that the Drinks: Ration app supported veterans to make positive changes to their patterns of drinking. We look forward to this app being rolled out more widely to support the veteran community. Dr Laura Goodwin, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at Lancaster University said, "We know from our research that veterans with a mental health problem often have co-occurring heavy drinking, yet this group can find it difficult to access the support that they need. This study has highlighted the positive benefits of providing digital support and how this could help to reduce alcohol use in veterans with co-occurring problems." Tom McBarnet, Chief Executive (Acting) at Forces in Mind Trust, said, The team at Kings IoPPN have developed an effective short-term tool to lower harmful alcohol use in the Armed Forces Community, and to support veterans longer term positive mental health. It is important to note that not all veterans who experience problem drinking or mental health issues will seek help, and it is equally important to continue to find ways to reach out to those who could benefit from these kinds of interventions. The evidence is clear that this is an effective and low-cost tool to support veterans, and we look forward to seeing development of its further possibilities. PLA Eastern Theater Command to launch joint military operations around Taiwan Island Xinhua) 00:30, August 03, 2022 BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will launch a series of joint military operations around the Taiwan Island starting from Tuesday night. The PLA Eastern Theater Command will stage joint training exercises in the maritime areas off the northern, southwestern and southeastern coasts of the island and their air space, conduct long-range live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait and conventional missile tests in the waters off the eastern coast of the island. The military operations are a stern deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative acts by the United States on the Taiwan question, and a serious warning against separatist activities seeking "Taiwan independence." (Web editor: Du Mingming, Bianji) Eating disorders, which affect more than 28 million people nationwide, exact a high toll. In addition to the individual suffering they cause, eating disorders cost the U.S. nearly $65 billion each year. Early intervention is essential for minimizing harm, but researchers know very little about how disordered eating begins and evolves prior to adolescence. A new study of nearly 12,000 9- and 10-year-olds, published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, provides key insights that help fill that gap. Researchers examined how age, sex, weight and puberty stage were related to behaviors such as binge eating and vomiting to control weight. "The first major takeaway is that these behaviors are more common than we've seen before, with a prevalence of up to 5% in some cases," said the study's lead author, Stuart Murray, DClinPsych, PhD, Della Martin associate professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences and director of the Eating Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Contrary to cultural assumptions, the researchers found that boys and girls were equally likely to engage in disordered eating. The analysis also revealed that children with higher body mass indexes (BMIs), as well as those further along in puberty, faced an elevated risk. The findings help outline the scope of the problem in this age group and point to biological risk factors that may ultimately lead to more targeted solutions, Murray said. The earlier we can detect these behaviors, the more likely we are to be able to treat them. These findings open a door for the development of timelier and more precise prevention efforts." Stuart Murray, DClinPsych, PhD, study's lead author Quantifying the risk The researchers used data from 11,878 children, ages 9 to 10, collected between 2016 and 2018 through the NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term study of brain development and children's health in the United States. Rather than studying fully fledged eating disorders-;which are both rare and difficult to detect in children-;Murray and his colleagues analyzed disordered eating behaviors, which can provide clues about who is at risk for more severe symptoms down the line. The team studied binge eating, vomiting to control weight and other behaviors (such as exercising or restricting calories) intended to prevent weight gain. Five percent of children in the study had engaged in binge eating, while 2.5% had taken measures to avoid gaining weight. In addition to measuring the overall prevalence of disordered eating, the researchers looked for associations between those behaviors and sex, BMI and puberty stage. They found no sex differences, indicating that boys face the same risks that girls do. "We tend to think that eating disorders predominantly afflict girls, but there's more and more data showing that boys struggle just as much," Murray said. "This is a call to arms to make sure we're taking those cases seriously." Children further along in puberty faced elevated odds of taking measures to prevent weight gain. The researchers also found that children with higher BMIs were more likely than lower-BMI children to engage in all disordered eating behaviors studied-;binge eating, vomiting and taking other actions to avoiding gaining weight. Improved screening and prevention The study's results can improve eating disorder prevention by highlighting who is most at risk, Murray said. For example, pediatricians and middle schools may choose to increase monitoring and screening of children with high BMIs and children who begin puberty before their peers. Education efforts for both physicians and parents should also emphasize that boys face similar risks to girls. Murray and his team are also studying the neurobiology that underlies disordered eating behaviors, including through a recent study that revealed differences in brain structure between children with and without binge eating disorder. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to persist due to emerging variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are associated with immune escape and enhanced infectivity. This has led to an increasing number of breakthrough infections; however, vaccines continue to protect against severe and critical disease. A new Journal of American Board of Family Medicine study discusses the utility of vitamin C and melatonin as potentially therapeutic and capable of preventing acute lung injury in COVID-19. Study: A Pilot of a Randomized Control Trial of Melatonin and Vitamin C for Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19. Image Credit: STOP_WAR / Shutterstock.com Introduction Successive waves of COVID-19 cases have led to millions of hospitalizations and deaths throughout the world, which subsequently put considerable stress on healthcare systems. This resulted in intensive efforts to find or repurpose drugs that could protect against the hyperactive systemic inflammation that is characteristic of severe and fatal COVID-19. COVID-19 appears to create oxidative stress that subsequently causes an inflammatory cascade resulting in cellular injury and multiple organ damage. Many patients who test positive for COVID-19 may take nutritional supplements; however, the evidence of their utility in treating this infection remains limited. The current study explores the effects of antioxidant molecules ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and N--acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (melatonin) in limiting cytokine release and, as a result, arresting the progression of COVID-19. Prior animal research has shown weakened immunity in cases of vitamin C deficiency and increased damage to the lungs when infected with influenza H1N1. Moreover, vitamin C levels drop in acute illness. A cocktail of antioxidants, including ascorbic acid, given in COVID-19 has revealed an association with reduced inflammatory markers in 80% of cases. Similarly, melatonin production in the body falls with age and has been postulated to underlie the increased severity of COVID-19 with age, given the immunomodulatory effects of this molecule. Both the nuclear factor kB (NFkB) pathway and NLRP3 inflammasomes, both of which are activated during viral replication, are inhibited by melatonin. Melatonin also protects against lung injury by oxidizing molecules and reducing inflammatory cell infiltration during viral infection. Prior studies have shown a shorter hospital duration, better oxygenation, and improved sleep following melatonin treatment. Study findings The researchers used a permitted modified version of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS) to evaluate upper respiratory tract symptoms and effects on daily activities. The study was performed between October 2020 to June 21, 2021, in Pennsylvania. The patients took either vitamin C, melatonin, or a placebo for two weeks. All three groups had comparable symptoms and quality of life at baseline. However, the group receiving melatonin showed an improvement in symptoms between days three and nine, which was not observed in those receiving vitamin C. Similarly, quality of life improved faster during the same period in the melatonin group. There was no significant difference in sleep duration. The changes described in the current study were small, as the period of observation was short and the time points for the survey were daily in frequency. By day 14, all participants reported stabilization of symptoms and quality of life. An additional survey at day 30 demonstrated that some continued to experience symptoms and a lower quality of life. Implications The current study used a daily survey protocol to track small changes in symptoms and quality of life with the use of ascorbic acid and melatonin. The results indicate that 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily did not produce any change in the rate of symptom relief or improvement in the quality of life among COVID-19 patients, despite its antioxidant characteristics. Prior studies with vitamin C have shown conflicting results. However, melatonin at a dose of 10 mg daily was associated with a favorable symptom score from days three to nine of the study. This is the first time melatonin has been tested for its utility in treating outpatients with COVID-19. The apparent benefits of this drug may be due to its effects on oxidative stress and immune signaling. However, all patients did not begin their supplements at the same time. Though most started by the third day of study enrollment, the period from symptom onset was not equivalent for all patients. Delayed treatment has been proven to reduce the favorable effects of these agents. The small study size makes further research necessary to validate the effects of melatonin supplementation in COVID-19 in both the acute stage and long Covid. Importantly, the differences in the time of diagnosis and the day of illness when the drug treatment was initiated may more accurately reflect real-world situations, where presentation, testing, and the time when test results become available vary between patients. OTC drugs can be easily accessed by most patients, and their utility should be investigated carefully. Patients infected with COVID-19 whose recovery process could be accelerated by safe, accessible supplements might return to work and life activities faster and thus meaningful interventions may have an impact on society as a whole. This requires large-scale studies to validate the modified WURSS scale used in the current study, as well as any improvements associated with the use of melatonin. The Journal of Nuclear Medicine has published a first-hand account of the daily practice of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging during the ongoing war in Ukraine. In a "Discussions with Leaders" article, Yaroslav Kmetyuk, MD, PhD, head of the All-Ukrainian Radiosurgery Center at the "Feofaniya" Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, speaks openly with JNM editor-in-chief Johannes Czernin, MD, and Ken Herrmann, MD, chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany, about living and working in a hospital in the midst of a war. In the discussion, Kmetyuk details what it is like to practice medicine with the backdrop of constant bombing and shelling, how his department dealt with having only minimal staff to perform nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures, and why he and many other physicians chose to live in the hospital for approximately six weeks. Kmetyuk also shared how his family escaped Kyiv to flee to western Ukraine and then Poland. The article also includes several photographs depicting life inside of the hospital: living in the hospital basement, soldiers being treated in the trauma department, a scanning room with boxes stacked against the windows to protect from bombardment, and a medical colleague who also fights in the Ukrainian army. Kmetyuk expressed his gratitude for the support his has received from colleagues around the world. He offered a message of hope and encouragement for Ukrainian medical professionals. "I work in a rather narrow medical field," he said. "ButI know that every one of us, every doctor, every nurse, especially in this time must do their best to work because this help is crucially important. I am proud of the colleagues with whom I work, and I admire their courage. I hope we will win soon and rebuild Ukraine to become an even better country than before." The war in Ukraine is terrible and heart-breaking. We stand with Dr. Kmetyuk and all of the brave medical professionals in Ukraine who continue to serve patients during the war and offer our whole-hearted support for their efforts." Ken Herrmann, MD, chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications, which has led to life-threatening delays and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness. Elizabeth Weller never dreamed that her hopes for a child would become ensnared in the web of Texas abortion law. She and her husband began trying in late 2021. They had bought a house in Kingwood, a lakeside development in Houston. Elizabeth was in graduate school for political science, and James taught middle-school math. The Wellers were pleasantly surprised when she got pregnant early in 2022. In retrospect, Elizabeth said, their initial joy felt a little naive: "If it was so easy for us to get pregnant, then to us it was almost like a sign that this pregnancy was going to be easy for us." Things did go fairly smooth at first. Seventeen weeks into the pregnancy, they learned they were expecting a girl. Elizabeth also had an anatomy scan, which revealed no problems. Even if it had, the Wellers were determined to proceed. "We skipped over the genetic testing offered in the first trimester," Elizabeth said. "I was born with a physical disability. If she had any physical ailments, I would never abort her for that issue." Elizabeth thought of abortion rights in broad terms: "I have said throughout my life I believe that women should have the access to the right to an abortion. I personally would never get one." And at this particular point in her life, pregnant for the first time at age 26, it was still somewhat abstract: "I had not been put in a position to where I had to weigh the real nuances that went into this situation. I had not been put in the crossroads of this issue." But in early May, not long after the uneventful anatomy scan, the Wellers suddenly arrived at that crossroads. There they found themselves pinned down, clinically and emotionally, victims of a collision between standard obstetric practice and the rigid new demands of Texas law. It was May 10, 2022. Elizabeth was 18 weeks pregnant. She ate a healthy breakfast, went for a walk outside, and came back home. In the nursery upstairs, they had stashed some baby clothes and new cans of paint. Down in the kitchen, images from recent scans and ultrasounds were stuck to the fridge. Elizabeth stood up to get some lunch. That's when she felt something "shift" in her uterus, down low, and then "this burst of water just falls out of my body. And I screamed because that's when I knew something wrong was happening." Her waters had broken, launching her into what she called a "dystopian nightmare" of "physical, emotional and mental anguish." She places the blame for the ensuing medical trauma on the Republican legislators who passed the state's anti-abortion law; on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who signed it; and on the inflamed political rhetoric, which Elizabeth said sees abortion "as one thing, a black-and-white issue, when abortion has all of these gray areas." State abortion laws are complicating other types of obstetric care Elizabeth's pregnancy crisis began and ended weeks before June 24, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling. But the Wellers and 28 million other Texans had already been living under a de facto abortion ban for eight months, since September 2021. That's when a new state law banned all abortions after embryonic or fetal cardiac activity is detected usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Since then, thousands of women have left Texas to obtain abortions in other states. Today, abortion is also illegal in Texas under a 1925 law that the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton, declared to be in effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Another ban, a so-called "trigger law" passed by Texas in 2021, is expected to go into effect within weeks. The crisis the Wellers endured is emblematic of the vast and perhaps unintended medical impacts of the criminalization of abortion in Republican-led states. The new abortion bans or the old laws being resurrected in a post-Roe world are rigidly written and untested in the courts. Many offer no exemptions for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies. But the most confusing development involves the exemptions that exist for the woman's life or health, or because of a "medical emergency." These terms are left vague or undefined. The result has been disarray and confusion for doctors and hospitals in multiple states, and risky delays and complications for patients facing obstetric conditions such as ectopic pregnancies, incomplete miscarriages, placental problems, and premature rupture of membranes. "It's terrible," said Dr. Alan Peaceman, a professor of maternal-fetal medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "The care providers are treading on eggshells. They don't want to get sucked into a legal morass. And so they don't even know what the rules are." 'I need you to tell me the truth' James rushed home from work and drove Elizabeth to the nearby Woodlands Hospital, part of the Houston Methodist hospital system. An ultrasound confirmed she had suffered premature rupture of membranes, which affects about 3% of pregnancies. A doctor sat down and told her: "There's very little amniotic fluid left. That's not a good thing. All you can do now is just hope and pray that things go well." The staff remained vague about what would come next, Elizabeth recalled. She was admitted to the hospital, and later that night, when her obstetrician called, she begged her for information. "I told her, 'Look, doctor, people around me are telling me to keep hope. And they're telling me to think of the positives. But I need you to tell me the truth, because I don't think all the positive things that they're telling me are real. I need you to give me the facts.'" The facts were grim. At 18 weeks, the watery, protective cushion of amniotic fluid was gone. There was still a heartbeat, but it could stop at any moment. Both the fetus and Elizabeth were now highly vulnerable to a uterine infection called chorioamnionitis, among other risks. The OB-GYN, who said she could not speak to a reporter for this article, laid out two options, Elizabeth said. One was to end the pregnancy; that's called "a termination for medical reasons." The other option is called "expectant management," in which Elizabeth would stay in the hospital and try to stay pregnant until 24 weeks, which for a fetus is considered the beginning of viability outside the womb. Outcomes from expectant management vary greatly depending on when the waters break. Later in pregnancy, doctors can try to delay delivery to give the fetus more time to develop while warding off infection or other maternal complications such as hemorrhage. But when membranes rupture earlier in pregnancy, particularly before 24 weeks, the chance of a fetus surviving plummets. One reason is that amniotic fluid plays a key role in fetal lung development. For a fetus at 18 weeks, the chance of survival in that state is almost nonexistent, according to Peaceman: "This is probably about as close to zero as you'll ever get in medicine." Fetuses that do survive a premature delivery can die soon after birth. If they survive, they may experience major problems with their lungs or strokes, become blind, or develop cerebral palsy or other disabilities and illnesses. For the women, expectant management after premature rupture of membranes comes with its own health risks. One study showed they were four times as likely to develop an infection and 2.4 times as likely to experience a postpartum hemorrhage, compared with women who terminated the pregnancy. In some cases, the infection can become severe or life-threatening, leading to sepsis, a hysterectomy, or even death. In 2012, a woman died in Ireland after her waters broke at 17 weeks and doctors refused to give her an abortion. The case spurred a movement that led to the overturning of Ireland's abortion ban in 2018. A clinical battle begins behind the scenes Although distraught and heartbroken at this news, Elizabeth forced herself to think it through. After she talked with James, they agreed they should end the pregnancy. The risks to Elizabeth's health were simply too high. To Elizabeth, termination also felt like the most merciful option for her fetus. Even with the slim chance of survival to 24 weeks, the newborn would face intense physical challenges and aggressive medical interventions. "You have to ask yourself, would I put any living thing through the pain, and the horrors, of having to try to fight for their life the minute that they're born?" The next day, Elizabeth's OB-GYN went to the hospital to arrange for the procedure. Right away, she ran into obstacles because of the Texas law. A fight began, which Elizabeth first became aware of as her doctor paced the hall outside her room, talking on her phone. "I remember hearing her, from my room, speaking loudly about how nothing is being done here." After one conversation, the doctor returned to her bedside. "I can tell that she's been beat down, because she has been trying to fight for me all day, advocating on my behalf," Elizabeth said. "And she starts to cry, and she tells me: 'They're not going to touch you.' And that 'you can either stay here and wait to get sick where we can monitor you, or we discharge you and you monitor yourself. Or you wait till your baby's heartbeat stops.'" It was because of the state law that forbids termination of a pregnancy as long as there is fetal cardiac activity. The law, which remains in effect, does contain one exception for a "medical emergency." But the statute doesn't define that term. No one really knows what the legislature meant by that, and doctors are afraid of overstepping. A wait for fetal death or her own encroaching illness To Elizabeth, it seemed obvious that things were deteriorating. She had cramps and was passing clots of blood. Her discharge was yellow and smelled weird. But hospital staffers told her those weren't the right symptoms yet. The signs of a severe infection in her uterus would include a fever of 100.4 degrees and chills. Her discharge had to be darker. And it had to smell foul, really bad. Enough to make her retch. Houston Methodist declined to comment on the specifics of Elizabeth's care, except to say that it follows all state laws and that a medical ethics committee sometimes reviews complex cases. To Peaceman at Northwestern, it sounded like the hospital's clinicians were using the most common clinical signs of chorioamnionitis as a guideline. If Elizabeth exhibited enough of them, he said, then they could document the encroaching infection and therefore terminate the pregnancy under the law's "medical emergency" clause. Elizabeth found this maddening. "At first, I was really enraged at the hospital and administration," she said. "To them, my life was not in danger enough." The conundrum became painfully, distressingly clear: Wait to get sicker, or wait until the fetal heartbeat ceased. Either way, she saw nothing ahead but fear and grief prolonged, delayed, amplified. "That's torture to have to carry a pregnancy which has such a low chance of survival," said Peaceman. "Most women would find it extremely difficult and emotionally very challenging. And that's a big part of this problem, when we as physicians are trying to relieve patients' suffering. They're not allowed to do that in Texas." Later on, Elizabeth said, she realized that her anger at Methodist was misplaced. "It wasn't that the Methodist hospital was refusing to perform a service to me simply because they didn't want to, it was because Texas law put them in a position to where they were intimidated to not perform this procedure." Under Texas law, doctors can be sued by almost anyone for performing an abortion. An agonizing wait at home Elizabeth chose to go home rather than wait to get sick at the hospital. But she was barely out the door, still in the parking lot, when her phone rang. It was someone else at Methodist, perhaps a clerk, calling to go over some paperwork. "It's this woman who was saying, 'Hi Miss Weller, you're at the 19-week mark. We usually have our moms register for delivery at this point. So I'm here to call you to register for your delivery on Oct. 5, so I can collect all your insurance information. How are you doing, and are you excited for the delivery?'" Elizabeth knew it was just a terrible coincidence, an awful bureaucratic oversight, and yet it drove home to her how powerless she was, how alone, in that vast medical system of rules, legal regulations, and revenue. "I just cried and screamed in the parking lot," she recounted. "This poor woman had no idea what she was telling me. And I told her, 'No, ma'am. I'm actually headed home right now because I have to await my dead baby's delivery.' And she goes, 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know.'" For Elizabeth, that tragic conversation was just "the beginning of the hell that was going to ensue" for the rest of the week. The next day, a Thursday, she started throwing up. But when she called, they told her nausea and vomiting weren't among the symptoms they were looking for. On Friday, when she woke up, she was still passing blood and discharge, still feeling sick, and feeling strange things in her uterus. She felt lost and confused. "I was just laying in bed, you know, wondering: Am I pregnant, or am I not pregnant? And it's this stupid, like, distinction that you're just making in this grief. You're trying to understand exactly what's going on. Because at this point, I'm in survival mode. I'm trying to understand. I'm trying to mentally survive this." How the law led to medical trauma Elizabeth's experience amounts to a kind of medical trauma, which is layered on top of the grief of pregnancy loss, said Elaine Cavazos, a psychotherapist specializing in the perinatal period and the chief clinical officer of Reproductive Psychiatry and Counseling in Austin, Texas. "It's just really unimaginable to be in a position of having to think: How close to death am I before somebody is going to take action and help me?" Losing a pregnancy is a particular kind of loss, one that tends to make other people even health professionals uncomfortable. All too often, Cavazos said, patients are told to get over it, move on, try again. These dismissals only increase the sense of isolation, stigma, and shame. And now the Texas abortion law has created an additional bind, Cavazos said. In a sudden obstetric emergency, a termination might be the least risky option, clinically. But now, Cavazos said, "your medical provider says that it's illegal and they can't provide it and not only can they not provide it, but they can't talk to you about it." "It might even be scary for you to reach out and seek support even mental health support," she added. "Because the state has made it very clear that if you talk about this, you're vulnerable to being sued." An unseen panel weighs the case As Friday dragged on, Elizabeth started wondering if the heartbeat had stopped. She called her doctor and begged to get in. At the office, her OB-GYN turned down the ultrasound volume so they wouldn't have to hear. "I said, 'Well, is there a heartbeat still?' And she says, 'Yes. And it's strong.'" "It was devastating to hear that," Elizabeth said. "Not because I wanted my baby to die, but because I needed this hell to end. And I knew my baby was suffering, I knew I was suffering, I knew my husband was suffering." Her doctor said she had been calling other hospitals, but none of them would help. She said Houston Methodist had convened an ethics panel of doctors, but her doctor didn't seem very optimistic. Right there in the office, James pulled out his cellphone and started looking for flights to states with less restrictive abortion laws. Maybe they could get the abortion in Denver or Albuquerque? "He and I kept telling each other, 'What is the whole point of the Hippocratic oath to do no harm?'" Elizabeth said. "And yet we're being pulled through this." Back at home, the Wellers got more serious about their travel plans and started booking tickets. Then Elizabeth felt another sudden, forceful gush of fluid leave her body. The color was darker, and the odor was foul. Enough to make her retch. When they called the doctor's office back, they were told to go straight to the emergency room. And quickly. They now had some of the symptoms they needed to show the infection was getting worse. Before they drove off, Elizabeth paused to do something. She took a swipe of the new discharge and placed the toilet paper in a Ziploc bag to carry with her. It was like an evidence bag. She was through with being dismissed, being told to wait. There was an infection, and she did need treatment. She had the proof. "Because I didn't want anybody to tell me they did not believe me," she said. "And if they didn't believe me, I was going to show it to them and say, "Look! You open it. You smell it yourself. You're not going to tell me that what I'm experiencing isn't real again.'" She never had to use that bag. Because once they got back to the hospital, while they were checking in at the emergency room, her doctor called. The ethics panel had reached a decision, the doctor told them. Unnamed, unknown doctors somewhere had come to an agreement that Elizabeth could be induced to terminate the pregnancy that night. As Elizabeth recalled hearing, one particular doctor had argued her case: "They found a doctor from East Texas who spoke up and was so patient-forward, so patient-advocating, that he said, 'This is ridiculous.'" James and Elizabeth cried out their thanks to the doctor. They stood up in the middle of the ER and embraced. "We shouldn't have been celebrating," Elizabeth said. "And yet we were. Because the alternative was hell." A mournful birth Elizabeth was induced late Friday night, and the labor became painful enough that she had to get an epidural. Midnight came and went in a blur. On Saturday, May 14, at about 2 a.m., she gave birth. Their daughter, as expected, was stillborn. "Later, they laid down this beautiful baby girl in my arms. She was so tiny. And she rested on my chest. I looked at her little hands, and I just cried. And I told her, 'I'm so sorry I couldn't give you life. I'm so sorry." When Roe v. Wade fell in June, Elizabeth's pain and anger surged again. "You know they paint this woman into being this individual that doesn't care about her life, doesn't care about the life of the children she creates or whatever, and she just recklessly and negligently goes out and gets abortions all willy-nilly, left and right," she said. "Abortions are sometimes needed out of an act of an emergency, out of an act of saving a woman's life. Or hell it honestly it shouldn't even get to the point where you're having to save a woman's life." The Wellers do want to try again, but first they need to get to a "mentally healthier place," Elizabeth said. "It's not just the fear that it could happen again, but also the added fear of, 'What if it happens again and I can't get help?'" "Let's say I do have to go through this situation again," she said. "And how can I be so sure I'm not going to get too sick to the point where that's it now you can't have kids. It is a horrible gamble that we are making Texas women go through." Elizabeth has been sharing her story and has found that whatever the political affiliation of the listener, they all agree her experience was horrible. Now she wants those sentiments translated into action: "We live in a culture that advocates small government, and yet we are allowing states, we are allowing our Texas state government, to dictate what women do with their own bodies and to dictate what they think is best, what medical procedures they think is best for them to get." In the medical profession, doctors will continue to grapple with the new legal restrictions and the resultant dilemmas in obstetric care, said Peaceman. "It's going to take a while before the medical community comes to some kind of consensus on where you draw this line and where you say enough is enough." "Because that doesn't really exist right now," he added. "And if you leave it up to individuals, you're going to get uncertainty and people unwilling to make decisions." This story is part of a partnership that includes NPR and KHN. JMIR Publications recently published "Dissemination and Implementation of a Google Apple Exposure Notification System for COVID-19 Risk Mitigation at a National Public University: Protocol for a Pilot Evaluation Study in a Real-World Setting" in JMIR Research Protocols which reported that this paper describes the protocol for South Carolina Safer Together, developed by Clemson University to design, deploy, and evaluate multilevel communication and dissemination and implementation (D&I) strategies in line with recommendations from governmental and educational agencies to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Safer Together was enhanced by the addition of the Google/Apple Exposure Notification app, an alternative strategy to support a recommendation of COVID-19 testing outcomes: Contact tracing Isolation, and Quarantine. This study aimed to describe the content and intended audiences of D&I strategies used to deploy recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies on a major college campus; determine the reach, acceptability, adoption, and use of D&I strategies among the target audiences (university students, faculty, and staff); and characterize barriers and facilitators to the implementation and use of recommended mitigation strategies. The study team incorporated elements of the Health Belief Model, the Technology Acceptance Model, communication and social marketing models, and the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework to identify and develop appropriate constructs and specific outcomes for inclusion in our approach to evaluate the communication, dissemination, and implementation processes related to the deployment of Safer Together at Clemson. Researchers offer roadmap for rolling out COVID-19 risk mitigation initiatives at educational institutions @MUSCHealth https://t.co/sPLpQ8o2Nx -; Medical Xpress (@physorg_health) February 1, 2022 On a local level, the broad adoption and use of Safer Together may help reduce COVID-19 transmission and keep the university "open." On a larger scale, lessons learned on how to influence student and employee behavior with respect to the use of a public health outbreak prevention tool including Safer Together may be applicable in future pandemic and outbreak situations. This study proposes a structured theory-driven approach to evaluate dissemination and implementation strategies associated with the deployment of Safer Together in a university setting from the viewpoint of students, employees, and university leadership. As SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, spread rapidly across the United States in the spring of 2020, institutions of higher education (IHEs) faced numerous challenges associated with minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 among their students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities." Dr. Kathleen B Cartmell, Clemson University To address the recommended strategy of implementing actions to support testing outcomes such as contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine, Clemson also took advantage of a novel partnership among the state public health authority for South Carolina, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, Google, and Apple. Compared to conventional contact tracing based on "case" recollection, cellphone-based exposure notifications have the potential to inform individuals of exposures more quickly, to identify a more complete set of true contacts, and to better assess extent of exposure. The first round of student messaging regarding recommended strategies and the use of Safer Together was initiated through Clemson Student Housing on October 28, 2020, to students in the two dormitories. Messaging for students was sent via email to explain Safer Together and its capacity to let students know if they had been exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19, encourage them to download the app, link the app to the Healthy Clemson United as Tigers app, and understand what to do should they be notified of potential exposure. Given the small size of this pilot with students in only 2 dormitories and that on-campus isolation was not a burden to the university employees, Clemson's administration disseminated messaging about Safer Together to all Clemson employees on November 20, 2020, via an email asking them to download and activate Safer Together and advising them of the effort to evaluate Safer Together deployment strategies. Dr. Cartmell and the research team concluded in their JMIR Publications Research Output, "This study proposes a structured approach based on the RE-AIM framework, to evaluate dissemination and implementation strategies associated with deployment of the Safer Together in a university setting from the viewpoint of students, employees and university leadership. The results of this study will inform future implementation of apps such as Safer Together at major state universities." In a recent article posted to Open Forum Infectious Diseases, scientists analyzed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms lasting 23 months after the infection. Background More than 572 million confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases globally were reported over two and a half years into the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there are likely many more undetected COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, numerous studies have shown that the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19, also known as long COVID, could significantly influence the global public health and healthcare burden. Nonetheless, the length of long COVID is still unknown, given most studies indicate that patients still have identifiable signs and symptoms at the time of their last evaluation about 12 months following infection. In a prospective cohort of 180 mostly non-hospitalized cases, the present study's authors have previously detailed the prevalence of symptoms four months following SARS-CoV-2 infection, with more than half of the subjects experiencing persistent symptoms. About the study In the current prospective research, the scientists investigated the same study population they assessed earlier for four months for long-term COVID-19 symptoms for 23 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team invited all patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the Faroe Islands between March 2020 and April 2020 to participate in the study. Further, 180 subjects were interviewed via phone, and a validated questionnaire was used to evaluate their symptoms. Moreover, all study volunteers submitted informed consent before enrolling. The last follow-up was performed 19 to 23 months after illness onset, from November 2021 to January 2022. The researchers asked questions on memory, recovery, and concentration only at the last follow-up since the chronic neurological effects of COVID-19 were unknown at the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. They also interrogated the participants regarding concentration and memory problems before COVID-19. Results Overall, the study results showed that above one-third of COVID-19 patients from the spring of 2020 reported still having symptoms over two years following the acute infection. However, 76% of volunteers claimed full recovery, even some with at least one SARS-CoV-2 symptom during follow-up. Some people with chronic COVID-19 symptoms reported feeling complete recovery, whereas 2% reported feeling no recovery, and 22% reported no full recovery. Fatigue, altered taste, and smell were the most common persistent symptoms similar to the acute phase and four-month follow-up. In addition, the common symptoms also included difficulties concentrating and remembering, which the team only asked the subjects at the last follow-up. Most subjects mentioned mild or few symptoms, while 7% reported three or more, and 4% still had symptoms they rated as interfering with their everyday lives and severe, particularly noticeable for memory problems and fatigue. Chronic COVID-19 symptoms were less common in children than in adults. Besides, headache was the most prevalent symptom across children in the current study, and none reported impaired taste or smell. Notably, the long COVID prevalence estimate offered by the present study was slightly lower yet was consistent with the few investigations examining long COVID one-year post-infection. All prior assessments demonstrated that the symptoms continue but not to the same extent. The team mentioned that the differences across studies might be due to methodological problems. Other possible causative elements included the subjective nature of symptoms and the influence of the cultural and psychological variables. The study data were consistent with previously published research, which indicated that age and the number of acute symptoms were indicators of long COVID. Additionally, a trend was observed for higher body mass index (BMI) and smoking with long COVID. According to the correlation between the number of symptoms during the acute stage and the likelihood of long-term COVID, the acute phase was still a good indicator of COVID-19's long-term effects. This inference was applicable even in cases where the disease was relatively mild, like in the current study, which included participants who were primarily not hospitalized. Conclusions According to the authors, no other research has documented symptoms more than a year following COVID-19. The study findings illustrated that 38% of the 170 patients observed for an average of 22.6 months had long COVID symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue, altered taste and smell, and trouble focusing and remembering. Older age and the number of symptoms during the acute phase were indicators of long COVID. The team stated that long COVID might require several months or even years to resolve. In summary, the present findings highlight a significant clinical and public health issue, with around one-third of mostly non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients having persisting symptoms over two years after acute infection, albeit a relatively mild illness course at the initial phase. More studies are required to assess the long-lasting COVID-19 repercussions linked with newer viral variants and any potential protective benefits of COVID vaccinations. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading global cause of death in children under age 5 and lacks an effective vaccine. In a study from the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital, a new vaccine formulation protected newborn mice against infection and evoked strong responses in immune cells from human newborns in the laboratory. Results were reported August 2 in Nature Communications. RSV is a leading cause of infant hospitalizations in the U.S. and is also a threat in older adults. While several potential RSV vaccines are in late-stage clinical trials in adults, there have been no such vaccines for children since the dramatic failure of a candidate vaccine in 1966. The antibodies induced by that vaccine could not neutralize the virus; instead, the vaccine caused an allergic-like ("Th2") white blood cell response in the infants' airways. This resulted in respiratory distress when vaccinated infants became infected with RSV -; making them sicker and leading to some deaths. Consequently, pediatric vaccine development was halted, recognizing that the immune system in kids is different from that in adults." Simon van Haren PhD, Study First Author and Immunologist, Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children's Hospital Rethinking the RSV vaccine Van Haren, Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, who directs the Precision Vaccine Program, and their collaborators decided to reopen the case and explore other ways that vaccination could stimulate the newborn immune system without causing harm. They examined different receptors on immune cells and different combinations of vaccine adjuvants (ingredients added to strengthen the immune response) that might stimulate these receptors, making vaccination more effective. In 2016, they reported in the Journal of Immunology that a combination of two potential adjuvants, stimulating the TLR7/8 and Mincle receptors, provoked robust responses in newborns' antigen-presenting cells, critical for kickstarting cellular immune defenses. They saw strong activation of type 1 T-helper ("Th1") responses. These Th1 responses are hard to stimulate in newborns, but are needed for a strong defense against viral pathogens; the failed RSV vaccine did not induce a Th1 response.) For the new work, van Haren and Levy partnered with Dennis Christensen, PhD, and Gabriel Pedersen, PhD at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark, to formulate a new protein-based RSV vaccine. This vaccine used the same adjuvant combination reported in 2016, which they named CAF-08, coupled with a protein from RSV and packaged inside fatty particles called liposomes. The team first administered the CAF-08/RSV vaccine to cultured antigen-presenting cells obtained from donated cord blood from human newborns. Led by Hanno Steen, PhD, at Boston Children's, the researchers comprehensively profiled the cells' responses with phosphoproteomics. This revealed enhanced production of cytokines (signaling molecules) by Th1 cells and other indicators of a robust immune response. "Dr. Steen's group was instrumental in helping us define the mechanism of action of our adjuvant combination, and why it works so well in children and less so in adults," says van Haren. "It lays out the molecular requirements for an adjuvanted vaccine to work in early life." They next tested CAF-08/RSV in newborn mice and found that it protected against a direct challenge with RSV, with no evidence of any harm to the animals. Further studies showed that it induced Th1 cells and CD8+ T cells (also important in inducing cellular immune responses) that specifically recognized RSV, as well as neutralizing antibodies. "The undesirable components of the immune response did not come into play," notes van Haren. Notably, this vaccine formulation did not induce the same protective Th1 immune responses in blood cells from either human adults or adult mice. "The combination is most active in early life," says Levy, the study's senior investigator. "We hope this adjuvant combination, tailored to be effective in early life, will eventually enable the vaccination of infants against not only RSV, but also influenza, coronaviruses, and other serious infections." Levy and van Haren now plan to refine the RSV vaccine formulation and test it in larger animal models, with the eventual goal of bringing it into clinical trials. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U01AI124284-01, U19AI118608, HHSN272201400052C), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (5T32HD055148-10), Boston Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-004886), Van Haren, Levy, and coauthor Francesco Borriello of the Precision Vaccines Program are named inventors on patents describing early life vaccine adjuvant compositions. Coauthor Barney S. Graham (NIAID) is named an inventor describing prefusion F as a candidate RSV vaccine. Borriello has signed consulting agreements with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Sana Biotechnology, Inc., and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. These commercial relationships are unrelated to the current study. In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers assessed the impact of pre-existing immunity against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) acquired by previous infections (PI) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) such as Delta and Omicron. Background There has been a continual emergence of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs across the globe and the replacement of previous SARS-CoV-2 VOCs by novel variants has been mainly due to increases in variant transmissibility. However, the dissemination advantage of the Omicron VOC over the Delta VOC in humans is not completely understood. About the study In the present study, researchers assessed the impact of pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity on intra-host and inter-host Omicron competitiveness compared to Delta using Syrian hamsters. Transmission chain experiments were performed using naive, PI and intramuscularly (IM) or intranasally (IN) vaccinated hamsters. The RBD-ACE2 [SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein receptor-binding domain-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2] complex was modeled to investigate if S mutations affected the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. SARS-CoV-2 S-facilitated cellular entry of Omicron and Delta was compared to the A lineage S by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-pseudotype entry assays using hamster ACE2- or human ACE2-expressing baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. Subsequently, the team assessed respiratory shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Lineage A VOCs. Airborne and contact transmission of Delta and Omicron were assessed using donor and sentinel hamsters of three generations. Donor hamsters received IN inoculations of Omicron and Delta in a 1:1 ratio, following which oral swabs, lung tissues, and nasal turbinate samples were examined. Further, the subgenomic ribonucleic acid (sgRNA) levels were measured by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was performed. Pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune responses were induced by IM or IN AZD1222 vaccinations or previous Delta infections. The hamsters (n=6 in each group) were intranasally inoculated with 104 tissue culture infectious doses (TCID 50 ) Omicron and Delta. The extent of pulmonary damage was assessed based on the lung: bodyweight ratio of the hamsters. Further, anti-S immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers were evaluated to quantify the immune pressure against Omicron, and live virus neutralization assays were performed. The cumulative [area under the curve (AUC)] shedding of sgRNA between the sentinels and the post-IN and post-intratracheal (IT) Omicron inoculation findings were compared. Results Moderate airborne transmission blockage (70%) by IM vaccinations, and >90% transmission blockage was observed by PI and IN vaccinations. Delta outcompeted Omicron in directly infected donors and sentinels across groups, although Omicron was more prevalent in hamsters with pre-existing immunity. Immune responses were stronger for Delta, especially in PI hamsters, and lower SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated cellular entry and delayed shedding of Omicron over Delta were observed. For human ACE2, S-mediated entry of Omicron and lineage A were similar and 1.4-fold lower than for the Delta VOC and for hamster ACE2, 1.6-fold differences were observed between Omicron and Delta. Cumulative shedding by Alpha-inoculated hamsters was significantly more than that by Omicron- and Gamma-inoculated hamsters. All naive hamsters were infected by contact transmission, whereas two sentinel 1 (generation 1 sentinels) animals, one sentinel 3 animal, and two sentinel 2 animals were infected by airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission. No significant differences in sgRNA titers across samples were noted between donor and sentinel hamsters with both transmission routes combined. Delta infections showed increased with every subsequent transmission chain. Among naive hamsters, SARS-CoV-2 replication was observed in the lungs, and nasal turbinates with median values of 8.3 and 6.9 sgRNA copies/gr log 10 , respectively. In contrast, viral loads were significantly lower for PI-, IM-, and IN-hamsters. In donor hamsters, PI immunity significantly decreased the lung: bodyweight ratios (1.3, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.8 for naive, IM, IN, and PI groups, respectively). Naive hamsters developed typical SARS-CoV-2 infection lesions. SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein Immunoreactivity was most prominent in pneumonia foci periphery in bronchi and alveoli and for the cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) protein in peri-vascular and peri-bronchiolar regions. IN vaccinations led to four-fold greater immune responses than IM vaccinations and PI hamsters had the highest titers. Neutralizing antibody titers were 10-fold higher for Delta than against Omicron among PI hamsters. PI and IN vaccinations reduced SARS-CoV-2 replication compared to IM vaccinations and contact transmission was lower among PI and IN-vaccinated hamsters. The naive hamsters, IM-vaccinated, IN-vaccinated and PI group hamsters showed 63%, 29% 7% and 7% airborne transmission efficiency, respectively. Omicron IT inoculation increased pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathology but did not increase transmission and reduced spread in the lower respiratory tract due to reduced TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serin 2) affinity in Omicron due to S mutations. Overall, the study findings demonstrated that pre-existing immunity and route of exposure directly influence COVID-19 manifestation and onwards transmission efficacy of SARS-CoV-2. The data underscore the need to assess transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in populations with pre-existing immunity and address the increase in evolutionary pressures exerted on SARS-CoV-2. *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. A multidisciplinary study led by Vanja Nagy (LBI-RUD/CeMM/MedUni Vienna) and Josef Penninger (UBC/IMBA) characterized a novel gene, known as FIBCD1, to be likely causative of a new and rare neurodevelopmental disorder. Using data from two young patients with neurological symptoms, the researchers from both groups found evidence of a novel function for the FIBCD1 gene in the brain, and a potentially pivotal role in diseases such as autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's. The study makes an important contribution to the understanding of the extracellular matrix in the brain and its associated neurological diseases. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the tissue in the brain that surrounds cells in a meshwork-like manner to support and instruct brain function in that respective region. The ECM provides stability to brain cells to enable proper function, including long-term memory storage, and makes up around a fifth of the brain volume. Until now, few cellular receptors for ECM signaling have been identified, but no association with a congenital neurological disease was made. For the first time, researchers from two groups Vanja Nagy's group from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (LBI-RUD), the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the OeAW and the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna), and Josef Penninger's group from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the OeAW (IMBA) have characterized FIBCD1, to be a receptor of the ECM 'sugar' components and linked it to a rare genetic neurological disease. "Until now, we were only aware of FIBCD1 in an immunological context, and it had never been studied in the brain or in connection with our central nervous system function. FIBCD1 is highly expressed in the brain, and it binds to glycosaminoglycans, sugar-based molecules. Since the brain ECM consists predominantly of glycosaminoglycans, we theorized that the receptor must contribute to brain function through ECM binding and/or signaling," explains Vanja Nagy, the principal investigator of the study. Mutated FIBCD1 receptors in patients with neurological disorders First authors Christopher Fell (LBI-RUD/CeMM) and Astrid Hagelkruys (IMBA) used knockdown fly and knockout mouse models, as well as a series of in silico and in vitro experiments, to demonstrate that FIBCD1 is indeed a receptor for ECM components in the brain. Their work confirmed that the absence of FIBCD1 can lead to nervous system disorders that affect behavior and cellular dysfunction in animal models. "This allowed us to conclude that deleterious variants in FIBCD1 could also cause neurological disorders in humans," Fell and Hagelkruys explained. This conclusion is also supported by the data from two young patients with neurodevelopmental symptoms, one from the United States and one from China, for whom no diagnosis could be made prior to characterization of FIBCD1's expression and function in brain neurons. Both patients suffer from a variety of devastating symptoms primarily affecting their central nervous system, including autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), delayed developmental milestones, language impairments, and structural brain anomalies. In both patients, a mutation or variant in FIBCD1 was identified, thereby establishing an important diagnostic milestone. The link between FIBCD1 and the brain raises many new questions "We were already able to see in the animal models that the inactivation of FIBCD1 leads to massive neuronal functional perturbance," Vanja Nagy explains. "In the affected patients, we determined that in both cases, the FIBCD1 variants identified are functionless the binding to sugars does not work. We have therefore determined that this might be the possible underlining pathological mechanism in the disease of the patients." Despite this fact, the symptoms of the two patients were remarkably different: while one of the patients had structural abnormalities in the brain, the other patient did not. "To be able to make a more concrete determination about the function of FIBCD1 in the human central nervous system, and what it can trigger if mutated, a much larger study cohort is needed," Nagy added. Intensive collaboration for research into rare diseases The study represents an enormous scientific milestone in several ways: on one hand, the identification and characterization of FIBCD1 in the brain has made an important contribution to our understanding of the ECM. On the other hand, it exemplifies the considerable level of collaboration that is needed to research rare diseases: a total of 29 experts from 24 institutions across 7 different countries collaborated to identify a new gene, FIBCD1, which was found to be likely responsible for neurodevelopmental symptoms in two unrelated patients from different countries. The diagnosis of patients with rare diseases is not only of enormous importance to the affected individuals themselves. It also crucially contributes to a better understanding of the molecular connections in our bodies, the functions of our genes, and thus to the development of better therapies for many more common diseases." Vanja Nagy, CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Newser) Update: This file has been updated with more details and President Biden's address. Ayman al-Zawahri, leader of al-Qaeda since the death of Osama bin Laden, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, President Biden told the nation Monday evening. "Justice has been delivered," he said, per CNN. "And this terrorist leader is no more." No civilians were injured in the strike, and none of al-Zawahri's family members was hurt in the mission that Biden pronounced a "total success." The US had pursued him for years, Biden said, through the terms of Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump; a US bounty had been placed on his head. "He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests," Biden said in his brief speech from the Blue Room balcony at the White House, per the Washington Post. The terrorist was involved in the planning of the 9/11 attacks, Biden said, expressing hope that this would bring comfort to the victims' families, per the AP. He also included a warning to other terrorists, saying the US "will always do what is necessary" to keep Americans safe. According to the AP's sources, the strike was carried out by the CIA. The al-Qaeda leader was located at a house owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. They say the death was confirmed by a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance. Al-Zawahri, who was bin Laden's deputy from 1998 and took charge of the terrorist organization when bin Laden was killed in a 2011 strike, expanded the group's reach internationally. The leader's whereabouts were a mystery for yearsand until recently, there had been rumors that he died years ago. United Nations analysts said last month that he had been "confirmed to be alive and communicating freely," and his "increased comfort and ability to communicate" followed the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the Post reports. After a blast was heard in downtown Kabul early Sunday, a Taliban spokesman said a home in the capital had been hit by American drones, per the Post. Al-Zawahri was living with family members, Biden said. (Read more Ayman al-Zawahri stories.) (Newser) An Italian court has dropped the sexual assault case against Oscar-winning filmmaker and famous ex-Scientologist Paul Haggis. A judge on Friday ruled there were no grounds to continue the investigation, the Guardian reports, and Haggis' Italian lawyer says that "after viewing the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the district court of Lecce, an appellate court with three judges, unanimously rejected a prosecutors appeal to have Haggiss house arrest reinstated." Haggis spent 16 days under house arrest and was released July 5. The case involved a 28-year-old British woman who accused Haggis of forcing her to have nonconsensual sex over a two-day period in June; Haggis was released from house arrest "immediately" after a judge questioned her, Haggis' lawyer says, per Variety. Prosecutors appealed that decision, but the court ruled in Haggis' favor Friday. Prosecutors must close the case unless new evidence surfaces, and it is expected to be closed within the coming weeks. Haggis still faces a civil case in the US; a film publicist alleges he raped her in 2013. Haggis says the sex was consensual. A trial date is tentatively set for October 11 in Manhattan. Three other female accusers came forward after she filed her suit in 2017. (Read more Paul Haggis stories.) (Newser) Before he became Osama bin Laden's deputy, and later the leader of al-Qaeda after bin Laden was killed, Ayman al-Zawahri was a brilliant student in Egypt, where he got a master's degree in surgery in 1978. He also, at age 15 in 1966, was part of forming an underground militant cell that aimed to see Egypt's secular government replaced with an Islamic onehe'd been reading Islamist literature from his early days, reports the New York Times in an extensive profile of the militant, who was killed over the weekend by a US drone strike. His involvement in the cell continued, secretly, even as he earned his degrees. While working at a clinic in 1980, he joined the Muslim version of the Red Cross and went to Pakistan to treat refugees who were escaping Afghanistan after the Soviets invaded. He visited Afghanistan and realized he could start a jihad from there, then went back multiple times. Then, in 1981, he was among a group of people tried for conspiracy to murder in Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's assassination, though he was convicted just of gun possession. He was tortured and interrogated in prison multiple times during the three years the trial took, and in 1984, when he was released, he left Egypt. He went to Saudi Arabia and then back to Pakistan in 1986, where he became bin Laden's personal physician. He started talking with him about how to hurt Western countries and their allies. Some counterterrorism experts, as well as an Islamic radical who once shared a prison cell with al-Zawahri and later wrote a book about him, believe al-Zawahri was in fact more responsible for al-Qaeda's attacks on the US than bin Laden himself. In 1998, al-Zawahri's group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, merged with bin Laden's Qaeda network with the goal of killing Americans everywhere. He became bin Laden's deputy and chosen successor, often seen sitting at his side in videos. In its own profile, NPR says that while bin Laden may have been the face of al-Qaeda, al-Zawahri was its "hate-filled heart." (See the Times' full profile here.) (Newser) A 52-year-old Minnesota man was charged Monday with killing a teenager and stabbing four other people in a dispute that allegedly began with a lost cellphone during a weekend tubing excursion on a western Wisconsin river. Investigators said in court documents that Nicolae Miu, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, attacked the group after people accused him of approaching children in the water. Miu told investigators that he had acted in self-defense, the AP reports. He faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in St. Croix County, which sits along Wisconsin's border with Minnesota. The judge set bond at $1 million cash for Miu, who appeared at the hearing by video. The family of the teen who died has identified him as 17-year-old Isaac Schuman, of Stillwater, Minnesota. He would have been a senior at Stillwater High School this fall. The victims were tubing on Saturday down the Apple River northeast of Stillwater, which is about 25 miles east of Minneapolis, when they were attacked, sheriff's officials said. Those wounded were two men from Luck, Wisconsin, ages 20 and 22, a 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota, and a 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Miu. According to the complaint, Miu was tubing down the river with his wife and several other people. A third group of people also was tubing on the river. Miu told investigators that he was using a snorkel and goggles to look for a lost cellphone. Video and witness accounts indicate bystanders accused him of approaching children in the water. Witnesses said Miu was bothering a group of juveniles and others told him to leave, the complaint states. Instead of leaving, Miu punched a woman and a fight ensued, according to the complaint. Video shows him falling into the river, emerging with a knife, and then stabbing a person. There was enough blood in the river that the water turned a red tint in places, the complaint states. Miu told investigators that he was provoked, according to the complaint. He said at least two others in the crowd had knives and he took one of the knives away from one of the males in the crowd but didn't know what happened to it. (Read more Wisconsin stories.) (Newser) A Pittsburgh-area dentist was on Monday convicted of murdering his wife of 34 years during an African safari they took in 2016. Lawrence "Larry" Rudolph fatally shot Bianca Rudolph as they prepared to leave Zambia, where they were on a big game hunting trip in Kafue National Park; he claimed she accidentally shot herself with a hunting rifle when she dropped it while packing, but prosecutors argued she was shot from slightly above and 2 to 3.5 feet away, making it impossible for her to have shot herself, Fox News reports. He was also convicted of mail fraud for cashing in on his wife's $5 million in life insurance policies, the Denver Post reports. Because the insurance companies he defrauded are located in Colorado, the trial took place in Denver. Prosecutors argued Rudolph killed his wife in part because he wanted to be with his office assistant and mistress, Lori Milliron, who moved into his home the month Bianca Rudolph died. Milliron was on Monday convicted of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury, and two counts of perjury for her role. Rudolph and Milliron ultimately purchased a home together in Arizona, and a bartender at a steakhouse there testified he overheard Rudolph telling Milliron in early 2020, "I killed my f---ing wife for you!" Rudolph testified his actual words had been, "Now they're saying I killed my f---ing wife for you!" (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones arrived at a Texas courthouse for his defamation trial for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack a hoax with the words "Save the 1st" scrawled on tape covering his mouth. Although Jones portrays the lawsuit as an assault on the First Amendment, parents say his statements were so malicious and obviously false that they fell well outside the bounds of speech protected by the constitution, the AP reports. Jones said actors staged the shooting as a pretext to strengthen gun control, then later conceded the massacre occurred. The ongoing trial in Austin, where Jones' far-right Infowars website is based, stems from a $150 million suit brought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son was killed in the 2012 mass shooting. Here's a look the case, including First Amendment relevance: Defamation laws : Typically, the first question jurors answer at trial is whether the speech qualifies as unprotected defamation, as understood through decades of US Supreme Court rulings. If it does, they consider damages. Jones' trial largely skipped the first question and went straight to the second. From the start, it focused not on whether Jones must pay damages, but how much. All defamation suits are First Amendment cases. : Typically, the first question jurors answer at trial is whether the speech qualifies as unprotected defamation, as understood through decades of US Supreme Court rulings. If it does, they consider damages. Jones' trial largely skipped the first question and went straight to the second. From the start, it focused not on whether Jones must pay damages, but how much. All defamation suits are First Amendment cases. Defamation's elements : A successful case must involve someone making a false statement of fact publiclytypically via the mediaand purporting that it's true. An opinion can't be defamatory. The statement also must have done damage to someone's reputation. The parents suing Jones say his lies about their child's death harmed their reputations and led to death threats from Jones' followers. : A successful case must involve someone making a false statement of fact publiclytypically via the mediaand purporting that it's true. An opinion can't be defamatory. The statement also must have done damage to someone's reputation. The parents suing Jones say his lies about their child's death harmed their reputations and led to death threats from Jones' followers. Noncompliance: Jones seemed to sabotage his chance to argue that his speech was protected by not complying with orders to hand over critical evidence, such as emails, which the parents hoped would prove he knew all along that his statements were false. That led the exasperated judge to enter a rare default judgment, declaring the parents winners before the trial began. "It is reasonable to presume that (Jones) and his team did not think they had a viable defense ... or they would have complied," said Barry Covert, a First Amendment lawyer. Free speech arguments : Plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Bankston told jurors it doesn't protect defamatory speech. "Speech is free," he said, "but lies you have to pay for." In a deposition, Jones argued that "if questioning public events and free speech is banned because it might hurt somebodys feelings, we are not in America anymore." : Plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Bankston told jurors it doesn't protect defamatory speech. "Speech is free," he said, "but lies you have to pay for." In a deposition, Jones argued that "if questioning public events and free speech is banned because it might hurt somebodys feelings, we are not in America anymore." Public vs. nonpublic figures : In New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, the Supreme Court said the bar for defamation among public figures must be higher than for nonpublic individuals because scrutiny of them is so vital to democracy. They must prove "actual malice, that a false statement was made "with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not," rather than simply that a false statement was made carelessly. : In New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, the Supreme Court said the bar for defamation among public figures must be higher than for nonpublic individuals because scrutiny of them is so vital to democracy. They must prove "actual malice, that a false statement was made "with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not," rather than simply that a false statement was made carelessly. Are the parents public figures? Their lawyers say they clearly aren't in the category of politicians or celebrities who stepped voluntarily into the public arena. The high court, however, has said those who temporarily enter public debates can become temporary public figures. Jones argues that Heslin did just that, entering the national debate over guns by advocating for tougher gun laws on TV and before Congress. Their lawyers say they clearly aren't in the category of politicians or celebrities who stepped voluntarily into the public arena. The high court, however, has said those who temporarily enter public debates can become temporary public figures. Jones argues that Heslin did just that, entering the national debate over guns by advocating for tougher gun laws on TV and before Congress. Can First Amendment issues influence the outcome? Indirectly, yes. Jones can't argue that he's not liable for damages on the grounds that his speech was protected. The judge already ruled he is liable. But as a way to limit damages, his lawyers can argue that his speech was protected. Indirectly, yes. Jones can't argue that he's not liable for damages on the grounds that his speech was protected. The judge already ruled he is liable. But as a way to limit damages, his lawyers can argue that his speech was protected. Could Jones have won if the trial was all about free speech? He could have contended that his statements were hyperbolic opinionthat wild, non-factual exaggeration is his schtick. But it would have been tough to persuade jurors that he was merely riffing and opining. "It was a verifiable fact the massacre occurred at Sandy Hook," said Stephen D. Solomon, a founding editor of New York University's First Amendment Watch. "That's not opinion. It is a fact." Even if the parents were deemed public figures, imposing the higher standard, "I think Alex Jones would still lose," he said. (Read more Alex Jones stories.) (Newser) The last of those wrongly convicted during the Salem Witch Trials has been cleared 329 years later thanks to the hard work of a Massachusetts teacher and her eighth-grade students. They pushed to have Elizabeth Johnson Jr. exonerated of witchcraft. Johnson faced allegations along with many of her extended family members, reports the New York Times. And though she reportedly admitted to being a witch and was sentenced to death in 1693, she was ultimately granted a reprieve. Her exoneration came much later. It was included in the state budget signed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday, after three years of lobbying by North Andover Middle School civics teacher Carrie LaPierre and her students. "I'm excited and relieved," LaPierre tells the Times, noting Johnson "became one of our world, in a sense." Johnson, who may have had a mental disability and never married or had children, was 22 when accused but lived to the ripe old age of 77, LaPierre said. Johnson submitted a petition to have her conviction reversed in 1712, but was denied for unknown reasons, per Courthouse News. Though others convicted in the trials were officially exonerated in 1957, including Johnson's family members, Johnson was overlooked, perhaps because she bore the same name as her mother. LaPierre took up the cause for a project that allowed her to teach students about research methods and how a bill becomes law. They wrote letters to lawmakers and lobbied Baker for a pardon before state Sen. Diana DiZoglio added the exoneration to the budget bill. "These students have set an incredible example of the power of advocacy and speaking up for others who don't have a voice," DiZoglio tells the Times. Historian Emerson W. Baker of Salem State University notes those accused by the Puritans may have confessed to avoid being tortured or killed. Indeed, none of the 55 people who confessed were executed, but all 19 people who pleaded not guilty were, he says. A man was also crushed to death by rocks as part of a torture campaign meant to bring about his confession, per Courthouse News. (Read more witch trials stories.) (Newser) The possible visit that's been buzzed about for days has come to pass. Despite weeks of warnings from China, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday landed in Taiwan, making her the highest ranking US official to visit the island since 1997. The AP reports Pelosi and her delegation arrived at around 10:45pm local time from Malaysia, where she'd had a lunch meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Pelosi, who emerged wearing a face mask about five minutes after the aircraft landed, met on the tarmac with a group of Taiwanese officials and posed for photos, reports USA Today. Taiwans three largest national newspapers reported by way of unidentified sources that Pelosi planned to spend the night in Taiwan. The flight tracking site Flightradar24 said Pelosi's aircraft, a US Air Force Boeing C-40C, was the most tracked in the world on Tuesday evening, with 300,000 viewers, per the AP. The plane took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. Pelosi's office kept much of the details of her travel plans quiet for security reasons, though there were leaks, per USA Today. The Wall Street Journal reports that at Tuesday's daily press briefing held prior to Pelosi's arrival, a rep for China's Foreign Ministry emphasized China's objection to the visit. "No matter for what reason Pelosi goes to Taiwan, it will be a stupid, dangerous, and unnecessary gamble. It is difficult to imagine a more reckless and provocative action." She did not detail what Pelosi's action might provoke, and referred questions about the potential mobilization of troops to China's Ministry of National Defense. Reuters reports four US warships, including the USS Ronald Reagan, are currently occupying waters east of Taiwan as part of what the US Navy termed routine deployments. (Read more Nancy Pelosi stories.) (Newser) A man accused of fatally shooting a police officer in the head during a traffic stop recorded a song in which he stated he would kill any police officer who "caught" him, according to Indiana State Police. Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, released from parole a year ago, has convictions going back to 1999, including one for shooting at Indianapolis police officers, police say. He was allegedly pulled over in Madison County around 2am Sunday by Elwood Officer Noah Shahnavaz, who radioed that the driver "had a gun," per WTTV. The officer was then found in his patrol car with multiple gunshot wounds, including two to the head, per the Indianapolis Star. Investigators, who found 36 rifle bullet casings at the scene, said Shahnavaz's service weapon remained in its holster, per the AP. The 24-year-old officer, an Army veteran who joined the force a year ago, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Meanwhile, officers pursued Boards' vehicle, which was allegedly spotted speeding in Hamilton County. The suspect was finally arrested after a tire-deflation device and PIT maneuvers were used, per WTTV. Boards, who called his girlfriend and family members on FaceTime during the pursuit, possessed a 9mm handgun and an AK-47-style rifle, which was sitting in the driver's seat, according to police. Though Boards offered no alleged motive, police spoke with a man who claimed the suspect was a member of the Black Hebrew Israelites who "made a recorded song making statements that if he was ever caught by police that he would kill them," according to a court filing. The Anti-Defamation League notes some, though not all, Black Hebrew Israelites "assert that white people are agents of Satan, Jews are liars and false worshipers of God, and blacks are the true 'chosen people,'" per WTTV. The Madison County Prosecutor's Office has indicated it will seek a life sentence for Boards, who's charged with murder, resisting law enforcement, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. (Read more fatal shooting stories.) (Newser) Taxpayers can now claim an individual income tax dependent exemption of $3,000 on their Georgia returns for an embryo "with a detectable human heartbeat." Guidance from the department of revenue says cardiac activity "may occur as early as six weeks' gestation" in cells that later become the heart, WAGA reports. The agency said it may require medical documentation from taxpayers, per the Guardian, in a statement released Monday. It's some of the first specific direction from the state on the impact of its personhood provision, which assigns full constitutional rights to any embryo or fetus with a detectable heartbeat, per Axios. The department said its decision flows from the US Supreme Court's ruling in June that rejected Roe v. Wade. Some Georgians had questions, especially about what could happen in the event of a miscarriage. The state could be out a lot of money for pregnancies that don't come to term, a Georgia State University law professor tweeted. He received a number of replies in the vein of this one: "What happens if a fetus in tax year 1 is not claimed as a dependent child in year 2? Can the state investigate for either tax fraud or illegal abortion? How does the pregnant person prove they had a natural miscarriage?" Opponents of the personhood measure have argued it would open a major gray area in the law. Federal tax returns will not be affected. (Read more anti-abortion laws stories.) (Newser) Researchers believe they have uncovered in a mass grave in New Jersey the remains of as many as 12 Hessian soldiers who fought during the Revolutionary War, officials announced Tuesday. The remains, found at the site of Fort Mercer and the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, rested for 245 years until a human femur was found in June during an archaeological dig of a trench system that surrounded the fort, scientists said. Additional excavation yielded more skeletal remains and items including pewter and brass buttons and a King George III gold guinea, the AP reports, which would have been a soldier's pay for a month. Scientists from Rowan University and officials from Gloucester County presented their preliminary findings during a news conference at Red Bank Battlefield Park, just south of Philadelphia. Officials believe the remains are part of a mass grave of Hessian soldiersGerman troops hired by the Britishwho were among about 377 troops killed by Colonial forces during the battle. Americans lost 14 men, historians said. The victory allowed Americans at the fort to delay the British from moving supplies up the Delaware River. The remains have been turned over to forensic anthropologists for the New Jersey State Police to extract DNA from the bones and teeth. Additional studies are being conducted to examine life history, health, and disease. Officials said the remains were excavated with "extraordinary attention" to preserving the dignity of war dead. The scientists will try to identify the remains and locate descendants. "We're hoping that eventually, perhaps, we can find some of these individuals," Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky said in a statement. "If we can extract their stories, and if we can tell their stories, it lets us put a name to a face. And that, to me, is a very powerful moment in public history." When the study is complete, the remains will be interred at another site. The trench will be refilled, and the land will be incorporated into the park on a bluff overlooking the river. About 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British in the war, with about 5,000 deciding to remain afterward, per PBS. (Read more archaeology stories.) (Newser) Just minutes after Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan, a piece she wrote for the Washington Post went live. Titled "Why I'm leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan," Pelosi quite simply explains that very thing. Some key lines: "In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom." "Our visitone of several congressional delegations to the islandin no way contradicts the long-standing one-China policy [which recognizes, but does not endorse, China's position that Taiwan is its territory], guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the US-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo." "Americas solidarity with Taiwan is more important today than evernot only to the 23 million people of the island but also to millions of others oppressed and menaced by the PRC [Peoples Republic of China]." "We take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocentseven childrenit is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement of its own upon Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan. It reads in part: "Congress, as a part of the US Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the US Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China's Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by US congressional members, and the US executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the US Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation." As for what the White House is saying, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN Pelosi's visit "is completely consistent with American policy. No change to our One China policy There should be no reason for them to use this visit as some sort of a pretext for any kind of action that would escalate tensions." (Read more Nancy Pelosi stories.) (Newser) A man who police said brought a crossbow onto the grounds of Windsor Castle faces the usual sort of charge one might in another location, such as making threats to kill someone and possession of an offensive weapon. But because the castle is home to a monarch, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Jaswant Singh Chail also has been charged with treason, the BBC reports. Police said the 20-year-old was arrested almost immediately after stepping onto the grounds last Christmas Day and did not go in any buildings. The queen usually spends the holidays at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk but stayed at Windsor because of the pandemic. Family members visited her there. Scotland Yard said the Southampton man was charged under the Treason Act of 1842, which makes the intent "to injure or alarm her Majesty" a crime. Chail is due in court Aug. 17. In 1982, an intruder climbed a wall and entered Buckingham Palace, eventually walking into the queen's bedroom, where he was seized. Elizabeth was in bed at the time. A lengthened version of their interaction was included in Season 4 of Netflix's The Crown, per Newsweek. (Read more Windsor Castle stories.) (Newser) If you've ever considered paragliding (much less the "acro" version), consider first how you might react if you found yourself in Kevin Philipp's situation. The professional acrobatic paraglider very nearly plunged to his death, per TMZ, and the ordeal was captured on a vertigo-inducing video. In a statement on YouTube, Philipp explained that the break line on his chute got stuck while he was attempting a trick amid strong turbulence. Judging by the video, everything got tangled up about as bad as it could, including his emergency chute. He struggled with the mess for nearly a minute while plummeting at ever-increasing speed toward the sort of landing one cannot walk away from. Philipp estimates he had about one second left to exercise his last resort: manually breaking open his emergency pack, which finally deployed when he was about a stone's throw off the ground. Upon landing safely, he can be heard emitting a joyful peep and saying, "Oh my God!" According to Australia's 9News, the near disaster occurred in Organya, Spain, an acro paragliding hotspot. Also in his statement, Philip explains that "in acro paragliding, we face a lot of tries and errors in learning the tricks," and safe training requires multiple rescue chutes and high altitudes. "This occasion is quite unlucky and rare. Just to keep in mind: Fly high, land safe," he concludes. (Read more paragliding stories.) (Newser) A Utah man has been arrested on accusations he started a wildfire while trying to burn a spider with his lighter. Cory Allan Martin, 26, told deputies that he spotted the spider Monday while he was in a hiking area in the foothills south of Salt Lake City near the city of Springville, according to a probable cause statement. He acknowledged starting the fire, but didn't explain why he was trying to burn the spider, the AP reports. Deputies found a jar of marijuana in his belongings, but he didnt appear to be high, said Utah County Sheriffs Sgt. Spencer Cannon. "When he attempted to burn the spider, the surrounding brush ignited and the fire began spreading very rapidly," an affidavit states. There is no evidence to suggest he intentionally started the blaze, said Cannon, but he called it a reckless and puzzling decision. This area and most of Utah are bone dry amid extreme drought conditions. "What led him to stop and notice a spider and decide to try to burn it, we dont know," Cannon said. "There may not be a why. He might not even know a why." Martin was arrested on suspicion of reckless burn and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, court documents show. He was in the Utah County jail Tuesday on nearly $2,000 bail. According to Utah Fire Info, the Springville fire had burned around 60 acres of US Forest Service land and was 10% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, though firefighters "expect the containment to drastically increase by end of shift." No homes were damaged. (Read more Utah stories.) Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Becoming partly cloudy after some morning light rain. High 73F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 51F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The High Criminal Court has sentenced a man to five years in prison for stabbing a restaurant coworker during a heated argument that ended fatally. It also ordered his deportation from Bahrain after serving the jail term. An argument between the two erupted, resulting in one of them stabbing the other with a knife, causing injuries that caused him to suffer permanent disability estimated at 20%. The defendant underwent an operation in which part of his body was removed, as a result of which he has become partially handicapped. The Court also sentenced another defendant to six months in prison and ordered for his deportation after attempting to conceal the knife used in the accident. According to the details of the case, the duo were working in the same restaurant. The victim was working as a cleaner, while the perpetrator was tasked with preparing food. A dispute arose between them on the day of the incident, after which the accused pulled the knife used in preparing the food and stabbed the victim in the waist. The latter fell in a pool of his blood and was taken later to the hospital. The second accused, a friend of the culprit, hid the knife inside a water tank. However, investigators managed to solve the case and recover the knife. The two men were put on trial. Bahrain Summer Festival brings down curtain on its 14th edition with unique adults and childrens performances TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The 14th edition of the Bahrain Summer Festival concluded on Sunday with flying colours. Numerous live artistic performances and more than 500 fun workshops for children and adults alike took place at the Bahrain National Museum, the Art Centre and Cultural Hall for three consecutive weeks last month to enrich the cultural movement in Bahrain. This years edition, from July 11 to 31, was held under the slogan Golden Edition to reflect the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities programme for 2022 which is Golden Jubilee, celebrating Bahrains outstanding achievements. As part of the festival, the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture presented a number of workshops at the Arts Center to introduce the famous handicrafts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Other activities were aimed at preparing a generation that understands the value of antiquities and protects and celebrates them. Throughout the festival, it featured an extensive programme of cultural activity that included a series of workshops, an exciting programme of performances, and live artistic and entertainment activities on stage. Over the course of four weeks and at an average of two days a week, young people between the ages of seven and 12 took part in the programme consisted of workshops focusing on aspects of Bahraini crafts. These workshops included pottery, the manufacture of wooden boxes, Saf al Khoos (palm tree basket making), and engraving on gypsum, which are among the most important crafts today. On the final night, creative Bahraini trio Mohammed Al ajjar, Haya Al Hamad and Lian Al Hamad performed on the piano famous international musical pieces. The Cultural Hall also hosted many international performances, including Brainiac Remixed Theaters famous science show; the theatrical performance Little Jellyfish in collaboration with the Embassy of Palestine; a Korean dance and music show in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea; an Alice in Wonderland play in collaboration with the Embassy of the US; and a Show Spanish flamenco. The Da Silva Circus Puppet Troupe from the UK also performed at the hall. Live Indonesian folk dance and live Angklung music performance were two performances held in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bahrain. Finally, the Cultural Hall hosted the Italian theatrical performance Marco and Rolandas Bubbles Revolution. The Nakhoul Star competition returned as part of the Bahrain Summer Festival, with dozens of children competing for the title. Agencies | Riyadh The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Saudi Arabia welcomed the US announcement that Al Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the announcement by US President Joe Biden of the targeting and killing of the terrorist leader of Al Qaeda Ayman Al-Zawahiri," it said. The statement came shortly after Biden announced that the United States had killed Zawahiri, one of the world's most-wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in a drone strike in Kabul. The Saudi foreign ministry said he was "considered one of the leaders of terrorism that led the planning and execution of heinous terrorist operations in the United States, Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries of the world". "Thousands of innocent people of different nationalities and religions, including Saudi citizens, were killed," the statement said. "The Kingdom's government stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and concerted international efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism, calling on all countries to cooperate in this framework to protect innocent people from terrorist organisations." Egyptian-born Zawahiri took over Al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011, and had a $25 million US bounty on his head. A senior US administration official said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a house in Kabul when he was targeted with two Hellfire missiles, an hour after sunrise on July 31. Japan has called on Myanmar's junta to release one of its citizens who was detained in Yangon after filming a demonstration. Meanwhile the country's military rulers are extending the state of emergency by another six months. Japanese PM shakes up cabinet amid anger over Unification church links theguardian.com - Aug 10 Japans prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has removed ministers associated with the Unification church in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at reviving his fortunes amid a public outcry over his partys ties to the religious movement. Japans prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has removed ministers associated with the Unification church in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at reviving his fortunes amid a public outcry over his partys ties to the religious movement. Nagasaki calls for peace on 77th anniversary of atomic bombing NHK - Aug 09 People in Japan are remembering the victims of one of history's most catastrophic wartime attacks. Tuesday marks 77 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War Two. People in Japan are remembering the victims of one of history's most catastrophic wartime attacks. Tuesday marks 77 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War Two. Support for Japan PMs cabinet lowest since it was formed: NHK reports brecorder.com - Aug 09 Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida slid to the lowest level since he took office last October, with voters questioning his decision to hold a state funeral for former premier Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday. Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida slid to the lowest level since he took office last October, with voters questioning his decision to hold a state funeral for former premier Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday. On Japan's Yonaguni island, fears of being on the front line of a Taiwan conflict NPR - Aug 06 YONAGUNI ISLAND, Japan For years it was known as the "Two Gun" island one gun for each of the two policemen stationed here. YONAGUNI ISLAND, Japan For years it was known as the "Two Gun" island one gun for each of the two policemen stationed here. Minister denies politics played role in ex-Unification Church's name change NHK - Aug 06 A Japanese Cabinet minister has denied that politics played any role in a decision by the government to certify the then-Unification Church's name change in 2015. A Japanese Cabinet minister has denied that politics played any role in a decision by the government to certify the then-Unification Church's name change in 2015. Japan to roll out Omicron-targeted COVID vaccine as early as Oct. Kyodo - Aug 06 The Japanese government plans to roll out a new type of COVID-19 vaccine considered effective for the Omicron variant as early as October, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. The Japanese government plans to roll out a new type of COVID-19 vaccine considered effective for the Omicron variant as early as October, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. Japan's prime minister calls for 'immediate cancellation' of Chinese military drills FRANCE 24 English - Aug 06 Japan's prime minister on Friday condemned China's firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan, calling them a "serious problem that impacts our national security and the safety of our citizens." Japan's prime minister on Friday condemned China's firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan, calling them a "serious problem that impacts our national security and the safety of our citizens." Japans population crisis fuelled by indifference and ignorance of male lawmakers South China Morning Post - Aug 05 Japans minister for gender equality and childrens issues, Seiko Noda, said that the countrys male-dominated parliament has treated its dramatic population decline with indifference and ignorance. Japans minister for gender equality and childrens issues, Seiko Noda, said that the countrys male-dominated parliament has treated its dramatic population decline with indifference and ignorance. Japan: 5 Chinese ballistic missiles landed within Japan's EEZ NHK - Aug 04 Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing, after multiple Chinese ballistic missiles landed within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, amid large-scale military drills. Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing, after multiple Chinese ballistic missiles landed within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, amid large-scale military drills. Myanmar charges Japanese journalist with encouraging dissent indiatimes.com - Aug 04 A Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar has been charged with breaching immigration law and encouraging dissent against the military, the junta said Thursday. A Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar has been charged with breaching immigration law and encouraging dissent against the military, the junta said Thursday. Japan's Diet bans new member from staying overseas during session NHK - Aug 03 Japan's Upper House has dismissed a plan by a newly-elected opposition lawmaker to stay overseas during the extraordinary session that will open on Wednesday. Japan's Upper House has dismissed a plan by a newly-elected opposition lawmaker to stay overseas during the extraordinary session that will open on Wednesday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CAIRO (AP) The doors of jihad opened for Ayman al-Zawahri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan. With that offer in 1980, al-Zawahri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, al-Qaida, after the death of Osama bin Laden. Already an experienced militant who had sought the overthrow of Egypts infidel regime since the age of 15, al-Zawahri took a trip to the Afghan war zone that was just a few weeks long, but it opened his eyes to new possibilities. What he saw was the training course preparing Muslim mujahedeen youth to launch their upcoming battle with the great power that would rule the world: America, he wrote in a 2001 biography-cum-manifesto. Al-Zawahri, 71, was killed over the weekend by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced the death Monday evening in an address to the nation. The strike is likely to lead to greater disarray within the organization than did bin Ladens death in 2011, since it is far less clear who his successor would be. Al-Zawahri became crucial to turning the jihadi movement to target the United States as the right-hand man to bin Laden, the young Saudi millionaire he met in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Under their leadership, the al-Qaida terror network carried out the deadliest attack ever on American soil, the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. While bin Laden came from a privileged background in a prominent Saudi family, al-Zawahri had the experience of an underground revolutionary. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. Bin Laden always looked up to him, said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University. Al-Zawahri spent time in an Egyptian prison, he was tortured. He was a jihadi from the time he was a teenager. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also became the movements public face, putting out a constant stream of video messages while bin Laden largely hid. With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and a prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive a contrast to bin Laden, whose soft-spoken presence many militants described in adoring, almost spiritual terms. Yet he reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the creation of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Asia. In the decade after 9/11, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen proved itself capable of plotting attacks on U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. After Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, al-Qaida proclaimed al-Zawahri its paramount leader less than two months later. The jihad against America does not halt with the death of a commander or leader, he said. Chase America, which killed the leader of the mujahedeen and threw his body into the sea. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings around the Mideast threatened a major blow to al-Qaida, showing that jihad was not the only way to get rid of Arab autocrats. It was mainly pro-democracy liberals and leftists who led the uprising that toppled Egypts President Hosni Mubarak, the longtime goal al-Zawahri failed to achieve. But al-Zawahri sought to co-opt the wave of uprisings, insisting that they would have been impossible if the 9/11 attacks had not weakened America. And he urged Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. Al-Zawahri was born June 19, 1951, the son of an upper-middle-class family of doctors and scholars in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. His father was a pharmacology professor at Cairo Universitys medical school and his grandfather, Rabia al-Zawahri, was the grand imam of Al-Azhar University, a premier center of religious study. From an early age, al-Zawahri was enflamed by the radical writings of Sayed Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who taught that Arab regimes were infidel and should be replaced by Islamic rule. In the 1970s, as he earned his medical degree as a surgeon, he was active in militant circles. He merged his own militant cell with others to form the group Islamic Jihad and began trying to infiltrate the military at one point even storing weapons in his private clinic. Then came the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic Jihad militants. The slaying was carried out by a different cell in the group and al-Zawahri wrote that he learned of the plot only hours before the assassination. But he was arrested along with hundreds of other militants and served three years in prison. During his imprisonment, he was reportedly tortured heavily, a factor some cite as turning him more violently radical. After his release in 1984, al-Zawahri returned to Afghanistan and joined the Arab militants from across the Middle East fighting alongside the Afghans against the Soviets. He courted bin Laden, who became a heroic figure for his financial support of the mujahedeen. Al-Zawahri followed bin Laden to his new base in Sudan, and from there he led a reassembled Islamic Jihad group in a violent campaign of bombings aimed at toppling Egypts U.S.-allied government. In the most daring attack, Jihad and other militants tried to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a 1995 visit to Ethiopia. Mubarak escaped the hail of gunfire aimed at his motorcade, and his security forces all but crushed the militant movement in Egypt in the crackdown that followed. The Egyptian movement failed. But al-Zawahri would bring to al-Qaida the tactics that he honed in Islamic Jihad. He promoted the use of suicide bombings, to become al-Qaidas hallmark. He plotted a 1995 suicide car bombing of Egypts embassy in Islamabad that killed 16 people presaging the more devastating 1998 al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200, attacks al-Zawahri was indicted for in the United States. In 1996, Sudan expelled bin Laden, who took his fighters back to Afghanistan, where they found a safe haven under the radical Taliban regime. Once more, al-Zawahri followed. Two years later, their bond was sealed when bin Laden, al-Zawahri and other militant leaders issued the Declaration of Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. It announced that the United States was Islams top enemy and instructed Muslims that it was their religious duty to kill the Americans and their allies. The message consecrated a dramatic shift that al-Zawahri underwent under bin Ladens influence, changing from his longtime strategy of attacking the near enemy U.S.-allied Arab regimes like Egypt to target the far enemy, the United States itself. Some in al-Zawahris Islamic Jihad broke away, opposed to the move. And some al-Qaida militants whose association with bin Laden predated al-Zawahris always saw him as an arrogant intruder. I have never taken orders from al-Zawahri, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the networks top figures in East Africa until his 2011 death, sneered in a memoir posted online in 2009. We dont take orders from anyone but our historical leadership. Soon after the alliance came the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa, followed by the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen, an attack al-Zawahri is believed to have helped organize. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, al-Zawahri and bin Laden fled into Pakistan as a U.S. airstrike killed al-Zawahris wife and at least two of their six children in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. The CIA came tantalizingly close to possibly capturing al-Zawahri in 2003 and killing him in 2004. The CIA thought it finally had al-Zawahri in its sights in 2009, only to be tricked by a double agent who blew himself up, killing seven agency employees and wounding six more in Khost, Afghanistan. In his 2001 treatise, Knights Under the Prophets Banner, al-Zawahri set the long-term strategy for the jihadi movement to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Americans, while trying to establish control in a nation as a base to launch the battle to restore the holy caliphate of Islamic rule across the Muslim world. Al-Qaida did make inroads in Europe. The bombers in the Madrid attacks that killed 191 were said to have been inspired by al-Qaida, although direct links remain uncertain. Al-Zawahri claimed al-Qaida responsibility for the 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52, saying some perpetrators trained in al-Qaida camps. Not all terror campaigns were successful. Al-Qaidas branch in Saudi Arabia was crushed by 2006. Al-Zawahri himself had to write to the head of al-Qaidas branch in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to rein in his brutal attacks on Iraqi Shiites, which were hurting the networks image among Muslims. That underlined al-Zawahris ultimate failure. With his concentration on a Muslim vanguard carrying out dramatic attacks, he never gained widespread popular support for al-Qaida in the Islamic world beyond a fringe of radical sympathizers. His answer, in Knights Under the Prophets Banner, was for jihadis to continue hitting Americans, hoping to exploit anti-U.S. sentiment and draw in the public. He echoed that strategy in a June 2011 video eulogy to his slain boss. Bin Laden terrified America in his life, he said, and will continue to terrify it after his death. ___ Former Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this story. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BEIJING (AP) Asian stock markets rose Wednesday as traders watched for signs trade might be disrupted by U.S.-Chinese tensions over an American lawmaker's visit to Taiwan. Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul advanced after Beijing announced a ban on imports of some Taiwanese goods but no immediate major penalties following the arrival of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives. The mainland's ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory and rejects foreign official contact with the self-ruled island democracy. The real show of force by China is still to come, said Clifford Bennett of ACY Securities in a report. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.4% to 3,198.38 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo rose 0.5% to 27,740.97. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.2% to 19,726.73. Taiwans Taiex shed 0.2% to 14,724.51 after Beijing announced a ban on citrus and some fish from Taiwan to show its displeasure at Pelosi's visit. The mainland announced military maneuvers in areas surrounding Taiwan but no indication it might punish industries such as Taiwanese producers of processor chips needed by Chinese factories that assemble the world's smartphones. The Kospi in Seoul advanced 0.5% to 2,452.91 while Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 shed 0.4% to 6,969.90. New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets rose. Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.7% on Tuesday after the Labor Department said American employers posted fewer job openings than expected in June following interest rate hikes to cool surging inflation. Investors worry aggressive efforts by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to tame inflation that is running at multi-decade highs might derail global economic growth. The S&P 500 fell to 4,091.19. It is down nearly 1% this week. The The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.2% to 32,396.17, largely because of a tumble for Caterpillar, a maker of earth moving equipment maker. The company fell 5.8% after it reported weaker revenue for the latest quarter than expected. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% to 12,348.76. The Labor Department said employers posted 10.7 million jobs in June, down from 11.3 million the previous month but still a relatively high figure. Job openings, which never exceeded 8 million in a month before last year, had topped 11 million every month from December through May before dipping in June. Some weak data on the U.S. economy has added to suggestions the peak in inflation has passed but also indicates the risk of a recession is increasing. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude shed 22 cents to $94.20 per barrel in electronic trading on the Ne York mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 53 cents the previous day to $94.42. Brent crude lost 30 cents to $100.24 per barrel in London. It rose 51 cents the previous session to $100.54 a barrel. The dollar declined to 132.94 yen from Tuesday's 133 yen. The euro gained to $1.0187 from $1.0174. DENVER (AP) A wealthy dentist accused of fatally shooting his wife in the heart with a shotgun at the end of an African safari was found guilty of murder and mail fraud on Monday. A jury of six men and six women reached the verdict for Lawrence Larry Rudolph following a three week trial and a day and a half of deliberations. Rudolph, 67, was charged with foreign murder in the 2016 death of Bianca Rudolph in Zambia as well as mail fraud for cashing in $4.8 million in life insurance claims in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. Some of the money was paid out of Colorado so he was tried in Denver federal court. He faces a maximum term of life in prison or the death penalty when he is sentenced in February. Rudolph maintained his innocence and the two adult children he had with his wife sat in court to support him during the trial. One of Rudolph's defense attorneys, David Markus, said they would appeal his conviction. We believe in Larry. We believe in his family, he said outside court. The defense suggested Rudolph's wife of 34 years, a nervous traveler, shot herself while trying to pack a shotgun in a hurry as they prepared to return from Zambia to the United States in 2016. But prosecutors countered that evidence showed that was impossible because the wound to her heart came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet (60 centimeters to 1 meter) away. The couple's longtime hunting guide, Mark Swanepoel, told investigators that Rudolph had unloaded the shotgun the day before the fatal shooting, but Rudolph testified that he could not remember if he had or not. When he returned home to Phoenix days later, Rudolph said he put the shotgun in his garage not wanting to look at it. Then sometime in 2018, as he was preparing to sell his house and before he found out the FBI was investigating his wife's death, he said he took the gun apart, put it into two cardboard boxes and paid a man cash to haul it away with along with other trash. Prosecutors also accused Rudolphs girlfriend and the manager of his Pittsburgh-area dental franchise, Lori Milliron, of lying to a federal grand jury and being an accessory. She was found guilty by the same jury Monday of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. She was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. Rudolph waved to Milliron as he was led out of court and back to jail after not having any interaction with her in the courtroom in previous days. Milliron will remain free with an ankle monitor until she is sentenced. Prosecutors alleged that Rudolph decided to kill his wife to regain control over his life after Bianca Rudolph asked for more say in the couples finances and demanded that Milliron be fired. Rudolph said his wife agreed to have an open marriage and the defense argued there was no financial incentive for Rudolph, who was worth about $15 million at the time, to kill his wife. Investigators in Zambia and for the insurers concluded her death was an accident. Prosecutors noted that Rudolph hung up on an insurance investigator who tried to speak with him and declined to participate in a voluntary interview with an FBI agent. Colorado's U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan thanked the FBI for traveling around the world to collect evidence and interview witnesses in the case and said he hoped the verdict brings some peace to Bianca Rudolph's family. Bianca Rudolph deserved justice, he said. ____ This story has been corrected to say that Lori Milliron was acquitted of three perjury counts, not two. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NATIONAL PARK, N.J. (AP) Researchers believe they have uncovered in a mass grave in New Jersey the remains of as many as 12 Hessian soldiers who fought during the Revolutionary War, officials announced Tuesday. The remains, found at the site of Fort Mercer and the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, rested for 245 years until a human femur was found in June during an archaeologicall dig of a trench system that surrounded the fort, scientists said. Additional excavation yielded more skeletal remains and items including pewter and brass buttons and a King George III gold guinea, which would have been a soldiers pay for a month. A team of scientists from Rowan University and officials from Gloucester County presented their preliminary findings during a news conference at Red Bank Battlefield Park, just south of Philadelphia. Officials believe the remains are part of a mass grave of Hessian soldiers German troops hired by the British who were part of about 377 troops killed by Colonial forces during the Battle of Red Bank. Americans lost 14, historians said. The victory allowed Americans at the fort to delay the British from moving supplies up the Delaware River. Based on everything weve found and the context of what weve found, these appear to be Hessians," Wade Catts, principal archaeologist for South River Heritage Consulting of Delaware, said in a statement. The remains have been turned over to forensic anthropologists at the New Jersey State Police forensic unit to extract DNA from the bones and teeth to identify their origin. Additional studies are being conducted to examine life history, health and disease. The scientists hope they can identify the remains and find their descendants. Were hoping that eventually, perhaps, we can find some of these individuals, Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky said in a statement. If we can extract their stories, and if we can tell their stories, it lets us put a name to a face. And that, to me, is a very powerful moment in public history." Officials said the remains were excavated with extraordinary attention to preserving the dignity of war dead. When the study is complete, they will be interred at another site, and the trench will be refilled. The land will be incorporated into the park on a bluff overlooking the river. Archaeology is helping us better understand what happened on the battlefield, Janofsky said. ___ Marsh reported from Manasquan, New Jersey. DANBURY With time spent at state colleges and universities in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma, the new president of Western Connecticut State University spent his career leading public institutions of higher education out of various troubles. Three weeks into his interim role in Danbury, retired educator Paul Beran said he is optimistic about his position at WestConn, even though it comes in the wake of a damaging report on the depletion of the universitys financial budgetary reserves. Its declining enrollment and years of budget reserve depletion have earned WestConn the distinction as the worst off financially of the other three state universities in Connecticut, the Denver-based National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit that works with post-secondary institutions, said in report released last month. The entire system of higher education institutions operates with a budget of about $1.5 billion each year. Hired to begin tackling financial issues, Beran said his new role is about opportunity and new vision. To me that is what it is about, we have got issues to overcome, he said. But I dont think the focus should be on that. I think if you focus on opportunity and new vision, the fix will be a party of that. Beran replaced John Clark, who earned a vote of no confidence in June from faculty members who were furious over the depletion of 99 percent of the schools reserve budget. When you have a situation, a vote of no confidence that type of thing, it always creates kind of a counter-effect to some extent. But I am looking forward to working with everyone here because the problem cannot be solved by bringing me in and saying, Paul, solve the problem, Beran said. I do not hold the key to the solution to the problem. All I can do is position folks to think about things in different ways and try to help different areas to be engaged and doing things in different ways, he added. Rotua Lumbantobing, an associate professor of economics and president of WestConns chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said after the vote that Clark had become so unpopular that he had to get out he had to step down. On behalf of the union, Lumbantobing added, the decision over Clarks replacement was made, without consulting with us or any faculty or union leaders shows that they still have not learned anything from this financial crisis. Speaking to Hearst Media Connecticut last week, Beran explained how he ended up after receiving an offer for the interim role in Danbury after accepting an invite to join The Registry, a Boston based firm providing the gold standard for interim placement services for institutions of higher education. Founded in 1992 by two college professors, the company is a membership organization providing quality candidates who are ready to be matched to the needs and requirements of our college and university clients, according to its website. Over his career in leading public education institutions, Beran said he was always hired to tackle issues and solve problems and his new position at WestConn is no different. His goal is to get the budget back into the black and out of the red, he said. In Danbury, he said he wants to work with faculty members and administrators to redefine their roles and the degrees offered. He also wants to target new demographics, including adults, while working to raise more money for scholarships because the more we have to give to students to help them with their financial burden, the more we are going to be able to recruit students. I feel like this is completely doable, I see the opportunity to work with the whole compendium of employees here from faculty, staff, administration, and certainly working with (Terrence Chang, president of the states university system) and the system office and under their guidance, he said. The interim president also noted that the budgetary issues at WestConn did not happen overnight, so the series of solutions needed to correct the budget shortcomings will take time and a long-term solution to build it back overtime. No matter the prior challenges, the new interim president said he is focused on how to pull the public university into better financial standing by preaching efficiency and adopting new ways to sell its offerings. He recognized the consultants report documenting the institutions financial shortcomings, but he said the empty positions left by a hiring freeze does not mean that some of them need to be filled, but what we have to look at is, where do we get the best bang for the buck, and how do we maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the people we have working for us now in terms of the definitions of their jobs perhaps, and, frankly, a lot of them have come forward with ideas and suggestions. I think people are starting to look at things critically and creatively and I think we can all work together to kind of get through this, Beran added. EDMONTON, AB, Aug. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced over $6.6 million in federal funding for the River Valley Outdoor Activity Centre. "Accessible outdoor spaces are vital to local communities; fostering connections, and improving the mental and physical health of residents. Edmonton's River Valley is no exception. The new River Valley Outdoor Activity Center will provide inclusive cultural and sport experiences, accessible by Edmontonians all year round. Congratulations to the Edmonton Ski Club for your vision and leadership. Edmontonians and visitors from around the world will benefit from this new River Valley icon," said the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. "The federally-funded Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program could greatly benefit a wide range of initiatives. It supports the City plan to build up community by improving infrastructure in an energy-efficient way, and I am excited to see how this funding is distributed. The City is committed to working with local organizations, like the Edmonton Ski Club, to support accessible and inclusive programming that is available for all EdmontoniansI look forward to exploring this further during budget conversations later this year with Council," said His Worship Amarjeet Sohi, Mayor of the City of Edmonton. "The Edmonton Ski Club is passionately committed to providing affordable outdoor recreation opportunities to families and individuals of all abilities. With support from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, we will build on our 111-year legacy to offer high quality, inclusive programming in collaboration with our many community partners, in a modern, inclusive and environmentally responsible facility," said Sandy Fleming, Edmonton Ski Club board president. The River Valley Outdoor Activity Centre will be led by the Edmonton Ski Club, a non-profit society which is contributing more than $4.6 million to this project. The new Activity Centre will provide sport and cultural programming to a range of participants, from those facing barriers to Olympic-level athletes. Additionally, it will be a welcoming and inclusive net-zero carbon community space, which will be accessible via both the trail system that runs along the North Saskatchewan River and Edmonton's Valley Line light rail transit. Quick facts The Government of Canada is investing $6,661,168 through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. is investing through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is an integral part of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan, providing $1.5 billion over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across Canada . Strengthened Climate Plan, providing over five years towards green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings that serve high-needs, underserved communities across . At least 10 percent of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres. Provincial/territorial governments, municipal or regional governments, public sector bodies, not-for-profit, and Indigenous organizations interested in the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program are invited to apply on the Infrastructure Canada website. website. Applicants with large retrofit projects to existing community buildings or new community building projects with total eligible costs ranging from $3 million to $25 million were accepted through a competitive intake process which closed on July 6, 2021 . A second intake is anticipated later in 2022, however, the date has not yet been determined. Details about the second intake will be published to the Infrastructure CanadaGreen and Inclusive Community Buildings' website as soon as they become available. to were accepted through a competitive intake process which closed on . A second intake is anticipated later in 2022, however, the date has not yet been determined. Details about the second intake will be published to the Infrastructure CanadaGreen and Inclusive Community Buildings' website as soon as they become available. Announced in December 2020 , Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan includes 64 new measures and $15 billion in investments towards a healthy environment and economy. Associated links Green and Inclusive Community Buildings: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gicb-bcvi/index-eng.html Investing in Canada Plan Project Map: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html Strengthened Climate Plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Web: Infrastructure Canada SOURCE Infrastructure Canada For further information: Jean-Sebastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Zoe Sloan, General Manager, Edmonton Ski Club, 780-465-0852, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, [email protected] Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India has been and will continue to be the Maldives first responder, and that New Delhi has chosen to assist Male with an additional USD 100 million line of credit. We have decided to provide an additional line of credit of USD 100 million to the Maldives so that all projects can be completed in a timely manner, PM Modi said. At the beginning of his speech after inaugurating the Greater Male Connectivity Project today, PM Modi noted Indias bond with the Maldives. Our closeness has grown, PM Modi said at the beginning of his speech after inaugurating the Greater Male Connectivity project on Tuesday. PM Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih jointly unveiled the Greater Male Connectivity project, the Maldives largest infrastructure project supported by New Delhi. The two nations exchanged agreements in both India and the Maldives. India examined ideas for the development of 4000 social housing units in Greater Male and would also offer financial assistance for the construction of 2000 social housing units. We reviewed projects for the construction of 4000 social housing units in Greater Male. We will additionally provide financial support for 2000 social housing units: PM Modi said. Speaking about the security needs in the Indian Ocean region, PM Modi said: The threat of trans-national crime, terrorism and drug trafficking is serious in the Indian Ocean region. Thats why coordination between India and the Maldives in the field of defence and security is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region. The Maldives is an important Indian Ocean region neighbour and has a specific position in the countrys Neighbourhood First Policy. The Maldives has traditionally been a close and significant maritime neighbour of India. Despite the pandemic-related interruptions, the two nations multifaceted connections have deepened. Indias Neighborhood First policy and Maldivess India First policy work in tandem to tackle shared concerns and advance mutual interests. Meanwhile, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih welcomed the operationalization of RuPay cards in the Maldives. Maldives-India relationship goes beyond diplomacy. This visit is an affirmation of the close bond between our two countries, Solih noted. Accompanied by a high-level official and business delegation, Solih arrived in India at the invitation of PM Modi yesterday. A warm welcome to a close friend and maritime neighbour! President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of Maldives arrives in New Delhi for an official visit. An opportunity to nurture the unwavering friendship between our two countries and lend further momentum to the multifaceted partnership, MEA had tweeted. Sources on Monday cited that Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda have been killed in an Afghan drone hit by US. Talibans Twitter account was used to confirm the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid said, An air strike was carried out on a private residence in Sherpur region of Kabul city on July 31. The security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Emirate looked into the event and initial results revealed that the hit was carried out by an American drone. The speaker further stated that the nature of the incident was not evident at first. An obvious breach of international law and the Doha Agreement, according to Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this strike on whatever pretext. The death hasnt been officially acknowledged by the US government, though. White House said on Monday that President Joe Biden will discuss a successful counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan at 7:30 p.m. (local time). According to a top government official, US carried out a counterterrorism operation over the weekend on a critical Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. No civilians were hurt during the operation, making it a success. 11 years after the US murdered Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri, who recently turned 71, has continued to be a prominent international emblem of the organization. He served as Osama bin Ladens personal physician at one point. After Laden was chased down by US SEAL commandos in Jalalabad, Pakistan, he took over as the groups leader. Up to USD 25 million in rewards were on the table from the US State Department for information that resulted in Zawahiris arrest. Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda, was killed in an airstrike by United States, President Joe Biden stated in a televised speech on Monday (local time), saying that Justice has been served. Al-Zawahiri, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world and the planner of the September 11 attacks, was killed on Saturday in a US drone strike in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. In a video speech, Biden made a statement from the White Houses Blue Room Balcony stating The emir of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was fatally struck by an American bombing on Saturday in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was carried out on my orders. This terrorist leader has been removed from power after justice was served. Since he is no longer with us, we will make sure that nothing else occurs. He will never again, never again, let Afghanistan become a terrorist safe haven, he continued. In addition to playing a key role in the planning of 9/11, Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon, served as Osama Bin Ladens personal doctor. A senior Biden administration source told reporters over the phone that Zawahiri was killed in a drone attack while standing on the balcony of a home in Kabul and that there were no American troops present in the country at the time. Ayman al Zawahiri, leader of Al Qaeda and a major architect of the 9/11 terrorist operation, was assassinated by a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Saturday. Earlier on Monday, US Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed it, declaring that Justice has been served. After US Forces pursued Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad, Pakistan, Zawahiri, who had just turned 71, assumed control of Al-Qaeda. Zawahiri has established himself as the organizations worldwide terrorist with a USD 25 million bounty on his head 11 years after Osama bin Laden was slain. Zawahiri grew up to become a doctor despite being born into a middle-class family of intellectuals and physicians in Egypt. He was Rabia al-grandson, Zawahiris the grand imam of Al Azhar, the epicentre of Sunni Islamic study in the Middle East and one of the most significant mosques in Islam. After meeting Laden in 1986 and joining him as his personal advisor and medic, Zawahiri went from being an eye surgeon to becoming one of the worlds most sought terrorists in just three years. He assumed control of Islamic Jihad in Egypt in 1993 and rose to prominence in the mid-1990s movement to topple the government and establish a strict Islamic state. He was discovered to have participated in the murder of more than 1,200 Egyptians. Later on, Zawahiri rose to the second spot on the US governments 2001 list of most wanted terrorists. Zawahiri ultimately combined Al-Qaeda with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in 1998. Later, he was charged for his alleged involvement in the August 7, 1998 bombings, which left 224 people dead, including 12 Americans, and over 4,500 injured in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa. His terrorist operation came to a head on September 11, 2001, when the Pentagon and World Trade Center twin buildings were attacked, killing close to 3,000 people. After the passengers rebelled, a fourth hijacked plane, bound for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field. In late 2001, he and bin Laden both eluded US soldiers in Afghanistan. Days after a tape allegedly including Zawahiris voice was made public, Zawahiri was discovered to have been engaged in suicide attacks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which claimed the lives of 23 individuals, including nine Americans. Following his appearance in 16 films and audiotapes in 2007, four times as many as Bin Laden, as the organisation attempted to radicalise and recruit Muslims all over the world, Zawahiri has recently become one of Al-most Qaedas well-known speakers. For many years, his whereabouts remained unknown, although he was thought to be hiding around the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. US attempted to assassinate Zawahiri in a missile attack near Pakistans border with Afghanistan in January 2006. Four members of al-Qaeda were killed in the attack, but Zawahiri was alive and two weeks later, he appeared on video to warn US President George W Bush that neither he nor all the powers on earth could bring his death one-second closer. A year after the US forces left Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of the nation, Zawahiri was sought for death. No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will locate you and take you out, US President declared after declaring that justice had been served. John Kirby, coordinator of US National Security Council, stated on Monday that although US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not officially announced her travel intentions to Taiwan, she is entitled to do so and that her journey is not out of ordinary. Kirby said, Speaker has not confirmed any trip arrangements and it is for Speaker to do so, along with her staff. If she goes, its not without precedent, its not new. He further added Speaker is entitled to go to Taiwan. We wont be making any remarks or guesses about the places she will be visiting. US House Speaker is reportedly planning to visit Taiwan on August 2 and have a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen. According to prior media reports citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, Pelosi will go to Taiwan and hold discussions with government representatives on the autonomous island that China has threatened to annex. She is anticipated to spend the night in Taiwan, the Taiwanese official noted. When exactly Pelosi will arrive in Taipei is unknown. Beijing has warned against Nancys trip to Taiwan since news of the US House Speakers travel broke last month, stating that it will respond firmly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going forward with the visit. Pelosis journey to Taiwan, according to Chinese officials, would be against the One China Policy and would amount to supporting an unlawful uprising. According to a state-run Chinese media site, Pelosi must never cross the red line by traveling to Taiwan. According to Kirby, Pelosis travel to Taiwan will be supported by the Biden administration. Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al Qaeda, was killed on Saturday in an American airstrike, US President Joe Biden announced on Monday (local time). In a press conference, Biden announced, On Saturday, at my command, the United States effectively finished an air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, and killed Al Qaeda Amir Ayman al-Zawahiri. No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will locate you and take you out, US President declared after declaring that justice had been served. He left a bloody trail of killings and acts of violence against American people, service members, diplomats, and interests. During the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Zawahri served as Bin Ladens leader, his backup, and his deputy. He had a significant role in the preparation for 9/11 said Biden. He continued that After 20 years of war, I determined that we didnt need thousands of American soldiers stationed there to defend the country from terrorists who wanted to harm us, said Vice President Joe Biden. I made a promise to the American people that we would continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond. Thats exactly what we did. Earlier on Monday, news broke that Zawahiri had been assassinated by a drone attack by the US in Afghanistan. Following this, the incident was verified by a Taliban spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, who stated, On July 31, an air strike was conducted on a private residence in the Sherpur region of Kabul city. Security and intelligence agencies of Islamic Emirate looked into the event and initial results revealed that the hit was carried out by an American drone, the speaker stated, adding that nature of the incident was not evident at first. An obvious breach of international law and the Doha Agreement, according to Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this strike on whatever pretext. Up to USD 25 million in rewards were on the table from the US State Department for information that resulted in Zawahiris arrest. The postcard-worthy property is hidden away in the sylvan hills of Litchfield, a few miles from the iconic town green. The arrival is long and winding, with a driveway that dips and loops and eventually opens up to reveal a handsome, post-and-beam barn home clad in rough-sawn pine. Once a dense forest, the land surrounding it has been cleared to create fields, pastures and paths, grazing land, a cow barn, two chicken coops, and a pig barn. Next up: another barn, a place for meetings, and an aviary on a rise overlooking the farm, to which Ronnie, a resident turkey, will hopefully relocate from his temporary quarters in the house. This is home to the JP Farm Animal Sanctuary and its founders, husband and wife Oscar Janssen and Lynn Printy. The couple has lived here since 2019, quietly, busily, intentionally and sometimes comically with a menagerie (theyre quick to call them family) of animals theyve saved from varying degrees of misfortune. What we do here is show compassion to the animals we take in, and try to inspire compassionate living, says Oscar. The couple (along with Oscars sister, operations manager Britt Janssen) gives refuge to animals that, for a litany of reasons, no longer serve a purpose in the agribusiness industry like Belle, the cow who fell ill and was deemed no longer capable of breeding; or Rusty, a rooster who escaped a live market; or Victor, another rooster escapee who lived happily in a condo community until he ticked off the neighbors by crowing too much. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media The animals have come from breeding farms, livestock markets, even a university agriculture program. The sanctuarys day-to-day mission is to keep the animals that live there well-fed, groomed and looked-after. At last count, they housed three steers, four cows, four pigs, two hens, three roosters, two dogs and Ronnie (who was grieving his late buddy, Bernie, which is how he ended up at the house). The operation is small, but the business of running it is hard and dirty if immensely satisfying work. Make no mistake: At the heart of JPs mission is the conviction that people should stop breeding, confining and killing animals for food. Oscar, Lynn and Britt are strictly vegan, but they know that labels can be polarizing to some. If you eat meat or not, its up to you, Oscar says. All we hope is that we can inspire you to think about where your food comes from. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media We dont try to mandate or dictate a lifestyle, Britt says. As impassioned as they are, they say its fine with them if the message they deliver is less stern. Were 100 percent behind the softer message, she says. We want people to be mindful, to think about being kind to animals. Just under 10 years ago, Lynn and Oscar were enjoying successful careers in corporate aviation (he is a pilot and she a flight attendant) while renovating a charming farmhouse in Newtown. Life was good and they were happy, but they felt like they wanted more to do more. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media After much discussion, they arrived at the idea of providing a home for farm animals in need. We hadnt really been around farm animals growing up, says Lynn. But we both had the same feeling that perhaps we could do something, that we should be doing something to help give farm animals a better life. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Oscar had always been intrigued by an unusual breed of Scottish Highland cattle, so the couple took to visiting some at a farm in eastern Connecticut. They got attached and a plan got underway. They volunteered to foot the vet bills for poor Belle, and fashioned a small refuge on their property in Newtown so they could adopt her and her calf. In short order, they took in another cow and her calf, and two steers, all sweet creatures with thick coats and prominent horns. It wasnt long before the land proved too cramped and the couples passion too great for the project that had started percolating in the couples minds. Soon to follow would be the purchase of the Litchfield property and its ongoing improvements. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media The JP sanctuary is small by measure of many others like it, but its part of a larger, diverse system of rescue organizations around the country. The best known may be Farm Sanctuary; founded in 1986, it has grown from a grassroots organization that relied solely on volunteers to a national organization with 100-plus staff members and more than 1 million members and supporters. We provide lifelong, individualized care for animals at locations in Watkins Glen, New York, and Los Angeles, says Ashley Pankratz, senior manager of rescue and placement. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Oscar and Lynn had been following Farm Sanctuary for a long time before they rescued their herd, and it was through the groups Farm Animal Adoption Network that two congenial calves, Bruce and Evan, came to live with them. The two arrived from different but equally dire circumstances. Bruce, a Scottish Highland, was born on a beef farm, while Evan, a Jersey, was a dairy farm reject. They didnt feed properly after they were born, and once it was determined they were failing to thrive, time started running out. The Farm Sanctuary staff took them in, nursed them back to health and soon after transported them up to Litchfield, where JP welcomed them home. Were always inspired by Lynn and Oscars dedicated and thorough approach, and by the kindness of their communication, Pankratz says. We appreciate the photos and updates they share with us of animals placed with them through our program, and were excited to continue to work together. Collaboration between sanctuaries on rescue, placement and animal care is essential to our work, she says. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media A tour of the property is filled with laughter and anecdotes tinged with melancholy as tales are told about how the animals got there and how they now live together in harmony. Oh, they absolutely all have relationships with each other, Britt says. Sometimes the relationship is, I like you. Or, I dont like you. Or, I love you. Or, You know what, you were annoying me the other day. She calls out to Tallulah, a Scottish Highland grazing in the field beyond the barn, and the giant cow lifts her head, beginning a slow walk toward Britt, who recalls the day Tallulah arrived from the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. She had not been handled at all. They fed and cared for her but she was a little bit wild and afraid of people, she says. When she got out of the trailer, she just strutted into the barn and went directly to her room. Tallulah just stared at them in silence for the next three weeks or at least they think she was staring, because shed never been brushed and had dreadlocks hanging over her eyes. One day we noticed she had a cold. Oscar decided hed take the opportunity to brush her and she let him, Britt says. He just kept going. She just stood there. He broke her in. A while later I was cleaning another room and I hear a really low moo. I said, Tallulah? Is that you? I turned and looked at her and she looked at me and she mooed again. Now shes just a honey who needs to be loved. Belle, one of the original Highland cattle, looks up. Shes the boss, Lynn says, but it took a little time for the newcomers Copper and Allie were nibbling nearby to learn that when Belle comes over to eat, they have to move over. Its not that shes mean. Not at all. Shes just saying, Hey, Im here. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media The tour continues down to visit the pigs, four of them Mozza, DJ, Beanie Tofu and Dolphin all seemingly content, even on a day getting hotter by the minute. Oscar picks up a garden hose and commences cooling them off. They roll in the mud, but wait patiently for treats as Oscar brings out a bag of peanuts. The pigs routinely get belly rubs and have lotion applied to their feet because theyre prone to calluses, Lynn says. She explains that because pigs are being genetically modified to produce lighter meat, they need sunscreen on them all the time. And they eat well. I cook for them and Britt cooks for them, Lynn says. We cook veggies, food thats good for them. Adds Oscar, Sometimes I come in from working and see something cooking on the stove and I have to ask Is this for us? The brood is tended to twice a day for four hours in the morning and four in the afternoon. At 10 p.m. they all get a late-night wellness check. Its supposed to be to replenish water and pick up poop, Britt says. But sometimes well all go out there, and weve been known to hang out and play with them. Everyone is equal, if one gets a treat or a hug, they all do. Theres no favoritism. In the same way, all three caregivers share the bulk of the workload from feeding and watering to cleaning out stalls and administering medicine. Were always talking about what comes next, Lynn says. Were getting older and we want to keep this going. Oscar adds: The plan is for this place to always be here, so the animals will always have a place to go. They say they have to temper growth with practicality. There are a lot of people out there with big hearts and they make the mistake of overdoing it. They mean well, but rescue too many animals, he says. It breaks our hearts but we decline animals all the time. These guys are treated so well. If the standard goes down, then it defeats our purpose. Britt says the hardest thing is getting help: We have volunteers and one steady person, but need two more. It requires commitment and stamina; weve never been in better shape, she laughs. We need people to work four-hour shifts, but just one a day, and they need to live within, say, 30 minutes. It can be hard in winter. Every sanctuary we work with, thats the ongoing crisis, getting steady help. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media They finance most of the daily operations themselves; as a 501(c)(3) organization, they accept tax-deductible donations, and hold fundraising events throughout the year. Visitors are welcome by appointment; information is posted on their website and on social media. Theyre also intent on growing the educational component of the organization (Lynn and Britt held virtual classes for school groups during the pandemic). Animal rights activists say sanctuaries like JPs play a key role in the movement nationwide, but does it ever feel like theyre not doing enough? Oscar thinks for a minute: We consider these guys ambassadors for what were trying to do, he says. We do it every day, 365 days a year, whether its hot or its cold. If I ever need motivation on a 2-degree day, I just think of how much they need us. Its like I have this metronome in my head with every tick of the meter, I know theres an animal being taken to slaughter, he says. So, in our own way, I feel if we take care of these guys, weve contributed some semblance of relief, in the big picture. MEET THE HERD Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Belle, a Scottish Highland cow, was the first animal adopted (with her calf) and the reason JP was founded. They call her the alerter. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Rusty, a Rhode Island Red rooster, escaped from a live market, and now loves tractor rides and mingling with the cows and pigs. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Ronnie is a heritage turkey who was adopted through the national Farm Sanctuarys adoption network. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Ethan is a Scottish Highland steer who was rescued from the same meat-breeding farm as Belle. They call him a gentle giant. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Tallulah is a Scottish Highland cow who was neglected and had her calf taken from her. She was very apprehensive at first, but is now trusting and loves to be brushed. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Beanie Tofu and Dolphin, the pink girls, are 5-year-old Yorkshire Cross pigs rescued from a college agriculture program. DJ is a Yorkshire Cross pig rescued from a college agriculture program. He loves mud baths and exploring in the forest. Lisa NIchols for Hearst CT Media Bruce (a Scottish Highland/Angus steer) and Evan (a deer-like Jersey cross steer) are best buds. They were named for the title characters in the movies Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty. Copper is a cross between a Holstein and Jersey cow and was unable to breed after giving birth only once. Allie, a Holstein cow, was rescued from a dairy farm when her milk production slowed. Shes best friends with Copper. To learn more about Belle, Tallulah, Rusty and friends, go to jpfarmsanctuary.org and follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/jpfarmsanctuary and Instagram at @jpfarmanimalsanctuary. To learn more about the wider sanctuary movement, go to farmsanctuary.org. Maria LaPiana is a freelance writer who has worked as an editor and staff writer at several publications, including Connecticut Magazine. She lives in Southbury. HARTFORD Police said six people were shot this weekend in the capital city, including a woman who was critically injured and a 16-year-old boy. The woman was one of four people injured by gunfire in the same incident on Main Street Sunday, Lt. Aaron Boisvert said. No one died in any of the weekend shootings, which brings the number of people who survived gun assaults in Hartford this year to 83, he said. The most recent shooting happened on Albany Avenue, or Route 44, in the Upper Albany neighborhood shortly before 1 a.m. Monday. Officers responding to an alert from the citys ShotSpotter detection system found evidence of gunfire at the scene, but no victim. A man in his 20s arrived at the hospital while they investigated, police said. His gunshot wound was not considered life-threatening, according to police. The quadruple shooting happened about 6:45 p.m. Sunday on Main Street, between Pavilion and Battles streets. Officers arriving at the scene found three women who were wounded, including a person in her 20s who was seriously hurt. She was taken to the hospital, where she was listed in critical but stable condition, Boisvert said Monday. The other two women, a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old, were taken to the hospital to be treated for graze-type of injuries, he said. A man in his 30s also was wounded; he got to the hospital on his own and was listed in stable condition, police said. Boisvert said it appears there was one shooter. The 16-year-old was shot about 3:15 p.m. Saturday in the 600-block of Broad Street, police said. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert found the teen, who was taken to the hospital. The six gunshot victims bring the number of survivors wounded in the city this year to 91, Boisvert said Monday. Not counting the eight self-inflicted shootings, Boisvert said the total drops to 83. Last year at this time, the total number of gunshot survivors was 98. Not counting four self-inflicted shootings, there were 94 gunshot survivors, police said. Anyone with information about any of the shootings can call the Hartford Police Department tip line at 860-722-8477 (TIPS). This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Rent-A-Center, one of the nations largest rent-to-own companies, will pay $15.5 million to settle California's allegations that it misled and overcharged tens of thousands of customers, Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday. An investigation of the company's kiosk business inside traditional retail furniture stores found that since 2014, it used what Bonta called an inflated cash price for products that was 15% higher than the true retail price, among other alleged violations. The practice affected more than 100,000 contracts through the company's Preferred Lease line, previously known as AcceptanceNOW, although the company also has more than 2,000 standalone stores. Many consumers seek rent-to-own options without realizing that the total price they pay will end up being much higher than if they bought outright, Bonta said. And with Rent-A-Centers 15% illegal upcharge, he said, that couch, that fridge or that washer potentially cost struggling families hundreds of extra dollars each. Such businesses rent things like furniture and appliances, often to low- or moderate-income customers who typically pay by the week or month. Usually after one to three years, they then own the product. The company will return $13.5 million in restitution to California consumers under the settlement, pay $2 million in civil penalties and agree not to engage in misconduct in the future, Bonta said. Consumers who rented through the company's kiosk businesses are eligible for the restitution and should be sent a notice at their last known mailing address, he said. Rent-A-Center did not immediately respond to repeated email messages seeking comment. It did not admit any violations, wrongdoing or liability under the settlement. Bonta said the items sold under such policies are often overvalued. He alleged that Rent-A-Center also failed to tell its customers that they could return the products at any time with no penalty. Under the settlement, the company is prohibited from charging a cash-price markup, and its price must match the advertised price. The company also agreed to better inform customers of their rights, train its employees, and submit annual compliance reports to Bonta's office for three years. Separately, Bonta announced the formation of a nationwide bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force that he said will investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies he blamed for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. The task force already sent civil investigative demands to 20 providers, alleging that they are not doing enough to stop robocall traffic. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew into Taiwan on an Air Force passenger jet, she became the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island. China announced military maneuvers in retaliation, even as Taiwanese officials welcomed her and she headed to her hotel. The reason her visit Tuesday ratcheted up tension between China and the United States: China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as them recognizing the islands sovereignty. President Joe Biden has sought to calm that complaint, insisting there's no change in America's longstanding one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. Pelosi portrays her high-profile trip as part of a U.S. obligation to stand with democracies against autocratic countries, and with democratic Taiwan against China. A look at some of the issues at play: WHY DID PELOSI GO TO TAIWAN? Pelosi has made a mission over decades of showing support for embattled democracy movements. Those include a trip in 1991 to Tiananmen Square, where she and other lawmakers unrolled a small banner supporting democracy, as frowning Chinese security officers tried to shut them down. Chinese forces had crushed a homegrown democracy movement at the same spot two years earlier. The speaker is framing her Taiwan trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. She led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and her latest effort serves as a capstone to her years of promoting democracy abroad. We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. WHAT IS THE U.S. STAND ON TAIWAN? The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to its one-China policy." Taiwan and mainland China split during a civil war in 1949. But China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. China has been increasing both diplomatic and military pressure in recent years. It cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with Communist Beijing the sole legitimate government. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. HOW IS THE CHINESE MILITARY HANDLING THE TENSION-RAISING TRIP? Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed its promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. China's Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Thursday to Sunday across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Taiwans Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. HOW HAS THE UNITED STATES RESPONDED? While Biden has expressed some wariness about Pelosi's trip, the administration has not openly opposed it and said it is up to Pelosi to decide whether to go. Ahead of Pelosi's visit, the American military increased its movements in the Indo-Pacific region. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north toward their home port in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. IS ARMED CONFLICT A RISK? Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden both have made clear they don't want that. In a call with Biden last week, Xi echoed a theme of Biden's their countries should cooperate on areas where they can. The biggest risk is likely an accident if China tries the kind of provocative maneuver it's increasingly been executing with other militaries around the South China Sea. Those include close fly-bys of other aircraft or confronting vessels at sea. However, when it comes to the United States, with the world's strongest military, despite a chorus of nationalistic rhetoric, China will be careful not to stumble into a conflict with colossal damages on all fronts," said Yu Jie, a senior research fellow at the Chatham House think tank. For China, the best approach is patience and time, Jie said building toward the day when its economy and military could be too big for the U.S. to challenge. ___ This story has been corrected to show the name of the expert is Jie, not Lie. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BAGHDAD (AP) Followers of an influential Shiite cleric camped out inside the Iraqi parliament building for a fourth straight day were instructed Tuesday to leave the building but maintain their protest outside. In a tweet, a representative of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told the hundreds of loyalists to leave the parliament building in the capital of Baghdad within 72 hours. They were told to move their protest outside its premises but to remain inside the Green Zone, which houses Iraq's government buildings and foreign embassies. The sit-in was in its fourth day Tuesday. Al-Sadr and his party were winners in the October parliamentary elections but were unable to muster a majority of support to form a government. His followers stormed the parliament Saturday at his command to prevent the Iran-backed Coordination Framework alliance from voting in a new government after naming Mohamed al-Sudani as candidate for prime minister. Tuesday's move is a de-escalation on al-Sadr's part but far from a disbanding of the protests. It comes a day after his rivals in the Framework alliance staged a protest that many feared would lead to street battles between loyalists of the rival Shiite factions. The protesters withdrew on orders from Qais al-Khazali, a leading member of the Framework. Al-Sadr's vizier, or high-ranking political advisor, is known on Twitter as Salah Mohamed a-Iraqi. He instructed the protesters not to leave until their demands were met. Al-Iraqi's true identity is not known and many speculate it is al-Sadr himself. By moving the protest camp to another area of the Green Zone, al-Sadr keeps open the possibility of a drawn-out sit-in. Shiite officials said Monday the Framework had offered al-Sadr a proposal to withdraw from the parliament building. In return, the parliament building would remain closed to lawmakers. The proposal came after fissures appeared within the alliance over how to respond to al-Sadr's sit-in, with some urging for restraint and others for escalation. Iran has been working behind the scenes to maintain unity in the alliance and prevent escalation with al-Sadr, the officials said. Al-Sadrs followers have been camped out inside the parliament building in the heavily fortified Green Zone since thousands stormed the building on Saturday, demanding reforms and denouncing the Iran-backed alliance. Al-Sadrs representatives have called on supporters in Iraqi provinces to protest in their cities and towns in support of the parliament sit-in. Al-Sadrs followers were also instructed to hold mass prayers Friday at the Victory Arch, a monument also located inside the district. ___ Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed. AP HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (AP) A corrections officer has died after being attacked by an inmate at an Oklahoma prison, officials said on Monday. The attack on officer Alan Jay Hershberger happened Sunday at the Davis Correctional Facility, which is a privately run prison in Holdenville about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City. Department of Corrections officials said in a press release that inmate Gregory Thompson, 49, attacked Hershberger from behind with a homemade weapon while a group of inmates was returning to a housing area from recreation. Tara O'Neill / Hearst Connecticut Media MILFORD A man and woman were each charged with assaulting an officer and other charges early Sunday at a Milford bar, according to the police department. Officers were called to Stonebridge Restaurant on Daniels Street at 1 a.m. Sunday to help the bar close down. At that time, officers saw Dinsdale Brown, 25, of Ansonia, trying to get back into the bar after being thrown out, the police department said in a news release. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate On a street in Monroe, surrounded by more than 6 acres of land with large trees and sprawling grounds is a three-level stone castle. With its battlement-like roof and Juliet balconies, it looks like something from the pages of a storybook. But the castle isnt some replica of a fairytale structure its a real-life home for sale. Listed for $1.595 million, the home on 1428 Monroe Turnpike was built by Freemasons, a fraternal organization founded in Europe during the Middle Ages. Originally a guild of skillful builders, Freemasons now members of a social and philanthropic organization. The organization has a Connecticut chapter, part of a network of global Masonic lodges that contributes over $1 billion each year to its philanthropic pursuits. Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photo Freemasons also have symbols that mark their work like the Eye of Providence, used to represent the omniscience of God, according to History.com. Their most well-known symbol is the square and compass, a builders square and compass with a G at the center. The meaning of the letter G at the center is up for dispute, History.com notes: Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argue it represents geometry, while others claim it represents God, or the Grand Architect of the Universe. Freemasons also use the symbol of a beehive to signify the industriousness of the lodge. Some of these symbols are included in the homes stonework, according to the listing. The 5,000 square feet of living space includes six bedrooms, six fireplaces and four full bathrooms, including an in-law suite on the first floor with its own private entrance. Most of the main-floor rooms have 12-foot ceilings, the listing notes, adding to the homes castle-like dimensions. Leaded glass French doors lead out to slate terraces. The kitchen has counter seating in addition to a grand eat-in area, according to the listing. Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photo Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photo Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photo Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photo Inside the castle home on 1428 Monroe Turnpike in Monroe, Conn. (Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photos) Inside the castle home on 1428 Monroe Turnpike in Monroe, Conn. (Joe Kravetz for Laurel & Grand / Contributed Photos) The top level contains the primary bedroom suite, finished with a fireplace, a private bathroom, a walk-in closet and a Juliet balcony. Several multifunctional rooms on the lower level includes a recreation space with one of the homes largest fireplaces. Theres also room for a gym, a workshop and a wine room, as well as play or office spaces. This is not the first time a castle property has been listed for sale in Connecticut. Greenwich's Hemlock castle was put up for sale in spring 2021, and after a brief period on and off the market, it has been listed again for $11.8 million. A castle in Woodstock hit the market in November 2021, and a Cornwall castle was listed the following January. While the Monroe home stands out for its castle-like facade, its $1.5 million price tag also commands some attention. According to national real estate brokerage Redfin, the median sale price for homes in Monroes 06468 ZIP code as of June 2022 is $524,000. Homes in the area tend to sell in around 38 days as of June 2022, according to Redfin, with about 72 percent of home selling above the listing price during that time. The 1428 Monroe Turnpike home is listed by William Pitt Sothebys International Realty and presented by Joanna Rizoulis (917-359-7885). Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has described the political atmosphere in the country as unpredictable and bleak for the ruling ... Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has described the political atmosphere in the country as unpredictable and bleak for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, if members failed to unite and work towards sustaining its dominance in the forthcoming general elections Bello made this known during an interactive meeting with political appointees at Government House, Minna. He noted that the ruling party must realign, restrategize and work for all its flag bearers in the overall interest of the party. He stated that although the APC remains a party to reckon with, a lot of hard work and energy is required to sustain the dominance of the party in the country. Bello urged members of the party to put aside their differences and support the partys candidates at all levels to ensure victory in the coming local government and the 2023 general elections. We all had our candidates at state and national assembly levels during the party primaries. But that time is past. As painful as it may have been, God has decided and we need to leave it in His and work for the party. The problem of APC is APC, we must not take actions that will be injurious to the party. We sheath our swords, accept everybody as APC and move on to glory as an indivisible and dominant ruling party. It is erroneous and can also be suicidal for the party candidates, members, and stakeholders to fold their arms, sit back and assume that they have won already. The situation in the country has put the party in a disadvantaged position ahead of the coming elections, he said. The governor, however, expressed optimism, hope, and confidence that APC will pass through the storm and form an even more formidable government with the support of its united members and stakeholders as well as a consolidated internal democracy. Also speaking to journalists after the meeting, the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Hon. Muhammad Umar Bago said the meeting was mainly to encourage party members, especially political appointees on the need to unite and discuss the way forward for the party towards the 2023 general elections. During the interaction, observations and suggestions were made by various stakeholders of the party on how to have a successful outcome in the 2023 elections. The vice presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has assured Nigerians that when elec... The vice presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has assured Nigerians that when elected, his principal, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would be just and fair to all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion, and political affiliations. Shettima stated this on Tuesday at the one-year memorial service held in honour of Governor Dapo Abioduns late father, Dr. Emmanuel Abiodun, at the St. James Anglican Church, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State. According to Shettima, a new Nigeria needs to be built, saying the hope of the black race is on Nigeria. We need to build a new nation because the hope of the black man is on Nigeria. The onus is on us to secure the future of our children yet unborn, he said. The former Borno State Governor assured Nigerians the Tinubu administration if elected, would be all-inclusive because no society can strive on injustice. Ours will be all encompassing, all embracing government. Shettima promised that, We will build a country of our dreams where people are judged by their character irrespective of their political affiliations, religious persuasions, sectional or tribal ground. He lauded the Yoruba race for being a bastion of religious tolerance and generosity, where people are judged by the content of their character, competence and ability, even as he urged other parts of the country to emulate the same. Speaking, Governor Abiodun called on Nigerians to pray for the nation through these difficult and trying times. I want to ask that we continue to pray that God Almighty see us through this time. These are really difficult times in the history of the nation called Nigeria. We are seeing things that we have never seen before. I dont have any doubt that we are passing events and in no time, God will see us through. We are the people God has treated wonderfully and He fortified us with lots of endurance and by his grace, we will rise to the top, he submitted. Ahead of the 2023 elections in Nigeria, Zack Orji and Ngozi, his celebrity wife, have declared their support for separate presidential can... Ahead of the 2023 elections in Nigeria, Zack Orji and Ngozi, his celebrity wife, have declared their support for separate presidential candidates. During the weekend, the Nollywood actor shared a campaign video in which he expressed his belief that Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, will transform Nigerias economy. My support for Bola Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is both experiential and personal. I have lived in Lagos for over 40 years. I have always known this man as a chief crusader of the democratic consolidation of Nigeria, Zack had said. I have always known him as a man who stands for justice, equity, fair play, and national cohesion. Join me to support this man and turn the fortunes of this country around for the better. At about the same time when the actor endorsed Tinubu, Ngozi took to her Instagram page to declare her support for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. The actress put out a video in which Obi appeared to have paid a visit to Anselm Madubukos Revival Church Assembly in Ogba, Lagos. It was An Awesome Time Today. That Moment Our Apostle General Anselm Madubuko Introduced H E Sir Peter Obi, she wrote. What an Awesome Way To Wrap up AZUSA 20 Conference. God bless you Sir for Coming. We are OBIdient. We Move. Zack and Ngozi are happily married with three children. The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reiterated his undying love for Nigeria and his unalterable belief in its i... The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reiterated his undying love for Nigeria and his unalterable belief in its indivisibility. In a virtual interactive session with more than 1,000 members of his foremost support group, the Peter Obi Support Network, Obi expressed confidence that Nigeria can and will come out of the woods of failed political leadership. He urged everyone, especially those in the diaspora, to contribute to Nigerias development in whatever capacity they could. This is according to a statement signed by the Director, Strategic Communication, Peter Obi Support Network, Onwuasoanya Jones, on Monday. Emphasising how much he was ready to sacrifice for Nigerias survival and progress, Obi shared a story of how he had to relocate from the United Kingdom to Nigeria after spending over 10 years contributing his quota to Nigerias economic and social development. Responding to a question about his plans for Nigerians living in the diaspora by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of POSN, Obi commended the efforts of diaspora Nigerians in developing the country and urged them not to relent because no matter how comfortable they get in another country, Nigeria will always be their home. He said, I love Nigeria irrevocably, and I believe no matter how far we travel or how successful we become outside Nigeria, we can never have another country to call our own but Nigeria. This is why I have continued to do whatever I can within my personal and group capabilities to support Nigerias march to greatness. He told the gathering that even though he has everything he needs to obtain resident permits and citizenship rights in any part of the world he wishes, he has deliberately avoided taking any resident permit from any other country of the world because he believes that Nigeria is the only country I have. Obi said, When I left the UK after residing there for over 10 years, I returned everything that belonged to them. I have a singular focus on Nigeria, and I do not think I need the citizenship or residence rights of any other country when I havent finished exploiting my nature-given rights and privileges as a Nigerian. If I am out of Nigeria today and there is a war in Nigeria, I will find a way to return to Nigeria because I will rather die in my country, Nigeria, than live free in another mans country. A social rights group in Akwa Ibom State has urged the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ekaette Obot to recuse from the Udom Emmanuel, Sena... A social rights group in Akwa Ibom State has urged the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ekaette Obot to recuse from the Udom Emmanuel, Senator Effiong Bob VS Leo Ekpenyong suits and transfer same to another court so as to continuously guard and protect the sanctity of the justice delivery machinery in the state. Recall that the defence counsel in the suit, Inibehe Effiong has been committed to one month in prison by the Chief Judge, who is also the trial judge in the matter, for contemptuous act before the court after accusing the CJ of bias and likelihood of bias. Effiongs imprisonment has raised a lot of controversies as some backed the CJ for allegedly taming the lawyer, whom they claimed was overstepping his bounds. Others blamed the Chief Judge describing her action as a travesty of justice. The group, Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance, (AIIA) in a statement by its chairman, Barr Stephen Abia said it would sit on the fence amid the burning issue in the state condemning the excesses of the rights of lawyers even as it urged the CJ to transfer the matter to another court to avoid further desecration of the temple of justice which the CJ has jealously guarded over the years. The group also called on the President, of Nigeria Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, Esq. to caution Inibehe accordingly over what it described as flagrant disregard to decency in court, especially during the ongoing libel suit instituted against Leo Ekpenyong. According to the group, to avoid a continuous desecration of the temple of justice of which the Honourable Chief Judge remains the chief priest, especially, taken for granted that our learned friend, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, may not in truth be purged of such unfortunate contemptuous displays towards the court in cheap attempts to play to the gallery, we most humbly seek the relief of the Honourable State Chief Judge to consider being recused of the matter as he continues to jealously guard and protect the sanctity of the justice delivery machinery in Akwa Ibom State. Giving a background on the case, the group said that Leo Ekpenyong in a 2019 publication tagged, Justice for Sale in Akwa Ibom State National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal. accused the Governor of bribing tribunal judges to the tune of $1.5 million dollars to secure judgment in favour of Dr. Chris Ekpenyong against Godswill Akoabio. The group added that the governor, through the then State Attorney General, Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN told Leo Ekpenyong to retract the report and apologize but he refused, insisting that he has more evidence to publish which, however led to the governors counsel, Samuel Ikpo to file a defamation suit against Ekpenyong at the state high court, Uyo but he never appeared in court. It added that judgement on the matter was passed on December 15, 2020 that Leo Ekpenyong should pay a fine of N1 billion to the Governor as damages for the libel but he (Leo Ekpenyong), thereafter, contracted another lawyer, Inibehe Effiong who later came to the Court praying the court to reverse the judgment, that he was ready to make an appearance and defend his case. The matter was set aside by the Chief Judge as requested but the defence counsel set another motion requesting the CJ to recuse from the case, alleging bias by the CJ and pouring vituperation on the judge. Rising in defence of the Chief Judge, the group maintained that the decision by Justice Obot to commit the lawyer to prison for his contemptuous conduct before the Chief Judge in court, was in order, as that would serve as a deterrent to others who chose to thread that path. A popular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buha... A popular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, should be successful in their mission. Yabo, who said the prayer while reacting to Shehus comment on the terrorists threat, however, appealed to the kidnappers to release the innocent victims in their custody. He insisted the terrorists are free to kidnap Nigerian top leaders. Recall terrorists who abducted passengers of a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, in a viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufai and some lawmakers if they did not comply with their demands. But Shehu while reacting to the threat had said that the terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world. In response to Shehus statement, the Islamic cleric berated him (Shehu) for simply describing the threat as prograpanda. The cleric accused Shehu of being insensitive to the unfortunate plight of kidnapped victims. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Yabo prayed for Shehu to fall into the hands of the kidnappers, I pray they kidnap you, Garba Shehu, and demonstrate as propaganda. We are praying for you kidnappers. May God grant you success in carrying out your threats to kidnap those people. But please release the innocent people in captivity. If these were the kind of people you have been abducting all this while, we wouldnt have bothered ourselves. We would instead pray and bless you because they have become a disaster [to us]. These are people who promised heaven and earth, and now they have the opportunity but became incompetent. Take them to the bush and flog them, instead of humiliating innocent citizens who are striving to make ends meet. And please make good your threats, and we will support you with prayers. The lawmaker representing Bauchi North Senatorial District, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, has disclosed that majority of members of the Senate... The lawmaker representing Bauchi North Senatorial District, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, has disclosed that majority of members of the Senate are in support of the move to impeach the President, Muhammadu Buhari, over the failure of his regime to address the growing insecurity in Nigeria. Bulkachuwa, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, the party with the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives, said almost all members of the Senate backed the move when the lawmakers were in an executive (closed-door) session at the plenary last Wednesday. The senators threatened to impeach the President over the worsening insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and the country at large. The angry lawmakers gave the President a six-week ultimatum to address the security crisis or face impeachment proceedings. Speaking on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, Bulkachuwa, on Monday, stated that the previous efforts especially made by the National Assembly to end the security crisis had failed. He also said the lawmakers, at the closed-door session, also raised the issues of the economy. Recalling some of the events that played out on the fateful day, the lawmaker said, In the first instance, on that day, the Senate went into a closed session and it was at the closed session that these issues were discussed. Without divulging so much, I can tell you that majority of senators really felt there was the need to initiate that action. When asked if they included APC lawmakers and if the resolution was unanimous, Bulkachuwa stated, It was not 100% unanimous per se but the majority supported it. And this didnt come out to public knowledge because it was during a closed session. And (as) you know, closed sessions or executive sessions, there are no journalists, not even (members of) staff of the Assembly. It is purely a meeting of lawmakers senators that are present on that day. The APC lawmaker, however stated that it was not the question of the ruling party but what is happening is that we in the legislative arm of the government, we have tried all within our powers except one thing. He pointed out that the parliament had tried financing, making sure that he gets all he needs by way of budgeting. He said the lawmakers also tried to engage the service chiefs and other heads of security agencies to find out their challenges and when they divulge their problems to us, we try to proffer solutions and we go ahead to advise Mr President. Bulkachuwa added, When we realised that all that have not actually worked, the security situation was getting worse and even the financial situation in the country is not improving, we thought we are just one arm of the government and we are limited in the execution of proposals and the actual enforcement of suggestions and laws; we are not responsible for all that. What we can do is try to draw the attention of the Executive (of the government) that we have tried everything and the only thing we have not tried is that we have to draw your attention to the fact that we have a constitutional responsibility to pull your ears at it were by way of notice of impeachment and give you a chance. The Senator said he was of the view that, something can happen and we are still hopeful that Buhari would take drastic measures before the ultimatum issued to him elapses. If you notice, since that day, Mr President met with the security chiefs and within the security apparatus, so many changes have occurred. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says some factors are affecting night travel operations. The federal agency listed pauc... The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says some factors are affecting night travel operations. The federal agency listed paucity of funds, poor infrastructure and insecurity. Capt. Musa Nuhu, NCAA Director-General spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Citing the African Development Bank (AfDB) report, Nuhu noted that Nigeria would require more than N1.5 trillion to fix airports. Nuhu said airports planning to operate beyond dusk required large financial outlay and compliance with conditions for safe landing and take-off of aircraft. The conditions include adequate number of competent personnel, adequate power supply and availability of ancillary service providers. The NCAA said security risks and traffic level must be taken seriously in 24-hour airport operations. Nuhu expressed concern about kidnapping and robbery being recorded in many parts of Nigeria. The evolving security challenges make night operations dangerous because many airports. The risks are enormous and seriously impacting airports operations, airport workers and passengers and crew even in daytime, Nuhu added. The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Mansur Bako Matazu, on Monday, warned Nig... The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Mansur Bako Matazu, on Monday, warned Nigerians to get prepared for heavy rains in the next two months. Matazu, while speaking on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, said every Nigerian should expect flooding that may wreak havoc across the country in the next few weeks. According to him, NiMeT had issued several warnings pertaining to flooding, and heavy downpours for Nigerians to take precautions, but unfortunately, many refused to take action against flooding. He said Nigerians were in the habit of dumping refuse in drainage channels and cutting down trees, which are the main causes of flooding. He said in the next two weeks, there will be increased rainfall saying that July, August, and September are the most active periods for flooding. Matazu, while calling on people living in flood planes to evacuate immediately, said there is a global concern especially as it relates to climate change, stressing the need for Nigerians to take weather forecasts seriously. Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has asked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, to retract his stateme... Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has asked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, to retract his statement which questioned the capacity of Peter Obi, LP presidential flagbearer, to lead Nigeria. Baba-Ahmed spoke on Monday in an interview with Channels Television. Okowa, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in an interview with BBC pidgin, had said Obi does not have the needed experience to lead Nigeria. His (Obi) previous experience is not enough for this one (presidency). It will be hard. His experience is not deep enough, the Delta governor had said. Reacting to Okowas comment, Baba-Ahmed said Obi is the most qualified among the candidates of the four leading candidates vying for the presidency. That is absolutely untrue. In fact, I beg you to show me anyone who has had more leadership experience in the 2023 contest. By that contest, I mean the candidates that we have the four leading candidates, he said. I fail to see anyone who even comes close to his excellency, Peter Obi. The world is now at the stage where we need private sector experience and among all of them, no one has much private sector business sense, prudence, frugality, ability to manage persons, communities, interest groups. None of the other three has as much. That comment is a very unfair comment, and I will like to think that very soon, the maker of that comment will have to retract because it shows that he has no idea about what capacity is. Apparently, we were in the senate together. We used to sit not too far away. I have a lot of respect for him, but I least expect him to misread what capacity is. When you speak of capacity, you are talking of people like Peter Obi and with all modesty, my humble self. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, met the new Olowu of Owu Abeokuta, Prof. Saka Adelola Matemilola. In his usual charac... Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, met the new Olowu of Owu Abeokuta, Prof. Saka Adelola Matemilola. In his usual character, Obasanjo bowed before the newly approved monarch as a show of honour to the crown, symbolising the superiority of Yoruba Obas over their subjects, no matter how highly placed. The new Olowu, who is just beginning the necessary six months of traditional rites, met the Balogun of Owu, at his old Ita-Iyalode residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital. While presenting the monarch to other Owu chiefs and indigenes, Obasanjo assured him of his support and that of the sons and daughters of the kingdom. The former President said this was the fastest time a new king would be filling a vacant Olowu stool after the passing of an Oba, saying We have preserved our culture and tradition and we must not allow our culture go into extinction. He expressed satisfaction that the process of selecting the new Olowu by the kingmakers got the approval of the Ogun State Government last Wednesday, even though some people were not happy with the kingmakers. We did what we are supposed to do and some people were not happy with us, but we thank God that the state government approved his (Matemilolas) appointment, he said. The kingmakers, led by Obasanjo, had screened seven candidates eyeing the stool vacated in December 2021 by the late Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu. I want to assure you of my unalloyed support and the support of the entire sons and daughters of Owu kingdom in your journey as the new Olowu, Obasanjo told the new Oba. Former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani has reacted to the ban on the use of police uniforms by movie and skit makers. It was reported that the ... Former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani has reacted to the ban on the use of police uniforms by movie and skit makers. It was reported that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, on Sunday, ordered the arrest and prosecution of skit and movie makers who use the police uniform without approval. The development was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer. Reacting, Mr Sani, a former governorship aspirant in Kaduna State said the police should place charges on the uniform instead of banning it. In a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, on Monday, Mr Sani said the movies can be used to curb crimes. He wrote, The Police should charge movie producers some fees for using their uniforms rather than stopping them. Movies are a powerful and potent medium for fighting crime and public enlightenment. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has said his government appreciates the new defense aid package it got from United States President,... Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has said his government appreciates the new defense aid package it got from United States President, Joe Biden amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky said that the new defense assistance from Biden is bringing Ukraine closer to victory against Russia. He disclosed this in a tweet via his Twitter handle on Monday night. Thank you @POTUS for your leadership, robust support of Ukraine and understanding that Russia is a threat to the entire civilized world, Zelensky tweeted. Together we are defending values of freedom common to both Ukraine & US. New defense assistance package is bringing us closer to victory. Ukraine and Russia have been fighting for over five months. As of today, many casualties have already been recorded due to the war. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High near 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. For the past decade, Melbas has held down the busy corner of Elysian Fields and North Claiborne avenues with 24-hour po-boys, hot plates and daiquiris. Now work is underway to open a second Melbas on Tulane Avenue in Mid-City. The new restaurant will be modeled closely on the original Melbas, though it is smaller and for that reason will not have the laundromat, which is a major component of the first one. It is now taking shape at Tulane Avenue, in an old building, formerly used as a car wash, on a triangular lot where DHemecourt Street branches off from the main drag. This new Meblas should be ready to open within two months. Owner Scott Wolfe said this new Melbas will be open 24 hours a day serving po-boys, breakfast dishes and breakfast sandwiches, plates like stuffed bell peppers and smothered cabbage and fried chicken and wings. It will not have a full-service bar, but instead pour an array of daiquiris. Online ordering and delivery will be a big part of the operation, Wolfe said. Wolfe said he was drawn to the area by the mix of neighborhoods along this stretch of Tulane Avenue to downtown New Orleans, as well as the nearby medical complex, a special consideration for a 24-hour operation. The demographics are great, but Tulane Avenue needs more restaurants, Wolfe said The new location will have two floors, and the upper level will have an open-air rooftop patio. On the ground level, there will be a large canopy extending from the restaurant to the tip of the triangular lot, creating another shaded outdoor seating area. When the first Melbas opened 2012 it represented the next act for Wolfe, his wife Jane and their family, who had already created some memorable brands with their earlier businesses. In 1982, when he was 20 and she was 18 and pregnant, they borrowed $10,000 from family members to buy a bankrupt grocery called Wagners, located in one of New Orleans poorest neighborhoods near what was then the Desire public housing complex. They built Wagners Meat into a local chain and a household name in New Orleans, even for those who never shopped at his stores. Credit its risque slogan: You Cant Beat Wagners Meat. Wolfe and his family also created the Chicken Box (slogans: Tastes Like Mamas or, at some locations, Tastes Like Ya Mamas), a chain of takeout joints that had a short but colorful run in the years before Hurricane Katrina. This was the company that once offered to put on weddings for couples who bought its 1,000-piece chicken package to cater their receptions. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Hurricane Katrina spelled the end of both of those, though the Wagners brand would return under different ownership. At Melbas, the Wolfes built a colorful place that serves a cross-section of New Orleans people. Jane Wolfe has also worked in her own community literacy mission, hosting reading events and author visits, including from some heavy hitters. In 2019, Melbas hosted Colson Whitehead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, and Sarah M. Broom, whose book The Yellow House shortly thereafter won the National Book Award. That same year, Hillary Clinton visited Melbas while promoting a campaign from her foundation called Too Small to Fail, an early learning initiative that helps turn otherwise utilitarian spaces like laundries, groceries and clinics into places where parents and caregivers can read, talk and play with children. Wolfe said literacy programs will also extend to the Mid-City location of Melbas. Melbas 1525 Elysian Fields Ave., (504) 267-7765 3205 Tulane Ave., projected opening fall 2022 Open 24/7 +8 Why do Bud's Broiler's burger prices conflict? Curious Louisiana explains it's not all random. Mike Pfister has been eating hamburgers from Buds Broiler for a long time, at least back to his high school days in the 1970s. In recent year +6 For Ethiopian restaurant Addis NOLA, a big move to Bayou Road beckons Prince Lobo gets fired up just greeting the day. Check out any of the videos of him stepping outside his familys Ethiopian restaurant Addis N +5 French Quarter bar, and its bartender, win national honors at Tales of the Cocktail Jewel of the South is a modern New Orleans tavern that is part of a small, promising wave of new restaurants and bars with the potential to lu The Kenner Police Department is poised to equip each of its sworn officers with body-worn cameras by 2023, after the City Council signed off on a 10-year, $5.5 million contract for the technology and other equipment. I think were one of the last agencies in Jefferson Parish to do this, Police Chief Keith Conley told council members last month. This is the direction that everybody else is going in. I think it adds another level of transparency. The soon-to-be-inked contract with Axon Enterprises Inc. formerly TASER International also includes new Tasers for each of Kenners roughly 140 sworn officers; camera systems for 20 police cruisers; goggles for virtual training exercises; and recording equipment for an interview room. Growing trend Kenner is among a wave of local law enforcement agencies to adopt the technology in recent months after years of holding out. The Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office was the largest law enforcement agency in Louisiana without the technology, until it began equipping its officers and patrol units with cameras in mid-December. Months later, JPSO fired and arrested two of its deputies on charges of manslaughter after reviewing video footage of them fatally shooting a Marrero man. Until now, the data costs associated with properly storing the footage was prohibitive for Kenner, Conley said. But as the technology has proliferated, its become more affordable for Louisianas sixth most populous city. There were also political hurdles, according to Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser, who took over in July after eight years as Kenners police chief. He said he looked into the technology in 2020, but the previous administration, led by then-Mayor Ben Zahn, said there was no money in the budget. There is money for it if you look into it, Glaser said. Technology upgrades NOLA Business Insider The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The technology will cost Kenner about $500,000 annually over the next decade. And the agreement includes several hardware upgrades, so if theres a newer model that comes out, we get the newer model, said Kenner Police Department Sgt. Ethan Hales. The cameras come equipped with Bluetooth technology that automatically starts recording once an officer activates their overhead lights or draws their firearm or Taser. And if for some reason an officer isnt responding to dispatch, the department can dial into their body-worn camera to determine their GPS coordinates. The footage will be securely stored online at Evidence.com and supervisors will be able to randomly audit the footage to review officer behavior, Hales said. As part of the package of technology, Kenner will also get several goggles for virtual training exercises, allowing officers to practice shoot, dont shoot exercises, and even experience whats it like to be someone going through a schizophrenic episode as theyre seeing it, Hales said. 'No brainer' The Kenner Police Department has been in touch with officials at the Gretna Police Department, which adopted body-worn cameras last year, for tips on rolling out the technology. Conley said he hopes the cameras will help save taxpayer dollars by resolving complaints against officers more quickly. Its right there in black or white. It either happened or it didnt, Conley said. The contract between Kenner and Axon hasnt yet been executed, Conley said. But he anticipates the technology will be ready for deployment by the start of 2023. I think this is a no-brainer, said Kenner Council member George Branigan at the July 22 meeting, echoing similar praise from his colleagues. We have to have this technology to move forward." CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this article misspelled Ethan Hales' last name. Samsung has inadvertently confirmed the Bespoke Edition colour options in which it will soon sell the Galaxy Z Flip4. To be offered alongside the smartphone's general retail colourways, the Bespoke Edition versions will be available with three frame colours, plus five options for the Galaxy Z Flip4's front and back panels. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , Arc , ARM , Audio , Benchmark , Biotech , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , DIY , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel , Intel Evo , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Leaks / Rumors , Linux / Unix , List , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Raptor Lake , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Wi-Fi 7 , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) , Zen 4 Ticker Samsung has not announced the Galaxy Z Flip4 yet, but it has revealed the colour combinations in which the handset will be available. To recap, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) reported in June that Samsung would offer Bespoke Edition versions of the Galaxy Z Flip4, a program that it also runs for the Galaxy Z Flip3. While Young outlined what colour combinations there would be for this year's Galaxy Z Flip, a Samsung support website has, seemingly, revealed all possible Galaxy Z Flip4 colourways. Included on the company's UK insurance website, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Z Flip4's primary colours will be Blue, Bora Purple, Graphite and Pink Gold, renders of which Evan Blass and 91mobiles shared last week. Additionally, the Bespoke Edition program will allow people to choose from a Black, Silver or Gold frame. For some reason, the Blue and Bora Purple frames will be exclusive to the Galaxy Z Flip4's standard colours that Samsung will allow third-party retailers to sell. For reference, only Samsung will sell Bespoke Edition versions. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. United Steelworkers union officials will gather next week in Las Vegas for the USW convention. The USW is supposed to hold an international constitutional convention every three years but one has not taken place in person since 2017 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Union leaders will take a break from negotiations with Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh to meet for union business. More than 2,300 elected delegates from across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean will gather at the MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom to discuss issues affecting the steel, aluminum, mining, rubber, paper, forestry, oil refining, chemicals, natural gas, health care, renewable energy, communications, transportation, higher education and government sectors. More than 600 observers, staffers, international officers and more than 100 international guests from unions in 22 countries will meet at the convention in Nevada. They will convene for four days under the banner "everybody's union." The largest industrial union in North America represents 850,000 workers and retirees in the steel and other industries, including more than 11,000 steelworkers at the big integrated steel mills in Northwest Indiana. Speakers will include U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Mexican senator and labor leader Napoleon Gomez Urrutia. USW International President Tom Conway will deliver the keynote speech addressing the state of the union and working families in the United States. A pair of longtime friends and colleagues recently opened Perfection Medical Spa in Chesterton. Nurse practitioners Natalie Babcock and Rhea Martin opened the professional medical spa at 709 Plaza Drive in Chesterton. It offers a full range of women's health care services, including wellness exams, UTI testing, birth control, hormone replacement therapy and STI treatment. It also offers individualized weight loss plans, IV therapy, vitamin injections and aesthetic treatments like botox, chemical peels and dermaplaning. "We've been friends for more than 30 years," Babcock said. "We met in labor and delivery and had such a wonderful friendship. We both went back to school to further our educations and went our separate ways. I was always talking about opening my own business and practice. My mom did not like my job. She passed away after fighting an illness for a few months and I wanted to do something to honor her. This is the best decision I've ever made." Ever since high school, Babcock always wanted to help people so she went into health care. She long worked as a nurse and then a nurse practitioner. But she sought more autonomy. "I like taking the time with each patient," she said. "I don't want to be rushed. I want to ensure quality care with each visitor. Working independently also ensures no one is micromanaging you. We're making the practice our own. Bringing customer service back is huge. It's bringing back a lost art in the medical field." She opened Perfection Medical Spa in a strip mall next to UPS and El Cantaratio off Indian Boundary Road. "It's a very busy area," Babcock said. "A lot of people are coming in and out of the Mexican restaurant, which is excellent. The people are so supportive. It's a growing community." Perfection Medical Spa also expects to draw customers from across the Duneland area, greater Porter County and LaPorte County. "Our tagline is we want to help people be the best version of themselves," she said. "It's important for patients to have a wonderful experience all around." "We want patients to feel cared for," she said. "We want the feeling they get to be very welcoming and calming. We want them to feel good about the quality of care." Perfection Medical Spa is potentially looking at opening more locations, likely in Northwest Indiana. Out-of-state friends have asked Babcock about franchising, which is something she's also considering. "We want to serve the community first," Babock said. "We're different. We're a comprehensive medical spa that meets individual needs and promotes wellness. It's very important to take care of ourselves." It's the culmination of their careers and extensive experience in the medical field. "I find quality care most rewarding," Babcock said. "I like to know I have made a difference in their health care." Perfection Medical Spa is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and by appointment Sunday. For more information, visit Perfectionmedispa.com, call 219-728-6091 or find the business on Facebook or Instagram. VALPARAISO A 38-year-old Chicago man, with a prior murder conviction, appeared before a local judge Tuesday morning on allegations of leading police on a high speed and foot chase while intoxicated only to be nabbed with a gun and marijuana. David Dorsey, who is also listed as being from Valparaiso, faces felony counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, carrying a handgun without a permit by a conviction felon and resisting law enforcement, and misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement, aggressive driving, operating while intoxicated endangering a person, carrying a handgun without permit, reckless driving, possession of marijuana and OWI, a court document shows. Dorsey, who appeared before Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer, was reportedly transferred Wednesday to the Porter County Jail from Cook County, Illinois. The case stems back to the early morning hours of Nov. 27 when a Burns Harbor police officer said he found Dorsey asleep behind the wheel of his running vehicle at a fueling station along U.S. 20, according to a charging document. The officer said he smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and alcohol on Dorsey's breath. Dorsey, who appeared intoxicated, reportedly ignored police orders to shut off the vehicle and stop making cell phone calls. When the officer reached into the vehicle through an open window in an attempt to shut off the engine, Dorsey allegedly closed the window on his arm as he started driving away over a device designed to puncture his tires. "I was able to free my arm before being dragged by the vehicle," the officer wrote in a charging document. Dorsey drove away northbound on Ind. 149 at speeds exceeding 100 mph in the 45-mph zone, police said. He then signaled his intention to turn west on U.S. 12 but continued north through a ravine and onto the South Shore railroad track. Dorsey fled the vehicle on foot and was captured by the officer, records show. Police said they found a loaded handgun on the driver's side floorboard of Dorsey's vehicle with a round in chamber. They also discovered a significant amount of individually packaged marijuana, a portable scale and a large amount of cash. A background check revealed Dorsey was sentenced in 2011 to 12 years behind bars for murder and five years for aggravated armed robbery in Illinois, according to police. DeBoer set a $50,000 cash bond for Dorsey on Tuesday, appointed him a public defender and a hearing was scheduled for Sept. 13, according to the court. A five-year court battle over whether Gary's "Welcoming City" ordinance makes it an illegal immigration "sanctuary city" is over. The Indiana Supreme Court last month dismissed a lawsuit that claimed Gary's policy of prioritizing local public safety needs and protecting the rights of immigrants unlawfully violated Indiana's 2011 prohibition on sanctuary cities. In a 5-0 decision, the state's high court said the four Indiana residents who filed the lawsuit against the Steel City lacked sufficient standing since they've suffered no injury because of Gary's ordinance. As a result, there is no justiciable dispute and the case must be dismissed, said Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, a Crown Point native, on behalf of the Supreme Court. Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said he's grateful the Supreme Court saw fit to reject "the meritless attempt to control Gary by plaintiffs from outside of the city who have experienced no actual injury from the ordinance." "Gary has always been a welcoming community for people across the world since its inception as the home of U.S. Steel, and this ordinance simply reiterates that. We want all people to feel they are safe and welcome here, that they can call for help when they need it, that they do not need to feel like they have to live in the shadows," Prince said. Records show the Gary Common Council and then-Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson adopted the welcoming city ordinance May 22, 2017. It was challenged by the plaintiffs in December 2017 through prominent conservative attorney James Bopp Jr., of Terre Haute. Bopp claimed the ordinance ran afoul of a 2011 Indiana law prohibiting local governments and their employees, including police, from refusing to communicate or cooperate with federal immigration authorities to protect noncitizens who entered or remained in the United States without legal permission. He also alleged it prevented Gary police from fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities, in addition to unnecessarily requiring a criminal warrant before transferring any person in police custody to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. In 2018, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Rokita, a Munster native, drew statewide attention to the issue when he claimed on Twitter that Gary was a "sanctuary city," and Rokita accused Freeman-Wilson, a former Indiana attorney general, of ignoring state and federal law to "harbor illegal immigrant criminals." Rokita lost that race to now-U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. But Hoosiers elected Rokita as attorney general in 2020. Gary's welcoming city ordinance was struck down as unlawful by Lake Superior Judge Stephen Scheele on Nov. 16, 2020. However, a three-judge panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals overruled Scheele on Dec. 10, 2021, and said in a 2-1 decision only two minor portions of the ordinance were legally problematic and the rest could take effect. The Supreme Court ruling officially scraps the Court of Appeals decision and directs Scheele to dismiss the case for lack of standing. A similar Bopp lawsuit challenging East Chicago's welcoming city ordinance is still pending at the Indiana Court of Appeals. VALPARAISO The Porter County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in locating a 54-year-old man wanted on a felony count of aggravated battery. Michael A. Zaragoza is described as 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighing 180 pounds with brown eyes. He has no known vehicle or employment and typically travels with the assistance of friends or ride services, police said. Zaragoza is known to be around the Portage area and takes part in various substance abuse recovery meetings throughout northern Porter County, according to police. "Zaragoza is currently believed to be staying at random locations with friends or family," the sheriff's department said. "He also has a history in Lake County." Anyone with information can leave anonymous tips via text or voicemail at 219-309-7760. CALUMET CITY In a pair of unanimous votes last week, the City Council approved a $53 million budget and the possible first step in a redevelopment plan for River Oaks Center, which the city is negotiating to buy. Council members gave the city's finance team the go-ahead to prepare the documents that would be necessary to seek bonds for the River Oaks redevelopment. The redevelopment could include replacing the vacant Sears store which closed in 2013 in the mall's northeast corner with a $79 million water park. The second phase of the project could include the construction of the south wing of a hotel catering to families with younger children. The third phase could feature building the north wing of the hotel, targeted at the business community with conference facilities and a rooftop bar and pool. The city already owns the former Sears property, which covers 27 acres and has been appraised at $1.9 million, and plans to sell it to Chicago-based Jackson Nuckolls Group LLC for redevelopment. River Oaks was opened as an outdoor mall in 1966 and was converted to an indoor mall in a 1994 redevelopment. Two anchor stores, Sears and Carson's, closed in 2013, leaving two remaining anchors: Macy's, the successor to original anchor Marshall Field's, and JCPenney. The latter was announced to be closing in 2020, but that decision was reversed. Another possible component of the River Oaks redevelopment plan is an overhaul of the 200-acre indoor mall, whose lack of upkeep has been a source of criticism from both business owners and the administrations of current Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones and his predecessor, Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush. That has spurred Jones' push for the city to buy the mall from current owners, Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management. "Upon being elected in 2021, I made it quite clear to the mall owners that Calumet City would no longer tolerate the current disposition of the property," Jones said in a statement. "The current operation has become the laughingstock of Cook County. The City Council and I will not stand idle and allow this precious gem to continue to be a cesspool for crime and mismanagement." Budget The city's $53 million budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year is an increase of $4 million from the current year. It includes $8 million in new revenue, without a tax increase. Jones credited that in part to an increase in the number of businesses in the city from 415 to 628. Other highlights of the budget: Cutting city expenditures by $500,000; Reducing Fire Department overtime from $1.3 million to $800,000 in conjunction with the hiring of additional firefighters; Hiring nine additional police officers, with plans to hire 10 more in 2023, and the implementation of bike and ATV patrols; Reduced health care costs by $350,000. "I am grateful to the Aldermen for passing this budget," Jones said in a statement. "It addresses a variety of issues and potential challenges impacting our residents. This budget will allow us to not only fulfill the obligation to our residents and youth, but we now can aggressively capture this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our city for the better." GARY Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana recently received $25,000 from The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation to support building an affordable home in Lake Station. Building quality and affordable homes help change a familys life forever. We appreciate the partnership with The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation to stabilize another family in the community through homeownership, said Dawn Michaels, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana. "When housing is stable and affordable, a positive push happens for a family and in the community. Thank you, Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, for the generous gift in support of our mission." The grant will support building a home in Lake Station for the Habitat partner family Michaelene Flores and her two children. Flores has already begun work on one of her Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana covenants: 300 sweat equity hours to help build her Habitat home. Habitat expects to have her home dedication ceremony before the end of 2022. Once Flores family is moved in, she will start making monthly payments on their zero-percentage mortgage. Flores spoke about her vision when becoming a homeowner. "Life will be complete, there will be a weight off my shoulders. Im super grateful. About Habitat for Humanity of NWI Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana is the leading organization that provides permanent, affordable housing to income-qualified families in Lake County. It helps families achieve housing stability and improve their living conditions by serving qualified homeowners with affordable mortgages. About Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation makes positive changes in communities across the United States by investing and partnering with nonprofit organizations that enhance educational opportunities, protect and improve the environment, promote human health and support vibrant communities. VALPARAISO An abridged Porter County Council postponed decisions last week on big-ticket items until its August meeting, when more members will attend. With only four members, and with President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, and Vice President Mike Jessen, R-4th, along with Councilman Andy Bozak, R-at large, absent, Councilman Greg Simms, D-3rd, picked up the gavel to run last week's meeting. County Coroner Cyndi Dykes asked for an additional $100,000 for autopsies through the end of the year $90,000 to pay for the pathologist and $10,000 for Northwest Health Porters fees. I feel these are big-ticket items, Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-at large, said, so she wanted to wait for more council members to be present before taking action. Dykes said the fund was depleted because of 2021 autopsies that were billed and paid early this year. The pathologist is paid a monthly fee for the autopsies under a memorandum of understanding negotiated by Dykes. That flat fee saved the county about $18,000 over the last six months, compared to the going rate of about $3,000 per autopsy. The memo expires at the end of the year when Dykes term in office ends, but it includes autopsies billed through January 2023, which would include work done in December. Dykes asked if she should tell the pathologist to hold tight and that the county might not be able to pay him. Well pay him, Graham assured Dykes. The council also tabled an additional $59,500 in supplemental pay for Health Department employees due to COVID-19. I felt that there were some things on the agenda that needed the attention of the full council, Graham said as the meeting ended. In other business, the council approved $800 for chairs for the auditors office. Most of our office chairs are, quite frankly, falling apart, County Auditor Vicki Urbanik said. The council also approved $1,850 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the auditors office employee who compiled minutes from ARPA steering committee and subcommittee meetings. Rising gas prices prompted the council to approve an additional $200,000 for Highway Department fuel and $4,000 for the Porter County Expo Center. New Park Superintendent Jake McEvoys salary was set at $68,500. Jackie Nadeau, who was formerly office coordinator until she served as interim superintendent during the 14-month search, saw her salary increase from $41,927 to $50,000 to go along with her new title as assistant superintendent. Indiana Dunes Tourism Executive Director Lorelei Weimer said business is booming. As she left for lunch Tuesday, she noted license plates from 12 states in the parking lot, which is a common occurrence. It just gives you an indication of what we have here in Porter County, Weimer said. A federal judge on Monday began a trial that will decide whether Penguin Random House is allowed to buy Simon & Schuster, a case that could significantly affect the book publishing industry and that will test the Biden administrations efforts to expand antitrust enforcement. In opening statements in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, John Read, a lawyer for the Justice Department, said the merger must be stopped. Mr. Read laid out the governments case that the merger would reduce the number of bidders for the rights to publish what the government has called anticipated top-selling books, in turn driving down the value of advances paid to authors. This lawsuit is designed to protect those authors and those books, he said. When the largest publisher in the country, Penguin Random House, struck a deal in the fall of 2020 to acquire its rival Simon & Schuster, publishing executives and antitrust experts predicted that the merger would draw intense scrutiny from government regulators, Alexandra Alter, Elizabeth A. Harris and David McCabe report for The New York Times. The merger would dramatically alter the literary landscape, shrinking the number of major publishing houses known in the industry as the Big Five to four. (Or, as one industry analyst put it, it could create the Big One and the other three.) Last fall, the Biden administration sued to block the $2.18 billion sale as part of its new and more aggressive stance against corporate consolidation. The trial will start on Monday, with oral arguments at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Florence Pan will preside. Accusations that hundreds of ballots were cast in Arizona in 2020 in the name of dead voters are unfounded, the states Republican attorney general said on Monday in a sharply worded letter to the president of the Arizona Senate, who has advanced false claims of voter fraud. The attorney general, Mark Brnovich, wrote in his letter to Senator Karen Fann that his offices Election Integrity Unit had spent hundreds of hours investigating 282 allegations submitted by Ms. Fann, as well as more than 6,000 allegations from four other reports. Some of them were so absurd, he wrote, that the names and birth dates didnt even match the deceased, and others included dates of death after the election. The claims in Ms. Fanns complaint stemmed from a heavily criticized audit of the 2020 election that the company Cyber Ninjas conducted last year in Arizonas largest county, Maricopa. That audit found no evidence for former President Donald J. Trumps claims that the election had been stolen from him; in fact, it counted slightly fewer votes for Mr. Trump and more for Joseph R. Biden Jr. than in the official tally. A subsequent report from election experts accused Cyber Ninjas of making up its numbers altogether. WASHINGTON A broadly supported bill to expand medical care eligibility for millions of veterans who may have been exposed to toxins from burning pits of trash on U.S. military bases has become ensnared in a partisan fight over spending, leaving its fate uncertain after a large group of Republicans pulled their support. The legislation, which would be one of the largest expansions of veterans benefits in history, had been expected to easily pass the Senate last week after receiving an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the House. An earlier version passed the Senate in June on a lopsided vote, with 34 Republicans voting in favor. But Republicans abruptly withdrew their backing, with all but eight opposed to moving forward on it last week. They did so after Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, raised concerns that the measure which would create a new entitlement program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to finance treatment for veterans exposed to toxins could lead to vast spending increases. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan where planning for the Sept. 11 strikes began more than two decades ago, where the West once seemed poised to remake a fractured nation, and where the terrorist leader could feel comfortable again after the Taliban takeover last summer speaks volumes about what America accomplished in a 20-year experiment. It also says a lot about where it failed. On one level, it was a reminder of how little has changed. The Taliban are once again in charge of the country. They were harboring the known leader of Al Qaeda, just as they were 21 years ago. He was comfortably established in a safe house there, so comfortable that his family was nearby, and he had routines to take in the sunshine. On another level, it was a reminder of how surveillance, drones and remote killing have changed the nature of the hunt for the terrorist groups leadership. In 2001, Americas drones were largely still unarmed. In the ensuing 21 years they became armed, and the C.I.A. and the U.S. military perfected the art of hunting what they called high-value targets. Mr. Ali told witnesses that he had connections to the Inter-Services Intelligence in Pakistan a claim that the Pakistani Embassy denied and described in April as totally fallacious. Mr. Ali also held several visas that had been issued by Pakistan and Iran, prosecutors said. Mr. Ali had also made other eccentric claims about his background, prosecutors said: That he had participated in the capture of Joaquin Guzman Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo; that his family was Middle-Eastern royalty; and that he was a Calvin Klein model. Mr. Taherzadeh similarly made up his back story to agents, prosecutors said, telling them that he had been an Army Ranger, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, a U.S. air marshal and an undercover officer who had once killed someone in a shootout. When apartment complex workers confronted Mr. Taherzadeh, Mr. Ali and an unidentified person about their failure to pay rent, the men would blame it on issues with a fictitious management at United States Special Police and a slow-moving federal bureaucracy, prosecutors said. In his unpaid apartment, Mr. Taherzadeh installed surveillance cameras to record women having sex and kept an unlicensed gun that was fully loaded with large-capacity ammunition, prosecutors said. In one apartment named The Crossing, Mr. Taherzadeh and Mr. Ali used their personas as law enforcement officials to obtain parking spots for themselves and Secret Service members, prosecutors said. One apartment, The Sonnet, eventually evicted Mr. Taherzadeh for not paying rent. The recruitment efforts of Mr. Taherzadeh and Mr. Ali for United States Special Police largely hinged on their portrayal as federal officers, prosecutors said. In one instance, Mr. Taherzadeh instructed a recruit to conduct weapons-handling drills. In another, he showed a separate recruit a fake Homeland Security investigative file labeled confidential. Starter episode: Antediluvian President Vladimir V. Putins unprovoked war on Ukraine has plunged Europe into societal and economic turmoil, and represents the apex of a grudge the Russian leader has held ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Presented by Gavin Esler, a BBC journalist, The Big Steal traces the roots of Putins obsession with Ukraine, and how his ascent to power began when he was a KGB officer based in East Germany. Beginning with the story of the clash between Putin and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Russian businessman who is now in self-exile after being imprisoned for 10 years on tax evasion and fraud charges, The Big Steal offers plenty of troubling insight into Putins psyche, and is essential listening for anyone trying to make sense of his actions. Starter episode: The Rivals The story of the night Ted Kennedy was at the wheel in a deadly car crash has re-entered the spotlight in recent years it was adapted as a movie starring Jason Clarke in 2017, and inspired the climax of an Emmy-winning episode of HBOs Succession. This podcast from People magazine and Cadence13 re-examines the events of July 18, 1969, when Kennedy drove his car off a bridge in Chappaquiddick Island, Mass., killing his secretary, Mary Jo Kopechne. In addition to the accident, the series looks at the mysteries of Kennedys behavior afterward for instance, why he waited until the following morning to report what had happened. Though it doesnt claim to have all the answers, Cover-Up offers a fascinating insight into the dynamics of the Kennedy family, the elaborate power structure that surrounds it, and how the decades-long unanswered questions of Chappaquiddick have haunted those who were there. Starter episode: 10 Hours Later To use an appropriately English phrase, this deft series from Wondery does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering wry and detailed retellings of political controversies. British Scandal kicked off last spring with a five-part series delving into the slaying of Alexander Litvinenko, the K.G.B. agent-turned-defector who died after drinking a radioactive cup of tea given to him by a former comrade. Like many of the scandals covered, this story is harrowing and absurd in equal measure Litvinenkos killers inadvertently left a huge trail of radiation behind them across hotels, bars and public transit in central London. Each episode intersperses a gripping central narrative with quick-witted asides from the hosts, Alice Levine and Matt Forde, who find the humor in each saga without making light of the often nightmarish reality. Starter episode: The Litvinenko Affair Poisoned You dont need any familiarity with Australian political history to get hooked on this docuseries, which chronicles one of the most dramatic moments in the countrys history. On Nov. 11, 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was removed from office by representatives of Queen Elizabeth II. This unprecedented act was viewed by many as a constitutional coup, and sparked fierce debate about Australias supposed independence from Britain. Though some mysteries about Whitlams dismissal may never be solved, The Eleventh lays out the complex back story and repercussions in enthralling fashion. Burt Metcalfe, who as the showrunner of M*A*S*H for the last six of its 11 seasons made a critical casting decision as he began his tenure and helped write the two-and-a-half-hour final episode, contributing ideas he had picked up on a trip to South Korea, died on July 27 in Los Angeles. He was 87. His death, at a hospital, was caused by sepsis, said his wife, Jan Jorden, who played a nurse in several episodes of M*A*S*H. Mr. Metcalfe had been an actor and casting director before becoming a producer of M*A*S*H, the sitcom about the staff of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, a show widely regarded as one of the best series in television history. He joined for its first season, in 1972, at the request of Gene Reynolds, a friend and an architect of the show along with the writer Larry Gelbart. When Mr. Reynolds left after the fifth season, Mr. Metcalfe succeeded him as the executive producer running the series. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. On the Rebound Over the weekend, President Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again, days after being treated with Paxlovid for a previous case. Others, like Stephen Colbert, have similar stories. She walks in beauty like the night. A grinning Spock greets Lieutenant Uhura with a line of Byron at one point in their decades of shared Star Trek adventures. Now, this was way, way back when Leonard Nimoys Spock occasionally grinned, but walk with me here: Even the alien knew a queen when he saw one. And what a queen. Those boots. That dress. That eye makeup. That glorious voice. Nichelle Nichols, the woman who brought Uhura to life, died last week at the age of 89. Her contribution to the collective imagination of America whether on the television screen or in her real life cannot be overstated. With not a hair out of place and fabulous earrings dangling, she was Communications Officer, fourth in command of the Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise in the 23rd century. Adrian Gyle (spell that last name differently and it speaks volumes), the novels narrator, is a world-weary British journalist nearing the end of a not especially distinguished career. I was a struggling and one could fairly say declining reporter, he tells us early on, filing freelance stories for magazines and online news sites. Hes been in Hong Kong since just after the 1997 handover, and now his best days and best work are behind him. He spends his time dawdling with Jimmy Tang, his close friend from his years at Cambridge, and Jimmys wife, Melissa and then, critically, with the mans much younger mistress, the 23-year-old Rebecca To. Image Adrian and Jimmys friendship is one in which both men understand the power dynamics. Jimmy comes from a family of shipping billionaires Dynastic money flowed through them like the sap of a giant ancient tree while Adrian was a scholarship boy from a small town no one has ever heard of. Jimmy has two yachts with crews, and cars with drivers at the ready, and his wardrobe and liquor cabinet are awash in brand names that the superrich take for granted. (Playing Robin Leach, I took an almost salacious pleasure Googling the price of the suits he buys Adrian and the Champagne he serves him.) Occasionally, Adrian will betray his resentment toward Jimmy with a revealing aside about how shallow his friend really is: When talking about Maoism, for example, he would just grimace and say, Yes, yes, I understand, but the clothes, comrade, the clothes. Adrian is impressed with Rebecca, a woman who, like Jimmy, comes from money. Shes smart, resourceful and part of the student rebellion, occasionally even smelling like tear gas which complicates her affair with Jimmy because the Tang family has standing with the Communist Party. We cant have Jimmy going all pro-democracy on us, Jimmys wife says when she is probing Adrian about Jimmys latest dalliance. When Jimmy and Rebecca are spotted by a tabloid photographer, their affair becomes public and endangers Jimmys marriage and reputation. But Rebeccas fate seems to be far worse; soon after, she vanishes and the body of a woman whose name is not released is brought to the morgue. Adrian wonders if this could be Rebecca and whether his friend had a hand in her demise, especially when Jimmy himself goes off the radar. His friend, he reflects, had certainly gotten rid of an embarrassment, a thorn in his side. Maybe he had done it under the guise of an accidental death at the hands of the police. THE RABBIT HUTCH, by Tess Gunty Its all writers prerogative to kill their darlings, though it takes a certain elan to kill your actual protagonist on the first page or at least send her sliding somewhere beyond this mortal plane, as Tess Gunty seems to in the opening of The Rabbit Hutch: On a hot night in Apartment C4, Blandine Watkins exits her body. She is only 18 years old, but she has spent most of her life wishing for this to happen. Its one of many bold moves in Guntys dense, prismatic and often mesmerizing debut, a novel of impressive scope and specificity that falters mostly when it works too hard to wedge its storytelling into some broader notion of Big Ideas. The parameters of the story itself are confined almost entirely to a single summer week in the fictional Midwestern city of Vacca Vale, Ind. one of those dying third-rate metropolises, whose tenuous grip on prosperity faded when its main industry, Zorn Automobiles, collapsed under a cloud of debt and ecological misdeeds several decades before. Blandine is a child of Vacca Vale born and raised, if rarely cared for: an autodidact and eerie Valkyrie beauty, with her piles of well-thumbed tomes on 12th-century mystics and corn-silk halo of hair. There was a mother once, we are told in a few deftly sketched sentences, with a fateful oxycodone habit, and a father in jail; then a series of foster families. Now she works at a local diner heavy on avant-garde pie flavors of the day include lavender lamb and banana charcoal and shares a shabby apartment with three other aged-out foster kids, all troubled varieties of teenage boy. While universities always publicly denounce funding cuts, many were not-so-secretly glad for the excuse to become more exclusive, expensive and focused on the wants of the wealthy. Thats how excellence has always been defined in American higher education. Just as tectonic economic shifts left tens of millions of workers needing new training and credentials, the public university system was becoming less affordable and more beholden to meritocratic ideas that thinly disguised the interests of the ruling class. Meanwhile, even students who might have been inclined by background and politics to embrace higher learning became disillusioned by the spiraling crisis of debt. This is all true, and important. But it starts to creak as a totalizing explanation for the alarming state of the body politic. Bunch devotes a long chapter to a four-part taxonomy of American discontent, defined by the axes of age and college attainment. One example is Dave Mitchko, a Scranton-area man in his 50s without a degree, made briefly famous for distributing thousands of Trump 2020 signs from his home garage. Maybe Mitchko truly believes he signed a social contract that you didnt need a fancy college education to have a nice life in the United States only to see it get ripped up right in front of him. That deal didnt last long, historically speaking, and was only ever offered to people with names like Dave and Mitchko. And it was broken because the plant he used to work in manufactured vinyl records and compact discs. Technological change is a fact of life, and colleges werent responsible for de-unionization or the trade policies that exposed workers to competition from foreign labor or for Mitchkos belief that George Floyd was resisting arrest. Bunch is careful to acknowledge all of this. But at some point, fair-minded caveats start to feel like counterarguments. Colleges have been as much the venue for political division as they have been its root cause. The strike in downtown Kabul over the weekend capped a 21-year manhunt. After receiving authorization from President Biden a week ago, the C.I.A. fired two Hellfire missiles and killed al-Zawahri on a balcony of the house without killing anyone else, including members of his family or nearby civilians, U.S. officials said. The strike raised immediate questions about the terrorist leaders presence in Afghanistan a year after Biden withdrew all U.S. forces, clearing the way for the Taliban to retake control of the country. Al-Zawahri moved back to Afghanistan earlier this year, evidently believing he would be safe there, officials said. The Taliban condemned the operation, and the revelation that they were sheltering al-Zawahri is likely to harden support for sanctions. Quotable: Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more, President Biden said in a televised address on Monday night. No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out. Legacy: Al-Zawahri, 71, was born in Egypt and trained as a surgeon before becoming a jihadist. He was widely depicted as the organizations intellectual spine, but his death is likely to have little impact on the groups day-to-day operations. 4. Primary elections were held in five states, including major races in Arizona and Missouri. The race to succeed Arizonas governor, Doug Ducey, has been dominated by election denialism after Donald Trump turned on Ducey for certifying President Bidens victory. Trumps preferred candidate, Kari Lake, is running on outlandish election falsehoods, unlike her Republican rival, Karrin Taylor Robson. On the Democratic side, Katie Hobbs, Arizonas secretary of state, is favored to win the nomination, setting up what is expected to be a tight contest in November. In Missouri, Eric Greitens is running for Senate four years after resigning as governor amid an investigation into fund-raising improprieties and accusations of sexual assault. Prominent Republicans split their endorsements between his opponents, giving him a path to the nomination. And voters in Kansas will be the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned to decide whether to protect reproductive rights or clear a path for a legislative ban in the state. In other political news, emails show that Arizona officials believed Trumps fake electors plan could appear treasonous. U.S. strike kills Al Qaedas leader A U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the top leader of Al Qaeda and a key plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He took over Al Qaeda after U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more, President Biden said in an address to Americans last night. The strike, in the heart of downtown Kabul over the weekend, was the first U.S. attack in Afghanistan since American forces left the country last year. The Taliban condemned the operation. Here are live updates. Now is not the time to lose discipline, Bernard Looney, BPs chief executive, said on a call with analysts. So thats the first thing to say is that we are anxious not to get drawn into this into believing that this new world will be this new world forever, and were cognizant of the industrys history. BP announced its exit from Russia in February, and in the first quarter wrote off about $25 billion in the value of its stake in Rosneft, Russias state-controlled oil company, and other ventures. Analysts considered that a paper loss with little relevance to BPs future performance. Energy companies windfall profits have brought political pressure on them to do more to increase production and lower costs to consumers. President Biden has accused oil companies of profiteering off surging energy prices, and Britain, home of BP and Shell, has announced a special tax on the industrys extraordinary profits. A climate and energy bill agreed by Senate Democrats last week aims to reduce global warming pollution by 50 percent in the United States by 2030. The bill also mandates lease sales for new oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, a major base of operations for BP, and generally gives a nod to the importance of oil and gas, Mr. Looney told analysts. More than 90 percent of collagen and gelatin on the market comes from hogs and cattle, a byproduct of the slaughter industry. The goal of Geltors theoretical experiments wasnt just to generate hype but to convince potential clients they could make products the current supply chain couldnt. What if you werent constrained by what kind of animal is available to source your collagen? Dr. Lorestani recalled asking. Then he suggested one mammal in particular, which is how Geltor settled on its first creation: HumaColl21, which the company calls a virtually colorless and odorless solution. In 2019, the Korean company AHC released an eye cream containing HumaColl21. Orora Skin Science, based in Canada, followed with creams and serums in 2021. In the past two years, Geltor has released biologically similar marine collagen and human elastin (as the name implies, a particularly stretchy protein) for skin care, as well as a poultry-like collagen intended for use in nutritional supplements. Microbes growing in giant fermenters express each of these collagens, which are strained and refined into pure protein. The protein is just like what you would find in the original source, Dr. Lorestani said. (The third-party IGEN certification program confirmed there was no detectable genetic material in the final product.) A $91.3 million investment round in 2020 allowed Geltor to ramp up production from 35,000 liters in 2019 to 2.2 million liters in 2021, which is still a relatively small amount. Tiny bottles of luxury eye creams require very little HumaColl21; large shampoo bottles and jars of collagen powder require more. Enough gelatin to supply Midwest potlucks with vegan Jell-O salads would require exponential growth. Those limits have determined the companys commercial path. The volumes of product required for the beauty and personal care customers are different than what are required for food and nutrition customers, Dr. Lorestani said. Despite all that investment, there are skeptics. Julie Guthman, a geographer at University of California, Santa Cruz, who investigates Silicon Valleys forays into agriculture and food, questions the magical disruption behind the alternative-protein industrys promises. Theres this idea that if you produce protein from cells or fermentation in a lab, somehow it removes us from land-based meat production, she said; these companies still require energy, metal and food for the microbes themselves. And, she noted, theres little transparency into their environmental claims, since their patented processes are closely guarded secrets. Two people familiar with CNNs operations said the networks initial 2022 profitability target was $1.1 billion, which Mr. Licht is on track to miss by more than $100 million. But another person familiar with the matter said that by the accounting of company executives, Mr. Licht was on track to meet a profitability target of roughly $950 million for the year, since the networks initial budget didnt account for losses associated with launching the CNN+ streaming service. However the numbers are crunched, inside CNN the hunt is on for new revenue. To help solve the financial puzzle, Mr. Licht has tapped Chris Marlin, a longtime friend who was recently an executive at the Florida home builder Lennar. Mr. Marlin whom some CNN employees have taken to calling Fish Man, a takeoff on his surname had no experience operating a cable news network, having worked at the law firms Foley & Lardner and Holland & Knight. Mr. Marlin has floated a variety of revenue-generating ideas since joining CNN, including striking advertising deals with major tech companies like Microsoft. Mr. Marlin has also mentioned selling sponsorships to corporate underwriters, extending CNNs brand in China and expanding CNN Underscored, an e-commerce initiative. CNNs parent has also cracked down on expenses. In July, CNN employees received a revised travel and expense policy that, among other things, restricts spending on work celebrations for senior vice presidents and below to $50 per person (no cap for C.E.O. of W.B.D., the policy reads). And Mr. Licht has found ways to make coverage more economical, including a recent decision not to send a U.S.-based special events team to Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee. The best-selling author Stephen King testified on Tuesday in a suit filed by the Justice Department to block Penguin Random House from buying Simon & Schuster, saying the merger of two of the countrys largest publishers would make it harder for writers to earn a living. Mr. King testified as a witness for the government, which has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia aiming to stop the $2.18 billion acquisition. The firms are among the largest of the so-called Big Five publishers, and part of an industry already reshaped by consolidation. Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German company Bertelsmann, is itself the result of a 2013 merger. In the United States, souvenir-spoon-collecting dates back to the mid-1800s (the first American souvenir spoon, produced in the late 1800s, was outfitted with George Washingtons profile). By the time the Chicago Worlds Fair arrived, in 1893, with its 27 million visitors, spoon-collecting had become a pastime. Its impossible to say what people collecting spoons a century ago were thinking, but I like to imagine that then, too, it was a form of aspirational travel, carried out through gifts from friends and family. Perhaps those armchair travelers may have been no different from the toddler waiting at home for her spoon to arrive, and for the world to unfold through the magic of finely etched silver or nickel. I felt then, as I do now, that these spoons, with their careful embellishments, displayed a level of artistry that other keepsakes couldnt match. I loved the scalloped edges on the Windsor spoon and the motorcar atop the one from Detroit details that brought me joy in a way that a gift-shop shirt or a vial filled with pink sand from some tropical beach never did. From 1988 to 1998, I flew between Bostons Logan Airport and New Yorks LaGuardia every other weekend, a regular route carved into me by divorce. Added up, this accounted for approximately 108,000 total miles flown, with not a single spoon purchased from either airport. Instead, I have spoons from other places, while I was living life away from one parent or the other. I found my spoon collection again recently, on the heels of a move. They were still in their cabinets, which were never quite right, and so I ordered the appropriate ones with hitched notches, designed especially for them. A long time ago, when my father delivered these spoons to me, he was, as I saw it, promising something that wed see these places together. Eventually, I was promising something in return. My father retired at 54 with the intention of traveling the world. At 55, he was diagnosed with A.L.S.; by 57, he was dead. In the final weeks of his life, I asked him to tell me about the places on his bucket list. By then, we both knew that he would not live to see the Canadian Rockies, the cliffs of Ireland, the magnificent green-lipped sea of New Zealand. Not long after his death, I booked a solo flight to Auckland a destination he had shown me on the computer, after speech had become impossible. I brought his ashes with me. I did not buy a spoon. Others share views on Muybridges eccentricities. The actor Gary Oldman, a collector of Muybridges work who has been involved in trying to make a Muybridge biopic, comes off as a serious enthusiast when expounding on the photographers motives and photographs. The biographer Marta Braun and the art historian Amy Werbel challenge the idea that Muybridges motion studies at the University of Pennsylvania should count as scientific, in line with the universitys ostensible expectations. The film historian Tom Gunning suggests that Muybridge was, unwittingly, something of a Surrealist forebear. While starchy in presentation, Exposing Muybridge makes clear that its subjects images still have a lot to show us. Exposing Muybridge Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes. Rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. A rabbi from Buenos Aires pounds the pavement to raise money for his community center in Shalom Taiwan, a film whose meager plot could use a bit of a boost itself. After finding little support on a fund-raising trip to New York, Rabbi Aaron (Fabian Rosenthal) ventures out to Taiwan on a hunch, and routine culture-clash content and sightseeing montages ensue. The story, partly by design, is a series of anticlimactic encounters, as Rabbi Aaron pitches the merits of his newly renovated center to prospective donors. One meeting in Taipei takes place on the careening rides of an amusement park, another among verdant tea groves in the serenity of the countryside. A 14-year-old boy was found fatally shot in a Queens driveway early Tuesday, and investigators were exploring whether the killing was connected to a shooting on a nearby block the night before, officials said. Officers responding to a 911 call around 7 a.m. found the boys body outside a house on Beach 67th Street in the Arverne section of the Rockaways, the police said. He had been shot once in the back and was declared dead at the scene, the police said. The boy, whom the police identified as Shawn Frye of Paterson, N.J., was the latest young person to be killed amid persistent gun violence that Mayor Eric Adams has said his administration is committed to stemming. The new leader of Al Qaeda will inherit a more formidable and dangerous organization than the one Bin Laden left behind for al-Zawahri. Today Qaeda affiliates in East Africa and the Sahel region are on the march, and the Taliban remain protective of core members of Al Qaeda, as shown by al-Zawahris presence in Kabul and other terror groups like the Pakistani Taliban that align with Al Qaeda. The new leader may continue to boast the Talibans win in Afghanistan as Al Qaedas win and put the group in an offensive gear, which could lead to more terrorist violence. Where does this leave the United States? The Biden administration can take some comfort in the fact that it has a workable over the horizon military strategy for landlocked Afghanistan combining surveillance, covert partners inside Afghanistan, precise strike capabilities and regional relationships to locate and disrupt threats without having boots on the ground. However, there is no escaping the fact that Al Qaeda continues to fester under the Taliban. This means that the U.S.-Taliban engagement of the past several years has failed. That engagement was predicated on the belief that the Taliban which hosted Bin Laden before Sept. 11 would change their ways, seek better relations with the world and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist safe haven. Al-Zawahris sanctuary in Kabul makes clear that America cant rely on the Talibans word. Unsurprisingly, the Taliban see the targeting of al-Zawahri in Kabul as a blow to their honor and a violation of Afghan sovereignty and the U.S.-Taliban agreement of 2020, and they could respond by stepping up support to Al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups in Afghanistan. (The U.S. government says the Taliban have violated tenets of the agreement by hosting Al-Zawahri.) Al-Zawahris successful targeting in Kabul doesnt mean that the threat is now over. If anything, it demonstrates that Al Qaeda is resurfacing in Afghanistan and that despite sanctions, the Taliban are comfortable, secure and enabling threats against the region and the Western world. Alaa has the dubious honor of having been a political prisoner, or charged, under Hosni Mubarak, the Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi and then Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the general who is now Egypts president. During his brief release in 2014, Alaa kept saying how happy he was to finally get to change his sons diapers; he was imprisoned again just a few months later. In 2019 he was released, again deliriously happy to spend time with his son. But he was put in detention without charges just a few months later. In 2021, when he finally got a trial, he received another five-year sentence for spreading false news. Alaa said he hadnt even been told what he was being charged with before being hauled to court. Alaas family emphasizes hes but one unjustly imprisoned person; his mother often notes how many others arent even talked about. But Alaas treatment is an indication of how little care there is left in the world. Hes internationally known, a British citizen, described by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience who has been unjustly imprisoned. There have been opinion essays and calls from human rights organizations to no avail. One need not be naive about international politics to understand why this is so devastating. We know that many countries with stated commitments to democracy and human rights routinely cut deals with terrible regimes because of their strategic goals or for access to resources or cooperation. But here, though, countries professing to care about human rights are the ones with leverage, as Egypt depends on foreign aid, trade and tourism to keep its economy going, and theres no reason it cant release a few political prisoners and improve prison conditions, even if just for appearances sake, since it would pose no threat to the regime. We all instinctively extrapolate insights from our own communities and day-to-day interactions, imagining they are true about the nation at large. Inevitably, that means our view of the country is a little distorted but for those in the university, the distortions can be extreme. Stuck on campus, academics risk limiting their knowledge and toleration of a wider sweep of American society. To put it another way, whats most dangerous for the health of Americas intellectual elite is not that most professors have similar cultural tastes and similar liberal politics. That will probably always be the case. Its that the campus setup makes it easy for them to forget that reasonable people often dont share their outlook. Student bodies and faculties have grown more diverse in recent decades, but that shouldnt fool us into thinking elite universities have become microcosms of society: The highly educated are far more liberal than average Americans. The divide isnt just political: Whatever their socioeconomic backgrounds, students and professors have daily routines that are very different from those of lawyers, shopkeepers or manual laborers and that shapes their worldviews. Life at a university with a dominant central campus can also narrow students views on the world, especially at colleges where most undergraduates live on campus. Letting the university take care of all of students needs food, housing, health care, policing, punishing misbehavior can be infantilizing for young adults. Worse, it warps students political thinking to eat food that simply materializes in front of them and live in residence halls that others keep clean. It also takes away the chance to encounter people with different roles in society, from retail workers to landlords interactions that would remind them they wont be students forever and open questions about the social relevance of the ideas they encounter in the university. Community outreach programs can help broaden students outlook, but the better approach would be to configure the physical footprint of universities in a way that makes interactions with surrounding communities natural. To the Editor: Re Im Ukraines Foreign Minister. Putin Must Be Stopped, by Dmytro Kuleba (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, July 29): The government of Ukraine urges us not to negotiate, but to fight. This is a recipe for the destruction of Ukraine and the possible escalation to a nuclear war. From the start, the United States has refused to acknowledge a critical and valid issue for negotiation with Russia: NATOs planned enlargement to Ukraine and Georgia, a bad and provocative idea launched by the U.S. in 2008. We should instead follow John F. Kennedys enduring wisdom: Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency on Monday to address a monkeypox outbreak, making the state the third in four days to elevate its public health response to the rapidly spreading disease. The declaration followed similar actions by New York on Friday and Illinois on Monday, and by the city of San Francisco on Thursday. Mayor Eric Adams of New York also declared a local emergency on Monday. California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach, Mr. Newsom said in a statement. WASHINGTON Congress has approved bipartisan legislation that would extend a benefits program for the families of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty to officers who die by suicide as a result of a traumatic event on the job, including those who took their own lives after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The legislation, which would also allow officers to seek disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing a traumatic event in the line of duty, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Monday. That cleared the legislation, which passed the House in May by a lopsided margin, for President Biden, who was expected to sign it. The bills passage comes after four police officers who responded to the mob violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, died by suicide. Mr. Evans was not the first person to study Southern Jews; scholars, rabbis and historical societies had long documented disparate local communities. But The Provincials was the first attempt to tell a synthesized regional history to a broader public. I am one of those people who, when they read Provincials, they felt for the first time a recognition, Marcie Cohen Ferris, a professor of American studies at the University of North Carolina who grew up in Arkansas, said in an interview. They had never seen their experience of Jewish life reflected this way. Mr. Evanss title was a bit tongue-in-cheek: Jews in the South were provincial only in the eyes of their Northern urban coreligionists. At home, in contrast, Jews were not aliens in the Promised Land, but a blood-and-bones part of the South, he wrote. Mr. Evans was a gifted writer whose sentences resembled the lush lyricism of other midcentury Southerners like James Agee and Reynolds Price. But he centered those sentences on a culture that, until then, had been the domain of Northern Jewish writers like Bernard Malamud and Saul Bellow. Eli really showed the way; he opened the door for a new generation of Southern Jewish writers, Roy Hoffman, a novelist who lives in Mobile, Ala., said in an interview. The Provincials intersperses Mr. Evanss personal account of growing up as the son of a prominent businessman in Durham who was also the citys first Jewish mayor with chapters grappling with antisemitism, the angst of assimilation and the role of Jews in the civil rights movement. After a miserably hot summer across much of the country, dont expect August to bring relief. Only the Southwest and Alaska are forecast to have cool or average temperatures over the next few weeks, according to the monthly outlook from the National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center. The rest of the country? Hot or hotter. As the latest heat wave recedes from the Pacific Northwest, where it may be responsible for more than a dozen deaths, the scorching temperatures will return to the central United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, then spike across the Northeast on Thursday. And the West will warm up all over again this weekend. The only places spared the heat can expect the possibility of torrential downpours and flash floods, like the ones already seen in Kentucky, because they sit at the ridges of the heat dome engulfing the country. For hundreds of years, a tree known as Hyperion has stood quietly among its fellow giants deep within Redwoods National and State Park in Northern California. Inaccessible by trails, Hyperion, a coast redwood, can be reached only by bushwhacking through heavy vegetation and crossing a river. Still, a flood of travel bloggers, tree enthusiasts and recreational climbers has managed to do so and has damaged the surrounding undergrowth in the process. As a result, the National Park Service has closed off access to Hyperion, which, at 379.1 feet tall, is the worlds tallest living tree. Now, under a rule adopted this year, anyone who gets too close could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. It sounds very far-fetched, said Brian Carney, a lawyer from Midland representing one of the ranch hands who has been charged. If someone were to tell you this story, youd be like, come on, is that some kind of novel? Is that something that really happens? Now, as 100-degree temperatures bake the terrain, the tiny county has been engulfed in an intensely personal political struggle, one that raises not only questions about the correct way to wrangle wayward cattle, but also weightier considerations of the definition of residency, the nature of home and who has a right to vote where in Texas. For some in Loving County, the serial arrests provided a cautionary example of how law enforcement in a remote corner of rural America can be used to achieve political ends. For others, the arrests seemed like a necessary step to rein in county leaders who many believed had been skirting the rules. The depth of animosity as well as the interconnectedness of almost everyone involved became apparent when the sheriff temporarily barred one of the arrested ranch hands a former deputy who has talked of running against the sheriff from entering the county building that houses the sheriffs office, saying he would charge him with trespassing if he set foot inside. The only problem: That particular ranch hand is also the countys part-time custodian. A couple days after the warning, the sheriff sent an email to county officials complaining that nobody was taking out his trash. Inside the county courthouse in Mentone, prominent figures in two competing political factions occupy offices at either end of a short hallway: the county judge, Mr. Jones, 71, on one end, and on the other, his nephew, Brandon Jones, the county constable. Follow live updates on Arizona election results. Arizona, a cauldron of Trumpism, partisan election lawsuits and audits, is holding its primary elections today. The results are likely to be a source of national interest, with fiercely competitive races up and down the ballot that not only will set the direction of the state but could ultimately decide which party controls Congress. Heres what to know about voting in Arizona. How to vote Arizona was an early adopter of voting by mail, long before the coronavirus pandemic changed the way millions of Americans cast ballots. But the deadlines to request a mail-in ballot (July 22) and to register to vote (July 5) for the primary have passed. Two Arizona Republicans recruited by allies of former President Donald J. Trump to join an effort to keep him in office after he lost the 2020 election grew so concerned about the plan that they told lawyers working on it that they feared their actions could be seen as treason, according to emails reviewed by The New York Times. Kelli Ward, the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, and Kelly Townsend, a state senator, were both said to have expressed concerns to Mr. Trumps lawyers in December 2020 about participating in a plan to sign on to a slate of electors claiming that Mr. Trump had won Arizona, even though Joseph R. Biden Jr. had won the state. The scheme was part of a broader bid one of the longest running and most complicated that Mr. Trump undertook as he sought to cling to power after losing the 2020 presidential election to falsely manufacture a victory for him by creating fake slates of electors in battleground states who would claim that he had been the true winner. Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, said his ultimate goal was to eliminate the advantages that some counties have gaining access to a wide array of federal aid programs. They have to learn how to play the game, he said. And they have to learn how to play the game at multiple levels, with multiple departments. Starting this month, E.P.A. and Agriculture Department experts will begin to work directly with local officials to create needs assessments and project lists, draft the detailed proposals demanded by state governments and ensure that projects are executed efficiently. The idea for the change, Mr. Landrieu said, came from Mr. Biden. In January, while on Air Force One, he read an article in The New York Times documenting the problems in Lowndes County. He then instructed his aides to make sure the issues were dealt with right now, Mr. Landrieu and Mr. Vilsack said. You cant just send money out and hope that the states and the locals get together, Mr. Landrieu added. Its important to be on the ground to make sure. Environmental activists, who have urged federal officials to take a more active role to assist these regions for years, said the initiative was welcome but would not work long-term unless the White House remained engaged indefinitely. I think this is the beginning, and just a first step, not an end in itself, said Catherine Coleman Flowers, an Alabama native and MacArthur fellow whose 2020 book Waste highlighted the sanitation crisis in Lowndes County. WASHINGTON Intelligence officers made a crucial discovery this spring after tracking Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda, to Kabul, Afghanistan: He liked to read alone on the balcony of his safe house early in the morning. Analysts search for that kind of pattern-of-life intelligence, any habit the C.I.A. can exploit. In al-Zawahris case, his long balcony visits gave the agency an opportunity for a clear missile shot that could avoid collateral damage. The hunt for al-Zawahri, one of the worlds most wanted terrorists, stretches back to before the Sept. 11 attacks. The C.I.A. continued to search for him as he rose to the top of Al Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden and after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year. And a misstep during the chase, the recruitment of a double agent, led to one of the bloodiest days in the agencys history. Follow live updates on Kansas election results. Kansas voters will weigh in on Tuesday on primary contests for governor, Senate and some state legislative offices, as well as a constitutional amendment that would make it possible for state lawmakers to ban abortion. Here is a handy, last-minute guide to Election Day in Kansas. How to vote Are you registered? Check on this page of the Kansas secretary of state website. If you requested to vote by mail, your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and be received by your county election office by the close of business on the Friday after the election. The deadline to request a mail ballot was July 26. Follow live updates on Michigan election results. Michigan, a battleground state where Republicans have clashed with Democrats over the 2020 election results and coronavirus restrictions, is holding its primary elections today. The outcomes will be closely followed by both parties, which have continued to tie their electoral fortunes to the state. Here is a refresher on the rules for voting and whats at stake. How to vote Michigan provides same-day voter registration, unlike many states that have early deadlines for participating in elections. Residents who meet the states eligibility requirements can register in person at their local clerks office until 8 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday. Follow live updates on Kansas election results. Millions of dollars worth of advertising has flooded the airwaves in Kansas, part of a sudden burst of attention and spending as voters prepare for the countrys first electoral test addressing abortion since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Kansans are voting on whether to add language to their State Constitution that would clear a path for Republican lawmakers to restrict or ban the procedure. So far, roughly $12 million has been poured into the race split about evenly between both camps. As each side made its pitch before the vote on Tuesday, they presented starkly different views of the stakes of the proposed change, which would specify that the Kansas Constitution contains no guaranteed right to abortion and make clear that lawmakers could pass new limits. Follow live updates on Missouri election results. Missouri voters will weigh in on Tuesday on some key primary contests, including who gets the Republican nomination in the race to replace the retiring Senator Roy Blunt. Not sure if you can vote? Want to vote but dont know where to go? What else is on the ballot? Here is a handy, last-minute guide to Election Day in Missouri. How to vote July 6 was the deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 2 primary. (But you have until Oct. 12 to register to vote in the general election, which is Nov. 8.) Under Mr. Xi, Chinas most powerful leader in decades, Beijing has taken more aggressive military actions in the region and recently made strong claims over the strait separating Taiwan and China, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Mr. Xi has called for unification with Taiwan as part of Chinas national rejuvenation, even potentially by force. The United States has sent a steady stream of senior officials to show solidarity with Taiwan. Recently, Mr. Biden said he would act to defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict. It was not the first time he had done so, but White House officials have repeatedly walked back those statements, saying a longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity on the defense of Taiwan remains in place. Publicly, senior White House officials have said that Ms. Pelosis visit does not indicate any change in official policy, and should be viewed by China as no different than any of the other recent visits to Taiwan by members of Congress. But privately, administration officials made it clear to Ms. Pelosi that her decision to visit Taiwan appeared likely to provoke China at a time when tensions between the two nations are high and the United States is already engaged in helping Ukraine fight its war with Russia. Ms. Pelosis visit has been awkward for Mr. Biden. The speaker and her staff insisted that, as the leader of a separate but coequal branch of the American government, she has the right to go anywhere she desires. And Mr. Bidens aides stressed that he did not want to be seen as dictating where she can travel. Officials said Mr. Biden never told Ms. Pelosi not to go. But officials made it clear that her trip could significantly escalate tensions, including the possibility that China would use the visit to justify military action against Taiwan. Results from Tuesdays elections are some of the most hotly anticipated of the midterm season, with two battleground states among the five hosting major primary contests, a spate of Trump-backed election deniers seeking their partys nominations and the first post-Roe vote on abortion happening in Kansas. So pour a cup of coffee if you need to this could go late. In Arizona and Washington State, the first results wont be reported until at least 11 p.m. Eastern time (8 p.m. in those states). Both have contests worth staying up for: Former President Donald J. Trump has endorsed several election deniers seeking top offices in Arizona, and in Washington, he has backed Republicans running to unseat two House members, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, who voted in favor of his impeachment. Much of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, putting it three hours behind East Coast clocks. An Arizona law intended to prevent voters still in line at polling places when they close from being influenced by early results will push the release of vote totals back even further. Legally, the first batch of unofficial results cannot be published until an hour after the last polls close at 10 p.m. Eastern time. (The polls on the Navajo reservation, which does observe Daylight Saving Time, will close an hour earlier, at 9 p.m. Eastern.) James Krellenstein, the founder of the AIDS advocacy group PrEP4All and an organizer of the Montreal protest, said the appointments were long overdue. He described Dr. Daskalakis as an excellent physician and epidemiologist who has the trust of so many in the gay and trans community. Every single one of my friends who has gotten monkeypox now attempted to get vaccinated in late May or early June, Mr. Krellenstein said, adding that he knew a dozen people who were infected. Because of the federal governments missteps, he said, they were unable to get vaccinated and unable to protect themselves, and they are sick and in excruciating, inhuman pain. Until now, the response has been coordinated largely by Dr. Raj Panjabi, the director for global health security and biodefense on the National Security Council, whose responsibilities include guarding against infectious disease threats. Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, has also played a role, as have Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a C.D.C. official; Dawn OConnell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services; and Xavier Becerra, the health secretary. Centering the response operation at the White House gives the administration more flexibility to coordinate efforts across a range of agencies that might be involved, including FEMA, the Health and Human Services Department and the Department of Homeland Security. It also creates a designated team that has no responsibilities other than to combat monkeypox a move that makes sense, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Mr. Bidens chief medical adviser. Putting together someone who has extensive experience in implementation of public health programs, the way Bob Fenton did with the distribution of Covid vaccines, with someone like Demetre Daskalakis, who not only is an experienced infectious disease and public health physician, but who also has very strong, credible ties to the community, is a very important addition to the overall monkeypox response, Dr. Fauci said in an interview. An early-morning statement from the White House said the two mens responsibilities would include equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments. Ancient Kiln Site in Qinxi Town Recently, many tourists visited a quaint courtyard in Taoyao Village, Qinxi Town, Jingxian County. Jingxian County is an important production areas for civil pottery. In 1984, the cultural relics department of Anhui province found pottery and celadon ware engraved with the word "Xuan" when they inspected Taoyao Village. According to preliminary identification, the ancient kiln site of Taoyao Village is the "Ancient Xuanzhou Kiln Site" during the Tang and Five Dynasties, with a history of more than 1,000 years. The villagers of Taoyao Village use kaolin as raw material and use ancient pottery-making techniques to make utensils. The molding process includes the clay-strip forming method, the clay-piece molding method and the throwing method. The pottery here is glazed by natural wood ash and is fired in the dragon kiln. Wood ash glaze forms various textures at high temperatures, commonly known as "Yao bian (changes happened in kiln)." The glaze color is ever-changing, making each piece of pottery unique. The potter Hu Jinzhong is showing the pottery skills to tourists. Jingxian dragon kiln pottery is closely related to people's daily life, including tea sets, tableware, wine sets, stationery, etc., with high practical value, ornamental value and collection value. In May 2022, the dragon kiln pottery making technology of Jingxian County was selected into the 6th batch of provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Items in Anhui Province. Reported by Wen Qin Translated by Zheng Chen Hours after an American drone strike killed the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, in downtown Kabul, Taliban security forces rushed to seal off the site. Green tarps were thrown over destroyed windows. Checkpoints were put up, and shops were closed. But there was no hiding the damage that had been done to the Talibans nascent government, which had tried to shelter the worlds most wanted terrorist from the eyes of the American government. The strike early Sunday morning and the public revelation that the Taliban had sheltered a key plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the heart of the Afghan capital was a watershed moment for the groups new government. And it underscored the reality of their rule: The Taliban have not fundamentally reformed from their first regime in the 1990s, when their hard-line policies and relationship with Al Qaeda turned the country into a pariah state. The United States announced on Monday that it had killed Ayman al-Zawahri in a drone strike in Afghanistan, ending a 21-year manhunt for the terrorist leader, who was instrumental in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and who took command of Al Qaeda after Osama bin Ladens death. The killing of al-Zawahri, who was one of the worlds most wanted and feared terrorists, is considered a major victory for the Biden administration. But the strike has also raised questions about the terrorist leaders presence in Afghanistan one year after President Biden withdrew American forces from the country, clearing the way for the Taliban to retake control. Here is what we know so far about the attack, who al-Zawahri was, and the consequences of his killing. The Peoples Liberation Armys struggle with Taiwan is going to intensify in frequency and it will escalate the scale of force to tackle the U.S. governments provocations, he said, adding that drills that cross the median line that divides the waters between Taiwan and China would become more frequent. The planned drills would likely be the most assertive show of Chinese military power in the region since the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1995-96, when China fired missiles to intimidate the island and President Bill Clinton ordered aircraft carriers into the area. The exercises would effectively block access temporarily to some commercial shipping lanes and Taiwanese ports, analysts said. Still, the drills appeared to be largely a signaling exercise intended to project strength at home and abroad. They are signaling that we really dont like this and that we want to see less of this, said Joe McReynolds, senior China analyst at the Washington-based Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis. They are not signaling that we are imminently about to go to war. One concern, however, is that the fast-moving situation could lead to an accidental encounter that could spiral out of control. It remains to be seen whether and how Taiwan and the United States will respond to Chinas actions. Taiwans defense ministry said in a statement that it would respond appropriately in time and accused China of unilaterally undermining regional peace and stability. The looming Chinese military exercises would bring great pressure to the Taiwanese military, said Chieh Chung, a security analyst with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei. If a slight accident occurs, the low trust between both sides of the strait and the lack of experience in dealing with crises is likely to escalate the tensions, and lead to irreversible consequences. Joy Dong contributed reporting. Claire Fu contributed research. A ship loaded with Ukrainian corn was heading for an inspection in Turkish waters on Tuesday, a first under the provisions of a recent grain deal that opened Ukrainian ports for export after five months of a wartime Russian blockade. If the voyage goes smoothly, and the ship reaches its delivery destination the Port of Tripoli in Lebanon it would represent a significant step toward restoring the flow of grain from Ukraine, one of the worlds breadbaskets before the war. That would help ease grain shortages and lower prices around the world, though it cannot alone resolve the causes of the current global hunger crisis, which include conflicts elsewhere and climate disruptions. But the grain deal, which took months to negotiate, could easily unravel. The ship, the Razoni, is traveling through a war zone, at risk of an attack or accident, and a breach of trust or disagreement among inspectors and officials from the four parties to the arrangement Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey could once again freeze ships in ports. You dont really get to the top unless you are already quite unnaturally competitive, so it would be very astonishing if he just subsided into private life. While a return to Downing Street may be unlikely, Mr. Johnson, with his outsize political profile, knows how to keep his name in the headlines. That may not be good news for his successor. Writing in The Times of London, William Hague, a former Conservative leader, warned of the potential for Mr. Johnson to articulate a bundle of resentment, denial, attention-seeking and attempted vindication that will be a permanent nightmare for the new prime minister. Downing Street is not saying anything publicly about Mr. Johnsons future though his allies reject Mr. Hagues comments. They expect Mr. Johnson to remain in Parliament and to speak out over any dilution of his strong commitment to Ukraine, any significant shift over Brexit or a reversal of his still cloudy plan to level up the prosperity of neglected regions. Despite the scandals that led to his resignation, he retains a strong coterie of supporters in the right-wing media and among his party members who will elect the new leader. Backers of Ms. Truss have tried to exploit this loyalty, and have accused Mr. Sunak whose resignation started the unraveling of Mr. Johnsons job security of betraying the prime minister. One cabinet minister, Nadine Dorries, recently retweeted an image of Mr. Sunak in the pose of Brutus about to stab Julius Caesar in the back. And a seemingly doomed campaign to keep Mr. Johnson in Downing Street via a petition, signed by thousands of Conservative Party members, helps validate his theory advanced when he announced his resignation that his lawmakers acted irrationally in forcing out the man who brought them victory in 2019. The Times identified more than 1,200 other unregistered airstrips across the Brazilian Amazon many of them part of criminal networks that are destroying Indigenous land s and threatening their people. Hundreds of airstrips have been secretly built on protected lands in Brazil to fuel the illegal mining industry, a Times investigation found, including 61 in this Yanomami Indigenous territory. The airstrip it used was seized from the government by miners. They also built four other airstrips nearby, all illegally. This airplane with a scratched-out tail number is coming from an illegal gold mine. BOA VISTA, Brazil From 2,500 feet in the air, the dirt airstrip is just a crack in a seemingly endless ocean of rainforest, surrounded by muddy mining pits that bleed toxic chemicals into a riverbed. The airstrip is owned by the Brazilian government the only way for health care officials to reach the Indigenous people in the nearby village. But illegal miners have seized it, using small planes to ferry equipment and fuel into areas where roads dont exist. And when a plane the miners dont recognize approaches, they spread fuel canisters along the airstrip to make landing impossible. The airstrip now belongs to the miners, said Junior Hekurari, an Indigenous health care official. The miners have also built four other airstrips nearby, all illegally, propelling such a rapid expansion of illegal mining on the supposedly protected land of the Yanomami people that crime has grown out of control and government workers are too scared to return. Illegal miners spread empty fuel canisters along an airstrip, making a landing impossible. This is just a small cluster of the clandestine airstrips pushing the illegal mining of gold and tin ore into the most remote corners of the Amazon rainforest. Carved into the dense, lush landscape, they are part of vast criminal networks that operate largely unchecked because of the neglect or ineffectiveness of enforcement and regulatory agencies in Brazil, including the military. The New York Times identified 1,269 unregistered airstrips throughout Brazils Amazon rainforest in the last year, many of which supply a thriving illicit industry that has surged under President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil. Mr. Bolsonaro has faced constant global criticism for allowing the Amazon to be pillaged during his administration. Officials say the rapid spread of illicit mining under his watch could harm millions of people whose livelihoods rely on the Amazons rivers and accelerate the destruction of the worlds largest rainforest. The Amazon acts as a giant sponge, keeping tens of billions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. But its been under relentless assault in recent years from logging, extensive burning for agriculture, mining and other legal and illegal threats. Recent research shows that climate change and widespread deforestation are pushing the rainforest to a tipping point that could destroy its ability to recover from such damage. This could ultimately send years worth of global emissions into the atmosphere, and make it more difficult to combat global warming. How a typical illegal mining operation works Aircraft land on an illegal airstrip with fuel, food, supplies and workers. ILLEGAL AIRSTRIP Small off-road vehicles flown in in parts transport supplies to the mining encampment. Mining encampment Diesel-powered pumps shoot water into the mud to loosen it. Other pumps suck the mud from the riverbed, so it can be separated from gold. Riverbed Mine Diesel-powered pumps shoot water into the mud to loosen it. Other pumps suck the mud from the riverbed, so it can be separated from gold. Aircraft land on an illegal airstrip with fuel, food, supplies and workers. Small off-road vehicles flown in in parts transport supplies to the mining encampment. ILLEGAL AIRSTRIP Riverbed mine Diesel-powered pumps shoot water into the mud to loosen it. Other pumps suck the mud from the riverbed, so it can be separated from gold. Aircraft land on an illegal airstrip with fuel, food, supplies and workers. Small off-road vehicles flown in in parts transport supplies to the mining encampment. ILLEGAL AIRSTRIP Riverbed mine Diesel-powered pumps shoot water into the mud to loosen it. Other pumps suck the mud from the riverbed, so it can be separated from gold. Aircraft land on an illegal airstrip with fuel, food, supplies and workers. Small off-road vehicles flown in in parts transport supplies to the mining encampment. ILLEGAL AIRSTRIP Riverbed mine Diesel-powered pumps shoot water into the mud to loosen it. Other pumps suck the mud from the riverbed, so it can be separated from gold. Aircraft land on an illegal airstrip with fuel, food, supplies and workers. Small off-road vehicles flown in in parts transport supplies to the mining encampment. ILLEGAL AIRSTRIP Riverbed mine Since taking office in 2019, Mr. Bolsonaro has championed industries driving the rainforests destruction, leading to record levels of deforestation. He has both loosened regulations to expand logging and mining in the Amazon and scaled back protections. He also slashed federal funds and staffing, weakening the agencies that enforce Indigenous and environmental laws. Mr. Bolsonaro has long supported the legalization of mining on Indigenous land. He even visited an illegal gold mine on what was supposed to be protected territory, publicly signaling his support for illicit activities in the Brazilian Amazon. Its not fair to criminalize wildcat miners, Mr. Bolsonaro told supporters outside his home in Brasilia, the capital, last year. On Yanomami land alone about 37,500 square miles or roughly the size of Portugal law enforcement officials estimate that 30,000 miners are working illegally on territory protected by the government. Yet there is little enforcement. In recent years, their numbers have surged, causing deadly clashes, the displacement of Indigenous communities, swift deforestation and destruction to the land and rivers, with staggering levels of toxic mercury now found in the water. The illegal mining on Yanomami land near Brazils border with Venezuela is a window into whats playing out across the Amazon rainforest, which covers about 60 percent of the overall country. An Indigenous man from the village of Boqueirao navigating the Uraricoera River, which is contaminated by mercury from illegal mining. Many of the 1,269 unregistered airstrips that The New York Times identified have enabled aircraft to land in areas rich with gold and tin ore that are otherwise almost impossible to reach because of the thick rainforest and hilly terrain. While the role of air traffic in illegal mining has been well-documented, The Times examined thousands of satellite images dating back to 2016 to verify each airstrip and compile the most comprehensive picture yet of the illegal industrys scale. The Times analysis found at least 362 more than a quarter of the airstrips are within 12 miles of wildcat mining areas, a form of mining that is heavily dependent on highly toxic mercury. About 60 percent of those airstrips are on Indigenous and protected lands where any form of mining is forbidden. The hundreds of other airstrips identified by The Times often support illegal mining operations from greater distances, or are used by drug traffickers or by farmers to spread pesticides. Beyond that, miners also illegally use or have seized dozens of government airstrips that officials rely on to access remote communities. Our perception is that without airplanes, there wouldnt be mining in the Yanomami land, said Matheus Bueno, a federal prosecutor based in Boa Vista, the capital of the state of Roraima, where part of the Yanomami land sits. From 2010 to 2020, illegal mining on Indigenous lands grew by nearly 500 percent, and on conservation lands by 300 percent, according to an analysis by Mapbiomas, a Brazil-based collective of climate-focused nonprofit organizations and academic institutions. How We Documented Illegal Airstrips Times reporters collected the potential locations of illegal airstrips by collaborating with the Rainforest Investigations Network, a reporting project established by the Pulitzer Center, a Washington-based nonprofit, and with Hyury Potter, a reporter for The Intercept Brasil and a Pulitzer fellow. Others were collected from crowdsourced databases, satellite images and geospatial analysts. To confirm these locations and connect them with illicit mining, Times reporters built a tool to help analyze thousands of satellite images. They examined historical satellite imagery to determine that 1,269 unregistered airstrips still appeared in active use within the past year. They documented telltale signs of mining nearby, such as clear cut areas of rainforest and pools that miners use to separate dirt from ore. And they determined that hundreds of the airstrips in mining areas are within Indigenous and protected lands, where any form of mining is against the law. Times reporters and Mr. Potter shared data analysis and documents about government investigations into illegal mining, and The Times and The Intercept Brasil are simultaneously publishing articles based on this analysis. Sources for the potential locations of illegal airstrips include Open Street Maps, a crowdsourced geographic database; Earthrise Media, a nonprofit that specializes in geospatial analysis; Socio-Environmental Institute, an environmental nonprofit; and Hutukara, a Yanomami nonprofit that reported dozens of airstrips that support illegal mining in their land. For the Yanomami people, the effects of illegal mining have already been devastating. With a population of almost 40,000, the Yanomami, whose land straddles Brazil and Venezuela, is the largest Indigenous group living in relative isolation in the Amazon. A recent study by Hutukara, a Yanomami nonprofit, estimated that more than half of the people living in Yanomami Brazilian territory have been hurt by illegal mining. The fallout, according to the report, includes malnourishment because of destroyed or abandoned crops, and malaria spread by the proliferation of mosquitoes in open mining pits and deforested areas. The operations have also divided Indigenous groups because some work with the miners while others oppose them. Earlier this year, a fight broke out among two groups, leaving two men dead and five others wounded. But what most alarms health officials is the mercury used to separate gold dust from riverbed mud, which is poisoning the water and fish the community relies on. Mercury poisoning can impair childrens development and attacks the central nervous system, causing a range of health issues from loss of vision to cardiovascular disease, according to a report by Fiocruz, a public health care research institute. A recent government analysis of water collected from four Yanomami rivers found mercury levels 8,600 percent higher than whats considered safe for human consumption. The destruction in some communities is total, Mr. Hekurari said. Mining is everywhere. For decades, dozens of Indigenous people have lived in this area of protected Yanomami territory. In this February 2019 photo, their communal homes are visible, scattered near large patches of deforested land. Less than two years later, an illegal airstrip is seen carved into the forest near these Indigenous homes. The following year, mining activity starts to develop near that airstrip. Now, several mining pits surround the airstrip and neighboring Indigenous homes. Hundreds of miners are working in the pits, fueling conflict between Yanomami communities. Within a five-mile radius, there are three other illegal airstrips, a recent photo showed. An analysis of flight paths obtained by The Times shows illegal air traffic leveraging these clandestine airstrips to deliver mining supplies. Most flights take off from Boa Vista. Wildcat mines typically start with a single man trekking into the forest, carrying only a shovel, a hoe, a gold-panning bowl and a GPS device. The miners often come from impoverished communities, looking to make more than a living wage. Their bosses are part of fragmented, yet politically powerful criminal enterprises that have capitalized in recent years on the cheap labor market and the surging price of gold and tin. Once a lucrative mining spot is identified, more miners arrive carrying supplies to carve out a rudimentary mine. Diesel-powered pumps shoot powerful streams of water into the mud to loosen it, while other pumps extract the mud from the riverbed, creating enormous craters that disrupt the flow of rivers. Mercury is then mixed with the extracted mud to separate the gold particles. Traces of mercury remain in the discarded mud and also evaporate into the air during the smelting process. Airstrips are then built in areas rich enough in minerals to support expensive aerial supply chains. This is how they gain scale, said Gustavo Geiser, a forensics expert with the Brazilian Federal Police who has worked on several illegal mining cases. Wildcat mines are heavily dependent on mercury, which is used to separate gold dust from the riverbeds mud. Discarded in the rivers, the element is poisoning the water and fish. The gold is then sold to buyers, some of them unlicensed, who transfer it to smelters in Brazil and abroad for refinement. It then often ends up in banks around the world and in products, like phones and jewelry. Wildcat mining can be legal, but much of it is carried out without the required environmental permits or in protected areas where it is forbidden. As part of a broad investigation last year into illegal mining on Yanomami land, Brazils environmental protection agency, IBAMA, and the federal police seized dozens of planes and helicopters and revealed the inner workings of the logistics that support these operations. The sole distributor of aviation fuel in the state of Roraima was fined for selling to unregistered buyers who ran makeshift gas stations and is still under criminal investigation. Fuel was then carried to airstrips where planes and helicopters were hidden in nearby forest clearings. In May, The Times used a drone to observe one of the airstrips found by the agents and saw two planes being loaded with unknown cargo and several pickup trucks with fuel canisters traveling toward it an example of how enforcement agencies have struggled to effectively shut down these operations. Common aircraft modifications Tail numbers are often scratched out or modified. Some planes use gasoline when aviation fuel is not available. Fuel tank Seats GPS Seats are removed to make space for fuel and supplies. Transponders are turned off to avoid detection, and portable GPS equipment is used. Tail numbers are often scratched out or modified. Fuel tank Seats Some planes use gasoline when aviation fuel is not available. GPS Seats are removed to make space for fuel and supplies. Transponders are turned off to avoid detection, and portable GPS equipment is used. Seats are removed to make space for fuel and supplies. Tail numbers are often scratched out or modified. Fuel tank Some planes use gasoline when aviation fuel is not available. GPS Transponders are turned off to avoid detection, and portable GPS equipment is used. Seats are removed to make space for fuel and supplies. Tail numbers are often scratched out or modified. Fuel tank Some planes use gasoline when aviation fuel is not available. GPS Transponders are turned off to avoid detection, and portable GPS equipment is used. Note: Drawing is a schematic of a typical airplane model used for mining operations. The recent expansion of illegal mining across Brazil isnt unprecedented: A gold rush in the 1980s created a crisis much like the one that exists today. Amid international pressure, the government suffocated most illegal mining by blowing up dozens of airstrips, jailing and extraditing miners and closing off airspace over the Yanomami land for months at a time, according to news reports. Many law enforcement officials say a similar strategy must be deployed to effectively counter todays illegal mining. But under Mr. Bolsonaro, protection policies have been weakened by an administration that critics say has prioritized unregulated economic development over environmental and Indigenous issues. Aircraft that supply and support illegal mining in the Amazon make low-altitude flights to avoid being detected by radar systems, such as this one operated by the Brazilian military in Boa Vista. In 2018, Mr. Bolsonaro, a retired army captain, rode a far-right election campaign to the presidency. He pledged to bolster the countrys agribusiness sector by loosening environmental protections, particularly in the Amazon. But facing international pressure shortly after taking office, he put the military in charge of coordinating efforts to protect the Amazon against environmental crime, in addition to its mandate of monitoring the border and airspace. Every year, the military makes arrests, and confiscates guns, mining equipment and airplanes. Still, prosecutors and police officials say it has done little to address the increase in illegal air traffic. On the Yanomami land, the army has three bases for monitoring border activity, one of which is sometimes used to fight illegal mining. The Times identified at least 35 unregistered airstrips, likely used by miners, within a 50-mile radius of that base. The army recognizes that the integrity of the border presents itself as a challenge for the Brazilian State, in particular for the security forces, Brazils army told The Times by email, adding the country shares more than 10,000 miles of border with 10 countries. The armys border protection plan, it said, has the goal of reducing cross-border and environmental crimes, as well as organized crime activity. The Brazilian Air Force did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A plane used by miners flying over an illegal gold mining site within Yanomami Indigenous territory. Investigating illegal activity on Indigenous lands and federal reserves falls on the Brazilian Federal Police, but it lacks the resources to curb illegal mining activity, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. The force has a single transport helicopter for the entire country. The military often refuses to support countermining operations, unless agencies with much smaller budgets pay large sums to use its aircraft, according to police officials. Investigations by the federal police, environmental agents and prosecutors paint a picture of chaos in the Amazons airspace. Planes and helicopters with revoked permits fly undeterred to illegal mines with their transponders off, frequently crossing the border in and out of Venezuela. Last year, federal prosecutors warned a court that a commercial airplane carrying hundreds of passengers almost hit a helicopter flying illegally near an international airport. Similar warnings have been relayed to the military, according to a government report. Aircraft seized by the police that were used for illegal mining in Yanomami territory. Even when the military or law enforcement do shut down an illegal airstrip, mining operations eventually resume. Commissioner Paulo Teixeira, who oversees federal police investigations into crimes against Indigenous communities, said the police had little knowledge of how the military monitors illegal air traffic. Actions to control the airspace would make things easier for us, he said. One potential complication for enforcement agencies is a new law that recently eliminated a requirement for government authorization before airstrips were built on unprotected land. They still need to be registered to operate, but critics say the law weakens government enforcement even further because inspectors can no longer issue fines simply for their existence; they must now prove the unregistered airstrips are being used. Juliano Noman, the head of Anac, Brazils civil aviation agency, which is charged with monitoring illegal airstrip activity, said removing the requirement streamlined the registration process and has not fueled more criminal activity. A cleared-away section of land cant be confirmed as an airstrip anyway unless air traffic is detected, he said. His agency, he said, is still successfully stopping illegal air traffic. There is nothing about aviation that makes illegal mining easier or more scalable, he said, adding that criminals will always find ways to transport their products, a reality that isnt his agencys responsibility to fight. Rodrigo Martins de Mello participating in a protest held by gold miners in Boa Vista. They are advocating for fewer restrictions to their work. Rodrigo Martins de Mello was wrapped in a Brazilian flag as he spoke to a few hundred miners and their supporters from atop a sound truck in May. They were in Boa Vista to protest a group of senators who had come to the city to investigate human rights abuses connected to illegal mining. Whats most important is to get rid of the oppression of the wildcat miner, Mr. de Mello said. We are here searching for our freedom, our peace of mind to work. A pilot and an aviation businessman, Mr. de Mello represents the growing support for wildcat mining in some impoverished corners of the Amazon and the push to further expand into protected areas. With shares in several legal mining projects, he is part of a powerful network of business people empowered by regulations weakened under the Bolsonaro administration to develop mining, logging and other industries in the rainforest. At the same time, he is also under investigation by federal prosecutors for his involvement in illegal mining. Six of Mr. de Mellos helicopters were seized as part of the federal police and IBAMAs 2021 probe, which investigated his role overseeing the logistics of illicit mining on Yanomami land. A court has rejected multiple requests by the federal police to order the arrest of Mr. de Mello, who denies any wrongdoing. The case against him is sealed and no charges have been made public. With a national election in October, Mr. de Mello joined Mr. Bolsonaros political party and launched his own congressional campaign to represent miners. He is also a coordinator of a movement in Roraima state to loosen regulations on wildcat mining. Mr. de Mello said his main project is building mining cooperatives throughout the state so miners can work legally and help the local economy grow. They believe in me because they think I can make these cooperatives economically viable, he said. But he also supports policies that would benefit illegal miners, including prohibiting law enforcement from destroying equipment connected to environmental crimes. His agenda has quickly made him a leader in a state where miners are a major political force. Critics say Mr. Mello is promoting policies that would further erode protections that are already poorly enforced. Sitting at Mr. de Mellos recent protest, Christina Rocha remembered her husband, Antonio Jose, who died the year before when the plane that was transporting him to an illegal mine crashed. His body was found eight months later. There are so many accidents, she said. If it was legal, people wouldnt have to take this much risk. The wreckage of a crashed plane used by miners operating illegally in Yanomami Indigenous territory. Back on the Yanomami land, the local Indigenous community sees the growing political power of wildcat miners as a big blow. Today, illegal mining has turned part of a crucial river into a crater of mud. The water is like sand, Hercules Yanomami, a local Indigenous leader, said in a phone interview. We only have a small creek left. Mr. Hekurari, the health care official, says he will continue to denounce and report any crimes in his community in hopes the government will investigate them. He has been fighting against mining since he was a child, watching his grandfather and other family members push out as many miners as they could. My grandfather taught me, never run away, he said. Youll only be helping your enemies. NC Wine and Grape Council Wants PR Partner Mon., Aug. 15, 2022 The North Carolina Wine and Grape Council is looking for a firm to run a campaign aimed at changing the culture and knowledge surrounding wine produced in the state. Amy Wulfestieg Amy Wulfestieg, who was senior director of internal communications at Nordstrom, has joined Brightspeed, Charlotte-based broadband services company, as chief communications officer. She will handle strategy, external/internal PR, change management and engagement activities as Broadband plans to invest $2B to build a network that will deliver faster internet/WiFi services to rural areas in the Southeast and Midwest. At Nordstrom, Wulfestieg was responsible for communicating and supporting the retailers 65,000 employees in the US and Canada. Earlier, Wulfestieg did a four-year run as executive VP-communications at Alight Solutions, cloud-based provider of business services. She also spent 18 years at financial services giant Aon Hewitt, exiting as its VP-communications. Bob Mudge, CEO of Brightspeed, envisions Wulfestieg as an ambassador for our brand and our organization in fostering a high level of engagement with customers, employees and external stakeholders. A man originally from Offaly who threatened to cut the heads off gardai has been jailed for two months at Portlaoise District Court. Jordan Buckley, 28, with an address at Oakleaf, Knockmay, Portlaoise came to the attention of Gardai when he smashed the window of a nail bar on Main Street in Portlaoise on March 14 last. Garda Sgt Michael Tarpey said the defendant was being treated in an ambulance when without warning he jumped out and kicked the ambulance. Garda found him in an intoxicated state and he became very aggressive. Telling them to f**k off, that he would cut the heads off them, said Sgt Tarpey. He said the defendant has 53 previous convictions. Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said the defendant was originally from Offaly. His father passed away when he was 13 and he later began abusing alcohol and drugs. She said he is now clean. On the date of the offence, Ms Fitzpatrick said the man had been discharged from the psychiatric ward in Portlaoise and began drinking while on medication. She said he has had struggles with alcohol and drugs and has an unfortunate background. Judge Andrew Cody sentenced the man to two months in prison on the criminal damage charge, one month concurrent for threatening and abusive behaviour and he took a charge of public intoxication into account. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is looking at building modular homes for Ukrainian refugees in a town close to the Offaly border Beachgrove in Rathangan have been earmarked as a possible location along with Lakeside Park in Newbridge. Councillors in Kildare were sent a brief email two weeks ago by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth informing them of the move. It's understood they have not been briefed yet on the plans. The email said the Office of Public Works (OPW) would be surveying the council owned sites and assessing their suitability. The government is under pressure to house the incoming refugees and the OPW has been charged with overseeing the construction of these modular homes in locations across the country. Cllr Mark Stafford said: "Rathangan has a number of Ukrainian refugees and they are very welcome, and we will certainly do all we can to accommodate them. However, the transport network will have to be looked at. They will need access to work and other towns. That would be a concern I would have." Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed "deep concern" about the increasing socio-political tension in Guinea as political and civil society organisations continue to challenge the military authorities for inclusive dialogue to reach an agreeable timetable for a return to constitutional rule A man has died after a fall near a landmark waterfall in Leitrim. The tragic accident happened in the Devils Chimney area of Glencar in Co Leitrim yesterday, Monday August 1. The man aged in his late 60s, and holidaying from Galway, was walking alone and is understood to have become disorientated and strayed from the path. Henry Doherty from Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue said the alarm was raised at 7pm last night. The man was found in a nearby stream, which had turned into a river due to the heavy rain. It is understood the man sustained a head injury from his fall. Mr Doherty said a complex haul system was put in place by the 10 volunteers on the mountain and he was brought to a nearby field for medical assessment. Sadly he could not be revived and was pronounced dead some time after. Mr Doherty paid tribute to the "super human effort" by Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue team, as well as the crew of the 118 Rescue helicopter, national ambulance and Gardai for their extraordinary help. He extended his deepest condolences on behalf of Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue to the partner and family of the deceased man. Mr Henry advised solo walkers to be properly prepared for their hikes and hill walks, to leave a message with someone about their whereabouts and the estimated time it will take them and to be always ready to turn back if the weather changes. To call a Mountain Rescue Team, use emergency numbers 999 or 112. When asked by the operator which emergency service you need, request the Mountain Rescue. The rockstar reception that greeted the highest ranking US politician to visit in decades belied the high risks of Pelosis trip for US-China relations. Nancy Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan, the White House says, amid rumours that the House of Representatives speaker will visit the country. Almost $30 million will go towards supporting Samoa's climate change response and to rebuild a local market destroyed by fire.The announcement comes as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and a delegation of Kiwi politicians and community... The Mendi/Munihu Open Electorate in the Southern Highlands Province, is expected to make a declaration for the seat today. After the 10th exclusion, three candidates remain. Raphael Tondpi a United Labour Party candidate is currently leading with 42, 097 votes, and on second is PNG Destiny Party's Isaac Joseph with 33, 510 votes. On third placing with 31, 967 votes is incumbent, Michael Nali. Returning Officer, Sebastian Kisombo, said he is expected to make a declaration later today. Meanwhile, counting for the provincial seat is progressing with more than half the total 655 ballot boxes counted. NBC / ONE PNG Next : Wouwou takes commanding lead in West Sepik Regional Race Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the Greater Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises of the last 70 years WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden is set to name top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House coordinators to combat the growing monkeypox outbreak. The White House said Biden will announce Tuesday that he has tapped Robert Fenton, who helped lead FEMA's mass vaccination effort for COVID-19 as the agency's acting administrator when Biden first took office, as the White House coordinator. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC will be named his deputy. Daskalakis, the director of the agency's HIV prevention division and a national expert on issues affecting the LGBTQ community, previously helped lead New York City's COVID-19 response. The White House said the pair would coordinate strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and Biden's top science adviser, praised their appointments Monday night and said he hoped they would tighten the coordination between the various federal agencies involved in the monkeypox response. I personally think were dealing with a really serious issue here," Fauci said. "There are a lot of unknowns. There are a lot of knowns about monkeypox, but theres still a lot of unknowns. So we really got to implement the interventions we have, get a much better feeling for the natural history and the scope and absolutely reach out into the community, and thats the reason why I think the combination of Bob and Demetre is really a good combination. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have been primarily men who have sex with men. But health officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone. The virus may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. The U.S. saw its first case of the monkeypox virus confirmed on May 18 and now has over 5,800 confirmed infections. The announcement of the coordinator and deputy coordinator mirrors the Biden administrations response to COVID-19, when the president centralized virus response operations out of the West Wing, first under Jeff Zients and now with Dr. Ashish Jha. Scientists say that, unlike campaigns to stop COVID-19, mass vaccinations against monkeypox wont be necessary. They think targeted use of the available doses, along with other measures, could shut down the expanding epidemics that were recently designated by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency. Still, the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of vaccine availability for monkeypox. Clinics in major cities like New York and San Francisco say they havent received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet demand and some have had to stop offering the second dose of the vaccine to ensure supply of first doses. The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million doses of vaccine available and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week. California on Monday became the second state in three days to declare a public health emergency over monkeypox, following action this weekend by New York, but the Biden administration did not appear to be moving in that direction. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the decision would be up to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. We look forward to partnering with Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis as we work to end the monkeypox outbreak in America, Becerra said in a statement. Bobs experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetres vast knowledge of our public health systems strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday: The seriousness of the monkeypox outbreak calls for an experienced and tested leader in emergency response, so its no surprise President Biden has tapped Bob Fenton for this vital role. Bob has been a critical partner for California, especially during devastating wildfires and throughout the COVID pandemic. AP writer Amanda Seitz contributed. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said her office will not tolerate any effort to interfere with the certification of Tuesday's primary election to ensure the "will of the people will rule the day." "Voters can cast their ballot tomorrow confident they will be safe and their vote will be counted," Benson said in a statement on Monday. "We will not tolerate any voter suppression or election interference attempts in Michigan." Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Voters can submit their absentee ballot to their clerk's office or drop box by 8 p.m. People who have not yet registered may do so and vote at their clerks office until 8 p.m. Benson's administration has provided materials to clerks and law enforcement to ensure that there is no confusion about election law and enforcement, according to a press release issued by her office on Monday. For instance, her administration created a code of conduct that clerks can have election inspectors sign before working. Benson said in the release that if anyone witnesses what they believe to be illegal activity, they should report it immediately to their local election clerk, law enforcement or the voter protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. "Michigan's elections are among the most secure and accurate in the nation, and any attempts by canvassers to illegally deny certification will be futile, as we are confident courts would swiftly enforce the law," Benson said. Voters can find the locations of their polling place, clerk's office and drop boxes at Michigan.gov/vote. At the same site, they can also track the status of a submitted absentee ballot. If it has not yet been received, the voter should contact their clerk immediately, according to Benson in the release. Michigan law regarding primary ballots requires voters to cast votes for only one party's candidates. Votes for candidates in multiple parties on the same ballot will not be counted. Benson also warned that after the polls close Wednesday and in November, attempts could still be made to mislead voters. "Bad actors could wrongly claim that the time it takes to finish counting absentee ballots is evidence of malfeasance, rather than acknowledging the truth: that counting often continues long after polls close because the Michigan Legislature has not provided election clerks time before Election Day to pre-process absentee ballots," her office stated in the release. "Many other states provide multiple days or weeks for preprocessing." "Additional confusion can occur if media report results after polls close and note that they have data from nearly all precincts, but voters don't realize that half those precincts' ballots may have been cast absentee and therefore have not been included in the results," her office continued in the release. "Then, as absentee ballot counting boards do finish counting, it can appear as if the total vote counts increased by large numbers long after polls closed and media reported results from most if not all precincts." Benson urged voters to turn to the websites of their local and county election clerks, and the Michigan Department of State's website and social media to avoid misinformation. She warned voters to be wary of false claims for refusal to certify, including the minor clerical errors that cause some precincts to be out of balance every election, and conspiracy theories about voting machines, drop boxes and absentee ballots. Absentee ballot request data shows that about 47% of ballots have already been returned, a 2% increase from the same period ahead of the Aug. 2020 primary, the last statewide primary to occur since the right to vote absentee was extended to all Michigan voters. As of July 25, 2022, one week before election day, 589,813 ballots had been returned. Midland County added 126 COVID-19 cases from July 27-Aug. 2, according to the State of Michigan's website on Tuesday. COVID-19 numbers July 27-Aug. 2 Midland County added 126 cases from July 27-Aug. 2. Overall, Midland County has 19,142 cases, 1,824 probable cases, 214 deaths and 22 probable deaths. Bay County added 117 cases and one death. Overall, Bay County has 26,168 cases, 2,954 probable cases, 574 deaths and 33 probable deaths. Gladwin County added 30 cases. Overall, Gladwin County has 5,103 cases, 894 probable cases, 114 deaths and five probable deaths. Isabella County added 50 cases and one death. Overall, Isabella County has 14,090 cases, 2,568 probable cases, 200 deaths and 22 probable deaths. Saginaw County added 324 cases and two deaths. Overall, Saginaw County has 49,785 cases, 4,476 probable cases, 921 deaths and 52 probable deaths. Overall, Michigan is at 2,692,485 confirmed and probable cases and 37,534 confirmed and probable deaths. MyMichigan Health statistics As of July 26, MyMichigan Medical Center in Midland was listed as having a 77% bed occupancy with 13 COVID patients and none in the ICU. MyMichigan Medical Center in Gladwin was listed as having a 47% bed occupancy with two COVID patient and none in the ICU. Both medical centers reported having 7-14 days' worth of surgical masks and at least 15-30 days' worth of other personal protection equipment (N95 masks, gowns, gloves and eye protection) on hand. Recovered According to the Midland County Health Department website, 18,989 Midland County individuals have recovered from COVID. This data was last updated on Aug. 1. Testing Midland Countys seven-day rolling test positivity rate between July 22-28 was listed at 20.4%, and Gladwin Countys was listed at 19.3%. Midland County and Gladwin County both have high community transmission. Our 12-county region was listed at 17% and Michigan was at 19.4%. Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests for free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. To place an order for at-home COVID tests, visit covidtests.gov. Midland County vaccinations Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available at clinics administered by the health department at the Midland County Services Building, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland. The health department will vaccinate anyone who needs a first or second dose; those who need their second dose must bring their vaccination card. Following FDA approval, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is urging all eligible Michiganders to get a Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer booster vaccine if they have received their primary COVID-19 vaccines. Following CDC approval, MDHHS is urging all eligible Michiganders aged 12 and up to get the Pfizer booster vaccine if they have received their two primary COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer is the only authorized vaccine for under age 18. The Midland County Department of Public Health has vaccine booster shots available for children ages 5-11. Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may prefer the vaccine type they originally received and others may prefer to get a different type of booster vaccine. CDCs recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots. Consult your healthcare provider if there is a question which vaccine is appropriate for you. Michiganders should bring their COVID-19 vaccine card or immunization record with them when getting their booster dose, which is available at any vaccine provider. Downloadable immunization records are accessible free at the Michigan Immunization Portal. To obtain their record, Michiganders must create a MILogin account at Michigan.gov/MiImmsportal and upload a valid government issued photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID or passport. If you do not have records in the portal, contact your healthcare provider or local health department. Future COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Midland County are listed at www.co.midland.mi.us/HealthDepartment/COVIDVaccineInformation.aspx. Those with questions may call 989-832-6380 or email MCDPH@co.midland.mi.us. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York authorities have lifted a ban that had stopped state prison inmates from reading a book about the 1971 Attica Correctional Facility uprising following a First Amendment lawsuit brought by its author. State officials, however, said they will continue to censor one small part of the Pulitzer-prize winning book for security reasons. A two-page map of Attica will be removed from copies sent into the prisons. Author Heather Ann Thompson, a historian and professor at the University of Michigan, sued the states prisons in March over the ban on her book Blood in the Water: The Attica Uprising of 1971." Published in 2016, the book is one of the most comprehensive accounts of the uprising, where more than 1,300 inmates took over part of a prison in upstate New York to protest years of mistreatment. It ended when state troopers and guards shot tear gas into a prison yard before firing hundreds of rounds into the smoke. In total, 32 inmates and 11 staff were killed, with no law enforcement officers put on trial for their role in the massacre. People have a right to read, and people have a right to history, Thompson said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed. We also have a right to have our books read. Its a shame we live in a country where we censor people and ideas. She was represented in the lawsuit by the Civil Rights Clinic at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the New York Civil Liberties Union. Last week, the state attorney generals office said in a letter to a U.S. judge in Manhattan that the ban would be lifted, but only in paperback copies where the map can be removed. If a correctional facility rejects a request for an order of the book, prison officials are now legally obligated to send Thompson notice of that. ___ 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 undercovered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter. LAS VEGAS (AP) Authorities say a 28-year-old man is in custody in an Arizona jail after being sought in Las Vegas, where video showed an apparent attempt to shoot a fleeing man during a botched robbery outside a suburban home. Las Vegas police on Monday identified Armondo Dangerfield as the would-be robber whose gun jammed in the July 24 incident in suburban Summerlin and said he was arrested Sunday in Mesa, Arizona. Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) Mauritian Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, on Monday said that drug trafficking recognises no boundaries and it requires extensive inter-State collaboration to solve the problem This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) A new round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian elites includes a woman named in news reports as Vladimir Putins longtime romantic partner. The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the government has frozen the visa of Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gymnast in her youth and former member of the state Duma, and imposed other property restrictions. The department said she is also head of a Russian national media company that promotes Russias invasion of Ukraine. Critics of the Kremlin and imprisoned Russian rights campaigner Alexey Navalny have been calling for sanctions against Kabaeva, saying her news outlet took the lead in portraying Western commentary on the invasion as a disinformation campaign. The U.K. sanctioned Kabaeva in May and the EU imposed travel and asset restrictions on her in June. Also named in Treasury's latest sanctions package is Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, an oligarch who owns the Witanhurst estate, a 25-bedroom mansion that is the second-largest estate in London after Buckingham Palace. His $120 million yacht, the Alfa Nero, was also identified as blocked property. Also sanctioned was his son Andrey Andreevich Guryev and his son's Russian investment firm Dzhi AI Invest OOO. Christian Contardo, a former Treasury attorney now at Lowenstein Sandler LLP says what weve seen is that the US government has identified that a lot of oligarchs are using family as a way to evade sanctions. Some of the oligarchs will transfer ownership to their wives and children, he said. In April, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Putins adult daughters Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova. Russian steel manufacturer Publichnoe Aktsionernoe Obschestvo Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat, also known as MMK, its chairman of the board of directors, Viktor Filippovich Rashnikov, and its subsidiaries, were also designated for financial penalties. Additionally, the State Department reported today that 893 Russian Federation officials, including Federation Council and military members, will have their visas blocked. As innocent people suffer from Russias illegal war of aggression, Putins allies have enriched themselves and funded opulent lifestyles, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. Together with our allies, the United States will also continue to choke off revenue and equipment underpinning Russias unprovoked war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated U.S. support for the brave people of Ukraine and will continue to promote accountability for President Putin and his cronies whose actions have caused so much suffering and destruction in Ukraine. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Ukraines Azov Regiment a terrorist organization banned in Russia, a designation that fuels the Kremlin's narrative of the war in Ukraine and that may expose Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Moscow to terrorism charges. Azov, which played a key part in the defense of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, has been repeatedly portrayed by Russian officials and state media as a Nazi formation allegedly committing atrocities against Ukraines civilians. Russian state media have repeatedly shown what is claimed to be Nazi insignias, literature and tattoos associated with Azov, but no evidence has surfaced to back up the assertions about their treatment of civilians. The Azov Regiment is a unit within Ukraines National Guard. It grew out of a group called the Azov Battalion, formed in 2014 as one of many volunteer brigades that rose to bolster Ukraines underfunded and questionably led military in the fight against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Azov Battalion drew its initial fighters from far-right circles and elicited criticism for some of its tactics. Its current members rejected accusations of nationalism and radicalism. Russias Prosecutor Generals office filed a motion to designate the regiment as a terrorist organization in May. Azov in an online statement Tuesday dismissed the Supreme Courts ruling, accusing Russia of looking for new excuses and explanations for its war crimes. Azov urged the U.S. and other countries to declare Russia a terrorist state. Russia has been proving this status for many years with its daily actions, the statement said. Scores of Azov fighters are being held captive by Moscow. The Russian authorities have opened multiple criminal cases against them, accusing them of killing civilians. Last week, dozens of Ukrainian POWs were killed in an explosion at a barracks at a penal colony in Olenivka, an eastern town controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Moscow and Kyiv have have traded blame for the strike, with Kyiv saying Russia blew up the barracks to cover up torture against the POWs. TO THE EDITOR: The purpose of this letter is to share my perspective on assault style rifles and thoughts on moving forward. I believe local politicians and Congress have sold out our kids to gun manufacturers, lobbyists and Second Amendment extremists. Im a veteran, gun owner and so are most of my friends. The shootings that continue to happen in our country are appalling and inexcusable. The M-16 rifle I was issued in Vietnam was developed for the Army to compete with the AK-47 assault rifle. It was designed, among other things, to penetrate a steel helmet and retain a velocity greater than the speed of sound! The low recoil of its small caliber, high velocity cartridge doesnt shift the point of aim, allowing faster, accurate follow up shots. The M-16 and AK-47 were the two premier military killing machines for many years. In August 2019, an AR-15 (The civilian/non-fully automatic version of the M-16) was used in Dayton, Ohio to kill 9 people and wound 27 more. It took 32 seconds. The shooter fired 41 shots before six police officers were able to stop him. Please think about that, nine dead, 27 wounded, 32 seconds. Does a right to own these firearms justify the all too often resulting carnage? Does anyone other than the military or law enforcement really need them? Shouldnt the advantage of their superior firepower be reserved for military or law enforcement for their and our protection? I support renewing a ban on these weapons and high-capacity magazines but shouldnt the never-ending slaughter of our children dictate we enact the common-sense solutions most Americans support. (Background checks, training, minimum age requirements, safe storage, reduced capacity magazines, red-flag laws) Politicians and 2nd Amendment absolutists need to hear our voices and be aware of our votes. We as voters need to seek out candidates that support our positions and vote accordingly. Facts matter. Many other countries have the same issues with crime, extremism and mental health as us but not the same tragic results. Our kids are being terrorized and murdered; we must do better. MIKE CURELL Midland Director of Content and Operations 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. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Washington, US (PANA) - Some additional two million people will benefit from a second phase of the West Africa regional Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP-2) approved on Monday for a total amount of $315 million in International Development Association (IDA) financing Royal Mail has passed the milestone of 3,000 electric vehicles (EVs) deployed across its delivery and collection fleet in the UK and has ordered a further 2,000. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The 2,000 new vehicles comprise 1,000 Peugeot Partner and 1,000 Peugeot Expert models and are due to be delivered to the business from August as part of the companys plans to have 5,500 EVs by spring 2023. With lower maintenance requirements, the electric fleet is expected to provide more on-road time and higher levels of reliability. The vehicles can travel up to 210km between charges, depending on vehicle type, weather and load size. The fully electric vans have up to 38% larger load space than the vehicles they have replaced, giving them the additional capacity to deal with growing parcel volumes. With lower maintenance requirements, the electric fleet promises more on-road time and higher levels of reliability. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The initial rollout included many cities where low-emission zones are in force, including London, Bristol, Glasgow, Cambridge and Oxford. The 3,000th electric vehicle was deployed at Peterborough Delivery Office, which currently has 106 vehicles on-site, with all delivery and collection functions operated by a fully electric fleet. So far, 70 delivery offices across the UK have made the transition to move to either fully or partially electric deliveries and collections. The first site that went live with an all-electric fleet was Bristol in June 2021; the most recent to go live with the expectation to achieve 100% electrification is Letchworth, which started the journey in July 2022. Julie David, managing director of Peugeot UK, said, Peugeot began its relationship with Royal Mail in 2009 and I am incredibly pleased that we can continue this support with models from our award-winning electric van range. The Peugeot e-Partner and e-Expert make no compromise on useful volume or practicality compared with the diesel versions while offering all the advantages of lower running costs, ease of driving, immediate throttle response, high torque and the absence of noise, vibrations and tailpipe emissions. With every van in our range already benefitting from an electric version and every car offering an electrified variant by 2024, we look forward to continuing our support of the Royal Mail and its ambition for a greener future. Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail, said, Environment is the next battleground for businesses, and we are determined to lead. We already have the lowest emissions per parcel and have set an ambitious target to reduce to 50gCO2e, about the same as having a cup of tea with milk. The transition to electric vehicles is a key part of our strategy to reduce our emissions while delivering a seven-day parcel service to our customers. Photo: (Photo : Pexels) One of the parents' jobs is to raise children to become ultimately kind and responsible citizens who will fulfill their unique potential as they contribute to the betterment of society. Thus, parents must ensure that kids would not grow spoiled as it is an essential component of parenting duties. Raising children who are not spoiled allows parents to enjoy their kid's company and spend time together without having any conflict and just pure fun. Parents who want to hone their children to be grateful, patient, possess self-control, and generally pleasant individuals can take measures to guide and steer their kids to the right path. According to Louis J. Lichtman, Ph.D., author of "A Practical Guide for Raising a Self-Directed and Caring Child," when parents have only a few hours a day to be with kids, they don't want to ruin the fun; that's why sometimes parents give in to indulging their kids, nearly buying all things they wanted to have which is understandable but should be corrected, per Parents. The parent's job is to reinforce good behavior and not the bad ones Even though there's nothing wrong with buying your child an occasional small toy during a supermarket run, you raise the risk of creating a spoiled brat if you do such things in response to their constant pleading. Good behavior must be reinforced and not bad ones. In a Parents poll, 42 percent of readers admitted that their child is spoiled, while 80 percent think spoiling kids will affect them in the long term. Dr. Lichtman said that if this happens, parents do kids a terrible disservice if they go out into the world thinking it only revolves around them. If a child acts entitled, it is still not too late to reverse such behavior with the help of attitude-adjusting tactics. American Academy of Pediatrics said that having a spoiled child results from parents' failure to enforce consistent and age-appropriate limits. A spoiled child is a derogatory term for children who behave in a self-centered and immature way. Many spoiled children are described as overindulged, selfish, and narcissistic. Parents must encourage their children to think beyond themselves by volunteering together as a family and letting them witness what the real world is like by teaching them to clean up parks, feed hungry families, or help elderly neighbors, per Very Well Family. Read Also: Spoiled Kids: Every Parent's Nightmare? Letting children feel disappointment and failure Karen Ruskin, Psy.D., a family therapist in Sharon, Massachusetts, noted that helping a child accept that they won't get everything they want is an important life lesson. Parents don't need to be remorseful about not being able to buy what their child wanted, but it is important to empathize with their disappointment as doing so shows that you respect the child's feelings but don't harp on the cause. Explain to your child that you understand their feelings, but it is not included in the budget. According to Amy McCready, author of "If I Have to Tell You One More Time... The Revolutionary Program That Gets Your Kids to Listen Without Nagging, Reminding, or Yelling," kids have the right to be disappointed or upset when they don't get what they want, but parents shouldn't engage with them in a verbal back-and-forth as endless bickering is pointless. Many experts believe that kids become spoiled when things come too easily for them, thus, encouraging kids to take those for granted. If a child wants a new toy, establish a reward system for good behavior and let the child earn it step by step, per Baby Center. Related Article: Psychologist Shares Her Way of Indulging Children without Spoiling Them Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) Adrian Lewis, the husband of 35-year-old Shanita Eure-Lewis, was charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony related to her disappearance after he was arrested at Dulles International Airport. Police found the missing wife's passport and credit cards in Lewis's bag on his way to Jamaica, alleging that he was trying to flee the country. Per WRIC, the police filed an Ashanti Alert, or an "endangered" missing adult alert, after Eure-Lewis' family found it difficult to contact her on Sunday. Friends reported that she was last seen leaving Gethsemane Baptist Church and having an argument with her husband. Husband charged with wife's murder In a press conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Steve Drew said that Eure-Lewis' body had not been recovered yet. Despite Lewis not admitting to killing her, Drew said that they found a lot of evidence against him. Per the criminal complaint, the children last saw their mom arguing with their father. She then left her sister's house using her husband's truck. A month earlier, the mom said she intended to file for divorce from Lewis. She also took all the guns out of their home after her husband had suicidal thoughts. Eure-Lewis' sister told police that Lewis called her at around 9:40 a.m. on Sunday and said her sister had been having an affair. The day before, Lewis allegedly told someone else that he would kill his wife if he caught her cheating on him. At around noon, Lewis called his wife's sister again and told her that his wife "jumped out of the truck" near the WaWa at Jefferson Avenue and Harpersville Road. The husband asked her sister-in-law if she had heard from his wife since then. The sister texted Eure-Lewis after Lewis' update but could not speak to her on the phone. The sister alleged that her sister's husband used Eure-Lewis's cellphone and was posing as his wife during that text conversation. At around 1:30 p.m., the husband picked up the children at the sister's home, Crimeonline reported. Read Also: 13-Year-Old Florida Girl Survives Alligator Attack While Swimming in Boat Dock Arrested at the Airport The sister also said that she saw Lewis' truck parked near a garbage bin and saw him throwing things in it. Police recovered a shovel with dirt, a cloth or blanket, and Eure-Lewis' purse and sandals from the garbage. Lewis also allegedly asked a car dealer to clean his truck. The person who cleaned the truck said he cleaned what seemed like blood in the front seat. When asked about the blood, Lewis said that a neighbor had shot his dog, but the police officers noted that both his dogs were unharmed. According to 13News, authorities also found evidence of blood in the front passenger seat, and a cadaver dog marked the front passenger seat where Eure-Lewis was sitting when her children last saw her. Chief Drew hopes Lewis will help them answer questions about his wife's death. However, he noted his "right to choose not to." As the search for the missing mom continues, Chief Drew says he would prefer the search be left to investigators so they can recover possible evidence. Related Article: Virginia Mom Gets Maximum 55 Years Life Sentence for Killing 2-Year-Old Kid with Autism Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) In a recent episode of Britain's Tourette Mystery, Scarlett Moffatt noted that many teenage girls had developed tics since the pandemic started. She suggested it could be due to watching too much social media. Jon Stone, a consultant neurologist at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh, explained that the condition shown in the episode is more likely a functional neurological disorder (FND). He now describes the missing piece of the documentary and raised that it is dangerous to suggest that it could be acquired by watching social media, Functional neurological disorder In the particular Moffatt Investigates episode, it cited several teenagers with tics. She mentioned Echo, an 11-year-old who suddenly started jumping, twirling, clapping, and making noises. She would suddenly hit her mother and involuntarily call her "stupid motherfucker." She said she is having a "sudden-onset Tourette's." A few months after moving to a new school, her tics stopped. The episode also featured Nicole, who developed a similar tic. Unfortunately, Nicole's tics have not improved, and she said it is "who I am now." As per Stone, he has met people like Echo and Nicole, who experienced sudden onset of tics as a teenager. However, he clarified that the new tics in teenagers are hardly ever caused by Tourette's. He said that the tics are usually "functional tics," which are one of many possible symptoms of functional neurological disorder or FND. Per Neuro symptoms, the neurologist described that the symptoms of FND include tremors, limb weakness, numbness or blackouts, and weaknesses. Since the condition does not show irregularities on scans or x-rays, the symptoms have been classified under "hysteria" or "psychosomatic." Health professionals tend to disregard signs of FND, which is why the condition remains hidden. Stone said that FND could be considered when there is a particular movement of features of the tremors or seizures. It would eventually disappear when the patient is distracted or a leg weakness improves when the doctor uses specific techniques. People with FND are often defined as the "hardware" of the brain is fine, but the "software" has gone wrong. Read Also: What You Need to Know About 'Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Different from Tourette Stone noted that FND differs from Tourette's syndrome, adding that the developmental disorder began gradually in early childhood and is more common in boys. Meanwhile, FND typically starts rapidly and is more common in girls. But Stone said that girls could get Tourette's as well. Functional tics can involve movements that can hurt another person, which is rare in Tourette's. Coprolalia, the medical term for swearing vocal tics shown in the program, is rare in Tourette's but is more common and frequent in tics, The Conversation reported. Possible causes According to Stone, it is a mystery why some people develop functional tics, as much as it is still a mystery why people get Tourette's. Some researchers have blamed Tiktok, claiming that some people who have functional tic may develop it by watching others. Stone said that while such can happen with FND, Tourette's is a developmental condition. Hence, it is unlikely. FND rarely has one cause, he added. Related Article: How to Spot Heatstroke in Children and Babies Photo: (Photo : SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images) The Long Beach health department announced plans to distribute 950 cans of powder formula to eligible families starting Tuesday, August 2, after receiving the allotment from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The decision was made with baby formula still scarce amid a continuing nationwide shortage, according to NBC Los Angeles. On Friday, Mayor Robert Garcia issued a statement, saying, "We know many Long Beach families have felt the effects of this shortage. We are working hard to get formula into the hands of families and provide some relief to our parents, caregivers and children.'' According to a city statement, the cans will be distributed at four locations: St. Mary's Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) office, 1043 Elm Ave., #401, Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon; Ron Arias Health Equity Center, 6335 Myrtle Ave., Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m.; Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St., Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m.; and Main Health Office, 2525 Grand Ave., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Baby formula shortage still ongoing in the U.S. The formula will be available to families with kids up to nine months old who participate in a federal assistance program and need food. The city health department said each distribution site would carry both Similac Advance Powder Baby Formula and Enfamil Infant Instant Formula Milk-based Powder with Iron. Distribution is expected to continue this month while supplies last. The baby formula shortage is in its sixth month in the United States due to a combination of COVID-driven supply-chain issues and the closure of one of the country's largest manufacturing plants because of contamination, according to CNN. Los Angeles County purchased $750,000 worth of baby formula in late May in response to the shortage. County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced the purchase on May 28, saying that she knows many parents and caregivers have been worried and anxious due to the shortage of baby formula, and as the county government, it is their responsibility to be the safety net for their residents and meet the needs of those most vulnerable. Read Also: Cluster of Parechovirus Infections Found in Newborns in Tennessee Los Angeles also taking steps to address formula shortage Los Angeles has also taken steps to address the formula shortage, with the L.A. City Council ratifying Mayor Eric Garcetti's local emergency declaration to prevent local price gouging back in June, according to Spectrum News 1. The City Council resolution said President Joe Biden, the Federal Trade Commission, and the California Attorney General warned of illegal and predatory conduct, including price gouging in the infant formula market. The resolution added that the national shortage, while not causing the same scarcity in the city of Los Angeles as in other places across the county, nevertheless poses an imminent threat to the ability of caregivers and parents to obtain infant formula in the city. Under the Los Angeles city emergency declaration, it is illegal for any person or business to sell baby or toddler formula for more than 10 percent over the price charged before the emergency declaration. Related Article: Heartbroken Parents Call for Major Change After Teen Son Dies on School Trip in Germany Photo: (Photo : Alex Wong/Getty Images) The family of Erica Johnson, a 36-year-old Florida mom who disappeared after boarding a bus bound for Tampa, is growing worried that something bad happened to her after she displayed concerning behavior before going missing. According to People, Johnson's family reported her missing to the police on Thursday, July 14, 2022. However, CCTV cameras in a bus station in Cape Coral captured her boarding a bus to Tampa on Friday, July 8. That was her last known sighting. Johnson was carrying a travel pillow, her pet bunny, and a suitcase. Cape Coral police, however, initially found no foul play in her disappearance. The Florida mom lives a different lifestyle than most people as she has no bank account, car, or social media account and hardly uses her phone. However, the investigators had to upgrade her case after obtaining information that classified her as a "missing and endangered adult." Read Also: Missing Maine Mom and Toddler Last Seen With Ex-Boyfriend Who Also Assaulted Her Current Partner Erica Johnson skipped seeing her kids, changed her hair color According to WINK News, the Florida mom displayed a few indicators that something unusual was happening. Before her disappearance, Johnson canceled plans to see her children with her ex-husband, which was very unusual as she always looked forward to this. She texted her ex-husband that she was needed at work. Johnson was employed as a house cleaner. Friends also said that Johnson decided to cut and dye her blonde hair in a darker shade around July 4. She went to work after that Independence Day holiday but then left with a co-worker after she explained that she was feeling sick. She asked the co-worker to drive her to the bus stop. Her family became alarmed about her disappearance after realizing that she wasn't in her cleaning shift at the Best Western Plus Beach Resort on July 14. Police then searched her rented room inside an office complex within the downtown area of Cape Coral. Investigators said that most of her belongings are still there. Johnson's mother said that she was shocked and devastated by the disappearance. The police said that Johnson's behavior showed that she might be in a "stressful moment," thus her case was elevated across law enforcement agencies. The Cape Coral Police Department welcomes any leads to the Florida mom's disappearance by calling 239-574-3223. No external marks on the body of the Texas mom who went missing Meanwhile, in another missing mom's case, the investigators into Christina Powell, the Texas mom who was reported missing in early July, said the were no external marks on her decomposing body. Her remains were discovered at a mall parking lot on Saturday, July 23. CCTV footage indicated that Powell never got out of her car and was alone when she pulled into the mall's parking area. The Bexar County Medical Examiner said that she could have died due to hyperthermia or overheating as it was more than 100 degrees on the day she went missing, on July 5. Powell's mom, Claudia Mobley, said that her daughter might have been suffering from anxiety and wasn't feeling well that day, which was escalated by the weather. She doesn't believe speculations that the Texas mom took her own life. A long-time medical examiner, Dr. Michael Baden, told Fox News that if Powell had bullet wounds or trauma, or if the autopsy discovered a heart condition, this would have been released for public information. However, as no cause has yet been circulated to the press, Baden believes that toxicology tests may have been done to determine if she had lethal drugs in her body. Related Article: Chrissy Powell Missing: Family Fears for Safety of Texas Mom After Discovery of Disturbing Text Messages Photo: (Photo : STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) The uncle of a 5-year-old girl in Wisconsin has admitted to the police that he was responsible for the drive-by shooting that hurt his niece, Ke'yari Redding, who remains in critical condition at the hospital. On Sunday, July 24, 2022, John Anthony Jackson Jr., 29, drove and opened fire at the home of Deonte Redding-Harris, the father of Jackson's niece. The shooter said he pulled his gun because he was "fed up" with his brother-in-law, per People. Redding-Harris was sleeping on the couch when he heard a dozen gunfire outside his home. The father got up to find his daughter bleeding on the floor. Police and emergency services were called to the scene and performed CPR on the 5-year-old, who was later brought to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Redding-Harris told police that he saw Jackson's car driving out of the scene. That night, police went to Jackson's place, and he then confessed to what he did. Read Also: Doctors Make Emergency Delivery of Pregnant Mom's Baby in Baltimore Drive-By Shooting The child is limp and has no movement Mary Franklin, the grandmother of Redding-Harris, told CBS 58 that she was also at home when the drive-by shooting happened. There were three other children and two adults living there as well. Franklin said she was in the bedroom when she heard the gunshots and started screaming. When she got out of her room, she found her grandson holding her great-grandchild. "She is limp, I mean no movement, no nothing," Franklin said. The grandmother doesn't understand Jackson's motives. The child's mother, Asia Jackson, was informed by doctors at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin that her daughter might be paralyzed and unable to walk on her own as a bullet hit her chest and then went through her spine. Asia said her child is brave and strong despite a long road ahead for her recovery. "She has to wear a front and back brace and leg braces for a while so her bones don't shift in her spine," the mother shared in an update on her Facebook profile. "If they start shifting she'll need surgery to have something put in her back to support her standing and sitting up." Asia hasn't commented about her brother, who has been charged with reckless injury and recklessly endangering safety. "My life is over" John Anthony said his life was over when the police told him of his niece's condition. He feared he could be "locked up forever." The shooter has known his niece's father since his relationship with Asia in 2012. John Anthony said he didn't know if he hit anyone when he fired at the house, but he knew it was where Redding-Harris lived. John Anthony had his initial court appearance on Friday, July 29. If convicted of the charges against him, he could face a maximum prison time of 37.5 years. Meanwhile, Asia's family has set up a GoFundMe for her daughter's hospitalization and other future therapies. Related Article: Chicago Mom Seeks Justice for 5-Month-Old Killed in Drive-By Shooting Photo: (Photo : TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) Allegheny County police announced that a McKees Rocks grandmother is wanted and still at large in connection with the suspected drug overdose of her 10-month-old grandson, according to WTAE. The cops said she took off during the incident as McKees Rocks police and paramedics treated the unresponsive baby using Naloxone, a medicine typically given for drug overdoses. Lt. Venerando Costa, a member of the county police homicide unit, said on Monday, August 1, that as officers and medics were treating the baby, the grandmother slipped and walked away from the scene. Charges filed against Boyer, including aggravated assault Police said Robbie Elizabeth Boyer faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault, and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Cops, using a search warrant, said they found suspected drugs, as well as glass pipes, stamp bags, and syringes, in the suspect's home and her car. Costa said their investigation showed that the child's grandmother was the person solely responsible for the kid. He added that they conducted a search warrant at the residence and found heroin or fentanyl. They are still awaiting the lab results for that. Someone was performing CPR on the baby as paramedics arrived. According to Costa, paramedics started life-saving measures and gave the baby Naloxone, which is typically given for heroin or fentanyl overdoses. The kid responded to that treatment and was taken to Children's Hospital. Doctors treated him while he was there, with the baby soon regaining consciousness. The child is now in stable condition, according to iHeart. Read Also: Russian Mom Arrested for Selling Newborn Baby to Pay for Her $3,600 Nose Job Police asking anyone with information on suspect's whereabouts to call tip line Costa said police had other cases of kids coming into contact with drugs suspected of being used around them. He added that it goes back to the drugs stored or used in the home. He explained that a child coming into contact with a surface the drug was recently on can be exposed to it and have an overdose. Security camera video showed police and medics carrying the 10-month-old from the grandmother's home to an ambulance in critical condition at the time. Around that time, the 47-year-old Boyer walked around the back of her home and left the area. She did not take her vehicle. Police said the call came in for an unresponsive baby just before 9 p.m. on Sunday. Neighbor Tim Farley said he has been living in McKees Rocks for 34 years, his entire life, and as years go by, the crime and the lowness get elevated. He added that this is not surprising to him, but it is disgusting to him. Farley noted that something needs to change in this community. The suspect is described as white, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, with a thin build, with Boyer having ties to the McKees Rocks area. County police ask that anyone with information on the suspect's whereabouts call their tip line at 1-833-255-8477, according to Patch. Callers can remain anonymous when providing info. Related Article: Indiana Mom Draws a Heart on Her Children's Hands Every Morning in Case of School Shooting Welcome Guest! You Are Here: The Ivorian National shores welcomed a whiff of clean energy as SAPET GAS, the pioneer Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel to be named under Ivorian origin and carry the national flag, made its historic maiden voyage to Cote DIvoire. Commissioned last May in Ulsan, South Korea, the 23,000 cubic meter capacity vessel which cost CFA 26 billion was received by Excellence Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Energy, Vamissa Bamba, Director General, Petroci, Temitope Shonubi, Executive Director, Sahara Group, Wale Ajibade, Executive Director, Sahara Group, Soro Tiotioho, Director General, Societe, Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR), Kam SIE, Chairman SAPET Energy, Olayemi Odutola, Managing Director, SAPET Energy, and Mayor of the Municipality of Port-Bouet, Dr. Sylvestre Emmou, among others. SAPET GAS will enhance butane supply, availability, efficiency and distribution in Cote DIvoire to spur economic development and safeguard the well-being of over 28 million Ivorians, being a clean fuel. It will also help facilitate access to the commodity for over 50 million people in neighbouring countries. Energy Minister, Sangafowa Coulibaly said the government had subsidised butane gas across the nation to increase accessibility, reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of firewood by households. "This policy has made it possible to significantly increase the national consumption of butane gas, which has thus increased from 150,000 MT in 2012 to 510,000 MT in 2021; That is an average growth of 14% per year. I salute the PETROCI/SAHARA partnership, and in particular, the Sahara Group for investing in the acquisition of this vessel dedicated exclusively to importation of butane gas into our country," he said. According to Temitope Shonubi, Executive Director, Sahara Group, facilitating investment in gas infrastructure and supply reinforces the company's commitment to driving energy transition in Africa. "We are privileged and delighted to work with the government and good people of Cote D'Ivoire to make clean energy accessible to all Ivorians. For Sahara, SAPET GAS is an affirmation of our commitment to Cote D'Ivoire. We made a promise and we have delivered." he said. Bamba, the Petroci DG, commended Sahara Group for working assiduously and harmoniously with all stakeholders since the energy conglomerate began operations in Cote DIvoire. He said the partnership, SAPET ENERGY, commenced in October 07, 2020 when the first stone for the construction of three butane spheres with a total capacity of 12,000 Tons was laid to enhance the butanisation policy. "This storage infrastructure will increase existing storage capacities and can take us from 15 to 30 days of self-consumption. SAPET GAS will guarantee the supply of butane gas to our country under good conditions of safety and quality," he added. The Mayor of the Municipality of Port-Bouet, Dr. Sylvestre EMMOU said the Port would play its strategic role of ensuring the maritime industry contributes its quota to promoting access to energy solutions in Cote D'Ivoire. "This storage infrastructure will increase existing storage capacities and can take us from 15 to 30 days of self-consumption. SAPET GAS will guarantee the supply of butane gas to our country under good conditions of safety and quality," he added. Named after the joint venture between Sahara and Petroci (National Oil Company), SAPET GAS will be instrumental to realising the supply of about 1,000,000 tonnes of LPG to Cote D'Ivoire over the next three years. This will be alongside other vessels, Africa Gas, Sahara Gas and Barumk which are affiiated with energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group. Sahara Group's partnership with Petroci continues to increase access to gas as a cleaner fuel option with over CFA 279 billion invested since 2014. SAPET's 12KT LPG storage facility project remains on course. The facility upon completion will promote supply, distribution and access to cleaner fuels in Cote DIvoire, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, among others. Investments in gas vessels are on the rise globally with a total of 28 new medium and handy gas carriers expected over the next two years with 18 percent of them focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. The growth in LPG market is driven by the following factors: low per capital consumption with scope for growth; population growth and urbanization, and potential to substitute kerosene/ biomass in domestic sector as well as move towards cleaner fuels. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The worlds leader in instant delivery services, Zipline, has announced the appointment of Mr. Mawuli Atiemo as the new General Manager of its Ghana operations. His appointment takes effect from July 2022. Mawuli is joining Zipline from AstraZeneca where he was the Ghana Country Lead and having had over 15 years of multi-sectoral wealth of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry, stretching across various business development functions. In the various positions he has held over the years, Mawuli Atiemo has demonstrated rare leadership responsibility, including building and developing talents, managing high-performing teams, and developing and increasing sales. Through his leadership as Sales Manager in 2017 with AstraZeneca, the team he headed delivered the 2018 budget with strong double-digit growth and won the Best Sales Team in Sub Saharan Africa for 2018, Best Sales Manager Award for Sub Saharan Africa, and Circle of Excellence MEA (Middle East Africa) winner. He played a core role in AstraZeneca Sub Saharan Africas (SSA) growth, leading both business and company's strategic objective and driving execution of the sales and marketing initiatives in Ghana. His valued contribution to the business has been recognized at both AstraZeneca African Cluster and Middle East Africa (MEA) Level. Mawulis appointment comes at a time when the successes of Zipline in Ghana has largely been said to be the driver of Ziplines rapid expansion into countries like Nigeria, Kenya, USA, Japan and Cote DIvoire. Here in Ghana, Zipline has commenced operations in April 2019 from one distribution center in Omenako and has expanded to six operational hubs, serving over 2500 health facilities with an average daily delivery of 250 medical commodities per distribution center. In order to help assuage obvious challenges of access in the health sector, the government of Ghana has made several investments to mitigate the challenges associated with access to universal health coverage. In 2019 when Global challenges of Covid-19 hindered the even distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, Ziplines robust system became a critical special purpose vehicle for the governments vaccine inoculation drive. Within minutes, several health facilities and inoculation centers were linked to vaccines and PPEs faster than known traditional logistics delivery methods. Not only did vaccine stockout reduce significantly, but there was also a substantial increase in the types of medicines and supplies stocked at health facilities. This culminated in Ghana recording no Covid-19 vaccine expiries and this largely due to the even distribution across the country. Recently, the company has supported the Ghana Health Services to distribute 334,276 tablets of ivermectin to selected communities in the Ejura Sekyedumase, Sekyere Central, and Offinso North Districts, as part of an annual campaign of mass ivermectin tablets administration targeted at reducing the incidence of Onchocerciasis an infectious and parasitic disease categorized under Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). These impressive efforts in using technology to disrupt how instant deliveries are made via drone have not gone unnoticed. The company has received the U.S. Department of States Awards for Corporate Excellence (ACE) and has been recognized as the Worlds biggest drone delivery network. Ghana, of course, is currently the country with the largest national-scale drone delivery system globally. The government of Ghana is saving lots of money as drug expiries as a result of over-stocking by health facilities is significantly reducing as Zipline now plays the role of an even distributor in times of need. Referrals as a result of non-availability of medical commodities, is reducing very fast within the operational communities of Zipline. Industry watchers have thus tipped Zipline as the company to look out for when it comes to instant aerial deliveries. As the General Manager, Mr. Atiemo will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company, responsible for developing strategic plans for increasing profitability and developing business relations for business growth as well as look to foster good working relations with all stakeholders including the government of Ghana. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As of Sunday 31st, July 2022 various sim card registration centres were choked with dozens of Ghanaians anxious to meet the deadline to avoid deactivation. Prior to this, the same centres recorded little or no numbers to the extent that some personnel who were recruited to help in the registration had to be sent away since there was no one to register. The numbers however started building up as the 31st deadline approached. But, immediately after the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful announced an extension to September 30, 2022, the "last-minute attitude" of Ghanaians set in again and the huge numbers vanished. Meanwhile, the Minister has cautioned that this will be the last extension. Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, she said: The statistics indicate that there was a 90% drop in SIM reregistration, as soon as the first deadline was extended on 21st March. Until a week ago there were no queues, people started going to register when they realised that the deadline was imminent after going to sleep. The mobile network operators, NCA, and the NIA have all engaged additional staff, procured the necessary logistics and are incurring significant expenses to conduct this exercise successfully, any extension of the process increases their cost, she added. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful says a self-service SIM Registration App will be ready for commercial launch on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. According to her, the app is to resolve the challenges some Ghanaians are encountering with registering their SIM cards. She believed the app will facilitate the registration exercise, however it is not for free as before one can access the app, the person will pay GHC 5. "We have introduced a SIM registration app for express service. If you want convenience, you pay a little more for it," she told host Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme Monday morning. But noting that some people may disagree with the surcharge of 5 cedis on the app, the Minister messaged the dissenters saying, "you don't have to; you can go to your network operator and join the queue to register". She expounded that the app is only for those who want to enjoy convenience in registering their SIM cards. " . . if you want to sit in your room or office to register without any inconveniences, pay a little bit more for your convenience. That's all! It's an additional service we're bringing to facilitate and ease the registration exercise. There's certain categories of people who for some reason cannot go to their network operator, so we are initiating this service," she said. On how to access the app as well as the name, the Minister didn't provide adequate details but assured the public her outfit will soon furnish them with the relevant information. 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. Featured Video Varied public opinion and discussions have greeted the decision by the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC) of the General Legal Council (GLC) not to disclose the pass mark for this years entrance examination into the Ghana School of Law (GSL), and also for the candidates to sign an undertaking not to challenge the results. Critics including lawyers, law students and some civil society organisations have poured scorn on the decision, describing it as a setback for the development of legal education. However, those in support of the decision said the GLC was being practical owing to the limited space in the GSL as compared to the overwhelming number of Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates who want to enter the Ghana School of Law to read the professional course. For critics such as the National Association of Law Students (NALS), the decision was arbitrary and an attempt by the GLC to manipulate the number of candidates considered for admission. Also, a lawyer and regular critic of the GLC, Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare, has called on LLB holders to boycott the entrance examination whilst the Vice President of Imani Africa, Kofi Bentil, has said it is oppressive and unconscionable for the GLC to take such a decision. Support However, one of the supporters of the decision, Kofi Opare Hagan, a UK-based Ghanaian lawyer, in a post on Facebook, said the decision by the GLC was in the right direction as it was driven by the practical challenges facing the GSL. The GSL has a certain number it can take. Well, let them all write the exams and then, post exams, we determine the cutoff based on the general performance. This isnt rocket science. It is easy to figure it out. And that is the only way they can work around the problem, he stated. Entrance examination On July 18, this year, the GLC opened the application for LLB graduates to apply to write the entrance examination for admission to read the professional law course at the GLS. The entrance examination which will be held on September 23, this year, will comprise two compulsory questions chosen from any of the six basic law courses <\a> Law of Contract, Law of Torts, Criminal Law, Law of Immovable Property, Constitutional Law and Legal System and Methods. However, unlike last year when the GLC announced the pass mark as 50 per cent of the total score, this year, the pass mark was missing in the Councils announcement. Also, as part of the requirements, candidates for the entrance examination are required to sign an undertaking that they would accept the results released by the IEC as final. No request for re-marking of scripts, re-tallying of scores or review or marks shall be accepted. Candidates cannot also request to see their marked answer scripts or the marking scheme used for marking the questions, the undertaking stated. Criticisms NALS, in a statement released Monday (August 1, 2022), said the refusal by the GLC to disclose the pass mark and for the prospective students to sign the undertaking was part of the opaque system the Council had used to run legal education in the country. According to NALS, the decision was illegal and an affront and violation of a High Court decision in 2020 which held the undertaking to be arbitrary, unlawful, null, void, and of no effect. Presently as it stands now, LLB holders are being asked to take an exam, without knowing what the minimum threshold to pass the exam is. Additionally, we will not be allowed to seek a review of our scripts, the statement said. NALS called on Parliament, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the Right to Information Commission (RTI) and the general public to help speak against the GLC to push it to do what was fair, right and transparent pursuant to Articles 25(2) of the 1992 Constitution. Source: graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, President Joe Biden said Monday in a speech from the White House. "I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all," Biden said. Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden's personal physician. Zawahiri was sheltering in downtown Kabul to reunite with his family, Biden said, and was killed in what a senior administration official described as "a precise tailored airstrike" using two Hellfire missiles. The drone strike was conducted at 9:48 p.m. ET on Saturday was authorized by Biden following weeks of meetings with his Cabinet and key advisers, the official said on Monday, adding that no American personnel were on the ground in Kabul at the time of the strike. Senior Haqqani Taliban figures were aware of Zawahiri's presence in the area, the official said, in "clear violation of the Doha agreement," and even took steps to conceal his presence after Saturday's successful strike, restricting access to the safe house and rapidly relocating members of his family, including his daughter and her children, who were intentionally not targeted during the strike and remained unharmed. The US did not alert Taliban officials ahead of Saturday's strike. In a series of tweets, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, "An air strike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city on July 31." He said, "The nature of the incident was not apparent at first" but the security and intelligence services of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident and "initial findings determined that the strike was carried out by an American drone." The tweets by Mujahid came out prior to CNN reporting Zawahiri's death. Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan "strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement." Read Full Story .... HERE >>> : Source: CNN Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Managing Director of Inter-City State Transport Corporation (STC), Nana Akomea, has condemned the new examination rules introduced by the Ghana Legal Council for prospective students of the Ghana School of Law. The General Legal Council, a body responsible for admissions into the Ghana School of Law, is reported to have asked the students to sign an undertaking which states categorically that they cannot request remarking of their exam papers and/or review of their marks. The General Legal Council (GLC) has over the years established credible, rigorous and well-benchmarked systems and procedures for assessing answer booklets and re-checking of same for all candidates before examination results are released. Thus, the decision of the General Legal Council in respect of the published results of the Entrance Examination shall be final. No request for re-marking of scripts, re-tallying of scores or review or marks shall be accepted. Candidates cannot also request to see their marked answer scripts or the marking schemes used for marking the questions. In view of the above, I undertake to accept without question, the decision of the General Legal Council in respect of the published results of the Entrance Examination as final, parts of the undertaking read. Touching on the issue during a panel discussion programme "Kokrokoo" on Peace FM, Nana Akomea called on the GLC to reconsider the rules. He wondered how the Council expects no student to ask for remarking if there is the need or request review of their marks if they find it questionable. He believed the new rules are an arbitrary way for the examiners to manipulate the pass mark, otherwise he sees no reason in they disallowing the students to challenge their marks if it doesn't tally with their performance. "Where do we do such things?...You can't tell me that the pass mark is 40 or 50 percent. Also, if I feel that, this result I got, it may not be my paper which was marked; I don't have any opportunity to pay and apply for remarking. I mean how?", he exclaimed. He asked the Council to come clear on this report stating "they don't need all this controversy". 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. Featured Video Former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has slammed the family of the late President John Evans Atta Mills for picking on former Presidential Spokesperson under the Mills regime, Samuel Koku Anyidoho regarding the Atta Mills Institute. Koku Anyidoho, who spearheaded the Atta Mills Institute with aim of honoring the memory of the late President, has recently incurred the wrath of the deceased's family following his action to renovate the Asomdwee Park where the late Mills was buried. The family led by brother of the late President, Dr Cadman Mills, has leveled wild allegations against Koku Anyidoho. They accuse him of desecrating the corpse and even claim Koku Anyidoho might have stolen the mortal remains of the late President. Allegations I will like Ghanaians to know that the so-called Atta Mills Institute is unsanctioned, it is unappreciated and it is most unwelcomed, Dr. Cadman Mills said at the J.E.A. Mills Commemorative lecture in Accra on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Dr Cadman Mills also accused Mr. Anyidoho of using the Atta Mills Institute to sow divisions and insult elders and described the refurbished Asomdwee park where the late President is buried as not representing Prof J.E.A. Mills. He has also indicated that the family is initiating a legal suit against Koku Anyidoho and the Atta Mills Institute. "In my capacity as the Abusuapanyin of the Nkuban Kyereba Twidan Abusua, the family has decided that we will contact our solicitors to make sure that they explore all avenues to stop the Atta Mills Institute from [operating]." I saw his grave. There his name appeared a little bit except that it was spelt John Evans Atta-Mills. For somebody who claimed to know him very well, even though the person who has the name himself has never put a hyphen in that name. They used this so-called refurbishment to promote themselves, to promote their Institute and to promote their pay paymasters...Thats not what Fiifi [Atta Mills] stood for, a publication by 3news.com quoted. Koku Anyidoho Institute Following the legal threats, Koku Anyidoho is said to have renamed the Atta Mills Institute to Koku Anyidoho Institute (KAI). He tweeted that the Koku Anyidoho Institute will "keep the legacy of President Atta-Mills alive. To God Almighty be the glory. Other tweets by him read; "There will be a, Koku Anyidoho Institute (KAI), to work for President Atta-Mills." "Koku Anyidoho Institute (KAI), lives to glorify God & to respect the memory of President Atta-Mills." Leave Koku Anyidoho Alone Addressing the issue during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Charles Owusu asked "where were they (the family) when the man died 10 years ago?" He revealed that COSMOS Energy gave Dr. Cadman Mills a whopping 100,000 dollars towards the JEA Mills Memorial Heritage, an initiative which seeks to honour the legacy of Prof. Mills but added the money cannot be accounted for. "I have heard COSMOS Energy gave him 100,000 dollare for the Atta Mills Foundation (Heritage Foundation), have you heard they have spent Ghc 1 somewhere...?" Charles Owusu rhetorically asked. He sought to find out what Dr. Cadman Mills used the money to do because, by his investigations, the money didn't serve its purpose. "Were the family not sitting down when the Asomdwe Park was infested by mice and grasscutters?" Charles Owusu asked the family to leave Koku Anyidoho alone asserting he is a loyal soldier who genuinely loves the late President Mills. "Loyalty is expensive . . . and so all these things should stop. Let's move forward as a country. Thank God, the place has been well-decorated. Tomorrow, when a President dies and he is sent there, it is befitting; at least it's an honor to the nation when someone goes to the place to watch them . . . Let us stop these things and give praise where it deserves," he said. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has alleged that the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has printed money to support the government's budget without parliamentary approval. According to him, "Between January and June 2022, the Minister responsible for Finance and the government went to the Central Bank, and they encouraged the BoG to print money worth GH22 billion. They have printed GH22 billion fresh money without the knowledge of Parliament and without informing all of us." But the Central Bank in a statement issued on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, said Dr. Ato Forson's claim is false. "The amount of GH22.04 billion represents net claims on government, and not new currency printed to support the governments budget," it said, noting that the net claims of GH22.04 billion comprised the stocks and bonds sold by banks, the country's allocation of special drawing rights (SDRs) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), drawdown of government balances with the central bank and negative on the government's account owing to auction failures." Speaking to this, however, a former Political Science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Richard Amoako Baah said Ato Forson's claim is true. In an interview on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme, he said, "It's true . . . the bank of Ghana is still financing the government; don't be deceived. The Bank of Ghana doesn't receive deposits . . . they are financing the government and it is not only in Ghana. When things become difficult the central bank prints money to help the government pay internal debts. Where did the Bank of Ghana get the money? Makola? I can tell you that when things get harder they will do it again . . . " Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The President has in accordance with article 78 of the 1992 constitution appointed the deputy Minister for Gender Children and Social Protection, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu, Member of Parliament for Walewale as Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection. Her appointment is however subject to the approval of parliament. In a statement signed by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, he noted that Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah, Member of Parliament for Kwabre East has also been appointed as deputy Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection. He noted that the president is hopeful that parliament will expedite the approval of his nominees for the ministry so that they can assist in the effective delivery for his second term in office. Former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo was sacked from her role by President Nana Akufo-Addo. The decision by the President came at a time when Parliament was debating her continuous stay in the House after absenting herself for more than 15 sitting days without approval from the Speaker of Parliament. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The southwest corner of the Keremeos Creek wildfire is shown in a July 31, 2022 handout photo. A growing wildfire has prompted an evacuation order for a mountain resort village in British Columbia's Okanagan area, about 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Could Strict New Gambling Laws in Melbourne Spell the End of the Aussie Millions? August 02, 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor The fallout from the damning royal commission into Crown Melbourne's affairs continues with Crown Resorts' flagship property facing a new raft of strict gambling laws that could spell the end for the long-running Aussie Millions. Loss limits and restrictions on the use of cash at Crown Melbourne is aimed at players of slots, or pokies as the Australians call them, but the new rules will undoubtedly spread to other areas of the casino's operations. An investigation into Crown Resorts lasted more than two years and ended with regulators declaring the Australian gambling giant unfit to hold a casino operating license for its Melbourne, Perth, and recently-opened Sydney properties. However, those regulators allowed Crown to continue operating in Melbourne and Perth after the group showed a willingness to change, including almost entirely replacing its Board of Directors and executive directors. Crown Sydney, built in Barangaroo at a cost of AU$2.2 billion, opened its doors on December 28, 2020, but its high-roller-focussed casino remains under lock and key; an August 8, 2022, date is penciled in for the grand opening. The Bergin Inquiry, whose report highlighted catastrophic failures throughout Crown Resorts, highlights 33 recommendations to the Australian government. Several of those are already in place, but the latest additions are extremely restrictive, although some will argue entirely necessary. First, Crown Melbourne patrons wishing to play on the casino's slots must first set themselves a loss limit. The amount is down to the player, although it is highly likely the new rules will force Crown's hand in setting an upper limit. In addition, players' time gambling will be tracked by the casino's electronic gaming machines. Second, there is a hard limit regarding the use of cash to fund play on Crown Melbourne's slots. This is currently set at AU$1,000 within a 24-hour period, with customers required to provide photographic identification should they wish to spend more than AU$1,000 using cash. Revenue from "pokies" makes up a significant percentage of Crown Resorts' revenue. COVID-19-related closures at Crown Melbourne saw revenue and profit severely hindered during the 2021 financial year. Revenue at Crown Melbourne stood at AU$97.1 million for H1 FY2021, down 90.5%. Revenue from electronic gaming machines accounted for AU$23.4 million of that sum. Crown Melbourne houses approximately 2,600 gaming machines, although 10% of the 26,321 spread across the state. Why Could The Rules Affect the Aussie Millions' Future? This latest flurry of new rules and regulations could spread to other areas of Crown Melbourne's business, including its casino table games and popular poker room. However, the company is in the business of making money and these customer-imposed loss limits and the restriction of cash usage will have a negative effect on Crown Melbourne's bottom line. The casino will have to make up the shortfall somehow, especially as the group has new owners after the American investment giant Blackstone Group, owners of The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, completed an AU$8.9 billion takeover in late June 2022. It is difficult to imagine Blackstone's accountants allowing the company's main revenue stream to be hampered without making up the shortfall elsewhere. While there are other strict rules regarding the number of slots allowed at the property Crown cannot simply install another few hundred machines there could be scope for more casino table games or other features that pull in guaranteed money. The bottom line for casino operators is that poker does not generate enough money compared to slots and table games. Even prestigious poker tournaments, such as the 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event, do not create vast sums of money. Look at the 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event as an example. It attracted 820 entrants paying AU$10,600 with $600 taken as rake. That equated to AU$492,000 in rake for the one tournament, which sounds plenty on the surface, but then one must consider the staffing costs and the fact those 820 players paid $600 in rake but probably not much else for the week they were grinding. Replace those 90+ tables with blackjack, roulette, and baccarat, and the latter would likely make more money in addition to them only requiring a handful of staff. Why Is This Happening To Crown Melbourne? The whole Crown Resorts saga started in 2019 when then majority shareholder, James Packer, attempted to sell 19.99% of his stake in Crown Resorts to fellow businessmen Lawrence Ho of Macau-based Melco Resorts. Lawrence Ho is the son of the late Dr Stanley Ho, who was a powerful man that once enjoyed a monopoly on the casinos in Macau, but who was also heavily linked to triad activity and organized crime. Stanley Ho denied such links to the day he died on May 26, 2020, but the New Jersey Casino Control Commission said in 2009 that Stanley Ho's links to the triads was so strong that they put the brakes on him obtaining a gambling license. Crown Resorts had signed an agreement with the New South Wales authorities while building its Sydney casino that it would have no dealings with Stanley Ho or a myriad of companies where he and his people were linked. Despite being Stanley Ho's son, Lawrence Ho had no business interests linking him with his controversial fatheror so Packer thought. It turns out Lawrence Ho was listed as a company director of one of the blacklisted companies, resulting in the launch of an investigation. As investigators delved into the inner workings of Crown Resorts, they uncovered countless instances of wrongdoing, including money laundering, underpaid tax, and unscrupulous business operating methods. The Australian government launched a royal commission, the highest level of investigation, into Crown's operations, and yet more failings were uncovered. Crown Resorts was deemed unsuitable to hold a gambling license and fined AU$80 million; it is on the hook for another AU$100 million, too. A similar investigation into Crown Perth unveiled similar failings and misgivings. The company has since undergone dozens of changes and reforms, including a brand-new Board of Directors and changes to the way the company operates. It no longer uses "junket operators" to bring in well-heeled Chinese VIPs, for example. Here is hoping that an upcoming change is not to scrap the Aussie Millions for good. Previous Ten Aussie Millions Main Events The Aussie Millions has, for many year, been a staple part of the live poker tournament calendar. Traditionally taking place in January each year, poker's elite stars often headed from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) to compete in the Aussie Millions festival, especially the AU$10,600 Main Event. Vincent Wan is the reigning champion, having won in 2020. Lam came out on top of an 820-strong crowd and banked AU$1,318,000 ($910,447). other Aussie Millions Main Event champions include Bryn Kenney, Toby Lewis, Ari Engel, and Ami Barer. The 2021 edition of the Aussie Million fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a similar story in 2022 with the landing page on Crown Melbourne's website simply stating "on hold until further notice. Centerra's long-term future at the Savannah River Site may still be up in the air, but the company will still have a relationship with the Department of Energy. Constellis, Centerra's parent company, announced recently that a joint venture between Centerra and Tsay Construction and Services known as Northern New Mexico Integrated Security has been awarded a five-year, $592 million contract by National Nuclear Security Administration contractor Triad National Security to provide protective services at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory provides scientific and engineering services for national security programs. It also does research and development, maintenance, design and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons. The Los Alamos lab was formed during World War II and was the location where the designs of the first three nuclear weapons (the Trinity test, Little Boy and Fat Man) were designed. Terry Ryan, CEO of Constellis, said the joint venture company would provide a full spectrum of turnkey security services. We are proud to partner with Tsay to continue our work supporting the U.S. Government and the Department of Energy, said Gerard Jerry Neville, president of North American operations at Constellis. Constellis companies have supported DOE for the past six decades, and we are excited to provide a highly-trained protective force at LANL. The contract includes a five-year base with two one-year options, reaffirms long-term commitment and maintains the companys long-standing Department of Energy relationship. In late March, the Department of Energy awarded Centerra a five-year, $195 million contract to provide security services at the department's headquarters in Washington, D.C., and Germantown, Maryland. Germantown is a Washington, D.C., suburb located northwest of the city along Interstate 270. In the release announcing the award at Los Alamos, Constellis notes it has contracts at six Department of Energy sites. The Department of Energy recently announced that it was extending the contract of Centerra to provide paramilitary security services at the Savannah River Site for up to two years while it makes Government Accountability Office recommended changes to its contracting process for paramilitary security services. Those recommendations came after the Department of Energy awarded and affirmed the award of a contract of up to 10 years and $1 billion to SRS Critical Infrastructure Security to provide paramilitary security services at the site last year. That award was also protested twice with both protests being denied. Vaccinated passengers on the Charleston-based Carnival Sunshine will still need to show a negative COVID-19 test before they'll be allowed to board, despite the cruise line's decision to drop the requirement starting Aug. 4 for most of its shorter sailings from U.S. ports. Almost all of the Sunshine's itineraries include the Bahamas, which is one of the countries that Carnival said still requires negative testing. The other countries are Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. "All guests on itineraries that include Bahamas, Bermuda and Grand Cayman must complete a pre-cruise test, irrespective of the length of the cruise," Carnival said on its website. Those tests must be taken within three days of departure, according to the cruise line. Carnival's decision appears to conflict with an announcement by the Bahamian government, which said vaccinated travelers wouldn't be required to show a negative test effective June 19. The Bahamas is adapting to the continued evolution of this pandemic. We want to streamline the entry process for travelers as much as possible, all while ensuring we are protecting public health, I. Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said in a written statement. John Heald, Carnival's brand ambassador, reiterated the cruise line's policy requiring tests for Bahamas cruises on his Facebook page. "I know this was disappointing news and I know that because of the angry attacks made by a few people accusing us of a U-turn," Heald wrote on Aug. 2 on the social media site. "This was of course not what we wanted but proof again that we have to abide by the ever-changing rules and requirements of the places we visit." Carnival is lifting the testing requirement for vaccinated passengers on most of its cruises lasting five or fewer days, the cruise line announced this week. Unvaccinated passengers ages 2 and older and all of those sailing on longer cruises will still have to show a negative test taken within three days of sailing, regardless of their destinations. Carnival, which lifted mask requirements in March, said in a statement that its new protocols follow the Centers for Disease Control's decision to lift COVID-related requirements that had been in place for the U.S. cruise industry. Carnival said the "changes will be made in phases," with longer voyages eventually added. "All changes are subject to any requirements of destinations on the itinerary," Carnival said. "We are waiting to hear back from certain destinations and these protocols will continue to evolve." Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line have also dropped testing requirements for their vaccinated passengers. All but a handful of Sunshine cruises are to the Bahamas. The others are seven- to 10-day voyages to Caribbean islands. The State Ports Authority, which owns and operates the Port of Charleston including the cruise terminal where the Sunshine docks, isnt planning any changes to its cruise-related COVID-19 policies, according to spokeswoman Liz Crumley. The maritime agency has contracted with a vendor to disinfect the passenger building and gangway prior to every vessel arrival, and it continuously disinfects high-touch areas like doorknobs and handrails. Carnival has based one of its pleasure ships at Union Pier Terminal on the peninsula since 2010. The authority said this year the cruise line will leave Charleston at the end of 2024 so Union Pier can be redeveloped, although the terminal will remain to accommodate visiting vessels. A quarter of South Carolinas 73 traditional public school districts will be following a year-round calendar this academic year. Thats a dramatic rise from three years ago when virtually no schools operated on this schedule. These 18 districts hope they will see benefits to academics and well-being from a calendar that offers more breaks throughout the school year. For decades, American schools have followed the rhythms of the traditional calendar: 180 days of class broken up by holidays here and there, along with a longer winter break, and then a lengthy summer hiatus. Year-round schooling departs from that schedule. While the phrase year-round might conjure images of students in class, well, year-round, it is the same number of school days, just spread out differently. Districts on this modified calendar might have nine weeks of classes followed by a week or two of break time. The time off might include extra help for struggling students. Following the break, all students and staff return to school, and the cycle repeats. Greenwood 50 was an early convert, switching in 2021. Administrators say the first year went well: More students than expected sought extra help during the breaks, and teachers say they feel less stressed. Student test scores have gone up, with the biggest gains in math. The districts year-round plans were underway before the pandemic hit. Greenwood officials thought the calendar might improve the Upstate districts persistently low state test scores. They saw remediation during breaks as a chance to catch students up before they fell farther behind. We felt like we needed to do something, said Superintendent Steve Glenn. You do the same thing over and over and over and expect different results, its called insanity, right? Districts have remained loyal to the traditional calendar despite strong evidence that students lose ground each summer, forcing teachers to revisit old material at the start of every school year. But after the unprecedented learning disruptions over the last two years, districts are more open to alternatives as they consider options to help students recover. As districts try to figure out how to deal with the lost learning, theyre also struggling with worsening teacher shortages and both student and educator burnout. Administrators have started to see the year-round calendar as a solution to those problems. But theres the catch. Few magic bullets exist in education. Researchers who study year-round calendars say there is limited proof they drive academic success better than traditional ones. Any academic benefits are likely to hinge on whether and how well districts use the extra time for remediation during the school year. Schools cant require attendance, so they have to design programs that are enriching and enticing enough to draw in students. Since the modified calendar has only been in place for one year, Glenn hesitates to declare it a complete solution for Greenwood. Still, he is cautiously optimistic and has been telling other school leaders how the schedule is working in his district. Only time will tell what effect year-round schooling has in Greenwood 50 and the other 17 districts. Crafting a modified calendar that significantly benefits students and teachers is a feat many experts say they havent seen happen yet. Greenwood 50s experiment Alyssa Whittle hadnt spent a lot of time thinking about the calendar before Greenwood started considering year-round. The traditional schedule seemed pretty set in stone. She was working as a student teacher in the district. As the district shared more about the way year-round schools would work, Whittle grew interested in the idea. She could see how students got antsy and less attentive when weeks went by without extended time off. Students need those breaks, she said. We need it, and they need it. Greenwood 50, one of three districts in Greenwood County, has about 8,400 students, according to state enrollment data. The districts academic performance was low before the pandemic. Only 35.6 percent of its students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts in 2019, below the state average of 45.4 percent, according to state report cards. Greenwood had a lot of support for a switch to the year-round calendar, which isnt always the case. District surveys showed 59 percent of parents and staff backed a change. The district decided to start the new schedule in 2021. Whittles first year in the classroom was Greenwoods first on a modified calendar. The district started school in late July, about three weeks earlier than normal. By the end of the first nine weeks, Whittle saw in her students the same restlessness she had witnessed as a student teacher. They were ready for a break. Now, there was one two weeks off at the end of September. Greenwood scheduled three remediation days during the first week and invited about 2,000 struggling students to attend. About half of them did, a participation rate that exceeded expectations. Enrollment was more than double their summer school attendance. Whittle signed up to teach during the break. Her schools principal assigned teachers different grade levels so students would see new faces. That way, students would also experience other teaching styles. Perhaps a new teacher could explain a concept in a different way that clicked. Smaller class sizes also meant more individual attention. The ability to add instructional time is one of the main benefits to a year-round calendar, said David Hornak, executive director for the National Association for Year-Round Education. Students have different needs the traditional calendar doesnt always meet, Hornak added. Some only need 150 days of instruction to do well. Others need 200 school days or more. Right now, they all get exactly the same: 180. Remediation days during breaks can bump up instructional days for those who need it the most. In Greenwood, theyve effectively added nine days to the school year for those who choose to attend. Still, other experts are not convinced of the benefits of a modified calendar. Jennifer Graves, a researcher who studies year-round schools, says she is not against year-round schooling. But she has seen academic benefits be neutral at best. Many administrators think that simply shortening the summer break would improve academics by reducing the summer slide, the learning loss that typically occurs during the lengthy break. But Graves said because the time out of school remains the same breaks just occur at different times of the year switching to year-round schooling doesnt lead to gains. She found that in lower-income communities, the year-round calendar led to lower academic achievement. In more well-off communities, she saw no difference in academic achievement with the schedule change. During that time out of school, students are exposed, or not exposed, to different learning environments and opportunities that seem to have a bigger influence on academics than the calendar itself. Graves said the ability of the year-round calendar to improve academics depends on whether and how well districts use the additional breaks for remediation. She sees the potential to boost academics through the additional classroom days if students who need help show up and if teachers are available to provide quality lessons. Donate to our Investigative Fund to support journalism like this Our public service and investigative reporting is among the most important work we do. Its also the most expensive reporting we do. We cant do it without your support. Donate Now Whittle thought Greenwood planned the remediation days well. She was initially skeptical about how much she and the students could accomplish in three days but realized they could do a lot in a short amount of time. Her students were like sponges; they soaked up the extra attention. Her students also seemed to be having fun which administrators believed was crucial since attendance was optional. Greenwood needed students to want to be there during the break, which the district calls an intersession. The students would come see me and say, Ms. Whittle, I cant wait for the next intersession, she said. For the remediation days to work, Graves said, they also require officials to adequately fund them, something she said she again hasnt seen in her research. So far, Greenwood has seen success in getting more students to participate during the remediation days than during summer school. Officials have also shifted money from the districts summer school budget to the breaks. Whether that will be enough to create robust remediation days that impact students remains to be seen. The rise and fall of year-round calendars Paul von Hippel sees districts trot out year-round calendars as a supposedly innovative new approach every few years. The University of Texas professor remains skeptical after years of researching the calendars effects on academics. The traditional school calendar emerged when the country was more agrarian. Year-round schooling has a shorter history, but schools have experimented with it for several decades. After Congress held a hearing on year-round schooling in 1972, the modified calendars grew in popularity until a peak in the 1990s. Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up! Over the years, states and districts have turned to year-round calendars for numerous reasons. In North Carolina and California, officials tried year-round schooling after struggling with overcrowding. In Indiana and Oklahoma, school officials hoped the calendar would boost student achievement by shortening the summer break. South Carolina districts have mostly stuck to the traditional calendar. Individual schools in the state have experimented with year-round schooling, sometimes leading to scheduling nightmares for families with children at schools on traditional schedules. Beaufort made one of the most concerted efforts with year-round calendars in the mid-1990s the district has since reverted back but theres never been much statewide appetite for the schedule. A 2006 state law blocks schools from starting before the third Monday in August, unless they receive permission. The tourism industry played a role in that; a later school start means more time for summer travels as well as employment opportunities for teens and teachers working second jobs. Districts across the state are taking a second look at the year-round calendar, spurred by the pandemics disruptions and the worst teacher shortage in decades. The local interest mirrors a national trend. Hornak said he gets about three times as many calls a week from interested districts than he did before the pandemic. But von Hippel predicts this new wave of interest will end like others have. He hasnt seen many districts stick with the year-round schedule for long. Schools often abandon it when they dont see academic gains. In fact, prior to the pandemic, he said use of the calendar had been in decline. Folks are invariably disappointed, von Hippel said. Balancing rest, academics Whether a district ends up disappointed will depend on their reasons for choosing a modified calendar, said Megan Mitchell-Hoefer, an assistant superintendent in Greenville County. Year-round calendars may offer non-academic benefits that make it worth it anyway. Greenville County has no plans to abandon its traditional calendar, but Mitchell-Hoefer understands the appeal. She used to be the principal at a year-round school and did her dissertation on the subject, finding modest academic gains in math in a high-poverty Greenville school that was on a modified schedule at the time. Schools have a broad responsibility to support students beyond academics, she said. We have to teach children, Mitchell-Hoefer said. But children have to be healthy to learn, and our staff have to be healthy to work. Many of the districts moving to year-round calendars are looking at it as a way to address growing mental health issues. They see the extra breaks as a way to give weary students and teachers a rest. The stress people are feeling is so real, said Eric Jeffcoat, an assistant superintendent in Aiken County. Aiken is moving to a year-round calendar in 2023. The district plans to take an approach similar to Greenwood 50 and has scheduled two-week breaks and a few extra days of lessons. About half of the districts now on modified calendars will be following a similar schedule with their breaks. On average, those districts are adding nine remediation days throughout the school year. The rest of the districts are only looking to add rest days. Not much research exists on how year-round calendars affect student or teacher burnout. But the longer, more frequent breaks have been cited as a factor in districts debates almost as much as academics. Better rested students will be more prepared to learn, the argument goes. But from the research von Hippel and Graves have done, a decision to forgo remediation likely means no academic benefits. And for districts scheduling remediation days, results arent guaranteed. Participating students and teachers will have to give up some or all of their breaks for the extra classroom time, which could counter efforts to prevent burnout. Whittle, the Greenwood teacher, said the two-week break was key for her. If it had just been one week, as some districts have scheduled, she is not sure she would have volunteered to teach. She felt she still had plenty of time to rest after the remediation days. Mitchell-Hoefer said districts need to be clear about what their goals are when they decide to switch. The motivation might be academics or mental health. Or it could be as simple as giving families the option to travel throughout the year. Every district will have their own reasons. Scheduling dilemmas Keith Price, superintendent of Georgetown schools, sees merit in changing the calendar for many of the same reasons other S.C. districts have moved to year-round schooling. He also recognizes a year-round calendar poses a particular challenge to his tourist-heavy coastal district. Students and teachers often work summer jobs. Cutting summer break short in the Georgetown area, even by a few weeks, might leave businesses in the hospitality and tourism industries scrambling for workers during the busy vacation season. More Coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Couriers Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab. Price doesnt have a solution for that but said he and others in the district are looking at year-round calendars with a start date closer to the traditional one or with shorter breaks. Still, the dilemma highlights how a year-round calendar can present its own set of obstacles. Districts considering schedule changes need to give their communities plenty of notice. Georgetown first began discussing the idea in January and initially proposed switching this school year. Price said parents liked the idea of the schedule, but they didnt like moving so soon. Some already had vacation plans they would have to cancel or change. The opposition pushed officials to adjust their potential timeline to 2023. Planning for child care presents another hurdle. Graves, in her research on calendar types and effects, found parents often react negatively to the calendar. She suspects that stems from how year-round schooling impacts child care options. During long summers in traditional calendars, a network of child care options exists already. During week- or two-week-long breaks in the fall or spring, those same child care options may not be around. Jeffcoat, the Aiken administrator, said they have already planned how they will address that. Their after-school provider Quest Zone will operate during the breaks to give families of elementary students a child care option. Other districts are considering partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs, churches and other community organizations. But these plans highlight how complicated changing the calendar can be and how much districts need to think ahead when moving to year-round schooling. Cautious optimism Glenn, Greenwoods superintendent, doesnt want to oversell what the district has experienced. But he and other administrators say the results seem promising. They know other districts are watching Greenwood as a bellwether. Glenn talked about the experience at a conference with other educators this year and found himself swarmed by superintendents and school board members after his presentation. They all wanted to know more. Greenwoods main goal was academics, and it's seeing improvements. How much of that is due to the calendar or due to other interventions it's implementing, like smaller class sizes, can be hard to determine. But the numbers are going in the right direction, Glenn said. Administrators are also happy with the participation rates during remediation. From surveys, they know they have widespread community support, too. Greenwood plans its calendars three years at a time. This fall, it will be setting the schedule through 2026. Glenn said his recommendation will be to stick with year-round. At that point, the district will have marked five years on a modified schedule. By then, the district should have a clearer picture of whether the calendar is making a difference, Glenn said. Some effects will take time to see, positive or negative. You cant turn it on a dime, this things a big airship, Glenn said. Year-round schooling may not end up being the solution. If not, he said, administrators will go back to the drawing board and explore other options. NORTH CHARLESTON Restaurant-inside-a-restaurant businesses known as ghost kitchens swept the nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but in Charleston few have risen. Instead, another ghost kitchen has become a household name for food and beverage industry professionals looking for commercial kitchen space to launch their food truck, pop-up or meal delivery service. A year and a half into its tenure at 3555 Dorchester Road, Ghost Kitchen Commissary has grown its list of tenants referred to as licensees to 45. Each food and beverage business has access to one of 10 cooking stations equipped with burners, ovens, grills, griddles and fryers, among other amenities. Parking and plug-ins for 20 food trucks is situated in a fenced-in lot near the entrance to the building. Ghost Kitchen operates with a guiding hand from owner Steve Wenger and manager Stephan Hughes, its only employee. Licensees can schedule stations via Ghost Kitchens software, which also collects monthly payments. They can walk in here and theres just a very low barrier to entry for a new business, Wenger said. My mission in life right now is to support small businesses. Wenger brings decades of experience to the commissary kitchen. In 1991, he purchased Stephen Duvall & Associates Catering from its original owners and remained at its head until selling the company to Dave Byron in 2018. During Wengers tenure, Duvall was inducted into the Leading Caterers of America, a prestigious industry group. Caterers and businesses renting space can utilize Wengers consulting services for an extra fee, and those who are accepted into the Ghost Kitchen Grant Program will receive a $1,000 startup credit. Several notable food trucks, caterers and meal delivery services call Ghost Kitchen home, including Atlyss Food Co., Sarah's Dumps and DIY Thai, a local company providing home cooking kits. Those who order from DIY Thai and Atlyss can even pick up their food right at Ghost Kitchen. The thing that really keeps it working is that everybody cleans behind themselves in a professional way, Wenger said. Everybody takes really good care of things. Ghost Kitchen has room for 10 to 15 more businesses, said Wenger, who recently added another freezer to the commissary kitchen. Those looking to lease space can apply online. Wenger said an actual ghost kitchen meaning a takeout or delivery restaurant without its own brick-and-mortar space could successfully operate inside Ghost Kitchen, and he would welcome the opportunity to help this type of business grow. Charleston restaurants like Daps Breakfast & Imbibe have launched ghost kitchens inside their own four walls, but thats about as far as the ghost kitchen concept has gone in the Holy City, aside from a handful of celebrity-owned virtual operations. In the upstate, at least one Columbia ghost kitchen The Bodega Kitchen has found success. Owned by Aida and Hector Sanchez, The Bodega Kitchen operates out of Krab Kingz Seafood after growing out of its ghost kitchen space inside the Philly Pretzel Factory on Rosewood Drive. The restaurant serves New York-style street food like Neapolitan-style pizza with made-from-scratch dough topped with ricotta cheese and chopped cheese, a sandwich born in New York that features ground beef and onions topped with melted cheese. The pair both grew up in New York but Hector has spent most of his life in South Carolina. I heard about the ghost kitchen concept thats already really popular in New York and Cali and different parts of the United States, Aida Sanchez said. We found a place and absolutely outgrew it within three months because of the influx of people. According to Aida Sanchez, running a ghost kitchen gives the couple time to learn more about the restaurant business without the crippling overhead that comes with a brick-and-mortar location. They plan to continue testing out their concept with the goal of opening a physical restaurant in the next two years. Actress Amber Heard has secretly sold her home in Southern California for a big profit after the defamation trial loss. TMZ has reported that the 36-year-old actress has begun raising some of that cash by selling her Yucca Valley home in the California desert for $1.05 million, a profit of about $500,000 for her, with a July 18 closing date. She reportedly bought the property back in 2019 through an anonymous trust tied to her, reports aceshowbiz.com. There's speculation about Heard's ability to immediately cover the damages, which includes $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. She will also receive $2 million from Depp in a counter-lawsuit, leaving her with just over $8 million to pay. The reports of Heard's selling her house came just days after she filed notice to appeal against Depp in the defamation case. The appeal filing came despite Heard being denied her request for a new trial. Depp's representatives repeated their confidence the payout decision would not be reversed. On July 21 in the wake of Heard's appeal application, a spokesman for Depp told Daily Mail: "The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr Depp, in multiple instances. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand." In early July, Heard's attorneys asked the judge to declare a mistrial. They argued one of the jurors on the case should not have been eligible to sit as his summons was intended for his father, who had the same name and address. The request was dismissed with Judge Penny Azcarate ruling there was "no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing" by the juror and the jury's verdict should stand. She also noted both sides had questioned and accepted all jury members at the start of the trial. Heard has said she is unable to pay the fortune in damages owed to Depp, which was awarded after a jury ruled she defamed her ex in a newspaper opinion piece published in 2018. The 'Zombieland' actress won only one of her three countersuit claims. Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Increasing clouds with showers arriving this afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. It would have been easy to overlook or fail to understand a fascinating exchange last month between prosecutor Creighton Waters and defense attorney Dick Harpootlian. There was, after all, quite a lot going on in the Colleton County courtroom where the two men squared off: Alex Murdaugh was making his first public appearance in nine months. Mr. Harpootlian was doing back flips to make sure the public didnt hear anything about the evidence the prosecution said it had to back up its double-murder indictment against the prominent Lowcountry lawyer. The two attorneys were agreeing that theyd be happy to take control of what information about the case was available to the public. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman was reminding the lawyers and we hope other S.C. judges, who sometimes forget that our constitution requires our courts, and the operations surrounding them, to remain open to the public. And dropped right in the middle of all that, when Mr. Harpootlian was urging the judge to set a trial this fall so police could get back to looking for the real killers and Mr. Waters was suggesting that January might be more realistic, was this: Obviously, Mr. Waters said, Mr. Senator Harpootlian has his legislative obligations at that time. Which I will waive, came the immediate, adamant retort from the Richland County Democrat: Which I will waive. What he was willing to waive wasnt his responsibilities as a senator; instead, it was what every judge, prosecutor and probably other lawyer in South Carolina is painfully aware of: the special privilege South Carolinas chief justice grants to lawyer-legislators to delay just about any hearing or trial they want. And of course Mr. Harpootlian would be eager to waive that privilege, because a delay is the opposite of what he wants in this case. But when lawyer-legislators believe its in the best interest of their clients to delay when their clients are out on bail and their best bet is that witnesses memories will fade with time, or police officers will move on to other jobs, for instance they can manipulate the court schedule by playing their get-out-of-court-free card. We have no idea how often this happens. Nor do we know how many lawyer-legislators make sure word gets around that they can keep cases from going to trial which makes them much more attractive to a certain type of client. Weve been told that most lawyer-legislators dont abuse the privilege, although everybody probably has a different definition of abusing the privilege. What we know is that the codification of the special privilege (a lot of judges had been granting it on their own long before) occurred in 2001, when then-Chief Justice Jean Toal issued an order forbidding judges from requiring lawyer-legislators to appear in court during the six months a year the Legislature is generally in session. Her order made an exception for extraordinary circumstances where substantial rights of the parties to the litigation will be defeated or severely abridged by the delay, or where the litigation involves emergency relief and irreparable damage. Nine years later, she replaced that perhaps-reasonable accommodation for legislative service with what she called absolute protection from legislators having to appear in court during session. She also said lawyer-legislators could do precisely what Mr. Harpootlian signaled he was going to do: show up in court to represent clients when they chose to do so. We dont mean to imply that Mr. Harpootlian has abused his privilege he had already built a successful law firm before he ran for the Senate in 2018 but the order allows lawyer-legislators to appear in court for one client but beg off for another the same day, and even to represent a client at one stage in the process and not another. S.C. Chief Justice Don Beatty temporarily expanded the exemption during the pandemic but then scaled it back early this year, telling judges they could order lawyer-legislators to appear in court just like any other lawyers to represent their clients for bond-revocation hearings and emergency family court hearings involving children. That was a big improvement, but the pushback he apparently got from legislators and the back-and-forth that preceded the changes suggested that lawyer-legislators have been abusing their privilege to a much greater extent than we imagined. And it suggested that before last year, judges had not been routinely doing what they should have been doing when lawyer-legislators demanded delays: immediately scheduling their cases to begin the following August. It also didnt go as far as it needs to. There is no question that its good to have people who are trained in the law involved in writing our laws. But even the slightly improved version of the immunity provision still amounts to the court carving out a special class of attorneys whose clients automatically receive special treatment. Unless the chief justice is able to rein in that privilege much more, the Legislature needs to require lawyer-legislators to publicly report all cases where court action is delayed because of their special protections, so we dont just learn about it if were listening really closely to court proceedings where a prosecutor is willing to raise the issue. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations inspects the 9th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali on July 27, 2022. BAMAKO, Aug. 1 -- A delegation led by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, paid an inspection visit to the 9th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali on July 27, local time. Mr. Lacroix, accompanied by Zhang Miao, commander of the 9th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali, reviewed the honor guard of the peacekeeping force and had a discussion with Chinese peacekeepers. He said that in regard to the turmoil and danger lingering on in Mali in recent years, China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has always been committed to safeguarding regional peace and stability. The efforts and contributions made by the Chinese peacekeeping forces have been universally recognized. Knowing that the Chinese People's Liberation Army is to celebrate its 95th founding anniversary on August 1, Mr. Lacroix extended best festive wishes to all Chinese peacekeepers. Since deployed to the mission area of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in August last year, the 413 peacekeepers of the 9th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali have fulfilled various tasks with high standards. Admit cards to candidates who would appear for the second phase of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) examination scheduled to begin on August 4 were issued on Monday, an official said. This year it has been made mandatory to clear the CUET exam for seeking admission in colleges affiliated to central universities. All central universities such as Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University have been included in this programme. Around seven lakh candidates are expected to appear for the exams. On the request of some of the candidates residing in the flood-affected areas, the examination centres have been changed. Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), M. Jagadesh Kumar, said all possible efforts have been made to make the candidates appear for the exam at their first-choice centres. The candidates are required to select their choice of exam centres before downloading the admit card. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), all the candidates would be issued admit cards in the next 1-2 days. The NTA said that some of the candidates faced difficulties in downloading the admit card due to "heavy traffic" on the website. The CUET is being conducted for admission into undergraduate courses. Around 14,90,000 candidates have registered for CUET within and outside the country. About 8,10,000 candidates appeared in the first phase of the exam which started on July 15. According to the UGC, students who clear this exam will be considered eligible for admission to 90 different universities, including 43 central universities. These exams are being conducted in about 554 centres in India and 10 centres outside the country. The administrations green energy proposals, like those that have been adopted in Europe, are leading this country toward an economic, social and strategic disaster. It is hard to think of any set of policies, adopted by any government at any moment in history, that rival our green mania for sheer destructiveness. Although, that said, Sri Lankas brief commitment to sustainability comes to mind. Speaking of sustainability, this piece by Stuart Gottlieb in todays Wall Street Journal, titled Bidens Climate Plans Are Unsustainable, makes some great points. [T]he greatest threat to [environmental] progressparticularly in the critical realm of climatecomes not from such emerging mega-emitters as China and India, although they certainly play a role. It comes from the energy and climate initiatives promoted by the Biden White House, which are themselves unsustainableso aggressive and unduly optimistic that they risk a backlash that would set back the cause of environmental sustainability for generations. This is true for at least three reasons. To begin with, the agenda is economically unsustainable. According to the federal Energy Information Administration, global demand for energy will rise nearly 50% by 2050, with fossil fuels still accounting for roughly 75% of world supply. Though many Democrats insist this simply proves the urgency of making the transition, there are no economic models showing how that could occur without causing massive harm to the underlying economy. A McKinsey & Co. report shows that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 would require nearly $6 trillion in new spending globally every year for the next 30 yearsroughly equal to one-third of all tax receipts by every government in the world. My experience with energy-related studies by companies like McKinsey causes me to think that this estimate is probably low by a factor of several times, if not orders of magnitude. But McKinseys numbers are bad enough. It simply isnt going to happen. The current agenda is also geostrategically unsustainable. It is increasingly clear that both Russia and China view aggressive Western climate commitments as an opportunity to increase their power and influence. We have already witnessed what Europes reliance on Russian natural gas has wrought: unacceptable dependence on one of the worlds vilest governments. Meanwhile, China is seeking to dominate Western markets for renewables (wind turbines, solar panels, lithium batteries) while enjoying its own right as a developing country, conferred by international conventions, to keep burning cheap fossil fuels as it powers its rise toward passing the U.S. as the worlds largest economy. Is the Biden administration deliberately trying to sell us out? Is Joe Biden a paid agent of the Communist Chinese, or perhaps of the Putin regime? I have always assumed that the answer is no, but the troubling question is, if Biden were a Chinese agent, what, exactly, would he be doing differently? The answer: nothing. And the current agenda is politically unsustainable. Without committed action by the Group of Seven nationsthe U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.K.there is little hope for real climate progress in coming decades. Yet these are also the worlds leading democracies, accountable to their publics. There is a real danger that voters in these countries will rebel against climate policies that ramp up energy prices, hinder economic growth and even lead to rationing and blackouts. I should hope so! Blackouts are coming soon, likely to a neighborhood near you. I would say that the certainty that voters will rebel against blackouts is not a danger, but rather the salvation of our civilization. If the Democrats continue with their mad green dreams, the inevitable result is that the day will come when we flip our light switches and nothing happens. Understand: if the Left gets its way on energy, the question is not whether. The question is when. When that day comes, and it will, there will be Hell to pay. One last thing: some climate hysterics are even more extreme than the Biden administration. Check out this account from an admiring left-wing source of climate activists who roam city streets, letting the air out of vehicles tires: One of the group kneels down, unscrews the tire valve cap, stuffs a lentil inside, and puts the cap back on. The tire immediately lets out a startled pfft noise, a leaflet is slapped onto the windshield and the group melts back into the night. The Tyre Extinguishers movement started in the UK, spread to a clutch of other countries, and has now landed in the US. Since June, dozens of SUV and pickup truck owners in New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago have discovered their vehicles with flat tires along with a note on the windshield declaring: Your gas guzzler kills. As angry as normals will be when their lights dont go on or they cant heat their homes, they might be even more irate if they find that environmentalists have disabled their SUVs. And, by the way, where I live two-thirds of all vehicles sold are SUVs. On energy, as on a number of other issues, the Democratic Party is on a collision course with reality. Call me an optimist, but throughout human history when ideology meets reality, reality generally wins. Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan today has occasioned Niall Fergusons long Bloomberg column on The Four Mysteries of Pelosis Troublesome Taiwan Trip. Its a learned column with interesting quotes from President Trump. Ferguson postulates that the Biden administration supports the trip because it wants to take a stronger stance against China than Trump did. I find that questionable, to say the least, and the evidence missing. Indeed, the Biden administrations public statements seem to me to betray fear and weakness. However, the background that Ferguson provides in the column will prove useful beyond the events of the moment. President Biden took off his mask and emerged from isolation to announce that the CIA had zapped al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zahawiri in a drone strike conducted by the CIA on his Kabul balcony over this past weekend. The White House has posted the transcript of Bidens remarks here. Reuters has a good story on the drone strike here and more on the operation here. Biden said the strike occurred on Saturday; Reuters says Sunday. I assume the time difference accounts for the apparent discrepancy. Reuters refers to Zawahiris apartment in Kabul as an al Qaeda safe house. The operation reminds us that we exited Afghanistan in disgrace last year. Biden represented the operation as a triumph of his vision, but the safe house tends to belie that. Indeed, in another Reuters story here, Secretary Blinken is quoted saying the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering al Qaedas top leader. You dont say. Shocking. Reuters cruelly quotes Blinkens statement: In the face of the Talibans unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls. Secretary Blinken is one of the more respectable members of the Biden team. I offer this as further evidence that what we have here is a clown-car administration. Below is a video clip that Biden tweeted out last night after announcing the hit on Zawahiri. He emphasized that Zawahiris family was unscathed in the attack, but I wouldnt be one bit choked up if they were accompanying him to hell. Biden looks and sounds weak. The unstated message here seems to me something other than as advertised. Im not sure hes up to dealing with the impending crisis arising from Speaker Pelosis visit to Taiwan. One of the few areas of startups that techies or founders get wrong is their understanding of stock dilution, also called share or equity dilution, and how to calculate dilution. Dilution is the result of a give and take: the founders of a company have the shares, and the investors have the money and resources. When a founder trades the companys shares for investors funds, the investor is allotted equity holding; and while a founder still maintains his or her number of shares, their percentage falls. A startup will not be able to escape stock dilution except it has no investor or does not give out shares to employees. Here are 10 simple outlines of how stock dilution works: 1. Lets say two individuals come together to form a new company which starts with one million shares. At the beginning, the founders own all shares in the company (100% ownership). Founder A owns 500,000 shares, while Founder B also owns 500,000 shares. 2. Two years later, an investor agreed to fund the startup, and valued the startup to be worth $20 million. This $20 million is called pre-money valuation. 3. This means that each share of the total one million shares owned by the founders is worth $20. 4. The Investor decides to invest $5 million, having it in mind that one share in the startup is worth $20. This means the investor will get 250,000 shares in the company with his $5 million. 5. When the founders agree to the investment of $5 million, due diligence will be done and agreements signed to seal the deal. Immediately the new investment comes in the post money valuation of the company then becomes $25 million. 6. The 250,000 shares that will go to the investor will be created separately and will not be deducted from the shares of the founders. 7 This means that the founders will still have 500,000 shares each, while the investor will have 250,000 shares. This means that the number of shares of the company is no longer 1 million. It is now 1.250 million (one million and two hundred and fifty thousand) shares. READ ALSO: Nigerian stocks slide further as investors cash out 8. The only thing that will change is the percentage ownership. The investor now has 20 per cent of the startup while the other two founders own 80% shares of 1.250 million shares of the company. This means Founder A now has 40 per cent while Founder B now has 40 per cent. 9. This means that the shares of the founders were diluted by 20 per cent. 10. Gradually as you raise more funds and depending on the terms you agree to, dilution may get more complicated but the above example is a foundational example of how stock dilution works. Victor Opatola is a tech-lawyer. Ngozi, the wife of Nollywood actor Zack Orji, has shown support for Labour Partys (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Barely 48 hours after her famous husband declared his support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, she dropped subtle hints of her stance on Instagram. Ms Orji, who posted a clip from the 20th edition of Revival Assembly Ministries Internationals Azusa Conference, which ended over the weekend, noted that she is OBIdient, a term used by the supporters of the LP candidate. The clip captures the moment the ministrys founder, Anselm Madubuko, invited Mr Obi to the pulpit amidst cheers from the congregation. Ms Orji, a Nollywood actress and costume designer, captioned it: It was An Awesome Time Today. That Moment Our Apostle General Anselm Madubuko Introduced H E Sir Peter Obi. What an Awesome Way To Wrap up AZUSA 20 Conference. God bless you, Sir, for Coming. We are obedient. We Move. Reactions Since the clip found its way to the Nigerian webspace, there has been a myriad of reactions to Ms Orjis post. While some said Mr Orji does not have enough influence to drum support for a presidential candidate, others say that he may have been induced with money. This is coming against the backdrop of reports that say that another Nollywood actor, Nkem Owoh, allegedly rejected N10m to campaign for Mr Tinubu. Going by the reactions to the post, it appears that Ms Orji is gaining more followership on social media through her action. While some hail her for not toeing the same path as her husband, others seem to think that it is the beauty of democracy which gives couples the freedom to vote for whoever they want. One of her followers, @noble_isfunny, wrote, You have done so well, ma; God bless you for standing on posterity. Dont mind your husband! I am following you right away, ma. Another follower, @ojormiller, notes that one family can have divergent opinions. He wrote: One family, different opinions, thats the beauty of democracy. For @johnson_olorunfemi, Ms Orji is an opinionated woman of virtue. Youre a woman of virtue, a woman who can choose for herself and stand her ground, he commented. Background On Saturday, Mr Orji threw his weight behind the candidacy of the APC presidential flag bearer. The actor said that having lived in Lagos for over 40 years, he knows that Mr Tinubu is a chief crusader for the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. He said: In his time as governor of Lagos state, he ran an all-inclusive government drawing people from different ethnic extractions into the executive council as decision makers to run the affairs of the state. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has condemned party leader Sanjay Raut's arrest, terming it a "political conspiracy" and an attempt by the government to silence big leaders. Shiv Sena MP Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam and has been sent to a four-day ED remand by a Special court in Mumbai on Monday. Apart from Shiv Sena, other opposition parties also slammed the Centre over Raut's arrest. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said, " The message of the 'Raja' (King) is clear- 'whoever speaks against me will suffer'. Efforts are on to break the morale of political opponents and silence the truth by using the government agencies... Well, in the end the 'truth' will win, and the ego will lose." Chaturvedi told IANS, "We raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and also demonstrated against the arrest. He (Raut) is our leader and we will continue to raise our voice for him." "ED was seeking remand for eight days, but the court has given the remand of four days to the agency. This proves that he is just being harassed, the allegations against him are wrong. We won't sit quiet," she added. Responding to a question about the opposition's unity on the issue, Chaturvedi said, "ED is taking action against Sonia Gandhi and Sanjay Raut, we all leaders of the opposition party are united in the Parliament. We are protesting. Be it Satyendar Jain or Manish Sisodia in Aam Aadmi Party, action is also being taken against them. Thus all political parties have to understand that this fight is not of any party alone, but it is everyone's fight." "Today if they acting against us, tomorrow they will do the same with you," she said, claiming that soon this fight would happen within the BJP and the ED would be taking action. A Principal Assistant Registrar at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Babatunde Oseni, is currently trapped in a sexual harassment scandal following a report filed against him at the security unit of the institution by a female colleague. The accuser, Tawa Akande, a level six library assistant currently attached to the maintenance unit of the institution, submitted written complaints and audio clips as evidence. Mr Oseni has, however, denied the allegation. Ms Akande alleged that Mr Oseni forcefully kissed and molested her in his office at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Idi-Araba campus of the university, in October 2021. Mr Oseni, who is the faculty officer, is also the chairman of the UNILAG chapter of the Association of Nigerian Universities Professional Administrators (ANUPA) and a member of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). Audio tape between a principal assistant registrar at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Babatunde Oseni and Tawa Akande, a Library Assistant and accuser. In a related recorded conversation submitted by the accuser, another officer in the faculty, an assistant registrar, Fredrick Edebiri, was heard offering to provide original condoms for Ms Akande to avoid pregnancy if she agreed to sleep with Mr Oseni. Messrs Oseni and Edebiri told PREMIUM TIMES in separate interviews the recorded conversations may have been doctored by the accuser. Also, the Dean of the UNILAG Faculty of Pharmacy, Aderonke Adepoju-Bello, a professor, also confirmed she investigated and resolved the matter when brought to her attention in 2021. The university has also set up a committee to investigate the alleged case of sexual harassment and conduct likely to cause breach of peace of the University of Lagos. The allegation According to Ms Akande, she had been the facultys library officer before Mr Oseni, a lawyer, was transferred to the faculty. She said Mr Oseni, as the faculty officer and head of the registry staff, usually sent her on errands including typing and printing documents for him instead of asking the faculty secretary to do so. Sometimes, he would ask me to close the library my office, to stay in his office. He would invite me to his house to cook for him but I always insisted that as a married woman I couldnt do that, she said. The Loan and the harassment She said in October 2021, she needed to pay up a loan at the universitys cooperative society in order to be qualified for a new loan. So I approached Mr Oseni to lend me N40,000. I promised to pay up as soon as the loan was approved. And he gave me, she explained. She said Mr Oseni then appointed her to coordinate a team of junior workers in the faculty to stamp answer scripts for students examinations. He was staying on the main campus and I was staying in Mushin at the time. So, he would give me the key to his office and said I must resume there before his arrival, especially when we were stamping the scripts, Ms Akande said. So on that fateful day, I got to his office around 7:30 a.m. and I was busy with the answer scripts when he opened the office. But rather than answering my greeting from a distance, he simply moved near the corner where I was working and bent down to forcefully kiss me. I was dazed and I slapped him immediately. She said she rushed out of the office, panting and sobbing. Because my eyes were red and I was nervous, a driver in the faculty approached me to find out what transpired and after much hesitation, I narrated my experience. The man advised me to report to the management but there was no evidence, she added. Ms Akande said the unnamed driver even offered her his phone so she could return to Mr Oseni to record their conversation as evidence. But I couldnt summon the courage to do that then. Since then, I have avoided Barrister Osenis office and rejected all his entreaties. But I was also looking for an opportunity to get evidence for what he did to me, she added. Ms Akande said when it was time to refund the loan given to her by Mr Oseni, she decided to pay N20,000 instead of the N40,000 she borrowed. Due to their strained relationship, she said, Mr Oseni reported her to her colleagues and the dean of the faculty about the money owed him. That was what gave me the opportunity to meet him, and I asked him if he also told the dean how he sexually harassed me, and how I slapped him. And that was how we reopened the conversation to catch him red-handed on tape. I recorded everything, Ms Akande said. Edebiri and the condom offer The accuser also recorded Mr Edebiri during their conversations on the same matter. The recording, exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, revealed how Mr Edebiri offered to ask Mr Oseni if he would consider marrying Ms Akande if she became pregnant for him. Audio tape between another officer in the faculty, an assistant registrar and Mr Osenis second in command, Fredrick Edebiri cajoling Tawa Akande to have sex with Mr Oseni. At another moment, Mr Edebiri assured Ms Akande that she could not be pregnant for Mr Oseni and offered her original condoms worth N7,000. Oseni, Edebiri react In separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, Messrs Oseni and Edebiri accused Ms Akande of setting them up. Mr Oseni said he would not want to react on the matter unless cleared by the university authorities to do so. He, however, denied any wrongdoing. In a telephone interview, Mr Oseni said he would not respond to the allegations except the reporter could confirm to him that the accuser had been interviewed, a request the reporter declined. But if you dont want to tell me she spoke to you without approval from the authorities, I can now tell you that whatever you have heard is mere hearsay, fabrication and character assassination, Mr Oseni said. On his part, Mr Edebiri said he knew nothing about the duos relationship, saying he was only engaging his colleague (Ms Akande) in a conversation in his usual free manner. He said he had earlier warned Mr Oseni not to lend Ms Akande money because he knew her to be a perpetual debtor. I advised Oseni based on my experience with Tawa who refused to pay me twice until after a very long time and struggle, he said. Mr Edebiri said he was involved in the matter only when Mr Oseni reported Ms Akande to him over her failure to refund the loan and threatened to involve the dean. So I told her to refund Oseni to avoid being reported to the dean. That is all that I knew until the following day when she called me out of my office to discuss this matter. She asked questions in a friendly manner and I didnt know I was being recorded, he said. UNILAG Deans intervention Following the report by Mr Oseni, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Aderonke Adepoju-Bello, said she called a meeting of concerned faculty members including Mr Edebiri, and resolved the matter. By resolution, PREMIUM TIMES learnt Mrs Adepoju-Bello refunded Mr Oseni and got Ms Akande to agree to a convenient time she would be able to pay her. I also warned them to desist from such conducts because the tape when played was very embarrassing to me. I also warned the lady to stop borrowing around, Mrs Adepoju-Bello said. Meanwhile, Ms Akande also alleged that due to the conflict, Mr Oseni refused to endorse her Annual Performance Appraisal (APA) form. The dean eventually signed for me instead of Mr Oseni, Ms Akande said. A conversation Tawa Akande had when she went to report at the security unit Ms Akande said in November 2021, the matter was brought to the attention of the human resources unit of the university, which eventually transferred her from the faculty. I was first transferred to the personnel unit but in less than 24 hours, I got another letter that I should join the maintenance unit of the (UNILAG) Senate building. She said she was asked to delete the recordings and I did but not all. Since last year when the matter was settled, he thought I had already deleted all the evidence, Mr Oseni started harassing me physically whenever he saw me on the campus. He would call me names publicly and warned people to avoid me because Im a bad woman, she said. Matter resurfaces, UNILAG acts Ms Akande and Mr Oseni recently met at the reception of the universitys Senate building, the accuser said. She said Mr Oseni publicly assaulted her. Ms Akande said the elevator operator, who was identified simply as Mr Dayo, was forced to tell Mr Oseni to stop embarrassing Ms Akande. PREMIUM TIMES learnt the matter almost degenerated to fisticuff between Messrs Oseni and Dayo, leading to Ms Akandes decision to report the matter at the universitys security post. UNILAG Management sets up committee On July 25, the security unit submitted a report on the matter to management, which immediately set up a six-member committee, with the universitys Director of Distance Learning Institute (DLI), Uchenna Udeani, as chairman, and Abolade Akinwunmi, a principal assistant registrar with the Records Unit, as secretary. Other members of the committee include the immediate past registrar of the university, Folasade Ipaye; acting Chairman of the UNILAGs chapter of SSANU, Olusola Sowunmi; Iyabode Ogunniran of the Department of Public Law, and one other person, as members. The committee was given three weeks to submit its report. The head of the public relations unit of the university, Abimbola Ojo, could not be reached to comment for this story. She was said to be out of the country. She also did not reply to a message sent to her. Scores of passengers were, on Saturday, abducted when gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, who blocked Enugu-Port Harcourt highway between Leru Junction and Ihube Community, a boundary between Imo and Abia states, Nigerias South-east. The gunmen, numbering about 30, were said to have attacked three buses along the road and abducted the entire passengers. The attackers reportedly razed a military van and wounded two soldiers who attempted to confront them, before forcing all occupants of the three buses into a nearby bush, according a report by Vanguard newspaper. Sources said the situation has caused fear among residents of the area. Commuters were said to have mistaken the gunmen for police officers mounting roadblock. Some of the commuters who stepped out of their vehicles to know the cause of a gridlock along the road, scampered for safety when the gunmen opened fire on the military van, a youth leader in the community was quoted as saying. He said some people sustained bullet wounds, as motorists ran away, abandoning their vehicles. Commissioner for Information in Abia State, Chikamnayo Eze, has confirmed the attack. He, however, said the incident occurred at the Imo State side of the expressway. Mr Eze, who is the Secretary of Umunneochi Security Committee, recently inaugurated by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, to tackle rising insecurity in the area, appealed for more time to provide details of the attack. In Umunneochi proper, there has been a mass reduction in the number of such incidents but they have migrated to the border between Umunneochi (Abia) and Imo States, he said. The police spokesperson in Abia State, Geoffery Ogbonna, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking comments from him. Increased kidnap attacks Kidnapping for ransom has increased in Abia State in recent times. The latest incident occurred exactly one week after gunmen abducted some travellers in Lokpanta, a community in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state. Mid-June, gunmen also abducted a journalist in Umuahia, the state capital. He was released about five days later, after N10 million ransom was reportedly paid. Earlier in June, Uwadinachi Iweha, a medical doctor and the provost of Gregory University College of Medicine, Umuahia Campus, was also abducted. He was whisked away while driving out of his residence at Umuajameze Ezeleke Umuopara in Umuahia South Council Area of the state. Mr Iweha is yet to be released, nearly two months after his abduction. In May, Samuel Kanu-Uche, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, was kidnapped alongside two other priests, while they were on their way from a programme in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state. The clerics were released about two days later after reportedly paying N100 million to the kidnappers. During her childhood days in Rivers State, Martha Agbani had the pleasure of living in a coastal community in the Ogoni area, where the vegetation seemed pristine. But with the passage of years, as oil spills from pipelines criss-crossing the Niger Delta spewed crude into the waters, the mangroves began to disappear. People like Ms Agbani find life less meaningful without the presence of the mangroves that sheltered fishes, crustaceans and other aquatic lives that had not only fed the local population but had been the heart of a robust trade for fishermen and resident traders. A United Nations study released in 2011 revealed it would take 25 to 30 years to remediate, restore and clean up Ogoniland. Six years later, Ms Agbani began a regeneration effort that would help the region restore the part of vegetation that was lost. She runs the Lokiaka Community Development Centre, an advocacy backing indigenous women farmers in maintaining the natural state of the environment and protecting the green space. She began researching, visited institutions for capacity building and also engaged institutions with expertise in reforestation-related fields. In 2018, Ms Agbani visited several oil polluted communities in the region like Kpean, Kwawa, Baen, Kono, Bere, Gure and Bodo. However, Yaataah was more promising in accepting the idea of restoring the environment. More than 50 oil wells are located in Yorla Oilfield one of many in Yaatah Community some of which are quite close to homes in rural settlements in Ken-Khana, all in Ogoniland. Mostly terrestrial, the oilfield has a patchy sort of regenerated vegetation, crowded by herbs, shrubs, and sparse trees. Because of the magnitude of her vision, Ms Agbani couldnt work alone. She assembled a group of indigenous women for that purpose; they would be compensated also. With women empowerment in mind, the composition of that team was one hundred percent female. So far, one million trees have been replanted in the community. Ms Agbani and her team sell mangrove nurseries to companies including Shell who themselves are involved in reviving lost environments. Her first experience in 2018 was a false start as many of the plants did not survive. She said the plants were not given adequate space during cultivation and that adversely affected the growth. Majorly (there) has been paucity of funding (and there have been) unemployed community youths violently disrupting our activities and threatening our lives and the project mistaken for HYPREP/Federal Government initiative which has financial benefits, Ms Agbani highlighted the challenges. Her centre gets support from donors like Global Green Grants Fund and a donor-advised fund from Tsadik Foundation supervised by Global Green Grants itself. Recently, her centre received financial assistance from Cultural Survival to plant about 10, 000 mangrove pods. About mangroves Mangroves possess amazing natural abilities, filtering brackish water, preventing coastal erosion, and offering a protected habitat for aquatic life that in turn supports humans. One of the worlds largest mangrove ecosystems is found in the Niger Delta, where people have coexisted for years. However, the mangrove forests declined with the introduction of oil extraction, which the Nigerian government has grown to rely on for the majority of its income. Following two oil disasters that ravaged thousands of acres of mangrove forests close to the town of Bodo in 2007 and 2008, Shell agreed to pay the locals compensation, clean up the oil, and replant. In the Niger Delta, loss of mangrove space is caused by either oil pollution or plastic pollution. Before the revegetation begins, especially in areas that have been polluted by oil, clean-up activities take place and it will be certified as good enough by scientists before replanting proceeds. In the past, the Nigerian government has attempted several strategies for the clean-up such as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Process (HYPREP), introduced in 2016 to address issues of degradation and pollution in Ogoniland and other communities facing the crises. The project is targeted at discovering the methodology and strategies suitable for cleaning up contaminated soil and ground water in affected communities. However, many residents are not convinced of its efficiency and impact even after years. It will fix the problem by developing local capacity for and raising awareness of sound environmental management, enhance livelihood and sustainable development, improve security, and support peace-building interventions in affected areas. More Heroes Like Ms Agbani, other heroes have emerged, such as Menshack Uyi. A programme officer at Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said his organisation began advocacy in 2001 on the need to revegetate the mangroves, especially in the Niger Delta. In 2004, CEHRD started replanting some of the mangroves but they didnt survive. The process only led to additional research that the oil polluted areas will be cleaned before the replanting process takes place. After the initial Phase 1 activities focused on free-phase oil removal in 2017 and 2018. Cleanup activities for phase 2 (actual cleanup) kick-started in November 2019 and continued till March 2020 when it stopped due the COVID-19.The cleanup commenced again in November 2020 till date, he said. The activities of replanting are not just because of the importance but also because the heritage to the people of Niger Delta must be preserved, he told PREMIUM TIMES. CEHRD has taken its advocacy to Bundu, another community in Rivers where it preaches the gospel of revegetation to community members. Mr. Uyi said CEHRD visited communities in the region where oil had destroyed the vegetation but decided to settle for Bundu and Bodo. We have achieved success in our actions so far. In Bundu, we have planted over three thousand mangroves. The community was also taught how to market the planting, not just the replanting, Mr Uyi said. CEHRD has also trained so many NGOs and schools including teachers in the advocacy and promotion of the replanting of mangroves for better community development, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. The schools are Community Secondary School, Mogho and Bodo Girls Secondary School on how to nurture the nursery of the mangroves. The schools dont house the mangroves. The nurseries are grown by the water bank in Bundu, PREMIUM TIMES observed. There is hope in the nurseries being planted by the students, who currently are serving as the climate change vanguards and custodians, Mr Uyi affirmed. More importantly, unlike Ms Agbanis nurseries, the survival rate of mangroves in Bundu has been impressive. Despite the rising water level in the area, the nurseries and replanted sites are growing well. A new era Women, youth and children in the region champion the revegetation process. They now have other sources of livelihood, while making money in selling the nurseries. A member of Ms Agbanis team, Jesse Nubani, a traditional birth attendant from Lueku Group of Communities, got inspiration to raise mangroves after benefiting from the training. READ ALSO: FG adopts new strategy to tackle oil spill in Niger Delta She has raised a good number of mangrove nurseries as well as medicinal plants. She sells them between the range N500 and N1500. We started seeing the return of aquatic bodies back to the rivers like the return of periwinkles and fishes, she said. While these heroes are making efforts to improve the quality of lives of people in the region, residents and beneficiaries who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES were happy with the progress the groups and individuals have recorded in restoring the vegetation. Manpikin Ngwere, 70, dressed in a red shirt, looking pale and hungry, reluctantly said he was surprised that mangroves could be replanted. People even cut the mangroves, use it for construction purposes and cooking too, he said, using gestures to drive home his point. Fishermen in Bodo told PREMIUM TIMES they were aware of the exercise even though they are yet to see the impact because it would take years for the water bodies to come back. When PREMIUM TIMES arrived at the Patrick Waterside in the community, fishermen Patrick Tanen and Paul Apai were making their nets when this reporter approached them for an interview. Mr Tanen agreed mangroves are being replanted but oil still destroys the plants. He feels the push is making no difference in his fishing career. The chairman of the Bundu community, David Oba, acknowledged that organisations like CEHRD are stepping up restoration efforts. We were surprised when they came and offered to help us because our mangroves are majorly affected by plastic pollution and our periwinkles are dying off, he said. Ken Henshaw, a climate change advocate and executive director of We the People, said Niger Deltans have taken their future in their hands and chosen to secure it, knowing the government doesnt care about them. I disagree that the Niger Delta is seeking a new phase. The Niger Delta is not seeking a resuscitation or re-energising of the region? No, not. Whats happened is that people are taking their destinies into their own hands, and theyre working to restore their environment, he said. Though it has become obvious that the government does not care, its also become obvious that the oil companies who destroyed these environments do not care, and theyre already packing up in the name of divestment they all live in the region, they dont care, he said. He added that these are ordinary people doing extraordinary things women groups, organisations of youth and young people coming together and deciding to replant as well as NGOs. Mr Henshaw said there is need for the government at all levels to realise the value of the mangroves, not just its significance to the livelihood of the people, but also to climate change. Because these oil firms are leaving, he feels, replanting the mangroves themselves may be the only option the people of the region have. Support for this report was provided by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID Africa) and it is made possible through funding support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the collective efforts of nations towards tackling security challenges across the globe, and within Nigeria, urging more collaboration to check terrorism, banditry and insurgency. The president gave the commendation when he received Letters of Credence of the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. James Christoff and Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, Juan Oritz, on Tuesday in Abuja. The Nigerian leader told the diplomats that successes in taming insecurity had been recorded through collaboration across borders, and more could be achieved. The devastating effect of global insecurity, climate change and the post-COVID-19 era has devastated global economies. Nations continue to struggle to recover from these multiple global challenges. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has undermined the progress countries have achieved in tackling food security in the last decade. While, the political instability in Libya continues to fuel terrorism in the Sahel, as well as scuttle democratic sustenance in both West and Central African regions. Nigeria is not left out of the equation, as we are fighting to rid our country of banditry, kidnapping, herder/farmer crisis and insurgency. We are, however, making meaningful progress with the support of friendly countries like yours to sustain these fights until we overcome these challenges, he said. At the regional level, Mr Buhari said Nigeria has been working with other Member-States of ECOWAS and other regional blocs, to deal with the problems of terrorism, trans-border crimes, maritime crimes such as piracy and illegal fishing on our waters, illicit drug and human trafficking, banditry, as well as unconstitutional changes of government. I believe that matters of security have become the business of all nations as these challenges go beyond the abilities of any single country to effectively contain. The world must, therefore, work closely together and Nigeria counts on your support in cementing the relations between our countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels to surmount these global threats to civilization, he added. The president urged diplomats to monitor political developments in the country, leading to the 2023 elections, but should remain true to their professional ethics of non-interference. He noted that Nigeria was drawing closer to its national elections and candidates representing their parties at different levels were beginning to build consensus within their respective parties in preparations for the launching of campaigns across the country soon. As the drums of campaign begin to rise, I urge you to be guided by diplomatic practice to ensure that your activities remain within the limits of your profession as you monitor the build-up to the elections and the conduct of the general elections, he said. The president also advised the diplomats to focus on building on the successes of their predecessors. The task before you require you both to build on the successes of your predecessors and further make efforts in the expansion and advancement of the cordial bilateral relations and cooperation between Nigeria and your respective countries. These relations as you all know, span across political, socio-economic and cultural spheres, that have over time benefitted our peoples. I am confident that, in carrying out your diplomatic responsibilities in the course of your tour of duties, you will spare time to appreciate the uniqueness and strength in our countrys cultural diversities, in terms of both human and natural resources, as well as the flora and fauna across the country, the president said. He said the cultural diversity of Nigeria represents our pride as a nation and identity as a people, while urging the diplomats to also build friendships and acquaintances in the course of their stay in the country. In his remarks, on behalf of the ambassadors, the Canadian High Commissioner thanked the president for the ceremony of accepting the Letters of Credence. Today marks the formal beginning of our engagement with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will work closely with ministers and officials to start a progressive relationship, Mr Christoff said. (NAN) The gunmen who attacked a Kaduna-bound train in March and abducted several passengers released five more hostages on Tuesday. The release of the hostages comes after the terrorists released four of the victims last week Monday. A newspaper publisher, Tukur Mamu, who had previously negotiated the release of some of the captives, confirmed the release of the five hostages to PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Mamu identified the released hostages as Mustapha Imam, a professor from Usman Danfodio University Sokoto, Akibu Lawal; Abubakar Rufai; Mukthar Shuaibu; and Sidi Sharif. Mr Mamu said the released hostages visited his office on Tuesday afternoon to thank him for his efforts in securing their release. Mr Mamu said he had withdrawn as lead negotiator for the release of the captives due to threats to his life, personal integrity and (alleged) lack of support from the Federal Government. Also, he said he does not know if the relatives of the hostages paid a ransom before they were released. He said with the release of the five, 34 of the victims are still being held in the forest. The son of a former military governor of Kano State, Idris Garba, his wife and children and many others are reportedly among those still being held. Nine passengers were killed during the attack. While President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria repeatedly claims that security has improved under his administration, a new poll shows that the majority of Nigerians feel less safe than they did five years ago. The report World Risk Poll shows that three in five Nigerians (61 per cent) feel less safe than they did five years ago. The report was authored by Lloyds Register Foundation, an independent global charity working to engineer a safer world. The organisation gathered data from 125,000 people in 121 countries in order to get a global picture of the risk landscape, examining peoples experiences and perceptions of commonly faced risks, from pandemics and climate change to work-related accidents and road traffic collisions. Our aim is to help governments, regulators, inter-governmental bodies, businesses, NGOs, communities, and researchers use the findings to inform and target policies and interventions that save lives and help people feel safer, the foundation said. We also intend the World Risk Poll to encourage other organisations to partner with us to create programmes and initiatives that help tackle the issues raised. According to the data collected in 2021 Nigeria is the country with the fourth highest proportion of people who report feeling less safe than five years ago, languishing behind only Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Venezuela. At 61 per cent, this number has increased by a dramatic 26 percentage points since the last World Risk Poll in 2019, when 35 per cent of Nigerians reported feeling less safe. While the Covid-19 pandemic may have played a role, the reasons behind this increase are likely linked to the country experiencing a wave of crime and violence in 2021 that included terrorism and kidnappings, the report said. This is reflected in the poll results, with half (50 per cent) of the 1,000 Nigerians polled saying they, or someone they know, have experienced serious harm from violent crime in the past two years. This is more than double the number in 2019 when this figure stood at 22 per cent. The results from Nigeria are very concerning, said Sarah Cumbers, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyds Register Foundation. Amid a global pandemic, the continued fear of those we polled shows that greater action must be taken to improve safety. Its worth noting that, although the violent crime was the biggest perceived threat to safety, other areas, including road or traffic accidents and severe weather also scored highly, she said. Globally, especially in regions that already face widespread poverty and instability, governments and other policymakers must work with communities to build strategies to protect people from future pandemics that also account for the other risks they may now find themselves even more vulnerable to. Other safety risks Nigerians feel very worried about include road or traffic accidents (59 per cent), severe weather (49 per cent), and the work they do (37 per cent). Significantly, all areas of risk that Nigerians were polled about in 2019 saw an increase in responses of people feeling very worried in 2021. Among the reports most insightful findings is the fact that Covid-19 only ranks fourth among respondents most named threats though the report also highlights growing concerns surrounding climate change and mental health, as well as a global underestimation of work-related harm risks. About the report For this second edition of the poll, the researchers conducted around 125,000 interviews in 121 countries last year, gathering insight from people around the world, including those living in places where little or no official data on safety and risk exists. Spread across four themed reports, the poll covers the biggest risks facing people and communities globally, ranging from road crashes, severe weather, climate change, and disaster resilience, to work-related harm, violence, harassment at work, and use of personal data. The study builds on the results from the inaugural poll in 2019 and explores how the relationship between perception and experience of risk may have shifted over time, including differences before and after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also provides an understanding of how demographic factors contribute to different groups of people worrying about, and experiencing risks, in different ways. The foundation hopes that the research will be repeated at least two more times, in 2023 and 2025. An Arise TV anchor who flouted traffic law on Monday lashed out at officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) who impounded his vehicle. Rufai Oseni, the anchor, had tweeted that a police officer pointed a gun at him and his vehicle taken away over a traffic infraction. A Nigerian police officer pointed a gun at me and forcefully took my keys and drove my car off, because he wanted to enforce a traffic infraction oseni rufai (@ruffydfire) August 1, 2022 But a video emerged Tuesday showing Mr Oseni hurling invectives at the traffic officers who were sitting in their patrol van. See these bastards, he screamed at them, before returning seconds later to add, I will call the governor. Nonsense. Mr Oseni, known for his spirited approach during Arise TVs flagship programme, The Morning Show, has been the subject of social media discourse since he posted on his Twitter account about the incident. Rufai started to trend on Twitter on Monday and continued Tuesday along with BRT Lane. A Nigerian police officer pointed a gun at me and forcefully took my keys and drove my car off, because he wanted to enforce a traffic infraction, he tweeted on Monday. I think the police needs training and retraining. I offered to pay for the traffic infraction but the police was hell bent of forcefully collecting my keys and pointing a gun at me.I saw three other cars drive by the BRT lane and they were not stopped.I am at sea!Why point a gun at me and forcefully collect my key.I am shocked. Driving on designated BRT lanes in Lagos attracts a fine of N70,000, and a daily fee of N1,000 for every day the impounded vehicle is parked in the LASTMA yard. I am not a [lawbreaker] I saw cars pass through the Supposed BRT lane and they were not stopped all of a sudden I was stopped and told I used the bus lane. If I didnt see other cars I will not go through. Plus I wasnt conversant of the road. After I was stopped, three cars also passed and nothing was done about them. I will never deliberately break the law. I just want to point that out, he tweeted. Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in Lagos, responded to Mr Oseni on Twitter that it is against the law to drive on BRT lanes. Rufai, lets not do this. You admitted to me that you passed a BRT lane. Its against the law. Your claim that google maps took you there is not tenable. You disobeyed and resisted the officers. Well sanction the officer who misused firearm if proven Rufai, lets not do this. You admitted to me that you passed a BRT lane. Its against the law. Your claim that google maps took you there is not tenable. You disobeyed and resisted the officers. Well sanction the officer who misused firearm if proven https://t.co/tjqfUWz1cv SP Benjamin Hundeyin (@BenHundeyin) August 1, 2022 Gboyega Akosile, the chief press secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also responded on Twitter that Mr Oseni would face the necessary penalties. Thank you Rufai, while the @PoliceNG deal with the police officer in their own way, wed ensure that necessary action is taken against you for driving on BRT lane as youve admitted to the police. Youre a lawbreaker and you should face the necessary penalties. Thank you Rufai, while the @PoliceNG deal with the police officer in their own way, wed ensure that necessary action is taken against you for driving on BRT lane as youve admitted to the police. Youre a lawbreaker and you should face the necessary penalties. https://t.co/Q467fUCOZA Gboyega Akosile (@gboyegaakosile) August 1, 2022 An Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court on Tuesday ordered that a 60-year- old Ghanaian, Edward Quayson, be remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly raping his neighbours daughter. The police charged Mr Quayson, who resides at 14, Kalejaiye St., Sasha, Lagos with defilement. The Chief Magistrate, B. O Osunsanmi, refused to take Mr Quaysons plea, pending legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). She adjourned the matter until 18 August Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Raji Akeem, told the court that the offence was committed on 22 May, at the defendants residence. Mr Akeem said the victim, an 11-year-old girl, and other children were left in the care of Mr Quayson by their mother. READ ALSO: Court jails man four years for rape He said that before the mother arrived, he raped the victim. The offence, he said, was reported at the police station and the defendant was arrested. The offence according to the prosecutor contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (NAN) Towards enhancing a globally competitive educational system, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, has said the British Council office in the country and Federal Government are currently collaborating to improve Nigerias school curriculum. The effort, she noted, is to inculcate certain things that could broaden the knowledge of Nigerian students into the curriculum. Mrs Adefisayo spoke recently at an award ceremony for 110 Nigerian students from across 45 schools who came top in the June and November 2021 Cambridge examination series. She said: It is great to see how Nigerians are performing against their peers locally and globally. The Lagos State Ministry of Education is doing a lot to deepen our curriculum and the British Council has been working with the Federal Government on that as well. The commissioner said whatever students are learning should be integrated with such things as creativity, problem-solving, innovative thinking, personal leadership, citizenship, teamwork, and digital literacy, among others. Mrs Adefisayo added; In Lagos State, we set out our schemes of work such that we have integrated these course skills across all subjects from nursery to senior secondary school 3. So for every topic, every subject, theres a column that says how does this topic work and with which 21st-century skill will it work? We are doing our best to integrate all these skills into the curriculum because that is how a student will do well. You really cannot talk about academics alone anymore. Students must have depth and breadth across the whole gamut of education. 11 Nigerian excellent students At the award ceremony, which was organised by the British Council in Nigeria in collaboration with the Cambridge University Press and Assessment, (CUPA), 11 students, representing eight secondary schools in Nigeria, were said to have ranked high among their global counterparts. They were rewarded for their exploits as parents, school owners and administrators poured encomium on them. Pauline Ogunlana of Lifeforte International High School, Ibadan, was rewarded for achieving the highest standard mark in the world for a single subject. Pauline, who sat the 2021 November examination series, came top in the world for Cambridge O Level in Business Studies and won high achievement awards for Cambridge O Level in Geography and top in Nigeria for Religious Studies (Bible Knowledge). Also, Peter Yakubu of James Hope College, Lagos, came top in the world for Cambridge IGCSE in English as a Second Language (speaking endorsement). Master Yakubu, who also sat the 2021 November examination series, came top in Nigeria in Additional Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics, and secured first place in Nigeria in the Best Across Eight Cambridge GCSEs category. Others who came top in the world and also in Nigeria in different categories are Victory Ugwoha of Atlantic Hall Educational Trust Council, Lagos; Iyanuoluwa Ojuko of Tadan International School, Lekki; Eseoghene Mukorol of Lifeforte International High School, Ibadan, and Aishah Mohammed of Grange School, Lagos. Naomi Tonye-Allagoa of Chokhimah International Academy, Port-Harcourt; Chizara lodibia of Marywood Girls College, Lagos; Ehimwenma Osarenkhoe-Amadin and Nwadinma Amucheazi of James Hope College, and Somtochukwu Madumelu of Trinity International College, Ogun State, were also among the top winners in the world. 157 awards won Speaking during the award ceremony, the Country Manager, CUPA Nigeria, Vitalis Nwaogu, said the students received 157 Cambridge Learner Awards in various subjects taken in Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education, IGCSEs, Cambridge O Levels and Cambridge International AS and A Levels. Mr Nwaogu said the subjects where the students came tops in the world include Sociology, Information & Communication Technology and Business Studies. ALSO READ: NERDC advocates review of Senior Secondary School curriculum Cambridge International also granted 81Top in Nigeria awards to learners who achieved the highest standard mark in their country for a single subject, 57 High Achievement awards and eight Best Across awards to students who attained the highest cumulative total standard marks over a set number of subjects, Mr Nwaogu said. Admonishing the students, Mr Nwaogu said it is an opportunity for them to look back on their hard work and take pride in their achievements. It is a special moment for your families, your teachers and your schools, as they watch you receive one of the most prestigious awards available to people of your age. Your qualifications will give you new opportunities. Some of those opportunities will lead you into universities, some will lead you into jobs and others may lead you to exciting new ventures yet unknown, he said. Awardees to get Cambridge certificate In her remarks, Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Lucy Pearson, said all the top-performing students will receive certificates from Cambridge International in recognition of their achievements. I think its a huge recognition of the talent and the potential of the young people in Nigeria, not just on the Nigeria stage, but on the world stage, she said. She noted that the Cambridge Assessment International Education supports young people in developing 21st-century skills. Ms Pearson said: The exams we administer have over the years continued to help people all over the world gain educational and professional development, so they are better positioned for success in life and their careers. Education is a key enabler for these opportunities, and we believe in ensuring young learners have access to world-class education and assessments which we have achieved through our partners Cambridge University Press and Assessment International Education and the British Council Partner School. Cambridge International qualifications provide an excellent opportunity for students to gain entry into local and international leading universities. Over 2,100 universities worldwide recognise Cambridge qualifications, including more than 800 universities in the US (including all the Ivy League), all UK universities as well as top universities in Nigeria. The US killed al-Qaeda's top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend dealing the terrorist group a major blow. Al-Zawahiri had overseen the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001 -- that killed 2,977 people -- along with Osama bin-Laden, who was killed by the US in 2011 in Pakistan. Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian by birth who had trained to be a medical doctor, had a US reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture. The US holds him responsible also for the bombing of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and on its naval ship USS Cole in 2000. He also had a long history of baiting and threatening India. Last April, he praised an Indian student who stood up against efforts to prevent Muslim women from wearing hijab. The next month, in May, he called the abrogation of Article 370 a "slam" for Muslims. Al-Zawahiri was killed by two Hellfire missiles fired at him from a CIA-run drone while he was on the balcony of a house in Kabul where he had been staying with his family. No members of his family or other civilians were wounded or killed in the strike, according to US officials who briefed reporters. President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation, and perhaps the world, that US intelligence had tracked the Qaeda leader to Afghanistan early in the year and he gave the go ahead to the operation to kill al-Zawahiri a week ago on July 25. Officials said Biden reviewed a model of the house early in July to make sure there were no collateral casualties. "Our intelligence community located Zawahiri earlier this year," Biden, who is dealing with "rebound positivity" of Covid-19, said in an address to the nation. "He had moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family. After carefully considering clear and convincing evidence of his location, I authorised a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all." Biden added: "This mission was carefully planned, rigorously minimising the risk of harm to other civilians. And one week ago, after being advised the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him and the mission was a success." The US studied Zawahiri's behaviour and that of his family members for weeks -- the women in the family took circuitous routes from and to home to avoid trackers, for instance -- to reduce the possibility of hitting others. The strike came around a year after the US left Afghanistan, which raised questions about its ability to carry out counter-terrorism operation there. The Biden administration had sought to allay such concerns and fears saying it will retain "over-the-horizon" capability from neighbouring countries. Al-Zawahiri's most spectacular operations were against the US, but he had India in his crosshairs as well. In April, he came out in support of Muskan Khan, an Indian muslim student who stood up to those trying to prevent Muslim women from wearing hijab to educational institutions. "May Allah reward her for showing a moral lesson to sisters plagued by an inferiority complex via-a-vis the decadent Western world," al-Zawahiri said in a video released in April. A month later in May, he opposed the Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370, which ascribed special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. "When the Hindu government of India took the infamous decision to annex Kashmir, it was the slap on the faces of the governments ruling over Muslim lands," he said in a video. He added: "The decision was taken with full confidence in the support that India enjoys from international criminals and the ineptitude of Pakistan's intelligence agencies, the de facto rulers of Pakistan." The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has suspended indefinitely the Principal Assistant Registrar, Babatunde Oseni, who was accused of sexual harassment by a female colleague. PREMIUM TIMES had earlier on Tuesday reported how Mr Oseni, a lawyer, was accused of forcefully kissing and sexually harassing a junior colleague, Tawa Akande. Mr Oseni is the chairperson of the UNILAG chapter of the Association of Nigerian Universities Professional Administrators (ANUPA). The university management had earlier on 25 July set up a six-member committee to investigate the matter. Chaired by the Director of the universitys Distance Learning Institute (DLI), Uchenna Udeani, the committee was tasked to submit its report within three weeks. Suspension On Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of a letter addressed to Mr Oseni, announcing his suspension from work indefinitely. Titled Indefinite Suspension from Work, the letter, with Reference Number: AD/REG/G/3, and dated 1st of August, was signed by the Registrar of the university, Oladejo Azeez. It read in part: The Management of the University of Lagos at a meeting held on Monday, August 01, 2022, resolved that you should be suspended indefinitely from work with immediate effect pending the determination of the allegation of sexual harassment levelled against you. Please, hand over all University of Lagos books, records and other properties in your care to the Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy immediately. You are not to be seen anywhere around your workplace unless invited by a panel constituted by the University of Lagos authority. Oseni reacts Meanwhile, when called on the phone, Mr Oseni snapped at our reporter, questioning the rationale behind her questions. Before angrily disconnecting the call, Mr Oseni said he was not aware of his suspension. He said: What is your interest? Where did you hear that I have been suspended? Were you the one that delivered the letter to me? I am not aware of your claim. The operatives of the Ondo State Command of Amotekun Corps on Tuesday paraded 45 persons for alleged kidnapping and armed robbery. Other suspects paraded were alleged to have been involved in illegal possession of firearms, rape, and attempted murder. Among the suspects were six members of a gang who specialises in kidnapping in the Ore area of the state The state commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, said the suspects normally hypnotise their victims before kidnapping them. Two suspects who attempted to kidnap a businesswoman in the Akoko area of the state were also paraded. Some suspects were also paraded for allegedly snatching motorbikes and attempted murder of their suspects in the Oba-Akoko area of Ondo State. According to the Corps Commander, the suspects usually kill their victims after snatching their motorbikes and then dismantle them for onward transfer to Ogun State and other neighbouring states as spare parts. He disclosed that 25 among the suspects would be arraigned as soon as investigations on them had been concluded. He noted that the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had not relented on his determination to rid the state of undesirable criminals. The Corps Commander urged residents to support security agencies in the state to rid the state of criminals. He also urged the citizenry to call the formations 08078888889 Emergency line whenever they see or notice any suspected moves in their areas. Adamu Bulkachuwa, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, has said the threat by opposition senators to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari is the last and necessary option left for the lawmakers. The senator, who represents Bauchi North, said he and his colleagues had tried in many ways to help the executive and by extension, the president to tackle insecurity in the country to no avail. In an interview with Channels TV on Monday, Mr Bulkachuwa said it was time to remind Mr Buhari that they the legislature still have constitutional power to pull his ears and show that he still cares. Earlier, another APC senator from Adamawa State, Elisha Abbo, had publicly backed the impeachment plan, principlally being driven by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the Senate. Mr Bulkachuwas comment on Monday came about five days after opposition senators, comprising mostly PDP senators and their colleagues from other politcal parties, staged a walkout of Senate plenary in protest against the state of insecurity in the country. Their exit was sequel to the decision of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to dismiss a motion on insecurity and a plan to impeach the president raised by the Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda. The senators, after exiting the chamber, gave the president a six-week ultimatum to tackle insecurity in the country or risk being impeached. Although, the walkout and threat was made by opposition senators, Mr Bulkachuwa was part of the group. Last resort The issues of insecurity and proposed impeachment discussed during Last Wednesdays executive session was supported by majority of senators present, Mr Bulkachuwa said, including APC senators. We in the legislature, we have tried all within our power except one thing, he continued. The lawmakers said the National Assembly had given its support it could muster to ensure the president had all he needed by way of budgeting. He said they had also tried to engage service chiefs and other security personnel to find out what their problems are and when they tell us, we try to find solutions and also advise the president accordingly. He expressed disappointment at how the options had not worked and security in the country had only gotten worse. Even the financial situation in the country is not improving. We are just one arm of government and are limited in the execution of proposals and actual enforcement of laws. So what we can do is remind the executive that we have a constitutional responsibility to pull your ears by way of notice of impeachment and give you chance to see that you care. When asked if the six-week ultimatum given to the president was enough to tackle the growing insecurity in the country, the senator hoped that something could happen. He said Mr Buhari, had since then, met with service chiefs and within the security apparatus, so many changes have occurred. Mr Bulkachuwa is the second APC senator to publicly support the impeachment plan. Last week, Adamawa senator, Mr Abbo, also said he supported the impeachment move against the president because Mr Buhari has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people. Although, another APC senator, Smart Adeyemi, had disclosed that the move for impeachment was a collective decision of the entire Senate, not many have of them have spoken on the matter. The move for impeachment comes on the heels of attacks across the country and security threats in the federal capital. The police in Ekiti State are the latest security agency to announce they have begun reinforcement on security in border towns in the state over reports of an impending attack by terrorists. Morounkeji Adesina, the police commissioner in the state, said the command is not treating the alarm with levity, even though it is yet to be confirmed. He said he had ordered the scaling up of security in all the border towns in collaboration with other sister agencies and local security architectures. He said his operatives were also keeping tabs on some suspected forests across the state so that they wont be caught unawares. We received the alert just like every other Nigerian, but we are not treating it with levity, despite viewing it as a mere rumour, Mr Adesina told journalists in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday. My men and officers are responding accordingly. Fear of an attack by terrorists, who had already struck several times in the federal capital, Abuja, has been gradually spreading across south-west Nigeria. The fear came after rumours of infiltration of the terrorists into forests in the region emerged on social media last week. Gani Adams, the leader of the Odua Peoples Congress, last week also raised the alarm that bandits had infiltrated some sprawling forests in Oyo, Ondo and Osun States. On Sunday, the police in Lagos said their officers had been placed on alert following reports of a planned attack by gunmen from border communities. A day earlier, the State Security Services (SSS) arrested a suspected Boko Haram leader masquerading as a security man in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Joint operation Mr Adeshina said the police are working with the SSS, NSCDC, local hunters, and Amotekun corps We are not alone in the operation, he said. We needed to fortify the borders because the bandits wont just fly into the forests, they will travel through the roads into the state and I think we have done enough in terms of security in our borders. I appeal to our people to help us with useful information. If they suspect any strange movement in any of the forests, let them alert us for prompt action. Mr Adesina further allayed the fears of the residents, saying the inter-agency security networks being built across the six states of the Southwest were strong enough to nip any emergency in the bud. The bandits had on Sunday ambushed and killed three policemen and five local vigilantes in Ajaokuta, sparking immediate reaction from the Kogi State government. The terrorists had launched sustained attacks in Abuja after killing the men of the Guards Brigade. The June 5 attack in Owo, Ondo State, where 41 persons lost their lives is still fresh in the minds of many residents and the current threat is creating an uneasy calm. The lack of coordination between federal and state agencies reared its head again Tuesday after two emergency responders issued conflicting casualty figures after a motor accident in the Alaro City area of Epe, Lagos State. While the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) said the accident killed 16 people, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) put the fatality figure at five. The development continued a trend of the absence of synergy between government agencies, especially during cases of emergency response. Last year, during emergency response at the site of the 21-storey building in Ikoyi, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and LASEMA continually dished out different casualty figures. After four days of the rescue operation, NEMA stated that 38 bodies had been recovered but LASEMA said they only had 32 corpses. The Epe accident Olabisi Sonusi, the public education officer of the FRSC, said in a statement Tuesday that the night journey claimed 16 males lives. The crash occurred at 0300hrs due to impaired visibility as a result of reckless driving within the construction corridor, the statement read. A total number of Twenty-three male adults were involved in the crash that claimed the life of Sixteen (16 Male adults), the Five (5) injured were taken to the Hospital by the FRSC rescue team. However, two people were unscathed, she said. The vehicles involved in the crash were a white bus with Registration number KTN 262YJ and an Articulated truck (Registration Number unknown), she said. FRSC operatives and other emergency management agencies are on the ground ensuring prompt recovery and evacuation of all crashed vehicles, she said. LASEMA figures But LASEMA in a statement signed by Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the permanent secretary of the agency, said that five male adults died in the accident. Upon the arrival of the LASEMA Response Team, LRT Whales Squad at Epe at the incident scene, it was revealed that a truck conveying sand had a head-on collision with a hummer commuter bus with 6 passengers on board, the statement reads. Furthermore, the two vehicles got burnt as a result of the impact of the collision, unfortunately, 5 adult males (all from Katsina State ) were burnt beyond recognition. Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the bodies had been handed over to their relatives. Conflicting figures PREMIUM TIMES contacted the FRSC seeking clarification on the discrepancies in the casualty figures. Ms Sonusi said the FRSC rescue team was at the accident scene. Our men reported what they cleared. My name is there, I wont issue whats not factual, she said. Our men were on the ground. She added that out of the 16 bodies, nine burnt beyond recognition. Efforts to reach Mr Oke-Osanyintolu were not successful as he did not answer his telephone or reply to a text message sent to him. Gunmen have released 15 residents who were abducted in Mgbuji Eha-Amufu, a community in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, after payment of N2 million ransom. PREMIUM TIMES reported that gunmen, suspected to be herders, abducted the residents in the community while they were going to their farms on 18 July. The spokesperson of the community, Chijioke Ogbodo, confirmed the development to reporters on Tuesday. Mr Ogbodo decried the frequent attacks in the community. He said the abductors initially demanded N30 million, but they later accepted N2 million given to them by families of the victims who could not provide the amount earlier demanded. After so many pleas, because the security agencies abandoned us, they (the gunmen) accepted to collect what we have, Mr Ogbodo said. So, last week, they were able to accept the N2 million and released them. We thank God that no one was harmed, he added. The community leader did not, however, say when the victims were released. The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to calls and a text message to his phone line at the time of filing this report. Frequent attacks Mgbuji and other neighbouring communities in Eha-Amufu have been experiencing frequent attacks by suspected herders for some time now. Three persons were killed by suspected herders in the community in June. Last month, gunmen reportedly abducted seven residents of the same community and shot three others. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abubakar Lawal, visited the area in June, alongside top officials of the State Security Service, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Airforce, among others, as part of the efforts to end the attacks in the area. The attacks have continued despite assurances by the security agencies to decisively tackle them. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has called for more participation of women and girls in the digital space. The Minister, Pauline Tallen, while speaking at the official launch of the Promote My Sister Campaign (PMS) in Abuja on Tuesday, said female participation is limited due to inequitable access to education, affordability, and stereotypes. Represented by the Director-General of Women Centre, Asabe Vilita, the minister noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionised the ICT world, hence the need to promote gender balance in the digital sphere. Equal labour market opportunities and treatment at work and striving for gender balance in the digital sector is of utmost importance to the world and economy, she said. The campaign PMS is an all-women and girl-focused campaign, spotlighting and encouraging the efforts many women and girls continue to make to support one another. The campaign is an initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Ms Tallen said the launch of PMS is timely as the country has displaced women at the decision-making table. Gender gap Ms Tallen said there is a need to address the existing gender gap in the digital sphere and raise awareness of the effects technology has played in changing womens roles in society. She said it is imperative to note that increasing womens participation will help combat gender inequalities, stereotypes, and discrimination. She said it will also improve womens access to the labour market, adding that the ministry would continue to partner with other stakeholders to scale up and replicate opportunities to improve the lives of women. In his remarks, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Ikanade, said a network like PMS is essential to the empowerment and well-being of women and girls in every society. Mr Ikanade said various studies have shown that individuals with access to diverse circles of other women from different sectors, professions, and walks of life mean more life-changing opportunities and increased potential for socio-economic elevation, independence, and security overall. Because of the socio-cultural and political obstacles that confront women and girls, it is very important to create girls-women groups so they can relate, guide, counsel, and support one another, he said. He said this also affords women the opportunity to talk about their common strengths and weaknesses. Mr Ikanade noted that the PMS campaign is in line with some of the aspirations of the National Development Plan 2021-2025, which he noted is aimed at reducing maternal mortality and the vulnerability of women and girls. The plan targets to reduce the maternal mortality rate from 814 to 500 per 100,000 live births. To this end, let me use this medium to appeal to the UNFPA to ensure that the objectives of the Campaign are achieved, he said. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali, has ordered the immediate deployment of police personnel in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, made this known in a statement on Tuesday. According to the spokesperson, the IGP gave the order on Monday while receiving general security updates on the nation. The latest directive is the second personnel deployment order by the IGP in less than two weeks. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the IGP gave a similar order when there were reports of imminent attacks in various parts of the FCT. The statement comes amid reported attacks and panic among residents about the possibility of more attacks by terrorists in the capital city. PREMIUM TIMES reported how troops of the 7 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army Presidential Guards Brigade were last month ambushed night around the Bwari Area Council of Abuja by terrorists suspected to be Boko Haram members. The incident left three soldiers wounded and eight personnel killed. The attack came a few weeks after terrorists invaded the Kuje prison in Abuja and freed hundreds of inmates, including Boko Haram suspects. One of the terrorists in a video threatened that his group would abduct President Muhammadu Buhari and some other governors in the country. In the latest statement by the police, the IGP ordered massive deployment of additional police operatives and operational assets within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs to solidify the security and protection of lives and property of its residents, critical national assets and vulnerable facilities as well as road users plying routes in and around the FCT. It added that the deployment was also done to allay the fears of residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs concerning the recent perceived security threats. Read the full statement: PRESS RELEASE IGP ALLAYS FEARS OF FCT RESIDENTS, DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MANPOWER, ASSETS Assures Nigerians of Improved Security, Cautions Against Spread of False Alarms The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc(+), NPM, fdc, has allayed the fears of residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs concerning the recent perceived security threats as he ordered massive deployment of additional police operatives and operational assets within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs to solidify the security and protection of lives and property of its residents, critical national assets and vulnerable facilities as well as road users plying routes in and around the FCT. The IGP made the charge during the Force Management Teams meeting at his office on Monday, August 1st, 2020, while receiving general security updates on the nation. He has equally charged the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Operations, DIG Bala Zama Senchi, to supervise and manage the deployment to ensure maximum security in the FCT as well as surrounding states with a high risk of attacks resonating from the threats being speculated on the news, as the Force does not and will never handle any information with kid gloves. The IGP however cautioned members of the public, especially citizen-journalists, on the dangers of spreading false alarms, misinformation, and disinformation as they could be detrimental and counter-productive to national security. In the same vein, the Inspector-General of Police has assured Nigerians in general, and residents of the FCT in particular, of their safety and security, while urging them to go about their lawful duties without fear of attacks. He equally reiterated the firm determination of the Police leadership to continue to explore avenues to enhance the security architecture in the country, through intelligence gathering, operational deployments and application of cutting-edge technology to decimate the activities of criminal elements across the country. CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has signed a contract to acquire drones to monitor its pipelines and wellheads in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. SPDCs General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, made this known at a news conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. He said the company decided to acquire drones due to frequent attacks on its pipelines, leading to huge revenue losses from activities of oil thieves and pipeline vandals. According to him, the oil thieves punctured SPDC pipelines and wellheads, and thereafter redirected crude oil to their illegal refining sites, thus denying the company needed revenue. To this end, we have signed a contract, and soon we will start using drones to monitor our pipelines, wellheads and other facilities. Shell does so much to protect its assets in Nigeria, he said. Mr Weli said that frequent attacks on its oil and gas facilities by organised criminals had worsened over the years, resulting in the company spending huge funds to protect its facilities. Some of the other extraordinary things we do as a company is flying helicopters daily to check the pipelines that come at a huge cost to the company. Even when we see illegal refineries, we cannot do much other than draw the attention of the authorities to it. The SPDC builds cages and installs technology to protect its wellheads just like we put burglary proof in our homes to ward off robbers. This is worrisome and should be of concern to everyone, understanding that oil and gas is where the country generates huge forex and creates employment for millions, he added. The SPDC general manager said the company was also collaborating with security agencies through the sharing of data on the locations and activities of illegal bunkers and refining sites. He said the sharing of data was done to ensure the menace was decisively tackled, to improve the business and working environment. Mr Weli said governments at both state and federal levels had been doing their best to address the menace but that more needed to be done. This is why we have been talking about this over the years, and went as far as opening a website on oil spillage in 2011. On the reopening of Trans Niger Pipeline shutdown by the company in March, Mr Weli said the company would only reopen the pipeline when the facility is secured from attacks. (NAN) In the course of my repeated visits to the the holy masjid, I got to appreciate the quality of the vision and taste of the new NAHCON leadership headed by the tested, trans-generational leader, Zikrullah Hassan, as hinted on the first day of arrival. That hotel for NAHCON officials presented a spectacular signpost for all Nigerian pilgrims. Its been so visible to locate and can be used as a landmark to determine the location of hotels of the pilgrims of all Nigerian states. Together with over four hundred other pilgrims from Lagos and Abuja, we made it, with great sense of gratitude to Allah, into the King Abdul Azeez International Airport on July 5. We were so much grateful because just as we were about flying out of Lagos, there was a loud shout to the medics in the aircraft to quickly show up for some emergency. One of us potential pilgrims, a middle aged person from Lagos State, had a failing health. She was promptly surrounded by medics and others alike for sundry support. Her lower limbs were too weak to support her upper trunk. Her dropping head pitiably betrayed a failing neck as medics tried to work her up. This unpleasant inside-aircraft incident went on for more than 30 minutes but no one was in a hurry, as we all wished she would bounce back to endure the six-hour journey. She didnt. She had to be helped to disembark. The Jeddah pilgrims arrival point secured by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for Nigerian pilgrims, offered inexhaustible yet refreshing facilities, as we had all we needed to bath and don our Ihram, so that we could head straight to the Holy Masjid Haram in Makkah for the first leg of the holy pilgrimage. Just before the walk to Haram from our hotel, we had to drop our light bags muslim pilgrims advisedly travel light. Nema Mawadda Hotel was to be my abode and that of my eight media colleagues from Lagos. Accommodation fixing over, we hastened to the Holy Mosque with the relentless chant of Labaykalahuma Labayka Back at the hotel after the initial rites at Haram, not a few of the officials in the same aircraft with me were excited by the facilities broadly described as a clear departure from the past. One of them volunteered: The hotel for officials used to be like a school dormitory with mattresses on the ground without basic adornments for comfortable sleep. That way, youre immediately made to fully activate your senses for the hajj seasons characteristics of endurance, patience and tolerance. Really for me, its been a reasonably fair Makkah accommodation since I started performing hajj many years back, dating to 1990s. From our Nema Mawwada Hotel on Ibrahim El Khalil Street to Masjid Haram is barely 30 minutes of healthy trekking on well paved road side-walks. What with the beckons from both left and right of generous givers of refreshments, including full meals to pilgrims? On my first day, I had assorted offers, including a full meal with chicken. I had barely savoured that when my friend and colleague, Mikhail Mumuni, ex-Tell editor, threw a joke bothering on culinary adventure, saying he would like to look for a place to get shawarma. Pronto, a guy sauntered to our side and handed out just that and for free! Allah Akbar, we both chorused! In the course of my repeated visits to the the holy masjid, I got to appreciate the quality of the vision and taste of the new NAHCON leadership headed by the tested, trans-generational leader, Zikrullah Hassan, as hinted on the first day of arrival. That hotel for NAHCON officials presented a spectacular signpost for all Nigerian pilgrims. Its been so visible to locate and can be used as a landmark to determine the location of hotels of the pilgrims of all Nigerian states. All one needed to do was to ensure entering Haram via Gate 79, otherwise referred to as King Fahad Gate. When you are also done at the most expansive, mega masjid, endeavour to locate the two wide roads separated by the ultra modern, underground toilets one for men and the other for women to find your way home. El Khalil Street is a household name in Makkah. Away from Haram into the street, a highway actually, youre tempted to look into shops of assorted wares adorning the ground floors of many hotels occupied by the pilgrims from different countries. The line up of the hotels is a reminder of the situation in Joa Pessoa, a northwestern beach city in Brazil, which played host to the 2016 edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the global convergence dedicated to discussing Internet and all related issues. In Makkah at night, billowing flags of the countries whose pilgrims stay in each of the hotels become more visible as they unfurl as if in cautious dance for the festive month of Dhul Hijjah as a special month. To head in the direction of where Nigerian pilgrims are concentrated, there are three overhead bridges and a set of three twin, big, blue coated road sign boards between Haram and our own Nema Mawadda Hotel. The first bridge welcomes you to the feet of the marbled staircase descending from the platform of the vast male and female washrooms. As you gradually head into Nigerian quarters, right before the second bridge there is often a preponderance of pilgrims from Turkey, with their national emblem all over what they wear and carry. But Hajj being an inimitable facilitator of the convergence of races, here to your right is the Palestine Hotel occupied obviously by the pilgrims from Palestine. A massive, yet glittering structure parades invitingly set tea tables and chairs for hotel occupants outside of its lobby. You can then imagine the allure of the elaborately furnished lobby with conspicuous expression of hospitality. Pilgrims from Turkey and Palestine happily bid bye to colleagues from other countries going further to their respective hotels, with repeated greetings of salaam, the short form of Asalam alaykum warahmatulah wabaaraka tuh. Shortly after the bridge is the hotel occupied by pilgrims from Bangladesh. It isnt any less attractive than the one for the Turkey pilgrims. Indeed, one recurrent feature of all cadres of facilities here is the adherence to the use of best quality materials in the face of a tough, indeed hard to conquer, hilly environment. Behind each of all the hotels are huge mountains but the hotels too appear to be in competition with them in height, in addition to flaunting extremely beauteous architectural designs hardly available in other parts of the world I have been, including the US, UK, Netherlands. Dubai is probably next in parading such spectacles. If you function in environments like tertiary institutions where architects are supposed to indulge patrons with their expertise but fail to so do, Saudi hotels will make you think of such architects as criminals. Towering structures everywhere flaunt indescribably detailed aesthetics. As I went further to see hotels for Indonesians and Pakistanis, the hotels for Turkey and Bangladesh pilgrims readily reminded me of Nigerias membership of D8 countries, whose current executive secretary, Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, is a Ngerian, and a veteran of diplomacy who used to be Nigerias ambassador to Brazil. D8, otherwise called Developing-8, is an organisation for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. Its secretariat is in Istanbul, Turkey. Our hotels share the same street, as if EL Khalil Street is D8 Street. Nigeria therefore ranks impressively with the choice of location, especially as I later learnt that the new NAHCON leadership did what was humanly possible to get a far better rate of accommodation for pilgrims this year, just that the global dollar ranking has not spared our naira. Several other currencies, including those of strong economies, like yen and euro have not fared better in recent time. Beyond enabling Nigerian pilgrims to rub shoulders with those of Turkey and Bangladesh, Europes fastest growing economy and the worlds largest producer of garments respectively, the NAHCON leadership finally seized a golden moment for us all when the hajj administrators of African countries had to meet with the Saudi authorities to review this years hajj. NAHCON Chair, Ustaz Zikrullah Hassan spoke on behalf of all Africans to the appreciative audience. The honour for Nigeria, most recently heightened by athlete Tobi Amusan was palpably perceived at the beautiful event in Makkah. The honour that came the way of the NAHCON boss, Hassan, was well prepared for. His charity began at home. The previous week, he had set up a most transparent Hajj 2022 review session for select stakeholders, also in Makkah, where issues though critically discussed still earned him plaudits. The lesson: Colleagues from within and without can only accord you honour if only youre self-respecting. Hassan earned his! Tunde Musibau Akanni, Associate Professor and Head of Journalism Department at LASU, is a member of the National Media Committee of Hajj 2022 As political uncertainty continues in Pakistan weeks after the ouster of Imran Khan, this time focused on the province of Punjab, the countrys economic stability has been pushed further into the risk zone with the cabinet approving an ordinance to bypass all procedures for selling assets to foreign countries. The movie is a stop-gap arrangement to prevent the country from defaulting. Pakistans currency has been plummeting against the US dollar and the delay in the release of a crucial $1.17 billion instalment from the International Monetary Fund to Islamabad has also added to the existing economic crisis. The fund earlier this month said it reached a preliminary agreement with Pakistan to revive the $6 billion bailout package. But the deal is subject to approval by the IMFs executive board. When Khan was in power, Pakistans foreign reserves rose to over $18 billion, which dipped to $10 billion recently. The countrys total debt and liabilities have touched Rs 53.5 trillion which includes the debt of Rs 23.7 trillion under the Khan government. In recent weeks, PM Shahbaz Sharif has slashed subsidies on fuel, electricity and natural gas to meet IMFs conditions. It has made Sharifs government highly unpopular and caused a spike in food prices. Many in Pakistan feel that the current coalition government, in the wake of the Punjab bypoll result, could once again resort to bandaid" approach to fixing the economy. The bypoll was won by ousted PM Imran Khans party but the vote for the chief minister in the provincial assembly was marred by allegations of partisan politics. Hamza Sharif, the son of Shahbaz Sharif, remains Punjab CM but Imran Khans bloc has decided to go to the Supreme Court against deputy speaker Dost Mohammad Mazaris decision to invalidate 10 votes in favour of Khans candidate Pervez Elahi. The sudden move to sell state assets is being seen as a desperate attempt to save the country from default. The federal cabinet approved the ordinance last week to sell stakes in oil and gas companies and government-owned power plants to the UAE to raise $2 billion to $2.5 billion to avoid the looming default. The UAE had in May refused to give cash deposits due to Pakistans failure to return previous loans and instead asked to open its companies for investment. On July 15, the foreign currency reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan were recorded at $9.32 billion, down $389 million compared with $9.71 billion on July 7, 2022. State Bank of Pakistans foreign exchange reserves fell to single digits despite a $2.3 billion inflow from China late last month. The red line for State Bank of Pakistan foreign currency reserves is $7.5 billion to avoid default. If UAE and Saudi or even Chinese withdraw their $2.3 billion, Pakistans economy will collapse. The Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Satellite Towns Development Agencies (STDAs), is set to mobilise all staff of the FCTA, the FCDA and the SDAs for a 40, 000-delegates march to compel the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to, within 21 days, consider and direct the immediate implementation of the FCT-Civil Service Commission Act of 2018. The Act, when implemented, will restore proper identity, status and career progression to the FCTA, FCDA and STDA staff just like their counterparts in other federal ministries, agencies and the 36 states. JUAC stated in their letter to the FCT Minister, Mr. Muhammad Musa Bello, signed on their behalf by the Chairman, Comrade Matilukuro Oluwakorede and Secretary-General Comrade Akuh Enojo Sunday, that the Joint Unions are poised and prepared to take all necessary action within the ultimatum of 21 days to ensure Managements compliance with the various demands. They stated that failure by the Minister and the FCTA Management to comply would constrain the Joint Unions to direct all staff through their affiliate unions, to shut down the FCT Administration and the Office of the Honourable Minister pending the implementation of the various demands, especially the FCT Civil Service Commission. JUAC reminded the Minister that they are currently superintending over 15 affiliate unions across the FCT, while they would leverage on existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the independent unions, including the Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to enforce their demands should push come to shove. The Joint Unions expressed their disappointment with the manner the Minister and the FCTA have been handling their demands, stressing: Without mincing words, we have recently observed with dismay that you can no longer be trusted by the unions and staff. Truly, your word is no longer your bond considering the avalanche of unfulfilled promises made to the FCT staff and the unions. Sir, you may please recall that we have approached you severally, calling your attention to the FCT-Civil Service Commission, which has been passed into law and gazetted since 2018. We compassionately appealed to you, while reminding you of the negative implications of the hurriedly-implemented Order 1 of 2004, which dissolved the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory. Besides the administrative lacuna created by the problem, the staff of the FCT Administration are increasingly losing their identity and career progression, especially with respect to the directorate cadre. This situation, no doubt, has resulted in, and indeed, encourages overbearing dispositions, officiousness and corporate high-handedness by some directors who feel their kernels were cracked by opportunistic benevolent spirits, thereby lording it over the less-privileged staff with unbridled impunity. ALSO READ: NMA appeals to Nigerian govt to beef up security in FCT The unions and staff of the FCTA drew the Ministers attention to the various fruitless correspondences they had had with him regarding the issue among which were the JUAC letter, referenced JUAC/FCTA-STDAs/HM/AUGUST/2021/VLI/003, dated August 19, 2021, and others. They equally drew the Ministers attention to his promise to implement the Commission law during the last quarterly meeting which he has not kept with less than one year to the end of the tenure of the current administration. Sir, it is needless to remind you that there is no time again to act except now as your administration does not have the ample time to act again especially as we are heading back for square one; they advised him. They recalled that the Joint Unions once carried out a nation-wide research on the Civil Service Structure and discovered with serious concerns that all the Federal and State Governments have their streamlined Civil Service Structure, which gives specific identity and status to their civil servants while FCTA is the only exception. The system under the federal and the state structures provides them the opportunity to effectively and efficiently co-ordinate their activities, policies and programmes through the Federal and State Civil Service Commissions while FCTA remains the contraption that has lost its identity through the Presidential Order 1 of 2004. The FCTA staff are sad that they have equally lost their seniority status even to their juniors at the Federal level (Federal Civil Service staff), resulting in complex administrative confusion, despair and loss of faith and confidence in the system. They maintained that the problem could be resolved if the Minister and the FCTA mustered the political will to implement the Federal Capital Territory Civil Service Commission Act to restructure the FCT Administration and its parastatal. The JUAC posited further that the prolonged delay or non-implementation of this Act of Parliament, gazetted into Law by the FCT Administration since 2018, has further left the FCT workforce in total despondency beyond the expectation and satisfaction of an average civil servant in all tiers of government, which is to reach the pinnacle of his or her career. In addition to restructuring the FCTA and the FCDA, the JUAC also requested the Ministers directive for the implementation of the new AEPB Salary Scale, Employment of the Locum Staff and the Conversion, Upgrading and Advancement of Staff, among other outstanding issues. Below is the full text of the JUAC letter to the Minister: JUAC LETTER SOFAR is an Italian company specializing in pharmaceutical products, food supplements and medical devices Alfasigma consolidates its leadership in the gastrointestinal area and the research focus on the microbiota The acquisition is expected to be completed in October 2022 BOLOGNA, Italy, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ALFASIGMA S.p.A. has signed an agreement to acquire the entire share capital of SOFAR S.p.A., an Italian pharmaceutical company with over half a century of operational history in the research, production and marketing of drugs, medical devices and food supplements. With this acquisition, the Alfasigma group adds to its portfolio the products of SOFAR, known in particular for Pentacol, Enterolactis, Gerdoff, Cistiflux and Siler. SOFAR closed 2021 with a turnover of over 113 million euros, double-digit growth compared to the previous year. The company, with over 54 years of history, 150 references marketed in more than 10 therapeutic areas and over 300 employees, owns an advanced research laboratory located in Bergamo and a production plant in Trezzano Rosa (Milan). Alfasigma is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies with Italian capital with a consolidated turnover of over one billion euros in 2021, research centers in Bologna and Pomezia, three production plants in Italy and two abroad, and about 3000 employees. Both companies are focused on the gastrointestinal area. SOFAR carries out approximately 80% of its activity in this therapeutic area and has concentrated research on the microbiota within the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park in Bergamo. Alfasigma is developing a product pipeline focused on the gastrointestinal area where it can make the most of its important scientific know-how. The integration of the two companies will lead to the expansion of the Alfasigma product range in Italy and on foreign markets. Mr. Stefano Golinelli, Chairman of Alfasigma Board, declared: "This acquisition allows our company a decisive consolidation on the Italian market and a further focus in the gastroenterological area. This acquisition will contribute to the ambitious growth strategy designed for our company". "Our tradition of innovation and the success of the company today materialize by becoming part of an already established group such as Alfasigma" commented Mr. Andrea Biffi, CEO of SOFAR "This operation once again consolidates the value of Made in Italy in pharmaceutical sector and, at the same time, creates an important opportunity for growth and internationalization, confirming the work carried out by our company in over half a century of history ". Alfasigma's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Francesco Balestrieri, stated: "The acquisition of SOFAR marks a first important milestone in the growth path that the Board has defined for Alfasigma. SOFAR's portfolio offers not only complementarity from the point of view of therapeutic area in Italy, but also an important platform for international growth. We expect - he concluded - to complete the acquisition in October and that the integration operations will begin in the last quarter of 2022 ". About Alfasigma Privately owned, Alfasigma is an Italy based multinational pharmaceutical company, present in over 90 countries, through distributors and subsidiaries. The company employs a workforce of around 3,000 people, has in-house R&D capabilities, and several production plants. Alfasigma is known for the strong focus on Gastroenterology and Vascular. More information is available at the corporate website https://www.alfasigma.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1325576/Alfasigma_Logo.jpg SOURCE Alfasigma ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Calero-MDSL, a leader in the high-growth Technology Expense Management (TEM) software space, announced today that it has acquired Network Control, a boutique Telecom Expense Management company providing high-touch telecom expense management and managed mobility software and services to customers for the past 22 years. Calero-MDSL is a portfolio company of Riverside Partners and Oak Hill Capital Partners. Financial terms were not disclosed. As part of the transaction, Mark Hearn, owner and CEO of Network Control, will join the Calero-MDSL team as Vice President and General Manager of its Network Control Business Unit. In this role, Hearn will be responsible for ensuring that his customers continue to receive the high-quality services and attention to which they have become accustomed. The Network Control team and operations will continue to be headquartered in Waverly, Iowa. "We are very excited to be acquiring Network Control and look forward to Mark and the Network Control employees joining the Calero-MDSL team," said Scott Gilbert, CEO of Calero-MDSL. "Combined with the investments in our technology and platform, this acquisition provides Calero-MDSL with the perfect springboard from which to accelerate our growth in the middle-market, one of our 2022 strategic initiatives," continued Gilbert. Hearn added, "As I evaluated the many options available to me, my focus was on finding a partner that would allow me to continue to provide outstanding service to my customers, take care of my wonderful employees, and accelerate the growth trajectory I have spent 11 years building. I am convinced that Calero-MDSL is the only firm capable of checking all three of these boxes and I am delighted to continue this journey with Scott and the Calero-MDSL team." Steven Kaplan, Chairman of the Board of Calero-MDSL and a General Partner at Riverside Partners, and Adam Hahn, a Principal at Oak Hill Capital Partners, added "We are excited to fold Network Control in to the Calero-MDSL family. Not only do the two companies share similar views on customer service and technology, but we especially appreciate the culture and values shared by the two firms' leadership teams". About Calero-MDSL Calero-MDSL is the leading Technology Expense Management provider, managing over $25 billion in spend worldwide for thousands of organizations in 102 countries. With a deep commitment to innovation and customer success, Calero-MDSL partners with organizations to provide a modernized, centralized technology expense management solution that supports Telecom Expense Management, Managed Mobility Services, and SaaS Subscription Management. Calero-MDSL is the industry leader in initiatives that solve pervasive market problems and continues to be recognized by industry analysts for award-winning achievements. The company is committed to serving customers with innovative solutions that provide visibility, control, and optimization of their entire technology ecosystem. To learn more, visit CaleroMDSL.com About Riverside Partners Founded in 1989, Riverside Partners is a middle market private equity firm currently investing out of its sixth fund. The firm focuses on growth-oriented companies in the technology and healthcare industries. Riverside Partners is particularly experienced at partnering with founders, owners and management teams and it brings substantial domain expertise and operating experience to its portfolio companies. Today, Riverside Partners manages about $1.1 billion of equity capital and seeks to make investments in companies with EBITDA between $3 and $15 million. For more information, please visit www.riversidepartners.com. About Oak Hill Capital Oak Hill is a longstanding private equity firm focused on the North America middle-market. Oak Hill applies a specialized, theme-based approach to investing in the following dedicated industry sectors: Media & Communications, Industrials, Services, and Consumer. The Firm implements a highly systematic approach to theme development, proactive origination, and value creation in partnership with management to build franchises of lasting value. Since 1986, Oak Hill and its predecessors have raised approximately $20 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments, invested in approximately 100 companies, and completed more than 300 add-on acquisitions representing an aggregate enterprise value at acquisition of over $60 billion. For more information, please visit www.oakhill.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1870264/Calero_MDSL_Logo.jpg SOURCE Calero-MDSL Surge in demand for renewable hydrogen, which has the potential to decarbonize multiple sectors is expected to drive the market growth. PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Power-to-Gas Market by Technology (Electrolysis, Methanation), by Capacity (Less than 100 kW, 100999 kW, 1000 kW and Above), by Use Case (Wind, Solar, Biomass), by Application (Residential, Commercial, Utility): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." According to the report, the global power-to-gas industry was estimated at $30.3 million in 2021, and is anticipated to hit $84.4 million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 10.8% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers an explicit analysis of the changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chain, competitive scenario, and regional landscape. Pre-determinant of growth- Surge in demand for renewable hydrogen, which has the potential to decarbonize multiple sectors is expected to drive the global power-to-gas market growth. Also, increase in utilization of hydrogen in green energy vehicles, such as hydrogen cars has supplemented the growth even more. Moreover, rise in demand for efficient energy storage technology and growing utilization of hydrogen in various industrial applications provide ample opportunities for the key players in the industry. Download Sample PDF (286 Pages PDF with Insights): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/16344 Covid-19 scenario- Industrial, transportation, and chemical production industries were severely affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a direct negative impact on the global power-to-gas market. The concurrent expansion plans of electrolysis and methanation were also delayed by minimum of one year, which aggravated the market condition even more. However, governments of various countries were seen to take significant initiatives to increase the investment in renewable energy-related industries such as solar and wind power systems. This spike in investment was mainly to perk up the national energy security throughout the global health crisis. These factors impacted the market positively. The electrolysis segment to dominate by 2031- By technology, the electrolysis segment contributed to nearly two-thirds of the global power-to-gas market share in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. Increase in awareness among the people regarding greenhouse gases and rise in demand for energy and fossil fuels drive the segment growth. The methanation segment, on the other hand, is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 11.0% from 2022 to 2031. This is because methane gas is extensively utilized in the manufacturing and processing of fuel and generating electricity. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Power-to-Gas Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/16344?reqfor=covid The solar segment to maintain the lion's share- Based on use case, the solar segment generated more than half of the global power-to-gas market revenue in 2021, and is expected to lead the trail by 2031. Rapid industrialization and modernization has led to increasing demand for power, which in turn has fueled the segment growth. The biomass segment, on the other hand, would manifest the fastest CAGR of 11.2% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to the fact that rapid industrialization and decrease in fossil fuel resources across the globe have led to increasing use of alternative renewable resources. Rising organic waste resources in the modern community and in the agricultural sector have led to the growing utilization of biomass for the production of electricity to cater to the mounting demand for power. The residential segment to manifest the highest CAGR- Based on application, the residential segment would manifest the fastest CAGR of 11.5% from 2022 to 2031. Development of the residential industry and growing awareness of the advantages associated with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar due to various government policies have given way to rise in the renewable energy share of total energy generation annually. The utility segment, simultaneously, held nearly half of the global power-to-gas market revenue in 2021, due to rise in demand for efficient energy storage technology. Europe garnered the major share in 2021- Based on region, Europe held the major share in 2021, generating more than two-fifths of the global power-to-gas market. Increasing efforts of the European Commission by setting ambitious carbon reduction targets, toward climate neutrality by 2050 via its Green Deal, results in a cleaner environment, more affordable energy, smarter transportation, and overall better quality of life. This, in turn, propels market growth. Asia-Pacific, however, would garner the fastest CAGR of 11.6% by 2031. With the ever-increasing population, there's been a steep increase in demand for power and fuel for transportation, thus driving the market growth. Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/16344 Key players in the industry- ITM Power McPhy Energy Siemens AG Nel Hydrogen ThyssenKrupp Electrochaea Exytron Hydrogenics GreenHydrogen Hitachi Zosen Inova Etogas MAN Energy Solutions Fuelcell Energy Avacon Carbotech Aquahydrex The report analyzes these key players in the global power-to-gas market. These players have incorporated various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in assessing the operating segments, their business performance & product portfolio, and so on. Interested in Procure Data? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/power-to-gas-market/purchase-options Access AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Avenue is a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. By offering core business insights on the varied industries, economies, and end users worldwide, Avenue ensures that the registered members get an easy as well as single gateway to their all-inclusive requirements. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenueTrial Similar Reports We Have: Power Distribution Unit Market is projected to reach $7.9 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2030. Porous Electrode for Electrolyzer Market is projected to reach $345.0 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 29.5% from 2021 to 2030. Green Hydrogen Market is projected to reach $9.8 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 54.7% from 2021 to 2028. Industrial Solar Generator Market is forecasted to reach $907.0 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2021 to 2030. Solid Electrolyte Market is projected to reach $56.6 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 12.1% from 2021 to 2030. Electrolyzer Market is anticipated to generate $0.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 24.6% from 2020 to 2027. Hydrogen Energy Storage Market is projected to reach $25.4 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2027. Hydrogen Generator Market is expected to reach $2.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021 to 2030. Energy Storage Systems Market is projected to reach $435.4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2021 to 2030. Brown Hydrogen Market is projected to reach $48.9 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2021 to 2030. Industrial Nitrogen Market is projected to reach $5.71 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2022 to 2031. Pre-Book Now with 10% Discount: Digital Power Utility Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Industrial Power Supply Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2029 Power Distribution Component Market: Global Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Power Transmission Component Market: Global Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Power Optimizer Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Blue Hydrogen Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Global Green Energy Market - Global Opportunities and Forecasts, 2022-2029 Industrial Gases Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2029 Gas Processing Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 About us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact us: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: 1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow us on: LinkedIn Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies has seen the most difficult times in its worldwide operations. The companys suspected cooperation with the Chinese government triggered protests in numerous countries owing to security worries. Demonstrations have been spurred by Huaweis contentious ties to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and security agencies. Particularly in nations that are either able to develop their telecommunications infrastructure on their own or are close friends of the first. The Canadian Government became the latest country to declare Huawei a national security threat. Ottawa charged the business with including backdoors in its goods and services that provide it unrestricted access to customer data. Meng Wanzhou, the companys chief executive, was detained by Canadian authorities in 2018 on suspicion of lying to banks about the firms transactions in Iran in contravention of US sanctions. According to allegations made by the United States. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) claimed that Huawei had been stealing trade secrets from Bellevue, the T-Mobile firm with headquarters in Washington, in 2019. The DoJ published a litany of offenses against corporate leaders in the same case, including money laundering, conspiracy, wire fraud, obstructing the administration of justice, and others. in 2018, Australia became one of the first countries to outright prohibit the use of Huaweis 5G equipment and its partnerships with ZTE, another major Chinese telecom company. The businesses were immediately barred from producing telecoms equipment in Japan starting in 2018. "Whole brands firmly believe that every action they take is one more reason to choose them, or not," says Tim Galles, director of The Whole Brand Project and Barkley's chief idea officer. "They see everything they do from sustainability plans, culture, product and service innovation, design and experience and marketing as creative endeavors, knowing that their biggest unfair advantage is their belief and behavior system, and how creative their culture is." The 2022 State of the Whole Brand report defines whole brands by four characteristics: A whole brand is an organization that treats everything it does as the brand. A whole brand is connected by a core idea, the red thread, that guides and inspires every action it takes across the spectrum of marketing to business ideas. A whole brand is full of purpose and action, matching what it says and does internally with what it says and does externally. A whole brand measures success by balancing profit and performance across the Whole Brand Spectrum with its impact on people, community and the planet. Barkley also interviewed global marketers and whole brand thinkers for the report, including: Eric Ryan, co-founder of method, OLLY, Welly and Cast; Stephanie Wissink, managing director, Jefferies; Bart Houlahan, co-founder, B Lab; Niki King, head of sustainability, Unilever North America; Mike Cessario, chief executive officer and co-founder of Liquid Death; KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, chief executive officer and founder, Sustainable Brands; Hilary Butler, director of marketing, Bonterra Organic Estates; and Ian Fitzgerald, global director of brand strategy and operations, New Balance. "So much of creating a whole brand is to make sure you have a consistent experience through every touchpoint," said Eric Ryan, co-founder of method, OLLY, Welly and Cast. "Everything is theater. Few do it well because they forget to think about how you create a unified experience through products, sales, marketing, culture, all the way. We live in a world that's much more porous for consumers and brand relationships. There's no longer a public face and private face for a brand. That's why you have to be authentic from the inside out." Niki King, head of sustainability at Unilever North America, adds, "A brand is whole when it takes into account every person that will be impacted along the value chain including shareowners, employees, suppliers, workers in the supply chain and consumers. The business is ethical, profitable and well governed and it positively impacts the world." In three years, the State of the Whole Brand project has studied 13,000 consumers and more than 150 brands in more than 30 categories. For more information and to download the full report, visit https://bit.ly/wholebrand2022 . About Barkley Barkley is an independent creative idea company that builds whole brands for modern consumers, employees and all stakeholders. We do this through three idea centers: strategy, design and activation. As a Certified B Corporation, we believe all brands, including ours, can be a force for good in the world. barkleyus.com. Media Contact: Michael Levine [email protected] SOURCE Barkley WILMINGTON, Mass., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, driven by 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, will be hitting the track for its third and final appearance of the 2022 season at the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, August 7, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT and will be televised on USA Network. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst Chevy Return to the Track on August 7 UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products, and first aid and safety services, is the primary sponsor of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team for three races during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. UniFirst is also the Official Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team, as well as to its sister company, Hendrick Automotive Group. "We're excited to be partnered with Chase and 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports," said David Katz, UniFirst Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "NASCAR's most popular driver delivers so many thrills to his UniFirst fans, and we can't wait to see him behind the wheel of the UniFirst No. 9 car in Michigan." The 2022 NASCAR season marks the sixth year of UniFirst's multi-year partnership with Hendrick Motorsports and the third year sponsoring Elliott and the No. 9 team. Inspired by UniFirst's focus on always delivering for their customers, UniFirst and Hendrick Motorsports also introduced a newly designed No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2022 campaign featuring a dynamic paint scheme with the company's trademark green and new logo. Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports race team are also wearing new fire suits that complement the newly designed cars and feature the company's corporate color and logo. Heading into this weekend's race, Elliott holds the top spot in the 2022 standings and has a 125-point advantage over the second-place driver. Through 22 races, the 26-year-old driver has collected four wins, eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s, with a series-leading 658 laps led. Elliott has had success at Michigan International Speedway throughout his career, compiling three top-five and 10top-10 results. I'm proud to partner with a company like UniFirst that values its employees and customers and is driven to succeed," said Elliott. "We've had a lot of memorable moments together over the years and I look forward to getting those green and white colors out front in Michigan and delivering a winning performance for the team." For more information about UniFirst, UniFirst Racing, and our relationship with Hendrick Motorsport, please visit, https://unifirst.com/company/newsroom/nascar-chase-elliott-2021/. About UniFirst Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com. About Hendrick Motorsports Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport's premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (280) and laps led (nearly 75,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 37 different seasons, including an active streak of 36 in a row (1986-2021). The team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. SOURCE UniFirst Corporation BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Life Insurance Company Limited (the "Company") (NYSE: LFC; SSE: 601628; HKSE: 2628) announced today that due to the adjustment of work arrangements, Mr. Su Hengxuan tendered his resignation as the President, an Executive Director and a member of the Strategy and Assets and Liabilities Management Committee of the Company on August 1, 2022, which took effect on the same day. Mr. Su Hengxuan has confirmed that he has no disagreement with the board of directors (the "Board") of the Company and there are no other matters relating to his resignation that need to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the Company. The Company would like to express its gratitude to Mr. Su Hengxuan for his contribution to the Company during his tenure of service. The Company further announced that at the fifteenth meeting of the seventh session of the Board of the Company held on August 2, 2022, Mr. Zhao Peng was appointed as the President of the Company and nominated as an Executive Director of the seventh session of the Board of the Company. The proposal in relation to the election of Mr. Zhao Peng as an Executive Director of the Company will be submitted to the shareholders' general meeting of the Company for consideration and approval, and his qualifications as the President and Executive Director of the Company are subject to the approval of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (the "CBIRC"). The Board has appointed Mr. Zhao Peng as the person temporarily in charge of the Company before the approval on the qualification of Mr. Zhao Peng as the President of the Company is obtained. His term of office as the President and Executive Director of the Company will commence from the date of approval by the CBIRC, and his term of office as the Executive Director of the Company will end on the expiry of the term of the seventh session of the Board. He is eligible for re-election upon expiry of his term of office as the Executive Director. The biographical details of Mr. Zhao Peng are set out below: Mr. Zhao Peng, born in April 1972, is a member of the Party Committee of China Life Insurance (Group) Company ("CLIC") and the Secretary to the Party Committee of the Company. From 2020 to 2022, he served as the Vice President of the Agricultural Development Bank of China. From 2017 to 2020, he successively served as an Assistant to the President and a Vice President of the Company, the Chief Financial Officer of CLIC and an Executive Director of the Company. From 2019 to 2021, he also served as a Non-executive Director of Sino-Ocean Group Holding Limited and a Director of China Life Franklin Asset Management Company Limited. From 2009 to 2017, he successively served as the General Manager of the Finance and Accounting Department and the General Manager of the Finance Department of CLIC, the Deputy General Manager (at the general manager level of the provincial branches), the person in charge and the General Manager of Zhejiang Branch of the Company. Mr. Zhao Peng graduated from Hunan College of Finance and Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics and Tsinghua University, with master's degrees in economics and business administration. SOURCE China Life DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Business consulting leader Clarkston Consulting announced today the promotions of Cara Ridenhour and Sean Burke to Partner, and Caitlin Pardo and David Patterson to Associate Partner. In their new roles, they will continue to serve Clarkston clients in the life sciences, consumer products, and retail industries while continually driving the growth and development of the firm and its stewards. "As the firm continues to grow, our leadership must reflect the needs of the market. We depend on leaders who we can rely on to deliver brilliant client service in the face of an ever-changing and disruptive environment. These individuals have, and will continue, to drive differentiated value and performance for our clients, our firm, and our stewards," said Clarkston Consulting CEO and Founder Tom Finegan. Cara Ridenhour, Partner Ridenhour has been promoted to partner, where she will continue to deliver projects for clients in the life sciences, consumer products, and retail industries. Ridenhour has served as a strategic partner for many of the firm's long-standing client relationships where she specializes in the implementation and optimization of complex, global programs and systems. She has also driven internal development and support for stewards through her leadership over the Women's Empowerment Network (WEN+). Ridenhour is based in St. James, Missouri. Sean Burke, Partner Burke has been promoted to partner and will continue to leverage his extensive experience in the retail industry to support Clarkston's clients in the face of overwhelming disruption and market transformation. Retail clients seek Burke's partnership and guidance to optimize performance and growth while meeting the evolving challenges and opportunities of the digital age. Burke is a recognized thought leader within the retail industry and internally within Clarkston, where he serves as the retail industry lead with Jenny McLean. Burke is based in Dallas, Texas. Caitlin Pardo, Associate Partner Pardo has been promoted to associate partner, where she will serve a dual role leading Clarkston's sales enablement and client growth function and supporting Clarkston's life sciences, consumer products, and retail clients in the northeast. Pardo has been instrumental in driving the firm's greatest expansion of new clients, where she's assisted clients in developing and designing initiatives to overcome the competitive challenges facing their business. She has extensive consulting experience supporting clients in identifying and managing complex strategic and operational technology initiatives. Pardo is based in Boston, Massachusetts. David Patterson, Associate Partner Patterson has been promoted to associate partner, where he will continue to serve clients in the consumer products, retail, and life sciences industries while operating as a leader in Clarkston's Atlanta office. Patterson has deep experience and expertise assisting clients in the areas of program management, organizational change management, technology implementation, and IT strategy. Internally, Patterson has served a number of roles, including his leadership of Clarkston's Quality and Compliance Community. Patterson is based in Atlanta, Georgia. "As our clients continue to evolve and navigate our new era of business, leaders like Cara, Sean, Caitlin, and David have the experience and expertise to help create true value and sustainable growth. Just as our clients value their guidance and partnership, the firm and its stewards are better positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead with their leadership," said Clarkston President Paul Garrison. About Clarkston Consulting Businesses across the life sciences, consumer products, and retail industries partner with Clarkston Consulting to enhance strategic decision-making, improve operational efficiency, implement new technologies, and promote business growth and market diversification. Leveraging deep functional and industry expertise, our people discover, design, and deliver solutions that fit your business, your goals, and your future. At Clarkston Consulting, your purpose is our purpose. www.clarkstonconsulting.com SOURCE Clarkston Consulting Award given to ACE alumni who demonstrates exceptional leadership and outstanding service to the college INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American College of Education (ACE) announced Dr. Peter Shipley as its 2022 Alumni Achievement Award recipient. Dr. Shipley graduated in 2018 with a Doctor of Education in leadership with an emphasis in educational leadership and community organizations. As the senior manager of research, planning and curriculum design unit for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), he received an Order of Merit recognition from the Governor General of Canada for his efforts to improve police curriculum. For the OPP, Dr. Shipley designed and taught an evidence-based methodology for police officers to serve the public more effectively. "It's incredibly humbling and an honor to be selected for this award, and it was even more special to learn that I was the first doctoral alumnus and first Canadian recipient," Dr. Shipley said. "I'm grateful for outstanding family support and that the ACE faculty pushed me every step of the way. Commencement was an exciting time to celebrate with such an extraordinary graduating class and to receive this honor." ACE Alumni Engagement Officer Courtney Shelton said, "This award reflects the dedication our alumni have to ACE's mission. Dr. Shipley and our fiercely loyal alumni believe that ACE is an innovative leader in higher education in provide an education worth celebrating and promoting." For 10 years, the Alumni Achievement Award has been presented annually during commencement and is open to all alumni. A list of previous award winners can be located here. The Alumni Achievement Award announcement comes alongside other awards ACE presented in July, including the ACE Faculty Award for Excellence presented to Dr. Renee Harmon, the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Faculty member presented to Dr. Kimya Nance and the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Student presented to Jamal Ali, RN. About American College of Education American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 70 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master's or bachelor's degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Media contact: Catherine Masri [email protected] 214-886-5870 SOURCE American College of Education PLYMOUTH, Minn., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dakota Supply Group (DSG) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Brown Supply Company in an asset purchase effective August 2, 2022. Founded in 1940, Brown Supply is a leading distributor of Waterworks products such as water/sewer pipes, fire hydrants, marking flags, equipment, and supplies with four locations across Iowa. Dakota Supply Group Expands into Iowa with Acquisition of Brown Supply Company Tweet this iowa The current owner, Kevin Doud, will remain with the business. Kevin will become the Region Sales Manager for Iowa. In this role, he will help facilitate DSG's waterworks expansion across Iowa. The company will operate as Brown Supply Company, A DSG Company, before eventually transitioning to the DSG brand. "We are excited to be part of a winning team that is committed to growth," says Doud. "We have the utmost faith in DSG moving forward and are here to keep serving our customers in the best way possible." "We're excited to welcome the Brown Supply Company associates to the DSG team of employee-owners," DSG President & CEO Paul Kennedy said. "Brown Supply Company has been a customer-focused market leader in Iowa for over 60 years we look forward to building on this history in the years ahead. This strategic acquisition expands DSG's footprint to a new state and provides a foundation for further segment expansion." DSG is one of the Midwest's leading distributors of innovative products and services for the following industries: electrical; plumbing; HVAC/R; utility; communications; automation; waterworks; and on-site sewer, water, and well. DSG is a 100% employee-owned company with more than 900 employee-owners in more than 50 locations across seven states. SOURCE DSG - Dakota Supply Group OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The EdSource Board of Directors today announced that Executive Director Anne Vasquez, who took the organization's helm in May 2021, is assuming the new title of Chief Executive Officer of EdSource effective July 26, 2022. Joel Vargas, president of the Board of Directors, said: "The change not only reflects Anne's able stewardship of EdSource as a trusted, go-to source of news about education in California. It more appropriately signals the breadth of her responsibilities and effectiveness in enhancing the organization, especially as we look to deepen and grow EdSource's impact in the coming years." Before becoming executive director, Anne was director of content and strategic initiatives at EdSource. In that role, she helped shape editorial strategy, grow partnerships and expand the organization's footprint throughout California. Prior to joining EdSource, Anne was an executive at Tribune Publishing, where she most recently served as senior vice president of strategic initiatives and chief digital officer. She previously was the managing editor of the South Florida Sun Sentinel when the newsroom won its first Pulitzer Prize, the Gold Medal for Public Service. Anne began her career at The Miami Herald and the San Jose Mercury News, where she was an education reporter and later an editor. EdSource is at a critical inflection point, at a time when its audience has more than doubled, and it has captured the attention of a growing number of policymakers, educators and parents alike. As California emerges from a global pandemic that has upended education, EdSource is uniquely positioned to deliver investigative, watchdog journalism to identify areas that are in need of repair or reform, as well as highlight effective models and strategies that benefit students. Over a period of more than four decades, EdSource has established its reputation as a highly respected source of education information, research and analysis. It has emerged as the preeminent education news organization in California, home to the nation's largest and most diverse public education system. In recent years, the organization also launched the California Student Journalism Corps, a network of student journalists from around the state who report and write for EdSource and receive career training. ABOUT EDSOURCE As a nonprofit, independent news organization, EdSource knows that an informed, involved public is necessary to strengthen schools to improve opportunities now and in the future. Since 1977, EdSource has delivered education news analysis and continues to report on the most pressing education issues in California and the nation. FOLLOW EDSOURCE EdSource.org EdSource.org/subscribe twitter.com/EdSource facebook.com/EdSource MEDIA CONTACT [email protected] SOURCE EdSource DENVER, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual announced today the Denver-area advisors who have been named to the Forbes 2022 "Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals" list. With over 270 Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized in total, 10 of them are in the greater Denver area, with three ranking in the Top 100. The Forbes list recognizes the nation's top-performing financial advisors who provide holistic financial planning, focusing on risk mitigation, wealth management and a personal planning experience. Honorees are selected using a broad set of criteria that includes production and premiums, assets under management, client retention rates and exhibition of best practices. The Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals ranking follows the recognition of more than 120 Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management advisors on Forbes' "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" list and 10 advisors on Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors" ranking. Leading industry publications including Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor and InvestmentNews consistently rank Northwestern Mutual Investment Services as a top independent broker-dealer by total revenue. The Denver-area Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized as 2022 Best-In-State Financial Security Professional Ranking 2022 are: *indicates advisors honored in the Top 100 About Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. SOURCE Northwestern Mutual CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual announced today the Chicago-area advisors who have been named to the Forbes 2022 "Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals" list. With over 270 Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized in total, 26 of them are in the greater Chicago area, with two ranking in the Top 100. The Forbes list recognizes the nation's top-performing financial advisors who provide holistic financial planning, focusing on risk mitigation, wealth management and a personal planning experience. Honorees are selected using a broad set of criteria that includes production and premiums, assets under management, client retention rates and exhibition of best practices. The Best-in-State Financial Security Professionals ranking follows the recognition of more than 120 Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management advisors on Forbes' "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" list and 10 advisors on Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors" ranking. Leading industry publications including Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor and InvestmentNews consistently rank Northwestern Mutual Investment Services as a top independent broker-dealer by total revenue. The Chicago-area Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized as 2022 Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals are: *indicates advisors honored in the Top 100 About Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. SOURCE Northwestern Mutual Page Content One Monday August 1st, the community was astound by a letter that has been sent to the Dominican Republic by St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority informing that all flights between the two countries will be canceled as of August 5th 2022. Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication, Omar Ottley found this short notice and extended travel between St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic until August 31st, 2022 which will give him the time needed to assess the alleged dispute between the two Countries' aviation authorities. It appears the decision was in reaction to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Dominican Republic blocking Windward Island Airways (WINAIR) from offering airline services between the Dominican Republic and St. Maarten. The retaliatory decision created the risk that many passengers would have been left stranded in St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic. Many residents travelled between the two islands for leisure and medical purposes over the past few months. Minister Ottley said if the decision to suspend airlifts from the Dominican Republic is upheld, it would be carried out to allow travelers sufficient time to make alternative arrangements to get safely home. After the fact, the Minister learnt of the decision taken by the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority and has called an urgent meeting to discuss the situation. "Once I have sat with our Civil Aviation and get a clear picture of what has occurred, we will further evaluate the next steps," said Ottley. The Minister also stated that he was not inclined to pressure travelers when many would be traveling for summer vacation and medical purposes. "We will have to find a more diplomatic approach to the situation and ensure that we protect our Airline (Winair) while allowing free movement between both countries who have a long and cherished history of friendship and family ties," said Ottley. The Minister will meet with the Civil Aviation Authority members and Foreign Affairs representatives early Tuesday to follow up on their letter sent to the Dominican Republic. ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual announced today the Atlanta-area advisors who have been named to the Forbes 2022 "Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals" list. With over 270 Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized in total, nine of them are in the greater Atlanta area. The Forbes list recognizes the nation's top-performing financial advisors who provide holistic financial planning, focusing on risk mitigation, wealth management and a personal planning experience. Honorees are selected using a broad set of criteria that includes production and premiums, assets under management, client retention rates and exhibition of best practices. The Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals ranking follows the recognition of more than 120 Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management advisors on Forbes' "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" list and 10 advisors on Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors" ranking. Leading industry publications including Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor and InvestmentNews consistently rank Northwestern Mutual Investment Services as a top independent broker-dealer by total revenue. The Atlanta-area Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized as 2022 Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals are: About Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. SOURCE Northwestern Mutual DALLAS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual announced today the Dallas-area advisors who have been named to the Forbes 2022 "Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals" list. With over 270 Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized in total, nine of them are in the greater Dallas area, with Keith Wagner ranking first in the Top 100. The Forbes list recognizes the nation's top-performing financial advisors who provide holistic financial planning, focusing on risk mitigation, wealth management and a personal planning experience. Honorees are selected using a broad set of criteria that includes production and premiums, assets under management, client retention rates and exhibition of best practices. The Best-In-State Financial Security Professionals ranking follows the recognition of more than 120 Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management advisors on Forbes' "Best-In-State Wealth Advisors" list and 10 advisors on Barron's "Top 1,200 Financial Advisors" ranking. Leading industry publications including Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, ThinkAdvisor and InvestmentNews consistently rank Northwestern Mutual Investment Services as a top independent broker-dealer by total revenue. The Dallas-area Northwestern Mutual advisors recognized as 2022 Best-In-State Financial Security Professional Ranking 2022 are: *indicates advisors honored in the Top 100 About Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2022. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. SOURCE Northwestern Mutual Acclaimed children's book highlights self-identity, acceptance, and animal rescue LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" (Friendly Falls Press; Archway Publishing from Simon & Schuster), by author and illustrator Robert Vincent, is the perfect picture book for back-to-school reading as teachers gear up to return this fall. Ideal for elementary students pre-K through second grade, "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" takes young readers on an animated and meaningful journey that affirms individuality and acceptance through great storytelling. Available online at Amazon, bn.com , target.com , and at the book's website, maxbuckles.com , as well as select bookstores, "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" is based on the real-life story of a cat named Max adopted by Vincent's son Matthew from a homeless woman in Dallas who found Max as a tiny kitten and had him in the pocket of her overcoat as she was trying to find him a home. The tale is about an affable cat, Max Buckles, and how he finds himself and his way to a new home moving from the cozy overcoat pocket of Sally in the city, to the country with Farmer Buckles and his other animals, including four dogs Sam, Tots, Scotty (who isn't Scottish but is plaid), and Junior Buckles. Along the way, he discovers a true sense of belonging within his new family. As told through the journey of Max the cat, this is a story about self-identity, acceptance, and animal rescue and adoption. "As teachers and students head back to school after a surreal few years, this book puts things in perspective and gives everyone a welcomed dose of love, fun, and humor," notes Vincent. Readers and fans of Max Buckles can like and follow the book on Instagram and Facebook , and can also send an email to [email protected] with proof of purchase to get a special Thank You note from Max himself. In addition, a portion of each book sale will be donated to organizations that promote animal rescue and adoption The Humane Society , Best Friends , and Alley Cat Allies . To learn more, visit www.maxbuckles.com or explore the following hashtags: #maxbuckles, #maxbucklesbooks, #maxthecat, #readenjoysharemax and #fromthepocketofanovercoat. About Robert Vincent Robert Vincent is a children's book author and illustrator, as well as the author of a number of other literary works. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Kathy. Robert and Kathy's son Matthew is a violinist with the Oakland Symphony and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. In December 2009, Matthew adopted a lovable black cat named Max. The rest, as they say, is history. SOURCE Friendly Falls Press CHANDLER, Ariz., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Geneva Financial (Geneva) announces the company's 47th state licensure, effectively opening operations for the direct mortgage lender in the state of Alaska. 'The Last Frontier' marks the first state addition to Geneva's operations in 2022. "Geneva Financial is on a mission to help borrowers across the nation on their homeownership journeys," stated Aaron VanTrojen, CEO and Founder of Geneva Financial. "This new licensure is our opportunity to continue making that happen. We look forward to being a trusted lender to the great state of Alaska." With the ability to operate fully in Alaska, Geneva plans to expand mortgage operations throughout the state and looks to provide job opportunities for local Alaskans wanting to take the next step. The company is actively seeking resumes for Mortgage Loan Officers, Processors, Underwriters, and several other engaging positions. Alaskans are encouraged to inquire about opportunities at www.Genevafi.com/opportunity With more than 130 branches nationwide, Geneva Financial Home Loans offers countless homebuyer and homeowner-focused products including Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Refinance, Reverse, Jumbo Loans and Condo Financing as well as Down Payment Assistance Programs, First-Time Homebuyer Programs, Physician Loans and Hero Loans for First Responders, Police, Firefighters, Nurses, and Teachers. Geneva Financial Home Loans is currently expanding in all markets and seeking branch managers and loan originators across the United States looking to advance their mortgage careers. For information on opportunities, visit www.GenevaFi.com/opportunity About Geneva Financial Founded in 2007 by Aaron VanTrojen, Geneva Financial (NMLS 42056) is a direct mortgage lender headquartered in Chandler, Arizona with more than 130 branch locations in 46 states. Our mission at Geneva Financial is to approach every aspect of our business from the "inside-out". With a culture-forward mindset, we focus on our loan originators and support staff first to ensure an unbeatable experience for our customers. Our Core Values were created as a daily reminder to operate with the inside-out approach in mind. Core Value #1 is the backbone of all our Core Values, our mission, and our brand vision: Home Loans Powered by Humans. Learn more about Geneva Financial Home Loans at www.GenevaFi.com SOURCE Geneva Financial https://spendedge.com/sample-procurement-report/creative-agencies-category-market-procurement-research-report Who are the Top Suppliers in the Creative Agency Market? The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several top suppliers. Some of the leading Creative Agency suppliers profiled extensively in this report include: The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. WPP Plc Dentsu Group Inc. These are a few of the key suppliers in Creative Agency market. Discover more about these vendors, including the detailed analysis of procurement strategies deployed by major category end-users across several industries while sourcing for Creative Agency requirements. What are the Most Adopted Procurement Strategies for the Creative Agency Market? The research includes a complete analysis of the most commonly used procurement strategies by buyers across sectors, as well as an insight into these strategies' innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adopting these procurement tactics would enable buyers to minimize category TCO and achieve cost savings while sourcing Creative Agency. What is The Most Effective Price Strategy That a Vendor Can Adopt and What is The Forecasted Incremental Spend? It is critical to monitor current and future pricing changes in order to maximize the value of the purchase. Price forecasts can assist in purchase planning, especially when combined with constant monitoring of price-influencing factors. The market expects an incremental spend of USD 320.75 billion over the forecast period as a result of several market drivers prevalent across multiple geographies. In addition, the sourcing and procurement report discusses different cost-cutting factors by analyzing the following criteria: Identify favorable opportunities in Creative Agency TCO (total cost of ownership) Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities https://spendedge.com/sample-procurement-report/creative-agencies-category-market-procurement-research-report Which are the Key Regions for Creative Agency Market? The Creative Agency market will register an incremental spend of about USD 320.75 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. Smart Procurement Starts Here: SpendEdge's procurement intelligence platform is the go-to tool for companies looking to access latest procurement research insights and supplier data on an easy-to-use platform: Subscribe now for free, to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment. Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contacts SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cystic Fibrosis Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2022 to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global market for cystic fibrosis therapeutics is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2030. This study report represents an analysis of each segment from 2020 to 2030 considering 2021 as the base year. Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for each of the respective segments is estimated for the forecast period of 2022 to 2030. The availability of a variety of drugs for the treatment of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections as well as the availability of over-the-counter drugs for the treatment of reproductive system conditions is anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth of the market during the forecast period 2022 to 2030. As a result, the growing incidence of the disease will have an effect on the growth of the market during the period covered by the forecast. Impact of Covid-19 During the course of the forecast, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe is also having an effect on the growth of the market. The incidence of respiratory diseases is on the rise, which in turn drives up the risk of cystic fibrosis. This, in turn, is encouraging the key players that are already present throughout the world to focus on the formulation of new drugs for the purpose of accelerating the patients' recoveries and so lowering the global death rate. Expanding Therapeutic Options is Expected to Drive Market Growth The market has been triggered by an increase in the number of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis all over the world. The pharmacotherapy of cystic fibrosis has resulted in a number of improvements in the treatment of this ailment, which is having a beneficial impact on the expansion of the market. In addition, market trends that are now present in the treatment of the condition are the driving force behind the expansion of the market. This is because significant firms are producing a rising number of candidates for therapeutic care that are in the pipeline. Because of this, pharmaceutical companies are being encouraged to develop innovative treatments that address anomalies in the CFTR protein. In addition to this, the introduction of Ivacaftor/Lumacaftor, a potentiator that makes life better for those who are afflicted with the disease, is also contributing to the expansion of the market. The Increasing Prevalence of CF CF is quickly becoming the most prevalent genetic illness in every region of the world. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry, more than 30,000 persons in the United States are currently afflicted with this ailment, and it is projected that approximately 70,000 people throughout the world are afflicted with this condition. In addition to this, it is also mentioned that each year there are roughly 1,000 new cases of the condition that are diagnosed. As a result, it is anticipated that the growing prevalence of respiratory issues, gastrointestinal complications, and reproductive diseases in patients with CF would also contribute to an increase in the demand for the treatment of the illness throughout the course of the projection period. In addition, the implementation of innovative treatment options for early detection is expanding the patient population for better treatment, which is expected to have an impact on the expansion of this market throughout the course of the projected period. Strong Pipeline Candidates is the Key Market Enabler The development of medicines that can be used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis is on the near horizon, which is contributing to the acceleration of market expansion. The development of new treatments that are targeting the deficiency in disease-affected people's cells is expected to boost the growth of the market during the forecast period. The fact that this treatment is expected to be transformative for a great number of patients is driving the expansion of the market. Side Effect of Drugs to Impede the Market Growth The fact that the medicines can cause undesirable side effects like infections of the upper respiratory tract, difficulties with the liver, chest pain, and an increase in blood pressure, amongst other issues, may impede the expansion of the market. CFTR Modulators Segment to Dominate the Market According to a review of the market for cystic fibrosis therapies, the CFTR modulators segment held the majority share of the market in 2021 and is predicted to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period. This can be ascribed to an increase in the number of patients receiving therapy with these medications for cystic fibrosis. It is also anticipated that this sector will experience the most rapid expansion during the course of the time under consideration. In addition, the development of CFTR medicines such as Kalydeco, Orkambi, and Symdeko is an example of this type of innovation. Oral Medication Leading the Market Oral and parenteral administration are the two subsegments that constitute the market by route of administration. In 2021, the oral sector accounted for the majority of the market share in the cystic fibrosis therapeutics market. This was due to the increased formulation of medications in oral form, such as the development of CFTR drugs, which accounted for the majority of the market share in the oral segment. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has granted approval for three different CFTR modulator medicines, all of which are in the form of oral tablets. Ivacaftor (also known as kalydeco), orkambi, and symdeko are some examples of these. Retail Pharmacies & Drug Stores Dominate the Market by Distribution Channel By distribution channel the market is segmented as retail pharmacies & drug stores, online pharmacies and hospital pharmacies. Retail pharmacies and drug stores make up the largest segment of the market. The expansion of online pharmacies is expected to be fuelled over the period under consideration by an increase in the number of patients who place a higher priority on the simplicity of obtaining their medications, as well as by other factors. North America Remains as the Global Leader In 2021, the market for cystic fibrosis treatments and medications in North America accounted for the largest share in terms of market revenues. It is projected that North America would have the majority share of the market worldwide. The factors that are responsible for the dominance of the market in this region include an increase in the number of people diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), an increase in the number of patients suffering from various respiratory disorders that influence CF, an increase in the number of R&D activities, an increase in the amount of money spent on healthcare, and other factors. During the forecast period, analysts opine that Europe will maintain a dominant second-place position, behind only North America. Because of factors such as rising disposable income, a growth in the number of people who have the condition, an increase in the use of more advanced treatments in an effort to improve patient outcomes, etc. In addition, various prospects for expansion are anticipated to present themselves in the Asia-Pacific industry. Because of factors such as an increase in the number of elderly people, an increase in the number of healthcare facilities, increased public awareness of treatment, and other factors. Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are both examples of regions that are considered to be part of the rest of the globe. These regions are predicted to exhibit lower growth owing to the unmet demands of healthcare, low prevalence of the condition in the region, limited awareness linked with healthcare services, and others. Vertex Pharma, The Market Leader Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is the primary company that is now leading the market because of its extensive product portfolio and strong presence in the treatment of CF around the world. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that places a primary emphasis on the development of scientific advances in order to create game-changing medication for critical diseases. The leading players in this market include Genentech, Inc., Novartis AG, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, AbbVie Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Johnson & Johnson, Allergan plc, Pharmaxis Ltd., and Mylan N.V. are the key players engaged in the therapeutic markets for cystic fibrosis. Pipeline Review Although Vertex is the only business that currently has drugs in the CFTR modulator drug class, other players stand out with products that are now on the market that belong to other drug classes. In addition to the mucolytic Bronchitol (mannitol) in the United States and the PERT product Pertzye (pancrelipase) in the United States, Chiesi possesses two inhaled antibiotic products: Bramitob/Bethkis (tobramycin) in the United States and five major European markets (5EU) (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and Quinsair (levofloxacin) in the 5EU. Both TOBI (tobramycin) and TOBI Podhaler (tobramycin inhalation powder) are the most widely used inhaled antibiotic therapies. Two other important companies are Viatris (formerly Mylan), which owns the most popular inhaled antibiotic therapies, and Nestle HealthScience, which owns two PERT products. Zenpep (pancrelipase) and Viokace are the PERT products (pancrelipase). Gilead, Teva, Genentech, AbbVie, Vivus, Horizon Therapeutics, and Pharmaxis are the other pharmaceutical companies that have medications currently on the market that are used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Vertex is currently working to expand the label for Kalydeco in Canada to include paediatric CF patients aged 0 to less than 12 months, and they are working to expand the label for Trikafta/Kaftrio to include paediatric CF patients aged 2 to 5 years in the United States and 2 to 11 years in the European Union and Canada. Additionally, within the next five years, this company is anticipated to release not one, but two new products: VX-561 and VX-121 + tezacaftor + VX-561. At the moment, AbbVie is the company that sells Creon, which is the PERT that is utilised by CF sufferers the most. Both a CFTR potentiator known as ABBV-3067 and a CFTR corrector known as galicaftor (ABBV-2222) are now being tested in late-stage Phase II clinical trials for the company. ABBV-3067 is being tested alone and in conjunction with galicaftor. If AbbVie's attempt to enter the market for CFTR modulators is successful, Vertex will have a new competition. By the year 2030, it is anticipated that Laurent Pharmaceuticals will be the only new participant in the CF space. It is now in the process of developing an anti-inflammatory medication known as LAU-7b (fenretinide) for the purpose of lowering the severity of lung infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as the levels of inflammation that they cause. Despite the fact that this agent in development has a novel mode of action and is a first-of-its-kind medication, the business developing it is still emerging in the CF field. Historical & Forecast Period Market Segmentation By Drug Class (2020-2030; US$ Million) Pancreatic Enzyme Supplements Mucolytic Bronchodilators CFTR modulators Others By Route Of Administration (2020-2030; US$ Million) Oral Inhaled By Distribution Channel (2020-2030; US$ Million) Retail Pharmacies & Drug Stores Online Pharmacies Hospital Pharmacies Region Segment (2020-2030; US$ Million) North America U.S. Canada Europe and UK and UK UK Germany Spain Italy France RoE Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea RoAPAC Latin America Brazil Mexico RoLATAM Africa GCC Africa RoME Global Impact of Covid-19 Segment (2020-2021; US$ Million ) Pre Covid-19 situation Post Covid-19 situation Companies Mentioned Genentech Inc. Novartis AG Gilead Sciences Inc. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated AbbVie Inc. GlaxoSmithKline Plc. Johnson & Johnson Allergan plc Pharmaxis Ltd. Mylan N.V. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kxeeol 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 Lateral Hire Brings Significant London Market Experience NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National law firm Wilson Elser announced today that Graham Pulvere has joined the firm as a partner in its Birmingham, Alabama, office. Pulvere concentrates his practice on litigating insurance coverage and bad faith actions in addition to a variety of professional liability matters. He was previously a partner at Lloyd Gray Whitehead Monroe in Birmingham, where he practiced in the Insurance Coverage and Professional Liability groups, handling matters in the U.S. and London insurance markets. At Wilson Elser, Pulvere will be a member of the Insurance & Reinsurance Coverage and the Professional Liability & Services practices, as well as the London Practice. "Graham has significant experience working with the London market on first-party and bad faith matters and will add to our strong ability to handle complex coverage and bad faith matters not only in Alabama but also in Mississippi and Louisiana," said London Practice Chair David Holmes. "As the nation's preeminent defense litigation law firm, our sweet spot is insurance," said David Hall, Regional Managing Partner of the Birmingham office. "Graham adds to our deep bench in that area, and we extend him an enthusiastic welcome to Wilson Elser." Focused in the area of first-party and third-party insurance coverage matters, Pulvere handles various first-party matters including claims involving catastrophes, suspected burning, fraud, theft losses, and commercial property and business interruption losses. Additionally, he handles first- and third-party bad faith matters including excess policy claims. Pulvere has represented clients in a range of areas such as legal malpractice actions, bar disciplinary proceedings, and errors and omissions actions against insurance agents and brokers. He handles litigation, arbitration and mediation in a number of states. Pulvere received a J.D. degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law in 2003, and a B.S. degree from Utah State University in 1998. About Wilson Elser Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. At any given time, our more than 900 attorneys are engaged in some 100,000 defense and coverage matters, with many defending clients in various local, state and federal courts. Indeed, over more than four decades, our litigation, coverage and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently "parachuting in" to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients' terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 105 in the Am Law 200 and 57th in the National Law Journal's NLJ 500. For more information, go to www.wilsonelser.com. PR Contact: Andrew Blum, AJB Communications [email protected] | 917.783.1680 SOURCE Wilson Elser NEW YORK , Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with its international expansion strategy, Agro.Club, a global AgTech solutions provider, announces its expansion into Brazil. Its Full Stack B2B Grain Marketplace serves a vast unmet demand for grain trade digitalization, by making it more transparent, efficient, and risk-free for all players involved. Agro.Club has appointed ex-CEO of Sodrugestvo Brasil, Clesio G. Silva, as the CEO for its business in the region. "We leverage technology to streamline and de-risk the complexity of grain transactions for the full value chain..." Tweet this Agro.Club Brazil Agro.Club comes to Brazil with its unique Full Stack Marketplace model that has already demonstrated rapid scale and has proven to increase transparency, resolve inefficiencies in execution of the grain transactions, facilitate logistics, and fill financing gaps for the farmers and grain companies. Brazil is the fourth largest food producer in the world with the Agricultural sector contributing approximately 5.9% of the country's GDP. Brazil is one of the largest global producers of soybeans, corn, and sugarcane. It exported a record 86.63 million tons of soybeans in 2021, as reported by the National Association of Cereal Exporters (ANEC). The appointment of Clesio G. Silva to the position of Chief Executive Officer in Brazil will accelerate Agro.Club's go-to-market strategy and expansion in the region, by providing a more profound understanding of the needs of the farmers and key business players in the country. Mr. Silva is a top-tier executive who has successfully managed multibillion-dollar businesses in agriculture (seeds, crop protection, grain trade) with multinationals such as Sodrugestvo, Adama, Bayer, etc. in addition to LatAm companies (Algar Tech, BRF, etc). Through his 20+ years of professional experience, he has gained a strong track record of expanding and managing complex operations, building up talented teams and partnering with the broader agriculture ecosystem. "Agro.Club has already demonstrated strong product market fit in grain trading supported by a robust scalable technology platform. With our Full Stack B2B Grain Marketplace, we will add more value and convenience to local players. The tech algorithms are not only meant to help farmers and grain companies transact more effectively, but they also facilitate grain quality control, KYC, logistics, and financing of transactions," says Clesio Silva, newly appointed CEO for Agro.Club Brazil. Agro.Club's global CEO and founder Egor Kirin comments, "Following Agro.Club's initial strategy, we strengthen our international presence by entering Latin America. We plan to rapidly expand our market share in Brazil while closely cooperating with existing players in the region and serving their needs. We are a company that does not shy away from the "messiness" and complexity in grain transactions. Rather, we leverage technology to streamline and de-risk it for the full value chain. Thanks to high adoption and retention of our customers, our business has grown 25X in the last 12 months and is already a profitable operation, so we are taking a proven model to the Brazilian market". Agro.Club is a US-based Agri-Tech supplier with operations across North America, Europe, and now South America. Founded in 2018 by Egor Kirin, Agro.Club offers a 100% Ag-focused platform that increases efficiency across the whole agricultural value chain. The company runs a full stack B2B grain marketplace with sales enablement tools. It has over 160 employees globally, over 100 corporate customers (Cargill, Mars, LDC, etc.), more than 35,000 farmers, and over $200 million of annualized transactions. Agro.Club has so far raised capital from marquee global investors such as: Rabo Frontier Ventures (Rabobank), Speedinvest, VentureFriends, Elevator Ventures (Raiffeisen Bank), etc. SOURCE Agro.Club NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Corporate Finance is excited to announce the addition of Teri Stratton to the Hilco Corporate Finance team. Ms. Stratton will serve as Senior Managing Director in Corporate Finance and the National Practice Leader of Special Situations. Ms. Stratton is a nationally prominent investment banker and restructuring advisor. She joins the Hilco Corporate Finance team to lead the growth of the special situations and restructuring practice. Ms. Stratton will be based in Los Angeles. Teri Stratton | Senior Managing Director - Hilco Corporate Finance "We're thrilled to welcome Teri to the HCF team," said Geoffrey Frankel, CEO and Senior Managing Director of Hilco Corporate Finance. "Teri is a recognized leader in the special situations and restructuring practice. She has a clear vision to scale up HCF's special situations practice to meet the needs of our expanding client base." Ms. Stratton has over two decades of experience in advising on distressed sell-side and buy-side mergers and acquisitions transactions, recapitalizations, and restructuring transactions to middle market companies across many industries, including consumer, energy, and industrials. Before joining Hilco, she worked for Piper Sandler and Macquarie Capital Advisors (and predecessor firms). Prior to her investment banking career, she had eight years' experience in corporate banking, serving in both credit administration and special assets. Ms. Stratton received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles as well as a Master of Business Administration degree in finance, with honors, from the Anderson School at UCLA. She is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor, a board member of the Turnaround Management Association, and a member of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Ms. Stratton speaks regularly on various M&A and Restructuring topics. About Hilco Corporate Finance: Hilco Corporate Finance, LLC is a registered broker/dealer with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA (www.finra.com) and SIPC (www.sipc.org). Hilco Corporate Finance specializes in merger and acquisition advisory service, private capital markets, and special situations and restructuring advisory. Hilco Corporate Finance is the investment banking affiliate of Hilco Global. Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business and has nearly four decades of successfully acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in transactions. SOURCE Hilco Corporate Finance NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --As per Zion Market Research study, The global aerostructure composite market size was worth around USD 15.70 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 25.90 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.70% over the forecast period. Aerostructure Composite Market: Overview The fuselage, the wings, and the flight control surfaces are all examples of aerostructures, which are part of an aircraft's airframe. Recent developments in composite and additive manufacturing methods have changed the dynamics of international aftermarket and airframe requirements. Manufacturing of more lightweight, fewer-component aircraft is now possible because of the development of innovative composite solutions. Technology advancements have also allowed manufacturers to analyze an aircraft's construction using infrared light and computer modeling to determine its performance and longevity. These tests can be used to assess the aerostructures' integrity because they are crucial in guaranteeing that an aircraft can sustain aerodynamic forces. From helicopters and sophisticated combat aircraft to corporate jets and passenger flights, aerostructures are essential to various aircraft. Demand for military aircraft has been rising due to increased spending in the military and defense sector to improve the size of military aircraft fleets and their combat effectiveness in nations around the world. This is another important factor that is anticipated to fuel global aerostructure composite market revenue growth in the future. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/aerostructure-composites-market Our Free Sample Report Includes: 2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included 230 + Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research) Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request 2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends Includes an Updated List of tables & figures Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research methodology Key Industry Insights & Findings of the Aerostructure Composite Market Reports: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Aerostructure Composite Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 8.70 % (2022-2028). (2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Aerostructure Composite Market was valued at approximately USD 15.70 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly USD 25.90 billion by 2028. billion in 2021 and is projected to reach roughly billion by 2028. North America dominates the global aerostructure composite market due to the presence of significant aircraft producers and the availability of cutting-edge technology needed to produce aerostructure components in the region. dominates the global aerostructure composite market due to the presence of significant aircraft producers and the availability of cutting-edge technology needed to produce aerostructure components in the region. The Asia Pacific is expected to have considerable growth in the future years due to the high growth of the aerostructure industry in the region. To support the expansion of the aerostructure industry in developing nations like China and India , the demand for mid-sized commercial aircraft has greatly expanded. is expected to have considerable growth in the future years due to the high growth of the aerostructure industry in the region. To support the expansion of the aerostructure industry in developing nations like and , the demand for mid-sized commercial aircraft has greatly expanded. The initial cost of the aircraft is further increased by the fact that aerostructure composites are substantially more expensive than metal. Composites are also expensive and challenging to repair, which might hurt the business. The business predicts that over the next 20 years, the fleet expansion will gradually give way to an accelerated replacement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft. Zion Market Research published the latest report titled "Aerostructure Composites Market By Fiber Type (Carbon Fiber Composites, Aramid Fiber Composites, Glass Fiber Composites, Others), By Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business & General Aviation, Helicopter, Military Fixed Wings, Jet Engines and Others), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data and Forecasts 2022 2028." into their research database. Industry Dynamics: Aerostructure Composite Market: Growth Drivers Growing demand for air travel around the world to boost the market expansion. In its most recent Global Market Forecast, Airbus predicts that when air traffic starts to reach pre-crisis levels, demand for it will grow. The industry's growth had slowed during the COVID era, but now that passenger traffic has proven its resiliency, it is expected to resume growing at a rate of 3.9% annually. The business predicts that over the next 20 years, the fleet expansion will gradually give way to an accelerated replacement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft. As a result, nearly 39,000 new passengers and freighter aircraft must be delivered over the next 20 years, 15,250 of which must be replacements for older, less fuel-efficient versions. The market for aerostructure is anticipated to boom as the rise of air travel also does. New materials are invented and developed in aerostructures to significantly reduce the airplane's weight. This lowers fuel consumption and lowers carbon emissions. Aerostructure Composite Market: Restraints The high cost of composites, along with other factors such as safety constraints, is restraining the market growth. The initial cost of the aircraft is further increased by the fact that aerostructure composites are substantially more expensive than metal. Composites are also expensive and challenging to repair, which might hurt the business. Equipment that is specialized and expensive must be used to find the flaws in the composite structure. Additionally, inspectors must receive specialized training to identify any flaw in the aircraft's composite components, which raises the maintenance expense in addition to expenses for additional tools like rivet guns, bucking bars, and epoxy glue. The aerostructure sector places the highest premium on fire and safety issues. The epoxy resin used in the composites must be carefully chosen and made to prevent the spread of fire in the event of a fire outbreak. Additionally, due to concerns about safety and durability, aerospace composites are less frequently used in long-haul flights, which limits the global aerostructure composite market's expansion. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/aerostructure-composites-market Aerostructure Composite Market: Opportunities Adoption of morphing technologies for wings to create lucrative growth avenues for market. The capacity to change shape is called morphing. In engineering, it is useful for various reasons, including adapting to changing external conditions, enhancing interaction with other bodies, and maneuvering in different media like water or air. At various stages of flight, an aircraft's conventional rigid wings cannot function at their maximum efficiency. Engineers may now produce new morphing aircraft wing designs that can change shape while flying, thanks to advances in morphing technology. The primary goal of aircraft designers is to produce a most rigid structure capable of safely withstanding flight circumstances, including elements like high speed, bad weather, and extremes of both hot and low temperatures. To maximize speed, range, and fuel efficiency, aircraft designers strive to make their designs as light as feasible. Aerostructure Composite Market: Challenges Uncertainties in failure prediction of composites to pose challenge for market expansion. Due to their high specific strength, stiffness, and material anisotropy, which may be employed to tune structural properties, advanced composite materials are widely used in major aircraft constructions. These composite materials' characteristics are not uniform and can change randomly inside big structures like wings and fuselage. The composite rotor and airframe structures' remaining useful lives are unpredictable due to the intricacy of failure processes and susceptibility to manufacturing flaws that could result in structural damage. Global Aerostructure Composite Market: Segmentation The global aerostructure composite market is segregated based on fiber type, aircraft, and region. The market is segmented into carbon, glass, aramid, and other fiber types. Carbon fiber is reinforced in a suitable resin system to create a successful composite system. Low thermal expansion, good chemical resistance, high stiffness, low weight, high tensile strength, and high-temperature tolerance are just a few of the excellent qualities of carbon fiber that contribute to its growing popularity in the aerostructure composites business. Based on the aircraft type, the global aerostructure composite market is segmented into business, general, military fixed-wing, commercial, jet engines, helicopters, and other products. Among these, fixed-wing aircraft led the market in 2021 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Less than two-thirds of the aerostructure composites market is dominated by the commercial aerostructure segment. Due to major advancements in the civilian aerospace sector and the replacement of the fleet that is about to retire, the commercial aerospace segment is anticipated to maintain its position. As of January 2020, Boeing had already produced 945 Dreamliner, and over 900 more are still to be delivered to customers. Additionally, manufacturers are anticipated to come up with alternative designs, propelling the aerostructure composites business, given the surge in demand for mid-size commercial aircraft and the success of using composite in their construction. Furthermore, the market is anticipated to grow considerably during the forecast period due to the growing use of composite materials in military aircraft. Get More Insight before [email protected]: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/aerostructure-composites-market List of Key Players in Aerostructure Composite Market: LMI Aerospace Inc. Owens Corning Hexcel Corporation Solvay S.A. Toray Advanced Composites Teijin Limited SGL Carbon Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation VX Aerospace Corporation Unitech Aerospace Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Aerostructure Composite Market? What are the key driving factors propelling the Aerostructure Composite Market forward? What are the most important companies in the Aerostructure Composite Market Industry? What segments does the Aerostructure Composite Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the Aerostructure Composite Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 15.70 Billion Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 25.90 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 8.70 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 2021 Forecast Years 2022 2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, And By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered LMI Aerospace, Inc., Owens Corning, Hexcel Corporation , Solvay S.A., Toray Advanced Composites, Teijin Limited, SGL Carbon, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, VX Aerospace Corporation , Unitech Aerospace and Others. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/7017 Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/aerostructure-composites-market Recent Developments A joint development agreement (JDA) between Solvay and SGL Carbon was signed in December 2019 to create the first composite materials based on large-tow intermediate modulus (IM) carbon fiber. These resources address the need to lower prices and CO2 emissions and enhance the manufacturing process and commercial aircraft's fuel efficiency. and SGL Carbon was signed in to create the first composite materials based on large-tow intermediate modulus (IM) carbon fiber. These resources address the need to lower prices and CO2 emissions and enhance the manufacturing process and commercial aircraft's fuel efficiency. Teijin Limited and Boeing reached an agreement in January 2019 to deliver unidirectional pre-impregnated tape (TENAX TPUD). The company's success in the aircraft industry over the long period was aided by this. to deliver unidirectional pre-impregnated tape (TENAX TPUD). The company's success in the aircraft industry over the long period was aided by this. Teijin Limited purchased Renegade Materials Corporation in February 2019 , which provided extremely heat-resistant thermoset prepreg to the North American aerospace industry. As a result, the business was better able to maintain its position as a top supplier of solutions for aerospace applications. Regional Dominance: North America dominated the aerostructure composite market in 2021. North America dominates the global aerostructure composite market due to the presence of significant aircraft producers and the availability of cutting-edge technology needed to produce aerostructure components in the region. For instance, of the four fuselage portions of the Boeing 787, two are produced in the United States (the nose section in Kansa and the rear section in Charleston). In contrast, two mid-sections are produced in Italy, and one is produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan. The United States city of Everett, Washington, is where all these pieces are brought together and connected. The Asia Pacific is expected to have considerable growth in the future years due to the high growth of the aerostructure industry in the region. To support the expansion of the aerostructure industry in developing nations like China and India, the demand for mid-sized commercial aircraft has greatly expanded. In addition, the increasing spending on fighter jets and the military in nations like India is anticipated to open up attractive potential opportunities for market participants. Global Aerostructure Composite Market is segmented as follows: Aerostructure Composite Market: By Fiber Type Outlook (2022-2028) Carbon Glass Aramid Others Aerostructure Composite Market: By Aircraft Outlook (2022-2028) Commercial Aircraft Military Fixed Wings Business Aircraft General Aviation Jet Engines Helicopter Others Aerostructure Composite Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release For Aerostructure Composite Market: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-aerostructure-composite-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Zion Market Research Aircraft Sleeping Pods Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global aircraft sleeping pods market size was worth around USD 65.30 million in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 84.07 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.30% over the forecast period. The global aircraft sleeping pods market size was worth around in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.30% over the forecast period. Underwater Drone Market - Global Industry Analysis : The size of the global underwater drone market was estimated to be approximately USD 3.35 billion in 2021 which is expected to grow at the rate (CAGR) of 11.89% over the next seven years to attain a value of 6.63 billion by end of 2028. The size of the global underwater drone market was estimated to be approximately in 2021 which is expected to grow at the rate (CAGR) of 11.89% over the next seven years to attain a value of 6.63 billion by end of 2028. Military Tent & Shelter Market - Global Industry Analysis: The military tent & shelter market is set for a rapid growth over the forecast period. In terms of revenue, the global automated sortation system market accounted for USD 946.27 Million in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 1,080.49 Million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 1.4% from 2020 to 2026. Browse through Zion Market Research's coverage of the Global Defense & Security Industry Follow Us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook About Us Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, and company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Contact Us: Zion Market Research 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite N202 New York, 10001, United States Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1605489/Zion_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Zion Market Research Page Content Minister Roger Lawrence addresses the public PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten The Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs, Silveria E. Jacobs, on behalf of the Council of Ministers (COM), hereby makes known that the Honourable Roger A. Lawrence, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication (TEATT), has resigned because of medical challenges. The Council of Ministers received Minister Lawrences formal resignation, which was accepted during its meeting of Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The resignation was finalized by national decree on Friday, July 29, 2022. As is well known, the Minister of TEATT has been unable to execute his duties for some time. As per the replacement regulation for Ministers, Minister Ottley has been carrying the responsibility for the Ministry with the support of the COM. With the official resignation, he will continue to act as Minster of TEATT until a replacement has been sworn in. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we give [Minister Lawrence] encouragement as he takes steps towards recuperation, and we pray for him to make a full return to health. said Prime Minister Jacobs. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Jacobs, Minister Lawrence issued the following statement to be shared with the people of Sint Maarten: I wish to express my gratitude to the people of Sint Maarten as it has been a tremendous honour to serve as the Minister of TEATT, however, after much thought and prayer, I have decided to make my position as Minister of TEATT available. Much to my dismay, medical challenges have kept me away from my governmental responsibilities as Minister of TEATT. While I have remained committed and with high hopes, throughout this challenging period, to resume the many important tasks entrusted to me under the responsibility of the Ministry of TEATT, I am still faced with uncertainty as it pertains to the specified time for my full recovery. This is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult decisions that I had to take. However, having the peoples best interest at heart, first and foremost, and considering the current situation of country Sint Maarten, I found comfort in taking what I consider, the honourable and unselfish decision by making my position as Minister of TEATT available. I would also like to express my gratitude for the outpouring public support, empathy and encouragement received from the citizens of country Sint Maarten, the various stakeholders and collaborators that I had the pleasure and privilege to serve and/or work with during my tenure as Minister of TEATT. It has been my distinct honour to work for the people, a position that I accepted in August 2021 because I was asked to do so, and after much reflection I was convinced that my professional background and knowledge of the works could positively contribute, whilst in the capacity of Minister of TEATT, to the future of this country at this critical juncture; Regretfully the journey took a different course. Nevertheless, as a professional, I remain committed to serve, in which ever capacity that suits my background, with the same integrity and love, because I know that this country needs all of us to contribute to its wellbeing. Whatever I undertake will always be in the best interest of the people of this country, as I remain loyal to God firstly and then to the people. Considering my discharge, I wish to see our efforts continue unfolding, as many important intents are already set in motion, and these plans will certainly yield tangible results to the benefit of all, thanks to the tireless work of the devoted staff of the Ministry of TEATT. My sincerest thanks to Prime Minister Jacobs, the Council of Ministers, and the respective support staff for the quality of our work relationship. As a coalition government, I am hopeful that together we can and will continue to make positive strides forward for the country, in the true spirit of unity. To my cabinet staff and the staff of the Ministry of TEATT, which have displayed exemplary work ethics, I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done, especially during these past months, but first and foremost for your representation of the Ministry of TEATT; Keep up the good works. It would be remiss of me not to express my gratitude to the United Peoples Party for their support and belief in me, by granting me the opportunity and the privilege to work on behalf of and with the people of this country. Finally, I wish to thank my family circle, for their unwavering support, continuous prayers, and faith in God, during this challenging journey that will be halted in due time. The Council of Ministers wishes Honourable Minister Lawrence much strength in his recovery and thanks him for his dedicated service to the country of Sint Maarten in his capacity as Minister of TEATT. said Prime Minister Jacobs. Ryan Joyce assumes role of President & CEO Stuart Joyce assumes role of Executive Vice President WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Joyce Farms, a premier provider of all-natural and heritage breed meat and poultry products, announced today that Ryan Joyce, formerly VP of Finance, and Stuart Joyce, formerly VP of Operations, have assumed the roles of President & CEO and Executive Vice President of Joyce Farms, respectively. Ron Joyce, who has served as President & CEO for the last 40 years, will remain Chairman of the Board and will play an active advisory role with the company moving forward. "This will allow Joyce Farms to continue to grow as a family-owned business long into the future."-Ron Joyce, Chairman Tweet this Ryan Joyce assumes the role of President & CEO of Joyce Farms. Ryan formerly served as the company's Vice President of Finance. Stuart Joyce assumes the role of Executive Vice President of Joyce Farms. Stuart formerly served as the company's Vice President of Operations. The change comes as part of a succession plan to ensure company longevity and success. "Both of them grew up in the business," says Ron Joyce. "They helped build Joyce Farms into a successful third-generation company. I am proud of them and what they have already accomplished. This will allow Joyce Farms to continue to grow as a family-owned business long into the future." Ryan and Stuart represent the third generation of Joyces to lead Joyce Farms since it was founded in 1962 by their grandfather, Alvin Joyce. They follow in the footsteps of their father Ron Joyce, who joined the business in 1971 and spearheaded its growth from a small chicken wholesaler to a multi-species meat and poultry producer specializing in heritage breeds and regenerative farming practices. "Ron leaves behind big shoes to fill," said Ryan Joyce, "but thanks to his hard work, we have a strong foundation to build on as we lead Joyce Farms into the future." Ryan first joined Joyce Farms in 2008 after graduating from N.C. State University with a degree in Business Management. In 2010, he left the company to attend Wake Forest University, where he earned his JD/MBA, and soon after, passed the NC Bar. Ryan returned to Joyce Farms in 2014 as VP of Finance before assuming his role as President & CEO. Executive Vice President Stuart Joyce joined Joyce Farms after graduation from N.C. State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business Management. He has played an active leadership role in the company, overseeing all poultry operations from the plant and hatchery in Winston-Salem to the grow-out of birds for Joyce Farms' Heritage Poultry line. Established in 1962, Joyce Farms is a family-owned business providing all-natural and heritage meat and poultry products with superior culinary qualities to chefs, butchers and consumers nationwide. Joyce Farms specializes in unique old-world heritage breeds, raised using humane and regenerative agricultural practices. Their Heritage line of products includes Poulet Rouge Chicken (GAP Step 4), Poulet Rouge Poussin (young chicken - GAP Step 2), Pintade (French Guinea), Spanish Black Turkey, Aberdeen Angus Beef (GAP Step 4), and Gloucestershire Old Spot Pork (Certified AWA). They also offer a Naked product line, produced without the use of hormones, antibiotics, animal by-products or anything artificial; it includes chicken, duck and rabbit. For more information, visit www.joyce-farms.com. SOURCE Joyce Farms CARMEL, Ind., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KAR Auction Services, Inc., d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR) (the "Company"), today announced that it commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase its 5.125% Senior Notes due 2025 (CUSIP Nos. 48238TAA7 / U24457AA8) (the "Notes") in a principal amount of up to $600,000,000, exclusive of any applicable premiums paid in connection with the Tender Offer and accrued and unpaid interest. The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are set forth in an Offer to Purchase, dated August 2, 2022 (the "Offer to Purchase"), which is being sent to all registered holders (collectively, the "Holders") of Notes. Title of Security Issuer CUSIP Numbers (1) Principal Amount Outstanding Tender Cap Base Consideration(2)(3) Early Tender Premium(2) Total Consideration(2)(3) 5.125% Senior Notes due 2025 KAR Auction Services, Inc. 48238TAA7 U24457AA8 $950,000,000 $600,000,000 $977.50 $30.00 $1,007.50 (1) No representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP numbers listed in this press release, the Offer to Purchase or printed on the Notes. They are provided solely for the convenience of Holders of the Notes. (2) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes. (3) Excludes Accrued Interest, which will be paid in addition to the Base Consideration or the Total Consideration, as applicable. Holders of Notes must validly tender and not validly withdraw their Notes on or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 15, 2022, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Early Tender Date") in order to be eligible to receive the Total Consideration. Holders of Notes who validly tender their Notes after the Early Tender Date and on or before the Expiration Date (as defined below) will be eligible to receive only the applicable Base Consideration, which is equal to the Total Consideration minus the Early Tender Premium, as set forth in the table above. In addition to the applicable consideration, Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer will receive accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date on which the Tender Offer is settled. The settlement date for Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase before the Early Tender Date (if the Company elects to do so) is currently expected to be on or about August 17, 2022 and the final settlement date, if any, is expected to be August 31, 2022. The Tender Offer will expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on August 29, 2022, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Date"). As set forth in the Offer to Purchase, validly tendered Notes may be validly withdrawn at any time on or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 15, 2022, unless extended (the "Withdrawal Deadline"). The consummation of the Tender Offer is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions as set forth in the Offer to Purchase. The Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer with respect to the Notes. If any Notes are validly tendered and the principal amount of such tendered Notes exceeds the Tender Cap as set forth in the table above, any principal amount of the Notes accepted for payment and purchased, on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Tender Offer, will be prorated based on the principal amount of validly tendered Notes, subject to the Tender Cap and any prior purchase of Notes on any day following the Early Tender Date and prior to the Expiration Date. Any Notes that are validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date (and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Withdrawal Deadline) will have priority over any Notes that are validly tendered after the Early Tender Date. Accordingly, if the principal amount of any Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date (and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Withdrawal Deadline) and accepted for purchase equals or exceeds the Tender Cap, no Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Date will be accepted for purchase. The Company's obligations to accept any Notes tendered and to pay the applicable consideration for them are set forth solely in the Offer to Purchase. This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Tender Offer is made only by, and pursuant to the terms of, the Offer to Purchase, and the information in this press release is qualified by reference to the Offer to Purchase. Subject to applicable law, the Company may amend, extend, waive conditions to or terminate the Tender Offer. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is the Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer. Persons with questions regarding the Tender Offer should contact J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 834-4666 (toll-free) or (212) 834-3822 (collect). Requests for copies of the Offer to Purchase should be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc., the Tender and Information Agent for the Tender Offer, at (212) 269-5550 (banks and brokers), (800) 488-8095 (toll-free) or email at [email protected]. KAR Media Inquiries: KAR Analyst Inquiries: Jill Trudeau Mike Eliason (317) 796-0945 (317) 249-4559 [email protected] [email protected] About KAR Global KAR Auction Services, Inc., d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KAR Global's unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in about 75 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR Global has employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Europe and the Philippines. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release include "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements made in this press release that are not historical facts (including, but not limited to, expectations, estimates, assumptions and/or projections regarding the industry, business, future operating results, potential acquisitions and anticipated cash requirements) may be forward-looking statements. Words such as "should," "may," "will," "anticipate," "expect," "project," "target," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "assume," "could," "continue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's current assumptions, expectations and/or beliefs, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and changes that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results projected, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022, and those described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of these risk factors are outside of our control, and as such, they involve risks which are not currently known that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or implied herein. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements. SOURCE KAR Auction Services NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Biben, a leading litigator who focuses on banking, regulatory and enforcement matters, has joined King & Spalding as a partner in its New York office. Biben was most recently a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was Co-Chair of its Financial Institutions Practice Group. Matthew Biben (Source: K&S) Biben represents individuals, financial institutions and FinTech companies in a broad array of civil disputes, securities and bankruptcy litigation, and complex matters involving regulators. He regularly handles internal, domestic and international investigations and acts as counsel in litigated disputes with government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), State Attorneys General and various foreign regulators. "Matt has built a stellar career, with experience at the upper echelons of government, the world's largest banks and private practice, making him an outstanding addition to our team," said Andy Bayman, head of the firm's Trial and Global Disputes practice group. "Matt's diverse litigation practice, in-depth understanding of the banking and regulatory environment, commercial acumen and legal prowess offer clients outstanding counsel and successful resolutions to their most critical issues." Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Biben was a partner and co-lead of the Banking Industry Group at Debevoise & Plimpton. He was previously General Counsel for JPMorgan Chase Consumer & Community Banking and Deputy General Counsel and Global Head of Litigation at The Bank of New York Mellon. Before this, Biben served in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division and was an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office. "King & Spalding has tremendously impressive disputes and regulatory practices with a prominent emphasis on financial institutions, and this aligns perfectly with my background," Biben added. "The firm was an obvious choice of platform for me. I look forward to joining the team and contributing to the firm's litigation prowess and strength in the financial institutions sector." Biben is a Benchmark Litigation "Litigation Star" and is recommended nationally by Chambers USA and The Legal 500 US. Biben received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, where he is now a Trustee. He earned his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he now sits on the Board of Advisors and has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law for the last 28 years, teaching seminars in legal philosophy, federal crime, and corporate law and governance. Biben is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association and is an active member of the New York legal community, serving as a commissioner on the State of New York Commission on Judicial Nomination and sitting on the boards of the New York Legal Assistance Group, the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and the New York Law Journal's Board of Editors. About King & Spalding Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,200 lawyers in 23 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com . SOURCE K&S Celebrating its 115th Anniversary, LA Auto Show Will Showcase Unprecedented Influence of Electrification LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Auto Show, the leading automotive and lifestyle in-person event, announced today that registration is open for Automobility LA, its annual gathering for both media and industry professionals. Scheduled for November 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the LA Auto Show's press and B2B gathering will showcase global automotive industry innovation and growth, emphasizing electrification as its central pillar. Taking place in the nation's foremost zero-emissions vehicle market (JD Power, May 2021), AutoMobility LA is the preeminent destination for media, auto and tech companies, influencers, and policymakers to convene, witness, and discuss the latest in transportation innovation. Qualified media and industry professionals interested in attending AutoMobility LA 2022 are invited to register for passes at automobilityla.com/register. LA Auto Show 2022 Opens Registration For AutoMobility LA Its Global Media Day And Industry Gathering Tweet this Celebrating its 115th anniversary, LA Auto Show remains as influential to the North American automotive industry as any time in its history. At the center of the largest car-buying market in North America for both gas-powered and electric vehicles, LA Auto Show and Automobility LA offer vital perspective and foresight into how the rest of the country and the global market will soon look. "As electrification continues to grow in prominence through both legacy OEMs and start-ups, it will play a key role in this year's show alongside mainstream gas-powered vehicles as the global automotive landscape continues to evolve," said LA Auto Show President, Terri Toennies. "We look forward to announcing significant debuts as momentum builds toward AutoMobility LA." More comprehensive details pertaining to vehicle unveilings, manufacturer participation and significant announcements will follow in the upcoming weeks and months. To learn more about AutoMobility LA, to book accommodations with the show's partner hotels, as well as information about media and industry credentials, please visit: AutoMobilityLA.com. Following AutoMobility LA, the 2022 LA Auto Show will open its doors for 10 days from Friday November 18 thru Sunday November 27 to allow hundreds of thousands of consumers to comparison shop, test drive the latest vehicles, and immerse themselves in Southern California's largest annual car culture showcase. For information about the LA Auto Show, please visit www.LAAutoShow.com. About the Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show) Founded in 1907, the Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show) is widely recognized as one of the most influential shows globally. Reflective of its location, the show celebrates the love affair Angelenos have with their cars and offers a global platform to industry technology and innovation, synonymous with California. The show runs for 10 full days over the Thanksgiving period and is a must-attend destination for many industry influencers, car enthusiasts and families wanting to enjoy a day out over the holiday season. Held annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the LA Auto Show contributes several hundred million dollars to the local economy, stimulates the local job market, and is the number one revenue generator for the LA Convention Center. Taking place on November 17, AutoMobility LA media and industry days will include a range of groundbreaking industry announcements and reveals. Doors open to the public November 19-28. LA Auto Show is owned and operated by ANSA Productions. To receive the latest show news and information, follow the LA Auto Show on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and sign up for alerts at http://www.laautoshow.com/. For press inquiries, email Jeff Perlman at [email protected]. SOURCE Los Angeles Auto Show The New York Cannabis Project offers educational programming, technical services and application assistance, mentorship and operational consulting to aspiring entrepreneurs BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lantern , a leading on-demand cannabis e-commerce marketplace and home delivery platform in the U.S., today launched the New York Cannabis Project. The social equity incubator program uses educational programming, technical services, application assistance and mentorship to empower social equity entrepreneurs to become innovators in the New York cannabis industry. The New York Cannabis Project is a multi-dimensional program segmented into the following four sections: business fundamentals, go-to-market strategy, community impact and the cannabis industry. During each step of the program, facilitators and collaborators provide industry training, education and resources to aspiring cannabis industry leaders from the communities most impacted by the War on Drugs. The New York Cannabis Project has also collaborated with the Bronx Defenders and The Bronx Community Foundation to support the launch of The Bronx Cannabis Hub . The hub will provide New Yorkers with information about economic opportunities in the cannabis industry and tools to navigate the application and licensing process. Additionally, the company is collaborating with Terrence Coffie, MSW, adjunct lecturer in Forensic Justice at New York University and several other community organizations and stakeholders to develop an eight-week job readiness and training program for those interested in entering the cannabis industry. The New York Cannabis Project is the company's fifth incubator program. Lantern launched its first cannabis delivery incubator in Boston in 2019 and partnered with The Color of Cannabis to launch a 10-week Social Equity Business Registration Course in Colorado shortly thereafter. In Michigan, Lantern collaborated with Calyxeum to create the Detroit Cannabis Project. Most recently, Lantern launched the New Jersey Cannabis project as a resource for entrepreneurs in the newly legalized market. "For far too long, the criminalization of cannabis and the War on Drugs has ravaged Black and Brown communities throughout New York. Lantern's newest social equity incubator will provide opportunities to those disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs who are looking to enter the regulated cannabis industry and build pathways to business ownership and generational wealth," said Akele Parnell, Head of Equity Partnerships at Lantern. "The New York Cannabis Project builds upon the efforts of our four previous social equity programs. Lantern remains committed to generating opportunities for communities disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis and the company is excited about the opportunity to help advance social equity in New York." Applications for the New York Cannabis Project are currently available online. For more information on the program, please visit https://www.nycannabisproject.org/apply . About Lantern Lantern is among the leading cannabis e-commerce marketplace and delivery platforms in the U.S. With the speed and convenience of on-demand delivery, Lantern partners with the best local dispensaries and cannabis brands to bring transparency, safety, and access to cannabis for both new and experienced consumers through intuitive, personalized shopping experiences. Lantern's best-in-class expertise in regulated industries helps dispensaries operationalize on-demand delivery, helping them to reach new customers, tap into key consumer insights, and diversify their businesses to grow sales. Media Contact Phoebe Wilson MATTIO Communications [email protected] SOURCE Lantern Leather Goods Market: Major Growth Trend and Driver Advances in manufacturing technology is a trend in the market. Leather tanning involves the use of a huge amount of water, which leads to its scarcity. Additional investments are needed for the treatment of wastes to meet the required standard on the volume of discharge. To address this issue, BASF developed DryFast to impart efficiency while being ecologically safe. This process helps reduce water consumption by nearly 60% and produces clean effluents by minimizing sludge by around 50%. Such advancements in manufacturing technology are expected to reduce the manufacturing cost, which will make leather goods eco-friendly, affordable, and innovative. Innovative marketing strategies are driving the growth of the market. The increasing number of fashion-conscious customers, especially in developing regions, has led to rapid advances in the fashion industry. Vendors such as LVMH, Hermes, and CHANEL SAS advertise their products through newspapers and fashion magazines. Manufacturers of leather goods are adopting different marketing campaigns and strategies to expand their customer base. Vendors are using celebrity endorsement as a marketing tool to enhance their brand image and increase the sales of luxury leather goods. Online advertising is also a popular marketing strategy. These marketing initiatives increase the demand for leather goods. Making effective business decisions with the help of the latest trends, drivers, and challenges provided by Technavio. View our PDF Sample Report Leather Goods Market: Market Segmentation By geography, APAC will account for 40% of the market's growth during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to factors such as economic growth, expanding middle-class population, and the high number of vendors that operate in the region. Moreover, market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in all other regions. China and Japan are the key countries for the leather goods market in APAC. By product, the footwear segment will contribute the highest market share growth during the forecast period. Vendors are introducing new patterns and designs owing to market competition and evolving customer demands. Thus, the customization of leather footwear is expected to drive the growth of this segment during the forecast period. Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a PDF Sample Report Leather Goods Market: Key Vendor Offerings adidas AG - The company offers leather shoes. The company offers leather shoes. Capri Holdings Ltd. - The company offers leather handbags, shoes, bags, and small leather goods under its brands, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo , and Versace. The company offers leather handbags, shoes, bags, and small leather goods under its brands, Michael Kors, , and Versace. Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - The company offers leather handbags, clutches, and small leather goods. The company offers leather handbags, clutches, and small leather goods. Hermes International - The company offers leather bags, clutches, briefcases, luggage, and small leather goods. The company offers leather bags, clutches, briefcases, luggage, and small leather goods. Kering SA - The company offers leather shoes, handbags, and small leather goods through its brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen , and Brioni. Reasons to Buy Leather Goods Market Report: CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist leather goods market growth during the next five years Estimation of the leather goods market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the leather goods market across APAC, North America , Europe , South America , MEA, APAC, North America , Europe , South America , and MEA , , , MEA, APAC, , , , and MEA Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of leather goods market vendors Related Reports Tote Bags Market Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2022-2026 Leather and Allied Products Market Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2022-2026 Leather Goods Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.1% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 55.31 billion Market structure Concentrated YoY growth (%) -7.46 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 40% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, France, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled adidas AG, Capri Holdings Ltd., Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, Hermes International, Kering SA, LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, Nike Inc., PRADA Group, Tapestry Inc., and VF 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, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents 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: Apparel, accessories, and luxury goods 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 2019 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 - 2024 Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2019 - 2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 07: Global leather goods market 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 08: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2019 - 2024 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 09: Five forces analysis 2019 & 2024 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 11: Bargaining power of suppliers 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 12: Threat of new entrants 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 13: Threat of substitutes 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 14: Threat of rivalry 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 15: Market condition - Five forces 2019 5 Market Segmentation by Product 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 16: Product - Market share 2019-2024 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 17: Comparison by Product 5.3 Footwear - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 18: Footwear - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 19: Footwear segment of global leather goods market ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 20: Footwear - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 5.4 LBWP - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 21: LBWP - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 22: LBWP segment of global leather goods market ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 23: LBWP - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 5.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 24: Others - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 25: Others segment of global leather goods market ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 26: Others - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 5.6 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 27: Market opportunity by Product 6 Market Segmentation by Distribution channel 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 28: Distribution channel - Market share 2019-2024 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Distribution channel Exhibit 29: Comparison by Distribution channel 6.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 30: Offline - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 31: Offline segment of global leather goods market ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 32: Offline - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 6.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 33: Online - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 34: Online segment of global leather goods market ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 35: Online - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 6.5 Market opportunity by Distribution channel Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Distribution channel 7 Customer landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 38: Market share by geography 2019-2024 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 39: Geographic comparison 8.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 40: APAC - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 41: Leather goods market in APAC 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 42: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 8.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 43: North America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 44: Leather goods market in North America 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 45: North America - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 8.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 46: Europe - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 47: Leather goods market in Europe 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 48: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 8.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 49: South America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 50: Leather goods market in South America 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 51: South America - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 8.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Exhibit 52: MEA - Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ($ billion) Exhibit 53: Leather goods market in MEA 2019-2024 ($ billion), exclusive of COVID-19 impact Exhibit 54: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2019-2024 (%) 8.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 55: Key leading countries 8.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 56: Market opportunity by geography 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges 9.3 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Vendor landscape Exhibit 58: Vendor landscape 10.2 Landscape disruption Exhibit 59: Landscape disruption Exhibit 60: Industry risks 10.3 Competitive Scenario 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 61: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 62: Market positioning of vendors 11.3 adidas AG Exhibit 63: adidas AG - Overview Exhibit 64: adidas AG - Business segments Exhibit 65: adidas AG - Key news Exhibit 66: adidas AG - Key offerings Exhibit 67: adidas AG - Segment focus 11.4 Capri Holdings Ltd. Exhibit 68: Capri Holdings Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 69: Capri Holdings Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 70: Capri Holdings Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 71: Capri Holdings Ltd. - Segment focus 11.5 Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA Exhibit 72: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Overview Exhibit 73: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Business segments Exhibit 74: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Key news Exhibit 75: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Key offerings Exhibit 76: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Segment focus 11.6 Hermes International Exhibit 77: Hermes International - Overview Exhibit 78: Hermes International - Business segments Exhibit 79: Hermes International - Key news Exhibit 80: Hermes International - Key offerings Exhibit 81: Hermes International - Segment focus 11.7 Kering SA Exhibit 82: Kering SA - Overview Exhibit 83: Kering SA - Business segments Exhibit 84: Kering SA - Key news Exhibit 85: Kering SA - Key offerings Exhibit 86: Kering SA - Segment focus 11.8 LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton Exhibit 87: LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton - Overview - Overview Exhibit 88: LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton - Business segments - Business segments Exhibit 89: LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton - Key news - Key news Exhibit 90: LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton - Key offerings - Key offerings Exhibit 91: LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton - Segment focus 11.9 Nike Inc. Exhibit 92: Nike Inc. - Overview Exhibit 93: Nike Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 94: Nike Inc. - Key news Exhibit 95: Nike Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 96: Nike Inc. - Segment focus 11.10 PRADA Group Exhibit 97: PRADA Group - Overview Exhibit 98: PRADA Group - Business segments Exhibit 99: PRADA Group - Key news Exhibit 100: PRADA Group - Key offerings 11.11 Tapestry Inc. Exhibit 101: Tapestry Inc. - Overview Exhibit 102: Tapestry Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 103: Tapestry Inc. - Key news Exhibit 104: Tapestry Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 105: Tapestry Inc. - Segment focus 11.12 VF Corp. Exhibit 106: VF Corp. - Overview Exhibit 107: VF Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 108: VF Corp. - Key news Exhibit 109: VF Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 110: VF Corp. - Segment focus 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 111: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.3 Research methodology Exhibit 112: Research Methodology Exhibit 113: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 114: Information sources 12.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 115: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio The Honor Caps an Award Streak for The Women-Owned Independent Agency SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Media Matters Worldwide , one of the fastest-growing independent media agencies in the U.S., was honored by Ad Age as Media Agency of the Year in its Small Agency Awards. This is the second consecutive year the agency was honored by the magazine. The award contest honors the independent agencies producing groundbreaking work and teams strategizing and executing ideas that directly compete with advertising's oldest, largest, and most sought-after partners. Media Matters Worldwide (MMWW) showed its strength and creativity by producing innovative and exciting work that drives clients' brand building, outcomes, and business growth. Judann Pollack, Ad Age executive editor said about the winners : "They may be small in number of employees, but these shops are proven to have big ideas and big ambitions. Their work is as good asor in many cases betterthan that turned out by agencies many times their size. They have proven time and time again that they are nimble, adaptable and able to compete with the giants." The Ad Age editorial staff chooses the winners based on business momentum, creative prowess and effectiveness of campaigns, breadth of its work, and how the agency approaches future growth. In addition, the editors look at the agency's culture, team member benefits and enrichment programs, and how it is working to diversify its talent base. "Over the past year, our investment in new tools, policies, and our culture spurred a metamorphosis that paralleled a year of explosive business growthlike our AI Agile Mix Modeling tool and benefits like increasing days off for parents to bond with their babies during the first year," said Taji Zaminasli , Co-Founder, MMWW. "We emerged as a stronger, more adept, and better business partner to our clients and a place where team members grow and thrive." As the only women-owned agency to be honored, MMWW's year-long winning streak kicked off with Ad Age's Silver Media Agency of the Year and a finalist honor for Campaign Magazine Media Agency of the Year. The agency is also an ANA B2B Northern California Innovation Award winner and was honored in industry shows such as the OMMA Awards and Campaign Magazine's US Media Awards. And cofounder Josy Amann was named a "Female Frontier '' winner by Campaign Magazine, recognizing the accomplishments of the most progressive and boundary-pushing women. "We are honored to be recognized by Ad Age for the second year in a row for tackling our client's biggest business challenges and building an agency where people can do their best work," said Josy Amann, Co-Founder, MMWW. "We've always known we have an amazing team, but over the past two years the commitment, passion and creativity they've brought to our client work has been remarkable. This award is a testament to them." Prior to the awards ceremony at the Ad Age Small Agency Conference, MMWW's Sara Owens, VP of Analytics and Data Sciences, took the stage to discuss "How to build an audience science discipline to create new revenue streams" with Ericka McCoy of Resonate and John Dioso of AdAge. About Media Matters Worldwide Media Matters Worldwide empowers B2C and B2B businesses to make smarter marketing decisions. We partner with clients to bring creative to life, with comprehensive analytics to prove the success and drive business growth. Our highly talented and experienced media and analytics strategists have a passion for cutting-edge media innovation and a focus on uncovering the "why" behind analytics. MMWW continuously invests in the latest media technologies to develop strategic, efficient, transparent, and measurable solutions. Learn more at www.MediaMattersWW.com SOURCE Media Matters Worldwide Global Digital Technology & Management Consulting Leader Propels Technological Advancement to Enhance Efficiency and Sustainability NASHUA, N.H., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Microdesk, a leading global digital delivery and management consulting firm and part of Symetri, Addnode Group, announced today the promotion of Dr. Xifan "Jeff" Chen, Ph.D., LEED AP to the newly-created position, Director of Digital Transformation. Dr. Chen will lead the company's push to bring digital technology integration to all parts of clients' businesses to ultimately drive efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and increase sustainability. The new focus will support and enhance its client partnerships and processes across the AEC industry as well as serve the institutional owners in the infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing, and education sectors. Microdesk Director of Digital Transformation Dr. Xifan "Jeff" Chen "Digital transformation is a fundamental, company-wide initiative to propel our organization's expertise into the forefront of the digital-first landscape that is quickly emerging," said Michael DeLacey, Microdesk, Chief Executive Officer. "We cannot envision a more proficient leader to drive this vitally important journey for our clients. Jeff combines extensive strategic leadership in enterprise asset management (EAM) advisory services along with innovative experience in integrating technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine/deep learning solutions, to take on this challenging and exciting role." Dr. Chen has been Assistant Director of Enterprise Asset Management at Microdesk for four years, overseeing its strategic management consultancy team, and leading projects to develop and integrate new technology solutions, methodologies, and workflows to help clients improve facility design, operations, and management. He has led successful, prominent EAM, Enterprise Project Management (EPM), Building Information Modeling (BIM) and data asset validation projects for some of the nation's largest and most respected organizations and public agencies, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Dr. Chen received a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at Nanjing Tech University, Master of Science in Structural Design, Civil Engineering, and doctorate in Construction/Asset/Sustainable Infrastructural Management at Syracuse University. At Syracuse University, he was the lead researcher for a U.S. Department of Transportation-funded project which focused on lifecycle benefits and cost analysis of infrastructural assets. "For Microdesk, digital transformation means more than just digitizing business processes or adopting the latest and greatest technology for the sake of it," said Dr. Chen. "This broad-based initiative requires both a technological and cultural shift that supports innovation aligned with business goals and creates new industry models and opportunities. I am thrilled to lead Microdesk's efforts to provide digital transformation services to our customers and support their success and growth." Microdesk was acquired earlier this year by Symetri, part of the Addnode Group and an Autodesk Platinum Partner in Europe. The combined organization now has more than 750 consultants working across 35 offices in seven countries. Now as a global leader in the industry, Symetri and Microdesk have increased service and R&D capacity to deliver more value for their customers with the goal to enable more people to work smarter and more sustainably. Microdesk, a leading provider of BIM, Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) services is dedicated to assisting design, construction, and operations teams. It has a more than 30-year history of implementing innovative technologies and processes, sustainable design, and building methodologies. Its enhanced focus on digital transformation is another example of the company's legacy in bringing new tools to the AEC industry to promote efficiency, sustainability, and the ability to address macro-economic trends including urbanization. Media Contact: Robin Traum Lipson Communications, Inc. [email protected] SOURCE Microdesk As the only provider in partnership with all mobile network operators in Argentina, Mitto allows companies to reach more than 36 million mobile users in the country, quickly and efficiently. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina , Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitto , a global leader in omnichannel messaging services based in 18 countries, today announced its new partnership with MVNO imowi by CATEL in Argentina. This will enable an optimized reach to 100% of Argentina's cell phone users via direct connectivity with all mobile network operators in the country (MNO). By expanding its strategic relationship with operators, Mitto seeks to support companies' omnichannel marketing and growth strategies through fast and efficient message routing, with full access throughout Argentina, where more than 80% of citizens - or about 36 million people - own and actively use a cell phone. The expansion of Mitto's relationship with operators in Argentina builds on the company's growing ecosystem of MNO partners, which drives comprehensive, high-quality customer engagement through omnichannel communications for global brands. Recent developments include direct connectivity with the new player among the country's leading mobile operators. According to the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CACE), 77% of Argentine companies enjoyed a 20% increase in online sales in 2021, and it is expected that by the end of 2022, there will be an increase in online demand for products and services. This boom has shown that now more than ever, Argentine companies have the opportunity to reinvent their "customer experience" and shopping strategies to retain current customers, overcome the economic difficulties the region is facing, and achieve continued growth. Mitto seeks to support the omnichannel growth strategies of companies through messaging routing (social networks, SMS, and WhatsApp) in the Argentine territory, with guaranteed coverage from 100% of operators in the region, where more than 80% of citizens, equivalent to 36 million people own a cell phone. Mitto's solutions allow them to interact with their favorite brands on their favorite digital platforms. "Thanks to the continued expansion of our direct connectivity in Argentina, we have never been in a better position to help companies reach their customers in the right way. In such a saturated market, a strong commitment to the customer becomes imperative to achieving success, whether as a local or international company," says Carlos Losada, Mitto's Regional Director for LATAM. The main purpose of this partnership is to create an offering that encourages digitalization in the region, supports the flourishing business ecosystem, and recognizes the demand for integrated and high-quality solutions to optimize the customer experience. " imowi is the first national cooperative mobile phone provider with nationwide reach, the fourth carrier in Argentina, created by CATEL. With Mitto as a partner, international brands will be able to successfully and positively connect with their customers and offer them a reliable and optimal A2P experience."- CATEL. Mitto has a decade of experience working on the improvement and efficiency of omnichannel messaging through quality technologies. They possess an advanced routing platform plus direct strategic partnerships with hundreds of operators around the world. The company enables optimized communication experiences for the entire ecosystem of mobile operators, messaging aggregators, global brands, and consumers. About Mitto: Mitto is a leading provider of omnichannel communication solutions worldwide, supporting business growth with advanced customer engagement technology and messaging enablement. Mitto's platform offers easy-to-integrate APIs for SMS, voice and chat apps, next-generation enterprise messaging and end-to-end phone number management, ensuring that the world's largest mobile brands and operators are ready for what's next. About CATEL: The Chamber of Telecommunications Cooperatives (Camara de Cooperativas de Telecomunicaciones - CATEL) is a non-profit organization that was created in mid-2006 by a group of public service cooperatives from across Argentina. It was founded to promote the improvement and development of new services, as well as the creation of an environment for technological updates and training, within the framework of a changing telecommunications market. Contact Name: Daniela Restrepo Telephone number: +57 (317) 6474813 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Mitto COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MLG Attorneys at Law is proud to present the winners of its annual "Never Stop Learning" scholarship, to assist Orange County high school seniors with their journey into higher education. First place winner, Febronia Genidy, will receive $1,000 for college, a year-long mentorship with MLG principal Jonathan Michaels and the opportunity to attend a civil jury trial. Second place winner, Ava Mendoza, will receive a $500 scholarship. Third place winner, Luke Goldade will receive a $250 scholarship. Febronia, Ava, and Luke showed a passion for the pursuit of justice, provided evidence for the injustices they identified and solutions that suggest a real commitment to change the system. At MLG, we designed the scholarship to challenge young adults to push their thinking into areas not previously examined and seek solutions. We were delighted that so many applicants did just that and congratulate all who entered. "Education is the cornerstone of success, and we are proud to support our winners as they have demonstrated a desire to change the inequalities in our society," said Jonathan Michaels. "I am particularly excited to mentor Febronia, as it will help her develop leadership skills and gain a broader understanding of the legal system." You can read their complete essays and learn more about the MLG Scholarship program at www.mlgaplc.com/scholarship. About MLG Attorneys at Law Located in Orange County, California, MLG's team of trial lawyers represent the legal interests of those in the automotive industry. MLG fights for car accident victims where vehicle defects result in serious personal injury or death. Follow DefectAttorney on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Visit https://mlgaplc.com/ to learn more about MLG Attorneys at Law. Contact: Stefanie Annis (949) 581-6900 [email protected] SOURCE MLG Attorneys at Law Proven HR Leader Joins the Nation's Leading Network of Musculoskeletal Physician Practices and ASCs FREDERICK, Md., August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National Spine and Pain Centers (NSPC), the nation's leading network of minimally-invasive musculoskeletal physician practices and ambulatory surgery centers, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Jill Lentz as Vice President of Human Resources. In her new role, Ms. Lentz will report directly to NSPC President Doug Badertscher and oversee the organization's efforts to attract, develop, and retain, patient-focused leaders at every level of the organization. Ms. Lentz comes to NSPC with 20 years of frontline and HR-related experience in the hospitality, retail, and healthcare fields including time at well-regarded national organizations, such as Wyndham Hotels and Target Corporation. In particular, her healthcare experience from 360 Orthopedics and ProMedica Senior Care one of the nation's leading providers of short-term post-acute and long-term care will serve her well at NSPC. She additionally holds the SHRM-CP designation, as well as the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). "My personal experience with Jill dates back to my time as CEO of 360 Orthopedics, where she served as Director of Human Resources," said NSPC President, Doug Badertscher. "I always have high expectations of professional performance, which Jill not only met but exceeded. So, I am particularly pleased that she has agreed to join us in our mission to end needless human pain and suffering by facilitating world-class care. I know that she will have an immediate, positive impact on our organization as we work to become one of the most legendary brands in healthcare," concluded Badertscher. Despite the persistent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, NSPC has grown from fewer than 90 affiliated locations in 2019 to more than 130 locations in 2022 to become an industry-leading management services organization (MSO) that operates across 13 states, including: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. About National Spine and Pain Centers: For more than 30 years, NSPC affiliated physicians have been pioneers in the relief of chronic and acute pain through minimally invasive, opioid-reducing procedures and leading-edge clinical research. Today, with more than 130 affiliated locations and 1,100+ health professionals facilitating more than a million patient visits a year, NSPC continues to be one of the most trusted brands in healthcare for people seeking access to pain relief. NSPC's stated mission is to end needless human pain and suffering by facilitating world-class care. For more information, visit www.NationalSpine.com. Medical services provided by independently operated physician practices branded as National Spine and Pain Centers and other affiliated brands. SOURCE: National Spine and Pain Centers SOURCE National Spine and Pain Centers Converged SASE platform provides AI-driven zero trust security and simplified, optimized connectivity to any network location or device, including IoT SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Netskope, the leader in Security Service Edge (SSE) and Zero Trust, today announced it has acquired Infiot, a pioneer in enabling secure, reliable access with zero trust security, network and application optimization, and AI-driven operations. As Netskope Borderless WAN, the addition of Infiot's revolutionary technology will enable Netskope customers to apply uniform security and quality of experience (QoE) policies to the widest range of hybrid work needs, from employees at home or on-the-go, to branch offices, ad-hoc point-of-sale systems, and multi-cloud environments. For customers, all of these capabilities are delivered in a single architecture, using one policy framework, and one console, which dramatically simplifies operations, preserves network performance, and ensures SASE success. The Benefits of SASE Businesses and governments are rapidly adopting SASE to safeguard data wherever it moves, support digital transformation efforts, and realize better efficiency and return-on-investment from their technology. Netskope is a widely acknowledged leader in SSE, which describes the security services needed for a successful SASE architecture. Relevant to SASE growth, Gartner notes: "By 2024, 80% of SD-WAN deployments will incorporate SSE requirements, up from less than 25% in 2022" [1] "By 2025, 80% of enterprises will adopt a strategy to unify web, cloud services, and private application access from a single vendor's SSE platform"[2] Despite SASE's popularity, however, confusing vendor messaging often accompanies piecemeal product sets that are spuriously marketed as "SASE." Most of these products are not natively integrated, nor able to simplify technology environments, and lack critical network and infrastructure transformation capabilitiesall of which risk higher levels of security incidents, network downtime, and poor ROI. Netskope Borderless WAN combines with Netskope Intelligent SSE in a fully converged SASE platform, uniquely addressing these challenges. Borderless WAN Unlocks Full SASE Potential Founded in 2018 by veterans of the SD-WAN market, Infiot was one of only four vendors recognized in the 2021 Gartner "Cool Vendors in Cloud Networking"[3] report, was twice named to The Futuriom Top 40[4], and has been successfully deployed by customers in healthcare, retail, education, energy, manufacturing, telecommunications, and other industries. Infiot technology leverages a cloud-based, zero-touch deployment and provisioning model with multiple physical and virtual appliance form factors. The solution includes built-in routing, a transport-agnostic approach that supports both wired and wireless networking, app-aware QoE enforcement combined with policy-based traffic steering, and other integrated network security functions critical for deployment at the edge. For customers, all of this capability is delivered in a single architecture, using one policy framework, and one console, which dramatically simplifies operations for thinly-stretched networking and infrastructure teams. As the foundation of the new Netskope Borderless WAN solution, Infiot technology will allow customers to embrace modern, cloud-first networking by leveraging Netskope SASE Gateways, creating secure, optimized connections between any enterprise location, including site-to-site, or the cloud. Netskope SASE Gateways also enable end-to-end optimization for improved app performance, provide increased network resilience through real-time link monitoring and dynamic path selection, and offer identity and per-app access policies to apply zero trust principles to the network. Netskope Borderless WAN critical use cases include: Easy access to industry-leading Netskope Intelligent SSE services powered by world-class Netskope NewEdge infrastructure All-in-one intelligent access, routing, wireless WAN, network security, app assurance, and edge compute as an effective way to modernize, simplify and implement SASE architecture The ability to offload MPLS and eliminate costs by sending more traffic direct-to-net, eliminate backhauling and leverage fixed/mobile connectivity options (such as 4G/5G) Better guaranteed WAN connectivity to ensure end-to-end performance, from the "last mile" to the cloud or legacy data center Simplified operational overhead associated with running custom third-party applications Quotes "Today, leaders across IT, security, and networking and the world's best-known analyst firms agree that the explosion of data and devices, along with the numerous ways that people connect, communicate, and collaborate, make the transformation of both networking and security a critical imperative for businesses and governments. It is in this transformation where Netskope is uniquely positioned to help customers with a fully converged SASE platform," said Sanjay Beri, Netskope CEO. "We're very excited to introduce Borderless WAN, and to welcome Infiot to our growing team." "Today, many-to-many secure optimized connectivity is required to address any user, device, and location, in combination with a zero trust approach that integrates seamlessly with Security Service Edge," said Parag Thakore, Infiot CEO. "Netskope Intelligent SSE is the industry's leading SSE, and the combination of Infiot and Netskope will deliver on the promise of SASE like no other technology vendor can." "As we continue to transform our patient care experience, we are excited to partner with Netskope,'' said Rick Lacy, Senior Enterprise Network Engineer, CHRISTUS Health. "Netskope Borderless WAN provides adaptive, identity-aware precision access for our medical workers to deliver care from the comfort of their homes, without compromising experience, all at a significantly lower cost to our business. In the future we see many applications for Netskope, including our medical IoT deployments." "Netskope Borderless WAN is a new mindset. It's a new way of thinking about how our users access our domain and critical applications," said Robert Boopsingh, CIO, The Beacon Insurance Company. "For us, it will replace VPN for our employees and branch offices across our seven countries. We have implemented a zero trust model while delivering superior network access with this modern, secure, cloud-first implementation." "This is a great move," said Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC. "What Netskope will now be able to offer, thanks to its compelling security platform and Infiot's technology, is fully secure hybrid-work in-a-box, solving for both networking challenges and security challenges at the same time. It's a self-provisioning network, with security that's automatic. That's not just an abstract framework or a good idea, it's a specific set of benefits and use cases for businesses." In addition to offering Borderless WAN capabilities, Netskope integrates with key SD-WAN partners, ensuring customers benefit from Netskope Intelligent SSE in mixed environments while maintaining flexibility and choice in vendor partners. Financial terms of the acquisition are undisclosed. Parag Thakore and the Infiot product team now comprise Netskope's Borderless WAN group, and Infiot's sales team has joined Netskope's sales organization. Read the Netskope blog for more on today's acquisition news. Visit Netskope.com for more on Borderless WAN and the Netskope SASE platform. Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER and COOL VENDORS are a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About Netskope Netskope, a global cybersecurity leader, is redefining cloud, data, and network security to help organizations apply Zero Trust principles to protect data. Fast and easy to use, the Netskope platform provides optimized access and real-time security for people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Netskope helps customers reduce risk, accelerate performance, and get unrivaled visibility into any cloud, web, and private application activity. Thousands of customers, including more than 25 of the Fortune 100, trust Netskope and its powerful NewEdge network to address evolving threats, new risks, technology shifts, organizational and network changes, and new regulatory requirements. Learn how Netskope helps customers be ready for anything on their SASE journey, visit netskope.com. Media Contact Inkhouse for Netskope [email protected] [1] Gartner, "How to Align SD-WAN Projects With SASE Initiatives," Bjarne Munch, Lisa Pierce, Craig Lawson, 18 April 2022 [2] Gartner, "Gartner Predicts 2022: Consolidated Security Platforms Are the Future," Charlie Winckless, Joerg Fritsch, Peter Firstbrook, Neil MacDonald, Brian Lowans, 1 December 2021 [3] Gartner "Cool Vendors in Cloud Networking," Andrew Lerner, Arun Chandrasekaran, Jonathan Forest, Joe Skorupa, 16 April 2021 [4] Futuriom, The 2022 Futuriom 40, R. Scott Raynovich, January 31, 2022 SOURCE Netskope "Real Freedom: Why Franchises Are Worth Considering and How They Can Be Used For Building Wealth" is now available on Amazon LICKING, Mo., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gregory K. Mohr's new book Real Freedom: Why Franchises are Worth Considering and How They Can Be Used For Building Wealth is now available on Amazon. This Wall Street Journal bestseller is an essential guide that provides readers with all the information they need to make an informed decision about franchising as a way to build wealth. With topics ranging from the different types of franchises available to how SBA loans can be used for financing, this book has everything aspiring franchisees need to get started on their path to success. Time is a precious commodity. Everyone has the same time in the day, but some never seem to have enough time to get everything done. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to get more done in less time? Gregory K. Mohr has figured out how to do just that. In his book, he shares his methods for increasing productivity and achieving success. He shows readers the types of franchises, the pros and cons of the services industry, horizontal vs. vertical growth, and much more. Mohr has a proven record of success with over 200 clients who've learned his methods. Mohr began his working life in the restaurant industry. He first came into contact with franchising when he worked at a fast-food restaurant chain straight out of high school. He later managed a twenty-four-hour chain restaurant before earning degrees in electrical engineering and physics and becoming an engineer. Mohr had always been interested in business, and he knew that he wanted to be his own boss someday. However, he never imagined that it would happen the way it did. After working in the corporate world for fifteen years, Greg was laid off from his job in the semiconductor industry. While this was initially a difficult experience, Greg saw it as an opportunity to finally pursue his dream of owning his own business. With the help of a franchise consultant, he found a great fit for his goals and criteria and never looked back. Today, Greg is the proud owner of a successful franchise business, and he loves being able to share his passion with others. His experience in the restaurant industry has been invaluable in his current role as a franchise consultant. In particular, it has given him a deep understanding of the day-to-day challenges faced by franchisees and how to overcome them. The former corporate ladder climber and best-selling author was named the 2019 Franchise Consultant of the year at the #1 franchise consulting company in the U.S. As a result, he is uniquely positioned to help franchisees succeed in their businesses. Mohr also hosts the Franchise Maven podcast, which is all about franchising, becoming a franchise and growing a business. On the podcast, Mohr educates people about franchising and helps them to decide whether or not it is right for them. He does this by providing information and resources to help them make an informed decision. For Mohr, it is all about helping people to achieve their business goals, whatever those may be. "I believe jobs are tools to help us live happy, fulfilled lives. That's why I help entrepreneurs and corporate holdouts create wealth, financial freedom and security through franchising," Mohr said. Real Freedom: Why Franchises Are Worth Considering and How They Can Be Used For Building Wealth is now available on Amazon. Media Contact: Gregory Mohr, 3617726401, [email protected] SOURCE Franchise Maven Other New Hires Include Matt Clark from Newsday, and Valerie Bauman from Bloomberg Law NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsweek's Global Editor-in-Chief Nancy Cooper today announced that former New York Times' journalist Didi Kirsten Tatlow has been named International Affairs Correspondent focusing on China. Prior to joining Newsweek, Tatlow reported from China for The International Herald Tribune (now the global edition of The New York Times) and The New York Times from 2010 to 2017, reporting from Beijing. In 2018, she began a series, "China-in-Germany," examining the influence and interference activities of the Communist Party of China in Germany. She has co-edited and co-authored the book, "China's Quest for Foreign Technology: Beyond Espionage" (Routledge; 2020). Tatlow was born and raised in Hong Kong where she started her career at the Hong Kong Standard and has since worked as a reporter and columnist in Asia and Europe for 23 years, including at the Associated Press. She recently published a cover story for Newsweek on the nature, tactics, and scale of China's Communist Party's influence in the United States. Since leaving the Times, she has lived in Berlin and will continue to be based there. Tatlow earned a degree in Chinese and Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. "Didi brings an unrivalled perspective of China, both its history and its changing role in geopolitics," said Cooper. "We are thrilled to have her on board." "I'm excited to join Newsweek, working with Nancy and the talented editorial team to cover international affairs, focusing on China," said Tatlow. "China has a rich history and an interesting current political environment that impacts the world." In addition, Cooper announced the establishment of a new investigative team that includes new investigative reporter hires Matt Clark and Valerie Bauman. Matt Clark is an investigative reporter specializing in data analysis and computer programming. Matt has produced nationally recognized work on Newsday's investigations team since 2013, including contributions to a series on police misconduct that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Prior to Newsday, he worked for the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Naples Daily News in Florida. Valerie Bauman, a journalist for nearly two decades, joins Newsweek from Bloomberg Law, where she was senior investigative reporter and senior legal reporter covering the pharmaceutical litigation beat while on the health desk. Bauman has also worked at Newsday and The Associated Press, where she covered Hurricane Katrina from the Mississippi bureau, and later the New York State legislature as a political reporter. Bauman recently won both SABEW (Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing) and AZBEE (American Society of Business Press Editors) awards, which honor the best in business writing, for a piece on the questionable practices of a litigation finance company. "I have been working on curating an investigative team for a while and it is exciting to announce its formation," Cooper added. "With the addition of Clark and Bauman, who specialize in investigative journalism of the highest caliber, we are in position to deliver even more groundbreaking coverage." About Newsweek Newsweek is the modern global digital news organization built around the iconic, over 85-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people each month with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia. Media Contact: Laura Goldberg LBG Public Relations for Newsweek [email protected]com +1-347-683-1859 SOURCE Newsweek Experienced leader will interpret the impact of complex regulations and assess emerging insurance legislation trends TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NFP, a leading property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager and retirement advisor, today announced the hiring of Pamela Derksen as deputy chief compliance officer for NFP in Canada. In this role, Derksen will develop corporate policies and procedures and represent NFP to Canadian regulators. Derksen will report to NFP's Suzanne Spradley, senior vice president, chief compliance officer, associate general counsel. "I'm excited to welcome Pam to NFP and our growing team in Canada," said Spradley. "Pam has a proven ability to interpret the impact of complex regulations and assess emerging legislation and trends across the insurance landscape. She will be a tremendous asset to our clients who will benefit from knowing that we continue to run our business in a compliant and ethical manner." Derksen joins NFP from Cowan Insurance Group, where she served as vice president, brokering and insurance relationships, Personal and Commercial. Prior to this, she was the vice president, operations, Broker Policy and Administration Systems, for Economical Insurance. In all, Derksen brings 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, from commercial underwriting in western Canada to a variety of operational and corporate leadership roles with large national carriers. In addition to earning her bachelor's degree in economics and political science from the University of Calgary and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from McMaster University, Derksen holds both the Chartered Insurance Professional and the Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional designations from the Insurance Institute of Southern Alberta. She is also a board member of the Oxford-Elgin Child and Youth Centre. "I'm thrilled to join NFP in Canada and be part of an organization where I feel I can make a meaningful contribution by helping clients stay informed about pending legislation," said Derksen. "As a growing international brokerage, NFP has assembled a great team of professionals and is well positioned for continued success in the Canadian market." About NFP NFP is a leading insurance broker and consultant providing specialized business and personal insurance, group benefits, retirement and individual solutions through its licensed subsidiaries and affiliates. NFP enables client success through the expertise of more than 1,000 employees based in Canada, more than 6,900 employees globally, investments in innovative technologies, and enduring relationships with highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions. NFP is the 5th largest benefits broker by global revenue (Business Insurance), 10th largest property and casualty agency (Insurance Journal) and 13th largest global insurance broker (Best's Review). Visit NFP.ca to discover how NFP empowers clients to meet their goals. SOURCE NFP Corp. JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of market assessment report on "Global Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO Market By Technology (Column-Based Method and Microarray-Based Method), Products (Standard Nucleic Acid, Micro-Scale Nucleic Acid, Large-Scale Nucleic Acid, Custom Nucleic Acid, Modified Nucleic Acid, Primers, Probes, Other Nucleic Acid, and Other Services), End-users (Pharmaceutical Companies, Academic Research Institute, Diagnostic Laboratories) Chemical Synthesis (Solid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis, Liquid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis) By Trends, Industry Competition Analysis, Revenue and Forecast Till 2030." According to the latest research by InsightAce Analytic, the global nucleic acid therapeutics CDMO market size valued at US$ 1.93 billion in 2021 and it is expected to reach US$ 4.69 billion in 2030, recording a promising CAGR of 10.7% during the period of 2022-2030. By region, Request for Sample Pages: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/1348 Nucleic acid therapeutics are widely used for treating various genetic disorders. The high prevalence of chronic and genetic diseases is increasing the need for applications of nucleic acid therapeutics. Nucleic acid therapeutics are based on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), or other related chemical compounds. The manufacturers of this industry are engaged in new partnerships, acquisitions, collaborations, agreements, mergers, and business expansions with the contract development and manufacturing company (CDMO) to invest more in the manufacturing of nucleic acid-based therapies. For instance, in December 2016, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and OmniChem N.V. ("OmniChem") signed an agreement to acquire all allocated and outstanding shares of GeneDesign, Inc., a significant Japanese contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO1) for nucleic acid drugs. This acquisition will accelerate the company's growth in the field of CDMOs for nucleic acid medicines. Factors such as increasing demand for mRNA based novel therapies, rising healthcare expenditures, manufacturing cost reduction at CDMOs, increasing nucleic acid drug approvals, and the fast adoption of advanced nucleic acid technologies for disease treatment and diagnosis are anticipated to fuel the market growth during the forecast years. However, the market growth would be restrained by the factors like challenges in the supply chain and targeted delivery, sustaining efficacy and minimizing offtarget toxicity, and lack of expertise in nucleic acid manufacturing. North America is the fastest-growing market at the regional level due to the increasing R&D activities, presence of new players, and high demand for nucleic acid therapeutics, mainly due to the COVID-19 outbreak and better reimbursement policies in the region. On the other hand, the increased prevalence of genetic disorders, growing biopharmaceutical industries, and advancements in medical technologies are expected to accelerate the nucleic acid therapeutics CDMO market of the Asia Pacific region. Major key players in the nucleic acid therapeutics CDMO market are Agilent Technologies, Inc., Ajinomoto Co. Inc., Bachem Holding AG., Biospring GmbH, Corden Pharma International, Danaher Corporation, Guangzhou Ruibo Biotechnology Co., Ltd., KNC Laboratories Co., Ltd., LGC Limited, Merck KGaA, Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd., Nitto Denko Avecia Inc, QIAGEN N.V., S.T. Pharm Co Ltd, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Syngene International Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Wuxi AppTec, Yamasa Corporation, Laboratorios Farmaceuticos Rovi, S.A., Sartorius AG (BIA Separations), AGC Biologics, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Arranta Bio (Recipharm), ST Pharm, BioCina Pty Ltd., Curia Global, Inc. and Other Prominent Players. Key Industry Developments: In June 2022 , Merck agreed with Agilent Technologies to develop Process Analytical Technologies (PAT). Merck and Agilent Technologies are filling a void in the downstream PAT market through this partnership. Merck expands real-time monitoring and automated process control of key process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs) to downstream processing through the combination of its bioprocess portfolio with Agilent Technologies' sophisticated analytical technologies. Merck agreed with Agilent Technologies to develop Process Analytical Technologies (PAT). Merck and Agilent Technologies are filling a void in the downstream PAT market through this partnership. Merck expands real-time monitoring and automated process control of key process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs) to downstream processing through the combination of its bioprocess portfolio with Agilent Technologies' sophisticated analytical technologies. In June 2022 , CordenPharma expanded its xRNA capabilities at its Caponago, Italy , plant for sterile injectables. The business claims to have invested over 10 million in a new formulation, research, and manufacturing areas for Lipid Nanoparticles (LNP). The expansion will help clients go from pre-clinical to clinical development of xRNA-based treatments (mRNA, siRNA, saRNA, microRNA, etc.), accelerating the delivery of their new medicinal solutions into clinical stages and beyond. CordenPharma expanded its xRNA capabilities at its Caponago, , plant for sterile injectables. The business claims to have invested over 10 million in a new formulation, research, and manufacturing areas for Lipid Nanoparticles (LNP). The expansion will help clients go from pre-clinical to clinical development of xRNA-based treatments (mRNA, siRNA, saRNA, microRNA, etc.), accelerating the delivery of their new medicinal solutions into clinical stages and beyond. In Feb 2022 , Recipharm has acquired Arranta Bio. The acquisition is a cornerstone of Recipharm's strategy to provide scientifically differentiated contract development and manufacturing services for ATMPs to innovative drug developers in the Biologics market. It builds on the capabilities acquired through the recently announced GenIbet transaction and the acquisition of Vibalogics. , Recipharm has acquired Arranta Bio. The acquisition is a cornerstone of Recipharm's strategy to provide scientifically differentiated contract development and manufacturing services for ATMPs to innovative drug developers in the Biologics market. It builds on the capabilities acquired through the recently announced GenIbet transaction and the acquisition of Vibalogics. In June 2021 , Danaher Corporation announced that it would add protein production, plasmid DNA, and mRNA services to its bulging life sciences portfolio by acquiring Aldevron. Through the acquisition, Danaher adds contract manufacturing services. Danaher Corporation announced that it would add protein production, plasmid DNA, and mRNA services to its bulging life sciences portfolio by acquiring Aldevron. Through the acquisition, Danaher adds contract manufacturing services. In August 2020 , Agilent Technologies Inc. announced it would extend its advanced production facility in Frederick, Colorado , that develops and produces "oligos," which are short DNA and RNA molecules used to make nucleic acid-based therapeutics. Oligos hold the potential to be used in inventing treatments for cancer, COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, rare and infectious diseases, and other conditions. The expansion has increased the current capacity for manufacturing therapeutic oligos at the Frederick site. Interested in Buying @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/1348 Market Segments Market Size (Value US$ Mn) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2030 based on Technology Column-Based Method Microarray-Based Method Market Size (Value US$ Mn) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2030 based on Products Standard Nucleic Acid Micro-Scale Nucleic Acid Large-Scale Nucleic Acid Custom Nucleic Acid Modified Nucleic Acid Primers Probes Other Nucleic Acid Other Services Market Size (Value US$ Mn) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2030 based on Chemical Synthesis Solid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis Liquid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market Size (Value US$ Mn) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2030 based on End-Users Pharmaceutical Companies Academic Research Institute Diagnostic Laboratories Market Size (Value US$ Mn) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2030 based on Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa North America Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market revenue (US$ Million) by Country, 2022 to 2030 U.S. Canada Europe Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market revenue (US$ Million) by Country, 2022 to 2030 Germany France Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market revenue (US$ Million) by Country, 2022 to 2030 India China Japan South Korea Australia & New Zealand Latin America Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market revenue (US$ Million) by Country, 2022 to 2030 Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market revenue (US$ Million) by Country, 2022 to 2030 GCC Countries South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa For More Information @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/1348 Why should buy this report: To receive a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for global Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market To receive industry overview and future trends of global Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market To analyse the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market drivers and challenges To get information on Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market size value (US$ Mn) forecast till 2030 To get detailed information on major Investments, Mergers & Acquisition in global Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO market industry Other Related Reports Published by InsightAce Analytic: Global mRNA Synthesis and Manufacturing Services Market Live Biotherapeutic Products And Microbiome Contract Manufacturing Market Oligonucleotide Synthesis, Modification, and Purification Services Market Global Peptide CDMO (Pharmaceutical) Market Global Cell Therapy Packaging Products and Services Market About Us: InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets and repositioning products. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with an in-depth analysis with key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner. Contact Us: InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. Tel.: +1 551 226 6109 Email: [email protected] Site Visit: www.insightaceanalytic.com Follow Us on LinkedIn @ bit.ly/2tBXsgS Follow Us On Facebook @ bit.ly/2H9jnDZ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1729637/InsightAce_Analytic_Logo.jpg SOURCE InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. BANGALORE, India , Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Online Trading Platform Market is Segmented by Type (Commissions, Transaction Fees, Other Related Service Fees), by Application (Institutional Investors, Retail Investor): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20222028. The global Online Trading Platform market size is projected to reach USD 2189.3 Million by 2028, from USD 1560.1 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 4.9% during 2022-2028. Major factors driving the growth of Online Trading Platform market are: The integration of trading platforms on smartphones and technological improvements are two significant factors anticipated to open up new Online Trading Platform market potential for key players. Furthermore, the zero-commission trend adopted by the online trading platforms to attract young investors is expected to drive the online trading platform market growth. Demand for online trading platforms is expected to rise as end customers, like the government and non-profitable banks, demand more specialized trading platforms. Get Your Sample Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-5U5847/Global_Online_Trading_Platform TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE ONLINE TRADING PLATFORM MARKET: The development and sophistication of mobile technologies have also altered the nature of online trading, with an increasing number of investors now using their smartphone or tablet to track market patterns and place orders. This factor is expected to drive the growth of online trading platforms. Many of the entry-level restrictions that traditionally surrounded the financial market have been eliminated by mobile technology. A global audience of investors may now communicate and discuss their most effective techniques because of conventions like social trading, which were made possible by it. The trend of zero commission on trading is expected to further increase the growth of the online trading platform market. As mobile application brokers emerged with the goal of democratizing the stock market by giving novice investors easy access, zero commission became the norm. Utilizing order flow agreements with external liquidity providers is the strategy behind zero-commission trading. In exchange for a commission or charge depending on volume, zero-commission brokers would have agreements to forward their customers' trading orders to particular providers. Order flow agreements produced enough money to support the model of operation for the entire company. Furthermore, the integration of AI in online trading platforms will continue to propel the online trading platform market. Retail investors may conduct research, investigate, comprehend, and make informed investment selections thanks to digital trading platforms using AI. An increasing number of trading platforms are using AI to help consumers execute deals at the best possible price. One of the things that consistently affects the retail engagement of new-age investors is the integration of trading platforms' APIs. The expansion of digital platforms launching new goods and services to make investments available to underserved regions is being further fueled by the rising participation in the financial markets. More new-age investors today are looking for online trading platforms that provide a one-stop shop for all financial services. This opens the door for super applications that provide consumers a variety of services, from trading stocks, FDs, and mutual funds to applying for loans. Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-5U5847/global-online-trading-platform ONLINE TRADING PLATFORM MARKET SHARE: One of the market's fastest-growing regions is Asia Pacific. Banking and financial institutions are boosting their investments to embrace solutions for customized trading platforms in nations including China, Japan, India, Oceania, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. There are numerous suppliers of services and solutions for electronic trading platforms in these nations. Get Regional Data: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-5U5847/Global_Online_Trading_Platform Key Companies: Fidelity TD Ameritrade Ally Invest E*TRADE Interactive Brokers Charles Plus500 Merrill Edge Huobi Group MarketAxess Tradestation Bitstamp EToro BitPay Eoption AAX Octagon Strategy Limited ErisX Blockstream Bitfinex Tradeweb DigiFinex Templum Unchained Capital Cezex SIMEX GSR Xena Exchange Tilde Trading Kraken. 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Click here to see related reports on Online Trading Market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources. CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports Christopher Swann and Kenneth Hart Elected by Preferred Shareholders at 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PREIT (NYSE: PEI) (the "Company") today announced that Christopher Swann and Kenneth Hart have been elected by preferred shareholders to its Board of Trustees. Joseph F. Coradino, Chairman and CEO of PREIT, said, "We are pleased to welcome two new independent trustees to further enhance and diversify the Board of Trustees. Both Christopher and Kenneth are experienced investors who bring additional corporate finance and real estate investing expertise to the boardroom. We look forward to their contribution in advancing our strategic objectives by capitalizing on our exceptional portfolio of assets." Mr. Swann and Mr. Hart were elected in accordance with the provisions of the designating amendments to the Company's Amended and Restated Trust Agreement. About Christopher Swann Christopher Swann has over a decade of experience restructuring distressed commercial real estate and real estate backed debt. He also has extensive expertise in restructuring across multiple disciplines, including balance sheet, asset management, operations, construction, entitlements and property management. He currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cygnus Capital, a real estate and alternative asset investment management company. Previously, Mr. Swann served as a Portfolio Manager at SAC Capital Advisors LLC, an investment management company, and in a number of roles at GMT Capital Corporation, an investment management company, including serving as a senior analyst and then as a portfolio manager overseeing investments in technology companies as well as building out the firm's investments in Asia, including establishing its Hong Kong office. Prior to that, Mr. Swann co-founded two software companies and also worked as an Associate at McKinsey & Co. Earlier in his career, Mr. Swann served in senior marketing and sales positions in Germany and Russia for Millicom International Cellular SA, an international telecommunications and media company, and for a division of Merck & Co., Inc., a multinational pharmaceutical company. Mr. Swann received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Public Policy from Duke University and received a dual Masters in Business Administration and Masters of Arts in International Studies degree from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. About Kenneth Hart Kenneth Hart has been the principal with Hart Capital Management, a value-oriented investor focused mainly on real estate related entities, since 1990. Prior to that, he was a Vice President at GE Capital Corporate Finance Group, specializing in the financing of leveraged buyouts from 1987 to 1989. From 1983 to 1987 he served in various capacities with Hambrecht & Quist (a technology-focused investment bank) and as a general partner of Hambrecht & Quist Venture Partners. After completing an MBA at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, he worked at IBM from 1978 to 1983. He holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, also from UC Berkeley. About PREIT PREIT (NYSE:PEI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns and manages innovative properties developed to be thoughtful, community-centric hubs. PREIT's robust portfolio of carefully curated, ever-evolving properties generates success for its tenants and meaningful impact for the communities it serves by keenly focusing on five core areas of established and emerging opportunity: multi-family & hotel, health & tech, retail, essentials & grocery and experiential. Located primarily in densely-populated regions, PREIT is a top operator of high quality, purposeful places that serve as one-stop destinations for customers to shop, dine, play and stay. Additional information is available at www.preit.com or on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "may" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans, strategies, anticipated events, trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future events and conditions and are based on currently available financial, economic and competitive data and our current business plans. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that may affect our operations, markets, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Risk Factors section of our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements as it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the effectiveness of strategies we may employ to address our liquidity and capital resources in the future, our ability to achieve our forecasted revenue and pro forma leverage ratio and generate free cash flow to further reduce our indebtedness; our ability to manage our business through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a weakening of global economic and financial conditions, changes in governmental regulations and related compliance and litigation costs and the other factors listed in our SEC filings. Additionally, our business might be materially and adversely affected by changes in the retail and real estate industries, including bankruptcies, consolidation and store closings, particularly among anchor tenants; current economic conditions, including consumer confidence and spending levels and supply chain challenges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health and governmental response as well as the corresponding effects on tenant business performance, prospects, solvency and leasing decisions; our inability to collect rent due to the bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants or otherwise; our ability to maintain and increase property occupancy, sales and rental rates; increases in operating costs that cannot be passed on to tenants; the effects of online shopping and other uses of technology on our retail tenants; risks related to our development and redevelopment activities, including delays, cost overruns and our inability to reach projected occupancy or rental rates; social unrest and acts of vandalism and violence at malls, including our properties, or at other similar spaces, and the potential effect on traffic and sales; the frequency, severity and impact of extreme weather events at or near our properties; our ability to sell properties that we seek to dispose of or our ability to obtain prices we seek; our substantial debt and the liquidation preference of our preferred shares and our high leverage ratio and our ability to remain in compliance with our financial covenants under our debt facilities; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, on favorable terms or at all; our ability to raise capital, including through sales of properties or interests in properties and through the issuance of equity or equity-related securities if market conditions are favorable; and potential dilution from any capital raising transactions or other equity issuances. Additional factors that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include those discussed herein, and in the sections entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. We do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Heather Crowell [email protected] SOURCE PREIT New SaaS Offering Will Empower IT and Business Operations to Quickly Deploy and Analyze Thousands of RealWear Devices Remotely and Securely VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RealWear, the leading provider of assisted reality wearable solutions for frontline industrial workers and trusted by 41 of the Fortune 100, today launched RealWear Cloud, marking the company's major shift from a hardware-centric company to a fully platform-centric business. Today's launch is a major step towards a full platform that will deliver on the promise of "assisted intelligence." RealWear Cloud marks the company's major shift from a hardware-centric to a platform-centric business. RealWear Cloud is a new multi-purpose software offering for IT and business operations. Through the new dashboard, IT and business operations can remotely and securely streamline control of their RealWear device fleet. As companies grow their fleet of RealWear devices, RealWear Cloud allows for convenient low-touch, over-the-air firmware updates, keeping the devices secure and company data protected. Working alongside organizations' existing EMM or MDM software such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager (InTune), the offering further provides teams more real-time data and metrics to optimize operational efficiency. RealWear Cloud complements existing EMM/MDM solutions and enables device-specific control and configuration capabilities. Also, it is the only way to gain trusted and secure access to certified third-party apps designed for our product portfolio. In addition, RealWear is introducing RealWear Cloud Assistance as part of the offering. RealWear Cloud Assistance provides real-time remote technical support and troubleshooting to frontline workers to quickly identify, diagnose and fix device issues. Reducing device downtime through remote troubleshooting will have a growing impact on company bottom lines. According to VDC research, individual incidences of device failure result in 72 minutes of lost or disrupted productivity for frontline workers. Remote support, firmware updates, and data analytics will not only increase productivity but will be necessary as businesses face ongoing talent shortages, the scarcity of which Gartner notes was exacerbated in 2021. "As a deployment of RealWear devices grows across sites and countries, it's critical that we provide great IT tools and real-time metrics for those ultimately responsible for the successful deployment of the devices in the field," said Andrew Chrostowski, Chairman and CEO of RealWear. "We're capturing data that will drive better decisions. It's exciting to see RealWear transitioning from a device-centric company to a platform solution company with the introduction of our first software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering." RealWear Cloud will provide a two-tier offering: Basic and Pro. Foresight, RealWear's previous lightweight device management tool, will transition to RealWear Cloud. Current Foresight customers will automatically be enrolled in the Basic plan. "Wearable technologies are becoming more and more mainstream in the enterprise, and making deployments simple and frictionless is one of our key goals," continued Chrostowski. "Wearables are no longer viewed as a novelty but are now trusted by enterprises to bring value and solve real-world problems." About RealWear As the pioneer of assisted reality wearable solutions, RealWear works to engage, empower, and elevate the modern frontline industrial worker to perform work tasks more safely, efficiently, and precisely. Supporting over 65,000 devices, RealWear gives workers real-time access to information and expertise while keeping their hands and field of view free for work. Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington and used by 41 of the Fortune 100 companies, RealWear is field-proven in a wide range of industries with thousands of world-class customers, including Shell, Goodyear, Mars, Colgate-Palmolive, and BMW. CONTACT: [email protected] [email protected] 415-819-7791 SOURCE RealWear ANGO NFTs will offer holders digital real estate combined with numerous other Web3 benefits. With investments from institutional investors such as Tokai Tokyo securities, A.D Works Co., Ltd, and Joi Ito. RECIKA plans to release ANGO NFTs by the end of this year. TOKYO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RECIKA launched a service called "ANGO" which allows users to buy, sell, and own digital real estate NFTs, providing users with a "home" in the metaverse. Furthermore, ANGO's digital real estate NFTs are linked to physical real estate, where owners of ANGO NFTs can stay in the real estate in the physical world. Another feature for holders of ANGO NFTs is the inclusion of a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), where members are able to manage the physical real estate and vote on how to use the revenue from the property. ANGO will also run vacation rentals (AirBNB) on the linked physical real estate to generate revenue for the DAO. ANGO launch video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTSzCXumAYI 1. Background of ANGO There has been an increase in the number of vacant houses in rural Japan due to the declining Japanese population and also migration to cities like Tokyo. ANGO applies NFTs, metaverse, physical real estate, and DAO to provide a remedy to this issue. RECIKA has long been focusing on utilizing blockchain technology to create services that connect both the "physical" and the "digital" worlds. Until now, the value of real estate properties were only defined in the physical world. ANGO aims to challenge that and redefine real estate by giving it new meaning and value in the digital world. RECIKA's pioneering service "UniCask'', officially released in Q4 2021, redefined how people purchase whisky. UniCask NFTs enabled whisky enthusiasts to purchase cask-strength whisky stored in the cask, letting the whisky naturally increase in value while the owner can trade it digitally. With this previous experience of combining the digital and the physical, RECIKA has the tools and knowledge needed to realize ANGO. ANGO's name comes from the Kanji "An-Kyo", meaning to live peacefully and to lead a calm life. ANGO hopes that digital real estate NFTs become a familiar idea in both the digital world and the real world. 2. Revitalizing rural Japan As an increasing number of Japanese move from rural areas to cities, they begin to adopt the culture of urban living. While that is important for today's globalized society, the culture of these rural areas start to fade and slowly get lost in history. Visitors and ANGO NFT holders get the chance to explore rural Japan, interact with the locals, and stimulate local economies to maintain rural culture, all while interacting with Web3 technologies. 3. Features of ANGO and use of Blockchain Technology ANGO empowers users to easily buy, sell, and manage digital property NFTs on any device. Combining ANGO with blockchain technology, allows for the activity history of ANGO's homes to be forever ingrained in the blockchain. Furthermore, ownership information is easily accessible in the blockchain, which aids in validating ownership. ANGO is prepared for a blockchain based physical real estate registry system. The technology aims to further integrate real and digital property by recording property sensor data to the blockchain. 4. ANGO Communities and further inquiry ANGO will release more information about its developments and upcoming campaigns leading to the official sale by the end of this year. Feel free to follow ANGO on Twitter and join the Discord server for the latest information. Twitter: https://twitter.com/ango_en Discord: https://discord.gg/wQzsDW6G2V For further questions regarding ANGO, please contact us at: [email protected] About RECIKA Co., Ltd RECIKA contributes to society by creating an ecosystem that maximizes the value and rights of individuals. RECIKA develops services that connect the physical and digital spaces through application of decentralized technology. Company NameRECIKA Co., Ltd Founded01/12/2018 AddressTokyo, Chiyoda city, 1-6-1 Otemachi, Otemachi Bldg. 6th Floor, Inspired.Lab Business ActivitesDecentralized digital transformation, blockchain system development, business consulting, UniCask, ANGO, and other Web3 services Company URL https://recika.jp/ About ANGO LLC (100% owned by RECIKA) ANGO redefines the value of real estate in the Web3 era Company NameANGO LLC Founded10/06/2022 Address4F Otemachi First Square East Tower, 1-5-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Business ActivitesPlanning and operation of ANGO's services URL https://ango.jp SOURCE RECIKA Co., Ltd Latest offering by Rocket Loans highlights the power of the company's technology that can be used for a wide range of financial products DETROIT, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocket Loans, a leading tech-driven lending platform and part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), today announced it has partnered with Rocket Solar to provide financing to the company's clients who want to help the environment and save money by generating their own electricity with the power of the sun. Launched earlier this year, Rocket Solar provides consulting, system design, financing, installation and ongoing service to homeowners across the United States. Through the new relationship, clients who elect to have a solar electricity system installed will have the ability to leverage Rocket Loans' AI-powered, customer-centric lending platform to receive an automated and individualized loan offer for a solar loan in less than 30 seconds. "We have invested heavily in creating an entire personal finance experience that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver loan offers tailored to the individual automatically verifying client identity and income with speed and certainty," said Todd Lunsford, President of Rocket Loans and former Chief Technology Officer for Rocket Mortgage. "Even more impressive, while making quick and automated decisions, Rocket Loans technology helps us accurately determine our clients' ability to repay the loans, with default rates and loss coverage ratios that are significantly better than any other personal lending platform on the market today." Founded in 2016, Detroit-based Rocket Loans was created to leverage a single, automated technology platform using artificial intelligence to offer clients a simple, fast and intuitive experience that would fit any loan product and be tailored to the specific need. Since that time, the company has grown to meet the lending needs of consumers, has provided automated data intelligence technology to the federal government and is now adding Rocket Solar to its list of clients. "It was incredibly important to Rocket Solar that we partner with a lender who shares the same passion for client service we do," said Joel Gurman, President of Rocket Solar. "The Rocket Loans platform is able to give our solar clients quick lending decisions and is also extremely flexible to meet the needs of our rapidly growing business. This partnership is the latest example of how Rocket creates technologies to make once-complicated transactions simple something our clients tell us they really appreciate." Rocket Solar currently operates in 42 metro areas across the country, which account for nearly 25% of the American population. Clients utilizing Rocket Solar could achieve an average savings of $1,300 on their electric bill during the first year leveraging solar energy. They also protect themselves against future cost increases from public utilities by generating their own electricity. The solar industry is growing rapidly, with a 30 percent annual increase in solar panel installations in 2021. Additionally, in September 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Solar Futures Study. In its forecast, the DOE said that, by 2035, solar energy could power 40 percent of the nation's electricity the equivalent of all homes in the U.S. today. This provides significant opportunity for Rocket Solar and Rocket Loans in the years and decades ahead by solidifying its position as the go-to choice for consumers seeking a simple, reliable and streamlined process. To learn more about the company, solar installation and financing, visit www.rocketsolar.com. About Rocket Loans: Founded in 2016, Rocket Loans is an AI-enabled lending platform, designed to provide saleable and flexible loan decisioning to clients in any industry. Part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), the company's platform delivers near-instant loan decisioning and personalized options for clients, while maintaining industry leading loan performance. Learn more at RocketLoans.com. About Rocket Solar Rocket Solar is a tech-driven, residential solar energy provider and a part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT). The company's website gives a personalized quote showing the estimated energy cost savings and the price of installation in less than 30 seconds. Founded in 2022, the company currently offers solar panels on homes in 42 major markets across 16 states, making up a quarter of the American population. See more information and inquiry about solar panel installation at RocketSolar.com About Rocket Companies Founded in 1985, Rocket Companies is a Detroit-based FinTech platform company consisting of personal finance and consumer technology brands including Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Amrock, Rocket Auto, Rocket Loans, Rocket Money (formerly known as Truebill), Rocket Solar, Rocket Mortgage Canada (formerly known as Edison Financial), Lendesk, Core Digital Media, Rocket Central and Rock Connections. Rocket Companies' mission is to be the best at creating certainty in life's most complex moments so that its clients can live their dreams. The Company helps clients achieve the dream of home ownership and financial freedom through industry-leading client experiences powered by its simple, fast and trusted digital solutions. Rocket Companies ranked #7 on Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2022 and has placed in the top third of the list for 19 consecutive years. For more information, please visit our Corporate Website or Investor Relations Website. SOURCE Rocket Companies, Inc. TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockford Fosgate (www.rockfordfosgate.com), the industry leader in high-performance audio, has partnered with the City of Sturgis for the ninth consecutive year as the "Official Motorcycle Audio Sponsor" of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally being held August 5th 13th and will also be an official sponsor of the "20th Anniversary Mayor's Ride," held during the Motorcycle Rally. Rockford experts will be giving test drives of their new aftermarket M5 800-watt audio kits just announced on July 29th. Tweet this A motorcyclist experiencing a live audio demo at the Rockford Fosgate booth during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Rockford Fosgate booth on Lazelle Street, Sturgis, SD during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Rockford Fosgate banners greet motorcyclists as they roll down Junction Avenue during the the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Rockford's booth on Lazelle Street will be the central hub of Rockford Fosgate activities during the Rally From 9:00am 6:00pm daily, Rockford experts will be giving test drives of their latest aftermarket audio systems, purpose built for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including the new M5 800-watt kits just announced on July 29th. Aftermarket systems will be available for purchase at the booth and bikers may also schedule installation with a certified technician during the Rally. Visitors who would like to learn more about "Harley-Davidson Audio Powered by Rockford Fosgate" can talk with Rockford staff and experience motorcycles factory equipped with these powerful systems. On Tuesday, August 9th, Rockford Fosgate will present the All-Out Bagger Show from 11:00am 4:00pm in the Harley-Davidson's Outlaw Square, Deadwood, South Dakota. Our host for the event will again be Jeff G. Holt, editorial director of V-Twin Visionary. Those registering for the event will compete for top awards as well as a cash REWARD of $1000. Registration for the show is on-site in Deadwood at Harley-Davidson's Outlaw Square beginning at 11:00am on Tuesday, August 9th Rockford Fosgate team members will also be on-hand at Black Hills Harley-Davidson through August 13th (8am 6pm daily) where bikers can also purchase Rockford Fosgate audio systems and have them installed on-site. Click here for information on the Mayor's Ride and Click here for details on Rockford's sponsorship of the Rally. For more about Rockford Fosgate rockfordfosgate.com. About Rockford Corporation Setting the standard for excellence in the audio industry, Rockford Corporation markets high-performance audio systems under the brand Rockford Fosgate for the mobile, motorsport, and marine audio aftermarket and OEM market. Headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., Rockford Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Patrick Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: PATK). SOURCE Rockford Corporation Sayata now gives wholesale brokers unprecedented access to CFC's holistic cyber insurance and companion cyber protection services. BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sayata, the leading marketplace for insurance brokers and carriers to quickly scale their business insurance portfolios, announced the addition of CFC to the Sayata platform, offering brokers full access to CFC's award-winning cyber insurance offering for small and medium businesses (SMBs). CFC's cyber insurance solution offers proactive threat intelligence to help customers identify and prevent incidents before they happen, alongside comprehensive coverage and the largest in-house cyber claims and incident response team in the market. With more than 20 years of experience in cyber insurance, CFC was also one of the first providers to use advanced technology and data science to deliver smarter, faster underwriting. "Today, SMBs are challenged to find affordable and effective cyber insurance as premiums are spiking and coverage is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. SMBs need more coverage alternatives to find the right cyber insurance for their business needs and budget," said Asaf Lifshitz, CEO of Sayata. "CFC's product is a complete coverage and service offering that gives our broker partners and their SMB clients a powerful tool to offset the risk presented by the ever-changing cyber threatscape. Now with CFC offered on the Sayata platform, brokers have an even greater ability to quickly find and secure the right coverage for their small business insureds regardless of market conditions." "CFC has a track record of using technology to enhance underwriting and expand access to our products," said Lindsey Nelson, Cyber Development Leader at CFC. "Partnering with Sayata offers an exciting opportunity to reach even more brokers and SMB clients with our cyber insurance offering through their innovative digital platform." About Sayata Sayata delivers rapid growth to insurance brokers and carriers that focus on small-to-medium businesses. The Sayata platform streamlines the quote-bind-issue process allowing insurance professionals to seamlessly place more insurance policies in a fraction of the time. Sayata provides an end-to-end technological solution along with educational tools, giving our partners the ability to grow their book quickly and efficiently. To date, over 1,700 users across 120+ brokerages and carriers partner with Sayata to grow their SMB book. About CFC CFC is a specialist insurance provider, pioneer in emerging risk, and market leader in cyber. Our global insurance platform uses cutting-edge technology and data science to deliver smarter, faster underwriting and protect customers from today's most critical business risks. Headquartered in London with offices in New York, Austin, Brussels, and Brisbane, CFC has over 500 staff and is trusted by more than 100,000 businesses in 90 countries. Learn more at cfcunderwriting.com and LinkedIn . Media Contacts: Kevin Capon Goldszmidt West Ray Communications [email protected] +972-58-519-0791 SOURCE Sayata LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A Los Angeles jury awarded a former employee of the Huy Fong Foods, Inc. Sriracha plant $1,025,000 in his retaliation suit. Juan Bravo was employed as a mixer at the plant in Irwindale for approximately four years. The company, known for its famous Sriracha sauce, made changes to its ventilation system in response to a suit by the City of Irwindale and its residents regarding the facility's fumes. Bravo, who had asthma, began experiencing difficulty with his breathing. Bravo raised several complaints about needing accommodation, including needing N95 face masks and transferring out of the mixing room, which went ignored. He was then terminated for allegedly contaminating food product while cleaning a machine, despite doing so consistent with his training and despite other employees doing the same without any like punishment. The jury on Monday found that Huy Fong Foods, Inc. had retaliated against Bravo after he raised several concerns, and also failed to engage in a good faith interactive process, claims arising under the Fair Employment and Housing Act. "This verdict sends a clear message: retaliating against an employee who raised health concerns cannot and will not be tolerated," said Anthony Nguyen, a Shareholder with Shegerian & Associates. The lawsuit had been filed and tried by Shegerian and Associates on behalf of Bravo in Los Angeles Superior Court (Case No. BC706093). About Shegerian & Associates: Shegerian & Associates has won clients over half a billion in employment-based disputes and maintains a 98% success rate. We have offices in LA, SD, SF, Riverside and New York: https://www.shegerianlaw.com/. Media Contact: Rosanna Vargas: [email protected], 310-860-0770. SOURCE Shegerian & Associates The program is best suited for early-mid career professionals with 2+ years of work experience. Upon program completion, learners will receive a certificate from Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn. The program includes masterclasses delivered by distinguished faculty from the University of Minnesota and industry experts from IBM. The bootcamp will also include career assistance from Simplilearn. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, a global digital skills training provider, announced its partnership with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management for a Bootcamp in Business Analytics . The program will provide a well-planned, high-level understanding of business analytics and the real-world application of analytics across multiple domains. Anyone who has completed their bachelor's degree (in any background) is eligible for this program. The bootcamp is best suited for early-mid career professionals having 2+ years of formal work experience, such as IT professionals, Banking and Finance professionals, Marketing Managers, Supply Chain Network Managers, Analysts, and Consultants. The six-month program will be based on a blended format of online self-learning and live virtual classes. The key features of the program include: Program completion certificate from the Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn Membership to University of Minnesota's Alumni Association Alumni Association Masterclasses delivered by Carlson School of Management faculty and industry experts from IBM Industry-recognized IBM certificates for IBM courses Ask-Me-Anything sessions & hackathons conducted by IBM More than twelve industry-relevant projects Simplilearn career assistance Integrated labs The program curriculum consists of R Programming for Data Science, SQL, Business Analytics with Excel, Data Analytics with Python, Capstone Projects, and other modules. Speaking about the program, Mr. Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearn, said, "In today's business-driven environment, every organization is devising ways to make their decision-making more insightful and impactful. As a result, the role of business analytics continues to grow in importance. Business Analytics provides companies the ability to derive deeper insights and create stronger business recommendations for their own success. Given the industry relevance of the program, we have partnered with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management to curate this Business Analytics Bootcamp that will provide learners an extensive knowledge of the topic and widen growth and professional opportunities." Speaking on the partnership with Simplilearn, Dr. Ravi Bapna, Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Business Analytics and Information Systems at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota said, "Business Analytics can help companies make better, more informed decisions and achieve various goals. Its ability to navigate crises has further increased its importance to the business. Business analytics has certainly changed the dynamics of working in the digital economy and how companies operate." Simplilearn conducts more than 3000 live classes, with an average of 70,000 learners who together spend more than 500,000 hours each month on the platform. Simplilearn's programs allow learners to upskill and get certified in popular domains. In 2020, Simplilearn introduced a free skills development program called SkillUp . SkillUp lets learners explore in-demand topics in top professional and technology fields for free, helping them make the right learning and career decisions. About the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is a recognized leader in business education and research. Established in 1919 and located in Minneapolis, the Carlson School is committed to developing leaders who believe business is a force for good through experiential learning, international education, and the school's strong ties to the dynamic Twin Cities business community. With 13 degree programs that are ranked consistently among the world's best, the school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted both domestically and abroad. Today, the Carlson School has nearly 60,000 alumni in more than 100 countries. About Simplilearn Founded in 2010 and based in San Francisco, California, and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn, a Blackstone company is the world's #1 online Bootcamp provider for digital economy skills training. Simplilearn offers access to world-class work-ready training to individuals and businesses around the world. The Bootcamps are designed and delivered with world-renowned universities, top corporations, and leading industry bodies via live online classes featuring top industry practitioners, sought-after trainers, and global leaders. From college students and early career professionals to managers, executives, small businesses, and big corporations, Simplilearn role-based, skill-focused, industry-recognized, and globally relevant training programs are ideal upskilling solutions for diverse career or/and business goals. For more information, please visit www.simplilearn.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1100016/Simplilearn_Logo.jpg SOURCE Simplilearn ~ Global marketing agency welcomes a new cohort of non-traditional hires, broadening training for those with more diverse backgrounds ~ SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TEAM LEWIS, the global marketing agency, announced that it will host its second cohort of RISE Academy in the U.S. this Fall. RISE Academy is a specialized program piloted by the firm as part of its diversity initiatives. It provides on-the-job training so delegates can earn as they learn. It is tailored for candidates fresh to the world of marketing, including career changers and non-graduates. It offers the freedom to choose a career path in the marketing industry without having a degree or relevant work experience. This announcement follows the successful completion of the first RISE Academy in August 2021, where all candidates were brought on as full-time employees. RISE Academy reflects the company's commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity in its recruitment and talent development. In 2021, the firm was retiring the resume, letting candidates' creativity guide their job search. The company removed all barriers to the hiring process, facilitating a conversation with candidates instead. "Going from studying psychology to being a substitute teacher, I wasn't sure what career path was right for me and I felt like I didn't have the option to change course until I found this program," said Gianna Dodgion, a former RISE candidate turned full-time employee at TEAM LEWIS. "Changing career paths can be scary and uncertain, but TEAM LEWIS gave me all the resources and support I needed to truly thrive in this position, despite my initial lack of experience in marketing. They took a chance on me, and now I'm a valued member of my teams servicing clients, and I can't see myself doing anything else." TEAM LEWIS' "New Rules" report conducted in support of HeForShe, revealed 51% of Gen-Z respondents considered a commitment to providing personal growth opportunities as the most important factor when evaluating a potential employer. The research prompted the agency to offer programs like the RISE Academy to meet candidates where they are in their personal and professional journeys by breaking down barriers that would otherwise exist. "We've always known diversity fosters creativity and we're willing to take actionable steps to flip the script on hiring," said Christina Ioannou, Vice President of the U.S. Human Resources team at TEAM LEWIS. "Programs like RISE Academy are continuously shifting our recruitment mindset from focusing only on the hard skills to hiring for culture and creativity above all else. If you've got the right attitude, we've discovered that everything else is teachable, and that's what we're recruiting against now." As part of the RISE program, trainees will be able to earn and learn through training, certification, shadowing and a global work exchange program. They will be exposed to all facets of marketing and operating a strategic and creative consultancy. The second cohort will begin on August 15, 2022. Visit teamlewis.com/riseacademy to learn more. About TEAM LEWIS TEAM LEWIS is a global marketing agency built to help and inspire brands to grow. It provides a full spectrum of marketing, communications and digital services to deliver tangible business impact for clients. The company has over 500 staff across 24 offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America. www.teamlewis.com. Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE TEAM LEWIS Evolution of Man & Woman of the Year and Students of the Year campaigns honor the vision that dedicated leaders bring to making the impossible possible RYE BROOK, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global leader in the fight against blood cancer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), continues to reach new heights in enhancing its fundraising campaigns. Today, LLS announced the evolution of its signature campaigns, Man & Woman of the Year and Students of Year. Focused on innovating participant experiences and embracing the unified resolve to create a better world one without blood cancers Man & Woman of the Year and Students of Year are transitioning nationwide in 152 markets to LLS Visionaries of the Year and LLS Student Visionaries of the Year. Deborah Sturges was named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Societys 2022 National Visionary of the Year. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8922357-lls-announces-visionaries-of-the-year-campaigns-to-advance-mission/ Over the past three decades, the campaigns have proven to be about much more than individuals and teams winning a competition it is about incredible leaders from diverse experiences and backgrounds stepping up and leading others to raise critical funds to end blood cancer. "The evolution of LLS's Visionaries and Student Visionaries of the Year invites different views and perspectives, all working together extraordinarily, to be leaders in the cancer space today, tomorrow and into the future," said Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., LLS president and CEO. "This is so much more than a name change. Together, we are expanding and transforming the landscape of blood cancer care and support so blood cancer patients not only survive but thrive." "More than 70 years ago, a family lost their son to leukemia and turned that grief into a vision that blood cancers could one day be curable, said Coker Powell, LLS Chief Development Officer. "As we look to the future, LLS will continue to tap into our long history of innovation and creative thinking to create enhanced experiences that support, inspire and recognize the campaign's candidates in the most meaningful way possible." Ten markets executed LLS Visionaries of the Year in 2022. These incredible candidates proved their vision of a world without blood cancer could one day become a reality the results of the first-ever LLS Visionaries of the Year were astounding. Deborah Sturges, Owner, President and CEO of Hallmark Home Mortgage of Fort Wayne, IN, was named 2022 National Visionary of the Year, raising an incredible $302,528. Sturges has been asked many times before to run in the iconic campaign. She accepted her nomination in 2022 because she was enthralled by the evolution of Visionaries of the Year. "Being the National Visionary of the Year displays the generosity and care of our community," said Sturges. "Northeast Indiana stepped up to this cause and has proven its commitment and desire to cement a legacy in fighting leukemia and lymphoma." Sturges dedicated her efforts to LLS in honor of two dear friends, Jaxson and Chrissy, both cancer survivors. Visionary of the Year Runner-up, Richard Schwartz, an Executive Vice President at Red Hour Films in Los Angeles, CA, raised $196,505. Schwartz's father was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020, and in 2021 his doctor administered a new immunotherapy treatment, which led to his remission. When he learned LLS was an investor in the research of the therapy his father received, that is what ultimately led him to run for Visionary of the Year. Visionary of the Year All Star, Liz Sczudlo, a writer and producer in Los Angeles, CA raised $195,365. She ran in honor of her sister, Lauren, who was diagnosed with refractory Hodgkin lymphoma in 2011 when the typical survival rate was below 30%. Still, after months of harsh treatment, she received a stem cell transplant and has been cancer-free ever since. For more information or to get involved, visit llsvisionaries.org or llsstudentvisionaries.org and follow on social media, @LLSusa, #LLSVisionaries. Blood cancer patients and their families should contact the LLS Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., ET. About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. 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 regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the 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. SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: November 3, 2021 to May 3, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 15, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in TUP: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/tupperware-brands-corporation-loss-submission-form-2?id=30431&from=4 Tupperware Brands Corporation NEWS - TUP NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Tupperware Brands Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Tupperware was facing significant challenges in maintaining its earnings and sales performance; (ii) accordingly, Tupperware's full-year 2022 guidance was unrealistic and/or unsustainable; (iii) all the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on Tupperware's financial condition; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Tupperware you have until August 15, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Tupperware securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the TUP lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/tupperware-brands-corporation-loss-submission-form-2?id=30431&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE American: UEC), (the "Company" or "UEC") is pleased to announce it has submitted an offer to supply the U.S. Department of Energy - National Nuclear Security Administration ("NNSA") in response to the U.S. government uranium tender to launch the national Uranium Reserve. The program was designed as a 10 year, $10 billion plan with $75 million authorized to date for the purchase of uranium and conversion services. Amir Adnani, President and CEO stated: "The NNSA initial purchase goal for one million pounds marks an important milestone for the beginning of this program. The NNSA purchases will help jump start our industry and reduce the country's reliance on uranium from jurisdictions that expose America to precarious supply risks. Today, those risks include uranium from Russia, its allies and increasingly China. Clearly, domestic supply is critical for U.S. energy and national security. This was in fact one of the primary drivers behind UEC's acquisition of Russia's Uranium One Americas, repatriating this important asset back to U.S. ownership and control. The acquisition was not only a highly accretive business transaction, it also increased domestic capability in the nation's nuclear fuel supply chain. We are looking forward to the continued improvement in the nuclear fuel markets and UEC's production to help supply America's uranium needs." UEC Chairman and former U.S. Energy Secretary, Spencer Abraham, commented: "We applaud Senator Barrasso's bill that was discussed in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing last week. His legislation would prohibit the importation of uranium from the Russian Federation. While the U.S. has banned the imports of other Russian energy sources it has not included nuclear fuel. To ban some energy imports and not others sends a mixed message, especially considering that import revenues from Russian uranium sales are helping fund Russia's war in Ukraine." Secretary Abraham continued: "While Russia's invasion of Ukraine has garnered outrage from the international community, many nations find themselves handcuffed in terms of their ability to respond, due to their reliance on Russian energy imports. It would be naive to think that what Russia has done to the Western European community on gas supplies would not apply to its exportation of nuclear fuel and uranium. Banning Russian uranium imports and supporting our domestic nuclear fuel supply capabilities are solid steps towards bolstering our energy independence and protecting our national security." About Uranium Energy Corp Uranium Energy Corp is America's leading, fastest growing, uranium mining company listed on the NYSE American. UEC is a pure play uranium company and is advancing the next generation of low-cost, environmentally friendly In-Situ Recovery (ISR) mining uranium projects. The Company has two production ready ISR hub and spoke platforms in South Texas and Wyoming, anchored by fully licensed and operational processing capacity at the Hobson and Irigaray plants. UEC also has seven U.S. ISR uranium projects with all of their major permits in place. Additionally, the Company has other diversified holdings of uranium assets, including: (1) one of the largest physical uranium portfolios of U.S. warehoused U 3 O 8 ; (2) a major equity stake in the only royalty company in the sector, Uranium Royalty Corp.; and (3) a pipeline of resource-stage uranium projects in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Paraguay. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with a recognized profile for excellence in their industry, a profile based on many decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining. Stock Exchange Information: NYSE American: UEC Frankfurt Stock Exchange Symbol: U6Z WKN: AJDRR ISN: US916896103 Safe Harbor Statement Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such 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 such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, market and other conditions, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Final days to register for the "Analytical Instrument Qualification and System Validation" training course that has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This 2-day course guides attendees through equipment qualification, calibration, and computer system validation processes from planning to reporting. It also explains regulatory requirements in these areas, including EU and US GMPs, as well as data integrity guidance documents from national and international regulatory bodies. Analytical equipment should be qualified, and computer systems should be validated to demonstrate suitability for their intended use. To be acceptable to regulatory authorities, electronic records must comply with 21 CFR Part 11, Annex 11 to EU GMPs and more recent data integrity guidance. Recent EU and FDA reports demonstrate that qualification, validation, and electronic records are priority areas for inspection. The large number of FDA warning letters and the frequency of EU enforcement action in these areas demonstrate that companies sometimes struggle to understand or implement the regulations. The course not only ensures a full understanding of the regulations and guidelines for equipment and records but helps attendees to develop a risk-based approach to compliance. Interactive exercises will be dispersed into and between the presentations. Learning Objectives: Learn about the regulatory background and requirements for equipment qualification according to USP <_058> and computer system validation according to GAMP 5 Be able to explain the difference between equipment calibration, qualification, and system validation Learn which equipment/systems need to be qualified or validated Be able to allocate equipment and systems to USP <_058> and GAMP 5 categories and to design and execute qualification/validation protocols accordingly Understand the logic and principles of instrument qualification and system validation from planning to reporting Be able to develop a qualification and validation strategy Understand how to archive raw data from hybrid systems: electronic vs. paper Be able to define and demonstrate regulatory compliance to auditors and inspectors Be able to develop inspection ready documentation Learn how to ensure, document, and audit the integrity of GMP records Who Should Attend: IT/IS managers and system administrators QA managers and personnel Laboratory managers and supervisors Analysts Validation specialists Software developers Regulatory affairs Training departments Documentation departments Consultants Key Topics Covered: Day 01 (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT) 10.00 AM - 10.45 AM - Requirements and approaches for Analytical Instrument Qualification FDA/EU, PIC/S requirements Qualification/calibration issues in FDA inspections USP General Chapter <_058>: Analytical Instrument Qualification The instrument qualification lifecycle Prioritizing calibration/qualification activities 10.45 AM - 11.30 AM - Qualification in Practice User requirement specifications Installation qualification Operational qualification Preparing inspection-ready documentation 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM - Break 11.45 AM - 12.45 PM - Testing and deviation handling Developing test protocols Documenting test evidence Review and approval of test results Handling deviations 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM - Lunch 1.15 PM - 2.30 PM - Retrospective qualification and Requalification Qualification of existing systems Leveraging past experience Time-based requalification Event-based requalification What and how much to test - risk-based approach 2.30 PM - 3.15 PM - Equipment Maintenance and Change control Preventive maintenance; tasks, documentation Planned and unplanned changes Changing hardware, firmware, documentation Definition and handling of like-for-like changes. Handling changes made by vendors 3.15 PM - 4.00 PM: Type and extend of qualification for USP Instrument Categories The approach and benefits of instrument categories How to identify the correct category: A, B, C Type and extent of qualification for each category Required procedures and qualification deliverables Responsibilities for instrument qualification 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM - Break 4.15 PM - 5.00 PM - Requirements and approaches for GMP Computer Systems 21 CFR Part 211, Part 11, PIC/S, EU Annex 11 Most critical inspection findings Which systems need to be validated GAMP 5: A Risk based Approach to Laboratory Computerized Systems Examples for risk assessment of computer systems Validation of Laboratory Computer systems Writing a validation project plan Integrating GAMP 5 with USP <_058> for instrument and computer system validation Writing a validation report Day 02 (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT) 10.00 AM - 10.15 AM - Questions and answers from Day 1 10.15 AM - 11.00 AM - Validation and Use of Excel in the QC Laboratory Designing spreadsheets for compliance Validation approach for spreadsheets - single and multiple-use spreadsheets When, what and how much to test? GAMP 5 recommendations How to ensure spreadsheet data integrity 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM - Break 11.15 AM - 12.15 PM - Configuration management and change control The IEEE standard for configuration management The change control process for planned changes Unplanned changes Upgrading software What to test after changes How to document changes 12.15 PM - 1.00 PM - Periodic revalidation of chromatography data systems The approach and practice of periodic review Using periodic review to reduce frequency of revalidation Criteria for time-based revalidation Incidents requiring revalidation Validation tasks after installing security and other patches 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM - Lunch 1.45 PM - 2.30 PM - Handling raw data and other laboratory records Definition of raw data: electronic vs. paper Acquisition and recording of raw data How to make accurate and complete copies of raw data Changing records Archiving of raw data and ready retrieval 2.30 PM - 3.00 PM - Ensuring Integrity and Security of GMP data Most frequent security and integrity issues The importance of electronic audit trails Review of electronic audit trails: who, what, when, and how 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM - Break 3:15 PM - 4.30 PM - Auditing Laboratory Computer Systems Using FDA inspection practice Importance of data governance policy and controls Preparing inspection-ready documentation Responding to typical inspectional/audit observations 4.30 PM - 5.00 PM - Wrap up - Final questions and answers Speakers: Mark Powell Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry Dr Mark Powell is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with over thirty years' experience as an analytical chemist. Mark was Honorary Treasurer of the RSC's Analytical Division and led a working group on continuing professional development until July 2016, when his term of office ended. Between 2003 and 2013, he was the Analytical Development Manager, and later Scientific Manager, of a UK-based contract research organization which specialized in early-stage oral drug development. During this time, he was responsible for method validation, verification and transfer activities, as well as the qualification of laboratory instruments and computerized data systems. In 2013, he set up Mark Powell Scientific Limited, which provides training and consultancy services to pharmaceutical companies. Mark has since enjoyed working with companies of all sizes around the world on a variety of training and consultancy assignments, and has recently co-authored a White Paper on Pharmaceutical Data Integrity for the laboratory supply company VWR. For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/81q441 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 SHANGHAI, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In July 2022, Ablaze Pharma and Wenjiang District Government of Chengdu jointly signed the strategic agreement during the Conference of Major Advanced Manufacturing Projects by Foreign Direct Investment. About 26,000 of industrial land is selected in the Chengdu Medical City, with an initial investment of 100 million USD to build-up an innovative R&D and manufacturing center for targeted radiation therapies, where five anti-tumor varieties are under research at present, varying from Ac-225 to Lu-177. Ablaze Pharma intends to introduce the world-class innovative targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies (TRT) product designs and clinical experiences into Wenjiang District and jointly building-up the industrial chains of innovative radioactive targeted drug together with the industrial advantages of Wenjiang District. "We are deeply impressed by the strong support and recognition to the newly emerging targeted radiopharmaceutical enterprises from the Wenjiang District Government in the city of Chengdu," said Dr. Alex Qiao, President and CEO of Ablaze Pharmaceuticals, "Ablaze hopes to work with other companies in the park to build an ecosystem of targeted radiopharmaceuticals from early discovery to commercialization with the help of the resource advantages in nuclear science and technologies in Sichuan Province, and to promote the future development and progress of radiopharmaceutical drugs in China." "Welcome and congratulations to Ablaze Pharma for the deployment of the R&D and manufacturing center in Chengdu Medical City. In next step, Chengdu Medical City will strengthen the investments and talent attractions to optimize the business environment for synergies to Ablaze Pharma and more industrials so as to build-up the leading highland of the domestic radiopharmaceutical industry. " Li Zhang, Deputy Head Of The Management Committee Of Chengdu Medical City, Head Of The Investment Promotion Bureau said. News Link by Chengdu Medical City: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/frJQFIrHGFl6zQHAccos7A About Chengdu Medical City Sichuan Province is an important base of nuclear industries of China, with national and provincial radioisotope and drug industry-academia platforms such as the National Engineering Research Center for isotopes and drugs, the Radioisotope And Drug R&D Center, and the Provincial Radioisotope Engineering Technology Research Center. These platforms form a collaborative and shared development with the layout of the pharmaceutical track in Chengdu Medical City, which can also enhance the synergies and collaborations of the academic and industrial chains between upstream and downstream. Chengdu Medical City has proactively made precise efforts to its radiopharmaceutical layouts, integrating the advantages of nuclide supplies, drug deliveries and R&D services, so as to accelerate the development of radiopharmaceutical industry in high efficiency and to gradually develop into the upland for radiopharmaceutical industrial hubs of integrated R&Ds, productions and applications. About Ablaze Pharmaceuticals Founded in 2021, Ablaze Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company with a mission to bring advanced targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies (TRT) to benefit cancer patients in China. Since its inception, Ablaze Pharma has secured a partnership with RayzeBio, Inc., an innovative radiopharmaceutical company based in San Diego CA, to gain exclusive development and commercial right to a series of RayzeBio's products in the greater China region. Leveraging its team's extensive business experience and network in cross-border product development and deal making, Ablaze Pharma strives to become the leader and the partner of choice in the emerging TRT market in China by working with strategic business partners in both China and abroad. For more information, please visit www.ablazepharma.com. SOURCE Ablaze Pharma CUB Works to Cut Rate-hike Request by About 20 Percent CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois' biggest private water company is pushing for an exorbitant profit rate for its shareholders, and its rate-hike request should be reduced by about 20 percent, the nonprofit consumer advocate Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Tuesday, citing expert testimony. The CUB-sponsored testimony, from Christopher Walters, an expert on water regulatory issues with Brubaker & Associates, Inc., recommended reducing Illinois American's proposed water and wastewater increase by at least $18.8 million. The testimony was co-sponsored by the Illinois Industrial Water Consumers (IIWC). "Many customers are paying their highest gas and electric bills ever, so the last thing they need is to get hit with a punishing water increase that gives Illinois American an extravagant profit rate," said CUB Executive Director David Kolata. "We'll work with fellow consumer advocates and do everything we can to cut this excessive, unnecessary rate hike as much as possible." In February, Illinois American Water filed for an $87.4 million increase in rates before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Now, new testimony filed by Illinois American has updated certain forecasted costs, and the rate hike has increased to about $100 million. The company wants an excessive 10.25 percent return on equity (ROE), or profit rate for shareholders. Under the original rate-hike request, the typical residential water customer would see a bill increase of $6 to $14 per month and the typical wastewater customer $7 to $17 per month. Now that the rate-hike request is higher, the impact could be even more severe. Illinois American's rates also include a Qualifying Infrastructure Plant ("QIP") surcharge, a controversial, legislatively approved fee that is also used by natural gas utilities and has sparked anger among consumers paying the highest heating bills in more than a decade. The QIP charge on water and gas bills helps cover certain costs associated with infrastructure work. But consumer advocates have tried to get it taken off bills in favor of more traditional regulatory oversight, arguing that utilities abuse the fee and rely on it to raise bills without first getting ICC approval. Under Illinois American's rate-hike plan, $18.3 million of charges currently being recovered in the QIP and Variable Income Tax ("VIT") surcharges will be shifted to base rates. In his testimony, one of Walters' major recommendations was to lower Illinois American's proposed ROE to 9.35 percent, saving consumers $11 million. He also recommended regulators disallow $4.2 million in costs connected to incentive compensation because they were improperly tied to corporate profits, when such compensation is supposed to be tied to employee performance that benefits ratepayers. This rate case is the latest of several battles CUB has had with Illinois American, whose parent company, American Water, earned $1.26 billion in profits in 2021. For years, the watchdog has been working to pass state legislation that would require communities to first hold a local referendum before Illinois American and another private company, Aqua Illinois, can buy up municipal water and wastewater systems and raise rates for customers. Under a state law the company supported, Illinois American can actually charge customers higher rates to cover 100 percent of the cost of its municipal acquisitionsand, thus, spare shareholders that burden. Illinois and Aqua customers have now paid more than $260 million in higher rates to cover dozens of those purchases. Learn more about water privatization at CUB's special website CUBWaterTracker.com . The massive size of Illinois American's proposed rate hike is tied to the company's municipal system shopping spree in recent years. In fact, in the current rate case, Illinois American is trying to downplay the price tag of its wastewater purchases by shifting $11.8 million of those excess costs onto water customers. (There are more water customers to absorb such costs.) But CUB argues that allowing this would enable even more excessive system acquisition costs and unfairly saddle water customers with expenses from unrelated wastewater services. An ICC evidentiary hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 10. CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, it has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping block rate hikes, secure refunds and fight for clean, low-cost energy. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit its website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org . SOURCE Citizens Utility Board WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aleut Information Technology, LLC (Aleut), a leading provider of enterprise-level Information Technology (IT) solutions, has been awarded a contract to support the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) public-facing website, farmers.gov. "Our top priority is ensuring that our Nation's farmers have streamlined, convenient and clear access to USDA's critical programs and resources," said Aleut's General Manager, John Mays. "We've seen first-hand the difference this website is making for farming and agricultural operations, as well as the communities they serve." Farmers.gov was developed in 2018 as an online platform to provide easy access to USDA programs for America's farmers, ranchers and foresters. Customers using the platform can easily locate previously disparate resources on one central website, which was designed with a farmer-first approach. Farmers.gov provides critical resources including disaster and pandemic relief programs, farm loan tools, conservation guidance, and resources specific to the historically underserved farming community. Since its launch, the platform has had over 7.5 million total users, and almost 20 million page views, with its usage continuing to grow. Aleut will partner with the incumbent, MetroStar, which designed and developed the website. Aleut is proud to retain the original project team, ensuring a seamless transition, and avoiding any potential gaps in service. The contract has a possible duration of up to three years, including a one-year base period and two option years. Based in Reston, Virginia, Aleut will provide operations, maintenance, design, and development of the farmers.gov public-facing Drupal-based website, using digital service techniques and user-behavior data to identify and solve core user needs. Aleut will facilitate ongoing technical releases for continual enhancements and improvements, regularly updating the site. The company will ensure accessibility, and support America's agriculture community through interactive functionality built around customer needs. New and existing farmers are engaged through user-centered design and digital media on this easy-to-navigate custom designed website. ABOUT ALEUT Formed in 2016, Aleut is a Small Business Administration certified 8(a) program participant, and Small Disadvantaged Business providing proven capabilities in the IT sector including, infrastructure and communications. Aleut Information Technology, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aleut Federal, LLC, a holding company for federal subsidiaries of The Aleut Corporation (TAC). TAC was one of 13 original Alaska Native Corporations established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1971. Berlyn Martin Aleut Federal, LLC Phone: 276-244-3319 SOURCE Aleut Federal, LLC Tom Cycyota to retire after leading the organization for 22 years CENTENNIAL, Colo., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AlloSource, one of the largest allograft providers in the U.S., creating innovative cellular and tissue allografts to help surgeons heal their patients, today announced President and CEO, Tom Cycyota, plans to retire. Tom Cycyota, President and CEO of AlloSource, announces his retirement after 22 years. Cycyota has been in his role since 2000, leading the organization in its commitment to developing and distributing lifesaving and life-enhancing allografts, which are tissue grafts from human donors. Under his leadership, AlloSource honored thousands of tissue donors' intent to help others by providing more than three million allografts for use in surgical procedures. "My career at AlloSource speaks to the amazing possibilities of donated human tissue. It has been a great honor to serve as AlloSource's President and CEO, supporting its transformation and incredible growth in both the number of patients and surgeons we served as well as the amazing technologies we pioneered," said Cycyota. "I want to offer my sincere thanks to our employees and recovery partners whose hard work and dedication have allowed us to achieve so much over the last 22 years. I also want to thank AlloSource's customers, partners, communities, and Board of Directors for their ongoing support." As the largest homegrown biotechnology company in Colorado and one of the largest tissue banks in the country, AlloSource's unique business requires a daily balancing act of creating innovative new allografts and processes, while also making decisions that honor each tissue donor's selfless gift. The more than 200 different types of allografts AlloSource produces are used in countless applications; from spinal fusions and shoulder rotator cuff repair to burn care and plastic and reconstruction surgeries. "On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management team, and AlloSource's employees, we want to thank Tom for his leadership and impact over his more than two decades with the organization," said Diane Brockmeier, AlloSource Board Chair. "Tom's legacy is more than AlloSource's growth. We are grateful for his passionate leadership, which forged many business relationships and friendships. His personal compassion and commitment to honoring donor families has served as the centerpiece for the AlloSource culture. Please join me in thanking him for his commitment to AlloSource and its employees, as well as the organ, eye, and tissue donation community. We wish him nothing but the best in this next chapter." The Board of Directors has begun the search for AlloSource's next President and CEO. Until a successor is found, Cycyota will remain in his President and CEO role to ensure a smooth transition for AlloSource's business, partners, and employees. For more information on AlloSource, follow us on social media or visit allosource.org. About AlloSource AlloSource, one of the largest human tissue providers, honors tissue donors by creating innovative dermal, cartilage, tendon, fascia, bone, amniotic, and living cellular allografts to help heal patients. Since 1994, the Colorado-based organization has continued to advance its allografts to improve patient outcomes, serving as a trusted tissue partner to the medical community. AlloSource is registered with the FDA as a tissue establishment and accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks. Learn more at allosource.org. Media Contact Colton Ostrander AlloSource 720. 317. 2936 [email protected] SOURCE AlloSource Bestselling author George Paasewe has published One Day, I Will Become an Alpha, a children's book about Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. MILWAUKEE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brother George Paasewe has published One Day, I Will Become an Alpha, a children's book about the fraternity to educate, inspire, and encourage youths of all ages to pursue membership when they get to college. Paasewe was initiated through the fraternity's Mu Alpha Lambda chapter in the fall of 2018 on the campus of Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois). One Day, I Will Become an Alpha is now available to consumers worldwide. Paasewe's children's book about Alpha Phi Alpha was approved by the fraternity's General President, Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III, in December of 2021. Front Cover of Book Author George Paasewe One Day, I Will Become an Alpha is about a boy named Eugene, who grows up admiring and emulating his father, a distinguished brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Eugene's father takes an active interest in enrooting Alpha's values, morals, and characteristics within his son. Throughout the book, Eugene's father gives him insights into what it takes to become an Alpha. Eugene explores his imagination and has a glimpse of his future as an Alpha man and joining the same fraternity as his father. By the end of Eugene's journey, he recognizes Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity's mission and the true meaning of brotherhood, scholarship, manly deeds, and love for all mankind. "This book is dedicated to stimulating the interest of the youth and giving them a glimpse of what the future holds for them as members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.," says Paasewe. "It is also dedicated to the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha themselves to reflect on their journey of becoming members of this distinguished fraternity." Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is the first intercollegiate Black Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men. Seven college menknown as the "Jewels" of the fraternityfounded Alpha Phi Alpha at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on December 4, 1906. These seven founders recognized the need for a strong brotherhood that serves a social and intellectual purpose for men of African descent. The fraternity began as a study and support organization for minority students at Cornell who encountered academically and socially racial prejudice. Soon after its inception at Cornell, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters sprang up at other colleges and universities across the nation, emphasizing academic excellence, service, and advocacy among its members. "When I joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., I gained a robust brotherhood comprised of intelligent and like-minded Black men who are determined to debunk all prejudice and stereotypes associated with Black men by being distinguished leaders and advocates in society," says Paasewe. "This children's book is for the culture. It is for the communities and families of color to see themselves in a book because representation matters and this book is about changing the narrative of Black men." Click the following link to purchase your copy of the book: One Day, I Will Become an Alpha George Paasewe, the author of How Black College Students Learn Code-Switching, is the Founder/CEO of Educare Publications, a book-publishing company that integrates its publishing services into the classroom and workplace settings. Paasewe earned a Master of Science in Education at Northern Illinois University and holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of WisconsinWhitewater. He is a professor of sociology at Bryant & Stratton College in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. *Paasewe is available for interviews and workshops on how to write and publish a children's book. Contact: George Paasewe 262-424-5013 [email protected] SOURCE Educare Publications Get a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. The sample report is available in PDF format Company Profiles The aluminum welding wires market is concentrated, and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. The aluminum welding wires market report provides complete insights on key vendors, including Air Liquide SA, Colfax Corp., CTP Srl, DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co., Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV, Novametal SA, Safra Spa, SURAL, The Lincoln Electric Co., and voestalpine AG. This report provides a full list of key vendors, their strategies, and the latest developments. Request a PDF Sample Now Competitive Analysis The report includes the competitive analysis, 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. Market Segmentation By end-user, the market is classified into automotive and transportation, construction, and others. The automotive and transportation segment will contribute the largest share of the market growth. To meet the rising demand for vehicles, vehicle manufacturers are focusing on scaling their operations. For instance, in October 2018 , Suzuki Motors announced its plans to build a second manufacturing plant in Gujarat, India , by 2021. The facility would include three assembly lines with a manufacturing capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year. Thus, the rising demand for vehicles and the subsequent efforts of manufacturers toward enhancing their businesses will fuel the demand for aluminum welding wires products. segment will contribute the largest share of the market growth. To meet the rising demand for vehicles, vehicle manufacturers are focusing on scaling their operations. For instance, in , Suzuki Motors announced its plans to build a second manufacturing plant in Gujarat, , by 2021. The facility would include three assembly lines with a manufacturing capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year. Thus, the rising demand for vehicles and the subsequent efforts of manufacturers toward enhancing their businesses will fuel the demand for aluminum welding wires products. By geography, the market is classified into APAC, Europe , North America , South America , and MEA. APAC will have the largest share of the market. Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a PDF Sample Report Related Reports Aluminum Scrap Recycling Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Aluminum Extrusion Market by Product, End-user, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Aluminum Welding Wires Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.83% Market growth 2020-2024 55.07 thousand MT Market structure Concentrated YoY growth (%) 5.37 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 50% Key consumer countries China, US, Japan, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Air Liquide SA, Colfax Corp., CTP Srl, DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co., Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV, Novametal SA, Safra Spa, SURAL, The Lincoln Electric Co., and voestalpine AG Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents 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: Diversified metals and mining market 2.2.1 Inputs 2.2.2 Operations 2.2.2.1 Prospecting and land leasing 2.2.2.2 Geophysical surveying and mapping 2.2.3 Mine development and extraction 2.2.4 Outbound logistics 2.2.5 Marketing and sales 2.2.6 End-user industries 2.2.7 Support activities 2.2.8 Innovations 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 (thousand MT) 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 08: Bargaining power of buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of suppliers 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 10: Threat of new entrants 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 11: Threat of substitutes 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 12: Threat of rivalry 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 13: Market condition - Five forces 2020 5. Market Segmentation by End-user 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 14: End user - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by End user Exhibit 15: Comparison by End user 5.3 Automotive and transportation - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 16: Automotive and transportation - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 17: Automotive and transportation - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Construction - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 18: Construction - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 19: Construction - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 20: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 21: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.6 Market opportunity by End user Exhibit 22: Market opportunity by End user 6. Customer landscape 6.1 Overview Exhibit 23: Customer landscape 7. Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 24: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 25: Geographic comparison 7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 26: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 27: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 28: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 29: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 30: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 31: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 32: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 33: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 34: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 (thousand MT) Exhibit 35: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 36: Key leading countries 7.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 37: Market opportunity by geography (thousand MT) 8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.1.1 Increasing demand for lightweight vehicles 8.1.2 Increase in demand for welding wires for repair and maintenance 8.1.3 Rising demand for power infrastructure 8.2 Market challenges 8.2.1 Fluctuating LME prices influence premium and production plans 8.2.2 MIG weld defects 8.2.3 GMAW processing issues 8.2.4 Modern production technologies minimizing welding requirements Exhibit 38: Metal properties and their applications 8.3 Market trends 8.3.1 Innovations in welding technologies 8.3.2 Increase in use of alloy 4943 as a filler 8.3.3 Use of welding robots and automation of welding processes 8.3.4 Strategic tie-ups and acquisitions 9. Vendor Landscape 9.1 Vendor landscape Exhibit 39: Vendor landscape 9.2 Landscape disruption Exhibit 40: Landscape disruption Exhibit 41: Industry risks 10. Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 42: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 43: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 L Air Liquide SA Exhibit 44: L Air Liquide SA - Overview Exhibit 45: L Air Liquide SA - Business segments Exhibit 46: L Air Liquide SA Key news Exhibit 47: L Air Liquide SA - Key offerings Exhibit 48: L Air Liquide SA - Segment focus 10.4 Colfax Corp. Exhibit 49: Colfax Corp. - Overview Exhibit 50: Colfax Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 51: Colfax Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 52: Colfax Corp. - Segment focus 10.5 CTP Srl Exhibit 53: CTP Srl - Overview Exhibit 54: CTP Srl - Product and service Exhibit 55: CTP Srl - Key offerings 10.6 DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co. Exhibit 56: DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co. - Overview Exhibit 57: DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co. - Product and service Exhibit 58: DRAHTWERK ELISENTAL W. Erdmann GmbH & Co. - Key offerings 10.7 Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV Exhibit 59: Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV - Overview Exhibit 60: Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV - Product and service Exhibit 61: Hilarius Haarlem Holland BV - Key offerings 10.8 Novametal SA Exhibit 62: Novametal SA - Overview Exhibit 63: Novametal SA - Product and service Exhibit 64: Novametal SA - Key offerings 10.9 Safra Spa Exhibit 65: Safra Spa - Overview Exhibit 66: Safra Spa - Product and service Exhibit 67: Safra Spa - Key offerings Exhibit 68: Safra Spa - Segment focus 10.10 SURAL CA Exhibit 69: SURAL CA - Overview Exhibit 70: SURAL CA - Product and service Exhibit 71: SURAL CA - Key offerings 10.11 The Lincoln Electric Co. Exhibit 72: The Lincoln Electric Co. - Overview Exhibit 73: The Lincoln Electric Co. - Business segments Exhibit 74: The Lincoln Electric Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 75: The Lincoln Electric Co. - Segment focus 10.12 voestalpine AG Exhibit 76: voestalpine AG - Overview Exhibit 77: voestalpine AG - Business segments Exhibit 78: voestalpine AG - Key offerings Exhibit 79: voestalpine AG - Segment focus 11. Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.1.1 Market definition 11.1.2 Objectives 11.1.3 Notes and caveats 11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 80: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.3 Research methodology Exhibit 81: Research Methodology Exhibit 82: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 83: Information sources 11.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 84: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio New state-of-the-art production facility offers local custom crush opportunity for small-lot, high-end wines PROSSER, Wash., August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Andrews family, an esteemed farming family in Washington State and proprietors of Trothe, a luxury wine brand, announced the opening of the new Trothe winery in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The new production facility is designed to enable world-class winemaking in a region that has historically been known for its grape growing, but not for local wine production. The facility is one of the first of its kind located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, built for the production of Trothe wines and for custom crush at the highest level of quality. Trothe was created to showcase the vast potential of high-end winemaking in the region that bears excellent fruit and is particularly known for its Cabernet Sauvignon. "Those of us who call the Horse Heaven Hills AVA home know the true potential of this land," says Trothe winemaker Ray McKee. "Our goal with this new facility is to harness that quality and help reveal it to the world by making outstanding Washington wines, right where they're grown. Our philosophy for custom crush echoes the ethos of Trothe: uncompromising small-lot winemaking and intensive attention to detail." The Trothe winery has been thoughtfully outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment to process some of the finest fruit in Washington State into equally fine wines. The crush pad equipment allows for precise control of the destemming, sorting, and pressing processes, including Pellenc destemming technology, a WECO optical sorter, a Pellenc Smartpress, as well as Pellenc Smartpumps and Ragazzini peristaltic must pumps; the winery houses concrete tanks for fermentation and maturation. "Our family's investment in this sophisticated winery is also an investment in the future of winemaking in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and in the greater State of Washington," says Trothe proprietor Jeff Andrews. "We're excited to open our doors to vintners who share our vision for crafting luxury wines that are emblematic of their Washington roots." While the facility is at capacity for the 2022 vintage, the Andrews family is accepting inquiries beginning with the 2023 harvest season. To learn more about custom crush opportunities, please contact Jeff Andrews at 509-778-9028, and [email protected]. About Trothe Trothe wines are sourced exclusively from Andrews Family Vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. The Andrews family has farmed the land for generations, adhering to the ethos that by holding their work to uncommon standards, they will produce uncommon results. Grapes are hand-selected in small lots from the blocks, rows, and individual vines that exemplify the quality of the vineyard and the distinctive character of the vintage. Wines are available by allocation to members only. To learn more and to become a member, visit trothe.com . Media Contact: Katie Canfield, O'Donnell Lane 530-720-1138 [email protected] SOURCE Trothe To get the exact CAGR of the animal wound care market and the Y-O-Y growth rate, Request a Sample Report Key Challenge Faced by the Market The rising pet care expenditure is challenging the growth of the market, as prospective pet owners may be hesitant to adopt pets. Healthcare costs for pets have increased significantly in the last few years. Moreover, strict government norms regarding animal and environmental safety increase the economic burden on pet owners. Technavio's report provides a list of challenges that can help companies prepare for future market scenarios. View our Sample Report Market Segmentation The animal wound care market report is segmented by application (surgical wound care and traditional wound care) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, and South America). By application, the surgical wound care segment will contribute the highest market share growth during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to factors such as the high adoption of products in hospitals and clinics for wound healing and the rising adoption of pets globally. By geography, North America will be the leading region with 34% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The US is a key country for the animal wound care market in the region. Moreover, market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. Vendors are acquiring new facilities to synergize their R&D capabilities, owing to the high demand for animal wound care. This is driving the growth of the market in North America. Learn about the contribution of each segment of the animal wound care market, summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a Sample Report Some Companies Mentioned 3M Co. Co. B. Braun Melsungen AG Biogenesis Bago SA Ceva Sante Animale Indian Immunologicals Ltd. Johnson & Johnson Medtronic Plc Phibro Animal Health Corp. Vetoquinol SA Virbac Group Want your report customized? Speak to an analyst and personalize your report according to your needs. Related Reports Animal Sedative Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Animal Healthcare Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Animal Wound Care Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.44% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 661.63 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.01 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key consumer countries US, UK, China, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled 3M Co., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Biogenesis Bago SA, Ceva Sante Animale, Indian Immunologicals Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic Plc, Phibro Animal Health Corp., Vetoquinol SA, and Virbac Group Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem 2.1.1 Parent market Exhibit 01: Parent market Exhibit 02: Market characteristics 2.2 Value chain analysis Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis for pharmaceuticals 2.2.1 Research and development (R&D) and drug discovery 2.2.2 Integration and product development 2.2.3 Manufacturing 2.2.4 Outbound logistics 2.2.5 Marketing and sales 2.2.6 Support services 2.2.7 Innovation 3. Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 05: Market segments 3.3 Market size 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 Application 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 15: Application - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Application Exhibit 16: Comparison by Application 5.3 Surgical wound care - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Surgical wound care - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million Exhibit 18: Surgical wound care - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Traditional wound care - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: Traditional wound care - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 20: Traditional wound care - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Application Exhibit 21: Market opportunity by Application 6. Customer landscape 6.1 Overview Technavio's customer landscape matrix comparing Drivers or price sensitivity, Adoption lifecycle, importance in customer price basket, Adoption rate and Key purchase criteria Exhibit 22: 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 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 25: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 26: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 27: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 28: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: Asia - 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 8.1.1 Dependency on livestock products 8.1.2 Technological advancements in animal wound care industr 8.1.3 Increase in pet ownership 8.2 Market challenges 8.2.1 Rising pet care expenditure 8.2.2 Increasing population of stray animals in developing countries 8.2.3 Lack of government funding and trained professionals Exhibit 35: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 8.3.1 Growing innovations in animal wound dressing techniques 8.3.2 Rising awareness about pet insurance 8.3.3 Increase in investments 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 3M Co. Exhibit 41: 3M Co. - Overview Exhibit 42: 3M Co. - Business segments Exhibit 43: 3M Co. Key news Exhibit 44: 3M Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 45: 3M Co. - Segment focus 10.4 B. Braun Melsungen AG Exhibit 46: B. Braun Melsungen AG - Overview Exhibit 47: B. Braun Melsungen AG - Business segments Exhibit 48: B. Braun Melsungen AG Key news Exhibit 49: B. Braun Melsungen AG - Key offerings Exhibit 50: B. Braun Melsungen AG - Segment focus 10.5 Biogenesis Bago SA Exhibit 51: Biogenesis Bago SA - Overview Exhibit 52: Biogenesis Bago SA - Product and service Exhibit 53: Biogenesis Bago SA - Key offerings 10.6 Innovacyn Inc. Exhibit 54: Innovacyn Inc. - Overview Exhibit 55: Innovacyn Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 56: Innovacyn Inc. - Key offerings 10.7 Johnson & Johnson Exhibit 57: Johnson & Johnson - Overview Exhibit 58: Johnson & Johnson - Business segments Exhibit 59: Johnson & Johnson Key news Exhibit 60: Johnson & Johnson - Key offerings Exhibit 61: Johnson & Johnson - Segment focus 10.8 Jorgen Kruuse AS Exhibit 62: Jorgen Kruuse AS - Overview Exhibit 63: Jorgen Kruuse AS - Product and service Exhibit 64: Jorgen Kruuse AS - Key offerings 10.9 Medtronic Plc Exhibit 65: Medtronic Plc - Overview Exhibit 66: Medtronic Plc - Business segments Exhibit 67: Medtronic Plc Key news Exhibit 68: Medtronic Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 69: Medtronic Plc - Segment focus 10.10 Neogen Corp. Exhibit 70: Neogen Corp. - Overview Exhibit 71: Neogen Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 72: Neogen Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 73: Neogen Corp. - Segment focus 10.11 Vetoquinol SA Exhibit 74: Vetoquinol SA - Overview Exhibit 75: Vetoquinol SA - Business segments Exhibit 76: Vetoquinol SA Key news Exhibit 77: Vetoquinol SA - Key offerings Exhibit 78: Vetoquinol SA - Segment focus 10.12 Virbac Exhibit 79: Virbac - Business segments Exhibit 80: Virbac Key news Exhibit 81: Virbac - Key offerings Exhibit 82: Virbac - Segment focus 11. Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.1.1 Market definition 11.1.2 Objectives 11.1.3 Notes and caveats 11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 83: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.3 Research methodology Exhibit 84: Research Methodology Exhibit 85: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 86: Information sources 11.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 87: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email:[email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Areas in the western half of the country should escape major shivers, with an overall forecast of brisk temperatures predicted in the Northwest and mild temperatures in the Southwest. Shovel Worthy The Farmers' Almanac suggests a stormy winter is on schedule especially for the eastern half of the country. For some areas this may mean snow, but for others it will result in more slush and mush. January 2023 looks to be the stormiest for many areas including Texas and Oklahoma, where heavy snow is predicted during the first week. Unfortunately, a dry winter is predicted for the Southwest states, which won't help the drought situation. Year-Long Guide to Great Living The 2023 Farmers' Almanac offers 16 months of weather predictions starting with September 2022 going through December 2023. The new 2023 edition features many elements redesigned, including weather maps for all four seasons. Last year, the Almanac predicted many of the 2021-2022 winter storms, most notably: the early-season nor'easter in the end of October, and the unusual blizzard in the last week of April (in parts of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas). More information at FarmersAlmanac.com Media Contacts: Peter Geiger, Philom., Editor [email protected], 207-755-2246 Sandi Duncan, Philom., Mg. Editor [email protected], 207-755-2349 SOURCE Farmers' Almanac HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Media are invited to learn more about the Artemis Learning Lunchbox national initiative as leaders from NASA's Johnson Space Center distribute approximately 1,500 kits filled with food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities starting at 7:45 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Aug. 3, in Houston, Texas. Johnson Deputy Director Steve Koerner will participate in the distribution to highlight the importance of STEM education in the Houston area and to inspire and educate young people and their families about NASA's upcoming Artemis missions, which will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon while helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Immediately before kit distribution begins at Traders Village, 7979 N. Eldridge Parkway in Houston, NASA and community leaders will offer brief remarks at 7:20 a.m. Media interested in covering the event should contact Anna Lassmann at: [email protected] or the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA's Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) activity. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources. Learn more about how NASA's Office of STEM Engagement is inspiring the next generation of explorers at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem SOURCE NASA By Li Daguang MA XUEJING/LI JUNDA/FOR CHINA DAILY Editor's note: The People's Liberation Army, which celebrates the 95th anniversary of its founding on Monday, has made many sacrifices and won glorious victories while contributing to the development of China and helping maintain global peace. Yet some Western countries have raised concerns about its modernization, which it needs to safeguard China's national security and help maintain global peace. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily. China's national defense building which includes strengthening the military has made rapid progress and entered a new era, similar to the progress made by socialism with Chinese characteristics, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. China's national defense building has progressed through strengthening of political loyalty, reform, and research and development in science and technology in order to bolster the armed forces. The military has developed in accordance with the law and through enhanced military training and combat readiness, as well as innovative strategy. And the policy of strengthening the military through reforms has gathered pace under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core. The reforms in national defense and the armed forces started with the establishment of a new command system. The People's Liberation Army has dismantled the systems of general departments, military area commands and a land force-dominated military. The new leadership, management and operational command systems include the Central Military Commission exercising overall leadership, making the theater commands responsible for military operations, and ensuring the armed forces focus on developing their capabilities. The PLA gradually optimized the structure and force composition to build a modernized military force with Chinese characteristics, changing the structure of military forces that focused on land combat operations and territorial defense. Innovative reforms, on the other hand, have helped improve and reshape the socialist military policies and institutions with Chinese characteristics. And innovation has helped the PLA to renew and strengthen the systems structure, mechanisms and features. The PLA has been a strong force for global peace and development, and China's armed forces today stand at a new historical starting point. No matter how many doubts and worries other countries have about China's military development, the PLA, as in the past, will always cherish peace, and follow China's foreign policy goal of maintaining world peace and promoting shared development. The PLA adheres to peaceful development, and is firmly committed to upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter, safeguarding the world order with the UN at its core, following international law, abiding by the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and opposing any foreign interference in the name of spreading "democracy", "freedom" and safeguarding "human rights". China's military strategy features active defense. The PLA is committed to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development, protecting national interests overseas, securing regional and global peace and stability, and fulfilling its global responsibilities. China's armed forces have comprehensively implemented the pledges Chinese President Xi Jinping made during the UN Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping in 2015. To help build a community with a shared future for mankind, China's armed forces have participated in and supported UN peacekeeping operations, making concrete contributions to peace and development in areas beset by conflict. The Chinese military has also implemented the six measures China promised to take to support UN peacekeeping: building a standby peacekeeping force, helping increase the capabilities of UN peacekeeping forces, training foreign peacekeepers, providing military aid for the African Union, forming the first peacekeeping helicopter unit, and establishing the China-UN Peace and Development Fund to support UN peacekeeping operations. China is a major contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent UN Security Council members, and has been providing public security goods for the international community to the best of its ability. China's military has also escorted ships to protect them against pirates, and provided international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief for other countries. In the past 30 years, China has participated in 25 UN peacekeeping missions, contributing about 50,000 peacekeepers, and as of September 2020, altogether 16 Chinese military personnel have sacrificed their lives in UN keeping operations. In their areas of operations, China's peacekeepers have built or repaired more than 17,000 kilometers of roads, removed over 14,000 landmines and unexploded bombs, transported more than 1.2 million tons of supplies covering a distance of 13 million kilometers, provided medical care for the injured and weak, rescued over 246,000 people, and carried out more than 450 escort and patrol missions. In addition, the Chinese military has cooperated with troops from 90 countries and 10 international and regional organizations and enhanced mutual understanding and improved its peacekeeping capability through visits, expert communication, joint exercises and training. More important, Chinese peacekeepers have been a disciplined force, safeguarding peace and justice, and praised by the UN and the international community for their services. People across the world are members of a community with a shared future, and their interests and security are intertwined. So China's military will continue to work with its counterparts from other countries to safeguard world peace and stability, and make their best efforts to build a better world. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily. The author is a professor at Hainan University and a senior research fellow at Techxcope, a think tank. 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(NYSE: ASPN) ("Aspen" or the "Company"), a technology leader in sustainability and electrification solutions, today announced the appointment of James Sweetnam to its Board of Directors, increasing the size of the Board to eight members. James Sweetnam Jim previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the board, of Dana Corporation, a Fortune 500 world leader in the design and manufacture of driveline components for light, medium and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers in the automotive, commercial vehicle and off-highway markets. Prior to his tenure with Dana, Jim was Chief Executive Officer - Truck Group at Eaton Corporation, where he had also served as the Operations Vice President - Heavy-Duty Transmissions, Clutch and Aftermarket divisions, and as Vice President - General Manager of the Heavy-Duty Transmissions Division, all businesses he led. Prior to joining Eaton, Jim spent 10 years at Cummins, where he served as Vice President - Cummins Engine Company and Group Managing Director of Holset Engineering Co. Ltd., a Cummins subsidiary and manufacturer of turbochargers, headquartered in England. Prior to that, Jim served as President of Cummins Electronics Company. He has also held management positions with Canadian Liquid Air in Montreal and Calgary, Canada, and held engineering positions with Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, Pa. and Sao Paulo, Brazil. He began his career as a civil engineer at Olko Engineering in New York, N.Y. Jim received his Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Jim presently serves on the Board of Directors of Republic Airlines, on which he is a member of its Audit and Finance Committee and its Nominating and Governance Committee. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of SunCoke Energy, Inc, as Chair of the Compensation Committee and Chair of the Nominating/Governance Committee and a member of its Audit Committee. Additionally, Jim has served on the Board of Directors of LMI, a private, not-for-profit providing specialized consulting to the federal government, where he served as Chair of its Audit and Finance Committee and a member of its Nominating and Governance Committee. From 2007 until its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway in 2011, Jim served as an independent director of Lubrizol Corporation, a specialty chemicals company, and a member of its Audit, Nominating & Governance and Organization & Compensation Committees. Jim also served on the Board of Trustees for ideastream, the non-profit public radio, TV and multi-media organization serving northeast Ohio, from 2004 through 2009. "Jim has an outstanding track record generated through decades of senior leadership and relevant industry experience that will greatly benefit Aspen Aerogels, particularly with respect to our partnerships with automotive OEM customers, where opportunities for growth continue to materialize at a rapid pace," said Donald R. Young, President and Chief Executive Officer. "I, and the members of our Board, welcome his addition as he brings increased depth and breadth of experience that represents a complementary skillset to our Board." Jim commented, "I am very pleased to be joining Aspen Aerogels' Board at an exciting time in the Company's evolution as it looks to capture a significant opportunity in the electric vehicle market with its proven aerogel technology solutions. I am impressed by the Company's track record of success and innovative culture that provides compelling long-term growth opportunities. I look forward to applying my years of executive leadership and industry experience managing technology businesses to the work of the Board and driving value for Aspen's shareholders." About Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Aspen is a technology leader in sustainability and electrification solutions. The Company's aerogel technology enables its customers and partners to achieve their own objectives around the global megatrends of resource efficiency, e-mobility and clean energy. Aspen's PyroThin products enable solutions to thermal runaway challenges within the electric vehicle ("EV") market. Aspen Battery Materials, the Company's carbon aerogel initiative, seeks to increase the performance of lithium-ion battery cells to enable EV manufacturers to extend the driving range and reduce the cost of EVs. Aspen's Spaceloft products provide building owners with industry-leading energy efficiency and fire safety. The Company's Cryogel and Pyrogel products are valued by the world's largest energy infrastructure companies. Aspen's strategy is to partner with world-class industry leaders to leverage its Aerogel Technology Platform into additional high-value markets. Headquartered in Northborough, Mass., Aspen manufactures its products at its East Providence, R.I. facilities. For more information, please visit www.aerogel.com. SOURCE Aspen Aerogels, Inc. The Move Comes One Year After a Drunk Driver Struck and Damaged the Addiction Treatment Center LAKEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AspenRidge Recovery, a substance abuse treatment center specializing in mental health, trauma, and addiction, today announced the opening of its new center in Lakewood, Colorado. The new opening comes one year after a drunk driver hit the previous location and forced the center to relocate temporarily. The early morning accident in July 2021 destroyed part of the building and required people undergoing treatment, and staff, to move into the company's administrative offices for an entire year. The new center, located at 7500 Mississippi Ave., allows AspenRidge Recovery to treat more people suffering from addiction and mental health disorders as the dangers of overdose deaths continue to rise. "We're grateful no one was injured in the incident," said Shannon Van Deman, CEO of AspenRidge Recovery. "Our team improvised, and the people in our care moved into our administrative offices within hours. It took a year to build out the new space, and we are thrilled to open our new center. It allows us to better provide the high-quality care we're known for at a time when people desperately need treatment." Colorado topped 1,945 overdose deaths in the most recent 12-month period, a 22.8 percent increase over the previous year. The first five months of 2022 saw more fentanyl seizures than in all of 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado, and authorities in Mesa County issued an alert in July related to a powerful new synthetic opioid that is 100 to 150 times stronger than fentanyl. "Everyone who recreationally uses any illicit substance is at risk," said Van Deman. "Fentanyl is in everything, and the risk of accidental overdose is no longer relegated to people suffering from opioid addiction. The fact that the driver who hit our building was under the influence of alcohol highlights the fact that this isn't just an opioid epidemic. This is a pandemic of addiction." AspenRidge plans to hold an open house in the coming weeks. Those interested in attending should email [email protected] for sign-up details. AspenRidge Recovery is a Joint Commission-accredited, dual-diagnosis treatment center specializing in treating addiction, mental health disorders and complex trauma in adults. AspenRidge creates personalized treatment plans that address each person's specific needs using a combination of holistic and evidence-based mental health, trauma, and addiction treatment modalities. AspenRidge Recovery has physical locations in Lakewood, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado. AspenRidge also has a sister organization Alpine Recovery Center, a treatment program for Medicaid recipients. SOURCE AspenRidge Recovery TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX: XLY) ("Auxly" or the "Company"), a leading consumer packaged goods company in the cannabis products market, is thrilled to introduce a new extension to its Foray brand: Edi's. While keeping true to Foray's pedigree of approachability and accessibility, Edi's is bringing the fun back into snacking with a bold and honest attitude that will speak to consumers looking to enjoy an edible snack while controlling their cannabis experience. Edi's Logo (CNW Group/Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.) Gumdrops (CNW Group/Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.) Gumdrops (CNW Group/Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.) Launching this new brand extension into the market is Edi's Gumdrops, a delightfully chewy, premium gummy that is bursting with familiar flavours of lemon, lime, cherry and orange. With 20 snackable pieces per pack, these low-dosed edibles offer 0.5mg of THC per bite - the first of its kind in Canada - allows consumers to enjoy the snacks they love without concern of overindulging in potent THC cannabis products. "As we look to continue our expansion into the growing edibles category, we've listened to our consumers and their requests for a more approachable and flexible dosing format," said Michael Lickver, President of Auxly. "Canadian consumers have been restricted to enjoying only one or two pieces of gummy or chocolate when purchasing their edibles, leaving much to be desired. Fitting effortlessly into our Foray brand's targeted consumer base, Edi's will enable consumers to enjoy these new perfectly low-dosed edible products for a more gratifying snack-like experience. We believe Edi's is the disruptive new edible product that the Canadian cannabis consumer has been waiting and asking for and we can't wait to show our consumers we've been listening." Edi's Gumdrops will be available for Canadian consumers to enjoy by the end of August, with two additional familiar Foray consumer favourites, CBD Blood Orange and CBN Blackberry Lavender, joining the Edi's family later this summer. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Hugo Alves" CEO About Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF) Auxly is a leading Canadian consumer packaged goods company in the cannabis products market, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company's focus is on developing, manufacturing and distributing branded cannabis products that delight wellness and recreational consumers and deliver on its consumer promise of quality, safety and efficacy. Learn more at www.auxly.com and stay up to date at Twitter: @AuxlyGroup; Instagram: @auxlygroup; Facebook: @auxlygroup; LinkedIn: company/auxlygroup/. Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information: This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to: the Company's execution of its product development and commercialization strategy; the successful production and launch of future Edi's products; the relevance of the Company's current and proposed products; consumer preferences; political change, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis and cannabis products; and competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from a conclusion, forecast or projection contained in the forward-looking information in this release including, but not limited to whether: there is acceptance and demand for current and future Company products by consumers and provincial purchasers; and general economic, financial market, regulatory and political conditions in which Auxly operates will remain the same. The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Neither Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. PHOENIX, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- B2Gnow, the Phoenix-based industry leader in supplier diversity, procurement and grant management software solutions to over 400 state, local and educational organizations, announced today the appointment of Guzin Caglayan as Chief Financial Officer. Guzin Caglayan joins B2Gnow with over 20 years of experience in finance, most recently as CFO of high-growth SaaS businesses. Ms. Caglayan has a proven track record of driving substantial growth in content, business services and SaaS technology sectors, and will be responsible for leading the company's financial functions. "It is a privilege to join a company that paves the way in creating innovative supplier diversity, procurement and grant management solutions that generate meaningful impact in thousands of communities. I'm looking forward to working alongside so many talented leaders and colleagues to drive the B2Gnow business forward," stated Guzin Caglayan, Chief Financial Officer, B2Gnow. "We're thrilled to have Guzin onboard. Her financial expertise and SaaS experience will play a pivotal role in accelerating growth, expanding our suite of solutions, and ultimately empowering our clients to achieve their program goals, gain efficiencies, and create business opportunities for disadvantaged firms across the country," said Justin Talbot-Stern, Chief Executive Officer, B2Gnow. About B2Gnow B2Gnow is the nation's leading supplier diversity, procurement, and grant management software provider, and has been powering the creation of business opportunities and driving economic growth for over 20 years. B2Gnow's cloud-based, cost-effective and modular software platform is utilized by hundreds of government, education and private sector organizations throughout the US, and addresses all aspects of supplier diversity, procurement, and grant management, including: managing the complex compliance and regulatory requirements of supplier diversity programs, facilitating meaningful increases in spending with disadvantaged firms, increasing visibility and optimizing the procurement process, and efficiently providing data management solutions for granting and pass-through government transportation agencies. B2Gnow maintains the single largest database of disadvantaged business entities in North America, helping the federal government, more than half of state governments, and hundreds of counties, cities, airports, and Fortune 500 companies manage their supplier diversity and compliance programs through technology solutions. For more information, visit http://www.b2gnow.com CONTACT: Jody Sobczak, [email protected] SOURCE B2Gnow SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boxes Email recently became one of only 200 companies worldwide to earn a coveted presentation slot at the 10th annual Venture Summit West. The Silicon Valley-based event connects founders of the hottest venture backed, emerging and early-stage companies with an exclusive audience of venture capitalists, corporate investors, private investors, investment bankers, and strategic partners. Venture Summit West, presented by youngStartup Ventures, is the premier industry gathering for promising companies in tech, fintech, cleantech, medtech, lifesciences, and healthcare. With thousands of attendees each year and over 100 featured investors with over $250B under management, Venture Summit West is the event where significant deals are made. For Boxes Email it is a rare opportunity to connect with investors, share their vision, and secure the funding they need to continue their important work. "We were thrilled to get the opportunity to pitch at Venture Summit West," said Brian Becker, founder and CEO of Boxes Email. "The response to our pitch has been great, not just from investors but also from other companies pitching at the event." Becker continued, "One fellow-presenter told me 'of all the pitches I heard today, Boxes is the only one that actually solves an everyday problem I have.' That kind of response helps confirm we are on the right path with Boxes." Boxes Email is a United States corporation with a global, online team devoted to providing a robust business-class service and premium customer support. Built on Amazon's AWS platform, Boxes automatically scales based on customer demand. Venture Summit West accepts presenters who meet strict criteria based on industry, stage, business model, size of the target audience, milestones achieved to date, and whether the company would be of interest to the featured investors. The presentation programs are geared toward emerging growth companies looking to gain visibility among active investors and raise capital. To learn more about Boxes Email, visit www.Boxes.email. ABOUT BOXES EMAIL Boxes Email provides a premier email service directed at entrepreneurs, service contractors and power users. Boxes transforms the "you just need one email address" paradigm of the past 30 years and encourages users to create hundreds of task or service-oriented email addresses which then self-categorize within the Boxes.email app. Boxes.email is a paid service with a free online trial at www.Boxes.email LOGO: Boxes logo images can be downloaded from the link below. Permission is granted for promotional use of these images. www.boxes.email/logos CONTACT INFORMATION Boxes Email BRIAN BECKER 573.778.6500 [email protected] SOURCE Boxes Email Elevate Capital Awarded Management of Business Oregon's Second Commercialization Gap Fund PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevate Capital , Oregon's first inclusive venture capital fund that supports inclusion and diversity, has been selected by Business Oregon as the Fund Manager for their second Commercialization Gap Fund. The Commercialization Gap Fund was initiated in 2020 after Business Oregon's Innovation Council (Oregon InC) studied capital gaps and found a need to support science and research-based companies in early stages of commercialization. There are few sources of capital or "gap funding" in Oregon for entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of commercialization due in part to the long-term nature of return expectations. In response to this issue, Oregon InC created the Gap Fund to focus on filling the "valley of death" and support commercialization of disruptive science and research technologies. The Gap Fund also intends to recycle investment back to Oregon InC to support additional companies as an evergreen program. The Gap Fund is a critical component of Oregon's 10-Year Innovation Plan . "Elevate Capital, through its work with the Gap Fund, exposed a dire need for capital ..." Tweet this Business Oregon, via Oregon InC, previously awarded Elevate Capital $2.5 million to manage the state's first Commercialization Gap Fund in 2020. This year, Elevate has been awarded $4.5 million for Gap Fund 2. For Gap Fund 1, Elevate Capital invested in 15 companies over a 12-month period, with check sizes ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. Of these startups, 29% are led by women and another 29% have BIPOC or immigrant founders. Commercialization Gap Fund 2 Will Invest in Another 15 Early-Stage Companies For Fund 2, a $4.5 million State-financed Fund, Elevate Capital will invest in another 15 companies with larger check sizes from Fund 1, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, and increased follow-on funding. Like the first Fund, Gap Fund 2 will invest in early-stage innovation across Oregon Innovation Council's target industries, such as life science, cleantech, sustainable resources, advanced manufacturing, and active lifestyle. Elevate Capital will continue leveraging its experience as an industry leader investing in underserved founders, an especially important effort in the hard sciences. "Elevate Capital, through its work with the Gap Fund, exposed a dire need for capital for Oregon's early-stage companies coming out of its research institutions," said Nitin Rai, Founder and Managing Partner at Elevate Capital. "As the manager of the Gap Fund, Elevate Capital provides not only capital, but mentorship and business guidance as well we help companies achieve key technical and business development milestones. Achieving these goals is a critical step for Gap Fund companies to successfully raise additional capital from private angel and venture capital investors." "We are proud to have earned Business Oregon's trust and excited for the opportunity to continue collaborating towards our shared goal of supporting early-stage founders in Oregon," said Ben Nahir, Venture Principal at Elevate Capital. "Our first cohort of companies have done incredibly well in the last 18 months, with several raising funds from other investors. The additional capital provided by Business Oregon for Gap Fund 2 will significantly enhance our ability to make meaningful investments to support our next generation of founders." "Oregon has been a leading state supporting innovation and entrepreneurship through the critical work of the Oregon Innovation Council. It is incredibly exciting to partner with Elevate Capital to manage our private equity program, the Commercialization Gap Fund. This program enables the state to financially support early-stage science and research-based companies and benefit from their success. We fully intend for this program to prove to be an evergreen program that will support countless companies and fill existing capital gaps," said Kate Sinner, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Manager at Business Oregon. Commercialization Gap Fund 1 Companies Raised Additional Funding The partnership of Business Oregon's resources and Elevate Capital's management expertise in the first Commercialization Gap Fund have been integral to helping companies continue to raise additional funding, a critical objective for the program. Gap Fund 1 companies have raised over $4.5 million in additional outside investments and over $7.5 million in non-dilutive grant funding. Commercialization Gap Fund 1 companies include: Biomotum ( www.biomotum.com ): Biomotum is developing a soft-robotic exoskeleton to help kids with Cerebral Palsy and others with impaired mobility learn to walk. ): Biomotum is developing a soft-robotic exoskeleton to help kids with Cerebral Palsy and others with impaired mobility learn to walk. CytoImage ( www.cytoimage.bio ): CytoImage provides single cell multiplexed functional imaging to improve precision medicine. ): CytoImage provides single cell multiplexed functional imaging to improve precision medicine. LeapFrog Design ( www.leapfrog.design ): LeapFrog created a sustainable and scalable residential grey water recycling system. ): LeapFrog created a sustainable and scalable residential grey water recycling system. Promedix ( www.promedixinc.com ): Promedix is helping doctors and nurses identify and diagnose sepsis quickly to prevent critical injury. ): Promedix is helping doctors and nurses identify and diagnose sepsis quickly to prevent critical injury. Rewire Neuro ( www.rewireneuro.com ): Rewire Neuro uses machine learning to automate scientific image analysis, helping researchers publish data more quickly and efficiently. ): Rewire Neuro uses machine learning to automate scientific image analysis, helping researchers publish data more quickly and efficiently. Veana Therapeutics ( www.veana-therapeutics.com ): Veana developed and is testing an oral cancer treatment with very few side effects. ): Veana developed and is testing an oral cancer treatment with very few side effects. VitalFlo Health ( www.vitalflohealth.com ): VitalFlo provides patients and doctors with real-time respiratory monitoring to improve overall lung health. ): VitalFlo provides patients and doctors with real-time respiratory monitoring to improve overall lung health. HOLO Footwear ( www.holofootwear.com ): HOLO is an authentic, stylish, sustainable brand that sells shoes made from 100% recycled material at an accessible price. ): HOLO is an authentic, stylish, sustainable brand that sells shoes made from 100% recycled material at an accessible price. LifeAir ( www.lifeairmedical.com ): LifeAir is developing a disposable airway ventilator for use in hospitals to reduce ventilator-associated diseases such as pneumonia. ): LifeAir is developing a disposable airway ventilator for use in hospitals to reduce ventilator-associated diseases such as pneumonia. Magwire ( www.magwire.org ): Magwire is developing the next generation of flexible electronics using transparent conductive films. ): Magwire is developing the next generation of flexible electronics using transparent conductive films. Neurobiome ( www.neuro-biome.com ): Neurobiome is developing a gut-brain chip for high-throughput testing and discovery of gut microbiome-mediated neuroactive compounds. ): Neurobiome is developing a gut-brain chip for high-throughput testing and discovery of gut microbiome-mediated neuroactive compounds. ReNewCat Surfactants: ReNewCat created and is optimizing the synthetic process for a new, more effective surfactant used in the manufacture of nontoxic detergents. Skip Technology ( www.skiptek.com ): Skip Tech is developing a novel flow battery for large scale battery storage systems. ): Skip Tech is developing a novel flow battery for large scale battery storage systems. SomnoSeal ( www.kimberlymd.com/somnoseal ): SomnoSeal is a consumer product to help improve CPAP efficiency and reduce dry mouth and snoring. ): SomnoSeal is a consumer product to help improve CPAP efficiency and reduce dry mouth and snoring. StoneStable ( www.stonestable.com ): StoneStable is developing a silica-based coating technology to stabilize vaccines at room temperature, significantly reducing transport and storage costs. About Elevate Capital: Elevate Capital is a Pacific Northwest-based venture capital firm that invests nationally in early-stage underrepresented entrepreneurs, that includes women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and veterans. For instance, more than 62% of Elevate Capital Fund II investments are in women, 52% in African Americans (majority are women), 67% in founders of color, 10% LGBTQ+, 10% veterans, and 5% Latinx founder/CEO led startups. Since 2016, Elevate Capital has invested nearly $45 Million in 53 startups, of which more than 95% are led by diverse founders. Visit elevate.vc or follow Elevate Capital on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn . About Business Oregon: Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, invests in Oregon businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy. The Oregon Innovation Council, a public-private partnership, supports innovators to get new technologies from idea to market and sets the state's innovation agenda. Oregon Innovation Council is also responsible for the implementation of Oregon's 10-Year Innovation Plan - a state plan for innovation and economic competitiveness. Learn more at biz.oregon.gov . Media Contacts: Donna Lehmann Director of Marketing Elevate Capital 503-880-0538 [email protected] SOURCE Elevate Capital TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lil Durk ("LilDurk.com" or the "Company"), a Canadian news & technology company enhanced by A.I.-driven neural networks, announced today that they have raised an additional $20 million in equity through a private funding round led by Alexander Elder. Why it matters: The Canadian startup company's innovative approach to A.I.-driven news distribution technology, if successful, could allow top newswire outlets to significantly slash costs by creating more favorable news, and ultimately reduce the amount of misinformation. Lil Durk Zoom in: Lil Durk's interim CEO and co-founder Alexander Elder told our source in an interview that the company's technology relies on highly advanced, ESG friendly neural networks relying on blockchain technology to propagate newswire data. In contrast, other technology firms focused on using neural networks to produce similar newswire content, face the obstacle of acquiring funding to propel their innovation of artificial intelligence. Lil Durk's methods ultimately require little infrastructure to transport the automated content it produces. methods ultimately require little infrastructure to transport the automated content it produces. "We think that a new wave of innovation in the technology sector, in particular machine learning and neural networks, is going to rocket by the year of 2026," Mr. Elder says. The intrigue: Lil Durk had previously raised $15M in a private funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, commonly known as a16z, a prominent source of capital for various startup blockchain technology and software companies. In the near future, Lil Durk says they also plan to develop a KYC compliant and fully regulated decentralized crowdfunding platform which startup founders can utilize to raise capital and pitch their concept to investors. "Furthermore, we are in the process of finalizing some of the logistics for a world first Web3 crowdfunding platform ran on the Ethereum blockchain," Mr. Elder added. What's next: Mr. Elder tells us his company Lil Durk's number one priority is to build some of the latest and greatest technology available for newswire companies. Media Contact: Alexander Elder [email protected] (516) 253-4398 SOURCE Lil Durk Brand's Second-Largest Franchisee Continues to Invest with Leading Fast Casual Seafood Restaurant NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Memphis, kicking off a pipeline of new development planned for the area with Nufish, LLC, led by Operating Partner Joe Springer. Located at 4735 Getwell Road, the new restaurant marks the 11th Captain D's location in Memphis, all owned and operated by Springer and Nufish. The group, which is the second-largest franchisee in the seafood brand's system, has also signed a new agreement to develop 10 additional restaurants throughout the Memphis region, including Mississippi and Arkansas. "Experienced multi-unit franchisees like Joe Springer and the Nufish group have been an integral part of our sustained growth over the years," said Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D's. "In addition to being one of our largest operators, he is also one of our most successful, achieving same-store sales increases across all of his restaurants for the last 12 years. Joe's dedication to customer service and community involvement has allowed Captain D's to become a staple in Memphis, and we look forward to further expanding our footprint in the region." Since first signing on with Captain D's in 2009, Springer has continued to spearhead the brand's development in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. The Nufish group has steadily grown its portfolio, currently operating 20 locations and leveraging Springer's nearly two decades of experience in the restaurant industry. He maintains a deep understanding of the market and opportunities for the brand within it, building a robust pipeline with this new 10-unit agreement as well as completing a previous five-unit development deal with the opening of the Getwell Road location. Captain D's franchising momentum is a testament to the brand's unique positioning within the fast casual segment, which has enticed its existing franchisee base to continue investing while also attracting best-in-class operators looking to diversify their portfolios with a leading franchise concept. "I've been fortunate to spend the past 13 years of my career as a multi-unit franchisee within the Captain D's system. The brand has continued to provide unparalleled support to its operators, and its sustainable franchise model has enabled us to see consistent success across all our locations," said Joe Springer. "With the flexible prototypes and real estate options Captain D's offers, we continue to see opportunities for growth and are excited about this newest restaurant as well as those to come." The newest Captain D's at 4735 Getwell Road in Memphis features a vibrant, coastal design and welcoming atmosphere, serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price. With dining room seating for 42, the restaurant also has drive-thru, carry out, and call-ahead ordering options. Hours of operation are Sunday - Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call-ahead orders can be placed by calling (901) 356-9063. This year, Captain D's is set to open 14 restaurants across markets in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee and more. Two of these openings will be both franchise and company debuts of the new 'Express' prototype, a significantly smaller footprint featuring only a drive-thru and walk-up windows for ordering and picking up. Additionally, Captain D's is continuing to successfully convert vacant restaurant properties with a franchise opening in Elberton, Georgia, earlier this year, and two more conversions in Florida this summer. The brand remains focused on corporate and franchise development in target markets throughout the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, including Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. With more than 530 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-314-4819. ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has more than 530 restaurants in 23 states. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for 50 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature batter dipped fish. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, Tilapia and Salmon, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com. Contact: Nate Rubinstein Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 [email protected] SOURCE Captain D's SHANGHAI, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 2171.HK), a company focused on innovative CAR T-cell therapies for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, announces that Dr. Hua Jiang ("Dr. Jiang") has been appointed as Executive Director of the Company. Hua Jiang, MD, PhD Dr. Jiang has about 18 years of working experiences in the field of cancer biotherapy. She currently serves as Vice President of Early Discovery of CARsgen, responsible for formulating the strategy of early discovery and the construction of R&D pipeline. Dr. Jiang joined the Company in April 2021 as Senior Director of Immune Cell Research and Development Department, responsible for the research work of Immune Cell Research and Development and Preclinical Pharmacology. Dr. Jiang has contributed significantly to the early research, technology platform development, and innovative products development in CARsgen. Prior to joining the Company, from July 2007 to April 2021, Dr. Jiang worked at Shanghai Cancer Institute, responsible for the research and development of antibody and CAR T cells, as well as the related mechanisms. Dr. Jiang was a professor at Shanghai Cancer Institute and a doctoral supervisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Dr. Jiang has published more than 20 SCI papers in journals such as Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Clinical Cancer Research, Molecular Therapy, etc. She is the first author to publish the world's first CLDN18.2 CAR T and first EGFR/EGFRvIII CAR T papers and the co-corresponding author to publish the world's first paper on the combination therapy of small molecule and CAR T cells for the treatment of solid tumors. Dr. Jiang earned her Bachelor's degree in Clinical Medicine from Jining Medical College in 2001. She obtained Master's degree in Pathogen Biology from Shandong University in 2004 and Ph.D. in Pathogen Biology from Fudan University in 2007. Dr. Zonghai Li, Founder, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer of CARsgen, added, "On behalf of the Board, I would like to congratulate Dr. Jiang to be appointed as the Executive Director. Dr Jiang has rich experiences in cancer research and product development, particularly in the field of CAR T-cell therapies. As the Executive Director of the Board, Dr Jiang will contribute to the diversity of the Board and will continue to help us developing innovative and differentiated CAR T products for cancer patients worldwide." Dr. Hua Jiang, Executive Director, Vice President of Early Discovery of CARsgen, said, "I am pleased to become a member of the Board and would like to thank the Board for the recognition and trust. I will spare no efforts to continue working with colleagues in CARsgen to develop innovative products for cancer patients and make cancer curable." About CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited CARsgen is a biopharmaceutical company with operations in China and the U.S. and is focused on innovative CAR T-cell therapies for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The Company has built an integrated cell therapy platform with in-house capabilities that span target discovery, antibody development, clinical trials, and commercial-scale manufacturing. CARsgen has internally developed novel technologies and a product pipeline with global rights to address major challenges of CAR T-cell therapies, such as improving the safety profile, enhancing the efficacy in treating solid tumors and reducing treatment costs. The Company's vision is to become a global biopharmaceutical leader that brings innovative and differentiated cell therapies to cancer patients worldwide and makes cancer curable. Contact Us For more information, please visit https://www.carsgen.com/ SOURCE CARsgen Therapeutics SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CHARLES & KEITH the go-to label for stylish footwear, handbags and accessories announces that ITZY will be joining the CHARLES & KEITH family as its newest global brand ambassador. Fresh off releasing their comeback album, CHECKMATE, ITZY kicks off their appointment by fronting the brand's Fall 2022 campaign, debuting this season's key style, Lula patent bags and shoes. The campaign speaking a distinct visual language confident and commanding which captures the Lula's high gloss attitude and ITZY's magnetic presence. A celebration of freedom and authenticity, the girls show how they remain true to their style be it on-cam or off-duty. Renowned for their breakout anthems, including "DALLA DALLA" and "ICY", the girls are the beacon of pop culture: music artists, social media sensations, and arbiters of fashion. The quintet scored one of the biggest Billboard debuts for a new K-pop act when they broke into the scene in 2019, and have since bagged multiple hit singles. With themes of independence and self-love running through their lyrics, ITZY constantly empowers their fans to express themselves and live boldly with an authentic and unapologetic spirit. "It's an honour to be introduced as the new global brand ambassadors of CHARLES & KEITH! We're so excited for this new relationship as we'll be able to show our unique chemistry, and the many new sides of ITZY with the brand," said ITZY. "Please stay tuned for more ITZY and CHARLES & KEITH moments in the future!" "We could not be more thrilled to have ITZY join the CHARLES & KEITH family as the newest face of our brand," said brand co-founder, Keith Wong. "As the voice of a new generation, the ITZY girls aren't afraid to be true to themselves, and that's what makes them the perfect addition to our family." The campaign featuring ITZY officially goes live on 16 August 2022, and the fall collection will be available in retail stores and on CHARLESKEITH.COM in August 2022. SOURCE Charles & Keith ARISS contact is scheduled with scouts at the Swiss National Scout Jamboree in the Goms Valley, Urlichen Switzerland Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and Swiss scouts at their national scout jamboree occurring in Goms Valley. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS. The Swiss Guide and Scout Movement, Bern, Switzerland is hosting this ARISS contact for scouts that are attending the two-week-long Swiss national scout jamboree MOVA in the Goms Valley. About 35,000 scouts participate in this jamboree, coming from all over the country. This ARISS contact will have an audience consisting of male and female scouts and leaders, ages ranging between 7 and 28 years with various educational levels and STEM disciplines. Scouts will be participating in radio workshops (radio propagation and radio operation) during the jamboree. These workshops include Earth-Moon-Earth communication,and space communication technology. In the days that led up to the ISS contact,scouts have participated in demonstrations of amateur radio on the HF, VHF, and UHF ham bands that included their participated in amateur radio traffic.English, French, Italian and German are the languages expected to be used during the contact. This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, amateur radio call sign IZUDF. Local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station. The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Goms Valley nearUrlichen, Switzerland. Amateur radio operators using call sign HB9JAM, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for August3, 2022 at2:23pmCEST (Switzerland)(12:23:28UTC, 8 :23 am EDT, 7:23am CDT, 6:23am MDT, 5:23 am PDT). The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq64C8qJD-okYt-b_nwKUjA and https://www.mova.ch/it/radio. As time allows, students will ask these questions: 1. Are present ISS crew members in scouts? 2. Kann man das Lagergelande von da oben sehen? 3. A quelle frequence etes vous ravitailles en aliments et boissons? 4. Questa e' la tua seconda missione, ce ne sara' una terza? 5. How do you prepare your meals? 6. Was passiert bei einem medizinischen Notfall? 7. Que ressentez-vous en voyant la Terre de loin et cela a-t-il change votre vision de l'humanite ? 8. Com'e' stato indossare per la prima volta una tuta spaziale? E' accogliente? 9. Is it hard to sleep in Zero G? 10. Wie redundant sind die Lebenserhaltungssysteme in einem Raumanzug? 11. Est-il difficile de manger en apesanteur? 12. Come si rinnuova laria sulla ISS? 13. What is the coolest thing you can see from the ISS? 14. Haben Sie Freizeit? Was machen Sie in Ihrer Freizeit? 15. Les dechets sont-ils recycles sur l'ISS? 16. Cosa ne pensi del turismo spaziale? 17. How much energy do the solar panels produce? 18. Was fur ein Funkgerat benutzen Sie um mit uns zu sprechen? 19. Quelle est la chose la plus interessante que vous avez faite sur lISS? 20. Ti piacerebbe volare sulla Luna? Translation: 1. Are present ISS crew members in scouts? 2. Can you see the camp grounds from up there? 3. How often are you supplied with food and drink? 4. This is your second mission, will there be a third? 5. How do you prepare your meals? 6. What happens in a medical emergency? 7. How do you feel seeing the Earth from afar and has it changed your view of humanity? 8. What was it like wearing a spacesuit for the first time? Is it comfortable? 9. Is it hard to sleep in Zero G? 10. How redundant are the life support systems in a space suit? 11. Is it difficult to eat in weightlessness? 12. How is the air renewed on the ISS? 13. What is the coolest thing you can see from the ISS? 14. Do you have free time? What are you doing in your spare time? 15. Is waste recycled on the ISS? 16. What do you think about space tourism? 17. How much energy do the solar panels produce? 18. What radio are you using to speak to us? 19. What's the most interesting thing you've done on the ISS? 20. Would you like to fly to the Moon? About ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and NASAs Space communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org . Media Contact: Dave Jordan, AA4KN ARISS PR Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status. Check out ARISS on Youtube.com. GMP commercial manufacturing license authorized by the National Drug Regulatory Authority, demonstrating Chime Biologics' capabilities in large scale commercial production Only 18 months to help LEPU Biopharma to obtain the approval of Puyouheng in a new drug application demonstrating "Chime Biologics Unprecedented Speed" WUHAN, China, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 2, 2022 (Beijing time), Chime Biologics, a leading CDMO that enables its partners' success in biologics, announced that it has received the commercial manufacturing license from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), which represents Chime Biologics has achieved another remarkable milestone by having established sound quality operations on commercial scale. After 18 months of intensive product development and manufacturing collaboration with publicly listed LEPU Biopharma (2157.HK), Chime Biologics successfully passed pre-approval inspection (PAI) including on-site inspection and GMP compliance inspection, which proved that Chime Biologics has been highly recognized not only on technical expertise for late stage biologics development, but also on data integrity and GMP compliance in the manufacturing and quality management system. Under the partnership, LEPU Biopharma announced its first innovative biological drug, anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody Puyouheng (pucotenlimab injection), has been conditionally approved for marketing by NMPA. The drug is approved for patients with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) advanced solid tumors. Chime Biologics serves as a long-term partner to biopharmaceutical clients with sound solutions for manufacturing and more recently moved into late stage and commercial manufacturing. Chime Biologics can support the clients on every stage of biologics CMC work portfolio (CLD to commercial manufacturing) and with unprecedented speed. Dr. Mary Hu, Co-General Manager of LEPU Biopharma, said, "We are pleased to see the approval of the first indication of pucotenlimab in China, which is also the first marketed product of LEPU Biopharma and officially kicked off the commercialization of our company. During the process of collaborating with Chime Biologics, we recognize its world-class expertise in CMC development and manufacturing, as well as the ability to deliver projects in a timely manner. We appreciate the efforts of Chime Biologics, and look forward to the subsequent commercialization of the product to provide more options for oncology patients worldwide and improve their quality of life." Dr. John Zeng, Chief Executive Officer of Chime Biologics, said, " We are honored to work with LEPU Biopharma to move pucotenlimab from clinical phase II scale-up manufacturing to BLA approval on the Chime Biologics CMC platform. This also marks the official entry of Chime Biologics into the era of commercial production service. Chime Biologics will work with Lepu side by side to provide alternative medical solutions to cancer patients in China and the rest of the world. Chime Biologics also has a robust pipeline of late-stage customers and we are committed to bringing those biological products to the market as soon as possible." About LEPU BIOPHARMA (2157.HK) LEPU BIOPHARMA is committed to innovation, focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class and best-in-class drug candidates in targeted anti-tumor therapy and immunotherapy drugs in China and the US. The company's mission is to develop the safest, most effective, and most accessible drugs for patients to improve their quality of life and fill the huge demand gap in the medical system. The company attaches great importance to the continuous construction of its commercialization capabilities, and strives to achieve a strong transformation from core technologies to finished drugs as well as the goal of industrialization. At present, the product pipeline of LEPU BIOPHARMA covers three major areas, namely immunotherapies, ADC targeted therapies and oncolytic virus drugs, including 1 commercially marketing drug and 7 drug candidates at the clinical stage (5 of which are ADC drugs) and the combination therapies of multiple major drug candidates at the clinical stage. The company houses the leading ADC drug candidate pipeline in China. About CHIME BIOLOGICS Chime Biologics is a leading CDMO with the world's first modular biopharmaceutical factory, KuBio. It empowers the entire biologics processes - from cell line development to commercial manufacturing. Chime Biologics provides one-stop CMC solutions to worldwide biomedical customers, relying on cell line development and advanced technology development from its Shanghai Innovation Center and proven success in IND-enabling through BLA filing at its Wuhan campus. We share a common goal to make cutting-edge biologics affordable and accessible to all patients globally, fulfilling its commitment to human health. SOURCE Chime Biologics A new concrete perspective for metropolitan neighbourhoods. ORVIETO, Italy, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In the last decade many big cities, from Busan to Barcelona, from Bruxelles to Taipei, asked Cittaslow to work together to improve quality of life and to spread the Cittaslow philosophy in metropolitan areas. The International Cittaslow Association has been active in many countries since 1999, this provides a well-established experience in 32 different countries. The Cittaslow Metropolis model was created to satisfy this need, a need which becomes strategic for the entire planet. The concept has been developed by the Cittaslow Metropolis International Working Group coordinated by HQ in Italy with French, South Korean and Turkish Cittaslow managers, the Izmir Mayor and Cittaslow Vice-President Tunc Soyer, the Izmir based institutions, academics, NGOs and local people. "After over two years of piloting the project in three quarters of Izmir," - says the President of Cittaslow, Mauro Migliorini, the Mayor of Asolo (It) - "today we are ready to propose a local government model prioritising slow philosophy and good living." The ideas of civil society representatives, professional institutions, experts, and academics about life specific to Izmir and metropolitan cities in general were analysed together with the prevailing views in this field in the world and compared with the Cittaslow philosophy. Citizens of each neighbourhood choose from a check-list of 'slow actions' and 'projects' the most important projects to realize in their neighbourhood within a certain timeframe. "The City management," explains the Izmir Mayor, Tunc Soyer - "is checking that the activities that are organised in line with people's needs and Cittaslow principles, are inclusive, planned and programmed. We assure that everyone can access services and activities within the framework of the principles of fairness and equality." Checklists highlight the main areas of focus for development. There are a number of methods proposed to achieve the checklist items. Most of these methods have been tested in Izmir during the Cittaslow Metropolis concept development. One can also find the projects that have been developed and implemented in accordance with Cittaslow's methods in Izmir. The main pillars of the new concept are: Cittaslow metropolitan neighbourhoods (Izmir) Community first: T he active participation of all the residents in decision-making and policy-making processes for the future of the city and its inhabitants. Good governance: T o increase the abilities of the city administration and make it more effective, transparent, egalitarian and innovative, fostering the existence of openness, participation, transparency, accountability, efficiency and harmony in management. Sustainable and quality mobility: Mobility is one of the most important issues in urban life due to increasing transportation problems. Less or zero fossil, increasing sustainable mobility, walkability and bikeability to ensure the city is enjoyed by everyone. Urban resilience: T o fight the global crises, it has been necessary to raise awareness and take measures regarding the protection and sustainability of existing resources. Resilience means a strong local circular economy and use of renewable energy resources. Access to good and healthy food: E veryone has the right to have fair access to healthy, natural and safe food. There is no doubt that production activities carried out with nature-friendly, alternative techniques will support the development of sustainable agriculture. Cittaslow Neighbourhoods: T he programme is founded on the idea that quality of life can be improved throughout the city through peaceful, self-sufficient neighbourhoods based on civic engagement. On 3 September 2022 in Izmir the Presidency Committee of Cittaslow International will meet. The Mayors will visit the 3 Cittaslow Metropolis districts of Izmir and will participate in Terra Madre Anatolia. Media contacts: Luca Filippetti [email protected] +39 0763 341818 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1870573/Cittaslow_Metropolis_Izmir.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1559015/Cittaslow_Logo.jpg SOURCE Cittaslow International THUNDER BAY, ON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (FRA: CKU) (OTCQB: CLRMF) is pleased to announce new assay results from the 2022 drill campaign from both the Escape and Current PGE-Cu-Ni Deposits at the Company's Thunder Bay North Project near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (the "Project"). New assay highlights from the Escape deposit area includes (Table 1): Infill Hole ELR22-145 which intersected 19.0m grading 2.04g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.52g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.87% Copper (Cu) and 0.45% Nickel (Ni) from 516.0m - 535.5m downhole, including 5.0m grading 2.56g/t Pt, 3.22g/t Pd, 1.17% Cu and 0.70% Ni from 518.0- 523.0m downhole and increases the known dimensions of the Escape High Grade Zone ("HGZ") (Figure 1). New assay highlights from the Current deposit area includes (Table 1): Metallurgical bulk sample Hole CLM22-005 (HQ core) which intersected 12.0m grading 2.28g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.14g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.45% Copper (Cu) and 0.32% Nickel (Ni) from 142.0m - 154.0m downhole including 2.0m grading 4.40g/t Platinum (Pt), 4.60g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.01% Copper (Cu) and 0.84% Nickel (Ni) from 144.0- 146.0m downhole (Figure 1) which provides validation to the grade profile of the production area in Years 1-4 of the PEA mine plan; from - downhole including from 144.0- downhole (Figure 1) which provides validation to the grade profile of the production area in Years 1-4 of the PEA mine plan; Metallurgical bulk sample Hole CLM22-006 (HQ core) which intersected 24.2m grading 1.85g/t Platinum (Pt), 1.84g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.46% Copper (Cu) and 0.27% Nickel (Ni) from 150.0m - 174.2m downhole (Figure 2). Mineral resource endowment and platinum-equivalents are quoted pursuant the Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") set out in the technical report prepared by Nordmin Engineering Ltd. and titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Thunder Bay North Project, Thunder Bay, Ontario", effective December 1, 2021 and filed January 12, 2022. Nordmin as QP utilized 2-year trailing average metal price assumptions1 for the updated mineral resource as a basis for the PEA. _________________________ 1 CRU 2-year metal price assumptions can be viewed in the following Link (Click Here) Clean Air Metals featured in upcoming Renmark Virtual Road Shows The Company is also pleased to announce that they will be participating in Renmark Financial Communications Inc.'s live Virtual Non-Deal Roadshow Series to discuss its latest investor presentation on Thursday, August 4, at 1PM PDT, and Tuesday August 16, at 1:00PM PDT. Clean Air Metals Inc. welcomes stakeholders, investors, and other individual followers to register and attend this live event. The presentation will feature Abraham Drost, CEO & Director. Topics to be covered will include the latest investor presentation followed by a live Q&A. Investors interested in participating in this event will need to register using the link below. As a reminder, registration for the live event may be limited, but access to the replay after the event will be on the company's investor page. REGISTER HERE (using latest version of Google Chrome) Thursday, August 4, 2022 (Los Angeles, CA) https://www.renmarkfinancial.com/events/renmark-virtual-non-deal-roadshow-tsx-v-air-otcqb-clrmf-2022-08-04-130000 Tuesday, August 16, 2022 (Vancouver, BC) https://www.renmarkfinancial.com/events/renmark-virtual-non-deal-roadshow-tsx-v-air-otcqb-clrmf-2022-08-16-130000 DRA Selected as PFS Metallurgical Process Provider The Company again states that DRA AMERICAS INC ("DRA") is the successful bid under a request for proposal (RFP) for Pre-feasibility Metallurgical Testing and Process Plant Design for the Thunder Bay North Project. The DRA team has reviewed the existing and historical metallurgical testing results and marketing studies culminating in the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) by Nordmin Engineering, the technical report of which was filed on SEDAR on January 12, 2022. DRA will leverage existing knowledge on standard crush, grind, flotation process design and smelter payabilities into the next phase of testing and metallurgical optimization, including amenability to hydrometallurgical recoveries of the main platinum, palladium, copper, nickel commodity suite with rhodium, cobalt, gold and silver byproducts. SLR Selected as PFS Mineral Resource Validation Service Provider The Company has selected and contracted SLR Consulting through an RFP process to provide independent validation of an updated TBN Project resource estimate for the Pre-feasibility study. The updated resource estimate will include 53600 m of new drilling completed on Escape deposit since the release of the March 4, 2021 Technical report and 6500m of additional infill drilling on the Current deposit since the cutoff date for the PEA. Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) The Company announced a comprehensive mine plan and cashflow model for both the Escape Deposit and Current Deposit as part of a PEA for the Current and Escape PGE-Cu-Ni Deposits of the Thunder Bay North Project on December 1, 2021. The related Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on January 12, 2022 https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5750/21015-01-pfs-0000_ni_43_101_pea_12jan2022.pdf Table 1: New Insitu Assay Results Update Escape HGZ and Current Metallurgical samples (Figure 1) Hole ID Company From, m To, m Length, m Pt+Pd (ppm) Cu+Ni (%) Pt (ppm) Pd (ppm) Cu (%) Ni (%) ELR22-145 AIR 458 505.2 47.2 2.02 0.64 0.88 1.14 0.42 0.22 ELR22-145 AIR 516 535 19.0 4.56 1.32 2.04 2.52 0.87 0.45 *incl. 518 523 5.0 5.78 1.87 2.56 3.22 1.17 0.70 *incl. 528 531 3.0 5.88 1.42 2.65 3.23 1.00 0.42 CL22-045 AIR 148 150 2.0 1.38 0.29 0.74 0.64 0.11 0.18 CL22-048 AIR 190 192 2.0 1.61 0.24 0.83 0.77 0.12 0.13 CL22-048 AIR 194 198 4.0 1.47 0.22 0.77 0.70 0.13 0.09 CL22-049 AIR 167 177.54 10.5 2.06 0.38 1.07 0.99 0.19 0.20 CLM22- 005 AIR 142 154 12.0 4.43 0.77 2.28 2.14 0.45 0.32 *incl. 144 146 2.0 9.00 1.84 4.40 4.60 1.01 0.84 *incl. 150 152 2.0 5.82 0.77 3.14 2.68 0.54 0.23 CLM22- 005 AIR 190 192 2.0 1.23 0.39 0.62 0.61 0.18 0.20 CLM22- 006 AIR 150 174.2 24.2 3.69 0.73 1.85 1.84 0.46 0.27 Note: 1) All intercepts are estimated to be >95% of true width based on drill hole inclination 2) Mineralized intervals calculated at 1 ppm Pt+Pd cutoff 3) Metallurgical recoveries estimated at 95% Copper; 85% Sulphide Nickel (52% total Ni); 87% Palladium; 82% Platinum Abraham Drost, CEO of Clean Air Metals stated that "the Escape and Current deposits continue to perform. Potential peer leading mining head grades and proximity to infrastructure near the City of Thunder Bay and support of the affected First Nation and Metis communities for this sustainable green energy metal mix position the project well. These factors combined with DRA's work targeted on improving ore payabilities are critical to success of the project. This infill drilling on the margins and extension of the Escape High Grade Zone (HGZ) and metallurgical bulk sampling (HQ core) initially on Years 1-4 of the PEA mine plan on the Current Deposit continues to deliver strong results. The Lower Current and Bridge Zones of the Current Deposit may be accessed 70m below surface and provide a strong start to mining at the Thunder Bay North Project, pursuant to the PEA mine plan. The Escape High Grade Zone (>5g/t Pt+Pd) is also identified as a high value potential mining area at the base of the Escape Deposit contributing feed to the mill at Year 4.5 of the PEA mine plan, pursuant to the recently delivered PEA technical report filed January 12, 2022." Figure 1: New Drill Hole Intercepts in the Escape Deposit Area https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5809/elr_20220623_v2.png Figure 2: New Drill Hole Intercepts in the Current Deposit Area https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5809/cl_20220623_v3.png Annual General Meeting Results The Company is pleased to announce that the shareholders of the Company approved all matters at its Annual General Meeting held on July 27, 2022, as follows: (i) the election of Abraham Drost, James Gallagher, Dean Chambers, Shannin Metatawabin, MaryAnn Crichton and Ewan Downie as directors of the Company for the ensuing year; and (ii) the appointment of Manning Elliott LLP as Auditor for the Company for the ensuing year. To access the recording of the AGM, which includes a corporate presentation, please visit: https://momentum.adobeconnect.com/_a832732884/p4cjsznl3bly/. COVID Policy Clean Air Metals continued to apply COVID-19 avoidance and personal protection measures for its geological staff, drilling contractor and service suppliers. Personnel are required to self-monitor and self-isolate or elect to work from home. The Company closely follows Ontario Provincial Government COVID guidelines. Qualified Person Dr. Geoff Heggie, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and Vice President - Exploration for the Company, has reviewed and approved all technical information in this press release. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Clean Air Metals uses ALS Global ("ALS"), a well-established and recognized mineral assay and geochemical analytical services company. The Thunder Bay laboratory holds ISO-9000 accreditation; the Vancouver facility holds ISO-17025 registration. All NQ-sized drill core is cut with a diamond-tipped saw blade with half of the core submitted to ALS for sample preparation and analysis. Core samples from selected intervals are individually bagged and tagged, gathered up in larger sealed poly bags and shipped to the sample prep facility in Thunder Bay, ON under custody of Clean Air Metals' personnel at all times. Sample preparation is completed at the ALS sample preparation facility located in Thunder Bay, ON and analysis is completed at the primary ALS assay laboratory located in Vancouver, B.C. Clean Air Metals follows a documented quality control procedure for its core assay sampling program consisting of the insertion of blind blanks, duplicates, and certified Palladium-Platinum and Copper-Nickel standards into the sample stream. The insertion procedure results in a minimum of 11% to 12% control sample frequency depending on the length of the sampled interval. Gold, platinum, and palladium are analyzed using fire assay (FA) with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) finish. Samples with grades above the optimal ICP-MS detection limits are analyzed using an optical emission spectroscopy method (ICP-OES). Also, thirty-three (33) elements of each sample, including copper, nickel, silver, chromium, cobalt, and sulphur, are analyzed by a multi-element analytical method using the atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) technique following four-acid digestion of the sample. When samples have grades above the optimal detection limits for this analytical method, they are re-analyzed using a high-grade method consisting of either ICP-AES or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) techniques. Indigenous Community Social and Economic Engagement Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock First Nation and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the Cooperating Participants in a Memorandum of Agreement dated January 9, 2021 (press release January 11, 2021) and Exploration Agreement signed April 13, 2022 (press release April 14, 2022). The Company appreciates the opportunity to work in these territories and remains committed to the recognition and respect of those who have lived, traveled, and gathered on the lands since time immemorial. Clean Air Metals is committed to stewarding Indigenous heritage and remains committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation. About Clean Air Metals Inc. Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel project located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Thunder Bay North Project hosts the twin magma conduit bodies which host the Current and Escape deposits forming the basis for a robust preliminary economic assessment (PEA) filed January 12, 2002. The PEA of a ramp access underground mine and on-site 3600tpd milling complex and the 2-year trailing average price deck, features a pretax NPV5 of C$425m and an IRR of 31% on initial capital of $367m over a 10-year mine life. Executive Chair Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced technical team who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development prefeasibility studies for a low-carbon, all-electric sustainable mining operation at Thunder Bay North. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December 2019, Jim Gallagher and team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Abraham Drost" Abraham Drost, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Air Metals Inc. Website: www.cleanairmetals.ca 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. Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements regarding the potential of the Thunder Bay North Project and the Escape and Current deposits and timing of technical studies including prefeasibility studies and updated mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection. SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. , Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- equipifi, a fintech company providing banks and credit unions with a white label Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution, announced that Colleen Shannon will be joining as its Chief Financial Officer. Shannon will be responsible for overseeing finance and operations at equipifi, playing a key role in determining growth and hiring strategy, back-office infrastructure, and new partnerships as the company scales. equipifi announced that Colleen Shannon will be joining as its Chief Financial Officer. Tweet this equipifi, a fintech company providing banks and credit unions with a white label Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution, announced that Colleen Shannon will be joining as its Chief Financial Officer. Shannon is an accomplished financial executive with extensive experience in SaaS, high growth startups, and venture and private equity backed companies. Shannon is an accomplished financial executive with extensive experience in SaaS, high growth startups, and venture and private equity backed companies. Most recently, she was the CFO of CampusLogic, Inc. which was acquired in April 2022 by Ellucian, a Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners portfolio company. At CampusLogic, she was responsible for the accounting, finance, business operations, people operations, and legal functions. Shannon is also an exceptional operational leader with experience in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to CampusLogic, Shannon also served as the CFO of Remarkable Health and Lumension Security. "I'm thrilled to be a part of such an outstanding team that is building a market leading BNPL solution," said Colleen Shannon. "As costs of goods and services continue to increase nationwide, consumers want increased financial flexibility more than ever before. equipifi is partnering with financial institutions to provide that in a way that centers consumer financial health." "Colleen is a perfect fit for the equipifi team," said Bryce Deeney, CEO and co-founder of equipifi. "Not only does she see tremendous potential for equipifi, but she also brings the industry experience and leadership needed to scale our company in a way that meets the growth and appetite for BNPL we are seeing in the marketplace." About equipifi equipifi is a fintech SaaS powering banks and credit unions with Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions that align with their customers' financial goals. The equipifi platform seamlessly integrates with financial institutions to help them deepen customer engagement, grow market share, increase revenue, and provide a single place to view, accept, and manage BNPL plans on their existing digital banking app. equipifi's investors include Curql Collective, PHX Ventures, SixThirty Ventures, Rise of the Rest, New Stack Ventures, SaaS Ventures, Baleon Capital, and several notable angel investors including Hamid Shojaee and Atomic CEO Jordan Wright. For more information, please visit www.equipifi.com. SOURCE equipifi Commercial Electric Fryer Market 2020-2024: Scope The commercial electric fryer market report covers the following areas: Commercial Electric Fryer Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis AB Electrolux, Bayou Classic Fryers, Conair Corp., Gourmia Inc., Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd., Henny Penny Corp., Illinois Tool Works Inc., The Middleby Corp., Welbilt Inc., and Yescom USA, Inc. are among some of the major market participants. The key offerings of some of these vendors are listed below: AB Electrolux - The company offers commercial electric floor-standing fryers with single or double wells under the Electrolux brand in this series. The equipment features an overheat protection thermostat and a thermostatic control of oil temperature up to 365 degrees F. It also offers countertop fryers. The company offers commercial electric floor-standing fryers with single or double wells under the Electrolux brand in this series. The equipment features an overheat protection thermostat and a thermostatic control of oil temperature up to 365 degrees F. It also offers countertop fryers. Gourmia Inc. - The company manufactures deep fryers under its brand name with a capacity of 3 and 4.2 liters. The deep fryers come with both single and double tanks. The company manufactures deep fryers under its brand name with a capacity of 3 and 4.2 liters. The deep fryers come with both single and double tanks. Bayou Classic Fryers - The company offers Bayou Classic 700-701 4 Gallon Bayou Fryer, which is made of stainless steel and is a free-standing fryer with a temperature gauge and drain valve. It also offers Bayou Classic 700-709 9 Gallon Bayou Fryer and Bayou Classic 700-725 2.5 Gallon Bayou Fryer. The company offers Bayou Classic 700-701 4 Gallon Bayou Fryer, which is made of stainless steel and is a free-standing fryer with a temperature gauge and drain valve. It also offers Bayou Classic 700-709 9 Gallon Bayou Fryer and Bayou Classic 700-725 2.5 Gallon Bayou Fryer. Conair Corp. - The company offers Heavy Duty Deep Fryers, which include a 30-minute timer, and the temperature can be controlled up to 390 degrees F. It also offers Double Deep Fryer. The company offers Heavy Duty Deep Fryers, which include a 30-minute timer, and the temperature can be controlled up to 390 degrees F. It also offers Double Deep Fryer. Yescom USA , Inc. - The company sells deep fryers with capacities ranging from 11-24 liters with timer controls and drainage faucets. It also sells heavy-duty stainless steel deep fryers with large tanks for commercial applications. This report provides a full list of key vendors, their strategies, and the latest developments in the commercial electric fryer market. Request a PDF Sample Now Commercial Electric Fryer Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Type Floor Standing Countertop Geography APAC North America Europe South America MEA Commercial Electric Fryer Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist commercial electric fryer market growth during the next five years Estimation of the commercial electric fryer market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the commercial electric fryer market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of commercial electric fryer market vendors Related Reports Residential Cooking Grills Market Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2022-2026 Air Fryer Market Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2022-2026 Commercial Electric Fryer Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.61% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 324.53 million Market structure Concentrated YoY growth (%) 5.22 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 39% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, and Australia Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled AB Electrolux, Bayou Classic Fryers, Conair Corp., Gourmia Inc., Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd., Henny Penny Corp., Illinois Tool Works Inc., The Middleby Corp., Welbilt Inc., and Yescom USA, 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, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Table of Contents: 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: Household appliances 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 Floor standing - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Floor standing - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 18: Floor standing - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Countertop - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: Countertop - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 20: Countertop - 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 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 25: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 26: APAC - 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 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 31: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 32: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 33: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 34: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 35: Key leading countries 7.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges Exhibit 37: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 38: Vendor landscape 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 39: Landscape disruption Exhibit 40: Industry risks 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 41: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 42: Market positioning of vendors 10.3 AB Electrolux Exhibit 43: AB Electrolux - Overview Exhibit 44: AB Electrolux - Business segments Exhibit 45: AB Electrolux- Key news Exhibit 46: AB Electrolux - Key offerings Exhibit 47: AB Electrolux - Segment focus 10.4 Avantco Equipment 10.5 Conair Corp. Exhibit 51: Conair Corp. - Overview Exhibit 52: Conair Corp. - Product and service Exhibit 53: Conair Corp. - Key offerings 10.6 Gourmia Inc. Exhibit 54: Gourmia Inc. - Overview Exhibit 55: Gourmia Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 56: Gourmia Inc. - Key offerings 10.7 Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd. Exhibit 57: Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 58: Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 59: Hakka Brothers Machinery Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.8 Henny Penny Corp. Exhibit 60: Henny Penny Corp. - Overview Exhibit 61: Henny Penny Corp. - Product and service Exhibit 62: Henny Penny Corp. - Key news Exhibit 63: Henny Penny Corp. - Key offerings 10.9 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Exhibit 64: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Overview Exhibit 65: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 66: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 67: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Segment focus 10.10 The Middleby Corp. Exhibit 68: The Middleby Corp. - Overview Exhibit 69: The Middleby Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 70: The Middleby Corp. - Key news Exhibit 71: The Middleby Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 72: The Middleby Corp. - Segment focus 10.11 Welbilt Inc. Exhibit 73: Welbilt Inc. - Overview Exhibit 74: Welbilt Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 75: Welbilt Inc. - Key news Exhibit 76: Welbilt Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 77: Welbilt Inc. - Segment focus 10.12 Yescom USA Inc. Inc. Exhibit 78: Yescom USA Inc. - Overview Inc. - Overview Exhibit 79: Yescom USA Inc. - Product and service Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 80: Yescom USA Inc. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 81: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.3 Research methodology Exhibit 82: Research Methodology Exhibit 83: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 84: Information sources 11.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 85: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Free webinar will take a deep dive into automotive cybersecurity risks and trends TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybellum, a leading provider of the Product Security Platform for vehicle, product, and device manufacturers, announced today the opening of registration for a free webinar that will preview the soon to be released State of Automotive Software Security 2022 Research Report. The webinar will take place on Tuesday August 9th at 11am EDT. Instant registration is available here. All participants will receive an advanced copy of the report. 2022 hasn't been an easy year for cybersecurity professionals in the automotive industry. Hackers are increasingly setting their sights on connected vehicles including the much-publicized ethical Tesla hacks, a ransomware attack against Honda, and a suspected attack on a local Toyota supplier. These are only a few examples from the rapidly evolving threat landscape. In addition, there is a rising risk to supply chain security due to reliance on complex software supply chains for connected vehicles, and recent supply chain shortages and breakdowns that push the automotive industry to rely on new and often un-vetted suppliers. The regulatory requirement for SBOMs is one of the ways to address supply chain security, but many teams are still struggling to create, remediate and manage SBOMs in a continuous and automated way that includes a complete system view, covering proprietary, third party, and open-source code without slowing down production. "The next phase of WP.29 which came into direct effect this July, adds even more compliance and regulation requirements to product security teams' already-heavy workload," said David Leichner, CMO at Cybellum. "Our security analysts have dug deep into Cybellum's Product Security Platform database, covering over 100 automotive software components, to find the most common security vulnerabilities and vulnerable components in today's vehicles." This webinar will offer a preview of the report and will discuss in detail its findings including the most common vulnerabilities and vulnerable components. Register for the webinar here. About Cybellum Cybellum enables automotive OEMs and suppliers to keep the products they build secure and compliant, every single moment of their life. Industry leaders use Cybellum's product security platform to fuse security into every phase of the product lifecycle. Powered by Cyber Digital Twins technology -- a live digital replica of every software component inside your devices Cybellum allows product security teams to manage cyber risk continuously, whatever new threat arises. From living SBOMs to automated vulnerability management and continuous monitoring, teams can ensure their product portfolio is secure from design to post-production and beyond. www.cybellum.com Cybellum Media Contact Annette Habani Marketing Manager, Cybellum [email protected] SOURCE Cybellum Mowilex earns recognition for its commitment to sustainability, innovation and leadership JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PT Mowilex Indonesia (Mowilex) has earned a 2022 Best Managed Companies in Indonesia award from Deloitte, becoming the only paint company to receive the prestigious honour. The Indonesia's Best Managed Companies program recognises top privately-owned Indonesian companies for their organisational success, industry contributions and economic impact. PT Mowilex Indonesia received Best Managed Companies Awards, at Pullman Hotel Jakarta. An independent panel evaluated applicants against a framework applied to 1,200 other companies in 48 countries worldwide. Judges reviewed strategy, management quality, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and governance and financials. Mowilex stood out among a large and competitive field thanks, in part, to its commitment to quality and environmental responsibility . "An award is a snapshot in time, not a destination. Mowilex faces complex challenges and formidable competition, but we succeed when we embrace leadership opportunities and strive for continuous improvement," says Niko Safavi, CEO of PT Mowilex Indonesia. "Our vision is to be the most trusted paint brand in our market. This Deloitte recognition proves that we can be just that." Safavi received the Best Managed Companies award during a July ceremony at the Hotel Pullman Jakarta. Several Deloitte representatives gathered to recognise Mowilex and other 2022 winners. " The inclusion of these six companies in this year's winners' list , as well as their contributions to the business community and the Indonesian economy, should make them extremely proud. These companies are at the forefront of their industries, having demonstrated such creativity and innovation, especially over the past couple of years. We applaud the 2022 winners of Indonesia's Best Managed Companies," says Claudia Lauw, Country Managing Partner, Deloitte Indonesia. By participating in the evaluation process, business leaders gain insights that help them refine operations and optimize growth. "It can be difficult for people outside our industry to get excited about paint, and we appreciate that Deloitte chose Mowilex from a field of large, well-managed companies and high-profile unicorns here in Indonesia," says Safavi. "Each Mowilex team member does their part to work efficiently and effectively. This Best Managed Companies award recognises that company-wide commitment to success." The Indonesia's Best Managed Companies award is based on the 29-year-old global Best Managed Companies program, an initiative of Deloitte Private. For information on Mowilex products and sustainability initiatives, please visit mowilex.com/en . SOURCE PT Mowilex Indonesia Smoler Smiles Awarded Diamond Center of Excellence PLYMOUTH, Mich., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Bruce Smoler is recognized for achieving a superior level of clinical excellence, a Diamond Doctor of Excellence by Neocis, the provider of the state-of-the-art robotic-assisted dental implant technology, called Yomi. Along with Dr. Smoler, his practice Smoler Smiles, is recognized as a Diamond Center of Excellence for learning, embracing, and excelling with the robotic-assisted technology for their patients. Bruce Smoler, DDS, FAGD, FICOI Dr. Smoler and his highly trained team have achieved the Diamond Level, Center of Excellence by demonstrating their clinical expertise by performing a vast number of Dental Implants placed with the Yomi Robotic-Assisted Technology Device. This level of excellence also awards Dr. Smoler for his mastery of skills and technology while embracing the autonomous procedures with the Yomi Robotic System. In becoming comfortable and mastering the technique with the first and only FDA-approved robotic device, Dr. Smoler has placed his own implant using the robotic-assisted dental implant device. "If it's good enough for me, then it's good enough for my patients," says Dr. Smoler. This state-of-the-art implant robotic technology ensures highly accurate and desired implant placement for patient in need of a dental implant. The technology offers a minimally invasive, time-saving approach that is more precise than the human hand. Patients benefit from less time in a chair, fewer visits, greater patient comfort with faster healing time. "At Smoler Smiles, we believe no one should have to suffer from the problems of missing teeth, poor fitting dentures and partials. Our goal is to help all suffering patients enjoy transformational dentistry, allowing them to live life to the fullest and enjoy the simplest of pleasures in everyday living," says Dr. Smoler. Features and benefits of the Yomi dental implant robotic system includes: Efficient Treatment: New robotic technology allows same day implants. Less time in the dental chair, fewer visits, and faster healing results in a savings of both time and money. New robotic technology allows same day implants. Less time in the dental chair, fewer visits, and faster healing results in a savings of both time and money. Minimally Invasive: Dr. Bruce Smoler is able to provide treatment with smaller incisions and no sutures resulting in minimal pain. Dr. is able to provide treatment with smaller incisions and no sutures resulting in minimal pain. Accuracy: Dr. Bruce Smoler can plan and place patient implants precisely for a return to dental function and a brilliant smile. Robotic-assisted dental implant procedures are now being performed at the Smoler Smiles Westland office. For more information, please visit www.855NeedTeeth.com. About Smoler Smiles: For almost 35 years, Dr. Smoler has changed the lives of thousands of dental patients. As one of the most innovative full arch implant dentists in the country, he has always led the way to bring new technologies to Michigan including PRGF stem cell therapy, Crystal Ultra nanoceramic full arch bridge procedures, Photogrammetry, and in-office EnvisionsTecONE lab with 3D printer. His highly trained team works diligently to make all patients experience a comforting and calming visit, providing world class care in your own neighborhood. Media Contact: Terry Krieg Advantage Marketing Solutions (248) 912-1285 [email protected] SOURCE Smoler Smiles SAINT-LOUIS-DE-GONZAGUE, QC, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - EBSU is announcing the acquisition of Eurorite Cabinets ltd, a manufacturing company located in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. The Quebec group is pursuing its growth plan, already well on its way, and its objective to serve their Canadian customers from coast to coast. In less than two years, EBSU has launched an accelerated acquisition strategy that includes the construction of a new 180,000 square-foot factory in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, which has been operating since fall 2021, and the purchase of Woodlore International Inc. July 2021. The addition of Eurorite, a well-established cabinet and storage solutions manufacturer, allows EBSU to enhance its portfolio of custom products and to position themselves as a leading supplier of large-scale residential projects. "With this acquisition in the western provinces, EBSU consolidates its leadership position across Canada," explains Napoleon Boucher, president and CEO. "Eurorite allows us to optimize our production, our delivery times and our use of internal resources." Through this major transaction, which represents the third phase of its expansion, EBSU is expanding its activities across Canada ensuring a strong presence in three key provinces: Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. About EBSU Founded in 1981, EBSU designs and manufactures home cabinets, delivering an affordable upscale for everyone. Leader in the Canadian manufacturing industry, EBSU stands out for both the design and quality of its products as well as its cutting-edge production technologies. Visit our websites: www.ebsu.ca , www.woodlore.ca and www.eurorite.com SOURCE EBSU Restoration Company Expands Services with New Ecological Engineering Team FOREST HILL, Md., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecotone, a full-delivery ecological restoration company offering a diverse suite of design-build services ranging from conservation, sediment/nutrient abatement and mitigation of stream, floodplain, forest, and wetland restoration to stormwater improvement projects, has formed its own in-house engineering team to enhance and broaden their services. To support this new team that will collaborate on its in-house design and construction services that began in March 2022, Ecotone announces an office location in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Ecotone's in-house engineering team lead by Drew Atland who has been a leader in pioneering a sustainable approach to restoration for over the past 25 years throughout the Eastern USA to address water quality, mitigation, habitat, flooding, and infrastructure protection improvement goals. The photo illustrates a stream that is restored respto is pre-settlement condition. These streams are highly connected to their floodplains to promote significant exchange between baseflow, groundwater, and the restored riparian wetlands. This restoration approach typically serves to maximize water quality and ecological benefits. The team is headed by the Director of Ecological Engineering, Drew Altland, a professional engineer with nearly 30 years of experience. He specializes in stream, wetland and floodplain assessment and restoration design, watershed investigations, fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport studies, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, 2D hydrodynamic modeling, flood impact and improvement studies, construction document preparation, environmental permitting, and construction management services. Drew has participated in multiple STAC workshops related to stream and floodplain restoration, been an active contributor to the Maryland Hydraulics Panel, and is a member of the Expert Panels re-convened to update stream restoration protocols for the Consensus Recommendations to Improve the Application of Protocols 1, 2 and 3. Drew has a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a water resources focus from the Pennsylvania State University and is a registered professional engineer in MD, PA, NC, TN, TX, GA and Washington DC. Also joining Drew is Jason Coleman, PE, Manager of Engineering. Jason has more than 20 years of experience as a professional engineer in water resources engineering, focusing on hydrologic/hydraulic analyses and ecosystem restoration. He is skilled in stream and wetland analysis and design, geomorphic assessments, stream and watershed assessments, pre- and post-condition monitoring, flood studies, riverine hydraulics, bridge hydraulics, scour analyses, fish passage and dam removal design, dam breach analyses, 2D hydrodynamic modeling, and preparation of FEMA map amendments. Jason has taken part in and been a contributor to the Maryland Hydraulics Panel, was a member of the Expert Panel to Define Removal Rates for Individual Stream Restoration Projects (Protocols 2 and 3) and is currently a board member of the Maryland Association of Floodplain and Stormwater Managers (MAFSM). "We are thrilled to welcome Drew, Jason, and team to Ecotone," said Scott McGill, CEO of Ecotone, LLC. "Drew is highly respected in the industry, has a great track record with clients, and produces amazing ecological outcomes. We are excited for the opportunity to expand our services to include living shoreline, dam removal/breach analysis and design, tidal analysis, bridge/culvert analysis, vulnerability/risk assessment and much more to help solve the most important ecological and water quality challenges we face within our communities." Joining Drew and Jason are Jess Mazzur, EIT Engineer; Emily Steenkamer, EIT Engineer; Aidan Suiter, PE & Project Engineer; Matt Drennan, Project Scientist; Jason Bach, CADD Designer; and recent addition of Cal Novelli, EIT Engineer. With combined experience of over 100 years in the engineering field, this team will round out Ecotone's expertise and solidify its leadership in the ecological restoration industry. With the added capacity of the engineering team, Ecotone has launched a new office at 430 Walnut Street, Suite 303, Columbia, Pennsylvania. The company looks forward to helping to address and solve environmental and ecological problems for Pennsylvania communities and their watersheds. About Ecotone: Founded in 1998, Ecotone is an ecological restoration company that designs and builds sustainable ecosystems to reduce erosion of stream banks, manage stormwater, conserve, and restore wetlands, and restore forests. The company also owns and operates a native plant nursery and provides full-delivery ecosystem restoration, mitigation, design, construction, and consulting solutions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. To learn more, please visit www.ecotoneinc.com. Media Contact: Mary Beth O'Bryan 410.420.2600 [email protected] SOURCE Ecotone, Inc Isle of Man The Point of Ayre Lighthouse is an active 19th-century lighthouse, sited at the Point of Ayre at the northeastern end of the Isle of Man. Dale (EI7HDB) along with members from the Isle of Man Amateur Radio Society will be activating the lighthouse IM0001 for the weekend of 20th and 21st of August for the Lighthouse and Lifeboat weekend. The club call GT3FL will be used for the event and they hope to be active for the full 48 hours. The station will be live from 80M to 70CM operating CW, SSB and digital modes, so please listen out for them. Dale (EI7HDB) will arrive on the Isle of Man on the 14th of August to set up the station at the Point of Ayre lighthouse. He will be active on most bands as MD/EI7HDB between the 14th and 19th of August operating holiday style, so listen out for him especially if you are looking to get the Isle of Man in your log. The group posts up-to-date information on www.facebook.com/groups/iomars IRTS WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ERC will continue supporting the JSC Engineering, Technology and Science (JETS) II contract at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as part of the Jacobs team. The 10-year contract begins Oct. 1, 2022 and has a maximum value of approximately $3.9 billion. The team is scheduled to begin contract transition on Aug. 1. Under this new contract, ERC will provide engineering, scientific and technical services in support of NASA's human spaceflight activities, including engineering design, development and sustainment; technology development; and test services, analysis and assessment. "Our partnership with Jacobs to provide support at JSC began in 2005, having now been a member of the Jacobs team on three consecutive contracts," said Tom Colatosti, CEO of ERC. "Johnson Space Center is critical to both today's space programs and the next generation of space exploration and science. Our efforts on the JETS II contract will support NASA to continue learning more about the universe and driving a more connected and sustainable future." The JETS II contract also includes laboratory and facility operation and maintenance for the JSC Engineering Directorate; and planetary missions research, physical science research, astromaterial curation; laboratory and facility operation and maintenance for the JSC Exploration Integration and Science Directorate; as well as engineering and related services for other JSC organizations and government agencies. This win builds on ERC's efforts already underway providing engineering, technical and scientific expertise at the Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center. ERC has helped NASA stay at the forefront of exploration and space since ERC's infancy in 1989, and now will continue to work side by side with NASA to support the future of human space exploration. About ERC ERC is a leading provider of mission-critical engineering, technical and consulting services to the space and defense markets. For over 30 years, ERC has worked closely with such customers as the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other high-tech governmental entities on missions of national importance. ERC's solutions combine precise engineering, innovative technologies, deep subject-matter expertise, firsthand mission understanding, and long-term customer knowledge to deliver the critical advantage needed to solve critical challenges. ERC's 2,000 employees share a collaborative culture built on commitment, integrity, teamwork, respect, and uncompromising performance, which enables best-in-class service and solutions for the company's customers. For more information, visit www.erc.us. Contact: Joyce Bosc [email protected] 301-717-9529 SOURCE ERC NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired common shares of Energy Transfer stock between April 13, 2017 and December 20, 2021, both dates inclusive. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 2, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in ET: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/energy-transfer-lp-loss-submission-form-2?id=30425&from=4 Energy Transfer LP NEWS - ET NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Energy Transfer LP made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) Energy Transfer had inadequate internal controls and procedures to prevent contractors from engaging in illegal conduct with regards to drilling activities, and/or failed to properly mitigate known issues related to such controls and procedures; (b) Energy Transfer, through its subsidiary Rover Pipeline, LLC, hired a third-party contractor to conduct Horizontal Directional Drilling Activities for the Rover Pipeline Project, whose conduct of adding illegal additives in the drilling mud caused severe pollution near the Tuscarawas River when a large inadvertent release took place on April 13, 2017; (c) Energy Transfer continually downplayed its potential civil liabilities when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") was actively investigating the Energy Transfer's wrongdoing related to the April 13 release and consistently provided it with updated information about FERC's findings on this matter. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Energy Transfer you have until August 2, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Energy Transfer securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the ET lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/energy-transfer-lp-loss-submission-form-2?id=30425&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Excelligence Learning Corporation ("Excelligence"), an industry-leading developer, distributor, and online retailer of innovative, high-quality and grade-appropriate early childhood educational products and teaching resources, has named Anupam Martins as CEO. Martins will also join the Company's Board of Directors. Every morning, thirty million preschoolers through fifth graders in America wake up and head out the door to school, where their futures are molded by two million heroes who go by the name of teacher. But sometimes, even heroes need help. We're Excelligence, one of the world's leading innovative companies providing educational classroom services and solutions to the global early childhood education market. Martins previously served as the President of Excelligence's Educational Solutions division, where he oversaw transformational business and financial growth and built a strong team that has been recognized as a Best Place to Work 2022. In his new role, Martins will lead the implementation of Excelligence's strategic and operational efforts for both the Educational Solutions and Educational Content & Technology divisions. "Since joining Excelligence, Anupam has demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities and has led the Educational Solutions division through an important business transformation," Eric Reiter, Chairman of Excelligence, said. "Despite challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, Anupam demonstrated impressive resilience and focus, and he adapted to evolving operating conditions with the addition of new and sustainable revenue streams. With a record year in the books, we are fortunate to have such high caliber talent lead the business through our next phase of growth." Prior to joining Excelligence, Martins spent nearly 20 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of global leadership and executive roles, and he has deep experience in brand building, digital transformation, and e-commerce across multiple geographies and organizations. Discussing his new role, Martins said, "I am incredibly proud of our team at Excelligence and the transformation we have accomplished over the last few years. While the COVID pandemic and related school closures created a challenging operating environment, through meaningful investment, product and sales innovation, and diligent cost control, Excelligence was able to emerge stronger than ever. The sustained, broad-based growth across our leading brands and platforms is a powerful validation of the team's hard work and commitment to excellence. We are grateful to our 'heroes', the educators we serve for their continued trust in our innovative products and solutions and to our team for their passionate service of our mission to help educators make a difference with their children." Martins continued, "I'm incredibly excited about the future and see meaningful opportunity to realize additional synergies and to continue to provide educators with a high-quality, comprehensive offerings of educational products/curricula and teacher resources." Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Monterey, Calif., Excelligence is a mission-driven organization that has built a trusted brand dedicated to quality, customer service, and product innovation. The Company employs a robust, multi-channel go-to-market strategy, including a sales and customer service team reputed for their exceptional service to educators, award winning web platforms, outreach to customers through multiple communication channels and a high growth Amazon business. As a scaled player with a loyal base of teacher/educator customers and a robust portfolio of branded and proprietary products, Excelligence is well-positioned to continue its strong growth trajectory and further capitalize on favorable industry and funding tailwinds. About Excelligence Learning Corporation (www.excelligence.com) Excelligence is a leader in educational classroom services and solutions to the global early childhood education market. For nearly 40 years, educators and parents have relied upon our 20,000+ innovative, high-quality, and grade-appropriate educational products and teaching resources to make brighter futures for early learners across the globe. Our comprehensive, mission-driven products and services facilitate the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical educational development of young learners to build in each a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning, well-being, and future success. Excelligence's unparalleled, diversified portfolio of market-leading, award-winning brands leverages cutting-edge technologies, early childhood brain research science, digital-first products, and state-of-the-art fulfillment to deliver industry-leading quality, innovation, service, and value to early childhood educators and parents. The company's brands include Discount School Supply, Colorations, Really Good Stuff, Steve Spangler Science, Children's Factory, EPI/Education Products, Inc., Excellerations, MyPerfectClassroom, Environments, and FrogStreet. MEDIA CONTACT: Tim O'Connor (808) 757-6271 [email protected] SOURCE Excelligence Learning Corporation HOPLAND, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fetzer Vineyards, one of the leading organic wineries in the U.S., announced today that it is adopting the operating name of Bonterra Organic Estates, effective immediately. The name Bonterra Organic Estates affirms the company's commitment to regenerative organic farming, responsible business practices and environmental stewardship. The new name applies to the company's corporate identity, as well as its Mendocino County, Calif., vineyard holdings and winery. Bonterra Organic Estates will encompass the company's California wine brands including Fetzer, 1000 Stories, and Bonterra, among others. Fetzer Vineyards Adopts the Operating Name Change of Bonterra Organic Estates effective immediately. Tweet this "Bonterra Organic Estates communicates the ethos of our California-based business and aligns with our dedication to regenerative organic farming," said Giancarlo Bianchetti, CEO of Bonterra Organic Estates. "We are embarking on a new chapter, in which we trailblaze advancements in regenerative organic practices while honoring the deep roots of the Fetzer family legacy." The Fetzer family founded Fetzer Vineyards in 1968 and pioneered California's regenerative organic viticulture movement, which prioritizes the health of the vineyard ecosystem and combats climate change. The Fetzer brand remains unchanged, continuing this legacy and offering a smart option for consumers at the popular price point. Bonterra was born out of the Fetzer Vineyards winery in the late 1980s. Today it is one of the fastest-growing premium wine brands in the United States, thanks to the greater awareness ofand consumer demand for wines made with organic grapes. Bonterra Organic Estates embraces regenerative organic viticulture, practicing it exclusively on all 960 acres of its estate vineyards in Mendocino County, Calif. "In elevating the Bonterra name, we are building on our decades of environmental stewardship coupled with the innovative leadership style and business acumen of our parent company, Vina Concha y Toro," Bianchetti added. "Our promise, as Bonterra Organic Estates, is to continue to prioritize the environment as this best serves our community, customers, and future generations." To learn more about Bonterra Organic Estates, visit www.bonterra.com . ABOUT BONTERRA ORGANIC ESTATES As a Certified B Corporation, Bonterra Organic Estates is grounded in transformational goals of the regenerative business. Since its founding, the winery has been driven by excellence, innovation and longstanding commitments to the environment and responsible business practices. With a focus on crafting wines made from organic and Regenerative Organic Certified grapes, Bonterra Organic Estates produces leading wine brands from its facility in Mendocino County, California, including category leader Bonterra (named the 2016 Wine Enthusiast American Winery of the Year); sustainability standout Fetzer; and 1000 Stories, California's original Bourbon barrel-aged wine. SOURCE Bonterra Organic Estates The researchers develop an amphibious artificial vision system with a panoramic field-of-view based on the Fiddler crab's eye structure GWANGJU, South Korea, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial vision systems are implemented in motion sensing, object detection, and self-driving vehicles. However, they are not suitable for changing external environments and are limited to a hemispherical field-of-view (FOV). Addressing this issue, researchers from GIST have now developed a novel artificial vision with 360 FOV that can image both terrestrial and aquatic environments.The system, modeled after the eye structure of the fiddler crab, could help realize the all-weather vision and panoramic object detection. Researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea have developed, in a new study, an artificial vision system modeled after the fiddler crab eye structure, which is suitable for both land and underwater environments, and provides a panoramic imaging ability. Artificial vision systems find a wide range of applications, including self-driving cars, object detection, crop monitoring, and smart cameras. Such vision is often inspired by the vision of biological organisms. For instance, human and insect vision have inspired terrestrial artificial vision, while fish eyes have led to aquatic artificial vision. While the progress is remarkable, current artificial visions suffer from some limitations: they are not suitable for imaging both land and underwater environments, and are limited to a hemispherical (180) field-of-view (FOV). To overcome these issues, a group of researchers from Korea and USA, including Professor Young Min Song from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea, have now designed a novel artificial vision system with an omnidirectional imaging ability, which can work in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Their study was made available online on 12 July 2022 and published in Nature Electronics on 11 July 2022. "Research in bio-inspired vision often results in a novel development that did not exist before. This, in turn, enables a deeper understanding of nature and ensure that the developed imaging device is both structurally and functionally effective," says Prof. Song, explaining his motivation behind the study. The inspiration for the system came from the fiddler crab (Uca arcuata), a semiterrestrial crab species with amphibious imaging ability and a 360 FOV. These remarkable features result from the ellipsoidal eye stalk of the fiddler crab's compound eyes, enabling panoramic imaging, and flat corneas with a graded refractive index profile, allowing for amphibious imaging. Accordingly, the researchers developed a vision system consisting of an array of flat micro-lenses with a graded refractive index profile that was integrated into a flexible comb-shaped silicon photodiode array and then mounted onto a spherical structure. The graded refractive index and the flat surface of the micro-lens were optimized to offset the defocusing effects due to changes in the external environment. Put simply, light rays traveling in different mediums (corresponding to different refractive indices) were made to focus at the same spot. To test the capabilities of their system, the team performed optical simulations and imaging demonstrations in air and water. Amphibious imaging was performed by immersing the device halfway in water. To their delight, the images produced by the system were clear and free of distortions.The team further showed that the system had a panoramic visual field, 300o horizontally and 160o vertically, in both air and water. Additionally, the spherical mount was only 2 cm in diameter, making the system compact and portable. "Our vision system could pave the way for 360 omnidirectional cameras with applications in virtual or augmented reality or an all-weather vision for autonomous vehicles," speculates Prof. Song excitedly. And it might be soon! Reference Title of original paper: An amphibious artificial vision system with a panoramic visual field Journal: Nature Electronics DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00789-9 *Corresponding authors' emails: [email protected] and [email protected] About the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) Website: http://www.gist.ac.kr/ Contact: Seulhye Kim 82 62 715 6253 [email protected] SOURCE Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vita Inclinata (Vita), developer and producer of precision aerospace and industrial stabilization devices, today announced the addition of Colonel Richard Koucheravy (U.S. Army, Ret.) as Executive Vice President of Vita Inclinata's Aerospace Division. Koucheravy will combine his military experience in creating multi-billion-dollar investment plans for Army Aircraft R&D and Procurement with his civilian expertise in business development & sales to identify, penetrate and grow Vita's aerospace market. Former Army Aviation Programming & Requirements Director, Colonel Richard Koucheravy (U.S. Army, Ret.) Highlights from Koucheravy's distinguished 28-year military career include service as Division Chief for Aviation in the U.S. Army Staff's G8, where he developed multi-billion-dollar investment plans for Army Aircraft and led Army Staff efforts to add to the 4th Infantry Division's Aviation Brigade at Fort Carsona successful $4 Billion two-year effort. "My background includes a career as a Soldier and helicopter pilot, with combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has given me a tremendous passion for vertical flight," Koucheravy said. "I've chosen to join Vita because it gives me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help save lives, make our customers' operations safer, and advance a game-changing technology in the aerospace sector. I look forward to joining an awe-inspiring team of dedicated and visionary professionals." Before joining Vita, Koucheravy led a sales and business development team at UltiSat, Inc. Prior to that, he led Sikorsky Aircraft's U.S. Government business development team, achieving over $20 billion in orders and expanding naval helicopter sales worldwide. In this role, Koucheravy led a 75-person team that achieved $6 Billion of U.S. Government business annually and more than $400 Million in congressional budget plus-ups in 2020 alone. In addition, he held the position of Director, Business Development & Strategy, Future Vertical Lift at Sikorsky, and Deputy Director, Corporate Strategy Business Development Support in Lockheed Martin's corporate headquarters. In these positions, Koucheravy led Sikorsky's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) business development efforts, winning down-selects in the Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Programs. He also helped to integrate Sikorsky Aircraft into Lockheed Martin after the acquisition from UTC Corp in 2015. "Richard Koucheravy brings unprecedented aviation and business development knowledgein the civilian and military sectorsthat will prove invaluable to expanding Vita's commercial growth," said Caleb Carr, CEO of Vita. "We are excited to welcome Richard to our expanding team of professionals and look forward to executing our joint mission." About Vita Inclinata A friend's death during a rescue operationwith a helicopter close but unable to stabilize due to weather and terrainwas the genesis of Vita Inclinata. Founded in 2015 as a way to solve a real problem, Vita today controls chaotic swinging and spin and adds safety and precision for rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft and cranes. With the mission of "Bring them home, every time," Vita's technology changes the narrative while saving lives, time, and money across industries, including search and rescue, military, firefighting, public safety, construction, wind energy, and oil and gas. The company is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, with offices in Washington, DC, and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, please visit www.vitatech.co. For more information, contact: Betsey Rogers BridgeView Marketing 603-821-0809 [email protected] SOURCE Vita Inclinata Free mustard doughnuts available online and at Dough Doughnuts locations in NYC on Saturday, August 6, while supplies last HUNT VALLEY, Md., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Mustard Day on August 6, French's brings mustard to the morning with limited-edition French's Mustard Donuts. Developed with Dough Doughnuts, maker of artisanal doughnuts for over 12 years, the mustard-infused treats are available on 8/6 at Dough's retail locations in New York City and nationwide via online shipping, while supplies last. French's Debuts Limited-Edition Mustard Donuts in Celebration of National Mustard Day French's and Dough have created a bold, crave-able doughnut that combines the beloved flavor of French's Classic Yellow Mustard with Dough's signature brioche recipe, allowing mustard lovers to wake up and taste the tang. The French's Mustard Donut reimagines a classic glazed doughnut with a vibrant sweet and savory yellow mustard coating that is topped with a yellow mustard cake crumble. "We've been known to go big for National Mustard Day with Mustard Ice Cream in 2019, Mustard Beer in 2020, and Mustard Buns in 2021. This year, we're excited to collaborate with Dough and introduce French's Mustard Donuts, adding our Classic Yellow Mustard to morning routines," said Jill Pratt, Chief Marketing Officer, McCormick. "We are as committed as ever to showing off new and exciting ways to enjoy this fan favorite condiment and cannot wait to reinvent breakfast this year." "Here at Dough, we've always prided ourselves in creating unexpectedly delicious flavors," said Steve Klein, Owner, Dough Doughnuts. "French's Mustard Donuts presented an opportunity to be imaginative and we couldn't be more pleased with the results. The iconic tanginess of French's Classic Yellow Mustard complements the sweet glaze and fluffy texture of the doughnut for the perfect bite." On National Mustard Day, August 6, French's will take over Dough Doughnut's shops, transforming them with bright yellow furnishings featuring vibrant pop art and French's Mustard Donut-inspired swag. Fans can receive a free French's Mustard Donut at any Dough location in New York City, while supplies last: Flatiron (14 W 19th St.) Brooklyn (646 Vanderbilt Ave.) (646 Vanderbilt Ave.) Astoria (21-70 31st St.) (21-70 31st St.) Rockefeller Center (10 Rockefeller Center) Urbanspace Vanderbilt (230 Park Ave.) Smorgasburg (90 Kent Ave.) French's and Dough will also release a limited number of French's Mustard Donuts for nationwide shipping on August 6, 2022, at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Order a free box of two at DoughDoughnuts.com. If you snooze and lose out on this limited offering French's has shared a make-at-home recipe available at Frenchs.com/MustardDonuts. For more mustard fun, follow @Frenchs and @DoughDoughnuts and search #MustardDonuts. Media Note: Please click here for high-resolution images of French's Mustard Donuts. On August 6th pick up one free Mustard Donut at Dough Doughnuts locations in NYC or order one free two-pack of Mustard Doughnuts online at DoughDoughnuts.com (shipping to US locations only). Limited availability, while supplies last. Limit one offer per person. About French's French's was first introduced to the hot dog and the public at the World's Fair in 1904. It was love at first bite. Through the years, French's has become an all-American staple from the ballpark to the backyard to the holiday table. French's family of products includes Classic Yellow Mustard, Tomato Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Crispy Fried Onions and more. Visit Frenchs.com for more information and recipes. French's is one of McCormick & Company's (MKC) brands. With over $6 billion in annual sales across 170 countries and territories, McCormick is a global leader in flavor. Founded in 1889 and headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland USA, McCormick is guided by our principles and committed to our Purpose To Stand Together for the Future of Flavor. McCormick envisions A World United by Flavor where healthy, sustainable, and delicious go hand in hand. To learn more, visit www.mccormickcorporation.com or follow McCormick & Company on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. About Dough Donuts Dough was founded in 2010 in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. What started as a neighborhood spot for morning treats quickly boomed. Dough Doughnuts became everyone's favorite doughnut both in Brooklyn and internationally. Our oversized doughnuts with unique flavors sets Dough Doughnuts apart and makes it a doughnut you can enjoy all day long. Dough's doughnuts are handmade with love and care. Our staff passionately mastered the craft of doughnut making through a hands-on approach that focuses on freshness and fullness of flavor. Dough's doughnuts are made in small batches throughout the day to ensure that they are always fresh for you to enjoy. When you visit the shops, you can see how the doughnuts are made. The transparency of the process is based on the philosophy that buying a doughnut is an experience, not just a product. All new products are developed in line with the same core philosophy and process applied to Dough's doughnuts. Stay tuned for exciting and delicious new treats! CONTACT: Sunshine Sachs, [email protected] SOURCE French's With close to 65,000 square feet, Giant's newest location offers upgraded amenities, on-site pharmacy, Starbucks and more for convenient one-stop shopping and value LANDOVER, Md., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Giant Food, the leading Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, announces today the grand opening of a new Maryland store located at 12028 Cherry Hill Road in Silver Spring. Doors will officially open at 6 a.m. on Friday, August 5th. This grand opening will bring 100 new jobs to the Silver Spring community and comes following a season of grand re-openings at three additional Giant Food stores across Maryland and Virginia. Giant Food Announces New Store Opening in Silver Spring, MD With close to 65,000 square feet of shopping space, the Silver Spring community will enjoy amenities such as full meat and seafood service, an expanded gourmet cheese selection and extensive prepared food offerings like freshly made sushi and pizza. The new store will also be equipped with full-service deli and floral departments and a Starbucks cafe. Customers can enjoy convenient shopping with free Wi-Fi and Giant's latest store configuration. "Giant Food has been serving the Silver Spring community since 1958 and we are pleased to bring this new store that will provide a fresh space for everyone to enjoy," said Ira Kress, President of Giant Food. "The new store is designed to bring the best products and value to the community while continuing to offer top-notch service to new and existing customers." The store also includes a full-service Giant Pharmacy offering a variety of services such as vaccine administrations by Giant's certified pharmacists, including COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses, as well as free consultations including recommendations and assistance with selecting appropriate over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) products. In addition to shopping in store, customers also have the option to place Giant Pickup or Giant Delivers orders on giantfood.com or the Giant Food mobile app and can choose to pick up their groceries at the store or have them delivered directly to their doorsteps. Exclusively available this summer through Giant Delivers, Giant is offering Local Produce Boxes containing locally grown, in-season fruit and vegetables sourced straight from local area farms. Local customers also have access to Giant's Healthy Living Team of licensed nutritionists for free online and phone consultations as well as ongoing online nutrition classes and webinars. For more information or to contact Giant's nutritionists, visit giantfood.com/nutrition. The new store replaces the Giant store located at 11701 Beltsville Drive in Beltsville. Loyal customers will not experience an interruption in service as the new store will open the following morning after the nearby location closes. For more information about Giant, visit giantfood.com. About Giant Food Since opening its first location over 85 years ago in Washington, D.C. in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research and Social Equality. Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 153 full-service pharmacies, 92 full-service PNC Banks and 27 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today's busy customers want to shop - whether in store or online. With 160 Giant Pickup locations and Giant Delivers available in all of its markets, customers have even more convenient options right at their fingertips to get the best products and prices, whenever and however they choose. For more information on Giant, visit: www.giantfood.com. SOURCE Giant Food One of the major factors propelling the expansion of the global antibiotics market is the increasing occurrence of infectious diseases. Global demographic changes brought on by growing urbanization and globalization are important contributors to the rise of infectious diseases worldwide. Human occupants are now too crowded as a result of urbanization. These environments' high population densities encourage disease pathogen colonization and persistence in human populations. Aside from the increasing number of dams, additional factors that have contributed to the rise in disease incidence and prevalence include unsanitary living conditions, a lack of sanitation, and inadequate waste management systems. However, the development of antibiotic-resistant strains is a major challenge for the global antibiotics market growth. Read Sample Report right now! The global antibiotics market report is segmented by Product (broad-spectrum antibiotics and narrow-spectrum antibiotics) Application (natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic) Geography (APAC, North America , Europe , South America , and MEA) APAC will be the leading region with 49% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The US, China, Japan, and India are the key market for global antibiotics in APAC. The global antibiotics market will rise in APAC due to the increasing prevalence of infectious disorders. The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies such as M&As to remain competitive in the market. The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including: Abbott Laboratories AbbVie Inc. AstraZeneca Plc Bayer AG F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Johnson & Johnson Mayne Pharma Group Ltd. Merck KGaA Pfizer Inc. Sanofi To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here Related Reports: Mental Health Market by Service and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The mental health market share is expected to increase to USD 201.41 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.06%. Malabsorption Syndrome Market by Disease Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The malabsorption syndrome market share is expected to increase to USD 1.55 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.73%. Antibiotics Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 3.03% Market growth 2020-2024 $ 4.44 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 2.17 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, APAC, North America, Europe, South America, APAC, North America, Europe, South America, APAC, North America, Europe, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 49% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, and India Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Bayer AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Mayne Pharma Group Ltd., Merck KGaA, Pfizer Inc., and Sanofi Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. 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 The threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Product Market segments Comparison by Product Broad-spectrum antibiotics - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Narrow-spectrum antibiotics - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Product Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - 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 ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Abbott Laboratories AbbVie Inc. AstraZeneca Plc Bayer AG F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Johnson & Johnson Mayne Pharma Group Ltd. Merck KGaA Pfizer Inc. Sanofi SA 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 focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email:[email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Market: Analysis By Type, By Aircraft Type, By Aircraft Generation, By End User, By Region Size and Trends with Impact of COVID-19 and Forecast up to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.3%, during the forecast period of 2022-2026. In 2021, the global aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market, was valued at US$71.82 billion, and is probable to reach US$106.64 billion by 2026. MRO is a notation for maintenance, repair, and overhaul. This term refers to a set of activities and operations associated with the maintenance of an aircraft. This includes structural, systematic, or equipment-related plant or facility repairs. Also, the term encompasses anything that has a significant impact on a facility's daily spending and aircraft maintenance-related activities. Individuals' increased air travel for business and pleasure would increase aircraft production in the future, significantly impacting the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market. Increasing technological innovations and digitalization in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul are further expected to bolster the growth of market over the next few years. Global Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Market Dynamics: Growth Drivers: Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul industry is mounting due to the increase in global defense spending. Increased budget for the defense had led to increase in the number of military aircrafts and maintenance of them is required from time to time. Recent rising geopolitical tensions have led to renewed interest among governments to raise defense spend. Further, the market is expected to increase due to increased air traffic, rising investment in aircraft MRO software, rising government support, passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion, etc. in recent years. Challenges: The global supply chain disruption, has led to a delay in expected aircraft-retirement which has affected used parts, or used serviceable material (USM), availability. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities is identifying a course of action to balance their inventory holdings efficiently. A slowdown in supply chain and shortage of chips in the market, describes how small fluctuations in demand at the retail level can cause progressively larger fluctuations in demand at the wholesale, distributor, manufacturer, and raw-material supplier levels, in the aviation parts. Trends: A major trend gaining pace in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market is the growing business travel. In future, the business travel and corporate travel would be increased and it would lead to the demand for the air transport such as aircrafts, airplanes, private jets, etc., which requires the maintenance and repair. More trends in the market are believed to augment the growth of aviation MRO market during the forecasted period include sustainability, digitalization, adoption of block chain technology, emerging use of retrofitting technologies for improved aircrafts and inspection robots And drones, etc. Market Segmentation Analysis: By Type: The Engine maintenance segment accounted for majority of share of approximately 44% of the aviation MRO market in 2021. In the future, the rapid fleet expansion plans of airlines and military forces are expected to propel the aircraft engine MRO market even further. Furthermore, the introduction of newer generation engines in new aircraft is expected to increase demand for aircraft engine MRO. The new engines would have higher material requirements than previous generations of aircraft. By Aircraft Type: Wide body segment held more than half of the share in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market in 2021, while the same segment is the fastest growing during the forecast period, owing to the increasing trend of turbofan engines in wide body aircrafts. Over the last decade, the outsourcing of wide body aircraft MRO requirements to service providers in the Asia-Pacific region has been a prevalent industry trend. By Aircraft Generation: Mid generation aircraft held more than 60% of the share in aviation MRO market in 2021. The fastest growing segment is new generation aircrafts as the new-generation aircraft are more fuel-efficient aircraft, they are powered by sustainable fuel. Major players in the market are making collaborations with OEMs for aircraft maintenance and developing services for new-generation aircraft. By End User: Commercial segment held the major share of 71% in the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market, where as military is the fastest growing segment as with the advancement in AI and analytics, MRO companies are progressing from centralized maintenance diagnostic operations to prescriptive maintenance operations. The increasing complexity of engine parts and the increased number of military aircraft crashes due to engine failures have resulted in the global armed forces' increasing focus on frequent engine maintenance and periodic checks. By Region: The Asia Pacific aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market enjoyed the highest share of 33% in 2021, primarily owing to the dominance of China, Taiwan, South Korea, which are the Asia-Pacific most attractive market for aviation MRO. Growth in China's MRO space has accelerated as firms from the region's emerging economies, such as Thailand and Indonesia, begin to open offices in China. Furthermore, several Chinese airlines have established their own MRO departments. Competitive Landscape and Recent Developments The market players present in the aircraft MRO market are mainly focusing on product and service enhancements by integrating advanced features and technologies into their offerings. The market players in aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul have opted various strategies such as merger and acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations. For instant, FL Technics, acquired Wright International. The acquisition of Wright International grants FL Technics a foothold in the strategically important North American market and allowed it to serve its airline clients across an even wider network of international locations. Also, GE Aviation and Etihad Airways together launched GE's 360 Foam Wash, a groundbreaking jet engine cleaning system, to optimize performance of Etihad's GE90 and GEnx-1B engines on its Boeing 777 and 787 fleets. Capitalizing on the rapid pace of digitization, it can also be seen that MRO players that will emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic are the ones that reinvent their existing business models and embrace technological innovation and streamline operational processes. For instance, ST Engineering received authorization from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to utilize its in-house developed drone solution, DroScan, to conduct General Visual Inspection (GVI) during aircraft maintenance on approved aircraft models, including the A320 family. The utilization of smart analytics could complement inspectors' review process in terms of detecting, classifying and rectifying defects. Market Dynamics Growth Drivers Increasing Global Defense Spending Increase in Number of Air Passengers Rising Investment in Aircraft MRO Software Passenger-to-freighter (P2F) Conversion Challenges Global supply Chain Disruption and Chip Shortage Market Trends Growing Business Travel and Increase in Air Passengers Sustainability Adoption of Block chain Technology Emerging Use of Retrofitting Technologies for Improved Aircrafts Inspection Robots and Drones Digitalization in Aviation MRO The key players of the aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul market are: Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance SIA Engineering Delta Airlines (Delta TechOps Service Group) Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd Airbus SE General Electrics (GE Aviation) Turkish Technics Aviation Technical Services MRO Holding Inc. Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd AAR Corporation Lufthansa Technik For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mkwl4v 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 Many believe global debt is currently at dangerously high levels and countries like Sri Lanka have been struggling. The Financial Time reported that Sri Lanka's president has warned IMF loan agreement may be pushed back until September. Some people have started to speculate on which country will become the next Sri Lanka. by Wang Yi In order to secure an early disbursement of an IMF loan, Pakistan's military chief has reportedly sought help from the US, some US media outlets have reported. The IMF last month finally agreed to provide a financial lifeline of $4 billion to Pakistan. However, the loan agreement is still subject to approval by the multilateral lender's board. Given that Pakistan is in dire need of funds and that Washington is the largest shareholder in the IMF, it is understandable that the Pakistani side is, as reports claimed, communicating with Washington. However, though Washington has not officially responded to the news, some US media outlets noted "troubled" relations between Pakistan and the US in recent years, suggesting that might weigh on the US' decision. This is alarming because the US has no rights to dictate IMF loan terms to settle scores and serve its self-interests. Washington's playing favorites with IMF loans badly needed by some developing nations will only exacerbate a looming global debt crisis. Pakistan's imports fell by more than a third in July after a ban on non-essentials, according to Reuters. While the imports decline has eased the pressure on the country's struggling currency, its foreign exchange reserves continues shrinking. As of July 22, the total foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) fell to $8.58 billion - only enough for less than two months of imports. In the face of dwindling foreign exchange reserves, Pakistan is in an urgent need of the IMF loan. If the reports about Pakistan asking help from Washington are true, it raises concerns that the US might take the opportunity to exert political pressure on Pakistan. For a long time, the US and its allies have been intensifying political pressuring on developing countries like Pakistan, causing a new economic dilemma for them. Even more worrisome is that the IMF intends to ban Pakistan from seeking more Chinese loans, Indian media outlet NDTV reported in July. As Pakistan has restricted its own imports to tackle economic risks, the IMF should avoid the US' political interferences and step up the process of loan disbursement. In face of a global debt crisis caused by factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts, there are still many developing countries like Pakistan that are facing economic difficulties and need financial assistances. In addition, the sharp monetary policy shift of the US and other developed economies have further aggravated the global debt crisis and triggered competitive currency devaluation, with developing countries bearing the brunt. Many believe global debt is currently at dangerously high levels and countries like Sri Lanka have been struggling. The Financial Time reported that Sri Lanka's president has warned IMF loan agreement may be pushed back until September. Some people have started to speculate on which country will become the next Sri Lanka. Yet, no country - not even the US - will immune itself from the impacts of a global debt crisis if more countries default like Sri Lanka. The US and Western countries have stepped up political intervention, spared no effort to smear and slander China's aid and investment with groundless accusation. As they know well that Chinese investment and projects will only help local economies and advance regional integration, they should stop their smearing campaign and attempt to push countries to pick side. It must be pointed out that on the issue of helping emerging market countries to ease their debt crises, China has been actively participating in global coordination efforts, and actively providing assistance and debt relief to help them get out of the predicament as soon as possible. For instance, Zambia's official creditors led by China have agreed to provide debt relief to the southern African nation, paving the way for an IMF bailout and setting a precedent for how China could work with other lenders to tackle the threat of a wave of defaults across emerging markets, according to the Financial Times. Furthermore, in addition to helping these countries get out of the immediate dilemma, China is also essentially promoting mutual beneficial cooperation with countries under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build up these countries economic strength at the same time. An increasing number of economists have called on the US and other Western countries to jointly coordinate global efforts with China to help developing countries like Pakistan tackle economic risks. At a difficult juncture for developing countries and the global economy, the US and other Western countries should put aside their zero-sum thinking, provide assistance, and advance coordinated global efforts to help relevant countries resolve their debt problems. The author is a reporter with the Global Times, where this piece first appeared. DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Coal: Global Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This market study assesses the leading coal types currently used globally for electricity, steel, cement, etc. The coal discussed in this report is in use across these industries, and many more and new emerging sectors are driven by technological innovation In 2021, global coal output recovered from the supply and demand disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, an expansionary economic climate favored coal fundamentals. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global coal production increased by around REDACTED% to approximately REDACTED metric tons in 2021. China is the world's most significant coal producer, accounting for over half of total production. According to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, China produced about REDACTED billion metric tons of coal in 2021. India, Indonesia, U.S., Australia and Russia are other big coal producers. In 2021, U.S. coal production climbed by approximately REDACTED%, following a more than REDACTED% decline in 2020 owing primarily to weaker demand for electricity generation and muted exports. Coal production in the U.S. has roughly halved over the last decade as demand for coal-fired energy has continued to decline. The U.S. is currently the fourth-largest producer, having previously trailed only China. While the coal sector is one of the most contentious globally, it is also crucial. Although economically developed countries have pushed for renewable energy sources to be used to generate electricity rather than fossil fuels due to the environmental impact of carbon emissions, coal still accounts for at least REDACTED% of global electricity generation, and it saw a REDACTED% increase in the seaborne coal trade in 2019. Coal is the most widespread fossil fuel, accounting for REDACTED% of all recoverable fossil fuels. Even in 2021, there was a rise in seaborne coal commerce owing to increased coal imports from growing economies such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines. Indeed, these are a few countries responsible for the significant growth in coal volumes in 2019, with India, China, the Philippines and Vietnam contributing the most. The electricity generation in these countries is critical since many of their citizens lack access to power. Globally, over REDACTED people lack access to electricity. Thus, reconciling the demand for increased electricity generation with reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a tricky balancing act that the world needs to master."Nitrogen gas is a major type of industrial gas utilized across an array of applications in production, processing, storage and shipping. It is primarily used for the purpose of purging and blanketing in order to offer protection from various contaminants. It plays a key role in preventing combustible dust explosions and allows safe storage of flammable products. In addition, through the process of sparging and stripping, this gas also aids in removal of contaminants. The massive surge in demand has driven the numerous methods of production as well as supply to attain higher reliability, cost and performance efficiency and convenience. Moreover, the market is also characterized by novel technologies, which are highly advanced and are able to meet desired requirements for purity, portability, footprint and usage pattern. The chemical sector leads in terms of contribution of demand to the nitrogen gas market. Rising applications in gas blanketing and refineries are further propelling global demand. In addition, healthcare, food and beverages, and other segments are also key demand contributors. Regions such as Asia-Pacific and the Americas are expected to drive demand in coming years owing to growing industrial manufacturing sector in emerging nations such as India, China, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil. The market is highly consolidated in nature. It is dominated by few leading players such as Linde plc, Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Messer Group GmbH, Nippon Sanso Corp., Air Liquide, Gulf Cryo and other players. Regional and country-level markets will be segmented and analyzed by type and application. The report also covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The market sizes and estimations are provided regarding revenue, with 2021 serving as the base year; market forecasts will be given for 2022 to 2027. Report Includes Analyses of the global market trends, with historic revenue (sales) data for 2021, estimates for 2022-2023, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2027 Market assessment of the coals used in numerous end-user industries with emphasis on power generation (thermal coal), coking feedstock (coking coal), and other industries Estimation and forecast the worldwide coal consumption market size in value and volumetric terms, projected growth trends, and corresponding market share analysis by type of coal, mining/extraction process, end-user industry, and geographic region Insights into regulatory framework and general idea about the coal industry standards, new technological improvements and developments leading to increase in demand for thermal coal, and higher annual prices in the international market over the last five years In-depth information on R&D investment, key technology issues, industry specific challenges, major types of end-user markets, and the impact on mining, procurement, distribution and selling of coals Review of recent industry trends, value chain analysis, competitive landscape, and COVID-19 implications within the marketplace Company profiles of major players, including China Shenhua, Coal India Limited (CIL), China Coal Energy Company Limited and Glencore Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights Chapter 3 Market Overview Introduction Overview of Coal Uses of Coal Advantages of Coal Coal Characteristics Pricing Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Market Dynamics Drivers Restraints Opportunity Challenges Trends Utilizing Self-Driving Vehicles in Underground Mining Utilization of Three-Dimensional Mine Visualizers Port Improvements for Coal Shipping Innovation in Coal Mining Production Implementing IoT in Coal Mining Implementing of Electric Machines in Underground Mining Chapter 4 Impact of a COVID-19 on the Global Coal Market Overview Following Steps Should be Taken by Coal Mining Companies Post COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on Employment in Mining Two Critical Points Must Be Emphasized Chapter 5 Value Chain Analysis of the Global Coal Market Value Chain Analysis Discover Plan and Construct Mine Process Move and Market Coal Mining Process Coal Extraction Treatment Transport and Storage Mine Rehabilitation Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Coal Type Overview Thermal Coal Metallurgical Coal Chapter 7 Market Breakdown by Extraction Process Overview Environmental Impacts of Coal Mining Surface Mining Mining Methods and Equipment Strip Mining Contour Mining Mountaintop Removal Mining Underground Mining Equipment for Underground Mining Longwall Mining Continuous Mining Room and Pillar Mining Blast Mining Shortwall Mining Retreat Mining Chapter 8 Market Breakdown by End Use Overview Environmental Impacts of Coal Mining Electricity Advantages of Using Coal to Generate Power Disadvantages of Coal Pollution Control of Coal Power Plant Steel Coal is Required as a Reductant An Energy Source Carbon Source in the Product Cement Others Coal Gasification Aluminum Transportation Non-energy Uses Production of Chemicals Chapter 9 Market Breakdown by Region Overview North America U.S. Canada Europe Russia Kazakhstan Germany Poland Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Indonesia Australia Rest of Asia-Pacific LAMEA South Africa Rest of LAMEA Chapter 10 Global Competitive Landscape Recent Developments Environmental Policies, Regulations and Implementation U.S. Europe China India New Innovations in Coal Industry Chapter 11 Company Profiles Anglo American Arch Resources Inc. Bhp China Shenhua Coal India Ltd. China Coal Energy Company Limited Glencore Shaanxi Coal Industry Chemical Group Co. Ltd. Teck Resources Ltd. Yancoal For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zbnoaf 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 SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To further enhance the charm of Shenzhen and its international influence, promote the development of the nighttime economy, enrich nighttime cultural life, and create an world-class brand of light and shadow art and the capital of light and shadow, the Glow Shenzhen 2022 will be held from December 16, 2022 (Friday) to February 19, 2023 (Sunday). To strengthen the interactive relationship between light and shadow art and public space, encourage art practitioners and young artists from universities to widely participate in the creation of works, the Glow Shenzhen 2022 will uphold the principle of openness and inclusiveness, and open call from domestic and abroad. Event Name Glow Shenzhen 2022 OPEN CALL Event Framework Organizer: Organizing Committee of Glow Shenzhen Supporter: ASIA DATA GROUP/HUACAISHENGSHI (Shenzhen) Culture Technology Co., Ltd. Participants # Independent artists from home and abroad # Teachers and students of fine arts colleges and universities # Relevant art and design institutions, groups, enterprises and institutions In order to actively explore the development of industry-academia-research activities of Glow Shenzhen, this event has set up a "Green Channel for Young Artists" to encourage the participation of students from colleges and universities. The work that has the highest scores by young artists from colleges and universities will directly get the opportunity to be exhibited in the event. Requirements for works Works for the competition shall fall into the category of light art , there being no limit to the form and style of expression (including but not limited to installation, sculpture, projection, media facade, immersible space, visual image, and so on). , there being no limit to the form and style of expression (including but not limited to installation, sculpture, projection, media facade, immersible space, visual image, and so on). Entries shall be created locally by means of artistic scenario, and participants shall ensure that the works to be placed on exhibition at home first or combined with local creation in Shenzhen (works for traveling exhibition or from secondary creation of the original works must be equipped with related instructions for the first-created or first exhibited), and for such entries it is to be promised not to have any legal dispute as to copyright, portrait rights, reputation rights, privacy, etc. or (works for traveling exhibition or from secondary creation of the original works must be equipped with related instructions for the first-created or first exhibited), and for such entries it is to be promised not to have any legal dispute as to copyright, portrait rights, reputation rights, privacy, etc. Works for the competition shall focus on artistry, interactivity, innovation, publicness and safety , and give full consideration to the aesthetics of light and shadow works during the day as well as its integration with people, environment and nature, so as to try not to damage the surrounding original infrastructure, and adapt to the outdoor environment for more than 3 months of exhibition. , and give full consideration to the aesthetics of light and shadow works during the day as well as its integration with people, environment and nature, so as to try not to damage the surrounding original infrastructure, and adapt to the outdoor environment for of exhibition. If works for the competition have the function of urban furniture, they must not only meet the above conditions, but also give comprehensive consideration to the experience of the crowd, the use of the furniture and the service function of the furniture and the artistic expression of light and shadow requirements, with sturdiness, safety, installation and adaptation to the outdoor environment for more than 6 months. Recruiting time and submitting way (i) Recruiting time From July 22, 2022 (Friday) to September 9, 2022 (Friday) (ii) Content to be submitted Application Form . Signed file(s) shall be submitted in .PDF. . Signed file(s) shall be submitted in .PDF. Real Identity . In contributing, candidates/institutions must attach proof of identity (scanned copy of ID card/passport), or legal and valid documents such as business license or certificate of legal entity. As for students from colleges and universities, a copy of their student ID card or an electronic student ID card shall be submitted additionally. . In contributing, candidates/institutions must attach proof of identity (scanned copy of ID card/passport), or legal and valid documents such as business license or certificate of legal entity. As for students from colleges and universities, a copy of their student ID card or an electronic student ID card shall be submitted additionally. Design Instruction. Including the program name, design concept, work specifications, colors, production materials, dimensions, cost estimates (including but not limited to production, transportation, installation), etc. Including the program name, design concept, work specifications, colors, production materials, dimensions, cost estimates (including but not limited to production, transportation, installation), etc. Drawings. Including the intention statement diagram, renderings of the work, etc., all in the format of .jpeg, with resolution of 300dpi, drawn in A4 against white background, and indicated the color of each part in the electronic file. The author can also produce 3D animation video clips and other materials that help illustrate the design intent, with a resolution of 1920*1080p in MP4 format. Including the intention statement diagram, renderings of the work, etc., all in the format of .jpeg, with resolution of 300dpi, drawn in A4 against white background, and indicated the color of each part in the electronic file. The author can also produce 3D animation video clips and other materials that help illustrate the design intent, with a resolution of 1920*1080p in MP4 format. Miscellaneous. The relevant materials that candidates/institutions consider necessary to submit as supporting instructions. For aforementioned materials, their electronic versions shall be provided. (iii) Submitting way Candidates/institutions can put into a folder (titled "Glow Shenzhen 2022 + name/institution + works name") the application form, identity proof, design instructions, drawings and other documents, with the same email title as the folder title, and send it to the official email of the Organizing Committee of Glow Shenzhen after compression: [email protected]. There being no entry fees for the event. When registering, please leave your real name, contact number and email address, as well as any other matters that need to be specified for following contact. Works Selection In order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the selection process, after receiving the works, the organizer shall sort and screen them to ensure that the submitted works meet the requirements of the collection. After finishing the sorting and screening, the organizer will organize a selection committee to select the collected works and determine the eligible works. Reward Scheme (i) Selected works Certificate of Honor . The organizer will issue certificates of honor for the eligible works. . The organizer will issue certificates of honor for the eligible works. Launching support . After the works are selected, the organizer will communicate with the candidates/institutions about launching. If the works meet the launching conditions, the curatorial unit will support the landing of the eligible works by means of work procurement and exhibition services according to the curatorial demand of this Glow Shenzhen event, and the candidates/ institutions will be responsible for the production and implementation of the launching works. In order to vigorously support the "Green Channel for Young Artists" program, the organizer will provide comprehensive support for the works created by students from colleagues and universities with the highest scores, including additional curatorial and implementation support. . After the works are selected, the organizer will communicate with the candidates/institutions about launching. If the works meet the launching conditions, the curatorial unit will support the landing of the eligible works by means of work procurement and exhibition services according to the curatorial demand of this Glow Shenzhen event, and the candidates/ will be responsible for the production and implementation of the launching works. In order to vigorously support the "Green Channel for Young Artists" program, the organizer will provide comprehensive support for the works created by students from colleagues and universities with the highest scores, including additional curatorial and implementation support. Promotional support. The organizer will provide promotional support for exhibition for the outstanding and featured works, and have the opportunity to recommend them to other domestic cities, business districts, internationally renowned lighting festival exhibitions and commercial transformation, etc., with its candidates /institutions having the opportunity to be invited to participate in the third Glow Shenzhen Forum. (ii) Unselected works Unselected works will be entered into the alternative works library, issued an electronic entry certificate, and improved to be submitted for the next Glow Shenzhen OPEN CALL again. Data Acquisition Application Form for Glow Shenzhen 2022 OPEN CALL (Appendix 1) Overview of Glow Shenzhen 2022 (Appendix 2) Past Materials and Videos of Glow Shenzhen To download the information, please click on the link https://pan.baidu.com/s/1_IBy7OE6IBLKIJrk9eugsA Passwordglow Notes (a) Candidates/institutions shall strictly abides by the laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, and guarantee the originality of the works for the competition, and the exclusive and complete copyright of the same. (b) Works for the competition may not involve in any litigation, nor infringe any legal rights and interests of others, including but not limited to portrait rights, name rights, copyright, trademark rights and other legal rights and interests. (c) Works for the competition may not contain content that violates the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and any other laws and regulations, and may not be suspected of ethnic discrimination, and religious discrimination, or other content that is contrary to social morality and good customs. (d) The intellectual achievements involved in the launched works shall be shared between the organizer and the candidates/institution, and the organizer has the rights of exhibition, research and evaluation, photography and video, collection and publication, as well as publicity and promotion for the selected works. All the candidate schemes are non-returnable, so please keep your own manuscripts. (e) Due to viruses, hacker attacks, and other man-made interference, unexpected events, force majeure or some factors beyond the control of the organizer, the organizer has the right to unilaterally postpone or cancel some and all events when the management, security, evaluation and fairness of the events are seriously affected. The organizer will not be responsible for any infringement of the independent intellectual property rights of the design elements, patterns and layout of the works submitted by the candidates/institutions during the program presentation and public exhibition, and will only cooperate and assist the candidates/institutions to defend their rights. (f) The selection results shall be announced in October 2022 on the platforms such as the official website of Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Urban Management and Comprehensive Law Enforcement and the WeChat Official Account of "Glow Shenzhen". (g) For the submitted works obtaining launching support, candidates/institutions must participate in the design deepening and implementation of the works in the subsequent implementation process. If the depth of design cannot meet the launching requirements due to the candidates'/institutions' own reasons and cannot be landed, or if the candidates/institutions cannot cooperate with the organizer to provide launching support in time and their works cannot be successfully landed before the opening of this Glow Shenzhen event, then the candidates/institutions will be regarded as giving up the opportunity of launching support provided by this event. (h) Any candidate/institution that submits works for the competition shall be deemed to have confirmed and complied with all the provisions and requirements of this collection scheme, and to assume all responsibilities for their works. In the event that the candidate violates the aforementioned terms and conditions, the organizer shall have the right to immediately disqualify the candidate/institution from the competition and withdraw the awards and interests granted to the candidate/institution, and any legal proceedings, legal liabilities and property losses arising therefrom shall be nothing to do with the organizer, and borne by the candidate/institution. (i) The organizer shall have the final right to interpret this public collection. Contacts Wei Yuan, +86 13824330322 Lv Yuang, +86 18825100802 Zeng Xin, +8615625757173, [email protected] SOURCE Asia Data Group Resilient Swim School Franchise Celebrates Innovation, Growth and Making a Difference TROY, Mich., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, the premier learn-to-swim franchise concept, is celebrating making big waves and hitting new milestones in the first half of 2022. After receiving Franchise Innovation Awards from Franchise Update Media for "Best PR Campaign" and "Most Innovative Employee Hiring," having four franchisees recognized as Franchisees of the Year by the International Franchise Association, and being ranked #53 on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 number one in its category for the sixth year in a row! the nation's state-of-the-art swim school is set up for smooth waters ahead. Goldfish Swim School has made a big splash so far in 2022 with industry award wins, C-Suite growth and 28 new schools signed and 8 new schools opened in the first six months of the year. Pictured: Founders Jenny and Chris McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School Franchising President, Andrew McCuiston and Goldfish Swim School Brand Ambassadors Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, Ryan Murphy and Four-Time Olympic Swimming Medalist & First African American World Record Holder, Cullen Jones. With 28 new schools signed and 8 new schools opened in the first six months of the year, Goldfish Swim School's rapid expansion is fueling its mission to provide an inviting and safe place where kids overcome their fears, learn to swim, respect the water and have lots of fun while doing it. Through its proprietary philosophy, the Science of SwimPlay, focused on teaching swim and safety skills while building character through guided play, Goldfish Swim School's certified instructors now provide GOLDEN experiences to over 200,000 students every week! Goldfish Swim School's recognition for innovative hiring stems from their efforts to support franchisees by differentiating Goldfish Swim School as an employer. As a data-driven organization, they conducted immense research with the support of MarTec to identify and understand the ideal team member persona. While other businesses were furiously throwing out higher hourly rates and perks, they enlisted feedback showing this generation of current team members cared more about making an impact, and focused on their work environment and the effect the work can have in the community and in careers. Just ahead of summer, the franchise launched its second annual National Water Safety Month 'Safer Swimmer Pledge' campaign to help families prioritize water safety and drowning prevention. The award-winning campaign , in which Goldfish Swim School donated $1 for each virtual pledge to the USA Swimming Foundation , the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, reached over 450 million people and was recognized at this year's Franchise Customer Experience Conference. Due to its expansive reach and success, Goldfish Swim School's total donation now exceeds more than $250,000 for the USA Swimming Foundation. These funds champion Goldfish Swim School's goal of providing the opportunity for every child across the country to learn to swim. As the brand continues its expansion, founders Jenny and Chris McCuiston are also celebrating a more personal, "full-circle" moment. Since opening the first Goldfish Swim School in Birmingham, MI in 2006, they've grown the franchise to over 133 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Later this year, they will open their second franchise location in West Bloomfield, Michigan - this time alongside Andrew McCuiston, President of Goldfish Swim School Franchising. The trio plan to build upon their unique experience as both franchisor and franchisee a perspective giving them unique visibility into both sides of the business to help with making the franchise stronger. "We are so excited to open our new Michigan school to help even more children in the metro Detroit area have access to quality swim lessons," said Jenny McCuiston, Co-Founder and Visionary of Goldfish Swim School. "After helping so many families throughout the years, navigating our way through the pandemic and coming back stronger than ever, we're proud to have built a close-knit franchise system that's become our extended family." In addition, the brand recently promoted the entire VP Suite to C-Suite executives. This decision was fueled by Goldfish Swim School's record growth and the Extraordinary Results the brand has seen under the leadership team's direction. The change will not only play into its strategy going forward, but will open up the opportunity for additional growth and solidifies its position as true leaders in the franchise space. Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years, teaching children how to be safer in and around the water. The school offers swim lessons and programs using a proprietary philosophy, The Science of SwimPlay, to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment. Goldfish Swim School's number one focus and main priority is always the same educating children on water safety while teaching them how to swim and respect the water. The brand is seeking qualified, active and engaged individuals who are involved with their community, have a passion for water safety, and are hungry to dive into the world of franchising. Today, with over 120+ locations in development across 34 states and Canada, the Goldfish Swim School is on track for strategic franchise expansion. For more information on Goldfish Swim School, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/ . About Goldfish Swim School Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. Recently, the brand was recognized by Entrepreneur in its Franchise 500 ranking, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious List, and Inc. Magazine's Top 5000. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with more than 133 schools open, and an additional 120+ in development in more than 30 states and Canada. Media Contact: Greg Avdoian, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300, [email protected] SOURCE Goldfish Swim School Expands position in industrial automation and control ST. LOUIS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Walker Industrial Products, Inc., based in Newtown, Conn. In addition, Shingle & Gibb Automation, a Graybar subsidiary based in Moorestown, N.J., has acquired New England Drives & Controls, Inc., based in Southington, Conn. Walker Industrial and New England Drives provide advanced automation and control solutions to OEMs, industrial users, and system integrators. Like Shingle & Gibb Automation, both companies are authorized distributors for leading automation suppliers, such as Banner Engineering, Turck, and Red Lion Controls. Moving forward, they will continue to do business under their current organizational names, with the same employees and supplier relationships. "We are pleased to welcome Walker Industrial and New England Drives into Graybar's growing automation platform," said Kathleen M. Mazzarella, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "Combined with our existing industrial business, these acquisitions position Graybar as one of New England's leading automation and control distributors. As part of our company, both organizations will have expanded opportunities to support their customers with outstanding service and access to additional inventory, technical resources, and capabilities." Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 300 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network, automate and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR. Media Contact: Tim Sommer (314) 578-7672 [email protected] SOURCE Graybar DUBLIN, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Green Ammonia: Valorization and Technology Growth Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Rising concerns about the environmental impact of conventional ammonia production and the implementation of zero-carbon policies by governments across the world are encouraging advancements in ammonia manufacturing from clean energy sources. The valorization of green ammonia from renewable energy sources can pave the way for the manufacture of safer agricultural products, act as an alternative to fossil fuels, and offer cleaner industrial chemical manufacturing. Globally, about 80% of the ammonia produced is used as fertilizers for agricultural production due to ammonia's high nitrogen content. However, the conventional Haber-Bosch process of ammonia production is an energy-intensive process that releases a high amount of greenhouse gases. Owing to its zero-carbon content, green ammonia can be used to manufacture clean fertilizers and facilitate sustainable farming. The use of technology can substantially decarbonize refineries and the production of fertilizers. Green ammonia can be integrated into existing facilities involved in small-scale renewable generation for the production of urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium nitrate. Ammonia is used to produce key chemicals, including hydrazine, phenylhydrazine, hydroxylamine, aniline, formamide, sulfamic acid, and acetamide, which are used as intermediates in dyes, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, paper, and plastic. Carbon dioxide emissions from high-value chemical production are expected to exceed 230 million metric tons by 2025. The replacement of conventional fossil fuel-based ammonia with renewable-based green ammonia holds massive potential to substantially decrease carbon emissions; however, significant developments are required to scale up existing green ammonia technologies to meet the growing demand from end-use industries. Green ammonia holds a promising application outlook as a carbon-free fuel alternative due to its high hydrogen content. Higher energy density, lower ignition temperature, and ease of storage and transport when compared to other fuels drive the adoption of new valorization technologies to convert green ammonia into fuel. The marine sector accounts for approximately 14% of nitrogen and 5% of sulfur releases from all fuel combustion sources. Increasingly stringent marine regulations to limit emissions from marine diesel engines are driving technological advancements in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, alkaline fuel cells, and solid oxide fuel cells to power marine engines. This research service identifies and analyzes technology advancements focused on cost-effective and highly efficient production technologies; it examines the commercialization landscape of valorization technologies, the major application markets, and the potential application landscape. The technological advancements captured are dedicated to the valorization of green ammonia from hydrogen for fertilizers, chemical intermediates, and marine fuel. The study provides insight into the key focus areas of the technologies, their challenges, and adoption strategies for better utility. The analyst has identified key areas of technology development for green ammonia and categorized them into different domains, as follows: 1) Production methods, including hybrid plasma electrocatalytic processes, ionic liquid-based electrolytic technologies, mobile systems for on-site production, ceramic-based button-size reverse fuel cells, the green Haber-Bosch process, photochemical green ammonia synthesis, and chemical looping 2) Valorization technologies to convert green ammonia to chemical intermediates, including the Pechiney-Ugine-Kuhlmann process, direct amination or ammonolysis, aniline oxidation, the Raschig process, the carbonylation of ammonia, sulfamation, and the dehydration of ammonium acetate 3) Valorization technologies to convert green ammonia to fuels, including thermal and catalytic methods 4) Valorization technologies to convert green ammonia to fertilizers. Ammonia manufacturers have increased R&D investments in the green Haber-Bosch process or decarbonized Haber-Bosch process. Owing to increasingly stringent regulatory guidelines, manufacturers are forming alliances with research universities to adopt sustainable production methods. Factors such as production efficiency, cost, the expansion of the renewable energy sector, and favorable government policies are driving the green ammonia technology landscape. Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives 2. Scope of Analysis and Key Findings 3. Growth Opportunity Analysis Global Ammonia Production Overview Global Ammonia Production Overview - Discussion Need for Green Ammonia from Green Hydrogen Valorization of Green Ammonia from Clean Energy Sources Green Ammonia Valorization Opportunities Fertilizers, Chemicals, and Fuels have been Identified as Key Opportunity Areas for Green Ammonia Valorization. 4. Growth Opportunities Analysis - Green Ammonia as Fuel 5. Growth Opportunities Analysis - Green Ammonia as Fertilizer 6. Growth Opportunities Analysis - Green Ammonia as Feedstock for Chemicals 7. Regional Trends and Technology Development Efforts for Green Ammonia Generation 8. Growth Opportunity Universe Strategic Collaborations between Green Ammonia Manufacturers and Renewable Power Companies to Develop New Technologies and Scale up Production Development of New Green Ammonia Storage and Transport Infrastructure Combining Small-scale Green Ammonia Production with Remote Renewable Generation Integration of Electrochemical and Chemical Looping Processes for Green Ammonia Synthesis For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sz0ezd About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. 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 NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GroupM, WPP's media investment group, announced today the launch of a Workplace Mentoring Program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBS of NYC), the nation's first and NYC's largest youth mentoring organization, as part of a multi-year partnership to invest in the development of the next generation of leaders by opening the world of media and advertising to youth in a meaningful way to create a more equitable and representative media industry in North America. "I know first-hand how mentorship programs can change lives. Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is dedicated to advancing equity, impact, and growth through mentoring relationships," said Kirk McDonald, CEO, GroupM North America. "We are excited to inspire and mentor students at a local DOE high school and expose them to opportunities across media and advertising. Uplifting communities is the core of GroupM, and I'm proud we'll be able to make an impact on the incredible work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC." "GroupM has a history of creating innovative programs that encourage personal and professional growth," said Serena Anthony, Chief People Officer, North America. "This partnership with Big Brother Big Sisters of NYC builds on our commitment to supporting and strengthening the community, as well creating a learning environment to foster and grow talent through positive engagement both personally and professionally." For over 25 years, BBBS of NYC has pioneered a workplace mentoring model that makes it easy and worthwhile for companies to give back. The Workplace Mentoring Program model was developed by Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. Through the adoption of the Workplace Mentoring Program, GroupM aims to transform communities by providing critical, supportive relationships young people need to thrive today. "It's our responsibility to move this industry forward. Investing in young people through mentorship isn't just imperative, but crucial to developing a future workforce and leadership reflective of the people who make up the country," said Lukeisha Paul, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, GroupM US. "As advocates of change, we must use our knowledge to create access and opportunity for others." GroupM NYC-based employees ('Bigs') will have the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with high school students ('Littles') from a local DOE high school, helping them to build professional skills and develop college and career pathways through a 3-year scaffolded experiential learning curriculum that empowers Littles in setting goals, problem-solving, identifying strengths, and building self-confidence and emotional well-being. Bigs will range from emerging senior associates all the way to executive vice presidents - all with the goal of supporting the students in reaching their full career potential while forming a close relationship with a positive, adult role model. "Now more than ever, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is finding innovative ways to serve young people and strengthen communities," said Jeff Elgart, Chief Corporate Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. With the support of partners like GroupM, who are committed and dedicated to the communities they serve, we can drive more meaningful impact at a time when young people need us most." Through ongoing mentorship by employees across GroupM, these Littles will build core skills to support their long-term development and path to success. ABOUT BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBS of NYC), the nation's first and New York City's largest youth mentoring organization, has served the changing needs of NYC youth since 1904. The organization's mission is to build and support mentoring relationships that ignite the biggest possible futures for youth. BBBS of NYC serves more than 2,500 NYC youth through a variety of specialized mentoring programs that reach all K-12 grade levels and extend through their sophomore year of college. The organization's evidence-based approach to youth mentoring offers tailored and specialized support to each young person (Little) and a caring adult mentor (Big). Its proven one-to-one Community-Based and Workplace Mentoring programs offer the city's next generation of leaders increased access to invaluable opportunities and essential guidance that enable them to achieve their full potential. BBBS of NYC's city-wide impact is made possible through the support of individuals, foundations and corporations, who recognize the urgent need for all youth to have access to mentors. All contributions enable BBBS of NYC to deepen the investment in current match relationships and expand its reach. Approximately $3,500 funds the establishment of a new one-on-one match relationship for one year. To learn more, become a mentor, donate and/or offer support, please visit www.bigsnyc.org. ABOUT GROUPM GroupM is the world's leading media investment company with a mission to create a new era of media where advertising works better for people. Responsible for more than $60 billion in annual media investment, according to COMvergence, the company innovates, differentiates, and generates sustained value for clients wherever they do business. GroupM's portfolio includes agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom, and mSix&Partners, as well as Choreograph (Data & Technology), GroupM Nexus (Cross-Channel Performance & Activation), and GroupM Investment. Contact: Kaya Heitman [email protected] Lauren Slinger [email protected] Alexandra Lorditch [email protected] SOURCE GroupM Increase in prevalence of cardiac diseases across the globe is propelling the interventional radiology market Rise in adoption of next-gen healthcare technologies in North America is expected to bolster the regional market WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) states that the global interventional radiology market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period. The market for interventional radiology was valued at US$ 16.36 Bn in 2018. The report by TMR offers in-depth analysis of key factors influencing the growth trajectory of the interventional radiology market. Hence, readers gain access to study of the growth drivers, growth opportunities, expansion avenues, R&Ds, and emerging trends in interventional radiology market. This aside, the report also shed light on the recent developments in the market for interventional radiology. Major companies operating in the global interventional radiology market are executing different strategies such as acquisition & collaborative agreements in order to stay ahead of the market competition. In addition, players are focused on regulatory approvals, new product launches, and R&Ds in order to develop cutting-edge products. Such efforts are prognosticated to help in the rapid expansion of the interventional radiology market during the forecast period, note researchers at TMR. In terms of region, the interventional radiology service providers are anticipated to gain profitable prospects in the North America region. The growth of the North America interventional radiology market is ascribed to many factors including the early adoption of technological advancements in the regional healthcare industry. Get Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of Interventional Radiology Market Report https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1337 Interventional Radiology Market: Key Findings Interventional radiology is being utilized in a wide range of applications including angioplasty & stent placement, angiography, balloon angioplasty, vertebroplasty-kyphoplasty, and cancer. Moreover, the Journal of American College of Cardiology states that approximately 70% of the coronary angioplasties carried out globally utilize different types of imaging techniques. Thus, a surge in the application of this technology globally is generating business opportunities in the interventional radiology market. Moreover, a surge in the cases of cardiology diseases is likely to result into rise in the demand for interventional radiology devices globally. Rise in the prevalence of cancer patients across the globe is resulting into a surge in the demand for interventional radiologists globally. This factor is creating prominent opportunities in the interventional radiology market. This aside, the government as well as no-government organizations across the globe are taking initiatives to carry out different types of awareness programs pertaining to different critical diseases including cancer. These factors, in turn, are expected to help in driving the growth of the Interventional radiology market share during the forecast period. Due to increase in the adoption of next-gen technologies in the healthcare sector, there has been a rise in the use of different advanced advancements including fractional flow reserve (FFR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique for stenting multi-vessel disease patients. This factor is foreseen to fuel the demand opportunities in the interventional radiology market during the forecast period. Ask for References https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=ARF&rep_id=1337 Interventional Radiology Market: Growth Boosters Rise in the number of people suffering from cancer is fueling the growth of interventional radiology market Increase in commonness of late pregnancies and rise in the maternal age across the globe are expected to boost the interventional radiology market size during the forecast period Make an Enquiry Before Buying https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=1337 Interventional Radiology Market: Key Players Some of the key players profiled in the report are: FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Agfa-Gevaert Group., Hitachi Medical Corporation, GE Healthcare, Medtronic , Inc., Hologic, Inc., N.V., Siemens, Koninklijke Philips CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION Teleflex Incorporated Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: X-ray Market: The X-ray market is estimated to progress at a modest CAGR of 5.5% throughout the forecast period. Companies are increasing their efficacy in services to customize the optimum pixel size for specific needs of OEMs within a reasonable short lead time. Angiography Devices Market: The demand in the global angiography devices market will multiply at a notable CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025. Angioplasty Balloons & Stents Market: The global angioplasty balloons & stents market is expected to grow at a moderate CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period. Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Market: The global vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty market was valued at US$ 1.0 Bn in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2019 to 2027. X-ray Detectors Market: The X-ray detectors market is projected to mature from a revenue of US$ 2.5 Bn in 2020 and reach US$ 4.6 Bn by 2031. Healthcare Biometrics for Children Market: The global healthcare biometrics for children market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 1.30 Bn by the end of 2031. Water for Injection Market: The global water for injection market is anticipated to reach more than US$ 53.8 Bn by the end of 2031 and to advance at a CAGR of 9.5% from 2022 to 2031. Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market: The global market study on portable oxygen concentrator estimates the market to rise at a high CAGR during the forecast period, from 2018 to 2026. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and business consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyze information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit Our YouTube Channel and hit subscribe for Future Update - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ Contact Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: https://tmrblog.com Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1682871/TMR_Logo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Transparency Market Research PITTSBURGH, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I created this to honor my military veteran pilots, and aviation lover alike" sand an inventor from Cocoa Beach, FL. "So I invented the RED TAILS uniquely styled, could be used as a toy or souvenir unlike any other product." This invention attracts instant attention from others with unique style. This safe and portable AC or DC fan would represent and acknowledge war heroes in a very appealing and interesting manner. Innovative design would provide cooling anywhere needed on a counter top desk, or table to keep people comfortable. Invention would be soft enough that if accidentally contacted, there would be no possibility for personal injury. The original design was submitted to the InventHelp home office. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-AVT-113, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp HSINCHU, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the support of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Minister of Economic Affairs, ITRI held the 2022 International Workshop on Trustworthy AI online on August 2. Over 400 experts gathered at the first-ever conference in Taiwan on this theme to discuss topics such as AI risk management and trustworthy AI systems. Experts in AI attended the 2022 International Workshop on Trustworthy AI hosted online by ITRI. Minister without Portfolio Audrey Tang lauded the seminar as a good start in promoting the standardization of trustworthy AI and in accelerating the development of digital technology in Taiwan. She pointed out that AI can be understood as Assistive Intelligence, rather than something that completely replaces humans. "It's like the complementary relationship between the AI robot and humans in the Japanese manga Doraemon," she said. Taiwan is an important partner in the global supply chain, Tang noted, adding that in the field of ICT, it has formed a solid ecosystem with the US supply chain. The establishment of a trusted AI framework, with its introduction into products and exports to the world, will create a new peak for Taiwan's industry, while helping Taiwan move closer towards its vision of Smart Taiwan 2030, which emphasizes innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. IDB Director General Jang-Hwa Leu emphasized the importance of AI risk management or supervision. Taiwan intends to cooperate with national laboratories such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US and Laboratoire national de metrologie et d'essais (LNE) in France. This will link relevant technical specifications or standards across Taiwan, the US, and the European Union. It will also assist Taiwan's AI products in meeting common standards and requirements on a global basis, enabling Taiwan to become an internationally trusted partner for AI, he stated. ITRI Executive Vice President Pei-Zen Chang remarked that the popularization of AI applications has sparked discussions on ethical issues, including data bias, privacy protection and security, system transparency, and interpretability. For instance, Portable Edge AI-DR, a technology for which ITRI won an Edison Award this year, employs AI analysis to identify the location of disease and its severity in just three seconds, assisting doctors in reaching rapid diagnosis. If this data can be provided to and exchanged among different hospitals while protecting patient privacy and ensuring security, this type of federated learning will then push AI medical care in Taiwan into a new realm. Also invited to the workshop was Elham Tabassi, Information Technology Laboratory Chief of Staff at the NIST, who shared the NIST's AI risk management tools that can make AI inference as fair as possible based on trustworthy AI models. Meanwhile, Jeannette M. Wing, Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University, believes that the trustworthiness of AI systems can be increased thanks to the expansion of trusted computing architecture. Others attending the event included Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director & Chief Marketing Officer at the FIDO Alliance; Taiwan AI Labs Founder Ethan Tu; Jane Yung-Jen Hsu, Professor of Computer Science & Information Engineering at National Taiwan University; Hon Hai Research Institute CEO Wei-Bin Lee; Egis Technology Inc. Principal Engineer Shang-Wei Chou; Tzeng-Yow Lin, Chief Executive of the National Measurement Laboratory and General Director of ITRI's Center for Measurement Standards; Kai-Lung Hua, Deputy General Director of ITRI's Information and Communications Research Laboratories. These experts shared developmental trends and experience in trustworthy AI and held discussions on a technology roadmap for Taiwan. About ITRI Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world's leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. To address market needs and global trends, it has launched its 2030 Technology Strategy & Roadmap and focuses on innovation development in Smart Living, Quality Health, and Sustainable Environment. It also strives to strengthen Intelligentization Enabling Technology to support diversified applications. Over the years, ITRI has been dedicated to incubating startups and spinoffs, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote international cooperation across the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.itri.org/eng. SOURCE Industrial Technology Research Institute MOLINE, Ill., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) has made a minority investment in Hello Tractor, an ag-tech company based in Nairobi, Kenya. Hello Tractor connects tractor owners with smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia through a farm-equipment-sharing app, which allows farmers to track and manage their fleet, book customers, and access financing options. Hello Tractor was among the first group of companies to participate in John Deere's Startup Collaborator program, launched in 2019 to enhance and deepen Deere's interaction with startup companies whose technology could add value for customers. "John Deere sees this as an opportunity to support Hello Tractor's innovative work to provide technologies and solutions to agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa and Asia," said Jason Brantley, Director, Ag & Turf Sales & Marketing Africa and Asia, at John Deere. "Hello Tractor's work also aligns with the John Deere Strategy and the Ag & Turf Division's Leap Ambitions to ensure 100% of new Small Ag equipment is connectivity-enabled by 2026." "The partnership between Hello Tractor and John Deere has been building since our participation in John Deere's Startup Collaborator program," said Jehiel Oliver, Hello Tractor founder. "We look forward to continuing to work together to ultimately help drive better economic outcomes for smallholder farmers." Hello Tractor has approximately 25 employees and will continue to operate from its current location in Africa. About Deere & Company Deere & Company ( www.JohnDeere.com ) is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what's possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products including John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor, See & Spray, and E-Power Backhoe are just some of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial. For more information on Deere & Company, visit us at www.deere.com/en/news/ . About Hello Tractor Hello Tractor is an award-winning agricultural technology company focused on improving food and income security for smallholder farmers relying on expensive and often unavailable manual labor. Our solution: we have developed technology to increase and optimize tractor activity in Africa. Hello Tractor connects tractor owners and smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa through farm equipment sharing application that bridges the gap between traditional farming and more technologically advanced approaches. By creating equitable access to tractor services, Hello Tractor enables smallholder farmers to earn more and grow more, improving livelihoods and food security for their families and communities. To learn more about Hello Tractor, visit www.hellotractor.com/press. SOURCE Deere & Company NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- J.P. Morgan Private Bank announced today that it has hired a three-person team in Chicago that collectively oversaw more than $2 billion in client assets in their prior positions, as well as a team lead for its Winnetka office. The Private Bank's Chicago market has seen extensive growth over the past five years and has and has doubled its business in terms of assets managed. "The greater Chicago area has long been an important market for our business, and it is a critical part of our growth and expansion plans," said David Frame, Chief Executive Officer, J.P. Morgan U.S. Private Bank. "These new hires are tremendous additions to the team and terrific examples of our commitment to hiring the most client-focused advisors in the industry." With over five decades of combined experience, Amy Welzer, Jennifer Jones and Steven Hoffmann joined the firm from Citi Private Bank. The team collectively oversaw more than $2 billion in client assets in their previous roles, and will report to Neal Gram, Managing Director, Chicago Market Manager. Rejoining the firm as a Managing Director and Banker, Amy Welzer serves ultra-high-net worth individuals and families providing tailored wealth planning needs including investments, trust and estate, banking, and philanthropy. serves ultra-high-net worth individuals and families providing tailored wealth planning needs including investments, trust and estate, banking, and philanthropy. Jennifer Jones also rejoins the firm as an Executive Director and Banker providing wealth planning services to ultra- high-net worth individuals and families ranging from investments, trust and estate, banking, and philanthropy. also rejoins the firm as an Executive Director and Banker providing wealth planning services to ultra- high-net worth individuals and families ranging from investments, trust and estate, banking, and philanthropy. Steven Hoffmann joins the firm as an Associate and Banker responsible for providing comprehensive investment and relationship support for families and ultra-high-net worth individuals. "I had the great fortune of working with Amy and Jennifer during their time at JPMorgan and have seen first-hand the value and expertise they can offer to our clients and teams," Gram said. "I am thrilled to welcome them back to the firm and look forward to the positive impact the entire team will have in helping clients achieve their most important financial goals." Additionally, Jaime Freeman joined as a Managing Director, Market Team Lead in Winnetka reporting to Maggie O'Brien, Managing Director, Team Lead and Banker in Chicago and Winnetka. Jaime brings more than 16 years of industry experience, a proven track record for delivering an exceptional client experience and providing integrated solutions across wealth planning, investment management, trust services and insurance. She joins the firm from BMO Wealth Management, where she was a Managing Director. J.P. Morgan Private Bank last year announced plans to double its advisor headcount by adding 1,500 new advisors by 2026. Across the Greater Chicago region, the Private Bank is looking to hire as many as 75 advisors over the next five years and has already added 60 from the beginning of 2021 through the start of June 2022. Globally, the business has increased advisor headcount by 18% year-over-year. About J.P. Morgan Private Bank J.P. Morgan Private Bank provides customized financial advice to help wealthy clients and their families achieve their goals through an elevated experience. Clients of the Private Bank work with dedicated teams of specialists that bring their investments and financial assets together into one comprehensive strategy, leveraging the global resources of J.P. Morgan across planning, investing, lending, banking, philanthropy, family office management, fiduciary services, special advisory services and more. The Private Bank oversees more than $1.9 trillion in client assets globally. More information about J.P. Morgan Private Bank is available at privatebank.jpmorgan.com/. SOURCE J.P. Morgan Private Bank The company is recognized for its AI-powered NLP platform's efficiency, accuracy, and versatility and for delivering highly relevant and context-driven information at unprecedented speed SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndi , the leading natural language processing (NLP) company, today announced that it has been awarded the 2022 North American Competitive Strategy Leadership by research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. For the second consecutive year, Kyndi's revolutionary Kyndi Natural Language Platform was acknowledged for its innovative hybrid AI approach, ease of management and use, and rapid time to tangible business value. By enabling humans to use their own words rather than limited keywords or rigid syntax to search for information, Kyndi empowers business users in all parts of the organization to find answers in text data with high accuracy, speed, and transparency. Kyndi is named Frost & Sullivans North American Competitive Strategy Leadership Award in Natural Language Processing. The company is recognized for its AI-powered NLP platforms efficiency, accuracy, and versatility and for delivering highly relevant and context-driven information at unprecedented speed. The company was acknowledged for its innovative hybrid AI approach, ease of management and use, and rapid time to tangible business value. The full, complimentary report is available here . "Since roughly 80% of enterprise data is unstructured, Kyndi's innovative NLP solutions help businesses unlock the value in this data, delivering material impact to the organizations," said Samantha Fisher, Best Practices Research Analyst and author of the report. "Kyndi has developed and implemented its strategies with its customers in mind. The company builds its portfolio with best-in-class solutions designed to augment human-centered processes with a spectrum of enabling AI technologies. Kyndi's innovation in the natural language processing market has secured the company as a trusted partner. Extremely positive customer feedback and extensive research and development activities serve Kyndi as critical differentiators, enabling them to adapt rapidly to emerging customer needs and technology voids." The Kyndi Natural Language Search solution is the first end-to-end offering designed to maximize the relevancy and speed of finding answers in unstructured, text-based data. Due to limited NLP expertise and the cost of tuning and deploying state-of-the-art language models, organizations of all sizes struggle to implement or overlook natural language search as a true business enabler. Unlike other natural language-powered solutions, Kyndi's "Natural Language Search-as-a-Service" is easily tuned and optimized to work in specific domains and applications, allowing organizations to realize tangible business value immediately from their AI investments. It also includes user-friendly explanations (Explainable AI), providing contextual information on the underlying data to ensure transparency and auditability. Frost & Sullivan's report also credits Kyndi for actively investing in research and development and customer acquisition activities that feed into land-and-expand opportunities. Kyndi's keen innovation focus enables the company to adapt to the speed of technology change to optimize strategy execution. This distinction follows closely on the heels of Kyndi being named a KMWorld AI 50 , an elite group of technology providers credited with helping companies compete and innovate in all industry sectors by leveraging intelligent knowledge discovery and delivery solutions. "Leveraging our best-in-class Natural Language Search-as-a-Service, we empower business users with the right answers every time they search unstructured, text-based data," said Ryan Welsh, founder and CEO of Kyndi. "We focus all of our efforts on building AI solutions that are successfully rolled out to users, empowering them with accelerated, smart decision making across multiple use cases that primarily revolve around improving customer and employee search experiences. We are thrilled to receive such an important validation from our customers and to be named the North American Competitive Strategy Leadership Award in the NLP market." About Kyndi Kyndi is a global provider of the Kyndi Platform for the Natural-Language-Enabled Enterprise, an AI-powered platform that empowers people to do their most meaningful work. Trusted by the world's most innovative organizations, Kyndi's platform delivers highly relevant and context-driven information at unprecedented speed, keeping humans at the heart of critical problem solving. Backed by leading venture investors including Intel Capital and PivotNorth, Kyndi was recently awarded the North America Entrepreneurial Company of the Year by leading research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan for the second consecutive year, deemed an KMWorld AI 50 and was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. Customers include government agencies and enterprises across manufacturing, media, life science, and financial services industries. Learn more at: https://kyndi.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . Media Contacts Chris McCoin or Richard Smith McCoin & Smith Communications Inc. 508-429-5988 (Chris) or 978-433-3304 (Rick) [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Kyndi Expert analysis in industry report shows Lakeside's status as a Leader BOSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lakeside Software, an enterprise-class digital experience management software provider, has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: End-User Experience Management, Q3 2022 report. Among the vendors analyzed, Lakeside was cited for enabling deep historical analysis of telemetry data for RCA. The Q3 2022 report evaluated the most significant end-user experience management (EUEM) providers and scored them using 30 criteria. Lakeside scored the highest possible marks in the strategy criteria of partner integration, market approach, and supporting products and services. Lakeside's telemetry monitoring was also scored highest, a benefit of SysTrack's Intelligent Edge which collects 10,000 metrics out of the box. The report notes that the exceptional UI of Lakeside's Prevent solution makes it easy for service desk administrators to quickly identify common high-severity events and remediate them at scale. "We are committed to offering the best in class solutions that meet the needs of today's modern enterprises." Tweet this The evaluation findings were supported by strong references from the customer community. Customers cited Lakeside's "exceptional support, granular data analysis, and improved usability." The report also highlighted differentiated support services in the form of DEX packs, which help customers quickly implement new services such as proactive management. "In an increasingly digital working environment for many of today's global enterprises, we are proud to serve our customers with IT solutions that will drive employee engagement and productivity, while reducing downtime caused by tech disruptions," said David Keil, CEO, Lakeside Software. "We believe earning a leader position in the end-user experience management category demonstrates our continued commitment to offer best in class solutions that meet the needs of today's modern enterprises." Lakeside has experienced tremendous market share and talent acquisition growth. The company recently announced the appointment of three new executives who will lead national and international markets. To download a complimentary copy of the full report, click here. About Lakeside Software Lakeside Software is a leader in cloud-based digital experience management. Lakeside's Digital Experience Cloud, powered by SysTrack, gathers and analyzes data on everything that may impact end-user experience and business productivity and provides the unmatched visibility IT teams need to design and support rapidly changing digital workplaces. Customers use Lakeside's technology to perform end-user experience management, digital workplace planning, IT asset optimization, remote work management, and proactive service desk operations. For more information, visit www.lakesidesoftware.com. Lakeside Software and SysTrack are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Lakeside Software, LLC in the United States, and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Zen Media Brittany Frey [email protected] SOURCE Lakeside Software Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to HyperExecute to seamlessly orchestrate their testing and achieve a quicker go-to-market. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LambdaTest, a leading continuous quality testing cloud platform, today announced the availability of HyperExecute, a lightning-quick intelligent test orchestration platform, in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace , an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. LambdaTest's HyperExecute is a next-gen smart test orchestration platform that helps testers and developers run end-to-end automation (Selenium, Playwright, and others) tests at the fastest speed possible. It is up to 70% faster than traditional cloud-based automation grids. Existing automation testing platforms are inherently slow because of lots of network hops that happen during each test. In the traditional approach, triggered test scenarios are first sent to the hub, which in turn are scheduled to run on the best-suited node. This results in unnecessary latency as many network components are involved in the entire process. Also, multiple network hops with separated components result in increased test flakiness, a factor that is the biggest hindrance to time to market. Using Microsoft Azure's worldwide data centers, HyperExecute unifies all the components into a single execution environment that eliminates these network hops and cuts down the test execution time. This enables businesses to test code and fix issues at a much faster pace and hence achieve an accelerated time to market. HyperExecute comes with real-time console logs for test execution, intelligent grouping of tests to reduce total build time, artifacts management, automatic reporting, and automatic retries on failures. It is also available across Windows, Mac, and Linux. "We've worked with Microsoft Azure to build HyperExecute. It is a game-changing smart test orchestration platform that will ensure that developers get quicker feedback, thereby enabling businesses to go to market faster," said Mayank Bhola, co-founder and head of product development at LambdaTest. "We've had some amazing feedback from our early customers, who are amongst the biggest enterprises globally. We can't wait for the world to try out HyperExecute through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace." Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp. said, "We're pleased to welcome LambdaTest's HyperExecute to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, which gives our partners great exposure to cloud customers around the globe. Azure Marketplace offers world-class quality experiences from global trusted partners with solutions tested to work seamlessly with Azure." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. About LambdaTest LambdaTest is a continuous quality testing cloud platform that helps developers and testers ship code faster. Over 7000+ customers, one million users across 130+ countries rely on LambdaTest for their testing needs. LambdaTest platform provides secure, scalable, and insightful test orchestration for customers at different points in their DevOps (CI/CD) lifecycle:- Browser & App Testing Cloud allows users to run both manual and automated tests of web and mobile apps across 3000+ different browsers, real devices, and operating system environments. Cloud allows users to run both manual and automated tests of web and mobile apps across 3000+ different browsers, real devices, and operating system environments. HyperExecute helps customers run and orchestrate test grids in the cloud for any platform and programming language at blazing fast speeds to cut down on quality test time, helping developers build software faster. helps customers run and orchestrate test grids in the cloud for any platform and programming language at blazing fast speeds to cut down on quality test time, helping developers build software faster. Test at Scale (TAS) helps developers get fine-grain control over test quality by gaining deep insights about test execution, flaky test management, and cutting down feedback times by running only impacted tests and, thereby, helping get faster feedback on code changes. TAS is open source and supports multiple testing frameworks. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1721228/Lambda_Test_Logo.jpg SOURCE LambdaTest Transaction will bring airborne surveillance and search and rescue missions to Leidos Australia's portfolio MELBOURNE, Australia, and RESTON, Va., August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Cobham Limited to acquire Cobham Aviation Services Australia's Special Mission business. The Special Mission business provides airborne border surveillance and search and rescue services to the Australian Federal Government. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. "Cobham's Special Mission team conducts essential operations that protect Australia's borders, support law enforcement and environmental protection and save lives," said Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone. "The integration of Special Mission into Leidos Australia will expand the scope of our global airborne ISR capabilities, diversify revenues, and open up new growth avenues." "I have the greatest respect and admiration for Cobham's Special Mission team and their performance in service to the Government," said Leidos Australia Chief Executive Paul Chase. "The addition of the Special Mission business will bring new, expansive services to our offerings across Australia. I look forward to working with this exceptional team." "This is a perfect match," said Cobham Aviation Services Chairman Kim Gillis. "Leidos has remarkably complementary operations to Cobham Special Mission in airborne ISR, as well as deep platform integration expertise, and both organisations uphold exceptional track records of delivering mission critical services to government and defence customers." "I'd like to recognise and thank all of the Special Mission team for their continued dedication and commitment to delivering operational outcomes for our customers," Managing Director of Special Mission James Woodhams said. "I'm really excited about what the future holds for the team as part of Leidos." Cobham Special Mission owns and operates 14 modified aircraft to deliver critical services across Australia, including: Conducting one of the world's largest outsourced civil maritime surveillance operations under contract with the Australian Border Force, patrolling Australia's 8.2 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone; 8.2 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone; Providing fixed wing search-and-rescue response capability over land and sea on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA); and Operating a highly specialised mission aircrew training system for more than 30 mission aircrew per year. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Leidos' proposed acquisition of Cobham Aviation Services Australia, including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction, the anticipated timing of the transaction and the products and markets of each company. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "predicts," "budget," "forecast," "continue," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "could," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions). Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this release, including but not limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, (ii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (iv) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on Cobham Aviation Services Australia's business relationships, operating results, and business generally, (v) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Leidos or Cobham Aviation Services Australia and potential difficulties in Cobham Aviation Services Australia's employee retention as a result of the transaction, (vi) risks related to diverting management's attention from Cobham Aviation Services Australia ongoing business operations, (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Leidos or against Cobham Aviation Services Australia related to the merger agreement or the transaction, (viii) the ability of Leidos to successfully integrate Cobham Aviation Services Australia's operations, product lines, and technology, and (ix) the ability of Leidos to implement its plans, forecasts, and other expectations with respect to Cobham Aviation Services Australia's business after the completion of the proposed acquisition and realize additional opportunities for growth and innovation. In addition, please refer to the documents that Leidos files with the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements set forth in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Leidos assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: Melissa Duenas (571) 526-6850 [email protected] Thomas Doheny (571) 474-4735 [email protected] Brandon VerVelde (571) 526-6257 [email protected] SOURCE Leidos DALLAS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Group Construction Services (LGCS), a multifamily construction company, welcomes Jeffrey VanderVorst as the Executive Vice President to help lead the company's rapid growth and plans for continued expansion. Jeffrey VanderVorst Photo Mr. VanderVorst brings over fifteen years of experience in the multifamily industry. Starting from 2007 at UR Holdings (which includes United Renovations, CAPgro, and UR Speciality Group), sold to Katerra in 2017. During his tenure at UR Holdings, VanderVorst held multiple executive positions, including VP and EVP of United Renovations and CEO of CAPgro. The combined annual revenue for the three companies grew from approximately $27M to over $200M annually. Other multifamily experience includes such companies as JPI, Cortland Build (the construction division of Cortland), SAS Conserve (a multifamily water conservation company), and SRG Roofing. Before his multifamily career, he had an impressive career spanning over fifteen years in the information technology industry, providing consulting services and creating executive relationships. He also spent four years as an equity partner in the QSR food industry at Orion Foods, acquired in 2007. Jeffrey VanderVorst's addition to LGCS will include supporting all current and future divisions at LGCS, currently Liberty Paint and Drywall, LLC, Liberty Renovations, Black Diamond Flooring, LLC, and Multi-Family Supply. His talents and diverse background will help lead the company to a prosperous future based on the current trajectory. The partners will utilize Jeffrey's skills to develop and support current and future business strategies for all business segments and assist with creating plans to drive revenue growth while assisting in redeveloping the company's vision and values. In addition, his numerous industry relationships will help the company source and recommend the experts necessary to support long-term business growth. "Jeffrey is a welcome addition to our organization. We couldn't be happier to have someone with such diverse talents to ensure we continue to produce the quality of work that has helped our company stand apart," said Lars Hardt, President of Liberty Group Construction Services. "He has a unique way of bringing the team together, analyzing information quickly, and executing results." About Liberty Group Construction Services (LGCS) Liberty Group Construction Services (LGCS) is a Multifamily and Commercial Construction company based in Dallas-Ft Worth, TX, specializing in New Construction Paint and Drywall, Renovation, Roofing & Restoration, and Commercial & Decorative Flooring. They operate under Liberty Paint and Drywall LLC, Liberty Renovations, and Black Diamond Flooring, LLC. They work with commercial and multifamily owners, investors, and management companies to achieve their investment goals through trusted partnership, competitive pricing, clear communication, and innovative practices to retain and extend the investment's economic value and useful life. Connect with Liberty Group Construction Services at https://libertygcs.com or on LinkedIn Media Contact: Misha Hardt Head of PR/Marketing [email protected] 214-762-5664 https://libertygcs.com SOURCE Liberty Group Construction Services SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Socioeconomic deprivation, including neighborhood disadvantages and persistent low wages, are associated with higher dementia risk, lower cognitive performance and faster memory decline, according to several studies reported today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2022 in San Diego and virtually. Lower Socioeconomic Status Linked to Dementia | AAIC | alz.org Socioeconomic status (SES) reflecting both social and economic measures of a person's work experience, and of an individual's or family's economic access to resources and social position has been linked to both physical and psychological health and well-being. Research examining its impact on cognition is growing, and key findings presented at AAIC 2022 include: Individuals who experience high socioeconomic deprivation measured using income/wealth, unemployment rates, car/home ownership and household overcrowding are significantly more likely to develop dementia compared to individuals of better socioeconomic status, even at high genetic risk. measured using income/wealth, unemployment rates, car/home ownership and household overcrowding are significantly more likely to develop dementia compared to individuals of better socioeconomic status, even at high genetic risk. Lower-quality neighborhood resources and difficulty paying for basic needs were associated with lower scores on cognitive tests among Black and Latino individuals. Higher parental socioeconomic status was associated with increased resilience to the negative effects of Alzheimer's marker ptau-181, better baseline executive function and slower cognitive decline in older age. Compared with workers earning higher wages, sustained low-wage earners experienced significantly faster memory decline in older age. "It's vital we continue to study social determinants of health related to cognition, including socioeconomic status, so we can implement public health policies and create community environments that can improve the health and well-being of all," said Matthew Baumgart, vice president of health policy at the Alzheimer's Association. At the recent Alzheimer's Association Promoting Diverse Perspectives: Addressing Health Disparities Related to Alzheimer's and All Dementias conference, researchers gathered to share knowledge and drive collaboration on vital health equity issues, including social determinants of dementia risk like socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic deprivation associated with increased dementia risk Researchers are beginning to understand that risk of cognitive impairment and dementia are, to a significant degree, determined by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. To better understand how socioeconomic conditions and genetic risk for developing dementia may interact, Matthias Klee, a Ph.D. student in psychology at the University of Luxembourg, and team, collaborated with researchers from universities of Exeter and Oxford to examine data from 196,368 participants' records in the U.K. Biobank whose genetic risk for developing dementia was assessed through risk scores. With this sample, the researchers investigated the contribution of individual socioeconomic deprivation such as low income and low wealth and area-level socioeconomic deprivation such as employment rates and car/home ownership to the risk of developing dementia, and compared it with genetic risk for dementia. Klee and team reported at AAIC 2022 that: Both individual socioeconomic and area-level socioeconomic deprivation contribute to risk of dementia; area-level socioeconomic deprivation was associated with increased risk of dementia for those in very disadvantaged neighborhoods. For participants with moderate or high genetic risk, greater area-level deprivation is associated with even higher risk for developing dementia, after adjusting for individual-level socioeconomic conditions. Analyses with imaging markers indicated that socioeconomic deprivation both on the individual and the area level were linked to higher burden of white-matter lesions, a marker indicating brain aging and damage. "Our findings point to the importance of the conditions in which people live, work and age for their risk of developing dementia, particularly those who are already genetically more vulnerable," said Klee. "Both individual health behaviors and non-influenceable living conditions are relevant to explain risk of dementia, particularly for individuals with increased genetic vulnerability. This knowledge opens new opportunities to reduce the number of people affected by dementia not only through public health interventions but also by improving socioeconomic conditions through policymaking." Economic adversity and neighborhood disadvantage related to lower cognitive testing scores A large body of research has shown that SES can influence the risk of dementia later in life. SES is often studied using years of education and income level as general factors in health research; however, it is not yet understood how subjective indicators, such as perceived neighborhood environment and access to resources, might also play a role in cognitive health. To understand this relationship better, Anthony Longoria, M.S., clinical psychology doctoral candidate at University of Texas Southwestern, examined perceptions of neighborhood physical environment and perceived SES alongside a measure of cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores) in 3,858 diverse individuals from the Dallas Heart Study. The researchers found that lower quality neighborhood resources, poorer access to food/heating and medical care, and exposure to violence were related to lower scores on a commonly used test of cognitive function in Black and Hispanic, but not White participants. "This is important given that minority groups disproportionately experience economic adversity and neighborhood disadvantage, in addition to being more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and receive less timely care," said Longoria. Additional data analyses show perceived neighborhood disadvantage and economic status also may affect white matter volume (WMV) and hyperintensities (WMH) in the brain, both of which are associated with dementia risk and vascular factors. Reported lower income and education were associated with higher WMH in the overall sample, and lower trust, access to health care, income, and education were significantly associated with lower cerebral WMV. "Violence" was associated with more WMH in Black women, lower "trust" was associated with lower WMV in Hispanic men, and lower "access to medical care" was associated with lower WMV in White women. "Scientists and policymakers should emphasize improving neighborhood resources including safety, access to high-quality food, clean outdoor spaces and health care when developing public health policies to help reduce community risk of Alzheimer's and related dementias," said Longoria. Parental socioeconomic status associated with reduced impact of Alzheimer's pathology later in life Little research to date has examined the impact of socioeconomic conditions on cognitive resilience, including biological markers of neurodegeneration. To study this, Jennifer Manly, Ph.D., professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and team, partnered with participants in a population-representative intergenerational study in New York City to determine whether parental socioeconomic status, as measured by years of education, buffers the association with levels of plasma ptau-181 (a marker of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease). They also studied whether there was an association with changes in memory among middle-aged adults, and whether moderation of Alzheimer's disease and related brain changes is similar across racialized and ethnic groups. As reported at AAIC 2022, Manly and team found that higher parental socioeconomic status was associated with reduced impact of Alzheimer's marker ptau-181 on memory, language and executive function in their children as they age. "Evidence from our multiethnic, intergenerational study suggests that early life socioeconomic conditions may promote cognitive reserve against Alzheimer's-related brain changes," said Manly. "These data show how structural and policy-driven investments, such as access to high quality education, have generational implications. Interventions that reduce childhood poverty could narrow Alzheimer's-related disparities." Low hourly wages associated with faster memory decline in older age Research into the effects of lower income on health is rapidly expanding. To study whether earning low hourly wages over a long period of time is associated with memory decline, Katrina Kezios, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and team, used data from a national longitudinal study of American adults who were working for pay in midlife. Kezios and team categorized study participants' history of low wages into those who (a) never earned low wages, (b) intermittently earned low wages or (c) always earned low wages, and then examined the relationship with memory decline over 12 years. The researchers found that, compared with workers never earning low wages, sustained low-wage earners experienced significantly faster memory decline in older age. They experienced approximately one excess year of cognitive aging per 10-year period; in other words, the level of cognitive aging experienced over a 10-year period by sustained low-wage earners would be what those who never earned low wages experienced in 11 years. "Our findings suggest that social policies that enhance the financial well-being of low-wage workers, including increasing the minimum wage, may be especially beneficial for cognitive health," said Kezios. About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community. AAIC 2022 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/ AAIC 2022 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp AAIC 2022 hashtag: #AAIC22 About the Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900. SOURCE Alzheimers Association From 2007 to 2021, Claims with Lyme Disease Diagnoses Rose 65 Percent in Urban Areas, according to FAIR Health Study NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lyme disease has experienced notable growth in the United States over the past 15 years and, as a result, has become an illness of increasing national concern. From 2007 to 2021, private insurance claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses rose 357 percent in rural areas and 65 percent in urban areas. These and other findings on this tick-borne, bacterial illness were captured in an infographic just released by FAIR Health. The national, independent organization used its database of over 36 billion privately billed healthcare claims to conduct its 15-year analysis of Lyme disease; this analysis builds upon a previous FAIR Health infographic that studied 10 years of Lyme disease data. Click here for the infographic released today. Private insurance claim lines with a Lyme disease diagnosis in the United States, fairhealth.org Rural and Urban Differences The infographic reveals key differences in prevalence of Lyme disease when comparing rural and urban areas. From 2016 to 2021, claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses increased 60 percent in rural areas and 19 percent in urban areas, with diagnoses peaking nationally in June and July of each year. During these summer months, rural areas, on average, had a greater share of claim lines associated with Lyme disease diagnoses than urban areas. From November to April, however, claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses occurred more often in urban than rural areas. Geographic Distribution In 2017, the states with the greatest proportion of claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses as a percentage of all diagnoses in the state, from highest to lowest, were New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Vermont. Given that Lyme disease has been historically associated with the Northeast and upper Midwest, the status of North Carolina as the state with the third highest percentage of Lyme disease claim lines in 2017 suggested marked expansion to a new region. By 2021, however, North Carolina had dropped from the list. The top states in 2021, from highest to lowest, were New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Maine, which was not previously on the list of top five states for Lyme disease claim lines, assumed third place in 2021, suggesting a growing presence of the tick-borne illness in the state. Connecticut and Vermont switched places, with Vermont emerging as number two and Connecticut dropping to number five. Later Diagnoses Although Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics, some Lyme patients later develop conditions with long-term symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle and joint pain and cognitive issues. Such conditions have been linked to post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, sometimes called chronic Lyme disease. To identify later diagnoses associated with Lyme disease, FAIR Health examined a statistically significant cohort of individuals in its private insurance claims database from 2017 to 2021, comparing the prevalence of certain diagnoses among Lyme patients to all patients in the cohort. The analysis found that diagnoses such as malaise and fatigue and soft-tissue-related issues were more common among Lyme patients than among the total patient population. Across all age groups, patients with Lyme disease were generally more likely to have these apparently associated diagnoses than all patients in the cohort. FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated, "Lyme disease remains a growing public health concern. FAIR Health will continue to use its repository of claims data to provide actionable and relevant insights to healthcare stakeholders seeking to better understand the ongoing rise of Lyme disease cases." This is the third study FAIR Health has conducted on Lyme disease, the first appearing in an infographic released in 2017 and the second in a white paper published in 2019. For the new infographic, click here. Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth About FAIR Health FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 36 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org. Contact: Rachel Kent Senior Director of Marketing FAIR Health 646-396-0795 [email protected] SOURCE FAIR Health VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Cascade Corporation (PCC), ParkingZone, and the newly introduced Magnetic Gorilla Guard is reducing on-site construction safety hazards. Part of the Gorilla Post Magnetic Mounting System, the Magnetic Gorilla Guard attaches to mobile heavy equipment to warn co-workers of possible crushing risk. Magnetic Gorilla Guards are mounted directly onto the superstructure to indicate Swing Radius Hazards. The standard for protection against pinch/crush hazards by the superstructure travels with the equipment and reduces labor costs. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces standards for a safe and healthful working environment. OSHA has regulations regarding work area control around Cranes & Derricks in Construction addressing Swing Radius Hazards. The requirements apply where there are accessible areas in which the equipment's rotating superstructure poses a reasonably foreseeable risk of pinching/crushing an employee against another part of the equipment or another object. To prevent employees from entering these hazard areas, the employer must erect and maintain control lines, railings or similar barriers to mark the boundaries of the Swing/Crush Hazard Zone. In simple terms, a rotating crane can cause a lot of harm to a person standing too close. Normally, construction companies must indicate the counter swing area by placing delineators or barricades on the ground around the crane so workers do not stand in, or approach the pinch point hazard areas to satisfy OSHA regulations. Malcolm Drilling is one of the largest specialty drilling and deep foundation contractors in North America. "We do not care for this method at Malcolm Drilling, our cranes and drills are constantly on the move on a job site," explained Nick Noradoun, Safety and Logistics Superintendent from the Hayward, CA Office, "the Gorilla Guard allows us to change locations without having to remove and reposition the warning barricades. It's a time and labor savings." Additionally, Noradoun stated, "OSHA had come out to the job site and was satisfied that we'd covered all the requirements of the Swing Radius Hazards regulations." "This is truly a unique solution and construction companies and operators should check with local OSHA regulations for deployment placement, and how they are linked together," suggests Lyle Peters, Director of U.S. Sales for the Gorilla Post System. According to Bill Sloniker, WA State Dept. of L&I Crane Certification Program Supervisor / Crane Technical Specialist, the Magnetic Gorilla Guard satisfies the WAC 296-155-53400 General Requirements for work area control and swing radius hazards. When applied in the manner of the accompanying photos meet the standard for protection against pinch/crush hazards by the superstructure. In addition, employers must train their employees how to recognize the pinch/crush hazard areas. Magnetic Gorilla Guards are mounted directly onto the superstructure. These guards use neodymium magnets that have a magnetic pull of 380 psi, and have a 360 swivel, pivoting spring base which flexes if it hits an employee or object. To remove the guard, there is an ergonomic removal tool that breaks the industrial-strength coupling allowing quick removal. "Safety" Steve Summers, Safety Manager for Northbank Civil and Marine states, "it's a very practical solution to an ongoing problem, well built, durable and the magnets are very strong . . . I definitely recommend getting the tool to assist pulling the magnets off." Northbank Civil and Marine primarily focuses on marine, heavy civil and industrial construction projects throughout the western US. "It's thinking 'outside-the-box', our clients are using the Gorilla Posts for applications we didn't think of. We have a corporation in Utah who has a mining operation and places Gorilla Posts on the walls of their mine to warn large-material vehicle drivers when they are getting too close to the mine walls. They found the Gorilla Posts were instrumental in reducing their costs to replacing vehicle mirrors," Peters added. PCC is the developer of the Gorilla Post Magnetic System with numerous domestic and international patents. CONTACT PERSON: Lyle Peters Director of U.S. Sales for the Gorilla Post System Pacific Cascade Corporation 14208 N.W. 3rd Court Suite 200 Vancouver, WA 98685 1-800-292-7275 ext. 207 [email protected] ParkingZone.com ABOUT PACIFIC CASCADE CORPORATION AND PARKINGZONE Since 1987, PCC and ParkingZone are proud supplying numerous industries with the best products available. Call us at 1-800-292-7275, chat at our website, or message us online. We are available from 8am to 5pm PST, Monday through Friday. SOURCE ParkingZone IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total July sales of 23,393 vehicles, a decrease of 28.5 percent compared to July 2021. Year-to-date sales totaled 166,195 vehicles; a decrease of 25.1 percent compared to the same time last year. With 26 selling days in July, compared to 27 the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 25.8 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis. CPO sales totaled 3,570 vehicles in July, a decrease of 47 percent compared to July 2021. Mazda Reports July Sales Results Sales Highlight Best-ever July sales of CX-30 with 6,040 vehicles sold. Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported July sales of 4,290 vehicles, an increase of 8.6 percent compared to July last year. Year-to-date sales decreased 27.0 percent, with 20,711 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 July July YOY % % MTD July July YOY % % MTD 2022 2021 Change DSR 2022 2021 Change DSR Mazda3 1,165 3,927 (70.3) % (69.2) % 16,020 25,561 (37.3) % (37.3) % Mazda 3 Sdn 325 2,200 (85.2) % (84.7) % 6371 15,916 (60.0) % (60.0) % Mazda 3 HB 840 1,727 (51.4) % (49.5) % 9649 9,645 0.0 % 0.0 % Mazda6 1 1,778 (99.9) % (99.9) % 335 11,804 (97.2) % (97.2) % MX-5 Miata 268 1,226 (78.1) % (77.3) % 3,067 7,903 (61.2) % (61.2) % MX-5 107 434 (75.3) % (74.4) % 1079 3,128 (65.5) % (65.5) % MXR 161 792 (79.7) % (78.9) % 1988 4,775 (58.4) % (58.4) % CX-3 - 647 - - - 4,687 - - CX-30 6,040 5,598 7.9 % 12.0 % 27767 39,502 (29.7) % (29.7) % CX-5 11,009 16,299 (32.5) % (29.9) % 92813 108,919 (14.8) % (14.8) % CX-9 1,919 3,264 (41.2) % (38.9) % 18099 23,529 (23.1) % (23.1) % CX-50 2,983 0 - - 7770 0 - - MX-30 8 0 - - 324 0 - - CARS 1,434 6,931 (79.3) % (78.5) % 19,422 45,268 (57.1) % (57.1) % TRUCKS 21,959 25,808 (14.9) % (11.6) % 146,773 176,638 (16.9) % (16.9) % TOTAL 23,393 32,739 (28.5) % (25.8) % 166,195 221,906 (25.1) % (25.1) % *Selling Days 26 27 178 178 SOURCE Mazda North American Operations NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metaverse In E-commerce Market by Geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa) and Platform ( Computer, Mobile, and Headset) Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 report has been added to Technavio's offering. With ISO 9001:2015 certification, Technavio is proudly partnering with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years. The predicted growth of the metaverse in e-commerce market share from 2021 to 2026 is USD 60.47 billion at a progressing CAGR of 36.47%. Technavio categorizes the global metaverse in the e-commerce market as a part of the global information technology (IT) spending market. Our research report has extensively covered external factors influencing the parent market growth potential in the coming years, which will determine the levels of growth of the metaverse in the e-commerce market during the forecast period. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Metaverse in E-commerce Market by Platform and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 For more highlights on the parent market analysis - Grab a sample now! Metaverse in E-commerce Market - Key Market Dynamics: Major Driver - The key factor driving growth in the metaverse in the e-commerce market is the growing popularity of AR technology. The rising popularity of AR technology allows consumers to be completely confident in a product's quality and fit before purchasing it. This benefits customers in terms of convenience, but it also benefits merchants by reducing returns and expanding their customer base. Virtual purchasing experiences are becoming increasingly popular among customers. As a result, all types of e-commerce businesses should follow the trend. The addition of metaverse to an already inventive arena will provide the e-commerce business with something unparalleled. Customers will be able to make purchases in real-time in more lifelike virtual stores created by sellers. Such factors will contribute to the market growth during the forecast period. The rising popularity of AR technology allows consumers to be completely confident in a product's quality and fit before purchasing it. This benefits customers in terms of convenience, but it also benefits merchants by reducing returns and expanding their customer base. Virtual purchasing experiences are becoming increasingly popular among customers. As a result, all types of e-commerce businesses should follow the trend. The addition of metaverse to an already inventive arena will provide the e-commerce business with something unparalleled. Customers will be able to make purchases in real-time in more lifelike virtual stores created by sellers. Such factors will contribute to the market growth during the forecast period. Major Challenges - The privacy and security concerns over metaverse will be a major challenge for the metaverse in the e-commerce market during the forecast period. Even though companies and organizations keep revolutionizing their IT security systems, data privacy and security has been a long-running concern for users of the metaverse. The metaverse collects and processes vast amounts of information about users and their environment. Privacy concerns, therefore, constitute a significant challenge in the market. Metaverse has access to users' personal information, which could compromise their privacy. It has the ability to gather a lot of data from the user's social networking accounts. If hackers obtain access to a user's device, their privacy may be threatened. A security or privacy violation might lead to trouble and ruin the organizer's reputation. Such factors may hamper the growth of the market during the forecast period. To learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges - Request a Sample Report right now! Metaverse in E-commerce Market - Segmentation Analysis: The metaverse in the e-commerce market report is segmented by Geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa) and Platform ( Computer, Mobile, and Headset) Regional Highlights - 38% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. The US is the key market for metaverse in e-commerce in North America . Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in the South American and MEA regions. 38% of the market's growth will originate from during the forecast period. The US is the key market for metaverse in e-commerce in . Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in the South American and MEA regions. Revenue Generating Segment - The metaverse in e-commerce market share growth by the computer segment will be significant during the forecast period. The emergence of a metaverse in e-commerce has provided a highly personalized digital experience. Grab a sample report for additional insights into the contribution of all the segments & regional opportunities Metaverse in E-commerce Market - Vendor Analysis: The metaverse in the e-commerce market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as focusing on acquiring smaller brands to increase their market presence to compete in the market. Adobe Inc. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Amazon.com Inc. Autodesk Inc. Block Inc. Dealskart Online Services Pvt. Ltd. Epic Games Inc. Matterport Inc. Meta Platforms Inc. Microsoft Corp. NVIDIA Corp. Roblox Corp Salesforce.com Inc. SAP SE Shopify Inc. Unity Software Inc. To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here The competitive scenario provided in the Metaverse In E-commerce 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 Metaverse In E-commerce Market Forecast Report - Buy Now! Related Reports: The predicted growth of the metaverse in healthcare market share from 2021 to 2026 is USD 3.80 billion at a progressing CAGR of 33.83%. share from 2021 to 2026 is USD 3.80 billion at a progressing CAGR of 33.83%. The metaverse in fashion market share is expected to increase to USD 6.61 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 36.47%. Metaverse In E-commerce Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 36.47% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 60.47 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 30.5 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, South America, Middle East, and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 38% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Adobe Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Amazon.com Inc., Autodesk Inc., Block Inc., Dealskart Online Services Pvt. Ltd., Epic Games Inc., Matterport Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Roblox Corp, Salesforce.com Inc., SAP SE, Shopify Inc., and Unity Software 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, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Browse for Technavio " Information Technology Market " Research Reports Key Topics Covered: 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market Overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Platform Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on the Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by Platform 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on Platform - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on Platform - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Platform Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Platform Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Platform 5.3 Computer - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Computer - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Computer - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Computer - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Computer - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Mobile - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Mobile - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Mobile - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Mobile - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Mobile - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Headset - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 36: Chart on Headset - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Headset - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 38: Chart on Headset - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Headset - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.6 Market opportunity by Platform Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by Platform ($ million) 6 Customer Landscape 6.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 41: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 42: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 43: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 44: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 45: Data Table on Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.7 The Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on the Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on the Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on the Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on the Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on the US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on the US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on the US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 85: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 86: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 87: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 88: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 89: Overview on factors of disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 90: Impact of key risks on business 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 91: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 92: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Exhibit 93: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 94: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 95: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 96: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Segment focus 10.4 Autodesk Inc. Exhibit 97: Autodesk Inc. - Overview Exhibit 98: Autodesk Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 99: Autodesk Inc. - Key news Exhibit 100: Autodesk Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 101: Autodesk Inc. - Segment focus 10.5 Block Inc. Exhibit 102: Block Inc. - Overview Exhibit 103: Block Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 104: Block Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 105: Block Inc. - Segment focus 10.6 Meta Platforms Inc. Exhibit 106: Meta Platforms Inc. - Overview Exhibit 107: Meta Platforms Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 108: Meta Platforms Inc. - Key news Exhibit 109: Meta Platforms Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 110: Meta Platforms Inc. - Segment focus 10.7 Microsoft Corp. Exhibit 111: Microsoft Corp. - Overview Exhibit 112: Microsoft Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 113: Microsoft Corp. - Key news Exhibit 114: Microsoft Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 115: Microsoft Corp. - Segment focus 10.8 NVIDIA Corp. Exhibit 116: NVIDIA Corp. - Overview Exhibit 117: NVIDIA Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 118: NVIDIA Corp. - Key news Exhibit 119: NVIDIA Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 120: NVIDIA Corp. - Segment focus 10.9 Roblox Corp Exhibit 121: Roblox Corp - Overview Exhibit 122: Roblox Corp - Product / Service Exhibit 123: Roblox Corp - Key offerings 10.10 Salesforce.com Inc. Exhibit 124: Salesforce.com Inc. - Overview Exhibit 125: Salesforce.com Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 126: Salesforce.com Inc. - Key news Exhibit 127: Salesforce.com Inc. - Key offerings 10.11 Shopify Inc. Exhibit 128: Shopify Inc. - Overview Exhibit 129: Shopify Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 130: Shopify Inc. - Key offerings 10.12 Unity Software Inc. Exhibit 131: Unity Software Inc. - Overview Exhibit 132: Unity Software Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 133: Unity Software Inc. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 134: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 135: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 136: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 137: Research methodology Exhibit 138: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 139: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 140: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Milestone Brands LLC , the premium spirits company based in Austin, Texas, announced that it had added Daniel "Dan" Walker to its leadership team as Chief Operation Officer. Dan will begin his leadership journey with Milestone Brands as Chief Operating Officer, reporting to Eric Dopkins, CEO. As COO, Dan will lead all things "operations" in the U.S., Canada, and international sales. Reporting directly to Dan will be Richard Sorenson, currently, C.O.O. for "Legacy" Milestone Brands, and Sorenson's operations team, which includes Edgardo Munoz, Director of Inventory Management; and Customer Service Managers Jane Neilan and Emily Link. Dan will also support the Victoria Distillers Inc. (VDI) team in Canada with President Peter Hunt and Tim Lo, who leads VDI Operations. Dan will support Milestone Brands' strategic planning as it integrates Victoria Distillers Inc. and Empress 1908 Gin, and improves its agility and speed while developing the company's international footprint. Dan and his family will be relocating to Austin, Texas, in early August. The Milestone Brands team is thrilled to work with Dan as the company develops its future roadmap of growth for Milestone Brands, LLC. To learn more about Milestone Brands, please visit milestone-brands.com . ABOUT MILESTONE BRANDS LLC Milestone Brands LLC, a premium spirits company based in Austin, Texas, was founded in February 2016 by two local entrepreneurs and veterans of the beverage and spirits industry, Eric Dopkins, former CEO of Deep Eddy Vodka, and Chad Auler, creator of Savvy Vodka and co-founder of Deep Eddy Vodka. As a national spirits supplier, acquirer, innovator, and marketer of alcohol beverage brands, Milestone's portfolio includes Dulce Vida Spirits , Campo Bravo Tequila , Naranja Orange Liqueur , and American Born Whiskey . ABOUT VICTORIA DISTILLERS & EMPRESS 1908 GIN A pioneer in Canadian distilling, Victoria Distillers, has been producing award-winning spirits since 2008 and was acquired by Milestone Brands in Summer 2022. Our unique waterfront location in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, houses the copper pot stills that produce our range of spirits - most notably, Empress 1908 Gin. Empress 1908 Gin was created by Victoria Distillers and inspired by the legendary Fairmont Empress Hotel. Empress 1908 appeals to one's sense of creative delight through its balanced citrus and spice palette, brilliant color, light floral fragrance, and soft texture. Empress 1908 is available in liquor stores across Canada, the USA, and many international countries. SOURCE Milestone Brands LAS VEGAS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortress Trust Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortress Blockchain Technologies, welcomes Joe Mulberry to its executive team as EVP of Regulatory Licensing. Joe joins Fortress after 30 years of government service at the Wyoming Banking Division where he served as Deputy Commissioner and most recently as Interim-Banking Commissioner. While at the Banking Division, Joe's primary duties were to supervise all money transmitters and non-bank consumer lenders. "Joining Fortress Trust Company is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of Web3 infrastructure with a team committed to compliance, innovation and equal access to scalable financial and regulatory infrastructure." said Joe Mulberry. Joe Mulberry joins Fortress after 30 years of government service at the Wyoming Banking Division. Tweet this "As the regulation of cryptocurrencies in general, and fungible and non-fungible tokens in particular continues to evolve, it is key for industry leaders to ensure the convergence of compliance with innovation in building the future of finance," said Albert Forkner, CEO of Fortress Trust. "I've worked with Joe for several years and he shares our commitment to regulatory compliance and respect for state regulatory oversight over banking, trust services, money transmission and tokenized assets. He is another amazing addition to the growing Fortress Trust team!" Recent news of assets being locked or subject to third-party claims due to bankruptcies, as well as a new wave of crypto legislation only highlight the need for regulated trust infrastructure. Only in this structure are assets protected from seizure and regulatory compliance ensured. This is the reason that the team at Fortress Trust has been built with a deep regulatory bench so it is poised to provide this infrastructure to this rapidly emerging industry. Another recent regulatory hire includes Tudor Prisneac who leads the Fortress Trust Financial Intelligence Unit. Tudor's regulatory compliance background started in Europe at the financial intelligence unit of the Republic of Moldova, where he conducted investigations related to fraud, corruption and other predicate offences reported by banks, money services businesses and other reporting entities. He is a member of the Board Member for the ACAMS Southern Nevada Chapter. "Web3 will utterly transform the world as every asset imaginable is digitized and placed on the blockchain", said Scott Purcell, Founder & CEO of Fortress Blockchain Technologies, "Like the dawn of the internet, today's marketplaces, neo banks and other market participants need purpose-built financial, regulatory and technology infrastructure so they can create frictionless customer experiences and scale their businesses. With our embeddable wallet technology, API-minting engine, payments and trust services, we offer the next generation of innovators the tools and technology to quickly launch and seamlessly scale." About Fortress Blockchain Technologies Fortress Blockchain Technologies is a software development firm and holding company that is purpose-built to create financial, regulatory and technology infrastructure for the rapidly emerging Web3 space. Fortress Trust Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortress Blockchain Technologies and is a full-retail Nevada-chartered financial institution. SOURCE Fortress Blockchain Technologies WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A pair of news conferences on Thursday, Aug. 4, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will highlight the agency's SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station. The mission is NASA's fifth crew rotation flight involving a U.S. commercial spacecraft carrying crew for a science expedition aboard the microgravity laboratory. The agency will host a mission overview news conference at 12:30 p.m. EDT and a crew news conference at 2 p.m. Both will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website. The crew also will be available for individual interviews after 3 p.m. The Crew-5 mission will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon Endurance spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than Sept. 29 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This event will be the final media opportunity to speak to the Crew-5 astronauts before they travel to Kennedy for launch. Media wishing to participate in person or seeking a remote interview with the crew must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom at: 281-483-5111 or [email protected]. U.S. media interested in attending this event must request in-person participation by noon Wednesday, Aug. 3. Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. Those wishing to submit a question on social media may do so using #AskNASA. Briefing participants include: 12:30 p.m. Mission Overview News Conference Kathryn Lueders , associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington , associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Steve Stich , manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Johnson , manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Johnson Joel Montalbano , manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson , manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Benjamin Reed , senior director, Human Spaceflight Program, SpaceX , senior director, Human Spaceflight Program, SpaceX Hiroshi Sasaki , vice president and director general, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate at JAXA , vice president and director general, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate at JAXA Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs at Roscosmos 2 p.m. Crew News Conference Nicole Mann , NASA astronaut, spacecraft commander , NASA astronaut, spacecraft commander Josh Cassada , NASA astronaut, pilot , NASA astronaut, pilot Koichi Wakata , JAXA astronaut, mission specialist , JAXA astronaut, mission specialist Anna Kikina , Roscosmos cosmonaut, mission specialist 3 p.m. Crew Individual Interview Opportunities Crew-5 astronauts will be available for a limited number of interviews This will be Mann's first spaceflight since becoming an astronaut in 2013. As mission commander, she will be responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. She will serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the station. She uses the name @AstroDuke on Twitter. Mann was born in Petaluma, California, and is Native American. She earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in mechanical engineering with a specialty in fluid mechanics from Stanford University. She is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a test pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. The mission will be Cassada's first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2013 as well. As pilot, he will be responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. Aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer. Cassada grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and is a physicist and U.S. Navy test pilot. Prior to becoming a naval aviator, Cassada earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and a doctorate at the University of Rochester, New York, conducting experimental high energy physics research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. Follow @astro_josh on Twitter. Wakata will be making his fifth trip to space on his third different spacecraft, and as a mission specialist he will work closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. Once aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 68. Follow @Astro_Wakata on Twitter. Kikina will be making her first trip to space, and will also serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will be a flight engineer for Expedition 68. Learn more about how NASA innovates for the benefit of humanity through NASA's Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew SOURCE NASA Chicago-Based Insurance Brokerage Pioneers Novel Product for Large Depositors CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial institutions and large depositors such as municipalities, school districts, government agencies and high-net-worth individuals will benefit from the Excess Deposit Insurance Bond (EDB) now offered by Chicago-based Parr Insurance Brokerage that guarantees cash holdings in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) $250,000 limit. The highly rated EDB program, with robust limits available based on a review of an institution's financial metrics, enables banks and credit unions nationwide to help attract larger deposits, avoid pledging securities and facilitate compliance with state regulations designed to protect publicly raised funds. EDB features an easy approval process; premiums based on limits used, not on limits available; and, with its competitive rates, is more cost effective than alternative solutions. Financial institutions and large depositors benefit from Excess Deposit Insurance Bond offered by Parr Insurance Tweet this For depositors, in addition to the robust maximum limit, the EDB maintains insured status and the right to file a claim and offers a certificate of insurance issued in the depositor's name. The new product is available for all depositor types and accounts, including money market or CD. "Most banks limit the number of brokered deposits they take because examiners generally view these deposits as risky," said Melissa Neis, vice president of Parr Insurance Brokerage, which has extensive experience insuring financial institutions and also specializes in protecting high-net worth individuals and families. "The launch of this comprehensive protection shifts indemnity to the insurer and streamlines the process for banks and credit unions to manage much greater sums of cash and better serve their clients. "The EBD product should be attractive to banks because it is an easy way for them to attract new customers and retain their most valuable customers while also meeting their funding needs," said Neis. "In turn, the EDB offers a guarantee to government entities including municipalities, school districts, park districts and others that the substantial sums of cash they often generate via referenda and bond issues will be protected." High-net-worth individuals and family offices, too, can benefit from the EDB, according to Neis. "With this product, a person who receives a major inheritance of several million dollars or a family managing large cash holdings can avoid any issues or concerns faced with the FDIC limits when planning to deposit such a sum," she said. "And, for those individuals and government units who prefer to keep their money 'at home' in the community at a local institution, the EDB can help." Additional information regarding the application process, limits, rates and other criteria are available by visiting www.parrinsurancebrokerage.com or contacting Melissa Neis at 773.489.3001 or [email protected]. Parr Insurance Brokerage is rated A.M. Best A (Excellent). About Parr Insurance Brokerage Chicago-based Parr Insurance Brokerage provides best-in-class, customized insurance coverage for financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, business owners, property managers and more. As an independent insurance agency, Parr works with a national and global network of established, expert carriers. Parr Insurance provides coverage for high-value homes, professional exposures, valuable possessions and collections and coverage in response to the rapidly growing sharing economy. CONTACT: Ben Arens, L.C. Williams & Associates 312-565-4626 or [email protected] SOURCE Parr Insurance Brokerage DALLAS, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NYSE: NXDT) ("NXDT" or the "Company") today announced its regular monthly distribution on its common stock of $0.05 per share. The distribution will be payable on August 31, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business August 24, 2022. About NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust is a publicly traded diversified real estate investment trust ("REIT") that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NXDT. The Company previously operated as a registered closed-end investment company. On August 28, 2020, shareholders approved a proposal to transition the Company from an investment company to a diversified REIT. As part of this transition, the Company changed its name from NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund to NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust, effective November 8, 2021. The Company also changed its ticker symbol from "NHF" to "NXDT." On July 1, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") issued a deregistration order declaring that the Company has ceased to be an investment company and that the Company's registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 shall immediately cease to be in effect. The order, effective July 1, 2022, allows the Company to finalize its transition to a diversified REIT and begin trading as a REIT. For more information visit nxdt.nexpoint.com. About NexPoint Advisors, L.P. NexPoint Advisors, L.P. is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform. With its affiliates, it serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles that primarily focus on real estate investments. For more information visit nexpoint.com. Contacts Jackie Graham Director, Investor Relations [email protected] Lucy Bannon Chief Communications Officer [email protected] SOURCE NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust ADELAIDE, Australia, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayne Pharma Group Limited (ASX: MYX) and Mithra Pharmaceuticals, SA (Euronext Brussels: MITRA) are pleased to announce NEXTSTELLIS (drospirenone and estetrol tablets) has been nominated for the 2022 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent. NEXTSTELLIS is the first and only contraceptive pill containing a new low impact[1] estrogen, estetrol (E4), and a progestin, drospirenone. E4 is a natural estrogen produced by the human body during pregnancy and in NEXTSTELLIS it is derived from a plant source. E4 is the first new estrogen introduced in the US in more than 60 years. The Prix Galien was created in France in 1970 to reward innovative treatments and technologies that improve human health[2]. It is seen as an influential event to those interested in pharmaceutical development and is widely considered the industry's highest accolade for pharmaceutical research and development. The Prix Galien USA Awards Ceremony to be held in October 2022 awards prizes for Best Pharmaceutical Agent, Best Biotechnology Product, and Best Medical Technology approved by the FDA in the past five years. The Prix Galien USA Awards Committee is comprised of 10 renowned leaders from the biomedical industry and academia, including two Nobel Laureates, and is responsible for evaluating the nominees. About Mayne Pharma Mayne Pharma is an ASX-listed specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing novel and generic pharmaceuticals, offering patients better, safe and more accessible medicines. Mayne Pharma also provides contract development and manufacturing services to clients worldwide. Mayne Pharma has a 40-year track record of innovation and success in developing new oral drug delivery systems and these technologies have been successfully commercialised in numerous products that continue to be marketed around the world. Mayne Pharma has two facilities based in Salisbury, Australia and Greenville, USA with expertise in the formulation of complex oral and topical dose forms including potent compounds, modified-release products and poorly soluble compounds. maynepharma.com About Mithra Mithra (Euronext: MITRA) is a Belgian biotech company dedicated to transforming Women's Health by offering new choices through innovation, with a particular focus on contraception and menopause. Mithra's goal is to develop products offering better efficacy, safety and convenience, meeting women's needs throughout their life span. Mithra explores the potential of the unique native estrogen Estetrol in a wide range of applications in women health and beyond. Mithra also develops and manufactures complex therapeutics in the areas of contraception, menopause and hormone-dependent cancers. It offers partners a complete spectrum of research, development and specialist manufacturing at its technological platform Mithra CDMO. Active in more than 100 countries around the world, Mithra has an approximate headcount of 300 staff members and is headquartered in Liege, Belgium. mithra.com About the Galien Foundation The Galien Foundation fosters, recognises and rewards excellence in scientific innovation to improve the state of human health. Our vision is to be the catalyst for the development of the next generation of innovative treatments and technologies that will impact the state of medical practice and save lives. The Foundation oversees and directs activities in the US for the Prix Galien, an international awards program dedicated to progress through innovative medicines development, with chapters in 14 countries and Africa. The Prix Galien was created in 1970 by Roland Mehl in honor of Galien, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology. Worldwide, the Prix Galien is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical research. galienfoundation.org/ About NEXTSTELLIS Developed by Mithra, NEXTSTELLIS is a novel, patent-protected combined oral contraceptive pill containing 14.2 mg estetrol (E4) and 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP). E4 is a naturally produced estrogen during pregnancy that's derived from a plant source in NEXTSTELLIS tablets. In two phase 3 clinical studies conducted in 3,632 women, NEXTSTELLIS was shown to be both safe and effective and met its primary endpoint of pregnancy prevention. It also delivered positive results on a variety of secondary endpoints that demonstrated a predictable bleeding pattern with good safety and tolerability, as well as low rates of adverse reactions. NEXTSTELLIS is a registered trademark of Estetra SRL, a Mithra Pharmaceuticals affiliates company. [1] Based on its selectivity, potency, pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action and impact on the liver [2] Galienfoundation.org SOURCE Mayne Pharma Group From homeless to cofounder of multiple companies, Jonathan Bodnar created HUSL to attempt to provide financial freedom to the masses! HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jonathan Bodnar of HUSL NFT is excited to offer an escape from the 9-5 lifestyle with HUSL NFTs. The project features 5,000 fully-developed, automated, online businesses wrapped and sold as NFTs! HUSL's main goal is for each business to yield ongoing residual income for thousands of people. From homeless to cofounder of multiple companies, Jonathan Bodnar created HUSL to attempt to provide financial freedom to the masses! Driven by a passion to have a positive impact on the world, Jonathan wants to make financial freedom a reality with HUSL. This is why each NFT will give you access to a business management dashboard that will allow you to allocate & pay for ad spends, manage customer relations, grow your SEO and organic marketing, and purchase done-for-you services for your new company. Each business also comes with essential ingredients to success such as: a pre-made brand, carefully-curated marketing materials, and ready-to-go ads hand-crafted by Apollo Eleven's growth experts. The user experience is designed to be simple & seamless for each NFT owner. To fund the vision, HUSL is releasing 1,000 Founders Cards minted as NFTs. Each Founders Card will be eligible to collect staking rewards generated from transactions within the HUSL Ecosystem; including NFT sales, managed ad spends and revenue from the 5,000 businesses. Founders Cards come with day one perks like a business academy, automatic whitelist, and a dollar-for-dollar discount off minting one of the 5,000 businesses! To prove the value of what we're offering the HUSL community, we are going to grow one of the 5,000 businesses to $10,000 in recurring monthly revenue, in front of the entire Discord community, using the same tools and resources that will be available to you after mint. Then, we're just going to give it away. Check out #business-giveaway in HUSL's discord for more info! These businesses will be built to help individuals find freedom, provide for their families, and help those around them all at once! HUSL works to transform clients' lives from that of a 9-5 to a life of freedom and positive social impact. We believe that the best way to find wealth is to give it. About Jonathan Bodnar Jonathan was homeless eleven years ago, but he had the desire to go to theological college. He searched online for the best way to make money online (at that time), the first skill listed was web design. So like many entrepreneurs, he taught himself the necessary skills, and eventually started his first business in web design. Prior to HUSL, Bodnar also created "Apollo Eleven," a marketing and software development agency that have brought brands to 10x growth within 90 days! Additionally, he built and marketed SAAS products in 15 industries. As of today, Bodnar has built and sold multi-million dollar companies. His goal is to create an impact with everything he does, which is why all of his companies give away 10% of gross revenue. He is now passionate about bringing his knowledge and passion of positive social impact to the NFT world with HUSL NFT. About HUSL HUSL is about impact. Our mission is to free thousands of people from their 9-5s into a life of freedom and impact. We believe that the best way to find wealth is to give it. HUSL is building 5,000 fully automated, online businesses wrapped and sold as NFTs. Each HUSL business will come with a pre-made brand, marketing materials, and ready-to-go ads hand-crafted by our growth experts. These businesses will be built to help you buy your freedom, provide for your family, and help those around you. Each NFT will give you access to your business management dashboard that will allow you to pay for ad spending, manage customers, grow your SEO and organic marketing, or purchase done-for-you services for your new company. HUSL is changing lives daily through our NFT offerings, community-raised funds for various charities, and 10% of the revenue going directly to non-profit organizations. Be a part of changing online businesses forever, making a difference, and building the future you never thought possible! Be part of the HUSL! Connect With HUSL Twitter | Discord | Website SOURCE Husl NFT RALEIGH, N.C., August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As children head back to school, there is one thing parents and caregivers should not overlook: routine vaccinations against serious infections such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and hepatitis to name a few. WellCare of North Carolina is dedicated to ensuring North Carolina residents have access to information and resources about routine immunizations to help protect children and communities against preventable illnesses. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, immunizations have declined, with all populations showing a downward trend from pre-pandemic routine immunization rates. Routine vaccinations have proven effective in preventing serious illness within schools and communities. Despite phased school reopenings and the restart of student activities in some states, the immunization rate for children in kindergarten dropped between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. This leaves thousands of young students at risk for preventable illnesses when re-entering the classroom for in-person learning. The more immunized a community is, the harder it is for preventable illnesses to spread. Immunizations not only protect the individuals who are vaccinated, they also protect everyone who interacts with them. As students prepare to return to school, it is as important as ever to ensure children are up to date with their routine immunizations to help prevent illness in children. Childhood immunizations help protect against nearly 14 serious diseases. Without this protection, it is likely communities will see a surge of serious illnesses. WellCare continues to invest in educational opportunities around vaccinations for members through programs such as Fluvention which provides comprehensive information about the impact of receiving an annual flu vaccine can have for the health of individuals, their families, and their community. "Pediatric vaccination has shown to reduce the rate of vaccine-preventable diseases. We want to ensure families have the information they need to make informed decisions about immunizing their children and accessing vaccines such as the Flu. It is important for families to schedule their regular well-child visits and talk with their primary care providers about any questions they may have regarding childhood immunizations," said Dr. Eugenie Komives, WellCare of North Carolina's Chief Medical Officer. "As a practicing family physician, I saw firsthand the impact of vaccine-preventable illness on my patients who had not received recommended vaccinations. With the start of the school year around the corner, now is the perfect time to catch-up on immunizations that may have been missed." Individuals can learn more about specific vaccines, immunization schedules, and safety information by contacting the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services or referring to materials developed by the CDC by visiting cdc.gov/vaccines. For more information about WellCare services and benefits, please visit WellCareNC.com. About WellCare of North Carolina Headquartered in Raleigh, WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs primarily through Medicaid as one of the state's Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans (WellCare of North Carolina), Marketplace (WellCare of North Carolina by Celtic Insurance Company), Medicare Advantage (Wellcare), and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). WellCare of North Carolina is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.wellcare.com/nc. Any reference in this press release to any person, organization, activity, or services related to North Carolina Medicaid does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. SOURCE WellCare of North Carolina MEADOWBROOK, Pa., Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Phillip A. Villanueva, MD, ABNS, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Distinguished Healthcare Professional for his professional excellence in Neurosurgery and his excellent work with Temple University Hospital. Phillip A. Villanueva A highly trained neurosurgeon with 47 years of experience in his field, Dr. Villanueva specializes in surgeries for brain injuries and neuro-critical care. In addition, he treats aneurysms and all secondary issues regarding these afflictions. The doctor also oversees the Neuroscience ICU, consulting with neurologists. For the past eight years, he has served as the Director of Neuro Trauma and Critical Care at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He additionally serves as a Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. In pursuit of his medical career, Dr. Villanueva obtained a Bachelor of Science with a double major in biology and chemistry and a minor in theology and philosophy from Biscayne College (St. Thomas University). He earned his Medical Degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery internship and neurosurgery residency after medical school at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Medical Center. The doctor is board certified in neurological surgery, with additional certification in neuro-critical care. Distinguished as a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the doctor is board-certified in neurological surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Villanueva is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, where he sits on the subcommittee for neuro-critical care. The doctor has increased community awareness of brain trauma outside of his neurology practice through an informative series of public service announcements. In recognition of his excellence in his field, Dr. Villanueva has been the recipient of the Best Doctors in America Award in Neurological Surgery (2019-2020) and numerous other accolades. He would like to dedicate this honor to his mentors, Hubert Rosomoff, MD; Barth Green, MD; and Bradley Ruben, MD. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Rise in population and rapid urbanization led to shortage of potable water in both developed and developing countries, where phosphonates are widely used. This is the prime driving factor for the growth of the global phosphonates market. PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Phosphonates Market by Type (ATMP, HEDP, DTPMP, BHMT, Others), by Application (Water Cleaner, Scale Inhibitors, Bleach Stabilizer, Chelating Agents, Concrete Additives, Others), by End Use (Water Treatment, Pharmaceutical, Textile, Oil and Gas, Pulp and Paper, Agriculture, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." As per the report, the global phosphonates industry generated $0.9 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.98% from 2022 to 2031. The report provides an in-depth analysis of changing market trends, key investment pockets, top segments, regional landscape, value chain, and competitive scenario. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Rise in population and rapid urbanization led to shortage of potable water in both developed and developing countries, where phosphonates are widely used. This is prime driving factor for the growth of the global phosphonates market. In addition, increase in fashion consciousness, and adoption of western culture have fueled the growth of the textile sector, which has supplemented the demand for phosphonates. However, derivatives of phosphonates such as bisphosphonates are prescribed for osteoporosis diagnosed patients and several health-related issues due to prolonged use of bisphosphonates hinder the market. On the contrary, surge in severity of diseases and growth of pharmaceutical industry across the globe have are expected to open new opportunities in the future. Request PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/17419 Covid-19 scenario: Temporary shutdown of construction and infrastructure activities amid the pandemic decreased the demand for phosphonates for curing of concrete from growth. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the major end users of the phosphonates such as textile, oil and gas, pulp & paper, and other industries suffered major losses, which negatively affected the market. The prolonged lockdown increased the gap between supply and demand. As per a report published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China , the chemical industry experienced a 20% decline in production in March 2020 as compared to March 2019 , while profits declined by 66%. The HEDP segment dominated the market By type, the HEDP segment held the lion's share in 2021, accounting for more than one-fourth of the global phosphonates market, and is expected to continue its leading position throughout the forecast period, due to the fact that HEDP type phosphonate acts as an excellent scale inhibitor, corrosion inhibitor, and complex chelating in various industries such as in detergents, water treatment, oilfield, and textile. However, the DTPMP segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 6.45% during the forecast period, due to rise in risk of waterborne disease and surged awareness about water purification application in both developed and developing countries. The chelating agents segment to register the highest CAGR through 2031 By application, the chelating agents segment is anticipated is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 6.59% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to the fact that phosphonates acts as chemical additives to function as threshold antiscalants, sludge conditioners, corrosion inhibitors, and others. However, the water cleaner segment held the lion's share in 2021, contributing to more than one-fifths of the global phosphonates market. This is attributed to rapid urbanization, rise in industrialization, increase in human-induced activities such as building & construction activity, oil spillage, and others. Get Detailed COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the Phosphonates Market @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/17419?reqfor=covid The pharmaceutical segment dominated the market By end use, the pharmaceutical segment held the largest share in 2021, accounting for more than one-fifth of the global phosphonates market, is estimated to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to the fact that phosphonates have proven its pharmacological utility as inhibitors of enzymes that metabolize phosphate and pyrophosphate substrates. However, the water treatment segment is expected to showcase the highest CAGR of 6.67% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to increase in scarcity of potable water which in turn has surged the water treatment activities where phosphonates are used as corrosion inhibitor to prevent metal dissolution from water pipe into treated water. Asia-Pacific held the lion's share By region, the global phosphonates market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2021, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the market. Furthermore, the market across Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 6.15% during the forecast period, due to rapid growth of pulp & paper manufacturing sector and textile sector in developing countries such as China and India. Key Market Players ACURO ORGANICS LIMITED APCHEM Aquapharm Chemical Pvt. Ltd. Changzhou Kewei Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. (KWCHEM) Giovanni Bozzetto S.p.A . . Lanxess Manhar Specialities Shandong Taihe Water Treatment Technologies Co., Ltd. TER HELL & CO. GMBH ZSCHIMMER & SCHWARZ CHEMIE GMBH 41 The report analyzes these key players of the market. These companies have adopted several strategies such as partnerships, expansion, collaborations, new product launches, and mergers & acquisitions to maintain their foothold in the industry. In addition, the report is essential in determining the business performance, product portfolio, operating segments, and developments by every market player. Interested in Procuring This Report? 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Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenueTrial Get more information: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Similar Reports: Wastewater Treatment Equipment Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Water Treatment Chemicals Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027 Process Water Treatment Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Water Treatment Technology Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Plasticizers Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030 Chelating Agents Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2029 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: 1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on: LinkedIn Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Politicians Honor Code and "Take the Pledge" campaign were launched, as Election Day approaches. The pledge for politicians, candidates for public office, and elected representatives is to abide by an honor code and make a public pledge that they will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. The pledge can be found and downloaded at www.politicianshonorcode.com. Take the Pledge Michael Doorley, founder of the "Take the Pledge" campaign and keeper of the pledge database, notes many people believe candidates for public office and elected representatives make false and misleading statements. They may use misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information, and tell falsehoods. We know some like, and they know they lie. And these lies are becoming bigger and bolder. They don't agree on much, other than the other party is lying. This lying is destroying relationships and families, tearing apart communities, and damaging our country, often so that politicians can attain power or enhance their self-interest and self-enrichment. If a candidate for elected office or an elected representative makes a false or misleading statement or lies to their constituents or to the American people, accountability is unlikely. Instead, they may be rewarded with contributions, party loyalty, media coverage, and possibly getting elected! Politicians have a First Amendment right to lie to us. They never told us they wouldn't lie to us, and we, as a country, have never told them not to lie to usthat is, until now. That's what the pledge does. We must tell them to "Take the Pledge." Doorley explains, "the pledge was modeled after pledges at our federal service academiesWest Point, and the Naval, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine academies. If the women and men in our service academies who have or will one day lay down their lives for our country can take a pledge, then so too can candidates for public office and elected representatives." He notes the pledge may not be the final answer, but it is a simple and logical starting point. And he points out that politicians can and will take a pledge because nearly 1,400 of them have taken the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. August is summer recess for Congress, a time for politicians' grassroots campaigning events, rallies, barbecues, and shaking hands and kissing babies. It is a perfect time for constituents, to ask their candidates and elected representatives to "Take the Pledge." Doorley asks his fellow Americans,"Why would you give your support, contributions, or vote to any candidate or representative who has not taken the pledge?" Michael Doorley, CPA, was a 35-year financial services executive serving in CFO, CAO, COO, and board positions. He founded usdebtforum.com, chairs a special interest group and guest lectures on our national debt. His articles on the national debt have appeared in Newsweek, BoardIQ, and New York State's The CPA Journal. Contact: Michael Doorley Phone: 914-816-3100 Twitter: @polithonorcode Email: [email protected] SOURCE Take the Pledge Campaign WILMINGTON, N.C., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- America's leading print media franchisor, The N2 Company (N2), announced a major milestone for its newly launched digital marketing agency, Hyport Digital. As of July 2022, Hyport is a certified Google Partner. Since its launch in 2004, N2 has expanded its portfolio of brands to include more than 800 custom print publications, ranging from high-end neighborhood newsletters to magazines for select markets' top-producing real estate agents. Despite the varying reader demographics across its print products, a throughline exists: Each N2 publication places advertisers in front of typically hard-to-reach consumers. But company leaders acknowledge the supporting role digital marketing can play in helping N2's 25,000+ print advertisers reach their ideal clients. Company leaders acknowledge the role digital can play in helping N2's 25K+ print advertisers reach their ideal clients. Tweet this Hyport Digital was formed in the fall of 2021 to serve not only existing N2 clients, but also organizations that do not currently advertise in the company's print publications. Already, Hyport has partnered with hundreds of clients and generated significant increases in website traffic, lead quantity, lead quality, and overall return on investment. "Offering a full suite of digital solutions through Hyport has enabled N2 to offer a 360-degree approach to our clients' marketing complementing the successes they already see with our industry-leading publications," said Jeffrey Miller, N2's Head of Digital. "We have always seen our advertisers as partners, and our digital offerings are taking that relationship to the next level." Hyport offers mobile and display advertising, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, email advertising, social media advertising, over-the-top TV advertising, website design, and live chat. Now as a Google Partner, the Hyport team is recognized as an expert in the digital advertising space, with access to the latest insights and trends, promotional offers for new clients, ad credits toward new campaigns, and advanced product training from the Google Ads team. To learn more about The N2 Company's digital marketing services, visit hyportdigital.com . About The N2 Company Founded in 2004, The N2 Company helps businesses "connect with ideal clients" by partnering with affluent neighborhoods, real estate communities, new-mover audiences, and others to produce 800+ custom publications and more opening every week . Through its Hyport Digital arm, N2 also provides digital marketing to amplify advertiser success. Visit The N2 Company online at www.n2co.com to learn about our full portfolio of brands: Stroll, Real Producers, BeLocal, Medical Professionals, and Hyport Digital. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE The N2 Company Best in Class Energy Efficiency, Water Saving Innovations & Built-in Connected Home Features Provide Continuous Hot Water and Utility Cost Savings ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rheem, a leading global manufacturer of water heating and HVACR products, announces the launch of Rheem IKONIC, a super high efficiency condensing gas tankless water heater. This new product line elevates the industry standard for energy efficient, environmentally friendly water heating products while offering homeowners smart control. Rheem IKONIC combines high efficiency and industry leading sustainability with all the durability and functionality that a homeowner needs. Rheem IKONIC delivers a best-in-class 0.96 UEFi, resulting in up to a 36% reduction in energy use and carbon footprint and up-to 65% reduction in NOx emissions.ii Also featuring a built-in recirculation pump (SR models), Rheem IKONIC offers homeowners no wait access to continuous hot water, preventing up-to 12,000 gallons of water from being wasted down the drain each year. iii With integrated Wi-Fi Technology, Rheem IKONIC provides users with complete control of the unit from anywhere. This includes temperature adjustments, energy usage tracking, and modifying recirculation modes - all from a smart phone with the EcoNet Mobile App. In addition to the positive environmental impact, cost savings from the reduced energy and water consumption of Rheem IKONIC has the potential to pay for itself in less than three years.[iv] The line is ENERGY STAR certified and qualifies for many state and local rebate programs, while the unit's super high energy efficiency can help homeowners save up-to $1,650 over a 15-year period, in energy costs.v The built-in recirculation pump, featured in SR models of Rheem IKONIC, offers another layer of potential savings, which can translate to more than $1,000 in reduced water costs over 15 years.vi "The launch of Rheem IKONIC marks an exciting moment for our company and the industry overall," said Patrick McLaughlin, Tankless Product Manager at Rheem. "Rheem IKONIC combines high efficiency and industry leading sustainability with all the durability and functionality that a homeowner needs." Rheem IKONIC also includes a best-in-class turn down ratio (TDR), allowing it to achieve tighter control over temperature output even during periods of low demand. Recirculation settings can be adjusted with timer-based, custom schedule or on-demand options that help users juggle household tasks like laundry and dishes, without having to compromise on the timing of baths or showers. Additionally, Rheem's Exclusive Hot Start Programming keeps the water heater in a ready state for five minutes between back-to-back usage, helping to mitigate cold-water bursts that can occur from other tankless products. As with every Rheem product, development of Rheem IKONIC included direct feedback from plumbers resulting in unique service and installation features designed to improve tank-to-tankless replacements, installation and service calls. Rheem IKONIC has the flexibility to leverage longer vent runs, the ability to use room air intake, capabilities for flex venting in existing B-vents and the ability to run on a half-inch gas line. These features, paired with the industry's best half-inch side-to-side clearance requirements,vii allow for a cleaner, faster, and easier installation in a wider variety of locations. "We worked with Rheem to test this product in the field prior to launch, installing about seven units, and our customers have been incredibly happy with the performance of the water heater and the energy bill savings it provides," noted Josh Wynn, Lead Service Tech at TE Certified. "We also found that the Rheem IKONIC models were easy to install with great access to water lines, gas and condensate connections, while the clearance on the side of the unit ensures easier installations in tight spaces." Backed by the industry's most comprehensive warranty viii, Rheem IKONIC's dual stainless steel heat exchanger is protected for 15-years with registration. Approved warranty claims will receive a full replacement unit, rather than a replacement of only the heat exchanger. Rheem IKONIC units are also covered under a five-year parts warranty and one-year labor warranty. For additional information on Rheem and Rheem IKONIC, visit www.rheem.com. About Rheem Founded in 1925, Rheem is America's #1 water-heating brand with products available in more than 80 countries. Paloma Co., Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan, acquired the iconic Rheem brand in 1988. Today the company's portfolio of premium brands include Rheem, Intergas, Friedrich, Raypak, Ruud, Eemax, Richmond, Splendid, Solahart and EverHot as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell, Witt, ColdZone and Kramer, which are part of the Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG) division. Rheem Manufacturing Company 1100 Abernathy Road | Ste 1700 Atlanta, GA 30328 www.rheem.com i Based on comparison of Rheem IKONIC S/SR models against similar models from leading tankless brands. ii Based on reduction in energy usage of Rheem IKONIC S/SR models compared to a standard residential 50-gallon tank type model with like fuel type, not to exceed 75,000 BTU. iii Based on continuous built-in recirculation pump (SR model only, S models compatible with external pump accessory) compared to average water loss of residential water piping. iv Based on comparison of Rheem IKONIC SR models against a 50-gallon standard residential tank-type model with like fuel type. Excludes installation costs. Savings for Liquid Propane models may be higher. Check with local utility companies for eligible rebates and incentive programs. v Based on comparison of Rheem IKONICTM S/SR models against standard residential 50-gallon tank type model with like fuel type. Savings for Liquid Propane models may be higher. vi Based on continuous built-in recirculation pump (SR Model only, S models compatible with external pump accessory) compared to average water loss of residential water piping. vii Based on comparison of Rheem IKONIC S/SR models against similar models from leading tankless brands. viii Based on comparison of Rheem IKONIC S/SR models against similar models from leading tankless brands. SOURCE Rheem LAS VEGAS, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert J. Vadovic, RN, DNP, APNC, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Trusted Healthcare Professional in the Medical field for his professional excellence as a Medical Director, Nurse Practitioner, and Doctor of Nursing Practice and in acknowledgment of his work at Intermountain Healthcare. Robert J. Vadovic A certified specialist with 26 years of experience in medicine, Dr. Vadovic oversees advanced practice providers and, for the past eight years, has served as Medical Director in charge of developing programs for the highest risk patients. He creates these patient-centered programs to suit each patient's needs. As a specialist in internal medicine and a nurse practitioner, Dr. Vadovic is affiliated with Intermountain Healthcare in Las Vegas, NV. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit healthcare system and is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain Region of the United States. The system consists of 33 hospitals, a medical group with more than 3,800 physicians and advanced practice clinicians at 385 clinics, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain Healthcare is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and efficient healthcare delivery. To embark on a career in medicine, Dr. Vadovic received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from St. Peter's University in Jersey City, NJ. He worked for six years as an ER and ICU nurse before achieving his Master of Science in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner Certification from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. He completed his Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Among his professional memberships and affiliations, Dr. Vadovic is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Nevada Advanced Practice Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau. In his spare time, Dr. Vadovic volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 700 in Las Vegas. He is a lifetime member of the Closter Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corps, which serves the New Jersey towns of Closter and Alpine and the Palisades Interstate Park and Parkway from Englewood Cliffs to the New York state line. On a personal note, Dr. Vadovic has been married to his wife, Diane, for 15 years. They have three children. His parents are Gloria and Joseph Vadovic. The doctor would like to dedicate this honor to his mentors, Susan Van Buge, DNP, and Ann Corne, RN. For more information, visit www.intermountain.org. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who The Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery team is joined by plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Orlando, a breast and body contouring specialist. SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Board certified plastic surgeon Christa Clark, MD, FACS announces the addition of plastic surgeon Marc Orlando, MD to Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery, which she founded in 2016. The Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery team is joined by plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Orlando, a breast and body contouring specialist. "We searched far and wide for a talented, skilled plastic surgeon with the sophisticated aesthetic and approachable personality that our patients are looking for. Dr. Orlando fit the bill perfectly. He is a meticulous plastic surgeon with an unwavering commitment to high standards," says Dr. Clark. "His aesthetic outcomes are fantastic, and he comes to us with numerous glowing patient testimonials. The team and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Orlando." Dr. Marc Orlando completed residency training in both general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery. He went on to specialize in cosmetic medicine with an aesthetic surgery fellowship at University of Southern California, Marina Plastic Surgery, and Rox Center in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. The fellowship was endorsed by The Aesthetic Society , a leading international organization of skilled aesthetic plastic surgeons. "Fellowship training provided the mentorship and time needed to refine my skills and focus my practice entirely on cosmetic surgery," says Dr. Orlando. "I offer my patients the most modern thinking in the use of cosmetic medical procedures. The goal is to deliver incredibly natural looking results by tailoring procedures to each patient: everything rests on individualization of the surgical plan. Integration of non-surgical methodologies can bring another level of nuance. Whichever methods may be used, I want my patients to feel simply wonderful and completely rejuvenated." Dr. Orlando has exclusively performed aesthetic procedures now for over 6 years. At Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery, he continues to offer a range of procedures for the breast and body. "I derive genuine satisfaction from understanding a patient's vision, helping them see it through, and watching them as they live their lives with greater energy supported by a newfound confidence. Joining Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery will afford me the opportunity to change many lives for the better while performing the procedures I enjoy most." Dr. Orlando specializes in procedures for the breast and body and has gained a reputation for performing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure with subtle, natural-looking outcomes. Made famous by Hollywood celebrities, the BBL is a fat transfer procedure that involves liposuction of the waist, hips, or thighs, followed by transfer of that fat into the buttocks for an increase in projection and volume. While the procedure is famously used to create exaggerated buttocks in contrast with a very small waistline, Dr. Orlando said that a Brazilian butt lift can also be employed to achieve more moderate yet curvaceous body contouring results. "Most patients who schedule a BBL consultation are not looking for an unnaturally round, projected buttock appearance," Dr. Orlando comments. "Many women simply lack a proportionate buttock projection thanks to genetics, aging, or the effects of childbearing. I perform many BBLs to correct lost volume and create a feminine, healthy appearance." Patients seeking a cosmetic procedure with Dr. Orlando are encouraged to schedule a consultation. During this initial meeting, Dr. Orlando is able to learn about a patient's goals and discuss procedure options in depth. Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery can be reached by calling (916) 242-2662 or filling out the practice's online contact form . About Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery: Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery is a private, full-service ambulatory plastic surgery center and medical spa located at 5220 Douglas Blvd, Granite Bay, CA 95746. Stanford trained, board certified plastic surgeon Christa Clark, MD, FACS founded the practice and continues to perform a full range of cosmetic surgery procedures for the breast and body. For more information, visit granitebaycosmetic.com . Media Contact: Dr. Christa Clark, 916.242.2662, [email protected] SOURCE Granite Bay Cosmetic Surgery New INRIX school zone study highlights Safety View's sophisticated cloud-based analytics capabilities designed for Vision Zero plans and Safe Streets and Roads for All program DETROIT and KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, General Motors (NYSE: GM) and INRIX Inc., a world leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, announced that Safety View by GM Future Roads & INRIX is now widely available to transportation planners nationwide. The cloud-based application provides transportation officials with critical insights using crash, vehicle, vulnerable road user (VRU), and U.S. Census data, to help prioritize and measure the effectiveness of roadway safety projects and their impact on communities. "Safety View by GM Future Roads & INRIX represents an important part of our growing portfolio of data-driven software solutions and offers a glimpse into some of the innovative ways we can collaborate with the public sector to support safe roadways and communities," said Alan Wexler, GM senior vice president, Strategy and Innovation. "We are committed to creating shared value for society and our stakeholders as we aim to lead the industry transformation and bring digital safety solutions to market." Leveraging data analytics available through Safety View, INRIX Research published a new study today analyzing the road network surrounding 27 Washington, D.C. schools with the goal of better understanding driving behaviors in school zones. Findings from the new study demonstrate some of the real-time insights that can be gathered using Safety View's analytics capabilities and datasets, which are customizable by geography. Below are key insights from the Washington, D.C. study: Speeding and the number of crashes didn't vary much between school zone and non-school zone streets, but the severity of crashes was marginally lowered where school zone designations were present. Traffic and school zone signs didn't appear to have a large effect on slowing down speeding, according to a sample evaluation of signs. Speeding is more prevalent in school zones with higher percentages of students on free- or reduced-lunch programs. "As we officially roll out Safety View to our customers, today's study helps illustrate the critical insights the tool can provide to help improve roadway safety in our communities," said Bryan Mistele, co-founder and CEO of INRIX. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides transportation officials with a historic opportunity to make their infrastructure smarter, safer, and greener in ways that were previously unimaginable or unattainable. Now more than ever is the time to invest in and utilize data to better inform the future of our roadway networks and to understand how things may vary based on demographics and at the community level." Safety View's benefits are especially important as government agencies come together to counter the growing number of fatal crashes. The recent passage of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $5 billion in discretionary funds as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. With applications due by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 15, SS4A creates new resources for developing and executing road safety plans aimed at the goal of zero traffic-related fatalities. Safety View can help streamline the funding application process by providing the datasets and analytics tools in one place. GM Future Roads and INRIX first announced their collaboration in May 2022 to respond to the growing demand for safety solutions. With the new report highlighting just some of Safety View's capabilities, transportation professionals will be able to tap into additional key benefits that can help improve understanding and performance of roadway networks, including: Access to critical safety and demographic datasets in one cloud-based application to critical safety and demographic datasets in one cloud-based application Identifying hazardous roadway segments through valuable insights about elements that elevate risk and prioritize those that need the most attention hazardous roadway segments through valuable insights about elements that elevate risk and prioritize those that need the most attention Evaluating the impact of a Vision Zero action plan with access to near real-time insights through easy-to-use visual analysis tools the impact of a Vision Zero action plan with access to near real-time insights through easy-to-use visual analysis tools Accelerating the funding application process by providing the required datasets and analytics tools needed in one place With its strong network of connected cars on U.S. and Canadian roads, General Motors believes joining forces with INRIX to make aggregated vehicle insights available to public agencies is a major step to help increase the safety of U.S. roads. INRIX brings a deep understanding of the public sector and has a proven ability to create advanced solutions for generating insights from vehicle and device data to make mobility smarter, safer and greener.1 This new collaboration between General Motors and INRIX marks an important advancement in the mission to help local and tribal governments, metropolitan planning organizations and other road authorities achieve their safety goals through connected vehicle data innovation. Transportation officials are invited to join a webinar to learn more about Safety View and experience its features firsthand. Additional product information can be found here. To explore findings from the School Traffic study by INRIX Research, visit here. About INRIX Founded in 2004, INRIX pioneered intelligent mobility solutions by transforming big data from connected devices and vehicles into mobility insights. This revolutionary approach enabled INRIX to become one of the leading providers of data and analytics into how people move. By empowering cities, businesses, and people with valuable insights, INRIX is helping to make the world smarter, safer, and greener. With partners and solutions spanning across the entire mobility ecosystem, INRIX is uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and transportation whether it's keeping road users safe, improving traffic signal timing to reduce delay and greenhouse gasses, optimizing last mile delivery, or helping uncover market insights. Learn more at INRIX.com. About General Motors General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which powers everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com. 1 INRIX helps make mobility greener by, for example, optimizing traffic lights using INRIX Signal Analytics to shorten traffic delays thereby reducing vehicular emissions. See more here: https://inrix.com/press-releases/signal-analytics-agencies SOURCE General Motors Co. Corporate attorney James Repking will replace outgoing General Counsel Stanton Towne, who retires after 14 years of service NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Savills has named James Repking its general counsel in North America, effective August 1. Repking, formerly associate general counsel, will succeed retiring General Counsel and Executive Vice President L. Stanton Towne. Repking will relocate to the company's North American headquarters in New York and work closely with the firm's CEO and its president, providing strategic planning advice and guidance regarding all legal matters and services for Savills. Savills named James Repking (left) its general counsel in North America, effective August 1. Repking, formerly associate general counsel, will succeed retiring General Counsel and Executive Vice President L. Stanton Towne (right). "With significant in-house and private practice experience, James has established himself as an invaluable member of our internal legal team," said Mitchell E. Rudin, chairman and CEO, Savills. "In a short time, James has demonstrated his ability to advance our strategic priorities and thoughtfully navigate complex issues. We are proud to have a professional of his caliber in the role and join the firm's leadership group." Repking, an accomplished attorney with 20 years of legal expertise, joined Savills in 2021. He brings deep knowledge of corporate and commercial law and the real estate brokerage industry. Before Savills, he spent 10 years at CBRE as senior counsel based in Los Angeles. Prior to that, Repking spent nearly eight years as an associate with the national real estate law firm Cox, Castle & Nicholson and another three years with the multinational law firm Latham & Watkins. He holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley. "I've enjoyed working with the firm's management and my colleagues in the legal department and am glad to be leaving Savills North America in capable and experienced hands," said Towne. Towne joined the company in 2008 after a career as one of the leading real estate leasing lawyers in North America. He was previously a partner at McDermott Will & Emery and at Towne, Dolgin, Sawyier & Horton, a firm he co-founded and co-managed for eight years. "Stan cemented his legacy at Savills long ago, and the foundation he built within our legal team will benefit this firm for years to come. His expertise and diligence have helped guide us through business acquisitions and growth initiatives," said David Lipson, president, Savills. "I'd like to thank Stan for his exceptional leadership, countless contributions and unwavering dedication to this company and our people and clients." Savills has more than 40 offices and 900 employees across the United States and Canada. The global real estate advisory firm provides local and international clients with an integrated platform of services and solutions encompassing tenant representation, workplace strategy, capital markets, workforce and incentives strategy, labor analytics, project management and additional areas of commercial real estate. About Savills Inc. Savills helps organizations find the right solutions that ensure employee success. Sharply skilled and fiercely dedicated, the firm's integrated teams of consultants and brokers are experts in better real estate. With services in tenant representation, workforce and incentives strategy, workplace strategy and occupant experience, project management, and capital markets, Savills has elevated the potential of workplaces around the corner, and around the world, for 160 years and counting. For more information, please visit Savills.us and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. SOURCE Savills HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "the Company") (XOAS: SDRL) announces that its Q2 2022 earnings will be published post market close on Wednesday August 31, 2022. Seadrill's executive management team will host a virtual presentation the following day (Thursday September 01, 2022) at 9:00am EST / 2:00pm BST / 3:00pm CET. Subsequent to the presentation, a Q&A session will be held exclusively for sell-side and industry analysts. To tune into the live presentation, you may do so using the provided conference call and webcast details listed below. Please note that participation in the Q&A session will only be available to analysts dialled into the meeting via conference call. If dialling into the presentation via conference call, you will be able to download the presentation materials via the Company's website: www.seadrill.com. Conference call To listen to the presentation via conference call, please join the call on the day by dialling one of the international telephone numbers listed below and using the corresponding pin: 612586 United States +1 855 9796 654 +1 646 664 1960 Norway +47 81 503 308 United Kingdom +44 800 640 6441 +44 20 3936 2999 United Arab Emirates +971 800 0357 04553 Webcast To join to the presentation via webcast, please register for the event ahead of time by following this link: https://bit.ly/3PZxkVd If you are unable to tune into the live session via conference call or webcast, a replay of the presentation will be made available soon after the event on the Investor Relations section of the website: www.seadrill.com/investors/. About Seadrill Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically-advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. The Company owns and/or operates 30 rigs, which includes drillships, semi-submersibles, and jack-ups. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's regulatory filings and periodical reporting. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward looking statement. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. CONTACT: Hawthorn Advisors [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com SOURCE Seadrill Limited $250,000 Investment Will Support Survivors of Military Loss HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Service Corporation International, (SCI), North America's largest provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, and its brand, Dignity Memorial, have again partnered with Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to support individuals grieving the loss of a military loved one. For the second year in a row, SCI and Dignity Memorial will be an official partner of TAPS with a $250,000 contribution, bringing its investment in TAPS to $500,000 to date, which will provide valuable support for programs and materials to help survivors cope with grief and loss. Funds were provided through the SCI Foundation, the company's nonprofit charitable giving arm. "[This partnership] reinforces our commitment to those who have served by helping their loved ones process their grief." Tweet this For the second year in a row, SCI and Dignity Memorial will be an official partner of TAPS with a $250,000 contribution, bringing its investment in TAPS to $500,000 to date. SCI and Dignity Memorial's contribution has been invested in various survivor support and outreach programs including the TAPS Survivor Care team, the initial line of support to the newly bereaved, connecting survivors with all of the care and resources TAPS has to offer. Additionally, support from SCI and Dignity Memorial has supplied TAPS survivors with critical print resources, providing guidance on practical matters like education and financial benefits and intangible topics of grief and loss. "Our Dignity Memorial associates support military families in our communities and honor their sacrifices and service to our country in many ways," said SCI Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Waring. "Our partnership with TAPS reinforces our commitment to honoring those who have served by helping their loved ones process their grief." Bonnie Carroll, TAPS Founder and President, added, "TAPS is honored to be partnering with SCI to support our military survivors. The entire organization has shown their dedication to honoring the lives of those who have served and died for our country's freedoms by caring for the families they loved and left behind." SCI and Dignity Memorial's commitment to honoring those who serve encompasses several programs and initiatives, including: The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, founded in 2000, ensures honorable and dignified burials for qualifying homeless or indigent veterans. Affinity partnerships with certain veterans organizations offer discounted packages on arrangements. SALUTE, an internal associate resource community for veterans and veteran advocates. Since 1994, TAPS has provided support and hope around the clock through a national peer support network, grief counseling services and support groups all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. TAPS also provides a variety of programs to survivors worldwide, as well as resources for grief professionals to better serve the military and veteran communities. ### About Service Corporation International Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, as well as final-arrangement planning in advance, serving more than 600,000 families each year. Our diversified portfolio of brands provides families and individuals a full range of choices to meet their needs, from simple cremations to full life celebrations and personalized remembrances. Our Dignity Memorial brand is the name families turn to for professionalism, compassion, and attention to detail that is second to none. At June 30, 2022, we owned and operated 1,459 funeral service locations and 488 cemeteries (of which 300 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. As used herein, "Service Corporation International" and "SCI" refer to Service Corporation International and its affiliated companies. About TAPS: The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 100,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277). Contact: SCI Media Line, 713-525-5235 [email protected] SOURCE Service Corporation International SEATTLE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shield Compliance (https://www.shieldbanking.com/), a BSA/AML compliance and risk management solution for cannabis banking, announced the appointment of Noah Carey, Founder and CEO of Shield Compliance, to the role of Executive Chairman of the Board, and the promotion of Tony Repanich to President and CEO. Repanich was also appointed to the Shield Compliance Board of Directors. The Shield cannabis banking playbook defines a path forward for financial institutions to serve cannabis-related businesses compliantly while benefiting from the financial rewards of this line of business. Download a copy at https://www.shieldbanking.com/cannabis-banking-playbook?mc_cid=0e18f091b6&mc_eid=UNIQID Carey founded Shield Compliance in 2015 with a vision to extend financial services to the emerging legal cannabis industry. Today, Shield has grown to support over 50 financial institution partners on its platform serving nearly 4,000 cannabis-related businesses in 35 states. Since January 2019, Shield has monitored 3.5 million transactions including $17.5 billion in deposits. "Since our inception, we have strived to be the platform of choice for banks and credit unions seeking to improve compliance outcomes, better manage risk, and drive down the operational costs associated with serving cannabis-related businesses," said Carey. "We are extremely pleased by the rapid and steady growth of financial institutions selecting Shield Compliance as their technology provider because it indicates that they see a clear differentiation in the quality and functionality of our platform and services." Growing Economic Opportunity The last few years have seen tremendous growth in the cannabis industry as more states recognize the benefits of legalization. The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. is projected to continue to grow from approximately $27 billion in retail revenue in 2021 to over $50 billion by 2026, and the economic impact of legal cannabis goes beyond sales. According to the MJBiz Factbook, every $10 spent at a legal cannabis retailer adds $18 to the economy, with the economic impact expected to reach $99 billion this year and $155 billion by 2026. "While the legal cannabis market is growing rapidly, demand for cannabis banking services outstrips supply in many parts of the country. As a result, there's a significant first-mover advantage for financial institutions willing to serve legal cannabis businesses today," said Repanich. "I am very excited to lead Shield Compliance forward as we bring the company's industry-leading BSA/AML compliance tools to a growing number of financial institutions ready to gain the financial rewards of this line of business." A Playbook for Cannabis Banking Financial institutions that invest in technology to improve efficiencies and lower costs will have a competitive advantage when the economics of the industry change over time and new banks and credit unions enter the market. Informed by the experiences of pioneering cannabis bankers in states with legal medical and adult-use programs, Shield's Cannabis Banking Playbook outlines the risks, operational impacts, and go-to-market solutions available to financial institutions serving the legal cannabis industry. About Shield Compliance Shield Compliance transforms how financial institutions serve the legal cannabis market. Its purpose-built BSA/AML compliance management software solution sits behind the financial institution to simplify compliance, automate processes across multiple data sources, create efficiencies, unlock new revenue, and scale operations. For more information, visit www.shieldbanking.com or contact [email protected]. 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SpendEdge's SUBSCRIPTION platform Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge NATIONAL PARK, N.J., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The skeletal remains of as many as 13 individuals have been discovered in a mass grave in New Jersey at the site of a significant battle of the Revolutionary War, Gloucester County and Rowan University officials announced. Believed by researchers to be the human remains of Hessian soldiers, who suffered their worst Revolutionary War defeat at the hands of outnumbered-but-emboldened American defenders, the remains were uncovered at Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park (Gloucester County). Unexpected victory in 1777, unexpected discovery in 2022: Some 245 years after they were buried in a mass grave, the human remains found at New Jersey's Red Bank Battlefield change what historians understood of battles aftermath October 1777 fight between American and Hessian forces. Rowan University history professor Jennifer Janofsky tells about the research, along with principal archaeologist Wade Catts. Learn more at chss.rowan.edu/departments/history/red-bank-battlefield. The remarkable discovery of the mass grave, a rarity for battlefields during the American Revolution, was announced during a press briefing at the site on August 2. For 245 years, the remains rested in a trench four-and-a-half feet deep until June 26, when a human femur was uncovered during a public archaeology dig. Additional excavation at the site, which was part of a trench system that surrounded the battlefield's Fort Mercer, uncovered more remains. DNA analysis All of the remains have been excavated and turned over to the New Jersey State Police Forensic Unit. There, forensic anthropologists are extracting DNA from the bones and teeth to identify their origin. Skeletal assessment, isotopic, genetic and radiological analyses are also ongoing to provide in-depth analysis of the human remains and to gather biological data and indicators of life history, health and disease, and other factors. The remains have been excavated with extraordinary attention to preserving the dignity of the war dead. DNA analysis, including from additional items found during the archaeological dig, such as a uniform knee buckle containing human blood, musket balls, and other items found in the trench, also may help the team to identify the remainsand even eventually find descendants of those who lost their lives on the battlefield. "We're hoping that eventually, perhaps, we can find some of these individuals," says Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky, director of Red Bank Battlefield Park. "If we can extract their stories, and if we can tell their stories, it lets us put a name to a face. And that, to me, is a very powerful moment in public history. "History is an ongoing process," continues Janofsky. "It's not like we've written the Battle of Red Bank and we know everything that happened. Archaeology is helping us better understand what happened on the battlefield. Now, we have a better opportunity to tell a more complete story of these individualsWho were they? Why were they here? What was their fate? It gives the public a more nuanced understanding of the history." Victory at Fort Mercer On Oct. 22, 1777, the Hessians, fighting for the British Crown, suffered approximately 377 casualties during the battle compared with 14 American casualties. Crown forces went into battle with 2,000 soldiers. The Americans, integrated regiments of Black and white soldiers fighting for freedom side by side, numbered 500. The regiments were comprised chiefly of soldiers from Rhode Island, plus a contingent of New Jersey militia. The victory at Fort Mercer, located just south of Philadelphia, was huge boost for American forces in the war for independence. The fort was a key defense for Americans to delay the British from advancing supplies up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. Rare battlefield mass burial The items found around the remainsincluding pewter and brass buttons and an extremely rare King George III gold guinea (a soldier's pay for a month)are consistent with items Hessian soldiers would have had, according to Janofsky and Wade Catts, president/principal archaeologist for South River Heritage Consulting of Delaware. Catts led the archaeological dig of the site. "Based on everything we've found and the context of what we've found, these appear to be Hessians. We will do more research on that, but, right now, our working hypothesis is that these are Hessian soldiers," says Catts, adding that a Revolutionary War battlefield mass burial is highly unusual. "The trench is a remarkable space. It's a significant archaeological site." Owned and maintained by Gloucester County, Red Bank Battlefield Park sits on 44 acres on a bluff above the Delaware River. Part of the Fort Mercer trench extended onto a quarter-acre site acquired by the county in 2020. The fort itself was destroyed by American forces in November of 1777. Public education and outreach A $19,000 New Jersey Historical Commission project grant secured by Janofsky in 2021 funded an initial archaeology survey of the trench, as well as a public education and outreach program. The county committed $30,0000 in additional funding for the second phase of the project and, over four public dig days this summer, more than 100 private citizens had the opportunity to dig at the site, recovering items including the first human femur. When the study of the remains is complete, they eventually will be reinterred at another site. The trench eventually will be refilled and the land will be incorporated into the park. The site will give historians the chance to offer the public a more nuanced understanding of the park's historical significance, the Battle of Red Bank, and the sacrifices soldiers made. "Too often, the revolution is viewed as a sanitized event. It's one thing to discuss the battle in the abstract. It's another to witness firsthand the violence of that day," Janofsky, the Megan Giordano Fellow in Public History at Rowan. "We now have the opportunity to work with our visitors to understand the emotion, pain, lossand absolute horrorof war." SOURCE Rowan University Restructuring process for rest of business remains ongoing as company continues to support customers with no expected disruptions WAYNE, Pa., Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS) today announced that, subject to court approval, it has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with 365 Data Centers to acquire a majority of its U.S. Colocation and Network business. The transaction with 365 Data Centers is subject to court approval and customary closing conditions. The hearing by the court to approve the Asset Purchase Agreement with 365 Data Centers is scheduled for August 24, 2022. The Company expects the transaction to close this fall. All of Sungard AS' businesses in North America are continuing to operate largely business as usual and meeting the needs of customers, whether included in the Asset Purchase Agreement or not. Sungard AS is continuing to evaluate potential sales or other restructuring alternatives with respect to its Cloud and Managed Services and Recovery Services operations while under the protection of chapter 11 in the United States and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) in Canada. "We have been working hard to determine the best path forward for our business in a manner that meets the critical needs of our customers while strengthening our operating cost structure. The combination of 365 Data Centers and our U.S. Colocation and Network business is an important next step in this process and presents an exciting opportunity in the marketplace with a growing, strong, reputable buyer who is committed to our customers," said Michael K. Robinson, Chief Executive Officer and President, Sungard Availability Services. Additional information about Sungard AS's chapter 11 filing can be found at: https://cases.ra.kroll.com/SungardAS . Information about the Canadian proceedings can be found at: http://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/SungardASCanada . Sungard AS is advised in this matter by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Jackson Walker LLP, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, FTI Consulting, Inc., DH Capital, LLC and Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. About Sungard Availability Services Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS) is a leading provider of cloud connected infrastructure solutions serving enterprise customers from 75 hardened data centers and workplace recovery facilities in nine countries. Sungard AS has a 40-year track record of delivering resilient and highly available hybrid IT solutions. Backed by high-performance networks, Sungard AS modernizes customers' end-to-end IT across connected infrastructure, cloud, recovery and workplace solutions. Working with customers to understand their business objectives, Sungard AS identifies gaps in customers' current environments and tailors a solution to achieve their desired business outcomes. Visit Sungard AS at www.sungardas.com or call +1 888 537-6519 in the U.S. or +44 808 238-8080 in the U.K. Connect with us on our blog, LinkedIn , Twitter, Facebook and YouTube . Media Contacts Mike Lizun Gregory FCA for Sungard AS [email protected] Sungard Availability Services is a trademark or registered trademark of SunGard Data Systems or its affiliate, used under license. The Sungard Availability Services logo by itself is a trademark or registered trademark of Sungard Availability Services Capital, Inc. or its affiliate. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. The abbreviation for Sungard Availability Services is 'Sungard AS' as cited above. Please use 'Sungard AS' when abbreviating the name rather than 'Sungard' or 'SunGard,' which may confuse the reader with another separate company with a similar name. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. The words "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "targets," "projects," "should," "may," "will," statements regarding future timing of a chapter 11 proceeding and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, our current expectations, plans and strategies, and anticipated financial results, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, those concerning the completion, outcome and effects of the chapter 11 cases, the ability of Sungard AS to obtain bankruptcy court approval of the matters described in this press releases, including with respect to any debtor-in-possession financing, the ultimate outcome of the chapter 11 cases and any restructuring of Sungard AS effectuated thereby and Sungard AS's ability to reduce its debt or strengthen its financial position. Many of these risks are beyond our ability to control or predict. Because of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to update or review any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Sungard Availability Services VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO) (NYSE American: TGB) (LSE: TKO) (the "Company") will release its second quarter 2022 financial results after market close on Monday, August 8, 2022. The Company will host a telephone conference call and live webcast on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Pacific) to discuss these results. After opening remarks by management, there will be a question and answer session open to analysts and investors. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 647-484-0258 in Toronto, 800-289-0720 toll free in North America, 0800 279 6877 in the United Kingdom, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events and using the entry code 8913919. The conference call will be archived for later playback until August 23, 2022 and can be accessed by dialing 647-436-0148 in Toronto, 888-203-1112 toll free in North America, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events and using the entry code 8913919. Stuart McDonald President and CEO No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release. SOURCE Taseko Mines Limited The acquisition expands Tegus' data offerings and creates the first modern research platform purpose-built for fundamental institutional investors CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tegus , the leading research platform for investors, today announced that it has acquired Canalyst, creating a new industry standard for modern research. Tegus Acquires Canalyst Tegus is trusted by over 2,500 investment firms, corporations, and consultancies worldwide including Accel, Sands Investment Group, and Redpoint Venturesto make investment decisions simpler and faster. Tegus provides customers with the most comprehensive, real-time access to over 40,000 expert interviews and transcripts covering more than 22,000 public and private companies. Additionally, the Tegus platform delivers robust workflows and tools to simplify aggregating and analyzing public financials and SEC filings and earning transcripts. Canalyst offers more than 4,000 fully drivable financial models and company benchmarking data, with every KPI and comparison that matters for making business-critical decisions. Canalyst was recently #49 on The Financial Times' list of The Americas' 500 Fastest-Growing Companies 2022. Acquiring, analyzing, and acting on volumes of data has become an increasingly lengthy and time-consuming task for investors and businesses. At the same time, they are expected to make high-stakes decisions quickly and effectively. In today's environment, it's more important than ever for investors to make swift decisions with confidence. Tegus and Canalyst data sets are among the highest quality accessible to investors today. Combining the Tegus and Canalyst solution offerings will help investors and businesses consolidate their research and due diligence processes across disparate terminals and platforms. "Evaluating business and investment opportunities is an extremely inefficient process today," said Tegus Founders and Co-CEOs Michael Elnick and Thomas Elnick. "With our acquisition of Canalyst, we'll be able to provide customers with a comprehensive view of the qualitative and quantitative data they need to uplevel and scale their investment decisions all on a single platform." "Canalyst provides the most accurate and up-to-date financial models on 4,000+ publicly traded companies," said Damir Hot, CEO of Canalyst. "By joining the Tegus team, we will be able to give customers deeper and more efficient access to critical investment insights." Tegus also recently acquired BamSEC, empowering Tegus platform users with powerful workflows to analyze core company filings and disclosures. Learn more about the acquisition on the Tegus Blog . Advisors Tegus was advised on the transaction by teams at Latham & Watkins and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. About Tegus Tegus is the world's leading research platform for institutional investors. With real-time access to the most comprehensive database of over 40K expert interviews, 4,000+ downloadable financial models, workflows to surface and analyze data from SEC filings, as well as expert interview services, Tegus streamlines the way institutional investors and businesses conduct research. The company serves more than 2,500 customers worldwide, including investment firms, corporations, and consultancies. For more information about our leading market and business intelligence solution, visit tegus.com. About Canalyst Canalyst Financial Modeling is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. The company's SaaS platform provides instant access to the cleanest, richest, best structured fundamental data and models on global public companies. Hundreds of firms across financial services and corporate markets globally rely on Canalyst to reduce duplicative work and ground their financial analysis on sound fundamental data. CONTACT Rachel Barker [email protected] SOURCE Tegus Tekmovil is Bang & Olufsen's first retail partner in the thriving city, naturally aligned by a passion for art and music MIAMI, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tekmovil, a multinational consumer electronics distribution and services company, is proud to partner with Bang & Olufsen on a new, state of the art retail showroom opening in the Miami Design District later this year. Bang & Olufsen | Tekmovil This will be the first Bang & Olufsen Monobrand Experience Center in Miami to include a retail store and their integrated BeoHome concept under one roof. A space where everyone will be able to experience, touch, hear and feel everything that has made Bang & Olufsen a beloved luxury producer of aesthetically stunning and high-quality sound and vision equipment since 1925. "At Tekmovil, we strive to support our partners across all stages of the value chain and are committed to taking the best mobile technology to new frontiers. We are excited to help Bang & Olufsen continue to strategically expand their retail footprint in the United States and especially in such a prominent shopping district," Claudia Rodriquez, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Tekmovil. "The convergence of art, design, fashion, and music in the Miami Design District makes the neighborhood a natural home for Bang & Olufsen," notes Rick Costanzo, Vice President of Bang & Olufsen, Americas. "We are thrilled to be a part of this thriving collaborative community of like-minded brands with such a wonderful partner as Tekmovil." In addition to this opening, Tekmovil has partnered with The Melo Group to showcase the seamless integration experience of Bang & Olufsen products through an installation in the Sales Center Office of the Melo Group's latest development in South Florida, the Aria Reserve Miami, the tallest waterfront double towers in the US. Tekmovil is a highly innovative consumer electronics distribution services company committed to helping brands bring the best, life-improving products to market in the most efficient and effective way. Tekmovil's team of highly experienced logistics, marketing, retail, and eCommerce professionals work together to take brands to the next level, partner with the appropriate channels, and reach their target customers. ABOUT BANG & OLUFSEN Bang & Olufsen is a global luxury lifestyle brand founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen whose devotion and vision remain the foundation for the company. The rich heritage built around the relentless determination to create products that push the boundaries of audio technology continues to place the company at the forefront of audio innovation. Today, every Bang & Olufsen product is still characterized by the unique combination of beautiful sound, timeless design, and unrivalled craftsmanship. The company's innovative and progressive audio products are sold worldwide in Bang & Olufsen monobrand stores, online, and in multibrand stores. The company employs over 1,000 people and operates in more than 70 markets. Bang & Olufsen's shares are listed on NAS DAQ Copenhagen A/S. ABOUT TEKMOVIL Tekmovil is a highly innovative mobile technology distribution and services enterprise committed to taking the best mobile technology to new frontiers. Tekmovil leverages industry-leading expertise to provide manufacturing, network operator, and key channel partners with an edge over the competition by providing high-value services. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Tekmovil has operations that span over 16 countries in three regions. Tekmovil's value proposition is to disrupt the traditional distributor model with technology enabled services that seamlessly maximize brand and client performance while providing innovative, customer-driven, technology-backed services that translate to increased sales, customer satisfaction, and value for clients and their customers. As a full-service distributor of consumer electronics, we support our partners across all stages of the value chain. To learn more about Tekmovil, visit https://www.tekmovil.com/ For press enquries, please contact: B&O: Kerry Lynch, PR Manager, Americas [email protected]ang-olufsen.dk Tekmovil: Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Tekmovil TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tequity, a leading M&A Advisory firm specializing in global Enterprise B2B Cloud, SaaS, and IT companies, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to US-based managed services provider Altitude Integrations in their acquisition by Xceptional. This is Tequity's 10th managed cloud service IT transaction. Tequitys Colorado-Based MSP Client, Altitude Integrations, Acquired by Xceptional "This is the beginning of a new era for both organizations, and we are excited for our clients, employees, partners, and shareholders," Chris McKewon, CEO of Xceptional, stated. "Altitude Integrations and Xceptional share the same values, beliefs, and commitment to customer satisfaction and value creation. The future is bright for our collective organizations and clients!" "Altitude Integrations is excited to become a part of the Xceptional family! This is an exciting time for clients and employees as both organizations are looking to provide the best support for clients," stated Brett Ramberg, Altitude Integrations' CEO and Managing Partner. Founded in 2009, Altitude Integrations is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and is an innovative IT managed services provider. The organization provides a portfolio of managed IT and cloud services to dozens of clients across various industries throughout Colorado and surrounding states. The organization has 10 employees and has experienced solid growth over the last few years. This first acquisition in Xceptional's 15-year history puts into motion the hyper-growth plans that were announced at the end of 2021. The combination of Altitude Integrations and Xceptional will be able to serve clients in a greater capacity, not only through more technicians and engineers but also through more service and software offerings. "Our combined companies will be able to expand and further the Xceptional experience to clients and prospects alike," stated McKewon. "Great things are to come in the months ahead!" Altitude Integrations will continue to support and serve customers independently as "an Xceptional Company" for the foreseeable future while both organizations focus on integrating and expanding their collective portfolios, capabilities, and teams over the next 12 months. "We continue to see tremendous interest in the managed services market from a wide variety of private equity and strategic acquirers, and expect there will be sustained deal flow through this year," said Diane Horton, Managing Partner at Tequity. About Altitude Integrations Founded in 2009, Altitude Integrations' mission is to provide proactive and innovative IT solutions to small and medium-sized businesses that are headquartered in the U.S., but with locations across the globe. The company specializes in providing superior IT and cloud services, solutions, and support. The organization employs experts in executive leadership, desktop support, networking, server administration, identity and access management, cloud optimization, email and domain security, VoIP phone systems, and sales tools, processes, and hiring. For more information, visit: https://altitudeintegrations.com/. About Xceptional Established in 2007, Xceptional is an innovative provider of proactive managed IT services and superior IT consulting services. Through a portfolio of managed security, compliance, and IT services, supported by IT design/consulting/implementation capabilities, Xceptional helps clients to align IT systems and applications with business goals and objectives and assists with the development and implementation of IT or security roadmaps and technology strategies that enable business growth. Clients work with Xceptional because of our knowledgeable staff, proactive IT services, and responsive engineering and support team that is committed to creating and driving tangible business value for our clients. For more information, visit: http://www.Xceptional.com . About Tequity Tequity assists Enterprise B2B SaaS, Cloud, and IT companies with business growth and exit strategies. Our mission is simple: achieve the best outcome for our clients. With decades of combined experience as executives, consultants, and owners of software and technology companies, we leverage our deep industry knowledge across tech ecosystems and our relationships with strategic, growth-focused buyers around the globe to drive successful M&A transactions. For more information visit www.tequityadvisors.com. Media Contact Diane Horton, Managing Partner Tequity Advisors [email protected] +1 905.581.7424 SOURCE Tequity Advisors FedEx Ship More, Save More, and FedEx International Connect Plus Service (FICP) logistics solutions offer optimal logistics efficiency to MSMEs. SINGAPORE, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Micro, small, and medium enterprises' (MSMEs) contributions to the economy and exports have steadily increased over the last few years due to technological advances, government policies, and increasing levels of entrepreneurship across Asia-Pacific (APAC). MSMEs contribute an impressive amount ($15 trillion in 2021) to APAC's gross domestic product (GDP), and about 20% to 30% of this contribution goes to the manufacturing GDP. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesian MSMEs contribute the largest percentage (61%) to their country's GDP. In South Asia, India's MSMEs have one of the highest shares (49% in 2020) in exports. The number of MSMEs in the region, according to the World Bank, is about 170 million. They outnumber large enterprises and, therefore, employ a significant portion of their countries' working population. In APAC, exports from MSMEs accounted for approximately $896 billion in 2020. MSMEs contribute significantly to the exports of APAC countries, ranging from 15% to 49% of the total exports. As commerce became smarter and more connected, MSMEs turned to electronic commerce (eCommerce) to access a more extensive network and a larger regional and international consumer base. MSMEs significantly contribute to their GDP, making them a driving force behind developing APAC markets. Countries incentivize and support MSMEs to solidify and expand their businesses within and beyond the region, and MSMEs in APAC with the need to access international markets challenged their expansion. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing market dynamics, however, the upsurge of eCommerce resolved the issue. MSME businesses require digitalization as they grow rapidly. To download Frost & Sullivan's complimentary executive brief, Smarter Connected Commerce, please access here. "MSME suppliers experienced an increase in customer base locally and internationally during the pandemic due to the boom in eCommerce and mobile commerce. MSMEs in APAC will increase focus on export opportunities and trade barriers will diminish among countries to create high intra-regional trade growth as regional integration stems from free trade agreements (FTAs). Adoption of technological trends boosted last-mile operations and created new customer expectations," explained Janesh Janardhanan, Practice Area Leader - Advisory, Supply Chain & Logistics, Asia Pacific, at Frost & Sullivan. To take advantage of smarter connected commerce and thrive in this market, MSMEs must: Adopt digital tools to expand their customer base into international markets and provide digitally advanced services to gain and maintain a customer base. Partner with strong logistics companies for seamless logistics operations, resulting in greater customer satisfaction. The partnerships also minimize risks and challenges associated with potential supply chain disruptions, enabling business continuity. Adopt smart business logistic solutions as eCommerce expands and the number of parcels rise. Leverage technologies, such as Big Data, AI, and Internet of Things (IoT), to predict any supply chain disruptions and take actions to eradicate them for a smoother logistics experience. Adopt a technology-driven approach to logistics based on route optimization and delivery automation to enable efficient and quick dispatch and delivery times to meet customer expectations and improve customer experience. Implement paperless digital trade solutions and customs clearance solutions to improve logistics efficiency and competitiveness of MSMEs, enabling cross-border trade. "Digital platforms will help MSMEs recover and increase their business in the post-COVID-19 era. With the shift in consumer behavior and sharp rise in online shopping, cross-border purchases will gain prominence between 2022 and 2025," said Salil Chari, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Customer Experience, FedEx Express AMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa). "Smarter, more connected logistics servicessuch as FedEx International Connect Plus Services (FICP)will help address cross-border logistics challenges, including more flexibility and control over the delivery process, and navigating diverse shipping regulations and customs in different countries, to improve customer experience and support business growth. Through solutions like FICP, FedEx helps facilitate and nourish cross-border trade so MSMEs can expand their reach at a greater value." Digital tools improve efficiency of logistics operations to help MSMEs gain a competitive advantage, with optimized efficiency, productivity, and flexibility to their customers through smart connected commerce. FedEx customizes the location and timeline of deliveries to extend delivery flexibility to customers, supporting the development of MSMEs. Some benefits of smarter digitalized logistics solutions include: Improved efficiency and reduced costs associated with administrative delays, such as customs clearance and cross-border movement of freight, enabling timely delivery of goods and no cross-border delays. Quick and more accurate monitoring and prediction of logistics delays in real time, enabling MSMEs to take suitable actions to manage risks. This prevents delays that can lead to customers canceling orders. More efficient last-mile operations, making failures and mistakes negligible and preventing business loss. Greater trust and long-term customer relationships for MSMEs due to the ability to track and trace goods via sensors To learn more about how digitalization is powering smarter connected commerce, watch Frost & Sullivan's latest Analyst Insight Video, Ensuring Smarter Connected Commerce, by clicking here. About Frost & Sullivan For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. About FedEx Express FedEx Express is one of the world's largest express transportation companies, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date. Media Contact: Sol Curet Corporate Communications E: [email protected] https://www.frost.com/ SOURCE Frost & Sullivan NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The GVTC Foundation is excited to announce the creation of a new community donation, The GVTC Foundation Partnership Donation. This special donation is a joint effort with a GVTC Communications partner. This year's partner is Calix . The GVTC Foundation and Calix have partnered to support two local non-profits. After reviewing all the worthy causes and programs, The GVTC Foundation and Calix have chosen Bulverde Spring Branch Angels and Communities in Schools of South Central Texas. GVTC Communications Bulverde Spring Branch Angels host an annual Angel Tree Project, which fulfills children's wishes for Christmas gifts for kids in the GVTC service area. The recipients are recommended by schools and churches. The non-profit receives a wish list for every child based on their needs, such as shoes or coats. In addition, each child is given two gifts based on their wants, such as sporting goods and dolls, making this wish come true. The GVTC Foundation donation will help add the magical touch to fulfilling dreams for our community's youth during this upcoming Christmas season. Cindy Hurst, the founder of the Bulverde Spring Branch Angels, said, "The support that GVTC and The GVTC Foundation have given to the community is beyond amazing. We are so grateful and appreciative to be chosen for this fantastic donation." Communities in Schools of South Central Texas is a non-profit that helps students (grades K-12) achieve success in school, graduate, and be successful throughout their lives. Students receive targeted services such as supportive guidance/counseling, mental health intervention, health/human services (basic life needs such as shelter, food, and clothing), tutoring, and college preparation assistance. CIS will use their donation to help fund their Pack the Bus - School Supply Drive . This program helps assist hundreds of children who cannot afford school items and personal needs. Helping to fulfill these needs allows the student to focus on their education and removes the worrying of not having these items. "It is such an honor to work alongside The GVTC Foundation," said Chris Douglas, CEO of Communities in Schools of South Central Texas. "As community members, we feel the support and care. Thank you so much for this amazing gift." A reception was held at the GVTC Boerne office on July 20, 2022, for Calix representatives, the two non-profits, and The GVTC Foundation to meet in person and celebrate the partnership donation. David Brooks, a Calix Regional Sales Director, attended the check presentation reception for the non-profits. He spoke to both organizations at the event. He said, "Being able to hear how our support will affect the lives of those in need is a testament to GVTC and The GVTC Foundation's dedication to their community. The entire Calix organization and I are proud to be a partner and are touched to see how we are helping to make a difference." Calix strongly believes in what The GVTC Foundation is doing in the community. The GVTC Foundation appreciates their support over the past several years and the positive impact they have had on our neighbors in need. About GVTC: GVTC is an award-winning fiber optics communications provider delivering high-speed Internet, digital cable TV, phone and interactive home security monitoring to residential and business customers in far north San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, and South Central Texas. GVTC offers Internet connection speeds up to 1 Gbps and symmetrical broadband connections, up to 250 Mbps. GVTC's wholesale carrier transport network delivers Ethernet data delivery between San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston, with access to remote Texas markets. The company's philanthropic arm, The GVTC Foundation, is celebrating more than a decade of charitable giving. More than $5.3 million in contributions have been given throughout GVTC's service area. Contact: [email protected] (830) 8858450 Media Contact: Brianne Magott 210-897-1958 [email protected] SOURCE GVTC Communications Amref Health Africa selected as implementing partner to provide technical assistance for the new peer-to-peer learning network NAIROBI, Kenya, August 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announces the launch of the Vaccination Action Network (VAN), a USD$7.4 million locally-led, peer-to-peer learning initiative designed to engage public health decision-makers across sub-Saharan Africa and bolster their efforts to strengthen health systems while scaling up Covid-19 vaccine demand strategies. Sabin Vaccine Institute and Dalberg are the secretariat for the network, while Amref Health Africa (Amref) is playing a key role to guide and administer subgrants to local organizations in participating countries so that they can implement vaccine demand generation strategies discussed during the learning sessions. The network is already connecting ministry of health officials, implementing partners, and other key actors across Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda through activities designed to take place within and between countries (intra- and cross-country), so participants can share lessons learned and best practices for boosting local demand for Covid-19 vaccines. Plans to expand to other countries in the region are underway as well. "The Vaccination Action Network's community-based approach brings together our counterparts from across the region and country. This collaboration is the key to finding and implementing the right vaccination approach," said Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Uganda. In a recent VAN learning session focused on Wakiso district, Dr. Mathias Lugoloobi, District Health Officer in Uganda's central Wakiso District echoed this sentiment, saying that "for strategies to be successful, the community alone must have the final say." While more than 60 percent of people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 globally, just 20 percent of people in Africa have received full doses. Inconsistent and inequitable access to supplies initially hindered the continent's vaccination campaigns. However, uptake is now primarily impacted by complex delivery scenarios, limited access to vaccination centers, and other ongoing demand barriers, such as vaccine hesitancy and waning concerns about Covid-19 infection. VAN's objective is to help decision-makers understand the drivers behind vaccination and support initiatives that will increase Covid-19 vaccine uptake, while strengthening routine immunization so that health systems are better equipped to respond when the next pandemic strikes. This reflects The Rockefeller Foundation's regional commitment to support localized solutions, empower community representatives, and create more resilient health systems. "The Vaccination Action Network is helping to establish new channels of communication that will consistently elevate regional learnings, solutions, and leadership," said William Asiko, Vice President of The Rockefeller Foundation Africa Regional Office. "By making these discussions country-led, we want to create a space where those directly involved in vaccination campaigns are able to voice what is working, what isn't, and what needs to change to improve vaccination rates." Peer-to-peer learning is an important tool for officials who are working to address these challenges. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, this type of intra- and inter-country coordination has helped the continent scale up genomic sequencing and secure essential tools, including personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. "By encouraging officials to come together, the Vaccination Action Network is opening new dialogues that emphasize regional solutions to local challenges," said Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO at Amref. "This is essential to tackle vaccine equity issues, which are tied to national and regional contexts, but also offers countries an opportunity for longer-term coordination on other priorities." VAN will host monthly intra-country sessions and multiple cross-country discussions before the end of the calendar year, with the goal of turning learnings from these sessions into actionable solutions. To facilitate this, VAN is supporting Amref through a USD$5 million grant to design and implement tailored strategies that better reflect local needs and address demand barriers for increased vaccine uptake. Prior to the launch, VAN hosted two cross-country and five intra-country discussions, which have already yielded results. Following a May VAN session focused on improving vaccine understanding and uptake, the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda is now working to train "vaccination champions" in the Wakiso district. The goal is for champions to connect with communities about the benefits of vaccines, address their questions and concerns, and ultimately encourage vaccination through community-based strategies that have proved successful in past epidemic control settings in Uganda. "One of our biggest takeaways from the VAN conversation was that we needed to do more to engage communities with accurate and approachable information on Covid-19 vaccines, leaning on lessons learned from other health challenges such as HIV and Ebola," said Mohammed Lamorde, Head of Global Health Security at IDI. "That's why our program focuses on working with trusted community members and leaders to equip them with the tools they need to encourage greater uptake of vaccines within their communities." VAN represents the Global Vaccination Initiative (GVI)'s first major investment in overcoming low vaccine demand in Africa. Launched in April 2022, GVI is The Rockefeller Foundation's USD$55 million effort to support country-led efforts to fully vaccinate 90% of the most at-risk populations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean over the next two years. About The Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn. About Amref Health Africa Amref Health Africa, headquartered in Kenya, is the largest Africa-based International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO). With a focus on increasing sustainable health access, Amref runs programmes in over 35 countries in Africa, with lessons learnt over 60 years of engagement with governments, communities, and partners. Amref Health Africa also engages in programme development, fundraising, partnership, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, and has offices in Europe and North America as well as subsidiaries: Amref Flying Doctors , Amref Enterprises and the Amref International University . About Dalberg Dalberg is a leading social impact advisory group that brings together strategy consulting, design thinking, big data analytics, and research to address complex social and environmental challenges. It works collaboratively with communities, institutions, governments, and corporations to develop solutions that create impact at scale. The Dalberg Group is comprised of six businesses: Dalberg Advisors, Dalberg Data Insights, Dalberg Design, Dalberg Implement, Dalberg Media, and Dalberg Research, and a not-for-profit, Dalberg Catalyst. For more information, visit www.dalberg.com. About the Sabin Vaccine Institute The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine. SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation Embraces New Asset Class to Increase Engagement and Further its Mission SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, Engiven, a leading cryptocurrency donation services company, announced The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. has selected the Engiven cryptocurrency donation platform for their next generation of fundraising efforts. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. will be leveraging the Engiven platform to grow their ministries and increase their digital stewardship initiatives through the acceptance of cryptocurrency donations. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington "The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. seeks to leverage technology to engage parishioners in new and exciting ways, making it easier for the faithful to fulfill the mission of the Church to spread the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world," said Joseph Gillmer, Executive Director of Development. "Engiven is helping us to fulfill the mission of the Church by providing an advanced, yet easy to use, cryptocurrency donation platform with the flexibility for the faithful to support more than 300 parishes, schools, and ministries in the greater Washington, D.C. region." Through Engiven, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C's Parish Support Initiative is now offering an exciting new way for the faithful to support the Church: secure donations of cryptocurrency with ease. Engiven's platform offers the Church the flexibility to provide crypto donation pages with a menu of ministries, as well as pages that are specific to programs like the Parish Support Initiative. Since March 2020, the Parish Support Initiative has helped more than 10,000 parishioners provide direct support to local parishes online and raised more than $1.1 million for the Community Food Security Program. The initiative provides direct grants to parish-based food pantries and hot meals programs. It also provides access to the Needy Parish Fund, a program that provides grants for parish emergencies. In the summer of 2022, the Parish Support Initiative expanded to include parish grants for local environmental and ecological "care creation" programs and life affirming community support programs. "The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. serves the geographic nerve center of our country, providing critical services to its citizens' spiritual and physical well-being," said James Lawrence, Engiven's Cofounder and CEO. "The Engiven platform was designed to enable enterprise wide crypto giving solutions for this exact type of implementation and we're excited to support their ministry efforts as they grow and engage with their community." Engiven's proprietary technologies equip ministries and nonprofit organizations to securely accept and liquidate cryptocurrency donations while eliminating the complexity and risk associated with cryptocurrency transactions. Engiven provides a highly secure, fully automated end to end giving solution where crypto donations are verified on the blockchain, exchanged for USD and the donor is immediately provided with a gift receipt. For more information on how to accept crypto donations for your church, ministry or nonprofit organization, visit: https://engiven.com About Engiven Founded in 2018, Engiven is a leading provider of cryptocurrency donation services to nonprofits and faith-based organizations. The Engiven platform provides a highly automated crypto giving solution that includes block chain monitoring, automatic exchanges, gift receipts, bank deposits, IRS tax form creation, custody options, and a full suite of developer APIs. Engiven Inc. has achieved SOC 2 Type 1 compliance in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) standards for SOC for Service Organizations also known as SSAE 18. For more information about Engiven, visit https://engiven.com About The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. is home to more than 655,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 90 Catholic schools, located in Washington, D.C., and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's. To learn how to give to the Parish Support Initiative with cryptocurrency, visit https://adw.org/PSIcrypto. To learn more about the vibrant ministries of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. visit https://adw.org. SOURCE Engiven, Inc. 120+ year industry veteran expands presence in Midwestern US, broadens cleanroom, histology, and microscopy portfolio SWEDESBORO, N.J., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- North America's largest pure-play distributor of scientific products, Thomas Scientific, has officially acquired Minneapolis-based laboratory equipment and cleanroom supply provider North Central Instruments, Inc. (NCI). Finalized August 1st, the deal immediately extends Thomas Scientific's national footprint while enhancing its ability to serve controlled environment, clinical diagnostic, life science, and industrial customers. North Central Instruments headquarters (left) in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and Thomas Scientific headquarters in Swedesboro, New Jersey Part of the Thomas Scientific team gathered at its 2022 National Sales Meeting in Tampa, Florida The addition of the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota NCI headquarters marks Thomas's first foray into the Midwest, serving as a strategic geographical addition to their existing network of 8 national distribution centers. It also increases Thomas's ability to deliver solutions in multiple end markets not just cleanroom, but also microscopy, histology, and nanotech by leveraging NCI's key customer and supplier relationships. "The NCI acquisition is a huge win for our current and future combined customers," stated Thomas Scientific CEO Charles Simmons. "We can now offer them an even broader technical suite of solutions, thus furthering our mission to be their most trusted partner in science." The 60-person NCI team is led by Brad Johnson, who has served as President since 2001. Similar to Thomas Scientific, the NCI sales department consists of specialists in their given end markets who take a consultative approach, focused on customer solutions that improve workflow efficiencies. Johnson added: "NCI is extremely excited to partner with Thomas Scientific. The synergy is apparent not only in the markets we serve, but also the culture of our companies. We look forward to continuing to provide the best possible service to our customers as a member of the Thomas family". Primary product categories offered under NCI's cleanroom division include cleanroom building components, personal protective equipment (PPE), equipment, and furniture, as well as air compressor sales and service in the Twin Cities area. On the microscopy end, top categories include clinical and research microscopes, industrial microscopes, and imaging, in addition to sample preparation equipment for both the histology and electron microscopy markets. NCI has also been the exclusive regional dealer providing products and services for Leica Microsystems, a leading microscopy and histology manufacturer, since 1990. Thomas Scientific has made 4 additional acquisitions since late 2017, adding seven locations, numerous product lines, and teams of subject matter experts. The experience and learnings the team has gained from these very strategic acquisitions has not only substantially improved the overall operation, but also the skill set of team members across the organization. "The acquisition of NCI will give Thomas Scientific a more substantial presence in the Midwest to more effectively meet our customers' inventory and delivery requirements," added Chris Pease, VP North American Operations at Thomas. "We are very excited about the opportunity and look forward to partnering with NCI's very talented team to serve science." NCI will continue to operate independently under the Thomas Scientific umbrella for the time being. Learn more about their solutions and culture at nciclean.com (cleanroom) and ncimicro.com (microscopy). Visit Thomas Scientific online at ThomasSci.com. About Thomas Scientific Founded in 1900, Thomas Scientific provides a comprehensive offering of suppliers, equipment, and solutions to the scientific community supporting all cleanroom, laboratory research, biopharmaceutical, medical device, clinical diagnostics, and other related end markets. With a national network of 8 distribution and service centers, supported by a highly technical commercial, customer service, and strategic sourcing organization, Thomas Scientific is an important partner to the scientific community. About NCI NCI Incorporated has been in business since 1967. Originally a provider of scientific instrumentation and solutions for microscopy, digital imaging, sample preparation and histology, NCI has expanded to include products for cleanrooms and air compressors. NCI employs experienced, local sales and service representatives to assist in determining the system that best accomplishes your current and future goals. Our consultative approach ensures each one of our clients is completely satisfied with our products and services. Media Contact Diane Skala, Vice President, Corporate and Supplier Marketing Services 856.832.3296 [email protected] SOURCE Thomas Scientific WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mounting opposition to the proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars and vapes has broad support, and Menthol Is Not a Crime is highlighting discrimination and other reasons why leaders have voiced their concern prior to the end of the FDA comment period on August 2. Since 85% of menthol smokers are Black, many in the community oppose the ban not because they encourage smoking, but because of the unintended consequences of making anything illegal that a preponderance of a historically discriminated against group uses without criminal justice reform. "When you ban a product sold mostly in black communities but do not have the same ban in other communities, you must consider the reality of what will happen to that very same overrepresented community in the criminal justice system," wrote the family members of police brutality victims and The Mothers of the Movement Members, Gwen Carr (mother of Eric Garner), Sybrina Fulton (mother of Trayvon Martin) and Philonise Floyd (brother of George Floyd). Others, like Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) believe that the ban will likely, "...exacerbate existing, simmering issues around Stop and Frisk, racial profiling, discrimination, and policing." According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), "... any prohibition on menthol and flavored tobacco products promises continued over-criminalization and mass incarceration of people of color. A ban on menthol and flavored tobacco products could reintroduce many of the harms imposed by the failed war on drugs as lawmakers work to legalize cannabis and take a public health approach to opioids." The economic implications of such a ban will also disproportionately hurt Black farmers and jobs. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association said, "This menthol ban will most certainly ensure there will not be a seventh generation of Black farmers in their families. Even worse, the Biden menthol ban will make my family's longest enduring tradition a gateway for our future incarceration. The Biden menthol ban will kill Black farming in America." Thomas Briant, Executive Director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets points out the ban will lead to, "significant revenue declines and lost jobs." We must tell the FDA to continue with education, treatment and counseling to stop smoking, not criminalization. Visit www.mentholisnotacrime.com to comment on the FDA website by August 2. SOURCE Menthol Is Not A Crime Newly Opened Extended-Stay Hotel In Downtown Orlando Earns Prestigious Marriott Select Brands Award ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The TownePlace Suites by Marriott Orlando Downtown in Florida has been named the recipient of the 2021 Marriott Select Brands Opening Hotel of the Year. In addition, the hotel is a Gold Circle Award winner for being in the top ten percent of its brand in overall guest satisfaction scores. The awards program recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of hotel teams and individuals at Marriott Select Brands hotels across the globe. TownePlace Suites by Marriott Orlando Downtown Lobby Entrance The hotel's dedicated leadership and exemplary team performance were significant factors in achieving this award. Leadership needed to impact hotel performance results positively, and all team members needed to complete all required training. Hotels qualified for the award included all properties opened between November 2019 and September 2021, with the TownePlace Suites Orlando Downtown opening in December 2020. The TownePlace Suites Orlando Downtown is located in the SoDo District and minutes from Orlando Health, Amway Center, and things to do in the downtown area. Upon entering the lobby, guests will be greeted with an inviting aesthetic of a warm color palette featuring soft neutrals and deeper tones, contrasting with pops of steel blue and muted turquoise. The decor pieces resemble different global influences appealing to the modern traveler. Elevated details like the built-ins and ceiling design parallel a residential design giving the hotel its home-away-from-home vibe. This pet-friendly hotel offers spacious studio, one- and two-bedroom suites with separate living and sleeping areas, comfy beds, and full kitchens. Additional amenities such as free WiFi, connected Smart TVs, free breakfast, and adjustable workspaces are great for extended hotel stays in Orlando. The TownePlace Suites Orlando Downtown offers convenience with various food options nearby and an on-property bar with light fare. Located at 51 Columbia Street, it operates as a Marriott franchise, owned by 51 Columbia Hotel Property LLC and managed by Naples Hotel Group of Naples, FL. About TownePlace Suites by Marriott TownePlace Suites by Marriott is an award-winning, all-suites hotel brand ideal for travelers who want to make the most out of longer stays. With over 470 properties across the U.S. and Canada, the brand's simple yet innovative design, features personal touches and clever details that also provide a sense of calm and comfort. Offering studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, TownePlace Suites helps guests settle in and feel right at home. For more information or reservations, visit www.towneplacesuites.com. TownePlace Suites is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit marriottbonvoy.com. About Naples Hotel Group Naples Hotel Group is a hotel development and management company based in Florida and prides itself on building long-term relationships with quality people and organizations. The Naples, FL hotel group specializes in Hotel Management and Development of upscale limited and select-service hotels. Naples Hotel Group has achieved superior results and has a proven ability to enhance hotels' performance by using their experience, responsiveness, and extensive resources. For more information about Naples Hotel Group visit http://www.napleshotelgroup.com, and connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. CONTACT: Brittany Acevedo at 239-206-4273 SOURCE Naples Hotel Group Grand opening on August 2 in downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row neighborhood TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) ("Trulieve" or "the Company"), a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the United States, today announced the opening of its first Trulieve-branded dispensary in Arizona. Located at 1007 N. 7th St., the doors open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, with ongoing hours of 8 a.m. 10 p.m., seven days a week. This is the first cannabis dispensary in the Roosevelt Row neighborhood in downtown Phoenix. On Friday, August 5, Trulieve Founder and CEO Kim Rivers and Trulieve President, formerly Harvest Founder and CEO, Steve White will attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 am. Customers are invited to join the celebration which includes an onsite DJ, food trucks, special discounts, and partner giveaways. After 6 pm, the celebration will continue with the First Friday Art Walk. Trulieve is a proud sponsor of the event which welcomes residents, visitors, vendors, artists, and musicians to enjoy downtown Phoenix and its eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, food trucks, galleries and other art-related venues. "We are thrilled to open our first Trulieve dispensary in this vibrant area of downtown Phoenix," said Rivers. "We look forward to serving the community with our high quality products and customer centric approach to cannabis." The new location will offer a wide variety of popular products including Trulieve brands such as Alchemy, Avenue, Co2lors, loveli, Modern Flower, Muse, and Roll One. Customers can also choose from a broad assortment of products from partner brands including Alien Labs, Connected, and El Blunto. "I am particularly excited to see Trulieve bring its world class approach to delivering exceptional customer experiences to the Arizona market" said White. "Medical patients and adult use consumers can benefit from the collective experience of Harvest and Trulieve, two long time operators and pioneers in the industry." Trulieve entered the Arizona market in October 2021 through the acquisition of Harvest Health & Recreation, Arizona's largest cannabis retailer. Over the course of the next year, existing Harvest locations will be rebranded to Trulieve. Harvest and Trulieve-affiliated dispensaries in Arizona are located in Avondale, Casa Grande, Chandler, Cottonwood, Glendale, Guadalupe, Lake Havasu, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Tucson. For more information on store activations and locations in Arizona, please visit www.trulieve.com/dispensaries/arizona. About Trulieve Trulieve is an industry leading, vertically integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the U.S. operating in 11 states, with leading market positions in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Trulieve is poised for accelerated growth and expansion, building scale in retail and distribution in new and existing markets through its hub strategy. By providing innovative, high-quality products across its brand portfolio, Trulieve delivers optimal customer experiences and increases access to cannabis, helping patients and customers to live without limits. Trulieve is listed on the CSE under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF. For more information, please visit Trulieve.com . Facebook: @Trulieve Instagram: @Trulieve_ Twitter: @Trulieve Investor Contact Christine Hersey, Executive Director of Investor Relations +1 (424) 202-0210 [email protected] Media Contact Rob Kremer, Executive Director of Corporate Communications +1 (404) 218-3077 [email protected] SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Key Points - Continued economic growth helps drive a 3% increase in TVA's power sales for the first nine months of the year. TVA's diversified power system helps maintain low power rates despite higher fuel prices, with 53% of TVA's total power supply coming from carbon-free sources -- nuclear, hydroelectric and renewables -- in the nine months ended June 30, 2022. TVA's results reflect strong financial health, with 30-year-low debt levels that helped TVA provide over $161 million in pandemic credits to customers so far this fiscal year. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Valley Authority reported $8.4 billion in total operating revenues on 118 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity sales for the nine months ended June 30, 2022. Total operating revenues increased 14% over the same period last year, primarily due to an increase in fuel cost recovery revenue driven by higher fuel rates. Sales of electricity increased approximately 3 percent compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase in sales volume was primarily driven by economic growth in the Tennessee Valley. "TVA and our local power company customers continue to meet record power demand this summer with industry-leading reliability and resiliency while maintaining rates that are among the lowest in the nation," said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. "More than half of TVA's energy comes from carbon-free sources like nuclear, hydroelectric, and renewables, which provide a major source of price stability." Fuel and purchased power expense increased $879 million in the first nine months of 2022 over the same period of the prior year, primarily due to higher fuel and purchased power prices. Lower nuclear output due to the Watts Bar Unit 2 steam generator replacement project and fewer significant rain events resulting in lower hydroelectric generation also contributed to higher fuel and purchased power costs. "We understand the impact that rising fuel costs and high energy demand can have on our customers," said Lyash. "However, our customers are seeing far less of a cost impact than the rest of the nation." Natural gas prices were 141 percent higher this June versus last year, and coal prices are also up significantly. However, TVA's effective power rate, inclusive of fuel cost, is only 11 percent higher this year, which demonstrates the value of TVA's diverse generation fleet and proactive hedging programs. As an extension of these existing practices, TVA is executing a defined strategy laid out in our Strategic Intent and Guiding Principles document to maintain its national leadership in carbon reduction. "At TVA, we are outcome focused and, along with significant investments in our existing carbon-free generation, such as the Watts Bar Unit 2 steam generator replacement, we know there is more we can do," said Lyash. "TVA recently issued an industry-leading request for proposal for 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free energy to be available by 2029 and, knowing the critical role advanced nuclear technology will play in our nation's drive to decarbonization, we signed a partnership with GE Hitachi to advance our pursuit of small modular reactor technology." Depreciation and amortization expense increased $391 million for the nine months ended on June 30, 2022, primarily due to a change in depreciation rates following an updated depreciation study. The study included planning assumptions to potentially retire the remainder of TVA's coal-fired fleet by 2035. Operating and maintenance expense increased by $163 million over the same period last year, driven by labor escalation, routine nuclear maintenance work, an increase in nuclear outage days, natural gas and hydroelectric maintenance projects, and additional inventory reserves and write-offs. Interest expense decreased by $33 million for the nine months ended Jun. 30, 2022 a 4 percent decrease from the prior year due to lower debt balances and lower average long-term rates. "In addition to the higher peaks from weather, TVA is meeting underlying growth in sales as the local economy continues to recover and people and businesses are moving to our region," said TVA's Chief Financial and Strategy Officer John Thomas. "TVA's effective wholesale rate continues to run at the same rate as a decade ago, while our financial strength has allowed TVA to give back over $161 million in pandemic recovery credits to customers so far this year." TVA's net income was $476 million for the first nine months of fiscal year 2022, which was $433 million lower than the same period of the prior year due mainly to higher operating expenses. Additional highlights from TVA's third quarter fiscal year 2022 include: TVA met multiple record-setting peak and daily energy records this summer, and the TVA power system was able to deliver energy reliably through these demands. In July 2022 , TVA issued a carbon-free RFP for up to 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free and new renewable energy projects. , TVA issued a carbon-free RFP for up to 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free and new renewable energy projects. Watts Bar Unit 2 returned to service in July 2022 after an outage to replace its four original steam generators with four new, more efficient models that will support reliable, carbon-free generation in the Tennessee Valley. after an outage to replace its four original steam generators with four new, more efficient models that will support reliable, carbon-free generation in the Tennessee Valley. TVA entered a two-party agreement with GE Hitachi to support TVA's planning and preliminary licensing for a potential deployment of a BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River Nuclear site and provide additional information needed as TVA continues to analyze the viability of SMRs in the Valley, subject to future Board approval. This follows an April 2022 collaboration agreement with Ontario Power Generation to support the development of small modular reactors as an effective long-term source of 24/7 carbon-free energy in both Canada and the U.S. Such collaborations could help reduce the financial risk that comes from development of innovative technology, as well as future deployment costs. collaboration agreement with Ontario Power Generation to support the development of small modular reactors as an effective long-term source of 24/7 carbon-free energy in both and the U.S. Such collaborations could help reduce the financial risk that comes from development of innovative technology, as well as future deployment costs. As of August 1 , 146 local power companies have long-term partnerships with TVA. Bill credits to partners totaled $141 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2022 . , 146 local power companies have long-term partnerships with TVA. Bill credits to partners totaled for the nine months ended . In 2021, the TVA Board approved a 2.5 percent monthly base rate credit for all customers, the Pandemic Recovery Credit, which is effective for 2022. These pandemic credits apply to service provided to TVA's LPC's, their large commercial and industrial customers, and TVA directly served customers. For the nine months ended June 30, 2022 , pandemic credits totaled $161 million , which is money staying in local communities to help with recovery efforts. , pandemic credits totaled , which is money staying in local communities to help with recovery efforts. Rainfall and runoff in the Tennessee Valley through the third quarter of 2022 were 105 percent and 110 percent of normal, respectively. TVA's economic development efforts, combined with TVA's reliable, resilient, low-cost, and cleaner energy, continue to help attract and encourage the expansion of business and industries in the Tennessee Valley, with over $9.6 billion in investments and more than 57,200 jobs created or retained through the third quarter of 2022. Selected Financial Data Nine Months Ended June 30 Sales, Revenues & Expenses 2022 2021 Sales (millions of kWh) 117,547 113,606 Operating Revenues ($ millions) $ 8,437 $ 7,403 Fuel & Purchased Power Expense 2,771 1,892 Operating & Maintenance Expense 2,269 2,106 Interest Expense 791 824 Net Income 476 909 Net Cash Provided by / (Used in) ($ millions) Operating Activities $ 1,834 $ 2,227 Investing Activities (1,978) (1,698) Financing Activities 147 (531) TVA's executive management team will host a conference call to discuss third quarter fiscal year 2022 results at 9:30 a.m. ET, on Tuesday, Aug. 2. The event will be conducted as a webcast and as a dial-in teleconference. Participants will be able to hear the discussion and see slides via webcast, but will need telephone access to ask questions. Pre-registration for the conference call is required. Please click here to pre-register. Once pre-registered, the dial-in number will be provided via an email. If you are unable to pre-register, you may access the conference call by dialing toll free 844-308-6432 in the United States, or 412-717-9611 outside the United States. A replay will be available one hour after the end of the conference call, by calling toll free 877-344-7529 in the United States or 412-317-0088 outside the United States and using the conference number 1518604. A webcast replay and transcript will also be available for one year on TVA's website at http://www.tva.com/investors . TVA's quarterly report on Form 10-Q provides additional financial, operational, and descriptive information, including unaudited financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. TVA's quarterly report and other SEC reports are available without charge on TVA's website at http://www.tva.com/investors , on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov , or by calling TVA toll free at 888-882-4975. This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future events and future performance. Although TVA believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to TVA's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. Media Contact: Jim Hopson, Knoxville, 865-632-8860 TVA Media Relations, Knoxville, 865-632-6000 www.tva.com/news Follow TVA news on Facebook and Twitter Investor Relations: Tammy Wilson, Knoxville, 865-632-3366 or 888-882-4975 Josh Carlon, Knoxville, 865-632-4133 or 888-882-4975 http://www.tva.com/investors SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority The premier training provider for the service industry equips HVACR instructors and apprentices across the U.S. with the top tech-enablement platform NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XOi Technologies , a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions, and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States, Canada (UA) announce a partnership that delivers XOi's innovative AI-based tech-enablement solution to HVACR instructors and registered service apprentices across the United States. The UA and XOi announce a partnership that equips HVACR instructors and apprentices across the U.S. with the top tech-enablement platform. "XOi combines many critical functions for UA instructors and apprentices and other field professionals in a single platform," said UA training specialist Robert Vilches. "In addition to its streamlined workflows and best-in-class data indexing and analytics, XOi keeps UA apprentices and instructors connected in the field and provides instructors with unrivaled insight into how students perform on the job. And XOi's first-to-market virtual mentor support extends training from the classroom to the jobsite, so apprentices can continue to learn while they're in the field." XOi's deep data cataloging capabilities, advanced AI-driven analytics, and intuitive remote support options enhance the value of UA's training programs, giving the organization resources to help contractors close the skilled labor gap. "This partnership is an opportunity to maximize the UA's proven training programs and to strategically extend XOi's position as a top innovator in the industry," said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. "By equipping their apprentices and instructors with our powerful solutions, the UA is empowering the next generation of skilled labor talent with in-depth, hands-on education that will help contractors face the continuing labor shortage in the service industry." XOi's advanced cloud-based solution allows field service technicians to utilize, aggregate and analyze critical job data and maximize customer value through industry-leading efficiency, accuracy and accountability. With a full suite of standardized workflows, job documentation capabilities, and technician training and enablement solutions, teams can build deep and easily accessible institutional knowledge bases that support real-time decision-making and data-based continuity. Service teams can apply these extensive data-science capabilities to analyze those foundational elements and strategically respond to evolving data trends and forecasts. The UA represents 355,000 plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, service technicians and welders across North America. The UA offers the premier training programs available in the industry today, including five-year apprenticeship programs, extensive journeyman training, a comprehensive five-year instructor training program, and numerous certification programs. The UA helps signatory contractors grow their market share by identifying new opportunities, providing support, and connecting them to the safest, skilled, and most highly trained workforce in the industry. For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io . For more information about UA, visit https://ua.org. About XOi Technologies XOi Technologies, the leading provider of technician-first smart technology for commercial and residential field service companies, delivers innovative artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower field service teams to drive productivity, elevate customer experience and help close the skilled labor gap. Developed to meet the unique challenges of an industry traditionally underserved by technology, XOi equips field service professionals with groundbreaking technician-enablement tools, including remote support, visual documentation, immediate on-the-job insights and training resources, asset and team management functions, and a comprehensive knowledge base leveraging data from current and historical projects. With a proven record of innovation and demonstrated commitment to the hard-working men and women in the field service industries, XOi has distinguished itself as a pioneer in technician-focused solutions that bring efficiency, transparency, and expertise to every jobsite. For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io . About United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States, Canada (UA) The UA represents 355,000 plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, service technicians and welders across North America. The UA offers the premier training programs available in the industry today, including five-year apprenticeship programs, extensive journeyman training, a comprehensive five-year instructor training program, and numerous certification programs. The UA helps signatory contractors grow their market share by identifying new opportunities, providing support, and connecting them to the safest, skilled, and most highly trained workforce in the industry. Visit https://ua.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR (865) 977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE XOi Technologies NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Unilever American Depositary Receipts between September 2, 2020 and July 21, 2021, inclusive. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 15, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in UL: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/unilever-plc-loss-submission-form?id=30432&from=4 Unilever PLC NEWS - UL NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Unilever PLC made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: a) in July 2020, the board of Ben & Jerry's, one of Unilever's marquee brands, passed a resolution to end sales of its ice cream in "Occupied Palestinian Territory" ; and b) this boycott decision risked adverse governmental actions for violations of laws, executive orders, or resolutions aimed at discouraging boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel adopted by 35 U.S. states. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Unilever you have until August 15, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Unilever securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the UL lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/unilever-plc-loss-submission-form?id=30432&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm HELSINKI, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Valo Therapeutics Oy (ValoTx), the developer of novel, adaptable immunotherapy platforms for cancer and infectious diseases, today announced four appointments to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Professor Paolo A. Ascierto, Dr Jeffery Bockman, Professor Malcolm K. Brenner, and Professor Kevin Harrington. ValoTx's CEO, Paul Higham, said, "We are delighted to welcome our distinguished, and expert, new SAB members. They bring a wealth of scientific and clinical understanding which will be of great help in progressing our antigen-coated oncolytic viruses and vaccine vectors as innovative immunotherapy approaches against cancer and infectious diseases. We look forward to working with them all." ValoTx's Scientific Advisory Board chair, Professor Vincenzo Cerullo, said, "It's a great pleasure to have such top international scientific and clinical talent join me on Valo's Scientific Advisory Board. Our innovative solutions to vaccines, immuno-oncology and personalised cancer treatments are life-changing and will overcome some of medicine's greatest challenges." Professor Paolo Antonio Ascierto is a world-leading key opinion leader in melanoma disease and immunotherapy. He is currently Director of the Department of Melanoma, Cancer Immunotherapy and Development Therapeutics at the National Cancer Institute "Pascale" in Naples, Italy. He is Editorial Board Member, Editor and Scientific Reviewer for leading medical journals and a member of the Steering Committee of the Society of Melanoma Research (SMR). Dr Ascierto is part of the Board of Directors for the Society of ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (SITC) and of the Cancer Development Drug Forum (CDDF), and is President of the Fondazione Melanoma Onlus, and the Campania Society of ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (SCITO). He has been an invited speaker to over 400 national and international scientific meetings, courses, and workshops. He has presided as Principle Investigator on over 150 clinical trials, and he is the author of over 600 publications in peer-reviewed journals. His awards and honours are numerous and include receiving the GEF Health Award in 2022. He has received funding from the POR FESR and ERA-NET, among others. Dr Jeffrey Bockman received a BA from the University of California at San Diego, an MA in English/Creative Writing from New York University, and a PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the Executive Vice President, Head of Oncology at Lumanity BioConsulting, and was an Assistant Research Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine. He has worked closely with two Nobel Prize recipients: Dr Sidney Altman, on ribozymes, and Dr Stanley Prusiner, on prions. He brings to the SAB extensive commercial and strategic perspective on the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, including leading the commercial development of oligonucleotide therapeutics for viral diseases and cancer at Innovir Laboratories. He is a frequent speaker at industry events such as BIO on the intersection of scientific, clinical, and strategic issues affecting biotech oncology drug development. Jeff is a member of AACR, ASCO, ASH, ASGCT, SITC and NYAS. He is a mentor for the NCI Innovation Conference, a judge for the Citeline Awards, a member of the Advisory Group to Skipper Bio Med, and is on the Clinical Advisory Board of ImmunOS (Zurich) and the Scientific Advisory Board of hC Bioscience (Cambridge, MA). Professor Malcolm K. Brenner is an award-winning physician-scientist who has pioneered the therapeutic use in cancer of T cell immunologic approaches and genetic engineering strategies. He is the Founding Director, Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy and as former President of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy and of the International Society for Cell Therapy. Dr Brenner obtained his medical degrees and PhD from the University of Cambridge, England. Dr Brenner's work has been funded by the NIH-NCI, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, and several charitable foundations. He has been involved in the foundation of several companies, such as Allovir, Marker Therapeutics, and Tessa Therapeutics. Professor Kevin Harrington qualified in medicine from the University of London and obtained his PhD from Imperial College, London. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Radiologists. He completed postgraduate training in clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists Rohan Williams medallist) and postdoctoral research in Professor Richard Vile's laboratory at the Molecular Medicine Programme in the Mayo Clinic. He subsequently was appointed to a group leader position at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London and an honorary consultant oncologist post at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH). He is the Head of the Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging at the ICR, and Director of the CRUK ICR/RMH RadNet Centre of Excellence. He has led phase I, II and III trials of oncolytic virotherapies, immunotherapy and radiation-drug combinations. He brings to the SAB a longstanding focus on gene therapy and viral gene therapy as ways to selectively destroy cancer cells and activate anti-tumour immune responses. His laboratory research focuses on the use of biologically targeted agents, in combination with treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to target cancer cells selectively, especially in head and neck cancer and in melanoma. About ValoTx Valo Therapeutics Oy (Helsinki) is an immunotherapy company that is developing innovative immunotherapy approaches against cancer and infectious disease. The ValoTx lead platform, PeptiCRAd (Peptide-coated Conditionally Replicating Adenovirus), was developed out of the laboratory of Professor Vincenzo Cerullo at the University of Helsinki. It turns oncolytic adenoviruses into targeted tissue specific cancer vaccines without the need to generate and manufacture multiple genetically modified viruses. The company is also developing PeptiENV and PeptiVAX, among other neoantigen strategies, in collaboration with Professor Cerullo. PeptiENV is expected to improve the therapeutic response to oncolytic enveloped viruses in the treatment of multiple forms of cancer, while PeptiVAX is a program to develop a novel, adaptable anti-infectives vaccination platform. The lead PeptiVAX project is a T-cell pan-Coronavirus vaccine. The company's PeptiCHIP technology enables the rapid and accurate identification of tumor antigens. A film explaining the PeptiCRAd technology can be found here. SOURCE Valo Therapeutics Mr. Iinuma, a seasoned industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in executive roles in companies including UBS and Reinsurance Group of America, has joined Vesttoo as General Manager, Japan, where he will manage the company's office and oversee Vesttoo's market development in the country TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesttoo, a leading insurance risk transfer and investment platform, announced today the hiring of financial industry executive Kunihiko Iinuma as General Manager, Vesttoo Japan. Mr. Iinuma has over 30 years of experience in the insurance and financial industries and previously held executive positions in large global companies, including, among others, RGA Japan, SBI Insurance Holdings, SBI Life Insurance Company, and UBS. Iinuma is also a fellow at the Institute of Actuaries Japan and plays a senior role in the examination committee. "It's my tremendous privilege to announce the opening of Vesttoo's office in Japan, headed by the capable Mr. Iinuma," said Yaniv Bertele, CEO and Co-Founder of Vesttoo. "His outstanding experience and industry knowledge will be crucial in bringing about the Vesttoo vision of bridging the insurance and capital markets. Japan is an important global economic hub, and we're excited to expand our operations into that area." "I'm eager to begin my role leading the Vesttoo office in Japan," said Vesttoo Japan General Manager Mr. Iinuma. "Vesttoo's products and services are a natural development in the reinsurance industry and can answer the needs of the Asian financial markets in the current economic environment. It is an honor to work with such a professional team." Vesttoo has actively expanded its operations since the beginning of the year, announcing new offices in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Seoul, in addition to its established bases in Tel Aviv and New York. The company leverages its proprietary AI, its expert team of data scientists, and insurance and asset management professionals to build insurance-linked investment products that connect these two essential markets. It provides insurers with additional sources of capacity and investors with access to uncorrelated investment opportunities, offering a sustainable vision for the future of the industry. About Vesttoo Vesttoo connects the insurance industry and the capital markets, by combining AI-powered technology with expertise in fintech, insurance, and asset management so that insurers have the capacity they need, and investors have opportunities to diversify their portfolios with uncorrelated low volatility insurance risk. Since beginning to transact in late 2020, Vesttoo has generated close to $3.7 billion in capacity. Among its clients are well-established global insurers, renowned financial institutions, and large multinational brokers. For more information, visit https://vesttoo.com . Media Contact: Liran Grunhaus, [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1607508/Vesttoo_logo.jpg SOURCE Vesttoo Young adults take the lead to practice Jesus' love for a better future NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New Heaven New Earth, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, launched a youth volunteer group called We Are One made up of 70,000 members in South Korea and 20,000 members overseas. Chairman Lee Man-hee speaks at the We Are One launching ceremony The launch ceremony took place on July 30th at the K Hotel in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Over 1,000 representatives attended the event in person and 90,000 volunteers joined through a live broadcast. The ceremony included live performances and a commemorative photo shoot. Covid-19 social distancing guidelines were in place, and participants were required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken before joining. To commemorate the launch of We Are One, 70,000 youth will donate blood in 17 cities, including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Daegu, South Korea. The blood donation campaign will begin on August 27th and continue for three months. "Congratulations on the launch of the Shincheonji youth volunteer group We Are One," said Eom Jae-yong, president of the Seoul Southern Blood Center of the Korean Red Cross during a congratulatory speech. "Also, thank you for choosing to participate in the first volunteer activity as a blood donation campaign. It is expected that this will be a great help in dealing with the re-spreading of Covid-19 and the crisis situation." In addition to donating blood, We Are One plans to address national challenges and international crises. The group's core focuses will include support service, creating a sustainable environment, world peace, and education. "We discussed a lot about the problems that young people are facing today and their solutions," said We Are One CEO Hong Jun-soo. "There are many members of the We Are One volunteer group with various talents, such as entrepreneurs, planning developers, designers, medical personnel, and social welfare experts. Together with them, we will solve the problems of the younger generation and take the lead in creating a better world." Shincheonji Church Chairman Lee Man-hee Lee also attended the launch ceremony. "We are born in this age and have an obligation to illuminate and develop this age," Chairman Lee said. "If God the Creator is with us, nothing is impossible. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. People come first. Let's all unite and make a better world." Contact: Gina Del Gigante 6466287365 [email protected] SOURCE Shincheonji Church of Jesus NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Wells Fargo common stock between February 24, 2021 and June 9, 2022. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 29, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in WFC: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/wells-fargo-wfc-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=30435&from=4 Wells Fargo & Company NEWS - WFC NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Wells Fargo & Company made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Wells Fargo had misrepresented its commitment to diversity in the Company's workplace; (ii) Wells Fargo conducted fake job interviews in order to meet its Diverse Search Requirement; (iii) the foregoing conduct subjected Wells Fargo to an increased risk of regulatory and/or governmental scrutiny and enforcement action, including criminal charges; (iv) all of the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to negatively impact Wells Fargo's reputation; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Wells Fargo you have until August 29, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Wells Fargo securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the WFC lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/wells-fargo-wfc-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=30435&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Chief Evangelist Tim Sawyer interviewed Jeff Cohen, Esq., Founder of the Florida Healthcare Law Firm recently on the True to Form Podcast, a podcast that connects you to the people, technology, and hot topics that shape the aesthetic community and brought to you by Patient Now. DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Practicing healthcare attorney & founder of the Florida Healthcare Law Firm, Jeff Cohen, recently appeared on the True to Form Podcast to discuss the emergence of #IV Therapy into the elective medical space. Jeff dives into the crucial need for regulatory compliance, proper business education, and the drivers behind why he started the American IV Association (AIVA) which is dedicated solely to providing this information to IV therapy providers and business owners nationwide. During the podcast they discuss the nuances of healthcare marketing, scope of practice, and regulatory issues around IV therapy. They also cover the hottest topics & issues that are affecting providers expanding into IV hydration therapy treatments as well as the exciting launch of AIVA's newest regional Business Academy Boot Camps, launching in August 2022. For more information on Los Angeles IV Hydration Therapy Business Academy, click HERE and for more information regarding the Delray Beach Business Academy event, click HERE AIVA is committed to the safe advancement of the IV hydration therapy community and offers essential up-to-date compliance resources for members through training, events, detailed content, and other resources, including state-by-state requirements for licensing and certification, operations, and marketing. AIVA will track government enforcement activity, regulatory guidance, and emerging trends translating the confusing body of information into practical, actionable steps for AIVA members. The resources provided will enable members to improve their practices, manage risks, and develop effective compliance. Additionally, AIVA provides knowledgeable and specialized resources for training and business development. Their membership and website resources will be launched in the coming weeks, beginning with: Florida, California, Texas, Georgia, Nevada, New York, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio Michigan. Interested in exhibiting, sponsorship, or vendor opportunities? Email: [email protected], call (561) 757-4430 ext. 102 or visit: https://americaniv.com/mpage/home The True to Form Podcast is hosted by President & Co-Founder of RxMarketing, True to Form is a regular podcast that features leaders who are making headway in the aesthetic, anti-aging and elective medical industries. Tim Sawyer is a two-time Inc. 500 entrepreneur and a highly regarded faculty speaker for 28+ medical associations. Contact: Gina Meyer Hardiman ***@americaniv.com Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12927548 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE American IV Association NASSAU, Bahamas, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Summertime festivities are in full swing in The Bahamas, where a variety of all-new experiences, celebrity performances and lively events across the islands await. Travelers should make sure to check out the many fun summer happenings and hot deals before planning their next trip to The Bahamas. NEWS Lynden Pindling International Airport Reports Strong Tourism Numbers This Summer With preliminary passenger numbers for summer stronger than what they were pre-pandemic in 2019, and in anticipation of busier months ahead, Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport encourages travellers to arrive 3 to 3.5 hours ahead of their international flight's scheduled departure time. Check out the many fun summer happenings and hot deals before planning your next trip to The Bahamas! Tweet this Celebrate Bahamian Culture During the Goombay Summer Festivals The Bahamas' annual Goombay Summer Festivals will take place across 12 islandsincluding Andros, Long Island and Eleutherain August. Go Glamping under the Stars at Atlantis Paradise Island Atlantis Paradise Island's new Marine Life Camping Adventure allows guests to sleep in luxury tents at the beach while connecting with marine life on exclusive adventures like kayaking with dolphins and snorkelling at twilight. Celebrate Baha Mar's New Partnership with Bruno Mars' SelvaRey Rum Baha Mar will celebrate its new partnership with SelvaRey Rum, a new liquor brand owned by Bruno Mars, with a Labour Day weekend party at SLS Baha Mar from 1 4 September 2022. Tickets to see performances by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are open for booking. The Bahamas Is Listed In Travel + Leisure's 2022 "World's Best Awards" The Bahamas were well represented in Travel + Leisure's 2022 "World's Best Awards" with The Exumas, Harbour Island, and Eleuthera all making it onto the list of "25 Best Islands in the Caribbean, Bermuda and The Bahamas." The Hurricane Hole Superyacht Marina Reopens After a complete reconstruction, Hurricane Hole Superyacht Marina on Paradise Island has officially reopened, featuring over 6,000 feet of slips, concrete floating docks and a 240-foot turning basin able to accommodate the most luxurious superyachts. PROMOTIONS AND OFFERS For a complete list of deals and discounted packages for The Bahamas, visit www.bahamas.com/deals-packages. Stay More and Save More at Peace & Plenty Resort Peace & Plenty Resort in The Exumas is offering guests 15% off their stay for bookings of five nights or more. The offer is valid for travel through 30 September 2022. Explore Eleuthera with The Cove Eleuthera Newly renovated resort The Cove Eleuthera is offering guests who book a three-night minimum stay a unique package that allows them to immerse themselves into the beauty of the island. The package includes a guided half-day tour of the island, a $200 resort credit and a chef-packed picnic lunch for two. Room rates apply. ABOUT THE BAHAMAS Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It's Better in The Bahamas. PRESS INQUIRIES Anita Johnson-Patty Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation [email protected] Weber Shandwick Public Relations [email protected] SOURCE The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation Urumqi: cultural relics, sweat-blooded horses, international grand bazaar KASHGAR, China, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Urumqi is located in the central part of Xinjiang, the hinterland of Eurasia. The city has Xinjiang ethnic characteristics and regional culture, as well as high-rise buildings and convenient transportation. It is currently one of the most popular tourist destinations in Xinjiang. On July 4, a foreign student from Zhejiang Normal University photographed Xinjiang specialties in the International Grand Bazaar pedestrian street (PRNewsfoto/Xinjiang Tourism) Dancers from the Xinjiang Art Theatre Mukam Art Troupe taught visitors to learn Xinjiang folk dance (PRNewsfoto/Xinjiang Tourism) The well-preserved Uygur-style streets and furniture shops in the ancient city of Kashgar. (PRNewsfoto/Xinjiang Tourism) Xinjiang Museum, located on Northwest Road within Urumqi, is the largest collection museum of cultural relics and specimens in Xinjiang, focusing on as many as 1,570 pieces (groups) of precious cultural relics from various periods from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The museum uses holographic projection technology to integrate artefacts into living scenes, and also offers immersive heritage theatre productions. Xinjiang International Bazaar Pedestrian Street, known as the "Window of Xinjiang", is a special bazaar with Islamic-style architecture, ethnic commerce and Xinjiang cuisine, where you can buy a variety of inexpensive small goods with Xinjiang's regional characteristics. The Wild Horse Ancient Ecological Park in Urumqi covers an area of 200 acres and protects substantial ancient ecological resources, such as nearly 300 silicified woods, black iron meteorites, Przewalski's wild horses and sweat-blooded horses. The Xinjiang Art Theatre Mukam Art Troupe provides performances of the world intangible cultural heritage item "Uyghur Twelve Mukams". Kashgar: A Vibrant Millennium City The Etigar Mosque, located on the west side of Etigar Square in downtown Kashgar, covers an area of 16,800 square meters and is the largest Muslim "gathering place" in Xinjiang, with 2-3,000 people worshipping here every day and 6-7,000 male Muslims worshipping on Friday afternoons. In the village of Tovankwu Cusak, known as the village of ethnic musical instruments, Ethnic music and the making of ethnic musical instruments are passed down. More than 50 types of musical instruments in 27 categories are produced by hand here. Nearly 300 local families make and produce musical instruments by hand, covering almost all types of traditional Uyghur instruments. The village once built the world's largest Dutar, which is 4.97 meters long and took 45 days. The great instrument maker Elkhen Timur once built a 3.75-meter-long Hotwarp and a 5.7-meter-long Sattar. This village was thus selected as one of the first national demonstration bases for the productive protection of intangible cultural heritage, to promote the production of ethnic musical instruments and the transmission of ethnic music. Other recommended monuments Kizil Grottoes, Kizil Gaha Beacon, and Subash Buddhist Temple Site in Aksu The Kizil Grottoes, located in Aksu, Xinjiang, were dug roughly in the 3rd century AD. Currently, there are still 81 grottoes with exquisite murals, which are the cultural relics of the ancient State of Qiuci. The ancient Buddhist grottoes were just visited by foreign students from Zhejiang Normal University last month. The Kizil Gaha Beacon is the earliest and best-preserved beacon site on the northern route of the ancient Silk Road, and is located in a prime location on the northern route of the Silk Road. Subash Buddhist Temple, which has a history of more than 1,700 years, is a relatively well-preserved site with a pagoda as the center, surrounded by temples, caves, halls, monastery rooms and other buildings. The site was the center of Buddhist culture in Guzi and even in the western regions (Xiyu) during the period from Wei-Jin periods to Tang Dynasty. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1870849/Xinjiang_Grand_Bazaar.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1870850/Xinjiang_Folk_Dance.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1870851/Xinjiang_Kashgar.jpg SOURCE Xinjiang Tourism Xion Finance is a DEX aggregator, staking and multi-chain launchpad protocol. Leveraging industry leading multi-chain bridging solutions for zero slippage swaps, high-yielding staking opportunities and seamless investment allocations into top-tier metaverse and gaming IDOs. TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Xion Finance , (XGT) a DeFi protocol, is honored to have secured an investment commitment of $50 Million from GEM Digital Limited ('GEM '). This investment commitment will notably accelerate the product development roadmap and overall adoption of the Xion Finance application. The investment commitment is led by Bahamas-based GEM Digital Limited , a digital asset investment firm that sources, structures and invests in utility tokens listed on over 30 CEXs and DEXs globally. Xion Finance Xion Finance removes the manual process of investing into initial DEX offerings (IDOs) through effortless subscription plans. Utilizing one of four monthly IDO plans, investors' allocations are automatically split into the top tier metaverse and gaming IDOs on a monthly basis. With GEM's recent financing commitment, Xion Finance will now expand their DeFi infrastructure across multiple blockchain networks to support their highly anticipated V2 platform. Included in the new V2 platform release is a 1:1 swap solution that will enable users to perform zero slippage transfers, eliminating the hidden costs associated with AMMs making it easier to bridge assets between chains backed by their native XGT token. XGT is primarily used as a staking, payments, loyalty and rewards token within both Xion Finance and the Xion Global Web3 payments gateway, bringing fundamental utility to DeFi and Web3 payments. "We're excited to continue to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 environments, providing everyday users with the ability to earn high yields, swap assets between multiple chains and the opportunity to invest into tier one projects. This strategic investment from GEM will expand our initiatives globally, enabling our advancement for the future vision of DeFi and Web3 payments," Ronan Quarmby, Founder of Xion Finance and CEO of Xion Global. Xion Global Token (XGT) is available on CEX exchange Lbank with more exchanges soon. For More Information Visit http://xion.finance | http://xion.global Xion Finance on Social Media Twitter | Telegram | Medium | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube Join Xion's Discord About Xion Finance Xion Finance is a DEX aggregator, staking and multi-chain launchpad protocol. Leveraging industry leading multi-chain bridging solutions for zero slippage swaps, high yielding staking opportunities and seamless investment allocations into top tier metaverse and gaming IDOs. About Xion Global Xion Global is a multi-chain Web3 crypto payments gateway. Makin' it easy to accept and send crypto payments, reward customers with cash back and build loyalty. The first of its kind, Xion's payment and rewards solution offers endless payment opportunities for a wide range of online businesses. About GEM Digital Limited GEM Digital Limited is a digital asset investment firm. Based in The Bahamas, the firm actively sources, structures and invests in utility tokens listed on over 30 CEXs and DEXs globally. Global Emerging Markets ("GEM") is a $3.4 billion, alternative investment group with offices in Paris, New York, and Bahamas. GEM manages a diverse set of investment vehicles focused on emerging markets and has completed over 530 transactions in 72 countries. Each investment vehicle has a different degree of operational control, risk-adjusted return, and liquidity profile. The family of funds and investment vehicles provide GEM and its partners with exposure to: Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities and select venture investments. Media Contact: Evie Phillips, 917-336-5381, [email protected] SOURCE Xion Finance SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XT.com , the world's first social infused digital assets trading platform, is excited to announce it will soon list NFTNARA (NARA) token with USDT trading pair on its platform. The listing of NARA is scheduled to occur on August 2nd, 2022, at 09:00 (UTC) on top of the exchange's Innovation Zone (Web3). NARA is a primary cryptocurrency used to facilitate all transactions within the NFTNARA platform. Moreover, the token can be used to perform P2P trading, staking, and mining. Along with NARA use cases and values, users can bridge the gap between their basic investing behavior and trading by using it. As the listing is speedily approaching, enthusiastic crypto traders and NFTNARA holders are encouraged to start depositing their crypto assets on August 1st, 2022, at 09:00 (UTC) for trading. While enjoying a flat fee in trading NARA/USDT, XT.com pledges to make withdrawal available to traders on August 3rd, 2022, at 09:00 (UTC). Since the beginning of Q1 of 2022, XT.com has branched out to accommodate the needs of its traders with continuous crypto listing. The goal of the platform, fueled by its purpose of listing the token, is to encourage people to have a one-stop-shop trading experience in trading NARA for an incredible profit. Along with the exchange's goal, it aims to also allow crypto holders to trade the token for effective pricing and a flat fee for the first time on the platform. Jonathan Shih, the Head of MEA (Middle East & Africa) at XT.com, said, "The listing of NFTNARA (NARA) on our platform marks a remarkable feat for us. Along with this listing, we will collaborate with NFTNARA and mutually work towards making NFT tokens easily accessible to everyone while improving users' experience in a collective manner. We encourage everyone to trade the token on XT.com." About NFTNARA NFTNARA provides an ecosystem of NFT services that allows its users to engage with non-fungible tokens. It seeks to establish a self-governing blockchain-based participation economy that is centered on NFT creators and buyers. The key contributors to the NFTNARA ecosystem include entities who promote and advertise their NFTs via social media and other NFT enthusiasts. Through the company's custom Web3 platform, it enables secure transactions and storage of NFT services. In addition to its services, NFTNARA offers intuitive transaction support between creators and buyers and DeFi services. Content creators enjoy a fair profit share by using NFTNARA. Website: https://nftnara.co/ About XT.com By consistently expanding its ecosystem, XT.com is dedicated to providing users with the most secure, trusted, and hassle-free digital asset trading services. Our exchange is built from a desire to give everyone access to digital assets regardless where you are. Founded in 2018, XT.com now serves more than 4.5 million registered users, over 500,000+ monthly active users and 30+ million users in the ecosystem. Covering a rich variety of trading categories together with a NFT aggregated marketplace, our platform strives to cater to its large user base by providing a secure, trusted and intuitive trading experience. As the world's first social infused digital assets trading platform, XT.com also supports social networking platform based transactions to make our crypto services more accessible to users all over the world. Furthermore, to ensure optimal data integrity and security, we see user security as our top priority at XT.com. Website: https://www.xt.com/ SOURCE XT.com GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yatsen Holding Limited ("Yatsen" or the "Company") (NYSE: YSG), a leading Chinese beauty company, today announced that it has received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") dated August 1, 2022 (the "August Letter"), notifying the Company that it has regained compliance with the NYSE's continued listing criterion of a minimum share price as set forth in Section 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual (the "NYSE Minimum Price Continued Listing Criterion"). As previously announced, the Company received a letter from the NYSE dated April 11, 2022, notifying the Company that it was below compliance standards due to the average closing price of the Company's American depositary shares being less than $1.00 for a consecutive 30 trading-day period. Following the receipt of the August Letter, the Company is no longer considered below the NYSE Minimum Price Continued Listing Criterion and has regained compliance regarding this matter. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, outlook and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, which includes but are not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to continue to roll out popular products and maintain the popularity of existing products; its ability to anticipate and respond to changes in industry trends and consumer preferences and behavior in a timely manner; its ability to attract and retain new customers and to increase revenues generated from repeat customers; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; its ability to integrate newly-acquired businesses and brands; trends and competition in and relevant government policies and regulations relating to China's beauty market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; and general economic conditions in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. About Yatsen Holding Limited Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG) is a leading player in China's beauty market with a mission to create an exciting new journey of beauty discovery for consumers in China and around the world. Founded in 2016, the Company has launched and acquired multiple color cosmetics and skincare brands, including Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Abby's Choice, Galenic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and Pink Bear. The Company's flagship brand, Perfect Diary, is one of the top color cosmetics brands in China in terms of online retail sales value. Leveraging its digitally native direct-to-customer business model, the Company has built core capabilities which enable it to launch and scale multiple brands quickly while offering a wide selection of products to a growing variety of customers. The Company reaches and engages with customers directly, both online and offline, with expansive presence across all major e-commerce, social and content platforms in China. For more information, please visit http://ir.yatsenglobal.com/. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Yatsen Holding Limited Investor Relations E-mail: [email protected] The Piacente Group, Inc. Emilie Wu Tel: +86-21-6039-8363 E-mail: [email protected] In the United States: The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Yatsen Holding Limited DENVER, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Clyfford Still Museum (CSM) will open You Select: A Community-Curated Exhibition , the final exhibition celebrating the Museum's tenth anniversary, on August 19. The show recognizes the importance of the community and CSM's support networks by featuring Still's artworks chosen by the public. Clyfford Still Museum visitors by James Dewhirst Clyfford Still Museum visitors by James Dewhirst Through a voting platform on the Museum's website, CSM asked art lovers from the Denver area and beyond to select works in five different exhibition categories. After an eight-week voting period in late 2021, CSM's associate curator Bailey Placzek arranged the pieces that received the most votes on the walls of five of the Museum's galleries. "As the culminating exhibition of our tenth anniversary year, we knew it was essential to involve the Museum's extended community in You Select's development for several reasons," says Placzek. "The city of Denver owns our collection, thus mandating that its residents play a central role in its display and stewardship. We wanted to celebrate that unique aspect of our museum and the community that has embraced us during the last decade. Plus, a central tenet of Still's art and vision emphasizes the power of the collective over the individual. We are stronger together." Designed to foster far-reaching engagement with the collection and encourage visitors to reflect upon their various support systems, exhibition gallery text and interpretive content incorporates participants' feedback and perspectives to reinforce and illuminate these extended networks. The show will also include an interactive voting feature for visitors to choose their favorite painting after exploring the exhibition. According to Placzek, some aspects of the exhibition turned out how she had hoped, including the many unseen works chosen for the exhibition. People's curiosity to see paintings that have been in storage since the artist rolled them up 50 years ago makes sense. Nearly one-third of the works in the show have not been on view previously. However, many selections surprised her. For example, she says she did not anticipate participants' enthusiasm for PH-124, 1947, which received more votes than any other work in the show. You Select will be on view from August 19, 2022, to February 12, 2023 at the Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80204. The Museum will offer various programs and events during the exhibition run that are free or included with admission. Visit clyffordstillmuseum.org/events for a schedule of upcoming programs. Media Contact: Sanya Andersen-Vie 720-354-4875 [email protected] SOURCE Clyfford Still Museum By Wang Xiaoxuan FILE PHOTO: The PLA Navy conducts exercises. [Photo/Xinhua] This year marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, and as a PLA Navy veteran, I am proud of the Chinese navy's achievements. The PLA Navy started from scratch but has made remarkable progress, especially in modernizing itself over the past 10 years, during which the navy fleet has increased, its barreled weapons have been largely replaced by precision-guided weapons, and naval services have upgraded thanks to "informationization" and "intellectualization". The PLA Navy has also developed its deterrence capacity and counterattack capability over the past years. It can now perform diverse tasks in addition to taking part in conventional combat as well as military operations other than war. On road to becoming a world-class naval force, the Chinese navy today is more capable of performing offshore defense operations and extending coastal defense to the open sea to enforce sovereignty over coastal areas, islands, reefs and archipelagos. It has also optimized its military structure, equipment, technology and strategic layout. The PLA Navy can now effectively safeguard territorial sovereignty, and maritime rights and interests, and help maintain a stable security environment for national development. It can also better safeguard national security with an expanded fleet and large warships, including the three aircraft carriers, at its command, and contribute more to global peace and development. However, the United States and some other countries have been making groundless accusations against the PLA Navy's modernization, claiming that it is a threat to the world as it is helping China to establish maritime hegemony. What these self-proclaimed protectors of global peace forget is that every country has the right to develop its military, including the navy. And whether a navy poses a threat to world peace depends not on the country's size or strength but on the nature of its defense policy. The truth is that the PLA Navy adheres to active defense, and its commitment to peace distinguishes it from the aggressive and expansionary naval powers. The Chinese navy will continue to modernize, but its defensive nature will never change. China needs a stronger navy to cope with the volatile regional and global security environment. China is confronted with the threats of being encircled by major powers, interference in its internal affairs, and subversion of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including its sovereignty over islands and reefs, maritime economic zones and sea routes. Also, in the fast-changing global environment, traditional and non-traditional security threats have become intertwined. More important, the US, thanks to its aggressive "Indo-Pacific" strategy, has intensified its military provocations, posing a big challenge to China. For instance, US warships and aircraft frequently intrude into China's waters and airspace. As a result, the PLA Navy needs to continue its modernization drive to meet China's development demands. Since China is the world's largest trading country, its sea routes in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans have become especially important for the country's development and therefore should be better protected. Also, with the Strait of Malacca becoming the "lifeline" of China and the success of the "go abroad" policy being strategically important for protecting Chinese interests and assets overseas, the navy has to further develop in order to overcome any eventualities. The Chinese navy's enhanced capabilities can help it better fulfill its responsibility of maintaining regional and global security and peace, and continue conducting non-combat missions such as disaster relief, peacekeeping, anti-piracy and anti-terrorism operations. The PLA Navy may have become stronger but it will not compete with any other naval force for maritime supremacy. A country's navy should venture into the waters of other countries to compete for regional or global hegemony as colonial powers did in the past. And this is exactly what the US and some of its allies have been doing in China's waters in recent years. Since the end of World War II, the US has built hundreds of military bases overseas, including one on the "First Island Chain" off the coast of China. The US has also been using its powerful navy to control the maritime corridors, threaten other countries' maritime interests, and launch military attacks from the sea. In contrast, the Chinese navy focuses on offshore defense, which means guarding the homeland but not intruding into other countries' waters or targeting another country. And despite realizing rapid development, the PLA Navy is still not strong enough to comprehensibly safeguard national interests. So the PLA Navy will continue its modernization drive till it becomes capable of fully safeguarding China's interests. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily. The author is a Beijing-based military expert. Sir, A policeman was dead and lying in a pool of his blood, when a boy and his father watched the scene. The boy asked his father: Who is this man in the pool of his blood? I do not know, son, I just know that he was a police officer, the father responded.The young boy approached a person who was dressed in a beautiful uniform different from the others, very elegant. It was the commander of the unit where the policeman worked. The boy took his hand and asked: Could I know what a cop is? The officer responded in a trembling voice and his eyes were full of tears: A policeman/woman is a person who sleeps less than many people, passes cold, sun, rain and hunger. And there are times that he/she has no holiday, Christmas, New Year and many other important moments. He/she is far away from the family, their children when they are sick, or their husband/wife as well as their parents and siblings.A police officer receives insults, physical assaults, cries, suffers and many more things that happen in the line of duty. When he leaves for his job, very early, he does not know if he will return home alive. Message This is part of what a police officer is. Suddenly he heard the sound of a phone that rang in the pocket of the deceased officer. The officer left the child for a moment to take the cellphone. When he saw it, he realised that it was his home. He saw that it was a message, and in a very low voice he read: (Hello Daddy, I took my mothers cell phone to write this message: I want to congratulate you on your birthday. I look forward to giving you your present because it has been two days that you could not be at home. So today we will cut the cake. Today we will be together as a family. I love you dad, youre my super dad. A kiss.... Ill wait for you at home.) Such is the life of a policeman and women. Whatever their unit, whether operational or administrative. Shares in International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LSE:IAG) sank 2.7% to 113.0p after its British Airways (BA) airline suspended the sale of short-haul flights from London Heathrow airport until Tuesday 9 August. BA's decision to temporarily ban bookings on domestic and European flights was taken to meet the airports passenger numbers cap. "As a result of Heathrow's request to limit new bookings, we've decided to take responsible action and limit the available fares on some Heathrow services to help maximise rebooking options for existing customers, given the restrictions imposed on us and the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry," the British flag carrier said in a statement. Heathrow revealed in July that a maximum of 100,000 departing passengers are allowed up until 11 September. Tens of thousands of seats were taken off sale, with the airline hoping demand and prices rise. BAs initial response to Heathrows announcement was to cancel 10,300 flights until October, with an estimated one million passengers impacted. The Competition and Markets Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority circulated a joint letter to carriers, expressing concern that "consumers could experience significant harm unless airlines meet their obligations". Tens of thousands of flights have already been cancelled this summer due to staff shortages coupled with soaring demand. Genel Energy Genel has announced its unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2022. Summary Material cash generation from low-cost and high-margin oil production: Net production averaged 30,420 bopd in H1 2022 (H1 2021: 32,760 bopd) Low production cost of $4.4/bbl and strength of oil price delivered a margin per barrel of $32/bbl (H1 2021: $20/bbl) Free cash flow of $129 million (H1 2021: $22 million) Financial strength provides options for capital allocation: $75 million of capital expenditure in H1 2022, of which $41 million was spent at Taq Taq and Tawke, and $27 million on Sarta appraisal Genel took on operatorship at Sarta on 1 January 2022, with Sarta-5 and Sarta-1D subsequently being completed Cash of $412 million (31 December 2021: $314 million) Net cash of $141 million (31 December 2021: net cash of $44 million) A socially responsible contributor to the global energy mix:Zero lost time injuries (LTI) and zero tier one loss of primary containment events at Genel and TTOPCO operations Two million work hours since the last LTI, as we seek to repeat the performance of six years without an LTI up to September 2021 As we mark 20 years of operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the Genel20 Scholars initiative has launched, with Genel funding the opportunity for 20 economically disadvantaged students to have a life-enhancing education at the American University of Kurdistan Outlook Production guidance for 2022 maintained as around the same level as 2021, currently tracking between 30-31,000 bopd for the full-year 2022 capital expenditure guidance of between $140 million and $180 million tightened to $150 million to $170 million Genel expects free cash flow of over $250 million in 2022, pre dividend payments Appraisal at Sarta is ongoing, with results of the Sarta-6 well expected around the end of the year The Company continues to actively pursue new business opportunities, focused on production and cash generation The London seated international arbitration regarding Genels claim for substantial compensation from the KRG following Genels termination of the Miran and Bina Bawi PSCs is ongoing Interim dividend retained at 6 per share: Ex-dividend date: 15 September 2022 Record date: 16 September 2022 Payment date: 14 October 2022 Paul Weir, Interim Chief Executive of Genel, said: Our cash generation in the first half of the year has been exceptionally strong driven by our low-cost, high-margin oil production and disciplined capital allocation. We remain focused on the delivery of our long-established strategy of putting capital to work to grow our production and cash generation, while retaining our resilience and paying a material and progressive dividend. We generated $129 million in free cash flow and are well on track to generate over a quarter of a billion dollars of free cash flow for the full year. This continues to build our balance sheet strength and optionality, providing us with the funds to add the right assets at the right price. Our cash flow this year benefits from the recovery of receivables and our override payments, and we are focused on replacing these by building a portfolio that supports the resilience, sustainability, and progression of our material dividend. Nothing here that wasnt expected, Genel is keeping with the successful story that has kept it in good order for a number of years. To that end I would expect growing the business and building the portfolio via organic and inorganic means to be the way it will go. With free cash flows of some $250m this year and capex of $150-170m the scope in both growth areas is immense, that is what will support the material and sustainable shareholder dividends. Operationally much is focused on Sarta but Tawke continues to bring a huge pot of value. The dividend of 6c yields 10% and accordingly the shares are way too cheap at this level. IGas Energy IGas is pleased to confirm it has completed its scheduled six-monthly RBL facility redetermination process. The redetermination exercise confirms $22 million (18.1 million) of debt capacity. Cash balances as at 29 July 2022, were 2.4 million with net debt of 8.2 million. A total of 95,000 bbls are currently hedged in 2022 using swaps at an average price of $77/bbl and 55,000 bbls using puts with an average guaranteed minimum price, net of premiums, of $44/bbl. We have also hedged 60,000 bbls for H1 2023 using swaps at an average price of $95/bbl. Commenting, CEO Stephen Bowler, said Higher commodity prices continue to drive strong operating cash flow generation giving us financial flexibility. Since year-end, we have repaid c.4 million of debt. In addition, IGas expects to announce its results for the six months to 30 June 2022 on 15 September 2022. Things are going very well for IGas right now across the board as the portfolio seems ready made for the current circumstances. The shares have tripled so far this year but on any reasonable expectations are way too cheap. Tower Resources Tower has announced that the Company has raised gross proceeds of 1,499,999 through a placing and subscription of approximately 857,142,286 new ordinary shares of 0.001 pence each at a price of 0.175 pence per Placing Share. As part of the Placing, Jeremy Asher, Chairman and CEO, has entered into a subscription agreement to subscribe for, in aggregate, 142,857,143 new Placing Shares in the Placing for 250,000 as further detailed below. Cameroon Financing Update The Company and BGFI Bank Group are continuing to work on the documentation and final approvals for the loan to Tower Resources Cameroon SA towards the financing of the NJOM-3 well, as set out in the Companys announcement of 29 June 2022. This process is currently expected to be complete by the end of September 2022. In the meantime the Company is continuing to discuss additional financing options at the asset level, as also disclosed on 29 June 2022, for additional amounts in the US$5-10 million range with various parties, in order to complete the well financing or more. The Company is also progressing rig and service company contracts and would like to be in a position to make advance payments in respect of such contracts if required, in order to ensure rig and service availability. The Placing While the financing discussions in respect of the NJOM-3 well are concluded, the Company has raised approximately 1.5 million for the preparation of the drilling of the NJOM-3 well, including payments on account of services associated with the well, and for working capital purposes via the Placing and subscription. A small portion of the funds raised will also be used to advance the Companys other 2022 work programs in Namibia and South Africa, including the basin modelling work currently underway on the Companys Namibian license PEL 96. The Company has also issued a broker warrant in favour of Novum granting it the right to acquire 10,588,228 ordinary shares for a period of two years at a price of 0.425p per share. Jeremy Asher, Chairman and CEO, commented: We are as confident as we can be about the completion of the TRCSA loan financing and other asset financing to complete the NJOM-3 well. We are also paying attention to the tighter markets for rigs and services, and we want to keep the operational discussions moving in parallel with the financial discussions. I have offered to participate in this Placing myself to underscore my personal confidence in our reaching our goals with the NJOM-3 well. The NJOM well in Cameroon is inching over the line, Chairman Jeremy Asher must think that he and a few loyal shareholders have carried the whole process and when completed as Im sure it will be it will be a magnificent achievement. Jadestone Energy Jadestone has announced that it is today launching a share buyback programme in accordance with the authority granted by shareholders at the Companys Annual General Meeting on 30 June 2022. The maximum pecuniary amount of the Programme is US$25 million and, in line with the authority granted to the Company at its Annual General Meeting on 30 June 2022, the Programme will not exceed 46,574,528 Ordinary Shares. While the Company has launched the Programme, there is no certainty on the volume of shares that may be acquired, nor any certainty on the pace and quantum of acquisitions. On 6 June 2022, the Company announced its intention to return up to US$100 million of cash to shareholders over the course of 12 months, predicated on the Companys strong balance sheet and highly cash generative nature of its asset base. In conjunction with the Companys ordinary dividend, todays buyback announcement represents the next phase of this shareholder returns commitment. The purpose of the Programme is to reduce the share capital of Jadestone. The Programme will be conducted within certain pre-set parameters in accordance with Jadestones general authority to repurchase up to 46,574,528 Ordinary Shares, and will be carried out on the London Stock Exchange. It is intended that the Programme will be conducted within the parameters prescribed by the Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014 (as in force in the UK by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as amended by the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019) (the Regulation), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 (as in force in the UK by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and as amended by the FCAs Technical Standards (Market Abuse Regulation) (EU Exit) Instrument 2019) (the Delegated Regulation). The Company will retain the ability to make purchases under the Programme which exceed the average daily volume limits established by the Delegated Regulation and therefore the Programme may not fall within the safe harbour provisions of the Regulation where appropriate. Any market repurchase of Ordinary Shares will be announced no later than 7:30 a.m. on the business day following the calendar day on which the repurchase occurred. All Ordinary Shares repurchased will be cancelled. Paul Blakeley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jadestone commented: Following on from last weeks announced acquisition of an interest in the North West Shelf oil assets, we are very pleased to be able to launch this buyback programme now. This delivers on our commitment, originally announced in early June 2022, to significantly increase returns to shareholders, as well as clearly demonstrating that significant M&A activity and enhanced returns are not mutually exclusive. We believe this is a differentiating factor in our investment case, and we look forward to growing our business further, while at the same time ensuring that shareholders benefit directly from the positive impact of higher oil prices on our cash flows. Jadestone goes from strength to strength and correctly comments that M&A activity and enhanced returns are not exclusive, at least in a fast growing company like JSE. As a result I remain convinced that the thoughts of CEO Paul Blakeley at a recent meeting with me where he was bullish on acquisitions in this market place will happen. 1 August 2022 *A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by most recent first *** Alphabetically arranged Dish of the day Joiners: No joiners today. Leavers: No leavers today. Whats cooking in the IPO kitchen?** Inteliqo Limited, intends to join the Aquis Growth Market. Inteliqo Limited provides sales, marketing and distribution services to technology product owners under long-term distribution agreements. The Company has agreed its first such agreement in respect of the Ipedia iQ product range. The iQ product is a smart translation earphone (earbuds) system which offers integrated real time speech translation in 42 languages, built in smart assist (google and siri), multiple built-in microphones and high-definition sound. Expected 5 August. Unigel Group, intends to join the Aquis Growth Market. Unigel Group is a pioneer in the field of thixotropic gels for the fibre optic cable industry. The Company is also a supplier of laminated steel tapes to the fibre optic cable industry in the US. Thixotropic gels and laminated steel tapes are essential components to the rapidly growing global fibre optic cable market. The Group exports to over 40 countries and is a key supplier to almost every leading fibre optic cable manufacturer worldwide and is the industrys only organisation with multiple manufacturing facilities spread across 3 continents. The Company acts as the holding company for its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Unitape Limited and its 60% owned operating subsidiary, Unigel (UK) Limited. Delayed, timing TBC. Georgina Energy, an early-stage resource company with a strategy of actively pursuing the exploration, commercial development and monetisation of helium, hydrogen and hydrocarbon interests located in the Amadeus and Officer Basins in Northern and Western Australia intends to join AIM. Georgina Energy has two principal onshore interests. The first, the Mount Winter Prospect is located in the Amadeus Basin in Northern Australia, which the Company has a right to earn an initial 75% interest. The second interest, the Hussar Prospect is 100% owned by the Company and is located in the Officer Basin in Western Australia. Expected late September. Banquet Buffet*** Arbuthnot Banking Group (AIM:ARBB) 900p 134.7m The Company announces the appointment of Frederick Angest as a non-executive director with effect from 1 September 2022. Frederick Alexander Henry Angest, aged 27, son of Sir Henry Angest (CEO of Arbuthnot Banking Group (AIM:ARBB)), works at Arbuthnot Latham. Frederick Angest, is one of the potential future beneficiaries of a trust which holds 56.1% of the ordinary voting shares in the Company (excluding shares held in treasury). The current beneficial owner is Sir Henry Angest. The Company also announces that Sir Nigel Boardman, an independent non-executive director of the Company since June 2019, has agreed to take on the role of Chairman of the Group's principal subsidiary, Arbuthnot Latham. Arricano Real Estate (AIM:ARO) (LON: ARO) SUSPENDED The real estate developer and operator of shopping centres in Ukraine announces its audited results for the year ended 31 December 2021. Revenue increased by 15% to USD 37.2m (2020: $32.3m). Net profit increased by 88% to $37.9m (2020: $20.2m) largely due to the gain on revaluation of investment property of $29m, which was primarily related to an increase in rental incomes. The Company has integrated the concept of sustainable development into its long-term strategy and adopted a new ESG policy. Despite the war in Ukraine (which began post year-end), Arricanos shopping malls have remained open and continue to trade, albeit at reduced volumes. Belvoir Group PLC (AIM:BLV) 235p 87.6m The UK property franchise and financial services group, provides an update ahead of publishing its half-year results on 5 September 2022. Group revenue during the six months to 30 June 2022 increased by 11% on 2021. Cash balances grew slightly to 5.2m (H1 2021: 5.1m) and bank loans of 8.3m (H1 2021: 9.1m). Net debt of 3.1m, went up by 1.8m, after the acquisition of Mr and Mrs Clarke Limited and The Time Group Limited for initial cash consideration of 3.9m. The Group is trading in line with management's expectations for the year ending December 2022. LON:DVRG16p 35.2m DeepVerges subsidiary Modern Water, announces new orders worth 2.1m using All Membrane Brine Concentration technology to treat technically challenging wastewater for chemical plants in India and provide desalinisation services in North Africa. These orders are expected to be delivered in the current financial year and into 2023. The projects will be undertaken with Ion Exchange (India) Ltd (BSE:IONEXCHANG) for expertise in water engineering in Asia and has recently appointed partner Al Amaq Holding Co, an engineering firm focused on the North African market. e-Therapeutics PLC (AIM:ETX, OTCQX:ETXPF) 22.1p 113.5m The specialist in computational drug discovery with a focus on developing RNA interference therapeutics, announces the filing of 8 further patent applications in the United States to protect innovation arising from e-therapeutics' proprietary GalNAc-siRNA technology (used to silence any gene in liver hepatocytes). The patent applications relate to innovation arising from its pipeline of pre-clinical siRNA candidates in several therapeutic areas. This follows 11 patent applications filed to protect proprietary and novel GalNAc-siRNA silencing construct designs in May 2022. NAHL Group PLC (LSE:NAH) 34.5p 16m The marketing and services business focused on the UK consumer legal market, provides a trading update for the six months to 30 June 2022. Revenues are expected to increase by 6% to 20.8m (H1 2021: 19.5m), while underlying operating profit is expected to decrease by approximately 8% to 2.3m (H1 2021: 2.5m) due to the planned investment in its integrated law firm, National Accident Law (NAL). Net debt was reduced 7% to 14.5m. The Board expects the Group to meet market expectations for the full year. ReNeuron Group PLC (AIM:RENE) 27p 15.4m The UK based Proprietary Stem Cell based Exosome Technologies company announces the appointment of Catherine Isted, ACMA, as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 September 2022. Ms Isted joined the ReNeuron Board as Chief Financial Officer in October 2021. Following the departure of the former CEO in February this year, Ms. Isted has worked closely with the Executive Management team, to refocus the business around the Groups differentiated exosomes delivery platform. Ms Isted joined ReNeuron from Oxford Biomedica plc. She has also held senior research analyst and equity sales positions in the Healthcare teams at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), ABN AMRO, Nomura and Peel Hunt. Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC (AIM:SYM)* 17.5p 30.9m The specialist in technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer and sustainable, announces a trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2022. Revenue was 3m, down 39% (H1 21: 4.9m), due to short term logistics and resources issues, etc. However, the Board remains confident that the full-year results will be in line with market expectations. Meanwhile, the Company announced an equity raise of 1m from its strategic investor, Sea Pearl, 100% owned by Mrs Shruti Lohia, daughter of the Chairman of Indorama Corporation, Singapore. Symphony has a joint venture in India with Indorama. Thor Mining PLC (AIM:THR, OTC:THORF, ASX:THR) 0.5p 9.6m The exploration and development company announces the commencement of a close spaced airborne survey over the north-eastern portion of its 100% owned Ragged Range Project, located in Eastern Pilbara, Western Australia. To complement the 2021 survey to provide coverage over the entire Ragged Range Project, this survey is designed to map out the key lithological boundaries, potential pegmatites and prospective structures controlling mineralisation associated with copper-gold mineralisation at Kelly's Prospect. Once complete, the next exploration step is the continuation of mapping and sampling in the lithium prospective goldilocks zone, rock chip sampling of prospective structures at the Kelly's Cu-Au Prospect and the design of drill sections to test the Kelly's South gold zone. Trellus Health PLC (AIM:TRLS) 10p 16.2m The developer of a scientifically validated, resilience-based, connected health solution for chronic condition management, announces the appointment of Stephen (Steve) Young as Interim Chief Financial Officer, with immediate effect. Steve joins Trellus in a non-Board capacity. Steve has prior CFO experience at AIM-listed companies and previously held the position at both Pure Wafer plc and British Biocell International (formerly BBI Holdings plc). Steve joins Trellus from Axiom Manufacturing Limited. 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Any reference to a partner in relation to Hybridan LLP is to a member of Hybridan LLP or an employee with equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of Hybridan LLP is available for inspection at the registered office, 2 Jardine House, The Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3EX. Small and large-cap pharma companies continue to make waves in the sector A skills shortage in the UK pharmaceuticals sector poses a threat to the UKs status as a global pharma leader, according to data published by London-based recruitment software company Broadbean Technology. Research shows that applications have declined by 25% year on year (and over 40% between May 2022 and June 2022 alone), despite being added to the Home Offices shortage occupation list nearly 18 months ago. The shortage occupations list eases immigration rules for sectors facing labour shortages. while providing incentives to apply for visas under the Skilled Worker programme. Although there is an undeniable shortage in blue-collar retail and logistics jobs, Alex Fourlis, managing director at Broadbean, noted that its actually the highly skilled sectors such as pharmaceuticals that are more of a concern for the UKs economic bounce back, with candidates for these positions taking longer to train up and being harder to find. Roles in the research and discovery fields are in particular demand as a result of strong growth in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) market, Matt Shaw-Clark, director of Hays Life Sciences, told PharmaTimes. Movers and shakers One such SME, Arecor Therapeutics, recently unveiled its 6mln acquisition plans for commercial-stage speciality pharmaceutical company Tetris Pharma. Longevity drug developer Genflow Biosciences was listed on the London Stock Exchange in January, and is positioning itself at the forefront of the growing field of healthy ageing. In the large-cap segment, GSK spin-out Haleons recent dual listing in London and New York valued the company at around 30bln. American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR) has received firm commitments to raise A$14 million via the placement of shares at A$0.29 each. The placement was supported by new and existing institutional, professional, and sophisticated investors, both domestic and offshore. American Rare Earths noted that the investors support provides a strong endorsement of the companys strategy and vision to develop its portfolio of large-scale rare-earth projects in North America. The company is advancing the Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming, USA and the La Paz Rare Earths Project in Arizona, USA. Astro Resources NL (ASX:ARO) will fully focus its resources on advancing its primary US lithium and Australian mineral assets after deciding not to progress a proposed strategic alliance with Nevada Exploration Inc. (TSX-V:NGE) Core assets include the recently secured Kibby Lithium Project and Needles Gold Project, both in Nevada, USA, and the Governor Broome Mineral Sands Project in WA, together with the proposed acquisition of the Georgina Basin IOCG Project in the Northern Territory from Greenvale Energy. In addition, Astro is looking at increasing its lithium footprint in Nevada to take advantage of the strong lithium skills base and expertise within the company. Astro recently announced a sale agreement with Greenvale to acquire the Georgina Basin IOCG Project in exchange for 1.15 billion ARO shares. Read: Astro Resources stakes claim in IOCG project thanks to deal with Greenvale Mining As part of the deal, Greenvale CEO Matthew Healy will become the Astro chief executive, while Greenvale directors Neil Biddle and Tony Leibowitz will join the Astro board. ARO will not proceed with alliance Astro chairman Jacob Khouri said the decision not to pursue the strategic alliance with Nevada Exploration was consistent with a reprioritisation of its focus and resourcing in light of the proposed transaction with Greenvale Energy and its acquisition of significant US lithium interests. Given the strong lithium background and capabilities of the incoming directors and management team as a result of the IOCG acquisition from Greenvale Energy, together with a reappraisal of our priorities in light of current market conditions, the board has had had to make the difficult decision not to proceed with the NGE Strategic Alliance, he said. We wish NGE every success going forward. Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd (ASX:INF) has completed its project agreement with EIT InnoEnergy and Dorfner Anzaplan, successfully producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate in test work for its San Jose Lithium Project in Spain. Infinity has now issued 1,921,341 zero exercise price warrants to EIT InnoEnergy, the final issue of securities under this agreement. The tranche 3 payment by EIT InnoEnergy to Dorfner Anzaplan totalling A$215,831 (147,230) has also been finalised because of the completed test work. Infinitys relationship with InnoEnergy is ongoing, having expanded into other lithium-related aspects of the battery chain. INFs wholly-owned Spanish subsidiary Extremadura New Energies has now officially launched the Extremadura New Energies Academy, which in collaboration with EIT InnoEnergy, will provide the training courses of the European Battery Alliance Academy. Long-term commitment to training Extremadura New Energies CEO Ramon Jimenez recognised the critical importance of the Extremadura New Energies Academy to lead the development of key skills and education for personnel that will be needed in Caceres for the project and other lithium-ion battery-related opportunities. "We are going to need qualified personnel and our objective has always been that, as far as possible, this employment should have an impact on the people of Caceres, Jimenez said. This is a long-term commitment to training which will be intensified in the coming years in the framework of the collaboration between Extremadura New Energies and EIT InnoEnergy. With a focus on localised value chains, we can see an opportunity for Caceres to be a focal point of a reskilled and focused workforce aligned to energy transition and more specifically the lithium-ion battery value chain. InnoEnergy has been designated as the manager and lead company for the European Commissions industrial development program (EBA250). Through their partnership, Extremadura New Energies will be a priority partner in the distribution, promotion and delivery of EIT InnoEnergy courses through the European Battery Academy, which offers courses that cover a wide variety of topics related to technology, business and innovation in the battery and hydrogen sector. Frontier Energy Ltd (ASX:FHE) has secured exclusive options to increase its landholding at the Bristol Springs Solar (BSS) Project in Western Australias southwest. The company is poised to add another 651 hectares to its land package, giving it further ground to advance its long-term objectives. If FHE exercises the land options, its total acreage would more than quadruple, bolstering its forecast solar production capacity from the current 114 megawatts of DC power. Down the line, Frontier plans to produce more than 500 megawatts of solar energy to power its green hydrogen strategy. Potential to reduce short-term capital costs Frontier Energy executive chairman Grant Davey said: Securing this land is strategically important to our Western Australian green energy strategy and testament to our team working hard to secure this land in the interest of scale for this green energy project. In the short term, securing this ground has the potential to reduce the capital costs for the stage one development, as we will be able to have a more direct access route to Landwehr Terminal and other associated infrastructure. Owning the land also allows for accelerated development, as it eliminates the significant red tape that can traditionally be experienced if the ground was leased either through third parties or the government. More importantly, in the long term, by securing this ground we now have clear sight in increasing our energy production to approximately 500 megawatts of green energy that can be used to power our green hydrogen production as well as provide green energy onto the energy grid. Scaling up When Frontier released its prospectus at the start of this year, the company noted there were opportunities to scale up the BSS project and its solar capacity. Fast forward to today, amid a notable shift in long-term demand for renewable energy, Frontier feels now is the time to stake new ground. In addition to support at the state level, Frontier said the recent change of government at a federal level had also garnered greater support for increased renewable energy. There are also proposed changes to legislation, which will see Australias target emissions reduce by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. Within this context, Frontier has been advancing a hydrogen study and expansion study (which includes the land covered by the land options) to support the companys move to control a greater land area surrounding the BSS Project. All in all, Frontier believes adding to its tenure: supports expansion and growth opportunities; limits access for competitors; achieves scale, thereby lowering production costs; and reduces capex costs associated with the connection to Landwehr Terminal. The fine print Frontiers land options comprise eight individual properties, as detailed below: To this end, the company is reviewing a number of funding options, including sale and leaseback type arrangements. This means a property fund can acquire the area under the land options, and the company enters a long-term lease with the property fund with the option to acquire the property, as well as debt and equity funding structures. So far, Frontier has held discussions with a number of property funds that have expressed interest in acquiring the land. The company also disposed of Athena Resources shares in June 2022, materialising $250,000 in proceeds, which are being used to fund the option fee payments. Frontier will continue to review and assess other land opportunities and keep the market updated on its next steps. Both the uranium and green energy sectors were simmering quietly in the background of the global energy industry for years until the international market started to gather steam in its transition toward carbon-neutrality and energy sustainability and began to look for tried-and-true alternatives to hydrocarbons. Now, the green energy market is experiencing a resurgence, prompting uranium developers and producers to reboot uranium assets held in suspension while the uranium spot price languished, and green energy-based producers of hydrogen to devote capital and labour in the creation of an entirely new market sector, built from the ground up. In a moment well investigate what ASX uranium and green energy companies have been up to this quarter, but first a look at the changing state of the market. Green energy and uranium market overview Russias war in Ukraine and the subsequent global oil and gas squeeze has reignited conversation around energy security as a strategic necessity, jump-starting the static uranium market. The uranium spot price has surged over the last year: While the Mineral Council of Australias Commodity Demand Outlook report offered a moderately strong forecast on uranium: In its latest taxonomy report, the European Union agreed to consider nuclear power a sustainable energy source, reducing red tape and improving access to financing for companies moving within the industry. In the same vein, Germany is considering operational extensions for its three remaining nuclear plants while Belgium has extended the life of two of its nuclear plants by 10 years and the UK has given development consent for two new nuclear plants. Meanwhile, the green hydrogen industry is more difficult to define, given its nascent nature, but demand is nonetheless growing rapidly. A report prepared by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for the G20 in 2021 places demand for hydrogen at 87 million tonnes in 2020 and forecasts that demand to increase to 500-680 million tonnes by 2050. From 2020 to 2021, the Energy Transitions Commission valued the hydrogen production market at A$185 billion (US$130 billion), estimated to grow at a compounding annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%. Current hydrogen production is more than 95% fossil-fuel based, with green, renewable-based hydrogen production enjoying a renewed wave of interest. In the spotlight: ASX uranium stocks Peninsula Energy Peninsula Energy Ltd (ASX:PEN, OTCQB:PENMF) is an ASX-listed uranium mining company which began in-situ recovery (ISR) operations in 2015 at its 100%-owned Lance Projects in Wyoming, USA. The company is embarking on a project transformation initiative at Lance to change from an alkaline ISR operation to a low-pH ISR operation with the aim of aligning the operating performance and cost profile of the project with industry-leading global uranium production projects. Peninsulas early preparatory works have been delayed by supply chain and contract labour hurdles. The company expects to complete catch-up programs and an updated study for Lance in the coming quarter. In more positive news, PEN has secured approval for a licence amendment to support its shift in uranium processing techniques, and Uranium Royalty Corp has acquired a 1% gross revenue royalty interest for the entirety of the Lance Projects area in return for US$1.25 million from a third party, a strong endorsement for the potential of the project. Peninsula is well funded to continue its conversion activities, having US$7.6 million in cash on hand and a further possible US$15.6 million from 310,000 pounds of uranium currently in converter accounts as of June 30, 2022. GTI Energy GTI Energy Ltd (ASX:GTR) is focused on defining and developing economic in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium resources. The company holds tenure in Wyomings Great Divide Basin and Utahs Henry Mountains, having recently sold the Niagara Gold Project in Western Australias central Goldfields. This quarter, GTR acquired an additional 13,800 acres (55.8 square kilometres) of contiguous ISR uranium exploration claims, abutting Rio Tintos tenure at Green Mountain in Wyoming, increasing GTI Energys holding to about 35,000 acres (141 square kilometres). The company also raised $5 million in a share placement and sold the Niagara Gold Project for $4.5 million, generating plenty of funding for continued work on its uranium assets. Between some recent drilling success which revealed shallow mineralisation which GTR believes can support low-cost, rapid exploration and a solid grasp of the conditions necessary for successful ISR, GTI Energy considers itself well places to capitalise on the growing uranium market. To that end, GTI shares start trading on North Americas OTCQB market under the code GTRIF back in April. Alligator Energy Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX:AGE) is a uranium and energy metals exploration and development group with a multi-jurisdictional portfolio. The company holds three uranium assets in various areas of Australia, as well as a battery metals project in Italy prospective for nickel, copper, cobalt, gold and platinum group elements (PGEs). During the quarter Alligator confirmed the presence of high-grade uranium in drilling at the Blackbush Deposit, began a resource re-estimation to upgrade the Blackbush resource to the indicated category and kicked off a scoping study assessing ANSTO leach/ion exchange recovery. AGE also conducted a re-examination of historical gravity data over the Samphire Project, giving the company a greater understanding of the area, before applying for two additional exploration licences around Samphire and a further 11 new licences at Big Lake. Once granted this will take the strategic land holding for Samphire to 550 square kilometres (from 370 square kilometres) and for Big Lake to 10,787 square kilometres (from 818 square kilometres). Finally, Alligator has secured approval from traditional owners for the Nabarlek North (Alligator Rivers) work program, which paves the way for execution of a large airborne gravity survey and regional auger and rotary air blast (RAB) follow-up drilling. Valor Resources Valor Resources Ltd (ASX:VAL) is focused on uranium, precious and base metals in Peru and Canada. The Picha Project in Peru is a copper-silver exploration project with a 3,000-hectare exploration concession south of Buenaventura's San Gabriel Gold Porphyry Project. The company also holds land in the Athabasca Basin of Canada, with uranium projects at Surprise Creek, Cluff Lake, Hook Lake and Hidden Bay. During the quarter, drilling at Surprise Creek generated some promising results of up to 2.1 metres at 4.37% U3O8, while geochemical sampling identified a 500-metre strike with rock chip ups to 6.37% U2O8, only partially drilled and open in several directions. Copper was also identified in rock chip and soil samples at Surprise Creek, with concentrations as high as 5.9% copper in chips and 3,300 parts per million in soils. At Cluff Lake, Valor identified seven priority targets backed up by historical data, geophysical interpretation and surface geochemical anomalies (0.15% uranium) and completed an airborne gradiometry survey to look for more areas of interest. Speaking of surveys, Valor also completed an extensive airborne gravity gradiometry survey over Hook Lake and Hidden Bay, totalling 2,080 line kilometres at Hook Lake and 416 line kilometres at Hidden Bay. In April, Valor acquired a further 60 square kilometres to the northeast of the Picha Project, situated along a regional northwest-southeast geological trend host to several deposits and prospects. At the Picha Copper-Silver Project, Valor produced channel samples from the Ichucollo target of up to 1.45% copper and 9.1 g/t silver and delineated two new targets the Occsani target, which returned rock chip samples up to 2.48% copper and 92 g/t silver, and the Chullunquiani target, which returned channel sampled up to 5.57% lead and 5.33% zinc. Lotus Resources Lotus Resources Ltd (ASX:LOT) is an ASX-listed uranium developer based in Perth, Western Australia, and focused on restarting the Kayelekera uranium mine in Malawi, Africa. Lotus owns an 85% equity interest in Kayelekera with the remaining 15% held by the Malawi government. The project historically produced about 11 million pounds of uranium oxide (U3O8 equivalent) over five-year between 2009-2014, before closing to preserve the asset longevity due to a sustained low uranium price. Kayelekeras current mineral resource estimate is 37.5 million pounds of U3O8 at 630 parts per million (ppm). Lotus is nearing completion for its restart definitive feasibility study expected to be released early this month and has also increased its total mineral resource estimate 11% to 51.1 million pounds uranium. The resource estimate upgrade followed a 29-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Livingstonia deposit, which both confirmed historical drilling results and extended the mineralised resource footprint. A management visit to Malawi garnered fresh support from the government for a restart in production at Kayelekera, while negotiations continue for an updated mine development agreement which will set the fiscal regime for the project and company. Discussions were also held with the ESCOM, the Malawian Electricity Utility, regarding the connection of the mine site to the national grid, and with several key stakeholders, including Karonga District Commissioner, non-government organisation (NGO) groups in Karonga and the local communities. As of June 30, 2022, Lotus had cash in hand of $4.9 million (unaudited), exclusive of the restricted cash of $14.6 million held as part of an environmental bond. In the spotlight: ASX green energy stocks Frontier Energy Frontier Energy Ltd (ASX:FHE) is developing the Bristol Springs Solar (BSS) Project 120 kilometres southwest of Perth, Western Australia, designed to be a major source of renewable energy and provide power as part of the companys strategy to become a green hydrogen producer. During the June quarter FHE produced preliminary results from a hydrogen study, indicating green hydrogen can be produced at the BSS Project earlier than anticipated, with existing infrastructure and access to the SWIS power grid enhancing the development timeline. The company also selected Alkaline Water Electrolysis (AWE) as the preferred technology for green hydrogen production due to its technical maturity and identified several existing local water sources suitable for hydrogen production, negating the need for a desalination plant. Finally, Frontier signed an MoU with global hydrogen experts, Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser AS (Nel) and ENGV to support the companys hydrogen production ambitions. FHEs cash position was $4.8 million as of June 30 2022, with Hydrogen and Expansion studies on track to be released this month. Provaris Energy Provaris Energy Ltd (ASX:PV1) styles itself as an early mover in the future of green energy, focused on developing integrated green hydrogen projects for export to regional markets through compressed hydrogen technology. Provaris has been advancing the Tiwi Hydrogen Project on the Tiwi Islands of Australias Northern Territory, intending to build a solar farm, hydrogen electrolysis hub and hydrogen compression export port on the strategically placed islands. Outline of the proposed Tiwi Hydrogen Project During the quarter Provaris lodged a referral submission to the Northern Territory (NT) Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), continued outreach programs supported by Austrade to attract hydrogen offtake, project investment and technical partners, and in August completed a conceptual design that covers all aspects of the project from solar generation to shipping scheduling. For the HyEnergy export project itself, PV1 completed milestones 3 and 4 (out of 5) for submission to the Western Australian government as part of the WA Renewable Hydrogen Fund grant. The company also delivered an environmental assessment for a proposed offshore loading terminal, a H2Neo fleet cycle-time analysis, designs for shore crossing and subsea pipeline, unloading terminal designs, and an assessment of job creation for construction and operational phases. As for PV1s H2Neo Hydrogen carrier, Provaris has completed 90% of its contract design package for the ship, while the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has begun a Front-end Engineering and Design (FEED) review of the carrier. ABS Consulting is also undertaking dispersion, fire, and explosion safety studies to advance HAZID analysis and Class Approval milestones in 2022, and small-scale testing is underway for structural steel plate and stainless-steel liner plates delivered to CFER Technologies, with cutting, machining and weld plans performed for testing. Finally, PV1 executed an MoU with Northern Marine for a technical partnership to develop the GH2 carrier and advanced development for near-shore and off-shore compressed H2 unloading terminal designs suitable for Singapore and other target end-market port locations. On the business development side of things, Provaris holds $11.5 million in cash as of June 30, 2022, and has kicked off a compressed hydrogen study for a connected supply chain transporting H2 into ports of Europe, while also advancing several opportunities to review compressed H2 as an alternative transport carrier into European markets. Noxopharm Ltd (ASX:NOX)s drug Veyonda has passed a milestone following the review of DARRT-2 safety data by the safety steering committee. The DARRT-2 Phase 2 trial is assessing Noxopharms clinical drug candidate Veyonda in combination with external beam radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate, breast and lung cancer. Safe and well tolerated The dosing data, from the second cohort of patients in the dose escalation part of the trial, indicated that the dose was safe and well tolerated. This allows the trial to move to enrolling patients in a third cohort with an increased dose level. The second dose cohort of patients in the trial was treated with 1200 milligrams of Veyonda. With approval now given to progress the study, the third cohort of patients will receive a 1600-milligram dose of Veyonda. Hungary adds trial site The DARRT-2 trial has been authorised to proceed by major regulatory bodies in the US, Europe and Australia, and is now open for enrolment across three continents. A new trial site in Hungary is now active and will soon begin enrolling patients. The Hungarian site joins, among others, two prestigious hospitals in the US; the Beverly Hills Cancer Center in Los Angeles, and the renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the largest cancer hospitals in the world and consistently rated one of the best cancer treatment centres in the country. Active enrolment is also underway in Sydney. The DARRT-2 trial continues to gain momentum as we have passed another significant milestone with a positive safety data review, and we are now recruiting patients in leading cancer hospitals across three continents, Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said. We will keep the market updated as this trial progresses. MBABANE The Government of Eswatini, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, has reopened the six remaining land ports of entry/exit between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of South Africa as of August 1, 2022. The announcement was made by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nhlanhla Nxumalo, yesterday in a press statement. Nxumalo said the decision followed negotiations between the ministers of Home Affairs in the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of South Africa. The border posts were closed since January 1, 2021 to control the spread of COVID-19. This came after the South African Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi announced the reopening of the SA border posts on Friday. I, Dr Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, the Minister of Home Affairs, hereby, in terms of Section 9 A of the Immigration Act (Act No.13 of 202) and Regulations 6 and 8 of the Immigration Regulations, 2014, determine the August 1, 2022 as the date on which all closed ports of entry shall be reopened. Nxumalo said the ministry appealed to cross-border travellers to produce all the requisite travel documents when they presented themselves to officials at the border. He said visitors and returning residents would be required to be fully vaccinated. He said fully vaccinated persons entering the country did not require a negative PCR test result; however, a negative PCR test was required for individuals not fully vaccinated. The Sicunusa and Nsalitje border posts will operate from 8am to 6pm while Gege, Bulembu, Sandlane and Lundzi will operate from 8am to 4pm. These ports of entry will operate as follows: l Sicunusa 8am to 6pm l Gege 8am to 4pm l Bulembu 8am to 4pm l Sandlane 8am to 4pm l Nsalitje 8am to 6pm l Lundzi 8am to 4pm Venture Minerals Ltd (ASX:VMS, OTC:VTMLF) partner Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX:CHN, OTCQB:CGMLF) has demonstrated confidence in the nickel-copper-platinum group element (PGE) potential of Venture's South West Project in Western Australia by committing to the second stage of the joint venture. This commitment to the JV project within the highly prospective West Yilgarn nickel-copper-PGE province follows Chalice recently identifying two new nickel-copper-PGE targets. The next stage will include ground electromagnetic (EM) and infill geochemical sampling to prepare the recently generated targets for potential drill testing. In order to increase its interest in the South West Project by a further 19% to 70%, Chalice now needs to spend a further $2.5 million over the next two years. Once the second stage of the earn-in is completed Venture can then elect to either contribute 30% or dilute to a minimum of 10% JV interest, in which case the interest automatically reverts to a 1.25% NSR royalty. Read: Rooster Talk: Venture Minerals getting closer to the Julimar look-alike Strong endorsement Venture managing director Andrew Radonjic said: Chalice electing to proceed to stage two of the South West JV, is a strong endorsement of the project and highlights the potential for Thor [target] to deliver Chalice and Venture a magmatic nickel-copper-PGE discovery in the near future. The newly identified two nickel-copper-PGE targets associated with interpreted ultramafic rocks and coincidental with magnetic and airborne electromagnetic highs, open up the untapped potential of the northern part of the 20-kilometre-long Thor target. This, along with the recent recognition of a parallel unexplored ultramafic unit, suggests nickel exploration on this project is still at its infancy and the second stage expenditure of $2.5 million should go a long way towards unlocking the projects potential. New targets Chalice has received results from the recently completed auger soil geochemistry program and has identified two new target areas having magmatic nickel-copper-PGE sulphide potential. These are supported by underlying geology that is consistent with the presence of ultramafic rocks and lie within areas of untested airborne EM anomalies and coincident with magnetic highs at Thor which warrant exploration follow-up. The new targets were not part of Chalices ground EM program completed last year and the auger geochemical results in these new targets have stronger coincidental magmatic indicator metals, including nickel, copper, cobalt, palladium, platinum, and gold, than the area covered by the recent ground EM. Also, results returned from the recently completed maiden drill program testing priority EM conductors associated with the Thor magnetic trend show the sulphide-rich mineralisation intersected is of a VMS style with elevated values of zinc, copper, silver and gold within sulphide-rich zones. This is consistent with the results from the auger soil geochemistry program and previous work by Venture which highlighted the drilled areas as having more potential for VMS style mineralisation rather than magmatic nickel-copper-PGE sulphide mineralisation. South West JV The South West Project is around 240 kilometres south of Perth and is hosted in the Balingup Metamorphic Belt within the highly prospective West Yilgarn nickel-copper-PGE province discovered by Chalice and which hosts the Julimar discovery. Chalice's Julimar discovery is one of the largest greenfield nickel-copper-PGE sulphide discoveries in recent history. Chalice recently met its expenditure requirement of $1.2 million to earn up to 51% of the South West JV Project. American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR) has thanked retiring non-executive director Denis Geldard for his contribution to the company during the past seven years, particularly through the development of the rare earth assets in North America. Geldard has informed the companys chairman Creagh OConnor of his intention to retire with this to take effect on August 31, 2022. Will remain as advisor He will, however, remain an external advisor to the company assisting the further technical development of mining and metallurgical processes for the extraction of rare earths from the companys North American projects. Chairman Creagh OConnor said: On behalf of the board I would like to thank Denis for his time at American Rare Earths and acknowledge the exceptional work he undertook in the development of our La Paz and Halleck Creek Rare Earth assets. A driving force "His experience and guidance have been a driving force behind the development of our North American projects, ensuring American Rare Earths is seen as an established participant in the North American critical minerals supply chain. In a statement, ARR said: "The board of ARR would like to sincerely thank Mr Geldard for his contribution over the last seven years, particularly through the development of the rare earths assets in North America, in which Deniss expertise and guidance has been invaluable in supporting management and the board. "The board of ARR wishes Mr Geldard all the best in his well-earnt retirement." Atlantic Lithium Limited (AIM:ALL, OTCQX:ALLIF) announced further positive drilling results from its flagship Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana, West Africa. It received assay results for an additional 2,900 meters (m) of drilling at the Ewoyaa Main and Grasscutter North targets. Broad, high-grade drill intersections were returned from the Ewoyaa Main deposit, including 69m at 1.34% lithium oxide (Li2O) from a depth of 129m; 67m at 1.2% lithium oxide; 59m at 1.07% lithium oxide; and 59m at 0.95% lithium oxide. The additional results also extended the mineralisation by a further 40m west at the Grasscutter North target. "We are pleased to report high-grade pegmatite intervals up to 69m long below the Ewoyaa Main deposit and outside of the currently defined resource estimate, said interim chief executive Lennard Kolff. Furthermore, mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth. "These latest assays continue to demonstrate the potential for resource growth outside of the current resource and for an extended mine life beyond the metrics of the scoping study reported in December 2021 and prior to the updated resource estimate of 30.1Mt @ 1.26% Li2O, announced in March 2022. It has completed 27,000m of a planned 37,000m drilling programme at Ewoyaa. Drilling is ongoing, with further assays pending and the programme targeted for completion this quarter. The results follow on from an upbeat drilling announcement released a couple of weeks ago from the AIM-traded company. READ: Atlantic Lithium reports high grades in latest results from its flagship Ewoyaa project It is clear from Ewoyaa's ongoing positive drilling results, available off take capacity combined with the pre-feasibility study targeted for completion in Q3 2022 and our funding agreement with Piedmont Lithium, we are in an exceptional position to benefit from the continued global lithium demand, concluded Kolff. Bens Creek Group PLC (AIM:BEN, OTC:BENCF) said most of its infrastructure escaped damage by severe flooding in the Western part of West Virginia - although it did cause some logistical supply and transportation issues. The coal miner said the vast majority of its infrastructure was unaffected, but reported some damage to railway ties due to the sheer volume of water that washed through, causing damage to the ballast along several sections. However, the railway track itself was not damaged, and the owner and operator of the metallurgical coal mine was able to source a replacement ballast before the arrival of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) (Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC)) trains. Repairs are now completed, with it passing an inspection by the rail operator on Monday, meaning the train arrival schedule is expected to be unaffected. The floods did cause some logistical and supply issues, mainly transportation of coal from the area to various ports. As a result, railway operator Norfolk Southern is sending an additional three trains to the site to help with the supply backlog. Flooding in the region, which took place between 27 July and 30 July, caused several disruptions, including power outages, downed trees and road blockages. As a result, a state of emergency was declared, with the statement adding members of Bens Creeks staff were active in the community to assist where possible. I need to thank each and every member of our team, who worked tirelessly round the clock from Wednesday night, often through the night on multiple nights in succession in very difficult conditions, said chief executive Adam Wilson. Genel Energy PLC (LSE:GENL, OTC:GEGYY) saw its revenue, earnings and cash flow transformed in the first half of 2022 amidst soaring oil prices. Revenue for the six months, ended June 30, totalled US$245.6mln versus US$151.5mln a year ago. Earnings (EBITDAX) reached US$212.3mln, from US$123.1mln, and, cash flow from operations more than doubled to US$216.3mln, from US$91.1mln. Free cash flow scaled to US$128.7mln, versus US$22.2mln in the first half of 2021. Genel exited the half with some US$412.1mln of cash in the bank and US$280mln of debt. Whilst maintaining the same 6 US cents per share interim dividend as paid last year, the company highlighted that its financial strength gives it options for capital allocation. Moreover, its outlook statement pinpoints that the company continues to actively pursue new business opportunities, focused on production and cash generation. We generated US$129mln in free cash flow and are well on track to generate over a quarter of a billion dollars of free cash flow for the full year, said interim chief executive Paul Weir. This continues to build our balance sheet strength and optionality, providing us with the funds to add the right assets at the right price. Weir, meanwhile, noted: We remain focused on the delivery of our long-established strategy of putting capital to work to grow our production and cash generation, while retaining our resilience and paying a material and progressive dividend. Genel also noted that its international arbitration, in London, is ongoing as it seeks substantial compensation from the KRG following the prior termination of the Miran and Bina Bawi production sharing contracts. Looking ahead, Genel maintained full year production guidance of 30,000 to 31,000 barrels of oil per day in H1 it measured 30,420 bopd and said it expects 2022 free cash flow in excess of US$250mln, after capital expenditure of US$150mln to US$170mln for the year. Operationally, key highlights in Kurdistan are expected to come from the ongoing appraisal and development at the Sarta field, whilst production volumes elsewhere are maintained. Regency Silver Corp. (TSX-V:RSMX) executive chairman Bruce Bragagnolo and CEO Gijsbert Groenewegen joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with an update on drilling at the company's flagship Dios Padre silver property in Mexico's Sonora state and their outlook for the silver price. Bragagnolo told Proactive that the company is halfway through a 2,000 metre (m) drill program aimed at unlocking the potential of Dios Padre. Groenewegen discussed the current macro environment and the fundamentals supporting the price of silver. The agreement is effective July 29, 2022, and will continue for an initial term of seven years Valeo Pharma Inc. (TSX:VPH, OTCQB:VPHIF) said it has entered into a commercialization and supply agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc for the Canadian commercialization of two innovative ophthalmic therapies. Under the agreement, Valeo becomes the exclusive distributor of XIIDRA (lifitegrast) and SIMBRINZA (brinzolamide / brimonidine tartrate) in Canada, making it responsible for all commercial and medical activities. Both XIIDRA and SIMBRINZA are registered trademarks of Novartis AG. The agreement is effective July 29, 2022, and will continue for an initial term of seven years. "We are extremely pleased to be expanding our relationship with Novartis with these innovative ophthalmic therapies and adding Ophthalmology as a strategic therapeutic focus for Valeo. XIIDRA and SIMBRINZA will start impacting our revenues in Q4-2022 as we assume all commercial activities in Canada", said Steve Saviuk, CEO of Valeo in a statement. "These products have significant upside revenue potential which will be supported by our dedicated Ophthalmic commercial unit. The addition of these products significantly increases our revenue base and accelerates our drive to profitability," he added. XIIDRA is a prescription eye drop solution for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease while SIMBRINZA is a prescription eye drop solution for the reduction of intraocular pressure in adult patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. "This second agreement with Valeo Pharma fits with our overall strategy to provide innovative medicines that have the potential to improve health outcomes," said Andrea Marazzi, country president, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. "We have seen Valeo's commitment and focus in delivering on patient needs in the respiratory space and now, by bringing XIIDRA and SIMBRINZA into their portfolio, they will be able to help improve the vision of numerous Canadians." It is estimated that around 21% of Canadians experience ocular symptoms associated with dry eye and 400,000 Canadians suffer from glaucoma, with open-angle glaucoma accounting for 95% of the cases. Commenting on the agreement, Frederic Fasano, Valeo's president and COO said: "The addition of XIIDRA and SIMBRINZA in our product portfolio is allowing us to enter a new strategic therapeutic area with large unmet medical needs and a rich R&D pipeline of innovative treatments. With two very high-quality products, supported by outstanding phase III clinical data, Valeo will gain expertise and build competitive infrastructure to become a major player in this area. We look forward to rapidly getting our medical and commercial team to work with the scientific and medical community to support access to XIIDRA and SIMBRINZA for the overall benefit of Canadian patients." Separately, Valeo said it will host a conference call to discuss the $40 million non-dilutive financing and new products commercialization and supply transactions on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at 9.30am ET. The telephone numbers to access the conference call are 416-764-8659 and 1-888-664-6392. For an audio replay, the numbers are 416-764-8677 and 1-888-390-0541 using the access code (292407 #). A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available here. Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com Valeo Pharma Inc. (TSX:VPH, OTCQB:VPHIF) said it has entered into a license, supply, and commercialization agreement with Kaleo Inc for the Canadian rights to ALLERJECT an epinephrine auto-injector for the treatment of serious allergic reactions. Kirkland, Quebec-based Valeo will be responsible for all commercial and medical activities for ALLERJECT in Canada for an initial period of 10 years. "We are pleased to be adding ALLERJECT to our expanding portfolio of innovative drug products. With the Canadian market for epinephrine auto-injectors exceeding $80 million per year, we believe that ALLERJECT's peak sales potential exceeds $25 million annually, representing an important factor in our revenue growth", Steve Saviuk CEO of Valeo said in a statement. "We expect ALLERJECT to start contributing operating margins in Q4-22." The deal is the company's second of the day, having earlier announced that it has entered into a commercialization and supply agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc for the Canadian commercialization of two innovative ophthalmic therapies. "Patients with life threatening allergies across Canada deserve access to this innovative and potentially lifesaving product," said Kaleo CEO Ronald Gunn. "Valeo Pharma's sales force, relationships with the healthcare community, and commitment to patients make them the ideal partner for ALLERJECT." Frederic Fasano, Valeo's COO, said the company looks forward to ensuring patient access to this epinephrine auto-injector technology for the emergency treatment of severe anaphylactic reactions which are rare, but potentially life-threatening events. ALLERJECT is a high quality, high compliance product with user-friendly features, including voice instructions and a retractable needle, ensuring proper use of the device. Its addition to our product portfolio supports Valeo's growth and reinforce our position as a leading Canadian pharmaceutical company, said Fasano. Over 700,000 people are estimated to be at risk for anaphylaxis due to food or insect stings alone at least once in their lifetime. A potentially life-threatening allergic reaction can happen anywhere and can happen quickly, reinforcing the importance for patients, families and caregivers to have timely and reliable access to an epinephrine auto-injector. ALLERJECT is available in a 0.15 mg dose (for patients who weigh 15 to 30 kg) and a 0.3 mg dose (for patients who weigh 30 kg or more). The product is commercialized under the Auvi-Q brand name in the United States. Richmond, Virginia-based Kaleo is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company dedicated to inventing, manufacturing and commercializing life-transforming products for certain serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Valeo Pharma is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the commercialization of innovative prescription products in Canada with a focus on respiratory/allergy, ophthalmology and other specialty products. Contact the author at susie@proactiveinvestors.com Highlight assays include 0.69 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 8 metres (m) from 2m depth in one hole at Target E, including 78.9 g/t gold over 2m starting from 4m depth, and 1.81 g/t gold over 8m from 10m depth in another Toubani Resources Inc. (TSX-V:TRE) has said it is encouraged by drilling so far at the Kobada Est area of its Kobada gold project in Mali, which has shown high-grade gold. Auger drilling at Kobada Est began on April 7 this year and, so far, 6,878 metre (m) of drilling has been completed, focused on previously identified targets based on soil geochemical sampling and geophysical interpretations. Highlight assays include 0.69 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 8m from 2m depth in one hole at Target E, including 78.9 g/t gold over 2m starting from 4m depth, and 1.81 g/t gold over 8m from 10m depth in another. "Our auger drilling campaign is the next step of regional exploration to meet conditions on our two exploration permits (Kobada Est and Faraba). The wide spaced drilling programme was designed to identify trends above the background gold grade which then warrants further follow up with targeted drilling," said Toubani CEO Danny Callow in a statement. "We are very pleased with the results from the initial drilling, particularly in Target E where substantial high-grade intersections occurred. We have targeted additional drilling along strike in this area. These results are extremely encouraging and show the future upside exploration potential of our sizeable land package. It should be noted that this drilling is in an area previously untested, and therefore identifies further upside from what has been reported before. "Our success with the drill bit, that has seen a 40% increase in overall resource, and 140% increase in reserves shows that the Kobada and adjacent concessions are highly prospective and require further exploration to further increase resources and ultimately reserves," he added. Toubani noted that Target E the central portion of the Kobada Est Shearwas showing the best potential for elevated mineralisation with Target Q also returning "some promising" results. "The initial auger drilling results have identified Target E as the highest priority area for additional drilling to test these anomalies further. Additional auger drilling is currently underway to test the possible northern extension of Target E," said the company. Follow up drilling will be required in the future to test the possible lateral and strike extensions, it added, while Target E, Targets Q and L results also suggest additional follow-up work is required. Toubani Resources is focused on building Africa's next mid-tier gold producer and its main asset is the Kobada project in southern Mali, which is in an advanced stage having completed the 2021 definitive feasibility study and is targeting gold production of 100,000 ounces (oz) per annum. As well as the initial Kobada gold project, other exploration locations have been identified on the Kobada, Farada and Kobada Est concessions, offering the potential for an increase in resource, it says. Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSX-V:STS, OTCQB:STSBF) said it has finalized an agreement to purchase the land required for the construction of a Phase 1 mine and plant facilities at its Santa Cruz Graphite Project in Bahia, Brazil. The purchase also covers the first two to three years of operations, the company said. South Star submitted the planned economic analysis (PAE) and a request for the final mining license for the Phase 1 facilities to the Brazilian Mining Authority (ANM) on Monday. The proposed PAE doubles the Santa Cruz production capacity in the previous prefeasibility study released in March 2020 and incorporates a third phase of project development. The planned production schedule is as follows: two years with 5,000 tonnes of concentrate per year in Phase 1; two years with 25,000 tonnes per year in Phase 2; and 50,000 tonnes for the life of the mine (Phase 3). The environmental field work for all three phases is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2022, and the company plans to submit the environmental documents for review by the first quarter of 2023. The initial land purchase agreement for Phase 1 operations of approximately 325 hectares has been finalized and registered at title office so that all the Phase 1 operations will be on our own property, South Star CEO Richard Pearce said in a statement. It is always advantageous to have the mine and facilities under our direct control. The municipal building permit is the final approval we need to start the Phase 1 construction. The permit fee was paid, and we anticipate the approval in short order. We continue to execute our business plan in a disciplined, responsible manner on our march to being the first new graphite production in the Americas. Site preparation, grading and earthworks, as well as security installations, roads and other infrastructure will be the first order of business ... and we look forward to beginning Phase 1 commercial production in mid-2023, he added. South Star said it plans to submit a PAE and a request for the final mining license for four additional claims within 10 days and all remaining claims by the end of the year. South Star is a Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas. Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel MBABANE A man who had accompanied his girlfriend to a traditional healer did not believe his eyes when he saw her having sexual intercourse with a security guard in the consultation room (indumba). The boyfriend was waiting outside the consultation room at the traditional healers homestead, while his girlfriend had gone in to be treated by the inyanga. After a while, the boyfriend peeped through a window and made the discovery. He is said to have seen his girlfriend and another man having sex, while the inyanga, Jacob Khuphuka Gumedze (66) of Lubulini, watched. The incident happened at Lobamba on May 10, 2022. The security guard, Lucas Ntimane (66) of Lobamba, who is a Mozambican national, and Gumedze were arrested and charged under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act No.5/2018. Aggravating The charge sheet states that they both had unlawful sexual intercourse with *Busi (20) without her consent. The offence is accompanied by aggravating factors in that the pair allegedly exposed Busi to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS. In the event the two are convicted, further states the charge sheet, their particulars will be included in the national register for sex offenders. Ntimane has filed an application for bail at the High Court through his attorney Mathokoza Mbhamali of Mbhamali Attorneys. He claimed to have had consensual sex with Busi. He alleged that she reported him to the police after her boyfriend assaulted her and questioned her on where she had spent the night. The Crown is opposed to his release on bail. The police officer who investigated the matter, Constable Gabsile Dlamini, who is based at Lobamba Police Station under the Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (DCS), said it would not be in the interest of justice to grant Ntimane bail. In the opposing papers, Dlamini told the court that it was not true that Busi consented to having sex with Ntimane or that her boyfriend assaulted her. She said the complainant had been told by the inyanga that if she refused to have sex with a stranger, she would go mad. Investigator The investigator submitted that Busi had gone to the traditional healer for treatment. What transpired at the traditional healers homestead, according to Dlamini, was that while Busi was inside the inyangas treatment room, she was allegedly forced by Gumedze to have sexual intercourse with Ntimane in order for the treatment to be effective. ...and if she did not do it, she would go crazy. I have evidence in my possession to the effect that the applicant (Ntimane) committed an unlawful sexual act on the complainant after threatening her with madness if she did not consent to the sexual act, said Dlamini. The investigating officer stated that Busi was informed that she was supposed to have sexual intercourse with a stranger and in this case, the stranger happened to be Ntimane. While this was happening in the treatment room, Busis boyfriend was seated outside. I submit that while the sexual act was taking place, the complainants boyfriend was outside and for a moment he peeped through the window and was shocked by what he saw. He decided to call the complainant on her mobile phone. She received the call and informed her boyfriend that she was told that if she did not consent to the sexual act with a stranger she would go mad, said Dlamini. Busi and her boyfriend returned home after the security guard was done having sex with her. Dlamini said Busi never spent the night with the security guard and the traditional healer. The following day, the complainant went to the police station to open a case against the two. The investigator told the court that the evidence against Ntimane was overwhelming. She said she did not deny the fact that the accused had a right to defend himself during the trial. Dlamini informed the court that Ntimane was a flight risk and it would not be in the interest of justice to release him on bail.He is a Mozambican national and nothing binds him to the Kingdom of Eswatini. Further, the offence he is facing carries a custodial sentence upon conviction and that alone can induce him to abscond if he were to be released on bail. It is common knowledge that there are informal crossings between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of Mozambique, and there is the likelihood that if released on bail the applicant may escape, submitted Dlamini. Guard The fact that Ntimane was employed as a security guard prior to his arrest could not prevent him from evading trial. She said while investigations were ongoing, investigators went to Ntimanes place of employment to have a word with him, but they did not find him. His colleagues informed the officers that it had been days since the accused was last at work.Dlamini said when Ntimane was arrested, he had already been fleeing and he was found in possession of a bag full of his belongings. When the police asked where he was going with the bag, he allegedly failed to give an answer, said Dlamini. We took him to our charge office where he tried to escape twice and these attempts led us to put the applicant in our holding cells. He was caught outside the (police) station gate and these attempts led us to put the applicant in our holding cells, and that alone proves that the applicant was not cooperative, she said. In his bail application, Ntimane told the court that Busi reported him to the police after her boyfriend questioned and assaulted her when questioning her where she had spent the night. The investigating officer said Busi never spent the night with Ntimane and the inyanga. Bail Ntimane also submitted that he would plead not guilty to the charge. He said he was desirous of being released on bail to get sufficient time to consult with his attorney. Dlamini, the investigator, said consultation rooms were available at His Majestys Correctional Services facilities. Ntimane said he was a lawful resident of Lobamba and had no plans to flee because if he did, he would lose his job. However, the investigator said the accused was caught in the process of fleeing. The matter is pending in court. Japan Gold said assay results from Ryuo are expected to be released in September 2022 Japan Gold (TSX-V:JG) Corp has announced the completion of an additional seven drill holes at its Ryuo prospect, for a total of 2,888 metres (m) between April and June this year, and has begun drilling at its Kitano-o prospect, both located within the companys 100%-owned Ikutahara project in Hokkaido, Japan. The mineral exploration firm said drilling at Ryuo was positioned to step-out at about 50m intervals from high-grade mineralization encountered in the 2021 drill program, and test continuity of mineralization along strike and to depth. The company noted that assay results are expected to be released in September 2022. Japan Gold also reported that drilling operations have now moved to the east side of the Kitano-o prospect where three 700m deep drill holes are planned following previously-completed surface programs that have shown elevated gold. It added that drilling will target below combined geochemical and geophysical anomalies to locate the deeper source of gold mined from the Kitano-o placer deposits. Sampling of extensions to soil grids completed in 2021 at the Ryuo and Kitano-o prospects has also begun, with extensions to the soil grid at Ryuo aiming to advance additional drill targets both parallel and along strike of the known prospect area, according to the company. Japan Gold is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused solely on gold exploration across the three largest islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu. The company has a country-wide alliance with Barrick Gold to jointly explore, develop and mine certain gold mineral properties and mining projects. Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com Valeo Pharma CEO Steve Saviuk joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has completed a non-dilutive 40 million dollar Secured Term Loan with Sagard Healthcare Partners. Saviuk telling Proactive that financing will now allow the company to support three new drugs that will transform the company. Saviuk said the company will have the Canadian license Xiidra and Simbrinza from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada, which are in the field of Ophthalmology and dry eyes. The money will also be used to for the acquisition of the Canadian license rights to Allerject from Kaleo which is a auto-injector for the treatment of serious allergic reactions. Lucknow, Aug 2 : In an incident triggered off by an alleged 'love triangle', a law student of a private university here stabbed his classmate multiple time inside the classroom, leaving him critically injured. The victim has been admitted to KGMU trauma centre with several deep wounds and the accused has been arrested. Doctors who performed multiple surgeries on the victim Chandra Bhushan Bhardwaj, 26, said that the condition of the patient is critical because of excessive blood loss. "He is unconscious post-surgery and we are monitoring him closely," a senior KGMU doctor said on Tuesday. According to the police, Bhardwaj along with his classmate Animesh Kumar was attending his class of environment science on Monday afternoon. When the class was about to end, the accused Sudhanshu Shekhar, 27, who hails from Chandauli, came from behind and attacked him with a machete. ACP, Vibhuti Khand, Anup Kumar Singh said that the victim's friend Animesh told him that Sudhanshu was carrying a machete hidden in his bag, but before he could react, the accused attacked him. "The attacker did not give the victim a chance to defend himself. The only thing he could do was to try to catch the attacker by his hand and injure his hands in the process. The victim suffered injuries around his neck, head and in his hands," he said. Animesh said in his complaint to the police that "we also feared that the attacker would harm us if we opposed him or stopped him. He was in a fit of rage and we could not dare to go close to the victim. I, along with other students, mustered courage, intervened and freed the victim from his clutches. We rushed him to Sahara Hospital where doctors referred him to KGMU". The ACP said that according to the students, the accused attacked Bhardwaj over a love affair. Shekhar had a good friendship with a girl of his class who started talking to the victim after a while. He didn't take it well and decided to seek revenge. The two had a fight a few days ago on the issue. Syed Abbas Ali, Additional DCP, East Zone said that based on the complaint given by victim's friend, an FIR under the charges of attempt to murder has been lodged against Shekhar and he has been taken into the custody. Later in the night, the spokesperson of Amity University -- where the incident took place, issued a statement, saying, "It has come to our knowledge that two students had a fight on the campus that led to violence. The cause of the fight is not known yet, but the university has ordered a probe. Both the students have been suspended till the inquiry is underway. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any violence on the campus and will take action as per university regulations. Parents of the students have been informed. We will cooperate with the police in its investigation." Prague, Aug 2 : The forest fire that has been raging for nine days at the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in northern Czech Republic was brought under control, the country's fire rescue service (FRS CR) has said. "We have the outbreaks completely under control. But our work is not over, now we still have to extinguish and dispose of them all," the fire rescue service tweeted. FRS CR Director General Vladimir Vlcek said the fire was not spreading to farther places and the area in which the firefighters were working had decreased to about 600 hectares, Xinhua news agency reported. The intervention in the huge fire might end by extinguishing works in a few days, he was quoted by the Czech News Agency as saying. Around 1,000 firefighters have been battling the blaze at the park on Monday. 200 tanker trucks, 18 helicopters and five planes have also been deployed. According to the fire rescue service, firefighters will continue to tackle the fire on Tuesday "with the same intensity as today." "We are now concentrating on changing forces, maintaining equipment, checking the fire scene and eliminating small outbreaks in places that are completely under our control," it said. The fire broke out on July 24. In the past days, countries including Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany and Sweden have sent firefighting aircraft to help tackle the fire. According to the fire rescue service, four firefighters had minor injuries on Monday. So far, they have recorded a total of 56 injuries, most of which are minor. Jerusalem, Aug 2 : An Israeli law that goes into effect on Monday limits cash payments in one business transaction to 6,000 new shekels ($1,785), as the country works to combat organised crime, money laundering and tax evasion. The law, which was introduced by the Israel Tax Authority last week, requires that any payment to a business over 6,000 shekels must be made through other means such as digital transfer or a debit card. Individuals who are not listed as business owners can use up to 15,000 shekels in cash when it comes to trading, Xinhua news agency reported. Previously, the maximum amount of cash that can be used in one business transaction is 11,000 shekels. According to a statement issued by the Israel Tax Authority, restrictions on cash use do not apply to money transfers between family members, with the exception of rent payments for which the maximum amount has been reduced from 50,000 shekels to 15,000 shekels. Analysts believe the law will compel people to pay with digital methods rather than cash so that transactions can be easily tracked. Cash payment limitations are intended to rein in tax evasion, black market activity, and even terrorist operations. Uri Goldman, an expert in international taxation, economic crime, and money laundering prohibition, told Israeli media that the law primarily impacts people such as plumbers and handymen, as well as small landlords. The lowering of the cash payment ceiling "would have a significant impact on those who sells products like electrical goods and furniture," he said. Heavy fines are imposed for violators of the law, starting at 15 per cent of the cash payments of fewer than 25,000 shekels, rising to 20 per cent for payments of 25,000 to 50,000 shekels, and reaching 30 per cent for bigger payments, according to the Israel Tax Authority. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish charitable funds that give and receive money in cash are exempt from the law. The enforcement of the law is currently not applicable to non-Israelis in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and Israeli citizens who give or receive cash to or from non-Israeli residents in the two regions. Washington, Aug 2 : The US killed al-Qaeda's top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend dealing the terrorist group a major blow. Al-Zawahiri had overseen the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001 -- that killed 2,977 people -- along with Osama bin-Laden, who was killed by the US in 2011 in Pakistan. Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian by birth who had trained to be a medical doctor, had a US reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture. The US holds him responsible also for the bombing of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and on its naval ship USS Cole in 2000. He also had a long history of baiting and threatening India. Last April, he praised an Indian student who stood up against efforts to prevent Muslim women from wearing hijab. The next month, in May, he called the abrogation of Article 370 a "slam" for Muslims. Al-Zawahiri was killed by two Hellfire missiles fired at him from a CIA-run drone while he was on the balcony of a house in Kabul where he had been staying with his family. No members of his family or other civilians were wounded or killed in the strike, according to US officials who briefed reporters. President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation, and perhaps the world, that US intelligence had tracked the Qaeda leader to Afghanistan early in the year and he gave the go ahead to the operation to kill al-Zawahiri a week ago on July 25. Officials said Biden reviewed a model of the house early in July to make sure there were no collateral casualties. "Our intelligence community located Zawahiri earlier this year," Biden, who is dealing with "rebound positivity" of Covid-19, said in an address to the nation. "He had moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family. After carefully considering clear and convincing evidence of his location, I authorised a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all." Biden added: "This mission was carefully planned, rigorously minimising the risk of harm to other civilians. And one week ago, after being advised the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him and the mission was a success." The US studied Zawahiri's behaviour and that of his family members for weeks -- the women in the family took circuitous routes from and to home to avoid trackers, for instance -- to reduce the possibility of hitting others. The strike came around a year after the US left Afghanistan, which raised questions about its ability to carry out counter-terrorism operation there. The Biden administration had sought to allay such concerns and fears saying it will retain "over-the-horizon" capability from neighbouring countries. Al-Zawahiri's most spectacular operations were against the US, but he had India in his crosshairs as well. In April, he came out in support of Muskan Khan, an Indian muslim student who stood up to those trying to prevent Muslim women from wearing hijab to educational institutions. "May Allah reward her for showing a moral lesson to sisters plagued by an inferiority complex via-a-vis the decadent Western world," al-Zawahiri said in a video released in April. A month later in May, he opposed the Modi government's decision to abrogate Article 370, which ascribed special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. "When the Hindu government of India took the infamous decision to annex Kashmir, it was the slap on the faces of the governments ruling over Muslim lands," he said in a video. He added: "The decision was taken with full confidence in the support that India enjoys from international criminals and the ineptitude of Pakistan's intelligence agencies, the de facto rulers of Pakistan." San Francisco, Aug 2 : Errol Musk, father of tech billionaire Elon Musk, said that he is not proud of his son, saying that Elon is unhappy with his own career progress. During an interview with the Australian radio The Kyle and Jackie O Show, 76-year-old was asked if he was proud of Elon's accomplishments, reports The Guardian. "No. You know, we are a family that have been doing a lot of things for a long time, it is not as if we suddenly started doing something," Errol replied. The interview did not just provide the elder Musk a chance to punch down on his child. In addition to discussing Elon, Errol's interview also touched upon recent news that he fathered two children with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout. Errol, 42 years older than Bezuidenhout, became her stepfather when she was four years old. He called his relationship with her "completely normal". Those remarks echoed other earlier ones in which he claimed: "The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce." "I can't see any reason not to," he added. Recently, a report said that Errol welcomed a daughter with 35-year-old Bezuidenhout three years ago. It emerged in 2018 that Errol had baby Elliot Rush, nicknamed Rushi and now five, with Bezuidenhout, who is 41 years his junior and he had raised since she was four. The Tesla CEO was reported to have gone "berserk" when he found out his South African engineer dad had a child with Bezuidenhout, who lived with him while growing up. Errol was married to Bezuidenhout's mother, Heide for 18 years and had two children together. United Nations, Aug 2 : Speaker of the US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi will defy China and visit Taiwan, while also disregarding the American government's advice creating a quandary for President Joe Biden's administration, according to media reports. National Security Council communications chief John Kirby warned on Monday that China was preparing for aggressive, retaliatory steps like firing missiles into the Taiwan Straits and intruding into Taiwan's air defence zone or holding intrusive air or naval exercises. But "we will not be intimidated", he declared at a White House briefing. "We will not take the bait or engage in sabre-rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and the skies of the Western Pacific as we have for decades." Simultaneously he tried to mollify Beijing, reiterating Washington's commitment to the "One China" policy, which, he said, had been communicated by Biden and several senior officials to their counterparts in recent days. Ratcheting the tensions with China while the Ukraine war rages is the last thing Biden wants, while he cannot also openly oppose Pelosi's independent move on Taiwan. While China has clearly made its opposition emphatic, Biden, who is making an overture to Beijing amid rising global tensions, has conveyed a Pentagon recommendation against Pelosi visiting Taiwan. "I think that the military thinks it's not a good idea right now," he said recently. China claims Taiwan is an integral part of it and Beijing's officials said it views high-level visits there as an interference in its internal affairs, while US officials cautioned that it should not use the visit to escalate the already tense situation in the region. Pelosi, who as Speaker is next in line of succession to the President after the Vice President, will be the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years when she goes there on Tuesday for an overnight visit, the reports quoting Congressional and Taiwanese officials said. On a day of rising rhetoric on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at the UN that if Pelosi visited Taiwan, the US expects China "to act responsibly, and not to engage in any escalation". If China tries to create a crisis or escalate tensions, that will "really be on Beijing", he added, while distancing the Biden administration from Pelosi's visit. "We do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do, but again, that is entirely her decision and one that we respect one way or the other." he said pointing out that "Congress is an independent, co-equal branch of government... the decision is entirely the Speaker's". Speaking later at the UN, China's Permanent Representative Zhang Jun, who took over as the Security Council President for this month, said that the Taiwan issue was a "red line" and the visit would be "dangerous and provocative". He said that China is fully prepared to "respond" and "will take firm and strong measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the US has to bear all the aceserious consequences" of Pelosi's visit. During his phone call last week with Biden, China's President Xi Jinping delivered a stern warning that in regard to Taiwan "those who play with fire will eventually get burned". China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday: "The People's Liberation Army of China will never sit idly by, and we will make resolute response and take strong countermeasures to uphold China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." While he did not specify the action, a columnist at Chinese Community Party-linked newspaper Global Times had made the threat more direct in a now-deleted tweet asserting that Beijing has the right to "forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane". At his White House briefing, Kirby said that "potential steps from China could include military provocations such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan; operations that break historical norms such as large-scale air entry into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone", and "air or naval activities that cross the median line". China could also retaliate diplomatically and economically like claiming that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway as well as intensifying its disinformation campaign, he added. Kirby said that Pelosi's visit was not a change in US policy as members of Congress had visited Taiwan in the past and the trip should not be used as a pretext for a confrontation. But Zhang said that the circumstances were different now from the time of the visit of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997 because "Taiwan independence elements are moving on the wrong path". Pelosi arrived in Singapore on Monday on a tour of Asia for which the official itinerary includes Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, with no mention of Taiwan, although she had hinted in the past that she could make a stop. (Arul Louis can be contacted at aru.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) Dakshina Kannada : , Aug 2 (IANS) Karnataka Police investigating the murder case of Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet have arrested four persons. Police sources said on Tuesday that the accused have been picked up from various places, including Uttara Kannada, Bengaluru. The police department had formed a special team to nab the killers headed by an ACP rank officer as per the request of Fazil's family. Police had seized the car used for carrying out murder and arrested the owner of the vehicle Ajith Crasta (40). Sources said the police are confident of cracking the case as they have got definite clues on the gang of murderers. They suspected the role of gang headed by Suhas, who was earlier involved in a murder and attempt to murder cases. However, it is yet to be confirmed about the identity of the arrested persons. The police department is likely to make the announcement in this regard later in the day. Fazil was hacked to death on July 28 in Surathkal town of Dakshina Kannada district. Opposition parties had demanded impartial probe in the murder case. Chief Minister Baavaraj Bommai had stated that the police have been given freedom to conduct investigation and nab the murderers. It is suspected that Fazil was killed by Hindu activists in retaliation to the murder of BJP Yiuva Morcha member Praveen Kumar Nettare. Washington, Aug 2 : Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that the death toll from the devastating floods in the US state has increased to 37. "We are ending the day with more heartbreaking news out of eastern Kentucky. We can confirm the death toll has now risen to 37, with so many more still missing," Beshear said in a tweeted on Monday. The Governor went on to warn residents of the hard-hit eastern Kentucky region that "a series of complex storms" would be moving through the area with the greatest threat overnight, the dpa news agency reported. "The biggest concern is overnight flooding," he said, advising residents in areas that have suffered flooding to seek shelter on higher ground. Authorities said it could be weeks before all the victims are found and that it was unclear how many people were missing since there is no mobile reception in large parts of the disaster zone. Flash floods and landslides followed heavy rains in Kentucky and in the neighbouring states of Virginia and West Virginia. Many people were surprised by the floods on the night of July 28. President Joe Biden approved a request for a major disaster declaration in Kentucky, unlocking federal funding to aid the recovery efforts. In December 2021, more than 70 people died amid devastating tornadoes in the state. MBABANE - The sound of three gunshots in the early hours of yesterday left questions that have now been answered for the community of Gobholo in Mbabane. These are the gunshots that claimed the life of 35-year-old Sifiso Mtshali, who was gunned down at around 1am yesterday, following a quarrel purportedly over a woman with another man who also resides in the same neighbourhood. Sifiso succumbed to wounds to the chest where he was shot allegedly by the man at close range. The two were out enjoying alcoholic drinks at a popular hangout spot at Msunduza on Sunday with their respective friends. According to the younger brother to the deceased, Gerry Mtshali, who saw him take his last breath, the two had a longstanding quarrel and it was ignited when they bumped into each other while having alcoholic beverages. Relationship The quarrel was allegedly over a woman residing at Nkoyoyo, who the two were reportedly in a sexual relationship with, as narrated by Daniel Mtshali, the deceaseds uncle, when interviewed by this publication yesterday. Daniel revealed that when he carried out his own investigation into the matter following the death of his nephew, he found out that Sifiso and the shooter were in a love triangle. Worth mentioning is that the assailant is married and was reportedly staying with his wife at Gobholo before his arrest. The deceased leaves behind two children and a pregnant girlfriend. According to Daniel, he was informed by one of Sifisos half brothers, who hanged out with him often, about the alleged love-triangle. The deceaseds uncle stated that at 1am yesterday, they were woken up by the sound of three gunshots at least 200 metres away from the homestead, not knowing that a family member had lost his life. When narrating the ordeal, Daniel said the deceased and the accused who is a motor mechanic exchanged heated words while at the drinking spot before engaging in a brief exchange of blows, having both found out that they were involved with the same woman, before their friends broke the fight. The accused reportedly ran away towards Gobholo, leaving the deceased behind who continued to have drinks with his friends. However, when the deceased was returning home after the drinking spree while driving a vehicle belonging to his brother, he was blocked by the accused, who was driving another vehicle, making it difficult for the deceased to pass. We were informed that the accused waylaid him along the road which Sifiso uses when driving home and when he saw his car approaching, he blocked the road. Blocking The deceased went to the rear window and knocked on it, with the intention of finding out why the accused was blocking the road. This is when the accused is said to have drawn a gun, fired three shots straight to the chest of Sifiso, before driving off, he narrated. These sentiments were shared by Gerry, who was with his brother the whole time before he met his death. He said Sifisos only sin was knocking on his window of the mechanics car in a bid to ask him why he blocked the road. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the shooting. When he came back from the hospital, he found that the people who hacked him were waiting for his return and their number had multiplied. It is then that he rushed to get the gun which he used to shoot the deceased, she said. Vilakati also shared that the accused is currently in police custody after he surrendered himself after the incident. San Francisco, Aug 2 : California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday declared a state of emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus in order to "bolster the state's vaccination efforts". "California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach," dpa news agency quoted Newsom as saying in statement on Monday. According to the latest update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California's overall monkeypox caseload currently stood at 827, the second highest after the worst-hit New York state with 1,390 cases. California reported that 98.3 per cent of the positive monkeypox cases were confirmed in men, the majority of whom identify as part of the LGBTQ community. The virus is largely spreading among men who have sex with men as well as transgender and non-binary people. Newsom's proclamation makes it easier for the state to coordinate its response to the outbreak and allows EMS workers to administer vaccines. The Governor's office said California has distributed more than 25,000 doses of the vaccine out of a total of 61,000 doses received to date. The Jynneos vaccine in particular remains in short supply across the nation. The office said more than 30 facilities and providers across the state are offering treatment for monkeypox, though access to the antiviral prescription drug tecovirimat is also limited. "We'll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said. The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to smallpox, though usually milder. Those infected by the virus initially have a fever, aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. Later they develop a rash, usually starting on the face and then spreading, turning into pus-filled sores before they fall off. Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak Chennai, Aug 2 : The Indian rupee is expected to trade against the US dollar in the range of 79.15 - 79.75 in this fortnight supported by positive global cues, said Bank of Baroda in a research report. According to Aditi Gupta, Economist at Bank of Baroda, the rupee after a record-low of 79.99/$ on July 20 has closed the fortnight stronger by 0.9 per cent. Apart from a weaker dollar, a reversal in foreign portfolio investments (FPI) outflows has also helped in supporting the rupee, Gupta said in the report. FPIs, which remained net sellers in the domestic markets for the past nine months, invested $239 million in the Indian markets in July. Although small, this suggests an improvement in investor sentiment which should support the rupee going forward, the report notes. Further, active intervention by RBI in the foreign exchange market has also ensured an orderly movement in the exchange rate. It must be noted that RBI's foreign exchange reserves have fallen to a near 20-month low of $ 571.6 billion as of July 22. In FY23 so far, foreign exchange reserves are down by $46.1 billion. On the flip side, India's external position still remains tenuous. Trade deficit continues to track at record-high which will put pressure on the balance of payments. Imports may see some moderation aided by softening global commodity prices. However, exports too will be muted amid a fall in demand in key markets such as the US and Europe. The RBI and government measures announced earlier should help ease some concerns on this front. Apart from the RBI policy meet, the US consumer price index and jobs report will guide the trajectory of rupee in the coming two weeks, Bank of Baroda report said. Warsaw, Aug 2 : Poland commemorated the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, with events taking place across the capital city. The Warsaw Uprising was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe, with around 40,000-50,000 insurgents taking part in fighting over two months, and huge casualties, reports Xinhua news agency. Around 18,000 insurgents died, so did as many as 180,000 civilians. After the uprising was crushed, about 500,000 residents were forced to evacuate the city, and Warsaw was almost completely razed to the ground. At 5 p.m. on Monday, the time the uprising began, the main event was held in front of the Gloria Victis monument at the Powazki Military Cemetery. President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other officials, as well as citizens and veterans, paid tribute to the insurgents who led the uprising. Meanwhile, a parade took place at the Castle Square in the Old Town, and in the city centre. Earlier in the day, President Duda laid a wreath at the site of the massacre in the Wola district, where Germans executed thousands of civilians in retaliation for the uprising. Flowers were laid at the monument to the Mokotow (district) insurgents in Dreszera Park. The national flag was also raised, and the "fire of memory" was brought from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to burn for 63 days -- the length of the uprising. Prime Minister Morawiecki visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum, where he laid flowers at the plaque to late President Lech Kaczynski, who established the Museum. New Delhi, Aug 2 : India's leading carrier IndiGo has said that it will fully reinstate pilots' salaries by November. Aviation sector was badly impacted during the Covid pandemic and all domestic carriers had cut staff salaries following the Covid-19-induced lockdowns. As per sources, the airline is likely to reinstate pay by 8 per cent in August from 6.5 per cent proposed in November earlier. "Despite the fuel and foreign exchange costs remaining prohibitive, we are hopeful that we will continue to inch our way back to profitability and higher growth. Our aim has been to constantly revisit our salary and remuneration and reinstate them to pre-Covid levels," said the statement attributed to the airline's senior vice president of flight operations, Capt. Ashim Mittra. The airline also said that it will be restoring a further 6 per cent pay from September, while the remaining 6 per cent would be done in November. An internal mail by Ronojoy Dutta, CEO IndiGo read, "The good news is that the crisis seems to be ending, our revenue performance is strong, and we should be back on a path of profitable growth soon." "I understand that every department still has its own unique challenges and I urge you to stay connected with the leadership of your department. I assure you that we are working on resolving each and every issue to ensure that we continue our journey to become better than the best," it further said. San Francisco, Aug 2 : BMW has issued a recall for some of its electric cars as the high voltage battery "may have internal damage", which can result in an electrical short circuit. The recall notice has been issued for a "small number" of 2022 i4 sedans and iX SUVs due to the risk of battery fires. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a short-circuit in a high voltage battery increases the risk of a fire. "BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive50, iX M60, 2022 i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles. The high voltage battery may have internal damage, resulting in an electrical short-circuit," the administration said in a statement. Owners are advised not to drive or charge their vehicles, and to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery, free of charge, said the recall notice.A The recall was issued after BMW became aware of "a non-US field incident involving a 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40" last April, reports The Verge. Two more "incidents" were reported in June, one in the US involving a 2022 iX xDrive50 and the other outside of the country involving a 2022 iX M60. "Both were found to have debris in the battery cell, which is supplied by Samsung SDI," the report said late on Monday. A BMW spokesperson said that "fortunately, the recall affects a very small number of vehicles". "Our customer relations team has already proactively reached out to all of the owners of affected vehicles to provide information and assistance," the spokesperson was quoted as saying. In June, Ford Motor recalled nearly 49,000 Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers over battery safety concerns, and told dealers to temporarily halt selling the popular electric vehicle. The malfunction involves a potential overheating of the vehicle's battery high-voltage contactors, which can lead the vehicle to fail to start or lose power while in motion, reported CNBC. The battery issue affects Mach-Es that were built from May 27, 2020, through May 24, 2022, at the automaker's Mexico plant. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : Hyderabad police on Tuesday arrested a person moving with a firearm near the house of a legislator of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Security personnel of A. Jeevan Reddy found the person moving under suspicious circumstances near the MLA's house in Vemuri Enclave in upscale Banjara Hills Road Number 12. Alerted by the MLA's security staff, police reached there and arrested the person. A gun and a knife were recovered from him. The person was identified as Prasad Goud, husband of a village sarpanch who was recently suspended from the TRS. Police were questioning Goud who was reportedly planning to avenge the suspension of his wife Lavanya from the party. Banjara Hills police were trying to find out if Goud had reached near the MLA's house with an intention to kill him. Jeevan Reddy is a member of Telangana Assembly from Armoor constituency in Nizamabad district. Lavanya was elected as sarpanch of Kalladi village as a candidate of BJP but she along with her husband later joined the TRS. However, the sarpanch was recently suspended from TRS for some reasons and her husband had blamed the MLA for the same. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Enforcement Directorate has told the Supreme Court that Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam case, is a flight risk and his extradition was obtained with extreme difficulties as it opposed his bail pleas. A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is scheduled to hear in the day two bail pleas filed by Christian Michel James. In an affidavit, the ED said: "The present petitioner not being a citizen of India is a flight risk and his extradition has been obtained with extreme difficulties and procedural impediments. Further, the offence committee in the present case contains a complex web of transactions across jurisdictions and the investigation with respect to the same is ongoing and the presence of the petitioner is crucial at all the stages." The ED further added that if Michel is released on bail, he might flee to avoid the investigation which shall be prejudicial against the course of the proceedings. "In the light of the aforesaid it is humbly submitted that in the peculiar gamut of facts in the present case it shall not be fit and proper to accord any benefit to the petitioner under the provision of Section 436A of the CrPC," it added. The affidavit added that Article 17 of the Extradition Treaty with the UAE not only permits trial for offences in respect of which extradition of an accused is sought, but also for the offences connected herewith. Michel's extradition was sought for the offence of money laundering. "It is submitted that the applicant has committed a grave economic offence of huge magnitude and has thereafter laundered the proceeds of crime," added the affidavit. The Rs 3,600-crore alleged scam relates to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland. In May this year, the top court had issued notice to both CBI and ED, and sought their replies on Michel's bail pleas. Michel moved the top court challenging the Delhi High Court order passed in March this year, dismissing his bail plea. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested a notorious member of Jitender Gogi's gang in an encounter on Tuesday, an official said. The accused, identified as Bhagwan Singh alias Mukesh (32), was wanted in a sensational abduction and killing of a man in Shahbad Dairy. A senior Delhi Police official said there was an input that Bhagwan Singh regularly visits the area of Outer North Delhi to commit some heinous crime. Working on the input, sources were deputed and surveillance mounted on the movements of the said fugitive and his associates, the official said. The police received specific information that accused Bhagwan Singh would come on Khatta road from Swaroop Nagar side on a motorcycle on the intervening night of August 1-2 to meet his associate near Bhalswa Landfill. Subsequently, a trap was laid by the police and the accused was spotted at 12.10 a.m. "He was signalled to stop but he tried to escape and was surrounded by the police team. The accused was asked to surrender but he whipped out a pistol and fired towards the police team," the official said. The police also retaliated and fired two shots, of which one hit the accused's left leg. "He was immediately rushed to Babu Jagjeevan Ram hospital," the official said. The official said that Bhagwan Singh was previously involved in more than seven criminal cases, including two of murder, two of attempt to murder, two of attack on police, others of assault, hurt, intimidation, riots, theft, arms act etc in Delhi. "Bhagwan Singh is also convicted in a murder case. When Bhagwan Singh was lodged in jail, he came into contact with members of Gogi gang and started working with them," the official added. Panaji, Aug 2 : Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said that 'Silly Soul bar' issue will be dealt with responsibly. His assurance follows a complaint from RTI activist Adv. Aires Rodrigues that the construction of the 'Silly Souls bar and restaurant' in Goa, allegedly run by family members of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, was illegal. "My department will check it systematically and then I can brief you. Department is pretty competitive professionally to deal with such situations. We will take care of it,a Rane told reporters here. "We should not unnecessarily put accusations on others, just because you want to put. Person in concern is my leader also. More importantly, a very responsible person. It will be dealt with responsibly," Rane said. 'Silly Soul Bar and restaurant' at Bhouta Vaddo in Assagao Village initially caught in controversy over obtaining renewal license allegedly on dead person's name. Goa Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad on Friday began hearing the case of liquor license, in which RTI activist Adv. Aires Rodrigues has alleged that the licence was obtained illegally and renewed though the applicant died in 2021. On this whole issue, Congress has come down heavily on Irani, alleging that her family members are running this restaurant. However, Smriti Irani has already clarified that her daughter is not involved in running a restaurant in Goa and has issued legal notices to Congress leaders demanding an apology from them. Adv Rodrigues has submitted a complaint against the restaurant with Town and Country Planning (TCP) department alleging infringement of rules and regulation while constructing the restaurant. New Delhi, Aug 2: Zircon, the universal hypersonic cruise missile designed to destroy sea and ground targets, will be supplied to the Russian Armed Forces in the coming months, the country's President Vladimir Putin has announced. As it underwent several tests in the Barents Sea over the past year, Putin had promised that Zircon, which according to him is capable of reaching speeds of about Mach 9 and hitting targets at a distance of more than 1,000 km, would be put on combat duty soon. Addressing the Main Naval Parade in St Petersburg on the occasion of Russia's Navy Day, Putin said that Admiral Gorshkov, one of the most modern ships of its Northern Fleet, will be the first one to be equipped with the "unmatched" missiles which have "no obstacles". "The Admiral Gorshkov frigate will be the first to go on combat duty with this formidable weapon aboard. The area in which the ship equipped with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles will carry out its duty will be selected based on Russia's security interests," said Putin. The announcement was labelled as a "chilling threat" by a section of the media in the West. "At this speed it would reach London in about five minutes," said UK's Daily Mirror. It was on February 20, 2019 that the Russian President - during his annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly - informed about Zircon, the "promising innovation" also spelt as 3M22 Tsirkon, for the first time officially. "It can be launched from water, from surface vessels and from submarines, including those that were developed and built for carrying Kalibr high-precision missiles, which means it comes at no additional cost for us," he had said then. As it moved ahead with its plan to equip submarines and surface ships with the Zircon complex, the flight tests of the hypersonic cruise missile continued even during Moscow's military operation in Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry released a video on May 28 which showed Zircon being fired from Gorshkov in the Barents Sea and hitting a target in the White Sea after travelling a distance of 1,000 km (625 miles). "The flight of a hypersonic missile corresponded to the specified parameters," the Russian Defence Ministry had commented after Zircon's last test. Analysts in New Delhi too have been closely watching the bigger picture unfold at a time when the defence ties between India and Russia continue to grow. "The successful test launch of a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile shows that Russia continues to pioneer emerging defence technologies. Therefore, despite diversification, it is important for India to continue to develop defence partnerships with Moscow," Professor Gulshan Sachdeva, Chairperson, Centre for European Studies at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, had told IndiaNarrative.com, last year. Meanwhile, Putin said on Sunday that the current environment requires "commensurate, prompt, and decisive actions" from Moscow. "First and foremost, these are our waters of the Arctic, the Black Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Baltic and Kuril Straits. We will ensure their protection rigorously and using all available tools," he said at country's the naval capital with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov also in attendance. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Bengaluru, Aug 2 : Karnataka Police on Tuesday filed a case against a doctor for making casteist remarks on the family of a patient, who questioned him on flawed treatment in Doddaballapur town of Bengaluru Rural district. The accused doctor, identified as Dr Adimurthy, is a resident of Veerabhadra Palya in Doddaballapur city. According to police, Gangaraja Shiravaara, a resident of Tippapura Road in Doddaballapur had consulted him at home clinic after his son G. Nagendra developed symptoms of jaundice. Dr Adimurthy had given an injection and some tablets. However, the patient developed swelling at the spot where injection was made. When the matter was brought to the notice of Dr Adimurthy, he maintained nothing had happened and said water had filled in. The doctor had taken out the water, given another injection and also saline. However, as the pain became intolerable for the patient Nagendra, his parents shifted him to the hospital. The doctors in the hospital identified that the tumour had developed at the spot where injection was administered. The doctors conducted a surgery to remove the tumour and advised the patient to take 15 days of rest. When the parents of the patient questioned Dr Adimurthy for misleading them, the accused used casteist remarks and abusive language against them, police said. The parents later told the police that their son had given UPSC Prelims exam and was preparing for Mains. Doddaballapur policeregistered a case under IPC Sections 506, 34, 504, 420. New Delhi, Aug 2 : A Pakistani Army helicopter carrying Quetta Corps Commander Lt Gen Sarfaraz Ali and five others crashed in Lasbela area of Balochistan late on Monday night. It is believed that all six people on board were killed and while the accident is being investigated, there is a very strong suspicion that the helicopter was shot down by Baloch insurgents. Inputs say that the Balochistan Liberation Army - which is yet to make a statement - may have targeted the helicopter because the Quetta Corps commander, a high-ranking figure who is in charge of counter-terrorism in the region and of guarding the border with southern Afghanistan, was on board. The others killed have been identified as Brigadier Amjad Hanif (DG Coast Guard), Major Saeed (pilot), Major Talha (co-pilot) and Naik Mudasir (crew member). According to further reports, the helicopter lost contact with ground control soon after taking off from a base in Lasbela district of Balochistan. The search operation for the missing aircraft is underway in the south-western areas of Balochistan. A senior police officer told a local media outlet that the sparsely populated mountainous area was hampering efforts to locate the remains of dead and survivors. Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern and asked the nation to pray for the soldiers. The Prime Minister tweeted: "The disappearance of Army helicopter from Balochistan is worrying. The entire nation prays for the safety, security and return of these sons of the country who come forward to help the flood victims." Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also expressed through a tweet: "Disturbing news of the disappearance of an Army Aviation helicopter and praying for all those on board. Chennai, Aug 2 : Actress Amy Jackson, who has acted in several Tamil films, has expressed her anguish and anger at the brutal slaughtering of 100 Bottle Nose dolphins on the Faroe Islands. Taking to Instagram, the actress wrote, "Every summer on the Faroe Islands, somewhere around 800 whales and dolphins lose their lives, through a brutal and barbaric ritual of mass slaughter. Once upon a time the tradition was that their meat was used and eaten, but nowadays, they choose to leave the meat rotting in the sun, just taking the lives of sea creatures for some kind of sick satisfaction justified by a cultural tradition. "Sea shepherd, the conservationist group who are trying hard to fight the annual massacre, recorded 63 pilot whales were killed by Faroese hunters, including 10 pregnant mothers and their unborn calves. "Later that month, a further 119 pilot whales were killed. The WDC says dolphin hunting is not traditional in the Faroes, but this weekend, the slaughter of 100 Bottlenose dolphins took place. "These beautiful and intelligent creatures are herded into shoreline inlets and brutally killed by laughing fishermen. Metal hooks are driven into the stranded mammals' blowholes before their spines are cut. The animals slowly bleed to death. "Whole families are slaughtered, and some whales and dolphins swim around in their family members' blood for hours." Expressing frustration at not being able to do anything else but sign petitions and repost to raise awareness, she urged her followers to help Sea Shepherd gain political clout in order to put serious pressure on Faroe Islands. Patna, Aug 2 : Two persons were killed and four others fell critically ill after they consumed suspected spurious liquor in Bihar's Saran district, sources said on Tuesday. The victims, all daily wage labourers, were involved in the construction of a building at Jivpur under Panapur police station in the district. After winding up their work on Monday evening, they went for a liquor party. "Upon returning from the construction site, my husband along with five others went to a place to consume liquor. When he returned at night, he started vomiting. He told us that he consumed two glasses of liquor and refused to have dinner. After some time, his health deteriorated. We rushed him to a nearby primary health centre where the doctors declared him dead at arrival," said the deceased's wife. Another labourer also died after consuming the adulterated liquor. According to his relatives, six persons (labourers) went to consume liquor and all of them were taken to the primary health centre where four of them are undergoing treatment. They have lost their eyesight. The district police is yet to make an official statement. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Newly appointed Commissioner of Delhi Police, Sanjay Arora met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Parliament premises. Arora, a 1988-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer, was appointed to the coveted post on July 31 and he took charge of the office, a day later on August 1. "Commissioner Sanjay Arora today called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It was an official visit of Commissioner Arora after taking charge of the Delhi Police," officials said. Soon after taking charge as the Police Commissioner, Arora on Monday said the rich legacy of Delhi Police is marked with the highest citizen services and sacrifices for ensuring the National Capital's safety and security. "I am confident that together, we will carry forward this spirit and also set new benchmarks in policing," he said in a video message. Muzaffarnagar, Aug 2 : A police officer has been suspended in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar for allegedly subjecting third-degree torture to a man who happened to be a distant relative of an accused. According to reports, R. Rana, the Sub-Inspector (SI) of Chhapar police station in Muzaffarnagar, went to Khampur village with a team to arrest an accused named Zishan Ansari, who was wanted in a case related to cow slaughter. He did not find the alleged accused and picked up his distant relative Farad Hakim, 40, a resident of the same village. Hakim was taken to the police station and was subjected to third-degree torture by the SI. Later, he was released from the police station due to pressure from the villagers. One of the villagers recorded a video of Hakim which purportedly shows bruise marks on his body and uploaded it on social media. After the video went viral, SSP Vineet Jaiswal took suo moto cognizance and ordered a probe. The SSP said: "During the investigation, the sub-Inspector was found guilty. Based on the report submitted by the deputy superintendent of police, he has been suspended. A departmental inquiry will also be conducted against him." August 02 : Actor and social media influencer Rakhi Sawant says she is happy that amidst of death-threats, actor Salman Khan got his gun license, and if need be, she would happily take a bullet for Tiger star. Rakhi Sawant along with her boyfriend Adil was interacting with NewsHelpline during a dinner outing. When asked about Salman Khan getting his gun license, Rakhi Sawant said, I am very happy that Salman Khan got the gun license. I dont think Salman Khan needs to worry about anything, nothing will happen to him The best wishes to entire nation are with him, and I also pray for him. I even prayed for him to get his license and he finally got it. I think he can keep a gun for his safety, and if ever needs me, Id more than happy to be his bodyguard. Id take a bullet for him added Rakhi. Salman Khan has been issued an arms license after he applied for a gun license for self-protection in the backdrop of threat letters that he received recently. Tiger star had received a death threat from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang following which he met Mumbai police chief Vivek Phansalkar over the threat letter to him and his father. There had been reports that Salman has upgraded to an armoured and bulletproof Land Cruiser ever since the threats. Rakhi Sawant made a good connection with Salman Khan during her stint on Bigg Boss and she has been an avid supporter of the superstar! August 02 : Actor Sonu Sood, who has been the knight in the shining armor for needy during the pandemic, believes that he doesnt have a reaction on fans calling boycott on Laal Singh Chaddha, but believes that a good movie should get its due credit. Sonu Sood was interacting with NewsHelpline on the sidelines of outdoor shoot in Mumbai. When asked about fans calling to boycott Aamir Khan starrer Laal Singh Chaddha about his controversial remark, Sonu Sood said, I dont think I want to make comment on the issues, that is whole different world, but I feel that if good movies are releasing, and it takes a lot of hard work to make films, we must respect that, and those films should get their dues Actor Aamir Khan is facing a lot of bashing on social media about his remark about not being safe in India, and now with Laal Singh Chaddhas release is around the corner, netizens are calling a boycott of the film. Sonu Sood will soon be seen narrating spy stories via Podcast, based on infamous Commander Karan Saxena. When asked about his audio series, Sonu Sood added, When I was little kid, I would usually find these amazing novels during train travel, and they would excite me into thinking about superheroes, and real spies. And I would often find stories of Commander Karan Saxena the most interesting and I used to think, the real James Bond should be like him The Spotify has created this interesting and amazing world, where through Podcast you could listen and feel about what it might look like and that is the magic of whole series. And I am performing the lead character of Commander Karan Saxena, and when you listen to it, you would see the whole world added Sonu. Sonu Sood was last seen in Samrat Prithviraj, which also starred Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chhillar. Next he has lined up his Tamil release titled Thamilarasan and Hindi movie Fateh. Chennai, Aug 2 : The Indian automobile industry has posted robust growth last month with passenger/commercial vehicles and two-wheelers logging growth while the tractor segment lagged behind. Passenger car majors clocked total sales of over 3.43 lakh last month as compared to July last year. The commercial vehicle's sector maintained robust growth momentum, driven by strong demand in both passenger and cargo segments, said Emkay Global Financial Services. Similarly, the passenger and two-wheelers makers also showed growth owing to higher production and inventory build up with dealers in the run-up to festive season, Emkay Global said. In comparison, tractor volumes declined notably due to a high base and uneven spread of the monsoon season. "We expect the industry volume to improve gradually every month over the next 3-4 months backed festival season kicking in now," Mitul Shah, Head of Research at Reliance Securities said in a report. According to Shah, the softening commodity prices and stable fuel prices would support industry ahead and the sector to log double digit growth in FY23. Car industry leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd closed July, selling 175,916 units (domestic 145,666 units, sales to other vehicle maker 9,939 units, exports 20,311 units) as against July 2021 numbers of 162,462 units (domestic 133,732 units, OEM sales 4,738 units, exports 21,224 units). The second largest car maker, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, registered 63,851 units (domestic 50,500 units, exports 13,351 units) last month as against 60,249 units (domestic 48,042 units, exports 12, 207 units) in July 2021. Tarun Garg, Director, Sales, Marketing & Service, Hyundai Motor India: "With the improvement in the semiconductor situation, the passenger vehicle segment is showing positive trends riding on the green shoots of pent-up demand and customer desire towards personal mobility." Tata Motors Ltd said it sold 47,505 units (internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles 43,483 units, electric vehicles 4,022 units) last month as against 30,185 units (ICE 29,581 units, EV 604 units) sold in July 2021. On its part, Honda Cars India Ltd logged total sales of 8,888 units (domestic 6,784 units, exports 2,104 units) last month, up from 6,973 units (domestic 6,055 units, exports 918 units) sold in July 2021. Yuichi Murata, Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd said: "Unfortunately, the ongoing chip shortage continues to impact and slowdown our supplies. We are diligently aligning our production to meet the demand as quickly as possible." Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd sold 28,053 passenger vehicles last month that includes utility vehicles, cars and vans up from 21,046 units sold during the previous year corresponding period. Nissan Motor India said it registered domestic wholesale of 3,667 units and export wholesales of 4,670 units, cumulative wholesales of 8,337 units for the month of July 2022 logging 14 per cent sales growth. Toyota Kirloskar Motors sold 19,693 cars last month up from 13,105 units sold in July 2021. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday informed the Upper House that scientists have isolated the monkeypox virus and a vaccine, like that for Covid-19, might be developed. While replying to a question regarding the steps taken to create awareness about monkeypox, he said: "Monkeypox has been isolated by our scientists and ICMR has also floated an 'expression of interest'. Like it was done during the time of Covid. On the basis of that, our scientists who come forward should be given an isolated virus so that its vaccine can be developed." Upon being asked in the Rajya Sabha about the progress of vaccines for the disease, the Health Minister said that studies are still being conducted to find proper vaccination for the disease. Only contact tracing and vaccinating people who were in close contact with a disease carrier are required and there is no need for countrywide vaccination for this disease. Scientists have isolated the monkeypox virus and will also develop a vaccine in India, he added. According to the minister, monkeypox is not a new disease in India and in the world. Since 1970, many cases have been reported from Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has paid special attention to this infection. India has also started monitoring the cases. On the steps taken to create awareness about monkeypox, Mandaviya said that the government has set up a task force and steps are also being taken to increase awareness about the disease. He urged the people not to panic as the central government has been working in coordination with the state governments to contain the virus. "When cases started appearing in the world, India had already started preparations. Before the first case appeared in Kerala, we had issued guidelines to all the states. We have also written to the governments at the international level that the screening report of the travellers should also be sent to us. "If someone in the family has had monkeypox, then keeping a distance from him for 12-13 days can prevent the infection. With vigilance we can control it", Mandaviya said. Speaking about Kerala, where the first case of monkeypox was reported, Mandaviya said: "If the government of Kerala needs any kind of help from the central government, it will be done. Still, the expert team of the central government is guiding the state government from time to time." Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), one of the leading provider of Islamic digital banking services in the kingdom, has appointed Naeema Taheri as its new Chief Compliance Officer. The appointment comes as part of the banks efforts to cultivate an experienced management team that will further contribute to the realisation of the banks vision, centered around its training and development strategies and the retention of Bahraini talents, the bank said. Taheri has 30 years of experience in the banking and financial industry both Islamic and conventional, with extensive expertise in banking operations, regulatory compliance, financial crimes, risk management, quality assurance, trade finance and training. Prior to joining BisB in April 2022, she held several senior positions at leading financial institutions. Hassan Jarrar, Chief Executive Officer at BisB, said, We are pleased that Mrs Naeema Taheri has joined BisBs family, wishing her continuous success in this key role within the Bank. We are looking forward to witness the success, growth and development that the Compliance Department will achieve under her leadership. This comes in line with our ongoing efforts to foster a distinguished management team that will aid in effectively implementing the Banks strategies and goals. Taheri is a fellow member of the UK-based International Compliance Association (FICA) and member of the USA-based Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), holding a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Bahrain as well as an International Diploma in Compliance, with distinction, from the International Compliance Association (ICA) in UK. - TradeArabia News Service Chennai, Aug 2 : The Madras High court on Tuesday ordered the Archeological department of Tamil Nadu to take over a Hindu temple in Salem after its statue turned out to be that of Lord Buddha. A single judge bench of Justice Anand Venkatesh directed the authorities that no pooja should be held at the temple now as the statue is not of a Hindu God. Mistaken identity, he said, cannot be allowed to continue even after the archeology department had submitted a report that sculpture inside the temple was that of Buddha. The department had taken up an investigation after the court ordered it to conduct an investigation following a petition by a Buddhist trust that the sculpture worshipped in the temple worshipped as 'Thalaivetti Muniyappan' was in fact that of Lord Buddha. After cleaning the statue, the Tamil Nadu Archeological department found that the head showed traits of Buddha-like curly hair, ushnisha (crown of hair), and elongated earlobe. The archeological department in the report said: "After inspecting the sculpture and carefully examining the available archeological and historical evidence at our disposal, they collectively expressed their opinion that sculptures depict several mahalakshans or great traits of Buddha". On closely examining the report, the court stated that the argument that the site was a Hindu temple does not hold validity and that the control should go into the hands of another authority. Even as the HR&CE department which is in charge of the Hindu temples argued that people have been worshipping the deity 'Thalaivetti Muniyappan' for the past many years, the court directed that treating this as a temple would go against the basic tenets of Buddhism. It directed the Tamil Nadu archeological department to take charge of the premises and maintain the sculpture and directed to put a board inside the property clarifying that it was a statute of Buddha. In its judgment,the court also said that common people would be allowed entry to the place but no Hindu pooja or other ceremonies would be performed at the sculpture of Buddha. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : Naga Chaitanya, who will set foot in Bollywood with Aamir Khan-starrer 'Laal Singh Chaddha', revealed that he has purposefully avoided Hindi movies for a long time when talking about his Bollywood debut. Chaitanya is one of Tollywood's most well liked and successful actor. As he belongs to the iconic Akkineni family, his fandom is a solid and pre-established one. The actor is now ready to make his Bollywood debut in 'Laal Singh Chaddha' alongside Aamir Khan after eleven years in the industry. On being quizzed about his Bollywood offers, Naga Chaitanya asserted that he had previously been consulted for several Hindi projects, which he had declined. The 'Majili' actor revealed that he has purposefully avoided Hindi movies for a long time, as he considered his Hindi to be mediocre. The actor continued, "I was raised in Chennai before moving to Hyderabad. As a result, my Hindi needs improvement. I have been sort of insecure about that for a very long time. That's the reason why I have shied away sometimes from Hindi films when I have gotten an offer." "In fact, when I told people that my Hindi is very 'South Indian', people have thought twice to be honest", Naga Chaitanya stated. Naga Chaitanya, who had candid talks with the media, was also quizzed about his dating rumours, which had created ripples, post his divorce from Samantha Ruth Prabhu. "Initially, these kind of things bothered me, but I am at a different place now. I always believe that a piece of news always replaces another. I don't take these rumours to mind", Naga Chaitanya said. Several months after his divorce from Samantha, Naga Chaitanya was linked with 'Major' actress Sobhita Dhulipala a couple of weeks ago, which had drawn everyone's attention. Naga Chaitanya was last seen in 'Thank You', and will next be seen in 'Dootha', a web series. Srinagar, Aug 2 : The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir makes for a picturesque destination for tourists from India as well as abroad. Surrounded by the majestic Himalayas and irrigated by numerous perennial rivers, the unbound natural beauty is enthralling. While this beauty has always enriched the lives of the residents, the development initiatives undertaken by the state in recent years have been substantially instrumental as well. One of the areas on which the Government has spent considerable time and effort is the educational sector of the Union Territory. Being one of the core areas of an individual's life, education is the passport to the future for a magnificent country like India. This holds true for all regions and peoples, but especially Jammu and Kashmir, which has witnessed decades of disturbance and terrorism. However, in the recent few years, the administration has managed to curb the insurgency and nudge the youth towards productive avenues like education and skill development. While the condition of education throughout the population was in a dilapidated state since Independence, the worst impact has always been on the tribal community of the erstwhile state. However, it only came to light during the administration's first Survey of Transhumant (migratory/nomadic) Population. It was instrumental in analysing human development on various parameters and most of them turned out to give critically underwhelming results. With a measly 16 per cent of literacy rate amongst the tribal community, the community lags far behind the national average of 74 per cent. In order to understand the harrowing situation, the administration reviewed the past policies to realise that the department responsible for tribal welfare never got running in true sense. While a Department for Tribal Welfare under the state government was established in 2008 -- nearly 60 years after the independence of India -- no meaningful work could take place as the administrative support to it was not provided until as recently as 2021. Since then, however, the Department has been able to undertake multiple exercises to understand the shortcomings and the issues faced by people in accessing education, specifically by the tribals. A major bottleneck has been the lack of funds with people to continue higher education. The administration reviewed the scholarship available to the students and increased it by more than 100 per cent. Further, a lot of tribes that had been ignored until recently, like the Gaddi-Sippi tribes, were also brought back into the fold with constant engagement. Apart from providing financial support, a significant step has been taken with respect to the increasing access towards educational courses. More than 300 courses have been added to the decade-old course list, which consisted of only 50 courses until recently. Even lodging facilities have been improved for transhumant children by approving the construction of about 30 hostels in the next few years compared to the existing 25 hostels that have been in place since independence. Therefore, the focus has largely been on making education as accessible as possible. The Government has provided micro-laptops, tablets and mini desktops loaded with pre-recorded lectures and other educational content to the residents of these hostels, so that they can pursue their courses no matter what the situation is outside. Alongside these, many other educational opportunities have arisen for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir as they have become eligible for benefits under various central laws. The Union Government has reserved seats for children from Jammu and Kashmir in several institutions across the nation. This reservation has directly benefitted the children as they now have the opportunity to receive the best education in different spheres that were out of reach for them earlier. The direct benefit of such reservation and other opportunities would go to those belonging to the lower & middle classes of society. The government runs a great number of Centre and state supported schemes, especially to emancipate the backward, marginalised, disadvantaged and underprivileged sections of the society, so that they are not deprived of education. It includes providing free education up to the college level, mobile institutions for the nomadic population, scholarships, free books and uniforms to deserving students. There are two new AIIMS, seven new medical colleges, two State cancer institutes and 15 nursing colleges have been set up and operationalised recently. Intake capacity of 854 seats was added, which includes 600 MBBS, 50 PG courses, 26 BDS, 38 MDS and 140 DNB as per report. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu have also been made functional. The number of government degree colleges/engineering colleges has increased from 96 to 147. The administration has been highly sensitive to the toll of the pandemic on children, especially the school-going ones. With classes going online, many students -- especially the younger generation -- was finding it difficult to cope with the increasing pressure of virtual classes. The local administration paid heed to requests of children from around the state to reduce this burden on students. With the switch to online teaching and courses, the signal is clear - the physical and mental health/well-being of the students of the region is of paramount importance to the administration. With the renewed emphasis on the skilling, reskilling and upskilling of the youth of the region, the Government has been able to create jobs that did not exist earlier. With rising education rates and possible opportunities, the youth would find themselves incentivised to create a better future for themselves, their families and their children further ahead. There is hope and there is a better future ahead. London, Aug 2 : One in five nightclubs in Britain has closed over the past three years after the sector was badly hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the government has been urged to intervene "before it's too late". The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has shared figures which suggest the pandemic and current economic pressures have taken a heavy toll on nightclubs across Britain, dpa news agency reported on Tuesday. NTIA, a trade body representing businesses in the night-time economy, raised concerns about the latest CGA statistics, which state there are only 1,130 nightclubs left in England, Wales and Scotland. CGA, a data and research consultancy for the food and drinks market, recorded that there were 1,446 nightclubs in Britain in December 2019 and 1,924 in December 2014, according to the data shared by NTIA. NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said: "Late-night economy businesses were one of the quickest sectors to rebound during the financial crash many years ago, harbouring an abundance of resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. "It's without a doubt that these businesses, particularly nightclubs, have a huge part to play in the regeneration of high streets in towns and cities across the UK. "Beyond the generation of footfall through trade, domestic and international visitors to clubs support the local economy in secondary and tertiary purchases through accommodation, travel and retail. "It is also key to recognize that these businesses play a key part in people's decision-making process, from choosing a university or college to influencing investment choices for businesses relocating or expanding, to accommodate for a young workforce, not forgetting the important part they play in people's physical, mental and social wellbeing. "The government needs to recognize the economic, cultural, and community value of clubs and the wider night-time economy. "We must protect these businesses, using every means possible, and recognise their importance before it's too late." A Treasury spokesman said: "We've stood behind the hospitality sector throughout the pandemic with a 400 billion pounds ($487.83 billion) package of economy-wide support that saved millions of jobs and offered a lifeline to hundreds of night-time businesses up and down the country. "We also went long with that support through a Recovery Loan Scheme for nightclubs to grow and recover from unprecedented disruption. "And at the Spring Statement we went further, announcing a 1,000 pound increase to the Employment Allowance which will cut taxes for hundreds of thousands of businesses." Ahmedabad, Aug 2 : The Income Tax department has said that its searches on a leading business group in Gujarat, engaged in Textiles, chemicals, packaging, real estate and education sector, has led to detection of unaccounted transactions involving over Rs 1,000 crore so far. The searches, conducted at 58 premises spread over Kheda, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, lasted for about four to five days, the I-T department said in a statement on Tuesday. During the search, Rs 24 crore in cash and Rs 20 crore worth bullion (gold biscuits and other metals) and gold ornaments were also unearthed. Officers have found that the group was booking profits by manipulating share prices of its own listed companies. The officers have found substantial evidence in this connection. For evading tax, the group was raising fake bills, and making payments. Even in the real estate sector, benami transactions were found. Company has created a shell company in Kolkata. In huge amounts, cash withdrawals were made and black money was generated. Even the group's public limited companies' account books are shady, the statement added. Investigation is on. Bengaluru, Aug 2 : HDFC Bank Parivartan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) under which the former has pledged Rs 107.76 crore to support three wings of the latter's Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital, an official release from IISc stated on Tuesday. The three wings to be supported by the bank are the cardiology wing, radiology wing, and emergency medicine wing, the release said. IISc is setting up a multi-specialty, not-for-profit, 832-bed hospital, called the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital, along with a postgraduate medical school within its Bengaluru campus. The hospital is expected to be fully functional by the end of 2024 while the first batch of MD/PhD students will be admitted in 2025. HDFC Bank has partnered with IISc for the first time with the aim of improving the healthcare infrastructure in the region. As the direct impact of HDFC Bank's partnership with IISc within the first five years (2025-2029), the cardiology wing is expected to see about 1,83,000 patients in the outpatient section and 18,300 patients in the in-patient section and train at least 20 super specialist doctors. The radiology wing is expected to benefit an estimated 4,28,326 patients in the first five years and train 20 super specialist doctors. The emergency medicine wing will benefit 56,304 patients and train 50 super specialist doctors. "HDFC Bank's partnership with IISc Bangalore is aligned with our commitment to improve healthcare and medical infrastructure across the country," said Ashima Bhat, Group Head, ESG and CSR, Business Finance and Strategy, Administration and Infrastructure, HDFC Bank. Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director of IISc, said: "After pursuing excellence in science and engineering research for 113 years, IISc has embarked upon a new frontier of clinical research through the establishment of the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital and IISc Medical School." "We are thankful to HDFC Bank for being a major partner in this new initiative and providing support for the establishment of three important wings: cardiology, radiology, and emergency medicine at the hospital. We look forward to expanding this engagement with HDFC Bank in transforming the future of healthcare in this country." It was Bismil Azimabadi of Patna who wrote "Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai, dekhna ki zor kitna baazu-e-qatil mein hai" in 1921, and it was Ram Prasad Bismil who immortalised the lines. The poem became a war cry in India's freedom struggle against the British rule. Ram Prasad Bismil was himself a talented poet who wrote in Urdu and Hindi, under the pen names Ram, Agyat and Bismil. He was also the founding member of Hindustan Republican Association (that became Hindustan Socialist Republican Association) whose more popular revolutionary members were Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad. Ram Prasad Bismil was born on June 11, 1887, in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district. His parents were Murlidhar and Moolmati. As a child, Bismil witnessed the brutal atrocities that Britain's colonial rule kept inflicting on Indians. He was deeply affected and began leaning towards revolutionary ideals. He also mastered the art of wielding firearms and then joined hands with Bengali revolutionaries Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Jadugopal Mukherjee to set up Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organisation in north India that had vowed to set India free from the shackles of British rule. Bismil borrowed money from his patriotic mother, Moolmati, to write and publish his books 'Deshvasiyon Ke Naam', 'Swadeshi Rang', 'Man Ki Lahar' and 'Swadhinta Ki Devi' to draw public attention to their cause and bring in much-needed money. This was also when he met and became close friends with other leading figures of the revolutionary freedom struggle such as Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri. Bismil played a key role in bringing dynamic youngsters like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh into the folds of HRA, which later became Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). In fact, it was Bismil who named Chandra Shekhar Azad 'Quick Silver', in honour of his agility, restlessness and ever-present enthusiasm for new ideas. Bismil's shared a life-long bond with Ashfaqullah Khan. The two shared a common ideology, ideals and deep-rooted patriotism. They lived together, worked together and always had each other's back. In his autobiography, Bismil dedicated an entire chapter to Ashfaqullah Khan. Both played key roles in the famous Kakori train robbery of 1925. Realising that organising a revolution to overthrow the British required funds to procure weapons and train men, HRA's core leadership decided to loot the colonial government's treasury. On August 9, 1925, as the No. 8 Down Train from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow was approaching Kakori, Ashfaqullah pulled the chain in the second-class compartment. The train stopped abruptly and he then got off with his friends Sachindra Bakshi and Rajendra Lahiri, after doing the first part of his duty in the Kakori plot. The trio then joined other revolutionaries from HRA in subduing the train's guard and looting the official cash aboard it. The incident shook the roots of the British rulers and the colonial authorities arrested more than two dozen HRA members (including Bismil) within a month of the attack. During the trial that followed, four of the revolutionaries -- Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Nath Lahiri -- were sentenced to death and were sent to separate jails; others got prison terms. During his time in Barrack No. 11 of Lucknow Central Jail, Bismil wrote his autobiography (published by journalist Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi in 1928) which is still considered as one of the finest works in Hindi literature. It was also here that he came up with a song which went on to become one of the most iconic songs of the pre-Independence era. The song is "Mera rang de basanti chola". On December 19, 1927, Bismil wrote his last letter to his mother before calmly walking to the gallows. Hanged a few minutes later with the words 'Jai Hind' on his lips, he was cremated on the banks of Rapti river. Hundreds of Indians mourned the loss of an inspiring leader. Thus, ended the life of one of India's most extraordinary freedom fighters. Interestingly, few know that he realised that he will not see independent India in his life time. Bismil had penned a poem, wishing to be reborn to serve his motherland again. Kolkata, Aug 2 : Partha Chatterjee, tainted in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) crore scam, on Tuesday afternoon felt the heat of the public rage when a middle-aged woman hurled her slipper at him. The incident took place while Chatterjee was being taken out of the ESI Hospital in Joka in the southern outskirts of Kolkata, where he was brought for a routine check-up. However, the foot-wear hurled by Subhra Ghorui did not hit the former minister. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and the accompanying central armed forces sleuths quickly pushed Chatterjee in the vehicle and left the hospital. Later, the woman told the mediapersons that she would have been happier had the slipper hit Chatterjee. "I came to the ESI hospital for my own treatment. People like Partha Chatterjee have minted crores of rupees. He owns several flats in Kolkata. But whenever he is brought to the hospital for medical check-up, police cordon the entire hospital area in such a manner that it causes immense inconvenience to the common patients. This irritated me today and I hurled the slipper. Had you all been happy, had I garlanded and welcomed him?" she asked. The police detained her briefly and questioned her. BJP state spokesman in West Bengal Shamik Bhattacharya said that although he does not support such acts, but it is evident that the rage of public in general is reaching such a stage, its reflections were evident in that incident. Similar reaction was given by the CPI(M) central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty, who said that it is unfortunate for the state that a former minister has shamed the state to such an extent that public anger is reaching such a stage. "Though I do not support the action of hurling foot-wears, at the same time it is a reflection of public rage," he said. Trinamool Congress leaders were tight-lipped till the time the report was filed. Chennai, Aug 2 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday said that an estimated amount of Rs 20,000 crore would be required for the second airport in Chennai, to come up at Parandur. The new Parandur greenfield airport and the existing Mennambakkam airport will function simultaneously, he said, in a press statement. The new airport will have terminals that can handle 10 crore passengers in a year, two runways, aprons, taxiways, cargo, and various other facilities, he said, adding that the final cost for the airport will be arrived at after a detailed project report (DPR) is prepared. Land acquisition and other steps would be taken only after the site clearance is submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. After this, the state will approach the Central government for 'In-Principle' approval for the project. The Ministry has sanctioned the construction of a second airport in Chennai. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : The teasers of Vyjayanthi Movies 'Sita Ramam', point to costumes that are subtle, complement the storyline, and reflect the old-world charm of the era in which the story unfolds. All this is thanks to Designer Sheetal Sharma who has designed for many films, including 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' in recent times. It was a call from the producer Swapna Dutt that set the ball rolling in February 2021, after which the director outlined his requirements, says Sheetal Sharma. "Director Hanu was very clear on the thought process, he likes authenticity yet gives space to experiment, his vision was so clear. He wanted the old world charm and the lost beauty of 50s and 60s, so yes there was a lot of research as it's also a story of a soldier, so he wanted the uniforms to look apt and correct. With the help of my team we started lining up the process, the costume design in Sita Ramam is extremely narrative based and even the colour pallet is purely through the narrative," Sheetal recalls. Period movies can be challenging from a costume designer's point of view. But Sheetal stuck to authenticity for creating the perfect looks for Mrunal, Rashmika and Dulquer Salmaan. "All 3 characters intervened with each other in the span of 2 decades. 60s to 80s, so each character's look was based on those eras and hence again with research and keeping the characters real to the space and time added a lot of beauty with simplicity. The camera work, art and production design, has further added an amazing old world charm and beauty in every frame," Sheetal explains. With 'Sita Ramam' poised for theatrical release, its design aesthetic is set to play a crucial factor with the movie shot in diverse locales like Kashmir and Gujarat, feels the designer. "Sita Ramam is a love story and it's one of those very rare films made today where it takes you to the world that existed before. Love in those days was more eternal unlike now, the emotions in the story are so strong and very relatable. For a film with such emotions, I feel design and colours play a very important part and there are senses that will literally give you goosebumps and tears in the eyes. Hence, aesthetics also plays an equally important role. I feel great to be a part of such a film, Hanu explained it so well and I love how Swapna Dutt has the aesthetics of understanding how simplicity can add beauty." Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, this romantic drama set against the backdrop of war follows the love story between a soldier played by Dulquer Salmaan and his lady love, played by Mrunal Thakur. Rashmika Mandanna plays a very significant role as Afreen in Sita Ramam. Ahead of the release, the makers have shared some awe-inspiring character posters of actors Dulquer Salmaan as Lieutenant Ram, Mrunal Thakur, as the charming Sita, Rashmika Mandanna as the rebellious Afreen and Tharun Bhascker as Balaji which has created a lot of buzz and anticipation among the movie audiences. Backed by Ashwini Dutt and Priyanka Dutt under the banner of Swapna Cinema, Sita Ramam is being presented by Vyjayanthi Movies and features Sumanth, Gautam Menon and Prakash Raj in important roles. The film features camerawork by PS Vinod and Vishal Chandrasekhar is rendering the music. Sita Ramam will arrive in theatres worldwide on August 5 this year, in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. US Ambassador to Bahrain Steven C Bondy was briefed on the work undertaken by Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) during a visit to the institute. The ambassador was received by Danat CEO Noora Jamsheer and several of the institute's staff. The ambassador toured the institute and was briefed on Danat's work in terms of research, educational programmes and other activities. Ambassador Bondy viewed a presentation on the initiatives launched by Danat as part of Bahrain's strategy to boost the pearl industry in the kingdom. He was also informed about Danats role in enhancing the reputation of the kingdom as a leading pearls and gemstones centre, and its continuous efforts in promoting Bahraini pearl heritage and a sustainable marine environment. Ahmedabad, Aug 2 : Around 8,500 village panchayat executive heads Tuesday declared an indefinite strike to press for their long pending demands which include pay revision and recruitment. Their demands include making them permanent employees on fixed salary, not to burden them with additional work and to give benefits of revenue talatis to panchayat talatis. In a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, the State Talati Mantri Mahamandal had said that there demands have been pending for nine long months. Despite reaching a settlement with the government, no concrete steps has been taken till now, it lamented. According to them, while interacting with the media, Panchayat Minister Brijesh Merja in Rajkot had promised to make new recruitment soon and that the government is keen to resolve the issues of panchayat officials. Since the approval of the finance department is mandatory on the issue of grade pay, the panchayat department is negotiating it, they were told. Vice-President of Gujarat State Talati Mahamandal Chirag Geraiya said that there are approximately more than 10,000 panchayat employees are working in the state. For the last many years, no positive approach is being shown by the government regarding our various demands. In 2018, when the strike was called off by the panchayat enployees, after being assured that the issues would be resolved. In 2021, when Bhupendra Patel was appointed as the new Chief Minister, the strike was called off by the government saying that the issues would be resolved. And at the Rajkot Taluka Panchayat office, throwing the keys of the Gram Panchayat office on the ground, we are staying away from work. Scores of letters were written to the authorties highlighting their plight. When all their requests and demands fell on deaf ears, a meeting of the Talati Mantri Council was held on July 9. In the meeting, the executive heads decided to go on an indefinite strike from August 2. They will boycott all programmes except paying full respect to the national flag in the 'Ghar Ghar Tiranga Yatra' from August 13 to 15. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Mobile companies Oppo India, Xiaomi India and Vivo India have been served notices by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for duty evasion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. A show-cause notice demanding Rs 4,403.88 crore has been served to Oppo Mobiles India Ltd based on an investigation conducted by the DRI, while five cases of Customs duty evasion have been registered against Xiaomi Technology India, Sitharaman said in a written reply. The reply also noted that investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that Vivo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd has remitted an amount of Rs 0.62 lakh crore mainly to China and its controlled territories, out of their total sales of Rs 1.25 lakh crore during the period between July 2017 and March 2021, which works out to 49.91 per cent. From 2019 to 2022, in respect of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), cases against 43 other such companies have been booked. As regards to Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), probe agencies have undertaken search and seizure actions against five groups pertaining to the telecom sector, in which tax evasion has been detected, the minister said. Bhubaneswar, Aug 2 : The economic offence wing of Odisha police has arrested Neerav Gupta, a chartered accountant (CA) for his alleged involvement in an illegal loan app case, police said on Tuesday. Gupta, a resident of Gurugram, was arrested from Paschim Vihar, West police station area of New Delhi on July 30 this year. After producing him before the court of chief metropolitan magistrate, Tis Hazari court, New Delhi, Gupta was brought to Bhubaneswar on transit remand, the EOW officials said. The arrest was made on the basis of investigation carried out into an allegation of one Sakti Prasad Dash of Bhubaneswar regarding the harassment and mental torture by the recovery agents of the loan app Kredit Gold by sending him abusive messages and morphed photographs, etc. According to police officials, Dash after downloading the loan app received the instant loan amount of Rs. 9,000 that was credited to his account. Only after four days, he received whatsApp messages/calls to pay back Rs. 15,627. Thereafter, he received calls and messages from different mobile numbers which were traced to be the number of a company namely Good Start Business Pvt Ltd, the director of which is Nitin Malik, they said. The EOW has already arrested Nitin in this case. CA Neerav Gupta has opened a lot of shell companies purposefully to be used by the Chinese nationals to facilitate the cash transaction relating to the digital lending apps. Gupta has received Rs. 30 lakh from the Chinese nationals for selling the shell companies to facilitate the business of loan apps, the EOW officials informed. The accused was also not only registering the shell companies but also arranging the directors for the companies for a nominal salary, they added. The international gang is running at least 10 such illegal loan apps and there are more than one lakh downloads of the Kredit Gold app alone. Chennai, Aug 2 : Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday thanked his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin for allocating free land for the construction of a government guest house. The guest house is to be constructed for patients who are reaching the Christian Medical College, Vellore at their Vellore and Ranipet district campuses. The Tamil Nadu government allocated 10,000 sq feet of land in Rabakkam village, Wallahaj Taluk in Ranipet district free of cost to the Nagaland government to construct the state guest house. "I write this letter to express my since gratitude and thanks for allocating 10,000 sq ft land in Ranipet district to the Nagaland government for constructing a guest house to accommodate patients from Nagaland who are reaching Tamil Nadu for treatment," Rio said in a letter to Stalin. Chandigarh, Aug 2 : Describing the decision of the Central government to levy Goods and Service Tax (GST) on the 'sarais' in the vicinity of the supreme Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple, in Amritsar as an irrational decision, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday demanded that it should be rolled back. In a statement here, the Chief Minister condemned the decision to levy the GST on the 'sarais' of the Golden Temple. He said the 'sarais', including Guru Gobind Singh NRI Niwas, Baba Deep Singh Niwas and Mata Bhag Kaur Niwas, are associated with the Golden Temple. Mann said these 'sarais' are meant for the accommodation of the devotees visiting the holy shrine and have always been an integral part of the gurdwara complex. The Chief Minister said since decades these 'sarais' have been providing a comfortable stay to the devotees arriving at Sri Darbar Sahib on a no-profit basis. He said the levying of GST on room charges will lead to higher tariffs, putting a huge burden on the pilgrims who come to Sri Darbar Sahib for paying obeisance from across the globe. A sea of devotees throng the Golden Temple to offer prayers throughout the year. Jammu, Aug 2 : J&K's Additional Director General of Police, Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh on Tuesday held a meeting with officials of security agencies including army, BSF and paramilitary forces, and the civil administration to discuss the security arrangements in Jammu in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations, officials said. "During the meeting, a detailed briefing of was given by SSP Jammu/SSP Security through Power Point presentation regarding proposed deployment by district police and security wing at and around venues and in Jammu district for smooth and peaceful conduct of the Independence Day celebrations," police said. "Thereafter, a detailed briefing was given by all officers present in the meeting on overall security assessment and emerging threat perception." A police statement said ADGP Jammu Zone, in his address, highlighted the latest trends in terror activities and urged each agency to work towards mitigating the threat. He stressed on anti-drone measures, border deployment grid, launching of offensive operation in Rajouri and Kishtwar, besides preventive measures in other districts. Setting up joint 'nakas' (checkposts) at vulnerable locations and at inter district boundaries was also stressed upon. "While maintaining high level of alertness and while preparing for August 15, he stressed that we should also ensure peaceful culmination of Amarnath Yatra. He also stressed on implementing the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' programme and suggested that the Bands of the army, BSF, CRPF and J&K Police should perform every day at important locations within Jammu city and distribute national flags to public who gather for the band performance," it said. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to set up a bench to consider a clutch of pleas against the Karnataka High Court judgment, which upheld the right of educational institutions to ban wearing of hijab in pre-university colleges in the state. As counsel mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, he said: "I will constitute a bench. One of the judges is not well." Counsel urged the top court to fix a date in the matter, as petitions against the high court judgment were filed in March. On July 13, advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ramana, saying the petitions have not been listed for a long time. "The girls are losing out on their studies. This matter was filed long back," he said. The Chief Justice replied that it will be listed sometime next week. Bhushan mentioned the matter on behalf of the appellants who have challenged the high court verdict in the top court. On March 24, the Supreme Court declined to give any specific date to hear a plea challenging the Karnataka High Court order, which dismissed all petitions seeking direction for permission to wear hijab in classrooms. Senior advocate Devadutt Kamat mentioned one of the cases on behalf of a petitioner, a Muslim girl student, and sought urgent listing of the matter. He insisted that exams are approaching and urged the court to hold an urgent hearing on the matter. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ramana, however, said this has nothing to do with exams, and told Kamat not to sensationalise the matter. Kamat contended that the girl students are not being allowed to enter the schools, and they will lose one year. However, the bench moved on to the next item. On March 16, the Supreme Court had declined to grant an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the high court order, which held that wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith. New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi in the case of illegal coal mining by Anup Majee and others. In the supplementary charge sheet, Gurupada Maji and 6 companies controlled by him have been arraigned as accused. Gurupada Maji was arrested by the ED on May 26 and he is currently in judicial custody. On July 25, the supplementary complaint was placed before the court and after taking cognizance of it, Gurupada Maji was produced before the court. In this case the first prosecution complaint was filed on May 13, 2021 against Vikas Mishra and Ashok Kumar Mishra. Both of them were also arrested by the ED. The ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by the CBI against Anup Majee, several officials of ECL and other public servants and private persons for illegal excavation and theft of coal from the leasehold area of ECL in active connivance with the officials of ECL, CISF, Railways and other departments. The total proceeds of crime identified till date in the case amount to Rs 2742.32 crore. Till now, POC to the tune of Rs. 204.64 have already been attached by ED vide seven provisional attachment orders and three persons have been arrested. Further investigation in the matter is on. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : The recently-released 'Ramarao On Duty' can be considered as the biggest failure in Ravi Tejas' career, because Sudhakar Cherukuri, the film's producer, has lost a huge amount, which is vested in for the action drama. However, Ravi Teja seems to have assured to compensate the losses. It is reported that, in order to compensate the huge losses, the 'Bhadra' actor told the 'Ramarao On Duty's producer that he would star in another movie under his banner without accepting payment. For the time being, this has been a big relief for the producer. Ravi Teja, who has dropped back-to-back flops, is being blamed for his hasty decisions regarding his movies. His fans are also bashing him on the social media. Some of them went forward to pen down an open letter, in which they remind him to be extra cautious about his story selection. All eyes are currently focused on the actor's next films, 'Tiger Nageswara Rao', 'Dhamaka' and 'Ravanasura'. With these movies, Ravi Teja is trying to end his string of duds. He will also appear in the KS Ravindra-directed film 'Waltair Veerayya' starring Megastar Chiranjeevi. New Delhi, Aug 2 : India and the Maldives on Tuesday signed six pacts in the field of cyber security, capacity building, housing, disaster management and infrastructure development. After holding talks with the visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Threat of crime, terrorism and drug trafficking is serious in the Indian Ocean and close India-Maldives ties were important for peace in the entire region." President Solih, who is on a four-day visit to India, said he and Prime Minister Modi have reiterated their firm commitment to combat the menace of terrorism. Asserting that the India-Maldives relations are beyond diplomacy, Solih said that his country will remain a true friend of India. In a joint press statement, Solih said, "This visit is a confirmation of close ties between the two nations." Modi said that despite challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, cooperation between countries is taking a form of comprehensive partnership. He said that India has been the first country to respond to any need or crisis of the Maldives. He underlined that India-Maldives partnership is not only working for the betterment of the people of both the nations but also becoming a source of stability. Besides participating in official programmes in New Delhi, Solih will also visit Mumbai for participating in business events. The island nation is India's key neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in India's Neighbourhood First Policy. In the past few years, overall bilateral relation between the two nations have witnessed a rapid growth. Radisson Hotel Group is set to realize a four-fold growth of its footprint in Vietnam by opening a dedicated representative office and significantly boosting its portfolio of properties in the country by 2025. This widespread expansion plan will see the Group create inspiring options for every visitor to Vietnam, helping business and leisure travellers reach vibrant towns and cities, beautiful beachfront resorts and other scenic destinations all across the country. Furthermore, the Groups revitalized brand architecture, which now encompasses nine distinct brands ranging from midscale to luxury, will allow Radisson Hotel Groups partners to cater to the specific requirements of various guest segments. Through this clear brand segmentation, Radisson Hotel Group is now ready to meet the evolving needs of todays travellers. In the post-pandemic era, Forbes has identified three key travel trends for 2022, including a desire for authentic local experiences, sustainable travel, and a renewed focus on family stays. In Vietnam, these factors are also being influenced by the emergence of new, unexplored destinations that create outstanding opportunities for curious travellers and forward-thinking developers. Radisson Hotel Groups portfolio of brands will leverage these travel trends. For example, Radisson Collection, the unique collection of iconic properties, and Radisson Individuals, the new affiliation brand that celebrates individuality, both showcase the unique characteristics of their destinations, while Radisson Blu, the memorable, stylish and purposeful upper-upscale brand, and Radisson, the flagship upscale brand promises genuine hospitality and relaxing spaces that are perfect for business and leisure travellers including families. Radisson RED has the potential to drive rapid expansion in the market, appealing to the millennial minded by delivering a playful twist on conventional hotel stays with stylish spaces and standout design. Each of these brands offer an excellent, intuitive option for Vietnams diverse destinations, including its established and emerging locations. As a responsible business, the Group is committed to its corporate responsibility targets of being net-zero by 2050 and is driving eco-sensitive operations and creating sustainable experiences to help owners achieve greater efficiencies. With a defined brand architecture with clear segmentation and a robust global network, Radisson Hotel Group can customize its development strategy and partnerships to suit the unique needs of its owners and investors, while also creating outstanding options for its guests. This commitment to supporting the future of travel and hospitality in Vietnam is being reinforced by the launch of a Business Unit and representative office in Ho Chi Minh City. This dedicated office will offer expert on-the-ground support to owners in Vietnam, developing long-standing relationships based on trust, responsibility, and accountability. Currently, Radisson Hotel Group operates four properties in Vietnam Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh, Radisson Blu Resort Phu Quoc, Radisson Resort Phan Thiet and Radisson Hotel Danang with six more in the pipeline. The ambitious plan to add 20 properties by 2025 is part of the Groups strategy to tap into Vietnams rapidly rebounding tourism industry to craft exciting new experiences for guests. Ramzy Fenianos, Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group, commented on the plans in Vietnam: Vietnam is a dynamic destination that has offerings for all types of travellers. Over the past few months, the country has shown signs of continued recovery, particularly in the tourism sector, as it reopens its borders to visitors from around the world. Looking ahead, we expect visitor numbers to increase significantly in the coming months and we look forward to working with our partners to bring new experiences to life for travellers from around the region and globally. David Nguyen, Managing Director, Indochina and Strategic Partnerships, SE Asia & Pacific, added: Radisson Hotel Groups commitment to Vietnam is part of the Groups strategic growth plans for APAC, and my team and I look forward to working with partners in Vietnam to further expand our portfolio to be ready for, and help to fuel the tourism rebound. TradeArabia News Service New Delhi, Aug 2 : BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Tuesday appealed to citizens to unfurl 'Tricolour' on top of their houses, outside apartments and establishments for three days from August 13-15 to fulfil the wish and appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an open appeal to citizens, Nadda mentioned that the entire country is celebrating 'Amrit Mahotsav' to mark the completion of 75 years of our Independence and the country is remembering great freedom fighters and martyrs this year. "We all together taking all efforts to make this occasion historic and memorable. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has planned a series of programmes and functions to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. These programmes showcase our nationalism; it reflects our commitment and dedication for our motherland," he said. Nadda further mentioned that Prime Minister wants to make the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal' a memorable one for every Indian, therefore it has been decided to celebrate the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' programme from August 13 to 15 where every citizen will unfurl national flag atop their houses across the country for three days. The BJP chief said: "Our national flag, our tricolour is our honour, our pride and our glory. "It is not just a flag; it is a symbol of our great struggle for the freedom of the country. Lakhs of citizens gave their supreme sacrifices in our freedom struggles. It is due to the sacrifices and struggles of crores of our freedom fighters that today we are living in a free country. India is free today because of the sacrifices of our freedom fighters and martyrs. "It is my appeal to all the citizens to make this programme a huge success by showcasing their true feelings of nationalism and their love and affection for our great nation. We should all become part of this unique initiative to showcase our love and respect for our Tricolour. We have made arrangements of crores of Tricolour which will be hoisted on top of houses and buildings across the country." Nadda also appealed to citizens to use our tricolour as the DP (Display Picture) in all profiles of social media accounts from today (Tuesday) till August 15. "For next fortnight, our national flag should be the profile picture of our social media accounts, that is my humble appeal to all my brothers and sisters," the BJP chief said. He expressed confidence that all citizens of India will make the celebrations of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' memorable and historic. "We all will unfurl our national flag on top of our houses, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Kutch to Kamrup, to express our feelings of nationalism and patriotism. It will be our true tributes to all our great leaders and freedom fighters who all laid down their lives and sacrificed everything for our Independence," Nadda added. Bengaluru, Aug 2 : Five people were killed in rain-related incidents in Karnataka on Tuesday as downpour continued to batter parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for three more days in 12 districts of the state. Four people of a family were killed after a portion of hill collapsed on their house following heavy rains in Muttalli village of Bhatkal taluk in Uttara Kannada district. The bodies of four persons were pulled out and the deceased were identified as Lakshmi Narayana Naik (60), his daughter Lakshmi (45), son Anantha Narayana Naik (38) and nephew Praveen Ramakrishna Naik (16). National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force faced tough time in reaching the spot as proper road connectivity was lacking. As many as 300 houses in Uttara Kannada district are inundated and people have been evacuated to safer locations by authorities. The district administration has opened relief centres to provide food and shelter to the flash floods-affected people. In another incident, a bike rider was washed away in the flash floods in Kalaburagi district. The authorities have launched a search operation but are yet to recover the body and track identity. Capital Bengaluru is receiving incessant rainfall throughout the day. A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar met Governor and submitted a memorandum sanding a 'wer-deougjt' to be declared along with other releifs, for the flood-hit regions of the state Image Source: IANS News A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar met Governor and submitted a memorandum sanding a 'wer-deougjt' to be declared along with other releifs, for the flood-hit regions of the state Image Source: IANS News A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar met Governor and submitted a memorandum sanding a 'wer-deougjt' to be declared along with other releifs, for the flood-hit regions of the state Image Source: IANS News A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar met Governor and submitted a memorandum sanding a 'wer-deougjt' to be declared along with other releifs, for the flood-hit regions of the state Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Aug 2 : A delegation of Opposition leaders led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar on Tuesday called on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and urged him to declare a 'wet-drought' in many of the flood-ravaged Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Governor with a list of demands to expedite relief to the farmers and villagers hit by the fury of floods. "The government must announce an assistance of Rs 75,000/hectrare to all farmers affected by heavy rains or floods and immediate aid of Rs 1.50 lakh/hectare to all farmers who have suffered damages to their fruit orchards," said Pawar. The Opposition demanded waiver of education fees for all students in traditional and professional colleges in these areas for the academic year 2022-2023. Since a large number of farm labourers in Vidarbha-Marathwada region are on the verge of starvation due to lack of work and wages since the past two-three weeks, the government should consider their plight and provide a one-time help to them. Pawar said that paddy is the main cultivation of the people in the tribal areas and the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had extended subsidies to the tribals last year, and urged the present government to provide similar subsidies on priority even this year. The Leader of Opposition recounted his experiences during the 4-day tour of the flood-hit regions when he witnessed farmlands eroded or washed out and covered with silt, making the lands infertile and unfit for agriculture for several years and concrete measures must be taken restore these lands at the earlier with adequate financial assistance. The flood waters accumulated in fields and orchards has led to massive damage to cash crops like soyabean, sugarcane, bananas and other fruits resulting in a crisis of sowing this year and the farmers must be given options for re-sowing in a short span during the current crop season, said Pawar. Many drinking water and agriculture wells have collapsed, washed out or got exhausted due to clogging and they must be allowed repairs under the government scheme of MNREGA. Ditto is the situation with drip irrigation with the irrigation sets washed out in the floods, many have been damaged and the farmers should be given subsidies to reinstall them on an urgent basis. Besides a large number of domestic and farm animals have been washed away or perished, and help must be given to their owners on priority. There has been a huge damage to the roads and bridges infrastructure in the Vidarbha-Marathwada regions with most rural, district and other major roads in a terrible condition that has left many villages cut off from the local administration and urged these roads to be repaired by the government. The Opposition delegation also demanded urgent repairs to the collapsed power distribution system, the crisis arising out of loans availed by the farmers for the Kharif season and demanded a complete waives of these debts, rebuilding the damaged or destroyed homes and barns of the villagers, plus the schools, colleges or government buildings that have been hit in many areas. Pawar has also slammed the government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the huge delay in expanding the cabinet that has left the state administration paralysed and neglecting the immediate needs of the flood-hit farmers and villagers. New Delhi, Aug 2 : A Delhi court has granted bail to Congress' Karnataka unit chief D.K. Shivakumar and others in connection with a 2018 money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Special Judge Vikas Dhull of Rouse Avenue Court Complex allowed the bail applications filed by Shivakumar, entrepreneur Sachin Narayan, transport owner Sunil Kumar Sharma, Karnataka Bhavan employee Haumanthaiah, and Rajendra N. on personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with one surety each of the like amount. The court also asked them not to leave the country without prior permission of the court and shall not try to tamper with the evidence or influence any witness. During the course of the hearing, the petitioners pointed out that Shivakumar has already been released on bail by the Delhi High Court and even the challenge made by the ED before the Supreme Court stands dismissed. The ED had alleged that, during the regime of Congress, when Shivakumar was a Cabinet Minister in the state, he had generated a huge amount of illegal and unaccounted cash and criminal conspiracy was hatched with other co-accused persons for tax evasion and the tainted cash transported from Bengaluru to Delhi. The Income Tax Department had conducted search and seizure operation on August 2, 2017 at various properties in Delhi belong to the accused persons and during the course of search, unaccounted cash of Rs 8,59,69,100 was seized, the probe agency stated. Counsel for the petitioners submitted, with regard to ED's recovery of unaccounted cash and tax violation under the Income Tax Act, 1961 is not an offence which is included in the schedule to the PMLA, therefore, it is not "proceeds of crime" and there is likelihood of present offence of money laundering being quashed. "In these circumstances, putting the accused behind bars while dismissing his bail application would be grave injustice," counsel argued. The court noted that the accused persons have been charge-sheeted without arrest and they had joined and cooperated in the investigation. "... in the opinion of this court, for the applicability of twin conditions of Section 45 of PMLA for deciding the bail applications, the accused should be in the custody of the investigating agency. If the investigating agency itself took a conscious decision that it was not a fit case to arrest accused persons during investigation, then simply on filing of the charge sheet before a court, the accused cannot be taken into custody, by applying twin conditions of Section 45 of PMLA," the court said in the order. Bhopal, Aug 2 : After the process of electing presidential candidates in panchayat bodies (Zila and Janpad) got over last week, political parties have geared up for grabbing the posts of president and vice-president (Adhyaksh and Upadhyaksh) in municipalities and city councils. These elections (panchayats) are held without parties' symbols and members have been elected during three-phase polls held recently. Now, the members of municipalities and city councils will vote to elect the president and vice president. Meanwhile, the officials in municipalities and city councils have received a form, which sought detailed information of elected members (parishads/councillors). The officials have been asked to fill these forms with the information of elected members, such as what type of business they operate? Are they involved in criminal activities? With whom are they in touch with? This form seeks information such as the name of the member, mobile number, occupation, information regarding whether anyone has indulged in illegal encroachment, any FIR against member, and under whose influence the particular member is etc. But, what is surprising is that form (IANS has accessed through its sources) clearly mentioned that, "Submit details of members, except BJP supported members." Also, it does not specify which department has sought these details. It mentioned that the officials of each municipality have to fill in these details and submit it by July 31. The officials were asked to submit these details on WhatsApp number (9111132011) or via email - (ministerphoneoperator.@gmail.com). The Madhya Pradesh Congress alleged that the ruling BJP has sought this information to pressurise members to support its supported candidates for the president posts. A delegation of the MP Congress leaders had also approached the State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday. "This an attempt to pressurise elected members to vote for BJP supported president and vice-president. Why were BJP supported members exempted from it, because they will be exposed," MP Congress media in-charge K. K. Mishra said. Besides a total 16 municipal corporations, Madhya Pradesh has 75 municipalities and 255 city councils. IANS contacted the MP BJP office for a reply on this issue. An office-bearer said, "MP BJP is not aware of such a form." However, when contacted on given number (9111132011), a person replied claiming he is Ravi Dangi, an agent of LIC in Bhopal. He said that he has received several calls in the last two days regarding the same. Chennai, Aug 2 : Tamil Nadu's Water Resources Department has issued the first and second flood warnings to people living on the banks of river Vaigai as water level in the Vaigai dam touched 69 feet on Tuesday. A Water Resources Department official told IANS that once the water level touches 70 feet, they would release water. The Vaigai dam was receiving 2,630 cusecs of water as on Tuesday morning and officials said that the water may be released any time if the water level rises further. The water level at the Mullaperiyar dam is at 134.65 feet and the inflow was 2,602 cusecs while 1866 cusecs were being released into the Vaigai dam. With heavy rains in Kerala's Idukki district, the catchment areas of the Mullaperiyar dam in Periyar and Thekkadi received 48.6 mm and 42.22 mm rains, respectively. Madurai District Collector Anish Shakar told media persons that 30 low-lying areas were identified in the district and were being monitored as the water level in the Vaigai dam was rising. He also said that inter-departmental committees were monitoring 33 water bodies to prevent any eventualities as rains continue to lash the catchment areas of the Mullaperiyar dam and water level in Vaigai was rising. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : Demolition of a mosque by the municipal authorities at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Tuesday triggered protests. Masjid-e-Khaja Mahmood in Green Avenue colony was demolished by the municipal staff early morning amid heavy police presence. The incident led to strong protest by local Muslim residents and leaders of various parties. Leaders of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) lodged their protest. MBT leader Amjedullah Khan said the mosque was constructed three years ago and daily five times namaz including Friday prayers were being performed regularly. He pointed out that Green Avenue Colony on 15 acres of land was plotted and sold after due permission from Shamshad Grampanchayat. Two plots of 250 square yards were marked as a site for masjid. A person, whose house is beside the mosque, had, along with some other residents, complained to Shamshad Municipal authorities against the construction of the mosque. The MBT leader said though the case was in the court, the municipal authorities resorted to demolition, hurting the religious sentiments. AIMIM's local leaders also staged a sit-in at the municipal office. They demanded action against the officials responsible for demolition and immediate reconstruction of the mosque. Police later arrested the protesters who were led by AIMIM incharge of Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency, Mirza Rahmath Baig. Muslim leaders have condemned the demolition and urged the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to take immediate action against those responsible. MBT leader Khan said that the TRS government headed by KCR has been following in the footsteps of BJP's Yogi government. He alleged since the TRS party came to power in 2014, six mosques were demolished in Telangana. He questioned the silence of those Muslims organisations and politicians who claim KCR as a secular leader. He said the demolition was carried out by the Municipal Department headed by KCR's son K.T. Rama Rao. Birmingham, Aug 2 : India weightlifter Punam Yadav failed to clinch her third consecutive Commonwealth Games medal as she finished last in the women's 76kg category final after failing in all her three clean and jerk attempts at the ongoing 2022 event, here on Tuesday. Punam, won the bronze medal in the 2014 CWG in the women's 63kg category and gold medal in the 69kg category in the 2018 at Gold Coast, started on a disappointing note as she failed to lift 95kg in her first attempt. However, she recovered well to successfully lift the same weight in her second attempt and then went on to equal her personal best and national record of 98kg in snatch in the final attempt to keep herself in a medal hunt. She was placed second after the completion of snatch with Canada's Maya Laylor at the top with a lift of 100kg. But the clean and jerk turned out to be an anti-climax for Punam. Just like her first attempt in snatch, Punam faltered in her first clean and jerk attempt failing to lift 116kg. But unlike the first round, she could not recover in the next two attempts. Punam, the reigning CWG champion, eventually lifted 116kg in her third attempt, which could have given her a medal, but in a moment of brain fade, she let the bar go before the down-signal from the referees. And it was called a 'no-lift' by the jury. The Indian looked distraught and challenged the judge's decision after her final attempt, but it was rejected, ruling her out of the competition. Pre-tournament favourite Canada's Maya Laylor won the gold with a Games record of 228kg (100+128), while Nigeria's Taiwo Liadi bagged the silver with a total lift of 216kg (96+120). The bronze went to Maximina Uepa of Narau, who lifted 215kg (96+119). The 27-year-old, who has been gradually increasing her weight category in every CWG event, had re-launched her training stint within three months of giving birth to a girl in May 2020. Punam, who had built a gym at home in UP, gave birth to little Priyanshi in May 2020 in a government hospital. Though private hospitals recommended a caesarean operation, both her husband Dharamraj and Punam insisted on a natural birth to ensure that her weightlifting career was not impacted. Latest updates on Commonwealth Games 2022 Jaipur, Aug 2 : Deaths of over 2,500 cattle heads due to lumpy skin disease in nine districts of Rajasthan has triggered panic across the desert state. According to a senior official in the animal husbandry department, "While over 2,500 cattle heads have died due to the viral disease, around 50,000 more have been infected. The viral infection has already spread to nine districts, mostly adjoining Gujarat which has become the epicentre of the disease." The nine districts from where cattle deaths have been reported are Barmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pali, Ganganagar, Nagaur, Siorhi and Jaisalmer. "There is no vaccination available for the disease which is being treated based on symptoms. The first batch of cases were reported from Jaisalmer in May, where the situation seems to be under control now," the official said. A team of scientists and veterinary doctors from the Centre visited Jodhpur and Nagaur on Monday to take stock of the situation. Senior officials confirmed that the team will also visit Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jalore, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Sirohi. An alert has been issued in Dungarpur, Banswara, Udaipur, Rajsamand and the districts adjoining the Gujarat border. The viral disease spreads through bloodsucking insects, certain species of flies and through contaminated food and water. It causes acute fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, salivation, soft blister-like nodules all over the body, marked reduction in milk yield and difficulty in eating. The mortality rate for the contagion is 1.5 per cent. Meanwhile, state BJP chief Satish Poonia on Tuesday wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, urging him to take quick steps to check the virus spread. "The deaths of thousands of cattle heads in the state have left those engaged in animal husbandry worried. The dairy farmers in western and northern parts of the state are facing threat to their livelihood as scores of cattle heads are dying due to the infectious skin disease. "I request you to take this issue seriously. I also request you to fill the posts lying vacant in the veterinary hospitals," Poonia wrote. Kolkata, Aug 2 : Some preliminary deciphering of the coded contents in the two diaries seized from the Diamond City residence at Tollygunge in South Kolkata on July 22 have given the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials some crucial hints about the inward and outward transactions in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities. ED sources said that some preliminary decoding of the contents in the two diaries had been possible with the help of related experts and what has been initially deciphered is that the contents in the diaries are related to the inward and outward transactions of the proceeds of the scam. "Initially, we thought that the contents were related to only the money collected. But now it seems that these have some details of the payments made to give the scam a smooth running. Once the contents are fully deciphered, we hope to have a clear idea of the entire money trail, an ED associate said. According to ED officials, of the two diaries recovered- one black executive diary and one pocket diary- the black one seems to have more detailed information on this count. On that dairy, it is also written 'Department of Education: Government of West Bengal'. Meanwhile, different teams of ED officials on Tuesday raided six nail-art shops, owned by Arpita Mukherjee, at different locations in north and south Kolkata. ED officers said that although they have seized certain papers from these shops, no valuable item was recovered. ED officials have seized all these nail-art shops. Meanwhile, ED officers have learnt that just a few days before the arrest, Arpita Mukherjee had booked two other high-end SUVs, which were supposed to be delivered soon. ED officials are wondering over the necessity of booking two more vehicles, when already she was owning five high-end SUVs. However, out of the five vehicles, four are missing and only one has been seized by ED. The investigating officials suspect that these vehicles might have been used for the purpose of transporting cash and other valuable items. In a related development, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. After meeting Shah, he claimed that he had submitted names of 100 Trinamool Congress leaders who had been directly beneficiaries of the scam to the Union Home Minister. "I have also submitted a number of supporting documents," he said. Essar strikes deal with Liverpool Airport New Delhi, August 2 (UNI) Essar Oil (UK) Limited on Tuesday announced that it has signed a new agreement with Liverpool John Lennon Airport for the direct supply of aviation fuel to commercial airlines. The new access agreement will allow Essar to supply fuel directly to airlines at the wingtip and marks another step in Essars growing aviation fuels business, as air travel continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic, a statement from the company said. The deal brings Essars total number of access agreements to six airports across the UK, which includes Manchester, Birmingham, and London Stansted, and adds to Essars growing portfolio of commercial carrier clients, with discussions with other potential partners already underway as part of Essars ambition for further growth. Essar, which supplies 16% of the UKs road transport fuels, is one of the largest producers of jet fuel in the UK and plays a vital role in the North Wests aviation industry, whilst Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of the longest established operational airports in the UK, transporting over 5 million passengers each year. The agreement will shore up the airports domestic fuel supply, reducing reliance on global supply chains and imports, benefitting from Essars continued strategy to bolster energy security in the UK. Now more than ever, the UK needs local, reliable, and resilient sources of energy from suppliers who are looking to the future. The deal follows the news that Essars domestic sales volumes have risen to a new high since Covid restrictions were lifted, as announced in their quarterly operations and trading update earlier this month. Adam Brayne, Head of Aviation & Business Development at Essar Oil (UK), said, Essars Stanlow refinery has manufactured Aviation fuels which have been supplied to Liverpool Airport since the 1930s. It therefore seems only fitting that, after close to a century of collaboration and shared history, Essar and Liverpool John Lennon Airport should further strengthen such a key North West regional partnership.'' Over the last decade, we have embarked on a major investment programme to upgrade Essar Stanlows infrastructure and future-proof this national manufacturing asset. We are delighted to be supporting such a valued local partner, whilst continuing to play a key role in Britains energy security, he said. UNI AKM GK New Delhi, Aug 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to a van getting electrocuted in Sitalkuchi, West Bengal. The Prime Minister has also announced ex-gratia for the victims. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted, "Distressed by the loss of lives due to a van getting electrocuted in Sitalkuchi, West Bengal. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon: PM." "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each, from PMNRF, would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured: PM," the PMO added. Ten people were electrocuted while they were travelling in a pick-up van in West Bengal and six others were also critically injured. Initial probe has revealed that the electrocution was likely triggered due to the short-circuit of a copper wire of the generator installed at the rear side of the carriage vehicle. A total of 36 passengers on board the van were heading towards the Alpesh temple near Maynaguri in Jalpaiguri district. Chennai, Aug 2 : The Erode district police has deployed a heavy force at the Dheeran Chinnamalai memorial Mani Mandapam in Odanilai in the district as Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi is to attend the death anniversary programmes of Dheeran Chinnamalai on Wednesday. R.N. Ravi was shown black flags in many parts of the state and fearing these protests, the district police have taken precautions to prevent any untoward incident while he will be at the Dheeran Chinnamalai memorial. The state government has organised the 217th death anniversary function of freedom fighter Dheeran Chinnamalai at his Mani Mandapam. It has been observing the anniversary as a state government function since 2003 and a memorial was constructed with his statue in 2006 at his birthplace in Odanilai. The Erode administration has declared August 3 as a local holiday to observe the death anniversary of the freedom fighter. The official function will commence after Erode district collector H. Krishnanunii garlands the statue of the freedom fighter on August 3 morning. Governor R.N. Ravi will pay floral tributes to the freedom fighter between 11.30 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Wednesday. The district administration told IANS that around 900 policemen will be deployed during the Governor's visit. Ravi will also be attending a function of the Kongu Social Spiritual Educational and Cultural Foundation and Dheeran Chinnamalai Alliance at Jayaramapauram village in the district. Here also a heavy police contingent will be on duty. Bengaluru, Aug 2 : Two more persons have been arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Kumar Nettare in Karnataka's Bellare. Speaking to reporters, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the police have arrested all the persons who were involved in the case. "It is a known fact why the murder was carried out and who is involved in it. The police have made 4 arrests in the case," he said. He maintained that since the investigation is in progress, he can't divulge more details. "Whoever are involved in the case are arrested and the police have not arrested innocent persons... the arrests were made based on evidence," the Home Minister said. "Likewise, the investigation of Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet, the youth who was killed following the murder of BJP activist Praveen is also progressing," he added. Home Minister Araga Jnanendra charged that the present situation is existing because of misrule during the time of Congress government headed by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. "He had withdrawn police cases against fundamental organisations belonging to the minority community and emboldened communal forces," he alleged. "Now he (Siddaramaiah) says, there is a collapse of law and order in the state. Siddaramaiah is directly responsible for the situation," the Home Minister stated. The arrested persons are identified as Saddam (32), a resident of Bellare, and Harris (42), a resident of Pallajamajalu. The police had earlier arrested Shafeeq and Zakir on July 27 in connection with Praveen's murder. Though, Jnanendra maintained that all accused in the Praveen's murder case are arrested, sources in the police said the probe is still underway to nab other accused who hatched conspiracy. The police investigations into the case of murder of Praveen have shown that the victim's involvement and active participation against 'halal cut meat' campaign is the reason behind his murder, sources said on Monday. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated that the sleuths of National Investigation Agency (NIA) have taken up the probe into the murder case. Sources said Praveen was actively involved in the campaign against 'halal meat'. He had also opened a chicken shop and sold meat prepared without the halal cut. Praveen campaigned on ground as well as on social media that Hindus should not buy halal cut meat from Muslim traders. His initiatives made 'big news' in Bellare town. The police suspect that Praveen had come to the radar of fundamental organisations with the campaigning, sources said. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Uber is likely to sell its 7.8 per cent stake in online food delivery platform Zomato that could be worth around Rs 2,938 crore ($373 million), multiple reports said on Tuesday. The offer is expected to come with a price range of Rs 48-54 per share, equivalent to 612 million or 7.8 per cent of total outstanding shares. CNBC TV18 was first to report on the development. Uber received a stake in Zomato after selling off its food delivery business in India to the food aggregator in a transaction in 2020. Zomato shares closed 19.96 per cent up, at Rs 55.60 on Tuesday. Its stock has lost over 60 per cent of it value this year. Zomato reported Rs 185.7 crore in consolidated loss for the quarter ending June 30, compared to a loss of Rs 359.7 crore in the previous quarter. Dharwad, Aug 2 : Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, who is facing an all-out attack from the ruling BJP over the withdrawal of cases against the PFI and SDPI activists and the serial killings, hit back on Tuesday charging that the intelligence wing in the state has totally collapsed. "This indicates the total failure of the Chief Minister," he said. Chief Minister Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra must take responsibility for the three killings that took place in the last 12 days in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Masood, Praveen Kumar Nettare and Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet were hacked to death by miscreants and the killings have taken a communal turn and resulted in a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. Siddaramaiah said that members of the Sangh Parivar have staged a protest against the ruling BJP. The protests were staged to highlight the failure of the ruling party. If the BJP fails to provide security to Sangh Parivar activists, how can it protect others, Siddaramaiah asked. He claimed that the SDPI and the PFI are being groomed by the state and central governments led by the BJP. "If there is evidence against PFI and SDPI they must be banned," he said. "We are happy that CM Bommai is going to slain BJP activist Praveen's residence and announce compensation. He should have also visited Masood and Fazil's families. There should be no discrimination in providing compensation, CM should see everyone as equal," he stated. Siddaramaiah underlined that people are waiting for elections and it is almost certain that they will bring the Congress to power. He said that his birthday celebrations will strengthen his party. New Delhi, Aug 2 : A 46-year-old man was shot in his face by two people during a robbery bid in the national capital's Najafgarh area on Tuesday. The accused, both juveniles, were apprehended during an encounter by the police within three hours of commission of the crime. During the encounter, one of the robbers was shot in his leg. In a media briefing, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M. Harsh Wardhan said a PCR call was received around 12 p.m. at Najafgarh police station regarding the firing incident at a jewellery shop. "It was found that a shop of silver jewellery was targeted by two robbers. The shop was manned by Rajesh, the brother of owner Mukesh at the time of the incident," the DCP said. According to the senior official, the two robbers came to the shop and looted about Rs 25,000 from the cash box and also fired at Rajesh who suffered a bullet injury in his face (right jaw) and was shifted to a hospital for treatment. The police immediately swung into action and a team of a dozen cops was constituted to crack the case. Based on CCTV footage and technical surveillance, the police team narrowed down the location of both the accused to Haibat Pur area of Najafgarh. They were on the roof of a building, the official said. "Around 2:40 p.m., as a police team reached to catch them, one of the two accused fired one round from his weapon," Wardhan said, adding the police also retaliated and fired two rounds, of which one hit the accused in his leg. The injured accused was then immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. "Both the accused claimed to be 17 years of age and are residents of Jhajjar district of Haryana," said the official. During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that five of them came to the Najafgarh area to commit robberies. Of the five, two were dropped at this location. The police said they have identified the co-accused people and raids are being conducted to nab them. Moscow, Aug 2 : Russia has accused the US of direct involvement in the war in Ukraine for the first time, the media reported. A spokesperson for Moscow's defence ministry alleged the US was approving targets for American-made Himars artillery used by Kyiv's forces, the BBC reported. Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said intercepted calls between Ukrainian officials revealed the link. There was no immediate comment on the allegation from US officials. Russia previously accused Washington of fighting a "proxy war" in Ukraine. "It is the Joe Biden administration that is directly responsible for all rocket attacks approved by Kyiv on residential areas and civilian infrastructure facilities in settlements of Donbass and other regions that caused mass deaths of civilians," Konashenkov said, the BBC reported. Himars is a multiple rocket system which can launch precision-guided missiles at targets as far as 70 km away -- far further than the artillery that Ukraine previously had. They are also believed to be more accurate than their Russian equivalents. In April, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said US President Joe Biden's decision to supply Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of arms meant "Nato, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy". Throughout the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has been accused of numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity. Last week, Ukraine accused Moscow of bombing a prison in separatist held Donetsk to cover up allegations of torture, the BBC reported. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Panaji, Aug 2 : The special investigation team (SIT), formed to probe land grabbing cases, has received a complaint from Mamlatdar stating 71 plots have been sold from government land at Sanguem in South Goa. "Complaint is come from Mamlatdar office Sanguem, stating around 71 plots belonging to the government land have been sold. Mamlatdar has asked to investigate in that matter," Nidhin Valsan, Superintendent of police (crime branch) told reporters here. He said that land was notified as government land during transfer of powers, after the Portuguese left India. "These cases have been happening since 2013. Reports received from Revenue authorities state that land has been sold," he said. According to Valsan, accused persons, who have forged the documents, have mostly targeted properties which don't have owners. "They have also targeted properties of people staying outside of India. I urge people to recheck their land records and check whether the land is still in their possession, else they can complain to SIT," he said. He said that so far nine people have been arrested in various cases, investigated by SIT, among one is a woman and two government staff. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on June 15 had announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe illegal land grabbing and conversion cases. Jaipur, Aug 2 : Rajasthan Minister of State for Sainik Welfare Rajendra Gudha has once again brought the horse-trading issue to the fore by claiming that he was offered crores of rupees during the Rajya Sabha elections as well as the political crisis in the Congress. "At the time of the Rajya Sabha elections, an offer of Rs 25 crore was given for casting one vote. Two years ago, during the political crisis at the time of the rebellion in the Congress, an offer of Rs 60 crore was made," Gudha, who was in the BSP and later joined the Congress, said while addressing a school programme. However, he did not take anyone's name. Gudha, while answering the questions of the children of a private school in Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu district, said "When the last Rajya Sabha elections were held, I was offered Rs 25 crores at that time for casting one vote for one person. I asked my wife that Rs 25 crores are being offered for casting just one vote. However, she said that we do not want money, your image will be tarnished." "Even during the rebellion in the Congress, I had an offer of Rs 60 crore. My son, daughter and wife said that we need respect, not money." Gudha is constantly making statements and official sources said that he is annoyed at getting a portfolio of less importance. Along with it, two MLAs who left the BSP and joined the Congress have expressed displeasure over not getting any post. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Nearly 4.92 lakh instances of financial misappropriation have come out in the social audits of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds. Southern states including Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu account for a large number of such cases. Data from the Ministry of Rural Development disclosed that all these instances of financial misappropriation involve an amount of Rs 1102.9 crore. The data said Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu top the list of states with 1,59,570 and 1,59,027 cases of financial misappropriation. AS per the ministry, under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, it receives complaints of irregularities or corruption and embezzlement including large scale diversion of funds, under-payment or non-payment of wages, lack of transparency etc. "Since the responsibility of implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is vested with the state/UT governments, all complaints received in the ministry are forwarded to the concerned state/UT governments for taking appropriate action including investigation, as per law," the ministry said in a Parliament reply on Tuesday. "Auditing standards for social audit have been issued and states/UTs have been advised to establish independent Social Audit Units (SAU), conduct social audit as per Audit of Scheme Rules, 2011 and training of village resource persons for conducting social audit. States/UTs have been advised to recruit adequate manpower under SAU to ensure the rigour and quality of social audit," it said. Steps have been taken to strengthen transparency and accountability which include geo-tagging of assets, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), National electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS), Aadhar Based Payment System (ABPS), Software for Estimate Calculation Using Rural rates for Employment (SECURE) and establishment of independent social audit units and appointment of Ombudsperson(s) in the states/UTs. State specific reviews are also undertaken from time to time. Officers of the Ministry and National Level Monitors also visit various districts to oversee the performance of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. Islamabad, Aug 2 (Xinhua) A Pakistan military helicopter lost contact with the air traffic control in Lasbela district of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, while it was en route from Quetta to Karachi, the Inter-Services Public Relations tweeted. The helicopter with six people on board was carrying out a flood relief operation in the area, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Passengers aboard the helicopter included army's commander of XII-Corps stationed in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan, who was supervising the relief operations in the province, it added. Search operation for the missing helicopter is underway, according to the ISPR. UNI/XINHUA ACL Bhubaneswar, Aug 2 : The Odisha government on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide kits to the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, for detection of the monkeypox virus. State health minister Naba Kishore Das has written to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in this regard. In the letter, Das said there has been an outbreak of monkeypox virus across the globe, mostly in African countries with India reporting some such cases. It is imperative to ensure laboratory preparedness for detection of the pathogen in all states. The health department of Odisha has already taken proactive steps and instructed medical colleges and district-level health centres for screening of monkeypox based on clinical features and patient history. The Regional Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at RMRC Bhubaneswar, should be provided with the requisite kits and controls to ensure preparedness for laboratory testing of monkeypox, the letter read. Das informed that the RMRC Bhubaneswar and the regional level VRDL at the centre have provided considerable support to the public health system in the state during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease. "It is, therefore, requested that the laboratory be provided with the kits for screening for orthopoxviruses to ensure preparedness to handle the looming public health threat posed by monkeypox," he added. Not a single monkeypox case has been detected in Odisha so far. Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak Washington, Aug 2 : Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's family was being kept under the protection of the Haqqani network, a notorious terror organisation run by two brothers and their uncle who are closely associated with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban - which returned to rule in Afghanistan last August after America's shambolic withdrawal, the media reported. Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the group's founder Jalaluddin, is the current Interior Minister for the Taliban government and leader of the network. One of his aides is thought to own the house where Zawahiri's family moved, the Daily Mail reported. The strike was the culmination of six months of intensive intelligence work by the CIA which had tracked Zawahiri to the safe house, detailed his daily routine, and picked the ideal moment to hit him. US officials said the operation dates back to April, when they received intelligence that Zawahiri's wife, their daughter, and her children had moved into a safe house in Kabul, in the old diplomatic quarter that used to house Western officials and embassies. Over the course of three months the US carried out painstaking work to confirm that Zawahiri was also living there, which culminated with multiple sightings of him spending 'sustained periods' on the balcony, Daily Mail reported. Spies constructed a scale-model replica of the home and, through 'multiple intelligence sources', built up a detailed picture of Zawahiri's daily routine - trying to pick the ideal moment to strike him. Photos of Zawahiri's safe-house after the attack appear to show how the Hellfire missiles smashed through the floor of the balcony and into the room below, breaking one window and blowing out another, Daily Mail reported. Despite Zawahiri's family being at home at the time - intelligence suggests they never left the building in all the months they lived there - the US says nobody other than the terrorist leader was killed. Members of the Haqqani network are said to have swarmed the home shortly afterwards, moving Zawahiri's surviving relatives to a new location. New Delhi, Aug 2 : In an attempt to corner West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP is all set to intensify its agitation against teacher recruitment scam in the state. State BJP president and Lok Sabha Member Sukanta Majumdar and leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday separately met party chief J.P. Nadda. Adhikari also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. During his meeting with Shah, Adhikari briefed him about corrupt activities of the West Bengal government including teachers' scam. Sources said that Adhikari shared a list of people who are collecting money for the TMC. After the arrest of Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, the BJP has intensified its attack on Mamata Banerjee government, which also led to removal of Chatterjee from West Bengal cabinet. Sources said that during his meeting with Majumdar, Nadda enquired about the status of BJP agitation against the teacher recruitment scam in which former state minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the ED. A party functionary said that there is a lot of anger among the people against Mamata Banerjee and it came out in the open when a woman hurled her shoes at Chatterjee in Kolkata. "Anger among people is openly visible and they are venting it out. The BJP will intensify its attack to corner the TMC government and chief minister Banerjee," he said. West Bengal BJP co-incharge Amit Malviya tweeted, "This woman, who hurled a slipper at Partha Chatterjee, symbol of Mamata Banerjee's venal establishment, and walked back barefoot is the symbol of Bengal's resistance against TMC's oppressive regime." West Bengal BJP president Majumdar claimed, "People's mindset has completely changed after the scam came out. They have started to believe that the Banerjee government is completely corrupt and has no moral right to continue in power." Last week, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi had said that those who used to raise slogans of 'Maa, Maati, Manush' now only care about money, money, money. Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee were arrested by the ED last month, and cash and property worth several crores were seized. Hyderabad, Aug 2 : Finally ending the speculations, Congress party MLA in Telangana, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy on Tuesday announced his decision to resign both from the party and the Assembly. He told reporters that he took the decision for the people of Munugode constituency. He also stated he has still not decided to join the BJP. Rajagopal Reddy said he would declare his future course of action after consultations with his followers and key leaders in the constituency. He said he would soon meet the Assembly Speaker to submit his resignation. "If people of Munugode want, I will contest again," he said. Rajagopal Reddy said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah can put an end to anarchic rule of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Rajagopal Reddy, who is brother of Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, said he had respect for Sonia Gandhi and hence would not criticize Congress party. He reiterated that the party suffered because of some wrong decisions. He claimed that his decision was for the sake of Munugode and its people as the TRS leaders have been saying that the constituency will see development only in the event of a by-election. "I hope that the by-election will bring development and CM KCR will fulfill his promises," he said. The MLA alleged that TRS ignored the constituency after he was elected from there. He alleged that KCR was acting like a new Nizam and claimed that TRS MLAs were unhappy with him. Rajagopal Reddy also claimed that since 2014, TRS invited him many times to join the party but he rejected the offers. "My fight is against the family rule and for four crore people of Telangana," he said. His decision finally brought curtains on the speculations for several months. He had stated in 2019 that only BJP is capable of taking on TRS but delayed a decision on switching loyalties. After meeting Home Minister Amit Shah a few days ago, Rajagopal Reddy had stepped up attacks on the Congress party. The central leadership of the Congress party took serious note of his remarks but avoided taking any strong action. Taipei, Aug 2 : US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, despite stern warnings from Beijing, making her the highest-level US official to visit the island in 25 years. Pelosi's US Air Force-operated Boeing C-40C landed at Taipei's Songshan Airport on Tuesday, marking the start of the third -- and the most controversial -- leg of her five-country Asia tour, dpa news agency reported. Pelosi and her delegation of Democratic party lawmakers were met by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Sandra Oudkirk, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as Washington's de facto embassy. The trip has drawn outrage from Beijing, which views the self-governing island as a breakaway territory that will one day be reunited with the mainland. Pelosi is the third-highest ranking official in the US government, behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. For days, she has declined to confirm news reports that she would visit the island and Taiwan was not on her official itinerary. People around the world monitored the progress of her flight on Tuesday, watching on flight tracking websites as her plane made its way from Kuala Lumpur toward Taipei, dpa news agency reported. The flight path avoided the contested South China Sea and was escorted by eight US Air Force fighter jets as well as Taiwan Air Force fighter aircraft. Chinese SU-35 fighter jets flew into the narrow Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from the mainland, shortly ahead of Pelosi's arrival, Chinese state television reported. Beijing had warned the United States that there would be a "very serious situation and consequences" if Pelosi visited. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told the press in Beijing on Monday that such a visit would be a "blatant interference in China's internal affairs." "The Chinese side is comprehensively prepared for all eventualities." China's leadership regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic and rejects official contacts between its diplomatic partners and the government in Taipei. Taiwan, which has 23 million inhabitants, has long considered itself independent. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has heightened fears that China could annex the democratic island republic by force. Tensions over Taiwan have not been as high since the 1990s. Pelosi's delegation is expected to stay overnight in Taipei City`s Grand Hyatt Hotel, where protestors from the far-right and pro-China Alliance to Promote Chinese Unification had gathered. They were countered by the Taiwan State-Building Party, whose members held placards proclaiming "Democracies Strong Together". The capital city's landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper, located near the five-star hotel, blazed "Welcome to Taiwan". Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan's Parliament on Wednesday and meet Yu Shyi-kun, the legislature's leader, before holding talks with President Tsai Ing-wen. Also on her schedule are meetings with Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese human rights activists. She is expected to depart for Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday evening. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, Aug 2 : Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said that a total of 304 high-yielding varieties of pulses have been notified for commercial cultivation in the country since 2014. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Tomar said, "The high-yielding varieties of pulses included 81 of Gram, 50 of Arhar, 38 of Mung, 35 of Urd, 33 of Lentil, 23 of Field Pea, 19 of Cowpea and 25 of other pulses." During this period, a total of 20 high yielding varieties of pulses including six of Gram, five of Arhar, three of Faba Bean, two each of Field Pea and Mung and one each of Lentil and Urd have been notified for commercial cultivation in the state of Bihar. The Minister said that the Indian Council of Agricultural ResearchI (CAR) is mandated to produce breeder seed of different crop varieties against the indent from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW). The breeder seed is provided to various public and private seed producing agencies and certified quality seed categories and distribution to farmers. During the last five years, total 96,731 quintals of breeder seed of high yielding varieties of pulses were produced by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) against the total indent of about 77,499 quintals and supplied to the seed producing agencies for further multiplication into foundation and certified quality seed categories and distribution to farmers. About 2,329 quintal breeder seed of pulses was produced during the last five years against the total indent of 1,562 quintals by the state of Bihar. New Delhi, Aug 2 : Two Nepali nationals, including a woman, were arrested here for cheating a woman through a matrimonial website, a Delhi Police officials said on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Renuka Gusain alias Manju and Amos Gurang alias Yadab Gurung, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer, Sameer Sharma said. Police received a complaint from a woman who stated that she is a widow and had created a profile on matrimonial site Jeevansathi.com, where she came in contact with a person called Naresh Andrews, who was settled outside of India. Both of them started talking and later decided to get married. "Andrews told her that he is coming to India to marry her. Later on, he said that after he reached India, Mumbai Customs stopped him as he had brought expensive gifts for her," the DCP said. The accused told the victim that the clearance fee for his luggage and the cash he was carrying cost him Rs 35,000 and Rs 1,85,000, respectively and demanded the money from her. "In all, the accused cheated the complainant of a total of Rs 34,88,410," the official said. Accordingly, the police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and started probing the matter. During investigation, the matrimonial profile details of the accused and his call records were analysed. The police learnt that the money was transferred into an account in SBI Bank sector 12 Dwarka branch in Delhi under the name of Gurang. CCTV footage of the ATM and bank withdrawal were analysed, from which photo of the person who withdrew the amount was also obtained. "The police team then conducted a raid at Vishwas Park in Dwarka and nabbed Gurang, who stated that he had paid the said amount to Gusain who is residing at Ramphal Chowk in Dwarka. On his instance, she was also arrested," the DCP said. During interrogation, Gusain said that she had come to Delhi six years ago. In 2019, she started working in at a company called Tour and Travels in Uttam Nagar's Nawada, where she met Nigerian national called John who told her about cyber frauds. "So Gusain along with her friend Gurang, who is also Nepali, conspired to cheat people online using the matrimonial sites," the official added. Washington, Aug 2 : The US drone strike killing one of the most dreaded terrorists, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a residential neighbourhood in Kabul is a watershed moment in history at a time when the Taliban, a year after seizing power from a democratically elected government, are still struggling to establish international legitimacy and recognition. They may not wish to endanger any fragile progress. The US and other Western powers have also been trapped in a bind: How do they help the people of Afghanistan, mired in a deepening humanitarian crisis, when many Taliban leaders are still under US terrorism sanctions, the BBC said in an analysis of the drone strike and its impact on the peace process in Kabul and rest of the world. American interests in this region also include the fight against extremist groups like Islamic State, an enemy they share with the Taliban. The Taliban have been walking a political high wire ever since they took charge in Kabul, the BBC said. How do they maintain their standing in the global jihadi community, including their long-standing relations with Al Qaeda? Social media is now buzzing with accusations of another US war crime with another alleged extrajudicial killing, the report said. How do they complete their transformation from an insurgency to an internationally respected government but still keep their ultra-conservative credentials? That high wire is now wobbling. The world is watching, the BBC reported. The BBC also showed pictures of the actual location of the building in Kabul where Zawahiri was taken out. It was draped in green plastic sheets to avoid being detected. The first signs of an operation, months in the making, erupted when an attack rocked the centre of Kabul in the early hours of Sunday morning: "We heard two thunderous blasts on our street nearby", reported the BBC correspondent. Speculation swirled around who or what had hit this "empty house" in Sherpur. It is a neighborhood which became notorious over the past two decades for its garish multi-storey villas, mocked by Kabul residents as the stronghold of corrupt warlords and officials, a gaudy symbol of the spoils of an ugly war. Kabulis called it Choorpur, the town of thieves. The Taliban took over some of the empty villas, close to some high-walled Western embassies, which also slammed shut when the Taliban took charge, the BBC reported. With every passing day, new pieces of this puzzle surfaced: Of a possible strike on an Islamic State target; the use of a US drone which raised even more questions; the involvement of US forces on the ground. The mystery ended early on Tuesday morning, the report said. "As Kabul woke to the news that the US has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, we tried to approach the area on a main road leading into the street threading past Spinney's luxury supermarket and the Afghan Ghazanfar bank," Lyce Doucet, chief international correspondent of the BBC, reported. "A single Taliban guard angrily crossed his arms to warn us away. From a side street, we reached the back of the villa on foot. Guards and workers in adjacent buildings confirmed which house had been hit on Sunday; balconies protruding from the top floor were now covered with green plastic sheeting. Has anyone seen any activity, any residents, at this place," she reported. "The house was empty", was the refrain. Was this a reply rehearsed in advance, an echo of the Taliban's official statement? Owners of nearby buildings told us they had been ordered, hours earlier, to shut their rooftops to everyone, even their own workers. As the news of Zawahiri's killing shot like an electric current through social media, the scene of this explosive moment seemed strangely quiet, the BBC reported. As minutes ticked by, more journalists arrived, more passers-by stopped, more Taliban guards showed up. Now there are many questions, conspiracies and a range of possible consequences, the report said. The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a top target on America's wanted list, had been reported many times before, including last year when he was said to have died of illness. Zawahiri was Qaeda's most prominent spokesman and ideologue. If he was alive, he was said to be a recluse in the rugged terrain along Afghan-Pakistan border. But now it emerges that he was a guest of the Taliban leadership, living in that villa smack in the centre of Kabul and said to belong to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Taliban interior minister, who is under US terrorism sanctions, the BBC reported. There is an echo of the 2011 US killing of Zawahiri's brother-in-arms, Osama Bin Laden, who had been hiding in plain sight at a villa in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, down the street from a military academy. There is an echo too of the Taliban's rejoinder to the US after the 9/11 attacks that Bin Laden had only been their honoured guest, in Afghan Pashtun tradition, the report said. The 2020 US-Taliban deal, signed after nearly two years of tortuous negotiations in Qatar, was meant to sort out this crucial question. During the talks, it was repeatedly said that the Taliban commitment to not allow Afghanistan to be a safe haven again would be spelled out clearly, in black and white. But the deal which emerged, with secret annexes, was not so clearcut. The Taliban vowed to prevent any attacks on US soil from their territory, the BBC reported. But they never explicitly agreed to sever ties with their fellow jihadis, including Zawahiri, who, like other Qaeda leaders, had sworn allegiance to the Taliban leader, or emir, Haibatullah Akhundzada. Since the Taliban swept into Kabul on August 15 last year, there have been repeated and credible reports of Qaeda fighters crossing the Pakistan border into Afghanistan but there have also been repeated Taliban pledges to fight against terrorism, the BBC reported. The Taliban also accuse the US of violating their deal in their attack against a residential neighbourhood of Kabul. A statement from a Taliban spokesman warned that "repeating such actions will damage the existing opportunities", the report concluded. New Delhi, Aug 2 : After remaining shut for a day, liquor stores in Delhi started reopening partially on Tuesday, as the Delhi government's decision to extend excise licences of private liquor vends as well as hotels and bars by a month got Lt Governor V.K. Saxena's approval. Delhi government has extended private liquor vends' licenses for a month to make the transition from private shops to government ones smoother. However, all liquor shops did not open and lesser people were seen outside some of these vends which opened in early hours in different parts of the capital. Meanwhile, the bars and restaurants served the liquor in Tuesday. Talking to IANS, the manager of a leading restaurant manager said that they have started serving liquor after a day. "We paid excise fees online today to get the licence renewed and after that, we have started serving," he said. The Excise Department had issued orders for extension of retail and wholesale licences up to August 31, on payment of applicable fee for the period, on Monday night. However, this has been extended for one month only and from September 1, Delhi will revert to the old regime. On this development, CIABC Director General Vinod Giri said that the normalisation of trade with a clear and consistent policy parameter is essential for supply chains to work efficiently. "Start-stop-start mode or very short term extensions like a month just disrupt the supply chain, creating stock pile-ups or stock-outs that take time to regain shape and flow. This is a loss to all stakeholders, be it the government, the manufacturers, the traders or the consumers," he said. Giri said that they hope that the government works out a permanent solution very soon, for the rest of the year and for years ahead, which regains the sense of stability, predictability, and tranquility so vital for a vibrant trade and industry. Bengaluru, Aug 2 : Even as it is increasing precautionary measures, the government of Karnataka has urged people not to be unduly worried about the monkey pox threat looming over the world. "There is no need to panic about Monkeypox. The government is taking all precautionary measures including thermal screening at airports and strict surveillance in districts bordering Kerala, Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Tuesday. Speaking to the media after the high-level meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on monkeypox, Sudhakar said: "No cases have been reported in Karnataka so far. There were 3 suspects out of which two in Bengaluru have turned out negative and another suspect -- a Belgium national, found in Uttara Kannada district is subjected to test and his report is awaited." Six monkeypox cases have been reported in India so far. This includes two in Delhi and four in neighbouring Kerala. The minister said that vigil is being kept on the borders with neighbouring states, especially Kerala. "Our government has already issued circular for mandatory thermal screening at airports and other entry points. All district administrations have been alerted and instructed to take precautionary measures and particularly strict vigil is kept on districts bordering Kerala," he explained. The state government has also earmarked two hospitals as designated monkeypox treatment centres. "Epidemic Diseases Hospital in Bengaluru and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru are identified as designated hospitals for isolation of monkeypox suspects. Confirmed cases will be isolated and treated for 21 days until the rashes on skin are cured," minister said. On July 22 this year, the World Health Organisation had declared the monkeypox outbreak as public health emergency of international concern. About 20,000 cases have been reported in 80 countries across the world. Pointing out that studies indicate that monkeypox is not as contagious as Covid and it spreads only when a person is in prolonged contact with the infected person, Sudhakar appealed to people to maintain hygiene and follow all precautionary measures. Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak South Africa: President to lead talks at SA-Botswana Business Roundtable President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 4 August, embark on a working visit to Botswana to lead talks at the high-level South Africa-Botswana Business Roundtable. According to the Presidents Office, the First Citizen will travel to Gaborone at the invitation of his Botswana counterpart, Dr Eric Mokgweetsi Masisi. The high-level South Africa-Botswana Business Roundtable happens against the backdrop of the fifth session of the South Africa-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC) that took place on 22 April 2022 in Tshwane. The two neighbouring countries are this year marking 28 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation, which spans trade and investment, energy, agriculture, tourism, youth and sport, infrastructure development, culture, mining, defence and security, immigration, environmental conservation and management, transport as well as information and communication technologies, the statement read. The first leg of the two-day discussion will begin with the South Africa-Botswana Business Forum scheduled to take place on 3 August 2022. The meeting will draw government and business leaders from both countries and identify a package of concrete actions to create a conducive environment to strengthen business-to-business linkages; support the implementation of Southern African Customs Union (SACU) regional value chains and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Meanwhile, 22 South African businesses from a wide range of sectors will form part of the trade expo of the businesses operating in both countries at the Gaborone International Convention Centre. South Africa is Botswanas number one source of imports, while Botswana ranked as South Africas seventh largest export market. South Africas exports to Botswana were R64.4 billion in 2021, while exports to Botswana grew by 2.53% or R13.4 billion over the last five years. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, and Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel, will accompany President Ramaphosa. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Liu Jimei BEIJING, Aug. 1 -- At the press conference held on Sunday for the air force aviation open-house activity and the Changchun aviation exhibition, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) said that the air force's YY-20 refueling aircraft and the J-16 fighter carried out aerial refueling training above the sea recently, which marks an improvement of the combat training level. In recent years, the PLAAF has developed systematically its new and high-tech weapons and equipment, evidenced by a batch of new-type warplanes having been put into military training for combat readiness. The YY-20 is China's new-generation aerial refueling aircraft, and can effectively strengthen the long-range maneuver capability of the PLAAF aviation troops. It is also capable of undertaking personnel and cargo delivery tasks like the Y-20 transport aircraft. The 2022 PLAAF aviation open-house activity and the air show are to be held in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province as scheduled from August 26 to 30. The PLAAF will send its main equipment in service for aerobatic flight performances and static exhibition, to systematically display its development of weaponry and equipment for air combat, ground-based air defense, early warning and detection, and airdrop and airborne operations. New Delhi, Aug 2 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will constitute a bench soon for hearing appeals filed before it in connection with the Hijab row. A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana said: "We will constitute a bench to hear the appeals in the Hijab row. "I will constitute a bench. One of the judges aren't well. If judges would have been alright, the matter would have come for hearing." Senior lawyer, Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the petitioners, mentioned a plea before the top court bench challenging the Karnataka High Court's judgement upholding the ban of Hijab. Arora mentioned that the high court judgement was passed in March, as such a date for hearing of the challenge the apex court was long awaited. The Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna Dixit and Justice J M Khazi, in their judgement on March 15 held that wearing of hijab by women was not an essential religious practice of Islam. It dismissed the petitions filed by a group of Muslim girl students against PU government college for denying them entry while wearing Hijab. Dismissing the plea the bench stated that the practice of hijab is not an essential practice under Islam and thus does not fall within the ambit of Article 25 of the Constitution of India. The High court had also held that prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction which is constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to and stated that the government had the power to issue such notification and that no case was made out against the government notification. UNI SM ING Visakhapatnam, Aug 2 : About 100 women workers of an apparels firm fell ill after a gas leakage from an adjacent chemical company in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle district on Tuesday, officials said. The gas leak affected staff of Seeds Apparel India in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Atchutapuram area. The women complained of vomiting, nausea, and breathlessness. Some of them fainted. About 50 women were shifted to hospitals in ambulances while others were being provided first aid within the factory premises. Seeds Apparel India, which employs only women is located on the 1,000 acres campus of Brandix, which is located next to Porus Labs, the chemical company. Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath spoke to the district Collector over phone and directed officials to provide best possible treatment to the affected. This is the second incident of gas leak from the same company in two months. On July 3, more than 200 women employees were affected. Seeds Apparel and Porus Labs were shut down for a week. The government had ordered an inquiry after closing down the factory New Delhi, Aug 2 : The second phase of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) examination that has to be cleared by the candidates to seek admission to under-graduate (UG) courses in colleges is scheduled to begin from August 4. This year it has been made mandatory to clear the CUET exam for seeking admission in colleges affiliated to central universities. All central universities such as Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University have been included in this programme. Let's discuss a bit in details on how and why this exam is considered crucial to get admission in colleges. Like earlier, this time also, the merit list will be prepared by different universities and their respective colleges. However, the only difference this time is that the merit list will be made on the basis of marks obtained in CUET exam, and not on the basis of Class 12 exam marks. A separate cut-off will be released by all 44 central universities in the country accepting CUET scores. Students who have appeared in this examination for admission in any particular university will get admission on the basis of cut-off issued by that university and its colleges. This cut-off will be made on the basis of marks secured in CUET. Prof. Hansraj Suman of Delhi University said that the information about the marks secured by the students in CUET will be given to the university by the National Testing Agency. On the basis of these marks, the merit list of the students with highest marks will be prepared. Different colleges of Delhi University will prepare the cut-off list like before. After this process, Delhi University will release the cut-off list. Similarly, other central universities of the country will also proceed with the admission process. The UGC has clarified that the CUET exam is being conducted for undergraduate courses in colleges on the basis of Class 12 syllabus only. No questions will be asked in the entrance test for admission in colleges based on the syllabus of any other class. According to UGC President M. Jagadesh Kumar, only Class 12 syllabus is valid for the CUET. The Union Ministry of Education, with the help of UGC, has also encouraged private universities to be a part of the CUET. Institutions like Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Gurukul Kangri, Haridwar have shown interest in being a part of CUET in the meeting with UGC. The UGC has appealed to all state governments and private universities to adopt the CUET for admitting students. It has asked private educational institutions to try to implement CUET in undergraduate programmes from the 2022-23 academic session. The decision of the UGC taken on CUET is applicable to all 44 central universities in the country. As per the decision taken by the UGC, all the central universities in the country will have to conduct the CUET for admission to the undergraduate courses. Rahul Gandhi given rousing welcome in Ktaka. Image Source: IANS News Rahul Gandhi given rousing welcome in Ktaka. Image Source: IANS News Hubballi : , Aug 2 (IANS) Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived here on Tuesday night from the national capital to participate in a slew of party programmes. Congress workers who swarmed Hubballi airport gave a rousing welcome to the Gandhi scion. Rahul Gandhi came here along with Karnataka Congress president D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, and K.C. Venugopal. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, Opposition leader in Council B.K. Hariprasad and other top leaders were present and extended a warm welcome to their leader. Rahul Gandhi will chair the Political Affairs Committee meeting in Hubballi with state Congress leaders and address the issue of internal conflict between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar camps which is threatening to pose a challenge to the Congress party's prospects in the upcoming assembly elections in 2023. Party workers are hopeful that Rahul Gandhi would look into the simmering discontent between both leaders who have their eyes on the chief ministerial post. Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to visit Sri Muruga Rajendra Mutt in Chitradurga and then participate in a public meeting to celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of Siddaramaiah in Davanagere city on Wednesday. United Nations, Aug 2 : Ruchira Kamboj took over as India's Permanent Representative to the UN - the first woman to hold the position - on Tuesday after presenting her credentials to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Earlier she tweeted: "It is my deepest honour to serve my country in this new position". Kamboj will take her seat at the Security Council, where India is an elected member, at a time of heightened international tensions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the body hobbled by permanent members' veto powers. As the Indian envoy, she will have to deal with the intense pressure the country is facing from all sides over its independent stand on Ukraine, neither backing Russia nor unequivocally condemning it, and having to frequently reiterate the position in speeches and votes at the UN. Kamboj is scheduled to preside over the Security Council in December. On Security Council reforms, an important issue for India, she has special expertise having been a member of the team of G4 made up of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan that work together on expanding the Council's permanent membership. Kamboj brings to the UN a wide range of experience with multilateral organisations, including stints as a Counsellor at India's mission in New York, Permanent Representative to the UNESCO in Paris, and deputy head of the Office of the Commonwealth Secretary-General in London. A Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1987 batch, she was Ambassador to Bhutan before assuming her new role. Earlier, she had been the High Commissioner in South Africa and was also the chief of protocol. She succeeds T.S. Tirumurti who has retired from the foreign service. Coming after 21 Indian representatives at the UN, she is the first woman to be the permanent representative, although Jawaharlal Nehru's sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit had been designated the chief delegate to the General Assembly twice. (Arul Louis can be contacted at aru.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, Aug 2 : Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Tuesday said that research is underway to find a vaccine against monkeypox. Poonawalla has reportedly briefed the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the issue in a meeting on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed Monkeypox cases reached 8 on Tuesday. Mandaviya has said in the Rajya Sabha that out of total 8 cases reported in the country so far, five have the history of travelling abroad. The Health Minister said studies are still being conducted to find proper vaccination for the disease. Only contact tracing and vaccinating people who were in close contact with a disease carrier required to be vaccinated and there is no need for a country-wide vaccination for this disease. Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak Kiev, Aug 2 : Ukraine on Tuesday accused Germany and other member states of the European Union of blocking the release of funds approved earlier by the bloc as the country faces a financial crisis caused by its ongoing war with Russia. "We are expecting 8 billion euro ($8.2 billion), but unfortunately certain EU states, including Germany, are blocking verification of this issue," Ihor Zhovka, deputy chief of staff in the presidential office, told local media, dpa news agency reported. President Volodomyr Zelensky is conducting "active talks" on the matter, Zhovka said. Kiev had received 1 billion euro of the 9 billion euro in financial aid pledged by the EU in May, Zhovka said. Guarantees from member states may be needed for the remaining funds, according to the European Commission, as securing them through the EU budget is not possible on account of a lack of resources. Several international ratings agencies downgraded Ukraine's credit rating in July. And the largest state-owned company, Naftogaz, failed to service outstanding foreign debts a week ago, in accordance with to a government directive. Ukraine's need for additional financing has been estimated by the presidential office at almost 50 billion euro for 2023. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, Aug 2 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has attached 75 immovable properties including 67 windmills valued at Rs 113.32 crore belonging to the Chennai-based Surana Group of Companies in connection with three cases of Rs 3,986 crore bank fraud. The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of three FIRs filed by the CBI, Bengaluru against Surana Industries Limited, Surana Power Limited, Surana Corporation Limited and others. The ED learnt during the investigation that these three companies of Surana Group had defrauded the banks by floating a web of shell companies wherein they appointed its employees, relatives as directors and proprietors, partners and indulged in paper transactions with them without actual movement of goods. The ED also found in the investigation that Surana Group have companies in Cayman Islands as well as British Virgin Islands in the name of dummy directors and siphoned off money to park in those companies. For this purpose, they established four companies in Singapore and exported goods to them and the money receivable from them were written off in the book of accounts in India. Further, some of the diverted funds were used to purchase movable, immovable properties in the names of various benami companies. These actions of the promoters of the Surana Group led to the accounts becoming irregular which ultimately led to accounts becoming NPA and leading to an amount of Rs 3,986 crore as the principal outstanding amount to the banks. Based on the investigations conducted, Dinesh Chand Surana, MD of Surana Industries Limited and Surana Power Ltd, Vijay Raj Surana, MD of Surana Corporation Limited and two dummy directors of shell companies viz. P Anand and I Prabhakaran, were arrested on July 12. During the course of Investigations, it was revealed that 67 windmills of Surana Group which were being auctioned by banks to recover their dues were again purchased in the name of one benami company. Beijing, Aug 3 : Within minutes of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landing in Taiwan on Tuesday night, China said it would immediately begin "a series of joint military operations around the island", including using long-range live ammunition in the Taiwan Strait, a media report said. An announcement from the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said beginning Tuesday night a series of exercises would be held on the sea and in the air surrounding Taiwan, the self-governed island that China says is its sovereign territory, CNN reported. "This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the 'Taiwan independence' forces seeking 'independence,'" Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement. The Eastern Theater is one of the five joint commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with jurisdiction over China's eastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, which sit opposite and above Taiwan. China's Defence Ministry said the PLA was "on high alert and will launch a series of targeted military operations to counteract the situation, resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart the interference of external forces and 'Taiwan independence' secessionist schemes." In an unusual move, Chinese state media posted on Twitter a map showing six areas around Taiwan where it said the PLA would conduct drills, including live-fire exercises from Thursday through Sunday, the media outlet reported. Having landed in Taiwan amid soaring tensions with China's military, the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, defended her controversial trip to the self-ruling island, saying she was making clear that American leaders "never give in to autocrats" in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post, The Guardian reported. "We cannot stand by as (China) proceeds to threaten Taiwan - and democracy itself," said Pelosi's piece, published just as the veteran California congresswoman's plane touched down on Tuesday. "Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." Given that Pelosi's trip presents a serious diplomatic headache for the Joe Biden White House, there had been much speculation about the motivations behind the controversial visit. In her op-ed Pelosi struck a hard line against China's position that her trip was a provocation and placed it in the context of a broader global struggle over political freedom. In the article Pelosi said: "We take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents - even children - it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats", The Guardian reported. China has branded a landmark visit to Taiwan by US Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "extremely dangerous", BBC reported. It accused Pelosi, the most senior US politician in 25 years to visit the island China claims as its own, of "playing with fire". "Those who play with fire will perish by it," Beijing warned in a statement, BBC reported. Pelosi said her visit "honours America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy" and did not contradict US policy. As her plane touched down, Chinese state media reported that its military jets were crossing the Taiwan strait. Taiwan has denied any such action happened. China - which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day reunite with it - has previously warned that its armed forces "will not stand idly by". In her statement, Pelosi said: "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." In an article published in the Washington Post newspaper at the same time, Pelosi also wrote that Taiwan's "robust democracy... is under threat".. "In the face of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation's visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom," she said. Istanbul, Aug 3 : A ship loaded with Ukrainian grain arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday evening for inspection. It is the first vessel carrying grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea since Russia invaded in February. The Razoni, loaded with some 26,000 tons of corn, departed from Odessa on Monday, dpa news agency reported. It arrived at the Black Sea entrance to the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul and is now anchored at an assigned spot, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Twitter. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations are set to board and inspect the ship on Wednesday morning. The inspections are meant to ensure vessels are not being used as a front to smuggle items such as weapons. Afterwards, the Sierra Leone-flagged ship is to pass through the Bosporus Strait, into the Mediterranean and then dock in Lebanon. The supplies from Ukraine are expected to unlock millions of tons of grain for export onto the world market. The warring parties plus Turkey struck a UN-mediated deal on July 22 to allow the exports from Ukraine from three ports. They also agreed to the establishment of a control centre in Istanbul. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Bhopal, Aug 3 : Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has geared up to commemorate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' with the celebrations to mark 75th anniversary of the Independence Day began across the country on Tuesday. The state ruling saffron party has decided that all of its offices, from state party headquarters to district and block level offices, will have stock of Tri-colours, which will be distributed to the people under the Centre's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' initiative. The state government has fixed a target to hoist 1.51 crore 'Tiranga' (Tri-colours) across the state, one crore of them will be prepared in the state, while 51 lakh Tri-colours would be received from the Central government. To promote patriotism among the people, different departments of the state government have either have started organising 'Har Ghar Tiranga' programmes or have prepared for the same. The nationwide programme, that commenced on Tuesday will continue till August 15. While, the distribution of the Tri-colours will be done between August 13 to 15. As Prime Minister Narendra has urged the citizen of the country to change social media profile picture to the national flag, Madhya Pradesh cabinet ministers, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan changed pictures on their twitter handles. Like other departments in the state, Madhya Pradesh Police too have prepared itself to mark the occasion by organising a well decorated march. On Tuesday, Shajapur district police led by the Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagdeesh Davar, cops held a march on bikes. SP Jagdeesh Davar along with district collector Dinesh Jain lead the march from police Gypsy, cops in 75 bikes holding the Tri-colours drove in the city. Talking to IANS, Davar said, "This a special occasion that we are celebrating 75th anniversary of our Independence Day. The march organised to encourage the people to participate in this patriotic festival. We have urged people to hoist the Tri-colours on their homes from August 13 to 15." Kiev, Aug 3 : Two explosions occurred near Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland. A Russian missile hit a Ukrainian military facility in the Chervonohrad district on Tuesday evening, the administration of the Lviv region announced, dpa news agency reported. There was still no information on the damage caused, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi wrote on Telegram. The Ukrainian Air Force High Command reported that the Russian army fired eight missiles at Ukraine from long-range bombers over the Caspian Sea on Tuesday evening. Seven of them were intercepted, it said, adding that an air defence position had been hit in the Lviv region. Explosions were also reported in the evening from the city of Mykolayiv in southern Ukraine. In mid-March, Russia had hit the Yavoriv military training base, about 20 kilometres from the border with Poland. At least 35 soldiers were reported killed. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War CAD models make it easier for engineers to do their jobs. We wanted to make them easier to access and then enhance that by providing instantly available product configuration data. This eliminates the need to flip through catalog pages, drawings, and tables to get dimensions. Device Technologies, Inc. (DTi), designer and manufacturer of specialty wire protection, cable management and sealing solutions, has published its 3D catalog on the TraceParts CAD-content platform- giving designers and engineers easy access to critical data for their projects. DTis product portfolio includes products that are used every day by virtually all OEMs: best in class grommet edging, edge trim, door/window seals, cable wrap/sleeving and fiber radius control modules. DTi Wire Protection Helps to Reduce Cost and Operational Challenges: Wire protection is a critical component for OEMs, it ensures that data -vital to equipment performance- continues to flow without interruption. DTis flagship wire protection product is Spring-Fast Grommet Edging. It replaces the costly, labor-intensive and multi-step 1940s era technique of nylon grommets applied with adhesive. Spring-Fast is designed with an encapsulated metal substrate that grips tightly without adhesive and snaps onto the edge with just finger pressure. It provides best-in-class protection against abrasion, eliminating labor-intensive gluing, saving 49% of installation costs and improving task productivity by 9.5x. They are DFM/A -designed for manufacturing and assembly. Spring-Fast has 11 variants for virtually any application and all of the part numbers and drawings are live on Traceparts. Alongside Spring-Fast, DTis wire protection portfolio includes Trim-Fast Edge Trim, Seal-Fast seals, Protect-Fast wire sleeving and wraps and Fast-Drop radius control modules (RCMs). CAD Drawings, Catalogs and Product Configuration Data - At Your Fingertips: DTis customers are engineers and designers in OEMs worldwide and their requests for CAD drawings have been steadily increasing so launching on Traceparts made perfect sense. It not only gives engineers easier access to DTis CAD drawings but also lets them download in their preferred native format. CAD models make it easier for engineers to do their jobs. We wanted to make them easier to access via Traceparts which also gives engineers instantly available product configuration data commented Nick Petri President of DTi. This eliminates the need to flip through catalog pages, drawings, and tables to get dimensions when they want to build DTi products into one of their designs. The result is on-the-fly configuration they can download, configure, and verify the design within seconds. Using TraceParts technology, DTis current and potential customers can now easily import CAD files directly into their CAD projects. Download DTi Product CAD files here https://www.traceparts.com/en/search/device-technologies-inc?CatalogPath=DEVICE_425482323%3ADEVICE_TECHNOLOGIES Publishing DTi Product Data to Millions of Engineers and Designers: DTi is an active, qualified supplier to OEM's and contract manufacturers worldwide and as part of that provide ship-to-stock inventory and enhanced solutions (such as kitting, cut-to-length, and custom engineering services). Publishing its CAD models on TraceParts gives DTi access to Traceparts 4.7 million registered engineers and designers. This is a perfect fit given the worldwide usage of DTi products. It enables DTi to reach a wider but highly targeted audience of mechanical, design and manufacturing engineers. Download DTi Product CAD files here https://www.traceparts.com/en/search/device-technologies-inc?CatalogPath=DEVICE_425482323%3ADEVICE_TECHNOLOGIES ### About DTi device technologies GmbH and Device Technologies, Inc. DTi device technologies GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Device Technologies, Inc., is located in Hamburg, Germany. Established in 2018 to further expand and develop the EMEA market, DTi device technologies GmbH provides local product support, customer service, distribution, light manufacturing, packaging and finishing driven by customer specifications. Founded in 1984, Device Technologies, Inc. (DTi) designs, manufactures, and sells specialty components including grommet edgings, enclosure seals, trims, wire protection sleeving, and high-performance magnet wire with a complete or selective polymer coating. DTIs products are used across a wide spectrum of industries and OEMs including Aerospace, Avionics, MRO applications, Automotive, Tactical Military Equipment, Wind Turbines, Telecom, Power systems, IT Servers, HVAC equipment, Medical, Gaming, and Food Service Manufacturing. DTi continually invests in R&D to improve its products and processes to enhance cost savings and efficiency opportunities for its clients. DTi is fully compliant with ISO 9001 and AS 9100 standards. Spring Fast, Fast-Drop, Trim-Fast, Seal-Fast, Protect-Fast and Shield-Fast are registered trademarks of Device Technologies, Inc. Customer Service EMEA/Latin America Meike Kurzak DTi device technologies GmbH Poststrasse 33 Hamburg 20354 Germany Office: +49 40 350 85 128 contact@dti-devicetech.eu http://www.dti-devicetech.eu North America & Asia Technical Contact Steven OLoughlin Device Technologies, Inc. 155 Northboro Road Southborough, MA 01772 +1-508-229-2000, Ext. 250 soloughlin@devicetech.com The Lagunitas Brewing Company Celebrates National IPA Day Lagunitas, the national craft brewer with the #1 selling IPA in the world, will join IPA fans in raising a cold one to celebrate this years National IPA Day. A recent national survey commissioned by The Lagunitas Brewing Company, conducted online by The Harris Poll among more than 1,000 US beer drinkers ages 21+, shows that nearly 1 in 4 beer drinkers age 21+ (23%) consider themselves an IPA Lover. The national craft brewer with the #1 selling IPA in the world will join these IPA fans in raising a cold one to celebrate this years National IPA Day on Thursday, Aug. 4. With a wide range of IPA styles, theres a Lagunitas brew for every occasion and person, said Paige Guzman, Lagunitas Chief Marketing Officer. From our iconic IPA to our Non-Alcoholic IPNA, were dedicated to making sure theres a Lagunitas beer for everyone. We even created an IPA Day Matchmaker to help our friends discover which deliciously hoppy IPA is right for them. ITS AN IPA PARTY IN THE USA For the 22% of beer drinkers age 21+ who admit they are IPA virgins (i.e., have never tried IPA), perhaps National IPA Day is the day to make that change. From Hazy to Sessionable to Double, there are so many IPAs to try. Those who buy a Lagunitas 6-pack will find a $3 rebate in states where valid. Use the great brew finder to find the store closest to you. For those who want to wear or express their affection for IPAs, select bars and restaurants will be passing out free Lagunitas IPA Day kits filled with pins, bandanas, T-shirts, koozies and openers. Grab some schwag and show some love for IPAs. For those who are lost on what to do to celebrate this wonderful day, Lagunitas is offering party tips and playlists, and encourages everyone to share their experience with #IPADAY and #lagunitasbeer. ITS OFFICIALLY LAGUNITAS IPA DAY Lagunitas is the true OG of IPA by fueling its popularity nearly 30 years ago. While it has grown to be global, its local at heart. Mayor Teresa Barrett of Petaluma where the craft brewer is headquartered, is proclaiming the first Thursday of August as Lagunitas IPA Day. Shell hold a toast at 4:20 p.m. on August 4 at the Lagunitas Petaluma TapRoom & Beer Sanctuary. Customers are also invited to come enjoy special TapRoom-only IPA Day brews. While more than one in three beer drinkers age 21+ (36%) know that IPA stands for India Pale Ale, one in 20 (5%) think it means International Puppy Appreciation. Lagunitas embraces both meanings and extends the TapRoom celebration invitation to IPA fans and their four-legged companions. Lagunitas also honors this meaning through its various charitable givings to animal shelters including a national partnership with The Best Friends Animal Society. ### Survey Method: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Lagunitas Brewing Company from June 23-27, 2022, among 1,319 beer drinkers. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact mailto: sam.kennedy@lagunitas.com. ABOUT THE LAGUNITAS BREWING COMPANY When The Lagunitas Brewing Company started on a kitchen stove back in 1993, no one could have imagined that a small, Northern California brewery would expand to more than 48 countries and have the #1 selling IPA in the world. During its history of making innovative craft brews, it has created an iconic line of hop-forward beers including: Lagunitas Flagship IPA, Daytime, Hazy Wonder, A Little Sumpin Sumpin, Maximus and Super Cluster. And there is now a seat at the bar for everyone. Lagunitas next chapter of innovations include a craft brewed non-alcoholic brew, seltzer and hard sparkling tea for full-flavored imbibing: IPNA, Hoppy Refresher, and Disorderly TeaHouse. Even as its offerings have evolved, its passion for edgy brewing, fresh music, strong sense of community, and of course, dogs, have remained the backbone of brewery. To learn more about The Lagunitas Brewing Company, visit: http://www.LAGUNITAS.com. Atlantas annual Wine & Culture Fest, dedicated to consumer education, brand awareness, industry advancement and cultural experiences through the Black lens, is scheduled to be held this year from August 11-14 at various locations throughout the city. On Thursday, August 11, the fest kicks off with Exploring South African Wines, a cultural experience that amplifies the culture of food and wine within South Africa. This experience is an exploratory moment within the Wine & Culture Fest that makes guests feel like they are traveling home to the Motherland. WOSA is a partner. Black South African Wine brands including Unfiltrd Can Wine will be featured at the program. Powered by Vine Pair, the Friday, August 12 event features The Cookout, a vibe of cultural connections. Tahiirah Habibi, the founder and creator of The Wine & Culture Fest, said, Music, cuisine and good wine will always be instrumental to our celebration, but The Cookout is our way of inspiring the community to expand their palate with new flavors and Black wine ecosystem. The Cookout is a melanin love affair that brings awareness and economic empowerment to those truly initiating change. Wine is complex, inclusion should not be. With music being such an important component of the event, it was a natural fit for DJ Lord of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winning Group Public Enemy to set the vibes. The Saturday, August 13 program is R.I.C.E. or Rising in Communities Every Day. Habibi said, just as vineyards produce signature wines, almost every culture has its style of cooking rice. Beyond the dinner table, some civilizations were created and sustained solely from harvesting the grain; theories claim growing rice fosters more collaborative and interconnected cultures. In honor of the worlds deeply rooted rice heritage, R.I.C.E. is our weekend day festival, where the wine industry and fellow enthusiasts celebrate our communities uniqueness through culinary art and experiences. Also, indulge in one of our signature activations that brings any sparkling wine lovers fantasy to life. Our Bubble Room reimagines a traditional tasting as a fully immersive experience. Prepare your senses for an unforgettable installation featuring bubbly wines from around the world. James Beard Award nominated chef Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, and whose recipes have been showcased at the James Beard House and in the American Cuisine Cook Book, will do a demo at the R.I.C.E. event. The Wine & Culture Fest concludes on Sunday, August 14 with the annual Roses and Rose Awards Brunch and The Rose Lounge hosted by iHeartRadios DJ Louis Vee. The brunch is a tribute to the notable accomplishments of Black, brown and indigenous professionals and contributors shaping the wine industry. Deserving trailblazers, newcomers and innovators are celebrated and highlighted while furthering the Wine & Culture Fests mission to increase economic inclusion and representation. This groundbreaking awards experience is the first of its kind, setting the new standard. In the Sweet Suite, art meets decadence in the beautifully curated experience, featuring an assortment of delicious desserts paired with various dessert wines. The Rose Lounge is the Wine & Culture Fests highly anticipated finale, where looks, good vibes and Rose are served in abundance. The Rose Lounge, sponsored by the McBride Sisters, is a celebration that culminates a phenomenal weekend. Trienne and DWade Cellas wines will also be featured at the Rose Lounge. Partners and sponsors of the Wine & Culture Fest include Vine Pair Magazine, Essence Magazine, Lapin Rouille Champagne, McBride Sisters, SommCon, Simple Labs, Silver Oak, Nivole Moscato, Trienne, Dujac, Wines of South Africa, The Sorting Table, Cuisine Noir, Pur Noire, Imbibe, WSET, and Du Nord Social Spirits. For more information about the Wine & Culture Fest and to purchase tickets visit wineandculturefest.com. About the Wine & Culture Fest Presented by The Hue Society, Wine & Culture Fest is the most inclusive wine festival dedicated to consumer education, brand awareness, industry advancement, and cultural experiences through the Black lens. We host interactive sessions from industry mavens, tastings of fan favorites and rare selections, and premiere social events that unite our entire industry. Wine & Culture Fest advocates for economic inclusion and recognition by providing our community a safe space to learn and share experiences.### St. Joseph the Worker (SJW), a nonprofit that connects disadvantaged, homeless and low-income individuals to quality jobs, has been awarded a $250,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. The funding will support the organizations Workforce Villages program, which works to eliminate housing barriers for employed individuals experiencing homelessness. The truth is, many people facing homelessness want to work but lack the basic resources to find and maintain employment, said Founder & CEO of PXG Bob Parsons. Its pretty rough keeping a job when you dont have a place to sleep or take a shower. By providing stable housing and employment resources, St. Joseph the Worker is helping break the cycle of homelessness. SJW operates under the mission of giving anyone who is stable, ready, and wanting to work a hand-up and not a handout. One of the organizations key initiatives for finding a solution to homelessness is its Workforce Villages program. A transitional housing option for working, homeless clients, Workforce Villages provides up to three months of rent-free, stable housing. Residents then have the opportunity to transition into permanent housing and receive up to 12 months of additional services such as transportation assistance, professional attire or uniforms, resume development, financial planning, credit repair planning, long-term goal setting, and conflict management training. Together, these resources build the foundation needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency and maintain quality employment. SJW defines quality employment as a career providing a livable wage and benefits as well as opportunities for upskilling/advancement. We are beyond grateful to The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation for this generous grant, said Chief Operating Officer of SJW Dean Scheinert. With this additional funding, we will be able to bolster essential employment resources for our clients that many of us tend to take for granted in our day-to-day lives. There are a lot of hard-working people out there who need a hand up when seeking and landing a job. And, having a significant financial boost from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will bring us one step closer to ending homelessness through services that support long-term housing and employment. The recent grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will allow the organization to expand its outreach and serve approximately 100 adults in the greater Phoenix area. During the past 12 months, SJW and the Workforce Villages program have helped 5,399 clients maintain and secure quality jobs. Access to affordable housing in the greater Phoenix area is a growing issue and, without help, many people experiencing poverty and homelessness are unable to get back on their feet, said President & Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel Renee Parsons. St. Joseph the Worker is breaking down the most common barriers to gainful employment and providing its clients with the opportunity to overcome their circumstances, become financially stable, and secure long-term housing. SJW reaches clients from more than 50 zip codes across the Valley through its five locations and 90+ nonprofit, government, and private partners. In total, the organization has helped transform the lives of more than 35,000 individuals since its establishment and continues to dispense the resources needed to remove employment barriers and create success. For more than 30 years, SJW has served marginalized, homeless, and low-income individuals across Arizona. The organization is currently the largest, 100 percent community-funded employment organization in the state and is responsible for employing more individuals in real, paying jobs than any other Arizona-based nonprofit organization. To learn more about SJW, or for ways to get involved, please visit https://sjwjobs.org/. About St. Joseph The Worker St. Joseph The Worker (SJW) helps individuals return to the workforce and become self-sufficient, productive members of society. For more than 30 years, SJW has been backed by the belief that, through employment, homelessness rates can significantly decrease. Through its initiatives, anyone and everyone who is stable, ready, and wanting to work will be employed, regardless of the economic climate or their individual situation. To learn more about SJW, visit https://sjwjobs.org/. About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture, and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the countrys most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundations giving is driven by the core belief that all people regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity deserve access to quality healthcare, education, and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org, to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community. ### Contact: Loren Yaskin The Flip Side Communications 480-205-4388 loren@theflipsidecommunications.com Bill Vulpis, Advisory Board Im humbled that Bill has chosen to partner with IMTC and thrilled to be working closely with him in his advisory capacity. His unique perspective will be invaluable as we accelerate growth and expand our offerings, said Russell Feldman. IMTC, a leading provider of fixed income investment management technology, announces the appointment of industry-veteran Bill Vulpis to its Advisory Board. Mr. Vulpis brings his extensive experience to IMTC as a strategic advisor after working at the crossroads between fixed income and technology. Bill is an accomplished industry leader with a track record of success in the fixed income technology arena, said Russell Feldman, CEO of IMTC. Im humbled that Bill has chosen to partner with IMTC and thrilled to be working closely with him in his advisory capacity. His unique perspective will be invaluable as we accelerate growth and expand our offerings. Mr. Vulpis currently provides executive and business advisory services after retiring as the head of BondPoint at Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Prior to that, he served at TD Ameritrade as a Managing Director of Investment Product Management as well as at Amerivest Investment Management where he served as President. Bill started his career at Merrill Lynch and spent over 20 years there as a senior executive in both the U.S. and international divisions. Bills industry experience spans a wide breadth across financial services including fintech services, equity syndicate, fixed income trading, structured product origination, asset management, and U.S. and international wealth management. After spending years in the fixed income industry, I am excited about the much-needed innovation and cutting-edge technology that IMTC is delivering to the market, explained Bill Vulpis. They are in a unique position to really empower bond managers to work efficiently and deliver customized solutions at scale. IMTCs Advisory Board members provide strategic guidance to the company as the firm is experiencing a period of explosive growth. The firms goal of enabling fixed income managers to invest in individual bond accounts faster and more precisely has proven to be a winning strategy in an industry riddled with outdated and cumbersome systems. To see IMTC in action, please schedule time to talk to the team here. About IMTC IMTC is a SaaS-based enterprise fintech provider that is fundamentally changing the way asset and wealth management firms manage fixed income assets for their clients. IMTCs cloud-based investment management system (IMS) optimizes portfolios with a speed and accuracy that's never been possible before, leading to improved performance and lower costs. The technology solutions streamline and automate end-to-end fixed income investment workflows with the unique ability to take action across hundreds of portfolios at one time, enabling customization at scale. IMTC has a global presence, with headquarters in New York City. For more information, visit http://www.imtc.com or follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn. With the extensive spaceflight systems engineering experience Ms. Hoffman brings to Solstars technical team, she will play a crucial role in the development of our Wireless Access Points for NASAs Lunar Gateway HALO Module we are working on in conjunction with Northrop Grumman. - Brian Barnett Solstar Space (Solstar), the company making persistent in-orbit communications available, announced the opening of its new Boulder, Colorado office located in the heart of the Pearl Street Mall area as the company continues to grow with the addition of Technical Program Manager, Casey Hoffman, to its accomplished space-based communications engineering team. Hoffman brings nearly two decades of crewed and uncrewed spaceflight engineering experience to Solstars team having worked on projects including NASAs Space Shuttle program, Ares I-X, Dream Chaser, James Webb Space Telescope, Orion, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services. With the extensive spaceflight systems engineering experience Ms. Hoffman brings to Solstars technical team, she will play a crucial role in the development of our Wireless Access Points for NASAs Lunar Gateway HALO Module we are working on in conjunction with Northrop Grumman, says Brian Barnett, CEO and Founder, Solstar Space Company. Ms. Hoffman joins Solstar as we launch our new centrally located Boulder, Colorado office where she will be based. This expansion adds to Solstars existing U.S. headquarters in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As commercial, space agency, and government space programs continue to burgeon, Solstar will continue to expand the development of its space-based Wi-Fi access points and space communicators to meet the unique requirements of crewed and uncrewed missions, continues Barnett. I am thrilled to be joining the Solstar team at this exciting stage of the companys growth and development. This role is the perfect continuation of my space industry engineering career. As the companys technical program manager, I will work on ensuring Solstars Wireless Access Points provide reliable connectivity for NASAs crew and the devices used aboard the HALO module, says Casey Hoffman, Technical Program Manager, Solstar Space Company. Having worked with many of the organizations Solstar partners and provides solutions for including NASA, Northrop Grumman, and others, I look forward to playing an important role in the future of space-based communications, says Hoffman. Solstars new Boulder, Colorado office is located at 1445 Pearl Street. Visit https://www.solstarspace.com/ to learn more. ### Media Inquiries | Lisa Dreher | lisa@guideforce.com | +1 425-442-1301 Investor Inquiries | Brian Barnett | barnett@solstarspace.com | +1 505-389-2299 Business Inquiries | Paul Frey | pfrey@solstarspace.com | +1 505-389-2299 ABOUT SOLSTAR SPACE Solstar Space is the leading commercial space-based connectivity company pioneering the use of persistent communications services for all types of on-orbit assets including satellites, space stations, launch vehicles, and more. We provide an internet connection between spacecraft and Earth-based payload managers, satellite operators, and enable communications for crewed missions in sub-orbit, LEO, and cis-lunar and lunar surface operations. Our fast, reliable services, space-tested routers, WiFi access points and hotspots, and space-based satellite data relays are being developed to deliver on-orbit connectivity and are supported by 24/7 customer care. These devices are installed on satellites and spacecraft prior to launch to keep crew, spacecraft, and Earth-based satellite operations teams connected. Visit https://www.solstarspace.com. Follow us: WeFunder | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram CULA is an industry leader and shares our commitment to superior member service. Were excited to extend this new offering to our members and dealer partners. Credit Union Leasing of America (CULA) announced today that it has partnered with Affinity Federal Credit Union (Affinity), one of the nations largest credit unions, to bring the affordability and flexibility of leasing to Affinitys New Jersey members and local dealerships, with plans to expand the indirect leasing program to New York and Pennsylvania. Affinity provides comprehensive services and solutions, including auto purchase and leasing support and loan options, for its members in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Affinity ranks in the top 2% of all credit unions in the U.S.(1), and has more than 20 branches across the tri-state region. CULA, which experienced record growth in the last two years, with 2022 expected to surpass 2021, has been the leader in indirect vehicle leasing for credit unions for over 30 years. Affinitys mission is to support our members' financial well-being and to work closely with them to achieve their financial goals, said Kathleen M. Metz, Senior Vice President Lending, of Affinity. We recognize that car ownership is increasingly difficult in todays climate, with record-high prices and low inventories presenting heightened challenges for interested buyers. CULA is an industry leader and shares our commitment to superior member service. Were excited to extend this new offering to our members and dealer partners. CULA offers an analytically driven, high-value leasing program and handles the intricacies of leasing for its clients including analytics, insurance, operations, compliance and more. Its partners include the industrys most innovative credit unions, including nine of the top 10 credit unions offering leasing in the U.S. Our partnership provides direct benefit to our members and team members, alike. The new CULA Plus Program handles even more of the lease end responsibilities and will allow for an efficient, streamlined and positive experience for our team, while boosting the member experience, Marisa Manning, Indirect Operations Manager, of Affinity added. New Jersey is one of the most important vehicle-leasing markets in the U.S., and we are proud to further expand our credit union reach in New Jersey as well as in New York and Pennsylvania with the forward-thinking team at Affinity, said Mark Chandler, CULAs VP of Business Development. There is a significant opportunity for credit unions who offer vehicle leasing in the current economic climate, and we are pleased to help Affinity meet this moment. Our program is designed to enhance membership and yield, while helping to diversify service portfolios. According to Experian(2), in todays automotive landscape, there is an opportunity for credit unions to step in and gain market share. Credit unions amassed 22.06% of the total automotive finance market, up from 18.55% a year prior, according to Experians State of the Automotive Finance Market: Q1 2022 report. CULA, working with its credit union partners, originated 50,000 leases for $2 Billion in 2021, a single year record. In the first 6 months of 2022, CULA has already grown by 50% YOY, and is on pace to see even better results for full year 2022. The company has nearly tripled its portfolio in five years to $5 billion and currently offers leasing through credit unions in 20 states. More than 35 credit unions are currently active on CULAs innovative leasing platform. It is so gratifying to see our credit union partners achieving such impressive results as they help their members into vehicles in the current economic climate. We have no doubt that Affinity, with its focus on serving the needs of its members, will prove to be one of our most successful partners, concluded Chandler. About Affinity Federal Credit Union Affinity is a full-service financial institution, member owned and community focused, with a mission to nurture your financial wellbeing. With more than 20 branches across the tri-state area, Affinity is the largest credit union headquartered in the state of New Jersey, proudly ranking in the top 2% of all credit unions in terms of asset size(1). The Affinity difference is about people helping people on a deeper level and understanding what YOU need to make your unique dreams a reality. For more information, please visit http://www.affinityfcu.com. About Credit Union Leasing of America Credit Union Leasing of America (CULA) has been the leader in indirect vehicle leasing for credit unions for over 30 years. Founded in 1988, CULA provides best-in-class program assistance, analytics reporting, compliance support, dealer management tools and member services. The CULA indirect vehicle leasing program empowers credit union innovators to diversify their existing loan portfolios, improve yield and expand member services. Visit https://www.cula.com/ to learn more. Media contacts: Angela Jacobson, mWEBB Communications, angela(at)mwebbcom(dot)com, (714) 454-8776 Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com, (949) 307-1723 1) Source:https://www.affinityfcu.com/credit-cards/redbulls.aspx NCUA.gov. Using the Credit Union and Corporate Call Report Data found here: https://www.ncua.gov/analysis/credit-union-corporate-call-report-data 2) Source: https://www.experianplc.com/media/latest-news/2022/credit-unions-amass-largest-share-of-the-automotive-finance-market-in-five-years With CoWrite, Writer can now support customers not just during the writing and editing phases, but also during the ideation and outlining phases.... Writer, the AI writing platform for teams, today announced the launch of CoWrite, the first GPT-powered AI writing tool to be trained on a customers own content. "We are thrilled to announce the launch of CoWrite and further help GTM leaders in their efforts to deliver consistent and on-brand content across every digital channel," said May Habib, CEO and co-founder of Writer. "With CoWrite, Writer can now support customers not just during the writing and editing phases, but also during the ideation and outlining phases. By giving customers the ability to create on-brand AI-generated first drafts in a fraction of the time, CoWrite empowers writers to accelerate their content production process without sacrificing brand consistency or quality. CoWrite uses a customers best blog posts, help articles, headlines, and ads to power on-brand first drafts that accelerate content production, increase conversion rates, and empower more employees to write for a company. Producing high quality, on-brand content at scale can be at odds with the current pressures marketers face to freeze headcount and budgets. For years, natural language generation (NLG) has promised to solve this problem, but has continued to underdeliver. Even the latest crop of GPT3-powered applications have produced results that marketers have found to be generic, repetitive, and not calibrated for their brands. Writer solves this problem by using a customers content to design custom templates and train on a customers own data. Customers preferred terminology, style, and voice are all taken into account in the AI-generated output. "When we compared Writer to other GPT/NLG apps, we found that these 'one-size-fits-all companies don't deliver on the promises that they try to, said customer Ranjan Roy, VP of Strategy at Adore Me, the disruptive online lingerie startup. I think the first thing that attracted us to Writer was seeing first-hand how it actually solved real business problems and made content processes better and more efficient. Using CoWrite, the team at Adore Me has used AI-generated output to accelerate the writing of everything from press releases to website copy and advertising, saving 30-40 hours a month per writer. As a startup, time and resources are everything, said Roy. The ability to take those hours and move people into bigger, higher impact and creative things makes a big difference, and I believe gives us a competitive advantage. Writer's mission is to bring the power of great writing to everyone. Writer has raised $26 million since launching in August 2020 and has experienced significant growth, more than tripling ARR in the last 12 months. The company now serves more than 150 leading brands, including Spotify, Pinterest, Intuit, Twitter, and Accenture. CoWrite is now available for all Writer customers. To learn more and sign up for a free trial, visit: https://writer.com/product/cowrite/. About Writer Writer is the leading AI writing platform for teams. Writer empower GTM leaders to build a consistent brand across every customer touchpoint. Automated language generation and writing suggestions make it possible for teams to accelerate content, align brand, and empower more writers across all types of content and communications. Enterprise-class and simple to roll out, Writer is deployed widely at leading brands like Twitter, Intuit, UiPath, UnitedHealthcare, Accenture, and Spotify. Writer is based in San Francisco and has raised $26 million from Insight Partners, Gradient Ventures, the Todd and Rahul Angel Fund, Scott Belsky, Oliver Jay, Jack Altman, Allison Pickens, Packy McCormick, Lenny Rachitsky, Austin Rief, Ankur Nagpal, Alex MacCaw, Camille Ricketts, Vivek Sodera, Julia Lipton and James Beshara. For more information, visit https://writer.com We are excited to announce our expansion as we are consistently reinvesting into the neighborhoods and counties we serve, said Creig Northrop, founder and CEO of Northrop Realty. Northrop Realty, a leading residential and commercial real estate brokerage, today announces the opening of their new Newark, Delaware office. The new 2,600 square-foot location at 300 Creek View Road, #105 Newark, Delaware, at White Clay Creek will provide New Castle County residents with a client-centric full-service real experience giving them a competitive advantage that is second-to-none. Northrop Realty's exuberant growth is a testament to the brokerage's commitment to its clients, agents, staff, and the communities they serve in Newark and surrounding areas. This announcement is on the heels of Northrop Realty's expansion in the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach market in July. CEOs Creig and Carla Northrop lead the brokerage, which provides a hyperlocal approach, valuable market insight, and a custom experience for residential and commercial buyers and sellers at no extra cost. "The housing market in Newark and New Castle County is very competitive," said Allison Stine, Team Leader of the Allison Stine Team of Northrop Realty. "Experience matters and hiring the best brokerage and agent is imperative in preparing and advising buyers and sellers for every move in a competitive and often unpredictable real estate market." This one-of-a-kind custom brokerage provides its clients with home marketing and staging consultants, client care coordinators, and an in-house marketing agency, Studio7, to promote their properties and help them get the optimal price. "We are excited to announce our expansion as we are consistently reinvesting into the neighborhoods and counties we serve," said Creig Northrop, founder and CEO of Northrop Realty. "Our dedication to growing and thriving in Delaware's real estate market allows us to provide more support, create greater efficiencies, and give an unmatched experience to our clientele as we open our 5th Delaware office in New Castle County." "The brokerage provides our agents with amazing support, guidance, marketing, and access to a comprehensive roster of relevant, career-building educational programs designed to give them an edge over the competition, said Chrissy Steele, Regional Manager of Northrop Realty. If you are a full-time agent looking to grow your real estate business and want to be an integral part of our iconic brand, don't hesitate to contact Northrop Realty at 302-539-2900 or visit our career page." About Northrop Realty Northrop Realty is a full-service brokerage representing buyers and sellers of residential real estate in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania. As one of the region's premier brokerages, Northrop Realty is comprised of more than 325+ licensed real estate professionals and over 75 employees, operating 16 brick-and-mortar office locations in Annapolis, Baltimore, Clarksville, Columbia, Ellicott City, Fallston, Frederick, Lutherville-Timonium, Phoenix, Sykesville, and West Ocean City, Maryland, and Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Millsboro, Lewes-Rehoboth, and Newark, Delaware. Since 2000, Northrop Realty's iconic brand and continued success are a result of its best-in-class technology, training, leadership, marketing, and robust network. As a subsidiary of Home Services of America, and Forbes Global Properties, Northrop Realty is proud to rank as the No. 1 specialty brokerage in the nation by RealTrends for 2019 based on closed sales volume. (http://www.northroprealty.com) Media Contact: Ray Bularz 443-539-6924 gina@bloomtopia.com "When the pandemic began we considered how we could assist and my family did not hesitate to offer the rooms and services at Breezes to support The Government and the wider Bahamian community. We knew we had to work together in the fight against a pandemic that impacted us all Breezes Bahamas was honored by The Government of The Bahamas for going above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID pandemic, at a ceremony commencing the 49th Anniversary of The Bahamas' Independence. Breezes was honored with multiple awards and certificates of appreciation for their outstanding efforts, exemplary service, hard work and commitment to excellence in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic. Breezes' management team and the various departments within the hotel (kitchen, housekeeping, engineering, front office, laundry and sanitation) were also singled out for their contributions and were recognized for being committed to assisting the Government, and the people of The Bahamas. Breezes housed patients who were either being quarantined or suspected to have COVID-19 during the pandemic. In addition to being a quarantine facility Breezes converted the East Wing of the hotel to a hospital for non-Covid patients. "When the pandemic began we considered how we could assist and my family did not hesitate to offer the rooms and services at Breezes to support The Government and the wider Bahamian community. We knew we had to work together in the fight against a pandemic that impacted us all said Muna Issa, Managing Director of Breezes Bahamas. Were humbled to be recognized. Muna Issa received the awards on behalf of Breezes from Her Excellency Leslia Miller-Brice (Ambassador to CARICOM and Chair of the Independence Secretariat), Hon. Wayne Monroe (Minister of National Security) and Hon. Glynys Hanna-Martin (Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training). Breezes Bahamas is a 391-room all-inclusive beach resort located on Cable Beach in Nassau on New Providence Island. Breezes offers guests a variety of dining options including Italian and Asian-fusion on a rotating weekly schedule. Private dinners on the beach can also be arranged for an additional cost. Guests of Breezes Bahamas can find fun in the sun both on land and offshore. Breezes beachfront swimming pool include a swim-up pool bar. Breezes Bahamas welcomes couples, single travelers, groups of friends and families with children ages 14 and older. Kids Art Box logo The core of Kids Art Box has always been focused on supporting a childs creativity while helping them fine tune real life skills with the support of their loved ones." - Melanie Phillips, co-founder and creative director of Kids Art Box Today, Kids Art Box, a leading art subscription box that helps kids, families and friends discover and bond through the magic of art, announced the launch of its new product line, Create Together Art Box. By combining its former Mommy and Me and Daddy and Me Art Boxes, Kids Art Box hopes to encourage increased creativity and inclusivity among families moms, dads, aunts, uncles, caregivers, friends and more because art is for everyone. Art plays an integral role in a childs development. It has a powerful way of harnessing a childs imagination and independent thinking while providing a gateway to their creative, natural play, said Melanie Phillips, co-founder and creative director of Kids Art Box. The core of Kids Art Box has always been focused on supporting a childs creativity while helping them fine tune real life skills with the support of their loved ones. Thats why we streamlined our previous product lines it doesnt matter if a child is doing art and crafts with mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, a teacher, or caregiver. What does matter is that everyone is making quality memories by creating together. Founded in 2020, family-owned Kids Art Box offers thoughtfully curated arts and craft boxes for kids ages 3-12 that are inspired by the Montessori method. The Montessori method emphasizes choice, meaning children have control over their learning and reinforces the idea that art is real work, and all children are artists. Their newest product, Create Together Art Box, for kids ages 3-7, includes three art activities, a science project, and a recipe or origami tutorial with popular themes including travel, farming, woodland creatures, and more. All activities can be used in a variety of settings, whether in school with a teacher or at home with a babysitter. These boxes are wonderful! It makes planning a day with two young children so much easier to have these boxes set and ready to go, said Gillian S., a Kids Art Box subscriber. The price point is also perfect; they are affordable and keep in mind each box has 4-5 activities. Also, the company is actually responsive and in a timely manner. Thank you kids art box ! From a momma and her two boys. Beyond the signature Create Together Art Box, the organization also offers My Artist Box, a separate product line for kids ages 6-12, which features a new artist each month for a child to learn about. The monthly theme for the My Artist Box includes a short biography of the artist and their most famous pieces, two art activities to guide a child through reproducing their artwork, one art activity to practice one of the artists techniques, and one diorama about the artist, their life, or one of the artists paintings. To celebrate special holidays and celebratory moments, Kids Art Box also curates limited-time art boxes throughout the year, including Halloween, Christmas, and more. Delivered right to your doorstep, Kids Art Box offers monthly subscriptions for as low as $38 with free cancellation at any time. 3-month and 12-month prepaid options are also available and are delivered monthly. Each prepaid option renews every 3 or 12 months, depending on the subscription terms. One-time purchases for all subscription product lines are $48 per box. A discount is offered for purchasing multiple boxes or subscriptions. In celebration of the new product line launch, Kids Art Box is extending $10 off of all products using the code CTAB10 for the month of August. To place an order or to learn more about the newest Create Together Art Box, please visit KidsArtBox.com/create-together-art-box. For all other information regarding Kids Art Box, visit KidsArtBox.com. ### About Kids Art Box Kids Art Box is a top-of-the-line art subscription box for children that helps kids, families, and friends discover and bond through the magic of art. Founded in 2020, family-owned Kids Art Box offers thoughtfully curated arts and crafts for ages 3-12. Driven by art education and engaging themes such as magic, pets, rainforests, national parks, and more, monthly Kids Art Box subscriptions are making its way into the homes of thousands of families nurturing young artists. Check out Kids Art Box on Facebook (@MyKidsArtBox) and Instagram (@MyKidsArtBox). To learn more, visit KidsArtBox.com. "K9s4COPs and K9s4KIDs, along with RTIC Outdoors, want to share a feel good moment to thank law enforcement agencies for keeping us safe. We can, and we MUST, change the current climate between the community and law enforcement says Schiller. K9s4COPs launches its tour of Midwest law enforcement agencies who have been granted a K9 from the Texas-based nonprofit. These agencies, along with their K9s and handlers, will be visited by K9s4COPs founder Kristi Schiller, and recognized for their bravery, integrity and enrichment they provide for their communities. After a melee of negative press, law enforcement morale is at an all-time K9s4COPs and K9s4KIDs, along with RTIC Outdoors, want to share a feel good moment to thank law enforcement agencies for keeping us safe. We can, and we MUST, change the current climate between the community and law enforcement. We want the positive to be louder than the negative and we want to do our part to make change happen, says Schiller. K9s4COPs will document the tour on their social media platforms so everyone can get an inside look at how they are spreading the Pawsitivity. They will also kick off the #K9 Karaoke Challenge to get the public and other public safety agencies involved. The K9 Karaoke Challenge is inspired by similar carpool karaoke clips that James Corden hosts as he drives around the streets of Los Angeles. Encourage your friends, co-workers or fellow dog lovers to join the fun and submit a video, Schiller says. The Pawsitivity tour, presented by RTIC Outdoors, includes stops at the following: Stillwater Police Department- Oklahoma, Parsons Police Department- Kansas, LaPlata Police Department- Missouri and Dubuque Police Department- Iowa. K9s4COPs provides trained K9s to public safety agencies and schools. Since 2011, over 265 K9s have been awarded and over 2 billion dollars-worth of contraband has been taken off the streets. Its K9s4KIDs initiative has given 28 school K9s and helps keep over 2 million students safe. A trained K9 can cost $15,000+ depending on their detection skills, and many agencies cannot afford to purchase or replace a K9. Meet them at K9s4COPs.org or on social media @K9s4COPs and @K9s4KIDs. RTIC is the largest own-brand Direct-to-Consumer provider of high-quality coolers, tumblers, bottles, travel bags, and other products for outdoor enthusiasts. Based in Houston, Texas, RTIC grew into a leading DTC brand for premium coolers and insulated drinkware. Today the company offers a broad portfolio of RTIC-branded products under its "Overbuilt. Not Overpriced." promise. ### Despite the challenges any small business faces, weve been able to steadily grow our service area without compromising the quality of service we offer our clients." Brad Collins and Andrew Price, founders of Winston-Salem Social Security Disability law firm Collins Price, PLLC, announced the firm will celebrate a decade in business this month. Attorneys Collins and Price are experienced Social Security Disability lawyers who first met as law students at Wake Forest Universitys School of Law and then later worked for a similar disability law firm before leaving to found their own. The partners founded Collins Price, PLLC on August 17, 2012 in Winston-Salem. Founding the business in Winston-Salem made a lot of sense for us. We had access to excellent office space, reasonable rent, an adequate customer base and close proximity to other cities throughout the greater Piedmont Triad and Charlotte-metro areas, said Attorney Collins. Since their founding, Collins Price has added three physical locations and additional service areas to serve clients throughout North Carolina. Despite the challenges any small business faces, weve been able to steadily grow our service area without compromising the quality of service we offer our clients, said Attorney Price. Our very first hire is still with us and helped us build out a strong support team of Case Managers along the way. Collins Price, PLLC has almost 180 five-star reviews on Google. The firm wishes to thank the thousands of Winston-Salem clients and their families who trusted the firm with their Social Security Disability claim over the last 10 years. About Collins Price, PLLC Collins Price, PLLC is a Social Security Disability law firm founded by Attorneys Brad Collins and Andrew Price in 2012. Both partners met at Wake Forest University where they attended law school. Collins Price, PLLC focuses on the practice of Social Security Disability Law, serving clients seeking or appealing denied benefits for the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs. Collins Price, PLLC serves claimants throughout North Carolina. For more information, please visit us online. This innovation will enable businesses around the world to leverage some of the best-in-class technology from Lytics within a secure cloud environment. Lytics, a leading customer data platform (CDP), today announced the launch of Lytics Private Instance and Lytics Private Cloud on Google Cloud. A full set of features are available as part of the Lytics platform, ranging from data pipeline and profile management, to audience exploration, creation, and activation, to be deployed inside a customers Google Cloud environment. A full set of features are available as part of the Lytics platform, ranging from: data pipeline and profile management, and audience exploration, creation, and activation, to be deployed inside a customers Google Cloud environment. These capabilities help enterprises centralize and harness data from a myriad of sources to help improve the customer experience. For companies with strict compliance requirements, having Lytics Private Instance available on Google Cloud offers a fully-managed instance of the Lytics CDP on dedicated resources. This increases the flexibility of server location (i.e. Canada, Singapore), and offers a range of benefits necessary to meet the most demanding compliance requirements, all run in a fully-managed environment. For organizations in regulated industries like financial services and healthcare, Lytics Private Cloud offers a full deployment of the Lytics CDP in a business own instance of Google Cloud, as a single tenant. This puts the organization in complete control of budgeting, resource allocation, and permissions, along with deeper access to hosting and performance-related metrics. Enterprise companies can now have multiple methods to adopt the Lytics CDP to unify and activate customer data while addressing data privacy requirements under regulations like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), using their own privacy and security posture supported within the Google Cloud. Google Cloud's security model, world-scale infrastructure, and unique capability to innovate help enterprises maintain security and compliance. Google Cloud customers can take advantage of the same secure-by-design infrastructure, built-in protection, and global network that Google uses to protect the information, identities, applications, and devices of their users. The Google Cloud stack builds security through progressive layers that deliver true defense in depth at scale. This innovation will enable businesses around the world to leverage some of the best-in-class technology from Lytics within a secure cloud environment," said Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, President, Lytics. This is particularly important for industries like finance and healthcare that are highly regulated and recognize the mission critical nature of first-party data driving the future of their customer experience. ### About Lytics As the first composable customer data platform (CDP) built for enterprises, Lytics vision is to fuel the worlds most customer-centric companies. Lytics provides the ultimate security and flexibility for the modern marketing and ad technology stacks, including unparalleled audience insights & AI / ML enrinchments that power smarter audience identification, best-in-class media activation, and a one-of-a-kind flexible and composable architecture. Offering reverse ETL capabilities and the ability to deploy both private instance & private cloud deployments, Lytics unique data-driven approach enables brands to leverage their own customer data to increase customer engagement, marketing ROI, customized content recommendations and personalized web experiences. Led by experienced executives (Webtrends, Qualtrics, Tripwire, ZoomInfo, Simple, Mozilla, etc.) and backed by JMI Equity, Comcast Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, Voyager Capital, Rembrandt Venture Partners and EPIC Ventures. Their customers include Live Nation, Nestle Purina, Fox, Whirlpool, and many more of the world's largest and most sophisticated businesses. "Our Bittersweet Aperitivo is full of big, exuberant botanical flavors and strikes a delicate balance among all of them. It's complex, but most importantly, it's delicious. - Wildertons Founding Distiller, Seth OMalley Today, the visionary non-alcoholic spirit brand Wilderton Botanical Spirit proudly welcomes a first-in-category naturally preserved Bittersweet Aperitivo to its award-winning portfolio of botanically-driven craft spirits. In a nod to aperitivo and the burgeoning spritz culture, Wildertons Bittersweet Aperitivos bold, intricate flavor profile is a 100% natural ruby red liquid, hand crafted using a proprietary process from globally-sourced botanicals in the Pacific Northwest. Bittersweet Aperitivo joins Wildertons two original expressions - the spicy, smoky Earthen and the bright, floral, citrusy Lustre - completing an imitable trio of spirits primed for endless, adventurous cocktail creations. Developed by Wildertons Founding Distiller Seth OMalley, Bittersweet Aperitivo ($34.99/750ml bottle) is a bitter, sweet, and vibrant homage to the Italian aperitivo tradition, perfect for a spritz during the evening golden hour. Bittersweet Aperitivos fragrant blend of grapefruit, orange blossom and Italian lemon is married with heady undertones of sandalwood and punctuated with bitters from gentian and a tinge of wormwood. Lending a subtle wine-like note and counterpoise to these aromatics and herbs is Chardonnay grape juice, which offers the perfect hint of sweetness. On the inspiration to create Bittersweet Aperitivo, Wilderton Co-Founder & CEO Brad Whiting remarks, We were first and foremost seeking to fill a gap in the market with a truly nuanced, sophisticated aperitivo informed by Wildertons unique expertise in the application of botanicals to craft non-alcoholic spirits. Wildertons spirits make world-class cocktails that just happen to be non-alcoholic, and Bittersweet Aperitivo is no exception. I've been an obsessive of the Italian botanical spirits tradition for many years, and have had the privilege of creating numerous products in the vermouth, amaro, and aperitivo categories, says Wildertons Founding Distiller Seth OMalley. They're always my favorite to work on because these formats allow space for creative expression. Our Bittersweet Aperitivo is full of big, exuberant botanical flavors and strikes a delicate balance among all of them. It's complex, but most importantly, it's delicious. A true gem in the current wave of N/A interest and offerings, Wilderton Botanical Spirits expressions Lustre, Earthen, and now Bittersweet Aperitivo, are crafted by hand in Portland, Oregon via innovative processes that draw from traditional methods of tea making, perfumery, and spirits distillation to transform raw botanicals into complex non-alcoholic expressions. Wildertons Bittersweet Aperitivo is priced at $34.99 for 750ml, and is available for purchase at Wildertonfree.com, in select specialty grocers and non-alcoholic shops nation-wide. Their flagship expressions are also poured at over 120 bars and restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. ABOUT WILDERTON Bringing craft sensibilities to non-alcoholic spirits, Wilderton creates bold, non-alcoholic spirits expertly crafted from raw botanicals sourced from around the world to re-imagine no and low alcohol cocktails. Using both obscure and familiar wild plants from around the world, Wildertons signature expressions, the spicy, smoky Earthen, the bright, floral, citrusy Lustre, and Bittersweet Aperitivo offer provocative flavor combinations free from the confines of alcohol. Fellow Oregon craft spirits veterans Brad Whiting and Seth OMalley came together with a shared mission: to create a drink that would celebrate the complexity and experience of a traditional spirit but pair better with an active lifestyle. The beautiful result is Wilderton. For more information, visit http://www.wildertonfree.com | @wilderton_free Media Contact: The Door | Wilderton@thedooronline.com Kevin Hudson, EVP/Director of Client Services "I am pleased to announce Kevins promotion to EVP/Director of Client Services. Kevins strategic focus, expertise, and exemplary leadership is helping guide the company through the best years in its history, states Vigdis Eriksen, Founder and CEO. Eriksen Translations Inc., a leading Language Services Provider, today announced the promotion of Kevin Hudson to Executive Vice President, in addition to his current role as Director of Client Services. Hudson joined Eriksen in 2018 and serves as a member of the companys senior leadership team and head of the client services department. I am pleased to announce Kevins promotion to EVP/Director of Client Services. His contributions have been invaluable not only to the growth of the business, but in building a strong client services team, states Vigdis Eriksen, Founder and CEO. Kevins strategic focus, expertise, and exemplary leadership is helping guide the company through the best years in its history. Over the past year, we surpassed our revenue targets while achieving over 50% year-over-year growth. I look forward to working with Kevin to reach new levels of success as we move the company into the future. As EVP/Director of Client Services, Kevin will oversee the companys growing client services team while ensuring that all clients receive unparalleled support and customized solutions designed to meet their unique needs. Under Kevins continued leadership, the team employs a client-centric approach to build, manage, and grow relationships and create long-term value for Eriksens clients. As a member of the senior leadership team, Kevin works to instill a culture of excellence companywide, while developing and implementing strategies to ensure the companys growth and sustainability. I am honored to transition into this new role. Since joining Eriksen, I have been fortunate to work with talented, dedicated individuals who are passionate about the work they do, said Kevin Hudson. I am thrilled to be part of this thriving industry, and in my expanded role, I look forward to guiding Eriksens trajectory in the coming years and beyond. For 36 years, Eriksen has remained an independent, Brooklyn-based language services provider, with a footprint that extends throughout North America and beyond. Working in more than 100 languages, Eriksen supports major organizations in finance, insurance, law, health care, and education, as well as nonprofits, NGOs, and leading museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Kevin joined Eriksen in 2018 after 15 years working with major companies in the language services industry, where he began his career as a project manager and rose through the ranks to director of production and eventually managing director. About Eriksen Translations Inc. Eriksen Translations delivers best-in-class multilingual services in 100+ languages. Founded in downtown Brooklyn in 1986, Eriksen supports clients worldwide with a full range of services, including translation, typesetting, web and multimedia localization, transcreation, transcription, voiceover and subtitling, and live Zoom interpreting. Eriksen is certified as a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the City and State of New York. For more information, visit http://www.eriksen.com / @eriksentrans. "We are beyond excited to prove ourselves to all of our new clientele and use our expanded technology and service offerings to help clients to propel their visibility online." Heather Pressler, PhD, has started a new web design and digital marketing agency headquartered in Falls Church, VA. The transition comes on the heels of Capital Practice Consultings 6th anniversary of being in business in the Washington, DC metro area. CPC was one of the area's leading providers of digital advertising, website design, and other online marketing services for healthcare, legal, construction, real estate and other professionals. The move to start BlueHuki marketing began when Heather Pressler, co-founder of Capital Practice Consulting, had a new vision for the need for marketing beyond healthcare and was spurred by the changing needs of other business partners. Dr. Pressler started from humble beginnings as a self-taught HTML web designer, early Facebook adopter, MIT grad and scientist to curating a large team of digital marketing professionals delivering results for clients in the healthcare space and beyond. The origins of BlueHuki Group - Dr. Pressler was born and raised in Honolulu, HI. Huki is a Hawaiian word that describes the movement of an oar propelling a boat forward in the water. Huki also comes from the legend of Maui pulling the Hawaiian islands from the blue abyss into existence. In marketing, BlueHuki helps businesses emerge from the abyss online and propels them forward. "The best part is, our talented team is already on-board." Heather Pressler said. "I'm so excited to have people personally trained over the years at CPC. Our clients will be taken care of as they were before and they will have support to help their businesses grow, which has always been our ultimate mission as a business." "CPC had been growing and establishing a firm presence in Northern Virginia, Maryland, DC and nation-wide," Dr. Pressler said. "In digital marketing, the strategies evolve quickly and you need to be an agile organization to make changes to match the market pace." We spent the last 6 years growing from our headquarters in Falls Church throughout the DC metro area and nationwide. Over the past 6-years, the growth has been tremendous. "It's been amazing, the rise before and throughout COVID and beyond" Dr. Pressler said. "On a personal level, all of this growth means I've been working non-stop. Early mornings and late nights. I'm very thankful to all of our clients and networking partners - and the DC metro area - for all of their business over the years. Growing this company has been one of my greatest accomplishments." "BlueHuki's biggest goal with this transition, is taking the best care of our clients - every bit of strategy, all of the decisions we have made, and the steps we have taken to make this all work smoothly have centered around that goal," said Dr. Pressler. "We are beyond excited to prove ourselves to all of our new clientele and use our expanded technology and service offerings to help clients to propel their visibility online." About BlueHuki Group BlueHuki is a full-service marketing agency operating out of Falls Church City in Northern Virginia and specializing in Social Media Management, Branding, Website Design, and Ads. All media inquiries can be directed to info@bluehuki.com. Today, Common App launched the 2022-2023 application season with more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Used by more than three million applicants, teachers, and counselors every year, the Common App platform streamlines the college application process, providing resources and guidance to make college more accessible for students around the world. In addition to providing a single, online application and 24/7/365 support for all students applying to member colleges and universities, Common App connects applicants to a mobile app, financial aid and scholarship information, online portfolios, and a vast library of counselor resources available in English and Spanish. Common App started as an experiment in 1975 with 15 colleges, led by college admission officers and school counselors to streamline the admission process for students, said Jenny Rickard, President & CEO of Common App. Nearly 50 years later, we are so excited to kick off the 2022-2023 application season with more than 1,000 colleges and universities for students to explore. Our goal remains the same: We want all students to feel supported by Common App -- regardless of where they are in their journey. We want to provide the tools and resources to help more students get to and through college. "As a small, private faith-based school in NYC, our students value our community, diversity and a unique learning environment. We look forward to joining Common App and providing students with an easy way to launch into their educational journey," said Katherine Dell'Aiera, Associate Director of Central Admissions at Nyack College & Alliance Theological Seminary. Students applying to college in 2022-2023 will also have access to nearly 70 new colleges and universities. More than 20 of the new members to Common App are Minority-serving Institutions (MSIs). In 2021, Common App launched an initiative to increase member representation of Minority-serving Institutions. Under this program, MSI membership has grown significantly, with the highest number of MSIs joining between 2021-2022. As universities aim to increase on-campus diversity, Common Apps MSI Program aims to help connect MSIs with well-qualified candidates who are historically underserved. Core to Common Apps mission is supporting those who support students. Todays launch also includes the expansion of Common Apps integration platform, which enables third-party software developers to seamlessly integrate their products with Common App. Transeo, which helps schools transform their student readiness by tracking and reporting service, workplace learning and graduation plans, will be available for recommenders beginning in the 2022-2023 application season. Transeo joins our existing college counseling platforms supported through this integration service, including: BridgeU Cialfo FolderWave Kuder, Inc. MaiaLearning Majority Clarity, Inc. Naviance Parchment Xello SchooLinks OverGrad Unifrog XAP Corporation New Members of Common App for 2022-2023 Application Season Mid-Atlantic Fitchburg State University (MA) Goldey-Beacom College (DE) Nyack College (NY) Salem State University (MA) Thomas Edison State University (NJ) Mid-West Aurora University (IL) Ball State University (IN) Cleveland Institute of Art (OH) College for Creative Studies (MI) Donnelly College (KS) Grand Valley State University (MI) Huntington University (IN) Indiana University-Northwest (IN) Marian University (IN) Michigan Technological University (MI) Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH) Park University (MO) Saint Augustine College (IL) University of Wisconsin - River Falls (WI) South Abilene Christian University (TX) Brevard College (NC) Citadel Military College of South Carolina (SC) Clinton College (SC) Concord University (WV) Cumberland University (TN) Elizabeth City State University (NC) Ferrum College (VA) Florida International University (FL) Greensboro College (NC) Hardin-Simmons University (TX) Kennesaw State University (GA) Kentucky Wesleyan College (KY) Lenoir-Rhyne University (NC) Limestone University (SC) McMurry University (TX) Methodist University (NC) Miami-Dade College (FL) Montreat College (NC) North American University (TX) North Carolina Central University (NC) Paine College (GA) Pfeiffer University (NC) Regent University (VA) Savannah State University (GA) Shaw University (NC) Shenandoah University (VA) Simmons College of Kentucky (KY) Stephen F Austin State University (TX) Tarleton State University (TX) Texas A&M University (TX) Texas State University (TX) The University of Texas at Austin (TX) The University of Memphis (TN) University of North Carolina at Pembroke (NC) William Peace University (NC) West Central Washington University (WA) Eastern Oregon University (OR) Eastern Washington University (WA) Mount Marty University (SD) Northwest University (WA) University of New Mexico (NM) University of Washington (WA) University of Washington - Bothell Campus (WA) University of Washington - Tacoma Campus (WA) Western Washington University (WA) International Anglia Ruskin University Edinburgh Napier University **Italicized members indicate MSI status. About Common App Common App is a not-for-profit member organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through the Common Apps online application. In January 2019, the Common App united with Reach Higher, the college access and success campaign started by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time at the White House. By joining forces, Common App and Reach Higher accelerated progress toward our joint goal of supporting all students, especially low-income and first-generation students, in achieving their higher education dreams. Founded in 1975, Common App serves over 1,000 member colleges and universities worldwide. To learn more, visit commonapp.org and follow @CommonApp and #CommonApp on social media. "We are excited to be able to provide Janus SG Lighthouse Index, which seeks to harness the power of transparency, in this innovative product offering from Aspida and WealthVest, said Nick Cherney, Head of Exchange Traded Products at Janus Henderson Investors. WealthVest, a financial services marketing and wholesaling firm, in conjunction with Aspida Life Insurance Company (Aspida), a life insurance and annuity company, is now offering crediting strategies on an exclusive index from Societe Generale and Janus Henderson Investors on Aspidas WealthLockSM Accumulator Fixed Index Annuity. The WealthLock SM Accumulator FIA, distributed solely by WealthVests nationwide wholesaling team, enables consumers to take advantage of 1- and 2-year point-to-point participation and point-to-point cap rate strategies on the Janus SG Lighthouse Index. The FIA is now available in more than 35 states and features 7- and 10-year products, penalty-free withdrawals, a nursing home endorsement, a terminal illness waiver, and a bailout rate feature. Particularly in turbulent market conditions, many investors are seeking ways to find stability in their investment and retirement strategies. We are excited to be able to provide Janus SG Lighthouse Index, which seeks to harness the power of transparency, in this innovative product offering from Aspida and WealthVest. We believe that well-constructed strategies such as the Lighthouse Index can help investors find stability using Fixed Index Annuities, said Nick Cherney, Head of Exchange Traded Products at Janus Henderson Investors. Relying on historical observations, the Janus SG Lighthouse Index delivers transparency and foresight to consumers by selecting stocks that have recently provided earnings guidance. Historically, companies that provide earnings guidance delivered better returns than their peers. Janus Henderson developed this index methodology alongside Societe Generale, a leading European investment bank and financial services firm, who created the systematic bond allocation strategy and will be supporting the Janus SG Lighthouse Index. We partnered with Janus Henderson Investors to build an investment solution aimed at navigating agitated markets while providing exposure to high potential stocks. The Janus SG Lighthouse Index is the result of this effort. The Index includes our proprietary Smart Duration Signal which seeks to efficiently adjust portfolio allocations between equities and bonds. The equity portion of the Index provides exposure to companies that offer transparency in their earnings expectations in an effort to improve performance outcomes, said Natasha Dadlani with Global Markets Insurance Solutions. For more information on WealthLock SM Accumulator, rates or the index, contact the WealthVest sales desk at 1-866-221-2615 or visit http://www.aspida.com/wealthlock-accumulator. ### About WealthVest WealthVest is one of the leading distributors of fixed, fixed index, registered index-linked and variable annuitiesas well as structured products to U.S. financial advisors. WealthVests leadership is fueled by proprietary thought-leadership, consumer-driven product design expertise, strategic marketing, technology, and specialization in both field and hybrid-based advisor wholesaling. Follow them on Facebook and LinkedIn or visit wealthvest.com. About Aspida Aspida Holdings Ltd., through its subsidiaries (collectively Aspida), is focused on providing retirement and reinsurance solutions, having operations in the U.S. and Bermuda with total assets of $3.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2021. Aspida, through its U.S. platform Aspida Life Insurance Company is focused on leveraging technology and agility to help clients achieve and protect their dreams. Its Bermuda-based reinsurance platform, Aspida Life Re, is focused on providing efficient and secure life and annuity reinsurance solutions. Aspida seeks to be a trusted partner in its clients financial security while driving its growth by doing good for the communities it serves. Aspida is an indirect subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation. For more information, please visit: http://www.aspida.com. About Janus Henderson Group Janus Henderson Group (JHG) 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, quantitative equities, 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 NYSE and the ASX. About Societe Generale Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the Group combines financial strength and proven expertise in innovation with a strategy of sustainable growth. Committed to the positive transformations of the worlds societies and economies, Societe Generale and its teams seek to build, day after day, together with its clients, a better and sustainable future through responsible and innovative financial solutions. The WCO and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), as part of their Trade Facilitation and Customs Modernization Programme for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, organized a five-day capacity building programme from 11 to 15 July 2022 in Kampala for Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officials. The purpose was to enhance Ugandas Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and build the necessary internal capacity, particularly with regard to validation of AEO security criteria in line with the SAFE Framework of Standards and Article 7.7 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). This hands-on training programme was attended by 36 participants from various Customs divisions, namely: AEO, Post Clearance Audit (PCA), Risk Management, Enforcement, and Ports/Border Points. In his opening remarks, the Commissioner of the Customs & Excise Department said: Security of the supply chain is crucial to all of us and that is why URA has requested technical training and capacity building of AEO validators in this area. The training will ultimately lead to an increased number of security validations on operators, increased efficiency and effectiveness in the practical application of full AEO accreditation, and an increased number of AEOs under different categories, as well as improved facilitation and trade through the AEO programme. After reviewing the current state of play and assessing specific needs, WCO-accredited experts from India and South Africa provided practical approaches and validation techniques to participants, through interactive sessions and group exercises. One of the main focus areas was how to enhance the AEO programme by recognizing the specificities of businesses in Uganda. The aim was to reskill and upskill validators and related teams to have a flexible and customized approach to documentation, including the Application and Self-Assessment Questionnaire, as well as risk assessment and validation attuned to various business models, such as MSMEs and economic operators. To that end, key validation issues and methodologies were examined for economic operators, and related national and regional goods practices shared. Participants also received technical information on practical implementation with regard to cargo security, premises security, personnel security and IT security validation techniques and best practices. In terms of the involvement of other government agencies (OGAs) in the URA AEO programme, the experts outlined potential opportunities, benefits and processes for engaging with OGAs in order to scale up the current AEO programme to a national AEO programme. The participants, guided by the experts, also had an opportunity to work on an on-site validation of an applicant economic operator. The enhanced capacity will help URA update its current Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), with improved validation parameters for AEOs by adopting a tailor-made approach, as well as to bolster its AEO programme. In terms of the way forward, some of the key recommendations included: (i) the improvement of the SAQ, (ii) the expansion of the AEO programme to include various economic operators, such as transporters, freight forwarders and e-commerce actors, (iii) the ongoing enhancement of economic operator-specific customized validation capacities, and (iv) the extension of collaboration initiatives by setting up Customs-to-Private Sector collaborative forums underpinned by best practices, including outreach and education programmes. Daniele Severi Bruni At Stratevi, we look forward to partnering with our clients to develop evidence-supported value and access strategies. Stratevi LLC, a boutique health economics, outcomes research, and market access consulting firm, announces the appointment of Daniele Severi Bruni, MS, to the newly created role of Chief Access Officer. Mr. Severi Bruni will focus on expanding the firms capabilities and service offerings in strategic pricing and market access. He will be based in Santa Monica, California, and report to Josh Epstein, PhD, Chief Executive Officer. With Mr. Severi Bruni joining alongside Matthew Sussman, Stratevi doubled its leadership team in 2022, and is now able to more comprehensively address its clients needs. "As we celebrate our 7th anniversary, we are thrilled to have Daniele bring to the team a highly specialized and complementary set of skills, which will strengthen Stratevis value proposition, said Dr. Epstein. Mr. Severi Bruni also commented that, it is extremely exciting to join this team of talented health economists. I am honored to have the opportunity to develop a new set of integrated services, designed to deliver strong and actionable market access solutions. Too often market access consulting groups lose sight of the actual evidence that is needed to successfully implement their recommendations. At Stratevi, we look forward to partnering with our clients to develop evidence-supported value and access strategies. Daniele Severi Bruni brings over 22 years of experience in academia and management consulting. For the past 15 years Daniele has focused on pricing & market access and payer strategy. He has worked both in Europe and the US. He has in-depth knowledge of both European HTAs and US Managed Markets, as well as a robust network of payers and expert advisers. Daniele has worked across many disease areas, and he has been part of the market access launch readiness teams for several large and small drug manufacturers. Daniele holds a degree in Business and Economics and Master of Technology and Innovation Management from Bocconi University, in Milan. About Stratevi Stratevi is a boutique professional services firm that partners with pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device manufacturers to strategically generate and creatively communicate evidence of product value to ensure optimal access to therapy and enhance health outcomes. Stratevi has developed several differentiated products and services, including StrateLaunch, StratePulse, StrateReview, StrateVision, and StratePlay. Stratevi has offices in both Santa Monica, CA, and Boston, MA. To learn more, please visit http://www.stratevi.com or connect via LinkedIn. This acquisition demonstrates 365 Data Centers adherence to its network-centric colocation growth strategy, said Bob DeSantis, 365 Data Centers CEO. 365 Data Centers, a leading provider of network-centric colocation and other Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions, has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to acquire Sungards U.S. colocation and network business. 365 is acquiring the international colocation brands data center facilities and customers in 8 strategic edge markets along with its U.S. network infrastructure, routes, and customers. The transaction will complement 365s existing data center presence in Boca Raton, Bridgewater (NJ), Buffalo, Chicago, Commack (NY), Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Herndon (VA), Nashville, Philadelphia, New York City, and Tampa, and its interconnected, resilient, low latency, nationwide fiber network. Once this acquisition is closed and integrated, 365 will feature: 20 interconnected network-centric Data Centers 1,000,000 data center square feet which includes ample expansion space 53 MW of available power 105 Carriers across the platform with about 300 Carrier Points-of-Presence (PoPs) 90 additional network PoPs outside the 20 Data Centers Direct on-ramps from each Data Center to the public clouds Cloud storage, cloud compute, BaaS, DRaaS, and business continuity offerings 1,700 carrier, content, and enterprise customers This acquisition demonstrates 365 Data Centers adherence to its network-centric colocation growth strategy, said Bob DeSantis, 365 Data Centers CEO. We have already successfully doubled our business two times since inception in 2017 by acquiring, financing, integrating, and growing quality assets. We look forward to doing the same with the addition of the Sungard colocation and network portfolio, which will further enable us to provide quality services, grow our customer base, and deliver exceptional financial performance, all of which benefits our customers, employees, and investors. Sungard employees associated with the acquired business are expected to continue to serve existing customers and will be complemented by the 365 technical team. Added DeSantis, We look forward to having Sungard professionals join 365 and wowing our entire customer base with the combined talents of over 200 dedicated employees. Funding for the transaction has already been secured from 365s existing equity owners, including Stonecourt Capital which invests capital from some of the worlds largest family offices, institutions and sovereign wealth funds, and the Companys bank syndicate, which represents the premier lenders to the data center industry. The deal is expected to close during the next three months. This transaction further solidifies 365s position as one of the largest privately held IaaS providers operating in the Eastern United States with direct network connectivity to owned facilities in key western markets to serve customers with those geographic requirements. About 365 Data Centers: 365 Data Centers is a leading provider of hybrid Data Center solutions in 12 strategic, primarily edge, markets. Along with network-centric Data Centers in Boca Raton, Bridgewater (NJ), Buffalo, Chicago, Commack (NY), Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Herndon (VA), Nashville, Philadelphia, New York City, and Tampa, the company operates an interconnected, resilient, low latency, nationwide fiber network. 365 serves more than 1,300 customers. 365s robust, carrier-neutral ecosystem and secure, reliable edge colocation, network, IP, DRaaS, BaaS, cloud compute and storage, and business continuity services help organizations reduce costs, drive innovation, and improve their customer experience. 365 Data Centers supports mission-critical application infrastructure by providing industry leading Service Level Agreement protections and adhering to industry standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, SSAE 18, and ISAE 3402. 365 Data Centers corporate office is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Visit 365datacenters.com for more information. 365 Data Centers Media Contact: Mark Kolier Moddern Marketing Services, LLC 1-212-334-9800 x 111 mark@moddern.com Photo by Krzysztof Niewolny on Unsplash Given the deadly persecution that cats face in places such as Australia...Hawaii in the name of environmental protection, attaching such stigmatic terminology to cats in Europe could give rise to culls there as well. The government-funded Polish Academy of Sciences has classified domestic cats (Felis catus) as an invasive alien species. This designation is given to species that are not native to a regions ecosystem, and cause damage to that ecosystem. The institute has said that the label is purely scientific and not a call to action against cats. They say that the number of birds and other small native animals cats kill per year qualifies them to be on the listed this way in their national database. Alley Cat Rescue (ACR) criticized the Academys decision in a blog post on their website: Given the deadly persecution that cats face in places such as Australia and, sadly, Alaska and Hawaii in the name of environmental protection, attaching such stigmatic terminology to cats in Europe could give rise to culls there as well. Beyond the Academys moral responsibility to avoid putting cats lives in danger, the classification is based on shaky science. There simply is not sufficient information available to determine if cat predation has any detrimental effects on the overall populations of prey animals, including birds; yet environmental and bird groups, like the American Bird Conservancy, continue to push for the eradication of feral cats, claiming cats are in fact contributing to the decline of bird species and other wildlife. The few studies that have been conducted on cat predation are from remote islands with closed ecosystems, where local bird populations have not evolved with predators. Because cat predation on continents is very different from island environments, it is inaccurate and inappropriate to extrapolate data from these particular studies to predict predation on continents. ACR also argues that, like any predator, cats tend to feed on the young or old and those who are sick or in a weakened state because they are the easiest to catch, citing the UKs Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which states, It is likely that most of the birds killed by cats would have died anyway from other causes before the next breeding season, so cats are unlikely to have a major impact on populations. Every year, many millions of birds die naturally due to starvation, disease, or other forms of predation. And most of the millions of baby birds hatched each year will die before they reach breeding age, (RSPB, 2014). In the blog article, Alley Cat Rescue offers the opinion that cats are easy scapegoats for governments and institutions so they can avoid addressing much larger environmental hazards. ACR points to the European Environment Agency (EEA)s webpage that claims agriculture is the primary danger to nature in Europe. The site also names habitat loss and damage, unsustainable forestry, hunting, and overfishing as greater threats to wildlife than alien invasive species. Alley Cat Rescue concludes that it is unwise for a reputable institution to officially label cats as a danger to the natural environment in Europe as it accomplishes nothing has but to spark or fuel animosity toward cats. They stress that instead of blaming cats, the best thing communities around the world can do is practice trap-neuter-return (TNR) to end outdoor cat overpopulation. Thousands of nonprofit groups Alley Cat Rescue have TNR programs that benefit wildlife without harming cats. "The designation means that more health care professionals will be able to benefit from ACLMs high-quality, evidence-based courses." The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) announced today that it has become a content provider of educational courses to AMA Ed Hub, the American Medical Associations (AMA) comprehensive online learning platform that supports the learning, licensure and certification needs of physicians and other health professionals. The addition of ACLM as a content provider to AMA Ed Hub will greatly expand access to the professional medical societys evidence-based continuing medical education courses (CME) focused on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connection and avoidance of harmful substances. ACLM joins other well-known organizations such as the JAMA Network, the American College of Radiology and the Society of Hospital Medicine as AMA Ed Hub content providers, among many others. The designation of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine as an official AMA Ed Hub content provider means that more health care professionals will be able to experience and benefit from ACLMs high-quality, evidence-based educational courses, said ACLM President Catherine Collings, MD, MS, FACC, DipABLM. We are delighted to collaborate with the AMA to provide health professionals the knowledge to apply whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle changes to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Lifestyle medicine certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine also provides effective prevention for these conditions. ACLM offers over 100 hours of CME and CE via online courses and in-person events, as well as maintenance of certification for various specialties and for those certified in the field of lifestyle medicine. Continuing medical education courses ensure that physicians and other health professionals stay current in a field or specialty, improve the care they provide and maintain licenses or credentials to practice in hospitals. The AMA Ed Hub is a streamlined digital platform with more than 8,000 activities and almost 4,000 CME options in a variety of formats such as articles, podcasts, videos, quizzes and interactive modules. ABOUT ACLM--The American College of Lifestyle Medicine is the nations medical professional society advancing lifestyle medicine as the foundation for a redesigned, value-based and equitable healthcare delivery system, leading to whole person health. ACLM educates, equips, empowers and supports its members through quality, evidence-based education, certification and research to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease, with a clinical outcome goal of health restoration as opposed to disease management. ABOUT THE AMA-- The American Medical Association is the physicians powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care. BestPrivateJet.com a leading platform for consumers to compare and discover trusted and reliable private jet programs, has published a new survey report to examine trends among American travelers. The study highlights the increase in private jet travel and the top reasons people choose to charter non-commercial planes. Researchers assessed responses from 1,250 consumers who earned 50,000 or more annually. According to the report, 27 percent of middle-class Americans have flown privately at least once. Respondents from that group earn between $50,000 and $99,999 per year. Likewise, 41 percent of consumers with salaries between $100,000 and $149,999, and 37 percent who make $150K or more annually have traveled by private plane at least once. Regardless of income level, 69 percent of Americans took their first private flight before 2020. Additionally, 31 percent of travelers flew privately for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-six percent of respondents who flew private for the first time since 2020 say the pandemic influenced their decision. Twenty percent of travelers wanted to avoid mask mandates on commercial flights, and 26 percent traveled by private plane for added safety. In comparison, 24 percent of Americans who took their first non-commercial flight before 2020 also flew privately for protection against COVID-19 and 17 percent wanted to avoid wearing a mask. Survey results indicate that 74 percent of travelers who started flying privately during the pandemic are very likely to use this mode of transportation in the future. Forty percent of respondents have taken between 3-5 trips on a private plane. Similarly, 15 percent of individuals from this group have flown private 6-10 times since 2020, and 10 percent have taken more than ten private flights since 2020. Sixty percent of respondents who started flying privately in 2020 or later have spent up to $50,000 on flights. Comparatively, 19 percent of Americans in the highest income bracket have spent more than 150,000 on non-commercial flights. Forty-four percent of respondents who have never flown privately are willing to spend up to $4,999 for the experience, but 20 percent say they are not willing to pay for a private flight. Most middle- and upper-class Americans flew privately to celebrate a special occasion or as a guest on someone elses private flight. BestPrivateJet.com commissioned and conducted this survey via the online platform Pollfish. All data found within this report derives from the survey, which includes responses from 1250 American adults. The study was conducted on July 15, 2022, and appropriate respondents were found using the Pollfish screening tools. To view the complete report, please visit https://www.bestprivatejet.com/more-americans-started-flying-private-during-the-pandemic-most-plan-to-continue/. ABOUT BESTPRIVATEJET.COM BestPrivateJet.com provides free online resources to help travelers find non-commercial flight alternatives for their needs. The platform offers a comprehensive directory of private jet companies, cards, and programs. Consumers can also find unbiased research to compare programs and make informed decisions about buying or renting a private jet. To learn more, please visit https://www.bestprivatejet.com/. The world loses about 15 billion trees a year. Conserving, restoring and growing new trees helps biodiversity and fights climate change. What solutions are leaders in Africa using to reverse the loss of trees? In Net Zero Speaks With Susan Chomba, the new show in the Net Zero series, Climate Activist Levy Nyirenda explores the issues of forest restoration, food system supply, carbon emission reduction, and the role of technology in solving the climate challenges faced in Africa. Dr. Susan Chomba is the Director of Vital Landscapes at the World Resources Institute (WRI) where she leads WRI's work on forest protection and sustainable management, restoration, food systems transformation and governance in Africa. Chomba stresses that forest restoration is critical, noting that If we lose our own remaining natural forests, we will lose our livelihood. Africa is responsible for only 4% of global carbon emissions, argues Chomba, but yet African farmers are struggling with drought and flooding and a rapidly changing climate they did little to contribute to. We need to shift to development pathways whether in transport food production or energy that are actually clean, says Chomba, who believes the big carbon emission reductions must come from industrialized countries. Watch the Interview here The Protect our Planet Movement in association with Planet Classroom has launched the acclaimed Net Zero video and podcast series in which 24 youth climate activists from the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement in association with Planet Classroom ask international thought leaders working on the environment the big questions as to how their nations are progressing towards their 2050 Net Zero pledges. About the Protect Our Planet Movement The Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement is an initiative designed to address the urgent need to share information and knowledge with the youth on solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN, mitigate climate change, and adapt to its growing impacts. Intended to ultimately reach the size, scale, and momentum to become a global movement, POP mobilizes the youth worldwide to take collective action needed to mitigate climate change and protect threatened ecosystems. About the Planet Classroom Network The Planet Classroom Network, organized by CMRubinWorld, brings together musicians, dancers, video game creators, filmmakers, activists, learning innovators and emerging technologists from around the world to entertain, educate and engage youth, and to provide a rich cultural experience for all. Content showcased for youth and by youth on the Planet Classroom Network is provided by 30 cultural organizations from around the world. Young people globally played a significant role in conceptualizing, creating, and producing the network's vision and programming. For more information on CMRubinWorld Follow @CMRubinWorld on Twitter Contact Information: David Wine David(at)cmrubinworld(dot)com USOSM President and CEO Richard Hall says Dr. Perciaccante and Dr. Bell are "a natural fit for this important role." Having two industry leaders in this position will enable us to focus more in two key areas: surgeon recruitment and clinical guidance. In response to its continued growth, U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM) a specialty management services company that exclusively serves premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons has decided to expand the scope of the chief clinical officer role, inviting Vincent J. Perciaccante, DDS, FACS, to join Colin S. Bell, DDS, MSD, as chief clinical officer. In the past, weve had one leader take on all of the responsibilities of this role, but weve grown tremendously and in order to continue our momentum, we feel its the right time to expand that role to include a second chief clinical officer. Having two industry leaders in this position will enable us to focus more in two key areas: surgeon recruitment and clinical guidance, said Richard Hall, USOSM president and CEO. Dr. Bell and Dr. Perciaccante are a natural fit for this important role. Both have served as president of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), which is the certifying board for our industry, here in the U.S. Both doctors are natural networkers and are known throughout the industry for their experience and expertise. In his new role, Dr. Bell will be responsible for new associate development and surgeon recruitment. Dr. Bell is a member of the USOSM Clinical Governance Board, which advises USOSM and its partner practices on important clinical issues oral and maxillofacial surgeons encounter. In addition, Dr. Bell is a founding partner and retired surgeon of Oral Surgery Associates of North Texas, a USOSM partner practice with five locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He is a fellow of both the American and the International College of Dentists and a member of the American Dental Association (ADA) and the OMS National Insurance Company Board of Directors. He is a past president of ABOMS, the Texas Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Southwest Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. In addition, he is a clinical professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Texas A&M College of Dentistry and is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), where he serves in the House of Delegates. I was one of the first surgeon partners to join USOSM and it has been a great experience for me. Thats why I do what I do now, notes Dr. Bell. The USOSM business model works exceptionally well, but it only works, if we continue to attract excellent practitioners. Thats why recruitment is so important. We focus on getting new practices to join, as well as recruiting young associates who are just beginning their careers and are looking for a better way to be in private practice. Therere only a little over 200 graduates per year, so its very competitive, but USOSM has several big advantages we can offer them financially, and as equity partners, among other things. In his new role, Dr. Perciaccante will be responsible for business development, clinical compliance and clinical processes, ensuring all USOSM partner practices have access to best practices and clinical guidance. Dr. Perciaccante is a managing partner of and practicing surgeon with South Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, a USOSM partner practice with three locations in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. He has served as president of ABOMS, the Georgia Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery section of the International Association of Dental Research. Dr. Perciaccante is a diplomate of both the ABOMS and the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology, as well as a fellow of AAOMS and the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the USOSM Clinical Governance Board, the ADA, the Georgia Dental Association and the Northern District Dental Society. He also is a consultant to the Georgia Board of Dentistry on Anesthesia and a site visitor for the ADAs Commission on Dental Accreditation, examining OMS resident training programs. One of my main duties is to be a liaison between USOSMs surgeon partners and management, and I have a lot of experience with shared governance. Ive been a part of both worlds and am able to walk the line between them well, said Dr. Perciaccante. I look forward to the making a difference in this new role. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM has partner practices spanning 19 states. They include Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, California, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Massachusetts. A shared services organization, USOSM collaborates with premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons to offer a partnership solution for continued and accelerated practice success. USOSM provides operational, marketing and administrative support services, reinvests resources, and applies best practices to improve clinical and financial performance and produce steadier, more profitable growth for all. For more information, visit https://www.usosm.com/. Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Rod J. Rohrich "Rhinoplasty truly epitomizes plastic surgery as a whole because it is a surgery of such great finesse and takes years to master." Dallas plastic surgeon and rhinoplasty specialist, Dr. Rod J. Rohrich, recently delivered a course on finesse and consistency in rhinoplasty at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in San Diego, California. In his presentation, Dr. Rohrich covered the topic broadly including both primary and secondary rhinoplasty, also known as revision rhinoplasty, giving instruction and guidance on how to consistently address the subtlety and finesse required to perform rhinoplasty successfully. "Rhinoplasty is a surgery of great finesse," explains Dr. Rohrich. "The difference between a poor outcome and an outstanding outcome can be down to a millimeter of difference, and the true, final results of surgery are usually not seen until months later." In his course, Dr. Rohrich presents techniques and methodologies that he has developed over his extensive career that surgeons can utilize to help achieve consistent results and positive outcomes. "Rhinoplasty is in a class of its own within plastic surgery," says Dr. Rohrich, who sees a relatively large number of rhinoplasty and especially revision rhinoplasty cases. "Not only are you responsible for the surgical planning and performance of the rhinoplasty or revision, but also have to be keenly aware and sensitive to how every patient's unique situation and circumstances may affect that person's self-esteem, identity, and long term quality of life." Dr. Rohrich, has been ranked as the top plastic surgeon for rhinoplasty in the United States by Newsweek for two years in a row. He lectures frequently around the world at surgical conferences and educational meetings promoting innovations and effective plastic surgery practices. Dr. Rohrich is also the author of the authoritative textbook on the subject, "Dallas Rhinoplasty: Nasal Surgery by the Masters" which is now in its third edition and published in six languages. "Rhinoplasty truly epitomizes plastic surgery as a whole because it is a surgery of such great finesse and takes years to master," says Dr. Rohrich. "Patients should always do their research and choose their surgeon carefully. Make sure he or she is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties, and has the expertise and the experience to deliver a safe and satisfactory outcome." About Rod J. Rohrich, M.D., F.A.C.S. Dr. Rod J. Rohrich is a board certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas. He is considered one of the most influential surgeons in this century. He was named the top plastic surgeon in America by Newsweek in both rhinoplasty and facelift surgery in 2021 and 2022. Dr. Rohrich is a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He was the first Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery as well as the first plastic surgeon selected as a Distinguished Teaching Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with high honors, and completed his plastic surgery training at the University of Michigan Medical Center and fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard (hand/microsurgery) and Oxford University (pediatric plastic surgery). He is Chair of the Dallas Rhinoplasty Meeting, Founding Chair of the Dallas Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine Meeting, Founding Member of the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery, and a Founding Partner of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute. He served for 18 years as Editor-in-Chief of the most respected global peer reviewed plastic surgery journal the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal. He is Founding Editor-in-Chief/Editor Emeritus of the first open access peer reviewed plastic surgery journal, PRS Global Open. Dr. Rohrich has published over 1000 peer reviewed articles and seven textbooks in plastic surgery including a best-selling medical book entitled The Facial Danger Zones. Dr. Rohrich recently published an innovative cosmetic surgery video atlas, Cosmetic Surgery by the Masters. Dr. Rohrich also served as president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the largest organization of board certified plastic surgeons in the world. He repeatedly has been selected by his peers as one of America's best doctors. He received the ASPS Special Achievement Award and on three occasions has received one of his profession's highest honors, the Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF) Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes his contributions to education in plastic surgery. In addition, he has also been recognized by the PSF with the Plastic Surgery Foundation Distinguished Career Researcher Award for his contributions to plastic surgery research and innovations. Millions of European businesses are poised to be affected by the banning of Google Analytics. Now more than ever, small and mid-size companies need to own their data. Everything they collect from their customers should end up in their own store and database, making them compliant with GDPR. The Italian Supervisory Authority (SA) recently ruled that Google Analytics was non-compliant with EU data protection rules. They banned the popular analytics tool, finding that the protections Google applied were not sufficient to address the risk, and the use of Google Analytics violates the blocs data protection rules over the data export issue.(1) Compounding the trouble, an e-Commerce website using Google Analytics without the safeguards set out in the EU GDPR violates data protection law putting any e-Commerce business at a major risk. Now more than ever, small and mid-size companies need to own their data, explains Mikel Lindsaar, StoreConnect CEO. Everything they collect from their customers should end up in their own store and database, making them compliant with GDPR. France and Austria have also deemed the tool illegal, and Denmark is the latest EU country to do so. Technically, the Schrems II case in 2020 made data transfers between Europe and the U.S. illegal. However, that case found the existing agreement, the Privacy Shield, between the U.S. and the EU was not compatible because the American law allows its government to requisition client data from companies on national security grounds, something which is prohibited under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).(2) Businesses using Google Analytics must therefore have a technical understanding of their data flows, including where the data is going, who is receiving the data and how the data is protected. Cookies are also used to track data, but they are not the only means of collecting and transferring data. Google Analytics and similar services can receive personal data through other means. For instance, a website or app could still send personal data to Google via HTTP parameters or browser/device fingerprinting, among other means, to track users across web properties. That is why its essential a technical analysis is conducted to learn which of these types of services are used by a website or app and what mitigations are needed.(3) Effect on the e-Commerce Industry Millions of European businesses are poised to be affected by the banning of Google Analytics, resulting in several possible scenarios. The first is a total ban of Google Analytics in Europe, leaving American companies unable to operate in the EU. Another possibility is United States-based tech companies switch to storing and consolidating data in Europe to ensure theyre compliant with GDPR. But that goes against the CLOUD Act that requires American service providers be able to provide U.S. authorities with any domestic or international data, when asked, that is stored in their servers. A third option is EU businesses find an alternative to Google Analytics, while a final possibility is enforcement of the Innovation and Choice Online Act that targets big tech companies for potential antitrust and consumer choice violations.(4) Other Analytics Options While EU authorities and the U.S. work to reach a data transfer agreement, there are other analytics options available beyond Googles. A solution like StoreConnect allows customer data to be maintained within a business own systems and not be exported at all. This lets small to mid-size companies continue to gain useful data from internal analytics while remaining GDPR compliant. With StoreConnect, small and mid-size companies CAN own their data, continues Lindsaar. Equally important, businesses using StoreConnect still have the information that enables them to understand what their customers are doing in their store, while being CDPR compliant. StoreConnect provides a Salesforce-native eCommerce solution 3.0 for small- to- medium- sized businesses that enables these companies to enter the global eCommerce marketplace and scale to grow at any pace imaginable. For small- to medium-size businesses, Time is Money and StoreConnect is Time. Well Spent, says Lindsaar. By adopting StoreConnect, retailers already using Salesforce simply add POS, ecommerce, website, web form and digital engagement features to the customer service and management, order and inventory, and marketing capabilities of Salesforce. About StoreConnect: StoreConnect is subscription and usage-based eCommerce, Point of Sale and Content Management System built on and within Salesforce, which allows users to integrate Marketing, Sales and Support systems into one platform. StoreConnect targets Small to Medium Businesses who want to provide the same full service customer experience that is being provided by eCommerce leaders, but at a fraction of the cost. In business time is money, and StoreConnect is Time. Well Spent. For more information, visit http://www.getstoreconnect.com 1. Lomas, Natasha. Italys data watchdog latest to warn over use of Google Analytics: TechCrunch; June 23, 2022; techcrunch.com/2022/06/23/google-analytics-italy-eu-data-transfers/. 2. Glover, Claudia; Denmark bans Google Workspace over GDPR non-compliance; Tech Monitor; July 18, 2022; techmonitor.ai/policy/privacy-and-data-protection/denmark-google-ban-workspace-chromebook-gdpr. 3. Roosa, Steve; European rulings on the use of Google Analytics and how it may affect your business; Data Protection Report; February 14, 2022; dataprotectionreport.com/2022/02/european-rulings-on-the-use-of-google-analytics-and-how-it-may-affect-your-business/. 4. Larrain, Ignacia; Will Google Analytics be Banned in Europe? Not as easy as it seems.; Visionary Marketing; June 4, 2022; visionarymarketing.com/en/2022/04/google-analytics-ban/. The AMAF is uniquely positioned to serve as a convening force to improve LGBTQ+ health equity by facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing between key stakeholders and institutional leaders that will transform health care systems to be LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming. Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals, Fenway Health, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center join national fellowship initiative The American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF) announced today that several of Harvard Medical School (HMS)s affiliated hospitals in collaboration with Fenway Health in Boston, Mass., and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tenn., will participate in the AMAF National LGBTQ+ Fellowship Program consortium of institutions. They join the pilot fellowship at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, N.Y., and the 2021 inaugural institution at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wis. Todays announcement marks the next chapter in the Foundations transformational initiative. Launched in 2020, the fellowship program aims to provide enhanced physician training, education and cultural sensitivity while bringing awareness to the health care and institutional barriers faced by LGBTQ+ and intersecting communities. The programs ultimate mission is to ensure that all LGBTQ+ patients receive the highest standards of care while helping to transform the landscape of medical education. The addition of two exceptional teaching institutions to the program demonstrates the AMAFs commitment to moving the needle and taking the fellowship to scale nationwide. The AMAF is uniquely positioned to serve as a convening force to improve LGBTQ+ health equity by facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing between key stakeholders and institutional leaders that will transform health care systems to be LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming, says Dr. William Sternfeld, president of the AMAF Board of Directors. The result will be a workforce of LGBTQ+ health specialists with a rich body of knowledge that can be shared with all medical schools and health care professionals. The AMAF Board of Directors approved the recommendation from the Fellowship Commission on LGBTQ+ Health to award two grants as part of the second cycle of applications in effort to amplify and accelerate the impact of the program. The commission noted several factors in its recommendation to accept the HMS-Fenway and VUMC fellowships into the program, such as the extensive network of clinics across HMS affiliates and Fenway Health that serve LGBTQ+ patients from adolescence through older adulthood. HMS also established the Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Initiative to teach students foundational clinical skills in LGBTQIA+ health care while exploring the intersections of anti-LGBTQIA+ stigma with racism, ageism and ableism. The fellowship will extend and deepen this foundational work by implementing LGBTQIA+ health training systemwide for fellows, residents and faculty. HMS-affiliated clinical sites participating in the fellowship include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Boston Childrens Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance and Mount Auburn Hospital will serve as supplemental clinical elective sites. Our multi-site Harvard Medical School-Fenway Health LGBTQIA+ Fellowship team is honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to join the AMAF National LGBTQ+ Fellowship Program. Now more than ever, we need to equip the next generation of physician leaders in LGBTQIA+ health with the skills to provide comprehensive and affirming care for all LGBTQIA+ populations, across the lifecycle, with a focus on serving marginalized LGBTQIA+ communities, states Jennifer Potter, MD, professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School; and director of the LGBTQIA+ Population Health Program and co-chair at The Fenway Institute. The AMAF Fellowship Commission also recognized VUMCs commitment to personalized medicine and to improving outcomes for LGBTQ+ patients at VUMC and across the U.S. Established in 2012, VUMCs Program for LGBTQ+ Health has a 10-year track record of investing in LGBTQ+ health and promoting national leadership in patient care, education, research and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. The clinical LGBTQ+ program at VUMC includes the Clinic for Transgender Health that brings together specifically trained experts to provide and coordinate comprehensive care for transgender and gender-nonconforming adults. The fellowship program will intercalate LGBTQ+ health education with all disciplines and throughout curricula at all levels of learners. VUMCs organizational expertise in data informatics will allow for rapid dissemination of internal and external outcomes. We are incredibly excited and grateful to be a part of this consortium, in this group of academic medical centers working together to promote inclusive and personalized care for patients, says Dr. Kyla Terhune, vice president for Educational Affairs at VUMC. The fellowship initiative is in response to persistent, pervasive disparities regarding access to and quality of health care experienced regularly by LGBTQ+ individuals. Studies show that 80 percent of medical students demonstrate a bias of LGBTQ+ patients, leading to 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ adults avoiding health care services due to fear of discrimination. The result is not just harmful, it is deadly. The AMAF and participating institutions will address these inequities while building on existing foundations of diversity, equity and inclusion strategies that support affirming LGBTQ+ services. The AMAF welcomes individuals, foundations and corporations to join the conversation and connect with the Foundation to ensure all LGBTQ+ Americans have access to medical care. Griswold Home Care, the in-home senior care franchise, recently launched a National Caregiver Scholarship Program in partnership with its nonprofit organization, the Jean Griswold Foundation, to award scholarships of up to $2,000 to qualified caregivers across the country. Now, the brand is excited to announce the six winners of the program. This years winners include: Alise Perkins, a caregiver with Griswold Homecare of North Houston Area looking to complete her final prerequisite courses so she can apply to a graduate school program for occupational therapy; Jessica Perez, a caregiver with Griswold Home Care of San Antonio looking to earn her CNA; Stephanie Caudle, a caregiver with Griswold Homecare of Salem, NC looking to complete her LPN and license in social work; Analisa Martinez, a caregiver with Griswold Home Care SE Houston who recently decided to change her career path to polysomnography at Alvin Community College; LaKecia Robinson, a registered caregiver with Griswold Home Care of Columbia looking to start a CNA program and become a registered nurse; and Joanna George, a caregiver and student at the Gerontology College of Public Affairs and Community Service who has been accepted into medical school. Were so grateful to the caregivers and excited about being able to support them in their careers, says Maryanne Murray, chairperson of the Jean Griswold Foundation. This scholarship program was spurred along by the increasingly crucial role caregivers play following the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for high-quality in-home senior care has never been greater, and this is our way of supporting passionate individuals who can help carry on Dr. Jean's legacy of care. The scholarship program was rolled out in celebration of Griswold Home Cares 40th anniversary as a leading in-home senior care franchise. Dr. Jean Griswold, affectionately known as Dr. Jean, started Griswold Home Care in 1982. She had been diagnosed 12 years prior with multiple sclerosis (MS) and at age 51, while confined to a wheelchair, Dr. Jean understood all too well the desire for adults with disabilities, illness and injuries to remain comfortably at home while receiving care. The brand has since grown to more than 170 independent franchise units in 30 states. The foundation was started in 2010 as a private nonprofit to support caregiving organizations in times of hardship, and was named after Dr. Jean Griswold to help carry on her legacy. Until this year, funds raised through private donors, corporations, franchisees and employees had been primarily awarded to individuals and programs dedicated to senior care, but the intention was always to offer a way for caregivers to improve their ability to pursue care-related work. It took the foundation more than a year to navigate the legal process of changing to a public charity so that it could award individual grants. When [Griswold CEO] Mike Slupecki joined us in 2020, his idea was to support caregivers with scholarships to help them achieve a better career through education, Murray explains. This could be CNA training, nursing training, or continuing education requirements for certifications. Since then, weve been working on how to make that happen, and were so proud that Griswold is finally able to give back to the community in this way. Looking ahead, Murray says she hopes that more people will decide to pursue the rewarding career of in-home care for seniors and the differently-abled. I changed my life for the better when I started working with Griswold, and I want everyone to feel that way about their jobs, she says. We cant wait to see what the future holds for our scholarship winners and are excited to continue supporting up-and-coming caregivers in the field. ABOUT GRISWOLD HOME CARE With 170 locations in 30 states, Griswold Home Care is one of the countrys top home care companies, delivering compassionate care 24/7 to its clients. Its purpose is to give people the help they need to live in the place they love. Through this purpose, Griswold Home Care helps adults maintain quality of life despite advanced age or onset of illness through services including companion care, home services, personal care, and respite care. Founded by the late Jean Griswold in 1982, the company has maintained its founders profound sense of empathy for older and disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions. For more information, visit http://www.griswoldhomecare.com or call 215.402.0200. Hashcash blockchain solutions to a major US pharma company Blockchain has proved its utility as an indispensable technology implemented across some of the biggest global supply chains. The platform powering Bitcoins ensures transparency and traceability throughout the entire process, offering real-time visibility for informed decision-making. Global blockchain development company HashCash Consultants added another achievement to its growing list of accolades. The company declared a collaboration with a multinational US pharma corporation, where the former will be offering its blockchain expertise for improving traceability and streamlining medical supply chains. Blockchain has been a game changer across medical supply chains where traceability and provenance are crucial. Medical components can be hazardous if they exceed their expiry date, or are not kept under prescribed storage conditions. Blockchains time-stamped transaction record-keeping is utilized by several pharma giants to optimize their existing operations, guaranteeing component sources from manufacturing to distribution and beyond. HashCash CEO and blockchain pioneer Raj Chowdhury states, Blockchain has proved its utility as an indispensable technology implemented across some of the biggest global supply chains. The platform powering Bitcoins ensures transparency and traceability throughout the entire process, offering real-time visibility for informed decision-making. In addition to medical supply and storage, blockchain has been extensively used in global vaccination drives, particularly during the recent worldwide pandemic. While the whole word focused on isolation and avoiding getting infected by COVID-19, blockchain reinforced the process, minimizing interaction by eliminating intermediaries for documentation. They were also critical in preserving the efficacy of these vaccines. Blockchain remains one of the biggest revelations in the current digital revolution. From powering innovations of the future to improving functions in the existing structure, the technology will benefit billions by promoting financial inclusion, equality, and productivity, concluded Chowdhury, who had previously expressed his support for blockchain use in education management and reduction of carbon emissions. Based out of the US, HashCash has won top honors in global blockchain development. Deploying products in over 26 countries across 6 continents, the company has been consistent in surpassing client expectations and prioritizing innovation and excellence. HashCash has been well-versed with blockchain consortium, IoT, supply chain, and traceability solutions have partnered with enterprises across the US, Spain, Europe, and more. The firm has also been involved in building blockchain prototypes for vaccine distribution, prevention of drug fraud, child trafficking, and more. Blockchains undeniable contribution across any domain that requires documentation and subsequent validation has driven its implementation across major supply chains of the world, including case-sensitive pharma companies. Enterprises can integrate the technology to leverage better business growth opportunities through optimization of processes and subsequent cost-cutting. About HashCash Consultants: HashCash is a global software company. HashCash Blockchain products enable enterprises to move assets and settle payments across borders in real-time for Remittances, Trade Finance, Payment Processing, and more. HashCash runs a US-based digital asset exchange, PayBito & digital asset payment processor, BillBitcoins. HashCash offers white label crypto exchange and payment processor software solutions, ICO services, and customized use cases. HashCash propels advancement in technology through Blockchain1o1 programs and its investment arm, Satoshi Angels. HashCash offers solutions in AI, Big Data, and IoT through its platforms, products & services. HashCash solves the toughest challenges by executing innovative digital transformation strategies for clients around the world. Forbidden Physics: Dare to Question Physics: a thought-provoking study on physics. Forbidden Physics: Dare to Question Physics is the creation of published author John Roubik, who has an electronic engineering degree with an extensive background in electronic equipment design. Employed by General Electric as a quality assurance equipment designer, he supported GEs multiple product test equipment needs and those of its customer, the Sandia National Laboratories. Roubik shares, John C. Roubik has been developing solutions to what may be considered physics enigmas for years. This book provides essays, which are a review of present physics concepts and their associated enigmas. The book also presents new physics concepts based on the authors experience and discoveries. It takes issue with the closed-mindedness of supposed experts in the educational and scientific fields as well. Many of the concepts accepted by the science community are either incorrect or contain errors. For example, Einsteins infinite mass. The book challenges readers, scientists, physicists, professors, and students to explore the books new and revised approaches to physics concepts with the author. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, John Roubiks new book will challenge and engage the mind as readers consider the careful points made within. Roubik draws from a lifetime of study and personal experience to present readers with a fascinating analysis. Consumers can purchase Forbidden Physics: Dare to Question Physics at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Forbidden Physics: Dare to Question Physics, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201, 202, 203, 204 et seq., 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. is currently pending in the San Fransisco County Superior Court, Case No. CGC-22-600506. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. allegedly failed to fully relieve Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees for their legally required thirty (30) minute meals breaks. Employees were also allegedly required, from time to time, to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided the legally required ten (10) minute rest periods. The California Supreme Court defines off-duty rest periods as the time during which an employee is relieved from all work-related duties and free from employer control. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** The Twelve Tribes of Truth: a potent and enjoyable read with an encouraging tone regarding a significant aspect of life. The Twelve Tribes of Truth is the creation of published author, Larry D. Alexander, the owner and president of LD Alexander Enterprises Inc., a sales, marketing, and business development consulting firm. Alexander supports public education and was appointed by the governor of Arkansas to the inaugural board of trustees for the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and Arts (ASMSA). He graduated from Northeast Mississippi Community College, attended the University of North Alabama, and holds a BS from Mississippi State University, where he majored in marketing and business management. Alexander shares, The Twelve Tribes of Truth offers a new way to look at the subject of truth. It includes a solid and unique take on the foundation and character of truth. It presents truth with a clear but colorful personal outlook and is set to a backdrop of life lessons. The Twelve Tribes of Truth is the type of book enjoyed by a thinking person. It contains philosophical eye-openers, self-improvement considerations, spiritual connections, and life lessons. It is filled with slight humor and personal testimonies. It makes you ask questions about what truths you need to face in your own life and how you will deal with them. There is not my truth, your truth, their truth, or our truth. There is just the truth. This book is for readers who like a read that makes you think, cause a moment of reflection, and offers a good, light, easy but serious read. You will become drawn in as each of The Twelve Tribes of Truth is introduced. Reflect as you explore, and come to see how they define the truth. The Twelve Tribes of Truth speaks to you in a likable personal voice and share great meaningful and useful stories. The Twelve Tribes of Truthtruth as it really is! Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Larry D. Alexanders new book will challenge and encourage as readers reflect on each compelling point. Alexanders reflective discussion brings a fresh and welcome voice to the inspirational genre. Consumers can purchase The Twelve Tribes of Truth at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about The Twelve Tribes of Truth, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Lauren Bellerjeau has rejoined the firm as a partner in its Corporate Department, based in Austin. Bellerjeau brings extensive in-house and private practice corporate experience, with a particular focus on representing clients on M&A transactions in the technology and real estate investment trust (REIT) industries. Bellerjeau was a corporate partner in Morrison Foersters Washington, D.C. office for approximately five years prior to joining onsemi in March 2020, a leader in intelligent power and sensing technologies recognized as a Fortune 500 company and included in the S&P 500 index, as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. While at onsemi, she gained valuable experience managing a variety of corporate, commercial and compliance matters, including serving as the companys Chief Privacy Officer and overseeing the companys international legal departments in the APAC and EMEA regions. Bellerjeau also has significant experience in private practice representing both buy-side and sell-side clients on complex and transformative U.S. and cross-border combination and commercial transactions in a variety of industries, with a particular focus on technology, REITs, government contracting and defense, life sciences, and manufacturing. She has also regularly counseled REITs and other companies with significant real estate holdings or real estate management businesses on complex restructuring and roll-up transactions, particularly in contemplation of initial public offerings, large equity investments, or strategic transactions. We are thrilled to welcome Lauren back to MoFo. She is an outstanding and highly regarded M&A lawyer whose combination of in-house and private practice experience is a perfect fit for our M&A and REIT practices, said Eric McCrath, co-chair of Morrison Foersters Global Corporate Department. Laurens presence expands the bench strength of our public company M&A and REIT practices, while further bolstering our core strength in the tech M&A space. Her addition also expands our corporate capabilities on the ground in Austin. Morrison Foersters Austin office opened in early March 2022 and focuses on providing companies, including emerging growth companies, and investors in the technology, life sciences, and healthcare sectors, access to a full-service platform and global network, with an initial focus on IP litigation and transactional matters. Bellerjeau is the firms seventh partner in Austin, and the offices fourth corporate partner alongside Steven Tyndall, John Hensley, and Shannon Sibold. Bellerjeaus arrival also underscores the continued growth of Morrison Foersters global Corporate Department. She is the ninth corporate partner to join the firm since the start of this year, following the additions of Matthew Ferry, Michael Glaser, Daphne Higgs, Mike LaPlante, Paul Navarro, Derek Steingarten, Teresa Tate, as well as Steven Tyndall. My in-house experience was incredibly rewarding and will be extremely valuable as I rejoin the Morrison Foerster partnership, said Bellerjeau. I look forward to working with colleagues, old and new, to advise clients in the tech and REIT industries on their most complex corporate transactions. Im also excited to join MoFos recently established Austin office and look forward to contributing to its growth in the months and years ahead. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster in 2015, Bellerjeau was a partner at another leading law firm, where she represented a wide variety of publicly and privately held companies in corporate and securities transactions, with a particular emphasis on M&A. While at Morrison Foerster, Bellerjeau was recognized by leading legal publications and directories, including The Legal 500 US for Real Estate Investment Trusts and M&A: Large Deals ($1billion+). She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.* *Not yet admitted in Texas. About Morrison Foerster Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firms commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster was recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyers 2022 A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia-Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment. NAHREP at LATTITUDE 2022 in San Diego September 22-25 is the industry event that facilitates the entrepreneurial and innovative energy needed to keep real estate industry leaders growing and prospering in challenging times and changing markets, said Luis Padilla, 2022 NAHREP President. The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) is proud to announce the preliminary agenda for the upcoming NAHREP at LATTITUDE event, taking place in San Diego September 22 25 and powered by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. For updates see the event website. Highlighting the powerhouse of Latino buying power, political capital, and technological innovation that is propelling the American economy forward, LATTITUDE encourages enlightened executives to invest in the Latino market. To advance the Hispanic Wealth Project and expand its message of financial empowerment to a broader audience, NAHREP has partnered with LATTITUDE to host NAHREP at LATTITUDE. Together, NAHREP at LATTITUDE is changing the narrative of who we are as a nation and who the drivers of growth are for the next few decades. This years NAHREP at LATTITUDE event revolves around venture capital, wealth building, and real estate. Four days of programming focus on mindset, financial management, real estate, personal business performance, and business scaling. Agenda highlights include: A Conversation with President Barack Obama | Don't miss this fireside chat between Former President Barack Obama and NAHREP Co-Founder & CEO Gary Acosta! Release of the 2022 State of Hispanic Wealth Report | For the sixth consecutive year, this NAHREP report shows how Latinos fare with regard to building wealth in America. Fireside Chat with Anand Giridharadas | On-air political analyst for MSNBC and bestselling author Anand Giridharadas discusses disrupting the status quo, where a select group of powerful individuals and companies set the economic agenda, with NAHREP Co-Founder & CEO Gary Acosta. Listen in on a conversation exploring how democratizing investments can empower new entrepreneurs. Crystal Balls and Circuit Boards: A Technology Panel | Technology has opened a whole new world of opportunity in real estate, but it has in no way replaced the wisdom and experience of actual real estate professionals. Learn how real estate tech leaders are creating opportunities for real estate professionals to bring their personal touch and learned experience to a greater market, maximize sales, increase efficiency and improve customer experience. NFTs and Blockchain: Where Will This Take the Housing Industry? | Blockchain technology, including NFTs, is taking the world by storm and revolutionizing asset ownership. A panel of experts discusses the certain impact this change will have on the housing industry in the coming years. The NAHREP Top 250: Heroes of the Hispanic Market | Celebrate the accomplishments of the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents and Mortgage Originators advancing homeownership nationwide in an in-person ceremony. Markets are changing rapidly and only those with the right access to capital and connections to power and influence will thrive. NAHREP at LATTITUDE 2022 is a must-attend event for those wanting to be part of unparalleled entrepreneurial energy and a celebration of the power and potential of Latino contributions to our economy and society. Join us in San Diego, September 22-25, said Gary Acosta, NAHREP Co-Founder & CEO. At NAHREP at LATTITUDE, participants will network with a community of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals from every aspect of the real estate industry. All attendees of NAHREP at LATTITUDE receive access to all LATTITUDE general sessions included in their event registration, and all guests may purchase registration(s) for ticketed events. Both full conference and one-day passes are available. NAHREP at LATTITUDE 2022 in San Diego September 22-25 is the industry event that facilitates the entrepreneurial and innovative energy needed to keep real estate industry leaders growing and prospering in challenging times and changing markets, said Luis Padilla, 2022 NAHREP President. At NAHREP at L'ATTITUDE, learn how to grow your business and leverage your success into a foundation for generational wealth building. Learn how to get funding, scale, and expand your businesss wealth-building potential. Get access to the unique wealth-building advantages NAHREP offers to real estate professionals and entrepreneurs who seek to be in the top 10% of their field. Network with other dedicated professionals and the Top 250 Latino Agents & Mortgage Originators. By the end of the event, youll be ready to take your business to the next level and create your own wealth-building blueprint for you, your business, and your family. Event Speakers include: President Barack Obama 44th President of the United States Anand Giridharadas On-Air Political Analyst for MSNBC & Bestselling Author Lisa Guerrero Award-Winning Investigative Journalist, Actor & Author Nick Bailey President and Chief Executive Officer, RE/MAX, LLC Sue Yannaccone President & CEO, Anywhere Brands Luis Padilla 2022 NAHREP President, CEO, The Padilla Team at RE/MAX Advance Realty Gary Acosta Co-Founder & CEO, NAHREP | Co-Founder, L'ATTITUDE Gabriela Teissier Award-Winning Journalist and News Anchor Nuria Rivera 2022 NAHREP President-Elect, CEO, Novation Title Insurance Agency Register today at https://nahrep.org/conference/agenda/. About NAHREP: The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), a nonprofit 501(c)6 trade association, is dedicated to advancing sustainable homeownership for the Hispanic community in America. NAHREP has a network of over 40,000 real estate professionals and 100 local chapters nationwide, hosting several national events per year and publishing multiple industry cornerstone reports annually and multimedia content. Join us in advocating for policies that grow sustainable Latino homeownership, read our 2022 policy priorities here. See the NAHREP Hispanic Homeownership by Congressional District Tool which measures Hispanic homeownership by U.S. congressional district, allowing constituents, advocates, policymakers, and lending and housing professionals to evaluate district performance at a glance. Watch the Hispanic Homeownership short film. Press Contact: NAHREP press@nahrep.org (619) 719-4814 WHAT Digital Summit New York City is a two-day, in-person conference that showcases marketing industry thought leaders who will present the current trends in todays marketing sector. From renowned global leaders like LinkedIn, NBCUniversal, Salesforce, Verizon, Conde Nast, Showtime, Shutterstock and more to local and regional experts, each 30-minute speaking session offers highly curated content formatted as an instructional how to, providing attendees with breakthrough strategies and actionable insights immediately applicable to their businesses. The conference is open to all levels of marketing personnel, from campus hires to industry professionals with 40+ years of experience. WHO For attendees seeking guidance for honing specific skills, Digital Summit also offers its signature 4-hour, deep-dive courses known as Masterclasses. This year, Digital Summit New York City will feature three Masterclasses led by premier thought leaders, including: Burgers, Boxes, Briefs and Bachelor Degrees: Level up and Sell Anything with the Big 5 of Digital Marketing, with Samantha Kermode, Investis Digital Secrets of the Email Marketing Specialist, with Jen Capstraw, Women of Email Building a Standout Brand: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World, with Nick Westergaard, Brand Driven Digital Digital Summit New York City will feature speaker sessions from prominent brands including: 2022 B2B Trends for the Contrarian Marketer, presented by Ty Heath, LinkedIn 6 Seconds or Bust: Mastering Short-Form Storytelling, presented by Megan Toth, NBCUniversal Building Advocates with Experiences, presented by Cliff Seal, Salesforce How to Use In-App Feedback to Personalize and Improve Your User Experience, presented by Harish Srigiriraju, Verizon How to Build an Impactful, Data-Backed Digital Marketing Strategy, presented by Sheena Hakimian, Conde Nast Whats Your Castle-Courtyard? Best Practices for Cultivating Umbrella Brands, presented by Jennifer Braunschweiger, Shutterstock Other notable presentations at Digital Summit New York City include: How to Increase Conversion Rates by 35% in 120 Days, presented by Ayat Shukairy, invesp 3 Ways to Revolutionize Your Email Open Rates, presented by Emily McGuire, Atlassian Purpose-Driven SEO: A Modern SEO Strategy that Any Company Can Apply, presented by Dale Bertrand, Fire&Spark Emotion and the Customer Journey: Go Beyond the NPS to Improve Your Customer Experience, presented by Michelle Stinson Ross, Mindful Appy Game On: Apply In-Game Advertising Strategies to the Metaverse, presented by Scott Linzer, Frameplay Attract + Convert Your Perfect Customer on Instagram, presented by Farhana Cannon, iMedia Exposure The headlining keynote speaker at Digital Summit New York City will be David Shing, The Digital Prophet. Shing specializes in advising clients about inventive, effective and sustainable approaches to optimizing brand value within the digital landscape. To enable attendees to share ideas and insights after the sessions, Digital Summit New York City will also feature several networking opportunities including coffee breaks and catered lunches. Digital Summit Series features an extensive network of standout sponsors who attend each Digital Summit conference on-site, offering innovative products and services for branding, merchandising, email and SEO marketing, marketing and advertising automation, digital communications, digital experiences and measurement, among others. Digital Summit New York City sponsors include Pantheon, GoDaddy Pro, Bruce Clay, terminus, croud, Media Shark, Investis Digital, illumin, SEO Distribution, magnolia and SwagChimp. To view a complete list of speakers, presentation topics and sponsors, go to: https://nyc.digitalsummit.com/2022/agenda/ WHEN/WHERE Digital Summit New York City will take place Tues., August 9, 2022 - Wed., August 10, 2022. Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 1E Hall 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY, 10001 | (212) 216.2000 | http://www.javitscenter.com NOTE: This event is closest to the entrance on 11th Ave at W. 35th Street To purchase passes, go to: https://nyc.digitalsummit.com/tickets/ About Digital Summit Series The Digital Summit Series is Where Marketers Stay on Top of Their Game. Since 2008, the annual national conference series is held in 18 U.S. cities and features highly curated, engaging content about the newest and most relevant topics in marketing including email marketing, content management, digital advertising, lead generation, social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), analytics and more presented by speakers from many of the most creative companies and innovative brands. Each two-day Digital Summit features working sessions formatted as instructional, how to talks that cover a specific topic to provide marketers with practical, actionable tactics that can be immediately applied to their own efforts. Produced by Naylor Association Solutions, a leading provider of innovative tools and services for associations that strengthen member engagement and increase non-dues revenue, Digital Summit Series each year attracts 15,000+ marketing professionals at all experience levels who seek to further their professional development and career networking in the ever-changing and evolving digital ecosystem for marketing communications. For more information, go to https://digitalsummit.com/ and follow on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. NDC Elevators is delighted to announce the opening of our offices in the United States, We are committed to building a network of strategic partners worldwide to help sell and support our products. NDC Elevator Drives, the leading specialist in refurbishing elevator drives in the world, announced today the opening of its Americas Headquarters in Dallas to respond to the territorys growing demand. Founded in Manchester, England, in 1997, the company specializes in the supply, service exchange, and refurbishment of elevator drives worldwide. With a new office in Dallas, the company will provide local delivery, technical assistance, stock items, and top-tier service for the refurbishing and replacement of elevator drives. NDC Elevators is delighted to announce the opening of our offices in the United States, said David Griffin, Managing Director. We are committed to building a network of strategic partners worldwide to help sell and support our products. Our new Dallas office allows us to support our customers in the Americas with our network of highly-trained and dedicated specialists that maintain our reputation for excellent customer service and our record for first-time repair success. With custom-built test simulators developed with 30 years of experience and a new, state-of-the-art repair facility in Dallas, NDC engineers can replicate real-world operating conditions. This rigorous process allows them to inspect, test, identify and repair faults in elevator drive units accurately and safely, leading to the rebuild of thousands of drives with a first-time success repair rate of 99.8%. NDC Elevator Drives team specializes in the refurbishment and service exchange of any model elevator drive from the worlds leading manufacturers, including Otis, Schindler, KONE, ThyssenKrupp, Fujitec, and many others. About NDC Elevator Drives A global company operating locally, NDC Elevator Drives specializes in the supply, service exchange, and refurbishment of elevator drives worldwide. Providing local delivery, technical assistance, stock items, and top-tier service, NDC can refurbish and replace any elevator or escalator drive. With two main operational centers in the United Kingdom and multiple facilities in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Australasia, NDC has developed an international network through strategic partnerships in 20 countries. NDCs diverse and skilled workforce which includes 12 nationalities speaking nine languages - has been one of the keys to the success of their international strategy and led to the honor of being awarded The Queens Award for Enterprise. The Queens Award is awarded to businesses for outstanding achievement in four categories: International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity. By using our Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator to generate certified Lexile measures, companies will provide their customers with a powerful tool for matching readers to text." Today MetaMetrics unveiled the Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator, a powerful text analyzer that reports Lexile measures and provides the ability for content developers to create aligned text as they go. Using the Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator allows companies to streamline the targeted development of material for learners at all levels. In support of MetaMetrics commitment to ensuring its measures accelerate reading development for young learners, the Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator also reports four types of early-reading indicators patterns, sentences, vocabulary and decoding. These metrics identify important text features that may present more challenges for learners reading books developed for grades K-2. Developed more than 30 years ago, the Lexile Framework for Reading places both the student and text on the same scale to match the learner with reading materials at their ability level. The Lexile measures generated by the Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator are backed by this firm foundation in science and years of industry-defining psychometric research. By using our Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator to generate certified Lexile measures, companies will provide their customers with a powerful tool for matching readers to text, said Malbert Smith, CEO and co-founder. In addition, they immediately grow the audience for their materials when it is added to our Lexile Titles Database, making it discoverable by millions of teachers, families and students and helping to achieve our shared mission of improving literacy for all learners. The new Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator extends the power of the Lexile Text Analyzer which publishers, educators and other content creators have used for decades to measure the complexity of text. Over the past more than 20 years, the Lexile Text Analyzer measured billions of words and millions of books and texts, including fiction and nonfiction books, leveled readers, textbooks and primary source documents. The Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator makes content measurement easier and faster for educational content developers. New features include: Vocabulary list creation. The Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator includes Lexile PowerV, which generates vocabulary lists of consequential words. Content developers can provide these lists to support learning. Spanish text creation and measurement. Now content developers can use the same tool to create aligned Spanish language content and measure existing texts, receiving Lexile measures. Instant content certification. Content developers with subscription measurement plans can receive certified Lexile measures on demand for qualifying content, saving 25 days in go-to-market time. To learn more about the Lexile Text Analyzer Content Creator, register for a product demonstration webinar, on Tuesday, September 20, at 2pm ET. About MetaMetrics MetaMetrics is an award-winning education technology organization that offers the only scientifically valid, universal scales for measuring silent and oral reading and listening (Lexile) and math (Quantile) with plans to develop measures for writing. The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks measure student ability and the complexity of the content they encounter. Lexile and Quantile measures and related technologies link assessment to instruction and provide next steps for students of all ages and abilities. The measures also provide valuable insights about students potential for growth. MetaMetrics measures, products and services are licensed to dozens of education product companies to help achieve that growth. For 35 years, MetaMetrics work has been increasingly recognized for its research-based approach to improving learning. For more information, visit metametricsinc.com. Northwest Florida State College joins the Florida Purchasing Group "Registered vendors can access bids, related documents, addendum and award information." Northwest Florida State College has officially joined the Florida Purchasing Group, one of Bidnet Directs regional e-procurement solutions, providing vendors throughout Florida easy online access to its upcoming solicitations. Northwest Florida State College invites all vendors to register online at Florida Purchasing Group. The regional purchasing group connects local governments with vendors looking to do business with public agencies. On the Florida Purchasing Group, vendors seeking business with over 50 participating agencies can register online to gain access to a single point of entry for opportunities throughout Florida. By posting upcoming bids and RFPs on the Florida Purchasing Group, Northwest Florida State College ensures an entire community of vendors can view their solicitation, download documents, and receive notification of addenda. The vendors self-register and ensure their contact information is up to date. I am enthusiastic about the prospect of increasing vendor competition and streamlining the purchasing process, said Katherine St. Onge, Director of Purchasing of Northwest Florida State College when asked why their department decided to join the Florida Purchasing Group. We also like that it can help our current vendors expand their business opportunities. Northwest Florida State College invites all local vendors to visit Florida Purchasing Group and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations as well as the upcoming bids and RFPs from 51 other public agencies participating on the Florida Purchasing Group. Registered vendors have the option to upgrade their service to receive customized bid alerts, notification of term contract expiration, and notification of a real-time addendum. About Northwest Florida State College: Northwest Florida State College offers bachelor degrees, associate degrees, career certificates and adult education. NWFSC is located in Niceville, FL. About Bidnet Direct: Bidnet Direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. Bidnet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the Florida Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers Hackers, increasingly operating as well-run businesses, adapt quickly to changes in business practices and tools. Consequently, smart organizations stay up to date on recent hacker attacks and adjust their own cyber security strategies accordingly." A NYC area cyber security consultant and managed services provider (MSP) argues for increased cyber security in a new article on the eMazzanti Technologies website. The informative article first asserts that robust cyber security strategies help prevent ransomware attacks. The author then urges the timely application of security patches and patch automation where possible. He then encourages readers to beef up access controls to guard against Living off the Land (LotL) attacks. While ransomware attacks have declined slightly, he says that cyber insurers now require more robust security before they will extend coverage. He concludes by discussing phishing attacks and the need for stronger supply chain security. Hackers, increasingly operating as well-run businesses, adapt quickly to changes in business practices and tools, stated Almi Dumi, CISO, eMazzanti Technologies. Consequently, smart organizations stay up to date on recent hacker attacks and adjust their own cyber security strategies accordingly. Below are a few excerpts from the article, Recent Hacker Attacks Underscore Need for Multi-faceted Cyber Security. Timely Patching Critical Security experts have long advised companies to strengthen their patching strategies and apply security patches to software and firmware quickly. Recent reports underscore the importance of that advice. For instance, experts warn that hackers continually scan vulnerability announcements. Meant to alert customers to possible security issues, these announcements unfortunately also provide detailed roadmaps for bad actors. And hackers can act within minutes. Guard Against Living Off the Land (LotL) Attacks In its recent report on cyber security trends, Trellix warned that Living off the Land (LotL) attacks continue to grow. While not new, LotL attacks have proved highly successful over the years and thus present an ongoing threat. Supply Chain Security Critical An attack this year on Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Massachusetts highlights the ongoing importance of supply chain security. In May, an employee of a vendor servicing BCBS improperly emailed sensitive data to their own personal email and the personal email of another employee. Experts to Help Prevent Hacker Attacks As cyber-attacks evolve, businesses need to continually assess and adjust security measures accordingly. The cyber security experts at eMazzanti can help. Beginning with a cyber security risk assessment to determine priorities, they help business leaders design and implement a cyber security strategy tailored to their needs and budget. Have you read? 6 Windows 11 Tips to Make Your PC Easier to Use IoT Cyber Security Requires a Deliberate Approach Due to Inherent Risks About eMazzanti Technologies eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support. eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies. Our pathology reports speak for themselves! Endometriosis is a difficult disease to diagnose and treat. Endometriosis occurs when the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the pelvis. This disease is painful and can lead to infertility. At the Endometriosis Treatment Center of America, Dr. Jonathan Zaidan and his team use the gold-standard approach of excision for treatment of endometriosis. During robotic excision surgery, deep and superficial lesions of endometriosis are excised (or completely cut out) which will ultimately help relieve pain, improve fertility, and help women get their life back. These lesions are then documented and biopsied to confirm the diagnosis. Dr. Zaidan and his team have recently launched a new effort in sharing these pathology reports to educate women on excision surgery. Expert care and attention are crucial in caring for women with endometriosis. Given the expansion of technology, internet, and social media, women are inundated with information about endometriosis and 'specialists' who can help. But, how do you determine the right team or most effective surgeon for you? says Zaidan. At the Endometriosis Treatment Center of America, we value transparency and education! We are now sharing real pathology reports from our patients to give women an inside look into our surgeries to see the extensive number of lesions of endometriosis that we have excised for our patients. We hope this serves a tool in helping women find the expert care they deserve. Our pathology reports speak for themselves! To review the pathology database from the Endometriosis Treatment Center of America, visit https://www.centerofendometriosis.com/resources/pathology/ The first office for The Endometriosis Treatment Center of America (ETCA) is now opened in Lake Orion, Michigan at 1430 S Lapeer Rd, Lake Orion, MI 48362. In the coming months, ETCA will open offices in Birmingham and Madison Heights, with plans to begin expanding further throughout the state by December. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit http://www.centerofendometriosis.com to utilize live chat and find a location near you. Appointments can also be made at (248) 731-2141. "This honor would not have happened without the collaborative efforts of our entire nursing and education leadership at Mount Sinai. I hope to see more nurse leaders from Mount Sinai inducted in the future, said Dr. Beth Oliver Three Mount Sinai nurse leaders, including Chief Nurse Executive Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, have been selected to be Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) in the 2022 Class of Fellows, a significant milestone for the most accomplished nurse leaders in education, management, practice, and research. Dr. Oliver; Jared M. Kutzin, DNP, MS, MPH, RN, FSSH, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Medical Education, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Senior Director of the Simulation, Teaching, and Research (STAR) Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital; and Joan Miravite, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Icahn Mount Sinai and an expert in movement disorders, were among 250 nurses chosen by the Academys Fellow Selection Committee through a competitive and thorough application process. Fellows come from nearly 40 countries and hold a variety of roles within the nursing profession. Following their induction, fellows contribute their expertise by engaging with health leaders to improve the delivery of care, achieve health equity, and discover new innovations. To be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing is a great privilege and Im very proud to be included with the fellow inductees of this class, especially my colleagues Drs. Kutzin and Miravite, Dr. Oliver said. This honor would not have happened without the collaborative efforts of our entire nursing and education leadership at Mount Sinai. I hope to see more nurse leaders from Mount Sinai inducted in the future. In her role as Chief Nurse Executive, Dr. Oliver is responsible for overseeing the practice of nursing and collaborating with the Health Systems senior executive team and the Chief Nursing Officers of Mount Sinais eight hospitals. Her top priorities include ensuring the safety and quality of care for patients, supporting and advancing the professional development of nurses, and transforming the care Mount Sinai provides around the needs of patients and communities. Additionally, for more than 28 years, Dr. Oliver has been a transformational cardiac nurse leader at Mount Sinai. As Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services for the Health System, she leads cardiovascular service line strategy and operations while also being responsible for ensuring the delivery of quality care to Mount Sinai Heart patients. As a clinician, executive, and nurse, Dr. Oliver is committed to advancing population health to efficiently and comprehensively meet the needs of all patients and the current and future role of nurses in achieving this goal. In addition to her Mount Sinai leadership roles, Dr. Oliver has led numerous cardiovascular health-related community outreach programs in partnership with the American Heart Association. In July 2018, Dr. Oliver was appointed President of the American Heart Associations Board of Directors in New York City, the first nurse to hold the position. Dr. Kutzin is an experienced educator, innovator, and simulationist. He is a Fellow in the Institute for Medical Education at Mount Sinai, a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy. Dr. Kutzin serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, on the New York State Emergency Medical Services Council, and on multiple curriculum revision committees for the Icahn School of Medicine. He has developed innovative curricula, including the use of virtual reality, for Emergency Medicine, Nursing, Critical Care, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and departments across the Health System. I am honored to be chosen to join this distinguished academy of nurse leaders, said Dr. Kutzin. This is one of the greatest recognitions a nursing scholar can receive, and Im thrilled to be sharing this with other Mount Sinai nurses. I look forward to joining this esteemed group of nurse leaders working to transform health care and health outcomes around the world. Dr. Miravite has more than 21 years of experience in the evaluation, programming, and management of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinsons disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. She has helped to build a strong DBS program at Mount Sinai by educating physicians, nurse practitioners, students, and patients about DBS. Additionally, she is on the faculty at three academic institutions in New York City, including Icahn Mount Sinai. Dr. Miravite is the Chair-Elect of the American Academy of Neurology Consortium of Neurology Advanced Practice Providers. She also serves as core faculty for the Parkinsons Foundation Team Training program, an international multidisciplinary training program for clinicians with the goal of improving treatment and outcomes for underserved patients with chronic neurologic conditions. This is an incredible recognition and Im very proud to be included in this years class. Id like to congratulate my fellow Mount Sinai inductees and thank you to the Academy, my mentors, and all of the individuals Ive had the honor to work within the Department of Neurology who have led to me to this honor, says Dr. Miravite. Drs. Oliver, Kutzin, and Miravite join three other current Mount Sinai nurse leaders as fellows of the Academy: Fran Cartwright, PhD, RN-BC, AOCN, FAAN, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens; Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice, Education, and Advanced Practice Nursing Credentialing; and Toby Bressler, PhD, RN, OCN, FAAN, Senior Director of Nursing for Oncology and Clinical Quality and Assistant Professor Medical Oncology at Icahn Mount Sinai. The 2022 Academy Fellows will be recognized for their contributions in health care at the Academys annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on Thursday, October 27, through Saturday, October 29. The induction ceremony will be held on October 29 at 5:30 pm at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. About the Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Reports Best Childrens Hospitals ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the countrys best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: It is consistently ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools," aligned with a U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospital, and top 20 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding and top 5 in the nation for numerous basic and clinical research areas. Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Our local Penetron specialist showed how a solution based on integral crystalline technology would not only help streamline the construction schedule, but also guarantee a durable structure with an extended service life. The Trinity Landing retirement community in Wilmington, North Carolina welcomed its first residents in August 2022. Due to the developments proximity to saltwater, PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, was chosen to protect below-grade concrete elements. A port city situated between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, Wilmington is known as a gateway to the Cape Fear Coast beaches, with four nearby beach communities just outside the city limits. With over 115,000 inhabitants, the city was declared one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations in North Carolina by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The city riverfront was also recently ranked as the "Best American Riverfront" by readers of USA Today. Designed by SFCS, an architectural firm from Charlotte, NC, the Trinity Landing retirement community development is located just south of Wrightsville Beach and overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. The 514,426 ft2 community spans two campuses; the initial phase of construction comprised 184 wood-framed multi-story apartment homes (800-1,660 ft2; 12-bedroom layouts), two-story villas (1,165-1,765 ft2), and a waterfront pavilion and boat dock. An additional 24 units will be added in late August during a second construction phase. Further amenities include three restaurants, a wellness center with a saltwater pool and spa, walking and biking paths, an auditorium, a library and media center, and meeting rooms. Protection from a Seaside Location Because of the proximity of the Trinity Landing jobsite to North Carolinas Intracoastal Waterway, the combination of high groundwater levels and chloride ion exposure required a reliable and waterproof solution for the below-grade concrete foundation elements to ensure long-term durability. Both groundwater and chloride ion penetration are major causes of concrete deterioration, explains Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. Our local Penetron specialist showed how a solution based on integral crystalline technology would not only help streamline the construction schedule, but also guarantee a durable structure with an extended service life. Penetron worked with Crete Solutions, the ready-mix concrete supplier, to provide an optimal waterproofing solution. PENETRON ADMIX SB-treated concrete was used for the below-grade retaining walls and the elevator pits. Becoming an Integral Part of Concrete Easily mixed in during batching and unaffected by climatic conditions, PENETRON ADMIX SB quickly becomes an integral part of the concrete as the active ingredients in the admixture react to generate an insoluble crystal network. This crystal network seals voids and microcracks against water penetration, even under high hydrostatic pressure. Water is unable to pass through the crystal formations, making the concrete impermeable. Because the concrete is impermeable, chloride ion penetration is decreased, providing the much-needed corrosion protection in a coastal environment. In addition, the self-healing capability of PENETRON ADMIX SB-treated concrete will self-heal and seal all hairline cracks that form throughout the service life of the concrete, reducing the amount of maintenance required, says Christopher Chen. The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels. For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700. Rowman & Littlefield has added to its roster of relationships with Washington, D.C.-based think tanks, striking a new co-publishing deal with The Brookings Institution. Under the partnership, effective August 1, Brookings will continue to oversee acquisitions and editorial review of Brookings Institute Press titles, while Rowman & Littlefield will produce, distribute, sell, and market BIPs books. Brookings interim president Amy Liu said that by partnering with Rowman & Littlefield, the Brookings Institution Press and its authors will benefit from the scale, resources, and expertise of a publishing industry leader to build on its history and expand its impact in an evolving publishing landscape. Liu added: Were looking forward to working with a local publisher who is well versed in policy scholarship with a vision for a responsive and collaborative relationship. Under the arrangement, R&L, based in Lanham, Md., will immediately start to collaborate with BIP on production, publicity, marketing, and related functions. It will take over responsibility for distribution and sales for frontlist and backlist titles in November, when the presss current distribution agreement ends. BIP, which has a backlist of almost 1,300 titles, publishes over 30 titles annually and is paticularly known for its list of political science titles, although it publishes titles across a range of disciplines by Brookings members as well as outside authors. The first titles to be published under the new partnership will be the forthcoming Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy by Darrell M. West; Divided We Fall by Alice M. Rivlin, Sheri Rivlin, and Allan Rivlin; The Party Leads All: The Evolving Role of the Chinese Communist Party edited by Jacques deLisle and Guobin Yang; and Hyperlocal: Place Governance in a Fragmented World edited by Jennifer S. Vey and Nate Storring. R&L already works with several other DC-area think tanks, from both sides of the political aisle, including Center for Strategic and International Studies, Freedom House, AEI Press, Urban Institute Press, and Shorenstein Center. The Brookings Institution Press is known for its high-quality, timely books, and this partnership is a natural fit. We look forward to leveraging our resources and expertise to co-publish and promote this outstanding list,: said R&L publisher Julie Kirsch in a statement. After months of anticipation, the governments bid to block Penguin Random Houses acquisition of rival Big Five publisher Simon & Schuster got underway in Washington, D.C., on August 1. It wasnt exactly an electrifying start. In opening arguments, there were no surprises. The parties largely stuck to their pre-trial briefs, with the government asserting that a merger would harm authors and the defense insisting on the opposite. Then the governments first witness, Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch, took the stand to offer a basic, foundational view of the current competitive landscape in the publishing world, with many a detour into the nuts and bolts of the business. The result was a sort of meandering publishing 101. In halting, often clipped responses, Pietsch, a 45-year publishing veteran who estimated he has personally acquired between 300-400 titles over his careerand overseen many more acquisitions as an executiveattempted to explain to the court how basic things like book advances and rights auctions work, and how publishers manage their bidding strategies. But the key points of his testimony involved the competition for book rights, in which Pietsch explained in no uncertain terms that when Hachette loses a book theyve bid on, they very seldom lose it to a publisher outside the Big Five, and even more rarely when it comes books with advances over $250,000, the portion of the market the government is focusing its case on. In fact, Pietsch revealed that Hachette keeps a running list of the books the publisher loses out on over $500,000called The Ones That Got Awayand of the 302 books on the list (at the time the list was entered into evidence) Pietsch told the court that Hachette lost the most to PRH (124), followed by their fellow Big Five publishers in order of size: HarperCollins, S&S, and Macmillan. Under questioning from the government, Pietsch also outlined the significant advantages that the Big Five publishers hold over their smaller competitors, chief among them their large backlists, cobbled together over decades of acquiring other companies (HBG has made six acquisitions under Pietsch). A bigger backlist means more revenue, and importantly more profitable revenueand more revenue means more resources, and a greater tolerance for taking risks on higher advances. Hachette derives roughly $300 million a year, roughly a third of its revenue, from backlist sales, Pietsch testified, noting that smaller publishers do not have such a cushion, and later adding that it is not conceivable that a new entrant in the publishing business could build a competitive backlist advantage "organically." Furthermore, Pietsch explained, the Big Five publishers enjoy other significant scale advantages over other publishers, including more media pull, review attention, as well as marketing and retail advantages. He noted that Amazon Publishing, despite its parent company's size and influence in the book business, has not emerged as a competitor where book acquisitions are concernednor is the self-publishing industry Amazon helped forge. Anyone can publish a book now, and thats a wonderful thing, Pietsch saidbut those books and authors simply do not compete with the major publishers. When finally asked for his take on how for a PRH/S&S merger would impact the industry, Pietsch expressed a litany of concerns. Advances would likely decline, he suggested, as one of the major houses would be subsumed, decreasing the number of bidders for a work. Title count would also likely go down, he surmised, as there is likely some redundancy between PRHs and S&Ss publishing programs that would be eliminated. Pietsch also expressed concerns about the impact on the variety of books published and the risk of homogenization. On cross-examination, defense counsel Daniel M. Petrocelli engaged in a few strained exchanges with Pietsch. These included a line of questioning about bidding strategies, which was intended to suggest that PRH would be unwise to pursue a strategy of offering lowering advances because other publishersincluding Hachettewould simply step up and win the books, but instead left Pietsch questioning Petrocellis logic. One of the punchier exchanges involved a discussion of the potential buyers for S&S should the merger be blockedincluding Hachette, with Pietsch admitting that he would like to see parent company Hachette Livre bid on S&S even though the company did not do so in 2020. So youre not concerned with a 5-4 merger, Petrocelli remarked, to which Pietsch responded that he was never concerned with a merger taking the Big Five down to a Big Four, but with the creation of one "super dominant publisher that is so far out of scale with the rest of the business, a view shared by many industry insiders. The problem isn't so much that S&S is being acquired, Pietsch suggested, the problem is that Penguin Random House, already the largest Big Five publisher, was acquiring it. Opening Arguments Indeed, the government's opposition to Penguin Random House's acquisition of Simon & Schuster is largely based on size. Penguin Random Houses proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster would further entrench the largest publishing giant in the United States (and the world) and give the merged company control of nearly half of the market to acquire anticipated top-selling books from authors, the DOJs pre-trial brief states, adding that if allowed to proceed, the proposed transaction would eliminate competition between two of the last remaining major publishers likely resulting in "authors being paid less for their efforts and fewer authors being able to earn a living from writing. In his hour-long opening argument, DOJ lead attorney John Read hammered that point home. This merger must be stopped, Read began, noting that the combined firm would "own nearly half the market, and pointing out that "no new publishers have cracked the inside circle of the Big Five in nearly three decades. Read told the court the government only had to show "what may occur" to prevail in the case, arguing that the Clayton Act was designed to stop anti-competitive conduct "in its incipiency" before "a lessening of competition" may occur. And he defended the government's focus on authors, and specifically on a subset of authors of so-called anticipated top-selling books, accusing the defense of attempting to minimize the impact of the merger on this part of the market. But these top selling books are "the bread and butter" of the publishing business, and for the authors "competition matters." Read said the government's expert witness, Nicholas Hill, will show a significant negative impact on author payments if the merger is allowed, and that the evidence will show there are "high barriers" to becoming a publisher capable of competing with the Big Five in auctions for books at $250K or higher. A combined PRH/S&S will "dominate," Read argued, claiming that that the post-merger market for anticipated top selling book rights, measured using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), a key tool for measuring market concentration, shows an 891-point increase in the HHI and a post-merger HHI of 3,113, making the merger presumptively illegal. An increase of more than 200 points in HHI and a post-merger HHI of 2500 is the threshold to trigger a presumption of illegality. In his opening argument, which also ran about an hour, PRH lead attorney Daniel Petrocelli countered that the government had to show "a substantial lessening of competition" to prevail, and insisted the government would fall far short of that mark. He called the government's action "the great shrinking case," accusing DOJ lawyers of narrowing the case down to a small, ill-defined section of authors in an effort to show market harm because there is no harm to consumers and no harm to competition more broadly. "The government has created an artificial market to create artificial concentration to create artificial harm," Petrocelli said, noting that presumption of harm, when the HHI is calculated for the entire market and not just the $250K advance market, the deal does not hit the HHI threshold and the deal is not presumptively illegal. Following the script laid out in their pre-trial brief, Petrocelli said governments theory of the casethat author advances, especially advances over $250,000 will be harmedis fatally flawed. The government tries to erase 98% of the market, shriveling it down to the small segment of books that are acquired for advances of at least $250,000. But that price segment is just thata price segment, not a cognizable market, PRH attorneys argue in their brief, a point Petrocelli emphasized in his opening argument. The governments proposed product market is entirely wrong, he said, emphasizing that prior to this case there was no defined market in the book business for "anticipated top selling books," or for advances over $250K, quipping that every book starts off as an anticipated top seller, as a gleam in an editors eye. Petrocelli said the evidence will show that competition for book rights would continue to be robust and that author advances post-merger "are not going to go down. They are going to go up. Next Up Today's proceeding will begin with literary agent Ayesha Pande, who took the stand late yesterday, offering an exposition of the agenting business. S&S author Stephen King is also expected to be called as a government witness, adding some star power to the proceedings. Russian member of far-right Ukrainian battalion gets 9 years in absentia MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) The Moscow Basmanny District Court on Tuesday sentenced Russian citizen Anton Korolev in absentia to 9 years in jail for taking part in the armed conflict in Ukraine as a member of the ultra-nationalist Ukrainian battalion Azov, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee reports. Korolev was found guilty of committing such crimes as public calls for extremist activities and participation in an armed conflict as a mercenary. Investigators claimed that in 2013-2014 Korolev actively promoted the ideas of National Socialism, and in 2014 he came to Ukraine to voluntarily join Azov battalion. In Ukraine, Korolev underwent special training at the training bases of the Azov battalion, gained skills in handling weapons, explosives, knowledge of military strategy and tactics. In the period from 2015 to 2019, he took part in the hostilities in the south-east of Ukraine as a member of the battalion against the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Korolev actively promoted his activities as a member of the battalion on the Internet among Ukrainian nationalists and speaking to Ukrainian journalists, the Investigative Committee said. This Tuesday, Russia's Supreme Court has granted a move of the Prosecutor General's Office to designate Azov battalion as a terrorist organisation. As we approach the zenith in terms of the June quarter earnings season with quarterly results from Caterpillar (CAT) , AMD (AMD) , Starbucks (SBUX) , PayPal (PYPL) and dozens of others today, U.S. equity futures point to a lower open later this morning amid renewed tensions between the US and China ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi' expected trip to Taiwan. For context, Pelosi would be the first House Speaker since Newt Gingrich in 1997 to visit Taiwan and Chinese authorities have been warning of consequences if the trip takes place. Markets will be looking to see if this is yet another round of saber-rattling and military flexing or something more. Adding to the tension, one condition of the recently passed $54 billion CHIPS Act is companies that receive funds must promise not to increase their production of advanced chips in China. Caterpillar Earnings Earlier this morning, heavy equipment company Caterpillar reported its June quarter results that included a 20% year over year increase in its North American Construction Industries business. That increase was led by a combination of pricing and higher sales volume. The company's earnings press release did not discuss the company's outlook for the coming quarter or the balance of 2022 in any great detail. It's earnings conference call presentation sees higher sales in the current quarter but did not give any segment or geographic breakdown. We would expect the company to share at least some color on both during its earnings conference call that will be held this morning at 8:30 am ET today. During that call, we'll be listening for Caterpillar's comments on spending tied to the Biden Infrastructure Law and how it sees it ramping in the coming quarters given our positions in both United Rentals (URI) and Nucor (NUE) . PepsiCo Does It Again Yesterday, PepsiCo (PEP) and Celsius Holdings (CELH) signed a long-term distribution agreement that included a strategic investment by PepsiCo. Earlier today, PepsiCo struck again and inked a strategic agreement with premium Romanian spring water AQUA Carpatica to acquire 20% equity stake. While terms were not released, it was shared that PepsiCo will have rights to distribute the spring water in Romania and in Poland with opportunities to expand into other markets, including the United States. Taking the back-to-back announcements together, PepsiCo continues to manage its beverage offerings to meet evolving consumer preferences. We see this as a positive, and as we reflect on the impact of the Celsius equity investment and the continued strength in the company's core business, we are increasing our price target to $190 from $180. Given the upside to that target, we are maintaining our Two rating, but if PEP share were to pull back to the $165 level, we would look to revisit that rating. From a technical perspective, we see strong support for PEP shares at the $165 level. After Today's Market Open At 10 am ET, the monthly JOLTS report will be published, and expectations call for 11 million job openings, down from 11.254 million the prior month. As members know, we track this report rather closely given the insight it provides into healthcare hires and job openings due to our position in AMN Healthcare (AMN) shares. We expect the disparity between healthcare job openings and hires to remain, boding well for AMN's contract labor business. Also, at 10 am ET, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans will host a hybrid on-the-record breakfast conversation on the US economy and monetary policy with members of the media. Following yesterday's July Manufacturing PMI data that pointed to a slowing domestic manufacturing economy, we expect any comments from Evans as to what the Fed's monetary policy action in the balance of 2022 might look like will be of more than passing interest. We'd caution members that while the market may read too much into Evan's comments, there is much data to be had before the Fed's next monetary policy meeting that could sway rate hike expectations. We will continue to update our view on what's likely to happen as more of that forthcoming data is in hand. Russia bars entry to 39 politicians, businessmen, journalists from Britain MOSCOW, August 2 (RAPSI) Russia's foreign ministry announced sanctions against 39 British politicians, officials, business people and journalists, who are banned from entering the country. The persons on the stop list have taken part in facilitating the hostile course of London, aimed at the demonization of Russia and its international isolation, according to the ministry. The pernicious actions of the UK in planting Russophobia, spreading false information about Russia and supporting the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime will receive an adequate and decisive response from the Russian side. The choice in favor of confrontation is a conscious decision of the British political establishment, which bears all responsibility for the consequences, the ministry statement reads. In addition to the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Russian stop list includes the leader of the British Labor Party, Keir Starmer, member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament George Robertson, Scottish Cabinet Secretaries Angus Robertson and Fiona Hyslop, as well as 12 journalists from The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Economist. The full list of persons included in the Russian stop list can be found on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Brad Pitt walked back his recent comments about his retirement while attending the Los Angeles premiere of his film Bullet Train. ADVERTISEMENT The 58-year-old actor attended the event Monday at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood. In the August issue of GQ, Pitt had said he considers himself on his "last leg" and in the "last semester or trimester" of his career. The actor clarified his remarks in an interview with Deadline on the red carpet. "No, I mean... I really have to work on my phrasing," Pitt said. "I was just saying, 'I'm past middle age and I want to be specific about how I spend those last things however they may be,'" he added. Pitt stars with Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada and Michael Shannon in Bullet Train, which opens in theaters Friday. The film is based on Japanese author KAtarA Isaka's novel Maria Beetle, which follows a group of assassins as they attempt to complete interconnected missions on a Japanese bullet train. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! At the premiere, Pitt also praised Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, his 16-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie . Pitt referenced a recent video featuring Shiloh dancing to Doja Cat's "Vegas." "It brings a tear to the eye, yeah," Pitt said of Shiloh's love of dance, adding that she's "very beautiful." "I don't know where she got it from. I'm Mr. Two-Left-Feet here," he added. Pitt and Jolie have five other children, Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 14. Jolie announced in a post Sunday that Zahara will attend Spelman College in the fall. Benny Blanco is giving a glimpse of the "Bad Decisions" music video. ADVERTISEMENT The 34-year-old music producer shared a teaser for the single Tuesday featuring South Korean boy band BTS and Snoop Dogg The preview highlights BTS members Jin, V, Jungkook and Jimin and also features Blanco and Snoop Dogg. "They're back," Blanco captioned the post. BTS, Blanco and Snoop Dogg will release a single and music video for "Bad Decisions" on Friday. The artists announced the collaboration with a video last week. "Bad Decisions" will mark BTS' first release since the group announced in June that the members would be focusing on their solo careers. BTS member J-Hope later clarified in an interview with Variety that the group is "definitely" not on hiatus and will "remain active." J-Hope released his debut solo album, Jack in the Box, earlier this month and made history with his headlining performance at Lollapalooza music festival Sunday. Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Amazon Prime Video announced Tuesday that Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in an upcoming remake of the 1989 action hit Road House. ADVERTISEMENT Gyllenhaal was cast in the film's starring role alongside Daniela Melchior and Billy Magnussen Road House is slated to be directed by Doug Liman, and will be executive produced by Joel Silver. Both Liman and Silver expressed their enthusiasm for the project. "I'm thrilled to put my own spin on the beloved Road House legacy, and I can't wait to show audiences what Jake and I are going to do with this iconic role," Liman said. Silver produced the original 1989 film -- starring Patrick Swayze as a bouncer with a mysterious past who defends a small-town Missouri club from henchmen -- that has since become a cult classic. "The original Road House has a special place in my heart and I am so excited to bring this newly imagined version to audiences around the world," Silver said. "Doug [Liman] and I have each made some big, boisterous action movies and are ready to bring everything we have to this one." "Road House is a home run for us. Not only is it a nod to fans of the original, but it is also a big, fun, broad audience movie," added Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke in a separate statement. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Joel, Doug, and this great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, and for them to come together to reimagine the classic MGM film as an action-packed adventure for our global audience." FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Rumors of the film being picked up for a reboot have long circulated online, with the news first being reported by Deadline in November 2021. At the time, Gyllenhaal had been attached to the project, but his involvement had never been previously confirmed. The 41-year-old came from the notable Gyllenhaal family as a child actor to carve out a name for himself as one of Hollywood's most prolific stars. His breakthrough performance would come in 2001's Donnie Darko, in which he would share the screen with Patrick Swayze. He would earn a BAFTA and Academy Award nomination for his work in Ang Lee's romantic drama Brokeback Mountain, and would garner further acclaim for roles in psychological thrillers such as Prisoners and Nightcrawler. Gyllenhaal has also starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villainous Mysterio in 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. Melchior will hit the Road House screen following her breakout performance in 2021's The Suicide Squad as Ratcatcher 2. She will next be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and is also slated to appear in the Fast and the Furious franchise. Magnussen will come to Road House after notable parts in Into The Woods, Disney's Aladdin remake and the Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark. Road House is set to begin filming in August in the Dominican Republic. While the film will stream on Prime Video, a release date has not been announced. Actor Jesse Eisenberg will receive an honorary award at the upcoming 2022 Sarajevo Film Festival, it was announced Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT Eisenberg, 38, will be given the Heart of Sarajevo Award, the celebration's highest honor, at the festival's 28th edition in mid-August, according to Sarajevo officials. The Heart of Sarajevo represents the highest prize given out in all competition categories at the festival, with its honorary edition awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the arts. The New York City-born Eisenberg is best known for his work in comedies and dramas. His career launched in 2002 with his first leading role, playing a teenager in the sex comedy Roger Dodger. Eisenberg would follow up with big-screen appearances in iconic early 2000s films, including playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2010's The Social Network. He can also be seen in starring roles in films such as Adventureland, Zombieland and Now You See Me. Beyond his comedy-drama chops, Eisenberg can also be seen in both the action and horror genre. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! This includes a small part in M. Night Shyamalan 's commercially successful mystery thriller The Village in 2004. The actor has also branched into the DC extended universe, portraying Superman's arch-rival Lex Luthor in 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Eisenberg is also a prolific writer, often contributing pieces to major publications such as The New Yorker. He has additionally penned his own plays as well as a short story book. For his work, Eisenberg has received a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award. According to the festival, he will receive his award prior to the Aug. 15 screening of When You Finish Saving The World, Eisenberg's directorial debut. The film will star Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard . It previously premiered to positive reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Eisenberg will follow other well-known recipients of Sarajevo's prestigious award, including John Cleese, Tim Roth, Angelina Jolie and Mads Mikkelsen, the latter of whom will also be receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo. While it does not have the name recognition of the Venice, Berlin International or Cannes Film Festivals, the Sarajevo Film Festival is still often considered one of Europe's largest film showcases. Based in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Sarajevo Film Festival was first held in 1995, a period in which the Bosnian War was still heavily underway. Since then, the festival has grown from a small wartime effort to a major attraction that boasts an average of 100,000 viewers per year, according to The Wrap. The festival now screens films from over 60 different countries The 2022 Sarajevo Film Festival will run from Aug. 12 to Aug. 19. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. TOWNSHEND Leland & Gray Union High School is safe from the chopping block. After an exploration of structuring the West River Education District in different ways to address declining enrollment, the School Board voted unanimously on Monday to support keeping the school open. The board also is having an attorney look into codifying the decision into the articles of agreement that bind the district together in its merger to comply with Act 46, the 2015 law encouraging consolidation to improve student equities. This dispels the myth that Leland & Gray will close, Board Chairman Al Claussen said in an interview. Modifying the articles of agreement would make it difficult for another board to reverse the decision, Claussen said. Principal Bob Thibault told the Reformer he will now have an easier time hiring and retaining staff. Its been hanging out there for too long, Claussen said. I feel like weve made some progress tonight. Im pretty happy. Board members indicated they need more information to decide if one of the three elementary schools in the district should close, and they expect to discuss the idea in September. However, with the exception of one opposing member, the board voted to conduct a feasibility study on a one-campus model. Last year, a committee presented an idea to host a single campus in Townshend and an immersive learning center in Jamaica. In October, the board voted 9-2 to budget for the current building configurations of three elementary schools in the district and Leland & Gray. Long-term planning sessions continued with public input prioritized. About 20 community members volunteered to serve on task forces and surveyed residents from the district member towns of Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, Townshend and Windham. (Windham has a separate school district for elementary education.) The process is intended to guide the board as it budgets for the next fiscal year. According to survey results as of last Thursday, 55 percent of 64 respondents were in favor of keeping the high school. The rest wanted to move to a tuition model for grades 9 to 12. Mondays decision does not affect the public high school choice program the district participates in. Any student can apply to attend any public school in Vermont, with acceptance based on a schools capacity and no tuition money leaving the district. Of 45 respondents, 64 percent want two K-5 schools and 29 percent want three. About 7 percent would like two elementary schools banded together by grades K-2 and 3-5. Of 25 respondents, 13 people want pre-k available in every town and eight would like it in every school. Four prefer one centralized location. Superintendent Bill Anton said the cost savings to consolidate three elementary schools to two is estimated to be about $225,000, although he noted it depends on the number of employees. To have pre-k in every building would approximately cost an additional $140,000. Currently, it is available in Townshend. A community can vote to withdraw from the district. If one votes to leave then all the other member towns in the district have to affirm the vote individually, meaning the results would not be commingled like they are for budget votes. Sarah Shine of Newfane, who is part of a group calling for expanding school choice options for high school students, told the board it is time to start thinking about creative solutions for children whose needs cannot be met at L&G. Terry Davidson-Berger, a parent and employee at the high school, voiced concern for families with lesser household incomes who are not attending the meetings and answering surveys but would be adversely affected if the school closed. One-on-one instruction offered in the small school offers relevance to students, she said. Kids want to know why theyre learning what theyre learning, she said. Providing tuition for choice offers opportunities to students so they can go to the best schools for them, Chrissy Haskins of Jamaica said. Board member Lindsey Bertram said L&G can be improved, however, shes not wiling to leave anyone behind. At the meeting, Thibault acknowledged room for growth on testing scores. WASHINGTON (AP) Stephen King didn't break any legal ground on the stand Tuesday as he testified against his own publisher's efforts to merge with Penguin Random House. But he did know how to please a crowd and even get the judge to thank him for his time. It was a real pleasure to hear your testimony," the otherwise businesslike U.S. District Judge Florence J. Pan told the author after he finished speaking as a government witness in a federal antitrust lawsuit against the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, King's longtime publisher. The 74-year-old King had a haunting but gregarious presence, his gaunt features accented by his gray suit and gray sneakers, his walk tentative, as it has been since he was struck by a van and badly injured in 1999. But once sworn in, he was relaxed and happy to talk, and ever alert to how to tell a story, My name is Stephen King. Im a freelance writer, King said upon being asked to identify himself. The Justice Department is bidding to convince Pan that the proposed combination of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, two of the world's biggest publishers, would thwart competition and damage the careers of some of the most popular authors a status King holds like few others. King's remarkable career, with so many bestsellers he could only offer an estimate, has come amid waves of consolidation in the industry. As he noted in his remarks, there were dozens of publishers in New York when his breakthrough novel, Carrie," came out, in 1974, and he has seen many of them either acquired by larger companies or forced out of business. Now, New York publishing is often a story of the so-called Big Five: Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishing, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan. The publisher of Carrie," Doubleday, is now part of Penguin Random House. So is another former King publisher, Viking Press. Over the first two days, attorneys for the two sides have presented notably contrasting views of the book industry. The Justice Department sees an increasingly limited market for bestsellers, with the Big Five well in command. Penguin Random House's side sees book publishing as dynamic and open to many, with the proposed merger having limited impact. King's appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington highly unusual for an antitrust trial brought a narrative of the evolution of book publishing toward the dominance of the Big Five companies. As government attorney Mel Schwarz walked King through his history starting as a new, unknown author in the 1970s and his relationships with agents and publishers, King homed in on a critique of the industry as it is now. King crisply answered Schwarz's questions, with some moments of humor and brief flashes of gentle outrage, as he testified during the second day of the trial expected to last two to three weeks. The Big Five are pretty entrenched," he said. Under questioning later in the day, Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp detailed a world of fiercely competitive bidding among publishers including between his firm and Penguin Random House for authors works, sometimes besting each other by millions of dollars for high-profile writers. With his possible future boss, Penguin Random House Markus Dohle, among those looking on in the courtroom, Karp rejected the Big Five moniker, calling it parochial and ethnocentric. I think there are a lot of good publishers all over the country. Its not all about us, Karp said. As an example, he said the nearly 100-year-old Simon & Schuster has endured more aggressive competition recently from Amazons book publishing business. But Justice Department attorney Jeff Vernon brought forward a message Karp had sent to John Irving, his favorite author, saying he didnt think the government would allow Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House to merge. Thats assuming we still have a Department of Justice, Karp wrote in the message. At one point, the judge appeared to support a core government argument that greater concentration in the industry could reduce the compensation paid to authors. Through two days of testimony, Pan said, theres a sense that competition raises the amounts of advances and less competition lowers them. King's displeasure about the proposed merger led him to voluntarily testify for the government. I came because I think that consolidation is bad for competition," King said. The way the industry has evolved, he said, it becomes tougher and tougher for writers to find money to live on. King expressed skepticism toward the two publishers commitment to continue to bid for books separately and competitively after a merger. You might as well say you're going to have a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same house," he quipped. It would be sort of very gentlemanly and sort of, After you and After you,'" he said, gesturing with a polite sweep of the arm. King's was entertaining and informative, although he had little specific to say over how the merger might harm bestselling authors, with the government's case focusing on those receiving advances of $250,000 or more. Attorney Daniel Petrocelli, representing the publishers, told King he had no questions for him and demurred on a cross-examination, saying instead he hoped they could have coffee together some time. King has long been a public favorite, and spoke warmly Tuesday of living the dream," paying all the bills while working at something he loves. But the author of The Stand, The Shining" and many others wonders who else might have the chances he did. He was not chosen by the government just for his fame, but for his public criticism of the $2.2 billion deal announced in late 2021, potentially forming what rival CEO Michael Pietsch of Hachette Book Group has called a gigantically prominent" entity. The more the publishers consolidate, the harder it is for indie publishers to survive," King tweeted last year. King's affinity for smaller publishers is personal. Even while continuing to publish with the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner, he has written thrillers for the independent Hard Case Crime. Years ago, the publisher asked him to contribute a blurb, but King instead offered to write a novel for them, The Colorado Kid," released in 2005. He has also written fiction for other small companies, saying some of his work doesn't have the kind of commercial power the Big Five might expect. King himself would likely benefit from the Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster deal, but he has a history of favoring other priorities beyond his material well-being. He has long been a critic of tax cuts for the rich, even as the rich" surely includes Stephen King, and has openly called for the government to raise his taxes. In America, we should all have to pay our fair share," he wrote for The Daily Beast in 2012. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORTH HAVEN Gillian Webb was in the process of opening a New Haven-based Caribbean restaurant when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. The pandemic shut down the project but did not deter Webb, who instead filled food orders from her home. Two years later and one town over, shes found a new spot for her restaurant: a storefront at 448 Washington Ave. in North Haven. The only Caribbean restaurant in the suburban town, Island Cho Caribbean Cuisine serves both Trinidadian and Jamaican dishes. It opened its doors in early July, Webb said. Webb hails from Trinidad and Tobago, she said, but her husbands Jamaican background prompted her to learn to cook Jamaican food. Im able to offer both cuisines, she said. Its pretty unusual to find a Trinidadian cooking Jamaican food or vice versa. ... What we have is something thats kind of different. The business is a family project. Webb co-owns it wither her husband, Charlton Webb, and her nephew, Omari Wright. Along with Webbs 3-year-old daughter, Adaolisa, the group pulled into the eaterys parking lot shortly before 11 a.m. Friday to get ready for the day. Visitors might recognize the spot, which formerly housed Hidden Kitchen, a popular breakfast spot with a new location nearby. The space now is peppered with neat, tan-colored, rectangular tables where customers can sit and order everything from chicken roti to rasta pasta. They might notice a pattern in the bright space around them: a butterfly motif graces the restaurants decor. Each table has a centerpiece featuring a fake white butterfly, while a pile of coasters at the counter has butterfly-shaped cut-outs. The beloved creature also forms part of the Island Cho logo. Webb said the theme honors her late daughter, Amara, who had cystic fibrosis. She loved butterflies, Webb said. Webb and Wright came up with the restaurant name with Amara in mind, too. Cho is Japanese for butterfly. When Webb stayed home to care for her daughter, cooking was something that I did to try to help out financially in the house, she said. When she catered events, she said, people would encourage her to open a restaurant. Now she has done just that. In Webbs brick-and-mortar store, diners can choose from a wide variety of entrees, from jerk chicken to stew pork, to curry goat, red snapper and oxtail. Each comes with a choice of two sides, and the list is long: Webb recommends peas and rice for those looking to try Jamaican food, though the mac and cheese is one of her personal favorites. Alternatively, customers could order the Trinidadian version of roti, flatbread with curry. Though the dish has its origin in India, it is a staple for many Trinidadian families, Webb said. Webb and her nephew, Wright, prepare the dishes, with Webb focusing on the entrees and Wright on the appetizers. Called Plantain Cho, one starter consists of crispy shrimp wrapped in plantain. That is our signature, said Webb. Its a really interesting flavor when you add the sweet plantains with the fried shrimp. At first, Webb was anxious about drawing customers in North Haven because the town lacks a large Caribbean population, she said. But she also saw an opportunity. Many people in the area visit the Caribbean for vacation, Webb said, and they enjoy the food there. When they get back, they dont have access to this type of food, said Charlton Webb. I thought it would be a very good idea to bring the food to them, Gillian Webb said. So far, the plan seems to be working. Though in its early days, business is going exceptionally well, according to Webb. Wright agreed. Its been doing pretty well, he said. Each day is better than (the day) before. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a public records lawsuit on the 2020 census based on a Webster's dictionary definition of one obscure word: whereby. The lawsuit was over an even more obscure concept: how a statistical method was used to fill in details when information was lacking about people residing in dorms, nursing homes, prisons and other group living spaces. A Republican-leaning redistricting advocacy group had sued the Census Bureau and the Commerce Department, which oversees the statistical agency, in an effort to get records showing by state the number of times the statistical method was used for group quarters. Fair Lines America Foundation had said it had significant implications for our nations redistricting and electoral process and demanded transparency in how the method was implemented. In group quarters, the method known as imputation involves using already available information about the facility, such as its maximum capacity, to fill in missing details. People living in group quarters were particularly difficult to count during the 2020 census because the coronavirus pandemic sent college students fleeing campuses and put nursing homes and prisons in lockdown. In response, the Census Bureau unexpectedly decided to use the statistical technique for group housing, where about 3% of the U.S. population lives. Because of concerns over the group quarters count during the pandemic, the Census Bureau set up a separate program for governments to appeal that count in their jurisdictions. The census determines how many congressional seats each state gets, as well as the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year. The Census Bureau had argued that releasing the records to Fair Lines would violate a law protecting census participants' privacy and confidentiality. Bad actors could reconstruct the larger data set and identify people's private information if the information was released, the statistical agency argued. In her order, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson conceded that releasing the aggregated data itself wouldn't jeopardize participants' privacy or confidentiality. But the law prohibits any publication whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual under this title can be identified,'" she wrote, quoting from the law. The interpretation of this sentence hinges on the word whereby,'" she wrote. Citing a Webster's dictionary definition from 1953, a year before the law was enacted, the judge said the meaning of whereby' led her to believe that publication of the data was prohibited. An attorney for Fair Lines didn't respond to an email and text seeking comment. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) A bill that would enhance health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits hit a snag in the Senate last week, angering advocates like comedian Jon Stewart who say help from the government is long overdue. Lawmakers have been hearing increasingly from constituents with respiratory illnesses and cancers that they attribute to serving near burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military used the pits to dispose of such things as chemicals, cans, tires, plastics and medical and human waste. Veterans groups say servicemembers who were exposed to the pits have waited long enough for enhanced health benefits, and lawmakers largely agree. The Senate is ultimately expected to send the measure to President Joe Biden's desk. It's just a question of when. Where the issue stands: HOW WOULD THE BILL HELP IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS? First, veterans who served near burn pits will get 10 years of health care coverage through the Department of Veterans Affairs upon their separation from the military rather than five. Second, the legislation directs the VA to presume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure. This takes the burden of proof off the veteran, allowing them to obtain disability payments to compensate for their injury without having to show the illness was a result of their service. Roughly 70% of disability claims related to burn pit exposure are denied by the VA due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the Defense Department. IS THERE HELP FOR OTHER VETERANS? Yes. For example, hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War-era veterans and survivors also stand to benefit. The bill adds hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a presumptive disease associated with Agent Orange exposure. The Congressional Budget Office projected that about 600,000 of 1.6 million living Vietnam vets would be eligible for increased compensation, though only about half would have severe enough diagnoses to warrant receiving it. Also, veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will be presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Thats another 50,000 veterans and survivors of deceased veterans who would get compensation for illnesses presumed to have been caused by their exposure to the herbicide, the CBO projected. HOW MUCH WILL THE BILL COST? The bill is projected to increase federal deficits by about $277 billion over 10 years, the CBO said. Lawmakers did not include offsetting spending cuts or tax increases to help pay for the spending. WHERE DO THINGS STAND IN CONGRESS? Both the House and the Senate have approved the bill overwhelmingly. The Senate did so in June, but the the bill contained a revenue-related provision that must originate in the House, requiring a do-over to make a technical fix. The House approved the fixed bill by a vote of 342-88. So, now the measure is back before the Senate, where the previous iteration had passed by a vote of 84-14. Biden says he will sign it. SO WHY HASN'T THE SENATE APPROVED IT YET? When the CBO scored the bill, it projected that nearly $400 billion slated to be spent on health services would move from discretionary spending to mandatory spending, which is mostly sheltered from the bruising battles that occur each year over where to spend money in appropriations bills. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog, said a reclassification of nearly $400 billion from discretionary to mandatory would both reduce the pressure to keep those costs under control and make it easier for appropriators to spend more elsewhere in the budget without offsets. Those dynamics also applied to the bill when the Senate approved it in June. Nevertheless, senators voted for the measure overwhelmingly. But, last week more than two dozen Republicans who voted for the bill in June voted against advancing it this time. They sided with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is seeking a vote on an amendment that he says would not reduce spending on veterans but would prevent spending increases in other nondefense programs down the road. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has offered to let the Senate vote on the Toomey amendment with 60 votes needed for passage, the same number that is needed to advance the bill itself. It's unclear how the delay will be resolved, though Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell predicted Monday that the bill will pass this week. Advocacy groups for veterans, a key voting bloc in the upcoming midterm elections, are furious and ramping up the political pressure on lawmakers to act. At a Capitol Hill news conference the day after last week's procedural vote, speakers used terms such as villains" and reprehensible" to describe the Republican senators who voted against advancing the measure last week but voted for almost the exact same bill in June. Veterans are angry and confused at the sudden change from those they thought had their backs," said Cory Titus of the group Military Officers Association of America. You just screwed veterans yesterday," added Tom Porter of the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Now, we're going to hold them accountable." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HAYNEVILLE, Ala. (AP) When there's heavy rain, human waste from the pond of sewage across the street from Charlie Mae Holcombs home covers her front yard in rural Alabama. She cant remember how many times shes had to rip the flooring out of her small brick house because raw sewage backed up out the pipes. Holcomb lives in Hayneville, a community in Lowndes County of fewer than 1,000, where roughly one-third of people live in poverty and about 85% are Black. The 73-year-old has become an unofficial spokeswoman for people living with poor drainage and disgusting sewage problems that go back generations. Its not just mine, its almost all the people. They just wont talk, said Holcomb. The heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture came to Lowndes County to announce Tuesday a pilot program to help rural communities that face serious sewage problems like those here. Inferior sewage systems allow waste to back up and pool, threatening public health and degrading basic dignity. Federal officials said the new pilot will help 11 communities assess their sewage problems, plan improvements and receive the financial and technical help to make those plans real. In addition to Lowndes County, the effort will help two West Virginia counties and the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona, among other areas. Officials visited a home where sewage runs out to the yard through a straight pipe, pooling in an open hole in the ground. You know, the first time I walked around that corner and saw that hole it infuriated me, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Tuesday. No one in America in 2022 should have to have a hole in their backyard where waste flows in some of the very places that our children play," he said. More than 2 million people in the U.S. dont have indoor plumbing and even more live with inadequate systems for carrying away human waste and stormwater, the agency said. The EPA said places that have been left behind for far too long will be the programs focus. The Biden administration said billions of dollars from the infrastructure law will help provide grants and loans for water improvements, although need in Alabama outpaces federal funding. Federal officials said initially, about $5 million will be put towards the pilot program. President Joe Biden said the infrastructure law will help communities that face unacceptable sewage conditions. This is the United States of America: no one should have raw sewage in their backyards or seeping into their homes, Biden said. Lowndes County was lush cotton country where plantation owners got rich off the labor of enslaved Black people before the Civil War; sharecropping ensnared the descendants of the freed slaves in the decades after. The county, where old plantation homes still dot the landscape, became a center of the struggle for voting rights and civil rights in the 1960s. Now, Lowndes is a poor place in a poor state. The same sewage problems have been cropping up ever since Holcomb moved to Pine Street in 1987, and shes sick of the governments inaction. I want them to fix it. I would love to see them move that lagoon. Find somewhere else to put it, she said. If you have all the windows down sometimes its just like the sewage system is in your house. Many residents in the county arent connected to a centralized sewer system. Regular septic systems often dont function properly because the soil is so dense. In some places, sewage stands outside of homes, and the smell of waste permeates the air at times. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether state and local health officials discriminated against the countys Black residents by placing their health at risk over problems associated with wastewater. Native Americans and people of color are particularly likely to live without proper sanitation services, according to a 2019 report by the nonprofit DigDeep. The head of the EPAs office of water, Radhika Fox, was previously CEO of the US Water Alliance, which worked on the report. She has long focused on inadequate infrastructure. The report said many communities didn't benefit from the infrastructure investments the U.S. made previously, creating a hidden water and sanitation crisis. The problem is a multi-billon dollar burden, the group says. At Aquilla Grants home in Lowndes County, a straight pipe carries sewage from the trailer to the backyard. Im just tired of pumping it out, The Grant family has lived on the piece of land for three generations. Her brother, who recently returned home to the family land to work on it, after living in Miami for 35 years, said he is hopeful something gets done after years of local, state and federal officials discussing the program. Hope is a long shot," he said. All you can do is pray. Catherine Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, who has focused on how sewage issues disproportionately impact poor, rural areas, said the new pilot program is a big step for people who live in places like Lowndes County. Hopefully out of what is getting ready to happen we're going to find remedies so these things will not continue to happen, she said. ___ Matthew Daly contributed reporting from Washington D.C. Phillis reported from St. Louis. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) An Arizona lawmaker who embraces election conspiracies and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary Tuesday for the top elections post in the presidential battleground. Mark Finchem beat out three other GOP candidates in the race for secretary of state. His challengers included another candidate who repeated Trumps false claims that he lost the 2020 presidential election because of fraud, a longtime state lawmaker and a businessman endorsed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. Democrats and election security advocates warned that a victory for Finchem in the November general election will be dangerous for democracy. Finchem, who attended Trumps Jan. 6, 2021, rally that preceded the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, has said he only intends to ensure that election laws are followed to address concerns by many Republicans about how elections are run. Still, he tried to get the Legislature to overturn the 2020 election results and has spoken about making major changes to election rules that are written by the secretary. Arizona's was the most high-profile secretary of state's race in Tuesday's primaries. In Kansas, the top state elections official beat back a far-right challenger who promoted conspiracy theories, while in Washington voters were choosing from a mix of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated candidates in that states top-two primary. The GOP primary elections for secretary of state are the latest this year to feature candidates who doubt the security of their states' elections despite the lack of evidence of any problems widespread enough to change the results. Republican voters elsewhere have split on sending those candidates to the November ballot. The Democratic candidates in all three states reject the premise of a stolen 2020 presidential election and warn that victories in November by any of those who promote conspiracies would endanger free and fair elections. In all three states, the secretary of state is the top election official. Finchem tried this year to get the Republican-controlled Legislature to notify Congress that Arizona wanted to decertify Democrat Joe Bidens election win. He won Trump's endorsement and said in a recent interview that worries about the effect of his potential victory on free and fair elections are unfounded. He said he will just enforce laws as written. I think its interesting that there are people, particularly Democrats out there, claiming: Oh, hes going to ruin the system. Hes going to do this, hes a threat to democracy,' Finchem said. Still, he contends tens of thousands of fake ballots led to Biden's win, a claim for which there is no credible evidence. The other Republican who backed Trumps claims also is a member of the Arizona House. Rep. Shawnna Bolick introduced a bill last year that would allow a simple majority of the Legislature to overturn presidential election results. The other Republicans on Arizonas ballot were state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who acknowledges Bidens victory but has worked for a decade to tighten election laws, and businessman Beau Lane, who was backed by the governor. Two Democrats, House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding and former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, are seeking their party's nomination. Kansas had no significant problems with its 2020 elections and Trump carried the state handily. Yet Secretary of State Scott Schwab found himself on sometimes tricky ground politically because many Republicans have embraced Trumps baseless claims that massive fraud cost him the race nationally. Schwab has repeatedly vouched for the safety of Kansas elections and touted new GOP-pushed laws, including ones that restrict the delivery of ballots by third parties. Hes also said he cant vouch for other states elections. The message worked well for him in his primary against Mike Brown, a construction contractor and former county commissioner in the Kansas City area. Brown embraced election conspiracy theories and promised to rid the state of ballot drop boxes. In November, Schwab will face Democrat Jenna Repass, who was unopposed in her partys primary. Washington states top-two primary featured the incumbent, Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, who easily advanced to the general election. He was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee last November and hopes to retain his seat for the remaining two years of former Republican Secretary of State Kim Wymans four-year term. Also on the primary ballot were several Republican and unaffiliated challengers, including Tamborine Borrelli, an America First candidate who was fined by the state Supreme Court earlier this summer for making meritless claims alleging widespread voter fraud. Borrelli was lagging far behind other candidates Tuesday night. There was a tight race for the second slot on the November ballot between Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, running as an independent, and several Republicans. Under Washingtons primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. Results could take days to tally because its an all-mail election. ___ Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. ___ This story has been corrected to show the Trump loyalists support his false claims that he won the election, not that he lost the election. Police rescued 62 who had been duped into working as cyber scammers, Indonesian Foreign Ministry says. In a screengrab from a public Zoom video call on Aug. 1, 2022, Migrant Care activist Anis Hidayah (right) shows images of injured and shackled workers who were among Indonesian employees allegedly abused and held against their will after being trafficked to Cambodia to work as cyber scammers. Relatives of Indonesians who were trafficked to Cambodia to work for what officials described as fraudulent investment companies said their loved ones were tortured and forced to work long hours with no or little pay. On Saturday, Cambodian police rescued 62 Indonesian nationals after reports emerged that they were being held against their will after they were duped into working as cyber scammers in the seaside city of Sihanoukville, Indonesias foreign ministry said. The brother of an Indonesian worker who left for Cambodia in July said that at one point, his sibling was held captive for two days without being fed after he slept at work. [He] couldnt take the workload, so he became sick, said the man from North Sumatra province who asked to be identified by the initials Y.T. because of safety concerns. He spoke out during an online news conference by Migrant Care, a labor advocacy group. He didnt come to work and the next day he fell asleep at work, maybe because he was too tired because he had worked 16 hours a day. He was held captive for several days, Y.T. said. His younger brother, Y.T. said, was given only one meal on the third day, and his brothers company telephoned Y.T. once to advise his sibling to work seriously. And, according to an Indonesian who had worked in Cambodia before returning home in May with two other people, workers were beaten and given electric shocks if they failed to meet job targets. Their passports were also burned, said the man who also requested anonymity. I still feel traumatized when I remember working there, he told journalists at the news conference. A woman from Central Java who also requested anonymity, and whose husband was among those held in Cambodia, said that he and a cousin were lured by offers of large salaries last month. It turns out things were different when he got there. I hope that the government will take action because he has not been rescued, said the woman, adding that her husband was physically abused. Y.T.s brother and the womans husband were not among the 62 Indonesians rescued by Cambodian police over the weekend, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta reported, according to Migrant Care. In Cambodia, that countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment about the Indonesians rescued in Sihanoukville, nor did pro-government media mention it in their reporting. Conditions similar to slavery Last week, an official at the Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia, Teguh Adhi Primasanto, said victims were promised jobs as call-center officers, casino employees and office clerks, but were instead forced into working for online scam rings. Once in Cambodia, workers often are subjected to debt bondage, excessive working hours, communication restrictions and violence, he alleged. The latest case went public when a social media user asked the governor of Central Java province, Ganjar Pranowo, to take action in response to dozens of Indonesians confined in Cambodia. Ganjar called on the provincial manpower department to investigate. Meanwhile, Nur Harsono, who heads the legal aid department at Migrant Care, estimated that hundreds of Indonesians had been trafficked to Cambodia since last year. If we look at more than 100 people who returned home last year and those who have not been rescued so far, our estimate is that the number can be more than 200, Harsono told BenarNews. Migrant Care activist Anis Hidayah said companies in Cambodia recruited Indonesian workers by listing ads on Facebook looking for clerks and call-center officers and offering monthly salaries of U.S. $1,000 to $1,100 (14.8 million to 16.3 million rupiah). But after they arrived in Cambodia, they were forced to work for online scam companies and received as little as $500 (7.4 million rupiah) a month or no pay at all. In addition, workers faced hefty fines if they failed to meet targets or quit, she said. They were subjected to physical violence. The conditions are similar to slavery, Anis said in a statement. Foreign minister plans meeting Retno Marsudi, Indonesias foreign minister, said she planned to discuss the issue of human trafficking in a meeting with Cambodian officials, including Cambodias police chief, on the sidelines of this weeks ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh. I have communicated the plan of my meeting to the Cambodian foreign minister so that it can be facilitated. And the Cambodian foreign minister has expressed his willingness to facilitate the meeting, she told reporters on Sunday. Allow me to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Cambodian government and authorities for their cooperation and assistance in the rescue process, Retno said. The foreign minister also called on Indonesian law enforcement authorities to crack down on trafficking in persons by taking preventive measures. Indonesian police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan said a criminal investigation would be launched, but he did not elaborate. We have to deal with this problem from and to the root. Strict law enforcement is needed against recruiters at home, Retno said. Public awareness about such frauds needs to be intensified and cross-border cooperation needs to be promoted. Additional reporting by RFA Khmer. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is greeted by Taiwan officials after her arrival at Songshan airport near the capital Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2, 2022. UPDATED at 5:30 p.m. EDT on 2022-08-02 U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan late on Tuesday for a visit amid angry denunciations and heightened threats from Chinese officials, who unveiled plans to hold days of military drills in the seas around the self-governing island by China's People's Liberation Army. In defiance of angry threats from Beijing, Pelosi, the most senior U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, flew into Songshan airport near the capital Taipei around 10:45 p.m. local time, part of a congressional delegation trip reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Asian allies. Hundreds of Taiwanese, as well as Tibetans, gathered at her hotel to welcome the 82-year-old lawmaker, long a staunch critic of Beijing, while a small group of people who favor unification with the mainland and opposed the visit told Pelosi to go home. Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant democracy," she said in a statement. Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance," Pelosi added. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted: "Minister [Joseph]Wu welcomed our faithful #US friends & wished them a superb visit. #Taiwan is not alone!" Wu tweeted: "Thank you & the congressional delegation for traveling all the way to show your support." In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry swiftly released an angry statement accusing Pelosi and the U.S. of supporting Taiwan independence. China "has made serious demarche and strong protest" to Washington, it said. "Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this," the ministry statement said. "China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker's visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," it added. The United States does not recognize Taiwan diplomatically as part of a One China Policy demanded by Beijing, but retains close unofficial ties with Taipei and is obligated by law to provide it with defense capabilities. Beijing considers the self-ruling, democratic island a breakaway province, to be united with the mainland by force if necessary, and objects strongly to high-level U.S. visits. The last sitting House speaker to visit Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997. A screen shot of a The Global Times tweet announcing live-fire military drills in seas around Taiwan later this week. The Communist Party-controlled Global Times tweeted that the PLA will hold "important military drills and training activities, including live-fire drills" in six regions surrounding Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday. Some of the drill zones the newspaper announced appeared to overlap with Taiwan's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters. The military launched drills on Tuesday before her arrival in Taipei, with state TV calling the war games "a serious deterrent against the recent escalation of negative moves by the United States on the Taiwan issue and a serious warning to the 'independence' forces seeking 'independence.'" In Washington, national security council spokesman John Kirby said China's announced military drills represent overreaction and escalation he had on Monday warned China against taking. "We've been very clear that nothing has changed about our One China policy," he told reporters at the White House. "We've said that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We said we do not support Taiwan independence," Kirby said, describing it as the message delivered in a phone call last week by President Joe Biden to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "There's no reason ... for Beijing to turn this visit, which is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressiveness and military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait now or beyond her travel," the spokesman said. To squeeze Taiwan, China has suspended imports from 35 Taiwanese exporters of biscuits and pastries since Monday. Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday that China has listed 2,066 foodstuffs as being subject to "import suspension." In another probable sign of China's wrath, a number of Taiwan government websites -- including that of the foreign ministry and the Presidential Office -- were hit by hit by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks Tuesday, an hour before Pelosi was due to land, CNA reported. In the run up to Pelosi's trip, both China and Taiwans militaries have been on high-alert in preparation for the visit. Chinese domestic air travel in Fuzhou, across the Taiwan strait from Taiwan, was disrupted on Tuesday, indicating that military flights may be taking place nearby. Taiwanese civilians have been participating in air raid drills to prepare for a potential attack by Chinas much larger military. A U.S. military aircraft with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Sungshan Airport in Taipei , Aug. 2, 2022. Credit: AFP Some in Washington have questioned the timing and utility of such a trip at a time when U.S.-China relations are at low ebb over longstanding disputes over trade, security, and human rights. President Joe Biden has cited Pentagon concerns about the trip, without expressing his views on Pelosi's plans. In an op-ed in Washington Post Tuesday, Pelosi lauded Taiwans domestic governance and international good works and said it was necessary to support Taipei in the face of Chinese intimidation. Yet, disturbingly, this vibrant, robust democracy named one of the freest in the world by Freedom House and proudly led by a woman, President Tsai Ing-wen is under threat, she wrote. "In recent years, Beijing has dramatically intensified tensions with Taiwan, wrote Pelosi, who is slated on Wednesday to call on Tsai, address Taiwans parliament and meet with rights activists before wrapping up her trip. Demonstrators gather in support of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit, in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug. 2, 2022. Credit: Reuters Taiwans armed forces operate at two levels of combat readiness for peacetime and wartime, each level comprises several stages. It is understood that the current stage of preparedness is still within the peacetime level but could change. On Tuesday morning several Chinese military aircraft and warships came close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait - the tacit maritime border between Taiwan and the mainland - Reuters said, quoting an anonymous source. This move is unusual and can be seen as very provocative, the source was quoted as saying. Taiwans defense ministry said the islands military has a full grasp of activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to enemy threats. Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan conducted a replenishment-at-sea in the Philippine Sea on July 31. CREDIT: U.S. Navy 7th Fleet. USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine colonel turned political analyst, said he did not expect China to launch attacks on the U.S. or Pelosi herself. But they could lash out at Taiwan. "The Chinese Communists are now willing to apply serious pressureincluding possible military forceagainst America's friends and partners, and dare the United States to respond," he told RFA. "That's what I think we are most likely to see -- and most likely directed against Taiwan. In other words, making the Americans have to take the 'first shot' against the PRC," added Newsham. While there are many scenarios, "suppose the PRC announced a blockade of Taiwan and even sank a Taiwanese ship or two -- and threatened to strike anyone who interfered -- including the Americans," he said. UPDATED with comments from the White House and a military analyst. Russia on Tuesday backed Beijing's disapproval of an expected visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the democratic island of Taiwan, calling it a "provocation," as China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) engaged in live-fire military exercises across the Taiwan Strait. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing that Moscow opposes Taiwanese independence "in any form." Her comments came as the official media of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made no mention of escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait after Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned President Joe Biden not to "play with fire" ahead of Pelosi's planned arrival on Tuesday evening. Neither the People's Liberation Army Daily nor the CCP's official newspaper, the People's Daily, made any mention of the story, with the People's Daily leading with agricultural developments in Fujian. However, the English-language Global Times ran a top story titled "Tension escalates hours ahead of Pelosi's potential Taiwan visit as PLA remains fully prepared for any crisis." It said any visit by Pelosi would be "a serious provocation and violation to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity which would be met with severe countermeasures from the Chinese military." The article largely repeated comments also made on Tuesday by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. It also cited a maritime safety warning to shipping reporting live-fire military exercises off Weifang in the Bohai Sea on Aug. 3, while "military training in parts of the South China Sea" was reported by the Guangdong maritime authorities. The paper's former editor Hu Xijin tweeted on Tuesday: "Based on what I know, in response to Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan, Beijing has formulated a series of countermeasures, including military actions." Hu also tweeted on Monday: "If she dares to stop in Taiwan, it will be the moment to ignite the powder keg of the situation in the Taiwan Straits." Tacit understanding? Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said he expects there is more likely to be a tacit understanding between Beijing and Washington enabling Xi to step up the appearance of military threat to boost his support at home. "Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is highly beneficial to Xi Jinping, who is taking the opportunity ensure that top military and political figures must unite around him ahead of the 20th CCP national congress [later this year]," Lau said. "The mainland could have the PLA's planes cross over the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and neither the U.S. nor Taiwan will attack them," he said. "Both sides know where the lines are drawn, and whoever fires the first shot will be responsible [for starting a war]," he said. "Everyone is flexing their muscle in what is both a political show and a military gesture aimed at certain circles," Lau said. Wu Qiang, an independent researcher at Beijing's Tsinghua University, said China could also announce sanctions on members of the Congressional delegation, including Pelosi, including banning them from entering China. "If the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs imposes sanctions after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, it would be no more than the sanctions imposed on other U.S. politicians in recent years," Wu said. "They could ban them from entering China or Hong Kong, freeze their assets there, and ban companies from doing business with their families," Wu said. Diplomacy failures He said Beijing has little other recourse short of military action. "Pelosi's visit to Taiwan marks an unprecedented change in Sino-U.S. relations, which is of course due to the failure of Chinese diplomacy [in recent years]," he said. China has also suspended imports from 35 Taiwanese exporters of biscuits and pastries since Monday. Taiwan's Central News Agency reported on Tuesday that China has listed 2,066 foodstuffs as being subject to "import suspension." Wu said such trade sanctions would likely continue as international support for the democratic island, which has never been ruled by the CCP, nor formed part of the People's Republic of China, grows. He said China could also try to restrict international maritime access to the Taiwan Strait. "They could declare that the Taiwan Strait is China's territorial waters, and its airspace part of China's airspace, and say that foreign vessels [or aircraft] must get approval from China to enter them," Wu said. International relations scholar Zhong Shan agreed. "China will definitely react in some way, maybe by including Taiwan in its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) ... with military aircraft flying over or around the island," Zhong said. "It's fairly easy for the foreign ministry to whip up populist sentiment, but it's not so easy to suppress it again," he said. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Qian Qihu, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the winner of the August 1 Medal. /CFP China's top defense engineering expert Qian Qihu has been awarded this year the August 1 Medal the highest military honor in the country for his outstanding contributions to national defense infrastructure. Born in October 1937 in Kunshan, east China's Jiangsu Province, Qian has spent over 60 years studying protection engineering, helping China to build an indestructible "Underground Steel Great Wall." "The Great Wall used to resist invasions. Now we are talking about the underground Great Wall, not above the ground, but underneath," he explained. If the ground structures are destroyed, the underground "cities" can provide shelter and store the basic supplies needed for survival. Since the 1960s, Qian has begun to study protection against nuclear bomb explosions. He has devoted more than half a century to the study and made major contributions to building a series of defense facilities located deep inside mountains. For example, in the 1980s, the world's military powers started to develop new types of ground-penetrating bombs and nuclear bombs. Qian has therefore overcome a series of key technical problems to realize the development of protection engineering. Qian also planned underground spaces for more than 20 key fortified cities, providing reliable foundations for China's future cities. He proposed and realized the defensive requirements in the construction of subways across the country. Not only defensive infrastructure, but also many national projects that already play a key part in Chinese people's life have links to Qian's work, including the Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and the giant South-to-North Water Transfer Project. In the early 1980s, China's research in deep rock mechanics was nearly 10 years behind than abroad. As a latecomer, Qian led the team to catch up and proposed 16 key technical solutions to solve dozens of problems that had plagued the sector for many years. In 2009, Qian voluntarily gave up his chance to be nominated as the president of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and recommended Feng Xiating, a then young scholar, who has become the only Chinese expert among presidents of the society. Qian, 85 years old, is an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is also the winner of the country's top science award, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2018. The academician donated the entire award bonus to help poor children receive education, which totaled 8 million yuan ($1.17 million). During his childhood, Qian experienced wartime and poverty, which has influenced his frugal lifestyle. Lawmakers in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan expressed cross-party support for U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit, rejecting threats from Beijing amid an ongoing debate on the democratic island about the strength of its ties with the United States. Opposition Kuomintang lawmaker Chiang Wan-an said Beijing, which announced live-fire military exercises on the eve of Pelosi's arrival, has no right to prevent sovereign countries from having international visitors. "The Republic of China is a sovereign and independent country," Chiang said, using the formal name of Taiwan's government that dates back to the 1911 revolution under Sun Yat-sen. "Congress in particular represents the people, so there are mutual visits," he said. "Such an overreaction by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is unnecessary." "We also hope that the relevant parties can guard against the escalation of military tensions around Taiwan," Chiang said. Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Lo Chih-cheng said Pelosi's visit would significantly boost Taiwan's faith in the U.S.' commitment to its security, however, Taiwan's official Central News Agency (CNA) reported. Chiu Hsien-chih of the New Power Party, said the visit would likely pave the way for the U.S.' unequivocal support for Taiwan in the future, the agency said. But Chieh Chung, an associate researcher at Taiwan's National Policy Research Foundation, warned of possible incursions by Chinese military aircraft during Pelosi's visit. "Sending planes into Taiwan's airspace will cause even more conflict," Chieh told RFA. "I think the CCP's purpose is to make a strong impression on Taiwan and the area around it, not to actually create conflict [but] to make the situation very tense with a high-intensity show of force." "But the purpose will probably be a show of force or the threat of it," he added. A U.S. military aircraft with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on board prepares to land at Songshan Airport in Taipei on August 2, 2022. Credit: AFP Missile launches possible Chieh said regular incursions were likely across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, particularly at its narrower sections. "July, August and September usually see intensive periods of advanced tactical training for the CCP army, so they may just adjust the timing of some exercises," Chieh said. "At the same time, we could see a large-scale missile test launch, even of DF-17, YJ-21 or DF-21D anti-ship missiles, which could be tested on sea targets," he added. He said the main concern was the threat of military accidents or miscalculations sparking full military conflict. "Accidents are a concern when you have such a high density of military activities in the same area," Chieh said. "Any unexpected incident could cause a sudden and rapid escalation in the situation, which could even trigger an unexpected military conflict." "That's what we should be most worried about right now." Kuan-ting Chen of the Taiwan Next-Gen Foundation think tank, said there is an ongoing debate within Taiwan about how best to win greater international recognition and participation in the face of the threat of Chinese invasion. Chen said that China's military expenditure has jumped from about 80 billion yuan in the late 1980s to 1,476 billion yuan in 2022, an 18-fold increase. "There will be a debate within Taiwan about how to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait and the stability of the government regardless of the circumstances," Chen told RFA. "[It's about] ensuring that there are no changes to the living standards, economy or political life because of [tensions with China]," he said. Widespread public support Associate professor Huang Kui-po of Taiwan's National Chengchi University said Pelosi's visit seems to have garnered fairly widespread public support in Taiwan, despite the military threats from Beijing. "The reason for the support is that Congress is an elected body, and the representatives of the people from both Taiwan and the United States should visit each other," Huang said. "Another faction believes that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan may raise tensions in the Taiwan Strait," he said. "But tensions are going to rise sooner or later; there could be a ripple effect." Much of the public debate appears to be around a lack of certainty that the U.S. would commit to a full-scale military involvement in Taiwan's defense, should China invade. The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found in an April 2022 poll that a majority of 53.8 percent of Taiwanese adult do not believe there will be a U.S. military intervention in the event of a Chinese invasion, while only 36.3 percent said they believe there would be. Paul Huang, research fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, wrote in a recent op-ed article that public confidence in U.S. military support had "decisively turned skeptical" following the lack of intervention in Ukraine following the Russian invasion. "The lack of a direct US military intervention to help Ukraine (despite all kinds of military and non-military aid, intelligence sharing, and other assistance) had a major impact on the Taiwanese publics confidence in U.S. military intervention and drove a significant number, as much as a quarter of the Taiwanese, toward non-confidence," Huang wrote for Inkstick Media. Meanwhile, the majority of the Taiwanese public has been very sympathetic toward Ukraine and is highly supportive of Western-led sanctions against Russia, Huang wrote. A majority of supporters of President Tsai Ing-wen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) do believe in U.S. intervention, while 70 percent of "government workers" who include those on active military service don't, Huang said, citing recent polls. Punishing Taiwan, not the US Yujen Kuo of Taiwan's Institute for National Policy Research said any meeting between Pelosi and Tsai will be of "great historic significance" for many in Taiwan, however. "So far, the White House and the State Department have been quite cautious, but Pelosi visiting Taiwan will set a new paradigm," Kuo said. But he warned that any response from China will likely seek to punish Taiwan rather than the U.S. "I worried about [Chinese] military exercise around the median line of the Taiwan Strait, because this has never happened before, and if a large number of aircraft and ships turn up at the median line, this will be a direct threat to Taiwan's security," Kuo said. "This would mean Taiwan would have to respond, and the situation could escalate very quickly," he added. As the Taiwanese military stepped up its combat readiness to prepare for threats from China ahead Pelosis visit, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is operating near Taiwan, a Chinese think-tank said. Taiwans armed forces operate at two levels of combat readiness for peacetime and wartime, each level comprises several stages. It is understood that the current stage of preparedness is still within the peacetime level but could change. The alert came as the head of leading global chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Mark Liu warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would render TSMC's factories "non-operable" and create "great economic turmoil" on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The impact of such a conflict would go well beyond semiconductors, and would bring about the "destruction of the world's rules-based order" and "totally change" the geopolitical landscape, Liu told CNN, adding that TSMC was likely more of a deterrent to war than a risk. Meanwhile, a number of government websites -- including that of the foreign ministry and the Presidential Office -- were inaccessible on Tuesday, an hour before Pelosi was due to land, CNA reported. It said the presidential website was hit by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks with 200-times the regular incoming traffic, starting at around 5:15 p.m., preventing the site from functioning normally, but was brought back online within 20 minutes after the problem was fixed. Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport also stepped up security measures after receiving a bomb threat ahead of Pelosi's visit. Aviation police said they had assigned a special team to tighten airport security and ensure flight safety, after receiving a threat that three explosive devices would be planted there, the official Central News Agency reported. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. UPDATED at 7:29 p.m. EDT on 2022-08-01 Myanmars military regime has extended the countrys state of emergency for an additional six months to Feb. 1, 2023 citing the need for additional election preparations, as citizens staged rallies over the weekend pledging allegiance to the anti-junta democracy movement. The decision to extend the state of emergency was made during a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council in the capital Naypyidaw, state media reported, and follows an earlier extension of six months on Feb. 1 the one-year anniversary of the countrys military coup. Myanmars military-drafted 2008 Constitution allows for the declaration of a one-year state of emergency that can be extended by a maximum of two six-month terms, after which elections must be held within a six-month period. During a televised speech on Monday, junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said that the state of emergency had to be extended as there are still things that need to be done ahead of the election. He made no mention of a date for the election, but said it could only be held after Myanmar becomes peaceful and stable. The extension of the state of emergency suggests there will be no election until at least Feb. 1, 2023. Min Aung Hlaing also called for electoral reform that would give greater weight to proportional representation in Myanmars first-past-the-post system, which saw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) sweep the countrys November 2020 general election. He pointed to powerful parties as previously preventing political propriety in the polls. The junta declared the results of the 2020 election null and void due to alleged voter fraud, although it has yet to present evidence of its claims 18 months after the coup. Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested during the takeover and faces multiple charges that could see her jailed for up to 150 years. The official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Monday that Min Aung Hlaing had requested the junta allow him to serve for an additional six months a proposal it said the National Defense and Security Council unanimously supported. Analysts told RFA Burmese that Mondays announcement was expected and suggested it was part of a plan by the junta to install a pro-military government in its place. He will definitely hold an election in 2023, political analyst Than Soe Naing said of the junta chief. I think he intends to make someone from the forces led by the military as the head of state. I think it is a plan to transform General Min Aung Hlaing into President Min Aung Hlaing. Hunter Marston, a researcher and analyst at Australian National University in Canberra, said Min Aung Hlaings decision to extend the state of emergency on Monday came as no surprise. It gets the [junta] that much closer to holding an election under its rules and preferences, by which time it will have had its chance to remove the NLD's top political leaders and intimidate all other political parties as well as voters into voting under its preferred [proportional representation] system, he said. What's truly galling is the Commander-in-Chief's use of language concerning genuine multi-party democracy. Min Aung Hlaing continually references the 2008 Constitution and the [military's] desire for disciplined democracy. The irony must be lost on him: the fact that disciplined democracy defeats the purpose of free and fair elections if the military is imposing its system by force! The opposition has called on the public to boycott the junta-sponsored election that would annul the 2020 results. In this image from video by Myanmar state broadcaster MRTV, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the ruling State Administration Council, delivers a speech Monday, Aug. 1 2022. Credit: MRTV via AP Junta performance review Also in Mondays speech, Min Aung Hlaing said that a total of 6,236 people had been arrested in the 18 months since the military coup. During the period, there were 7,246 mine and grenade attacks, 6,567 killings, and 1,094 cases of arson, while authorities seized 6,311 weapons, more than 335,100 pieces of ammunition, and 11,715 grenades and landmines, he said. Of those killed, 3,483 were civilians, including children, Buddhist monks and nuns, government employees, and administrative officials. He said 3,065 people had been injured in violence since Feb. 1, 2021 and 41 people had gone missing. Sagaing region saw the worst of violent conflict between the military and anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries or armed ethnic groups over the last 18 months with 4,026 clashes, while Yangon, Mandalay, and Magwe region saw 2,442, 2,194, and 1,359 clashes, respectively. According to figures from the Bangkok-based Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 14,596 were arrested by the junta since the coup, 11,859 of whom are still in detention, including 1,364 who were imprisoned. The group has documented the killings of 2,142 civilians over the same period. Min Aung Hlaing also acknowledged having failed to implement the so-called five-point consensus (5PC) he agreed to during an emergency Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting on the situation in Myanmar in April last year, which he blamed on the coronavirus pandemic and political instability. The consensus called for an end to violence; constructive dialogue among all parties; the mediation of such talks by a special ASEAN envoy; the provision of ASEAN-coordinated humanitarian assistance and a visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN delegation to meet with all parties. The junta chief said he will implement what we can from among the five points this year as Myanmars political situation has improved, but added that he must prioritize dealing with issues that might jeopardize the countrys sovereignty, including judicial, legislative, and administrative matters. Analyst Than Soe Naing told RFA that Min Aung Hlaing hopes to buy more time with vague promises about the 5PC. In reality, [the junta] won't implement it. After taking a year and a half without doing anything about it, I think this is another ruse, a political ploy, to delay it again, he said. As they have declared they will not hold talks with 'terrorist forces like the NUG [Myanmars shadow National Unity Government] and ethnic armed groups associated with the [anti-junta] Spring Revolution, they will not be able to do anything about ending the violence as called for in the ASEAN consensus. Marston, of Australian National University, called Min Aung Hlaings pledge not credible. Min Aung Hlaing agreed to the 5PC at the special ASEAN Summit in April 2021 and immediately rebuffed it after landing in Yangon, he said. He is continuing to play for time and seeks to divide those within ASEAN who would oppose the [junta] from those who seek to foster dialogue with the [junta] and shield it from criticism. Billy Ford, Burma Program officer at Washingtons United States Institute of Peace, warned against trusting junta promises. It is all political disinformation and propaganda aimed at generating fear among the Myanmar people and creating a veneer of good faith that gives international actors a justification to continue with the status quo, which enables them to continue committing atrocities, he said. Min Aung Hlaing's stated intention to comply with and follow the five-point consensus is blatantly false. I expect in coming months, [the junta] will escalate violence - the goal being to generate fear within the population since they see that accountability is likely only going to come from the resistance movement in Myanmar, not from the international community. Villagers in Sagaing region demonstrate against the military junta, July 31, 2022. Credit: Citizen journalist Nationwide rallies News of the juntas decision to extend a state of emergency and Min Aung Hlaings vow to implement the 5PC came as Burmese citizens, angered by the execution of four democracy activists last week and worn down by 18 months of military rule, staged rallies across Myanmar, from major cities to regions that have seen the heaviest clashes between troops and PDF groups. The Sunday rallies were held in the major cities of Yangon and Mandalay along with the regions of Sagaing and Thanintharyi. Protesters made vows to fight for democracy, banged pots and sounded car horns as well as promoting their cause on social media. Residents said since the public pledge of allegiance ceremonies had been announced in advance, security was tighter than usual in the big cities. They also spotted security guards and plainclothes officers. People were searched and there were some arrests. About 30 Mandalay residents who posted comments on Facebook urging people to participate were arrested by military council forces, according to a member of Mandalays Sanga (Buddhist monk) Union. There were people who were arrested after writing posts urging people to take part in activities a day in advance. They were arrested due to military informants like Han Nyein Oo, he said. They prepared ambushes in the night and stuck posters on electricity poles urging people not to participate, the monk told RFA. He said the protests were still a success because many people still took part. Telegram channels supporting the military council have been campaigning for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the campaign. A woman holds a poster saying "Only the righteous one wins". CREDIT: Citizen journalist Fighting until the junta is defeated RFA has not been able to independently confirm the exact number of people arrested for participating in, or inciting people to make, the pledge of allegiance. Nang Linn, a member of the University Students Force, told RFA the public pledge was made as a commitment to participate in the anti-dictatorship revolution until the end by people who have suffered since the military took power. The main thing is that we will transform the stubbornness, anger, and bitterness that we are experiencing during this anti-regime revolution into a revolutionary spirit and then we will all march together and fight until we reach the revolutions goal. Therefore, the public pledge was made by the power of the people, he said. Nann Linn said the democracy movement shows the power and defiant attitude of people across Myanmar, while respecting the martyred leaders of the movement. A woman in Pazondaung township spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons. She said she recited the pledge of allegiance and banged pots at home because security on the streets was too tight. I saw on Facebook that people planned to recite the vow and bang pots and pans, and cars would sound their horns. I banged a bowl, she said. Not every house in my ward banged pots. Some banged iron buckets and others crashed Jam Jam Jam [cymbals]. Cars honked their horns but people didnt didnt protest for long, the woman told RFA. People in the war-torn areas of Monywa, Yinmabin and Kani township in Sagaing Region and parts of Thanintharyi region also made the pledge of allegiance, holding banners saying Only the Righteous one wins. Protesters across the country said they will continue marching until the goals of the anti-dictatorship revolution have been reached. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Updated to include Min Aung Hlaing's comments on extending the country's state of emergency, statistics since coup, and pledge to implement the 5PC. Aye Kyaw was detained in an early morning raid and dead by noon, his family says. Aye Kyaw had taken photos of anti-junta protests and other activities and posted them on his social media page, friends told RFA. A photographer known for documenting anti-junta protests and other activities has died in custody after being detained by authorities in Myanmars embattled Sagaing region over the weekend, family members and friends said Monday. Aye Kyaw, 48, who runs the Hayman Photography studio in Sagaings former capital, Sagaing city, was arrested by junta troops who arrived at his home in a convoy of six military vehicles at 2 a.m. on July 30, citing a tip that there were weapons stashed there, his relatives told RFA Burmese. Sources close to Aye Kyaw said that the administrator of Aung Chanthar ward, where the photographer lived, contacted his family around noon the same day to inform them that he had died and that his body was being held in the mortuary of Sagaing City Hospital. The family members were told they could retrieve it if you want it, or leave it there. An official from the Ohbo Health and Social Assistance Association, a charity burial service in Sagaing, told RFA that his group had taken Aye Kyaws body from the hospital to a religious hall in Aung Chanthar ward to prepare it for burial. We took the body, as requested [by the family], from the morgue and sent it to the village zayat (religious hall), said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. We didn't see any superficial wounds on the body but I noticed his chest was sewn up like a postmortem. I didn't see any injuries or leaking body fluids. He said that the family buried Aye Kyaw on Sunday. Another friend of Aye Kyaws family, who also declined to be named, told RFA that soldiers had searched the photographers home for weapons during his arrest but found nothing. The army came in six cars and arrested him. Three were outside, three entered the compound, the source said. [The troops] said they would shoot if the gate was not opened. They searched the entire house but they found nothing. Nothing at all. The source said Aye Kyaws body was left outside by staff at the hospital for the Ohbo Health and Social Assistance Association to pick up and bring to his family. We didnt see any injuries on the face but there were dark bruises on the ribs and back, the source said. He was a jolly, easy-going man and had a lot of friends. When they heard his news, they were all shocked. Aye Kyaw was a member of the Upper Myanmar Photography Association. Credit: Hay Marn Documenting a coup Aye Kyaw, who was a member of the Upper Myanmar Photography Association, was known for documenting protests and other anti-junta activities in the aftermath of the militarys Feb. 1, 2021 coup. He would post his photography to social media, where it was regularly shared by politicians and the local media. Members of Aye Kyaws photography group on Monday expressed sadness over his death, which is the latest of 137 that have occurred within days of detention or during interrogation by authorities since the coup, according to RFAs count. A resident of Sagaing, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said people in the city are living in fear because of incidents such as Aye Kyaws death in custody. I worked with Aye Kyaw during the protests in Sagaing and we took photos together. I feel horrible, he said. The resident said that Aye Kyaws body showed no signs of external injuries, leading him to believe that his fellow photographer died due to extreme torture. What happens here in Sagaing is that we see arbitrary arrests and killings when a military column comes and finds something they dont like, he said. There is no law. The law comes from the barrel of the gun. They do whatever they want. We feel like the death penalty has been delivered whenever the army columns approach. The resident said that Aye Kyaws case marks the first time in Sagaing that a person has died within hours of being arrested by the junta. Calls by RFA to junta Deputy Information Minister Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun and the spokesman for Sagaing Region Social Affairs Minister Aye Hlaing went unanswered Monday. According to Bangkok-based NGO Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, junta forces have killed at least 2,142 civilians since the coup and arrested nearly 15,000, mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. The raid in Sagaing region came amid reports of military arson attacks in the area. A burned-out bus lies by the side of the road in Tin Tein Yan, Ye-U township, Sagaing region after military forces raided the village. Junta troops killed five people and detained more than 110 others during a raid on a village school run by Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG) in embattled Sagaing region, residents and state media said Tuesday. News of the Monday raid on the school in Myinmu townships Let Pa Kyin village, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Mandalay, came amid reports that the military razed more than 500 buildings in four days of arson attacks on the village of Tin Tein Yan in Sagaings nearby Ye-U township. A resident of Let Pa Kyin who escaped the raid on Let Pa Kyin told RFA Burmese that more than 50 troops arrived at the village in a convoy of five military helicopters. [The helicopters] brought the soldiers in group after group. It took about an hour and a half, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing security concerns. Some soldiers were dropped around the village and some in the school compound. The children were scared and ran away. Though the older ones escaped, the young ones didnt. At least 113 civilians were arrested in the raid, including teachers and students, villagers said. A second resident, who also declined to be named, said the raid began at around 10 a.m. on Monday when classes at the NUG-sponsored school were in session and villagers were engaged in their daily routines. If the army had approached the village from the ground, [anti-junta forces] in the area could have given a warning and the villagers would have been able to run and avoid the soldiers. But in the case of an air raid, there is no way to know in advance, he said, adding that those who escaped had only a moments notice. Were at their mercy. We can't say anything [about our status] for sure. The situation is totally unsafe. We can't do anything except worry. The resident said he could only pray for the release of those arrested. Let Pa Kyin village is home to about 250 houses and more than 1,000 residents. Sources said that during the raid, many villagers were forced to flee to nearby areas for safety. A report in the juntas Myanma Alin newspaper on Tuesday said that the military was carrying out arrests of anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries who had gathered in Let Pa Kyin village. After a brief clash, it said, the military seized five bodies, as well as homemade weapons and ammunition from a PDF camp it captured about 500 meters (one-third of a mile) northwest of the village. A total of 113 people 49 men and 73 women were detained in the village and are being questioned as needed, the report added. Status unclear A local PDF member who asked to remain anonymous told RFA that his group had prepared to hold a meeting at a location in Let Pa Kyin village on Monday but was delayed and was therefore able to escape the arrests. A fighter with the Myinmu Township PDF said the group had yet to confirm the Myanma Alin report of five dead in the raid. I don't know about the death of five PDF members, he said, adding that his group will fight back against military raids targeting Myinmu township by any means necessary, regardless of whether troops use helicopters or other superior weaponry. Residents told RFA that junta troops were still stationed in Let Pa Kyin as of Tuesday and that the status of the village remains unclear. When contacted by RFA, junta Minister of Social Affairs for Sagaing Region Aye Hlaing said he was unaware of the reports of the raid on Let Pa Kyin. A resident of Myinmu township said villagers are less safe than ever as the military ramps up its use of helicopters to conduct raids in the area. "Look at all the incidents that have taken place. Villages have been burned. They shoot at anything they see from their helicopters and the people are suffering, he said. In Let Pa Kyin, two boys who were herding their goats died, as did a woman working at a betel nut farm. Another worker was wounded. They were not PDF fighters. The soldiers are now committing their war crimes from the air as they cannot move freely on the ground [due to the opposition]. Residents told RFA that Mondays attack followed one on July 27, when troops in four helicopters raided Myinmus Mu Mandalay village. They said that the military had cut off internet access to the area amid the raids, forcing more than 5,000 villagers to flee their homes. More than 500 homes and ships were torched in Tin Tein Yan, Ye-U township, Sagaing region after military forces raided the village. Credit: DPY PDF Buildings razed Reports of the raid on Let Pa Kyin came as residents of Sagaings nearby Ye-U township told RFA that the military had destroyed more than 500 buildings between July 28 and July 31 in arson attacks on the village of Tin Tein Yan, located around 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of Mandalay. The buildings destroyed in the fires included the areas Thegon Gyi Monastery, around 250 shops in the local market including an office run by the MPT telecom company 312 homes, five rice mills and two cooking oil plants, they said, while several cars and motorcycles were also burned. Altogether, around two-thirds of the village has been razed to the ground its like a wasteland, said one resident of Tin Tein Yan, who asked to remain anonymous. Some villagers are now cleaning up the mess. They have to make arrangements to build temporary shelters. Apart from those who are cleaning up, the rest of the villagers don't dare return. Residents said the raids were carried out by a column of nearly 100 soldiers from the No. 701 Light Infantry Battalion, headquartered in Yangon regions Hmawbi township. They said that prior to entering the village on July 27, the troops killed a 43-year-old man at an irrigation ditch located around 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) outside of the townships Zigone village. Approximately 250 shops in the Tin Tein Yan village market were destroyed. The inset photo shows the market before the attack. Credit: Citizen journalist RFA was not able to independently confirm the claims by villagers in Tin Tein Yan and the junta had yet to release any information about military operations in the area on Tuesday. Tin Tein Yan is one of the areas larger villages, with about 600 houses, a market, a high school, a sub-district clinic and a railway station. The village serves as a hub on the railway line that runs from the seat of Ye-U township to Sagaings largest city Monywa, located around 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest via the town of Budalin. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Some residents claim a local militia blew holes in the pipeline but the company says it has found no evidence. A pipeline carrying gas from Myanmar to Thailand has exploded twice in three days, according to locals. The Zaw Ti Ka pipeline, owned by Thai energy giant PTTEP, runs through the Kan Pauk area of Yay Phyu township in Thaninntharyi region. The pipeline exploded on the night of July 30 and again at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 1, according to one Kan Pauk resident, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. The gas pipeline exploded twice," the resident said. But it was not clear whether it was a gas explosion or a bomb blast. Some residents claimed it was an attack by the local Peoples Defense Force, but RFA was unable to verify their claims and there has been no comment from the PDF. The pipeline of the Zaw Ti Ka natural gas project in Myanmar had a leak on August 1, therefore gas transmission to Thailand has been temporarily suspended, read a statement by Thai government subsidiary PTT Exploration and Production Public Co., Ltd., (PTTEP). "The initial investigation has not found either an explosion or burning but other investigations will follow," said the statement from PTTEPs Yangon office, adding that repairs are likely to take about two weeks. The Zaw Ti Ka oil and gas project is based in the Gulf of Muttama and the pipeline runs through Mon state and Thanintharyi region. Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise and PTTEP signed an agreement on August 8, 2014, to invest at least $72 million in three Myanmar natural gas projects: Yadanar, Ye Ta Gon and Zaw Ti Ka. Vincent Wong, an assistant professor of law in Canada, researches racial capitalism, the process of extracting social and economic value from a person of a different racial identity. The theory asserts that racialized exploitation and capital accumulation are mutually reinforcing. In his 35-page article titled Racial capitalism with Chinese Characteristics: analyzing the political economy of racialized dispossession and exploitation in Xinjiang, which will appear in the fall 2022 edition of the African Journal of International Economic Law, Wong argues that the racial capitalism paradigm can be used to understand the governing logics of political economy behind the development and justification of technologies of repression in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The contemporary human rights catastrophe that faces Uyghurs and other non-Han Indigenous peoples in the XUAR is made possible through a latticework of overlapping legal, political, and economic imperatives: settler colonial policies, global economic integration (including the BRI), insufficient international environment and labor protections, the global war on terror, and private-public carceral investments, he writes. Wong spoke with RFA Uyghur reporter Nuriman Abdureshid about his theory or racial capitalism, how it pertains to Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and why Han Chinese abroad have an obligation to speak up about rights abuses in Chinas far-western region. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. RFA: What do you want people to know about your latest article? Wong: What Ive tried to do with it is almost like a theoretical intervention to change the way we approach or we think about what is going on here and what are the connections of what is going on in terms of exploitation in the Uyghur heartland with other things that are going on in the world, so that its not an isolated [case], but [to think about it in terms of] what is going on in connection with other technologies and the logics of oppression and colonialism to better understand the dynamics. What I mean by racial capitalism with Chinese characteristics without going into too much academic jargon is a particular outlook on governing in China that has emerged since the 1990s. I argue that communist government has moved away from its 1950s ideals of socialist multiculturalism, economics and equality towards all ethnicities and has moved towards market liberalization and developmental capitalism, [and] has created exploitative economic structures that have to be justified and managed. I argue that the way this is justified and managed is strongly in part to create racial relations. I argue that they mobilize pre-existing cultural differences language differences, differences in religion, differences in looks and create a racial relationship to justify these inequalities, to turn the region into a place where you could have resource extraction [and] labor extraction that [occurs] on a very oppressive and exploitative level. Its a way of going beyond the human rights frame. The human rights frame is very important, but it just tells us what is going on; it doesnt tell us much about why its going on and who is benefiting from these human rights abuses that dehumanize and subordinate people and that kick people out of their native homes and into prison camps how race is being deployed for the profit of some and for the dehumanization of others. In a broad way, what I mean by racial capitalism with Chinese characteristics is a theoretical lens to think more deeply about what is happening in Xinjiang [and] how its tied to what is happening in many other places in the world, but in different ways and with different histories. What I'm talking about is a particular form of colonial capitalist accumulation that is about the taking of land and resources and appropriating them from some other group and rendering those people exploitable to take away their rights. Then, its very easy to create a large labor pool in which we can exploit for profit for capitalist accumulation. I start with the fact that the relationship between China and this region of the world has always been colonial in nature, but it hasnt always operated in exactly the same way. For many years, even though China has made a territorial claim to this region, it was largely segregated. You had Han who lived in generally Han areas, and you had Turkic Muslim folks and other ethnicities that lived there, and generally, there wasnt a lot of assimilation. There wasnt that much interaction. This changed a lot in the 1990s [with] prominent Han economic migration, what I call settler migration and the need to transform this land for Han Chinese economic purposes [and] natural resource extraction especially in the Tarim Basin. To do this would be environmentally destructive and a hugely environmentally transformative natural resource extraction industry. In order for China to do this, it has basically followed the pattern of settler colonial capitalist structures in many other places in the world, including in Canada and the U.S. But the history is a little bit different in that there is the actual need to completely transform these areas. To take the land and to extract the resources require removing the people who have native claims to that land in a certain way, so you have to take them out in order to do this kind of colonial capitalist move. Thats part of the reason why you see the massive transformations of the Belt and Road Initiative. It was announced in 2013, but it really started in 2015 and 2016. Around the same time, you saw in 2016 and 2017 the massive increase in securitization in the boarding schools that were created [and the] concentration camps. But its not just the concentration camps. Thats what Im trying to get at. Its an entire system thats created to take one group of people or people who are negatively racialized and to strip away their rights through the carceral system and to create a hyper exploitable group of labor for predominantly the benefit of Han Chinese settler interests. The genocide is a result of that. It has a functional operation within this colonial capitalist system. Making the argument that this is what is happening now is situated in a longer colonial history. Since the Chinese government, the Communist Party, took over in 1949, this is the way that theyve been talking about it. By tracking the history of the Bingtuan [the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, also known as XPCC, which is a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region] and its modern establishment in 1954, you can see how the colonial project has developed and evolved through this one organization which is almost 90% Han Chinese. It says that it is a colonial paramilitary organization. I tracked the history of its origins because it has shifted a little over time. In the beginning, it had three frontier order goals: the development of land and commercial interests, the settlement of primarily Han Chinese settler migrants in the area, and frontier security. This organization had a very different, almost a subsistence, military form for a very long time until 1988 when it had an enormous transition. The idea that it was going to be playing a much stronger, more powerful role in the transition from a centrally planned socialist economy into a much more developmental capitalist economy and to connect the economy of Xinjiang with global trade, global markets and global capital markets. So the XPPC then blew up and became incorporated. It has over 3 million people right now and controls an enormous kind of GDP and an enormous variety of commercial and land interests. This has been increasing ever since the late 1990s. The Bingtuan is also creating many cities that are preplanned Han Chinese settler cities similar to other settler colonial projects in history and are essentially colonial urban land grabs. To have a settlement city for XPCC commercial folks and their families, they have to displace the native populations. Weve seen this over the last five or so years. The XPCC system has very powerful and large cotton and tomato interests. It has a weird kind of rivalry with the XUAR regional government because they are supposed to be on a similar level. They are like colonial rivals. Drawing the history of the Bingtuan tells us a lot about the colonial relationship between settlers and Uyghurs and other non-Han folks. RFA: There have been reports on how the Chinese government is totally changing Uyghur identity, including culture and the way of life. How do you see this? Wong: Han settler tourism is an industry that is really growing. The [Han Chinese] want to go to Xinjiang and spend their money to see certain kinds of cultural commodities, whether its in the north or south. They want to eat the food, see the dances, and to a certain extent see some of the more beautiful mosques. They want to see the traditional clothing. We see this in many places in which there is kind of a colonial imperative. You can have cultural identity, but only if it is commercialized and put into this box to sell, and its completely depoliticized from the history, from the colonial relationship, from the relationships of power and exploitation. So, racial capitalism is a really helpful lens. It occurs because it makes money, because the tourist industry wants to sell a vision of Xinjiang that is both safe, interesting and culturally relevant with the dancing, the costumes and the food. But its stripped of the cultural struggle, the ongoing fight to save language rights, the ongoing mass incarceration and exploitation of the Uyghur people, the ongoing removal of Uyghur people, and other negatively racialized people from their native land who are put into carceral institutions and unfree labor arrangements. Racial capitalism gives us a tool to understand this better, and who profits from it and why. This is the power of colonial racism and colonial racial discourse. That is so powerfully obvious when you talk to somebody who is different culturally. It says all Uyghur people, all Turkic Muslim people, are potentially terrorists. Theyre infected with this extremism tied to their regular everyday activities in terms of their Islamic religious activities or the way they look or, or whether they decide to grow a beard or what they wear. The government is going to go in and help these people become good Chinese citizens. That is the evilness of this colonial civilizational language. If you call it out for what it is, I think it becomes obvious. But the government is able to package it in a way that obscures what is actually happening. RFA: Why did you tweet that you feel you have an obligation as a Han Chinese to write about this? Wong: Of course, the personal is political. But its also that the situatedness of humanity is really important. Not many people are talking about this or seeing the horrendous things that have happened in the last five years. It didnt come out of nowhere. Its an escalation of a previous problem. They are not seeing it as a problem of rising Han ethno-nationalism. People call it different things like chauvinism and Han supremacy, but its similar to the rise of ultranationalist politics in a lot of places. In neighboring India, were seeing Hindu supremacy create a certain politics there. We see the reemergence of white supremacy in a lot of places. So, I think because of the way that China is perceived as somehow different, completely outside of global patterns and ultra-nationalism, this is an import created by under Xi Jinping, a rising sense of ultra-nationalism and not just Chinese ultra-nationalism, but Han Chinese ultra-nationalism privileging and normalizing that those perceived characteristics of Han Chinese as above others in the Chinese ambit right of power, and therefore more civilized. These are many of the same arguments that other colonial projects make. So, as a Han Chinese person, it is super important and incumbent on us who do not agree with this and are really staunchly opposed to it to step into our identity and say that they should not be doing this. It is absolutely atrocious morally and ethically and economically. From our positionality, we are going to be part of the solution, were not going to be part of continuing the problem even though the system is supposed to be to the benefit of our group identity. RFA: Whats your message to Han Chinese living abroad? Wong: As Han Chinese people, we have to step into our identity to fight against what we see as Han ethno-nationalism, the impacts of which are felt most starkly in places like Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. The fight against colonial racism is a global one and its a noble one. When youre part of this fight, it doesnt matter which race or what nationality you are. It might take a long time, but I believe we will win the struggle. There are a lot of allies out there in the fight against colonial racism, the type of colonial racism that Uyghurs, Tibetans and others face right now. History tells us that even the most powerful and oppressive empires eventually fall and wain away because of organized resistance by people who are fighting oppression. Theres nothing in history that cant be changed, and theres nothing about the present condition of what is going on that cant be changed. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. DUSHANBE -- Tajik prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for retired Major General Kholbash Kholbashov for his alleged role in organizing deadly protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO) in May, a charge human rights organizations have called "bogus." Sources close to law enforcement in Dushanbe told RFE/RL that prosecutors also asked the court to convict and sentence a second defendant in the case, noted journalist and human rights activist Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, to 25 years in prison. Mamadshoeva is Kholbashov's ex-wife. The trial for the two began on August 3 and is being held behind closed doors on the premises of the State Committee for National Securitys detention center in Dushanbe. Kholbashov and Mamadshoeva also face several charges of publicly calling for violent change to Tajikistan's constitutional order, organizing a criminal group, murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. They were arrested on May 18 and later shown on the Tojikiston television channel saying that they, along with opposition politician Alim Sherzamonov and Mahmadboqir Mahmadboqirov, an informal leader in GBAO, had planned and organized the protests. Authorities in the Central Asian nation have claimed those actions were "terrorist" in nature. The day before her arrest, Mamadshoeva, 65, told RFE/RL that she had nothing to do with the anti-government protests in GBAO's capital Khorugh, and in the district of Rushon. Authorities say in the footage showing the so-called "confessions" that an unspecified Western country was involved in organizing the unrest. A total of 78 residents from GBAO's Rushon district were arrested at the time. Mahmadboqirov was killed on May 22 in Khorugh. His relatives say law enforcement officers killed him, while authorities insist he was killed when criminal groups were settling scores. Sherzamonov told RFE/RL that he had nothing to do with the planning of the riots in GBAO and that he suspects Mamadshoeva and Kholbashov were forced to make their televised statements. Tajik authorities have said 10 people were killed and 27 injured during the clashes between protesters and police. Residents of the Rushon district, however, have told RFE/RL that 21 dead bodies were found at the sites where the clashes took place. Deep tensions between the government and residents of the restive region have simmered ever since a five-year civil war broke out shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Still, protests are rare in the tightly controlled nation of 9.5 million where President Emomali Rahmon has ruled for nearly three decades. The latest protests were sparked in mid-May by anger over the lack of an investigation into the 2021 death of an activist while in police custody and the refusal by regional authorities to consider the resignation of regional Governor Alisher Mirzonabot and Rizo Nazarzoda, the mayor of Khorugh. The rallies intensified after one of the protesters, a 29-year-old local resident Zamir Nazrishoev, was killed by police on May 16, prompting authorities to launch what they called an "anti-terrorist operation." The escalating violence in the region has sparked a call for restraint from the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Western diplomatic missions in Tajikistan, and human rights groups. Gorno-Badakhshan, a linguistically and ethnically distinct region, has been home to rebels who opposed government forces during the conflict in the 1990s. While it occupies almost half of the entire country, its population is just 250,000. The region is difficult to travel around because of the mountainous terrain, while its economy is wracked by unemployment, difficult living conditions, and high food prices. Hundreds of Ukrainians have found their only escape route from Russia's 6-month-old war is into Russia. Jonas Luskiavic, a Latvian volunteer driver, has given up his profession as a shoemaker to help Ukrainians get to the European Union. He knows the border crossings into the Baltic states, how to get his contacts to those inside Russia, and responds as soon as people call him for help. A Ukrainian family Luskiavic is helping recounts being interrogated by Russians for eight hours and trekking on foot to reach the EU border. Migrants attempting to cross from northern Serbia into Hungary and the European Union are facing ever tougher challenges. Hungary is increasing the height of its border fence and Serbian police are ramping up operations while a Serbian far-right group patrols the border for illegal migrants. A new round of U.S. sanctions announced on August 2 targets a major Russian metals company and a woman closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The sanctions target MMK Metalurji and two of its subsidiaries along with Alina Kabayeva, a former Olympic gymnast and former member of the State Duma, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release. 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, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. The Treasury Department said it has frozen the visa of Kabayeva, who it said has a close relationship to Putin, and imposed other property restrictions. The department said she is also head of the National Media Group, reportedly the largest private Russian media company. Putin and Kabayeva have been pictured together on several occasions, but they have never publicly admitted to having a relationship. Kremlin critics including Aleksei Navalny have been calling for sanctions against Kabayeva, saying her National Media Group took the lead in portraying Western commentary on Russias invasion of Ukraine as disinformation. Britain sanctioned Kabayeva in May and the EU imposed travel and asset restrictions on her in June. Also named in the Treasury Department's latest sanctions package is Andrei Guryev, an oligarch and known close associate of Putin who previously served in the government. He owns the Witanhurst estate in London, a 25-bedroom mansion, which is the second-largest estate in the British capital after Buckingham Palace, according to the Treasury Department. His $120 million yacht, the Alfa Nero, was also identified as blocked property. Alfa Nero has reportedly shut off its location tracking hardware in order to avoid seizure, the Treasury Department said. As innocent people suffer from Russias illegal war of aggression, Putins allies have enriched themselves and funded opulent lifestyles, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the statement. Together with our allies, the United States will also continue to choke off revenue and equipment underpinning Russias unprovoked war in Ukraine. Among the other individuals and entities designated in the sanctions announced on August 2 was Guryev's son, Andrei A. Guryev, and his sons Russian investment firm Dzhi AI Invest OOO. Andrei A. Guryev has already been sanctioned by the European Union, Switzerland, and Britain. The sanctions freeze any assets they may hold in the United States and generally bar people in the United States from dealing with them. The new sanctions add to those already imposed by the United States on Putin, his daughters, members of the State Duma, the Russian economy, and many of the country's billionaires as the United States and its Western allies aim to punish Russia for invading Ukraine and pressure elites to use their influence on Putin to bring about an end to the war. With reporting by Reuters and AP Two weeks ago, the website Yelp published its 2017 list of the top 100 places to eat in the U.S., and planted firmly in the middle at No. 51 is Sunny Side Kitchen in Escondido. The 2-year-old breakfast/lunch cafe in downtown Escondido was among the 100 restaurants nationwide to earn the most 5-star reviews on Yelp in recent years. Yelp is a crowd-sourced website, where the public can rate their visits on a scale of 1 to 5 and post photos of and reviews. The only other restaurant in San Diego to make the list is the Classic Malt Shop, a 50s diner in San Diegos Midway district that ranked No. 100. Sunny Side Kitchen What: Family-run breakfast/lunch cafe When: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Advertisement Where: 155 S. Orange St., Escondido Phone: (760) 294-4450 Online: sunnysidekitchencom.ipage.com/ Sunny Sides married co-owners Kathy and Bob Carpenter say the list published on the Yelp blog Jan. 17 caught them completely by surprise and has already doubled their business. When we read the blog we thought oh my God, this is huge, Kathy said. Were very proud of our five-star rating but we had no idea they did this kind of list. It came as a big shock. Besides a boom in business, she said the restaurant has been getting lots of media attention and has attracted the attention of Yelp fans from as far away as Los Angeles. Most diners who find the restaurant via Yelp are travelers and newcomers, so the list has brought in a lot of new customers. This is the fourth year Yelp has done a top 100 list and the first where the rules were changed to spotlight up-and-coming and newer restaurants, rather than major chain and famous restaurants that have amassed thousands of 5-star reviews since Yelp started in 2004. As a result, this years top 3 finishers this year were newer small-town delis and bistros in Texas, Florida and Virginia. Carpenter said she believes the reason for all the 5-star reviews at Sunny Side Kitchen is its mostly home-made menu with virtually everything cooked and prepared in-house, including soups, roasted chicken, dressings, sauces and baked goods, which are custom-prepared to order. Our menus small but we tailor it for whatever the customer wants when they walk through the door, she said. I get upset if people arent happy. Sunny Side Kitchens head baker and chef Kathy Carpenter hands out a menu during a busy lunch service on Wednesday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) The Carpenters, who married in 2010, both came from a background of journalism. He wrote for car and truck enthusiast magazines and she was a newspaper food and features editor before moving into public relations. When she was laid off from her job in 2011, she decided to pursue a lifelong dream of working in the hospitality field. My Mom is a gracious hostess and a very good cook and Ive always admired her ability to feed people and make them feel comfortable, she said. I just loved food and always wanted to be the perfect hostess as well, so I decided to start small with the cookies I love eating and making for other people. Five years ago, the couple rented a booth selling bite-size cookies at the farmers market near the Sikes Adobe in south Escondido. When the markets sandwich maker left, the Carpenters added sandwiches to their product line. Then they added fresh-squeezed lemonade to wash everything down. Its been an organic growth process that served us well by bringing people along little by little, she said. Eventually their customer base grew large enough that they were able to open their restaurant in March 2015 at 155 S. Orange St. in Escondido. It seats 21 inside and 12 on the sidewalk. Sunny Side serves breakfast and lunch only. The bulk of its weekday business is lunch deliveries to businesses in the downtown area. Their signature items are their mini cookies and the Tuscan panini made with roast chicken, fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and four types of cheese. Kathy is the baker and head chef and Bob oversees the business and order management. Their next goal is to begin offering a special-menu dinner service two to three night a month. The couple who have four children and one grandchild between them work side by side in the restaurant every day, because they want to ensure the 5-star reviews keep rolling in. Its truly a mom and pop business, she said. I feel like its my responsibility to be there and feel connected to my customers. I want them to be happy and Bob feels the same way. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com Using the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on ESOs Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, astronomers have captured a stunning image of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 61. Messier 61 resides approximately 52.5 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10.2, is most easily spotted during the month of May and can be observed using a small telescope. Messier 61 is roughly the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy, with a diameter of around 100,000 light-years. Otherwise known as M61, NGC 4303, LEDA 40001 and IRAS 12194+0444, it was discovered on May 5, 1779 by the Italian astronomer Barnaba Oriani. French astronomer Charles Messier noticed it on the same night as Oriani, but he mistook the galaxy for a passing comet. Messier 61 is one of the largest galactic members of the Virgo Cluster, ESO astronomers said. Being a so-called starburst galaxy, it has an unusually high amount of stars being born, and has been used by astronomers as a laboratory to better understand the fascinating phenomena of star formation. Stars form when clouds of cold gas collapse, they explained. The energetic radiation from newly born stars will heat and ionize the surrounding remaining gas. The ionized gas will shine, acting as a beacon of ongoing star formation. In this stunning and jewel-like image of Messier 61, this glowing gas can be seen as the whirlpool of gold: the direct traces of stars being born. The golden glow is a result of combining observations taken at different wavelengths of light with the MUSE instrument on ESOs Very Large Telescope. Here gas clouds of ionized oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur are shown in blue, green and red, respectively. Iconographic evidence from Egypt suggests that watermelon pulp was consumed there as a dessert as early as 4,360 years ago. The oldest known watermelon seeds, about 6,000 years old, were found during an archaeological dig from Neolithic settlements in Libya, but whether these were watermelons with sweet pulp or other forms is unknown. To shed light on this mystery, an international team of scientists generated genome sequences from the Libyan seeds and another set of 3,300-year-old watermelon seeds from Sudan, as well as from worldwide herbarium collections made between 1824 and 2019. Their results show that the pulp of the 6,000-year-old Libyan watermelon was white and bitter, matching the inference that this plant was used for its nutritious seeds, instead of its pulp. Scientists generally agree that watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) came from Africa, but exactly where and when watermelons with red, sweet flesh were first domesticated from their wild form is debatable. The most recent data point to watermelon getting its start in the Nile Valley, which is consistent with archaeological evidence. However, the 6,000-year-old seeds discovered at Uan Muhuggiag, a rock shelter in what is now the Sahara Desert in Libya, seemed at odds with this explanation. The oldest seeds of watermelons cannot be securely identified as either belonging to a sweet-pulped domesticated form, or instead to one of the bitter-pulped wild forms, explained co-senior author Professor Susanne Renner, a researcher in the Department of Biology at Washington University, Saint Louis and the Faculty of Biology, Systematic Botany and Mycology at the University of Munich. The seeds of the seven species of the genus Citrullus are basically undistinguishable. Now, having a chromosome-level genome, we can be sure that Neolithic Libyans were using a bitter-fleshed watermelon. We suspect they used the fruits to get at the (numerous!) seeds, which even today are eaten air-dried or roasted or also boiled in soups or stews. In the new study, Professor Renner and her colleagues sequenced DNA from 6,000 and 3,300 year-old watermelon seeds from archeological sites in Libya and northern Sudan. These seeds were a riddle because they were thought to be the oldest true watermelon seeds, said co-senior author Dr. Guillaume Chomicki, a researcher in the School of Bioscience at the University of Sheffield. Yet they were from Libya, which was never thought to be the cradle of watermelon domestication. The authors also sequenced the genomes from geographically widespread herbarium specimens collected between 1824 and 2019. They analyzed the data together with resequenced genomes from important germplasm collections. They discovered that the 6,000-year-old Libyan seeds came from a form of Citrullus that was genetically close to todays seed-use, bitter-fleshed, egusi-type watermelon (Citrullus mucosospermus), now found in Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria in West Africa. According to the team, the likely use of the Libyan seeds as a snack matches the traces of cracking from human teeth found in a computer-tomographic study of seeds from the Uan Muhuggiag site. An unexpected new insight is that Citrullus appears to have initially been collected or cultivated for its seeds, not its sweet flesh, consistent with seed damage patterns induced by human teeth in the oldest Libyan material, Dr. Chomicki said. This study documents the use of the seeds (rather than the fruit) of a watermelon relative more than 6,000 years ago, prior to the domestication of the watermelon. Watermelons the wild species, as well as the domesticated form have very numerous seeds that are tasty and oil-rich, Professor Renner said. Different from the pulp, the seeds never contain the extremely bitter cucurbitacin chemical. Snacking on those easily available nutritious seeds may have been a good thing. The findings were recently published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. _____ Osca A. Perez-Escobar et al. Genome sequencing of up to 6,000-yr-old Citrullus seeds reveals use of a bitter-fleshed species prior to watermelon domestication. Molecular Biology and Evolution, published online July 30, 2022; doi: 10.1093/molbev/msac168 Nancy Pelosi, candidate a sa propre reelection La Russie a accuse mardi les Etats-Unis de destabiliser le monde en provoquant des tensions autour de Taiwan, ou une possible visite de la presidente de la Chambre des representants americaine Nancy Pelosi suscite la colere de Pekin. Washington destabilise le monde. Pas un seul conflit regle dans les dernieres decennies, mais plusieurs provoques, a declare sur son compte Telegram la porte-parole de la diplomatie russe, Maria Zakharova. Ces declarations sonnent comme un retour a lenvoyeur pour Moscou, que les pays occidentaux, Etats-Unis en tete, accusent de destabilisation avec son offensive militaire contre lUkraine. Mme Pelosi a entame cette semaine une tournee dans plusieurs pays asiatiques qui risque de faire monter les tensions entre la Chine et les Etats-Unis en raison dune visite a Taiwan non-confirmee mais de plus en plus probable. Pekin considere lile comme une partie de son territoire a reunifier, par la force si necessaire, et a plusieurs fois mis en garde Washington contre une visite de la haute responsable qui serait vecue comme une provocation majeure. Ten organizations in California, including four from the Bay Area, were awarded more than $1.3 million in philanthropic grants from the Hearst Foundation. The grants ranged from $75,000 to $250,000 and will support several schools, medical centers and other institutions, according to a statement from the Hearst Foundations, which operates separately from the Hearst Corporation. Hearst Corporation owns The Chronicle and SF Gate. The awards are issued quarterly. In all of 2021, the foundations made 320 grants that totaled over $41 million, officials said. Of the 10 institutions that received awards, four were based in the Bay Area. Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center in San Francisco, which provides resources to entrepreneurs, received a grant of $150,000, officials said. In Oakland, the Basic Fund got $100,000 to support its scholars program. The Basic Fund provides scholarships to low-income children and families, according to the organizations webpage. The Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto received a $150,000 grant to support college readiness and alumni programming, officials said. The nonprofit school, funded by foundations and individuals, aims to get its students, many of whom are people of color and first in their families to go to college, admitted to four-year colleges or universities. The Hearst Foundation also granted $100,000 to the MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae to support its outpatient neurology practice expansion, officials said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Other institutions awarded grants include the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia; the Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, Marymount High School, Doheny Eye Institute and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools in Los Angeles County; and Chapman University in Orange County. Jessica Flores (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores Burglars ransacked seven small shops in a strip mall in Oaklands Little Saigon early Monday morning for over 90 minutes, resulting in what the citys police chief termed significant loss. The incident happened around 4 a.m., but police did not receive a call until 6:20 a.m., Police Chief LaRonne Armstrong said Monday. Located in a strip mall called International Plaza at East 9th Avenue and International Boulevard, the ransacked businesses were a laundromat, nail salon, flower shop, restaurant, dessert shop, beauty gift shop and water-supply station, said Jennifer Tran, president of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. It was blatant; it was intentional; it seemed like they were determined because it wasnt just one storefront but seven storefronts, she said. The burglaries follow a string of crimes in the neighborhood, including the fatal shooting of a ride-hail driver in broad daylight just two weeks ago, as well as additional assaults, robberies and break-ins. Its beyond alarming, Tran said. Merchants keep thinking it cant get any worse, and they continue to be provided wrong, by events that continue to happen at all hours of the day. Many businesses have been sharing their fears and panic. Nolan Wong, owner of International Coin Laundromat, one of the burglarized businesses, said he arrived around 6:30 a.m. Monday. I found my whole place was ransacked, he said. Five or ten minutes later, the owner of the restaurant at the corner started screaming. He found out his place was broken into. Then I noticed the locks were broken on other businesses; I looked inside, and they were all ransacked. Wong counted five thieves on his surveillance videos. They broke into his laundromat by sawing a hole in the roof and then kicking out a ceiling panel, he said. They stole thousands of dollars in coins from his change machine. Two of the other businesses were also invaded through the roof, while the four others had locks broken or windows shattered, he said. The footage shows the thieves were there at least 90 minutes, he said, during which they were casually walking back and forth toward the front, presumably loading items in a vehicle. They took a large safe from the restaurant, Wong said. Its frustrating that nothing is improving with crime in the neighborhood, Wong said. Its a constant struggle each and every day. Hes eager to see the burglars apprehended and punished to send a message. Little Saigon business owners, community leaders and property owners are meeting weekly with elected representatives and city officials to seek more support for their neighborhood, said Tran from the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Little Saigon is home to almost 150 small businesses, Tran said. Its currently organizing to create a business improvement district in which property owners and businesses pay an assessment fee to fund projects and services, such as increased security. The district would run from Second Avenue to 14th Avenue and from International Boulevard to East 12th Street. Tran and Wong faulted police for a slow response time. Although Armstrong said police were not called until 6:20 a.m., Wong said his alarm company notified police at about 4:30 a.m. and that a neighbor told him she called them at 6:08 a.m. They did not arrive until 7:15 a.m., he said. Police declined to answer further questions about the burglaries. Armstrong last month said police now have a Little Saigon liaison officer who speaks Vietnamese and are looking into opening a police satellite station in the area. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Californians began paying more attention to their water use as summer arrived, but statewide conservation remains well short of what the governor has requested during the drought. In June, municipal water consumption dropped 7.6% compared to the same month in 2020, marking a second straight month of savings, according to state data released Tuesday, and parts of the Bay Area did considerably better. The four prior months, however, saw increases in water use, sometimes by double digits. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked residents and businesses to voluntarily cut back 15% as many parts of the state grapple with severe water shortages. Since his request in July of last year, the cumulative savings of cities and towns has been just 2.7%. Its been a year since the governor called for voluntary conservation, said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, Californias water regulator. What is important to see is that (recent) turnaround. The San Francisco Bay Area generally had the highest level of savings in the state for June, compared to 2020. Rohnert Park was tops for the region, with water use down 24.3% for the month compared to the previous June. Hayward saved 22.5%. San Francisco reduced water use by about 5.7% and residents of the East Bay Municipal Utilities District cut back 12.2%. California has experienced three extraordinarily dry years, exacerbated by rising temperatures, that have left reservoirs low, groundwater diminished and alternative supplies like desalination pinched. Summer is a critical time for conservation because its generally a period of high use, meaning theres more opportunity for savings. A poll conducted last month by the Public Policy Institute of California found that drought and water supply was the top environmental issue for most state residents above both wildfires and climate change. According to the poll, 68% of adults think the state and local governments are not doing enough to address the issue. While many local water suppliers have put water restrictions on customers, Newsom has remained opposed to mandatory statewide caps like the ones put in place by his predecessor Jerry Brown during last decades drought. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The governor has preferred leaving the decision about water rules to local leaders who ostensibly are in a better position to govern supplies. Newsom, though, has advanced several water-savings measures, including requiring local water retailers to adopt policies to prepare for water shortages of up to 20%, prohibiting the irrigation of office parks and banning several outdoor watering activities, such as washing driveways and filling ornamental fountains. Agriculture, which is responsible for about 80% of Californias water use, also faces restrictions, often severe, but they generally come through different means. State water regulators have curtailed many of the water rights of farmers, and the giant state and federal water projects have reduced deliveries for irrigation. We are heading in the right direction, Newsom said in a statement last week after meeting with a handful of urban water suppliers about conservation. But we need local water providers to do more to not only save water, but to help the state manage and increase supply as rain and snowfall become less reliable. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander Furniture and electronics rent-to-own company Rent-A-Center will pay $15.5 million to settle claims it unlawfully leased out items and engaged in deceptive marketing, California Attorney General Rob Bontas office said Tuesday. Rent-A-Center violated state consumer protection law when it inflated the cash price at its Preferred Lease locations above what it advertised online, and misled customers about the terms of rental agreements like returning merchandise anytime without penalty, according to Bontas office. The attorney generals office said the company charged a 15% cash price markup at its Preferred Lease kiosks inside traditional retail stores, possibly costing customers hundreds of extra dollars. Rent-A-Center repeatedly relied on deceptive and unlawful tactics to pad its bottom line, Bonta said in a statement. Todays judgment will provide critical relief to tens of thousands of Californians and, importantly, prevent Rent-A-Center from continuing this conduct in the future. Bonta said during a Tuesday news conference in Oakland that as prices have climbed for everyday expenses, many Californians are tempted by rent-to-own agreements offered by businesses like Rent-A-Center, but that over the years the industry has been rife with predatory practices. The company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. It was not clear whether it admitted liability as part of the settlement. Bontas office said Californians who rented items through the companys kiosks are eligible for restitution and will be notified at their last known mailing address. Of the $15.5 million, $13.5 million will go to the tens of thousands of state residents who were charged the 15% premium. The remaining $2 million will be paid out in civil penalties. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The company broke the law, and now Rent-A-Center is going to get a taste of its own medicine, paying a steep price for its own bag of goods, Bonta said during the news conference. The Plano, Texas, company has about 2,100 stores in the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico; and roughly 1,100 kiosk locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The company saw $518.5 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2022 from its Rent-A-Center business segment. Under terms of the settlement, the company is prohibited from charging cash price markups, and it is barred from preventing or limiting customers from returning items. Going forward, customers will receive an informational document that, among other things, clearly states the Preferred Lease program is a rent-to-own model and the company will report to the attorney generals office for three years in its efforts to comply with the settlement terms. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A bill that aims to reduce overdoses by allowing city-run supervised drug consumption sites in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles narrowly passed the state Senate on Monday and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk. Should Newsom sign the legislation, the three cities and Los Angeles County could allow organizations to operate overdose prevention programs where people could use illegal drugs under the supervision of trained staff and receive referrals to treatment programs. Participants would get clean supplies but bring their own drugs. The governors office would not comment on whether he would sign the bill, saying only, Legislation before the Governor will be evaluated on its merits. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill in 2018, but Newsom said at the time that he was open to a pilot program. The law could speed the way for San Francisco to open a supervised drug consumption site after years of advocacy by supporters and a reluctance to violate federal laws, which still prohibit such sites. For several years, some San Francisco officials and harm reduction advocates have pushed for the sites, which theyve said will reduce the number of overdose deaths in the city. Since 2020, more than 1,500 people more than two a day have died from overdoses. Supporters said the sites save lives and point to successes in other countries and New York City, where a nonprofit running two unsanctioned sites since November without legal repercussions reversed 263 overdoses by May. Critics argued that the sites enable or even encourage illicit drug use in lieu of offering or requiring treatment, cracking down on drug dealers and reducing the supply. Whether the law would nudge San Francisco into opening supervised consumption sites, however, remains uncertain. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. We fully support SB 57 and are happy to see the bill pass the Legislature, said Jen Kwart, spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu. We are eagerly awaiting anticipated guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice on appropriate guardrails local jurisdictions must implement to operate overdose prevention programs consistent with federal law. Mayor London Breeds office did not respond to a request for comment on the bills passage or whether the city was preparing to open supervised drug use sites. In June, the mayors spokesperson, Jeff Cretan, said the city was proud to support the bill and would work with federal officials on finding a path forward around the remaining federal issues serving as obstacles to the supervised use sites. The law would allow the four municipalities to operate supervised drug consumption sites on an experimental basis until 2028. The bill needed 21 votes in the Senate to head to the governors desk. It passed 21-11. State Republicans called for the governor to veto the bill, accusing the Democrats of advocating operation of drug dens. Michael Cabanatuan (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Blooms of noxious, blue-green algae in Californias second-largest freshwater lake have prompted Lake County officials to issue warnings against consuming the water in Clear Lake as toxin levels rise to a worrisome point. County, health, and tribal officials urged Lake County residents and tourists and especially those who get their water from Clear Lake to be extra vigilant when getting near the water, and to report any unusual medical symptoms to their doctors and the county. Lake County officials also urged more than 500 households with private water systems that draw water directly from Clear Lake to procure their water from either of two water-filling stations in the city of Clearlake and the town of Kelseyville or to use bottled water instead, since boiling or putting chemicals in the lake or tap water does not eliminate the toxins, officials said. Toxin levels this year arent yet at the level they were last year, when toxicity in the lake was unprecedented, said Sarah Ryan, environmental director for the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians Environmental Protection Department, which is responsible for the testing and monitoring of bacteria and toxin levels in Clear Lake. But officials are still worried that recent samplings so far show that toxin levels in the lake are inching toward dangerous levels similar to last years. Were hoping that anyone who vacations here is doing their research, said Ryan, who added that the stench alone from the blue-green algae blooms has been enough to discourage residents from using the lake recreationally or even getting close. Blue-green algae, which is technically cyanobacteria, occur in all freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems, and are not harmful to humans or animals when their bacteria levels are low. But high nutrients and warm waters can exacerbate the growth of those organisms and create whats known as harmful algal blooms, which are becoming more common across California as temperatures rise and water systems starve, The Chronicle reported. Provided by Mike Smith Photography These blooms can produce toxic chemicals that, upon exposure, can cause varying levels of sickness and severe health effects in people, livestock and animals. Symptoms can include rashes, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, coughing and wheezing, among other symptoms. People should look out for water that looks like its been swirled with blue-green paint; which has surface scums, mats or films; has blue or green crust at the shoreline; is discolored with green-colored streaks; or which has greenish globs suspended in the water below the surface. Luckily, Lake County residents are well aware of the issue, said Dwight Coddington, a spokesperson for the county. But he still worries about the tourists who might not be looking closely enough at the signs at various parts of the lake or Airbnb residents who may not fully understand how severe the situation has gotten. Its a horrible problem, and the smell is horrendous, said Coddington. Honestly, its like a dying buffalo. More for you Why toxic algae blooms are on the rise across California and expected to get worse This year now marks the second consecutive year that Clear Lake residents with private water treatments have been told their household water could be poisonous, but the issue has persisted for decades. In 2009, a buildup of algae blooms canceled fishing tournaments and had negative impacts on nearby businesses, officials said. Officials say the confluence of fertilizers going into the lake and nutrients for the cyanobacteria like phosphorous, nitrogen and sunlight have pushed the cyanobacteria to outcompete other plants and green algae that would normally be growing in the lake. Warmer temperatures and the unyielding drought have also created the perfect environment for the blue-green algae to thrive in the lake, whose low levels have caused shocking levels of hitch, a threatened fish species found only in this region, to dry out and perish in nearby streambeds. Nearly 70 lakes, rivers and reservoirs have issued caution, warning and danger advisories this year alone, but Clear Lake in particular has been an area where the toxic blooms impacts are far-reaching, The Chronicle reported. Lake County officials are urging people to report any symptoms they think might have come from exposure to cyanotoxins to their health provider or the County of Lake Health Services at 707-263-1090. Anyone who thinks they see a cyanotoxin bloom is encouraged to call Water Resources at 707-263-2344 or Environmental Health at 707-263-1164. Annie Vainshtein (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in San Francisco Monday, police said. The shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Monday in the citys Sunnydale neighborhood, police said in an incident report. Officers from the Ingleside Station responded to a call of a person with a gunshot wound and found the victim on the 100 block of Brookdale Avenue. Officers immediately began administering CPR and summoned paramedics from the San Francisco Fire Department. The victim was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner declined to release the victims name because he is a minor. No arrests have been made. Investigators from the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail are leading the investigation. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous. Dominic Fracassa and Sam Whiting are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa swhiting@sfchronicle.com Morning Wood, a beloved Hawaiian-Japanese brunch restaurant that drew long lines for enormous plates of gravy-dripping loco moco and chewy matcha mochi pancakes, is coming back to the Peninsula. The San Bruno restaurant closed last spring to make space for the owners new Hawaiian snack shop and general store, Diamond Head, which has also been a hit. Now, owners Chad and Monica Kaneshiro plan to reopen Morning Wood at 514 Peninsula Ave. in San Mateo later this month. The new space is twice as big, with both indoor and outdoor seating, and they plan to use reservations to cut down on the wait times that had become part of the experience of dining at the former Morning Wood. Many Morning Wood fan favorites will return, including mochi pancakes with whipped adzuki butter, omurice with kimchi fried rice and a Japanese breakfast set with a sous vide egg, rice and pickles. Loco moco will be available as an off-menu secret item: If a customer asks for it, Chad Kaneshiro will make it. The Kaneshiros, who opened Morning Wood in 2017 after working in Bay Area fine-dining restaurants, have developed a reputation for their clever integration of Hawaiian, Japanese and Korean influences, with Spam, kimchi and katsuoboshi all sharing space on the menu. At the new Morning Wood, the food will be reflective of what we did in the past but were hoping to take it up a notch and get a little more creative and inventive, Chad Kaneshiro said. Provided by Chad Kaneshiro During the Morning Wood hiatus, the Kaneshiros have been busy dreaming up new breakfast dishes, like katsu-fried French toast with miso caramel and bacon jam. They bake fresh Hokkaido-style milk bread, soak it in custard, batter it in panko and deep fry it. In another dish, the milk bread will get topped with uni and avocado for a play on a crab roll. Also look for a twist on waffles, made here in the style of imagawayaki, a sweet, filled Japanese street snack. Street vendors cook the batter in special griddles and usually cut off the edges of the treat so its perfectly round. The Kaneshiros will keep the crispy edges intact for added texture. The menu at the new Morning Wood wont be as expansive as before, however, so the team can focus on quality. Some previous Morning Wood staples like mochiko chicken will only be available at Diamond Head. (As employees help reopen Morning Wood, Diamond Head may have to close or shift to a limited grab-and-go menu for a few weeks.) Provided by Chad Kaneshiro The new space seats about 50 inside and 20 on a covered outdoor patio decorated with a large mural of a Japanese lion and huge cresting ocean wave, painted by artists Taki Horitaka and Drew Flores of State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose. The owners plan to use Tock or Resy for reservations, with limited walk-ins available on a case-by-case basis. For drinks, there will be beer and wine. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. The Kaneshiros signed the San Mateo lease just before the pandemic hit, and have been struggling to pay rent on two spaces with only one business open. The new restaurant was delayed by supply chain issues and other pandemic disruptions. The owners are hopeful that even in a new location, the demand for Morning Woods brunch will return. Morning Wood. Opening August 2022. 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. instagram.com/morningwoodsf Elena Kadvany (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany Theres a multiverse of potential food inside a kernel of corn. Mexicans the real children of the corn have relied on the stuff for millennia, particularly in the form of the tortilla. But just like corn, a tortilla has many functions. The most popular is the taco, but I think its time we give its fried counterpart, the tostada, its due. Just like tacos, tostadas are both a dish and a delivery system. But the humble tostada has one upper hand: texture. In a typical Mexican home, tostadas are a common snack, sometimes served with little more than beans and a sprinkle of cheese. Other times, fried tortillas act as a supplement for soups like pozole theyre smeared with crema and hot sauce and eaten in between spoonfuls of hominy. The other benefit of a tostada is that it isnt beholden to a heat source. It can be every bit as delicious hot or cold, perfect for the warmer months. Theres nothing worse than a cold taco (the original sin), and you never really have to worry about that problem with tostadas. Though, depending on the ingredients, you may have to inhale it before it gets soggy. Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle In the Bay Area, theres plenty to try but they are also somewhat elusive. The most common place to find a tostada as a constructed dish meaning dressed and primed for eating is at a mariscos (seafood) spot. But even then, it can be rare to find a composed tostada as opposed to entire orders of ceviche and aguachile, with tostadas on the side. This is a tribute, and a plea, to recognize the tostada as an equally enticing option as a taco, burrito or quesadilla. While there are a few aquatic choices, I mostly wanted to showcase the tostadas versatility. It can be complicated and involved, limited only by imagination, or stupefyingly simple. Some only have two elements, while others create abstract art on a disk of fried corn. Some are so complex and layered that they defy cataloging. Here are eight varied ways to eat tostadas around the Bay Area, in order of preference. Bronte Wittpenn / The Chronicle Tacos Sincero My favorite comic book artists are the ones with distinct styles and extremely detailed illustrations artists like Frank Quitely, Katsuhiro Otomo and Jean Moebius Giraud. I think Sincere Justice, founder of Oakland pop-up Tacos Sincero, was one of those artists in another lifetime, except his canvas is the tortilla. Justices pop-up specializes in the many forms of a tortilla, but lately hes focused on tostadas. The options range from fresh to saucy and even traditional, each pulling from a different culture and its cuisine. The egg salad tostada ($10) takes some inspiration from Japanese konbinis (convenience stores) but slips in newness like salt-bomb capers, fragrant preserved lemons, calamansi kosho and ginger. It might seem like the last thing youd expect on a tostada, but I grew up eating tuna salad with canned peas and carrots on tostadas, so there are no limits. Inspired by his upbringing in the San Gabriel Valley, the Sriracha tinga tostada ($11) takes the simple stewed chicken and transforms it into a more acidic but still saucy version. Follow www.instagram.com/tacossincero for pop-up locations or email tacossincero@gmail.com for more information. Stephen Lam / The Chronicle Cenaduria Elvira This one-of-a-kind home restaurant specializes in tostada raspadas ($13), a fried sheet of corn with bubbly ridges. Dont expect a discus of corn these take their shape from a metate (a stone Mesoamerican tool for grinding corn). It starts with a partially cooked tortilla thats scraped from one end of the metate; the masa becomes paper-thin and is peeled off and left to dry. These thin corn planks are fried the day of service and topped with liquidy beans, shredded pork, cabbage, queso fresco and mild tomato salsa. Dab it with a bright red and searingly hot chile Yahualica (arbol varietal) salsa a few drops is all you need. These things of beauty come from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, where owner Elvira Varelas family is from. The home restaurant is open on weekends, where you can dine-in, take food to-go or, if you live near East Oakland, have it delivered. Dont sleep on the other items like crispy tacos and pozole. Follow on www.instagram.com/cenaduria.elvira/ for address or call/text 510-944-8359 for details. 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Cesar Hernandez / The Chronicle El Garage Sometimes certain items on a restaurants menu are so undeniably good they feel transcendent. The avocado and bean tostada ($5) drizzled with salsa macha at El Garage is one example. It gives such a clear glimpse into the role of the tostada in a Mexican household and the ways that we snack. Dissecting the dish reveals that its actually a complex mix of textures: creamy avocado and black beans are made spicy and smoky with salsa, layered on a crunchy tostada. It can be enjoyed cold or warm, eaten fast or slow, and usually its the first of many. This tostada speaks to my soul on so many levels that I think I prefer it over El Garages star dish, birria, which is also great. The other tostada option with tinga ($6), shredded chicken in chipotle sauce, is good if you desire extra protein. But really, try the vegetarian one, and get it with a strawberry horchata that tastes like liquid fresas con crema with extra cinnamon. 1428 Macdonald Ave., Richmond. Noon-7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. www.elgarage.online Courtesy Oscar Michel Tacos Oscar Taco phenom Tacos Oscar always has a tostada on the menu thats focused on seasonality. It sort of operates on Heraclitus theory of rivers: You can never step twice in the same river. That means that there will certainly be some tostadas you get a chance to try and many that youve already missed. But the river keeps on flowing. You might encounter one with jumbo-size white beans, crisp watermelon radishes and salsa macha ($7), or one thats essentially a salad on a tostada ($7) made with chicories and acidic, vibrant green goddess dressing. (The tostadas are usually vegan.) Since its tomato season, the current tostada ($8) is made with colorful heirloom tomatoes, grilled corn, ranch dressing made with Shared Cultures miso and abundant seeds. Chef Oscar Michel saw the tostada as a vehicle for a salad in part thanks to its crunchy texture, but mostly because its a plate that you can eat. Savor these edible plates in the parklet in front of the shipping container restaurant or in the back seating area. 420 40th St., Oakland. 5-9:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. tacososcar.com Cesar Hernandez / The Chronicle La Calenda The last place youd expect to find the coastal food of Ensenada, Mexico, is in Wine Country, but thats exactly where one of my favorite mariscos tostadas lives. The tostada de atun ($20) from Yountvilles La Calenda seems to take inspiration from the powerful Ensenada mariscos cart La Guerrerense, except its served in a fast-casual setting surrounded by grape vines. Layered on a crisp tortilla is sliced raw tuna, radish and avocado, plus thick, oily salsa macha made with chile costeno from Mexico. Its hard to eat this crunchy thing without getting red oil on your face, but really, who cares? The tuna is tender and the avocado adds creaminess, but its the salsa that makes the whole thing a success. Its smoky and hot and adds an unctuous richness thats intense yet magnetic. Its so strong that a bite might send you into a fugue state, entranced by oily peppers. La Calenda is part of the Thomas Keller Group and its the sort of place you might stop by for a casual weekend lunch in between wine tasting, where you can dream of the Baja California beaches. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. 6518 Washington St., Yountville. 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. lacalendamex.com Cesar Hernandez / The Chronicle Mariscos Costa Alegre Mariscos Costa Alegre in San Jose is a restaurant specializing in nautical, coastal food. Youll find everything from shrimp tacos to marisco cocktails to ceviches and aquatic-themed soups. But more importantly, its one of the places you can get aguachile tostadas. The aguachile verde ($10) starts with raw shrimp marinated in a mixture of lime juice, green chiles and cilantro along with sliced cucumber, avocado and onions for textural variety. Its a spicy, acidic journey into the ocean guided by snappy fried corn. The mixta aguachile ($18), on the other hand, has more seafood components, like octopus, abalone and scallops, as well as mangos and red onions. Any of the aguachiles can be ordered with different sauces, color-coordinated to match the chiles and ingredients: red uses chile de arbol, green uses serrano peppers, and black uses several chiles and gets its color from soy-based Salsa Maggi. Like most mariscos restaurants, the menu options are overwhelming, but the tostadas are an easy way to sample the various ceviches and aguachiles without having to commit to an entire order. The mariscos operation has two other locations in San Jose. 855 N. 13th St., San Jose. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. mariscoscostaalegre.com Cesar Hernandez / The Chronicle La Guerreras Kitchen Nestled inside Oakland food hall Swans Market is newcomer La Guerrera, which serves up tacos, tamales and quesadillas. The Mexican restaurant usually only has one tostada on the menu with oregano-scented vegetables like mushrooms, corn and cubed squash, topped with finely shaved cabbage, a tomato coin and salsa. Its meant to highlight veggies but you can add Mexican crema and queso for extra heft. The mixture of freshness and layered ingredients is an awesome display of what a tostada can do. The excessive toppings are similar to what you might find in a Mexican household, where the only inhibition is what you have on hand but the sum of its parts makes a thing of beauty. Occasionally, theres an off-menu option with shredded chicken in a silky green sauce, similar to a chicken enchilada. The extra heat from the salsa keeps things saucy, and the crema regulates the heat. The tostadas are fried in-house so they taste of fresh oil and are more brittle than the store-bought kind. Take your loaded fried corn circles and enjoy them outside in the parklet. 907 Washington St., Oakland. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. laguerreraskitchen.com Cesar Hernadez / The Chronicle Poc Chuc This Mission District restaurant offers a casual taste of Yucatecan food, including various tostadas. They make an appearance in the platillo Maya ($16), which is sort of like a Mayan appetizer sampler of masa concoctions, including a tostada with black beans, queso fresco and tomato salsa. This particular tostada displays the flexibility of the form: While it can veer maximalist, it can also operate on an ethos of simplicity, which doesnt need much more than one or two elements to please. The other option is a trio of tostadas ($12), one with shredded turkey, another with sauteed veggies and a third with picadillo (spiced ground beef). Each corn disk has its own attitude, but theyre all united under the banner of fried elote. Add a bit of green habanero salsa to each tostada for heat and acid, and wash it all down with a tangy jamaica (hibiscus) agua fresca. The restaurant is located in a corridor with a couple of other Mayan restaurants and a bakery if you want a baked good for later. Indoor and outdoor seating available. 2886 16th St., San Francisco. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday (closed Wednesdays), noon-6 p.m. Sunday. pocchuc-restaurant.com Cesar Hernandez is The San Francisco Chronicles associate restaurant critic. Email: cesar.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cesarischafa One of Californias most visible wine companies is changing its name to emphasize its focus on organic and sustainable farming. As of Tuesday, Mendocino Countys Fetzer Vineyards the 19th largest winery in the U.S., according to Wine Business Monthly will be known as Bonterra Organic Estates. The rebranding shows the power that organic messaging increasingly holds for wine consumers, and it follows a string of moves by other mass-production wine companies to signal their environmental stewardship. The countrys largest winery, E. & J. Gallo, for example, recently launched a line of organic wines with its ubiquitous Black Box brand. These announcements represent a dramatic reversal from a decade ago, when organic wine in the mass market carried a stigma, suggesting unpleasant off-flavors. In the past, there was an assumption that if you were buying organic, you were doing a bit of a trade-off, said Bonterra CEO Giancarlo Bianchetti. Thats changed, he said: Now organic is more mainstream. One analyst, Technavio Research, expects the organic wine category to grow by 7% year over year in 2022. Fetzers name change is largely symbolic; in practice, not much at the Hopland company will shift. The company has made wine under the Bonterra label since 1991, as a sub-brand under the larger Fetzer umbrella. Essentially, the company is switching its flagship product: Now, the Fetzer label will be a sub-brand under the Bonterra Organic Estates umbrella. Courtesy Kaare Iverson By now, its commonplace among Californias smaller and higher-end wineries to promote their use of organic or other ecologically friendly farming practices. The natural-wine movement has encouraged consumers to ask questions about the environmental impacts of the wines they buy, bringing jargon like biodynamics and sulfur additions into the vernacular of some wine-drinking circles. But however culturally important they may seem, those wineries (and their customers) represent a minuscule coalition compared with giants like Gallo and Bonterra. Its the conduct of these larger companies, ultimately, that will determine whether most of Californias vineyards are farmed with organic materials or synthetic chemicals. Fetzer Vineyards has been a powerful force in Mendocino County, and in the larger California wine industry, since Barney Fetzer founded it in 1968. With his 10 children, Barney Fetzer found success in the 1970s and 1980s selling large volumes of affordable wines. In 1992, for a reported $82 million, the family sold the business to Brown Forman Corp., the Kentucky corporation that owns brands including Jack Daniels. Then, in 2011, Brown Forman sold Fetzer to the Chilean wine company Vina Concha y Toro S.A. The price this time: $238 million. Concha y Toro was most attracted to Fetzer because of its sheer scale, as a wine sold throughout the world, said Bianchetti. The size of Fetzer and the distribution ability of Fetzer was of interest for us in that moment, he said. Its organic sub-brand, Bonterra, was intriguing, but it wasnt what drove the business at that time. But Bonterra has experienced huge growth since then, rising from a 220,000-case annual production in 2012 to 550,000 cases now, said Bianchetti, who expects it to reach 600,000 cases soon. It now represents 40% of the companys total volume and has eclipsed the Fetzer label, which is at 400,000 cases. (The winery makes other brands besides Fetzer and Bonterra, including a bourbon barrel-aged wine called 1000 Stories.) Courtesy Erin Malone That growth is due to the increasing appeal of organic wine in the marketplace, though Bonterra has also benefited from being in a price segment $10-$15 per bottle that is growing faster than the sub-$10 price segment in which the Fetzer-branded wines fall. Later this year, the company will release four new Bonterra wines that are even pricier: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir that will sell for $19-$21. Wines made under the Fetzer label are not organic, said Bianchetti, and there are no immediate plans to convert them. He did not explain why. But generally, it costs more to produce organic wine than non-organic wine, which can make it a tough proposition at the $6-$8 price that most Fetzer wines sell for. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. By highlighting Bonterra in its name, Bianchetti said he hopes to emphasize that this company has been a champion of organic farming for decades, long before it was in vogue with American wine drinkers. Were not newcomers, Bianchetti said. This is the moment to share with the world that weve been doing this for so long. The Fetzer family started using organic farming practices in 1987, and the company instituted biodynamics an even stricter regimen that requires farmers to follow the lunar cycle in 2000. Last year, it earned the still-stricter Regenerative Organic Certified status for the 960 acres of vineyards it owns in Mendocino County. Achieving these certifications can be logistically challenging, requiring new inspections every year. Each certification comes with its own requirements. To label a wine organic, the grapes must come entirely from a vineyard that has been certified as organic by a U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited agency, such as California Certified Organic Farmers. Beyond the farming, there are additional specifications for how the wine is made; winemakers are allowed to add only a limited amount of sulfur dioxide, a preservative. Since 2015, the winery has been a certified B Corporation. Parent company Vina Concha y Toro is the largest winery to hold that distinction in the world, according to Bianchetti. We think we can have an impact, said Bianchetti. This is what were trying to achieve to generate change. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles senior wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley By Du Zhaoping Suspecting a new round of nuclear tests by the DPRK, frequently issuing threats of countermeasures to it, and resuming the long-suspended large-scale live-fire maneuvering exercise in the field, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has abandoned the mild policy toward the DPRK since coming into office and turned to consolidating the ROK-US military alliance, which has continuously escalated the tension on the Korean Peninsula. During Moon Jae-ins term, the peninsular situation remained generally stable despite some minor frictions between ROK and US on one side and DPRK on the other every now and then. Especially after the summit meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in 2018, Washington and Seoul halted their August joint military exercises that year, followed by another halt by the Moon Jae-in administration the next year. In the next two years, their joint military exercises were carried out in the form of computerized simulation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Things changed after Yoon Suk-yeol stepped into power. He moved toward the US more quickly, consolidated the ROK-US alliance, and improved the relations with Japan while taking a tough and hostile policy toward DPRK, setting the peninsular situation on edge again. On the one hand, ROK and the US suspected that DPRK may launch a new round of underground nuclear tests and therefore issued threatening signals to it multiple times. On June 29, top leaders of ROK, the US, and Japan held a trilateral meeting in Madrid in the middle of the NATO Summit and reached a consensus on how to respond to nuclear missile threats from Pyongyang. On July 6, Yoon Suk-yeol met with senior military leaders for the first time, asking them to enhance capacities and forestall DPRKs nuclear weaponry and missile projects. On July 18, US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen warned on a flight to Seoul that DPRKs nuclear tests would incur further sanctions from the US. On July 22, ROK Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said Pyongyang has almost completed all preparations for nuclear tests. On the other hand, ROK and the US resumed their large-scale, live-fire joint exercises in the simulated background of tackling the peninsular situation. From June 3 to 5, the two countries held their first joint maritime exercise after Yoon Suk-yeol came into office. The last time Washington dispatched a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to participate in the exercise was four years and seven months ago. From July 5 to 14, the US Air Forces six F-35A fighter jets flew to ROK via Alaska for a joint exercise with their ROK counterparts, five years after the last such deployment. On July 22, ROK Defense Ministry announced that the US and ROK decided to hold their annual summer joint exercise from August 22 to September 1, during which they will resume the long-suspended large-scale, live-fire maneuvering exercise in the field in addition to operations at the joint command center. The ministry also said their military exercise will gradually resume the normal scale, and ROK will improve its missile detection capability and deploy the new interception system at an early date. The DPRK has gone tit-for-tat against these moves by the US and ROK. On the very day that Seoul announced the resumption of the field maneuvering exercise, DPRK Foreign Ministry released a statement on its official website, saying that if Washington and Seoul were determined to carry out large-scale exercises around the Korean Peninsula using American strategic weapons, they should be waiting for the strongest reactions from Pyongyang. The statement also criticized the collusion among ROK, the US and Japan, adding that the actions of enemy forces to aggravate tension on the peninsula have left Pyongyang no choice but to further fortify its national defense capability. On July 21, the deputy director of the Institute for Disarmament and Peace, a think tank under DPRKs Foreign Ministry, said ROK and the US planned to discuss nuclear weapon deployment during the military exercise, and they were pushing the peninsula to the edge of war. He warned that the US should give up its anachronistic, suicidal hostile policy toward DPRK, or it will face consequences it doesnt want to face. Analysts said by strengthening their military alliance, jointly hyping the nuclear threats from DPRK, and making their exercises more frequent and realistic, Washington and Seoul attempt to put greater political and military pressure on Pyongyang. That without any doubt will further exacerbate the tension on the peninsula and undermine peace and stability in Northeast Asia. COVID-19 trends in the Bay Area are showing signs of stabilizing, but its still too early to tell if the region has moved past the summer surge driven by the BA.5 omicron subvariant. After a brutal two-year stretch, tourism in San Francisco appears to have finally turned a corner. Latest updates: Santa Clara County now providing Novavax shots to people 18 and older Santa Clara County now is administering the new Novavax two-dose vaccine against the coronavirus at all county health system vaccination sites, officials announced Tuesday. Recently approved by the federal regulators, the new vaccine is available for people 18 and older. The Novavax shot uses traditional protein-based technology, in contrast to the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna. Both types of vaccines are very safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, the county announcement said, noting that the Novavax can be an alternative for the small percentage of people who may have allergic reaction to mRNA vaccines. Adding the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to our inventory adds another option to assist us in reaching those Santa Clara County residents who still remain unvaccinated, said a statement from Dr. Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Los Angeles schools ease up on testing, strict COVID protocols Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second largest school district, on Tuesday announced it won't require face masks in the coming academic year and is dropping school COVID safety rules that were among the nation's strictest, to align with county health guidance. The district's vaccination mandate for students remains on hold, the Los Angeles Times reports, and the district is ending weekly universal testing for infections and doing away with the required testing before school starts Aug. 15, while keeping masking voluntary. We know that COVID-19 is here to stay, said a district letter posted Tuesday. As we have entered into a new phase of this virus where we have accessible at-home testing, vaccinations for COVID-19 and therapeutics available for treatment, Los Angeles Unified is able to nimbly adjust to changing conditions. Nearly 6,000 parents as of Tuesday participated in a coordinated letter-writing campaign urging the district to implement stronger coronavirus mitigation measures ahead of the new school year, the Times reported. Fourth vaccine dose cut omicron breakthrough infection rate in Israeli study An Israeli study has found that a fourth dose of vaccine against the coronavirus significantly reduced the rate of breakthrough infections at the height of the omicron variant surge among fourth-shot recipients. The reduction, seen in the study conducted among nearly 30,000 Israeli hospital health care workers, was not as great as that triggered by people getting a third dose after receiving their primary vaccine series, researchers found. But considering the high infectivity of the Omicron variant, which led to critical medical staff shortages, a fourth vaccine dose should be considered to mitigate the infection rate, in health care settings, according to the study published Tuesday in Jama Network Open. The breakthrough infection rate among those who received four doses was 6.9% compared with 19.8% in those who received 3 doses. Apple drops mask mandate for corporate workers Apple is dropping its mask requirement for corporate employees at most locations, according to an internal email from the COVID-19 response team obtained by The Verge. Dont hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so, the email said. Also, please respect every individuals decision to wear a mask or not. Apple required some employees to return to the office beginning in April but scaled back those plans due to the spring COVID-19 surge. Study links high air pollution to increased risk of death from COVID-19 Californians living in areas with the highest air pollution, measured by PM2.5 exposure, had a 20% higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 51% higher risk of COVID-19 death than those living in the least polluted areas, a new study from UCSF and the Public Health Institute found. The study looked at 3.1 million COVID infections and compared residents' health in the most polluted fifth of the state with those in the least polluted fifth. The researchers estimated that 9% about 4,250 of the states COVID-19 deaths during the study period could have been prevented if the entire state met the national air quality standards. The areas with the highest PM2.5 concentration were the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast, where residents are more likely to be Hispanic or from low-income communities. More than a third of coronavirus tests conducted at Walgreens are positives About 36.8% of the coronavirus tests conducted at Walgreens stores nationally are coming back positive, according to data published by the retail chain on Tuesday. That's up from about 30% recorded at the beginning of July. The test positive rate of 43.7% in its California locations is substantially higher than the national average. As of July 20, the chain added the results of rapid tests to its averages, which previously calculated only laboratory PCR test results. The mix of testing methods, all conducted in stores, lowered the average test positive rate by about 1%, according to data notes from the Walgreens and Aegis Research Team. The change also lowered California's test positive peak reached mid-July to 48.7%, from the previously reported 51.6%. Floridas Walt Disney World removes last of COVID-19 signage The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., has removed the last remaining warning signs about COVID-19 around its property, according to the fan news site WDW News Today. The signs cautioned visitors about the risks of contracting the coronavirus and offered health and safety guidance throughout the park. The resort has also dropped its requirements for testing, masking and physical distancing. The company recently scaled back the COVID-19 advisory section on its website as well, trimming it from three notifications at the top of each page to one that notes, An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Summer surge less severe this year in Wine Country COVID-19 case rates and test positivity remain high in Sonoma County, but the most severe outcomes hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths are holding at better levels compared to the summer surges of 2020 and 2021, health officer Dr. Sundari Mase told county supervisors Tuesday. The good news is we havent seen the big hospitalizations, ICU bed (admissions), definitely not deaths as we were seeing the past two summers, she said. Thats attributable to vaccination and the fact that we have a strain that isnt as bad as the initial strains, she added in reference to the recent omicron variant offshoots that while more transmissable do not generally make people as severely sick. Still, 76 people in the county have died from COVID since January and 45 people are currently hospitalized. My message to the community is to remain vigilant, Mase said. COVID is with us and we have to take precautions if we dont want to get sick. Social responsibility is where we are right now. Bidens cough returns, but hes fever-free and in good spirits President Biden again tested positive Tuesday in his rebound case of the coronavirus, and experienced a bit of a return of a loose cough, his physician Dr. Kevin OConnor reported. He remains fever-free and in good spirits. His temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal, with clear lungs, the doctor said in a written statement released by the White House. Biden, who emerged from his initial infection after taking a course of the antiviral Paxlovid and then suffered a rebound case, is working in isolation at the White House. Californias COVID-19 hospitalizations jump by 145% in July The average number of people hospitalized daily with confirmed COVID-19 infections in California rose from 1,916 at the beginning of July to 4,686 by the end of the month, according to data published Tuesday by the states health department. That marks a 145% increase in hospitalizations. The rate of infections largely plateaued at an elevated rate in the same time frame, with the average of 45 cases per 100,000 wavering little. The number of daily deaths has also remained stable with an average of 40 COVID-19 deaths per day across the state. The Bay Area reported 811 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, compared to 757 on July 1. The statewide test positive rate, which tracks the average number of coronavirus tests coming back positive, remains close to 15% a rate that did not change from the beginning to the end of the month. Infectious disease experts believe the rate should be under 5% to effectively control the spread of the virus. BA.5 makes up 86% of U.S. cases, but a new subvariant emerges The highly transmissible BA.5 omicron variant increased its stranglehold on COVID-19 in the United States, making up about 85.5% of the sequenced cases last week, according to data published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has also started tracking a new sublineage of the variant, BA.4.6, which made up 4.1% of cases nationally mostly centered around the Midwest. BA.4 was sequenced in an additional 7.7%. The new sublineage has been circulating for several weeks, according to Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, White House COVID-19 data director. BA.2.12.1 was tracked in less than 3% of cases, while BA.2, which drove the spring wave of COVID-19 cases across the nation, has virtually disappeared. The U.S. is averaging about 114,000 new cases per day. Plethora of Facebook groups hint at scope of parents politicized by anti-vaccine views Large numbers of parents nationwide who joined the anti-vaccine and anti-mask cause during the pandemic have narrowed their political beliefs to a single-minded obsession over those issues, confounding the political scene for both Democratic and Republican strategists, the New York Times reports. Their thinking hardened even as Covid-19 restrictions and mandates were eased and lifted, cementing in some cases into a skepticism of all vaccines. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Since 2020, more than 200 Facebook groups aimed at reopening schools or opposing closings have been created in states including Texas, Florida and Ohio, with more than 300,000 members, according to a review by The New York Times. Another 100 anti-mask Facebook groups dedicated to ending masking in schools have also sprung up in states including New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, some with tens of thousands of members. Nearly half of Americans oppose masking and a similar share is against vaccine mandates for schoolchildren, polls show. But those numbers obscure the intensity with which some parents have embraced these views and plan to vote based solely on vaccine policies, the Times reported. COVID infections linked to increased risk of heart disease, study finds A new study recently published in the journal Nature found that people who suffered a COVID-19 infection faced an increased risk of contracting a variety of kinds of cardiovascular diseases. The study, which reviewed 150,000 people with COVID, found the risk of heightened heart disease was present even in people who werent hospitalized with a coronavirus infection. However, the risks were highest with people admitted to intensive care, the study found. That group was most likely to develop a thrombotic disorder like a blood clot in the heart or lungs. Just 3.7% of California children under 5 are vaccinated California ranks 11th among U.S. states where children under 5 have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of last week, according to data published Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only four states have vaccinated at least 5% of their youngest children with one or more doses, a little over a month since the vaccines became available to them. These include Vermont (9.1%), Massachusetts (6.1%), Maryland (5.2%), and Washington (5.2%). In California, 3.7% of the youngest children have received at least one dose. Nationally, about 3.2% of children under 5 years old have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. UCSFs Wachter questions Paxlovid rebound data With President Biden experiencing a rebound infection after finishing his five-day course of the COVID oral antiviral pill Paxlovid, UCSF pandemic expert Dr. Bob Wachter is publicly urging drugmaker Pfizer to expedite trials for a longer course of the treatment. In a series of tweets, Wachter questioned data that shows only 2% of patients who take Paxlovid experience a secondary infection. 2% my foot its pretty darn common, he tweeted over the weekend. Wachters wife, Katie Hafner, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, also experienced rebound infection after taking Paxlovid. The drug is meant to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk individuals. According to Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the White House COVID response coordinator, real-world data suggests up to 10% of patients who take the antiviral subsequently test positive again. We dont have a lot of people testing after recovery but we know from the clinical trials it happens, he said in a Twitter thread. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean for Emory at Grady, said he estimates the rebound rate is closer to 20-25%. Wachter said Biden should avoid a second course of Paxlovid because the risk of hospitalization in rebound cases is lower and he has no symptoms. But he said unless Pfizer delivers updated data, people would likely avoid taking Paxlovid at all. Im still head-scratching over why its taken so long to complete a clinical trial of 7-d or 10-d Paxlovid course, he wrote. Should be a very high priority and pretty straightforward to do. Childrens COVID-19 cases up 4th week in a row There were 95,484 confirmed child COVID-19 cases in the U.S. last week, marking the fourth consecutive week infections rose after a brief slowdown in the spring. The latest tally marks a 27% increase in cases from two weeks ago, according to data published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association. Children under the age of 18, who make up 22% of the population, represented about 19% of the nation's total cases last week. UC Berkeley study ties mucus in lungs to protection against COVID-19 A UC Berkeley-led study has identified specific proteins in the body that can promote or protect people from COVID infections, potentially opening the door to new antiviral therapies. The study published last week in Nature Genetics used CRISPR technology to test the impact of every human gene on SARS-CoV-2 infections in human lung cells. Researchers found new pathways that the virus relies on to infect cells, as well as the antiviral pathways that help protect against viral infection. The study found that the main component of mucus in the lungs seemed to help block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering the body's cells, suggesting that mucins play a key role in restricting SARS-CoV-2 infection by acting as a barrier to viruses attempting to access lung cells, said Scott Biering, co-lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in Eva Harriss lab at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. 1 in 7 California COVID cases are reinfections There were more than 51,500 confirmed coronavirus reinfections in California in the first three weeks of July. That accounts for at least 1 in 7 of the overall cases in that period, according to data provided to The Chronicle by the California Department of Public Health. State officials say more people are getting infected repeatedly as more immune-evasive subvariants such as BA.5 take hold. At the beginning of the year, about 1 in 20 California cases were confirmed reinfections. The risk of reinfection over time is influenced by a variety of factors, including characteristics of circulating COVID-19 variants and waning immunity whether from vaccination or prior infection, the state said. The total number of reinfections is a result of changes in the epidemiology of COVID-19, trends in case rates and vaccination for COVID-19 in California, and improvements to data processing implemented by CDPH. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. Pelosi flew in aboard a U.S. Air Force passenger jet and was greeted on the tarmac at Taipeis international airport by Taiwan's foreign minister and other Taiwanese and American officials. She posed for photos before her motorcade whisked her unseen into the parking garage of a hotel. Her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States because China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the islands sovereignty. The Biden administration, and Pelosi, say the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. The speaker framed the trip as part of a broader mission at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Her visit comes after she led a congressional delegation to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the spring, and it serves as a capstone to her many years of promoting democracy abroad. "We must stand by Taiwan, she said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on her arrival in Taiwan. She cited the commitment that the U.S. made to a democratic Taiwan under a 1979 law. It is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats, she wrote. Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out using military force to take it. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans. It repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The Peoples Liberation Army said the maneuvers would take place in the waters and skies near Taiwan and include the firing of long-range ammunition in the Taiwan Strait. This action is a solemn deterrent against the recent major escalation of the negative actions of the United States on the Taiwan issue, and a serious warning to the Taiwan independence forces seeking independence. Chinas official Xinhua News said the army planned to conduct live-fire drills from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 across multiple locations. An image released by the news agency indicated that the drills were to take place in six different areas in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility." Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan," Wang said in a statement that referred to the U.S. as "the world's biggest saboteur of peace." Back in the United States, 26 Republican lawmakers issued a statement of rare bipartisan support for the Democratic speaker. The statement called trips by members of Congress to Taiwan routine. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative were utterly absurd. I believe she has every right to go, McConnell said in a Senate speech. Senators are considering legislation to bolster Taiwans defense as direct response to Chinas rhetoric. The Taiwan Policy Act, which has support from both parties, will be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The package would bolster Taiwans defense capabilities with nearly $4.5 billion in security assistance over the next four years and provide other support for Taiwans democratic government and civil society. The measure would also designate Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally, which opens the door to more security and trade benefits. Backers call it the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Pelosi's trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei. Journalists and onlookers thronged the streets just outside and pressed against the hotel's lobby windows as they awaited Pelosi's motorcade. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. China has stepped up overflights and other provocative moves toward Taiwan and neighboring territory in recent years, asserting broad claims of its rights around the region. Chinas military threats have driven concerns about a new crisis in the 100-mile-wide (140-kilometer) Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The White House insisted that China had no valid cause for anger. The United States will not seek, and does not want, a crisis, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told a White House briefing Tuesday. At the same time, we will not engage in saber-rattling. U.S. officials have said the American military will increase its movements in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosi's visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their home port in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that China had sent 21 planes flying toward Taiwan, 18 of them fighter jets. The rest included an early warning plane and an electronic warfare plane. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosis aircraft, an Air Force version of the Boeing 737, took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. The speaker has long challenged China on human rights, including traveling to Tiananmen Square in 1991, two years after China crushed a wave of democracy protests. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour Monday in Singapore. She is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. ___ Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric over an expected visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, vowing the United States will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling and has no interest in increasing tensions with China. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit the self-ruled island that China claims as its own was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited Taiwan over the years. Kirby said administration officials are concerned that Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, flying sorties into Taiwan's airspace and carrying out large-scale naval exercises in the strait. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, Kirby said. The Biden administration pushed back on Beijing as Pelosi held talks with officials in Singapore on Monday at the start of her Asian tour. While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive Tuesday night, making her the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times Taiwan's three largest national newspapers cited unidentified sources as saying she would arrive in Taipei after visiting Malaysia and spend the night. Talk of such a visit is sparking fury in Beijing, which regards Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly warned of serious consequences" if the reported trip goes ahead. If Pelosi insists on visiting Taiwan, China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in Beijing, without giving details. Those who play with fire will perish by it, Zhao said. We would like to once again admonish the U.S. that we are fully prepared for any eventuality and the PLA will never sit idly by. The People's Liberation Army is China's military. Chinas U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun reiterated Beijings threat to take action if Pelosi makes what he called a provocative visit to Taiwan, reiterating that the one China principle is a red line and we allow no one to cross this red line. Zhang told a news conference at the start of Chinas presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month that Taiwans tendency toward independence is further developing with the support of some external forces, which he didnt name. So, if we do not take appropriate, forceful action to stop it, and the situation might be even out of control, Zhang said. So it is legitimate for the Chinese government, for the Chinese military, to take any action to prevent Taiwan to go further down the wrong direction, namely towards independence. Zhang said he wasnt in a position to reveal what actions, but what I can tell is that the firmness, the determination is there. We will do whatever we can to defend our sovereignty and the territorial integrity. Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned the U.S. against meddling in Beijings dealings with the island in a phone call last week with President Joe Biden. Germanys Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against a Chinese invasion of Taiwan while sharply criticizing Russias invasion of Ukraine. Baerbock told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday: We do not accept when international law is broken and a larger neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor in violation of international law -- and of course that also applies to China. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. Threats of retaliation for a visit by Pelosi have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could roil global markets and supply chains. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The Biden administration has tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to come to blows and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in U.S. policy. Administration officials on Monday called on China to tone down the rhetoric, underscoring that there was no reason for Beijing to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait over the potential visit. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were to receive a classified briefing on Taiwan from senior Pentagon and State Department officials on Monday evening. What I can say is this: this is very much precedent in the sense that previous speakers have visited Taiwan, many members of Congress go to Taiwan, including this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. And so, if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing. Still, U.S. officials have signaled that the military would be prepared to respond if needed in the event of any action by China in response to any possible stop in Taiwan by Pelosi. On Monday, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the USS Antietam, a cruiser, and the USS Higgins, a destroyer, left Singapore after a port visit and moved north, heading to their homeport in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, on board as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but maintains informal relations with the island. Washington is obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act, a federal law, to see that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. Washingtons One China policy says it takes no position on the status of the two sides but wants their dispute resolved peacefully. Beijing promotes an alternative One China principle that says they are one country and the Communist Party is its leader. We expect to see Beijing continue to use inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation in the coming days, Kirby said. The United States, by contrast, will act with transparency. On Monday, Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Halimah Yacob and other Cabinet members. Singapore's Foreign Ministry said Lee welcomed a U.S. commitment to strong engagement with the region, and the two sides discussed ways to deepen U.S. economic involvement through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Lee and Pelosi also discussed the war in Ukraine, tensions surrounding Taiwan and mainland China, and climate change, it said in a statement. Lee highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security, it added, in an apparent allusion to reports of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Pelosi has said she is visiting Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan in a tour to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and democratic governance. On Thursday, Pelosi is to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo in Seoul for talks on security in the Indo-Pacific region, economic cooperation and the climate crisis, Kims office said in a statement. It declined to provide further details about her itinerary, including when she is arriving in South Korea and how long shell stay. Pelosis schedule for Wednesday remains unclear and there were no details on when she will head to Japan. ___ Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur and Soo reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan; Kim Hyung-jin in Seoul, South Korea; Edith Lederer at the United Nations; and Lolita C. Baldor, Josh Boak, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration is holding out the CIA operation that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri as a monumental strike against the global terror network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. But there's a downside, too. The drone strike also is putting into stark relief the mounting evidence that after 20 years of America's military presence and then sudden departure Afghanistan has once again become an active staging ground for Islamic terror groups looking to attack the West. The operation, carried out over the weekend after at least six months spent monitoring movements by al-Zawahri and his family, came just weeks before the one-year anniversary of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country. The Biden administration is making the case that the operation shows Americans at home and allies abroad that the United States hasn't lost focus or the ability to strike terrorists in the region and validates its decision to end two decades of fighting in Afghanistan with its withdrawal. Announcing the strike from the White House, President Joe Biden said Monday night that justice had been exacted on a leader who in recent weeks had recorded videos calling for his followers to attack the United States and allies. And the White House on Tuesday framed the operation as an enormous counterterrorism win. The president has made good on his word when we left," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC's Today" show. After 20 years of war to keep this country safe, he said we would be able to continue to target and take out terrorists in Afghanistan without troops on the ground." But as details of the operation continue to emerge, the administration has also revealed troubling evidence of al-Qaida's presence and of the Taliban once again offering refuge to the group that was behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. White House officials believe that senior members of the Haqqani Network, an Islamist terror group with strong ties to the Taliban, were aware that al-Zawahri was in Kabul. Sullivan said that while al-Zawahri wasn't involved in day-to-day planning at the time of his killing, he continued to play an active role in directing al-Qaida and posed a severe threat" against the U.S. and American citizens. On Tuesday, the State Department updated its Worldwide Caution, warning U.S. citizens traveling abroad that there is a higher potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahri. Concerns about al-Qaida efforts to regroup inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are hardly new. Before the strike, U.S. military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faces limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the U.S. Al-Qaida leadership has reportedly played an advisory role since the Taliban returned to power in the leadup up to the U.S. withdrawal, according to a U.N. Security Council report last month. The U.N. report also noted that ISIS-K the group that carried out a massive attack that killed 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans near the Kabul International Airport just days before the U.S. completed its withdrawal last year has become increasingly active in northern and eastern Afghanistan. That's a worry for the West though ISIS-K and the Taliban espouse different ideologies and interests, with ISIS-K carrying out a bloody insurgency against the Taliban and religious minorities across Afghanistan. Zawahris presence in post-withdrawal Afghanistan suggests that, as feared, the Taliban is once more granting safe haven to the leaders of al-Qaida a group with which it has never broken, said Nathan Sales, ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism during the Trump administration who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Frank McKenzie, the retired Marine general who until earlier this year was the top American military officer in the Middle East, said the U.S. has noted an effort by al-Qaida to restore training camps in Afghanistan. I see nothing happening in Afghanistan now that tells me that the Taliban are determined to prevent that from happening, he said in an interview. Since the American troop withdrawal, U.S. military leaders have said Americas ability to monitor and strike a target in the country would be difficult but not impossible. The strike on Zawahri proved both, said McKenzie, who is now executive director of the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. But he cautioned not to draw broad conclusions from this one drone strike. This was a unique circumstance, he said. You had a target that didnt move, and they had the opportunity to get a good look at pattern of life. Thats not always going to be the case. In fact, typically, that is not the case. That al-Zawahri was living in a Kabul neighborhood and not in rural Afghanistan as previously believed, tells you that he got really comfortable under the protection of the Taliban, said Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security firm. These entities work hand in glove, Clarke said of the Taliban and al-Qaida. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. The Taliban were quick to condemn the U.S. strike as a a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement," though they did not acknowledge that al-Zawahri was killed. The U.S. gave no forewarning to the Taliban government, which the United States does not recognize, that it was carrying out the operation. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan, and the region, the Taliban statement said. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on how, or if, the U.S. would hold the Taliban responsible for sheltering al-Zawahri. The Taliban have a choice now," Kirby said. And that is they can comply with their agreement under the Doha agreement ... or they can choose to be going down a different path. And if they go down a different path, its going to lead to consequences not just from the United States but from the international community." Kirby said the U.S. had already engaged with the Taliban about al-Zawahri's presence following Sunday's strike. The Taliban remain sanctioned by the U.S. government for their role harboring al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks. After the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul last summer, the Biden administration froze billions of dollars in assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank to prevent the assets from falling under Taliban control. Some of that money has since been freed for humanitarian aid to address the country's dire hunger crisis. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to congratulate Biden on the operation, but also made the case that it further indicates that Afghanistan is again becoming a major thicket of terrorist activity following the presidents decision to withdraw U.S. forces." Killing al-Zawahri is a success, but the underlying resurgence of al-Qaida terrorists into Afghanistan is a growing threat that was foreseeable and avoidable, McConnell said. "The administration needs a comprehensive plan to rebuild our capacity to combat it. ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed. Regarding Hsu controversy is manufactured (Open Forum, July 29): The Chronicles contributing columnist, Gary Kamiya, recently penned an article for the Atlantic with a subtitle that reads, The deep-blue city seems to have grown weary of the more radical elements of the new racial-justice movement. This weariness manifested in the recall of three San Francisco school board members and the district attorney. The attempts to censure and delegitimize school board member Ann Hsu border on bizarre, and The Chronicle is throwing gas on the fire. Anyone accused of racism is cast as villain extraordinaire. Reminders abound of the Cultural Revolution of Mao, when the intelligentsia were sent down to be re-educated. Stand your ground, Ms. Hsu. You have apologized earnestly. The continued attempt to fan the flames of discord and the requirement of deep-blue political correctness belongs to the same camp as the misguided school renaming campaign. Ron Blair, San Francisco CARE Courts are a start Regarding CARE Courts wont save S.F. (Editorial, July 30): Im left wondering if you understand that Gov. Gavin Newsoms proposal is aimed at the small slice of individuals who are severely mentally ill; those with psychosis who are unable to care for themselves. When in crisis, they are a danger to themselves, their families, prone to suicide, living with psychotic delusions most often in jail or on the streets. They are the least able to access what few services exist. The CARE Courts legislation requires counties to provide services and a continuum of care for the severely mentally ill as well as providing funding for mental health facilities in the state budget. More will be needed, but Care Court is a beginning. If we wait until the required facilities are built and ready to go, nothing will change. For the first time, since 1972, the proposal enables families to be involved in the decision making and help their loved ones suffering from psychosis to get treatment. It is needed because state law currently prohibits involuntary treatment and excludes families from the process. In the United Kingdom, even though the National Health Service is badly underfunded, it has a system of care for the severely mentally ill. Surely our wealthy society can do as well with that small part of our population who need it the most. Stephanie Allan, Berkeley Stick to firefighting Regarding 2,000-year-old redwood center of North Bay battle (Front Page, July 27): The plight of the 2,000-year-old Clar Tree shows which side CalFire is on. The agency is responsible for upholding the 1973 Forest Practice Act but is failing in its duty to maintain healthy forests. Not surprising when you discover the timber industrys influence on the regulatory process. CalFire approves virtually every timber harvest with often only minor changes. There is a complete lack of transparency and willingness to engage with the public or outside experts. Even former CalFire director Richard Wilson is calling for reform. Let CalFire focus on what it does best: fight fires. Lets leave the management of our forests to those who view trees as more than just crops to be harvested. Colin Baptie, Guerneville Tired of archbishop Regarding Archbishop urges Senate: Ditch gay marriage (Bay Area & Business, July 30): I wonder if Catholics across the Bay Area are saying, Weve had enough of older, white, celibate men telling us who we can and cannot love, what we cannot do with our bodies and how to define love and family. If Archbishop Salvatore Cordileones goal is to drive as many people as possible away from Catholicism, he is being successful. The second most powerful figure in San Francisco government repeatedly uses a racial slur while berating a sheriffs cadet. This is some N-word shit, he rants in City Hall. Rather than apologize, he advances a conspiracy theory about revenge. A newcomer to the Board of Education chooses her words poorly about challenges in our public schools, immediately apologizes, meets with affected parents and community leaders, and vows to do better. Which one of these stories has been Front Page news in The Chronicle and which one (Supervisor called out over racial slur, Bay Area & Business, July 30) was relegated to page 5 on Saturday? You guessed it: The powerful president of the Board of Supervisors, Shamann Walton, gets a pass. The Chronicle also trotted out a new policy: Chronicle editors determined that the comment met the publications definition of racist, because the remark employed stereotypes of racial or ethnic groups. And who did the editors apply this standard to? You guessed it again: new school board member Ann Hsu, who never uttered a racial epithet, never spoke out of malice and repeatedly apologized. Yet, shes the one being smeared. If Chronicle leadership cant see how offensive this double standard is, then we no longer have a paper of record in San Francisco. Lope Yap, San Francisco Stereotypes are harmful Regarding Hsu controversy is manufactured (Open Forum, July 29): As a historian and a teacher, it was disappointing to see the Open Forum on school board member Ann Hsu. Hsu is under fire for beliefs that have historical roots in the 1960s and 1980s when experts attempted to confer what is known as a badge of inferiority on Black students and their families. These ideas, known as deficit theory, have sadly become mainstream. Black families are continually characterized as uninterested in education, unsupportive of their childrens motivation to learn and acting as poor role models. Latinx families sometime suffer from the same damaging analysis. Treating an ethnic group as a subculture with an unchanging and stigmatizing set of beliefs and behaviors provides an excuse to dismiss their issues and to ignore working with students in an introspective way. It is these historical attitudes that further notions of educational poverty for those already considered disadvantaged. When the November election arrives, Hsus remarks should be remembered and refuted by the ballot. Susan Englander, San Francisco Hsu not fit for board San Francisco Board of Education member Ann Hsus statements about Black families were ignorant. How does she think people like Willie Brown, Amos Brown, London Breed, Shamann Walton and Malia Cohen, just to name a few prominent Black San Franciscans, reached their leadership positions? They probably would credit family support for a great deal of their success. Black parents have been encouraging their children to excel for generations. Its one of the primary reasons that historically Black colleges and universities exist in this country. As Amy L. Alexander and Rex Ridgeway point out in defending Hsu (Hsu controversy is manufactured, Open Forum, July 29), she appears to be a capable financial watchdog. Maybe the district should hire her to keep tabs on its money. (My guess is that Alexander and Ridgeway, who describe themselves as Black, had plenty of family support themselves.) But someone as ignorant as Hsu is about the sacrifices Black families make to help their children thrive, let alone survive, in America, is unqualified to play a role in the education of our students, especially Black children. Has Houston found the key to ending chronic homelessness? The city, which has a population of 2.3 million, has drastically reduced the number of homeless people counted every other year, and its collaborative housing-first approach has garnered national attention. Fixing Our City listeners and SFNext readers noticed and told us to find out what Houstons getting right. The result: In this episode of Fixing Our City, two Houston homelessness leaders outline their strategy and how they got everyone rowing in the same direction. San Franciscos top homelessness official responds with what could be learned and whats already in progress. One San Francisco service provider, Hospitality House, saw success transitioning an extraordinary 88% of its shelter-in-place hotel residents to housing using a strategy that in many ways paralleled Houstons. But case workers struggled with the citys assessment tools. Photo above: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner watches a formerly homeless man named Joseph open the door to the new home he got through The Way Home program in 2019. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UPDATE: U.S. declares monkeypox a national public health emergency Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a public health state of emergency in California on Monday in response to the rapid spread of the monkeypox virus, a move that will make it easier for the state to distribute vaccines quickly. The governors declaration will allow more health workers, such as EMTs and paramedics, to administer vaccines, and make it easier to hold community vaccine clinics. The emergency status is also designed to increase public awareness about monkeypox and could cut red tape as the state prepares to ramp up spending on efforts to fight the virus. California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach, Newsom said in a statement. His declaration comes five days after San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared an emergency in response to the monkeypox outbreak. The city has seen at least 281 people with infections, over a third of the more than 786 cases reported statewide. But Newsoms order cant fix the most pressing challenge the state faces fighting monkeypox: a national vaccine shortage. The governors move is designed to get whatever vaccines the state receives into patients arms more quickly. The crisis has been exacerbated by a shortage of available vaccines. So far, California has received 61,000 doses; health officials say it needs at least 600,000 to 800,000. Newsoms declaration states that allowing more medical workers to administer vaccines will substantially aid current and future vaccination efforts. By proclaiming an emergency, the governor can temporarily suspend a provision in state law that prohibits EMS workers from giving people vaccines. The order allows them to administer any FDA-approved vaccine, in any setting. California did something similar during the COVID-19 pandemic, when state legislators amended the law to allow pharmacists to administer vaccines. The virus is reaping an uneven toll on gay and bisexual men and transgender people in California. According to data the state released Friday, 91.7% of all patients whove tested positive for monkeypox have been gay people and 5.6% have been bisexual, though those numbers reflect only cases for which a patients sexual orientation was reported. Men have accounted for 98% of all cases, and the virus has most severely harmed men in the Latino community under the age of 44. Hispanic or Latino people are nearly three times more likely to get infected than white people, the states data shows. LGBTQ leaders have demanded the state and federal government declare a public health emergency in response to monkeypox, and many in the community have criticized what they see as a sluggish response. Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, applauded Newsoms move. He said while anyone of any sexual orientation can get monkeypox, the fact is that, monkeypox continues to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and queer men here in California and across the country. But Newsoms statewide declaration could have less impact than a federal declaration would. Last week, California Department of Public Health chief Tomas Aragon said the state is prepared to quickly respond to the virus because it has already built out and mobilized health systems to respond to COVID-19. Were in a much better situation to be able to deal with monkeypox than if this had occurred two years ago, he said. A group of Democratic state lawmakers sent a letter on Monday asking Newsom and legislative leaders to support a budget bill that would increase spending on Californias efforts to combat the virus. The lawmakers asked for $38.5 million to respond to the first 90 days of the outbreak, including efforts such as testing, vaccination and contact tracing. Monkeypox usually causes flu-like symptoms, along with a rash and dense, fluid-filled lesions. The virus is spread by intimate personal contact, including sexual acts and kissing. It can also be spread by sharing bedding or clothes, or potentially, breathing in close proximity. Although many cases resolve on their own, monkeypox can be quite painful and, in rare instances, can cause severe illness. Dustin Gardiner (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner A sheriffs memo that accused Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton of using a racial slur while berating a Black cadet at a City Hall security checkpoint continued to reverberate this week, with Mayor London Breed saying Walton should apologize and the supervisor threatening to take legal action over the incident. Walton, who is also Black, has disputed the memos characterization of events and insisted that he is being maligned because of his efforts to scrutinize law enforcement. Breed and one of Waltons fellow supervisors have said he should apologize for what Breed described as a very unfortunate and sad situation in an interview with The Chronicle. Breed said that even if Walton had not used a racial slur, the incident would be of concern. So far, Walton has stood his ground, declining to apologize and criticizing the mayor for commenting on the situation. The incident has inflamed tensions between Breed and Walton, a progressive who leads a board majority that has at times been at odds with the mayor over how to address San Franciscos most pressing concerns: homelessness, housing and public safety. It is also playing out as one of the mayors school board appointees, Ann Hsu, is under fire for a racist comment she made about Black and brown parents which prompted Walton to call for her resignation. Hsu faces a vote on an official admonishment for the comments at a Tuesday school board meeting. Walton was admonished by the Sheriffs Office after he allegedly used a racial slur multiple times June 24 while yelling at a Black cadet who asked him to take his belt off to go through a metal detector. A sheriffs official said in a memo that Walton said, it is N-words like you that looks like me that is always the problem and called security procedures some N-word shit several times. Walton has broadly pushed back on the version of events provided by the cadet and described in the memo, which The Chronicle reported on last week. He said the memo was an exaggerated account made in retaliation to his past attempts to hold the Sheriffs Office more accountable. Walton did not detail which parts of the description of the incident were inaccurate. Aside from Breed, most other city officials have not weighed in on Waltons comments to the cadet. Seven of Waltons 10 colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, which is on recess until next month, have either declined to comment or not responded to The Chronicles requests for comment. In her Monday interview, Breed said all city employees should be respected no matter their job and that an apology should occur. Its very concerning when someone is treated in a way that they feel has been disrespectful, Breed said. Especially when it occurs in front of other people, it can be quite demeaning. Thats the thing that Im most concerned about. Definitely, the use of that word toward any employee is not appropriate no matter what your race (is). People in positions of authority, whether theyre elected officials or managers of other people in the city we have to be held to a high standard, she said. We are responsible for policymaking. Were responsible for funding and resources. I think theres a lot of fear in someone possibly losing their job in a case like this. Though Walton is one of San Franciscos most powerful elected leaders, he cant personally fire the cadet, who does not directly report to the Board of Supervisors. Breed also stressed that theres good reason to have tight security at City Hall, referencing the 1978 assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk by former Supervisor Dan White, who entered the building through a window before fatally shooting both men. Its very important that people arent specifically targeted, of course, but I also think its important that the sheriffs deputies are consistent in doing their job to ensure that the public is safe no matter who the person is that comes through those metal detectors, she said. Walton, in a text message early Monday evening, largely referred to his original response to the Sheriffs Office memo, in which he said the events were in clear dispute and he would never expect the Sheriffs department to provide an accurate account of what transpired between two Black men. Their depiction of the incident is inaccurate and I may take legal action, Walton added in his Monday text message. I should have reported the consistent and constant harassment of this individual, and other cadets, over the duration of my tenure on this Board of Supervisors. I also believe the mayor should stick to commenting on all the corruption that has existed during her tenure. Walton did not respond to a text late Monday requesting he explain who he would target with legal action. On Tuesday, after The Chronicle published its story, Walton wrote on Facebook: Point of clarification: I will not and do not plan to sue the City and County of San Francisco over the incidents that transpired on June 24. Despite the non-objective viewpoints being portrayed through our media outlets. I continue to stand by my original statement. Walton didnt respond to a subsequent request for clarification. Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said in a written statement that the office fully stands by our cadet who was simply doing his job that day and has shown nothing but professionalism and grace in the wake of this incident. He said the office wasnt advised of any incidents between the cadet and Walton before that day and, if so, would have conducted an immediate investigation. If Supervisor Walton would like to pursue legal action, we welcome the opportunity to share all of the facts, he wrote. We expect our elected officials to live up to standards reflective of the respect due to all of our employees, no matter what work the employee does. We do not tolerate abuse of authority or bullying in the workplace, especially the mistreatment of a public-facing employee in such a public manner. The cadet, Emare Butler, told The Chronicle on Tuesday he stands by his account. Speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the Sheriffs Office, Butler said he had never had a negative interaction with Walton before the June 24 episode. Hes had issues taking off his belt, but its never been to this degree, Butler said. So I dont know where hes saying hes being singled out by me. ... Hes grasping at straws trying to save face for what he did. In his memo describing the June 24 incident as reported by the cadet, Undersheriff Joseph Engler wrote that Walton had been upset on prior occasions regarding going through security like everyone else and on slow days, the cadet would usher Walton through the checkpoint using a hand wand. But June 24 the Friday before San Francisco Pride was a busy day at City Hall and lines were forming, so Walton was told to take his belt off and go through security, Engler said. Butler told The Chronicle that his willingness to let Walton avoid having to take his belt off on slow days undercuts the notion that he was singled out. A person whos targeting you is not gonna try to compromise with you, Butler said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Another cadet at the Sheriffs Office, who said they were also present during the June 24 incident, told The Chronicle on Tuesday that the offices memo accurately described what happened that day and what Walton said to Butler. The second cadet asked not to be identified by name, citing a desire for privacy, and The Chronicle agreed under its policy on anonymous sources. Three of Waltons board colleagues Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Myrna Melgar and Matt Dorsey have commented on the incident. Peskin said he has metal in his hips that always sets off metal detectors at City Hall, but still rarely gets checked with a security wand and never has to take off his belt. I think my colleague made a mistake by not reporting this behavior by one person who seems to be applying rules selectively to one supervisor, Peskin said. When pressed on whether that alleged treatment justified the supervisors alleged behavior or language, especially given his position of power, Peskin said, People need to treat each other with dignity and respect. Hes not a direct report to the Board of Supervisors, he doesnt work for Shamann Walton. Nobody can get (the cadet) fired, nor is anybody asking to get him fired, he said. When asked whether Walton should apologize, Peskin said it depends on the cadets behavior. If indeed that person was harassing him, the answer is no. If it is not the case, the answer is yes, he said. Melgar said it was really unfortunate Walton lost his cool with somebody who has less power than him, but shes not condemning him for it. Were all humans. We all fail, she said. Do I think he should apologize to the officer he wronged or hurt? Yes, I think he should, she said. Dorsey, a former police spokesperson appointed to the board by Breed, said he didnt know enough about the incident to comment substantively. Speaking generally, however, and as a 14-year veteran of the City Attorneys Office, I know its very important that we all do our part to maintain a harassment-free workplace. Thats especially true for those of us in management or leadership roles, he said. J.D. Morris and Mallory Moench are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris @mallorymoench Editor s note: This story has been updated to reflect who was responsible for the written statement from the Sheriffs Office. The story has also been updated to reflect additional comments from Walton. Its been nearly 21 years since flight attendant Betty Ong picked up an in-flight phone and essentially let the world know that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had begun. The cockpit is not answering the phone and theres somebody stabbed in business class, she calmly told her American Airlines reservations desk. She stayed on the phone for another 23 minutes until 8:44 a.m. when her American Airlines Flight 11 smashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. So much has changed in the decades since that to some people, especially younger ones, 9/11 is mostly a history lesson. But on Monday, the past flared to life again with word that a U.S. military drone strike had killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri the man who helped plan 9/11 and has been the face of the terrorist group since Osama Bin Laden was killed 11 years ago, also by American forces. For families of 9/11 victims like San Francisco native Ong, the news ripped the scab open again. The only solace is that, after all these years, the families are somewhat used to that ripping. It happens with every anniversary of the deadliest terror attack ever on U.S. soil, and every time their loved ones names come up. The death of the second-most-notorious man responsible for the mass murder on 9/11 of nearly 3,000 Americans helps, the families say. But its not closure. I dont know how anybody else feels. but when I heard today that al-Zawahiri was dead in a way Im relieved, but Im still very sad that 9/11 happened at all, said Ongs sister Cathie Ong-Herrera, founder and president of the Betty Ann Ong Foundation in Bakersfield. With all those people getting killed? Why did it happen, really? I dont know if bin Laden being killed or this guy being killed really helps heal anything, because we still have a lot of questions, she said. Im sure it brings a lot of people closer to healing and, yes, I do find some relief. But we still need to know more about what happened. Dorothy Garcia Bachler, whose husband, Andy Garcia of Portola Valley, died on United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco, agreed. Flight 93 is commonly known as the Flight of 40 Heroes, for its passengers who charged the cockpit when they learned it was headed to the White House. The plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. This is a significant step forward, and is particularly significant to me and my family as well as the entire 9/11 community as we continue our years-long uphill battle for justice and accountability, said Bachler, who is remarried and living in Southern California. Many promises were made, but it is President Biden who has done what no other president has done in declassifying critical FBI investigative documents via executive order. These documents provide further proof of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias culpability in the 9/11 attacks. Our community asks President Biden to continue to stand with the 9/11 community and all those who seek justice by holding them accountable. The Ong family has chosen to channel its pain into helping disadvantaged children in Ongs name through a community center in San Francisco, 10 years old this year, and the 18-year-old foundation in Bakersfield. Every year we have a summer camp for kids ages 8 to 16 or so here in Bakersfield, and when I tell the kids the story of my sister, you can hear a pin drop, Ong said. After my speech one year, I heard the sound of little pitter patter running up behind me, and I turned around and there was a little girl. She took my hand and said, Its OK, Ill be your little sister. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. She paused. It really touched my heart, Ong said quietly. Kids still have that innocence in them, and seeing that while I work in my sisters memory makes everything we do at the summer camp and in the community worth it. Cathie Ongs husband, Ed Herrera, said on days like this, with news of al-Zawahiris death, he chooses to remember Betty Ongs sense of humor, and her courage. She was 45 when she died. When we went to therapy after 9/11, the therapist said you have to remember Betty only died once, but in your mind she dies every day, he said. Everybody processes it their own way. We did it by doing good in her name and having children become aware of the importance of loving, of fellowship. Thats what we focus on. Chronicle staff writer Sam Whiting contributed to this report. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate For more stories like this, check out The Chronicles weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. A judge has rejected a controversial plan to build out the Olympic Valley ski area at Palisades Tahoe with a new village, hotel and condominiums, dealing a blow to the resorts plans to create an expansive, full-season vacation destination in the historic ski valley. Alterra Mountain Co., which owns the Olympic Valley ski area (formerly called Squaw Valley), is determined to beef up the resorts profile. In 2011, Alterras ownership group, KSL Capital Partners, submitted a development plan to Placer County outlining a new 85-acre village at the resorts base area replete with 850 new lodging units, housing for up to 300 employees, 300,000 feet of commercial space, a parking lot and an indoor water park. Combined with a mountain gondola currently under construction that will link Olympic to neighboring Alpine Meadows, which is now part of Alterras rebranded Palisades Tahoe resort, those enhancements would establish a year-round mega-resort. Connecting the two ski areas will effectively create the third-largest resort in North America behind Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia and Park City Mountain in Utah, according to Alterra. But a grassroots opposition movement, dubbed Keep Squaw True (now called Tahoe Truckee True), quickly formed to block the Olympic Valley development, saying it was too big, would generate too much traffic, would exacerbate wildfire danger, and was out of character with the region. Placer Countys board of supervisors, however, approved the project plan in 2016. Opponents responded with a lawsuit, claiming the approvals ran afoul of the California Environmental Quality Act. The proposal has been tied up in court battles for the past six years. The new judgment from the California Superior Court in Placer County, issued July 29, orders the county to vacate and set aside project approvals for the development until it is brought into compliance with CEQA. The county committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion by failing to comply (with) CEQA when it approved the project and certified its environmental impact report, according to the ruling. Tom Mooers, executive director of Sierra Watch, a conservation group leading the legal dispute against the development, lauded the court ruling. This final judgment is spelled out in such clear language that Alterras project is dead, he said. Hopefully, what theyll do now is understand that its time to come to the table and talk about something that makes sense for the entire region. In a statement to The Chronicle, Palisades Tahoe downplayed the judgment as procedural. Under CEQA, it is the county not the courts that ultimately decides whether the previously approved project will move forward, the statement reads. The resort team is currently working with county staff to resolve the issues identified and re-submit the plan for public input. The new judgment does not affect the gondola, which is scheduled to open for the start of this winter ski season. In a statement to The Chronicle, Placer County said it disagrees with aspects of the Court of Appeal ruling, but is complying with the courts order, according to Chris Gray-Garcia, Placer Countys deputy director of communications and public affairs. Its our understanding that the project applicant is working toward remedying the areas identified by the court so that it can bring the project back to the county Board of Supervisors for evaluation. Gregory Thomas is The Chronicles editor of lifestyle & outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas YREKA, Siskiyou County Two more bodies were found within the burn zone of a huge Northern California wildfire, raising the death toll to four in the states largest blaze of the year, authorities said Tuesday. Search teams discovered the additional bodies Monday at separate residences along State Route 96, one of the only roads in and out of the remote region near the state line with Oregon, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. This brings the confirmed fatality number to 4, the sheriffs statement said. At this time there are no unaccounted for persons. Other details were not immediately disclosed. Two bodies were also found found Sunday inside a charred vehicle in the driveway of a home near the tiny unincorporated community of Klamath River, which sustained major damage in the McKinney Fire, sheriff's officials said. Its really tragic when a fire gets up and moves this fast and basically takes out a community. And thats what happened in the Klamath River area, Mike Lindbery, a spokesperson with the fires incident management team, said Tuesday. As flames raged over the weekend, Franklin Thom fled his home in the small city of Yreka where he grew up on the edge of a national forest in California. He made it to a shelter with his daughter and just his medicine, some clothes and his shower shoes. Unlike some others, he was told that he had escaped with his home still standing. Keep your prayers out for us," said Thom, 55. More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned in the McKinney Fire since it erupted last Friday. Rain helped firefighters as they worked to control the spread of the fire, but the blaze remained out of control, authorities said. The Northern California wildfire has burned nearly nearly 88 square miles, and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest. A smaller fire near the tiny community of Happy Camp forced evacuations and road closures as it burned out of control Tuesday. California's McKinney Fire grew to become the state's largest wildfire so far this year after it was fed by weekend winds gusting to 50 mph. Cloudy weather and scattered rain continued to help firefighters Tuesday as bulldozers managed to ring the small and scenic tourism destination city of Yreka, with firebreaks. Crews carving other firebreaks in steep, rugged terrain also made progress, fire officials said. The blaze was holding about 4 miles from downtown Yreka, population about 7,500. Weve got the weather, said Todd Mack, an incident fire commander with the U.S. Forest Service. Weve got the horsepower. And were getting after it. But lightning over the weekend also sparked several smaller fires near the McKinney Fire. And despite the much-needed moisture, forests and fields in the region remained bone-dry. Among those waiting out the fire at the shelter in Yreka on Monday was Paisley Bamberg, 33. She arrived a few months ago from West Columbia, South Carolina, and had been living in a motel with her six children, ranging in age from 15 to 1-year-old twins, when she was told to evacuate. I started throwing everything on the top of my truck, but had to leave many things behind, she said. Bamberg said she had just been hired at an Arbys restaurant and wondered if it will survive the fire. There might not be much there when we get back, she said. I dont know if I have a job. The kids were supposed to start school and I dont know if the school is still standing. Bamberg added: Im trying to keep up my spirits. I have six little humans that are depending on me. I cant break down or falter. About 2,500 people were under evacuation orders but Thom said he knew many people remained in Yreka. Theres still a lot of people in town, people who refused to leave," he said. A lot of people who dont have vehicles and cant go. Its really sad. Thom has lived in Yreka all his life but said it was the first time he had been threatened by a wildfire. I never thought it would ever happen," he said. I thought, Were invincible.' ... This is making a liar out of me. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The U.S. Forest service shut down a 110-mile section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and southern Oregon. Authorities helped 60 hikers in that area evacuate on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office in Oregon. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Monday to speed efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreak, becoming the second state in three days to take the step. Newsom said the declaration will help California coordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on where people can get treatment and vaccination. Well continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said in a statement announcing his declaration. Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, which can include hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as through the sharing of bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have mainly been men who have sex with men, though health officials note that the virus can infect anyone. Public health officials are clear: stigma is unacceptable and counterproductive in public health response," Michelle Gibbons, executive director of the County Health Executives Association of California said in a statement. The fact is that monkeypox is primarily spread by skin to skin contact and sharing objects like bedding or towels, without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal, and people usually recover within weeks. But the lesions and blisters caused by the virus are painful, and they can prevent swallowing or bowel movements if in the throat or anus. The declaration in California came after a similar one in New York state on Saturday, and in San Francisco on Thursday. Newsom's administration had said as recently as Friday that it was too soon for such a declaration. After pressing for Newsom to make such a declaration, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco hailed the governor's decision. The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it, Wiener said. Newsom's proclamation allows emergency medical personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the federal government. That's similar to a recent law that allows pharmacists to administer vaccines, Newsom's administration said. It said the state's response is building on the steps developed during the coronavirus pandemic to set up vaccination clinics and make sure there is outreach to vulnerable populations in cooperation with local and community-based organizations. California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses and has distributed more than 25,000 doses. We dont have any time to waste, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. She said the nation's most-populous county must use all available resources to speed the distribution of vaccines and help to those who have been infected. Newsom's office said Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine. As of last week, the state had expanded its testing capacity to process more than 1,000 tests a week. Critics have said the long wait for test results delayed treatment options. In San Francisco, Peter Tran was among hundreds who lined up sometimes for hours to receive the monkeypox vaccine at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Monday after the clinic was forced to close last week because it did not receive enough doses. Its horrible. Like this is a vaccine thats been out for such a long time. And like, its not even a deadly disease. Its harder to be transmitted than COVID. But the rollout of the vaccines throughout this nation is absolutely horrible, Tran said. I think the science shows that protection is greatly improved with the vaccine. So thats why Im doing it. And I honestly just dont want the lesions on my body. I heard the lesions are painful and leave scarring. So I think thats another motivation to go out and get it. Before making their own emergency declaration last week, San Francisco city officials were criticized for not responding rapidly enough to the outbreak. They, in turn, faulted the federal government for failing to deliver enough vaccines. The city received about 4,000 doses on Friday, enabling it to restart vaccinations, and hopes to administer them by mid-week, said Dr. Lukejohn Day, chief medical officer at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The city had 305 cases as of Monday, he said. The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency. Two anniversaries are in order for San Francisco's cable cars. It's been 149 years since Andrew S. Hallidie successfully tested a car he designed for The City and almost a year since cable cars resumed cascading down San Francisco's steep hills after a 16-month shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than mobile icons, these vehicles are the culmination of years-long work where engineers, painters and carpenters join forces to keep these antique vessels humming along city streets. From their Alaskan cedar ceilings and white oak bodies to the polished bronze bells, each cars component is meticulously made by hand. None of this can be purchased off a shelf, said Andrew McCarron, the carpenter supervisor of Munis Woods Cable Car division. We do have modern tools now, planers and everything, that make the job a little easier. But the guys have quite a few years of skill and techniques. Given the varying wear and tear that each car undergoes, car repairs and restorations need to be made periodically or every few days. Workers follow historic blueprints that have largely gone unchanged since the cable cars inception in 1873. Their last update, which came in the late 1970s, added structural reinforcements to the cars. Its basically still the same way it was back in (1873), said McCarron. Before a restoration process begins, each cable car is given an in-depth inspection in which they are checked for safety issues, material quality and loose paneling. Through the digitization of old photos, crewmates can zoom in on each cars intricate details and replicate them as closely as possible. The desire to stay true to form means that full-blown restorations typically take two to three years to complete. Crew members involved in their specific cars restoration will, behind the last panel, sign the body and leave hidden Easter eggs, usually pictures of the crew and other trinkets and mementos. Their hope is that other workers will discover these treasures when making future repairs. This is a product of them and the pride that they take in working on the car, said McCarron. Cable car construction and restoration starts at Munis Cable Car Carpentry Shop in Dogpatch, on the former site of the old Tubbs Cordage Co. factory. The location also houses the original blueprints for each cable car. At the shop, cable car beams, panels and slats are formed out of cedar and oak wood, which McCarron says is ordered in big raw form and then carved and whittled into shape. Finishing touches, such as painting the cars lettering and trimming, are made at the Cable Car Barn, which is housed within the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. McCarron, a self-described train buff and rail fan, brought his 40 years of carpentry experience to Muni in 2017. Previously he worked for the San Francisco school district, but a lateral transfer fulfilled McCarrons dream of coming here to help out and build cable cars, he said. For much of his tenure, McCarron has assisted in Munis latest project, the restoration of Powell Street Car 8. Powell Street Car 8, which was initially built in 1893, had been partially renovated by Muni in 1958. By 2006, the cars deterioration forced it out of service and the age-old car was sent to Dogpatch for rebuilding. Once rotten wood and rusted metal were removed, only the cars frame remained, but that was soon placed in storage. Years later, while walking through the Boneyard, a facility that stores retired vehicles, McCarron saw the wooden frame and identified it as Powell Street Car 8. When Muni needed to replace a cable car years later, McCarron put the restoration of Powell Street Car 8 on the table. The car was taken out and it was left out in the yard for years, until we were able to get to it back in 2018 and do the full restoration, said McCarron. Powell Street Car 8 was built from the ground up, with new wheels, slats and other body parts being added. Munis Special Machine Shop forged metal brackets and plates for the vessel. The cars livery resembles one of the two green and cream designs Muni employed on the Powell cars from 1947 into the early 1960s. Im proud of the guys and the way the car looks. They did a fabulous job, said McCarron. Powell Street Car 8 also saw some upgrades, such as the inclusion of a GPS tracking device that allows public transportation apps to log its arrivals and departures. McCarron said that it is kind of exciting, but also sad to watch cars he has worked on leave the Carpentry Shop and get loaded onto a lowboy trailer heading for the Barn. However, that mixed bag of feelings is replaced with excitement when he sees the cars rumble down the street. I think thats gold, and I think thats terrific that San Franciscans still support this system, he said. TAIPEI, Taiwan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, casting aside private warnings from the Biden administration about the risk that her high-profile diplomatic visit could stoke a new crisis in Asia and immediately drawing a sharp response from the Chinese government. A U.S. military jet carrying the San Francisco Democrat landed in Taipei late Tuesday, after weeks of speculation about her travel plans. Her decision to proceed with the trip shrouded in official secrecy until the last moment makes her the highest-ranking congressional official to come to the disputed island in 25 years, and sets up a tense standoff with China that U.S. officials said could lead to more aggressive military posturing. In a statement released after her arrival, Pelosi said the visit was a sign of the United States unwavering commitment to supporting the islands democracy. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy, she said. She added that the visit did not contradict U.S. policy on Taiwan. China, which bristles at any perceived challenge to its claims on Taiwan, had repeatedly warned Pelosi not to make the visit, and the United States had urged Beijing not to turn the moment into a crisis. After a telephone call last week between President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, the president of China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned Pelosis expected visit, saying that playing with fire will set yourself on fire. In anticipation of the trip, the government announced the countrys military would conduct new drills in the strait separating Taiwan and China, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. As the plane carrying Pelosi approached Taiwan, Chinese state media reported China had sent advanced fighter jets across the strait, a claim that Taiwans defense ministry disputed. After her plane landed, Chinas Foreign Ministry further denounced the trip, saying that it seriously undermines Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously undermines the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations and sends a seriously wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces. A separate statement issued by the Chinese Communist Partys Taiwan Affairs Office said any attempt to seek independence by Taiwan would be shattered by the powerful force of the Chinese people. Long a sore issue in a troubled U.S.-China relationship, Taiwan which has its own military and democratically elected government has emerged as the front line in a geopolitical showdown over influence and power in Asia. Under Xi, Chinas most powerful leader in decades, Beijing has taken more aggressive military actions in the region and recently made claims over the strait separating Taiwan and China. Xi has called for unification with Taiwan as part of Chinas national rejuvenation, even potentially by force. Over the years, the United States has sent a steady stream of senior officials to show solidarity with Taiwan. Recently, Biden said he would act to defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict, but White House officials have repeatedly walked back those statements, saying a long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity on the defense of Taiwan remains in place. Publicly, senior White House officials have said Pelosis visit does not indicate any change in official policy. There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesperson, told reporters. As Mayor London Breed raised the light blue, pink and white transgender flag over City Hall Monday, leaders and activists celebrated the commencement of San Franciscos first Transgender History Month. While this year marks the first official celebration, Mayor Breed signed the proclamation at the end of August 2021, establishing a yearly tradition of recognizing and celebrating transgender individuals from the past and present. It is so great to be here with all of you to honor our trans community in San Francisco with this extraordinary flag raising and to officially declare the month of August transgender month in the city and county of San Francisco, said Breed at a press conference. The choice to distinguish August as The Citys transgender month aligns with the anniversary of the Compton Cafeteria riots of 1966, which were considered the first large-scale act of resistance of trans women and drag queens against police violence, said Jupiter Peraza, who developed the idea for the annual history event and is the Transgender Districts director of social initiatives. San Francisco is a city that possesses so much trans history, said Peraza. I want trans history month to be an opportunity in which we truly celebrate with joy and happiness, the icons and the legends that came before us. I want to also let every trans person know that they are indeed special. They are incredibly valuable, and that this place, this world, this life would not be the same without them. Andrea Horne, a trans activist who has been archiving documentation of Black trans women, said that Trans History Month represents the creation of a new path for trans individuals in The City and that there wouldn't be so many people in this country trying to suppress the real history of our country if it weren't important. Another trans activist, Marcus Arana, who spent 10 years working with the Human Rights Commission to expand and protect trans rights across the world, spoke about trans history month as a mark of progress. I want to say to the mayor that these gestures matter, that you have had predecessors that have refused to raise the flag over City Hall. So these things matter, as we are talking about history. This is a moment in history, and it's a beautiful one. So I'm very grateful because this means something to our communities, said Arana. Pau Crego, executive director of The Citys Office of Transgender Initiatives, also underscored the historical nature of the moment. We all know that trans people are rarely mentioned in the history books, but we know that we were there all along, said Crego. Now as trans people, we have the power to write our own chapters in the history books, thanks to the huge progress we have made in terms of legal rights, visibility and addressing the inequities of our communities of space. There is no going back. We have never been more powerful as a community. The celebration comes as The Citys LGBTQ+ community is facing the spread of monkeypox at a disproportionately high rate. San Francisco will not be silent, said Mayor Breed in regard to the lack of sufficient monkeypox vaccines. We're going to continue to press our federal government to provide us the support we need. She continued, The fact that it has impacted the LGBTQ community disproportionately and things are moving as slow as they are is just sadly another reminder of why it's important that we continue to come together. We know that there's trans people all over the world who could not even dream that this would happen in their lifetime. So we are writing our own history right now by being here today, said Crego. Everything we do to grow stronger as a community is entering the history books as we speak. So let's continue to make history together, and happy transgender history month everyone. A former director of the San Francisco Arts Commission has been fined $20,000 after she admitted diverting grant money to finance a personal vacation in Hawaii. The grant had been intended for a local Native and Indigenous artist, and was awarded to fund a short documentary exploring pre-colonial connections across the Pacific. Instead, the money was used by former arts director Barbara Mumby-Huerta to pay travel expenses to Hawaii for herself, her daughter and a friend, a trip in which no work was ever produced. The fine, levied by the San Francisco Ethics Commission, brings an end to a years-long drama surrounding the misappropriation. A stipulation agreement, titled In the Matter of Barbara Mumby, details four ethics violations that each carried a $5,000 penalty. Mumby-Huerta admitted to giving assistance to someone seeking business with the city, accepting a gift from that person, failing to file financial disclosure forms, and lying to investigators multiple times. She resigned from her position as director of community investments with the arts commission in early 2020, subsequently worked as an affiliated scholar at University of California Hastings College of the Law and is currently a vice president at the Portland-based Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. The misappropriated grant money was never recovered. April McGill, executive director of the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco, said Mumby-Huerta's use of funds for her own purposes had left a void where a Native American artist's work could have been created. "It takes funds away for true San Francisco artists," McGill said. "There's not a lot of funding for Native and Indigenous artists that live in San Francisco." Mumby-Huerta ushered the $15,000 grant through the approval process despite her friend's ineligibility she lived out of state. The ethics commission found her actions to be "the worst violations of law and of the public trust." The $20,000 fine is the fifth-largest levied by the ethics commission since 2004, when it began publishing the data, according to DataSF. Mumby-Huerta did not respond to multiple email and voicemail messages seeking comment. Strained relations Mumby-Huerta's malfeasance caused further strain between some Bay Area Native and Indigenous organizations and the San Francisco Arts Commission, as well as divisions in the Native community, according to three people whose organizations have sought grants from and been involved with events planned by the arts commission. The American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco was one of the organizations that flagged Mumby-Huerta's behavior in a letter to the commission in 2019 but the authors felt their letter was ignored. "This is the thing with the arts commission: you can make all the complaints you want, they don't listen," said McGill. The arts commission said it did not ignore the complaints, but a review of a draft letter in response to the organizations revealed that Mumby-Huerta was invited to write the response, which offered a full-throated endorsement of her work. "The San Francisco Arts Commission takes allegations of fiscal impropriety very seriously," an arts commission spokesperson said in an email. "The SFAC takes all concerns and complaints received by members of the public seriously and will work to diligently gather all relevant facts and information to address and respond to concerns received in a timely manner." "This caused a lot of harm in the community," said Morning Star Gali, project director of Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples, one of the organizations that signed onto the letter complaining about Mumby-Huerta to the arts commission. Gali was also part of a panel that advanced the grant application, and she later attended the Hawaii trip with some of the grant money. She said she had been unaware that Mumby-Huerta had written the proposal when the panel reviewed it and was invited on the trip by Mumby-Huerta to help conduct interviews for the video project. But when Gali arrived in Hawaii to join the group, she said no production ever took place. "I was, like, this is not what I signed up for," Gali said in a phone interview. The art of grant writing Mumby-Huerta joined the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2014, according to the arts commission. In her role as senior program officer, she was credited with developing a grantmaking strategy, streamlining the arts commission's grants program, implementing an online grants management system, and creating an Artistic Legacy grants program. She also led a team awarding 200 grants every year. After a nationwide search, she was promoted to the role of director of community investments in January 2018, just months before the Hawaii trip began to take shape. "We have no doubt that she will be impactful in improving the health of San Francisco's arts sector and advancing racial equity in the arts and in our community," said then-director of cultural affairs Tom DeCaigny. But later that year, Mumby-Huerta authored the majority of a grant proposal for a friend, Kimberly "Avanna" Lawson, then manipulated multiple aspects of the application process, according to the ethics commission stipulation agreement, which Mumby-Huerta affirmed, as well as emails released by the arts commission as part of a public records request. The grant in question, the Individual Artist Commission, or IAC grant, is funded through the arts commission's Cultural Equity Endowment Fund and is earmarked for underrepresented artists who are residents of San Francisco. Applicants who claim Native or Indigenous heritage are reviewed by a panel described by the arts commission as "Bay Area Native American community members." The application The ethics commission lays out a timeline that begins with Mumby-Huerta authoring an IAC grant proposal for Lawson. The form was submitted with Lawson's name on Nov. 8, 2018. The pitch for the grant was to fund the creation of a short video trailer for a documentary about pre-colonial connections across the Pacific. Lawson indicated in a short phone interview that neither the idea for the project nor the idea to apply for the grant were hers and that she no longer considered Mumby-Huerta a friend. She then abruptly ended the interview and said, "no comment. I'm just glad this whole thing is over." According to the ethics commission, "the grant included the applicant's preference to be reviewed by a panel of San Francisco Bay Area Native American community members." Mumby-Huerta used her friend's Native American identity to skirt the residency requirement, according to emails released by the arts commission. The ethics investigation concluded that Lawson had rented a commercial studio in the city several years earlier but was a resident of Nevada at the time of the grant application. When a subordinate employee told Mumby-Huerta about the need for proof of residency, Mumby-Huerta replied in an email, "for the Native applicants I had agreed to accept lease agreements as an accepted form of residency," maintaining that the years-old studio lease had gone month-to-month and was in fact Lawson's residence. She went on to write, "I have also been to her studio in the past three months and can confirm this is her SF home address." The ethics commission found that to be untrue. Mumby-Huerta alerted her staff that this grant was to be considered "super high priority," and also negotiated an unusual, increased upfront payment. IAC grants are paid out in two installments, with 80 percent of the funds disbursed upfront, and 20 percent paid at the end of the project. For this grant, Mumby-Huerta had the arts commission release 90 percent of the funds upfront. The project was never completed, and the final installment was never released to Lawson. This meant that the entire upfront payment, extra funds included, was wasted. Mumby-Huerta offered to deliver the money directly to her friend. The ethics commission concluded that the $14,000 was just enough to cover the budget Mumby-Huerta had worked out for the Hawaii trip. According to the ethics commission, "documentation obtained during the investigation showed that prior to negotiating the initial grant disbursement of 90 percent, Mumby had drafted a budget for the trip to Hawaii that identified the cost of the trip as $13,500." She incurred one count of an ethics violation for illegally authoring the majority of the grant proposal, giving selective assistance to someone competing for a city contract. Another came after she was determined to have directly accepted $3,500 from Lawson for the Hawaii trip, which included Mumby-Huerta's daughter. The rest of the grant money, according to the ethics commission, was arranged to reimburse Mumby-Huerta and the others for the cost of the trip. "Mumby and others who participated in the trip absorbed initial costs and subsequently obtained reimbursement from the grantee. Specifically, all participants covered their own airfare, and Mumby in addition paid the costs associated with the vacation home, knowing that she would be reimbursed for her expenses through the grant monies she negotiated to be received by her friend," the stipulation agreement explains. The conclusions drawn by the ethics commission were made public after Mumby-Huerta signed a legal agreement stipulating that the fine was a reasonable penalty. The grant The 2019 IAC grant was awarded in May of that year. The project's goal was to "invest in a vibrant arts community," and it set a timetable for deliverables that would complete the project by June 2020. According to a summary of the grant proposal, which was released by the arts commission as part of a public records request, "SFAC funds will be used to support the creation of a five-minute documentary trailer to tell the story of migration and connections between Native Americans in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California and Native Hawaiians. The proposal named an award-winning, Florida-based videographer, Anesti Vega, to participate in the project. The grant proposal identifies a location shoot in Hawaii that would include interviews with community elders. "The shoot schedule will be timed around special community gatherings in order to obtain footage and imagery of appropriate traditional songs and dances to further draw connections," the proposal reads. The pitch praises Vega's experience and attention to the Native community, saying "he focuses on authentic, genuine and contemporary representation of Indigenous people." In a phone interview, Vega said he regretted becoming involved in the project and that he felt his name was attached to increase its chances of being approved. He said Mumby-Huerta had been his point of contact for the Hawaii trip and for all details of the project. "It was clear Avanna didn't know anything about what was going on," he said. What happened in Hawaii What happened in Hawaii in August 2019 is informed by interviews with two participants on the trip, Vega and Gali; a description of the events from Kimberly "Avanna" Lawson to the arts commission, and the ethics commission's own investigation. By all accounts, the experience was a disaster. Morning Star Gali, called it "Real World Hawaii: Native version." No shooting schedule for the team was ever produced, no locations were identified, and no interviews were arranged or conducted, Vega said. He said the only production that was done was on his own accord and that nobody ever asked him for copies of the footage that he shot. "This was a glorified vacation," he said. Vega said that when he brought up his frustration with the lack of production, Mumby-Huerta told him not to worry. Vega said that at the time he made it clear to Mumby-Huerta that he did not want a grant with his name on it to go unfulfilled. But he said Mumby-Huerta assured him that there was no problem because she would be the one reviewing the project. He questioned at the time how the grant for a local artist had been given to someone that lived in Nevada. He said he spent much of the time in his room with his wife, who had come along as his assistant. Staying in a house the ethics commission determined was rented with the grant money, Vega and Gali described scenes of booze-soaked lei-making sessions, partying with old friends unrelated to the project, and conflict at several turns. Vega said there was a helicopter tour taken by Mumby-Huerta and her daughter, and the ethics commission said grant money was used for a dinner to celebrate the pair's shared birthdays. Lawson's letter to the arts commission and Vega's interview described a trip full of infighting, disagreements among the group, and a total abandonment of any production of the film. A downfall, compounded Upon their return from Hawaii two key things happened: a public letter was sent to the arts commission by three San Francisco Native and Indigenous organizations raising a series of concerns about Mumby-Huerta and planning and funding decisions at the arts commission. The letter raised concerns about the trip being used to fund a vacation rather than an art project for a San Francisco-based Native or Indigenous artist. The city controller's office was also contacted through its anonymous whistleblower hotline. The letter was mostly authored by American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco board president Andrew Jolivette, according to Jolivette. He said the group had increasingly felt there was not enough collaboration in planning decisions and that the commission had become overly reliant on one person to make decisions about planning and funding for Native and Indigenous events. The letter urged the arts commission to investigate the allegations of misusing the grant. "I don't feel like they ever adequately addressed what we brought up and if they had maybe they could've avoided some of this coming out," Jolivette said. He said the groups thought the letter would lead to a reprimand or a warning and would hopefully influence the arts commission to implement better checks and balances. But the arts commission invited Mumby-Huerta to write and edit multiple drafts of a letter to directly respond to the organizations. Jolivette said he was surprised to hear that Mumby-Huerta was given the letter by superiors to directly respond to. McGill, the cultural center's executive director, said she was not surprised, given the ties between Mumby-Huerta and other arts commission leaders. "They had a very close relationship," McGill said. McGill and Jolivette, speaking on behalf of the AICC, called for the San Francisco Arts Commission to prioritize hiring staff and leadership who are Native and Indigenous and to collaborate more with representative community groups. McGill said she had been accused of being the whistleblower, which she denied, and said the entire episode had caused divisions in the Bay Area Native and Indigenous community. Both McGill and Jolivette said they were contacted by Mumby-Huerta's husband, which left them feeling uncomfortable. Jolivette said he saved the voicemail that was left for him, while McGill said she shared the experience contemporaneously with a friend who was present when she received the call. More ethics charges Mumby-Huerta resigned in January 2020, five months after the Hawaii trip. She was required to file two financial disclosure forms, which the ethics commission said she failed to do, and that drew the third ethics charge. The fourth, and final charge, came during the ethics commission's investigation, which determined that Mumby-Huerta altered documents that she attempted to produce to investigators on two separate occasions. Despite this, in 2021, UC Hastings hired Mumby-Huerta as an affiliated scholar with the university's Indigenous Law Center. A spokesperson for UC Hastings, Elizabeth Moore, said the role was a non-teaching position that lasted until June 30 of this year. She declined to say whether the school's leadership was aware of the pending ethics violation or whether a background check was conducted. Moore said Mumby-Huerta is no longer affiliated with the university, and by July 13 the webpage announcing her role had been removed. Portland-based Native Arts & Cultures Foundation hired her in July 2021 as the vice president of programs and partnerships, where she helps evaluate and distribute grants to Native and Indigenous artists. The foundation said it only recently became aware of the violations in San Francisco and issued the following statement in response to questions: "The foundation was unaware of these allegations and ongoing investigation during the recruitment and hiring process of the employee, and only recently learned of the matter. Upon receiving this information, the foundation took the violations seriously and began an internal review, which is ongoing, and is currently deliberating to determine the best path forward. It is NACF policy to not directly comment regarding an ongoing internal review." Drop the mic Jolivette said Mumby-Huerta's actions had consequences beyond the ethics fine. "To have caused factionalism in the Native community," Jolivette said, "this is damaging to the community." Lawson never completed the Rainbow Bridge trailer, according to the arts commission. None of the scheduled deliverables were submitted. She told the arts commission in an email that she was unable to repay the grant money and offered to complete the project in March 2021, nearly a year after it was due. The arts commission said that the commission demanded the return of the money in June 2020, but none was repaid. The matter was forwarded to the city attorney's office and to date no money has been recovered from the IAC grant. In January 2020, the arts commission announced to its staff that Mumby-Huerta had resigned, six days after the ethics commission said she presented altered emails to investigators. Mumby-Huerta's own message to former colleagues later came from a private email address. In her resignation letter, Mumby-Huerta wrote that she is leaving to "find new pots to stir," and concludes with an offer to her former colleagues at the arts commission: "Drop me a line if you want to conspire together!" In another message, Mumby-Huerta tells a former colleague, "I'm glad you appreciate my punk rock, dropping the mic and walking away move." Whether the mic was dropped or knocked from her hands, Mumby-Huerta's voice is no longer amplified at least not on behalf of San Franciscans. We present: The perfect, purple-loving, wireless bralette for every occasion, purrs the product description for the lacy Gia Contour lingerie on the Adore Me website. Throughout its website and promotional material, the online lingerie store confidently engages customers with text that is crafted in an inspired brand voice persona that the company calls spirited wing woman a trusted, yet adventurous friend helping shoppers explore sexy underwear and swimsuits. In the text above, and some other product descriptions and press releases, spirited wing woman is a robot writing without much human help. Adore Me has been a beta tester for Writer, a 60-person San Francisco startup that is releasing a new kind of artificial intelligence on Tuesday that can create crafted text based closely on a brands existing content from scratch. Robots write and edit a lot of what we read online. But up until now humans have dreamt up the idea for the content in the first place, turned the AI loose for a while, and then painstakingly edited the often flavorless or clunky results to give the text the brand voice of the company. Writers new product, called CoWrite, can go beyond that in two key ways that are really transformational, says May Habib, the startups CEO and co-founder. First, the CoWrite program analyzes a voluminous amount of a companys existing content. The CoWrite algorithm gobbled up 12,000 product descriptions before penning its text for the Gia Contour lingerie. The AI determines the typical format for that kind of content and creates an outline with, for example, a catchy introduction, two sentences of description, and a closing sentence with emphasis on a special feature. Then the program uses a finely tuned calibration to write what it predicts the company would say in its brand voice, based on previous writing. So if past product descriptions highlighted colors and environmentally friendly materials, the AI will do that again. The full description that the AI wrote for the Gia Contour is: We present: The perfect, purple-loving, wireless bralette for every occasion. Designed in chalk violet, Gia is the perfect addition to your lingerie drawer. Soft lace gives this bralette a sophisticated look while the wireless design and longline semi-off-the-shoulder sleeves make it super comfy for any day of the week. Shes also designed with floral lace made from partially recycled nylon thats both comfy andconsciously designed. Impressive, no? Congratulations, your spirited wing woman robot just helped you pick out a purple bralette. (The Adore Me site uses female pronouns for some product descriptions.) It kind of lives up to the dream of automation, says Ranjan Roy, vice president of strategy at Adore Me. Roy has compared sales of lingerie described by the AI versus sales of products described by a human writer, and found no significant difference between the two. That means Adore Me, a New York startup, can use its human staff to work on more complicated and strategic projects. The ability to take those hours and move people into bigger, higher impact and creative things makes a big difference, Roy says. Thats a key point, says Habib, the Harvard-educated CEO of Writer, who previously worked for the global think tank the World Economic Forum. Her startups writer robots arent taking over the jobs of knowledge workers, she says. The tech is allowing the people at companies to move beyond formulaic writing and focus on strategy and more creative endeavors. A lot of the content we are helping automate is the kind of work where the initial creativity comes at the beginning. Its in conceiving of the channel, conceiving of the campaign, conceiving of the newsletter. And then after a while, it becomes rote and you have built a body of work that youre proud of. And thats what AI is great at, you know, pattern-matching based on what you tell it to do very specifically. Habib says her startup, which has offices near Union Square, now serves more than 150 leading brands, including Spotify, Pinterest, Twitter and Accenture. Writers AI may already be helping you manage your finances with Intuit, or your medical benefits with United Healthcare. Heres another example of the CoWrite algorithm at work. See if you can spot which text was written by the AI, and which was written by a human. The prompt was to write advice for creating an engaging newsletter in the brand voice of Writer, Habibs startup. One sentence created by either the human or AI was: Inboxes are personal spaces. Rather than opting for a hard sell, your newsletter is a place for entertaining and educating your subscribers. The competing sentence created by either the human or AI was: Your newsletter content should be valuable to your audience. That means it should be helpful, informative, or otherwise useful to them. Can you tell which was written by a human and which was written by the AI program? The answer is below. Writer has raised $26 million in venture capital from heavyweight tech investors Insight Partners, and Gradient Ventures, which is owned by Googles parent company, Alphabet. There is also a very human side to the operation: Writers employees take joy in gathering at their offices on Geary Street, taking photos under their company sign to mark return-from-COVID days of a big turnout. And Adore Me points out that despite the AI-penned product descriptions, which make up only some of the product details on the website, their online text is lovingly penned by humans with a high-touch, personal emphasis on customer care. Quiz answer: The human wrote this guidance for creating an engaging newsletter. Inboxes are personal spaces. Rather than opting for a hard sell, your newsletter is a place for entertaining and educating your subscribers. The AI wrote this. Your newsletter content should be valuable to your audience. That means it should be helpful, informative, or otherwise useful to them. This article was written entirely by a human. We would never try to replace a Jeff Elder, Habib reassures the reporter. Although the AI, no doubt, thinks it could, while picking out a camisole that gorgeously matches your eyes. Abraham Mohammed leans up against a delivery truck parked in front of his Mission Street shop with resigned disgust on his face. Visitors to the Mi Pueblito grocery store can barely approach on a sidewalk crammed with vendors and street people. Mohammed emigrated from Yemen 11 years ago to find a better life in San Francisco. And for a while, he found it. Not so long ago, the corner of 24th and Mission was a community hub for Mohammed and his fellow shopkeepers and neighbors, close to transit and vibrating with city life. Now, the place has devolved into an open-air market that runs on stolen goods, drugs and crime. We run away from Yemen to try for more safety here, the 42-year-old tells me. But its worse. Thats a mouthful, considering the situation in the Middle Eastern nation. War. Famine. Strife. And it speaks volumes that todays San Francisco compares in any way. Its been two weeks since BART built a chain link fence around its station at the Mission District intersection, hoping to calm down a public vending situation that had grown untenable. The plaza that sits atop the stop had become overrun with people selling everything from laundry detergent to underwear to fentanyl. Simply put, it was an urban mess. So, did the fences work? Yes and no. The southwest corner of the intersection has become quite civilized, with permitted vendors selling jewelry and knickknacks and handmade curios. Across the way, on the northwest corner, its a free-for-all. People emerging from the BART/Muni stop are met with open drug use and crowded sidewalks packed with people selling what appears to be stolen goods. Soap, shampoo, shoes, socks, power tools, bicycles. You name it, you can find it there for cheap. But you wont find any permits. This is still unfettered commerce, sprinkled with a healthy dose of drugs and violence. Abraham says he has witnessed three stabbings at the site in recent weeks, which is about 100 feet from his storefront. He also says he saw a man with a gun. The police come in the morning and kick everyone out, said Abraham. Thirty minutes later, everyone comes back. Thats life at 24th and Mission. Supervisor Hillary Ronen, working with local community group Calle 24, supported the temporary fencing, which is expected to stand for 60 to 90 days. And so did many of the permitted vendors in the area. Milagros Lopez, a 48-year-old single mother who lives in the neighborhood, has legally sold sterling silver, gold plated and stainless steel jewelry on the southwest corner for the past eight years. She welcomes the fence. Its cut down on the people in the plaza who had made her feel unsafe. Its wonderful, she told me. But they make it only for three months. They try to stop the illegal vendors. Because many people, you know, they steal items in the stores and they resell it here. All the street vendors that I have here (on the southwest corner of the intersection), most are legal. We are like a small community, and we work together. This fence its more safe for us for many reasons. Because before that, its a lot of homeless people doing drugs behind me. They did many bad things, and looks very ugly. Indeed, all you have to do is look across the street and see what her corner used to look like. Shes not happy with the situation over there, and feels for her friends who are the only permitted vendor on the northeast side of the intersection. They sell flowers. Lopez is resentful of the newcomers selling stolen goods. I paid my taxes. Im legal in this country, she says proudly. I dont need support from this government. If I dont work, I dont eat. I am a single mother. And I love this country. And I appreciate The City. Because they helped me for many years to establish my business. That process of help is about to change. For years, vendors went through the San Francisco Police Department to obtain permits. Due to a new law, authored by Ronen and passed in April, vendors will now have to petition Public Works for permission to sell on the streets. The law went into effect in June, but the permit process has not been established yet by DPW, so the legal vendors wait. Its expected to be up and running this month, and current vendors have been given a moratorium in the meantime. I think that what has been great is that we have been able to do education before something has been implemented, said Susana Rojas, executive director of Calle 24. Usually, it just happens and thats it. Im really happy about that. DPW has also been in really strong communication with Calle. I think there will be a protection for those long-standing vendors, those selling jewelry and that sort of thing. In the meantime, the fence remains. And the wisdom of issuing vending permits through another agency remains to be seen. We work with the small businesses and the vendors, and we were hearing them loud and clear that they didnt feel safe, said Rojas. They really like the fence. The amount of people on the plaza has reduced. We know its not perfect. We know its not over. But at least we can see people are making a strong effort to make it safe. Make it like it used to be with music and vendors. Of course, like any situation in San Francisco, there is a dissenting point of view. Local resident Joshua Baltodano feels the fencing is discriminatory, and wrote a scathing editorial in the San Francisco Bay View titled Building the Wall in SF: Ronen and Calle 24 fence off BART plaza vendors, launch exclusionary permit system. In it, he argues the fences alienate and harm our community. I spoke to Baltodano, and hes coming from a good place. He cares deeply about the neighborhood. Ultimately, Im just kind of frustrated with the situation, he told me. Im a local here. I was just walking by and I keep seeing that fence. It just kind of pissed me off. It feels like youre an animal. Even when you go to BART, you have to go through an obstacle course. It feels classist; its us against them. Again, I understand his point of view, and I dont think anyone wants to see fencing surrounding BART plazas. As Rojas told me, she looks forward to a return to the good old days when you could smell food and hear music in the public space. But like many of the blatant quality-of-life issues in San Francisco, this isnt the story of unpermitted vendors. Or discrimination. Or equity. This is a story about drugs. Drug users are crowding 24th and Mission to sell stolen goods and fund their next fix. Thats the bottom line. Many of them have come from the Tenderloin where a police crackdown is pushing regulars to other neighborhoods. And the proximity to public transit makes it easier for vendors hawking stolen goods to go out on the prowl and return to this newly formed marketplace. They are crowding out and intimidating the long-standing vendors that ply their trade legally in the neighborhood. Joshua S., a self-described traveling man who recently arrived in San Francisco from New York City, explained the situation in plain English. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid prosecution, he said, The BART system is perfect for this. People just ride around to steal and come back here. The system is set up for it. He went on to say many vendors are now traveling to the East Bay to pilfer drugstores after Walgreens and CVS stores in San Francisco tightened security. He also couldnt believe how blatant the drug use is in The City. He described a man in a wheelchair asking for help shooting up. Joshua obliged, knowing his way around needles. But when a police car drove by, he started to run. The man in the wheelchair asked him why. They wont do anything. And thats part of the problem, too. The police seem to be turning a relatively blind eye to the situation at 24th and Mission, giving vendors ample time to understand the permitting process before clearing out the area. They make a pass once or twice a day, according to people I spoke to, but the offenders return quickly. And no one appears to be getting cited or arrested. SFPD and Ronen did not reply to requests for comment. Its bad for business. Its bad for us. We pay taxes, said Abraham, the grocer. Police cant do anything about it. I asked him why. I dont know? he said. Its crazy. BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) _ Geo Group Inc. (GEO) on Tuesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The Boca Raton, Florida-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $84.2 million, or 69 cents per share, in the period. NEW YORK (AP) JetBlue Airways lost $188 million in the second quarter, as fuel costs nearly tripled and wiped out a large increase in revenue during the early part of the peak vacation-travel season. The loss reported Tuesday was wider than Wall Street expected. JetBlue was unable to keep pace with bigger rivals, who posted profits for the quarter on full planes and higher fares. Shares of JetBlue fell 6% in late-morning trading Tuesday. JetBlue gave the financial update just days after reaching an agreement to buy Spirit Airlines for about $3.8 billion. CEO Robin Hayes said the deal, which JetBlue expects to close by early 2024, will increase his airline's earnings per share in the first year after closing. Antitrust regulators are already reviewing the deal, and it is unclear how long that process will take. Obviously we're not in control of the timeline, Hayes said on a call with analysts. He said Spirit shareholders who were poised to reject a merger with Frontier Airlines will likely vote in the next three months. In the meantime, JetBlue is counting on the addition of flights to London and a partnership with American Airlines in New York and Boston to help it become profitable. The Justice Department is suing to block the deal with American, saying it will reduce competition and hurt consumers. JetBlue also announced it will speed up the retirement of some smaller planes to save money. In the second quarter, fuel was JetBlue's largest expense, surging to $910 million from $336 million a year earlier. Labor costs rose 20%, to $695 million, as the New York-based airline hired more workers to avoid the high number of flight delays and cancellations it suffered in April. The quarterly loss compared with a profit of $64 million a year earlier, when JetBlue received federal pandemic aid that has since ended. The adjusted loss, excluding some non-recurring items, was 47 cents per share. Analysts expected a loss of 11 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey. Revenue soared 63% from a year ago, to $2.45 billion, about in line with expectations. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Kite Realty Group Trust (KRG) on Tuesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The real estate investment trust, based in Indianapolis, said it had funds from operations of $108.4 million, or 49 cents per share, in the period. Lemanieh/Getty Images/iStockphoto After torrential downpours hit Death Valley this week, washing mud and debris through the basin, motorists were warned not to drive in the area and here's why. A photo shared by Death Valley National Park on Facebook Monday showed a car swept off Highway 190, submerged in the mud. The era of extreme climate change is upon us. And in spite of the ecological horrors to come, white sharks are in their element, as population numbers on California's Central Coast continue to climb with rising water temps. A study on the migratory patterns of white sharks, two decades in the making, was recently released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It tracks the movement of the juvenile population of the apex predator and concludes that the great white shark is not only surviving off the coast, but its also in the time of an ever-warming planet thriving. These complete metadata sets can provide a vast amount of useful information to fisheries managers and other scientists, wrote John OSullivan, the aquariums director of collections and lead author of the study. The study tracked the patterns, including depth and geolocation, of 63 juvenile white sharks. OSullivan noted the potential now exists for the scientific community to tag and study other aquatic species. The juvenile white sharks seem to have found a new playground in a place rather unexpected yet close to home: right in Monterey Bay. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag The aquariums scientists have been working with researchers in Southern California and Baja California for the last 20 years, looking to learn more about the migratory behaviors of great white sharks in the coastal waters of those regions. They sought to figure out whether it was possible to study and exhibit juvenile white sharks, and then return them back to the ocean. But that was only the beginning. Learning about great white sharks, up close In 2007, for the third time in as many years, the Monterey Bay Aquarium placed a rehabilitating great white shark on exhibit. The shark was a young male brought to the aquarium after a commercial sea bass fisherman accidentally caught him three miles off the Ventura coast. Before the Monterey Bay Aquarium, no great white shark had survived in captivity for more than 16 days. The aquarium had two successful stays, followed by releases: one starting in 2004, for 198 days, and another in 2005 for 137 days. San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst N/San Francisco Chronicle via Gett Dubbed the White Shark Research Project, the aquarium has worked since 2002 to learn more about sharks, from rehabbing to tagging to monitoring. When the study started, the species was in major decline, mostly due to a shortage of food supply, as well as the proliferation of harmful fishing practices that often saw the sharks becoming collateral damage in nets and lines. The great whites have also long been a legendary pop culture icon, with their status as one of the top predators at sea. That has inspired trophy hunters and the illegal trading of their parts, especially fins. The research and display of the sharks also had a public relations benefit: It gave visitors a firsthand glimpse of the rarest, most majestic and most-feared underwater predators, and dispelled myths and biases that had been lingering in the public conscious since Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the first summer blockbuster. The aquariums first shark, a female, was the most powerful emissary for ocean conservation in our history, the aquariums executive director Julie Packard said in 2007. She couldnt have been more right. In its short stay, the shark became a global phenomenon. More than 1 million visitors saw the white shark between Sept. 15, 2004 and March 30, 2005. The aquarium reported that some visitors noted that they came away with a deeper appreciation for the species and the need to protect white sharks. Monterey Bay becomes a nursery habitat for juvenile white sharks With that success, the study then broadened its scope in attempts to learn more about the sharks, including where juvenile white sharks migrate and how they navigate and survive the perils of an overfished region and that of a changing planet. Prisma by Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Dr. Chris Lowe, a director of the Shark Lab at Cal State University Long Beach and a principal on the White Shark Research Project, told SFGATE the study took a turn in 2014-15, which coincided with a seismic change in the weather. We had this blob and heat wave El Nino of that year, he says, and suddenly weve got a newborn white shark and some young ones in Monterey Bay. We hadnt seen anything like that before. Oceanographically, its getting warmer, especially around Santa Cruz. Its opening up what we call nursery habitat for white sharks in a place that just didnt have that. In the early days of the study, he explains, most of the adult white sharks sighted in the water off Monterey Bay and the Bay Area including Ano Nuevo, the Farallones and Tomales Point were adults returning to those spots in late fall and early winter to feed mostly on seals. Its a primary feeding habitat, he says. Warming waters are expanding the range where juvenile great whites (which range from 5 to 9 feet and weigh several hundred pounds) can venture, with profound implications for ecosystems as apex predators move into places where they had not been seen before. Theyre here to feed on seals, and they might make a mistake While juvenile white sharks all the way up to mature great whites (which can grow up to 20 feet and 4,000 pounds) have no interest in humans or their daily activity, an accidental bite does occur from time to time, Lowe says. Part of the study is observing whats the risk, he says. Through tagging, telemetry, use drones we start to develop predictors when sharks and people are together. ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images In the waters off the coast of Southern California, Lowe says its not atypical to see up to 40 juvenile white sharks along a two-mile stretch of beach, interacting with people. Today, there were probably a dozen white shark interactions where they swim under the surfer,'' he says. What you dont hear about is people not being bitten. We have daily interactions, and they ignore people. On the Central California coast, the sharks especially the adults are there to feed on seals. That can result in an errant bite, as surfers in dark wetsuits are sometimes mistaken for seals. Some end in tragedy. In a 2020 incident off the coast of Aptos, where a 26-year-old surfer was bitten on the back of the knee, the bite ruptured an artery and resulted in the surfers death. Other incidents have happier endings. In June, a 62-year-old swimmer in the waters off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove was bitten, but he lived to tell the tale. Despite these incidents, Lowe says bites are relatively rare, especially considering the number of interactions. In the Central Coast, theyre there to feed on seals and they might make a mistake, he says. So we cant say that the same level or risk applies to the Central Coast in winter, but in Southern California, there are daily interactions and they dont seem to bother anybody. Great white sharks in Monterey here to stay for now Since waters warmed up in 2015, baby white sharks who typically have preferred the more temperate waters of Baja and Southern California have come to visit and stay in the coastal waters of Monterey. George Rose/Getty Images Prior to 2015, we never heard of baby white sharks here, Lowe says. So theres the pattern change. But then theres a population increase, too. He points out that for more than a century, the white shark population was decimated from overfishing and a lack of food supply. They were hunted to almost extinction in the early 1900s, he says. Since the 70s, the protection of seals and sea lions have shown pretty impressive recovery along with further protection for all marine species. In the 1990s, California banned gill nets (a ban still being litigated today) and the overfishing of species like swordfish, sea bass and halibut, along with other changes to antiquated fishery practices. But fishing restrictions and more humane practices do not fully explain why great white sharks are expanding their turf. And that last part, which the study acknowledges is a product of global warming, is the double-edged sword. Right now, nothings certain In 2021, as the study began to conclude that juvenile sharks were occupying Monterey Bay waters in ways that werent just a fluke and heretofore unseen. Kyle Van Houton, the chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, told the San Jose Mercury News, one thing that hasnt been here are juvenile white sharks. But in the past five years or so, that has totally changed. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Lowe expanded upon that point, saying the next part of the study will probably focus on learning more about the effects of climate change, not only on the current population increase of the sharks, but whether or not its sustainable. I would argue based on population increases were seeing even in New England, Australia, Mexico, that our current climate conditions seem to be very favorable, he says. While a population boom in a place like Monetary Bay signals a favorable habitat and food source, the long-term implications for the species may not be so rosy. As waters continue to warm in Northern Mexico and Southern California, those regions may become too hot to host juvenile sharks, who prefer water conditions no warmer than 84 degrees, Lowe says. So as migration continues, especially as a warming planet also makes biodiversity and food supply a challenge, it's possible the white sharks may move on if and when Monterey Bay becomes too warm or otherwise uninhabitable. Dave J Hogan Ten years, 20 years from now it could be a completely different situation and it can change that fast. Right now, nothings certain, Lowe says, noting that juvenile sharks can be spotted as close as 50 feet from shore in the Monterey Bay. A lot of the climate change weve been experiencing has benefited the white sharks so far. Now may be a good time to be a white shark people arent harassing them and Monterey is an amazing place. Its got an unbelievably productive, good juvenile habitat. The fact that we have juvenile white sharks in Monterey year after year suggests they have a food resource. These things can travel thousands of miles. If they dont like conditions and theres no food, theyll travel somewhere else. I cant see the downside for the white sharks yet, and it seems like numbers keep going. When Disneyland reopened after the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, many guests were dismayed that beloved programs like Extra Magic Hours and the Magic Morning hour for Disney hotel guests were discontinued. But it appears Mickey was listening because starting August 8, those visiting the companys Anaheim parks can get in a few more attractions each day thanks to the start of early entry at the Disneyland Resort. So what do you need to know before trying to get into Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park early? And how early should you actually get to the resorts to take full advantage of this extra time? Keep reading for everything you need to know about Disneylands early entry, so you can make the most out of your visit. RBL/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Which Anaheim hotels offer Disneyland early entry? Early entry is reserved for those guests staying at one of the three official Disneyland Resort hotels: the Disneyland Hotel, Disneys Grand Californian Resort and Spa or Disneys Paradise Pier Hotel. Guests will need to be checked in at the time of early-entry admission, so be sure to go to your hotel first if youre taking an early flight, or use the Disneyland app to check in online. When you get in line at either park, you will also have to show proof that you are staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels. Travelers staying at one of the many so-called good neighbor hotels near the parks (ones not owned by Disney) are not eligible to take part in early access at Disneyland Resort. What time does Disneyland early entry start? Early entry starts 30 minutes before the parks regular opening time. So if the stated time for the parks opening is 8 a.m., then early entry will start at 7:30 a.m. One thing to be aware of, though, is that arriving at 7:30 a.m. will likely put you at the back of a very long line of other hotel guests on the esplanade who are also trying to get into the parks before the normal opening. To get the most out of Disneyland early entry, visitors should be in line at their chosen park no later than 45 minutes before early entry starts this means arriving at 6:45 a.m. for a park that would normally open at 8 a.m. Arriving at this time, will help ensure youre closer to the front of the line and can use the full 30 minutes of time allowed by early entry. Which Disneyland parks offer early entry? Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park are both offering early entry. The park you line up for in the morning will be the same one you have a park reservation for that day. So if you have a park reservation for Disneyland Park, then you will be able to enter that park 30 minutes early. What attractions are open during Disneyland early entry? Many fan-favorite attractions will be open at both parks during early entry. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are the only two lands that open for early entry at Disneyland Park. We recommend getting in line for Space Mountain as early as possible because after the park opens the wait times get long very quickly. MediaNews Group/Orange County Re/MediaNews Group via Getty Images At Disney California Adventure Park, the early-entry attraction list is a little more varied, with rides to enjoy in Avengers Campus, Cars Land and Pixar Pier. Your top priority should be either Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout!, or the Incredicoaster since both attractions are popular and are known for having long wait times throughout the day. To see a full list of attractions that are open during early entry, visit the Disneyland website. Are shopping and dining options open during early entry? Some shopping and dining options are open during early entry. If youre a fan of Disneyland merch and want to get your hands on limited-release items, this would be a great time to do that. Even if the store doesnt officially start selling limited-release items until the park is open to all guests, getting in line early will give you a big advantage. Those who get a little peckish in the morning can head to places like the Fantasyland Fruit Cart at Disneyland Park or the Cappuccino Cart at Disney California Adventure Park for a pick-me-up before any planned, or unplanned, dining reservations. What does early entry mean for Disney Genie Plus users? If you want to take advantage of Disney Genie Plus and Individual Lightning Lane services, you can begin purchasing and booking your spot in line for participating attractions once you enter the park during the early-entry period. Just know that the times the system offers for selection wont begin until after the official park opening since there are no Genie Plus or Individual Lightning Lane time slots offered during the early-entry period. Which Disneyland attraction should you book first on Disney Genie Plus? Assuming you followed our advice to get on Space Mountain during the early-entry period, we suggest booking Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Haunted Mansion or Indiana Jones Adventure as your first Disney Genie Plus reservation for the day since these rides book up quickly. MediaNews Group/Orange County Re/MediaNews Group via Getty Images Which California Adventure Park attraction should you book first on Disney Genie Plus? If you were able to get on both of our suggested attractions during early entry, consider booking Soarin Around the World or Toy Story Midway Mania as your first Disney Genie Plus selection of the day at Disney California Adventure. Both of these rides can incur long wait times in the first few hours of the park being open to the general public. The federal government on Monday announced proposed new regulations that would force food processors to reduce the amount of salmonella bacteria found in some raw chicken products or risk being shut down. The proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. That includes many frozen foods found in grocery stores, including chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kyiv products that appear to be cooked through but are only heat-treated to set the batter or breading. The agency notified producers of the proposed changes on Friday. USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin said it marks the beginning of a broader agency effort to curtail illnesses caused by the salmonella bacteria, which sickens 1.3 million Americans each year. It sends more than 26,000 of them to hospitals and causes 420 deaths, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Food is the source for most of those illnesses. The CDC says approximately one in every 25 packages of chicken sold at grocery stores contains salmonella bacteria. Since 1998, breaded and stuffed raw chicken products have been associated with 14 salmonella outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses, the USDA said in a statement. An outbreak last year tied to frozen breaded raw chicken products caused 36 illnesses in 11 states and sent 12 people to hospitals. The USDA currently has performance standards that poultry processing plants have to meet to reduce contamination, but the agency cannot stop products from being sold. There is also no adequate testing system to determine levels of salmonella in meat, Eskin said. The proposed new rules require routine testing at chicken processing plants. Products would be considered adulterated when they exceed a very low level of salmonella contamination and would be subject to regulatory action, including shuttering plants that fail to reduce salmonella bacteria levels in their products, Eskin said. This action and our overall salmonella initiative underscore our view that our job is to ensure that consumers dont get sick from meat and poultry products, she said. They shouldnt be sold if theyre contaminated to the degree that people get sick. In 1994, the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service took a similar step by declaring some strains of E. coli a contaminant in ground beef and launched a testing program for the pathogen. Eskin said the agency met with food safety experts and poultry processors for ideas on how to reduce contamination in processing. The National Chicken Council, the trade association for chicken producers and processors, said it is concerned about the precedent set by the abrupt shift in federal policy. It has the potential to shutter processing plants, cost jobs, and take safe food and convenient products off shelves. Were equally concerned that this announcement was not science-based or data-driven, said spokeswoman Ashley Peterson. She said the government already has the regulatory and public health tools to work with the industry to ensure product safety, adding that companies producing chicken meat have invested millions of dollars and have worked for more than a decade to reduce salmonella in raw chicken. A representative of Tyson Foods said the company would withhold comment until it received details of the new USDA rule. Diana Souder, a spokeswoman for Maryland-based Perdue Farms, also declined to comment but pointed out that the company belongs to the Coalition for Poultry Safety Reform, a group formed last year to work with USDA and others to reduce foodborne illnesses from salmonella contamination. The new rules will be published in the Federal Register this fall and the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service will seek public comment before finalizing the rules and setting a date for implementation. Oaklands Hotbird restaurant, best known for its spicy chicken sandwich, is in need of a new door after an early morning break-in. On Sunday, Hotbird shared an image in an Instagram story of the damages made to its front door with a caption that read, Trying to open a restaurant with covid and inflation is hard enough this sucks. Co-owner Aaron Nam told SFGATE that the burglary happened around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday when an individual smashed the glass door and entered the restaurant. He said that the burglar took off with a small amount of cash and beer. The alarm went off and he was in and out in about three minutes, Nam said. It is frustrating as a small business owner to deal with this and to see our livelihoods put on hold. Its the last thing you want to deal with when running a restaurant. Courtesy of Aaron Nam Courtesy of Aaron Nam Hotbird, located at 1951 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, was burglarized in an early morning break-in on Sunday, July 30, 2022. (Courtesy of Aaron Nam) Hotbird, located at 1951 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, was burglarized in an early morning break-in on Sunday, July 30, 2022. (Courtesy of Aaron Nam) Nam didnt learn about the incident until around 7 a.m. when he said that cleaning crews arrived at Hotbird and shared photos of the vandalism with him. The images showed that the entire glass piece of one of the front doors had been cracked in its entirety and pushed inside the restaurant. Oakland Police arrived later that morning around 11 a.m. and took a report, Nam said. The event has been vexing but not shocking to Nam who said that break-ins have become prevalent around the Bay Area. Last Thursday, San Franciscos Black Cat jazz club was broken into by two dozen looters who allegedly looted the venue for five hours and subsequently stole music equipment and champagne. In mid-July, Flavor Brigade, a frozen dessert shop in Oakland, announced that it was temporarily closing following damages made by a driver that rammed his car into the shop's front entrance. The perpetrators took off with about $530 in cash and left more than $100,000 worth of damages. Nam said that he isnt sure how much it will set him back to replace the damaged door that is currently boarded up, but he said that they wouldnt need to close in order to swap it. He added that he is thankful no one was hurt. We love being in the heart of Oakland because theres great food, art and music, Nam said. We just want to continue and move on. The Giants aren't landing Juan Soto after all. That's tolerable news for Giants fans, even a day after a tantalizing report that San Francisco was a "sleeper team" in the Soto sweepstakes. What isn't tolerable: Soto is headed to their division rival, who acquired a megastud young hitter for a mere pile of prospects, and may have even got the Nationals to take back a hefty contract in the process. The Padres are "finalizing" a deal for Soto and first baseman Josh Bell, according to multiple reports. The exact package is unclear but centers MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams and Eric Hosmer and a group of obscure prospects; none of those players are Juan Soto, who has finished in the top five in MVP voting the past two years. Soto's combination of youth and excellence makes him a true generational talent. At 23, he's two full years younger than Joey Bart, for example. The disgraceful teardown in Washington is complete. Two of the Giants' division rivals were able to capitalize, as the Dodgers added Trea Turner (and briefly, Max Scherzer) last year and now the Padres have Soto through at least 2025. Turner and Central California's Aaron Judge are free agents this winter. Without adding at least one of them, it's hard to see the Giants as a serious contender in a division that includes these stacked Padres and Dodgers teams. The gap between the Giants and greatness was underscored Monday night, as the Dodgers cruised to an 8-2 win at Oracle Park. It was the fifth straight time the Dodgers beat the Giants. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate EAST HARTFORD In the days since the drowning of 16-year-old Tresor Boroze at Terry Pool, police are still working to piece together what led to his death. Boroze and a group of friends entered the pool area after hours last Thursday. Police said they have no plans of opening a criminal investigation into the incident, calling it a tragic accident. However, East Hartford Police Sgt. Richard Dube said he and other officers have been in contact with Borozes family as well as the peers he was with the night of his death to determine what happened. Terry Pool does not have security cameras. Dube said he was not aware of any videos taken by the teens the night of the incident. Dube said security footage from nearby homes did not provide any insight to what led Boroze, who could not swim, to leap off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. The kids said they were encouraging him to stay to the side of the pool and then it was described that he got out and decided to do something completely out of the norm jump off the diving board, Dube said. All witness interviews indicate that Borozes friends were aware that he was not a strong swimmer, Dube said. When East Hartford Police arrived, Boroze was already removed from the water by a peer, Dube said. Witnesses reported he was submerged for a couple minutes, Dube said. He was pronounced dead at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. Witnesses in the area, the houses across the street that we had spoken to, described a situation that was very jovial, Dube said. It sounded like kids having a really good time until it wasnt anymore. Then they heard screaming and people panicking and thats when they notified police. Boroze was going to enter his junior year at East Hartford High School. Our deepest condolences go out to Tresors family, friends and the entire East Hartford High School Hornet community during this difficult time, the school district said in a statement. As we all process this loss, we are asking East Hartford parents to speak to their children about this unfortunate news and let us know how we can help. The Boroze family did not respond to requests for comment. In 2022 so far, there have been 13 fatal drownings in Connecticut compared with 18 in all of 2021. On a recent July evening in San Francisco, visitors to the Aquatic Park Cove were treated to a view of a not-so-distant future one in which global water levels have risen dramatically, mutant fish have replaced humans as the dominant species and a few intrepid humans dare to travel on a ramshackle boat performing for whoever happens to gather along the shore. This dystopian storyline was created by Flotsam, a floating river circus that performed in front of a full beach of spectators. The playful, hour-long show features a cast of nine gallivanting around their makeshift vessel, performing circus tricks, aerial antics and puppetry to a vaudeville-style soundtrack provided by a band featuring violin, trumpet, percussion and accordion. Jason Webley plays the accordion and serves as the ringleader of the show. My hope is that its something other than a variety circus show, Webley says. Something that feels light and like a fairy tale, and has whimsy and audience engagement. And in some way kind of nods to the crises of this time without either being didactic or wallowing in them. Justin Benttinen Webley, who lives on a houseboat he built on the Snohomish River in Washington, worked as a touring solo musician for 15 years before founding Flotsam. He also designed the boat used in the show. Its all designed to look kind of like an anachronism, like it sits outside of time, Webley says. But also needs to be able to be taken apart, loaded up and moved from place to place and reassembled. Its terrifically inconvenient. The project began in 2019 with a tour of the Willamette River in Oregon, starting in Corvallis and finishing in Portland. COVID caused the group to cancel a trip to the Ohio River in 2020, then last summer they performed in the Seattle area, where many of the group members are based. This summer the group toured through Northern California, starting with a pair of shows in Sacramento before heading through Walnut Grove, Rio Vista, Bethel Island, Stockton, Delta Loop, Richmond, Oakland and finally concluding with a pair of shows in San Francisco. Maria del Monaco David Horvitz A performance by the Flotsam river circus. Credit: David Horvitz, Maria del Monaco Between shows, a few cast members typically sleep on the boat for security purposes. For a homemade vessel, the boat functions admirably as transportation, even if it occasionally needs to be disassembled along the way to avoid more turbulent seas. As a boat, it actually handles surprisingly well. It's pretty nimble. But it's a river boat, so its meant to be on relatively flat water, Webley says. Its spooky taking it out where theres any real chop, which is why we had some help going from the delta to the bay. Typically, Flotsam operates without any permits, arriving at locations with little advance notice and taking a forgiveness-rather-than-permission approach. But given that Aquatic Park Cove is part of the national park system, they reached out for a permit and found the process to be easier and more affordable than expected. According to Webley, both SF shows had over a thousand people in attendance, filling the concrete bleachers along the water. David Horvitz Justin Benttinen Maria del Monaco David Horvitz A performance by the Flotsam river circus. Credit: Justin Benttinen, David Horvitz, Maria del Monaco Although the circus hasnt yet repeated the same route, several members of the cast have roots in the Bay Area, so theres a chance the floating circus may return. But as for the next full tour, Webley hopes to hit the upper Mississippi next, and eventually would love to take the show to Europe. Despite being a free show, the donations collected after the performance go a long way, making the endeavor more than just a fun adventure. The most important thing to me right now is that all the performers get paid as well as possible and that we have energy and momentum to carry us to the next thing, he says. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CAIRO (AP) The doors of jihad opened for Ayman al-Zawahri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan. With that offer in 1980, al-Zawahri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, al-Qaida, after the death of Osama bin Laden. Already an experienced militant who had sought the overthrow of Egypts infidel regime since the age of 15, al-Zawahri took a trip to the Afghan war zone that was just a few weeks long, but it opened his eyes to new possibilities. What he saw was the training course preparing Muslim mujahedeen youth to launch their upcoming battle with the great power that would rule the world: America, he wrote in a 2001 biography-cum-manifesto. Al-Zawahri, 71, was killed over the weekend by a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced the death Monday evening. The strike is likely to lead to greater disarray within the organization than did bin Ladens death in 2011, since it is far less clear who his successor would be. Al-Zawahri was crucial in turning the jihadi movement to target the United States as the right-hand man to bin Laden, the young Saudi millionaire he met in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Under their leadership, the al-Qaida terror network carried out the deadliest attack ever on American soil, the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made bin Laden Americas Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. While bin Laden came from a privileged background in a prominent Saudi family, al-Zawahri had the experience of an underground revolutionary. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought tactics and organizational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. Bin Laden always looked up to him, said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown University. When the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan demolished al-Qaidas safe haven and scattered, killed and captured its members, al-Zawahri ensured al-Qaidas survival. He rebuilt its leadership in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and installed allies as lieutenants in key positions. He also became the movements public face, putting out a constant stream of video messages while bin Laden largely hid. With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and a prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he was notoriously prickly and pedantic. He picked ideological fights with critics within the jihadi camp, wagging his finger scoldingly in his videos. Even some key figures in al-Qaidas central leadership were put off, calling him overly controlling, secretive and divisive a contrast to bin Laden, whose soft-spoken presence many militants described in adoring, almost spiritual terms. Yet he reshaped the organization from a centralized planner of terror attacks into the head of a franchise chain. He led the creation of a network of autonomous branches around the region, including in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Asia. In the decade after 9/11, al-Qaida inspired or had a direct hand in attacks in all those areas as well as Europe, Pakistan and Turkey, including the 2004 train bombings in Madrid and the 2005 transit bombings in London. More recently, the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen has proven itself capable of plotting attacks on U.S. soil with an attempted 2009 bombing of an American passenger jet and an attempted package bomb the following year. After Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, al-Qaida proclaimed al-Zawahri its paramount leader less than two months later. The jihad against America does not halt with the death of a commander or leader, he said. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings around the Mideast threatened a major blow to al-Qaida, showing that jihad was not the only way to get rid of Arab autocrats. It was mainly pro-democracy liberals and leftists who led the uprising that toppled Egypts President Hosni Mubarak, the longtime goal al-Zawahri failed to achieve. But al-Zawahri sought to co-opt the wave of uprisings, insisting that they would have been impossible if the 9/11 attacks had not weakened America. And he urged Islamic hard-liners to take over in the nations where leaders had fallen. Al-Zawahri was born June 19, 1951, the son of an upper-middle-class family of doctors and scholars in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. From an early age, he was enflamed by the radical writings of Sayed Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who taught that Arab regimes were infidel and should be replaced by Islamic rule. In the 1970s, as he earned his medical degree as a surgeon, he was active in militant circles. He merged his own militant cell with others to form the group Islamic Jihad and began trying to infiltrate the military at one point even storing weapons in his private clinic. Then came the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic Jihad militants. The slaying was carried out by a different cell in the group and al-Zawahri has written that he learned of the plot only hours before the assassination. But he was arrested along with hundreds of other militants and served three years in prison. After his release in 1984, al-Zawahri returned to Afghanistan and joined the Arab militants from across the Middle East fighting alongside the Afghans against the Soviets. He courted bin Laden, who became a heroic figure for his financial support of the mujahedeen. Al-Zawahri followed bin Laden to his new base in Sudan, and from there he led a reassembled Islamic Jihad group in a violent campaign of bombings aimed at toppling Egypts U.S.-allied government. The Egyptian movement failed. But al-Zawahri would bring to al-Qaida the tactics that he honed in Islamic Jihad. He promoted the use of suicide bombings, to become al-Qaidas hallmark. He plotted a 1995 suicide car bombing of Egypts embassy in Islamabad that killed 16 people presaging the more devastating 1998 al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200, attacks al-Zawahri was indicted for in the United States. In 1996, Sudan expelled bin Laden, who took his fighters back to Afghanistan, where they found a safe haven under the radical Taliban regime. Once more, al-Zawahri followed. ___ Former Associated Press Writer Adam Goldman in Washington contributed to this story. Currently Reading Alert: California's governor declares state of emergency over monkeypox, becoming the 2nd state in 3 days to take the step LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) A Kentucky appeals court has reinstated a near-total abortion ban that took effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The ruling means most abortions are illegal in the state, for now. Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked the court for an emergency stay, which blocked a lower court's ruling. That ruling by a Louisville judge last month put two abortion bans on hold so the courts could determine if they violate Kentucky's constitution. The state's two clinics issued a media release Monday night declaring abortion is now banned in Kentucky, and said they began canceling scheduled procedures. The ruling will be appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Tonight, in one fateful moment, Kentuckians saw their reproductive freedom stolen by their elected officials," said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It is devastating and cruel. But the fight is not over. The appeals court said the ban should take effect, even if the laws are in dispute, because in Kentucky, a statute carries with it the presumption of constitutionality. Kentucky's legislature passed a trigger law" banning nearly all abortions, except when the health of the mother is threatened, if Roe was overturned. Lawmakers also passed a separate 6-week ban that the clinics also challenged. The lower court judge, Mitch Perry, ruled on July 22 that there is a substantial likelihood that Kentuckys new abortion laws violate the rights to privacy and self-determination protected by Kentuckys constitution. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) Republican Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers lost his bid for a state Senate seat after refusing then-President Donald Trumps pleas to help overturn the 2020 election results and testifying before Congress about the efforts. Bowers tried to move to the state Senate because of term limits. He lost to former state Sen. David Farnsworth, who criticized him for refusing to help Trump or go along with a contentious 2021 audit that Republican leaders in the Senate commissioned. Farnsworth automatically will win the Senate seat because no Democrat is running in the heavily Republican district. Bowers faced an uphill battle in the eastern Phoenix suburb of Mesa, especially after the state Republican Party censured him following his June testimony before the panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress and Trump endorsed Farnsworth. Im well aware that Im highly distrusted, Bowers told The Associated Press before the election. My district is a very Trump district, and who knows how this is all going to work out. And if it doesnt work out, great, Id do it all again the same way, Bowers said. Trump pressured Bowers to help with a plan to replace electors committed to now-President Joe Biden during a phone call weeks after Trump lost the 2020 election. Bowers refused. Bowers insisted on seeing Trumps evidence of voter fraud, which he said Trumps team never produced beyond vague allegations. He recalled Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani later told him, Weve got lots of theories, we just dont have the evidence. Bowers is a conservative Republican, but Farnsworth said hes not conservative enough and has become less so since becoming speaker following the 2018 elections. Of course, the big issue, I think, for everybody is the fact that I strongly believe that there was fraud in the 2020 election, Farnsworth said in an interview last week. And I feel like Rusty failed ... to take responsibility as speaker of the House and look into that election. The Farnsworth-Bowers battle was one of several brewing that involved current or former Arizona lawmakers. In another eastern suburban district, GOP Sen. Tyler Pace was trailing his challenger after an outside group targeted him and Bowers. Redistricting put two Trump-supporting state senators, Kelly Townsend and Wendy Rogers, into the same district. Rogers was leading in early returns, but the race was too early to call. It featured bitter recriminations as Rogers has faced repeated ethics charges for her inflammatory rhetoric, support for white supremacists and conspiracy-theory laden tweets. Townsend said she felt compelled to run against Rogers when she refused to refute white nationalism after speaking at a conference in Florida in February. If I dont run against her and make that statement, win, lose or drawn then her actions become our own, Townsend said Monday. It sort of spoils the whole (Republican) party. Rogers has earned a national following, raising a whopping $3 million from donors across the country since taking office in early 2021. Townsend had raised about $15,000, much more typical for a state legislative race. In the west Phoenix suburbs, former Rep. Anthony Kern, who attended Trumps Jan. 6 rally that led to the attack on Congress and unsuccessfully sued Democrats who asked the Department of Justice to investigate him, was leading in his effort to return to the Legislature. He was defeated in his 2020 House primary and is now aiming for a Senate seat. If his solid lead holds, hell get it, since no Democrat is running. Also trying for a political comeback is former Rep. Steve Montenegro, whose 2018 run for Congress was upended by a sexting scandal. He was leading among four Republicans running in a west Phoenix House district for two open House seats. Democratic Reps. Diego Espinoza and Richard Andrade are facing off after being drawn into the same district in the western Phoenix suburbs, with Andrade holding a slight lead in a race too close to call. And Sen. Lela Alston, considered the most experienced lawmaker in the Legislature, was well ahead of two challengers in her central Phoenix district. One of them, political unknown Al Jones, has sought attention by buying billboards across the city. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russias Supreme Court declared Ukraines Azov Regiment a terrorist organization Tuesday, a move that could lead to terror charges against some of the captured fighters who made their last stand inside Mariupol's shattered steel plant. Russia and its separatist allies are holding an estimated 1,000 Azov soldiers prisoner, many of them since their surrender at the steelworks in mid-May. Russian authorities have opened criminal cases against them, accusing them of killing civilians. The addition of terrorism charges could mean fewer rights and longer prison sentences. A terrorist organization leader could receive 15 to 20 years, and group members could get five to 10, according to Russian state media. In testimony journalists were allowed to view, witnesses appearing before the Supreme Court supported the proposed terrorism designation, but most of the proceedings were held behind closed doors, so it was not known if any opponents testified. I can testify myself that Ukrainian snipers Azov snipers really shot civilians trying to escape the city" of Mariupol, Marina Akhmedova of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights testified. I saw bodies lying on roads with my own eyes. There were many of them, and they were lying probably 10 meters apart from one another. There were no shell craters beside them. In a statement, the Azov Regiment dismissed the ruling, accusing the Kremlin of looking for new excuses and explanations for its war crimes. It urged the U.S. and other countries to declare Russia a terrorist state. The Azov soldiers played a key part in the defense of Mariupol, holding out for weeks at the southern port city's steel mill despite punishing attacks from Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed them and the other defenders as heroes. Moscow has repeatedly portrayed the Azov Regiment as a Nazi group and accused it of atrocities, but has publicly produced little evidence. The regiment, a unit within Ukraines National Guard, has a checkered past. It grew out of a group called the Azov Battalion, formed in 2014 as one of many volunteer brigades created to fight Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The battalion drew its initial fighters from far-right circles. While its current members reject accusations of extremism, the Kremlin has seized on the regiments right-wing origins to cast Russias invasion as a battle against Nazi influence in Ukraine. Russian state media has repeatedly shown what it claimed to be Nazi insignias, literature and tattoos associated with the regiment. Last week, dozens of Ukrainian POWs, including Azov fighters from the steel plant, were killed in an explosion at a prison barracks in Olenivka, an eastern town controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other, with Kyiv saying Russia blew up the barracks to cover up torture against the POWs. Meanwhile, the first cargo ship loaded with grain to leave Ukraine since Russia invaded more than five months ago safely crossed the Black Sea and anchored just outside Istanbul on Tuesday en route to Lebanon, under an agreement Moscow and Kyiv signed last month to unblock Ukraine's agricultural exports and ease a global food crisis. An estimated 20 million tons of grain have been stuck in Ukraine since the start of war. The U.N.-brokered agreement to release the grain calls for the establishment of safe corridors through the mined waters outside Ukraine's ports. The Razoni, which set sail from the port of Odesa on Monday with more than 26,000 tons of corn, was scheduled for inspection Wednesday in Istanbul by a team of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. officials, as part of the deal. More ships from Ukraine are expected to set out in the coming days. Some 27 vessels have been waiting in three Ukrainian ports with cargo and signed contracts, ready to go, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Global food prices have been soaring in a crisis blamed on the war, supply chain problems and COVID-19. While Ukraine is a major global grain supplier, the agreement may not make much of a dent in world hunger. Most of the grain stuck in Ukraine is to feed livestock, according to David Laborde, an expert at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. Only 6 million tons is wheat, and just half of that is for human consumption, Laborde said. He said Mondays shipload is chicken feed. A few ships leaving Ukraine is not going to be a game changer, he said. Still, Zelenskyy said the resumption of grain exports will reduce Russian authorities ability to extract concessions from the West. They are losing one of the opportunities to terrorize the world, he said in his nightly video address. The ships departure came against a backdrop of continued fighting, especially in southern and eastern Ukraine. A Russian rocket hit an anti-aircraft missile system in the Lviv region of western Ukraine, near the Polish border, Ukrainian authorities said. There was no immediate word on damage or casualties. In other developments Tuesday: The U.S. announced more sanctions against people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it has frozen the visa of a woman identified in news reports as Putin's longtime romantic partner, Alina Kabaeva. American basketball star Brittney Griner was back in court for her trial for cannabis possession. Prosecutors called a narcotics expert who analyzed the substance found in Griners luggage. The defense called a specialist who challenged the analysis as flawed. If convicted, she could get 10 years in prison, though the U.S. has proposed a prisoner swap to win her release. A train carrying evacuees from the embattled Donetsk region arrived in Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, beginning what Ukrainian authorities described as a compulsory evacuation in the east. Officials expect to evacuate 200,000 to 220,000 people from the region before the fall to get them out of harm's way. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed his countrys forces have destroyed six of the more than a dozen HIMARS rocket launcher systems that the U.S. has supplied to Ukraine. Ukraine issued no immediate comment. The launchers have given the Ukrainians more accurate, longer-range firepower. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Aya Batrawy contributed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine The Beaumont Public Health Department reported the first case of monkeypox within the city on Monday, according to a city of Beaumont news release. The department's Epidemiology Division is still investigating and gathering details on the case. The news release states that the general public is currently "not considered at risk." In the past week, monkeypox cases in Texas have nearly doubled, going from 183 confirmed cases to 338. Out of those cases, 72% are individuals between 18 and 39, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Only six of the 338 cases in Texas are among women. The state public health department region that includes Southeast Texas and Houston has more than doubled in the past week, from 51 confirmed monkeypox cases to 105. Port Arthur still has no confirmed monkeypox cases, according to Port Arthur Health Department Director Judith Smith. "Monkeypox can spread through contact with body fluids, lesions, or shared items that have been contaminated with fluids by a person with monkeypox such as bedding," the news release states. "Monkeypox can also spread through respiratory droplets to persons in close proximity after prolonged exposure (over three hours). Symptoms of monkeypox may include rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and body aches." RELATED: State and local health departments make monkeypox plan as cases rise Beaumont Public Health Department Director Kenneth Coleman said since monkeypox is a new virus in the United States, there are not as many facilities equipped to test for the infection. Coleman said if there is a suspected case in Southeast Texas, the specimen gets sent to Houston for preliminary testing. "They do preliminary tests and if it comes out positive then they have to send it off to the Centers of Disease Control for confirmation," Coleman said. "Once the CDC confirms that is the actual case of monkeypox then it comes back down that same little process, so to speak, then it gets reported to the to the local jurisdiction where the person resides." Currently, vaccines are only available to those who have been exposed to the virus, according to the Department of State Health Services. "However, if cases continue to increase at the current pace, the need will surpass the vaccine supply," the agency said. According to the agency, monkeypox is a preventable disease and people play an important role in stopping its spread. RELATED: July COVID-19 cases in Beaumont are already 7 times higher than April "Most cases in Texas have spread through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox," the agency says. "Risks include having sex, kissing or hugging someone with monkeypox or sharing cups, utensils, bedding or towels with them." The Beaumont Public Health Department is working with local, federal and state partners to monitor the situation, according to the Beaumont news release. "Monkeypox cases are accruing nationwide within sexual networks," the news release states. "Persons who are at high risk for monkeypox exposure should be aware of their risk and seek medical attention through their primary care provider if they develop any symptoms of monkeypox." For Beaumont residents with a suspected or confirmed monkeypox case, report the case to the Beaumont Public Health Department, Epidemiology Division (409) 654-3603 or fax a report to (409) 835-2545. CHICAGO (AP) An 8-year-old boy whose spine was severed in the shooting at a parade on July 4 has moved to a rehabilitation-focused hospital after spending nearly a month in a Chicago pediatric intensive care unit. Cooper Roberts' family said the boy was moved Sunday to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab from the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital. The family's statement released Monday said Cooper's medical team will focus on physical and occupational therapy along with other rehabilitation and mental health services. Cooper was among the 48 people wounded when a gunman opened fire on the Highland Park Independence Day parade. His twin brother, Luke, was hit by shrapnel, and his mother was wounded in the leg. Seven people were killed. Since the shooting, Cooper has undergone at least seven surgeries and is paralyzed from the waist down. In previous statements, his family said he required time on a ventilator and breathing tube after some of those procedures, and he experienced high fevers and other complications. Each sign of progress has been celebrated in the family's public updates: Cooper's first time consuming liquids, the first trip outside the hospital doors in a wheelchair, trips to the hospital's play room and a reunion with the family's French bulldog, George. Word of Cooper's move to the rehabilitation hospital this week sparked another burst of financial support for the Roberts family. An online fundraiser reported more than $1.7 million has been raised toward Cooper's care. In a statement last week, their mother Keely asked people to continue praying for Cooper and Luke. Their lives are so much more and better than this terrible thing than was done to them, she said. "Their lives are not a tragedy, they are a triumph. Lake Country prosecutors have charged Robert E. Crimo III with 21 counts of murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven people killed and dozens wounded in the attack. SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) An appellate court has reversed the murder convictions of the three Northern California deputies convicted in the 2015 jail beating death of a mentally ill inmate after a judge ruled that the primary legal theory prosecutors cited was invalidated by recent changes in state law. In 2017, former Santa Clara County Sheriff deputies Jereh Lubrin, Matthew Farris and Rafael Rodriguez were convicted by a San Jose jury of second-degree murder in the death of Michael Tyree. They were sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. On Monday, Thomas Goethals, associate justice of the Fourth District courts third division, noted in his ruling that Senate Bill 1437, passed in 2018, declared invalid the natural and probable consequences theory. That meant that while the jury instruction was proper at the time of the trial, it no longer is. And, Goethals said, the impact of the law is retroactive, the Mercury News reported Monday. During the deputies' trial, the judge told the jury it could consider a legal theory known as natural and probable consequences, which would allow it to find a defendant guilty of murder even if the person may not have committed the killing, because the victims death was a natural consequence of the defendants actions. In the Tyree case, this meant that the jury did not need to consider each defendants individual responsibility or awareness in order to find all three guilty of second-degree murder, the newspaper reported. Prosecutors said Lubrin, Farris and Rodriguez severely beat Tyree, 31, in his cell. He died hours later from internal bleeding and suffered significant liver and spleen damage. Tyree was serving time for misdemeanor theft and drug possession. He had been housed by himself in a section of the jail reserved for inmates who are in protective custody or have special needs. The state Attorney Generals Office said Monday it was reviewing the ruling. Unless the office appeals, Goethals conclusion will stand, and per his ruling, the prosecution may elect to retry defendants on a valid theory or theories of homicide with a properly instructed jury. The Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office was not prepared to announce whether it will refile the case, also saying in a brief statement, Were reviewing the courts decision. Rebecca Jones, the attorney who represented Rodriguez, lauded the courts ruling. Prosecutors should not have been allowed to consider the NPC theory, and the appellate court could not find it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, Jones said. I think (the court) did the right thing. Attorneys for Lubrin and Farris did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, declared a state of emergency Monday in an effort to bolster the state's response to the monkeypox outbreak, saying the measure will help with vaccinations. California, the most populous state in the United States, had recorded 827 monkeypox cases as of Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - second to New York, which recorded 1,390 cases and declared a public health emergency last week. The nationwide tally is more than 5,800. The declaration allows emergency medical services workers to administer the monkeypox vaccine, as pharmacists had also recently been permitted to do, Newsom said in a statement. "It is critical to maximize the number of personnel who can administer vaccines within this outreach effort," he wrote in the emergency declaration. "Expanding the pool of eligible vaccinators will substantially aid current efforts and support anticipated further vaccination efforts upon receipt of additional doses from the federal government." With a "limited supply" of vaccines from the federal government, California is distributing vaccines to local health authorities "based on a formula that considers [the area's] current monkeypox cases and number of high-risk individuals," according to the declaration. California has received more than 61,000 doses of the vaccine, according to Newsom's office. "We'll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said. Outbreaks have so far been overwhelmingly concentrated in men who have sex with men, though anyone can contract the virus. Advocates have urged officials to avoid repeating the mistakes of the AIDS crisis, when the virus's devastating effects on the gay community were minimized. There are increasing concerns about the federal supply of monkeypox vaccines. The United States recently received hundreds of thousands of additional doses but is not expected to receive another shipment until October at the earliest - with cases expected to continue multiplying until then amid a dwindling supply of shots. In a signal that the Biden administration is ramping up its response to the outbreak, the White House is expected to name Robert J. Fenton Jr., an official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as the national monkeypox coordinator, along with a deputy coordinator, Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC, The Washington Post reported Monday. Most of California's monkeypox cases are concentrated in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Last week, San Francisco declared a public health emergency over the outbreak. Mayor London Breed, D, said Thursday that monkeypox cases there had doubled to 261 in just a week. As of Monday, there were 310 cases reported in the city. The Biden administration has weighed whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency, with the World Health Organization last month labeling the rising cases worldwide a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" - its highest level of alert. "In short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement at the time. Monkeypox mainly spreads through direct contact with infectious rashes, scabs or bodily fluids. It can also be transmitted from respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex - though monkeypox is not considered a traditional sexually transmitted disease like syphilis or gonorrhea. - - - The Washington Post's Dan Diamond contributed to this report. KINSHASA, Congo (AP) Congos government is reassessing the presence of United Nations peacekeepers after protests against the force in the countrys east have killed at least 36 people. President Felix Tshisekedi chaired a crisis meeting as demonstrations escalated after U.N. peacekeepers opened fire on civilians, killing three, in Kasindi, an eastern border post with Uganda. In addition to the deaths in Kasindi others have died in the eastern towns of Goma, Butembo, Uvira and Kanyabayonga, Congos government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a statement Tuesday. He said the government had consulted civic groups in the affected areas and the populations made a clear request: that of seeing (the U.N. peacekeepers) leave Congo, he said. At the crisis meeting, Congo's president said that he spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed deep condolences after the killings at the Kasindi post, according to the statement. Tshisekedi said shared his total disapproval of the behavior of the U.N. peacekeepers and told the secretary-general that those guilty of the violence must be severely punished. Guterres had called for justice over the weekend. The government will convene a meeting with the U.N. mission to discuss the possibility of its withdrawal, Muyaya said in the statement. No date has been set for the meeting. The U.N. force in Congo, known as MONUSCO, has about 16,000 uniformed personnel but has not succeeded in stabilizing the country's volatile east. Recently the M23 rebels have carried out numerous attacks. The U.N. force has already withdrawn from two provinces of Congo, Kasai and Tanganyika. MIAMI (AP) It's one of the seafood industry's most gruesome hunts. Every year, the fins of as many as 73 million sharks are sliced from the backs of the majestic sea predators, their bleeding bodies sometimes dumped back into the ocean where they are left to suffocate or die of blood loss. But while the barbaric practice is driven by China, where shark fin soup is a symbol of status for the rich and powerful, America's seafood industry isn't immune from the trade. A spate of recent criminal indictments highlights how U.S. companies, taking advantage of a patchwork of federal and state laws, are supplying a market for fins that activists say is as reprehensible as the now-illegal trade in elephant ivory once was. A complaint quietly filed last month in Miami federal court accused an exporter based in the Florida Keys, Elite Sky International, of falsely labeling some 5,666 pounds of China-bound shark fins as live Florida spiny lobsters. Another company, south Florida-based Aifa Seafood, is also under criminal investigation for similar violations, according to two people on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing probe. The company is managed by a Chinese-American woman who in 2016 pleaded guilty to shipping more than a half-ton of live Florida lobsters to her native China without a license. The heightened scrutiny from law enforcement comes as Congress debates a federal ban on shark fins making it illegal to import or export even foreign-caught fins. Every year, American wildlife inspectors seize thousands of shark fins while in transit to Asia for failing to declare the shipments. ___ This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ While not all sharks are killed just for their fins, none of the other shark parts harvested in the U.S. and elsewhere such as its meat, jaws or skin can compete with fins in terms of value. Depending on the type of shark, a single pound of fins can fetch hundreds of dollars, making it one of the priciest seafood products by weight anywhere. If youre going out of business because you can no longer sell fins, then what are you actually fishing for?, said Whitney Webber, a campaign director at Washington-based Oceana, which supports the ban. Since 2000, federal law has made it illegal to cut the fins off sharks and discard their bodies back into the ocean. However, individual states have wide leeway to decide whether or not businesses can harvest fins from dead sharks at a dock, or import them from overseas. The legislation working its way through Congress would impose a near-total ban on trade in fins, similar to action taken by Canada in 2019. The legislation, introduced in 2017 by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, has majority support in both the House and Senate. Among those opposing the proposed ban is Elite, which has hired lobbyists to urge Congress to vote against the bill, lobbying records show. It's not known where Elite obtained its fins. But in the criminal complaint, the company was also accused of sourcing lobster from Nicaragua and Belize that it falsely stated was caught in Florida. The company, affiliated with a Chinese-American seafood exporter based in New York City, was charged with violating the Lacey Act, a century-old statute that makes it a crime to submit false paperwork for any wildlife shipped overseas. An attorney for Elite wouldn't comment nor did two representatives of Aifa when reached by phone. Overfishing has led to a 71% decline in shark species since the 1970s. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, a Switzerland-based group that tracks wildlife populations, estimates that over a third of the world's 500-plus shark species are threatened with extinction. Contrary to industry complaints about excessive regulations, the U.S. is hardly a model of sustainable shark management, said Webber. She pointed to a recent finding by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that less than 23% of the 66 shark stocks in U.S. waters are safe from overfishing. The status of more than half of shark stocks isnt even known. The situation in Europe is even worse: a new report from Greenpeace, called Hooked on Sharks, revealed what it said is evidence of the deliberate targeting of juvenile blue sharks by fishing fleets from Spain and Portugal. The report found that the U.S. is the world's fourth-largest shark exporter behind Spain, China and Portugal, with exports of 3.2 million kilograms of meat but not fins worth over $11 million in 2020. Webber said rather than safeguard a small shark fishing industry, the U.S. should blaze the trail to protect the slow-growing, long-living fish. We cant ask other countries to clean up their act if were not doing it well ourselves, said Webber. She said the current laws aren't enough of a deterrent in an industry where bad actors drawn by the promise of huge profits are a recurrent problem. Case in point: Mark Harrison, a Florida fisherman who in 2009 pleaded guilty to three criminal counts tied to his export of shark fins, some of them protected species. He was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and was banned from having anything to do with the shark fin trade for five years. But federal prosecutors allege that he reconnected to associates of his former co-conspirators in 2013 in violation of the terms of his probation. He was arrested in 2020 on mail and wire fraud conspiracy charges as part of a five-year investigation, called Operation Apex, targeting a dozen individuals who also allegedly profited from drug trafficking. Prosecutors allege Harrison's Florida-based Phoenix Fisheries was a shell company" for individuals based in California, where possession of fins has been illegal since 2011. As part of the bust, the Feds found documents about some 6 tons of shark fin exports and seized 18 totoaba fish bladders, a delicacy in Asia taken from an endangered species. They also seized 18,000 marijuana plants, multiple firearms and $1 million in diamonds pointing to a criminal enterprise that transcended illegal seafood and stretched deep into the Mexican and Chinese mafia underworlds. This operation is about much more than disrupting the despicable practice of hacking the fins off sharks and leaving them to drown in the sea to create a bowl of soup," Bobby Christine, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said at the time. An attorney for Harrison declined to comment on the case, which has yet to go to trial. But unlike his co-defendants, Harrison isn't implicated in any drug-related or weapons offenses. Supporters say he has complied with all laws and is being unfairly targeted by bureaucrats overlooking the key role he played in the 1980s, when sharks were even more threatened, developing the U.S. shark fishery. They appear to be using the current widespread empathy toward sharks for publicity and career advancement in what would otherwise be a very routine matter, reads a website run by supporters seeking to raise $75,000 for a Shark Defense Fund" to help Harrison fight the charges. In the process, they are seeking to tarnish Marks reputation and deal a blow to the American shark fishery," according to the website, which was taken down after the AP started making inquiries. Demian Chapman, who heads shark research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, said that the push to ban commercial fishing of sharks could backfire. If you subtract the U.S. from the fin trade entirely, it wont do anything to directly affect international demand and its likely that other countries, with far less regulation of their fisheries, will fill the void, said Chapman. He said the bill introduced by Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat of New Jersey, appears to be driven by shark fans not shark fins and those who want to see the fish species afforded the same very high level of protection afforded to marine mammals and sea turtles. He said few in the U.S. are involved in the cruel, wasteful practice of shark finning and that the U.S.' role as a transit hub for fins can be remedied without punishing American fishers. Theres a disconnect between perceptions and reality," said Chapman. "In the 25 years Ive been studying sharks, theyve gone from demon fish to a group of species that many people want to protect. This is great but we have to support science-based management measures that address the real problems. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman ___ Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/ GLEN ROSE, Texas (AP) Fewer firefighters are needed as a stubborn two-week-old North Texas wildfire nears being fully contained, officials said Tuesday. The multi-agency Southern Area Incident Management Team said it's turned management of the 10 1/2-square-mile (27 1/3-square-kilometer) Chalk Mountain Fire over to the Texas A&M Forest Service after firefighters brought containment from 89% on Monday to 93% on Tuesday. Forces fighting the fire 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth have been drawn down from 250 firefighters on Sunday to 150 on Tuesday, the statement said. There was little activity or heat occurring across the fire, the statement said. The occasional flareup is still possible on the Chalk Mountain Fire, but these flareups involve sporadic heat intermixed with pockets of burned or partially burned fuel on the interior of the fire." Fire conditions remained explosive in the area with extreme drought combined with temperatures topping 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius). LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A former White House spokesman whose testimony was broadcast before a House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot is joining Sarah Sanders' campaign for Arkansas governor. Sanders' campaign on Tuesday announced Judd Deere will serve as its communications director. Deere was among several senior staff hires announced. All of them bring unique experiences and expertise, which makes this campaign, along with our incredible supporters, even stronger, Sanders said in a statement. Sanders, a Republican, is running against Democrat Chris Jones. Sanders served as White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump and Deere is a former deputy press secretary. Video of a deposition Deere gave was aired during the Jan. 6 committee's hearings last month. In one part of his testimony, Deere talked about his reaction to Trump's Jan. 6 tweet criticizing Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to block the certification of President Joe Biden's election. Deere called the tweet extremely unhelpful." The scenes at the U.S. Capitol were only getting worse at that point, Deere testified. Deere has worked as a spokesman for two of Sanders' former rivals. Before joining the White House, he was spokesman for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. He also worked for Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin's 2014 campaign. Rutledge and Griffin ran against Sanders for the GOP nomination for governor before dropping out to run for other offices. I am humbled by the confidence & trust Sarah has in me, & Im excited for the work ahead!" Deere tweeted Tuesday. Deere has also worked for Republican Sens. John Boozman of Arkansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Mike Crapo of Idaho. Sanders, who is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, is heavily favored in the race for governor in solidly red Arkansas. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson is barred by term limits from seeking reelection. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HUEHUETENANGO, Guatemala (AP) At dawn, police and federal agents with cover from helicopters flying overhead raided a large ranch nestled among the mountains of northern Guatemala, not far from the border with Mexico. Unlike the ranchs impoverished neighbors, inside authorities found horse stables, a swimming pool, late model vehicles, guns and a still drunk Felipe Diego Alonso, the alleged leader of a smuggling ring that moved migrants from Guatemala north to the United States. The raid was part of several carried out Tuesday in four Guatemalan provinces against a migrant smuggling ring, for which authorities say theyve documented $2 million in revenue since 2019. Alonzo and three others arrested Tuesday were targets of U.S. prosecutors, wanted in connection with the death of a Guatemalan migrant in Texas last year. In total, authorities nabbed 19 alleged members of the smuggling ring. The arrests came a month after 53 migrants, including 21 Guatemalans, died in a failed smuggling attempt when they were abandoned inside a sweltering trailer in San Antonio, Texas. There was no indication those arrested Tuesday were involved in the San Antonio tragedy. The extradition of alleged migrant smugglers known as coyotes has been rare and these would be the first known cases in Guatemala of smugglers allegedly pursued for the death of a migrant in the United States. Prosecutions of migrant smugglers in Guatemala have proven exceedingly difficult because migrants are almost never willing to identify or testify against their smugglers. In some cases they hope for another chance to migrate to the United States with the smugglers help and in others they are afraid of the smugglers or their organized crime connections. Alonzo, appearing groggy in blue jeans and a white golf shirt, said he was an onion grower who also sometimes sold land and automobiles. Some of the detainees were flown to Guatemala City for their initial court appearances. The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions between Guatemalas President Alejandro Giammattei and Washington. The Biden administration has been outspoken in its criticism of perceived backsliding on corruption prosecutions. The U.S. government sanctioned Guatemalas Attorney General Consuelo Porras, alleging she was an obstacle to anti-corruption work and was now pursuing judges and prosecutors who had worked on corruption cases. It was the Attorney Generals Office backed by National Police that carried out the raids near the northern town of Huehuetenango at dawn Tuesday. This was an organized group dedicated to getting migrants with the proposal of transporting them to Mexico and then to the United States, said Stuardo Campo, Guatemalas prosecutor for migrant trafficking. He said that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had supported the operation. Guatemalan authorities had documented 11 operations by the smuggling network to move migrants since last October, but Campo did not say how many migrants were smuggled. The four people arrested at the request of U.S. authorities are allegedly linked to the death of Marta Raymundo Corio who was found dead near Odessa, Texas after being smuggled through Mexico in early 2021. Campo said the woman had died in a warehouse in Texas due to a lack of food and water and her relatives had requested the help of authorities in determining what had happened. As Alonzo was led away Tuesday, he told authorities to take care of his animals. Speaking Kanjobal, an Indigenous language, he said I'd rather they eat than I eat. MOSCOW (AP) The Kremlin said Tuesday that it's ready for talks with the United States on nuclear arms control even as Moscow and Washington have remained locked in a tense standoff over Russia's actions in Ukraine. Commenting on U.S. President Joe Bidens statement that Washington is open for talks on a new arms control deal to replace the New START treaty after it expires in 2026, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such negotiations are long overdue. Just days before the New START was due to expire in February 2021, Russia and the United States agreed to extend it for another five years. The treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance. Moscow and Washington hadn't started discussions about the pact's possible replacement until the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. While voicing readiness to expeditiously negotiate a new arms control framework to replace New START when it expires in 2026, Biden emphasized in Monday's statement that Russias brutal and unprovoked aggression in Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe and constitutes an attack on fundamental tenets of international order. In this context, Russia should demonstrate that it is ready to resume work on nuclear arms control with the United States, he added. Asked about Biden's statement in a conference call with reporters, Peskov emphasized that Moscow has repeatedly spoken about the necessity to start such talks as soon as possible as there is little time left." If the treaty expires without being replaced with a solid deal, it will negatively impact global security and stability, primarily in the area of arms control, Peskov noted. We have called for an early launch of talks, but until that moment it has been the U.S. that has shown no interest in substantive contacts on the issue. He emphasized that negotiatons on a new arms control pact can only be held on the basis of mutual respect and taking into account mutual concerns. MOSCOW (AP) The Kremlin on Tuesday strongly warned the United States against provoking China with a possible trip to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying it will raise tensions to a new dangerous level. Pelosi left Malaysia on Tuesday and was expected to visit Taiwan, escalating tensions with Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory. It was unclear where she was headed from Malaysia, but local media in Taiwan reported that she would arrive on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that such a visit would be extremely provocative, adding that it would exacerbate the situation in the region and fuel tensions. Speaking in a call with reporters, Peskov reaffirmed Russia's absolute solidarity with China, noting that the issue of Taiwan is very sensitive for Beijing. Instead of dealing with this sensitivity with respect, the U.S. has regrettably chosen the path of confrontation, he added. It will bring no good, we can only express regret. Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with a communist victory on the mainland. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. Peskovs comments reflected close ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have grown stronger since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. China has pointedly refused to criticize Russias action, blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking Moscow, and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Moscow. Russia and China have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops for the first time deployed to Chinese territory for joint maneuvers. Even though Moscow and Beijing in the past rejected the possibility of forging a military alliance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that such a prospect cant be ruled out. He also has noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability. Consulado General de Mexico delivered $7,000 to support Mexican students at Laredo College on Tuesday. LC matched the donation as well to help alleviate education expenses for these individuals as part of the IME Becas program from the Instituto de Mexicanos en el Exterior. The leaders of both organizations also signed a Memorandum of Understanding that reinforces the partnership and cooperation for the success and good of Mexican students. IME-Becas is a financial support program for Mexican undergraduate and postgraduate students, allowing them to continue with their academic development. During the event, LC President Minita Ramirez, Mexican consul Juan Carlos Mendoza and LC Board of Trustees President Lupita Zepeda gathered together in the company of other board members at the Falcon Bank Executive Conference Room at LCs Fort McIntosh campus to help bring benefits to these students and continue supporting education in Laredo. In the meeting, the institutions leaders highlighted the importance of being united and keeping together the efforts to be able to allow students finish their degrees. The leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining funds and financial support for Mexican students, as this fund represents a weight off of many students shoulders that will allow them focus on their courses and career paths. We know that a lot of our students, either their parents or they still live in Mexico, and come to school here at Laredo College, Ramirez said. We certainly want to encourage them to do that, and we dont want finances to be a reason to not be able to come for school. We that live on the border know that many of our families live on both sides. This is one city united by a river, even though we are two separate countries. We know the dependence that we have on them and the dependence that we have on us for employment, education and the resources that we share. Ramirez also remarked that many students can find this opportunity useful if they parents have Mexican nationality. For many of our American citizen students, their parents are Mexican nationals and they would still qualify. For something like if their parents reside in Mexico, then that may provide some complications to maneuver through to obtain financial aid services, and it is through programs like this that we are eliminating those possible barriers that a student may encounter, she said. Wed like to invite all the students who think they might not qualify to come. We dont want anyone to miss out on this opportunity, and we certainly want people to take advantage of this. Mendoza echoed Ramirezs comments and expressed it is an opportunity for Mexican nationals to succeed in life. We are convinced that for the Mexican national population that the easier way to reach success and be productive in life is through education, he said. As they study, they gain confidence and get to know the educational system, the health system, the financial system. They begin to know how to navigate, and that undoubtedly facilitates their integration into the society, in which they want to remain to the extent that they know more about it, because they have many possibilities of being successful in life. This program has prospered because it is a program of alliances, of synergies. Many people participate and funds are duplicated. The Mexican consulates coincide with organizations with schools, with colleges, seeking the same goal. They recruit and prepare students, and they don't care if they are Hispanic or not. They are kids from the community, so there we make that synergy, that alliance, and it is a clear message that the Mexican government does not leave its migrants alone or their descendants. Zepeda also stated that she was glad to have this alliance with the neighboring country. Since I am Hispanic, I look forward to continuing helping our Mexican students, especially our low-income students that need a little help to continue their education and being able to succeed, she said. This program has been implemented since 2005, and it started at Laredo College in 2011. For this academic year, the funds will distributed to 14 students who qualify chosen by Laredo College to receive $1,000 for their education expenses. karol.garcia@lmtonline.com Stew Milne/AP PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Another person involved in a gang shootout in a residential neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, last year that resulted in injuries to nine people has been sent to prison, state Attorney General Peter Neronha said Thursday. Ricardo Cosme Tejada, 21, was sentenced last week to 14 years behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple gun charges in connection with the May 2021 gunfight in which more than 50 shots were fired, according to a statement from Neronha's office. MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicos Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday that it has opened several lines of investigation against former President Enrique Pena Nieto, several weeks after the countrys anti-money laundering agency accused the former leader of handling millions of dollars in possibly illegal funds. Pena Nieto is under investigation for election-related crimes tied to company, money laundering and illicit enrichment, according to a statement from the Attorney Generals Office. The press statement referred to him only as Enrique P in keeping with Mexican policy of not identifying those accused of crimes. But an official with the prosecutors office confirmed that it concerned Pena Nieto. Pena Nieto governed Mexico from 2012 to 2018 and has since been living in Spain. When the criminal complaint from the Financial Intelligence Unit was announced last month, Pena Nieto wrote in his Twitter account that his money was legally obtained. No charges have been filed. Last month, Pablo Gomez, the head of the unit said a company run by Pena Nietos family had a symbiotic relationship with a firm that received about $500 million in government contracts while he was president. Tuesday's announcement did not add many details, but it did name Spanish construction company OHL, which has a subsidiary in Mexico, as being involved in a number of the allegations against Pena Nieto. It said charges could come in that investigation in the coming months. Gomez had also said Pena Nieto received money transfers from a relative, apparently linked to two companies his family's and one receiving government contracts for about $1.3 million after leaving office. In 2016, Mexicos National Banking and Stock Commission fined OHL the equivalent of more than $4 million over alleged accounting irregularities, the largest penalty ever issued by the body at the time. OHL's Mexican subsidiary said at the time that it has always acted with transparency and with the best corporate practices. A year earlier, OHL was embroiled in a scandal in Mexico over possible corruption related to highway contracts. Recordings surfaced that purported to show company executives discussing bribes and plotting to raise road tolls. LANSING Abortion could become illegal in parts of Michigan after a state Court of Appeals panel ruled Monday that a state judges injunction blocking the enforcement of a pre-Roe ban does not apply to county prosecutors. The 91-year-old abortion ban, which had been blocked in May from taking immediate effect, makes it a crime for physicians to perform abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger. The new ruling will have the largest impact on the 13 prosecutors in the state that have abortion clinics in their county. Seven of those prosecutors all Democrats have previously said they will not enforce the 1931 law. Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties, however, plan to enforce the 1931 abortion ban, meaning that abortion providers could get charged with a felony. If a report is presented to this office, we will review it like we do any other report of possible criminal behavior, Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said in a statement Monday. We will make the decision to charge, or not to charge, based on the facts presented in the report and the applicable Michigan law. Becker, who had previously said in June he would ignore the injunction and enforce the 1931 law, said no reports have been brought to his office to this point. Kent County includes Grand Rapids, the state's second largest city. Jackson County Prosecutor Jerard Jarzynka didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The three-judge panels ruling came after Becker, Jarzynka and several anti-abortion groups requested the Court of Appeals overturn a lower courts injunction on the 1931 ban. The court's ruling Monday said that Becker and Jarzynka dont have standing because the injunction does not apply to county prosecutors. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also filed a lawsuit asking the Michigan Supreme Court to recognize a right to abortion under the due process clause of the Michigan Constitution and to stop enforcement of the 1931 law. Midland County Prosecuting Attorney J. Dee Brooks told the Daily News in June that he must look at both the U.S. Constitution and the Michigan Constitution when considering enforcement of any law. "The bottom line is theres a number of issues that need to be resolved before we could consider any enforcement of (the 1931 law). I dont believe we can enforce any current laws until we get decisions by the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Court of Claims as to the injunction. Total or near total abortion bans are already in effect in the nearby states of Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, with bans expected in roughly half the states. Michigan's Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has previously said she will not defend the 1931 law, said in a statement Monday that the legal battle continues on multiple fronts, and that the ruling is not the final say on this issue in Michigan." Planned Parenthood of Michigan said in a statement following the ruling that it will continue providing abortions and is evaluating legal options. Earlier this month, abortion rights activists submitted signatures to bring a constitutional amendment before Michigan voters in November that would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and reproductive services such as birth control. If the amendment passes, it would supersede the 1931 law. An injunction blocking the enforcement of the 1931 Michigan abortion ban issued in May has been lifted for the 13 prosecutors in the state that have abortion clinics in their county. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the injunction does not apply to county prosecutors, which could make abortion illegal in parts of the state. The 91-year-old abortion ban, which had been blocked by the injunction from taking immediate effect after the Roe v. Wade ruling, makes it a crime for physicians to perform abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger. It does not include exceptions for rape or incest. The decision could greatly hinder Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's, Attorney General Dana Nessel's and many other pro-abortion rights advocates' fight to maintain legal access to abortion. Seven prosecutors in counties with abortion clinics all Democrats have previously said they will not enforce the 1931 law. Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties, however, plan to enforce the 1931 abortion ban, meaning it would be a felony for a woman to seek abortion care and for a doctor to provide it. Those with felony charges cannot vote in some states. In Michigan, people with convictions can vote after they are released from incarceration. "If a report is presented to this office, we will review it like we do any other report of possible criminal behavior," Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said in a statement Monday. "We will make the decision to charge, or not to charge, based on the facts presented in the report and the applicable Michigan law." Whitmer, who has consistently claimed since the Roe ruling that she will "fight like hell to protect a womans ability to make her own medical decisions," wrote in a Tweet Monday that "nothing stopped me from fighting before today is no different." Nessel, who has previously said she will not enforce the 1931 law, said in a statement Monday that the "legal battle continues on multiple fronts," and that the ruling is not the "final say on this issue in Michigan." "Todays ruling will not deter my efforts to continue to fight for Michigan women," Nessel said. "The legal battle continues on multiple fronts and those of us who value access to reproductive healthcare and respect a womens right to make the best decisions for herself, according to her own moral, cultural and religious beliefs are not backing down. While I respect the ruling from the court, it is by no means the final say on this issue in Michigan." Planned Parenthood of Michigan said in a statement Monday its doors will remain open for abortions. "Planned Parenthood of Michigan will continue to evaluate our legal options and remains committed to protecting abortion access in Michigan," read the unattributed statement. "Planned Parenthood of Michigan will continue to provide abortion services in accordance with the law. PPMI patients can keep their appointments and our doors remain open." The Michigan Court of Appeals' decision Monday is unrelated to a lawsuit filed by Whitmer against prosecutors in counties with abortion clinics. The Michigan Supreme Court has not decided whether to take up the case. On April 7, 2022, Whitmer filed the lawsuit and asked the Michigan Supreme Court to recognize a constitutional right to an abortion under the Due Process Clause of the Michigan Constitution. She filed it nearly one month before the leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take the step to ban abortion at the federal level. Views from a tower in Portugal, gondolas in Venice, beaches in the Bahamas as you scroll through your social media feeds, it seems like everyone youve ever met is on a picturesque vacation this summer. Compared to the last two years, 2022 is seeing a steep increase in travel, especially international, and it may feel impossible to keep up. The number of outbound international U.S. flights increased about 97% year-over-year from April 2021 to April 2022, according to U.S. International Air Travel Statistics. Airbnb data from May 2022 also showed an all-time high in long-term stay bookings, with U.S. travelers gravitating toward Italy, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas as well as domestic beach destinations. If youre not planning to travel this year, hearing about other peoples vacations might give you a twinge of FOMO: fear of missing out. But dont let comparisons pressure you into panic-booking a trip that could upend your finances. Even with time and budget constraints, its possible to have a fun-filled summer. HOW ARE PEOPLE AFFORDING THIS? For many travelers, this summer is an opportunity to travel for the first time in two years, and the anticipation makes it worth the cost. Some are likely even willing to overextend their budgets or go into debt to be able to take their dream vacation. Its pent-up demand, says George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. People saved up a lot of money over the past two years and can afford the price increases. For many, the shift to remote work has also made travel more accessible. Yaslynn Rivera, a Los Angeles-based executive assistant at a video-streaming company, makes the most of working remotely by taking opportunities she would have otherwise been unable to pre-COVID-19. I have friends from childhood and college who live all over the country now, she said. If Im going somewhere, its because I know someone there, she added, explaining her near-constant location changes. She stays with friends instead of booking hotel rooms and Airbnbs, and when she does book a room, she sticks to a tight budget. I dont mind being inconvenienced to have the experience, she says, citing motel rooms, red-eye flights and working from the road. Though some travelers are in a position this summer to afford luxurious trips, travelers like Rivera make the most of the opportunities and connections they have, even if it means sacrificing convenience. If you work remotely and have a flexible schedule, trying Riveras approach could be a good way to add more travel to your summer. THE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE Despite the realities, social media can still make travel look like a Pinterest-worthy paradise. Theres definitely a fear of missing out, says Giacomo Moriondo, a Chicago-based client services manager at an aviation services company, referring to seeing friends post from scenic destinations. Im jealous; I would love to have the freedom to visit my family in Italy and Argentina, but its not financially possible for me this summer. Moriondo has felt the pressure to travel this summer, but with an in-office job, limited time off and out-of-budget airfares, his options are restricted. When you see some people posting lavish vacations, you cant compare yourself, Rivera notes. They might be from a wealthy family, or taking a sponsored trip; theyre not on the same playing field. Consider limiting your social media intake if such posts are bumming you out. Or if youre curious, ask consistent travelers how they make their trips happen. People can be refreshingly honest about their circumstances, and the answers might surprise you. THE PERKS OF STAYING HOME U.S. travelers are flocking to vacation destinations in record numbers, but this summer may not be the best time to take the trip youve been waiting for. I personally think this is a bad year to travel, Hobica says. With rising airfares, strikes in the travel sector and price increases in every category, an international trip especially with kids may be more trouble than its worth. Resisting the temptation to join the travel rush this summer can help you take advantage of milder weather and crowds in the fall or even next year. I would wait until things settle down, Hobica says. Too many people are traveling, and there arent enough workers to support them; its not reliable right now to get where you want to go. Meanwhile, if you dont have a trip planned this summer, plan adventures closer to home. I turn myself into a tourist in my own city, says Moriondo. It doesnt feel like youre missing out when youre doing something yourself. Exploring your own city or state, visiting family and friends domestically and seeking low-cost outdoor experiences can enrich your summer and satisfy your travel cravings without overextending your budget. ________________________________ This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Dalia Ramirez is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: dramirez@nerdwallet.com. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: 10 Easy tricks for saving money on travel Airbnb: 2022 summer release highlights SEATTLE (AP) Prosecutors have dismissed a first-degree murder charge against a Seattle man jailed for over two years after falsely confessing to strangling his girlfriend, who died in a Central District stairwell from an apparent drug overdose, according to the mans defense attorneys. Leo Driver, who has a severe mental illness, was clearly in a deluded state when he went to the police department in 2020 and confessed to killing his girlfriend, Elisabeth Wright, who was found dead over five years earlier, Drivers lawyers, Amy Parker and Tracy Kolpa, said Friday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TORRINGTON More than $2 million in grants is going to local projects in Connecticut to help fight hunger, including funding for the Northwest CT Food Hub. The state Department of Agriculture recently announced it is awarding $2.031 million to seven agencies through the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, intended to provide resources to increase food supply chain resiliency, according to a statement from state Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan P. Hurlburt. These projects will utilize LFPA cooperative agreement funds to address food insecurity in historically underserved communities by bringing fresh CT Grown food to their tables, said Hurlburt in a statement. Connecticuts agricultural producers will have increased market opportunity as more entities have the funding to support buying local foods. Among the grant recipients is Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities Northwest CT Food Hub in Torrington, which is receiving $300,000. According to Hurlburt, the food hub is expected to use the money to distribute bulk produce from 15 small farms to food pantries in northwest Connecticut. Karen Thomas, executive director of Friendly Hands Food Bank, is part of that distribution network. The Connecticut Food Hub came in in and asked us if we wanted to participate, because they were applying for this Department of Agriculture grant, she said. We said yes. They are able to purchase food from certain farms, and then share it with us. Were very excited to be part of this. The purpose of the grant program is to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency through supporting local and socially disadvantaged producers through building and expanding economic opportunity, and establishing and broadening partnerships with producers, the food distribution community, and local food networks to ensure the distribution of fresh and nutritious foods in rural, remote, or underserved communities, according to Hurlburt. The Department of Agriculture received 22 applications totaling $5,678,521 in funding requests for the program. Other recipients of the assistance program include $300,000 for Brass City Harvest Regional Food Hug in Waterbury, which will use it to distribute farm products to Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries; St. Vincent de Paul Mission; Hopeville Church Food Ministry; the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury; and the Waterbury Senior Center. Bridgeports East End NRZ Market received $300,000, to distribute food to low-income families and individuals and create a community cookbook. CLiCK Willimantic in Windham received $281,000, to collaborate with Windham Community Food Network Mesa Communitaria Project, the Willimantic Food Co-op/Covenant Soup Kitchen Food Box Program, and the Town of Mansfield Farms to Families Program serving several Tolland County towns, Forge City Works, Hartford, received $250,000. Forge City Works in collaboration with Red Tomato, Hemingways, Hands on Hartford, Hartford Food System, and Hartford Hospital, which will connect locally grown farm products to community food distributors Forge City Works, Hands on Hartford, Hartford Food System Mobile Market and CSA, the Food4Health Clinic at Hartford Hospital, and a planned grocery store on Broad Street. The New London Community Meal Center received $300,000, which will collaborate with FRESH New London, The Hispanic Alliance, and the New London Area Food Pantry. Vertical Church in West Haven received $300,000, and will use the money to distributed food boxes to a network of pantries and senior food sites throughout greater New Haven. For more information about the LFPA program, go to www.CTGrown.gov. NEW YORK (AP) The crypto division of the online brokerage Robinhood will pay a $30 million penalty to New York state for failing to comply with regulations governing money laundering and cybersecurity, the state's Department of Financial Services announced Tuesday. The department said an examination of Robinhood Crypto's operations from Jan. 24, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2019, found that the company's compliance with banking regulations had not kept up with its growth. BURNSVILLE, N.C. (AP) Three people were found dead in a North Carolina home Monday and sheriffs deputies shot and killed the suspect after shots were fired when they arrived, officials said. Yancey County Sheriffs deputies were called to a home around 4:30 p.m. for a report of shots fired inside a residence, officials said in a social media post. As deputies headed to the home, dispatch advised them that there was a report of one person with a gunshot wound. More shots were fired when deputies arrived and officials said deputies shot the suspect, who was pronounced dead on the scene. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan's elections oversight body ruled Tuesday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan accepted illegal donations to his political party from abroad. It's a key first step toward a possible ban on Khan and his party from politics. The case against the cricket star-turned-politician dates back to 2014 when Akbar Babar, a disgruntled member of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party filed a case against him with Pakistan's election commission, accusing him of illegally receiving funds from foreign countries and companies. Under Pakistani law, political parties are not allowed to accept such donations. In Tuesday's much-awaited ruling, the commission concluded that Khan concealed bank accounts and received funds from companies based in the United States, Britain, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. It also said there could be additional action taken against Khan and his party. The commission also recommended the seizure of illegal money allegedly received by Khan from abroad. Babar hailed the finding, saying all the allegations leveled by him against Khan had been proven. He urged Khan to quit as the leader of his party. The ruling drew criticism from Khan's party. Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for Khan's party, defended Khan, saying he did not deliberately violate any law or may have submitted an incorrect affidavit to the tribunal about the donations. Hed said their party will challenge the tribunal's ruling in the courts. However, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif took to Twitter, saying the tribunal's ruling proved that Khan was a liar. Sharif's ruling Pakistan Muslim League asked Khan to step down as the head of his party. Khan himself made no comment on the tribunal's ruling. However, he recently urged his party's supporters to rally against the Election Commission of Pakistan in the capital of Islamabad on Thursday. Khan has criticized the tribunal since April, when his government was ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament. He had said the tribunal could announce a harsh decision against his party to appease Sharif. Khan launched his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in 1996. He rose to power in 2018 when his party won the vote. However, he failed to improve the nation's economy, which made him unpopular. Taking advantage of the situation, Khan's opponents united against him in the National Assembly and ousted him in April 2022 through the no-confidence vote. Khan has since alleged his political opponents ousted him as part of a U.S. plot. Washington, Sharif and Khan's other political opponents have denied the allegation. MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) The mother and father of a 6-year-old eastern Indiana boy who fatally shot his 5-year-old sister in their home were each charged Tuesday with four counts of neglect, a prosecutor said. If convicted of the most serious charge level one felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death Jacob Grayson, 28, and his 27-year-old wife, Kimberly Grayson, could each face 2040 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. MARYVILLE Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants has brought a familiar face back to Maryville with cardiologist Dr. John Pargulski now seeing patients at HSHS Medical Groups office at 2401 S. Center St. in Maryville. Im a regular guy who was born, raised and trained in the Midwest, said Pargulski who earned his medical degree at the Des Moines University and completed his internal medicine residency at St. Louis University. He completed a cardiology fellowship at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Pargulski is board certified in cardiovascular disease from the American Board of Internal Medicine. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) A family of five was found dead Tuesday afternoon at a central Florida home in what appears to be a murder-suicide, police said. Orlando police investigators were conducting a well-being check at the home when they discovered the bodies of three adults and two children, according to a police news release. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Republican Tim Michels has spent nearly $1 million a week, for a total of nearly $12 million of his own money, in his run for Wisconsin governor that began in late April, campaign finance reports filed ahead of next week's primary election show. Michels is endorsed by Donald Trump in the race where he faces former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and state Rep. Tim Ramthun. Michels is co-owner of Michels Corp., the state's largest construction company. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) A bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday, ending a brief stalemate over the measure that had infuriated advocates and inspired some to camp outside the Capitol. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. It now goes to President Joe Bidens desk to be signed into law. Biden described the legislation as the biggest expansion of benefits for service-connected health issues in 30 years and the largest single bill ever to address exposure to burn pits. I look forward to signing this bill, so that veterans and their families and caregivers impacted by toxic exposures finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they earned and deserve," Biden said. The Senate had overwhelming approved the legislation back in June, but a do-over was required to make a technical fix. That process derailed when Republicans made a late attempt to change another aspect of the bill last week and blocked it from advancing. The abrupt delay outraged veterans groups and advocates, including comedian Jon Stewart. It also placed GOP senators in the uncomfortable position of delaying the top legislative priority of service organizations this session of Congress. A group of veterans and their families have been camping out at the Capitol since that vote. They had endured thunderstorms and Washington's notorious summer humidity, but they were in the galleries as senators cast their votes. You can go home knowing the good and great thing you have done and accomplished for the United States of America," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told them. The legislation expands access to health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for millions who served near burn pits. It also directs the VA to presume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure, allowing veterans to obtain disability payments to compensate for their injury without having to prove the illness was a result of their service. Roughly 70% of disability claims related to burn pit exposure are denied by the VA due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the Defense Department. The military used burn pits to dispose of such things as chemicals, cans, tires, plastics and medical and human waste. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War era veterans and survivors also stand to benefit from the legislation. The bill adds hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a presumptive disease associated with Agent Orange exposure. The Congressional Budget Office projected that about 600,000 of 1.6 million living Vietnam vets would be eligible for increased compensation, though only about half would have severe enough diagnoses to warrant more compensation. Also, veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll will be presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Thats another 50,000 veterans and survivors of deceased veterans who would get compensation for illnesses presumed to have been caused by their exposure to the herbicide, the CBO projected. The bill also authorizes 31 major medical VA health clinics and research facilities in 19 states. The bill is projected to increase federal deficits by about $277 billion over 10 years. The bill has been a years-long effort begun by veterans and their families who viewed the burn pits used in Iraq and Afghanistan as responsible for respiratory problems and other illnesses the veterans experienced after returning home. It was named after Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson from Ohio, who died in 2020 from cancer he attributed to prolonged exposure to burn pits. His widow, Danielle Robinson, was first lady Jill Biden's guest at the president's State of the Union address earlier this year. Stewart, the former host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, also brought increased exposure to the burn pit maladies veterans were facing. He also was in the gallery watching the vote Tuesday. He wept and held his head in his hand as the final vote began. Im not sure Ive ever seen a situation where people who have already given so much had to fight so hard to get so little," he said after the vote. And I hope we learn a lesson. The House was the first to act on the burn pits legislation. An earlier version the House approved in March was expected to increase spending by more than $320 billion over 10 years, but senators trimmed some of the costs early on by phasing in certain benefit enhancements. They also added funds for staffing to help the VA keep up with the expected increase in demand for health care and an increase in disability claims. Some GOP senators are still concerned that the bill will increase delays at the VA because of an increased demand for veterans seeking care or disability compensation. What we have learned is that the VA cannot deliver what is promised because it does not have the capacity to handle the increase, said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., led the effort to get the bill passed in the Senate. After passage, Tester told reporters he received a call from Biden, thanking him for taking a big weight off his shoulder. For Biden, the issue is very personal. He has raised the prospect that burn pits in Iraq were responsible for the death of his son Beau. We dont know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops, Biden said at his State of the Union speech. But Im committed to finding out everything we can. Moran said that when the bill failed to pass last week, he was disappointed but remembered the strength of the protesters who had sat outside in the scorching heat for days. Thanks to the United States Senate for demonstrating when theres something good and a good cause, this place still works, Moran said. ___ Associated Press staff writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) A former deputy leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been named a government minister by Somalias new administration in what some call a chance to persuade fighters to denounce violence. Mukhtar Robow was given the post of religious affairs minister, the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Tuesday. Not all Somalis supported his ministerial appointment, with some calling it disrespectful to those who lost loved ones in al-Shabab attacks. Robow, who once had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, defected from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab in 2017 and at first was greeted with praise by Somalias government. But when he tried to seek the leadership of the countrys Southwest region in 2018, he was detained. The reason behind Robows arrest has never been made clear, Somalias current president on multiple occasions has said the detention had no legal grounds. Somalias government didnt comment on his appointment Tuesday. Robow, who is believed to be in his early fifties, studied Islamic law in Sudan and is believed to have participated in the anti-Soviet fighting in Afghanistan. He once praised Osama bin Laden and tried to impose an Islamic state in Somalia. In 2008, the U.S. imposed sanctions on him and named him a specially designated global terrorist. He left al-Shabab after a dispute with the groups hardliners. I disagreed with their creed, which does not serve Islamic religion, he said at the time. His defection occurred shortly after the U.S. removed the bounty from his head at the Somali governments request. Somalia has engaged in U.S.-backed efforts encourage fighters to leave al-Shabab in the belief that each defection exposes weakness in the extremist group, which has thousands of fighters and still controls large parts of the rural south and central regions. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) Maryna Havrysh struggled to hold back her tears as she helped a group of volunteers load her elderly parents into an evacuation van in Kramatorsk, near the front line of Russias war on Ukraine. Her 84-year-old father, Viktor Mariukha, was carried by stretcher out of the house, while her mother Lidia, 79, held a cane as volunteers held her under each arm. As the couple left the home they had shared for nearly 70 years to begin a journey to a nursing home in western Ukraine, their daughter offered them words of comfort. But when the van's sliding door closed, Maryna burst into sobs. I understand that this will be the last time that I ever see them, said Maryna, who decided to remain in Kramatorsk with her husband to continue working. You see their age, I cant give them the proper care. The evacuation of Marynas parents, carried out by volunteers with a Ukrainian aid group, came days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an order to all those remaining in the countrys embattled Donetsk region to evacuate as soon as possible as Russian forces press deeper into the region. The more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill, Zelenskyy said. Even as the August weather remains warm in eastern Ukraine, authorities are preparing for the cold months of fall and winter, when they fear that many of the roughly 350,000 residents still inside Donetsk may not have access to heat, electricity or even clean water. On Tuesday, Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said a train carrying evacuees from Donetsk had arrived in central Ukraine, representing the start of what authorities are describing as a compulsory evacuation effort that would take 200,000-220,000 people out of the eastern province by fall. On the outskirts of Kramatorsk, which has undergone frequent Russian shelling, volunteers have set up a collection point for gathering evacuees who are then transported to the nearest working train station in Pokrovsk, 50 miles (85 kilometers) to the southwest. As she struggled to board the van bound for the train station, Valentyna Abramanovska, 87, carried only a black-and-white photograph of her mother and sister taken nearly 50 years ago on the Sea of Azov, a memento of her life to carry with her. God help me, God help me, she repeated as she crossed herself with trembling hands. I think Im going crazy. Abramanovska said shed been terrified after the bombings in her village became a nightmare, and was persuaded by her daughter to leave. She still has childhood memories, she said, of German soldiers who occupied Ukraine during World War II. But for her, the experience of Russian bombardment has been far worse. They are beasts, jackals. God forgive me for what Im saying, she said. How is it possible? They are killing children. While the governments order to evacuate has convinced some of those left in the Donetsk region to flee, others are resistant. Nina Grandovas third-floor apartment in Kramatorsk was damaged by Russian shelling in July, and her disabled husband, Yurii, has been living in the buildings dingy basement since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. Yet she said they have no plans to leave, and has been collecting firewood in the yard of her building to cook with over in winter. She is willing to sign a document required by authorities declaring that those who stay take responsibility for their own lives, she said. I have nowhere to go. I have to take care of my husband, she said. What will happen will happen. After being transported to the train station in Pokrovsk, hundreds of evacuees climbed onto the sweltering train for the several-hour journey west to the city of Dnipro. Standing on the platform with her young daughter, Viktoria, a young mother from the eastern city of Bakhmut said the danger posed by shelling and the prospect of a winter without heat had convinced her to flee. We already have problems with electricity and no gas, so I think families with children will be the first to leave, she said. Moments before the train lurched into motion toward the west, an air raid siren pierced the air. ___ Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. Connecticut parents will be encouraged to send students to school with minor cold symptoms this fall as long as they test negative for COVID-19, top state officials said Tuesday. Under the new policy, called test, mask and go, parents are urged to test their children if they exhibit cold symptoms, then to send them to school in a mask if they test negative. Students who test positive for COVID-19 or show serious symptoms like high fevers should stay home, public health commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said Tuesday. Unlike earlier in the pandemic, when the State Department of Education imposed strict statewide rules, school districts will have the choice whether to adopt the test, mask and go guidance. Juthani said the policy represents a relaxation of COVID-19 policy in schools, with the goal of maximiz[ing] the number of in-school days for any given child, Juthani said. Up until now weve been saying if you have any symptoms, stay home, Juthani said. But what weve learned over these last couple of years is that we have the trifecta when it comes to an infection disease: We have diagnosis, we have treatment and we have prevention. Juthani emphasized that masking is not mandatory but is instead an additional prevention strategy. The new guidance comes as Connecticut grapples with an uptick in COVID-19 cases fueled by the BA.5 subvariant, as well as the threat of another surge this fall and winter. As of Monday, Connecticut had reported nearly 5,000 cases over the past week not counting the likely thousands more recorded on at-home tests with a positivity rate of 11.3 percent. Still, officials have argued that the states relatively low number of hospitalizations and deaths in recent months indicates a new phase of the pandemic in which transmission is less of a concern. Charlene Russell-Tucker, the states education commissioner, said she was thrilled with the new, looser policy regarding COVID in schools. It allows families to have action steps they can take in order to make decisions about kids going to school, Russell-Tucker said. Weve learned from everything we know that being in person with our educators, with our school staff and with peers, is the best place for students to be. State officials unveiled the new school policy Tuesday with the backing of both the Connecticut Education Association and the Connecticut chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. Kate Dias, a Manchester High School math teacher and president of the CEA, said the coming school year feels different from the previous few. As we enter this school year, its not with the same level of anxiousness, she said. Are we aware and still concerned about some of our indoor air quality issues? Absolutely. Are we anxious a little bit about school staffing? Absolutely. But do we have the same sort of panic about COVID? I dont think so. alex.putterman@hearstmediact.com ISLAMABAD (AP) The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny Tuesday of Afghanistans Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. Yet a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, who has called for striking the United States in numerous video messages in recent years, lived for months apparently sheltered by senior Taliban figures. The safe house where al-Zawahri was staying in Kabuls upscale Shirpur neighborhood was the home of a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Haqqani is deputy head of the Taliban, serves as interior minister in its government and heads the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the movement. Still, there have been persistent reports of unease among Taliban leadership, particularly tensions between the Haqqani network and rivals within the movement. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, in which the U.S. committed not to attack the group. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions, said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasnt authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qaidas leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by U.S. Navy SEALs. The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position, the official said. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a very carefully worded statement, which referred to a counter-terrorism operation by the United States in Afghanistan" but did not mention al-Zawahri. Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it said. Pakistan has been lobbying for the world to give greater recognition and support to the Taliban government. The strike early Sunday shook awake Shirpur, once a district of historic buildings that were bulldozed in 2003 to make way for luxury homes for officials in Afghanistans Western-backed government and international aid organizations. After the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, senior Taliban moved into some of the abandoned homes there. The targeted safe house is only a few blocks from the British Embassy, which has been closed since the Taliban takeover in August. Taliban officials blocked AP journalists in Kabul from reaching the damaged house on Tuesday. The U.N. Security Council was informed by monitors of militant groups in July that al-Qaida enjoys greater freedom in Afghanistan under the Taliban but confines itself to advising and supporting the countrys new rulers. A report by the monitors said the two groups remain close and that al-Qaida fighters, estimated to number between 180 to 400, are represented at the individual level among Taliban combat units. The monitors said its unlikely al-Qaida will seek to mount direct attacks outside Afghanistan, owing to a lack of capability and restraint on the part of the Taliban, as well as an unwillingness to jeopardize their recent gains such as having a safe haven and improved resources. During the first half of 2022, al-Zawahri increasingly reached out to supporters with video and audio messages, including assurances that al-Qaida can compete with the Islamic State group for leadership of a global movement, the report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said. IS militants have emerged as a major threat to the Taliban over the past year, carrying out a series of deadly attacks against Taliban targets and civilians. The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamic insurgent group, built around the family of the same name. In the 1980s, it fought Soviet forces and over the past 20 years, it battled U.S.-led NATO troops and the former Afghanistan government. The U.S. government maintains a $10 million bounty on Serajjudin Haqqani for attacks on American troops and Afghan civilians. But the Haqqanis, from Afghanistans eastern Khost province, have rivals within the Taliban leadership, mostly from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Some believe Sirajuddin Haqqani wants more power. Other Taliban figures have opposed the Haqqanis attacks against civilians in Kabul and elsewhere during the insurgency. Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst studying Islamist militant groups, said the tensions are focused on how to direct the new regime how to share power ... who gets what position, who gets to control what ministries, to decide the general policies and so on. The timing of the strike also couldn't come at a worse time politically for the Taliban. The militants face international condemnation for refusing to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade, despite earlier promises. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan also criticized the Taliban for human rights abuses under their rule. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat in part over the abuses, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets. This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort. The Taliban have been trying to reopen the taps to that aid and their reserves. However, al-Zawahris killing already has been seized upon by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign that the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances ... that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid alleged the U.S. violated the Doha Agreement by launching the strike. Afghanistans state-run television channel now under the Taliban reported that President Joe Biden said al-Zawahri had been killed. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri closes a chapter of al-Qaida, said Imtiaz Gul, the executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies. Al-Zawahris death coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Iraqi dictator Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait creating a sort of a bookend to al-Qaidas era of militancy. Saddams invasion prompted the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, which in turn was one factor that drove bin Laden to turn his guns on America, culminating in the 9/11 attacks. ___ Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukrainian officials say they are struggling to establish the truth surrounding an explosion in a prison that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war captured by the Russians following the fall of Mariupol. Ukraines human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, told The Associated Press he has tried to establish a direct link with his Russian counterpart in order to arrange a joint visit to the prison in Olenivka, a town in eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists. Dialogue is when there is a conversation between two parties. At this moment, this is an official request from me, which remains unanswered, Lubinets said. Separatist authorities and Russian officials say 53 Ukrainian POWs were killed and a further 75 were wounded Friday in the blast that ripped through a building at the prison. Both sides have blamed the other for the attack, saying it was premeditated with the aim of covering up atrocities. Moscow opened a probe, sending a team to the site from its Investigative Committee, the countrys main criminal investigation agency. The state-run RIA Novosti agency claimed that fragments of U.S.-supplied precision High Mobility Artillery Rocket System rockets were found at the site. The Ukrainian military, however, denied conducting any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka, and it accused the Russians of attacking the prison to cover up the torture and execution of Ukrainians there. Based on the analysis of the photos and videos that we have access to, we can say that it was an explosion from the inside of this barrack, Lubinets said. He said images from the scene show damage to only one building and not all the windows were blown out something he says would not be possible if the complex was shelled. Ukraine has appealed to the United Nations and to the International Committee of the Red Cross for help in investigating the blast and to find out more about the condition of the injured. ICRC spokesman Oleksandr Vlasenko told the AP that the organization was currently negotiating with the Russians regarding visiting Olenivka. ICRC staff want to see everyone held there, make sure those wounded in the blast get proper medical treatment, and look at the bodies of the dead. Russian officials on Saturday issued a list of the Ukrainian soldiers they said who had been killed or wounded in the attack, but the Ukrainians say they have been unable to verify the list while there is no access for the ICRC. More than 2,400 soldiers from the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian national guard and other military units defending the city of Mariupol surrendered under orders from Ukraines military in May. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called upon the U.N. and the Red Cross, which acted as guarantors during the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from the giant Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, to preserve the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Olena Tolkachova, who is in charge of support services for the Azov Regiment, said she had received little information about the fate of the captured soldiers. According to the terms (of the withdrawal), the International Committee of the Red Cross had to visit our POWs every week and check the conditions of our soldiers. They were supposed to provide contact with relatives, she said. She said she believed the ICRC had only visited the prison once and she only discovered this from the Russian media. The support service is in touch with the ICRC seeking information about those who were killed or wounded in Olenivka. They do not give specific answers. They cannot explain to us why they cannot get there, Tolkachova said, adding that relatives are desperate to know what happened to their loved ones and are calling every number they can find for any shred of information. Vlasenko of the Red Cross said negotiations with the Russians are delicate. Any leak of information can be harmful. We inform about our actions only when they have taken place, he added. Russias Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Ukraines Azov Regiment a terrorist organization, a designation that could lead to terror charges against some of the captured fighters. Tolkachova said up to 1,000 soldiers from the Azov Regiment alone are currently in Russian captivity and the attack at Olenivka has raised concerns that no one can guarantee their safety. They were simply blown up. And this public execution, which was shown all over the world, isnt that enough for the world to understand that they are in mortal danger?" Tolkachova said. Lubinets hoped that at least the process of returning the bodies of those killed in Olenivka will begin soon. I can only hope that the principles of humanitarian law remain among the Russian Federations leaders, Lubinets said. ___ Susie Blann contributed to this report. ___ Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. DAHLONEGA, Ga. (AP) University of North Georgia President Bonita Jacobs, the school's first woman to hold the position, said she plans to retire in June. In a news release Monday, Jacobs said she announced her plans to ensure the Board of Regents has ample time to select UNG's next president and to provide for a stable transition over this next year as we celebrate North Georgia's sesquicentennial our 150th anniversary. ALTON Workers on Monday removed the barricades from Piasa Street (U.S. 67) in downtown Alton at about 3:30 p.m. Piasa Street between East Broadway and 20th Street has been closed for Illinois American Water sewer separation work since July 5. The Illinois Department of Transportation originally estimated the work would close the highway for about a month. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Evan Vucci/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alex Brandon/AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3 WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration on Tuesday approved two massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help them defend against Iran. The more than $5 billion in missile defense and related sales follow President Joe Bidens visit to the Middle East last month, during which he met with numerous regional leaders in Saudi Arabia. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been hit in recent months with rocket attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. SIERRA COUNTY, N.M. (AP) Aerospace and space travel company Virgin Galactic announced Tuesday that it's planning to build an astronaut campus and training facility in southern New Mexico. Company officials said in a statement that it has secured land for the facility outside Truth or Consequences near the location of Spaceport America. They said the planned facility will include training facilities, accommodations, tailored experiences, an observatory, wellness center and dining option and it will only be available to future astronauts of Virgin Galactic and some of their guests. Theres no immediate word on when construction of the project will begin. Im thrilled to welcome the next chapter of Virgin Galactics continued investment in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement Tuesday. The new astronaut campus in Sierra County will spur further economic activity for New Mexico, creating more local jobs and attracting new visitors and spending to the area. Last month, Virgin Galactic announced it had selected the Phoenix suburb of Mesa as the site where it will assemble its next class of rocket ships with the facility capable of producing up to six spaceships per year. Officials said the Delta class suborbital spaceplanes will be designed to fly weekly, supporting the companys target of 400 flights annually from Spaceport America. They said the first of the spaceships is expected to start payload flights in late 2025 with private astronaut flights in 2026. OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Washington voters on Tuesday were deciding the top two candidates in races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and the secretary of state's office. A key match is the 8th Congressional District race, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier easily advanced with about 50% of the vote. Seeking the second spot, former state attorney general candidate Matt Larkin had nearly 16% of the vote in early returns, just ahead of King County Council Member Reagan Dunn, a former federal prosecutor whose mother once held the seat, who had 15%. The other nine U.S. House seats are also contested in the primary, with the incumbents seeking re-election. Two are of particular national focus because the incumbents have drawn interparty challenges due to their votes to impeach former President Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob that supported the presidents efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In the 3rd Congressional District in the southwestern part of the state, six-term incumbent Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez were the top two vote getters in early returns, with Gluesencamp Perez capturing nearly 32% of the vote and Herrera Beutler coming in with over 24%. Joe Kent a former Green Beret endorsed by Trump was at 20%. Rep. Dan Newhouse, the four-term incumbent in the 4th Congressional District in central Washington, was leading with just over 27% of the vote in early returns, followed by Democrat Doug White, who had about 26%. Loren Culp, a former small town police chief who lost the 2020 governors race to Democrat Jay Inslee but refused to concede and won Trumps endorsement in February, was just under 22%. The lone statewide races were for U.S. Senate and secretary of state. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray easily advanced to the November ballot as she seeks a sixth term, as did Republican Tiffany Smiley, a first-time political candidate from Pasco, Washington. Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee last November faced several challengers as he attempts to hang on to the office for the remaining two years of former Republican Secretary of State Kim Wymans four-year term. He had 41% of the vote in early returns, followed by nonpartisan Pierce County auditor Julie Anderson, who had captured nearly 13%. There are multiple Republicans in the race, with candidate Bob Hagglund at just over 12.3% and Sen. Keith Wagoner at about 12%. All 98 seats in the state House are up for election, as are 25 of the 49 in the Senate, with several expected to be competitive in November. But more than half on the primary ballot offer no real contest at all. Of the 123 total legislative races, 29 incumbents ran unopposed. In 42 seats, there were only only two candidates running, all of whom automatically advance to the November ballot under the states primary system, in which the top two vote-getters in each race advance to the general election, regardless of party. Democrats currently hold a 28-21 advantage in the Senate, and a 57-41 advantage in the House. While voters began receiving their state primary ballots in the mail weeks ago, Tuesday was the last day for voters to get them in drop boxes or postmarked for mail delivery. In some of the more competitive races, results may not be known for days as most counties will update vote counts only once a day. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate UNITED NATIONS (AP) A Russian official on Tuesday twice repeated President Vladimir Putins new message that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, apparently trying to roll back on Putins warning after the Ukraine invasion that Russia is a potent" nuclear power and any attempt to interfere would lead to consequences you have never seen. Putins comment then dramatically escalated global tensions, which rose even further days later when he ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert. Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministrys nonproliferation and arms control program, started his countrys address to the pandemic-delayed conference to review the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty by reading Putins message to participants against a nuclear war. And he repeated the same words later. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his speech at Mondays opening, called Putins warnings after the Ukraine invasion reckless, dangerous nuclear saber-rattling. What impact Putin's new commitment has remains to be seen. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi told Monday's high-level meeting that Putin's open threat to the world on Russia's ability to use nuclear weapons had been backed by clear calls to do so by the Russian state media." Think tanks and experts widely argue on what type of nuclear weapons tactical or strategic Russia will use during the ongoing war against Ukraine," he said. This is the background for our NPT review conference." Defending Russias military intervention in Ukraine, Vishnevetsky cited an expanded NATO that he said is seeking undivided military, strategic and geopolitical dominance and forced Moscow to defend its core security interests. Russia has been subjected to a hybrid military campaign fraught with a slide into a direct armed conflict between nuclear powers, he said. Moreover, the arms control system, which has traditionally been a core pillar of international security and stability, is currently facing a crisis that has no precedent in recent history in terms of its scale. Vishnevetsky made no mention of Putins warning and action after invading Ukraine, but he said given the current situation it is more critical than ever that the nuclear powers behave with restraint and responsibility. He noted that in a joint statement in January the five nuclear powers Russia, United States, China, Britain and France reiterated that a nuclear war should never be fought and cant be won and emphasized the need to prevent not only a nuclear confrontation but also any military confrontation between nuclear powers. It is imperative that all signatories demonstrate in deeds their commitment to these provisions, the Russian official said. The review conference, which ends Aug. 26, is aimed at strengthening the NPT, which is considered the cornerstone of international disarmament efforts. Its goal is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually achieve a nuclear-free world, and it has the widest support of any arms control agreement, with 191 parties to the treaty. Under the NPTs provisions, the five original nuclear powers agreed to negotiate toward eliminating their arsenals someday and nations without nuclear weapons promised not to acquire them in exchange for a guarantee to be able to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong, head of the Foreign Ministrys arms control department, whose country has close ties to Russia, told delegates Tuesday that the NPT is significantly strained and even faces new and the most severe challenges since the end of the Cold War. The specter of Cold War mentality is there to stay, he said, pointing to a deteriorating global strategic security environment, the outdated approach to security based on military alliances and the growing risk of an arms race and conflicts. Fu called for the five nuclear powers to work together to reduce nuclear risks, strengthen communications on strategic stability and conduct in-depth dialogue on reducing the role of nuclear weapons in their national security doctrines and on a broad range of issues including missile defense, outer space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence. Blinken, Americas top diplomat, said Monday that the U.S. chose to act with restraint in response to Russias actions and avoid anything that could unintentionally raise nuclear tensions. As examples, he said the U.S. abandoned previously scheduled tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles and did not raise the alert status of its nuclear forces in response to Russias saber-rattling. There is no place in our world no place in our world for nuclear deterrence based on coercion, intimidation or blackmail, Blinken said. We have to stand together in rejecting this. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm at Mondays opening over the war in Ukraine, nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East, and other tensions, warning that humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation. Blinken said the U.S., United Kingdom and France have released a set of principles and best practices that all NPT nuclear weapon states should adhere to, among them that every effort has to be made to ensure that nuclear weapons are not used again. By Thomas Hughes Bay City News Foundation A former director of the San Francisco Arts Commission has been fined $20,000 after she admitted diverting grant money to finance a personal vacation in Hawaii. The grant had been intended for a local Native and Indigenous artist, and was awarded to fund a short documentary exploring pre-colonial connections across the Pacific. Instead, the money was used by former arts director Barbara Mumby-Huerta to pay travel expenses to Hawaii for herself, her daughter and a friend, a trip in which no work was ever produced. The fine, levied by the San Francisco Ethics Commission, brings an end to a years-long drama surrounding the misappropriation. A stipulation agreement, titled In the Matter of Barbara Mumby, details four ethics violations that each carried a $5,000 penalty. Mumby-Huerta admitted to giving assistance to someone seeking business with the city, accepting a gift from that person, failing to file financial disclosure forms, and lying to investigators multiple times. She resigned from her position as director of community investments with the arts commission in early 2020, subsequently worked as an affiliated scholar at University of California Hastings College of the Law and is currently a vice president at the Portland-based Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. The misappropriated grant money was never recovered. April McGill, executive director of the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco, said Mumby-Huerta's use of funds for her own purposes had left a void where a Native American artist's work could have been created. "It takes funds away for true San Francisco artists," McGill said. "There's not a lot of funding for Native and Indigenous artists that live in San Francisco." Mumby-Huerta ushered the $15,000 grant through the approval process despite her friend's ineligibility -- she lived out of state. The ethics commission found her actions to be "the worst violations of law and of the public trust." The $20,000 fine is the fifth-largest levied by the ethics commission since 2004, when it began publishing the data, according to DataSF. Mumby-Huerta did not respond to multiple email and voicemail messages seeking comment. Strained relations Mumby-Huerta's malfeasance caused further strain between some Bay Area Native and Indigenous organizations and the San Francisco Arts Commission, as well as divisions in the Native community, according to three people whose organizations have sought grants from and been involved with events planned by the arts commission. The American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco was one of the organizations that flagged Mumby-Huerta's behavior in a letter to the commission in 2019 but the authors felt their letter was ignored. "This is the thing with the arts commission: you can make all the complaints you want, they don't listen," said McGill. The arts commission said it did not ignore the complaints, but a review of a draft letter in response to the organizations revealed that Mumby-Huerta was invited to write the response, which offered a full-throated endorsement of her work. "The San Francisco Arts Commission takes allegations of fiscal impropriety very seriously," an arts commission spokesperson said in an email. "The SFAC takes all concerns and complaints received by members of the public seriously and will work to diligently gather all relevant facts and information to address and respond to concerns received in a timely manner." "This caused a lot of harm in the community," said Morning Star Gali, project director of Restoring Justice for Indigenous Peoples, one of the organizations that signed onto the letter complaining about Mumby-Huerta to the arts commission. Gali was also part of a panel that advanced the grant application, and she later attended the Hawaii trip with some of the grant money. She said she had been unaware that Mumby-Huerta had written the proposal when the panel reviewed it and was invited on the trip by Mumby-Huerta to help conduct interviews for the video project. But when Gali arrived in Hawaii to join the group, she said no production ever took place. "I was, like, this is not what I signed up for," Gali said in a phone interview. The art of grant writing Mumby-Huerta joined the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2014, according to the arts commission. In her role as senior program officer, she was credited with developing a grantmaking strategy, streamlining the arts commission's grants program, implementing an online grants management system, and creating an Artistic Legacy grants program. She also led a team awarding 200 grants every year. After a nationwide search, she was promoted to the role of director of community investments in January 2018, just months before the Hawaii trip began to take shape. "We have no doubt that she will be impactful in improving the health of San Francisco's arts sector and advancing racial equity in the arts and in our community," said then-director of cultural affairs Tom DeCaigny. But later that year, Mumby-Huerta authored the majority of a grant proposal for a friend, Kimberly "Avanna" Lawson, then manipulated multiple aspects of the application process, according to the ethics commission stipulation agreement, which Mumby-Huerta affirmed, as well as emails released by the arts commission as part of a public records request. The grant in question, the Individual Artist Commission, or IAC grant, is funded through the arts commission's Cultural Equity Endowment Fund and is earmarked for underrepresented artists who are residents of San Francisco. Applicants who claim Native or Indigenous heritage are reviewed by a panel described by the arts commission as "Bay Area Native American community members." The application The ethics commission lays out a timeline that begins with Mumby-Huerta authoring an IAC grant proposal for Lawson. The form was submitted with Lawson's name on Nov. 8, 2018. The pitch for the grant was to fund the creation of a short video trailer for a documentary about pre-colonial connections across the Pacific. Lawson indicated in a short phone interview that neither the idea for the project nor the idea to apply for the grant were hers and that she no longer considered Mumby-Huerta a friend. She then abruptly ended the interview and said, "no comment. I'm just glad this whole thing is over." According to the ethics commission, "the grant included the applicant's preference to be reviewed by a panel of San Francisco Bay Area Native American community members." Mumby-Huerta used her friend's Native American identity to skirt the residency requirement, according to emails released by the arts commission. The ethics investigation concluded that Lawson had rented a commercial studio in the city several years earlier but was a resident of Nevada at the time of the grant application. When a subordinate employee told Mumby-Huerta about the need for proof of residency, Mumby-Huerta replied in an email, "for the Native applicants I had agreed to accept lease agreements as an accepted form of residency," maintaining that the years-old studio lease had gone month-to-month and was in fact Lawson's residence. She went on to write, "I have also been to her studio in the past three months and can confirm this is her SF home address." The ethics commission found that to be untrue. Mumby-Huerta alerted her staff that this grant was to be considered "super high priority," and also negotiated an unusual, increased upfront payment. IAC grants are paid out in two installments, with 80 percent of the funds disbursed upfront, and 20 percent paid at the end of the project. For this grant, Mumby-Huerta had the arts commission release 90 percent of the funds upfront. The project was never completed, and the final installment was never released to Lawson. This meant that the entire upfront payment, extra funds included, was wasted. Mumby-Huerta offered to deliver the money directly to her friend. The ethics commission concluded that the $14,000 was just enough to cover the budget Mumby-Huerta had worked out for the Hawaii trip. According to the ethics commission, "documentation obtained during the investigation showed that prior to negotiating the initial grant disbursement of 90 percent, Mumby had drafted a budget for the trip to Hawaii that identified the cost of the trip as $13,500." She incurred one count of an ethics violation for illegally authoring the majority of the grant proposal, giving selective assistance to someone competing for a city contract. Another came after she was determined to have directly accepted $3,500 from Lawson for the Hawaii trip, which included Mumby-Huerta's daughter. The rest of the grant money, according to the ethics commission, was arranged to reimburse Mumby-Huerta and the others for the cost of the trip. "Mumby and others who participated in the trip absorbed initial costs and subsequently obtained reimbursement from the grantee. Specifically, all participants covered their own airfare, and Mumby in addition paid the costs associated with the vacation home, knowing that she would be reimbursed for her expenses through the grant monies she negotiated to be received by her friend," the stipulation agreement explains. The conclusions drawn by the ethics commission were made public after Mumby-Huerta signed a legal agreement stipulating that the fine was a reasonable penalty. The grant The 2019 IAC grant was awarded in May of that year. The project's goal was to "invest in a vibrant arts community," and it set a timetable for deliverables that would complete the project by June 2020. According to a summary of the grant proposal, which was released by the arts commission as part of a public records request, "SFAC funds will be used to support the creation of a five-minute documentary trailer to tell the story of migration and connections between Native Americans in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California and Native Hawaiians. The proposal named an award-winning, Florida-based videographer, Anesti Vega, to participate in the project. The grant proposal identifies a location shoot in Hawaii that would include interviews with community elders. "The shoot schedule will be timed around special community gatherings in order to obtain footage and imagery of appropriate traditional songs and dances to further draw connections," the proposal reads. The pitch praises Vega's experience and attention to the Native community, saying "he focuses on authentic, genuine and contemporary representation of Indigenous people." In a phone interview, Vega said he regretted becoming involved in the project and that he felt his name was attached to increase its chances of being approved. He said Mumby-Huerta had been his point of contact for the Hawaii trip and for all details of the project. "It was clear Avanna didn't know anything about what was going on," he said. What happened in Hawaii What happened in Hawaii in August 2019 is informed by interviews with two participants on the trip, Vega and Gali; a description of the events from Kimberly "Avanna" Lawson to the arts commission, and the ethics commission's own investigation. By all accounts, the experience was a disaster. Morning Star Gali, called it "Real World Hawaii: Native version." No shooting schedule for the team was ever produced, no locations were identified, and no interviews were arranged or conducted, Vega said. He said the only production that was done was on his own accord and that nobody ever asked him for copies of the footage that he shot. "This was a glorified vacation," he said. Vega said that when he brought up his frustration with the lack of production, Mumby-Huerta told him not to worry. Vega said that at the time he made it clear to Mumby-Huerta that he did not want a grant with his name on it to go unfulfilled. But he said Mumby-Huerta assured him that there was no problem because she would be the one reviewing the project. He questioned at the time how the grant for a local artist had been given to someone that lived in Nevada. He said he spent much of the time in his room with his wife, who had come along as his assistant. Staying in a house the ethics commission determined was rented with the grant money, Vega and Gali described scenes of booze-soaked lei-making sessions, partying with old friends unrelated to the project, and conflict at several turns. Vega said there was a helicopter tour taken by Mumby-Huerta and her daughter, and the ethics commission said grant money was used for a dinner to celebrate the pair's shared birthdays. Lawson's letter to the arts commission and Vega's interview described a trip full of infighting, disagreements among the group, and a total abandonment of any production of the film. A downfall, compounded Upon their return from Hawaii two key things happened: a public letter was sent to the arts commission by three San Francisco Native and Indigenous organizations raising a series of concerns about Mumby-Huerta and planning and funding decisions at the arts commission. The letter raised concerns about the trip being used to fund a vacation rather than an art project for a San Francisco-based Native or Indigenous artist. The city controller's office was also contacted through its anonymous whistleblower hotline. The letter was mostly authored by American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco board president Andrew Jolivette, according to Jolivette. He said the group had increasingly felt there was not enough collaboration in planning decisions and that the commission had become overly reliant on one person to make decisions about planning and funding for Native and Indigenous events. The letter urged the arts commission to investigate the allegations of misusing the grant. "I don't feel like they ever adequately addressed what we brought up and if they had maybe they could've avoided some of this coming out," Jolivette said. He said the groups thought the letter would lead to a reprimand or a warning and would hopefully influence the arts commission to implement better checks and balances. But the arts commission invited Mumby-Huerta to write and edit multiple drafts of a letter to directly respond to the organizations. Jolivette said he was surprised to hear that Mumby-Huerta was given the letter by superiors to directly respond to. McGill, the cultural center's executive director, said she was not surprised, given the ties between Mumby-Huerta and other arts commission leaders. "They had a very close relationship," McGill said. McGill and Jolivette, speaking on behalf of the AICC, called for the San Francisco Arts Commission to prioritize hiring staff and leadership who are Native and Indigenous and to collaborate more with representative community groups. McGill said she had been accused of being the whistleblower, which she denied, and said the entire episode had caused divisions in the Bay Area Native and Indigenous community. Both McGill and Jolivette said they were contacted by Mumby-Huerta's husband, which left them feeling uncomfortable. Jolivette said he saved the voicemail that was left for him, while McGill said she shared the experience contemporaneously with a friend who was present when she received the call. More ethics charges Mumby-Huerta resigned in January 2020, five months after the Hawaii trip. She was required to file two financial disclosure forms, which the ethics commission said she failed to do, and that drew the third ethics charge. The fourth, and final charge, came during the ethics commission's investigation, which determined that Mumby-Huerta altered documents that she attempted to produce to investigators on two separate occasions. Despite this, in 2021, UC Hastings hired Mumby-Huerta as an affiliated scholar with the university's Indigenous Law Center. A spokesperson for UC Hastings, Elizabeth Moore, said the role was a non-teaching position that lasted until June 30 of this year. She declined to say whether the school's leadership was aware of the pending ethics violation or whether a background check was conducted. Moore said Mumby-Huerta is no longer affiliated with the university, and by July 13 the webpage announcing her role had been removed. Portland-based Native Arts & Cultures Foundation hired her in July 2021 as the vice president of programs and partnerships, where she helps evaluate and distribute grants to Native and Indigenous artists. The foundation said it only recently became aware of the violations in San Francisco and issued the following statement in response to questions: "The foundation was unaware of these allegations and ongoing investigation during the recruitment and hiring process of the employee, and only recently learned of the matter. Upon receiving this information, the foundation took the violations seriously and began an internal review, which is ongoing, and is currently deliberating to determine the best path forward. It is NACF policy to not directly comment regarding an ongoing internal review." Drop the mic Jolivette said Mumby-Huerta's actions had consequences beyond the ethics fine. "To have caused factionalism in the Native community," Jolivette said, "this is damaging to the community." Lawson never completed the Rainbow Bridge trailer, according to the arts commission. None of the scheduled deliverables were submitted. She told the arts commission in an email that she was unable to repay the grant money and offered to complete the project in March 2021, nearly a year after it was due. The arts commission said that the commission demanded the return of the money in June 2020, but none was repaid. The matter was forwarded to the city attorney's office and to date no money has been recovered from the IAC grant. In January 2020, the arts commission announced to its staff that Mumby-Huerta had resigned, six days after the ethics commission said she presented altered emails to investigators. Mumby-Huerta's own message to former colleagues later came from a private email address. In her resignation letter, Mumby-Huerta wrote that she is leaving to "find new pots to stir," and concludes with an offer to her former colleagues at the arts commission: "Drop me a line if you want to conspire together!" In another message, Mumby-Huerta tells a former colleague, "I'm glad you appreciate my punk rock, dropping the mic and walking away move." Whether the mic was dropped or knocked from her hands, Mumby-Huerta's voice is no longer amplified -- at least not on behalf of San Franciscans. Copyright 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. Copyright 2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. REDWOOD CITY (BCN) A strike by workers at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City has ended after 11 days, when union members approved a new four-year contract Friday with management. With 64 percent voting yes, union members approved a tentative agreement reached the day before with hospital owner Dignity Health, according to a news release from the union: Council 57 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Union members had asked for more than the 4-percent wage increase they said they have been offered. The union's news release did not include details of the new contract, but reported that "The newly ratified contract includes big wins that improve working conditions, wages and patient care. It guarantees an increase in certified nursing assistant staffing levels, which will improve both the quality of care delivered and workplace safety. Management can no longer unilaterally increase employee health insurance costs, a first for a Dignity Health hospital and a huge step towards financial stability for the workers." Officials from Dignity Health were not immediately available for comment Monday night. Hundreds of workers -- including include nurses' assistants, surgical technicians, respiratory therapists, housekeepers, cooks and others -- began picketing the hospital and Dignity Health headquarters on July 18. One week later, Dignity officials threatened to cut off workers' health benefits, saying in an email statement that the hospital system's health plan requires employees to work a full schedule and confirmed those on strike would lose access to the benefit plan: "Employees who do not meet the benefits plan program requirements are removed from benefits plans at the beginning of each month. In August, this will include employees who stopped work in conjunction with AFSCME's indefinite strike." Dignity Health officials also said in the email that employees would have their health care restored once they resume work. The union said the move was unnecessary and was designed to break the strike. In Monday's news release from the union, Jackie Garcia, a surgical technician at Sequoia Hospital, called the new contract a win for current and future patients and staff. "This is going to be a stronger, safer and better place to seek and provide care." Copyright 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. Copyright 2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Anthony Quinn / Associated Press On Aug. 9, Connecticut Republicans are eligible to vote in a primary election to choose a nominee to compete in the November election to be one of our two U.S. senators. There are three candidates seeking to be the Republican candidate. One candidate has distinguished herself as a mother, pioneering business woman, community leader and Republican party activist at the local, state and federal level. This candidate is Leora Levy. During my 12-year tenure as Greenwichs first selectman (2007-2019), I had the opportunity to nominate and appoint hundreds of citizens to serve on various town boards and commissions. Leora Levy stands out as one of the most effective leaders I appointed and collaborated. Leora sets clear goals, partners well with peers and achieves outcomes. From her tenure as board co-chair at the Bruce Museum where she evaluated and implemented changes to the governance structure and set forth planning for the museums future expansion to raising private funds to build a modern and compliant animal control facility through a non-profit Shelter Our Strays. Her fundraising prowess resulted in raising funds in excess of what was needed for the construction and today in 2022, Leora still chairs the board that approves the expenditure of these funds which go to care for the well-being of these vulnerable animals. The shelter was built and opened in 2009. On Tuesday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan for a perilous photo op. A politician of Pelosi's stature hasn't visited Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997. That was then, and this is now. In 2022, China is, alongside America, one the two most powerful countries on Earth, meaning provocations from politicians like Pelosi carry far more weight. China, well-aware of its bolstered position on the world stage, has released a furious stream of warnings about Pelosis visit. China views her Taiwan trip as an affront, an insult and a purposeful nose-thumbing of the "One China" policy America agreed to in 1979. As part of that agreement, the United States recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and acknowledged China's position that Taiwan is part of China. The Chinese government doesn't take kindly to any insinuation that America is treating Taiwan as "separate" from the mainland, or that America is encouraging an independence movement in Taiwan. After Pelosi landed in Taiwan, China's Foreign Ministry released an unmistakably hostile statement to the Peoples Daily, which reads, in part: "[Pelosi's trip] has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence, the ministry wrote. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan." In a Washington Post op-ed released Tuesday, Pelosi said that shes in Taiwan to reaffirm an American commitment to democracy and human rights in light of Beijings dramatically intensified tensions with Taiwan. In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom, Pelosi wrote. And in a recent interview with Politico, Pelosi floated that she's going to Taiwan as a human rights advocate. If you cannot stand up for human rights in China because of commercial interests, you lose all moral authority to speak out for it in any place, Pelosi said. Of course, China is committing human rights violations. The country's treatment of the Uyghur people, for instance, is broadly considered to be a genocide. Theres also evidence that the Chinese government is indeed ramping up military pressure on Taiwan. But there's an enormous difference between having a plan to advocate for human rights, and using that term as a stripped-of-its-meaning cudgel for your own personal gain, consequences be damned. China clearly believes Pelosi is an extension of the Biden administration, which already upset a delicate balancing act when the president said the U.S. military would intervene if Chinese troops showed up in Taiwan. Even though the president's aides walked back his spontaneous policy shift, the Chinese government has been on high alert ever since, making Pelosis visit even more ill-timed. Shes not helping matters by calling her trip an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, which absolutely reads as a military posture. There's a reason even right-wing conservative war hawks who otherwise dismiss Pelosi as a looney, out-of-touch liberal are attaching real meaning to Pelosi's Taiwan trip. They, too, know that this photo op matters. Pelosi's presence is impossible to ignore; it's an obvious middle finger to the Chinese government. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. will not take the bait or engage in saber-rattling with China over Pelosi's trip, downplaying its importance. But Nancy Pelosi is saber-rattling aplenty, and there's apparently nothing anyone including the White House can do to stop her. And for what? What's the end goal here? How does this trip benefit literally anyone? Pelosi is a laughable messenger on the topics of "commercial interests" and "human rights." She's amassed a nine-figure net worth in public office. She and other extremely powerful American politicians routinely prioritize their own self-interests and policy proposals over humanitarian efforts. Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who sees eye-to-eye with Pelosi on this Taiwan trip, literally had his 2018 Secretary of State nomination opposed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, "a coalition of more than 200 national organizations committed to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States." President Joe Biden, the leader of Pelosi's Democratic Party, just wrapped up a trip to the Middle East, where he fist-bumped Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, a repressive human rights violator who our own government believes ordered the assassination of a U.S.-based journalist. On her current trip, Pelosi is also set to visit South Korea, which is still in the infancy of an attempted democracy because, for decades, America propped up the country's murderous slate of dictators. There's no scenario where Pelosi's trip advances the rights of the Uyghurs, or people living in Taiwan. In fact, Pelosi's trip serves no diplomatic purpose. It does not advance any humanitarian causes. It does reinforce Biden's supposed gaffe that America is willing to start World War III over Taiwan, though. Ironically enough, Pelosi's trip may even put the lives of people in Taiwan at greater risk. It seems more likely that Pelosi's motive is personal that, swept up by a dangerous combination of hubris and self-interest, she wants to pad out her reputation at the end of her career. From Politico: "Allies say ... a trip [to Taiwan] would be a legacy play for the 82-year-old" Pelosi. Adds Amanda Hsiao, who wrote a detailed analysis of the potential trip for the International Crisis Group: "For Pelosi, this trip could be seen as capping off a long record as a China hawk and human rights advocate while she is still speaker." Pelosi, who, early in her tenure as a congresswoman, unfurled a pro-democracy banner at Tiananmen Square in 1991, is seeking a full-circle moment. Now, she gets to use her unchecked power to write her own history, even if it means pissing off a superpower to do it. This trip is doing damage to an already frayed relationship, that much is certain. Pelosi will soon depart Taiwan, leaving others to clean up her mess. All we can hope is that her selfish act doesn't lead to something worse. Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:45 p.m., Aug. 2, to correct information on the U.S.'s "One China" policy. WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, August 1, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... San Bernardino County in southern California... * Until 730 PM PDT. * At 433 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen to the east of Ridgecrest and Searles Valley. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life-threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings, creeks, normally dry washes and roads. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Trona, Searles Valley and State Route 178 between Ridgecrest and Trona. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, August 2, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Central Inyo County in south central California... * Until 545 PM PDT. * At 243 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life-threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings, creeks, normally dry washes and roads. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Emigrant Canyon and Stovepipe Wells. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO NEW YORK CITY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, August 5, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service New York NY 332 PM EDT Tue Aug 2 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THURSDAY TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values around 100 expected. * WHERE...New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Richmond (Staten Island), Kings (Brooklyn), Northern Queens and Southern Queens Counties. * WHEN...From 11 AM Thursday to 8 PM EDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... New York City residents should call 3 1 1 to identify cooling center locations and obtain 'Beat the Heat' safety tips. A Heat Advisory is issued when the combination of heat and humidity is expected to make it feel like it is 95 to 99 degrees for two or more consecutive days, or 100 to 104 degrees for any length of time. Seniors and those with chronic health problems or mental health conditions are at an increased risk. Homes without air conditioning can be much hotter than outdoor temperatures. Use air conditioning to stay cool at home or go to a place that has air conditioning. Check on vulnerable friends, family members and neighbors. 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! In cases of heat stroke call 9 1 1. * WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and southeast New York. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Isolated heat indices around 105 possible across northeast New Jersey Thursday afternoon. * WHAT...Heat index values in the middle to upper 90s expected. * WHERE...In Connecticut, Southern Fairfield, Southern New Haven, Southern Middlesex and Southern New London Counties. In New York, Northwest Suffolk, Northeast Suffolk, Southwest Suffolk, Southeast Suffolk, Northern Nassau and Southern Nassau Counties. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather The launch of the Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER) in Hanoi on August 1. (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn) PHER is a product of an extensive consultation process among the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the three largest Vietnamese universities (the Vietnam National University - Hanoi, Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, and University of Da Nang), and relevant entities such as the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, Indiana University, and the World Bank. The partnership focuses on reforming university governance, improving academic quality, strengthening research and innovation capacity, and boosting connections between universities and enterprises.Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son said training institutions are responsible for providing quality and inclusive education since the quality of human resources is one of the competitive factors of economies. Over the past years, Vietnam has been promoting the reform of education, including higher education, to generate the best values for learners and the community.The three universities are the ones taking the lead in educational reform in Vietnam, he noted, voicing his hope that by participating in PHER, they will connect with experts of the Indiana University to learn and share international experience with the entire tertiary education system nationwide. Vietnamplus China will take firm and strong countermeasures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday, warning that the Chinese military will not sit back if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. His remarks came amid the high tensions across the Taiwan Straits. Pelosi's Asia trip schedule, announced on Sunday, includes Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan with no mention of Taiwan. "The Chinese side has repeatedly made clear to the U.S. side our serious concern over Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan and our firm opposition to the visit," Zhao told a regular news briefing. "We are fully prepared for any eventuality," he said, adding that it is the U.S. that has been distorting and hollowing out the one-China principle and making irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question. China demands that the United States honor the promise of President Joe Biden that it would not support "Taiwan independence" and should not arrange Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, he stressed. During his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, Biden reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the one-China policy. Here is the list of top 10 stocks that will be in focus today Reliance Industries: India's biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum received a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore of bids, with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio cornering nearly half of all the airwaves sold with a Rs 88,078 crore bid. Reliance Jio on Monday said it is gearing up to roll out an advanced 5G network to make India a global leader in digital connectivity and solutions. ITC: ITC Ltd on Monday reported a 33.46% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 4,462.25 crore for the April-June quarter following a good performance by its business verticals. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 3,343.44 crore during the April-June quarter of the previous fiscal. Its revenue from operations was up 39.25% at Rs 19,831.27 crore during the quarter under review. Zomato: Online food delivery platform Zomato on Monday said its consolidated net loss in the first quarter of the current financial year almost halved to Rs 186 crore due to higher income. The company had reported a net loss of Rs 360.7 crore in the year-ago period. During the quarter under review, the company's total income rose to Rs 1,582 crore against a916.6 crore in the corresponding period of last year. Union Bank of India: Union Bank of India expects to recover Rs 15,000 crore from bad loan accounts during the current fiscal year, and a bulk of this would come from accounts undergoing the insolvency resolution process. It expects to make recoveries worth Rs 10,000 crore from accounts under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for resolution of bad loans in 2022-23, the bank said during an analysts conference call post June 2022-23 quarter earnings announcement last week. UPL: Agrochemical major UPL Ltd on Monday reported a 34.17% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,005 crore for the quarter ending June 30 compared to the same period of the previous financial year. The company's consolidated net stood at Rs 749 crore during the April-June quarter of 2021-22, UPL said in a BSE filing. Revenue from operations of the company during the quarter under review went up by 27.08% to Rs 10,821 crore Punjab & Sind Bank: State-owned Punjab & Sind Bank on Monday reported an 18% growth in net profit at Rs 205 crore in the April-June quarter of FY23, helped by a decline in bad loans. The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 174 crore in the year-ago quarter. Sequentially, it had registered a net profit of Rs 346 crore in the January-March 2022 quarter. The total income of the bank during the reporting quarter declined to Rs 1,91,547 crore from Rs 2,03,961 crore recorded in the same quarter of FY21 Eveready Industries: Battery and flashlights maker Eveready Industries India Ltd on Monday reported a decline of 27.48% in its consolidated net profit at Rs 21.85 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. The company had posted a net profit of a30.13 crore in the April-June period a year ago. Its revenue from operations was up 18.87% to a335.38 crore during the quarter under review as against a282.14 crore in the year-ago period. Castrol India: Lubes maker Castrol India on Monday reported a 47% growth in profit after tax at a206.26 crore in the June quarter. The company had recorded a Profit After Tax (PAT) at Rs 140 crore in the second quarter of 2021, Castrol India said in a statement. Castrol India follows January-December as its financial year. Varun Beverages: Fenton Investments and Arvind Singhania on Monday settled with markets regulator Sebi a case pertaining to alleged insider trading in the shares of Varun Beverages after paying Rs 63 lakh. The two applicants proposed to settle the alleged violations of insider trading rules "without admitting or denying the findings" through a settlement order. The two applicants allegedly violated the provisions of the insider trading rules. Kansai Nerolac Paints: Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd on Monday reported a 36.51% increase in its consolidated net profit to Rs 152.05 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2022. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 111.38 crore in the April-June period a year ago, Kansai Nerolac said in a BSE filing. Its revenue from operations rose 46.23% to Rs 2,051.37 crore from Rs 1,402.76 crore in the year-ago quarter. India is one of the top 5 producing agricultural countries in the world. The ministry of agricultures survey states there are over 140 million farmers in India. World TradeX is disrupting the global commodity industry with their new platform removing brokers and agents from the farmers pockets. This not only saves the farmer money but reduces the price to the buyer. What makes this so revolutionary it is essentially decentralizes farming enabling farmers big and small around the world access to a global market of active ready and willing buyers. World TradeX includes their fintech PayX enabling the farmers to get paid quickly and safely. Their proprietary technology creating NFT cards for each transaction with blockchain encryption built in has the tech and financial services industry wondering just where World TradeX might be intending to go. According to a Reuters source they have patented the system creating a potential for trading these NDT cards as valid monetary instruments. Considering they are based on and represent something of value is different than any NDT card on the market. Each card contains encryption from origin, product details (ownership holdings), logistics history, ownership history, insurance info, and more. The NFT cards were revealed at a recent summit with the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Their appears to be a high interest among world governments and NGOs with what World TradeX is bringing the the globe. World TradeX has opened offices recently in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengluru as they expand registration and availability to India. This will change the life of every farmer in India and will bring opportunity never before seen. World TradeX is a Global Commodities Trading Platform for the worlds food supply chain. They have created an mobile device application that is interwoven with buying, selling, finance, and logistics into a simple easy to use singular platform. The company is keeping most information private prior to launch however they are currently pre-registering farmers at worldtradex.com for access this fall 2022. Information or questions in regard to World TradeX should be directed to: Attention : Investor/Media Relations Goldman Thornton & Stern Beverly Hills 888-7-TRADEX michael@1worldgts.com watchTowr has raised USD 8 million in a pre-series A round with contributions from five Indian angel investors including Saket Agarwal of Onnivation, Gaurav Gupta of Farfetch, Bikram Singh Bedi of Google India, and Gaurav Samdaria of Karza Technologies, alongside global investors, including Prosus Ventures and Vulcan Capital. The fund infusion from the Indian investors will help the cybersecurity technology and Attack Surface Management startup to scale its operations in the country, explore fertile market opportunities, and address the rising cases of cyberattacks in the country. India represents the worlds third-largest technology hub with rapid penetration of the Internet. While this has created multiple new business opportunities with high rewards, it has also amplified the threat landscape for cyberattacks and ransomware threats. India reported more than 6.74 lakh cybersecurity incidents in 2022 till June. This creates significant room for innovation, especially in the cybersecurity services and products sector, which recorded a combined revenue of USD 9.85 billion in 2021. Furthermore, the cybersecurity industry is expected to experience unprecedented growth as more businesses migrate to the cloud to improve efficiencies. watchTowr's technology builds a real-time view of an organizations attack surface in the eyes of an attacker, typically empowering CISOs with a 300-400 per cent increase in attack surface visibility. In real-time, our technology gives organisations a visibility of how they could be compromised. watchTowr continuously incorporates the latest attacker tactics and techniques into the watchTowr Platform so that CISOs can understand their susceptibility to emerging vulnerabilities and threats in hours, rather than weeks or months, said Benjamin Harris, CEO, watchTowr. The Indian American Impact aims at reducing this bias and endorsing the most qualified candidates to succeed in the political arena. Indian American citizens have begun to hold high esteem in American politics and public life. In order to ensure that every Indian American and South Asian is heard of and represented by the US government in all streams, the organisation, Indian American Impact, was formed. Though they hold crucial responsibilities in business, medicine, and several other essential fields, South Asians often feel neglected or not considered by the republican system. This has led the second generation of Indian Americans to construct the new USA on their own for their valuable representation. Hence, Neil Makhija, the executive director of American Indian Impact, has circled the striking increase in Indian American candidates, which will grow steadfast in the upcoming years as they will establish their administrations at all levels of government. Indian American candidates contesting in elections at the state, local, and federal levels acquire abundant support from this impact. One epitome is Aruna Miller, who has won the primary nominations of the Democratic party for the position of lieutenant governor of Maryland along with Wes Moore for the position governor. Her victory in the election would create a remarkable history as the first Indian woman lieutenant governor of the state. Thus, Makhija adds that the impact plans to endorse the South Asian candidates who will likely participate in the upcoming elections in America. It is important that no community member feels deserted in their community. Candidates supported by the impact meet challenges such as facing the political moment head-on, gun reforms, reproductive rights and supporting working families. In compliance with the states contribution sales, financial support is rendered to the contesting candidates. To increase account recognition and campaigns, the impact plans to unite the endorsed candidates with their national network of supporters and partners. As supporters of candidates majorly depend on the resources that campaigns hold, strategic voter engagement support is offered. Makhija mentions that the endorsement is negotiable to pupils who value the impacts mission and motto and, thereby, join hands to build an unbiased and just world in the representation system of America. M.R. Rangasami, founder and chairperson of Indiaspora, a non-profit organisation of high-profile Indian Americans, asserted their active participation in helping Indian American candidates enter political arenas. Despite their inability to raise sufficient funds, they managed to contribute a significant amount to help the candidates with their campaigns. Thus, the Indian American Impact joins hands with the contesting election candidates and helps in establishing unbiased and just political governance for every citizen of America. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! The head of Australias largest plastics manufacturer has raised alarm at fresh warnings of an east-coast gas shortfall next year and has called on governments and gas exporters to find a solution that keeps the fuel flowing and affordable for the domestic market. Qenos employs more than 550 workers across its operations in Melbourne and Sydney that use natural gas to make polyethylene, a material used in a range of everyday plastic products, but the company has come under escalating pressure amid this years soaring prices for the portion of gas it buys on the wholesale market. The Qenos manufacturing plant in Altona in Melbournes west. Credit:Jessica Shapiro JLS Prices for long-term gas supply contracts next year are also at risk of increasing because of higher wholesale and international prices. Gas is a critical input into the everyday essential products manufactured locally by Qenos, chief executive Stephen Bell said. The back bar of the Prince of Wales hotel in 1975 was no place for poetry. It was smoke-filled and loud and crowded with whoever had walked off rough Fitzroy Street looking for refuge when Shelton Lea yelled at the bar to be quiet and read out a poem about the time he had spent in jail. Until then, no respectable poet would read in a pub, said Ken Smeaton, poet and producer of a documentary covering 50 years of performance poetry in Melbourne. But I knew it would work after seeing Shelton Lea quell that rowdy public bar at the Prince of Wales one Saturday afternoon and read his poem You could have heard a pin drop. In her book Delinquent Angel, Diana Georgeff relates how Lea came to perform poetry: he was inspired by the public speakers who would climb on crates or folding chairs to harangue audiences in Sydneys Domain. Eleanor Jackson at The Motley Bauhaus, venue of the P Word Sessions, in 2019. Credit:Michael Reynolds The Hungarian poet and enemy of psychiatry Sandor Berger was here on a box with his wintry beard and declamatory style, and he stood out beside all the untalented drear, Georgeff wrote. He was a poet living by his poetry and Shelton was in awe. At 18 Lea was chanting poetry at the El Rocco, the jazz venue in the Cross. When he moved back to Melbourne he worked as a bartender in Carlton where he found a community of poets: theyd gather at the Albion where poets got up on the bar and recited Baudelaire or invented their own poems ... competing with drunks, arguments, slamming cash registers, seducers and people who were bored. Security concerns are expected to delay the return of Comanchero bikie gang leader Mark Buddle to Victoria following his deportation from Turkey over a $40 million cocaine seizure. The fugitive bikie boss, who was arrested at Darwin airport on Wednesday following his deportation from the Middle East, faced Darwin Local Court on Wednesday six years after leaving the country. Comanchero boss Mark Buddle was taken into custody at Darwin on Wednesday. Credit:AFP There, Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris signed off on his extradition to Melbourne, where 160 kilograms of cocaine were seized as part of an international Australian Federal Police investigation in May 2021. The 37-year-old listened to the hearing via phone call from the nearby Palmerston police station. The court was told his extradition to Victoria could be delayed until August 10 to allow for security arrangements to be made for his transfer south. Firefighters battle Brisbane house fire Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has defended his relationship with billionaire Kerry Stokes while saying he could not recall whether he phoned him to influence the editorial direction of his media outlets to favour the government in August 2020. As the McGowan-Palmer defamation verdict was handed down on Tuesday, the premier finally answered questions about his relationship with the media mogul since the case revealed a chummy text exchange between the pair. Stokes-owned newspaper The West Australian was a fierce critic of Clive Palmer. Credit:WAtoday When asked about the appropriateness of their relationship, given the governments many business dealings with Stokes, McGowan said he rarely contacted him and had relationships with many businesspeople. Im the treasurer, I was the minister for state development, and Im the premier, so you could go through virtually every major company and every major investor in Western Australia, at some level, Ive had contact with them, he said. Police are calling on the public to help solve an assassination cold case from more than 40 years ago involving a Turkish diplomat and his bodyguard by listening to a phone call recording in the hopes of identifying the caller and to decipher its message. Turkish Consul-General Sarik Ariyak, 50, and his bodyguard Engin Sever, 28, were shot outside a residence in Dover Heights in Sydneys east on December 17, 1980, by two men who fled on motorcycles after the shooting. Turkish diplomat Sarik Ariyak was approached by two unknown men and shot in Sydneys eastern suburbs. Credit:Barry James Gilmour Ariyak died at the scene while Sever died a short time after in hospital. Shortly after the shooting, an Armenian terrorist group the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claimed responsibility for the killings but no one has ever been charged despite an extensive investigation by police. First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on August 3, 1972 Police bolt cutters free protester Police arresting one of the demonstrators. August 3, 1972. Credit:Roderick John MacRae Commonwealth police use bolt cutters to release an anti-conscription demonstrator from the chains which shackled him to colleagues in a protest march yesterday. Seven men and a girl were chained together with a 100ft one-eighth-inch chain from Sydney University, where the march started, up Broadway to the corner of George and Liverpool Streets. They were followed by 14 demonstrators, holding an anti-conscription banner and handing out leaflets. Gang war I saw a man climbing over the fence, and he said, This is where the ----- lives. I want his blood. The foregoing is what James Edward Devine saw and heard from the verandah of his house at Maroubra on July 17, according to statements he made to the police. It was the prelude to a sensational gun and revolver duel in which George Leonard Gaffney, a criminal known as Gunman Gaffney, was shot dead and other men were wounded. Railway progress Rapidly nearing completion in the Clyde Engineering shops is a leviathan of iron and steel, a triumph of Australian workmanship, which will arouse a glow of pride in every New South Wales railwayman. For this giant of the iron way, destined to haul our best known expresses the Melbourne and Brisbane limiteds, and expresses is the heaviest, largest, and most powerful locomotive ever designed and erected in the Southern Hemisphere. Zeppelins progress Police offer reward for information over 1989 suspected murder Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss Airplanes due to land at Brisbane Airport were delayed or diverted, and drivers were warned to drive to the conditions, as the city was hidden under a thick morning fog. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a road weather alert just before 5.30am on Tuesday, warning that reduced visibility in fog will make road conditions dangerous during Tuesday in the Brisbane area. Brisbane has woken up to fog on Tuesday morning. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia, Brisbane Times A Brisbane Airport Corporation spokesman said aircraft were still leaving but there were delays with those landing. Flights are still leaving every few minutes but there are delays for incoming flights as aircraft are in holding patterns waiting for an opportunity to land in Brisbane, he said about 8am. Gold Coast, Caboolture and Ipswich commuters could benefit from all-day express railway services when the Cross River Rail overhaul begins in mid-2025, a rail analyst believes. The new network and service schedules could also see more frequent and flexible connections in the inner city, boosted by new stations, running at least every 15 minutes between 7am and 7pm. Artist renders of new Albert Street after the Cross River Rail project opens in 2025. The citys first new city train station in 120 years is 31 metres beneath the ground. Credit:Cross River Rail Delivery Authority The Cross River Rail Connect blueprint was revealed on Brisbane Times on Tuesday morning before it was tabled at a budget estimates committee hearing. The document confirms the upgraded express services and increased suburban frequencies. Thats what we thought originally back when we did the first report. This is yet another brick added to the wall of information around zoonotic infection. Twin strains When COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan, two distinct viral lineages were spotted, separated by two small changes in genetic code. They were detected a week apart in late December 2019. The team behind the Science papers used computers to simulate the most likely sequence of events that would produce two viruses circulating at the same time. They found it is exceedingly unlikely that a single virus would jump into humans and quickly split into two distinct variants. Far more likely, was that the virus had been circulating in animals for long enough to split into multiple variants, two of which then jumped separately into humans. Multi-virus jumps have been seen when COVID-19 jumped from minks on Dutch farms to humans, and when SARS and MERS also jumped into humans. If the COVID-19 virus originated in a lab, as some conspiracy theories suggest, youd expect a single introduction into humans rather than two distinct viral lineages. And both strains were found in samples taken from Huanan market. That, I think, is pretty good evidence, says Dwyer. The Huanan Market Our story now moves to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market; two-thirds of early hospitalised cases had a link to the market. Lab-leak advocates argue that Huanan is a perfect super-spreader site. Maybe a scientist from the Wuhan Institute of Virology shopped there and spread the bug? The Science papers show that 155 COVID cases in December 2019 were strongly clustered in the suburbs around the market including cases with no known link to the market. If the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, wouldnt early cases cluster around there? Wouldnt an infected scientist have passed on the virus while walking to work? You wouldnt expect to find the virus around a not-very-well-visited animal market in a different part of the city, says Holmes. And the papers show Huanan is hardly the perfect superspreader site that some suggest. It turns out the market is a small and relatively obscure shopping spot. By reviewing social media check-in data, the team deduced that 70 other markets in Wuhan had more visitors than Huanan. Of 430 identified possible super-spreader sites in Wuhan, such as shopping malls, supermarkets and schools, the Huanan market was among the least visited. Its like going to Coles in Bendigo on a wet Wednesday afternoon. Its not a thriving mass of humanity, says Holmes. Further evidence: no COVID-19 has been detected among tens of thousands of blood donations made in Wuhan between September and December 2019, nor in thousands of samples taken from people hospitalised between October and December with influenza-like illnesses. What are the odds that two lineages escape from the lab and both make their way into the market and both cause superspreader events? Its ridiculous. There is no way that can happen, says Holmes. Ground zero Using Chinese and WHO data along with public online maps, business registries, photos and official reports, the scientists reconstructed a map of the Huanan market. This map shows the west side of the market. Each black dot represents a human case. Triangles mark stalls selling live animals or unknown meat. Coloured boxes mark the number of times Chinese investigators detected COVID-19 on environmental samples in late 2019 (by the time they arrived, the market had been shut down and disinfected, and there were no live animals left to test). On the far left, marked by the dotted line, is the markets wildlife section. The Chinese found COVID-19 all over it. Eight of the earliest human cases linked to the market worked nearby. The red box marks a stall where COVID-19 was found on a metal cage, a machine for removing hair and feathers from animals, two carts used for moving cages, a nearby water drain and on the ground. Ironically, Holmes had visited that same stall on a trip to Wuhan in 2014 and snapped a photo of caged raccoon dogs stacked on top of caged birds. We cant prove it is this exact stall but the data is very suggestive, he says. An image of the Huanan Wildlife Market taken by Edward Holmes in 2014 Credit:Edward Holmes / Supplied We know now that COVID-19 moves easily among many species of animals, including raccoon dogs but also badgers, hares, rats and foxes, all observed being sold live at the market in 2019. Raccoon dogs were supplied to the market by a network of farms in western Hubei province, the Science papers note. Western Hubei is known for its extensive network of caves filled with Rhinolophus bats, which carry coronaviruses similar to the one that causes COVID-19. Loading Raccoon dogs are a suspect, says Holmes, but not the only one. I think, strongly, there are a whole bunch of animals out there who have viruses like this that we have not sampled yet. Compare the theories Theory one: Two closely related versions of a virus emerge at the same time in people who live near or work in a small market selling wildlife. The market sells animals known to both carry the virus and to be farmed near bats that carry similar viruses. We detect those viruses on cages in the markets wildlife section. We know from past experience viruses can jump from animals to humans at wildlife markets. And we dont have any evidence of the virus spreading anywhere else in Wuhan before it was in the market. Compare this to the lab-leak theory. No one has ever been able to prove COVID-19 let alone a twin strain was ever at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Theres no epidemiological evidence that the virus was spreading near the institute. Loading Theres no emails. Theres no evidence in any of the science. Theres absolutely nothing, says Holmes. Lab-leak proponents have now turned to trying to find malfeasance in the articles peer review process, of all places. Holmes doubts the conspiracy theorists will ever be convinced. Even if the Chinese do let us in the lab, people would say aha, but theyre covering it up, he says. A long queue of sick children overflowed from the Royal Childrens Hospital on Monday night as its emergency department experienced a surge in patients that left some waiting more than eight hours for treatment. The hospital was forced to implement disaster-type plans, meaning five senior doctors who werent on call were brought in late at night to provide emergency care to the sickest children. The Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne. Credit:Chris Hopkins One of them was the hospitals critical care chief, Dr Stuart Lewena, who said there was a six-hour period where unwell children were arriving at the Parkville building at a rate averaging one every two minutes, many suffering from respiratory viruses. He said conditions in the states healthcare system were more difficult than theyd been for years. Power has been restored at Perth Airport after an outage on Tuesday afternoon left passengers stranded and forced the delay of all outbound flights. The outage was blamed on Perths severe weather and impacted flights, check-in services, security screening and carpark access. Passengers claimed they were stuck on the tarmac as air bridges could not be deployed for them to exit. Others waiting to depart said planes could not be loaded with their luggage. One passenger who arrived from Broome at 3pm said she and other passengers were stuck on the tarmac for more than an hour. A 28-year-old woman has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a 34-year-old man in Alkimos on Saturday. At about 6.15am police were called to an address on Minoan Way, where they discovered the body of the man. The woman was then taken into custody and questioned, before being charged by Homicide Squad detectives. WA Police say she was known to the man. The woman is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Tuesday. She has not yet pleaded to the charge. The investigation is ongoing and police have not yet confirmed how the man died. South-east Queensland trains will run on three rerouted lines, converging only at Roma Street station, under the mammoth Cross River Rail upgrade. From mid-2025, Central will lose its place as Brisbanes primary station, with additional services and infrastructure favouring development precincts at Roma Street and Woolloongabba. Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton stands on the 220-metre-long Roma Street Station, which is 27 metres beneath the old Roma Street Station. Credit:Tony Moore The Exhibition station will become a full-time station for the first time, serving the fast-growing apartments and inner-city urban renewal area. One line will follow a north-south route between the Gold Coast (Varsity Lakes) and Beenleigh, and Nambour and Redcliffe on the Sunshine Coast (blue line). Singapore: Myanmar security forces have subjected detainees to beatings with rifle butts, sexual violence, death and rape threats and even made them hold fake bombs to draw information from them, a new report reveals. The south-east Asian nation has been in chaos since its armed forces seized power in February last year, locking up Myanmars elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and embarking on a brutal campaign to suppress pro-democracy protesters and opponents who have taken up arms against them. Insein prison in Yangon. Credit:Getty The military junta is accused of myriad heinous acts, from torching villages to sniper attacks, and international condemnation was further elevated last week when state media announced the execution of four political prisoners, its first in more than three decades. As regional foreign ministers including Australias Penny Wong converge on Phnom Penh, Cambodia, this week for a meeting in which Myanmar will be the central topic, Amnesty International has released new accounts of more savagery in the form of routine psychological and physical torture in the juntas interrogation centres and prisons. New York: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russias actions around Ukraines largest nuclear power plant the height of irresponsibility, accusing Moscow of using it as a nuclear shield in attacks on Ukrainian forces. Russia has previously fired shells dangerously close to the Zaporizhzhia plant in March as its forces took it over in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine. Washington was deeply concerned that Moscow was now using the plant as a military base and firing on Ukrainian forces from around it, Blinken told reporters after nuclear nonproliferation talks at the United Nations in New York on Monday, US time. Of course the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant, he said. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, August 1st, the community was astounded by a letter that has been sent to the Dominican Republic by the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority informing that all flights between the two countries will be canceled as of August 5th, 2022. Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication, Omar Ottley found this short notice and extended travel between St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic until August 31st, 2022 which will give him the time needed to assess the alleged dispute between the two Countries' aviation authorities. It appears the decision was in reaction to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Dominican Republic blocking Windward Island Airways (WINAIR) from offering airline services between the Dominican Republic and St. Maarten. The retaliatory decision created the risk that many passengers would have been left stranded in St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic. Many residents traveled between the two islands for leisure and medical purposes over the past few months. Minister Ottley said if the decision to suspend airlifts from the Dominican Republic is upheld, it would be carried out to allow travelers sufficient time to make alternative arrangements to get safely home. After the fact, the Minister learned of the decision taken by the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority and has called an urgent meeting to discuss the situation. "Once I have sat with our Civil Aviation and get a clear picture of what has occurred, we will further evaluate the next steps," said Ottley. The Minister also stated that he was not inclined to pressure travelers when many would be traveling for summer vacation and medical purposes. "We will have to find a more diplomatic approach to the situation and ensure that we protect our Airline (Winair) while allowing free movement between both countries who have a long and cherished history of friendship and family ties," said Ottley. The Minister will meet with the Civil Aviation Authority members and Foreign Affairs representatives early Tuesday to follow up on their letter sent to the Dominican Republic. MARIGOT:--- The ARS has announced in a press release that they have identified one case of the Monkey Pox on Saint Martin on August 1, of a case The patient was placed in isolation and is being monitored as soon as the first suggestive signs appear. His relatives were also informed and are also being monitored. As a reminder, the monkeypox virus can be transmitted by direct contact with the lesions skin or mucous membranes of a sick person as well as by droplets (saliva, sneezing, sputtering, etc.). Sexual intercourse with or without penetration meets these conditions for contamination, and having multiple partners increases the risk of being exposed to the virus. In particular, direct contact with damaged skin during sexual intercourse facilitates transmission. In the majority of cases, the symptoms are mild and can be treated at home. It will disappear in 2 to 4 weeks (fever, headaches, appearance of pimples on the face, body, palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet which turn into scabs and then fall off). Vaccination (including preventive) is possible against this disease; this is done through the CEGGID of the CH LCF (05 90 52 26 74) which offers information and free vaccinations, in confidentiality, Monday: 9 a.m. 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. 4 p.m. Tuesday: 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Wednesday: 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Thursday: 12 p.m. 7 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. 4 p.m. It should be noted that the inhabitants of Saint-Barthelemy wishing to access vaccination must get closer to the CEGGID of Saint-Martin. The modalities of the dispensation of these vaccines will be adapted to the expression of requests. Everyone's vigilance is necessary to limit the spread of this new disease. BONAIRE:--- The KPCN cooperated intensively with Interpol on the recent disappearance of a Bonairean girl in Europe. This also led to the girl being back on Bonaire quickly. This network collaboration, consisting of the Information and Expertise department of the Dutch Caribbean Police Force and INTERPOL, showed how important strong cooperation is. 194 member states, including the Caribbean Netherlands, are affiliated with the worldwide INTERPOL organization. This network also successfully appealed to employees of the Koninklijke Marechaussee and the 'National Central Bureau'(NCB) in the Netherlands, who were willing to support them. The Dutch Caribbean Police Force (KPCN), the Netherlands Police, and INTERPOL established this international cooperation on 12 April 2021. The islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba are in direct contact, via INTERPOL's connections, with the headquarters in Lyon and with police officers in practically the whole world. KPCN police officers can consult INTERPOL's databases themselves or post information, so that information can be exchanged worldwide in a secure manner. Specially trained Intel agents from the Dutch Caribbean Police Force are working in the Information and Expertise department. They form the link between INTERPOL and the enforcement services On the Caribbean Netherlands islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. These special units and the fast and effective cooperation within the entire police network are indispensable, especially in cases of missing persons and investigation cases. In this case, it has led to the quick recovery of the missing girl. Willemstad/Philipsburg:--- The execution of three of the four Mutual Arrangements Detention (Onderlinge Regelingen Detentie (ORDs)) agreed upon by the countries of the Kingdom largely fulfills the purpose for which they were made, is the conclusion of the Law Enforcement Council (the Council) in its recent evaluation inspection. ORDs 1, 2, and 3 largely fulfill their purpose, but an important number of conditions of ORD4 are insufficiently implemented. ORD1 and 2 offer the countries the possibility to request each other to temporarily house a detainee, for example for reasons of lack of capacity, safety or health. ORD3 offers the countries the possibility to permanently transfer the execution of a detainees prison sentence to another country of the Kingdom for resocialization purposes. ORD4 specifically relates to the transport of detainees between Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. On the request of the Judicial Four Party Consultation (Justitieel Vierlanden Overleg (JVO)), the semi-annual consultation of the ministers of Justice (and Security) of the Netherlands, Curacao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten, the Council evaluated the four ORDs. For this evaluation inspection, the Council looked at to what extent the execution of the ORDs met the objective for which they were established. In connection with this inspection, the Council made 39 recommendations to the respective ministers of the countries. Response to the central question The Council is of the opinion that ORDs 1, 2, and 3 largely fulfill the purpose for which they were made. But improvements are needed, in particular with regards to implementation. More attention needs to be given to the interests of the detainees in the areas of information provision and legal protection. According to the Council, the execution of ORD4 does not meet the objective for which it was established because a number of important issues are not implemented properly, such as the informing of the ministers involved and the reimbursement of costs for the return of persons to Saba and Sint Eustatius. Legal status of the detainee Transferring a detainee to another country, whether it is for reasons of lack of capacity, safety, medical treatment or resocialization, will in most cases have a significant impact on the daily life of the person concerned. In view of the far-reaching consequences of transfer, the Council is of the opinion that a legal remedy must be available for the involved detainee in the case he does not agree with the decision in the context of an ORD. The Council is of the opinion that, apart from the criminal interlocutory proceedings (strafvorderlijk kort geding) as a residual provision, it is up to the countries to implement a specific provision in order to improve and/or guarantee the legal protection of detainees in the context of ORD decisions. Administrative procedure Those involved experience the procedures for handling of ORD cases as too bureaucratic, in particular the extension procedure of ORD2. The Council proposes to simplifying the procedures. Pursuant to ORD4, the Ministers of Justice of St. Maarten and Curacao must be informed in advance about an intended transport of a detainee from Sint Eustatius or Saba to the Judicial Institution Caribbean Netherlands (JICN) in Bonaire. In practice, a notification is often omitted. On an operational level, the transport is being coordinated. Because the transports usually pass through the two countries mentioned and the ministers of those countries are responsible for what happens on their territory, the Council finds it important that the prescribed notification is duly made. ORD2 (medical grounds or safety) and ORD3 (resocialisation) are also used for transfers between the Caribbean part and the European part of the Netherlands. Because the Caribbean and the European parts pf the Netherlands are part of one country, the Council finds it peculiar that the aforementioned ORDs are used for transfers back and forth between these parts of the Netherlands. Cooperation For the handling of ORD requests, there are numerous forms of cooperation between the various organizations involved in and also between the countries. The Council considers it important that all parties involved regularly (continue to) participate in the consultations. The Council is generally positive about the various cooperation efforts. Information (provision) In the 2016, the JVO initiated the Detainees Criminal Investigation Information Point (Gedetineerden Recherche Informatie Punt (GRIP) per country. The GRIP is intended as a point where information about detainees is collected and exchanged. The GRIPs are vested in the police forces. In practice, the GRIPs do not appear to function structurally. It is the information desks of the police forces and the correctional institutions that play an important role in the ORDs. However, the fact that the GRIPs dont function in the intended way, does not result in any significant bottlenecks in practice. The probation / rehabilitation organisations are not involved in ORD3 cases, even though the annex of that ORD explicitly mentions that possibility. According to the Council, the involvement of these organizations can have an added value in the assessment of ORD3 requests due to their expertise in the field of rehabilitation. For detainees, information sheets are available about ORD 1, 2 and 3. In practice, detainees are not proactively informed, they have to request information themselves. Transport of detainees The countries use fixed working methods when carrying out transports of detainees by air. But there are differences in the use of special handcuffs during the flight. And only for the special weapons and tactics team of Curacao (arrestatieteam), which accompanies the transports of Curacao detainees, a transport procedure has been put in place. Although the Council is of the opinion that the countries have made sufficient provisions to guarantee the safety of detainees and third parties, it considers it advisable that the other countries, just as for Curacao had been done, would also ensure that the procedures- including the use of handcuffs and agreements with those involved such as airlines were recorded. The Council also draws attention to the position of detainees who are transferred from Sint Eustatius or Saba to the JICN on Bonaire. This transfer means that their right to receive (family) visits is difficult to achieve. According to the Council, a solution should be realised to safeguard the fundamental rights such as the right to family life (family visit). Reimbursement of costs In the ORDs 1, 2 and 3, it is stipulated that the requesting country is accountable for the transport costs. The temporary detention in another country on the basis of ORD1 and ORD2 is also for the account of the requesting country. In practice, in the case of transfer to the European part of the Netherlands, the Department Judicial Institution (DJI) often takes the problematic financial situation of Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten into account. As a result, the related costs are not billed to these countries. In the opinion of the Council, a more realistic solution should be sought for this matter, taking into account the specific financial situation of the countries. ORD4 contains the provision that the Netherlands must reimburse the costs arising from the application of this scheme. However, it is unclear which organization is responsible for this. It happens that detainees are discharged from the JICN without being in possession of a ticket to travel back to St. Eustatius or Saba. In the opinion of the Council, a solution needs to be found for the reimbursement of costs for the return of a detainee of St. Eustatius or Saba upon termination of the detention in Bonaire. Nature of ORDs In article 36 of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it is regulated that the countries of the Kingdom are to provide each other with support and assistance. Based on article 38 (1) of the Charter, countries can establish mutual arrangements. The four ORDs are so-called form-free arrangements. Form-free arrangements or regulations cannot contain provisions that deviate from generally binding regulations (Algemeen Verbindende Voorschriften (AVV)) nor provisions that can directly bind citizens. When citizens rights and obligations are at stake, it will be necessary to opt for a national law or for a general measure of government. This is the case with ORD3 because the countries have agreed that detainees must request a transfer themselves to facilitate their resocialization. Consequently, the countries have therefore intended a right for the detainees, which has not (yet) been legally established, the Council stated. The public prosecutors offices of the Attorney General (PPG) in Curacao and Aruba play a central role in the execution of the ORDs. Other entities that are involved in the application of the ORDs are the Ministries of Justice (and Security) of the four countries, the public prosecutors offices in first instance (in particular the executive prosecutors), the correctional institutions on Curacao, on Aruba, on Sint Maarten and on Bonaire, the police forces of Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands, as well as the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar). The Council is of the opinion that follow-up of the recommendations made will contribute to even better execution of the arrangements and to improved actual execution of these arrangements. The countries as well as the involved detainees will benefit from this. The inspection report and all other publications of the Council are digitally available on the website: www.raadrechtshandhaving.com Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday announced $580 million in clean-water grants to upgrade sewer systems and waste-water treatment facilities throughout the state. Funding for the 18 prioritized projects will be spread out over two years, and includes $73 million in federal infrastructure financing for New Haven and Hartford-area communities serviced by the Metropolitan District Commission, as well as projects in Norwich, Ridgefield, Litchfield, West Haven and Plainfield. The projects on this list, infused with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help our cities and towns to properly manage and treat their wastewater, and in turn help make our waterways cleaner, Lamont said in a statement. These projects will also mobilize many good-paying jobs and strengthen supply chains as construction gets underway. Properly managing our wastewater and ensuring we have sufficient infrastructure to do so is an essential part of being good stewards of our environment, said Katie Dykes, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in a joint statement. These projects will help to keep our waterways clean and contribute to the beauty and health of our natural resources and the incredible quality of life we enjoy in Connecticut. Dykes and Lamont praised the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. Not only will these projects improve wastewater management systems across the state and protect our states waterways, they will also create good construction jobs for Connecticut residents, said the states congressional delegation. Included in the funding is $10 million to complete a project to remove nitrogen from waste water at New Havens Water Pollution Control Facility; $75 million to address storm and sanitary sewers lines in New Havens Orchard Street, Yale and Trumbull Street neighborhoods as well as the East Street pump station; $38 million to replace an outfall line at the West Haven sewage plant; and $7 million to upgrade the Litchfield plant. Ten million dollars has been approved to permanently close a small sewage treatment facility in Ridgefield, DEEP officials said. The largest single award will be $156 million for an upgrade of Norwichs Water Pollution Control Facility, although in aggregate, the MDA will receive more funding: a total of $279 million for projects in Hartford, East Hartford and Rocky Hill. State Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, co-chairman of the legislative Environment Committee, said Tuesday that he is hoping that Stratford and Bridgeport can soon get in line for funding. He noted that Bridgeports West End facility, where storm water from combined sanitary and storm sewage result in overflows into Black Rock Harbor and nearby Ash Creek, are responsible for nearby beach closures. The West End plant in Bridgeport is currently in the design phase for upgrades and is likely to become eligible for funding during the 2024-2025 cycle. When they did the upgrade to the Stratford plant in the early 2000s, there was never an emergency relief valve installed, Gresko said of the town treatment facility, located at the base of Birdseye Street on the Housatonic River. Cities and towns may submit applications for reserve funds through the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate VERNON A Connecticut State Police trooper was charged with a felony assault after he hit a woman in the face while she was holding a baby, causing a severe laceration, Vernon police said Tuesday. Trooper Jaime Solis police powers have been suspended following his Monday arrest, state police said. He has been placed on administrative duty until criminal and internal affairs investigations are complete. Solis, 29, was charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and risk of injury to a minor, police said. He posted $25,000 bail ahead of his appearance in state Superior Court in Rockville late Tuesday morning. In court, he appeared before Judge Kathleen McNamara during a proceeding that lasted only a few minutes. Wearing a golf shirt and khakis, Solis was referred to a family relations program and handed a protective order that bars him from having any contact with the victim. His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 13. Solis, who did not have a lawyer by his side, declined to comment before and after the arraignment. Second-degree assault is a class D felony and risk of injury to a minor is a class C felony. Disorderly conduct is a class C misdemeanor. The assault charge alone is punishable by a prison sentence of 1-5 years and a fine of up to $5,000. According to Vernon police, about 5:40 p.m. Monday, officers received a call about from a home in the Rockville section of town about a domestic violence assault that happened in Solis nearby residence. The victim, who left the house after the incident, had what police said was a severe laceration above her left eye that will likely require stitches to close. She was taken to the hospital. Officers determined that Solis had struck the victim in the head with his hand while she was holding a 1-year-old child, police said. The baby wasnt injured. State police said Solis, who became a trooper in 2020, has been working at the Troop D barracks in Danielson. WEST HARTFORD The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is trying to catch a bear that broke into a West Hartford home twice last week. The first incident occurred July 25. When the resident reported the incident, an Animal Control officer told them to contact DEEP and keep their main doors closed for a week, DEEP spokesperson Will Healey said in an email Monday. But then the bear returned six days later on July 31. The bear pushed through a screen door to get inside and the homeowner had to chase the animal out, according to Healey. DEEP will be setting a trap in the area to hopefully capture and aversively condition the bear, Healey said. If you've had a bear on your deck, or around your garage, do not leave your doors and windows open several weeks so the bear does not have easy access. Healey advised that the primary contributing factor to bear problems is the presence of easily accessible food sources near homes and businesses. Black bears that consume food they associate with humans, like birdseed, trash and pet food, become comfortable near people. As the bear population continues to grow and expand its range in Connecticut, and bears become increasingly food conditioned, conflicts with humans will continue to increase, he warned. Food-conditioned bears pose a greater risk to public safety and often cause more property damage to houses, cars, pets, and livestock. Healey suggested residents make their homes and businesses a No-Bear-Food-Zone by removing easily accessible food sources. This could include storing garbage in secure containers inside a garage, keeping barbecue grills clean and avoid placing meat scraps, fruit or fruit peels in compost piles. Pet owners are advised to supervise their pets when outside and to never feed their pets outdoors. Owners should also not leave pet food outside. Residents should also never feed bears, intentionally or accidentally. If you see a bear in your yard, DEEP says not to approach it. Go into your house, garage, or other structure, Healey said. If the bear persistently approaches, go on the offensive shout, wave your arms, and throw sticks or rocks. To report a black bear sighting, visit portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Bears/The-Basics-of-Living-with-Black-Bears. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Its back to the White House balcony and the Treaty Room for President Joe Biden as he contends with a rebound case of COVID-19. Trapped in the White House for the second time in as many weeks, the president knows the drill this time: Hes got an office in the residence and his dog Commander to keep him company while he governs by Zoom and FaceTime. Biden's latest bout with COVID-19 came with a new wrinkle: how to announce a major counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan from isolation. Biden, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, walked to a lectern that had been wheeled onto the balcony of the Blue Room on Monday evening and informed the American people of the killing of Ayman al-Zawahri, the top al-Qaida leader, in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan over the weekend. The White House allowed just one print reporter to watch Biden deliver his speech, by looking through a window in the adjacent Red Room. A TV cameraman filmed the president and a still photographer took photos a smaller footprint than the group of journalists that is usually at the president's appearances. Bidens initial COVID-19 diagnosis left him with a lingering cough and runny nose, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. His rebound case labeled such because he tested positive on Saturday just three days after being cleared from isolation with two negative tests last Tuesday and Wednesday has left him antsy about returning to a normal schedule. Bidens rebound disrupted a trip home to Wilmington, Delaware, to reunite with first lady Jill Biden, who has been there since Bidens initial diagnosis. A trip Tuesday to Michigan to promote a $280 billion high-tech manufacturing bill he intends to sign was also scuttled. Instead, Biden is stuck in COVID-19 isolation through at least Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, and perhaps longer under the White Houses stricter protocols, which require a negative test to return to work. Hes someone who likes to be out there with the American people, said Jean-Pierre on Monday. Hes looking forward to being out there again. White House physician Dr. Kevin OConnor said in a Monday letter that the president continues to feel well this time around, even as he tests positive. Shortly after Saturdays announcement that he was returning to isolation, the president tweeted a picture of himself masked, tieless and signing a declaration that added individual assistance for flood survivors in Kentucky. He followed up by tweeting a 12-second video of himself on a White House balcony with Commander. Im feeling fine, everything is good, said Biden, a pair of aviator sunglasses in his hand. But Commander and I got a little work to do. Minutes later, he called Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on FaceTime as he visited with people camping outside the U.S. Capitol in a bid for health benefits for military veterans exposed to toxic substances from burn pits during their service. Biden tweeted that he had planned to visit the group in person on Saturday before he tested positive again, but instead sent McDonough with a delivery of pizza. He invited the advocates to the White House once hes cleared by his doctors to receive visitors. It doesnt stop him from doing his job and doing the work of the American people, Jean-Pierre said of the presidents rebound infection. During his course of isolation, Biden told reporters that his canine companion served as his alarm clock while the first lady was away. Matter of fact, my dog had to wake me up this morning, he said last Tuesday. My wifes not here. She usually takes him out in the morning while Im upstairs working out. And so, I felt this nuzzle of my dogs nose against my chest about five minutes to seven. Biden has been working from the ornate second-floor Treaty Room or stepping onto the adjacent Truman Balcony overlooking the South Grounds and the Washington Monument. A limited number of essential staff are with him in the residence, including security and medical personnel and a small number of aides, who remain masked for their protection. Bidens usual in-person meetings, including his daily national security briefing, have shifted to virtual formats. Plans for enabling a president to work in isolation were first developed when then-President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020, which required him to be admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. As the highly infectious omicron variant spread and cases closed in around Biden, his administration refined plans for Biden to carry out his duties while isolating at the White House, according to two aides. Biden, 79, was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid after he first tested positive on July 21. He tested negative for the virus last Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26 and 27, and was then cleared to leave isolation while wearing a mask indoors. His positive tests put him among the minority of those prescribed the drug to experience a rebound case of the virus. The CDC says most rebound cases remain mild. Jean-Pierre said 17 people initially identified as close contacts of Biden when he first tested positive, as well as six people deemed at risk from his rebound infection, have continued to test negative for COVID-19. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Nathan Carman, the former Connecticut resident alleged to have killed his mother in a plot to gain his familys inheritance, to remain in custody. Carmans public defenders were seeking to have him released from federal custody. But during a hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford ruled Carman poses a serious flight risk. Crawford denied Carmans request to be released, saying he is a flight risk and potential danger due to the seriousness of the charges, lack of strong family, employment or community connections and his involvement with firearms and the ongoing feud with his family over his grandfathers inheritance. Crawford said the evidence regarding the loss of his mother at sea, and the acrimonious dispute with relatives over the inheritance, as well as his purchase of AR-15 type weapons are evidence that this is a volatile situation. Carman, 28, has been in federal custody since May when he was charged with four counts of wire fraud in connection with his grandfathers 2013 shooting, and with murder on the high seas for the death of his mother, Linda Carman. Carman has not been charged in the homicide of his grandfather, but police and prosecutors have stated in court documents that they believe he killed John Chakalos in his Windsor home. Linda Carman disappeared in 2016 while she was on a fishing trip with her son off Block Island. In court filings unsealed in May, authorities alleged that Nathan Carman intentionally sank his boat, the Chicken Pox, to cover up the killing. He was eventually picked up at sea by a commercial ship while his mother was never found. According to his indictment, authorities said they believe Carman committed the killings to inherit his mothers $42 million share of the familys fortune. Federal prosecutors argued in previous court filings that Carman should remain in custody and undergo a detailed mental health evaluation. Prosecutors argued that Carman is a flight risk and a danger to the community. Carmans alleged conduct clearly illustrates danger to the community: The evidence shows that he killed not once, but twice, Vermont U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest wrote in his motion. Moreover, the individuals Carman killed were his own family members. For an individual to kill his own family members, nothing is off the table. But Carmans public defenders argued last month that the former Middletown resident should be released, filing a 42-page motion to vacate a previous detention order. With the death of Mr. Chakalos, Mr. Carman lost his closest family member, best friend, nearly limitless financial support, and a fast track to an important position in his grandfathers company. Mr. Carman had little to gain, and much more to lose, with his grandfathers death, the federal public defenders wrote in the motion. Federal prosecutors contend that Carman purchased a Sig Sauer rifle in 2013 using a New Hampshire license, despite living in an apartment in Connecticut. The indictment also accused Carman of killing his grandfather while he slept, shooting him twice with the Sig Sauer at his Windsor home. Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this report. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A wide expansion of mail-in voting in Pennsylvania survived a legal challenge on Tuesday before the state Supreme Court in a case brought by some of the same Republican state representatives who voted for the legislation nearly three years ago. Millions of state voters have chosen to cast ballots by mail in recent elections, although Democrats have used it in far greater numbers and the law fell out of favor with Republicans as former President Donald Trump attacked it during his losing 2020 reelection campaign. The 5-2 ruling, with the two Republican justices both voting no, means expanded vote-by-mail will almost certainly be in place for marquee races in November for governor and U.S. Senate. We find no restriction in our Constitution on the General Assemblys ability to create universal mail-in voting, wrote Justice Christine Donohue in the majority opinion. Widener Law Commonwealth professor Michael Dimino, who argued the case for the lawmakers and others who sued, declined immediate comment. A lower court panel with a majority of Republican judges had thrown out the law in January, a ruling put on hold while the state Supreme Court reviewed an appeal by the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. In a dissent, Justice Kevin Brobson said the majority overruled 160 years of court precedent. Today, this court upends the tradition and historic preference in this commonwealth for in-person voting without the requisite special justification and important reasons necessary to set aside long-standing precedent, Brobson wrote. Mere disagreement with that precedent is not enough. The majority cited a provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution that concerns method of elections and says all elections shall be by ballot or by such other method as may be prescribed by law. That section was apparently motivated by the use of voting machines a century ago. Donohue wrote that the constitutional provision means the General Assembly can prescribe any process by which electors may vote, bound only by a requirement that the secrecy of a vote must be maintained. Wolf's lawyers had told the court the current version of the state constitution should not be interpreted to outlaw voting by mail that goes beyond allowing it for people who are out of town on business, ill, physically disabled or performing election day duties or a religious observance. They said the constitution establishes only minimums for absentee and mail-in ballots, minimums that over decades were expanded by letting military spouses and those on vacation vote by absentee ballot even though neither is expressly permitted in the state constitution. In a dissent, Republican Justice Sallie Mundy said it was self-evident that the integrity of electoral actions becomes more difficult to verify when they are undertaken at a distance and outside of public scrutiny, making fraud more difficult to detect and a leaving a greater chance for honest mistakes because voters cant get help from election officials at a polling place. But Donohue wrote that the court is unaware of any evidence, with any in boldface, to call into question the integrity of any elections in this commonwealth since the enactment of Act 77, the 2019 mail-in expansion, including those in 2021, in which appellate court jurists at all levels were elected and subsequently seated. Brobson was elected to the high court last year. Meanwhile, 14 Republican state lawmakers sued last month in another attempt to get the mail-in voting law thrown out. That lawsuit hinges on a provision that says the law becomes void when any of its requirements are struck down in court. The pending lawsuit says the non-severability provision was triggered by a May 20 decision by a panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over the law's requirement that mail-in ballots have a voters handwritten date on the outside envelope. The federal appeals court panel found that a handwritten date had no bearing on a voters eligibility in a Lehigh County judicial race last November. More than half of states now allow no-excuse absentee voting. Pennsylvania joined them in 2019, when Wolf agreed to a deal that also got rid of the straight-ticket voting by party option on ballots. But many Republicans soured on the law as Trump began making baseless claims mail-in voting was rife with fraud and urged Republicans to avoid it. Republican lawmakers have sought to restrict mail-in voting by expanding the photo ID requirements and banning drop boxes. The GOP's nominee for governor, state Sen. Doug Mastriano of Franklin County, is among those who voted for the law but now wants to repeal it. ___ This story has been corrected to say the majority opinion is by Justice Donohue, not Donahue. STAMFORD Since the outbreak began earlier this summer, Stamford has reported six cases of monkeypox three currently active city health officials said Tuesday. In a city of 135,000 people, six cases represent a low-risk level, Stamford Heath Director Jody Bishop-Pullan said. Three of the six infected people have recovered. No case was directly related to another one, she added. Connecticut has moved in recent days to address the growing demand for monkeypox vaccines and treatment throughout the state, including in Stamford. The state on Monday opened 13 clinics where high risk residents can schedule monkeypox vaccine appointments. The health clinic Community Health Center operates several of the statewide monkeypox vaccine clinics, including the one in Stamford at 141 Franklin St. Each of Community Health Centers vaccination clinics has 60 doses of the vaccine JYNNEOS. Of those 60, 10 are reserved for people who tested positive after coming into contact with monkeypox, according to CHC senior nurse manager Natalie Bycenski. The rest can go to high risk individuals. Health officials widely acknowledge that monkeypox is spreading mainly among groups of men who have sex with men and have multiple sexual partners, but it can potentially affect anyone who comes in touch with a case. For those who have multiple or anonymous sex partners, (the) likelihood of monkeypox exposure is high, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Vaccination is recommended for those with high likelihood of exposure. So far, the vaccine rollout has been relatively slow. Bycenski said that at least one high risk person in Stamford has obtained the monkeypox vaccine so far. However, her clinics have fielded hundreds of questions from residents trying to assess their risk levels and protect themselves. Bycenski added that CHC has not confirmed any positive case of monkeypox in any of its Stamford patient population. Stamford Hospital has reported two positive monkeypox cases in its patient population. Still, the city health department says that it is carefully monitoring the local monkeypox situation, given Stamfords location. We have to be cognizant of our proximity to New York City, which has a high number of cases, Bishop-Pullan said. We did see with COVID that when it rose in New York, then we also began to rise. But Stamford Health Director of Infectious Diseases Dr. Asha Shah is also quick to point out that monkeypox and COVID-19 spread very differently. Whereas COVID-19 spreads efficiently, Shah said monkeypox is really spread by intimate, close contact. The biggest epidemiologic risk factor is close intimate contact with someone who has known monkeypox symptoms or lesions, she added. Monkeypox also cannot spread asymptomatically, unlike COVID-19. This article includes prior reporting from staff writer Vincent Gabrielle. veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com BRIDGEPORT A former Stratford woman pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to committing health care fraud while she awaited sentencing in another case, according to prosecutors. Nicole Steiner, 32, of Edison, N.J., was charged this year after U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said she served as a silent partner in another scheme that billed Medicaid thousands of dollars for services she did not perform. Steiner, who was formerly known as Nicole Balkas, faces up to 20 years in prison in the new case. Part of her sentence must be imposed consecutively with the sentence she will receive in her initial health care fraud case, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The U.S. Attorneys office said Steiner is free on a $250,000 bond until her sentencing for both cases on Oct. 21. She is on house arrest and is under electronic monitoring until her sentencing. In the first case, Steiner pleaded guilty to health care fraud in April 2021 related to her operation of Helping Hands LLC in Bridgeport. The business provided applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and was enrolled as a participating provider in the states Medicaid program, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. From December 2018 to October 2020, Steiner submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for services that were provided to Medicaid clients. However, the U.S. Attorneys office said no applied behavior analysis services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims. Steiner also inflated the number of hours for certain claims even when these analyses had been provided, the U.S. Attorneys office said. In 2020, Steiner submitted fake Medicaid claims using a former employees name and performing providing number, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The Connecticut Department of Social Services, which administers the Medicaid program, terminated Helping Hands Academy as a provider in August 2020, according to court documents. Steiner then made several false statements and submitted an altered document to the state agency in an effort to rescind the termination and receive payment for previously submitted claims, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Medicaid lost about $551,000 as a result of Steiners conduct, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. After Steiner pleaded guilty in April 2021, she was released on a $50,000 bond. While waiting for her sentencing, Steiner was a silent partner in another company New Beginnings Childrens Behavioral Health LLC that also provided applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with autism, the U.S. Attorneys office said. At this company, Steiner was responsible for billing claims to Medicaid, managing payroll and other duties, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. Steiner and the company engaged in health care fraud by billing Medicaid for thousands of dollars in services not rendered and, in particular, billing for services not rendered by Steiner, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Steiner was arrested in May. HARTFORD Connecticuts Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is asking residents to keep a tally of all sightings of hen turkeys, poults (young-of-the-year), and toms from now through Aug. 31 as part of the Wildlife Divisions Annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey. Results from this survey allow DEEP biologists to determine turkey productivity and reproductive success by estimating the average number of turkey poults per hen statewide, assess annual fluctuations in the turkey population, and evaluate recruitment of new birds into the fall population, according to a statement. Connecticuts wild turkey population has been relatively stable in the past several years, but at a lower level than the peak population that occurred in the mid-2000s. Despite some declines, the states population remains healthy and productive, the DEEP said. To participate, volunteers can report observations of turkeys online or use a Wild Turkey Observation Form, found on the the Wildlife Divisions website. Both the form and the online reporting site can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Community-Science-Volunteer-Opportunities-CT-Wildlife-Division#TBS. Each observation is categorized by the total number of hens observed, total poults, and males (toms or jakes) observed. Those using the printed Wildlife Turkey Observation Form, instead of the online form, are asked to submit a final tally of results to the Wildlife Division by Sept. 15. According to the DEEP, hens are distinguished from toms by size, plumage, and head characteristics. Hens typically are smaller than toms, weighing in at about 8 to 10 pounds, while toms will exceed 15 pounds. Hens have feathering to the top of their head that generally is blue/gray in color, while toms have larger heads with prominent red, white, and blue coloration. A hens feathers appear light brown in color in contrast to the toms black and iridescent feathering. This is an excellent way to partner with the Wildlife Division to help better monitor the state's wild turkey population, said DEEP Wildlife Division Biologist Will Cassidy. Citizen involvement in this survey is a cost-effective means of gathering useful data. Participants should look carefully when counting turkey broods as the tiny, camouflaged poults may be difficult to spot in grasses and leaves. If you are unable to obtain an accurate count of the poults, please do not report the sighting. Data obtained during the 2021 brood survey indicate wild turkeys had fair productivity in Connecticut. On average, 3.3 poults per adult hen were observed. Turkey nesting success can vary annually in response to weather conditions, predator populations, and habitat characteristics. WESTBROOK William Neale is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since March 2020 when COVID forced the evacuation of nearly 7,000 volunteers from 60 countries. The Westbrook resident will serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda for the next 27 months. And while it is his first time serving in the Peace Corps, Neale is not unfamiliar with the organization, as his father and godfather served as volunteers more than 40 years ago. Neale, a 2011 graduate of Westbrook High School, earned a bachelors degree in economics from Bennington College. Most recently he was based in Syracuse and worked in IT for Amazon. After his stint in the Peace Corps, Neale plans to pursue a career combining economics and the environment. Neale went through a lengthy application process before he received his Peace Corps invitation. Applying for the Peace Corps is fairly competitive, but we have recruiters placed all over the country who work with individuals as they go through the process, said Erin Curran, MHA, Peace Corps public affairs specialist, office of volunteer recruitment and selection. All of our recruiters are former volunteers who share their own experiences with candidates and make sure that when recruits are 'in country, they feel equipped and ready to hit the ground running, she added. Neale is comfortable with international travel and adapting to new cultures, as he has spent some time abroad. He previously spent about a year living and working in Norway, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan through an unrelated program called Work Away, where, basically you connect with host families who are looking for seasonal help in exchange for room and board, Neale said. A lot of my (application) interview was talking about my international experience in other cultures how do you deal with rustic settings, how do you deal with culture shock, things like that, Neale said. My dad was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 70s, so its always been something thats been on my radar; and my godfather is my dads friend from the Peace Corps who he served with in Tunisia, Neale said. Im really looking forward to going, he added. The current crop of volunteers includes both first-time volunteers and those returning to the field after being evacuated in 2020. They will work in one of Peace Corps six sectors: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health or youth in development. All volunteers will also participate in COVID-19 response and recovery work, Curran said. Neale was heading out July 29 to begin training in Ugandas capital, flying more than 14 hours. Well spend six weeks in Kampala with the whole group of volunteers in all the sectors, learning cultural things, what to expect, how to effectively work with people. For the remaining six to eight weeks, we move into more specific training in our sectors and learn the local language, Neale said. He is in the Agriculture and Business Development sector. Neale was notably calm about preparing for his adventure, his full trust placed in the Peace Corps organization. Many travelers fill large suitcases just to go away for a week. Its hard to imagine how one would pack for 27 months spent 7,000 miles from home. Almost all of my weight is clothing, Neal said. I'm told being clean and professional is important even in rural areas. I'm bringing a laptop to make sure I can work on getting approval for projects that require submitting paperwork. And then my Kindle for reading. I was told the Peace Corps would supply things like a solar-powered light/charger, mosquito netting, and the other necessities, he added. During training, volunteers live with host families who commit to helping the recruits assimilate into the local culture. After that, Neale said, living arrangements are varied based on the project and the individual volunteers situation. We only go where we are invited, and we are there to support the community in any projects that they need. Learning how to work as a part of that community, learning specific things about communicating in that community, and in that culture is so important in that first three months, Curran said. Thats really the mission of Peace Corps, Curran added. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 by Executive Order. Congress authorized it the following September by passing the Peace Corps Act. To date more than 240,000 volunteers have served in more than 147 countries. We are taking applicationswe now have volunteers in 22 countries with another 40 plus in the works. Volunteers just started returning to service in March, Curran said. Applicants must be American citizens and at least 18. There is no upper age limit. Volunteers receive an allowance while serving overseas intended to support them at the level of the community members they work with, according to Curan. The Peace Corps also pays for travel to and from the service country. At the end of the 27 months, the volunteer is provided with funds to help with the transition back to life in the U.S. There are other tangible and intangible benefits to serving in the Peace Corps listed on the agencys website, https://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/benefits/. A lot of retirees decide to serve, and they can even choose to serve as a couple, Curan said. We have some who served at the beginning of the Peace Corps who decide to return to service in retirement because they feel so connected to the mission, which I think is beautiful. Neale said that at the end of his service, Id like to be able to look back on it and feel like Ive made a difference for the local communities and that theyll be better off than when I got there. What Im looking forward to is being able to get off the ground running even though there were disruptions during COVID, and that Ill be able to pick it up quickly and leave it running smoothly for the people who come after me. For more information about Peace Corps service visit www.peacecorps.gov. The Canadian Royal Air Force will begin their mission of air police in Romania on Thursday, according to a press release sent by the Ministry of National Defence (MApN). The Canadian squad, formed of approximately 180 military (pilots and technical staff) and six CF-188 Hornet aircraft, will execute enhanced Air Policing under NATO command for the following four months, along with military belonging to the Romanian Air Force and F-16 Fighting Falcon and MiG-21 LanceR aircraft, and another CF-188 Hornet aircraft will take part in exercises organized with NATO allies during the same period. This is the 6th rotation at Mihail Kogalniceanu military air base from the Canadian Royal Air Force, after the ones executed in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, the Canadian military have also carried out a mission in Romania, in Campia Turzii in 2014, MApN specifies. According to the quoted source, the joint Air Policing missions contribute to developing reaction and deterrence capacity, as well as consolidating inter-operability between the Romanian and Canadian Air Force. Deploying CF-188 Hornet aircraft in Romania is part of implementing the action Plan for ensuring NATO's operational capacity on the Alliance's Eastern Flank, both in the North area, as well as in the South and proves NATO's unity and determination as a response to the challenges of the the security sector.AGERPRES The National Museum of History of Romania (MNIR) announces creation of first Virtual Museum of the Roma Holocaust in Romania, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES. The project's main objective is that of making the historic past from the Holocaust period known, and the accomplishment of this virtual museum to be an important source of information for the young Roma youth, for historians, researchers, students, as well as for the broad audience, the release adds. According to the source, identification, selection, research, transcription, translation and digitization of documents and archival images are among the project's activities. Furthermore, through the means of the survivors' testimonies, the virtual museum will present the deportation of Roma in Transnistria during the Second World War. The project is ongoing until November 15, 2022, and the website of the Virtual Museum of Roma Holocaust, which presents information in Romanian and English, will be launched at MNIR, on October 9, on the occasion of the National Holocaust Remembrance Day. The virtual museum will be carried out by MNIR, in partnership with the "Ion Cioaba" Roma Cultural and Social Foundation, within the "Virtual Museum of Roma Holocaust", initiated and coordinated by the foundation and co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN). Starting with 2020, in Romania, August 2 is dedicated to the memory and reflection, being named through Law 124/2020 as the National Day for Commemorating Holocaust against the Roma, supporting the European Parliament initiative, which through the Resolution of April 15, 2015, decreed the day of August 2 as the European Day for Commemorating Holocaust against Roma.AGERPRES Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) paid tribute on Tuesday to the memory of the Roma victims of the Holocaust, voicing condemnation against any aggressive behaviours towards the Roma community, Agerpres. August 2 is Romania's National Samudaripen Remembrance Day, when the Holocaust against the Roma people is commemorated. "The MAE condemns the proliferation of hate speech against members of the Roma community, especially in the online environment, including amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the illegitimate, unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, MAE expresses its solidarity with the Roma victims of the conflict, support for the actions to manage the situation of the Roma refugees from Ukraine and firmly rejects any type of negative discrimination against the members of the Roma community," MAE says in a press statement released on Tuesday. According to MAE, "the suffering of the Roma in the Nazi concentration and extermination camps and their allies during WWII, remained, unfortunately unknown to the public for a long time." That is why, it is emphasised in the press statement, MAE backs up the national and international initiatives to promote education, research and commemoration of the genocide against the Roma. On August 2, 1944, approximately 3,000 Roma at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp fell victim to the Nazi regime. In Europe, around 500,000 Roma were killed in the events of the Holocaust. In order to honor the memory of the victims, August 2 was declared the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day by the European Parliament Resolution of April 15, 2015. Under Law 124/2020, August 2 was created Romania's National Samudaripen Remembrance Day. The word samudaripen means mass killing in the Roma language. Later, Law 2/2021 passed to prevent and combat Antigypsyism. According to the final report of the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, approximately 25,000 Roma of Romania were deported by the Antonescu regime to Transnistria. Of these, about 11,000 died. The government will approve, in Wednesday's meeting, a draft law on the financing contract for the Craiova Regional Emergency Hospital between Romania and the European Investment Bank (EIB), signed in Bucharest on April 6, 2022 and in Luxembourg on April 11, 2022. "The draft law consists in the construction of a new Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova, with 807 beds. The hospital will become a tertiary level center for the network of hospitals in the South-West region (SV), which will treat critical patients and cases requiring technology and high-level expertise. The new hospital will replace and take over the existing beds in the County Emergency Clinical Hospital. Unlike Iasi and Cluj, which are served by established oncology institutes, the new Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova must function as a center for cancer treatment for the southwestern region and is equipped with the treatments and support facilities appropriate for this purpose," reads the explanatory memorandum of the draft law. It is also stated there that the new Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova will replace the currently existing County Emergency Clinical Hospital, and the total net cost of the investment was estimated at 602.74 million euros. "According to the financing contract, the EIB loan in the amount of 368 million euros represents about 73% of the net cost related to the Craiova Regional Emergency Hospital site. The difference of about 140.52 million euros (27%) of the total net cost, which add the fees and taxes related to the draft law, will be provided by the Romanian side, from non-reimbursable funds and from the state budget," the explanatory memorandum further shows. Another draft law to be adopted by the Executive aims to ratify the Agreement between Romania and the Portuguese Republic on cooperation in defense, signed in Bucharest on May 19, 2022. The government will also approve a draft law on the status of military personnel. "The legislative measure seeks to create a new normative framework that governs the exercise of the military profession, through a clearer structuring, intended to facilitate its uniform interpretation and application, as well as the premises for the subsequent reconfiguration and application of an integrated and efficient management system of human resources, based on competence, to meet the requirements of achieving the organizational objectives, simultaneously with ensuring the conditions for increasing the degree of interoperability with the armed forces of the NATO, the EU member states and of other partners on a regional and international level. Also, the strengthening of the importance of the military rank, as a defining element of the status of a military cadre and of the position in the military hierarchy was also taken into account in the elaboration of the draft the law," the document also mentions. In the Executive meeting, a draft ordinance on the authorization and operation of representatives of foreign companies and economic organizations in Romania will be approved. The government is also set to approve a draft decision on the granting of emergency aid to combat the effects of special meteorological phenomena in 2022. Thus, it is proposed the granting of emergency aid during 2022 to support the population affected by floods and landslides, dangerous meteorological phenomena. The emergency aid will be granted within the limit of 6,000,000 RON from the funds provided for this purpose in the budget of the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity. A draft decision will also be approved on the allocation of the amount of 829,000 RON from the Budgetary Reserve Fund at the disposal of the Government, provided for in the state budget for 2022, for the local budget of the municipality of Bucharest. The money is intended for carrying out expenditures necessary for the organization and holding of the 21st edition of the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in Bucharest from September 26 to October 14, 2022. On the agenda of the meeting there is also a draft decision on re-granting the recognition of public interest status to some irrigation facilities or parts of irrigation facilities, as well as for the amendment and completion of Government Decision no. 793/2016 for the approval of the National Program for the rehabilitation of the main irrigation infrastructure in Romania. The executive will approve, by memorandum, the establishment of a working group for the amendment and completion of the legislation applied in the public railway transport of passengers, aimed at the use an "Integrated system, unique database and provision of information regarding the ticketing service of railway passenger transport operators". Another memorandum concerns the signing of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain regarding cooperation in the military field.AGERPRES The Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) Oradea will offer the public, between September 2 and 4, a wide selection of more than 30 multi-awarded films, Romanian and Hungarian premieres, films and media workshops for children, and also a selection of cine-concerts. According to a press release of the Association for Tourism Promotion in Oradea and its Region (APTOR), among the events already confirmed for this edition is the Nosferatu cine-concert - the horror masterpiece released 100 years ago, brought back to life with the music performed by the State Philharmonic of Oradea. The locals will have the opportunity to watch the original version of the film Nosferatu, accompanied in the absolute premiere by the artists of the Philharmonic - Sunday, September 4, 9:00 pm. The musical show will be completed by the interpretations of soprano Mihaela Maxim, together with baritone Catalin Petrescu and bass Iustinian Zetea, under the baton of conductor Simona Strungaru, who also signs the original music that will accompany the screening. Based on the novel "Dracula," written by Bram Stoker, Nosferatu bears the signature of the legendary director F.W. Murnau and represents one of the reference works of German expressionism. The release of the film on the big screen, in 1922, revolutionized the world of cinema, defining the horror genre, while it also generated waves of controversy. Shortly after its release, a court ordered the destruction of all the copies, but the film has managed to survive to this day. The Nosferatu cine-concert is organized together with the Oradea State Philharmonic, with the support of the Goethe Institute. The 5th edition of TIFF Oradea will bring to the public films such as "Alcarras," awarded this year with the Golden Bear in Berlin, "Our House/Utama," winner of the Transylvania Trophy and the most voted film at TIFF 2022, as well as "The Event," for which Anamaria Vartolomei was awarded the title of Most Promising Actress at the Cesar Awards. The programme will also include local cinematographic news. "Capra cu trei iezi," [The Goat and Her Three Kids - editor's note] the horror film starring Maia Morgenstern and Marius Bodochi, but also the documentary "Pentru mine tu esti Ceausescu," [You are Ceausescu to Me - editor's note] named winner of the What's up, Doc? at TIFF 2022, there will be special screenings, Agerpres. This year, the selection will also include titles from Hungarian cinema that have stood out in major festivals in recent years, as well as films from the EducaTIFF section, with stories for the whole family. Among the most popular events in the programme of the first editions, the cine-concerts will delight music and film lovers night after night. More details about TIFF Oradea 2022 will be available soon on the event's website, APTOR announces. TIFF Oradea is organized by the Urban Film and Culture Association, in partnership with the Transilvania Film Festival Association. Co-organizer is Oradea City Hall through Visit Oradea - Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Oradea and the Region, with the support of the National Cinematography Center, National Film Institute Hungary, Bihor County Council, Manifest pentru Oradea, Goethe-Institut. Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Diplomatic Strategies Cornel Feruta met on Tuesday in Bucharest with the Polish government's Plenipotentiary for the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Pawel Jablonski, with whom he discussed aspects related to Romania's future mandate in the perspective of the 2023 3SI Summit in Bucharest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release. The Romanian official reiterated Romania's firm support for the goals of the Three Seas Initiative and emphasized our country's constant interest in advancing the implementation of regional inter-connectivity projects, especially those of strategic interest, which ensure conditions for both economic development and military mobility, the release states. Also, Cornel Feruta emphasized the importance of Romania's priority strategic projects within the Initiative, specifically the road mobility project Via Carpathia and the Rail2Sea seaport interconnection project, which occupy a central place in the overall Romanian-Polish 3SI bilateral cooperation. The Romanian and Polish officials pointed out that the Initiative provides an excellent platform for communication and cooperation for the realization of projects aimed at meeting the modernization and development needs of the infrastructure, energy and digital networks which connect the north and south of the eastern region. The Three Seas Initiative is a flexible and informal political platform at the presidential level, which brings together the 12 EU member states between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The initiative is aimed at increasing convergence and cohesion, in parallel with reducing the economic development gap between various areas and EU member states, by increasing interconnectivity in the region, in the energy, transport and digital transformation fields. AGERPRES President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday sent a message on the European Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, underscoring that the stigmatization and discrimination of minorities must be "severely sanctioned." "Today we pay a pious tribute to the memory of the Roma, to the almost 500,000 children, women and men victims of the Holocaust. Entire families perished in this genocide, being subjected to terrible brutality. Our thoughts also go to those who survived the horrors and their descendants. This year, in Romania, we commemorate 80 years since the first deportations of Roma in Transnistria by Antonescu's regime. Approximately 25,000 Roma were evacuated and condemned to live in inhumane and unsanitary conditions, deprived of food and compelled to do forced labour. Of these, no more than half had the strength to survive. The Romanian state has taken responsibility for this crime, a dark episode of our history," said the head of state, in his message presented by state councilor Catalina Galer during a ceremony organized at the Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust, Agerpres According to the President, "we cannot let the immense dramas these people went through, the humiliations they were subjected to and the traumas they suffered fall into oblivion." "The commemoration of Samudaripen keeps the memory of the victims alive, obliges us to remain vigilant and not allow racist, anti-Semitic, discriminatory or xenophobic messages and attitudes spread in the society. Every life destroyed in this terrible massacre should be regarded as our legacy that we must we take care of, but also a light that guides our steps on our European path," added the head of state. President Iohannis mentioned that Romania, like the whole of Europe, has been facing a difficult context for more than two years, generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the illegal war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and during this period there were recorded "worrying" increases in hate-inciting tendencies, discriminatory and racist messages and behaviours, especially in the public space. "The falsification, relativization or even denial of the Holocaust represent actions designed to intoxicate democratic societies, to make them renounce values and principles," he added. "Racist or chauvinist statements are unacceptable, and such attitudes and manifestations must be firmly rejected and condemned. We are going through complicated times and that is precisely why it is essential that the Romanian society stays united, offering an example of tolerance, acceptance, appreciation and respect for ethnic and religious diversity," Iohannis said. He highlighted that the Roma Holocaust requires greater attention, both at the European and national level. "We have to make sure that the young and future generations know that during the Second World War the European Roma population was also persecuted and killed. It is also important that young people learn how the authorities at that time acted against its Roma citizens and subjected them to cruel and humiliating treatments, forcing them to endure hunger, cold and disease," the President also said. According to him, "the most important tool by which we can make sure that such reprehensible actions in history will never be viewed with indulgence remains education." "It is imperative that we make constant efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and hatred and to defend and promote fundamental rights, human dignity, freedom and democracy. Survivors' stories of their harrowing experiences encourage and inspire us to be more supportive and open towards other cultures. The stigmatization and discrimination of minorities must be harshly sanctioned by each of us. We also have the duty to promote and cultivate respect and care towards fellow human beings. In today's Romania, the members of the Roma community must not live with the fear that they will be subject to prejudices or isolated from society," said the head of state. The President also emphasized that it is essential to have an adequate legislative framework to prevent and combat any kind of discriminatory and xenophobic act, as well as the necessary tools to act against the marginalization of minorities. "Romania is a model in our region, being among the first member states of the European Union to adopt a national strategy to prevent and combat anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech. On the European Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am convinced that the public central and local authorities will continue, with responsibility and energy, the steps made in taking responsibility for the painful past, and the Romanian society will strengthen its attachment to European and democratic values," stated Klaus Iohannis. As many as 11,696 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, up 6,494 from the previous day, with over 35,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Tuesday. Of the new cases, 2,493 were in re-infected patients, who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease, Agerpres. Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 1,697, and in the counties of Cluj - 612, Timis - 550, Constanta - 490, Iasi - 484, Dolj - 385, Bihor - 377, and Brasov - 372. The 14-day notification rate nationwide is 3.66 cases per 1,000 population. The highest rates are in Bucharest City - 9.56, followed by the counties of Cluj - 8.73, Ilfov - 6.77, Constanta - 6.33, Sibiu - 6.63, Brasov - 6.03, and Timis - 5.79. As of Tuesday, 3,080,545 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania. - Hospitalisations - As many as 4,032 people with COVID-19, down 126 from the previous reporting, including 584 minors, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities. Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 277 patients, up 14, including six minors, are in intensive care. Of the 277 patients admitted to ICU, 241 are unvaccinated against COVID-19. - Deaths - According to the ministry, 38 Romanians, 20 men and 18 women, infected with SARS-CoV-2 are reported dead in the last 24 hours. Of the 38 deaths, one was recorded in the age group 0-9 years, two in the age group 40-49 years, three in the age group 50-59 years, one in the age group 60-69 years, 13 in the age group 70-79 years, and 18 in the age group over 80 years. As many as 37 deaths were in patients with comorbidities, and 10 deaths were in unvaccinated patients. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 66,049 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania. The Senate's acting president, Alina Gorghiu, received the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Romania, Peer Gebauer, on Tuesday, context in which the Romanian dignitary highlighted the special importance that Romania grants to the bilateral relation with the Federal Republic of Germany, characterized "through a very good political dialogue, a solid economic component and strong social connections," according to a press release sent by the Senate to AGERPRES. Gorghiu also pointed out the Romanian Parliament's full support in the action for consolidating and developing relations between Romania and the Federal Republic of Germany, but also as member states of the European Union and appreciated both the contribution of the German minority living in Romania towards Romanian culture, economy and politics, as well as the contribution of the Romanian community in Germany, which consists of physicians, scientists, engineers, seasonal workers or residents, to the social wellbeing and cultural diversity of the Federal Republic of Germany, the quoted source says. The Senate acting president also highlighted the quality of German investments and their contribution to the development of Romanian economy, mentioning the huge potential for increasing German presence on the Romanian market, especially in strategic areas and the opportunity of relocating German industry (from Russia, Belarus, Asia and even Ukraine), in the context of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. Gorghiu thanked the German involvement in the process of expanding the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and for the support granted to Romania's candidacy. She expressed her trust that this support will continue throughout the entire accession process, all the more so that, at the level of the Romanian Parliament, there are actions for creating a support group to accession to OECD, meant to facilitate and accelerate adoption activity for required legislative acts, required for Romania to accede to OECD. Another national strategic objective tackled by Gorghiu was Romania's accession to Schengen area, highlighting that Romania has proved to efficiently manage the EU's external border, in the context generated by the war in Ukraine and expressed hope that Germany will support Romania's accession, fact which will contribute to building a safer, more united and more prosperous Union. The Senate acting president highlighted the efforts that Romania is making for ensuring not only gender equality, fighting against domestic violence and against women, but also protecting and promoting all women's rights, in general, including by respecting the principle of equal opportunity principle in the political decision-making. CLAYTON Centene Corp. Chairman James Dallas plans to step down from his role as board chair, but stay on as a director, the company said Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dallas informed the board that he will step down from his role as chairman by the 2023 stockholder meeting, amid other changes to the Clayton-based health insurers governance structure. Dallas was named acting chair in February, when former chairman and CEO Michael Neidorff took a medical leave of absence. We are very grateful to James Dallas for guiding the Centene Board of Directors through a significant evolution of the Companys governance structure over the course of 2022, CEO Sarah London said in a statement. The company also announced new amendments on Monday, that shareholders will soon vote on. One would add annual elections for directors, and another would allow owners of 10% or more of the companys stock to call special meetings. Neil Gaiman, whose writings of comics, fantasy, horror and myth are known the world over, will be the next recipient of the St. Louis Literary Award. He is scheduled to receive the award in person on April 13. Gaiman is the first awardee to have a deep bibliography of books for younger readers: His The Graveyard Book of 2009 won Newbery and Carnegie medals, and Coraline received Hugo and Nebula awards. Many of Gaimans works have been developed for TV or film, including American Gods, Good Omens and Coraline. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has become a stage play in Britain. The Sandman, a series, begins Friday on Netflix. Neil Gaiman is one of those rare writers whose work transcends generations, not unlike Tolkien and Rowling or even former St. Louis Literary Award recipients Margaret Atwood, Edwidge Danticat and Michael Chabon, said Ted Ibur, executive director of the award. They are all writers who move seamlessly and beautifully when writing for children, YA or an adult audience. Gaiman, however, has had his audience grow up with him over the past 30-plus years, with an ever-growing number of fans. Our selection committee saw in Neil Gaiman a brilliantly engaging writer whose characters and storylines feel simultaneously familiar and completely original. Actor Jon Hamm, who appeared in Good Omens, recently said in a Washington Post article that Neil breaks life down to the fundamentals of what it is that makes us human. Hamm added: Its not about what makes us American, or what makes us Black or White or any of the labels that weve established for ourselves over the course of however many millennia weve been here, but what it is that connects us. Gaiman, 61, stopped signing books for fans at many events because hes the kind of superstar whose admirers line up around buildings and down streets. The award is presented at the Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries. Information about ticket availability will be available closer to the event. When Ibur told award recipient Zadie Smith that the committee was considering Gaiman, she told him: Neil is a writer unto his own universe. He has the most rabid fan base in the world, and I can promise you, they are unlike any fan base of any of your prior award winners, mine included. He is certainly an exceptional writer. The St. Louis Literary Award, given by the Library Associates of St. Louis University, honors a writers body of work. This year, it went to Arundhati Roy, best known as author of The God of Small Things. Other recent winners include Michael Chabon, Edwidge Danticat and Stephen Sondheim. Writers must be willing to accept the award in person (although during the pandemic St. Louis native Hamm interviewed Chabon in a livestream). The award dates to 1967, when it was known as the Messing Award and went to Henry Steele Commager. Other early winners include W.H. Auden, Tennessee Williams, William Styron and Eudora Welty. Melanie Meyer of the Bevo Mill restaurant Tiny Chef is one of the chefs featured in a New York Times article about Korean adoptees in the United States who are exploring their heritage through cooking. The article was published Monday on the Times front page. These chefs are coming to terms with a heritage they didnt grow up with, author Elyse Inamine writes in the article. And they are enthusiastically expressing it through the very public, and sometimes precarious, act of cooking for others. Meyer, who operates Tiny Chef as a walk-up window inside the Silver Ballroom at 4701 Morganford Road, tells Inamine how she worried her distance from her Korean roots would call the credibility of her food into question. The article also includes a recipe for her kimchi carbonara. Meyer said before the articles publication, she wasnt sure it would be included in the Times print edition let alone on the front page as well as its website. When the online version was published on Sunday, Meyer said, I was like, OK, this is amazing. And then, like, (Monday) I wake up to being tagged in one of (Inamines) posts, and she's holding, like, the tangible copy. And I was like, No. Meyer purchased as many copies of the Times as she could from bookstores and grocery stores to send to her family in South Korea. In fact, she reopened Tiny Chef in late July after a monthlong visit to South Korea to see her biological mother and other family members, whom she found last year. (She documented the trip on Tiny Chefs Instagram account.) Meyer said she felt so much pressure coming back to Tiny Chef: I was over there for a month, you know, and just eating every day with my family. And I think I kind of scared myself into being terrified to open again because, like, I have so much to prove now. For Tiny Chefs reopening weekend special, Meyer served miyeokguk, a seaweed soup that is a traditional Korean birthday dish and what her mother cooked for their first breakfast together on her trip. The first taste of that rich broth tasted like all of my past birthdays I never got to have in Korea combined into one bowl, she wrote on Instagram. Tiny Chef, a 2022 STL 100 honoree, is open for dinner Thursday-Saturday. TUESDAY, Aug. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- More young children may struggle with eating disorders than previously thought, a new study reveals. Data on nearly 12,000 U.S. children between the ages of 9 and 10 that was collected as part of a federally funded study found that 5% had engaged in binge eating, researchers reported. Another 2.5% had taken measures to avoid gaining weight. Researchers also found that boys are just as at risk for disordered eating as girls, based on the results. "We tend to think that eating disorders predominantly afflict girls, but there's more and more data showing that boys struggle just as much," lead researcher Stuart Murray, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, said in a university news release. "This is a call to arms to make sure we're taking those cases seriously." The research team analyzed data gathered between 2016 and 2018 as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term study of brain development and children's health in the United States. Rather than studying full-fledged eating disorders, the researchers looked at behaviors of disordered eating that indicate future risk of developing more severe symptoms later in life. These behaviors included binge eating, vomiting to control weight, and behaviors like exercise or calorie restriction to prevent weight gain. Children further along in puberty faced an elevated risk of these behaviors, as did kids with higher BMIs (body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight), the results showed. The findings were published Aug. 1 online in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. "The earlier we can detect these behaviors, the more likely we are to be able to treat them," Murray said. "These findings open a door for the development of timelier and more precise prevention efforts." More information NYU Langone has more about eating disorders in children. SOURCE: University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, news release, Aug. 1, 2022 Was this page helpful? ST. LOUIS More than two weeks after his in-home services provider quit, Jason Uhlmansiek remains in an emergency room, unsure of his future. Hes not there to be treated for a laceration or infection. Theres nothing broken, his attorney says, other than the system that is supposed to help him. He never should have been there to begin with, so every day that he is adds to the injury, said Vincent Heithold, representing Uhlmansiek on behalf of Missouri Protection & Advocacy Services. The day he went, he had to be physically and chemically restrained. Also, psychologically and therapeutically, hes probably had a setback in terms of his development. Uhlmansiek, 32, has developmental disabilities. Hed been living in his home at Lake Timberline in rural St. Francois County. Through a contract with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Fenton-based Sunnyhill provided around-the-clock services for nine years. He required two caregivers at all times, three if he went to the dentist or doctor. Earlier this summer, Sunnyhill gave the required 30-day notice that it intended to cancel its contract to care for Uhlmansiek and his sister. The reason remains unclear, though there had been several disputes over the maintenance of the property. Sunnyhill pulled out July 14 without a new service provider in place, spurring a sheriffs deputy to show up on scene to figure out last-minute options. Sunnyhill was poised to leave Uhlmansiek in the care of his legal guardian, Donna McCluskey, who adopted him from Romania when Uhlmansiek was 18 months old. But he hadnt lived with McCluskey in 22 years, and she said she was unable to care for him. She said hes incapacitated, has the temperament of a 5-year-old in a mans body, which is why he requires professional support. As a boy, he lived in a state institution that was accused of physically abusing him. In 2004, Uhlmansiek was awarded a $950,000 settlement in the matter. As a short-term solution on July 14, the sheriffs deputy worked out a plan for Sunnyhill to take Uhlmansiek to Parkland Health Center in Farmington. He remained in the emergency room on Monday. Mental health advocates say his situation reflects broader challenges. Some state facilities have closed in recent decades because people have the legal right to treatment in the least restrictive environment. But the community support system in Missouri is often criticized for being underfunded. Had he been in an institution, McCluskey said Uhlmansiek would have had more power to stop the discontinuation of services by filing a grievance or appealing the contract cancellation request. Debra Walker, a spokeswoman for Missouri Department of Mental Health, didnt comment on the specific case. In general, she said when notice to end residential services is given, it indicates the provider does not feel it can continue to provide the necessary care. Mandating a residential service provider to continue to provide care, beyond the 30 days, is not in the best interest of the individual or provider and could jeopardize the individuals health and safety, she said by email. She said the state tries to find a replacement before services are cut. PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering in the Cambodian capital for meetings addressing persisting violence in Myanmar and other issues, joined by top diplomats from the United States, China, Russia and other world powers amid tensions over the invasion of Ukraine and concerns over Beijings growing ambitions in the region. The meeting in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will see U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov together at the same venue for the second time in a month, though it's not clear whether the two will meet. The two did not meet separately when they both attended the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in early July. But they had their first direct contact since before Russia invaded Ukraine in a phone call Friday, when Blinken urged Moscow to accept a deal to release American detainees Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and discussed other issues. Also attending is Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Many have urged Beijing to use its partnership with Russia to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and to help promote peace and a return to civilian rule in Myanmar after a February 2021 coup sparked mass protests and an armed resistance. The meetings come at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing as the U.S. pushes back against Chinas growing economic and military influence in the Asia-Pacific. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is touring the region and arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. That has heightened friction further, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cautioning last week that those who play with fire will perish by it. Communist-ruled China considers Taiwan its own territory, and has said it might take the island by force if it deems it necessary. The U.S. follows a one China policy in which it recognizes Beijing as the government of China yet maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan. In a call last week with U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping objected to the possibility of a visit by Pelosi, who became the highest-level U.S. official to travel to Taiwan in more than 25 years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, its impact on global food and energy prices and escalating China-U.S. friction are of high concern for the 10 ASEAN nations, said Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program for Australias Lowy Institute. This is one of the first regional meetings of foreign ministers to have been held in person since 2019, so for the United States, China and even Russia, meetings like this are a really important opportunity to demonstrate their support for ASEAN and present their own narratives about their commitment to regional security and prosperity, she said. Blinken, Wang and Lavrov have all been jockeying for influence recently in multiple foreign trips. Following the meetings, Blinken heads to the Philippines and then on to Africa. Biden hosted ASEAN leaders at the White House in May at the group's first-ever summit in Washington. During those meetings, Biden announced he was nominating one of his top national security aides as ambassador to the group, underscoring the Asia-Pacific region's importance to the U.S. Most recently, Lavrov has focused on Africa, while Wang visited multiple Pacific islands in May and made a five-nation swing through Southeast Asia last month. During that trip, he said China was speeding up talks with ASEAN, which includes four countries that are in dispute with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, to come up with a nonaggression pact called a code of conduct to turn the body of water into a sea of peace and cooperation. The ASEAN meetings also bring together some countries that have, or are negotiating, partnerships with ASEAN, including India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Australia, in particular, has highlighted the importance of the ASEAN nations, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying last month that they should see new alliances, including the Quad group of Australia, U.S., India and New Japan and the AUKUS group of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., as beneficial to the region. ASEAN centrality means that we will always think about our security in the context of your security, she said at a forum in Singapore. We understand deeply the ways in which they are interconnected. We believe that Australia must find its security in Asia, not from Asia, and that means, above all, in Southeast Asia. Myanmar, where the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, is a member of the 10-nation ASEAN group. It is not sending any delegates after other members decided no Myanmar political representatives could attend. Escalating violence in the country is prominent on the ASEAN agenda as it struggles to implement a five-point consensus it reached on Myanmar last year. It calls for dialogue among all concerned parties, providing humanitarian assistance, an immediate end to violence and a visit by a special ASEAN envoy to meet with all parties. Suu Kyis ouster triggered widespread peaceful protests that were violently suppressed. They have evolved into an armed resistance and the country has slipped into what some U.N. experts characterize as a civil war. Blinken has criticized ASEAN for not doing enough on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The resumption of judicial executions in late July, when the military-led government hanged four political prisoners, has driven a stronger backlash against its military rulers, with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah condemning the act as a crime against humanity. New sanctions are being considered and Saifuddin said ahead of the meetings that the group should consider scrapping or revising its five-point consensus. He said ASEANs special envoy also needs to meet with the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration established outside Myanmar, to help develop a new political framework. The end game is a democratic, inclusive and just, peaceful and harmonious, prosperous Myanmar whose civil and political rights are guaranteed by the constitution, he said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has proposed that ASEAN hold a special meeting on Myanmar specifically to discuss recent developments. More than 2,100 people have been killed by the military government since it took power and nearly 15,000 have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organization that tracks killings and arrests. All developments in Myanmar, including the death penalty for political prisoners, show a setback rather than progress from the implementation of the five-point consensus, Marsudi said. Cambodia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, which also includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei in addition to Myanmar. Associated Press journalists Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C.; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia; Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this story. NEW YORK (AP) Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, who witnessed the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection days after taking office and then cast one of the 10 Republican votes to impeach Donald Trump over it, has lost his reelection bid. Meijer was defeated in a primary Tuesday by Trump-endorsed John Gibbs, a businessman and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Two Republicans in Washington state who incurred Trump's wrath by voting for impeachment also went before voters. Races involving Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse were too early to call by Wednesday morning. Trump vowed revenge against the 10 who crossed party lines on the impeachment vote, and he endorsed party challengers to them in the midterm elections. In other races, Rep. Haley Stevens ousted Rep. Andy Levin in their Democratic primary in Michigan. Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both members of the progressive Squad in Congress, sailed through. In Arizona, a leading figure in the QAnon conspiracy movement fell way short. Some of the top elections: FACING VOTERS AFTER IMPEACHMENT VOTES Gibbs defeated Meijer despite the first-term incumbent having a large fundraising advantage. Gibbs cast Meijer as not a true Republican because of the impeachment vote. He also chastised Meijer for supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June. Meijer, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, had criticized Biden over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his handling of the economy. A Constitutional Republic like ours requires leaders who are willing to take on the big challenges, to find common ground when possible, and to put their love of country before partisan advantage, Meijer said in a statement. Though this was not the outcome we hoped for, I will continue to do everything possible to move the Republican Party, West Michigan, and our country in a positive direction. Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November in the Democratic-leaning 3rd Congressional District. Herrera Beutler and Newhouse had an advantage over Meijer because their primaries are nonpartisan, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will move on to the general election in November. Each incumbent faced multiple Republican candidates. Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011, was in second place in early returns in the 3rd Congressional District, trailing Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez but slightly ahead of fellow Republican Joe Kent. Kent, a former Green Beret whose wife was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, was endorsed by Trump. He heavily promoted the former presidents lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a Zoom call with reporters after early returns posted, Herrera Beutler said she was cautiously optimistic about the results that indicate she could advance. If I get through this, Im not going to change, Im not going to be a different person, she said. No one will work harder for this district than I will. Newhouse had a narrow lead over Democrat Doug White in the 4th Congressional District, which Newhouse has represented since 2015. Republican Loren Culp, a former small-town police chief endorsed by Trump, was in third place in early returns. CANDIDATE LINKED TO QANON Ron Watkins, one of the most prominent figures in the QAnon conspiracy movement, will not be heading to Congress this year. Watkins was last in early returns in his Republican primary for Arizona's sprawling 2nd Congressional District. He served as the longtime administrator of online message boards that helped seed the conspiracy movement whose adherents believe a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. Watkins no longer runs the message boards and has denied fueling the QAnon movement. He said he was running for Congress because he hopes to fix the machine from the inside. He was considered a long shot in the crowded GOP field, having been outpaced in campaign fundraising by the other candidates. State Rep. Walter Blackman and Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL who owns a bottle opener business and was endorsed by Trump, were at the top of the field. The winner will take on Democratic Rep. Tom OHalleran in November in a district that favors Republicans. FROM COLLEAGUES TO COMPETITORS Stevens' victory over Levin came in a newly drawn 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit that favors Democrats, which means Stevens will likely win the seat in November. Stevens got a financial boost from the United Democracy Project, a super PAC launched by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly called AIPAC. Levin, a progressive member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been highly critical of Israels record on human rights. The congresswoman flipped a district in 2018 that was long held by Republicans. Before running for office, she led the auto bailout under President Barack Obama. CHALLENGING THE SQUAD Tlaib defeated three Democratic challengers in her quest for a third term. Because of redistricting, she is running in the newly drawn Detroit-area 12th Congressional District that favors Democrats and is expected to prevail in November. Tlaibs main competition came from longtime Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who had strong name recognition in the city. Bush's win in the 1st Congressional District was against state Sen. Steve Roberts, who hedged his campaign on the idea that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, was too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis. Bush promoted her accomplishments, including persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. 10 YEARS AFTER TUCSON SHOOTING, INTERN SEEKS GIFFORDS' SEAT Daniel Hernandez Jr., the intern credited with saving then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' life after an attempted assassination in 2011, lost in the Democrat primary for her former seat. Hernandez was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords when he went to her Congress on your corner constituent event. A gunman there opened fire, killing six and injuring 13. Hernandez kept the Democratic congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived. Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report. Updated Wednesday with victim ID. ST. LOUIS Police on Wednesday identified a man shot and killed earlier this week inside a downtown St. Louis train and bus station. Dimari Chapple, 17, was shot in the head around 3:20 p.m. Monday inside the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center near South 15th and Spruce streets. The station is a hub for Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains. Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Montrel Alexander, 21, of the 4200 block of Virginia Avenue, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in Chapple's killing. He was arrested soon after the shooting on a Metrolink platform. Chapple lived in the 300 block of North 88th Street in Cahokia Heights. The front entrance to the downtown train station was blocked for just under two hours Monday afternoon. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis man was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter in a 2021 crash that killed his passenger. Gregg A. Washington Jr., 41, of the 2600 block of North Newstead Avenue, was driving at least 70 mph when he lost control and struck a parked vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Gravois Avenue. Police said in August that Washington's Chevrolet Monte Carlo slammed into a parked Ford F-150 with no one in it. The speed limit on that stretch of Gravois is 35 mph, police said. Lakisha Whitfield, 38, died in the crash, charges said. She lived in the 1400 Block of Peabody Court in St. Louis. Washington's criminal history includes convictions of unlawful gun possession, domestic assault, resisting arrest, robbery and driving on a revoked or suspended license. Police said he was on probation for a gun possession conviction at the time of the crash. COLUMBIA, Mo. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens hoped to complete a stunning political comeback Tuesday as voters narrowed the field for a pivotal spot in the U.S. Senate. Republican Sen. Roy Blunts announcement last year that he would not seek a third term set off a frenzy for his job, with nearly three dozen people in the two major parties filing to run. With control of the Senate at stake, Democrats are hoping to pick up what should be a safe seat in red-state Missouri. Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler were seen as leading contenders in the 21-person Republican field. Others include U.S. Rep. Billy Long and St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey, who gained notoriety in 2020 when he and his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters outside their home. Some Republican leaders worried that nominating the scandal-scarred Greitens could open the door for a Democrat to win in November. The Democrats were led by Marine veteran Lucas Kunce, who has never held office but who outraised everyone in both parties, and Trudy Busch Valentine, a philanthropist, retired nurse and an heiress to the Busch family beer fortune. Election officials were projecting about one-third of registered voters would cast ballots. But officials in the Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield areas said turnout seemed lighter. Also, some voters didnt know they had been assigned to new legislative districts and went to the wrong polling sites. Some were irate about the changes, said Kansas City election director Lauri Ealom. Its kind of sad, because I really believe the aggression is misplaced. Missouri requires identification to cast a ballot, but this is the last election before the state will require that it be a photo ID. Those who show up without ID can cast a provisional ballot. Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who supports the photo ID law, intentionally did just that. His ballot will count if his signature matches whats on file. The poll workers knew what they were doing, and Missourians should have confidence in the system, Ashcroft said. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL officer and Rhodes scholar, had been governor for a year when in January 2018 he confirmed a TV report about a 2015 extramarital affair. He was subsequently charged with felony invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a nude photo of the woman and using it to keep her quiet. That charge was dropped months later amid allegations that the chief investigator and local prosecutor mishandled the investigation. Greitens, 48, says he was the victim of a political hit. He faced a second charge accusing him of illegally using a donor list from a charity he founded to raise money for his campaign. That was dropped when he resigned in June 2018 after the Missouri House began an impeachment investigation. This year, Greitens ex-wife accused him of abuse in an affidavit in a child custody case. She cited one instance where Eric Greitens allegedly slapped their then-3-year-old sons face and yanked him by the hair. In another, she accused him of pushing her to the ground. Greitens denied the allegations and accused his ex-wife of colluding with Republican stalwarts such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to sabotage his campaign. Sheena Greitens said she worked with no one. Greitens also drew criticism for a June campaign video showing him brandishing a shotgun and declaring hes hunting RINOs, or Republicans in name only. Schmitt, 47, has gained attention for lawsuits that critics contend are politically motivated. He sued China over the coronavirus; school districts over mask mandates; and the city of St. Louis over its plan to provide $1 million for women to travel out of state for abortions. Hartzler, 61, is a former home economics teacher and state lawmaker first elected to Congress in 2010. She is a Trump supporter who voted against certifying results of the 2020 presidential election. Yet Trump went out of his way last month to say he wouldnt back Hartzler. On Monday, Trump expressed support for ERIC, presumably meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them. There is a third Eric in the Republican primary, comedian and Navy veteran Eric McElroy. I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement! Trump wrote. Committees backing Greitens and Schmitt quickly cranked out phone calls claiming Trumps endorsement. Kunce, 39, received his own big endorsement Monday from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Kunce served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, Kunce is a populist hoping to win back rural voters. He wants to ban stock ownership for members of Congress, break up corporate monopolies and end foreign ownership of agricultural land. Valentine, 65, is the daughter of August Gussie Busch Jr., the longtime chair and CEO of Anheuser-Busch who built the St. Louis-based company into the worlds largest beermaker. The brewery was sold to InBev in 2008. Valentine said she entered the race after witnessing the division in our country and the vitriol in our politics. Winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries could face an independent candidate who has significant financial support. John Wood, 52, a lifelong Republican, former U.S. attorney and most recently a top investigator for the U.S. House committee examining the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, has the backing of a political action committee led by former Republican Sen. John Danforth. Salter reported from OFallon, Mo. Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri. Updated at 5:14 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. CHICAGO Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker launched a TV spot on Tuesday criticizing Republican challenger Darren Bailey for a 2017 statement in which the wealthy downstate farmer contended the Holocaust during World War II pales in comparison with lives lost through abortion. The attempted extermination of the Jews in World War II doesnt even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion, Bailey says in a Facebook video made during his run for state representative, an excerpt highlighted in Pritzkers new ad. The Jewish publication Forward on Monday was the first to report on the Bailey video. Pritzkers ad, which notes Baileys opposition to abortion in all cases except to save the life of the mother, ends with the tagline too extreme for Illinois. The Oct. 12, 2017, Facebook video was recorded shortly after then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation authorizing taxpayer funded abortions for poor women. I believe that abortion is one of the greatest atrocities of our day and I believe its one of the greatest atrocities probably forever Bailey says in the video. I will not compromise on matters of life. Allies of Pritzker, who is Jewish and who spent millions of dollars for the construction and operation of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, accused Bailey of antisemitism and said his comments were part of a pattern toward the Jewish community. Darren Baileys extremism knows no bounds. Comparing a womans right to choose to the catastrophic loss of life during the Holocaust is unconscionable and quite frankly, disqualifying, said Democratic state Rep. Bob Morgan of Deerfield, who chairs the House Jewish Caucus. It is demeaning to the legacies of those weve lost to reduce their suffering to a political talking point, Morgan said. Darren Bailey is once again causing harm with his callous words and actions and he must be held accountable for this abhorrent behavior. Morgan and others noted Baileys comments came to light less than a month after he urged people to move on and celebrate the July Fourth holiday even as a gunman who killed seven people and wounded dozens of others at the holiday parade in Highland Park, which has a large Jewish population, remained at large. Robert E. Crimo III, 21, was later arrested and faces 117 felony counts in Lake County. Conflating a womans bodily autonomy to the systematic mass murder of Jewish people is antisemitic and disqualifying. Darren Baileys disgusting assertion that a woman determining her own reproductive future is worse than the Nazis genocide of 6 million Jews is offensive to Illinoisans everywhere, said Eliza Glezer, Pritzkers campaign spokeswoman. With violent antisemitism on the rise and in the wake of a massacre against the predominantly Jewish Highland Park, Bailey must answer for his hateful comments, Glezer said. In a statement released by his campaign, Bailey said he was not attempting to minimize the scope of the Holocaust and the deaths of more than 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis. The Holocaust is a human tragedy without parallel. In no way was I attempting to diminish the atrocities of the Holocaust and its stain on history. I meant to emphasize the tragedy of millions of babies being lost, Bailey said. I support and have met with many people in the Jewish community in Illinois and look forward to continuing to work with them to make Illinois a safer and more affordable place for everyone, he said. Pritzker has make Baileys opposition to abortion a major campaign issue as the first-term governor touts having enshrined in state law a womans right to the procedure, as well as other efforts to assure its greater availability in Illinois in light of restrictive abortion laws enacted in other states following the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade. Pritzker is airing more than $108,000 of TV ads on cable alone for the next week, industry records show. Bailey is not airing any ads, though a political action committee allied with the Republicans candidacy is airing ads critical of Pritzker. Missouri Voters Guide for Tuesday's primary elections The Post-Dispatch and the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis present this guide to the candidates and races on the Aug. 2 ballot. ST. LOUIS Primary candidates and their campaign teams fanned out to polling places across the region Tuesday morning to make their final pitches, shore up support and convince the undecided. Officials in the city and St. Louis County were predicting a light turnout, magnifying the importance of every vote in a series of competitive races up and down the ballot. Congresswoman Cori Bush started Tuesday at Central Library in downtown St. Louis, where she marked her name on the Democratic ballot and ran into others planning on doing the same. Multiple poll workers asked for selfies. For one voter, Bushs appearance made his day: I love her, said Michael Lunter, 63, who lives downtown. Shes so outspoken, and shes not afraid to tell the truth about womens rights to their bodies, and racial justice. As she left the library, Bush said felt good about her chances against State Sen. Steve Roberts, and planned to spend the rest of the day bouncing around polling places. Were going to be letting people know their congresswoman loves them, she said. A short while later, Roberts arrived at Hazelwood Central High School, and found a welcoming audience. Multiple people heading into the high school gym to vote told Roberts they knew his family his uncle and father were both St. Louis aldermen. Others there just didnt like Bush. Kim P. Jones, 64, of St. Louis County, said the congresswoman let her down with her vote against President Joe Bidens $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Cori Bush is a tremendous activist, said Jones. I do not think shes been effective as a legislator. Candidates in the hotly contested Democratic primary for St. Louis County executive were also out making personal appeals. Incumbent Sam Page was at the Olivette Community Center, where at least a few people came up to shake his hand and tell him he was doing a good job. Page acknowledged hed taken a lot of criticism from challenger Jane Dueker of late, but cast it as mostly theater. If you want an excitement rollercoaster, Im probably not your guy, he told one voter. I try to keep it steady. Dueker, for her part, started her day near her home in Chesterfield with visits to polls at city hall and an elementary school, and then headed to polling places in north St. Louis County and University City. Ill have hit every section of St. Louis County before the polls close, she told the Post-Dispatch. I feel great, and this has been fun. She also said shed been running into people who said they turned out specifically to vote for her over Page. People want change, she said. Polls close at 7 p.m. People in line at that time are allowed to finish voting. Joe Holleman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. Chinese troops participate in the "Peace Mission 2021" military exercise in Orenburg, Russia, September 10, 2021. /VCG Li Yun Today marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and is also an occasion to reflect on the journey it has taken. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), along with socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's national defense and military development entered a new era. President Xi Jinping, with the strategic vision to achieve national rejuvenation within the context of global changes of a scale unseen in a century, put forward the CPC's goal of building a strong military in the new era, establishing a military strategic guideline for a new era, and outlining a three-step plan for China's national defense and military modernization that included three milestone objectives, namely to achieve substantial progress by 2020 in improving the quality and efficiency of the military services and upgrading their combat capabilities, to mostly complete the modernization of China's national defense and military by 2035, and to transform the PLA into a world-class military by the middle of the 21st century. Under these guiding principles, the PLA has restructured its leadership and command system, modernized its military force structure, and reformed military policies and institutions. With the reduction of 300,000 active-duty military personnel, the PLA has put in place a renewed system where the Central Military Commission exercises overall leadership, the Theater Commands are responsible for military operations, and the services focus on developing capabilities, and has worked toward building a military force with elite combat troops as the mainstay. A military policy and institutional framework with Chinese characteristics has been established. The PLA Army is speeding up the transition of its tasks from regional defense to trans-theater operations. It has commissioned the Type 15 tanks, long-range multiple rocket launcher systems, and the Z-20 helicopters, organized training competitions, and conducted live exercises codenamed "Stride" and "Firepower," continuously improving its capabilities for precise, multi-dimensional, trans-theater, multi-functional and sustained operations. The PLA Navy (PLAN), in line with the strategic requirements of near seas defense and high seas protection, has been facilitating the transition of its tasks from defense on the near seas to protection missions on the high seas. It has commissioned China's indigenously built aircraft carriers, the Type 075 amphibious assault ships, and the Type 055 destroyers, extended training to the high seas, deployed the aircraft carrier task groups for their first high seas combat exercise in the West Pacific, organized naval parades in the South China Sea and the waters and airspace near Qingdao, capital of east China's Shandong Province, and conducted a series of live force-on-force exercises codenamed "Mobility" and systematic all-elements exercises. The PLAN's capabilities for strategic deterrence and counterattack, maritime maneuver operations, maritime joint operations, comprehensive defense, and integrated support have been continuously improved. The PLA Air Force, in line with the strategic requirements of integrating air and space capabilities as well as coordinating offensive and defensive operations, has been accelerating the transition of its tasks from territorial air defense to both offensive and defensive operations. It has commissioned J-20, J-16 and J-10C fighters, strengthened systematic and all-airspace training based on operational plans, conducted combat patrols in the South China Sea and security patrols in the East China Sea, operated in the West Pacific, and completed a series of regular system-vs.-system exercises such as "Red Sword." Its capabilities for strategic early warning, air strikes, air and missile defense, information countermeasures, airborne operations, strategic projection, and integrated support have been continuously improved. Two Y-20 transport military aircrafts arrive at a military airport in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, July 31, 2022. /VCG The PLA Rocket Force, in line with the strategic requirements of having both nuclear and conventional capabilities and deterring wars in all battlespaces, has been strengthening its intermediate and long-range precision strike forces. It has commissioned the DF-17 and DF-26 missiles, organized force-on-force evaluation-oriented training and training based on operational plans at brigade and regiment levels, strengthened training for joint strikes, and completed regular exercises such as "Heavenly Sword." Its credible and reliable capabilities of nuclear deterrence and counterattack, as well as its strategic counter-balance capability, have been continuously improved. The PLA Strategic Support Force, in line with the strategic requirements of integrating existing systems and aligning civil and military endeavors, has been seeking to achieve major development strides in key areas and accelerate the integrated development of new-type combat forces. It has made active efforts to achieve joint operating systems, carried out confrontational training in new domains, and trained for emergencies and combat. The PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, in line with the requirements of joint support for joint operations and joint training, will continue conducting exercises such as "Joint Logistics Mission 2018," accelerate its integration into the joint operations system, and enhance its capabilities of integrated joint logistics. Li Yun is a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Military Research of the Department of War Research, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Sciences. PHOENIX The Republican Partys embrace of Donald Trumps election lies will be tested Tuesday as voters in Arizona choose between candidates who say they wouldnt have certified the results of the 2020 campaign and those who argue its time to move on. The former president has endorsed and campaigned for a slate of contenders who support his falsehoods, most prominently former television news anchor Kari Lake in the race for governor. Lake, who says she would have refused to certify President Joe Bidens narrow Arizona victory, faces Karrin Taylor Robson, a lawyer and businesswoman who says the GOP should focus on the future despite an election she has called unfair. And in the race to oversee elections as secretary of state, Trump is also backing a state lawmaker who was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and claims the former president was cheated out of victory. As the midterm primary season enters its final stretch this month, the Arizona races are poised to provide important clues about the GOPs direction. Victories by Trump-backed candidates could provide the former president with allies who hold sway over the administration of elections as he considers another bid for the White House in 2024. Defeats, however, might suggest openness in the party to a different path forward. I think the majority of the people, and a lot of people that are supporters of Trump, they want to move on, said former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who is backing Robson. I mean, that was two years ago. Lets go. Lets move." Other closely watched races on Tuesday include the Republican contests for Michigan governor and Missouri senator. Voters in Kansas will be the first to weigh in on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked a womans constitutional right to an abortion. And two Republican House members from Washington state who voted to impeach Trump are facing primary challengers. But the contests are especially salient in Arizona, a longtime Republican stronghold that has become more favorable to Democrats in recent years because of explosive growth in and around Phoenix. The primary and the fall election will provide insight into whether Bidens success here in 2020 was a onetime event or the onset of a long-term shift away from the GOP. With such high stakes, Arizona has been central to efforts by Trump and his allies to cast doubt on Bidens victory with false claims of fraud. Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. A hand recount led by Trump supporters in Arizonas largest county found no proof of a stolen election and concluded Bidens margin of victory was larger than the official count. Though Trump is still the most popular figure inside the GOP, his efforts to influence primary elections this year have yielded mixed results. His preferred candidates in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania prevailed in their primaries. But in Georgia, another state that is central to Trumps election lies, his handpicked candidate for governor was defeated by more than 50 percentage points. Georgias Republican secretary of state was also renominated over a Trump-backed primary rival. The former president is hoping hell have more success in Arizona, where the incumbent governor, Doug Ducey, cant run for reelection. That could give Trump a better opportunity than in Georgia to influence the winner. Lake is well known in much of the state after anchoring the evening news in Phoenix for more than two decades. Shes now running as a fierce critic of the mainstream media, which she says is unfair to Republicans, and other enemies of Trumps Make America Great Again Movement, including the McCain family. A vocal supporter of Trumps election lies, Lake says her campaign is already detecting some stealing going on in her own race, but she has repeatedly refused to provide any evidence for the claim. Robson, whose housing developer husband is one of the states richest men, is largely self-financing her campaign. The GOP establishment, growing increasingly comfortable creating distance from Trump, has rallied around her over the past month with a series of endorsements from Ducey, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence. The groundswell of establishment support for Robson has drawn national scrutiny to a race for what it says about the GOP base ahead of the crucial presidential primary in two years. Everyone wants to try to make this some kind of proxy for 2024, said Christie, who ran for president in 2016. Believe me, Ive been through enough of these to know that 2024 will be decided by the people who step up to the plate and 24 and how they perform or dont perform at that time. Robson is running a largely old-school Republican campaign focused on cutting taxes and regulations, securing the border and advancing school choice. She has also emphasized Lakes prior support for Democrats, including a $350 contribution to the last Democratic president. I cant vote for someone who supported Barack Obama, said Travis Fillmore, 36, a firearms instructor from Tempe who planned to vote for Robson. He said he remains a Trump backer and believes the 2020 election was stolen from him, but Lakes support for Obama was disqualifying. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is the front-runner against Marco Lopez, a former mayor of Nogales and border enforcement official during President Barack Obamas administration. As Arizonas top elections official, Hobbs endeared herself to Democrats with an impassioned defense of the integrity of the 2020 election, a stance that has drawn death threats. However, shes been weighed down by a discrimination case won by a Black policy adviser from Hobbs time in the Legislature. In the Senate race, Trump is backing Blake Masters, a 35-year-old first-time candidate who has spent most of his career working for billionaire Peter Thiel, who is bankrolling his campaign. Masters is emphasizing cultural grievances that animate the right, including critical race theory and allegations of big tech censorship. Until Trumps endorsement, the race had no clear front-runner between Masters, businessman Jim Lamon and Attorney General Mark Brnovich, all of whom jockeyed for his support. Lamon says Trump made a mistake in endorsing Masters and is digging into his own fortune to highlight Masters ties to technology firms and his writings as a college student supporting open borders. Lamon signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won Arizona in 2020 and that he was one of the states duly elected and qualified electors. Trump soured on Brnovich and may have torpedoed his campaign when the attorney generals election fraud investigation failed to produce criminal charges against election officials. The eventual winner in the primary will take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the fall. The Republican race for secretary of state includes Mark Finchem, a Trump-backed candidate who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and Shawnna Bolick, a state lawmaker who has pushed for legislation allowing the Legislature to overturn the will of the voters and decide which candidate gets the states 11 electoral votes for president. The GOP establishment has rallied around advertising executive Beau Lane, who says there were no widespread problems with the 2020 election. Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who gave testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee about Trumps pressure campaign following the 2020 election, faces a Trump-backed challenger in his bid to move up to the state Senate. RENO, Nev. (AP) The developer of a geothermal power plant facing legal challenges in Nevada agreed Monday to suspend construction just hours after a U.S. appeals court had refused to halt the project that opponents say would harm an endangered toad and destroy sacred hot springs. In a ruling Monday morning, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid by environmentalists and a Nevada tribe to reinstate an injunction that temporarily blocked work earlier this year on Ormat Nevadas plant 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Reno. But hours later, lawyers for Ormat, the government, environmentalists and the tribe filed a joint stipulation in federal court in Reno detailing a voluntary agreement to suspend construction for at least 30 days and perhaps until the end of the year. The unusual turn of events comes after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took the rare step of declaring the Dixie Valley toad endangered on a temporary emergency basis in April something the agency has done only one other time in 20 years. The project is one of several underway in the West that the Biden administration backs as a way to combat climate change by expediting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It would generate carbon-free power by tapping hot water from beneath the earth. But the Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in April it could lead to the extinction of the toad by adversely affecting groundwater that feeds wetlands in the only place the speckled toad, about the size of a quarter, is known to exist. Monday's panel ruling from the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit, which heard oral arguments on the appeal in June, said it couldnt consider the emergency listing because it happened after the appeal was filed in January. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe subsequently amended their suit to include the listing. They allege Ormat and the bureau are violating the Endangered Species Acts requirement that they consult with the wildlife service before proceeding with any activity that could harm protected species. The conflict has put a spotlight on some of the challenges the Biden administration faces as it tries to meet its goal of having the U.S. power grid run on clean energy by 2035. The new agreement filed Monday acknowledges the formal consultation must be completed so any risks to the toad can be fully evaluated before it's harmed. Its not every day that you can lose at the 9th Circuit but still come out ahead, but today is a win for the Dixie Valley toad, said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity. This agreement comes just in the nick of time to save this little toad from extinction, he said. Ormat agreed to suspend construction until the service issues a formal biological opinion following the consultation, or until Dec. 31, whichever comes first. It also agreed to provide 30 days' notice before resuming any construction. In turn, the opponents agreed they won't seek any new court orders before receiving such notice. Ormat Vice President Paul Thomsen said the Reno-based company already was working with the two agencies to facilitate the consultation process and as part of those collaborative efforts has temporarily paused construction to focus on these efforts. Ormat is confident that BLM and the Fish and Wildlife Service can find a path forward for the project that will both adequately protect the Dixie Valley toad and allow development of this critical renewable geothermal resource, he said in an email late Monday. The 9th Circuit's panel ruling earlier Monday said further delay of the project would make it all but certain Ormat would be unable to meet a contract deadline to complete construction by the end of this year. Ormat said earlier that failure to meet the deadline would cost the company $30 million over 20 years and could jeopardize the entire project, which was approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in November. Beyond the economic losses to Ormat, the panel said, the district court properly considered the public interest in a source of carbon-free baseload electricity, royalty returns to the federal government, and state and local taxes which would be collected as a result of the project. The joint stipulation outlines a schedule with filing deadlines as U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones in Reno continues to consider the case on its merits. Critics say the project will violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by restricting access to the site where Native Americans have worshipped for thousands of years. Their lawsuit also accuses the bureau of violating the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to complete an environmental impact statement on the potential impacts a much more exhaustive review than the environmental assessment it produced. The 9th Circuit panel ruled that Judge Jones was correct in deferring to the expertise of BLM scientists who concluded that adequate safeguards were in place. The plans the bureau approved address unanticipated impacts and impose meaningful mitigation measures as needed," the ruling said. BLM was not required to mitigate impacts to zero." KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) Two more bodies were found within the burn zone of a huge Northern California wildfire, raising the death toll to four in the states largest blaze of the year, authorities said Tuesday. Search teams discovered the additional bodies Monday at separate residences along State Route 96, one of the only roads in and out of the remote region near the state line with Oregon, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. This brings the confirmed fatality number to four, the sheriffs statement said. At this time there are no unaccounted for persons. Other details were not immediately disclosed. Sheriff's officials said two bodies were also found found Sunday inside a charred vehicle in the driveway of a home near the tiny unincorporated community of Klamath River, which was largely destroyed in the McKinney Fire. The fire jumped the Klamath River over the weekend and raged through the tiny community of about 200, destroying many of the homes along with the post office, community hall and other scattered businesses. When that fire came over that ridgeline, it had 100-foot flames for about 5 miles and the wind was blowing. It was coming down like a solid blowtorch. There was nothing to stop it, said Roger Derry, 80, whose home was among a handful that survived. Its very sad. Its very disheartening," said his son, whose name is spelled Rodger Derry. Some of our oldest homes, 100-year-old homes, are gone. Its a small community. Good people, good folks, for the most part, live here and in time will rebuild. But its going to take some time now. More than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned in the McKinney Fire since it erupted last Friday. The blaze remained out of control, authorities said. Thunderstorms dumped some much-needed rain on Monday and into Tuesday even as temperatures hit the 90s Fahrenheit (above 32.2 Celsius) and the brush, fields and forest remained generally bone-dry. But the storms also meant a threat of lightning strikes that already sparked several small blazes and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through late Tuesday night because of concerns that heavy rain could send rocks, mud and water pouring down the fire-scorched slopes. In addition, the moisture and storms were creating an unstable atmosphere which may make firefighting conditions much more hazardous with wind speeds potentially reaching 50 mph (80 kph) during those storms," fire officials said. However, the fire didn't grow on Tuesday, and fire officials said crews were able to use bulldozers to carve firebreaks along a ridge to protect homes and buildings in the county seat of Yreka. The Northern California wildfire has burned more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers), and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest. A smaller fire near the tiny community of Happy Camp forced evacuations and road closures as it burned out of control Tuesday. Still more fires are raging in the Western U.S., threatening thousands of homes. In northwestern Montana, a fire that started Friday near the town of Elmo on the Flathead Indian Reservation has burned some structures, but authorities said they didn't immediately know if any were homes. The blaze measured 25 square miles (66 square kilometers) on Tuesday, with 10% containment, fire officials said. Some residents were forced to flee Monday as gusting afternoon winds drove the fire. The Moose Fire in Idaho has burned more than 85 square miles (220 square km) in the Salmon-Challis National Forest while threatening homes, mining operations and fisheries near the town of Salmon. It was 23% contained Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. And a wildfire raging in northwestern Nebraska led to evacuations and destroyed or damaged several homes near the small city of Gering. The Carter Canyon Fire began Saturday as two separate fires that merged. It was more than 30% contained by Tuesday. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. ___ This story has been updated to correct two quotes that were misattributed. The quote in the sixth paragraph is from Roger Derry, while the quote in the following paragraph is from his son, Rodger Derry. ISLAMABAD The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny Tuesday of Afghanistans Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. Yet a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, who has called for striking the United States in numerous video messages in recent years, lived for months apparently sheltered by senior Taliban figures. The safe house where al-Zawahri was staying in Kabuls upscale Shirpur neighborhood was the home of a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Haqqani is deputy head of the Taliban, serves as interior minister in its government and heads the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the movement. Still, there have been persistent reports of unease among Taliban leadership, particularly tensions between the Haqqani network and rivals within the movement. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, in which the U.S. committed not to attack the group. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions, said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasnt authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qaidas leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by U.S. Navy SEALs. The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position, the official said. The strike early Sunday shook awake Shirpur, once a district of historic buildings that were bulldozed in 2003 to make way for luxury homes for officials in Afghanistans Western-backed government and international aid organizations. After the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, senior Taliban moved into some of the abandoned homes there. The targeted safe house is only a few blocks from the British Embassy, which has been closed since the Taliban takeover in August. Taliban officials blocked AP journalists in Kabul from reaching the damaged house on Tuesday. The U.N. Security Council was informed by monitors of militant groups in July that al-Qaida enjoys greater freedom in Afghanistan under the Taliban but confines itself to advising and supporting the countrys new rulers. A report by the monitors said the two groups remain close and that al-Qaida fighters, estimated to number between 180 to 400, are represented at the individual level among Taliban combat units. The monitors said its unlikely al-Qaida will seek to mount direct attacks outside Afghanistan, owing to a lack of capability and restraint on the part of the Taliban, as well as an unwillingness to jeopardize their recent gains such as having a safe haven and improved resources. During the first half of 2022, al-Zawahri increasingly reached out to supporters with video and audio messages, including assurances that al-Qaida can compete with the Islamic State group for leadership of a global movement, the report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said. IS militants have emerged as a major threat to the Taliban over the past year, carrying out a series of deadly attacks against Taliban targets and civilians. The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamic insurgent group, built around the family of the same name. In the 1980s, it fought Soviet forces and over the past 20 years, it battled U.S.-led NATO troops and the former Afghanistan government. The U.S. government maintains a $10 million bounty on Serajjudin Haqqani for attacks on American troops and Afghan civilians. But the Haqqanis, from Afghanistans eastern Khost province, have rivals within the Taliban leadership, mostly from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Some believe Sirajuddin Haqqani wants more power. Other Taliban figures have opposed the Haqqanis attacks against civilians in Kabul and elsewhere during the insurgency. Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst studying Islamist militant groups, said the tensions are focused on how to direct the new regime how to share power ... who gets what position, who gets to control what ministries, to decide the general policies and so on. The timing of the strike also couldnt come at a worse time politically for the Taliban. The militants face international condemnation for refusing to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade, despite earlier promises. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan also criticized the Taliban for human rights abuses under their rule. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat in part over the abuses, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets. This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort. The Taliban have been trying to reopen the taps to that aid and their reserves. However, al-Zawahris killing already has been seized upon by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign that the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances ... that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid alleged the U.S. violated the Doha Agreement by launching the strike. Afghanistans state-run television channel now under the Taliban reported that President Joe Biden said al-Zawahri had been killed. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri closes a chapter of al-Qaida, said Imtiaz Gul, the executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies. Al-Zawahris death coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Iraqi dictator Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait creating a sort of a bookend to al-Qaidas era of militancy. Saddams invasion prompted the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, which in turn was one factor that drove bin Laden to turn his guns on America, culminating in the 9/11 attacks. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. In Missouri, scandal-ridden former Gov. Eric Greitens is attempting a political comeback. In Michigan, a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates includes a man charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. In Arizona, a prominent figure in the QAnon conspiracy movement is running for the U.S. House. Those are among some of the most notable contests in Tuesday's primary elections being held in six states. Arizona, which Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, is a top target for former President Donald Trump, who tried in vain to get his defeat overturned. He has endorsed a slate of candidates up and down the ballot who have promoted his false claims of a stolen election. Trump has also been zeroed in on the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him over the Jan. 6 insurrection. Three of them are on the ballot Tuesday in Washington state and Michigan, as are two members of "the Squad," Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Meanwhile, Kansas voters could clear the way for the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion if they approve a proposed state constitutional change. It's the first referendum vote on abortion policy by a state since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. Ohio is also holding a primary for state legislative races on Tuesday, three months after its statewide and congressional contests a split system that resulted from legal wrangling over redistricting. What to watch: MISSOURI Greitens' political career appeared over when he resigned as governor in 2018, following his admission to an extramarital affair and accusations of blackmail and campaign finance violations. On Tuesday, the former Navy SEAL officer has a chance at redemption in his Republican primary for the seat held by retiring GOP U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler are the front-runners in a crowded 21-person GOP field that includes U.S. Rep. Billy Long and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis lawyer who along with his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters who ventured onto their private street. On Monday, Trump expressed support in a social media post for "ERIC," meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them. The GOP winner in Missouri, a solidly Republican state, will be favored in November. But Republican leaders have long worried that Greitens his ex-wife has also accused him of abuse, allegations Greitens has called "baseless" could win the primary but lose the general election. On the Democratic side, the nomination appears to be up for grabs between Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran and self-proclaimed populist, and Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress of the Busch beer fortune who has largely self-funded her campaign. ARIZONA Trump's endorsed candidates in Arizona all have one thing in common: They have loudly disseminated misinformation about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, despite election officials and Trump's own attorney general saying there is no credible evidence the race was tainted. In the governor's race, Trump has backed former television news anchor Kari Lake, who has said that she would not have certified Arizona's election results in 2020. Lake faces businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who is endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence and outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a staunch defender of the 2020 election, is strongly favored to win the Democratic nomination for governor. In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Trump has backed tech investor Blake Masters as the candidate to go up against Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly in the fall. Masters, whose campaign has been bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, has called for reducing legal immigration and espoused the baseless "great replacement" conspiracy theory, claiming Democrats are trying to "replace Americans who were born here." Attorney General Mark Brnovich, another Senate candidate, has been weighed down by lackluster fundraising and fierce criticism from Trump, who says Brnovich did little to advance his election fraud claims. Another top candidate, Jim Lamon, the founder of a solar energy firm, was a fake elector for Trump in 2020, signing a certificate falsely saying that the then-president had won the state. The Republican primary for secretary of state includes Trump-backed legislator Mark Finchem, a state representative who worked to overturn Trump's 2020 loss; state Rep. Shawnna Bolick, who introduced a bill to let legislators ignore election results and choose their own presidential electors; and state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who has long pushed to overhaul election laws. The GOP establishment has rallied around advertising executive Beau Lane in the race. Ron Watkins, who has ties to the QAnon conspiracy theory, is considered a long shot in his House run. Watkins, a Republican, served as the longtime administrator of the online message boards that became the home of the anonymous "Q." The conspiracy theory is centered around the baseless belief that Trump waged a secret campaign against enemies in the "deep state" and that a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. In the state Legislature, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified at a Jan. 6 hearing about Trump's pressure to overturn the 2020 election, faces a Trump-backed candidate in his bid to run for the state Senate. *** MICHIGAN The Republican primary for governor was wild from the start, with five candidates getting kicked off the ballot for failing to file enough valid nominating signatures. Several of the remaining candidates have baggage that could hurt in a general election against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Real estate broker Ryan Kelley has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges after authorities said he rallied Trump's supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. Businessman Kevin Rinke was sued in the 1990s for sex harassment and racial discrimination allegations he says were lies. Chiropractor Garrett Soldano hawked supplements he falsely claimed treated COVID-19. Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, who has been endorsed by Trump, has previously acted in low-budget horror pictures. All of the candidates falsely say there was fraud in the 2020 election, with Dixon, Kelley and Soldano saying the election was stolen from Trump. Republican Rep. Peter Meijer is hoping to hold on to his seat after voting to impeach Trump. The former president has endorsed businessman and missionary John Gibbs, who worked in the Trump administration under Housing Secretary Ben Carson. *** WASHINGTON Two Republican House members from Washington state who voted to impeach Trump face primary challengers endorsed by him. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011, has said she voted for impeachment because she had "an obligation to the Constitution." Trump has endorsed Joe Kent, a former Green Beret and a conservative cable show regular who echoes the former president's grievances about the 2020 election outcome. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a congressman since 2015, said he cast the vote to impeach Trump for inciting and refusing to immediately stop the Jan. 6 insurrection. Among his challengers is Loren Culp, a Trump-backed former small-town police chief who refused to concede the 2020 governor's race to Democrat Jay Inslee. In Washington, the top two vote-getters in each race, regardless of party, move forward to November. *** KANSAS Voters will decide whether to approve a change to the state constitution that could allow the Legislature to restrict or ban abortion despite a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that abortion access is a fundamental right. It's the first referendum on abortion by a state since Roe v. Wade's reversal. In statewide races, Republican Kris Kobach is running for attorney general as he attempts a political comeback following losses in races for governor and U.S. Senate in previous years. Kobach, the state's former secretary of state, served as vice chair of a short-lived Trump commission on election fraud after the 2016 election. The strategic leaking of House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan days before her arrival Tuesday prompted a predictable outburst of threats from China, which has claimed sovereignty over the democratically ruled island ever since it declared independence seven decades ago. The last time someone of Pelosis stature visited the island was in 1997, when then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican, traveled there. The Biden administration is portraying Pelosis trip as something the administration couldnt control since she represents an independent, coequal branch of government. But everything about this historic, albeit dangerous, trip is by design and has been coordinated every step of the way with the administration. After Russias invasion of Ukraine, China has been rattling sabers and hinting at a possible invasion of Taiwan to enforce its one-China policy. Pelosis visit serves to warn China not to even think about a military solution to the Taiwan question. The great irony in this trip is that Pelosi is doing exactly what conservatives in Congress most notably Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri are demanding from the Democrats: Take a firm stand against Chinas increasingly aggressive posture. But Missourians shouldnt hold their breath waiting for that fist-pumping tweet from Hawley cheering Pelosis trip and praising her bravery. Its just a matter of time before he finds a way to deride the Taiwan trip as a publicity stunt. For decades, Taiwans defense fell to the far right wing of the Republican Party. The World Anti-Communist League used the specter of Chinese expansionism to warn of global catastrophe if communism wasnt held in check. It was partly because of Anti-Communist League influence that President Ronald Reagan began a covert program to arm right-wing militias and governments in Latin America and Asia. For Pelosi now to assume the agenda of holding China in check deprives Hawley and his ilk a platform to attack the Democrats as weak and ineffectual. In reality, Pelosi had no choice. Once China objected and began issuing threats, the visit had to proceed, lest the United States be seen on the global stage as taking its orders from China. The timing is particularly important as billions of dollars in U.S. military aid helps Ukraine fend off a brutal Russian invasion. China began ramping up its military aggression against Taiwan shortly after the Russia invasion. In fact, as soon as Pelosi arrived, China reportedly sent warplanes into the Taiwan Strait. Qin Gang, Chinas ambassador to Washington, told CNN that the visit will escalate tensions. Gingrich, speaking to Fox News, downplayed the potential for actual Chinese military action, calling the threats a bluff. Bluff or not, its time for the United States to end this Trumpian, isolationist trend and let the bullies of the world know that the worlds most formidable superpower wont stand idly by anymore while they gobble up their neighbors. Russia continues to consider the war in Ukraine an internal matter and thus not eligible for a general mobilization. This does not include what Western nations call mobilizing the reserves (of trained soldiers). Thats because Russia has no such reserve. What a general mobilization means to Russians is a declaration that the survival of Russia is at stake and the government is calling on all Russians to obey government orders to do whatever needs to be done to save Russian from a serious threat. A general mobilization is only called when there is a serious and obvious threat to the Russian state and the Russian people. The Ukrainians fighting back against a Russian invasion of Ukraine does not qualify. Some Russians might respond but most would not because the current government has lied to them about what is going on in Ukraine and passed laws making any relevant information covering operations in Ukraine a state secret. Russia has already mobilized reserves of weapons and equipment put into storage after the Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This can be seen and monitored via commercial satellite photos. A lot of those reserve tanks are in bad shape and stored in poorly run storage areas. Low defense budgets meant the reserve tanks were poorly guarded and rarely inspected. This made it easy for corrupt troops and officers to strip many tanks of valuable internal components. As a result, many of the defective tanks were put on rail cars and shipped to mobilization centers near the Ukrainian border where the sad state of these tanks was discovered. Under pressure to deliver the tanks to combat units, any that moved under their own power were delivered. Many of these tanks were found to be unfit for combat when their new crews checked them out. Some problems were not discovered until the tank was in combat. On paper there are more T-72 tanks in storage but these were plundered even more energetically because they had more modern components. Russia does not have as many modern tanks in reserve as it thought it did. There were only about 2,500 tanks in its pre-war active-duty units and about 80 percent of these were assigned to 170 BTGs (battalion task groups) by 2021. On paper Russia had three times as many tanks in reserve but few of those were maintained well enough to be used. The real shortages in Russia are qualified tank mechanics who can quickly assess the state of an inoperable tank and fix it, and the Western electronics to make it battle-ready. The situation is different in Ukraine. When Ukraine became independent in 1991, they inherited one of the largest armored vehicles stockpiles in Europe. Its armed forces had 780,000 troops, 6,500 tanks and 7,000 other armored vehicles as well as thousands of artillery systems (howitzers and rocket launchers), There were also 1,100 combat aircraft, and more than 500 ships. Most of the Ukrainian soldiers were demobilized and Ukraine rebuilt a much smaller army that they could afford. There were similar situations in all of the new nations that emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1991 much of the newest equipment was stored in Ukraine, which was closer to the NATO nations that the Russians expected to be fighting if there were a major war. The Ukrainians tried to sell off the best of this gear but there were not a lot of customers. They exported about 700 tanks sold to third-world nations that could not afford the much better German Leopard tanks that were also for sale at bargain prices along with older American M1 tanks. Scrapping unneeded tanks was expensive, because once you removed all the reusable components you were left with tons of armor that had to be cut apart before it could be sent to the smelter to be melted down and recast as something new and useful. Ukraine kept the most modern and potentially useful tanks and other armored vehicles in active storage. Active means they looked after this gear and protected it from thieves and natural disasters. Such was not the case in Russia, where tanks and armored vehicles were largely put into inactive storage. That means thieves were able to steal a lot of valuable components from these tanks. The extent of this was not discovered until 2022 when Russia needed these vehicles after their heavy losses during the first months of the Ukraine invasion. Details of this situation were soon revealed to the West and Ukraine by photo reconnaissance satellites that were able to monitor the activity at Russian tank reserve sites as well as the tank repair facilities near the Ukrainian border to inside occupied Ukrainian territory. Since the 1980s satellites have been transmitting back higher and higher resolution photos of things like areas where armored vehicles are stored. The current generation of high-resolution photo satellites are good at finding and counting tanks and warships. This became a lot easier after 2005, when Google Earth appeared. It was free and allowed anyone to view high resolution satellite photos of the entire planet. This was made possible by the fact that most of the satellites in orbit are commercial, not military, and provided communications as well as photo surveillance to monitor the weather, crops and much else. In the 1990s that led to proliferation of commercial photo satellites and sharing some of the older government tech and giving a lot of business to one of the first commercial satellite firms like DigitalGlobe in the late 1990s. In 2005 Google used DigitalGlobe services to run Google Earth. Other American and European firms followed and in 2017 DigitalGlobe merged with SSL to create Maxar; the largest and best equipped commercial satellite photo provider in the world. Maxar is profitable with sales nearly two billion dollars a year from clients like Google, news organizations and governments needing a steady and reliable supply of satellite photos covering customer specified areas. After the 2014 Russian attack on Ukraine, both nations could track the actual progress of the fighting via these commercial satellite photos. Also available were photos of rear area facilities. Russia made it a crime for Russians to access these commercial photos and made it more difficult for Russians to access Western web sites. Technically, it was a crime for the average Russian to view these photos. Most of these photos were high resolution and showed which tanks were operational and which were destroyed and abandoned. Another curious aspect of this was that the Ukrainians, despite having the same or often better tanks as the Russians, did not use many of them in the defensive battles in the first weeks of the war. That was because the Ukrainians had analyzed their experience since 2014 with Russian tanks in Donbas and before the 2022 invasion were already requesting and receiving Western portable anti-tank systems. Ukraine had developed some of its own but they were not as portable or easy to use as the Western models. The Ukrainians also had a better sense of what the Russian BTGs (Battalion Task Groups) could do and how best to defeat them. Many Western intelligence agencies disagreed with this and were more inclined to believe the Russian press releases. Once the invasion started, it soon became obvious that the Ukrainian assessment was correct. As the fighting continued more of the Ukrainian assessments turned out to be very accurate compared to NATO analyses. One of the more shocking Ukrainian assessments was that the Russians would run out of soldiers because morale was low before the war and got worse once the magnitude of the Russian defeat became known to the Russian public. That news took longer to Reach most Russians because of the censorship. By May the Russian army was visibly shrinking from casualties (nearly 100,000 Russian soldiers killed, wounded, captured or deserted.) Thats nearly 40 percent of the Russian ground forces and few Russians were willing to join the army, either as a conscript or volunteer. Desperate measures were required and the Russian government has employed most of them. They lowered the standards for conscripts, allowing unfit Russians to join. That did not work out well. Russia then loosened the qualifications for volunteers, allowing men up to 50 years old to join. Russia also spent a lot of scarce cash on a program to form battalions in dozens of regions where bonuses and high pay were offered to military veterans who would join the local battalion and enter combat with other locals. This had some success, especially in poor rural areas. These new volunteers still required at least two months of training to prepare them for what they would face in Ukraine. Russia also had to supply armored vehicles and artillery for these battalions, most of them to be organized as BTGs. None of these new regional units has been in combat and most wont be until August or September. Another mobilization effort was declaring a medical emergency and calling up medical personnel to deal with a national health crisis in the form of all the casualties Russia is suffering in Ukraine. Another mobilization is actually a program to hire more mechanics and vehicle maintainers as contractors. All of these contractors must be paid well and on time and kept out of combat. Russia also has access to combat ready forces in the form of Wagner Group military contractors. Wagner is selective about who they accept and pay the highest rates any Russian military personnel in Ukraine get. Wagner has apparently created an economy grade contractor that has fewer qualifications for the job and is paid less, but enough to make it attractive pay. Wagner Group personnel are now the only ones available to make crucial attacks and even that is often not enough. The Ukrainian forces have proved to be far more resourceful, skilled and determined that the Russians expected. Russia was aware that they might encounter problems if they did not have a Western style reserve force. Efforts were made. Back in 2010 Russia declared that it was establishing a Western style military reserve system, composed of troops who are fully trained to begin with, then regularly refresh that training, and are capable of being quickly mobilized and operating as effectively as full-time troops. This is a big departure from over a century of using less well-trained reservists. The new system was to be operational by 2016, and resemble the reserve system currently used in the United States and other Western nations. The new reserve system is more expensive than the Soviet era one, where you didnt have to pay former soldiers to be available for mobilization. The new reservists get regular refresher training to keep their military skills current. The new reserve system is voluntary. Officers and troops sign three-year contracts and are paid from few thousand to over six thousand dollars a year for about a month of active service plus an obligation to maintain military skills and be ready to get called up and spend a few months or more than a year on active duty. In the United States reservists comprise 45 percent of the 1.1 million trained military personnel available. Russia knew they could never afford that many, but might be able to eventually afford up to 100,000 reservists. Russia mentioned the American National Guard as the model for their reserve system. The National Guard provides a local force of trained part-time soldiers who can be used for natural disasters, and also perform as well as active-duty troops in combat. This is possible because the reservists have, on average, more years of military experience than the active-duty troops. The reality was that by 2020 Russia had only 6,000 paid reservists, mainly because of money shortages. Worse, the old, involuntary national emergency reserve system that recalled people who had left the military up to five years ago did not work. This involuntary reserve is still the law but all it could purportedly do is keep track where the five years worth of reservists are currently living. That tracking system has not worked because, in post-Soviet Union Russia people are free to move without telling anyone. Before 1991 the Soviet police state strictly monitored and controlled who lived where. Those who ignored it were outlaws and that was a very small percentage of former soldiers. Its estimated that the 2020 involuntary reserve would probably contact less than ten percent of the million men technically available. Most of these men had only one year of conscript service and their military skills faded fast. All these plans were made when the Russian economy was booming. That meant there was money available to pay the reservists. But by 2016, when the system was supposed to be fully operational it wasnt. Mainly it was about money. In 2014 the Russian economy was hit by two financial disasters. First the price of oil fell from a hundred dollars a barrel to less than thirty dollars. Oil and gas exports are a major source of government revenue. Added to that in 2014 Russia got hit with some serious economic sanctions in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Another key item the Russians were unable to mobilize was popular support for the war. The government calls the war a defensive measure to protect Ukraine, and Russia, from Western aggression. That sort of worked for a while but soon faded as troops fighting in Ukraine reported back to family and friends what was really going on. The Russians were the invaders and the Ukrainians the patriotic defenders of their homes and families. Despite the covid19 lockdown and failing economy, cell phone use continues to grow in North Korea. Currently about 20 percent of the population owns a cell phone. This means over 70 percent of households have access to a cell phone. Several years ago, another incentive to own a cell phone appeared, software that would conceal use of the phone for storing and viewing forbidden (usually South Korean) video or audio files. Initially these apps were free and distributed among university students by those who developed them. The app developers found themselves high on the list of criminals sought by the police. This turned the app developers into folk heroes and that meant the police ran into a wall of silence when searching for these tech criminals. Few have been caught and demand for this grew so large that the app developers could charge for it. Currently, an incentive to buy a cell phone is the possibility of paying a higher (by at least 50 percent) price to use the phone more freely and with a lot fewer restrictions. Because of growing government efforts to eliminate these outlaw apps, the app developers had a lot more work and what started as a part time activity while a university student could become a lucrative, if potentially deadly, career. But thats life in North Korea. The North Korean economy is in free fall because of draconian covid19 lockdowns and mismanagement of covid19 treatments when new strains (faster spreading, less lethal) got in despite the efforts to keep it out. This was made worse by mismanagement of the economy. This is especially embarrassing in comparison to the South Korean economy, which has a GDP per capita that is more than twenty times that of the north. The GDP gap continues to widen, which is why North Koreans caught viewing recordings of South Korean media are sent to prison and those responsible for distributing these recordings are often executed. This punishments will increase until morale improves still doesn't work in the north. This is especially true when it comes to forced contributions of time and money to government projects. Noting the backlash from North Koreans in general and especially those provinces with the most problems, the central government ordered party officials to pay closer to public attitudes in areas they were in charge of. In many cases this order was not carried out as intended. The officials approached locals to make enquiries but often acted like they were feudal overlords dealing with local serfs. Those Who Must Not Be Named While the South Korea GDP continues to grow despite covid19 related problems, the north has experienced a nine percent GDP decline in 2020 and five percent in 2021. The shrinkage continues in 2022. Since 2020 North Korea has suffered persistent trade deficits (more exports than imports). In 2020 the deficit was $684 million and $549 in 2021. There will be another deficit in 2022 because internal lockdowns continue, although not as widely as last year. Nearly 60 percent of imports are petroleum products. Not enough other items, like fertilizer, are getting in, which increases the food shortages. Even imports of items for the ballistic missile and nuclear weapons have been reduced, but not eliminated. The state of the armed forces grows worse, mainly because of food shortages. Desertions are up as are the percentage of new conscripts physically unfit for service. The desertions include border guards, who are supposed to receive adequate food supplies but dont and most of them are simply leaving their weapons behind and wading or swimming across the river into China. Fewer imports of industrial raw materials means that more weapons systems (ships, aircraft, vehicles, artillery and unguided rockets) are unavailable because fuel or key replacement components are not available. The official government explanation for all this is insufficient loyalty by workers and managers was at fault. Its a criminal offense to openly criticize senior leadership, especially supreme leader Kim Jong Un. China is less reluctant to criticize mismanagement in North Korea, especially when it comes to dealing with covid19. Since 2021 covid19 has been spreading in China because new strains of the virus spread faster, although they are less lethal. Most Chinese are vaccinated, but the local vaccines are less effective than Western ones and leave more people vulnerable to new strains of covid19. Because of this, earlier this year some Chinese cities near the North Korean border suffered shutdowns to contain the virus. North Korea responded by ordering border guards to wear gas masks if they were working at border crossings close to infected Chinese cities. North Korea continued to insist it has no covid19 epidemic and refused offers of South Korean or Chinese covid19 vaccines. Senior officials have apparently received regular doses of the most effective Western vaccines and other treatments. Border guards complain that the masks are uncomfortable and make it difficult for others to understand what masked men are saying. Meanwhile North Koreans continued dying of flu-like symptoms but were not tested for covid19 and the deaths simply attributed to flu. Many people who showed symptoms of influenza were sent to isolation centers for a few weeks before the survivors were released. Now North Korea admits that it does have a covid19 problem and is testing people more often or, as is the case in the capital, more frequently. China is keeping its borders with North Korea closed because of the perceived risk of reinfection by North Koreas visiting China. This cannot last long because China has many economic and political interests in North Korea so a testing and quarantine procedure for North Koreans crossing the border will be imposed. July 27, 2022: Poland has ordered billions of dollars-worth of South Korean K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled 155mm howitzers and FA-50 jet trainers reconfigured for combat use. While the K2 and K9 purchase amounts to nearly a thousand vehicles (most built in Poland under license), only 48 FA-50s are being purchased. July 20, 2022: Officials in three provinces recently tested their local water supplies and revealed the results. Most (nearly 90 percent) of the samples showed the presence of contamination that would cause illness among those consuming this supposedly treated water. A growing number of water treatment facilities have been quietly shutting down water treatment plants more frequently because of the lack of imported chemicals required for the treatment that eliminates pollutants. This led to an increase in locals getting sick or even dying. The national government blamed these careless citizens or local government officials. In some provinces officials order everyone to boil water before using it for drinking or cooking. This is difficult in some communities where there is a shortage of wood or other fuels for heating, cooking and heat during cold weather. July 17, 2022: In the capital (Pyongyang) the secret police arrested a local man and 30 of his associates who have been running call-girl prostitution networks in the capital and five other major cities. The call-girls were mainly college and older high school students who could earn a thousand dollars a year for taking some short (a few days) vacations to high-end resorts or private estates to entertain wealthy (from bribes) government officials or donju (legal entrepreneurs). The arrests included seizure of business records and over $300,000 in dollars and other foreign currencies. Prostitution is a growing problem in North Korea but it was shocking to see that a high-end and discrete operation was flourishing in the capital. Since 2016 a growing number of North Korean women have been operating openly as prostitutes, usually near border areas where there are more foreigners. These women get $20 or more per customer but get to keep less than 20 percent of that because the rest goes to bribes (for police) and fees to various middlemen (or women) who supervise it all. It is not surprising that these young (from late teens to 30s) women will also offer to sell drugs (usually meth) to customers. Many of these prostitutes are married and some have children but no money to keep the kids fed and healthy. There is more discreet prostitution in the capital as well, sometimes including daughters of prominent family seeking some extra money and adventure. Aside from the way prostitution ruins the official North Korean image of itself, as sincere, hard-working and righteous socialists, the presence of prostitution also makes North Korean officials more vulnerable to bribery if they deal with prostitutes and are secretly recorded on video. This is a favorite technique of North Korean intelligence and they do not like to be on the other side of this. July 15, 2022: The annual Monsoon rains were heavier than usual and the subsequent flooding of the Yalu River dividing North Korea and China caused some of the six meter (20 foot) high border barriers to be lost. Although these border barriers were ordered installed by the central government, local governments are responsible for maintaining them. These local governments have to conscript or tax locals to make the repairs. This causes more anger among the locals. Local farmers were angry that the government was less concerned about the damage done to rice paddies and other farmland by those same floods. July 2, 2022: North Korea ordered all those with registered (legal) cell phones and PCs to bring their devices to government offices in charge of device security to have their devices checked for up-to-date system software and the presence of any unauthorized software or data. Leniency would be shown to those who admitted to having unauthorized software on their devices and revealed who they got it from. These inspections must be done before the end of August. June 30, 2022: The Philippines ordered six OPVs (Offshore Patrol Vessels) from South Korea. This came after a competition involving proposals from Australia, Turkey and several other nations. The South Korean entry was the export version of the new HDP-1500 OPV. The export version is customizable but the basic features are an 81 meter (260 foot), 1,700-ton ship with a top speed of 38 kilometers an hour and endurance of 28 days. There are accommodations for 51 personnel, including the 41 crew. Standard armament consists of a 76mm cannon and four CIWS (Close In Weapons Systems) for missile defense and other threats within a few thousand meters of the ship. There is a landing pad and hangar for a helicopter. Under the helipad there is space for additional weapons or equipment in four cargo spaces. The HDP-1500 can be equipped with anti-ship missiles or to hunt and attack submarines as well for mine-clearing. South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are all building more warships for their own use or export. China sees these three nations as a key component, along with American naval forces in the West Pacific of a naval coalition that China cannot ignore or easily deal with. South Korea is also building ballistic missiles to counter those of North Korea but these missiles can also hit Chinese targets in wartime. June 29, 2022: North Korea reported that they had recorded 4.8 million covid19 infections since April. This energetic effort to test for covid19 by declaring anyone with a high fever as a potential covid19 case. This effort had an impact with reported high fever) infections decreasing as more cases were detected and the infected person isolated until the fever (and presumably the virus) was gone from their system. Currently only 204 covid19 cases are being treated and recently there was a day with no cases reported. June 25, 2022: The United States is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information on members of North Korea hacking groups including Andariel, APT38, BlueNoroff, Guardians of Peace, Kimsuky, Lazarus Group and other to be named when their activities are discovered. This increases to $20 million in rewards for information of North Korean hackers. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. ("Naturally Splendid" or "NSE" or the "Company") (FRANKFURT:50N) (TSXV:NSP) (OTC PINK:NSPDF) announces that it intends to consolidate its issued and outstanding common shares at a ratio of up to fifteen (15) pre-consolidation shares to one (1) post-consolidation share (the "Consolidation"). The purpose of the Consolidation is to facilitate the Company's ability to attract future financings, generate greater investor interest, and improve trading liquidity. The Company currently has 330,624,458 common shares issued and outstanding. In the event the Company proceeds with the Consolidation, as opposed to a lesser ratio, the Company anticipates there would be 22,041,631 common shares issued and outstanding. The Consolidation is subject to acceptance from the TSX-V and approval of the shareholders. The Company has scheduled the holding of an Annual General and Special Meeting for August 30, 2022. The Company will not change its name in conjunction with the Consolidation. About Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. Naturally Splendid is a plant-based food manufacturing and technology company that produces and distributes nutritious and delicious plant-based commodity products. Founded in 2010, the Company operates a Safe Quality Food Level 2 certified food manufacturing facility located just outside Vancouver, BC in Canada, focusing on producing an extensive range of plant-based entrees. Naturally Splendid has an exclusive 10-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for Canada with a division of Australia's largest plant-based food manufacturer, Flexitarian Foods Pty. Ltd. In addition to producing the Company's own branded products, Naturally Splendid provides contract manufacturing services and private labeling for a variety of nutritional plant-based food products destined for multiple distribution channels. The Company has established healthy, functional foods under brands such as Natera Sport", Natera Hemp Foods", CHII", Elevate Me" and Woods Wild Bar". The Company launched Natera Plant Based Foods, a line of delicious plant-based meat alternatives for the rapidly growing plant-based market segment. Naturally Splendid maintains a relationship Plasm Pharmaceutical, a company that has been approved for conducting a phase 2 clinical trial approved by Health Canada for the treatment of COVID-19. NSE has also developed proprietary technologies for the extraction of healthy omega 3 and 6 oils, as well as a protein concentrate from hemp. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Mr. J. Craig Goodwin CEO, Director Contact Information Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. (NSP - TSX Venture; NSPDF - OTCQB; 50N Frankfurt) #108-19100 Airport Way Pitt Meadows, BC, V3Y 0E2 Office: (604) 570-0902 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.naturallysplendid.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Naturally Splendid cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Naturally Splendid's control including, Naturally Splendid's ability to compete with large food and beverage companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; sales of shelled hemp seed will continue at existing rates or increase; customers will complete on sales contracts; and the risk that any of the potential applications may not receive all required regulatory or legal approval. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Naturally Splendid undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Nextech AR Solutions and RevoluGroup Canada on their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Nextech AR Solutions (CSE:NTAR) (OTCQB: NEXCF) updates proposed spin out of "ARway" Nextech AR (NTAR) has entered into an arrangement agreement with its subsidiary 1000259749 Ontario Inc. and 1373222 B.C. Ltd. The agreement sets out the terms under which Nextech will spin out the ARway platform and associated assets to its subsidiary 1000259749 Ontario Inc. Nextech AR CEO Evan Gappelberg sat down with Sabrina Cuthbert to discuss the proposed spin out. For the full interview with Evan Gappelberg and to learn more about Nextech AR Solutions, click here RevoluGROUP Canada (TSXV:REVO) launches RevoluTRANSFER and "RevoluPAY Visa Instant" cards RevoluGROUP Canada (REVO) has launched RevoluTRANSFER and introduced "RevoluPAY Visa Instant" prepaid Visa Cards. The company also expects to launch RevoluCard.com in the coming weeks. CEO Steve Marshall sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss the news. For the full interview with Steve Marshall and to learn more about RevoluGROUP Canada, click here Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. 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While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald Charity Robertson [email protected] themarketherald.ca SOURCE: The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com: Shares of Uber (NYSE: UBER) are up almost 13% after the ride-sharing and delivery company delivered very strong results. Uber said it recorded revenue of $8.07 billion to easily beat the consensus of $7.39 billion with gross bookings rising 33% and coming ahead of expectations. Uber reported an adjusted EBITDA of $364 million to crush the average analyst estimate of $265.9 million. The company attributed a loss per share of $1.33 to a $1.7 billion net headwind (pre-tax) relating to Ubers equity investments, primarily due to aggregate unrealized losses related to the revaluation of Ubers Aurora, Grab, and Zomato stakes. We became a free cash flow generator in Q2, as we continued to scale our asset-light platform, and we will continue to build on that momentum, said Nelson Chai, Ubers CFO. This marks a new phase for Uber, self-funding future growth with disciplined capital allocation, while maximizing long-term returns for shareholders. Additionally, Uber said it is confident it will be able to deliver 2024 gross bookings and adjusted EBITDA goals. For the ongoing quarter, Uber sees an adjusted EBITDA between $440 million to $470 million, much better than the consensus of $391.6 million. Needham & Company analyst Bernie McTernan said: Delivery bookings were below expectations in 2Q22, likely driven by weakness outside the US, which could be a reason for the lower than expected bookings guide. Given the stronger than expected adj. EBITDA results and guide, we expect shares to react favorable as we suspect current value levels express market skepticism on reaching '23 and '24 consensus expectations. Similarly, Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan reflected positively on Ubers earnings report. We expect investors to have a positive reaction to Ubers Q2 22 earnings report, as most metrics (in terms of both its reported Q2 metrics and forward commentary) were solid vs expectations, Sheridan added. By Senad Karaahmetovic Award recognizes transformative prostate cancer clinical research using novel liquid biopsy technologies SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that Professor Gerhardt Attard has been selected to receive a prestigious Agilent Thought Leader Award. Prof Attard is a John Black Charitable Foundation Endowed Chair in Urological Cancer Research at University College London (UCL). Professor Attard is prominent for his innovative research and clinical trials using cutting-edge liquid biopsy technologies to identify biomarkers to monitor drug response and cancer progression in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The technique is non-invasive and, therefore, ideal for tracking tumor response to therapy and the evolution of cancer mutation. Professor Attard is an influential oncology clinician-scientist whose work has enabled the application of modern genomics clinical solutions, such as liquid biopsy, to create the next generation of diagnostics and prognostic tools in the fight against cancer. Professor Attards research supported by this award will generate important data using relevant samples from clinical trials to identify and test changes in the circulating tumor DNA methylome that could be used as biomarkers for cancer progression and resistance to available therapies. The Agilent Thought Leader Award will support my groups work interrogating tumor epigenetic information in plasma DNA. As translational researchers, one of our key remits is to transition new discoveries into clinically-implemented tests, said Professor Attard. I am thrilled to receive this award. It is a great honor and important opportunity for my team and our collaborators to work with some of the industry leaders in the diagnostics field. My group primarily studies blood collected from men with advanced prostate cancer, but I expect our findings to have relevance to and support new tests for other cancer types, Professor Attard added. I am confident that this partnership will accelerate our delivery of diagnostics that will provide cancer physicians more precise information to tailor treatment paradigms and improve patient outcomes. Agilent continues to invest in research on the important segment markets we serve, said Ronda Allen, head of R&D, Assays and Reagents, Diagnostics and Genomics Group at Agilent and executive sponsor of the award. The important work conducted through this award will support scientific developments in the cancer genomics space and we believe Professor Attard will be a brilliant asset in that endeavor. Philanthropic gifts like the Agilent Thought Leader Award are crucial to enabling UCLs world-leading scientists to make life-saving discoveries, that could alter the clinical landscape for advanced prostate cancer patients and those with other cancers, said Angharad Milenkovic, vice-president of Advancement at UCL. Were grateful to our philanthropic partners at Agilent, who share our vision for improving cancer diagnosis and treatment, and for their generous funding of Professor Attards research. Professor Attard holds an advanced Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist award and is Team Leader of the Treatment Resistance Group at the UCL Cancer Institute. The Agilent Thought Leader Award program promotes fundamental scientific advances by contributing financial support, products, and expertise to the research of influential thought leaders in the life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis space. To learn more, visit the Agilent Thought Leader Award website. About Agilent Technologies Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation that advance the quality of life. Agilents full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.32 billion in fiscal 2021 and employs 17,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, please subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005284/en/ Naomi Goumillout Agilent Technologies +1.781.266.2819 [email protected] Source: Agilent Technologies Inc. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BBX Capital Real Estate, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBX Capital, Inc. (OTCQX: BBXIA) (PINK: BBXIB), today announced that its Altis Miramar East/West joint venture had completed the sale of Altis Miramar, a 320-unit multifamily apartment community located in Miramar, Florida, and Altra Miramar, a 330-unit multifamily apartment community adjacent to Altis Miramar. In connection with the closing of the transaction, BBX Capital Real Estate received a net cash distribution of approximately $16.4 million from the joint venture. The Altis Miramar East/West joint venture was sponsored and formed by The Altman Companies in 2019 to develop Altis Miramar and Altra Miramar. Construction of the communities commenced in 2019 and was substantially completed in 2022. As of March 31, 2022, the carrying amount of BBX Capital Real Estates investment in the joint venture was $2.9 million. About BBX Capital Real Estate: BBX Capital Real Estate, a principal holding of BBX Capital, Inc., is engaged in the acquisition, development, construction, ownership, financing, and management of real estate and investments in real estate joint ventures, including investments in multifamily rental apartment communities, single-family master-planned for sale housing communities, and commercial properties located primarily in Florida. In addition, BBX Capital Real Estate currently owns a 50% equity interest in The Altman Companies, a developer and manager of multifamily rental apartment communities, and anticipates acquiring an additional 40% of The Altman Companies in 2023. BBX Capital Real Estate also manages the legacy assets acquired in connection with the companys sale of BankAtlantic in 2012, including portfolios of loans receivable, real estate properties, and judgments against past borrowers. BBX Capital Real Estate also recently expanded its operating platform to include BBX Logistics Properties, which is currently pursuing investment opportunities in the development of warehouse and logistics facilities. For more information, please visit www.BBXCapitalRealEstate.com. About The Altman Companies: The Altman Companies, a joint venture between BBX Capital Real Estate and Joel Altman, is engaged in the development, construction, and management of multifamily apartment communities. Since 1968, The Altman Companies and its predecessors have developed, constructed, and managed over 26,000 multifamily units through the United States, including communities in Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.altmancos.com. About BBX Capital, Inc.: BBX Capital, Inc. (OTCQX: BBXIA) (PINK: BBXIB) is a Florida-based diversified holding company whose principal holdings include BBX Capital Real Estate, BBX Sweet Holdings, and Renin. For additional information, please visit www.BBXCapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005946/en/ BBX Capital, Inc. Contact Info: Investor Relations Contact: Leo Hinkley, Managing Director, Investor Relations Officer 954-940-5300, Email: [email protected] Media Relations Contact: Kip Hunter, Kip Hunter Marketing 954-303-5551, Email: [email protected] Source: BBX Capital, Inc. Lakeland-based firm strengthens position in Southwest Florida market LAKELAND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blue Roc Premier Properties LLC recently acquired management control for three apartment properties in Fort Myers, adding to the companys growing property management portfolio throughout Florida. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005817/en/ The Park at Veneto is 1 of 3 multi-family properties in Fort Myers, Florida, that was part of a recent $152 million recapitalization deal. Blue Roc Premier Properties LLC was appointed the controlling property manager for all three properties, totaling 800 units. (Photo: Business Wire) The properties were part of a $152 million recapitalization deal in April between the principals of Blue Roc Premier and Osso Capital, with Blue Roc being appointed the controlling property manager for all 800 units. This portfolio opportunity allows us to increase our exposure in the Southwest Florida multi-family marketplace and gives us economies of scale to expand our footprint in this highly competitive region of Florida, said Randy Ferreira, owner and CEO of Blue Roc Premier Properties. The three properties The Park at Murano, Park at Positano and Park at Veneto are scheduled for major exterior and interior updates as part of the ownership change. Interior renovations will include granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a new IT package and more. Exterior updates will also be added to reflect the Blue Roc Premier brand and will include new exterior paint colors, new roofs, updated amenities such as the clubhouses and pool areas, new EV charging stations and more. Blue Roc Premier and its affiliates manage more than 15,000 multi-family units across the Southeastern U.S., with a significant footprint throughout Florida, particularly along the I-4 corridor between Tampa Bay and Orlando. Blue Roc is continually searching for new multi-family opportunities, and the addition of these assets allows the company and its partners a strategic foothold in the Southwest Florida market. About Blue Roc Premier Properties Blue Roc Premier Properties is a privately held, fully-integrated management firm focusing on multi-family management opportunities throughout the State of Florida and the Southeast through its affiliates. The companys principals have been operating in the multi-family real estate business for over 25 years. The firm has developed a proven track record for value-added and stabilized apartment properties. The Premier Managed Portfolio is currently expanding and aggressively searching for new opportunities throughout the Southeast. For more information, visit bluerocpremier.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005817/en/ Chad McLeod, APR [email protected] Source: Blue Roc Premier Properties LLC LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC) has launched telestroke services to provide timely assessment of stroke and improve the quality of care to its patients through a collaboration with the USC TeleStroke and Neurological Emergency Program. This program allows physicians in the emergency room at CHA HPMC to consult directly with Keck Medicine of USC world-class stroke neurologists. The program is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for neurological emergencies through a one-click, HIPPA-compliant online telemedicine platform. With the launch of stroke telemedicine services, our caregivers can easily consult with physicians board-certified in stroke neurology and neurocritical care to offer timely treatment, eliminating the need to transfer critically ill stroke patients, said Marcel Loh, President and CEO, CHA HPMC. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is fifth leading cause of death and more than 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke each year. A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. If that happens, brain cells start to die within minutes due to oxygen deprivation. Early detection and immediate treatment is critical to minimize the brain damage and increase the chances of survival and recovery. Working with Keck Medicine of USC stroke neurologists allows our stroke patients to benefit from the real-time expertise of experts with one of the leading programs in the country, said Dr. Marco Hernandez, MD, FACEP, Medical Director of CHA HPMC Emergency Department. This will allow patients to receive optimal therapy for their condition -- whether it be conservative therapy, clot-busting drugs, such as TPA or transfer to a comprehensive stroke center for neuro-interventional care. About CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC) is a nationally recognized acute care facility that has cared for Hollywood and its surrounding communities since 1924. Today, CHA HPMC offers comprehensive health care services with a 469-bed acute care facility, including 89 skilled nursing beds. The hospital has a medical staff of more than 550 physicians and specialists, representing 69 specialties and 75 different countries. CHA HPMC embraces the areas diverse, multicultural patient populations by providing all who walk through its doors quality care in a compassionate manner. It is a member of CHA Health Systems, a dynamic global healthcare organization that provides a full spectrum of services in seven countries around the world, including 86 hospitals and clinics, 30 research and 14 education institutions and 31 bio/pharmaceutical/healthcare companies. For more information, visit http://www.hollywoodpresbyterian.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005279/en/ CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center/Injung Bae, 213-703-2994, [email protected] Source: CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Assumes Lead Role Over Technology and Facilities Workgroups ROCK HILL, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Comporium is excited to announce it has promoted Roger Parker to the position of Executive Vice President - Technology and Facilities. Parker assumes the role formerly held by Jack Holladay, who recently retired after 38 years of service to the company. Parkers new responsibilities include oversight of Comporiums Facility and Construction, Engineering, Network Services, Supply Chain and Information Technology workgroups. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005893/en/ Roger Parker (Photo: Business Wire) Parker joined Comporium in 1994 as a Custodian with hopes of becoming an Assistant Supervisor. Since that time, he has developed and demonstrated strong leadership skills and a strong work ethic. In 1998, Parker was promoted to Senior Materials Control Specialist, then Building & Supplies Supervisor in 2000. In October 2004, Parker was promoted to Facilities & Materials Manager. In August 2013 he was named Vice President of Facilities & Construction. Through his commitment and work ethic, Parker has progressed from an entry-level position to a top leadership position with Comporium. Roger has been a dedicated and valued employee of Comporium over these past 28 years, stated Comporiums President and Chief Executive Officer, Bryant Barnes. His experience and knowledge of our industry will prove invaluable in his new role. Parker is originally from Marion, NC. Prior to joining Comporium, Parker served over 15 years in the US Army before leaving the service as a Sergeant - First Class in 1993, with various instructor certifications. In addition to taking management and other various courses in college, Roger had the opportunity to attend and graduate from primary, basic and advanced leadership development schools while in the service. About Comporium Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified, privately-held communications company that employs nearly 1,000 people and provides broadband, TV, voice, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services throughout the Carolinas. Comporiums ventures include companies providing business solutions, managed services, connected home services and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005893/en/ Matthew Dosch 803-326-7287 [email protected] Source: Comporium, Inc. Spiers to Lead Architectural Shift Aimed at Fundamentally Changing the Performance, Efficiency and Cost of Data Centers LONGMONT, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IntelliProp, a leading innovator of composable data center transformation technology, today announced the appointment of John Spiers as Chief Executive Officer and President. Spiers, a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience pioneering breakthrough data center innovations and leading fast-growth organizations, will drive new CXL advances for the data center. He succeeds co-founder and long-time CEO Hiren Patel, who will serve the company as Chief Technology Officer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005046/en/ Composable Data Center Innovator, IntelliProp Names Tech Veteran John Spiers as CEO and President (Photo: Business Wire) Composable infrastructure transformation is one of the hottest and most promising areas for game-changing advances in data center performance, efficiency and economics, said John Spiers. IntelliProps trailblazing approach to Compute Express Link (CXL) technology unlocks the memory bottleneck and enables next-generation performance and efficiency for AI and Machine Learning applications. IntelliProps technology will drive data center transformation and change the economics of data centers by substantially lowering capital costs and power requirements. Spiers brings a wealth of industry knowledge, deep product strategy expertise and a track record of strong leadership and success. He has co-founded numerous technology companies, including venture-backed LeftHand Networks, where he served as CTO and helped establish it as a market leader in virtualized, highly scalable Storage Area Networks, and NexGen Storage, where he served as CEO and led the companys successful development and launch of the industrys first Storage Area Network architected for flash memory. LeftHand Networks and NexGen Storage were strategically acquired by Hewlett Packard and Fusion-io, respectively. Most recently, Spiers has held top leadership roles across engineering, marketing, sales, and strategy for IT infrastructure providers, including Sandisk, Pivot3 and Liqid. IntelliProps incredibly talented engineering team has developed CXL-based products that provide a large technological and time-to-market advantage. I am excited to work with our customers, employees, partners, and investors to drive the next phase of IntelliProps innovation, growth and success. We are on a mission to bring these products to market, added Spiers. We are thrilled to have John at the helm as we take the next step in our technology innovation and growth trajectory, said Patel. He recognizes the immense potential of CXL to boost performance, efficiency and sustainability while reducing overall system cost and his technology expertise, tenacity and business acumen will be extremely valuable in driving our strategy forward. About IntelliProp IntelliProp is a Colorado-based company founded in 1999 to provide ASIC design and verification services for the data storage and memory industry. Today, IntelliProp is leading the composable data center transformation, fundamentally changing the performance, efficiency and cost of data centers. IntelliProp continues to gain recognition as a leading expert in the data storage industry and actively participates in standards groups developing next-generation memory infrastructure. www.intelliprop.com IntelliProp and the IntelliProp logo are trademarks of IntelliProp, Inc. 2022 IntelliProp, Inc. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005046/en/ IGNITE Consulting, on behalf of IntelliProp Linda Dellett 303-439-9398 [email protected] Source: IntelliProp On the heels of a strong 2021, new executives ignite next phase of Edifecs professional services offerings and customer growth BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Edifecs, Inc., a global health information technology solutions company, adds four new executives to its leadership team amid strong company growth over the last year. New hires include Raymond Bonnett, vice president professional services; Mark Filiault, vice president payer sales; Paul Chip Acton, vice president solution consulting; Brian Hanley, vice president public sector sales. The addition of Raymond, Mark, Paul, and Brian at such a pivotal point in Edifecs growth is exciting. With our next chapter underway, contributions from these individuals deepen our ability to connect with existing customers, while understanding what the next generation of healthcare technology leaders seek, said Venkat Kavarthapu, CEO of Edifecs. These executives bring decades of industry knowledge and leadership driving impressive growth strategies that will allow us to continue developing customer-centric solutions to improve data exchange throughout healthcare. Raymond Bonnett, Edifecs new vice president professional services, brings more than 25 years of leadership experience working with global healthcare software providers including Cerner, Siemens and Allscripts. Prior to joining Edifecs, he served as vice president, professionals services with NextGen Healthcare, a provider of innovative, cloud-based healthcare technology solutions, where he and his team drove adoption of EMR solutions throughout the ambulatory healthcare market. He has experience developing and improving technology and operational infrastructures to help organizations build profitable and scalable businesses. Mark Filiault, vice president payer sales, joins Edifecs with over 20 years of business development and sales experience in the healthcare industry primarily working with payers and providers. Mark has led sales efforts with a variety of organizations, such as Altegra Health and Change Healthcare where he built and led sales teams. Most recently, he served as the vice president of sales at Diagnostics Robotics, an Israeli based start-up which delivers artificial intelligence solutions for healthcare organizations. Paul Chip Acton, vice president solution consulting, is a creative visionary with decades of experience delivering healthcare technology solutions that drive measurable impact. A career-long healthcare industry strategist, he joins Edifecs from Zipari, a consumer experience platform, and Cognizant/TriZetto Corporation where he contributed more than 20 years to the organizations sales engines, including product roadmaps, thought leadership and its strategic approach to reaching Medicare, Medicaid, commercial and state health plan C-suite and decision makers. Brian Hanley, vice president public sector sales, brings 15 years of program delivery and business development experience. Throughout his career, he has helped companies develop digital services, and leverage technology in response to the most urgent challenges facing government health and economic programs. Prior to joining Edifecs, he was the vice president of business development at Nava, a digital services company, where he led all growth activities including helping Nava expand to new federal agencies, develop a state portfolio, and support new government programs including paid family and medical leave and unemployment insurance. These executives further bolster Edifecs leadership team after another momentous year of growth and milestones. 2021 marked the companys 25th anniversary and the acquisitions of Health Fidelity and Talix. These are the first acquisitions in Edifecs history. Edifecs solutions enable customers to apply risk adjustment, SaaS, natural language processing, SDOH, and machine learning capabilities to apply data to every aspect of the care continuum for improved margins, smarter payment models, process improvements, and a better understanding of the best treatment plan for patients and members. For more information about Edifecs, visit: https://www.edifecs.com/. About Edifecs Edifecs is a premier technology company in the US Healthcare market with solutions focused on interoperability, workflows, value-based care analytics and payment programs. With innovative technology and solutions, Edifecs helps its customers by optimizing the secure exchange and processing of administrative and clinical data, reducing the cost of meeting various regulations, and automating workflows involved in multiple core processes within the healthcare ecosystem. Edifecs is a frontrunner in bringing new technology for B2B data exchange in healthcare streamlining business processes from card to care, and reducing the industry burden associated with data provisioning at the points of enrollment, care, payment, and reporting. With the advent of FHIR and new regulatory guidance from HHS, Edifecs has emerged as a leader in easing the effort associated with achieving compliance with new federal rules and in making the healthcare consumer the primary stakeholder. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, with additional offices in Atlanta, Georgia, San Francisco, California, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Mohali, India, an engineering center in Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine, and has more than 1,000 employees. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005503/en/ Janet Hohmann 415-240-6904 [email protected] Source: Edifecs Dr. Todd Lencz, and others in the Ethics Committee of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, publish concerns about polygenic embryo screening in The Lancet Psychiatry MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Genetic testing has been part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process for three decades and allows parents to screen embryos for illnesses. Yet, a new technique polygenic embryo screening (PES) has some scientists concerned. Todd Lencz, PhD, professor in the Institute of Behavioral Science at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, and 17 others from the Ethics Committee of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG), today expressed concern in The Lancet Psychiatry about PES services for psychiatric conditions for both scientific and ethical reasons. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005851/en/ Todd Lencz, PhD, professor in the Feinstein Institutes Institute of Behavioral Science, co-authors concerns about embryo screening. (Credit: The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research) Reproductive geneticists have been able to identify rare, serious genetic disorders like Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis prior to implantation of embryos in women undergoing IVF. But there is little existing research or ethical discussion concerning its risks and benefits of PES, even though it is already commercially available. In PES, each embryo derived from a cycle of IVF is densely genotyped, using DNA microarrays or sequencing, and the genotype data are used to generate polygenic risk scores (PRSs) to estimate the risk of a disease or the potential phenotypic value of a quantitative trait for each embryo. A prospective parent can then select which embryo(s) to implant on the basis of these PRSs. The human genome holds great promise to identify risk factors for complex and serious diseases, but without more research into polygenic embryo screening, it is unlikely that medical providers and the general public will have sufficient understanding to evaluate its pros and cons, said Dr. Lencz, who is first author of the paper. The potential implications of polygenic embryo screening are far-reaching, and worthy of much wider public debate, added co-author Lea K. Davis, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a member of the ISPG Board of Directors. The ISPGs goal with The Lancet Psychiatry article is to spur national and international discussion among clinicians, researchers, research participants, policy makers, ethicists and patients, and for more research to be conducted to examine the scientific and statistical basis of PES. They also urge caution on the use of PES in mental health disorders. Dr. Lencz was awarded a $2.9 million grant in 2021 from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to study the accuracy and the ethics of PES. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005851/en/ Matthew Libassi 631-793-5325 [email protected] Source: The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research LAKELAND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Flu shots are now available at all Publix pharmacies. Trained Publix Pharmacy associates will administer the vaccine to patients. Each year, Publix Pharmacy offers the flu vaccine to our patients to help protect themselves throughout the flu season, said Publix Vice President of Pharmacy Dain Rusk. With the health of our communities as a top priority, we are proud to offer immunizations as part of our pharmacy services. Publix Pharmacy will offer both Fluad, recommended for patients age 65 and older, and Flucelvax, for patients age 64 and younger. Both vaccinations protect against influenza A and B. Flu immunizations are available at no charge through most insurance plans. Publix accepts Medicare Part B and many other third-party insurance plans as payment for flu shots, as specified by provider health plans. Restrictions apply for minors and state laws vary. Publix pharmacists are available to answer any questions. While appointments are not required, they are recommended for shorter wait times. Customers can reserve an appointment time online at publix.com/vaccines. Additional vaccinations available at Publix pharmacies include COVID-19 pneumonia hepatitis A and B meningitis shingles and tetanus. To see a complete list, please visit publix.com/vaccines. Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 230,000 associates, currently operates 1,298 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/20220802005926/en/ Maria Brous (863) 680-5339 Source: Publix ZURICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Swiss performance sportswear brand On (NYSE: ONON) announced today that the Company will release its second quarter 2022 financial results on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, before U.S. financial markets open. The Companys management will host an earnings conference call and webcast at 8:00 am U.S. Eastern Time on August 16, 2022 (2:00 pm CET on August 16, 2022). To access the live conference call by telephone, please dial the following numbers: United States: +1 760 294 16 74 United Kingdom: +44 203 059 58 69 Switzerland: +41 91 261 14 47 No access code necessary Additionally, a live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website and under the following Link. Following the conclusion of the call, a replay of the conference call will be available on the Company's website. About On On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Twelve years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer-recommendation, Ons award-winning CloudTec innovation, purposeful design and groundbreaking strides in sportswears circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fanbase inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on. On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on-running.com. Source: On Category: Earnings View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005808/en/ Investor Contact: On Holding AG Jerrit Peter [email protected] or ICR, Inc. Brendon Frey [email protected] Media Contact: On Holding AG Vesna Stimac [email protected] Source: On PUTEAUX, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: The Company indicates that it has received a formal notice from the Caisse nationale de solidarite pour l'autonomie (French National Solidarity Fund for Autonomy - CNSA) to return unduly received funding, dated July 29, 2022, following the report of the joint IGAS-IGF mission, in the amount of 55.8 million. ORPEA will reimburse the amounts that were inappropriately recorded. The Company's position to date is disclosed in note 3.11 to the 2021 consolidated financial statements, available in the Company's 2021 Universal Registration Document. For the amounts that are subject to differences of assessment between ORPEA and the general inspections, ORPEA will provide its answers to the CNSA within the given timeframe. ORPEA will reimburse the amounts that were inappropriately recorded. About ORPEA ORPEA (Paris: ORP) is a leading global player, expert in the care of all types of frailty. The Group operates in 22 countries and covers three core businesses: care for the elderly (nursing homes, assisted living, home care), post-acute and rehabilitation care and mental health care (specialized clinics). It has more than 71,000 employees and welcomes more than 255,000 patients and residents each year. https://www.orpea-group.com/ ORPEA is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0000184798) and is a member of the SBF 120, STOXX 600 Europe, MSCI Small Cap Europe and CAC Mid 60 indices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802006028/en/ Investor Relations ORPEA Benoit Lesieur Investor Relations Director [email protected] Investor Relations NewCap Dusan Oresansky Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 [email protected] Media Relations Image 7 Laurence Heilbronn Tel.: +33 (0)6 89 87 61 37 [email protected] Source: ORPEA DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE: PXD) ("Pioneer" or "the Company") announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly base-plus-variable cash dividend of $8.57 per common share. The dividend is payable September 16, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 6, 2022. Pioneer is a large independent oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with operations in the United States. For more information, visit Pioneers website at www.pxd.com. Note: Future dividends, whether base or variable, are authorized and determined by the Company's Board of Directors in its sole discretion. Decisions regarding the payment of dividends are subject to a number of considerations at the time, including without limitation, the Company's liquidity and capital resources, the Company's results of operations and anticipated future results of operations, the level of cash reserves the Company maintains to fund future capital expenditures or other needs, and other factors that the Board of Directors deems relevant. The Company can provide no assurance that dividends will be authorized or declared in the future or the amount of any future dividends. Any future variable dividends, if declared and paid, will by their nature fluctuate based on the Companys free cash flow1, which will depend on a number of factors beyond the Companys control, including commodities prices. Footnote 1: As used by the Company, free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, adjusted for changes in operating assets and liabilities, less capital expenditures. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802006001/en/ Pioneer Natural Resources Contacts: Investors Neal Shah 972-969-3900 Tom Fitter 972-969-1821 Greg Wright 972-969-1770 Chris Leypoldt 972-969-5834 Media and Public Affairs Christina Voss 972-969-5706 Source: Pioneer Natural Resources Company LiDAR Solution Reduced False Alarms by Over 85% SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Quanergy Systems, Inc., (NYSE: QNGY) a leading provider of LiDAR sensors and smart 3D solutions, announced today that Nanjing Port (Group) Co., Ltd., has successfully deployed Quanergys M-Series LiDAR sensors. Quanergys partner, Nanjing Jiuao Technology Co., Ltd., developed the solution and managed the installation and integration. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005400/en/ Quanergys M-Series LiDAR Sensors Help Busy Chinese Port Reduce Accidents and False Alarms (Graphic: Business Wire) Nanjing Port needed an effective detection and warning system to help prevent warehouse damage and other potential accidents during heavy equipment operations. The use case also required a system that would trigger video surveillance cameras and record events. Prior to the selection of Quanergy, the port had been using a passive infrared (PIR) sensor system, but the false alarm rate was too high, up to 90% in some cases. Nanjing Jiuao selected Quanergys LiDAR-based system to resolve these customer challenges, leveraging some of the key benefits of Quanergys sensor solutions, including: Accurate and reliable detection, even in harsh warehouse environments; 3D object identification that can significantly reduce false alarms caused by small animals like birds; and Coverage of a much larger area than other traditional sensors, requiring fewer devices. With the above features, Quanergys LiDAR-based system brought the false alarm rate down to approximately 2% and fully met Nanjing Ports requirements for timely detection and warning capabilities. Sheng Teng, general manager, Nanjing Jiuao, said: With the data provided from Quanergys LiDAR system, our customers warehouse team has been able to have a more accurate visual display of the operations area. These added features allowed for a safer environment and cut down on costly repairs that the Nanjing Port Group was experiencing. Tony Rigoni, director of industrial markets, Quanergy Systems, Inc., said: As LiDAR technology matures, more use cases arise across a number of industries. For ports, this deployment with our partner Nanjing Jiuao demonstrates one of LiDARs many uses in this setting. This deployment further extends Quanergys presence in the port automation market, one of the first industrial segments to embrace the power of 3D LiDAR. For more information, visit www.quanergy.com. About Quanergy Systems, Inc. Quanergys (NYSE: QNGY) mission is to create powerful, affordable smart LiDAR solutions for automotive and IoT applications to enhance peoples experiences and safety. Quanergy has developed the only true 100% solid-state CMOS LiDAR sensor built on optical phased array (OPA) technology to enable the mass production of low-cost, highly reliable 3D LiDAR solutions. Through Quanergys smart LiDAR solutions, businesses can now leverage real-time, advanced 3D insights to transform their operations in a variety of industries including industrial automation, physical security, smart cities, smart spaces and much more. Quanergy solutions are deployed by nearly 400 customers across the globe. For more information, please visit us at www.quanergy.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as believe, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, should, would, plan, predict, potential, seem, seek, future, outlook, project, will likely result and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the use of our LiDAR sensors in industrial segments and port automation systems and the ability of our sensors to reduce false alarm rates. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results. Most of these factors are outside Quanergys control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the overall level of consumer demand for Quanergys products; general economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence, preferences, and behavior; disruption and volatility in the global currency, capital, and credit markets; the ability to maintain the listing of Quanergys securities on the New York Stock Exchange; the financial strength of Quanergys customers; Quanergys ability to implement its business strategy; changes in governmental regulation, Quanergys exposure to litigation claims and other loss contingencies; disruptions and other impacts to Quanergys business, as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic and government actions and restrictive measures implemented in response; stability of Quanergys suppliers, as well as consumer demand for its products, in light of disease epidemics and health-related concerns such as the COVID-19 global pandemic; the impact that global climate change trends may have on Quanergy and its suppliers and customers; Quanergys ability to protect patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights; any breaches of, or interruptions in, Quanergys information systems; fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of electricity and other raw materials and contracted products as well as foreign currency fluctuations; Quanergys ability to utilize potential net operating loss carryforwards; changes in tax laws and liabilities, tariffs, legal, regulatory, political and economic risks; and other risks and uncertainties indicated in Quanergys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Quanergys expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views only as of the date of this press release. Quanergy anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while Quanergy may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Quanergy specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005400/en/ Media Contact Shannon Van Every [email protected] Investors: [email protected] Source: Quanergy Systems, Inc. LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Slate Asset Management ("Slate"), a global alternative investment platform targeting real assets, today announced the close of another 178 million in capital commitment for Slate European Essential Real Estate Income Fund (SEERIEF or the Fund). The Fund is part of Slates core-plus investment strategy focused on European essential real estate. Essential real estate is the critical infrastructure that facilitates the distribution of non-discretionary essential goods and services to end consumers. This strategy targets cash yielding assets critical to the supply chain with high credit quality tenants, such as grocery and other essential consumer goods providers, healthcare assets, and affiliated warehouses and logistics centers. These assets have proven to be defensive in nature with historically resilient income streams that can withstand periods of economic volatility. Jerry Cain, Managing Director of Investor Relations at Slate, said, We are very appreciative of the support weve received from our institutional partners. Since 2010, we have believed in owning the critical real estate, near roof-tops, that facilitates the distribution of goods and services to the consumer. Whether visiting in store, click and collect or delivery; food, healthcare and other non-discretionary goods need to get to consumers in good times and in bad. We are very pleased with our pipeline of opportunities and believe this strategy offers a tremendous opportunity for growth. Slate has been active in Europe since 2016, with a focus on acquiring, owning, and operating grocery and essential real estate assets. The firm has completed over 2.1 billion in transactions across the region to date and currently operates across five offices in the UK and continental Europe. About Slate Asset Management Slate Asset Management is a global alternative investment platform targeting real assets. We focus on fundamentals with the objective of creating long-term value for our investors and partners. Slates platform spans a range of real estate and infrastructure investment strategies, including opportunistic, value add, core plus, and debt investments. We are supported by exceptional people and flexible capital, which enable us to originate and execute on a wide range of compelling investment opportunities. Visit slateam.com to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005209/en/ Slate Asset Management Karolina Kmiecik [email protected] Source: Slate Asset Management TemperPack brings on Green Cell Foam, expanding its footprint in sustainable, protective materials RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TemperPack Technologies, a manufacturer of high-performance, sustainable thermal insulation for cold chain packaging, announced today that the company has reached an agreement to acquire KTM Industries, subject to customary closing conditions. With this move, TemperPack will be able to offer customers an expanded product line and increased market coverage. Once the transaction is closed, the combined enterprise will have over 700 employees in four U.S. locations: Richmond, VA; Las Vegas, NV; Reno, NV; and Holt, MI. The acquisition brings together two industry leaders in the development of renewable materials to compete with plastic foams and other harmful materials used in cold-chain and non-thermal, protective packaging. As TemperPack integrates teams, systems, and operations, it will leverage the capacity and expertise at each facility to offer customers the right solutions to meet their needs. We are exceptionally pleased to bring together these two companies with disruptive technologies and complementary, high-performance products including ClimaCell and Green Cell Foam to serve the rapidly growing need for sustainable, protective materials, said TemperPacks Chairman and CEO, Bob Beckler. The strategic fit of TemperPack and KTM could not be stronger. We look forward to accelerating our growth and working together with the talented people of KTM. Tim Colonnese, President and CEO of KTM, said This is an exciting milestone for us, one that will create great opportunities to expand Green Cell Foam. We are fully aligned with the mission of TemperPack which is to provide engineered, protective materials that eliminate the need for synthetic foams which harm the environment. We are pleased to be joining forces with one of the most innovative and fast-growing companies in the industry. The transaction is expected to close in August, 2022. About TemperPack TemperPack is the largest producer of sustainable cold chain materials for food and life sciences products in the U.S. The companys mission is simple: protect products with materials that protect the planet. TemperPack was founded in 2015 to allow enterprises to ship perishable products without unnecessary plastic waste. Headquartered in Richmond, VA, with operations in Richmond and Las Vegas, NV, the company develops and scales innovative solutions that disrupt unsustainable packaging technologies. TemperPacks products protect millions of shipments every month. About KTM Industries Green Cell Foam, a product of KTM Industries, Inc., is a unique, natural, environmentally friendly packaging material. Available since 2002, Green Cell Foam provides customers with an eco-conscious, compostable alternative made from cornstarch. The company provides design, testing and fabrication services at its Holt, Michigan and Reno, Nevada facilities. KTM has helped customers replace undesirable expanded polystyrene foam coolers in the pharmaceutical, specialty food and nutritional supplement industries, preventing over 10 million plastic-based coolers from filling landfills across the country. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005819/en/ Bob Beckler Chairman & Chief Executive Officer [email protected] Source: TemperPack Technologies No dose-limiting toxicities or significant treatment-related adverse events were observed for any patient at any dose level WARREN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tevogen Bio, a late stage clinical biotechnology company specializing in the development of cell and gene therapies in oncology, neurology, and virology, today announced that it completed enrollment in the Proof-of-Concept clinical trial of the companys lead investigational product, TVGN-489, for elderly or high-risk ambulatory COVID-19 patients. TVGN-489 is a genetically unmodified, off-the-shelf, allogeneic cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocyte (CTL) product with activity against multiple, precise targets across the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The open-label clinical trial was designed to study the safety and optimal dose of TVGN-489 when given to ambulatory patients with newly diagnosed COVID-19 infection who were at higher risk for infection-related complications. Patients are considered high risk due to comorbid conditions such as heart, lung, liver, and kidney diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity or older age ( 65 years) with or without comorbid conditions. The study was conducted at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Patients received one of four escalating dose levels, with enrollment completed for all levels in nine months. Patients treated earlier in the trial were infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19, with subsequent patients having Omicron and its subvariants of COVID-19. No dose-limiting toxicities or significant treatment-related adverse events, including Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), were observed for any patient at any dose level. Concluding patient enrollment in this trial is an exciting milestone and I believe a promising step forward in the advancement of potential new treatments for high risk patients with COVID-19, said Principal Investigator of the trial, Dolores Grosso, DNP, CRNP, of Jefferson University Hospitals. Completing this trial will allow us to proceed quickly with further testing of this product in a variety of additional patient groups, including those suffering from Long COVID, said Tevogens Chief Scientific Officer, Neal Flomenberg, M.D. "We are extremely pleased to report the successful completion of patient enrollment in the TVGN-489 Proof-of-Concept clinical trial and are incredibly grateful for the trial patients, research and development team, investigators, as well as our partners at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for completing this clinical trial. We are looking forward to full review of the data in the coming weeks, said Tevogen CEO Ryan Saadi, M.D., M.P.H. About Tevogens Next Generation Precision T Cell Platform Tevogens next generation precision T cell platform is designed to provide increased specificity to eliminate malignant and virally infected cells, while allowing healthy cells to remain intact. Multiple targets are selected in advance with the goal of overcoming mutational capacity of cancer cells and viruses. Tevogen is investigating its technologys potential to overcome the primary barriers to the broad application of personalized T cell therapies: potency, purity, production-at-scale, and patient-pairing, without the limitations of current approaches. Tevogens goal is to open the vast and unprecedented potential of developing personalized immunotherapies for large patient populations impacted by common cancers and viral infections. About Tevogen Bio Tevogen Bio is driven by a team of distinguished scientists and highly experienced biopharmaceutical leaders who have successfully developed and commercialized multiple franchises. Tevogens leadership believes that accessible personalized immunotherapies are the next frontier of medicine, and that disruptive business models are required to sustain medical innovation in the post-pandemic world. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to Tevogen Bio Inc (the Company) and its business. These statements are based on managements current expectations and beliefs as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of factors which involve known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties and other factors not under the Companys control that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or other expectations implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can sometimes be identified by terminology such as may, will, should, intend, expect, believe, potential, possible, or their negatives or comparable terminology, as well as other words and expressions referencing future events, conditions, or circumstances. In any forward-looking statement in which the Company expresses an expectation or belief as to future results, there can be no assurance that the statement or expectation or belief will be achieved. Various factors may cause differences between the Companys expectations and actual results, including, among others: the Companys limited operating history; uncertainties inherent in the execution, cost and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials; risks related to regulatory review and approval and commercial development; risks associated with intellectual property protection; and risks related to matters that could affect the Companys future financial results, including the commercial potential, sales, and pricing of the Companys products. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or any of the information in this release, or provide additional information, and expressly disclaims any and all liability and makes no representations or warranties in connection herewith or with respect to any omissions herefrom. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005232/en/ Media: Katelyn Joyce Corporate Communications Lead T: 1 877 TEVOGEN, Ext 709 [email protected] Source: Tevogen Bio MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE: MTW) (the Company or Manitowoc), a leading global manufacturer of cranes and lifting solutions, today announced that James S. Cook, currently the Companys Senior Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) and The Manitowoc Way, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and The Manitowoc Way effective immediately. I am very pleased to have James take this critical role for Manitowoc. James proven track record of developing and successfully delivering global cultural change and performance improvement using the principles of The Manitowoc Way makes him the ideal leader to ensure our Company is positioned for long-term success, commented Aaron H. Ravenscroft, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cook joins the executive leadership team with 20 years of experience in employee development, operational safety, lean processes, corporate social responsibility (ESG), and global sourcing. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Cook served as Senior Vice President, Senior Vice President Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) and The Manitowoc Way since August 2020, and Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment (HSE), and Security since August 2017. Prior to Manitowoc, Mr. Cook served in progressive executive roles at Hansa Heavy Lift, SAL Heavy Lift, Aida Cruises, Holland America Line, and served as an Officer in the British Royal Navy. About The Manitowoc Company, Inc. The Manitowoc Company was founded in 1902 and has over a 120-year tradition of providing high-quality, customer-focused products and support services to its markets. Manitowoc is one of the world's leading providers of engineered lifting solutions. Manitowoc, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, markets, and supports comprehensive product lines of mobile hydraulic cranes, lattice-boom crawler cranes, boom trucks, and tower cranes under the Aspen Equipment, Grove, Manitowoc, MGX Equipment Services, National Crane, Potain, and Shuttlelift brand names. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005990/en/ Ion Warner Senior Vice President, Marketing and Investor Relations [email protected] +1 414-760-4805 Source: The Manitowoc Company, Inc. FILE PHOTO: Sticker reads crude oil on the side of a storage tank in the Permian Basin in Mentone, Loving County, Texas, U.S. November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil futures edged up less than 1% on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of OPEC+ producers this week that may not lead to a further boost in crude supply amid concerns a possible global recession could limit energy demand. Brent futures rose 51 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $100.54 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 53 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $94.42. Also giving oil prices a slight lift were analyst expectations nL4N2ZE3PY that U.S. crude inventories declined by around 600,000 barrels last week. [EIA/S] [API/S] The American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group, will issue its U.S. inventory report at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT). The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on Wednesday. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, meet on Wednesday. Two of eight sources said a modest output hike would be discussed. The rest said a boost was unlikely. OPEC+ trimmed its forecast nL1N2ZE104 for an oil market surplus this year by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 800,000 bpd, three delegates told Reuters. "Energy traders are growing confident that OPEC+ will resist calls for increasing their output," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at data and analytics firm OANDA. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February fed worries about global oil supply and sent prices soaring to near record highs. But with central banks raising interest rates to fight inflation, worries about slowing growth have eclipsed tight supply. Surveys showed factories across the United States, Europe and Asia struggled for momentum in July as flagging global demand and China's strict COVID-19 restrictions slowed production. "These readings did nothing to mitigate the fears of recession," said Tamas Varga at oil broker PVM. Also casting a cloud over the market were worries that U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will escalate tensions between the United States and China. China put its military on high alert and said it will launch "targeted military operations" in response to the visit. The United States, meanwhile, imposed sanctions on Chinese and other firms it said helped to sell tens of millions of dollars' in Iranian oil and petrochemical products to East Asia. Washington is trying to raise pressure on Tehran to curb its nuclear program. The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said "good words" from Iran are not enough to satisfy international inspectors and he hopes Tehran is ready to be transparent about its nuclear program. Analysts have said a nuclear deal with Iran could add about 1 million bpd of crude to world supply. In Venezuela, meanwhile, outages disrupting the country's power and gas supplies to state-run energy firm PDVSA hit July oil exports, contributing to a 27% fall from the previous month. (Additional reporting by Muyu Xu in Singapore and Alex Lawler in London; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Mark Potter and David Gregorio) Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire Sentias businesses in the Netherlands, Belgium and Bulgaria. With headquarters in the Netherlands, the Sentia group is a leading cloud consulting company that manages private and public cloud migrations and provides digital-experience monitoring services. With more than 500 certifications, Sentias team of approximately 310 cloud specialists in the Netherlands, Belgium and Bulgaria will join Accenture Cloud First. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The acquisition expands Accentures Cloud First capabilities to provide end-to-end cloud infrastructure services across the cloud continuum of public, private and sovereign clouds. Todays news arrives as the plethora of cloud options create more complexity for organizations as they navigate different architectures, burgeoning innovations and changing regulations. "Total enterprise reinvention starts with a solid digital core. To activate this digital core, organizations need to build a scalable, fit-for-purpose cloud foundation that provides the strategic agility they need to ensure their resilience and future competitiveness, said Karthik Narain, global lead for Accenture Cloud First. Adding Sentias specialists will enhance Accenture Cloud Firsts migration and modernization services aimed at getting clients workloads to their optimal location on the cloud continuum from public to edge and everything in between. With Sentia, we are expanding our strategic infrastructure engineering and emerging technologies capabilities across Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Belgium, said Roy Ikink, lead for Accenture Cloud First Netherlands. The Sentia team brings valuable experience with sovereign cloud strategies designed to help clients address local regulations and requirements around data privacy, access and control. Sentia currently provides cloud advisory and delivery services spanning hybrid and multi cloud strategy; cloud transformation; and migration, among others. The companys main cloud control and optimization services include cloud managed services, cloud security services, and cloud infrastructure migration. Sentia also offers unique digital experience monitoring services that analyze, track and predict enterprise applications and cloud services from an end users perspective. Ian Zein, Sentias CEO said, Weve built Sentia into a leading managed cloud infrastructure transformation provider known for our extreme ownership, customer intimacy and operational excellence in complex (often regulated) environments. Now we can take our deep experience in both public and private cloud transformation to help Accenture clients operate with greater speed and achieve stronger business outcomes at scale. Note: Sentias Danish business is not part of the acquisition and will continue as an independent business under the Sentia brand, supported by Waterland Private Equity as main shareholder. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. Ingevity Corporation (NYSE: NGVT) today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire privately-owned Ozark Materials, LLC and Ozark Logistics, LLC (Ozark Materials) in an all-cash transaction valued at $325 million. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, and Ingevity expects to close on the transaction by early Q4 2022. Ozark Materials, LLC is a leading producer of pavement marking materials, including thermoplastic pavement markings, waterborne traffic paints and preformed thermoplastics. The company supplies specialty materials for roadway applications throughout the United States and Canada, for a customer base that includes state departments of transportation, civil and highway contractors, cities, universities and airports. Ozark Logistics, LLC is a logistics provider operating a dedicated fleet of vehicles located in five states across the United States to serve customers with best-in-class shipping times. Ozark Materials is headquartered in Greenville, Alabama, and operates through four manufacturing locations and a distribution center. Ingevity anticipates that Ozark Materials will generate revenues of approximately $150 million and EBITDA margins of approximately 20% during calendar 2023 and expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to Ingevitys earnings per share. Ingevity will include the business in the companys Performance Chemicals segment. Todays announcement represents an important step for Ingevity, strengthening our position in the paving construction industry while moving us one step downstream where we can better serve our end customers, said John Fortson, Ingevity president and CEO. Ozark Materials has established itself as a leading player within the pavement marking materials industry, which is expected to continue to benefit from several macro-level tailwinds, including increased infrastructure spending and the need for more road markings to support autonomous vehicles. Ozark Materials history of new product development and commitment to superior customer service aligns perfectly with our Ingevity 2.0 approach to customer-driven innovation, said Rich White, senior vice president, Performance Chemicals, and president, Industrial Specialties and Pavement Technologies. We are excited to welcome Ozark Materials employees to Ingevity and look forward to working together as we continue providing best-in-class service for our customers. Ingevity: Purify, Protect and Enhance Ingevity provides products and technologies that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, we develop, manufacture and bring to market solutions that help customers solve complex problems and make the world more sustainable. We operate in two reporting segments: Performance Chemicals, which includes specialty chemicals and engineered polymers, and Performance Materials, which includes high-performance activated carbon. These products are used in a variety of demanding applications, including asphalt paving, oil exploration and production, agrochemicals, adhesives, lubricants, publication inks, coatings, elastomers, bioplastics and automotive components that reduce gasoline vapor emissions. Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 25 locations around the world and employs approximately 1,850 people. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NGVT). For more information visit www.ingevity.com. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Brazil's state-run Petrobras oil company is seen on a tank in at Petrobras Paulinia refinery in Paulinia, Brazil July 1, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker By Sabrina Valle (Reuters) -Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras will distribute at least twice as much as the biggest international oil producers in second quarter dividends, boosting the government's coffers amid a tense presidential campaign. The five biggest Western oil producers - Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp., Shell PLC, TotalEnergies and BP - posted record cash distributions to shareholders in recent days of between $4 billion and $7.6 billion. But none came close to Petrobras's $17 billion payout. Brazil's government, which controls the producer with a majority of its voting shares, last month asked Petrobras and other state-controlled companies to increase dividends to finance extra federal spending. The cry for help came as the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, which later this year faces a tough reelection battle, last month bypassed a constitutional spending cap to finance a massive cash transfer program popular among low-income voters. Petrobras will distribute about 60% more to shareholders than its $10.5 billion (54.33 billion reais) profit. Critics said the huge payout will lead to underinvestment in the business. Petrobras' dividends were less than at Saudi Arabia's state-controlled Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, which produces 13 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), almost five times more than Petrobras. Aramco has been distributing $18.76 billion to shareholders per quarter. Its next dividend will be disclosed on Aug. 14. U.S. producer Exxon, which posted the highest quarterly profit of the five majors, spent $7.6 billion on shareholder distributions. Bolsonaro is trying to boost his re-election chances by ramming through short-term spending measures, critics say. Polls show he is lagging leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Dividend payments will be made by Petrobras before the first round of voting, scheduled for Oct. 2. Petrobras said higher oil prices and assets sales allowed for the extra payment, and did not compromise planned investments. The company is in a comfortable cash situation and is able to retain between $8-10 billion in cash this year, it said. Petrobras reaffirmed its commitment to distribute at least 60% of its free cash flow to investors. "The extraordinary dividend payment proved to be the best allocation of the company's cash," Petrobras said in a statement. (Reporting by Sabrina ValleEditing by Nick Zieminski and Marguerita Choy) (Updated - August 2, 2022 3:28 PM EDT) Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has taken a stance against Visa (NYSE: V), stating they should be made to pay a "very, very large" amount in a case that claims the payments company profited from child pornography. Billionaire Ackman, speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, stated Visa has the authority to pressure Pornhub to remove child pornography from its site. "My interest comes from the fact that I have four daughters," Ackman said. "When you think about the worst harm economic, physical, mental harm you can impact upon a human being it's having a child trafficked... video of the rape appear. I find it hard to talk about it." There is currently a lawsuit by a woman accusing Visa of knowingly enabling the distribution of child pornography on Pornhub and other sites owned and run by parent company MindGeek. Visa's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was rejected by California federal judge Cormac Carney on Friday. Carney said in his ruling that "Visa made the decision to continue to recognize MindGeek as a merchant, despite its alleged knowledge that MindGeek monetized child porn. MindGeek made the decision to continue monetizing child porn, and there are enough facts pled to suggest that the latter decision depended on the former." In late 2020, Ackman, the founder and CEO of Pershing Square, called on Visa and Mastercard to withhold payments to Pornhub temporarily following a report regarding the issue. "Remarkably, the company, despite being entirely aware that there's child pornography on these sites, they continue to provide payment services, until the Kristoff article, and then they shut down the sites overnight which would have bankrupted them," Ackman continued. "Within a matter of weeks they re-authorized the merchants and started accepting payments again and the crime continues." The hedge fund CEO added that he has no stake in Visa, Mastercard, or any payments company and has offered to pay for lawsuits against Visa. He also said it is one of the most blatant corporate governance failures he has seen. By Sam Bougheda Grand Baie, MAURITIUS, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alphamin Resources Corp. (AFM:TSXV, APH:JSE AltX, Alphamin or the Company), a producer of 4% of the worlds mined tin1 from its high-grade operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is pleased to announce updated Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates along with an updated life of mine schedule (LoM) for the Mpama North Mine. HIGHLIGHTS The u pdated LoM schedule shows :- replacement of contained tin depleted over the past 2.5 years contained tin inventory over LoM of 154.5kt at 30 June 2022 (31 Dec 2019: 154.2kt); The updated Resource show s :- 155.7kt (30 June 2019: 199kt) and 41.2kt (30 June 2019: 21.8kt) tin contained (which includes mineral reserves) at 30 April 2022 in Measured/Indicated and Inferred Resources, respectively, with an 8.0% and a 65.4% increase in grade, respectively. The updated Reserve shows:- 121.4kt tin contained at 30 June 2022 (31 Dec 2019: 133.4kt) in the Proven and Probable mineral reserve categories with 15.7% increase in grade to 4.64% Sn . Updated Mpama North Life of Mine Plan An updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and Mineral Reserve estimation have been developed for the Mpama North Mine. These updates replace those announced in the Technical Report of 22 April 2022 which, for Mpama North, were not updated and remained the same as those contained in the Technical Report effective 31 December 2019. The culmination of these Resource and Reserve updates is the re-design and scheduling of the Mpama North Mine into an updated Life of Mine (LoM) schedule. A comparative summary of the previous and updated LoM schedules is presented in Table 1. Table 1: Mpama North LoM Schedule Comparison Description Units 31 December 2019LoM Schedule 30 June 2022LoM Schedule RoM tonnes Mt 3.85 3.23 Grade delivered to process plant % Sn 4.00 4.78 Tin content kt Sn 154.2 154.5 Cut-off grade % Sn 1.60 1.00 *Note: Rounding may result in computational discrepancies Mining has progressed steadily at Mpama North since the 2019 estimation of the Reserves and LoM schedule with 990,821 tonnes of ore having been extracted in the 30 months Dec 2019 Jun 2022. A number of operational improvements and changes resulted in actual mine performance surpassing the 2019 LoM schedule. Run of Mine (RoM) tonnes mined for the financial years 2020 and 2021 exceeded the 2019 LoM schedule by 18.5% and 8.1%, respectively. In addition, the Reserve cut-off grade calculated in the 31 December 2019 LoM schedule of 1.6% Sn, has at an operational level consistently been reduced due to the improved RoM output, optimised mine planning, out-performance versus dilution assumptions, improvements in the process plant recoveries and an increase in the tin price. These actual results have now been captured in the updated Reserve cut-off grade and LoM schedule which are declared at 1.0% Sn. Exploration success in the form of strike extension of the high-grade chute in the Mpama North deeps target plus the reduced cut-off grade valorises previously excluded lower grade Resource Blocks, converting them into Reserve blocks, which has further added valuable additions to the LoM schedule. The result of these positive factors is that all contained tin depleted since 31 December 2019 has been replaced in the new LoM schedule. The 154.5kt contained tin in the updated LoM versus the previous 154.2kt has also been accompanied by a valuable grade increase of 19.6% to 4.78% Sn from 4.00% Sn previously scheduled. As with the previous LoM schedule of 31 December 2019, the updated LoM schedule contains a small portion of Inferred Resources. The Inferred Resource constitutes 18.9% of all RoM tonnes delivered to the plant. 50% of these planned Inferred Resources are scheduled in the final three years of mining in the deep portion of the mine and will be the subject of infill Resource drilling to increase confidence before they are included in any shorter term mine plans or budgets. The annual contained tin mined target remains ~15,000 tonnes per year which, after expected processing recoveries of 78%, results in ~12,000 tonnes per year of contained tin in concentrate production at the Mpama North Mine. Mpama North Mineral Resource Estimate The updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at Mpama North is illustrated in Figure 1. It is based on new resource exploration drilling on the northern deeps high-grade extensions as well as partial mine depletions (area shaded grey) since the last estimate effective 30 June 2019. All resource additions have resulted from the renewed Mpama North Mine resource exploration drilling commenced in 2021. The drilling targeted and successfully extended the known dimensions of the highly mineralised linear plunging high-grade chute, returning some of the best project intercepts to date (see Appendix 2). On-going drilling continues at Mpama North with mineralisation intercepted outside the mineral resource boundaries declared in this update. The updated MRE includes 9 NQ size additional core intersections from the recent exploration drilling at the Mpama North Mine which were completed from August 2021 to March 2022. These new intersections in addition to the original 122 NQ size and 21 PQ size drillholes completed pre-mining between July 2012 to November 2015, form the basis for the updated MRE. The updated MRE and previous MRE for comparison are presented in Table 2. Figure 1: Updated Mpama North Resource Grade Block model (0.5% Sn cut-off) Table 2: Bisie Mpama North Mineral Resource at 0.50% Sn Cut-Off Grade (30 June 2022) Category QuantityMt Grade% Sn Tin Contentkt 06/2019 04/2022 06/2019 04/2022 06/2019 04/2022 Measured 0.33 0.04 4.75 2.16 15.6 0.9 Indicated 3.99 3.09 4.59 5.02 183.4 154.9 Total Measured and Indicated 4.32 3.13 4.61 4.98 199.0 155.7 Total Inferred 0.48 0.55 4.57 7.56 21.8 41.2 Notes: All tabulated data have been rounded and as a result minor computational errors may occur. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves and have no demonstrated economic viability. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Alphamin has an 84.1 percent interest in ABM. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (GDRC) has a non-dilutive, 5% share in ABM. The Gross Mineral Resource for the Project is reported. The 2022 MRE is effective 30 April 2022 and has been depleted by mining from mine surveys as at 30 April 2022 and an estimate of the extent of artisanal mining to 725 mamsl. The 2019 MRE is effective 30 June 2019 and is depleted by mining from mine surveys as at 30 June 2019 and an estimate of the extent of artisanal mining to 725 mamsl. Differences between the previous MRE and updated MRE are a decrease in Measured and Indicated Resources contained tin content of 43.3kt Sn with an increase in grade of 8.0% to 4.98% Sn. An increase in Inferred Resources contained tin content of 19.4kt and an increase in grade of 65.4% to 7.56% Sn is also observed for Inferred Resources. In addition to any resource growth in the northern depths high-grade zone, promising additional resource growth potential is likely at Mpama North Mine in the shallow northern strike extension as well as in the down-dip eastern dip extension, both of which are currently undergoing exploration drilling. The full Mineral Resource checklist of assessment and reporting criteria are presented in Appendix 3. The Mineral Resource estimate has been completed by Mr. J.C. Witley (BSc Hons, MSc (Eng.)) who is a geologist with 33 years experience in base and precious metals exploration and mining as well as Mineral Resource evaluation and reporting. He is a Principal Resource Consultant for The MSA Group (an independent consulting company), is registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA). Mr. Witley has the appropriate relevant qualifications and experience to be considered a Qualified Person for the style and type of mineralisation and activity being undertaken as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects. Mpama North Mineral Reserve Estimate An updated Mineral Reserve estimation was completed subsequent to the updated MRE. Modifying factors in the updated Reserve estimate are largely based on:- Actual performance statistics and site-specific experience and reconciliation data to support revised modifying factors (mining recovery, dilution, pillar loss etc.), More detailed geotechnical data from mining allowing the mine to be divided into geotechnical domains with different stope design parameters per domain, Increased mining levels per mining echelon for stoping, resulting in a reduction in the pillar losses and an increased extraction ratio, A reduced cut-off grade based on updated calculations from actual operating costs, increased tin prices and the impact from higher processing recoveries, and Recent additions to Mineral Resources from 2021/2022 exploration activities. The updated Reserve estimate and previous estimate for comparison are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Bisie Mpama North Mineral Reserve at 1.0% Sn Cut-Off Grade (30 June 2022) Category QuantityMt Grade% Sn Tin Contentkt 2019 2022 2019 2022 2019 2022 Proven Mineral Reserve 0.05 0.00 3.77 1.38 1.9 0.0 Probable Mineral Reserve 3.28 2.62 4.01 4.64 131.5 121.3 Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves 3.33 2.62 4.01 4.64 133.4 121.4 Notes: The Mineral Reserve has been reported in accordance with the requirements and guidelines of NI43-101 and are 100% attributable to ABM. Apparent computational errors due to rounding and are not considered significant. The Mineral Reserves are reported with appropriate modifying factors of dilution and recovery. The Mineral Reserves are reported at the head grade and at delivery to Plant. Although stated separately, the Mineral Resources are inclusive of the Mineral Reserves. No Inferred Mineral Resources have been included in the Mineral Reserve estimate. Quantities are reported in metric tonnes. The input studies are to the prescribed level of accuracy. The Mineral Reserve estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential exploitation of such Mineral Reserves The Mineral Reserve assessment and reporting criteria are presented in Appendix 4. The Mineral Reserve estimate has been prepared by Mr. Clive Brown, Pr. Eng., B.Sc. Engineering (Mining), is a qualified person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. He is a Principal Consultant and Director of Bara Consulting Pty Limited, an independent technical consultant to the Company. ____________________________________________________________________________ FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Maritz Smith CEO Alphamin Resources Corp. Tel: +230 269 4166E-mail: [email protected]____________________________________________________________________________ CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to the updated LoM schedule for Mpama North, and planned future exploration activities and anticipated outcomes. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. 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. Although Alphamin has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of future exploration and assay results and consistency with past results and expectations;; uncertainties inherent in estimates of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves; global geopolitical and economic uncertainties; volatility of metal prices; uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts; uninterrupted access to required infrastructure; adverse political events; impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic as well as those risk factors set out in the Companys Management Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Alphamin disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Appendix 1: SAMPLE PREPARATION, ANALYSES AND QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE (QAQC) For sample preparation, analyses and quality control and quality assurance, see the Companys news release dated 07 March 2022 entitled ALPHAMIN ANNOUNCES MAIDEN MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE AND POSITIVE PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FOR MPAMA SOUTH Appendix 2: SIGNIFICANT INTERCEPTS FROM RECENT DRILLING AT MPAMA NORTH. EARLIER DRILLING INTERCEPTS ARE REPORTED IN THE TECHNICAL REPORT DATED 22 APRIL 2022 FILED ON SEDAR.COM (0.5% Sn lower threshold) Hole Easting Northing RLm Azi () Dip () From To Sn % Width Sample Position GPS GPS (m)1 mid_x mid_y mid_z MND001 No significant intercepts MND002 No significant intercepts MND003 No significant intercepts MND004 583392 9886283 682 270 -52 524.8 525.1 0.67 0.30 582,994 9,886,250 347.0 MND005 No significant intercepts MND006 No significant intercepts MND007 583100 9886210 726 270 -75 402.0 402.5 0.58 0.45 582,987 9,886,211 340.5 MND009 582881 9886200 752 270 -65 96.4 96.8 2.28 0.40 582,842 9,886,200 667.3 MND010 No significant intercepts MND011 583103 9886211 726 270 -83 419.3 428.0 21.85 8.74 583,021 9,886,194 312.7 430.6 438.9 17.52 8.30 583,018 9,886,193 302.0 MND012 582950 9886140 765 270 -60 64.7 65.4 12.20 0.65 582,916 9,886,142 699.8 MND013 582945 9886142 759 270 -50 142.7 143.0 10.05 0.28 582,852 9,886,146 651.2 177.0 178.0 1.02 1.00 582,829 9,886,146 625.5 MND014 No significant intercepts MND015a 582950 9886140 755 270 -70 172.3 172.7 6.34 0.36 582,887 9,886,144 594.8 MND016 583063 9886162 741 270 -50 249.4 253.0 0.62 3.58 582,895 9,886,161 554.1 MND017 583195 9886171 744 270 -50 385.0 386.0 1.02 1.00 582,947 9,886,165 450.1 MND018 583063 9886162 740 270 -60 284.7 285.0 11.70 0.30 582,912 9,886,160 498.4 MND019 583196 9886171 744 270 -64 432.2 444.0 25.94 11.76 582,992 9,886,162 357.3 445.0 445.6 15.30 0.55 582,988 9,886,162 351.2 MND020 583196 9886171 744 270 -72 484.9 492.3 7.08 7.36 583,024 9,886,160 288.3 495.0 499.3 7.50 4.25 583,020 9,886,159 280.6 MND021 583195 9886171 744 270 -57 425.3 425.6 10.50 0.30 582,962 9,886,178 388.9 MND022a 583244 9886211 741 270 -73 547.0 558.3 7.62 11.30 583,060 9,886,205 220.5 559.0 565.9 16.37 6.85 583,056 9,886,205 211.4 567.7 569.5 1.31 1.83 583,054 9,886,205 205.7 MND023 583204 9886236 738 270 -75 511.6 524.7 21.27 13.10 583,038 9,886,208 249.3 527.0 528.4 2.35 1.42 583,033 9,886,207 240.8 1. Apparent widths, not true thickness Appendix 3: Mineral Resource Checklist of Assessment and Reporting Criteria Drilling techniques A total of 195 exploration drillholes have been completed at Mpama North. All drillholes were diamond drill cored and drilled from surface (mostly NQ) at angles of between -60 and -75. The drillholes were drilled from east to west along section lines spaced between approximately 25 m and 50 m apart.21 PQ sized holes from a metallurgical drilling campaign were also included that were drilled in three clusters approximately 25 m apart. Logging All of the drillholes were geologically logged by qualified geologists. The logging is of an appropriate standard for grade estimation. Drill sample recovery Core recovery in the mineralised zones was observed to be very good and is on average greater than 95%. Five of the shallow drillholes intersected artisanal workings and so recovery of the high-grade mineralisation was poor and therefore the data from these holes were not used for grade estimation. Sampling methods Half core samples were collected continuously through the mineralised zones after being cut longitudinally in half using a diamond saw. Drillhole samples were taken at nominal 1 m intervals, which were adjusted to smaller intervals in order to target the vein zones. Lithological contacts were honoured during the sampling. MSAs observations indicated that the routine sampling was performed to a reasonable standard and is suitable for evaluation purposes. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests 2012-2015 DrillingThe assays were conducted at ALS Chemex in Johannesburg where samples were analysed for tin using fused disc ME-XRF05 with 10% precision and an upper limit of 10 000 ppm. This was reduced to 5,000 ppm from 2014 onwards. Over limit samples were sent to Vancouver for ME-XRF10 which uses a Lithium Borate 50:50 flux with an upper detection limit of 60% and precision of 5%. ME-ICP61, HF, HNO3, HCL04 and HCL leach with ICP-AES finish was used for 33 elements including base metals. ME-OG62, a four-acid digestion, was used on ore grade samples for Pb, Zn, Cu & Ag. External quality assurance of the laboratory assays for the Alphamin samples was monitored. Blank samples, certified reference materials and duplicate samples were inserted with the field samples accounting for approximately 10% of the total sample set.The QAQC measures used by Alphamin revealed the following: The high-grade CRM (31.42% Sn) assays by ALS prior to 2015 returned values approximately 8% higher than the certified mean value. 98 pulp rejects from this period of between 1.5% and 60% Sn were re-assayed by ALS in 2016 together with the high-grade CRM. The 2016 assays correlated well with those prior to 2015 and the high-grade CRM returned values within tolerance. Therefore, the pre-2015 assays were accepted for estimation without modification. The lower grade CRM assays ( The field duplicates confirmed the nuggetty nature of the tin mineralisation. The majority of the duplicate assays were within 20% of the field sample. Blank samples indicated that no significant contamination occurred. 2021-2022 DrillingAt the on-site ABM laboratory (overseen by Anchem), samples were first checked off against the submission list supplied and then weighed and oven dried for 2 hours at 105 degrees Celsius. The dried samples were crushed by jaw crusher to 75% passing 2 mm, from which a 250 g riffle split was taken. This 250 g split was pulverised in ring mills to 90% passing 75 m from which a sample for analysis was taken. Samples were homogenised using a corner-to-corner methodology and two samples were taken from each pulp, one of 10 g for on-site laboratory assaying and another 150 g sample for export and independent accredited 3rd party laboratory assaying.Received samples at ALS Johannesburg were checked off against the list of samples supplied and logged in the system. Quality Control is performed by way of sieve tests every 50 samples and should a sample fail, the preceding 50 samples are ground in a ring mill pulveriser using a carbon steel ring set to 85 % passing 75m. Samples are analysed for tin using method code ME-XRF05 conducted on a pressed pellet with 10% precision and an upper limit of 5,000ppm. The over-limit tin samples are analysed as fused disks according to method ME-XRF15c, which makes use of pre-oxidation and decomposition by fusion with 12:22 lithium borate flux containing 20% Sodium Nitrate as an oxidizing agent, with an upper detection limit of 79% Sn.ME-ICP61, HF, HNO3, HCL04 and HCL leach with ICP-AES finish was used for 33 elements including base metals. ME-OG62, a four-acid digestion, was used on high-grade samples for Pb, Zn, Cu & Ag.The Mpama North samples were assayed in batches together with the Mpama South samples. External quality assurance of the laboratory assays for the Alphamin samples was monitored. Blank samples (299), certified reference materials (434) and duplicate samples (357) were inserted with the field samples accounting for approximately 11% of the total sample set.The QAQC measures used by Alphamin revealed the following: Blank samples indicated that no significant contamination occurred overall. Low levels of contamination (mostly Five different CRMs were used with expected values between 0.18% and 31.42% Sn. The lower grade CRMs were prepared by Ore Research and Exploration (OREAS) and the two high grade CRMs (4.19% and 31.42% Sn) by the Bureau of Analysed Samples Ltd (BCS). In general, ALS returned values within the tolerance limits (three standard deviations) for the OREAS CRMs, although slightly lower than the expected values. Assays of the highest grade BCS CRM were mostly outside of the three standard deviation limits but within 4%of the expected value. For the 5.07% Sn BCS CRM, assays were consistently lower than the expected value by as much as 7%. Overall, the CRMs results indicate a slight negative bias for the ALS assays. Coarse duplicates show mostly excellent correlation, indicating minimal error in the process and a high degree of repeatability. Verification of sampling and assaying A selection of cores representative of the 2012-2015 drilling programme at Mpama North were visually verified during three site visits by the QP (July 2013, May 2014 and August 2015). The QP observed the mineralisation in the cores and compared it with the assay results. It was found that the assays generally agreed with the observations made on the core The QP took ten quarter core field duplicates for independent check assay in 2013, which confirmed the original sample assays within reasonable limits for this style of mineralisation150 pulp duplicates were sent to SGS (Johannesburg) in 2013 for confirmation assay and a further 173 were assayed in 2015. In 2015, 99 pulp duplicates were sent to Setpoint (Johannesburg) for confirmation assays. The pulp duplicates assayed by SGS in 2013 showed excellent correlation with the ALS assays at both high- and low-grade ranges. SGS assays were lower than ALS for grades above 20% for the 2014 data checked in 2015. SGS under-reported the grade of all the CRMs that were inserted. The high-grade CRM was under assayed by approximately 5%. Setpoint assays were lower than ALS for grades above 10% for the 2014 data checked in 2015. ALS tended to under-report the grades of the CRMs. Since the 2012 to 2015 drilling took place, the QP has visited the Bisie site on two occasions. From 10 to 12 March 2020 the Mpama North underground workings were visited, and the on-site laboratory was inspected. From 11 to 18 August 2021 the available Mpama South cores, current Mpama North sites and drilling were inspected as well as upgrades to the on-site laboratory.Core photos from the drilling programme have regularly been provided to the QP for inspection. Location of data points All except two of the Bisie surface drillhole collars used in the Mineral Resource estimate were surveyed by D.GPS. All collar elevations were validated against a LiDAR topographic survey.Down-hole surveys were completed for all the holes drilled at Mpama North. From 2012 to 2015 these were mostly by standard multishot techniques and therefore the accuracy of the survey was impacted by natural magnetism. The latest drillhole surveys have been competed using a north seeking gyro. Tonnage factors (in situ bulk densities) For the 2012-2015 drilling, specific gravity determinations were made for 2,698 drillhole samples using a laboratory gas pycnometer. A regression formula of tin grade against specific gravity was developed that was applied to the samples that did not have direct SG measurements. The assigned specific gravity was interpolated into the block model using ordinary kriging. The laboratory pycnometry readings compared well with a number of SG measurements completed using the Archimedes principle of weight in air versus weight in water.For the 2021-2022 drilling, 1,154 relative density measurements were made on mineralised and unmineralised samples using the weight in air versus weight in water method. Data density and distribution The holes were drilled from east to west along section lines spaced approximately 50 m to 60 m apart with infill drilling on 25 m to 30 m spaced sections in a portion of the shallower area. Along the section lines, the drillholes intersected the mineralisation between approximately 25 m and 50 m apart in most of the Mineral Resource area.21 PQ sized holes from a metallurgical drilling campaign were included that were drilled in three clusters approximately 25 m apart. Within the clusters, the PQ holes were drilled approximately 5 m apart.In the Mineral Resource area, 131 NQ drillholes were used for the grade estimate. Several holes did not intersect the mineralised zone or intersected low-grade mineralisation outside of the area currently defined as a Mineral Resource, and five of the shallow drillholes intersected artisanal workings. The data from these holes were not used for grade estimation. Database integrity Data are stored in an Access database. MSA completed spot checks on the database and is confident that the Alphamin database is a reasonably accurate representation of the original data collected. Dimensions The area defined as a Mineral Resource extends approximately 750 m in the down plunge direction. It extends for a width of approximately 300 m in the plane of mineralisation perpendicular to the plunge. The main zone of the Mineral Resource, which accounts for 97% of the Mineral Resource, is on average approximately 9 m thick, although is narrower (less than 1 m) at the margins and up to 20 m thick in the central areas.The minor zones that occur several metres above and below the main zone are considerably narrower than the main zone and cover areas of between 100 m and 200 m in the dip and strike directions. Geological interpretation The mineralised intersections in drill core are clearly discernible. The Mineral Resource is interpreted to occur as irregular tabular mineralised zones, dipping 65 to the east, containing several narrow veins, blocks and disseminations of cassiterite. The mineralised zones are hosted in chlorite schist that is the result of intense alteration and may originally have been a distinct stratigraphic interval or structure.The main zone of the Mineral Resource is almost continuous for approximately 750 m although it has been affected by a number of faults causing local displacement. Several faults with throws in excess of 10 m have been modelled. The Main Vein mineralisation consists of a number of uncorrelated cassiterite veins within pervasively chloritised schist. This zone generally occurs over thicknesses of between 2 m and 22 m with an average thickness of approximately 9 m. The Main Vein zone is generally the highest grade and most consistent overall. Hanging Wall Vein mineralisation occurs within partly chloritised schist and micaceous schist between 4 m and 20 m above the Main Vein. This zone of mineralisation is generally between 0.5 m and 4 m wide and occurs in the central area of the deposit and tapers out northwards. The middling between the Hanging Wall Vein and the Main Vein decreases in areas and it is possible that this vein merges into the Main Vein in some parts of the deposit. Footwall Vein (FW Vein) mineralisation occurs within the micaceous schist and amphibolite schist between 2 m and 12 m below the Main Vein. This zone is restricted to the southern areas, is very narrow ( A three-dimensional wireframe model was created for the three zones of mineralisation based on a grade threshold of 0.35% Sn. The main zone is the most consistent zone and occurs within a persistent chlorite schist. Narrower less continuous zones occur above and below the main zone within chlorite-mica schists. Domains The mineralisation was modelled as three tabular zones containing irregular vein style mineralisation. A hard boundary was used to select data for estimation in order to honour the sharp nature of vein boundaries. Compositing Sample lengths were composited to 1 m. Composites of less than 1 m occurred in the narrow vein areas, which were retained. Accumulations of Sn%-density-composite length were calculated for grade estimation so that narrow high-grade composites did not excessively influence the estimate. Statistics and variography Two populations of Sn mineralisation occur, a high-grade population of cassiterite veins and a lower grade population containing disseminated cassiterite as vein fragments and blebs. The data were separated into the two statistical populations, which resulted in the coefficient of variation for the Sn accumulation composites in the high-grade population being 0.5 and for the lower grade population being 1.6. The histograms are positively skewed.Normal Scores variograms were calculated in the plane of the mineralisation, down-hole and across strike. Variogram ranges for the Sn accumulation in the main zone were modelled with ranges in the order of 75 m in the longest direction of continuity and 60 m in the second direction. Reliable variograms could not be produced for either the hangingwall or footwall zones and the main zone variogram was used to estimate these areas. Top or bottom cuts for grades Top caps were applied to outlier values by examination of histograms and cumulative probability plots. Top caps were applied to the accumulation value for tin, which affected 2.5% of the data. Data clustering 21 PQ sized holes from a metallurgical drilling campaign were included that were drilled in three close clusters approximately 25 m apart. Within the clusters the PQ holes were drilled approximately 5 m apart. Outside of the metallurgical sampling area the grid is approximately regular. Block size 20 mN by 2 mE by 10 mRL three-dimensional block models were used. The blocks were divided into sub-cells to better represent the interpreted mineralisation extents. The blocks were rotated into the plane of mineralisation prior to estimation. Grade estimation The accumulation of tin grade, density and composite length were estimated using ordinary kriging. Copper, lead, zinc, silver, arsenic and sulphur grades were also estimated.The Sn%-density-composite length accumulations were divided into a high-grade population (>80 %t/m) and a lower grade population (80 %tm) in order to reduce the influence of these values on estimates further away from them. The high- and low-grade populations were estimated separately using ordinary kriging and the block model grade was then assigned based on the estimated grade of the high and low grade and their proportion in each block.A minimum number of 4 and a maximum of 10 one metre composites were required for the high-grade Sn-accumulation population. A minimum number of 8 and a maximum of 24 one metre composites were required for the lower grade Sn-accumulation population and other variables. Search distances and orientations were aligned with the variogram range and mineralised trends.Estimates were extrapolated for a maximum distance of 20 m up- or down-plunge from the nearest drillhole intersection. Extrapolation is minimal over most of the Mineral Resource as the up-and down dip limits have been well defined by the drilling, except in a portion on the down-plunge area that is open at depth. Resource classification Measured Mineral Resources were declared where the drillhole spacing is approximately 25 m and where the geological model has low variability. The mineralisation was classified as Indicated Mineral Resources if block estimates occur within the 50 m drilling grid, so that all Indicated estimates are informed by samples within the variogram range. The remainder of the interpreted model within the sparser drilled area was classified as Inferred Mineral Resources with a maximum extrapolation from a drillhole of 20 m along plunge. The up-plunge extremity is separated from the main area by a fault and the structural interpretation in this area is tenuous and it does not contain sufficient data to classify them as Indicated Mineral Resources. Consequently, this area was classified as Inferred Mineral Resources.The high-grade mineralisation of reasonable tonnage leads no doubts as to reasonable potential for economic extraction, it being one of the highest-grade tin deposits in the world. Mpama North is currently a profitable mine. Mining cuts The thickness of the mineralisation was honoured in the estimate and as a result some areas will be more sensitive to dilution than others. The thickness, grade and steep dip implies that the Mineral Resource can be extracted using established underground mining methods. Metallurgical factors or assumptions The tin mineralisation occurs as cassiterite, an oxide of tin (SnO2). The Cu, Zn and Pb mineralisation occurs as sulphides. Each of these minerals is amenable to standard processing techniques for each metal. At the Mpama North Mine, gravity separation is used to create a saleable tin concentrate and the sulphide minerals are removed from the tin concentrate as they represent impurities. Legal aspects and tenure Alphamin through its wholly owned DRC subsidiary, Alphamin Mining Bisie SA, has a Mining License PE 13155 which includes the Bisie Tin Mine. Alphamin has an 80.75 percent interest in ABM. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (GDRC) has a non-dilutive, 5% share in ABM. Audits, reviews and site inspection The following review work was completed by MSA: Inspection of approximately 25% of the Alphamin cores used in the Mineral Resource estimate Database spot check Inspection of drill sites Independent check sampling Inspection of the on-site sample preparation laboratory. Appendix 4: Mineral Reserve and Mine Schedule Modifying factors Modifying Factors TABLE 4.1 MODIFYING FACTORS APPLIED Modifying factor Value Comment Mining recoveryDevelopment and slypingLong hole stopesSill pillars (other) 98%98%61% Based on historical performance reported DilutionDevelopment and slypingLong hole stopesSill pillars 8%10%18% Based on historical performance reported A cut-off grade calculation was performed based on the metal price provided by Alphamin of US$32,000 per tonne and costs as per the 2022 mine budget, provided by Alphamin and reviewed by Bara. The breakeven grade calculation is shown in the table below. This breakeven grade of 1.5% Sn was applied to determine the limits of mining while the marginal cut-off grade of 1.0% was applied to select stopes for inclusion in the mine schedule and Mineral Reserve. TABLE 4.2 BISIE TIN PROJECT CUT OFF GRADE ESTIMATE - JUNE 2022 Breakeven cut-off grade Marginal cut-off grade Item Unit Value Value Tin price US$/tonne 32,000 32,000 Operating costs On mine costs US$/t RoM 196 86 Off mine costs (fixed) US$/t RoM 168 168 Total cost US$/t milled 364 254 Breakeven recovered grade % 1.14 0.79 Plant recovery % 78 % 78 % Breakeven RoM grade % 1.5 1.0 The stoping and development productivities to be used in the life of mine plan were discussed and agreed with mine management. The scheduling rates included consideration of: Performance over the year to date Changes to shift arrangements to CONOPS Maintenance and services installation requirements Equipment availability. Table 4.3 below summarises the advance rates used in the mine schedule. TABLE 4.3 SCHEDULING ADVANCE PER MONTH PER END TYPE Unit Decline FW Drive Ore Drive Shifts per day Unit 2 2 2 Days per month Unit 26 26 26 Blast hole length metres 3.2 3.2 3.2 Effective advance metres 2.8 2.8 2.8 Time to drill and blast (shifts) Unit 1 1 1 Time to muck and support (shifts) Unit 1 1 2 Blasts per day Unit 1 1 0.7 Advance pr day metres 2.8 2.8 1.9 Blast efficiency % 80 % 80 % 80 % Advance per month Metres/month 58 58 39 Advance used in schedule Metres/month 60 40 40 There are currently three development jumbos available on site and they are planned at a maximum of 240 metres per month. These drill rigs are allocated in the mine schedule as follows: One to the ramp (Decline) and ancillary excavations off of the ramp. One to lateral waste development One to ore development and slyping. The long hole drilling capacity of the long hole production drill rig limited the long hole stoping production to a maximum of 27,000 tonnes per month. The mining schedule targets RoM tin content delivered to plant of minimum 15,000 tonnes tin per year. The processing plant has capacity to process a maximum of 40,000 tonnes per month. This processing constraint was used as a constraint in the mining schedule. The Rom tonnage on a monthly basis based on the grade in order to achieve the required tin production within the processing and mining constraints. The targeted production rate of an average of 1500 t contained Sn per month can be maintained for 99 months (Eight years and three months). The mining schedule includes 18.9% made up of inferred resources which are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Ore reserve statement Only Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources are converted to Mineral Reserves. The total life of mine schedule included 18.9 % of the scheduled production from Inferred Mineral Resources, which was not included in the Mineral Reserves. This Mineral Reserve estimate is based on a depletion date of 30 June 2022. It followed an assessment of the economic viability of the Mineral Resources that were scheduled for depletion before confirming them as Mineral Reserves. Summary of Reserves for Bisie Tin at 30 June 2022 Classification Quantity Tin Grade Tin Content (Mt) (%) (kt) 2022 2019 2022 2019 2022 2019 Proven Mineral Reserve 0.00 0.05 1.38 3.77 0.0 1.9 Probable Mineral Resource 2.62 3.28 4.64 4.01 121.3 131.5 Total Mineral Reserves 2.62 3.33 4.64 4.01 121.4 133.4 Source: Bara (2022)Notes: The Mineral Reserve has been reported in accordance with the requirements and guidelines of NI43-101 and are 100% attributable to ABM. Apparent computational errors due to rounding and are not considered significant. The Mineral Reserves are reported with appropriate modifying factors of dilution and recovery. The Mineral Reserves are reported at the head grade and at delivery to Plant. The Mineral Reserves are stated at a price of US32,000/t Sn as at 30 June 2022. Although stated separately, the Mineral Resources are inclusive of the Mineral Reserves. No Inferred Mineral Resources have been included in the Mineral Reserve estimate. Quantities are reported in metric tonnes. The input studies are to the prescribed level of accuracy of a minimum pre-feasibility study level. The Mineral Reserve estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential exploitation of such Mineral Reserves. The Qualified Person for Mineral Reserves has satisfied himself that the methodology used for estimating and presenting Mineral Reserves herein conform to the requirements and guidelines of NI 43-101 and therefore supports this Mineral Reserve estimate as stated above. 1 Data obtained from International Tin Association Tin Industry Review Update 2021 Source: Alphamin Resources Corp. SAN RAMON, Calif., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armanino LLP, one of the 20 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S., today announced the publication of Empowered: The Secret to Armaninos Success. Co-authored by Andy Armanino (former CEO), Matt Armanino (CEO) and Mary Tressel (Executive Director Emeritus, Armanino Foundation), Empowered provides an inside look into Armaninos history, from how it developed and sustained a unique, entrepreneurial culture to becoming the fastest-growing accounting and consulting firm. Empowered begins with Armaninos humble start in San Leandro, California, and tells the story of how its two founders, former members of then-Big Eight accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand (which later merged into PwC), established a culture of empowerment and entrepreneurialism that shaped their firms future. Told through a series of vignettes and remembrances of the firm at various points throughout its history, Empowered is the story of how unparalleled growth over the last 52 years catapulted Armanino to become one of the most respected, award-winning, innovative firms in the nation. For the past 15 years especially, weve been on a trajectory of rapid yet intentional growth, and we wanted our team to understand how and why we started down this road and got to the superhighway were on today, said Matt Armanino, CEO and co-author of Empowered. The stories in Empowered share the origins of our values and purpose, and how weve always put our people at the center of what we do. By sharing our experiences and learnings, we hope to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and leaders as they embark on journeys of their own. As we grew and expanded our services, we always wanted to be more and do more for our people and our clients, said Andy Armanino, the firms former CEO who serves as of counsel to Armanino. We enabled and encouraged people to share their ideas, and as a result, Armanino took many exciting leaps and became known for reinventing ourselves. Our philosophy from the beginning has been to create a firm that finds and offers opportunities for others. We are a firm that seeks to balance the smart side and the soul side of the business; this book is an invitation to those who want to have a greater positive impact in their careers. Over the years, the most common question weve been asked is, How did you do it? Empowered explores our history and stories through the eyes of team members who helped us get to where we are today, said Mary Tressel, executive director emeritus of the Armanino Foundation. We wanted people to see a reflection of themselves in the story of our history and culture, to understand how empowerment has allowed us to build an alternative to the status quo, and to encourage our team to help us write the future chapters of our history. Leading business author Patrick Lencioni describes the book as a real-world case study on how to combine innovation, entrepreneurial dexterity, customer service and employee morale for anyone building a services firm, offering interesting insights and practical guidance that can change the way [their] organization operates. The book is available for purchase on Amazon, with all proceeds from copies sold benefiting the grantmaking and community service efforts of the Armanino Foundation. About Armanino LLP Armanino LLP (www.armaninollp.com) is one of the 20 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. A certified B Corporation, Armanino provides an integrated set of audit, tax, business management, consulting and technology solutions to companies in the U.S. and globally. The firm helps clients adapt and change in every stage of business, from startup through rapid growth to the sale of a company. Armanino emphasizes smart technology, leading a cloud revolution of financial, operational, sales and compliance tools that are transforming the way companies do business. Armanino is an independent member firm of Moore North America Inc. (MNA), which is itself a regional member of Moore Global Network Limited (MGNL), one of the world's major accounting and consulting membership organizations. All the firms associated with MNA and MGNL are independent entities, owned and managed in each location. Their membership in, or association with, MNA or MGNL should not be construed as constituting or implying any partnership between them. In addition to its core consulting and accounting practices, Armanino operates its division, AMF Media Group (www.amfmediagroup.com), a media and communications services agency. Kyle McGuire, AMF Media Group925.790.2788[email protected] Source: Armanino Dallas, TX, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AspireHR, an SAP Gold Partner with 24 years proven experience as one of the largest North American HCM advisory, implementation, software, and US-based managed services firms has been recognized in two of Comparablys 2022 Best Companies awards. Taking anonymous employee assessment results from more than 70,000 companies globally, AspireHR and its CEO Kevin Chase were honored in the Best Companies for Career Growth and Best CEOs for Women workplace awards. Comparably awards are derived from anonymous employee sentiment ratings over a twelve-month period. Comparably analyzed fifteen million ratings across 70,000 companies to determine the top 100 ranking for large (more than 500 employees) and small/mid-size businesses (500 or less employees). We are incredibly honored to be recognized by Comparably because the final input came directly from our employees and reflects the culture and values we all aspire to live every day. These workplace awards reaffirm the success of our ongoing commitment to gender diversity and for promoting a dynamic workplace that fosters growth, flexible career paths, and putting our employees first, said AspireHR President and CEO Kevin Chase. Comparably celebrates companies and leaders across sixteen award categories, with four workplace awards issued quarterly. Those that make the Top 100 Best Companies for Career Growth and Best CEOs for Women lists are the highest rated companies across twenty core culture categories. The organizations on this years list provide meaningful opportunities for professional development and job advancement, in spite of the challenges that may come with working in a hybrid or remote work environment, said Comparably CEO Jason Nazar. The chief executives on this years list have fostered company cultures that embrace diversity and inclusion, as shown by the feedback from their female employees. The consensus is that these top-rated CEOs lead with empathy and emotional intelligence. AspireHR is committed to constantly improving the employee experience and to creating a company culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion as a source of strength for both AspireHR and its clients. Women comprise half of the AspireHR executive leadership team, and an even larger percentage represent the overall leadership within the company. AspireHR promotes gender diversity and equality, fostering the professional development and career growth potential of all employees, regardless of gender, age, race, or family status. For more information about AspireHR visit: www.aspirehr.com Attachment Beverly Ibarrola AspireHR 14698312199 [email protected] Source: AspireHR APEX, NC, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa H.R.W. Management, a leading provider of community management services throughout North Carolina, recently partnered with the Villages of Apex community and Western Wake Crisis Ministry to support the ministrys No Child Should Go Without food drive. The event benefited more than 6,200 disadvantaged children who qualify for free or reduced school lunch programs, but who are at risk of going hungry during the summer months when school is not in session. More than 20 Villages of Apex families and the Associa H.R.W. Management team donated 503 pounds of food to help ensure that no child goes hungry this summer. The food drive lasted from June 1 - June 30. Donated items were collected and organized at the Villages of Apex community clubhouse. The most needed items included garbanzo beans, canned fruit, macaroni and cheese, baking products, ramen, jelly, and canned vegetables. Community residents competed to see who could donate the most items in the categories of largest individual donation, largest group donation, most protein, most condiments (mustard, ketchup, pickles, mayonnaise, jelly, etc.), and most cleaning supplies. The top winner in each category received a gift card. After being largely isolated with limited social contact for the past three years I was elated to see our neighbors and team members come together in support of the No Child Should Go Without food drive, said Keith Marine, Associa HRW branch president. In addition to reigniting a sense of community they helped ensure that no child goes hungry this summer. About Associa With more than 225 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 11,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 43 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com. Stay Connected Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa Tom Womack Associa 214-272-4107 [email protected] Source: Associa Marion, North Carolina, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greene Concepts, Inc. (OTC Pink: INKW) is proud to announce the recent and ongoing production of its newest, much-awaited immune support CBD beverage, Happy Mellow. The Company previously provided an update on Happy Mellows development in its April 19, 2022 press release. Lenny Greene, CEO of Greene Concepts, first conceived of an immune support beverage in early 2020 to help consumers remain healthy. After much research and laboratory testing, the Company created advanced immune support formulations that include Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B-12. Along with the vitamins and minerals, Happy Mellow incorporates an innovative, patent-pending, and crystal-clear water-soluble technology that was originally developed in the biopharma space. It greatly enhances the effectiveness of the CBD formula, which includes CBD, CBG and CBN. This innovative technology has an on-set time of 3 to 9 minutes, resulting in faster absorption into the bloodstream for increased health support. The three Happy Mellow flavors being launched include: Happy Mellow Be Well Blood Orange Acai (with Vitamin C) Happy Mellow Be Energized Lemon Lime (with Caffeine and Vitamin D-3) Happy Mellow Be Calm Plum Punch (with Vitamin B12) I am grateful to have finally reached this significant milestone for Greene Concepts. Our loyal shareholders have been patiently awaiting the production of Happy Mellow, and despite supply chain challenges and other difficulties that arose, I am happy to be able to finally share this tangible step for the company, says Amy McNally, VP of Sales and Marketing. Creating a CBD beverage from scratch is a complex process, and I am proud of our entire teams dedication to producing an all-natural, high-quality drink that also offers immune support. Preparation for Happy Mellows production began in 2020 with market research and trend analysis. Once micro and major trends were identified, the Company began the time intensive process of flavor development and taste testing. After flavor profiles had been selected, the beverage formulation went to the process engineering department, where experts scaled-up the formulations to accommodate for the large production. Nutrition and supplement facts were calculated, ingredients were sourced, instructions were batched, and paperwork required by regulatory guidelines was submitted during preproduction. Once all of this was done, it was time to have the first production run of Happy Mellow. Mr. Lenny Greene states, We are elated to announce the production of our much-awaited Happy Mellow beverage. Greene Concepts is a company that is dedicated to helping people attain optimal well-being, and I am pleased to have created a drink that can support our consumers continued and long-term health. When I drink Happy Mellow, I have improved flexibility, a lack of inflammation, and I feel overall stress-free. Mr. Greene continues, Each flavor also contains vitamins and minerals designed to help support revitalization, focus, and body relaxation. In addition, the 20 mg of CBD will help support stress relief and calmness while preserving and restoring balance to the body to help it achieve overall wellness. Happy Mellow will meet the needs of consumers across the U.S. who are looking for healthier and great tasting beverage options while remaining competitive in the marketplace. Best of all, when I drink Happy Mellow, every day feels like Saturday! According to Grand View Research in a January 2020 report, the global CBD beverage market size is expected to reach USD $2.8 billion by 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 17.8%. Strong demand for cannabis beverages from millennials along with the rising popularity of wellness drinks and low sugar drink alternatives are the driving factors for the anticipated CBD beverage market growth. Happy Mellow Video released in 2020. About Greene Concepts, Inc. Greene Concepts, Inc. (http://www.greeneconcepts.com) is a publicly traded company whose purpose is to provide the world with high-quality, healthy and enhanced beverage choices that meet the nutritional needs of its consumers while refreshing their mind, body and spirit. The Companys flagship product, BE WATER, is a premium artesian bottled water that supports total body health and wellness. Greene Concepts beverage and bottling plant is located in Marion, North Carolina, and their water is ethically sourced from seven spring and artesian wells that are fed from a natural aquifer located deep beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains. Greene Concepts continues to develop and market premium beverage brands designed to enhance the daily lives of consumers. Safe Harbor: This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a few uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and OTC Markets, Inc. OTC Disclosure and News Service. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Greene Concepts, Inc. Investor Relations[email protected] Attachments Greene Concepts Completes First Production Run of Happy Mellow Immune Support Beverage HAPPY MELOW - Lemon Lime Greene Concepts Completes First Production Run of Happy Mellow Immune Support Beverage HAPPY MELOW - Blood Orange Greene Concepts Completes First Production Run of Happy Mellow Immune Support Beverage HAPPY MELLOW 3-Flavors Greene Concepts Completes First Production Run of Happy Mellow Immune Support Beverage HAPPY MELOW - Immune Support CBD Beverage Source: Greene Concepts, Inc. Sarepta, Louisiana, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After a brief hiatus in production, IntegriCo returns to the railroad industry full steam ahead with a new c-suite armed with decades of combined leadership experience in the industry. Integrico named Douglas Fox, former Senior Vice President at Stella-Jones Corporation, as CEO, to elevate the brand and assemble a solid team to grow IntegriCos footprint across the country. Fox brings 40 years of leadership experience in the railway industry and currently oversees all business operations at IntegriCo. We have an experienced team and are turning out a unique and sustainable product, explains Fox. With current R&D activities, we will be launching a new product that addresses the concerns of Class 1 Railroad Engineers with composite ties. We look forward to meeting with industry representatives this fall in the launch of the next generation of composite ties. Rejoining IntegriCo leadership this year is General Manager Ken Webber. Webber was part of the original IntegriCo team and is responsible for developing the original composite material formula that turns hard-to-recycle plastics into sustainable products. Webbers formula is highly regarded in the industry and will serve as the key to getting more transit systems to act sustainably and replace their wooden or concrete ties with IntegriCos IntegriTies - composite railway ties made entirely from recycled plastics. Vice President of Sales, Scott Moe, has been with the company since 2015 and continues to work towards growing IntegriCos client base. With his extensive knowledge of the railroad industry and railway ties, Moe has been an invaluable asset to IntegriCo, having grown the company by 500% with the acquisition of the military, transit agencies, overseas customers, and alternative products. Scott Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, has been with the company since 2020. From 2014 to 2022, Stewart worked as an engineering and operations consultant and held positions such as Principal Consultant, Project Management Office (PMO) Direct and Portfolio Manager. Prior to this, Stewart served as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, where he reached the rank of Commander. Stewart also holds a masters degree in Management from Harvard University with a focus on Corporate Sustainability and has multiple degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management. New to the IntegriCo leadership team is Glenn Jackson, Director of Finance. Jackson has served in accounting and management positions for nearly thirty years including CEO of Valair Aviation and CFO of Aviation General and Dirt Motorsports. With leadership at IntegriCo stronger than ever, GM Ken Webber reflects on what his return to IntegriCo means for the future of the company. I have always believed in IntegriCos proprietary technology and how it could greatly benefit our environment as well as the end user, Ken says. When Scott Moe approached me about returning, I had a lot of questions. After discussions with Doug Fox and Scott Stewart, it became clear to me that the right Management Team was now in place to move the company forward with their vison and expertise. I am excited to again be part of the IntegriCo Team and be a part of the effort to resume making a difference utilizing our unique process, innovation, and integrity. About IntegriCo Composites Founded in 2007, IntegriCo is a manufacturer of composite railway crossties and construction matting. Utilizing patented manufacturing technology, IntegriCo produces its products from 100% recycled plastics. Since commencing operations, IntegriCo has diverted in excess of 80 million pounds of landfill-bound plastics to the manufacture of valuable infrastructure products sold to a widely varied customer base. Current IntegriCo clients include T-Rail, U.S. Army, BaltimoreLink for Rail, Chilean Railroads, Toronto Transit, Bay Area Rapid Transfer, NYC Subway System, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, and Superior Energy Sources. For additional information, visit www.integrico.com. Attachments Julie Dion or Whitney Morris IntegriCo 9042499784 [email protected] Source: IntegriCo PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MISTRAS Group, Inc. (NYSE: MG) has scheduled a conference call for Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 10:00 am Eastern Time to discuss its results for the second quarter of 2022. A press release with the second quarter results will be issued after the close of market on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. To listen to the live webcast of the conference call, visit the Investor Relations section of MISTRAS Groups website at www.mistrasgroup.com. There is a new process to participate in the live question and answer session. Individuals wishing to participate may pre-register at: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI61289ae154d54459b1036db29c908b0d. Upon registering, a dial-in number and unique PIN will be provided to join the conference call. Following the conference call, an archived webcast of the call will be available for one year by visiting the Investor Relations section of MISTRAS Groups website. About MISTRAS Group, Inc. - One Source for Asset Protection Solutions MISTRAS Group, Inc. (NYSE: MG) is a leading "one source" multinational provider of integrated technology-enabled asset protection solutions, helping to maximize the safety and operational uptime for civilizations most critical industrial and civil assets. Backed by an innovative, data-driven asset protection portfolio, proprietary technologies, strong commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, and a decades-long legacy of industry leadership, MISTRAS leads clients in the oil and gas, aerospace and defense, renewable and nonrenewable power, civil infrastructure, and manufacturing industries towards achieving operational excellence. By supporting these organizations that help fuel our vehicles and power our society; inspecting components that are trusted for commercial, defense, and space craft; building real-time monitoring equipment to enable safe travel across bridges; and helping to propel sustainability, MISTRAS helps the world at large. MISTRAS enhances value for its clients by integrating asset protection throughout supply chains and centralizing integrity data through a suite of Industrial IoT-connected digital software and monitoring solutions. The companys core capabilities also include non-destructive testing field and in-line inspections enhanced by advanced robotics, laboratory quality control and assurance testing, sensing technologies and NDT equipment, asset and mechanical integrity engineering services, and light mechanical maintenance and access services. For more information about how MISTRAS helps protect civilizations critical infrastructure and the environment, visit https://www.mistrasgroup.com/. Washington, D.C., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Public statements, emails, and recent publicly released documents establish that the President of the United States and other senior officials in the Biden Administration violated the First Amendment by directing social-media companies to censor viewpoints that conflict with the governments messaging on Covid-19. Today, the New Civil Liberties Alliance joined the lawsuit, State of Missouri ex rel. Schmitt, et al. v. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., et al., representing renowned epidemiologists and co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, Drs. Jayanta Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff, as well as Dr. Aaron Kheriaty and Jill Hines. Social media platforms, acting at the federal governments behest, repeatedly censored NCLAs clients for articulating views on those platforms in opposition to government-approved views on Covid-19 restrictions. This insidious censorship was the direct result of the federal governments ongoing campaign to silence those who voice perspectives that deviate from those of the Biden Administration. Government officials public threats to punish social media companies that did not do their bidding demonstrate this linkage, as do emails from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to social media companies that only recently were made public. Government-induced censorship is achieved through a wide variety of mechanisms, ranging from complete bans, temporary bans, shadow bans (where often neither the user nor his audience is notified of the suppression of speech), deboosting, de-platforming, de-monetizing, restricting access to content, requiring users to take down content, and imposing warning labels that require click-through to access content, among others. These methods also include temporary and permanent suspensions of disfavored speakers. This sort of censorship, which strikes at the heart of what the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was designed to protectfree speech, especially political speechconstitutes unlawful government action. The federal government is deciding whose voices and ideas may be heard, and whose voices and ideas must be silenced. Moreover, this state action deprives Americans of their right to hear the views of those who are being silenced, a First Amendment corollary of the right to free speech. The governments policy of coercing social-media companies to censor Plaintiffs viewpoints should be declared unlawful and halted immediately. NCLA released the following statements: The Biden Administrations involvement in silencing the voices of those who have critiqued its responses to Covid-19, through pressure exerted on social media companies, is unprecedented in nature and degree. Two of the plaintiffs, Drs. Bhattacharya and Kulldorff, are among the worlds most renowned epidemiologists, and had crucial insights to share on the flawed reasoning and science underlying lockdowns and mask and vaccine mandates. Dr. Kheriaty, a professor of medical ethics, and Ms. Hines, a consumer and human rights advocate, also offered thoughtful, reasoned opposition to government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions. The governments sweeping campaign to suppress the perspectives of the plaintiffs, and others like them, represents the most severe abrogation of the First Amendment in modern times, and we look forward to seeing this constitutional atrocity rectified in a court of law. Jenin Younes, Litigation Counsel, NCLA The government may not work through private entities to accomplish censorship that the First Amendment forbids the government from doing directly. Yet that is precisely what these federal defendants have been up to. NCLA is delighted to join forces with these state attorneys-general to reverse this constitutional outrage and restore free speech to the social media platforms that are todays public square. Mark Chenoweth, President and General Counsel, NCLA For more information visit the case page here. ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. ### Judy Pino New Civil Liberties Alliance 202-869-5218 [email protected] Source: New Civil Liberties Alliance OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Promaxo, Inc. (Promaxo or the Company), a medical imaging, robotics, and AI technology company, today announced it has entered into research collaborations with leading European university hospitals, Imperial College London and University Hospital Tuebingen Germany, for MR guided prostate interventions. In collaboration with Imperial College London, Promaxo received a grant and entered into a research agreement for a clinical study comparing Promaxos portable MRI and TRUS-Fusion biopsy (software assisted fusion registration with MRI images fused with real time ultrasound images) to assess for accuracy in prostate cancer detection. Dr. Taimur T. Shah, a Clinical Senior Lecturer and Consultant Urologist at Imperial College London said, The Promaxo Portable MRI has the potential to a game changing innovation in the field of prostate cancer diagnostics. It would, for the first time, bring MRI scanning into the office thus further streamlining our current diagnostic pathway as well as improving targeting of lesions, all for the benefit of patients. Promaxos partnership with University Hospital Tuebingen includes a clinical collaboration for MR guided prostate interventions, which will be used to support Promaxo system CE Marking in the European Economic Area (EEA). Led by Dr. Arnulf Stenzl, Professor and Chairman Department of Urology, University Hospital Tuebingen; Secretary General Elect of the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress, MRI has become an integral part of early detection and local staging of prostate cancer in many guidelines around the world. We are excited to collaborate with Promaxo to make MRI more accessible and simpler to use as an office based, single sided system. We are delighted to partner with Imperial College London and University Hospital Tuebingen, as we look to initiate clinical studies, develop regulatory and commercial pathways, and provide European physicians and centers with access to our portable MRI system. Our technology, which enables point of care diagnostic biopsies and treatment of cancers safely and cost effectively, is specifically designed to address limitations of traditional MRI systems. We look forward to expanding our addressable market. said Dr. Amit Vohra, Founder and CEO of Promaxo. About Imperial College LondonImperial College London is a world top ten university with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial is committed to developing the next generation of researchers, scientists and academics through collaboration across disciplines. Located in the heart of London, Imperial is a multidisciplinary space for education, research, translation and commercialization, harnessing science and innovation to tackle global challenges. About University Hospital TuebingenFounded in 1805, the Tubingen University Hospital is one of the 34 university hospitals in Germany that contribute to the successful combination of high-performance medicine, research and teaching. University Hospital Tuebingen is a reliable partner in four of the six German Centres for Health Research initiated by the Federal Government. About Promaxo, Inc.Promaxo was founded by a team of entrepreneurs and healthcare innovators to develop a minimally-invasive and patient-centric MRI and robotic platform. Based in Oakland, California, and backed by over 200 patents, the Companys mission is to improve lives through state-of-the-art medical imaging, robotics and AI capabilities. With a compact and adaptable MRI, Promaxo is redefining the standard of care by improving the quality and speed of patient diagnosis and interventions. The Company has formed numerous long-term and strategic partnerships with investor groups and corporation as it drives commercialization of the Promaxo MRI system. To learn more about the technology behind the MRI system and its scope, please visit: Promaxo.com. LinkedIn: PromaxoTwitter: @PromaxoFacebook: Promaxo InvestorsGilmartin GroupVivian Cervantese: [email protected] Source: Promaxo, Inc. Organic growth of 9.9% year-over-year in Broadcast and Recurring Commercial Music Revenues (1) , including 29.0% in the United States and 58.5% for Stingray Advertising Revenues increased 21.6% year-over-year to $78.1 million Adjusted EBITDA ( 2 ) improved 8.0% year-over-year to $26.1 million. Adjusted EBITDA ( 2 ) by segment amounted to $16.8 million or 36.3% of revenues for Broadcasting and Commercial Music, $10.6 million or 33.2% of revenues for Radio, and ($1.3) million for Corporate Net income reached $9.4 million, $0.13 per share, compared to $4.2 million, $0.06 per share, in Q1 2022 Adjusted Net income ( 3 ) totaled $13.2 million, $0.19 per share, compared to $11.2 million, $0.16 per share, in Q1 2022 Cash flow from operating activities remained stable at $16.3 million Adjusted free cash flow (4 ) increased 4.3% to $15.7 million, $0.22 per share, from $15.0 million, $0.21 per share, in Q1 2022 Net debt to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA ( 5 ) ratio of 3.25x compared to 2.88x in Q1 2022 345,800 shares repurchased and cancelled for a total of $2.2 million 730,000 streaming subscribers, up 27.6% over Q1 2022 MONTREAL, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stingray Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) (the Corporation; Stingray), a leading distributor of audio and video music brands in the world, announced today its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2023 ended June 30, 2022. Financial Highlights(in thousands of dollars, except per share data) Three months endedJune 30 Q1-2023 Q1-2022 % Revenues 78,136 64,251 21.6 Adjusted EBITDA(2) 26,086 24,155 8.0 Net income 9,397 4,200 123.7 Per share diluted ($) 0.13 0.06 116.7 Adjusted Net income(3) 13,245 11,238 17.9 Per share diluted ($) 0.19 0.16 18.8 Cash flow from operating activities 16,346 16,337 0.1 Adjusted free cash flow(4) 15,659 15,007 4.3 (1) Recurring Commercial Music revenues include subscriptions and usage in addition to fixed fees charged to our customers on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis for continuous music and digital signage services and excludes credits to clients related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-recurring revenues mainly include support, installation, equipment, one-time fees and discontinued operations. Non-recurring revenues are excluded from the organic growth, as well as the impact of foreign exchange and revenues from subsidiary DJ Matic. (2) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as net income before net finance expense (income), change in fair value of investments, income taxes, depreciation and write-off of property and equipment, depreciation of right-of-use assets, amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses. (3) Adjusted Net income is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as net income before change in fair value of investments, mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative instruments, amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses, net of related income taxes. (4) Adjusted free cash flow is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as cash flow from operating activities less capital expenditures, interests paid and repayment of lease liabilities, plus acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses, and adjusted for unrealized gain or loss on foreign exchange and for the net change in non-cash working capital items. (5) Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as the Corporations last twelve months Adjusted EBITDA, plus synergies and pro forma Adjusted EBITDA for the months prior to the acquisitions which are not already reflected in the results. Reporting on first quarter results, Stingray's President, co-founder and CEO Eric Boyko stated: Stingrays overall business continued to gain momentum in the first quarter of 2023 with revenue increasing 21.6% to $78.1 million on the strength of the InStore Audio Network (ISAN) acquisition and improved Radio sales following a return to more normal commercial operations. This strategic acquisition, involving the largest retail network in the U.S. spanning 16,000 grocery stores and pharmacies, is proving to be a game-changer for Stingray with organic growth of 55% year-over-year. We anticipate robust traction for this business in the next 12-18 months, particularly in Canada, given it will be better positioned for retail media advertising budgets in calendar 2023. On the profitability side, we generated adjusted EBITDA growth of 8.0% to $26.1 million in the first quarter of 2023, which is remarkable considering that we received no government subsidies related to the COVID-19 pandemic compared to $2.9 million in the same period last year. Broadcasting and Commercial Music revenues surged 31.7% to $46.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 on the ISAN deal, higher subscription revenues, as well as increased equipment and installation sales related to digital signage. Stingray is also making a major push into FAST channels with streamed hours soaring 86% year-over-year to 12 million hours in the first quarter. Following the quarter-end, we signed a distribution agreement with LG for a suite of FAST channels designed for its smart TVs and WebOS operating system worldwide. The full offering includes Stingray Music audio channels, Stingray Naturescape and other specialty channels. Clearly, FAST channels represent a high-growth vehicle for the Corporation as audiences and viewing habits are rapidly evolving. On the SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) front, our subscriber count grew 27.6% year-over-year to 730,000 at the end of the first quarter. We are leveraging relationships with established B2B2C partners like Amazon, who have large installed customer bases across several countries, to move the needle. Radio revenues improved 9.5% to $32.0 million in the first quarter of 2023, reflecting a better market environment than last year but still below pre-pandemic levels. This revenue increase was locally driven as economic uncertainty and supply-chain issues continued to affect national advertisers and key advertising categories like the automotive sector. We expect our Radio segment to gradually recover from these short-term disruptions and continue to generate healthy cash flow. As we continue growing our high-margin digital business, we must remain prudent with our spending plans due to an uncertain macro-economic environment. As a result, our capital allocation strategy will prioritize debt reduction without sacrificing key growth initiatives in fiscal 2023, Mr. Boyko concluded. First Quarter ResultsRevenues increased $13.8 million, or 21.6%, to $78.1 million in Q1 2023 from $64.3 million in Q1 2022. The increase was primarily due the acquisition of InStore Audio Network, growth in Radio revenues due to the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions and return to normal commercial operations, higher subscription revenues as well as enhanced equipment and installation sales related to digital signage. For the quarter, revenues in Canada increased $5.2 million, or 12.9%, to $46.6 million from $41.4 million in Q1 2022. The growth reflects an increase in Radio revenues due to the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions and return to normal commercial operations, as well as enhanced equipment and installation sales related to digital signage. Revenues in the United States improved $9.3 million, or 94.6%, to $19.1 million in Q1 2023 from $9.8 million in the same period in 2022. The increase was mainly due to the acquisition of InStore Audio Network and higher subscription revenues. Revenues in Other countries decreased $0.7 million, or 5.5%, to $12.4 million in Q1 2023 from $13.1 million in Q1 2022. The decrease can primarily be attributed to less B2C apps and in-store commercial revenues. Total Broadcasting and Commercial Music revenues grew $11.1 million, or 31.7%, to $46.2 million in Q1 2023 from $35.1 million in Q1 2022. The growth was primarily due to the acquisition of InStore Audio Network, higher subscription revenues as well as enhanced equipment and installation sales related to digital signage. Radio revenues improved $2.8 million, or 9.5%, to $32.0 million in Q1 2023 from $29.2 million in the same period in 2022. The improvement can be attributed to the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions and return to normal commercial operations. Adjusted EBITDA(2) increased $1.9 million, or 8.0%, to $26.1 million in Q1 2023 from $24.2 million in Q1 2022. Adjusted EBITDA margin(2) reached 33.4% in Q1 2023 compared to 33.1% (without CEWS) and 37.3% in the same period in 2022. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA(2) was mainly due to the acquisition of InStore Audio Network, partially offset by the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program in Q1 2022. We expect continued margin improvement through cost control and selective strategic investment priorities. Net income totaled $9.4 million ($0.13 per share) in Q1 2023 compared to $4.2 million ($0.06 per share) in Q1 2022. The increase was mainly due to a gain on performance and deferred share units expense related to a decrease in the share price, higher operating results, greater foreign exchange gain and to a gain on the fair value of derivative financial instruments, partially offset by a higher income tax expense. Adjusted Net income(3) reached $13.2 million ($0.19 per share) in Q1 2023 compared to $11.2 million ($0.16 per share) in the same period in 2022. The improvement can mainly be attributed to higher operating results and a greater foreign exchange gain. Cash flow generated from operating activities remained stable year-over-year at $16.3 million in Q1 2023 as higher income tax paid were largely offset by improved operating results. Adjusted free cash flow(4) amounted to $15.7 million in Q1 2023 compared to $15.0 million in the same period in 2022. The increase was mainly related to higher operating results and lower capital expenditures, partially offset by higher income tax paid. As of June 30, 2022, the Corporation had cash and cash equivalents of $13.8 million, a subordinated debt of $25.5 million and credit facilities of $358.4 million, of which approximately $76.6 million was available. The Net Debt to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA ratio(5) stood at 3.25x as of June 30, 2022 compared to 2.88x as of June 30, 2021. Declaration of DividendOn August 2, 2022, the Corporation declared a dividend of $0.075 per subordinate voting share, variable subordinate voting share and multiple voting share. The dividend will be payable on or around September 15, 2022 to shareholders on record as of August 31, 2022. The Corporations dividend policy is at the discretion of the Board of Directors and may vary depending upon, among other things, our available cash flow, results of operations, financial condition, business growth opportunities and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. The dividends paid are designated as "eligible" dividends for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any corresponding provisions of provincial and territorial tax legislation Additional Business Highlights and Subsequent EventsOn July 26, 2022, the Corporation announced that Stingray Advertising has partnered with Geopath to launch place-based audio out-of-home (AOOH) measurement in the United States. On July 21, 2022, the Corporation announced that it has reached an agreement for the distribution of a suite of FAST channels to LG smart TVs and WebOS operating system worldwide. As part of the new deal, LG will also make associated Stingray AVOD packages for karaoke and concerts. On July 11, 2022, the Corporation announced the launch of Chatter for Online Reviews. This new online review management solution enables digital marketing teams, store operations, and customer experience teams to understand their ratings beyond surface-level information and elevate their social reputation strategies. On June 2, 2022, the Corporation announced that InStore Audio Network has been fully integrated into its offering following the acquisition in December, and the combined entity of the US and Canadian operations is now named Stingray Advertising. This forms the largest in-store audio advertising network in North America, reaching 140 million shoppers each week in over 20,000 grocery retailers, superstores, discount stores and pharmacies. On May 12, 2021, the Corporation announced that METRO Inc. had joined the Stingray Retail Media Network. Under the agreement, the Corporation is responsible for exclusive sales representation of all in-store digital audio advertising within approximately 1,100 METRO network of food stores under several banners in Quebec and Ontario including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as drugstores primarily under Jean Coutu and Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. On April 20, 2022, the Corporation announced that it had reached an agreement for the distribution of a suite of free ad-supported channels (FAST channels) to TCL smart TVs in Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico and the United States. The new services within the TCL app include Qello Concerts by Stingray, Stingray Karaoke, Stingray Classica, Stingray DJAZZ, Stingray CMusic, Stingray Naturescape and Stingray Music channels for users to access at no extra cost. On April 19, 2022, the Corporation announced that Walmart Canada had joined the Stingray Retail Media Network. Under the agreement, the Corporation is responsible for exclusive sales representation, in partnership with the Walmart Connect sales team, of all in-store digital audio advertising within the national Walmart Canada retail footprint. On April 6, 2022, the Corporation launched Stingray All Good Vibes channels with Amazons Prime Video Channels in Australia, a paid add-on subscription exclusive to Prime members. Prime members now have access to subscribe to Qello Concerts by Stingray, Stingray Karaoke, Stingray Classica, Stingray DJAZZ, and Stingray Naturescape. The launch showcased the quality and diversity of the Corporation's growing product portfolio and its strength in reaching new audiences. Conference CallThe Corporation will hold a conference call today at 9:00 AM (ET) to review its financial results. Interested parties can join the call by dialing 416-764-8658 (Toronto) or 1-888-886-7786 (toll free). A rebroadcast of the conference call will be available until midnight, September 4, 2022, by dialing 416-764-8692 or 877-674-7070 and entering passcode 697688. New Board MemberMelanie Dunn, President of Plus Company Canada and Chief Executive Officer of Cossette, has been nominated as an independent member to Stingrays Board of Directors at the Corporations Annual Meeting of Shareholders held today. Ms. Dunn has over 20 years of experience in business management and marketing communications. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of Cascades Inc., Nesto, the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation and the Montreal Canadiens Childrens Foundation. Annual Meeting of ShareholdersStingray will hold its 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 11:00 AM (ET) by videoconference. The meeting can be accessed by logging in online at https://web.lumiagm.com/407875345. About StingrayMontreal-based Stingray (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) is a leading global music, media, and technology company with over 1,000 employees worldwide. Stingray is a premium provider of curated direct-to-consumer and B2B services, including audio television channels, over 100 radio stations, SVOD content, 4K UHD television channels, FAST channels, karaoke products, digital signage, in-store music, and music apps, which have been downloaded over 160 million times. Stingray reaches 400 million subscribers (or users) in 160 countries. Forward-Looking InformationThis news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to Stingray's goals, beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking information is identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "may", "would", "should", "could", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "plan", "foresee", "believe", and "continue", or the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions. Please note, however, that not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. Forward-looking information is based upon a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Stingray's control. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors identified in Stingray's Annual Information Form for the year ended March 31, 2022, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Consequently, all of the forward-looking information contained herein is qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that Stingray anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on Stingray's business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date hereof, and Stingray does not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Non-IFRS Measures The Corporation believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are important measures when analyzing its operating profitability without being influenced by financing decisions, non-cash items and income taxes strategies. Comparison with peers is also easier as companies rarely have the same capital and financing structure. The Corporation believes that Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Net income per share are important measures as it shows stable results from its operation which allows users of the financial statements to better assess the trend in the profitability of the business. The Corporation believes that Adjusted free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow per share are important measures when assessing the amount of cash generated after accounting for capital expenditures and non-core charges. It demonstrates cash available to make business acquisitions, pay dividend and reduce debt. The Corporation believes that Net debt and Net debt to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA are important to analyse the company's debt repayment capacity on an annualized basis, taking into consideration the annualized adjusted EBITDA of acquisitions made during the last twelve months. Each of these non-IFRS financial measures is not an earnings or cash flow measure recognized by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. This method of calculating such financial measures may differ from the methods used by other issuers and, accordingly, our definition of these non-IFRS financial measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that non-IFRS financial measures should not be construed as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with IFRS as indicators of our performance or to cash flows from operating activities as measures of liquidity and cash flows. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net income Reconciliation to Net income 3 months (in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30, 2022Q1 2023 June 30, 2021Q1 2022 March 31, 2022Q4 2022 Net income 9,397 4,200 4,466 Net finance expense (income) 3,975 5,253 (769 ) Change in fair value of investments (121 ) 12 Income taxes 3,139 1,833 191 Depreciation and write-off of property and equipment 2,671 2,524 3,862 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 1,123 1,296 1,201 Amortization of intangible assets 4,772 5,627 4,176 Share-based compensation 137 164 222 Performance and deferred share unit expense (400 ) 2,090 1,750 Acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses (income) 1,393 1,168 5,912 Adjusted EBITDA 26,086 24,155 21,023 Net finance expense (income), excluding mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative financial instruments (4,520 ) (4,735 ) (1,381 ) Income taxes (3,139 ) (1,833 ) (191 ) Depreciation of property and equipment and write-off (2,671 ) (2,524 ) (3,862 ) Depreciation of right-of-use assets (1,123 ) (1,296 ) (1,201 ) Income taxes related to change in fair value of investments, share-based compensation, performance and deferred share unit expense, amortization of intangible assets, mark-to-market losses (gains) on derivative financial instruments and acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses (income) (1,388 ) (2,529 ) (2,608 ) Adjusted Net income 13,245 11,238 11,780 (in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30,2022 June 30,2021 March 31,2022 LTM Adjusted EBITDA 101,200 112,942 99,269 Synergies and Adjusted EBITDA for the months prior to the business acquisitions which are not already reflected in the results 11,900 842 16,000 COVID-19 credits allocated due to mandated store closures 699 1,369 1,535 Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA 113,799 115,153 116,804 Adjusted Free Cash Flow Reconciliation to Cash Flow from Operating Activities 3 months (in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30, 2022Q1 2023 June 30, 2021Q1 2022 March 31, 2022Q4 2022 Cash flow from operating activities 16,346 16,337 22,127 Add / Less : Acquisition of property and equipment (1,151 ) (2,077 ) (2,443 ) Acquisition of intangible assets other than internally developed intangible assets (277 ) (198 ) (355 ) Addition to internally developed intangible assets (1,564 ) (2,153 ) (593 ) Interest paid (4,252 ) (3,891 ) (3,391 ) Repayment of lease liabilities (1,057 ) (1,085 ) (1,074 ) Net change in non-cash operating working capital items 7,456 6,805 (7,571 ) Unrealized loss (gains) on foreign exchange (1,235 ) 101 (779 ) Acquisition, legal, restructuring and other expenses (income) 1,393 1,168 5,912 Adjusted free cash flow 15,659 15,007 11,833 Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation (in thousands of Canadian dollars) June 30,2022 June 30,2021 March 31,2022 Credit facilities 358,440 305,779 358,203 Subordinated debt 25,467 31,766 25,442 Cash and cash equivalents (13,816 ) (6,416 ) (14,563 ) Net debt 370,091 331,129 369,082 Net debt to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA 3.25 2.88 3.16 Note to readers: Annual consolidated financial statements and Managements Discussion & Analysis of Operating Results and Financial Position are available on the Corporations website at www.stingray.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Contact InformationMathieu PeloquinSenior Vice-President, Marketing and CommunicationsStingray(514) 664-1244, ext. 2362[email protected] Source: Stingray Group Inc. BOSTON, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sungage Financial, a residential solar finance company that provides homeowners with easy, online access to low-cost financing for solar equipment, and Bodhi, the leading solar customer experience platform, today announced a partnership to support growing solar installation businesses. Through the new partnership, Sungage customers will be able to easily harness Bodhis customer experience platform to address common operational challenges, including homeowner communication and follow-on sales. All Sungage customers will be entitled to the first month of Bodhis solar customer experience platform for free as well as a 50% discount on Bodhis implementation fee. The new partnership with Bodhi aligns with Sungages mission to enable solar installers to build strong and resilient businesses at every stage, from financing to installation and beyond. Today, the majority of solar businesses are unable to offer homeowners a customer experience that matches consumer expectations. In a survey of solar homeowners, Bodhi found that four out of five remembered their installation and commissioning process negatively. As solar adoption is disproportionately driven by referrals, especially among low- to moderate-income households, these negative customer experiences stunt the industry and hurt individual solar installers bottom lines. We are always on the lookout for tools and technologies which better support our installer network through better consumer experiences, said Doug Pierce, Director of Sales at Sungage. Homeowner communications can be both difficult and challenging for growing solar businesses. Bodhi provides a targeted tool to manage these potential pain points and allows our partners to focus on what they do best. Bodhis solar customer experience platform automates post-sales customer communications for solar businesses. By integrating with solar installers existing CRM, monitoring systems, and other operational tools, Bodhi is able to turn a solar business's existing customer data into clear, hyper-personalized customer interactions that keep homeowners informed and engaged. In doing so, the platform allows solar installers to streamline the post-sales experience while driving lifetime value and reducing support costs 50%. Were honored to be partnering with a company like Sungage who shares our commitment of providing incredible customer experiences to homeowners while making solar installers lives easier, said Emmett Miranker, Head of Business Development at Bodhi. This is really the kind of partnership that just makes sense and benefits everyone in the industry, from solar businesses to the solar customers. Interested solar businesses already within the Sungage network should contact Sungage or their Account Manager for more information about how they can begin their first free month of Bodhi, as well as apply their 50% implementation discount. For solar businesses not yet a part of the Sungage Network, Bodhi and Sungage will be hosting a webinar on August 16th at 12pm CT about how solar businesses can automate communications and improve their customer experience. Interested individuals can register here: https://pages.bodhi.solar/sungage-customer-experience-webinar About Sungage FinancialSungage Financial is shaping the residential solar industry by offering reliable and flexible financing solutions at the lowest rates available. Sungage enables solar installers to build strong and resilient businesses while helping families save money and live more sustainably. Headquartered in Boston, MA, with offices in Oakland, CA, and Honolulu, HI Sungage currently operates in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.sungagefinancial.com. About BodhiBodhi is the leading solar customer experience platform. Bodhi automates communication and personalizes the homeowners experience, so that installers can focus on what they do best - executing projects, making more sales, and transforming communities around energy. To learn more, visit: bodhi.solar Media Contact Maria Writesel Senior Marketing Manager, Sungage Financial [email protected] Katarina Brown Head of Marketing, Bodhi 713.498.3643 [email protected] Source: Sungage Financial Chicago, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, a nationally recognized behavioral health facility serving women and adolescent girls, recently added sound therapy to its repertoire of expressive therapies, which the center uses to help clients heal from substance use disorders, trauma, and other mental health conditions. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2020 U.S. Survey on Drug Use and Health, 40.3 million Americans age 12 and older struggle with substance use disorders, while 52.9 million adults age 18 and older suffer from mental illness. As Americas need for behavioral health treatment continues to grow, having additional approaches like sound therapy is more essential than ever. Timberline Knolls has been at the forefront of the behavioral health industry by offering sound therapy as another way to support its clients. The facilitys experts use crystal singing bowls in their sound healing practice, which involves circling the outer edge of the singing bowls with mallets to produce sound vibrations that create singing tones. The sound bowls create frequencies, and a vibration emanates. Imagine waves of the ocean as the tide comes in and flows through it washes up to a shoreline, and then pulls back. It repeats itself as the water continues to move back and forth. Sound healing is like this concept; as the vibrations of the sounds radiate from the bowls when they make the frequencies, they connect within the mind and body. The vibrations from the sounds target areas of the body, and because the body is made up of roughly 70% water, these tones connect with the body and cells like a pebble tossed on water, creating a calming effect. Sound healing has been very well-received by our residents, said Elisabeth Nuesser, E-RYT, TIY, RCYT, trauma-informed yoga facilitator at Timberline Knolls. Offering a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates holistic methods and medicine is proving to be beneficial for our residents. I recently had an experience where a resident shared an unlocked, positive memory from childhood that she couldnt remember for years but was able to receive during sound meditation therapy. Individuals who are struggling from stored trauma, tension, anxiety, stress, and depression can benefit from this type of holistic therapy. Feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed can lead to substance use, eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can also affect the body and fascia system and, in turn, impact a persons ability to regulate their emotions. Sound bowl healing meditation re-tunes the nervous system, restoring the mind/body connection and returning it to homeostasis, adds Nuesser. We know that trauma is stored on a cellular level, thus disharmony of the system occurs. Sound healing restores at a cellular level, creating relaxation and calmness. Its a great supplemental addition to group and individual talk therapy. About Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment CenterTimberline Knolls is a leading residential treatment center for women and adolescent girls age 12 and older who are struggling with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood disorders, and co-occurring disorders. Located in suburban Chicago on a picturesque, 43-acre wooded campus, Timberline Knolls provides residents with excellent clinical care delivered by a highly trained professional staff. Just a short drive from our main campus, partial hospitalization programming (PHP) and intensive outpatient programming (IOP) with supportive housing are available for adult women. For more information, please visit www.timberlineknolls.com. Attachment MaryAnne Morrow Timberline Knolls 602-359-6989 [email protected] Source: Timberline Knolls VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ValOre Metals Corp. (ValOre; TSXV: VO; OTC: KVLQF; Frankfurt: KEQ0, the Company) today provided an update on the 4,500 metre (m) core program at ValOres 100% owned 59,483-hectare Angilak Property Uranium Project (Angilak), located in Nunavut Territory, Canada. Two diamond drill rigs are now drilling at Dipole as part of a 4,500-metre program to test the Dipole and J4 West uranium targets, stated ValOres VP of Exploration, Colin Smith. The first rig has intercepted multiple shallow zones of strong radioactivity, including 12,000 CPS at 56 m vertical depth, and 9,361 CPS at 98 m vertical depth in drill hole 22-DP-002. Highlights of First Two 2022 Core Holes: Drill hole 22-DP-001: intersected a near-surface zone of radioactivity ( 4,000 counts per second (CPS) from 49.82 to 50.20 m ) but was subsequently lost at 78 m hole depth. The hole terminated above the anticipated depth of the lower zone; ) but was subsequently lost at 78 m hole depth. The hole terminated above the anticipated depth of the lower zone; Drill hole 22-DP-002: drilled to target depth of 178 m from the same pad (tilted to a -75 dip from a -70), and intersected 6 zones of radioactivity, including highlights of: 12,000 CPS from 57.80 to 58.11 m 9,361 CPS from 102.20 to 102.41 m ; Zones of radioactivity correlate well with mineralized intercepts in the up-dip 2022 Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes and are characterized by intensely hematized and brecciated graphitic tuffs, hosted within a broader package of foliated basalt. *Reported core interval lengths are estimated to represent 70% true width To review more information regarding the 2022 RC drill program, CLICK HERE for news release dated May 9, 2022, CLICK HERE for news release dated June 2, 2022, and CLICK HERE for news release dated June 15, 2022. About Angilak The 59,483-hectare Angilak Property is situated in the mining- and exploration-friendly Nunavut Territory, Canada, and has district-scale potential for uranium, precious and base metals. Since acquisition, ValOre has invested over CAD$55 million on resource delineation and exploration drilling (89,572 metres in 589 drill holes), metallurgy, geophysics, geochemistry, and logistics across the large land package. This work supported the development of the significant Lac 50 Trend NI 43-101 inferred uranium resource estimate (Lac 50). The Lac 50 NI 43-101 Technical Report (effective date March 1, 2013) defined an inferred resource estimate which represents Canadas highest-grade uranium resource outside of Saskatchewan, and one of highest-grade uranium resources on a global basis. Highlights include: 43.3 Mlbs U 3 O 8 in 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U3O8. CLICK HERE for a summary table of the Lac 50 Trend inferred resource estimate; in 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U3O8. CLICK HERE for a summary table of the Lac 50 Trend inferred resource estimate; Supported by 351 resource delineation drill holes totaling 62,023 metres (m); Metallurgical results for Lac 50 demonstrate high uranium recoveries and rapid leach kinetics. See news releases: February 28, 2013, September 11, 2013 and February 27, 2014; Lac 50 Trend is a 15 kilometre (km) by 3 km area with excellent potential for resource growth and new discoveries; Uranium mineralization starts at surface, and has been drilled to 380 m vertical depth; CLICK HERE for ValOres May 6, 2021 video summarizing the highlights of Angilak. CLICK HERE for ValOres May 6, 2021 video reviewing the 2021 focus for Angilak. Qualified Person (QP) The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Colin Smith, P.Geo., ValOres QP and Vice President of Exploration. Information related to the independent Angilak mineral resource estimate has been approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc. P.Geo., President of Apex Geoscience Ltd., Robert Sim, P.Geo. of SIM Geological Inc. and Bruce Davis, FAusIMM of BD Resources Consulting Inc., who are independent QPs as defined under NI 43101. Information related to the independent Pedra Branca mineral resource estimate has been approved by Fabio Valerio, P.Geo., and Porfirio Cabaleiro, P.Eng., of GE21. About ValOre Metals Corp. ValOre Metals Corp. (TSXV: VO) is a Canadian company with a portfolio of highquality exploration projects. ValOres team aims to deploy capital and knowledge on projects which benefit from substantial prior investment by previous owners, existence of high-value mineralization on a large scale, and the possibility of adding tangible value through exploration, process improvement, and innovation. In May 2019, ValOre announced the acquisition of the Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (PGE) property, in Brazil, to bolster its existing Angilak uranium, Genesis/Hatchet uranium and Baffin gold projects in Canada. The Pedra Branca PGE Project comprises 52 exploration licenses covering a total area of 56,852 hectares (140,484 acres) in northeastern Brazil. At Pedra Branca, 7 distinct PGE+Au deposit areas host, in aggregate, a 2022 NI 43-101 inferred resource of 2.198 Moz 2PGE+Au contained in 63.6 Mt grading 1.08 g/t 2PGE+Au (CLICK HERE for news release dated March 24, 2022). All the currently known Pedra Branca inferred PGE resources are potentially open pittable. Comprehensive exploration programs have demonstrated the "District Scale" potential of ValOres Angilak Property in Nunavut Territory, Canada that hosts the Lac 50 Trend having a current Inferred Resource of 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U3O8, totaling 43.3 million pounds U3O8. For disclosure related to the inferred resource for the Lac 50 Trend uranium deposits, please CLICK HERE for ValOre's news release dated March 1, 2013. ValOres team has forged strong relationships with sophisticated resource sector investors and partner Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) on both the Angilak and Baffin Gold Properties. ValOre was the first company to sign a comprehensive agreement to explore for uranium on Inuit Owned Lands in Nunavut Territory and is committed to building shareholder value while adhering to high levels of environmental and safety standards and proactive local community engagement. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Jim Paterson James R. Paterson, Chairman and CEO ValOre Metals Corp. For further information about ValOre Metals Corp., or this news release, please visit our website at www.valoremetals.com or contact Investor Relations at 604.653.9464, or by email at [email protected]. ValOre Metals Corp. is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: http://www.discoverygroup.ca/ Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although ValOre believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to ValOre. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the future operations of ValOre and economic factors. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, ValOre does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ValOre undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of ValOre, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities. Source: ValOre Metals Corporation OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, August 2, 2022) Hospital safety is routinely measured via Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs), which can influence public perception, hospital rankings and reimbursement rates. A new study from the August issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, Variation in the Reporting of Elective Surgeries and Its Influence on Patient Safety Indicators, suggests that some hospitals may classify admissions in a way that exempts them from elective-based PSI scores, a practice that may lead to less reliable PSIs. PSIs, a set of metrics used to measure rates of preventable safety events, enable hospitals to identify opportunities for improvement and allow the public to make informed decisions when seeking safe care. However, PSIs have been criticized for insufficient risk adjustment, inadequate capture of preventable outcomes, and sensitivity to surveillance bias. In particular, the classification of admissions as elective or non-elective can influence some PSIs and may even influence whether a hospital is exempted from PSIs based on elective admissions. Admission classification is based on the internal definitions of hospitals and, as a consequence, may represent a major source of discrepancy among hospitals. Researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, analyzed Medicare inpatient claims data reported by 3,484 hospitals during the 2015-2017 PSI measurement period. They examined the average percentage of elective (APE) admissions across surgical diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in relation to hospital characteristics, surgical claims volumes, and numbers and types of surgical DRGs. The study asked whether hospitals with exceptionally low APE shared particular characteristics, reported claims for similar DRGs or were disproportionately exempted from elective-based PSIs. The researchers intersection of machine learning and traditional statistics explained a 73.9% variation in APE among hospitals. In particular, surgical claims volume and 16 surgical DRGs were identified as the only consistently important variables and, by themselves, explained 70% of variation in APE. Moreover, hospitals with exceptionally low APE were disproportionately exempt from elective-based PSI scores. These outlier hospitals were not explained by their characteristics, geography, or surgical claims volume, or the types of surgical DRGs among claims. Due to the depth and extent of their analyses and the lack of any tenable explanation for APE outliers, the researchers suggest that some hospitals may have classified admissions in a way that exempted them from elective-based PSI scores. The study shows that transparency into admission classification policies is needed to ensure fair and reliable use of PSIs when ranking hospitals and adjusting payments. Alternatively, PSIs may need modifications to rely on externally validated criteria. Also featured in the August issue: Additionally, the achievements of the 2021 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award recipients are highlighted in four articles with open access through August 31. For more information, visit The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety website. ### Note for editors The article is Variation in the Reporting of Elective Surgeries and Its Influence on Patient Safety Indicators, by Kenneth J. Locey, PhD; Thomas A. Webb, MBA; Brian Stein, MD; Sana Farooqui, MPP, MPH; and Bala Hota, MD, MPH. The article appears in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, volume 48, number 8 (August 2022), published by Elsevier. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (JQPS) is a peer-reviewed journal providing healthcare professionals with innovative thinking, strategies and practices in improving quality and safety in healthcare. JQPS is the official journal of The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources, Inc. Original case studies, program or project reports, reports of new methodologies or the new application of methodologies, research studies, and commentaries on issues and practices are all considered. Attachment Katie Bronk The Joint Commission 630-792-5175 [email protected] Source: The Joint Commission CHICAGO, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VelocityEHS, the global leader in enterprise EHS & ESG software solutions, today announced that it has been named a Leader in the Green Quadrant: Carbon Management Software report by the independent research firm, Verdantix. The new analysis calls out the strengths of the VelocityEHS ESG Solution, including its powerful Carbon Calculation Engine and Data Acquisition, Data Management, and Data Quality Control capabilities. With ESG regulations intensifying around the world, including increased scrutiny in the U.S. by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the financial grade GHG calculations and industry leading data control VelocityEHS provides is well-suited to calming anxious markets. Visit the Verdantix website to view the full report. The Green Quadrant recognition follows closely a Top Product of the Year Award for the ESG Solution from Environment + Energy Leader. Part of the Accelerate Platform, the ESG Solution was built by the experts behind the VelocityEHS Environmental Compliance Solution, celebrated for its award-winning global enterprise air, water and waste management capabilities. Since its launch in January, the ESG Solution has been a runaway success exceeding our already high expectations, said VelocityEHS CEO John Damgaard. EHS leaders in the Manufacturing, Chemical, and Oil & Gas industries who are the most familiar with the pain and complexity of tracking Scope 1-3 emissions are the ones who love the solution best. They can see most clearly just how superior this ESG solution is and the difference it can make in an evolving and escalating reporting environment. Carbon Management is not the only aspect of ESG that enterprise companies must deal with. In addition to providing industry leading capabilities for tracking and managing GHG emissions and energy usage, VelocityEHS ESG also facilitates Materiality Assessments, that help EHS and ESG leaders plan, build, and optimize their ESG programs and develop more successful and sustainable business strategies. VelocityEHS should be shortlisted by companies in emissions and energy intensive sectors that want one vendor who can handle their digital carbon, ESG, and EHS needs, said Kim Knickle, Research Director, ESG & Sustainability at Verdantix. The VelocityEHS platform is designed to be intuitive and easy to use to increase user engagement and VelocityEHS has implemented numerous features to ensure data security and privacy, including access controls, encryption, and cryptography. Global enterprise leaders can take advantage of an easy, risk-free introduction to VelocityEHS Materiality Assessments until January 2023. The limited-time offer is available to new and existing customers who sign-up for the ESG Solution by September 30, 2022. Some exclusions apply. Also included in the offer is VelocityEHS new ESG Strategy Management & Metrics capabilities set to launch in Q4 of 2022. To learn more about this offer, visit the VelocityEHS website. Enterprise companies are looking for holistic, streamlined solutions to solve their business problems, said VelocityEHS President Matt Airhart. Our unparalleled investment in R&D has yielded a strong roadmap of enterprise-grade ESG products released on a quarterly basis, which will enhance our already industry-leading solution and support the evolving needs of our customers. The VelocityEHS Accelerate Platform delivers best-in-class performance in the areas of health, safety, risk, ESG and operational excellence. Backed by the largest global software community of EHS experts and thought leaders, the software drives expert processes so that every team member can produce outstanding results. For more information about VelocityEHS and its complete award-winning software solutions, visit www.EHS.com. About VelocityEHS Relied on by more than 10 million users worldwide to drive operational excellence and achieve outstanding outcomes, VelocityEHS is the global leader in true SaaS enterprise EHS & ESG technology. The VelocityEHS Accelerate Platform is the definitive gold-standard for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), delivering best-in-class capabilities for materiality assessments, safety, industrial ergonomics, control of work, health, operational risk, and environmental compliance. The VelocityEHS team includes unparalleled industry expertise, with more certified experts in health, safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, sustainability, the environment, AI, and machine learning than any EHS software provider. Recognized by the EHS industrys top independent analysts as a Leader in the Verdantix 2021 Green Quadrant AnalysisVelocityEHS is committed to industry thought leadership and to accelerating the pace of innovation through its software solutions and vision. Its privacy and security protocols, which include SOC2 Type II attestation, are among the most stringent in the industry. VelocityEHS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Tampa, Florida; Oakville, Ontario; London, England; Perth, Western Australia; and Cork, Ireland. For more information, visit www.EHS.com. VelocityEHS Media ContactBrad Harbaugh 312.881.2855 [email protected] Source: VelocityEHS Vancouver, BC, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Mining Corp. (West or the Company) (CSE: WEST) (OTC: WESMF) is pleased to provide preliminary results from the Companys first exploration program of prospecting and sampling on the Blue Cove Copper Project located in Newfoundland. The initial start-up of the 2022 exploration program began on April 04, 2022 and has now been paused while awaiting further results. Prospecting at various locations on the property has resulted in the collection of 40 rock samples. Results of 32 of the rock samples have now been received. The bulk of the rock sampling was performed at the main Blue Cove Copper Prospect where 23 representative samples of mineralization were collected from talus and outcrop. Of the 23 samples, 13 returned assays greater that 1.0% Cu, 8 greater than 2.0% Cu with the highest grade sample returning values of 3.56% Cu. The highest silver values returned from the Blue Cove Prospect were 17.2 g/t Ag. Results from other areas of the Property including Ryles Barisway returned values up to 10.6% Cu and 91.6 g/t Ag. This sample is considered to be the result of selective sampling of a narrow vein in a difficult area to access and may not be representative. In addition to the prospecting program, a reconnaissance soil geochemical and magnetometer geophysical survey was performed over selected areas of the property. 223 soil samples are currently at the laboratory and the Company is awaiting results. Magnetometer surveys were performed in the Hilltop area and along the coastline in an attempt to gain additional information about the geology of both areas. The results from the soil sampling program will be released once received and interpretation of the magnetometer surveys is currently ongoing. The Companys first exploration program on the Blue Cove Property has confirmed that the Property has possible potential for both felsic hosted VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) and red bed sedimentary hosted copper deposits. An external, high level consultant has been engaged by West to provide a better evaluation of the geological environment and better understanding of the economic potential of the Property. Nick Houghton, West Minings President and CEO comments, We are extremely pleased with these initial results, having over 50% of the assays returned recording higher than 1% copper. It is a very exciting prospect for the Company. It leads us to believe we are on the right track with a strong possibility of a copper development. The geological team based in Newfoundland have done a first class job identifying the prospective outcrops, and we eagerly look forward to further results coming from the Blue Cove copper property. Rock samples were collected in a careful and diligent manner. Samples were tagged and secured prior to shipment to Eastern Analytical Labs located in Springdale, Newfoundland. Eastern Analytical is a 17025 ISO accredited commercial laboratory in operation since 1987. All samples were assayed using the ICP (Induced Couple Plasma) multi-element package with fire assay for gold. Ore grade samples were assayed using the multi acid digestion method. Linda Dandy, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. AboutWest MiningCorp. West Mining Corp. is a mineral exploration company acquiring and developing advanced and prospective early-stage exploration projects. It is fully focused on its 100% owned, 9000 hectare Kena Project located near Nelson, British Columbia. The Kena Project comprises three adjoining Properties: Kena, Daylight and Athabasca. A recent NI43-101 resource estimate for Kena gave 561,900 oz Au indicated and 2,773,100 oz Au inferred in the Gold Mountain, Kena Gold and Daylight Zones. The Kena Property also hosts the large Kena Copper Zone, along with with the historic Euphrates and Gold Cup gold-silver mines. The Daylight property contains the historic past producing Daylight, Starlight, Victoria, Irene and Great Eastern gold mines. Along trend to the north is the Athabasca Property, with the historic Athabasca Gold Mine. The historic mines and known mineralized zones on these three properties are structurally controlled along a 20 kilometre strike as identified by strong geophysical signatures. For additional information, please refer to the Companys public disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. West Mining Corp. Nicholas Houghton President & CEO [email protected] ###The Canadian Securities Exchange accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words may, would, could, should, potential, will, seek, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Companys current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to them, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation: the potential of the Companys mineral properties; the estimation of capital requirements; the estimation of operating costs; the timing and amount of future business expenditures; and the availability of necessary financing. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Such factors include but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and exploration or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward- looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Source: West Mining Corp. Parsippany, New Jersey, USA, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wireless Telecom Group, Inc. (NYSE American: WTT), a leader in wireless communications and radio frequency instrumentation, announced it will release its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, before the market opens. The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 8:30 am EDT in which management will discuss its financial results. To participate in the conference call, dial 800-346-7359 or 973-528-0008. The conference identification number is 455180. The call will also be webcast over the internet at the following URL: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1690/46304 A replay will be made available on the Wireless Telecom website following the conference call. - END - About Wireless Telecom Group Wireless Telecom Group, Inc., comprised of Boonton, CommAgility, Holzworth, and Noisecom, is a global designer and manufacturer of advanced RF and microwave components, modules, systems, and instruments. Serving the wireless, telecommunication, satellite, military, aerospace, and semiconductor industries, Wireless Telecom Group products enable innovation across existing and emerging wireless technologies. With a product portfolio including peak power meters, signal generators, phase noise analyzers, signal processing modules, 5G and LTE PHY/stack software, noise sources, and programmable noise generators, Wireless Telecom Group supports the development, testing, and deployment of wireless technologies around the globe. Wireless Telecom Group, Inc.s website address is wirelesstelecomgroup.com. Investor Contact Andrew M. BergerManaging DirectorSM Berger& CompanyTel: (216) 464-6400[email protected] Contact Michael Kandell25 Eastmans RoadParsippany, NJ 07054Tel: (973) 386-9696Fax: (973) 386-9191www.wirelesstelecomgroup.com Source: Wireless Telecom Group, Inc. FILE PHOTO: Screens display the company logo for Pinterest Inc. during the company's IPO on the front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid By Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) -Activist investor Elliott Investment Management disclosed on Monday it had become the largest shareholder in Pinterest Inc, backing the management of the digital pin-board firm and sending the company's shares up 21%. Pinterest has "significant potential for growth", which led Elliott to become its largest shareholder, Elliott managing partner Jesse Cohn and senior portfolio manager Marc Steinberg said in a statement. Elliott did not disclose its stake in Pinterest. However, the Wall Street Journal reported in July that the investment firm had amassed a more than 9% stake. (https://reut.rs/3zp1smr) The firm on Monday backed Pinterest Chief Executive Bill Ready, who took over on June 29, and also commended co-founder Ben Silbermann for the leadership transition. Elliott and the Pinterest management had "a very collaborative and engaged dialogue" recently, Ready said on a post-earnings conference call. "As a visual search engine, Pinterest offers a distinct way for businesses to market. I think Elliott may be on to something here," said Michael Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital. Elliott has also been building up stake in PayPal Holdings Inc, Bloomberg News has reported (https://reut.rs/3QcHXnL), and has previously bought stakes in companies including eBay inc, Twitter Inc and AT&T Inc. Pinterest's shares were up at $24.36 after the bell on Monday, still way off their record high of $89.90 hit in February 2021, when people, cooped up at home during the pandemic, thronged the company for inspiration for projects. The statement from Elliott came as Pinterest reported a lower-than-expected profit due to higher costs and users spending less time on its platform. Like its peers, Pinterest has suffered from advertisers cutting back on budgets in response to increasing costs and recession fears. The company saw weakness from advertisers in the consumer packaged goods category, big-box retailers and mid-market advertisers, finance chief Todd Morgenfeld said, adding that the digital advertising environment will continue to be challenging. The company said it expected revenue growth of mid single-digit percentage in the current quarter, crimped by the impact of a stronger dollar. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik and Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) According to a report from the Washington Post, Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is looking into Elon Musk's associates and who he may have spoken to about his $44 billion offer to acquire the company. The Washington Post reported, citing legal documents it has seen, that in a subpoena issued Monday, Twitter's legal team asked for information about some of Silicon Valley's elite, including investors such as Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sacks, Steve Jurvetson, Marc Andreessen, Jason Calacanis and Keith Rabois. Some of those names have not previously been mentioned as having any involvement in Musk's Twitter deal. Twitter is looking for information that will support its legal attempt to push through Musk's acquisition of the company. The Washington Post added that there was a "flood of document requests" issued over the weekend and on Monday, adding to the twist and turns of the complicated court case between the social media company and Musk. The Post added that the subpoena includes further "extensive" requests for communications related to the financing of the deal, as well as requests for communications on spam and bots. Twitter shares are up 0.37% Tuesday. By Sam Boughedda FILE PHOTO: The logo of Forbes magazine is seen on a board at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2017 (SPIEF 2017) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (Reuters) -Forbes said on Tuesday it was exploring a sale of its business and had hired Citigroup to manage the process, months after it pulled out of a deal to go public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). "There were many interested parties, so we moved forward with a formal sale process and Citigroup was hired to manage this process," a Forbes spokesperson said in an emailed response. Details including the enterprise value Forbes was seeking and a timeline for the sale were not disclosed. A report from the New York Times, which was the first to report the news, said Forbes was seeking to sell at a price of at least $630 million. (https://nyti.ms/3d3eezu) In recent weeks, an offering document describing Forbes' financials compiled by Citi has been circulated to companies in the media sector, including Yahoo, according to the NYT report. Forbes generated more than $200 million in revenue and over $40 million in profit in 2021, the report said. In June, Forbes sought to terminate its $630 million deal with former Point72 executive Jonathan Lin-led special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Magnum Opus to go public. Earlier in February, Forbes announced raising $200 million strategic investment from cryptocurrency firm Binance. (https://reut.rs/3Sm1CDt) SPAC deals were among the hottest investment trends during the pandemic but the rapid increase in the number of deals has drawn the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has proposed new rules and additional disclosures from the deal sponsors. (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Maju Samuel) FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Trading information for KKR & Co is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo/File Photo By Chibuike Oguh NEW YORK (Reuters) - Swedish engineering firm Trelleborg AB has agreed to acquire Minnesota Rubber and Plastics from private equity firm KKR & Co Inc for about $1 billion in cash, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. The deal, which was first reported by Reuters, is expected to expand Trelleborg's polymer and plastics business in North America when it closes before the end of this year. KKR acquired Minneapolis-based Minnesota Rubber and Plastics from private equity firm Norwest Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount in 2018. KKR stands to make more than three times its original investment on the deal, a person familiar with the matter said. Minnesota Rubber and Plastics was founded in 1941 and produces high-grade plastic components used in cars, medical devices and telecommunications equipment, with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. About 1,300 rank-and-file employees of Minnesota Rubber and Plastics, who are not part of management, are set to receive on average up to a year's worth of their annual salaries when the deal closes, Josh Weisenbeck, head of industrials at KKR, said in an interview. The employees will be paid this money to sell their stakes in the company to Trelleborg. This is because Minnesota Rubber and Plastics is part of KKR's employee-stock ownership program, which gives workers at its portfolio companies equity in addition to paying them a wage. "This not only helps employees, it's good for companies, shareholders, investors and communities," Weisenbeck said. Minnesota Rubber and Plastics has acquired several smaller rivals under KKR's ownership. It bought Britain's Primasil Silicones in May and Pawling Engineered Products Inc, a Pawling, New York-based plastics firm, in 2021. Stockholm-listed Trelleborg is a provider of high-end plastics and polymer used by companies across oil and gas, aviation and construction. It has a market capitalization of about $6 billion. The acquisition comes as Trelleborg shares trade close to an all-time high. The company clinched a deal earlier this year to sell its division that makes tyres for agricultural and industrial machinery to Yokohama Rubber Co for 265.2 billion yen ($2.18 billion), giving it capital for acquisitions and share buybacks. (Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Mark Potter) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Blue Thunder Mining Inc. (TSXV: BLUE) ("Blue Thunder" or "the Company") is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its Muus Gold Project (the "Project"), near Chibougamau, Quebec. Overview of 2022 Field Activities: GEOSIG Inc. has completed the induced polarization (IP) geophysical survey, previously announced on April 13, 2022 over the Lac Bernard, Lac Caopatina and Lac Irne areas. Results are expected imminently and will be integrated with all other Project data with the aim of confirming drill targets. A total of 26-line kilometres of surface Max-Min ("EM") geophysical surveying has been completed over four separate areas of the Muus Property (one of several properties comprising the Project), with the aim of identifying near-surface conductors (i.e., less than 50 metres depth). Interpretation of the EM data is progressing. Field crews have completed further geological prospecting and sampling activities over select areas, including: the Discovery Zone target, which is prospective for "Nelligan-style" gold mineralization within Caopatina meta-sedimentary rocks; the Lac Caopatina target, which occupies the same geological setting as Royal Fox's Philibert gold deposit; the Lac Irene target, which occupies a geological and structural setting similar to those observed at IAMGOLD's Monster Lake project, located about 8 km on-trend to the northeast; the Chesbar target, which is prospective for VMS-style mineralization in volcanic rocks. For a description on these projects, please refer to end of this news release A total of 74 channel samples and 33 grab samples have been collected and dispatched to ALS Laboratories for analysis. "Over the last few months we have been actively following-up on newly defined target areas on our flagship Muus Property. We are very optimistic for the potential that these targets represent and look forward to integrating data collected from recent field activities into our latest geological models, with the aim of advancing to the drilling stage." - Jean-Francois Metail, President The Company also wishes to remind investors that the previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to C$500,000 will be closing on or before August 18, 2022. Insiders will be among the significant participants. Shareholders wishing to participate in the Offering should contact the Company through Grove Issuer Services Inc. at [email protected]. (See news releases of July 11 and July 4, 2022 on the Company's website: www.bluethundermining.com). The Offering remains subject to receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About the Muus Property Blue Thunder's Muus Gold project (the "Project") is among the largest aggregate claim holdings in the Chibougamau Gold District (the "District"), comprising more than 51,000 hectares in five non-contiguous claim blocks; namely, the Muus, Fancamp, Muus East, Nisk and Embry properties. The Project is strategically located in the eastern part of the Archean Abitibi Greenstone Belt and underlain by several key regional structures, including the Guercheville Deformation Zone, the Fancamp Deformation Zone and the Philibert-Joe Mann Deformation Zone. These major structural discontinuities are associated with many of the known gold deposits and occurrences in the District, including the recently discovered Nelligan and Monster Lake deposits, which underlie properties adjacent to and along strike from some of Blue Thunder's properties. The Project is host to numerous underexplored mineralized occurrences, some currently being further explored. Mineralization underlying adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Company's properties. QAQC and Qualified Person All rock samples collected from the trenching, drilling and regional prospecting programs have been submitted to ALS Minerals Inc., in Val d'Or, Quebec, part of the ALS Global group ("ALS") for gold and ICP multi-element analysis (Nacera Amara & Saa Traxler, Analytical Chemists). The soil samples have been processed by the Company's staff and the analytical signal of the soil samples has been obtained by an XRF portable analyzer and interpreted as a qualitative geochemical signal only. The soils samples have then been analysed for gold (Au) by Laboratoire Expert Inc. in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec (Joe Landers, Analytical Chemist). The till samples have been processed and analysed by IOS Services Geoscientifiques Inc. in Saguenay, Quebec (Karen Gagne, Analytical Chemist). The Company follows rigorous quality assurance/quality control (QAQC) protocols for the sampling programs that include the regular insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates into the sample stream. The scientific and technical information that forms the basis for parts of this press release was reviewed and approved by John Langton (M.Sc., P.Geo.) of JPL GeoServices, who is a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101. COVID-19 In conformity with guidelines proposed by the Quebec government's Commission des norms, de l'equite, de la sante et de la securite du travail, the Company has implemented a strict COVID-19 management plan that complies with provincial government directives and guidelines with the main objective to safeguard the health and safety of its workers, stakeholders and local community members in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. About Blue Thunder Blue Thunder (TSXV: BLUE) (OTCQB: BLTMF) is a gold exploration company that controls 100% of a large land position near Chibougamau, Quebec. The Muus Project covers approximately 51,000 hectares in five separate blocks of prospective ground in the eastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Project is considered particularly prospective for gold mineralization, as a series of prominent ductile and brittle faultsets transect the Property, including the Guercheville and Fancamp deformation zones, both of which are associated with numerous past and currently producing precious and basemetal mines in the District. Notes: The Nelligan gold discovery is subject to a joint-venture between by Iamgold Corporation and Vanstar Mining Resources Ltd., which hosts NI 43-101 Inferred Resources of 97 million tonnes grading 1.0 grams per tonne of gold, equivalent to 3.2 million ounces of gold (Nelligan NI 43-101 Technical Report, Oct 22, 2019, Prepared for Iamgold Corp. and Vanstar Mining Resources). Nelligan represents a large tonnage, low grade gold deposit, with gold predominantly associated with disseminated sulphides and quartz veining/stockworks, hosted within Caopatina metasediments. The Nelligan deposit is situated on trend and approximately 20 kilometres east-southeast of Blue Thunder's Muus Property. The Philibert deposit hosts a historic gold resource estimate of approximately 1.4 million tonnes grading 5.3 g/t gold with a 4 g/t cut-off grade (1991 economic potential study by Groupe Conseil Roche Ltee - see SEDAR Filing Statement filed under Hornby Bay Mineral Exploration Ltd on May 11, 2020). Gold mineralization is associated with disseminated pyrite and pyrrhotite within highly sheared gabbroic sills hosted in Obatogamau basalts within the Guercheville Deformation Zone. The Philibert deposit occurs on trend and approximately 10 kilometers to the east of Blue Thunder's Muus Property. The Monster Lake gold deposit hosts NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 1,109,700 tonnes of inferred resources averaging 12.14 grams of gold per tonne for 433,300 ounces of contained gold (Amended Technical Report and Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Monster Lake Project, prepared by InnovExplo Inc. for Iamgold Corporation and Tomagold Corporation, effective April 9, 2018). Gold mineralization at Monster Lake is associated with smokey quartz veins and sulphide minerals spatially associated with thin graphitic volcanogenic horizons within the Monster Lake shear Zone. On behalf of the Board of Directors Blue Thunder Mining Inc. Chad Williams Non-Executive Chairman and Director For more information, please visit our website at bluethundermining.com, or contact: Ms. Christina Slater, [email protected], (647) 848-1009, or [email protected]. 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, anticipated exploration program results, the ability to complete future financings, the ability to complete the required permitting, the ability to complete the exploration program and drilling, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, the analytical results from surface trenching and sampling program, including diamond drilling programs, the results of IP surveying, the results of soil and till sampling program. the quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, the potential impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. This news release contains information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties in the Chibougamau District in respect of which the Company has no interest or rights to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any such properties, and that mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties, are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties or any potential exploitation thereof. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132553 Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Fission 3.0 Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FISOF) ("Fission 3" or "the Company") is pleased to report that the first pass drill program on its 100%-owned Murphy Lake property in northern Saskatchewan, has encountered graphitic and sulphide - rich basement structures with associated hydrothermal alteration in 3 out of 5 holes. The intersection of encouraging basement lithological and structural features in several drill holes confirms the prospectivity of the Murphy Lake conductors and has prompted the Company to continue to define these structures with ground EM geophysics and to expand the Murphy Lake drill program. Ross McElroy, P. Geol, Director of Fission 3.0, commented, "The Murphy Lake project is located in the infrastructure-rich eastern Athabasca Basin within close proximity of number of high-grade uranium showings, deposits and mining operations. It is well established that high-grade uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin is often associated with graphitic +/- sulphide shear and fault zones within areas that have undergone hydrothermal alteration. Encountering such features in our first pass drilling has upgraded the Murphy Lake project and bodes well for future discoveries and has led us to expand the drill program at Murphy Lake." The Murphy Lake property is located 30 km northwest of Orano's McLean Lake uranium mine, 5 km south of ISOEnergy's high grade Hurricane Uranium Deposit and 4.5 km east of Cameco's Larocque Lake deposit with drill intersections as high as 27.9% U 3 O 8 over 7.0 m in drill hole Q22-040. On July 18, 2022, ISOEnergy announced the initial mineral resource estimate for the Hurricane Deposit of 48.61 million lbs of U 3 O 8 in the indicated category based on 63,800 tonnes grading 34.5% U 3 O 8 estimated at a uranium cut-off grade of 1.00% U 3 O 8 . Based on an interpretation of government regional magnetic data, Fission 3 inferred that a conductor corridor, within which historic Cameco drill hole Q23-5 intersected anomalous uranium and pathfinder element geochemistry, projected northward onto the Murphy Lake property into an area where there has been no previous drilling. This was confirmed by ground DC Resistivity and EM geophysics carried out this past spring (see July 5, 2022 Fission 3 news release) and further corroborated by the five recently completed holes in the southeastern part of the property, totaling 2,505 m of drilling. Ground geophysical crews have just completed supplementary ground EM surveys which have defined additional conductors and have provided more drill targets in the north trending resistivity low and also in the 1 km long northeast trending resistivity low in the northern part of the property. The Company plans to drill another 4 holes for approximately 1,600 m. (See accompanying maps.) Map 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/132532_map1_full.jpg Map 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/132532_map2_full.jpg Drilling so far has shown that the two parallel ground EM conductors defined this past spring are likely caused by ductile shear zones intersected in basement rocks containing graphite and sulphide minerals and accompanied by zones of intense chlorite and clay alteration. The associated 1.5km long north trending resistivity low zone in the lower Athabasca sandstone was interpreted to be the result of hydrothermal alteration; this is now supported by the intersections of heavily bleached sandstone above the unconformity containing clay filled faults. This is encouraging because high-grade uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin is often associated with clay altered graphite and sulphide bearing shear zones in association with overlying hydrothermal alteration and bleaching in the lower Athabasca sandstone. The vertical depth to the Athabasca unconformity in the five drill holes ranges from 271.0 m to 281.2 m. Initial Drill Results: Hole ML22-001 , Total Depth 485 m, Athabasca Unconformity Depth 308.3 m Bottom 18.3 m of sandstone (290.0 m to 308.3 m) is broken and faulted with sections of bleaching, strong clay and limonite and hematite alteration 14.7 m-wide zone (343.7 m to 358.4 m) of sheared basement rocks with graphite, sulphides, chlorite and clay alteration Hole ML22-002 , Total Depth 497 m, Athabasca Unconformity Depth 315.3 m 15.9 m-wide zone (358.7 m to 374.6 m) of strongly clay altered and graphite-rich sheared basement rocks Hole ML22-003, Total Depth 491.0 m, Athabasca Unconformity Depth 324.1 m Top 39.0 m of basement (324.1 m to 363.1 m) is strongly clay altered and variably limonite altered including a 22.1 m zone (341.0 m to 363.1 m) with patchy bleaching and hematite alteration. Hole ML22- 004 , Total Depth 509.0 m, Athabasca Unconformity Depth 328.5 m Bottom 37.2 m of sandstone (291.3 m to 328.5 m) is heavily bleached containing three 0.5 to 1.2 m wide clay altered faults 12.7 m-wide (363.0 m to 375.7 m) shear zone in basement rocks with laminated sulphides and graphite. Contains zones of intense clay alteration Hole ML22-005 , Total Depth 494.0 m, Athabasca Unconformity Depth 321.1 m Bottom 104.1 m of sandstone (217.3 m to 321.4 m) contains clay-filled faults with regular strongly bleached intervals All depth measurements reported are down-hole and true thickness are yet to be determined. Samples from the drill core are split in half on site and are standardized at 0.5 m lengths. One half of the split sample will be submitted to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK. for lithogeochemical analysis using their "Uranium Package". Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and approved on behalf of the company by Raymond Ashley, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Fission 3.0 Corp., a Qualified Person. Mr. Ashley has verified the data disclosed. About Fission 3.0 Corp. Fission 3 is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discoveries. Fission 3 currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of Fission 3's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including, Arrow, Triple R and Hurricane deposits. https://twitter.com/Fission3Corp Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Fission 3.0 Corp. Contact Information Investor Relations Telephone: 778 484 8030 Email: [email protected] ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Dev Randhawa" Dev Randhawa, CEO Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "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", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission 3.0 Corp. which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Fission 3 Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132532 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 2, 2022) - Heliostar Metals Limited (TSXV: HSTR) (OTCQX: HSTXF) (FSE: RGG1) ("Heliostar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated June 23, 2022 it has closed its non-brokered private placement offering (the "Offering"). 12,020,000 units (each a "Unit") of the Company were issued at a price of $0.25 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of $3,005,000. About the Private Placement Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall initially entitle the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 per Common Share until the date (the "Transition Date") that is six months following the Closing Date. On the Transition Date, each outstanding Warrant shall automatically (without any need for notice or action) convert into a half-warrant (each, a "Half-Warrant") and thereafter the holder will only be entitled to purchase one Common Share upon the exercise of two Half-Warrants at an aggregate exercise price of $0.75 per Common Share. The Half-Warrants will expire eighteen months after the Transition Date. In the Offering, the Company paid finders fees to three qualified finders, consisting of an aggregate amount of $14,700 in cash and 58,800 non-transferable broker warrants ("Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant is exercisable into one Share (each a "Broker Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.50 per Common Share until the Transition Date. On the Transition Date, each outstanding Warrant shall automatically (without any need for notice or action) convert into a Half-Warrant and thereafter the holder will only be entitled to purchase one Common Share upon the exercise of two Half-Warrants at an aggregate exercise price of $0.75 per Common Share. The Half-Warrants will expire eighteen months after the Transition Date. The Shares, any Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of any of the Warrants and any Broker Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of any of the Broker Warrants are subject to a four month and one-day restricted resale period expiring December 3, 2022 in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and securities laws applicable in Canada. In addition to Canadian resale restrictions, any of the securities sold to investors from other jurisdictions may be subject to additional resale restrictions, including those of the federal laws of the United States of America and any State or territory thereof. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance its Alaskan and Mexican projects, focusing primarily on a proposed drill program at Unga, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes. Geologic Resource Partners LLC, a company wholly owned and controlled by George Ireland, a director, purchased 400,000 Units in the Offering, and the Offering is therefore considered to be a "related party transaction", as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101, Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 of the TSX Venture Exchange, which require that the Company, in the absence of exemptions, obtain a formal valuation for, and minority shareholder approval of, the related party transaction. However, the Offering is exempt: (i) from the formal valuation requirement of MI 61-101 (and Policy 5.9) pursuant to the exemption contained in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 as none of the Company's securities are listed on any of the markets specified in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101, and (ii) from the shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 (and Policy 5.9) pursuant to the exemption contained in section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 because the fair market value of the securities sold to related parties in the Offering did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. None of the securities to be issued in the Offering have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. About Heliostar Metals Ltd. Heliostar is a junior exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in Alaska and Mexico. The company's flagship asset is the 100% controlled Unga Gold Project on Unga and Popof Islands in Alaska. The project hosts an intermediate sulfidation epithermal gold deposit, located within the district-scale property that encompasses 240km2 across the two islands. Additional targets on the property include porphyry, high sulphidation and intermediate sulphidation epithermal veins. On Unga Island, priority targets include: the SH-1 and Aquila, both on the Shumagin Trend, the former Apollo-Sitka mine, which was Alaska's first underground gold mine and the Zachary Bay porphyry gold-copper prospect. Gold mineralization at the Centennial Zone is located on neighbouring Popof Island within four kilometres of infrastructure and services at Sand Point. In Mexico, the company owns 100% of three early stage epithermal projects in Sonora that are highly prospective for gold and silver. Cumaro forms part of the El Picacho district, while the Oso Negro and La Lola projects are also prospective for epithermal gold-silver mineralization. For additional information please contact: Charles Funk Chief Executive Officer Heliostar Metals Limited Email: [email protected] Rob Grey Investor Relations Manager Heliostar Metals Limited Email: [email protected] Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include Heliostar's planned use of proceeds.. Although Heliostar believes that 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 may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, weather, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/132649 Flags of U.S. and China are seen in this illustration picture taken August 2, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to China, saying it seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. In a statement issued just after her arrival in Taipei late on Tuesday, China's foreign ministry said Pelosi's visit severely impacts the political foundations of China-U.S. relations, and said it had lodged a strong protest with the United States. (Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel) FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) takes questions during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON (Reuters) -House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday with a clear message for China, saying the U.S. commitment to a democratic Taiwan is more important than ever. In a visit that drew immediate condemnation from Beijing, Pelosi became the first official visit to Taiwan by a speaker of the House in 25 years. "Our congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy," Pelosi said in a statement shortly after landing. She added that the visit by her congressional delegation, which includes an overnight stay, was completely in line with longstanding U.S. policy on Taiwan. Discussions with Taiwanese leadership will focus on shared interests including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Pelosi said. "Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy," Pelosi said in the statement, issued as China condemned her visit and said it would badly damage Sino-U.S. relations. In a Washington Post opinion piece released shortly after she landed, Pelosi outlined her reasons for visiting, praising Taiwan's commitment to democratic government while criticizing China as having dramatically increased tensions with Taiwan in recent years. "In the face of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation's visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan," Pelosi wrote. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Chris Gallagher, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Will Dunham) 634AI's MAESTRO, an AI-enabled autonomous mobile robot management platform will be responsible for managing 200 AMRs also supplied by 634AI NEVE ILAN, Israel and TOYOHASHI, Japan, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 634AI, the Israeli developers of MAESTRO, an AI-enabled control tower for indoor mobility management, and Musashi Seimitsu, a global tier-1 auto part manufacturer, have signed an agreement to deploy 200 Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), powered by MAESTRO, across Musashi Seimitsu's 35 manufacturing facilities worldwide. 634AI's MAESTRO powered AMRs will be used to automate Musashi Seimitsu's intra logistics operation and increase the safety and efficiency of activity on its manufacturing floors. Musashi Seimitsu, a global transmission gear manufacturer, is a major shareholder in 634AI. After two years of testing 634AI's MAESTRO in live manufacturing facilities in Japan, Musashi Seimitsu will be rolling out 634AI's AMRs under the management of MAESTRO over the next four years. 634AI is part of the SixAI family, helping to bring advanced technology and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) into traditional industries. SixAI products are designed to improve productivity and better serve people around the world. Established by Israeli entrepreneur Ran Poliakine, the company solves manufacturing and distribution shortcomings by providing solutions that raise productivity and lowers costs. SixAI introduces technology integration in legacy industries and acquires companies in both local and international markets, mainly in the fields of AI, robotics, green energy, cyber and fintech. SixAI has a strategic partnership with the Japanese corporation Musashi Seimitsu. MAESTRO is 634AI's proprietary AI-powered centralized control tower that enables effective and harmonized indoor operations. MAESTRO offers a constant visual mapping of the entire floor, ensuring hazards and obstacles are recognized and prevented. Alongside 634AI's AMRs, MAESTRO can track raw material movements, provide productivity and utilization data of forklifts as well as provide safety alerts for forklift drivers, and even navigate the movement of heterogeneous AMR fleets. With MAESTRO, Musashi Seimitsu plans to have a more automated intra logistics operation and better coordinated activity, where man-driven forklifts, employees, and robots can operate in sync and with greater safety. Musashi Seimitsu's global presence includes manufacturing facilities in Japan, Germany, US, Canada, India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Hungary, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Isaku Takeshi, Managing Executive Officer of Musashi Seimitsu, said:"We have been heavily investing in automation and AI capabilities over the past few years, with a vision to create a more humane workplace where people no longer carry out tedious, repetitive, unrewarding tasks. We believe 634AI's distinct approach for industrial floor management and control allows, for the first time, people and machines to effectively work side by side in a much safer environment. We look forward to a fruitful deployment across our global manufacturing sites." Oren Levy, CEO of 634AI, said:"MAESTRO's global deployment with Musashi Seimitsu is a major leap forward for our company. It is a mark of trust and confidence in our ability to deliver an effective logistics automation solution in a real, busy industrial environment. Our computer vision-based AMRs powered by a central floor management brain and collaboration with Musashi confirm the distinct advantages of our technology in complex, dynamic industrial environments, and point the way forward for the rest of the industry." About Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. is a global auto parts Tier1 company for automobiles and motorcycles, whose headquarters is located in Toyohashi, Japan. It has 35 manufacturing sites in 14 countries spreading across Europe, North and South America, China, and SouthEast Asia. Musashi specializes in designing, developing and manufacturing powertrain products such as differential assemblies, planetary gear assemblies, transmission gears and assemblies, and reduction gears for xEVs, which are supplied to global major OEMs and Tier 1s. Linkage and suspension products are also strategic products of Musashi. Musashi implements AI on manufacturing sites under the philosophy of "more human-friendly work" and is also working on manufacturing innovation. Musashi is listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange. Website: http://www.musashi.co.jp/en About 634AI 634AI was founded to enable the greater resilience and business continuity of organizations in an ever-changing world. Our mission is to simplify industrial mobility and allow safer, smarter operations for everyone, everywhere. The company developed MAESTRO, a Computer Vision and AI-powered control tower that streamlines management of anything mobile on an industrial floor. MAESTRO gives superpowers to the most ordinary industrial space. Its semantic analytics, generated from a panoptic view of the floor, enables customers a fully coordinated operation of anything mobile be it track and trace movements of goods and equipment, real time safety alerts for man driven vehicles, or navigating fleets of generic autonomous mobile robotic platforms, all through a unified and flexible modular system, with greater safety, at an affordable price. 634AI is on a mission to make a safer and smarter industrial mobility from the industrial floor to the airport terminal, the warehouse floor or the hospital floor, and beyond. Website: http://www.634.ai About SixAI SixAI, which was established by the entrepreneur Ran Poliakine, is engaged in making Israeli and international technologies accessible to the world of traditional industry, with a focus on AI technologies. The company identifies problems in the world of industry and provides them with technological solutions through development, integration and acquisition of companies in the local and international market, mainly in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, green energy, cyber and fintech. The company has a strategic partnership with the Japanese corporation Musashi Seimitsu. In addition, the company has signed an exclusive agreement with the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) - to establish a joint corporation whose goal is to locate military technologies and convert them to civilian uses, as independent start-up companies. The company's offices are located in the technology incubator established by Ran Poliakine in Neve Ilan, Israel. Website: https://www.sixai.tech View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/634ai-signs-agreement-with-musashi-seimitsu-to-deploy-200-autonomous-mobile-robots-in-manufacturing-facilities-worldwide-301597485.html SOURCE 634AI Joins Microsoft, T-Mobile, PayPal, and many others BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company today announced its fourth annual "Best Workplaces for Innovators" list, honoring organizations and businesses that demonstrate a steadfast commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. Arize AI, a pioneer and leader in machine learning (ML) observability, is featured in the Diverse Innovators category. Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2022 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, engineering, diversity, sustainability, B2B, and consumer products and services. Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers worked together to score nearly 1,500 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies. The 2022 awards feature workplaces from around the world. "We are proud to be recognized not only as a top workplace for innovators, but also for helping to create a more representative future for AI," says Aparna Dhinakaran, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Arize. "Diversity propels innovation because you need different perspectives to truly understand a problem and the potential impacts on society at large." Today's recognition comes on the heels of a slew of recent product innovations from Arize. Most recently, the company debuted a groundbreaking product for monitoring unstructured data. The company also launched Bias Tracing, a tool designed to help monitor and take action on model fairness metrics, earlier this year. "This year's list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators recognizes organizations that have demonstrated a deep commitment to cultivating creativity across the board," says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "In the face of powerful headwinds, these leaders and teams continue to spur innovation." About Arize AI Arize AI is a machine learning observability platform that helps ML practitioners successfully take models from research to production with ease. Arize's automated model monitoring and ML analytics platform helps ML teams quickly detect issues when they emerge, troubleshoot why they happened, and improve overall model performance. By connecting offline training and validation datasets to online production data in a central inference store, ML teams can streamline model validation, drift detection, data quality checks, and model performance management. Arize AI acts as the guardrail on deployed AI, providing transparency and introspection into historically black box systems to ensure more effective and responsible AI. Sign up for a free account or request a demo for your team at Arize.com. Media Contact: Krystal Kirkland, [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arize-ai-named-to-fast-companys-list-of-the-best-workplaces-for-innovators-301598038.html SOURCE Arize AI TOKYO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") today announced the following changes to its management structure effective October 1, 2022. 1 Top Management Appointment of new CMODr. Tadaaki Taniguchi, MD, Ph.D, will be appointed to the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as of October 1, 2022. He joined Astellas as Executive Advisor on July 1, 2022. He is an internationally trained surgeon in the field of oncology with extensive industry experience in developing and commercializing innovative medicines as a senior leader in major global pharmaceutical companies. He will be based in the US.Bernhardt Zeiher, M.D., the current CMO, will retire on September 30, 2022. Renaming of CAO & CECO to CPO & CECO and Appointment of CPO & CECOAs of Ocober 1, 2022, the name of Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CAO & CECO) will be renamed to the Chief People Officer and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CPO & CECO). With the growing focus on human capital in corporate management, the change signifies this position's leadership role in transforming human resources and the organization as a whole. Katsuyoshi Sugita will be appointed to CPO & CECO as of October 1, 2022. He has held senior HR leadership positions in the pharmaceutical and technology industries and joined Astellas as Head of Human Resources in May 2021.Since joining Astellas, Mr. Sugita has leveraged his extensive experience and expertise in the area of Human Resources to promote innovation and the active participation of human resources toward the realization of the Organizational Health Goals set forth in "Corporate Strategic Plan 2021". Fumiaki Sakurai, the current CAO & CECO, will retire on September 30, 2022. "I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Sakurai and Dr. Zeiher for their tremendous contribution to Astellas," said Kenji Yasukawa, President and CEO, Astellas. He added, "I expect Dr. Taniguchi to focus on accelerating the clinical application of science, enriching our clinical portfolios and delivering VALUE to patients. I am also confident that Mr. Sugita will promote the realization of Organizational Health Goals by leveraging his extensive career in the area of HR. United under this new leadership, Astellas is aimimg for achieving the goals set forth in Corporate Strategic Plan 2021." TOP Management (Effective October 1, 2022) Title Name New Representative Director, President and Chief Excecutive Officer (CEO) Kenji Yasukawa Representative Director, Corporate Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer (CStO) Naoki Okamura Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Yukio Matsui Chief Scientific Officer (CScO) Yoshitsugu Shitaka Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Minoru Kikuoka General Counsel (GC) Catherine Levitt Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMfgO) Hideki Shima Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Tadaaki Taniguchi Chief People Officer(CPO) and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CECO) Katsuyoshi Sugita 2Change in the responsibility of Corporate Officer (Effective October 1, 2022) Tadaaki TaniguchiNew: Chief Medical Officer (CMO)Current: Executive Adviser Katsuyoshi SugitaNew: Chief People Officer(CPO) and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CECO)Current: Division Head of Human Resources 3. Resignation of Corporate Officer (Effective September 30, 2022) Fumiaki Sakurai,Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CECO) Bernhardt Zeiher, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) (Reference) Name: Tadaaki TaniguchiCareer History: July 2022 Executive Adviser, Astellas Pharma Inc. (present post) December 2021 SVP, Head of Oncology Business Unit Asia Strategy, AstraZeneca PLC November 2019 SVP, Head of Global Medical Affairs, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca PLC January 2019 SVP, Head of Research & Development Japan, AstraZeneca K.K. April 2015 Vice President, Head of Japan Research & Development, Global Medicine Development, AstraZeneca K.K. December 2012 Vice President, Head of Japan Research & Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K. October 2011 Executive Director and Strategic Officer, China Development, MSD China March 2006 Executive Director, Clinical Sciences, Deputy Head of Japan Development, MSD K.K. January 2004 Senior Director, Clinical Research, Deputy Head of Clinical Development Institute, Banyu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. March 2000 Research Director, Clinical Development Institute, Banyu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. November 1996 Clinical Research Fellow, Molecular Pathology Unit, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Hammersmith Hospital, London June 1991 Surgical Resident, Tokyo Metropolitan Oncology and Infectious Disease Center Hospital Name: Katsuyoshi SugitaCareer History: May 2021 EVP, Human Resources Head, Astellas Pharma Inc. (present post) July 2016 Head of Human Resources, Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. August 2012 Head of Human Resources, AstraZeneca K.K. November 2008 Head of Human Resources, Hilti Japan Ltd. September 2003 Johnson & Johnson K.K. April 2002 ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corp. April 1991 Asahi Kasei Corp. About AstellasAstellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+ healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en. Cautionary NotesIn this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/astellas-announces-management-structure-301597480.html SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc. ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Impact Partners announced today that Aflac Incorporated has publicly announced a $15 million investment in Capital Impact Investment Notes ("Notes"). "As a compassionate company that is innately driven by our commitment to the policyholders and communities we serve, we are continually seeking investment opportunities that champion underserved communities," said Teresa McTague, Chief Investment Officer of Aflac U.S. and Aflac Global Investments' Global Head of ESG Investment Strategies. "The opportunity presented by Capital Impact Partners aligned very well with the Socioeconomic Advancement and Empowerment category under our Sustainability Bond Framework. We were thrilled to identify and act upon this caliber of investment opportunity through Capital Impact Partners. Our investment and partnership is far more than transactional to us; it embodies our vision of making a direct and measurable difference in the lives of many, which exemplifies core values our company treasures." "We are thrilled to join in celebrating Aflac Incorporated's commitment toward our mission," said Raymond Guthrie, Head of Capital Deployment for Capital Impact Partners. "We've shown over the past 40 years just how effective impact investing can be. We're able to deliver a strong financial performance while fulfilling our mission of creating social and economic justice in disinvested communities throughout the United States." Funding from the Notes helps expand Capital Impact's national footprint to increase access to critical social services, including health care, education, healthy foods, affordable housing, cooperatives, and dignified aging facilities. To date, individuals and organizations have invested more than $200 million in Notes. "Uplifting community solutions isn't something any single organization or company can achieve alone. Working together with a variety of stakeholders at the table makes our efforts stronger," said Guthrie. Impact investing fills the funding gap between investors and communities. For example, it creates more opportunities for emerging developers of color, expands access to healthy foods, and increases the amount of affordable housing. "Everyone, no matter their circumstance, should have equitable access to the capital and opportunities they deserve," said Jaret Ings, Treasurer for Capital Impact Partners. "Funding from the Investment Notes supports our efforts to advance locally-led solutions that ensure disinvested communities have more of the opportunities they need to succeed and thrive." The Notes allow retail and institutional investors to invest as little as $1,000 in the mission-driven organization's efforts. Capital Impact Partners has invested more than $2.5 billion to serve 6 million people and created more than 38,000 jobs in sectors critical to building equitable communities. Capital Impact has seen robust interest in its S&P A1 rated Notes, which were the first DTC-settled notes offered by a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) on a continuous basis in almost all U.S. states. For more information, visit the Capital Impact Investment Notes website. About Capital Impact Partners: Capital Impact is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities. Capital Impact is now part of the Momentus Capital family of organizations, including CDC Small Business Finance and Ventures Lending Technologies. Together, we offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions. A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982 to create access to critical social services, grow entrepreneurs, and create quality jobs. Capital Impact's leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in the organization being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for its performance. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local teams in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA. Learn more at capitalimpact.org and momentuscap.org. DISCLAIMER Disclaimer: This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Such an offer is made only by means of a current Prospectus (including any applicable Pricing Supplement) for each of the respective Notes. Such offers may be directed only to investors in jurisdictions in which the Notes are eligible for sale. Investors in such states should obtain a current Prospectus by visiting www.capitalimpact.org/invest/capital-impact-investment-notes. Investors are urged to review the current Prospectus before making any investment decisions. No state or federal securities regulators have passed on or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Notes. Any representation to the contrary is unlawful. The Notes will not be insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, SIPC or other governmental agency. As of the date hereof, the Notes will be offered for sale in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, excluding the States of Arkansas, Tennessee and Washington. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Also, when Capital Impact uses any of the words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend" or similar expressions, it is making forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guaranteed and are based on Capital Impact's present intentions and on Capital Impact's present expectations and assumptions. These statements, intentions, expectations, and assumptions involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Capital Impact's control, that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated or projected. Purchasers of Notes should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as events described or implied in such statements may not occur. Except as required by law, Capital Impact undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 1 S&P Global reaffirmed a long-term issue credit rating of A to the Notes on May 17, 2022. Please check the Pricing Supplement for the S&P credit rating assigned to Notes currently being offered for sale. An S&P credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold Notes and may be subject to suspension, reduction or withdrawal at any time by S&P. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capital-impact-partners-celebrates-aflac-incorporateds-announcement-of-a-major-investment-and-commitment-toward-helping-disinvested-communities-301597250.html SOURCE Capital Impact Partners Navigating Uncertainty: 2022 Leadership in the Age of Personalization Summit, October 14 RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clemson University's Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, will host "Navigating Uncertainty," the 2022 Leadership in the Age of Personalization Summit, presented by GLLG. Dozens of leaders will participate in an intensive, 1-day exploration of trends causing the most uncertainty in their industries and the strategies leaders are employing to navigate unknowns and be resilient. The Growth Forum for Organizations that Want to be More Inclusive This annual summit attracts a wide range from corporate America, higher education and healthcare. It's a mix that inspires idea-sharing across boundaries and acknowledges the ways industries converge today. The agenda tackles questions about how to prepare students and workers for jobs and industries that don't even exist yet, and how to prepare our institutions for people who expect authenticity and inclusion. 4 Sessions: The Pandemic Shook the Foundations of Higher Education: What Now? Buck the Trend: Fuel 'The Great Retention' in Your Workplace The Intersection of DEI and ESG: Inclusion Seeds Growth Students Lead the Way: Career, Wellbeing and Leadership Expectations "Uncertainty makes us nervous, and when we're nervous we tend to grasp for control and that just makes things worse," said GLLG CEO Glenn Llopis. "The leaders who thrive will be ones who know how to navigate it." "What makes a great leader today is the ability to tolerate and even welcome a future that's unknown," said Wendy York, dean of Clemson's Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. "We're thrilled to host this gathering of people actively seeking to be that leader and to teach others. This summit is an extension of Clemson's goal to empower leaders to shape the future." 3 Locations Main Summit Location : Clemson University, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, Phyfer Auditorium (Clemson, South Carolina) : Clemson University, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, Phyfer Auditorium (Clemson, South Carolina) Satellite Viewing Party : The Phyfer Innovation Hub, Clemson MBA space at Greenville ONE (Greenville, South Carolina) : The Phyfer Innovation Hub, Clemson MBA space at Greenville ONE (Greenville, South Carolina) Virtual Live Stream: Register Free to watch from the comfort of your home or office! About GLLG GLLG builds high-performance leaders, teams and cultures focusing on inclusion and individuality. Its annual summit inspired a cross-industry movement for shedding standardization and thriving in the age of personalization. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clemson-university-will-host-cross-industry-summit-presented-by-gllg-to-reveal-new-insights-for-leading-through-uncertainty-301597970.html SOURCE GLLG MILWAUKEE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Payment Systems, Inc. (HPS) today announced the appointment of Tom Torre, a 30-year veteran in the fintech space, to its Board of Directors. Torre joins the HPS board as the company advances its national expansion plans for PayMedix, the healthcare payments solutions division dedicated to solving the problem of high out-of-pocket costs for all by guaranteeing upfront payments to all in-network providers and flexible repayment plans for all patients regardless of their credit history. Torre's experience as a senior executive driving growth and performance excellence spans a range of technology organizations, from start-ups to the Fortune 500. His career has centered around fintech, with a focus on payments, and more recently the health tech industry. During the last 20 years, Torre has applied his expertise in these areas to consumer and corporate healthcare payments, bringing innovative solutions to the market. "PayMedix is bringing real innovation with its fintech solution to the healthcare payments industry, which is in great need of change," said Torre. "They've proven what they can do in the upper Midwest and are poised for strong growth. I'm excited to offer my support as PayMedix sets course to take this highly successful and scalable solution nationwide." Most recently, Torre was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bend Financial, a provider of next-generation health savings account (has) solutions. Bend was sold to Webster Bank in February of 2022. Prior to starting Bend, Torre worked with Boston-based venture firm .406 Ventures and is a serial entrepreneur, having raised over $25 million in venture equity and debt and leading exits of more than $500 million. Torre led the spinoff of FIS Global's Healthcare Payments Business, a $335 million-dollar transaction, to create the stand-alone company Alegeus Technologies in 2011. He founded and then served as Alegeus Technologies' Chief Executive Officer, a company that provides enterprise-level benefit and payment solutions to the financial services, healthcare, and benefits industries. Before Alegeus, Torre had an extensive career with executive positions at FIS Global, Metavante Corporation, MBI Benefits, Wright Express, Fleetcor, and others. "As a successful entrepreneur, executive, and business leader, Tom brings exactly the kind of expertise we need as we accelerate our expansion plans for PayMedix," said Tom Policelli, HPS/PayMedix CEO. "I'm excited to welcome Tom to the board and look forward to tapping his extensive industry knowledge." About PayMedix PayMedix, which began as the financing arm of Wisconsin-based HPS over a decade ago, is the only company solving the problem of high out-of-pocket costs for everyone: providers, patients, employers and TPAs. By guaranteeing payments to providers and credit for all patients, PayMedix is changing the way people access, use, and pay for healthcare. PayMedix has processed more than $5 billion in medical payments for hospital systems and physician practices and can be implemented in conjunction with any PPO or HMO network. About HPS Health Payment Systems (HPS) is a privately held healthcare technology and services organization with solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of the healthcare payments process to benefit providers, employers, patients and TPAs. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, HPS has an independent network of 96 hospital facilities and 22,600 individual providers. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hpspaymedix-appoints-tom-torre-as-newest-board-member-301598108.html SOURCE Health Payment Systems, Inc.; PayMedix Prisma Photonics and Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) have recently signed an investment agreement for pipeline monitoring system in Israel; Dr. Eran Inbar: "We have revolutionized the real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure"; Shmuel Turgeman, INGL CEO: "The investment in Prisma Photonics is part of the commitment by INGL to promote the safety and monitoring of pipeline assets" TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Israel Natural Gas Lines announces a strategic investment in Prisma Photonics, which develops an advanced system for monitoring critical infrastructure in real time. The investment agreement comes one year following an agreement between the companies pursuant to which Prisma Photonics will implement its PrismaFlow system for continuous monitoring on gas pipeline segments in Israel. Israeli startup Prisma Photonics has developed a unique solution for monitoring critical infrastructure. Its PrismaFlow system is an advanced fiber-optic-based sensory system capable of identifying leaks, alerting on damaged pipes, and identifying any excavation in its proximity. The system relies on optical infrastructure installed adjacent to the line, which transforms the optical fibers into an ultra-sensitive series of sensors capable of detecting minor leaks and alerting their exact location in real time. Shmuel Turgeman, CEO of Israel Natural Gas Lines, says the "investment in Prisma Photonics is part of the commitment of INGL to promote safety and monitoring of our gas pipeline infrastructure. Within this framework, we constantly take steps to promoting and implementing innovative and advanced technologies which allow us to address the complex challenges in the field. In Prisma Photonics we found real partners for promoting security of critical infrastructure and a concern for safety of the national supply system." Dr. Eran Inbar, CEO of Prisma Photonics, says "the investment INGL is making in our company now, and those made before it by Israel Electric Company, represent a real vote of confidence in our solution. It's not every day that two state-owned companies invest in the same company. There are tens of thousands of kilometers of critical infrastructure in Israel, from natural gas, electricity, water and all the way to communication infrastructure. Securing such infrastructure is a strategic endeavor for any country, and allows to quickly detecting damages and malfunctions in the infrastructure, even before they occur. We have revolutionized real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure, and this investment is an additional evidence for it." Prisma Photonics solution is based on groundbreaking technology protected by a number of patents and which has won a number of international technology competitions, and has been installed by utilities all over the world. About Prisma Photonics Prisma Photonics assists critical infrastructure operators in maintaining routine operations. The Company provides a groundbreaking solution for monitoring of long-range infrastructure, and introduces a new ability for smart, safe and efficient operation which paves the way for smart digital infrastructure. We are reinforcing our customers and aiding them in gaining the best insight for making real-time operational decisions. The Hyper-Scan Fiber-Sensing technology is well suited for the monitoring of infrastructure spanning large distances. The system addresses a large number of operation, safety, security and preventive maintenance scenarios. The company was founded in 2017 by entrepreneurs specializing in laser, fiberoptics, and machine learning. About INGL Israel Natural Gas Lines LTD is a state-owned corporation established in 2003 for the purpose of developing and operating the national natural gas pipelinegrid. INGL builds and operates the grid in accordance with extremely stringent international standards. To date, INGL has laid down a total of approximately 850 km of piping throughout Israel. Today, 70% of the electricity in Israel is produced using natural gas convayed by INGL. The company is routinely ranked as a market leader by credit rating firms Moody's and S&P. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1742669/Prisma_Photonics_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/israel-natural-gas-lines-to-invest-in-startup-prisma-photonics-301598131.html SOURCE Prisma Photonics WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Foundation of America announces six recipients of the 2022 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, which provides grant and mentorship support to young scientists pursuing the lupus research field. The program plays an important role in cultivating future lupus researchers to ensure continued growth and progress among the next generation of scientists. The 2022 Finzi Fellowship Awardees will focus on important areas of lupus research ranging from genetics, cardiovascular risks, environmental factors and biomarkers. "Research grants like the Lupus Foundation of America Gina M. Finzi Student Memorial Fellowship Program are an incredible opportunity to build awareness of lupus and the need for more research of the disease among young scientists," shared Montserrat Anguera, PhD, 2022 Finzi Fellow Mentor. "The program is a great way to get students thinking of novel approaches to treat lupus that can be continued throughout their research career." Finzi awardees are mentored by an experienced lupus investigator. This critical component helps ensure young scientists receive support and guidance during their research as they establish themselves in the lupus research field. The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, established in 1984, was created to honor Gina M. Finzi, the late daughter of former Lupus Foundation of America President Sergio Finzi, PhD. The Finzi program has supported the work of nearly 200 young scientists in North America. Past recipients from the program have gone on to lead innovative and groundbreaking lupus research and have become distinguished lupus scientists. "The Lupus Foundation of America understands the importance of nurturing young scientists pursuing the field of lupus research, and the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program provides not only critical research funding but the mentorship that is crucial to cultivating the lupus researchers of the future," said Stevan W. Gibson, president & CEO, Lupus Foundation of America. The research by the awardees will contribute to a wide range of important areas within lupus research: Keenan Anderson-FearsPennsylvania State UniversityProject Title: Evaluation of Genetic and Clinical Risk Scores to Enhance Incomplete Lupus Erythematosus (ILE) to SLE Progression IdentificationMentor: Dajiang J. Liu, Ph.D., MA, Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, Interim Director of Biomedical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, Co-Chair of Bioinformatics and Genomics PhD Program, Penn State College of MedicineCo-Mentor: Nancy Olsen, MD, the H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Rheumatology, Penn State College of Medicine Aditi DeokarDartmouth CollegeProject Title: Increasing Regulatory T cells to Ameliorate Systemic Lupus ErythematosusMentor: Yina H. Huang, PhD, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Olivia FavorMichigan State UniversityProject Title: Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition: A Novel Approach for Suppressing Environmentally-Triggered LupusMentor: James J. Pestka, Ph.D., Robert and Carol Deibel Family Professor, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University Seong Hee (Joy) ParkUpstate Medical UniversityProject Title: The role of HRES-1/Rab4-regulated CD38 expression in IL-2 depletion in systemic lupus erythematosus CD4+ T cellsMentor: Andras Perl, MD, PhD, State University of New York Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Microbiology and Immunology; Vice Chair for Research, Department of Medicine Chief, Division of Rheumatology Julianne KleitschUniversity of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of MedicineProject Title: How to assess the heightened 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular events specifically in lupus patients? A comparison of published methods for estimating risk with actual events in a 10-year period in our established longitudinal lupus cohortMentor: Victoria Werth, MS, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Natalie ToothacreUniversity of PennsylvaniaProject Title: Elucidating the role of DNA methylation in dynamic X Chromosome Inactivation and lupus disease development in female lymphocytesMentor: Montserrat Anguera, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about the 2022 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship recipients, here. About the Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America is the national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world's cruelest, most unpredictable and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. Through a comprehensive program of research, education, and advocacy, we lead the fight to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus. Learn more about the Lupus Foundation of America at lupus.org. Media ContactMike Donnelly[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lupus-foundation-of-america-summer-fellowship-program-awards-grants-to-six-young-scientists-301597806.html SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America The Honor Caps an Award Streak for The Women-Owned Independent Agency SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Media Matters Worldwide, one of the fastest-growing independent media agencies in the U.S., was honored by Ad Age as Media Agency of the Year in its Small Agency Awards. This is the second consecutive year the agency was honored by the magazine. The award contest honors the independent agencies producing groundbreaking work and teams strategizing and executing ideas that directly compete with advertising's oldest, largest, and most sought-after partners. Media Matters Worldwide (MMWW) showed its strength and creativity by producing innovative and exciting work that drives clients' brand building, outcomes, and business growth. Judann Pollack, Ad Age executive editor said about the winners: "They may be small in number of employees, but these shops are proven to have big ideas and big ambitions. Their work is as good asor in many cases betterthan that turned out by agencies many times their size. They have proven time and time again that they are nimble, adaptable and able to compete with the giants." The Ad Age editorial staff chooses the winners based on business momentum, creative prowess and effectiveness of campaigns, breadth of its work, and how the agency approaches future growth. In addition, the editors look at the agency's culture, team member benefits and enrichment programs, and how it is working to diversify its talent base. "Over the past year, our investment in new tools, policies, and our culture spurred a metamorphosis that paralleled a year of explosive business growthlike our AI Agile Mix Modeling tool and benefits like increasing days off for parents to bond with their babies during the first year," said Taji Zaminasli [email protected]>, Co-Founder, MMWW. "We emerged as a stronger, more adept, and better business partner to our clients and a place where team members grow and thrive." As the only women-owned agency to be honored, MMWW's year-long winning streak kicked off with Ad Age's Silver Media Agency of the Year and a finalist honor for Campaign Magazine Media Agency of the Year. The agency is also an ANA B2B Northern California Innovation Award winner and was honored in industry shows such as the OMMA Awards and Campaign Magazine's US Media Awards. And cofounder Josy Amann was named a "Female Frontier '' winner by Campaign Magazine, recognizing the accomplishments of the most progressive and boundary-pushing women. "We are honored to be recognized by Ad Age for the second year in a row for tackling our client's biggest business challenges and building an agency where people can do their best work," said Josy Amann, Co-Founder, MMWW. "We've always known we have an amazing team, but over the past two years the commitment, passion and creativity they've brought to our client work has been remarkable. This award is a testament to them." Prior to the awards ceremony at the Ad Age Small Agency Conference, MMWW's Sara Owens, VP of Analytics and Data Sciences, took the stage to discuss "How to build an audience science discipline to create new revenue streams" with Ericka McCoy of Resonate and John Dioso of AdAge. About Media Matters Worldwide Media Matters Worldwide empowers B2C and B2B businesses to make smarter marketing decisions. We partner with clients to bring creative to life, with comprehensive analytics to prove the success and drive business growth. Our highly talented and experienced media and analytics strategists have a passion for cutting-edge media innovation and a focus on uncovering the "why" behind analytics. MMWW continuously invests in the latest media technologies to develop strategic, efficient, transparent, and measurable solutions. Learn more at www.MediaMattersWW.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/media-matters-worldwide-is-ad-ages-gold-media-agency-of-the-year-301598032.html SOURCE Media Matters Worldwide The annual awards program by the Southern Environmental Law Center honors extraordinary environmental writers focused on the South CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced a call for entries for the 2023 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award, celebrating writers who achieve both literary excellence and offer extraordinary insight into the South's natural treasures and environmental challenges. Presented each year, the Reed Award recognizes outstanding writing on the Southern environment in two categories: the Book Category for works of nonfiction (not self-published) and the Journalism Category for newspaper, magazine, and digital writing published by a recognized institution such as a news organization, university, or nonprofit group. Nominations are welcome from anyone, including readers, authors, and publishers. In the long, proud tradition of Southern literature, writers have often drawn on the region's unique natural treasures for inspiration and insightfrom the haunting cypress swamps of Georgia to the tall mountains of western North Carolina to the rolling fields of the Virginia piedmont. As the South continues to grow and change, writers are increasingly exploring our relationship with the natural world and the environmental challenges we face as a region. SELC's Reed Environmental Writing Award honors the best of these storytellers. Recent winners include: Catherine Coleman Flowers, author of Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret Alexis Okeowo, staff writer at The New Yorker Tony Bartelme, a special projects reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier Margaret Renkl, opinion writer for the New York Times and author of Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss and author of Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature There are three options for submitting entries: electronic copy (up to 64MB), hard copy, or a website link to where the submission is available for sale. Hard copy submissions will not be returned. Below are general contest requirements. All submissions must have been published between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022 . and . All submissions must relate to the natural environment in at least one of the following states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia . . Submissions are due by October 1, 2022 at southernenvironment.org at southernenvironment.org Journalism entries must be at least 1,000 words and may consist of a single article or a group of articles. Reed Award winners are selected by a national panel of judges that includes leading environmental writers, journalists, and advocates. The awards honor the late Phillip D. Reed, a distinguished attorney, committed environmental activist, and a founding trustee of SELC. About Southern Environmental Law Center: The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation's most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region's air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 200, including more than 100 attorneys, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. southernenvironment.org View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reed-environmental-writing-award-announces-2023-call-for-entries-301597294.html SOURCE Southern Environmental Law Center RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Housing Authority of San Bernardino County (HACSB), an Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) Victorville Community Resource Center on-site partner, is hosting housing support workshops for county residents. These free workshops will offer residents a wide range of information on housing assistance resources, including how to sign up for rental assistance and learn more about the county's housing voucher program. Each workshop is open to the public and will be held at the Victorville Community Resource Center located at 12353 Mariposa Road, Suites C-2 & C-3. The workshops are scheduled from 9-10 a.m. on the following Wednesdays: Aug. 3 Aug. 17 Sept. 7 Sept. 21 "By providing housing resources workshops at the Victorville Community Center, customers can learn about affordable housing services offered by HACSB and access supportive services from other community partners in one location," said HACSB Director of Policy and Public Relations, Nicole Beydler. "Our hope is that this partnership helps to connect affordable housing and related services, and that customers will be able to leverage these services toward achieving their goals." HACSB focuses on providing housing assistance through resources authorized and funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Through this work, HACSB is one of the most progressive housing authorities in the country and the largest provider of affordable housing in San Bernardino County. Currently, HACSB assists about 26,000 people, most of whom are seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans and children. "We are proud to partner with IEHP to bring these housing resource workshops to the community. Safe and stable housing is fundamental, but it takes more than housing to achieve an enriched quality of life," added Beydler. Through IEHP and HACSB's collaboration, the health plan's Victorville Community Resource center was also designated as a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) EnVision Center last year. This highlights the center's ability and commitment to empower households with resources and support needed to become self-sufficient. Resources pertain to economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness and character leadership. "Knowledge and information are power," said IEHP Victorville Community Resource Center Manager Delia Orosco. "In collaboration with HACSB and our other center partners, we can empower our communities with information needed to truly inspire positive change in their own lives." In addition to HACSB, IEHP's Victorville center currently hosts five, on-site partners to support community residents. Partners include Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, TODEC Legal Center, Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County and the Goodwill of Southern California. For more information on IEHP's Community Resource Centers, visit iehp.org. About IEHP With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. In its 26th year, IEHP is supporting more than 1.5 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plans and has a growing network of over 7,800 providers and nearly 3,000 team members. Through dynamic partnerships with providers and community organizations, paired with award-winning service and a tradition of quality care, IEHP is fully committed to their vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. For more information, visit iehp.org. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/san-bernardino-housing-authority-to-host-free-workshops-in-victorville-301598295.html SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) V2 further empowers all teams to create and scale standout audience experiences LINZ, Austria, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Storyblok, the content management system (CMS) category leader for 2022 that empowers both developers and content teams to create better content experiences across all digital channels, today announced the launch of its all-new CMS. Storyblok V2 includes a fresh user interface complete with an all new design experience, collaboration tools, and an enhanced digital asset manager designed to improve content workflows. In Storyblok's The State of Content Management 2022 report, it was revealed that 47.96% of businesses use 2 to 3 CMSs, and 47.08% said 2 to 3 different teams use those CMSs. V2 further solidifies Storyblok as a future-proof CMS that enhances content experiences at any scale. Storyblok's powerful headless CMS architecture enables developers to build anything, publish everywhere, and integrate with any technology stack. Content teams are empowered to create independently with a visual editing experience, Google Docs-style collaboration suite, composable components, presets, and powerful publishing workflows. V2 also introduces support for a US data center, providing Storyblok users with additional hosting options across the US and Europe. All of this results in a scalable digital experience for audiences that delivers fast performance, optimized omnichannel storytelling, and robust personalization and localization. A Forrester report called The Forrester Wave: Agile Content Management Systems (CMSes), Q1 2021 said: "As organizations produce more experiences that leverage a common back end, the value of those services and assets increases relative to the cost to create them. Brands grapple with the challenge of delivering content to new endpoints (e.g., web, mobile, smart displays, voice assistants, and marketplaces), so it's important to manage content and experiences centrally to drive reuse. This makes updating and analyzing and optimizing experiences more efficient as well." "We've been fortunate to have a front-row view inside the content operations of some of the world's leading businesses," said Alexander Feiglstorfer, Co-Founder and CTO of Storyblok. "We built V2 because companies need flexibility and smarter workflows to adapt and scale to support the ever-increasing complexity of omnichannel digital experiences. After testing it in beta with our 82k+ users over the past year and listening to their feedback, we're finally ready to show even more companies what content management should be like in the 21st century." "We live in a world of connected channels and interfaces and expect modern digital experiences for every digital interaction. But most CMSs in use today were built at a time when there were only desktop web browsing experiences," said Dominik Angerer, Co-Founder and CEO of Storyblok. "Many businesses fail at managing content across departments and are not capable of providing high performance, personalized experiences at scale. It's time for businesses to fix these challenges. Storyblok V2 is the content engine for any digital experience and helps businesses tell their stories on any channel." On Thursday, August 4th at 11am Eastern / 5pm CEST, Storyblok is hosting a live V2 launch event that includes a demo of the new features and a panel discussion exploring the future of content experiences. Register here to attend this online event and see the full schedule. Resources Learn more about Storyblok: https://www.storyblok.com View Storyblok's press kit (includes images of V2): https://www.storyblok.com/press See case studies: https://www.storyblok.com/case-studies About StoryblokStoryblok, the content management system (CMS) category leader for 2022, empowers both developers and content teams to create better content experiences across any digital channel. Storyblok enhances audience experiences with best-in-breed performance, optimized omnichannel storytelling, and robust personalization. Enable content teams to create and manage content intuitively and independently with drag and drop visual editing, custom collaboration workflows, and a world-class digital asset manager. Empower developers to build anything, integrate with everything, and publish everywhere with Storyblok's headless CMS architecture. Leading brands such as Adidas, T-Mobile, Harvard Business School, Renault, and Marc O'Polo use Storyblok to shape their digital storytelling. See why Storyblok was named the #1 CMS for 2022 by G2 at www.storyblok.com and follow Storyblok on LinkedIn and Twitter. Press ContactBrandon Watts[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/storyblok-launches-new-cms-experience-to-shape-the-future-of-digital-storytelling-301597467.html SOURCE Storyblok VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO) (NYSE American: TGB) (LSE: TKO) (the "Company") will release its second quarter 2022 financial results after market close on Monday, August 8, 2022. The Company will host a telephone conference call and live webcast on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Pacific) to discuss these results. After opening remarks by management, there will be a question and answer session open to analysts and investors. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 647-484-0258 in Toronto, 800-289-0720 toll free in North America, 0800 279 6877 in the United Kingdom, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events and using the entry code 8913919. The conference call will be archived for later playback until August 23, 2022 and can be accessed by dialing 647-436-0148 in Toronto, 888-203-1112 toll free in North America, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events and using the entry code 8913919. Stuart McDonaldPresident and CEO No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taseko-to-release-second-quarter-2022-results-301598252.html SOURCE Taseko Mines Limited ATLANTA , Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Clark Atlanta University's (CAU) Executive Leadership Institute and higher education stakeholders announced that its accepting applications for the 2023 Community of Fellows for the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at CAU. Since its launch in 2021, HBCU ELI has seen an increase in the number of applications, including candidates from a variety of industries ranging from education and finance to marketing and law. The growth signifies the relevancy of ELI's curriculum amid the pandemic and included the most diverse executive leadership cohort in history. The Executive Leadership Institute is a 12-month leadership development program at Clark Atlanta University. Through interactive learning sessions with ELI faculty and discussion with education practitioners, each will build networks and develop management and leadership skills for immediate application, with the goal of advancing equity in educational outcomes for all students. Since 2021, more than one hundred and fifty candidates applied to join the prestigious group. Over 90% of whom have an existing HBCU affiliation as alums and or administrators. Each year, ELI selects 20-30 qualified candidates. The groundbreaking initiative continues to serve as an incubator for recruiting and developing the future presidents of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The first program of its kind, ELI is preserving and strengthening HBCUs as a hub for education, opportunity and uplift in the Black community. The effort is supported by multiple donors, including the Chan Zuckerberg Institute, ECMC, and the Rich Foundation, Bank of America, UMC, among others. Since 2021, some of the following ELI fellows have accepted promotions/appointments: Dr. Rochelle Ford appointed President of Dillard University. Former Dean, School of Communications at Elon University Dr. Josiah Sampson, promoted to Vice President for Enrollment Management at Jackson State University Dr. Keith Hargrove appointed Provost & Sr. VP for Academic Affairs, Tuskegee University. Former Dean, College of Engineer, Tennessee State University. Dr. Kara Brown appointed Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at University of Arkansas (UA) Little Rock. Former Dean of Student Life/Dean of Student Activities, UA Pine Bluff. Dr. Letizia Gambrell-Boone appointed Vice President for Student Affairs. Former Director, Research Initiative and Public Hearings. Dr. Zakiya Brown promoted to Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Lincoln University of Missouri. Former CSAO/Dean of Students, Title IX Coordinator and Chief Diversity Officer. Dr. Braque Talley promoted by Alabama A&M University (AAMU) named as its next Vice-President for Student Affairs. Former Vice Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Dr. Michael J. Self, Sr. selected as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Lincoln University of Missouri. Former Assistant Provost and Dean, Metropolitan State University ELI's robust curriculum equips fellows with the tools and insights to effectively lead an HBCU. This includes operations, budgeting, alumni relations, fundraising and development, as well as board governance and human resource management. The new 2023 cohort will participate in both virtual and in-person classes to help better equip them to fill vacant HBCU presidencies and other executive leadership positions. "HBCUs are critical to our macroeconomy as cognitive diversity is key to global innovation" said Dr. George T. French Jr., President of Clark Atlanta University. "Through the ELI at CAU, we've established a reputation as a premier pipeline for the next generation of higher education leaders who take a thoughtful, modern approach to education innovation." The Executive Leadership Program leverages the expertise of outstanding practitioners, including members of the HBCU ELI Advisory Board and the Council of HBCU Past Presidents, each of whom partners with ELI faculty (current and past presidents) to bring their leadership experience into the program. According to UNCF (7/2022), HBCUs account for just 3% of US higher education institutions yet educate 10% of all Black college students.; graduate 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black lawyers in the US; and award 24% of all bachelor's degrees received by African Americans in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. "The first community of fellows learned and connected in a manner that is unprecedented for executive programs, largely in part to the work of our amazing leadership team," said Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Executive Director of the HBCU ELI at CAU and former President of Bennett College. "This unique curriculum was designed specifically for HBCUs, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor. HBCUs matter today now more than ever." The Institute is currently accepting highly qualified applications through October 19, 2022 for the class of 2023 ELI at CAU. For program updates visit https://www.cau.edu/school-of-education/HBCU-Executive-Leadership-Institute/index.html. Join the conversation on social media @hbcueli and #hbcueli. About The Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University ELI at CAU equips high-potential leaders with tools and strategies that support the education and business goals of more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through ELI at CAU, the ability of HBCUs to survive and thrive is improved. In addition to granting thousands of degrees each year, HBCUs also boast illustrious alumni like Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others. For more information, join the conversation on social media @hbcueli; #hbcueli. About Clark Atlanta University Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869), Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, educational experiences, and high-value engagement, CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit cau.edu. Media Contacts:Cecilia Cheeks for ELI[email protected]404-909-9540 Jolene Butts Freeman, for CAU[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-hbcu-executive-leadership-institute-at-cau-announces-its-accepting-applications-for-the-2023-community-of-fellows-301598427.html SOURCE Clark Atlanta University (CAU) Executive Leadership Institute The circumstances surrounding the death of a Texas-based soldier in Lithuania last week are still being investigated, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Tuesday. Staff Sgt. Robert Magallan died in a vehicle-related incident Thursday while on temporary assignment, USAREUR-AF said in a statement. Magallan, 30, drove off the middle of a drawbridge in the port city of Klaipeda at 12:45 a.m., Lithuanian National Radio and Television reported on its website. A video shared on social media and posted by the Lithuanian news service shows a vehicle moving back and forth before crashing through the safety barrier and falling into the water below. Magallan was in civilian clothes and was driving a rented vehicle from Latvia, according to the Lithuanian National Radio and Television report. He was checked in at a nearby hotel, the report said. Divers were able to recover the body, according to the Lithuanian report. Magallan was a section sergeant with the 11th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas, USAREUR-AF said. The Army said it is coordinating with local authorities to understand what led to the death. Our thoughts are with the family of the soldier involved. No further information is available at this time, USAREUR-AF said. Few details on Magallan were available Tuesday. But a December 2020 press release from Fort Hood public affairs identified him as a sergeant helping give free Christmas trees to soldiers and their families. It shows that the community cares about them, Magallan said at the time. Magallans Facebook page shows him as the father of a young son. It also says Magallan grew up in Mission, Texas and graduated from Texas State Technical College-Harlingen in 2014. CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa Japanese prosecutors have dropped their cases against a trio of U.S. service members accused of passing counterfeit $100 bills to cab drivers on Okinawa. In separate October incidents, an unnamed soldier and two unnamed Marines were accused of getting into taxis, traveling less than half a mile and using fake American currency to pay the fare, Okinawa Times reported Friday, citing an unnamed source involved in the case. Its not uncommon for some businesses on the island to accept U.S. dollars and give change in yen. None of the service members were arrested, but police referred fraud and attempted fraud charges to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office, according to the newspaper. Though Japanese police can recommend charges, prosecutors are the ones who ultimately make those decisions. Prosecutors declined to charge the soldier with fraud and attempted fraud on March 29, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday. The fraud case against one Marine was dropped on June 13, she said. The fraud and attempted fraud case against the other Marine was dropped the same day. She declined to say why the cases were dropped. Okinawa prefectural police also declined to comment on Tuesday. Its customary in Japan for some government spokespeople to speak to the media on condition of anonymity. A spokeswoman for U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa referred questions to the 10th Support Group at Torii Station, which did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday. A spokesman for Marines Corps Installations Pacific on Okinawa also did not respond to an email that day. WASHINGTON Comedian Jon Stewart joined lawmakers and veteran advocates at a Capitol Hill rally on Thursday to voice their anger after legislation was blocked in the Senate that would expand eligibility for health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins. Enough is enough, said Shane Liermann, national deputy legislative director for Disabled American Veterans. How many more delays? How many more deaths? How many more suffering veterans, just to be able to wake up in the morning and not hurt, to be able to actually sleep at night, to be able to breathe without suffering? Enough is enough. Stop the delays. Originally set to be a final push for the bills approval, the rally instead turned into a display of anger and frustration over the delay with the Senate set to go on recess in August, leaving the bill with an uncertain future. Obviously, I'm not a military expert... But from what I understand, you're not allowed to just leave your post when the mission isn't completed, Stewart said. You take an oath, you swear an oath, and you can't leave. But these folks can leave because they're on Senate time. This is an embarrassment to the Senate, to the country, to the founders, and all that they profess to hold dear. An earlier version of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, or PACT Act, was approved by the Senate by a vote of 84-14 in June. But the Senate needed to vote again Wednesday because the House made changes to the bill before the lower chamber passed it by a 342-88 vote on July 13. The revised legislation drew 55 votes in the Senate short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Twenty-five Republicans who previously supported versions of the bill voted against it on the procedural vote, according to a report by The Washington Post. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., was one of the senators who voted against the bill Wednesday. He said the PACT Act included more than $300 billion to be spent in the next 10 years unrelated to veterans and it was a concern for him and his colleagues. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said he had never seen anything in his 25 years in politics like what happened Wednesday on the Senate floor. What compounds it and what makes it that much more difficult is we, in essence, yesterday took benefits away from the people who have been impacted by war, that we sent off the war, and we turn our backs and say, No, we're going to find an excuse to vote against our veterans while we wave the flag, talking about how great our fighting men and women are, Tester said Thursday at the rally. We've got some work to do, and we've got to do it very soon. In May, Tester and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced the PACT Act. The senators have called the legislation historic and long overdue. The PACT Act seeks to provide an easier path to health care and benefits for veterans who served near open-air burn pits, which were used throughout the 1990s and the post-9/11 wars to burn garbage, jet fuel and other materials. Veterans diagnosed with cancer, respiratory issues and lung disease at young ages have blamed exposure to the toxic fumes from these pits, but the Department of Veterans Affairs contended for years that there wasnt sufficient evidence to support their claims. The bill also would improve the VAs workforce and claims processing to speed up efforts to meet the needs of veterans and establish 31 new VA health care facilities in 19 states. Additionally, the bill would expand health care eligibility to post-9/11 combat veterans and add 23 conditions related to burn pits and other toxic exposures to the VAs list of service presumptions. It will also expand the list of presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure to include Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll, strengthen federal research on toxic exposure, and improve the VAs resources and training. The Congressional Budget Office reported on June 6 that the PACT Acts cost estimate would be more than $600 billion. The bill is named for Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder and lung cancer after serving with the Army National Guard in Kosovo and Iraq, where he experienced prolonged exposure to burn pits. He died in 2020. In June, Robinsons mother-in-law, Susan Zeier, said she began wearing Robinsons Army jacket after Rosie Torres, co-founder of the advocacy group Burn Pits 360, said family members of the 9/11 first responders gained momentum pushing for legislation to help them after they began wearing firefighter and police jackets. I've been wearing this since about summer 2018 and with this bill passing the Senate, I think it's time to retire it, Zeier said in June. On Thursday, Zeier carried Robinsons Army jacket at the rally and put it back on. They voted against my family, she said. They voted for all of us to suffer. They are endorsing our suffering. Zeier said caring for Robinson became an around-the-clock effort, and she moved in with her daughter Danielle, Robinsons wife, to help. She said Robinson begged them to give him an overdose of medication to put an end to their suffering. He felt guilty because he caused us to suffer and he didn't want to do it anymore, Zeier said. He begged us for two months to do this. That meant neither she nor I could ever leave him alone for one minute. She said any senator who voted against the PACT Act does not support veterans. I'm done, Zeier said. And the next time I come back here, it better be to sign the damn bill at the White House. With President Joe Biden having departed the Middle East, the regions two prime antagonists are thinking about just getting along. Iran and Saudi Arabia, having completed five rounds of talks in Iraq over the past year, both said recently that they were moving toward higher-level negotiations on reconciliation. Paradoxically, this budding rapprochement between friend and foe offers important opportunities for Washington. After severing diplomatic ties following a January 2016 mob attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, the Riyadh government hoped sanctions on Iran by President Donald Trumps administration might produce a change in Iranian conduct. Instead, Iran became more aggressive than ever, culminating with a devastating missile strike on Saudi Aramco facilities in September 2019. The Trump administration, usually bellicose toward Iran, turned a blind eye, noting that no Americans had been killed. That proved a final straw for the Saudis. They were already upset that the Barack Obama administrations 2015 nuclear deal with Iran ignored two main concerns Irans drone and missile arsenal, and its network of armed gangs in Arab countries including Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The Saudis concluded that Washington was no longer reliable, and that if they wanted their top security issues involving Tehran to be on the negotiating table, they were going to put them there by themselves. After the 2020 U.S. election, that realization dovetailed with the Biden administrations encouragement of diplomacy over the use of force in the region. The formal reconciliation talks began in April 2021 at the Baghdad airport; Iraq constituting something approximating neutral ground. Initially, little progress was made. The Saudis focused on getting Iran to pressure its Houthi clients in Yemen to agree to a cease-fire and eventual peace settlement in a war that has turned into a quagmire for Riyadh. The Iranians wanted only to discuss restoring diplomatic relations. But after the fifth round earlier this year, and amid the growing sense that Iran was stubbornly blocking Bidens effort to revive the nuclear deal, there was a minor, but real, breakthrough. Responding to Iranian prodding, the Houthis finally agreed to a truce, which has lasted more than two months and allowed significant humanitarian relief into the beleaguered country. The Saudis securing and maintaining the cease-fire in the bloody conflict pleased the White House and Congress. Riyadh also took the opportunity to finally rid itself of the obstreperous Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, replacing him with a new Presidential Leadership Council. Another round of talks, which seems imminent, will come at a pivotal moment in U.S. relations with friends and foes in the Middle East. Bidens visit was intended to repair strained U.S.-Saudi relations. But perhaps more importantly, the president encouraged Saudi Arabia to join other Arab countries, and even Israel, in building a set of informal cooperative security arrangements. These would include air- and missile-defense systems to offset Irans increasingly powerful arsenal. The eventual aim of such expanded collaboration is for the U.S. military to reduce its Middle East footprint, doing less with more, because regional cooperation could prove more effective and sustainable than outside intervention. Not everything is going smoothly. There are already signs that the Houthis may break the uneasy truce in Yemen. Iran will play a central role in whether that happens, because it uses such militias to increase or relieve pressure on its adversaries, adjusting violence like turning a spigot. Its also clear that Tehran hopes to use the reconciliation talks with Riyadh to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. The idea is to make the Saudis choose between either rebuilding close cooperation with Washington or achieving rapprochement with Iran and extraction from the Yemen war. Its a crude trap. Washington can outflank Tehran by strengthening security commitments to Saudi Arabia, while making it clear it expects greater Saudi cooperation on energy production and pricing, keeping Russia and China at arms length, and being open to greater regional security coordination. The Gulf Arab countries still have major doubts about U.S. commitment and reliability, but they understand theres no practical alternative to American support. Iranian media are playing up Saudi Arabias supposed enthusiasm for wide-ranging reconciliation, but in fact the Saudis remain highly skeptical. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia can give the Iranians a set of clear choices: They can have relations restored with the Saudis, a renewed nuclear agreement with Washington, and respect for legitimate security concerns but only on reasonable terms, starting with curbing violence by their regional proxies. The partnership between Washington and Riyadh may not be as strong as it once was, but its clearly on the mend. And its certainly still strong enough to be able to show Iran that it cant score cheap victories by trying to divide them. Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. North Koreans are plagiarizing online resumes and pretending to be from other countries to get remote work at cryptocurrency firms to aid illicit money-raising efforts for the government, cybersecurity researchers say following a U.S. warning on a similar scheme in May. The fraudsters lift details they find on legitimate profiles on LinkedIn and Indeed for their resumes to get work at U.S. cryptocurrency firms, according to security researchers at Mandiant. One applicant identified by Mandiant on July 14 claimed to be an innovative and strategic thinking professional in the tech industry and an experienced software developer. The world will see the great result from my hands, the job seeker added in a cover letter. Nearly identical language was found in another users profile. The evidence detected by Mandiant reinforces allegations made by the U.S. government in May. The U.S. warned that North Korean IT workers are trying to obtain freelance employment abroad while posing as non-North Korean nationals, in part to raise money for government weapons development programs. The IT workers claim to have the kinds of skills necessary for complex work like mobile app development, building virtual currency exchanges and mobile gaming, according to the U.S. advisory. The North Korean IT workers were primarily located in China and Russia, with a smaller number in Africa and Southeast Asia, according to the U.S. They also target freelance contracts in wealthier nations, including in North America and Europe, and in many cases, present themselves as being South Korean, Japanese or even U.S.-based teleworkers, according to the .w.arning. According to the Mandiant researchers, by collecting information from crypto companies, North Koreans can gather intelligence about upcoming cryptocurrency trends. Such data about topics like Ethereum virtual currency, nonfungible tokens and potential security lapses could give the North Korean government an edge in how to launder cryptocurrency in a way that helps Pyongyang avoid sanctions, said Joe Dobson, a principal analyst at Mandiant. It comes down to insider threats, he said. If someone gets hired onto a crypto project, and they become a core developer, that allows them to influence things, whether for good or not. The North Korean government has consistently denied involvement in any cyber-enabled theft. Other suspected North Koreans have fabricated job qualifications, with some users claiming on job applications to have published a white paper about the Bibox digital currency exchange, while another posed as a senior software developer at a consultancy focused on blockchain technology. Mandiant researchers said they had identified multiple suspected North Korean personas on employment sites that have successfully been hired as freelance employees. They declined to name the employers. These are North Koreans trying to get hired and get to a place where they can funnel money back to the regime, said Michael Barnhart, a principal analyst at Mandiant. In addition, North Korean users, claiming to have programming skills, have posed questions on the coding site GitHub, where software developers publicly discuss their findings, about larger trends in the cryptocurrency world, according to the Mandiant researchers. In April, Jonathan Wu, an executive at Aztec Network, a blockchain company, described the experience of conducting a job interview with a possible North Korean hacker as leaving him a little shaken. Terrifying, hilarious and a reminder to be paranoid and triple-check your OpSec practices, he wrote, in a Twitter thread. Neither Wu nor the company responded to messages seeking comment. In a related tactic, suspected North Korean hackers have replicated Indeed.com and used it to gather information on website visitors, according to Alphabet Inc.s Google. By setting up websites that appear to be real, spies can dupe job-seekers into sending their resume, thus beginning a conversation that could enable hackers to breach their machine or steal their data, according Ryan Kalember, executive vice president at the email security firm Proofpoint Inc. Other fake domains, created by suspected North Korean operators, impersonated ZipRecruiter, a Disney careers page and a site called Variety Jobs, according to Google. We see a torrent of this every day, said Kalember. Their ability to come up with convincing cover companies is getting better and better. In February, the security firm Qualys Inc. said it detected a phishing campaign in which the so-called Lazarus Group, a name that the US government sometimes uses to describe Pyongyang-backed hackers, targeted job applicants who applied for roles at Lockheed Martin. The hackers sent individual messages that appeared to be from Lockheed Martin, using email attachments that appeared to include information from the company but in fact contained malicious software. The ruse followed similar efforts in which attackers posed as BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, according to Qualys. If you look at the job listings, theyre appealing to peoples ego and the desire for money, said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. Theyre capitalizing on that, but the fake job listings are an opening gambit for their broader cyberattacks and espionage. North Koreas focus on stealing cryptocurrency comes after the countrys hackers spent years stealing money from the global financial system, Mandiant researchers said. After a notorious 2016 heist on Bangladesh Bank, where the US accused North Korean thieves of trying to steal close to $1 billion, global banks added safeguards meant to stop such breaches. The market has changed where banks are more secure, and cryptocurrency is a totally new market, Dobson said. Weve seen them go after end-users, crypto exchanges and now the crypto bridges. The death of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri following a U.S. drone strike on a safe house in Kabul may also mean the death of the Talibans chances to gain wide international recognition as a legitimate government willing to break with its sponsorship of global terrorism. While its arguable whether Washington ever expected the Taliban to follow all the stipulations of the 2020 Doha Agreement, which led to the allied pullout from Afghanistan, the centerpiece of the deal was a Taliban pledge not to let extremist groups stage attacks against the U.S. and its allies. Allowing in the leader of the group that staged the 9/11 attacks makes it far less likely that the Taliban, which is governing amid a foundering economy and widespread food shortages, will receive aid or see billions of dollars in state assets held by the U.S. unfrozen, analysts told Stars and Stripes. It makes it harder for those who have been preaching the virtues of engaging with the Taliban, said William Maley, professor emeritus of diplomacy at Australian National University in Canberra. The Doha agreement is as dead as a doornail, but it can be a useful rhetorical device for each side to justify their positions, Maley said. The Taliban, who have not confirmed al-Zawahris death, on Tuesday accused the U.S. of violating the principles of the agreement by conducting the strike. The day before, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had sheltered the al-Qaida leader after repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists. U.S. officials told reporters Monday that al-Zawahri had moved to Kabul after the Taliban retook the country last year. He was living in the upscale Shirpur neighborhood, home to several Taliban leaders who moved into the mansions of former high-ranking officials of the toppled Western-backed government, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. U.S. officials added Monday that al-Zawahri, 71, continued to pose a threat to the U.S. by providing strategic direction to al-Qaida. Some members of the Taliban undoubtedly knew of al-Zawahris presence in Kabul, said Antonio Giustozzi, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. The Arabic-speaking al-Zawahri and his family would have been highly recognizable in Kabul and would not have come without some assurances of safety, Giustozzi said. After years on the run, the al-Qaida leader was in failing health and may have wanted to be nearer to medical care, Giustozzi said. The terrorist group had been keeping a low profile in Afghanistan at the behest of the Taliban, a Pentagon report in May said. According to the report, al-Qaida numbered about 200 people in Afghanistan and probably did not have the ability to attack the United States. The group in Afghanistan is on a declining global trajectory and would need at least one to two years to rebuild to launch an attack on the West, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Congress in May. Members of al-Qaida in Afghanistan said their relationships with the Taliban have been diminishing, Giustozzi said. He said a researcher working in Afghanistan on his behalf spoke to an al-Qaida member in the eastern part of the country on Sunday. In that interview, the al-Qaida member said the powerful Haqqani family, which fought semi-autonomously against the U.S.-led coalition, is among the terrorist groups few close allies. The only people that they seem to be trusting is the Haqqanis, although they still have some doubts there as well, Giustozzi said. The house where al-Zawahri stayed belonged to a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior U.S. intelligence official said in the AP report Tuesday. Members of the rival Islamic State group in Afghanistan will most likely accuse the Taliban in their propaganda of complicity or selling out al-Zawahri, analysts said. During the first half of 2022, al-Zawahri reached out to supporters with video and audio messages, including assurances that al-Qaida can compete with ISIS for leadership of a global movement, a study by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said, as cited by the AP report. Born in 1951 in Egypt to a prosperous family, al-Zawahri was religiously observant at a young age and associated early on with violent movements seeking to overthrow the governments of Arab nations, analysts say. He worked as an eye surgeon while traveling through Central Asia and the Middle East to meet with other insurgent groups. He was imprisoned and tortured following the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, which biographers say led to his further radicalization. He merged his own Egyptian militant groups with Osama bin Ladens al-Qaida, providing it with organizational skill and experience. Following 9/11, he organized attacks throughout the world, including the 2005 London bombing, which killed 52 people, the AP reported. After bin Ladens death, al-Zawahri took over the organization. His successor in al-Qaida will most likely not be announced for a month or so, Giustozzi said. WASHINGTON The U.S. killed al-Qaidas top leader Ayman al-Zawahri on Saturday with a drone strike in Kabul, nearly a year after U.S. troops ended 20 years of military involvement in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden announced Monday. [Al-Zawahri] made videos including the recent weeks calling for his followers to attack the United States and our allies. Now, justice has been delivered, Biden said. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer." The Egyptian-born terrorist was killed with two precision-guided Hellfire missiles launched from outside Afghanistan, according to a senior Biden administration official, who noted there were zero U.S. troops on the ground in Kabul at the time. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say what agencies conducted the strike, but said the operation was a team effort. Al-Zawahris killing is the first publicly known time that the U.S. has conducted a drone strike in Kabul since ceasing its war in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, 2021. Al-Zawahri, known for his brutality and contempt for the United States, took over as al-Qaidas top leader from Osama bin Laden after the Navys Seal Team Six killed bin Laden in his Pakistan compound on May 2, 2011, according to the official. [Al-Zawahri] continued to provide strategic direction to al-Qaida affiliates worldwide, calling for attacks on the United States, the official said. His death fields a significant blow to al-Qaida and will degrade the group's ability to operate including against the U.S. homeland. Al-Zawahri helped bin Laden plan the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and served as his second in command, Biden said. Three years before, the two endorsed a manifesto that called for Muslims to kill Americans and their allies civilian and military. He also was the mastermind behind several other attacks against Americans, including the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 U.S. sailors and wounded dozens more, the president said. "We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out, Biden said. The strike came after U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence communities spent the past year watching for indications of [al-]Zawahris presence in Afghanistan, the official said. Earlier this year, the U.S. learned the al-Qaida leaders family had moved to a safehouse in Kabul. Our ability to locate [al-]Zawahri after years of hiding was the result of careful, patient and persistent work by our counterterrorism professionals, the official said. Our ability to act on it effectively was made possible by quick decisive action by the president once we knew with confidence where [al-]Zawahri was located and that we could conduct the operation in a manner that limited the risk of civilian casualties. The U.S. government has been carefully and secretly searching for al-Zawahri as he led the terrorist group for the past 11 years, the official said. We know of his support to [al-Qaida] affiliates and guidance to affiliates around the world to target us, the official said. He built an organizational model that allowed him to lead the global network even from relative isolation. The U.S. has no indication that civilians were harmed in the strike, the official said. An independent review team also found with high confidence that the al-Qaida leader was the only person to die in the strike. The U.S. did not alert the Taliban, which controls Afghanistan, of the planned strike before it occurred, the official said. [Bidens] decision has made the world a safer place and brought on an additional measure of closure for all of us to mourn the victims of 9/11 and other al-Qaida violence, the official said. Several lawmakers, including Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mark Warner, D-Va., spoke in support of the strike after Bidens address from the White House. I commend the efforts of our [intelligence] officers and service members for finally 21 years after the horrific 9/11 attacks bringing one of its last remaining leaders to justice, Warner said. Reed called the announcement welcome news, but said the U.S. must continue our coordinated effort to defeat al-Qaida and deny them financing, recruiting tools, and safe haven despite the Pentagons priority of threats emanating from Russia and China in its 2022 National Defense Strategy. Terrorist groups remain a deadly threat around the globe, said Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Even as we focus on strategic competition with near-peer rivals, we must continue to hone our counterterrorism approach with allies and partners. (Tribune News Service) I thought it was kind of a natural thing, because I never did anything much when I was pregnant to have lost a baby, Daniels, 83, said in a phone interview from her home in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina. Daniels now believes that the deaths of her only children were not just acts of God. Instead, they may have a government cause the toxic chemicals that for decades contaminated the Camp Lejeune military bases water supply that she drank during her pregnancies. Congress this week is on the verge of passing legislation that would allow Daniels to file a federal lawsuit to seek compensation from the federal government for the effects of that exposure, along with as many as a million people who the Navy and Marine Corps say may have been exposed to the tainted water there from 1953 to 1987. While she was pregnant, Daniels drank Camp Lejeune water that was contaminated with benzene from fuel, cleaning solvents known as TCE and PCE, lead and acid from batteries, and who-knows-what from munitions and other military waste dumped on the sandy soils of the coastal Marine Corps base over several decades. It could have been the water, Daniels said, as she cried, in an interview with CQ Roll Call. It could well have been. But still, four decades after the contamination was confirmed to be a serious threat to health, those who suffered illnesses or lost loved ones as a result of it are blocked from seeking damages from the government. This summer, Congress folded the Camp Lejeune Justice Act into a broader bill that aims to give health coverage to millions who were sickened by smoke from burn pits during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The House passed that bill last month. And President Joe Biden in June said he would sign a version of the bill right away, noting, it will offer critical support to survivors who were harmed by exposures, including from water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Senate Republicans blocked the latest version of the bill last week. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said he would set up another vote to try again. Veterans have been in full outrage mode, led by comedian Jon Stewart, who has pushed for years to provide health care benefits for an estimated 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. But there have been no celebrities lobbying for Daniels and other potential victims of Camp Lejeunes toxic water. Theirs has been a much longer battle that has included opposition from the Department of Defense and a Supreme Court ruling that prevented them from suing the government. This is the culmination of 25 years of work, said Jerry Ensminger, a former Marine drill instructor who lost a daughter to leukemia in 1985, nine years after she was conceived at Camp Lejeune. It wasnt until 1997 that Ensminger learned about the contamination at the base, and ever since he has led a relentless campaign seeking justice for victims of the toxic water. Decades of dereliction Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was established in 1942 to help train Marines for the beach landings that would be instrumental in winning World War II. Unfortunately, the Navy engineers who designed the base drew its water from a shallow aquifer that was soon polluted by the military activities above. Navy officials say the largely odorless and tasteless contaminants werent detected until 1985, when the poisoned wells were shut down. Four years later, the base was designated a hazardous waste site under the federal Superfund law, which triggered an investigation by a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine if there were threats to human health. There were many, and in the 1990s the government began searching for those who may have been affected. Thats how Ensminger connected his daughter Janeys death to the contaminated water, after watching a CBS News report about the CDC study in 1997. The subsequent quest by Ensminger and others to hold the military accountable for the harm caused at Camp Lejeune constantly ran into obstacles. The United States Department of Defense doesnt want their dirty laundry aired in public, Ensminger said in a June interview about the long push. I think the biggest part of it was the strength of the DOD. A Department of Defense spokesman declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. From the beginning, top brass in the Navy and the Pentagon obfuscated and stonewalled and denied responsibility for the contamination, Ensminger said. When hazardous compounds started showing up in the water system, base officials said they had done nothing wrong because the substances were not yet regulated by state or federal agencies. When federal scientists recommended studies to determine the extent of the exposure, the Navy and Marine Corps argued that the research was unwarranted and unlikely to produce reliable results. When the CDC went ahead with investigations anyway, the Pentagon withheld funding and data, even arguing that providing information about who had lived at Camp Lejeune when the water was contaminated would violate privacy laws. And when the studies showed a cascade of harmful effects from the pollution, the military tried to discredit the findings, insisting that clear links between the contaminants and diseases like cancer were impossible to prove. Ed Bell, a South Carolina attorney who has been leading the effort to allow Lejeune victims to seek compensation, said he understands the military did not know what the toxic water could do to people when the exposures began in the 1950s and 60s. But when they knew what those effects were, and decided to cover it up and lie to people about it and hide it Im not sure theres anything more atrocious than that, Bell said. Legal hurdles Victims of Camp Lejeune took their case to Congress and won a partial victory in 2012 with passage of the Janey Ensminger Act, which granted VA benefits to veterans and family members who had lived at the base for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987 and later contracted any of a number of specific illnesses. But health care coverage didnt compensate Ensminger for the loss of his daughter, and he filed suit in federal court seeking damages. The case led to the greatest insult of all from the federal government, in his view. While Ensmingers lawsuit and others were being consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in 2014, the Obama administration sided with a different North Carolina polluter in a separate case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. In that case, an electronics company had been sued by nearby property owners for pollution that turned up in their wells in 2009, which was 24 years after the companys plant had shut down. The arguments came down to whether a state law or a federal law took precedence. Attorneys for the defunct plant argued that under a North Carolina statute of repose law, a company could not face damage claims more than 10 years after its last act of pollution. The property owners countered that under the federal Superfund law, the time period for lawsuits against polluters begins when the contamination is discovered. The Supreme Court sided with an argument supported by the U.S. solicitor general and found that the state law took precedence over the federal law. As a result, the military, because of North Carolinas statute of repose, was suddenly immune from any damage claims by victims of the Camp Lejeune pollution. The veterans benefits bill currently making its way through Congress would remove that barrier and give anyone affected by the contamination two years to seek compensation in federal court in North Carolina. Baby heaven Ensminger was being interviewed about the bill this summer by a TV reporter who met him at the Jacksonville city cemetery near Camp Lejeune, which includes a section that has come to be known as baby heaven because there are so many gravestones for infants. The two came across a row of three graves, all inscribed with DAU. OF MORRIS & NANCY DANIELS but each showing a different name and date: SUZY ... BORN & DIED MAR. 1, 1963, LUCY ... BORN & DIED FEB. 16, 1966, and JUDY ... BORN & DIED FEB. 17, 1970. Ensminger did some internet sleuthing and tracked down Daniels in South Carolina. He asked her about the babies, and after hearing the stories about their deaths, asked if she knew the water had been contaminated at each of the housing areas where she and her husband had lived at Camp Lejeune during the pregnancies. Daniels had not heard about the bases water problems, and when told by Ensminger over the phone, she broke down, he said. Daniels cried again when contacted by CQ Roll Call a few days later. It kind of hurts to talk about it, she said. Daniels and her husband, Morris, a 21-year Marine veteran who did two tours in Vietnam as a communications officer, had always wanted children of their own. I was pregnant three different times, Daniels said. The first time, I went into spontaneous labor. I went to the doctor for a checkup and they put me in the hospital because I had dilated. And then I lost the baby. It lived about two hours. Then the second time, the same thing happened, Daniels said. The third time, I was in the hospital about three weeks. I lost that baby too. Doctors had no real explanation, other than to blame the deaths on the shape of her uterus, Daniels said. They did some surgery on her after the second baby died, but it didnt help, she said. Daniels now believes Morris, who died at age 68 in 2004, was also a victim of the water at Camp Lejeune. He was in Vietnam with Agent Orange, then came home with the water, she said. He was a sick man before he died. A perfect storm Daniels hasnt had time to consider whether to seek compensation for the deaths of her babies, but one victim who does plan to sue the government is Mike Partain, a Florida man who was born at Camp Lejeune in 1968, just before his Marine father was shipped off to Vietnam. Partain has a photo of his mother holding him as a baby in the base housing, with a glass of water next to them on the bedside table. Not long after Partain turned 39 in 2007, his wife felt a lump on his chest and insisted that he have it checked out. He was diagnosed with breast cancer, an extremely rare disease in men that required a mastectomy and chemotherapy before going into remission. The treatments and related health problems cost Partain his first marriage and lots of money and grief, but he has since remarried and gotten back to work as an insurance adjuster. It was not long after his surgery that Partain discovered the likely cause of his illness, when his father told him about a congressional hearing on the Camp Lejeune contamination that was covered on CNN. The report noted the CDC was investigating health problems in children born at the base between 1968 and 1985. Partain began doing some investigating of his own, and through internet searches tracked down more than 100 men who had spent time at Camp Lejeune and were later diagnosed with breast cancer. After years of working with Ensminger and lobbying on his own on behalf of fellow victims of the Lejeune water, Partain feels close to seeing some justice, in part because of Department of Defense behavior about Agent Orange, radiation and burn pits. I think the political momentum that Jon Stewart started is finally paying off, Partain said of the legislation now on the Senate floor. Its like a perfect storm. Theres a host of veterans issues that have come together. If the military keeps up this conduct, Partain said, whats going to end up happening is people are not going to want to serve in our military, because they wont trust it. It will destroy the trust between the U.S. citizens and our military, and if that happens were in serious trouble. (Magner, an editor at CQ-Roll Call, is the author of A Trust Betrayed: The Untold Story of Camp Lejeune and the Poisoning of Generations of Marines and Their Families.) 2022 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON The Senate has confirmed Army Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton to lead Special Operations Command and Lt. Gen. Michael Langley to lead U.S. military forces in Africa as the first Black four-star general in Marine Corps history. Senators unanimously voted for the promotions on Monday night after the upper chambers Armed Services Committee praised the men for their exceptional qualifications at a confirmation hearing last month. Fenton will be the first Green Beret in nearly 20 years to lead Special Operations Command, and Langley will break a racial barrier that stood in the Marine Corps for 246 years. More than 70 white men rose to the Marine Corps top ranks in that time. Fenton and Langley told senators that they were prepared to counter new terrorist threats posed by the expanding reach of violent extremist organizations as well as counter the rising influence of China and Russia in the developing world. Fenton, a career Special Forces officer, has served as commander of Joint Special Operations Command since 2021 and previously worked as a senior adviser to the defense secretary, deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and deputy commanding general for the 25th Infantry Division. He joined the Army in 1987 as an infantry officer and has deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq and Libya. During his confirmation hearing, Fenton committed to supporting the Pentagons efforts to better mitigate, investigate and report civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations. A January report commissioned by Congress found considerable weaknesses in how the military assessed and responded to civilian deaths. The issue is particularly relevant for special operations because they are often tasked with making instantaneous decisions with limited information, said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. We take it as a moral and strategic obligation, senator, to avoid casualties and do all that we can, even in the friction and fog of war, Fenton said in response. He also told senators that he remained confident in the ability of the U.S. to employ an over-the-horizon strategy consisting of drone strikes, special operations force raids and other remote operations to contain terrorism in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops last year. [It is] a challenge, and it is harder, but it is absolutely doable there, Fenton said. Two Hellfire missiles fired by a U.S. drone killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of al-Qaida and key plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, in Kabul this weekend. No U.S. troops were on the ground, and no one else was killed or injured in the strike, the White House announced Monday. Langley said during his confirmation hearing in late July that the global security environment was the most challenging Ive seen throughout my 37 years [of service]. He did not mention that he was on the cusp of making Marine Corps history. The son of an Air Force noncommissioned officer, Langley grew up on racially diverse bases. He said last year that he did not experience discrimination until his father retired in the early 1970s and moved the family to cowboy country in Texas. Yes, we had challenges at an early age, and I think that prepared me for leadership of all Marines, regardless of color, regardless of creed, religion, orientation, Langley said. That experience at a young age prepared me to be a platoon commander years after that. Langley was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1985. He has commanded at every level, from platoon to regiment, and served overseas in Afghanistan, Japan and Somalia. He now leads Marine Forces Command and Marine Forces Northern Command and is the commander of Fleet Marine Force Atlantic in Norfolk, Va. Prior to that posting, Langley led U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa from Germany. He stepped into the role after his predecessor was removed for allegedly using a racial slur for Black Americans in front of troops. Langley has outlined several priorities for the roughly 6,000 U.S. troops that he will lead in Africa, including fostering military and diplomatic ties with countries coming under Russias and Chinas influence and tackling insurgencies in West Africa's Sahel region. He warned senators last month that population growth is fueling new ideologies on the continent, and militant groups are metastasizing. It is more of a problem today, Langley said of the terrorist threat. The mounting power of al-Shabab, a militant group aligned with al-Qaida, prompted President Joe Biden to reverse President Donald Trumps decision last year to withdraw all U.S. service members in Somalia. Biden announced in May that he will send 500 special operations troops to the country for a permanent presence. Langley called the move a "positive step" in a written response to a set of questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. "A stable and prosperous African continent is increasingly important to the United States politically, economically, and militarily and will become even more so in the future, he wrote. WASHINGTON Dozens of veterans and advocates have slept on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building through heat and rain since Thursday after 25 Republican senators blocked legislation that would expand eligibility for health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins. A rally at the Capitol was set for Thursday as a final push for the bills approval but instead it turned into a display of anger and frustration over the delay with the Senate set to go on recess in August, leaving the bill with an uncertain future. We weren't supposed to be here, said Patrick Murray, national legislative service director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Last week, we were talking about coordinating a celebratory press conference, sit around, pat ourselves on the back and say, Job well done. Years worth of work finally coming together because the PACT Act was going to get passed and then 25 senators flipped their vote. An earlier version of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, or PACT Act, was approved by the Senate by a vote of 84-14 in June. But the Senate needed to vote again Wednesday because the House made changes to the bill before the lower chamber passed it by a 342-88 vote on July 13. The revised legislation drew 55 votes in the Senate short of the 60 needed to end debate on the bill and overcome a filibuster. Twenty-five Republicans who previously supported versions of the bill voted against it on the procedural vote. It passed 84 to 14, nothing changed in it, I beg of you, said comedian Jon Stewart, who was part of last weeks rally and rejoined the protest Monday. Ask any senator, any one of the senators who changed their votes. Point to the section of the bill that changed. Point to the section of the bill that's filled with pork. Point to the section of the bill that is not being spent on veterans. You won't because you can't, because it's not fair. Rosie Torres, co-founder and executive director of the advocacy group Burn Pits 360, said her husband, Army Reserve veteran LeRoy Torres, deployed to Camp Anaconda in Iraq and returned with terminal lung disease, toxic brain injury and autoimmune issues. And hes not the only veteran who became sick after returning from overseas deployment, she said. All these men and women that you see here, behind me, next to me, their bodies are plagued by the same deployment-related health effects. So it doesn't matter what I've done for 13 years, or [that] we sat here and talked about how many people flip their votes, Torres said Monday outside the Capitol. What matters is the number of people dying, the number of people sick, these men and women fought for all of your freedoms, and Congress has turned their backs on them. It's shameful, and it's criminal, and its disgusting. In May, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Jerry Moran of Kansas, the ranking Republican on the committee, introduced the PACT Act. The senators have called the legislation historic and long overdue. The bill seeks to provide an easier path to health care and benefits for veterans who served near open-air burn pits, which were used throughout the 1990s and the post-9/11 wars to burn garbage, jet fuel and other materials. Veterans diagnosed with cancer, respiratory issues and lung disease at young ages have blamed exposure to the toxic fumes from these pits, but the Department of Veterans Affairs contended for years that there wasnt sufficient evidence to support their claims. The bill also would improve the VAs workforce and claims processing to speed up efforts to meet the needs of veterans and establish 31 new VA health care facilities in 19 states. Additionally, the bill would expand health care eligibility to post-9/11 combat veterans and add 23 conditions related to burn pits and other toxic exposures to the VAs list of service presumptions. It will also expand the list of presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure to include Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll, strengthen federal research on toxic exposure, and improve the VAs resources and training. The Congressional Budget Office reported in June that the PACT Acts cost estimate would be more than $600 billion. The bill is named for Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder and lung cancer after serving with the Army National Guard in Kosovo and Iraq, where he experienced prolonged exposure to burn pits. He died in 2020. This government should be soaring to heights not playing limbo, and trying to get underneath the bars that don't mean anything, and so can we please not force veterans disabled from their heroism and sacrifice to stand outside the Capitol building, days on end waiting for this Congress to do the thing they already did on June 16? Stewart said. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., one of the 25 senators who voted against the bill, said last week that the PACT Act included more than $300 billion to be spent in the next 10 years unrelated to veterans, and it was a concern for him and other senators. On Tuesday, Tester sent a letter to every member of the upper chamber addressing the issues that some Republican senators have targeted in the bill. The charge that this bipartisan legislation creates a slush fund that will be spent on unrelated things is false, Tester wrote in the letter dated Aug. 2. The Toxic Exposures Fund covers the direct costs of toxic exposure-related health care under the bills expansion of eligibility. In doing so, it designates these costs as separate from VAs discretionary budget thereby ensuring care for newly eligible veterans is not provided at the expense of veterans seeking care for non-toxic-related conditions. The Senate is expected to vote again on the PACT Act as early as Tuesday evening. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Toomey and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who also voted against the bill, have been offered votes on their requested amendments to the PACT Act. We hope to reach an agreement where we can act on this bill as soon as [Tuesday], but for that to happen, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle should work with us in good faith, Schumer said. Carl Reilly (46) has been charged with terrorist offences dating back to 2014 and is awaiting trial A Belfast man who has been on bail for over five years had one of his conditions varied today to allow him to attend a disco this month. Carl Reilly (46) has been charged with terrorist offences dating back to 2014 and is awaiting trial. The charges include directing the activities of a terrorist organisation - namely the Irish Republican Army' - and belonging to the same proscribed organisation on dates between January 2014 and October 2015. Reilly, of Pollard Close in the west of the city, was arrested following a security operation involving covert recordings at the Carrickdale Hotel in Co Louth. An application was made on behalf of Reilly to amend one his bail conditions to allow him to attend an 80s disco in west Belfast. Defence barrister Michael Forde asked for his client's curfew to be varied at Belfast Crown Court. He said that while it was accepted that the charges were serious, it was also the case that the accused has now been on bail for over five years. Mr Forde pointed out to Judge Fiona Bagnall that Reilly's bail has been varied in the past to allow him to travel to Spain and Manchester, and asked that his curfew be extended to 2am. He added that this would allow Reilly to attend the disco in Falls Park on August 13 which ends at midnight, then return home. A Crown barrister told the judge "there is a principled objection and there has been all along to these applications". They said the objection to the application arose from a lack of knowledge about who Reilly was attending the disco with and who he might meet at the event. The prosecutor asked that if the variation was granted, this information should be provided to the PSNI. Judge Bagnall said she was prepared to relax the curfew, but set the time at 1am instead of the proposed 2am, saying there was "no reason" why Reilly cannot get home within an hour of the disco ending. She also ordered that information on who Reilly will be with should be "furnished to police" 48 hours before the disco takes place. Another man appeared before a district judge on Monday, accused of the murder of the 63-year-old. The 63-year-old was found dead in the driveway of his home in Orkney Drive in Ballymena last Wednesday morning. A second man has been charged with the murder of Victor Hamilton in Ballymena. The 33-year-old accused, who was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, is due to appear before Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, later on Tuesday. Mr Hamilton was found dead in the driveway of his home in Orkney Drive in the Co Antrim town last Wednesday morning. Another man appeared before a district judge on Monday, accused of the murder of the 63-year-old. Mamadu Saido Djalo was remanded in custody. A 33 year old man has been charged with murder by detectives investigating the murder of 63 year old Victor Hamilton. pic.twitter.com/PavtaiKJZG Police Mid and East Antrim (@PSNIMEADistrict) August 1, 2022 The 29-year-old, from Springfield Crescent in Belfast, appeared before Coleraine Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, via video-link from Musgrave Street police custody suite in Belfast. During the short hearing, he spoke only to confirm he understood the charge he was facing. A detective sergeant told the court he could connect Djalo to the charge. Blaine Nugent, representing the accused, said he was not in a position to make an application for bail on Monday. He requested that the case be listed again in a weeks time so a bail application could be made. Deputy District judge Philip Mateer remanded Djalo in custody until August 8 when he will appear before the court again. A 23-year-old woman arrested in Belfast on Friday by detectives investigating the murder was released on bail on Sunday pending further police inquiries. The gardai made no objections to bail on condition that both men supply residing addresses Two men have been charged in relation to a seizure of 13,000 worth of suspected crack cocaine after a garda operation in the Dublin south inner city yesterday. Damien Crowther (47) and Moruf Adeyemo (36) appeared before Judge Conal Gibbons at a sitting of Dublin District Court at the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning. Crowther, with an address at Millbrook Road in Kilbarrack in Dublin, and Adeyemo, from Bella Place in Dublin 1, were charged with possession of suspected crack cocaine, and possession of suspected crack cocaine with intent to supply others, after a vehicle they were travelling in was stopped and searched in an intelligence-led Garda operation in the Dolphins Barn area of the city yesterday. Garda Micheal Muldoon and Garda Jeff Dolan, both of Sundrive garda station, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution, and said neither of the accused made any reply when charged under Sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The gardai made no objections to bail on condition that both men supply residing addresses, and sign on at their local garda stations three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Moruf Adeyemo. Picture: Frank McGrath Both men also have to supply phone numbers to gardai and be contactable. Solicitor Kevin McCrave made an application for legal aid on behalf of Crowther, saying his client was on disability benefit. A legal aid application was made by solicitor Yvonne Banbury on behalf of Adeyemo, whom the court was told is unemployed. Judge Gibbons granted the applications and remanded the men on bail to appear before the District Court again on October 3 for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- As Monday marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese embassies and diplomatic missions abroad have held events to celebrate the day. Participants from different countries expressed their appreciation of the PLA's outstanding contribution to safeguarding world peace and stability during the events, wishing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China. Laos' Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Chansamone Chanyalath spoke highly of the outcomes of exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries and expressed willingness to work with the Chinese military to build a solid security defense for the Laos-China community with a shared future. Lao Deputy Defense Minister Vongkham Phommakone said the Lao party, government, army, police and people have always attached great importance to and appreciated the selfless help and support of the Chinese military to Laos. Minister of Defense of Ethiopia Abraham Belay Berhe said the PLA is an extremely essential and increasingly significant player in the globe peace and security landscape. The Ministry of Defense of Ethiopia aspires to strengthen its strong ties with the Ministry of Defense of China with the assurances of its highest considerations, said the minister. Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force Birhanu Jula said China and Ethiopia have maintained a healthy and cordial relationship, adding that their relations have grown over time through mutual trust based on the pillars of political, economic, cultural, educational, heath, and most importantly, defense diplomacy and cooperation. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Tanzania's minister for defense and national service, said Tanzania values China's support and the partnership between Tanzania and China in safeguarding their shared ideals and mutual interests, stressing that the two countries should strengthen their partnership as they deal with security challenges in the 21st century. South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, South Korea-China relations have made remarkable progress. Shin expressed the belief that bilateral relations are bound to further develop in a sound way in the next 30 years. South Korea is willing to carry out exchanges and cooperation with China to enhance mutual trust, he added. Egypt's Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki also conveyed his sincere congratulations on the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, speaking highly of the friendly cooperation between the two militaries and expressing the hope that both sides will continue strengthening their cooperation to make more achievements. The 23-year-old was shot dead outside a Swords gym in January 2019 while he was sitting in his BMW X5 Zach Parker was shot dead in 2019. The 23-year-old was shot dead outside a Swords gym in January 2019 while he was sitting in his BMW X5. His murder is believed to be linked to a north Dublin drugs dispute which went on to claim four more lives later that year. An inquest found that Parker, a convicted drug dealer who worked as a barber, died from traumatic head injuries due to a gunshot wound. A significant garda investigation was launched and last year a prime suspect in the case was arrested as part of the inquiry. The man, aged in his 30s, was detained and quizzed for a number of days at Swords garda station before being released without charge. It is understood that a large amount of CCTV evidence was secured in the case while expert testimony was also gathered as part of the inquiry. A file was prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and submitted by gardai earlier this year. However the State has decided in recent weeks not prosecute the suspect. Gardai are continuing their investigation and are appealing for witnesses to come forward. A garda spokesman said: A man in his 30s was arrested in February 2021. He was subsequently released from custody. A file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions in May 2022. A direction of no prosecution was advised at the time. The investigation remains open and ongoing. Gardai at the scene at Gym Plus in Applewood Close, Swords Colin Keegan Anyone who may have information that can assist Gardai can contact Swords Station at 01 666 4700 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. It means that no charges have yet been brought in relation to the murder of Parker and three inter-connected fatal shootings in north Dublin that year. One murder conviction has been secured in the fifth murder. In May 2019, Parkers close friend Sean Little (22) was lured to a laneway in Walshestown, near Balbriggan, before being shot dead. Less than 24 hours later another pal, Jordan Davis (22), was gunned down while pushing his son in a buggy through a laneway in Darndale. Sean Little was shot dead in Walshestown Tallaght man Wayne Cooney (31) was recently convicted of being the gunman and jailed for life, while gardai are continuing to pursue charges against a major criminal who ordered the killing. A week after the Little shooting, his associates carried out a revenge attack when Iranian asylum seeker Hamid Sanambar (41) was shot dead. He was gunned down after being blamed for involvement in Sean Littles murder and was targeted as he went to the family home to pay his respects. Hamid Sanambar A number of men have been arrested as part of the investigation, but no charges have yet been brought. The following November drug dealer Eoin Fishy Boylan (22) was shot dead outside his Clonsaugh home in an attack also linked to associates of Sean Little. Ismail Abedi (28) failed to appear at the Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday to give evidence at the public inquiry into the 2017 tragedy A judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of the older brother of the Manchester Arena bomber. Ismail Abedi (28), who now uses the name Ishmale Ben Romdhan, failed to appear at the Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday to give evidence at the public inquiry into the 2017 tragedy. The IT worker left his flat in Manchester last August and is now believed to be with his parents and three youngest siblings in Libya. District Judge Jack McGarva said he was satisfied that Abedi was aware of the hearing and also noted the proceedings had generated a great deal of publicity. Issuing a warrant without bail, he said: We will now have to wait for him to be apprehended. Ismail Abedis brother, Salman Abedi (22), killed 22 people when he detonated bomb after an Ariana Grande concert inside the Manchester Arena in May 2017. Their other brother Hashem (25) was jailed for helping him manufacture the bomb. The inquiry wanted to question Ismail over his DNA being found on a hammer in a Nissan Micra car that was used by his two younger brothers to transport and store the explosive prior to the concert. Bereaved families said Ismail was a coward and accused him of truly despicable contempt. Manchester Arena bombing victims were failed, say families Remembrance for people who died in bomb attack at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Manchester Arena bomb plotter calls prison guard filthy pig in court outburst Kim Harrison, who represents 11 of the victims' families, said: Whilst we welcome the conviction of Ismail Abedi today we remain sorely disappointed that the conviction had to take place in his absence. "We remain gravely concerned as to how Abedi was able to leave the country before giving evidence to the inquiry in the first place. "His leaving the country should never have happened and despite the conviction he is unlikely to face any real justice until he is apprehended, if at all. "The families deserve to know the truth about what happened that night and the contempt Ismail Abedi has shown them is truly despicable." Ismail Abedi has denied any involvement with the attack. The 39-year-old was hauled away by police once the flight landed The 39-year-old is alleged to have become abusive to airline staff and was arrested by airport police on Sunday when the flight landed at London City Airport. After being cuffed he was hauled away in a police van. He spent the night behind bars on suspicion of public order offences, before being released from custody 12 hours later, pending further investigation. One passenger claimed the flight was delayed by 20 minutes due to his behaviour. He became aggressive with the air hostesses once it became clear he wouldn't get given alcohol, the passenger told The Sun. At one point he left his seat and started walking up and down the aisle despite being told to sit down he even ran behind the cabin crew curtains. It was crazy behaviour. Another told the publication The way he acted was really intimidating. In a statement, Met Police said: At around 1640hrs on Sunday, 31 July, officers met a flight that had arrived at London City Airport from Glasgow. A 39-year-old man was arrested for a public order offence. He was taken into custody at an East London police station and was released under investigation the following day. Reece Thornton was last seen at Clonsilla train station on the afternoon of Sunday, July 31. Reece was last seen in Dublin Gardai have issued an appeal for help in finding a 13-year-old boy who has gone missing in Dublin. Reece Thornton (13) was last seen at Clonsilla train station on the afternoon of Sunday, July 31. Reece is described as being 5 3 in height, of medium build with short brown hair. When last seen Reece was wearing a navy tracksuit with hood and grey and black runners with orange on the heel. Anyone with any information that can assist fardai in locating Reece, is asked to contact Blanchardstown Gardai on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. In the first six months of this year, cases of domestic abuse have increased by 13pc compared to 2022. Gardai have reported a significant rise in domestic violence incidents in the first half of 2022. In the first six months of this year, cases of domestic abuse increased by 13pc, compared with the first half of 2021, according to An Garda Siochanas Provisional Crime Statistics for 2022, And while sexual offences have been increasing since early 2015, these figures have overall decreased by 3pc in 2022, with reports of sexual assault down 5pc from 2021. Cases of rape have risen by a shocking 23pc in the first half of this year, while child pornography offences are down by 18pc. The stats suggest the increase in sexual offences figures may relate to a change in reporting behaviour where victims are more likely to report sexual crime. The report noted that the increase in sexual offences in recent years can't be solely attributed to an increased level of incidents taking place. It comes after ex-garda Paul Moody pleaded guilty to inflicting a four-year regime of terror on his former partner and was remanded in custody last Monday. The next day he was jailed for three years and three months for his four-year campaign of harassment using threats, assaults and coercive control against his cancer-stricken ex-partner. The abuse came to light when he voluntarily handed in his mobile phone to gardai after making a false allegation against one of her relatives. He had falsely claimed that a relative of his former partner had asked him to commit a criminal act by squaring a ticket for a road traffic offence. Officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation were able to quickly dismiss his false accusations against the relative, who is understood to be a taxi driver, but in doing so they uncovered the litany of abuse against his terminally ill ex-partner. When his phone was examined and damning evidence of his own criminal behaviour discovered, NBCI detectives approached his victim and she made a complaint against Moody. That was the beginning of the end for him. We found a lot of other women in his phone who he was attempting to coercively control too. These women were instrumental in the garda case. We are forever grateful to them, a source said. Paul Moody has two children with different women. That is a classic move by someone who wants to coercively control someone. Get them pregnant so you can try and trap them. Moody was a garda for two decades, mostly at Donnybrook and Irishtown stations in Dublin, except for a stint at the now-defunct Organised Crime Unit. This week he has been in Covid quarantine in Mountjoy Prison, but it is likely he will be transferred to another prison where he will serve his time in protective custody. President Michael D Higginss wife says letter was published on her dedicated section of the Presidents official website In a statement issued today, Ms Higgins said the letter was written in a personal capacity. Ms Higgins said she put the letter on her dedicated section on the Presidents official website so that people could access it. However, she said she soon took it down when she saw it being presented as not being from myself, but from the general President.ie website". For the last 11 years since coming to Aras an Uachtarain as the wife of the President, I have continued my long standing interests on a number of important issues," she said. "Since 2014, I have had a dedicated section on the President.ie website. This section contains details of activities I have been undertaking including speeches and work towards the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, health issues, breastfeeding, issues affecting the Traveller Community, human rights, supporting the arts and a range of other issues. Last week I had been asked about my letter to the Irish Times, which I had written in a personal capacity, by a number of people who had missed it, and had not been able to access it online. "I therefore put it on my dedicated section of the website as I have done for the last number of years. Having put my letter up, I subsequently took it down when I saw it being presented as not being from myself, but from the general President.ie website. I have from its outset strongly condemned the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and I cannot be but dismayed that people would find anything unacceptable in a plea for peace and negotiations when the future of humanity is threatened by war, global warming and famine. It follows days of mounting pressure over the letter commenting on Russias invasion of Ukraine. In the letter, Mrs Higgins said the fighting would go on until the world "persuades President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations". In response to Ms Higgins statement today, Senator Gerard Craughwell said the Presidents official website is there for the constitutional holder of the office. I note that Mrs Higgins had issued a statement regarding the publication of her letter to the Irish Times on the Presidents website, he said. I can see no justification for any private citizen having a dedicated section of that website. We need to clarify the role (if any) of the spouse or partner of any sitting president. We still need to hear from the President himself. Speaking on RTEs Drivetime programme this evening, Fianna Fail senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed Ms Higgins statement but said he did not feel the need to apologise for his previous criticism of the letter. Senator Byrne said todays statement provides clarity but it is unfortunate that it was not issued earlier. I welcome the intervention of Mrs Higgins, shes a woman I have enormous respect for, and I think this certainly does bring some clarity to the matter, he said. I think it makes very clear that she does regard Russia as the aggressor and certainly I think she would regret the fact that the Russia ambassador in the Kremlin would have used her letter as a propaganda tool. I disagreed with her views, there were a couple of elements, first of all within the letter, it seemed to imply that there was a moral equivalence between the actions of Russia and those of Ukraine. The second issue then was that it did appear on the Presidential website, and I get the point thats being made but this was very clearly a political statement that was made. The letter was endorsed by the Russian ambassador, and it caused offense to a lot of Ukrainians. On Saturday, Senator Byrne said Ms Higgins was entitled to her personal opinion but that he believed she was totally wrong to try to see an equivalence in the positions of Ukraine and Russia. The decision to publish the letter on the presidents website raises serious questions, he said. It is incumbent on the president of Ireland to now express clearly the strong support of the people of Ireland for the people of Ukraine and that we hold Russia responsible for the war and ongoing barbarism. Louth Fianna Fail Senator Erin McGreehan earlier today said the President had disrespected Ireland and should at least apologise. An Uachtarain disrespected our nation and the Office of the Presidency when he published his wifes letter - At least [sic] he needs to apologise and if he doesnt he should most definitely consider his position, she said. In her statement she is also expected to address the issue with her letter being published on the Presidents official website The Presidents wife Sabina Higgins is to condemn the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine in a soon to be published statement. Ms Higgins is due to break her silence on the controversial letter she wrote which has been criticised for not condemning the Russian invasion. In her statement she is also expected to address the issue with her letter being published on the Presidents official website. It follows days of mounting pressure over the letter commenting on Russias invasion of Ukraine from Sabina Higgins which was published in the Irish Times and on the Presidents official website. In the letter, Mrs Higgins said the fighting would go on until the world "persuades President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations". Louth Fianna Fail Senator Erin McGreehan earlier today said said the President disrespected Ireland and should at least apologise. An Uachtarain disrespected our nation and the Office of the Presidency when he published his wifes letter- At least [sic] he needs to apologise and if he doesnt he should most definitely consider his position, she said. He passed away at Cork University Hospital on Sunday The Kinsale man was rushed to Cork University Hospital following the incident where he tragically passed away, surrounded by his family, on Sunday. Locals expressed their shock and grief at the death of the popular pensioner. We were shocked to hear of the sudden death of Liam, such a familiar figure in the town, one tribune began. He was such a gifted person, working for a local firm and then on his own with his late wife, Joan. May they rest in peace together, Another added: I have fond memories of Liam when he worked at O Regan's tailor's shop, my deepest sympathy to the dyer family. A third mourner shared: Words cannot say enough know that I am with you and I wish you the greatest strength through this tragic unexpected painful loss. Dear Sheila, Liam, Teddy, Fiona I extend my deepest sorrows to you & all your beloved families. My thoughts & prayers with you now. May your dad Liam rest in Heavenly Peace reunited with mum, they added. Fr. Stan Hession from the Carmelite Friary in Kinsale remembered Liam as a gentleman. Sincere sympathy to Dyer family on your so sudden loss of a thorough gentleman who'd always bid you time of day with a cheerful smile and word. May he rest in peace reaping the reward for many kindnesses and good turns. RIP. Sincere sympathy to The Dyer Family and extended family on the recent unexpected sad passing of your dear Father Liam, another tribute began. A great father, grandfather and family man. In his work a true professional always excellent work. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this very sad time. May his soul rest in peace. Liams death notice reads: Dyer (Kinsale) on July 31st 2022 unexpectedly at Cork University Hospital following a tragic accident and surrounded by his loving family. He is predeceased by his loving wife Joan. Loving father of Sheila, Liam, Teddy and Fiona, devoted grandfather of Laura, Aleece, Rhea, Ellie-Mai, Patrick, and Freya, great-grandfather of Rowen and Julia, and brother of the late Louis, Brendan, Maura and Christopher. Sadly missed by his loving family, daughter-in-law Eileen, son-in-law Niall, Fiona's partner Bill, Liam's partner Regina, sister-in-law Eileen, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours. Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced. Gardai are appealing for witnesses to the fatal accident. They want to clarify the precise circumstances in which the pensioner fell from his mobility scooter. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bandon Garda Station at 0238852200 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800666111. 36-year-old Ashley McLean also served five years as a prison officer before turning to a life of crime Ashley McLean served seven years in the British Army and did tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and 'closer to home' a Crown Court judge heard on Thursday. And we can reveal the 36-year-old also served five years as a prison officer before turning to a life of crime. But on Thursday the disgraced army veteran was jailed for four-and-a-half-years alongside his baby-faced drug dealing pal Corey Leonard in what the judge described as a seismic fall from grace. McLean, from Deverney Park, Omagh and 26-year-old Leonard were caught in the act when cops swooped on their cocaine factory in March 2021. They are both pictured here exclusively along with the drugs paraphernalia seized by the cops. Mechanic Leonard, of Arvalee Road, Omagh and McLean were told they must serve two years in custody and the remaining two and a half years on licence. Corey Leonard The pair pleaded guilty months ago at Dungannon Crown Court to charges of possession of the Class A drug cocaine with intent to supply. They had initially been charged in the Magistrates Court with having illegal firearms and ammunition, but those charges were withdrawn before the case made it to the upper court. When police raided the cocaine factory both men were discovered to be in the garage. Cops unearthed 2.5 kgs of Cocaine and approximately 9kgs of cutting agent which police said would have a street value of 500,000. The officers also found 900 deal bags and other assorted drug related paraphernalia. The remote rented bungalow, which was then the home of McLeans former partner, seemed an ideal setting for a secret drugs hideaway and was situated a few miles out of Fintona, Co Tyrone. The Rahony Road drug den was so hard find that when the Sunday World went looking for it, neighbours told us until it was raided by the cops they were tortured by people lost and looking for the house where they could get their next hit. Underworld sources have told the Sunday World the cocaine had been sourced from Dublin and its almost certain that someone touted to police about the factorys whereabouts. In the preparation of their pre-sentence reports both made the case they were only in temporary possession of the drugs for someone else. They claimed they were only in it for easy cash which in Leonard's case they claimed was 2,000 and McClean just 1,000. The judge stated they had allowed premises to be used for transit of drugs. Defence barrister Ian Turkington, instructed by Padrhraic Cunningham, told the court that McLean spent seven years in the British Army with tenures in Iraq, Afghanistan and 'closer to home'. Mr Turkington said, Those who serve their county, whichever country, are seen as giving good service. The drugs cache and material seized by cops from the house in Tyrone He added that McClean also served as a prison officer for five years and was 'seriously' assaulted during that time. Mr Turkington said, It won't be a comfortable experience going forward, where he is going. It is an excellent pre-sentence report which indicates a medium risk of re-offending. He accepts the serious charge and the serious amount of drugs. He was in financial dire straits at the time with legal costs to the family court. The reputation will follow this young man. The court was also told Leonard had a 'very limited' criminal record but the judge pointed out how he had squandered his stable family upbringing. Judge Sherrard said, Mr Leonard, aged 26, you, unlike many before this court, have had the advantage of a stable upbringing. It seems likely good family relationships have been significantly damaged by your behaviour. A single man employed as a driver and mechanic. You have a brief criminal record but of no consequence to this sentencing. You maintain you became involved in this venture having been propositioned the day before to pay off a drug debt of 1,000 and to gain 1,000. I'm told you express remorse and insight with medium likelihood of re-offending. Sentencing the men, Judge Sherrard said, You must have had some awareness of the size and nature of this venture, yet you chose to participate and continue to participate in it. There is no evidence you were front and centre of this venture. The drug trade depends on numerous links in the train and any link missing will break the train, so any link missing is important even functionaries. Those who make their premises available and those who courier drugs all have an important role to play in this invidious trade. He also stated, This is an unusual volume of consignment for our jurisdiction and would highly unlikely be entrusted to individuals who would pose a risk to it or were not trusted implicitly by those higher up the scale of command. Judge Sherrard noted they had not been before the courts before for anything of this nature and had also expressed remorse. He suggested they would benefit from an 'enhanced and lengthy' period of rehabilitation and thereby broke the sentence down to include two and a half years on licence. In conclusion the judge warned McClean and Leonard, If I can just remind you gentlemen, the court has to some extent mitigated your sentence today... I am mindful of giving you a really good opportunity to rehabilitate. But it should be absolutely clear, if you come before me again, the court will deal with you much less sympathetically than it has today. Steven.moore@sundayworld.com After the trial finished, Heards attorney appeared on morning talk shows to say that her client would be unable to pay the vast amount she owed to Depp According to reports, the three-bedroom, three-bath property was sold off-market for $1.05m. Heard purchased the property for $570,000 in 2019. The new owners of the 2,450 square foot estate are Rickard and Carol-Jeannette Jorgensen, who own Las Vegas-based risk management firm Jorgensen & Company LLC, as reported by the New York Post. The previous listing for Heards Yucca Valley home described it as a once in a lifetime property, with several luxurious features including a 110-foot engineered bridge that leads to a mountainside gazebo. Other amenities reportedly include a 1,200-square foot garage, a whole home surround-sound stereo system, a wet bar, and a kitchen with a double-griddle stove, as per the listing on Glen Realty. Last month, Heard filed a motion to appeal the verdict in the high-profile defamation lawsuit filed against her by Depp. The Pirates of the Caribbean star alleged that Heard had defamed him in an op-ed published in The Washington Post, in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. Heard filed a counter-suit in November 2020, asking to be granted immunity against Depps claims. On 1 June, a jury overwhelmingly found in Depps favour, noting that the Aquaman actor had defamed him in three statements. Jurors also found that an attorney for Depp had defamed Heard in one of three statements highlighted in her counter-suit. Depp was awarded $10m in compensatory charges, related to lost career opportunities, and $5m in punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate later reduced the punitive damages to $350,000, the maximum allowed in the state of Virginia, where the trial took place. For her part, Heard was awarded $2m in damages for one of her three counterclaims. It left her owing $8.35m in total to Depp. Soon after the trial finished, however, Heards attorney Elaine Bredehoft appeared on morning talk shows to say that her client would be unable to pay the vast amount she owed to Depp. Morah has downsized to move into her new abode, which was built on what was once the site of the Dollymount House pub The Seascape apartments in Dollymount, where Morah Ryan and two of her children now live And it seems her radio presenter daughter Lottie will have no shortage of baby sitting offers as she lives in a similar apartment close by. Pals reveal Morah was keen to stay in the Clontarf area of north Dublin, where the Ryans lived in a mansion for over 30 years, as she wants to help Lottie with her one-year-old baby Wolf and also care for her elderly mother who lives in the locality. The Seascape apartments in Dollymount, where Morah Ryan and two of her children now live Wolf is Morahs pride and joy as he is her first grandchild, reveals a friend. Morah wants to stay close to her family as Lottie lives in the area, while Bonnie has a place out in Harmonstown further northside, which is a short drive away. She also helps care for her own elderly mother, who lives in the same area. She is really excited about moving into the new apartment as its all completely new to her. Morah is moving into the Seascape apartments at Dollymount park in Clontarf. Her new home is just one kilometrefrom the mansion she sold recently on Castle Avenue. Morah has downsized to move into her new abode, which was built on what was once the site of the Dollymount House pub. Three of Morahs five children, Lottie, Rex and Bonnie, all married their partners in recent years and have their own marital homes. Morahs youngest children Elliott and Babette had been sharing the Clontarf home up until recently with their mother. It is believed that Morah has bought a three-bedroom apartment to accommodate her family. Lottie Ryan with baby Wolf A three-bedroom in the complex sold late last month for 835,000. That three-bedroom is a 107sq m (1,152sq ft) apartment, overlooking a courtyard, is in a glassy scheme, some of which overlook the sea on Clontarf Road. One of the bedrooms has an en-suite and theres a separate bathroom and (Kube) kitchen/livingroom with access to a terrace shared with one of the bedrooms. There are two underground parking spaces The complex was built in 2015, consisting of 59 apartments in two blocks, the front one with uninterrupted views of Dublin Bay. The Ryans end-of-terrace Georgian house had gone on the market last year for 2million, but after failing to sell it had 150,000 shaved off its asking price, knocking it down to 1.85million. After selling at its second price the five-bedroom period home on Castle Avenue was withdrawn from the market, before going back on sale in February for an asking price of 1.59million. TheSunday World recently revealed the exact figure the Ryans former home sold for 1,525,000. The DJ, who died in 2010 at the age of 53, shared the house in the north Dublin suburb prior to the couples split in 2008. Former artist Morah who was left the entirety of a 1.3million estate by Gerry in his will, is now in a relationship with musician Don Mescall. Its just one of my favourite parts of the day. Having that hour and a half before everyones dressed and up and out and gone to childminders Kathryn is relishing the chaos of motherhood Kathryn Thomas is the new face of Lidl's Lupilu baby range With the first day of big school just around the corner, there are to be lots of tears and tanturms and thats just Kathryn Thomas. The broadcaster and husband Padraig McLoughlin are steeling themselves to pack their eldest daughter, Ellie, off to primary school in just over a month. And mum-of-two Kathryn jokes shes got separation anxiety already. Ah sure, stop it, she laughs. Even when it was her last day in pre-school I made Padraig come with me because I just couldnt [cope with] saying goodbye to the teacher and her leaving. I was a mess. We werent sure whether we were going to send her because her birthdays in March, so shes four-and-a-half so we were like, Will we, wont we, will we, wont we? Anyway, shes going in September. Kathryn with daughters Ellie and Grace Shes going to an Irish-speaking school; its in the same grounds as her pre-school is and we walk to school every morning, so its not going to be too much of a jump. Shell be grand they always say that its worse for the parents than the kids. I had to go off and get the little uniform, the tights and the shirts, and we went to a parent-teacher meeting there a month or two ago. Its kind of surreal that were at that stage. Carlow woman Kathryn and Mayo native Padraig, who wed in Kilkea Castle in 2019, welcomed their second child, another little girl, called Grace last October. And the 43-year-old reveals shes cherishing the final few weeks of her unconventional maternity leave before returning to the airwaves next month cereal spills and all. Every morning, its lovely, tells Kathryn, who was back hosting RTEs Operation Transformation just seven weeks after giving birth before resuming her leave. Padraig goes to work at around 7.30am hes director of food and beverage at Kildare Village. So everybody jumps into the bed, then he heads off, and Im arsing around with bottles, breakfasts in bed and Weetabix flying all over the place. Its just one of my favourite parts of the day. Having that hour and a half before everyones dressed and up and out and gone to childminders. Kathryn's big break on No Frontiers After previously opening up about the couples struggle to get pregnant and the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages, it fits that today the star is relishing every messy moment of motherhood at the familys home in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore. But doting Kathryn explains how she also feels a responsibility not to forget about the oh-so-familiar struggles being experienced by those for whom its still a dream while in her second baby bubble. Literally I would say thats the most amount of DMs I get, she reveals. I get a huge amount of women contacting me about trying to get pregnant, fertility and what helped us and that was the reason why I spoke as openly as I did about it. I think its really important that women support each other and we talk about it and have honest conversations about getting pregnant, being pregnant and afterwards. I think its important for women in the public eye to speak about it, and I think its OK for women to ask all these questions and get the help they need. Theres so many messages around our health, both mental and physical, becoming a mother, being a mother, having your baby and then looking after yourself afterwards. I think that postnatally a lot of us feel, especially in Ireland, the focus is on the baby and not the mother. Kathryn and husband Padraig For example, I know so many women come to my retreats and they cant run because theyve lived with, say, stress incontinence for so many years and thats not necessarily the way it has to be or the way it should be. Theres so much help out there and I think its important that its talked about because motherhood is hard, and if youre struggling yourself either physically or mentally on top of that, it can get out of control very quickly. Travel-mad Kathryn famously got her big break trotting the globe on RTE series No Frontiersback in 2001. And its already in the genes as she more recently hit the road with Ellie and the belly on the channels staycation spectacular No Place Like Home. Its hard to believe it was that long ago, says the radio and television presenter, admitting her suitcase is these days more like to be crammed with babygros and bottles than bikinis. We were in Greece recently and had a really nice time. And Im heading to Portugal in a couple of weeks time, just me and the girls. That doesnt faze me, but certainly what you look for now is convenience and ease. When we went to Greece, it was all about, Do they have hotel buggies, do they have kids clubs, do they have cots? I was joking that the Ouzo was swapped for ice cream, the nightclubs for kids clubs so its a different world. At the same time, Ive a friend whos gone off with her husband and the two kids, one is four and one is two, and theyre overlanding across Africa for six weeks. I dont think Im ready for that just yet! [No Place Like Home] was amazing, continues Kathryn, whose backpacking television debut previously took her to such far-flung destinations as Australia and Argentina. Jeez, what an opportunity. The first year I did it with Ellie, she was only two, and then I did it when I was seven months pregnant and we had a ball. We could have all gone in a campervan again, but it was just really important that I had this summer with the kids, because even though it was great fun its still a lot of work. I dont think for me travel is finished and if I can combine being a parent and travelling [then great]. Im developing a few different ideas for RTE at the moment. Next taking place at Powerscourt Springs in Wicklow in October, the fitness fanatic founded her Pure Results wellness retreats in 2015, since adding online bump fit courses to help mums-to-be improve their strength. And Operation Transformation host Kathryn explains how keeping fit and healthy has taken on even greater import since becoming a mother. Theres that phrase your health is your wealth, she say. I think the older you get, you see people getting sick, and friends parents whove got very limited mobility. I suppose for that reason, not for any other reason just for longevity, Im very aware that I have two very young girls. So for me its really important that I try and stay [fit], just for my head as well. Kathryn Thomas hopeful for another season of Operation Transformation despite backlash Kathryn Thomas 'so grateful' for fertility treatment that let her have second baby Kathryn Thomas won't return to RTE's No Place Like Home this year Basically, I try and run three times a week. Then I just do a lot of my own strength training at home, and I have joined a pilates class as well. I wouldnt be doing all that I might do two runs and one strength training and one pilates class during the week. And then when Im on holidays it all goes to pot, she laughs. Do I love putting on the runners and going for a run? No. But do I love the feeling when Im in it and the feeling that it gives me afterwards? Yes, and that always gets me out of the bed to go. Although no formal announcement has been made, she expects fitness phenomenonOperation Transformationto return early in 2023 along with the usual fat-shaming controversy that has dogged the long-running RTE series in recent years. It is frustrating and its disappointing because I think a lot of the negative voices around the show are actually coming from people who dont watch it, argues Kathryn. Kathryn hosting Operation Transformation Everybody is entitled to say what they want to say, but I think in the world of social media which we live in now, theres a lot of jumping on the bandwagon. At the end of the day, we are on air for as long as we are because people love the show, people watch the show and people get a lot out of it. Would the show that we did on season one, or that Gerry Ryan did on season one, stand up now? No, it wouldnt because the world has changed, and the reason the show is still on air is because weve moved with the times. Equally, I think its important to say that we have a big problem with our health in this country. We have an obesity epidemic, childhood obesity is huge and unfortunately its not something that we can ignore, and its not something that the health system can afford to ignore. Meanwhile, the busy mum who returns to radio next month has been snapped up as the perfect brand ambassador for Lidl Irelands award-winning baby and toddler range, Lupilu. And the second-time mum doesnt have to dig to deep for her biggest advice to parents-to-be across the country and what she wishes shes known four years ago. Just to take a chill pill, she jokes. I think when youre a first-time parent, youre in that zone where you think youre the only person that this has ever happened to before. Yknow its just a slow [learning curve]. I think every mistake you make you learn something. Literally all I keeping saying now to anyone who minds the girls, whether its my mom or my sister, theyre going, When is the nap and when is the food?, and Im like, lookit, do whatever just so long as the childs alive its grand! I will always be proud to say thats my brother. I will always looks up to him. Dami finished in third place with Indiyah in last night's finale. A SISTER of Irish Love Island finalist Dami Hope confirms her family are hugely proud of the Wexfordman after he finished third in the show last night. Millions of TV viewers saw Dami and his partner Indiyah Pollack finish in the top three of the of the hit series. Dami (26) who was born in Nigeria as Adedamola Adegbesan but raised in New Ross, Co Wexford since the age of five is now tipped to earn hundreds of thousands from promotional spin-off deals. Microbiologist Dami works in Dublin and the British programme, which is hosted by Wicklow born Laura Whitmore, was won by Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti , with Gemma Owen and Luca Bish finishing runners-up. Im hugely proud of Dami coming third, he did us all so proud. We are proud of him regardless of whether he comes first of last, his sister Cynthia (19) told the Sunday World. Im proud of he always kept true to himself, showed all his emotions and never faltered from himself. Cynthia is delighted with Dami for making up with Indiyah, having recoupled with her a couple of weeks ago. Were all proud of him for patching things up with Indiyah and following his heart and Im happy hes found love, because if anyone deserves it its most definitely him, stressed law student Cynthia. Dami's family cheering him on from the New Ross family home. Its most definitely him I just love so much and Im going to miss seeing him on the screen. She adds: I will always be proud to say thats my brother. I will always looks up to him. Cynthia watched the show in Dubai last night with her sister Amanda and parents Babajide and Bukola, who are celebrating their wedding anniversary with a dream holiday in the gulf state. I love him so much, hes always there for us and hes the one I can always to, she points out. Im happy people in the villa saw that they could go to him and seek comfort in him the same way I do at home. But Im happy hes coming home so I can hug him and actually tell him how proud of him I am. Dami and Indiyah Cynthia also cant wait to meet Indiyah. I excited to meet Indiyah because she was my favourite girl in the villa from the get-go, she beams. I even have my reaction from the first episode, saying I hope hes paired with her. Im happy they fixed things because honestly they did bring out the best in each other. They have the same personality and the same vibe. I feel like me and Indiyah will get along because we kind of have the same sense of humour and wed just laugh at everything and anything. I cant wait to meet her and thank her for making my brother happy and sticking by him. Cynthias older sister Femi and first cousin represented the family in Majorca when Dami exited the village. She has no idea when her brother will be home in Co Wexford, but promises a big party on his return. Cynthia is also fulsome in her praise of Turkish actress Ekin-Su, who lives in Essex and Italian businessman Davide, who are both aged 27 and shared the 50,000 first prize. They were my second favourites in the villa, she confides. Im so happy they won, they deserve is as theyre also had a rocky journey. But I was rooting for them. I could tell they both liked each other, even after they split. They just both had to put their pride aside and Im glad they did. Im happy for them and cant wait to see the Italian stallion the Turkish delight take over the world together. History will judge you. A decision on Rotoruas controversial reserves revocation proposal will echo through generations, elected members have heard. On Monday, Rotorua Lakes Councils Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee met for the fourth and final day of hearings on the proposal, which would revoke the reserve status of 10 reserve sites to enable the council to sell six to Kainga Ora for public and affordable housing and the rest to other developers. In the meeting, submitter Paddi Hodgkiss said she opposed the proposal and was extremely disappointed and disgusted about what she viewed as the secretive manner in which this proposal came to be. She said the council had talked about misinformation but no information should be the issue. Nothing was said until it was leaked. Hodgkiss said she found it despicable the council had already drafted a local bill to enable the proposal. She said Rotorua needed housing but only for its own. History will judge you. Choose whats best for the Rotorua district and vote against the proposal, or vote for it and be remembered and condemned for endorsing Rotorua as the go-to social and temporary housing capital of New Zealand. Submitter Neil Barnes said housing on reserves would be future slums. Our parks are not for sale. Submitter Dave Kennedy said in his opinion there was a lot of information missing and the public had been kept in the dark. A house relocator, Kennedy said when he shifted a building on to a site he went through a large amount of paperwork with the council, including assessing how appropriate a building was for its new site. Has the same scrutiny been given to this process? How well have you looked at what Kainga Ora housing looks like? In Rotorua we've got a 50-year-old model of what state housing looks like in Rotorua - it's called Fordblock. Gangs, crime, domestic violence, police cars arriving daily, this is state housing in Rotorua, this is what it looks like and you're proposing to inject that into every avenue of the Rotorua community. He said taxpayers and residents would pay for the decision with the loss of property value, loss of security and loss of harmony. Restore Rotorua spokesman Trevor Newbrook did not live near one of the identified reserve sites[[subs use this specific phrasing not just reserves]] but said he had empathy for those who did and who had paid a premium price to live near them. He also did not believe Kainga Ora had capacity to build homes on the reserves in two years alongside the rest of its work programme in the city. I think this process today should be slowed down. The consultation is very rushed. Newbrook began comparing the reserves local bill with the paused Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) bill, calling the latter dodgy. Councillor Mercia Yates called a point of order citing relevance. Rotorua district councillor Mercia Yates. Photo / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post. Newbrook said he found it extremely rude he was interrupted in his submission, saying he was a guest of the council. A person should be allowed to speak and say what they think. If she doesnt find it relevant, maam, thats fine. The other members might find it very relevant. In the meeting, chief executive Geoff Williams said staff were going through the submissions and identifying themes. Council chief executive Geoff Williams. Photo / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post. He said elected members could expect a summary of the 639 submissions at the August 11 Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meeting, with staff responses on the submissions themes and an updated set of recommendations. The council has previously said no decisions had been made. -Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air The man sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of Monica Cantwell in Mount Maunganui will be released on parole this month. Charles John Coulam was convicted of murder and assault to commit sexual violation in December 1989. British backpacker Monica was just one week into a trip to New Zealand when, whilst walking the northern summit track on Mauao on November 20, 1989, she was raped and strangled. Her body was found three days later after friends reported her missing. Coulam, now 52, was arrested a month later. He has since been before the parole board a number of times, after becoming eligible for parole in 1999. He has been diagnosed as having schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism. Coulam met with the New Zealand Parole Board at the end of July, where it was decided he would be released on August 29, with special conditions. We have decided he is now no longer an undue risk and can be released given the special conditions that are now proposed for him, says board chairperson Sir Ron Young in a recently released decision. In discussing his future with the board, Mr Coulam did not have a good understanding of the special conditions that had been recommended in the parole assessment report. For understandable reasons his focus has been very much on his mental health and the support that over many years Mason Clinic had given him. It is important now that he turn toward Corrections and Community Corrections to understand what support they will give, because they will be the primary organisation who will be responsible for overseeing his care in the future. Before Coulam's release, there needed to be family meetings with those who had an interest in his welfare to discuss his release proposal and special conditions. A "media plan" was also suggested. As part of his release, Coulam is subject to 16 special conditions including, not to enter or loiter near any parks, reserves or other area specified in writing, unless prior written approval is given by his probation officer. He is to reside at an approved address (withheld) and is not to move unless he has written approval from his probation officer, subject however to any admission to hospital under the Mental Health Act. The Parole Board has also issued a nightly curfew, from 7pm to 6am, and says he has to attend any psychological assessment or complete any recommended treatment as directed by a probation officer. Other conditions include not to possess, use or consume alcohol, controlled drugs or psychoactive substances, except controlled drugs prescribed by a health professional, and to attend a reintegration meeting as directed by a probation officer. The board says all the special conditions are currently in place for life, and will be reviewed when he appears before the board again for a special monitoring hearing in December. Tauranga volleyballers Sam ODea and Brad Fuller are preparing for their next battle after beating Tuvalu in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. ODea and Fuller, also known as the Beach Blacks scored a 2-0 win over Tuvalu in their second Beach Volleyball match. The pair have now qualified for the quarter finals and play their final pool game against England at 7am Thursday morning NZ time. It was a little bit fresh but I think the guys just came out with a lot of energy, says ODea following todays match. We kind of cruised through the first set and I think maybe just relaxed a little bit going into the second and kind of let them back in, then next minute its a game. We had a little bit of a wobble and that kind of brought it to us a bit. ODea says it was good to get pressed by a team and to face a little bit of a challenge, because these early teams can easily be quite one-sided. It definitely wasnt our best game. We will look at some video tomorrow and then we will have a practice ahead of our next match against England, which will be a good one. Having been on the road since the New Zealand summer, the Beach Blacks have had a good look at their Games rivals ahead of the tournament. The preparation has been great, going overseas I wasn't really sure what to expect, but we've had a chance to see who we're going to be up against in some of the bigger games, and we've actually played the teams in our pool twice, so that's definitely been handy, says Fuller. Results Set 1 ODea / Fuller NZ 21 14 Tuvalu Saaga/Ampex Set 2 ODea / Fuller NZ 21 17 Tuvalu Saaga/Ampex NZ win 2-0 Beach Ferns Alice Zeimann and Shaunna Polley won their second match against Kenya this morning 2-0 to qualify for the quarter finals, their next game is against Canada at 8am Thursday morning NZ time. Bay of Plenty Regional Councils Harbourmaster team has had its busiest winter in recent memory assisting with the salvage of a number of boats in Tauranga Harbour. The last week in July alone saw four vessels needing assistance from the Harbourmaster team after heavy rain and strong winds. One vessel was partly submerged needing water to be pumped out and the boat removed from the Harbour, while another sunk to the seafloor. The Harbourmaster team is currently working with this boats owner on a salvage plan. Two other vessels broke free from their mooring and anchor. Deputy Harbourmaster Daniel Rapson says the salvage operations are a stark reminder for boat owners to check their vessels on moorings. We have had numerous reports of boats sitting lower in the water from taking on rain this winter and three boats that have sunk at their moorings over the months of June and July. He says with cloudy days, vessels relying on solar should also be checking battery levels to ensure automatic bilge pumps are operating. It's essential that boat owners check on their vessels regularly to catch any issues early. The recent incidents were caused by a mooring line chafing/wearing on a sharp edge, and boats slowly taking on rainwater and the bilge pump failing. These could have been easily prevented with some regular maintenance checks. Salvaging a boat that has sunk on its mooring can be a costly exercise for the owner with the bill coming in between $10-$15,000 per day for a commercial dive team and suitable barge. The boat owner is liable for these costs and dependent on the size of the boat and how long it takes to get it out of the water it can cost much more. In some cases the boat may be disposed of and destroyed by the Regional Council under the authority of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 with the boat owner liable for all costs incurred. A national security mission for the National Reconnaissance Office is expected to be launched from Rocket Lab's launch site in New Zealand. This is the second of two back-to-back missions for the NRO from a spaceport outside of the United States. If it is dark and the sky is clear when the rocket is launched, it will be possible to see the rocket from BOP, says Dave Greig at Tauranga Astronomical Society. Tonight's launch window is from 5pm to 7pm. The mission, dubbed Antipodean Adventure (NROL-199), is the second of two back-to-back Electron missions for the National Reconnaissance Office, says Rocket Lab in a post on its website. The first mission, Wise One Looks Ahead (NROL-162) successfully lifted-off from Launch Complex 1 on July 13, 2022. The NROL-199 mission will carry a national security payload designed, built, and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office in partnership with the Australian Department of Defence as part of a broad range of cooperative satellite activities with Australia, the website post reads. The payload will support the NRO to provide critical information to government agencies and decision makers monitoring international issues. Both NROL-199 and NROL-162 missions are a demonstration of responsive launch under NROs Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract for launching small satellite through a streamlined, commercial approach, and are the third and fourth missions contracted to Rocket Lab by the NRO under the contract. NROL-151 (RASR-1) was successfully deployed to space on a dedicated Electron launch in early 2020, followed by RASR-2 on another Electron launch in June 2020. The launch can be viewed on the livestream above from 5pm. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. In context: TSMC's chairman has warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would result in the company's factories becoming inoperable, underlining the point that "Nobody can control TSMC by force." The rare interview with Mark Liu comes as tensions between the US and China reach an all-time high over House Speaker Pelosi's plans to visit Taiwan during her Asia tour. China said it would "not sit by idly" and threatened "forceful measures" if Pelosi does land in the country. Liu shared his thoughts on a possible Chinese invasion in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. He said that, like all wars, there would be "no winners" if such a conflict did occur, with China, Taiwan, and the West all losing. Liu added that the scenario would have consequences beyond the semiconductor industry, resulting in the "destruction of the world's rules-based order." Taiwan, tech, and the threat of Chinese attack: Part 1 of my conversation with TSMC Chairman Mark Liu, from today's GPS pic.twitter.com/xTGR1ovEoC Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) July 31, 2022 In June, a high-ranking government economist said China should seize TSMC if the west ever imposed sanctions on the country like those faced by Russia. Liu believes taking TSMC by force would be impossible given the company's many moving parts and reliance on support from outside firms to operate. "[T]hese are such sophisticated manufacturing facilities, they depend on the real-time connection with the outside world... from materials, to chemicals, to spare parts, to engineering software, and diagnosis," the chairman explained. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently warned that the US could face a deep recession if it were ever cut off from the Taiwanese chip manufacturing industryone of the factors that prompted the CHIPS Act. China also relies on TSMC for its chips, and Liu believes the country would face great economic turmoil if its most advanced component supply disappeared. Analysts believe China's fear of what a disrupted Taiwanese chip industry would do to its economy is a significant deterrent against any invasion plansa so-called Silicon Shield. "If they [China] need us, it's not a bad thing," Liu added. Liu concluded by saying that China, Taiwan, and the west need to look at how to avoid war in the region and ensure the engine of the world's economy continues humming. According to the latest reports, the US Air Force jet that Pelosi flew on to Malaysia has taken off from Kuala Lumpur. While it's unclear if she is on the plane, the US Navy has simultaneously deployed four warships east of Taiwan, suggesting the House Speaker's visit could happen today. In context: For years, a British computer engineer who essentially threw away the key to his cryptocurrency vault has been trying to excavate the device on which it is stored from a local landfill. This year, he came up with the boldest project yet, but the chances of it getting approved by authorities are slim to none. Back in 2013, James Howells's life changed when he threw out a hard drive that may just be the most valuable in the world. Before doing so, Howells had two 2.5-inch hard drives stored in a drawer, one of which he intended to get rid of, and another that had a digital wallet with some 7,500 Bitcoin on it. Even as Bitcoin has fallen significantly from its peak value of nearly $67,000, the wallet still holds the equivalent of almost $185 million in digital tokens. After accidentally throwing the wrong drive in the trash, the British computer engineer asked Newport's city council to allow him to dig for it in a landfill. However, his requests were repeatedly denied, even when he offered to pay the local government a quarter of the cryptocurrency holdings in that wallet. It turns out his "treasure hunt" is considered dangerous for the environment in all of the forms presented over the last nine years. That said, he isn't giving up just yet. Howells hopes to persuade local authorities to let him find the valuable hard drive with a new proposal that is backed by a hedge fund. Finding such a small device in over 100,000 tons of garbage would be a monumental task, but the engineer believes using artificial intelligence and automation can help sort more quickly through all the waste. Howells has two versions of this new plan. The first would involve sorting through all 100,000 tons for three years using a combination of human sorters, robotic "Spot" dogs from Boston Dynamics, and a special conveyor belt with automated sorting systems all of which would cost no less than $11 million and take nine to twelve months to complete. He also envisions a scaled-down version of this operation that would only cost $6 million and take up to 18 months. Both plans would involve a team of experts in various areas such as landfill excavation, waste management, and data extraction. Howells even sought the help of an advisor who worked for OnTrack a company that successfully recovered 99 percent of the data from the black box of the crashed Columbia space shuttle. After excavating the garbage, Howells plans to clean and recycle as much of it as possible, while the rest would be reburied. His team is even exploring the feasibility of building a solar or wind power plant on top of the landfill site. The idea is to have as little impact on the environment as possible, but whether or not this will finally convince authorities to greenlight the operation remains to be seen. Howells is even prepared to offer more incentives, such as using part of the funds to give 50 (~$61) to every one of Newport's 150,000 residents if the operation is successful. For now, however, all he can do is wait for an official response and hope it will be favorable. Masthead credit: Kanchanara The big picture: Next year will be an unusual, transitional one for the Call of Duty franchise. As Microsoft acquires the series' publisher, Activision won't put out a new mainline entry in the series and will instead focus on paid content. The company confirmed this while reporting a significant revenue decline. This week, Activision Blizzard announced plans to release "premium content" for Call of Duty in 2023, likely to compensate for the absence of a new full release that year. The news is part of the company's Q2 2022 financial report which indicates declining user engagement with the franchise. In February, Activision revealed that it won't release a mainline Call of Duty title in 2023, delaying Black Ops studio Treyarch's next game. The absence will mark the first year since 2004 without a new entry as the franchise reaches its 20th anniversary. Activision didn't say what form the new premium content would take, but it could represent a shift or backtrack for Call of Duty. The series formerly expanded upon mainline games with paid map packs but ended the practice with 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, turning to battle passes and other microtransactions to ensure all players had the same maps. The 2023 content will likely be for Modern Warfare's sequel, which launches on October 28. The sequel to Activision's free-to-play Call of Duty Warzone releases later this year. The Q2 financial results containing Activision's announcement show overall revenues declining by almost 30 percent year-over-year, likely due to a significant drop in Call of Duty players. Over the last year, Activision's reported monthly active users steadily fell each quarter from 127 million in June 2021 to 94 million in June 2022. Active player numbers haven't fallen below 100 million since 2019. In contrast, Blizzard's and King's user numbers saw much smaller shifts over the same period. The decline in Call of Duty users could stem from frustrations with the franchise's most recent release Vanguard which saw some of its content delayed earlier this year. Another possible factor is Warzone players waiting for the sequel, which will reset all progress from the first game. As Microsoft prepares to purchase Activision Blizzard, Sony told Brazil's competition regulator that it is concerned about possible aftereffects. The company thinks that if Call of Duty games stopped supporting PlayStation, it would affect many consumers' console purchase decisions and that no one else could replicate the series' brand. So far, Microsoft hadn't indicated that it's making Call of Duty exclusive to its platforms. Building a startup, especially for beginners, could be a challenging task to do. From brainstorming about the business concept to visualizing the company's core values and goals, you should take note of all the important aspects in entering a particular industry that you want to venture into. That's why there's a good reason why you should consult a startup accelerator. For instance, Y Combinator managing director Michael Seibel has previously shared some tips for those who are planning to land a startup. If you are an aspiring startup CEO in the future, here's what you need to know. Who is Michael Seibel? (Photo : Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch) SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 02: Y Combinator CEO & Partner Michael Seibel speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 at Moscone Convention Center on October 02, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Since 2006, Michael Seibel has been working and living at the same time in the Bay Area. From there, he served as the Managing Director and Group Partner at Y Combinator. He has been helping thousands of startup founders since then. The 39-year-old previously co-founded Justin.tv for four years, from 2007-2011. After his stint in the said firm, he became the Socialcam CEO a year later. Socialcam is tied up with Y Combinator which has a common goal of educating aspiring startup CEOs about their business. Seibel's journey wasn't all about technology at first. Initially, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science at Yale University before becoming the US Senate campaign finance director. When he came to Y Combinator, he started to share some tips on how early owners would thrive in the industry. According to Y Combinator's blog, they invest $500,000 for each company in a "large number of startups." For three months, they worked closely with the startups to monitor their progress during the period. Since 2005, the company has been able to fund more than 3,000 startups and it keeps on growing. Y Combinator is a startup-friendly company with over 7,000 founders. As of writing, the combined valuation of all the firms under Y Combinator now reached more than $600 billion. Related Article: #TechCEO: How Calendly CEO Tope Awotona Introduced the Modern Scheduling App to Professionals Michael Seibel Tips on Startup Founders Starting the funding for the startup appears to be "almost nonexistent," as Seibel said. During the early days, you can potentially start a business by loaning from a local bank. Now, it's becoming "less possible" to accomplish because of the market condition. The startup tech ecosystem could go in two ways depending on the outcome. You can generate profit here or lose your fortune as you move forward. Moreover, Seibel added that the power of software gives a startup an edge in competing with other businesses. The Y Combinator CEO continued that you're going to have a hard time earning money if you don't include software as your "core" part in your pitch. When asked about the behavior that he doesn't like to see in startup founders, Seibel said that there are these so-called "Scene-sters" at YC. He said that these individuals are skillful, but they want more to engage in being present in the press, being on a panel, and having the "right" set of friends. There's no wrong in being friendly, but as a startup founder, you should prioritize what you should do for your company. The startup world could be exciting, but deep inside it's difficult to thrive here if you have no passion and motivation. Seibel said that you should be exceptional for your startup to survive. Building your dream company should come with high standards and don't settle for less. The Y Combinator CEO ended his talk by giving the final advice to the new founders. He said that they need to stay motivated regardless of the case. Whether it's rain or shine, you have to be focused and set your motivation for the day. "In my experience, if you're extremely passionate about the problem, if you believe your problem is really important, and you're truly passionate about the people who have the problem, you'll maintain the pain of doing a startup," Seibel ended. Read Also: #TechCEO At 19-Years Old, Advait Thakur Is Chief of IoT Company Apex Infosys India This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Only a mere week after trademarking the Tesla Cyber Roundup event, a rebranding of the company's annual shareholder meeting, Tesla stock is experiencing gradual gains over a rather bleak year. The firm announced a three-for-one stock split in March, a move that still requires shareholder approval, which will take place during the Cyber Roundup event on Thursday, Aug. 4. Year over year, Tesla shares are down by 25%, sitting as of writing at a little over $900, a rather sharp decline from the highs of $2,000 a share experienced in 2020. That price was allotted following a similar stock split when Tesla stock was averaging around $1,300 per share two years prior. Following that five-for-one stock split, the price per share for Tesla stock was reset to $460, with the firm's valuation priced at $430 billion. The company is now positioned to make a similar albeit somewhat dire move, with Tesla shares feeling a glow up in the runup to a potential reset. On July 29, Friday, Tesla stock closed at a 5% jump, and prices are seeing a healthy rebound, surging by 12.42% over the past five days. Similar conditions were met in 2020, when investors were shorting Tesla stock, essentially betting against it, in order to create a short squeeze. Related Article: Tesla Mobile Connector is Back in Stock! How Much is it Priced? In that time, however, Tesla stock was seeing nearly 7% of outstanding shares being shorted, while today, all but a mere 2.9% of the firm's shares are being shorted. Tesla remains the most shorted stock in the world, despite the downturn, yet it is largely due to the fact that Tesla shorts investors are losing money in the process of their short squeeze. According to a report by Bloomberg in July, Tesla short sellers have experienced a whopping $1 billion in market-to-market losses. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who remains embroiled in a heated dispute with Twitter, even took to the social media site to taunt short sellers with a short and sweet, "Heatwave in Shortville." If the firm's three-for-one stock split does find approval on Thursday, it could mean devastation for short sellers like it did in 2020. Tesla shorts were down $25.4 billion following its previous stock split. It's unclear exactly how things will go this time. However, things are looking quite positive for the EV automaker. With Tesla stock closing in on a 50% bump from May, shareholders remain firm. Expect several additional announcements on Thursday to add to the Tesla Cyber Roundup event as the firm gears up for a strong third quarter. It's not entirely known what Tesla may announce amid the Cyber Roundup event, but with Musk at the helm, it's anyone's best guess. In the face of positive gains, the firm has been in the hot seat with unintentional consequences associated with its driverless technology, which recently killed a US motorcyclist. While not directly influencing its stock prices, the autopilot issue over at Tesla proves to be a major necessity to amend, as well as kicking into gear its foreign production, most prominent among them being its Shanghai-based gigafactory. Read Also: New Tesla Virtual Machine Mode Offers World's Grid-Scale First Inertia Services! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Twitter is looking at a new feature for its application and it is the "tweet counter" that displays the average number of tweets per month, next to the total number of tweets that a person has on their accounts. There are several reports before that claimed it would come for the platform, and it delivered to users already. Some Twitter account holders claim that this new feature from the company is "rude." Twitter Debuts Tweet Counter Feature, Showing on a Profile (Photo : Unsplash/Joshua Hoehne) According to Tech Crunch, so-called "reverse engineers" that look into developments online previously claimed that a tweet counter may appear on a person's profile on Twitter. And the new feature brings several functions here, and that is to average the number of tweets per month from a certain user, and display it on their profile. The tweet counter would display beside the original tweet counter that shows the total number of online posts that the profile publicized since the creation of the account. The new feature did not arrive for all, as it is currently testing for some users and is appearing on random ones online, with several reviews regarding it. Read Also: Twitter Claims Elon Musk's Buyout Deal Caused Second Quarter Earnings Dip Due to 'Uncertainty' #Twitter is working to show how many tweets you make per month. pic.twitter.com/H4DukXCHNJ Nima Owji (@nima_owji) June 24, 2022 Tweet Counter is Rude for Some Twitter Users One user from Twitter said that this new feature from the company is "extremely rude" for them, as it shows how much they tweet every month. The feature shows the frequency of an individual's use of Twitter, and showing the tweets per month may let others know how much a person spends their time on the platform. Damon Beres said that this new feature is "brutal." Twitter and its Features The famous short word social media company is focusing on different ventures while it faces its massive lawsuit against Elon Musk, especially regarding the Twitter sale that was supposedly pushing through. There already is a date for its trial in their respective court, and it will be on October 17 when Musk and Twitter would formally face each other. Nevertheless, there are still features coming from Twitter during these times, especially with a new media tweet focused by the company that would allow different formats on a single post. That means photos, videos, GIFs, and more may appear on a single tweet, and users may even choose the order that these media will appear once uploaded. There are still many features coming to Twitter now, but not all of them are something that users want or appreciate from the company, especially those where they feel exposed to the public. There are no solutions for the public's complaints now, but there are some things that they may do that would solve this new dispute for them. Related Article: Twitter Blue Subscription Fee to Increase for the First Time! Here's How Much This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In just a decade, the way we deal with software drastically transformed. Traditionally, software was simply distributed to employees by the IT department and employees had little say in the matter. Today, myriads of user-friendly SaaS software are simple to obtain and use. Plus, they also adapt to the ever-changing needs of individuals and the company. While this is a significant benefit for customers, it may pose significant challenges for vendors. They need a dependable SaaS management software to tackle issues such as excessive spending and safety or regulatory breaches. What Is Saas Software? Software as a Service, or SaaS, is a process of providing software as a service through the Internet. Instead of setting up and maintaining software, you just access it over the Internet, liberating yourself from the complexities of software and device maintenance. What distinguishes a SaaS platform from regular software applications is that it's simply a distribution mechanism that lets data be accessible from any device with an internet connection and a web browser. What Is SaaS Management Software? On the other hand, SaaS Management proactively manages and monitors all software-as-a-service or SaaS software within a company's technology portfolio. These activities track all purchasing, onboarding, licensing, subscriptions, and off-boarding. The best SaaS management software lowers your business costs, aids in the security of your data and firm, and improves efficiency and productivity of business operations. Best Saas Project Management Software Fortunately, you don't need a big stack of extra tools to handle your SaaS services efficiently. We have compiled a list of the top 5 best SaaS management tools developed to address the SaaS management difficulty. #1 Cledara Cledara is a SaaS management software designed for finance and IT departments in rapidly developing startups and scaleups. What makes it one of the best SaaS management software is the team management tools with a payment platform to assist businesses. It helps in gaining control of software investments by providing visibility and control over all SaaS apps in the organization in a single location. This SaaS management software provides virtual debit and credit cards for each subscription. Teams may create a unique budget for each program and enjoy the convenience of discovering, purchasing, and managing their software in one location. It also allows you to identify which SaaS software is being utilized and which is sitting idle across your organization. This includes finding out who is using which app for something that might be a time-consuming effort. Cledara gives you visibility and control over every subscription. Cledara distinguishes itself by bringing all the tools you need to manage your SaaS into one location. It aids usage and tracking like the other technologies mentioned in this article. It also includes SaaS purchases, giving the finance and IT departments total control over software costs. It also assists you in managing software renewals by showing all of your subscriptions and their projected renewal dates, as well as reminders and notifications to minimize surprises. Key Features and Benefits Compatible with almost every SaaS software Has an intuitive dashboard and easy-to-use UI Automates your workflow Gives complete visibility to control your SaaS apps View everything in one place Access analytics and usage to breakdown your ROI Manage and control SaaS budgets #2 Zluri Zluri is a SaaS Management Platform for Enterprises (SMP). This SaaS software allows you to discover, optimize, manage, and secure your SaaS stack from a single dashboard. This SaaS management software establishes and maintains a Single Point of Truth (SPOT) for all your SaaS applications. Moreover, they can help you negotiate software purchases and renewals, as well as save up time and money. Zluri keeps you secure and compliant by allowing you to govern the acquisition, renewal, and disposal of SaaS. You can mark risky apps as restricted. When employees try to access unauthorized SaaS apps, you and the employees will get notifications. Zluri also helps you with SaaS spend management. SaaS usage insights help you decide whether to renew or terminate an application. You can eliminate SaaS wastage that lies in your SaaS stack in the form of redundant apps and licenses, including duplicate apps, unused licenses, abandoned apps, auto-renewals, and wrong tiers plans. Key Features Automate onboarding and offboarding: Unlike generic templates that are difficult to use, Zluri handles all the difficulties to provide you with purpose-built processes and an easy-to-use, intuitive UI. Use automation to minimize time spent on repetitive and monotonous IT processes, such as staff onboarding and offboarding. Zluri enables you to give employees access to all the SaaS apps they need on day 1 so that they need not wait for weeks for the tools. Implement a simple onboarding/offboarding procedure by granting and withdrawing application access with a few clicks. Appropriate offboarding ensures that ex-employees do not have access to your organization's data. Furthermore, they have recently launched an employee app store that allows employees to request for apps and licenses directly from the employee portal. Receive personalized suggestions for new workers depending on their department and level of seniority. Application cost optimization: Zluri can help you justify or improve application expenses by monitoring, measuring, and controlling application expenditure while demystifying shadow IT. This allows you to uncover hidden SaaS spending. Application utilization data: Zluri can help you measure application efficiency and save license costs. You will receive a comprehensive application use analysis. After that, make smart decisions to increase licensing ROI. Smart app discovery: This is the biggest differentiator of Zluri when compared to all the other SaaS management platforms present in the market. Though all SMPs claim to discover and optimize the SaaS apps, they are limited by the number of apps they have in their app library. Zluri, with it largest app library having more than 225,000 apps, discovers 100% of SaaS apps. Zluri traces the SaaS apps existing in your SaaS environment using five robust discovery methods, comprised of SSO/IDP, financial/expense management systems, direct integration, desktop agent and browser extension, and provides you with a detailed picture of your SaaS ecosystem. Easy renewal monitoring: With Zluri, you can manage your software application contracts/renewals, develop an approval procedure to cut costs, and equip yourself with data to negotiate and maximize ROI. The smart calendar helps you stay on top of your SaaS renewals, thus preventing you from both the extremesneither will you ever miss to renew an app nor any app gets auto-renewed without your consent. Smooth vendor management: Make Zluri the Single Source of Truth (SSOT) for vendor contracts. Gain quick access to information to drastically reduce software costs and enhance overall ROI. You can access a pre-built database of prominent vendor apps while maintaining a strict compliance attitude. Real-time insights and reports: With Zluri's real-time alerts, you can stay on top of changes in your application ecosystem. You can improve budgeting with data-driven insights and simplify documentation and reporting. One biggest advantage of going with Zluri is they don't gate any feature. They provide you access to all the features in their paid plan. Furthermore, their SaaS procurement specialist team will obtain apps for you based on your requirements. It saves you hundreds of hours and up to half the cost of SaaS. Benefits Get real-time app insight Automate IT tasks Secure your SaaS Stack Comprehensive dashboard to experience each feature Helps regularize your application expenses Offers the largest number of direct integrations that stands at 750+ and keeps on improving month over month Hailed as the 'Best Discovery Engine' when compared to all other SaaS management platforms The only platform that provides both SaaS purchasing services and a full SaaS management platform Best customer support as per G2 Stay compliant with industry-wide compliance standards Find and eliminate unauthorized apps in your organization Identify the idle and least utilized applications in your SaaS environment and remove them immediately to reduce your SaaS budget From the start, you'll have access to a complete SaaS governance and visibility, saving up to 45% by successfully controlling and optimizing your SaaS costsjust among other features to look forward to from Zluri. Book a demo now to obtain consolidated visibility, gain control, and power up your IT stack with Zluri's unified SaaS control hub. #3 BetterCloud BetterCloud is a SaaS management software that aims to assist businesses in eliminating SaaS sprawl. Like other SaaS management tools, it provides a consolidated view of your SaaS apps. It automates the onboarding of new team members. Automate onboarding processes so that all new workers can access the devices, applications, and data needed to accomplish their jobs effectively. Its security compliance is another key element. The solution provides you with control over your applications, users, and data, allowing you to assess whether all rules have been satisfied. If you detect anomalies, you may take corrective action to keep your organization in compliance. Another advantage of adopting BetterCloud is file security. So when files are distributed with unauthorized parties, users are promptly notified, and they may analyze the exposure to select the following measures. The major disadvantage is that the app restricts the information that can be exported from the system. It is not always straightforward to explore and identify processes, and users report that workflows are sluggish and time-consuming to get them to operate properly. Key Features and Benefits Discovers unused and idle apps for you Offers an automated workflow for your IT team Provides security compliance through industry standards Prevents data loss Efficiently manages the onboarding and offboarding processes #4 Torii Torii is a cloud software and SaaS management platform ideal for IT professionals. Its team members can see which apps are active and they measure use, monitor spending, and see what resources are available. These allow them to identify areas for optimization. It is an easy-to-use tool for managing software licenses. If you want additional control, the app is available to make your vision a reality. You can also manage vendors and users across many apps. You can use the tool to automate recurring operations such as contract renewal reminders and onboarding procedures. Torii will accomplish these tasks for you rather than wasting your time. It will alert you of any unexpected account activity, such as financial transactions. This way, you can avoid data loss and breaches. One disadvantage of Torii is that it is difficult to cancel or reverse process modifications. You cannot change your request once it has been submitted. Human mistakes occur, and the ability to modify your request is essential. Key Features and Benefits Optimizes your SaaS software expenditures Easier onboarding and offboarding process Renews and manages vendors Easy to use and intuitive UI Automates your workflows #5 Zylo Zylo strives to make the SaaS administration process easier for everyone involved. The tool can find apps within an organization. This SaaS management software is useful for IT and financial departments, which can't always maintain tracking of all workers' software. As a tool, Zylo can optimize SaaS expenditure management and uncover inefficiencies. You would then know which useless apps are devouring your money. Through numerous governance mechanisms, this SaaS management software assures compliance. Zylo additionally streamlines renewal management operations. You may control SaaS renewals and view payment information. These might help you get better deals on SaaS software. While Zylo simplifies the procedure, it is not without drawbacks. There are certain integration constraints with the tool. Their data, for example, is dependent on their interface with Okta. If the integration fails or tools are unavailable through Okta, Zylo cannot view that information. Furthermore, users have complained that data requires manual cleaning to ensure correctness. Key Features and Benefits Offers a free trial for newcomers App integrations Always monitors your SaaS software Lets you identify usage data Tracks and allows control over SaaS expenditure Comes with security and compliance standards Sends reminder emails for each subscription renewal What is the most effective SaaS management software for your company? It depends on the requirements and demands of your organization. You should select your preferred management platform based on the properties and capabilities and your long-term ambitions. From the preceding list, choosing the proper solution entails considering your requirements and verifying providers based on their skills. From Zluri to Zylo, we're convinced that you can gain the knowledge and transparency you need to keep your SaaS software organized and capable of producing ROI. This sponsored article was created by Techtimes. Learn more about partnering with TechTmes. Samsung will soon bring the One UI 5 beta for all users to experience, but before that, initial reports on the upcoming version would bring a community challenge for all users. The new feature aims to give the latest there is to Google's Android 13, which reports claim to be the inspiration for the One UI 5, and will bring what would essentially be the new smartphone OS experience. The Samsung focus here would bring more for the users that would pair well with their devices, available for all. Samsung One UI 5 Beta: Community Challenge for All (Photo : Samsung Galaxy Unpacked February 2022: Livestream) According to a community post by a user from South Korea (via Tizen), which confirms the soon arrival of the Samsung One UI 5 beta for all smartphone users. However, there is another piece of information on this message from Samsung and it is the community challenge it set up for users. The community challenge is called the One UI Value Up Challenge program, and it would be the same release for the One UI 5 Beta as what the company will release for its program participants. According to Android Central, this beta program will focus on what the new operating system and user interface would bring, especially for the new focus of Android for all. Nevertheless, the challenge would focus on what the experience will bring for all users in the coming months, focusing on the OS. Read Also: Samsung New Feature: Hide Pics During Repairs with the Galaxy S21 Samsung One UI 5 Beta based on Android 13 The new One UI 5 beta is reportedly based on Android 13, and it will feature the new OS for the world, without necessarily releasing it from Google's Android. The feature would bring what users may anticipate for the upcoming release of the OS for the platform, with Samsung incorporating its user interface that would pair with the new system. Samsung's OS for the Smartphones Samsung brings a lot for its smartphones that would give users the latest features available for the world to experience. Of course, all these focus on a "Galaxy" branding that lines up all there is to the smartphone experience for their needs. Nevertheless, there are specific experiences that aim to bring the world more to what they receive from Samsung, with a new photo editor called "Galaxy Enhance-X" that will bring a new way to fix images. It is an AI tool from the South Korean developer that assists with all photo needs, with one swipe or touch from the app. Google's Android and Samsung work well together, and there are significant ventures from both ends that bring different ventures to the world. One of them is the Wear OS venture that brought a smartwatch system that different manufacturers may benefit from, especially with the many available devices present. Not to mention its One UI and Android OS that works seamlessly together. Now, Samsung is soon releasing the One UI 5 beta for its users, and it only signifies the arrival of Android 13 for all, bringing the world a chance for a better experience for all. Now, focusing on an experience and a community challenge for all users. Related Article: More Samsung Galaxy Flagship Phones to Come with Snapdragon Chips; Is it the End for Exynos? This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to a press release, Rocket Lab will produce solar cells and radiation-resistant assemblies for Lockheed Martin's developing missile warning satellites. The US will run the geostationary Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) satellites, which is an effort to protect American interests from space, as stated by the Space Force. In accordance with a deal announced on July 27 between Lockheed Martin and Rocket Lab, the latter will assist in the construction of the military satellites, which are slated to be launched beginning in 2025. "Critical To The Mission Needs" As reported by Interesting Engineering, any incoming ballistic or tactical missile launch imminent from anywhere in the world will be forewarned by the satellites. These satellites are a part of the U.S.' efforts to militarize space in response to the 2020's "Spacepower" military doctrine for the Space Force "These satellites are critical to the mission needs of the United States Space Force and our national security, and we are proud to be supporting their production on an aggressive schedule," said Brad Clevenger, Rocket Lab's Vice President & General Manager, Space Systems Power Solutions. After its $80 million purchase of New Mexico-based solar power system producer SolAero Technologies in January, Rocket Lab's new agreement will likely represent an excellent return on investment. In 1998, SolAero was established, and since then, it has created solar power systems for the newly-minted James Webb Telescope, NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the Mars Insight Lander, and the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, according to Interesting Engineering. Read also: Rocket Lab Announces New Program That Will Let Customers Have Their Payloads in Orbit Within 24 Hours New Solar Cells Rocket Lab revealed in March that the newly acquired SolAero division was working on new solar cells called d IMM-. These cells will cost much less to launch into orbit and boast a conversion efficiency of approximately 33.3% in volume production. They will also be more than 40% lighter than usual space-designed solar cells. Three of the Next-Gen OPIR satellites will be built by Lockheed Martin under a $4.9 billion contract that was awarded in January. Five Next-Gen OPIR satellites were the subject of contracts awarded by the U.S. Space Force; three were made by Lockheed Martin in geosynchronous orbit and two by Northrop Grumman in polar orbit. Rocket Lab was established in New Zealand in 1998, and it is renowned for some avant-garde designs, such as its fairing that was inspired by Hungry Hungry Hippo and its method for capturing first-stage rocket boosters with helicopters. As noted by Interesting Engineering, the company has recently assisted NASA in launching its CAPSTONE smallsat towards the Moon as part of a mission that will lay the groundwork for the lunar Gateway project. Related Article: Rocket Lab Tries Catching an Electron Rocket Booster with Helicopter This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Instagram account of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was reportedly hacked on Monday, Aug. 1. His followers on the platform saw that the hacker was sharing bogus links tied up to a fake Elon Musk's crypto account. Moreover, the person behind this incident has been posting cryptocurrency giveaways on Khan's account. This alarmed his party members that some people might fall victim to this trap if they did not pay attention properly. Imran Khan's Instagram Account Hacked (Photo : WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images) Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan removes his facemask during a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (not pictured) at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on November 19, 2020. The Instagram account of the current Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was closely monitored earlier this week after a new incident of hacking took place on social media. According to Business Standard, the hacker of Imran's IG account was sharing "fishy" links, which directed the users to a malicious website. Once someone clicks this link, there's a possibility that he/she could lose his crypto assets. To avoid the worst possible scenario for crypto investors and traders, Imran's co-party members urged his followers to stop following his Instagram account at the moment. Additionally, they advised them to avoid interacting with each post that the hacker shares. Imran Khans Instagram getting hacked is funny pic.twitter.com/NIaGCOqIY5 Oshaz (@ThisisOshaz_) August 1, 2022 Imran Khan is a prominent figure inside and outside the social media space. As of writing, he has more than 7.4 million followers on his official Instagram account. Back in late 2021, the Pakistan Embassy in Serbia posted a tweet about the unpaid salaries of government officials. The officials later found out that an unidentified person hijacked the account. Related Article: Hacker Takes Over Disneyland Social Media Accounts, Posts Derogatory Captions How to Protect Yourself From Instagram Hack? With the looming threats coming from unsuspected attackers, social media platforms are no longer "safe spaces" for users. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has already launched the Security Check feature, which notifies people whose accounts have been previously hacked. This update looks forward to improving the users' account security so they can prevent potential hacking incidents in the future. According to Mashable, you can protect your IG account by using the 2FA or two-factor authentication method. By using it, you will be given a One Time Password, which you can use to verify your information online. Instagram is also testing out a feature that secures a user's account via WhatsApp. However, this is only limited to some countries as of press time. If you want to fully protect your social media account, you can opt for Instagram account insurance. The Israeli startup Notch came up with the idea of offering digital asset insurance to all users. Having this digital insurance can safeguard your information from hackers and other people who are interested in hijacking your account online. As per Tech Times' previous report, Notch is offering this unique insurance for a monthly price of $38. If you want to use it for the whole year, you will pay $459. If someone hacks your Instagram account, you are already eligible to receive $244 daily. This benefit will only stop after Notch solves the problem by recovering your hacked account. Read Also: [BREAKING] Mercedez-Benz Instagram Got Hacked; Account Posted Swastika Logo and Bitcoin Donation This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A policewoman who was traveling on the train that was trapped by the Bejis fire, to the driver: "Please, do something, get us out of here" Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission I have seen lots of unbearably white teeth lately. One colleague who now has dazzling white fangs also has his forehead stretched tight. Hes a wax effigy of the person I once knew. You havent changed a bit, I said, but thought, man, youve transformed. Blindingly white teeth are suddenly everywhere. Talking Heads Seen and Not Seen from 1980 is about people changing their faces. It became my dystopian stoner anthem at the age of 18 but the song rings truer now. Once only for Hollywood actors, blinding choppers have become democratised. Botox, fillers, and white teeth are affordable (at least to those who can afford them). Tradies and their partners, accountants, car salespeople, mortgage brokers and retail workers now sport uber-whites, often matched with permanently startled expressions. This was a violent and politically turbulent period as Indonesia emerged from the Soeharto military regime and as President Habibie unexpectedly brought on a referendum on East Timor independence. In that crucial week after the result of the vote supporting independence, the Australian ambassador, John McCarthy, was on the ground in Dili. And, it fell to Les in Jakarta to handle much of Australias interaction with President Habibie in that decisive week. Australia went on to lead the international stabilisation force in East Timor under UN Security Council mandate. Les final posting was as ambassador to Russia for three years until 2005. These were the early years of Vladimir Putin as President. Les concluded prophetically early on that Putin was a dangerous tactician, who deeply resented the collapse of the Soviet empire and who had begun rebuilding the iron state apparatus of the Soviet Union following the chaos of the 1990s. Les came into foreign affairs as part of a new generation at the end of the very conservative post-war decades of our political and social history. He was among the last of those conscripted to national service after 1965. Gough Whitlam was elected two years after Les joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and that opened up a vastly new and exciting diplomatic landscape as Australia expanded its international presence, recharged its multilateralism, recalibrated much of our approach to our regional neighbours, repudiated racism globally, and gave PNG independence. He held the view that good international citizenship had to be central to Australias foreign policy. This led Les after retirement to take such an active role in the Australian Institute of International Affairs and also take an interest in training a new generation of students and thinkers on foreign relations. Les brought very clear values to diplomacy which made him a successful diplomat invariably earning respect from colleagues. His professionalism, competence, wisdom, energy, humanity and warmth, deep multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism and complete rejection of racism were obvious and resulted in him being entrusted with difficult and sensitive tasks. Les attended a foreign affairs and trade strategic workshop in late 1996 of all Canberra senior officers, an intense day of discussions across a lot of hard issues. But no one mentioned what was then in many ways the most difficult certainly the most current problem we faced: the malignancy of Pauline Hanson and her comments on Asian immigration that had reverberated through our region. Not a mention all day. Federal police warned the Coalition government in writing that then-Nationals MP George Christensen had engaged in activities in South-East Asia that placed him at risk of being compromised by foreign interests. In the letter, which the AFP and Christensen have repeatedly fought to keep secret, police said a nine-month probe into Christensens frequent travel to the region had found no evidence of criminal conduct but he was a potential risk of compromise. Nine News, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have sought to obtain the letter under Freedom of Information laws for three years, but the AFP refused on national security and privacy grounds. The AFP was forced to release the document on Tuesday after a final decision by the information commissioner found its disclosure was in the public interest. The Queensland politician, who quit politics at the May election after defecting from the Nationals to One Nation and placing himself in an unwinnable spot on the partys Senate ticket, made three secret submissions to the information watchdog in a bid to prevent the AFPs letter from being made public. The corruption watchdog has delivered a shot across the bow to politicians by making it clear that pork-barrelling may constitute corrupt conduct, experts say, and it is a step towards changing the political culture. In a report released on Monday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption found pork-barrelling, defined as allocating public funds and resources to targeted electors for partisan political purposes, may in some cases amount to corrupt conduct. This included the criminal offence of misconduct in public office, the ICAC said. ICAC chief commissioner Peter Hall, QC. Credit:Janie Barrett Sydney barrister Geoffrey Watson, SC, who was counsel assisting several landmark ICAC inquiries, said the report was aimed at changing the perception of pork-barrelling and making it clear there may be legal consequences flowing from politically motivated funding decisions. Maybe we can change the culture here, and I think this is the first step toward it, he said. In April, a poll for The Age found that 65 per cent of Australians regarded Taiwan as a sovereign state, and that if China were to invade the island, 67 per cent would want us to do something about it though of that group, only 15 per cent believed that something should be military action. There was talk that same month of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, visiting Taiwan, prompting Beijing to warn that all possible consequences that arise from this will completely be borne by the US side. Pelosi contracted COVID-19 and was forced to cancel that trip, but as her visit to Asia began on Monday the expectation of a stop in Taipei was strong. Since Russias brutal invasion of Ukraine - which China has refused to condemn - and the gross human rights violations Beijing has inflicted on its citizens in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, it is perhaps understandable that many Australians find the decades-old diplomatic formulas that surround Western relations with Taiwan dishonest, distasteful and no longer fit for purpose. They might cheer Pelosi in standing up for the weaker party. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made it clear during an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper that he would not be breaking new diplomatic ground on Taiwan, reiterating Canberras commitment to the One China policy and to the status quo ... the existing structures which are there. Australia House in London in 1935. The King opened Australia House, the offices of the Commonwealth, today, in the presence of a vast crowd, which thronged the streets. The day dawned bright, and was marked by sunshine, after a long spell of many thunderstorms. The most elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure the success of the inauguration of Australias headquarters in London. A huge tent, which occupied a week in building, was erected in the middle of the Strand, in front of Australia House, where the principal ceremony was carried out. Near Gladstones statue were placed the dais for the Royal party and seats for a selected number of the 5000 invited guests, who included all the members of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The rest were seated within Australia House, particularly detachments of wounded Australian soldiers and nurses, who were seated in the exhibition hall. The Australians forming the guard of honour at Australia House and the Light Horse escorting the Royal party from Buckingham Palace were delighted that Lieutenant-General Sir William Birdwood was able to be present on the historic occasion to represent the Anzacs of Gallipoli and France. A stirring episode was the playing by the Kings trumpeter, Captain Short, of Australia Will Be There, accompanied by a quartet of trumpeters standing in the balcony above the main entrance. The King and Queen and Princess Mary appeared on the balcony at the end of the visit, and were visible to the crowds in the street. London: The man vying to replace Boris Johnson as British prime minister says the free trade deal his leadership rival Liz Truss signed with Australia was bad for British farmers. But Rishi Sunak told an audience of Conservative party members, who will decide the next prime minister, that he would not renege on the deal because that would involve going back on an international treaty. Rishi Sunak speaks during the second Conservative party membership hustings. Credit:Getty Sunak, who campaigned to leave the European Union, said that as a rural MP in North Yorkshire, his constituency had more sheep than people and that the government needed to back British farmers. And making sure the trade deals we sign, are not quote-unquote, one-sided, as the NFU [National Farmers Union] described one of our trade deals, but actually work for British farmers, he said. We have sacrificed and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam, shouted Zawahiri, wearing a white robe, as fellow defendants enraged by Sadats peace treaty with Israel chanted slogans. Zawahiri served a three-year jail term for illegal arms possession, but was acquitted of the main charges. A trained surgeon - one of his pseudonyms was The Doctor - Zawahiri went to Pakistan on his release where he worked with the Red Crescent treating Islamist mujahideen guerillas wounded in Afghanistan fighting Soviet forces. Osama Bin Laden, left, and his replacement Ayman al-Zawahiri. Credit:Reuters During that period, he became acquainted with bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who had joined the Afghan resistance. Taking over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt in 1993, Zawahiri was a leading figure in a campaign in the mid-1990s to overthrow the government and set up a purist Islamic state. More than 1200 Egyptians were killed. Egyptian authorities mounted a crackdown on Islamic jihad after an assassination attempt on then president Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa in June 1995. The greying, white-turbaned Zawahiri responded by ordering a 1995 attack on the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad. Two cars filled with explosives rammed through the compounds gates, killing 16 people. In 1999, an Egyptian military court sentenced Zawahiri to death in absentia. By then he was living the spartan life of a militant after helping bin Laden form al-Qaeda. A videotape aired by Al Jazeera in 2003 showed the two men walking on a rocky mountainside - an image that Western intelligence hoped would provide clues on their whereabouts. Threats of global jihad For years Zawahiri was believed to be hiding along the forbidding border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He assumed leadership of al-Qaeda in 2011 after US Navy Seals killed bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan. Since then, with an AK-47 as his side during video messages, he repeatedly called for global jihad. In a eulogy for bin Laden, Zawahiri promised to pursue attacks on the West, recalling the Saudi-born militants threat that you will not dream of security until we live it as a reality and until you leave the lands of the Muslims. As it turned out, the emergence of the even more hardline Islamic State in 2014-2019 in Iraq and Syria drew as much, if not more, attention from Western counter-terrorism authorities. Zawahiri often tried to stir passions among Muslims by commenting online about sensitive issues such as US policies in the Middle East or Israeli actions against Palestinians, but his delivery was seen as lacking bin Ladens magnetism. Loading On a practical level, Zawahiri is believed to have been involved in some of al-Qaedas biggest operations, helping organise the 2001 attacks, when airliners hijacked by al-Qaeda were used to kill 3000 people in the US. He was indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The FBI put a $US25 million ($35 million) bounty on his head on its most wanted list. Prominent family Zawahiri did not emerge from Cairos slums, like others drawn to militant groups who promised a noble cause. Born in 1951 to a prominent Cairo family, Zawahiri was a grandson of the grand imam of Al Azhar, one of Islams most important mosques. Loading Zawahiri was raised in Cairos leafy Maadi suburb, a place favoured by expatriates from the Western nations he railed against. The son of a pharmacology professor, Zawahiri first embraced Islamic fundamentalism at the age of 15. He was inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist executed in 1966 on charges of trying to overthrow the state. People who studied with Zawahiri at Cairo Universitys Faculty of Medicine in the 1970s describe a lively young man who went to the cinema, listened to music and joked with friends. When he came out of prison he was a completely different person, said a doctor who studied with Zawahiri and declined to be named. Loading In the courtroom cage after the assassination of Sadat at a military parade, Zawahiri addressed the international press, saying militants had suffered from severe torture including whippings and attacks by wild dogs in prison. They arrested the wives, the mothers, the fathers, the sisters and the sons in a trial to put the psychological pressure on these innocent prisoners, he said, firing up a wild-eyed man beside him and other militants. Fellow prisoners said those conditions further radicalised Zawahiri and set him on his path to global jihad. Wellington: New Zealand has made a multimillion dollar pledge to fund Samoan climate projects and to rebuild an Apia waterfront market. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced $NZ27 million ($24.3 million) for the Pacific nation, with climate investments to be decided in tandem between the two governments. This funding will help build Samoas resilience to the impacts of climate change and its transition to a low emissions economy, Ardern said. Samoas Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa, left, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Wellington in June. Credit:AP Ardern is in Samoa on a two-day visit on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of both Samoan independence and the signing of a Treaty of Friendship between the two countries. US President Joe Biden confirms al-Qaeda leader killed in drone strike Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss On August 2, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. The Chinese side strongly condemns and firmly opposes this visit. Despite the Chinese side's repeated warnings of the serious consequences this visit would cause, Pelosi insisted on making the wrong move, maliciously provoking and creating the crisis, which seriously violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, seriously eroded the political foundation of China-US relations, and seriously undermined China-US state-to-state and military-to-military relations. This act of the US side has sent a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence", and further escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The DPP authorities have solicited foreign support, colluded with external forces to stir up troubles and been bent on inviting Pelosi to visit Taiwan. Such acts are very dangerous and will inevitably lead to serious consequences. The Chinese People's Liberation Army is on high alert and will take a series of targeted military operations in response to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart the interference by external forces and the separatist schemes for "Taiwan independence". News Updates Would you like to receive our newsletter? Get local, Wyoming, and national news, the weather forecast, and more, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. 23 Infants Hospitalized for Parechovirus as CDC Issues Warning The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that 23 infants have been hospitalized near Nashville, Tennessee, from parechovirus, a viral infection that can cause severe illness in babies under the age of 3 months. A recent report from the CDC this week found that between April 12 and May 24 of 2022, nearly two dozen infants were taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville to receive parechovirus treatment. The infants, described by the agency as previously healthy, were between the ages of 5 days to 3 months. Parechovirus is a sepsis-like enterovirus that causes more significant symptoms in young children and infants, potentially posing a life-threatening risk for children under 3 months of age. There is no cure, and treatment is given to alleviate symptoms. The agency said the 23 parechovirus cases at Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital is an unusually large cluster of infections, while adding that the absence of a biennial peak in 2020 is presumably because of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that [parechovirus ] transmission is closely associated with social activity. But because 29 cases were detected in 2022 at the childrens hospital, including the 23 cases described in this report that were detected within a 6-week period, the 2022 peak of infections might reflect relaxation of COVID-19 isolation measures, consistent with increased prevalence of other respiratory viruses, according to the agencys report. In the Nashville outbreak, 21 patients recovered without complications, one patient needed a six-month follow-up appointment, and another patient is expected to suffer developmental problems, said the CDC. While the most common symptoms for the infants were fever, fussiness, and poor feeding, at least one infant suffered from seizures, the agency added. Earlier in July, the CDC released a health advisory through its Health Alert Network earlier in July that warned medical providers and health departments that parechovirus is circulating in the United States. However, the agency says parechovirus isnt a reportable disease, meaning nationwide monitoring isnt currently available, and testing for the virus isnt offered at all hospitals. What was surprising to us, and why we put this report together, is that we saw a higher-than-usual number of babies with this infection than weve seen in prior years, Dr. Ritu Banerjee, an author of the new report who works at the Nashville hospital, told NBC News this week. To prevent the virus, doctors recommend handwashing, avoiding contact with sick people, and keeping household surfaces clean and disinfected, according to health providers websites. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) speaks to reporters as he departs from the Senate Chambers on Oct. 06, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) 26 Republican Senators Sign Statement Supporting Pelosis Taiwan Visit Twenty-six Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), signed a joint statement on Aug. 2 announcing support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan and reaffirming that the trip did not change the United States policies regarding China and Taiwan. Sens Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.) led the effort to sign the document, following Pelosis arrival in Taipei Tuesday. We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan, the statement said. For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have traveled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United States One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act. Pelosis much-anticipated trip to Taiwan has been months in the making. In recent weeks, however, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership began to issue increasingly bellicose and erratic threats about the trip, falsely claiming that it would be a violation of Chinese sovereignty. CCP leader Xi Jinping warned President Joe Biden last week that the trip was playing with fire, and some in Chinas state-owned media issued calls to shoot down Pelosis plane. The White House maintains that there is nothing out of the ordinary about the Speakers trip, and noted repeatedly that Congressional delegations visit Taiwan without incident with some frequency. The Speaker has the right to visit Taiwan and the Speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before, without incident, said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Aug. 1. As have many members of Congress, including this year. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a simple visit, consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict, or to use it to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. Likewise, the Republican statement issued Tuesday underscores that there is no change to the United Statess longstanding policies and norms of behavior regarding China and Taiwan. The CCP considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province that must be united with the mainland and has not ruled out the use of force to accomplish such. Taiwan, for its part, has been self-governed since 1949, has never been controlled by the CCP, and has an independent democratic government and thriving market economy. The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and formally acknowledges, but does not endorse, Chinas claims. The United States is, however, bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the arms required to defend itself from outside aggression, including from the mainland. As to whether the United States would actively defend Taiwan from the mainland, the nation maintains a policy of so-called strategic ambiguity, wherein it will not publicly disclose its willingness or unwillingness to militarily defend Taiwan. Members of Congress have been visiting Taiwan for decades and we are committed now, more than ever, to our Taiwanese allies and the Taiwan Relations Act, Cramer said in a tweet. Ukrainian soldiers who had been holed up in the Azovstal steel plant leave Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 18, 2022. (Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) 3 Britons Captured in Ukraine Put on Trial for Being Mercenaries Three men from the United Kingdom are going on trial in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine accused of taking part in the war as mercenaries. John Harding, Dylan Healy, and Andrew Hill were captured by pro-Moscow forces in Mariupol and will be tried by the Supreme Court of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, along with Mathias Gustafsson, a Swede, and Vjekoslav Prebeg, who is from Croatia. The Russian news agency, Tass, claimed the five were members of the Azov nationalist battalion and other armed formations fighting to defend Mariupol from the Russian advance. Mariupol is part of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, a pro-Russian state which declared independence from Ukraine a week before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. Healy, who is 22, is believed to be an aid worker from Cambridgeshire, but little is known about Harding and Hill. In April, Russian television showed a video of a man with an English accent who said he was Andrew Hill from Plymouth. Man May Have Fought in Syria Tass claimed Harding, who is 60, had fought with Kurdish guerrillas in the conflict in Syria. Last month the same court sentenced two British men, Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, for being mercenaries, but the UKs Foreign Office called them sham judgements and the European Court of Human Rights ordered Moscow not to allow the sentences to be carried out. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilians for political purposes and have raised this with Russia. We are in constant contact with the government of Ukraine on their cases and are fully supportive of Ukraine in its efforts to get them released. Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azova large inlet of the Black Sea which separates Crimea from Russiawas the scene of fierce fighting earlier this year. Ukrainian forces, including the Azov Battaliona far-right unit which until May wore a neo-Nazi symbol on its uniformsfought off the Russian advance but were encircled and eventually forced to surrender on May 17. The trial comes as the Russian foreign ministry issued a list of 39 individuals, including Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and former Prime Minister David Cameron, who were subject to sanctions and banned from entering Russia. Moscow said the action was in retaliation for UK sanctions issued against various Russian ministers, officials, and oligarchs. PA Media contributed to this report. A Wayne County Sheriff car near a Sheriff office in Goldsboro, N.C., in June 2022. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) 3 Deputies Shot Serving Papers at North Carolina Home GOLDSBORO, N.C.Three North Carolina sheriffs deputies were shot and wounded while trying to serve involuntary commitment papers on a person who then barricaded inside the home, authorities said. The Wayne County deputies had gone to serve the papers at the home south of Goldsboro on Monday morning when someone inside opened fire, wounding all three, county officials said in a tweet. One was being treated at a hospital in Goldsboro, while two were airlifted to a hospital in Greenville. Their conditions were not immediately released. A suspect remained barricaded inside the home in a rural area Monday afternoon. Numerous officers from other law enforcement agencies came to the scene to assist. The deputies had no reason to believe the suspect was dangerous when they initially came to serve the papers, county spokesperson Joel Gillie told reporters. Authorities did not immediately release the identities of those involved or say what kind of firearm was used to shoot the deputies. 30 Protesters Block BC Police Investigation Near Coastal GasLink Drill Site, Two Arrested RCMP officers were confronted by a group of roughly 30 protesters who blasted air horns and kicked and damaged a cruiser near Houston, British Columbia, on July 26. The officers were conducting a routine patrol on the Morice River Forest Service Road when they stopped a vehicle that had been the subject of multiple complaints from the previous week, according to a police statement issued on July 28. While the police were interacting with those in the vehicle, one male passenger started to continuously blast an air horn toward the police in an attempt to stop the investigation, the statement said. He was subsequently arrested and charged with mischief and obstruction, but as the man was being placed in the back of a police car, roughly 30 protesters from a nearby camp used their vehicles to block the police car. Several individuals climbed onto the police car, rocking it, while another kicked the car, as others tried to help the man escape. The protesters dispersed and returned to their camp when additional police reinforcement was called from RCMP detachments in Houston, Burns Lake, and Smithers. The police were then able to transport the arrested man to the Houston RCMP detachment. The man was later released without conditions. Chief Superintendent John Brewer praised the officers at the scene, saying that they displayed excellence in de-escalating a serious situation after being surrounded by a disorderly crowd. The officers are trained to ensure that everyones right to engage in lawful, peaceful, and safe protest is protected. However, situations like these when attempts to intimidate and harass the police while executing their duties will not be tolerated. Violence is criminal and we will take action against anyone participating in these unlawful practices, he said. Several protesters went to the Houston RCMP detachment to support the arrested man, including a woman who the police suspected to be the same person that consistently banged on a drum directly into the ear of a police officer. She was also thought to be the one who kicked and damaged the police vehicle during the confrontation on the forestry road. She was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and mischief. The police said the woman was later found to be a different person from the one responsible for the mischief in damaging the police vehicle, who they are still searching for. Both the arrested man and woman are scheduled for a court appearance on Oct. 24. The protesters were reportedly attendees of a four-day event at the Gidimten camp near the location where their confrontation with the RCMP officers occurred. The event, held by Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs, sought to invite indigenous leaders, politicians, and environmentalist groups to join in their opposition of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline, reported The Narwhal, A map of previous opposition activities against the CGLs pipeline project near Houston, B.C. (Coastal GasLink) CGLs Morice River drill pad site is also situated in the area, where a violent assault of the companys staff and facilities occurred earlier this year. On Feb. 17, the RCMP received a call from CGL security at the drill site, which was reportedly being attacked by 20 people armed with axes. The assailants attacked security guards, smashed windows, and left significant damage to heavy machinery, fencing, and portable buildings. CGL is working on a 670-kilometre pipeline construction project that cuts across Wetsuweten First Nation traditional territory in northwestern B.C. CGL said the project has the full support of the elected leadership of every indigenous group along the line, though it is opposed by the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and environmentalists, who want it abandoned. In the past three years, RCMP has enforced three court orders against blockades set up by the chiefs and their supporters against the pipeline project. The company said in a July 28 statement that the project was 66 percent complete overall and is expected to reach 70 percent overall completion by the end of this summer. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, on July 29, 2022. Pelosi arrived in Singapore early Monday, kicking off her Asian tour as questions swirled over a possible stop in Taiwan that has fueled tension with Beijing. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) 300,000 Track US Military Plane Ahead of Reported Pelosi Taiwan Visit More than 320,000 people were tracking a U.S. military aircraft believed to be ferrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan Tuesday morning. There were rumors that Pelosi was aboard a U.S. Air Force aircraft, SPAR19, which flew out of Malaysia Tuesday with no listed destination. The destination of the aircraft was updated to Taipei as it passed the Philippines. There is no confirmation that Pelosi is aboard, and it is possible that the aircraft is a decoy. Pelosi is not expected to arrive in Taiwan until Tuesday night local time, according to Taiwanese media. Nevertheless, the plane caught the imagination of anxious China-watchers. Flightradar24, a popular aircraft-tracking website, announced that the unprecedented interest in the aircraft caused a strain on its servers, temporarily making the website unavailable. Because of unprecedented sustained tracking interest in SPAR19, Flightradar24 services are under extremely heavy load. Some users may currently experience issues accessing the site, our teams are working on restoring full functionality to all users as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/dsFrlQ67zr Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 2, 2022 The speculation follows White House acknowledgement Monday that Pelosi was using a military aircraft to travel on her tour of southeast Asia. It is commonplace for the Speaker to travel aboard a U.S. military transport aircraft, said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a press briefing on Aug. 1. Thats very typical. Part of our responsibility is to make sure that she can travel safely and securely and I can assure you that she will. It is normal for sitting members of Congress to visit Taipei, and such has happened multiple times this year. The last time a sitting Speaker visited Taiwan, however, was in 1997. The reported trip has been turned into something of a war drum for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has used the trip to unleash a barrage of bellicose threats. During a phone call between President Joe Biden and CCP leader Xi Jinping last week, Xi reportedly told Biden that playing with fire will set you on fire. Similarly, Chinese state-owned media took to social media to call for Pelosis aircraft to be shot down if she visited Taiwan. Both the United States and China have subsequently maneuvered military assets into the region around Taiwan, belying the sense of tension felt by both nations. Many experts believe that the CCPs threats are hollow, and intended to do no more than affect U.S. policy without having to actually use diplomacy. Still, the White House warned that such situations can all too easily lead to miscommunication and catastrophic incidents. Its not so much that there may be a direct attack, but it raises the stakes of miscalculation and confusion which could also lead to unintended consequences, Kirby said Monday. Kirby added that the United States would be on the lookout for increased military provocations from the CCP, including air and naval activities and missile launches. He said there was a possibility that the CCP would repeat its actions from 1995 and 1996, when it launched missiles into the waters around Taiwan after it was announced Taiwans president would visit his alma mater in the United States. Chinese communist authorities have made a series of sweeping and bellicose threats toward the United States in an effort to deter Pelosis trip from happening, and it is unclear how far the regime can go with its rhetoric without losing face internationally. Chinese leadership fears that such trips will increase the ties between Taiwan and the United States and further legitimize Taiwan as an independent nation. The CCP claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, has never been under CCP control, and boasts a thriving democratic government and market economy. 9-Year-Old Dies Two Weeks After Taking COVID-19 Vaccine: VAERS The most recent VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) data shows that a 9-year-old died in California two weeks after getting one dose of a Pfizer-BioNTech jab. The female child had no listed preexisting conditions and was not hospitalized. She experienced 2-3 days of stomach ache, sore throat and chest pain; two weeks after receiving the vaccination, the database states. United States VAERS data from Dec. 14, 2020, to July 22, 2022, show that there were 12,232 adverse events in 5- to 11-year-olds, including 313 serious cases and 9 deaths. In addition, the database lists 24 cases of heart inflammation, 47 cases of blood clotting disorders, and 101 reports of seizures in the same age group. The case was first reported on by The Defender. 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 system is designed to send safety warnings on vaccines, but its reports are unverified and cannot be interpreted as evidence of a causal association between a vaccine and an adverse event, according to its disclaimer. Increase in Pediatric Adverse Reactions Lawrence B. Palevsky, MD, a pediatrician, told The Epoch Times that he has been reading about an increasing number of reported adverse reactions, and deaths, in the pediatric population soon after the administration of these injections. Unfortunately, they go unreported, and are tossed aside as having nothing to do with the COVID injections. Before the implementation of the COVID injection into the pediatric population, it was uncommon to witness a healthy 9-year-old, without any medical conditions, simply die, out of the blue, for no apparent reason, Palevsky said. Today, we are hearing many more stories about children of all ages simply dying, out of the blue, with no other medical conditions, other than a recent history of having received the COVID injections. Unfortunately, in todays culture, and in the dominant narrative, it is inconceivable and unfathomable that COVID injections which we are told were tested for safety and effectiveness by our supposedly trusted authorities, would have any adverse reactions to the point of causing children, and adults, to die. Palevsky thinks that the COVID vaccines should have been studied and proven not to cause harm before being mandated on people, and especially on children who, he thinks, makes no sense to administer to, since they are not in serious danger from COVID. Sadly, this child will be buried, and no one in a position of authority will investigate whether [her] death was related to an adverse reaction to the COVID injection. And, even if there is an investigation, you wont hear any news that [her] death was, in fact, related to an adverse reaction to the COVID injection, as has been the sad case for so many who have died, unnecessarily, before [her], Palevsky said. CDC Exaggerated COVIDs Threat to Children On June 23, The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) falsely said that COVID-19 has been one of the five top causes of death for children since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, in March, the CDC removed tens of thousands of deaths linked to COVID-19, including nearly a quarter of deaths it had listed in those under 18 years old. The health agency quietly made the change on its data tracker website on March 15. The Epoch Times reached out to Pfizer and the CDC for comment. And no, it's not smoking or high blood pressure How many times have we heard the smoking, drinking, and being overweight warning in relation to heart disease? Yet, one of the longest-running studies contradicts this. A much bigger risk factor is stressparticularly the kind of stress found in a specific personality type that processes anger in a particular way. The Framingham project is the quintessential epidemiological population study, of more than 14,000 people across three generations. And a key piece of lifestyle advice is hidden in the 1980 analysis of the final cohort. Do you feel guilty if you use free time to relax? Ask yourself these Type A identifier questions, and check whether you also process stress in these same waysthis stress management protocol is a key driver of coronary heart disease. Physically, anger leads to catecholamine release, which has a host of cardiovascular repercussions. In fight mode, the liver synthesizes triglycerides in a boost of energy, which in turn contributes to lipid disorders. If this is you, theres still no need to be fatalistic. These are behavior patterns that we can train and change, and changes start small. Rome wasnt built in a day. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. One in five American deaths were due to heart disease in 2020, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Worldwide, cardiovascular disease is also the leading cause of death year after year. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of heart disease, killing nearly 383,000 Americans in 2020. Scientists and the medical community are investing much time and money into the study of what keeps the heart healthy and what can stop it from beating. Many risk factors have been suggested for CHD. Among these, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking have been assumed to be leading causes. Doctors wear themselves out by repeating the same warnings that CHD could be much reduced if people would reduce their bad cholesterol levels by eating healthy food and becoming active. People need to quit dangerous habits that further raise blood pressure such as the three best-known ones: smoking, being overweight, and drinking too much alcohol. Stress on the heart is terribly bad for you, but it rarely makes the headlines. We all know stress remains unhealthy for both our body and mind, but do we listen? More importantly, do we take action to prevent stress from causing disease in our bodies? Despite decades of studies, we like to point fingers at the usual subjects. Smoking has the worst reputation of all. How many times have you tried to convince a loved one that smoking may take their life one day? They tell you they do it to calm their nerves, right? You beg them to take a walk instead; you suggest exercise classes and fishing at the lake. You may have printed out studies to show them what those commercially-made cigarettes and nightly booze binges will do to them. Maybe you are helping them avoid the dreaded black lungs weve seen in health class photos. Yet, hold on. Were talking about heart disease here. Smoking is bad for your health, and often times fatal in terms of lung disease. But one of the longest running studies on heart disease contradicts what we all assumed about smoking and CHD. In the study, smokers developed fewer cases of CHD than non-smokers. A much bigger risk factor is not smoking, but stressthe kind of stress found in a particular personality typeand when left unchecked, the manifestation of it can be worse on the heart than smoking. According to Dr. Yuhong Dong, medical doctor and Ph.D. in infectious diseases, there are many biological and energetic mechanisms occurring concurrently in CHD, but the Type A personalitys unhealthy expression of anger is what makes a larger imprint on our hearts and minds. A Surprising Risk Factor of Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD) A counterintuitive twist on smokings effect on CHD brings to mind the story of Batuli Lamichhane, one of the oldest women in the world, who told news reporters on her 112th birthday that the secret to a long life is smoking, as she had puffed away on 30 cigarettes a day since she was 17 years old. If her story was just an isolated story that would be one thing, but its not. There are stories about many of the oldest people in the world who smoke, drink, and eat to their hearts content. The Framingham project, which began in 1948, is the quintessential epidemiological and largest population study of more than 14,000 people across three generations. The project ultimately found evidence that formed the textbook warning we hear at doctor visits: high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are major risk factors for CHD. However, we have learned something else from the well-known Framingham Heart Study. The key lifestyle advice is hidden in the 1980s analysis of the final cohort. When researchers looked at the long-term patterns in the cardiovascular health of more than 5,000 male and female smokers and non-smokers, consisting of 2,282 men and 2,845 women aged 29 through 62 years (and free from CHD at the initial examination), they found little evidence that smoking is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). In these monumental studies and analysis, smokers and non-smokers showed no differences at all, said Dr. Dong. CHD is the product of many risk factors acting synergistically. There is no doubt that smoking is one of many risk factors, but its effects, acting by itself, have been exaggerated. Dong said there may be even more to the Framingham Study. Evidence now shows that psychosocial factors, including having a stressed-wired personality, or Type A personality, are more predictive for heart disease than smoking. Even more predictive of CHD is how the Type A personality copes with stress. If Type As constantly cope with stress in angry, aggressive, and hostile ways, their odds for getting CHD increase exponentially. Do You Have Traits of a Type A personality? Do you feel guilty if you use free time to relax? Do you need to win in order to enjoy games and sports? Do you eat, walk, and move rapidly? Do you try to do more than one thing at a time? Have your loved ones and co-workers told you more than a few times that you need to calm down, mellow out, or take it easy? You may be a Type A personality, or have a Type A behavior pattern (TABP). As much as you get things done and people can count on you to work hard, your health might suffer if you take your high achievement, competitiveness, and impatience too far. Some people can take on multiple projects and carry the weight of the world with grace, but most Type As do not. Whichever questionnaire or survey you take to determine your personality type, your most prominent type is based on a model. Many of us have taken the Myers-Briggs personality test and learned we may be one of 16 personality types composed of four major components. Yet, wait a minute. In most situations, we are a combination of personality archetypes, shifting with age and circumstance. Sometimes we are both Carrie and Miranda. Sometimes we are a little Charlotte. Since the first years of civilization, philosophers, psychologists, and social scientists have been trying to understand the human psyche and organize people into neat, little piles. The idea is that if we can figure out what makes them act the way they do, we can create a treatment to help them achieve a happy, healthy life. The first known physicians to make the connection between personalities and illness were the Roman revivalists who warned us of the downside of choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholy personality types known at the Four Temperaments of Personality. These four qualities based on Greek theory and elements of earth, air, fire, and water are still used in modern theory to describe disease tendencies. As you may have guessed, the fiery, energetic, and passionate choleric personalities are known as todays Type Aswith the unfortunate designation: Most likely to develop heart disease. But descriptions have become more nuanced as the social sciences have developed. A 2018 study from Northwestern University has determined four redefined personality types: average, reserved, self-centered, and role-model. From the sound of those names, the Type A could be hiding in any one of the new personality types. Northwesterns revamped types are based on five widely-accepted character traits, including neuroticisma way of being that typically involves negative emotions such as anger. This is the piece of the puzzle cardiologists pay attention to as their predecessors have warned us that how one deals with diversity determines heart health. What Puts Type A Personalities Further at Risk for Heart Disease? For more than 100 years, clinical observation of CHD patients has linked this disease with certain personality traits of Type As: impatience, hyper-alertness, aggressiveness, and proneness to anger. Two American cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, began revisiting the link between behavior patterns and heart disease in the 1950s, pioneering the definition of the Type A personality and its link to heart disease. The impetus of their work is quite a story. According to a fascinating piece in Scientific American, the cardiologists came upon the heart/stress connection by accident, when their office room upholsterer realized their patients were wearing out the waiting room chairs. Looking further into the situation, the doctors realized their cardiac patients were impatient with waiting. Because they were Type As, they were unable to sit in their chairs like patient and relaxed Type Bs, and even wore out the arms of the chairs by sitting on the edge of their seats and leaping up too often. So the two cardiologists began studying their hypothesis that Type A personalities not only wear out chairs, but also wear out their hearts. In 1976, the cardiologists performed the Western Collaborative Group Study, a longitudinal study of stressed-out behavior and came up with the Type A personality definition. They officially characterized the Type A personality as individuals who are highly competitive, ambitious, work-driven, time-conscious, and aggressive. Studies conducted over the next 50 years have found Type A personalities run a higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure than mellow Type Bs. Studies carried out on women have not shown such a substantial difference between Type A and Type B and subsequent health, some psychologists say, which may suggest that different stress coping strategies are just as important as personality. Friedman and Rosenman found evidence in the early 80s that white, middle-class men with Type A personality are most at risk for CHD. It wasnt till the 1980s that there was enough data for people to say type A is for real, said Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist and primatologist at Stanford University, in an interview with Scientific American. It is a bigger risk factor for cardiovascular disease than if you smoke, than if you are overweight, than if you have elevated cholesterol levels. The Framingham studies supported Friedman and Rosenmans theories on the key risk group. One study found that specific Type A behaviors such as work overload, suppressed hostility, and frequent job promotions put these men at increased risk of developing CHD, especially in the 5564 year-old age group. Among men aged 4564 years, Type A behavior was associated with a twofold risk of severe chest pain, myocardial infarction, and CHD in general, compared to Type B behavior. Interestingly, the association was found only among white-collar workers and was also independent of the standard coronary risk factors and other psychosocial scales. This prospective study suggests that Type A behavior and suppressed hostility may be involved in the pathogenesis of CHD in both men and women. In a multivariate analysis, Type A behavior and suppressing anger were independent predictors of CHD incidence. The Framingham Study found a correlation between Type A women (aged 4564 years) who developed CHD, and men. The women were surveyed as having the same coping mechanism of dealing with stressful situations by suppressing hostile emotions. Thousands of Type A respondents said in a survey that they would suppress their feelings of tension and anxiety and would not show or discuss anger. The study concluded that Type A women developed twice as much CHD and three times as much severe chest pain as Type B women. What Is Happening in the Body When Hostility and Anger Manifest Illness? According to the National Institutes of Health, anger can lead to excess catecholamine release and subsequent increased cardiovascular reactivity leading to acute sinus tachycardia, hypertension, decreased coronary perfusion, and cardiac instability. When a person is in a mental state of anger or hostility or fighting mode, their sympathetic nerves are often in a state of excitement which results in a faster heart rate, increased myocardial oxygen consumption, increased cardiac output, higher blood pressure, and higher blood glucose. The liver tends to synthesize triglycerides to supply more energy, which in turn contributes to lipid disorders. We see how anger and hostility manifest in the body, but now we also have scientific evidence that our cells remember each offense. Studies of the heart have shown it to be the greatest organ for cellular memory. For instance, cellular memory has been demonstrated in the accounts of heart transplant recipients who retain donor personality traits. Evidence has shown that personality preferences can be transferred to another person with the transplanted organ. Through the work of cell memory study, we learn memory is retained beyond the brain and nerve cells. Current theories describe six possible mechanisms by which memories can be stored: epigenetic, DNA, RNA, protein, energetic, and what some doctors call the heart brain. The heart holds onto emotions, whether negative or positive. When we respond to stimuli in a negative way, our personal reactions are stored in our bodies, cells, and organs, Dong said. When a similar situation happens again, our cells will respond in a similar way. Repeating such reaction modes over and over will form long-term memories in our cells and body. This means having a negative personality can actually harm our health. The mechanisms of cellular memory are one of the most fascinating fields in science, she continued, and theres so much more to explore. But if we want to eradicate the root cause of diseases like CHD, essentially, we have to treat the illed personality, which is really, the materialized spirit. How to Treat the Harmful Side of Type A Personality Patterns A 1991 paper published in the European Journal of Personality by Hans Eysenck, Ph.D., of the University of London examined the Type A personality type risk further. Eysencks analysis of the data indicating anger, aggression, and hostility connecting to CHD physical risk factors made him hopeful for psychological intervention. He wrote, No doubt the process is very complex, and may involve many bodily-disease mechanisms. No more is claimed than a beginning to a lengthy, but exciting and worthwhile process of discovery. In one of Eysencks early books, he quotes the sacred texts in the Mahabharata that describe the concept of mind/body illness: There are two classes of diseasebodily and mental. Each arises from the other. Neither is perceived to exist without the other. Mental disorders arise from physical ones, and likewise physical disorders arise from mental ones. We now have countless scientific studies in psychology, neurology, and endocrinology that link mind and body, said Dong. We are connected with each other, and in fact, interacting with each other on multiple levels. She added, One of my previous pharma colleagues, who is a senior microbiologist, shared with me his notion that the human mind and body are one and the same. He told me he recovered from his pain in his leg by using only psychological therapy. In other words, he cured his body by treating his mind. When you treat the mind, you treat the body at the same time. Most people know there are proven methods to treat prolonged stress. To find the right method, think about what calms you down. If you dont like yoga or meditation, there is fishing or reading. Theres something to calm almost any Type A from any cultural background or with any individual interest. The question is, will they see the importance of change to save their lives? Many Type A people feel they cant help their hard-wired personalities even though medical and psychological studies show they can develop coping strategies and anger management skills. There are pharmaceutical drugs that can help with high blood pressure, and supplements and lifestyle adjustments that can help, but also changing the way you react to situations seems to be essential, said Dong. You can go to therapy to learn healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations, but there are also quite a few things you can do on your own. Dong listed three studied ways to help reduce stress for Type As who have crossed the line into angry and hostile behaviors. 1) Be more appreciative. If we change our views of others, we can be less competitive, but more grateful, she said. Gratitude is good medicine, said Robert Emmons, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of California Davis and author of The Little Book of Gratitude in an article on heart.org. Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects on a persons life. It can lower blood pressure and improve immune function. 2) Change your environment. Dong said, Type As are all about being in control. Try being passive for a day. If you are triggered to anger, move your focus away from the negative emotion by taking a walk in a beautiful place. Listen to traditional music. According to a recent Simply Psychology article by Saul McLeod, Ph.D., dealing with stress may not be Type As forte because they seem to be in a constant struggle against the clock. McLeod wrote, Often, they quickly become impatient with delays and unproductive time, schedule commitments too tightly, and try to do more than one thing at a time, such as reading while eating or watching television. Among several techniques the American Psychological Association (APA) suggests in an article titled How to control anger before it controls you, one of the key strategies people can teach themselves is to change their environment when theyre angry by giving themselves a break, including scheduling some personal time for times of the day that can be particularly stressful. Change your environment. Take breaks. Sometimes its our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury, the APA wrote. Problems and responsibilities can weigh on you and make you feel angry at the trap you seem to have fallen into and all the people and things that form that trap. 3) Participate in mindfulness meditation. In a review published in Springer Science, researchers examined studies on the effects of mindfulness meditation. They found when people participated in meditation and relaxation techniques, they began to react and cope with stress much better and reported increased mindfulness and psychological well-being. Dong said most people already know that meditation helps with stress and anger, but few people use it to prevent heart disease. They can learn to handle stressful situations, she said. When you distance yourself from your negative emotions, you can return to a balanced emotional state more quickly than letting anger and hostility take control of you. And I truly believe your heart will thank you for it. Can people change those parts of themselves that harass them, that may wreak havoc on their hearts? The latest science says, yes. In the words of the Roman philosopher Lucius Seneca: If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what youre needing is not to be in a different place, but to be a different person. Perhaps your heart is worth it. References Heart Disease Facts | cdc.gov Cardiovascular diseases https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/111/1/37/109962 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) | NHLBI, NIH https://sci-hub.se/https:/doi.org/10.1002/per.2410050203 The four temperaments of personality Teletype Are you average, reserved, self-centered or a role model? Northwestern Now Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morriss Crown Jewel PMC The Stressful Discovery of Type A Personality Scientific American Multivariate prediction of coronary heart disease during 8.5 year follow-up in the Western Collaborative Group Study Multivariate prediction of coronary heart disease during 8.5 year follow-up in the Western Collaborative Group Study Type A Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease: Philip Morriss Crown Jewel PMC https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-stressful-discovery-of-type-a-personality/ https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/111/1/37/109962 Role of personality in cardiovascular diseases: An issue that needs to be focused too! PMC Organ Transplant Recipients Retain Donor TraitsWhy? https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410050203 https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceb5ypanhahlx5ul5sntyvlionnxqcjufn4scuxc4u4rfaqznvqcfy?filename=H.%20J.%20Eysenck%20Ph.D.%20%28auth.%29%20-%20Smoking%2C%20Personality%2C%20and%20Stress_%20Psychosocial%20Factors%20in%20the%20Prevention%20of%20Cancer%20and%20Coronary%20Heart%20Disease-Springer-Verlag%20New%20York%20%281991%29.pdf Not all emotions are created equal: The negativity bias in social-emotional development Thankfulness: How Gratitude Can Help Your Health | American Heart Association How to control anger before it controls you https://sci-hub.se/https:/doi.org/10.1007/s11031-007-9076-7 CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the 1 in 5 deaths statistic in the first paragraph. The Epoch Times regrets the error. A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, England, on Aug. 1, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media) Almost 700 Cross-Channel Illegal Immigrants Land in UK in New Daily Record for 2022 Almost 700 illegal immigrants were detected reaching the British shore in small boats on Monday, a new daily record this year. It comes after July saw a record high monthly number of illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel to arrive in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday in its daily update that 696 people were smuggled into the UK on Monday on 14 boats. The previous daily record this year was set on April 13, when 651 people made the journey on 18 boats, according to Home Office, which led the Channel operations before handing control to the MoD on April 14. The MoD figures also showed that 3,683 people managed to cross the English Channel on 90 small boats in July, compared to the previous monthly record3,136 crossings on 76 boats in June. According to Home Office figures, the number of people smuggled into the UK from France in small boats has soared in recent years, with 28,526 people detected in 2021, compared to 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018. A record 1,185 people made the crossing to the UK on Nov. 11, 2021the highest figure recorded since the start of 2020. French authorities are stopping around half of the attempted crossings, but the number has continued to increase. By Monday, some 17,085 illegal immigrants arrived in small boats this year. Last month, two reports criticised the Home Office over its ineffective response to the challenge, one said the border forces approach to preventing the journeys was ineffective and possibly counter-productive, while the other said the initial processing of those who arrived has been ineffective and inefficient. In one of the reports, former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said the Border Force Maritime command has been ill-equipped to deal with a challenge that is all consuming. As small boats carrying migrants are flimsy and overloaded, they are all considered vessels in distress. As a result, Border Force has been effectively rescuing people and then escorting them into port and enabling them to enter the UK, Downer said. It is unsurprising that there is some public disquiet about this issue. The Ministry of Defence was enlisted to help the Home Office since April. Neither department has vessels designed to conduct search and rescue. In his recommendations, Downer said the Home Office should contract for vessels better suited to the task and place them under the command and control of either the Coast Guard or Royal Navy. He also said he was pleased that such plans were already being developed. To deter immigrants from making the dangerous and unnecessary journey from France, Downer said the UK government should keep all legal and operationally feasible options, including turning boats around when it is safe and legal to do so using contracted vessels and specialist crews. He also recommended the UK quickly move illegal arrivals to a third country for processing, and reach an agreement with France in order to return small boat arrivals. Since the UKs exit from the European Union, the Dublin Regulation, which enables E.U. countries to return asylum seekers to the first E.U. country they arrived in, no longer applies to the UK. As a result, few illegal immigrants were successfully returned. An effort to sign a new bilateral deal with France has so far been unsuccessful. Appeals Court Reinstates Abortion Ban in Kentucky The Kentucky Court of Appeals has reinstated a trigger abortion ban in the state, allowing the restriction to be in force amid ongoing litigation. The ruling by Judge Larry E. Thompson (pdf) was in favor of Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who had asked the court on July 29 for an emergency stay after a lower courts ruling blocked the abortion restrictions. Thompson also reinstated a separate law that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy. 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 owing to the June 24 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Thompsons order said that abortion restrictions will remain in place while the appeals court appoints a three-judge panel to consider Camerons other requests, including that the case be transferred to the Kentucky Supreme Court to resolve the matter more swiftly. Abortions carried out amid a pending legal challenge cannot be undone, Thompson noted in his order. Cameron celebrated the decision on Twitter, writing: Today the Court of Appeals granted our motion to have the Kentucky Human Life Protection Act and the Heartbeat Law reinstated in the Commonwealth. I appreciate the courts decision to allow Kentuckys pro-life laws to take effect while we continue to vigorously defend the constitutionality of these important protections for women and unborn children across the Commonwealth. The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed on behalf of Kentucky abortion providers on June 27, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe. Case Headed to States Supreme Court The Kentucky trigger abortion ban was passed in 2019. The ban doesnt provide exceptions for rape or incest. It 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 ban took effect after the Supreme Court on June 24 overturned Roe v. Wade, the ruling that had largely made abortion legal in the country and overrode state laws for nearly five decades. Planned Parenthood and EMW Womens Surgical Center, the states only two abortion providers, halted their abortions, but a Louisville judgeJefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perrystopped the enforcement of the law in a temporary restraining order on June 30. Perry on July 22 issued a temporary injunction blocking the abortion ban, which prompted Cameron to request the Kentucky Court of Appeals to block the temporary injunction. The ACLU of Kentucky on Aug. 1 announced on Twitter after the latest Kentucky Court of Appeals ruling, We will appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court tomorrow. It added that the EMW Womens Surgical Center will stop providing abortions for the time being. Separately, Kentucky residents are set to vote in November on whether to amend the Kentucky constitution to say that nothing in it creates a right to abortion, or provides for government funding for abortion. Arizona Voters Heading to the Polls on Election Day, Officials Expecting Late Spike in Numbers TUCSON, Ariz.If there was one constant in the Arizona primary, Democrats tended to vote by mail, Republicans in-person. At least, thats the way it was at the polling place at Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center in Tucson, a city where the partisan voter split is roughly 50/50 Republican versus Democrat. According to the City of Tucson website, a total of 286,203 ballots in six precincts were mailed in the 2022 primary on Aug. 2. Among Republican voters, the issue boiled down to trustor distrustin the electoral system. Sallie Grumka of Tucson, Ariz., said she voted a straight America First Republican ticket in the Arizona primary on Aug. 2, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Many opted to vote in person to cast their ballots correctly, said precinct poll director Heather Scott. Some GOP voters also wanted to know how they could track their ballot online, she said. Were getting a lot of people coming in with early ballots, Scott told The Epoch Times. Our demographic usually is that Democrats come in [to vote] towards the end of the day. With COVID, everybody wanted to vote by mail. Scott said voter turnout was pretty busy at 9 a.m.busy if we get more than 10 people in an hour, thats busy. Because, normally, we dont. I like that its open to all the precincts. Now, were getting a variety of peoplenot just my regular people, which are few and far between. They come sporadically throughout the day. Were getting a rush now and then, which is much nicer. Voters Keyed Up Scott said election workers were braced for a coming spike in voters arriving later in the day. I think were going to see it spike quite a bit. Theyre keyed up about this election. Theres also this sense that we need to go out and vote. Sallie Grumka of Tucson said while she voted for a straight Republican ticketall America First candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trumpshes still concerned about voter fraud. Theyre going to do it in November, she told The Epoch Times. These people cheat, another Republican voter said. This is their whole mottothis is who they are. But listen. The Lord is in charge. Little miracles can happen all through this tribulation. The Democrats are unredeemable at this point, he told The Epoch Times. Mike of Tucson said he voted for the full slate of Trump-endorsed Republicans: Kari Lake for governor, Blake Masters for U.S. Senate, Mark Finchem for Arizona Secretary of State, and Abe Hamadeh for Arizona Attorney General. I think I feel [about the election] the way a lot of people feel. Theres a lot of uneasiness, a lot of questions, he told The Epoch Times. We all hope for a fair election. Its disheartening when voter fraud occurs. Criticism of System I can only imagine what its going to be in the general election. If things go seriously [awry], I think thats a potentially bad situation. I think people have lost faith in the system. The Democratic Party seems to be the evil party. Theres no other way to put it. Another Republican voter said she voted for every America First candidate except for Masters, because hes from California. Regarding election integrity, one would hope all goes well in the primary. All you can do is show up, vote, say a few prayers, and ask the guy upstairshey, we need a little help down here, the woman told The Epoch Times. Still, she believes the federal electoral system is broken but not beyond repair. We havent passed the tipping point because millions of us that have been silenced are just therewaiting. Some of the braver ones have been out protesting, the woman said. Ronald Arney of Tucson, a registered Republican, said he voted for Republican candidates with Trumps stamp of approval. We need to retake control of our government. We need to get the [swamp] out of D.C. Because of what happened in the last election, people are starting to crack down, Arney told The Epoch Times. A lot of people arent trusting that mail-in ballot stuff anymore. Rena Arney said she voted the same way as her husband and hoped the November election goes the Republican way. I dont like whats happening in Washington at all. I dont trust the Democrats as far as I can throw them. I cant stand [Nancy] Pelosi. I dont like the way she does things. [President Joe] Biden is sick. Hes not capable of running this country, Rena Arney told The Epoch Times. File photo showing people attending a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, in central Manchester, Britain, on May 29, 2017. (Andrew Yates/Reuters) Arrest Warrant Issued After Manchester Bombers Brother Misses UK Court Hearing A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber for failing to give evidence at the public inquiry into the attack. Ismail Abedi, who fled the UK last summer, did not attend a hearing at Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Last month the 29-year-old was found guilty in his absence of failing to comply with a notice which compelled him to cooperate with the inquiry into the May 2017 atrocity. He faces a jail term of up to 51 weeks for the offence if he is captured or hands himself in. Prosecutor Sophie Cartwright QC told the court that notification of Tuesdays hearing had been sent to Abedis last known address. An email was also sent to an address he had previously used to correspond with the solicitor to the inquiry as well as a message to his former solicitors, she said. District Judge Jack McGarva said he was satisfied that Abedi was aware of the hearing and also noted that the proceedings had had a great deal of publicity. Issuing a warrant without bail, he said: We will now have to wait for him to be apprehended. Abedis brother, Salman, 22, killed 22 people when he detonated a suicide bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. The judge previously found Ismail Abedi guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to do something required by a notice under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act. He was ordered to attend the bombing inquiry last October by chairman Sir John Saunders as he probed the radicalisation of Salman and their other brother, Hashem Abedi, 25, who was jailed for life for assisting with the bomb plot. Ismail Abedi was stopped by police at Manchester Airport on August 28 last year and told them he was planning to return to UK the following month. However, he caught a flight at the same airport the next day and his current whereabouts are unknown. The inquiry also wanted to question the Chorlton IT worker about a 2015 port stop at Heathrow Airport when his phone was found to have a significant amount of very disturbing material exhibiting a mindset similar to that of the ISIS terrorist group. He also had potential evidence to give, the inquiry heard, on the preparation of the Arena bomb, given his DNA was found on a hammer in a car used to store the explosives. His father, Ramadan Abedi, was associated with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militia that had links with terror organisation Al-Qaeda, the public inquiry heard. He lives in Libya, has also not cooperated with the inquiry, and police want to question him as a suspect. Bereaved families labelled Ismail Abedi a coward for refusing to answer questions. Lawyers for some of the families said they remain gravely concerned about how he was able to leave the country last year. He was listed for Thursdays hearing under his alias, Ishmale Ben Romdhan. Abedi has denied any involvement with the Arena attack. He previously said he did not want to attend the inquiry because he was worried about the risk of self-incrimination, had already been questioned at length by the police, and was concerned for the safety of himself and his family. Kim Harrison, of law firm Slater and Gordon, which represents 11 of the victims families, said: We welcome the arrest warrant that has been issued for Ismail Abedi today and expect all of the relevant authorities to do their utmost to ensure he has to answer the many questions we have about what happened that night. We remain gravely concerned as to why Abedi was able to leave the country before giving evidence to the inquiry in the first place. His leaving the country should never have happened, and despite the conviction he is unlikely to face any real justice until he is apprehended, if at all. The families deserve to know the truth about what happened that night and the contempt Ismail Abedi has shown them is truly despicable. Now we expect the authorities to do everything in their power to bring Abedi to justice. By Kim Pilling As Buffalo Center Reopens, Congresswoman Moves to Protect Pro-Life Groups As a torched pregnancy center reopened near Buffalo, New York, on Aug. 1, leaders vowed to continue their work and criticized authorities for a slow-walking investigation and even appearing to condone the attack. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) told a crowd that she had introduced the Pregnancy Resource Center Defense Act to increase prison terms and fines for attacks on pro-life centers such as CompassCare Pregnancy Services. The fire that damaged the center began at about 2:30 a.m. on June 7. Police havent yet announced arson as the cause or arrested anyone. The centers director, Rev. Jim Harden, said their security cameras captured video of multiple attackers with multiple incendiary devices, probably Molotov cocktails. Police confiscated the security camera footage, and the center cant get access to it, he said. Damage at the CompassCare pregnancy center in Amherst, N.Y. Its windows were shattered and fires were set inside early on June 7, 2022. Spray-painted on one wall was the message Jane was here. A pro-abortion group called Janes Revenge took credit for the attack. (Dan Berger/The Epoch Times) The graffiti Jane was here was scrawled on the side of the building, and a pro-abortion group called Janes Revenge took credit for the firebombing afterward. It was one of numerous such attacks on such centers, which offer counseling, care, and support to pregnant women to persuade them to keep their babies. Tenney, Harden, and New York state Sen. George Borrello, a Republican, expressed contempt for the states official response to the incident, which Harden said caused $250,000 in damage and another $150,000 in increased security costs. Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the incident by moving to investigate, not Janes Revenge, but the centers themselves they said. She termed pro-lifers Neanderthals less than two weeks after the attack. State Attorney General Letitia James demanded Google take the pregnancy centers off their maps, according to Harden. 60 Similar Incidents Nearly 60 pro-life pregnancy centers and churches have been attacked nationally in the past few months, according to The Boston Globe, including attacks in Longmont, Colorado; Anchorage, Alaska; Portland, Oregon; and Madison, Wisconsin. At the Longmont clinic, the perpetrators wrote if abortions arent safe, neither are you on the walls of the building that they set on fire. The violence began after the leak of the Supreme Courts impending Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The police department of the Town of Amherst, where the CompassCare Pregnancy Services center sits, declined to attend the reopening event and issued a brief statement saying they continue to investigate in conjunction with the FBI and other agencies. Efforts to reach the Town of Amherst Police Department and the FBIs Buffalo field office for comment were unsuccessful. The agencies have released virtually no information about their investigation, Harden said. Were very frustrated with how long this is taking, he said. Its Day 55. This is inexcusable. This is the pro-abortion Kristallnacht. Harden defended his bold comparison of this wave of violence to that unleashed against German Jews by the Nazis in November 1938. Common to both events was a lack of public outcry and a refusal by political leaders to criminalize it and go after the perpetrators, he said. They turned around and said you deserve this. They sent a message that violence is okay if it supports their political agenda, said Borrello, the only state legislator to attend the event today. Its worse than silence. Janes Revenge is emboldened by the inaction of our governor, our attorney general, and our majority Democrat Legislature. The states controversial Bail Reform Act means that the perpetrators, if caught, will probably be released without bail. Someone has to die before the progressives think its violence, he said. Mother or Baby Tension over abortion started increasing in the state long before the recent Dobbs decision. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed through legislation in 2019 making abortion a fundamental human right, Harden said. That means, according to New York law, any medical practitioner who wont refer a woman for an abortion violates the pregnant persons civil rights. CompassCare opened its Buffalo-area center in 2019. It saw about 1,100 patients last year and expects to see 1,600 this year. The attack didnt stop their work. They saw patients right after the attack at their Rochester area clinic and quickly found an undisclosed location in the Buffalo area where they could resume seeing patients. Upon visiting the center, a woman first gets several medical questions answered, according to Harden. She wants to confirm that shes pregnant, find out how far along in pregnancy if so, and determine if she has a sexually transmitted disease that can complicate an abortion. Theyre seen by paid nurses, who are overseen by volunteer doctors. CompassCares also connects them with agencies willing to work with females during and after their pregnancies, with support, financial assistance, connection to adoption agencies, and other help. A female who aborts because of all the pressure she feelsfrom family, a boyfriend, job, financial pressures, or abortion providersis ultimately going through with an act out of coercion, Harden said. It all hits her like a wave. Theres a knee-jerk Ive got to get out from under this reaction, he said. Shes got to get to the point where she can take a breath and consider what shes truly facing. We can help her overcome those obstacles. We believe everyone is made in the image of God and worthy of protection, both the mother and the child. If we really believe that, it takes a lot of work to support her. The church is willing to do the work, pay for it, walk with her, and become friends with her. This isnt the first time an act of significant abortion-related violence has occurred in Amherst, an affluent suburb outside Buffalo. Dr. Barnett Slepian, one of three doctors who provided abortions in the area, was murdered by a sniper in 1998. The killer, hiding in the woods behind Slepians Amherst home, shot him through the kitchen window one Friday evening after the doctor had returned from his synagogue. The shooter, James Kopp, was placed on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted List, caught in France in 2001, and extradited. Hes now serving life in prison without parole for second-degree murder. The federal government waived the death penalty as an extradition condition. Following the killing, anti-abortion violence receded and temperatures cooled as government and activists from both sides hammered out rules to allow clinics to function, medical professionals to go to work, and demonstrators to demonstrate. Australian farmer on his property in north-western New South Wales, Australia, on Oct. 3, 2019. (David Gray/Stringer/Getty Images) Australian Farmers More Prone to Diabetes and Obesity Australian farmers are being urged to check in on their own health using an online tool, with research showing they are more prone to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and unsafe alcohol consumption. Researchers from the National Centre for Farmer Health developed the tool called Farmer HAT when pandemic lockdowns put an end to the organisations face-to-face check-ins at field days. Farmer HAT asks for health, safety and wellbeing information to identify any risks of disease and harm, then directs users to online resources or refers them to their GP. In a small pilot of 36 sheep farmers who used the tool, data showed 52 per cent were at risk of heart disease, and 64 per cent were overweight or obese. Of the 21 men and 14 women aged between 19 and 74, 30 per cent were at high risk of diabetes and a quarter consumed alcohol above health guidelines. None of the 22 respondents who rode quad bikes reported always wearing a helmet, according to the research presented at the National Rural Health Conference in Brisbane on Tuesday. Though the study cohort was small, it reflects findings from thousands of the centres health and wellbeing tests, lecturer and research fellow Jacqueline Cotton told AAP. Cotton said farmers could suffer from what was known as the defeat cycle, in which higher levels of stress hormones feed into physical health problems and alcohol use. Weve got the acute impact of climate, like drought, flood, bushfire, and these are things that are outside of our control, she said. The financial implications of having issues on farm caused by something that is beyond your control is really profound. The flow-on effect is on the whole family. Farmers and their families both live and work on their farms, so that can flow through to youth in agricultural communities. The Farmer HAT allows users to check in on their health in private, and researchers hope it leads to open conversations about physical and mental wellbeing in agricultural communities. Its really personal how someone will interact with this tool, Cotton said. This may be the only interaction theyre having with their own health, or the only reflection theyre having. Hobart City Council Pushes to Remove Statue of State Leader Over Mutilation of Aboriginal Man The Hobart City Council in Australias island state of Tasmania is proposing the statue of its first premier, William Crowther, in the citys Franklin Square be removeda move estimated to cost the council tens of thousands of dollars. Crowther was a surgeon, naturalist, and the first medical practitioner to serve as Tasmanias state leader. He was suspended from his role as an honorary medical officer in March 1869 after he removed the skull of Aboriginal Tasmanian man William Lanne and sent it to the Royal College of Surgeons in London. According to a new council report, to be voted on Thursday, the council will spend $20,000 (US$14,000) to remove the statue and place it in storage, as well as another $50,000 (US$35,000) on changing interpretive elements onsite. Contentious Part of History On its website, the Hobart City Council committee said that despite Crowthers achievements in public life, his mistreatment of Lannes remains understandably is a source of distress for Tasmanian Aboriginal people in particular. The City of Hobart felt it was the right time to explore this contentious part of the Citys history, it added. In 2021, an Aboriginal artist painted the statues head and hands red to represent Crowthers mutilation of Lanne. Committee chair, Councillor Zelinda Sherlock, told The Mercury newspaper that the project received the support of all elected members and was in line with the sentiment of the majority of Hobartians. The bulk of the comments the project received demonstrated that the community wanted something practical done about the statue, Sherlock said. I encourage everyone to read the report. Which Statue is Next? However, Councillor Simon Behrakis opposed the plan, saying it wastes the councils time and resourcespanning the council for being more interested in virtue signalling than service delivery. That the City of Hobart is considering spending tens of thousands of ratepayer dollars, months out from an election, to remove a statue in Franklin Square betrays the out-of-touch attitudes of this Counciland its distraction with woke left-wing issuesover working on solving issues that actually affect the lives of Hobartians, he wrote on Facebook on Aug. 1. It warrants an especially cynical response coming just weeks before the commencement of Councils election caretaker provisions. There are numerous issues which the community have signalled that Council is falling behind on in its delivery, primarily planning and housing, parking, and congestion. Meanwhile, historian Reg Watson was concerned that this would set a precedent for statues of historical figures to be removed. To me, politics comes into play here. The statue should be left alone, and my fear is, what statue is next? he told the ABC in 2021. A suitable interpretation plaque can be placed next to the statue in the future, with the sad story told, but attacking statues is an American fashion. U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, 2021. The three leaders announced the AUKUS defence partnership between their countries. (Brendan Smialkowski/AFP via Getty Images) Beijing Accuses AUKUS of Undermining Regional Peace, Calls for Oversight From UN Nuclear Watchdog Beijing has warned the three AUKUS nations of undermining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific if efforts to arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines continue. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a press briefing on July 29 that Beijing opposed cooperation between the three governments and that it allegedly sparked serious concern in the international community. The spokesperson said the sharing of nuclear information should not be allowed unless all stakeholders in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreed and if the body had oversight of the deal. A nuclear propulsion Ohio class submarine, the USS Florida sails on Jan. 22, 2003, off the coast of the Bahamas. Australia, as part of the AUKUS deal, will get the tech for nuclear-powered subs. (David Nagle/U.S. Navy/Getty Images) Zhao accused the AUKUS nations of taking no notice of serious nuclear proliferation risks warning that it could undermine peace and security in the region. The comments from Beijing come as the United Nations holds its Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (from Aug. 1 to 26), which will be scrutinising AUKUS after requests for review were submitted by China and Indonesia. But, Australia has said that its commitment to the treaty has not wavered which is why the country will go about obtaining the weapons in the most transparent way possible. Assistant Defence Minister Tim Ayers told the conference on Aug.2 that Australia is working with the international nuclear regulator and community to maintain a nuclear weapons-free and independent Pacific. At this conference and beyond, each of us must work to forestall the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that await us unless we take real steps towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, Ayres said. All three (AUKUS) partners are committed to upholding our legal obligations and to strengthening the integrity of the non-proliferation regime. We will not simply uphold but strengthen the integrity of the regime. Atomic Agency Pleased With AUKUS Transparency Australia, the U.S. and the UK, in a joint working paper (pdf) to the Conference, have said that all three countries are committed to transferring the top secret technology in a way that accords with the highest possible non-proliferation standards, including the provision of complete, welded power units to Australia so they do not need to conduct uranium enrichment or fuel fabrication. The international community can have confidence in our undertakings, especially because Australias track record on nuclear non-proliferation is exemplary. Its actions will be consistent with its outstanding credentials, the three countries said, citing Australias inclusion within the IAEAs Broader Conclusion, which is given to a country when it has used nuclear material in only peaceful activities for 22 years. AUKUS also said the countries intend to fully engage with the IAEA to find a suitable verification approach for inspections, a stance which pleased IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Grossi, in a statement to the Board of Governors of the agency in June, said: I would like to express my satisfaction with the engagement and transparency shown by the three countries thus far. Australia To See Conflict in the Next 10 Years The comments from Beijing come after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in an interview with the Center For Strategic and International Studies that Australian defence analysts had warned the country could see conflict in ten years. Two years agoto the credit of the former governmentthey undertook the Defence Strategic Update, which observed, pretty significantly, for the first time that Australia was within a 10-year threat window, said Marles. So, to explain that there had always been an assumption in strategic planning in Australia that we would be given 10 years notice if anybody wished to do us any harm. For the first time, in 2020, it was observed that we are within that 10-year window. Thats a really big thing to say. An Australian soldier from 7 Brigade operates a machine gun through the turret of a truck as part of exercise Talisman Sabre in Rockhampton, Australia, on July 9, 2015. (Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) Marles also noted that Australia was currently experiencing a challenging time with China. Right now, given the way that China is seeking to shape the world around it in a way that weve not seen before, we are presented with challenges from our largest trading partner, which make the path forward far from obvious, he said. And, you know, were also experiencing considerable strategic competition from China in our nearest neighbourhood. So, all of that really is asking of us questions about where were at and what we need to do that we really havent seen for a long time. Albanese Government Should Hold China to Account Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton has called on the federal government to push Beijing to explain its military build-up. Speaking on Sky News Australia, Dutton, who was defence minister in the former Morrison government, said that while it was welcome news that high-level diplomatic communications have resumed between Australia and China, the federal government needed to question China over the rapid expansion of its military arsenal. China continues to amass nuclear weapons, Dutton said. China is growing its naval fleet at the same tonnage rate of our entire Royal Australian Navy fleet every 18 months and, I might note, at a time when most of the world is providing support, depleting their own stocks, to give Ukraine a fighting chance against Russia. Soldiers stand on the deck of the transport dock Yimen Shan of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the sea near Qingdao in eastern Chinas Shandong province, on April 23, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images) Regarding high-level diplomatic talks, Dutton was concerned Australia was simply being handled by Beijingan unproductive use of the governments time. The Australian government needs to be serious in the discussions, and we need to ask China to explain the human rights abuses, and to explain whats happening in relation to their military build-up, the attack on the P-8 surveillance aircraft only a couple of weeks ago, the surveillance of one of our ships within that contested area, he said. Robert Fenton Jr., senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator, testifies at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2021. (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images) Biden Names FEMA, CDC Officials to Lead Monkeypox Response President Joe Biden on Tuesday appointed senior officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to coordinate the countrys monkeypox outbreak response. The White House said FEMAs Robert Fenton and the CDCs Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as his deputy will coordinate strategies and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak. This will include working to resolve vaccine supply and demand problems by equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations, and treatments. Fenton helped lead FEMAs mass vaccination effort for COVID-19. Daskalakis runs the CDCs HIV prevention division, is an expert in LGBT issues, and helped lead New York Citys COVID-19 response. Monkeypox case numbers in the United States are currently over 5,800 since the first case emerged in May. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis speaks at the press conference for New York City Pride on June 27, 2021. (John Lamparski/Getty Images) Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White Houses medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the pairing of Fenton and Daskalakis is really a good combination, The Associated Press reported. I personally think were dealing with a really serious issue here, Fauci said, referring to the outbreak overall. Health officials have emphasized that monkeypox can infect anyone and is not typically considered a sexually transmitted disease, but that is largely how its spreading. The virus can also pass on through contaminated bedding, towels, and clothing. However, a major peer-reviewed study has found that the current outbreak is primarily being driven by the sexual activity of gay and bisexual men. This might not always be the case, however, with a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official warning that we should not expect that to remain such. Outreach to LGBT Community Besides coming to a better scientific understanding of the current monkeypox outbreak, Fauci said swift interventions and outreach to the LGBT community, which is most at risk from the virus, was absolutely needed to combat the virus. Thats the reason why I think the combination of Bob and Demetre is really a good combination, he said. A mass monkeypox vaccination strategy like the push seen to get COVID-19 jabs is thought to be unlikely. Instead, experts expect a targeted use of available vaccine doses, along with other measures, might be enough to stop the virus. However, monkeypox vaccine demand has outstripped supply in major cities like New York and San Francisco. There has been a limited supply of the FDA-approved Jynneos monkeypox vaccine in the United States, but the CDC said more supply is expected in the coming weeks. Jynneos is also known as Imvanex or Imvamune. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the Biden administration has helped boost monkeypox testing to 80,000 tests per week and delivered more than 1.1 million vaccine doses. Its very important as were trying to really have [an] aggressive approach to dealing with monkeypox, Jean-Pierre said. Besides testing, Jean-Pierre noted the importance of education and outreach to the LGBT community and public health officials to make sure that they know exactly what to look for and what the treatment is. While health officials are familiar with monkeypox, which until this year was typically found in Africa where it was spread by animals, Fauci said there are still a lot of unknowns about the current outbreak. The CDC and the WHO, which declared the virus a public health emergency, have noted the current outbreak is being spread in countries where monkeypox has never been. U.S. case numbers jumped by the thousands from June to July, coinciding with LGBT events. Two major LGBT events in Europe in May are considered to be a sort of ground zero for the 2022 outbreak. For this reason, the CDC officials in May considered but ultimately decided against issuing recommendations that would have seen Pride Month events cancelled. President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House in Washington on Aug. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson-Pool/ Getty Images) Biden Symptomatic Again With COVID-19 Rebound Infection: Doctor President Joe Biden is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms as he deals with a Paxlovid-associated rebound infection, said the White House on Tuesday. The president continues to feel well, though he is experiencing a bit of a return of a loose cough, Dr. Kevin OConnor, Bidens personal physician, wrote in a Tuesday letter (pdf) in confirming that the president again tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. He remains fever-free and in good spirits. Elaborating, OConnor wrote that Bidens temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal. His lungs are clear. This morning, his SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing remained positive. The president will continue his strict isolation measures as previously described, he said. OConnor said Biden will continue his strict isolation measures and will continue to conduct the business of the American people from the Executive Residence. Biden first tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21 before testing negative for several days in a row. Over the past weekend, however, his doctor said he tested positive in what was described as a rebound case associated with Pfizers Paxlovid drug. When he first tested positive, Bidens symptoms at the time included a runny nose, cough, sore throat, a slight fever, and body aches, according to OConnor. Because of Bidens advanced age, 79, he is considered to be at risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday Biden has six close contacts, but none of them have tested positive. She noted that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not offered any quarantine guidance on individuals experiencing a rebound in COVID-19 positivity or symptoms. According to the CDCs guidelines, Biden is recommended to quarantine for five days after an initial positive COVID-19 test. The White House confirmed in pool reports that a planned trip to Saginaw County, Michigan, was scrapped, and its not clear when Biden will be able to leave quarantine. On Monday night, Biden released a video showing him speaking from the White House to announce the United States killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan. After the latest diagnosis, Biden has been working eight-plus hours a day, Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. That is a schedule he continues to keep. Instead of doing it in the Oval Office, hes doing it in the residence. Similar to Biden, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci announced in June that he tested positive for COVID-19 as he was taking Paxlovid. Fauci tested negative for the virus for four straight days before he got another positive test, he told a forum. And like Fauci, Biden has received four COVID-19 vaccine doses, including two booster shots. In a tender example of generosity, a 5-year-old in Nashville, Tennessee, gave his 30 centswhich was everything he hadto a homeless man he encountered on the street. Justus Mateo Smith, 5, and his father, Justice, 40, encountered the man at a busy intersection, just off a highway exit, in the middle of rush-hour traffic. The father-son duo were on their way to a dental appointment during a typically busy day. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) The elder Smith wanted to give the homeless man money to buy food, as he noticed the hunger and exhaustion reflected in his eyes; but did not have any cash on him. Because of the way I was raised and also at one time being homeless and sleeping in a car myself, I always make an effort to acknowledge the homeless individuals humanity and existence with eye contact and a smile, along with a head nod or waveat the least, Justice told The Epoch Times. To his surprise, his son had also noticed the homeless man, and although his father hadnt uttered a word about helping the man, Justus offered to give him 30 cents. I didnt even realize he had 30 cents on him at first, Justice recalled. It was like our 5-year-old heard the thoughts going through my head and then answered with his own suggestion out loud. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) Seeing this, Justice was overjoyed that his son felt that way and wanted to help the man in need. However, he was hesitant because he felt that the man needed more than 30 cents. I didnt want to offend or insult him at this moment by only giving him 2 coins, Justice said. However, he kept these thoughts to himself and didnt say anything aloud. I realized that I was the only thing in the way of something positive happening in that moment, Justice shared. We try to instill in our children that helping others who cant help themselves is so important. If we can help in any way, we should try. I didnt want to say one thing and then do the opposite. Not wanting to create a negative lasting impact, thatd be counterproductive in all three of their lives that day, he rolled down his window and told the man that he was sorry that he didnt have any cash on him, but that his sonwho had just turned 5wanted to give him everything that he had. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) Hearing this, the drawn and weary expression on the homeless mans face immediately left and he lit up with a huge smile. He looked at our son, smiling at him, and said, Thank you so much, little man! God bless you! Thank you! Justice said. As it turns out, Justuss humble gesture began a domino effect. Motivated by his act of kindness, others behind him followed his lead, providing the homeless man with what he needed to evade hunger that day. While the string of events that followed certainly helped the man that day, his life was not the only one impacted; Justice, too, has since learned a lesson. It reiterated that my personal pride is not more important than another individuals needs or hardships, he shared. It taught me that no gesture done in sincerity is too small to make a real impact in someone elses life. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) The father of three believes that, as parents, it is best to teach children by leading by example. The most important things theyll remember about their childhood and being with their parents (us) is by what we parents have done, he said. Sure, they may recall what weve said at times, but our actions truly show and teach them how to operate in this world. Justice shared that, throughout the journey of his life, every experience, either good or bad, has had a purpose and has taught him something eventually, even if he didnt realize it at the time. He also believes that God has been his source, and one of the main reasons he does his best to love others through his actions, and the reason he teaches his children that every essence of God is LOVE. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) Needless to say, this is something that young Justuswhose wit and intelligence are well beyond his yearsseems to have caught on to. He was able to demonstrate free and loving generosity that day by helping the man. Justice is awed by his sons benevolence and hopes that it continues to motivate others. Until we actually have walked in anothers shoes versus just passing them, well never know what theyve truly had to face or survive, he said. Our family only hopes that the news and love we were conduits in creating that day is a motivation for more people to see each other as fellow humans, versus seeing others as their circumstances or burdens on society. (Courtesy of Billy James Taylor/Nashville, TN via Justice Smith) Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/newsletter A priest blesses the remains of three people who died during the Russian occupation and were disinterred from temporary burial sites in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on April 27, 2022. (AP/Emilio Morenatti) Canada Sanctions Russian Military Officers for Attacks Against Civilians The Canadian government is imposing sanctions on dozens of Russian military officers whose troops are accused of committing atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly announced the new sanctions against 47 Russians this morning, as Russias invasion of Ukraine continues nearly six months after it began. Canada is also adding 17 Russian companies and entities to its sanctions list for supporting the invasion of Ukraine. Most of the individuals added to the list are Russian military officers sanctioned by the European Union in June for their troops actions in Bucha. Russian troops are accused of having raped, tortured and killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in the city on the outskirts of Kyiv during the first months of their invasion. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russian troops, who withdrew from the area in March. China is ramping up threats as reports say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is visiting Taiwan Tuesday. The White House revealed what Beijing could do and how the United States would respond. Senators this week are taking up two massive spending bills. One is to help veterans, while the other will change how businesses and Americans file taxes. The U.S. Postal Service is creating a new division for mail-in ballots. How will this impact the upcoming midterm elections? The Biden administrations latest plan is to give federal IDs to illegal immigrants. We talked to Chad Wolf, former acting secretary of Homeland Security, about the border crisis and its implications on the midterms. President Joe Biden is in his second round of isolation after testing positive again for the CCP virus on Saturday. The Epoch Times was censored on Twitter heading into the weekend. Following a flood of pushback, including from several lawmakers, The Epoch Times is no longer being censored, at least for now. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow CapitolReport on social media: Twitter https://twitter.com/capitolreport Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CapitolReport/ Gettr https://gettr.com/user/capitolreport Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV The government announced on July 25, 2022, that open consultations for Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lees first "Policy Address" has begun. The address will be published on Oct. 19, 2022. (Screenshot of government officials) Chief Executive John Lee Begins Public Consultations for His First Policy Address Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is now undertaking public consultations prior to the finalization of his first Policy Address to be delivered on October 19. The Government says it will hold about 30 consultation sessions to listen to the opinions and suggestions of Legislative Council members, representatives of different sectors, and the general public regarding the Policy Address. John Lee and his governance team will also visit communities to talk to the citizens and representatives of different sectors. John Lee declares that his governance philosophy is people-oriented, aiming at results and doing practical work for the people. He will give proposals in accordance with his election commitments and issues of social concern, aiming to relieve the hardships of the public and build a harmonious society filled with development opportunities. People wearing face masks in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on September 3, 2020, during a media visit to the facility organized by local authorities. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) China Denies Claims of Insufficient Medical Insurance Funds Amid Mounting Public Concern Concerns remain high after healthcare policy changes Chinas healthcare authority issued a rare response amid mounting public concern that there was insufficient money in the nations healthcare fund because of repeated COVID-19 testing and increased hospitalizations due to the pandemic.. In a disclosure aimed at easing public concern, Chinas National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), on July 23, said the national medical insurance fund is in the black. Given the Chinese regimes history of lacking transparency, it is uncommon for its healthcare authority to disclose the state of the fund. NHSAs disclosure was triggered by some Chinese online communities questioning why certain drugs were removed from the reimbursement list by some local governments. Was it because there was insufficient money in the medical insurance fund? In the statement, the healthcare authority said the fund broke even [last year], with a small surplus, adding that the scale of revenue and expenditure is in line with the level of economic development, according to Reuters. It said the fund received a total income (including maternity insurance) of 2.88 trillion yuan (about $432 billion) and spent 2.4 trillion yuan (about $360 billion) in 2021. However, public concerns remain as recent healthcare policy changes require people to pay more for the same or sometimes less coverage. Medical insurance is one of five mandatory insurance schemes in Chinas Social Security System, where monthly contributions are jointly made by employees and their employers. The other four compulsory insurance schemes are the pension fund, unemployment insurance, industrial injury insurance, and maternity insurance. Employees can be exempt from paying for industrial injury and maternity insurance. Though the NHSA attempted to reassure the public by disclosing the healthcare fund balance for 2021, questions and concerns remain about the accuracy of the figures, such as why the Guangdong local healthcare authority lengthened the overall contribution period for medical insurance. Insurance Contribution Period Extended At the end of June, the Healthcare Security Administration of Guangdong Province updated the number of years required in the contribution period: 30 years for male and 25 years for female employees by January 1, 2030. Prior to the change, Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province, had only a mandatory 10-year payment period for employees joining the healthcare system before 2014 or a 15-year payment period after 2014. With the significantly lengthened contribution time, some Guangdong residents are worried that they cant afford to finish the 25 or 30-year contribution required before they retire. The overall contribution period is one of the mandatory criteria to access free healthcare after retirement; otherwise, people have to continue paying into the medical insurance funds even after retirement. The Guangdong healthcare authority said that lengthening the overall contribution period was to meet the [new] requirements of NHSA [and that the province] was not the first and nor the last province to implement this change. Albert Song, a current affairs commentator and expert on the Chinese financial system, told The Epoch Times that the healthcare insurance fund might be in the black, but it is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, settling one debt by incurring another. Regional disparity is a prevalent issue in Chinas economic growth. The southeast coast is more developed than the northwest inland regions due to higher income and better-funded resources. Beijing then has to allocate funds to those poorer or less developed areas, Song said. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is taking some measures to delay a fund shortage crises [when they cant pay out those medical coverages]; one example is by lengthening the fund contribution period. Recently, the 2021 data for average wages at the provincial level were released. Average wages are closely related to the social security fund contribution. Though the data showed increased wages, it has little to do with the actual income of ordinary people as the incomes of public servants and some state-owned companies are much higher. Despite NHSAs claim that the national medical insurance fund of 2021 was in the black, Bingwen Zheng, a Chinese researcher and scholar, said in March that the fund would be in the red in 2024. Zhang is a director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, one of Chinas top research institutes. He said the employees medical insurance fund in China would have a deficit in two years, according to the forecast of relevant data. He further explained that the surge in the number of retired people would significantly increase demand on the health insurance fund. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) waves to media as she tours the parliament house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Aug. 2, 2022. (Malaysias Department of Information via AP) China Takes Measures to Intimidate Taiwan Ahead of Prospective Pelosi Visit TAIPEI, TaiwanWith uncertainty over whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan during her Asia trip, the Chinese communist regime has decided to intimidate the self-ruled island both militarily and economically. Local media in Taiwan reported on Aug. 2 that Chinese customs officials announced a temporary ban on food imports from more than 100 Taiwanese companies overnight. Among those facing the ban are companies in the snack food and agricultural industries. Wu Shou-mei, director-general of Taiwans Food and Drug Administration, told reporters on Tuesday that she couldnt rule out political reasons as factors going into Beijings decision to impose the ban. We will not be intimidated by PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] weaponization of trade, Taiwans ruling party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu wrote on Twitter in response to the Chinese ban. Chen Kuan-ting, CEO of Taiwans think tank NextGen Foundation, said China is using the ban to serve its political motivation. Chinas response of stopping certain food and agricultural imports in wake of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis potential visit to Taiwan is clearly an underhand move attempting to punish Taiwan for actions of the U.S., Chen wrote on Twitter. China continues to use economic manipulation techniques to attempt to coherce [sic] Taiwans political relationships and behavior, Chen continued. This reflects Chinas heavy-handed approach to try and unilaterally dictate the China-Taiwan relationship. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) leaves the Shangri-La Hotel after a reception organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore on Aug. 1, 2022. (Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images) Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on the morning of Aug. 2, the second stop of her Asia trip following a visit to Singapore. While in Singapore, she met with President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan. China has reacted angrily to the possibility that Pelosi will visit Taiwan, a self-governing island that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to claim as a part of its territory. Chinas state-run media suggested that the Chinese military should shoot down Pelosis plane if she decided to travel to the island. At the time of writing, it is unclear if Pelosi will visit Taiwan. However, local media have reported that she will arrive at around 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, then visit the islands parliament and meet with Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen the next day, citing unnamed sources. Ahead of Pelosis prospective visit on Aug. 1, U.S. military assets were reported in the vicinity of Taiwan. According to USNI News, at least two U.S. navy vessels, aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and amphibious ship USS Tripoli, are operating on the edge of the South China Sea. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have urged Pelosi to make the trip to Taiwan. China cannot bully the United States Congress, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) wrote on Twitter on Aug. 2. I applaud Speaker Pelosis possible trip to Taiwan, which further emphasizes the commitment of the United States Congress to human rights, democracy, and freedom. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who visited Taiwan in 2021 with several other lawmakers, including Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), told Pelosi to ignore the CCPs threats. The Chinese Communist Party threatened me prior to my visit to Taiwan last year, Gonzales wrote on Twitter. I strongly urge Speaker Pelosi to ignore the CCP and show America stands firm with our allies. Workers build a security zone outside a local hotel in Taipei on Aug. 3, 2022, where U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might be staying. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images) CCPs Posturing Ahead of Pelosis prospective visit to Taiwan, the CCP has decided to flex its muscle with a number of military maneuvers. On July 30, Chinas state-run media released footage purportedly showing Chinas DF-17 hypersonic missile, which is dubbed the aircraft carrier killer. China will also hold military exercises in the South China Sea for five days beginning on Aug. 2, according to Chinas state-run media. Additionally, a live-fire drill is to be held for four days ending on Aug. 4 in the Bohai Sea, which is located on Chinas east coast. On Aug. 1, four Chinese J-16 fighter jets intruded Taiwans southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwans military scrambled fighters, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities. An ADIZ is a publicly-declared area next to a states national airspace, in which approaching foreign aircraft must be ready to submit their identifiers and location. The area allows a state the time to judge the nature of the incoming aircraft and take defensive measures if needed. Taiwans Ministry of National Defense, in a statement issued on Aug. 2, warned that it would appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to enemy threats, for it has a full grasp of military activities near the island, according to Reuters. The ministry also said that it has the determination, ability, and confidence to ensure Taiwans national security, and has made various unspecified plans for an emergency. On Tuesday, Taiwans government-run Central News Agency reported that the Taiwanese military has heightened its combat readiness since 8 a.m., citing an unnamed source. The heightened state will continue until noon on Aug. 4. A peeling logo of the Evergrande Oasis, a housing complex by Evergrande Group, outside the construction site of the unfinished residential buildings in Luoyang, China, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters) Chinas Local Financial Shortfall to Reach 6 Trillion Yuan As Housing Market Plunges: Expert Predicts The Chinese real estate market collapsed in July with all indices falling. An expert predicts that the real estate plunge, together with the economic slowdown, will lead to a financial shortage of 6 trillion yuan (about $889.6 billion) for local governments for the year, as the local governments revenues from land sales may be halved this year. Lu Ting, Nomura Securities Chief China Economist, penned an article on Chinas top financial news outlet Caixin on July 24, pointing out that although Chinas real estate sales improved in June, data in July showed that sales had once again declined. Even in June, home starts plummeted by 45 percent year-on-year, home completions fell 41 percent, land sales fell 53 percent by area and 65 percent by value. According to a report released by Shanghai Securities on July 18, between July 4 and July 18, 3.923 million square meters of land for planned development were sold in 100 large and medium-sized cities, a cumulative year-on-year fall of 61.58 percent; and property sales in 30 large and medium-sized cities amounted to 2.42 million square meters, a cumulative year-on-year drop of 36.46 percent. In terms of number of property sales, between July 4 and July 8, 6,237 units were sold in first-tier cities, a reduction of 36.16 percent, 9,458 units were sold in second-tier cities, a decline of 34.68 percent, and 6,040 units were sold in third-tier cities, a decrease of 43.31 percent. Lu explained that developers delivering unfinished high-rise buildings to home buyers have become a nightmare for the buyers, and the main reason for the decline in new home sales. On July 13, Bloomberg quoted Citigroups latest analysis of China real estate, which claimed that 35 real estate projects in 22 Chinese cities are either unfinished when delivered to pre-sale buyers or losing value upon completion, and the new owners have decided to stop paying home mortgages, as a way of protest. Homebuyers in China have recently stopped mortgage payments on at least 100 projects, after moving into unfinished dwellings from cash-strapped developers. These projects are located in numerous provinces and cities in Eastern, Northern, and Southern China, including Henan, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Shanxi, and other provinces. Even some of the internet star development projects, including a few projects that were completely sold out the first day of sales, were delivered to pre-sale buyers as uncompleted. Lu said buyers refusing to pay their mortgages would cause the vicious cycle to worsen. Potential buyers are afraid that they may end up buying homes in buildings that are never completed; the plunge in new property sales will worsen the cash flow crisis for developers; local governments will then further tighten the pre-sale regulation, which in turn, will further worsen developers cash flow. In the end, the developers wont have enough money to buy land, causing land prices to fall. Subsequently, home prices will fall below expectations, and new home sales will be affected, Lu predicted. Lu also pointed out that local governments are now cutting salaries of civil servants due to plunging land sales, as land sales used to be the largest source of revenue for the local government. However, civil servants are one of the primary drivers of home purchases in many small and medium-sized cities, Lu said. Salary cut for this group of people, coupled with an extremely high unemployment rate among young people, lead to the situation where many people are unwilling to buy homes if they need to rely on mortgages. The real estate industry will likely continue to deteriorate because of buyer hesitancy. Lu estimates that the local governments cumulative land sales revenue will decrease by about 40-50 percent this year. Based on his estimate, on the conservative side, local governments revenue from land sales may be 3.5 trillion yuan (about $518.9 billion) lower than the previous year. When combined with the financial impact of the recession, Lu estimates that the fiscal gap for this year could be 6 trillion yuan (about $889.6 billion). The real estate industry and its upstream and downstream industrial chains account for one-fourth of Chinas GDP, Lu remarked. Therefore, if you want to analyze the future economic trend of China, it is necessary to understand the trend in real estate. For the past 20 years, whenever the economy was struggling, Chinese authorities would loosen restrictions on real estate to stimulate the demand for housing and real estate investments. A Ching Chiang class patrol ship fires off depth charges underwater as part of a navy demonstration in Taiwan's annual Han Kuang exercises off the island's eastern coast near the city of Yilan, Taiwan, on July 26, 2022. (Huizhong Wu, File/AP Photo) Chinas Military Announces Live Fire Drills Surrounding Taiwan Following Pelosi Arrival The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that its military would conduct live fire exercises in the waters on all sides of Taiwan following House Speaker Nancy Pelosis arrival on the island. Chinese state-owned outlet Xinhua issued an announcement from the CCPs military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), which said that it would be conducting live fire exercises in six separate spaces on all sides of the island. Aircraft and maritime vessels would be prohibited from entering the six regions, a move that may be designed to interfere with international shipping lanes. Both Chinese and American military assets have been maneuvering in the waters around Taiwan since last week, with PLA forces conducting other drills north of Taiwan in the Yellow Sea, and the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier conducting freedom of navigation patrols. Taiwanese media reported that aircraft from the PLA crossed over the Taiwan Strait shortly after Pelosis highly publicized arrival in Taipei on Tuesday, which the CCP has aggressively protested with threats of military action. Chinas foreign ministry characterized the trip to Taiwan as a serious violation of Chinas One China Policy, and said the United States was going down a wrong and dangerous path. U.S. leadership maintains that it is in no way seeking to change the status quo and that the CCP is behaving aggressively and erratically. We have been clear from the very beginning that she [Pelosi] will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government, said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Monday. Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers. We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and skies of the western Pacific as we have for decades. Kirby also underscored that CCP leadership knew that the trip does not represent a meaningful change in U.S. policy. This is well known to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations, Kirby said. The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and a speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year. The use of aggressive rhetoric and live fire drills by China around Taiwan have been condemned by the White House, which described such efforts as destabilizing. Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for IndoPacific affairs, said on July 27 that such provocations would only serve to increase the likelihood of catastrophic accidents between the United States, China, and Taiwan. If the PLA continues this kind of behavior, it is only a matter of time until there is a major incident or accident in the region, Ratner said. Los Angeles County supervisor Hilda Solis hosted a press conference Nov. 22 against hate crimes and in support of immigrant communities (Courtesy of Hilda Solis) Citizenship No Longer Required for LA County Jobs The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 26 to allow the county to hire noncitizens, except for the positions where U.S. citizenship is required by state and federal law. Under the new inclusive hiring policy (pdf), all county departments must waive the citizenship requirement for both current and future positions. However, applicants for the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and peace officers have to be U.S. citizens. Los Angeles County is a community of immigrants from each corner of the world, Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement. And while our County-government workforce reflects the community it represents, there is room for improvement. Additionally, the board should also ensure that applicants are fairly and equitably considered, without regard to national origin, citizenship or other non-merit factors that are not substantially related to successful performance of the duties of the position, according to the motion. In June 2021, the board approved a motionintroduced by Solis and Supervisor Sheila Kuehlto direct the County Counsel and the Department of Human Resources to assess if the board has the authority to waive any citizenship requirement for board-appointed county offices. The department later recommended that the board remove citizenship as a requirement for most positions when citizenship is not mandated by law. The countywhich had over 880,000 non-citizen residents in 2018has been in fierce competition in hiring well-qualified attorneys and waiving the citizenship requirement will change this situation, according to the motion. The County wants to provide culturally competent services and attract high-quality job candidates, but both goals are made more difficult by an out-of-date requirement that only U.S. citizens are eligible for certain classes of County jobs, Kuehl said in a statement. It can be a labor of love, and sometimes a job of necessity. Millions of Americans provide unpaid care for someone with a serious health condition each year. These often-unsung heroes provide hours of assistance to others. Yet the stress and strain of caregiving can take a toll on their own health. NIH-funded researchers are working to understand the risks these caregivers face. And scientists are seeking better ways to protect caregivers health. Many of us will end up becoming or needing a caregiver at some point in our lives. Chances are well be helping out older family members who cant fully care for themselves. Caregiving responsibilities can include everyday tasks, such as helping with meals, schedules, and bathing and dressing. It can also involve managing medicines, doctor visits, health insurance, and money. Caregivers often give emotional support as well. People who provide unpaid care for an elderly, ill, or disabled family member or friend in the home are called informal caregivers. Most are middle-aged. Roughly two-thirds are women. Nearly half of informal caregivers assist someone whos age 75 or older. As the elderly population continues to grow nationwide, so will the need for informal caregivers. Studies have shown that some people can thrive when caring for others. Caregiving may help to strengthen connections to a loved one. Some find joy, fulfillment, and a sense of being appreciated in looking after others. But for many, the strain of caregiving can become overwhelming. Friends and family often take on the caregiving role without any training. Theyre expected to meet many complex demands without much help. Many caregivers hold down a full-time job and may also have children or others to care for. With all of its rewards, there is a substantial cost to caregivingfinancially, physically, and emotionally, says Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of NIHs National Institute on Aging. One important insight from our research is that because of the stress and time demands placed on caregivers, they are less likely to find time to address their own health problems. Informal caregivers, for example, may be less likely to fill a needed prescription for themselves or get a screening test for breast cancer. Caregivers also tend to report lower levels of physical activity, poorer nutrition, and poorer sleep or sleep disturbance, says Dr. Erin Kent, an NIH expert on cancer caregiving. Studies have linked informal caregiving to a variety of long-term health problems. Caregivers are more likely to have heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and excess weight. Caregivers are also at risk for depression or anxiety. And theyre more likely to have problems with memory and paying attention. Caregivers may even suffer from physical health problems related to caregiving tasks, such as back or muscle injuries from lifting people, Kent adds. Caregivers may face different challenges and risks depending on the health of the person theyre caring for. Taking care of loved ones with cancer or dementia can be especially demanding. Research suggests that these caregivers bear greater levels of physical and mental burdens than caregivers of the frail elderly or people with diabetes. Cancer caregivers often spend more hours per day providing more intensive care over a shorter period of time, Kent says. The health of cancer patients can deteriorate quickly, which can cause heightened stress for caregivers. And aggressive cancer treatments can leave patients greatly weakened. They may need extra care, and their medications may need to be monitored more often. Cancer survivorship, too, can bring intense levels of uncertainty and anxiety. A hallmark of cancer is that it may return months or even years later, Kent says. Both cancer survivors and their caregivers may struggle to live with ongoing fear and stress of a cancer recurrence. Dementia can also create unique challenges to caregivers. The health care costs alone can take an enormous toll. One recent study found that out-of-pocket spending for families of dementia patients during the last five years of life averaged more than $60,000, which was 81% higher than for older people who died from other causes. Research has found that caregivers for people with dementia have particularly high levels of stress hormones. Caregivers and care recipients often struggle with the problems related to dementia, such as agitation, aggression, trouble sleeping, wandering, and confusion. These caregivers spend more days sick with an infectious disease, have a weaker immune response to the flu vaccine, and have slower wound healing. One major successful and expanding effort to help ease caregiver stress is known as REACH (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimers Caregiver Health). Just over a decade ago, NIH-funded researchers showed that a supportive, educational program for dementia caregivers could greatly improve their quality of life and reduce rates of clinical depression. As part of the program, trained staff connected with caregivers over six months by making several home visits, telephone calls, and structured telephone support sessions. REACH showed that what caregivers need is support. They need to know that there are people out there and resources available to help them, says Dr. John Haaga, who oversees NIHs behavioral and social research related to aging. REACH II, a follow-up intervention, was tailored for culturally diverse caregivers. The REACH program is now being more widely employed. Its been adapted for use in free community-based programs, such as in local Area Agencies on Aging. Its also being used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and by the Indian Health Service, in collaboration with the Administration for Community Living. We know how to support families caring for an older adult. But that knowledge is not easily accessible to the families who need it, says Dr. Laura Gitlin, a coauthor of the REACH study and an expert on caregiving and aging at Johns Hopkins University. Caregivers need to know its not only acceptable, but recommended, that they find time to care for themselves. They should consider joining a caregivers support group, taking breaks each day, and keeping up with their own hobbies and interests. Self-Care for Caregivers Get organized. Make to-do lists, and set a daily routine. Make to-do lists, and set a daily routine. Ask for help. Make a list of ways others can help. For instance, someone might pick up groceries or sit with the person while you do errands. Make a list of ways others can help. For instance, someone might pick up groceries or sit with the person while you do errands. Take breaks each day, and spend time with your friends. Keep up with your hobbies and interests. Join a caregivers support group. Meeting other caregivers may give you a chance to exchange stories and ideas. Meeting other caregivers may give you a chance to exchange stories and ideas. Eat healthy foods, and exercise as often as you can. See your doctor regularly. Be sure to tell your health care provider that youre a caregiver, and mention if you have symptoms of depression or sickness. Be sure to tell your health care provider that youre a caregiver, and mention if you have symptoms of depression or sickness. Build your skills. Some hospitals offer classes on how to care for someone with an injury or illness. To find these classes, ask your doctor or contact your local Area Agency on Aging at www.n4a.org (link is external) . References The Burden of Health Care Costs for Patients with Dementia in the Last 5 Years of Life. Kelley AS, McGarry K, Gorges R, Skinner JS. Ann Intern Med. 2015 Nov 17;163(10):729-736. doi: 10.7326/M15-0381. Epub 2015 Oct 27. PMID: 26502320. Family caregivers strains: comparative analysis of cancer caregiving with dementia, diabetes, and frail elderly caregiving. Kim Y, Schulz R. J Aging Health. 2008 Aug;20(5):483-503. doi: 10.1177/0898264308317533. Epub 2008 Apr 17. PMID: 18420838. Enhancing the quality of life of dementia caregivers from different ethnic or racial groups: a randomized, controlled trial. Belle SH, Burgio L, Burns R, Coon D, et al.; Resources for Enhancing Alzheimers Caregiver Health (REACH) II Investigators. Ann Intern Med. 2006 Nov 21;145(10):727-38. PMID: 17116917. Caregiving in the US 2015 Executive Summary(link is external). National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. A Google logo on a sign outside of the Google headquarters, in Mountain View, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2015. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Court Rejects Google Motion to Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuit, Orders Company to Produce Documents A federal judge has rejected Googles attempt to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit, ruling that plaintiffs have adequately alleged a claim under a key antitrust law. Rumble, a video platform, sued Google in 2021, charging that the company violated the Sherman Act, an 1890 law that outlaws anti-competitive practices. Among the violations, according to the suit: Google rigging its search algorithms so that its videos would be preferred over Rumbles and setting up a situation that led to the YouTube application being installed on many Android-based smartphones. Google disputed the accusations in a motion to dismiss, saying the complaint was based on conjecture, speculation, and uninformed media reports about how Google displays and ranks videos on its search engine results pages and how mobile device manufacturers license the YouTube app for preinstallation on Android devices. U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr., an Obama appointee, sided with Rumble. Without real dispute, Plaintiff has adequately alleged a Section 2 claim, he said, referring to a section of the Sherman Act, violations of which involve two elements, according to a previous ruling in a separate case: (1) the possession of monopoly power in the relevant market and (2) the willful acquisition or maintenance of that power as distinguished from growth or development as a consequence of a superior product, business acumen, or historic accident. Rumble said that Google has a monopoly over the online video platform market because YouTube, which it owns, controls 73 percent of online video activity. Rumble also said Google is not benefiting users or its business by designing search algorithms that rank YouTube links higher than those of competitors. Defendants motion is based on the somewhat counterintuitive premise that Plaintiff has pled too much, Gilliam wrote in the July 29 ruling. Defendant argues that Plaintiffs amended complaint should be broken into distinct theories of liability based on (1) self-preferencing, (2) tying of the YouTube app to other Google apps, and (3) unlawfully dominating the search market with agreements involving distribution of Defendants search product. Mot. at 1. Defendant does not dispute that Plaintiff has adequately pled a Section 2 claim based on the first theory of liability. Gilliam said Googles citations of two unpublished district court cases were unconvincing and denied its motion to dismiss. He also rejected a bid to strike paragraphs from Rumbles complaint. The case will now move forward, with a joint statement due from the parties by Aug. 23, and a status conference scheduled for Aug. 30. Rumble is seeking damages and an order that Google and its subsidiaries be blocked from illegal anticompetitive conduct. Dr. Robert Malone is interviewed for EpochTV's "American Thought Leaders" program in Washington on Aug. 30, 2021. (The Epoch Times) COVID-19 Vaccines Hinder the Immune System, Lead to More Severe Illness: Dr. Robert Malone A study out of the United Kingdom has shown that health care workers who received multiple COVID-19 vaccine boosters after initially being infected with the original virus strain from Wuhan are more prone to chronic reinfection from the Omicron variant. This may help explain why the people who have received several COVID-19 vaccine boosters are increasingly the ones who end up in the hospital with severe COVID-19 symptoms, sometimes resulting in death, said scientist and physician Dr. Robert Malone. In a July 21 interview for EpochTVs Crossroads program, Malone, an inventor of mRNA vaccine technology, said this phenomenon is the result of a process called immune imprinting, whereby initial exposure to a virus strain may prevent the body from producing enough neutralizing antibodies against a newer strain. He added that this process is reinforced by multiple inoculations. All over the world, we are seeing these datasets that show that, unfortunately, the people that are dying and being hospitalized are overwhelmingly the highly vaccinated, he said. It is not those that have natural immunity. Vaccines Based on Old Strains The COVID-19 vaccines currently in circulation are based on the Wuhan strain of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, which causes the illness now identified as COVID-19. A number of strains have emerged and become dominant since the Wuhan strain was prevalent, including the currently dominant Omicron variant. The problem is that COVID-19 vaccines use only one of the components of the whole virus, which is a spike protein, so the immune system of a person who received an mRNA vaccine becomes trained to respond to only that component, Malone explained. If that antigen has changed slightly, if that virus has changed slightly, [the immune system] still reacts as if its the old one, he said. The COVID-19 vaccines are based on the spike protein of the original virus identified in Wuhan. That strain of the virus no longer exists and is not circulating in the population anymore, Malone said. If a vaccine based on a now-defunct viral strain is repeatedly administered, it trains the immune system to focus more and more on the antigen delivered through the vaccine and to disregard anything else thats slightly different, Malone explained, calling this phenomenon immune imprinting. The literature on immune imprinting is bombproof, Malone said. Paper after paper after paper now, in the top peer-reviewed journals from the top laboratories all across the world, are documenting it. The phenomenon has long been known in the field of vaccinology, said Malone, but the topic is verboten, and people who work in the field prefer not to discuss it, he said. Vaccine Immunity Versus Natural Immunity A registered nurse cares for COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Health care workers in the UKmany of whom were infected with the Wuhan variant of the virus and also received three or four COVID-19 vaccine doseshave been developing chronic repeated infections from the Omicron variant, Malone said, citing a paper published in the academic journal Science. Another paper published in Nature shows that the evolution of the virus is not coming from the general population, but rather from immunocompromised people who have received multiple vaccine doses, Malone said, and about 30 percent of the highly vaccinated population are having repeated infections. This is contrary to the promoted narrative that the unvaccinated are putting the wider population at risk, Malone noted. Natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection lasts for at least 14 months, including immunity against the Omicron strains, Malone said, citing a scientific paper from Qatar which has not yet been peer reviewed (pdf). Vaccine-induced immunity, however, lasts only a couple of months, he added. When someone gets infected with the original virus, that person will generate an immune response that includes all kinds of proteins from the virus, provided he or she hasnt experienced too much immune imprinting, Malone explained. The problem with these monovalent vaccines, or the single-antigen vaccines, is theyre driving all your immune response against one thing as opposed to the whole virus. So all the virus has to do is genetically, through evolution, tweak a few knobs to escape that, he said. And that is exactly whats happened with Omicron. The paradox is that most of the countries with emerging economies and low vaccination rates also have the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates in the world, Malone said. Its likely that were going to continue to see this trend, he said. According to Our World in Data, only 1.4 percent of Haitis population has been vaccinated, and the country has recorded 838 COVID-19 deaths, a rate of 73 deaths per 1 million people. In South Africa, where 32 percent of the population is vaccinated, there have been nearly 102,000 deaths, a rate of 1,717 deaths per 1 million people. In the UK, 75 percent of the population is vaccinated, and more than 184,000 people have died, which is a rate of 2,736 deaths per 1 million. And in the United States, 67 percent of the population is vaccinated, and 1.03 million people have died from the virus, a rate of 3,058 deaths per 1 million people. Other Problems with Vaccines Malone pointed out a problem with the current mRNA vaccines. When a vaccine is injected into a patients arm, the RNA from the vaccine, which is a modified RNA, is supposed to last for only a couple of hours, but a study from Stanford University shows that the RNA sticks around for at least 60 days, Malone said. However, the government only accounts for vaccine reactions and illnesses that are recorded on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) within the first couple of weeks after vaccination, even though the drug is still in the body two months later, Malone said. The RNA from the vaccine produces more spike protein than the natural infection does, he said. Now that makes sense about why we see more adverse events with the vaccines than we see with the infection itself, because spike is a toxin. VAERS was established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to collect and analyze data about the adverse effects of vaccination. The system relies on individuals to send in reports and is not intended to determine if a reported health problem was caused by a vaccine, but it is especially useful for detecting unusual or unexpected patterns of adverse event reporting that might indicate a possible safety problem with a vaccine, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Malone, president and co-founder of the International Alliance of Physicians and Medical Scientists, said over 17,000 doctors and scientists have signed a declaration stating unequivocally that genetic vaccines need to be withdrawn. These genetic vaccines are not working, he said. Meiling Lee and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here. Data Brokers Are Spying on US Citizens Commentary Whats the most valuable commodity in the world? Grain, coffee, precious metals? No. Data are now the worlds single most valuable commodity. A commodity, as you know, is something that is bought and sold. That means data are being bought and sold. To be more specific, your data are being bought and sold. China recently got a taste of its own medicine. A country synonymous with hacking found itself hacked. In the first week of July, a hacker stole the data of a billion Chinese citizens and offered to sell it all for a cool $200,000. Everything has its price, including data. Of course, the Chinese people arent the only ones who need to worry about their data being misused and abused. In the United States, according to Bennett Cyphers, a technologist who focuses on consumer privacy and state legislation, data brokers have formed an unholy alliance with the countrys military, intelligence communities, and law enforcement agencies. This immense, highly secretive partnership was established for one reason and one reason onlyto surveil the actions and activities of U.S. citizens. Before going any further, its important to get our definitions in order. Also known as information brokers, data brokers collect information on netizens and sell their findings for a healthy profit. As Shimon Braithwaite, a cybersecurity specialist, recently noted, data brokers are shrewd operators. Like raccoons scavenging for leftovers, data brokers are relentless, often approaching credit card companies for information. They can also be found crawling the internet for public sources of information (such as social media like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook etc.) and many other legal means, Braithwaite writes. Each year, the data brokerage industry generates well over $200 billion of revenue, according to Braithwaite. This industry is growing at exponential rates. By 2030, it will be worth trillions of dollars. Data brokers benefit from the many apps we have installed on our cellphones, which pinpoint our movements and browsing behaviors with alarming levels of accuracy. The next time an app sends a notification asking for permission to access your location, please decline. Monitoring Your Movements In May, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) publicly condemned SafeGraph and Placer.ai, two prominent data brokers, for harvesting and selling cellphone location data of individuals who had visited abortion clinics. This disturbing practice is completely unconscionable, Blumenthal said. The companies, he added, have a moral obligation to end this practice immediately. Whatever your thoughts on abortion, the idea of U.S. citizens having their movements tracked and shared with goodness knows who (we all know who, but more on this in a minute) should worry every reader. The overreach of data brokers affects everyone with an internet connection. In other words, nearly every U.S. citizen. As Cyphers warned in his piece, after harvesting our location data from app developers, brokers then sell this information to government agencies. Once the data find their way into government hands, he says, its used by the military to spy on people overseas, by ICE to monitor people in and around the U.S., and by criminal investigators like the FBI and Secret Service. As Justin Sherman, a cyber policy fellow at the Duke Tech Policy Lab, told The Markup, data brokers operate with complete impunity. Why? Because the general public and people in Washington and other regulatory centers arent paying attention to what theyre doing. Well, its about time that changed, dont you agree? A cellphone is held with the logo of facial recognition company Clearview AI on the screen in front of the business webpage. (T. Schneider/Shutterstock) Three of the biggest data abusers on the market, as Bryan Short, an analyst at Open Media, recently discussed are Clearview AI, Thomson Reuters, and Pelmorex Corp. Lets start with Clearview, a facial recognition behemoth that provides software to companies, law enforcement, and universities. Headquartered in New York, the company stole billions of images of our faces from the Internet, according to Short, violating a number of privacy laws. While Clearview AI profits handsomely from harvesting our data and basically stealing our faces, it offers no tangible benefit to the people. Of course, it doesnt. We are the poor saps being drained dry, the oranges being squeezed. Thomson Reuters, supposedly the worlds leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals, appears to be just as bad as Clearview, if reports are to be believed. As Short reported, the companys revenue stream is based on the harvesting and selling of highly-sensitive, deeply personal data, including information related to an individuals financial history, insurance policies, prior arrests, pending legal action, previous and prior employment information, utility bills, email addresses, social media links, and more. Thomson Reuters, were told, combines this data and sells it to whoever is interested. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is most certainly interested. According to credible reports, ICE has a contract with Thomson Reuters worth north of $100 million. Despite privacy laws, ICE uses this information to spy on tens of millions of Americans. Finally, theres Pelmorex. Maybe youve never heard of this company, but, as Short stressed in his piece, theyve definitely heard of you. You see, every single time you check for weather updates on your phone, tablet, or laptop, youre giving them a little piece of data about yourself. For more than 30 years, according to the companys website, Pelmorex Weather Networks has been refining the way it delivers weather information and data. Always with an eye on the latest technology, and always with an eye on your online activities, by all accounts. Besides owning and operating The Weather Network, Pelmorex also has a major stake in Weather Source, a U.S.-based organization that offers users present and forecast weather data. With more than 60 million users, Pelmorex has access to unfathomable amounts of data. That supposedly benign weather app on your phone is not so benign after all. Then again, with the harvesting of data, nothing is benign. Protect yourself, and turn off location tracking. When asked if its OK to share your information with third parties (such as government agencies), please say no. This wont keep you completely safe, of course. But its a good start. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying the Wentian lab module for China's space station under construction, takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province, China, on July 24, 2022. (China Daily via Reuters/File Photo) Debris From Chinese Rocket Found in Malaysia and Indonesia Some fragments of a Chinese rocket that fell back to Earth on Saturday have reportedly been discovered in Malaysia and Indonesia. The Malaysian Space Agency has confirmed that burnt debris from Chinas Long March 5B rocket crossed over Malaysian airspace and was detected in multiple locations in the state of Sarawak, according to local media. The rocket debris caught fire while entering the earths airspace, and the movement of the burning debris had also crossed the Malaysian airspace and was detected in several areas, including crossing the airspace around the state of Sarawak, it stated. The agency later confirmed that preliminary investigations had been launched in the Sarawak provinces of Bintulu and Miri, where debris was found. Preliminary investigations show that the first object [in Bintulu], measuring around five inches, does not emit radiation and contains no radioactive elements, it stated. The second object [in Miri] also showed the same result. Investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether the two objects are debris from the Chinese rocket launched into space on July 24, and appropriate action will be considered, the agency said. Over in Indonesia, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) confirmed Sunday that the Chinese rocket crossed the southern Sumatra airspace and west Kalimantan at its last trajectory. After CZ-5B r/b reentry over Indonesia at Saturday midnight (local time) ago, many debris possibly related to this space junk was found. 3 debris have been found by local people at Sanggau regency (near Indonesia-Malaysia border). @planet4589@Marco_Langbroek@jremis @cosmos4u pic.twitter.com/wcGUffN14v The Ekliptika Institute (@marufins) August 1, 2022 There could be fragments that may scatter along the last trajectory as its orbit passed southern Sumatra, BRIN senior researcher Thomas Djamaluddin said in a statement. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, claimed that rocket debris fell in Sarawak and Kalimantan, Indonesia, but no casualties or property damage were reported. No casualties or property damage reported, but debris is near villages, and a few hundred meters either way could have been a different story, McDowell said in a Twitter post. Rocket Falls Uncontrolled to Earth U.S. Space Command confirmed that Chinas Long March 5B rocket re-entered Earth over the Indian Ocean on Saturday but referred inquiries about the re-entrys technical aspectssuch as the potential dispersal of debris and the impact locationto China. Aerospace Corp, a government-funded nonprofit research center near Los Angeles, said it was reckless to allow the Long Marchs entire main-core stage to return to Earth in an uncontrolled reentry. The rocket is Chinas most powerful and of significant size, weighing 23 tons. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also criticized China for not sharing information on the rockets descent, stating that doing so is critical for the responsible use of space and the safety of humanity. All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, Nelson said in a statement. The Long March 5B blasted off July 24 to deliver a laboratory module to the new Chinese space station under construction in orbit, marking the third flight of Chinas most powerful rocket since its maiden launch in 2020. Reuters contributed to this report. View of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on August 1, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Democrats Proposed Transgender Bill of Rights Only a Symbolic Resolution News Analysis House Democrats introduced a symbolic transgender bill of rights last month that has been erroneously hailed as a package of major civil rights reforms. Shortly after five House Democrats held a press conference to introduce House Resolution 1209 on June 28, a windfall of national media and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights organizations celebrated it as a bill that would create federal anti-discrimination laws for transgender people. The proposal, dubbed The Transgender Bill of Rights, would codify the Supreme Courts 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision that protects employees against discrimination for being gay or transgender, wrote The Hill. The LGBTQ Allyship tweeted, the legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly include gender identity and sex characteristics as protected characteristics. While a bill could accomplish that, H. Res 1209 cannot because it is a simple resolution, which is not binding and symbolic. Examples of simple resolutions used by Congress to promote a particular viewpoint are the 1971 resolution Senate passed in support of withdrawing American troops from Vietnam and the resolution Democrats passed in 2007 expressing their disapproval of President George Bushs decision to increase U.S. troops in Iraq. Nevertheless, drafters of the transgender bill of rights have hailed it as a legislative fix to what they called an attack by Republicans on gay rights. Across the country, radical right-wing Republicans have introduced hundreds of bills attacking the LGBTQ+ communityparticularly transgender and nonbinary youthto score political points, said Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) in a press release announcing the proposed resolution. The resolution is co-sponsored by more than 75 Democrats and endorsed by more than 35 LGBTQ organizations. One of them is Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization that promotes the participation of men who identify as women in womens sports. Under it, Democrats envision protecting the rights of intersex children and infants to undergo sex change procedures. They also call for creating a transgender liaison in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice dedicated to enforcing the civil rights of transgender people. Andrew Beckwith, President of the Massachusetts Family Institute, told The Epoch Times that he believes the proposal by Democrats is part of a growing campaign designed to erase the two biological genders, especially the female gender. So-called gender identity or trans right laws are used chiefly by adult men to impose their sexual expression on women in sports, locker rooms, homeless shelters, and spas, he said. Gregory Quinlan, Founder of the national organization Pro-Family Network, points out what he says is becoming the obvious, that almost all transgender people, including transgender athletes, are men claiming to identify as women. This is not about womens rights, but about the rights of men to masquerade as women, he said. As part of the Trans Bill of Rights, Democrats also call for the protection of abortion rights, which they have long framed as a womens rights issue. The National Womens Law Center is among supporters of the symbolic trans rights bill. Established in 1972, it is considered one of the largest advocacy groups for womens rights. The Independent Womens Forum (IWF), a conservative version of the National Womens Law Center, has proposed its own symbolic resolution called the Womens Bill of Rights. It calls for the nation to recognize that there are only two genders. Every American must now decide: do I support this vision of trans rights, or do I stand for womens rights? It is impossible to support both because they are in direct conflict, the IWF wrote in an editorial According to Quinlan, the LBGTQ community now lists 72 different genders that it wants officially recognized. To encompass the growing number of proposed genders, Several states have adopted the letter X for the choice of gender on drivers licenses. The federal government elected the 24th letter of the alphabet as a new gender choice with a new law that recently went into effect, allowing U.S. citizens to choose X as their gender on passport applications. Sixteen states now allow new parents to choose X in identifying the gender of their newborn baby on their birth certificates. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis walks off stage after speaking during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 22, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) DeSantis Yet to Endorse a Florida Republican Congressional Candidate With the Florida primary election just three weeks away, Gov. Ron DeSantis has not offered an endorsement to any congressional candidates from his state. Yet, his name and image have still been used widely in the campaigns of several Republican contenders, Politico reported. Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-Fla.) touted the governors philosophy during a recent congressional debate organized by DeSantis and held during the Republican Party of Floridas summer conference in Tampa. The country is running out of time, and we need people with [DeSantis] philosophy in D.C., Sabatini said. A large photo of DeSantis along with the words Sabatini has been the most trusted ally of the Governor DeSantis agenda was included in his campaign mailer, as the conservative congressman seeks to gain a GOP seat to replace Rep. Stephanie Murphy. a Democrat, who has said she will not seek another term. Another close ally of the governor, Laurel Lee, made good use of the connection to her former boss as a selling point. Her television ads featured the statement For Congress, theres just one candidate trusted by Gov. DeSantis to secure our elections: Laurel Lee. Its part of everyones pitch to voters, but in my case it isnt fiction, said Lee, who was appointed DeSantis secretary of state back in 2019. She is now running for a new congressional seat in the Tampa Bay area. With the states population growing, Florida Republicans are expected to gain four more congressional seats that would give them a 208 advantage, compared with the present 1611 edge. DeSantisA Rising Star DeSantis has drawn increased national attention in recent weeks. He has been given credit for highly positive economic figures for Florida in 2022, with unemployment at 3.2 percent in March0.4 percentage points below the national rateand 325,000 jobs added between March 2021 and March 2022. The governor was the subject of a lengthy June 20 profile in the New Yorker magazine. The profile characterized him as an intelligent and hard-working rising star within the GOP, while taking him to task for his stance on COVID-19 and other issues. DeSantis consistently has dodged questions about whether hes considering a run for the White House. Political pundits across the nation consider him a leading candidate to be the Republican nominee in 2024. Half of Floridians say they approve of the job DeSantis is doing when it comes to jobs and the economy, according to a recent survey by the University of South Florida and Florida International University. Only 34.2 percent approved of how President Joe Biden is handling the same issues. DeSantis donors have sent his campaign almost $13.1 million since November 2021, and The Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC has brought in more than $116.6 million since October 2020, records show. Michael Washburn and Nanette Holt contributed to this report. French president Emmanuel Macron and Guinea-Bissau's president Umaro Sissoco Embalo (R) wave to the crowd through the roof of a car in Bissau, on July 28, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images) East-West Diplomatic Charm Offensive Takes New Twist in Africa France, Russia and the United States are racing against time to redefine their increasingly unpredictable relations with African states amid the war in Eastern Europe. President Emmanuel Macron of France visited Cameroon, Benin, and Guinea-Bissau, from July 25 to 28 and addressed Africas multifaceted security challenges as well as Russias invasion of Ukraine. France remains resolutely committed to the security of the continent, acting in support, and at the request, of our African partners, Macron told a gathering of French expatriates in Cameroons capital Yaounde. The French president denounced African leaders for failing to strongly and openly condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine. The choice that has been made by the Europeans, first of all, is not to participate in this war but to recognize it and name it. But I see hypocrisy too often, especially on the African continent, he said. The French presidency said the choice of the three countries visited reflects both a desire for continuity in terms of substance and deepening partnerships. But some critics think Macrons visit to Africa is too little, too late. The 21st century of Africa politicians is no longer receptive to a unipolar Francafrique orderpartnership with other powerful nations based on mutual interest is now a favoured tacticFrance can no longer play God in its former colonies, according to David Otto, director of counterterrorism for the Geneva Centre of African Security and Strategic Studies. Otto said the fact that the visit is happening at a time when anti-French sentiments are increasing in Africaparticularly in central and west Africa where France has a majority of former coloniesmakes it a purely tactical one. France was hoping to use Cameroon, Benin and Guinea to show that Elysee still has reliable allies in the continent after Central Africa Republic, Mali, and to some extent, Burkina Faso, are showing their backs to Paris, he told The Epoch Times in a text. Beyond the diplomatic fanfare, the carefully selected countries did not give France a soft impact landing. But a professor of public and international law in Cameroons University of Buea, Wilson Tamfu, foresees France winning in her relationships. To break away from France is to break away from the European Union, Tamfu told The Epoch Times by phone. For the first time in 14 years, France took over the presidency of the EU Council in January 2022. This link of France to the EUthe biggest and most influential Regional Economic Community in the worldis a great influence for Africa, he said. This position empowers her in the realm of Franco-African relationships since many African states have bilateral agreements with the EU. The same week Macron was touring countries in west-central Africa, the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov jetted from Egypt to the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The French leader promised his country will assist African countries to face the shocks caused by the war in Ukraine by encouraging local investments in agriculture to increase food production. He said European economic sanctions on Russia that are now affecting Africa are intended to stop Russias attack on Ukraines sovereignty and not to punish Africans. We are being attacked by certain people who maintain that European sanctions [against Russia] are the cause of the world food crisis, including in Africa, Macron lamented. This is completely false. Its just that food, like energy, have become Russian weapons of war, he said. But the Russian foreign minister insisted at a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, on July 24 that theres a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis. Lavrov described as completely unfounded the speculations of Western and Ukrainian propaganda that Russia allegedly exports hunger. Tamfu said it is contradictory for a Russian minister of foreign affairs soliciting friendly ties around the world in times of war. In global democracy, the majority of civilized nations are against Putins actions in Ukraine, he told The Epoch Times. The French presidents addressing the hypocrisy of African states is justified by the fact that Russia is seeking renewal of ties in times of war. Why does Russia not do this at another time? Its like ignoring a global problem and taking advantage of it to improve bilateral interests with Russia. Be it Cameroon, Benin, or Guinea Bissau, Macrons pledge for military support to help fight extremism in West and Central Africa was constant. But surprisingly, he avoided mentioning the six-year-old Cameroon Anglophone crisis that threatens stability in the country and in the sub-region. Otto thinks this was both a tactical and deliberate move, intended to shield the European nation from sensitive topics that will draw it into the internal political affairs of its former colonies. France has often been accused of meddling in the internal affairs of its former colonies, Otto told The Epoch Times. At a time when French rejection sentiments are high, the last button for Paris to press is anything to do with what Cameroon considers as purely internal affairs. Either way, Paris is in trouble for either staying out of the subject or engaging in the subject of the so-called Anglophone crisis, he said. Another visit to Africa by a Western senior figure is when U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken goes to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda, between August 711. That is an indication Africa remains the go-to continent for the superpowers to gain diplomatic and political leveragebe it France, the United States, Russia, or China, according to Otto. We are in the era of the re-scramble for Africa 2.0 but this time, African nations are sitting on the geopolitical table and some are even calling the shots in their national interest, he wrote to The Epoch Times. Increasingly, Africa is getting bolder and choosing who to do what kind of business with. The old Western colonial system of do what we want and what we say and when we say, is far-fetched. New and powerful players like Russia and China are providing alternative ways of doing business. Its the era for Africa to sit up and make the most of this geopolitical struggle, said Otto. Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on May 2, 2022. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) Elon Musk Says Twitter May Become an Accurate, Relevant News Source Elon Musk said Twitter could become an accurate and relevant news source just like an old-school version of The Economist or Comedy Centrals The Daily Show when it was hosted by Jon Stewart. A Twitter thread Sunday night raised speculation that Musk was preparing to take over the firm. The billionaire tech mogul, who said in July that he no longer sought to purchase the social media platform over concerns about its spam bots, is facing a lawsuit from Twitter to force him to complete the acquisition for $44 billion, or $54.20 a share, an agreement that both parties entered into on April 25. It sure is hard to find a news source thats accurate, relevant & not totally depressing! Musk wrote on July 31. Old-school version of The Economist & Jon Stewart Daily Show/Colbert Report were great. Maybe Twitter can become that, Musk added in a follow-up post. Maybe Twitter can become that Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2022 Musk said on May 2 that he would like to rid the platform of bots and scams and make Twitter software available for public review. He believed at least 20 percent of Twitters daily active users are fake or spam accounts. Twitter said in May the actual figure was fewer than 5 percent but was allegedly unwilling to show proof. The company later called such fake account claims a distraction and said Musk was bound by contract to close the then-agreed deal. Now embroiled in a legal back-and-forth, the Tesla CEO filed a counterclaim against Twitter in the Delaware Court of Chancery on July 28, after the social media company sued the billionaire for abandoning the takeover deal. Judge Kathaleen McCormick, who is overseeing the lawsuit, ordered the five-day trial to begin on Oct. 17. Alleged Scandals Meanwhile, Musk hit out at the press for reporting news about his private life in a bid to attract interest. The media has strong negative bias & are driven by clicks [they cant help it], Musk wrote in response to a fan comment late Sunday. Unfortunately, I generate lots of clicks. But these things move in cycles. When it starts boring readers to knock me down, they will build me up, he continued. Last week, Musk denied an alleged brief affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, after a Wall Street Journal report alleged the CEO had prompted the billionaire to file for divorce from Shanahan. The report, published on July 24 and citing unnamed sources, further claimed Musk got down on one knee and begged Brin for forgiveness. This is total [nonsense], Musk wrote on Twitter soon after the article was posted on the platform. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night. He also posted a photo of himself and Brin from a day earlier, apparently taken at a party. Andrew Maykuth The Philadelphia Inquirer If you havent examined your monthly utility bill lately, brace for a shock when the cost of air-conditioning comes due in the next few weeks. If the AC bill doesnt raise your pulse, your heating tab next January might, assuming that global energy markets remain unsettled. According to the most recent Consumer Price Index data, energy prices rose 41.6% in the last year, the largest 12-month increase since April 1980. Energy led all other categories: The price of fuel oils is up 70%; piped gas is up 38%; and electricity is up 14%. What Can the Average Consumer Do to Rein in the Costs? You can adjust the thermostat up in the summer (or dial it down in the winter). Draw the shades on hot days. Buy a box fan to keep the air moving. Put on a sweater in the winter. Convert to low-wattage LED lighting. The U.S. Department of Energys Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides a step-by-step guide, including many suggestions for changes in behavior that require no commitment of money. Or you can make some serious moves to improve your homes energy efficiency. The cost of the upgrades could return dividends more quickly now that energy prices are higher. Dont Wait for the Weather to Change Energy experts say consumers were just beginning to catch on to the idea of upgrading their homes when big heating bills started to land last winter. But then the weather turns nice, and we forget about energy efficiency until later, said George Mullikin, the program manager for CleaResult, which conducts energy audits for Peco Energy customers. So theres definitely a seasonal aspect that drives it. Brett Baird, the office manager for Green Home Solutions, which does weatherization work in Pennsylvania and New Jersey under agreements with local utilities, said consumers are just beginning to wise up. Generally speaking, people tend to be a little bit more concerned as the wintertime approaches because thats where the lions share of their costs are. Get an Energy Audit Before you launch an energy-efficiency project, get a professional energy assessment of your house. Most utilities will offer discounted assessments from a certified auditor. A walk-through energy assessment will set forth a plan of attack: It will recommend areas that need insulation, such as in the attic or crawl space, weather stripping and sealing opportunities, and lighting, appliances or heating and ventilation systems that are in need of repair or replacement. Seal up That Thermal Envelope Experts who do weatherization work on behalf of utilities and publicly funded programs, who need to justify the work as cost-effective, say the best way to reduce energy costs is to reduce the leakage of air from inside a home by adding insulation and by filling cracks otherwise known as sealing a homes thermal envelope. Air-sealing is by far the most cost-effective thing that you can do in virtually any home, even more important than insulation, said Steve Luxton, the executive director of the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA), the Philadelphia nonprofit that weatherizes homes for low-income clients in the region. Insulation and weather stripping are super boring khaki-pants kind of stuff that dont give you many bragging rights in the neighborhood, such as a new electric vehicle might. But there is a quiet satisfaction in knowing your crawl space is airtight with new foam insulation. Buy High-Efficiency Systems If your current air-conditioning or heating system is old and inefficient, it may also be worth the expense of replacing the system with newer high-efficiency models. If you have a furnace that was built in the 70s or the 80s, the efficiency is going to be in the 60% range, said Baird. Were going to install a new one thats about 96% to 98% efficiency. So theres a massive savings just on that alone. Help Paying Repair Bills Most utilities offer rebates to support the cost of new energy-efficient appliances or heating systems. The money is often paid by ratepayers, as part of government energy conservation mandates. Peco says its customers can realize as much as $435 in rebates for homes with central air and non-electric heating if they work through a participating contractor. New Jersey utilities provide 0% financing and incentives up to $4,000 for whole-house energy-efficient upgrades done by certified contractors, according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. New Jerseys incentives are definitely more attractive, said Baird, whose company works on both sides of the Delaware River. They have a really phenomenal financing option. Low-income customers have an additional menu of options available through organizations such as the Energy Coordinating Agency. The U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program, which is for low-income families, saves the average household $372 a year in energy costs. Pennsylvania this month authorized a onetime $125 million allocation of unspent coronavirus money from the American Rescue Plan for a new program called Whole-Home Repair, which provides grants as much as $50,000 to homeowners for projects including weatherization and energy efficiency. The funding allows homeowners to repair leaky roofs, which need to be fixed before contractors add new insulation to an attic. The main sponsor of the legislation was State Sen. Nikil Saval (D., Philadelphia). ECA also recently received a onetime grant of $150,000 for emergency water heater replacements, which are not usually covered under low-income programs. ECA is administering the program through its Heater Hotline: 215-568-7190. The grant came from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services at the request of State Sen. Sharif Street (D., Philadelphia). The U.S. Department of Energy also recently announced more than $40 million in federal funding to help deliver home energy retrofits to low-income and underserved households. What About the Windows? Often the first thing that consumers ask about is a window replacement. Everybody has heard the radio ads, promising big energy savings with new windows. If Im ever having a boring day and I want to pick a fight, all I have to say is this: Windows are the least cost-effective thing you can put in a home, said Luxton. And thats guaranteed to get somebody from the window industry up in arms. Windows are an energy sieve, Luxton said. Glass hasnt changed, it might have a coating that ever so fractionally slows down the transmission of energy, but the energy still moves through it, he said. So putting in a new window does not really do anything at all, or very little, anyway, compared to things that do a lot. Most energy-efficiency programs funded by utilities or with public money wont pay for window replacements, said Mullikin. If your windows operate well, if theyre not too leaky or can be sealed up with some inexpensive materials to make them less drafty, then thats probably good enough. Replacing those windows can be very expensive, and theres not a lot of payback. Theres all kinds of reasons to replace windows, but energy efficiency is probably not a good reason. For More Information The U.S. Department of Energys Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides a step-by-step guide on energy programs. A good starting point is to reach out to your energy utility, which will provide an array of products and services for free or at a discount. Most of them will help arrange an energy assessment or audit, which will give a homeowner a cost-effective roadmap for reducing energy. 2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal on June 30, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Ethics of Requiring COVID Vaccination for Travel Not Considered, Testifies Official Behind Policy The issue of whether it is ethical to impose a vaccine requirement to travel is not something that was given consideration by the Canadian official who wrote the policy, court documents show. Jennifer Little, director general of the COVID Recovery Team at Transport Canada, was responsible for drafting the vaccine mandate policy that precluded millions of Canadians from taking a plane, train, and some marine vessels. Little testified as a witness for the government in its defence of the travel mandate that is currently being challenged in federal court. During her June 9 cross-examination, Little was asked if she had a conversation with anyone in government that would have considered whether a mandate is ethical. Im not aware of any particular study or specific conversation to that effect, Little said, noting that the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) may have literature on the ethics of vaccination mandates. Little was pointed to a PHAC policy called Public health ethics framework: A guide for use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. When questioned if she had consulted it, Little said she had not. The PHAC policy makes no mention of vaccine mandates but states that trust and justice are its guiding values and principles. It adds other principles such as respect for human rights and minimizing harm. While she did not give ethical considerations to the mandate, Little said she had sought legal advice as to whether the policy would impact charter rights. Little was cross-examined along with over a dozen other witnesses and experts presented by the attorney general to defend the federal policy of mandatory vaccination in transportation. Four lawsuits are challenging the mandate the federal government suspended on June 20. Despite only suspending and not abolishing the mandate, the government is trying to have the legal actions declared moot. The Liberal government imposed mandates in transportation and the public service and federally regulated sectors in October last year. WHO on Vaccine Mandates In her affidavit submitted for the case, Little said Transport Canada has duly considered and, as necessary, acted on the guidance of different organizations to implement measures to protect the transportation sector and the Canadian public. The domestic organizations listed include the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada (HC), and the international organizations listed are the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Little testified on June 9 that she had not seen a recommendation from PHAC or HC for a vaccine mandate in travel. During her cross-examination on June 10, lawyer and applicant Nabil Belkacem also remarked that the vaccine mandate in travel is neither supported by the WHO nor the ICAO. Do we agree that at the current time your position is in direct opposition with the WHO? asked Belkacem. Little acknowledged that excerpts from a WHO brief presented by Belkacem certainly indicates that [WHO is] not supportive of vaccination mandates. But to my knowledge, we are not under a legal obligation to follow guidelines of the World Health Organization, she said. The WHO policy brief COVID-19 and mandatory vaccination: Ethical considerations published on May 30 says the WHO has issued a position statement that national authorities and conveyance operators should not require COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of international travel. The ICAO also does not support mandatory vaccination in travel. In view of the global unequal access to vaccines and the unsuitability or intolerance of use of vaccines by some individuals, vaccination should not be a prerequisite for international travel, says the organization in a list of recommendations. No Ethicist Another government witness was also cross-examined on the issue of ethical considerations for the vaccine mandate. Dr. Eleni Galanis, director general of the Centre for Integrated Risk Assessment (CIRA) within PHAC, is part of an advisory group that meets weekly with Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam. Galanis said on June 23 that the ethics of proposed public health measures are discussed within the group but there is no particular individual with a special background such as a lawyer or medical ethicist. The balance between individual rights and the need to protect the health of the population, the greater good, is regularly touched on in the discussions around the implementation of public health measures, she said. Galanis said the issue of mandatory vaccination in travel was mentioned but not really discussed during meetings with Dr. Tam. Has she ever directed you or anyone else on the group to find supportive evidence to justify the vaccination mandate? asked lawyer Sam Presvelos, who represents applicants Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard. No, not since Ive been there, said Galanis. And I dont attend every week, but since December when I attend I dont recall this being discussed. EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Email Shows NYC Struggling to Cope With Drastic Influx of Illegal Aliens Amid Border Crisis NEW YORK CITYAn email recently sent from New York Citys Human Resources Administration (HRA) to all names on its distribution list, and obtained by The Epoch Times, urged all staff who can work overtime to do so, to deal with a drastic influx of asylum seekers in Manhattan and the outer boroughs. The internal request came about a week after the citys Mayor Eric Adams described the growing stream of illegal aliens coming into the Big Apple as a real burden on New Yorkers, adding that the city already had an overburdened shelter system. Dated July 28, the email stated: Dear DSS/HRA Leadership and Staff, In recent weeks, we have seen a drastic influx of asylum seekers coming to our shelter intake sites. As a result, DHS is standing up several emergency shelters to ensure we have the capacity for these individuals. The Department of Social Services (DSS) is charged with administering public assistance programs in the city, and is composed of the HRA and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). The email showed urgent internal efforts by social services agencies to grapple with the surge in illegal aliens arriving in New York City amid an ongoing border crisis that is vexing the Biden administration. It continues with a plea for staff of the agency to commit to working overtime in order to help deal with the massive influx. While we implement a longer term solution, there is a critical immediate need for Agency staff members to volunteer to work overtime to help manage these sites. Eligible employees who volunteer for this opportunity may earn cash overtime in accordance with contractual guidelines, it stated. If you have availability to assist outside of your regularly scheduled hours, please speak with your supervisor to confirm and then enter your information via the link below. Participation is subject to final approval by Agency senior staff, the email continued. On July 29, the day after the email, the HSA and DSS declared an emergency, noting in a letter (pdf) to Comptroller Brad Lander and the citys top lawyer Sylvia Hinds-Radix that as of July 28, some 4,000 asylum seekers had entered New Yorks shelter system in the past three months, driving up the DHS census by roughly 10 percent. Influx For some experts and advocates, the developments suggest that not even recent public statements by Adams, in which the mayor acknowledged the problems resulting from the huge influx of asylum seekers south of the border, have provided a full and accurate measure of the strain that local authorities are experiencing. On July 19, the mayors office issued a plea for federal help, issuing a statement that read: New York has experienced a sharp increase in asylum seekers from Latin America and other regions, with more than 2,800 individuals entering New York Citys shelter system. In some instances, families are arriving on buses sent by the Texas and Arizona governments, while in other cases, it appears that individuals are being sent by the federal government, Adams said in the statement. The mayor then issued an urgent plea: In order to meet both the legal mandate as a right-to-shelter city and provide high-quality shelter and services for those who enter our system, New York City needs additional federal resources immediately. If we do not get these urgently needed resources, we may struggle to provide the proper level of support our clients deserve. Criticism Adams response has not satisfied some local advocacy and social services organizations, who have sharply criticized the mayor for what they characterize as his lack of preparedness and for trying to deflect blame for the situation to the federal level. The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless released a joint statement on July 21 addressing what they called Adamss misleading and problematic comments on the surge. The Mayor isnt speaking the whole truth. We spoke to eight families with children this morning who slept on the floor last night at the Citys shelter intake center in the Bronx, in addition to the four families the Mayor acknowledged who had slept there Sunday night. This humanitarian crisis shows no sign of abating anytime soon regardless of how many press conferences the Mayor holds to conceal this reality. The mayor and his officials knew what was brewing on the southern border and could have taken action months ago to avert the crisis, the advocates alleged. As City officials just acknowledged, they have known about this influx of families, a portion attributable to those seeking asylum, for months. But, despite this knowledge, the Administration still lacks a plan to ensure safe shelter placement, and officials failed to detail any specifics for a viable path forward at todays press conference, opting instead to heap praise on each other, the statement continued. The City is also failing to use its resources to move people into permanent housing, it added. Conflicting Priorities Stephen Eide, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute think tank who studies the homelessness issue, told The Epoch Times that the Adams administration has struggled to fulfill the terms of the right-to-shelter mandate in the midst of the unexpected arrivals. The impact has been particularly acute for people who were already homeless on the streets of New York, Eide said, pointing to comments that a few residents of the Bellevue Mens Shelter made recently to the New York Post. One of them told the Post: You gotta take care of the home first. This is our home first. In Eides view, it will require further investigation to establish just how much federal policy contributed to the current situation, but it is unusual for normal levels of immigration to fuel a crisis like the one that the city is now grappling with. I think the federal role in how these adults and families wound up in New Yorks shelter system remains murky. But, normally, this would not require much coordination. Immigration, normally, does not contribute much to New Yorks homelessness challenge, at least not in a direct way, he said. For 2,800 immigrants to enter the shelter system so abruptly in just a few weeks is an unsustainable situation, Eide continued. Affordable housingoften seen as the exit strategy from shelteris even scarcer than shelter. There are native New Yorkers who have been waiting for years for affordable housing units, he added. In other cities, the directors of organizations overseeing efforts to alleviate homelessness have complained about the lack of coordination between local and federal approaches to the issue and the chaos resulting on the streets, though they do not necessarily hold the current administration responsible. There is a disconnect between local and federal housing policy. The federal government played a major role in creating homelessness by cutting tens of billions of dollars from affordable housing programs beginning in the early 1980s, Tyler Kyser, policy director of the San Francisco-based Coalition on Homelessness, told The Epoch Times. Even in San Francisco, as we have made really great strides by investing in housing, we have not seen these efforts matched on a federal level. I think municipal, state, and federal officials could fund more affordable housing, Kyser said. The Epoch Times has reached out to the mayors office, and to HRA and DSS for comment. An aerial view of the Keremeos Creek wildfire near the Okanagan area in British Columbia on July 29, 2022. (Photo by BC Wildfire Service). Expanded Evacuation Orders Issued in BC Interior as Wildfire Rapidly Spreads An evacuation order has been expanded in British Columbia after a wildfire near the provinces southern border has more than quadrupled in size since the weekend, says the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS). The Keremeos Creek Wildfire, located about 20 kilometres southwest of Penticton, was burning a surface area of just over four kilometres on July 31, but has since grown dramatically to cover almost 28 kilometres on Aug. 2, the BCWS said in an update. Bryan Zandberg, BCWSs information officer, said in an update on Aug. 1 that the wildfire is burning unpredictably and growing aggressively. We are in desert country here, Zandberg said. So there are wellcured fuels for the fire to get into. We do have localized weather conditions such as winds that will push the fire, not in an organized way. He stressed that the fire is vigorous and expanding outwards. On Aug. 1, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) increased its evacuation area to include the Apex Mountain Village, a resort located about six kilometres from the wildfires perimeter. The Lower Similkameen Indian Band also issued an evacuation notice covering an area of about 25 kilometres, from Highway 3A in the south to Apex Mountain Road in the north. The RDOSs order includes over 200 new addresses listed for immediate evacuation. It said members of the RCMP and other agencies will be assisting residents in vacating the area as quickly as possible. The wildfire has already led to the evacuation of over 300 properties in the area, and the total number of properties on evacuation alert is now over 400. The BCWS said that quelling the fire has proven a difficult task as heavy levels of smoke have hindered visibility for estimating its size and for flying over the blaze with extinguishing materials. [On Aug. 1], airtankers were able to do two passes with retardant but were unable to continue due to crosswinds, it said in an online update. The fire has moved downslope closer to Highway 3A at the south end of Yellow Lake, and a control line is progressing along the highway. The BCWS also said it will carry out planned ignitions on the fires eastern side within the next 24 hours. The agency has deployed over 110 firefighters to the area along with an equal number of structural protection personnel from various B.C. firefighting departments. The BCWS is still investigating the cause of the fire. The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Numerous whistleblowers have come forward to expose the FBIs cover-up of Biden family corruption. The whistleblowerswho are from within the FBI but whose identities remain unknowntold Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley that in August 2020, just ahead of the presidential election, the FBI shut down the investigation into Hunter Bidens criminal activities by falsely claiming that the evidence against the Bidens was Russian disinformation. The FBIs fraudulent actions directly seeded the wide-spread media narrative that any information about Biden family corruption is part of a Russian plot. Even more incredibly, the agent who shut down the Biden investigation is the same agent who was all over the Trump-Russia investigation. He was responsible for the fraudulent Carter Page warrant, for covering up the fact that Igor Danchenko had disavowed the Steele dossier, and for drafting Obamas phony intelligence community assessment on alleged Russian election interference. He was also involved in the scheme to frame Gen. Michael Flynn. Welcome to Truth over News with Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation with gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on the verge of a boom, near McKittrick, Calif., on March 23, 2014. (David McNew/Getty Images) Federal Moratorium Shuts Down New Oil and Gas Drilling in Central California California has reached a settlement with the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to shut down new oil and gas drilling on more than 1 million acres of public land in Central California. The settlement, announced Aug. 1 by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, requires the federal agency to withdraw the land from new drilling, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking), until the federal land agency conducts more environmental impact studies. Fracking is dangerous for our communities, damaging to our environment, and out of step with Californias climate goals, Bonta said in a release. The state filed a lawsuit in January 2020 claiming the BLMs initial environmental review of the plan to allow new drilling failed to fully evaluate the significant and adverse impacts on the environment in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties, according to the release. In 2019, then-President Donald Trumps administration opened up the oil-rich Central California coastal region for oil and gas development, ending a five-year moratorium on leases in the state. The BLM has not held a lease sale in California since 2013 after a judge ruled that the federal agency illegally issued leases without analyzing the environmental impact of fracking. Environmental groups applauded this weeks settlement announcement. These agreements require federal officials to disclose the harm that fracking does to the air, water and communities of Central California, Liz Jones, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. For decades this regions people and wildlife have been paying the price of filthy fossil fuel extraction. That has to end, and well do everything possible to make sure these pauses become permanent bans. Nathan Matthews, a Sierra Club senior attorney, said the settlement demonstrated the hard work of activists. Todays win is a testament to the grassroots activism of Central Valley communities, who have fought oil and gas leasing in their backyards and supported people, public health, wildlife and climate, Matthews said. Reuters contributed to this report. Gas prices are displayed at an Exxon gas station in Houston, Texas, on July 29, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Gas Price Falls for 7th Straight Week but Experts Warn It May Exceed $5 Again Soon The price of gasoline fell for a seventh consecutive week, providing Americans with some relief at the pump, but experts have warned that prices could rise above $5 again this summer amid fears of a recession. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of gas fell on Aug. 1 to $4.21, down 14 cents since the week before. However, Californians are still paying the highest average price of $5.60 a gallon, while the average cost in the Los Angeles area is $5.70, although that is still 17 cents cheaper than the previous week, AAA reported. Elsewhere, GasBuddy reported that the national average is even lower, at $4.17, having fallen 15.9 cents from a week ago. We continue to see average gas prices falling in every state, with the national average down for the seventh straight week. Even better, nearly 20 states have also seen their average decline to $3.99 or less, with over 70,000 stations now at that level or below, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. De Haan added that a continued drop in gasoline prices is forecast in most areas but noted that some supply tightness in areas of the Northeastern U.S. could push prices up slightly until inventories rise, or imports do. For now, Americans are seeing prices nearly 90 cents lower than their mid-June peak and are spending close to $330 million less on gasoline every day as a result. As long as oil prices hold at these levels or lower, well see another decline in most areas this week, De Haan added. Joe Petrowski, the former CEO of Cumberland Farms Gulf Oil Group, told Fox News on Monday that he believes the United States will soon be in a recession, which could impact the demand for fuel. Gas Prices on the Up I really do believe as we go through the summer were going to see crude reach back to $150 a barrel, and oil before Labor Day will be at that level, and retail gasoline prices will exceed $5 again, Petrowski warned. Meanwhile, AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross warned on Monday that with gasoline below $4 a gallon at nearly half of the gas stations around the country, there is a possibility that demand could rise. Data from the Energy Information Administration show that gas demand increased from 8.52 million b/d to 9.25 million b/d last week, roughly 80,000 b/d lower than last year. That could slow prices at the pump if the trend continues. However, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 3.3 million bbl to 225.1 million bbl last week, in a sign that higher demand is cutting away at inventories. On Monday, oil prices slumped as weak manufacturing data from China and Japan weighed on the demand outlook. Meanwhile, investors are bracing for this weeks meeting of officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, together known as OPEC+, on Wednesday to decide on output for September. Reuters contributed to this report. George Soros answers to questions after delivering a speech on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on May 24, 2022. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) George Soros Defends Backing Leftist Prosecutors, Says He Is Concerned About Crime Billionaire George Soros is defending his support of prosecutors who have implemented a raft of measures that critics say have led to a spike in crime and other negative effects. Soros said in a new op-ed that he is concerned about crime but also sees a need to reform the criminal justice system, which he described as rife with injustices that make us all less safe. The idea that we need to choose between justice and safety is false. They reinforce each other: If people trust the justice system, it will work. And if the system works, public safety will improve, he wrote, pointing out that black people in the United States are more likely to be in jail as white people, a discrepancy some attribute to racism and others to crime rates between the groups being different. Soros and groups he funds have financially supported the campaigns of dozens of leftist district attorney candidates in recent years, many of whom have won elections. They include George Gascon, the Los Angeles prosecutor who may be recalled; Lawrence Krasner, the district attorney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Alvin Bragg, the top prosecutor in New York County, top Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx, and Kimberly Gardner, the circuit attorney for St. Louis, Missouri. The prosecutors share some commonalities. Policies practically all have implemented include halting or curbing the prosecution of lower-level crimes and moving for some type of bail reform, either eliminating bail or adjusting the bail system. The prosecutors and their supporters say the alterations are aimed at improving the justice system, but critics say the policies have led to crime spikes. While prosecutors backed by Soros oversee 20 percent of Americans, over 40 percent of U.S. homicides in 2021 occurred in their jurisdictions, according to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, a group with the mission of supporting law enforcement. Most of these prosecutors pursue radical justice policies upon assuming office including eliminating bail, dismissing felony cases, and seeking lenient sentences while creating antagonistic relationships with their public safety partners, especially the police, the group said in its report, released in June. Soros said that the reform-minded prosecutors are implementing an agenda that promises to be more effective and just, including prioritizing the resources of the criminal-justice system to protect people against violent crime, treating drug addiction as a disease rather than a crime, and seeking an end to the criminalization of poverty and mental illness. This agenda, aiming at both safety and justice, is based on both common sense and evidence. Its popular. Its effective. The goal is not defunding the police but restoring trust between the police and the policed, a partnership that fosters the solving of crimes, he wrote. Soros also claimed that the spike in crime witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic was not connected to the policies of prosecutors hes supported, citing an academic study that shows no connection between the election of reform-minded prosecutors and local crime rates. He did not link to or name the study, and it was unclear where or when it was published. He also said hed continue supporting candidates whose policy proposals he favors. Challenges The op-ed drew challenges from critics, including Rafael Mangual, head of research for the Policing and Public Safety Initiative at the Manhattan Institute. Soros, Mangual wrote in the City Journal, offered a shallow, essentially data-free collection of platitudesIf people trust the justice system, it will workand incomplete observations, taking issue with the note about black people being more likely to be locked up than white people. Such a contention is meant to persuade the reader that these incarcerations are mostly (if not overwhelmingly) illegitimatethe product of racial animus more than anything else. What else could it be? Well, how about disparate rates of criminal offending? A Bureau of Justice Statistics study of homicides between 1980 and 2008 found that blacks commit homicide offenses at a rate almost eight times higher than the rate for whites,' he said. The Washington Examiner editorial board, meanwhile, said that Soross op-ed was supposed to defend and justify his backing of prosecutors who are extraordinary for being soft on crime. But time and again, such prosecutors have shown that their philosophy is inconsistent with justice. Again and again, they release violent career criminals who victimize ordinary citizens going about their business, the board said, noting examples from Virginia and Illinois. Criminal justice reform was once popular and bipartisan. But Soros and his soft-on-crime prosecutors have been busy destroying the consensus that previously existed behind it, the board concluded. By applying leniency when completely inappropriate and letting predators loose on their communities, he is killing off any chance for genuine common sense to rule the day and mete out justice with appropriate mercy. Australian Government Will Shake Hands With Gas Producers to Tackle Gas Shortfalls Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to work closely with gas companies to address supply issues after an energy report predicts a gas shortfall in 2023 if exporters send all excess gas overseas. Albanese on Tuesday stressed the importance of ensuring a consistent flow of domestic supply as the government revealed plans to invoke a gas trigger mechanism from next year until January 2030. There is currently a portion of the gas that is extracted (that) is uncontracted; that is what we are looking at, he told the Nine Network on Tuesday. We are not looking at interfering with any existing contracts which are there, but we do want to make sure that businesses, manufacturers, can keep going and also that households have access to gas. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet meet with emergency response leaders at the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Homebush Bay in Sydney, Australia, on July 6, 2022. (James Brickwood-Pool/Getty Images) Gas Supply Shortages It comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report, released on Monday, warned of a significant risk to Australias energy security in 2023 and upward pressures on price, which could result in some manufacturers closing their businesses. We are very concerned at reports of even higher prices being offered to C&I (commercial and industrial) users in April and May 2022, with reports of gas price offers as high as $21.20/GJ. We are also concerned with the extremely high prices observed in domestic spot markets since May 2022, along with high LNG prices, which may flow through to long-term contract prices, the report said. The effects of supply shortfalls are concentrated in the southern states (NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory), where gas resources have been diminishing for some time, with a 54 PJ shortfall is forecast, according to the report. If all the excess gas of LNG exporters is sold in overseas markets, then the domestic east coast gas market is likely to be 56 PJ short of gas needed to meet forecast demand for 2023. A kitchen gas stove burner at a residential property in Melbourne, Australia, on June 16, 2022. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) Meanwhile, Resources Minister Madeleine King on Tuesday told ABC Radio National that the government could work with the states to develop a domestic policy for future reserve exploitation. I note that Queensland has instigated a domestic policy for future reserve exploitation, and if Victoria or New South Wales were to move toward further gas extraction, we would work with them to say that they also implemented some kind of reasonable domestic gas reservation policy, King said. However, gas manufacturers argue that supplies shortage is unlikely to happen. The ACCC report shows 167 petajoules of uncontracted gas is available for supply into the domestic market next year, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association acting chief executive Damian Dwyer said. This is more than enough gas to ensure that no shortfall occurs. Shift to Nuclear? Opposition Leader Peter Dutton argued, it is high time that Australia had an honest and informed debate on the benefits and costs of nuclear energy, adding that Australia was already a nuclear nation, with a research reactor running for more than 60 years. If we are serious about reducing emissions, while at the same time maintaining a strong economy and protecting our traditional industries, all technologies need to be on the table, he said in a statement. His opinion is echoed by Nationals leader David Littleproud, who said his party looked forward to a conversation on making nuclear power safe, affordable and reliable. While France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and the US have adopted nuclear energy technologies, Australias move towards nuclear is hindered by a 1998 moratorium that prohibits it from the construction or operation' of nuclear power plants. But Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear-free campaigner Dave Sweeney argued that renewable energy should be the future. Australia is blessed with extensive renewable resources, good infrastructure and smart people, he said. Our energy future is renewable, not radioactive. AAP contributed to this article. People gather their luggage after arriving at Miami International Airport on a plane in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Health Group Urges Appeals Court Not to Reinstate CDCs Travel Mask Mandate The group that successfully won an injunction against the U.S. governments mask mandate on airplanes is asking a federal appeals court not to allow the mandate to go back into effect. The mask mandate is procedurally invalid because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), before it imposed it, did not give notice or allow public comments as mandated by law, the Health Freedom Defense Fund wrote in the 77-page filing, lodged Aug. 1 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The mandate is also arbitrary and capricious, because the CDC ignored its own data on the known harms of long-term mask-wearing, and failed to heed its own rule for promulgating interstate regulations, the group added. It urged the appeals court not to grant a motion by the government to overturn a lower court ruling. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, ruled in April that the CDC violated the law by not giving notice or allowing public comments before imposing the mandate in February 2021. While the agency cited the public health emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic had been ongoing for nearly a year and COVID-19 cases were decreasing at the time, undercutting the justification, Mizelle said. She also found that the mandate exceeded the CDCs statutory authority, dismissing claims that the Public Health Services Act of 1944 gave it the power to regulate travelers. The law states in section a: The Surgeon General with the approval of the [health] Secretary is authorized to make and enforce such regulations as in his judgment are necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession. For purposes of carrying out and enforcing such regulations, the Surgeon General may provide for such inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination destruction of animals or articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of dangerous infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary. Governments Brief Two days after the ruling, the Biden administration officially announced its intention to appeal, based on a fresh CDC determination that a mask mandate on planes and other modes of federally-regulated transportation was necessary to protect public health. The governments actual brief was filed in May. Mizelle erred in her ruling because the public health act authorizes the CDC to require measures that relate to preventing the spread of disease, U.S. Department of Justice lawyers argued. That is precisely what the transportation mask order does: masks isolate the disease itself by trapping viral particles exhaled by infected travelers and preventing non-infected travelers from inhaling viral particles, they wrote. In particular, the government cited how the law gives health officials the authority to enforce regulations linked to sanitation in efforts to prevent disease spread. The district court compounded its errors by issuing nationwide relief. Another judge in the same district recently upheld the CDCs transportation mask order, government lawyers said, referring to a decision in Wall v. CDC. Answer In its answer, appellees said Mizelle properly rejected the governments rationale, which it said was contrived after the order itself was implemented because the order itself does not mention sanitation. First, unlike the measures enumerated in the second sentence of 361(a) the Mask Order does nothing to directly target COVID-19 by identifying, isolating, and destroying the disease itself,' they said. It applies universally to every healthy individual who enters a transportation hub or sets foot on an airplane, bus, subway, or taxi. The words that surround sanitation make clear that sanitation refers to active measures towards property, the Health Freedom Defense Fund said, accusing the CDC of attempting to divorce sanitation from its legal context, giving the word a meaning so broad that it would effectively nullify the entire second sentence of 361(a). The appeals court has yet to decide whether to order an oral briefing. The government asked for one; the health group said it was not taking a position on the matter. The Biden Administration is trying to paper over an illegal, sweeping mandate on Americans that is full of massive legal and scientific holes, Leslie Manookian, the groups president, said in a statement. That a federal agency should be able to just usurp the power of Congress, and violate fundamental individual rights is not only at odds with the lawit defies basic common sense. Hawley Says Hell Vote No on Allowing Sweden and Finland to Join NATO Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Monday announced hes voting against Finlands and Swedens campaigns to join NATO, saying the United States needs to refocus its military efforts on Chinanot Europe and Russia. Finland and Sweden want to join the Atlantic Alliance to head off further Russian aggression in Europe. That is entirely understandable given their location and security needs, Hawley wrote for the National Interest. Earlier this year, the heads of state of both Nordic countries announced their intentions to join the 27-member military alliance. And last month, key NATO member Turkey announced that it received guarantees from Sweden and Finland and suggested it would block their bids. Americas greatest foreign adversary doesnt loom over Europe. It looms in Asia. I am talking of course about the Peoples Republic of China, Hawley wrote. And when it comes to Chinese imperialism, the American people should know the truth: the United States is not ready to resist it. Expanding American security commitments in Europe now would only make that problem worseand America, less safe. Several members of NATO, including the United States, have yet to vote on ratifying the two countries into joining the military bloc. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he wants senators to vote on the matter before lawmakers leave Washington D.C. for a scheduled recess on Aug. 8. We Must Choose A number of Republicans have publicly backed the two nations bids to join NATO. In May, Hawley was among 11 GOP senators to vote against a $40 billion Ukraine aid package that was eventually passed in Congress and signed into law. In his opinion article, the Missouri Republican said the United States doesnt have the ability to take on Russia and China at the same time. His announcement comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday visited Taiwan amid threats from the Chinese Communist Party as well as Chinese military posturing in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. As the 2018 and 2022 U.S. National Defense Strategies both acknowledge, the United States cannot defeat China and Russia in two major wars at the same time. And we are not where we need to be in Asia, Hawley wrote, adding, In the face of this stark reality, we must choose. We must do less in Europe (and elsewhere) in order to prioritize China and Asia. Echoing statements from former President Donald Trump years ago, Hawley further argued that some NATO member states should take more responsibility in defending the continent by providing more funding to their militaries and not relying on the United States. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a symbolic resolution to back Finlands and Swedens NATO bids, which is opposed by Russia. In late June, Russian officials issued a new warning to the Nordic nations about serious military consequences that may occur if they join. Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is seen via videoconference as Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos looks on during a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic, in Ottawa on Jan. 7, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) Health Canada Didnt Recommend Travel Vaccine Mandate, Official Behind the Policy Testifies in Court The federal government bureaucrat who wrote the policy that prevented unvaccinated Canadians from flying or travelling by train said she has no recollection of health officials recommending a vaccine mandate for travel, according to court documents. Jennifer Little, director general of the COVID Recovery Team at Transport Canada, made the comments on June 9 and 10 while being cross-examined under oath in federal court as a government witness in support of the mandate. I dont recall a direct recommendation, Little answered on June 9 when asked if she was aware whether the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) or its parent department, Health Canada, had recommended a mandatory vaccination policy for travellers. Certainly, we worked very closely with them in preparing the policy, which was supported by the government. So in terms of a written recommendation, for example, no, she said. But as part of the policy-making process and the decision-making supporting process, certainly we were working very closely with our health colleagues. The court proceedings relate to lawsuits challenging the federal vaccine mandate for travel, which was in place for nine months and was suspended on June 20. The unvaccinated can now travel by plane, train, and some marine vessels, but international travellers coming to Canada must still be vaccinated while unvaccinated Canadians need to quarantine upon re-entering the country. One of the lawsuits was launched by businessmen Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard. Former Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford with co-applicants and PPC Leader Maxime Bernier also each have a lawsuit. The fourth lawsuit was filed by Quebec lawyer Nabil Belkacem, who is representing himself. Mandate Policy Little said she and her team began working on the policy in late July after the government decided to impose a mandate, which it announced on Aug. 13. On June 10, Little was again asked if there had been a recommendation from PHAC or Health Canada, and whether she had any emails, briefs, or reports from these organizations that recommended mandatory vaccination in travel. I do not recall a document from the Public Health Agency of Health Canada to Transport Canada recommending that Transport Canada take this approach, she said. Little said she and her team of just under 20 do not have any scientific background, noting that she uncritically accepted whatever data and information PHAC provided. Its not my responsibility to question or analyze the data that the experts on public health in this country provide me, she said. The government suspended the vaccine mandates on June 20 with the caveat they could be brought back at any time according to the situation. Because of the suspension, the government is seeking to have the lawsuits declared moot, but the applicants want the issue heard by a judge to address potential charter rights violations. The Liberals presented the idea of mandatory vaccination in the summer of 2021 and it became a proposed policy which they campaigned on in the fall election. After being elected, the Liberals imposed mandates on the public service and federally regulated sectors, as well as on travel by air, train, and some marine vessels. The mandates have been systematically defended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers as guided by science or as following the advice of public health experts. Every step of the way throughout this global pandemic, we had Canadians backs, and that meant ensuring that we followed science, that we did everything necessary to keep people safe and that we did everything necessary to make sure our economy would spring back as quickly as possible, Trudeau said in the House of Commons on June 15. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 1, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Little Discussion on Mandates The court also heard from Dr. Eleni Galanis, director general of the Centre for Integrated Risk Assessment (CIRA) within PHAC. The unit has a mission to detect, anticipate, and evaluate public health risks and support decision-making for risk management. She started in her role in December 2021 and joined a group advising Dr. Theresa Tam, the countrys chief public health officer, on a weekly basis Galanis was asked in cross-examination on June 23 what was said about vaccine mandates during those meetings. It usually is around what the decisions have been and when things are planning to be changed, she said. So Dr. Tam would inform us that the decision has been made to do this, or if shes in preparation for meetings where the lifting of these will be discussed and asks us for supporting information if required. Galanis was asked if she knew why the vaccine mandates were lifted a few days before her cross-examination. Not specifically, no, she said. Galanis said the lifting of the mandates was discussed with Dr. Tams advisory group, but not recently, suggesting the decision had been made much earlier than the June 14 announcement. Galanis said Tam didnt really provide the group a rationale for removing the vaccine mandates. She also said neither Tam, her advisory group, nor CIRA ever debated or discussed the merits of the travel mandate. We talked generally aboutI dont remember specifically about the vaccine mandate but about the border measures generally and the plan to lift the measures or decrease intensity of the measures throughout the later part of the winter as driven by this early transition phase that were in, she said. She defined this transition as being due to a decrease of the Omicron wave along with high vaccination and natural immunity rates. If the issue of the mandate itself was not high on the agenda, it appeared that what the mandate was supposed to addressthe risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in modes of transportationwasnt either. Galanis said that issue was rarely discussed during meetings and that she couldnt remember if Tam or the group ever discussed transmissibility in travel since she joined in December 2021. In-Flight Transmission Also testifying in court was epidemiologist Dr. Lisa Waddell of the Emerging Sciences Group at PHAC, which is in charge of reviewing the COVID-19 scientific literature being published on a regular basis and to summarize it for the consumption of interested government personnel. Waddell, whose team reviewed the scientific literature on the issue of in-flight transmission, confirmed during cross-examination on May 31 that the latest PHAC brief on that topic was produced on Nov. 25, 2021. Lawyer Keith Wilson, who represents Peckford and his co-applicants in the action, questioned Waddell on that brief. Do you agree with me that requiring Canadians to be vaccinated to fly is not one of the identified strategies, correct? Wilson asked. There wasnt a lot of evidence on that so, as a strategy as a whole, it has not been evaluated in the literature and therefore is not elaborated in the review, Waddell answered. When Wilson asked if the PHAC brief recommended vaccination as a requirement to travel by air, Waddell said it did not. Not Consulted The Epoch Times reported previously that the Health Canada official who has the final say on authorizing COVID-19 vaccines in Canada wasnt consulted on imposing the mandates, according to court testimony. Celia Lourenco, director general of the Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate within Health Canadas Health Products and Food Branch which gives the final say on approving vaccines, said in early June that she never advised, nor was she consulted on, the issue of mandating the injections for travel or working in the public service and federally regulated sectors. She also testified that vaccines must provide a 50 percent rate of protection against infection to be authorized. Lourenco acknowledged the waning effectiveness of current two-dose mRNA vaccines, which provide very little protection after 12 weeks according to charts prepared by PHAC that were presented in court, and said the vaccines would not be authorized had they shown such figures during initial trials. But Lourenco said the vaccines remain in circulation because they provide protection against severe outcomes, although she could not provide a numerical threshold. In the post-market, of course were concerned still about effectiveness against infection, but if a vaccine is showing waning protection against infection, what we look for is does it still protect against severe disease? And if it does, then that supports our analysis in terms of the benefits continuing to outweigh the risks of the vaccine, she said. Mandate Recommendation The Epoch Times contacted Health Canada to find out if any individual, agency, or group within the department ever recommended that the government impose, keep in place, or remove the vaccine mandates. Without addressing the question directly, an unidentified spokesperson pointed to the government departments behind the decision. You should note that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal public servants was issued by the Treasury Board of Canada, the spokesperson said in an email. Also: Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federally regulated transportation employees and travellers was issued by Transport Canada, the spokesperson said, while providing links to the policies. Students of the Hong Kong University Students' Union hold a moment of silence before the Pillar of Shame in Hong Kong on June 4, 2021. (Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times) Hong Kong Imposes Sweeping Communist National Security and Patriotism Education in Universities and High Schools After Beijing imposed the Hong Kong National Security Law in June 2020, the Hong Kong government began to require local schools to teach national security education, that is, political and patriotic communist indoctrination from the mainland. Two years later, its being fully implemented. In July, eight universities in Hong Kong announced that national security courses will be listed as compulsory subjects starting next semester. Likewise, Hong Kongs high school students must participate in student exchange programs with mainland China during their three-year study. The University of Hong Kong stated on July 25 that it had notified students by email that a non-credit course Introduction to the Constitution, Basic Law and National Security Law would be introduced, starting with the new academic year in September, and all students must complete it in order to graduate. According to Ming Pao, a local newspaper, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will also add national security-related courses at the beginning of the new academic year. As of today, the eight government-funded universities in Hong Kong have set up such mandatory courses. Turning Next Generation to Little Pinks High school students are not exempt, as they are required to strengthen their so-called citizen education and national security education. Deputy Secretary for Education, Hong Chan Tsui-wah, said at a Legislative Council meeting that high school students must visit China once during the three-year course and cannot refuse to participate. The Citizen Education Exchange Group is not an optional project. It is a very valuable project paid for by the government. Except for very special reasons, such as being lame or suffering a serious illness, all students must participate, she said. She also warned that the Education Bureau will soon send top officials to 20 selected schools to ascertain compliance, so all schools must take it seriously. Raymond Yeung, the head of Hillway Press who used to teach general studies in a high school, told Radio Free Asia that the student exchange was originally a good opportunity for students to learn about China, but the tough attitude and warning tone of the Education Bureau officials would only have the opposite effect. In the past, Hong Kongs education system was often criticized for being too old-fashioned and exam-oriented. The education sector has spent 10 years carrying out educational reforms, adding more diverse elements to motivate students passion to learn, Yeung said. But now education officials are using this coercive method, and its a big step backward, he added. According to Yeung, Hong Kong authorities are taking the national security education as a political assignment, and therefore apply high pressure and harsh measures on students, just as they have done to Hong Kong adults. These officials do whatever it takes to complete their political tasks, Yeung said. He expressed concern that, as a result of the education mandates, Hong Kong students may be turned into Little Pinks and become the laughing stock of Hong Kong. Little Pinks is the name given to Chinas hyper-nationalist, pro-CCP youth. They resent Western democracies and feel proud of Chinas economic achievements, and ignore all social injustices and human rights abuses under the communist rule. Universities used to be the most free and open places in Hong Kong, but the newly introduced national security courses have not met any opposition from students or student unions in any of the universities, indicating that the authorities previous suppression of students have created an atmosphere of terror, as To Kwan Hang Andrew, the former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, told Radio Free Asia. In the past, when a university wanted to add such a highly politically sensitive course, it had to consult the student union. And if the university attempted to skip the consultation step, the student union would definitely take action, such as campus gatherings and forums, to pressure the school. But now the courses can be implemented with just a single order. This is a big retrogression, he said. Fewer Students Hong Kong schools have experienced a serious loss of teachers and students in recent years, but authorities deny that it is related to the political situation, insisting its because of a structural population decline. Hong Kong legislators and high school principals have been discussing the problem of declining student numbers. Legislative Council member Chu Kwok-keung has suggested that the education bureau strengthen support for schools by admitting cross-boundary students, and allowing Hong Kong schools to recruit mainland students from southern China. But To Kwan Hang Andrew believes that Hong Kong schools have already lost their attractiveness for mainland students. Under the National Security Law, the Hong Kong government will definitely further tighten its control in education and other ideological fields and turn Hong Kong universities into Chinese universities. European and American exchange students will not choose to study in Hong Kong. Moreover, I believe that even mainland Chinese students will be less likely to consider attending schools in Hong Kong for higher education, To said. Photo of a Poster "Tracing the Roots of Hong Kong Style Cafe" obtained from social media. (Museum of Hong Kong/Facebook via The Epoch Times) Hong Kong Traditional Cafe Culture Shown at London Fair Hong Kongs traditional cafe flavours were reproduced in London in July to show and promote the territorys unique heritage. The event, called Bing Sutt (Icehouse Cafe): The Origin of Hong Kong-style Coffee Shops, took place in Londons Hackney Chinese Community Services Centre on July 9 and 10. It was co-hosted by several Hong Kong groups such as the Museum of Hong Kong, Shalom Heung Gong, London Ghost Stories, Kong Fook Cheongsam, Hong Kong Culture Square, and Hongkongers in London, all Hongkongers organizations in Britain. The event drew around 100 participants, mostly Hongkongers; the rest were locals. Hongkongers population has swelled into a colossal group in Britain as 120,000 emigrated there through the BNO visa, outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson announced on July 1. People from the exodus have not lost their identity as Hongkongers. Some of them organize events about Hong Kongs history and culture. Satay Beef Bun and Western Toast. (Shan Lam/The Epoch Times) The hosting organizations sold food of the Hong Kong bing-sutts from the 1930s: mini French toasts, buttered toasts enriched with condensed milk or jam or peanut butter, satay beef buns, roll cakes, egg custard tarts, chicken pies, pineapple buns, put chai go (pudding cakes), pineapple jelly, red bean ice, ice lemon tea, coffee, coca cola topped with ice cream, watercress honey drink, yuen yeung (coffee-tea-mix) and pour-over milk tea, As early as the 1930s, satay beef buns were famous in Hong Kongs bing sutts, according to Calvin, founder of the Museum of Hong Kong. He said pineapple jelly was also a hit before the second world war. So many farmers grew pineapples in the New Territories, especially Tsuen Wan, that left-overs from sales were made into jelly. Calvin, Founder of the Museum of Hong Kong (Shan Lam/ The Epoch Times) Calvin deemed Hong Kongs bing-sutt culture developed from Englands coffee shop culture. He, therefore, hoped to replicate the culture in London. Promoting Hong Kong with Arts Arkisan is a painter who moved to Britain a year ago. Her booth sold watercolour paintings and postcards depicting the anti-extradition movement, Hong Kongs food culture, Cantonese songs, and street scenes. Painter Artkisans booth. (Shan Lam/The Epoch Times) Artkisan was already a full-time creator before the 2019 social movement. At that time, she mainly painted Hong Kong landscapes and expressed her feelings about the territory through her paintings. In an exhibition, this June, many Britons bought her paintings. Some purchasers had lived in Hong Kong for a few years and showed their support for Hongkongers. Book Exhibits Illustrate Hong Kong History Political commentator Gordon Poons booth displayed a collection of books he treasured, including the yearbooks published by the British Hong Kong government in the 1980s, picture albums and postcards of Hong Kong scenes, and Hong Kong history books and books by former governor Chris Patten. The yearbooks are now difficult to find in Hong Kongs libraries, so he displayed them to show locals and Hongkongers the true history of Hong Kong. Vincent, the founder of London Ghost Stories, shared some ghost stories in Britain with the audience. He found Hong Kong ghost stories more terrifying than those in Britain. Hong Kong once had components such as marriages of the dead, infant spirits, and demon possession. But demon possession plots were rare in Britains ghost stories. Instead, they often involved bloody murders, extramarital affairs, and historical events. And the British ghosts usually lived on in a form similar to a human being. Vincent hoped Hongkongers would understand Britains culture and history from the ghost stories, which was a way for him to integrate into England society. California, Illinois Join New York to Declare Monkeypox States of Emergency The governors of blue states California, and Illinois on Monday joined New York state in issuing proclamations declaring states of emergency in response to the 2022 monkeypox virus outbreak currently spreading primarily among the LGBT population. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, cited similar reasons when he declared a State of Emergency to bolster the states vaccination efforts. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, declared the monkeypox virus a public health emergency and the state a disaster area in a bid to unlock resources to aid in the distribution of vaccines. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also issued an emergency executive order on Monday declaring a local state of emergency to bolster efforts to educate, vaccinate, test, and treat as many New Yorkers as possible. It comes a day after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide executive order to declare a disaster. She said that more than one in four monkeypox cases are in New York state. Among other issues, the order provides more leeway on which individuals can administer the monkeypox vaccine, including pharmacists, EMS workers, and midwives. There are currently over 5,800 monkeypox cases in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In confirmed or presumptive case numbers, Illinois is ranked third most, with 520 cases; California is ranked second, with 827 cases; and New York is ranked first, with more than 1,300 cases. Florida and Georgia both have over 400 monkeypox cases as well. Read More Monkeypox Declared Public Health Emergency in New York City Illinois [Monkeypox virus] is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread, Pritzker said in a statement. Thats why I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure smooth coordination between state agencies and all levels of government, thereby increasing our ability to prevent and treat the disease quickly. We have seen this virus disproportionately impact the LGBTQ+ community in its initial spread. Here in Illinois we will ensure our LGBTQ+ community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring members are not stigmatized as they access critical health care, he said. On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. Since then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) has been monitoring the outbreak across the United States and consulting with states. Pritzkers office said that declaring a state of disaster will expand the resources and coordination efforts of state agencies to respond, treat, and attempt to prevent the spread of monkeypox. California California is making use of infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy monkeypox vaccine clinics in an outreach effort targeting the LGBT community. Newsoms office said the governors proclamation will support a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, including getting more vaccines and outreach to the LGBT community on accessing vaccines and treatment. Test tubes labeled Monkeypox virus positive and negative in a photo illustration taken on May 23, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters) California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing, and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach, Newsom said in a statement. Well continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization. Newsoms declaration will expand permission already given to pharmacists to Emergency Medical Services personnel to administer FDA-approved monkeypox vaccines. Virus Spread, Vaccines The LGBT community and public health experts have expressed concerns around stigmatization, wanting to avoid issues that occurred around the HIV/AIDs virus in the 1980s. The monkeypox virus is primarily being spread through the sexual activity of gay and bisexual men, a major peer-reviewed study found. But the virus is expected to eventually spread beyond the LGBT community, a World Health Organization official has said. Monkeypox cases have been reported in a female health care worker and in an infant and a toddler who separately have LGBT parents. The LGBT community has been resistant to monkeypox being characterized as a sexually transmitted disease. The virus can be transmitted through close but non-intimate contact and through infected bedding and clothing. However, the current outbreak has primarily been transmitted during sexual activity and is theorized by experts to have emerged at two large-scale LGTB events held in Europea rave in Spain and a festival in Belgium oriented around a sex-based subculture. The Biden administration has delivered more than 7,000 doses of vaccine to Illinois, with 13,000 additional doses expected in the near future, according to Pritzkers office. Pritzker called on the Biden administration last month to send more vaccines to Illinois. A comprehensive and swift response is key when containing a disease outbreak, said IDPH Director Sameer Vohra. These measures will allow the state to deploy all our resources in fighting this disease and will open efficient lines of communication and cooperation across state lines, an essential step in tracking monkeypox and improving tools and processes to prevent and address it. There has been a limited supply of the FDA-approved Jynneos monkeypox vaccine in the United States, but the CDC said more supply is expected in the coming weeks. Jynneos is also known as Imvanex or Imvamune. A dose of Imvanex vaccine used to protect against Monkeypox virus is pictured at the GGD Haaglanden in The Hague, on Aug. 1, 2022. (Lex van Lieshout/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) There is a larger supply of a smallpox vaccine known as ACAM2000 that can be used, but the CDC has warned against its use in people with weakened immune systems and certain skin conditions, and by pregnant women. Pritzkers office said that proclaiming the state of disaster allows the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand vaccine and testing capacities with the help of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and via state and federal recovery and assistance funds. This proclamation will aid in facilitating the complicated logistics and transportation of vaccines across the state to reach the most impacted communities efficiently, Pritzkers office said. The declaration also authorizes emergency procurements to facilitate the states response. The proclamation takes effect immediately and is in place for 30 days. IRS Stockpiles More Than 5 Million Rounds of Ammunition Republican lawmakers want to stop the agency from purchasing more Apparently, the IRS needs a little firepower to help with those audits. The IRS has stockpiled five million rounds of ammunition and spent $725,000 on bullets this year, according to Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has introduced a bill to block future ammunition purchases by the agency. The Republican lawmaker announced his sponsorship of the Disarm the IRS Act in a July press release. The bill would ban the IRS from acquiring ammunition through direct purchase or otherwise. The bill awaits a potential vote in the House Ways and Means Committee. Cosponsors of the bill included three additional U.S. House of Representative members: Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.). Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) shakes hands with former U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally at the Banks County Dragway in Commerce, Ga., on March 26, 2022. (Megan Varner/Getty Images) The issue drew national attention after Gaetz appeared on Fox News Jesse Waters Primetime last week, saying that the IRS had spent $750,000 in 2022 alone on ammunition. Call me old-fashioned, but I thought the heaviest artillery an IRS agent would need would be a calculator, not $725,000 worth of ammunition, Gaetz said during his appearance on Fox News. Other bill cosponsors took to social media, questioning the need for a heavily armed tax agency. Why is Biden trying to weaponize the IRS? Rep. Jeff Duncan posted on Twitter on July 7, adding that while the IRS builds up its arsenal, citizen Americans face ammunition shortages. Rep. Gosar commented on Twitter July 14 that it was time to disarm this band of highwaymen and stop them from taking our money under the threat of violence. While people may not think of the IRS needing weapons and ammunition, it has a criminal investigation division with armed law enforcement to pursue tax felons. A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office said the IRSs Criminal Investigation Division had 2,148 law enforcement officers, 4,461 weaponsincluding 15 fully automatic firearmsand 5.05 million rounds of ammunition. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, four officers with the IRS have died since 1989 from medical conditions or accidents. None was firearm related. Government Amassing Firepower But the IRS isnt the only governmental agency building up massive caches of guns and bullets. OpenTheBooks.com, a nonprofit government watchdog group, released a report called The militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies in December 2020, detailing how agencies that people wouldnt normally associate with law enforcement were stockpiling weapons and ammunition. 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) The Environmental Protection Agency owns 600 guns. At the same time, special agents at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are equipped with machine guns and AR15s. Even the Smithsonian Institution employed 620-armed special agents, up from zero officers in 2008, according to the report. Adam Andrzejewski, CEO & founder of OpenTheBooks.com, told The Epoch Times via email that the public should question why these agencies are armed to the teeth. Not only do they wield legal power, but they are also amassing firepower. Just who are the federal agencies preparing to battle? Andrzejewski wrote. Andrzejewski said there is no public purpose for rank and file, paper-pushing federal agencies to load up on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment. Our data shows that the federal government has become a gun show that never adjourns. Taxpayers need to tell Washington that police powers belong primarily to cities and states, not the feds, he stated. By introducing children to knives, skinning rabbits, and shooting guns, Mike Fairclough isnt a typical British headmaster. His approach to teaching has brought him criticism in the past, but it is his insistence on speaking out against lockdowns and COVID-19 vaccines for children that has become his biggest challenge. Fairclough has 20 years experience in running the state-funded West Rise Junior School for 7- to 11-year-olds in Eastbourne. He was also one of the very few voices in education to express concern over the response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and its impact on children. He told The Epoch Times he has been a reluctant campaigner, but felt it was his legal duty to safeguard children against harm. I can see that theres the potential harm that could result from a child taking the vaccine, he said. We certainly have no idea about the long-term safety data, and therefore thats why its worth raising the alarm. Fairclough recently wrote the book Rewilding Childhood, in which he used the experience of lockdowns to urge parents to join a call for rebellion: a liberating, transformative, joyful rebellion, proven to encourage confidence and resilience in children. Rewilding Childhood In the UK, two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being offered to almost 5 million children aged 5 to 15. Fairclough was recently suspended from Twitter for writing that the next Prime Minister must be vocally committed to safeguarding our nations children against harm and asking, In light of new and emerging data about vaccine injuries and vaccine deaths where do you stand on this? Unlike many in education, he has openly shared his views, saying that the government blindly followed China into destructive lockdowns and that lockdowns harmed our children. Faircloughs approach to education is certainly different too. There are 362 pupils at West Rise who come mainly from the local council estate, places which are often part of Englands poorest neighbourhoods. It serves a community which has quite high social and economic deprivation, he said. He added that the school has a very close connection to nature, with a farm, a forest school, beekeeping sites, and children are taught to use knives and guns and to forage for food. Pupils learning to pluck pigeons at Wise Rise Junior School in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, in an undated file photo. (Courtesy of West Rise Junior School) Conformist Individuals Fairclough teaches that it is important that children are not just responding to instruction. That isnt really about education at all, thats essentially just creating conformist individuals, he said. Its my whole point with kids. Its like kids are not only easy to inspire with clearly inspiring stuff, but they themselves take it to the next level so they are naturally inquisitive, he said. Theres a reason why all of those traits get dumbed down and sort of belittled by the adult world, and its because if youve got children who ask questions and who are imaginative and take risks and are comfortable with the unknown they then turn into adults with the same traits, said Fairclough. And thats dangerous for governments because then people start asking questions of those in power, he added. Dr. Tony Hinton, an NHS consultant in ear, nose, and throat surgery, who is supportive of Fairclough and who wrote the forward to his book, has also been vocal about the harms of lockdowns on children and has repeatedly stated that children must not be given the COVID-19 jab. I think of all the people that are being treated the worst its children, Hinton told The Epoch Times, expressing concern for what has happened to children over the last two years. He added that in his own practice, he has seen an increase in children with hearing or speech problems. Like Fairclough, Hinton is a rare voice questioning COVID-19 narratives in the British medical community. In May, Hinton was permanently banned from his Twitter account for questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women. In terms of children growing up in a controlling, fear-mongering world, Hinton said Faircloughs approach was valuable in that it encouraged children to inquire. Havent Got a Choice Fairclough said there are a lot of teachers and heads with the same view as me, but many cant speak out for fear of losing their job. Im in exactly the same position, he said. I have already been investigated twice for being outspoken about this; on both occasions the authorities have dropped the complaint, which has come from criticising the vaccines for the kids, he said. I do feel frequently very worried about my position. I mean, I cant afford to lose my job and lose my house, said Fairclough, who is a father of four children. However, I havent got a choice. Particularly as I am the only voice in education I am aware of, he said. Pre-pandemic, Fairclough and the school had lots of media coverage, with some that sparked controversy, mainly over the schools countryside management day, where the kids learn to shoot shotguns and rifles and skin rabbits. Though there was some criticism, all that did was galvanize support internationally from the public, he said. Speaking out against lockdowns and COVID-19 vaccines for children is a completely different beast, however. He said that he has always been anti-establishment, and in his book, he makes the case that imagination is how children learn about the world, especially in the post-COVID era. I think kids have already got everything they need. Theyre resilient, theyre risk-takers, they have deep gratitude for what they have. They are comfortable with the unknown, he said. And its what makes adults miserable because they tend to stop being emotional, stop being playful, stop taking risks, start to fear the unknown, they start to have less gratitude, and they start learning not to see the magic in things and then give that power away to other people, including the state, which is whats happened over the last few years, Fairclough said. A boy floats a candle lit paper lantern on the river in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome during 70th anniversary activities, commemorating the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 2015. The bomb instantly killed an estimated 70,000 people and thousands more in coming years from radiation effects. Three days later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki which ended World War II. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Japan to Open up Atom-Bombed Cities for Tours so World Can See Realities of Nuclear War: Kishida Japan will educate the world about the realities of nuclear warfare and its horrifying effects by inviting international leaders and youths to tour atomic-bombed cities, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday. At the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) review conference, Kishida said that Japan would contribute $10 million to set up a U.N. fund to help youngsters learn about the effects of nuclear weapons. Kishida, the first Japanese prime minister to address an NPT review meeting, said that Russias use of nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine raised global concern about the real possibility of another nuclear catastrophe. As a prime minister from Hiroshima, I believe that we must take every realistic measure towards a world without nuclear weapons step by step, however difficult the path may be, he said. The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Japan has since committed to peace and enacted the three non-nuclear principles of not possessing, not producing, and not allowing nuclear weapons into the country. Kishida pledged to raise global awareness of the 1945 atomic bombings by inviting youngsters and world leaders to the two cities, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will visit Hiroshima on Aug. 6. The prime minister also intends to host the Group of Seven (G-7) nations summit in Hiroshima next year to demonstrate Japans steadfast commitment to ending the use of nuclear weapons. By inviting future leaders to Japan and providing them with opportunities to learn firsthand the realities of nuclear weapon use, this will create a global network among the youth towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, he said. Hiroshima Action Plan Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on July 14, 2022. (Zhang Xiaoyu/Pool Photo via AP) Kishida unveiled the Hiroshima Action Plan at the NPT review meeting, which includes a call for a shared recognition of the importance of maintaining the non-use of nuclear weapons record. We should never tolerate the threat of the use of nuclear weapons, such as that made recently by Russia, let alone the use of nuclear weapons. We must ensure that Nagasaki remains the last place to suffer an atomic bombing, he said. The action plan also includes a call for all nuclear-weapon states to disclose information on their fissile material production status, which Kishida believes would serve as the cornerstone for all nuclear disarmament measures. Kishida emphasized the need to maintain the decreasing trend of the global nuclear stockpile as he claimed that there are still over 10,000 nuclear weapons in existence. Read More Biden Seeks to Work on Nuclear Deal With China, Russia Maintaining this decreasing trend is extremely important in getting closer to a world without nuclear weapons. To achieve this, I call on all nuclear-weapon states to engage in a responsible manner, he said. The nuclear-weapon states are the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, all of which are formally acknowledged by the NPT as possessing nuclear weapons. A group of activists hold placards of Japanese citizen Toru Kubota, who is detained in Burma, during a rally in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, Japan, on July 31, 2022. (PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images) Japanese Man Detained in Burma After Filming Protest: Media A Japanese man has been detained by authorities in Myanmar after filming a protest in the countrys biggest city of Yangon, Jiji news agency reported on Sunday, citing Japanese government officials. The report did not name the man, but said he was aged in his 20s and that the Japanese embassy in Myanmar had called for his release. Some local media reports named the man as documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota and said he was detained in the South Dagon area of Yangon on Saturday along with two others at a protest against the recent execution of four activists by military authorities. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. A spokesman for Myanmars junta did not answer a phone call seeking comment and the Japanese embassy in the country could also not be immediately reached for comment. Last year, Japanese journalist Yuki Kitazumi was arrested in Myanmar and charged with spreading false news during a crackdown on media after the military coup. He was later allowed to leave Myanmar and returned to Japan. Since the military seized power in Myanmar in February last year, nearly 15,000 people have been arrested and 11,820 remain in detention, according to the Assistance Association for political prisoners, an activist group. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the first day of the three-day G7 summit at Schloss Elmau, Germany on June 26, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Pool/Getty Images) Japans PM Mulling Downgrade of COVID-19 Classification Once Outbreak Stabilizes Will take into account the possibility of the virus mutating Japans prime minister said on Sunday that he would consider downgrading the classification of COVID-19, which would result in the disease being treated more like a seasonal flu-like condition. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) viruscommonly known as the novel coronavirusis currently classified in Japan as Category Two diseasethe second-highest on a five-tier scale of severity of infectious diseases, as the country faces its seventh wave of infections. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that any changes to the CCP virus classification would occur once the situation had stabilized. I dont intend to reclassify [the virus] now when infections are spreading, Kishida was quoted as saying by local media. I will carefully consider the disease categorized as Type II in the future while exploring the best timing for recategorization and taking into account the possibility of [the virus] mutating, he added. Japan has seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, with the daily count of new cases hitting a record of 233,094 on July 29. Despite this, the government stated that no restrictions are necessary at this time due to the low risk of hospitalization. Category Two infectious diseases allow prefectural governors to require infected persons to be hospitalized or quarantined. Businesses and public transportation are rendered inoperable if their employees become infected, while hospitals are required to report all cases, putting a strain on the medical system. Local authorities have urged the government to categorize the virus as a Category Four disease, which will lessen precautions and ease the strain on the medical system, given that Omicron has a lower severity. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara on Friday said that regional authorities should tailor their response to their specific situations. Rather than a national response, we want to support regional authorities in their efforts that are based on their local situations, Kihara told reporters. Whats important is to help each prefectures social and economic activities. The World Health Organization reported last week that Japan had the worlds highest number of COVID-19 cases in the week to July 24. Shigeru Omi, head of a government COVID-19 expert panel, attributed the increase in cases to the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and the waning of COVID-19 vaccine efficiency over time. Its important for everyone to take basic measures, such as testing, vaccines, and [other prevention measures], Omi said last month. He recommended the government implement pandemic preparations and response plans. Japan has lifted most of its COVID-19 measures and resumed accepting foreign tourists from 98 countries and regions since last month, but only for package tours. Reuters contributed to this report. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos addresses the Assembly during a legislative session in Madison, Wisconsin, on Dec. 4, 2018. (Andy Manis/Getty Images) Judge Rules Wisconsin 2020 Election Investigator Must Foot $163,000 Bill in Legal Fees Over Public Records Lawsuit The investigator hired by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to probe the 2020 election in Wisconsin was ordered by a federal judge on Monday to pay $163,000 in fees to attorneys for the watchdog group American Oversight. Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington ordered that Wisconsins Office of Special Counsel, which is headed by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, must foot the bill in lawyers fees as well as other costs to the watchdog group, according to Madison.com. American Oversight has filed a string of lawsuits over the past year against Vos, Gableman, and the state assembly, seeking records tied to the Office of Special Counsels review of the presidential election in 2020. The watchdog describes itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit that uses public records requests backed by litigation to fight corruption, drive accountability, and defend democracy but it appears to largely target former President Donald Trump and other Republicans. According to multiple reports, the latest fees will be paid by Wisconsin taxpayers and will add to the cost of the investigation, which is now over $1 million. The office responsible for Wisconsins partisan election review has deleted records that dont suit the false election-fraud narrative. Access to these records is essential for accountability. Were fighting to stop any more records from being destroyed, the watchdog group wrote on Twitter on Aug. 1. The Epoch Times has contacted Wisconsins Office of Special Counsel for comment. Remingtons ruling came just months after he found that Gableman and Vos violated state public records laws by denying or delaying access to documents that had been requested by the watchdog group. Ongoing Lawsuits The ruling also comes after a separate one by Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn last week in a different lawsuit bought by the watchdog. Bailey-Rihn found Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had violated the states transparency laws by failing to properly respond to open records requests related to the election review and ordered that the Assembly pay nearly $100,000 to cover attorney fees. Gablemans investigation has faced criticism from Democrats and local media outlets. Bailey-Rihn said last week that we have absolutely found out from this case, at least in my case, that there was absolutely no evidence of election fraud. However, a 136-page interim report released by Gableman in March states that he has uncovered numerous instances of lawbreaking in Wisconsin during the election. Gableman was commissioned last year by Vos, a Republican, to probe the election results and allegations of fraud but there have been multiple open records cases between Vos and Gableman and American Oversight related to the investigation since. While American Oversight has sought records about the election inquiry, the former state Supreme Court justice has said he routinely deleted records that he thought were not relevant to the inquiry. A lawsuit on that issue is pending. According to the U.S. National Archives, Joe Biden received 20,682 more votes than Trump in Wisconsin, or about 0.6 percentage points, while a total of 3.2 million votes were cast in the state in the 2020 election. The inquiry into the 2020 election was paused by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in May amid a string of legal battles. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The logo of Meta Platforms in Davos, Switzerland, on May 22, 2022. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Kenyan Ministers Rally Around Metas Facebook After Watchdogs Ultimatum NAIROBIKenya has no intention of shutting down Facebook, which is owned by Meta, its ICT minister said on Monday after the national cohesion watchdog gave the platform seven days to comply with rules on hate speech or face suspension. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Friday accused Facebook of contravening Kenyas constitution and laws for failing to tackle hate speech and incitement on the platform ahead of Aug. 9 national elections. We do not have a plan to shut down any of these platforms, Joe Mucheru, the minister for information, communication and technology, told Reuters. Press freedom is one we cherish, whether it is (traditional) media or social media. His statement echoed that of the interior minister, Fred Matiangi, who accused the NCIC of making haphazard decisions over the weekend, and vowed that the platform will not be shut down. They (NCIC) should have consulted widely because they dont have the power to shut anybody down. They dont license anybody, Mucheru said. When it issued its ultimatum, the NCIC said it was consulting with the Communication Authority of Kenya, which regulates the industry, adding that it would recommend suspension of Facebooks operations if it does not comply. Meta has taken extensive steps to weed out hate speech and inflammatory content, and it is intensifying those efforts ahead of the election, a company spokesperson told Reuters. Mucheru agreed, adding that the platform has deleted 37,000 hate speech related posts during the electioneering period. Supporters of the leading presidential candidates, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and deputy president William Ruto, have used social media platforms to praise their candidates, persuade others to join them or to accuse opposing sides of various misdeeds. Some of Kenyas 45 tribes have targeted each other during violence in past polls, but Mucheru said this election is different and the country is enjoying peace and calm in spite of the heightened political activities. By Duncan Miriri People hold U.S. flags while attending their Naturalization Oath ceremony for U.S. citizenship in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 25, 2022. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) LA County Drops Citizenship Requirement for Government Jobs Foreign nationals can now apply for government jobs in Los Angeles County, California, with some exceptions. The inclusive hiring motion, which was approved last week by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors without discussion, removes U.S. citizenship as a requirement for county positions when not barred by state or federal law. The state purpose of the motion (pdf) is to broaden the applicant pool and create an inclusive and representative workforce that is reflective to the diverse community the county government serves. With over 110,000 workers, the county government is one of the regions largest employers. Employees with lived immigration status and diverse language abilities are able to enhance county services by connecting with vulnerable communities and establishing new connections to critical services, it states. The changes do not apply to applicants for peace officers, including those who wish to work for Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. The five-member Board of Supervisors didnt respond to The Epoch Times request to clarify whether individuals who lack legal immigration status will remain ineligible to work for the county. The new policy marks the countys latest move towards hiring foreigners to government positions. In August 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion that allows the county to employ non-citizens as department heads, except the chief probation officer. It also allows department heads to appoint non-citizens as their deputies unless otherwise mandated by state or federal law. The Board of Supervisors said last year that they asked the Office of the County Counsel and the Department of Human Resources whether it was legal to drop U.S. citizenship as a prerequisite to work for the county government. The board was told that it has the authority to do so, as long as the law doesnt explicitly say the job in question must be held by a citizen. Board Chair Hilda L. Solis and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, both Democrats, authored the motions. Sheila Kuehl said in a June 22 press release that the U.S. citizenship has made it more difficult for the county to provide culturally competent services and attract high-quality job candidates. We are asking County Counsel to explore eliminating this requirement, because it prevents our workforce from reflecting the diversity of the County population and its diverse needs, she said. The boards pledge to expand the pool of qualified applicants comes after it gave the countys personnel director overriding power to discipline any employee who reject COVID-19 vaccines. In April, the board voted 4-0 to approve the rule change, with Republican Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstaining. The rule change was targeting the County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who refused to fire employees who had failed to comply with the countywide COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Villanueva argued that doing so would decimate his departments already tight manpower at a time when violent crime in Los Angeles is surging to record levels. Your motion is going to seek to basically cause us to actually lose 4,000 employees, for a grand total of 0.4 percent improvement in positivity rate, Villanueva said. Were coming off two years of a historically high 94 percent increase in homicide rate, 64 percent increase in grand theft auto. And this is just not sustainable. The dispute may be settled in the upcoming general election by the countys voters. The sheriff and two of the five seats on the board are up for a vote this November. Both Villanueva and his critic, Solis, are seeking reelection. John Gibbs a candidate for congress in Michigan's 3rd Congressional district speaks at a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump near Washington, Mich., on April 2, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Challenger Gibbs Beats Meijer in Michigan Primary The latest on the Aug. 2 primaries in Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, and Washington. ___ Challenger Defeats Michigan Incumbent Who Voted to Impeach Trump in Republican Congressional Primary Republican John Gibbs on Aug. 3 defeated Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), in Michigans 3rd Congressional District Republican primary. Meijer was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Gibbs for the GOP nomination. With 75 percent of the votes reported at 12:24 a.m. on Aug. 3, Gibbs received 51.9 percent of the vote while Meijer registered 48 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in Novembers general election in a newly drawn 3rd District that once favored Republicans but is now friendlier to Democrats. Read the full article here ___ Schmitt Wins Hotly Contested US Senate Primary in Missouri Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican Senate primary race on Aug. 2, bringing the expensive, hard-fought race to a conclusion. Polls closed in the race at 7 p.m. CST. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Schmitt roughly an hour later. The contest kicked off after incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) announced in 2021 that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022. The race was shaken up by former President Trumps last-minute, Aug. 1 endorsement, in which he pledged his support to Eric. Two of the top contenders in the race are named Eric: Schmitt and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. In November, Schmitt will face Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, who defeated Marine veteran Lucas Kunce and nine others in the Democratic primary. Both also face a challenge from a well-funded independent, John Wood, who has the financial backing of former Sen. John Danforth. Read the full article here ___ Trump Nod Spurs Dixon to Runaway Win in Michigan GOP Gubernatorial Primary Tudor Dixon, a former steel sales manager and conservative commentator, parlayed a late-campaign endorsement from former President Donald Trump into a runaway win in Michigans Aug. 2 Republican gubernatorial primary. Dixon will challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who did not face a primary test and has raised nearly $30 million since her first election in 2018. Dixon enters the three-month run to November having raised $1.2 million and spending $2.3 million. Dixon, a first-time political candidate, emerged from a field of five contestantsdown from an original 10to score twice the votes second-place Kevin Rinke had collected to be declared the winner about an hour after polls closed. With more than 439,689 votes countedabout 34 percent of the turnoutDixon had 40 percent of the tally, Rinke 20.9 percent, chiropractor Garrett Soldano 19.3 percent, businessman Ryan Kelley 15.7 percent, and Oakland County pastor Ralph Rebandt 4.2 percent. Read the full article here ___ Kansas Primaries: Kelly-Schmidt Governor Race, Davids-Adkins CD 3 Clash Set for November The Value Them Both abortion ballot proposition was the dominant issue on Kansas otherwise bland Aug. 2 primary ballot, which offered few competitive inter-party races but cleared the decks for several compelling clashes in falls general election. Most notable among the general election contests is the already underway toss-up brawl between incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and her Republican challenger, Kansas attorney general Derek Schmidt. Both blew past nominal opposition in slam-dunk Aug. 2 primary victories and have millions to spend in what is projected to be among the nations most compelling governor elections of the 2022 midterms. The Kelly-Schmidt race is one of 36 gubernatorial elections nationwide this fall. Kelly is among 22 Democratic governors seeking re-election but the only trying to do so in a state that former President Donald Trump won in 2020, garnering 56 percent of the vote. Kelly and incumbent Lt. Gov. David Toland, who also serves as Kansas secretary of commerce, easily cruised past former Republican and anti-abortion Democrat Richard Karnowski of Seneca and his Lt. Gov. hopeful, Barry Franco, in their Democratic primary. Read the full article here ___ Ballot Measure Nixing Right to Abortion in Kansas Fails The majority of Kansas voters disapproved of a ballot measure that proclaims there is no right to abortion under the states Constitution in an Aug. 2 special election that drew intense interest as the nations first public referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the Roe vs. Wade decision in June. According to unofficial results from the Kansas Secretary of States office, the hotly contested Value Them Both amendment garnered 65 percent no votes as of 10:10 p.m. ET on Aug. 2. Decision Desk HQ projected that the measure will not pass at 9:47 p.m. ET. The controversial proposed constitutional amendment generated more than $13 million in campaign spending by proponents and opponents and dramatically boosted turnout for a primary ballot that otherwise featured few competitive races. Adoption of the measure is the culmination of years of lobbying by Kansas Right-to-Life organizations, which were dealt a blow in 2019 when the states Supreme Court overturned the 2015 Kansas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act. Read the full article here ___ At Schmitt Gathering, Former US Attorney Under Trump Explains His Support ST. LOUIS, Mo.Jeffrey Jensen, who served as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri under President Trump, explained his support for Eric Schmitt at what could prove to be the Schmitt victory party at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel. He [Schmitt] was able to give prosecutors to my office, and that helped us tremendously because we were able to get to violent criminals more quickly. And I think that helped reduce the crime rate over what it might have otherwise been, Jensen told The Epoch Times on Aug. 2. I dont know Eric Greitens, but I know Eric Schmitt, he said, adding that he did not closely follow Trumps ambiguous endorsement of Eric on Aug. 1. ___ Trump Endorsee Gibbs Casts Ballot in Primary in Battleground Michigan District BYRON CENTER, Mich.Standing outside a community center near his home in Byron Center, John Gibbs talked to reporters before casting his vote in Michigans 3rd Congressional District Republican primary on August 2. Gibbs is endorsed by former president Donald Trump. His opponent, first-term Rep. Peter Meijer, was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the U.S. Capitol breech on Jan. 6, 2021. November is not about Democrats versus Republicans, Gibbs said. Its about crazy versus normal, and Im normal. Meijer has raised 10 times more money than Gibbs, and he has spent $2.1 million on the campaign compared to Gibbs $340,000 as of mid-July. Meijer was in the news on August 1 when he blamed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for funding a $435,000 ad that appears to attack Gibbs, calling him too conservative for west Michigan and reminding viewers of his ties to Trump. Critics of the ad buy, including Meijer, claim that it provided airtime for a campaign that has not had the money to elevate its name recognition on television in the Grand Rapids market. Meijer wrote that it would seem like the Democrats would look at John Gibbs and see the embodiment of what they say they most fear. That as patriots, they would use every tool at their disposal to defeat him and similar candidates that theyve said are an existential threat. Instead, they are funding Gibbs. Gibbs told The Epoch Times that he (Meijer) is making excuses and finding people to blame for when he loses. Meijer is unelectable in November, Gibbs believes, because the freshman legislator voted to impeach Trump and also voted for the gun control bill. Those are just two reasons why many Republicans would not support him in November, Gibbs said. Endorsed by Trump, Gibbs was a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) official during the Trump administration. He was appointed by Trump to lead the Office of Personnel Management but was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Trump also appointed Gibbs to the 1776 Commission. A Lansing, Michigan native, Gibbs holds a bachelors degree in computer science from Stanford University and a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University. He spent seven years in Japan as a missionary and is fluent in Japanese. He worked in Silicon Valley as a software engineer before his role with the housing department. Im glad to have President Trumps endorsement, but Im me. Im John Gibbs, and I think people appreciate my story and my background, Gibbs told The Epoch Times. I appeal to conservatives, independents, and even some Democrats, because we are all impacted by gas prices, inflation, and a cost of living that has escalated because of out-of-control spending in Congress, he added. ___ Trump Endorsee Greitens Casts Ballot in Primary in Battleground Michigan District CHESTERFIELD, Mo.At an Aug 1. rally at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens told reporters that former President Trumps stated support for Eric in the Republican Senate primary was incredibly clear. I think that the message was incredibly clearthat President Trump is endorsing Eric Greitens because Im the MAGA champion in this race, Greitens said. Greitens opponents in the Aug. 2 primary include Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who also accepted Trumps comment as an endorsement. Greitens told reporters Trump had blasted Schmitts campaign the previous nighta reference to a Truth Social post from Trump that linked to a Breitbart article on polling tied to Schmitt. The Epoch Times asked Greitens if hes saying Schmitt is lying when Schmitt claims the endorsement too. I think its incredibly clearif you ask Donald Trump, Jr., for example, he answered, drawing applause from a crowd of supporters. Greitens high-profile backers include Trump, Jr. and Trump, Jr.s fiancee, Kimberly Guilfoyle. Politico reported that Trumps backing of the two Erics was influenced in part by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who reportedly met with Trump to argue he should stay neutral in the race. Attendees of the Aug. 1 event for Greitens were divided on the meaning of Trumps message. Is it Donald Trump being a jester? asked Dustin Hill, a candidate in the Republican primary for Missouris Third District. I think everybody, especially in Missouri, is ready for these primaries to be done, and ready to take a breather, he added. I think hes toying with people because he has to do thatand I also think that hes probably going to come out and back Greitens, but I dont know that hes going to 100 percent do it before [the results], said one woman in the crowd, who said she was fifty-fifty on supporting either Greitens or Schmitt. I think theres mass confusion right now, said Lizzie Sparks, who was with the Greitens campaign. ___ Meijer, a Republican Opposed by Trump, Casts Ballot in Michigan GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.Accompanied by his wife and other family members, Rep. Peter Meijer cast his vote in Michigans 3rd Congressional District Republican primary. Or he attempted to do so, at least. With a contingent of TV cameras and reporters standing nearby, a poll worker stood with Meijer as he inserted his ballot into the machine. It kept getting returned, and the poll worker said there was a paper jam. A few minutes later, poll workers resolved the problem. Meijer placed his ballot in the machine once again, and this time it was accepted. He smiled and high-fived an exasperated poll worker. Moments later, Meijer and his family stood in front of reporters outside the precinct at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Grand Rapids. Meijer, who is completing his first term, was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump over the U.S. Capitol breech on Jan. 6, 2021. His challenger, John Gibbs, is endorsed by Trump. This is my first re-election and its in a new district, Meijer said. We feel confident that we will win today Its been a long road, and this is just the first step, he added. After today, we will have to win in the general election in a new district that leans Democrat. Meijer talked about the homes he has visited across the district while meeting voters face-to-face and admitted that some residents questioned his vote to impeach Trump. Some folks have said they didnt like that vote, but they dont want the seat go to a Democrat, Meijer said. And they said they have liked many of my other decisions. Meijer said he has watched some of the January 6 Committee hearings but that it is difficult to watch it in-depth traveling back and forth from D.C. and being in a campaign. It is important to hear the discussions and have questions answered, Meijer said. Meijer and his supporters will gather at 8 p.m. for a watch party at Social House Kitchen & Bar in Grand Rapids. Polls are open in Michigan until 8 p.m. Ivan Pentchoukov, Jeff Louderback, John Haughey, and Nathan Worcester contributed to this report. 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) Louisana Abortion Ban Back in Effect for Third Time Since Supreme Court Ruling Louisianas abortion ban, a trigger law, is back in effect for a third time since the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. The trigger abortion ban law was passed in 2006, intended to come into effect in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned. The law was updated with further exceptions earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, on June 22. The abortion ban does not have exceptions in the case of incest or rape, but covers most exceptions related to medical reasons, including for saving the life of the mother, as well as medically futile pregnancies in cases of fetuses with fatal abnormalities. Amid a back-and-forth legal dispute, a state appeals court on July 29 granted an appeal from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and ruled that the near-total abortion ban may take effect in the state, while ongoing legal challenges play out in court. Later that day, 19th Judicial District Judge Donald Johnson sighed a formal order to allow Louisiana to enforce the abortion ban. Louisianas pro-life trigger laws can be enforced. The First Circuit has ordered Judge Johnson to grant our suspensive appeal, Landry said on Twitter on July 29 after the appeals court ruled in his favor. Landry filed the appeal eight days after Johnson issued a preliminary injunction on July 21 that blocked the abortion ban, which had allowed clinics to temporary resume abortions. Abortion Providers to Leave Louisiana Louisiana has three abortion providers that have started and stopped operations over the past month amid rulings and temporary restraining orders in the legal battle. Since June 24, 249 abortions have been reported to the Louisiana Department of Health, according to data released last week. The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRP) and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP had filed the lawsuit on June 27 in New Orleans on behalf of the Hope Medical Group for Women, a north Louisiana clinic in Shreveport, to challenge Louisianas abortion ban. Plaintiffs argue that the laws provisions are contradictory and unconstitutionally vague. Joanna Wright, an attorney for the plaintiffs and a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, said it was disappointing that the First Circuit ruled on July 29 without giving plaintiffs a chance to oppose the appeal. This decision involves a technical reading of a statute involving when a preliminary injunction should be stayed. Judge Johnsons recent ruling that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their case regarding the unconstitutional vagueness of the trigger bans has not even been considered yet by a court of appeal, she said. Staff at the clinics in southern Louisiana on Aug. 1 were working to notify 120 patients, scheduled for appointments this week, about the ban being enforced once again. Not only are patients being directed to clinics outside of the state, but Amy Irvin, a spokeswoman for abortion clinics in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, said the clinics are also seeking to relocate to another state with no or fewer abortion restrictions. Kathaleen Pittman, director of the northern Louisiana clinic, said on Aug. 1: We are not providing abortions, but we are not closed, adding, We are manning the phones and trying to help people navigate care as best we can within the limits of the law as we consider our options. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Man Charged Under Treason Act After Crossbow Incident at Windsor Castle A man has been charged under the Treason Act after he was arrested while allegedly carrying a crossbow in the grounds of Windsor Castle with intent to injure the Queen on Christmas Day, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Scotland Yard said Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton, has been charged with an offence under section 2 of the Treason Act 1842. The CPS added he had been charged with being near to the person of the Queen, wilfully producing a loaded crossbow with intent to use the same to injure the person of Her Majesty. Chail has also been charged with threats to kill under section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and possession of an offensive weapon under section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. The 20-year-old is in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Aug. 17. Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division, said the CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Chail after he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Dec. 25, 2021, carrying a crossbow. Mr. Chail, 20, has been charged with making threats to kill, possession of an offensive weapon, and an offence under the 1842 Treason Act, he added. The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr. Chail are active and that he has the right to a fair trial. Under the 1842 Treason Act, it is an offence to assault the Queen, or have a firearm or offensive weapon in her presence with intent to injure or alarm her or to cause a breach of peace. In 1981, Marcus Sarjeant was handed a prison sentence under this section of the Treason Act after he fired blank shots at the Queen while she was riding down The Mall in London during the Trooping the Colour parade in 1981. He was jailed for five years after pleading guilty. The last person to be convicted under the separate and more serious 1351 Treason Act was William Joyce, also known as Lord Haw-Haw, who collaborated with Germany during the Second World War. By Isobel Frodsham A cannibis plant that is close to harvest grows in a grow room at the Greenleaf Medical Cannabis facility in Richmond, Va., June 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Medical Experts See Dangers in Pennsylvania Home-Grow Marijuana Bill Pennsylvanias home-grow marijuana bill is the most unscientific and irresponsible piece of legislation we have ever seen, according to medical experts. The bill allows any medical patient with 30 days of residency in Pennsylvania to grow up to six cannabis plants for personal use. This rule will create a new series of dangers for Pennsylvania citizens, according to Dr Tony Ruffa, pharmacist Louis Aliota, and pharmacist Gina Ruffa. Tony Ruffa said he favors the decriminalization of marijuana and the use of medical marijuana. But residential marijuana growth and increased marijuana availability will bring trouble the government cant control. Medical marijuana is used as a painkiller, anti-nausea drug, and muscle spasm suppressant. Photo is of the drug being weighed at a medical dispensary in Vancouver, Canada, on Feb. 5, 2015. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) He said he hopes that the chain of states that legalize marijuana will end with Pennsylvania. Its getting worse and worse, Ruffa said. People are realizing that the pot today is really bad. So hopefully its in Pennsylvania where we can stand up and say no. Home growth of marijuana endangers house occupants and is extremely difficult to regulate, Ruffa said. Pennsylvanias Senate Bill 1024, introduced by state Sen. Sharif Street (D-3rd District), is barely three pages long. Sowing Seeds It allows Pennsylvania patients to buy cannabis seeds from a dispensary and grow six plants in their homes for personal use only. Only the patient, the patients caregiver, or an authorized agent tending the property for a brief period can care for the plants. The plants must be out of public view and in a locked space. Growers must also get permission from the home owner if they dont own the property. Anyone who breaks the law will face penalties, as well as the removal of their marijuana growing privileges. State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-49th District), one of the bills sponsors, argued that its hard for sick people in rural Pennsylvania to drive to the nearest marijuana dispensary. If youre a cancer patient and you are not feeling well, cannabis helps you with nausea and stuff like that, Laughlin told the Erie Times-News. For folks that have to get in a car and drive an hour or so away to get what they need to make themselves feel better when they could have a couple of plants right in their house, it does seem a little bit cruel to not allow them to do that. This simple bill fails to cover the complexities and dangers of growing marijuana, said Tony Ruffa. With the cannabis located in the house, it can cause an unhealthy atmosphere for some of those in the house, he said. Marijuana reduces blood flow in the parts of the brain affected by Alzheimers disease. Brain scans of a patient with Alzheimers disease (Atthapon Raksthaput/Shutterstock) As plants go, marijuana is impressively complex, Tony Ruffa said. To make a usable product, growers need both male and female plants. Indoor marijuana plants tend to range between 7 to 15 inches in height. The plants must grow in a high-humidity environment. This effect can cause mold that can cause lung issues like bronchitis, he said. Indoor plants also require enough electricity to cause fire hazards, he added. Finally, marijuana plants themselves can be a hazard. The plants are poisonous to cats and dogs. Children can also easily take a dangerous dose of marijuana that can slow their breathing and potentially kill them, according to the National Capital Poison Center. Its more likely for marijuana accidents to happen at home than in a highly-regulated dispensary, said Ruffa. There are more kids visiting the emergency room in states that have marijuana, and theyre visiting the emergency rooms because of marijuana poisoning, he said. Dangerous For Intended Use Beyond all these potential risks, marijuana itself can often have negative impacts on users. Todays marijuana is 20 to 50 times stronger than the marijuana of previous generations, said Louis Aliota. Aliota is a pharmacist with 40 years of experience. This increased potency can affect the brain in surprising ways, Tony Ruffa said. Studies have linked marijuana to schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse disorders. Medical studies are inconclusive on whether medical marijuana is actually helpful. These issues have an especially destructive impact on young people, Tony Ruffa said. Drugs hit developing brains harder, with more long-term effects. Pot today is making kids psychotic and making them schizophrenic. Its getting them addicted to go on to other drugs, he said. Kids are committing suicide because theyre becoming more paranoid. And theres more motor vehicle accidents. The marijuana industry is extremely lucrative and sometimes attracts the attention of organized crime. International criminal organizations are illegally growing marijuana on an industrial scale in southern Oregon. (Courtesy of Josephine County Sheriffs Office) Finally, its highly unusual for patients to get painkillers without a prescription, Aliota said. Any drug strong enough to cure pain is usually strong enough to cause harm. Putting a patient in charge of manufacturing their own drug supply creates potential for trouble, he said. If you take a drug, you have to be monitored, he said. If you dont, as you grow older, its going to have an adverse effect. Theres no way for the government to monitor patients with six plants in their homes, Aliota said. Moreover, marijuana can tend to function as a gateway drug. According to studies, use of a lighter drug often leads to use of harder drugs. People who use marijuana, drink alcohol, or drink lots of caffeine tend to be more susceptible to taking harder drugs. Opportunities for Misuse Even if no accidents happen, Bill 1024 opens many avenues for drug misuse too, Tony Ruffa said. For a start, home-grown marijuana is vulnerable to theft and use by the wrong people, he said. The presence of marijuana supplies in homes will make it easier for young people to use the drug without parental knowledge, Ruffa said. Who hasnt stolen their dads cigarettes, or the bottle of wine or beer that was in the cupboard? he asked. How are you to prevent these kids from taking pot thats being grown from the house? Lawbreaking or abuse of the law adds another layer of complexity to the problem, he added. Pennsylvania currently has about 367,000 patients registered for medical marijuana use. To register, a patient must get a physicians certification that they suffer from a medical condition that qualifies for medical marijuana, then pay for an ID card. Some of the conditions, like a terminal illness or a cancer diagnosis, are difficult to fake. But others, like anxiety disorders, can be easy to lie about. Lies can also prove profitable, Tony Ruffa said. A house with five occupants who are patients could hypothetically grow 30 marijuana plants, he said. A mature plant can be worth between $1,500 and $2,000. As a family doctor, a lot of people have told me, Listen, I dont go to the dispensary for medical marijuana because I cant afford it. So I go on the street, and its much cheaper, Ruffa said. So now, here is a conduit for people to be able to grow pot and to sell it on the street and make money. Finally, any rules on home growth of marijuana will likely be extremely difficult to enforce, Ruffa said. It would be easy for a medical marijuana user to grow extra plants and sell the remainder. Authorities would have to search homes to enforce compliance with the law, Ruffa said. But he doubts if doing so would be possible. Are they going to do house inspections where the marijuana DEA people in the state come in and see if you lock up your pot? No, he said. MIRROR Concert Accident Timeline During Hong Kong mega boy groups MIRROR We Are Live Concert on July 29, at the Hong Kong Coliseum 2022, A massive TV screen fell from height and plunged and hit a dancers head. The serious accident left two dancers injured. One is still in critical condition on July 30. *This is a developing story.* Aug 5: MIRROR confirms they are dropping out from their upcoming performance at Summer Sonic 2022 in Tokyo on Aug 20, 2022. This is the first time MIRROR attends the festival in Japan. Aug 5: After being silent for a week, members of the band finally appeared on social media again. Leader Lokman posted on Instagram and said he will look after the boys. Other members echo their support for each other. P.M., Aug 5: Anson Lo, a close friend of dancer Mo Lee, takes to Insta Story to apologize to his fans for having worried them in the past week. He expresses that nothing is more important than the well-being of Mo, Fung, Zisac, and other dancers. He waits for a miracle every day. He also thanks his fans for still being around for MIRROR. He says he has been trying to let everything sink in. 1130, Aug 4: MIRRORs manager and MakerVill Director have been to Kowloon West Regional Police Headquarters to give statements. Lam Ho-yuen, also known as Fran9, concert executive director, was also assisting the police. Police and the Governments lab unit have been investigating and collecting evidence at the Hong Kong Coliseum P.M, Aug 3: All 12 members of MIRROR and their manager Ms Fa were summoned to a meeting at the office, along with MakerVille Director Lo Ting-fai. This is the first time MIRROR was seen in public after the accident a week ago. Everyone was expressionless. A.M, Aug 3: Mr. and Mrs. Lee went to the hospital again to visit their son. When they left, they thanked the reporters. Aug 2: Pastor Lee released a prayer yesterday to thank everyone for praying for his son, Mo Lee. He also pleads with everyone to send their prayers to the other dancers and their families. He also shows gratitude to Mos girlfriend, who is in the girl band Collar, for her extended and limitless support. Jul 29-30: MakerVille announced events of artists, MIRROR, Collar and Toshi Yoshi, who are under its management have been canceled. 10:25, July 31: After the severe incident at the MIRROR Concert, all three engineering companies issued statements saying they did not install the giant screen. 06:35, Jul 31: 23 dancers of MIRROR WE ARE LIVE CONCERT released a joint statement to clear rumors of posting anonymous malicious comments online and crowdfunding for the wounded. 07:34, Jul 30: Lees parents arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport from Toronto at about 715 a.m. local time. Pastor Lee Shing-Lam and Mrs. Lee were greeted by Cathay Pacific staff and local quarantine officers. They were then escorted to the vehicle. They are currently heading to ICU at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 07:20, Jul 29: When responding to the media, Queen Elizabeth Hospital representatives replied, The Patient completed surgery last night. He is currently in the Intensive Care Unit. As laryngeal anaesthesia was required during his operation, Mo was temporarily classified as a critical condition, based on clinical classification. His vital is stable. 23:00, Jul 29: Lee suffered from cerebral haemorrhage and C4 spinal cord injury, which causes him to be paralyzed from the neck down. 20:30, Jul 29: Mo Lee Kai-yin, was performing at the 4th show of the MIRROR Concert when a 200-inch TV screen fell and landed on him in the head and neck. On Jul 30, 2022, Pastor Lee Shing-Lam and his wife arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport from Toronto, at about 715 a.m local time. Pastor Lee and Mrs. Lee are the parents of dancer Mo Lee Kai-yin, who is currently in critical condition at the ICU after a massive TV screen fell onto him at the Mirror We Are Concert. (Big Mack/The Epoch Times) Pastor Lee Shing-Lam and his wife were escorted to the vehicle heading to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. (Big Mack/The Epoch Times) A photo of a shelf with a variety of children's books, taken on Feb. 9, 2017. (Shutterstock) Montreal Borough to Host Drag Queen for Childrens Storytime in Fall A Montreal borough is reversing its decision to cancel a story-reading event for children, announcing that the reinstated event will be hosted by a well-known drag queen. St-Laurent borough Mayor Alan DeSousa said in a statement on Aug. 2 that officials met with Sebastien Potvin, who performs as Barbada de Barbades, and approved two story-reading events on Nov. 5 at two libraries: the Bibliotheque du Boise and the Bibliotheque du Vieux-Saint-Laurent. The borough previously cancelled Potvins story-time event for children in July. Officials said the event in November is part of the boroughs fall program, which includes a series of cultural and library activities. In some U.S. states, legislation is being introduced to prevent childrens exposure to drag queen events or performances. In June, Arizona Senate Republicans announced plans to craft legislation prohibiting children from attending drag shows. It crosses the line when kids are subjected to these drag shows, a June 14 joint statement from the Arizona state Senate majority team said. Arizona state Sen. Vince Leach, a Republican who led the legislative effort, said the proposed laws main goal is to protect children against inappropriate behaviour. Impressionable youngsters are going into a room [and] being exposed to things that are distasteful, disgusting, and wrong, he said. Earlier in June, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton also promised to put forth a bill to ban drag shows in the presence of minors throughout the state. This came after a drag show event for children, advertised as family-friendly, was held in the state, raising widespread concerns about its appropriateness. The incident also led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider using child safety laws to protect children from drag shows. It used to be kids would be off-limits everybody agreed with that, DeSantis said at a press conference on June 8. Now it just seems like theres a concerted effort to be exposing kids more and more to things that are not age-appropriate. In New York City, a councilwoman pushed back against Drag Queen Story Hour, following a report that shows the city has been paying more than $200,000 for drag performers to appear in New York City public schools since 2018. I am considering pulling funding to any school in my district that is implementing Drag Queen Story Hour, Vickie Paladino, who represents Queens in the New York City Council, told the New York Post. We are taking hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the pockets of hardworking New York taxpayers to fund a program teaching little children about their gender fluidity? Not. On. My. Watch. Potvin, who has been hosting storytelling events since 2016, has appeared as Barbada on the reality show Call Me Mother on OUTtv, and hosts the childrens show Barbada on Radio-Canadas streaming service ICI Tou.tv. Allan Stein, Bill Pan, Jannis Falkenstern, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Fentanyl pills are shown in an undated police handout photo. (The Canadian Press/HO/Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)) Montrealer Faces Life Sentence After Officials Say His Drugs Killed 4 People in US A Montreal man is facing a life sentence in the United States after pleading guilty to importing fentanyl into that country from his Canadian prison cell. The U.S. Department of Justice says the drugs trafficked by Jason Joey Berry, 39, led to 15 overdoses, four of which were fatal. Berry pleaded guilty last Friday to conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl, a crime U.S. officials say resulted in serious bodily injury and death. U.S. authorities say Berry, along with another inmate, arranged from a Canadian prison for the distribution of fentanyl and similar products from Canada and China into the United States. Berry was arrested by Canadian authorities in 2019 and extradited to North Dakota in 2021. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison. Illegal immigrants wait in a holding cell at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center on April 11, 2018. (John Moore/Getty Images) MS-13 Leader Wanted for Murder in El Salvador Arrested After Illegally Entering US: ICE A leader of the notorious transnational criminal gang MS-13 who was facing homicide charges for alleged murders committed in El Salvador in 2017 was arrested in Maryland after entering the United States illegally, according to authorities. In a July 29 press release, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Jose Mojica Aldana, a native and citizen of El Salvador, was arrested on June 15 near his Annapolis residence. Mojica Aldana is currently being held by ICE while deportation proceedings are pending, officials said. The FBI and a special task force unit in Baltimore assisted with the arrest. The agency noted that Mojica Aldana crossed the border and successfully entered the United States without being inspected, admitted, or paroled by immigration authorities. This is a significant arrest and a substantial hit to MS-13 in the Annapolis area, said Lyle Boelens, the field office director of Baltimores Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office. Not only is Mojica Aldana a high-ranking member of the gang, but he is also accused of numerous murders in El Salvador, the director added. ICE ERO Baltimore will continue to work tirelessly with our partner law enforcement agencies to keep the law-abiding citizens of Maryland safe from predators like Mojica Aldana. In mid-May, ERO Baltimore learned that Mojica Aldana was residing in the greater Annapolis area and had ties to the Fulton Locos Salvatruchos (FLS) clique, a subset of MS-13 that operates in Annapolis. A background check conducted by the agency revealed that the National Civil Police of El Salvador issued an arrest warrant for Mojica Aldana on March 6, 2017, for homicide. Upon further investigation, ICE obtained information that confirmed Mojica Aldana is a high-ranking member of MS-13 and a gang leader in the FLS clique. On June 15, Mojica Aldana was issued a notice to appear, charging inadmissibility under Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as a noncitizen present in the United States without admission or parole, according to the release. MS-13, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, is an international criminal gang composed primarily of illegal immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other Central American countries who fled the civil war in their home country. It is widely viewed as one of Americas most violent criminal groups and is also considered a threat to the safety of communities in the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Branches of MS-13, also referred to as cliques, operate throughout multiple regions in Maryland, including Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince Georges County, and Montgomery County. The gang is also active in other parts of the country. The gangs motto is kill, rape, control and it routinely uses brutal assault methods on victims to instill fear and force compliance. From NTD News Location of Shiprock in New Mexico in 2022. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Navajo Code Talker Samuel Sandoval Dies; 3 Left From Group FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.Samuel Sandoval, one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who transmitted messages in World War II using a code based on their native language, has died. Sandoval died late Friday at a hospital in Shiprock, New Mexico, his wife, Malula told The Associated Press on Saturday. He was 98. Hundreds of Navajos were recruited from the vast Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers with the U.S. Marine Corps. Only three are still alive today: Peter MacDonald, John Kinsel Sr. and Thomas H. Begay. The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics, and other communications critical to the wars ultimate outcome. The code, based on the then-unwritten Navajo language, confounded Japanese military cryptologists and is credited with helping the U.S. win the war. Samuel Sandoval was in Okinawa when got he got word from another Navajo Code Talker that the Japanese had surrendered and relayed the message to higher-ups. He had a close call on the island, which brought back painful memories that he kept to himself, Malula Sandoval said. The Navajo men are celebrated annually on Aug. 14. Samuel Sandoval was looking forward to that date and seeing a museum built near the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock to honor the Code Talkers, she said. Sam always said, I wanted my Navajo youngsters to learn, they need to know what we did and how this code was used and how it contributed to the world, she said Saturday. That the Navajo language was powerful and always to continue carrying our legacy. Sandoval was born in Nageezi near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after attending a Methodist school where he was discouraged from speaking Navajo. He helped recruit other Navajos from the school to serve as Code Talkers, expanding on words and an alphabet that an original group of 29 Navajos created. Sandoval served in five combat tours and was honorably discharged in 1946. The Code Talkers had orders not to discuss their rolesnot during the war and not until their mission was declassified in 1968. The roles later became an immense source of pride for Sandoval and his late brother, Merrill Sandoval, who also was a Code Talker. The two became talented speakers who always hailed their fellow Marines still in action as the heroes, not themselves, said Merrill Sandovals daughter, Jeannie Sandoval. We were kids, all growing up and we started to hear about the stories, she said. We were so proud of them, and there werent very many brothers together. Sandoval was curious, always reading the local newspapers, and attending community, veterans, Code Talker and legislative meetings. He enjoyed traveling and sharing what he learned, grounded in his Dine beliefs and the Navajo way of life, said one of his daughters, Karen John. It was engrained early in me, to be part of the community, she said. He was really involved in a lot, some of which I couldnt comprehend as a kid. Samuel Sandoval often told his story, chronicled in a book and documentary of the same nameNaz Bah Ei Bijei: Heart of a Warriorat the Cortez Cultural Center in Cortez, Colorado. He had a favorite folding chair there with vinyl padding and took coffee black, said executive director Rebecca Levy. Levy said Sandovals talks drew dozens of people, some of whom had to be turned away because of space limitations. It was a great opportunity for people who understood how important the Navajo Code Talkers were to the outcome of the war, in our favor to thank him in person, Levy said. Sandovals health had been declining in recent years, including a fall in which he fractured a hip, Malula Sandoval said. His last trip was to New Orleans in June where he received the American Spirit Award from the National World War II Museum, she said. MacDonald, Kinsel and Begay also were honored. Sandoval and his wife met while he was running a substance abuse counseling clinic, and she was a secretary, she said. They were married 33 years. Sandoval raised 11 children from previous marriages and in blended families, John said. Navajo President Jonathan Nez said Sandoval will be remembered as a loving and courageous person who defended his homeland using his sacred language. We are saddened by his passing, but his legacy will always live on in our hearts and minds, Nez said in a statement. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon said Sandovals life was guided by character, courage, honor and integrity, and his impact will forever be remembered. May he rest among our most resilient warriors, Damon said in a statement. Funeral services are pending. By Felicia Fonseca Abortion rights activists protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, during the March for Life in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana/AP) New Legal Battles in Michigan Over States Trigger Law Criminalizing Most Abortions In a victory for the pro-life cause and the rights of local government, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled on Aug. 1 that county prosecutors could prosecute violators of a 1931 state law banning most abortions. The statute, known as Michigan Compiled Law 750.14, was rendered moot for 49 years by the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. The law was revived on June 24 of this year when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It prohibits a person from administering any drug or substance or utilizing any instrument, to procure a miscarriage unless necessary to preserve the life of the mother. A doctor performing an abortion for any other reason could be found guilty of a felony with a penalty of up to four years in prison. A sign is displayed at Planned Parenthood in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 21, 2019. (Rick Bowmer/AP Photo) Another provision of the statute outlaws the advertisement and sale of any fluid, powder, or pill designed to induce an abortion. The overturn of Roe v. Wade, and its replacement with one of the strictest abortion laws in the country ignited a firestorm of outrage from pro-abortion forces that led to a series of legal maneuvers designed to keep the statute from coming back into effect. A case was brought in the Michigan Court of Claims by Planned Parenthood and an individual abortion doctor asking that the states legal officers and all those under their control be enjoined from enforcing the 1931 statute. The Court of Claims is a court created by the legislature to hear claims against the state. Representing the state of Michigan in the lawsuit was Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, who has stated publicly that she disagrees with and would not enforce the 1931 law she was called upon in this case to defend. Nessel stated that her office would continue to operate under the status quo prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. On May 17, 2022, Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher, a Democrat appointee, issued a 27-page preliminary injunction temporarily banning enforcement of MCL 750.14 to prevent harm to Planned Parenthood and the abortion doctor until their case could be tried on its merits and decided. Attorney David Kallman of the Great Lakes Justice Center told The Epoch Times in late June, The Court of Claims case is a sham and Nessel must be recused. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a first-term Democrat seeking reelection in November, also joined the legal fray by filing suit against 13 elected county prosecuting attorneys serving in the 13 Michigan counties that have an abortion clinic to prevent them from enforcing the abortion statute. Two of the local Republican prosecutorsJerry Jarzynka of Jackson County and Chris Becker of Kent Countyboth represented by Kallman, contended the injunction preventing them from enforcing existing state law was an undue interference with their prosecutorial discretion and would keep them from doing their sworn duty. Both Jarzynka and Becker stated that they would prosecute a violator of the 1931 law if the facts of the case presented to them merited it. In its Aug. 1 order, the Court of Appeals stated that the office of county prosecutor was created by the state constitution and that county prosecutors are officials elected locally and paid by the local government. They are not state officials, nor are they under the control of the attorney general. The court concluded, Because county prosecutors are local officials, jurisdiction of the Court of Claims does not extend to them Jarzynka and Becker are not and could not be bound by the Court of Claims May 17, 2022 preliminary injunction because it does not apply to county prosecutors. After the ruling, Kallman told The Epoch Times, This is a huge pro-life win. It is a great win for the rule of law and limiting judges to their proper jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals reaffirmed the independent authority of local prosecutors and upheld the Michigan Constitution. Michigans abortion statute is immediately in effect and enforceable by local prosecutors. Any claim that this order is not effective for 21 days is without merit, he said. On Aug. 2, a trial judge in Michigan issued an injunction against the 13 prosecutors barring them from enforcing the abortion statute. A court hearing has been set for Aug. 3 at 2:30 p.m. In this July 6, 2016 file photo, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks before introducing then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) Newt Gingrich Responds to Pelosis Trip to Taiwan, Calls Chinese Threats a Bluff Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) threats in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) trip to Taiwan are merely posturing. Speaking to Fox News, Gingrich said a similar scenario unfolded in 1997 when he visited both China and Taiwan. He was the last speaker to visit the self-governing island country. At the time, CCP officials invited Gingrich to deliver speeches in Beijing and Shanghai but their rhetoric changed when he mentioned visiting Taiwan. For decades, the CCP has claimed Taiwan is its territory despite it being a functionally democratic and independent state since 1949. Gingrich, a Republican, said that a deal was made for him to visit China to deliver speeches before visiting Japan and then Taiwan. He said the agreement was made in such a way that he wouldnt directly go from China to Taiwan. They backed down, he said Monday, referring to the Chinese regime. Their current bluff is just that. Look, they are harassing Taiwan every week. They are flying aircraft into Taiwanese space. They recently announced a live-fire zone off of Taiwan, he added. Theyre doing all they can to rattle the Taiwanese people, who are 24 million free people with a free election and a free news media, who produce, by the way, about 67 percent of the worlds high-value computer chips. So its a very important place. Arrival In a statement Tuesday, Pelosi confirmed that she and a congressional delegation touched down in Taiwan, saying the trip is focused on mutual security, economic partnership, and democratic governance. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) arrives in Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2022, in a still from video. (Taiwan Foreign Ministry, Pool via Reuters/Screenshot via NTD) In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom, she also wrote in another statement. About two-dozen Republican senators, meanwhile, issued a statement Tuesday in support of her trip. That included all members of the GOP leadership. The Chinese regime has warned Pelosi against visiting Taiwan on her trip to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. After it was confirmed the speaker arrived on the island, the regime announced it would hold live-fire drills in the sea around Taiwan starting Thursday. Taiwans Foreign Ministry previously declined to comment on whether Pelosi would come. The trip wasnt officially announced ahead of time. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday that the decision on whether to visit Taiwan ultimately belonged to Pelosi. Members of Congress have routinely visited the island over the years, he said. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, Kirby remarked. Military leaders have indicated that U.S. Navy forces would be positioned around the Pacific region. About a week ago, the Navy confirmed the USS Ronald Reagan strike carrier group was moved to the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan and China. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland testifies during the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency surrounding the government's use of the Emergencies Act in February, in Ottawa on June 14, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) Parliament Hill Carpenters Strike Costlier Than Freedom Convoy Protest: Public Works Document A document produced by Department of Public Works staff says the Freedom Convoy protest cost millions by slowing down construction work on Parliament Hill, but acknowledged that the effect of an unrelated carpenters strike was more substantial. According to Blacklocks Reporter, a staff briefing note titled Status of the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct says the protest stopped work on the Centre Block from January 28 to February 23, and that the cost of the delay is estimated at $3 million. The Centre Block and Peace Tower are closed until 2031 while they undergo a $5 billion refit. The Freedom Convoy protest cost about $190,000 per day, the briefing note says. However, Public Works said a strike by the Carpenters District of Ontario (ODCO) from May 9 to May 27 had a bigger impact. For three weeks in May several construction industry unions went on strike including crane, equipment and elevator operators, demolition labourers and carpenters, the briefing note reads. These strikes had significant impacts on construction projects across the province of Ontario including the Centre Block rehabilitation, it says. This strike action halted all major construction activity on site with the exception of the masonry rehabilitation on the Centre Block which continued to progress but at a much slower pace. Schedule and cost impacts are currently under review now that strike action has ceased and will be largely dependent on increases in labour rates, the note added, without providing figures. In a May 12 press release saying the strike would continue, ODCO acknowledged the severe consequences that this delay brings to Ontarios economy. Stalled infrastructure developments impact all Ontarians, the release said. The Epoch Times sought comment from Public Works and Government Services Canada but didnt hear back by publication time. The Freedom Convoy protest against federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates that began in late January ended after the government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to give the police additional powers to clear out the protesters and end the demonstration. Cabinet had cited economic harm as justification for invoking the Emergencies Act to deal with the Freedom Convoy protesters. While testifying at the special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency on June 14, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the core threat of the protest was to the countrys economy. Do you have the figures when it comes to giving us data on the economic impact of the blockade? Senator Claude Carignan asked Freeland during the committee meeting. I have many figures in my head, Freeland said. I want to point out, as minister of finance, that every hour and every day of the occupation and blockades hurt our economy. The economic impact was absolutely clearly there. NDP MP Matthew Green also asked Freeland for the specifics about the damage to the economy and whether it can be quantified. The economic impact to the region of Ottawa was clear, Freeland answered. I have had many conversations with Canadian business leaders. Thats not good enough, Green said. To date, cabinet has not detailed economic losses it deems were caused by the truckers convoy protest, Blacklocks noted. National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby answers questions during the daily briefing at the White House on Aug. 1, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Pelosi Aboard Military Aircraft Near Taiwan, White House Confirms Amid Escalating China Threats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is traveling through Asia aboard a U.S. military aircraft, the White House has confirmed less than a week after Chinese communist media personality suggested she should be shot out of the air. It is commonplace for the Speaker to travel aboard a U.S. military transport aircraft, said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a press briefing on Aug. 1. Thats very typical. Part of our responsibility is to make sure that she can travel safely and securely and I can assure you that she will. Kirby confirmed that the speaker is flying aboard a military aircraft, just days after a Chinese state-owned media personality said that Pelosi should be shot down if she flew to Taiwan with a military escort. Kirby did not specify if Pelosi had an armed escort in the air or not, but said that the White House, Pentagon, and national security team were monitoring the situation following increasingly hostile rhetoric from Beijing. Were going to watch this very, very closely, Kirby said. Were going to make sure that she has a safe and secure visit. Chinese communist furor of the trip has increased daily since it was first reported that Pelosi was considering making a stop in Taiwan amid her currently ongoing tour of Southeast Asia. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has since vowed forceful measures, and CCP leader Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that the United States was playing with fire. Kirby said that Beijings irresponsible rhetoric created tension without cause. The United States policy regarding Taiwan and China had not changed he said, and Pelosis rumored trip would be in line with previous trips made by U.S. officials to the democratically-governed island. The Speaker has the right to visit Taiwan and the Speak of the House has visited Taiwan before, without incident, Kirby said. As have many members of Congress, including this year. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a simple visit, consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or conflict, or to use it to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. Kirby warned that Beijings increasingly hostile rhetoric was raising the likelihood of a catastrophic miscalculation. He referenced the regimes 1995 and 1996 missile strikes in the waters around Taiwan, and said that similar strikes may happen again if Pelosi does, in fact, stop in Taipei this week. Its not so much that there may be a direct attack, but it raises the stakes of miscalculation and confusion which could also lead to unintended consequences, Kirby said. Kirby added that Chinas coercion and intimidation tactics went back years, and said the United States would be on the lookout for increased military provocations including air and naval activities and missile launches, as well as spurious legal claims over international waters. He said that Pelosis visit to Taiwan would in no way change the status quo between China, Taiwan, and the United States, and that the United States would not stoop to the level of threatening military action. Still, he said, the United States would remain committed to preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling, Kirby said. At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and skies of the western Pacific as we have for decades. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) walks with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (L) as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP) Pelosi Arrives in Taiwan Amid Beijings Threats of Military Violence House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Aug. 2, in spite of continued threats of violence from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its propaganda organs. Pelosi issued a public statement upon arrival in Taiwan, celebrating Taiwan and the United States shared commitment to democratic values in the face of adversity. Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy, Pelosi said in the statement. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. Pelosi also reaffirmed that the United States was in no way changing its long-standing policy on China-Taiwan relations, and would continue to abide by the status quo. The visit comes amid a multi-national tour of Southeast Asia that will also see the speaker visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. US Unfazed by China Threats The speakers visit to Taiwan has been in the works since at least April when she was expected to visit Taipei but could not due to a last-minute case of COVID-19. The CCP has subsequently turned the trip into something of a war drum and has issued a number of increasingly bellicose threats to Taiwan and the United States. Playing with fire will set you on fire, CCP leader Xi Jinping told President Biden during a phone call last week. Similarly, China state-owned media took to social media with a long list of provocative and, at times, violent posts about the trip. Most notably urging the Chinese military to shoot down Pelosis plane. If U.S. fighter jets escort Pelosis plane into Taiwan, it is invasion, said Xijin Hu, former editor of Chinas state-owned Global Times, in a tweet. The PLA [Chinas military] has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosis plane and the U.S. fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down. The threats follow a trajectory of escalating rhetoric emanating from Beijing in recent months, as the CCP attempts to strong-arm changes in U.S. policy without meaningful diplomatic engagement. In May, Chinas defense minister went so far as to threaten that the regime would not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost to prevent Taiwans further recognition as a nation on the international stage. U.S. leadership, for the most part, has taken the threats in stride. On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reiterated that the nation was not changing any policy regarding Taiwan. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a simple visit, consistent with long-standing U.S. policy, into some sort of crisis or conflict, or to use it to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, Kirby said. We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and skies of the western Pacific as we have for decades. The CCP has already begun punishing Taiwan for receiving Pelosi. The website of Taiwans president was hit with a cyber attack early in the week. That attack, meanwhile, was followed by a Chinese import ban on more than 100 Taiwanese food and agriculture firms. Despite the rhetoric and willingness to do harm, however, leaders from both Taiwan and the United States expressed solidarity in not caving to CCP demands. What kind of message would it send to other leaders of the free world if the Speaker of a major countrys legislative branch cancelled an unannounced trip to Taiwan because the PRC has threatened to use force against freedom-loving people on this beautiful island? said Wang Ting-yu, a Taiwanese MP, in a tweet. We have been clear from the very beginning that she [Pelosi] will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government, Kirby said. Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers. This is well known to the PRC, given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations. The Speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and a Speaker of the House has visited Taiwan before without incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year. Pelosi Arrives on Military Aircraft There were rumors that Pelosi was aboard a U.S. Air Force aircraft, SPAR19, which flew out of Malaysia Tuesday with no listed destination. The destination of the aircraft was updated to Taipei as it passed the Philippines. The plane caught the attention of anxious China-watchers, who flocked in the hundreds of thousands to track the aircraft. Flightradar24, a popular aircraft-tracking website, announced that the unprecedented interest in the aircraft caused a strain on its servers, temporarily making the website unavailable. It is commonplace for the Speaker to travel aboard a U.S. military transport aircraft, said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a press briefing on Aug. 1. Thats very typical. Part of our responsibility is to make sure that she can travel safely and securely and I can assure you that she will. It is normal for sitting members of Congress to visit Taipei, and such has happened multiple times this year. The last time a sitting Speaker visited Taiwan, however, was in 1997. Both the United States and China have subsequently maneuvered military assets into the region around Taiwan, belying the sense of tension felt by both nations. Many experts believe that the CCPs threats are hollow, and intended to do no more than affect U.S. policy without having to actually use diplomacy. Still, the White House warned that such situations can all too easily lead to miscommunication and catastrophic incidents. Its not so much that there may be a direct attack, but it raises the stakes of miscalculation and confusion which could also lead to unintended consequences, Kirby said Monday. Kirby added that the United States would be on the lookout for increased military provocations from the CCP, including air and naval activities and missile launches. He said there was a possibility that the CCP would repeat its actions from 1995 and 1996, when it launched missiles into the waters around Taiwan after it was announced Taiwans president would visit his alma mater in the United States. Chinese communist authorities have made a series of sweeping and bellicose threats toward the United States in an effort to deter Pelosis trip from happening, and it is unclear how far the regime can go with its rhetoric without losing face internationally. Chinese leadership fears that such trips will increase the ties between Taiwan and the United States and further legitimize Taiwan as an independent nation. The CCP claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, has never been under CCP control, and boasts a thriving democratic government and market economy. The flight tracking site Flightradar24 said Pelosis aircraft, a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-40C, was the most tracked in the world on Tuesday evening with 300,000 viewers. The plane took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. Pelosi has used her position in the U.S. Congress as an emissary for the U.S. on the global stage. She has long challenged China on human rights, including in 2009 when she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwans island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour in Singapore on Monday as her possible visit to Taiwan sparked jitters in the region. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the importance of stable U.S.China relations for regional peace and security during talks with Pelosi, the city-states Foreign Ministry said. This was echoed by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, who said stable ties between the two rival powers are extremely important for the international community as well. The Philippines urged the U.S. and China to be responsible actors in the region. It is important for the U.S. and China to ensure continuing communication to avoid any miscalculation and further escalation of tensions, said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwans government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the Communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds No-Excuse Mail-In Voting Law The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, divided along partisan lines, upheld the states 2019 mail-in voting law in a 52 decision on Aug. 2, which means that current mail-in balloting rules will probably remain in place for the upcoming Nov. 8 general election. The decision overturned a lower court ruling that had found that the mail-in voting law ran afoul of the Pennsylvania Constitution. All five Democratic justices supported the new ruling; both Republican justices dissented. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, hailed the ruling which he said definitively asserts that mail-in voting is a legal and constitutional method for Pennsylvania voters. Voting is a fundamental righta right that we should ensure is accessible for all voters, Wolf said in a statement. Mail-in voting is a safe, secure, and legal option for Pennsylvania voters to exercise that right. I will continue to advocate for voting reforms that remove barriers and increase access to voting. Mail-in voting in Pennsylvania has been questioned by former President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Republicans, who say it opens the door to voter fraud and chaos in the vote-counting process. According to official results, Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016 but lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Some Republicans say election irregularities in Pennsylvania cost Trump the state in 2020. The case goes back to 2019, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 77, which, among other things, amended the states election code to create universal no-excuse mail-in voting statewide. Before the act, voters had to establish that they fit the criteria of an absentee voter before being able to cast a ballot by mail. The legislation easily passed the state House of Representatives 13861 and the state Senate 3514. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Pennsylvania months later, voters, especially Democrats, took advantage of the laws stay-at-home voting provisions. In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden beat Republican Donald Trump by more than 31 among mail-in ballots, while Trump prevailed over Biden by 21 in votes cast in person on Election Day, according to a summary in the new court opinion. Two weeks after the election, Republican candidates filed a petition for review in the states Commonwealth Court seeking to halt the certification of the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. They argued that the Pennsylvania Constitution requires voters to vote in person on Election Day unless they qualified for absentee voting and asked the Commonwealth Court to block certification of the election results. That court preliminarily enjoined certification. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court stepped in and found that the challengers had waited too long to bring their lawsuit and threw out the lower courts injunction. The candidates then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, and it refused to do so. The case returned to the Commonwealth Court, which ruled 32 that the mail-in voting provision violated the state constitution. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on March 8 and issued its ruling on Aug. 2, reversing the lower court. The majority opinion was written by Justice Christine Donohue and joined by Chief Justice Max Baer, as well as Justices Debra Todd, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. Justices Sallie Mundy and Kevin Brobson both filed dissenting opinions. We find no restriction in our Constitution on the General Assemblys ability to create universal mail-in voting, Donohue wrote (pdf). More than one hundred years ago, this Court recognized that our Constitution mandates that elections be free and equal, but that the power to regulate elections is a legislative one, [which] has been exercised by the General Assembly since the foundation of the government. The General Assembly didnt overstep the bounds of this power when enacting the universal mail-in voting provision, she said. The Republicans who brought the legal challenge are expected to appeal the ruling. Pennsylvania Woman Arrested at Doctors Office, Denied Care Over Refusal to Wear a Face Mask Rayne Barton, 62, didnt expect that her first visit to the doctor in months would end in arrest, but there she was on July 22, in the waiting room with her wrists handcuffed behind her back. She would not be seeing the doctor that day. Barton, of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, would not leave as requested after she refused to wear a COVID-19 face mask, which is required at Hypertension and Kidney Specialists in Lancaster. Hypertension and Kidney Specialists is an independent practice with an office on the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Suburban Pavilion property. At the request of the office manager at Hypertension and Kidney Specialists, the East Hempfield Township Police removed Barton from the building, according to a criminal complaint. She was taken in a wheelchair, put in a squad car, and driven to the police department to be fingerprinted and photographed. On the way to the police station, the car rounded a corner and Barton fell on her side and hit her head on the car door. The officer looked in his rearview mirror, saw me gone, and he said, Are you okay? I said Yeah, Im just fine. And then I went to get myself up, and Im like, oh no, I cant get up, Barton told The Epoch Times. Her back is compromised due to spinal stenosis, and with her hands still cuffed behind her back, she was unable to pull herself up. They pulled over off the road to lift me upright in the back of the cruiser, she said. After she was processed at the police department, Barton was released and told that charges would arrive in the mail. She was charged with defiant criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, and must appear in court in September. It is unknown when she will see a doctor. Past Issue With Masks This wasnt Bartons first confrontation with medical office staff who told her she couldnt see her providers unless she wore a mask. The Epoch Times published a report in March 2022 about Bartons struggle to receive medical care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She is unable to wear a mask due to childhood trauma stemming from an assault during which she nearly suffocated. Barton has been banned from all Penn Medicine facilities since Feb. 17, 2022, because of the mask dispute. Since then, she has not seen a doctor nor had her prescriptions filled. Her pacemaker must be checked every four months but hasnt been looked at in over two years. However, she has tried to be seen by her long-time doctors. She is not sure where else to turn. When shes really needed medical care in recent months, Barton has called her former doctors offices and tried to set appointments, but until recently, the computer system wouldnt allow schedulers to add her to the calendar. Then one day, when she called to request an appointment at Hypertension and Kidney Specialists, the receptionist on the phone added Barton to the calendar on July 22 without issue, she said. Barton said she figured it would be OK to see the doctor again, and that it was a relief because she needed care. She did not intend to get arrested. But when she arrived at the office, it was the same situation as before. The office manager called the police because I wasnt going to leave. I was there for a scheduled appointment, Barton said. I was not going to be bullied into leaving. Extensive Medical Needs In addition to spinal stenosis, Barton has a painful cyst about the size of a grapefruit on the back of her knee that must be removed. She also suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney issues, and she has a pacemaker. Before she was banned in February, Barton had been seeing the same group of physicians for 40 years at Penn Medicine, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Barton was served without a mask a few times, but most offices refused her care without the mask. She was once offered the accommodation of taking a COVID-19 test in her car. If negative, she could have used a separate entrance for a planned medical procedure. But because the test involved a swab being pushed into her nose, Barton couldnt take the test and didnt have the procedure. A few times in late 2021, she entered medical offices without a mask and was told to mask up, but she refused. Barton explained her trauma history, which she had kept private for years, and demanded to be seen by her doctors. Office staff called the police once, but Barton was not arrested that time. Soon after that, Barton tried to set an appointment with a Penn Medicine doctor and the scheduler told her the computer would not let her. She could not get in to see her general practitioner, cardiologist, or any other doctors. In February 2022, Barton received a letter saying Lancaster General Health Physicians had terminated the providerpatient relationship. The letter stated: You have refused our offers to accommodate and have been rude and argumentative to staff. We no longer believe that we are able to work together regarding your health care needs. You are prohibited from being on the property or entering any LG health facility with the exception of Lancaster General Hospital emergency department. In the event of a medical emergency you may always seek care at Lancaster General Hospital emergency department. We will happily facilitate the transfer of your records to an alternative provider. But Barton didnt know where she could go when the medical providers in her community all required masking. She wanted to stay with the close-to-home doctors she had been working with for decades. They knew her case. Barton says she made 30 to 40 calls to Lancaster General Health CEO John Herman, but never received a return call or connected with him directly. Then in March, she got a letter from Kathryn Weinrich, executive director of legal services at Lancaster General Health, warning Barton that her calls to Herman were harassment and that she was to have no further contact with the organization. She was not to call or step foot in any facility related to the University of Pennsylvania Health System, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Lancaster General Health, and other named satellite offices. Trauma Survivor At age 5, Barton was playing with other little girls near the train tracks in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when a large group of teenage boys came upon the girls, separated them, and assaulted them. They threw Barton down on her back in the dirt. Two boys held her legs, and another sat on her waist and held her down at the elbows. Barton recalls how they put their fingers down her throat and smashed dirt in her face, up her nose, and in her ears. They stepped on her face, then flipped her over and rubbed her face in the dirt. She recalls how she couldnt breathe and thought she was going to die. There was a police report at the time. After that, her parents moved out of the neighborhood to get away from the scene of the crime. The attack left an imprint in Bartons mind to always protect her face. She has discomfort when shes pulling a shirt over her head and it takes too long to slip past her face. Turtlenecks are out of the question because they are too restrictive. She never wore a Halloween mask, and before sleeping, she makes sure the blanket is clear from her face. She has sought counseling through the years but still guards her face and avoids situations that would require her to cover it. Once COVID-19 mask requirements were implemented, she stayed home, except to see the doctor. Accommodations for Trauma Survivors Trauma-informed care is not a new concept. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a 2014 booklet, titled SAMHSAs Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. It describes a trauma-informed approach to care, including ensuring that individuals feel physically and psychologically safe, share in decision making about their care, are able to self-advocate, and are offered service that is healing and responsive to their traumatic experiences. The Epoch Times asked Penn Medicine to describe its current masking policy and any trauma-informed services for survivors of rape, child abuse, and other trauma. Penn Medicine did not respond. But the regional health care provider is not unfamiliar with trauma-informed care, and it trains others on how to care for trauma victims. Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health offered a 2019 community training titled, Trauma 101: Understanding Trauma, Resilience and Trauma Informed Care. A July 19, 2021, press release announced that the City of Lancaster and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health jointly received a $300,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to Build a trauma informed Lancaster City. The grant was for Penn Medicine to train community groups using a dedicated Lancaster City trauma-informed training specialist. A trauma informed community strives to do no harm and recognizes past and ongoing traumas such as historic and structural racism, exclusion, isolation and the chronic, daily stressors of concentrated poverty and exposure to community violence, the Penn Medicine press release said. Penn Medicine LG Health has served as the backbone organization convening the community and providing education and training on the impact that positive and adverse childhood experiences have on health and well-being, and steps organizations can take on the path to become trauma informed. Polio Found in New York Wastewater as State Assesses Virus Spread WASHINGTONThe polio virus was present in wastewater in a New York City suburb a month before health officials there announced a confirmed case of the disease last month, state health officials said on Monday. The discovery of the disease from wastewater samples collected in June means the virus was present in the community before the Rockland County adults diagnosis was made public July 21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an emailed statement that the presence of the virus in wastewater indicates there may be more people in the community shedding the virus in their stool. However, the CDC added there have been no new cases identified, and that it is not yet clear whether the virus is actively spreading in New York or elsewhere in the United States. Officials said it appears the patient had a vaccine-derived strain of the virus and spread it, reported AP. Laboratory tests also confirmed the strain in the case is genetically linked to one found in Israel, although that did not mean the patient had traveled to Israel, officials added. The CDC said genetic sequencing also tied it to samples of the highly contagious and life-threatening virus in the United Kingdom. The patient had started exhibiting symptoms in June, when local officials asked doctors to be on the lookout for cases, according to the New York Times. There is no cure for polio, which can cause irreversible paralysis in some cases. New York officials have said they are opening vaccine clinics to help unvaccinated residents get their shots. Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is the only polio vaccine that has been given in the United States since 2000, according to the CDC. It is given by shot in the leg or arm, depending on the patients age. Polio is often asymptomatic and people can transmit the virus even when they do not appear sick. But it can produce mild, flu-like symptoms that can take as long as 30 days to appear, officials said. The New York State Department of Health told Reuters that based on available evidence, it was not able to conclude for certain whether the positive polio samples stemmed from the case identified in Rockland County. Shampoo. Shaving cream. Deodorant. Makeup. Hair dye. Perfume and cologne. These and dozens of other products may be in your shower, gym bag, or medicine cabinet. But do you know whats in them? Could any of their ingredients be risky for your health? Personal care products, including cosmetics, are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But theyre not treated like drugs. They dont have to be approved by the FDA before they go on the market. So companies dont have to prove that personal care products are safe or effective before selling them, says Dr. Alexandra White, who studies chemicals and health at NIH. The exceptions are personal care products that treat or prevent health conditions. These must be FDA-approved before they go on the market. Examples include sunscreen and anti-dandruff shampoo. But overall, cosmetics are one of the least regulated sets of consumer products out there, says Dr. Ami Zota, an environmental health researcher at Columbia University. The FDA monitors products for potential safety issues once theyre on the market. It takes action when needed to protect public health. Researchers are working to better understand the health effects of common ingredients in personal care products. Theyre also developing better and faster ways to test such ingredients for safety. Whats in That Bottle? Most ingredients in personal care products are in a category known as generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, explains Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer, a computational toxicologist at NIH. But certain chemicals that may cause health problems can be found in many of these products. How much youre exposed to is often what makes a chemical harmful. The amount thats safe varies for each. The general classes were concerned about include phthalates, parabens, PFAS, and metals like lead, says White. Other problem chemicals include triclosan and triclocarban. These are included in many personal care products to prevent bacterial and fungal growth. Many chemicals of concern, including phthalates, parabens, PFAS, and triclosan, are endocrine disruptors. These are compounds that can mimic or interfere with the bodys hormones. Theyve been linked to problems with the brain, development, and reproduction. Some have also been linked to a higher risk of certain cancer types. Metals like lead and mercury can also be toxic. They can cause damage to the brain. Another ingredient to look out for is formaldehyde. It is found in some hair products or created when hair products are heated. Formaldehyde exposure has been linked with cancer. Talc is also a common ingredient in cosmetics. Talc is used in a lot of powders, including face powders, Zota says. Its generally recognized as safe by the FDA. But talc can sometimes be contaminated with asbestos, which is linked to cancer. The FDA has been testing for asbestos (link is external) recently in many talc-containing products. It can be hard to figure out if a product contains potentially risky ingredients. You can avoid some of these chemicals by looking for them on the product label. But they can have many names and abbreviations. Sometimes the names of specific chemicals dont appear on the label at all, but theyre still in the product. Fragrance is one example, says Zota. Something listed as fragrance can be a mixture of thousands of chemicals. Looking for fragrance-free products can help lower your exposure to many unknown ingredients. Which Chemicals Are Risky? Most personal care products are mixtures of many different chemicals. This can make it hard to link specific products to health problems. But researchers have found some worrying trends. Weve seen [a link] between frequent hair straightener use and cancer risk, says White. So far, this has included breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Her team has also found a link between the use of permanent hair dye and breast cancer. The risk was especially high for Black women. To help make safer products, better tests are needed to understand how chemicals affect the body over the long term. Kleinstreuer is working on a team thats developing new methods to test chemicals in human cells instead of animals. The tests are like taking a chemical fingerprint, she explains. First, the team measures changes that happen in cells after they are exposed to chemicals with known effects. Then, they test a new chemical. If it produces changes similar to a known one, scientists can assume it affects the body in a similar way. For example, we know excess inflammation is bad. And we can [measure] cell markers of inflammation. If a chemical causes [those markers] to increase, we know thats a bad thing, Kleinstreuer says. Inflammation that lingers over time can cause health problems. Her team hopes to eventually use these types of tests to predict which chemicals may be harmful for long-term exposure. Her team is also using engineered skin tissue to develop better tests for allergy and irritation. These models are being widely used to predict short-term side effects from chemical exposures, including those in cosmetics. Buyer Be Aware Trying to keep potentially risky chemicals out of your daily life can help you and your family stay healthier. But there are times that you may want to be even more cautious. People can be more vulnerable to chemical exposures during certain times in their lives. One of these is pregnancy, says White. Its a time when the breast tissue is going through rapid changes and might be more susceptible to cancer-causing chemicals. Even small levels of some of these chemicals can impact fetal development and growth, Zota says. Early childhood and puberty are other times when people may be more susceptible to endocrine disruptors, she adds. If you have questions about any personal care products, talk with your health care provider. Personal Care Product Precautions Follow the directions in personal care product packages. Pay attention to all caution and warning statements. If any cosmetic or personal care product causes irritation, stop using it immediately. If the irritation persists, see a doctor. Dont share your cosmetics. This can transfer harmful germs. Dont use old cosmetics. Dont use any cosmetics near your eyes unless theyre intended specifically for that use. Avoid color additives for use near the eye that are not FDA-approved. Never dye your eyebrows or eyelashes. This can hurt your eyes or even cause blindness. Keep hair dyes out of the reach of children. Never mix different hair dye products. Adapted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration References Hair dye and chemical straightener use and breast cancer risk in a large US population of black and white women. Eberle CE, Sandler DP, Taylor KW, White AJ. Int J Cancer. 2020 Jul 15;147(2):383-391. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32738. Epub 2019 Dec 3. PMID:31797377. Use of hair products in relation to ovarian cancer risk. White AJ, Sandler DP, Gaston SA, Jackson CL, OBrien KM. Carcinogenesis. 2021 Oct 5;42(9):1189-1195. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgab056. PMID:34173819. Personal care product use among diverse women in California: Taking stock study. Dodson RE, Cardona B, Zota AR, Robinson Flint J, Navarro S, Shamasunder B. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021 May;31(3):487-502. doi: 10.1038/s41370-021-00327-3. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID:33958707. Racial/ethnic disparities in environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals and womens reproductive health outcomes: epidemiological examples across the life course. James-Todd TM, Chiu YH, Zota AR. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2016 Jun;3(2):161-180. doi: 10.1007/s40471-016-0073-9. Epub 2016 Mar 31. PMID:28497013. Two-dimensional cellular and three-dimensional bio-printed skin models to screen topical-use compounds for irritation potential. Wei Z, Liu X, Ooka M, Zhang L, Song MJ, Huang R, Kleinstreuer NC, Simeonov A, Xia M, Ferrer M. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020 Feb 21;8:109. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00109. eCollection 2020. PMID:32154236. An integrated chemical environment with tools for chemical safety testing. Bell S, Abedini J, Ceger P, Chang X, Cook B, Karmaus AL, Lea I, Mansouri K, Phillips J, McAfee E, Rai R, Rooney J, Sprankle C, Tandon A, Allen D, Casey W, Kleinstreuer N. Toxicol In Vitro. 2020 Sep;67:104916. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2020.104916. Epub 2020 Jun 14. PMID:32553663. Reflections on 40 Years as a Talk Show Host Commentary This week marks my 40th year as a radio talk show host. I believe I have talked withnot to, withmore people than any living human being. Obviously, some people have talked to more people than I have. The Chinese head of state talks to more people in a one-minute address to his nation than I have spoken to in 40 years. But I cannot think of anyone alive who has talked with more people than I have. Even a therapist who has talked with 10 people a day for 40 years has talked with fewer peoplebecause therapists talk to the same people repeatedly. I have almost always talked with different people. Being a talk show host has therefore given me a unique laboratory to study the human condition. This is especially true in my case. I talk about many subjectspolitics is only one of them. I just as often talk about men and women, religion, happiness, children, and just about everything else of importance. This human laboratory has taught me an immense amount about the human condition. Here are just a few examples: No. 1: There are a lot of lonely people. Ironically, talking to so many people has made me aware how many people do not have friends, people with whom they can freely share their thoughts. I thought lonely people were rare. What Ive discovered is that people with real friendships are rare. No wonder the UK has a Minister of Loneliness. No. 2: Without talking with so many people, I would surely be less wise. Callers (and letter-writers) have made me a wiser person, and for this I am in their collective debt. One of my favorite examples is the woman who called my show to discuss the topic of one of my weekly Happiness Hours (the second hour each Friday): Can you be happier than your least happy child? She told me (and millions of listeners) that she had a miserable daughter in her 30s who had made her (the callers) life miserable. But one day she reached a conclusion: I didnt break her; I cant fix her. I profusely thanked that caller for helping countless people at that momentand many more who have or will hear me quote her on the radio and in speeches. No. 3: Without talking with so many people, I would not know which of my views are outliers. For example, decades ago, I said I would rather my teenage son smoke tobacco than weed. Virtually no caller agreed with me thenor nowon this subject. No. 4: I have learned how true the dictum, Never underestimate peoples intelligence and never overestimate their knowledge, is. I have spoken to any number of foolish peoplemeaning, people with foolish ideasbut I have almost never spoken to a person I thought had a low IQ. In other words, the problem with peoples thinking is not that they lack the ability to absorb complex and deep subjects; it is that they do not think clearly. No. 5: The single most important quality in communicating is being interesting. This is obvious when you first hear it, but if you ask someone to fill in the blank: The single most important quality in communicating is most people will not think to say being interesting. It is the one thing that characterizes all talk show hosts. Left or Right, whether they talk about politics, finances, sports, or anything else, they are interesting. If you are not interesting, you lose your audience, and then you lose your job. No matter how important what you have to say is, you must first hold peoples interest. This is true regarding every form of communication. Take music, for instance. I have always wondered why I prefer one pianists performance of a Beethoven sonata to another pianists, or one persons conducting of a Beethoven symphony to anothers. After all, they are playing or conducting the exact same notes. Thanks to my realization of the most important quality in being a talk show host, I finally realized why I preferred one musicians performance to another: The performance I preferred held my interest more, even if I didnt like the interpretation as much. They say that radio has a limited future. I have been hearing this for 40 years. It may be true, yet the talk radio audience remains many times larger than that of Fox News. Should it gradually be replaced by podcasts, it will be a lossas much as I appreciate podcasts and do two of my own. Hearing the voices of your fellow citizens in addition to that of the host and guests is of great importancethough I always tell beginning talk show hosts to end calls with a certain type of caller as quickly as possible: the ones that arent interesting. Even after 40 years, I love this job. To be able to tell millions of people what I think about just about everythingand be paid well to do sois a gift. I am a lucky man, and I hope my listeners feel they, too, are lucky. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Two drones manufactured by Chinese company DJI fly near each other in Miami on Dec. 15, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Remote ID Law for Civilian Drones Does Not Violate the Fourth Amendment: DC Circuit Court A federal appeals court ruled unanimously in favor of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday, stating that the mandatory remote identification of civilian drones does not violate the Constitution and that free-for-all drone usage is a threat to public safety. The remote ID rules require drones to provide location and identification information during flight, which the FAA likens to a digital license plate. For drones that lack a built-in mechanism for remote ID, operators can attach an external module. The FAA argued in the case that the remote identification would address safety, national security, and law enforcement concerns regarding the further integration of these aircraft into the airspace of the United States. With remote ID, law enforcement can identify the control station of a drone if its flying in a prohibited area or in an unsafe manner. Tyler Brennan is a personal drone user and owner of a RaceDayQuads, a store dedicated to first person view drone racing. Participants in FPV racing attach cameras to the front of their drones and race them while viewing their progress from the video feed. Brennan filed a lawsuit against the FAA over the remote ID rules, claiming that law enforcement agencies could use the ID information to keep drone users under continuous surveillance, thereby violating the Fourth Amendment. Even if an operator used the drone from a private place like their own home, remote ID would reveal their location and identity, Brennan argued. He also set up a GoFundMe page to finance the lawsuit, collecting $83,100 in donations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a 30 decision on July 29, with Judge Cornelia Pillard writing the opinion (pdf). Drones are coming. Lots of them. They are fun and useful. But their ability to pry, spy, crash, and drop things poses real risks, Pillard stated. Free-for-all drone use threatens air traffic, people and things on the ground, and even national security. The judge went on to say that the limited, local, real-time information that will be shared in accordance with the remote ID law is a far cry from the continuous surveillance the Supreme Court has held violates reasonable expectations of privacy. Remote ID Rule and Security The remote ID rules were finalized in January 2021 and added to the federal register two months later. The FAA gave manufacturers 18 months after that to start production of standard commercial drones with remote ID capabilities, and all new commercial drones must be manufactured in compliance with the law starting Sept. 16, 2022. Sara M. Baxenberg, an attorney representing the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing in favor of the remote ID rules. The question of who owns the airspace in the age of drones will continue to play out across a variety of fora. But Im pleased the DC Circuit upheld the Remote ID rule, thus eliminating what would have been a regulatory roadblock to additional enabling regulations for drones, Baxenberg said in a Twitter post after the ruling. The court decision comes as Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) have recently introduced legislation that would boost government authority to counter any threats posed by drones, such as when drones are flown near airports, sometimes disrupting flight schedules. Reuters contributed to this report. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a Republican, addressed a gathering in Tempe, Ariz., on July 28, 2022 in support of his endorsement of Karin Taylor Robson (L) as Arizona governor in the primary on Aug. 2. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Republican Candidates Make Last-Minute Pitches Ahead of Arizona Primary TEMPE, Ariz.Listening to their campaign rhetoric, youd think the race for Arizona governor came down to an epic struggle between good and evil. Barbs were flying this past weekend between current front-runner and former Obama Democrat turned Republican Kari Lake and Establishment RINO (Republican In Name Only) Karrin Taylor Robson, as both pulled out all the rhetorical stops at final campaign events. On July 29, Robson held a Town Hall-style press conference at 21st Century Healthcare in Tempe along with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Over 200 America First supporters gathered at a campaign event for Trump-endorsed candidates in the Arizona primary on Aug. 2. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Christie, who chaired then-president Donald Trumps Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission, and Trumps former vice president Mike Pence both have endorsed businesswoman Karrin Robson. For Arizonas next governor, Trump has thrown his support behind former Fox10 anchor Kari Lake. Its only if youve known someone for a decade and truly believe in them that you would get on a plane this morning in New Jersey and fly out here to Arizona, Christie told about 30 people at the gathering. Actions are what matters. And what Ive seen from Karrin over the 10 years Ive known her are actions that tell me shes a leaderfirst and foremost. Im involved in this primary because there is no comparison in my mind between Karrin and Kari Lake. Ive been following this campaign closely for the past few months, and I dont know who [Lake] isworse, I dont think she does. Robson, whose husband is billionaire Ed Robson, alluded to eight past and present U.S. state governors who have endorsed her candidacy, saying they know better than anybody what it takes to be a governor. Weve got a lot of momentum. My opponent doesnt like where we are right now. I started this race essentially at zero early this year, and now we are tied, and we have all the wind in our sails as we go into next weeks election. We fully anticipate victory next week. Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for Arizona governor, reacts to the crowd as she walks onto the stage to speak at a Save America Rally in Prescott, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo) What you get with me is who I am and Ive always been. You dont have to worry about me changing my stripes. Its not going to happen. On July 31, Lake regaled in a party-like atmosphere at Whiskey Roads in Tucson in the final hours before the Arizona primary on Aug. 2. Over 200 America First supporters filled the bar and restaurant to hear Lake speak at the campaign event. This is a big warning about whats happening on Tuesday Aug. 2, Ill tell you that, Lake said to a cheering audience. I dont think they had crowds this big back in 1776. Lake said that if elected, she would hold herself accountable to the voters. Im going to promise you a lot of things, but one thing Im going to promise you for sure: I will not, as Arizona governor, take any cues from your Socialist-Communist mayor (Regina Otero, a Democrat) in Arizona. Regarding her candidacy, Lake said, Im up against a billionaireactually, her husbands a billionaire. Shes spending more money than ever in a statewide race in the history of this country to try to defeat us. Were not going to let her win. Arizona is not for sale and cant be purchased. Were going to send them a message. Other speakers included Blake Masters, an Arizona GOP candidate for U.S. Senate; Abe Hamadeh, GOP candidate for Arizona secretary of state; former director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell; and Kash Patel, former principal deputy to the director of national intelligence and chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense. People to Decide In a recent survey, OH Predictive Insights showed Lake with a sizeable lead in the polls51-33 percent, according to KTAR. Though skeptical of polls, Joseph Moreland of Tucson said hes still confident in a clean sweep on Aug. 2. You never know, depending on where you hear it. I believe Kari is ahead because shes for the people, Moreland told The Epoch Times while seated with friends at Whiskey Roads. I like what Kari is saying right now. As far as her past [as a former Democrat], it doesnt bother me. Some of our greatest presidents have changed parties. Felix Moreira of Arizona said America First candidates Lake, Masters, Hamadeh, and Mark Finchem, a candidate for Arizona secretary of state, will do a marvelous job if elected. I think theyre going to beat them. The people that Trump endorsed are going to help turn this country around. Thats my gut feeling, Moreira said. Moreira counted himself among the early voters in Arizonas primary election. Anybody that Trump endorsed, thats who I voted for, he told The Epoch Times. After listening to the speakers, Peter Andrews of Tucson waxed philosophical in his belief in an innate yearning for liberty. The most precious thing in the world is your freedom and your right to self-determinationeveryone in this room has thatand you cannot stop it, Andrews told The Epoch Times. Does he think the Arizona primary will be fair and honest? No way, Andrews said. I think theyre going to cheat their [butts] off. They have to. Theres no other way. Theyve locked themselves into an agenda where theres no reasonableness, and any reasonable person cannot vote for it. I think it would be a [GOP sweep] if we walked in there with paper ballots. Thats why they must have the mail-in ballot. Victoria Stephens of Tucson said shes excited now after hearing the America First speakers on issues she considers essential in this election. Now that Ive heard them, I know Im going to pick the right candidates. They all say the same things. They all have the same goal in mind, which is to save our country, Stephens told The Epoch Times. Researchers in the salt flats of Utah were driving to a prehistoric open-air hearth site when they spotted what were determined to be unshod human footprints dating back to the late stage of the ice age, some 12,000 years ago. Located in the Air Forces Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), the tracks were picked out by Thomas Urban, from Cornell Universitys Tree-Ring Laboratory. Stopping to look, they saw what are called ghosts tracksfootprints that appear suddenly for a short time, when moisture conditions are just right, before disappearing. It was a truly serendipitous find, Urban told Cornell University. Urban and Daron Duke, of Far Western Anthropological Research Group, soon found more tracks that were invisible nearby. Footprints discovered at an archaeological site are marked with a pin flag on the Utah Test and Training Range. (Courtesy of R. Nial Bradshaw via Cornell University) The researchers returned the next day, and Urban employed a novel application of technology for geophysical research to scan the area. Surveying one of the two sets of tracks using ground-penetrating radar, he revealed the existence of unseen tracksa method he helped refine while exploring a more extensive, older set of human footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Excavating a subset of the tracks, Duke confirmed the hidden footprints and that they were barefooted, locating and documenting 88 prints altogether. As was the case at White Sands, the visible ghost tracks were just part of the story, said Urban. We detected many more invisible prints by radar. While traditional archaeology relies on the discovery of bones and tools, which are hard to interpret, human footprints offer unequivocal evidence of human presence and insight into human behavior in remote ages. A ground-penetrating radar image shows several footprints from the Utah site. (Courtesy of T. Urban via Cornell University) The footprints of adults and children at UTTR give insight into family life at the time of the Pleistocene, when the region of Utahs Great Salt Lake desert looked much different. Based on excavations of several prints, weve found evidence of adults with children from about five to 12 years of age that were leaving bare footprints, Duke stated in an Air Force press release. People appear to have been walking in shallow water, the sand rapidly infilling their print behind themmuch as you might experience on a beachbut under the sand was a layer of mud that kept the print intact after infilling. Wetland conditions have not existed in the Great Salt Lake region for 10,000 years, Duke added, which supports the hypothesis that the trails are over 12,000 years old. Now, additional research is being conducted to confirm the find. Detail of a footprint discovered in the Utah Test and Training Range. (Courtesy of Cornell University) The footprints were discovered a half-mile from another site, where Duke previously located two open-air hearths in the UTTR, dating to the end of the ice age. One of these yielded the earliest known evidence of human tobacco use. We found so much more than we bargained for, Anya Kitterman, Air Force cultural resource manager, said of the groundbreaking discovery. The earliest evidence of human migration into the Americas was found at White Sands where, imprinted in the mud on the margins of what once was a shallow lake, now part of the Alkali Flat, were the footprints of teenagers and children with the odd adult. The oldest of these tracks dates back some 23,000 years ago. Previously, it was thought that humans reached America around 16,000 years ago, after the melting of the North American ice sheets; the footprints in New Mexico tell a different tale. Although the Utah site may not be as old or as extensive as the one at White Sands, it offers opportunities for discoveries of broader significance. We have long wondered whether other sites like White Sands were out there, and whether ground-penetrating radar would be effective for imaging footprints at locations other than White Sands, since it was a very novel application of the technology, said Urban. The answer to both questions is yes. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Samsung and TSMC Initiate 3nm Chip Production Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics both recently announced they will start mass production of 3-nanometer (nm) chips in the second half of 2022. Semiconductor industry experts believe that chip yield is the key to success. Samsung announced on July 25 that it will mass produce 3nm chips based on gate-all-around (GAA) technology. And TSMC CEO Dr. C.C. Wei revealed at the April 16 corporate briefing that the companys 3nm process, based on the older FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) technology, will be ready for mass production in the second half of 2022. Samsung stated on its official website that its GAA technology defies the performance limitations of FinFET, improving power efficiency by reducing the supply voltage level, while also enhancing performance by increasing drive current capability. Samsung is initially targeting the 3nm chips at high performance, low power computing application customers and plans eventually to expand to mobile processors. New vs. Old Technology As for why TSMC chose not to introduce GAA for 3nm chips, financial expert Hsu Chin-huang told The Epoch Times that it is because TSMC uses FinFET to suit its customers. As chipmaker TSMCs customers are IC designers who have used FinFET for product development and design for many years, they are very familiar with FinFET-based chips. Hsu further pointed out that the development and design of a chip requires a high investment costabout 100 million to 200 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $3.3 million to $6.65 million). The research and development of new GAA technology require a higher development cost and more time. Once the R&D is initiated, there are numerous uncertainties and risks. Hsu revealed that TSMC also has GAA technology, and according to patent queries, TSMC actually has more GAA technology patents than Samsung. It is expected that TSMC will introduce GAA in the next stage, because 2nm chips need to achieve an even smaller linewidth, which may require the use of GAA. The Race Between Samsung and TSMC As for Samsung, its announcement of new technology may attract customers, which is also an opportunity to build a stronger tie with existing customers, Hsu said. According to a survey by TrendForce, a market research organization, TSMC accounted for 53.6 percent of the global foundry market, followed by Samsung with 16.3 percent, in the first quarter of 2022. Liu Pei-chen, researcher and director of the Industrial and Economics Database of the National Taiwan Academy of Economics, told The Epoch Times that Samsung hopes to use GAA to overtake TSMC in the 3nm chip process, mainly because TSMC has monopolized the orders of Apple, its major customer, for application processor foundry in recent years, so Samsung hopes to regain the orders from Apple. Samsung has not announced the first batch of 3nm customers. Liu noted it seems that only one Chinese cryptocurrency company and Qualcomm have placed orders so far. Speaking of chip yield, Liu believes that with the new GAA technology, the difficulty for Samsungs chip research and production is relatively higher. Very likely it is not easy to improve yield rate in the short term. It may not be until 2024, 2025, or even when the technology is applied at the 2nm stage, that the yield rate can be improved, he said. However, during a recent interview, Greg Roh, head of HMC Investment & Securities Research Center in Seoul, told Yonhap News Agency that Samsung has solid fundamentals and capabilities to drive technological advances. As far as I know, Samsung has improved the yield rates for 3nm chips much faster than market expectations and has been adding new customers fairly quickly, he said. The headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington on May 12, 2021. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly/File Photo) SEC Charges 11 People in $300 Million Global Crypto Pyramid Fraud The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged 11 individuals for creating a crypto pyramid and Ponzi scheme that raked in over $300 million from millions of global investors, including those from the United States. In January 2020, Mikhail Sergeev, Sergey Maslakov, and Jane Doe, also known as Lola Ferrari, launched the website Forsage.io, which allowed retail investors to carry out transactions using smart contracts that operated on the Binance, Tron, and Ethereum blockchains. Investors made profits by recruiting more people into this scheme, with Forsage using assets from new investors to pay older investors. Forsage is a fraudulent pyramid scheme launched on a massive scale and aggressively marketed to investors, Carolyn Welshhans, Acting Chief of the SECs Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, said in an Aug. 1 press release. Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains. Despite facing cease-and-desist actions from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines in September 2020 and the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance in March 2021, Forsage continued operations while denying the charges it was facing. Individuals charged by the SEC include four founders of Forsage, three U.S.-based promoters engaged by the founders to promote Forsage, and multiple members from Crypto Crusaders, the biggest promotional group for Forsage that operated in the country. The complaint has been filed in the District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, with the individuals being charged with violating the registration and anti-fraud provisions as listed in federal securities laws. The SEC is seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, and disgorgement. Cryptocurrency Regulation There is a push to tighten regulations and oversight of crypto markets in the United States. In June, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) unveiled a bill to regulate cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. The draft version of the bill, S.4356, proposes legal definitions for virtual currencies and digital assets. Fully decentralized cryptocurrencies would be regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) while digital assets classified as securities would be overseen by the SEC. In May, the SEC announced the addition of 20 positions to the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit that is responsible for protecting crypto market investors. By nearly doubling the size of this key unit, the SEC will be better equipped to police wrongdoing in the crypto markets while continuing to identify disclosure and controls issues with respect to cybersecurity, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a May 3 press release. In a report published on July 18, the FBI issued a warning to U.S. investors and financial institutions about cyber criminals potentially targeting them with fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. The agency identified 244 victims of such schemes who have collectively lost $42.7 million. Sens. Paul, Hassan to Lead First Ever Congressional Hearing on Gain-of-Function Research Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are set to lead the first congressional hearing on gain-of-function research as part of his ongoing efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing, scheduled for Aug. 3, comes amid intensifying Republican scrutiny on whether a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) caused the pandemic, as well as possible U.S. funding ties to the gain-of-function research at the facility. Gain-of-function involves enhancing a virus to make it more potent or transmissible. Titled Revisiting Gain-of-Function Research: What the Pandemic Taught Us and Where Do We Go From Here, the hearing will be held by the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committees Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight, of which Hassan and Paul are chair and ranking member respectively. More than two years since the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, international efforts to investigate the origins of the pandemic have produced little, largely due to the Chinese regimes persistent refusal to allow independent investigators to access crucial health data from the early stages of the pandemic and records from the WIV. But the U.S. State Department and experts have flagged circumstantial evidence pointing to a lab leak from the WIV as a possible source of the pandemic, including evidence of WIVs gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses, reports that staff members became sick with symptoms consistent with both seasonal flu and COVID-19 in the fall of 2019, before the Chinese regime acknowledged the outbreak, and that a WIV public database of 22,000 samples and viral sequences was taken offline in September 2019 before the onset of the outbreak. Gain-of-function research has historically been supported by tax dollars both domestically and internationally; as such, this hearing lies at the intersection of the subcommittees two primary jurisdictional responsibilitiesmonitoring emerging threats and conducting oversight of federal spending, said an emailed statement from Pauls office. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) had previously suspended funding of all gain-of-function projects citing the dangers of the research, the senators office noted, but this was lifted in 2017 after a special review committee was established to manage the risks. However, serious questions remain about whether that protocol is sufficient to protect the U.S. and the world from the potential negative consequences of this research, the statement continued. Moreover, the debate over what gain-of-function research is and what it is not, is not settled. The NIH has drawn rising criticism from Paul and other Republican lawmakers for its funding of research conducted at WIV via New York-based health nonprofit EcoHealth, including one grant that amounted to what some experts have described as gain-of-function research on bat coronavirusesan allegation denied by NIH leadership. The hearing comes a week after Paul sought to introduce an amendment to the $280 billion CHIPS Act that would ban all U.S. funding of gain-of-function research in China. The move was objected to by Democrats, even though the Senate had previously unanimously agreed to the measure in a 2021 version of the bill. In remarks on the Senate floor, the Kentucky senator said theres a great deal of evidence that this pandemic arose out of the [Wuhan] lab. The emergence of COVID serves as a reminder that dangerous research conducted in a secretive and totalitarian country is simply too risky to fund, Paul said on July 26. Witnesses at the Wednesday hearing include Dr. Richard H. Ebright, laboratory director of Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Dr. Steven Quay, chief executive officer at Atossa Therapeutics, Inc., and Dr. Kevin M. Esvelt, assistant professor of Media Arts & Sciences of MIT Media Lab. This article was updated to include Sen. Maggie Hassans role in the hearing as chair of the subcommittee. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Chinas blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng and Geng He, the wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, discuss the challenges of living in a repressive China. (L to R) David Kramer, Freedom House; Edward McMillan-Scott, vice president of the European Parliament; Chen; translator; and Geng He. (Gary Feuerberg/ The Epoch Times) Shanghai Allegedly Turns Down Visually Impaired People Seeking Financial Help from Government On June 1, Shanghai lifted its draconian COVID-19 lockdown that began in late March, during which production activities were halted, businesses shut down, and residents were barred from leaving their homes. Since June, representatives from 78 massage parlors in Shanghai have gone to local authorities six times seeking financial help, but were rejected and brutally treated, they told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times in recent interviews. They are employees and business owners of massage parlors, most of whom are visually impaired or blind. Giving massages, for many of these people, is their singular choice of vocation and only way to earn a living. This group of vulnerable people has historically been neglected by the Shanghai authorities, and they are banned online or on other channels, according to one of the representatives. Violently Treated by Police: Massage Parlor Owner Mr. Liao (a pseudonym) is the owner of a massage parlor in Pudong District, Shanghai. He recounts what happened when the group visited the local authorities after they tried in vain to get help from the local government. Liao said in a phone interview with The Epoch Times on July 27 that most of the 78 massage parlors were shut down under the stringent zero-COVID policy and that many of them are on the brink of bankruptcy. They hoped that they could be granted rent subsidies, pandemic subsidies, and approval for immediate resumption of work by the local government, as it had allowed other businesses to do. Since the end of March, there hasnt been much business due to the lockdown measures, Liao said. Thinking that the local Disabled Persons Federation (DPF) would help them, he and five business owners, went to the DPF Shanghai office on June 6, June 14, and June 21, seeking help, but to date havent received any assistance from either the DPF or the local government. When there was no offer of help, on June 29, about 50 massage parlor owners and blind masseurs went to the DPFs Shanghai office. People also went to the DPF on July 6, and July 27, to see leaders from the DPF and state their difficult situations. They [local police] did not allow us to enter the building, Liao said. He recalled that there was a visually impaired woman whose toe was jammed by the gate and bleeding. Her foot had a bone fracture, but she didnt receive any medical treatment, and she was unable to walk for over a month. Shes still in a wheelchair, Liao said. The police tricked us into entering a nearby courtyard by saying that the DPFs leaders would meet us in that compound. After we got to the compound, they locked us in there. A dozen police stayed inside, and another dozen police were outside, Liao said. He told the publication that they were not allowed to take photos or shoot videos of what was happening. They were kept behind closed door for three to four hours, and not allowed to go out to get some lunch. Ninety-nine percent of us blind people or people with visual impairment rely on giving massages for a living; we dont have any other employment option. An attendant gives a massage to a senior citizen in an elder care center on Oct. 16, 2007, in Chongqing, China. (China Photos/Getty Images) We are self-sufficient and work hard with our own hands, and we usually do not seek help from the Disabled Persons Federation (DPF). This time due to the lockdown, we have no way to survive; we are bankrupt, Liao said. But we need help; without help, we are not even able to leave our homes. Many a time we open our eyes wide, trying in vain to see the beauty of the world and see the difference between sunrise and sunset. Now the police bully us like that, Liao said sadly. He told The Epoch Times that their online posts and video footage have been removed from Chinas online platforms. According to video footage that The Epoch Times has access to, a group of people held banners outside an office building, chanting We disabled people need subsidies, we need to survive, we want to see leaders of the DPF. But they were shoved, dragged, and pushed by police. Blood can be seen on the ground in the video footage. The Epoch Times is not able to verify the authenticity of the footage. An online statement, dated July 15 and allegedly posted by the Shanghai DPF, claimed that it responded to the request by the massage parlor owners and employees on June 24, offering help to them. But Liao told The Epoch Times that it was fake news. A piece of fake news came out on July 15th, saying that they had done good deeds for the blind people, that they had paid their rent and done good deeds. Actually, nothing, Liao said. The Epoch Times reached out to the Shanghai DPF on July 27, and the woman who answered the phone asked our reporter to leave contact details but didnt provide any information. There has been no reply from the Shanghai DPF as of the publication of this article. The Status Quo of the Visually Impaired in China: Reports There are 17.31 million people with visual impairment in China, according to official data from the China Association of the Blind, which was established in 1953. This group of people is probably the most neglected and unheard group in China. The Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, published an article in July 2021, titled 9 Facts About Disability and Poverty in China. The article states that unemployment, lack of education, poor access to healthcare, and discrimination are among the numerous challenges these vulnerable people face in China. A mentally handicapped child waits to get dressed after bathing at the Wang Jiayu Orphanage that was set up by a farmer in Sanshilipu Village of Anhui Province, China. In a recent report by Human Rights Watch group, 28 percent of disabled children are not receiving the basic education they are entitled to. (China Photos/Getty Images) The Beijinger, a Beijing-based China news portal, published a report in June 2022 on the history of blind massage in Beijing, which acknowledges that people with blindness and visual impairment, one of the largest disabled groups in China, still lack access to employment opportunities. It says that blind massage in the country dates back to the 1950s and that massage parlors emerged across the country in the 1990s. Giving massages is a way out of poverty and unemployment for some people with visual issues. However, there is still a way to go before this group can enjoy the same freedom of work and daily life as people without disabilities, the article says. Another report, published in January 2022 in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, reveals that the Chinese government promoted employment of people with visual impairments at the start, but, as the system of the blind massage gradually took shape, it restricted these individuals from choosing a career freely. It finds that the Chinese governments blind massage policy is discriminatory and calls on China to promote institutional reforms to provide better education and employment for people with visual impairments. Zhao Fenghua and Gu Xiaohua contributed to the article. Prime minister of the Solomon Island Manasseh Sogavare (C) arrives for the opening remarks of Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva on July 12, 2022 (William West/AFP via Getty Images) Solomons PM Forces National Broadcaster to Censor Content That Creates Disunity Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has ordered the national broadcaster of the Solomon Islands to cease broadcasting content critical of his government. The move crystallises ongoing warnings that corrupt Pacific leaders willwith the backing of Beijingsteadily erode their countrys democratic institutions in a bid to stay in power. According to the Island Sun newspaper, the acting chair of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), William Parairato, broke the news to staff on July 28, saying all content going forward had to go through a vetting process to make sure it does not create disunity. The SIBC has recently hosted paid talkback programmes with the National Council of Women, Transparency Solomon Islands, and opposition leader Matthew Waleall have been critical of current Prime Minister Sogavare and a recent decision to extend parliamentary terms from four to five years. Parairato admitted to staff that he was unclear on the future of these programmes but stated that they would all need to be vetted. Ongoing Pressure to Tow the Party Line The move comes as the broadcaster endures sustained pressure from the Solomons prime minister. In late July, Sogavare removed the media group from the governments schedule of state-owned enterprisespotentially affecting future funding streams. As a national broadcaster, SIBC is expected to conduct its business in such a manner that instils unity amongst our people, he told the Solomon Islands Parliament in response to a question from the opposition leader. However, in recent times, that was not the case. He further claimed the media was inciting anxiety in the public using misinformation and deliberate lies. Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has responded, saying it was aware of the recent developments. Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) greets Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (R) during a bilateral meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva, Fiji, on July 13, 2022. (Armao/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) A free and independent media is vital to building strong communities and ensuring democratic accountability, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times. Australia supports the development of a diverse, independent and professional Pacific media sector. The government will engage closely with Pacific counterparts through the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy, as we build on existing training programs for Pacific journalists. Australia already funds the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme, which provides content and infrastructure support. The Breaking Down of the Solomons Democracy The latest developments in the South Pacific nation come amid concerns Beijing is waging all-out entropic and unrestricted warfare to gain a foothold over the region. South Pacific expert Cleo Paskal said instigators like the Chinese Communist Party try to leverage every area it can, including cyber, economic, political, legal, and media, to destabilise a government. Those weapons are used to weaken the target country from the inside and to fragment and create disorder in the target country so that it is less able to withstand Chinese influence, Paskal told The Epoch Times. That process of creating instability and fragmentation can be described as creating a state of entropyof political, social, and economic entropywhere things start to just break down. And in that state of disorder, China can create a new order with itself and its proxies at the centre. Meanwhile, leaders like Sogavare, or Vanuatus Prime Minister Bob Loughman, will leverage these conditions to extend their hold on powerthey already face intense pressure domestically and could lose upcoming elections. Loughman only recently triedand failedto invoke sweeping changes to the countrys Constitution to extend the term limits of government and also allow foreign nationals to hold office. In the case of the Solomons, the prime ministers decision to force its national broadcaster to self-censor content is another step toward weakening the countrys already fragile democratic institutions and prolonging his time in office. Sogavare has also managed to assuage international concerns over a security deal with Beijing that opens the door for weapons, troops, and naval ships to be stationed in the region. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he was very confident that a military base would not be established following a visit to the island. One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific, he told the Today Show in mid-July. We need to be prepared to listen to what they have to say, be prepared to assist in their development. Special Counsel Durham May Personally Try Danchenko Case, Court Filing Indicates Special Counsel John Durham has indicated he will personally argue before the court his case against Igor Danchenko, a source for the infamous Steele dossier whos facing multiple charges of lying to the FBI. Durham filed a Notice of Appearance with the federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Aug. 1, which suggests he will present the case to the court himself, rather than leaving the task to his staff attorneys as before (pdf). Durham was the only one speaking for the prosecution during the cases status conference before the court on Aug. 1, Epoch Times on-scene reporter Terri Wu confirmed. The Danchenko trial is the last one Durham has lined up unless he files more indictments. Durham indicted Danchenko, a Russia analyst formerly with the Brookings Institution, in November 2021. Danchenko was paid in 2016 by former British spy Christopher Steele to collect dirt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Steele was in turn hired through business intelligence firm Fusion GPS to collect dirt on Trump by the campaign of Trumps opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Danchenko told the FBI some of the most explosive information he provided Steele came from Belarus-born real estate agent Sergei Millian, which was false, Durhams indictment said. Millian never spoke with Danchenko. Longtime Clinton operative Charles Dolan admitted to the FBI that he provided (and fabricated) some of the information that Danchenko passed on to Steele. Other unsubstantiated allegations came from Danchenkos former schoolmate Olga Galkina. Durham was tasked around March-May 2019 with reviewing the 20162017 FBI investigation of alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to sway the election. The investigation didnt establish any such collusion. In August 2020, Durham indicted former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith for altering a CIA email to say that former Trump campaign aide Carter Page was not a source, when in fact he was providing information to the agency. The message was then used as a part of an application to extend surveillance of Page. FBI Director Christopher Wray admitted that the surveillance based on the extension was illegal. Clinesmith pleaded guilty and in January 2021 received a year of probation and 400 hours of community service. In October 2020, then-Attorney General William Barr appointed Durham as special counsel. In February 2021, Durham resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor after 35 years with the Department of Justice (DOJ), where he handled some of the most prominent investigations of FBI misconduct. In September 2021, Durham indicted Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who in 2016 represented the Clinton campaign, for lying to the FBI. Sussmann approached then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in September 2016 with information about a supposed secret communications channel between Trump and Russia-based Alfa bank. FBI cybersecurity personnel looked into the allegation before dismissing it. Sussmann allegedly told Baker he didnt come representing any client, when in fact he was billing the time to the Clinton campaign. Sussmanns lawyers attacked the indictment for relying on a single witnessBakerbefore Durham revealed a message from Sussmann to Baker explicitly saying Sussmann was reaching out not representing any client. Baker, however, provided the message to Durham too late for it to be fully used in the trial. Sussmann was found not guilty. A member of the U.S. Army places American flags on a grave at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25, 2017. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Suicide Rates Among US Army Soldiers Highest in More Than 80 Years The U.S. Army lost 176 active duty soldiers to suicide in 2021, figures show. According to combined data from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office and a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, thats the highest number of active duty Army member suicides on record since 1938. Suicide rates within all military branches have continued to rise since 2015. Compounding this trend is the number of U.S. soldiers and veterans who have taken their own life in post-9/11 wars. Members of the 182d Infantry Regiment load their weapons with live ammunition before heading into the field to train at US Fort Dix in New Jersey on May 16, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso /AFP via Getty Images) Brown University published a study indicating that 30,177 active duty members and veterans have committed suicide. By comparison, the number of soldiers actually killed in post-9/11 war operations is 7,052. Some experts say physically and mentally demanding industries like the military put people at an elevated risk for developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Its one of the few mental health disorders that can be linked to a specific event. PTSD can also occur when you experience constant high-stress situations, Dr. Danielle McGraw told The Epoch Times. McGraw is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of Flourish Mental Wellness in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has also worked with both active and veteran military members struggling with PTSD. She says when people are feeling stressed, it can lead to feelings of hopelessness about their situation, which can spiral into thoughts of self-harm. Another contributing factor is feelings of shame, which often factor into someones decision to take their own life. Feeling Like a Pawn U.S. Army veteran Jonah Nelson told The Epoch Times that discussion of military suicides is often a shunned topic. A former Army engineer, Nelson was deployed to Iraq and Saudi Arabia during the U.S. Gulf War operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the early 1990s. He wasnt surprised to learn that his service branchs active duty member suicide rates are at a historic high. As of now, they dont have any reliable method of fixing us, he said. Further, Nelson noted that soldiers are often put in situations that can take a harsh toll on mental health. He remembers how members of his platoon had to extract human remains from bombed-out vehicles. Nelson says the soldiers involved returned to the base at the end of the day looking different. I guess you just dont talk about that kind of stuff, he said. Mental health experts have heard concerning commentary from other military veterans in recent years. Dr. Tracy Latz is an integrative psychiatrist and author with 35 years of experience dealing with suicide risk and PTSD suffering patients. She told The Epoch Times feelings of a lack of purpose also contribute to the problem. Veterans I have seen over the past few years report feeling like they and their comrades were used primarily as pawns for governmental political power rather than feeling [a] sense of real purpose in their duties. Red Flags Compounding this, service members isolation and loneliness while stationed overseas or deployed to combat zones can be crushing. A Blue Star Families Military Lifestyles survey from 2021 shows eight out of 10 active duty respondents have been separated from their families in the past 18 months. Moreover, 31 percent have been away for six months or longer. The Department of Defence (DOD) began releasing an Annual Suicide Report in January 2019 as a means to track the escalating problem. The department is fully committed to preventing suicides in our military community. Every death by suicide is a tragedy, the DOD posted on its website for the office of suicide prevention. Combined with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and United Service Organizations (USO), free tools like crisis hotlines for military members struggling with mental health are available 24 hours a day. The USO also offers services to deployed military members like Super Bowl parties, shared meals, and movie nights to help increase social connectivity and reduce feelings of isolation while overseas. Latz noted that people suffering from PTSD could be dealing with an array of symptoms like poor sleep, flashbacks, and intrusive memories of the trauma they experienced. Suicide rates within all military branches have continued to rise since 2015. (Bumble Dee/Shutterstock) This can lead to a fight-or-flight reflex, or situations that mimic the circumstances of their trauma. Becoming hyper-vigilant to perceived danger is another symptom of PTSD. Though symptoms of someone grappling with thoughts of self harm are not always easy to spot, there are some red flag signs to watch for. The main contributors to suicide are hopelessness and shame, so if someone is talking about feeling hopeless and like things will never change, that is a red flag, McGraw said. Other red flags for suicide include increasingly isolating yourself, getting rid of things, especially important things, not sleeping, calling people to say goodbye or telling them how much they mean to them, and increased alcohol or drug use. McGraw notes that those symptoms alone dont necessarily indicate a person has PTSD or is considering suicide, but suggest someone is struggling with their mental health and needs help. Nelson says that traumatic, survival-based scenarioslike those often encountered by members of the militaryrewire your brain and how it functions daily. It wears at you [PTSD]. It has both short-term and long-term effects, and were seeing that, he said. Both the VA and the DOD declined to comment when contacted by The Epoch Times. Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri (R), an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda terrorist group, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir (not pictured) in an image supplied by Dawn newspaper on Nov. 10, 2001. (Hamid Mir/Editor/Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn/Handout via Reuters) Terrorism Experts Reveal Major Problem After Biden Announces CIA Killing al-Qaeda Leader While terrorism experts praised the CIAs killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, they noted that it means the terrorist group has returned to the war-torn country where they allegedly planned the 9/11 attacks. On Monday evening, President Joe Biden announced Zawahiri was killed and that justice has been delivered. The Al-Qaeda leader became the head of the terrorist network following the death of former leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. Amid last years chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, Biden declared that al-Qaeda is out of Afghanistan and added that in 2001, the United States invaded the country for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistanas well asgetting Osama bin Laden. And we did. Analysts and some U.S. military officials have warned that the pullout from Afghanistan as well as the Taliban takeover of the country would possibly again turn it into a hotbed for Islamic terrorism. Biden noted that Zawahiri moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family earlier this year, suggesting that the Taliban-ruled government did little to prevent him from returning to Afghanistan. What It Means Max Abrahms, an international security professor, wrote that Zawahiris death was not the categorical win Biden says. As he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House in Washington, Aug. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP) The Taliban was supposed to prevent Al Qaeda leaders from hiding out there for goodness sake, Abrahms wrote on Twitter, referring to assurances that were given by Biden administration officials last year. After the killing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the Taliban of violating an accord between the group and the United States by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri in Kabul. In the face of the Talibans unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls, Blinken said in a statement. After a decade of evading extensive U.S. intelligence operations, Zawahiri was ultimately killed on a balcony in a wealthy downtown neighborhood of Kabulit just shows what a drastic sense of empowerment al-Qaeda leadership has felt under Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, wrote Rita Katz, the head of SITE Intelligence Group. The killing of Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri will be sold as a counterterrorism success. But that narrative masks the undeniable truth that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is a safe haven for Al Qaeda, Bill Roggio, a terrorism analyst at the Long War Journal, wrote on Twitter. He noted that Zawahiri was killed in Kabuls Sherpur neighborhood, inside a home run by a deputy of Sirajuddin Haqqani, adding, Sirajuddin is of course one of two deputy Taliban emirs as well as the interior minister. Zawahiri could not operate in Afghanistanparticularly in Kabulwithout the consent of the Taliban. He wasnt in the remote mountains of Kunar, Nuristan, or Nangarhar, or distant provinces of Ghazni, Helmand, or Kandahar, Roggio wrote. He was in the Talibans capital. You may have heard that breast milk is best. But what makes it so good for babies? Breast milk fills your babys health needs. Researchers are now learning more about whats in it and how it changes as babies grow. Breastfeeding is the gold standard for feeding infants, says Dr. Dan Raiten, an NIH expert on childhood nutrition. Human milk provides nutrients and other compounds that babies need to grow and develop. These include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Experts recommend that infants drink human milk exclusively for the first six months of life. If possible, they should continue drinking human milk, from the breast or thats been pumped and placed in a bottle, for up to 12 months. Parents can add in other foods starting around six months. Breastfeeding (sometimes called chestfeeding) lowers an infants risk for developing asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, ear infections, gut infections that cause diarrhea or vomiting, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It also benefits the mother, potentially lowering her risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. It helps the parent-infant bonding process, too. Human milk also provides infants with protection from germs. A babys immune system is not yet developed. So they dont have many germ-fighting molecules, called antibodies. Breast milk passes the mothers antibodies to the baby. This helps protect the child from germs until their immune system develops. Breast milk contains many other biologically active components, too. Human milk is not just a composite of individual components, Raiten says. Its an active biological system. The lactating (milk-producing) parent and infant interact and affect one another. That means whats in human milk can change, even over the course of the day. Take the molecules that regulate your bodys biological clocks, or circadian clocks. Your body has different amounts of these depending on the time of day. They signal when its time to wake, eat, and sleep. These are passed along to the baby through breast milk. Researchers are just beginning to understand how milk composition affects babies short-term and long-term health. To learn more, NIH started the BEGIN project. This project is trying to untangle the biology behind milk production, how milk affects babies development, and how babies and their environment influence this system. Some lactating parents dont produce enough milk or may have physical issues that block milk from coming out. Others may be advised against breastfeeding if theyre taking certain medications or drugs or when they have certain illnesses. For those who cant breastfeed, formula is an option. Formula is based on our best knowledge about the composition of human milk, Raiten says. And that knowledge continues to evolve. If you can do it, breastfeeding is the best way to take care of your baby, says Raiten. If youre having trouble, talk with your health care provider. Getting Started Breastfeeding Cuddle with your baby skin-to-skin right after giving birth if you are both healthy. Breastfeed as soon as possible after giving birth. Ask for a lactation consultant at the hospital to help you. Ask hospital staff not to give your baby pacifiers, sugar water, or formula, unless medically necessary. Let your baby stay in your hospital room all day and night so that you can breastfeed often. Try not to give your baby any pacifiers or artificial nipples until theyre good at latching on to the breast (usually 3 to 4 weeks old). Learn your babys hunger signs. They may become more alert and active. They may put their hands or fists to their mouth, make sucking motions, look around for the breast, or cry. References Human milk as chrononutrition: implications for child health and development. Hahn-Holbrook J, Saxbe D, Bixby C, Steele C, Glynn L. Pediatr Res. 2019 Jun;85(7):936-942. doi: 10.1038/s41390-019-0368-x. Epub 2019 Mar 11.PMID: 30858473. The Censoring of The Epoch Times Commentary There was great drama over the weekend when Twitter, without explanation then or now, suddenly started labeling all content from the domain of The Epoch Times as unsafe. The page to which the reader was referred was once reserved for sites that are malicious or spammy or otherwise represent a technological threat. Years ago, users appreciated such warnings as a way of warding off malware that could harm our machines and local networks. That very screen was deployed, in violation of user trust, in service of outright censorship. It apparently began at 8pm, July 28, 2022. I noticed it shortly thereafter when trying to post an article I had written for Epoch. Anyone who clicked on it was immediately sent this warning. Readers alerted me and I quickly ran some tests to find that the entire domain had been subject to banning. We are aware that Twitter has marked all links to https://t.co/copOc5TSA6 as "unsafe." We believe this is a mistake and we have submitted a review to @TwitterSupport. pic.twitter.com/UyFqoiaUkq The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) July 29, 2022 This warning message is quite devastating because it reflects poorly on both the poster and the destination domain, as if both are involved in some nefarious effort to compromise the security of the personal computer or smartphone. Its not true of course but the accusation alone does damage. Twitter never explained its actions, to users or to The Epoch Times. The uproar against the action began immediately, Readers went into public revolt, and three U.S. Senators joined in the outcry. Within 24 hours, and again without explanation, the warning was removed and life went back to normal. Still, Twitter has posted no apology, explanation, or otherwise communicated about the incident at all. If it was some kind of mistake, one might expect that Twitter would say so. That is not the case. Perhaps someone there really did believe that it would be no big deal if one of the worlds most important independent news and commentary voices would be blocked by its platform. If so, that reveals much about the bubble the administrators there truly do inhabit, as if Epochs many millions of readers the world over dont matter. The readers response showed otherwise. So Twitter reversed itself, likely on the calculation that such egregious impositions would do more harm to Twitters reputation than it would achieve in terms of information control. That the platform wants such control is beyond dispute. I have dozens of earnest friends who have posted on egregious pandemic policies who have been blocked. Just how much has Twitter become captured by ruling-class interests in government? Substantially. We do have a First Amendment, and this is supposed to erect some kind of legal barrier against government actions that would censor speech. But what if government figures out how to muscle and otherwise work with private institutions to achieve the same end? What does the law say about that? Maybe we will find out in the course of time. Recently released emails from America First Legal have revealed an incredible hand-in-glove relationship between the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and Twitter, along with Facebook and Google. All the top tech people in each institution know each other and agree that any narrative outside the one of their own crafting deserves to be excluded from the public sphere. Its strange to read through the 260 pages of email exchanges. They all consider themselves to be on the same team. For them, there is no distinction between public and private control, between markets and power, between Big Tech and government. They have presumed identical interests that set ruling-class priorities against dissident voices, whom they treat as nothing more than pests wrecking the party. The Epoch Times has been the worlds major reporting voice in covering virus-related matters in a fact-based, objective manner, chronicling the sketchy origins of the virus as well as the harms of lockdowns and vaccine mandates. This has only been one piece of the coverage that diverges from corporate media priorities. The media venue has also reported fairly and honestly on the fakeries behind Russiagate as well as the wild hype over the supposed insurrection of January 6. The topics covered here include the ongoing world economic crisis that is given only muted attention by the corporate press. But its not only that. Epoch also offers rich and varied video content that includes news reporting, live musical performances, intelligent conversations with scientists and scholars, deep documentaries, and also high-end content on art, culture, fashion, history, and so much more. The motto of the media empire is Truth and Tradition and that means scrupulous and fair journalism above all else. But it also means never condescending to the readership. It treats readers as intelligent. Subscribers can tell the difference immediately: it is a voice focused on actual reporting versus the partisan manipulation to which weve become accustomed. This is hardly the first attempt to block The Epoch Times from influencing the public mind. The institution has been around for 22 years. Like many such venues in the old days, it had a winning economic model that relied on reach from social media giants like Facebook. There was a time when no one really imagined that this would become a danger to independent voices. Then Facebook turned, and Google too: they started demonetizing then finally banning impressions and links. This caused a dramatic scramble at Epoch as they had to decide whether to shut down or innovate. They decided to adopt a paid model not because they wanted to charge but because they had to survive. But it is a dicey proposition in a world where people get extremely fussy about paying for news services. It works for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and others, but would it work for Epoch? After some quick programming and hard hustle, the model went into place. And, remarkably, it worked. These days, users have become accustomed to paying for value on the internet. Even though I write daily for Epoch (Im very grateful for the vast reach my content has), Im more aware than ever of the value of independent and professional news reporting. Epoch has revived what otherwise seems nearly to have died. And clearly, people are willing to pay for that information. The narrative of our lives is shaped by the ideas we hold in our head, the substance of which comes down to the information to which we have access. This is precisely why the ruling class is so incredibly and vociferously focused on controlling it. Censorship is the tribute that would-be despots give to the power of ideas to disturb their plans and confound their aspirations to control the world. The war of ideas in the long run is the only one that matters. If we are to make good decisions about the kind of world in which we want to live, we need the open access to the widest possible conversation. There was a time when most everyone believed that. These times are no more. As Twitters shot across the bow of The Epoch Times reveals, a free society and a free press go together. The enemies of freedom know this, and so too must its friends. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. On a family outing to the beach near her home in Peru, a woman came across a little dog sitting all alone and watching the ocean. As it turned out, there was a sweet, sad story behind his sea-gazing. Jolie Mejia, 23, of Lima, first saw the dog on the nearby sandy shores of Punta Negra on Feb. 27. He approached, and was friendly. Mejia, a marketing student, told The Epoch Times that the dog didnt seem to be abandoned because his fur looked nice and he had a green ribbon around his neck. She thought his owner must be elsewhere on the beach, or swimming in the sea. He was really calm and had a peaceful look in his eyes, Mejia recalled. At first, he laid down with us but kept his distance. After a few minutes, I started petting him and taking photos, until a local man passed by and recognized the dog. The man told Mejia that the little dogs name was Vaguito, meaning vagrant in English. I thought he was his owner, she said. I said something like, Hey, dont worry, Im giving you back your dog! in a friendly way, but then he said Vaguito was not his dog. He said Vaguito was a really popular dog on the beach; every local neighbor knew him and loved him. It was then that Mejia learned the sad story behind the dogs seaside vigil. Vaguitos owner, a fisherman, had passed away about a year before, and the loyal dog returned to the shore every day, waiting patiently for his boat to come in. He got excited every time he saw boats or other fishermen in the sea, Mejia said. I felt really moved by his story. He was such an angel, it broke my heart that he would never find his owner again, and at the same time, his love inspired me very much. Mejia asked the local resident she met at the shore if Vaguito needed a home, but he assured her that neighbors were taking good care of the dog, providing him with food, shelter, and medical care. The green ribbon around his neck had come from the local vet. Mejia had another idea; she would share Vaguitos story on social media in hopes of encouraging her friends to visit the lonely dog. I thought that was the only way to help him, giving him as much love as possible, she reasoned. Taking Vaguito away from that beach would probably harm him more than helping him. His home and purpose was now there. Mejia took to Twitter to share the lonely pups tale. This beautiful baby impacted me on the beach. A man told us that this is his home now his owner was a fisherman who passed away a while ago, she wrote, as translated from Spanish. Since then, he stares at the sea every day, and gets excited every time he sees boats. The tweet went viral. Thousands responded with love and empathy for the little dog and the human he lost. Mejia has not returned to Punta Negra since meeting Vaguito and doesnt know how he is doing. Nonetheless, she thinks it is important for all people to realize that a human companion means everything to a dog. Their love is infinite, she told The Epoch Times. I hope that this story inspires people to take care of their pets, and give them all the love they deserve. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter (Left) Eric Greitens in New York on May 7, 2012. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Robin Hood Foundation); (Right) Eric Schmitt in Poplar Bluff, Mo., on July 30, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Trump Endorses Eric in Missouri GOP Senate Primary Race Former president Donald Trump has officially thrown his support behind Eric in the Missouri primary, which has pitted former Missouri governor Eric Greitens against Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt, among other candidates. Yet the particular Eric he endorses remains unclear, in what may be one of Trumps craftiest endorsements yet. There is a big election in the great state of Missouri, and we must send a MAGA champion and true warrior to the U.S. Senate, someone who will fight for border security, election integrity, our military and great veterans, together with having a powerful toughness on crime and the border. We need a person who will not back down to the radical Left lunatics who are destroying our country. I trust the great people of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that Eric has my complete and total endorsement! Trump wrote. I guess Trump enjoys being a comic, Mark McCloskey, another candidate in the race, told The Epoch Times on Aug. 1. Greitens responded on Twitter by accepting Trumps remarks as an endorsement: Honored to have the support of President Trump! We will MAGA! pic.twitter.com/NljSJqEQG5 Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) August 1, 2022 So did Schmitts election team: President Donald Trump Endorses ERIC SCHMITT for U.S. Senate Statement from @Eric_Schmitt: It is truly an honor to have President Trumps endorsement in the Senate race. pic.twitter.com/WkHi6o0qDE Team Schmitt for US Senate (@Schmitt4Senate) August 1, 2022 It is truly an honor to have [former] president Trumps endorsement in the Senate race. As the only America First candidate in this race, I have fought for election integrity, fought to secure our borders by pushing back on Bidens reversal of [former] president Trumps remain in Mexico policy, suing, and winning to ensure Title 42 stays in place and suing to finish [former] president Trumps border wall, and the only candidate who has taken on the radical Left lunatics who want to indoctrinate our kids in school, Schmitt told The Epoch Times on Aug. 1. Greitens election team includes many Trump insiders. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former adviser to Trump and fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., serves as Greitens for US Senate National Chair. General Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, and Dennis Prager have also endorsed Greitens. Trump first announced he would endorse a candidate earlier in the day on Aug. 1, following weeks of speculation. In a July 31 post on Truth Social, the former president hinted at some measure of opposition to Schmitt. Wow, great dishonesty in politics. Too bad! Trump wrote of a Breitbart News article. That article details a poll linked to Schmitts team. It claims that unnamed strategists think the poll understates support for a Trump run in 2024. Despite his Trumpworld advantage, Greitens has been hindered by a series of scandals. The former NAVY Seal and Rhodes Scholar served as Governor of Missouri before resigning in 2018, following allegations of financial and sexual misconduct. The subsequent investigation of Greitens by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has itself been engulfed in controversy. A former FBI agent involved in the effort pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of evidence tampering, while Gardner herself recently faced a reprimand for her actions from the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel. In March of this year, Greitens ex-wife, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, accused him of domestic abuse during 2018 in an affidavit. In a July 22 interview with The Epoch Times, Greitens asserted that her claims amounted to a false allegation, tying them to what he describes as behind-the-scenes machinations by the Republican establishment. Trump made headlines in July when he definitively stated he would not offer an endorsement to Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), another top candidate in the primary. Primary candidates that Trump endorsed this election cycle have enjoyed overwhelming success, according to Aug. 1 statistics from Ballotpedia. Ninety three percent of those Trump has supported have gone on to victory in their respective primaries. Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately described Trumps endorsement. He has not named which Eric he endorsed. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks during the second Conservative Party membership hustings in Exeter, England, on Aug. 1, 2022. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) Truss: Scotlands Nationalist Leader Is Attention-Seeker and Should Be Ignored UK Conservative leadership contender Liz Truss has called Scotlands pro-independence First Minister Nicola Sturgeon an attention-seeker who should be ignored. At the leadership hustings on Aug. 1, the foreign secretary criticised Sturgeons push for another independence referendum. In the first independence referendum held in 2014, the Scottish electorate voted 5545 percent to reject independence and remain part of the UK. But Sturgeon, who is also leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), announced last month she is planning to hold another independence referendum on Oct. 19, 2023. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at a press conference to launch a second independence paper at Bute House in Edinburgh on July 14, 2022. (Andrew Milligan Pool/Getty Images) Truss, who has ruled out another plebiscite if she becomes prime minister, took aim at the first minister. Shes an attention-seeker, thats what she is, Truss said. What we need to do is show the people of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales what we are delivering for them and making sure that all of our government policies apply right across the United Kingdom, she added. Always Moaning Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, an ally of Truss, voiced support for her characterisation of the Scottish nationalist leader. He told Sky News on Aug. 2: When shes waffling on endlessly about having a referendum and going to the Supreme Court and all of this, we need to be saying, Hold on, youre doing this because youre failing to deliver for the people of Scotland, and the United Kingdom government will have to deliver for the people of Scotland as well. I think shes very often wrong, shes always moaning, and we need to focus on how the Union benefits people, he added. Nationalist Outrage SNP ministers reacted angrily to Trusss statement. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the foreign secretarys attack on Sturgeon is completely and utterly unacceptable. He told the BBC, People in Scotland, whatever their politics, will be absolutely horrified by the obnoxious remarks that Liz Truss has made. Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said Trusss comments were petty jibes, but warned that the Tory leadership hopeful is carrying out an all-out assault on devolution. Child of the Union Truss was born in England but spent time in the Scottish town of Paisley as a youngster. She has described herself as a child of the Union and has vowed to defend the United Kingdom. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Truss said that she will work to strengthen and defend the union. If she succeeds Johnson as prime minister, she said, there will be no second Scottish independence referendum on my watch. PA Media contributed to this report. The United States kills the leader of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, according to President Joe Biden. He authorized a drone strike that took out the terrorist leader. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with members of Malaysias parliament ahead of an expected visit to Taiwan. We talk to an expert from Taiwan on what her trip could bring about. Eastern Kentucky flooding claims 37 lives. The president has declared a major disaster. And new storms are now moving through the same area. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses reporters during a news conference in New York on June 8, 2022. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo) UN Secretary-General Warns World Is One Misunderstanding, Miscalculation Away From Nuclear Annihilation The world is facing a nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War, and humanity is just one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. The U.N. chief issued the stark warning in New York on Monday at the opening of the Tenth Review Conference for countries signed up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). During the conference, Guterres pointed to some of the current challenges facing global peace and security, noting that the world is under greater stress from climate change issues, conflicts around the world, human rights violations, and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Geopolitical tensions are reaching new highs. Competition is trumping cooperation and collaboration. Distrust has replaced dialogue and disunity has replaced disarmament. States are seeking false security in stockpiling and spending hundreds of billions of dollars on doomsday weapons that have no place on our planet, Guterres said. We have been extraordinarily lucky so far. But luck is not a strategy. Nor is it a shield from geopolitical tensions boiling over into nuclear conflict, he continued. The U.N. chief noted that there are currently nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons being held in arsenals around the world. Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation, Guterres said before urging nations to put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons. The NPT is an international treaty that came into force in 1968, a few years after the Cuban missile crisis, and is aimed at reducing nuclear weapons and weapons technology globally. Treaty Needed as Much as Ever A total of 191 states have joined the treaty, including the five biggest nuclear powers. However, India, Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan have not signed the treaty and are suspected of harboring, in some cases, huge amounts of nuclear weapons. The review of the treaty happens once every five years but was delayed in 2020 because of COVID-19. It will run through Aug. 26 this year. Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of the NPT, saying it is needed as much as ever, and that the review gives a chance to put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons. He also cited Russias war in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the Middle East. Countries also must work relentlessly toward the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, the U.N. chief said, noting that this begins with a commitment to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. Mondays review of the treaty comes after New York City last month launched a public service announcement informing residents of what they should do if a nuclear attack were to occur. While officials say the likelihood of a nuclear weapon incident occurring in or near New York City is very low, they believe it is important for residents to know how to stay safe. Elsewhere on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote a letter to the NPT conference, saying that a nuclear war should never be allowed to happen. There can be no winners in a nuclear war and it must never be unleashed, and we stand for equal and indivisible security for all members of the world community, he wrote. At the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, Putin had referenced Moscows vast nuclear weapons arsenal and warned NATO and the United States not to interfere. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes remarks to the media during a news conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Aug. 1, 2022. (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters) US Accuses Russia of Using Ukraine Power Plant as Nuclear Shield U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called Russias actions around Ukraines largest nuclear power plant the height of irresponsibility, accusing Moscow of using it as a nuclear shield in attacks on Ukrainian forces. Russia in March was accused of firing shells dangerously close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as its forces took it over in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine. Washington is deeply concerned that Moscow was now using the plant as a military base and firing on Ukrainian forces from around it, Blinken told reporters after nuclear nonproliferation talks at the United Nations in New York. Of course the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant, he said. Russias actions went beyond using a human shield, Blinken said, calling it a nuclear shield. The Russian mission to the United Nations in New York strongly rejected Blinkens accusations. We repeatedly stated that actions of our armed forces in no way undermine Ukraines nuclear security or impede routine operation of the NPP (nuclear power plant), the Russian U.N. mission said in a statement. It said the sole purpose of Russian forces taking over Zaporizhzhia was to prevent Ukrainian nationalist formations and foreign mercenaries from making use of the current situation in Ukraine in order to carry out a nuclear provocation with most unpredictable consequences. Ukrainian officials have previously accused Moscow of basing troops and storing military equipment on the grounds of the power station. At the talks on Monday, Ukraines deputy foreign affairs minister, Mykola Tochytskyi, said robust joint actions are needed to prevent nuclear disaster and called for the international community to close the sky over Ukraines nuclear power plants with air defense systems. On July 20 Russia accused Ukraine of firing two drones at Zaporizhzhia, which is also the largest nuclear plant in Europe, but said the reactor was undamaged. Ukraines state nuclear company, Energoatom, did not comment on the purported drone impact. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.s atomic watchdog, should be given access to the plant, Blinken said. While this war rages on, inaction is unconscionable, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday at the U.N. nuclear nonproliferation talks. If an accident occurs at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine we will not have a natural disaster to blame. We will have only ourselves to answer to. By Michelle Nichols and Simon Lewis The Boy Scouts of America signage at its headquarters in Irving, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2013. (Tim Sharp/Reuters) US Judge Rejects Parts of Boy Scouts $2.7 Billion Sex Abuse Deal A U.S. judge on Friday rejected key aspects of the Boy Scouts of Americas reorganization plan and its underlying sex abuse settlement, delaying the national youth organizations ability to emerge from bankruptcy. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein in Wilmington, Delaware, ruled she could not approve all aspects of the plan and settlement, which would establish a $2.7 billion trust to compensate more than 80,000 men who say they were sexually abused as children by troop leaders. While the ruling blocks the settlement from moving forward as is, the Boy Scouts organization called it a significant milestone in the case. Silverstein approved most aspects of the settlement framework, while overruling many objections to the deal, the Boy Scouts said. We are committed to working with all constituents to make the necessary changes required by the ruling to drive this process forward and we remain optimistic about securing approval of a final Plan as soon as possible, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. The Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, which represents many victims in the bankruptcy case, said the decision would protect future Scouts from abuse. Throughout this case, what weve heard time and again from survivors is that its not only about the money, because no amount of money in the world will make up for being sexually abused as a child, the coalition said in a press release. Ricky Mason, an attorney representing local Boy Scouts councils in the case, said he was pleased that Silversteins decision recognized the importance of both bringing closure to survivors and preserving the Scouting mission through the global settlement, even if she did not outright approve the current restructuring plan. Silverstein approved many aspects of the settlement, but wrote she could not approve a $250 million settlement between the Boy Scouts and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and could not make determinations related to the Boy Scouts insurance coverage. The judge suggested the overall deal was going to take significant time to rework, writing that the Boy Scouts have some decisions to make. Silversteins ruling follows more than two years of Chapter 11 proceedings for the youth group, which filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 after being hit by a flood of sexual abuse lawsuits when several U.S. states passed laws allowing accusers to sue over allegations dating back decades. Since the outset of the case, more than 82,000 abuse claims have been filed. Those claimants became creditors of the organization, who had to sign off on any plans to restructure and exit bankruptcy. The amount of money claimants stood to gain from the $2.7 billion trust would depend on the severity of the alleged abuse, as well as where and when it occurred, among other factors. Claimants could receive as little as $3,500 or up to $2.7 million for the most severe cases, according to court papers. The Boy Scouts has apologized and said the organization is committed to fulfilling their social and moral responsibility to equitably compensate survivors. By Dietrich Knauth President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House on Aug. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson/Pool/Getty Images) Biden: US Kills Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al Zawahiri The United States has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, President Joe Biden confirmed on Monday. On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul Afghanistan that killed the Emir of al-Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, Biden said in an address at the White House. American forces conducted the precision drone strike on Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan, Biden said, after the U.S. intelligence community located the al-Qaeda leader earlier this year. Biden said the strike did not lead to civilian casualties. The spokesperson for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote on Twitter on Monday that an air strike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city the past Sunday. Mujahid said the attack was conducted by American drones. Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden as the leader in June 2011, when bin Laden was killed by the U.S. military. The FBI listed Zawahiri as a most wanted terrorist, for the murder of U.S. nationals outside the United States (pdf). Biden called Zawahiri the number two at the time of the 911 terrorist attack and the mastermind behind attacks against Americans for decades. Zawahiri was also indicted for his alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, according to an FBI wanted notice (pdf). Biden said the embassy attack killed 224 people and wounded 4,500 others. Zawahiri is also believed to have plotted the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed. Osama bin Laden (L) sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri (R), an Egyptian linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir (not pictured) in an image supplied by Dawn newspaper on Nov. 10, 2001. (Hamid Mir/Editor/Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn/Handout via Reuters) A U.N. Security Council report dated 2021 (pdf) said Zawahiri was ailing in Afghanistan then and that Sayf-Al Adl was to be Zawahiris most likely successor who then resided in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The strike came a year after the Biden administration completed the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I made the decision that after 20 years of war, the United States no longer needed thousands of boots on the ground in Afghanistan, to protect America from terrorists who seek to do us harm, Biden said. A Great Deal of Confusion Geopolitical analyst and author of The Shadow War: Irans Quest for Supremacy, commented that despite the fact that the killing of Zawahiri was an excellent success for the U.S. military, many unanswered questions still linger around the assassination and whether it is truly a strategic victory for the United States. One source of a great deal of confusion, Weichert said, was the means by which the American intelligence community obtained the whereabouts of Zawahiri, considering that U.S. networks have been eviscerated since the disastrous US pullout of Afghanistan last year. If this intelligence came from whatever allies remain on the ground, excellent. If it came from a rival faction or a rival individual seeking to replace the aging Zawahiri as leader of al-Qaeda, then U.S. power had been yet again hijacked and misused to further the ends of the jihadist cause, the analyst noted. Brandon Weichert, author of The Shadow War: Irans Quest for Supremacy, on Sept. 21, 2020. (York Du/The Epoch Times) Notwithstanding the longtime cooperation between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Weichert said, the alliance has been one of convenience that may dissolve if Taliban starts to perceive al-Qaeda as an impediment to its total restoration of power. Now that the Taliban are in power again in Afghanistan, it might be that the new Taliban leadership is trying to weaken their onetime allies, al-Qaeda, who they may view as a potential impediment to the Talibans total restoration of power. And with Zawahiri gone, the issue will be: who comes after him? We cut off the head of al-Qaeda. As history has shown, however, cutting off the head does not end al-Qaeda. A new head simply rises in its place, Weichert said. And with U.S. intelligence access to Afghanistan severely limited since the pullout last year, what might we be in store for next? US Reactions U.S. officials have commended the U.S. military for carrying out the attack and condemned the Taliban for violating the Doha Agreement, the peace agreement signed by the Trump administration and the Taliban in February 2020 to end the 20-year War in Afghanistan. By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qaida in Kabul, the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press release late Monday. In exchange for U.S. military withdrawal, among other terms, the Taliban agreed in the Doha Agreement that it would not use its position in Afghanistan to threaten the security of U.S. and U.S. allies, according to U.S. think tank the Council on Foreign Relations. They also betrayed the Afghan people and their own stated desire for recognition from and normalization with the international community, Blinken said. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) touted the killing of Zawahiri as an important accomplishment. All Americans will breathe easier today knowing Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, has been eliminated, Cruz said in a Monday statement. This strike should be a message to terrorists near and far: if you conspire to kill Americans, we will find and kill you. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the attack is a critical reminder that the United States retains the ability to conduct operations against terrorist targets in Afghanistan or anywhere in the world. We will never forget how al-Qaeda attacked us on September 11, 2001, Hoyer wrote on Twitter on Monday. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) commended the American military forces for taking out Zawahiri but demanded clarity from the Biden administration on the resurgence of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops in the region. We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave Americans who took out the terrorist, Al Zawahiri, McCarthy said in a statement on Twitter late Monday. The Biden admin must provide Congress with a briefing as soon as possible to discuss the resurgence of Al Qaeda in the region following his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, McCarthy said. U.S. Admiral John C. Aquilino (L), commander of the U.S Indo-Pacific Command, is welcomed to New Zealand with a traditional Powhiri, Guard of Honour, and Last Post Ceremony, at Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 1, 2022. (U.S. Embassy & Consulate in New Zealand) US to Deepen Military Ties With New Zealand Amid Beijing Influence Concerns The commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Admiral John Aquilino, made an official visit to New Zealand on Aug. 1 to expand the partnership between the two countries as tensions in the region grow due to Beijings aggression. Our partnership runs very deep. We are doing many things together to continue to ensure peace and prosperity for both of our nations and for all the nations in the region, Aquilino told reporters. The visit to Wellington followed an earlier trip to neighbouring Sydney, where he engaged with 27 senior military leaders at the Chief of Defence Conference to discuss ways to continue the safeguarding of peace and stability in the region. Aquilino said talks with senior New Zealand government and military leaders would similarly revolve around understanding each others positions and identifying new areas where both countries could work together and expand the partnership. He added that Australia and New Zealand both played critically important leadership roles in the South Pacific region. The United States has been a Pacific nation our entire life. We will continue to operate in the Pacific, no matter what else you might hear, Aquilino said. We will operate in the areas that international law allows to preserve the peace, prosperity, and expansive relationships in the Pacific. Despite the small size of New Zealands military, Aquilino said the United States welcomed all operations with all partners, regardless of size. So the one thing you will never hear out of me is big or small. This is a partnership, and all nations deliver those things that they can deliver, he said. The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short (R) welcomes U.S. Admiral John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S Indo-Pacific Command, in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 1, 2022. (U.S. Embassy & Consulate in New Zealand) Beijing Highly Influential in Solomons It follows the highly controversial military pact signed between Beijing and the Solomon Islands, sparking concerns about a potential Chinese military base on the doorsteps of Australia and New Zealand. Recent reports have also revealed that a Chinese state-owned firm was investigating the purchase of a deep water port and World War II-era airstrip in the Solomon Islands. The firm, under the direct control of Beijing, is eyeing the island of Kolombangarathe site of extensive fighting between the Allies and Imperial Japan during World War II. It is currently owned by Taiwanese and Australian private shareholders and the Solomon Islands government. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare also previously indicated that he wanted a permanent security arrangement with Beijing to deal with internal threats. These developments have spurred the United States to shift greater attention to the region, with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris pledging to support Pacific leaders under the Pacific Islands strategic framework on July 12. Among the commitments announced by Harris were efforts to establish new U.S. embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, increased funding for numerous economic and environmental programs, and an announcement that the United States would appoint its first-ever envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum. Meanwhile, Sogavare has continued to deny that the Chinese regime will establish a military base in the Solomons. Daniel Y. Teng and Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report. Victorias Government Cracks Down on Crown Casino, Gamblers With New Laws Victorias government is introducing new laws that target Crown Melbourne and its patrons in the latest wave of crackdown on punters and money laundering at the casino. Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement that the package of reforms, which covered 12 recommendations from the Royal Commission, was a world first and most robust measure against any casino in Australia. Under the new laws, all Australian residents visiting Crown Melbourne must set a limit on how much they are prepared to lose before playing pokies. In addition, they are only allowed to spend a maximum of $1,000 (US$702) per day and have to use casino-issued cards and present ID to gamble or collect winnings of more than $1,000. This legislation is the next step in our nation-leading reforms to ensure the disgraceful conduct uncovered by the royal commission will never happen again in Melbourne, Gaming Minister Melissa Horne said. Some of the strongest protections in the world will now be in place at Melbournes Crown casinoincluding mandatory pre-commitment. A window cleaner works on the facade of Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, on June 9, 2022. (William West/AFP via Getty Images) Crown Melbourne, the main subject of the new regulations, was found to be involved in a range of illegal and exploitative behaviour, including facilitating money laundering. In May, Victorias Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) fined the casino $80 million for organising a scheme that enabled illegal money transfers from China. Under the new measures, the VGCCC has required Crown to hold a single bank account for patrons to deposit funds to prevent illegal money transfers through and within the casino. All Reforms To Be Implemented Before December 2025 The Victorian government said while it expected the mandatory pre-commitment for Crowns pokies to take effect by the end of 2023, the complete reforms had to be carried out by December 2025 at the latest. The reason is some technologies need time to be developed as they do not currently exist. The state government also said it would work with Crown and the casino commission to schedule the remaining reforms. In addition, to ensure the accountability of Crown Melbourne, the new laws require any person or entity wanting to own more than five percent of the casino to receive approval from the commission. All of the regulation costs will be borne by Crown, and the casino also has to impose a smoking ban in high-roller rooms in line with other jurisdictions. Were getting on with holding Crown to account and implementing every one of the royal commissions recommendations, Horne said. While nine recommendations were put on hold, the Victorian government said it would implement them in the next 12 months. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House on Aug. 2, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) China Has Positioned Itself to Take Further Steps Targeting Taiwan Amid Pelosi Visit, White House Warns The White House and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are in a war of words over the meaning of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis arrival in Taiwan on Aug. 2. White House officials maintain that Pelosis arrival was in line with nearly five decades of precedent governing SinoAmerican relations. However, CCP authorities have criticized the United States for what it has characterized as an attack on its sovereignty. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speakers visit, Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the Taiwan independence separatist forces. The statement framed the ongoing drama over Taiwan in the CCPs mythic terms of national rejuvenation and reunification of the motherland, the latter of which is a euphemism for the CCPs stated ambition of compelling Taiwan to unite with the mainland, by force if necessary. The White House stated that the trip was well within the confines of U.S. policies and agreements with China and Taiwan. The Speakers visit is totally consistent with our long-standing One China Policy, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said during an Aug. 2 press conference. Weve been very clear that nothing has changed about our One China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, three PRCU.S. Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. Weve said we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. Weve said we do not support Taiwan independence. Kirby noted that the content of his comments was explicitly communicated to CCP leadership on a number of occasions in recent months, including during President Joe Bidens call with CCP leader Xi Jinping last week. The spokesperson also said the White House believed CCP leadership was attempting to manufacture a crisis in order to legitimize its desire to carry out increased aggression throughout the Indo-Pacific. China has positioned itself to take further steps, and we expect that they will continue to react over a longer-term horizon, Kirby said. The United States will not seek and does not want a crisis. [But] we are prepared to manage what Beijing chooses to do. Pelosi Hailed in Taiwan and US Pelosis motorcade was swarmed by enthusiastic Taiwanese citizens upon exiting the airport, demonstrating an eagerness for closer relations with the United States despite ongoing tensions. Taiwans tallest building, the Taipei 101 tower, was illuminated with messages reading Welcome to TW, Thank You, and Taiwan [loves] U.S. For her part, Pelosi also expressed support for the Taiwanese people and reiterated her belief that the visit was in line with extant U.S. policy. Our Congressional Delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant democracy, she said upon arriving. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. The trip also received bipartisan support from Pelosis congressional colleagues, with Senate Republicans signing a joint statement affirming the trip and the continued U.S. commitment to its policies on China and Taiwan. Vincent Chao, former Political Division director at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, said Pelosis trip was a welcome evolution of U.S.Taiwan relations. Her arrival here is welcomed, Chao wrote on Twitter. It is consistent with Taiwans national interests & within the framework of the existing TaiwanUS relationship. Pelosis visit makes sense. Stronger ties with both Democrat & Republican leadership ensure continuity in the TaiwanUS relationship. Support for Taiwansymbolic & substantiveis essential as we face growing PRC [Peoples Republic of China] pressure. Other countries will take note. Chinas Military and Economic Backlash Chinas communist leadership was less than enthusiastic about the visit, and Chinas vice foreign minister summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns in order to submit stern representations against Pelosis visit. The CCP also lashed out at Taiwan over the visit and has sought to implement a series of retaliatory measures. The website of Taiwans president was hit with a cyberattack as Pelosi neared Taiwan. Shortly thereafter, CCP leadership announced an import ban on thousands of food products from Taiwan. Following those measures, the CCP announced joint military drills, including live-fire exercises, in six locations surrounding Taiwan, including within Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said it was justified and necessary for China to take any countermeasure, according to state-owned media outlets. Gu Zhong, deputy chief of staff for Chinas Eastern Theater Command, was featured in a clip by state-run English language broadcaster CGTN, defending the maneuvers. This joint military operation is a necessary response to the U.S. administration and Taiwan authorities dangerous move on the Taiwan problem, Gu said. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group are also currently located nearby on a planned freedom of navigation trip following a five-day port call in Singapore last week. Kirby declined to comment on U.S. military maneuvers currently ongoing in the region but said the United States was prepared to maintain the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. What weve seen thus far is consistent with the playbook that we expected them to run, Kirby said. We take our security commitments in the region broadly very, very seriously. We have robust military capability obviously available to meet those commitments. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Sergio Flores/ For Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Briana Sanchez / Associated Press Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Alex Jones and two Sandy Hook parents are expected to testify Tuesday in a Texas trial to determine how much the Infowars host owes the parents in defamation damages. Parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis have been anticipated to take the stand in the trial, which began last Monday in Travis County District Court in Austin. But even Jones attorney had been unsure whether his client would testify until the end of the day Monday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PHOENIX (AP) Vote counting continued Wednesday in the close race to determine the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona, with former television news anchor Kari Lake narrowly leading lawyer Karrin Taylor Robson. The contest is seen as a barometer of Donald Trump's enduring influence after establishment Republicans came out in force behind Robson. Lake is closely aligned with the former president, who could gain allies with influence over how elections are run as he considers a 2024 White House campaign. The winner will advance to the November general election to take on Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who defeated Marco Lopez, a former mayor of Nogales and border enforcement official during Obamas administration, in Tuesday's primary. Trump endorsed and campaigned for a group of candidates who supported his falsehoods about the 2020 election, including Lake, who says she would have refused to certify President Joe Biden's narrow Arizona victory. Robson said the GOP should focus on the future despite the election from two years ago that she called unfair. Trump-backed state lawmaker Mark Finchem won the Republican primary to oversee elections as secretary of state Hobbs' current job. Finchem was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 the day of the riot and claims Trump was cheated out of a second term. Trump-backed candidates for attorney general and legislative races also were leading. Mail ballots favored Robson, but Lake overwhelmingly won polling place votes. Ballots left to count are mainly mail ballots turned in at the polls on Tuesday, including 125,000 from Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. Arizona, a longtime Republican stronghold, has become more favorable to Democrats in recent years because of explosive growth in and around Phoenix. The primary and the fall election will provide insight into whether Biden's success in 2020 was a onetime event or the onset of a long-term shift away from the GOP in the state. With such high stakes, Arizona has been central to efforts by Trump and his allies to cast doubt on Biden's victory. Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. Trump's allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges he appointed. A hand recount led by Trump supporters in Maricopa County, Arizona's largest, found no proof of a stolen election and concluded Biden's margin of victory was larger than the official count. Though Trump is still the most popular figure inside the GOP, his efforts to influence primary elections this year have yielded mixed results. His preferred candidates in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania prevailed in their primaries. But in Georgia, also central to Trump's election lies, his handpicked candidate for governor was defeated by more than 50 percentage points, and the GOP secretary of state was also renominated over a Trump-backed primary rival. Trump hoped for more success in Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey could not run for reelection. Lake is well known in much of the state after anchoring the evening news in Phoenix for more than two decades. She ran as a fierce critic of the mainstream media, which she says is unfair to Republicans, and of those who oppose Trump's Make America Great Again movement, including the family of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Lake claimed her campaign was already detecting some stealing going on" in her own race, but she repeatedly refused to provide any evidence for the claim. She said Tuesday night that changing election laws was her top priority. This is why were in this race, Lake said. This is why we have this movement right here. Robson, whose housing developer husband is one of the state's richest men, mostly self-financed her campaign. The GOP establishment, growing increasingly comfortable creating distance from Trump, rallied around her over the past month with a series of endorsements from Ducey, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence. You have entrusted me with your most sacred possession in a constitutional republic your vote, Robson told supporters Tuesday night as she awaited election results. Robson ran a largely old-school Republican campaign focused on cutting taxes and regulations, securing the border and advancing school choice. She also emphasized Lake's prior support for Democrats, including a $350 contribution to the last Democratic president. I cant vote for someone who supported Barack Obama, said Travis Fillmore, 36, a firearms instructor from Tempe who planned to vote for Robson. He said he remains a Trump backer and believes the 2020 election was stolen from him, but Lake's support for Obama was disqualifying. Democratic nominee Hobbs, as Arizonas top elections official, endeared herself to party voters with an impassioned defense of the integrity of the 2020 election, a stance that has drawn death threats. But she has been weighed down by a discrimination case won by a Black policy adviser from Hobbs time in the Legislature. In the Senate race, Trump-backed Blake Masters emerged as the Republican nominee, The 35-year-old first-time candidate has spent most of his career working for billionaire Peter Thiel, who is bankrolling his campaign. Masters emphasized cultural grievances that animate the right, including critical race theory and allegations of big tech censorship. Until Trump's endorsement, the race had no clear front-runner among Masters, businessman Jim Lamon and Attorney General Mark Brnovich, all of whom jockeyed for his support. Masters will take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the fall. Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who gave testimony to the Jan. 6 committee in Washington about Trump's pressure campaign following the 2020 election, was defeated by a Trump-backed challenger in his bid to move to the state Senate. NEW HAVEN A gold Ford Taurus that had been double-parked in front of the Apple Store on Broadway went airborne after it pulled out in haste, tried to avoid a subsequent collision, jumped the wrought-iron and concrete fence of the Broadway center lot and landed on top of a white SUV, police said. Two people, including the Taurus driver, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, said police Sgt. Brendan Canning. The Taurus driver was cited for reckless driving and failure to maintain lane, he said. On Monday, 13 clinics statewide opened their phonelines for people to schedule monkeypox vaccines. They were quickly flooded by calls for the vaccine. We have had hundreds of calls today, said Kim Beauregard, CEO of InterCommunity Healthcare, which has offices in East Hartford, Hartford and South Windsor. She stressed that even though call waits may be long that that people should call in ahead of time for monkey pox concerns. We want to triage them over the phone because we dont want people just walking in who have symptoms because its contagious, she said. InterCommunity isnt alone. Anchor Health Initiative, which is distributing monkey pox vaccine at its Hamden clinic, tweeted this morning that they were experiencing higher than usual hold times due to monkey pox vaccine requests. Today is the first day of the vaccine rollout, so things are a bit hectic right now, wrote Michael DeWolfe, a spokesperson for Anchor Health in an email. Weve gotten over 200 calls just today about it. Community Health Center Inc. confirmed that they had experienced the rush across their entire network of clinics as people tried to get access to appointments at their six vaccine distribution sites. First thing this morning were already getting phone calls about it from local health departments and also from patients, said Natalie Bycenski, the senior nurse manager and manager of the vaccine rollout for CHC. Weve had calls from people who are in areas that dont have vaccines and theyre traveling 40 minutes to get the vaccine. More demand than vaccine Overall, it appears that there is more demand for vaccines than supply. Bycenski said that each Community Health Center vaccine clinic received 60 doses of monkeypox vaccine, 10 of which were reserved for close contacts of known cases. In total, the CHC network received 360 of the 800 or so vaccines that were distributed statewide by the Department of Health. Bycenski said that while she could not provide a specific number of calls, or requests for appointments, she believed that they were getting more calls for vaccine than they were able to fill. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called on the Biden administration to invoke the Defense Authorization Act to massively ramp up the production of vaccines for monkeypox. The World Health Organization declaring a public health emergency is a call to act, said Senator Blumenthal. Right now the federal government is failing to address this potential public health crisis. We need more of everything, particularly more of the vaccine. Blumenthal called vaccines and prevention the coin of the realm of infectious disease response. We have a 1.1 million doses, which for a two-dose regimen will only cover one-third of the at-risk population, not to mention others who may be vulnerable, said Blumenthal. And the fact of the matter is we are all potentially vulnerable. This disease does not care who you are. He emphasized that while men who have sex with men are the highest risk group that it can potentially affect anyone who comes in touch with a case. We are already behind the eight ball here in the state of Connecticut if were talking about prevention, state Rep. Jeff Currey of East Hartford. He stressed that people coming in for vaccine appointments did not need to be U.S. Citizens or have insurance. If you hear otherwise you need to tell us so that we can talk to the clinics and ensure prevention for our community. Patrick Dunn, executive director for the New Haven Pride Center said that at first the LGBTQ community thought that the state government was behind in terms of their monkeypox response. But over the past few days it was clear that the problem was coming from the federal, not state, government. The biggest challenge that the Department of Public Health, and state, are facing is that the federal government has not prioritized Connecticut which puts our health officials in a bind, said Dunn. Theres only so much you can do when you only have so many vaccines. Dunn said it was baffling that the federal government had not absorbed some of the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, that people move, and live lives, across state lines. It was a real distribution miscalculation, said Dunn, drawing a mental line to Fire Island to New York City through Connecticut to Provincetown, Mass., three major hotspots for the LGBTQ summer party scene in the Northeast. Even if all theyre doing is dancing in a club thats a bunch of people jammed in a tiny room. Dunn said he was cautiously optimistic about the state response but between the inundated phone lines and lack of vaccine he was worried. If we dont speed up our response were going to have a much bigger problem in the long term, said Dunn. The last thing we need is something else thats endemic to the United States right now. This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Michael DeWolfe. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Rapper Mystikal was jailed in Louisiana on Monday, accused of rape more than a year after prosecutors dropped charges that had kept him jailed for 18 months in another part of the state. Michael Mystikal Tyler was arrested on charges including rape and domestic abuse battery, Sheriff Bobby Webre of Ascension Parish, just outside Baton Rouge, said in a Facebook post Monday. The 51-year-old hip-hop legend is being held without bond on 10 charges, according to the sheriff's office inmate lookup. Attorney Joel Pearce, of Shreveport, who represented the rapper in the earlier case, said he believes bond will be discussed at a hearing Tuesday in Ascension Parish. Im expecting it to be a big bond," he said. Pearce said he has not been retained for Tylers current case but they are supposed to meet Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the case. He said he will make a statement then. Pearce represented the rapper on charges brought in 2017 accusing him of a sexual assault at a Shreveport casino in 2016. Prosecutors dropped those rape and kidnapping charges in December 2020 after new evidence was presented to a grand jury and it did not bring a new indictment. Shreveport is more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Ascension Parish. Webre said deputies were called to a hospital just before midnight Sunday about a sexual assault and interviewed the victim, who had minor injuries. Through further investigation, Michael Mystikal Tyler was identified as a suspect, the statement said. The new charges include first-degree rape, simple robbery, false imprisonment, simple criminal damage to property, and drug charges including possession of amphetamines. Conviction for first-degree rape carries at least a life sentence the prosecutor can chose whether to ask for the death penalty. Tyler pleaded guilty in 2003 to sexual battery and served six years in prison. In April 2021, he told The Associated Press that his past put him in a horrible fraternity, but he was ready to move on. Mystikal's 2000 hit, Shake (it Fast) peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2000 album Lets Get Ready went multiplatinum. ___ To follow AP coverage of hip hop and rap, go to https://apnews.com/hub/hip-hop-and-rap. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Federal and local authorities arrested a 31-year-old city man accused of sexually assaulting a child, police said Tuesday. Eddy Puchaicela-Lara is facing charges of first-degree sexual assault, illegal sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16, and second-degree unlawful restraint, police said. Puchaicela-Laras bond was initially set at $2 million. At Tuesdays arraignment, Judge Kevin Randolph reduced Puchaicela-Laras bond to $1 million, but added several non-financial conditions should he post bond, including house arrest with GPS monitoring, intensive probation services and a full no-contact protective order with the victim and their family. The case was also transferred to the Part A docket, where the judicial districts most serious matters are heard. Puchaicela-Lara is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 28. Police did not release the age of the child or the relationship to Puchaicela-Lara. Norwalk police said the departments special victims unit launched an investigation on March 29 into allegations of a sexual assault involving a minor. Police said the investigation, as well as evidence analyzed by the state forensic science laboratory, pointed to Puchaicela-Lara as a suspect in the sexual assault. A warrant was issued for his arrest and a Norwalk officer serving on the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force on Monday spotted Puchaicela-Laras car parked in a residential neighborhood on Slocum Street, police said. The officer began conducting surveillance and a short time later, he observed Puchaicela-Lara exit the house, police said. Staff writer Pat Tomlinson contributed to this story. The husband of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and brother of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn were given shares of a company that leased slot machines to a North Carolina tribal casino that needed political help to open last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Clyburn's brother and a spokesperson for Michael Haley both said the men provided services for the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation's casino in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, the newspaper reported. The tribe's leader said they met with dozens of federal officials in a transparent and public process over more than a decade as they sought to secure permission to build the casino. The newspaper said it reviewed documents from Kings Mountain Equipment Supply LLC, which gets 20 cents for every $1 in profits the new Catawba Two Kings Casino generates from its hundreds of slot machines. One stake in the supply company is held by John B. Clyburn, a brother of Rep. Clyburn. The high-ranking Democratic congressman introduced a bill that helped eliminate one of the final hurdles to get federal permission to build the casino. Another stake is held by Michael Haley, husband of the former Republican governor who joined plenty of South Carolina politicians to fight against the Catawbas being able to open a casino in South Carolina. That led the tribe to its ultimately successful effort in North Carolina. The documents reviewed by the newspaper show both men hold less than a 1% claim in the company. Michael Haley was given his share as payment for his company doing physical and cybersecurity consulting for the project in 2018, a statement from his company said. Nikki Haley was U.N. Ambassador for the U.S. at that time after leaving the governor's office a year earlier before her term ended. As governor, Haley was against the Catawbas opening a South Carolina casino. She attended the 2021 groundbreaking in North Carolina, but her office said she was only acting as her husband's guest and never advocated to get federal approval for the North Carolina site. John Clyburn told the newspaper he consulted on the project on and off for a decade introducing backers to people he knew, adding I doubt that I discussed the project with his brother. John Clyburn received his share from the slot machine leasing company in September 2013, about a week after the Catawbas first asked for federal approval for the casino, the newspaper reported. He said he was surprised once the casino opened to get seven or eight payments from the company ranging from $600 to $1,300. Rep. James Clyburn said he did not know about his brother's financial interest in the casino and the two never talked about the project. The congressman said his sponsorship of the bill that cleared the path for the casino was to help the tribe which has been long neglected. If his brother is profiting from a bill he helped get enacted, Rep. Clyburn told The Wall Street Journal, I dont care. He gets to make a living. I dont get his permission, and I dont give him mine. The Catawba Indian Nation has about 3,600 members and a 1,000-acre reservation near Rock Hill, South Carolina. The 1993 National Indian Gaming Act exempted the Catawbas from a list of tribes that could open casinos in states like South Carolina that dont normally allow gambling. The Catawbas spent decades trying to work around the law and after years of resistance from South Carolina lawmakers, switched their efforts in 2013 to opening in North Carolina, where they said their ancestors held land before Europeans came to North America. The Kings Mountain, North Carolina, casino has about 1,000 slot machines in temporary buildings and doubled its floor plan after being open less than six months. The Catawbas plan a permanent facility with a 29-story hotel that could triple the number of slot machines. Catawba Chief Bill Harris said the tribe is working with the National Indian Gaming Commission about unspecified problems that have held up the start of construction on the permanent casino. The stakes held by Michael Haley and John Clyburn aren't with Kings Mountain Equipment Supply LLC itself, but instead with a different company called AGS of North Carolina LLC that itself had a 10.1% stake in Kings Mountain Equipment Supply, according to the documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Col. Sarah Smith of Edwardsville, the State Judge Advocate of the Illinois Army National Guard, has been selected as one of four nationwide recipients of the 2022 Federally Employed Women (FEW) Military Meritorious Award. I am unbelievably honored to be selected for such a prestigious military award, Smith said. Balancing my civilian career and my military obligations along with raising a family does not go without its challenges," she said. "While there are times when I feel stretched beyond capacity, when I go to drill and serve with the amazing soldiers in the Illinois Army National Guard, and I am able to mentor and train strong young women who I hope to one day pass the torch to, all of the struggles pale in comparison to those experiences. As the State Judge Advocate of the Illinois Army National Guard, Smith is the highest-ranking legal officer and advises general officers and other senior level commanders on all military legal matters. In her civilian capacity, she is a circuit judge in the Third Judicial Circuit in Madison County. FEW is a nonprofit created in 1968 to advocate for equity and diversity for women and works towards advancing women in government with cutting-edge training, nationwide networking and invaluable insight. It assists more than a million women in the military and civilian workforce become strategic leaders within its four-pillar program: training, legislation, diversity and compliance. It recognizes select military women with its annual Military Meritorious Service Award. Award recipients have distinguished themselves with significant contributions to their service and their nation by promoting the tenets of civil/human rights, equal opportunity and public service; contributing to the equal opportunity for selection, promotion or retention of women and minorities in senior grade level positions; and assisting in overcoming and eliminating barriers that hinder equal opportunity for all members of the armed forces. Col. Smith is an outstanding officer who has played an important role in addressing difficult issues within the military and the Illinois National Guard. The Federally Employed Women recognized the same outstanding leadership in her as weve seen for many years, said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. Col. Smith is a dedicated officer that goes above and beyond. She is an excellent role model for women in the military and has a heart for serving her community the same way she has served her country for the past 28 years. Smith mobilized for the first time in 2005 in support of Hurricane Katrina. Her overseas experience includes service as the Chief of Operational and Administrative Law for the 35th Infantry Division in Kosovo and as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where she was awarded the Bronze Star. Because of her vast military legal experience, Smith has spoken at numerous key senior level engagements to include the Warsaw Ministry of Defense Legal Symposium, Warsaw Poland in 2011 and 2016, and at the United Nations Peace Symposium, New York, New York in 2011. FEW honored Smith for her work during her deployment to Afghanistan, where she was selected to mentor the only female general officer in the Afghan National Army and work directly with the Afghan Minister of Education and the Minister of Womens Affairs. She was also recognized for speaking at the United Nations symposium on two different occasions regarding her experience with womens issues in Afghanistan. In addition, Smith presided over the civil law division and Madison Countys Veterans Treatment Court and co-established the Domestic Violence Accountability Court and the Child Support Accountability Court. Among her other achievements, Smith worked with the Governors Office and legislators on the language of the proposed changes to Senate Bill 257, legislation to strengthen the states response to military sexual violence. The proposed change to state law was identified by the Governors Office and Smith presented the changes to the working group within the Illinois National Guard. My dear Mary, Its rather difficult for me to comprehend that the year is already half over. Time passes so quickly that the simple act of blinking seems to span many moments. I remain busy every day with visitors, the farm, the good work of the society and correspondence. The Ladies Presbyterian Society met in the parlor yesterday to discuss plans to improve the two female Sunday schools we established last year. The women who attend the schools are of limited means and embrace the opportunity to learn with such eagerness that it is rewarding to know we have done something truly good for the community. I must express a continued frustration though, as the schools struggle with funds and willing teachers. Last year when the school faced the same issues, I helped pen a letter to the editor of our local newspaper admonishing the citizens of Edwardsville for not taking a more active role in helping with a much-needed enrichment to the academia of our small community. After the letter was published, support for the school improved as the school received several donations and a few teachers. Unfortunately, we are experiencing another decline in support which if not remedied soon may result in the schools closing their doors for good. It is our responsibility as citizens to assist those who do not have the means to better their situation, so that we all may thrive. My mother always said, Learning something new is always an improvement to oneself, no matter how small. It is a motto Ive repeated often to my own children who I believe are quite exhausted in hearing me reiterate it often. Well, I shall remain hopeful that we will be able to amend the situation so that the schools remain available to those who need them. I do so wish you lived closer. Your friendship has always been such a comfort to me. I believe youd be a great help with the dilemma of the schools, but youd also be able to attend the afternoon tea I shall host on Aug. 20. My friend from across the river, Mrs. Jeanne Spencer, is planning a visit that weekend. Do you remember Mrs. Spencer? In truth, she is hosting the tea and I am merely offering the house and my assistance for the function. A few years ago, she conducted a similar affair that proved to be a delightful afternoon. She always brings a plethora of lovely treats for such occasions as she is quite the accomplished baker. Her teas are also quite ambrosial, many of which are imported from distant countries. She has acquired her appurtenances over many years of travel and study. One aspect of the afternoon I shall greatly enjoy is the knowledge she imparts to those in attendance regarding tea customs in general. If it is within your means to visit that day, you would find it most enlightening. To keep the afternoon intimate, she has requested our numbers be no more than 10. If there is any chance you may see to attend, please relay your intentions to me as soon as possible. We finally finished bottling what remained of the cherry bounce made in the fall of last year. In truth, Mrs. Spencer was the one who taught me this recipe. I have it on good authority that George Washington was quite fond of this particular beverage, so much so that he carried it in a flask in his pocket. His wife, Martha, has a recipe below. Ben finds it to be a nice evening indulgence before bed. I dont believe that the recipe was sent to you at the time, which was an oversight on my part. If you make it up, please inform me of whether you like it as well. Martha Washingtons Excellent Cherry Bounce Extract the juice of 20 pounds well ripened Morrella cherries. Add to this 10 quarts of old french brandy and sweeten it with white sugar to your taste. To 5 gallons of this mixture add one ounce of spice such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmegs of each an equal quantity slightly bruised and a pint and half of cherry kernels that have been gently broken in a mortar. After the liquor has fermented let it stand close-stoped for a month or six weeks then bottle it, remembering to put a lump of Loaf Sugar into each bottle. I must see to errands in lower town at present so my letter must come to an end. Give my love to your family and I look forward to a visit soon. Your Most Loyal Friend, Lucy Stephenson Notes The Female Sunday Schools Lucy Stephenson was an active member of the Ladys Presbyterian Society in Edwardsville during the time she lived in Edwardsville. She acted as secretary and was instrumental in establishing two Female Sunday Schools in 1821. Unfortunately, the society was not able to garner a lot of community support for the schools. Lucy and the president of the group did write a letter to the editor of the Spectator reprimanding the community for the lack of support shown. It did little good, and the schools were ultimately closed. Mrs. Lucys Afternoon Tea Stephenson House is hosting an afternoon tea from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Our presenter is Jeanne Spencer who hosted a similar event at the site in early 2020 which sold out almost immediately. She will present a brief history of tea customs while participants enjoy period-style treats with lemonade and hot tea served in the dining room. Anyone attending the tea is encouraged to dress in period clothing, but it is not necessary. Registration is required and limited to 10. Face masks are required when moving about the site but may be removed during the tea. Cost: $30 per person. Ages: 16 years and up. Cherry Bounce Cherry Bounce was a popular brandy-based drink in the 18th and 19th centuries. According to Mount Vernon historians, it was a favorite of George Washington who carried it with him in a canteen on various occasions. The recipe included above is listed in the Washington family recipe book. There are a variety of modern conversions available online. Last fall Jeanne Spencer was featured in one of our YouTube channel videos teaching viewers how to make this historic beverage. The video A Stephenson House Christmas: Making Cherry Bounce can be viewed at https://youtu.be/eansJ9Ag1cw. And we just finished bottling what remained in our large demijohn last week. That release could not be found. A US drone strike in Afghanistan has killed Osama bin Ladens successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who became the leader of al-Qaeda following the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011. A senior administration official told reporters that over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties. Confirming the report, President Joe Biden of the US described the death of al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Ladens deputy, as a huge blow to the Al Qaeda terrorist network, masterminds of the September 11 2001 attacks on US. Al-Zawahiri, who is said to be one of the worlds most deadliest terrorists, is an Egyptian surgeon with a $25m bounty on his head for helping to mastermind the 9/11 attacks in which four civilian aircrafts were hijacked and used to crush the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, the Pentagon near Washington and a Pennsylvania field, killing about 3,000 people. President Biden was said to have ordered the attack on the safe house at a meeting of key cabinet members and national security officials on 25 July, having ensured that every step had been taken to ensure the operation would minimize risk and casualties. The house where Osama bin Ladens successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Afghanistan Two Hellfire missiles were fired at Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was killed. We are confident through our intelligence sources and methods, including multiple streams of intelligence, that we killed al-Zawahiri and no other individual, a Whitehouse official noted. The official explained that though al-Zawahiris family members were present in the safe house during the strike, they were not targeted nor harmed. We have no indications that civilians were harmed in the strike. We took every possible precaution to avoid civilian harm, the official further noted. The Eleventh Annual Report on lethal violence in Nigeria by Nigeria Watch covers the period between 1 January and 31 December 2021. The report gathered that the lost of lives in Nigeria in one year is 13,538 caused by fierce violence. The Nigeria Watch project is hosted by the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria) at the University of Ibadans Institute of African Studies. It is supported by the IRD (Institut derecherche pour le developpement, Paris), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), and the British Councils programme Managing Conflict in Nigeria (MCN). The statistics of the death ratio recoded that Borno State tops the list having the highest number of fatalities (1,853), followed by Zamfara (1,516), Kaduna (1,342), Niger (935), and Benue (625) while Gombe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Adamawa, and Cross River states recorded the lowest number of fatalities in 2021. The report however stated that Zamfara State was the most dangerous state in 2021, as it recorded 28.9 fatalities and homicides per100,000 inhabitants. By contrast, Gombe, Ekiti, and Kano were the least violent states. It added that the number of fatalities resulting from crime in Nigeria surged from 5,446 in 2020 to 7,446 in2021 and were a resultant of consistent bandit attack in the part of the north. Part of the report read The increase was attributed to the rise in rural banditry, mass kidnapping, and cultism in some states. Violence involving farmers and suspected herdsmen claimed 703 lives in 2021, against 616 in 2020. Overall, 21 states recorded fatalities resulting from pastoral conflicts. Benue, Plateau, and Ebonyi were most affected. By contrast, very few incidents related to such clashes were reported in Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers. In addition to banditry, criminality and eruption of violence in the affected areas was also a major factor for myriad of loss as the report recounted partly "Criminal gangs were involved in incidents resulting in 7,117 deaths, the highest number by any other protagonist in 2021. As for security operatives and ethno-political groups, they took part to various incidents resulting in 4,740 and 4,640 fatalities respectively, the report said. The report added that in 2021, road accidents claimed 1,877 lives, against 1,464 in 2020, as Ogun recorded the highest number of road accident fatalities, followed by Bauchi and Kwara states. The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to a bizarre and reckless publication currently circulating in the media indicating that Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on the National Assembly to include the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN in the impeachment threat on the President Muhammadu Buhari. Ordinarily, Ohanaeze Ndigbo would have ignored the said press release, but silence in this circumstance will tend to give validity to such a fallacy by the unsuspecting public. It is therefore necessary to inform that those behind the fake press release are mischief makers, impostors, charlatans and lose media navigators who leech on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to issue press releases for narrow, perverse and illicit pecuniary interests. We wish to inform the general public that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has neither contemplated nor issued such a reckless statement on the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. It is worth repeating that various eminent Igbo dignitaries have appealed to such mischief makers to appreciate that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide represents the history, emotions, collectivity, spirituality, unity and strength of the Igbo nation. We have severally appealed to the social deviants that the Igbo, all over the world owe a profound emotional attachment to their apex socio-cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and as such our sacred identity should not be desecrated on the whims, caprices and immediacies of the uninitiated. The Igbo have a unique socio-political orientation and disposition; they are republican, egalitarian, deliberative, liberal and democratic. On the other hand, no person has a right to wake up and issue a far-reaching statement on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo without consultations or a form of consensus. Those behind such acts are highly ignorant of the damages they cause to themselves and the Igbo nation on a daily basis. They are reminded that every misconduct against the Igbo pantheon has its corresponding consequences. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor regrets the embarrassments that are often caused to the general public by the maladjusted attention seekers that deploy the name of Ohaneze Ndigbo in most unscrupulous dimensions. Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide hereby vehemently disclaims the unwarranted press release against the person of the erudite scholar and the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia is the National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. President Muhammadu Buhari has charged diplomats in the country to remain within the precincts of their professional ethics as they monitor the build-up to the elections and the conduct of the 2023 general elections. President Buhari who gave the advice when he received Letters of Credence from the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador James Christoff and Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, Juan Oritz, on Tuesday in Abuja, urged the diplomats to remain true to their professional ethics of non-interference. As the drums of campaign begin to rise, I urge you to be guided by diplomatic practice to ensure that your activities remain within the limits of your profession as you monitor the build-up to the elections and the conduct of the general elections, he said. The president applauded collective efforts of nations towards tackling security challenges across the globe, and within Nigeria and urged more collaboration to check terrorism, banditry and insurgency. He told the diplomats that successes in taming insecurity had been recorded through collaboration across borders, and more could be achieved. The devastating effect of global insecurity, climate change and the post COVID-19 era has devastated global economies. Nations continue to struggle to recover from these multiple global challenges. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has undermined the progress countries have achieved in tackling food security in the last decade. While, the political instability in Libya continues to fuel terrorism in the Sahel, as well as scuttle democratic sustenance in both West and Central African regions. Nigeria is not left out of the equation, as we are fighting to rid our country of banditry, kidnapping, herder/farmer crisis and insurgency. We are, however, making meaningful progress with the support of friendly countries like yours to sustain these fights until we overcome these challenges, he said. Buhari added that Nigeria has been working with other Member-States of ECOWAS and other regional blocs, to deal with the problems of terrorism, trans-border crimes, maritime crimes such as piracy and illegal fishing on our waters, illicit drug and human trafficking, banditry, as well as unconstitutional changes of government. I believe that matters of security have become the business of all nations as these challenges go beyond the abilities of any single country to effectively contain. The world must, therefore, work closely together and Nigeria counts on your support in cementing the relations between our countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels to surmount these global threats to civilization, he added. While speaking on behalf of the ambassadors, the Canadian High Commissioner extended gratitude to the president for the ceremony of accepting the Letters of Credence. Today marks the formal beginning of our engagement with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will work closely with ministers and officials to start a progressive relationship, Mr Christoff stated. As the ban goes into force; Ogoni village and district observers would monitor and alert the enforcers to drive out such politicians if they come to Ogoniland and use religion in their political campaigns for office. As he announced the ban today, in a speech during the tenth anniversary of the Ogoni Declaration of Self-Government, the president of Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo said the Ogoni people practice multiple beliefs, and cautioned politicians who resort to religious sentiments and affiliations could face embarrassment. Diigbo recalled that much of what happened to enhance colonial rule in the past had to do with religion, and said politicians could focus on what they want to offer; not what people believe or how they pray. We dont want to be part of religious politics. He outlined steps to protect the Ogoni people from what he described as toxic Nigerian politics. He said the Ogoni National Legislative Assembly (ONLA), and Ogoni District Central Assembly (ODCA) are debating a joint resolution to approve or disapprove further participation of the Ogoni Nation in Nigerian political elections. The joint resolution will subject the Ogoni recognition of the outcome of all Nigerian elections to specific criteria and a test of non-religious bias. What this means is that the Ogoni recognition of the legitimacy and authority of the elected individuals will be subject to the resolution criteria and non-religious bias test requirement. As the Ogoni people we do not want to shuffle our legs along the path of retrogression, and we demand Nigeria adopt minimum standard principles and practices to guide peaceful political co-existence. Why recognize them? Its clear we stand for something. While Ogoni is guided by customs and traditions; the Ogoni Bill of Rights; the Ogoni Self-government Proclamation, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; among other common, sensible standards, principles, policies and practices; but right now, apart from oil money; as a nation state, Nigeria has no generally acceptable constitution; or a formative treaty to join the different tribes and nations together. The recent primary elections of the political parties further provide evidence that there are no independent political parties in Nigeria with discernible principles, policies, and standard practices, said Diigbo. The Ogoni people will not agree to lower our higher level of political consciousness just because Nigerias elites continue to move backward. For positive change comes about through rise in the degree of consciousness; he asserted. Diigbo congratulated his fellow Ogoni people over how theyve conducted the affairs of the self-government; not seeking attention or acting as beggars of their own stolen wealth. We declared self-government to accept more obligations for our own decision-making, responsibilities, improvement, and wellbeing. Thats exactly what the Ogoni Self-Government has done so far. Its been ten years on steady course and progress; he noted. He added that Food Security and General Security remain the topmost priorities of the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority. The anniversary events were organized in thirteen provincial headquarters, alongside virtual connections with district and village councils. Tambari Deekor Director, Public Affairs and Special Adviser to OCIA President Flood warning for eight villages in Kamala, Cherng Talay PHUKET: A flood warning has been issued for eight at-risk areas in Kamala and Cherng Talay following heavy downpours soaking the island yesterday and today (Aug 1-2). Tuesday 2 August 2022, 12:49PM The warning issued by Kamala OrBorTor Chief Jutha Dumlak. Jutha Dumlak, chief of the Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) issued the warning, urging residents in eight villages to beware flash floods and runoff from the hills in Kamala and Cherng Talay. Mr Jutha named the eight villages as: Baan Bang Wan; Baan Khok Yang; Baan Nuea; Baan Hua Khuan; Baan Naka; Surin Beach; Baan Bang Tao and Baan Bang Tao Nok. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) reported 61mm of rainfall at the weather-monitoring station near Phuket airport yesterday, and more than 40mm of rainfall this morning. The TMD currently forecasts heavy isolated thundershowers to continue across the island through to Monday (Aug 8) as the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea. The heavy weather conditions are easing, but waves are still forecast to reach over two metres in thundershower areas. All vessels in the area are warned to beware thunderstorms, and small boats are advised to stay ashore. Lifeguards at many of the popular beaches along the west coast have posted red no swimming flags to warn people to not enter the water where it is dangerous to swim. Nok Air captain needs to defend decision after crash CHIANG RAI: The captain of a Nok Air aircraft that slid off the runway at Chiang Rai airport will be summoned by regulators to explain why passengers were kept on board for about an hour after the accident. accidentstransportSafety By Bangkok Post Tuesday 2 August 2022, 10:13AM Rescuers and medics help passengers leave a Nok Air plane after it slid off a runway at Mae Fah Luang airport in Chiang Rai on Saturday (July 30). Photo from Warangkhana Wongchai / Facebook Suttipong Kongpool, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said yesterday (Aug 1) that the chief pilot of flight DD108 will be ordered to defend the decision, reports the Bangkok Post. The rationale behind the decision is what the CAAT needs to hear from the captain, Mr Suttipong told the Inside Thailand news programme. The Don Mueang-Chiang Rai flight with 164 passengers and six crew on board slid off the runway and its undercarriage collapsed as it landed in heavy rain at Mae Fah Luang in the northern province on Saturday night. There were no injuries. The captain turned off the engines of the 737-800 Boeing aircraft after the accident, leaving the passenger cabin in darkness and without air conditioning. The passengers were then told to stay on board until buses arranged by the airline arrived to take them to the terminal. After about an hour fewer than 20 passengers had left by van. The remaining passengers started complaining about the stuffy conditions in the cabin, the lack of fresh air causing breathing problems and the possible dangers of staying in their seats in the dark. In a video taken by a passenger in the cabin, a woman crew member was heard trying to calm down angry passengers and telling them to remain seated. Passengers are not allowed on runways, she said. The passengers insisted on leaving the plane and the captain eventually permitted one of the eight emergency exit doors to be opened so they could disembark on a slide. Under international aviation protocols, all passengers must be evacuated from an aircraft within 90 seconds of a serious incident, according to the CAAT chief. But evacuation rules are also flexible, depending on the circumstances and safety of the passengers and aircraft, he said. The captain is the one who makes the decision on evacuation after assessing the situation, including external factors, Mr Suttipong said. The CAAT chief also said passengers were allowed to stand on runways in case of emergency, although they were off limits in normal circumstances. Nok Air cites safety for slow evacuation of passengers CHIANG RAI: Nok Airlines has defended the hour-long evacuation of passengers from the plane that crashed off the runway after landing at Chiang Rai on Saturday night (July 30), saying it was in strict compliance with safety procedures. accidentsSafetytransport By Bangkok Post Tuesday 2 August 2022, 04:16PM Mae Fah Luang airport staff help passengers from the crashed Nok Air plane on Saturday night (July 30). Photo: Warangkhana Wonghcai / Facebook Nok Airlines Plc gave the explanation in a statement issued today (Aug 2) in response to complaints by passengers that most of them had been kept inside the stuffy aircraft cabin for over an hour, without lights and without an adequate air flow, told only that they were waiting for buses, reports the Bangkok Post. Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) director Suttipong Kongpool, said yesterday that the chief pilot of Flight DD108 would be summoned to explain the delay. The Don Mueang-Chiang Rai flight with 164 passengers and six crew slid off the runway and its undercarriage collapsed as it landed in heavy rain at Mae Fah Luang international airport about 9:06pm. Passengers said the captain turned off the engines, leaving the passenger cabin in darkness and without airconditioning. They had been left in stuffy conditions for over an hour before being evacuated. In the statement, Nok Air offered an apology for any inconvenience and miscommunication that might have incurred passengers displeasure. It said the airline had followed maximum safety procedures by taking into consideration the passengers in the flight and coordinating with a work unit about evacuating them via a slide from the front door, as a stairway could not be placed properly aganst the aircraft because of the heavy rain and wet ground. Moreover, there might also have been animals around which could have posed a danger to the passengers. Therefore, the passengers were told to wait until their safety was assured, the statement said. Phuket officials praised for efforts during BIE Expo inspection tour PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panaphong has praised local officials efforts to welcome the delegation of representatives from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) during their inspection of the island last week to assess whether Phuket should be selected to host the World Specialised Expo 2028. By The Phuket News Tuesday 2 August 2022, 11:56AM Speaking at a meeting held at the at Phuket Auditorium at the Phuket Provincial Administration Center on Tha Kraeng Rd in Phuket Town yesterday (Aug 1) All sectors in Phuket cooperated very well in welcoming the committee and in being a good host. The BIE committee was welcomed to conduct assessments at all locations they travelled to, he said. In addition, there is an expedited disbursement of the budgets for various government agencies to complete projects according to the framework laid down, and also to follow up on the performance of various government agencies in treating suffering and the maintenance of various health and well-being services and facilities for the people of Phuket too, he said. At the meeting a plaque of honor was given to the Phuket Community Development Office for its project, "Khon Tong Ho, raise the floor, share the suffering - happiness. Certificates were also awarded and bouquets handed out to Phuket children and youth who took part in the Young Smart activity: Young do good deeds. Proposed power tariff hike ditched BANGKOK: A new higher power tariff is to be postponed following an intervention by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to curb rising living costs, says a source at the Energy Ministry. natural-resourceseconomicsRussianUkraine By Bangkok Post Tuesday 2 August 2022, 02:30PM Electricity towers and power lines are seen at Chatuchak station. Photo: Bangkok Post The higher tariff was due to be imposed between September and December this year, but now it will not be increased, reports the Bangkok Post. The new rate, which had been authorised by the Energy Regulatory Commission, was initially scheduled to be announced yesterday (Aug 1), according to the source who requested anonymity. The new power tariff was earlier expected to rise to B4.72 per kilowatt hour, up from a rate of B4 between May and August. The fuel tariff (Ft), a key element in the power tariff, is expected to rise to B0.93 per kilowatt hour, up from B0.24. The planned rise was blamed on higher energy prices following sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in February. Global crude oil prices have been increasing since late last year when many countries relaxed measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Demand for oil also increased when Western nations entered the winter period. A higher power tariff has also resulted from a huge decline in the domestic gas supply from the Gulf of Thailand, causing the country to import more expensive liquefied natural gas. Gas makes up around 60% of the fuel used to generate electricity in Thailand. The state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has subsidised the power tariff to help relieve pressure on the cost of living, but this has cost it more than B87 billion. Last month the government gave Egat permission to borrow B30bn from banks to help it deal with the huge financial burden. Meanwhile, this week the Energy Policy Administration Committee (Epac) is also expected to raise the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used as cooking gas. The LPG price will increase to between B393 and B408 per 15-kilogramme standard cylinder in August and September, respectively, permanent secretary for energy Kulit Sombatsiri said. Mr Kulit is a member of Epac. The increase is part of the governments efforts to relieve the burden on the states Oil Fuel Fund, which is used to subsidise diesel and LPG prices. The fund has already run up losses of over B166bn. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 26C. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 18C. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. FILE - Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, Calif., March 14, 2019. Twitter is suing Musk in Delaware in an attempt to get him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the social media company, a deal Musk is trying to get out of. Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., asks a question during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing to examine the practices and profits of gun manufacturers, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. A U.S. House investigation has found that gun manufacturers have taken in more than $1 billion from selling AR-15-style guns over the past decade. The former Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, which burned coal to generate electricity. The building has since been razed but some of the equipment used during its coal operations will now be put to use to transfer electricity made by clean, off-shore wind power. HONG KONG (AP) Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba said Monday that it wants to keep its shares listed in both New York and Hong Kong, days after U.S. regulators included it in a list of companies that may be delisted for not complying with auditing requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has said foreign companies face having their shares delisted if they don't give American regulators access to their financial statements and auditing process as required of other companies around the world. The addition of Alibaba to the list is the latest blow as it suffers the fallout from Beijings regulatory crackdown on the technology industry. Alibaba's inclusion among the companies potentially facing delisting follows its announcement last week that it wants to pursue a primary listing in Hong Kong, where it now has a secondary listing. That move would enable Alibaba to tap a wider base of investors, including those in mainland China. Alibaba will continue to monitor market developments, comply with applicable laws and regulations and strive to maintain its listing status on both the NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company said in an announcement filed to the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday. The company said that the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2022, was its first non-inspection year under regulations that say a company that goes three years without complying with audit requirements will be forced to delist. Alibabas Hong Kong stock price plunged 3.76% in Hong Kong on Monday, closing at 89.60 Hong Kong dollars. The move by the SEC to include Alibaba for possible delisting could be in retaliation for its plans to seek the primary listing in Hong Kong, said Francis Lun, an investment manager and a veteran market commentator. Alibaba is one of the most heavily traded Chinese companies in the U.S. If you look at the stock price, investors are very pessimistic (about Alibaba), Lun said. Alibaba's New York-listed stock is down over 55% over the last 12 months. Alibaba was fined a record $2.8 billion for anti-monopoly violations, and regulators scrutinized its financial affiliate Ant Financial closely after Ant was ordered to halt its initial public listing days before it was due to go public. The company has also seen slowing growth amid COVID-19 uncertainties and a general slowdown in the Chinese economy. The primary listing in Hong Kong is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Alibaba first went public in New York in September 2014 in what was then the world's biggest initial public offering at $25 billion. It completed a secondary listing in Hong Kong in November 2019. Other Chinese firms seeking a primary listing in Hong Kong include cloud computing service provider Kingsoft Cloud Holdings and video sharing site Bilibili Inc. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LOS ANGELES (AP) President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris jointly endorsed U.S. Rep. Karen Bass on Tuesday to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, providing a boost to her campaign against billionaire developer Rick Caruso and cementing her place as the favorite of the Democratic establishment. In a statement, Biden and Harris said they were eager to work with Bass and her innovative strategies to deal with the city's homeless crisis and rising crime rates. "Karen Bass has our friendship, and she has earned our respect through her leadership in Congress on crime prevention strategies, effective and fair policing, and the welfare of children and families, Biden and Harris said. The endorsement was not a surprise. Bass was on Biden's short list when he was selecting a vice president and Harris, a fellow Californian, has known the congresswoman for years. Bass a favorite of the party's progressive wing could become the first woman to hold the citys top job, and the second Black person. Elections rarely turn on endorsements, but Bass has locked up an extensive list of prominent Democratic supporters, including Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The show of big-name support from within the party paired with prominent labor backing will be an asset in the heavily Democratic city, where Republicans account for only 13% of registered voters. Los Angeles has been struggling with an unchecked homeless crisis, distress over brazen smash-and-grab robberies and home invasions while rents and housing prices have soared. At issue is whether voters in the liberal-leaning city might take a political right turn and embrace the moderate Caruso, who was endorsed by the police union and is promising to expand the Los Angeles Police Department. In a tweet, Caruso responded that endorsements would not conceal what he called the congresswoman's record of failing to address L.A.s homelessness, public safety, and corruption. These endorsements have absolutely nothing to do with what this campaign is really about. L.A. needs fresh leadership, Caruso added. The same old from establishment politicians wont stop this city from sliding into an even more desperate situation. In his first run for public office, Caruso has picked up some celebrity backing, including from Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow. So far, Caruso has spent more than $40 million on the race, much of it his own money. Bass led the field by a comfortable margin in the June primary, setting up a November runoff with Caruso, the second-place finisher. Caruso, who is known for building high-end malls, is a political shape-shifter who calls himself a centrist, pro-jobs, pro-public safety Democrat. According to government records, he was a Republican for over two decades before becoming an independent in 2011. Caruso changed back to Republican in 2016 a year when he served as California campaign co-chair for Republican John Kasichs presidential bid and then to independent again in 2019. He became a Democrat shortly before entering the mayors race in February. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GUATEMALA CITY (AP) A prize-winning Guatemalan journalist jailed on alleged money laundering charges that government critics have denounced as a pressure tactic has faced consequences for his work before. In 2003, government agents searched Jose Ruben Zamora Marroquins home and threatened his life after he wrote a column suggesting former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt, then president of the congress, was running a parallel government. Five years later, armed men abducted Zamora in Guatemalas capital before releasing him 10 hours later outside the city beaten and drugged. No one was arrested, but at the time it was believed to be in response to his newspapers work. On Friday, plainclothes investigators and police with assault rifles arrested Zamora at his home. His initial appearance before a judge was canceled Monday, because the case file was apparently unavailable. The hearing was not immediately rescheduled, meaning Zamora would remain in jail. It also meant that the details of the charges against Zamora remain a mystery. On Friday, government investigators also raided the offices of El Periodico, holding its employees in place for more than 15 hours. Zamora founded El Periodico in 1996 and it quickly gained a reputation for uncovering government corruption. The paper made reporting scoops on the current administration of President Alejandro Giammattei and at least three of his predecessors. Last year and this year, El Periodico published a series of investigations about the visit of Russian business people to Guatemala who met with Giammattei. The papers investigation accused Giammattei of accepting bribes in exchange for a concession of property in the port of Santo Tomas de Castilla. Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who was recently reappointed by Giammattei to another term as the countrys top law enforcement official, has been sanctioned by the United States for pursuing investigations against prosecutors and judges who investigated corruption. On Monday, authorities searched the home of one of those earlier targets, former judge Erika Aifan, who had fled to the United States after denouncing corruption. Porras special prosecutor against corruption, Rafael Curruchiche, who is handling Zamoras case, was also sanctioned by the U.S. government as an alleged obstacle to investigating corruption. Curruchiche has said the case is focused on Zamoras work as a businessman not as a journalist, but has offered no details. That was difficult for others at El Periodico to reconcile because the government froze the newspape's bank accounts. The bank accounts were suspended at the request of the (prosecutors office), with the only intention being to paralyze the finances of said media outlet, making it impossible to meet with its labor and contractual obligations, said Gerson Ortiz, El Periodicos news director. Zamoras son, Ramon Zamora, was more direct. This is not a case against my father, it is a systematic attack against freedom of expression and democracy, he said. They started with the activists, continued on to the prosecutors and now they are starting to pursue journalists. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran arrested several members of the Bahai faith on spying charges, authorities said Monday, the latest sign of a tightening crackdown across the Islamic Republic as it faces international pressure over its tattered nuclear deal. The Baha'i demanded their release and called their arrests part of a long pattern of persecution by Iran's Shiite theocracy. Iran's Intelligence Ministry said in a statement that the suspects were linked to the Baha'i center in Israel and had collected and transferred information there. The Baha'i's international governing body, the Universal House of Justice, long has been based in Haifa, Israel. The Baha'i have had a presence there since before the founding of the state of Israel, which the Islamic Republic views as its chief enemy in the region. Iran offered no evidence to support the allegations of the Baha'i doing anything illegal. State TV footage showed one of the suspects saying he was being monitored by agents of the ministry, though he did not acknowledge in the footage doing anything wrong. The Baha'i through an international advocacy group identified several of those arrested as leaders in their religion who previously served 10-year prison sentences. They are domestic symbols of resilience and internationally renowned former prisoners of conscience, the Baha'i said. Arresting them reveals the Iranian governments escalating persecution of Irans Bahai community. Iran already bans the Bahai, a religion founded in the 1860s by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by his followers. Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad the highest prophet. The Baha'i say they've been persecuted by Shiite clerics in Iran since their religion's founding something that's grown more intense since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2013, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, urged Iranians to avoid all dealings with the Bahai. Khamenei's fatwa, or religious order, supported similar fatwas in the past by other clerics. The detention of the Baha'i follow a wave of recent arrests as tensions escalate between Irans hard-line government and the West. Security forces have detained film directors, several foreigners and a prominent reformist politician as talks to revive Tehrans nuclear accord with world powers hit a deadlock and fears grow over the countrys economic crisis. Alastair Grant/AP LONDON (AP) British prosecutors have charged a man with intending to injure or alarm Queen Elizabeth II after he was arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day. Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, has been charged under the Treason Act after allegedly being caught with a crossbow on the palace grounds. UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Monday he will attend the 77th anniversary of the worlds first atomic bombing in Hiroshima, at a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War. The U.N. chief made the announcement in his speech on the opening day of the four-week meeting to review the landmark Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and achieving a nuclear-free world. ALTON Dr. Uwais Zaid has joined OSF HealthCare Saint Anthonys Health Center in Alton. OSF Saint Anthonys has a phenomenal group of providers, said Zaid. I am very excited to join the team and am looking forward to providing compassionate care alongside the teams other well-trained doctors. The Riverbend is a wonderful area to practice in and be able to call home. Zaid is from Fresno, California. He attended medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles and completed his residency at University of California, San Francisco. He completed his fellowship at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. I am extremely passionate about reconstructive urology and helping people get their bodies back to normal after experiencing any urologic surgery or treatment, said Zaid. I feel very strongly about helping patients achieve their fullest quality of life, whether it be a cancer survivor or someone dealing with urinary incontinence issues. He and his wife have three children, ages 8, 5 and 3. Riverbend residents interested in making an appointment with Zaid can call 618-465-9024. There is little sympathy for a rat. On July 25, a giant inflatable rat rose 15-feet in front of Staab Funeral Home in Springfield. A woman came out of the business and repeatedly stabbed the rodent with a knife. The rat is intended to call public attention to companies employing nonunion labor. John Nicks, business manager for Roofers Local 112, said he and two of his union brothers and Scabby the rat were well within their rights protesting outside the venerable Springfield business that employed a non-union roofing contractor. I cant argue with that. The First Amendment exists to protect even the most offensive speech. In fact, if someone didnt find it offensive, there would be no need to protect it. But as my mother used to say, Just because you can do something doesnt mean you should do something. And this job action was stupid really stupid. Nicks portrays himself as just a working stiff protesting outside a funeral parlor. But even he wasnt prepared for how heated things became. She came out running, hollering and screaming and had a knife that was maybe four, six or seven inches long. I dont know what she was screaming, but she was screaming, and then she stabbed the rat eight times in the back, he told me in a recent interview. One of the picketers called the cops and the woman returned to the business. The 911 call went like this: Were union workers and we are kinda protesting here because there is non-union here. And a lady came out of Staabs and poked a hole in one of our rat things or whatever. They are getting kinda nasty and we have all the right to be here. He added the perpetrator was wearing a leopard top. You just cant make this stuff up. A police report said funeral director Lauren Staab, daughter of the firms president Paul John Staab admitted to the attack. Neither of the Staabs would comment on the matter for the record. She has been charged with criminal damage to property. When I wrote a news story on the incident last week, I received emails and comments from across the United States. The victim Scabby, the now flaccid rat received no sympathy. Lauren Staab, on the other hand, may be on the way to folk-hero status. I should note that the Staabs buried several of my in-laws. And Ive attended a number of funerals there and always found them to be dignified and professional. They are just nice folks. Inflating a giant rat outside a family business is a bullying tactic. A legal bullying tactic, but a bullying tactic nonetheless. I can empathize. When I was 10, my familys small business was picketed by a union. Wed hired union carpenters to put on an addition. It seems the carpenters were carrying their own boards. So, the laborers union picketed because they thought they should be carrying them. Being a rather nosey child, I walked out front and asked the fellow picketing why he was there. He said, Unfair labor practices, Kid." I asked what was unfair? The fella wouldnt make eye contact but did tell me to call the union hall. I couldnt help but wonder if he knew why he was picketing. After all, orthodoxies demand blind obedience. Instead of taking a nuanced view and noting that the Staabs have employed union contractors in the past and have contributed much to the community, the roofers union chose to brand them as shameful and target them for a picket. What do they hope to accomplish? Maybe someone will drive down the road, see the picketers and say, Mom, when you kick the bucket, we wont have your funeral at that place with the giant rat. I suppose it could happen. But I kind of doubt it. A more likely scenario is that the union will reap nothing but ill will. Instead of the champion of working people, it came off as a bully picking on a family business. Increasingly, rank-and-file union workers are uncomfortable with these actions. They may not be voicing their misgivings in the union hall, but they are voting with their feet. Unions are finding it hard to get workers to participate in job actions like the one with Scabby. Thestreet.com has reported some labor organizations have resorted to hiring non-union temporary workers at minimum wage to man their picket lines. John Nicks, of the Roofers union, acknowledged that some unions play that game but not his. All the same, whenever I see folks suffering out in the weather on a picket line, I cant help but wonder, Are those temps? And is the union paying them prevailing wage? After being booted out of the Love Island villa in 2017, narrowly missing out on a place in the final four couples, Montana Brown was determined to set up her own business. Unlike many of her peers on the ITV reality show, she didn't want to use her new-found fame to stick her face to someone else's brand. She wanted to create something of her own. But as Brown who has now been taken on as a business mentor by Virgin Start Up quickly realised, founding your own firm isn't easy. Montana Brown has now been taken on as a business mentor by Virgin Start Up On top of all the usual challenges, 27 per cent of prospective entrepreneurs are being put off from following their business dreams because of the cost of living crisis, data from Virgin Start Up revealed. Another 35 per cent said they didn't have the money, while confidence is a particularly big issue for women, deterring 27 per cent of would-be female founders compared to 18 per cent of their male counterparts. But as the UK stares down the barrel of a recession, the Government will be increasingly reliant on Britain's entrepreneurial spirit and army of small businesses to push the economy through a tough few years. Though it may sound surprising, an economic downturn can be a good time to start a business. Higher unemployment means workers are often easier to come by, while new opportunities can present themselves as behaviours shift. General Motors, Burger King, Uber and Airbnb all launched during a slump. Likewise Brown started her business shortly before Covid struck. The idea for Swim Society came when Brown, now 26, was on holiday with friends in the Maldives. Having recently been thrown into the social media spotlight, and experiencing the trolling and abuse which that brings, Brown was having a body image crisis. She and her friends found themselves complaining about the fit and quality of their swimsuits and in 2019, she decided to do something about it. Initially, Swim Society began working with fashion brand Skinnydip to create her own line. Most of the complexities of the business were taken care of by Skinnydip, and Brown was working around two days a week to help with the design and direction of the swimwear range. Virgin Startup selects nascent businesses in need of money and advice, hands out loans from the government-backed Start Up Loans company, and provides mentoring for founders But she was adamant that she wanted her swimsuits and bikinis to be made ethically, from recycled materials. Here, she butted heads with Skinnydip, whose staff were worried about the extra costs and complications this would introduce. So in 2020, less than a year after starting the business, Brown decided to go it alone. 'It was definitely a really scary time for me,' she says. 'I had no business experience, and I'd never really had a full-time proper job. 'So it was a daunting time and then Covid happened.' So what spurred her on? 'I think a lot of it was naivety,' she laughs. 'I thought, 'Yeah, I can totally do this, it'll be fine.' 'I'm quite a spiritual person, so I just thought what will be will be. I was so passionate about representing people who were under-represented that I didn't really think about running the business.' For a while, it was a struggle. But Brown managed to build a network of useful contacts, and had two staff with her from the beginning who proved to be invaluable. Many other would-be entrepreneurs also suffer from the feeling of not knowing where to start which is where mentoring comes in handy. Brown is working with Virgin Start Up to advise other founders and her role as an influencer means she is awash with knowledge on social media. Part of Richard Branson's group of companies, and part-funded by the billionaire himself, Virgin Start Up is a not-for-profit organisation trying to build Britain's next generation of entrepreneurs. It selects nascent businesses in need of money and advice, hands out loans from the government-backed Start Up Loans company, and provides mentoring and classes for their founders. Aside from social media, Brown will also be offering budding entrepreneurs advice on how to raise finance after she successfully won over investors during the pandemic. She says: 'I think there are so many ways to get investment now that some people are moving away from focusing on the figures and focusing more on a partnership where it's more of a collaboration.' The Government as well as venture capital firms and later-stage investors still has a lot to do if it wants to help British firms grow from minnows to giants. But with the likes of Brown championing entrepreneurialism, the UK's small business scene looks as vibrant as ever. The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a precision strike in the centre of Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, President Joe Biden said, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul on Sunday morning and was hit by hellfire missiles from a U.S. drone. Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more, Biden said in remarks from the White House on Monday. No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out. He said he had authorised the precision strike in downtown Kabul and that no civilians were killed. Three spokespeople in the Taliban administration in Kabul declined comment on Zawahiris death. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had previously confirmed that a strike took place in Kabul on Sunday and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of international principles. A spokesperson for the interior ministry said a house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor, an upscale residential neighbourhood of the city which also houses several embassies. There were no casualties as the house was empty, Abdul Nafi Takor, the spokesperson, said. Taliban authorities threw a security dragnet around the house in Sherpoor on Tuesday and journalists were not allowed nearby. A senior Taliban official told Reuters that Zawahiri was previously in Helmand province and had moved to Kabul after the Taliban took over the country in August last year. U.S. intelligence determined with high confidence through multiple intelligence streams that the man killed was Zawahiri, one senior administration official told reporters. Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to U.S. persons, interests and national security, the official said on a conference call. His death deals a significant blow to al Qaeda and will degrade the groups ability to operate. Zawahiri succeeded bin Laden as al Qaeda leader after years as its main organizer and strategist, but his lack of charisma and competition from rival militants Islamic State hobbled his ability to inspire devastating attacks on the West. There were rumours of Zawahiris death several times in recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health. SANCTUARY The drone attack is the first known U.S. strike inside Afghanistan since U.S. troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The move may bolster the credibility of Washingtons assurances that the United States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country. His death also raises questions about whether Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The official said senior Taliban officials were aware of his presence in the city and said the United States expected the Taliban to abide by an agreement not to allow al Qaeda fighters to re-establish themselves in the country. The Taliban will have to answer for al-Zawahiris presence in Kabul, after assuring the world they would not give safe haven to al-Qaeda terrorists, Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had grossly violated the Doha Agreement between the two sides by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri. Former President Barack Obama joined lawmakers in praising the operation. Tonights news is also proof that its possible to root out terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan, Obama said in a Twitter message. And I hope it provides a small measure of peace to the 9/11 families and everyone else who has suffered at the hands of al Qaeda. Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio said: The world is safer without him in it and this strike demonstrates our ongoing commitment to hunt down all terrorists responsible for 9/11 and those who continue to pose a threat to U.S. interests. said Until the U.S. announcement, Zawahiri had been rumoured variously to be in Pakistans tribal area or inside Afghanistan. A video released in April in which he praised an Indian Muslim woman for defying a ban on wearing an Islamic head scarf dispelled rumours that he had died. The senior U.S. official said finding Zawahiri was the result of persistent counter-terrorism work. The United States found out this year that Zawahiris wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, then identified that Zawahiri was there as well, the official said. Once Zawahiri arrived at the location, we are not aware of him ever leaving the safe house, the official said. He was identified multiple times on the balcony, where he was ultimately struck. He continued to produce videos from the house and some may be released after his death, the official said. In the last few weeks, Biden convened officials to scrutinize the intelligence. He was updated throughout May and June and was briefed on July 1 on a proposed operation by intelligence leaders. On July 25 he received an updated report and authorized the strike once an opportunity was available, the administration official said. With other senior al Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 U.S. sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said. He was indicted in the United States for his role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. Both bin Laden and Zawahiri eluded capture when U.S.-led forces toppled Afghanistans Taliban government in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. SOURCE: REUTERS CONCORD, N.H. (AP) A substance made when the body breaks down heroin was present a truck driver's blood just hours after he was involved in a 2019 crash that killed seven motorcyclists, a forensic toxicologist testified Monday. The metabolite, referred to as 6-MAM," is unique to heroin and was found in the driver's blood below below the reporting limit, the concentration of substances that can be measured accurately, said Donna Papsun of Pennsylvania-based NMS Labs. She had been asked to do additional testing by the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. Papsun's testimony in the trial of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy expanded on what the National Transportation Safety Board says the driver told police about his drug use on the day of the crash. Zhukovskyys lawyer, Steve Mirkin, has said his client did take heroin, fentanyl and cocaine on June 21, 2019, but said there's no evidence he was impaired at the time of the crash and that police did not make any observations in the hours afterward suggesting that he was impaired. Papsun was questioned in superior court in Lancaster, New Hampshire, by lawyers from both sides about how long heroin stays in the system, as well as other drugs that showed up in Zhukovskyy's bloodwork, such as fentanyl, morphine and a metabolite found after cocaine consumption, and how those drugs could affect a person. Prosecutors said Zhukovskyy, 26, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was impaired and weaved back and forth repeatedly before the head-on crash on U.S. Route 2 in Randolph. Zhukovskyy's lawyers have said the lead motorcyclist, who died, was drunk and caused the crash. His blood-alcohol level registered at nearly twice the legal limit of .08 in New Hampshire. Papsun testified that 6-MAM" breaks down fast and has a half-life the time it takes in the body to reduce it by half ranging from about five to six minutes to about 25 to 30 minutes. She said it could take up to 3 1/2 hours for the body to clear its original dose, but it could take less than time than that for some people, depending on an individual's ability to break that down." Zhukovskyy's first blood sample was taken shortly after 8:30 p.m., about two hours after the collision. She said the second blood sample, taken about an hour later, did not show a reliable reading of 6-MAM." Defense attorney Jay Duguay asked Papsun if just the presence of the substances alone in a person's blood means that they are impaired. You can't make that determination based on the toxicology alone?" he said. No," she answered. The motorcyclists who died were part of Jarheads Motorcycle Club, for Marines and their spouses. They were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and ranged in age from 42 to 62. They were part of a larger group that had just left a motel along the highway and were headed to an American Legion Post in Gorham for a fundraiser. They were traveling east when the collision with the westbound truck occurred. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SCHENECTADY The man charged in the stabbing deaths of his wife and 5-year-old son inside their Duanesburg home last year must undergo a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation to determine if he may be an incapacitated person, according to court records. The document further states that the examination for Nelson Patino is to also help ascertain if the defendant, as a result of mental disease or defect, lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against him/her in the criminal action or lacks the capacity to assist in his/her own defense The listed reason in the filing indicates that Patino has been uncooperative with the defense counsel. On Monday, Michael McDermott, the veteran attorney representing Patino, disputed that assessment, reiterating some of the legalese outlined in the court papers. Theres no issue about Nelson being uncooperative, its just does he have the ability to cooperate in his defense because of the mental defect and disease, he said. So, basically, is there anything psychologically preventing him from understanding whats going on and able to assist in his own defense, its got nothing to him being uncooperative - thats not accurate at all. McDermott declined to specifically comment when asked if the psychiatric evaluation might be a preamble to a possible defense of insanity, but said more broadly that obviously his mental health is an area that needs considerable attention. The Schenectady County District Attorney's Office did not immediately return a call Monday afternoon seeking comment. Authorities have so far not offered a motive for the crime. The 47-year-old Patino has pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment that includes an attempted murder charge for allegedly wounding his 2-year-old son. The boy survived the Dec.1 attack and is now staying with relatives in Florida. The top count charges Patino, once a cook at the family diner near his home, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, Alexandria Bustamante Gomez. Patino is also charged with two counts of second-degree murder for her death and the death of their son, Jacob Patino, plus two counts of second-degree assault. Authorities have previously said Patino, a native of Colombia, used a folding knife and a kitchen knife during attacks that took at least 10 minutes. Authorities and his former attorney have previously told the Times Union that after the alleged stabbings Patino called a 911 police dispatcher and said something along the lines that he had just stabbed his family and he didnt know why. Patino, who is being held without bail, is due back in court on Sept. 19. Despite the sometimes heavy rain Monday, about one dozen volunteers gathered to help distribute about 7,000 pounds of food to Midland area residents. On Aug. 1, volunteers, many from the Midland Evangelical Free Church, went to the Greater Midland North Family Center for its monthly food distribution. More than 150 cars showed up to receive food amid a high need of food assistance in northern Midland County. Andrea Secrease, executive director of Greater Midland North and Coleman family centers, said Eastern Food Bank of Mid-Michigan and the Emergency Food Bank of Midland County began working with those two-family centers at the start of the pandemic for these food distributions. The center had to pause on the distributions for a few months this year due to funding issues, but is now able to run them again with smaller food trucks. About 2.5 million pounds of food has been distributed since the partnership began, she said. Georgia Pelli, director of operations for North Family Center, said 200-300 people showed up before the break. She hopes to get the word out to people that they are back to regular redistributions. On Monday, Pelli said about 160 cars showed up for the distribution, but that does not represent the true number of people served. She said families and people without access to working vehicles will carpool to these in order to access food. Many of the people who showed up were seniors, who Pelli said can have a hard time accessing benefits like food stamps. She said people have to sign up for them on the states website, and many forget passwords since they are not as tech-literate as younger generations. They have to jump through a lot of hoops to get services and ask questions, with phone calls difficult to get through to the state, she added. These seniors may also fear they are a burden asking for food assistance, mistakenly believing they are taking food away from others who need it, Pelli said. We are here to help, Pelli said. All these facilities are here to help. Both Pelli and Secrease said the rural nature of north and northwest Midland County also contribute to the issue of food insecurity, with high gas prices preventing many from being able to go down to the city of Midland for groceries. Coleman was considered a total food desert up until last year, meaning there was not a place to get fresh food in the community. But through a partnership with Greater Midland and United Way of Midland, a community grocery store was opened in the town last year open three days a week. Despite this new store and these food distributions, Secrease said food insecurity still exists in this region, particularly in the Coleman area, due to low incomes and lack of transportation. I do think that being in the city of Midland, we are isolated enough and geographically isolated enough that folks do not realize some of the need that does exist in northern Midland County, Secrease said. They also do not understand some of the resources that are available. The North Family Center does its food distributions on the first Monday every month and the Coleman Family Center, located at 4839 N. Coleman Schools Drive, does its food distribution on the final Monday every month. People can drive up to the centers, where food is put into their cars. Secrease said the center can also help with connecting people with other resources regarding food insecurity. To reach the North Community Center, call 989-689-7770. To reach to Coleman Family Center, call 989-465-2079. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Leah Samuel, The Conversation (THE CONVERSATION) Launching the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and the heat.gov site on July 26, 2022, the Biden administration cited heat waves and the warming climate as serious health threats. As the new initiative promises a science informed response to hotter conditions, five stories from The Conversations archive explain what researchers know about heat and health. 1. Its the humidity Heat waves can be deadly in a variety of ways, wrote William Calvin, who teaches physiology and neuroscience at the University of Washington. Heat waves can kill via the dehydration caused by heavy sweating; the altered sodium and potassium concentrations in the blood confuse both heart and nerve cells, and so breathing or heartbeat may suddenly stop, he wrote. Calvin explained that human bodies have not evolved to handle extreme heat with humidity. Normally, sweat evaporates off your skin and you cool down. But with high humidity, the air is already saturated with water vapor, and so evaporative cooling stops. However, you keep sweating anyway, threatening dehydration. 2. Lower tolerance for higher temps That combination of temperature and humidity whereby the persons core temperature starts to rise is called the critical environmental limit, wrote a group of Penn State University scholars researching the health effects of heat: W. Larry Kenney, Daniel Vecellio, Rachel Cottle and S. Tony Wolf. In a rare lab test of the human bodys heat tolerance, the researchers found that the limit is lower than previously thought. When the air temperature is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), people can begin to feel ill effects at just 60% humidity a higher temperature and lower humidity than researchers determined in 2010. Above those limits, core temperature rises continuously and risk of heat-related illnesses with prolonged exposures is increased, they wrote. The results of these tests show an even greater cause for concern. 3. Age matters Extremely hot whether is particularly dangerous for those over 70, according to family physician Dr. Gabriel Neal, who teaches at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. In his article on avoiding heat stroke, Neal described factors making older adults vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. As people age, our bodies ability to cool declines, and the elderly often take medication that further impairs this ability, Neal wrote. In addition, the elderly may not be aware of the dangerous heat wave and may not have working air conditioning in their home, nor have anyone to check on them. 4. Wet or dry, hot is hot Its the heat and the humidity, wrote Mississippi State University exercise physiologist JohnEric Smith. Hot desert climates are stressful due to extreme temperatures, while humid subtropical climates are stressful because the body has trouble removing heat when sweat doesnt evaporate readily, he wrote. Smith added that how heat and humidity affect people depends on factors like the weather thats typical where they are, and the cooling systems in local homes and buildings. 5. Warming up food Tufts University epidemiologist Elena Naumova warns that keeping food safe to eat is becoming more challenging in a warming climate. Thats because warm, wet weather conditions stimulate bacterial growth, she wrote. Naumova named several climate-related factors in spreading foodborne illnesses. One growing problem is that heat waves, wildfires and severe storms are increasingly triggering power outages, which in turn affect food storage and food handling practices in stores, production and distribution sites and homes, she wrote. Editors note: This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversations archives. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/hot-and-getting-hotter-5-essential-reads-on-high-temps-and-human-bodies-187668. JERUSALEM (AP) At least one Palestinian was killed and another wounded during an Israeli military raid late Monday in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The military said security forces arrested two suspects and confiscated a handgun, ammunition and cash. It said the troops came under fire when they entered Jenin's refugee camp and shot back at the gunmen. No security forces were harmed in the operation, it said. GERING, Neb. (AP) A wildfire that has forced evacuations and destroyed some homes in the Nebraska Panhandle grew to about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) Monday, but firefighters were managing to limit the spread of the fire. The blaze south of Gering, dubbed the Carter Canyon Fire, was reported Saturday evening and began as two separate fires in heavily treed areas of the Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area and Carter Canyon Public Land, fire and emergency management officials said. Officials said tinder-dry conditions, rough terrain and 20 mph (32 kph) winds hampered efforts to control the fires, which merged over the weekend into one fire. The fire had grown to about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) and was burning in an area of grassland and large trees, said Ben Bohall, public information officer with the Nebraska Forest Service. The fire destroyed three homes and damaged several more in the Carter Canyon community that was evacuated Sunday. No injuries were immediately reported. About 200 people were fighting the fire, with crews from Wyoming and South Dakota helping those from Nebraska, Bohall said. About 35 fire departments from the area and aircraft were brought in to battle the flames. By Monday, the fire was about 33% contained and wasn't spreading significantly, officials said. Fire crews will face difficult conditions as they try to control the blaze in the coming days. The National Weather Service forecasts continued winds and temperatures around or in excess of 100 degrees over the next six days, with only a 20% to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday. The fire in an area suffering from moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Nebraska fire was burning at a time when other large fires were raging in the West, including a Northern California fire that has burned through nearly 87 square miles (225.33 square kilometers) in the Klamath National Forest. Another fire has grown to about 20 square miles (51.80 square kilometers) in the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana and Idaho's Moose Fire has burned more than 85 square miles (220.15 square kilometers). ___ This story has been corrected to show that the fire size has grown to 25 square miles, not 25,000 square miles. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Vivek Astvansh, Indiana University (THE CONVERSATION) Whenever automakers discover that a vehicle has a defect or does not comply with U.S. laws, they must notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and mail a notice to each customer who owns or leases the affected vehicles. Automakers must also recall those cars, trucks or SUVs which means they have to fix the defect across the entire fleet. People with recalled vehicles usually have to schedule a visit to an authorized dealership, where a mechanic repairs the car. But vehicles are increasingly high-tech contraptions. Although most recalls still require the replacement or repair of auto parts, such as air bags or brakes, a growing number of issues are resolved without any help from a mechanic. All they require is an over-the-air update. Thats the technical term for what happens when you update any software program used by a device, whethers its a smartphone or a sedan. Over-the-air updates are especially common for vehicles that run fully or partially on electricity instead of gasoline or another fuel. These digital recalls require little or no effort. For example, Tesla regularly fixes its cars by updating its software. Its drivers often dont have to do a thing. In other cases, a Tesla owner simply has to tap a few buttons on the cars touchscreen. According to the law, it doesnt matter if safety-related fixes demand a software upgrade or a trip to the dealership. Either way, notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and all affected drivers is mandatory. Why over-the-air updates matter Electric vehicle sales nearly doubled from about 300,000 in 2020 to more than 600,000 in 2021. EV sales rose another 76% in first quarter of 2022 even as sales of all new vehicles dropped by 15.7%. U.S. EV sales could be on the verge of far more growth, which would make over-the-air updates increasingly common. But drivers and investors are raising an array of safety concerns that could put the brakes on the EV markets expansion. Serious problems have included electric vehicles failing to start, losing power and catching fire because of battery defects. Musk objects to the word recall Tesla has pushed harder than its competitors to rely primarily on over-the-air updates to fix problems with its electric vehicles. Its CEO, Elon Musk, has for years publicly questioned the wisdom of calling over-the-air updates recalls. In some cases, Tesla has conducted over-the-air updates to resolve safety defects without notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or Tesla owners that a recall was underway. Because thats against the law, the agency has ordered Tesla to provide those details. Tesla has used over-the-air updates to resolve, for example, issues with its windshield wipers and seat belt chimes. It has also used over-the-air updates to address problems with its partially automated driving systems. Those features are the subject of a government investigation because of a spate of crashes with parked emergency vehicles in which first responders were using warning signs, such as flashing lights or flares. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/what-are-automotive-over-the-air-updates-a-marketing-professor-explains-187580. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY The office of state Attorney General Letitia James is actively investigating the handling of sexual assault allegations and complaints against Harvey Weinstein by the Manhattan district attorney and the special victims unit of the New York Police Department, according to documents obtained by the Times Union. A contract with a firm that specializes in investigating sexual misconduct was initially engaged by the state in November 2020, a few months after the fallen movie mogul was sentenced in his sexual assault case. The first payments had been made under the contract in June, four months after it was authorized. Details on the specifics of the inquiry were redacted by the state comptroller's office, which said releasing those specifics could compromise an ongoing law enforcement investigation. In March 2018, then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo directed then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office to investigate how the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance handled allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein. The governor's request came following pressure from the star-packed Time's Up group, which once was praised for its activism in the "#MeToo" movement, to open an inquiry. (Time's Up dissolved following reports of its involvement in providing political spin for Cuomo as he was being accused of sexual harassment, which prompted his resignation a year ago.) Five months later, Cuomo announced he had asked the attorney general's office to suspend the investigation. At that time, the district attorney was pursuing a prosecution of Weinstein. Earlier that year, Schneiderman had abruptly resigned following allegations he had physically abused women. By the time James became attorney general in 2019, the investigation remained on hold as criminal and civil proceedings played out involving Weinstein, who was later sentenced to prison. Once Weinstein's criminal case was adjudicated, the attorney general's office apparently revived its probe. In November 2020, the attorney general's office entered into an "engagement letter" with the firm enlisted to help with their investigation, T&M Protection Resources, which is now known as T&M USA, a private security and investigations company that specializes in sexual misconduct consulting and investigations. The attorney general's office had engaged the firm to help investigate the handling of the Weinstein case by the Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York Police Department, as well as their "general handling of sexual assault allegations." The attorney general's office recently made its first payment to the firm, about $100,000 on June 27, according to records with the comptroller's office. The contract is valued at around $300,000. State records show the attorney general's office paid T&M about $48,000 as an expert witness in July 2021. The details of that work are not reflected in public records. The attorney general's office confirmed the inquiry directed by Cuomo four years ago remains open, which the New York Times reported last week. A separate, but wide-ranging investigation was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Justice into the NYPD sex crimes unit. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LOUDONVILLE A Siena College poll of likely voters released Tuesday found Gov. Kathy Hochul has a 14-point lead over Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. The 53-to-39 percent lead among individuals who expect to vote in November's general election is also a reflection of Democrats' large enrollment advantage in New York. Among registered Democrats, Hochul has an 81-to-12 percent edge while Zeldin's choice among Republican voters is 84-to-12 percent in his favor. The Siena poll noted that independents narrowly favor Zeldin, 44-to-42 percent, according to Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. "Hochul dominates in New York City, leading by nearly 50 points, while Zeldin has slim three-point leads both upstate and in the downstate suburbs," Greenberg said. "The gender gap is wide, as men are evenly divided, and women favor Hochul 59-to-33 percent." Hochul also has more support among white, Latino and especially Black voters, the poll found. Greenberg said Hochul's lead in the polls is "not insurmountable" for the GOP challenger. "Hochul continues to be more well known and liked than Zeldin, although she has not been able to raise her favorability rating over 46 percent," Greenberg added. "It has been between 42 and 46 percent every month since September, her second month as governor." He said Zeldin's name recognition received a boost from his GOP primary victory and now he is the lone "focus of Republican energy." "Fourteen weeks is a long time in politics, and we know most voters dont really begin to focus on elections till after Labor Day," Greenberg said. Arabian Nights, also known as One Thousand and One Nights, is the centuries old compilation of folk tales from Persian, Indian and Arabian traditions. Its method of recounting stories within stories surrounded by more stories has inspired the structure of Invasion! a fantasy comedy that opens Friday at Ancram Opera House. With such an alluring title, Arabian Nights might suggest warm resonant voices whispering by candlelight. Yet on that score Invasion! is something else fast-paced, kaleidoscopic and intense. While the stories jump around through time, the setting is contemporary and the overarching theme is centered on timely concerns of identity, perceptions and prejudices especially toward people of Middle Eastern heritage. Written by the award-winning Swedish playwright and novelist Jonas Hassen Khemeri and presented in translation, the one-act play was conceived during the wake of 9/11 and debuted in 2011 when anti-Muslim sentiments were a problem throughout the West. Not much has changed since then. It couldnt be more relevant today given the rhetoric and shifting culture in our country, said director Jeffrey Mousseau, who attended the American premiere of Invasion! produced by The Play Company in New York about 10 years ago. Its a layered, interesting and complicated play and were making discoveries every day. The thrust of the piece is about questioning assumptions and how we perceive and see one another. The cast consists of four actors who portray many different characters while also sometimes serving as narrators. Theres one reoccurring character, Abulkasem, who becomes an idee fixe. He is introduced in the very first scene, which is borrowed from an orientalist play by the 19th-century Swedish writer and polymath Carl Jonas Love Alquist. In the next scene the actor spins Abulkasem in a variety of different ways, changing the name and giving it different meanings, actor Sophie Zmorrod Laruelle said. We then turn it on its head, and it becomes an adjective, a verb and a noun. Its a thread throughout. Laruelle is a graduate student in the MFA program at Brown University. She didnt know of the play and had not heard of the venue, but when she saw in Playbill the casting call for Middle Eastern actors Laruelle was intrigued. Her mother is from Lebanon and the three other Invasion! actors are of Palestinian, Pakistani and Egyptian heritages. As Americans, when we try to tell a story about Middle Eastern people, its a woman in hajib and a man with a beard, Laruelle said. She was surprised to learn that among the raft of characters in Invasion! many come with specifics about nationalities and religions. Its exciting to see so many different characters. One is Kurdish, others are white, and another is Christian Lebanese. The play gets specific on each persons specific point in life. Usually theres just vague Middle Eastern. With a barrage of ideas delivered with an unexpected style of staging, Invasion! ties in well with Ancram Opera Houses early history as a place of discourse and its current focus on innovative theater and cabaret. Located in the heart of the village at the intersection of routes 7 and 82 in Columbia County, the 1927 building originally served as an outpost of whats known as the grange movement. As a chapter of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, its purpose was to provide a forum and venue for the social, educational and economic concerns of the regions farmers. In 1972, the building was renamed and transformed into an arts venue. Since 2015, it has served as the theatrical enterprise and also the home of Mousseau and his husband, Paul Ricciardi, who serve as co-directors. They produce public presentations April through December each year, usually with two fully staged plays, plus a variety of other performances, films, classes and gatherings. A popular storytelling series has recently been expanded into a program for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the Taconic Hills Central School District. We started with just a three-month season and did not know what to expect, Mousseau said. We found a supportive community and have had growth every year including during the pandemic. The opera houses main hall can be configured in a variety of ways. With a traditional thrust stage, as used for Invasion, the capacity is about 60, while for a simple talk that number rises by another 15 seats. The nonprofit organization has an annual operating budget of $200,000 and an email list of 2,400 names. In 2018, the population of Ancram was 1,489. When a show on the scale of Invasion! is in production, the housing of performers, artists and technicians becomes a huge crisis, Mousseau said. To solve that reoccurring problem, the organization purchased an adjacent property, a home built in 1790 and long in disrepair. Earlier this year, the New York state program for homes and community renewal approved a $255,675 grant for the renovation of the building, which will be used for office space, meeting and community rooms, and artist housing. This project will further revitalize our hamlet, which is on the national registry of historic places, Mousseau said. If you go "Invasion!" By Jonas Hassen Khemiri Performed by Ali Andre Ali, Abuzar Farrukh, Sophie Zmorrod Laruelle and Ahmad Maher When: 8 p.m. Aug. 5 to Aug. 21. Where: Ancram Opera House, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram Tickets: $40. Available at: ancramoperahouse.org. More info at: 518-329-0114. See More Collapse Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy. WFO LAS VEGAS Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, August 1, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... San Bernardino County in southern California... Southwestern Clark County in southern Nevada... * Until 645 PM PDT. * At 344 PM PDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Life-threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings, creeks, normally dry washes and roads. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Primm, Jean, Nipton And Ivanpah Roads, Nipton, Nipton Road Mile Marker 3, Mountain Pass, Goodsprings and Sandy Valley. This includes the following highways... Interstate 15 in Nevada between mile markers 1 and 24. Interstate 15 in California between mile markers 157 and 186. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of east central Kern County through 445 PM PDT... At 354 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles south of California City, or 33 miles north of Lake Los Angeles, moving northeast at 40 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... California City, Edwards AFB and North Edwards. 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 3488 11785 3499 11797 3531 11777 3528 11763 3512 11763 TIME...MOT...LOC 2254Z 218DEG 34KT 3508 11776 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather An ancient woodland in Northern Ireland has opened to the public for the first time in more than 500 years. The Woodland Trust conservation charity hopes Mourne Park will now become a popular visitor attraction, having bought 156 hectares of the 212 hectare site last year. It is currently raising funds to buy a further 46 hectares. As part of the 5.2 million campaign, the trust has reinstated walking paths in woodland that has not offered public access since the 1500s. Three trails have been completed over loose gravel paths covering a variety of gradients and lengths. They have been called the Bluebell Walk, the Woodland Loop and the Whitewater Trail. Mourne Park is near Kilkeel in Co Down on the edge of the Mourne Mountains, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The charity says the park is home to extremely rare woodland and is also inhabited by wildlife such as red squirrels, otters and pine martens. The Woodland Trust, which is celebrating its 50th year, has bought 1,200 sites across the UK in the last five decades. The initial purchase of Mourne Park was part funded by Stormonts Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Garfield Weston Foundation. Ian McCurley, director of Woodland Trust Northern Ireland, said: Mourne Park is one of the most important areas of natural beauty in the whole of Northern Ireland, with 73ha of precious ancient woodland so incredibly rare to find. We want to open Mourne Park up in a sensitive way, to allow the public to enjoy it in all its glory. So we have created three walking trails in our first phase of works. In these times, when people are calling for more green space, access to the countryside has never been more important. He added: We need help to acquire the additional 46ha, to complete restoration in this precious ancient landscape, improve access for people and create more havens for wildlife. To be able to protect woodlands on this landscape scale means more for nature, more for people and more for climate change. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, and Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Joe OBrien, have today announced over 1.5 million in funding to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) and Protestant Aid. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to receive funding of 1.41 million, while Protestant Aid will receive 180,000. Minister Humphreys said: This funding is in recognition of the contribution that SVP and Protestant Aid make to the alleviation of poverty in Ireland. It will help both organisations to continue to work with and support some of the most vulnerable people in society. This funding is particularly important given current cost of living increases and will help SVP and Protestant Aid with, for example, the provision of food support, household and education support, as well as addressing energy and fuel poverty. I want to acknowledge and thank both organisations for the fantastic work they do, ensuring families who find themselves in hard times are supported in every way possible. Minister OBrien added: SVP and Protestant Aid do vital work in terms of reaching people in poverty and exclusion that many may not always be aware of, or accessing the relevant anti-poverty mechanisms of the State in terms of our local Social Protection offices and our Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programmes across the country. Our collaboration with these two organisations is vital in terms of reaching people most in need, but also in terms of informing our policy decisions in the area of anti-poverty. Rose McGowan, National President of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, said: The continuing support from the Department of Rural and Community Development is a very welcome and an extremely important contribution to our work in assisting struggling individuals and families throughout Ireland. This is especially important given the current impact of the cost of living increases on the people we support. It is a challenging time for those people with imminent back-to-school costs and the prospect of further energy increases. The support from the Department is allocated throughout the country, ensuring we are able to assist where the need is greatest. Also welcoming the funding, David Webb, the CEO of Protestant Aid, said: Due an unprecedented number of requests for assistance, we are more grateful than ever to the Department of Rural and Community Development (Social Inclusion and Communities Fund) for their vital contribution to our work. At the time of writing, expenditure on General Grants via Social Workers is up 41% year on year and shows no sign of slowing. As always, 100% of the funds we receive from the Department are granted to those most in need without any deduction for overhead or administration costs. Whether it is with utilities, food expenses, back-to-school expenses, medical costs etc, Protestant Aid brings help regardless of denomination or ethnicity. None of this would be possible without the ongoing support and interest of the Department and we would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for all they do in helping us to reach those in need within our community. Irelands ethics watchdog has said it will not make changes to its guidelines for the disclosure of accounts by political parties, despite concerns raised about parties operating in multiple jurisdictions. In its annual report, the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) said it has reviewed its guidelines for the preparation of annual audited statements of account by Irish political parties. The review came after concerns were raised about Irish political parties who work and contest elections in multiple jurisdictions. A number of concerns were raised to Sipo after a British man left two million euros to Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein was able to accept the windfall in the will in Northern Ireland but was not able to accept it in the Republic. The gift was made by William E Hampton and was the largest donation given to a political party in Northern Ireland. Sipo accepted Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonalds position on the donation and that there are effectively two Sinn Feins, referring to the one in Northern Ireland that can accept large donations. In its report published on Tuesday, Sipo said political parties must operate controls that ensure there are no cross-border transactions that are illegal or improper. The Electoral Act 1997 provides for the disclosure of annual statements of accounts by political parties, as well as the keeping of accounting records, and for the audit of the statements of accounts by statutory auditors. The Act requires that the accounts comply with the requirements as to form and content provided for in guidelines issued by the commission. Sipo said in its report: In its annual report for 2020, the commission noted concerns had been raised with regard to the application of the Acts to registered political parties operating in multiple jurisdictions. The commission noted that some political parties registered to contest elections in Ireland are also registered to contest elections in Northern Ireland and that as a result, they must organise and operate within two different regimes of electoral regulation. They must also operate controls that ensure there are no cross-border transactions that are illegal or improper. The commission also noted that where a corporate donor, including a Northern Ireland political party, wishes to give funds to a party, elected official, candidate or third party in Ireland, this would count as a donation and would be subject to the limits and disclosure provisions set out in the Act. The commission indicated that it would review its guidelines for the preparation of annual audited statements of account by Irish political parties in light of the issues raised about parties operating in multiple jurisdictions. Having conducted this review, the commission has decided that changes to the current guidelines for political parties statements of account are not required. Barry Ward, Fine Gael Senator and Seanad spokesperson on justice, told the PA news agency that Sipo should have the power to look for proof as to where donations have been spent. He added: The main issue that arose was the bequest that was made to Sinn Fein from this man in Wales was left to Sinn Fein in the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein are obviously not entitled to receive that amount of money from a single donor in the Republic of Ireland. So that was a problem for them and they then took that money into their coffers in the north. The problem I have is that there are just no guarantees from Sipos perspective of how that money is spent and no guarantees that it isnt spent in any way on political activity in the Republic, which they would not be entitled to do. In the absence of having a sequence of accounts and things like that its very difficult for Sipo to be satisfied about that. Mr Ward added: The purposes of Sipo is not to just accept political parties word for it, it was always that they would be able to make decisions, and they make decisions all the time when complaints are made to them. The idea is therell be an independent body that would not just take political parties words for it, but would actually have the power to look beyond the word and look for actual proof or a demonstration that something has been done or something hasnt been done, depending on which it was. I would much rather they did that and to just accept any parties word, and Im not saying its particular to Sinn Fein, because its as much for Fine Gael or Labour or Social Democrats or whoever. There should be a mechanism whereby Sipo satisfies itself not just of the undertaking of the political party, but the actual state of fact as to what they did or didnt do. Sinn Fein has been contacted for comment. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 34992 Possibly one of the better election jokes that MAGA has ever played on the nation . . . Slightly more fun than the panty raid that of "very special people" on the nation's capitol. Here's the word . . . "There is a BIG Election in the Great State of Missouri, and we must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the U.S. Senate, someone who will fight for Border Security, Election Integrity, our Military and Great Veterans, together with having a powerful toughness on Crime and the Border. We need a person who will not back down to the Radical Left Lunatics who are destroying our Country," the former president said in a statement. "I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump didn't clarify which Eric he's endorsing however. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Trump makes endorsement for US Senate race in Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Monday, former President Donald Trump made an endorsement in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri, but it's not quite clear which candidate he's supporting. "There is a BIG Election in the Great State of Missouri, and we must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the U.S. Former President Donald Trump only endorses 'ERIC' in Missouri's US Senate race Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the U.S. Former president weighs in on Missouri GOP senate primary race KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Former President Donald Trump's relationship with the battle to win the republican senatorial nomination in Missouri is...complicated. The GOP field of candidates, vying to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, have worked throughout the campaign to attract the former president's endorsement. You decide . . . The horrific countdown to 100 homicides this year continues with a deadly shooting this afternoon. Remember at this date on calendar last year, KC had only recorded 89 killings . . . Now we're on pace to exceed that mark early in the year. Here's the first report . . . Homicide 5000 block of Bellefontaine This evening just before 6 PM officers were patrolling the area of 51st and Bellefontaine when they observed what appeared to be a person lying on the side of the street to the north of 51st St on Bellefontaine. As they approached they observed an adult male lying on the ground who had been shot and was unresponsive. EMS responded and pronounced the victim deceased. We do not have any suspect information and are asking for the publics help. Detectives and crime scene personnel have responded to the scene and are actively canvassing for witnesses and processing the scene for evidence. If you have any information please call the Homicide Unit at 234-5043. If you wish to remain anonymous you can call the TIPS hotline at 474-TIPS, with up to a $25,000 reward for an arrest in this case. ################ Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . KCPD investigating homicide at 51st and Bellefontaine KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police are investigating a deadly shooting Monday night. Just before 6 p.m. this evening, officers patrolling the area of 51st and Bellefontaine found one male on the ground. As officers approached the victim, they observed he had been shot and was unresponsive. Kansas City police investigate fatal shooting near 50th, Bellefontaine Darryl Forte SOURCE: Darryl Forte Kansas City police are investigating a fatal shooting Monday evening near East 50th Street and Bellefontaine Avenue.Authorities said that officers were patrolling the area of 51st and Bellefontaine about 6 p.m. Kansas City police officers find victim shot to death while conducting routine patrol Monday evening KANSAS CITY, Mo. - KCMO police officers found a homicide victim Monday evening on the side of Bellefontaine Avenue near East 50th Street. The officers were headed north on Bellefontaine Avenue just before 6 p.m. when they made the discovery. Emergency medical crews were sent to the scene on a shooting and declared the victim dead. Developing . . . Sign of the times . . . And speaking of intersectionality . . . In this post we confront issues of local trash, the prison industrial complex and the housing crisis worsened by political payouts . . . Here's the postscript . . . "Jackson County records show the trailer was originally located at the Heart Mobile Village prior to being sold to a third party. Heart Mobile Village is the site for the countys proposed new jail facility. At this point, its unknown how the trailer was transported to its present location under the bridge or why it was burned." Translation . . . This is just a theory but a burned out trailer that was dumped after the courthouse moved out an entire neighborhood for the new jail might be a less than subtle hint that some locals don't like the way the effort was undertaken. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Bringing illegal dumping to a whole new level The charred remains of a mobile home abandoned under the 23rd street viaduct just off I-435 is the city's latest illegal dumping investigation and its a real doozie! According to the city's illegal dumping investigator, Alan Ashhurst, the full size mobile home was occupied by squatters, a man and a woman until roughly one week ago. Someone dumped an entire mobile home under a Kansas City, Missouri bridge Investigators in Kansas City, Missouri are trying to find out who illegally dumped an entire mobile home in the city.Officials said it's one of the largest items that has ever been illegally dumped in Kansas City - a badly damaged mobile home dropped under the 23rd Street Bridge at Manchester Avenue. Again, this is worth repeating . . . In Kansas City proper . . . We'll be VERY surprised if voter turnout passes 11% and generally today isn't the EPIC showdown like we're seeing in Kansas. Sure . . . Democracy is very important and provides a wonderful justification for powerful people to carry out their plans. Nevertheless . . . Some of this news is interesting, worth a glimpse and a reminder that election politics can be a hobby that's nearly as rewarding as gambling given that both American pastimes involve about the same amount of lying, hurt feelings, adverse impact on relationships which typically leave participants broke. And so we share some of the more worthwhile items about "the process" today . . . Election Day primer: What you need to know for the August 2 primary KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Voters will return to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 2 for statewide primaries in Missouri and Kansas. Here's what you need to know about this election: Polling Places Polls across Missouri open at 6 a.m. They close at 7 p.m. It's Election Day in Kansas and Missouri Missouri and Kansas voters are headed to the polls for some important elections today. Plus: The Johnson County Sheriff's Office says they've gotten hundreds of tips relating to election fraud, but after a records request from KCUR, they only produced one. Get to know Jackson County's 1st District candidates on the Democratic Ballot Three democrats compete for the newly redistricted county's 1st District seat which follows the state line from Blue Ridge Blvd to the Missouri River. Republican Christina McDonough-Hunt is running unopposed on the ballot. In preparation for the election and potentially becoming a legislator in the upcoming term, Gerling has been diving deep into learning how the legislature works by attending meetings and asking questions to current members. Election Day reminders for Missouri's primary election KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Registered voters in Missouri can take part in the state's primary election Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. Most questions on Tuesday's ballot will narrow down the list of candidates for Novembers general election. Here are some reminders for voters: -Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Get to know Jackson County 3rd District at Large candidates on Democratic Ballot By Samuel Ast The winner of the Democratic primary for 3rd District at Large will find themselves face-to-face with the only Republican candidate Lance Dillenschneider. Tony Miller, a Democrat, is the candidate to beat in just a few weeks. As the incumbent, Miller is defending his seat in the legislature against two challengers. Here's what you need to know for the Missouri and Kansas primaries KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With the Missouri and Kansas primaries set for Aug. 2, here is what Kansas City area voters need to know before you head to the polling stations tomorrow. Q: What time do polls opens? A: Polls in Kansas open at 7 a.m in all counties while in Missouri, voting opens an hour earlier at 6 a.m. What Kansas, Missouri residents should know before voting in Aug. 2 primary KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With less than 12 hours until the first polls in our area open for Election Day, August primaries on both sides of the state line could set records. In Kansas, it's the abortion amendment driving the turnout. In Missouri, it's the senate and congressional primaries. 'Get here early and don't give up': JoCo election officials, voters prepare for Tuesday's election OLATHE, Kan. - On Tuesday, the polls will open for the primary elections in both Missouri and Kansas, and a constitutional amendment could change the latter state's abortion laws. Thousands have already cast their ballots in Johnson County, as advance voting ended at noon on Monday. Why Millions Of Americans Don't Vote Distrust of the electoral system, disillusionment with politics and systemic barriers can cause voters to skip elections, according to the FiveThirtyEight poll with Ipsos. We found that most Americans vote inconsistently or when the stakes are just too high, which is how some described the 2020 presidential election. Why Voting Is Important | National Geographic Society A History of Voting in the United States Today, most American citizens over the age of 18 are entitled to vote in federal and state elections, but voting was not always a default right for all Americans. The United States Constitution, as originally written, did not define specifically who could or could not vote-but it did establish how the new country would vote. You decide . . . One more time for the cheap seats . . . From what we've seen, single-issue abortion voters threaten to be a transformative force in American politics by way of mere demographics i.e. women voters are simply more dedicated and often outnumber men. Tonight, we'll see the implications of the SCOTUS decision either way. Meanwhile . . . Facing a tough reelection campaign, Rep. Sharice casts her opponent as an extremist: "There were a lot of people who would not have known that I have an opponent who is extreme on this issue," Davids, who beat Adkins in 2020, said in an interview. "It's not hypothetical anymore." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . From swimming, skating, fitness and arts, Torontonians can start planning their fall calendars.The City of Toronto's fall recreation programs can be viewed online to prepare for registration in September. There are about 10,600 fall recreation programs with 113,900 spaces. 'Return to the store': Huge hot dog recall at Food Basics, FreshCo, Walmart, Metro, Sobeys and other grocery stores in Canada triggers allergy warning to shoppers Loblaw Companies Ltd., which owns No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore and other stores, has neither confirmed nor denied it carries the recalled products You are going to have to watch what you say on those Whatsapp messages, memes and Blogs afte Since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion, 489 workers have been injured at Ukrainian enterprises as a result of hostilities, 147 of them have died. The Social Insurance Fund said in a statement, Ukrinform reports. "Since the beginning of the war, 235 cases of injury and/or death of workers as a result of hostilities have been recorded at Ukrainian enterprises, most of them in groups. During the performance of labor duties, 489 workers were injured (+8 over the last week) due to Russian armed aggression, of whom 147 died," the report reads. Most casualties were recorded Kyiv - 84 people, 28 of whom died, in Mykolaiv region 65 and 26, respectively, in Dnipropetrovsk region 49 and 11, in Donetsk region 48 and 10. In Kharkiv region, 39 people were injured at work as a result of hostilities, 8 died, in Vinnytsia - 30 and 9, respectively, in Zaporizhzhia region - 29 and 3, in Chernihiv region - 28 and 8, in Kyiv region - 24 and 11, in Sumy region - 22 and 8. "Regarding every case of injury or death of Ukrainian workers as a result of the Russian invasion, investigative actions are being launched," the fund noted. According to the Social Insurance Fund, those injured are provided with insurance payments, medical and social services. The Armed Forces of Ukraine killed about 41,170 Russian soldiers between February 24 and August 2, including 140 in the past day alone. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this in its latest update posted on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. Ukrainian defenders also destroyed 1,768 (+0) tanks, 4,014 (+3) armored fighting vehicles, 936 (+4) artillery systems, 259 (+0) multiple launch rocket systems, 117 (+0) anti-aircraft warfare systems, 223 (+0) warplanes, 191 (+1) helicopters, 793 (+3) operational and tactical level UAVs, 174 (+0) cruise missiles, 15 (+0) warships/cutters, 2,914 (+2) other vehicles and tanker trucks, and 82 (+0) pieces of special equipment. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the past day in the Bakhmut and Kryvyi Rih directions, the General Staff said. The number of wounded Russian soldiers in the Kherson region is growing, which led to the deployment of a military hospital at a hospital in Beryslav. Yurii Sobolevskyi, the first deputy chairman at Kherson Regional Council, wrote this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. "The orcs in the Kherson region are suffering significant losses. The number of those wounded is constantly growing, which led to the deployment of a military hospital at a hospital in Beryslav," Sobolevskyi said. According to him, about 40 doctors, brought from Russia, tried to occupy houses abandoned by their owners, but the locals drove them out. Now the military doctors are forced to live in a hospital building. In the past day, the Ukrainian military eliminated 32 Russian invaders on the southern axis, with Ukrainian aircraft launching three strikes on enemy strongholds. A total of 1,054 settlements have already been liberated from Russian invaders in Ukraine. The relevant statement was made by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Currently, a total of 1,054 settlements have already been de-occupied. Within all the areas liberated from Russian occupation, prompt recovery works are underway, Tymoshenko told. In particular, Zhytomyr Region continues to rebuild the infrastructure objects and residential houses damaged by Russian troops. Local residents are directly involved in the restoration of their homes. The state has undertaken to reimburse for expenses, Tymoshenko stressed. In his words, a building of Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University has already been fully renovated. Roofs and windows were replaced in more than 13 schools and kindergartens. According to Tymoshenko, Sumy Region continues to recover from numerous enemy shelling and bombardments. Routine repair works were completed in the administrative building of Sumyoblenergo. Mobile connection interruptions are being fixed within the Myropillia united territorial community. A poultry farm fully resumed operation in the village of Vilshanka, Tymoshenko noted. A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. mk The Armed Forces of Ukraine are constantly preparing for any repeated offensives by the Russian army, considering and analyzing any possible scenarios. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Defense Deputy Minister Hanna Maliar during a nationwide telethon, commenting on Russias potential offensive on Kharkiv and the enemy bringing up forces to southern Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Preparations are the same across all directions and include building up reserves, and building a system of engineering fortification structures. Local authorities also play an important role. Undoubtedly, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are considering any possible scenarios and preparing for any of them, Maliar told. In her words, the situation on the battlefield has remained unchanged. Ukrainian defenders are fighting for each piece of Ukrainian land. You can see that, in recent weeks, the situation has not been changing radically; we are not giving up a single inch of land. This indicates that we are inferior to Russia in number terms but, nevertheless, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready for any scenarios and bravely defend Ukraine, Maliar stressed. A reminder that the Ukrainian military have eliminated 32 Russian invaders in southern Ukraine over the past day. mk The Ukrainian military repelled all offensive attempts by the Russian invaders toward Bakhmut, as well as assault operations in the Mineralne - Avdiivka direction. In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy was decisively repulsed by Ukraines Armed Forces, being forced to retreat. Thats according to the press service of the Ukrainian Armys General Staff, Ukrinform reports. "In the Volyn and Polissia directions, no significant changes were spotted in the composition, condition, and position of the Belarus army units in Brest and Gomel regions. According to available intelligence, Belarus continues to supply certain types of ammunition to the Russian forces. The threat of missile strikes from the Belarusian territory remains in place," the statement reads. The General Staff also reported that in the Siversky direction, the enemy has not stopped shelling positions of Ukrainian troops from the Russian territory and conducting aerial reconnaissance in the border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy regions. In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy continues to engage in hostilities to hold gained ground and prevent Ukraines forces from creating favorable conditions for resuming their offensive. Measures are being taken by the Russians to replenish personnel and equipment losses. In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy shelled the areas of Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Dementiivka, Protopopivka, Husarivka, Chepil, Pytomnyk, Cherkasky Tyshki, Petrivka, Rtyshchyvka, Staryy Saltiv, Skrypai, Sosnivka, Tsirkuny and Svitlichne using tanks, barrel and het artillery. An airstrike was recorded near Verkhniy Saltiv. The invaders were forced to retreat after a failed attempt to improve their tactical position in the direction of Ternova - Bayrak. In the Sloviansk direction, the enemy fired barrel and jet artillery in the areas of Kurulka, Hrushuvakha, Dibrivne, Adamivka, Dolyna, Krasnopillya, Mazanivka, Velyka Komyshuvakha, Vasylivka Persha, and Khrestishche. An airstrike was reported near Dibrivne. Reconnaissance groups were active near Dovhenke and Dolyna before eventually retreating from the area. In the Donetsk direction, the enemy is focusing its efforts on running an offensive in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. By systematically inflicting fire damage, the enemy tries to restrain the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and prevent them from deploying in directions threatening Russian defenses. In the Kramatorsk direction, shelling was recorded near Siversk, Serebryanka, Verkhnokamyansk, Zvanivka, and Donetske. The enemy launched an airstrike near Serebryanka and conducted aerial reconnaissance using drones near Kryva Luka. Read also: Death toll in strike on evacuation bus in Kherson region rises to three The enemy tried to advance in the direction of Novoluhanske - Ivano-Daryivka. They saw a resolute repulse on the part of Ukrainian soldiers, who forced them to retreat. In addition, in the Bakhmut direction, artillery shelling was recorded in the areas of Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmut, Zaytseve, Pokrovske, Vesele, Kurdyumivka, and Zalizne. The enemy increased the intensity of aviation strikes in the said direction, engaging areas near Yakovlivka, Pokrovske, Soledar, Bakhmut, and Kodem. All attempts by the enemy forces to advance in the directions of Rota Vershyna, Volodymyrivka Yakovlivka, Klynove Zaitseve, and Pokrovske Bakhmut were successfully repulsed. The invaders retreated, having suffered losses. A number of enemy units have partial success in the direction of Vidrodzhennia - Kodema. In the Avdiyivka direction, the enemy shelled the areas of Avdiyivka, Netaylove, and New York. Airstrikes were reported near Avdiyivka and Novobakhmutivka. The invaders carried out assaults in the direction of Mineralne - Avdiyivka, with no gains made. At the same time, the enemy has partial success in the Donetsk-Pisky direction. On the Novopavlivka and Zaporizhia directions, shelling was recorded near Novomykhailivka, Pavlivka, Zaliznychne, Kamianske, Poltavka, Chervone, Novoandriivka, and Maryinka. The enemy also carried out an airstrike near the latter and conducted aerial reconnaissance near Olhivske. In the South Buh direction, the enemy is focusing its efforts on holding the occupied lines and preventing the offensive of the Ukrainian units, also trying to regain positions lost earlier. The areas of Mykolaiv, Trudolyubivka, Osokorivka, Ivanivka, Olenivka, Zorya, Blagodatne, Prishyb, Tokareve, Novovorontsovka, Bila Krynytsia, Andriivka, Vesely Kut, and Yavkine were shelled using tanks, barrel artillery, and multiple rocket launchers. An airstrike on Zoria was recorded. Aerial reconnaissance efforts were made to verify the results of fire damage and identify the Ukrainian Army positions. According to the press service, two sea-based cruise missile carriers are fully ready to launch high-precision weapons. The enemy continues to suffer losses in manpower and equipment. Among the Russian invaders, cases of alcohol abuse are becoming more widespread, which lead to disobedience incidents and inter-ethnic conflicts. Lviv region officials say a missile may have hit Chervonohrad district after a blast was reported in the area amid an air-raid alert that went off earlier. Thats according to Maksym Kozytskyi, chief of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Ukrinform reports. "Tentative report: an explosion on the territory of Chervonohrad district as a result of a missile attack. Emergency services have rushed to the scene. An update will follow," the administration head wrote on Telegram. As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down two enemy missiles over Vinnytsia region on Tuesday, August 2. There are currently no cities in Ukraine that could be considered fully safe so people live in constant tension, Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska said last month in an interview with Italys Porta a Porta. The First Lady warned against believing claims that it is quiet and safe in all Ukrainian cities, except those near the frontline, debunking them as cynical Russian propaganda. In fact, the first lady added, Ukrainian adults and their children go to bed every day, not knowing whether they will wake up tomorrow because a Russian missile can hit them at any time, as happened the other day in Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv. As a result of Russian missile strike on Lviv region, two explosions occurred in the territory of a military unit in Chervonohrad district. Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of Lviv Regional Military Administration, said in a Telegram post, Ukrinform reports. "Unfortunately, a military unit in Chervonohrad district was hit. There is no information about the victims. The scale of destruction is still being determined," the regional governor said. He also added that the enemy launched eight cruise missiles from the eastern direction, some of them were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces in other regions. According to Kozytskyi, no casualties have been reported in Lviv region. As the General Staff earlier reported, the Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed seven out of eight cruise missiles that the Russian forces fired at the territory of Ukraine from the Caspian Sea. As a result of the strike, an anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed in Lviv region. iy President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Chairman of the OSCE and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau the issue of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as the terrorist attack in Olenivka and the need to recognize Russia as a terrorist state. The Head of State said this in his video address, Ukrinform reports. In negotiations with both Stoltenberg and Rau, I paid special attention to the issue of our prisoners of war being kept by Russia. In particular, this also applies to the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka, which must become an ultimate argument for all civilized countries of the world to officially recognize Russia as a terrorist state, Zelensky said. As Ukrinform reported, President of Ukraine had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Defense support and cooperation were the main topics of talk. In addition, Zelensky met today with Chairman of the OSCE and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Zbigniew Rau. iy Ukraine tries to prevent global food crisis while Russia is blackmailing the world with hunger. Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters. This year, due to the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian harvest is under threat. While Russia is blackmailing the world with hunger, we are trying to prevent a global food crisis, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Facebook. The President also urged to watch the new episode of UNITED24.Media Yep, this is Ukraine. As reported, President Zelensky stated that Ukraine was ready to export grain and was waiting for signals on the start of transportation from partners. The other day, the ambassadors of G7 countries and Turkey to Ukraine arrived in Odesa to underscore the importance of the implementation of the agreement on the restoration of Ukrainian food exports. On July 22, an agreement was signed on the export of grain and other foodstuffs from the ports of Ukraine following a quadrilateral meeting of Ukraine, Turkey, the UN, and Russia in Istanbul. After the initiative on the export of grain and related foodstuffs by sea was signed on July 22, the ports Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny are being prepared for the resumption of operation. On July 23, the Russians struck the Odesa Sea Trade Port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two missiles were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense forces, two more hit the port's infrastructure facilities. ol President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of France Emmanuel Macron agreed to coordinate further actions on the provision of security assistance to Ukraine by partners. As the Presidents Office informs, Zelensky held a phone conversation with Macron as part of the ongoing dialogue, the substantive talks lasted one and a half hours. The President of Ukraine praised the important role of Paris and Emmanuel Macron personally in the adoption of the historic decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union during the French Presidency of the Council of the EU. Zelensky also expressed gratitude for the participation of First Lady of France Brigitte Macron in the 2nd Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on July 23, 2022. The President of Ukraine informed the French leader about the course of countering Russian aggression and the situation on the battlefield. We are waging a war against a real terrorist state. Russia's planned cynical murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka is evidence of this, Zelensky emphasized. The Head of State expressed gratitude to France for condemning this crime against humanity and for its willingness to help bring the perpetrators to justice. The leaders also discussed security cooperation in detail. The President of Ukraine noted the decisions made by France regarding the supply of new modern weapons, as well as the provided defense assistance. The parties agreed to coordinate further actions on the provision of security assistance to Ukraine by both France and other international partners, in particular as regards meeting the priority needs of Ukrainian defenders for modern weapons, the statement reads. As noted, the parties discussed the issue of macro-financial support for Ukraine and the important role of the French Republic in this process. Zelensky and Macron touched upon the issue of Russias ongoing war crimes in Ukraine. "All the guilty must be punished. This is our principled position," the President of Ukraine emphasized. He expressed gratitude to the French side for the practical contribution to the efforts aimed to fight impunity of Russia, namely sending a group of medics and gendarmes to Ukraine to establish the facts of crimes committed by the Russian aggressor. In this regard, the issue of continuing the work of the specified group was discussed. The Presidents Office informs that considerable attention was paid to the participation of France in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular to the participation in the implementation of the Fast Recovery Plan. Zelensky noted the importance of France's willingness to participate in the reconstruction of a Ukrainian region. Moreover, global food security was discussed. The interlocutors welcomed the initiative on the transportation of Ukrainian grain and emphasized the need for its unwavering implementation. The practical aspects of increasing the export of Ukrainian grain by other logistical ways were also discussed. The President of France informed Zelensky in detail about the results of his African tour, which, inter alia, resulted in the expansion of the anti-war coalition and the consolidation of international support for Ukraine given the full-scale aggression against our state by Russia. Zelensky invited Macron to participate in the online Crimea Platform summit on August 23. On a visit to Benin Wednesday, Macron said that Russia is one of the last imperial colonial powers that launched a new type of hybrid world war. Photo credit: Presidents Office ol Poland and Australia continue to make a significant contribution to support Ukraine, which is resisting Russian armed aggression. Polands President Andrzej Duda and Australias Governor-General David Hurley stated this at a joint briefing in Warsaw, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The Polish leader thanked the governor-general of Australia for supporting Ukraine, which is fighting against the Russian aggressor, in particular, for the provision of Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles. He reminded that Australia also financially supports Ukraine, which is an important element of assistance. In his turn, Hurley noted that this is the first official visit of the governor-general of Australia to Poland. He thanked the Polish people, who accepted millions of Ukrainian refugees with an open heart. "Australia, like Poland, makes a significant contribution to the support of the government and people of Ukraine," Hurley emphasized. As reported, Australia sent Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles, M113 armored personnel carriers, anti-tank weapons, drones, medical equipment, equipment for monitoring radiation, and personal protective equipment to Ukraine. Photos: Grzegorz Jakubowski/KPRP German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected accusations of Germany reducing its military support to Ukraine and promised to continue providing such assistance to the country. According to Ukrinform, he said this in an interview with Canada's The Globe and Mail. Scholz proposed sticking "to the facts," which show that starting from the first days after Russia attacked Ukraine, Germany has delivered weapons and ammunitions to Ukraine. The politician emphasized that this was a complete turn-around "from the iron-clad policy of all Federal German governments no arms exports into crisis areas." "We delivered whatever we had: anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, mines, guns, tons of ammunition and non-lethal aid. Since then we have moved to more complex and high-value systems. Self-propelled howitzers, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, anti-aircraft systems, counter battery radar. Some of these systems are so new that only very few have been produced and some of them have not even been introduced in the Bundeswehr," he added. He also noted that Ukrainians were being trained on new and more sophisticated equipment in several locations in Germany. "And we will continue to provide this support to Ukraine as long as it takes," Scholz said. On July 27, the German government approved the sale of 100 modern Panzerhaubitze2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. Earlier, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Photo: President's Office Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing further sanctions in relation to Russias illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. Thats according to an Ukrinform correspondent. We will not allow Vladimir Putin and his enablers to act with impunity. The Russian war machines egregious actions will not be forgotten, and Canada will continue to work with its partners in the international community to hold it to account. Canada stands with Ukraine, said Joly. Canada is imposing new measures on 43 military officials and 17 entities that are complicit in Russian President Vladimir Putins senseless bloodshed, including the horrific events in Bucha. Canada strongly condemns the murder of civilians in Ukraine and will use every tool at its disposal to ensure that violations of international law across Ukraine, including those in Bucha, are fully investigated, the ministry said in a statement. Canadian diplomacy added that the country also continues to work with its international partners to coordinate actions and explore options for new measures in response to the Russian regimes unjustifiable acts. In his turn, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, went on social media to recall that Canada is holding consultations on the further expansion of sanctions against Russia. He thanked the partner country for its concern. As reported, since Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea, Canada has imposed sanctions against more than 1,600 individuals and legal entities that contributed to the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. More than 1,150 of them were sanctioned after February 24. A total of 110 countries have joined the United24 fundraising in support of Ukraine. "The fundraising platform is almost three months old. During this time, United24 managed to raise more than $161 million from 110 countries," the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine posted on Telegram. Donations to Ukraine are made across the globe from the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland to Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cote d'Ivoire, Niue. As the Ministry noted, this is a vivid example of how people in any corner of the world can contribute to defeating evil thanks to digital technologies. "We are grateful to everyone for the incredible support. Keep donating via the United24 platform. Goodness and unity will definitely defeat evil," the statement reads. On May 17, President Zelensky signed a decree to create the United24 national brand to unite the efforts of international partners in support of Ukraine. The United24 fundraising platform is a so-called "single window" for donations from charitable organizations, international partners and citizens to support Ukraine, in particular, in the following areas: assistance to the Armed Forces, humanitarian, medical and children assistance, infrastructure restoration, digital and information counteraction to armed aggression. ol Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko discussed with the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink cooperation in supporting Ukrainian media and countering Russian disinformation. Thats according to Tkachenkos statement released via social media, Ukrinform reports. "Had a fruitful meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Brink and her team. America is one of our biggest allies, providing us with assistance in many areas from weapons to grants for our creative industries and artists," the post reads. According to Tkachenko, during the meeting, the parties "discussed more thorough and specific cooperation in three directions, in particular, it is about "supporting Ukrainian media and countering Russian disinformation." "These two tracks always stand together because our media is our information front, to which I propose that all the countries of the civilized world join," the minister noted. That is why Tkachenko "proposes to organize an "informational Ramstein," which will be a platform for discussing the new wartime informational challenges and mark the beginning of a unified informational front of the allied nations." During the meeting, the parties also spoke of "preserving the cultural heritage of Ukraine help is needed both in digitalization of cultural heritage, creation of separate registers for each area, as well as the supply of materials for the evacuation of cultural objects", the minister noted. In addition, the two discussed support for Ukrainian artists and book publishing. "It was proposed to create long-term collaborations between well-known American and Ukrainian institutions or artists," the minister said. Tkachenko emphasized that "artists need financial support precisely in Ukraine." "We face many challenges in how to restore these areas after the war, and we face even more challenges today. Therefore, I continue to explain to our partners why we need concrete support already now and within Ukraine. I am grateful to the partners for their understanding and willingness to help," the minister said. As reported by Ukrinform, on August 1, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov discussed support for Ukraine with United States Ambassador Bridget Brink and Defense Attache Brigadier General Garrick Harmon. facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published August 2, 2022 WHAT: The Hub Ribbon Cutting WHEN: 10 a.m. Friday, August 12 WHERE: The Hub (corner of University Avenue and Northeast Drive on ULMs campus) MONROE, LA The University of Louisiana Monroe will host a ribbon cutting of The Hub at 10 a.m. August 12 at the corner of University Avenue and Northeast Drive on campus. All are invited to attend the celebration and tour the facility. The Hub will serve as the new student union building and will feature five food vendors, including Starbucks, Subway, Flip Kitchen, Bento Sushi, Chick-fil-A and a small market with fresh food and groceries. The contemporary two-story building has a 23,000 square-foot floor plan with seating for more than 600. It will serve as a gathering place for students to study, eat and socialize. The $11.6 million facility is a partnership with Aramark, which provides food services at ULM. Aramark invested $6 million in the project, with the remainder coming from student facilities fees. The ribbon cutting comes in time for the first day of the fall semester on Aug. 17. ### Kigonze camp near Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri province, is sheltering more than 14,000 people forced to flee their villages. A total of 5.6 million people are displaced inside the DRC. UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo Due to insufficient funding, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is unable to adequately respond to the rising humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC is among the most underfunded of UNHCRs operations worldwide. As of 30 June 2022, only 19 per cent of the US$225 million budgeted at the start of the year has been secured. This has significant impacts on the lives of those forced to flee. Needs in the DRC are massive. At the start of the year, the country was host to over half a million refugees and asylum seekers, and over 5.6 million internally displaced people. Fighting between the Congolese Army and non-state armed groups in North Kivu Province has displaced another 160,000 people since April. In addition, UNHCR and partners in Ituri Province have recorded over 800 deaths from firearm attacks and machete raids on local communities, which have driven 20,700 people from their homes. During a visit to the DRCs Ituri Province between 25 and 28 July, UNHCRs Director for External Relations, Dominique Hyde, saw first-hand the strength in the face of horror demonstrated by forcibly displaced women, men, and children, but also the impacts of underfunding. At the present rate, 82 per cent of the countrys internally displaced people will not receive adequate shelter support. They will be forced to sleep in churches, schools and stadiums, out in the open, or may resort to returning to their homes despite the risk of being targeted by armed groups. Every child has the right to primary education, but in the DRC, due to underfunding, only 16 per cent of South Sudanese refugee children are able to attend school. At current funding levels, UNHCR cannot support a single refugee child to attend secondary school this year. Without additional support, UNHCR will be forced to cut cash and livelihood kits for agriculture, fisheries, and livestock. These gaps combined with serious droughts in both eastern and southern Africa will result in many displaced people going hungry. While attention is focused on some of the worlds biggest crises in Syria, Afghanistan, and, most recently, Ukraine other emergencies, many of them in Africa, have failed to attract the same levels of attention, support and resources. Today, these underfunded crises face a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate shocks, and the socio-economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the devastating ripple effects of the war in the Ukraine. Food and fuel prices are dramatically increasing, stretching humanitarian resources ever thinner. International solidarity toward people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelming. We need a similar response - and more financial support - to all crises around the world. Every day, UNHCR and its partners are responding to these crises, but we cannot do it alone. We urgently appeal to the international community to act now, and support those desperately in need. For more information on this topic, please contact: BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2022 ) ::As part of the efforts to introduce and promote mango in the region, the Pakistan Consulate General organized a two-day Pakistan Mango Festival in Shanghai, China. The Consul General participated in the opening ceremony of the event held at Hualong Building Bund, Shanghai and delivered a keynote speech highlighting the importance and potential of exports of Pakistani mango and other fruits to China. The Mango Festival was jointly organized by Consulate General of Pakistan Shanghai and China-Europe Association for Technical Cooperation (CEATEC) Shanghai and Shanghai Global Economic Development LCC. A significant number of Chinese companies and business persons attended the event. Besides mangoes, the mango juice and ice-cream were also offered during the event. On the sidelines of the event, the Mission also organized Pakistan Trade and Investment Conference. The Consul General gave a presentation on trade and investment opportunities in Pakistan to the participants and encouraged them to explore Pakistani market especially in mango and other fruits and agriculture products which offered great potential for win-win cooperation. ISLAMABAD, Aug 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2022 ) :Ambassador of China, Nong Rong on Tuesday said China was eager to support Pakistan in pursuing its development model appropriate for the circumstances on the ground because the two countries were all-weather friends. The Chinese Ambassador who had his first public engagement following his return to Pakistan, delivered his opening remarks at a dialogue organised by Pakistan-China Institute and academy of Contemporary China and World Studies on 'Global Development & Governance' themed on 'Governance Experience Exchange Between Pakistan and China' with speakers from Pakistan and China, a news release said. Ambassador Rong said through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China was also eager to expand its exchanges in the area of governance, such as lowering poverty levels and raising peoples' standards of living. He also praised the Communist Party of China (CPC), whose initiatives had profoundly changed China. He said that the upcoming 20th Congress of CPC would make plans for the future and set new objectives that would be accomplished by working together to benefit all peoples. China and Pakistan are strategic allies that have consistently stood by one another through tough times. Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Senate and Chairman of Pakistan-China Institute, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed at the outset, extended congratulations to China on the 95th Anniversary of founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) which was specially celebrated at the GHQ as a gesture of goodwill. Senator Mushahid Hussain lauded the close cooperation between the Pakistan Army and PLA, including the comments by Pakistan COAS, General Bajwa, that both armies were 'brother in arms'. Referring to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Asia and tentative plans for a journey to Taiwan, Senator Mushahid said this would be an unnecessary and unwarranted provocation, adding such a high level visit by an American official violate the One-China Policy agreed to by the United States and the People's Republic of China in the Shanghai Communique. He said such provocations had the potential to destabilize Asia and generate a new type of confrontation, something Asia cannot afford in these challenging times. Pakistan, he said, was firmly committed to the One-China Policy and to preserving, promoting and protecting the strategic partnership with China. Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of China International Communications Group (CICG), Gao Anming stressed deepening high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and actively promoting the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Global development is inseparable from connectivity and open cooperation. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" pursues development, advocates win-win results, and conveys hope. After the opening remarks, a joint research publication titled "Pakistan's View On Governance Of China In The New Era (2012-2022): Perception & Inspiration" was released by Ambassador (R) Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, former Foreign Secretary and currently DG, Institute of Strategic Studies. While presenting the paper, Aizaz Chaudhry said that China had climbed the ladder of development much faster than other countries. Under Mao Zedong, China focussed on three key areas: universal education, mobilization of women in the workforce, and mobilization of people in the workforce. President of Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, Yu Yunquan said that in the report, many Pakistani experts believe that there are two reasons why China can achieve "good governance" in the new era: One is the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping whose thoughts on governing the country have been highly recognized by the international community including Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif and the second is democratic consultative governance brings together a wide range of representation of people's power. KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2022 ) :Vice Chancellor (VC) Sindh Madressatul islam University (SMIU) Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai on Tuesday said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had donated Rs.5000/- on June 21, 1943 for Sindh Madressatul Islam (SMI) when he inaugurated college section of SMI. Likewise, Dr. Ibrahim Mulla, who lives in USA, came forward and financially supported his Alma-Mater-SMIU for establishment of a most modern computing lab. He said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of "Dr. Ibrahim Mulla High Performance Computing Lab", which was organised here by Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) of SMIU. He said at the time when Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had decided to open a college in Sindh Madressah, some people had opposed it, but the Quaid never bothered and came to open college along with Pir Illahi Bux, the then education minister of Sindh and who was also the Secretary of Sindh Madressah board. Dr Mujeeb Sahrai said leadership always leads the nation to get the institutions flourish and develop according to the needs of the time. Therefore, Dr. Sahrai said, from Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Dr. Ibrahim Mulla, SMIU's alumnus have always supported their Alma-Mater in its development. "Tens of thousands of SMIU's alumni are spread all over the world, and they want to support SMIU, hence the Alumni Chapter of SMIU must be reorganized," the Vice Chancellor said adding that grandfather of Dr. Ibrahim Mulla had also received his education from Sindh Madressah. Thus, Dr. Mulla's love and reverence for his Alma-Mater is visible. He said that there was a need of research in the universities and the newly established computer lab would help the faculty and post graduate students of SMIU to get benefit from it, which was equipped with latest and most modern computers and other I.T facilities. He thanked to Dr. Ibrahim Mulla, Mrs. Mehnaz Mulla, spouse of Dr. Ibrahim Mulla and other members of Mulla family who generously supported for this noble cause. Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai also lauded the efforts of Dr. Aamir Iqbal Umrani, Director ORIC, Dr. Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, Dean Faculty of Information Technology, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Khan, Chairperson Department of Software Engineering and Advisor to CM on Academic Affairs and Dr. Asif Ali Wagan, Director Students Affairs and Counselling, taken for establishment of the computing lab. Dr. Ibrahim Mulla, in his speech said he wants to see Sindh Madressatul Islam University like Oxford University, because it happens to be an Alma-Mater of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other great personalities. "This (Sindh Madressah) is my Alma-Mater and I had always thought to do something for it in the field of science and technology," Dr. Ibrahim Mulla said and opined that there is a need of research work in the country and SMIU provided him an opportunity to do something for it. He praised the role of Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai, Vice Chancellor and Dr. Aamir Iqbal Umrani, Director ORIC for executing the work of establishment of the lab. Dr. Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, Dean Faculty of Information Technology in his speech gave details of the laboratory and said this most modern lab would be a power nap for research scholars of SMIU and great asset for academia. He was of the view that this newly established lab also fills up one of the basic requirements of post graduate programs evaluation. Earlier, Dr. Aamir Iqbal Umrani, Director ORIC welcomed the guests and said this lab was a wonderful addition to SMIU, which will promote research culture at SMIU. Mrs. Mehnaz Mulla, spouse of Dr. Ibrahim Mulla also expressed her views and highlighted the importance of the lab. Before it, Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai, Dr. Ibrahim Mulla, Mrs. Mehnaz Mulla and Dr. Aamir Iqbal Umrani participated in ribbon cutting ceremony, held at the Talpur House of the varsity, where the lab has been setup. The inaugural ceremony was attended by deans, chairpersons of various academic departments, heads of different administrative sections and faculty members. Chairman Markazi Ulema Council Pakistan (UCP) Sahibzada Zahid Mehmood Qasmi has expressed sorrow and grief over crash of army helicopter in which six army officers were martyred FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2022 ) :Chairman Markazi Ulema Council Pakistan (UCP) Sahibzada Zahid Mehmood Qasmi has expressed sorrow and grief over crash of army helicopter in which six army officers were martyred. In a statement on Tuesday, he said that six army officers, including Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, Brigadier General Amjad Hanif, Brigadier Muhammad Khalid, Pilot Major Saeed Ahmad, Pilot Major General Talha Mannan and Naik Mudassar Fayyaz, were the precious asset of Pak army who embraced Shahadat while serving the flood-stricken humanity. "This was the noble cause during which the brave army officers embraced martyrdom. The nation is proud of them", he added. He also prayed rest for the departed souls and patience for the bereaved family. In a similar message, Allama Shahnawaz Farooqi Secretary General Markazi UCP also condoled over martyrdom of army officers and prayed rest for their eternal peace. CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2022) Moldovan Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii said on Thursday that Chisinau had received Moscow's assurances on the absence of direct threats via diplomatic channels. "We do not communicate directly with the Russian Defense Ministry, the contact is established at the level of ambassadors and military attaches. We receive calm messages that the military operation (in Ukraine) does not concern Moldova and that there are no direct threats to Moldova," Nosatii told the TV8 national broadcaster. The situation is currently under control, the minister said; however, the threat to the country's security has not completely disappeared. "Compared to late February, everything has gotten better - the situation in Ukraine has changed significantly, the hostilities have moved away from Moldova's borders. But I think that the situation is very hot, the escalation can reach the maximum level," he added. Nosatii added that the republic requires military equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, drones, helmets, body armor, anti-tank arms, and artillery so that the country's defensive capabilities could be enhanced. However, he said, Chisinau is currently not in talks on the delivery of military equipment since it is expensive and requires sophisticated training of soldiers. The minister also mentioned that Chisinau will be receiving military equipment under the European Union's 40 billion Euros ($40.15 billion) initiative to boost military aid to Moldova in the next 15 to 36 months. (@FahadShabbir) Police on Tuesday charged a 20-year-old man with an offence under Britain's 1842 Treason Act after arresting him armed with a crossbow at Windsor Castle as Queen Elizabeth II spent Christmas Day there London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2022 ) :Police on Tuesday charged a 20-year-old man with an offence under Britain's 1842 Treason Act after arresting him armed with a crossbow at Windsor Castle as Queen Elizabeth II spent Christmas Day there. Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton in southern England, has also been charged with making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon following the incident at the castle, southwest of London, last year. He is currently in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in the British capital on August 17, London's Metropolitan Police said. "The CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Jaswant Singh Chail with offences after he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle on 25 December 2021 carrying a crossbow," Nick price of the CPS, which oversees prosecutions in England and Wales, said. "This decision has been made following an investigation carried out by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command," he added. Chail has been charged under a section of the Treason Act, which makes it an offence to assault the Queen, or have a firearm or offensive weapon in her presence with intent to injure or alarm her, or to cause a breach of peace. It is extremely rare for charges to be brought under this particular 180-year-old treason law. In the last case, Briton Marcus Sarjeant was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in 1981 after pleading guilty to firing blank shots at the monarch when she was on parade. However, William Joyce -- also known as Lord Haw Haw, who collaborated with Germany during World War II -- was the last person to be convicted under the separate and more serious 1351 Treason Act. Following the Windsor Castle incident, the Met said that security processes were triggered within moments of the breach and that the individual did not enter any buildings. It happened as the Queen spent a low-key Christmas Day at the castle with her eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla. The Queen usually celebrates Christmas at her Sandringham estate in eastern England, but she remained in Windsor last year as a precautionary measure amid resurgent Covid-19 cases. Although the intruder was intercepted quickly, it recalled an earlier, more serious intrusion in 1982. On that occasion, a man in his 30s entered Queen Elizabeth's private chambers at Buckingham Palace while she was in bed before police apprehended him. Last summer, a man was arrested after scaling the gates of the Palace. In 2020, a homeless man scaled its walls and bedded down for the night in its grounds before being caught. To combat the ongoing threat of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide, University of South Florida researchers have launched a mosquito-tracking dashboard driven by citizen science a scalable solution proven effective in a recent USF study. Funded by a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the study and the Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard are part of a large-scale project to establish global surveillance of mosquito-borne diseases with automated mosquito identification. The dashboard combines data from three partner apps Mosquito Alert, NASAs GLOBE Observer and iNaturalist. Each app uses citizen science, where everyday people around the world provide photos of mosquitoes using their smartphones. With the combined international data, the dashboard accessible via computer browser or mobile device has the potential to provide data at a frequency and geographic resolution otherwise impossible because of cost and other constraints. This dashboard represents a unification of global citizen science platforms for mosquito surveillance and control, said principal investigator Ryan Carney, assistant professor of integrative biology. This tool will help mosquito control personnel to seek and destroy invasive species and monitor disease vectors on an international basis by leveraging the geo-reference computers people carry around in their pockets every day: their smartphones. Each year, mosquitoes cause nearly 700 million infections and more than one million deaths making mosquitoes the deadliest animal on Earth. Because only a small percentage of the mosquito species transmit diseases, extensive surveillance and precise identification are critical in community defense. Given the general lack of vaccines and cures, there is a universal need for increased and sustained mosquito surveillance and habitat mitigation worldwide. The real-time data available on this dashboard will help researchers, mosquito-control personnel and policymakers detect disease vectors early. To test the effectiveness of citizen science for the surveillance of mosquitoes, Carney and a team of three USF students asked citizen scientists to target primary vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya. Not only did the citizen scientists succeed in locating vectors, but their efforts resulted in the first iNaturalist observations in the U.S. of Aedes scapularis, an invasive species that causes yellow fever. The documentation was shared with local vector control officials in Texas and serves as a model for monitoring in Florida, where the species recently invaded. The study, recently published in a special edition of the journal Insects, will serve as a reference for future planning and execution of citizen science projects. For the remainder of the grant, USF engineering Professor Sriram Chellappan will lead efforts to train and test artificial intelligence algorithms to create an image recognition software. The software, set to launch this fall, will be used to identify mosquito species in uploaded citizen science images. Our algorithms for species recognition are especially accurate in detecting critical mosquito vectors, Chellappan said. It will yield valuable tools for citizen-assisted surveillance to combat diseases. The algorithms will be tested throughout a new campaign that just launched in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track the invasive urban malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Africa. Citizen scientists in Africa are encouraged to share their mosquito photos on MosquitoesInAfrica.org to assist in detection. As this work takes on a bigger focus on Africa, the project can aid mosquito-borne disease prevention in susceptible populations and prevent deadly outbreaks, said Karlene Rivera, an undergraduate student researcher working on the grant in the Carney Lab. This project has major implications in the world of artificial intelligence and disease prevention. This project is also in collaboration with the Wilson Centers Science and Technology Innovation Program, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative and the U.S. Department of State. Utah Valley University (UVU) is pleased to announce that the UVU College of Science has been awarded nearly $1.5 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant will provide at least 40 need-based scholarships that promote student engagement in chemistry, physics, and earth science. Aside from tuition benefits, the NSF funding will also allow STEM (science, technology, education, and math) students to conduct research. This program will provide students with opportunities to conduct research and to develop personal mentorship relationships with members of our faculty, said Daniel Horns, Dean of the College of Science. Involvement in research and mentoring relationships are both proven to increase retention and completion. Joshua Lothringer, assistant professor of physics and the principal investigator on the project, said the scholarships would be combined with a faculty mentorship program, campus and community events, and research and professional development courses. The goal is to enhance preparation, retention, diversity, and outcomes. The students that graduate through this program will meet the growing regional and national need for a highly trained STEM workforce, Lothringer said. The new program builds off of the previous PRO-STEM program in physical sciences and similar programs in biology and engineering. The College of Science has received several grants similar to this one from NSF. Horns said each built a reputation for success. The NSF has seen that our faculty step up to serve as effective research mentors and personal mentors and that our students respond exceptionally well, Horns said. In fact, the NSF is aware that there has been nearly 100% retention among students involved in similar programs. The grant funding opens the door of opportunity for more students to achieve their dreams of completing a college degree and becoming part of the state of Utahs scientific workforce. UVU will produce more scientists to help grow the Utah economy, Horns said. Scientists with expertise in chemistry, earth science, and physics are key to the development of Utahs high-tech, defense, biomedical, and energy industries. The grant spans six years and will provide up to $7,500 in full-tuition scholarships for up to four years, supplemented by funding to support original research and professional development. For more information on UVUs College of Science, visit uvu.edu/science. Catholic Bishops of Africa call for dedicated pastoral care of migrants, saying it pains to see young people leave the continent on journeys that lead to suffering and death. Paul Samasumo Vatican City. At the end of the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) held from 25 July to 1 August 2022 in Accra, Ghana, on the theme, Ownership of SECAM: Security and Migration in Africa and the Islands, the Bishops issued a communique signed by the new President of the continental body, the Ghanian Bishop of Wa Diocese, Cardinal-designate Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr. It pains to see young people leave One can emigrate for various reasons: natural, economic, political, intellectual. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes migration a right. This is why migration cannot be considered illegal but could be irregular . To all intending migrants, especially young people who seek to exercise their right to migrate, we urge them to do so in a manner that is administratively acceptable and with full knowledge of the challenges that await them, said Bishop Baawobr. Pope Francis with some young African migrants & refugees The SECAM Bishops communique adds, We wish to express our pain in seeing our youth leaving our countries, knowing that they are going to suffer and possibly lose their lives, and we lament our inability to stop them from leaving. We commit ourselves to take measures that will encourage their free choice and the ones that will involve them in the construction of their countries, reads the statement. Bishop Baawobr presented the communique at the SECAM Plenary Assemblys closing Mass held Sunday at the Holy Spirit Cathedral of Accra, Ghana. The new leadership of SECAM Pastoral care and programmes for migrants We encourage our youths not to lose hope and to hold on to God through a life of holiness, the Ghanaian prelate said, adding, Migration is a normal social phenomenon that is linked to the history of humankind. It has a Biblical basis. Thus, according to the book of Deuteronomy, the offering of the first fruits of the harvest to the Lord was accompanied by a solemn profession of faith: My Father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down to Egypt, where he lived as a sojourner with the small number of people who accompanied him (Dt 26, 5), said Bishop Baawobr. The suffering and deaths of migrants are not linked directly to the fact of migration as such, he said. Still, migration can involve suffering such as the abuse of the social status of migrants, exploitation, and ignorance, among other violations, affirmed the SECAM President. Migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The SECAM Bishops want Africas socio-political decision-makers to erect structures and conditions that discourage irregular migration. These structures should include good governance, employment opportunities, multifaceted security, political and social inclusion as well as the promotion of social justice. The Bishops further implore transit and host countries to respect the rights and human dignity of migrants. Migrant young woman with child in Libya. The Bishops communique encourages Christian communities on the African continent to develop active pastoral care for migration, summarised in four actions: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. Renewing SECAM The Bishops of Africa dedicate time in the communique to promoting renewal and recommitment to the continental body, SECAM. They appeal, in particular, to a new generation of African clerics and the Catholic faithful who perhaps are no longer familiar with the initial ideals of SECAM. They underline the importance of SECAM as a continental body of pastoral solidarity hence the urgency for re-engagement with the broader African Church. SECAM is the organ of pastoral solidarity for the Church in Africa and Madagascar, the African prelates emphasise and insist that it is, therefore, urgent that SECAM should strive through concrete engagement of all her members to be financially and materially self-sufficient. We, your pastors, commit ourselves to henceforth support fully the mission of SECAM and urge you to identify with her in order to make her more dynamic and functional in the execution of her mission of evangelisation, reads the Bishops message on the future of SECAM. Insecurity on the continent The Bishops encourage social and political stakeholders and decision-makers to continue to do their utmost to fight against insecurity on the continent. The Church, too, must take an important part in this search for peace and security. This is why the Church must play her prophetic role, by firmly and clearly denouncing situations of insecurity and their causes. She must also continue to offer everyone reasons for hope and peace in collaboration with organisations working for reconciliation, justice and peace, urged Bishop Baawobr. SECAM and Social Communications Social Communications as a priority of SECAM In their communique, the Bishops of Africa once again place social communications as a pastoral priority on the continent. It was widely discussed in the aftermath of the first African Synod and led to the establishment of many Catholic diocesan radio stations in Africa. As Church family of God in Africa and Madagascar, we remain committed to engaging the world of media through the traditional, modern and social means of communication and the new discoveries of the digital era. We shall intensify the ethical and technical formation of the professionals and practitioners of Church communications while engaging with the philosophies and ideologies that underpin contemporary media institutions, practice and expertise in order to help make them agents of communion, reconciliation and peace, Bishop Baawobr told the Accra Cathedral congregation. The Synodal process in Africa The Bishops of Africa also gave a collective nod to Pope Franciss synodal process. This process of synodality has already begun at the level of basic Christian communities, parishes, dioceses, nations and regions. We are now entering the continental phase, whose assembly will be celebrated in the month of March 2023. We invite all the faithful to support this dynamism and to make it theirs through prayer and lifestyle, said Bishop Baawobr. Following the latest gang clashes in Port-au-Prince in which the Cathedral of the Assumption was set ablaze last week, the Bishops of Haiti again lament the deterioration of the security situation in the country, calling for the restoration of the authority of the State and the disarmament of gangs. By Lisa Zengarini The Bishops of Haiti have voiced their heartfelt concern for the suffering of the Haitian people caused by the general deterioration of the situation in the ountry. In a message released on July 29 the Haitian Bishops Conference (CEH) once again raised the alarm on the ever-increasing gang violence in the country marred by "corruption, widespread insecurity, kidnappings, extreme poverty and interpersonal distrust. 471 killed or missing in the last decade of July Violence has been mounting over the past weeks, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, where the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was severely damaged on July 27 by an arson attack during gang clashes. According to the United Nations, 471 people have died or are missing due to the violence in the last decade of July. Gang-related killings, kidnappings and turf wars still increasing Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world, has been contending with a downfalling economy, political instability and a rising insecurity for years, and the situation has further deteriorated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, on July 2021, and the devastating earthquake that followed in August. Since then gang-related killings, turf wars, extortions and kidnappings, have increased even more also targeting the Catholic Church, an institution that has long been a pillar of Haitian society with several religious kidnapped for ransom. Read also 16/07/2022 Archbishop Mesidor: Gang violence in Haiti must be stopped now As gang violence continues to ravage Haiti, the UN Security Council adopts a resolution that calls on all countries to stop the transfer of small arms, weapons and ammunitions to ... Archbishop Mesidor of Port-au-Prince: gangs' political connections Archbishop Max Leroy Mesidor of Port-au-Prince, told Vatican News that the violence has forced people in the capital to flee their homes and Haitians have lost all trust in public authorities. He added that criminal organizations often have political connections and that gang violence may be reduced also through reducing poverty in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Powerslessness of law enforcement authorities In their message the Haitian Bishops decry the powerslessness of State and law enforcement institutions, allowing gangs to carry out their criminal acts with impunity, but also note the lack of reaction from the Haitian people. Gangs kidnap, destroy, kill, burn and then challenge the established powers, who seem totally overwhelmed by what is happening, the prelates write. Disarming gangs The bishops, therefore, once again urge the restoration of the authority of the State, and immediate action to disarm gangs, so that the police can carry out its operations against the perpetrators of violence and a climate of trust and serenity can be restored. The Haitian Church further demands border controls to reduce the illicit trafficking of firearms , small weapons and ammunintions used by criminal organizations and the effective prosecution of perpetrators and sponsors of illegal activities . We ask ourselves: why does the State not act to restrain criminal activities with the necessary rigour within the rule of law, so criminals can do no harm? Is it impossible to neutralize the sources that supply arms and ammunition to groups and individuals, or do untouchable people benefit from them? Call on all stakeholders to work together Bishops then call on all stakeholders in of Haiti - entrepreneurs, politicians, representatives of institutions and civil society to work together against the scourge of insecurity in all its forms. In this way they say - we will contribute to the change we all desire. We can no longer continue to live as potential victims of the gangsterism that reigns in the country, nor can we accept it. The time has come to wake up from our torpor, to say with all our strength: no to insecurity! No to kidnappings! No to the legalization of the activity of armed gangs! No to any project of annihilation of the state!. Prayer Concluding, the message encourages all Haitians to pray incessantly and confidently to the Lord for the liberation of Haiti ". In this tragic moment in the history of our dear country, we particularly need to pray to solicit the omnipotent intervention of God and the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering in the Cambodian capital for meetings addressing persisting violence in Myanmar and other issues, joined by top diplomats from the United States, China, Russia and other world powers amid tensions over the invasion of Ukraine and concerns over Beijings growing ambitions in the region. The meeting in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will see U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov together at the same venue for the second time in a month, though it's not clear whether the two will meet. The two did not meet separately when they both attended the Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in early July. But they had their first direct contact since before Russia invaded Ukraine in a phone call Friday, when Blinken urged Moscow to accept a deal to release American detainees Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and discussed other issues. Also attending is Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Many have urged Beijing to use its partnership with Russia to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and to help promote peace and a return to civilian rule in Myanmar after a February 2021 coup sparked mass protests and an armed resistance. The meetings come at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing as the U.S. pushes back against Chinas growing economic and military influence in the Asia-Pacific. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is touring the region and may visit Taiwan. That has heightened friction further, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cautioning last week that those who play with fire will perish by it. Communist-ruled China considers Taiwan its own territory, and has said it might reclaim the island by force if it deems it necessary. The U.S. follows a one China policy in which it recognizes Beijing as the government of China yet maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan. In a call last week with U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping objected to the possibility of a Pelosi stop, which would be the highest-level U.S. visit to Taiwan in more than 25 years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, its impact on global food and energy prices and escalating China-U.S. friction are of high concern for the 10 ASEAN nations, said Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program for Australias Lowy Institute. This is one of the first regional meetings of foreign ministers to have been held in person since 2019, so for the United States, China and even Russia, meetings like this are a really important opportunity to demonstrate their support for ASEAN and present their own narratives about their commitment to regional security and prosperity, she said. Blinken, Wang and Lavrov have all been jockeying for influence recently in multiple foreign trips. Following the meetings, Blinken heads to the Philippines and then on to Africa. Biden hosted ASEAN leaders at the White House in May at the group's first-ever summit in Washington. During those meetings, Biden announced he was nominating one of his top national security aides as ambassador to the group, underscoring the Asia-Pacific region's importance to the U.S. Most recently, Lavrov has focused on Africa, while Wang visited multiple Pacific islands in May and made a five-nation swing through Southeast Asia last month. During that trip, he said China was speeding up talks with ASEAN, which includes four countries that are in dispute with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, to come up with a nonaggression pact called a code of conduct to turn the body of water into a sea of peace and cooperation. The ASEAN meetings also bring together some countries that have, or are negotiating, partnerships with ASEAN, including India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Australia, in particular, has highlighted the importance of the ASEAN nations, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying last month that they should see new alliances, including the Quad group of Australia, U.S., India and New Japan and the AUKUS group of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., as beneficial to the region. ASEAN centrality means that we will always think about our security in the context of your security, she said at a forum in Singapore. We understand deeply the ways in which they are interconnected. We believe that Australia must find its security in Asia, not from Asia, and that means, above all, in Southeast Asia. Myanmar, where the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, is a member of the 10-nation ASEAN group. It is not sending any delegates after other members decided no Myanmar political representatives could attend. Escalating violence in the country is prominent on the ASEAN agenda as it struggles to implement a five-point consensus it reached on Myanmar last year. It calls for dialogue among all concerned parties, providing humanitarian assistance, an immediate end to violence and a visit by a special ASEAN envoy to meet with all parties. Suu Kyis ouster triggered widespread peaceful protests that were violently suppressed. They have evolved into an armed resistance and the country has slipped into what some U.N. experts characterize as a civil war. Blinken has criticized ASEAN for not doing enough on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The resumption of judicial executions in late July, when the military-led government hanged four political prisoners, has driven a stronger backlash against its military rulers, with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah condemning the act as a crime against humanity. New sanctions are being considered and Saifuddin said ahead of the meetings that the group should consider scrapping or revising its five-point consensus. He said ASEANs special envoy also needs to meet with the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration established outside Myanmar, to help develop a new political framework. The end game is a democratic, inclusive and just, peaceful and harmonious, prosperous Myanmar whose civil and political rights are guaranteed by the constitution, he said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has proposed that ASEAN hold a special meeting on Myanmar specifically to discuss recent developments. More than 2,100 people have been killed by the military government since it took power and nearly 15,000 have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organization that tracks killings and arrests. All developments in Myanmar, including the death penalty for political prisoners, show a setback rather than progress from the implementation of the five-point consensus, Marsudi said. Cambodia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, which also includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei in addition to Myanmar. Foreign ministers from ASEANs member states and its dialogue partners began arriving in Phnom Penh on Saturday for a summit likely to focus largely on regional and global crises, including the murderous military regime in Myanmar, Russias unprovoked war on Ukraine and climate change. Global tensions over Ukraine are sure to be in the spotlight, given the planned presence of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the series of meetings, which run from July 29 to August 5. Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute in Phnom Penh, noted that differing alliances within ASEAN had prevented joint statements from being issued in Russias war at recent summits. Tensions and controversy will arise, especially with regard to Russia's presence at the meeting, as the West is opposed to Russia's presence, Chheang Vannarith told VOA Khmer on Friday. Its hard to reach a consensus because it already has two blocs. Cambodia, as the rotating chair of ASEAN, is tasked with promoting regional and international cooperation on a range of issues, from revitalizing economic activity after the Covid-19 crisis to ensuring food security, which has also been threatened by Russias blockade of Ukraines major ports, and efforts to limit carbon emissions and advance energy security. Among the key initiatives to bolster regional economic growth is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which went into force at the start of this year after a decade of negotiations, noted Chheang Vannarith. The 10 ASEAN members Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines will be joined by top diplomats from 11 dialogue partners, including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also confirmed his participation in the upcoming meetings in Phnom Penh. Blinken is scheduled to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen while in Phnom Penh from Aug. 3-5, and then will travel to the Philippines to meet with new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before beginning a tour of Africa. The State Department said Blinken will focus on the need for ASEAN centrality, and will also address the COVID-19 pandemic, economic cooperation, the fight against climate change, the crisis in Burma, and Russias war in Ukraine. Political science professor Em Sovannara told VOA Khmer that the crisis in Burma, which began with the military coup in February 2021, could remain a hot topic among the foreign ministers. The regime made global headlines last week when it executed four pro-democracy activists, including a former lawmaker. "Perhaps the issue of Burma is a necessary point for discussing security issues in the region. Another point could be the issue of the so-called ASEAN position on building and maintaining relations with the United States, as agreed on May 13 at a special meeting with the United States on the United States soil, he said. Em Sovannara said other issues, such as Chinas occupation of islands in the South China Sea, which has been a central issue at past summits, will not be discussed in depth, despite Chinas territorial claims overlapping with those of a number of ASEAN member states. However, Pou Sothirak, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, says that the South China Sea issue is likely to be raised by the Philippines, which has recently seen a new power transition. "They can raise it again and now it could be like that because the Philippines is taking a new position in my observation. Anything related to interests and points related to South China that affect their national interests, they can raise," he said. "So, this is a story that Cambodia, which is the host, has a more coordinating role to provide further explanations to them. Regarding the crisis in Burma, Pou Sothirak said it was time for the bloc to either find a solution to the situation or send it to the United Nations and admit it cant be resolved at the regional level. I think there should be a summit at the United Nations, which means internationalize the crisis, make it an international issue, now it is merely an issue at regional leveland (junta leader) Min Aung Hlaing, he seems to ignore, he is very defiant, and he is mocking other countries. The other 10 ASEAN member states agreed on a five-point consensus to end hostilities in Myanmar last year, but there are few signs that the military-led regime is abiding by the plan, which includes an end of violence and initiating dialogue. Pou Sothirak said Cambodia should also be prepared to respond to unforeseen problems, including the expected visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan, which has drawn warnings from Beijing that it will damage U.S.-China relations and escalate regional tensions. He added that the attendance of Blinken and Lavrov could also prove a logistical challenge. Are they sitting at the same table? Pou Sothirak said. "For this case, what position would Cambodia and the entire ASEAN take? This is another sensitive issue that I think will happen during meetings for the next few days. Blinkens itinerary, released over the weekend, did not include bilateral meetings with Wang Yi or Lavrov. VOA Khmer has reached out to the State Department about other potential bilateral meetings. Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry could not confirm whether there could be bilateral talks between Blinken and other delegates. Asked about the challenges that Cambodia may face during this weeks meetings, Chum Sounry wrote via Telegram on Friday that we expect some challenges and hot regional and international issues to be facing the Meetings, but we hope that with the support, cooperation, understanding and comprehension from all participants, we can realize our strong commitment as the ASEAN Rotating Chair and host country for the smooth and fruitful outcomes of these meetings. The U.N. refugee agency says it will be forced to cut aid programs for millions of internally displaced people and refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo without an immediate injection of money. UNHCR says it has received only 19 percent of the $225 million required to run its humanitarian operation this year. That, it says, is not enough to meet the bare minimum let alone respond to the growing needs of millions of people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and violence. The DRC is home to the biggest displacement crisis in Africa, with more than 5.6 million internally displaced people and over half-a-million refugees and asylum-seekers. Dominique Hyde, director of the UNHCR's Division for External Relations, returned from a trip last week to strife-ridden Ituri province in eastern DRC. She said she was shocked at the extent of loss and suffering experienced by survivors of ongoing fighting by the many armed groups in the province. "There was not a single internally displaced person that I met who had not suffered the loss of a family member," Hyde said. "I am meaning their children, their husband, their wives. Or in the case of women who had not been a victim of sexual violence. We, as UNHCR, are providing mental health support and psychosocial support to these women but, honestly, we are only able to do the bare minimum." She said a lack of funding means the ability to respond to even the most basic needs of the families is not possible. She added that 82 percent of the country's internally displaced people will not receive adequate shelter. "This means that displaced women, children, men, boys will be forced to sleep in churches, in schools, in stadiums out in the open," Hyde said. "Or they are going to decide to go back to their homes and again being targets of these attacks. I met multiple people who had been displaced multiple times during their lives in the past years or so." UNHCR warns it will be forced to cut cash and livelihood kits for agriculture, fisheries and livestock if it does not receive additional support. That, it says, will create food shortages for many people. Without more money, it says few refugee children will receive a primary education, which will have a lifelong detrimental effect. Agency officials say the war in Ukraine has taken the oxygen out of humanitarian appeals for Africa. International solidarity toward people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelming, they note, adding that similar support should be extended to all crises around the world. The death of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a U.S. airstrike is likely to test the terror groups resolve and coherence and possibly strain long-crafted succession plans just as it was seemingly positioned to be the worlds preeminent jihadist threat. Recent intelligence assessments had warned al-Qaida appeared to be benefiting from a period of relative stability within its leadership and that the group was taking advantage of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, with al-Qaida leadership communicating more freely than in the past. "The international context is favorable to al-Qaida, a United Nations report said last month, further warning al-Qaida may ultimately become a greater source of directed threat than its rival, Islamic State. Only some former counterterrorism officials and analysts warn that although al-Qaida also used its new-found freedom in Afghanistan to solidify its hierarchy and line of succession, there are serious questions about how-well those plans can be put in motion, given geographical concerns and the growing influence of the terror groups African affiliates. This is challenging for al-Qaida, a former Western counterterrorism official told VOA, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss recent intelligence assessments. In particular, the official cited concerns echoed by a number of intelligence agencies worldwide about the status of Zawahiris longtime heir apparent, Saif al-Adel. Al-Qaida and Iran Hes in Iran ... do the Iranians let him leave? the former official asked. Its sort of tough to be the leader of al-Qaida while stuck in a gilded cage. Al-Qaidas number three, Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, the terror groups general manager and the head of its media operations, is also believed to be in Iran, along with several lower-ranking al-Qaida officials. And it is not just al-Adel and al-Maghrebi. The proliferation of al-Qaida officials in Tehran once prompted former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to accuse Iran of becoming al-Qaidas new operational headquarters. Other U.S. intelligence and diplomatic officials, however, have been more cautious in their assessments, describing the relationship between Tehran and al-Qaida as one of convenience, and often transactional in nature. In any case, some analysts see the connection to Iran as a problem. It does create dilemmas, said Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who specializes in jihadism. [There are] questions of legitimacy or of Iranian influence. Rise of African affiliates So too, there are potential challenges should al-Qaida turn to those next in line to replace Zawahiri: Yazid Mebrak with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Ahmed Diriye with al-Qaida's Somali affiliate al-Shabab. That would be also unprecedented where the senior leadership would move from the historical sanctuary of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region to different parts of Africa, Zelin told VOA. Many of those groups, while paying lip service to sort of the global fight, have historically mainly focused on their local insurgencies or regional conflicts than on anything related to the West, he said. Yet despite a long-standing local or regional focus, the African affiliates have been growing in power and influence. Over the last couple of years, intelligence shared by U.N. member states warned that AQIM had becomes a logistics hub for al-Qaida affiliates in Mali while also finding ways to supply, and possibly influence, other militant groups. Al-Shababs rise has been even more pronounced, with one U.N. member state warning that it has morphed from affiliate to benefactor, providing al-Qaidas core leadership with financial support. A new caliphate? At the same time, U.S. military and intelligence officials warn al-Qaidas Somali affiliate is growing more ambitious, with a growing appetite for territory and for taking on Western targets. I think it is likely that Africa will be the home of the next emirate-style experiment on al-Qaida's part based on the prevalence of strong militant movements in Africa along with weak states and frustrated populations that are open to a range of alternatives, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism analyst and CEO of the threat analysis firm Valens Global, recently told VOA. Still, Gartenstein-Ross, speaking prior to the death of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, said a stronger, more prominent African affiliate would not have to be home to al-Qaidas core leadership. Al-Qaida's system of guidance is not a traditional command and control system, he said. Its ideal tends to be centralization of strategy with decentralization of the action. Zawahiris legacy Late Monday, a senior U.S. administration official said Zawahiris death deals al-Qaida a significant blow and will degrade the group's ability to operate including against the U.S. homeland. But some analysts and former officials are wary. The loss of Zawahiri is not the end of al-Qaida, Katherine Zimmerman, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told VOA via text. As uninspiring as his diatribes were to many, he successfully led the organization beyond the death of its founder, Osama bin Laden, and the challenge from the Islamic State, she said. He and senior al-Qaida leaders have already planned for his death, and many capable individuals are ready to take the lead. Other analysts argue that al-Qaida, while decentralized and reliant on affiliates, is still stronger now than ever before. There are those, though, who disagree. There is a case against him which says he wasn't a very inspiring leader, he wasn't a very dynamic leader, the former Western counterterrorism official told VOA, sounding a note of caution. If you subscribe to the theory that Zawahiri was not an effective leader, then you have the possibility of a more inspiring leader taking over," the official said. Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden as al-Qaida leader after years as its main organizer and strategist, but his lack of charisma and competition from rival militants Islamic State hobbled his ability to inspire spectacular attacks on the West. Al-Zawahiri, 71, was killed over the weekend in a U.S. drone strike, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. He had watched in dismay as al-Qaida was effectively sidelined by the 2010-11 Arab revolts, launched mainly by middle-class activists and intellectuals opposed to decades of autocracy. In the years following bin Laden's death, U.S. airstrikes killed a succession of al-Zawahiri's deputies, weakening the veteran Egyptian militant's ability to coordinate globally. Despite a reputation as an inflexible and combative personality, al-Zawahiri managed to nurture loosely affiliated groups around the world that grew to wage devastating local insurgencies, some of them rooted in turmoil arising from the Arab Spring. The violence destabilized a number of countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But al-Qaida's days as the centrally directed, hierarchical network of plotters that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, were long gone. Instead, militancy returned to its roots in local-level conflicts, driven by a mix of local grievances and incitement by transnational jihadi networks using social media. Al-Zawahiri's origins in Islamist militancy went back decades. The first time the world heard of him was when he stood in a courtroom cage after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. "We have sacrificed, and we are still ready for more sacrifices until the victory of Islam," shouted al-Zawahiri, wearing a white robe, as fellow defendants enraged by Sadat's peace treaty with Israel chanted slogans. Al-Zawahiri served a three-year jail term for illegal arms possession but was acquitted of the main charges. A trained surgeon one of his pseudonyms was The Doctor al-Zawahiri went to Pakistan on his release, where he worked with the Red Crescent treating Islamist mujahedeen guerrillas wounded in Afghanistan fighting Soviet forces. During that period, he became acquainted with bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who had joined the Afghan resistance. Taking over the leadership of Islamic Jihad in Egypt in 1993, al-Zawahiri was a leading figure in a campaign in the mid-1990s to overthrow the government and set up a purist Islamic state. More than 1,200 Egyptians were killed. Egyptian authorities mounted a crackdown on Islamic Jihad after an assassination attempt on President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The graying, white-turbaned al-Zawahiri responded by ordering a 1995 attack on the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad. Two cars filled with explosives rammed through the compound's gates, killing 16 people. In 1999, an Egyptian military court sentenced al-Zawahiri to death in absentia. By then he was living the spartan life of a militant after helping bin Laden to form al-Qaida. A videotape aired by Al Jazeera in 2003 showed the two men walking on a rocky mountainside an image that Western intelligence hoped would provide clues on their whereabouts. Threats of global jihad For years al-Zawahiri was believed to be hiding along the forbidding border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He assumed leadership of al-Qaida in 2011 after U.S. Navy Seals killed bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan. Since then, he repeatedly called for global jihad, with an AK-47 as his side during video messages. In a eulogy for bin Laden, al-Zawahiri promised to pursue attacks on the West, recalling the Saudi-born militants threat that "you will not dream of security until we live it as a reality and until you leave the lands of the Muslims." As it turned out, the emergence of the even more hardline Islamic State group in 2014-2019 in Iraq and Syria drew as much, if not more, attention from Western counter-terrorism authorities. Al-Zawahiri often tried to stir passions among Muslims by commenting online about sensitive issues such as U.S. policies in the Middle East or Israeli actions against Palestinians, but his delivery was seen as lacking bin Laden's magnetism. On a practical level, al-Zawahiri is believed to have been involved in some of al-Qaida's biggest operations, helping organize the 2001 attacks, when airliners hijacked by al-Qaida were used to kill 3,000 people in the United States. He was indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The FBI put a $25 million bounty on his head on its most wanted list. Prominent family Al-Zawahiri did not emerge from Cairo's slums, like others drawn to militant groups who promised a noble cause. Born in 1951 to a prominent Cairo family, al-Zawahiri was a grandson of the grand imam of Al Azhar, one of Islam's most important mosques. Al-Zawahiri was raised in Cairos leafy Maadi suburb, a place favored by expatriates from the Western nations he railed against. The son of a pharmacology professor, al-Zawahiri first embraced Islamic fundamentalism at the age of 15. He was inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist executed in 1966 on charges of trying to overthrow the state. People who studied with al-Zawahiri at Cairo Universitys Faculty of Medicine in the 1970s describe a lively young man who went to the cinema, listened to music and joked with friends. When he came out of prison, he was a completely different person, said a doctor who studied with al-Zawahiri and declined to be named. In the courtroom cage after the assassination of Sadat at a military parade, al-Zawahiri addressed the international press, saying militants had suffered from severe torture including whippings and attacks by wild dogs in prison. "They arrested the wives, the mothers, the fathers, the sisters and the sons in a trial to put the psychological pressure on these innocent prisoners," he said, firing up a wild-eyed man beside him and other militants. Fellow prisoners said those conditions further radicalized al-Zawahiri and set him on his path to global jihad. U.S. President Joe Biden continued to test positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in what doctors described as a "rebound" case of the virus. The President's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Conner, wrote in a White House memo that the president's "loose cough" has returned, though "his temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal." "He remains fever-free and in good spirits," O'Conner said. Biden, 79, first tested positive for COVID-19 in late July and was cleared from isolation last Wednesday after taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid for several days. He returned to isolation after testing positive again on Saturday. Rebound cases occur in a small percentage of patients who take the standard five-day course of Paxlovid, a pill produced by Pfizer and authorized to treat high-risk patients. Most rebound cases involve only mild illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and there have been no reports of serious complications. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that the president may still be experiencing symptoms from his first COVID infection, saying, "Those minimal symptoms kind of linger for some time, so you can expect that." During his first COVID-19 infection, Biden's symptoms included a runny nose, fatigue, high temperature and a cough. O'Connor wrote in his Saturday memo that Biden was not symptomatic, but he did not say whether Biden was experiencing symptoms in his Sunday and Monday memos. Since re-testing positive, Biden has had to cancel a trip to Michigan and one to his home in Delaware. On Monday evening, he gave an address to a small pool of reporters from a distance on the killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Some information from this report came from Reuters and CNN. The streets of the Batibo district in western Cameroon were deserted Tuesday following three days of clashes between government forces and separatist fighters. Both sides say they inflicted significant losses on the other, while witnesses report seeing the bodies of troops, rebel fighters and civilians. Civilians said an uneasy calm reigned in the Batibo district, located in Cameroons English-speaking Northwest region. Primary school teacher Emmanuel Mbah said very few civilians could be seen walking the streets of Batibo on Tuesday morning. "People cannot go to their farms, shops are sealed, markets are sealed and traders are running away for their safety. Houses are burnt down and the population suffers, so the fighting between the military and the separatists are causing much havoc to the population, he said. Speaking by the messaging app WhatsApp, Mbah said several dozen Cameroon government troops have been searching homes in Batibo and arresting people suspected of collaborating with separatist fighters. The Cameroon military said Tuesday that 17 separatist fighters were killed in three days of fighting in Batibo. The military said an additional 18 fighters were captured in Bambui, Batibo and Noni, all towns in the Northwest region. The military also said it destroyed or seized weapons, locally made explosive devices and several dozen motorcycles used by the separatists to attack government troops. Capo Daniel, deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, one of the separatist groups in Cameroon's western regions, said the group lost 11 fighters as well as weapons and motorcycles. He says the fighting was fierce in Enyoh and Ewah villages, located in Batibo district. "The Ambazonia Defense Forces assembled over 300 forces to launch attacks in Bamenda city," he said. "Our forces were attacked from multiple fronts. We suffered some losses. The major operation where our soldiers were supposed to carry out as they assembled will be scrapped as a result of the setback." Daniel said separatists on Tuesday ordered their fighters, who were deployed to attack Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest region, to immediately retreat to their camps. He said separatist leaders will meet in the days ahead to strategize how to coordinate further attacks against Cameroon's military. Separatist groups say at least two dozen government troops were killed in the Batibo confrontation. The military denied that any of its troops were killed, saying that a few sustained minor injuries. Cameroon government officials in the Northwest region are calling for calm and asking civilians to collaborate with the military by reporting suspected fighters in their towns and villages. The military says it will protect all civilians and their goods. Armed groups have been fighting since 2017 to separate two English-speaking regions of Cameroon from the country and its French-speaking majority. The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced more than a half-million. Ethiopia now ranks with Eritrea as the biggest jailers of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists says. At least 63 journalists and media workers have been arrested in Ethiopia since the Tigray conflict broke out in November 2020, according to the report. The advocacy group, which monitors media freedoms globally, said Ethiopia ranks as sub-Saharan Africas worst jailer of journalists, alongside Eritrea. Ethiopia long had a reputation for media censorship under the previous government led by the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or TPLF, which is now fighting the federal government. After he came to power in 2018, current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised to ease restrictions and usher in a new area of freedom of expression. But rights groups have documented a deteriorating media environment since the Tigray war started that has seen several journalists detained, threatened, and assaulted. Two local journalists have been killed in disputed circumstances since November 2020, and two foreign correspondents working for The New York Times and The Economist have been expelled from the country. The country has also seen several communications shutdowns, including in Tigray, which has been without phone and internet service since the TPLF retook most of the region in June 2021. Muthoki Mumo, CPJs representative for sub-Saharan Africa, said the arrested journalists were producing work that was dissenting from the dominant state narrative of the war. Some journalists have also been targeted due to perceptions that their work might favor certain political groups, Mumo said. But through all of this, what we can say is that these arrests indicate a conflation of journalistic work, of critical commentary with criminal activity, and that is very dangerous." At least eight of the journalists and media workers whose arrests were documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists remain behind bars. The group said most of the arrests follow a similar pattern, with journalists held in detention for several weeks without having formal charges brought, while authorities request more time to investigate them. Ethiopias government has previously denied targeting journalists, saying that the police have followed due process and only detained those who have broken the countrys media laws. Somalias prime minister has appointed the former deputy leader of the al-Shabab militant group, Mukhtar Robow, to the cabinet as minister for endowment and religious affairs. Robow, also known as Abu Mansour, was in the Somali presidential palace Tuesday as Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre unveiled his new cabinet. The stunning development came a day after Robow was released from the headquarters of Somalias National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). Robow has been in detention since December 2018, when Somali government forces supported by African Union forces from Ethiopia detained him in the Somali city of Baidoa, to prevent him from running for the leadership of Southwest federal member state. Deadly protests followed his arrest as his supporters clashed with regional forces leading to the shooting death of 15 people in Baidoa. The selection of Abu Mansour for the cabinet post is an apparent attempt to put him in charge of ideological confrontation against al-Shabab. His new portfolio will put him in direct collision with his former colleagues as he will attempt to implement President Hassan Mohamuds policy of waging war against al-Shabab on three fronts; economic, ideology, and military. Other key Cabinet appointments include Salah Ahmed Jama as the deputy prime minister, Abshir Omar Huruse as foreign minister, and Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who retains his post as defense minister, Who is Mukhtar Robow? Before the creation of al-Shabab, Robow trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Five years ago, he told VOA Somali reporter Harun Maruf, in an interview for the book Inside al-Shabab, that he was training at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan on September 11, 2001 and saw camp members celebrate upon hearing of the attacks that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Robow rose to prominence as deputy defense chief of Somalias Islamic Courts Union in 2006, when the group temporarily seized control of most of southcentral Somalia, defeating a coalition of U.S.-backed warlords. Robow went on to serve as al-Shababs official spokesperson and later as the groups deputy leader. In 2008, the U.S. designated al-Shabab a terrorist organization. In 2012, the U.S. offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Robows capture, although that offer was withdrawn in June 2017. Robow surrendered to the government in August 2018 after al-Shabab attacked his base in his home village of Abal, south of Huddur. In December of that year, he announced his candidacy for the president of Southwest state. Many observers regarded him as a favorite because they thought he would confront al-Shabab. The government blocked him from running, which paved the way for a pro-federal government candidate, the current president Abdiaziz Hassan Laftagareen, to emerge as eventual winner. The Somali government defended its decision to detain him, arguing he did not meet all the preconditions for running for office. It said he was still under sanctions by members of the international community for his prior membership with al-Shabab. He was initially detained at NISAs headquarters. In August 2019 he was moved from prison to house arrest. He was returned to NISA headquarters after giving an interview to VOA Somali in Octoberof last year. In that interview, the first he has given since leaving al-Shabab, he said he was being held for political purposes and to prevent him from running for office. He described what happened to him as an abduction and denial of his basic rights. He said he was not giving up running for office, adding, I will always be ready to work for the development of our people and our country. I will not be demoralized; if I dont die, I will continue that journey. India is accelerating action against the monkeypox virus after reporting its first death due to monkeypox in the southern state of Kerala, that of a 22-year-old man who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates. The death of the young man is the first due to monkeypox in Asia, where several countries have reported outbreaks of the viral infection that has been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Kerala health authorities announced the death on Monday after it was confirmed that the man had monkeypox. He had died in a hospital on Saturday, about a week after returning from the UAE, where his family said he had tested positive for the infection. By the time doctors were informed, he was already critical. Samples from the man that were tested in India also detected the virus, according to Kerala Health Minister, Veena George. This is the fourth monkeypox death reported globally outside Africa. So far there have been two monkeypox related fatalities in Spain and one in Brazil. Kerala health authorities said that about 20 persons, who had been in contact with the 22-year-old, are being monitored. Passengers who were on the flight with him from UAE to Kerala have also been contacted and authorities have urged people with symptoms to inform doctors. After the death was reported in Kerala, the federal government said it is setting up a task force to monitor the outbreak in the country. Fifteen laboratories have been designated to diagnose monkeypox while some states, including the capital, New Delhi, have set up isolation wards. India has so far detected six cases of the viral disease four in Kerala and two in New Delhi. Meanwhile the government has invited domestic vaccine makers to consider making shots against monkeypox after the country reported some cases of infection. The Indian Council of Medical Research, the federal medical research organization, said last week that it is willing to share the monkeypox virus strain it has isolated to aid the process of developing a vaccine. India is a major vaccine producer. Vaccines already exist for monkeypox, including those used to eradicate smallpox. Experts have said that unlike COVID 19, mass vaccinations against monkey pox will not be necessary. Monkeypox, which was first discovered in a monkey, is related to the smallpox virus, which was eradicated in 1980, but is far less severe. The disease has been found in more than 70 countries where it is not endemic. According to The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 23,000 monkeypox cases have been detected since January in these countries. In a statement last week, the World Health Organizations regional director in South East Asia, Poonam K. Singh, said the risk of a monkeypox outbreak in the region was "moderate but the potential of its further international spread is real." She said that "We need to stay alert and be prepared to roll out an intense response to curtail the spread of monkeypox." New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency Monday over the spread of monkeypox. This order will bolster our existing efforts to educate, vaccinate, test, and treat as many New Yorkers as possible and ensure a whole-of-government response to this outbreak, Adams said in a statement released with the executive order. The order allows Adams to suspend local laws and temporarily impose new rules to control the spread of the outbreak. Similarly, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency last Friday. She previously announced that over the next four to six weeks, the federal government would distribute 110,000 vaccine doses to the state in addition to the 60,000 already distributed. As of Monday, New York City has reported 1,472 cases, according to monkeypox data on the NYC Health website. Most cases worldwide have affected men who have sex with men. In an announcement Saturday declaring a public health emergency in the city, Adams and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan estimated that about 150,000 New Yorkers may be at risk of monkeypox infection. Cases are continuing to rise across the country. New York currently has the highest number of recorded monkeypox cases among the 50 states, followed by California with 799 cases as of Friday, the CDC reports. San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency on Thursday. Though California has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a KTVU-TV interview last week that the state is not even close to where we need to be. The rapid spread of monkeypox worldwide has sparked alarm over the past few months. Since May, more than 22,000 cases have been reported in 80 countries, despite the virus naturally occurring only in Central and West Africa. The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over monkeypox on July 23. A U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed late Tuesday in Taiwan, despite warnings by China, which has threatened a military response to the visit. Pelosis delegation arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport before 11 p.m. local time. The delegation was greeted by Taiwanese officials. Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy, Pelosi said in a statement issued after her arrival. Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, she added. Pelosi is expected to meet Wednesday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior lawmakers, according to local media reports. For weeks, media reports have speculated about whether Pelosi, a prominent China critic, would go ahead with the Taiwan stop as part of a wider Asia tour. China has warned the visit would be an unacceptable violation of what it sees as its sovereignty over the self-ruled island. On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called the proposed visit stupid, dangerous, and an unnecessary gamble. It is hard to imagine a more reckless and provocative move, Hua said at a regular briefing. Though U.S. congressional delegations routinely visit Taiwan, China has warned of a forceful response, raising fears of a major crisis in the Taiwan Strait. Earlier Tuesday, several Chinese warplanes and warships neared the median line in the Taiwan Strait, according to an unnamed source quoted by the Reuters news agency. The source said the Chinese aircraft conducted very provocative tactical moves of briefly touching the unofficial dividing line and circling back to the other side of the strait. Taiwan dispatched aircraft to monitor the situation, Reuters added. In an apparent attempt to punish Taiwans economy ahead of Pelosis visit, China also banned shipments from more than 100 Taiwanese food exporters, Taiwanese media reported Tuesday. Taiwanese ruling party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu dismissed the ban, writing on Twitter that we will not be intimidated by PRCs weaponization of trade. Taiwan also appears to be the victim of cyber-attacks. Late Tuesday, the main website of Taiwans government was inaccessible and was replaced by a 502 ERROR message. Its presidential website was also offline, with the office saying it was the target of an overseas cyber-attack. White House officials on Monday urged China to refrain from any provocations. There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis conflict or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, said John Kirby, a White House National Security Council official. Kirby expressed concern China could respond by firing missiles around Taiwan, conducting large-scale military exercises, or sending a large number of planes across the median line. China could also pursue spurious legal claims, such as asserting that the Taiwan Strait is not an international waterway, he said. More explicit US support Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war, with the defeated nationalist forces fleeing to Taiwan and setting up a government that later grew into a vibrant democracy. Since then, Chinas Communist Party has vowed to take Taiwan, using force if necessary, even though the island has never been ruled by the Communist Party. The United States formally cut official relations with Taiwan in 1979 when it switched diplomatic recognition to China. However, the United States continued to maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan and supplies it with defensive weapons as mandated by the U.S. Congress. For decades, that balancing act helped preserve cross-strait peace, but in recent years Chinese leaders have grown concerned that Washington may be shifting toward more explicit support for Taiwan. On three separate occasions, President Joe Biden has indicated the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded. Though U.S. officials deny there has been any change in policy, Bidens comments differed from those of many of his predecessors, who maintained a carefully calibrated strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwans defense. In this context, Pelosis visit appears even more concerning to China, according to Amanda Hsiao, a senior Taiwan-based analyst at the International Crisis Group. We've seen very clear messages coming out of Beijing that China intends on responding forcefully if the visit goes through. And I think those signals should be taken quite seriously, Hsiao told VOA. Hsiao expects a significant increase in Chinese military activities around Taiwan during and after Pelosis visit. China has already flown a record high number of warplanes around Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone in recent months. China: bolder and more powerful This is the highest-level U.S. visit to Taiwan since 1997, when former House Speaker Newt Gingrich led a congressional delegation there. In an interview with VOAs Mandarin Service, Gingrich expressed support for Pelosis trip, which he said will likely only amount to an irritation to U.S.-China ties. I think this is at one level a lot of noise about nothing, Gingrich said. But many analysts warn that China has grown much more powerful and bold since the late 1990s, when Gingrich visited. I think the China were dealing with now, under [President] Xi Jinping, is more assertive, more ambitious, and more concerned, I think, with appearing weak in these sorts of moments, Hsiao said. Another factor: an upcoming Communist Party Congress, where Xi is expected to secure a controversial third term as Chinas top leader. Its unclear, though, how the meeting will affect Chinas response. They would still prefer to have a relatively stable external environment while they're undergoing this key transition, Hsiao said. But on the other hand because it is on the eve of the 20th Party Congress, the leadership is under some pressure to demonstrate that it won't be taken advantage of. In Taiwan, a large portion of residents are relieved that Pelosi appears to be moving ahead with the visit, which they believe shows U.S. commitment to preserving peace in the Taiwan Strait, according to William Yang, a Taipei-based journalist and president of the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club. But I think on the other hand, there is a group of Taiwanese people who are very suspicious about the intention and the purpose and the effect of the visit. A lot of them are questioning whether this is actually going to accelerate the pace of angering China, pushing China to take a more unwise and unreasonable action against Taiwan especially with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a long history of riling Beijing over democracy and human rights, whether by unveiling a banner on Tiananmen Square or in regular meetings with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Pelosi, the country's most powerful lawmaker, stoked fresh tensions in U.S.-China relations Tuesday when she flew into Taiwan, the highest-ranked elected U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. But it was only the most recent act to nettle China by the powerful 82-year-old lawmaker, who is second in line to the U.S. presidency. Pelosi has acted repeatedly over a long career to goad Beijing for what she calls a dismal record on human rights and democracy. As a junior congresswoman, just two years into her career, she was highly vocal about the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown on pro-Democracy demonstrators in Beijing. She called it a shocking "massacre" and accused Chinese security services of conducting "secret executions." "The human rights of the people in China are not an internal matter. They are of concern to people all over the world," she declared. Since then, Pelosi has regularly irritated Beijing's leadership frequently meeting political and religious dissidents, as well as the Dalai Lama, and labelling the treatment of Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region "genocide." Two years after the Tiananmen crackdown, she visited China with two other members of Congress on an official invitation. She irked her hosts by visiting the famed square, placing flowers at a martyrs memorial with a banner that read: "To those who died for democracy in China." After Chinese police briefly detained the American legislators, she told reporters: "We've been told for two days now that there is freedom of speech in China. This does not conform to what we were told." Determined to call out Beijing Her actions are good politics she represents San Francisco, home to a large Chinese population, which in the 1980s was dominated by people who had fled communist China or had roots in the much freer Taiwan and Hong Kong. But after 35 years, Pelosi has proved herself a consistent defender of human rights in China, and shows little regard for how her actions impact diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing. She has regularly opposed China's hosting of the Olympics, and has sought tough trade treatment of the country due to its rights record. In 2010, she traveled to Oslo for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Every year in Congress she makes note of the Tiananmen incident, highlighting the violence waged on the Chinese people by the People's Liberation Army, and the lengthy imprisonment of dissidents. "We want them to know that in the Congress of the United States, we know about them, we care about them," she said in 2009, the 20th anniversary. One of the first foreign trips she took after rising to the House speaker position was leading a Congressional delegation to Dharamsala, India, to meet the Dalai Lama, whom she had received in Washington a year earlier. The devout, progressive Catholic said she was there to shine "the bright light on the truth of what is happening in Tibet," where Beijing is accused of severely repressing local culture. "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world," she said. Biden reportedly against Taiwan trip President Joe Biden, normally a close ally of Pelosi, reportedly hoped in recent weeks to deter her trip to Taiwan, to avoid stirring China's anger while the U.S. is deeply embroiled in the Russia-Ukraine war. But Pelosi stuck to her guns. She wrote in the Washington Post that since her first visit to Tiananmen Square, "Beijing's abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power." She pointed to the harsh political crackdown in Hong Kong, "genocide" in Xinjiang and continued repression in Tibet. "We take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy," she said. "As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents even children it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats." One week before voting, an opinion poll on Kenyas presidential election shows former prime minister Raila Odinga in front by six percentage points over Deputy President William Ruto. In the survey released Tuesday by the Ipsos group, 47% of respondents said they would vote for former prime minister Raila Odinga in next weeks presidential election. Kenya's deputy president, William Ruto, was second at 41%, with George Wajackoya and David Mwaure a distant third and fourth respectively. Nine percent of voters were undecided. Under Kenyas election system, a candidate needs to win 50% of the vote plus one to be declared the winner and avoid a runoff. "Should Raila convert half of the undecided voters he will win this election first round. If Dr. William Ruto converts 100 percent of the undeclared vote, he will force a re-run," said Samuel Muthoka, the East and Horn of Africa director at Ipsos. Another recent survey by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) found that Odinga was the most preferred candidate at 46.7%, while Ruto polled at 44.4%. The Ipsos survey, taken between July 23 and 30, shows Odinga's sweet spot is his legacy as a democratic and experienced leader, while those who support Ruto believe he presents hope with a clearer plan for the countrys future. Odinga's age and Ruto's integrity issues are their major drawbacks according to the polls. Odinga is 77 years old while Ruto is accused of multiple corruption issues. Muthoka says the election comes down to a few geographic areas, including major population centers in Mombasa, Nakuru Kiambu and Bungoma counties. "We see that Raila Odinga has 18 counties that already have a voter preference above 55% for him and William Ruto has 17 counties where voter preference is 55% for him," Muthoka said. "We think this could be clear win for the candidates. However, we have 11 counties which present as a battleground." At least 85% of more than 6,000 people sampled nationally said they were likely to vote in the August 9 election. Fifteen percent of voters said they are likely to stay away. Employment and corruption prevention were highlighted as main issues among urban residents in the survey, while rural voters said they were most concerned about employment and education. The election will be Kenya's third under a constitution established in 2010. Turkey said the first shipment of Ukrainian grain since Russia launched its invasion has arrived off Turkeys coast. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni is on its way from the Ukrainian port of Odesa to Lebanon with more than 26,000 tons of corn on board. But its first stop is Istanbul, where personnel from a special joint coordination center will inspect the ship to make sure it is not carrying weapons or other non-food items under the terms of an agreement reached in late July to resume Ukrainian grain exports amid a global food crisis. The center includes officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, the four parties involved in brokering the deal. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday the Razoni was loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraines ports to feed their families. He added, What weve witnessed today in Odesa is an important starting point. It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets. Guterres said that ensuring that grain, fertilizers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work, in order to survive. As part of the renewed shipments, Guterres said the U.N.s World Food Program plans to soon buy 30,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat and ship it out of the country on a U.N.-chartered vessel. The shipping agreement calls for safe passage of cargo ships traveling from ports in southern Ukraine through waters of the Black Sea that Russia has controlled since its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Monday evening that the first shipment is "the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the development of a world food crisis." However, he cautioned that Russia must be monitored to ensure its compliance with the deal. "We cannot be under the illusion that Russia will simply refrain from trying to disrupt Ukrainian exports," he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday the departure of the first ship is very positive and would help test the mechanisms that were agreed to during the talks in Istanbul. Also Monday, Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Kyiv had received more precision rocket systems from the United States. Ukraine has credited the U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems with helping to slow Russias advance in the countrys east. Reznikov called the military aid another investment in the security of NATOs eastern flank and support for democracy in Europe. He tweeted thanks to U.S. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the American people. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. U.S. and European Union special envoys for the Horn of Africa have called on Ethiopian authorities to restore basic services to the Tigray region in order to encourage peace talks with rebels. The envoys have just completed their first trip to the region. The officials have expressed support for attempts by the African Union to broker peace talks between the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or TPLF, and the federal government, after nearly two years of conflict. In a joint statement issued after returning from Tigrays regional capital, Mekelle, on Tuesday, Mike Hammer, the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa and his European counterpart, Annette Weber, also called for services to be restored to the region. Tigray has been without access to phone, internet or bank services since federal forces withdrew in June of last year, sparking accusations of a government-imposed "blockade." The federal government has previously said it is unable to restore services in Tigray because it is unable to safely send engineers to the region, which is under TPLF control. But in their statement, envoys Hammer and Weber said they had been handed a letter from TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael, containing security guarantees for workers needed to restore services. With this security assurance, there should be no obstacle for the restoration of services to begin, the envoys said. Last week, the Ethiopian prime ministers national security adviser, Redwan Hussein, said the government was ready for talks without preconditions, but the TPLFs Debretsion has said phone and banking services should be restored before negotiations can begin. Three Republican U.S. House members who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection are being challenged in Tuesday's primary elections by rivals endorsed by the former president. The primaries for Reps. Peter Meijer, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse are the biggest test yet for Republican Party (GOP) incumbents who broke with Trump after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to keep him in power. Trump has vowed revenge against the 10 House Republicans who crossed party lines for the impeachment vote. Of the 10, four opted not to run for reelection in this year's midterm elections. As for the ones who did, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina lost to a Trump-endorsed challenger in June, while Rep. David Valadao of California survived a challenge that same month from a fellow Republican, advancing to the general election. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is bracing for defeat in her Aug. 16 primary against a Trump-backed rival. In other races Tuesday, two Democratic incumbents in Michigan are facing each other in a newly drawn congressional district, and two members of the progressive Squad have primary challengers in Missouri and Michigan. In Arizona, GOP voters will decide whether to nominate a major QAnon figure for a congressional seat. Facing voters after impeachment votes The three House Republicans facing primary challenges Tuesday for impeaching Trump say they don't regret their vote. In Michigan, Meijer voted for impeachment just days after he was sworn into office for his first term. The former president has endorsed Meijers opponent, John Gibbs, a businessman and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Housing Secretary Ben Carson. Gibbs has contended Meijer is not a true Republican because he voted to impeach Trump, and Gibbs chastised Meijer for supporting bipartisan gun control legislation that President Joe Biden signed into law in June. Meijer, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, has criticized Biden over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his handling of the economy. The congressmans family is well known in the Midwest as owners of the chain of Meijer grocery megastores, and he has a large fundraising advantage over Gibbs. The winner will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November in the states Democratic-leaning 3rd Congressional District. In Washington state, the two Republicans who voted for impeachment are competing in crowded primaries, from which the top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, will move on to the general election in November. Herrera Beutler's primary against eight challengers, four of whom are Republicans, in Washington states 3rd Congressional District will be one of the toughest of her career. Trump is backing Joe Kent, a former Green Beret who has promoted the former president's lies that the 2020 election was stolen. Beutler has been in Congress since 2011 and represents an area that has favored Republicans. In the central part of Washington, Newhouse, a four-term congressman, is facing seven challengers, six of whom are Republicans, in the solidly conservative 4th Congressional District. His rivals include Loren Culp, a former small-town police chief who refused to concede the governor's race in 2020. Culp has Trumps backing but has lagged other candidates in fundraising. Candidate linked to QAnon Ron Watkins, one of the most prominent figures in the QAnon conspiracy movement, is running for a House seat in Arizona's sprawling 2nd Congressional District. He served as the longtime administrator of online message boards that helped seed the conspiracy movement whose adherents believe a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. Watkins no longer runs the message boards and has denied fueling the QAnon movement. He said he is running for Congress because he hopes to fix the machine from the inside." He is considered a long shot in the crowded GOP field, having been outpaced in campaign fundraising by the other candidates. State Rep. Walter Blackman and Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL who owns a bottle opener business and was endorsed by Trump, are considered the leading GOP contenders. The winner will take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom OHalleran in November in a district that favors Republicans. From colleagues to competitors Two incumbent Michigan Democrats, Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens, are running against each other for a newly drawn 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit. Theyre vying for a left-leaning area, which means the winner of Tuesdays contest will likely win the seat in November. Stevens flipped a district in 2018 that was long held by Republicans. Before running for office, she led the auto bailout under President Barack Obama. Levin also won his first term in 2018, taking over the seat long held by his father, Rep. Sander Sandy Levin. Hes been endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Challenging the squad Two members of the Squad in Congress are facing primary challenges on Tuesday. In Michigan, Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces three Democratic challengers as she seeks a third term in office. Shes running in a newly drawn Detroit-area district where the winner is expected to easily carry the 12th Congressional District seat in November. Tlaibs main competition is longtime Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, who has strong name recognition in the city. In Missouri, first-term Rep. Cori Bush is facing a challenge in the states 1st Congressional District. State Sen. Steve Roberts is betting that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, is too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis. Roberts has twice faced rape allegations, though prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to merit charges. He has accused the Bush campaign of dredging up the allegations to distract from her record. Bush has touted her accomplishments, including persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten years after Tucson shooting, intern seeks Giffords' seat Daniel Hernandez Jr., the hero intern credited with saving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' life after an attempted assassination in 2011, is running for her former seat in Congress. Hernandez, who recently stepped down from the state Legislature to focus on his campaign, faces another former lawmaker in the Democratic primary. However, the once highly competitive district centered in Tucson now favors Republicans after the boundaries were redrawn. Hernandez was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords when he went to her Congress on your corner constituent event. A gunman there opened fire, killing six and injuring 13. Hernandez kept the Democratic congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived. The U.S. imposed new sanctions Tuesday targeting Russian elites, including oligarchs and a woman one-time Olympic rhythmic gymnast champion Alina Kabaeva often named in news reports as Russian President Vladimir Putin's lover and mother of four of his children. The Treasury Department froze the visa of Kabaeva, 39, and imposed other property restrictions on her. She is a former member of the Russian Duma, the country's legislative body, and is also head of a Russian national media company that has promoted Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin opponents and Putin critic Alexey Navalny have called for sanctions against Kabaeva, contending that her news outlet had taken the lead in portraying Western commentary on the invasion as a disinformation campaign. Britain sanctioned Kabaeva in May, and the European Union imposed travel and asset restrictions on her in June. Among the others sanctioned was Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, an oligarch who owns the Witanhurst estate, a 25-bedroom mansion considered to be the second-largest estate in London after Buckingham Palace. The U.S. also blocked movement of his $120 million yacht, the Alfa Nero, and sanctioned his son, Andrey Andreevich Guryev, and his son's Russian investment firm, Dzhi AI Invest OOO. "As innocent people suffer from Russia's illegal war of aggression, Putin's allies have enriched themselves and funded opulent lifestyles," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "Together with our allies, the United States will also continue to choke off revenue and equipment underpinning Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine." The State Department also imposed additional visa restrictions and other sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "As Ukrainians continue to valiantly defend their homeland in the face of President Putin's brutal war, Russia's elite are running massive revenue-generating companies and funding their own opulent lifestyles outside of Russia. Today, the United States is taking additional actions to ensure that the Kremlin and its enablers feel the compounding effects of our response to the Kremlin's unconscionable war of aggression." The public health response to the outbreak of monkeypox in the United States has so far failed to prevent significant community spread of the disease, leading to a call for a reassessment of the strategy for containing it. Since the first reported U.S. case of the outbreak on May 17, the number of infections has soared to more than 5,000, with the majority found among men who have sex with men. Although reporting of case numbers is scattered across different agencies, the U.S. appears to account for more than 25% of global cases identified during the current outbreak, which the World Health Organization has identified as a public health emergency of international concern. You have to act fast Infectious disease experts have been dismayed by what they saw as a lack of urgency on the part of U.S. public health agencies in the early weeks of the outbreak. What I expected to see would have been a more vigorous kind of a response based on lessons that we've learned from COVID-19, as well as lessons we've learned from the HIV response, Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, founder and director of ICAP at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, told VOA. When you have an outbreak, the most important thing is you have to act fast, you have to mobilize, and you have to rally all your assets to work together really quickly to be able to do what's needed, El-Sadr said. Facing criticism at the end of June, the White House announced what it called the "first phase" of a national monkeypox vaccine strategy designed to "help immediately address the spread of the virus by providing vaccines across the country to individuals at high risk." The administration said that it would "rapidly deploy vaccines in the most affected communities and mitigate the spread of the disease." Similar to smallpox The monkeypox virus comes from the same family as the deadly smallpox virus, but infections with the disease tend to be far less severe and are rarely fatal. The disease typically presents with a fever and body aches, followed by the eruption of skin lesions, which can occur all over the body but which are often found on the face and hands. Though the disease is rarely fatal, the skin lesions can cause severe pain lingering over several weeks. International scope According to data collected by the World Health Organization, diagnosed new cases of monkeypox have been concentrated in Europe and North America during the latest outbreak, with more than 14,000 reported in the WHOs European Region and nearly 6,800 in North America. By contrast, there are far fewer cases in other regions tracked by WHO. The agencys African Region has reported only 328 cases, and numbers are far lower in the Western Pacific Region (65), the Eastern Mediterranean Region (26) and the South-East Asia Region (6.) It should be noted that case numbers are affected by countries capacity to test and report active cases of monkeypox, meaning that in some developing countries, the numbers reported to the WHO may represent an undercount. More manageable than COVID Monkeypox is the sort of disease that the U.S. public health infrastructure ought to be able to combat effectively. First, because it spreads primarily through close skin-to-skin contact, it is far less contagious than the virus that causes COVID-19, which can be transmitted through the air. In addition, effective tests to diagnose the disease are available, as is a vaccine to prevent infection. There is also a highly effective treatment available for infected people. However, the public health response in the U.S. has so far failed to take full advantage of the opportunity to counter monkeypox. In a July 15 letter to senior public health officials, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Beccera and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, a group of physicians and activists complained, Multiple unnecessary regulatory barriers to treatments, diagnostics, and vaccines have prevented people in the United States from accessing medical countermeasures necessary to protecting their health, allowing the continued spread of monkeypox virus. Delays and confusion While tests exist that can reliably identify cases of monkeypox, in the early weeks of the outbreak only labs affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control were authorized to administer them, creating significant backlogs in testing. They have since been made available to several large commercial laboratory chains, but the initial delay may have contributed to the early spread of the disease. Even though there is an effective vaccine against monkeypox, U.S. officials failed to order new doses to add to the countrys limited stockpile until June, the month after the disease began spreading. In addition, U.S. regulators did not approve the use of a facility in Denmark, where the vaccine is manufactured, until the middle of July. While the medication tecovirimat is known to be highly effective against smallpox and has shown success against monkeypox as well, at the beginning of the outbreak, the CDC required doctors to go through an onerous application process for each patient, greatly slowing the distribution of the medication. Public health failure In a blistering op-ed published in the New York Times on Saturday, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote, Our countrys response to monkeypox has been plagued by the same shortcomings we had with Covid-19. Now if monkeypox gains a permanent foothold in the United States and becomes an endemic virus that joins our circulating repertoire of pathogens, it will be one of the worst public health failures in modern times not only because of the pain and peril of the disease but also because it was so avoidable. He continued, Our lapses extend beyond political decision making to the agencies tasked with protecting us from these threats. We dont have a federal infrastructure capable of dealing with these emergencies. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has challenged criticisms from Gottlieb in the past. Earlier in July, she said in a statement to CNN, It is true that we have work to do here and internationally and are likely to see more monkeypox cases in the near term, but it is possible to significantly decrease the number of cases and contain the current monkeypox outbreak through education and increased testing and access to vaccines all priorities we've made dramatic progress on." The CDC has launched an effort to support case identification and contact tracing nationwide, as well as support for testing and "case confirmation." In addition, the agency has expanded outreach to medical professionals to help them identify cases of monkeypox and has expanded its efforts to communicate information about the disease to the public, particularly to the populations most at risk. CDC researchers are also investigating the nature of the disease, including precisely how it is transmitted and what course the illness typically takes once a person is infected. At a global level, the CDC reports that it is sharing information with other countries to help coordinate a global response to the virus. This includes close cooperation with the government of Nigeria in an effort to sequence the DNA of the virus, in order to better understand its evolution. Window is closing El-Sadr, of Columbia University, told VOA that while she is concerned about the response to the disease this far, she believes there is still an opportunity to bring it under control. We have enough tools already, she said. If we could just mobilize and communicate and utilize those tools, I think we have a shot at stopping this outbreak. But the window of opportunity closes very fast when it comes to outbreaks and that's the reason why there's a profound need for urgency. Failure, she said, could leave the U.S. facing the prospect of monkeypox becoming endemic in the country, meaning that it would persist at a fixed level in the country even if no additional infected people arrive from other countries. Hours before U.S. President Joe Biden announced that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike in central Kabul on July 30, the Taliban accused Washington of violating the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban deal known as the Doha Agreement. "Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the USA, Afghanistan and the region," the Taliban said in a statement on August 1. U.S. officials, however, blame the Taliban for acting against their counterterrorism commitments made in the same agreement. "By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qaida in Kabul, the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries," the State Department said in a prepared statement. Senior U.S. officials have said that the fugitive al-Qaida leader was hosted in Kabul by the Haqqani Network, a powerful faction within the Taliban with deep ties to the Pakistani intelligence community. Since seizing power in Kabul last year, the Taliban have defied U.S. calls to form an inclusive Afghan government, allow women to work and get an education, and respect the rights of religious minorities. Washington has declined to recognize the Taliban government, has imposed strict financial sanctions on it, and has withheld from the Taliban over $7 billion of Afghanistan's financial reserves in New York. Neither Washington nor Kabul has used Saturday's drone strike in Kabul the first such incident since the U.S. withdrew all military forces from the country last August to indicate an end to the Doha Agreement, which has prevented direct U.S.-Taliban confrontation thus far. Problematic agreement "One of the many problems with the Doha Agreement was the lack of mechanisms for arbitration and enforcement. There is no referee, and no specific consequences for any violations. So there is nobody who can say whether the agreement is broken and the consequences would be unclear," Graeme Smith, a senior consultant with the International Crisis Group (ICG), told VOA. The Doha Agreement, which has no specified end date, commits the Taliban to prevent security threats from Afghanistan to the U.S. and its allies. It also requires the Taliban not to allow any terrorist groups or individuals, including al-Qaida, to use Afghan territory against U.S. interests. Experts also blame the agreement for its alleged lack of clarity in regard to specific individuals like al-Zawahiri. "I guess the Taliban understood from it [the agreement] that they were not allowed to host any operationally active international terrorist groups, which to them did not include someone like Ayman al-Zawahiri," Obaidullah Baheer, an Afghan analyst and a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, told VOA. Whether or not al-Zawahiri was actively threatening the security and interests of the U.S. and its allies from his home in Kabul, he was the most wanted terrorist by the U.S. government with a bounty of $25 million on his head. Counterterrorism ahead Afghanistan remains a country of serious concern for U.S. national security officials, who have said that terror groups such as Islamic State's Khorasan Branch continue to plot against U.S. interests in the region. On paper, the Taliban have pledged they will not harbor terrorists that will threaten U.S. security and interests, but the drone strike on al-Zawahiri's residence, less than two kilometers from the Taliban's intelligence headquarters in Kabul, shows U.S. officials will take preemptive and unilateral action rather than trusting the Taliban to neutralize terror threats. However, the U.S. will still need the Taliban to remain committed to counterterror objectives. "Even if this strike hit the intended target, air power often fails to address security problems in the long term. The U.S. and its allies will probably need to work with the de facto authorities to resolve security issues eventually, even if such engagement is hard to imagine in the aftermath of this incident," said Smith. A day after Washington confirmed a U.S. drone strike had killed al-Zawahiri, the Taliban offered no explanation as to how the world's most wanted terrorist was residing in the heart of Kabul. U.S. officials say gunmen of the Haqqani Network took members of al-Zawahiri's family to other locations after the strike, but it is unclear what the Taliban have done to al-Zawahiri's corpse. The Taliban have repeatedly refused to cooperate with the U.S. on counterterror issues, and it is unlikely the group will share anything left from al-Zawahiri that will help U.S. intelligence to target other al-Qaida remnants. The killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan will likely have little impact on the terror groups affiliates in war-torn Syria, analysts say. Al-Zawahiri was killed over the weekend in a U.S. missile strike in Kabul in Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden announced Monday. In Syria, where al-Qaida has endorsed several militant groups during the countrys decadelong conflict, several leaders have reacted publicly to the death of al-Zawahiri. Abu Abdullah al-Shami, a high-ranking leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, published a note in an online chat room on Telegram Tuesday, eulogizing al-Zawahiris death. HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, is a powerful Islamist group that controls most of Idlib province in northwest Syria. Designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the group was the main affiliate of al-Qaida in Syria until 2018 when it formally severed ties with the global terror group. Despite cutting such ties, the Syrian militant group has maintained its al-Qaida-inspired ideology, experts say. Thats why the death of someone like al-Zawahiri could be seen as a symbolic blow to the jihadist movement in Syria, Sadradeen Kinno, a Syrian researcher who studies Islamic militant groups in the country. Other militant groups based in Idlib such as Huras al-Din and the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida. Zawahiris death will not have any direct impact on the way these groups operate in Syria, Kinno told VOA. Their organizational structures are largely independent from that of central al-Qaida. Other analysts say that al-Zawahiri was a symbol of an older generation of al-Qaida that wasnt necessarily of significant relevance to todays extremist groups in Syria and elsewhere. Nicholas Heras, a Syria expert at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington, says the younger generation of al-Qaida-inspired leaders have a different approach than that of the older generation within the terror group, including al-Zawahiri. Their approach, Heras said, focuses on building local support for a society based on ideals approved by al-Qaida. In Syria, the younger generation has taken over and the focus for jihad there is to build a sustainable society based on Salafist principles, he told VOA, adding that, Zawahiri was already yesterday's news in Syria when he died. Syrias Idlib province is the last major stronghold controlled by forces opposed to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian forces and their Russian allies have been conducting operations in the region. The United States also has occasionally carried out strikes in Idlib, targeting al-Qaida-linked leaders, including one in June that killed Abu Hamzah al-Yemeni, a senior commander of Huras al-Din. In addition to these strikes, experts say rivalry among the various terror groups present in Idlib have forced some of them to keep a low profile. Some leaders of smaller al-Qaida-affiliated groups, including Huras al-Din, have been arrested by the more powerful HTS and many leading members are in hiding, so Huras al-Din is already marginalized, and I dont think Zawahiris death will change that, said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Syria researcher at Swansea University in Britain. It remains to be seen with al-Zawahiris successor will have any different impact on al-Qaidas affiliates in Syria and elsewhere around the world, he said. President Joe Biden said Monday that a U.S. missile strike over the weekend has killed the leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists. For the past decade, al-Zawahiri headed al-Qaida, the Islamist terror group that spawned franchises around the world after the stunning attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001. "Now, justice has been delivered," Biden said Monday night. "And this terrorist leader is no more." He added: "We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out." The U.S. invaded Afghanistan shortly after the September 11 attacks, and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was the prime target. U.S. forces killed him in Pakistan in 2011. Al-Zawahiri, born in Egypt to a wealthy family and trained as a surgeon, took over the terror group in 2011. Before that, he was said to be bin Laden's personal doctor. The confirmation of his death came more than an hour after the Taliban rulers in Kabul said a missile attack on Sunday against a residential compound in the Afghan capital was the work of an American drone. Senior White House officials told reporters Monday night that the operation targeted a house in Kabul with an unmanned aerial vehicle, with no U.S. personnel on the ground. Administration officials also said they concluded with "high confidence" that only al-Zawahiri was killed, and that they were aware that senior members of the Taliban's Haqqani network knew he was in Afghanistan. Officials said they did not alert the Taliban ahead of the strike. A senior administration official said al-Zawahiri "continued to provide strategic direction to al-Qaida affiliates worldwide, calling for attacks on the United States." The Taliban were quick to share their ire. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on whatever the pretext," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, using the official name for the Taliban government. He denounced the strike as a "blatant violation of international principles and the Doha agreement," referring to the 2020 talks that Taliban leaders held with the U.S. and Western leaders in Qatar over the withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops the subsequent year. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15 as the U.S.-led foreign troops withdrew and the Western-backed government in Kabul as well as its security forces collapsed in the face of the stunning nationwide Taliban assault. U.S. officials have been in contact with Pakistani leaders to seek an "over-the-horizon" facility to conduct counterterrorism operations in landlocked Afghanistan after American troops left the country and the Taliban took over. The U.S.-led military coalition invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and dislodged the then-Taliban government in Kabul to punish it for harboring the al-Qaida terror network. Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri escaped the international military action. The U.S.-Taliban agreement also required the Islamist group not to allow any terrorist organization, including al-Qaida, to pose a threat to the security of the United States and other countries from Afghan soil. But recent United Nations assessments suggested that al-Qaida, boosted by leadership stability and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, appeared to be positioning itself to once again be seen as the world's preeminent terror group and as the greatest long-term threat to the West. Intelligence shared by United Nations member states and published in a new report earlier this month found al-Qaida was enjoying a degree of freedom under Taliban rule, allowing its leadership to communicate more often and more easily with affiliates and followers. The report further concluded that al-Zawahiri, long rumored to be in ill health or dying, was "alive and communicating freely." The U.N. report similarly cautions that while al-Qaida may be better positioned, it is likely to refrain from launching external attacks in order to not embarrass Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and because the al-Qaida core still lacks "an external operational capability." Analyst Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said it is important for the U.S. to cut out terror groups at their roots. "The goal is to keep pressure on terrorists over there so they dont have the ability to kill us here," he said. "Every policy decision in Washington should be judged, at least in part, by that metric." U.S. Senator Ted Cruz praised the operation. "This is an important accomplishment," the Texas senator said in a statement. "All Americans will breathe easier today knowing Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, has been eliminated. This strike should be a message to terrorists near and far: if you conspire to kill Americans, we will find and kill you." Biden said the killing could lead to a new era. "Now we have eliminated the emir of al-Qaida," he said. "He will never again never again allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he's gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens. You know, it can't be a launching pad against the United States. We're going to see to it that won't happen." Meanwhile in recent years, al-Qaida has continued to expand, launching violent affiliate groups in the Middle East, West and East Africa, and South Asia. Jeff Seldin, VOA's national security correspondent, contributed to this report. AKARTA/LONDON Zambia's creditors pledged to negotiate a restructuring of the country's debts on Saturday, a move International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed as "clearing the way" for a $1.4 billion IMF program. The creditor committee, co-chaired by China and France, said in a statement released by G-20 chair Indonesia that it supported Zambia's "envisaged IMF upper credit tranche program and its swift adoption by the IMF Executive Board." In 2020, Zambia became the first African country in the pandemic era to default. The restructuring of its external debt, which amounted to more than $17 billion at the end of 2021, is seen by many analysts as a test case. "Very pleased the Official Creditor Committee for Zambia has provided its financial assurances clearing the way for a Fund program," IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said in a tweet. "The delivery of these financing assurances will enable the IMF Executive Board to consider approval of a Fund-supported program for Zambia and unlock much needed financing from Zambia's development partners," Georgieva said in a statement released by the IMF after her tweet. Zambia reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on a $1.4 billion, three-year extended credit facility in December, conditional upon its ability to reduce debt to levels the IMF deems sustainable. Zambia's government welcomed the creditors' pledge and its unlocking of IMF support. "Zambia remains committed to implementing the much needed economic reforms, being transparent about our debt and ensuring fair and equitable treatment of our creditors," Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said. On Friday, the finance ministry said it was canceling $2 billion in undisbursed loans. Zambia's creditor committee said that the restructuring terms would be finalized in a memorandum of understanding, without providing further details. It also called on private creditors to "commit without delay" to negotiating debt relief on terms at least as favorable. Kevin Daly, who chairs a committee of holders of Zambia's Eurobonds, welcomed the bilateral creditors' statement, but repeated a call to be given access to the IMF's Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA), which forms the basis of negotiations. "That's where you could have delays with the restructuring, if all of a sudden we get the DSA and ... (it) is just way too conservative, in terms of the forecasts," Daly, of emerging markets investor abrdn, formerly Standard Life Aberdeen, told Reuters by telephone. The first bilateral creditor meeting was held in June, after Zambia's government complained of delays to the restructuring. Talks are taking place under the Common Framework, a debt relief process launched by the Group of 20 major economies in 2020 that has been criticized by some for being slow to yield results. "This shows the potential of the #G20CommonFramework for debt treatment to deliver for countries committed to dealing with their debt problems," Georgieva said in the tweet. Grain shipments from Ukraines port of Odesa resumed Monday, the first since Russia invaded its neighbor in late February. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni was the first to leave port, carrying more than 26,000 tons of corn bound for Lebanon. In a statement, Turkeys defense ministry said other unspecified ships would also depart Ukraine on Monday. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Razoni was loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn, and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraines ports to feed their families. He added, What weve witnessed today in Odesa is an important starting point. It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets. Guterres said that ensuring that grain, fertilizers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work, in order to survive. As part of the renewed shipments, Guterres said the U.N.s World Food Program plans to soon buy 30,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat and ship it out of the country on a U.N.-chartered vessel. Turkey and the U.N. brokered an agreement with Russia and Ukraine in late July to get grain exports going again amid a global food crisis that the United Nations says has been worsened by Russias invasion of Ukraine. The deal calls for safe passage of cargo ships traveling from ports in southern Ukraine through waters in the Black Sea that Russia has controlled since its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Monday evening that the shipment is the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the development of a world food crisis. However, he cautioned that Russia must be monitored to ensure its compliance with the deal. We cannot be under the illusion that Russia will simply refrain from trying to disrupt Ukrainian exports, he said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday the departure of the first ship is very positive and would help test the mechanisms that were agreed to during the talks in Istanbul. Under the agreement, ships going in and out of Ukrainian ports will be inspected to make sure they not carrying weapons or other non-food items. Also Monday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Kyiv had received more precision rocket systems from the United States. Ukraine has credited the U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems with helping to slow Russias advance in the countrys east. British say Russians make 'slow progress' Britain's defense ministry assessed Monday that Russian forces had made only slow progress during the previous four days as they mounted tactical assaults in the area northeast of Donetsk. The British ministry said Russia is also likely shifting "a significant number of its forces" from the northern part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine to southern Ukraine. For several months, Russia has focused its efforts on the Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, after facing resistance on its approach to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. A reallocation of resources to the east helped Russia claim control of Luhansk in early July. Russias Black Sea fleet headquarters struck In southern Ukraine, a small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone hit the headquarters of Russias Black Sea fleet on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, wounding six people, local authorities said, while Ukraine said a Russian missile attack killed one of its richest people, a grain merchant. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone attack in the port city of Sevastopol, which forced cancellation of ceremonies for Russias Navy Day holiday. But the seemingly improvised, small-scale nature of the attack raised the possibility it was the work of Ukrainian insurgents in the territory seized by Russia in 2014. The drone appeared to be homemade and the explosive device low-powered, the Black Sea Fleets press service said. Sevastopol is about 170 kilometers from the Ukrainian mainland, but it is unclear where the drone began its flight. 'Not an accident' Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of the major port city of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, said a Russian attack killed one of Ukraine's wealthiest men, Oleksiy Vadatursky, and his wife, Raisa. Vadatursky headed a grain production and export business. An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Vadatursky was specifically targeted. It "was not an accident, but a well-thought-out and organized premeditated murder, Podolyak said. Vadatursky was one of the largest farmers in the country, a key person in the region and a major employer. That the exact hit of a rocket was not just in a house, but in a specific wing, the bedroom, leaves no doubt about aiming and adjusting the strike." Vadatursky's agribusiness, Nibulon, includes a fleet of ships for sending grain abroad. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Russia announced sanctions Monday against dozens of British politicians, officials and public figures, accusing them of supporting the demonization of the country. Russia's Foreign Ministry said 39 Britons would be banned from entering the country, joining more than 200 other British nationals that Moscow has already banned. The latest additions include opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, former Prime Minister David Cameron and TV presenter Piers Morgan. The British government has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russias invasion of the country at the end of February. Most of Britain's leading politicians have already been banned from traveling to Russia. Russia's Foreign Ministry said Monday the newly sanctioned Britons "contribute to the hostile course of London aimed at the demonization of our country and its international isolation." In a separate move Monday, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office designated a British nonprofit group, Calvert 22, as an "undesirable" organization. The group was founded in 2009 by Russia-born economist Nonna Materkova. It supports art and culture projects about Russia and eastern Europe. Some information in this report comes from Reuters and Agence France-Presse. User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute: Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it. Flag as inappropriate. Mark as helpful or interesting. Send your own user report! Translate Borongan city Philippines (35.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : I felt nervous it was like its my end here on earth.The only one I think in those moment is God is the only one woh can stop it so I prayed that hoping the earthquake would end and hope no one in our house would be harmed. Thanks be to God that the earthq Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines (50.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : The shake woke me up from slumber like a child purposely shoke your bed to annoy you. I sleep in the attic so I might have felt the sway in exageration. Salcedo, Eastern Samar (22.1 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Waked me up and i'm not a light sleeper. Shaking started weak but got stronger on it 5th to 10th second. Palo, Leyte / not felt : I was lying in bed then suddenly the ground shakes then my phone vibrates from the Earthquake Alert System Brgy 91, Abucay, Tacloban City (55.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : On the second floor it felt like the house swinging once west and then once east, then it stopped. Palo leyte (50.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump : I was sleeping in the floor Tacloban City (50.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Tacloban Leyte the Philippines (49.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s Tacloban City (50.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : The shaking was scary because it was lightly strong Tanauan Leyte (55 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s 2nd floor moved enough to awaken everyone in 2 bedrooms. 6 people. Tanauan Leyte PH (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s Borongan city Philippines (37.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : It wakes me up Tacloban City (49.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Borongan City (43.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : We're all sleeping until the earthquake make us awake Tolosa Leyte (53.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Borongan (38.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : It was a bit strong Tacloban City, Leyte, Eastern Visayas (50 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s philippines (52.2 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : I was in my bed watching movie on my mobile phone when i feel my bed suddenly shake. Baybay, Leyte, Eastern Visayas (98.3 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : I was about to sleep then i felt the shake while seeing my water move. Borongan City, Eastern Samar, Eastern Visayas (35.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s San Antonio, Samar, Eastern Visayas (49.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s Manlurip tacloban (51.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Abuyog, Leyte (82 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : I noticed that everything shake in a weak but noticeable motion Carigara, Leyte (82.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Tacloban city (53.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s Tacloban City (50 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s DAGAMI (60.9 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Sleeping in my bed ,when I felt the mild shake (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Palo, Leyte (52.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s woke up from a nap while sitting down (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s tacloban city (53.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Guiuan (41.5 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Borongan City (37.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guiuan (41.4 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Hong Kong: Pelosis Taiwan visit condemned Chief Executive John Lee has expressed his firm opposition to the visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a statement issued in the early hours today, Mr Lee strongly condemns Pelosis visit which wantonly tramples on the one-China principle, seriously undermines Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, greatly threatens the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and gravely violates basic norms governing international relations. Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has unwavering determination in and a clear stance against any advocacy of Taiwan independence, and fully supports the central governments resolute determination in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chief Executive said Pelosis visit is tantamount to encouraging Taiwan independence and openly challenges the one-China principle, undermining the stability in the Taiwan Strait. Such a move, betting on and in contempt for the well-being of more than 20 million people in Taiwan, is extremely selfish. He stressed that the Hong Kong SAR Government firmly opposes any external forces interfering in Chinas internal affairs, and will fully support and facilitate all necessary measures by the Central Government to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a separate statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government firmly opposes and strongly condemns Pelosis Taiwan visit. The Hong Kong SAR Government said Pelosis visit to Taiwan constitutes gross interference in Chinas internal affairs, wantonly tramples on the one-China principle, severely undermines China-US relations, and will lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences. The central government has already stated that it will respond resolutely and take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Hong Kong SAR Government said it fully supports the central government in opposing the interference by external forces in Chinas internal affairs, and will facilitate the implementation of countermeasures to be taken by the country against the US, thereby safeguarding the nations sovereignty, security and development interests and upholding national dignity. Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and the Security Bureau also issued statements opposing and condemning Pelosis Taiwan visit. This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Placeholder while article actions load Like Osama bin Laden, his predecessor as leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri had the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands. His death, announced by the White House on Monday, should be welcomed not just in the United States but everywhere his terrorist organization has wrought havoc over the past decades. Zawahiris killing was a feat of patient, effective intelligence work. US spies tracked him through his family to Kabul earlier this year, then spent months confirming his presence and observing how he spent his days. That information allowed an American drone to target him while he was standing alone on his balcony; the two Hellfire missiles that took him out killed no one else, according to US officials. In announcing the strike, President Joe Biden was right to pay tribute to the intelligence professionals who spent decades tracking down the Egyptian terrorist leader and who devised the plan to eliminate him. There was no doubt he had it coming. In addition to helping plot the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks which he called a victory in 2002 Zawahiri had a hand in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200 people; the 2000 attack against the USS Cole, which took the lives of 17 U.S. sailors; the 2005 London transit bombings, which killed 52 civilians; and numerous other atrocities. Few terrorists of his generation were responsible for more bloodshed. Advertisement While assessments of al-Qaedas remaining strength vary, Zawahiri had been its best-known remaining leader and a rallying point for its affiliates in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Though lacking in bin Ladens charisma, he had managed to keep those offshoots within the fold despite efforts by Islamic State to win them over. Zawahiri himself was continuing to encourage attacks against the US; the affiliates he cultivated remain a threat to carry them out. The strike suggests two further lessons. First, its difficult but not impossible for the US to gather intelligence, conduct surveillance and eliminate terrorist threats in Afghanistan despite having ceded the country to the Taliban a year ago. Biden pledged at the time to use such over-the-horizon operations to keep Americans safe. His administration should redouble efforts to improve its capabilities by working out overflight and basing agreements with Afghanistans neighbors, while expanding intelligence cooperation with Pakistan, India and others worried about extremist groups being sheltered by the Taliban. Advertisement Second, the Taliban clearly cant be trusted to uphold its promises to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base. Zawahiri was apparently living under the protection of the Haqqani branch of the Taliban; US officials say Haqqani operatives spirited away Zawahiris family after the strike to eliminate evidence of his presence. At the very least, those open links violate the spirit of the Doha Agreement, which paved the way for the US withdrawal. The Taliban have been pursuing aid and international recognition ever since; they should receive neither as long as they continue to coddle terrorists. For now, its enough to say that justice has been served and that the world is a safer place with Ayman al-Zawahiri in his grave. More from Bloomberg Opinion: Congress Should Help Afghan Allies Become Americans: Editorial Will Afghanistans Media Survive Under the Taliban?: Bobby Ghosh Bidens $7 Billion Betrayal of Afghanistan: Ruth Pollard The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Sign up for our Middle East newsletter and follow us @middleeast for news on the region. Kuwaits sovereign wealth fund, the worlds oldest and one of the largest, has played a key role in preparing OPECs fourth-largest producer for a post-oil future and helping prop up the economy as it was battered by the pandemic. The $769 billion Kuwait Investment Authority is also a leading global investor, with holdings in BlackRock Inc. and Mercedes-Benz Group AG. In a rare move, it ousted the head of its London arm in July, sending shock waves through the normally sedate and secretive world of Gulf sovereign funds. 1. Why was the fund set up? The Kuwait Investment Board was established in London in 1953, eight years before the nation gained independence, to invest surplus oil revenue and help diversify the economy. The board was later replaced by the Kuwait Investment Office, and in 1982 the KIA was set up as its parent entity. The KIA controls Kuwaits General Reserve Fund, which is the main repository of oil revenues and pays out budget expenditures. In addition, it manages the Future Generations Fund, which is meant to safeguard the nations wealth for a time after its oil runs out and whose assets have grown to more than $700 billion. The KIA is overseen by a board that includes the finance and oil ministers. Advertisement 2. What does it invest in? The KIA is the second-biggest sovereign wealth fund in the Gulf region, with a significant proportion of its investments in the US. During the 2008 crisis, it bought into banks including Citigroup Inc. KIO, its London arm, has been a prolific investor in the past year and participated in the US listing of private equity firm TPG Inc. Unlike parent KIA, the KIO mainly invests directly, predominantly in public equities and fixed income. The KIA owns stakes in ports, airports and power distribution systems globally, as well as in regional firms including Mobile Telecommunications Co., National Hotels, and Kuwait Telecommunications Co. KIA Managing Director Ghanem Al-Ghenaiman has said the fund is on the lookout for opportunities in real estate, energy and IT. 3. Why are sovereign funds such important global investors? Advertisement Gulf countries have plowed billions of dollars into investments around the world to diversify their economies and sovereign wealth funds have played a key role. The regions seven biggest funds have assets worth more than $3 trillion, including stakes in some of the worlds biggest companies. Theyve been particularly active this year amid broader market volatility, and have been part of at least $28.6 billion worth of acquisitions outside the Middle East and Africa -- the most for any corresponding period on record. At home, Kuwaits fund plays an even more important role -- the government has been forced to rely on its General Reserve Fund for financing as its been unable to tap global markets since its debut Eurobond in 2017. 4. What happened at the KIA? The fund ousted the head of its London arm, Saleh Al-Ateeqi, and asked him to leave without serving the standard three-month notice period. A former McKinsey & Co. partner, Al-Ateeqi was hired in 2018 to modernize the KIO. He increased its assets, hired executives including a chief investment officer, but is also said to have clashed with some long-tenured employees. Hussain Al-Halabi, has since been appointed to head the UK branch. He previously worked at the St Martins Property Group, the KIAs London-based real estate investment firm. The KIO manages a third of the KIAs total assets, according to people with knowledge of its finances. Advertisement 5. How may the KIO strategy change under its new chief? Under Al-Halabis leadership, the fund is likely to return to its conservative roots and ditch many of the performance-related practices brought in by Al-Ateeqi, according to two people with knowledge of the fund, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they arent authorized to comment. The saga could end up in court, with Al-Ateeqi having filed a complaint with Kuwaits general prosecutor against the countrys finance minister, who oversees the KIA. Al-Ateeqi claims authorities refused to dismiss an employee he suspected of spying on the wealth fund. The employee denied the allegations and accused Al-Ateeqi of mismanagement. Separately, three former KIO employees have filed a case against the fund in London claiming unfair dismissal, age discrimination and whistle-blowing. (An earlier version of the story was corrected to show the Kuwaiti fund is one of the worlds largest) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load As quickly as it blew up, the food crisis of 2022 appears to be receding. Red spring wheat rose to nearly $13 a bushel in March, prompting the worlds biggest wheat importer, Egypt, to devalue its currency. Its now trading around $8, a fall of more than a third. Indonesia halted exports of palm oil in April in the face of a similar price spike. Prices are now down more than 40% from the peak. Corn prices fell by nearly a quarter since the start of May. Sugar and arabica coffee beans have hit respective one-year and nine-month lows in the past few weeks. Its tempting to see this as a sign that the crisis that has pushed the worlds population of hungry people to its highest level since the mid-2000s is finally ending. Sadly, thats unlikely to be the case. Thats because, for all the attention they direct toward the problems of food insecurity, the pricing of agricultural commodities contracts on major exchanges is only one of many factors contributing to hunger in the world and in many cases, its not even the most important. Advertisement Few of the worlds hungry, for instance, are paying for their food in U.S. dollars. That means that currency fluctuations can be every bit as important as shifts in commodity price benchmarks in determining the price paid on the ground. The rise in commodity prices since the end of 2021 has pushed the price of U.S. dollar wheat up about 23% but the devaluation in the Egyptian pound has been even more damaging, adding another 25% to local currency prices. In Turkey, the third-biggest wheat buyer, the collapsing lira has added about 171% to costs. In Pakistan, the rupees slump has made it 53% more expensive. Those currency effects can be long lasting. Import-dependent emerging economies often subsidize food sourced from abroad, putting strain on the government budget whenever commodity prices rise. Most countries public finances are already under unprecedented strain now thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, so theres little room for further deterioration. Should shrinking government budgets and foreign exchange reserves cause a currency crisis a year or two down the line, even falling dollar food prices wont be enough to stop the local cost of imported produce climbing further. Advertisement Thats not the only way that Covid is causing long-standing aftereffects for the food sector. The number of people employed globally dropped in 2020 for the first time in at least a generation, as more than 100 million were laid off or stayed home to cope with the effects of the pandemic. A similar number, 97 million, have been driven below the global poverty line of $1.90 a day. Incomes for the bottom 40% of the worlds population were down 6.7% last year from levels expected before the pandemic, compared to a 2.8% drop for the wealthiest 40%. The result has been a smaller pool of income available to pay for nutrition, compounding the problems of a strained public sector. As Nobel-winning economist Amartya Sen showed in his landmark 1981 study on famine, most episodes of severe hunger are caused not by an absolute shortage of food, but by the price of food rising beyond the capacity of the poorest members of society to pay for it. Those problems are compounded by conflict, still the most important cause of hunger worldwide. War and unrest can choke off supply chains, crash currencies, destroy jobs and raise prices all at once. The war in Ukraine is only the latest instance of such breakdowns. The number of people displaced by strife, a decent proxy for the global human toll of unrest, in late 2021 hit its highest level since records began, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees up 8% from a year earlier, and double its level a decade ago. Advertisement Finally, theres the impact of climate and weather disasters to consider. For people in low-income countries most at risk of starvation, the prices of global commodities are often almost irrelevant, because they lack the cash or the supply connections to buy from international markets. Indeed, in parts of the world dependent on exports of cash crops such as palm oil, cocoa, or coffee, falling food prices are as likely to cause problems as rising ones by choking off incomes for farmers. That makes floods like those that swept through Pakistan last week, or drought like the one thats ravaged eastern Africa in recent years, as much of a threat as geopolitics. Falling food prices, should they be sustained, may at least provide some relief for the worlds 768 million undernourished people. They wont be enough to turn the tide on four years of rising food insecurity. To do that, the world needs to address deeper-seated problems, from the long-run impact of Covid, to the persistent effects of inequality, war and conflict. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Advertisement Putin Shows Food Is Becoming the Ultimate Weapon: Hal Brands Worlds Food Baskets Need a Better Safety Net: David Fickling A Global Famine Is a Still-Avoidable Disaster: Leonid Bershidsky This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. Previously, he worked for Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load In the US Senate, a 60-vote supermajority is needed to pass most legislation. An important exception to that rule is the fast-track process known as budget reconciliation, which Democrats hope to deploy to pass a tax, health and climate bill viewed as crucial to their chances in Novembers midterm elections. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight 1. Why is 60 votes normally needed? The Senate, envisioned by the founders to be a highly deliberative body, was created with no mechanism to end debate on a given topic. Senators quickly realized that long speeches could delay action on legislation they didnt like. In the 1850s, the practice of talking a bill to death got a name -- filibuster, from the Dutch word for pirate. In 1917, senators adopted a rule establishing that debate could be ended upon a so-called cloture vote supported by a two-thirds supermajority. That bar was lowered in 1975 to a three-fifths supermajority, meaning it takes 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate to end debate. Advertisement 2. What is budget reconciliation? Its a procedure created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that allows for expedited consideration of legislation related to spending, taxing and the federal debt limit. First, the House and Senate must agree to a budget resolution, which contains instructions to specific committees in each chamber and usually includes a deficit impact. Then, bills advanced in the name of reconciling tax and spending practices with that budget resolution need only a simple majority vote to win approval in the 100-seat Senate. There are limits on what qualifies for reconciliation and on how many bills can be deemed as reconciliation each year. 3. Is it unusual? Congress has passed more than 20 budget reconciliation bills since 1980, including deficit-reduction packages during the 1980s and 1990s, welfare reform in 1996, parts of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and President Donald Trumps 2017 tax-cut law. Advertisement 4. Why are Democrats using it? With only 50 of the 100 Senate seats (counting two independents who vote with them), Democrats hold the majority only because the vice president -- Democrat Kamala Harris -- breaks ties. Finding 10 Republicans to support any Democratic initiative is a tall task. 5. What can and cant be in a budget reconciliation bill? The Byrd rule -- named for Robert Byrd, a Democratic senator who represented West Virginia for 51 years -- requires that all provisions in a reconciliation bill have an impact on federal revenue, spending and deficits, and that no extraneous provisions are included. The rule has been a nuisance to both parties in recent history. For instance, Republicans had to ditch their preferred (and PR-friendly) title for their 2017 tax-cut law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, because jobs arent directly related to revenue, spending or deficits -- though that name has stuck unofficially. Advertisement 6. What can Republicans do to prevent Democrats from using reconciliation? Any senator can challenge any part of a reconciliation as extraneous by raising a point of order or offering an amendment to strike the provision. The Senate parliamentarian rules on whether the objection is valid; if so, the offending provision is typically deleted from the bill. While the Senate has traditionally deferred to the rulings of the parliamentarian on interpreting arcane rules, the actual ruling is made by the chair -- which, when Democrats need her in the chamber, will be Harris, the vice president. It would take 51 senators to overturn a ruling of the chair, and Republicans only have 50 votes. Budgets are also subject to what is known as a vote-a-rama, when senators can offer theoretically unlimited amendments to try and force Democrats to take tough votes. At some point, however, Harris could shut down those efforts. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article This account, in previously unreported detail, shines new light on the road to war and the military campaign in Ukraine, drawn from in-depth interviews with dozens of senior U.S., Ukrainian, European and NATO officials. MORE COVERAGE Placeholder while article actions load Merck & Co. has said nothing publicly about rumors that it is in talks to buy Seagen, a biotech company working on cancer treatments, for about $40 billion. But Seagen has laid out a strong case for the idea. The 25-year old biotechs cancer-drug technology is finally coming to fruition. Seagen is working at the center of a renaissance in so-called antibody-drug conjugates a class of medicines created by tacking powerful chemotherapy agents onto antibodies that can carry them directly to tumor cells. The idea is that, by releasing the chemo precisely where its needed, the drugs might not cause nasty side effects, even if rather toxic chemo is used. Its a simple concept that has taken decades to perfect. Of the 12 antibody-drug conjugates to receive Food and Drug Administration approval by the end of 2021, nine have gotten the green light just since 2017. Advertisement Biotech companies have finally come to understand the formula for putting the complex molecules together, by choosing the ideal antibodies and chemo agents and figuring out the best ways to connect them. The new drugs are clearly making a difference in treating cancer. At a recent oncology meeting, data from a clinical trial of an antibody-drug conjugate called Enhertu, developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, was deemed practice-changing for certain patients with metastatic breast cancer. These data reinforced a sense among oncologists that, for certain types of cancer, antibody-drug conjugates could start to replace conventional chemo. The results also suggest that this class of drugs could be used much more broadly than thought a notion that Seagen is exploring with its own portfolio of drugs. This was part of a strong case that company executives laid out in their second-quarter earnings call for expanding the use of Seagens four approved drugs. They also noted how these drugs complement Keytruda, Mercks own immuno-oncology treatment. Advertisement Seagen last week showed that combining its drug Padcev with Keytruda shrank tumors in about 65% of people with a certain kind of bladder cancer. Such positive, if early, data is viewed as critical to sealing a deal between the companies. Theres another reason that buying Seagen would be a smart move for Merck: Those better-built antibody-drug conjugates could be very hard to duplicate. Manufacturing such complex treatments is tricky, and that might stave off generic competition an appealing proposition for any suitor looking for lasting revenue streams. For Merck, the appeal could be especially great, because starting in 2028 the company could face competition from the first generic versions of Keytruda, a drug that has become increasingly critical to its financial fate. In the second quarter of 2022, it brought in $5.3 billion, or about 36% of the companys total revenues of $14.5 billion for the period. Although Merck is developing a subcutaneous version of the currently intravenously administered drug, a delivery format the company believes will get patent protection, alternate revenue streams still will be essential to maintaining its business. Advertisement Merck is reportedly delaying its decision on buying Seagen until it learns the resolution of its patent litigation with Daiichi over a component of its antibody-drug conjugate technology. Money certainly hangs in the balance, but the long-term potential of Seagens portfolio makes this a deal worth getting done. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Why the WHO Wants Us to Wake Up About Monkeypox: Therese Raphael Crispr for the Masses Gets a Bit Closer to Reality: Lisa Jarvis A Reckoning Is Coming for Cash-Strapped Biotechs: Chris Hughes This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Most people who suffer from Covid-19 fully recover. Millions of others find complete healing to be frustratingly elusive, in whats often referred to as long Covid. Symptoms range from pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal or neurological problems to cognitive issues such as so-called brain fog. No single explanation, diagnosis or treatment can be applied to them. Colloquially known as long-haulers, these patients reflect the pandemics lasting burden on society and the economy. 1. What is long Covid? Theres no universally accepted definition yet. According to the World Health Organization, people with what it calls post Covid-19 condition have symptoms usually three months after an initial bout of Covid that last for at least two months and cant be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Symptoms may persist from the acute phase of the illness or appear after -- even in a person who displayed no symptoms initially. They may also fluctuate. Other groups have proposed alternative definitions. The UKs National Health Service, for example, suggests referring to symptoms that last more than four weeks as ongoing symptomatic Covid, and post-Covid syndrome if they persist for longer than 12 weeks and cant be otherwise explained. Another definition may be needed for children. Advertisement 2. How often does it occur? Its too soon to say. The lack of a standard definition variables such as what group is being studied and when the data were collected can lead to widely different results. For example: A report in May from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found about 1 in 5 adults between 18 and 64 years old had a health problem that might be attributable to a previous Covid infection. A study in July that accounted for pre-infection symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Americans in the first year of the pandemic found that 23% experience at least one symptom that emerges around the time of infection and lasts for more than 12 weeks. Another large study published last year, using data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, estimated that about 7% of people had at least one symptom of long Covid six months after their infection. The incidence beyond the first 12 weeks of illness was 4.1% among those never hospitalized for Covid, 16% among those who were hospitalized and 23% among patients who were admitted to intensive care. The study also found differences in symptoms by age, race, sex and baseline health status. Advertisement Other studies have found the likelihood of long Covid is greater among women, the middle-aged and the obese. 3. What are the post-Covid symptoms? Tiredness and shortness of breath are commonly reported as well as brain fog difficulty with concentration or memory. Other prolonged symptoms include fever, cough, palpitations or pain in the chest, joints, muscles or abdomen. Neurological symptoms include headaches, disturbed sleep, tingling or numbness, or dizziness. Digestive issues can cover nausea, diarrhea or reduced appetite. Some people report a diminution of the sense of taste or smell, tinnitus, earaches or a sore throat. Depression or anxiety also can occur. 4. Do variants carry different long Covid risks? It appears so, though identifying them is complicated by other factors, such as prior Covid immunizations and infections. For example, the UKs Office for National Statistics found in May that the odds of reporting fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating and other persistent symptoms were 50% lower following infections likely caused by the omicron BA.1 variant than those likely caused by the delta strain. The difference was only found among adults who were double-vaccinated when infected. Among those whod had three shots, the difference wasnt statistically significant. Among triple-vaccinated adults, however, the odds of reporting long Covid were higher following infection with the omicron BA.2 variant than the BA.1 variant, the analysis found. Advertisement 5. What causes it? Some health problems are well understood, others arent. For instance, survivors can experience problems as a result of: the direct effect of the virus on organs and tissues the propensity of Covid to cause bleeding and clots that can restrict or block blood vessels including in the lung, which can cause a pulmonary embolism excessive inflammation by the immune system the bodys failure to properly repair injured lungs and other organs, leading to the formation of scar tissue a lack of oxygen in the blood that injures the brain, lungs and other organs an imbalance in the microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract life-saving treatment, including the use of mechanical ventilation, corticosteroids, sedatives and painkillers administered in intensive care. In a study published in January, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle found the risk of long Covid is increased by multiple early factors, including antibodies directed against their own tissues or organs known as autoantibodies, and a resurgence of the Epstein-Barr virus. Based on whats been observed with other viral diseases and research so far, other scientists speculate that different biological and genetic factors may be driving symptoms, none of which are mutually exclusive. These may include: Advertisement chronic, systemic inflammation immune dysregulation, such as when the bodys immune system overreacts or underreacts to a foreign invader interactions with the host microbiome, or microorganisms living in the body problems with the autonomic nervous system the persistence of viral particles or remnants in the body. 6. Is Covid-19 definitely to blame for these symptoms? Not necessarily. Some symptoms might occur by chance or be triggered by stress or environmental factors such as allergens, while some pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, might have gone undiagnosed until Covid prompted medical attention. Social restrictions, lockdowns, school and business closures, loss of livelihood, decreases in economic activity and shifting priorities of governments all have the potential to substantially affect mental health, according to a study that appeared Oct. 8 in the Lancet. It found the pandemic has resulted in an extra 53.2 million cases of major depressive disorder and an extra 76.2 million cases of anxiety disorders globally. Diagnostic uncertainties have sometimes led to what patients describe as medical gaslighting by health professionals who dont take their complaints seriously, especially if the patient is a woman. Advertisement 7. Do vaccines help prevent it? In a way, in that vaccination is the most effective tool to reduce the risk of getting infected by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid, in the first place and it mitigates the likelihood of becoming severely ill. A UK study found receiving a second dose of a coronavirus vaccine at least two weeks before an infection was associated with a 41% decrease in the odds of self-reported long Covid at least 12 weeks later. Data from Israel support the finding, though a larger study of some 13 million users of the US Veterans Health Administration system in May found vaccination is associated with only a 15.7% reduction in the risk of long Covid. 8. How serious is it? Most long Covid symptoms dont seem to be life-threatening, but things like shortness of breath or fatigue can be disabling. For some Covid survivors, the infection may damage vital organs and exacerbate other diseases, the effects of which may not become apparent for months, like a ticking time bomb. Some of the conditions that may manifest later include cardiac arrest, stroke, heart failure, pulmonary embolism, myocarditis and chronic kidney disease. Doctors have also noted an uptick in cases of diabetes linked to Covid. A study in February based on the veterans database in the US found the virus may significantly increase a persons risk of heart disease for at least a year after recovery -- even if the person wasnt hospitalized. Other studies from the US, UK and Germany showed that people who were hospitalized for Covid have an increased risk of being readmitted or dying 6 to 12 months later. Advertisement 9. Do people recover from long Covid? The health trajectories of Covid survivors vary widely -- from a complete resolution and a return to previous level of health in most people, to needing lung transplants in a small minority. A UK study of hospitalized patients published in January found that a year after discharge, fewer than 3 in 10 patients reported feeling fully recovered. Its possible the use of treatments for Covid, including monoclonal antibody therapies and antiviral medications, reduces the likelihood of long Covid, though this hasnt been demonstrated. There is emerging evidence that multidisciplinary rehabilitation services can improve a patients prospects of recovery. 10. What are the broader implications? The disability attributable to long Covid could account for as much as 30% of the pandemics health burden, researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated. An uptick in treatments for depression, anxiety and pain has stoked concern of a spike in suicides and opioid overdoses. Surveys of long Covid sufferers indicate the condition is leading to reduced work schedules and absenteeism, which has implications for labor productivity. With more than 560 million confirmed infections worldwide as of mid-2022, even a small share with long-term disability could have enormous social and economic consequences. The US Government Accountability Office said in a March 2 report that long Covid could affect the broader US economy through decreased labor participation and an increased need for use of Social Security disability insurance or other publicly subsidized insurance. Advertisement 11. Do other pathogens cause prolonged illness? Yes, scientists say its actually an expected phenomenon. For example, post-viral syndromes can occur after the common cold, influenza, HIV, infectious mononucleosis, measles, Ebola and hepatitis B. Diabetes and other long-term consequences were observed in survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which is caused by a related coronavirus. A Canadian study identified 21 health-care workers from Toronto who had post-viral symptoms for as long as three years after catching SARS in 2003 and were unable to return to their usual work. Some people who were hospitalized with SARS in Hong Kong had impaired lung function two years later, a study of 55 patients published in 2010 found. Still, its not known yet whether the lessons of SARS are applicable to Covid-19. Long Covid shares characteristics with many other long-term health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome and a blood-circulation disorder known as POTS. Studies into the drivers of long Covid could improve understanding of the causes of these conditions also. 12. What is being done? Advertisement In the US, the National Institutes of Health was allocated $1.15 billion in funding to support research into the long-term effects of Covid. The studies hopes to get at issues such as the underlying biological causes and how they might be treated and prevented. Some researchers are pressing governments to focus attention on potential long-term organ damage. For example, researchers have shown the virus can infect insulin-producing pancreatic tissue, potentially triggering diabetes that in some cases persists beyond the acute infection. Thats prompted Australias Monash University and Kings College London to create a global registry for studying new onset diabetes. Some long haulers have reported feeling better after receiving a Covid vaccination, prompting researchers to examine the phenomenon and whether vaccines can offer clues to treatment. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said vaccines, including for flu, have been known to help patients with chronic fatigue, but relief has almost always been temporary. (Adds chart) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Poliomyelitis (polio for short) has been a cause of life-threatening paralysis for thousands of years. At the height of the biggest-ever outbreak in 1952, almost 60,000 cases with more than 3,000 deaths were reported in the US alone. Thanks to immunizations and access to clean water, wards filled with children kept alive in iron lungs are a distant memory. For years, polio has teetered close to global eradication. Now a combination of old and new challenges -- including conflict, vaccine hesitancy and the Covid-19 pandemic -- are frustrating a decades-long effort to stop its international spread. The disclosure to the public of a case in an unvaccinated man from New York in July is a reminder that failure to vanquish polio from its last remaining strongholds could result in a resurgence of the crippling disease. 1. Whats polio? Its a highly infectious disease caused by one of three poliovirus types that replicate in the human gastrointestinal tract. Infectious viral particles are shed in fecal matter, which can infect other people if they are transferred to the mouth via unwashed hands or ingested in contaminated food and drinks. Virus particles can survive in soil and water for months; the duration is shortened by warm weather and sunlight, and formaldehyde and chlorine kill them. Once inside the body, the virus can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis in a matter of hours. In some cases, symptoms can take as many as 30 days to appear. Initial signs include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs. Most infections, though, are asymptomatic, with only 1-in-200 leading to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. Among those paralyzed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children younger than 5, though anyone who is unvaccinated can contract the incurable disease. In the long term, 25% to 40% of children who recover from paralytic polio get post-polio syndrome, a group of potentially disabling symptoms that appear some 15 to 40 years after a patients recovery. Advertisement 2. How many people does polio affect? Cases of paralytic polio have declined sharply since immunizations became widely available, and especially since 1988, when world health leaders began a campaign, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, that initially sought to put an end to the disease within 12 years. Back then, polio was paralyzing more than 1,000 children daily across 125 countries. Although only six cases caused by wild poliovirus were reported in 2021, 10 times more were inadvertently caused by a variant of the virus used in the oral polio vaccine. 3. How does the vaccine cause polio cases? The oral polio vaccine developed by Albert Sabin in the 1950s uses a live, attenuated form of the poliovirus. Among its advantages: Children who receive the inexpensive immunization excrete the virus in their stools for as long as six weeks, passively vaccinating those around them. A disadvantage is that if the weakened virus is transmitted from person to person over a prolonged period in an under-vaccinated community, it can undergo genetic changes that turn it back into the paralysis-causing form. A second polio vaccine, originally developed by Jonas Salk, contains inactivated or dead poliovirus that cant cause paralysis. More than 120 countries, including the US, routinely deliver this inactivated vaccine as a shot, usually administered to kids four times from age 2 months to 6 years. The New York patient, a resident of Rockland County, which borders New Jersey, contracted a poliovirus variant derived from the oral vaccine thats been genetically linked to strains collected from wastewater from Rockland County, London and the greater Jerusalem area. Advertisement 4. What else is known about the New York case? The patient, age 20, was hospitalized in June and had recently traveled to Poland and Hungary, according to the Washington Post. New York authorities are investigating the source of the infection and testing wastewater to assess the viruss spread. Since the oral polio vaccine is no longer authorized or administered in the US (where only the inactivated polio vaccine has been given since 2000), its likely the virus originated somewhere where the oral vaccine is still used, according to the New York Health Department. Rockland County has a polio vaccination rate of 60.5% among 2-year-olds, compared with the New York average of 79.1%. Low rates of routine pediatric vaccination within communities in the New York metropolitan area were linked to a 2018-2019 measles outbreak, the largest in the US since 1992. The nations last naturally occurring cases of polio were reported in 1979. The last known case in the US derived from the oral vaccine was recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013. 5. Why is polio rebounding? Advertisement In 2020, Covid-19 prompted a four-month pause of the Global Polio Eradication Initiatives campaigns and disrupted routine immunizations, resulting in more than 80 million children at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. Vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks tripled from 2019 to 2020, when more than 1,100 children were paralyzed globally. Cases declined in 2021 as immunizations resumed. However, the pandemic continues to stretch health systems, risking further spread. In late 2021, wild poliovirus from Pakistan -- which along with Afghanistan hasnt been able to stop transmission of the virus -- sparked an outbreak in Malawi. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the change in political regime there, and the war in Ukraine, where weak immunization has repeatedly given rise to outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus, threaten to prolong the global polio scourge. The 32nd meeting of an emergency committee convened by the World Health Organization concluded in June that the risk of international spread remains a public health emergency -- a declaration first made in 2014. 6. Whos at risk of polio? Anyone whos not received the recommended doses of polio vaccine, including babies. Almost all children (99 out of 100) who complete an immunization course will be protected from polio. In respect to the Rockland County case, unvaccinated New Yorkers who live, work, go to school in, or visit the county are at the highest risk of exposure, according to the states health department. Although vaccination isnt necessary for most adults who were immunized against polio as children and have a low risk of exposure, the CDC recommends a one-time booster shot for certain groups: Advertisement Travelers to areas or countries where polio is epidemic or endemic Health-care workers who have close contact with patients who may have traveled to areas or countries where the risk of polio is greater Unvaccinated adults whose children will be receiving oral poliovirus vaccine (for example, international adoptees or refugees) These higher-risk adults may need one to three doses of the inactivated polio vaccine, depending on how many doses they have had in the past. Unvaccinated adults at risk for poliovirus infection should get three doses: two doses separated by 1 to 2 months, and a third dose 6 to 12 months after the second dose. 7. Is a booster really necessary? Immunity provided either by the oral vaccine or exposure to poliovirus provides lifelong protection against paralytic disease, according to a World Health Organization position paper released in June. Its not known how long people who received four doses of inactivated polio vaccine will be immune, but the CDC says theyre most likely protected for many years and the WHO says possibly for life. Higher-risk adults who have had one or two doses of polio vaccine in the past should get the remaining doses, and higher-risk adults who have had three or more doses of polio vaccine in the past can get a lifetime booster dose, according to the CDC. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Being LGBTQ or an ally it seems, will cost you. Sydney Mardi Gras, already the envy of other global cities, will next year run consecutively with WorldPride, the largest LGBTQ event on earth, following Sydneys successful bid to be host city. Sydney will host WorldPride in 2023. Credit:Edwina Pickles Itll be the biggest international event Australia has hosted since the pandemic began, and one of the most significant that Sydney has hosted since the 2000 Olympic Games. But judging by online reaction to news of its first flagship events, the gays are already uproarious. One online commentator fearful of a repeat of 2020, when Mardi Gras sold 10,000 tickets off the back of big names such as Dua Lipa performing in a venue that accommodated half that capacity warned of Sydney becoming the laughing stock of the world. Shocking prices emerged, leading the first over-riding message about an event branded on its inclusivity to be the opposite: accusations include elitist, exclusive and extortionate. Loading Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has played down the threat to his policy plans if the Greens veto the bill in a repeat of their decision in December 2009 to side with the Coalition in the Senate and reject the emissions trading scheme put forward by Labor under then-prime minister Kevin Rudd. He could proceed with the major elements of the governments climate policy, such as investing $20 billion to upgrade the electricity grid, and aim for the 43 per cent target without a separate law to give it legal force. Bowen gave ground last week to help win Greens support for the climate bill by making it clear that legislating a 43 per cent target would not prevent later decisions to make deeper cuts. The targets set a floor on Australias emissions reduction ambition, not a ceiling, said the explanatory memorandum for the bill introduced into the lower house last week. There is nothing in this bill that would prevent these targets being surpassed or achieved early. The bill also requires the federal governments Climate Change Authority to advise on the targets and publish its findings. Finally, there will be periodic independent reviews of how this bill is operating, with the first such review to take place within five years, and thereafter every 10 years, the memorandum said. Bandt said last week the Australian people wanted the Greens and Labor to work together and the Greens were up for that in the talks on the climate bill. We will continue these negotiations in good faith to see if we can reach a position where we can pass legislation that allows us to start taking climate action because thats what people want, he said. Greens NSW senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised the Labor target ahead of the party room meeting to decide the Greens position. We know that 43 per cent, obviously, is not enough to deal with the crisis we are facing, Faruqi told the ABC on Tuesday afternoon. We have been able to get the Labor government to move and to rewrite parts of that bill. Loading Faruqi said the negotiations were ongoing and Labor had already agreed the target could be increased over time but flagged the Greens would also put amendments to phase out coal and gas, a call Labor has rejected. A key point of contention is the demand from the Greens for changes to environmental approvals to insert a climate trigger into federal law so authorities including the federal environment minister would have to consider the impact of a project on carbon emissions before deciding whether mines or major infrastructure should proceed. The government has not said no to a climate trigger, she said. It is really important that we enshrine this in law so that it forces corporations and big mine developers to be honest about the pollution they are causing, and it forces the minister to consider the assessment of climate emissions in terms of assessing developments. Loading I mean, it does not make sense to not do that in such a climate-constrained world. Dutton gained support in the Coalition party room on Tuesday to vote against the government bill and launch a process to decide on a new climate policy to update the 2030 target of a 26 to 28 per cent emissions cut, set when Tony Abbott was prime minister. Liberals including Bridget Archer, Andrew Bragg and Warren Entsch have signalled support for deeper cuts but did not tell the party room meeting they reserved their right to cross the floor. Several Liberals said it was more important to focus on a more ambitious Coalition policy rather than the government bill, given Bowen had said he could go ahead with his policies even if the bill were defeated. Chris Bowen made it clear Labor dont need the legislation to implement their emission reduction policies, said Liberal MP James Stevens, the member for Sturt in South Australia, after the meeting. Im focused on working with the Coalition team on the emission reduction targets we take to the next election for 2030 and 2035. The Coalition also agreed to being an internal review to look at the possible contribution of nuclear energy to Australias energy mix. This review will be led by shadow climate change minister Ted OBrien and the Coalitions policy committee chair Marise Payne. If we are serious about reducing emissions, while at the same time maintaining a strong economy and protecting our traditional industries, all technologies need to be on the table. Asked what his message was to Coalition opponents of the Voice, Wyatt said no government in Australia has provided continuity of advisory structures to Indigenous Australians. They change with every government and we have seen organisation after organisation come and go and the advice they give to make a difference to quality of life never changes. We have to have something that is more permanent so that a minister or government cant abolish it, he said. Liberal MP James Stevens said he was supportive of constitutionally enshrining the Voice, but disagreed with the governments view that the Australian people be asked to vote in a referendum on the principle without the detail of how it would operate. We cant risk holding a referendum that proceeds to be unsuccessful. That would be a disaster for reconciliation in this country, Stevens said. Its my view that its much more likely to pass if were very clear with the people of Australia on what the Voice will be that they are voting to create. Whether people like or not, Indigenous Australians have lived on this continent for 60,000 years and they need certainty, they need to be part of the co-designing process at the community and regional level. That includes having an impact on federal thinking for solutions to address the 17 targets for closing the gap. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the Garma Festival. Credit:Getty Wyatt said he did not support direct election of representatives to the proposed 24-member Voice and backed the 2021 report prepared by professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, which recommends selecting them from regional and local Voice bodies around the country. However, in an appearance on the ABCs Q&A program on Monday evening, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney flagged that a directly elected model would be on the table. What the Leeser-Dodson [2018 parliamentary] report [on constitutional recognition] said is that the Voice will be representative. The point I was attempting to make was, in fact, that there is obviously as the prime minister has pointed out consultations, particularly with First Nations people, that need to be had about the way in which a Voice would be constituted, Burney told the ABC on Monday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted that the detail on how the Voice would work was readily available. Hundreds of pages of detail have been worked through by Marcia Langton and Tom Calma - theyre all out there for people to see, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told The Project on the Ten Network on Monday night. Noel Pearson threw his support behind Albaneses weekend speech on Monday, telling ABC TVs 7.30 the proposed three-sentence addition to the constitution was the detail we have been waiting on. Pearson, an Indigenous lawyer, academic and land rights activist, said Australia needed to come together behind the proposal. In order to succeed we have got to rise above the culture wars, weve got to rise above our tribal divides and see that this is the one question that requires Australians to make common cause. Because if we make common cause on this, we will make our country better, he said. I think that this is a modest proposition, modest but profound, capable of being consistent with liberal and conservative thinking. Professors Megan Davis and Pat Anderson, who co-chaired the Uluru Dialogue, which produced the Uluru Statement from the Heart that proposed a Voice model, both said more detail on the proposed model would need to be released before the referendum was held. But it would not be necessary for the model to be finalised or the draft legislation prepared. Anderson said we wont have every i dotted and t crossed before we go to the referendum but governments have held referendums in the past without all of the background information. Loading This national conversation is going to require a level of sophistication and maturity. This is an opportunity for Australia to decide what kind of country we are, what our principles and values are. This can change the country, this is nation building, lets suspend the knocking attitude and lift this debate, she said. Davis said there did not need to be a fully fledged structure to the proposed Voice before the referendum was put but enough detail so people could make an informed decision. Both women dismissed claims from opponents of the Voice that there was insufficient detail about the proposed model, pointing to the Uluru statement, the 2019 parliamentary inquiry and the 2021 Langton-Calma report. Americas stealthy submarines in the region remain submerged and mostly intact. They can detect some of the mayhem above, but they rely on US satellites to communicate. The sub-commanders cant report their findings or receive orders. The US has two big navy battle groups in the region as the attack unfolds, the standard for peacetime deployment. According to Molans scenario: Carrier-killer missiles from Chinas east and south coasts are fired at the larger ships in both battle groups, with backup from smaller cruise missiles from Chinese ships and submarines in the vicinity, and from Chinas old but usable H-6 bombers, which each fire two of the enormous anti-ship cruise missiles they haul into the air under their wings. All the major combatants are torn apart, burn and sink. The cost in human lives is appalling, writes Molan. Xi Jinping has delivered his message even as the world still struggles to restore communications. Xis message to America, as Molan puts it: You are out of the Western Pacific and we will not let you re-establish your bases in Japan, South Korea or even Guam. From Japan to Australia and out to Hawaii, the Western Pacific is now a Chinese sphere of influence. Its merely a scenario, but is it plausible? Molan argues that were preparing for the wrong war. He thinks that were all standing around waiting for a limited Chinese attack on Taiwan. And while he says thats possible, it would only happen if Chinas strategists are silly. A prudent Australia would have started to prepare 20 years ago. Jim Molan, former major general and now Liberal senator If Xi struck Taiwan, his attacking forces would be vulnerable to a hammering from the US. Why would he accept that pain when he has the option of pushing America out of the hemisphere altogether, forcing it back to the region east of Hawaii? Then he can take Taiwan at his leisure, probably without the use of force. And dictate terms to US allies including Australia, now cut off from its great ally. And Xi can luxuriate in historys acclaim as the ruler who ended half a millennium of Western dominance of the Pacific. But is Molans scenario plausible? Or is he just an obsessive ex-army type whos spent too much time alone with the internet and a paranoid imagination? Former major general in the Australian army and now Liberal Senator for NSW, Jim Molan. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen I turned to a well-regarded US strategist, Elbridge Colby, for guidance. Colby was the lead author of the US National Defence Strategy published in 2018. From his seat at the Pentagon as deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development, he was privy to Americas defence capabilities and all its secrets. And all US knowledge of Chinas. After reading Molans scenario, Colbys verdict: It is very credible. Molan clearly knows what he is talking about. I would say, if anything, he may well underestimate the scope and scale of a Chinese attack. It is possible they would go for a narrower strike, but it is also possible they would go even bigger than he lays out. In Molans vision, Australia would receive special attention from Beijing. Because if Washington decided to try to regroup and fight back short of nuclear war, its most likely operating base would be Australia, just as it was for General Douglas MacArthur in 1942. So as part of its attack on the US, China positions eight of its submarines at four critical points around the Australian continent. They fire cruise missiles at the air force planes sitting on criminally unprotected bases. Australias small but beautiful air force has been destroyed. Loading Next, Chinas subs send self-propelled, automated sea mines to seal Australias military ports. The navy is trapped until it can manage to clear them. And so on. The prospect of a war in the Western Pacific is dark enough for the US, but it is even darker for Australia, with our one-shot defence force, our enormous vulnerability because of import dependence for fuel, pharmaceuticals, fertiliser and many other critical supplies. Weber State to participate in $1.3M pilot program to increase leadership August 2, 2022 OGDEN, Utah Weber State University is joining two other Utah higher educational institutions in an expansion of the University of Utahs Presidential Leadership Fellows pilot program. The program aims to increase the number of academic leaders from the arts and humanities, especially those from historically excluded and underrepresented backgrounds. Started at the University of Utah in 2019, an additional $1.3 million in funding from the Mellon Foundation will expand the program to Weber State, Salt Lake Community College and Utah State University. Weber State looks forward to collaborating with the University of Utah and other fellow institutions to increase representation in university leadership from historically underrepresented disciplines and identities, said WSU president Brad Mortensen. The Presidential Leadership Fellows program will identify faculty who promote justice and inclusivity on campus. The applicants, who hold professional backgrounds in the arts and humanities, will participate in development and leadership activities, as well as mentoring sessions with leaders in higher education. To reflect the growing demographic diversity in its region, Weber State established in its five-year strategic plan the goal of becoming an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution and has prioritized equity, diversity and inclusion as its first of five strategic goals. For more information about the grant, click here. If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here. PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS Nowhere Coffee Co. to open second location at 318 Main Street in Emmaus, sharing space with South Mountain Cycle Jimmys Barbershop in Allentown has moved to 822 N. 19th Street Air Products and Chemicals Inc.'s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township's zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses. Chubby's of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name. Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township. Habitat for Humanity, which has "ReStores" that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall. Allentown, PA (18103) Today A mix of clouds and sunshine and comfortably warm. Just the slight chance of a spotty afternoon shower, with the best chance from the Lehigh Valley on north. . Tonight Partly cloudy and another comfy night; just the slight chance of an evening shower. TILDEN TWP., Pa. Pennsylvania State Police are looking for a couple of sneaky thieves in Berks County. Troopers said it all began around 8 a.m. on July 11, when two men pulled up to an active construction site on Haussman Road at Old Route 22 in Greenwich Township in a 2020 or newer white Mitsubishi Outlander with no visible registration. One man got out of the car and asked some of the construction workers to use an on-site portable bathroom. As the workers were talking to that man, another man sneaked into two unlocked cars and stole several debit and credit cards, the police said. Both men then quickly left the area. Troopers said the men then used cards from multiple victims at the Sheetz on Route 222 in Richmond Township and at the Wawa on Route 183 in Bern Township. Surveillance images show one of the thieves has a large tattoo on the inside of his right wrist, according to the police. Troopers are asking anyone with information to contact Tpr. Reiter at PSP Hamburg by calling 610-562-6885 and referencing PA22-896864. Police departments across the nation are gearing up to celebrate National Night Out Tuesday night. It's typically held on the first Tuesday in August to bring cops and community members together. There are more than 190 events planned in Pennsylvania, and 189 in New Jersey. Here are some of the events planned in the region: Allentown police will host a celebration at Cedar Beach Park from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also in Lehigh County, the Upper Saucon Township Police Department is planning a celebration at Hopewell Park. That's also from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Police in Lehighton, Carbon County, are inviting the community to come to the borough's Upper Park Tuesday starting at 6 p.m. And in New Jersey, the Phillipsburg Police Department is planning a free event at Shappell Park from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - District Attorney Jim Martin and Salisbury Township Police Chief Kevin Soberick say they have arrested a suspect in a homicide in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County. Authorities say Terri Hodel, 40, of Allentown, is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Tracy Lynn Hoffman, 37. Police say it all started on the afternoon of July 31 when Salisbury Township police were called to 715 E. Federal St. for a welfare check of Hodel, who lived there. One of Hodels family members requested the check. Officers say they were not able to make contact with anyone who lived there so they made entry through a door while announcing their presence. It is at this point police say Hodel walked out of a bedroom and told the officers she was OK and asked them to leave. Officers then asked about the other occupant of the home, Tracy Lynn Hoffman. They say Hodel told them she had not seen Hoffman so the officers left but noted that Hoffmans car was parked in the driveway. The police say they even notified Lehigh County Crisis and caseworkers who again checked on the home and heard dogs barking but received no response and made no entry. Then on Aug. 1, 2022, Salisbury Township Animal Control received an email from Hodel asking them to take care of the dogs at the home and that the door was unlocked. Authorities say they were alarmed by this email so they went back to the home and thats when they say they found a note from Hodel and Hoffmans body in a bedroom. The coroner says she was shot to death. Police eventually located Hodel arrested her without incident. Shes currently being held in the Lehigh County Jail. 69 News Rob Manch will be following up on this story throughout the day. ISLAMABAD (AP) The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny Tuesday of Afghanistans Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaida members or those seeking to attack the U.S. Yet a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, who has called for striking the United States in numerous video messages in recent years, lived for months apparently sheltered by senior Taliban figures. The safe house where al-Zawahri was staying in Kabuls upscale Shirpur neighborhood was the home of a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Haqqani is deputy head of the Taliban, serves as interior minister in its government and heads the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the movement. Still, there have been persistent reports of unease among Taliban leadership, particularly tensions between the Haqqani network and rivals within the movement. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, in which the U.S. committed not to attack the group. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions, said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasnt authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qaidas leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by U.S. Navy SEALs. The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position, the official said. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a very carefully worded statement, which referred to a counter-terrorism operation by the United States in Afghanistan" but did not mention al-Zawahri. Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it said. Pakistan has been lobbying for the world to give greater recognition and support to the Taliban government. The strike early Sunday shook awake Shirpur, once a district of historic buildings that were bulldozed in 2003 to make way for luxury homes for officials in Afghanistans Western-backed government and international aid organizations. After the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, senior Taliban moved into some of the abandoned homes there. The targeted safe house is only a few blocks from the British Embassy, which has been closed since the Taliban takeover in August. Taliban officials blocked AP journalists in Kabul from reaching the damaged house on Tuesday. The U.N. Security Council was informed by monitors of militant groups in July that al-Qaida enjoys greater freedom in Afghanistan under the Taliban but confines itself to advising and supporting the countrys new rulers. A report by the monitors said the two groups remain close and that al-Qaida fighters, estimated to number between 180 to 400, are represented at the individual level among Taliban combat units. The monitors said its unlikely al-Qaida will seek to mount direct attacks outside Afghanistan, owing to a lack of capability and restraint on the part of the Taliban, as well as an unwillingness to jeopardize their recent gains such as having a safe haven and improved resources. During the first half of 2022, al-Zawahri increasingly reached out to supporters with video and audio messages, including assurances that al-Qaida can compete with the Islamic State group for leadership of a global movement, the report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said. IS militants have emerged as a major threat to the Taliban over the past year, carrying out a series of deadly attacks against Taliban targets and civilians. The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamic insurgent group, built around the family of the same name. In the 1980s, it fought Soviet forces and over the past 20 years, it battled U.S.-led NATO troops and the former Afghanistan government. The U.S. government maintains a $10 million bounty on Serajjudin Haqqani for attacks on American troops and Afghan civilians. But the Haqqanis, from Afghanistans eastern Khost province, have rivals within the Taliban leadership, mostly from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Some believe Sirajuddin Haqqani wants more power. Other Taliban figures have opposed the Haqqanis attacks against civilians in Kabul and elsewhere during the insurgency. Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst studying Islamist militant groups, said the tensions are focused on how to direct the new regime how to share power ... who gets what position, who gets to control what ministries, to decide the general policies and so on. The timing of the strike also couldn't come at a worse time politically for the Taliban. The militants face international condemnation for refusing to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade, despite earlier promises. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan also criticized the Taliban for human rights abuses under their rule. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat in part over the abuses, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets. This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort. The Taliban have been trying to reopen the taps to that aid and their reserves. However, al-Zawahris killing already has been seized upon by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign that the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances ... that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid alleged the U.S. violated the Doha Agreement by launching the strike. Afghanistans state-run television channel now under the Taliban reported that President Joe Biden said al-Zawahri had been killed. The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri closes a chapter of al-Qaida, said Imtiaz Gul, the executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies. Al-Zawahris death coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Iraqi dictator Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait creating a sort of a bookend to al-Qaidas era of militancy. Saddams invasion prompted the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, which in turn was one factor that drove bin Laden to turn his guns on America, culminating in the 9/11 attacks. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric over an expected visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, vowing the United States will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling and has no interest in increasing tensions with China. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit the self-ruled island that China claims as its own was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited Taiwan over the years. Kirby said administration officials are concerned that Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, flying sorties into Taiwan's airspace and carrying out large-scale naval exercises in the strait. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, Kirby said. The Biden administration pushed back on Beijing as Pelosi held talks with officials in Singapore on Monday at the start of her Asian tour. While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive Tuesday night, making her the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times Taiwan's three largest national newspapers cited unidentified sources as saying she would arrive in Taipei after visiting Malaysia and spend the night. Talk of such a visit is sparking fury in Beijing, which regards Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly warned of serious consequences" if the reported trip goes ahead. If Pelosi insists on visiting Taiwan, China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in Beijing, without giving details. Those who play with fire will perish by it, Zhao said. We would like to once again admonish the U.S. that we are fully prepared for any eventuality and the PLA will never sit idly by. The People's Liberation Army is China's military. Chinas U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun reiterated Beijings threat to take action if Pelosi makes what he called a provocative visit to Taiwan, reiterating that the one China principle is a red line and we allow no one to cross this red line. Zhang told a news conference at the start of Chinas presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month that Taiwans tendency toward independence is further developing with the support of some external forces, which he didnt name. So, if we do not take appropriate, forceful action to stop it, and the situation might be even out of control, Zhang said. So it is legitimate for the Chinese government, for the Chinese military, to take any action to prevent Taiwan to go further down the wrong direction, namely towards independence. Zhang said he wasnt in a position to reveal what actions, but what I can tell is that the firmness, the determination is there. We will do whatever we can to defend our sovereignty and the territorial integrity. Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned the U.S. against meddling in Beijings dealings with the island in a phone call last week with President Joe Biden. Germanys Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against a Chinese invasion of Taiwan while sharply criticizing Russias invasion of Ukraine. Baerbock told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday: We do not accept when international law is broken and a larger neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor in violation of international law -- and of course that also applies to China. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. Threats of retaliation for a visit by Pelosi have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could roil global markets and supply chains. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The Biden administration has tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to come to blows and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in U.S. policy. Administration officials on Monday called on China to tone down the rhetoric, underscoring that there was no reason for Beijing to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait over the potential visit. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were to receive a classified briefing on Taiwan from senior Pentagon and State Department officials on Monday evening. What I can say is this: this is very much precedent in the sense that previous speakers have visited Taiwan, many members of Congress go to Taiwan, including this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. And so, if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing. Still, U.S. officials have signaled that the military would be prepared to respond if needed in the event of any action by China in response to any possible stop in Taiwan by Pelosi. On Monday, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the USS Antietam, a cruiser, and the USS Higgins, a destroyer, left Singapore after a port visit and moved north, heading to their homeport in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, on board as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but maintains informal relations with the island. Washington is obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act, a federal law, to see that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. Washingtons One China policy says it takes no position on the status of the two sides but wants their dispute resolved peacefully. Beijing promotes an alternative One China principle that says they are one country and the Communist Party is its leader. We expect to see Beijing continue to use inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation in the coming days, Kirby said. The United States, by contrast, will act with transparency. On Monday, Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Halimah Yacob and other Cabinet members. Singapore's Foreign Ministry said Lee welcomed a U.S. commitment to strong engagement with the region, and the two sides discussed ways to deepen U.S. economic involvement through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Lee and Pelosi also discussed the war in Ukraine, tensions surrounding Taiwan and mainland China, and climate change, it said in a statement. Lee highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security, it added, in an apparent allusion to reports of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Pelosi has said she is visiting Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan in a tour to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and democratic governance. On Thursday, Pelosi is to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo in Seoul for talks on security in the Indo-Pacific region, economic cooperation and the climate crisis, Kims office said in a statement. It declined to provide further details about her itinerary, including when she is arriving in South Korea and how long shell stay. Pelosis schedule for Wednesday remains unclear and there were no details on when she will head to Japan. Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur and Soo reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan; Kim Hyung-jin in Seoul, South Korea; Edith Lederer at the United Nations; and Lolita C. Baldor, Josh Boak, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. It's a pretty cushty week for ABBA's Benny and Bjorn (I mean, when isn't it a cushty week for them). The pair will have four separate live shows they've composed running simultaneously in London a Drury Lane concert performance of Chess, Mamma Mia! next door at the Novello, ABBA Voyage in its own custom auditorium and the immersive dining Mamma Mia! variant at the O2. It's a testament to their almost faultless ability to deliver a banging tune. Setting aside the ABBA back-catalogue of the three other shows, Chess is laden with musical riches: "I Know Him So Well", "The Arbiter", "Pity the Child", "Anthem", "One Night in Bangkok", "Heaven Help My Heart", "Someone Else's Story" to name some. That's what stuck with me as I hummed my way out of Drury Lane following Monday night's concert. Nick Winston, who previously gave Chess a pandemic-disrupted run in Japan, has delivered a slick, pared back version of the musical here letting the tunes do the talking. It's helped by some unobtrusive choreography, while Ben Cracknell's lighting shoots beams of light across Drury Lane, quickly evoking Cold War paranoia. It's all a great way of side-stepping the glaring issues with the source material: given the lack of a satisfying book (Chess has had more revision thrown at it than my modern history GCSE exam did), the show has a tendency to veer wildly, at times rattling through story and other times alighting for multiple numbers on the same plot point. Tellingly, lyricist Tim Rice calls its Broadway opening a catastrophe in the Drury Lane programme. Characters are sketchily-drawn, with one-note backstories that can be wafer thin. It's one of the reasons the starry Coliseum run had something of a patchy critical reaction. But those tunes! It'll be hard to forget Samantha Barks sending shivers (apt for the West End Elsa) down the spine with a blistering "Nobody's Side", while Hadley Fraser's "Anthem" was as clean cut and note-perfect as they come. Joel Harper-Jackson's dick-ish, drug-snorting Freddie sees the chess player imbued with a bolshy savagery (and the voice of an angel) while Frances Mayli McCann, returning to the venue after Bonnie and Clyde, duetted to perfection on "So Well". The concert is must-see watching for anyone with a free day today. It's got me thinking. Over in New York, they have the "Encores" series a chance for stage stars and big names to give commercially unfriendly, vintage or forgotten work a second life. This has delivered some excellent musical revivals including the ongoing Into the Woods production lighting up Broadway. Maybe it's time that the UK doubled down on something similar. The LMTO, accompanying Chess here, seems perfectly placed to deliver that. Give the company a home (the Southbank Centre? Royal Albert Hall?), regular seasons, institutional support and away we could go. In the meantime Chess is the opening salvo in a series of concerts including a new production of fan favourite Kinky Boots (probably too recently staged in the West End to justify a full return run) and new musical Treason, which looks like it hopes to follow in the footsteps of shows like Eugenius in building a following through semi-staged concerts before bagging a full production. These concerts are commercially safer gambles, with exhibitions of the best in stage talent while offering one-off gifts to audiences. What's not to like? Hit musical The Drifters Girl will end its West End run in October. The show, about the rise of the hit band and those who made it happen, continues to play at the Garrick Theatre, with a cast of Felicia Boswell, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. Beverley Knight originated the role of Faye before Boswell took over the part. The show received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage last year. Producers Michael Harrison and David Ian said: "When Adam, Tarinn, Matt and Tosh agreed to be in The Drifters Girl, we were overjoyed because we knew they were special. As are our team of covers, who kept the show going through the immensely difficult periods that the entire theatre industry has faced with Covid. Now we are fortunate to have Felicia, who is giving a thrilling performance every night as Faye Treadwell. It is an extraordinary company. Replacing them all was always going to be difficult, so we have made the decision to close the show when everyone's contracts end on 15 October. "From its premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal to when we finish at the Garrick Theatre, The Drifters Girl will have played to over a year of nightly standing ovations. We are all incredibly proud of the show, and look forward to the UK tour opening in Southampton next year, as well as the North American premiere which we will announce soon." The musical has a book by Ed Curtis, and is based on an idea by Tina Treadwell. It is co-created by Knight, Bernard, Callender, Henry and Wanogho-Maud. The Drifters Girl is directed by Jonathan Church, with set design by Anthony Ward, choreography by Karen Bruce, costume design by Fay Fullerton, orchestrations and musical supervision by Chris Egan, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall and video design by Andrzej Goulding. Associate director is Tyrone Huntley and associate choreographer is Myles Brown with casting by Stuart Burt and children's casting by Jo Hawes. The tour will open at the Mayflower Theatre in September 2023. Tickets for remaining dates are on sale now. Area residents will have another opportunity to get their COVID-19 vaccine this weekend. Winona County Public Health will hold a vaccine clinic at Levee Park from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday in connection with the Winona Farmers Market. People interested in getting their shots can stop by the clinic, located at Second and Main streets, without an appointment or register ahead of time online. According to the county, primary series doses and boosters will be available during the clinic, with doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson available. Pfizer first and second primary doses and first booster five months after the primary dose will be available for anyone 5 years old and older, while Moderna in these doses will be available for people 18 years old and older. Johnson and Johnson single primary series doses will also be available for people 18 years old and older who are unable to tolerate Pfizer and Moderna. As for additional boosters, Moderna and Pfizer second boosters which must be given at least four months after the first will be available for people 50 years old and older and for anyone who has received the Johnson and Johnson booster. For people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, extra doses at the clinic that will be available include additional Pfizer doses and boosters for ages 5 to 11 years old; additional doses and first and second boosters of Pfizer for ages 12 to 17; additional doses and first and second boosters of Moderna and Pfizer for ages 18 and older; and an additional dose and booster of Johnson and Johnson for ages 18 and older. So far in Winona County, 64.4% of residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 61.7% have received a full vaccine series and 28.4% are fully up to date with their recommended doses, according to the Minnesota Department of Health with data reported as of Sunday. In the county, 98% of residents 65 years old and older, 77% of residents 50 to 64 years old, 56% of residents 18 to 49 years old, 70% of residents 16 to 17 years old, 70% of residents 12 to 15 years old, 45% of residents 5 to 11 years old and 6% of residents 6 months old to 4 years old have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Minnesota as a whole, according to MDH, 71.2% of residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 67.2% have received a full vaccine series and 31.3% are fully up to date with their recommended doses, as of Sunday. If interested in registering ahead of time for Saturdays clinic, visit https://prepmod.health.state.mn.us/appointment/en/reg/2652377109. For free transportation to and from the clinic, call SEMCACs Transportation Dispatch at 1-800-528-7622. A van is available that is wheelchair accessible. For those who find it difficult to travel to the clinic or to other vaccine opportunities or who have children, call 507-457-6424 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule a home visit. A Ho-Chunk artist and studio owner from the Dells area is producing a commemorative work of art for display at UW-Stevens Point. Christopher Sweet is going to begin a mural near the end of August memorializing Native Americans who are currently buried on the campus grounds at UW-Stevens Point. Sweets mural is slated for display by October near the universitys Communication Arts Center. The artist owns Blue Bear Studio in Baraboo with his wife, Chrissy Shegonee. He was selected out of a group of 11 submissions by a committee featuring Ho-Chunk descendants. What I felt should have been expressed in the story behind what happened to our ancestors back then, I just submitted that and they got back in touch with me and they felt it was important that a tribal member be a part of that process of telling the story, said Sweet. Sweet and Shegonee talked about how nearly all Native Americans in the Stevens Point area contracted scarlet fever and subsequently died during the mid-1860s. The deceased were then buried in a mass grave ravine in the area, according to Sweet, who called the process upsetting. Ancestors memorialized in the upcoming mural were of the Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi, Menominee, and Ojibwe tribes, according to Sweet. No respect behind it or anything, said Sweet. A plaque was installed in 2020 near the area of the upcoming mural to honor the tribal members who perished from the disease, according to the Ho-Chunk Nation website. The release announcing the plaque also mentioned the future memorial, which is where Sweets mural will appear. Its giving recognition of what happened there, said Sweet. They wanted something on a larger scale to acknowledge that. Sweets painting, Earth Diver illustrates a group of students at the university lifting them (the ancestors) up. The painting features hues of gray, purple, and yellow, and is a rough draft of what the mural is slated to look like, according to the artist. Im not sure if they all know about what happened there, but this is kind of the whole purpose of this mural, said Sweet. Get the story out there and give some acknowledgment to our presence there. Im sure once this mural gets up, its going to get the word out and hopefully inspire other Natives to get their education and feel the strength of our ancestors behind them. Born in Kenosha, Sweet said he and his family moved around a lot prior to settling in Sauk County near the Dells, where he said he spent the majority of his childhood. He attended school in Wisconsin Dells, but graduated from Baraboo High School in 1988. Following graduation, Sweet attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has been doing artwork since his childhood. Prior to opening Blue Bear Studio in Reedsburg (its first location before Baraboo), Sweet worked at a casino and hotel for the Ho-Chunk Nation. The UW-Stevens Point mural is one of a litany of activities for Sweet in 2022. He was also chosen to create the Wisconsin Native Vote mural, which will be displayed on the south side of Milwaukee. Sweet will be a featured artist at the Worm Farm Institutes 2022 Farm/Art DTour from Oct. 1-10, and is entered into a juried art show at the Festival of Woodland Indian Art and Culture Show in Green Bay from Aug. 12-14. A former Baraboo resident was found guilty Tuesday in Sauk County Circuit Court after admitting to making and selling heroin. Trevor L. Kelley, 28, of Portage, appeared in court where he entered a no contest plea to the single felony charge of manufacture and sale of up to 3 grams of heroin as a repeater. Kelley entered the plea as part of an agreement between his defense attorney, Peter Masana, and Sauk County prosecutors. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett ordered a presentence investigation. A Wisconsin Department of Corrections investigator will gather background information on Kelley and take other factors into account before recommending a sentence for the offense. Barrett ordered that the PSI be done within 75 days. According to the criminal complaint: Kelley was recorded attempting to sell heroin to a criminal informant in May 2020 near McDonalds in Lake Delton. The Sauk County Drug Task Force coordinated with the Sauk County Sheriffs Office to set up a $150 purchase of illegal drugs. The informant left the car after speaking to Kelley with a bag of a brownish, grainy substance later identified through tests as heroin. It weighed 1 gram. Kelley will return to court for a sentencing hearing once the investigation is completed. An Illinois woman has entered a deferred prosecution agreement after being accused of beating and stabbing a man at a Wisconsin Dells resort. Tia Titanisha Walker, 29, of Willowbrook, appeared July 25 in Sauk County Circuit Court to admit guilt to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and battery by use of a dangerous weapon. A felony count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety was dismissed but read in, meaning it was considered in sentencing. The deferred prosecution applied to a felony count of intending bodily harm by substantial battery with the use of a dangerous weapon. Circuit Court Judge Wendy Klicko ordered Walker serve two years of probation with the conditions that she provide a DNA sample and undergo a violence assessment and any recommended follow-up treatment. The deferred prosecution agreement will apply for three years, during which the sentence will be withheld. If Walker does not meet the requirements laid out in the plan jointly recommended by her defense attorney and prosecutors, she will be sentenced to prison time instead. Walker has five days of jail credit for time already served. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 1.5 years in prison and two years of extended supervision. According to the criminal complaint: A desk clerk at Caribbean Club Resort, 1093 Canyon Road, called Lake Delton police in July 2021 to report that a man had walked into the main office covered in blood. He claimed to have been beaten in his sleep. When police arrived, they found the man bleeding while sitting in the doorway of a condo. He was taken to SSM St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, where workers told police the man had shallow cuts on top of his head that likely came from a knife. Two witnesses in the condominium told police that Walker yelled at the man to wake up, hitting him, before the two began physically fighting. They exchanged blows before the man left the room. Walker began cleaning up the area. He returned, and the fighting resumed. Initially, the man grabbed silverware and threw it at her, including a knife she was afraid he would use on her, so she broke it, Walker said. The man tried to stab Walker with the knife before she broke it, a witness said. Walker was handcuffed and spoke to police. The man had been drinking excessively throughout the day and attacked her, she said, pointing out swelling on her lower lip and forehead. The injuries were from the man hitting her, she said. The man said he was leaving to get his gun from his car for self-defense, a witness said, which is when Walker stabbed him in the head. He sat down near the door, where police officers found him. JUNEAU A former Dodge Correctional Institution inmate was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting his cellmate in 2018. Donald Patrick Coughlin, 65, currently being housed at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel, entered a no contest plea to two misdemeanor counts of fourth degree sexual assault. He had originally been charged with felony counts of second degree sexual assault. Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Brian Pfitzinger accepted the plea to the misdemeanor counts and found him guilty. He was sentenced to nine months in prison concurrent to the sentence he is currently serving. He currently is eligible for parole in 2028 with a mandatory release date of 2048. Coughlin is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in Juneau County in 2017 of 21 counts of child sexual assault. Coughlin forced three boys, who were adults when they reported the crimes, to perform sex acts at his home, his family business and other locations in Lyndon Station. The victims ranged in age from 7 to 16 at the time of the crimes, which occurred between the late 1980s and early 1990s. At the time of the crimes, Coughlin served as village president of Lyndon Station. According to the criminal complaint: An inmate was put in a cell at Dodge Correctional Institution on March 7, 2018. The inmate alleged that Coughlin forced sexual contact on him, including sexually assaulting the other inmate when he was sleeping a couple of nights after he moved into the cell. The inmate informed a correctional officer about the assault through a note at lunch the next day. According to the criminal complaint, Coughlin told the inmate that he would kill him if he told anyone about the assault. Coughlin was questioned about the assault and denied it occurred. Evidence was sent to the State Crime Lab in Madison and DNA evidence is being used in the case. Republican Tim Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp., spent another $4 million of his own money on his largely self-funded bid for governor in the final full month before the Aug. 9 primary. In state legislative races, candidates are running for the first time this year in districts generally more partisan and less competitive than the last 10 years, yet candidate and partisan committee fundraising has never been more lucrative, a new report shows. Pre-primary campaign finance reports filed Monday covering July show Michels, who has been backed by former President Donald Trump, has poured nearly $12 million of his own funds into his campaign since entering the race in late April. In July alone, Michels spent $2.3 million on TV ads and another $360,000 online. Michels $12 million in spending, which amounts to about $850,000 a week since he entered the race, is already the most a Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate has spent on their campaign, said Matthew Rothschild, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending. The next-closest was Republican Mark Neumann, who spent over $5.8 million of his own funds leading up to his loss in the 2010 gubernatorial primary to former Gov. Scott Walker. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke spent a little over $5 million leading up to her general election loss to Walker in 2014. The next-highest was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Gronik, who spent more than $700,000 of his own funds before he withdrew from the race before the 2018 primary that ultimately sent Gov. Tony Evers to his November victory over Walker that year. Michels is in a sharply contested primary with fellow Republican and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who raised more than $550,000 in July and more than $7.5 million since entering the race back in September, according to reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Other Republicans in the race include state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who reported raising less than $18,000 last month, and Adam Fischer, who raised about $250. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will go on to face Evers, who is seeking a second term this fall, in the Nov. 8 election. Evers raised more than $1.1 million last month, bringing his total since the start of the year to more than $11 million. Fundraising figures are just one component of a successful campaign, but they can offer a glimpse into the campaign or partys organization, donor base and overall support. Endorsements In addition to Trump, who will host a Friday rally in Waukesha County to support his chosen candidate, Michels has also been endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson. Trump had also planned to host an American Freedom Tour event in Milwaukee on Aug. 20, but an official with the event said Tuesday the former presidents visit had been postponed due to his rally on Friday. Kleefisch has been endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence once a close Trump ally who, like the former president, is mulling his own 2024 prospects and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce Trump rival turned close ally, who won Wisconsins 2016 presidential primary. She also has been backed by Walker, with whom she served for eight years, and more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg. Pence will travel to Pewaukee on Wednesday for a law enforcement roundtable discussion with Kleefisch and Walker. Michels and Kleefisch were leading the race, separated by 1 percentage point, in a June statewide poll. Ramthun, who has been endorsed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, polled more than 20 points behind them. Fischer was not included in the poll. Legislative fundraising The roughly $7.5 million legislative candidates and partisan campaign committees raised in the first six months of 2022 breaks the previous $7.12 million record covering the first half of 2020, according to a new report from Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. In the first half of 2018 the last time there were gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and legislative races in the same year the campaigns and candidates raised just over $5.9 million. The Republican campaign committees for the Senate and Assembly raised a combined total of $2.27 million, compared with about $920,000 from the Democratic campaigns. Here are the five top-earning candidates of the first half of 2022: Rep. Steve Doyle , D-Onalaska: $547,972 Rep. Katrina Shankland , D-Stevens Point: $248,451 Republican Brian Westrate of Fall Creek, who is running in the 23rd Senate District to replace retiring Sen. Kathleen Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls: $144,057 Sen. Jeff Smith , D-Brunswick: $131,774 Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara , R-Appleton, whos running in the 19th Senate District to replace lieutenant governor candidate Sen. Roger Roth, R-Appleton: $125,802 Of the five candidates, Doyles district is the most competitive, with a 1% Republican lean according to an analysis by Marquette Law School research fellow John Johnson. Doyle is facing a primary challenge against Republican Ryan Huebsch, who raised about $26,000 in the first half of 2022. Shanklands district leans Democratic by 7 points. She will face off against the winner between Republicans Robert Glisczinski, who brought in about $2,600 in the first half of 2022, and Scott Soik, who brought in about $9,600 in the same time frame. Westrate is running in a solidly Republican district but faces two other Republicans in the primary: Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, who raised $20,400, and Sandra Scholz, who raised $7,250. Smiths district leans Republican by 2 points. His Republican challenger, Dave Estenson, raised $28,725 in the first half of 2022. Cabral-Guevara is running in a Senate district that has a 5-point Republican lean. Her Republican challenger, Andrew Thomsen, raised $25,000 by the end of June. The winner between them will face off against Democrat Kristin Alfheim, who raised about $52,000 in the first half of 2022. BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on the phone at the request of the latter on Thursday evening. The two presidents had a candid communication and exchange on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual interest. Experts and scholars, in interviews with Xinhua, said the talks between the two heads of state are candid and in-depth. They hold expectations that in a world of change and disorder, China and the United States can take the lead in upholding world peace and security and in promoting global development and prosperity. They also urged the United States to honor the one-China principle and implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques both in word and in deed. Visitors practice Chinese calligraphy during an event at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 16, 2022. [Xinhua] Direct Talks Conducive to China-U.S. Ties In the view of former U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus, talks between the two heads of state are "very good," because the more they talk to each other, the more likely that the two countries can resolve their differences. Singaporean political commentator Ang Teck Sin said candid and in-depth communication between the two countries' heads of state carries great significance. There is vast room for coordination and broad scope for cooperation between China and the United States, he said. Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, said the talks between the two heads of state sent a positive signal to the world, suggesting that as two important major countries, China and the United States would probably develop in concert for the sake of common interests of humanity. He expressed the hope that the two countries would strengthen coordination and help promote world prosperity and development. Lucio Blanco Pitlo, research fellow at Philippine think tank Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, said the phone conversation between Xi and Biden sent a positive signal, revealing that China and the United States attached importance to the impact of their relations on the world's development. It is hoped that the two countries can manage their differences through communication and dialogue, and preserve world peace and stability, Pitlo said. Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies in Nigeria, noted that the phone call came at an important time when tensions across the world are rising and headwinds facing the global economy are growing, and the communication between the two sides at the highest level itself bears great value. He noted that Washington is misperceived to see China as a strategic competitor and rival and that can easily send wrong signals both to people of the two countries and to a larger world. There is no doubt that if China and the United States seek common ground while addressing their differences, they "can be in a better position to address issues not only of their concerns but that of the rest of world," Onunaiju said. Much-Needed Leading Role amid Global Challenges French writer and sinologist Lea Bessis said she has seen from this conversation that President Xi is firm in looking for solutions to problems between China and the United States for the common good of the world. At the global macroeconomic level, coordination and dialogue between China and the United States are crucial, she noted, adding that the United States should refrain from economic decoupling, and that the two sides should work to strengthen trade ties and achieve win-win cooperation. Lins expressed his hope that China and the United States play a leading role in tackling global challenges such as poverty and social inequality, which are the common enemies of all countries. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said it is good to see the leaders seek candid solutions to the challenges facing bilateral relations, adding that premised on mutual respect and productive outcomes, Washington and Beijing can bring much value not just to themselves but also to the rest of the world. Gamal Zahran, professor of political studies in the faculty of Commerce at Egypt's Suez Canal University, called on Washington to demonstrate more sincerity in dealing with global economic and political problems. The world needs China-U.S. cooperation to limit stagflation and waits for the two major countries to overcome the state of uncertainty as well as the economic and political chaos that is troubling the world, he added. Bridging differences between China and the United States is a shortcut to properly resolving current international issues, said Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association. Only by sticking to the path of cooperation, can China and the United States promote cooperation in international security, help the world overcome the impacts of the pandemic at an early date, and get rid of the shadow of economic stagnation, so as to build a more stable and prosperous world, the South Korean expert noted. One-China Principle Adhere said the Taiwan question remains the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations simply because the United States has consistently used the Taiwan question to contain China. There is no question that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, a fact that is known to the United States, he added, noting that the U.S. side should respect China's core interests and major concerns. It is extremely wrong for the United States to try to undermine China's reunification, create instability in the region and even launch a propaganda war against China, Bessis said, referring to recent U.S. provocations over China's Taiwan. What the United States is doing is an extremely dangerous game. The U.S. should abide by the one-China principle, the French writer urged. Noting that the United States repeatedly tested China's bottom line, Onunaiju said Washington should match its words with deeds and stop making troubles. Referring to Xi's words that the will of the people cannot be defied and those who play with fire will perish by it, Kwon said it is China's warning to those external forces who attempt to undermine the one-China principle. The United States should stop arms sales to Taiwan, call off military actions that create tension across the Taiwan Strait, and implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Kwon added. Ang, the Singaporean political commentator, also noticed Beijing's warning to Washington on the Taiwan question. This clear warning once again demonstrates to the United States and the world China's firm will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. "We hope the United States will match its words with deeds and refrain from frequently provoking China's red line." (Source: Xinhua) Amarillo is a large city situated in the Potter and Randall Counties in the US State of Texas. Initially known as Oneida, the city of Amarillo is located in the Llano Estacado area and is the Texas Panhandle's largest city and the state's 14th most populous city. Amarillo is the ideal fusion of old and new Texas traditions because it and the surrounding Panhandle region are a unique blend of two American eras, with operating western ranches and a thriving twenty-first-century economy. The city is also referred to as "The Yellow Rose of Texas" due to its name and "Rotor City, USA" because of its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft construction plant. Geography And Climate Of Amarillo Aerial view of downtown Amarillo, Texas in summer. Amarillo covers a total area of 234 sq. km, of which 233 sq. km is occupied by land, and 1.0 sq. km is covered by water. The Canadian River, which splits the southern portion of the High Plains to create the Llano Estacado, is located about 32 km northeast of Amarillo. A significant source of drinking water for the Texas Panhandle region is Lake Meredith, which has been created by damming the river. The Palo Duro Canyon is a chain of canyons located about 40 km south of Amarillo. The summers in Amarillo are warm and generally clear, while the winters are brief, bitterly cold, snowy, windy, and partially cloudy. The average annual temperature ranges from 25F to 91F, rarely falling below 13F or rising over 99F. With an average daily high temperature exceeding 83F, the hot season lasts for 3.7 months. July is the year's warmest month in Amarillo. The average daily high temperature during the 2.9-month cold season is below 58F. January is the year's coldest month in Amarillo. The average annual precipitation is 21 inches of rain and 15 inches of snow. The majority of the rainfall either evaporates, seeps into the ground, or gathers in playa lakes as a result of the absence of built drainage. Brief History Of Amarillo Historic City Hall of Amarillo, Texas. The city, formerly known as Oneida, was founded in 1887 as a railroad construction camp and developed into one of the busiest cattle-shipping hubs in the world in the 1890s. When wheat farming and ranching were established in the area around 1900, its significance as an entrepot increased even further. Although the community's expansion in the 1930s was constrained by the national economic crisis and protracted drought, the discovery of petroleum and natural gas deposits in the 1920s encouraged the community's development as a regional and industrial center. However, intensive irrigation using underground water after 1940 raised agricultural output. During the city's incorporation in 1892, the name Amarillo was chosen. It relates to the yellow banks of neighboring Amarillo Lake and means "yellow" in Spanish. The Population And Economy Of Amarillo Big Texan Steak Ranch, famous steakhouse restaurant and motel located in Amarillo, Texas. Editorial credit: T photography / Shutterstock.com As per the latest US Census, Amarillo has a population of 200,393 inhabitants. The population of Amarillo has increased since the last US Census, which reported a population of 190,695 in 2010. The city's development as a cattle marketing center in the late 19th century was aided by the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad's freight service and accessibility to the railroad. In addition to being economically significant to Eastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle, Amarillo also serves as the Texas Panhandle's regional economic hub. Amarillo is renowned for long-term corporate success thanks to its strategic location within the United States, educated workforce, robust transportation infrastructure, and high standard of living. The poverty rate of Amarillo is 15.43%, with an average household income of $71,120. The median monthly cost of rent in previous years has been $876, and the median price of a home is $138,900. In Amarillo, the average age is 34.2 years, 32.7 years for men, and 35.6 years for women. Best Things To Do In Amarillo Cadillac Ranch Cadillac Ranch - located along I-40 in Amarillo, Texas. Editorial credit: YuniqueB / Shutterstock.com On the western outskirts of Amarillo, there is a surprisingly entertaining and accessible attraction. Old Cadillacs are elegantly arranged in a row, each one sunk nose-first into the earth of a farmer's field. The local tradition is to grab a can of spray paint and make your own graffiti on the vehicles. Palo Duro Canyon State Park The famous Lighthouse Rock and a stone pile at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas. One of the top Amarillo attractions for those who love the outdoors and nature is Palo Duro Canyon. This state park is easily accessible on a day trip because it is only 24 miles from Amarillo. In addition, it is the second-biggest canyon in the United States. One can make a camping reservation and spend the night. Palo Duro Canyon's Canyon Gallery, Zipline Adventure Park, and TEXAS, the Musical are a few must-see attractions. Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum Exterior view of RV Museum in Amarillo, Texas. Editorial credit: Alizada Studios / Shutterstock.com One of the best and most interesting locations to visit in the area is the Jack Sisemore Travel and RV Museum, which is also one of the city's free activities. The site is entirely devoted to the display and collection of unique and vintage recreational vehicles. RVs from the 1930s and those from as recently as the 1970s are both common. Panhandle Plains Historical Museum The Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. Image Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Texas's largest history museum, provides an insight into Texas' history from the time of the dinosaurs to the present. The museum houses one of the southwest's best collections of art. One can discover more about the American Indians who lived there, the early settlers, oil, geology, water as a resource, technological advancements that influenced the region's growth, such as windmills and transportation, and much more. Don Harrington Discovery Center The front entrance of the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas. Image Credit: SarahDHDC,via Wikimedia Commons One of Amarillo's biggest attractions is the Don Harrington Discovery Center. The museum is devoted to a variety of space and science-themed exhibitions, with interactive displays that are great for kids and anyone who likes to learn by doing. The beautiful Helium Time Column Monument may be found outside the Don Harrington Discovery Center. The six-story building was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of helium. Amarillo was a significant player in the world of American gas production and reserve and is home to a sizable helium facility. Even if you just have a short period of time, Amarillo is the ideal destination to experience a large portion of Texas. The city is an Old West enthusiast's fantasy, complete with canyons, vintage Cadillacs, enormous steaks, and majestic vistas. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum houses one of the best collections of Western art and artifacts in the nation. Therefore, be sure to stop by this city. Biden on US drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahri: 'Justice has been delivered' Concerns over glaring deficiencies in North Wales hunting review survey Concerns have been raised over glaring deficiencies in a survey linked to a review of the way hunting is policed in North Wales. Pro-hunt campaigners have criticised what they described as incorrect claims about UK hunting law in the questionnaire published on behalf of the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner. Labours Andy Dunbobbin announced earlier this year he would be inviting tender bids of up to 20,000 from contractors to undertake an independent review of hunting in the region. It was later announced that the review, which will consider the way North Wales Police oversees the enforcement of the Hunting Act, would be carried out by researchers from Wrexham Glyndwr University However, the Countryside Alliance recently wrote to Mr Dunbobbin expressing doubts over the transparency and format of the survey, which has been published on the commissioners website. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the alliance, said the questions inaccurately reflected the law regarding hunting and highlighted that the survey does not ask participants any information about where they are from. He claimed this could lead to it being hijacked by animal rights activists in an attempt to influence local policing policy. Mr Bonner said: The survey would suggest that those conducting the research have little knowledge of hunting before or after the Hunting Act was enforced, or indeed the law in this area. Whatever the results of the survey, they cannot be considered as a robust and reliable reflection of the situation in the North Wales Police force area, as the data cannot be properly verified and assessed. Consequently, it is hard to see how any recommendations based on flawed research can be well founded. To add insult to injury, it is the already hard-pressed taxpayer who is funding this project. He added: In a country where we enjoy policing by consent, it is astonishing that such a divisive review, the deficiencies of which are all too evident, should have been approved. Far from uniting communities and improving relations between the police and rural communities, it serves only to divide. The Countryside Alliance has opposed the review from the outset, previously describing it as an unnecessary political vanity project and accusing Mr Dunbobbin of having prejudices against rural people. Mr Bonner said its concerns about the survey related to issues with an easy read version of the questionnaire, which offers participants an explanation of various terms. He said one part incorrectly stated that fox hunting with more than two dogs has been against the law in England and Wales since 2004, whereas legislation actually makes it illegal to hunt with any amount of dogs. Mr Dunbobbin, a former Flintshire councillor, said the version of the survey referenced by the alliance was designed to make it more accessible to people with learning difficulties. He added responses would be monitored to prevent the review from being compromised. He said: We recognise the importance of making sure our review into the policing of hunting in North Wales is as robust as possible, and that we hear from all sides in the debate. A crucial way of ensuring it is as accessible as possible is by making a version that can be easily understood by people with learning disabilities and other people who have difficulty with reading. This easy read format may not have some of the finer details of legislation around hunting that the full version contains, but this simpler interpretation enables the survey to be more accessible to more people. To ensure the research base for the review into the policing of hunting is as representative as possible, efforts will be made to detect and extract false entries in the process of analysing data. Moreover, the review considers data from a range of sources, from survey respondents, incident and case file reviews, as well as interviews with key respondents. Mr Dunbobbin said he believed the measures in place would ensure a credible, robust and fair review. He urged people on both sides of the debate to take part in the survey to ensure their views are heard. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter Rare male tiger Dash arrives at Chester Zoo to help save his species A critically endangered tiger has arrived at Chester Zoo on an important mission to help to protect his species from extinction. Three-year-old Dash a Sumatran tiger has travelled to the zoo from Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland after being identified as a genetically compatible mate for the zoos resident female, Kasarna, who was born at Chester in 2015. Carnivore experts at the zoo hope that the pair will hit it off and together go on to play a part in a vital conservation breeding programme, which is battling to help save the highly threatened species. Six subspecies of tiger remain with three having already gone extinct. Mike Jordan, Director of Animals and Plants at Chester Zoo, said: Dash is a handsome, confident young tiger and hes quickly settled into his new surroundings. Hes been carefully matched with female tiger Kasarna, based on his age, character and his genetics, and were hopeful that theyll soon strike up a close bond and, one day, go on to have cubs. Sumatran tigers are exceptionally rare and, sadly, their wild population continues to feel enormous pressure from mass-scale habitat loss, poaching and human-tiger conflict. Their prospect of survival is hanging by a thread and the endangered species breeding programme, run by Europes leading conservation zoos, is a vitally important part of the international effort to ensure these magnificent animals are here for generations to come. Every single cub could be critical to its future. Without conservation efforts like these, the future for the Sumatran tiger may soon look similar to that of Javan, Caspian and Balinese tigers, which heartbreakingly are all now extinct. We have it in our power not to let that happen and were going to do everything we can to ensure it doesnt. The Sumatran tiger is listed as critically endangered by the Internal Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with just 400 estimated to remain. In the wild its found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia where as little as 7% of its original habitat now remains. In addition to its efforts to preserve Sumatran tigers through its conservation breeding work in Chester, the charity zoo is also fighting to control illegal poaching and mitigate human-tiger conflict in India and Nepal to improve the outlook for the Bengal tiger. The cost of living increase means that more people are struggling to afford to feed their pets, says animal welfare charity RSPCA branches across Wales including Wrexham have joined together to help pet owners cope with cost of living crisis. The Wales Pet Food Bank involves securing dog and cat food donations from suppliers and delivering it to three RSPCA distribution hubs in Wales Mochdre, Newport and at Llys Nini Animal Centre in Swansea. From the hubs, the food is taken to local food banks to help distribute pet food to those in need. All 11 RSPCA branches in Wales are part of the food bank initiative with a group of branches in North Wales (Aberconwy, Clwyd & Colwyn, West Gwynedd, Wrexham District & Deeside and Ynys Mon) initially coming together to fund and make this scheme possible. Carl Lloyd, from the RSPCA West Gwynedd branch, said: Sadly, it seems as though the cost of living increase means that more people are struggling to afford to feed their pets and are relying on the food banks more and more. We understand that many people are falling on hard times and we hope that through this food bank scheme we will be able to provide some support to people and their much-loved pets. We ran a pilot version of the scheme developed by RSPCA Aberconwy Branch and supported by the branches in North Wales to make sure we could help those animal owners who were struggling. In the North, we used the mobile clinic (which visits eight venues across North Wales each week) to distribute the food to the branches who then distribute it to food banks and other animals in need throughout the different branch areas. From this pilot study we distributed 10 pallets of food which equates to around 50,000 servings in just three months. The scheme was then rolled out across the country so all branches in Wales could join the effort to distribute the food where it was needed most. Carl added: Since then we have set-up the three distribution hubs and organised another 29 pallets (around 125,000 servings) to be delivered. Weve probably moved around 25,000 servings since we launched the national scheme in June. Each branch contributes equally to the scheme in terms of funding the transport and storage and our hub network may increase as we think about more ways we can help animals and their owners cope during these challenging times. If members of the public would like to support this initiative, please get in touch with your local RSPCA branch to see where they need support. *(please see links below) So far the scheme has seen donations being made to places including Conwy Food Bank, Bangor Food Bank, Sirhowy Community Centre Food Share and food banks in the Swansea area. Wyth Sir Branchs (the newly merged Gwent Brecknock Branch and Glamorgan North & East) manager Darren Oakley who previously worked as an RSPCA inspector, said he is delighted the branch is part of the scheme. This week the branch is dropping off food to Trussell Trust Foodbank at Newport, Sirhowy, Panteg House and TogetherWorks in Monmouth. He said: As an RSPCA inspector I witnessed first hand this cost of living struggle, with some often choosing to feed their beloved pets over themselves. We are delighted to be linking with a number of food banks and distribution centres to help those in need as sadly the cost of living crisis seems to be getting worse, and not any better. The RSPCA recently released its Animal Kindness Index, a groundbreaking inaugural report, in partnership with the Scottish SPCA, which looked at the nations attitude towards animals. The report, based on a YouGov survey of more than 4,000 UK adults, revealed that the rising cost of living and the cost of pet ownership could threaten our love for our pets, with 72% of pet owners saying they think the cost of living will impact their animals, almost 70% expressing concern that the cost of care was increasing, and a fifth worried about how theyll afford to feed their pets. The study showed cat owners seem to be most impacted and concerned about cost of living pressures. Brushing aside public opposition, the Democratic Party controlled Detroit City Council voted last week to approve a $60 million tax break for Detroit billionaire and pandemic profiteer Dan Gilbert. The 5-4 vote, conducted in semi-clandestine fashion, came after the council had delayed action several times in the face of public outrage over yet another handout to one of the worlds richest men. Dan Gilbert onstage at TechCrunch in 2014 [Photo by Steve Jennings / CC BY 4.0 The tax break vote came the same week as reports indicating Fords plans to cut 8,000 salaried jobs, including thousands of jobs in Michigan, would not disqualify the company from receiving $100 million in tax credits. Ford had pledged to invest $1 billion in Michigan to expand manufacturing operations. The Detroit council vote paves the way for Gilberts real estate firm Bedrock to receive a 10-year tax abatement for the construction of a skyscraper on the site of the old Hudsons department store in downtown Detroit. Gilbert claimed that the abatement was crucial to securing bank loans to finance completion of the project. The projects cost has risen to $1.4 billion, from a projected $909 million when it began in 2017. Gilbert saw his fortune multiply during the pandemic, a time when COVID ravaged the city, one of the poorest big cities in the US. The founder and CEO of predatory mortgage lending company Quicken Loans saw his net wealth soar to over $50 billion at one point during the pandemic, making him for a time the 10th richest man in the world. Council members justified Gilberts tax break based on Bedrocks dubious promise to build more affordable housing units in Detroit. Under the plan, Bedrock agreed to make 30 percent of new housing available at rent considered affordable to those earning 60-80 percent of the citys median income, or no more than $37,620 a year, an amount more than the starting wage at most Detroit factories, including auto plants. The new structure will contain a 12-story mid-rise building with office and event space and a 49-story high-rise with a 225-room hotel, as well as luxury condos and apartment space. It is set to be completed in 2024. In a statement to the Detroit News, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said, City Council members have done a great job to make sure the Hudsons project includes the kind of community benefits that are important to all Detroiters, especially the affordable housing. I appreciate their hard work on this and am in full support of the agreement they have reached with the developer. Among those lobbying in favor of the tax handout was the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, which claimed the project would create jobs, or more precisely, more dues income for the union bureaucrats. This is hardly the first time that Gilbert has extorted public funds for his projects. The Hudsons site and other Gilbert properties received $618 million in brownfield tax credits prior to the start of construction in 2017. Most of that money was part of legislation termed the Gilbert bills, which contained an overall $1 billion in tax breaks. The legislation carried the unique provision that taxpayers would send their payments essentially to Gilbert and other wealthy individuals, bypassing the state treasury. The passage of the bill was preceded by a massive lobbying effort by Gilberts Quicken Loans, including campaign contributions to Michigan legislators. After decades of plundering of the city by financial sharks, culminating in the 2014 Detroit bankruptcy that slashed pensions and city services, Detroit workers are boiling angry over yet more handouts to the super-wealthy. City Council President Mary Sheffield, who voted for the tax cuts, conceded that a poll conducted by her own office found only 56 percent in favor of the deal. One angry resident posted, Dan Gilbert bought two lavish multi-million dollar mansions in Palm Beach Florida in 2020 and needed no help to do so. Now he turns to the political light-weights who run Detroit and tells them that he cant finish his private building without more help from them and they cash in all of our tax money. Ford extorted $250 million from Detroit in 2018 for redevelopment of the old Michigan Central Train station for a new tech campus, more than one-third of the cost of the project. However, the 5,000 jobs Ford claimed would result from the project have yet to materialize, and with the recent layoff announcements, likely never will. Earlier this month, General Motors revealed for the first time that it received $3.8 billion in tax credits in the wake of the 2009 bankruptcy for the period 2010-2029. A unanimous decision by the Michigan Supreme Court mandated that the company reveal the full amount of the tax credit, which had been kept secret. The action came as the result of a lawsuit. The tax handout to Gilbert takes place as the city prepares to resume its brutal water shutoff policy suspended during the pandemic. The expensive investment projects downtown have done nothing to help workers in Detroits blighted neighborhoods, suffering from high levels of poverty and lack of access to basic services like public transport and decent street lighting. More than 60,000 Detroit residents have overdue water bills out of 220,000 residential customers, with an average debt of $700. The passage of the tax break for billionaire Gilbert comes amid reports that the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program has stopped taking new applications in Michigan. The program helped thousands of Detroit resident avert eviction during the pandemic. Eviction filings in Detroit have been steadily rising since 2021. Housing agencies report they are preparing for an influx of people seeking emergency shelter. Meanwhile, hundreds of Detroit homeowners continue to face eviction for past-due property taxes. No restitution has been awarded to Detroit homeowners who were overtaxed $600 million between 2010-2016. According to the Michigan Constitution no property can be assessed at more than 50 percent of its market value, but the city assessed 55 percent to 85 percent of value. Activist groups claim the tax gouging caused 100,000 people to lose their homes. A bill to provide partial restitution to homeowners was killed in 2020 because Mayor Duggan claimed the city did not have the money to pay. Pahoa High and Intermediate School [Photo by Pahoa High via facebook.com] Hawaii Democratic Governor David Ige and the Hawaii State Department of Health (HDOH) have issued new COVID-19 guidelines for K-12 schools which essentially do away with all mitigation measures to contain the pandemic, in keeping with the Biden administrations abandonment of whatever remains of COVID restrictions. While the new guidance embraces the let it rip approach to the pandemic that is being implemented throughout the country and the world, the HDOH has gone through the motions of attempting to provide a scientific veneer for the issuance of the new guidelines. This consists of lies, obfuscations and the cherry-picking of old studies which were debunked as soon as the peer review process started. Specifically, the new guidance cites flawed studies done in the fall of 2020 that claimed that schools were not a source of community transmission. Even if one were to accept these studies as good coinand no one shouldthe HDOH states that these studies have shown that transmission rates within school settings are typically lower than or similar to community transmission levels when multiple layered prevention strategies are in place. The HDOH then goes on to state that its new guidance for COVID-19 is intentionally layered, flexible, and aligned with CDCs Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools. What this means in actuality is that the HDOHs new COVID-19 guidelines are nothing of the sort. They essentially do away with even the pretense of mitigation measures, instead simply making the claim that keeping up to date on ones vaccines or having had the virus before is enough to ensure immunity. The summary of the new guidance consists of the following: Individual case investigation, close contact identification, and quarantine of in-school exposures are not recommended for routine in-school exposures. Indoor masking should be strongly encouraged when COVID-19 community levels are at medium or high. Schools should provide masks to students who do not have masks at school but want to use them. Universal indoor masking or targeted indoor masking (e.g., in a class or grade level) is strongly recommended in specific situations (e.g., high absenteeism, cluster of cases, outbreak). In summary: No quarantining, no masking and students come back to the classroom five days after testing positive as long they do not have a fever. Included in the snake oil the HDOH is peddling is the absurd claim that asymptomatic people do not transmit the disease. It should be noted that on the day the guidelines were announced, the daily average of cases stood at 573, with a seven-day test positivity rate average standing at 15.7 percent. The new guidance was issued two weeks before schools were set to reopen, leaving many teachers and parents scrambling for answers to what is going on as well as ways to coordinate a response to the unsafe conditions they will be forced to endure. The World Socialist Web Site spoke to one teacher who was so angry with the new guidance, that she has been attempting to organize a walkout by teachers and students. Michelle Lindsay Lewis is a teacher at Pahoa High and Intermediate School on the Big Island of Hawaii. She is originally from Michigan and has been working as a teacher in Hawaii for three years after stints as an adjunct professor at a number of colleges and universities in Indiana. Michelle Lindsay Lewis, an English teacher at Pahoa High & Intermediate School [Photo] 84.7 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches There is one school district in the state, the Hawaii Department of Education or Hawaii Public Schools, which covers 184,760 students in 294 K-12 schools on the six main populated islands. Pahoa High and Intermediate is part of the rural Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex area, one of the poorest in the state. The percentage of Pahoa High and Intermediate School students on free and reduced lunch assistance, or Title 1, is 84.7 percent, significantly higher than the state average of 46.9 percent. Pahoa High and Intermediate has 671 students in grades 7-12, more than half of whom are Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. According to Civilbeat.org, the population in this complex area faces food insecurity, housing instability and inadequate infrastructure, including unreliable transportation and internet access that serve as barriers to learning. In the Kau-Keaau-Pahoa district there are only four psychologists available, a ratio of about one for every 1,400 students, far below the ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists of one per 500 students. The WSWS asked Michelle what she thought of the new COVID-19 guidance, and she said that she was highly upset with the new guidelines. She continued, The governor didnt announce it until two weeks before school started so that we couldnt mobilize. Theres no time, but I have to try, morally. Michelle and other teachers complained to the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) and did not hear back. After getting no response, Michelle said: We have no support from the union. I emailed our union rep [about the elimination of COVID protections and measures], I got a letter back from her and she basically said, unfortunately, since the school year has not started yet, we cannot file a grievance at this time. The contract violation must have occurred before any agreements can be filed. She told me to talk to the principal and ask if I can make indoor masking in just my classroom. Thats not going to fly. In reference to the section of the guidelines on schools providing masks for students, Michelle made the point: Last year when we were running out of masks to give the students, the principal said, Well, they should have their own. And so, the teachers had to buy the masks. Because what are you going to do? You have to have them. Last year, Hawaii still had everything. We had masks, we had social distancing three feet apart, but at least it was something; and close contact quarantines. Now the school semester is about to start. We go back next week, and the kids come back August 3. The governor decreed that we will have no masks, no social distancing and no quarantining whatsoever. I mean, all the COVID protections are just completely gone! No protection whatsoever! So Im furious. The science is crystal clear here. One in five adults gets Long COVID. People are focusing on COVID deaths going down. Youre right, but now Long COVID is up, and that means micro blood clots and brain damage for some people for the rest of their lives. If we have 50 million school kids going back to school without masks, with no COVID safety precautions, 25.24 percent of those kids that get infected with COVID will get Long COVID. And many will suffer brain damage and micro blood clots. This is morally wrong. These are children! I cannot believe that we are willing to sacrifice these children on the altar of money. Its vile! Power doesnt give power back The lack of action by the HSTA infuriated Michelle. She said, And thats the other thing. Our union said we have to have like a supermajority of support to file a grievance. Whats the point of the union? I pay $100 a month to these people, $100 a month of my good, hard-earned money, and they cant protect me in any way? They cant protect children in any way? When the WSWS reporter asked her what she thought about the WSWS call for rank-and-file committees, Michelle said: I think thats amazing! I think you know if anything is going to happen, power doesnt give power back. So, you know, its got to be a grassroots thing. Were the 99 percent, and we need to take the power back from the 1 percent. Its something that I dont think is too radical at this point. I am an advocate for walkouts, for disrupting the system, for disrupting supply lines, disrupting the system. The 1 percent shouldnt be comfortable while we are not, and were paying for it. Growing up in Michigan, we moved around a lot, and we lived in Westland, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Trenton. You know, I watched my mom walk the picket line. She used to work at the Livonia Chevy plant. I watched GM try to bring scabs across, and there were fights. They got bloody. I watched my mom put her body on the line for that. And now these unions are like, Send letters, talk to your principal. No, Im ready to put my body on the line to save our children. And I cant fathom that other people are not. Michelle made the connection that workers and students problems were not going to be solved by either of the two parties of big business. She stated, The government is sanctioning death and suffering that were paying for. I just cant get over it. Were paying for it. And it doesnt matter whether its Democrat or Republican. Theyre both corrupt. The wealth inequality right now across the world is greater than at any other point in history. Revolutions have happened way before this level of wealth inequality. You know, they don't represent us. They dont care. Mitch McConnell the other day said something like were all still living off the fat of those stimulus checks. The $3,000 you sent us a year ago? They have no clue. They dont even live in the same world that we do. She also expressed her support for the campaign of the WSWS against the attacks on Dr. David Berger in Australia who is being threatened with deregistration by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency over his social media condemnations of the governments let it rip coronavirus policies. She said, I cant believe they censured him over science. I mean, these are provable facts. These are published, peer-reviewed scholarly scientific studies that no one in power is listening to. Its insane because they serve big business. As Michelle said, Its time for something else. ... The unions are just worthless. COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths continue to surge across Australia, reaching record highs over the past week. 157 deaths were reported on Friday, the highest number on any single day of the pandemic. In the week ending Sunday, 674 Australians died from the virus, an average of 96 per day, more than double the rate at the end of June. It took 547 days for Australia to reach the grim milestone of 1,000 total COVID-19 fatalities. The last 1,000 deaths were recorded in just 12 days. COVID-19 deaths in Australia in 2022 [Photo: WSWS] In the early stages of the pandemic, Australian governments were forced by the demands of workers to implement public health measures including border closures, partial lockdowns, free PCR testing and mask mandates. As a result, by December 31, 2021, the country had recorded only 2,239 COVID-19 deaths. The more than 9,700 deaths that have occurred in the past seven months are the direct result of the dismantling of virtually all such mitigations by every Australian government, state, territory and federal, Labor and Liberal-National alike. Despite multiple claims throughout the year by government health officials and in the media that cases and deaths have peaked, the weekly death toll has remained above 100 since January. The reality is, the homicidal let it rip agenda has created the conditions for an unending series of COVID-19 waves, each potentially more infectious and deadly than the last. Prior to the December reopening, the highest number of new infections recorded in a seven-day period was just over 16,000. By contrast, every week this year more than 130,000 new cases have been recorded, despite the tearing down of mass testing facilities and the removal of requirements for regular surveillance testing of workers and school students. Over the past two weeks, an average of more than 45,000 new infections have been reported each day. The latest surge in Australia and worldwide is being driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which are extremely immune-evasive and almost as infectious as measles. Despite this, the ruling class, with recently elected Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the helm, has made clear it will do nothing to address the soaring rates of infection and death. In line with the demands of big business, and in open defiance of the advice of disease experts and health authorities, governments are refusing to reinstate mask mandates or other basic public health measures and are continuing to remove the few remaining protections. There have now been more than 9.4 million infections recorded across Australia, 96 percent of which have occurred since January 1. Under conditions where testing and contact tracing has been dismantled, even these figures are likely vast undercounts. Based on a recent serological survey of blood donor samples, researchers at the Kirby Institute estimate that at least 46 percent of Australian adults had been infected with COVID-19 by early June, almost three times the level of infection found in February. The continual emergence of new variants as a result of capitalist governments worldwide, with the exception of China, allowing COVID-19 to spread unchecked means that reinfection is increasingly common. The extremely limited reinfection data published by Australian health authorities show that tens of thousands of people across the country have already been infected with COVID-19 multiple times. Growing sections of the population are developing lingering symptoms known as Long COVID, which can affect nearly every organ in the body. An estimated 10-30 percent of those who contract COVID-19 will be hit by Long COVID. Hospitalisation is at record levels, surpassing the January peak, with 5,571 COVID-19 patients in Australian hospitals on July 26, more than twice the number reported on June 1. Several major hospitals, in particular in Victoria and Queensland, have again been forced to postpone elective surgery due to the COVID-19 surge. Dr Patrick Lo, a neurosurgeon, told the Age that the mental toll of repeated delays is akin to psychological torture for the more than 80,000 Victorians on the surgical waitlist. The hospital system was in crisis even before the pandemic, but the surge of COVID-19 infection has both increased demand for patient care and exacerbated staff shortages. In New South Wales alone, more than 2,600 health care workers are currently unable to work due to COVID-19 infection or exposure. In an anonymous interview with the Canberra Times, one nurse from the Canberra Hospital emergency department described patients lining the walls of corridors and said: Its very, very, very common for nurses to be going to afternoon tea, lunch, a break and youll walk past someone and theyre barely conscious. Theyre grey, theyre blue, theyre having a fit and no one is there looking after that person. Every time I walk down a corridor, Im terrified Im going to find someone dead in a bed. Similar reports have emerged across every state and territory, with continued ambulance ramping and life-threatening delays of care. Rebecca Thompson, a nurse from Western Australia who resigned last month, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that both junior and senior nurses are leaving the profession in droves due to the intolerable conditions. She said: One of the biggest things that hit me most was some dear friends of mine who are senior nurses came away crying from their shift because they had three palliative care patients and were not a palliative care ward You dont have time to safely see your patients anymore, the patients are in the corridor, you cant give them any dignity. The virus is being allowed to tear through aged care facilities, with more than 1,000 active outbreaks in facilities across the country. Since the beginning of the year, 2,477 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in aged care, out of a total of 3,394 since the start of the pandemic. The surging death toll and refusal to reinstate public health measures to stop the spread of the virus demonstrates the commitment of the federal Labor government, like its predecessor, to implement the demands of big business and profit over the lives of the population. The lies of Labors election campaign, including that Labor would bring back dignity to aged care, have been thoroughly exposed. With the stench of eugenics, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly last week described the thousands of coronavirus deaths of elderly people as a delayed reaping after the first eighteen months of the pandemic, during which COVID-19 rates were relatively low and influenza virtually non-existent. This declaration, by the countrys highest-ranking health official, that those killed by the pandemic are too old and frail to be worth protecting, is a sharp expression of the callous and homicidal attitude of the entire ruling class, in Australia and around the world. It is also bound up with the lie that young people are not seriously affected by COVID-19. On July 24, a girl died of COVID-19 two weeks before her second birthday and there have been at least 15 COVID-19 deaths recorded in children less than nine years old. New infections are predominantly among young people and are rampant throughout schools. In line with the role of the unions throughout the pandemic in enforcing the let it rip policies of governments, at the cost of workers health and lives, Health Services Union president Gerard Hayes recently rejected any suggestion of a nominal right to work from home clause in enterprise agreements. Hayes declared on July 22: It may prevent the spread of COVID, it may go some way to prevent the spread of flu, but it may well go to spread more mental health issues. The relentless campaign by governments, health officials, unions and the corporate media to downplay the severity of COVID-19 underscores their motivation to silence principled health professionals and scientists such as Dr David Berger, who are not only warning about the dangers of the pandemic, but advocating for the reintroduction of measures to protect health and lives. The working class must oppose the policy of mass infection and death, and take up a fight for the elimination of COVID-19. This requires a break with Labor and the trade unions and the formation of democratically controlled rank-and-file committees in workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods, to enable workers to take matters into their own hands. The WSWS continues to receive statements defending Dr David Berger and opposing the censorship of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) Twitter account, which was locked for over a week, after it posted a video defending Dr Berger, Julian Assange and free speech. Dr David Berger (Image: Supplied) Dr David Berger is a respected Australian physician and dedicated zero-COVID advocate who is being threatened with deregistration by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) over his social media condemnations of the governments let it rip coronavirus policies. We urge workers, young people and professionals to continue to speak out in defence of Dr Berger and freedom of speech. Since the publication of our first article on July 8, calling on scientists, health workers and other sections of workers to come to Dr Bergers defence, the WSWS has published fifteen articles compiling statements of support, including from workers, students and professionals. Statements of support can be emailed here. Please indicate in the email how you would like to be identified in our next article, and if you want to include a photo, please attach one to the email. Steve, a construction worker from Sydney: The attack on Dr David Berger is an attempt to suppress and censor any opposition to the government policies of letting COVID-19 rip throughout society. He is being targeted because his opposition is medically sound and scientifically based. In contrast the governments policies are not based on science or sound medical practicethe removal of basic public health measures and the reopening of society is to ensure that nothing affects the profit-making activities of corporations. Dr Bergers fight for zero-COVID represents the interests of the vast majority of people, the working class, whose continued suffering under the spread of COVID could have been prevented. He and other leading medical experts have made it clear the pandemic could have been ended, in six months or less, if governments around the world had implemented correct public health policies. China is an example of how lockdowns work in stopping the spread. In New Zealand and Australia, the virus was previously suppressed through the implementation of public health measures, even though these were half-measures and semi-lockdowns. These experiences prove an elimination policy aimed at zero COVID can be implemented scientifically on a world scale. The censorship of Dr Berger is part of worldwide trend to silence any voice of opposition to government policies, including opposition to the drive to war and the policies of austerity carried out against the working class. Western governments claim they are fighting authoritarian regimes, such as Putin in Russia, yet they are threatening a doctor with a re-education program for calling out policies that have resulted in millions of infections and deaths! It is Orwellian. Workers, professionals and young people should come to the defence of Dr Berger. AHPRAs censorship is part of a broader attack on democratic rights and freedom of speech. This includes the continued and unrelenting persecution of Julian Assange, whose so-called offense was exposing the war crimes of the US government and its counterparts globally. Vicki, from South Australia: The treatment of Dr Berger is sinister, to say the least. Silencing a doctors views, and talk of a special education program, smacks of something out of a totalitarian nightmare. What is the government attempting to hide by this treatment? Furthermore, a video in which Dr Berger featured, which was on the SEP Twitter page, led to the SEPs Twitter account being locked. Vicki I was outraged by this and attempted, within my capacity, to spread the message of this undemocratic act by Twitter. Although the Twitter account is now active again, it doesnt change the way Twitter handled the whole affair. Twitters comments that they made an error still doesnt answer what exactly they saw in the video as violating Twitter policy. Personally, I dont believe it was an error but clearly linked to the SEPs continuous campaign to expose the governments disastrous handling of COVID, as well as its betrayal of Julian Assange. The SEP has supported Dr David Berger, a GP who has criticised the governments let it rip policy on COVID, advocating an eliminationist stance. SEP Australias support of Dr David Berger is in line with the partys consistent criticism of the governments profits-driven approach to COVID, which is causing much suffering and sickness in the community. The SEPs description of the company as being faceless, voiceless and uncontactable, is correct, as well as their conclusion that this very fact makes it almost impossible to get complaints heardif not completely ignored altogether. This makes it even more urgent for workers to unite against the control corporations and government are beginning to have on our freedom of speech, and our lives. Mary, health administration worker, Northern Rivers, New South Wales: I am writing to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the censorship undertaken by Twitter against the Socialist Equality Party by locking their Twitter account. This was an outrageous and desperate attempt by Twitter to silence the growing opposition being expressed to the social murder policies of capitalist governments. Millions of workers are trying to find ways to defend themselves. Many of them expressing their efforts, rage, dismay, and fear on their Twitter accounts and are calling out for governments to do something. In response, governments are imposing the unrestricted spread of the deadly SARS2-Covid-19 Pandemic on masses of people globally. In Australia, the newly-elected Albanese Labor government is rapidly shredding any illusions workers had in them to fix this problem. Albanese has refused to call for even the most minimal of measures by refusing to implement a mask mandate to slow the spread of the disease, saying this would harm peoples mental health. Workers on Twitter are expressing intense anger, declaring their intention to never vote Labor again. It is clear the pandemic, imperialist war, inequality and the climate catastrophe combined are the result of the collapse and decay of capitalism as a system. The capitalist class must be stopped. Workers are drawing the necessary conclusions, and Twitter is trying to prevent the development of this process. This is revealed in their restricting a video that links the struggles of Dr David Berger, Australian Medical Practitioner and advocate for zero Covid, with that of Julian Assange, persecuted publisher of WikiLeaks, and Lisa Diaz and David OSullivan, worker advocates from the UK. The only way for the working class to survive is to take the power out of the hands of the current Oligarchs of the financial elites and fight for a planned world socialist society, where profits and individual wealth are subordinated to human needs. On July 28, French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris with full state honors. Macrons greeting of the man universally acknowledged to have ordered the grisly 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi underscores the fraud of French imperialisms democratic pretensionsin particular, its claims to be helping US-NATO defend democracy against Russia amid the war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday July 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly) Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who worked for the Washington Post, was tortured, murdered and dismembered on October 2, 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. He was seeking official documents in order to marry Turkish author Hatice Cengiz. His body parts were removed by a team of Saudi intelligence agents linked to bin Salman. Saudi Arabia has recognized what is universally known: that bin Salman had Khashoggi butchered in cold blood. Saudi officials told Turkish investigators that a fight broke out, leading to his death and to their attempt to conceal what happened. Nonetheless, Macron greeted bin Salman at the Elysee presidential palace and gave him a long handshake in front of the television cameras. Macrons decision to meet bin Salman amounts to an official endorsement by the French head of state of the crown princes public use of murder as a tool of domestic political repression. It confirms the criminalization of the capitalist regime in France and internationally. Last week, Cengiz denounced Macrons decision to greet bin Salman as a criminal gesture bound up with attempts to attain cheaper oil from Saudi Arabia. She said, I am scandalized and outraged that Emmanuel Macron is receiving with all the honors the executioner of my fiance, Jamal Khashoggi. The surge in energy prices because of the war in Ukraine cannot justify thatin the name of alleged realpolitikwe absolve the person responsible for Saudi policy towards political opponents. Treating bin Salmans brazen murder of Khashoggi as completely unremarkable, the French press laid out a series of pragmatic geopolitical arguments in favor of greeting bin Salman in Paris. The US-NATO war with Russia in Ukraine means that Europe needs Middle East oil and gas to replace Russian energy exports, declared Camille Lons, a researcher at Londons International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. The war in Ukraine has put the energy-producing countries back in the spotlight, and they are taking advantage of it, she said. Others reported that Macron hopes to invite bin Salman to a summit in Baghdad, if US-Iran talks on a nuclear treaty break down. It was perhaps CAPmena consulting firm executive Francois Touazi, who most crassly laid out for Le Monde the motives leading Macron and major French corporations to line up behind Saudi Arabias killer prince. He said, Bin Salmans big projects, the Neom [an eco-futurist mega-city] and beach resorts on the Red Sea are now getting going. With the rising price of oil, the kingdoms treasury is full. Our corporations cannot miss the boat. Whatever the precise calculations, an undeniable stench of murder and hypocrisy hangs over the talks between Paris and Riyadh. Bin Salman arrived in France at the newly-built Chateau Louis XIV in Louveciennes outside Paris near King Louis XIVs actual royal palace, now a national museum, at Versailles. Bin Salman allegedly owns the massive facility, having acquired it through a series of shell companies for 275 million, leading Fortune magazine to dub it the worlds most expensive home. In a ghoulish twist, it was built by Jamal Khashoggis cousin, Emad, who runs a French property development business. While he went into Paris for talks with Macron at the Elysee, bin Salman stayed at the garish Chateau Louis XVI throughout. He has, according to the Times of India, installed there a gold-leafed fountain, a cinema, as well as an underwater glass chamber in the moat that resembles a giant aquarium with white leather sofas. A large detachment of French riot police, as well as private security guards ringed the Chateau Louis XIV during bin Salmans stay. This grotesque display must be taken as a warning to workers in France and internationally. A president and a media establishment that can greet and celebrate a murderer like bin Salman are capable of any crime. Indeed, the brazenness of the crown princes visit is matched only by the hypocrisy of the French parliamentary opposition parties posturing as humanitarian critics of bin Salman. Green party legislator Sandrine Rousseau said: It shows we are ready to compromise on our values for oil. Saudi Arabia is a country that punishes homosexuality with the death penalty and shamelessly kills Yemens civilian population. Despite this the Greens have not called a single significant protest while Macron threatened to prosecute journalists who revealed that France was arming the Saudi monarchy for war in Yemen. Daniele Obono, a member of Jean-Luc Melenchons Unsubmissive France party, said: Putin attacks Ukraine: boycott! Bin Salman, accused of murdering journalist J. Khashoggi and of ordering attacks in Yemen in a war that has claimed over 300,000 lives: welcome. Hypocrites! In reality, the greatest political criminals are the imperialist powers and the petty-bourgeois parties who provide political cover for their wars. As bloody as bin Salmans record is, it pales in comparison to the 30 years of NATO wars that followed the 1991 Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union. NATO countries bombed, invaded or provoked civil wars in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Mali and beyond. These wars cost millions of lives, turned tens of millions into refugees and left entire societies shattered. In this, Melenchon himself played a significant role. He worked to call off protests against the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq as part of Frances Socialist Party (PS) government at the time and was a PS minister when France invaded Afghanistan in 2001. He has endorsed the war in Mali and joined the French media chorus condemning Russia after the 2014 NATO-backed coup in Kiev led to the outbreak of civil war in Ukraine. Trying to hide some of the stench of Macrons policy in an editorial titled Mohammed bin Salman: an embarrassing visit, Le Monde complained: Russian propaganda did not fail to exploit this episode to question Western intentions on Ukraine. It continued: Denunciations by a growing number of countries of the hypocrisy of Western positions based on different levels of indignation, according to whether it is targeting our geopolitical friends or enemies, are nothing new. The resentment has long been building up. The lies that justified the invasions of Iraq and then Libya have helped discredit the claims of Western democracies. There is a striking contrast between the international emotion and mobilization over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the deafening silence since 2015 on the Saudi war in Yemen. The reason for the deafening silence is that newspapers like Le Monde and its political allies every day denounce Russia while covering for Saudi Arabia. They do not object to the lies that they retail to the public in the pursuit of their imperialist geostrategic interests. Rather, they are angry that these lies are challenged and provoke opposition and disgust among masses of workers. As Europe teeters on the verge of all-out world war between US-NATO and Russia, it is a warning of the utter rottenness of the ruling class. Paris is not only giving bin Salman carte blanche for his next crime, but signaling its willingness to perpetrate its own crimes on an even greater scale. The following statement was ratified by the Kroger Workers Rank-and-File Committee. To contact the committee and for information on how to join, fill out the form at the bottom of this article. A Kroger store sign (Wikimedia Commons/mcsquishee) Dear brothers and sisters of UFCW Local 1059, Kroger workers in the Columbus, Ohio region: The Kroger Workers Rank-and-File Committee stands behind your courageous rejection, by 71 percent, of the UFCW-Kroger sellout contract and supports your continued struggle for the best contract possible. But the question you now face is: What next? The UFCW can only be expected to keep you in the dark about bargaining after you voted down the contract. Expect little to no information from your reps or stewards, and they will not give you any idea when they will present the next proposal, whether in the next two weeks or four. While you have not seen the new proposal yet, do not assume its going to be good enough just because youve voted down the first deal. The fact that they responded to the vote by immediately extending the old contract, without consulting even one Kroger worker, shows what they have in store is another betrayal. For this reason, the Kroger Workers Rank-and-File Committee encourages workers at Columbus stores to start organizing with your coworkers to fight back against both management and the UFCWs betrayal NOW. Join our rank-and-file committee and form one in your own store. Local 1059 may be silent now, but they are likely to use the same tactics they used in Indianapolis and in countless other instances. Stay strong! You must decide yourselves what your own strategy must be. To begin, we suggest: Demand an end to contract extensions and that the UFCW begin preparations for a strike immediately. Demand that UFCW end the closed-door negotiations with Kroger and replace the mediator with oversight by the rank-and-file workers themselves through livestreaming all negotiations. Demand that UFCW end the closed-door negotiations with Kroger and replace the mediator with oversight by the rank-and-file workers themselves through livestreaming all negotiations. Demand full pay and benefits from the strike fund you are entitled to in the event of a strike. You already have been paying dues into your own strike fund. Do not allow the UFCW to scare you with financial threats. The union is likely to target those who didnt vote correctly the last time. They may mislead them on the ratification bonus. Younger workers may think theyre only here temporarily, but talk to them to help them understand that this is their struggle too; whether they return later or move into another job, the contract they fight for now can make a difference for the conditions for the whole working class in the years to come. You already have been paying dues into your own strike fund. Do not allow the UFCW to scare you with financial threats. The union is likely to target those who didnt vote correctly the last time. They may mislead them on the ratification bonus. Younger workers may think theyre only here temporarily, but talk to them to help them understand that this is their struggle too; whether they return later or move into another job, the contract they fight for now can make a difference for the conditions for the whole working class in the years to come. Organize your coworkers to support one another to resist pressure from management and the union and to fight for a contract that will benefit us all. In the last vote, you organized to fight for the no vote in spite of the UFCWs best attempts to make it difficult, when you formed your own carpools. Make plans to do so again and find one or two people in your store willing to be carpool captains who can start a list of willing drivers and people who will need rides. Use social media to make connections with people from other stores to plan and share information. In the last vote, you organized to fight for the no vote in spite of the UFCWs best attempts to make it difficult, when you formed your own carpools. Make plans to do so again and find one or two people in your store willing to be carpool captains who can start a list of willing drivers and people who will need rides. Use social media to make connections with people from other stores to plan and share information. Make plans to organize rank-and-file workers to oversee the next round of voting. Workers may elect a vote captain or two from the shop floor of each store who are willing to lead workers to watch the counting and report any suspicious procedures. Make plans to meet up with vote captains from the other stores and organize private means of communication that are not allowed to be infiltrated by UFCW officials. Time and time again we have seen the union take the side of the company after we tell them to take a hike with a no vote. While you are waiting for the next company-friendly offer that the UFCW is going to try to push through, prepare for these actions NOW so that you have your own strategy to counter theirs. Reach out to us and let us know what you are doing. We offer our support to you, from Indiana to Georgia to Arizona and Tennessee. Our members represent several different stores within the Kroger umbrella and we work in different departments, and our aim is to unite the hundreds of thousands of Kroger workers who are all fighting against the same corporation. This statement is not only written in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Columbus, but with Kroger workers facing struggles in the near future across the US: Fort Wayne, Indiana; Toledo, Ohio and Nevada, and more. We stand behind you and will offer you organizational and political support for your struggle for better wages and working conditions and a future for yourselves and the generations to come. Catherine is a neurocognitive disorder expert who has worked with Alzheimer patients for 15 years in both government-run and private long-term care facilities in Quebec, Canada. She is actively following the science of the pandemic, including the growing number of studies showing Alzheimers-like changes in the brain of COVID-infected individuals. As a mother of a preschool-aged child, Catherine is also concerned about the high risk of contagion in schools. Residents of Canadas long-term care facilities have suffered particularly badly during the pandemic. Thousands died in the early months of 2020 as governments of all political stripes refused to take adequate measures to protect residents and staff. Decades of savage austerity policies pursued by all levels of government and the single-minded pursuit of profit by for-profit companies, left long-term care facilities totally unprepared to cope with COVID-19. In Ontario and Quebec, provincial governments were forced to call in the military to avert a complete collapse of long-term care. Catherine recently spoke to the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic about her experiences and hostility to the ruling elites let it rip policy. To share your own experiences with the inquest, contact us. * * * Laurent Lafrance (LL): Can you start by describing what you do for a living and your expertise? Catherine (C): I am currently working as a trainer and support group counsellor. I also work directly with patients suffering from neurocognitive disorders. In my training groups, I train professionals in the medical and non-medical field on how to work and better understand Alzheimers disease. I have recently started working privately with several clients who have been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers and who are post-COVID infection. Before this, I worked 15 years in government-run and private residences. Canadian military personnel deployed at a Quebec long-term care home during the pandemic's first wave in the spring of 2020. LL: How has the pandemic impacted you, both personally and professionally? C: In terms of my personal experience, I am home full time with my child who is too young to be vaccinated. My priority is and will always be to keep my child home and safe with me. I have always worked with the senior population, so seeing the devastation and the suffering the pandemic has caused has been devastating to watch. LL: Can you speak on COVID-19s impacts on your patients and the growing scientific evidence showing parallels between COVID brain changes and Alzheimers disease? C: The impact I am seeing on my clients post-COVID is something I hadnt seen previously in the years I have worked in this field. The cognitive decline post-COVID infection is immense, thus confirming the impact this virus has on the brain. On the scientific side, there are studies showing that the brain of some COVID-infected individuals, even young people, develop the same abnormalities as someone suffering from Alzheimersspecifically, the protein-beta amyloid that accumulates into amyloid plaques. For those suffering from Alzheimers, it has a devastating impact because these plaques were already there before the COVID infection. They suffer from memory loss, severe aphasia, agnosia and/or apraxia. Some may have multiple strokes. I have personally seen many cases of this recently. We see it not as a coincidence, but rather a consequence of COVID infection. LL: Have your patients had their lives cut short due to COVID-19? C: For my clients, their lives have been robbed because of their cognitive diagnosis, so the fact that their infection has worsened their condition is devastating. It is the infection that accelerates the disease. Its vascular and neurological. Its horrible for the family of the person with Alzheimers who is diagnosed with COVID. Yes, people will degenerate faster and die faster. There are forms of dementia that will progress much faster, but not at the rate I have seen in some of my post-COVID clients. Most had somewhat normal lives before getting infected with COVID-19. Some even worked part-time and unfortunately had to stop. For instance, one client I had was working part-time and four months later he was permanently stuck in a wheelchair. Family members are now faced with incredibly hard decisions: trying to find a home that is catered to a younger generation, caring for their loved one who now has paralysis, and the list goes on. To answer the question directly, yes, their lives have been cut short, and the few good and happy years that they could have had with their loved ones have been taken away from them due to being infected with this virus. LL: Can you comment specifically on the policies of the federal Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the fact that he has been infected multiple times? As you are from Montreal, can you also tell us what you think of the provincial Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) governments handling of the pandemic? C: At the beginning I had hopes in Trudeau, but as the months passed I changed my mind. Trudeau never declared any kind of emergency, he has never been proactive, never said, This is what we will do across Canada. Trudeau was himself infected twice, but he and the media swept it under the rug. He never used the occasion to warn the population of the dangers of COVID, such as Long COVID, let alone remind people of the importance of health protections such as masks. Its terrible. Trudeau should have intervened, hes the prime minister of Canada, he has the platform. But he refused to do so. In Quebec it was a total catastrophe! Being someone who has worked in nursing homes, Ive struggled to come to terms with the disaster that took place in long-term care homes. We now see interviews and press conferences with government and health authorities saying the CAQ did well, while Quebec officially registered more than 15,500 deaths out of a population of 8 million. There was never a genuine lockdown. And there was never any gradual reopening. Premier Francois Legault decided to lift the mask mandate when cases were going up. He greenlighted Montreals Formula 1 Grand Prixwhere tens, even hundreds, of thousands of people, from all over the world convergedand lifted mask mandates on public transport that same weekend. Its almost a joke. Its dystopian and Im wondering what planet were living on? This plan of mass infecting the population including the vulnerable population is criminal. I think every single leader that has decided to give in and not strive for Zero-COVID is responsible for the unfolding catastrophe, as is the media for amplifying their criminal messaging of the virus being mild and not a big deal. Journalists who have not asked the hard questions and failed to hold political and health leaders accountable for their lies and false messaging, and anyone out there with any sort of platform spewing misinformationthey are all are responsible. LL: What crucial information do you think is being swept under the rug by the authorities? C: We have done and continue to sweep all crucial information under the rug regarding airborne transmission, Long COVID, and the impact this has on the entire populationincluding the most vulnerable and our children. We have yet to properly inform the public of the consequences this virus has. The primary issue is how the virus is transmitted. We spent our time gaslighting, making people believe that they could only get sick by droplets, by close contact, that they were protected behind these magical plexiglass dividers. If people knew from the beginning that it was spread like smoke, they could visually understand what that meant and modify their behaviors (better masks, ventilation, spending less time indoors etc). We have also failed to mention the long term effects of being infected. We dont need to look far to know that this virus affects virtually every organ in our bodies regardless of a mild infection. Long COVID is a major public health crisis and one we will be faced with for decades to come. We may think we have recovered, but months later suffer from cardiac diseases, blood clots, strokes, brain fog, kidney damage, and the list goes on and on. Long COVID affects anyone of any age, from the smallest to the oldest. If this information was shared more publicly, Im sure people wouldnt be so cavalier about this virus. There is no herd immunity with COVID. We have known this from the beginning, and it has been shown in numerous scientific studies. We are already seeing the short-term effect with people suffering from two or even three infections. Our government has thrown in the towel and has merely focused on vaccination, which we all know is only one tool in our toolbox. LL: Why do you think governments across Canada, whatever their political stripe, have adopted the same homicidal policies of letting the virus rip and normalizing death? C: Its the economy first. Schools must be opened so that parents can go to work. The economy must function at full capacity and we have to live with the virus. We only speak about the economy. We are being told, We cant stop production, we cant do this or that measure. Currently its the economy before lives. LL: Yes, profits before lives. For the ruling class, the death of elderly and vulnerable people is a positive good. It will reduce health care and long-term care costs as part of the elites drive to slash social expenditure and save profits through corporate tax cuts. Theres an element of eugenics, right? C: Yes, absolutely. To say They are old, they can die, yesits criminal. And when we look at statistics, its not only old people who die, but young people too. LL: The example of China shows that it is possible to eliminate the virus. As the WSWS and the various rank-and-file workers committeesincluding the Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (CERSC), of which I am the convenorargue, tried and tested public health measures could be implemented internationally to contain and ultimately eliminate the virus. These include closing schools and non-essential production with financial compensation for workers, accompanied by robust health measures such as testing, contact tracing and quarantining. C: I agree. We have to close things down and retake control of the situation. And its totally feasible, as we saw in China. Shanghai and Beijing have had no COVID cases after three months of measures. Was everyone happy to be locked down? Of course not, but we see that it works. First, masks have always been mandated, just like Co2 monitors, thats basic. In every country, authorities should maintain these mandates, and close when cases are going up. Lets recall that we had the opportunity to eliminate the virus back in 2020 and even in 2021, but governments in Canada have scrapped all the public health measures we had. At a certain point, there were only dozens of cases, but governments refused to eradicate it. And we are in the seventh wave now. Look at the example of BA.5. We had a chance here in Canada to have this crystal ball that is Europe to warn us two weeks in advance of what was coming. But with each wave we have been told, We didnt know it was that contagious and virulent. Now we have a variant that is 40 percent more transmissible and which evades vaccine protection. Yet, governments dont try to prevent transmission before it explodes. We have more than a month before schools reopen. Governments will again say that there is no danger, that we will let children get infected and infect their parents, who will have to go to work. It will never end in this way. LL: Theres also now a pandemic of Monkeypox. I know youve been following this. Can you talk to us about it? C: Once again, governments refuse to talk about it, including the fact that this virus can be fatal to children. We are being told its mainly gay men who get infected. They always hide the truth so that people falsely feel safe. It seems like all the problems start in the UK, where Boris Johnson eliminated all health measures during a wave of infection. Like for COVID, people in Canada were told Monkeypox circulated mainly in Europe, but maybe they dont know that hundreds of flights take off from Europe and travel across the globe every day. It starts like COVID. One case quickly spreads internationally. Women and children are now getting infected. Monkeypox is highly contagious, even through fomites, that is when one touches an infected surface. What concerns me the most is schools reopening with two pandemics. There is still no vaccine against COVID for under-fives and no vaccine against Monkeypox for under-18s. There will be a catastrophe this fall. LL: I also know that you express great sympathy for public sector workers, including health care and school workers. What do you think about the inaction of the union apparatuses during the pandemic in regards to the protection of their members? C: I find that horrible. My mom had worked in schools for 30 years until the pandemic arrived. We told her to take early retirement and it was a good decision because her school had a lot of COVID outbreaks. But the fact that nobody is there to protect workers is shocking. The media didnt talk about the school workers who died from COVID. I personally knew two workers in their 50s who died. One of them was mentioned in the news, but they downplayed it, saying it was because she had comorbidities. Educators and health care workers have been real heroes. They have held the fort, trying to protect themselves and their families as well as our children. We have seen some union leaders make limited criticisms here and there, but there has never been any follow-up. Its horrible, I lack words. We hear talk about labour shortages in schools, but Im sure many left because they felt unsafe or because they have Long COVID. I have teacher friends who are already stressed out with the idea of returning in September; a stress that is ignored. If you want to wear a mask you wear it; if not, you dont have to wear it. Those in charge, the government and school boards dont provide you anything, management doesnt help you. If youre sick you take your sick days and thats it. They are treated horribly and its shameful. Its the same for all public sector workers. LL: Thanks for this very informative discussion and for your courageous stance in fighting for Zero-COVID and against the current homicidal policies of the ruling class. Do you have anything to say in conclusion? C: All around the world, there are labour shortages and people unable to work or continue a normal life because of Long COVID. Children are also affected, and this virus could be robbing them of a healthy future. In the long-term, we will face waves and waves of cognitive decline and massive disabilities. By focusing on reducing transmission, we could have a more feasible plan, but it would need to include other measures such as masking and ventilation. We now know how to eliminate this virus. Why not give ourselves the best chance so that our children can live a normal life, so that we can go to work without stress, go shopping without the fear of catching a deadly disease? I would like to conclude by thanking the WSWSfor all its efforts to raise awareness of the dangers posed by COVID-19 and fighting for global elimination. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan in the next 24 hours, flanked by a US aircraft carrier, a destroyer, a cruiser and dozens of F-35 aircraft in a deliberate effort to provoke an escalation of the US-China conflict. Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan is deliberate and calculated provocation against China. The consequences are potentially catastrophic. Working people in the United States must oppose this deliberate provocation, carried out with the imprimatur of the White House, which threatens to spiral out of control, risking countless lives in Taiwan, China, the Asia/Pacific region and the United States itself. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in formation during RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, on July 28, 2022. (Canadian Armed Forces photo by Cpl. Djalma Vuong-De Ramos, 220728-O-CA231-2003) Figures within the US political establishment have made clear that any Chinese military response would be met with a military response by the United States. Zack Cooper, former National Security Council official, told the Washington Post, If the Chinese intentionally take action or if theres some sort of accident that leads to a real clashships or aircraft touch each other, or if you get a radar lock on an aircraft or a missile that flies very close over TaiwanI think that youd see that the United States feels it has to respond quite forcefully to that. The risks of escalation are immediate and substantial, warned Evan Medeiros, a former Asia adviser to President Barack Obama, in a statement to the New York Times. This is an exceptionally dangerous situation, perhaps more so than Ukraine. For their part, Chinese officials have said that they see Pelosis visit as crossing a red line. Famously, U.S. President Joe Biden declared in December 2021, I dont accept anybodys red lines, leading to the US-NATO war against Russia over Ukraine. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, If the United States insists on going ahead, China will have to take firm and forceful measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Chinas Global Times newspaper, speaking for significant factions within the Chinese state and military, responded to the planned visit by declaring that the response from China would be military but also strategic. In a phone call with Biden last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Biden that Those who play with fire will perish by it, the most open threat of military retaliation by a Chinese president in recent history. The claim that the White House cannot stop Pelosi from traveling to Taiwan is a lie. Pelosi will be traveling on a military aircraft, supported by at least a half-dozen warships, and will likely be escorted by fighter jets. As commander-in-chief, it is entirely within Bidens purview to withhold these military assets. Instead, the White House has chosen to allow Pelosis trip despite the stated reservations of White House officials. The New York Times reported as much this morning, writing, At its core, some officials said, the administration concluded after the call that the potential domestic and geostrategic risks of trying to halt the visit were greater than allowing Ms. Pelosi to proceed. Pelosis trip is the latest and largest of a series of provocations against China. It is accompanied by ridiculous, shameless and bald-faced lies on the part of US officials. There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with longstanding US policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. No reason? It should be recalled that the American government, in 1962, responded to the moves by the Soviet Union to station nuclear missiles in Cuba with a blockade that nearly led to a nuclear exchange. How would the US respond today if China was massively arming Cubaor, perhaps a better analogy, Puerto Ricoas part of a explicit policy of militarily encircling the United States? The US, moreover, has threatened to invade the Solomon Islands, 12,000 kilometers from the US, over its security pact with China. Kirbys statements, which neither he nor anyone else at the White House believe, are aimed purely for domestic consumption, to provide arguments for the broadcast news and for the affluent upper middle class supporters of US imperialism. Following the Chinese revolution, Taiwan became the seat of the US-backed government in exile. From 1949 to 1987, the country was under the thumb of a brutal US-backed military dictatorship in the longest imposition of martial law by a regime anywhere in the world. To this day, the Taiwanese government claims all of mainland China as being under its control. Pelosis visit is the latest in a series of actions by the United States to systematically dismantle the one-China policy, first under the Trump administration and continued under Biden, that has governed US relations with China over decades. The one-China policy was established by the Shanghai Communique of 1972. It was further concretized by the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations of 1972, which pledges that the United States of America recognizes the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, while asserting that the United States will maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan. In defiance of these agreements, the United States has initiated a series of provocations intended to establish formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan: In May 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent his congratulations to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. The Trump administration invited Taiwanese diplomats to attend functions at the State Department and other federal buildings, a practice continued under the Biden administration. In September 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to Taiwan as a country. The Biden administration for the first time invited Taiwans representative in the United States to attend Bidens inauguration. Biden administration officials have leaked to the US media that US military personnel are in Taiwan training its forces and has since announced the doubling of American forces in Taiwan. Clearly, the Biden administration wants to provoke some sort of military conflict with China. If it did not, it would not allow the risk of Pelosis trip. The American ruling class sees no other way of maintaining its global hegemony except through confrontation with China. From the standpoint of US military strategists, a war with China is not a matter of if but of when. Beyond geopolitical considerations, the recklessness of American imperialism is driven by domestic factors. The deeper the economic and social crisis in the US, the more it is inclined to escalate international conflicts to the point of war. A key consideration for the Biden administration is to retain the support of the fascist-led Republican Party, under conditions where the White House fears a groundswell of working class opposition. Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio made clear that he would unequivocally back the Biden administration in its conflict with China, declaring, We may have deep domestic political differences but we will respond with unbreakable unity if threatened from abroad. The continuous efforts by the United States to escalate its conflicts with Russia and China, day after day, month after month and year after year make clear that the US ruling class is deliberately seeking to fan the flames of war. Working people all over the world must oppose the reckless military provocation of American capitalism. A war against the masses of China would be at one and the same time a war against the working class of America, whose only beneficiaries would be the American financial oligarchy. As workers enter into struggle in the United States and all over the world, they must inscribe on their banners the struggle against war. It has been more than 10 days since the World Health Organizations (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the multi-country global outbreak of the monkeypox epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on July 23, 2022. The overruling of the emergency committees majority opinion against such a declaration was unprecedented. However, the response to the monkeypox pandemic on the part of countries hardest hit has been characterized by continued inaction and paralysis, mirroring the crisis in the international health agency. In the three months since the global outbreak commenced, almost 23,008 cases have been confirmed. The global seven-day moving average of monkeypox infections is approaching 1,000 per day, according to the detailed tracker by Antonio Caramia, an Italian data scientist who has provided this writer permission to use his work. Currently, the US is the largest epicenter in the monkeypox pandemic with close to 5,200 confirmed cases. Canada has seen 818 monkeypox cases. Brazil (1,377) and Peru (307) are leading in Latin America. In Europe, Spain (4,300), Germany (2,677), the UK (2,359) and France (1,955) make up the lions share of cases. On a per capita basis, Spains rate of monkeypox cases is six times higher than in the US and the highest in the world. Some 87 countries and territories have documented monkeypox within their borders. Daily confirmed cases of monkeypox across the world and select countries. Source: Our World in Data [Photo by Our World in Data / CC BY 4.0 At the WHO press brief July 27, 2022, Director-General Ghebreyesus said during his opening remarks, words reminiscent of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, This is an outbreak that can be stopped if countries and communities and individuals inform themselves, take the risk seriously, and take the steps needed to stop the transmission and protect vulnerable groups. Deep frustration and fatigue punctuated his warnings and call to action, with many powerful national governments refusing to act on the WHOs warnings. Specifically, in the US, the White House has failed to declare a national emergency and has used the corporate media to tamp down public concerns about the WHO action by claiming to have increased testing and placed orders for more vaccines. Despite this posturing, however, there is a repeated refrain from states that there are insufficient quantities of vaccines to administer, and testing is being conducted predominately within clinics for sexually transmitted infections (STI). Meanwhile, the White House is pushing back against these complaints, with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stating at a Thursday press brief that state and local governments ultimately are the ones that determine how health care is administered in their jurisdictions. More concerning, there continues to be a severe lack of awareness on the part of health care workers and physicians on the signs and symptoms of monkeypox, which means that community transmission is occurring undetected. Professor Jay Varma of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, an expert on population health sciences, told Bloomberg, Its likely that we will see an increasing number of cases transmitted in other social networks and settings. No social network is self-contained. They all bridge to other networks. Congress has yet to hold any hearings or give any thought to the growing crisis. Local health officials and LGBTQ community leaders in major cities such as New York City, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, New Orleans and Miami have indicated they have run out of vaccines, prompting the city of San Francisco and the states of New York and Illinois to declare a state of emergency to encourage federal officials to respond to their concerns. Only Montana, Wyoming and Vermont have yet to report a monkeypox case. Dr. Ghebreyesus added, Although 98 percent of cases are among men who have sex with men, anyone exposed can get monkeypox, which is why WHO recommends countries take action to reduce the risk of transmission to other vulnerable groups including children, pregnant women, and those who are immunosuppressed. In addition to transmissions through sexual contacts, monkeypox can be spread in the household through close contact between people such as hugging and kissing and on contaminated towels or bedding. Health officials are targeting the available vaccines against monkeypox to those with known exposure to someone with a monkeypox infection and a high risk of exposure, including health care workers and those with multiple sexual partners. Daily confirmed cases of monkeypox across the world and select countries. Source: Our World in Data [Photo by @antonio_caramia] Currently, the Jynneos (MVA-BN) vaccine manufactured by Bavarian Nordic is the only vaccine approved for use in the US, Canada and the European Union. It requires two doses scheduled four weeks apart, with the immune response taking several weeks to be generated. Two other vaccines developed against smallpoxLC16 and ACAM2000are being considered but are known to have considerable side effects. The director-general added that the effectiveness of these vaccines and the number of doses required for the world remain to be determined. Vaccine inequity has been in play for many years and continues during the current pandemic. Only Denmark, Japan and the US are producing vaccines; though there are 16.4 million vaccines in bulk globally, vials for injections remain to be filled. And while the US has already distributed more than 191,000 doses of Jynneos, added 131,000 to its stockpile, and with 786,000 more expected soon, the devastating poverty of Africa, where monkeypox is endemic in several countries, means that more than 1.2 billion people will have to fend for themselves. One can add the need to increase the national testing capacities by several orders of magnitude, since confirmation requires complex PCR diagnostics. Currently, there is no approved rapid antigen test for monkeypox. In post-exposure treatment, vaccines will not provide instant protection against infection and disease, possibly only dampening the symptoms of infection and potentially avoiding any fatal turns. Such individuals must isolate appropriately under the guidance of knowledgeable health officials and infectious disease experts. Presently, about 10 percent of all confirmed cases require hospitalization to treat severe pain associated with their lesions. An unnamed man in Louisiana told the local news station, The pain that you receive from that [infection] is just indescribable. I could sleep maybe one to two hours before getting woken up. The pain wakes you up. [And] the mental hell that you go through in your head too. I mean, not knowing and when is it going to end? And how am I going to get help? This pain isnt stopping Though the current focus is on reducing transmission among men who have sex with men, the United Nations indicated last week that more than 81 children have already been documented with monkeypox infection, which means this layer of the population is rapidly becoming a growing concern, especially as the return to school after the summer break is fast approaching. Varma said, It is inevitable that some kids will become infected and attend school while infected. What we dont know is how likely it is that kids will transmit to other kids while in school, and, if transmission occurs, whether it will be limited to a few cases or cause a large outbreak. Jynneos is still not approved for those under 18 and would require approval from health regulators. Also, last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed the media that a pregnant woman infected with monkeypox had given birth. Her infant received intravenous vaccinia immuno-globulins that act as antibodies. Mother and baby are doing well, but the event underscores the dangers posed to vulnerable people. Monkeypox can be transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy, leading to spontaneous pregnancy loss, stillbirth and preterm delivery. The antiviral tecovirimat, approved in the treatment of smallpox in adults and children, has been given expanded authorization by the Food and Drug Administration for this indication. Since the current outbreak of monkeypox began to sweep across previously non-endemic regions of the globe, a total of 10 deaths have been confirmed due to complications of infections. Spain has seen two, while India and Brazil each have documented one. However, Nigeria has noted five deaths and Ghana recently reported one. The case in Brazil occurred in a patient who had lymphoma and was immunocompromised. Since last week, when the European Union approved Nordic Bavarians Jynneos vaccine, demand for the Danish companies has soared, prompting the company to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet the demand. It had received funding from the US government to develop the vaccine as a defense against any accidental reintroduction of smallpox. The vaccine maker can only produce 30 million doses each year. However, Nordic Bavarians head of investor relations Rolf Sass Srensen told Bloomberg, rather than sourcing out the manufacturing to increase production, [That would] take a lot of time and would be expensive, so were trying to avoid that. He then added, The product is not something that easily can be copied, so its highly unlikely that anyone but us would be able to quickly ramp up production of the vaccine. Its not a standard type of product that can be copied; you need a lot of expertise to get the vaccine to work. I would say its an art form. The Danish companys stock value had risen 150 percent to 342.6 kroner since the beginning of May when the outbreak began. On Saturday, July 23, friends and family held a funeral for Joseph Nagle on what would have been his twenty-third birthday. Nagle was killed by a sheriffs deputy on a rural road in Allegan County, Michigan, on June 16 during an alleged fight that followed a traffic stop. Joseph Nagle [Photo by family photo] The funeral, at which the family also posthumously celebrated Nagles birthday, was followed the next day by a vigil outside the Allegan County Sheriffs Office. There were approximately 40 people present. Nagles uncle, Jamie Nagle, spoke with MLive and said, We were just able to lay him to rest five weeks after the shooting, but we still dont have any answers. They wont say anything. We want proof. We want facts. We want to know what happened. We want to know why my nephew isnt here anymore. The Michigan State Police (MSP), which is conducting an investigation of the shooting, claims that the deputy pulled over Nagle on suspicion of impaired driving. After the deputy performed field sobriety tests, he allegedly told Nagle that he was under arrest. The MSP has also further reported that Nagle immediately began fighting the deputy. Jamie Nagle said the report that the young man began fighting would have been completely out of character for him. In 22 years, Ive never seen that boy mad or seen him angry. And he was a big boy, and he never used that in any way that was wrong. Thats what is mind-boggling. He was way too young. He had too much future ahead of him. It should never have come to this. Regarding the traffic stop and the deputy who killed his nephew, Jamie Nagle concluded, But if he didnt do it right, well, then he should be held accountable. The deputy killed the 22 year old with one shot to the chest. Nagle was a standout wrestler at Comstock Park High School and graduated in 2018. He had no criminal record and was a FedEx driver and student at Grand Rapids Community College. It will likely never be known precisely what led to Nagles murder. The MSP has admitted that there is no video footage in this case, as the Allegan County Sheriffs Office has delayed the rollout of dashcams and bodycams. By all appearances, the information in the MSP investigation is coming from the deputy who killed Nagle. The officer has yet to be named. As Nagles family demands answers, the police in the area are coming under increasing scrutiny, especially following the execution-style shooting of Congolese refugee Patrick Lyoya on April 4 by a Grand Rapids police officer. The officer, Christopher Schurr, was charged with murder in the death of Patrick Lyoya on April 4. Schurr shot a facedown Lyoya in the back of the head after a traffic stop turned into a physical altercation. In neighboring Kent County, the Grand Rapids Police Department has been formally charged with racial discrimination. The charges are being pursued by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR). These charges, which are not criminal in nature, come from two cases: the arrest of Honestie Hodges in 2017 and the arrest of Melissa Mason during a traffic stop in 2020. Both victims are black. In December 2017, horrific video footage was released of Grand Rapids officers handcuffing 11-year-old Honestie Hodges at gunpoint in front of her mother and aunt. Police were searching for a middle-aged white woman in connection with an attempted murder investigation. Tragically, Honestie Hodges died of COVID-19 on November 22, 2020 at the age of 14, so the charge is being brought by her mother, Whitney. According to the MDCRs press release, the second case occurred on January 20, 2020. Grand Rapids police pulled over Melissa Mason while she was traveling with her three kids because her license plate was expired. In front of her children, the police handcuffed her, placed her under arrest and put them in a police cruiser for 20 minutes. In both cases, according to the MDCR, the GRPD was given the opportunity to come up with similar cases involving people of different races to show that they acted in the same way. In both cases, GRPD failed to do so. In speaking with the press, MDCR Executive Director John Johnson invoked the killing of Lyoya. The community concern about bias and discriminatory actions on the part of the Grand Rapids Police Department did not begin with the killing of Patrick Lyoya this past April. The Department of Civil Rights recognized in 2019 that the alleged instances of bias and discrimination had reached a level of specific concern, prompting this department to hold two heavily-attended public listening sessions in Grand Rapids. Johnson also specifically addressed the case of Hodges. Honestie at the time was an 11-year-old juvenile who did not fit the description of the suspect, was compliant, visibly afraid and in tears. The Grand Rapids Police Department provided no evidence that they treated individuals of another race the same in similar circumstances. A spokesperson for the city of Grand Rapids gave a perfunctory statement regarding the charges to the Detroit Free Press in which he said the city has been cooperating with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) since at least May 2019 when the investigations began. While racist and far-right elements are welcomed and promoted within police departments across the US, the shooting of Nagle, a young white worker, exposes the reality that lethal force is used by law enforcement against workers of every race and ethnicity. Here we are publishing condolences sent by sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International on the death of Wije Dias, chairman of the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka. David North, chairman of the SEP in the US delivered his tribute to Wije Dias via the internet to the funeral gathering held at Borella Cemetery in Colombo on Saturday evening. Wije Dias addressing Fourth Internationals 80th anniversary meeting in Colombo in 2018 (WSWS Media) From the Socialist Equality Party in Britain: Comrades, All members of the Socialist Equality Party in Britain join with you in mourning the passing of our dear comrade Wije Dias. Wije will be mourned by workers and young people across the world. A deep sense of loss is felt by all of us, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to Wijes son Keerthi and his family. Our grief is tempered by a justified sense of pride that our movement was led by such a principled, noble and extraordinary fighter for Trotskyism. Following the split with the national opportunists of the British Workers Revolutionary Party in 198586, comrade Wije was able to play a leading role within our international party, including as national secretary of the Sri Lankan section for more than three decades. In everything he did, Wije brought to bear a vast political experience, a lifetimes study of Marxism and of Sri Lankan, South Asian and world history. Anyone privileged to hear him speak will know what is meant by the phrase political authority. He sought to explain, patiently and clearly, to educate. To appeal not only to the heart but to the head, knowing that the success of the socialist revolution depends on raising the political consciousness of the advanced workers and youth and developing them as cadre. In discussions within party bodies, formulating international policy, or in private conversation, he was someone to listen to and learn from. And yes, he was wittyespecially when puncturing the pretensions and conceits of the political enemies of the working class. Trotsky made the crucial observation, Ideas that enter the mind under fire remain there securely and forever. That was certainly the case with Wije. In a December 6, 2018, interview with the Daily Mirror marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Revolutionary Communist League, Wije explained how he was won to the International Committee of the Fourth International. Two things stand out: the political impact of the Great Betrayal by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in joining Sirimavo Bandaranaikes bourgeois coalition in 1964 and the fact that Wije and a small group of young co-thinkers responded to that betrayal as socialist internationalists. Wije was then a member of the LSSP (Revolutionary) faction. He explained, At the Peradeniya University library we came across the newsletter of the British section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), led by Gerry Healy. We read Healys pamphlet, Ceylonthe great betrayal, and a significant sentence in it was: The origins of the coalition cannot be found in Colombo, but only in Paris. Paris was the headquarters of the International Secretariat of the Fourth International (FI), which was dominated by Pabloites. It was their politics that had guided the LSSP into the coalition. And the LSSP (R) leaders opposed discussing this issue because they wanted to follow the same Pabloite line. Wije and his comrades broke away from the LSSP (R) and, thanks to the guidance of comrade Wilfred Spike Pereira, began an intensive study of the history of the FI and most especially the issues raised by the reunification of the US Socialist Workers Party with the Pabloites in 1963. This led to the founding of the RCL as a section of the ICFI under the leadership of comrade Keerthi Balasuriya. This principled approach, rooted in the revolutionary internationalism of Trotskyism and a profound respect for Marxist theory, shaped Wijes long history as a political leader and is why he could communicate complex ideas so clearly and convincingly. Just one example. At the end of the Daily Mirror interview he is asked, Can a small working class in a small country exert much influence over global happenings? Wije replied with a simplicity borne of political clarity, stating of the ICFI, We are a fraternal organisation of all sections of the working class, whatever language, culture or nationality We are equals, and we are fighting for social equality. We live in a small country, but we are a part of the world, no less than the US. There are global conditions under which we all live. The international unity of the working class must be achieved on a socialist basis to come out of this very dangerous situation, with a developing world war, right wing movements, and dictatorships all over the world. Comrade Wije Dias is irreplaceable, and his loss is deeply felt. But the true measure of a political leader is what they leave behind. Wijes legacy, which guarantees his place in the history of the struggle for socialism, is two-fold. There are his extensive writings, which will contribute to the education of the working class throughout the world, above all in Trotskys theory of permanent revolution. And there are the cadre Wije led and developed. This cadre and the historical perspective they embody is the necessary leadership of the revolutionary struggles now emerging in Sri Lanka and internationally. We go forward together in the struggle that comrade Wije dedicated his life to preparing. Chris Marsden National Secretary SEP in Britain From the Socialist Equality Party in Germany: Dear Comrades, On behalf of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, the German section of the ICFI, we extend to you our heartfelt condolences on the death of Wije Dias, the longtime general secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka and its precursor, the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL). Comrade Wije will live on in the consciousness of the international working class as someone who devoted his entire adult life to its liberation and the struggle for socialism. Since joining the Trotskyist movement sixty years ago, he has fought tirelessly and under the most difficult conditions for the perspective of world socialist revolution. But Wije will also be remembered as an outstanding man and comrade. His impressive stature, his powerful deep voice, his oratorical talent and his unwavering sense of humor set him sharply apart from the vacillating characters who set the tone in pseudo-leftist groups. The early years of Wijes political life were marked by the historic betrayal of the LSSP, which stabbed a powerful working-class uprising in the back in 1964 and joined the capitalist government of the Sinhala-chauvinist SLFP. Wije was among the young Trotskyists who fought this historic betrayal and founded the Revolutionary Communist League in 1968 as the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI. Wije remained faithful to the internationalist and socialist principles that he defended at that time throughout his life. We came to know him personally during the period of the split with the British Workers Revolutionary Party. The latter had been trying for years to destroy the Sri Lankan section because it stood in the way of its unprincipled alliances with bourgeois nationalistsbut it did not succeed. In the struggle against the WRP renegades, the RCL, then led by Keerthi Balasuriya, played the leading role behind the American Workers League. When Comrade Keerthi died unexpectedly in 1987 at the age of 39, Comrade Wije took over responsibility for the Sri Lankan section. Since then, we have had the opportunity to work closely with him at numerous ICFI meetings, many of which were held in Germany. In 1988, Wije participated in the German sections two-week summer camp, where he spoke on the theory of permanent revolution and the lessons of Sri Lanka. This remained an unforgettable experience for the participants of the summer camp. Wije not only possessed the ability to explain the historical and political experiences in an excellent way, as the leader of the Sri Lankan section he also embodied them. Wije played an important role in training comrades from Sri Lanka living in European exile, who had broken with Tamil nationalism and joined the ICFI. In 1991, Wije delivered a speech at the World Conference of Workers against Imperialist War and Colonialism, which ICFI had convened in Berlin. Afterwards he spent several days in discussion with Tamil comrades in Germany and France. In the following years, too, he regularly traveled to Stuttgart, Essen and Paris for discussions after meetings of the ICFI. On his last visit to Europe, Wije spoke in Paris in 2007 at a public memorial meeting for Comrade Senthil Ravee, who had died in a tragic car accident. Drawing on Senthils biography, who had grown up among tea plantation workers, Wije spoke to more than a hundred participants about the lessons of Sri Lankas history, the consequences of the LSSPs betrayal, and the need to fight for working-class unity and socialist internationalism. Wijes death is a great loss. We will miss him as a comrade and political leader. But his life, his writings and his speeches, and the Sri Lankan section he led for 35 years, are a source of inspiration and knowledge for the young generation of workers around the world who face the hopeless crisis of capitalism and are driven into fierce class struggles. In Sri Lanka, the significance of Wijes life and work is particularly evident. The SEPs struggle for a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Masses is the only viable answer to the preparations of a dictatorship by the ruling class, which wants to impose a brutal IMF austerity dictate on the impoverished masses. For the Socialist Equality Party, Ulrich Rippert and Peter Schwarz From the Socialist Equality Party in Australia: Dear comrades, On behalf of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) please accept our very deepest condolences to all the comrades in the SEP in Sri Lanka on the death of comrade Wije Dias. His life-long struggle to build the section of the International Committee of the Fourth International in Sri Lanka is an imperishable contribution to the resolution of the crisis of working-class leadership on the island and internationally. Wije was one of the remarkable group of youth led by Keerthi Balasuriya who, together with Wilfred Spike Perera, established the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL) as the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI in 1968. Under the guidance of the ICFI, they drew the essential political lesson that the betrayal of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, which entered the bourgeois government of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike in 1964, was the consequence of Pabloite opportunism. The Pabloite conceptions denied both the revolutionary role of the working class and the necessity for the construction of the Fourth International against all those who would adapt to Stalinism, bourgeois nationalism and the search for other forces. In opposing the LSSPs betrayal, the RCL laid the political foundations for the SEP and the IC to chart an independent socialist road for the working class in the revolutionary struggles that have emerged in Sri Lanka over the past three months. Wije took up the responsibilities of general secretary following the untimely death of Keerthi Balasuriya in 1987. As general secretary of the RCL/SEP for 34 years, comrade Wije fought for a principled, internationalist and revolutionary perspective against all forms of nationalism and communalism. His leadership of the party was undertaken under the most difficult conditions of the 30-year civil war that had erupted in 1983 in the wake of the LSSPs open abandonment of socialist internationalism. Wijes political legacy is profound. He brought to bear his wide interest in history, deep understanding of the political forces in Sri Lanka and the Indian sub-continent and extensive knowledge of the strategic experiences of the international working class in developing the partys analysis and political initiatives. Wije was central to the close collaboration that has developed between the Sri Lankan and Australian sections of the ICFI following the 198586 split with the opportunist leadership of the British WRP. He travelled here on many occasions. He was a modest and understated comrade with an easy smile and an infectious laugh, behind which lay a steely and determined dedication to the principles and program of the Trotskyist movement. He was a deeply cultured man and with a love of life in all its aspects. All of this informed the close working and personal relations that Wije developed with comrades in this section over decades. He will be keenly missed. His loss will be felt by all his comrades in Sri Lanka and throughout the ICFI but his immense political contribution lives on in the young cadre and leadership whom he trained and educated. With warmest fraternal greetings, Cheryl Crisp National Secretary of the SEP (Australia) From the Socialist Equality Party in France: Dear comrades and friends, The Parti de legalite socialiste of France extends its deepest condolences to all the members of the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka on the passing of Comrade Wije Dias. He was a great Trotskyist, a loving father and family man, and a leader of the Sri Lankan workers. Comrade Wije was also a great leader of the international working class. In France and around the world, his work helped bring new generations of workers and youth to Trotskyism. His loss is keenly felt not only in Sri Lanka, but in Europe and around the world. He and his comrades opposed the Pabloite degeneration of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, which entered into capitalist government in 1964 in a Great Betrayal of the working class. This principled struggle, led by the late Comrade Keerthi Balasuriya, was the alternative for the working class to Sri Lankan capitalisms collapse into a fratricidal communal war between Sinhalese and Tamil. Wije embodied the struggle to unify the working class against communal war and the capitalist system. Comrades in France first had the opportunity to work closely with Comrade Wije in 1988, after the untimely death of Comrade Keerthi. We were Tamil refugees who had fled Sri Lankas civil war and sought political asylum in Europe. Comrade Wije saw our support for the International Committee of the Fourth International as a great victory for Trotskyism. He visited Europe several times, holding long hours of discussions with us and dozens of our supporters as we broke with Tamil nationalism. He patiently explained again and again critical political issues in the struggle against Stalinism, bourgeois nationalism and Pabloism. Key among those issues was the November 1987 statement jointly developed by the ICFI and its Sri Lankan section against the Indo-Lankan Treaty. Reviewing the class character of armed struggle movements, such as the Palestine Liberation Organization or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, he explained that the bourgeoisie in oppressed and backward countries is inherently incapable of carrying out the mobilization necessary to free their nation from imperialist oppression. Only the ICFI could explain why the Indian intervention in Sri Lanka, promoted by the LTTE, ended in disaster for the Tamil workers and rural toilers. The Indian army turned on the workers, massacring and plundering the people. The ICFI explained that it was the product of the common opposition to a united revolutionary movement in the working class of the regions bourgeois governments, nationalist movements, and Stalinist parties. Comrade Wije did not let himself be influenced by the LTTEs temporary military successes against the Indian army in the north of Sri Lanka. His words must today be recalled: It is true that the LTTE has been victorious temporarily, but it would be a grave mistake to think that it was a victory due to their firepower and that one can solve social and democratic problems with just weapons. The truth is that the Indian bourgeoisie, the Stalinists and the Indian Tamil nationalists propagandized the notorious Indian Army as the defenders of the Tamil people. This propaganda was disproved within weeks when the Indian Army invaded the North and East. The Sri Lankan Tamil people saw them as an occupying army. The LTTE temporarily exploited the widespread popular resentment against the Indian Army. That was the reason for their success. But the LTTE never attempted to mobilize the Sinhalese, Indian workers, and the oppressed masses against the conspiracy of the Indian and Sri Lankan rulers. It is impossible for them. Because the program of that movement is also to protect this exploitative system After Stalinism consummated its betrayal of the international working class, dissolving the Soviet Union in 1991, Comrade Wije emphasized the need for us to turn to the European working class. He stressed that we had to build our party as the party of the working class. He told us: The struggle to overcome unresolved democratic issues in former colonial countries and the struggle for democratic rights under attack in capitalist developed countries are two sides of the same coin. He often discussed with us Leon Trotskys book Whither France? His struggle against the United Left Front built by the Pabloite LSSP gave him a deep insight into the politics of the French Popular Front. This allianceof the French bourgeois Radical Party, the social-democrats, and the Stalinist Communist Partysold out the MayJune 1936 French general strike. This disarmed the workers, paving the way for the eruption of World War II in Europe and the Nazi occupation of France. Comrade Wije tirelessly stressed with us the need to break the grip of the union bureaucracies and the Stalinist and Pabloite parties over the working class. He requested that Whither France? be translated into Tamil and published on the World Socialist Web Site. The PES will present the Tamil translation of Whither France? on the WSWS in memory of Comrade Wije. Comrade Wije again played a leading role as the Sri Lankan SEP worked closely with its comrades in France to found the PES in 2016. SEP Assistant Secretary Deepal Jayasekera came to France to lecture on the founding of the Sri Lankan section in 1968. Comrade Wije was in close contact with Comrade Jayasekera and with us in these critical weeks in 2016. The revolutionary mobilization of the workers this year against the Sri Lankan capitalist regime, with its reactionary executive presidency and unitary state, vindicated the perspective for which comrade Wije dedicated his life. The Rajapakse regime was toppled not by a national armed movement, but by an insurrectionary movement of workers and youth. It is part of of a growing, international movement of the working class against imperialist war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising prices that are impoverishing the population. Comrade Wijes political legacy and his immense accomplishments live on in the memory of his comrades around the world, and their fight to give Trotskyist revolutionary leadership to the struggles of the working class. V. Gnana, PES Assistant National Secretary A. Lantier, PES National Secretary From the Socialist Equality Party in Canada: On behalf of the Socialist Equality Party (Canada), I wish to add my voice to the many in Sri Lanka and around the world paying tribute today to our comrade, the late Wije Dias, and to extend condolences to his family and to the cadre of the SEP Sri Lankathat is to those, with whom he worked so intimately for more than half-a-century in the fight for the emancipation of the working class. Comrade Wije was the personification of political principle, above all the struggle for socialist internationalism and the political independence of the working class. As the statement the ICFI issued to mark his death observed: Wije was unyielding in his defense of Marxist and Trotskyist principles because he had witnessed the catastrophic consequencesin the form of political disorientation, reaction and tragic loss of lifethat result from their abandonment and betrayal. I had the privilege of meeting and working with Comrade Wije. He had many remarkable qualitiespassionate hatred for all manifestations of oppression, great intellectual curiosity, a caustic sense of humour with which he cut down to size the political hirelings of the ruling class, personal kindness, courage and determination. These traits helped propel him to revolutionary politics and to persist in the face of huge difficulties. Those created by the LSSPs foul betrayal; and later by the retreat and abandonment of permanent revolution by the very leaders of the British WRP who in an earlier period had played the critical role in clarifying Wije, Keerthi Balasuriya and the others who spearheaded the founding of the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI in 1968 as to the causes, import and implication of the great betrayal. But Wijes personality and exceptional qualities were leavened by and ultimately can only be understood within the context of the socialist internationalist program for which he fought and the development of its organizational expression, the ICFI. Wije was rightly renowned for his abilities as an orator. He spoke with passion and authority. However his approach and style were the antithesis of that of the demagogues with which South Asia so abounds. Whether speaking to plantation workers or in internal party deliberations his remarks were aimed at stirring the thinking of his audience, and informed by a vast knowledge of the history of the world socialist movement, western literature, and the history, politics, and culture of South Asia. It is still shocking for me to use the words were and was when speaking of Wije, because he remained such a vibrant force in the life of our world movement till the very day he died. He will be sorely missed as a revolutionary leader, comrade and friend. But Wijes legacy lives on in you and the party he dedicated his life to building. Indeed, the principles for which Comrade Wije fought and the cadres he helped assemble and train are critical to providing revolutionary direction to the mass upsurge of the working class and oppressed masses now convulsing the island and to building the SEP and the ICFI as the world party of socialist revolution. Keith Jones, SEP (Canada) National Secretary US singer and musician Prince (born Prin BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty The six-year-long court battle regarding Prince's estate finally came to a close, leaving two parties to split roughly $6 million in cash and more regarding the late musician's $156 million estate. On Monday, the Minnesota First Judicial District issued an order that splits the cash in Prince's estate evenly between two legal entities, Prince Legacy LLC and Prince OAT Holdings LLC, according to a copy of the order obtained by PEOPLE. Prince Legacy LLC's now 50 percent interest in the late 57-year-old's estate consists of interests previously held by three of Prince's half-siblings, Sharon Nelson, John Nelson and Norrine Nelson, as well as advisors L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer. Prince OAT Holdings LLC owned by music publishing company Primary Wave consists of interests once held by Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson, as well as three separate entities owned by Primary Wave, according to the court documents. RELATED: Prince's Longtime Friend Apollonia Kotero Opens Up About His Private World and Her Devastation After His Death Prince's six half-siblings were named his legal heirs after he died in 2016 with no living children or spouse and no will in accordance to Minnesota law, according to Billboard. Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson sold their interests to Primary Wave in the years since, creating the half of Prince's estate now owned under Prince OAT Holdings LLC. Prince's remaining three siblings who did not sell their interests now control the other half alongside their advisors, according to Billboard. Prince At The Ritz Gary Gershoff/Getty Images The court order also reads that the bank assigned by the court to administrate the estate's affairs while its future was litigated, Comerica Bank & Trust, will retain $3 million in reserve funds to pay "the costs and expenses associated with closing the Estate," including tax returns, professional fees and any other expenses needed. Comerica is required to distribute any unspent funds at three different periods between now and Jan. 31, 2024, with future distribution also split 50/50 between Prince OAT Holdings LLC and Prince Legacy LLC, according to the court order. Story continues Primary Wave told Billboard in a statement Monday that it was "extremely pleased that the process of closing the Prince Estate has now been finalized." "Prince was an iconic superstar and this transfer out of the court's jurisdiction puts in place professional, skilled management," Primary Wave said in the statement obtained by Billboard. "When we announced our acquisition of the additional expectancy interests in the estate last year bringing our ownership interest to 50%, our goal was to protect and grow Prince's incomparable legacy. With the distribution of estate assets, we look forward to a strong and productive working relationship." Primary Wave did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment Tuesday. RELATED: Unreleased Prince Album Camille Will 'Finally' See Release Thanks to Jack White's Record Label Prince Lester Cohen/WireImage In a separate statement made by McMillan on behalf of his group, he told Billboard that they were "relieved and thrilled to finally be done with the Probate Court system and bankers who do not know the music business and did not know Prince" and that he looked forward to "implementing things the way Prince did." "I represented Prince for over 13 years and we led with innovation to reform the music industry we hope to do the same with his amazing assets and catalog, from his music, film content, exhibits, merchandise, Paisley Park events, branded products and more," McMillan told Billboard in a statement. "It is a historical and very exciting time. Prince is almost free to rest now" Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died of an opioid overdose on April 21, 2016. The post Dev Patel Intervenes in Knife Fight, Claims There Are No Heroes appeared first on Consequence. Well, if it isnt our own Green Knight in shining armor. Actor Dev Patel reportedly intervened in a knife fight in Australia on Monday, August 1st, and played the part to perfection with his selfless and potentially lifesaving act. According to local Australian affiliate 7News, the skirmish took place in Patels current hometown of Adelaide when a man and woman began fighting in the streets of the citys business district. Patel witnessed the altercation already in progress from a nearby convenience store and was amongst a group of witnesses who were able to successfully intercede. However, their attempts did not completely protect the two conflicting parties from harm, as the woman allegedly stabbed the man in the chest. She was later arrested on the scene and charged with aggravated assault, while the man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Patels representative offered more details to 7News about his role in the intervention, sharing, Dev acted on his natural instinct to try and de-escalate the situation and break up the fight. The group was thankfully successful in doing so, and they remained on site to ensure that the police and eventually the ambulance arrived. Truly the heart of a Lion, folks. Despite his rep claiming that the situation merits no heroes, they shifted the focus of the event to a more noble cause, specifically mental health: This specific incident highlights a larger systemic issue of marginalized members of society not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The hope is that the same level of media attention this story is receiving (solely because Dev, as a famous person, was involved) can be a catalyst for lawmakers to be compassionate in determining long-term solutions to help not only the individuals who were involved but the community at large. Story continues Speaking of The Green Knight, Patels turn as Sir Gawain earned him Consequences 2021 Film Performance of the Year distinction. His next project Monkey Man will mark his feature directorial debut. It was purchased by Netflix in March 2021 and described as John Wick in Mumbai. Dev Patel Intervenes in Knife Fight, Claims There Are No Heroes Bryan Kress Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. If theres a legislative version of Garbo speaks, Sen. Kyrsten Sinemas close-up is what Democrats await with no small measure of trepidation. The Arizona Democrat labeled a maverick and privately described by President Biden and his aides as a puzzle following his discussions with her about his scuttled agenda last year could make or break a slimmed-down bill intended to battle climate change, lower drug prices, curb health plan costs=, and raise some taxes on the rich and corporations. Democrats hope voters would give them credit for such strides during the November elections. Sinemas colleagues are tapping their toes, impatient to hear her views on a proposed $670 billion climate and tax deal unveiled last week, The Hills Alexander Bolton reports. They may have to wait. Sinemas staff says she wants to pore over the text and examine various analyses of the bill. Sen. Sinema does not have comment as shes reviewing the bill text and will need to see what comes out of the parliamentarian process, a spokesperson for the senator told Fox News Digital on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and co-dealmaker Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who was a stumbling block during his partys Build Back Better endeavor last year, decided not to consult Sinema in advance about legislation now called the Inflation Reduction Act. The Arizona senator, who will likely face a primary challenge in 2024, previously bucked similar but larger versions of proposed tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, which were sought by the White House. CNN: All eyes turn to Sinema as Democrats face a week that could transform Bidens presidency. The New York Times: Here are some hurdles facing the Inflation Reduction Act. Sinema has zeroed in on at least one of the big questions in the mix: Will the Senate parliamentarian bless the proposal under the arcane budget rules that would allow Democrats to propel the measure with just 50 or more votes? Will the process drag further into August and complicate various deadlines? Will more senators come down with COVID-19 and need to isolate, snarling whip counts and the bills potential passage? Manchin has said he plans to talk with Sinema this week about why he backs the measure (The Hill). Story continues Schumer, who was recovering from infection with the coronavirus last month (shortly before Manchin suffered his own bout), calls this a consequential week. Over the coming days, both sides will continue conversations with the parliamentarian, he said on Monday. Our timeline has not changed, and I expect to bring this legislation to the floor to begin voting this week (Politico). The Hill: The Schumer-Manchin deal would nudge the economy and inflation in the right direction, according to Moodys Analytics. Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continues her travels with fellow lawmakers to Asia-Pacific countries and will be in Taiwan on Tuesday night, according to a senior Taiwanese official and U.S. officials (The Hill). Pelosi was in Singapore on Monday and also plans stops in Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The White House warned China on Monday against taking any escalatory actions in reaction to Pelosis Taiwan visit (The Hill and CNN). China warned that a Pelosi visit to Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province, would undermine relations between the United States and China. There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit, consistent with long standing U.S. policy, into some sort of crisis or conflict, or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, National Security Council strategic coordinator for communications John Kirby said on Monday. Associated Press / Andy Wong | In Beijing, a man at a newsstand on Sunday used a magnifying glass to read a newspaper headline about Speaker Nancy Pelosis Asia visit. Related Articles The Associated Press: Bumps and bipartisanship in the long fight for a semiconductor bill. The Hill: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19, the latest confirmed case among lawmakers who have been in and out of precautionary isolation this summer, complicating whip counts in the narrowly divided Senate. LEADING THE DAY POLITICS Voters in five states will head to the polls to sort out primary contests today, including in Missouri, where former President Trump on Monday made his official foray into the states Senate contests and endorsed multiple candidates for the partys nomination. Trump early on Tuesday teased on his social media platform that he would be endorsing in the Show Me States primary, tossing a wrench into the nominating fight. However, he ultimately could not decide between state Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) and former Gov. Eric Greitens (R), so instead he just endorsed ERIC. The move was simply a formalization of what many knew: that he favored the two candidates and opposes Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), having released a statement in early July saying as much. The move also makes sense on its face, as Schmitt is the favorite and Greitens is perhaps the Trump-iest candidate in the race. The former governor also has Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., on his payroll. Unlike in some states, a last-minute endorsement could matter in Missouri, as there is no early voting in the state. But how much impact it will have is unclear, as Schmitt and Greitens will not be able to reap the full benefits of it. However, both Erics quickly ran with the endorsement in the push to replace the retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). The Hill: Trump endorsement of Eric in Missouri triggers confusion. Politico: Inside the wild Bedminster, N.J., lobbying spree that led to Trumps double Missouri endorsement. The Hill: Five things to watch ahead of primaries. Elsewhere on the primary map tonight are key races in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan and Washington. Out West, Arizonas GOP primaries for Senate and governor are both under the microscope, as two Trump-backed candidates are looking to make it across the finish line and into the general. Blake Masters, a former top adviser to Peter Thiel, is the solid favorite in the Senate. However, its the governors race where a close finish could be in store between former local TV anchor Kari Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson, who is supported by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and former Vice President Mike Pence. For months, Lake has led, but Robson has cut the polling deficit to single digits, with an Emerson College survey putting the Ducey-backed opponent in the lead in the waning days. The Hill: Kansas vote tees up high stakes test for Supreme Courts abortion ruling. Julia Manchester, The Hill: What Arizonas primaries will tell us about the GOP. The Associated Press: Arizona GOP primary tests power of Trumps election lies. NPR: They voted to impeach Trump. Now Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) try to navigate tough primaries. Niall Stanage: The Memo: Republicans are worried that things are going wrong for Mehmet Oz. Guy Reffitt, a Texas man convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, received 87 months in prison on Monday, marking the harshest sentence any of the hundreds of prosecuted rioters have received. Reffitt was convicted on five felony offenses in March, including for threatening his teenage son, who turned him over to the FBI. Prosecutors were seeking a 15-year sentence for Reffitt, who wanted to physically remove members of Congress from the electoral count. He was described by prosecutors as a domestic terrorist. He is the first involved in the Jan. 6 attack to go to trial. Previously, the longest Jan. 6-related sentence was five years and three months for two men who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers (The Associated Press). The Associated Press: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) challenges 2020 Georgia election probe subpoena. The Hill: Main Street GOP group unveils platform with hopes of boosting moderates. IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES ADMINISTRATION A U.S. drone strike carried out by the CIA on a safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend killed Egyptian terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri, 71, who became the al Qaeda leader after Osama bin Ladens death in a U.S. raid in Pakistan in 2011 (The Hill). Biden, during an eight-minute address to the nation Monday from the White House, said that justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more, championing a counterterrorism accomplishment 11 months after he ordered American troops to exit Afghanistan at the end of the two-decade war (The Associated Press). Saying that al-Zawahiri carved a trail of murder, including the terror attacks of 9/11, Biden noted that he gave his approval to kill the al Qaeda leader last week after U.S. intelligence began tracking the long-sought target at his location earlier this year. The president, noting that he kept congressional leaders informed, said no Afghan civilians or family members of al-Zawahiri were killed in the strike. The CIA fired two Hellfire missiles to kill the former physician, who stood on a balcony he favored in a house in Kabul (The New York Times). The missiles were immediately speculated in global news accounts to be R9X Hellfires, which have no warhead and do not create explosions but instead carry six razor-like blades that open during impact with a target (South China Morning Post). In Afghanistan, Haqqani Taliban leaders were aware of al-Zawahiris presence in the Kabul area, a U.S. official said, in clear violation of the Doha agreement, and took steps to conceal his presence, restricting access to the safe house after the Saturday missile strike and rapidly relocating members of the al Qaeda leaders family, including his daughter and her children. The U.S. did not alert Taliban officials in advance of the drone missile operation (CNN). The Washington Post reported that a former member of al-Qaeda who later joined the Islamic State downplayed the significance of al-Zawahiris death, noting that he was barely visible in recent years. Im sure Biden will try to make it sound as if its something big, but actually its not significant for us at all, said the member of the Islamic State who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Ayman al-Zawahiri became the emir after bin Laden, and now he is a shaheed [martyr]. And thats it for us. The significant question will be: Who will become the new leader now? The FBIs Most Wanted alert about the terrorist now says deceased. Reuters: Al-Zawahiri: From Cairo physician to al Qaeda leader. Last month, Biden announced a U.S. airstrike in Syria that killed ISIS leader Maher al Agal. Associated Press / Osama bin Laden and No. 2 Ayman al Zawahiri in 1998 in Khost, Afghanistan. For Ukraine, Biden authorized $550 million more in ammunition for Western artillery batteries used against Russian forces, according to the White House (The Hill). Vice President Harris on Monday at the National Hurricane Center in Miami announced $1 billion in grants available to states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change (The Associated Press). The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday announced it charged 11 people in an alleged $300 million fraudulent crypto Ponzi scheme (CNBC). Introducing NotedDC, The Hills curated commentary on the beat of the Beltway. Click here to subscribe to our latest newsletter. OPINION Biden has tested positive again. Thats no reason to avoid Paxlovid, by Leana S. Wen, contributing columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3ByF4K3 Pelosis Taiwan straits, by The Wall Street Journal editorial board. https://on.wsj.com/3vy7kIH Even in success, why Bidens al-Zawahiri victory lap will be short, by Jeff Greenfield, opinion contributor, Politico. https://politi.co/3QbVmfN WHERE AND WHEN The House is out for the August recess and will return to Washington on Sept. 13. The lower chamber could convene later this month, pending Senate action. The Senate convenes at noon to resume consideration of the nomination of Elizabeth Hanes to be a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. The president will receive the Presidents Daily Brief at 10:15 a.m. Biden will join an event remotely to celebrate Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signing an executive directive to implement the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The vice president has no public events scheduled. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with counterparts through Aug. 12 in the following countries: Cambodia, Philippines, South Africa, Congo and Rwanda. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets this afternoon with the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, a quarterly requirement to confer with members who are private financial representatives and advise about the state of the economy as well as make recommendations about technical debt management issues. The White House daily briefing is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Hill.TVs Rising program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv, on YouTube and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the Rising podcast here. ELSEWHERE INTERNATIONAL Russia is leaning toward rejecting a proposed 2-for-1 prisoner swap involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. According to the report, Moscow wants two Russians in return for the American pair instead of just one, having viewed the proposal as not equal. The U.S. has reportedly proposed the trade for Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer. PANDEMIC, POX & POLIO Its confusing, but heres how you know you are unlikely to be contagious after contracting COVID-19: Research shows that people continue to shed virus that can be cultured in a laboratory a good test of the potential to pass along the virus for about eight days on average after testing positive. Experts say it is very unlikely to pass along the virus after 10 days, even if a person still is testing positive. But a reminder: Every patient is different. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how sick a person will get or how long a person remains infectious (The Washington Post). Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 1,030,498. Current average U.S. COVID-19 daily deaths are 357, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) followed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in declaring a state of emergency over monkeypox. The city on Saturday declared a public health emergency over the virus, which has spread so fast that the Big Apple has 25 percent of all confirmed cases of monkeypox in the United States (NBC News). Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) followed suit, issuing a public health emergency for the state (WGN), as did California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) (CNBC). What about the milkmaids? To this day no one knows where the virus known as cowpox, which eradicated smallpox, originated. And yet, this mystery microbe is still being used including in the vaccines currently being deployed against monkeypox (BBC). Associated Press / Marcio Jose Sanchez | In Encino, Calif., people lined up at a monkeypox vaccination site on Thursday. The New York State Health Department on Monday urged all New Yorkers, including children, to get vaccinated against polio immediately if they have not been inoculated already. The vaccine used in the U.S. does not have live virus. Following a polio case in Rockland County, N.Y., the virus that causes polio was found in wastewater samples from early June, according to state officials (WHEC News10). LEGAL CORNER West Virginia counties and cities on Monday struck a $400 million tentative settlement with three major U.S. drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson for their roles in the rise of the opioid epidemic, according to lawyers. Individual counties and municipalities involved in the settlement must approve it, with the funds set to be disbursed over 12 years (The Associated Press). THE CLOSER Associated Press / Timothy D. Easley | Members of the Winchester, Ky., Fire Department last week rescued people stranded in floodwaters. And finally Amid the horrors of extreme flooding in eastern Kentucky, which killed at least 37 people to date, are uplifting accounts of victims plucked from rooftops by helicopters and others saved by neighbors wading, floating or boating through deep, muddy waters. Some dramatic video shown by NBC News recounted scenes of one 83-year-old woman being rescued by a helicopter off a roof peeking above flood waters. The only parts of houses seen in the video, posted to Facebook by Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team, are the tops of roofs. The post said that a Wolfe County swift water crew broke through the window of one of the houses to get to a family of five trapped inside. The crew got the family members to the roof, where a helicopter crew hoisted each to safety. CNN: Kentucky resident Nathan Day, a former coal miner and resident of Hindman, Knott County, and his wife Krystal rescued five children and two of his former teachers from the roof of a nearby house in rising water in the dark early Thursday morning. You heard a lot of people screaming and begging for anyone to help, Day told CNN. At 3 oclock in the morning, I was in that water with my wife. I put a child under each arm and one around my neck and took them back to my house. The oldest child was holding a small dog, he added. Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. Follow us on Twitter (@alweaver22 & @asimendinger) and suggest this newsletter to friends! For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A judge in Kentucky on Monday night revived the states near-total ban on abortion, the latest legal development following the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. The ruling by a state appeals court judge temporarily lifted a lower court order that had blocked Kentuckys law, which bans abortion with exceptions only to protect the life or health of the mother, but not for rape or incest. I appreciate the courts decision to allow Kentuckys pro-life laws to take effect while we continue to vigorously defend the constitutionality of these important protections for women and unborn children across the Commonwealth, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) wrote on Twitter after the ruling. The move brings the number of states with abortion bans to 10, with more expected in coming weeks. Other abortion-restrictive states, primarily in the South and Midwest, have imposed other limits on the procedure after the toppling of Roe v. Wade in late June eliminated the nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion up to around 24 weeks. Abortion rights advocates denounced the Monday ruling by Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Larry E. Thompson. Today is a devastating day for all Kentuckians, said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. Abortion is essential health care, and it is irresponsible and dangerous to prevent people from accessing the care they need. The conservative Supreme Courts 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization to strike down Roe handed states virtually unfettered authority to regulate abortion, leading to the ongoing emergence of a complex patchwork of laws across the country. Abortion rights advocates have increasingly turned to courts to argue that state constitutions contain Roe-like protections for abortion. Kentucky in November will vote on an initiative to amend the states constitution to say it does not protect abortion. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Austin Zorn, a Monroe High School student, helped seed 18 different cover crops at the Monroe County Community College Student Ag Farm. This project will be part of an August 25 Farmer Field Day at MCCC. Ned Birkey Field Day season: Late summer is a time for farmers to get away from their farm and out to various field days to look at current crops, new varieties, new technologies, new equipment and other topics of interest. Following is a listing of some field days in August. MCCC Student Ag Farm Farmer Field Day: Thursday, August 25 will be a Farmer Field Day at the Student Ag Farm at Monroe County Community College from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event will be held rain or shine, is free of charge and will offer farmers four pesticide re-certification credits. Sponsored by the Monroe County Farm Bureau, Monroe County Community College and the Ag Advisory Council, this educational event will include speakers; Craig Anderson of Michigan Farm Bureau talking about trucking and farm equipment rules of the road, Dennis Pennington of MSU talking about the 2022 MSU Wheat Variety Trials and recommendations for seeding wheat this fall, Jim Hoorman talking about using cover crops in a planned rotation and viewing the MCCC cover crop project, John Richards of Rob-See-Co (formerly Rupp Seeds) talking about the soybean variety demonstration project and Marisol Quintanilla of MSU talking about nematode management with non-traditional methods. A ribeye steak lunch, with porkburgers, potato salad and apple sauce will be served at noon. Although this field day is free of charge, registration is requested for planning purposes by calling the Monroe County Farm Bureau office at 734-269-3275. Corn Field Day: Once pollination is complete and kernel set is established, farmers will soon be able to estimate yields. The Michigan Corn Growers Association will have their annual crop tour late in August and give a report of their estimate at that time. The nearest location to Monroe County will be the Jay Williams farm on August 31 at 6:00pm. This farm is located at 14031 Broom Road, Waldron, MI 49288 and is just west of US 127 south of Hudson. Story continues Center for Excellence Field Day: Aug. 10 will be the 26th field day in southwest Lenawee County. Formally the Center of Excellence sponsored by Monsanto, this event has traditionally focused on conservation and new technology of varieties. RSVP to: 517-263-7400 ext 5. Agro Expo: An adaptation of the old MSU Ag Expo, this event is sponsored by Agro Liquids of St. Johns and will be held on August 16 and 17. This field day, like many others, is free of charge and features numerous field demonstrations, speakers and displays of various agronomic and technical aspects of agriculture and equipment. Farm Progress Show: The grand-daddy of farm shows is the Farm Progress Show, which rotates annually between Illinois and Iowa. This years three-day show will be held near Boone, Iowa and will be held from August 30- September 1. No registration is required but there is an entry fee. Wheat: Ohio State has released their 2022 Wheat Variety Trial Results. For the northwest Ohio location in Wood County, included is the variety, seeds per foot of row, yield, test weight, seeds per pound, lodging rating, height, and other milling data. The yields at this location ranged from 97.2 bushels per acre to 71.3 bushels, with an average of 87.2 bushels per acre. Normally MSU releases the Michigan wheat yield data around the first week of August. Seeding Forages: Now that daylength hours are shortening and temperatures begin to moderate, mid-August is a good time to establish new forage stands or filling in gaps in seedings made in spring. Before seeding, a soil test, including soil pH, is recommended. Knowing the field drainage is important as some alfalfa varieties are more tolerant of wet feet and Phytophthora root rot. There are some post-emergence herbicide options for alfalfa to control late summer and fall emerging winter annual weeds. The MSU Field Crop Weed Control Guide has recommendations for forages and can be googled free of charge. Ned Birkey is MSU Extension Educator Emeritus and a regular contributor to The Monroe News. This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Agriculture: Farmer Field Day coming soon Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, capping off days of speculation regarding whether or not the third-highest official in the U.S. government would visit the self-governing island amid criticism from China. Pelosis arrival in Taipei was broadcast on major television networks. It is her latest stop on a days-long trip to Asia with a congressional delegation. The Speaker confirmed the visit in a statement shortly after she landed. Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy, Pelosi said in a statement. Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Indo-Pacific including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy, she added. Pelosis arrival in Taiwan came despite warnings from China urging the Speaker against traveling to the island. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said a visit from Pelosi to Taiwan would seriously violate the one-China policy, adding that China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity if Pelosi ultimately visited. Taiwan is not recognized as independent by China. Instead, Beijing views the self-governing island as territory that is waiting to be reunified with China. Some in the Biden administration were also opposed to Pelosi visiting Taiwan. President Biden told reporters last month that the U.S. military thinks its not a good idea right now when asked about the Speakers possible visit to the territory. Story continues In an op-ed published in The Washington Post right after she landed in Taiwan, Pelosi laid out why she led the congressional delegation to the territory. In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom, Pelosi wrote. We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan and democracy itself, she wrote. By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan and all democracies must be respected, she added. Pelosi also noted that the visit in no way contradicts the long-standing One China policy, which is the U.S. position that acknowledges Taiwan as being part of China. Pelosi is now the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Taiwan since 1997, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) touched down in the territory. Pelosi previously visited Taiwan in 1999, but she was not a congressional leader at the time. Pelosi on Tuesday was joined by Reps. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). The visit was quickly applauded by Pelosis Republican colleagues. In a statement issued right after she landed, a group of 26 GOP senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), said they support the trip. We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan, the group of Republicans wrote. For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United States One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act. Updated at 11:43 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. China's President Xi Jinping and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. LINTAO ZHANG/AFP via Getty Images Saudi Arabia is expected to charge its highest-ever premium for oil cargoes headed to Asia, according to Bloomberg. The world's top oil exporter is planning a $10.80-per-barrel markup for its Arab Light crude over the regional benchmark price. Global oil prices are on pace for two months of consecutive losses, which hasn't happened since late 2020. Saudi Arabia is expected to charge its highest-ever premium for oil cargoes headed to Asia, even as traders see weakness in spot markets, according to a Bloomberg survey. The world's top oil exporter and de facto leader of OPEC is planning a $10.80-per-barrel markup for its Arab Light crude over the regional benchmark price. But a premium that high could hit demand for extra oil supplies as Asian refineries have seen narrower margins, traders told Bloomberg. Margins for gasoline in Asia have declined 70% from June while diesel fell 39%. In addition, refiners in Asia have been running at full-capacity since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and are considering scaling back operations starting in September, weighing further on demand. Meanwhile, oil prices have slumped recently amid growing fears of a recession and global crude benchmarks are on pace for two months of consecutive losses, which hasn't happened since late 2020. Saudi Arabia's expected markup for Asian crude also comes as Russia's war on Ukraine has shifted trade patterns. Saudi Arabia and Iraq are helping Europe wean off of Russian crude, which is increasingly headed to Asia. Europe has imported more than 1 million barrels per day via the SuMed pipeline in the first three weeks of July, nearly double from a year ago, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg. The volumes in the pipeline, which transits through Egypt, are mostly Saudi oil but also include Iraqi crude. Read the original article on Business Insider Enjoying the Golden Age of film and TV franchises? Legislation rapidly moving in Sacramento could bring it all to a crashing halt. Film, television, and streaming have never given us so much content to love. In 2021 alone, nearly 950 films entered production and 560 original scripted series were released to U.S. audiences an all-time high. Many were created here in California. More from Variety But those projects are only possible when complex production schedules involving hundreds or at times even thousands of people can be synced up to the talents availability. If producers cant solve that scheduling Rubiks Cube, audiences will lose out on captivating and continuous stories, putting Californias creative economy (which supports nearly 570,000 jobs each year) at risk. And thats exactly what a proposal being rushed through the legislature, AB 437 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, would do. By virtually banning the exclusive employment agreements used today as the foundation of film, television and streaming productions, this bill would jeopardize countless productions in this state. And while it is being sold as a pro-artist labor reform, in practice AB 437 would tie the hands of performers and studios as they work to negotiate creative deals that move exciting new projects forward. Exclusivity agreements for performers provide the certainty necessary for producers to finance, insure, plan for and complete major feature film, television and streaming projects, particularly those involving long-term story arcs. They assure writers and showrunners that characters developed in one season can be brought back for subsequent storylines. When fans, talent and crew all clamor for a second or third season, the tailored exclusivity agreements customary for lead actors allow everyone working on or watching a production to benefit from a continued run. In other words, they provide the foundation on which large scale and long-term productions are built laying down the economic bedrock for everyone from screenwriters to stagehands. Story continues Today, exclusivity agreements are meticulously negotiated, and producers pay handsomely for them not just for top talent but for supporting actors and character roles. And while the term exclusivity suggests actors cant take on other projects, thats not the case. Under the carefully constructed and hard-fought exclusivity deals used in todays productions, actors can take on a great deal of additional work and are not held off the market. Actors working on a streaming show, for example, can still appear in feature films, commercials, live theater, voice-over work, animation projects and even make guest appearances on other shows. Banning these agreements would ripple through the industry, putting the livelihoods of thousands of creative professionals at risk (including those with good-paying, high-quality union jobs supported by productions) whose earnings depend upon the certainty provided by these agreements. Without assurances that talent will be available, producers will not risk investing in and creating characters or storylines that span several seasons. Many series might not go beyond a first season. Additionally, under AB 437, there is no amount of compensation that a producer could pay, and a performer could accept, in exchange for exclusive services. This proposal would needlessly tie the hands of actors and performers and prevent them from negotiating deals that serve their own interests while putting thousands of jobs and Californias cultural and creative leadership at risk. The studios are being a good partner. In fact, through the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), they are negotiating right now solely on this issue, almost a year before the current collective bargaining agreement expires. This bill is a totally unnecessary invasion of negotiations and bargaining between performers and studios, including the agreements the bill would override. Two earlier versions of this legislation have already failed to advance through Californias Assembly over the past two years. Now bill sponsors are seeking to take another swing in the Senate, but three strikes surely should bring this bad idea to an end for good. It simply puts too much at risk. Film, television and streaming boost Californias economy, providing thousands of high-skill, high-wage jobs across the state, and cementing our cultural and creative leadership worldwide. The California Senate should reject this effort to erode the foundations of that great success. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Cityline host Tracy Moore opened up about her life and body in her latest Instagram post. (Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images) Tracy Moore isn't letting haters get in her way. On Sunday, the Canadian TV host took to Instagram to share a video with an empowering message about loving yourself and not giving in to body shamers. In the clip, the 47-year-old filmed herself on the beach wearing two different bikinis, glitzy hoop earrings and oversized sunglasses. She smiled and danced for the camera looking sun-kissed and happy while the words: "This bikini body brought to you by five gallons of sangria, 17 pounds of Iberian ham and a dozen gelatos," appeared on the screen. Moore is currently on holiday in Spain with her family, but took some time out of her busy itinerary to share an important update with her 149,000 followers. "Someone was concerned about what these images of me prancing in bathing suits might mean for young girls watching my feed. First of all, lets have a laugh together. Who on here doesnt know Im a super-serious completely goofy hedonistic A-type who loves the crap outta life? Who?!" she began in the caption. The "Cityline" host also explained that she hopes to inspire young girls to be themselves. "Im mean Im literally all the things. Id like to beat up the bad guy while wearing a thong and eating a chocolate bar. I dont think any of this is a mystery to anyone whose followed me for more than a day. And I hope young girls will see me being unapologetically myself and give themselves immediate permission to do the same. Whether theyre in a burka or a bikini. Live your life baby girls," Moore concluded. Fans were quick to weigh in on the post and praised Moore for her motivational message. "Burka or bikini. New song title! Love it so much and love the amazing sides of you. Be You. Because trying to be anyone else (or fit into their definition of what you should be) is useless. Fruitless. Empty. And also, sure to disappoint," wrote Dina Pugliese, the co-host of Toronto's Breakfast Television. "You lead with heart and love and humour. The world needs more of that Tracy!" Story continues "I think you are awesome and great example to all women," commented a fan. "My little girls and I love your posts! I can only hope they feel confident in whatever body they choose to rock!" shared someone else. "Tracy keep being yourself and continue living your best life. You are such an inspiration," a follower told Moore. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Travis Scott Lands 'Road to Utopia' Las Vegas Residency 1 Year After Astroworld Tragedy Courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas Travis Scott Travis Scott has booked a Las Vegas nightclub residency. On Monday, the "Sicko Mode" rapper announced he's heading to Nevada for a new concert residency titled "Road to Utopia" at Resorts World Las Vegas' Zouk Nightclub starting Sept. 17 nearly a year since a crowd rush at his Astroworld Festival resulted in the deaths of 10 concertgoers. According to a press release, each "Road to Utopia" show will see the 31-year-old musician perform selections from his catalog of hit songs which includes "Antidote," "Highest in the Room" and "Franchise" as well as potential previews of brand-new material. The residency is set to consist of seven shows, though only two performance dates have been announced so far: Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. More information regarding tickets for Scott's "Road to Utopia" shows can be found at the Zouk Group website. RELATED: Travis Scott Surprises Rolling Loud Fans with First Festival Performance Since Astroworld Tragedy Travis Scott Lands 'Road to Utopia' Las Vegas Residency 1 Year After Astroworld Tragedy Courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas Travis Scott Last month, Scott made his first music festival appearance since the Astroworld tragedy during Future's set at Rolling Loud in Miami, joining the 38-year-old rapper to perform their collab "Hold That Heat" before launching into Scott's tracks "Goosebumps" and "No Bystanders." Scott later performed in front of a lively crowd at Miami nightclub E11EVEN. He previously made his return to the stage at the same venue in May, the same month as his most recent performance at Zouk Nightclub. A total of 10 people were killed in a crowd rush during the Astroworld Festival tragedy in November. The Utopia artist has since offered to pay for the victims' funeral services, but several families have declined the offer. Scott currently faces a class action lawsuit on behalf of nearly 2,800 other victims. In March, Scott announced Project HEAL, a string of community-focused charity initiatives, and said he's taken time to "grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community" alongside its launch. Story continues "Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change," Scott wrote on Instagram at the time. "This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family." Travis Scott Lands 'Road to Utopia' Las Vegas Residency 1 Year After Astroworld Tragedy Courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas Travis Scott RELATED: Travis Scott Pauses Outdoor Concert in New York Over Safety Concerns: 'Make Sure You're OK' Scott paused his performance at The Day Party: Independence Day concert in Coney Island, Brooklyn last month to ensure fans' safety as some were seen scaling a lighting structure. "Hey yo, my bro, my brother, just make sure you're OK though, my brother. You hear me?" he said into the mic as the audience members climbed back down and the performance continued. A rep for Scott told PEOPLE at the time: "Travis is committed to doing his part to ensure events are as safe as possible so that fans can have fun, and he encouraged fans to listen to requests from security and climb down from the lighting structures so that everyone would be able to safely enjoy last night's performance." In April, Scott was announced as a headliner for Primavera Sound's upcoming festivals in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Santiago de Chile alongside artists including Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, and Bjork. A fire that burned dozens of acres in Utah was started by a man who confessed to igniting the brushfire while trying to burn a spider, officials said. The fire lit up 60 acres of a mountainside Monday in Springville, Utah, 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah fire officials said. Why he was trying to do that I dont know. It doesnt make any sense to us, Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff spokesperson, told USA TODAY. But thats what he told us, and weve got no reason to believe hes making that up. The 26-year-old man was booked on a misdemeanor reckless burning charge, and charges related to possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, Cannon said. Photo of the Springville, Utah fire taken from a golf course by Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson The local fire department was called at about 4:45 p.m. and arrived within minutes. When Springville Fire Chief Henry Clinton arrived on scene and was accompanied by Springville Police Chief Lance Haight when they saw a vehicle and man walking about with his dog on an access road high up on the mountainside. So really we went up there really to save his life, Clinton told USA TODAY. We werent thinking he lit the fire. And then as we approached, we had to stop because he was blocking the road. We got out, and he just offered: There was a spider!...It didnt make any sense to meSo I just looked at him and said What spider?. 'Save the life of the river': House passes bills on Colorado River drought, wildfires California fire: Rain aids in fight against massive McKinney Fire; storms could spark new flames As Clinton left to address the fire, the man confessed to Haight that he was trying to light a spider on fire. Then police arrested him. Clinton said roughly 100 firefighters from five different departments moved quickly and aggressively to stop the rapid moving fire and prevent it from reaching a row of homes downhill. An air tanker dropped retardant on the flames. Fire crews began to pull back at about 9:00 p.m. as lightning began to strike nearby. Then heavy rain fell on the area, and the fire was out by the morning, according to Clinton. Story continues Fire officials said online on Tuesday morning that the fire area grew to 60 acres, and was 10% contained, which refers to how much of the fires perimeter has been surrounded by firefighters. Officials said containment was expected to "drastically increase" by the end of firefighters' shift, Utah Fire said. #SpringvilleFire 60 acres, 10% contained, human caused. Firefighters expect the containment to drastically increase by end of shift. 2 crews, 1 engine and 1 squad will be on scene. A suspect was arrested and booked for this incident.@UWCNF #usfsst pic.twitter.com/hXTGZKyCew Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) August 2, 2022 Everybody did an outstanding job. No injuries to speak of, just some scratches, Clinton said. Everybody left in good shape. People facing fire-related charges can be held accountable for the expenses involved in fighting the fire, according to Cannon. I was talking to two of the police chiefs that were there last night and they estimated that the cost of this fire is probably going to be well over $200,000, Cannon said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah wildfire started by man trying to burn spider, officials say President Joe Biden announced Monday that the U.S. had killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend. He hailed the operation as a significant win in the fight against terror groups overseas -- including, as the White House was quick to point out almost a year after the messy exit from Afghanistan, in countries where the U.S. no longer maintains a military presence. "Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer," Biden said, speaking from the White House where he is isolating with COVID-19. "The United States continues to demonstrate our resolve and our capacity to defend the American people against those who seek to do us harm," he said. "We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out." Briefing reporters on Monday ahead of Biden's remarks, a senior administration official said that "we showed that without American forces on the ground in Afghanistan and in harm's way, we remain able to identify and locate even the world's most wanted terrorists and then take action to remove him from the battlefield." It was a subtle rebuke of the sharp criticism the administration faced last year in leaving Afghanistan in the face of a resurgent Taliban. MORE: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in drone strike in Afghanistan: Source The president said in his speech that al-Zawahiri had returned to the Afghan capital to be with family and was killed on Sunday morning local time. Al-Zawahiri was named the leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011 and officials believe he was a key part of the group's international activities for decades. "He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11, one of the most responsible for the attacks that killed 2,977 people on American soil. For decades, he was the mastermind behind attacks against Americans," Biden said. "He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats and American interests." Story continues Biden said he hoped al-Zawahiri's killing could offer a moment of relief for those who had family members killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony as he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan, in Washington, Aug. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson/AP) "We continue to mourn every innocent life that was stolen on 9/11 and honor their memories," he said. "To the families who lost fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and coworkers on that searing September day, it is my hope that this decisive action will bring one more measure of closure." The U.S. drone strike comes after collaboration from various parts of the counterterrorism community, the senior administration official told reporters earlier Monday. A separate source told ABC News the operation was carried out by the CIA. Biden was first briefed on al-Zawahiri's whereabouts in April and was ultimately briefed on a proposed operation on July 1, the administration official told reporters. Key Cabinet members and advisers were convened on July 25 to receive a final updated briefing on the intelligence assessment, which the official said continued to strengthen on a daily basis. "The president received an updated operational report and pressed at a granular level. He asked again about any other options that would reduce collateral or civilian casualties. He wanted to understand more about the layout of rooms [of al-Zawahiri's safe house in Kabul] behind the door and windows on the third floor of the building," the official said. "At the conclusion of the meeting, the president authorized a precise tailored airstrike on the condition that a strike minimize to the greatest extent possible the risk of civilian casualties. This authorization meant that the U.S. government could conduct an airstrike once an opportunity was available," the official said. The U.S. is confident through intelligence sources and "multiple streams of intelligence that he was killed "and no other individual," the official said. The successful remote strike against al-Zawahiri comes nearly a year after Biden presided over the turbulent U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan following two decades of war. He and his administration insisted then that the cost of involvement wasn't worth the chaos and that the U.S. would still have the capability to track and eliminate terror threats without forces on the ground. "We showed that without American forces on the ground in Afghanistan and in harm's way we remain able to identify and locate even the world's most wanted terrorists and then take action to remove him from the battlefield," the senior administration official said Monday. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room balcony of the White House in Washington, Aug. 1, 2022. (Pool/Getty Images) The exit from Afghanistan, which had been negotiated during the Trump administration, took place against the backdrop of an unexpectedly rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban, the armed group the U.S. had fought after invading in 2001. Biden was castigated by Republicans and others over his handling of the withdrawal. Evacuation efforts were also marred by an Islamic State attack at an airport checkpoint in Kabul as the U.S. military and others worked to ferry out civilians. Thirteen U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans were killed. On Monday, the senior administration official told reporters that al-Zawahiri had been staying in one of Kabul's most affluent and prominent neighborhoods, near various diplomatic centers and international companies. The official confirmed that the ruling Taliban were aware of his presence in the area, knowledge that could further strain already tenuous relations with Washington. The official said that the Taliban sought to cover up al-Zawahiri's presence at his safe house after the strike. MORE: Afghanistan updates: US, Taliban hold first direct talks since withdrawal "This is a very important point for us to make clear to the Taliban: that we expect them to abide by the terms of the Doha agreement, and the presence of al-Zawahiri in downtown Kabul is a clear violation of that," the senior official said, referring to the agreement the Taliban negotiated with President Donald Trump in Doha, Qatar. "My administration will continue to vigilantly monitor and address threats from al-Qaeda, no matter where they emanate from," Biden said in his speech from the White House. "The United States did not seek this war against terror, it came to us, and we answered with the same principles and resolve that have shaped us for generation upon generation: to protect [the] innocent, defend liberty, and we keep the light of freedom burning -- a beacon for the rest of the entire world." ABC News' Justin Gomez and Luis Martinez contributed to this report. Biden announces killing of al-Qaeda leader in Kabul: 'Justice has been delivered' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Brad Pitt revealed why he decided to wear a skirt on the Bullet Train Berlin premiere. (Getty Images) Brad Pitt has been on the press circuit for his latest action movie Bullet Train, experimenting with a variety of vibrant looks and in particular, making headlines last month by sporting a skirt on the red carpet at the film's premiere in Berlin. The 58-year-old actor has been making an impression on the global promotional tour for his latest action movie, which stars Pitt as a hitman who has to fight his way through a train filled with assassins who are separately all assigned to kill him. Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch helms the high-octane movie which also stars Bad Bunny, Joey King, Sandra Bullock, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as dangerous assassins. Brad Pitt wore a linen skirt on the Bullet Train red carpet at the film's premiere in Berlin. (Getty Images) Read more: As Brad Pitt wears skirt, male and non-binary celebs who have challenged mainstream style conventions Pitt has been enjoying himself on the sartorial front with a number of laid-back looks on the red carpets, and took a moment to explain his linen skirt-look at the films premiere in Germany whilst on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Bullet Train on Monday evening. I dont know! Were all going to die, so lets mess it up, Pitt told Varietys Marc Malkin. Brad Pitt left the skirt at home for the Los Angeles premiere of Bullet Train. (Getty Images) Despite it being 2022, Pitt still made headlines for the standout skirt look, with the world apparently still not used to seeing man - particularly a heterosexual heartthrob like Pitt - in a garment traditionally associated with females. Read more: Brad Pitt opens up about fears he has 'face blindness': What is prosopagnosia? The Troy star left the skirt at home for the US premiere however, instead opting for a loose-fitting laidback green suit in a canvas fabric. He teamed the pear-green suit with a fine-knit polo top in teal, and a pair of vibrant canary yellow Adidas Gazelle trainers. Watch: Brad Pitt dons striking suit at premiere of new film Bullet Train Apple is facing yet another antitrust lawsuit over its App Store fees, this time filed by a group of French iOS app developers who are suing the tech giant in its home state of California. The plaintiffs are accusing Apple of anticompetitive practices in allowing only one App Store for iOS devices, which gives it a monopoly in iOS app distribution and the ability to force developers to pay high commissions on in-app purchases. The complaint argues that these commissions, on top of Apple's $99 annual developer program fees, cut into developers' earnings and stifle innovation -- and yet developers aren't permitted to offer alternative payment methods per Apple's App Store rules nor can they distribute their apps to iOS users outside of the App Store, despite Apple allowing this on Mac computers. The case is now one of several antitrust legal battles Apple is facing, including the high-profile lawsuit with Fortnite maker Epic Games, which is under appeal and another by alternative app store Cydia. The iOS developers in the suit include France-based developers Societe du Figaro, the developer of the Figaro news app; LEquipe 24/24, the developer of LEquipe sports news and streaming app; and le GESTE, a French association comprised of France-based publishers of online content and services, including iOS app developers. The group is being represented by U.S.-based Hagens Berman law firm, which last year won a $100 million settlement against Apple over App Store policies and recently filed a $1 billion case against Apple over antitrust issues with Apple Pay. Hagens Bermans managing partner Steve Berman has a history of winning against the tech giants, having secured a $560 million settlement against Apple regarding e-book price-fixing and a $90 million settlement on behalf of Android developers. He's working with Paris-based antitrust lawyer Fayrouze Masmi-Dazi on the proposed class action lawsuit. "Were fresh off the heels of our hard-won settlement with Apple and ready to get back in the ring, said Berman, in a statement. "Our firm is happy to see iOS developers from other countries seeking the same justice we were able to achieve for U.S. developers. We believe they too have been wrongfully subjected to the stifling policies of Apples App Store, and we intend to hold Apple to the law." Story continues The suit aims to force Apple to allow competition in iOS app distribution and remove pricing mandates which restrict developers from setting their own rates for in-app purchases. It also wants to Apple to reimburse developers for "overcharges," and prevent Apple from raising the current 15% commission for developers in its Small Business Program for at least three years. In addition, the proposed settlement would allow Apple's U.S. iOS developers to communicate with their customers outside their apps about other ways to purchase beyond Apple's in-app purchase system. Developers would be allowed to communicate with customers using information collected by their apps, subject to consumer consent and opt-outs. Apple, however, already announced a settlement that allows such communication last year, and subsequently updated its App Store rules to reflect this change. If the developers win, it would not be the first antitrust action against Apple in France. The tech giant was fined 1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2020 by the French Competition Authority for antitrust violations related to restrictions in contracts with wholesalers, which it appealed. In addition, European startup association France Digitale has also been a prominent critic of Apple's practices, and was working on its own legal action. The news of the filing was first reported by Reuters. Apple has not yet commented. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is embedded below. Hagens Berman Antitrust Class-Action Lawsuit Against Apples App Store Fees by TechCrunch on Scribd Bizarrap and Quevedo make their first visits to the Billboard Hot 100, as their collaboration Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52 debuts at No. 98 on the chart dated Aug. 6. The club-friendly anthem, released via Dale Play Records, opens with 5.3 million official U.S. streams, a 45% gain, in the July 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate. It crowns the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for a second week each, after becoming just the second all-Spanish-language song to top the tallies, and ranks at No. 5 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and jumps 20-13 on Hot Latin Songs. More from Billboard Bizarrap and Quevedo are both newcomers to Billboards charts. Bizarrap (real name: Gonzalo Conde), from Bueno Aires, Argentina, first appeared on a U.S. chart in 2020, with Mamichula (billed as Trueno and Nicki Nicole featuring Taiu, Bizarrap and Tatool), which reached No. 49 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 100 on the Global 200. It also spent four weeks atop the Billboard Argentina Hot 100, becoming his first of six No. 1s so far, through Vol. 52. Bizarrap has earned 34 entries on the Argentina Hot 100, all since October 2019, when he arrived with the No. 13-peaking Trueno: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 16. Vol. 52 is Bizarraps fourth entry on Hot Latin Songs, following Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 41, with Nicky Jam (No. 38 peak in July 2021); Vol. 46, with Anuel AA (No. 38, November 2021); and Vol. 49, with Residente (No. 22, this March). Bizarrap, 23, notched one prior entry on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Vol. 51, with Villano Antillano (No. 17 peak, this July), and has tallied 16 titles on Global Excl. U.S. and 12 on the Global 200. Story continues Bizarraps Sessions series highlights developing urban acts in which Bizarrap provides beats and production and guest artists freestyle. Dale Play president Federico Fede Lauria describes the concept as a creative space, a free space, a cultural space and a space that represents very well the beginnings of Argentinas urban music movement. Quevedo (full name: Pedro Dominguez Quevedo), from Madrid, Spain, made his first Billboard chart appearance this February with Cayo La Noche, with El Ima, Cruz Cafune, Bejo, La Pantera, Juseph and Abhir Hathi. The track reached No. 64 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 145 on the Global 200. The 20-year-old has scored two additional entries on Billboards global charts: Si Quieren Frontear, with DuKi and De La Ghetto (No. 86 peak on Global Excl. U.S.; No. 200 on the Global 200), and now the juggernaut Vol. 52. My music is now heard around the world and its something thats honestly just incredible, Quevedo told Billboard upon the global chart coronation of Vol. 52, adding that hes currently in the studio working on his debut full-length album. Click here to read the full article. For FNs latest cover, G-Eazy led a conversation with Jeff Staple at The Motoring Club in Southern California, a co-working space for car enthusiasts. While the rap superstar and the design icon are widely recognized as diehard sneakerheads, Michael Rapetti, owner of The Motoring Club, is also no slouch when it comes to kicks. As photographer Justin Bettman snapped shots of G-Eazy and Staple surrounded by the dream automobiles of car aficionados everywhere, Rapetti walked The Motoring Club floor in the Nike Air Max 1 Safari, a silhouette he admitted is an all-time favorite. More from Footwear News Rapetti opened The Motoring Club in Marina del Rey in 2019, after leaving a career in big tech that he admitted burned him out. The Motoring Club, he explained, is the result of no longer wanting to sell online products and, instead, hoping to create a welcoming physical space and with it a community. The concept of this was a casual, everyday hangout for people who are into cars, but without the stuffiness of a traditional car club, Rapetti told FN. At the heart of it, were a social club for car enthusiasts. Members pay a reasonable monthly rate, and the goal was to keep it like a gym membership, something where we could have a variety of people, ages, backgrounds and make it more inclusive than a place with a higher price point and a smaller community. Looking ahead, Rapetti said hes working on a second location in Santa Monica. The space, which is slated to open in September or October, will feature a full coffee shop and retail experience. He will then expand out of state in 2023 and 2024, with plans to open in New York. Below, Rapetti offers FN a look into his footwear collection. The Motoring Club owner Michael Rapetti in the Nike Air Max 90 Infrared. - Credit: Courtesy of Shaun Maluga Courtesy of Shaun Maluga Story continues How many pairs I own: Probably around 100. Closet balance: Its like 80% sneakers. The remaining 20% are Chelsea boots, some cowboy boots, some loafers. Its funny, I wear them 0% of the time because I now work in a casual environment and live in L.A. Most expensive pair I own: Jordan 1 Chicago, the 2015 release. I looked recently, the price is at, like, $2,000. I probably paid $500 or $600. I love the hunt, and I love like buying things at retail, so I have a cap. If the resale is higher than x, Im not going to do it. For the 1s, that broke the cap. Least expensive pair I own: Vans Slip-Ons. I love them. Theyre comfortable. Those are my kickers. Where I buy my shoes: SNKRS app, Undefeated and StockX. Most comfortable pair: [Nike] Huaraches. I just got the new tan, blue and orange ones, like the OG ACG Mowabb. Least comfortable pair: I love Reebok Pumps, but theyre the least comfortable just because theres zero ventilation. You get sweaty in them. Favorite shoes to drive in: Flyknit Racers. Nike needs to bring them back. Least favorite to drive in: Any pair of Jordans because Im worried about creasing them. Favorite shoes to wear at The Motoring Club: Nike Air Max 1s. Growing up, they didnt make childrens versions, and when these came out they were so cool. Ive always lusted after them, and since Ive been able to buy them, theyve been my go-to sneaker. Most commonly seen at The Motoring Club: Vans. Its a California thing. You see them everywhere. Most regrettable shoe purchase: The Air Max 1 x Clots. I never tried them on, and theyre obviously unique with the clear toe box. I bought them and then A) they started selling for under retail, and then B) I tried them on and I was like, I look so dumb in them. Now, theyre just in the box. Favorite trend of today: Just that sneakers are becoming more ingrained in fashion. Years ago, I would always convince people that it was cool to wear nice sneakers even in a more formal setting. Now, you see sneakers being worn with suits, and women choosing to wear Jordans instead of Louboutins. Least favorite trend: Super chunky soles. I feel like every brand thats trying to make cool sneakers, the soles are super chunky. Some Balenciagas are just so massive, and Kanye [West is] doing his massive boots. The stuff thats just a little too futuristic, thats the kind of stuff where Im like, I get it, but its just seems a little crazy.' Best of Footwear News Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. U.S. regulators are seizing their moment during this ongoing crypto bear market to crack down on bad actors in the space as many investors are already souring on the asset class. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged 11 people today in connection with Forsage, a crypto project that raised over $300 million from "millions of retail investors worldwide," the agency announced today. The individuals charged include the project's four founders -- Vladimir Okhotnikov, Jane Doe aka Lola Ferrari, Mikhail Sergeev, and Sergey Maslakov -- who were last sighted in Russia, Georgia and Indonesia. Several members of the "Crypto Crusaders," a group that promoted the scheme in at least five different U.S. states were also charged, according to the announcement. Forsage was launched in January 2020 as a website that allowed retail investors to transact on the Ethereum, Tron and Binance blockchains, the SEC complaint says. In June 2020, Forsage was the most popular decentralized application on Ethereum and consumed so much bandwidth on the chain that it caused gas fees to spike. At the peak of its popularity in July 2020, over $20 million worth of ETH was sent to the platform in a single day, Dune Analytics data shows. According to the SEC, the project has operated as a pyramid scheme for more than two years and used assets from new investors to pay off old ones, typical of a Ponzi scheme structure. Operating a pyramid scheme, a fundamentally unsustainable business model wherein participants recruit others to buy in with the promise of quick returns, is illegal in the U.S. "Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains," wrote Carolyn Welshhans, acting chief of the SECs Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, a division of the SEC that rebranded to include crypto in its title and embarked on a hiring spree in May this year. This isn't the first time Forsage has been in regulators' crosshairs. The Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines sent the company a cease-and-desist order in 2020 for operating as a fraud and in 2021, the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance did the same. Despite these warnings, the defendants kept promoting the scheme and denied that they were operating a pyramid scheme on various social media platforms, the SEC says. Story continues Besides the founders, Cheri Beth Bowen, Ronald R. Deering, Samuel D. Ellis, Mark F. Hamlin, Carlos L. Martinez, Alisha R. Shepperd and Sarah L. Theissen were all also charged with violating federal securities laws in connection with Forsage, according to the SEC complaint. Ellis and Theissen, the agency says, have agreed to settle the charges. The charges come at a time of heightened regulatory scrutiny over the digital asset space, particularly from the SEC itself. Coinbase has been locked in a battle with the agency over its sale of cryptocurrencies listed on its platform that it insists are commodities, not securities. Meanwhile, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis are seeking to build consensus in Congress for their bill that would classify most cryptocurrencies as commodities, bringing the industry largely under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than leaving it open to the stricter SEC. Top aides to President Joe Biden are slamming the Taliban for letting al Qaedas leader live in Afghanistans capital and are promising to hold the militant group accountable intensifying tensions between Washington and Kabul. Speaking days after a U.S. drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, senior U.S. officials warned that America will not permit Afghanistan to become a haven for terrorists. The Taliban, meanwhile, accused the United States of violating international principles by unleashing the weekend drone strike against the al Qaeda boss. The mutual recriminations come as U.S. officials and Taliban leaders have been discussing ways to release some $3.5 billion in Afghan government funds frozen by the U.S. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan nearly a year ago, the country has slipped into a humanitarian crisis. U.S. officials want to direct the money to help suffering Afghans, but they are worried the money will go to the Talibans coffers and fund terrorism. I think Zawahris presence in a Taliban safehouse has to be the nail in the coffin of any plan to release funds directly to the Taliban, said Nathan Sales, who served as ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism from 2017 to 2021. They simply cant be trusted and the risk is substantial that money released to them would find their way inevitably and directly into al Qaedas pockets. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday accused the Taliban of violating a pact struck as part of talks in Qatar that helped lead to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qaeda in Kabul, the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries, Blinken said in a statement. They also betrayed the Afghan people and their own stated desire for recognition from and normalization with the international community. Story continues National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. believes that senior members of the Haqqani network, which has been affiliated with both the Taliban and al Qaeda, knew of al-Zawahris presence in Kabul, while others in the broader Taliban may not have. John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, accused the Taliban of taking steps after the strike to try to cover up evidence that the group harbored al-Zawahri and his family. He vowed that the U.S. would not allow Afghanistan to again become a haven for terrorists. I think if you were to ask the members of al Qaeda, ask them how safe they feel in Afghanistan right now, I think we proved to them fairly well this weekend that it isn't a safe haven and it is not going to be going forward, Kirby said. A senior administration official also told reporters on Monday that, following the drone strike, members of the Haqqani network restricted access to the house. We are communicating directly with the Taliban about their obligations not to allow al Qaeda to use Afghanistan as a [base] for plotting, Sullivan told CBS News. That includes telling the Taliban about our capacity to hold them accountable for not living up to their commitments, he added. We're prepared to take further action to ensure that Afghanistan can never again be used as a [base] for attacking Americans, Sullivan said. He did not offer further details. The Taliban government, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said it was the United States that had violated the Doha deal as well as international principles. That was presumably a reference to violating a countrys sovereignty through the drone attack. Repeating such actions will damage the existing opportunities, the group warned in a statement. There was a glimmer of hope following the Doha Agreement in 2020 that Washington could work with the Taliban on limited issues if the militant group demonstrated its commitment to cut ties with al Qaeda. But the Talibans actions over the past year appear to have dashed any chances of a viable relationship. Was there ever really a prospect for laying a foundation for the U.S. and Taliban to co-exist peacefully or for us to have a real relationship with the regime? Their ideology is aligned with a jihadist narrative, said Kate Bateman, an Afghanistan specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The U.S. has convinced other nations not to recognize the Taliban government, which had diplomatic ties with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before it was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Bateman said al-Zawahris presence in Kabul could strengthen the State Departments hand in isolating the Taliban government internationally. The fate of the financial talks between the U.S. and the Taliban was not immediately clear Tuesday. Just last week, a senior U.S. delegation that included officials from the State and Treasury departments met with Taliban representatives in Uzbekistan to discuss ways to use the $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan funds. The State Department readout of that meeting said the United States underscored the need to accelerate the work on these efforts given the humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan. Those challenges include a breakdown of the economy and health care systems, starvation among Afghans and rampant unemployment. State Department and White House officials did not immediately offer answers to questions about the future of the financial talks. Some experts, though, clearly wanted negotiations to stop. The U.S. should suspend its dialogue with the Taliban and ensure no U.S. assistance gets anywhere near the Taliban leadership, said Lisa Curtis, who served as the National Security Councils top South Asia official in the Trump administration. I think there will be pressure not to provide any money, said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and retired CIA officer. Thats unfortunate for the people of Afghanistan, who desperately need it. Any other state that was actively housing the most wanted man in the world would be considered a state sponsor of terrorism, Mulroy added. Some long-time observers of South Asia questioned whether any elements of the Taliban assisted the U.S. as it hunted al-Zawahri. But U.S. officials dismissed that notion, saying they found the al Qaeda chief first by tracking his wife and other relatives to a house in Kabul, where they later determined he, too, was staying. The Taliban did not help us, a senior Biden administration official insisted Tuesday to POLITICO. Theres a strong sense in official and analytical circles that the Taliban leadership is not entirely united on every sensitive issue. For instance, the militants have a deeply patriarchal view of the world, but there have been disagreements in their top ranks about whether girls should be allowed to go to school and until what age. Even if top officials in Kabul promise not to harbor international terrorists, Taliban and al Qaeda members long-standing relationships make it hard for the militants to deny one another shelter, a Biden administration official familiar with the issue said. The Haqqani network, in particular, has an independent streak, despite being a part of the Taliban. The reality is that some of these people have known each other for 40 years, fighting in the hills, and all of the psychological bonds and trauma that come with that, the administration official said. So their loyalties are to each other, not to some government in the capital. After the fall of Kabul in August last year, many observers hoped that the Taliban had learned from their years of isolation and war and that they would be more moderate as they sought international legitimacy. But the Taliban today are acting similarly to the predecessor government of the 1990s, when they controlled Afghanistan prior to the U.S. invasion spurred by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the time, the militants had sheltered al-Zawahris predecessor, Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the attacks, and they refused to give him up to U.S. custody. Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in 2011. His presence in Pakistan, and the U.S. attack, further damaged an already frayed relationship between Islamabad and Washington. Al-Zawahri, too, was believed by many terrorism researchers to have been living in Pakistan for years. The Talibans return to power in Afghanistan last year may have made him more confident that he could go there without hassle. Asked for comment Tuesday, the Pakistani embassy in Washington pointed to a statement from the countrys foreign ministry. It declared that Pakistan condemns terrorism is all its forms and manifestations. Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. now with the Hudson Institute, said Washington and Europe should give up their hopes of engaging with a changed Taliban. It is true that the Taliban control Afghanistan and some engagement with them is inevitable, Haqqani said. But their behavior is that of a rogue regime and U.S. policy towards them should reflect that reality. Sales said that likely means finding ways to bypass the Taliban to get more assistance to the Afghan people through humanitarian aid groups and other non-governmental organizations. You are going to have to look for other ways to meet the humanitarian need in Afghanistan, he said. You are going to have to work directly with NGOs in the country. The Taliban simply cannot be trusted to keep any of the commitments they've made, he added. Alexander Ward and Lara Seligman contributed to this report. There's no guarantee that your mail is going to show up every dayespecially in 2022. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been battling a number of challenges over the last couple years that have resulted in growing complaints about delivery delays across the country. At the same time, the threat of mail theft has increased significantly, making it more likely that your mail could be stolen before it makes its way to you. Sometimes, however, the USPS plays a more direct role in your empty mailbox. The postal agency can and will suspend delivery services for a number of reasonswhich some Americans just discovered recently. Read on to find out where the USPS is suspending services right now. READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Getting Rid of This, Postmaster General Says. USPS has suspended service in multiple areas already this year. People across the U.S. have had their mail service stripped back throughout the year. From April to June, the USPS suspended deliveries in at least three cities over attacks against postal carriers: Santa Monica, California; Greenfield, Indiana; and Des Moines, Iowa. Residents in one Santa Monica neighborhood received notice of a mail suspension back in April due to "assaults and threats of assaults" from one individual against multiple carriers in the area. Meanwhile, the neighborhoods in Greenfield and Des Moines both lost delivery service after USPS workers were attacked by loose dogs. Now, the Postal Service has had to suspend its services in another area entirely for very different concerns. The agency just pulled back service from several post offices. The USPS was forced to suspend its service at several post offices in Northern California this week, eSeller365 reported. According to the e-commerce news outlet, the agency closed post offices in four Siskiyou County cities: Klamath River, Happy Camp, Scott Bar, and Seiad Valley. The closures are the result of the McKinney Fire, a massive wildfire that broke out in the Klamath National Forest near the border of California and Oregon on July 29, per CNN. Story continues RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Mail delivery has been impacted in these areas. On Aug. 1, the USPS updated its Residential Service Disruptions alert page, notifying residents that two of the post offices have reopened: Happy Camp and Seiad Valley. The Scott Bar and Klamath River locations are still closed due to the McKinney Fire, however. And even in the areas where post offices have reopened, mail delivery is still being impacted due to road closures because of the fire. For residents who are unable to get their mail, the Postal Service is directing them to available mail and retail services at the post office in Yreka, California. "Customers are reminded to bring proper photo identification for mail and package pickups," the agency said. This is not the only time natural disasters have impacted postal service recently. The Postal Service has long warned customers that hazardous conditions and natural disasters can affect service. But the agency says it "curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort," in order to keep employees and customers safe. The McKinney Fire is not the first instance of this in recent weeks. On July 26, the USPS released an industry alert notifying customers that it had halted operations at its Processing and Distribution Center in St. Louis, Missouri, due to flooding in the area. At least one post office in the city also had to be closed as record-breaking rainfall in the region produced historic and widespread flooding, according to CNN. "Flooding conditions presented some challenges for us, and we are reallocating resources, making every effort to provide delivery, however the safety of our employees is a top priority," USPS spokesperson Mark Inglett told local Fox-affiliate KTVI . (Getty Images) In the past week, Senate Republicans have caught hell from the press, public opinion and from veteran activists, after 25 Republicans reversed their previous vote for the PACT Act. The act would have provided care for US veterans who were exposed to toxic exposure from burn pits. Veterans have also seen a boost in publicity for their fight thanks to Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, who has been vocally railing against GOP Senators who opposed the legislation. But now, likely sensing that public opinion is not on their side, Republican Senators have a new line of complaint: Democrats started it. In particular, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a veteran, blasted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for not allowing a vote on amendments. We were told by Schumer you get one shot at it and this is what pisses me off, and you can quote me on that, Ernst told reporters on Monday. Now we have the opportunity because he screwed it up. And it shouldnt have originated here. It goes against the Constitution, right? Nobodys talking about it. Schumer screwed it up. At issue is an objection from Senator Pat Toomey, a retiring Republican from Pennsylvania, who said in a statement last week that he had a problem with a provision that would allow for $400 billion in the current law to be moved from discretionary (i.e. nonessential) spending to mandatory spending. Mandatory spending is a category that includes entitlements like Social Security and is therefore not set by annual appropriation acts. This provision is completely unnecessary to achieve the PACT Acts stated goal of expanding healthcare and other benefits for veterans, Toomey said last week. However, it would enable an additional $400 billion in future discretionary spending completely unrelated to veterans. Ernst explained to reporters that she supported the measures and empathizes with veterans. I support this. I get it, she said. But it ticks me off the way Schumer is blaming it all on Republicans. It started with him. Story continues Retiring Senator Rob Portman of Ohio offered a similar line. All Leader Schumer has to do is let one amendment be offered, which [Toomey] says hes willing to do well, he said. But Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said that save for one amendment, it was the same legislation that was voted on last week. No $400 billion slush fund. No other bulls***, he said. And he took exception when I brought up Ernsts objections. Lets be honest, things didnt change, he said, offering to go line-by-line with Ernst. Its the same bill. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, the father of a US Marine, offered a slightly different explanation: Republicans blocked the legislation shortly after Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin announced their climate and healthcare spending deal and this is Republicans revenge. I mean, I know that the Rs were not happy with the reconciliation bill, but the PACT Act is not the right thing to fool around with, he said. More than a dozen House Republicans voted against a resolution on Monday that expressed support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The House passed the measure, which had bipartisan sponsorship, in a 394-18 vote, with all the opposition coming from the Republican Party. Two Democrats and 17 Republicans did not vote. Eighteen House Republicans objected to the measure: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Dan Bishop (N.C.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Ben Cline (Va.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Bob Good (Va.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Morgan Griffith (Va.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom McClintock (Calif.), Mary Miller (Ill.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.), Chip Roy (Texas) and Jefferson Van Drew (N.J.). The measure specifically demonstrates support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO which they applied to do in May and urges member states to formally support their push to join the alliance. Additionally, the resolution opposes any attempts by the Russian Federation to adversely react to the decision by the two Nordic countries to join the military alliance and urges NATO countries to fulfill their 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) defense spending pledge that was agreed to at the 2014 Wales summit. Passage of the measure came exactly two months after Finland and Sweden applied to become members of NATO and less than three weeks after the military alliance invited the pair of countries to join the group. The push for Sweden and Finland to join NATO ramped up after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow has since continued its offensive. Massie said on Twitter on Monday following the vote that America cant afford to subsidize socialist Europes defense, nor should we. Tonight, I voted against the House Resolution urging NATOs expansion into Sweden and Finland. His tweet included a link to a Newsweek article from March that said only eight of the 30 NATO countries met the guideline of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense in 2021 a fact that was reflected in the NATO secretary generals annual report. Story continues Massie and other GOP lawmakers who objected to Mondays resolution have voted against measures related to the Russia, Ukraine and the invasion in the past. In May, Massie and Greene voted no on three bills connected to the invasion. One compelled foreign entities and individuals under U.S. authority to comply with sanctions on Russia and Belarus. Another called for making it U.S. policy to bar Russian officials from participating in meetings and activities in the Group of 20 and other financial institutions. The third would forbid the Treasury secretary from taking part in transactions related to the exchange of special drawing rights that Russia or Belarus possesses. Belarus has supported Russia throughout its invasion of Ukraine. The lawmakers also joined 54 Republicans that day in voting against a bill to suspend multilateral debt payments Ukraine owes. In April, Massie, Greene, Cawthorn and Roy joined with four progressive lawmakers in opposing a measure urging President Biden to seize assets from sanctioned Russian oligarchs and use the money to help Kyiv amid its battle with Moscow. Also in April, 10 GOP House members including Massie, Greene, Biggs, Bishop, Davidson, Gaetz and Norman voted against the Ukraine lend-lease bill, which sought to make it easier for the U.S. to send military assistance to Ukraine during Russias invasion. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. As Alex Palou topped Chip Ganassi Racings qualifying efforts for the Gallagher Grand Prix on Friday afternoon, his attorneys were filing a motion to move the civil lawsuit against him by his own team to federal court, according to case documents filed Friday. Included in the notice filed by the attorneys of Palou and ALPA Racing, were the defendants stated plans to file a countersuit against Ganassi for, among other things, defamation. The notice also confirmed that Palou and ALPA Racing were being sued by Ganassi for claims that included breach of contract. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (10) sits in his pit box Friday, July 29, 2022, during qualifying for the Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Suing the champChip Ganassi Racing sues Alex Palou over contract for 2023 Palous attorneys filed to move the case to the Indianapolis Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. On behalf of Palou and ALPA Racing, their local attorneys Andrew Hull and Riley Floyd of Hoover Hull Turner LLP in Indianapolis had a 30-day window from receipt of Ganassis complaint to file a notice of removal to federal court. Of note, the filing canceled Mondays initial attorney conference that, according to the public case file, was set to be the first meeting between the two sides regarding the lawsuit filed July 26. In attempting to move the case to the Southern District of Indiana, Palous attorneys pointed to two factors that help determine where cases can be heard: diversity of citizenship and the amount in controversy. The notice states that though CGR is located in Indiana, Chip Ganassi himself lives and holds a business office in or around Pittsburgh making the plaintiff in the case, they stated, a citizen of the State of Pennsylvania. Additionally, they state Palou is a citizen of Spain and that his Indiana residency is only temporary and done so via a non-permanent work visa. As this progresses, its also important to note that Palou and his now wife Esther sold the coffee shop they owned and ran out of Spain together midway through the 2021 IndyCar season and moved all of their belongings to their current residence in Carmel. Story continues In regards to ALPA Racing, Palous personal racing entity, the filing states the company is incorporated, registered and located in Barcelona, Spain, with its only physical address there as well. As what Spain calls a sociedad limitada, attorneys for Palou and ALPA Racing argue that district courts treat SLs as foreign corporations. That information altogether, they argue, is evidence to move the case to federal court because the parties dont share a common state citizenship in Indiana. Additionally, the practice is done to help prevent parties in such a case from attempting to defend themselves in what they might deem a biased court. May 14, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team owner Chip Ganassi during qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When it comes to the amount in controversy, federal courts typically claim jurisdiction over cases where more than $75,000 is at stake for either party. As Palou and ALPA Racings attorneys point out, CGR has motioned for injunctive relief and specific performance to both prevent Palou from driving for McLaren Racing in 2023, as the sides stated in a July 12 release, and enforce the team option for the 2023 season Ganassi stated earlier on July 12 that it had picked up to tie down the young Spanish driver for the next IndyCar season. Such relief, the notice states, would be enforcing a contract worth more than $75,000, meaning also that Ganassi would be hoping to be awarded the value of Palous driving efforts for 2023, which similarly because of their contract together would be worth more than the threshold. In being forced to drive for Ganassi instead of McLaren, the notice states Palou would be set to lose more than $75,000. To conclude this part of their argument, the notice reads, Defendants currently anticipate asserting non-contractual counterclaims, including at least for defamation. The damages Defendants will seek on these counterclaims will exceed $75,000. Inside Alex Palou's wild week:'I just hope hes not (expletive)-ing up his career.' Palou's lawyers respond:Attorney's for Palou 'disappointed' Ganassi would try to keep him from F1 opportunity 'I have nothing to hide':What Alex Palou said about lawsuit with Chip Ganassi Racing Last week, in Palou's lawyers' first public statement regarding the civil suit, Rachel E. Epstein of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan told IndyStar in a written statement that the defendants were "disappointed that (CGR) would attempt to keep Alex from an opportunity to compete in Formula 1" -- the first clear sign that Palou may very well be lined up to join McLaren's F1 team in 2023 or 2024. "Alex has consistently given his very best effort to CGR and it is unfortunate that CGR would attempt to deny Alex this opportunity," the statement read. "We would hope the parties can resolve this amicably, but if not, we look forward to resolving this matter in a private arbitration, as CGR has requested." Ganassi lawyers respond to "defective" removal notice On Monday, Ganassis lawyers responded with a lengthy motion, demanding the case be remanded back to Indiana Commercial Court for what it called a defective removal notice that it states was filed hurriedly in an alleged attempt to slow down court proceedings that wouldve included a virtual attorney conference with Judge Heather Welch Monday morning. Ganassis attorneys referenced the urgency of their response to the removal to be heard and dealt with, noting that they hope to complete the discovery process in two weeks time in order to sit for a hearing on its motion for preliminary injunction on or before August 30. Before filing the motion for immediate remand for defective removal notice on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Ganassis attorneys refiled its most important claims it had already submitted in Marion County Super Court. Those included: a motion for preliminary injunction (for with Ganassi stated in court documents it brings claims for breach of contract and breach of duty of loyalty/fiduciary duty); the request for a prompt hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction before Aug. 30; and a motion for expedited discovery in order to prepare for the hopeful aforementioned preliminary injunction hearing. Additionally, Ganassi moved for a prompt status and scheduling conference before a district or magistrate judge likely similar to the meeting that had been previously scheduled for Monday morning. Among Ganassis attorneys arguments, they claimed lawyers for Palou and ALPA Racing filed a notice to remove the case without actually knowing for a fact whether the diversity of citizenship among all parties involved actually exists. Rather than plainly stating and listing the varied citizenship of all the parties on both sides, Palous lawyers wrote only that complete diversity exists in this matter. But as the court is well aware, information and belief is insufficient for jurisdictional diversity assertions, wrote Ganassis lawyers. In other words, Ganassis attorneys argue that Palous side is arguing off of belief, instead of known and understood concrete fact. Palous lawyers had stated they inquired whether any other notable parties other than Chip Ganassi himself existed as part of Chip Ganassi Racing, but after Ganassis lawyers never provided the proper information, Palous side moved to switch the cases court location anyways. Defense counsel did not seek discover on these topics in the Indiana Commercial Court, and this Court lacks the power to order such a disclosure, wrote Ganassis lawyers. Rather than disputing the information Palous lawyers did provide in their notice to switch courts, the Ganassi side simply argued that to enforce such a move, the defendants carried a heavy burden of proof which Ganassis lawyers dont believe was reached. Also in Ganassis lawyers motion for immediate remand, they argue that the citizenship of Palous racing entity, ALPA Racing, was not properly defined and its Spanish presence wasnt quite a slam dunk. In references to several court precedents, Ganassis lawyers poked holes in the Defenses notion that Spanish SLs are both automatically seen as foreign corporations and that theyre different in nature to U.S. LLCs. Notably, (we) had asked defense counsel last week for member information and citizenship status of the ALPA entity, and defense counsel did not provide it, stating only, ALPA Racing, SL, is a Spanish entity with all interests held by Spanish citizens, wrote Ganassis lawyers Monday. That, of course, was not enough information for Plaintiff to file in federal court if desired, nor for the defendants to remove. As Ganassi continued to argue in its closing on its motion to remand, The party seeking to (move courts) must get it right. At every level, of course, subject-matter jurisdiction must be confirmed. Because Ganassis counsel says it considered filing in federal court but believed all the requisite boxes couldnt be checked, the party claims, That is still true today. The improper filing of the Notice of Removal late on a Friday before the Commercial Courts Monday morning status conference has the immediate impact of delaying prosecution of this action and protection of the plaintiffs rights. In a routine damages case, perhaps time could be taken to sort out the issues of LLC members, and to also confirm whether a Spanish SL is, in fact, to be treated like an LLC. But that is improper in this setting in which the defective has the immediate impact (as potentially intended) of stopping the state court action without (this court) knowing if it actually has subject matter jurisdiction. In essence, for filing such a defective notice that, according to Ganassis attorneys, appeared to have been done large-in-part to slow down the court proceedings, the plaintiff ended the motion demanding Ganassis attorney fees related to work performed trying to counteract the court switch should be assessed against the defendants. Palou's lawyers: Argument on staying in federal court to come Wednesday Later on Monday, Palous lawyers filed a notice that detailed their plans to respond to Ganassis motion for immediate remand not later than end of day on Wednesday. Notably in its removal opposition, the plaintiff does not deny that diversity jurisdiction is proper and does not deny and of the facts on which the defendants removal was based, wrote Palous lawyers Monday. To try and satisfy Ganassis claims of a lack of information regarding the varied citizenship of all the parties involved in the case, Palous lawyers requested that Ganassis lawyers provide a list of those involved in owning Chip Ganassi Racing, as well as their citizenship, by noon on Wednesday. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Alex Palou's lawyers seek to move Chip Ganassi lawsuit to federal court Chinas defense ministry announced Tuesday that its military would conduct targeted drills and missile tests around Taiwan in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis arrival there on Tuesday, in Beijings latest escalation since news emerged of the speakers highly anticipated trip. The targeted military operations are designed to safeguard national sovereignty in response to Pelosis visit, the defense ministry said Tuesday, vowing to resolutely thwart external interference and Taiwans independence separatist attempts. Experts raised alarms over the exercise, with some noting that the drills would overlap with Taiwans territorial waters. M. Taylor Fravel, director of the MIT Security Studies Program, said the drills appear to be unprecedented, noting that they would be the largest number of exercises to be conducted very close to the island of Taiwan itself, and the first to take place on all sides surrounding Taiwan. The drills could also include Chinese missiles overflying the island, Fravel said. In another provocation, 21 Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense zone on Tuesday, Taiwan's defense ministry announced. U.S. officials, however, have concluded that Chinas threats against Pelosi including a suggestion that her plane could be shot down are nothing more than an intimidation tactic. The Pentagon earlier Tuesday deployed four U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, in waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy said were routine deployments. The carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is positioned far from Taiwan, according to one U.S. official. Pelosi, on a closely watched tour across Asia this week, has garnered much attention amid reporting that she would ignore warnings from China and become the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich visited in 1997. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, had threatened to launch an unspecified but forceful response should Pelosi visit the island. Story continues Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy, Pelosi said in a statement upon her arrival in Taiwan. Pelosis arrival in Taipei on Tuesday evening confirmed the speakers decision to go ahead with her visit which had been reported on for weeks without official confirmation from her office despite Chinas threats. The highly anticipated visit had also spurred weeks of wrangling between the United States and China over whether she should make the trip. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier Tuesday that U.S. politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan. This will definitely not have a good outcome ... the exposure of Americas bullying face again shows it as the worlds biggest saboteur of peace, he said in a statement. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a statement Tuesday saying that Pelosi's visit seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to China's state-owned newspaper People's Daily. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it, the statement said. While the White House has publicly steered clear of taking a position on whether Pelosi should visit Taiwan, several Biden administration officials over the past few days have stressed that a potential visit from the speaker should not escalate tensions with China, warning the country against overreacting. The aggressiveness, the coercion, the increase in tensions in the last weeks and months have all come from the Chinese side. What we have said is that there is no reason that this visit should escalate tensions in any way whatsoever, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Fox News' Fox & Friends Tuesday morning. Biden administration officials have also emphasized in recent days that the United States official position on Taiwan remains unchanged and that Pelosi would be one of many members of Congress that have visited Taiwan over the past few years. The White House said Monday that it has no interest in escalating tensions with China and that it will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. We don't support Taiwan independence, but we absolutely do support the right and the prerogative of congressional leaders to include Speaker Pelosi to visit Taiwan if that's what she wants to do, Kirby said on CNN after Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday. The House speaker said in her Tuesday statement that the delegation's discussions with Taiwan's leaders will focus on our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. She also asserted that the visit in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy, Pelosi said in the statement. In a Washington Post op-ed published just after her arrival in Taiwan, Pelosi wrote that the U.S. must stand by its vow in the Taiwan Relations Act signed into law by President Jimmy Carter to support the self-defense of Taiwan. She said the island republic is under threat by Beijing and that China has dramatically intensified tensions with Taiwan in recent years by ramping up military patrols and launching cyberattacks on Taiwanese government agencies. In the face of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegations visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom, she wrote. The House speakers Taiwan visit isnt the first instance of Pelosi putting herself at odds with leaders in Beijing. A longtime critic of Chinas government and human rights practices, she once unfurled a banner in Beijings Tiananmen Square in 1991 dedicated to the pro-democracy activists massacred there. She also opposed Chinas bid to host the 2008 Olympics and supported the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Local newspapers first reported that Pelosi would arrive in Taiwan Tuesday night and that she would spend the night there. Members of parliament in New Zealand have been warned against using TikTok at work and urged to delete the app altogether over fears their data could be accessed by the Chinese government. A message from House speaker Trevor Mallard sent to all parties last week warned MPs to refrain from using the social media platform on their parliamentary phones and devices as it could pose a security risk. The parliamentary service strongly recommends you do not use TikTok on your parliamentary service devices as it could pose a security risk where data on your devices could be accessed by ByteDance (TikToks owner) and the Chinese government, the parliamentary directive read, according to Australian media reports. The speaker also recommended MPs delete TikTok from their official phones, but added that if MPs choose to still keep it, they should check settings to make sure you are comfortable with the permissions you have granted and remove its ability to access your location, The Guardian reported, quoting the memo. Several reports in the past have warned that the platform is harvesting vast amounts of personal data from its users. The concerns over data privacy led to the app being banned by the Donald Trump administration in the US, while several other countries like India followed suit. The latest revelation over the data privacy concerns had come in the form of a Buzzfeed report in June which said that, based on leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings, China-based employees from ByteDance were repeatedly able to access private data of American users. TikTok denies its data can be accessed by any external entities and claims it has robust security arrangements in place. Around 1 million people in New Zealand are believed to be TikTok users, while the app boasts of a billion active users globally. Many New Zealand politicians have a presence and a huge following on the platform, including those from the Maori Party and the right-wing libertarian Act party. This is not the first time lawmakers have been warned against the app. MPs were previously advised to delete TikTok in 2020. The Kiwi government also prohibits some of its officials, like police officers, from using TikTok. Court ruling or not, seven Michigan prosecutors say they are sticking to their guns when it comes to the abortion issue: They won't prosecute these cases. That was their response to Mondays Michigan Court of Appeals decision, which says prosecutors can file charges under the state's 1931 law that makes abortion a crime in Michigan except to save the life of the mother. The 91-year-old ban had been blocked in May by a judge, but the appeals court says it doesn't apply to prosecutors seven of whom have vowed not to enforce the law. All are Democrats and maintain they "cannot and will not support criminalizing reproductive freedom or creating unsafe, untenable situations for health care providers and those who seek abortions in our communities. Abortion rights activists rally during a Bans Off Our Bodies protest at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 14, 2022. More: Michigan judge won't step down from abortion case: Argument 'borders on frivolous' More: Whitmer vetoes bills that 'politicize' science by banning research on cells from abortion "We have supported Governor Whitmers litigation efforts to guarantee the right to reproductive freedom. And we will continue to fight, in court, to protect the right to safe and legal abortion in Michigan," the seven prosecutors said Monday in a joint statement. "In the interim, however, we reiterate that we will not use our offices scarce resources to prosecute the exercise of reproductive freedom. Instead, as these issues continue to play out in court, we will remain focused on the prosecution of serious crimes." The seven prosecutors opposed to the 1931 abortion ban are: Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Getting Ingham County Prosecutor Carol A. Siemon Marquette County Prosecutor Matthew J. Wiese Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton National abortion rights were ended in June when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down 1973's landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, and kicked the issue back to the states. Story continues Some Republican prosecutors say they will enforce 1931 law In Michigan, some Republican prosecutors, including Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido, have said they plan to follow the law and uphold the ban, which means doctors there could be charged with a felony. Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties also have said they plan to enforce the abortion ban. If a report is presented to this office, we will review it like we do any other report of possible criminal behavior, Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said in a statement Monday. We will make the decision to charge, or not to charge, based on the facts presented in the report and the applicable Michigan law. Ultimately, the Michigan Supreme Court will likely decide the constitutionality of the 1931 abortion ban and whether Michiganders have a constitutional right to an abortion. There is also a movement, through a ballot proposal, to change the state constitution to expressly include the right to an abortion. Associated Press contributed. Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan abortion ruling: 7 prosecutors vow to ignore appeals court Although his support among Democratic voters has waned, Biden would defeat Trump in a hypothetical rematch in 2024, according to the USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll. WASHINGTON Donald Trump injected some surrealism into a Missouri Republican Senate primary Monday by endorsing "Eric" but not saying which Eric he was referring to. Saying he trusted voters Missouri "to make up their own minds," Trump proclaimed in a written statement that "I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Of course, there are two Erics in the GOP Senate primary: Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens. Tuesday primaries:Themes of the Aug. 2 primaries: Abortion, Democratic infighting and a whole lot of Donald Trump Naturally, both thanked Trump for the "endorsement." "From the beginning, Ive been the true MAGA Champion fighting against the RINO establishment backing Schmitt," Greitens said. Im honored to receive President Trumps endorsement. From the beginning, Ive been the true MAGA Champion fighting against the RINO establishment backing Schmitt. President Trump said it best when he characterized Schmitts campaign as great dishonesty in politics. Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) August 1, 2022 Schmitt tweeted that he is the real "Eric." "As the only America First candidate who has actually fought for election integrity, border security & against the Lefts indoctrination of our kidsIll take that fight to the Senate to SAVE AMERICA!," Schmitt said. Recents polls give Schmitt a lead in a crowded Republican field that also includes U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler. ENDORSEMENTPRESIDENT TRUMPIm grateful for President Trumps endorsement. As the only America First candidate who has actually fought for election integrity, border security & against the Lefts indoctrination of our kidsIll take that fight to the Senate to SAVE AMERICA! Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) August 1, 2022 Political analysts said Trump is simply looking to cover his bets. Story continues "Trump endorses both Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens in the Missouri GOP Senate race," tweeted an anti-Trump organization called the Republican Accountability Project. "Trumps really worried about taking a loss on this one." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump endorses 'Eric' in Missouri race - but Schmitt or Greitens? Jonny Bairstow has pulled out of Welsh Fires mens Hundred campaign to focus on resting and recuperating before Englands upcoming Test series against South Africa. Bairstow was on Tuesday named in the squad to face the Proteas at Lords on August 17. They will do battle again later that month at Emirates Old Trafford, with Ben Stokes men concluding their red-ball summer at the Kia Oval for the third Test, which will begin on September 8. England also have a busy autumn and winter schedule that includes two tours of Pakistan and series against Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh, as well as the Twenty20 World Cup. Jonny Bairstow wants to rest in anticipation of Englands next Test series (Kieran Cleeves/PA) The 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter a constant fixture in the England side since being recalled in late 2020 was due to represent Welsh Fire in their opening match against champions Southern Brave at Ageas Bowl on Wednesday, but he will no longer be making himself available for selection after enduring a hectic few months of international cricket. Bairstow said in a statement: Im really disappointed I wont be part of The Hundred this year. I loved it last year, but Ive had a hectic few months with the schedule as it is and I really need to take a breather before the South Africa Test series. All the best to the Welsh Fire men and women Ill be cheering you on. A Welsh Fire statement read: We understand Jonnys decision and wish him all the best. We cant wait to get our Hundred campaign under way tomorrow night and then look forward to getting back in front of our own fans at Sophia Gardens on Sunday. All regulatory clearances received for the acquisition of Vifor Pharma AG Settlement of the offer is scheduled for 9 August 2022 Seasoned biopharma executive, Herve Gisserot, designated to lead the business as General Manager upon settlement of the offer MELBOURNE, Australia & ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, August 02, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005796/en/ AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR CSL Limited (ASX: CSL; USOTC:CSLLY) is pleased to announce it has now received all necessary regulatory clearances for the acquisition of Vifor Pharma AG (Vifor) announced on 14 December 2021. CSL has set the settlement date of the public tender offer for Vifor for 9 August 2022. If the offer conditions that remain in effect until the settlement remain fulfilled until that date, shareholders who accepted the offer will receive the offer price for each share tendered into the offer on the settlement date, subject to the terms of the offer. CSL anticipates that it will hold more than 97% of Vifor shares upon the settlement of the offer and intends to have Vifor apply for the delisting of the Vifor Shares after the settlement. Also, CSL has filed an action to cancel the remaining publicly held Vifor Shares in accordance with Swiss takeover rules. The proceedings are currently suspended and will be resumed after the Settlement. Planning for the integration of Vifor is well advanced. CSLs Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr. Paul Perreault said, "We are excited to complete the acquisition of Vifor Pharma - enhancing CSLs well-established patient focus and ability to protect the health of those facing a range of rare and serious medical conditions. I would like to thank our employees, strategic partners and shareholders who have shown their unwavering support throughout the acquisition process." Story continues "Joining CSL, the Vifor business adds near-term value along with a clear path to long-term sustainable growth. It also adds an outstanding management team, along with a high-value and complementary portfolio of products and market leading position in the nephrology and iron deficiency spaces." "We are pleased about the regulatory clearance for the transaction," commented Abbas Hussain, Chief Executive Officer of Vifor Pharma. "As we complete the final steps on the CSL acquisition journey, I am full of confidence that Vifor Pharma will have a successful future as part of a larger, global organization. This will allow us to accelerate growth and to successfully drive multiple product launches as we continue to help even more patients around the world live better, healthier lives." Appointment of General Manager CSL also advises Mr. Herve Gisserot, a demonstrated global leader with diverse biopharma experience, has been designated to lead the Vifor business as General Manager upon settlement of the offer. He will report to CSLs Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Paul McKenzie. Mr. Gisserot is currently the Chief Commercial Officer for Vifor Pharma, joining in January 2022 following 13 years at GlaxoSmithKline where he served in multiple Senior Vice President (SVP) roles, including most recently as SVP & Head of Pharmaceuticals & Vaccines for Greater China & Intercontinental. Prior to that, he held various leadership roles of progressively more responsibility at Sanofi-Aventis, Aventis, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Fournier Group. Dr. McKenzie said: "Im pleased to welcome Herve to the role of General Manager. With his proven track record of leading high-performing organizations, executing successful product launches across a number of geographies around the world, and delivering profitable growth, we have confidence in his leadership." Due to the closing of the acquisition, the current CEO Abbas Hussain will leave Vifor Pharma in the coming months. Jacques Theurillat, Chairman of the Board of Vifor Pharma, commented: "On behalf of the company, I would like to thank Abbas Hussain for his commitment and leadership during his tenure at Vifor Pharma. We wish him all the best for the future." Exemptions from SIX disclosure and publicity obligations Due to the advanced stage of the acquisition process, SIX Exchange Regulation AG granted Vifor Pharma various exemptions from certain disclosure and publicity obligations in a decision dated 29 July 2022, including an exemption from the obligation to publish a Half-Year Report 2022. These exemptions will take effect upon publication of this ad hoc announcement. The relevant parts of the decision of SIX Exchange Regulation AG are as follows: I. Vifor Pharma AG (Issuer) is hereby exempted from the following obligations until the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule pursuant to Art. 10 para. 1 of the Ordinance of the Swiss Takeover Board of 21 August 2008 on Public Takeover Offers (Takeover Ordinance, TOO), until and including 22 September 2022: a. Publication of the Half-Year Report 2022 (Art. 49 ff. LR in conjunction with art. 10 et seq. Directive on Financial Reporting [DFR] and Directive Regular Reporting Obligations [DRRO]); b. Publication of ad hoc notices (Art. 53 LR in connection with the Directive on Ad Hoc Publicity [DAH]), with the exception of the publication of an ad hoc notice concerning the announcement of the date of delisting of the Issuer's registered shares as soon as such date is determined; c. Disclosure of management transactions (Art. 56 LR); d. Keeping of the corporate calendar (Art. 52 LR); e. Fulfillment of the following regular reporting obligations (Art. 55 LR in conjunction with Art. 9 DRRO): para. 1.05 (Change of external auditors), para. 1.06 (Change of balance sheet date), para. 1.08 (4) (Change of weblink to the corporate calendar), para. 1.08 (5) (Change of weblink to the annual reports), para. 2.01 (Filing of annual reports), para. 3.05 (Resolutions regarding opting out/ opting up), para. 3.06 (Changes in connection with restrictions on transferability of shares), para. 5.02 (Reporting of conditional capital). II. The exemptions pursuant to Section I shall commence with the publication of the ad hoc notice in accordance with the requirements in Section VI. III. After the expiry of the Best Price Rule on 22 September 2022, the issuer shall be exempted from the obligations pursuant to Section I until 29 October 2022, if and to the extent that none of the following events has occurred by 22 September 2022 or occurs by 29 October 2022: a. Entry of a minority shareholder or several minority shareholders in the proceedings for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares pursuant to Art. 137 of the Federal Act on Financial Market Infrastructures and Market Conduct in Securities and Foreign Exchange Trading of 19 June 2015 (Financial Market Infrastructures Act, FMIA) before the competent court; b. Withdrawal of the action for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares before the competent court by the plaintiff or by a legal successor; c. Dismissal of the action for cancellation of the issuer's registered shares by the competent court; d. The judgment of the competent court regarding the cancellation of the issuer's registered shares is upheld. Should one of the events pursuant to this Clause a. to d. occur before the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, the issuer's obligations pursuant to Section I shall revive immediately after the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, i.e. on 23 September 2022. If one of the events pursuant to this Clause a. to d. occurs after the expiry of the period of validity of the Best Price Rule, i.e. by 29 October 2022, the issuer's obligations pursuant to Section I shall be revived immediately. In the event of a revival of the obligations pursuant to Section I, the issuer must publish and submit to SIX Exchange Regulation AG the Half-Year Report 2022 within six weeks of the date of the respective revival of the obligations pursuant to Section I (Art. 50 LR in conjunction with Art. 11 et seq. Art. 11 ff. DFR and Art. 9 para. 2.01 (2) DRRO). About Vifor Pharma Group Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency and nephrology. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions across iron, dialysis, nephrology and rare conditions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe, chronic and rare diseases lead better, healthier lives. It specializes in strategic global partnering, in-licensing and developing, manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and includes the companies: Vifor Pharma, Sanifit Therapeutics, and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348). For more information, please visit viforpharma.com About CSL CSL (ASX: CSL; USOTC: CSLLY) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus provides life-saving products to more than 100 countries and employs more than 25,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. For more information visit csl.com. Legal Disclaimers Important Additional Information This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to purchase, sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, purchase or subscribe for any registered shares or other equity securities in Vifor Pharma Ltd., nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor. This release is not part of the offer documentation relating to the tender offer. Terms and conditions of the tender offer have been published in CSL's offer prospectus regarding the tender offer. Shareholders of Vifor Pharma Ltd. are urged to read the tender offer documents, including the offer prospectus, which are or will be available at www.CSLtransaction.com. Certain Offer Restrictions The tender offer is not made, directly or indirectly, in any country or jurisdiction in which it would be considered unlawful or otherwise violate any applicable laws or regulations, or which would require CSL or any of its subsidiaries to change or amend the terms or conditions of the tender offer in any material way, to make an additional filing with any governmental, regulatory or other authority or take additional action in relation to the tender offer. It is not intended to extend the tender offer to any such country or jurisdiction. Any documents relating to the tender offer must neither be distributed in any such country or jurisdiction nor be sent into such country or jurisdiction, and must not be used for the purpose of soliciting the sale or purchase of securities of Vifor Pharma Ltd. by any person or entity resident or incorporated in any such country or jurisdiction. The tender offer is made in the United States pursuant to Section 14(e) of, and Regulation 14E under, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "U.S. Exchange Act"), subject to the applicable exemptions provided by Rule 14d-1 under the U.S. Exchange Act and Rule 14e-5(b) under the U.S. Exchange Act and any exemptions that may be granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Swiss law. Accordingly, the tender offer is subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to withdrawal rights, settlement procedures and timing of payments that are different from those applicable under U.S. domestic tender offer procedures and laws. Neither the SEC nor any securities commission of any State of the United States has (a) approved or dis-approved of the tender offer; (b) passed upon the merits or fairness of the tender offer; or (c) passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in the offer prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The communication is not being made by, and has not been approved by, an "authorised person" for the purposes of Section 21 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Reference is made to the offer prospectus for full offer restrictions. Other Important Additional Information Forward-Looking Statements This announcement may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "aim", "project", "forecast", "estimate", "risk", "likely", "intend", "outlook", "should", "could", "would", "may", "will", "continue", "plan", "probability", "indicative", "seek", "target", "plan" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements, opinions and estimates in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance and estimates. Forward-looking statements are provided as a general guide only. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are not indications, guarantees or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSL, its officers, employees, agents and advisors, and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct, and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. This announcement is not financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire or sell securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It does not constitute an invitation or offer to apply for securities. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial or tax situation or needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, prospective investors should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal and taxation advice appropriate for their jurisdiction. CSL is not licensed to provide financial product advice in respect of an investment in securities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220801005796/en/ Contacts CSL Steve McKeon Associate Director, Investor Relations CSL Limited +61 402 231 696 stephen.mckeon@csl.com.au Jimmy Baker Communications, Asia Pacific CSL Limited +61 450 909 211 jimmy.baker@csl.com.au Switzerland / Europe Martin Meier-Pfister (IRF) +41 432 448 140 meier-pfister@irf-reputation.ch Vifor Pharma Thomas Hutter Corporate Communications, External Relations +41 79 957 96 73 media@viforpharma.com BAY COUNTY The Bay County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest Saturday afternoon of a fugitive wanted in Georgia. BCSO officers arrested Jaimonnie Watkins-Causey, who is alleged to have been involved in a shooting in Georgia on April 2. The victim was shot in the face and pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim was wounded during the shooting. According to the BCSO, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Friday evening and during the stop, the deputy identified Watkins-Causey as the driver Watkins-Causey was arrested and charged with being a fugitive from justice and possession of marijuana of less than 20 grams. Bank robbery suspects: Two Alabama bank robbery suspects and four others arrested in Panama City area Panama City Beach police: Two men responsible for promoting 'Panamaniac' event arrested Subsequent investigation revealed Watkins-Causey had five active warrants out of the Clayton County Sheriff's Office in Georgia. The warrants were for murder during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery physical contact. Clayton County confirmed the warrants with full extradition. It is believed Watkins-Causey fled to Panama City to stay with a family member, according to BCSO officials. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Fugitive wanted in Georgia for shooting found in Bay County, Florida Illinois has become the third state in the US to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. In a statement on Monday, Governor JB Pritzker said that he was using the measure to expand the resources and coordination of state agencies responding to, treating, and preventing the spread of monkeypox. The Prairie State, which has a population of around 12 million, has seen an increasingly alarming spike in monkeypox infections. According to the CDC, Illinois is the third state with most infections after reporting 520 cases, roughly 9 per cent of the 5,811 nationally. New York and California, the other two states to have declared states of emergency over the outbreak, rank first and second with 1,390 and 827 infections, respectively. Governor Pritzker said in the statement that the measure would facilitate the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand vaccine and testing capacities with the help of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. It takes effect immediately and is in place for 30 days. Following Mr Pritzkers announcement, the White House named top officials on Tuesday in a task force to combat the spread of monkeypox, NBC first reported. FEMA regional administrator Robert Fenton and CDC Division of HIV Prevention director Dr Demetre Daskalakis will serve as the national monkeypox response coordinator and deputy coordinator. The White House top medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, called Mr Fenton and Mr Daskalakis a really good combination, the network reported. Bobs experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetres vast knowledge of our public health systems strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said, according to a White House statement. Monkeypox is a rare and relatively mild viral infection. According to the CDC, the most common symptoms include a fever, rash, headache, muscle ache, chills and exhaustion. Story continues It can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, or when sharing clothing, bedding, or towels. A high number of the cases seen so far have been in gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men. But health officials and experts have warned that the virus can infect anyone and is not limited to a particular section of people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also warned against stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease. The WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency on 23 July after an outbreak of monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries was detected in May this year. Luigi the dog found Zane Brunette Luigi A dog lost in the wilderness for several weeks is back with his owners. According to The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Luigi, a Labrador retriever mix, went missing on June 25 in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness after losing track of his owners, Zane Brunette and Max McKernan. On July 24, Marit Warren discovered the dog near her family cabin, which is located over 30 miles from where the pup first went missing in the Minnesota wilderness. Luigi's owners spent the 29 days their dog was missing creating social media posts and flyers about the missing pet in hopes someone would find him. RELATED: NYPD Officer Adopts Dog She Rescued from Locked Hot Car: They 'Will Never Be Neglected Again' These efforts helped reunite Luigi with his pet parents quickly. After finding the Lab mix, Warren called to report the dog missing to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Luckily, the dispatcher on the other line remembered a poster of the missing dog and put Warren in contact with Luigi's owners. The Tribune reported that Luigi went missing shortly after his owners and two friends arrived at Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The group was getting ready to set off on a 10-day trip. Brunette told the paper that he and the rest of the group spent six hours searching for the dog in the area where Luigi went missing. The canine's owners also camped at the spot for three days, putting out "greasy pans" to attract Luigi. RELATED: Florida Dog Who Struggled with 'Stranger Danger' Finds Ideal Home After 8 Years in Shelter After learning that Warren found Luigi, Brunette jumped in his car and drove several hours to retrieve his forever friend. "We were lucky he found Marit because she was the right person for him," the owner told the paper of the dog's rescuer. "I'm eternally grateful." According to The Tribune, while little is known about how the dog survived 29 days in the wilderness, the pet did lose 25 pounds and several toenails during his time away. Other than these issues, Luigi is in good health and expected to recover. New coronavirus cases leaped in Pennsylvania in the week ending Sunday, rising 10.1% as 22,277 cases were reported. The previous week had 20,240 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Pennsylvania ranked 42nd among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 7.4% from the week before, with 906,593 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country's population, Pennsylvania had 2.46% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 28 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before. Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Pennsylvania, skewing week-to-week comparisons. Monroe County reported 329 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 302 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 41,390 cases and 547 deaths. Of interestCOVID-19 and complicated case elements delay trial in Kerrigan Rohsler's death End-of-the-month figures throughout the Poconos show that Monroe saw higher case counts on average than in June, though the overall rates were generally lower than figures seen in May, when peak points approached triple digits at least once. However, Monroe saw a July peak of 68 cases on July 21, and the shape of the current wave as compared previous waves could indicate the potential of further increases. Pike was slightly more variable throughout July, going back and forth between single-digit and teen figures for daily cases; Wayne barely crested into the teens; Carbon sat in the teens and twenties for daily figures outside of a high point of 36 cases on July 21; Lackawanna held the highest daily case counts for the month on average, topping out the charts with 140 cases on July 18. Monroe, Lackawanna, Carbon and Wayne appear to be following back-to-back waves covering approximately the past two months. While smaller in scale, these waves appear at least reminiscent in shape to previous, larger waves that have hit the region previously. Story continues The Department of Health's COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard has shown increases in multiple metrics in Monroe for July 20 through July 26 over the previous week: confirmed cases escalated from 267 to 280, the PCR positivity rate went up from 22.4% to 23.6%, incidence rate per 100,000 people increased from 156.8 to 164.4, and the average daily hospitalizations jumped from 8.9 to 10.3. The percentage of emergency department visits due to COVID-like illnesses went down from 0.6% to 0.5%. and average daily patients on ventilators in Monroe went from 0.1 to zero. Pike remained relatively stable this past week, with cases remaining at 52, a mild drop in the PCR positivity rate from 15.5% to 15.2%, and a level incidence rate per 100,000 people at 93.2. Otherwise, the percentage of emergency room visits due to a COVID-like illness dropped from 1.2% to zero. Carbon's confirmed case count increased from 85 to 101, while their PCR positivity rate went up from 18.3% to 21.7%, average daily patients on ventilators remained at zero, the incidence rate per 100,000 people increased from 132.4 to 157.4, and the percentage of emergency department visits due to COVID-like illnesses went from 0.7% to 0.5% Average daily hospitalizations increased from 1.3 to 2.3. Wayne noted increases in confirmed cases, which went from 39 to 51, PCR positivity going from 10.5% to 12.7%, and the incidence rate per 100,000 people escalating from 75.9 to 99.3. Average daily patients on ventilators dropped from 0.6 to zero, and average daily hospitalizations remained at 1.3, though the percent of emergency room visits due to COVID-like illnesses went up from 0.3% to 0.8%. Lackawanna experienced a mixed week again, with confirmed cases dropping from 243 to 224 and the incidence rate per 100,000 people decreasing from 115.9 to 106.8. Average daily patients on ventilators jumped from zero to 1.9, average daily hospitalizations went from 22.1 to 24.3, and the percent of emergency room visits to to COVID-like illnesses decreased from 0.5% to 0.1%. Lastly, the county's PCR positivity rate went down slightly from 15.6% to 15.1%. Pandemic in PA:As the Poconos real estate boom continues, affordable housing is in short supply aWithin Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Sullivan County with 445 cases per 100,000 per week; Forest County with 359; and Columbia County with 263. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week. Adding the most new cases overall were Allegheny County, with 2,629 cases; Philadelphia County, with 2,082 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,326. Weekly case counts rose in 51 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Allegheny, Lancaster and Northampton counties. >> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 12 counties, with the best declines in Philadelphia County, with 2,082 cases from 2,739 a week earlier; in Lackawanna County, with 439 cases from 499; and in Cambria County, with 297 cases from 329. a In Pennsylvania, a 117 a people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 98 people were reported dead. A total of 3,080,593 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 46,164 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 91,316,648 people have tested positive and 1,029,926 people have died. >> Track coronavirus cases across the United States Pennsylvania's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 31. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state: Last week: 4,238 The week before that: 4,040 Four weeks ago: 3,545 Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation: Last week: 75,143 The week before that: 73,476 Four weeks ago: 63,312 Hospitals in 24 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 21 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 30 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com. Brian Myszkowski covers the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Pennsylvania and the Poconos, and is based at the Pocono Record. Reach him by emailing bmyszkowski@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Monroe County reported 329 additional COVID-19 cases this week When the word began to spread on the first day in May 11 years ago, you could almost sense a collective catching of breath. Was it true that the most hated man in America, the man who had sent jet airplanes crashing into public buildings killing thousands, the man who had successfully launched the first attack on the American mainland since the War of 1812, had in fact been brought to justice? When President Barack Obama came before the cameras to confirm the stories that Osama bin Laden had been killed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan it was a dominant story, with a long second act. Apart from the books and movies, it was a central point in then-vice-president Joe Bidens reelection message a year later: General Motors is alive, and Osama bin Laden is dead. Tonight, the killing of Ayman al-Zawahri bin Ladens successor and the co-architect of the horrific 9/11 attacks will be just one of many stories on the news, along with the Kentucky floods, the monkeypox virus, the coming slate of primaries. This is in part a measure of success: Contrary to many expectations after Sept. 11, 2001, there has been no significant terror attack on American soil; there have been no videotapes of an al Qaeda leader featured on American television. The progeny of Sept. 11 the massive national security state, the lines at airport scanners, a $52 billion Department of Homeland Security, a massive intelligence apparatus largely shielded from public view, a disastrous war in Iraq and a disastrous defeat in Afghanistan has put al Qaeda largely in the rearview mirror. The relative second-tier status of this story yes, it will be big news for a few days, but nothing like the bin Laden killing may serve to obscure both a clear achievement and a deeply important question. The achievement is the persistent determination of the United States to avenge the deaths of Sept. 11, for which al-Zawahri bars key operational responsibility. We are not accustomed to this country taking a long view of the world when we think of a nation that relentlessly punishes those who have done it ill, were more likely to think of Israel, which slowly and deliberately, over years, hunted down every one of the terrorists who killed its athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Story continues To find al-Zawahri, to take him out without injuring any member of his family or any civilians, is a tactical achievement that puts weight behind Bidens words (however dispassionately delivered) that, No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out." The troubling question, of course, is: Are the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan once again providing safe haven to terrorists? As former acting CIA director Michael Morell told CBS on Monday, "It's really hard for me to believe [al-Zawahri] was in Kabul without the knowledge of at least some of the Taliban leadership. This appears to render inoperative the Talibans promise that it would not harbor terrorists as it reclaimed control over the nation. Go back 21 years, to the days after Sept. 11, and you will remember that President George W. Bush demanded of Afghanistan that it turn over bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders; when it did not, the U.S. launched an invasion that swiftly ended Taliban rule and became the first chapter of a two-decade, trillion-dollar campaign that ended last year in chaos. If the Taliban have opened their county to a key figure in the attacks of 9/11, what does it tell us about who else is being welcomed to Afghanistan? If there was anything remotely positive about the retreat from Afghanistan, it was a widely shared sense that this misbegotten adventure was behind us; that we were done with a commitment that had no chance of succeeding, and whose cost was measured in thousands of lives and countless dollars. But if al-Zawahris presence means that there are others with malevolent intentions abiding there, then maybe the idea that we can look at Afghanistan in a rearview mirror is sadly misplaced. For all the likelihood that Biden will get a (deserved) bump in his approval ratings, as Biden and Trump did when bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi were killed, that specter of a terrorist sanctuary may limit that advantage. Rapidly growing collection helps travelers discover many established and emerging destinations across the country, from the rolling hills of the north to the idyllic islands of the south SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Radisson Hotel Group is set to realize a four-fold growth of its footprint in Vietnam by opening a dedicated representative office and significantly boosting its portfolio of properties in the country by 2025. Radisson Resort Phan Thiet, opened Q2, 2022 This widespread expansion plan will see the Group create inspiring options for every visitor to Vietnam, helping business and leisure travelers reach vibrant towns and cities, beautiful beachfront resorts and other scenic destinations all across the country. Furthermore, the Group's revitalized brand architecture, which now encompasses nine distinct brands ranging from midscale to luxury, will allow Radisson Hotel Group's partners to cater to the specific requirements of various guest segments. Through this clear brand segmentation, Radisson Hotel Group is now ready to meet the evolving needs of today's travelers. In the post-pandemic era, Forbes* has identified three key travel trends for 2022, including a desire for authentic local experiences, sustainable travel, and a renewed focus on family stays. In Vietnam, these factors are also being influenced by the emergence of new, unexplored destinations that create outstanding opportunities for curious travelers and forward-thinking developers. Radisson Hotel Group's portfolio of brands will leverage these travel trends. For example, Radisson Collection, the unique collection of iconic properties, and Radisson Individuals, the new affiliation brand that celebrates individuality, both showcase the unique characteristics of their destinations, while Radisson Blu, the memorable, stylish and purposeful upper-upscale brand, and Radisson, the flagship upscale brand promises genuine hospitality and relaxing spaces that are perfect for business and leisure travelers including families. Radisson RED has the potential to drive rapid expansion in the market, appealing to the millennial minded by delivering a playful twist on conventional hotel stays with stylish spaces and standout design. Story continues Each of these brands offer an excellent, intuitive option for Vietnam's diverse destinations, including its established and emerging locations. As a responsible business, the Group is committed to its corporate responsibility targets of being net-zero by 2050 and is driving eco-sensitive operations and creating sustainable experiences to help owners achieve greater efficiencies. With a defined brand architecture with clear segmentation and a robust global network, Radisson Hotel Group can customize its development strategy and partnerships to suit the unique needs of its owners and investors, while also creating outstanding options for its guests. This commitment to supporting the future of travel and hospitality in Vietnam is being reinforced by the launch of a Business Unit and representative office in Ho Chi Minh City. This dedicated office will offer expert on-the-ground support to owners in Vietnam, developing long-standing relationships based on trust, responsibility, and accountability. Currently, Radisson Hotel Group operates four properties in Vietnam Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh, Radisson Blu Resort Phu Quoc, Radisson Resort Phan Thiet and Radisson Hotel Danang with six more in the pipeline. The ambitious plan to add 30 properties by 2025 is part of the Group's strategy to tap into Vietnam's rapidly rebounding tourism industry to craft exciting new experiences for guests. Ramzy Fenianos, Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group, commented on the plans in Vietnam: "Vietnam is a dynamic destination that has offerings for all types of travelers. Over the past few months, the country has shown signs of continued recovery, particularly in the tourism sector, as it reopens its borders to visitors from around the world. Looking ahead, we expect visitor numbers to increase significantly in the coming months and we look forward to working with our partners to bring new experiences to life for travelers from around the region and globally." David Nguyen, Managing Director, Indochina and Strategic Partnerships, SE Asia & Pacific, added: "Radisson Hotel Group's commitment to Vietnam is part of the Group's strategic growth plans for APAC, and my team and I look forward to working with partners in Vietnam to further expand our portfolio to be ready for, and help to fuel the tourism rebound." To learn more about Radisson Hotel Group, please visit https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/corporate. RADISSON HOTEL GROUP Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups with nine distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,700 hotels in operation and under development in 120 countries. The Group's overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos. The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels. In Asia Pacific, the Group also works with Jin Jiang International and its affiliates to offer leading hotel brands in the region, including Metropolo, Kyriad, Campanile, 7 Days and an exclusive partnership to grow the Golden Tulip brand in identified regions. Radisson Rewards is our international rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers an exceptional experience for our guests, meeting planners, and travel agents at over 550 hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral. The health and safety of guests and team members remain a top priority for Radisson Hotel Group. All properties across the Group's portfolio are subject to stringent health and safety requirements, as outlined in the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol . The in-depth cleanliness and disinfection protocols were developed in partnership with SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, and are designed to ensure guest safety and peace of mind from check-in to check-out. The Safety Protocol is an integral part of Radisson Hotel Group's Safety and Security program ensuring we always care for our guests and team members. More than 100,000 team members work at Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems. For more information, visit our corporate website. Or connect with Radisson Hotels on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube (PRNewsfoto/Radisson Hotel Group) SOURCE Radisson Hotel Group Volodymyr Zelensky Illustrated | Gettyimages Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive to re-take Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. Victory could turn the tide of the war. Defeat could force Ukraine to give up large swaths of territory. Here's everything you need to know: What is the state of Ukraine's southern counteroffensive? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday that a Ukrainian counteroffensive was underway in Kherson Oblast, seeking to roll back Russian forces from a region they've controlled for nearly five months. The regional capital city of Kherson, a river port with a pre-war population of around 300,000, fell to the invaders less than a week after the invasion began. Since then, Kherson has been the site of intense partisan activity, including the distribution of anti-Russian flyers and repeated bombings of a Russian-held airbase. Zelensky said Saturday that his country's forces were advancing "step by step" into the region, after a month of shelling to soften up Russian positions. According to regional military governor Dmytro Butrii, since the early weeks of the war, Ukrainian forces have liberated 44 towns and villages along the Kherson Oblast border. As Ukrainian troops advance on Kherson, they are also working to cut the defenders' supply lines, striking bridges and Russian ammunition depots. On Tuesday, Ukraine used a U.S.-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) to damage the critical Antonivskiy Bridge which spans the Dnipro River badly enough to prevent Russia from moving vehicles across it. Will Russia put up a fight? Russia is likely to offer stiff resistance. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War cites social media footage that appeared to show Russian forces setting up fortifications along the P47 highway, which connects Kherson City with Kahkovka, some 50 miles to the east. These defenses will help Russia hold the western bank of the Dnipro where Kherson City is located and hinder Ukrainian forces who might attempt to cross the river and encircle the city from the southeast. Story continues Serhiy Khlan, a former aide to Kherson Oblast's Ukrainian regional governor, said earlier this month that Russian forces in the city were "preparing for urban warfare." Oleksiy Danilov, a member of Ukraine's National Security Council, reported last week that Russia was conducting "a very powerful movement of their troops" to shore up the southern front. Russian military analyst Vladislav Shurygin told Newsweek that occupying forces will fight to the last man. "Kherson is going to be under Russian control. The only question is, will the city remain functioning and intact ... or will we see something similar to the battle for Mariupol?" he said, referring to Russia's bloody, months-long siege of the port city in southeastern Ukraine. This offensive is seen as a major risk for Ukraine. The New York Times reported that the decision to go on the attack "created debate among Western officials and some analysts about whether Ukraine was ready for such a big effort." The Daily Beast noted that "failing in Kherson would be a devastating loss for Ukraine" and that this "make-or-break offensive" could "hinge on western aid supplies, which Ukrainian officials say can't come fast enough." What about Russia's plans to annex Kherson? Ukrainian forces are racing against the clock. Intelligence suggests that rigged referendums on whether to join with Russia will be held in occupied areas sometime in September. Occupying forces are already working to impose Russian culture on Kherson, replacing Ukraine's currency with the ruble, bringing in Russian television and internet services, holding a "We Are Together With Russia" forum with local collaborators at Kherson State University, and erecting billboards that declare "We are one people." Once Russia has completed the de jure annexation of its conquered lands, re-taking them will become a risky endeavor. Russian military doctrine allows for the use of nuclear weapons to defend "the existence of the state," even against conventional attacks. Retired Army Col. Douglas MacGregor, a frequent critic of Zelensky and of American support for Ukraine, argued in The American Conservative earlier this month that Ukraine cannot hope to reclaim territory and that they're likely to lose even more. "The future of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions along with the Donbas is decided. Moscow is also likely to secure Kharkov and Odesa, two cities that are historically Russian and Russian-speaking, as well as the territory that adjoins them," he wrote. MacGregor predicts that "[t]hese operations will extend the conflict through the summer" and that a negotiated settlement could then be reached. Unless, that is, Zelensky "consent[s] to the Biden program for perpetual conflict with Russia." If MacGregor is correct and Russia does take Odesa, they'll almost certainly be able to secure a land bridge connecting Russia with Crimea and Crimea with the Russian-occupied separatist Romanian region of Transnistria, a war goal Russia has hinted at several times. Others are more optimistic. "We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers' plans will fail," Khlan said. Ukraine's government has not announced an official timeline for retaking the city. What's happening on the eastern front? Ukraine's defensive lines have solidified since the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk earlier this month, but Russia is still conducting offensive operations against the well-defended cities of Bakhmut and Donetsk, the regional capital. Russian forces also launched a ground assault near Izyum and are positioned to threaten Siversk and Slovyansk, though these latter two cities appear to have been deprioritized. The ISW continues to categorize the eastern front as Russia's "main effort" and suggests that Russia could "be intending to gain as much ground in Donetsk Oblast as possible before planned referenda in September." Even if Russia is unable to make significant territorial gains, it can still wreak havoc by shelling towns and villages behind Ukrainian lines. Mounting civilian casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure needed to generate electricity and heat people's homes during the coming winter prompted Zelensky to order a mandatory evacuation of parts of Donetsk Oblast on Saturday. The order could displace as many as 200,000 people, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. You may also like What's at stake for Ukraine in the Battle of Kherson Taylor Swift responds to backlash over CO2 emissions from her private jet Does America's newest political party stand a chance? Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 102 expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM Today to 11 PM PDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. The leading pro-government daily criticizes the next US ambassador for openly denouncing Hungary and expressing concern over the state of democracy. In Magyar Nemzet, Laszlo Szocs finds it unusual and even rude that David Pressman in his Senate hearing harshly criticized Hungary. Szocs recalls that Ambassador Pressman said that in Hungary, threats to democracy are real and he expressed concerns over human rights, democracy and media freedom. Szocs contends that such open criticism from a NATO ally is an insult not only to the Hungarian government but to most Hungarians as well. The pro-government commentator agrees with Foreign Minister Szijjarto who commented on Mr Pressmans words by suggesting that the new US ambassador will try to pressure Hungary in order to promote liberal gender ideology as well as a global minimum tax. Szocs concludes by suggesting that the government should do its best to maintain good relations with the Biden administration despite the ideological differences and hopes that Republicans allied to PM Orban will gain a majority in the US Senate at the mid-term elections in the Fall. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Stor As the US Embassy in Budapest has issued a statement in defence of diversity, following the Prime Ministers controversial remarks at Tusvanyos, some analysts have come to the defence of Mr Orban. In a short post on its internet site, the US Embassy in Budapest condemned rhetoric that gives oxygen to ideologies of hate and division. The statement recalls the genocide of millions in the last century and affirms that the diversity of our human family is one of its greatest strengths. The embassy statement does not mention Prime Minister Orban by name, nor his speech last Saturday, but the message was posted after critics accused the Prime Minister of using racist language. At a press conference on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Szijjarto said that after 16 years at Mr Orbans side, he could testify that anti-racism is at the very centre of his heart. Speaking on HirTV, former LMP leader Andras Schiffer strongly criticised the Prime Minister for his choice of words but defended him against the accusation of racism. He found it obvious that Mr Orban spoke about a real problem that of mass immigration from other cultures, that could cause lasting difficulties in any society. In Magyar Hirlap, Dora Nagy lambasts critics who accuse the Prime Minister of racism, and even call him a Nazi. Had they troubled to read his whole speech, they would have realised what he actually spoke about, she writes. She believes that instead of trying to understand Mr Orbans message, such commentators were just out to smear his reputation. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Story MTI Photo: Vivien Cher Benko The six opposition-leaning weeklies condemn practically in unison the speech delivered by the Prime Minister last Saturday. One pro-government weekly simply summarises his words, while another praises his central message. The Prime Minister has been widely criticised for his use of the expression mixed race in his customary summer address at his partys annual Summer University in Baile Tusnad (Transylvania). He later admitted, at a press conference in Vienna, that he sometimes uses language that can be misunderstood. In her reaction to that remark, his long-time social inclusion advisor Zsuzsa Hegedus, who had resigned in protest, declared she was satisfied with his explanation. In its editorial, 168ora recalls that over the years, the Prime Minister has always used the annual opportunity at Baile Tusnad to project his vision for the future of Hungary and the World. This time, the editor writes, he made a huge mistake by mentioning race in order to express his rejection of the prospect of a multicultural society. In a sarcastic final remark, 168 ora thinks the Prime Minister had better elaborate on another short sentence in his speech, namely about his age: I am on my way out of my political career. That point is repeated, although in a much more sanguine style, by Heti Vilagazdasags Arpad W. Tota. He wishes that the Prime Minister were moving faster on his way out. He calls Mr Orban a man who has grown into a moron and is unable to behave himself, which Tota would not mind if Hungary could get rid of him But it cant, he adds. In a similar vein in Elet es Iroddalom, Zoltan Kovacs suggests that earlier leaders who talked about racial hygiene ended up either going mad or dragging the world into fearful catastrophes. He accepts that personally speaking, the Prime Minister is not a racist, but nevertheless condemns pro-government pundits who have tried to explain away Mr Orbans utterances. In their first page editorial, the editors of Magyar Narancs simply describe the Prime Minister as a crazy pseudo-prophet who is a hundred percent convinced of his semi-divine powers. They find it strange that two-and-a-half million compatriots fall for what they call his lies and infantile stupidities. Reacting to the Prime Ministers words in Baile Tusnad about the need to keep alive as much as possible of Hungarys traditional friendship with Poland after serious disagreements surfaced on the war in Ukraine, Magyar Hangs Attila Tibor Nagy fears that Hungary will remain without allies within the European Union. He also finds it telling that the Premier had much more severe words about Slovakia and the Czech Republic whose leaders, in addition to being also tough on Russia, are moving closer to the European Commission. All in all, Nagy suggests, the war in Ukraine has invalidated Mr Orbans earlier strategic assumption that Hungary can simultaneously build fruitful relations with Western powers and Russia. In Jelen, Tamas Foti finds it extremely strange that the Premier should have sent his Foreign Minister to Moscow to negotiate on supplementary gas deliveries at a time when the Russian government is a pariah in the Western world. He interprets that move as proving that Mr Orban doesnt believe he can unlock the European funds which have been frozen out of rule of law considerations. Otherwise, he believes, he wouldnt have dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow. Mandiner devotes a lengthy report to the Baile Tusnad events and publishes a summary of the Prime Ministers speech, including his remarks on races but abstains from commenting on them. By contrast, Demokrata editor Andras Bencsik praises the Prime Minister for tracing a path along which Hungary may avoid what he sees as the probable recession and overall crisis building up in the Western world. Key milestones on that path, he suggests, include staying out of the war (in Ukraine), and avoiding both mass migration and the planned global taxation rules. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online. Click here to Share Your Story MTI / PM's Press Office Photo: Vivien Cher Benko Robert started his restaurant career working for one of South Africa's most well-known restaurateurs, Ben Filmalter, owner-operator of renowned institutions that included Linger Longer, Leipoldts, Fat Franks, and latterly the Mugg and Bean franchise. He then moved to London where he spent time working with the legendary Roux brothers (Michel & Albert), Sally Clarke and Brian Turner. This was followed by eight years at leading hotels including The Carlton, Hilton and Sheraton, where he set up and ran award-winning restaurants. After a 20-year hiatus from working in the industry, Robert is now in Budapest and looks forward to returning to his culinary roots. He is a strong believer in sourcing quality local ingredients and creating dishes using seasonal produce. "I think for a long period we were caught up in the Michelin star, fine dining, 15-course tasting menu craze. I believe we will see a return to diners looking for beautifully cooked and locally sourced non-fussy dishes." Click here to virtually visit Bobs's Kitchen Budapest 1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here? 2019, had been living in Cape Town, but had to come back to Europe before Brexit kicked in, had enjoyed a few holidays and business trips in Hungary and thought why not. 2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere? Spain and South Africa. 3. What surprised you most about Hungary? Winters not nearly as bad as I thought they would be. 4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do? Take a taxi both sides of the Danube in the evening, the lights are superb. 5. What is your favourite Hungarian food? Paprikas krumpli - with 5 types of sausage. 6. What is never missing from your refrigerator? Wine. 7. What is your favourite Hungarian word? "Nem tudom". 8. What do you miss most from home? My grandmother's macaroni cheese. 9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue? Travel journalist. 10. What's a job you would definitely never want? Traffic warden. 11. Where did you spend your last vacation? Tuscany with friends. 12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday? Friend's wedding in Mexico. 13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist? The last rolo. 14. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen? Blondie. 15. Red wine or white? Red wine. 16. Book or movie? Book when on holiday. 17. Morning person or night person? Night. 18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about? Cruelty to children and animals. 19. Buda or Pest side? Currently live in Pest, so Pest it is. 20. What would you say is your personal motto? Laughter is the best medicine. YORK An arrest warrant was issued for Sarah Beale, 25, a former inmate at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW), who has been convicted of second degree assault, a Class 2A felony, and failed to show up for sentencing. She was scheduled to be sentenced by Judge James Stecker in York County District Court, but upon being a no-show, Judge Stecker issued a bench warrant. According to court documents, the case began when a guard at the prison said he saw Beale (while an inmate at NCCW) strike another inmate and the two began to grapple. When they were broken up, guards said the other inmate was injured with bleeding and swelling. Beale served a prison sentence for convictions of tampering with evidence out of Dawson County, possession of methamphetamine out of Dawson County, third degree domestic assault out of Dawson County, possession of cocaine out of Merrick County, failure to appear out of Merrick County and possession of methamphetamine out of Lincoln County. She is now facing a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the Class 2A felony. In return for her no contest plea, a Class 3A felony was dismissed. The newly constructed national highway-152D from Ambala to Narnaul is now open and accessible to the public. The highway is part of the Ambala-Kotputli corridor which passes through about 112 different villages in eight districts of Haryana -- Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Jind, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, and Mahendragarh. It further passes through the Narnaul bypass and then NH-148B which meets Delhi-Jaipur highway at Paniyala Mode near Kotputli. This national highway will write a new chapter of development as it will prove to be a boon for the daily commuters, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said. The deputy chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of the Public Works Department, said the highway will reduce the travel time from Ambala to Jaipur considerably. "This will lead to a major diversion of the traffic of NCR, due to which the problem of pollution will also be solved. Also, it will provide the shortest, fastest, and safest route from Ambala to Kotputli on Jaipur highway and will accelerate the pace of all-around industrial development and economic development of the entire Haryana state," he said. Also read: Tata Motors posts highest-ever monthly sales, THESE SUVs are best-selling in India Chautala said the national highway is a six-lane Access Controls Greenfield Corridor constructed under the Bharatmala Project, which is about 227 kilometers long, from Ismailabad (Gangheri) of Kurukshetra district to Narnaul (Haryana). Chautala said the entire corridor is equipped with an advanced traffic management system. Keeping in mind the convenience of the people, wayside amenities have also been constructed in this ambitious project at six places, where people have a toilet facility, trauma center, petrol pump, kiosk restaurant, Dhaba, children park, etc., he said. Adequate arrangements have been made for truck and trailer parking. Besides, provision has also been made for interchange at 16 places, while there are two main toll plazas and eight ROBs, Chautala added. About 2,000 hectares of land have been acquired for this highway project, on which compensation of about Rs 3,000 crore has been paid to the farmers and about Rs 6,000 crore has been spent on its civil construction work, he said. (With inputs from PTI) The Ministry of Civil Aviation has been receiving complaints regarding airlines charging extra for completing the web check-in formalities. Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh (retired) gave a written reply to a question stating that scheduled domestic airlines are not charging any fee for completing web check-in formalities. He was asked whether most of the airline companies in the country are assigning most of the seats to the passengers on a payment basis in the name of online check-in before travelling. Singh replied that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued Air Transport Circular (ATC)-01 of 2021 titled, "Unbundle of Services and fees by scheduled airlines" as per which, some services like preferential seating have been allowed to be unbundled and charged separately from the travellers. Such unbundled services are provided on an "opt-in" basis by airlines and are not mandatory in nature. The question was raised by S Selvaganabathy, BJP MP from Pudducherry. He further asked whether any guidelines have been issued by the Government to the airline companies to regulate the sale and allotment of seats. Also read: DGCA inspects over 300 aircrafts to ensure flight safety; 62 belongs to SpiceJet Singh replied that there is also a provision for auto seat assignment to the passengers who have not selected any seat for web check-in before scheduled departure. Scheduled domestic airlines are not charging any fee for completing web check-in formalities. As far as check-in at Airports is concerned, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised all the scheduled airlines not to charge any additional amount for issuing boarding passes at the airport check-in counters as the same cannot be considered within `tariff` as provided under Rule 135 of The Aircraft Rules, 1937. The Ministry of Civil Aviation or Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been receiving grievances related to air transport. They are redressed as per the established mechanism or extant guidelines in the matter, Singh added. Earlier, DGCA had made it clear that airlines charging for preferred seats is as per the unbundling of fare and is left to airlines and we have no role in that. (With inputs from ANI) An unusual incident took place at Delhi airport today where a car belonging to Go First airline went under an IndiGo A320neo aircraft, narrowly avoiding collision with the plane's nose wheel. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will investigate this incident, that happened at stand number 201 of the airport's T2 terminal. There was no damage to the plane and no one was injured, aviation industry sources said. The aircraft was readying to depart for Patna on Tuesday morning when a Swift Dzire car belonging to Go First airline went under it, narrowly avoiding collision with the nose wheel, the sources said. #WATCH | A Go Ground Maruti vehicle stopped under the nose area of the Indigo aircraft VT-ITJ that was parked at Terminal T-2 IGI airport, Delhi. It was an Indigo flight 6E-2022 (DelhiPatna) pic.twitter.com/dxhFWwb5MK ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2022 As per a preliminary information, the IndiGo aircraft bearing registration VT-ITJ was ready for departure to Patna. The flight 6E-2022 was scheduled to departure for Patna Airport at 6.30 AM on August 2. The plane departed for Patna on schedule, they mentioned and reached at 8.05 AM as per the scheduled arrival. The car's driver was subjected to a breath analyser test for consumption of alcohol and it was found to be negative, the officials added. (With inputs from PTI) To increase and expand connectivity between India and nations around the world, the Indian government has activated bilateral air service agreements with 116 countries and is allowing foreign carriers to serve India to add more flights to the country's metropolitan cities. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh (retd) informed the Parliament in a written reply stating that India has signed a bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA) with 116 foreign countries. "Any designated foreign airline can operate to/from a point in India if it is designated as a point of call in the bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA) signed between India and the country which has designated the airline," he added. Travel industry experts said the government's move will benefit passengers and may bring down airfares. "It is good to have bilateral air service agreements with countries to increase seat capacity and have an open sky policy for foreign carriers as it will benefit passengers," Anju Wariah, Director, Group Business Development, STIC Travel Group told ANI. Also read: Domestic airlines not charging any fee for web check-in, only optional charges allowed: VK Singh The government has also said due to a significant imbalance in the number of points of call in favour of foreign carriers at present, it is not granting any non-metro airport as a new point of call to any foreign carrier for the purpose of operating passenger services. Indian designated carriers are free to mount scheduled operations to and from any international airport, including Kannur International Airport, under the ambit of bilateral ASAs concluded by India with foreign countries. The travel industry has been urging the government for quite some time that foreign carriers be allowed to operate from cities other than metro airports. "Indian-designated carriers are free to mount operations from any city but a foreign carrier is not. Till the time it's not done, there will be a demand-supply gap which can impact prices," Wariah said. The countries with which India has signed bilateral air service agreements include those in Asia, Europe, Middle East and South America. (With inputs from ANI) The US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night, in a move which is seen as a major blow to China's geopolitical aspirations. In doing so, she becomes the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island that is claimed by China in 25 years. As Pelosi arrived in Taiwan from Kuala Lumpur, her flight bearing registration SPAR19 became the most-tracked aircraft in the world. Pelosi's visit has triggered increased tensions between China and the United States as the Asian military might claim Taiwan as part of its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island's sovereignty. China had warned of "resolute and strong measures" if Pelosi went ahead with the trip. The SPAR19 is a US Air Force jet that took off from Kuala Lumpur for Taiwan, supposedly carrying Nancy Pelosi. As per the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, more internet users tracked the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's flight than any other aircraft in the history of the website. With 708,000 people tracking the aircraft upon landing in Taipei, SPAR19 is Flightradar24s most tracked live flight of all time. https://t.co/RifLnVzeMP pic.twitter.com/m2OBIV9RME August 2, 2022 Almost 300,000 users are following every move of "SPAR19," a US Air Force-operated Boeing C-40C, according to FlightRadar24. While there was no official confirmation that Pelosi was on the plane, she landed in Taiwan earlier, confirming that she was infact travelling in the SPAR19, which landed in the Taiwan at 10.44 PM. The SPAR19 flight took off from Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport at approximately 3.40 PM and headed east toward Borneo island, flying close to the Indonesian city of Manado before taking a turn north to the Philippines -- steering clear of the South China Sea. The top 10 most-tracked flights in the world were going to Taiwan, according to FlightRadar24 data. The second most-tracked plane on Tuesday after SPAR19 was a China Airlines flight from Jakarta to Taipei, with almost 20,000 followers. FlightRadar24, a popular aircraft-tracking website, normally has several thousand users following aircraft of interest -- including emergency incidents or inaugural flights. Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for FlightRadar24, said the US Air Force jet was among the site's five most-tracked planes ever. Ahead of SPAR19, the top flight tracked was a commercial flight carrying Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who was travelling after undergoing treatment following a suspected poisoning attempt on his life. With Reuters inputs New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday told the Lok Sabha that there is no GST on funeral, cremation, burial, or mortuary services. The opposition has alleged that the price hike has led to the people's anger. Clarifying her stand during the monsoon session of the Parliament, FM Sitharaman assured the Lok Sabha that the above services are fully exempt from GST. the raw material needed for construction of a new crematorium and the equipment needed there is taxed, otherwise, people manufacturing the raw material will suffer losses, she said. However the FM said that only the raw materials and equipment needed to build a new crematorium are taxed, without which the people associated with the businesses will incur losses. From July 18, the prices of several essential commodities and services were increased. The decision was taken at the 47th GST meeting chaired by FM Nirmala Sitharaman that GST rates will increase on some household products and services from July 18, 2022. Prices of agricultural commodities including pre-packaged labels like cheese, lassi, butter milk, packaged curd, wheat flour, other grains, honey, papad, cereals, meat and fish (excluding freezing), mudi and jaggery are set to go up from July 18. Taxes on these products have been increased. Currently, 5 per cent GST is levied on branded and packaged food items. Products without packs and unlabeled are tax free. New Delhi: Rangbaaz 3 actor Vineet Kumar Singh has already proved to be a performer par excellence. The actor first shot to fame as a boxer in Mukkabaaz, and then went on to undertake many layered and nuanced characters through the course of his career including Tryst With Destiny, Gold, Bard Of Blood, Betaal and Gunjan Saxena. With Rangbaaz, the actor delivered yet another impeccable performance. The actor is winning the hearts of audiences and critics alike that have been all praise for Vineet in this series about strongman politics in Bihar. One of the reviews read, This is a seriously talented actor at the peak of his powers and its only in the last few years (since Mukkabaaz, especially) that Bollywood has started giving him his due. The other leading daily review added, Vineet Kumar Singh's crime drama is among the best-acted shows of recent times. He shows his true mettle as he owns saheb, the scourge of Dhiwan. He is likable and hate worthy, charming and menacing, and completely relatable all at the same time. Then other went on saying, Vineet Kumar has a complex character to play. You can never know what the man is. Being the amazing actor he is, Kumar blows life in this complex part and makes it his own. The other review added, Rangbaaz 3 is an engaging watch because of Vineet Kumar Singh's nuanced performance. One of the reviews read, Vineet portrays a grey character, Saheb, to absolute perfection. Minutes into the series, we know that he's neither good nor bad; for some, he is a messiah, while for others, he uses force and violence to achieve his goals. New Delhi: Christopher Nolan, the filmmaker who has given the world movies such as Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk, is back with a bang. The teaser for his much-anticipated upcoming film, The Oppenheimer, has been released, and it appears that it will be similar to any other Nolan film. It is big, made for the silver screens, and promises to be a visual delight for all moviegoers. The Oppenheimer teaser has already got the fans, especially the fans of the filmmaker, and they took to social media to express their excitement about the film. Watch the trailer here; After watching the trailer, fans had this to say about it; Man I cannot wait for #Oppenheimer next year! Seeing the teaser from watching Nope on Imax has me even more excited! pic.twitter.com/TsVKwZtRjN Andy Walker (@andylovesapples) August 1, 2022 the oppenheimer teaser trailer has me shaking in my boots i cant WAIT August 1, 2022 saw the teaser for oppenheimer at the theatres the other night and have not stopped watching docs/youtube videos about him since O_o (@finaI___fantasy) August 1, 2022 The film is based on the life of controversial physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, who during World War II worked with a team of scientists under the Manhattan Project, led to the development of the atomic bomb. The movie stars Cilian Murphy, who is most known for his character 'Tommy Shelby' in the hit BBC series Peaky Blinders, in the titular role. It also has great set of supporting casts with some big names working on it such as Robert downey jr, Matt damon, Emily blunt. The movie was announced not long after Nolan's last movie, The Tenet, which opened in cinemas during the pandemic. It marked one of the rare occurrence in the Nolan's filmography as the movie was met with a mixed response from the critics and some of the fans. A good number of people also complained about the sound quality of the film but even it was able to draw a significant number of people to the theatres. The Oppenheimer will hit the big screens on July 21, 2023. Assam PAT Results 2022: The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Assam declared the result for the Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 today, August 2. The result is announced on its official website, dte.assam.gov.in. Candidates can login to the official website and view their scores. The Assam PAT result 2022 announced today at 4 PM, candidates can download scorecard on the website- dte.assam.gov.in. Assam PAT 2022 was conducted on July 24 at exam centres across the state. ALSO READ: CAT registration from tomorrow Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu had last week confirmed PAT result date and time. He had tweeted: The results of Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 will be declared on August 2. It will be available online at https://dte.assam.gov.in from 2nd August, 2022, after 4 pm. #ImportantAnnouncement The results of Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 will be declared on August 2. It will be available online at https://t.co/IzTlnF93zC from 2nd August, 2022, after 4 pm. @himantabiswa @CMOfficeAssam @mygovassam pic.twitter.com/GgREUwSe4e Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) July 30, 2022 Assam PAT Result 2022: How To Download Scorecard Visit the official website-- dte.assam.gov.in Click on the Polytechnic Admission Test 2022 results link. Enter your PAT 2022 roll number and date of birth The Assam PAT result will be displayed on the screen Download it and take a printout for future reference. Assam PAT exam was held on July 24 in pen-paper mode for admission in diploma engineering courses in the polytechnic colleges of Assam. Assam PAT Results 2022: The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Assam will declare the result for the Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 today, August 2. The results will be announced on its official website, dte.assam.gov.in. Once declared, candidates can login to the official website and view their scores. The Assam PAT result 2022 will be announced today at 4 PM, candidates can download scorecard on the website- dte.assam.gov.in. Assam PAT 2022 was conducted on July 24 at exam centres across the state. ALSO READ: CAT registration from tomorrow Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu had last week confirmed PAT result date and time. He had tweeted: The results of Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 will be declared on August 2. It will be available online at https://dte.assam.gov.in from 2nd August, 2022, after 4 pm. #ImportantAnnouncement The results of Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2022 will be declared on August 2. It will be available online at https://t.co/IzTlnF93zC from 2nd August, 2022, after 4 pm. @himantabiswa @CMOfficeAssam @mygovassam pic.twitter.com/GgREUwSe4e Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) July 30, 2022 Assam PAT Result 2022: How To Download Scorecard Visit the official website-- dte.assam.gov.in Click on the Polytechnic Admission Test 2022 results link. Enter your PAT 2022 roll number and date of birth The Assam PAT result will be displayed on the screen Download it and take a printout for future reference. Assam PAT exam was held on July 24 in pen-paper mode for admission in diploma engineering courses in the polytechnic colleges of Assam. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday provisionally attached 75 immovable properties including 67 windmills valued at Rs 113.32 crore belonging to the Chennai-based Surana Group of Companies under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with three cases of Rs 3,986 crore bank fraud. ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of three FIRs made by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Surana Industries Limited & Others, Surana Power Limited & Others and Surana Corporation Limited & Others. The investigation revealed that the three companies of Surana Group defrauded the banks by floating a web of shell companies wherein they appointed its employees as Directors, Proprietors, and Partners and indulged in paper transactions with them without actually moving the goods. The credit capital of the banks was layered into the personal accounts of the promoters of the company by projecting the bank funds as unsecured loans from their associate shell companies, and the same funds were then subsequently infused into the main Group Companies as part of the Promoters contribution to enhance the DP limits. It was also revealed during investigations that Surana Group has companies in Cayman Island as well as the British Virgin Islands in the name of dummy directors and siphoned off money to park in those companies. For the said purpose, they established four companies in Singapore and exported goods to them and the money received from them was written off in the book of accounts in India. Further, some of the diverted funds were used to purchase movable as well as immovable properties in the name of various unnamed companies. These actions of the officials of the Surana Group led to the accounts becoming irregular, which ultimately led to accounts becoming Non-Performing Assets, leading to an amount of Rs 3986 Crore as the Principal Outstanding amount to the banks. Based on the investigation conducted, Shri Dinesh Chand Surana, MD of M/s Surana Industries Limited & M/s Surana Power Ltd, Shri Vijay Raj Surana, MD of M/s Surana Corporation Limited and two dummy directors of shell companies viz. Shri P Anand and Shri I Prabhakaran, were arrested on 12 July. The Honble Principal Session Judge at Chennai remanded them Judicial Custody. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that 67 windmills of Surana Group which were being auctioned by banks to recover their dues, were again purchased in the name of the Benami company. Based on the investigation conducted, 67 windmills with a land value of Rs 51.69 Crore and various immovable properties valued at Rs 61.63 Crore of Shri Ramlal Jain, who amalgamated the Proceeds of Crime into his regular business and totally valued at Rs 113.32 Crore were provisionally attached under the provisions of PMLA. (With agency inputs) DRDO Recruitment 2022: The application process for the recruitment in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for over 600 posts of Scientist B /Engineer in DRDO, DST, and ADA is underway. Interested and eligible candidates can apply on the official website- drdo.gov.in or rac.gov.in.till August 5, 2022. DRDO Jobs 2022: Vacancy details The recruitment will fill up a total of 630 vacancies in the organisation, out of which 579 are for the post of Scientist B in DRDO, 8 are for the post of Scientist B in DST and 43 are for the posts of Scientist/Engineer B in ADA. DRDO Recruitment 2022- Application Fee General (UR), EWS and OBC male candidates are required to pay an application fee of Rs.100. SC/ST/PwD and female candidates are exempted application fee. Heres how to apply for vacancies in DRDO Visit the official website rac.gov.in Click on Apply online under Recruitment of Scientists 'B' in DRDO/ADA/DST (579/43/8) vacancies Register and fill out the application form for the desired post DRDO Recruitment - Direct Link To Apply Upload the required documents and pay the fee Submit your application form and download for future purposes DRDO Recruitment: Selection Process Candidates applying for the posts in the DRDO will be shortlisted on the basis of their GATE scores and/or Written Examination. Shortlisted candidates will then have appear in a personal interview round. The Written Examination will consist of two papers of 300 marks each. The exam will be conducte in two sessions for a duration of three hours each. The exam tentatively will be held on October 16, 2022. The Examination is scheduled to be conducted at DRDO centres in seven cities (Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kolkata, and Pune) as well as at other common centres, if the need arises. NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at multiple locations including the offices of the Congress-owned National Herald House in connection with the alleged money laundering case. According to reports, the central probe agency raided at least 12 locations, including the office of the Congress-owned National Herald newspaper in Delhi in connection with the case. Enforcement Directorate today carried out searches at multiple locations in Delhi and other places in the alleged National Herald money laundering case pic.twitter.com/WOOEwzkml7 ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2022 Raids are being conducted in Delhi and several other premises linked to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) - the company that runs the newspaper. Sources say the probe agency is likely to attach these properties after searches. The fresh ED raids come days after interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was grilled by the central agency for three days in connection with the National Herald House alleged money laundering case. Sonia Gandhi was late last month quizzed for about 12 hours in three days. Her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was earlier questioned by the central agency for five days and was asked around 150 questions. The Gandhis are being investigated in what is called the "National Herald case" involving the Young Indian's takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper founded by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Enforcement Directorate claims that the Young Indian also took over Rs 800 crore in assets of AJL. According to the Income Tax department, this should be considered an asset of the shareholders of Young Indian -- Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi - for which they should pay tax. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday changed his profile picture on his social media handles to Tiranga ahead of Independence Day celebrations in the country. "It is a special 2nd August today! At a time when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our nation is all set for #HarGharTiranga, a collective movement to celebrate our Tricolour. I have changed the DP on my social media pages and urge you all to do the same," PM Modi tweeted. It is a special 2nd August today! At a time when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our nation is all set for #HarGharTiranga, a collective movement to celebrate our Tricolour. I have changed the DP on my social media pages and urge you all to do the same. pic.twitter.com/y9ljGmtZMk Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2022 PM Modi had on Sunday called upon all citizens to turn the `Har Ghar Tiranga` campaign into a mass movement by hoisting or displaying the national flag at their homes and using the `tiranga` as a display picture on their social media accounts between August 2 and August 15 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India`s Independence. "Under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, from the 13th to the 15th of August, a special movement - `Har Ghar Tiranga` is being organized. Let us further this movement by hoisting the National Flag at our homes," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday while addressing the monthly radio programme `Mann Ki Baat`." August 2 is the birth anniversary of Pingli Venkhaiya who designed the National Flag. I urge all to use `tiranga` as profile picture in social media accounts between August 2 and August 15," he said. I pay homage to the great Pingali Venkayya on his birth anniversary. Our nation will forever be indebted to him for his efforts of giving us the Tricolour, which we are very proud of. Taking strength and inspiration from the Tricolour, may we keep working for national progress. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 2, 2022 Har Ghar Tiranga` is a campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and to hoist it to mark the 75th year of India`s independence. Addressing the 91st edition of the monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi stated that India is set to witness a glorious and historic moment as it completes 75 years of Independence. "My dear countrymen, today we started our discussion on 75 years of Independence, with a visit across the country. The next time we meet, the journey of our next 25 years would have already begun. We all have to join for our beloved tricolour to be hoisted at our homes and those of our loved ones. Do share with me how you celebrated Independence Day, if you did anything special, this time. Next time, we will talk again about the different colours of our Amrit Parv. Till then, I take leave of you. Thank you very much," said PM Modi. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The official journey of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commenced on March 12, 2021, which started a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of independence and will end post a year on August 15, 2023. Thiruvananthapuram: A red alert was declared by the IMD in 10 districts of Kerala where incessant rains on Tuesday caused six deaths, landslides, rise in water levels and relocation of thousands to relief camps in various parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in all the districts of the state barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod, for August 2 and 3 and has predicted heavy rainfall in the state till August 5. The heavy rains led to six deaths -- one each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts and three in Kannur district -- resulting in a total of 12 rain-related casualties in the state from July 31 till date, the Kerala State Emergency Operations Center (KSEOC) said. Besides that, three people have also gone missing from various parts of the state during the day, it said. 95 relief camps opened across Kerala due to heavy rainfall In view of the heavy rainfall and anticipating landslides, flash floods and other disasters, the state government opened 95 relief camps across Kerala where 2,291 people have been relocated, KSEOC said. The heavy rainfall also damaged 126 houses between July 31 till date and of those 27 homes were completely destroyed, it said. Red alerts issued by IMD should be taken 'very seriously': CM Pinarayi Vijayan In view of the red alerts issued by the IMD and the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in the state in the next few days, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the warning of very heavy rains in the state in the days ahead should be taken very seriously as a continuous rainfall of more than 200 mm is likely to create a crisis. There is a need for vigilance and preparedness in the state in anticipation of natural disasters like landslides, mountain floods, flash floods, and waterlogging in cities and low-lying areas, the CM said in a Facebook post. Vijayan also said that the Central Water Commission has issued a warning regarding the water levels of various rivers, like Pampa, Manimala and Neyyar, crossing the danger marks at several places. He said the commission has also warned that water levels of rivers like Achankovil, Kaliyar, Thodupuzha and Meenachil are on the rise and therefore, people living on the banks of all these rivers should be cautious and steps are being taken to relocate them to safer locations. He has requested everyone not to be reluctant to relocate and to follow the instructions of the authorities. The CM also directed that the camps should adhere to COVID-19 norms and there should be special facilities for pregnant women, lactating mothers and persons with special needs. He further said, in the post, that the KSEOC was functioning as the state-level control room with representatives of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Rescue Forces and other departments concerned and control rooms have also been set up in all districts and taluks. 9 NDRF teams deployed in Kerala Besides that, nine NDRF teams have been deployed in the state apart from the two units of the Defence Security Corps stationed in Kannur and Palakkad districts and one column of the Army in Thiruvananthapuram district, he said. As there is a possibility of strong winds along with rain, steps should be taken on a war footing to secure electric lines, posts, trees and hoardings to avoid accidents due to their collapse, he said and added that earthmovers and other machinery should be kept ready in advance in disaster-prone areas to deal with landslides and flash floods in hilly areas. Restricting travel to hilly areas and on water bodies, avoiding night time travel and advising fishermen not to go out to sea in view of the possibility of strong winds and huge waves, were some of the other directions the state government has issued, the CM said. Water levels in five Idukki dams have reached red alert storage levels Data on the daily water levels of the dams operated by KSEB (Kerala State Electricity Board) indicate that water levels in five Idukki dams -- Ponmudi, Kundala, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Lower Periyar -- as well as the Moozhiyar and Poringalkuthu dams in Pathanamthitta and Thrissur, respectively, have reached the red alert storage levels. Two Irrigation department reservoirs in Palakkad -- Meenkara and Mangalam -- reached Orange alert storage levels on Tuesday due to the heavy rains, according to the data on the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) website. The Ernakulam district officials also said that an emergency action committee comprising local bodies will be formed to take steps to prevent waterlogging in Kochi city and supervise rescue and evacuation operations. Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard also stepped in to help with search and rescue operations. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has warned party leaders about their behavior on several occasions in the past. The Chief Minister's message to the ministers went a step further on Monday after the state cabinet meeting. From now on she will have an 'eye' on everyone. Many administration observers consider this message significant in terms of timing. Sources claim that after the main discussion of the cabinet, the chief minister told the ministers that nothing should be done that brings dishonor to the party or the government. She also said that she will keep an 'eye' on everyone. The Cabinet meeting was held last Thursday after the Partha Chatterjee incident. It is reported that the Chief Minister did not speak anything outside the 'cabinet-agenda' in that meeting. But Mamata's message in this day's meeting in a gap of four days is considered very significant. The chief minister also gave a clear message about the reshuffle of the cabinet on this day. Apart from removing some people from the cabinet, Mamata also said to include some new people there. Hence, the Chief Minister's message of keeping this 'watch' is important to both parties. The opposition, however, sees this message of the Chief Minister with different eyes. Also Read: 'Don't do DADAGIRI, Otherwise....', Abhishek Banerjee gives stern WARNING amid Panchayat Poll Many political observers feel that several cabinet members have been arrested by the CBI in the past. But there was no confusion about their behavior. However, after the arrest of Partha Chatterjee by ED, not only the whereabouts of mountain of money was found, but his picture was also spread widely. On the one hand, the movement of job-seekers, on the other hand, the ruling party and the government are quite uncomfortable with the allegations of corruption related to it. The uneasiness also grew considerably when many details of Partha's personal life became public. In that context, along with talking about appropriate behavior, the Chief Minister is believed to have given the message of vigilance to the new and old members of the cabinet. Following the Chief Minister's message, BJP State President Sukanta Majumder's comment, "Charity Begins at Home. What she is saying, should have told the people in the house before! And those who are being told, will not listen to it. Thieves don't listen to religion!" Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar on Monday took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after reports of a possible reshuffle of the state cabinet surfaced in the media. Majumdar, while referring to the arrest of former state minister Partha Chatterjee in a School Service Commission (SSC) scam, said that Banerjee is taking such decisions to divert the media`s attention from the corruption cases in West Bengal. "Due to the corruption cases that are coming to the fore in West Bengal, the people of Bengal have understood that the entire government is a thief. The thief will go and another new thief will come and he will start stealing again with his new energy, nothing much is going to change," he told ANI. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee makes major reshuffle in TMC amid political furore over Partha Chatterjee's arrest "The Chief Minister should herself resign first, after that whether a new cabinet should be made or not, she should think later. Some faces from BJP like Babul Supriyo have joined TMC. Will these faces now be seen becoming ministers in TMC," Sukant said adding that he would like to wish the ministers who have joined TMC the best of luck. On the question of Banerjee`s political decision, and how much impact it will have in the coming elections, Majumdar said, "If Banerjee had taken the right decision in this matter, then there would be a loss for the BJP in the coming elections, but it will not be a total political loss." Also Read: WBSSC scam: Arpita Mukherjee makes BIG confession to ED about Belgharia residence "The decision is, you are dividing the district, you are creating new districts, you are saying that the government does not have money, then how will the new district run, the government is on the verge of collapsing like this, you have declared the new district, from where will the new collectorate be made?" he added. "This corruption has happened in every district, there has been a scam of at least more than 100 crores rupees, at least how many districts are there, it can be guessed that such a large corruption network alone cannot run the entire TMC organization," he stated. NMAT 2022 Registration: The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) officially started the registration process for NMAT 2022 on Monday, 1 August 2022, on its website. NMAT 2022 Registration process can be finished online by interested applicants before the deadline. Candidates should go to mba.com to submit an application for the NMAT 2022. Due to the fact that NMAT Registrations 2022 are only available online, all applicants should visit the aforementioned website for information. NMAT exam 2022 application will continue for over a month. The last date to apply for this entrance exam is October 10, 2022. The delivery of the NMAT 2022 exam will similarly start on October 10 and end on December 19, 2022. Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university in any stream in order to register for the NMAT 2022. On the website nmat.org, interested applicants can view all the most recent information regarding NMAT Registrations 2022. ALSO READ: Odisha HS Class 12 Arts Result 2022 likely to be released on THIS DATE NMAT 2022 Registration: Heres how to apply online Visit the official website of NMAT, mba.com. Click on the NMAT Registration 2022 link on the homepage. Enter the details correctly and register yourself. The NMAT 2022 Registration form will be displayed on your screen. Fill out the registration form carefully and provide scanned copies of the mentioned documents. Pay the NMAT 2022 application fee and verify the details. Click on submit after verifying all the entered information. Download the NMAT 2022 form from the website and take a printout of the same. NMAT 2022: Important Dates NMAT 2022 Events NMAT exam dates NMAT 2022 registration start date August 1, 2022 Last date to apply for NMAT 2022 October 10, 2022 NMAT 2022 exam deliver start date October 10, 2022 NMAT exam 2022 deliver end date December 19, 2022 On the official website, interested and qualified applicants can complete their NMAT 2022 Registration by entering the necessary data, such as name, email address, mobile number, etc. The three elements of the NMAT 2022 examlanguage skills, numeric skills, and logical reasoningwill be administered using a computer. Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the multi-crore school job scam, has made a big disclosure saying the arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has been "non-cooperating" with its officials and "not replying" to most of their questions in connection with the money trail. The central agency said that the suspended Trinamool Congress leader has "remained silent most of the time" during the questioning about a conspiracy that he referred to while speaking to journalists at ESI Hospital at Joka where he was taken for a medical check-up. Chatterjee had on Friday asserted that he was a "victim of a conspiracy" and expressed unhappiness over TMC's decision to suspend him. "He has been non-cooperating with us since he was arrested. He is often complaining of tiredness and avoiding our questions. We have asked Chatterjee about his claims that the money does not belong to him So, we are looking for the source of the money," the ED official was quoted as saying. Chatterjee, who is at the centre of a multi-crore school job scam, on Sunday claimed that the money recovered during ED raids does not belong to him, and only time will tell who all "conspired" against him. Nearly Rs 50 crore in cash along with gold were recovered from apartments linked to Arpita Mukherjee, one of Chatterjee's close aides, as per the official of the central agency. During the interrogation, Mukherjee also claimed that the huge amount of cash and pieces of jewellery recovered from two of her flats "were not hers". The agency sleuths conducted another round of search operations at her flat in the northern part of the city on Monday evening, the ED official said. They also collected CCTV footage of her high-end apartment "to find out who used to visit there", he said. In fact, the ED officials on Monday summoned the secretary of the dwellers' association of the housing complex in Belghoria where the woman has two flats, he said. Meanwhile, the ED has also started looking for a GST number that is found in her possession. "She has used one GST number for running a business of beauty parlour, but there is another such number which is not linked to any business. We are trying to find out whether this one was generated in an illegal manner to evade tax," he said. The central agency is planning to interrogate Chatterjee and his close aide together on Tuesday, the official claimed. The ED on July 23 arrested Chatterjee in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the school job scam. Chatterjee had held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off. The ED is looking into the money trail involved in the scam. Another central agency CBI, as directed by Calcutta High Court, is probing the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group-C and -D staff, as well as teachers in government-sponsored and -aided schools, on the recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission. Kolkata: Arrested TMC leader Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee, who has also been held by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its ongoing probe into the West Bengal school recruitment scam, has confessed before the central agency that crores of illegal money recovered during the raids were slipped into her residences without her knowledge. It may be recalled that the ED sleuths have recovered around Rs 50 crore in cash, along with jewellery, from her two flats in southwest Kolkata and Belghoria. Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee were taken to ESI Joka, on the southern outskirts of the city, for medical check-ups, during the day. Mukerjee, after deboarding a vehicle, told the waiting reporters, Money was kept in my residences in my absence and without my knowledge, sparking speculation as to who was she pointing fingers at. Arpita Mukherjee has earlier confessed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that she was forced by West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee to allow her houses to be used to store the illegal cash. She also reportedly claimed that whenever Chatterjee visited her residences, the suspended TMC Minister had closed-door meetings with the unknown person which she was not allowed to attend. She also claimed that she did not have permission to open the cupboards where the cash was stocked and was not allowed to enter the rooms. "While making these confessions, Mukherjee burst into tears a number of times and was constantly claiming that she was exploited. Now we have to get access to that unknown person referred by her. It is only Partha Chatterjee who can answer this," an ED official said. Partha Chatterjee, who has been relieved of his ministerial duties, has earlier said that he was a victim of a conspiracy and expressed displeasure over the TM's decision to suspend him. The senior TMC leader had also said that only time would tell if the action against him was justified. Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee have said that the money recovered did not belong to them. They will be produced before PMLA court on Wednesday, with the 10-day ED custody of the duo coming to an end. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the names of seven more districts in Bengal. Murshidabad district has been divided into three parts. After that, the state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury gave a strong response. Adhir claims, "erasing the name of Murshidabad district from history! people will not forgive you." Mamata announced the names of seven new districts on Monday. Murshidabad district has been divided into three districts. Murshidabad was broken up into Murshidabad, Baharampur and Kandi. Similarly, North 24 Parganas have been divided into three and South 24 Parganas, Nadia and Bankura have been divided into two. A total of five districts have been broken into 12 districts. Seven districts have been added to the map of Bengal. And in this context, Adhir Chowdhury said, "Congress will not accept the name change of the district which is associated with history. I believe the people of Bengal will not accept this name change. People will not forgive those who are breaking the district which is included in the history of Bengal. Congress has protested this decision of Mamata. Didimani is trying to erase the history of Bengal by breaking Murshidabad district. The people of Murshidabad and Bengal will not accept it. The tradition and history of the district cannot be erased like this. Even if the district is divided, the identity associated with the name of the district cannot be changed." He said that the name of Murshidabad is associated with the identity, history and tradition of the district. Also Read: SSC Scam: Woman throws CHAPPALS at Partha Chatterjee, says 'I would have found peace IF...' Historical Importance of Murshidabad According to Adhir, the Congress will steadfast in maintaining the tradition of the district. He claims, "If necessary to keep the name of the district intact, the Congress will launch a movement across the state. Adhir Chowdhury said, the historical importance of the territory of Murshidabad is immense. Mamata Banerjee wants to break this district into three parts. If Baharampur and Kandi are separate districts then there will be no Murshidabad with that name. The name Murshidabad will be deleted from that territory." New Districts in Bengal After coming to power in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee increased the number of districts one after another. Many large districts have been divided into two. This time, seven districts were increased in Bengal. One district was divided into several districts. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the names of the new seven districts at Nabanna on Monday. North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Bankura, Murshidabad districts are being broken up. Adhir also objected to the division of Murshidabad district into three parts. Also Read: SSC Scam: 86 Jawans, Convoy of 6 vehicles - 'TIGHT SECURITY' arrangement for Partha Chatterjee-Arpita Mukherjee Mamata Banerjee announced that Bengal will get seven new districts, the names of which are- 1) Sundarban, 2) Ichamati (this district will consist of Bangaon sub-division of North 24 Parganas and Bagda), 3) Basirhat (name not final), 4) Ranaghat, 5 ) Bishnupur, 6) Baharampur and 7) Kandi (including Jangipur and Kandi subdivision areas). As a result, the number of districts in Bengal is increasing from 23 to 30. New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till August 4 in a money laundering case on Monday. He was produced by ED at a special court in Mumbai. He was produced by ED before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court judge MG Deshpande. The law enforcement agency had sought his remand for eight days. The ED, represented by special public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, told the court that Raut and his family were direct beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime. What is the Patra Chawl scam? Patra Chawl was set to be redeveloped by Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) around 2007-08. The residents were asked to vacate their homes in 2008. The contract to develop flats for 672 tenants of Patra Chawl was given to Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd. However, the company didn't develope even one flat for the residents and sold the FSI or floor space index to nine private developers. It is alleged that they got Rs 901.79 crore for the same. Sanjay Raut's close aide Pravin Raut was a key part of this scam and allegedly transferred profits to Sanjay Raut and his family. Also Read: Why was Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut arrested? Complete timeline of Patra Chawl scam case Residents of Patra Chawl scam The residents of Patra Chawl suffered greatly due to this massive scam as they were not given the homes promised to them. In an interview with the Indian Express, Sanjay Naik who used to live in Patra Chawl said that he was promised that he would get his home back in 3 years. However, more than 10 years later, he still hasn't gotten it. As per the report, Naik is living on rent near the chawl with a family of 6 members. In 2008, the residents were asked to leave their homes for the project. According to reports, the developers were supposed to pay rent every month to all 672 tenants until the project is over. But they were only paid rent till 2015 after which the project got stuck. One of the residents of the chawl Naresh Sawant told Indian Express, "A person has to pay at least Rs 20,000 for 1 BHK in Mumbai.Being middle-class, many tenants cannot pay that much rent and hence they have shifted to areas like Virar, Vasai, Nalasopara, Kalyan, Dombivili and Navi Mumbai. Some have even returned to their villages and have given up all their hopes." (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Yasin Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, who began his hunger strike in the Tihar Jail on July 22, ended his fasting after he was told that his demands/concerns have been forwarded to the senior authorities, as per the prison authorities. The Kashmiri separatist, who was lodged in jail number 7 of the Tihar prison, had alleged that his case was not being investigated properly. As per the officials, Malik has deferred his hunger strike for a period of two months at the request of DG Prisons Sandeep Goel. "Malik was admitted to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on July 26 and was back in the jail on July 29," said the prison officials. Malik, who was arrested shortly after the JKLF was banned in 2019, was on May 19 this year convicted by an NIA court in terror funding cases. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25. The NIA court while sentencing Malik also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh. On July 15 this year, Rubaiya Sayeed, the sister of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, identified Malik in connection with her kidnapping by JKLF militants on December 8, 1989.Rubaiya was abducted in Srinagar on December 8, 1989, and freed from captivity after five days on December 13 after the then V P Singh government at the Centre, released five terrorists in exchange. Malik is an accused in this case along with others. Apart from the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, Malik is also facing charges in the case of the gunning down of four Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in January 1990 in Srinagar. New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has been to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till August 4 in a money laundering case on Monday. Earlier, he was produced by ED before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court judge MG Deshpande. The law enforcement agency had sought his remand for eight days. The ED, represented by special public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, told the court that Raut and his family were direct beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime. Raut and his family received "proceeds of crime" worth over Rs 1 one crore generated out of alleged irregularities in a housing redevelopment project in Mumbai, the ED told the special court. Also Read: Sanjay Raut arrested in Patra Chawl scam; will the 672 residents who suffered for years get justice now? The ED made this claim while seeking Raut's custody in the money laundering case pertaining to irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra 'Chawl' in suburban Goregaon and related financial property transactions involving his wife and alleged associates. Raut, however, claimed the allegations against him were "vague" and raised out of "political vendetta" as he received full backing from Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. What is Patra Chawl scam case? Patra Chawl was set to be redeveloped by Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) around 2007-08. The residents were asked to vacate their homes in 2008. The contract to develop flats for 672 tenants of Patra Chawl was given to Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd. However, the company didn't develope even one flat for the residents and sold the FSI or floor space index to nine private developers. It is alleged that they got Rs 901.79 crore for the same. Sanjay Raut's close aide Pravin Raut was a key part of this scam and allegedly transferred profits to Sanjay Raut and his family. A woman throws CHAPPALS at Partha Chatterjee. The woman throws CHAPPALS at his car as he was leaving Joka ESI Hospital, where Partha was brought for a health check-up on Tuesday. Although the shoe did not hit Partha. It fell on his car. The woman name is Shubhra Gharvi. His house is in Amtala. The woman's regret is that her thrown shoe did not fall on Partha, "I would have found peace if the shoe had fallen on his head." The CHAPPAL-Throwing Incident It happened at the time when Partha was being taken out after health check. He was brought to Joka for medical examination. The woman also came there for health check-up. As soon as she saw Partha, she removed two shoes from her feet and threw them at Partha. Partha, however, was in the car. Later the woman said, "They have crores of rupees. Bought flats in several places in Kolkata. Coming to the hospital in a big car. This is our problem. We can't see proper doctors. That's why I threw shoes. I would have found peace if the shoe had fallen on his head.'' Also Read: SSC Scam: 86 Jawans, Convoy of 6 vehicles - 'TIGHT SECURITY' arrangement for Partha Chatterjee-Arpita Mukherjee The woman, a resident of Amtala, is a mother of one child. She has a daughter. She is now studying in higher secondary level. Shubhra was asked, why did you do this? Her answer is Shubra's explanation. However, at the same time, she said, "It is an expression of our anger. Thousands of people did not get jobs for them. An expression of all their anger.'' Also Read: Mamata Banerjee will keep an 'EYE' on everyone; Opposition says 'CHARITY begins at home' It can be seen that she is a housewife of a common middle class family. However, Shubhra roared when she asked why she threw the shoe. Her question, "Why not? He bought a flat with poor people's money.'' After Partha's car left, she was surrounded by journalists. Extra focus on security After 48 hours as ordered by the court, the medical tests of Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were again conducted at Joka ESI Hospital today on Tuesday. ED had an extra eye on Partha-Arpita's security. 6 cars are arranged in convoy. 86 soldiers of the Central Army are in charge of the security of Partha-Arpita. Explosive Arpita Arpita Mukherjee makes explosive remark in front of reporters on Tuesday. She said, "This money is not mine. This money was inserted into my house in my absence and without my knowledge." TS ECET 2022: The Telangana State Engineering Common Entrance Test, TS ECET 2022 Answer Key will be released today, August 2, 2022. The answer key will be available for download at the official website ecet.tsche.ac.in from 6 pm onwards today. The Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University (JNTU) Hyderabad conducted the TS ECET 2022 exam on August 1. Here's how to download TS ECET Answer key 2022 Candidates can download the TS ECET 2022 answer key from the official website ecet.tsche.ac.in entering required login credentials like roll number, DOB, etc, once the key is released. Candidates will also be able to download their response sheet for TS ECET 2022 exam. ALSO READ- DRDO Recruitment 2022: Apply for over 600 posts, direct link and more here TS ECET 2022 Answer Key Objections Candidates can also raise their objections against the answers provided in the key through the TS CET official website. The TS ECET 2022 objection link will also be available from 6 pm onwards today and candidates can challenge the answer key till August 4, 2022, at 4 pm. TS ICET 2022: The Kakatiya University, Waranga will release the Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test, TS ICET answer key on August 4, 2022. The TS ICET 2022 answer key will be available for download on the official website icet.tsche.ac.in. The TS ICET Exam 2022 was conducted TSCHE, on July 27, 2022 and July 28, 2022. How to check TS ICET Answer Key Along with the TS ICET 2022 answer key, response sheets of the candidates who appeared in the Telangana ICET exam will also be released and they can challenge the answer key through the official website icet.tsche.ac.in. The last date to raise objections on the TS ICET answer key is August 8. ALSO READ- TS ECET 2022 answer key releasing TODAY, check time and more here Candidates will be able to download the TS ICET Answer Key 2022 by logging in the credentials such as date of birth, roll number, etc. once it is released on the TSICET official website. TS ICET 2022 Answer Key Objection Once the TSICET answer key is released on the official website candidates will also be able to challenge it accordingly till August 8 (5 pm). TS ICET Result and final answer key will be released on August 22, 2022. Candidates are advised to keep checking the official website for any latest updates. TS ICET Official Notification New Delhi: "Even if we call 10 times, ministers in West Bengal do not pick the calls...That is the situation," Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik said in Lok Sabha while replying to queries on the implementation of a central government scheme in the state. While raising a supplementary query during Question Hour on Tuesday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it has become a habit in West Bengal of not taking calls and not listening to us, as he took a swipe at the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state. There were loud protests in the House by Trinamool Congress members against the remarks by the minister and Chowdhury. BJP member from West Bengal S S Ahluwalia raised supplementary questions related to the implementation of PM-DAKSH scheme in the state and asked whether the minister would talk to the officials concerned to sort out the issues. Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) aims at skilling the youth of various backward classes, including Scheduled Castes. Bhoumik, who is a Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said, "Even if we call ministers in West Bengal 10 times, the ministers do not pick the calls." And those who are with the ministers also are scared to share the ministers' mobile numbers. This is the situation, she said as members in the Treasury benches shouted at the TMC counterparts. Chowdhury urged the minister to help develop Murshidabad and said that it has become a habit for people in West Bengal to not attend to calls and "not listen to us". The leader of Congress in the House represents the Berhampore constituency in West Bengal. In response, Bhoumik said that for the past one year since she became a minister, she has been trying to distribute appliances worth Rs 12 crore to differentially-abled and senior citizens in the district but has not been successful. An assessment has been done for 16,000 people and "we are ready to give the appliances but we are not getting help". The BJP is locked in a bitter political battle with the Trinamool Congress. The Congress is also at loggerheads with the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. UPSSSC Lekhpal Answer Key 2022: Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) has released the answer keys for the UP Rajyaseva Lekhpal Main Exam 2022 on August 01, 2022. The Commission's official website, upsssc.gov.in, offers the solution keys for candidates who took the recruitment exam. The UPSSSC Lekhpal exam 2022 was held on Sunday, July 31, 2022, as per an earlier notification. 501 locations throughout 12 districts of the state hosted the exam. 2.50 lakh applicants have registered to take the test. At the UP Board of Revenue, Lucknow, a total of 8085 Rajyaseva Lekhpal positions would be recruited through this recruitment process. ALSO READ: JEE Main 2022 session 2 answer key releasing TODAY UPSSSC Lekhpal Answer Key 2022: How to Download UP Lekhpal Answer Key 2022 Visit the official website of Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) at upsssc.gov.in. Click on the link that reads, UP Lekhpal Answer Key 2022. Enter the login credentials such as roll number Your UP Lekhpal Answer Key 2022 will be displayed on the screen. Download the answer key and take a printout of it for future reference. Candidates will have until August 7, 2022, to voice any objections they may have regarding the answer key. Visit the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission's website for further information. New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing grave concern over the alleged irregularities in teachers' recruitment in the state and asking her to take corrective action. The letter comes in the backdrop of an ongoing Enforcement Directorate investigation into the alleged multi-crore school job scam in which it arrested now-sacked West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee on July 23. "A large number of representations received from various teachers and teacher organisations from West Bengal regarding irregularities in the teacher recruitment in West Bengal is a matter of grave concern," the letter read. "The irregularities found in the teacher recruitment scam of West Bengal will certainly hamper the quality of education and demotivate the future generation," Pradhan said, adding "I sincerely urge you to take necessary corrective measures to restore the confidence of the people." The CBI, as directed by Calcutta High Court, is probing the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Groups C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and-aided schools. The ED, which is looking into the money trail involved in the scam, has claimed it recovered nearly Rs 50 crore in cash along with gold from apartments linked to Arpita Mukherjee, one of Chatterjee's close aides. In the letter, Pradhan cited certain instances of irregularities in the appointment of teachers through the State Level Selection Test (SLST). "I would like to bring your attention to certain instances. The process for the appointment of teachers through the State Level Selection Test (SLST) has been started in 2014. However, actual recruitment could take place only two years later in 2016," the letter mentioned. "Further, the recruitment process was compromised and several petitions against this process were filed. Another related case is the recruitment process of Group C and D staff in government-run or aided schools as notified by the state government in 2016 to the School Service Commission (SSC), is also a matter of grave concern," it added. Pradhan assured Banerjee of the central government's continuous support and highest consideration to ensure access to quality education for all children in West Bengal. Partha Chatterjee was sacked from the state Cabinet and suspended from the Trinamool Congress party following his arrest. San Francisco: Meta chief operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg has finally moved on from the position after spending 14 years as the second most-important executive at the social network. Meta has appointed chief growth officer Javier Olivan as tne new CEO who took charge from August 1, the company revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US. Sandberg will remain a Meta employee through September 30, after which she will continue as a board member. "On August 1, 2022, the Board appointed Olivan as the Company's Chief Operating Officer, effective as of such date. Sandberg will continue as an employee of the Company through September 30, 2022," Meta said in the SEC filing late on Monday. After such date, she "will continue to serve as a member of the Board and will receive compensation as a non-employee director pursuant to the company's Director Compensation Policy," Meta added. In the latest quarterly earnings call late last month, Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg thanked her for everything that she has done for Meta, for its community, and for so many small businesses around the world. "It's really hard to overstate how big of an impact that Sheryl has had on so many different parts of what we do and on me personally," said Zuckerberg. Sandberg replied, saying that it has been an enormous privilege to work for "you to help build this remarkable company". Zuckerberg and Sandberg are set to be deposed in a Cambridge Analytica lawsuit probably in September. According to a court document, Zuckerberg will have to answer questions for up to six hours, while Sandberg could face up to five hours of deposition, along with the new COO Olivan. The deposition comes as part of a lawsuit filed in a California court on behalf of Facebook users impacted by Meta's partnership with Cambridge Analytica. When Sandberg first announced her departure from the company in Mat this year, the Wall Street Journal reported the company was examining whether she had improperly used company resources in planning her upcoming wedding. Meta lawyers are reportedly looking at Facebook staff's involvement with Sandberg's foundation 'Lean In', and their work to help her promote her most recent book, "Option B". New Delhi: Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan are coming together on the silver screens after a long hiatus. The buzz is right, expectations high - but why is social media trending with a hashtag not-so-pleasant 'Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha'? Well, the reason is lead actors and their comments about the country made not today but back in the time. WHY BOYCOTT LAAL SINGH CHADDHA Internet users are trending #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha on Twitter, urging everyone to not watch the movie. Reason? Aamir Khan's controversial "India's growing intolerance" statement he made in the past is being circulated while a few of Kareena's controversial statements from the past too have been dug up by haters. #AamirKhan meets the Turkish First Lady even when Turkey is busy radicalizing Indian Muslim youth in connivance with Pakistan Turkey is also openly backing Pakistan in Kashmir Bollywood has infested our society like a weed which needs to be culled.#BoycottLaalSinghChaddha pic.twitter.com/WPd5ehQEAL Patrick (@Patrik26505229) August 1, 2022 Aamir Khan in his 2015 interview said, "Our country is very tolerant, but there are people who spread ill-will". His wife Kiran Rao also made headlines for saying that she considered leaving the country for the safety of their children. Aamir Khan on the boycott hashtag trending spoke to media in a group media event urging fans to watch his films. "Yes, I feel sad. Also, I feel sad that some of the people who are saying this, in their hearts, they believe that I am someone who doesn't like India. In their hearts, they believe, but it is untrue. I really love the country... That's how I am. It is rather unfortunate that some people feel that way," he was quoted as saying. Kareena reacted to the boycott trend and told India Today, "There are different platforms. Everyone has an opinion. So now, if that is going to be there, then you have to learn to ignore certain things. Otherwise, it will just become impossible to live your life. And that's why I don't take any of this like seriously." Boycott #LaalSinghChaddha #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha . Lets teach them now to respect us. India has changed. If you want to survive you have to respect us or we will make everyone beg like these #AmirKhan #kareenakapoorkhan pic.twitter.com/APU9DC3Dh3 purushottam singh (@purusho28676488) August 1, 2022 LAAL SINGH CHADDHA RELEASE 'Laal Singh Chaddha' is a remake of the Hollywood classic 'Forrest Gump'. Aamir Khan is gearing up for the release of his ambitious project 'Laal Singh Chaddha' which will open in theatres on August 11, 2022. Laal Singh Chaddha happens to be an official remake of the 1994 American film Forrest Gump which itself is based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name. The film features Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Naga Chaitanya and Mona Singh. It is a comedy-drama directed by Advait Chandan of Secret Superstar fame, with the screenplay by Eric Roth and adapted by Atul Kulkarni. New Delhi : Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon on Monday expressed gratitude as she became the latest Bollywood celebrity to cross 50 million followers on Instagram. Taking to her social media, the 'Mimi' actor dropped a reel video captioned, "As Mimi says 'Fan following hai meri yahan par, haan!' 50 MILLION Love and counting.. Love you guys!! #50MillionOnInsta." In the video, the actor shared various BTS videos of her previous characters from 'Bareilly Ki Barfi', and 'Mimi' to 'Raabta'. In the video, she wrote, "Thank you for giving me so much love.. for loving me on screen and off screen too! Keep Holding my hand. We have a long way to go." Soon after the 'Dilwale' actor shared the reel video, fans swamped the comment section with heart and fire emoticons. With this, the 'Heropanti' actor became the latest Bollywood celeb to cross the 50 million followers benchmark on Instagram after Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez and Priyanka Chopra. The actor keeps her fans actively updated with her professional and personal life on the platform. From her motivational workout videos, and ultra-hot glam pictures to BTS pictures from sets, Kriti`s social media feed exudes positivity and is as real as it can get. Meanwhile, on the work front, Kriti has a massive and one of the best lineups of films ahead including the much-awaited pan India film, 'Adipurush' opposite Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan, and 'Ganapath' alongside Tiger Shroff, which is slated to release on the occasion of Christmas this year. Apart from that, she also has 'Shehzada' with actor Kartik Aaryan, which is all set to hit the theatres on February 10, 2023, and a horror comedy 'Bhediya' opposite Varun Dhawan, along with Anurag Kashyap's unannounced next. She was last seen in Dinesh Vijans 'Hum Do Hamare Do' opposite Rajkummar Rao. Hyderabad: The crew of the film 'Liger', which included Charmme Kaur, Vijay Deverakonda, and director Puri Jagannadh, paid a visit to the set of megastar Chiranjeevi's highly awaited film 'Godfather.' In a unique set built in Mumbai, the 'Godfather' crew was filming a special song, which will have India's superstars Chiranjeevi and Salman Khan shake their legs together. As they visited them on the sets of 'Godfather,' the 'Liger' team, which was busy promoting their film in Mumbai, received the stars' blessings for their movie's upcoming theatrical release. A picture of them all together, has become viral: Salman Khan, Chiranjeevi, Vijay Deverakonda, Puri Jagannadh, and Charmme Kaur are featured in the picture from the sets of 'Godfather'. Vijay took to Instagram to share the picture and captioned it, Megastar @chiranjeevikonidela sir & @beingsalmankhan sir - Your blessings and love for #Liger means the world to us! My respect and love always. The movie 'Godfather,' which is being directed by Mohan Raja and produced by Konidela Production Company and Super Good Films, is billed as a political thriller action movie. The movie is a remake of 'Lucifer,' a 2019 Malayalam film. On the other hand, Vijay Deverakonda-starrer 'Liger' will hit the screens on August 25. New Delhi: RBI has modified the check clearance rule from August 1. Following the RBIs guidelines, many banks have issued a notification regarding the implementation of the Positive Pay System (PPS) for cheques of Rs 5 lakh or above. PPS is implemented in banks for safeguards against cheque frauds. Several banks including Bank of Baroda (BoB) and State bank of India (SBI) have started to notify the customers regarding the new update. Even, BoB has made it mandatory for customers to follow Positive Pay Confirmation from today (August 1). If the rules are not followed, banks can refuse clearance of such cheques. (Also Read: Gold prices marginally down, Check rates of yellow metal in your city) RBI has made it mandatory for cheques of Rs 5 lakh or above to follow the new guidelines for all types of cheque payments. The new rule came into effect on August 1. Following the new update, customers may be asked to follow PPS rules for such cheques to be encashed. However, customers have to complete PPS formalities. So, not every bank had made it mandatory but some banks like BoB had made it. BoB had sent messages to the account holders, "As per the RBI directive, Positive Pay System (CPPS) will be mandatory from August 1, 2022, for cheques issued for Rs 5 lakh & above. Such cheques will be rejected from August 1, if Positive Pay confirmation is not provided." (Also Read: PhonePe files complaint against ex-employees for burning QR codes) What is Positive Pay System (PPS)? Positive Pay System (PPS), the component of the cheque clearing system is a process of reconfirming certain details of the cheque. Under the check clearance system, the issuer has to submit certain details such as the name of the beneficiary, date of issue, etc. to the drawee bank electronically like SMS, mobile banking, internet banking, ATM, etc. Later, the details will be cross-checked at the time of payment processing. This whole system is developed by the National Payments Corporation of India. New Delhi: Garena Free Fire releases redeem codes on everyday basis. The 12-digit redeem code consists of alphabets and numbers. Players can get rewards such as skins for in-game weapons and characters to improve their gaming experience. Garena Free fire is banned in India. However, if you are located outside India, you can access the reward codes and redeem them. For that you will be required to visit official Garena Free Fire reward site and log in to your Facebook, Google, Twitter IDs to access the Free Fire redemption page. (Also read: iPhone 12 gets massive price cut on Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale, offer details here) Check out the Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for August 2, 2022 8F3QZKNTLWBZ FF11WFNPP956 FF9MJ31CXKRG FFCO8BS5JW2D FFAC2YXE6RF2 ZRJAPH294KV5 FF10617KGUF9 TJ57OSSDN5AP MM50DFFDCEEW FFICJGW9NKYT PACJJTUA29UU FF11DAKX4WHV FF11NJN5YS3E YXY3EGTLHGJX 22NSM7UGSZM7 R9UVPEYJOXZX FF10GCGXRNHY FFBCLQ6S7W25 FFPLUED93XRT RRQ3SSJTN9UK FFICDCTSL5FT FF1164XNJZ2V FF119MB3PFA5 SARG886AV5GR TFF9VNU6UD9J B61YCTNH4PV3 MCPTFNXZF4TA WLSGJXS5KEYR X99TK56XDJ4X WOJJAFV3TU5E Y6ACLK7KUD1N FF11HHGCGK3B (Also read: Shocking! Ex-Amazon Web Services engineer hacked data of 10 crore customers) How to Redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, August 2, 2022 Step 1: Go to the official Garena Free Fire redemption portal Step 2: Log in on the portal with either your Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Google, VK, or Huawei ID. Step 3: Enter a redeem code in the designated text box. Step 4: Click on the Ok button to get free rewards in your game account. (Disclaimer: Garena Free fire is banned in India. Hence we advise people to adhere to government rules) New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Nag Panchami is here. The festival dedicated to worshipping the serpent god - Nag is celebrated across India with great zeal and devotion during Sharavan month. In sync with the festive spirit, &TV artists talk about the significance of Nag Panchmi and its celebrations in their hometowns. These include Kapil Nirmal (Tarkasur, Baal Shiv), Kamna Pathak (Rajesh Singh, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan), and Soma Rathod (Amma Ji, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai). Kapil Nirmal, Tarkasur in &TVs Baal Shiv, shares, "There are quite a few interesting stories on worshipping the serpent deities which I heard from my grandmother. The tradition is present in several ancient cultures where snakes were seen as the holders of knowledge, strength, and renewal. People have strong beliefs and devotion that if they worship snakes on this day and feed them milk, they and their families will be saved from snake bites forever. It is also believed that Nag Panchami falls during the monsoon months because it is when snakes are most visible, seeking refuge in houses after their underground homes get filled with rainwater. With more snakes slithering around, the festival was forged to appease the snake god and keep people safe. Stories about this festival are interesting, and I wish everyone a happy Nag Panchami." Kamna Pathak, Rajesh in &TVs Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, shares, "I am fascinated with stories in Indian mythology on snakes. During Nag Panchami, women in my family observe a fast, or vrat, where they abstain from food, signifying devotion, and discipline. It lasts from sunrise to sunset. Women also pray for the wellness of their brothers and family. On this day, cobras and other snakes are fed with milk and worshipped by lighting lamps, decorating temples with flowers, and offering sacrifices and sweets. In Indore, there is also some fun Mela organized where several skits are performed showcasing the tales and significance of this festival. But for me, this festival is my favourite for one reason: Maa ke hath ki kheer. She makes the yummiest dry fruit-loaded kheer on this day to offer in the temple, and I cannot wait for her to return. I finish the remaining prasad (laughs). To mark special celebrations, many people also prepare Til Ke Laddu, Narayal Mithai, Dind, Patholi with jaggery." Soma Rathod, Amma Ji in &TVs Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, shares, "It is one of the most auspicious Hindu festivals celebrated in the month of Shravan. My mother used to fast on this day, and all the ladies in my colony would dress up traditionally and perform pujas at home or the nearest temple. My mother would sprinkle flowers and turmeric powder on the head of the snake and offer milk, which was quite a sight to see. Also, snake charmers sang local tunes to praise the serpent god. My mother always insisted on fasting and doing puja, but I was terrified of snakes, but the festival rituals always fascinated me." Watch Baal Shiv at 8:00 pm, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan at 10:00 pm, and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai at 10:30 pm, airing every Monday to Friday only on &TV! Washington: US President Joe Biden has announced that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan capital Kabul. He made the announcement while addressing the nation on the successful counter-terrorism operation. Im addressing the nation on a successful counterterrorism operation. https://t.co/SgTVaszA3s President Biden (@POTUS) August 1, 2022 Biden expressed hope that the killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri brings "one more measure of closure" to families of the victims of September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Biden made the comments as he confirmed that a US drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri. "He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens," Biden said in an address from the White House formally announcing the operation. "This terrorist leader is no more," Biden said. On Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully conducted an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed the emir of al-Qaida: Ayman al-Zawahiri. Justice has been delivered. President Biden (@POTUS) August 1, 2022 How was Zawahiri tracked and killed? Biden said US intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday. Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, US officials said on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. One of the U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the CIA carried out a drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday. "Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant al Qaeda target in Afghanistan," a senior administration official said in a statement to reporters. "The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties," the official added. Rumours of Zawahiri's death in past There were rumours of Zawahiri`s death several times in recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health. His death raises questions about whether Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The drone attack is the first known U.S. strike inside Afghanistan since U.S. troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The move may bolster the credibility of Washington`s assurances that the United States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of "international principles." Zawahiri`s whereabouts variously rumoured to be in Pakistan`s tribal area or inside Afghanistan had been unknown until the strike. A video released in April in which he praised an Indian Muslim woman for defying a ban on wearing an Islamic head scarf dispelled rumors that he had died. A loud explosion echoed through Kabul early Sunday morning. "A house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor. There were no casualties as the house was empty," Abdul Nafi Takor, spokesman of the interior ministry, said earlier. With other senior al Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 U.S. sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said. He was indicted in the United States for his role in August 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. Both bin Laden and Zawahiri eluded capture when U.S.-led forces toppled Afghanistans Taliban government in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Bidens decision to kill Zawahiri is sure to be compared to the cautious stance he initially took in meetings that led to then-President Barack Obamas order for the Pakistan raid that killed bin Laden in 2011. Biden, who was then vice president, has acknowledged that he advised Obama to take more time. But he also told him to "follow your instincts" and ultimately supported his decision to go ahead. Obama, in his memoirs, wrote that Biden was concerned about "the enormous consequences of failure" and counselled the president to "defer any decision until the intelligence community was more certain that bin Laden was in the compound." (With Agency Inputs) Washington: In a significant development, President Joe Biden announced that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, a global terrorist, was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, an operation he hailed as delivering "justice" while expressing hope that it brings "one more measure of closure" to families of the victims of September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Al-Zawahri and the better-known Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks that brought many ordinary Americans their first knowledge of al-Qaida. Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, in an operation carried out by US Navy Seals after a nearly decade-long hunt. How was Ayman al-Zawahri chief tracked? The US President said in a televised address from the White House that US intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out Sunday. "He will never again, never again, allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist safe haven because he is gone and we're going to make sure that nothing else happens," Biden said. "This terrorist leader is no more," he added. The operation is a significant counterterrorism win for the Biden administration just 11 months after American troops left the country after a two-decade war. Who carried out the drone strike? The strike was carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Neither Biden nor the White House detailed the CIA's involvement in the strike. Biden, however, paid tribute to the US intelligence community in his remarks, noting that "thanks to their extraordinary persistence and skill", the operation was a "success." Al-Zawahiri's loss eliminates the figure who more than anyone shaped al-Qaida, first as bin Laden's deputy since 1998, then as his successor. Together, he and bin Laden turned the jihadi movement's guns to target the United States, carrying out the deadliest attack ever on American soil, the September 11 suicide hijackings. Where was Al-Zawahri hiding in Afghanistan? The house Al-Zawahri was in when he was killed was owned by a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior intelligence official. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed al-Zawahri's death. A senior administration official who briefed reporters on the operation on condition of anonymity said "zero" US personnel were in Kabul. Over the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the US targeted and splintered al-Qaida, sending leaders into hiding. But America's exit from Afghanistan last September gave the extremist group the opportunity to rebuild. US military officials, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said al-Qaida was trying to reconstitute in Afghanistan, where it faced limited threats from the now-ruling Taliban. Military leaders have warned that the group still aspired to attack the US. After his killing, the White House sought to underscore that al-Zawahri had continued to be a dangerous figure. The senior administration official said he had continued to "provide strategic direction," including urging attacks on the US, while in hiding. Al-Zawahri brought tactics and organisational skills to Al Qaeda The 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon made bin Laden America's Enemy No. 1. But he likely could never have carried it out without his deputy. Bin Laden provided al-Qaida with charisma and money, but al-Zawahri brought the tactics and organisational skills needed to forge militants into a network of cells in countries around the world. How the operation to track al-Zawahri began? In early April, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Biden's homeland security adviser Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall were briefed on this developing intelligence. Soon the intelligence was carried up to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. US intelligence officials have been aware for years of a network helping al-Zawahri dodge US intelligence officials hunting for him, but didn't have a bead on his possible location until recent months. Earlier this year, US officials learned that the terror leader's wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, according to the senior administration official who briefed reporters. Officials eventually learned al-Zawahri was also at the Kabul safe house. Sullivan brought the information to Biden as US intelligence officials built "a pattern of life through multiple independent sources of information to inform the operation," the official said. Senior Taliban figures were aware of al-Zawahri's presence in Kabul, according to the official, who added the Taliban government was given no forewarning of the operation. On July 25, the president convened his key Cabinet members and advisors to receive a final briefing and discuss how killing Zawahiri would affect America`s relationship with the Taliban, among other issues, the official said. After soliciting views from others in the room, Biden authorized "a precise tailored air strike" on the condition that it minimize the risk of civilian casualties. The strike was ultimately carried out at 9:48 p.m. ET (0148 GMT) on July 30 by a drone firing so-called "hellfire" missiles. Who all knew about the covert US operation? Inside the Biden administration, only a small group of officials at key agencies, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, were brought into the process. On July 1, Biden was briefed in the Situation Room about the planned operation, a briefing in which the president closely examined a model of the home Zawahri was hiding out in. He gave his final approval for the operation on Thursday. Al-Zawahri was standing on the balcony of his hideout when the two Hellfire missiles were launched from an unmanned drone, killing him. Al-Zawahiri's family was in another part of the house when the operation was carried out, and no one else was believed to have been killed in the operation, the official said. "We make it clear again tonight: That no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out," Biden said. (With Agency Inputs) Nancy Pelosy Taiwan Visit: Over 20 Chinese fighter jets have entered Taiwan's Airspace amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the nation. Earlier, the Chinese defence ministry had said that its military has been put on high alert and will launch "targeted military operations" in response to US House Speaker Pelosi`s visit to Taiwan. Separately, the People`s Liberation Army`s Eastern Theatre Command said it will conduct joint military operations near Taiwan from Tuesday night. The defence ministry did not provide details about what the targeted military operations would include, or if they were separate from the exercises announced by Eastern Theatre Command. As Nancy Pelosi's plane touched down, Chinese state media reported that its military jets were crossing the Taiwan strait. However, Taiwan has denied any such action to have happened. China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day reunite with its mainland, had previously warned that its armed forces "will not stand by idly". In her statement, Pelosi said: "America`s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." Washington: Taliban, which has been crying for international recognition of its government in Afghanistan, has gained the spotlight once again after the US killed Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Kabul. Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the worlds most wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed in a drone strike carried out by the US in the Afghans capital city of Kabul on Saturday. The reports said that US strategy to use the Taliban as an ally in the fight against terrorism has failed miserably as the Islamic Emirates made it clear that they cannot be trusted by hosting and sheltering Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Taliban might have played a good cop or bad cop with the US authorities or someone might have given up information on Zawahiri for the sake of the billion dollars frozen fund of Afghanistan. Greater terrorism might take place even though Zawahiri is dead in case the United States continues to treat the Taliban as a partner. Taliban has grossly violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Monday (local time). "By hosting and sheltering the leader of al Qaeda in Kabul, the Taliban grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries," Blinken said in a statement. The US and the Taliban signed the peace agreement in February 2020 under the Presidency of former US President Donald Trump. The deal stated the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghan soil and the Taliban would abate violence and guarantee that its soil will not be a safe haven for the terrorists. Also Read: When Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, killed in US drone strike, lauded Karnataka girl over Hijab row al-Zawahiris escalation through the years Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11 and he also acted as Osama Bin Ladens personal physician. Zawahiri, who had just turned 71, took over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after the US Forces hunted down Osama bin Laden in Jalalabad of Pakistan. 11 years after Laden was killed, Zawahiri had become an international symbol of the group, and a global terrorist with a reward of USD 25 million on his head. The culmination of Zawahiris terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. His whereabouts were a mystery for several years but he was believed to be hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In January 2006, the US had earlier tried to kill Zawahiri in a missile strike near Pakistans border with Afghanistan. The attack killed four al-Qaeda members, but Zawahiri survived and appeared on video two weeks later, warning US President George W Bush that neither he nor "all the powers on earth" could bring his death "one second closer". Zawahiris targeted killing comes a year after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Talibans takeover of the country. The US President said that justice has been delivered, adding, "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the US will find you and take you out." London: Former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak is closing the gap to catch up with rival, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in the race to 10 Downing Street, with only five points separating the two in a latest poll of the Conservative Party members on Tuesday. The data tables for a survey of 807 Conservative members, conducted by Italian public affairs company Techne for a private client and concluded last week, show Sunak at 43 per cent, Truss at 48 per cent while 9 per cent undecided in the election to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader and British Prime Minister. It is in sharp contrast to a YouGov survey carried out at the end of the knockout stages last month, which suggested that Truss had a 24-point lead over the 42-year-old British Indian former minister. "It really hasn't felt to us like Liz was doing as well as the polls have been suggesting. Wherever he goes he is getting really good feedback and an awful lot of people are still making up their minds," 'The Times' newspaper quoted a Sunak campaign source as saying. "Liz's support feels very soft," the source said. The survey asked Tory members their views on the two finalists and their policy plans. It found that on most issues Truss, 47, was ahead of Sunak among party members and voters who supported the Tories in 2019. However, Sunak led Truss on being 'qualified' to be Prime Minister by 10 points, 52 per cent to 42 per cent, and being authoritative, 51 per cent to 43 per cent. Sir John Curtice, a polling expert, said it was possible that the race was closer than had been assumed. "We have to bear in mind that since Tory MPs decided that this was the contest between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, we have had one opinion poll of the people who will actually have a vote, that is Conservative members," he told 'GB News'. "That poll put Liz Truss well ahead, once you took out the one in five or so who did not express a view, she was on 62 per cent, way ahead of the 50 per cent that's required. But that poll is now nearly a fortnight old," he said. Curtis also flagged a more recent poll of Conservative councillors suggesting that Truss was on 31 per cent and Sunak 29 per cent, with 30 per cent undecided. It came as another party heavyweight and former candidate, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, endorsed Truss as the "hope candidate" in the leadership election. She was the latest in a number of new high-profile supporters for the Foreign Secretary, including the former leadership candidates Nadhim Zahawi and Tom Tugendhat, as well as the ex-cabinet minister Brandon Lewis and the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street. Meanwhile, as ballot papers are being posted to the Conservative Party card-carrying members to cast their votes, there are worries of Boris Johnson loyalists registering a protest vote in the election. According to 'The Daily Telegraph', more than 10,000 members are thought to have backed a so-called 'Boris ballot' campaign to change the leadership rules to insert Boris Johnson as a candidate in the final round. But now one of those behind that campaign is urging members to not spoil their ballots by writing Boris as a protest against his early departure as party leader. "I ask all those who have supported the Boris ballot campaign not to spoil their ballots. Please don't write Boris on the ballot etc, don't destroy the ballot or just not vote," said David Campbell-Bannerman, a former Tory member of the European Parliament (MEP) who was coordinating the drive with Conservative peer Lord Peter Cruddas. "We cannot allow the man who brought down Boris - Rishi Sunak - to win under any circumstances," he said. Campbell-Bannerman said that although the 'Boris ballot' had not materialised, 'efforts do continue' to reinstate him as Prime Minister. Johnson, who is on holiday celebrating a gala wedding party with his wife Carrie over the weekend, is not believed to have supported the campaign to give members a vote on his leadership. Singapore: Former Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled his country amid massive protests against his government last month, was not being provided any privileges, immunity or hospitality, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said. Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on July 13 and reached Singapore the next day in the face of public revolt against his government's mishandling of the economy. The 73-year-old leader emailed his resignation letter to the Parliament Speaker on July 14, soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a "private visit". "In general, the Singapore government does not accord privileges, immunity and hospitality to former heads of state or heads of government," Balakrishnan said in a written reply to a question in parliament on Monday. "Consequently, former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was not accorded any privileges, immunity or hospitality," he wrote in response to the question from parliamentarian Gerald Giam of the opposition Workers' Party. Also read: 'No home to go': Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe as angry protests continue to rage on Replying to a question from ruling People's Action Party parliamentarian Yip Hon Weng on concerns that Singapore will become a "destination for political fugitives", Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said, "Foreigners who possess a valid travel document and meet entry requirements will be allowed to come into Singapore. We also, of course, reserve the right to deny entry to a foreigner if we assess that to be in our national interests." "If a foreigner coming into Singapore is wanted by his government, and his government has made a request, the Government will render assistance in accordance with our laws," he said. Shanmugam added that travellers transiting through Singapore have "technically not entered" the country if they remain within the transit area and do not clear immigration. "This is international law. Nevertheless, if we are aware of the presence of undesirable persons, we may still check them and take appropriate actions," Channel News Asia quoted Shanmugam as saying in parliament. The government may accord additional security depending on the current and former status of any person, taking into consideration the safety and security risk that may be posed to the person and the general public, the minister said. According to reports, Rajapaksa's short-term pass has been extended to August 11. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said last week that visitors from Sri Lanka who enter Singapore for social visits will generally be issued a short-term visit pass with a duration of up to 30 days. Those who need to extend their stay here may apply online for an extension and applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, it said. New Delhi: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday (August 2, 2022) despite China's repeated warnings and said that "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever". In an official statement issued upon arrival in Taipei, Nancy Pelosi and Members of a Congressional Delegation said their visit is part of their "broader trip" to the Indo-Pacific. "Our discussions with Taiwan leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Americas solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy," the statement read. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, starting a visit that Beijing had warned her against taking, saying it would undermine Sino-U.S. relations pic.twitter.com/IBt1HEs7Io Reuters (@Reuters) August 2, 2022 "Our Congressional delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy," they said. Our delegations visit to Taiwan honors Americas unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwans vibrant Democracy. Our discussions with Taiwan leadership reaffirm our support for our partner & promote our shared interests, including advancing a free & open Indo-Pacific region. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 2, 2022 "Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo," the statement by Pelosi's office added. Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 2, 2022 Pelosi's visit is the first official visit to Taiwan by a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 25 years. The visit, however, has triggered increased tensions between China and the United States. China blasts Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, warns of 'targeted' military operations China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island's sovereignty, warned that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will have a "severe impact" on bilateral ties and it "gravely undermines" regional peace and stability. After Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong statement and said that her visit is a "serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques". "It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence'. China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious demarche and strong protest to the United States," it said. Statement by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan https://t.co/s7cH9TuKHj Hua Chunying (@SpokespersonCHN) August 2, 2022 "There is but one-China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China," the statement added. "The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations," Beijing said. If the US insists on following the wrong course of action, then it should be responsible for any serious consequence arising thereof. pic.twitter.com/b4p5b1XodM August 2, 2022 Citing the Ministry of National Defence, state-run Global Times reported that the Chinese military "will launch a series of targeted military operations to counter Pelosi's visit to Taiwan island, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity." It said PLA Eastern Theater Command will also hold joint military operations around Taiwan, with joint maritime and air drills in North, South West, South East of island, long-range artillery shooting in Taiwan Straits, and conventional missile test firing in sea regions East of island starting Tuesday night. ALSO READ | 'Purely provocative': Russia backs China over Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan With tensions already high, several Chinese warplanes flew close to the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday morning before leaving later in the day. As per media reports, several Chinese warships have also sailed near the unofficial dividing line since Monday and remained there. Four US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were also positioned in waters east of Taiwan on what the US Navy called routine deployments. The carrier had transited the South China Sea and was now in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, Reuters reported citing a US Navy official. Since last week, China's People's Liberation Army has also conducted various exercises, including live-fire drills, in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, in a show of Chinese military might. (With agency reports) Washington: As US National Security Council coordinator John Kirby on Monday said that US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not confirmed her travel plans to Taiwan yet but she has the right to visit Taiwan and that her visit is not `uncommon`, China reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of Nancy Pelosi`s planned visit and warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei. "If she goes it`s not without precedent, it`s not new," Kirby said adding, "The Speaker has not confirmed any travel plans and it is for the Speaker to do so, and her staff. The Speaker has a right to visit Taiwan...We won`t be commenting or speculating about the stops on her trip." The US House Speaker is expected to arrive in Taiwan on August 2 and meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Pelosi is going to visit Taiwan, with scheduled meetings with government officials at the self-governed island that China threatens to forcefully overtake, media reports earlier said citing a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official. The Taiwanese official is quoted as saying that Nancy Pelosi is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei. Since the reports of her visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy`s Taiwan visit stating that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. The Chinese officials have said Pelosi visiting Taiwan would violate the One China Policy and would constitute aiding an illegal rebellion. A Chinese state media outlet said visiting Taiwan is definitely a red line that Pelosi must never cross. Also read: 'Our military will never sit idly by if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan': China's big warning to US Kirby said that the Biden administration will support Pelosi on a trip to Taiwan, adding "We want to make sure that when she travels overseas, she can do so safely and securely and we`re going to make sure of that. There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric. There is no reason for any actions to be taken. It is not uncommon for Congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan," according to CNN. The US official further said that Defence department officials are working around the clock on monitoring any Chinese movements in the region and securing a plan to keep her safe. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, said that it is Pelosi`s decision whether she visits, adding, "we do not know what Speaker Pelosi intends to do. Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government. The decision is entirely the Speaker`s." Blinken reportedly said that such a visit has precedent, noting past speakers and members of Congress have visited Taiwan. Also read: Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan adds fresh strain to US-China ties ahead of Joe Biden, Xi Jinping talks "And so if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," ANI quoted Blinken as saying. He further added, "We are looking for them, in the event, she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward." Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, is also expected to hold a meeting with other high-ranking officials while in Taiwan on Tuesday and is scheduled to leave the island a day later. "She`s definitely coming," the people whom Pelosi is planning to meet with in Taiwan earlier informed the Wall Street Journal of her arrival. "The only variable is whether she spends the night in Taipei." There is, however, no official announcement for Pelosi`s visit, the stop, the first for a US House speaker in 25 years, is not currently on Pelosi`s public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point. Nancy Pelosi`s earlier visit to Taiwan in April had been postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, Beijing had resolutely opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan and stressed that the US should abide by the one-China principle, which is the political foundation for China-US relations. China warns of resolute response if Pelosi steps ahead with Taiwan visit China on Monday reiterated that it is keeping a close watch on the reports of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi`s planned visit to Taiwan. It also warned of a resolute response and strong countermeasure if she insists on going ahead with the visit to Taipei, CNN reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday said, "We would like to tell the US once again that China is standing by, and the Chinese People`s Liberation Army will never sit idly by. China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," adding "As for what measures, if she dares to go, then let`s wait and see." In a statement that was released on July 31, Nancy Pelosi`s office said the US House speaker is leading a Congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. However, there was no mention of Taiwan which China regards as its own. Since the reports of the US House Speaker`s visit were released last month, Beijing has been warning of Nancy`s Taiwan visit saying that it will act strongly and take countermeasures if the US side insists on going ahead with the visit. In a video posted online Monday, the People`s Liberation Army`s Eastern Theater Command reportedly said that it would "bury incoming enemies" showing off its weaponry and fighting tactics. "Firmly stand by and ready for the fighting command; Bury all incoming enemies," said a message posted on Weibo. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told media persons that Pelosi`s Taiwan visit will have a severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations. Even Biden had said the US military believes it is not a "good idea" for House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to travel to Taiwan as planned. "The military thinks it`s not a good idea right now," Biden was quoted as saying by the White House press pool. Pelosi kicked off her Asia tour, the delegation led by her made a courtesy call to Singapore President Halimah Yacob, and also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday. The Congressional delegation led by Nancy Pelosi comprises Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Mark Takano (D-California), Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), and Congressman Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore said in a statement. (With ANI Inputs) LONDON: Russia backed China on Tuesday over an expected visit to Taiwan by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warning Washington that such a provocative trip would put the United States on a collision course with Beijing. Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Joe Biden against playing with fire over Taiwan in a call last week but three sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Pelosi was still set to visit the island. "We cannot say for sure right now whether she will or will not get there, but everything about this tour and the possible visit to Taiwan is purely provocative," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Maria Zakharova, Russia`s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the expected visit was a provocative attempt by Washington to pile pressure on China - with whom Russia has forged a strong partnership in recent years. "We consider a possible visit by Pelosi to Taiwan... as another provocative action by the United States aimed at exerting additional pressure on Beijing," she said. "Russia confirms the principle of "one China" and opposes the independence of the island in any form," Zakharova said. ALSO READ | US deploys four warships east of Taiwan as Nancy Pelosi heads to Taipei amid warnings from China China views visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp in the island. Washington does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is bound by U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. In the Chinese civil war, Mao Zedong`s Communists defeated the forces of the Kuomintang (KMT), or nationalist party, under Chiang Kai-shek, forcing him to flee to Taiwan in 1949. China has repeatedly warned Pelosi against going to Taiwan, which it claims as its own. Beijing says a Pelosi visit would contravene the one-China principle that Washington has vowed to abide by. WASHINGTON: Dreaded global terrorist and al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a "precision" strike in the centre of Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, in a major blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. According to reports, Al-Zawahri was standing on the balcony of his hideout when the two Hellfire missiles were launched from an unmanned drone, killing him instantly. Confirming his killing, US President Joe Biden said, Now Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more." In a televised address to the nation from the White House on Monday, Biden said. "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out." He said he had authorised the precision strike in downtown Kabul and that no civilians were killed. How was Ayman al-Zawahiri killed? US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed that Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul on Sunday morning and was hit by "hellfire" missiles from a US drone. The pictures circulating on social media show no sign of an explosion, and if the US officials are to be believed, then ''no one else was harmed in the operation.'' Members of Zawahiri's family were present in the home, but "were purposely not targeted and were not harmed," the official said. What was the 'secret weapon' used by the CIA? It is believed that the United States used the macabre Hellfire R9X, a warhead-less missile equipped with six razor-like blades extending from the fuselage that slices through its target but does not explode. Also nicknamed the "ninja bomb," the missile has become the top US munition for killing leaders of extremist groups while avoiding civilian casualties. What is the Hellfire R9X? Pentagon and CIA - the two top US agencies which are known to undertake targeted assassinations of wanted extremist leaders - have never publicly acknowledged the use of the Hellfire R9X missile. However, it first appeared in March 2017 when Al-Qaeda senior leader Abu al-Khayr al-Masri was killed by a drone strike while travelling in a car in Syria. According to Wall Street Journal, the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles are air-to-ground, laser-guided, subsonic missiles with significant anti-tank capacity. The Hellfire missiles have several variants, depending on their warhead, guidance system, and physical variations. Hellfire R9X, which uses pop-out sword blades to kill targets with minimal collateral damage, is the latest and peculiar addition to the line of Hellfire missiles. It has been specially designed for targeted killings. According to WSJ, this may have been the variant of the Hellfire missile used to assassinate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. The weapon was developed reportedly under the Barack Obama Administration, with a focus on reducing civilian casualties as terrorists increasingly started taking women and children hostage. Zawahiri's killing - A big blow to Al Qaeda Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. "Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to US persons, interests and national security," the official said on a conference call. "His death deals a significant blow to al Qaeda and will degrade the group`s ability to operate." The drone attack is the first known US strike inside Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The move may bolster the credibility of Washington`s assurances that the United States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country. Was the Taliban regime aware of Zawahiri's presence in Kabul? His death also raises questions about whether Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The official said senior Taliban officials were aware of his presence in the city and said the United States expected the Taliban to abide by an agreement not to allow al Qaeda fighters to re-establish themselves in the country. "The Taliban will have to answer for al-Zawahiri`s presence in Kabul, after assuring the world they would not give safe haven to al-Qaeda terrorists," Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had "grossly violated" the Doha Agreement between the two sides by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri. Former President Barack Obama joined lawmakers in praising the operation. "Tonights news is also proof that its possible to root out terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan," Obama said in a Twitter message. "And I hope it provides a small measure of peace to the 9/11 families and everyone else who has suffered at the hands of al Qaeda." (With Agency Inputs) HONG KONG: As U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi headed to Taipei on Tuesday amid intensifying warnings from China, four U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of the island on "routine" deployments. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had transited the South China Sea and was currently in the Philippines Sea, east of Taiwan and the Philippines and south of Japan, a U.S. Navy official confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday. The Japanese-based Reagan is operating with a guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam, and a destroyer, USS Higgins. "While they are able to respond to any eventuality, these are normal, routine deployments," the official said, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official added that they were unable to comment on precise locations. ALSO READ | 'Our military will never sit idly by if Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan': China warns US The U.S. Navy official said the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was also in the area as part of a deployment to the region that started in early May from its home port of San Diego. Nancy Pelosi likely to arrive in Taiwan later on Tuesday Pelosi, a long-time China critic, was expected to arrive in Taipei later on Tuesday, people briefed on the matter said, as the United States said it would not be intimidated by Chinese "saber rattling" over the visit. Confirmation of the deployments comes as signs emerge of military activity on both sides of the Taiwan strait ahead of Pelosi's visit. In addition to Chinese planes flying close to the median line dividing the sensitive waterway on Tuesday morning, several Chinese warships had remained close to the unofficial dividing line since Monday, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters. China`s defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The source said both Chinese warships and aircraft "squeezed" the median line on Tuesday morning, an unusual move the person described as "very provocative." The person said the Chinese aircraft repeatedly conducted tactical moves of briefly "touching" the median line and circling back to the other side of the strait on Tuesday morning, while Taiwanese aircraft were on standby nearby. Neither side`s aircraft normally cross the median line. Taiwan`s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday they have a full grasp of military activities near Taiwan and will appropriately dispatch forces in reaction to "enemy threats" as tensions rise with China. The ministry had "reinforced" its combat alertness level from Tuesday morning to Thursday noon, the island`s official Central News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified sources. Since last week, the People`s Liberation Army has conducted various exercises, including live fire drills, in the South China, Yellow Sea and Bohan Seas. Some regional military analysts say that increased deployments at a time of tension raise the risk of accidents, even if no side wants an actual conflict. New Delhi: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed by a US airstrike in Afghanistan's capital Kabul as announced by US President Joe Biden on Aug 2. The counter-terrorism operation, Biden said, brings "one more measure of closure" to families of the victims of September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Taliban's chief spokesman also confirmed US' drone strike on a residence in Kabul over the weekend. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the attack took place on Sunday and the ruling Islamist extremists strongly condemned it as a violation of international principles" and the 2020 agreement on a U.S. troop withdrawal also known as the Doha agreement. Also Read: Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan: Joe Biden The Afghanistan-US peace agreement, signed in 2020, focussed on reducing violence in Afghanistan, withdrawal of foreign troops from the country and Afghanistan guaranteeing that it won't become safe haven or refuge for terrorists. How was al-Zawahri tracked and killed? Biden said US intelligence officials tracked al-Zawahri to a home in downtown Kabul where he was hiding out with his family. The president approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday. Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, US officials said on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. One of the U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the CIA carried out a drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday. (With agency inputs) Washington: One person was killed and at least six men were shot late on Monday (local time) at an apartment complex in the northeastern part of Washington DC. The shooting was reported at about 8:30 pm in the 1500 block of F Street North East, outside the Azeeze Bates apartment complex, The Washington Post reported citing Police Chief Robert J. Contee III. Contee said that the five injured were taken to a hospital and their conditions were not known. Addressing a news conference, Contee said that he did not know the reason for the shooting and even have no idea whether they knew each other or not. He said there appeared to be a large group of people in the area when the shots were fired. An investigation is ongoing. "I`m angered at the fact that residents have to experience this in their community tonight," Contee said. The residents didn`t deserve this. They did not deserve to have people shot in the communities where they live," Police Chief said as quoted by The Washington Post. Contee further said that the investments have been made to stem the tide of violence in the communities. "Yet it seems that we have people in our communities who have just lost their sense of humanity," he added. The site of the shooting is in the Kingman Park neighbourhood near the northeastern edge of Capitol Hill. A neighbour, one of several at the scene as ambulances lined the street, said she heard at least 15 shots. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Laura Gentile spent the evening talking with residents who live near the shooting and said that it is horrible, according to Washington Post. Also read: Mass shooting in Orlando leaves 7 people hospitalised, assailant still at large Monday`s violent night included three other shootings, none of which were fatal. A woman was shot on Gainesville Street SE; a man was shot on Newton Place NW; and another man was shot on Oglethorpe Street NE, all within the space of a few hours, officials said. With increasing incidents of gun violence in the United States, President Joe Biden had said that the US needs to ban assault weapons for the sake of protecting children and families or raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21. Furthermore, on June 22, a group of US lawmakers reached a much-awaited deal on a bipartisan gun safety bill after recent mass shooting incidents in Uvalde, Buffalo and Texas, that struck a nerve in the country. The new bill aims to take firearms away from dangerous people and provide billions of dollars in new mental health funding. Also read: Four killed, two injured at Indiana mall; attacker killed by armed civilian The bill does not ban assault-style rifles or significantly expand background-check requirements for gun purchases, but it gives states more resources to take guns away from dangerous individuals. In recent incidents, 7 people were hospitalized on Sunday after a mass shooting erupted in Orlando, Florida. An unidentified assailant pulled out a handgun and fired into the crowd, injuring seven people, reported CNN. A similar incident took place in the Haltom City of Texas on Saturday where two people were killed and four others including three officers were injured. Police said that one woman was found dead inside the home and a man was found fatally shot in the home`s driveway. An elderly woman who called 911 was shot but expected to survive. On May 24, a mass shooting incident took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in which several people including 19 children were killed. This was the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN. On June 20, a teenager was shot dead and three others including a police officer were injured in a shooting in the area of 14th and U Street Northwest in Washington, DC. The shootout incidents in the US have been increasing. New Delhi: Al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in a "precision" drone strike in Kabul by the United States on Sunday morning, as informed by US President Joe Biden. He also said that this is the terrorist group's greatest setback since the death of its founder Osama bin Laden in 2011. Under the condition of anonymity, U.S. sources said that Zawahiri was killed after he came out to the balcony of his safe home in Kabul and was struck by "hellfire" missiles fired by a US drone. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon with a $25 million reward on his head, assisted in planning the attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001, which resulted in the deaths of close to 3,000 people. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's remarks on Hijab Row Earlier this year, Zawahiri posted a nine-minute video of himself praising Bibi Muskan Khan, a young woman from Karnataka, for her valiant reply to the Hijab controversy. In the video, he recited a poem in her honour, allegedly written by himself. Also Read: 'Violation of..': Taliban on US drone strike in Afghanistan that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Referring to Muskan as the Noble Woman of India, Zawahiri said he was moved by her spirit of defiance. Amid the Hijab ban debate in Karnataka, Muskan Khan, a second-year BCom student enrolled in a college in the state was heckled by saffron shawl-laden students chanting Jai Shree Ram. She shouted Allah-hu-Akbar in reply and her comeback was hailed by Muslim individuals and organisations across the country for which they even rewarded her. However, her father directed the money towards the ambulance of the Government Hospital in the district. With Gods grace, we are leading a happy life without much struggle. We will use the money for a cause, he said. Backlash on video by deceased Al-Qaeda leader However, the video caused turbulence in India, with authorities and citizens criticizing the terrorists take on Indias internal issues. We do not know who he is and why he is involved in an issue of my country, reacted Muskans father. Former CM, HD Kumaraswamy also criticised the video and said, Kannadigas will not fall prey to Al-Qaeda designs. We are focusing on religious harmony here and do not want terrorist organizations to speak about these issues. The Cabinet member indicated that, within the framework of this meeting, they had agreed that an inter-institutional coordination protocol will be carried out with the Prosecutor's Office, so that their actions are in accordance with the law. "There will be no changes, the (PNP Special) Team will continue working," he told reporters. In Peru, the Public Ministry is independent from the Executive Branch. ??#Ahora: A solicitud del #Mininter, la fiscal de la Nacion, Patricia Benavides, sostiene una reunion de coordinacion con el titular de esta cartera, Willy Huerta, por el apoyo de la #PNP en las investigaciones del Ministerio Publico. Participa el Cmdt. Gral. PNP, Luis Vera. pic.twitter.com/BBIzwelrtU This way, AgroRural reiterated its commitment to the agricultural sector in carrying forward a transparent process, which began on July 12, fulfilling the commitment of the sector's Minister, Andres Alencastre, to lead a clean and transparent process just as it has happened. ?#AgroRural informa: Con relacion a la adquisicion de fertilizantes nitrogenados - urea de uso agricola, informamos lo siguiente: @midagriperu pic.twitter.com/lFFptPrlMj YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The European Union has approved disbursements of 14.2 million EUR in grants for two budget support programmes Support to Justice Sector Reforms in Armenia and The Covid-19 Resilience Contract for Armenia, the EU Delegation to Armenia said in a press release. This decision follows a positive assessment on progress in the selected sector reform areas, macroeconomic stability, public financial management and state budget transparency. These disbursements are a result of successful collaboration between the European Union and the Government of Armenia, and reflect the Governments commitment to a recovery from the pandemic, and to the implementation of the CEPA agreement. stated H.E. Andrea Wiktorin, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia. The Government of Armenia highly appreciates the fruitful partnership with the European Union in improving the economic resilience of Armenia and implementing key reforms to strengthen democracy and rule of law in the country, as stipulated in the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, mentioned Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. The new disbursements of 14.2 million EUR will support Armenia in the implementation of the justice reform and the mitigation of the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the disbursements, the European Union will continue supporting Armenia's commitment to the reforms in line with European Union-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Kotayk province Aharon Sahakyan received Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri and his delegation. Commenting on the meeting, the Kotayk Governor said on social media: I fully share the belief of Mr. Ambassador that our province has huge potential and opportunities, and we should strengthen and make closer the mutual contacts and cooperation as much as possible, by turning these opportunities into real actions. Discussions were held on a number of directions. We have outlined the directions and areas which will serve as a link for establishment of relations between the province and the different province of Iran. The sides particularly highlighted the fields of tourism, agriculture, education, culture, sport, etc. The possibility of organizing exhibitions in Kotayk province and any province of Iran was considered. The necessity of conducting exchange of experience was emphasized. Press Release August 1, 2022 Senate joins grieving nation in honoring the legacy of late ex-President Fidel Ramos The Senate of the Philippines, during its plenary session Monday, August 1, 2022, unanimously passed a resolution expressing deep sympathies and sincere condolences to the family of former President Fidel V. Ramos, who passed away on July 31, 2022. All members present unanimously adopted Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 72 authored by Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, also taking into consideration SRNs 73, 74, 75, 76 and 90. Zubiri, in his sponsorship speech, lauded Ramos' numerous contributions to nation building and economic reform, calling the former president as "Trabahador ng Bayan", which helped transform the "Sick Man of Asia" into "Asia's Next Tiger Economy". "As president, [Ramos] brought his military mind to the table and set the benchmark for hard work and discipline, the standard for boldness, and the template for fast action and quick results," the Senate President said. "[Ramos] believed strongly that we have what it takes to better ourselves and give our children the brighter future they deserve. He imagined a better country for us all, and willed himself, and worked himself to the bone, to realize it. The result was that he left the nation better than he found it," Zubiri added. Offering also their respective condolences and commendations, Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senators Bong Revilla, Sherwin Gatchalian, Pia Cayetano, Bong Go and Jinggoy Estrada took the floor recalling Ramos' excellent brand of leadership and genuine public service. "Sa mahabang listahan ng mga kontribusyon ni FVR sa bayan, isa po sa tingin ko na pinakatampok ay ang paglagda niya sa Republic Act No. 7796 o ang TESDA Law noong 1994. Binigyan daan po nito ang makasaysayan at masayang pagbabago sa buhay ng milyon-milyon nating mga kababayan," Villanueva, the TESDAman Senator said. "FVR reinvented politics in the way he conducted extensive consultations with various sectors of the country, advocating for a cohesive culture knowing how divisive Philippine politics can be. He envisioned the Philippines to be a society characterized by equity, tolerance, harmonious pluralism, justice, and full respect for human rights," Legarda added. Neophyte Senators Raffy Tulfo and Robinhood Padilla also joined their colleagues in expressing their admiration for Ramos, calling him a "respected military man and statesman", who devoted his life "serving Filipinos both here and abroad". "Part of this strong revival plan was his pioneering of the protection of the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers through the enactment of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. It became my number one tool in assisting thousands of our countrymen to avail of these protections from illegal recruitment and abuses from employers abroad," Tulfo said. Widely known for his stellar military achievements and in his exemplary career in defense and public service, Ramos is also often credited for his economic prowess and management which were vital in keeping the Philippine economy afloat during the economic crisis in the late 90s. In 1996, Ramos also led government efforts in successfully brokering a peace treaty with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which ended a 25-year conflict that claimed more than 120,000 Filipino lives. After the flag ceremony Monday morning, the Senate lowered its Philippine Flag at half-mast to join the country in mourning the passing of Ramos, who served the country as its 12th President from 1992 to 1998. He was 94 years old. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. The volume of deposits of non-residents in Armenia grew 70,4%, Central Bank Macroeconomics Department Chief Armen Nurbekyan told ARMENPRESS at a press conference. The deposits of non-resident physical persons grew 70,4% from February to June 30, he said. Most of the growth is associated with demand deposits. Quantitatively the accounts of non-residents are growing, but not in the same pace as before. YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. During the past day, three cases of violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces were registered in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping troops, as a result of which a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh was injured, ARMENPRESS informs, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has issued a message about this. "During the past day, three cases of violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces were registered in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping troops, as a result of which the representative of the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh was injured. The command of the Russian peacekeepers resolved the situation together with the representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides," reads the message. The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese and other firms that helped sell tens of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil and petrochemicals to East Asia, news.am informs. August 2, 2022, 15:27 US imposes sanctions on Chinese and other firms for selling Iranian oil STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The US Treasury and State Department have imposed sanctions on six companies, four of which are based in Hong Kong, one in Singapore and one in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Ministry of Finance accused the Persian Oil and Gas Industrial Commercial Company, one of Iran's largest petrochemical brokers, of using firms to facilitate the sale of Iranian oil and petrochemicals to East Asia. These actions freeze the assets of companies in the US and generally prohibit Americans from doing business with them. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. August 2, 2022, 16:12 Armenia, Russia FMs discuss security situation in region STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The sides attached importance to the release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. They addressed the course of implementation of the agreements reached by the 2020 November 9, 2021 January 11 and November 26 trilateral statements. During the phone talks, an exchange of views took place regarding the humanitarian problems created as a result of the 44-day war. The parties also touched upon other issues of the regional and international agenda of mutual interest. Cayuga Community College has announced Grace Wiseman as its new student trustee. She was sworn in at Thursday's board of trustees meeting. Wiseman will represent her fellow students after spending her first year at the college as secretary and then president of the Student Government Organization. She is spending her summer interning with the city of Auburn's Office of Planning & Economic Development. Im someone who always enjoys new experiences, so Im looking forward to working with the trustees. As a member of Cayugas Student Government Organization last year, I know the importance of being available to students, listening to their concerns and answering their questions. Im going to work hard and continue that as the student trustee, she said in a news release. Wiseman graduated from Auburn High School in 2021. Upon enrolling at Cayuga she also became involved in the Harlequin Productions theater group. She is majoring in liberal arts and sciences: humanities and social sciences, and plans to transfer to a four-year institution to study public administration after earning her degree at Cayuga. Her long-term goal is a career in city government. As the new student trustee, Wiseman wants to work as a liaison between students and trustees, and support the college's ongoing return to on-campus classes and events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Grace made an immediate impact last year at Cayuga through her work with Student Government and her performances with Harlequin Productions, so Im confident shell bring the same enthusiasm to her new role, said college President Dr. Brian Durant. Her dedication to representing our students and voicing their ideas will make her an excellent addition to our Board of Trustees. For more information, visit cayuga-cc.edu. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cayuga County homeowners outside the city of Auburn should see a reduction in their home energy bills this fall. The county Legislature last month voted to drop the 4% sales tax it charges on residential energy purchases. While the state has exempted the sales tax for several years, several counties, cities and school districts around the state have continued to charge one. That has included the city of Auburn and Cayuga County, but starting in September, the county charge will no longer apply. The move will eliminate a revenue stream that amounts to about $1 million for the county, and that was the main reason why the vote to remove the tax was divided at last month's county Legislature meeting. Democrats on the Legislature, while supporting the intent of the measure to give relief to homeowners on what is an essential service, said they wanted to hold off on voting until they could see a more detailed financial analysis of the county's budget. In recent weeks, the county has learned that its overall sales tax growth is not as robust as originally believed due to new calculations by the state. Legislator Brian Muldrow, D-Auburn, said he was concerned about voting on a measure without more information on its budget impact. "Where do you find that million dollars?" he asked. Legislator Hans Pecher, C-Genoa, said the county needs to better control expenditures. "We're spending like drunken sailors. We need to cut back," he said. "This tax is totally unfair, because it's based on a necessity." Legislator Christina Calarco, D-Auburn, asked that the vote be tabled. "This is a big thing to make a decision on, and I do agree that we need to be considering alleviating this stress on our constituents," she said. "However, this is too important to have not all of the data in front of us." A vote to table was defeated in a party-line vote. One reason the Republican-led majority voted against tabling was the timing. In order for the exemption to go into effect by Sept. 1, the county needed to give the state at least 30 days notice. And under state law, the next opportunity to remove the county sales tax couldn't come until Dec. 1. In the final vote approving the removal of the tax, Muldrow was only Democrat voting in support of dropping the tax, but noted "only because I hope we can figure this out." The tax exemptions apply to residential gas, propane (100 pounds or more), electricity, steam, coal, fuel oil and wood for heating. The exemption approved by the county Legislature does not apply residents in Auburn, which collects sales taxes separately from the county. Neighboring municipalities that have been imposing the residential energy tax include Cortland and Tompkins counties and the cities of Ithaca and Oswego. A law signed last year by President Joe Biden will deliver a huge sum of money to New York over the next five years to make transportation infrastructure more resilient against climate change. The state will receive up to $293 million over five years, including $56 million in the 2022 fiscal year, to support projects that address climate change, including improvements to at-risk highway infrastructure and resilience planning. The funding is available through the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation formula, or PROTECT. The program was established under the bipartisan infrastructure law approved by Congress and signed by Biden in 2021. States will receive $7.3 billion for climate change resiliency projects. The program is overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration. Eligible projects include highway and transit projects, upgrades to bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and port facilities. "In every part of the country, climate change is impacting roads, bridges, and rail lines that Americans rely on endangering homes, lives and livelihoods in the process," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. "Using funds from (the infrastructure law), we're launching this unprecedented effort to help communities protect their transportation infrastructure from extreme weather and improve routes that first responders and firefighters need during disasters." The program is part of the Biden administration's push to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The U.S. Department of Transportation has a few initiatives to help achieve that goal, including the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. Climate change is taking a toll on infrastructure. Stephanie Pollack, the acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, noted that flooding and wildfires have destroyed bridges and roads. "The PROTECT Formula Program will help make transportation infrastructure more resilient to current and future weather events and at the same time make communities safer during these events," Pollack said. Beijing (Gasgoo)- In July, SERES Group, formerly known as Chongqing Sokon Industry Group which owns the auto brand SERES, saw its monthly sales grow from a year ago, especially the sales of new energy vehicles. SF5; photo credit: SERES In the past month, SERES Group sold 22,292 vehicles, climbing up 25.17% year over year. From January to July, the cumulative sales volume of the group amounted to 147,961 vehicles, notching down 1.75% from a year ago. With 13,291 vehicles sold, the groups new energy vehicle (NEV) sector scored a 316.78% year-over-year hike and a 7% month-on-month increase in July sales. In the first seven months of the year, the group sold a total of 58,913 NEVs, representing a soar of 224.21% compared to the previous year. In addition, 7,807 NEVs sold in the past month were SERES-branded, shooting up 8,873.56% year over year and 149 units more than the previous month. During the past seven months, SERES brand sold 29,388 vehicles cumulatively. Notably, SERES and Huaweis jointly owned brand, AITO, last month delivered 7,228 units of its first production model, the M5, edging up 3% month over month. By the end of July 2022, the cumulative delivery volume of the M5 has reached 26,348 vehicles. Press Release August 1, 2022 Sen. Raffy Tulfo remembers FVR through his red ballpen & bibingka work ethics Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo has paid tribute to former President Fidel V. Ramos by recognizing the latter's generous contributions in protecting the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and reviving the country's economy during his tenure. In his co-sponsorship speech for Senate Resolution (SR) No. 72 expressing deep sympathies and sincere condolences on the family of Ramos, Tulfo also shared his fond memories of the late president. "Yesterday, the nation lost a great leader who dedicated his entire professional life serving Filipinos both here and abroad," he said. "FVR was known for reviving the country's economy during his tenure. He stabilized the economy, he expanded access to quality basic services and facilities such as health, education and the creation of jobs. "In line with his socio-economic plans was his pioneering of the protection of the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers through the enactment of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995," he added. Tulfo, along with 23 other senators, unanimously adopted SR No. 72 authored by Sen. Migz Zubiri today (Aug. 1). A known defender of migrants workers' rights with a career in public service, Tulfo said his career as a broadcaster doing public service work spanning over 20 years was driven by the said Republic Act 8042. "It became my number one tool in assisting thousands of our countrymen to avail of these protections from illegal recruitment and abuses from employers abroad. Hindi ko matutulungan ang libo-libo nating kapwa Pilipino kung wala ang batas na ito ni Pangulong Ramos," said Sen. Idol. Tulfo noted that the most substantial evidence of Ramos' love for OFWs was the latter's effort to broker the safe return of Sara Balabagan, an OFW sentenced to death for murder in the United Arab Emirates. "After ascertaining that she only acted in self-defense, President Ramos made sure that she is safely returned back home so true justice is served. Walang maiiwang Pilipino kahit saang sulok ng mundo," he said. On a personal note, Tulfo shared that he was a rookie reporter for PTV4 during Ramos' presidency and that the latter was endearingly called "tabako" for his signature cigar that gave him "a distinguished and wise, yet relatable image." "True to the image he exuded, many aspiring leaders sought his audience for advice even after his term as president," Tulfo said. The Senator further shared how people would often associate Ramos with the words "red ballpen" and "bibingka." "Whenever he noticed any complaint in the newspapers from the people, his special "red ball pen" is always ready to write instructions to the cabinet member concerned to help and resolve the issue," he shared. "It was natural for him to attend to the problems of the common "tao." Marahil pareho kami ng motto sa serbisyo, kailangan aksyon agad! Lahat ng kaya niyang tulungan ay tutulungan niya ng walang pagaalinlangan," he added. On people's association of Ramos to "bibingka," Tulfo shared: "Lagi niyang inihahambing ang serbisyo sa bayan sa cooking process ng bibingka. May apoy sa ilalim, dahil kailangan ng partisipasyon ng Local Government Unit. Mayroon ding apoy sa ibabaw, dahil kailangan ng tulong ng national government." He added: "Hindi aandar ang pamahalaan kung hindi magtutulungan ang LGUs at national government. Hindi maisusulong ng tama ang isang polisiya mula sa national government kung walang tulong at konsultasyon sa local government na siyang nakakasalamuha ang ordinaryong mamamayan." Ramos died on Sunday, July 31, at the age of 94. Beijing (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor inked a proxy authorization agreement with car dealership Inchcape Group to explore the new energy vehicle market of Hong Kong and Macau. Photo credit: ORA New energy vehicles have great potential in the Hong Kong and Macau markets. Great Wall Motor plans to break into the markets with its new energy vehicle brand ORAs right rudder vehicle models. Currently, the right rudder ORA vehicles have been deployed to Thailand, and is expected to land in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, and other markets. The automaker aims to gradually realize full coverage of the global right rudder market. Headquartered in London, Inchcape Group is one of the world's leading car dealers. Its Greater China division has been operating in Hong Kong for over 55 years. The group holds sole agency for several of the world's major electric vehicle brands in Hong Kong and Macau. Great Wall Motor and Inchcape Group makes a strong alliance, complementing each others advantages and global resources. The duo will jointly explore the new energy vehicle market in Hong Kong and Macau, promoting the continuous development of eachs globalization, bringing better product and service experience to consumers in the area. Beijing (Gasgoo)- XPeng and Alibaba Cloud announced the completion of their jointly built autonomous driving intelligent computing center, Fu Yao, located in Inner Mongolia. Photo credit: XPeng The center is built in Ulanqab City, the center of Inner Mongolia. The city holds unique advantages in location and climate, which serves mega data centers perfectly. Currently, there are twelve big data centers in the city, including centers from Alibaba Group and Apple. Combining Ulanqabs climate with green technologies such as air cooling, AI temperature adjustment, and modularization, the Fu Yao center is able to realize fresh air operation for over 80% of the time annually. Its annual average PUE is less than 1.2. XPeng and Alibaba Clouds center offers 600FLOPS of computing power. It will be used to train XPengs autonomous driving model for that the huge computing power can accelerate the training by 170 times. The greatly shortened training time will evidently promote the development of autonomous driving technologies in China. The blooming development of artificial intelligence has facilitated the application of intelligent computing. According to the statistics from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, more than 20 intelligent computing centers have been built or are under construction in China, covering Gansu Province, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Chengdu-Chongqing Area, and other national computing hubs. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- IM Motors, the premium electric vehicle joint venture among SAIC Motor, Alibaba Group, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, announced on Monday it had signed an agreement for its Series A equity financing. Upon completion of the first round of market-based funding, the EV maker will see its valuation grow to nearly 30 billion yuan ($4.439 billion). The significant round was led by BOCOM Capital Management Co., Ltd. (BOCOM Capital), the equity investment platform of China's Bank of Communications, and also drew its existing shareholder, SAIC Motor. Some big-name investment entities also took part in the round as new investors, including the National Green Development Fund and CITIC Securities Investment Co., Ltd. IM L7; photo credit: IM Motors Meanwhile, IM Motors kicked off the delivery of the L7, its first production model, on June 18, 2022. As of July 31, cumulative deliveries of the all-electric sedan model reached 1,051 units. IM Motors plans to put the LS7, a SUV model built on the same platform as the L7, onto the market in the second half of 2022. Delivery of the new model will begin this year as well. The premium EV maker also revealed that it would introduce two luxury B-segment full-electric models next year. Tiffany Bercu, a longtime Flagstaff resident and former medical assistant, was issued the minimum sentence of two years in prison Thursday, after she was found guilty of attempting to sell heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine. The 35-year-old mother of three was arrested in February of 2021 for attempting to sell 2.2 grams of meth and 1.8 grams of heroin in July and August of 2020. Those sales were Bercus attempt to support her own addiction, her attorney argued -- one that began with a prescription. Following a viral spinal infection that caused severe pain and temporary paralysis, Bercus doctor treated her with opioid pain killers. When her prescription ran out, Bercu attempted to self-medicate with street drugs. She had no prior criminal record. Bercu is approaching her second year of sobriety, just as she begins her two-year sentence. According to court documents, she completed a methadone recovery program before relapsing in 2019 and again sought treatment for mental health challenges and addiction at Southwest Behavioral Health Services in March of 2021. According to a sentencing memorandum submitted by Bercus defense, she is certified by the Veterans Administration to be the sole caregiver for her husband. He suffered a traumatic brain injury during tours of duty in the Iraq War. At the time of her sentencing, Bercu had been holding two jobs and caring for her children. Four tearful character witnesses, including Bercus nephew and sisters, spoke on her behalf in court Thursday. Bercus attorney, Lee Phillips, made an impassioned case for the minimum sentence. Philips went so far as to say he may never have felt so strongly that a defendant was facing too harsh a punishment under the law. Bercu had entered a prison-only plea of two to two and a half years followed by supervised probation under the department of corrections -- a shorter sentence or supervised probation were not on the table. Both in the memorandum and in court, Phillips would call Bercu a poster child for recovery. Those who spoke on her behalf mentioned that she had made mistakes, but acted as a role model for people facing addiction. Phillips would also cite what he called inconsistencies in the justice system, stating that all too often white NAU students who sell drugs come up against much less severe consequences, while Bercu is a woman of color. He clarified that he did not believe that those defendants deserved harsher punishments, but that people like Tiffany deserved similar leniency. This is the kind of justice people in our community are sick of seeing, Phillips said. Judge Cathleen Nichols said in court that its unusual for a defendant to be granted the mitigating, or minimum, sentence. Further, she moved to somewhat abbreviate Bercus probation, saying the system is designed for rehabilitation and, I believe that you have rehabilitated yourself. She also underlined that the sale of potentially lethal drugs like fentanyl was a serious offense that led to serious consequences. Requests for comment from the prosecution were not returned by press time. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday the move by the United States to renounce its commitments on the Taiwan question is despicable, and would only lead to the further bankruptcy of US national credibility. He expounded China's stern position on the Taiwan question when meeting the press after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers' meeting and wrapping up his Central Asia visit. Wang noted the one-China principle is a widely recognized consensus of the international community as well as the political foundation for China to engage with other countries. It is also the core of China's core interests and is a red line and bottom line that should not be crossed, he added. Saying certain US individuals continuously challenge China's sovereignty, hollow out the one-China principle and deliberately create troubles across the Taiwan Straits, Wang said the Chinese people would never accept such acts. The international community would also scoff at such provocations, he added. Wang told reporters during his Central Asia visit, leaders of the countries clearly stated they firmly abide by the one-China principle, believe Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and oppose external forces interfering in China's internal affairs. It once again shows the one-China principle is a shared international commitment and an overriding trend of the international community, Wang said. Wang lashed out at some US politicians who only care about their own self-interests and blatantly play with fire on the Taiwan question, saying being the enemies of the 1.4 billion Chinese people would never have a good end. Exposing the US' bullying and hegemony will make people of all countries clearly see the fact the US is the biggest destroyer of peace, he added. A C919 passenger aircraft lands at the Turpan Jiaohe Airport in Turpan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, June 28, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] China's domestically developed single-aisle C919 passenger jet has undergone all the test flights for obtaining an airworthiness certificate in the country, its manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China said on Monday. The first C919 narrow-body passenger jet is expected to be delivered to China Eastern Airlines, its debut customer, before the end of this year. COMAC started manufacturing the aircraft in late 2019 and the work has already achieved progress. Six C919 prototypes underwent a series of rigorous tests. In late July, COMAC held a meeting in Yanliang, Shaanxi province, one of the bases for conducting test flights. The manufacturer said the completion of all the tasks of test flights indicates that the preparation work before getting the certificate has officially entered the final stage. So far, 815 intended and confirmed orders have been placed for the C919 from home and abroad. The aircraft model's competitors include single-aisle B737 of Boeing and A320 of Airbus. OMAHA -- Nebraska in 2021 saw its highest number of new diagnoses for HIV since 2010, with the biggest relative increases coming in White men and rural residents. While the 107 new diagnoses werent a record that goes to 2001, with 127 the higher count and the shift in demographics were enough for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to issue an alert to health care providers across the state. Dr. Matthew Donahue, Nebraskas state epidemiologist, said at least part of the reason for the uptick, according to state data, appears to be a downturn in testing for HIV during the pandemic. During that time, public health officials and health care providers focused their resources on COVID-19. In addition, some Nebraskans either avoided or missed routine screenings for a variety of conditions. Donahue said the recent upturn in HIV diagnoses in the state and a recent increase in syphilis point to the need for Nebraskans to get back to screenings and preventive care not just for sexually transmitted illnesses but also for diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Early diagnosis for many conditions can prevent bigger problems down the road. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the bodys immune system. If not treated, it can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Treatment can reduce the virus to undetectable levels in the body. At that point, people no longer can transmit the virus. The overall goal, if I had one message, is to try to get people back in for preventative health care, for health care maintenance, Donahue said. If you dont have a doc, you should get one. Donahue said his call for screening also applies to a newer health concern: monkeypox. The state had five cases as of this past week, with more likely to be reported. People who develop a suspicious rash, he said, need to contact a health care provider, who can work with health officials to arrange testing and begin tracing close contacts. Monkeypox is spread through close contact with infected people. During the current outbreak, it appears to be spreading largely by close contact through sex. Identifying infections that already are out there also could help the state obtain more of the vaccine that can prevent monkeypox, Donahue said. Like other states, Nebraska has greater demand for than supply of the vaccine, known as Jynneos. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocates the shots to states based on case counts. Donahue said state health officials are in daily contact with federal officials to get as much vaccine as they can for Nebraska. The state, he said, is prioritizing vaccine for health care professionals who might be exposed to monkeypox on the job, including lab workers, and those at highest risk of contracting the virus. Those at highest risk are primarily men who have sex with men, particularly those with multiple sexual partners and those who attend social events where sex is involved. Donahue said health officials looked at HIV infection rates after seeing an increase in syphilis. Seventy cases were reported in the state in 2017. That number rose in 2021 to 255, an increase of 264%. Syphilis, also on the rise globally, is easily treated if caught early. The state saw increases in HIV diagnoses among all groups. But when looking at race and ethnicity, the greatest increase was among White men. And while new diagnoses among urban residents went from 51 in 2020 to 69 in 2021, the number of new cases among rural residents nearly doubled over the same period, from 20 in 2020 to 38 in 2021. Donahue said state health officials wanted to alert health care providers to those shifts. We really wanted to call that out and hammer home that we need to start talking about screening again, Donahue said. While he said he can only guess why the numbers are going up, data does point to a reduction in testing during the pandemic. While the agency doesnt see all HIV testing in the state, it partners with 26 organizations on HIV education, counseling and testing. In 2019, those groups conducted 8,100 HIV tests. The number dropped to about 5,100 in 2020 and 4,100 in 2021. The CDC recommends that everyone ages 13 to 64 get tested for HIV at least once and that those at high risk get tested yearly. Dr. Sara Hurtado Bares, an associate professor with the University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Medicine, said the CDC found that HIV testing nationally decreased 50% between 2019 and 2020 because so many health departments diverted efforts to COVID and many STI clinics closed. Locally, the Douglas County Health Departments STI clinic was closed during much of the pandemic because staff were redeployed to help with COVID vaccination efforts. Donahue said the increases among White men and rural residents may have occurred because reduced access to HIV screening and care hit rural areas harder than urban ones. Hurtado Bares said she worries that increases in rural areas actually may be higher than reflected in the data. Rural areas historically havent been well counted because many people travel to urban areas to get tested. They may not want to get tested where they live because of the stigma attached to the diagnosis. Another concern: Those with new HIV diagnoses from rural counties had much lower initial counts of immune cells, known as CD4+ T cells, than those newly diagnosed in urban counties, suggesting delayed diagnosis. We now know that we start therapy ideally well before the CD4 count declines, because we have data that doing so really improves mortality, Hurtado Bares said. As for monkeypox, Donahue said, health officials are finding it likely has been in the U.S. longer than they initially thought. He said hes hoping that barriers to testing will be reduced as more commercial laboratories come on line. Health care providers are more familiar with ordering tests through such labs than through the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory. I suspect there are more cases out there, he said. One of seven people involved in the murder of a Billings man in front of his home in Midtown in 2020 was sentenced to prison Monday. James Posey Fisher, 36, was sentenced in Yellowstone County District Court to 20 years with five suspended. Although he did not fire the shot that killed Brett Ness, he admitted to pointing a gun at the 24-year-old while a second armed man opened fire. Officers with the Billings Police Department responded to a shooting on Florine Lane, near Central Park, in April 2020. They found Ness laying in his driveway with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to a Billings hospital, where he later died. He was a father to a 4-year-old girl, and his death was the second in a record-setting year of homicides in Billings. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage showing two vehicles pulling up to Ness driveway the day he was shot. Five men emerged, walked out of frame and ran back to the vehicles shortly after. Fisher was among those five men. Alexander Garrett Laforge III approached Ness at his home the day prior to the shooting, according to court documents, demanding money. Laforge left saying Ness had better move, because he was coming back. Laforge returned the next day, with Fisher and five others in the two vehicles. The vehicles were driven by two women, both of whom later pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Three men joined Laforge and Fisher, who had firearms, in getting out and approaching Ness home. When Ness came outside, Laforge and Fisher pointed their guns at him. Laforge fired a single round which struck and eventually killed Ness, court documents said. Yellowstone County District Judge Donald L. Harris sentenced Laforge, a parolee with six prior felony convictions, to 110 years in prison in May of this year. He will not be eligible for parole for the first 50 years. He was also ordered to pay nearly $85,000 in restitution to Ness family and the states Crime Victim Compensation program. Fisher, originally from Lame Deer, reached an agreement with Yellowstone County prosecutors in March 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a weapon. Per his plea agreement, prosecutors recommended Fisher be sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 suspended. At his sentencing Monday, Judge Harris sentenced Fisher to 20 years, but with only five suspended. He will serve that sentence consecutive to the five years he received in U.S. District Court earlier this month for manslaughter. A federal judge sentenced Fisher to 60 months, plus three years of supervised released, after he admitted to stabbing his brother, Dane Fisher, to death during an argument at a gas station in Crow Agency. A third man charged in connection to the death of Ness, Brian Pretty Weasel, is set to appear for trial in November. Prosecutors allege he gave Laforge the gun used to kill Ness. He is facing one count of assault with a weapon by accountability. The Native American Achievement Center at Montana State University Billings has been awarded a Supporting Indigenous Arts Mastery program grant for the 2022-2023 academic year. The SIAM program is designed to help community colleges and four-year public and private universities in supporting cultural arts of tribal communities under the institutions outreach and own departments. The program is modeled after the work of Evergreen State Colleges Longhouse Education and Cultural Center and is designed to help support work done by institutions with tribal communities to support visual arts. The NAAC will be utilizing the program and funding to initiate a series of workshops highlighting the unique artwork and culture of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribes. Workshops will include crafting high-top moccasins, feather fans, and belt making; lectures related to the culture and historical significance of these objects; and a final exhibit and reception of the artwork completed over the three-month program. This project is an acknowledgement and tribute to the importance of indigenous arts and culture, said Sunny Day Real Bird, director of the Native American Achievement Center. The workshops will be free to students from the Native American Achievement Center and tribal members. Remaining spots in the program will be reserved for certified educators in Montana who will be able to enroll and earn continuing education credits for a fee, based on the cost of materials. This program is made possible by a grant from the House of Welcome Cultural Arts Center. Press Release August 2, 2022 ELIMINATE RED TAPE IN DISASTER RESPONSE - CHIZ Senator Chiz Escudero on Tuesday is pushing for the creation of a new government agency, if not a new department, to ensure the timely, efficient and red tape-free distribution of relief and funds during disasters and calamities. Escudero made the statement amid fresh calls from various sectors to put up a department for disaster response following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the province of Abra, Ilocos Sur and other parts of Northern Luzon. "The law creating a strengthened disaster response agency should have an anti-red tape provision and must ban complex rules that impede the flow of rehabilitation funds to calamity-stricken areas," Escudero said. Speaking from experience as former governor of Sorsogon, Escudero lamented that fund releases during emergencies had been delayed because of the arduous process and voluminous documents that the national government required from the local government units (LGUs). He said the public will come to know about it when the Senate starts its public hearing on the various proposals. "The forthcoming hearing on the creation of a new department or agency on disaster response, relief and resilience will expose how long the process is and how long the list of documentary requirements are in securing so-called calamity funds," Escudero said, referring to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund (NDRRMF), which has an appropriation of P20 billion for this year. The fund, primarily used to repair damaged infrastructure as well as pre-disaster resiliency measures against natural and man-made calamities, is on top of the P6.5 billion Quick Reaction Fund (QRF) shared among and released in advance to eight first-responder agencies. "Wala namang malaking issue sa pagpapadala ng relief goods kasi nga sa QRF kinukuha. Ang may problema ay 'yung reconstruction, tulad ng mga nasirang pampubliko at pribadong ari-arian," he said. The Bicolano senator also shared that the journey of a Sangguniang Bayan resolution requesting funds to repair a destroyed irrigation canal, which release usually takes months, if not a year. He described the process involved as "harder than that of a salmon swimming upriver." "First, it must be supported by a thick folder of documents, including project design, hazard maps, program of work, design review, financial documents, at may drone video pa, and many more," he said. "Minsan meron pang listahan ng beneficiaries na hinihingi. Then it will be evaluated and vetted by many agencies, including site visitation. This stage calls for another set of documents such as assessment reports," Escudero explained. When the proposal is sent to Manila, Escudero said, it will be coursed through the Office of Civil Defense and reviewed by the NDRRMC secretariat. And if found meritorious, the Secretary of National Defense as NDRRMC chairperson will endorse it to the Office of the President, where it will undergo independent review, before it is sent to the DBM which, in turn, will conduct another round of due diligence assessment before it releases the funding authority documents for the project, he said. "There is room for improvement na pwedeng pabilisin ang proseso at bawasan ang mga dokumentong hinihingi. Hindi ba dapat ang needs assessment ay dapat manggaling na sa national because understaffed local manpower should be helping the victims instead of collating paperwork needed for a request that will take months to be finally approved?" Escudero pointed out. "Kung gaano katulin ang bagyo, ganun din dapat ang tulong," he added. BOZEMAN Montana State University Extension is accepting applications until Aug. 9 from rural Montana communities to participate in the Reimagining Rural virtual gathering in September and October. Reimagining Rural brings inspirational stories of success in small towns to local gatherings of community volunteers. Communities gather for three evening events that feature live virtual speakers talking about how to complete projects in rural places. More than 170 people participated in the Reimagining Rural virtual gathering in 2021 in 23 communities across Montana. Applications are due Aug. 9. To learn more or to download the application, visit msuextension.org/communitydevelopment/reimagine-rural.html. An assault-style weapons ban passed the U.S. House on Friday, with most Republicans, including Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale, voting against the bill. Democrats put the bill forward in response to a rising number of mass shootings. It takes a simple majority to pass bills in the House, where the 217-213 outcome was sufficient. With no chance of mustering the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster in the Senate, the House exercise was mostly a show vote, with politicians from both parties socializing their stands immediately afterward. Today, the Radical Left went one step further in its continuous attempt to abolish every Americans right to keep and bear arms. The Left would have citizens stripped of their right to self-defense while criminals have access to illegal firearms, inciting further violence in our communities, Rosendale said in a tweet following the vote. There was a ban on the sale of assault-style semiautomatic weapons under a bill passed in 1994. The legislation expired 10 years later. In June, Montana's congressional delegation split on passing the nation's first major attempt to curb gun violence in 30 years, with Rosendale and Sen. Steve Daines voting against. Sen Jon Tester voted for the reforms. The bill, which has since become law, denies a gun sale or ownership to someone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence in which the victim was still in a relationship or recently stopped a relationship with the offender. It takes five years of a clean record before an offender can reapply for gun ownership. Gun buyers younger than 21 are also subject to longer wait for purchase if anything suspicious shows up in an initial search. Another 10 days to research young gun buyers is allowed in such cases. The bill would also provided funding for states to create red flag programs, in which through a court process weapons can be ordered confiscated from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. There is no language banning the sale of semiautomatic weapons to buyers younger than 21. The bill contained more than $400 million, nearly all of it grants, for expanding mental health programs, in schools, for violence and suicide prevention in the general public and training for medical professionals to help spot people at risk. Mike Pence thinks he has a shot at the presidency. You can imagine how the conversation went with his political advisors: People are tired of Trump. They want to move on. And you're the perfect person to fill the void. You served him faithfully, but when it came to violating the Constitution, you stood your ground. And you are the true conservative! Marc Short, Pence's vice-presidential chief of staff, offered that, "If he were to run, he may not be the biggest celebrity. But if we're going to go back to a principled conservative who represents the things we stand for, then there's no one better than Mike." "If we're going to go back." Not likely. But Pence seems to think there's a yearning for that. He's blown the dust off yellowing copies of his Before Time speeches and sprinkled his text with the sort of Christian-y talk that got him a House seat and the Indiana governor's chair: "Pray for our opponents," he told a (small) audience at a South Carolina church. Isn't that nice? But there are a few flies in the ointment. First problem. Now? Now is the moment that Pence rolls out the prayer? As Pence is well-situated to know, big chunks of the GOP base have become hungry for a very different tone. Christian charity is out. Vulgar insults, shameless lies and secessionist hatred are in. It sure is ugly, but Pence is in no position to complain. It's a revolution that Pence did so much to encourage, and it's bizarre that he seems to think he can carry on as if nothing has changed. Pence prostituted his reputation for Christian piety to the most vile figure in the history of American presidential politics, a man who modeled the opposite of every virtue taught in Sunday school. Pence's pious conscience was remarkably quiescent when Trump encouraged his followers to rough up hecklers; when he bore false witness against Muslim Americans (falsely claiming that he saw them celebrating after 9/11); when he attempted to extort the president of Ukraine to lie about Joe Biden; when he separated asylum-seeking parents from their children; when he refused to condemn the tiki-torch Nazi wannabees in Charlottesville; when he elevated a series of kooks and conspiracists to high office; and when he insisted that the election had been stolen. Pence was fine with all of it. Second problem: Worse than simply remaining silent, he played the toady with seemingly endless reserves of self-mortification, uttering cringeworthy encomia to Trump's "broad-shouldered leadership" (a phrase he repeated at least 17 times) and audacious lies about matters big and small. Pence helped transform the GOP from a conservative party into a cult, and as he is discovering to his sorrow, cults don't behave the way normal political parties do. That's why Pence's gamble that he will get credit from the base for his loyal service to the leader is foolhardy. He is at the mercy of the leader. If the leader disowns him, no history of loyalty to Trump himself, far less service to conservative goals, will save him. Ask Jeff Sessions. Ask Mo Brooks. Third problem: It's impossible to say how large a contingent of Republican primary voters are in the "Pence is a Traitor" camp, but consider that a recent New York Times/Siena poll found that only 6% of Republicans would vote for Pence in a 2024 primary. At their dueling campaign appearances in Arizona, Trump assembled a rally attended by thousands while Pence spoke to a crowd estimated at 300. There may indeed be an audience in the GOP for someone other than Trump. A softening in his support is now just barely discernible in polling and lack of donor enthusiasm. But the Trump base will not forgive Pence. Better to turn to someone like Ron DeSantis, who hasn't been guilty of abiding by the Constitution. And if the GOP were, by some miracle, to seek an honest, non-authoritarian, traditionally conservative candidate, there are other choices including Liz Cheney, Larry Hogan and Adam Kinzinger, who have reminded Republicans of what conservatism can look like. Pence's tragedy is that he has managed to earn the contempt of the MAGA world and the anti-MAGA world. He deserves full credit for not obeying Trump's command to refuse to count the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021. But considering the stakes, he should have followed it up with total honesty about how we reached that frightening moment in American democracy. If he had attempted to invoke the 25th Amendment, or encouraged senators to convict Trump at the second impeachment, or testified in public to the House Jan. 6 Committee, it might have gone some way to compensate for the infamy of the past four years. Pence chose another path -- trying to have it both ways. It will end, perhaps appropriately, with a whimper. I have been talking with folks who are very afraid of what is happening in the world. They are afraid of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how it will end. They cant figure out why in the year 2022 such a catastrophe could happen, nor what is the proper role for the United States. Ukrainians have connections with North Dakota and some are finding refuge here. The folks I am talking to are also very afraid that Donald Trump will get reelected in 2024. These are smart people who understand statistics and can quote polling numbers. The burden on political leaders like Liz Cheney to steer the Republican Party and the American people into a future without Trump is very great. The folks I am talking with cant see the path forward for Liz and others. Senator Cramer from North Dakota has said he would vote for Trump again. The folks I am talking to expect churches to continue to decline in membership. The projected decline by church officials of mainstream denominations is staggering to comprehend. There doesnt seem to be an antidote. New church starts are happening while long established churches are closing. There are important exceptions in North Dakota, and elsewhere, but the rule has been established that seminaries and churches are in what appears to be an inevitable decline. Church has been a major part of my life, but I too feel a gnawing anxiety that it is becoming less and less meaningful. There is nothing simple about the three realities of the Russian aggression, the Trump phenomenon or the decline of mainstream religious organizations. Yet I am hopeful. I am hopeful because helpful reforms have followed tragic and catastrophic events. The dust bowl gave us tree plantings, the Great Depression gave us banking reform and Social Security. Major wars gave us the United Nations. Epidemics have given us vaccines. The enslavement of people gave us the Emancipation Proclamation and the continuing civil rights movement. No single solution has ever been a perfect antidote for problems identified. Rather, America has been a work in progress, trying to establish a more perfect union. My reason for hope is that humans as a species are genetically connected to all other life forms on the planet. While it is common for a person to be concerned primarily for his or her own survival, throughout world history, there have been those who led humanity to a better place. Lincoln preserved the union, Martin Luther King advanced human equality, Jefferson and others founded a new country from British colonies, and a worldwide consortium of nations stopped the mad man Adolf Hitler. I hope within the human DNA is the ability of individuals to see beyond their own lives and understand and work for the common good of the earth and all of the life forms that live on it. It doesnt take everyone, but it does require most of us. Russia has a tough task to retire Putin without a civil war. The United States has a tough task to defuse the time bomb of authoritarian strong man, Donald Trump. It is difficult to replace the tired and increasingly meaningless religious practices of the past with relevant and powerful spiritual renewal that hosts a universal understanding of the sacred. I dont know a good way to achieve the admonition of Jesus to not be afraid. One way may be to talk about the things we hope for instead of the things we fear. What is it that you hope for? President Donald Trump floated the idea of imposing the death penalty on drug dealers in the United States during his Pennsylvania rally, saying China and Singapore do it and they dont have a drug problem. "The only way to solve the drug problem is through toughness," Trump said March 10 while stumping for Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone. "When you catch a drug dealer you got to put him away for a long time." Trump shared conversations he had with leaders of China and Singapore. "When I was in China and other places, by the way, I said, Mr. President, do you have a drug problem? No, no, no, we do not. I said, Huh. Big country, 1.4 billion people, right. Not much of a drug problem. I said what do you attribute that to? Well, the death penalty." On Singapore, "I said, Mr. President, what happens with your drugs? No. We don't have a problem, President. I said, really why? We have a zero tolerance. And he is not playing games So what do you mean no problem? We have a zero tolerance policy. What does that mean? That means if we catch a drug dealer, death penalty. " PolitiFact decided to fact-check whether China and Singapore have the death penalty for drug dealers as Trump claimed. (We will set aside for now whether these countries have "no" drug problems as a result, as Trump claimed the leaders said.) We found those countries do have the death penalty for individuals who traffic, smuggle or transport certain drugs. The White House did not comment on the record, but in the context of Trumps speech, it appears these are the individuals he was referring to when speaking about "drug dealers" not just individuals who may sell drugs on the streets. Nonetheless, China and Singapore have also been called out as human rights abusers for these practices, and drug policy and law experts expressed skepticism about the death penalty being a deterrent for drug trafficking in the United States. Chinas laws Chinese law says that individuals who smuggle, traffic, transport or manufacture drugs and meet certain conditions are to be punished with 15 years of fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment or death sentence, and confiscation of their properties. The law mentions certain amounts of opium, heroin, methylaniline and "other narcotic drugs of large quantities." Human rights groups and experts say data on death sentences and executions in China is unreliable and unknown. That information is kept as a state secret. Amnesty International estimates thousands of people are executed and sentenced to death each year. Given data limitations, it's difficult to assess the efficacy of its policy against drug offenders. Singapore's law Singapores Misuse of Drugs Act calls for the death penalty for individuals convicted of trafficking specified amounts of opium, cocaine, cannabis, and other substances. The law said the word "traffic" means to sell, give, administer, transport, send, deliver or distribute. Individuals possessing certain amounts of specified drugs are also presumed to have it for the purpose of trafficking, unless proven otherwise. Recent law revisions give courts discretion not to impose the death penalty in certain circumstances. A March 2010 study on executions, deterrence and homicide in Hong Kong and Singapore said there are "no decent indicators" available regarding drug use over time in Singapore, and if the data exists, "they are a government secret." Singapores minister for foreign affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, at a September 2016 United Nations meeting said his country regarded drug trafficking "as a most serious crime," and that the death penalty kept major drug syndicates away from Singapore. Singapore had eight executions for drugs from 2015 to 2017, according to a March 2018 report from Harm Reduction International. American application Drug policy and law experts said attempts at similar laws in the United States would face constitutional obstacles. They pointed to a high bar for the death penalty established in the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court case Kennedy vs. Louisiana, which addressed whether states violate the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment by imposing the death sentence for the crime of child rape. The courts opinion said "the death penalty should not be expanded to instances where the victims life was not taken." However, the court said its concern was limited to crimes against individual persons and did not address offenses against the State, such as treason, espionage, terrorism, and drug kingpin activity. Congress in 1994 enacted a law allowing the imposition of the death penalty for drug kingpins even if no death occurred. "If the death penalty is unconstitutional to impose against a child rapist, it is hard to imagine a court upholding its imposition against a person for selling drugs," said Alex Kreit, a law professor and co-director of the Center for Criminal Law and Policy at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Experts also questioned how effective the death penalty would be as a deterrent for drug offenders. "The likelihood of getting caught, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to death especially at the federal level with only three executions since 1964 is tiny," said Matthew Robinson, a professor of criminal justice at Appalachian State University. Our ruling Trump said China and Singapore impose the death penalty on drug dealers. Chinese law says that individuals who smuggle, traffic, transport or manufacture drugs and meet certain conditions can receive a death sentence. Singapores Misuse of Drugs Act also calls for the death penalty for individuals convicted of trafficking specified amounts of opium, cocaine, cannabis, and other substances. We rate Trumps claim True. Biden says China wants to become the most wealthy, powerful country but its not gonna happen on his watch. Bidens remark is very troublesome. If a man is created equal and has the right to pursue happiness, China will pass the US as the most powerful economy even if the GDP per capita is only one-fourth of the US. Do China has the right to develop? Why does the development of China upset the US? Morally speaking, Bidens remark is imperialist. He cannot tolerate the Chinese in China having a decent modern life. The US is still the richest country with military and financial monopoly. The US controls many resources around the world as it has military bases all over the world. The US also has most of the top talents. With brain drain, talents of the world migrate to the US. Why not the US use its advantage to compete with China instead of trying to stop the development of China? This kind of mindset of the US should not exist if human civilization is progressing. The US uses all its resources to make rules, intemperate the rules, enforce the rules, breach the rules, and modify the rules of the world order. This is the character of the sea power. France had been a continental power in the middle age for a thousand years. In the last five hundred years, sea power rules the world. Continental power is good at the creation of wealth. Seapower is good at the distribution of wealth. Continental power is strong if it creates more wealth than other countries. Seapower is strong if it can profit more from the trade. In its five thousand years of economics, China has always emphasized agriculture, the production of wealth. The economics of the west today emphasizes trade other than production. The difference between the two economies reflects the different mindsets of continental power and sea power. China is a continental power as it creates wealth for the world. Go to Walmart, and you know what I mean. The US is a sea power that profits from world trade with its dollar supremacy. The US is so powerful in distributing wealth that it can live on by transferring most of the manufacturing to China. China is so powerful that it can manufacture not only for itself but also for the world. The power to distribute wealth can accomplish nothing if the world does not create wealth. Biden said the US is back. What it means is that the US will make rules again so that under the new rules, the US will have a larger slice of the world economy so that China will create more wealth for the US than for China itself so that China will stay in a middle-income trap that Chinese people can never richer than one-fourth of the living standard of American. Why is the US always engaging in wars? A sea power as a hegemony always uses divide-and-conquer to control continent power. When the British, a sea power, as an empire, played the strategy of the balance of power so that France and Germany were always enemies. It worked for its divide-and-conquer strategy. The US is keeping Europe rival Russia, keeping Arab in a conflict between Sunni and Shia. For the US to maintain its hegemony, it will not allow the Eurasia continent in peace. It has to split the continent according to its divide-and-conquer strategy. China, as a continent power and power of creating wealth, needs an environment of peace. BRI needs peace. China rising is peaceful, and China is a continental power, and its power is vested in peace. When Bident declares that he will never let China pass the US, its foreign policies will provoke many conflicts and wars in the Eurasia Continent. Europe is a continental power. Europe should embrace BRI so the continents power can rise again after submission to sea powers for the last five hundred years. Polls reveal that a plurality of Arizona Republicans is all-in for subverting democracy and instituting a theocratic dictatorship. Big Lie spewer Mark Finchem holds a double-digit lead over his closest competitor in the upcoming GOP primary for secretary of state, a role that oversees state elections. Finchem is a member of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government hate group. He is a believer in the violent QAnon movement and was videotaped near the Capitol steps during the J6 insurrection. He also denies that Biden won the 2020 election and frequently lies about voter fraud. He is also a fan of cowboy cosplay, frequently dressing up in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, and wearing belts with oversized buckles and adorable western ties. Yesterday, Capitol insurrectionist Guy Reffitt was sentenced to seven years in prison. In this CNN interview, his 18-year-old son Jackson talks about how he was so concerned about his father's behavior leading up to the J6 insurrection that he had warned the FBI about his father before and after the riot. When CNN's Brianna Keilar asked Jackson if his father deserved a seven-year sentence, he said, "Absolutely." It's not surprising Jackson feels that way. Prosecutors said Guy Reffitt threatened to shoot Jackson and his two sisters if they reported him. Jackson described his father as a "narcissist with a rather large ego." CNN also showed a clip of Guy Reffitt's wife speaking to the press after her husband was sentenced to prison. She said her husband was a patriot, that rioter Ashli Babbitt (shot to death by police at the Capitol) was a patriot, and said "You all can go to Hell. I'm going back to Texas," before abruptly walking away from the microphone. Jackson says his relationship is now strained with his mother because he is of the opinion that his father made a conscious choice to riot on the Capitol grounds while carrying a gun. Jackson says he had only spoken to his father once since he was arrested, and that they limited their discussion to the card game Magic the Gathering. Jackson comes across as being wise beyond his years. I wish him the best in his life moving forward. A largely unvaccinated county in New York has seen its first case of Polio in a decade. Rockland County has a miserable 60.5% vaccination rate among 2-year-olds, and it is feared that hundreds if not thousands of residents may contract the disease. 1 out of every 200 people who contract Polio suffers paralysis. Ars Technica: The vaccine-derived poliovirus that left an unvaccinated US resident with the country's first case of paralytic polio in nearly a decade has been genetically linked to spread in two other countries: the United Kingdom and Israel. Now that it has been detected in the US, health officials fear it has spread to hundreds or even thousands of people in a poorly vaccinated New York county. On Monday, officials in New York urgently encouraged unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated "as soon as possible" to prevent further spread of the virus. "Polio is very contagious, and an individual can transmit the virus even if they aren't sick," the New York State Department of Health said in a news release today. The virus spreads easily via a fecal-oral route through poor hygiene and sanitation. The virus transmits through direct contact with an infected person or contaminated food or water. "Symptoms, which can be mild and flu-like, can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected individual can be shedding virus to others," the health department added. About 1 in 200 people infected with poliovirus develop paralysis, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means for the one case of paralytic polio to have arisen in New Yorkwhich was not linked to any international travelhundreds of others were likely already infected. Trump confused the field in the GOP Missouri Senate primary. There are three candidates named "Eric" running, and ostensibly, he could have endorsed any of them when simply encouraging voters to vote for "ERIC." NBC News: Former President Donald Trump injected some last-minute confusion ahead of Missouri's Senate primary Tuesday by endorsing "ERIC" in a statement Monday night. Eric who? Former Gov. Eric Greitens? State Attorney General Eric Schmitt? Or maybe even little-known Eric McElroy? "I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump said in a statement after he emphasized voters "must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the U.S. Senate, someone who will fight for Border Security, Election Integrity, our Military and Great Veterans, together with having a powerful toughness on Crime and the Border." When reached for comment, Trump's team did not provide any clarity, saying only that the "endorsement speaks for itself." REVILLA-SPONSORED BILL FOR PERMANENT VALIDITY OF BIRTH, DEATH, AND MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES SIGNED INTO LAW Republic Act No. 11909 or the "Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act" was enacted into law Monday, August 1, 2022. Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Chairperson of the Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization, and Professional Regulation, principally sponsored and defended the bill in the Senate. Through the law, the certificates of live birth, death, and marriage - that are issued, signed, certified, or authenticated by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), its predecessor the National Statistics Office (NSO), and the local civil registries - shall have permanent validity regardless of the date of issuance. Those certificates shall be recognized and accepted in all government and private transactions or services requiring the submission of the same as proof of identity and legal status of a person. The law was legislated to address the growing concern that some government agencies and private institutions requiring the submission of the aforementioned documents accept only those documents obtained in the past 6 months prior to submission, thus creating an impression of a 6-month validity. Though the PSA has clarified that the certificates mentioned do not have an expiration, the constant changing of the color of the security paper leads to the rejection of the acceptance of long-issued documents. This leaves many Filipinos with no choice but to request new copies of the certificates they need which are an additional financial burden to them. "Malugod tayo na naipasa na ang 'Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act' na pinagsikapan at pinagtulong-tulungan natin na madinig sa Senado. Ang panalo dito ay ang bawat Pilipino, na hindi kailangan gumastos pa nang paulit-ulit para sa mga certificates dahil ang mga hawak at nabayaran na nila ay di na mawawalan ng bisa", Sen. Revilla said. Banks have faced criticism over neglecting lower-income communities, with few branches serving those neighborhoods. Bank on Buffalo is taking an innovative tack, spending over $500,000 to create a mobile branch that will visit certain locations on a regular schedule. The 34-foot-long "Bank on Wheels," offers the same services as a brick-and-mortar branch, including a walk-up ATM and two exterior teller windows. The interior includes a lobby, a teller window and an office for private conversations with an employee. "It's almost like an RV-type of a structure, but it will be a full-service bank on top of a set of wheels," said Martin Griffith, chief of community banking for Bank on Buffalo's parent, CNB Financial. The bank hopes to put the vehicle into service just after Labor Day, once regulators give it the green light. Bank on Buffalo has chosen three locations where the vehicle will make weekly visits: the Renovation Church at 567 Hertel Ave. in West Hertel neighborhood; the Peter Machnica Community Center at 1799 Clinton St. in Kaisertown; and the Doris Jones Community Resource Center at 3001 Ninth Street in Niagara Falls. Bank officials say they chose locations that were underserved by other financial institutions. Griffith said the idea for a branch on wheels grew out of conversations Bank on Buffalo officials had with community leaders a few years ago, about how the bank could make its services more widely available. "In a lot of cases, I kept hearing that there was concern that brick and mortar wasn't the answer, because of transportation issues and people not having necessary transportation to even get to a bank," Griffith said. Plans for a mobile branch, capable of going to multiple locations, were put in motion. But supply chain issues delayed the process of the vehicle getting built. The bank was finally able to acquire a Freightliner diesel chassis, which would typically be for a delivery truck. A fabrication company in Indiana custom built the bank on wheels. It's now at CNB's headquarters in Clearfield, Pa., undergoing final preparations. In addition to its regular stops, Bank on Buffalo will be able to bring its vehicle to events to promote financial literacy, said Michael Noah, Bank on Buffalo's president. Griffith said Bank on Buffalo has been working with a firm to ensure the mobile branch will have good security for customers and employees alike when it's parked somewhere. The bank expects to expand the number of places the bank on wheels visits, but wants to start out with a few locations to gather input, Noah said. He and Darnell Haywood, the bank's community responsibility officer, researched potential locations before settling on the first three. "This was just a starting point for us," Noah said. Meanwhile, Bank on Buffalo's network of brick-and-mortar branches continues to grow. It has 12 now, and plans to open a 13th early next year in Lancaster. Bank officials are scouting sites for yet another location. KeyBank brought its "KeyBus," a retrofitted transit bus, to the Buffalo area in June for a series of appearances. Key's bus offers some features of a branch and has on-board computers for financial literacy programs and job hunting, and is traveling to other regions the bank serves. Longtime Crowley Webb employee Matt Low has been promoted to the marketing agency's chief creative officer. Low is stepping into the role previously held by Jeff Pappalardo, who will now serve as executive creative director. Low joined Crowley Webb as an intern in 1999 and worked part time while he was a student at Canisius College. After graduating in 2000, he was hired as a copywriter. In his new role, Low will provide day-to-day management of the creative department, overseeing the overall strategy and execution of all creative projects. Pappalardo came to Crowley Webb in 1994 after working as an art director at several advertising agencies in New York City. In 2017, he was promoted to chief creative officer. In his new role as executive creative director, Pappalardo will continue to support Low and the department, providing creative and strategic direction on several accounts and high-level initiatives. Additionally, the agency recently updated the organizational structure in the creative department, elevating discipline leads to better support its growing client base and streamline workflow under Lows leadership. "This new direction for the creative department enables our talented experts arguably some of the best in the industry to have more of an impact on projects from start to finish," Crowley Webb CEO Jim Hettich said. "Its something weve been excited to introduce to the agency while encouraging our team and team leaders to continue to grow in their respective roles." Crowley Webb is a full-service marketing communications agency founded in 1986 that has grown to more than 130 employees. The agency offers high-level branding, strategic planning, marketing, media, public relations, analytics and digital services to local, national and global clients. Legislation could boost access to mental health care Antoinette Steinbarth has been fighting for this for more than a decade. It has included trips to Albany and plenty of talks with major players to gain their support. Then, in the most recent legislative session in Albany, it finally happened. Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. A bill passed that expands the scope of practice for licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists and licensed psychoanalysts, creating a pathway for those professionals to, finally, diagnose patients on their own without the supervision of a psychiatrist or clinical social worker in certain settings. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law June 24. "For me, it's a relief," said Steinbarth, a licensed mental health counselor and program director for crisis centers at Spectrum Health & Human Services. "I'm happy, because the reality of it is we are trained." Spectrum Health, BestSelf Behavioral Health and many other mental health treatment providers are cheering the legislation, which should expand the pool of professionals who can diagnose a new patient. New York was one of the last states where licensed mental health counselors, who need master's degree level or higher credentials, did not have the authority to diagnose. Here's why they say this law is a big deal: 'Level playing field' For Steinbarth and Brittany Derry, a clinical director at Spectrum Health, what the legislation truly does is validate the position of licensed mental health counselor. The legislation aligns the requirements for diagnostic privilege for licensed mental health counselors with those of licensed clinical social workers. And as long as counselors meet the education and experience requirements set forth in the legislation, they are authorized to diagnose without the need for supervision. Those requirements for diagnostic privilege include completing a 60-semester hour master's degree or higher, including 12 semester hours of clinical courses, and finishing at least 2,000 hours of supervised, direct client contact hours. "It allows us to be on that level playing field with your licensed clinical social workers, where they were often seen above us, despite the ample training that we've had to go through in order to become a licensed mental health counselor," Derry said. 'Enhance access' The legislation aims to address a couple key issues, namely the heightened need for mental health services at a time when the industry is experiencing critical workforce challenges. By increasing the number of licensed mental health professionals authorized to diagnose, the legislation reasons, that should help meet the high demand for services by allowing providers to treat more patients. "We are grateful that the legislature and the governor have recognized the valuable role that licensed mental health counselors and other experienced mental health professionals play in treating individuals experiencing behavioral health issues like mental illness and addiction," BestSelf President and CEO Elizabeth Woike-Ganga said in a statement. "These changes to the scope of practice for these professionals will enhance access to vital care in our community." While the legislation validates the licensed mental health counselor title and could help with the influx of patients, officials say more is needed to help bring people into the field. A major hurdle remains adequate pay for the clinicians in the field, said Brandy Vandermark-Murray, a licensed mental health counselor and senior vice president of operations at Horizon Health Services. "Reimbursement rates and funding are not sufficient to sustain staff, and many staff leave community mental health due to the challenges of the job and lack of adequate compensation, despite providers working hard to advocate for increased funding to retain skilled staff," she said. What took so long? Several versions of the bill had been introduced in prior legislative sessions over the last decade, but it took until 2022 to get one passed and signed. Why? At least one reason, according to Shannon Hodges, is because associations representing clinical social workers had long opposed licensed mental health counselors gaining diagnostic privilege because they feared it would cost their members jobs. "That's a mistaken belief, because there's more work than even counselors, social workers and the rest of them combined can meet," said Hodges, professor of clinical mental health counseling at Niagara University. Hodges, who gets calls every month from providers looking to recruit graduates, thinks the legislation can shorten waitlists for services, while also improving the quality of care. "The other thing to remember is New York was one of the very last states to do this," he said. "New York has frequently been one of the last states to change. So it will definitely improve access, which will improve the quality of mental health care." 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. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to get the latest in your inbox five days a week. THE LATEST Catch up on the latest news from Buffalo Next: New Kaleida Health CEO Don Boyd is building out his executive team and has announced several key appointments. The state's legal cannabis market is still taking shape, but there are plenty of opportunities and pitfalls for stores, growers and anyone else looking to jump into what likely will be a big new business in New York. A Niagara Falls fitness equipment maker has been acquired by a private-equity-backed company that already owns some big national brands. Legislation to restore the pension savings of the retired Delphi workers has gained support from the left and the right in Congress. It passed the House on Wednesday, and supporters are hopeful the Senate will follow suit. A bill that would fund a series of technology hubs across the country and possibly in the Buffalo Niagara region has been passed by the Senate. ICYMI Five reads from Buffalo Next: 1. Don Boyd nearly got the top job at Kaleida Health two years ago. Now, he's taking over the top job at Western New York's largest health system. "That wasn't my time," Boyd said, "and this is my time." 2. Amazon's big distribution center in the Town of Niagara is approved, but it still has plenty of hurdles to clear. Jonathan Epstein explains what challenges remain. 3. How Rich Products keeps its focus on innovation: Rich Products executives take pride in the company's reputation for innovation. They weren't about to let up on those plans during the pandemic. 4. Buffalo's startups aren't just for coders. They're luring accountants and sales workers, too. Though more and more startup companies are geared toward technology and there is a demand for tech employees especially in Western New York employees such as accountants, customer service representatives and salespeople are vital parts of these organizations, as well. 5. New stadium, new experience: More details are emerging on the Buffalo Bills facility. "We want to really harness the energy of the Buffalo fans and create a unique game-day experience," said Scott Radecic, a former Bills linebacker who is serving as the project executive for Populous, the stadium's architect. The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Deputy Business Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435. A Buffalo man who wants to withdraw guilty pleas to charges he murdered his girlfriend and his mother will get a hearing to determine if he will be allowed to pull back his admissions. Erie County Judge Sheila DiTullio on Tuesday granted a request by the Erie County District Attorney's Office for an evidentiary hearing in the case of Charles L. Jones, who last year pleaded guilty to a pair of 2019 slayings. The judge also relieved Jones' attorneys Robert Cutting and Emily Trott from the case, as they likely will be called as witnesses at the proceeding, which has yet to be scheduled. Jones, 27, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to two counts of second-degree murder for the July 2019 killing of his girlfriend, Jacquetta L. Lee, and the August 2019 killing of his mother, Alethia Atwood Williams. Cutting and Trott in June of this year argued that their client should be allowed to withdraw his pleas because they had limited contact with him over the six months prior to his plea. That limited contact led to pleas that were not knowingly or intelligently made, they said. The upcoming hearing will review the "facts and circumstances" of the plea and what led to it, DiTullio said from the bench. DiTullio appointed Parker R. MacKay as Jones' attorney for that hearing and possibly beyond. Jones' push to withdraw his pleas began in February when Jones' attorneys said he had a "change of heart." Cutting told the judge in June that Jones entered the guilty pleas on June 30, 2021, against the advice of counsel. Lee, 25, was found fatally stabbed in her Main Street apartment on July 18, 2019. Buffalo police went to Jones' mother's apartment on Aug. 16, 2019, with a warrant for his arrest. After a standoff, they found the body of Atwood Williams, 52, in a closet. She had been fatally stabbed. When the case was last in court June 21, DiTullio said she would issue a decision Tuesday, but county prosecutors filed a motion July 8 asking for the hearing. WASHINGTON For 13 years, the Families of Continental Flight 3407 have lived as suffering reminders that one or two mistakes in the sky by one or two unprepared pilots can lead to tragedy. But they also stand as reminders that citizens can make the government work, because the family members who lost loved ones in that February 2009 crash near Buffalo have made the skies safer. To honor that achievement, the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday unveiled a plaque paying tribute to the families' hard work. "Their tireless advocacy after the February 12, 2009, crash in Clarence, N.Y., established a legacy that raised the level of safety for every passenger who sets foot on a regional or mainline commercial airline flight," the plaque says. The plaque will be part of a display on aviation safety at the Orville Wright Building, the FAA's headquarters. "This plaque will be a constant reminder to everyone who passes by that aviation safety is about much more than the physics of the machine that lifts us or the technology that guides us, said Billy Nolen, the FAA's acting administrator, at Monday's event. It is the promise we make to mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers of those who travel by air, that we have done everything humanly possible to keep them safe." After 50 died in Clarence, Flight 3407 families made flying safer. Airlines are still pushing back The airlines are also blaming the 1,500 hour rule for a problem that others say they themselves helped create: the pilot shortage that's contributing to chaos at the nation's airports. The FAA organized the ceremony on the 12th anniversary of the signing of the Aviation Safety Act of 2010, the landmark aviation safety law the families pushed to passage. The event stemmed from Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat who pressed the FAA to honor the Flight 3407 families for their accomplishment: an unprecedented record of safety in the skies. There have been only two fatalities on U.S. airlines in the 12 years since the safety law passed, compared to 1,186 who were killed in the prior two decades. Several speakers at Monday's event marveled at that achievement. "I know that your reason for acting was to try to make sense of a senseless tragedy," said Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the captain of the "Miracle on the Hudson" USAirways flight. That flight landed safely on the Hudson River after a bird strike only three weeks before the 2009 crash of Flight 3407. Photos: FAA honors Flight 3407 families The Families of Continental Flight 3407 returned to the nation's capital Monday for something rarely seen here: a government-sponsored ceremon "You made it your life mission to try to prevent what happened to you from ever happening to anyone else," he said. "I want to tell you: You've done that. You've succeeded." "Your efforts have balanced the scales in favor of safety for us all," said Deborah Hersman, former chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "You have saved lives," said former Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat who helped the Flight 3407 families push the aviation safety bill to passage. The families did that by traveling to Capitol Hill dozens of times in 2009 and 2010. Clad in red, they went from one congressional hearing to the next, from one lawmaker's office to the next, armed with the blockbuster findings of a Safety Board report that blamed the crash on pilot error. And there they would stress that America needs better pilots than the ones that flew Flight 3407 into the ground and that it was the job of Congress to pass a law to make that so. Lawmakers eventually settled on a law that increased the amount of experience that co-pilots need five-fold. It mandated that pilots be trained to handle the kind of emergencies that the pilots of Flight 3407 failed to handle. It called for pilots to get the kind of rest that those at the controls of that doomed flight never got. And it led to creation of a pilot records database that will aim to make sure that airlines never hire a pilot with the kind of shoddy flight record that the pilot of Flight 3407 had. "It's amazing," Higgins said of how the families pushed the bill to passage. "You should be a case study at the Kennedy School of Government." Coverage of Flight 3407 crash in Clarence and its aftermath On Feb. 12, 2009, 50 people died when Continential Connection Flight 3407, flown by Colgan Air, crashed into a house in Clarence Center shortl Since Flight 3407 crashed on Feb. 12, 2009, not one U.S. commercial passenger plane has crashed, noted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who met virtually last week with the families. "We remember the 50 people lost on that day and thank their families for the invaluable work you've done to prevent a tragedy like that from ever happening again," Buttigieg said in a videotaped message at the ceremony. The families aren't done fighting for aviation safety. With airlines trying to chip away at the part of the law that requires new co-pilots to have 1,500 hours of flight experience, they spent the morning before the ceremony on Capitol Hill. They returned there after a luncheon at the FAA to meet with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat who led the fight for the aviation safety bill in the Senate. Schumer was in Syracuse on Monday morning and couldn't make it back in time for the FAA event, but he spent 25 minutes with the families later in the day. Noting that pilots routinely stop him in airports to thank him for helping pass the safety legislation, Schumer said: "As long as I'm in the Senate, they're not going to mess with our regulations." Sullenberger and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, joined the families on their morning trip to Capitol Hill. And together they made the case for keeping the safety law as it is. "We had a focus: that we wanted to send a very sincere and direct message that, you know, if it's necessary, we'll continue to come back here, because success will breed success and there's no reason to make any changes here," said Scott Maurer, who lost his daughter Lorin in the crash. If those who perished on Flight 3407 could, they would have a message for the families, said Kevin Kuwik, another one of the leaders of the effort to pass the aviation safety law. "They would say to each and every one of us in red: Don't let up. Don't relax, stay on top of it, keep fighting," Kuwik said. The cows are coming home. State police on Tuesday announced they had arrested a Newfane animal sanctuary operator after she refused to return two cows who wandered to her property from a nearby farm and that the animals have been returned to their owner. We are very happy," said Scott Gregson, the owner of McKee Farm, who has been trying to get his animals back. "My children are extremely happy. And its just one chapter of the story thats closed, so hopefully we can just move on from here on out." Tracy Murphy, president and founder of the animal rescue and rehabilitation center, Ashas Farm Sanctuary, was charged with grand larceny, a felony. She was remanded to the Niagara County Jail pending arraignment. The cow controversy began making news last week when Murphy told area news outlets she wanted to keep the animals and Gregson demanded they be returned. The situation gained traction both in physical and online spaces, even leading to a demonstration outside Asha's on Sunday. Gregson said the fallout from the stories led him to temporarily move his family to a different location. He said Murphy posted information about his family on social media sites, which led to what he called "nasty phone calls" and messages. Murphys attorney, Matthew Albert, said he believes his client acted within her legal rights. From my standpoint, now that she has been charged, the fight is just beginning, but we intend to vindicate her rights in every court imaginable, he said. Albert pointed to a New York law that says licensed veterinarians can board animals on their premises until a sum is paid by the owner. Thats why when dogs run away, when dogs get loose, and you find your dog two days later at the city pound, guess what you gotta do? Pay the city pound for boarding, he said. To him, the public response has been disproportionate to the situations severity. I do animal cases all the time and I run an animal sanctuary. I have never seen anything like this. This is mind blowing, he added. It led local farmer Ed Pettitt Sr. to help organize a demonstration Sunday near the farm. Pettitt said he saw the situation an attack on his way of life that could have happened to him given his proximity to Ashas. I just couldnt walk away from this and see this injustice happen, he added. At the demonstration, people grilled meat, waved supporting signs and gave speeches to get their message across in a peaceful manner, he said. The message was simple. It was: Do not steal, violate the livestock rights of our farmers. The other side tried to make it about eating meat, veganism, thats not what the issue is, he added. Albert said his client has had dead animals thrown onto her property and that she has been threatened. Theyre devout cowards picking on a vulnerable woman who has dedicated her life to taking care of animals, he said. Call this a low-stakes problem for Tonawanda Mayor John L. White. The mayor last week sent a letter to the organizers of Canal Fest of the Tonawandas complaining that a company that set up and operated rides for the festival damaged a city street. White said the city's contract with the Canal Fest organization specifically bars ride operators from using road stakes. That's why, he said, he was "extremely frustrated" to see on July 15, two days before the festival began, that Powers Great American Midways had used them on Niagara Street to brace the inflatable landing area for a children's slide and another ride. This section, between Seymour and Main streets, had been repaved just the year before, White said in an interview. White said Corky Powers acknowledged his company's mistake and promised to repair the damage three deep holes and two other indentations before leaving town, but never did. "I took this man at his word," White wrote. His letter included an estimate from the city's Department of Public Works for $1,360 for labor and materials to repair the pavement damage. White said the department's work should be finished as soon as Tuesday. Rick Maier, Canal Fest's vice president, said in a text message that the organization would cover the cost of the repairs and questioned the newsworthiness of the situation. "It's not a money issue," White told The Buffalo News. "To me, it's the principle." Canal Fest, a joint festival held in the cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, returned last month for the first time since 2019. The eight-day festival had been canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday with surprising ease, ending months of worry among GOP leaders that scandal-scarred former Gov. Eric Greitens might win the primary and jeopardize what should be a reliably red seat in November. In November, Schmitt will be opposed by Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, who defeated Marine veteran Lucas Kunce and nine others in the Democratic primary. Both also face a challenge from a well-funded independent, John Wood, who has the financial backing of former Sen. John Danforth. With nearly 90% of results in, Schmitt had more votes than his nearest two competitors U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and Greitens combined, turning what was expected to be a tight race into a blowout. Im proud of my working-class roots, and Im going to Washington to fight for working families, defeating socialism, and leading the fight to save America, Schmitt said in his victory speech in suburban St. Louis. Greitens told a downcast crowd in another St. Louis suburb to go home with strength and pride. "God has a plan, Greitens said. It doesnt always work on our timeline, but it does work on his. Sometimes we have to practice patience. Greitens resigned four years ago following a sex scandal, two criminal charges that were eventually dropped and a legislative investigation that could have led to impeachment hearings. This year, his ex-wife accused him of abuse. Republican Sen. Roy Blunts announcement last year that he would not seek a third term set off a frenzy for his job, with nearly three dozen people in the two major parties filing to run. Schmitt defeated a field that also included Hartzler, U.S. Rep. Billy Long and Mark McCloskey, who gained notoriety in 2020 when he and his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters outside their home. Voter Darrel Durham, a 63-year-old heavy equipment operator from Columbia, said he thinks Schmitt can bring a new voice to Washington. I like all of his positions on draining the swamp, Durham said. On Monday, former President Donald Trump expressed support for ERIC, presumably meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them. Comedian and Navy veteran Eric McElroy was also on the ballot in the GOP primary. I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement! Trump wrote. Voter Richard Greenup, a 66-year-old computer programmer from Columbia, said he wants somebody thats going to support Trump and that he chose Schmitt over Greitens because, good or bad, Schmitt, I dont think, has that baggage. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL officer and Rhodes scholar, had been governor for a year when in January 2018 he confirmed a TV report about a 2015 extramarital affair. He was subsequently charged with felony invasion of privacy for allegedly taking a nude photo of the woman and using it to keep her quiet. That charge was dropped months later amid allegations that the chief investigator and local prosecutor mishandled the investigation. Greitens, 48, says he was the victim of a political hit. He faced a second charge accusing him of illegally using a donor list from a charity he founded to raise money for his campaign. That was dropped when he resigned in June 2018 after the Missouri House began an impeachment investigation. Greitens has denied the abuse allegations from his ex-wife that she made in an affidavit in a child custody case. She cited one instance where he allegedly slapped their then-3-year-old son's face and yanked him by the hair. In another, she accused him of pushing her to the ground. Greitens also drew criticism for a June campaign video showing him brandishing a shotgun and declaring hes hunting RINOs, or Republicans in name only. Schmitt, 47, has gained attention for lawsuits that critics contend are politically motivated. He sued China over the coronavirus; school districts over mask mandates; and the city of St. Louis over its plan to provide $1 million for women to travel out of state for abortions. Ive always been a fighter and as your attorney general I have fought in court to protect our those liberties, Schmitt said in his victory speech, citing mask and vaccine mandates, among other things. Valentine, 65, is the daughter of August Gussie Busch Jr., the longtime chair and CEO of Anheuser-Busch who built the St. Louis-based company into the worlds largest beermaker. The brewery was sold to InBev in 2008. Valentine said she entered the race after witnessing the division in our country and the vitriol in our politics. After hundreds of career politicians, its time for a nurse in the Senate," Valentine said in a victory speech. Bob Westlake, 67, and his wife, Mary Jo, 69, both voted for Valentine. The Chesterfield couple liked her push for better health care coverage. Health care is a big deal to us, Bob Westlake said, adding that they have a daughter with a chronic illness and that he and his wife are on Medicare. Kunce, 39, lost despite the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Kunce served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, Kunce fashioned himself as a populist. Wood's entry into the race created new drama. Wood, 52, is a lifelong Republican, former U.S. attorney and most recently a top investigator for the U.S. House committee examining the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Danforth's PAC has pledged to spend up to $20 million in support of Wood's campaign. RTHK: Treason charge in Windsor Castle crossbow case A man arrested with a crossbow at Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle home on Christmas Day last year has been charged with having a weapon with intent to "alarm her Majesty" under Britain's Treason Act, police and prosecutors said on Tuesday. Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, from Southampton in southern England, had been arrested on December 25 while carrying a crossbow in the grounds of the castle to the west of London where the 96-year-old monarch mostly resides, prosecutors said. Following an investigation by counter-terrorism police, he was charged with making threats to kill, possession of an offensive weapon and an offence under section 2 of the Treason Act 1842. This section details punishment for "discharging or aiming fire-arms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm her Majesty". Chail will appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 17. "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Chail are active and that he has the right to a fair trial," Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said. The queen was at the castle at the time of the incident along with her son and heir Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and other close family. Police said Chail had not broken into any buildings. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT MARCOS JR.'s DECISION NOT TO REJOIN THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT "I am in full support of the President's decision not to rejoin the ICC. It is reflective of the two cornerstones of our sovereignty as a State: independent foreign policy and national security. The right to be an equal member in the comity of nations is reflective of our sovereignty as a nation. Our national courts should have the primacy in dispensing justice and this is even recognized by the ICC's own "complementarity principle." We thus associate ourselves with other nations like the United States, India and China in refusing to annex the Rome Statute's sovereignty-diluting mechanisms which is violative of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties." - SEN. FRANCIS 'TOL' N. TOLENTINO Vice chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A hard-right Kansas lawmaker who has clashed with Republican leaders was poised Monday to win a spot on the November ballot as an independent candidate for governor, helped by allies of Democratic incumbent Laura Kelly. State Sen. Dennis Pyle, of Hiawatha, a Republican until June, submitted petitions with nearly 8,900 signatures to the Kansas secretary of state's office for verification that the signers are registered voters, as required. State law requires 5,000 valid signatures, and typically exceeding that number by several thousand gets someone on the ballot. Pyles bid would complicate presumed GOP nominee and state Attorney General Derek Schmidt's efforts to unseat Kelly. Some Democrats hope Pyle and Schmidt would split conservative Republican votes just enough for Kelly to win a second four-year term. Pyle said he went door-to-door to gather signatures, but Kelly allies played an important role in the signature-gathering as well. Democratic state Rep. Vic Miller, of Topeka, confirmed last month that he was circulating petitions, and so did a union that endorsed Kelly in 2018 and this year. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that organizers of an abortion rights rally Saturday also circulated petitions for Pyle. Politics make strange bedfellows, and so youre seeing that here," Pyle told reporters after turning in his petitions. There were people at the door that told me that they wanted to sign my petition because they thought we would split the vote. Both Pyle and Schmidt describe themselves as conservatives, and both support a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on the ballot Tuesday that would allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. Pyle has raised the integrity of the 2020 election as an issue, opposing ballot drop boxes. Schmidt brought Kansas into a lawsuit with Texas meant to overturn election results in battleground states lost by former President Donald Trump. But Pyle opposed plans from the state Senate's top Republicans for redrawing congressional and legislative boundaries and was stripped of most of his committee assignments as a result. He once brought a container of fishing stink bait to a debate, using it as a prop in protesting a tax bill. He sought Monday to tap into some far-right Republicans' doubts about whether Schmidt is a committed conservative, partly because Schmidt worked for GOP moderates before first running for elected office. Pyle called Schmidt a liberal. Schmidt campaign spokesperson C.J. Grover called Pyle a vanity candidate and a fake conservative. Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group, and the Kansas State Rifle Association, reaffirmed their support for Schmidt. The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Union gathered signatures for Pyle, Kansas Chair Ty Dragoo said Monday. The union backed Kelly in 2018 and endorsed her reelection in June with Dragoo saying she always made sure we had a seat at the table. But Dragoo said Pyle also has been labor friendly, siding with the union on issues dealing with automated vehicles and railroad safety. We support candidates that support us, so were never going to tell a candidate, 'Hey, because it may hurt or help another candidate, were not going to support you, Dragoo said. Miller served two years in the Senate, appointed to the seat Kelly once held, before returning to his old House seat in 2021. Asked two weeks ago about his efforts to help Pyle, Miller called Pyle a friend and a man of principle." You know, I dont know why you cant help a friend regardless of what party they are, or if they are of no party at all, Miller said. Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna Can we not have rational discussions about abortion? Or is it just too divisive and emotional a subject ever to expect thoughtful debate? Regardless, what we usually get is intransigence, intolerance and gamesmanship. This weeks evidence appeared at an event announcing the reopening of the CompassCare anti-abortion clinic in Eggertsville that was firebombed two months ago. The divisions were apparent in who attended the event, who stayed away and especially in the careless talk that further polluted an overwrought environment. Certainly, no one can blame the leaders of the clinic for their anger. Although the firebombing didnt kill or injure anyone, that was the awful risk, even in an overnight attack. Simply repairing the center cost more than $400,000. Who wouldnt be angry? But those speaking at the event went over the top, blaming not just the unknown firebomber, but also Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and other New York Democrats. Those people, the speakers insisted, support arson at such clinics, and maybe even encouraged it, because they support a right to abortion. Heres what State Sen. George Borello, R-Sunset Bay, had to say about it: Thats what the governor, thats what the attorney general and thats what the majority of Democrats in Albany have said: Violence is OK if it supports their political agenda. Thats what you see here. He offered no evidence and, as Assemblywoman Karen McMahon, D-Amherst, observed, it sounds suspiciously like an effort to change the subject. Right-wing rhetoric has been blamed for the violence of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the May 14 mass murder at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, for which the accused killer cited the lie called "replacement theory." To be clear, Hochuls office issued a statement condemning the attack only hours after it occurred. It read: Governor Hochul condemns violence of any kind and the State Police stand ready to assist local authorities with the investigation. Thats unambiguous. Following the groundless accusations against her on Monday, her office reissued the statement. Borellos comment was transparently political, issued by a public official who doesnt even represent the clinics district. Neither does Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, who also attended and announced she is introducing legislation to increase the penalties for attacks on centers such as CompassCare. Tenney is seeking election in the newly drawn 24th Congressional District and, if she wins, she still will not represent any part of Erie County. Indeed, it is telling that only anti-abortion politicians showed up at Mondays event and that all were from out of the district. It speaks to the divisiveness of abortion, the suspicions that surround clinics such as CompassCare which are often accused of seeking to mislead women and the political gamesmanship it all inspires. It would have been useful if elected officials supporting abortion rights had attended, given the nature of the violence, but with the tenor of the comments, why would they? It was meant to be politically accusatory. The firebombing of the clinic was a criminal act that demands investigation, in which police say they are diligently engaged. It is understandable that clinic supporters are impatient with its pace but, in that, they share the frustrations of many crime victims. Sometimes it takes time. There has been no evidence that police are dragging their feet. The accusations of Borello, Tenney and others aside, Amherst residents know too well that violence is a problem on both sides of this issue. An abortion provider, Dr. Barnett Slepian, was shot to death in his Amherst home by a sniper in 1998. Other violent and threatening incidents have been perpetrated by anti-abortion activists. There is plenty of blame to go around and, with their overheated comments, the CompassCare speakers did their part to further raise the temperature. Given the newly heightened passions regarding abortion, it is surely possible that abortion-related violence deserves heightened attention from the law, similar to the focus given to hate crimes. Tenney could make that case, if she wanted, by proposing legislation that ramps up the penalties for all such violence. If she doesnt it she wants to limit protection to anti-abortion clinics then voters will know that its just more cheap politics. 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. Chippewa Countys Cobban Bridge is now being dismantled, and the bridge replacement project is set to begin soon. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said in a media release that Gov. Tony Evers signed a $4.7 million contract with Sheet Piling Services, LLC of Custer to replace the Cobban Bridge on County Highway TT between Wisconsin Highway 178 and County Highway K. Work on the project is scheduled to begin Aug. 8 and is scheduled to be completed in October 2023. Historical background The Cobban Bridge has been a crossing over the Chippewa River for more than a century. A WisDOT 1998 Intensive Survey stated that the bridge was fabricated in 1908 at county expense. The Cobban Bridge was the oldest of four Pennsylvania truss bridges surviving on Wisconsin highways as of 1986. It was developed specifically for long spans in 1875 by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Pennsylvania truss was modified a decade later by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railways, which introduced intermediate horizontal struts to increase rigidity of the web. The Cobban Bridge is historically significant as one of the most ambitious cases of bridge moving in Wisconsin. Since metal truss bridges were designed to be easily transported and assembled, it is not surprising that several were moved from one location to another. It is pretty remarkable that a small community funded and supervised the relocation of a structure its size, though. The structure was originally located about 15 miles downstream, where it was known as the Yellow River Bridge, presumably because its site was near the confluence of the Chippewa and Yellow rivers. The Modern Steel Structural Steel Company of Waukesha served as both fabricator and contractor for the superstructure. In 1915, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Power and Light Company approached the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners with a plan to build a hydroelectric dam about 4 miles downstream of the bridge. Since the impounded waters would inundate the river crossing, the company proposed relocating the existing bridge superstructure. In April 1916, after extended negotiations, the county finally approved the dam project, and the company agreed to build a completely new bridge. The decision attracted the attention of the small trading village of Cobban located about 15 miles upstream on the west bank of the Chippewa River. Cobban had no bridge, the nearest crossings being about 5 miles north at Cornell and an equal distance south at Jim Falls. With the strong support of Cobban merchants, local voters in December 1916 agreed to pay the cost of dismantling the abandoned Knife River Bridge, sledding the structural steel to Cobban and reassembling the bridge at its present location. The entire project was completed by 1919. L.G. Arnold, a professional contractor from Eau Claire, put in the new concrete substructure, while Cromby and Thailacker, a bridge-building firm from Milwaukee, supervised the steel work. Although the village of Cobban has since vanished, the bridge remains as palpable evidence of its early commercial aspirations. The structure is still recognized as a major landmark by local residents, whose campaign to commemorate the bridge resulted in the erection of an historical marker near the crossing in 1986. Down with the old County Highway Commissioner Brian Kelley made the call to close the Cobban Bridge in August 2017 due to safety concerns with the bridges fracture critical steel components. Bridge engineers from the Federal Highway Administration and WisDOT made the recommendation to close it. WisDOT said the current project includes removing the existing structure, creating a temporary road to access the water, replacing asphalt roadway approaches on County Highway TT, replacing storm sewers, curbs and gutters, the barrier wall and pavement signs and markings, building a retaining wall, and erecting a five-span concrete bridge. The new structure will have an overall length of 504 feet, and 50 feet of approach roadway will be reconstructed at both ends of the bridge. WisDOT said County Highway TT and the bridge will be closed during construction. The shoulder and turn lane on Wisconsin Highway 178 at County Highway TT will also be closed. A navigational channel will be marked for water traffic on the Chippewa River, and the channel may shift during construction. The Old Abe State Trail will remain open during construction. For some locals, the bridge dismantling is bittersweet. Many would like to see the historic structure preserved in some way, along with realizing a need for a safe bridge to facilitate emergency services, school bus transportation and tourism in our area, said Marily Murphy who oversees the Save the Cobban Bridge Facebook page. Murphy started the Facebook page in 2015 as a means of communicating updates to its followers, who in turn have shared fond memories and photos of the bridge. The iconic landmark will be missed by many, Murphy said. Starting almost 30 years ago with a 100 square foot office, a do-it-yourself desk and lawn furniture, Cruise and Associates in Columbus has come a long way. Now working with over 2,000 clients and 30 employees across seven locations in Nebraska, the tax and accounting company has had many achievements in the almost-31 years since they opened their doors. At the July 28 ribbon-cutting for the company's brand-new office at 4213 38th St., Owner and President Robert Cruise made a short speech about the history of the company and how it went from that small office to the new office complex. "We started the process by looking for land and purchased this about three years ago. We spent about a year on hiatus due to COVID-19, and as we were getting ready to build, the contractors said to buy supplies [early] because prices were going up," Cruise said. Despite this hurdle, the build process commenced and the facility was officially completed in July. The biggest difference, aside from general expansion, is the restrooms, according to Cruise and Client Development Specialist Kelly Burge. "It is absolutely wonderful. There's a lot more space, it doesn't feel like we're on top of each other and clients feel more welcome when they come in. The bathrooms are the biggest thing, though," Burge said. The previous facility had a shared restroom for the 13 employees in the Columbus office, whereas the new facility has two separate restrooms with several stalls in each. The conference room has also been expanded, Burge said, which is a significant improvement. "The conference room we have now is very large, before it was kind of tiny, just six chairs and a table, now it's really large and can even be divided into two small conference rooms," Burge said. From the company's first location downtown to various locations along 13th Street, much has changed, according to Cruise. "It all started here in Columbus," Cruise said. "I had a homemade desk and two lawn chairs for my clients to sit on. My parents co-signed for my first computer." Cruise added that from the one computer, the company now has a wide assortment of data and technology options. "All our offices can be on the same server," Cruise said. "Everything is connected, we're all connected to each other, we screen share constantly between offices, and that allows us to work out of other offices in as efficient a manner as possible." Burge said, collectively, this is just one moving part of a company that has grown in every way. "Just seeing the growth we've had with other offices as well as clientele, we've really grown as a company with the technology and offices and that stuff." Cosmos Ecosystem Gathers in Latin America as Interchain Innovation Trends Upwards Disclaimer: The text below is a press release that is not part of Cryptonews.com editorial content. After hitting over USD 1.4 Billion in TVL earlier this year, Cosmoverse is gathering in Colombia to further grow their global network of developers. August 2022, Medellin, Colombia - Cosmoverse , the largest Cosmos conference, heads to Medellin, Colombia from September 26-28, 2022. The layer 0 blockchain is redefining what interchain can mean for emerging builders and projects looking for solutions to interconnectivity issues. The Cosmos ecosystem is providing space for significant customization and innovations, making it the perfect blockchain for emerging regions. The ecosystem has seen incredible growth this past year, and the conference is aiming to gather the community in person to collaborate on innovative ideas to further drive the adoption of the Cosmos ecosystem, says Juri Maibaum, Co-Founder of Cosmoverse. The growth of this ecosystem was recently bolstered by the news that established project, decentralized crypto exchange, dYdX , is moving its platform from a Layer 2 Ethereum decentralized application (dApp) onto its own Cosmos-based blockchain. The popularity of the Cosmos chain with early builders and bigger projects alike comes down to its customizable platform. As a Layer 0, Cosmos is providing the tools for projects to launch their own customized blockchain, tailored to their needs - specifically the Cosmos SDK. In addition, Cosmoss Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) allows chains in the ecosystem to communicate seamlessly, removing the need for bridges to transfer assets. This combination provides a powerful toolkit from which projects can build and expand their own ecosystem, without compromising interoperability. Cosmos is building a name for itself as one of the most diverse ecosystems in crypto, and as of July 2022 was holding 0.82% of the total DeFi total value locked (TVL), It hosts over 200 application-specific Cosmos native dApps that are providing users value without compromising the overall interconnected mission of these communities. Cosmoverse aims to bring more awareness to Cosmos as an interchain platform, and further integrate itself into the South American crypto community. Its highlight speakers include Ethan Buchman , Co-Founder of Cosmos . Sunny Aggarwal , Co-Founder Osmosis , the largest interchain decentralized exchange on the Cosmos Blockchain and Zaki Manian , Co-Founder Sommelier Finance , a platform that aims to optimize DeFi with off-chain computation and improved interoperability. This years Cosmoverse themes will take a look at NFTs, bridges, venture capital, Regenerative Finance (ReFi), and Crypto in Latin America, featuring a mixture of keynote talks and panels. All this will take place in Medellin, the emerging tech hub of Latin America. This thriving Colombian city provides a promising location to continue onboarding the thriving local developer community into Web3. Media contacts: US Lauren Bukoskey [email protected] UK/EU Leila Stein [email protected] - END- RVSP: If you would like to join Cosmoverse and be set up with press access or pursue interview requests, or access any previews or exclusives, please reply to this email. More than likely, Carlisle Area School District will continue to outsource its instructional aides even after its contract with ESS expires next June, Superintendent Colleen Friend said last week. The business office recently calculated how much it would cost to bring each aide back on as a district employee eligible for district benefits including retirement. Thats not something were considering, Friend said. Its a swing of about $30,000 per person. With our budget, we cant sustain that. I think contracting is the best decision for our budget. The district plans to employ 112 aides in the 2022-23 year, up from 98 aides it budgeted in 2021-22, she said. Using the estimate of $30,000, it would cost about $3,360,000 to convert what are now contracted workers into district employees. The district plans to keep its options open on whether to renew its contract with ESS or seek a different provider. We have a good working relationship with ESS, Friend said. They are extremely responsive to us, but every time a contract comes up, we certainly look around and see whats out there. Every year, the district contributes money to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System. In an effort to contain the rising costs, the school board in 2019 approved a recommendation by the administration to outsource all its general education and special education instructional aides. This July, local parent Aaron Knapp asked the board to investigate the impact a shortage of instructional aides was having on special education students and teachers. It has now been several years since the district made the decision to outsource the positions of special education aides, Knapp said. I would like the board to provide information regarding the number of budgeted aide positions in the district and the number of unfilled aide positions. These unfilled positions do not seem to be evenly distributed among the school buildings. Ive seen the impact on this on my child and others have expressed similar experiences. It has been a challenge lately for public schools to recruit enough people, he said. This challenge seems to be exacerbated by the district actions to outsource aide positions. Knapp also wanted to know what actions the district is taking in the short-term to make sure that special education students in 2022-23 do not continue to suffer from what he called under-resourcing. Last year, we had 98 aides in the district, Friend said. At the end of the school year, we ended with 26 vacancies. Seven of those were in special education and 19 of those were in regular education. This year, we will have 112 aide positions and currently we have 40 positions that are not filled. Fifteen of those are special education [instructional aides]. To help with recruitment, ESS has stepped up its advertising and joined the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce, Friend said. They are working to fill those positions. In addition, the district has raised its per diem rate from $81.60 for a starting aide to $90 a day, Friend said. We also have an incentive going on right now. The district has its own four-day training program for instructional aides. Under the program, trainees are encouraged to take professional development courses Aug. 16-19. If they complete the coursework, their per diem rate increases to $95. The training is divided into separate tracks for elementary school-level instructional aides and secondary school-level instructional aides. Both tracks include strategies in de-escalation, behavior management, autism support and supporting literacy through content areas. We recognize that not all of our aides can attend all four days, Friend said, citing summer vacation scheduling conflicts. For those who cant make all four days, they will have the opportunity to do some makeup training and eventually get to that $95 rate. We want the aides to understand how important they are to our teachers, our students and our district, she said. Its a little extra money in their pocket, but it also makes them feel that they have a sense of belonging and teamwork. In 2022-23, the district plans to pull aides from regular education to fill temporary vacancies in its special education coverage, said Jill Condo, director of student services. Our principals are very creative with schedules and maximizing the staff that they have so that it could be what we need for coverage, Condo said. DENVER A dentist accused of fatally shooting his wife at the end of an African safari was found guilty of murder and mail fraud Monday. The verdict for Lawrence Larry Rudolph came from a jury in a Denver federal court following a trial that lasted three weeks. He faces a maximum term of life in prison or the death penalty when he is sentenced in February. Rudolph was charged with murder in the 2016 death of Bianca Rudolph as well as mail fraud for cashing in $4.8 million in life insurance claims in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. Rudolph maintained his innocence. His attorney suggested his wife of 34 years shot herself while trying to pack a shotgun in a hurry as they prepared to return from Zambia to the United States in 2016. But prosecutors countered that evidence showed that was impossible because the wound to her heart came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet away. Prosecutors also accused Rudolphs girlfriend and manager of his Pittsburgh-area dental franchise, Lori Milliron, of lying to a federal grand jury about the case and her relationship with Rudolph. She was found guilty by the same jury Monday of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. She was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. Prosecutors alleged that Rudolph decided to kill his wife to regain control over his life after Bianca Rudolph asked for more say in the couples finances and demanded that Milliron be fired. Rudolph's attorneys called that a false narrative. Rudolph waved to Milliron as he was led out of court and back to jail after not having any interaction with her in the courtroom in previous days. Milliron will remain free with an ankle monitor until she is sentenced. Prosecutors alleged that Rudolph decided to kill his wife to regain control over his life after Bianca Rudolph asked for more say in the couples finances and demanded that Milliron be fired. Rudolph said his wife agreed to have an open marriage and the defense argued there was no financial incentive for Rudolph, who was worth about $15 million at the time, to kill his wife. Investigators in Zambia and for the insurers concluded her death was an accident. Prosecutors noted that Rudolph hung up on an insurance investigator who tried to speak with him and declined to participate in a voluntary interview with an FBI agent. Colorado's U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan thanked the FBI for traveling around the world to collect evidence and interview witnesses in the case and said he hoped the verdict brings some peace to Bianca Rudolph's family. Bianca Rudolph deserved justice, he said. Leadwood Board of Aldermen at last week's meeting heard a 40-minute list of complaints from property owner Pam Perry of Bonne Terre. The grievances against the town included lack of policing, windows broken out of her vacant apartments, speeding up her street, garbage in town and a long-ago flooded rental property of hers that she said the city needed to remediate. Lets keep the blame game out of it, make it short, sweet and to the point, and get some answers were looking for, said Mayor Ed Austin at the top of the meeting. Pam Perry, you have the floor. Perry, while not a resident, is a landlord. At the meeting, she referenced a property with two buildings, and she indicated one is a storage building with an apartment or two, and another is a building divided into four apartments. Id like you to give my tax money back and Ill put security in my own buildings, because Im not getting it from Leadwood, she began. Hows that for a beginning. I pay on four properties. Yes, ma'am. And I understand where you're coming from, Austin said. We all do. But getting police to come over here. I mean, getting police to go to county, getting police to go to Park Hills Everybody is short staffed. And we're trying to do the best we can with just the couple (of officers) we got. Perry said while she doesnt have tenants in her buildings at the moment, she has to have it ready to be rented by October, so shes been working to spruce them up. She said shes had to repeatedly replace windows that have been broken out. And no matter what happens, it still cost me in the end so I'm looking for a solution. I'm not pointing at you and I realized this is a bad situation. The economy's a bad situation, Leadwood Police has been a bad situation for the last 20 years that I've been around, Perry said. And it's that doesn't reflect on the police themselves. It's just that there's just not enough there's not enough money I'm not sure what the answer is. But I do know that I'm paying a mortgage on those and I'm tired of paying the mortgage and not being able to use (the buildings) for three years now. She said an offer had been made by a previous police chief to set up motion cameras on the property, or ask nearby homeowners if their internet access could be borrowed to run the cameras, but it didnt work out. She said an offer had also previously been made to put cameras on the animal pound that could also be placed toward her Main Street property. She asked Alderman John Vickers if he might be willing to share his internet at his house for the camera system to guard her property. Vickers demurred, saying, I have no idea, but the problem is, if we try to specifically look after your property, we have to look out for everybodys. I remember the broken windows the last time, and I thought the charges had been dropped. Perry asserted, No. I have never, ever dropped charges on anybody there and I have insisted very vocally that I will press charges. When a kid was found there, breaking into the back, I went there and I would have pressed charges on them. Shifting gears, Perry brought up a building on the back of the property she said the city needed to remediate. Also, somebody from Leadwood has to come over and something has to be done about all the stuff that was ruined in my back building, she said. That, whatever, an overflow, whatever it is that goes underneath my back building I said something before, they didn't keep the drain clean, so it all backed up and it ruined all my stuff in storage. It's still sitting there. It's locked up, but it's still sitting there. I have no control over cleaning that out. Perry explained there are two unrented apartments and a storage area in that building, and when a city-owned, trench drain backed up, it flooded the storage area. Aldermen and Perry pieced together that the building had at first been a pole barn for Miners Lumber, which was then partially turned into apartments, and Perry agreed, pointing out she had spruced up the dwellings when she purchased the property. But now she wasnt going to rent out the apartments there for a lot of reasons. Ill probably end up tearing it down and putting something else there, if I do anything in Leadwood, she said. But its the damage. My insurance doesnt cover that, and there was nothing I could do about it. If I lived there, maybe I could have seen the water coming. When she was asked how long ago the storage area had flooded, she said possibly more than a year ago. Later, aldermen who conferred about the matter estimated the flooding had happened at least eight years ago. They asked if she would be willing to let them take a look at the property. Bring a flashlight, its a mess, she said, as discussion continued about her rental properties. At one point, Perry asked, I know you love this question, but what is the status on the water now? Its been three months since Ive been here. Vickers and Water and Wastewater Supervisor Kevin Brooks said the state is reviewing a second set of answers provided by the engineer, and the city is waiting for the Department of Natural Resources to give the OK to let the project out for bid. The city has struggled for the better part of 10 years to pursue an overhaul of their city water system, the small, budget-challenged town having worked through passing a bond issue, then embracing a USDA loan, then going through the process of getting a DNR grant, deciding whether or not to purchase water from and build the appropriate infrastructure to Park Hills, deciding against it and resuming their pursuit of rebuilding their own water and wastewater system this past winter. Perry had several questions regarding water meters, and whether private citizens or the city will pay for new pipes on private property. She expressed dissatisfaction at the thought of having to pay for pipes and water meters. Switching back to my windows, what can be done? I cant rent it with boards over it, Perry said, adding her insurance company was yelling at her for having no renters for three years. She repeated that police needed to watch her property better, and to the aldermens suggestions, said heavy screens outside the glass would cost too much, and repeated boards would be unsightly. I need something else, she said. Alderman Charlie Lewis said the board hopes the one-cent increase in sales tax approved last April by voters will help retain and recruit police, but at the moment, more policing could not be promised. Perry said she was expecting another solution to address her plight now. There was further discussion about the windows being broken out, previous vandalism incidents in years past around the town, and other properties that might share internet access for motion-activated security cameras before Austin reiterated they would come to her flooded property to see what might have happened with the flooded drain in Perrys storage-apartment building. During the rest of the meeting, the board: Approved a business license for Pettus Electric. Heard a plea for more asphalt for various roads whose potholes needed to be filled, and for Church and E streets which are washing out from the recent rains. Locust Street was observed to be at risk of being washed out completely, as well. Discussed finding an entity that might be able to dig a nine foot hole for a utility pole. Brooks said many of the businesses he contacted were too busy to respond at the moment. Aldermen provided suggestions for additional businesses to call. Approved Police Chief Emily Portells request for various policing materials that were all less than $100. Press Release August 2, 2022 Villar thankful for the new agri-agra law; cites easy loans FINANCING for farmers and fisherfolk will be expanded as well as reaching the agricultural sector and promoting rural development would be more effective since RA 11901 or the "Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Financing Enhancement Act of 2022 is now a law, said Sen. Cynthia A. Villar. The senator, chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, is the principal author RA 11901 or the New Agra-Agri Law, which has lapsed into law July 29, 2022. She thanked Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, her counterpart at the House of Representatives, and then BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno for their efforts in crafting all the new law. The new law mandates that all banking institutions, except newly established banks, must set aside at least 25% of their total loanable funds for agricultural and fisheries-related sectors after they have been operating for five years. Banks are expected to offer new financial products and services that suit the specific requirements of agricultural clients appropriate to their cash flows and production cycles. "They can comply with the credit quota by lending to rural community beneficiaries to finance agricultural and fishery-related activities, said Villar. Furthermore, she said banks can also invest in securities where the proceeds are meant to finance these activities. Both the LandBank and the Development Bank of the Philippines shall use their resources to invest, promote digital banking technology, automation, branchless banking and cash agent operations to reach remote barangays and municipalities; use of e-commerce, mobile phone applications to reach the rural public. They shall continue to promote savings and credit in rural areas to coops, micro financial institutions, retail banks, and rural & thrift banks with minimal interest for wholesale loans. The new law also removes the distinction between the 10 percent agrarian reform and the 15 percent agricultural credit to provide banks greater flexibility in extending credit to the agriculture and agrarian reform sectors based on their capabilities. It also calls for special lending arrangements for agribusiness enterprises with qualified agricultural borrowers and agricultural value chain financing. It expanded the available modes of compliance with requirements to finance the agricultural sector to promote funding for green finance projects, income-generating activities, and public infrastructure projects. This would benefit both the agrarian reform and agricultural sectors. The old Agri-Agra Credit Act of 2009 required banks to lend 15% of their loan book to the agriculture sector, with a 10% quota set for agrarian reform beneficiaries. Villar, nagpapasalamat para sa bagong agri-agra law; binanggit ang madaling pautang PALALAWAKIN ang pautang sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda matapos maging batas ang RA 11901 o ang "Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Financing Enhancement Act of 2022," ayon kay Sen. Cynthia A. Villar. Ipinahayag ni Villar na madali na ring maaabot ang sektor ng agrikultura at mas epektibo nang maisusulong ang kaunlaran sa kanayunan. Principal author ang senador, chairperson ng Senate committee on agriculture and food, ng RA 11901 o ang bagong Agra-Agri Law, na 'nag-lapse into law" noong July 29, 2022. Pinasalamatan niya si Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, ang kanyang counterpart sa House of Representatives, at dating BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno sa kanyang pagsisikap na magawa ang naturang batas. Itinatakda sa bagong batas na dapat maglaan ang lahat ng bangko, maliban na lamang sa mga bagong tatag, ng di bababa sa 25% total loanable funds sa agricultural at fisheries-related sectors kapag 5 taon na silang nag-ooperate. Inaasahan ding maghandog ang mga bangko ng bagong financial products and services na angkop sa kailangan ng agricultural clients para cash flows and production cycles. "They can comply with the credit quota by lending to rural community beneficiaries to finance agricultural and fishery-related activities, sabi pa ni Villar. Ayon kay Villar, puwede ring mamuhunan ang mga bangko sa securities kung saan gagamitin ang kita para pondohan ang mga ganitong aktibidades. Parehong gagamitin ng Land Bank at Development Bank of the Philippines ang kanilang resources para mamuhunan, isulong ang digital banking technology, automation, branchless banking at cash agent operations upang maabot ang malalayong barangay at munisipalidad, at gamitin ang e-commerce at mobile phone applications sa rural public. Patuloy nilang isinusulong ang savings at credit sa rural areas para sa coops, micro financial institutions, retail banks at rural at thrift banks na may minimal interest sa wholesale loans. The City of Charlottesville wants to know what residents are looking for in their next police chief. POLIHIRE, a Washington, D.C.-based search firm hired by the city last month, hopes residents will answer its survey about a new chief to help build a profile of the perfect candidate when the firm starts advertising, interviewing and hiring. The survey, created and managed by POLIHIRE, also asks for information on what topics are most important for the next chief to address and advice residents may have. Results of the survey will be analyzed by POLIHIREs team directly. We are hoping to hear from as many residents from Charlottesville as possible, said City Manager Michael Rogers. Community input on what the community wants in its new police chief will be very helpful in framing a recruitment profile so that we attract top candidates to consider. The survey can be found on the citys website homepage in both English and Spanish. It will close for input August 15. The city hired POLIHIRE Strategy Corporation to search for the chief who will replace interim Chief Latroy Tito Durrette who replaced former Chief RaShall Brackney, who served in the post for more than three years. Durrette replaced Assistant Chief James Mooney who was slated to serve as interim chief last September after Brackney was fired by former City Manager Chip Boyles. Mooney, however, retired before he could take over the departmental reins. Brackney announced last month she is suing the city, alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color and sex. The suit came six months after Brackney filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and sought a $3 million settlement. The city never responded to the complaint. There have been a lot of police chiefs in the past six years. Brackney replaced interim Chief Thierry Dupuis, who replaced interim Chief Gary Pleasants who replaced Chief Al Thomas who resigned after an independent report criticized the police departments handling of the August 2017 Unite the Right Rally. Thomas replaced former Chief Timothy Longo in 2016. Longo now serves as chief of the University of Virginia Police Department and UVas associate vice president for safety and security. POLIHIRE has experience head hunting municipal officials. According to their website, POLIHIRE is currently managing the searches for the city managers of Cincinnati, Ohio and Rocky Mount, North Carolina; financial director for Baltimore; and county executive for Prince William County, among others. The corporation was hired by Fairfax County to conduct the nationwide search for their police chief in 2021. According to Reston Now, part of POLIHIREs recruitment process included community surveys to collect public input on what the community wanted out of their police chief. City spokesman David Dillehunt said the base contract award is $35,000 plus an a la carte menu of additional services that the city may add. More than five years after torch-wielding protesters gathered around the Robert E. Lee statue that once stood at Market Street Park, bringing the statue removal debate to its boiling point, UVas Memory Project is redefining the space and rectifying its history. The Memory Project at UVAs Democracy Initiative premiered its 30-minute documentary Unveiling: The Origin of Charlottesville Monuments, at Market Street Park, formerly Lee Park, on Saturday evening. Attendees occupied Market Place park on blankets and lawn chairs and Memory Project representatives served popcorn at sunset. Arent you glad a murderous traitor isnt here to look down on us? said Jalane Schmidt, executive producer and director of the Memory Project, associate professor of race and religion at the University of Virginia and host for the evening. The documentary-style film presented archive photos and articles including some published by The Daily Progress dating back to the 19th centuryin addition to the input of five Black Charlottesville residents. Schmidt drew the timeline of events from the time each statue of the defeated Confederate generals went up around the city and the significance of their positions in public spaces. Andrea Douglas, director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, emphasized the impact of violent white opposition to Black progress throughout history and co-hosted the question and answer session after the premiere. Zyahna Bryant, the community activist and current UVa student who originated the petition to remove Confederate statues from Charlottesvilles public parks, recounted her journey from starting the petition in 2016 to statue removal in 2021 and the significance of the fight for the Black community. Former vice-mayor Wes Bellamy, who was on the city council and worked with Bryant when she first presented the concept of the petition, discussed the support he was able to offer and the victory of reclaiming public spaces. Founding leader of the Descendants of Enslaved Communities and employee in the Department of Surgery at UVa DeTeasa Gathers shared her personal experience with generational trauma associated with Confederate statues as a lifelong Charlottesville resident. My grandmother told me we dont go there, Gathers said. She grabbed my arm and the tone of her voice told me that was not a place for us; I wasnt supposed to go there. Schmidt and Douglas launched the Marked by These Monuments tours in 2018. The duo guided large groups through Downtown Charlottesville with a map of all of the Confederate Monuments in the area while sharing their history and the memory of those who erected the statues. In addition to the Lee statue, stops included the Stonewall Jackson and Johnny Reb monuments and the slave auction block marker on Park Street. Schmidt and Douglas led their final tour on Memorial Day in 2021, but a virtual guide experience is available on the Marked by these Monuments website. When we did the tours, there was an ominous feeling in those spaces where the statues stood, Schmidt said. For people in marginalized communities, it sent a clear message that said you shouldnt be here, you dont belong. After more than a century of looking down on the Downtown Mall, Black business owner Devon Henry and his construction team removed the Lee and Jackson statues on July 9, 2021. The audience at Market Street Park cheered along with the crowd in the film footage from the day Charlottesville residents, supporters from surrounding counties and millions around the world tuned in to watch Lee fall. In its first decade, the Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) in Charlottesville loaned $2 million to low income borrowers. In the next five years, the Charlottesville-based group hopes to loan $5 million more to people who might not be able to borrow from traditional financial institutions. Finding ways to get capital to non-traditional borrowers to buy homes or start businesses continues to be an ongoing challenge in the Charlottesville region and around the country. This is why local leaders like Stephen Davis, the president of CIC, and Sunshine Mathon, executive director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance, welcomed Mondays announcement of a new bipartisan U.S. Senate caucus focused on Community Financial Development Institutions (CFDIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). The Senate Community Development Finance Caucus has 14 members. Seven are Republicans; seven are Democrats. They come from the Mid-Atlantic region, the Upper Midwest, the Great Plains, the Deep South and New England. They all agree that CFDIs and MDIs offer ways to give non-traditional customers access to financial institutions. Virginia Democrat Mark Warner and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo organized the caucus, which is dedicated to getting more money, education and staff support to institutions that increase chances for low- and middle-income households and people of color to build businesses or buy homes. The caucus hopes to connect billions of available dollars with start-ups or mortgage loans. It is the kind of vision that attracts almost everyones blessing. But whats being planned here seems to be more than a pipedream. With its size and geographical breadth, the caucus brings collective political clout to its goals. Equally important, it seems more interested in results than platitudes. Properly executed, the relationships the caucus seeks can produce vital injections of funds into neighborhoods, households and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in the American economy. Davis, whose group works in an area stretching from Charlottesville to Culpeper, summed up the challenge perfectly. The old expression is it takes money to make money, he said. But if you never had money, what do you do? Entrepreneurs with great ideas may not get funded. Mathon, whose group also works in the Charlottesville region, said the areas hot housing market often leaves low-income home buyers unable to come up with money for mortgage down payments that qualify them for loans. On the lenders side, Mathon added, one of the challenges for traditional lenders is the perception of risk. The new caucus believes CDFIs and MDIs can bridge this gap. The institutions exist to serve low-income communities. They have experience making loans in those communities. Most of the loans get repaid. Davis and Mathon say their respective organizations are mission-driven, not profit-driven. But they also say they can help private financial institutions identify reliable borrowers. Davis calls this capital lent in sustainable ways. The Community Reinvestment Act aids the caucus cause. The law requires private banks to do a certain amount of lending or grant-making in areas where they operate. There are also public funds. Warner, Crapo and other colleagues worked with former President Donald Trumps Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to include a Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act in the COVID relief act of 2020. The bill carved out $12 billion for CDFIs and MDIs with $3 billion going to grant funding and $9 billion going to loans that can be used to leverage up to 10 times that amount in other kinds of borrowing. It sounds complex. But all these technicalities boil down to a simple charge. This country should do whatever it can to give everyone, regardless of economic circumstance or ethnicity, an equal shot at the American Dream. All of the Adopt-A Bus markers, representing students who have requested supplies for school, have been selected at the Kerrville Ray and Joa Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. A Lebanon man has pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $1,000 worth of cash and/or gold at a Lebanon gold dealer in April. Anthony Wade Holden, 32, entered his guilty plea to a charge of second-degree robbery Monday, Aug. 1 in Linn County Circuit Court Holden was arrested by Lebanon police officers following a report of an armed robbery at Cash for Gold Now on April 14. The caller said two men donning motorcycle helmets took an undisclosed amount of money from the business at gunpoint. According to a Lebanon Police Department news release at the time, they then fled on a motorcycle. Police arrested Holden and Corey Brandon Wreyford, 31, of Sweet Home on June 24. Holden was arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery and first-degree theft. Wreyford was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, possession of a firearm and pointing a firearm at another, according to court documents. The LPD was assisted by the Linn County Sheriffs Office, Albany Police Department and Oregon State Police in locating the suspects. Shortly after the robbery, the suspected motorcycle was found abandoned outside the city limits of Lebanon. Second-degree robbery typically carries a mandatory minimum sentence of nearly six years in prison. The status of Wreyford's case is unclear at this time, according to the charging documents. Holdens sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Linn County Circuit Court. When Matthew Umberger first heard coronavirus infections were spreading to the United States, he thought the public health response was severely overblown. He does not believe that anymore. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Umberger was 50 years old, healthy with no pre-existing conditions and believed people may have been making too big of a deal out of it. That all changed after being hospitalized for 28 days and entering a rocky recovery that still has him and his stepson dealing with symptoms and side-effects of the disease. Nearly one in five American adults who have had COVID-19 still have what's been termed long COVID, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Before that research surfaced, giving a name to what doctors were seeing in the field, Umberger was among the first in the Albany area to experience long COVID, he says. It begins In October 2020, Umberger woke up in a startled panic in the middle of the night. He couldnt breathe and was struggling to get air in his lungs. He had tested positive for COVID-19 three days prior, and knew he needed to go to the emergency room. I was in the best shape of my life, and then bam! I got hit with COVID, he said. What followed was what his stepson Kristofer Blankenship, 34, described as "an absolute nightmare." He and his mother had to quarantine at home because they also were infected. They couldn't visit Umberger at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. Like others hospitalized during the pandemic's first year, Umberger was alone. On the fourth day, Umberger needed to be intubated. Just before he was put on a ventilator, he told the nurse: Tell my wife I love her, he said. But then he realized he had a long list of people with whom he needed to leave messages. I wholeheartedly thought I wouldnt see my family again, so much so I left individual messages for each of them with my nurse, he wrote in a Facebook post. After several days of intubation and lung suctioning and with the support of an oxygen tank and walker, Umberger finally could go home. He had lost 40 pounds and was skin and bones." Blankenship was convinced his stepdad would need to use a walker and oxygen tube for the rest of his life. Lasting symptoms Every patient experience is unique. When it comes to long COVID, there is no telling how long the symptoms can last for an individual patient, Oregon Health and Science Universitys chief primary care and population health officer, Dr. Eric Herman, said by email. He leads the OHSU Long COVID-19 Program. There is no one size fits all method for recovery. Gradual recovery from long COVID is possible when health care providers familiar with long COVID develop a plan, and often is done best with the assistance of physical therapists also familiar with long COVID patients, especially those experiencing fatigue, Herman said. Recovery can be hastened when patients have the time and space to focus on pacing their activities and can recruit support from friends and family, Herman added. Although there is so much variability between patients, the majority of patients experience reduced symptoms within a year or less, Herman said. Physical therapy has reduced Umbergers symptoms, but some persist nearly two years after his one and only known infection. He describes his recovery journey as a series of small victories and attributes his successes to the myriad of Samaritan Health health care team, physical therapists and pulmonary therapists in Albany. Still, once he was able to breathe without the support of his oxygen tank, and walk without the support of his walker, some symptoms continue to linger: shortness of breath, and periodic episodes of "brain fog" and the feeling that he's infected all over again. Umberger identifies himself as a long-hauler. There is still a lot of unknown when it comes to COVID-19 and the long-term effects, but those early months had him feeling like a guinea pig. According to the CDC, post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems that people experience after first being infected with the virus. Symptoms range from tiredness and fatigue to shortness of breath and chest pain. Theres a long list of symptoms and not everyone is affected the same. For Umberger, recovery has been an ongoing process. He used to be an avid hunter and would frequently go fishing and hiking. Now, hunting is nearly impossible because of the havoc COVID-19 wreaked on his lungs. Acknowledging he's "stubborn," Umberger will sneak in a fishing trip as long as it's with a partner, and he hikes with his wife though he has to take breaks to catch his breath. Even helping his wife bring in groceries may require breaks in between, he said. Im still recovering every day of my life." Going through it together Umberger isn't taking his journey alone. Blankenship, his stepson, also has long COVID. Every few weeks or so, I dont have the energy I used to. Its like I have the symptoms all over again, Blankenship said. Blankenship used to go to the gym everyday but now sometimes has to catch his breath just moving about the house. Getting up and walking to the restroom will completely wipe me out, he said. In a way, it feels validating to have his stepfather go through the same things he was and being able to talk about it. Blankenship believes people often dont talk about long COVID because they either dont believe in it or dont know much about it. He also guesses a lot more people have it too but won't acknowledge it for fear of being labeled as lazy. Theres a stigma associated with being a long hauler because peoples experiences with COVID can be so different, Blankenship said. What we know now In the beginning, there were a lot of unknowns for the Umberger family. COVID-19 is a relatively new disease, and the research is ongoing. So its difficult to make generalizations. But medical professionals do know more now than ever before, including who is the odds of getting long COVID-19. Nearly one in five adults who have had COVID struggle with symptoms still. And overall, 1 in 13 adults in the U.S. (7.5%) have long COVID symptoms, defined as symptoms lasting three or more months after first contracting the virus and that they didnt have prior to their infection, according to a news release published in June by the CDC. The best way to avoid getting long COVID is to not get COVID," Herman said. While we still have a great deal to understand about long COVID, research has indicated that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can reduce your risk of developing long COVID, he added. While many people have steady recoveries after COVID-19, Blankenship said his family got hit hard. Not only are he and his stepfather long haulers, but Umbergers mother passed away from complications with COVID-19. He hopes that there will be a safe place for long haulers to come forward and speak about their experiences. Umberger has noticed a change in people's attitudes about the severity of COVID-19. The ones who were naysayers arent anymore, he said. But he isnt trying to change anyones mind, he said. Hes just taking it one day at a time. Voters in unincorporated Linn County communities will see a measure on the General Election ballot Nov. 8 that proposes an all-out ban on the use and manufacture of therapeutic mushrooms. Voters made Oregon the first to legalize psilocybin when they greenlit the use, manufacture, and sales of the drug in 2020 under state Ballot Measure 109. A pair of Portland-area therapists argued the psychedelic compound produced in certain mushroom species can treat the effects of anxiety, depression and trauma. Under the measure, Oregon counties and municipalities automatically opt in to permitting psilocybin. Local governments that dont act go along with a state edict to get psilocybin treatment up and running, but they are able to set time, manner and place restrictions. Counties and incorporated cities can opt out with a vote in the Nov. 8 General Election. Governments have until Aug. 19 to get a local ban or moratorium on the fall ballot. While statewide, voters favored the measure by a 56-44 margin, in Linn County, those numbers were flipped, with 55% voting no and 45% voting yes. Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker approved the language for a permanent ban during the Tuesday, Aug. 2 meeting, with Sprenger noting the it sometimes feels like local voices are not heard on a state or national level. This is an opportunity for local governance, she said. I enthusiastically pass this onto the voters of Linn County to see what they want on this. Here is the language voters will see on their ballot: Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. Shall Linn County prohibit psilocybin product manufacturers and psilocybin service center operators in the unincorporated areas of Linn County? The commissioners decided June 21 to put the matter on the general election ballot. They have since heard two readings of the proposed mushroom ordinance, a required step in sending the issue to the ballot. Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as psychedelic mushrooms, have been shown in some U.S. Food and Drug Administration studies to be an effective treatment for mental health conditions including addiction, depression, anxiety and end-of-life distress. Due to their psychedelic nature, however, they have become a hot button topic throughout the state. Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Health reporter Seth Klamann is the health reporter for the Gazette, focused on COVID-19, public health and substance use. He's a Kansas City native and a University of Missouri alum, with stops in Wyoming, Omaha and Milwaukee before moving to Denver. Vodafone and Ericsson have launched AI and ML software to bolster private 5G networks for enterprises, which will be used to enhance production at Foxconns 5G factory in Hungary. In a statement, the Swedish vendor said in partnership with Vodafone the company created the Service Continuity for private network solution, which can be tailored to Vodafone enterprise customers such as Taiwanese multinational Foxconn. In Foxconns case, the company relies on non-fixed 5G-based test cars, on which newly manufactured PCs are tested before packaging at their plant in Hungary. The Support Service software ensures private networks connecting test cars run smoother. It replaces Ericsson's traditional wired private networks offering Foxconn highly flexible, secure, and wireless connectivity that transforms the core business-critical operations. Matyas Dobo, Vodafone Business Director, says: We are very conscious of the trust placed by Foxconn in Vodafone and have worked jointly with Ericsson to create this unique technical assistance offering for enterprises to ensure that the operation of their private networks is free of unplanned interruptions. Nello Califano, Head of Strategy and Portfolio Management, Ericsson Business Area Networks, added: We are constantly working with Vodafone to evolve the private networks space for enterprises, and this AI and ML-based support service is a testimony to that work. We are pleased to collaborate with Vodafone Hungary to ensure that enterprises like Foxconn can become wire-free in their operations, communication, and connectivity requirements. Added to this is the flexibility to change production setup without disruption, and to adapt to changing business needs. In coordination with World Breastfeeding Week, Governor Jim Justice has declared August 1-7 as West Virginia Breastfeeding Week, highlighting the benefits that breastfeeding can bring to the health and welfare of babies and mothers with a focus on good nutrition, poverty reduction, and food security. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Nutrition Services, West Virginia Women, Infants and Children Program (West Virginia WIC) is the states lead agency for West Virginia Breastfeeding Week. Recognizing the importance of breastfeeding and providing support for West Virginias breastfeeding babies and mothers is an important aspect of creating a healthier West Virginia, said Heidi Staats, Director of DHHRs Office of Nutrition Services. In addition to providing nutrition and breastfeeding education and referrals to health and social services, West Virginia WIC provides pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 with nutritious, supplemental foods. West Virginia WIC activities celebrating World Breastfeeding Week will occur statewide throughout the month of August. The Greenbrier County West Virginia WIC office will host an open house daily during the week of August 1-5 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. with staff meet and greets, swag bags, and raffles. The Monongalia County West Virginia WIC office will host the 12th Annual Baby Buggy Stroll will be held August 3, 2022, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport. The state West Virginia WIC office will host a celebration on August 5, 2022 at the Westside Family Resource Center from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Nutrition education, information sessions, fresh healthy foods, and toiletries will be provided for attendees. Mid-Ohio Valley West Virginia WIC will hold a celebration at Parkersburg City Park Shelter #18 on August 18, 2022, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. with a firetruck, refreshments, and door prizes. To learn more about West Virginia WIC, visit dhhr.wv.gov/wic or call (304) 558-0030. Fellow first responders and members of the general public gave Sneads police officer Sgt. Brett Preston a big welcome on Friday, July 29, as he returned to Jackson County from his hospital stay in Tallahassee. He was treated there for the multiple gunshot injuries he received when a man opened fire on officers responding to a report of a disturbance in Sneads on July 23. The man that fired on the officers was killed as gunfire was exchanged. Preston was escorted home by officers from his agency as well as troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol, and representatives of the Jackson County Sheriffs Office and Jackson County Fire Rescue. As the rolling escort reached Sneads, a crowd was waiting with signs wishing him well. And another crowd was waiting with signs as Prestons ride got to Marianna Health and Rehabilitation at the conclusion of the journey. There, hell receive follow-up care and convalesce as he awaits more surgeries. Sneads Police Chief Mike Miller said his agency is thrilled to have Preston home and that the officer has expressed deep appreciation for the public support he encountered as he made his way home. The support we experienced from the community was really humbling, Miller said. We loved seeing it, he loved seeing it, and he making progress toward recovery. It made his day to see people out along the trip home. The name of the man killed was still being withheld by the Jackson County Sheriffs Office as of late this week. So far, he has only been identified as a 42-year-old. Officials have also not said who fired the fatal shot or shots. Officials say the man began shooting while officers from SPD and JCSO were talking with a man nearby that had called for assistance in what JCO described as a disturbance that morning. Officials offered no elaboration on the disturbance call. The incident took place just off McKeown Mill Road and just outside the Sneads city limits around 8:19 a.m., with Jackson County Sheriffs Office responding as the lead agency and the Sneads officer assisting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case, as is the normal procedure in an officer-involved shooting in this state. Farmers harvest sugarcane in the Mekong Delta Province of Soc Trang. Photo by Shutterstock Vietnam has imposed an anti-dumping and anti-circumvention levy on Thai sugar imported via 5 ASEAN nations. The final verdict was made Monday, and the duty of 47.64 percent will become effective between Aug. 9 and June 15, 2026. The probe was launched last September after local firms reported sugar products imported from Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar did not originate in those countries. Sugar imports in Vietnam jumped five times year-on-year to 527,200 tons in the period between October 2020 and June 2021, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Imports from Thailand, however, slumped 38 percent in the same period. This was the period that Vietnam was investigating Thai sugar for dumping and subsidizing. "The sugar industry has provided evidence showing signs of Thai sugars trade remedies evasion through five countries mentioned above, especially the sudden jump in sugar imports," the trade ministry said in a statement. Last June, Vietnam imposed an anti-dumping levy of 47.64 percent on some sugar products from Thailand for five years. Around 3,300 Vietnamese farmers lost their jobs, and 93,225 farming households were affected due to difficulties in the domestic sugar industry, according to the trade ministry. The University of Social Science and Humanity of the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a $14.2-million partnership Monday with three leading Vietnamese universities to strengthen higher education. The Partnership for Higher Education Reform project will be carried out in five years to have Indiana University work with three Vietnamese universities, Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam National University - Hanoi, and the University of Da Nang to improve their academic quality, enhance institutional governance, and enable them to serve as models of modern higher education across Vietnam. Funded by USAID, the project will collaborate with the World Bank and key government officials from the ministries of Education and Training, Finance, Planning and Investment, and Science and Technology, and industry partners, including Purdue University, Amazon Web Services, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to "benefit more than 200,000 students and equip them to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market," the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said in a press release. The partnership will work to achieve three objectives for the three universities: increase sustainability and autonomy; improve academic quality; and strengthen research and innovation capacity. Core activities will strengthen university governance and financial systems, provide faculty training, and research collaborations, and develop guidelines and incentives for further partnerships between universities and private companies. "Through this partnership, together, we will collectively improve the quality and market-relevance of higher education to drive lasting growth," U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper said at the event to launch the project in Hanoi. The project was announced by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Vietnam last September. At least eighteen people were killed, and 243 others were wounded during recent clashes between thousands of protesters and security forces in Uzbekistan's autonomous province of Karakalpakstan, according to Uzbek authorities. The protests were sparked by constitutional amendments proposed by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev that would have annulled the current right of the Karakalpakstan region to seek independence. President Mirziyoev has since withdrawn the controversial amendments. The United States is concern[ed] over the recent events in Karakalpakstan and urges all parties to seek a peaceful resolution to these tensions and refrain from violence, said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. We express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, he added. We also extend our sympathies to those who were injured. Karakalpaks are a Turkic-speaking people in Central Asia. Their region was once an autonomous area in what is now Uzbekistan. Karakalpakstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and rejoined Uzbekistan a year later on the condition that it retain its autonomy. Spokesperson Price said. We call on the authorities to protect all fundamental rights, including peaceful assembly and expression, in line with Uzbekistans international obligations and commitments. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed that [p]eople should not be criminalized for exercising their rights. In addition, she said that all of those who are detained should have prompt access to legal representation, due process, and a fair trial. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Uzbekistan is a State Party, everyone has the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the right to participate in public affairs, noted Ms. Bachelet. State Department Spokesperson Price urged Uzbek authorities to pursue a full, credible, and transparent investigation into the violence, consistent with international norms and best practices. The United States maintains its long-standing support for Uzbekistans sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. RENO The Nevada Mining Association announced the names of mining operations receiving the 2022 Mine Operator Safety Awards to be presented at the Nevada Mining Convention Sept. 7-10 at Harrahs at Lake Tahoe. Workplace safety continues to be the number one priority across Nevadas mining industry, said Tyre Gray, president of the mining association. The operators here in the Silver State go above and beyond paying special attention to all details big and small, ensuring workers are protected and theyre able to return safely after each shift. He said in the Aug. 1 announcement that in an industry where safety is always at the forefront, these 33 operators are truly the best of the best, and we congratulate all on their incredible efforts. The safety awards are based on performance in the previous calendar year, and the awards are given to the top mines in designated categories based on their safety rate, which is calculated through a formula that factors the number of employees on site, number of hours worked in 2021, penalties for lost-time accidents, number of reportable incidents and lost-time days. Many recipients recorded impressive a triple zero no reportable injuries, lost-time incidents or restrictive days, according to the NVMA. Nevada mines recorded 26.5 million work hours at 219 mine sites across the state in 2021, the association reported. The NVMA announced the names of the 37 individual safety award recipients in June, and both the individual award winners and the mine operator awards will be presented at the convention. The operator safety awards, and their categories, include: Large surfacefirst, second and third places went to Nevada Gold Mines, with first place going to mill and autoclave operations, second place to Goldstrike Mine and third place to Phoenix Mine. Medium surface first place, second and third places went to Nevada Gold Mines, with first place going to roaster operations; second place, Mill 6; and third place, Long Canyon Mine. Small surface three tied for first place, including Ruby Hill Mine operated by i-80 Gold Corp. Lone Tree, i-80 Gold; and Enfield Bell, First Majestic Silver Corp. Underground large Nevada Gold Mines took the awards, with first place to the Cortez underground operations, second to Leeville Mine and third to Meikle Mine. Underground medium two tied for first place, Nevada Copper Inc.s Pumpkin Hollow East and Lee Smith Mine, mined by Small Mine Development; and second place went to the SSX Mine, also mined by Small Mine Development. Both the Lee and SSX operations are at Jerritt Canyon. Underground small four operations tied for first place, including Twin Underground, operated by Nevada Gold Mines, Fire Creek operated by Hecla Mining, Hollister Mine operated by Hecla and El Nino operated by Nevada Gold Mines. Aggregate five operations tied for first place, including 3D Concrete operated by Dayton Materials, Ames Backfill Crusher operated by Ames Construction, Mustang Quarry operated by Q&D Construction, Lockwood Quarry operated by Granite Construction, and Spanish Springs operated by Pyramid Materials. Second place went to Sloan Quarry, operated by Holcim SWR. Contractor first place went to Small Mine Development at the Leeville Mine. Non-metal six tied for first place, including Apex Quarry and plant operated by Lhoist North America, Adams Claim operated by Arcosa Specialty Materials, Empire operated by Empire Mining Co., Colado operated by US Silica Co., and Fernley and Clark operations, also run by US Silica Co. Special recognition award for 10 years of zero harm Ames Constructions backfill crusher. ELKO A Carlin woman was arrested Friday night on a charge of home invasion. Carlin police were called to a Camp Street residence around 8:45 p.m. on a report of a female breaking into a residence. When they arrived they found Jodie E. Longtree, 22, on the ground. Longtree reportedly kicked in the front door and broke an exterior window. The door came open to the residence and Longtree battered a female inside of the residence punching her twice, stated the officers declaration of probable cause for arrest. She was then forcibly removed from the residence by the homeowners, who punched her, police said. An ambulance was called to transport her to the hospital in Elko. While trying to obtain vital signs from Longtree she kicked an EMT inside of the ambulance several times, stated the officers report. She was booked on charges of home invasion, residential burglary and battery on a protected person, with bail listed at $60,000. According to Elko County Jail records, Longtree was also arrested in June 2020 at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital for two counts of battery on a protected person. She pleaded no contest in September 2020 to disturbing the peace and was ordered to see a physician and take prescribed medications, and provide the court proof of a mental health evaluation and a care plan. ELKO An Elko man was arrested Friday on an attempted robbery charge after police said he got into a physical altercation with a Walmart employee while attempting to flee with a cartload of merchandise valued at $2,783. Alarms went off as Felipe G. Gonzalez, 19, was exiting the store and he attempted to punch an employee, according to an Elko Police Department statement. He ended up fleeing with no merchandise, the report said. Police were told he was last seen at the nearby McDonalds. An officer questioned him but he gave false information and was released. Gonzalez was later arrested at a Front Street residence. While placing him under arrest, police found a bag containing a blue M30 pill and another bag with what appeared to be a ground-up M30 pill. The officer did not test the pills because of potential Fentanyl exposure. Gonzalez also was allegedly in possession of a white crystal that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, the officer said. Police confirmed that Gonzalez was also wanted on a warrant. According to Elko County Jail records he was arrested July 2 for felony possession of a controlled substance and Oct. 26 for assault with a deadly weapon and felony possession of a controlled substance. His current charges were listed as attempted robbery, grand larceny, two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, false statement to obstruct a public officer, violation of probation, and failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Authorities in Northern California released a frame from surveillance video showing a missing 16-year-old at a store before she disappeared over the weekend and asked Wednesday for anyone with information to contact officials, saying they are not getting any new leads. Kiely Rodni, of Truckee, was last seen Saturday near the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee at a party attended by hundreds of juveniles and young adults. But despite all those in attendance and hundreds of tips, officials have no new information. Rodnis phone has been out of service since the party, and her car, a 2013 silver Honda CRV, has not been found. Placer County Sheriff Sgt. Josh Barnhart said Wednesday that not having any new leads has been very frustrating. More than 150 nurses and aides candidates come to continue studying and working in Japan. (Photo: Dolab) The Department of Overseas Labour Management under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that within the framework of the nurses and Certified care workers under Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA program), it has worked with the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the ARC Japanese Language Training School held a send-off ceremony for more than 150 nursing and aid candidates for the 9th term to study and work in Japan. These candidates have completed the Japanese language training course in Vietnam and met the requirements of the program. Since 2012, the program has implemented 10 courses, selected and taught Japanese for 2,012 Vietnamese candidates for nurses and aids. To date, 1,693 candidates have been sent to work in Japanese hospitals and elderly care facilities. Currently, the Department of Overseas Labour Management is accepting applications for the selection of the 11th term in 2022 under the EPA program. It is expected that it will recruit 240 candidates this time. EPA is a high-quality program that is directly coordinated by State agencies of the two sides to implement in all stages. Candidates are supported by the Governments of the two countries with all costs from 1-year Japanese language training to accommodation and living expenses during the training process. The highest goal is that during the working time, the candidate will take the exam and gain the national certificate of nurses and aides in Japan to be able to work long-term in this country./. At the reception (Photo: VNA) She made the statement on August 1 during her reception for Mr. Lee Yuan Siong, President and CEO of AIA Group (US). At the reception, Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan congratulated AIA Group for outstanding business results achieved after more than 20 years of operation in Vietnam; thereby affirming the Group's leading position in the life insurance market with its contributions to many meaningful activities for the community in Vietnam. She said that Vietnam advocates building an open and stable business environment, solving administrative procedures effectively, in which, the digital transformation process will help people and businesses do business more conveniently. Along with that, Vietnam will continue to reform the business environment for foreign enterprises to expand their operations. Emphasizing that Vietnam considers the foreign-invested economic sector an important component of the economy, it encourages foreign enterprises to invest more in Vietnam, especially in the financial sector. In that spirit, she asked AIA Group to share experiences, not only in the field of insurance but also in financial investment management skills, experience in responding to challenges from climate and other risks to ensure sustainable investment and development. She also proposed AIA Group help Vietnam train human resources, invest in infrastructure and provide financial support for highly feasible digital and energy transformation projects; continue to promote the spirit of community responsibility, increase charity activities, support the community, especially for disadvantaged children and communities heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For his part, President and CEO of AIA Group Lee Yuan Siong highly appreciated Vietnam's efforts to improve the business investment environment; and expressed his thanks for the support and facilitation of the State and Government of Vietnam for AIA Group, especially the state management agencies in the insurance industry. He said that children are one of the main objects of concern of the Group. In addition, the Group is also interested in logistics and medical care. Vietnam is an important market for AIA Group to implement this investment plan. He expressed his belief that Vietnam will develop prosperously in the future; and affirmed that in the coming time, AIA Group will continue to make efforts to contribute to sustainable socio-economic development, especially activities and projects for the community in Vietnam./. A beach in Phukhet, Thailand (Photo:AFP) The victims are women born in 1970 and her daughter born in 2006, who are residing in Dong Da district, Hanoi. They came to Phuket with their relatives to meet business partners, and travel. Le Trung Kien, the official in charge of citizen protection at the embassy, said the agency is coordinating with local authorities to issue necessary documents for the victims family members assisting them in procedures to repatriate the bodies as soon as possible. According to the embassy, in case of needing urgent assistance in Thailand, Vietnamese citizens can contact the embassy at the hotline: 66 898966653 or directly come to the embassy at 83/1 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330./. Ambassador Phung The Long visits the pavilion of the Maison Viet Restaurant at the weekend market in Vevey town. (Source: VNA) The delegation, led by Ambassador Phung The Long, visited a traditional weekend market of the town where a number of locally made vegetables and food were sold. The Vietnamese-run Maison Viet Restaurant offered many dishes of Vietnam at this market. Also present there, Ly Huu Bao, owner of Ly Thanh food store, talked to the delegation about the competitiveness of Vietnamese products in Switzerland, and said he hoped to have more quality products from Vietnam in his store. The delegation also visited Alimentarium - the worlds first food-themed museum located in Vevey, where a tea set made in Vietnams famous Bat Trang pottery village is among more than 10,000 objects on display. The ambassador, President of the Swiss - Vietnamese Business Gateway (SVBG) Nguyen Thi Thuc, and other SVBG members discussed cooperation potential and measures to enhance trade and sharing information about scientific and technical advances in agriculture, forestry, harvesting, preservation, and processing between Switzerland and Vietnamese localities. Long said Switzerland is strong at agricultural techniques and food processing that Vietnam can learn and apply to improve product quality and meet export requirements in Europe. He also suggested a business association of Vietnamese people be set up in Switzerland which, he said, will boost information sharing to create business opportunities./. Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Young Entrepreneurs Association Truong Ly Hoang Phi introduced this years award selection criteria. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) This years award is for Vietnamese entrepreneurs not more than 47 years old (instead of 45 years old as usual) and holding the following positions: Chairman (Vice Chairman) of the Boards of Directors, Chairman (Vice Chairman) of the Members Councils, President (Vice President) of companies, General Director (Deputy General Director), and Director (Deputy Director) of enterprises established and operating under the Law of Vietnam. Units must have head offices, branches, and representative offices operating and doing business in the southern city. According to Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Young Entrepreneurs Association Truong Ly Hoang Phi, the criteria for selecting the award are not only production and business activities, but also green criteria and participation in social activities. In addition, the enterprises must fully solve the policies and regimes, and take care of the material and spiritual life of employees. This year, 10 awards are expected to be given to excellent young entrepreneurs and 10 typical young entrepreneurs operating in various fields. In particular, this years award is aimed at honoring and encouraging the spirit of excellent entrepreneurs for their efforts in directing their enterprises to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. The organizers will receive applications until August 25, 2022. The award ceremony is expected to take place on October 10, 2022. The HCM City Young Entrepreneurs Excellence Award was established in 2000, initiated and chaired by the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union. The award was assigned to the Ho Chi Minh City Young Entrepreneurs to be a permanent unit, held every two years./. EU fully transfers EUR 1 bln of first tranche of new macro-financial aid to Ukraine EC President The European Union has fully provided Ukraine with the first tranche in the amount of EUR 1 billion of new emergency new macro-financial assistance, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said. "The funds will help Ukraine address its immediate financial needs following the unprovoked and unjustified aggression by Russia. The EUR 1 billion will help strengthen Ukraine in a crucial phase," she said on Linkedin on Tuesday. On the eve of the receipt of the first EUR 500 million from this tranche in Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced, adding that the second EUR 500 million is expected on Tuesday, August 2. As reported, the EU has previously approved the allocation of new emergency macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for EUR 9 billion, of which EUR 1 billion has been allocated so far. The remaining EUR 8 billion is expected to come in one tranche, but the final decision on them is being delayed. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the eve appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron with a request to unblock macro-financial assistance from the European Union. U.S. President Joe Biden signed a memorandum on the provision of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $550 million, the press service of the White House reports. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(1) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to $550 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown, " a document published on the White House website on Monday evening says. The export of grain and other food products from Ukraine depends on the fulfillment of security parameters, which is the responsibility of the United Nations and Turkey, which signed the relevant agreement, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said. "The implementation of the Initiative on the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from our ports in the Black Sea began today. The first vessel carrying 26,000 tons of corn left the port of Odesa. As of now, it is too early to draw any conclusions and predict further events. But the port started working, the export traffic started, and this can be called the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the spread of the food crisis in the world, " Zelensky said in a video message on Monday evening. According to him, "currently, everything depends on the implementation of the security parameters of the Initiative, which is the responsibility of the partners, primarily the United Nations and Turkey." At the same time, he stressed that we cannot have the illusions that Russia will simply refrain from trying to disrupt Ukrainian exports. "Russia consistently provoked famine in the countries of Africa and Asia, which traditionally imported large volumes of Ukrainian food. And now - in conditions of extreme heat, as this year in Europe, the threat of a price crisis and a certain food shortage is also possible for some European countries. So, well see how the agreements will work and whether there will really be security, " he said. Zelensky also noted that Ukraine is ready to make a significant contribution to the stabilization of the world food market. According to him, this has significant benefits for Ukraine itself. "For our state, this is also of great benefit - and this is not only about billions of dollars in foreign exchange revenue. About half a million Ukrainians are involved in the cultivation of agricultural export crops, and if we add related industries, then this is plus a million jobs. That is why there is the appropriate state attention to the implementation of the export Initiative. Our people really need it, " the president said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian front in recent weeks, said that the strength of the democratic world is well felt on the battlefield. As the Head of state noted, fierce battles with the Russian occupiers continue in Donbas, in Kharkiv region and in the south of Ukraine. "Ukrainian artillery and intelligence have already done a lot to reduce the fire potential of the occupiers - and it is tangible, " Zelensky said in his video address Monday evening. At the same time, he thanked the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the destruction of Russian logistics, warehouses and ammunition, as well as foreign partners for the supply of modern and effective artillery, missile systems. "The power of the democratic world is well felt on the battlefield in Ukraine these weeks, " he said. The United States is going to provide Ukraine with a new package of security assistance in the amount of $550 million, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Monday. "Today, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan; the Secretary of State, Tony Blinken; and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, spoke together with their Ukrainian counterparts about the enduring U.S. support to Ukraine as the Ukrainian people continue to stand up to Russian aggression, and to inform them about a new $550 million security assistance package that the Biden administration will authorize today," Kirby said at the White House briefing. The State Department, for its part, confirmed the allocation of military equipment and weapons to Kyiv from the budget of the Ministry of Defense in the amount of up to $550 million. "Todays announcement includes more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 155mm artillery systems," the U.S. Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It is noted that according to the results of this tranche, the total amount of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine will amount to approximately $8.7 billion since President Joe Biden took office. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron with a request to unblock the macro-financial assistance of the European Union. Speaking about a telephone conversation with Macron on Monday, Zelensky said on the telethon that he "asked Mr. President to help us unblock macro-financial aid, which has stalled in Europe." "I want to remind all the leaders that it is EUR 9 billion. These are not trifles for us, but important social things - these are our pensions, these are our salaries, support for IDPs, and therefore we expect appropriate decisions from specific government officials," he said. "A wide range of security issues - thank you for the assistance already given to Ukraine, which effectively protects us on the battlefield," Zelensky also said. According to him, Macron also informed about the results of his tour of African countries: "we are now strengthening this direction of our foreign policy." "I invited President Macron to participate in the online summit of the Crimea Platform, which will take place shortly. Last year, we created the Crimea Platform and are developing this format despite all the threats and tangible diplomatic opposition from Russia, " the president stressed. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that he had not received answers to his requests from the United Nations (UN) regarding the commission of a war crime by the Russian army in Olenivka, Donetsk region, as a result of which Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed en masse. "I can inform you that we have communication with the International Committee of the Red Cross. As for the United Nations, our situation is worse: I am officially sending letters and requests. I did it on the first day right after the tragedy. And I personally have not received any adequate signal, not even an official one. I can publicly confirm this," he said on the air of the national telethon #UArazom on Monday. The State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) neutralized an organized group that created a powerful bot farm to discredit the leadership of Ukraine and undermine the socio-political situation, SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko has said. "The attackers massively disseminated disinformation via the Internet, including about the activities of the country's top military and political leadership. The propaganda 'powers' of this bot farm were also used by representatives of the Russian special services. In particular, they spread fake news about the situation at the frontline through bots and carried out other information sabotage," he said in a video statement published on Monday on the Ukrainian intelligence service website. According to the spokesperson, among the latest "operations" of the intruders are the dissemination of content about the alleged conflict between the leadership of the President's Office and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as a campaign to discredit the first lady. "In order to disperse destructive content, dealers administered more than 1 million of their own bots, as well as numerous groups in social networks with an audience of almost 400,000 users," Dekhtiarenko said. He said that in the course of a multi-stage special operation, the head of the criminal group was exposed, he turned out to be a Russian citizen who lived in Kyiv and positioned himself as a "political expert." "According to the investigation, he organized information and subversive activities on the order of one of the domestic political forces. In order to coordinate criminal actions, he was in 'contact' with the incumbent MP, who is a close associate of the former leadership of our government," the SBU spokesperson said. He also said the Russian political strategist created special software with which the group members automatically managed an unlimited number of anonymous accounts in the most popular social networks. "During searches at the locations of the organizers of the crime, law enforcement officers seized: a hardware and software complex that ensures the functioning of the bot farm; some 5,000 SIM cards that the attackers used to create and subsequently maintain technical accounts; some 200 'Proxy' servers for spoofing IP addresses and avoiding blocking relevant Internet resources," he said. Measures to expose and block offenses were carried out by officers of the SBU Cyber Department with the Main Investigation Department of the National Police and under the procedural leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office. Under criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 361 (unauthorized interference in the work of information (automated), electronic communication, information and communication systems, electronic communication networks) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, investigative and operational actions are ongoing to bring to justice all the organizers of the bot farm. The SBU report does not specify a political force, as a source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax-Ukraine, it is about the European Solidarity party. At the same time, European Solidarity categorically deny their involvement in the bot farm. "Officially: there was no 'European Solidarity bot farm.' This is a false stuffing aimed at discrediting the patriotic political force," MP of the European Solidarity faction Volodymyr Ariev said on Facebook. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, briefed him on the situation on the battlefield and the need for Ukraine to receive more heavy weapons from NATO member countries as soon as possible in order to successfully repel Russian attacks and move on to a further counteroffensive. As reported on the Ukrainian head of state website on Tuesday, Zelensky noted the importance of our state receiving non-lethal military assistance from the Alliance as soon as possible within the framework of a comprehensive package approved at the NATO Madrid summit. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the assistance in question is fully funded. The president discussed separately with the NATO Secretary General the state of development of Ukraine's requests to NATO for assistance for humanitarian demining and expressed hope that the delivery of the necessary equipment would be accelerated. Zelensky invited Stoltenberg to take part in the Crimea Platform online summit on August 23, 2022. [August 01, 2022] ResultsCX Partners With ERIN For New Employee Referral Program ReferCX FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ResultsCX, a premier customer experience partner to Fortune-100 and 500 companies, today announced it has partnered with ERIN Technologies for a new employee referral program called ReferCX. ERIN is a leading employee referral platform that supports over 1.5 million employees making referrals in over 100 different countries. With the new submission platform, along with payout increases, ResultsCXs aims to double the amount of referrals it receives within the first calendar year of its formal launch on May 31. Data shows that referrals have a 50% higher retention rate and increased performance in nearly every key indicator. Simply put, hiring more referrals means better service for ResultsCX clients and their customers. The ERIN platform integrates seamlessly with ResultsCXs ATS and HRIS, decreasing manual labor that previously went into the referral process, along with Automatic Referral tracking and payouts. With a gamified platform designed with the end user in mind, the company is excited to see the new referral program reach a significant amount of its employees with a growing number of users bringing in referred applicants. The ERIN Team provided key support components as a partner - training support as well as assistance in marketing the referral program to employees for widespread adoption and use. It has also provided a 24/7 chatbot on the ResultsCX website and offers ongoing program support to ensure ResultsCX is on track to meet their referral targets. In addition to financial incentives for referrals, ERINs gamified format also enables ResultsCX to assign points referrals sent, link shares on social media, and use of the app so that employees can earn non-monetary prizes as well during its campaign. "At ResultCX, we know that people are at the heart of everything we do, said Sean Hawthorne, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition for ResultsCX. To that end, we're thrilled to announce our new best-in-class global ReferCX program and reward our teams for bringing the best and brightest from their network to our growing family. ReferCX challenges and reimagines the traditional referral model in high volume recruitment by focusing on talent attraction and retention. We couldn't be more excited to see what the future holds as a result of this initiative." "We're excited to partner with ResultsCX to support their innovative referral efforts with our platform, bringing automation and engagement to achieve high volume and high-quality employee referrals, said Mike Stafiej, CEO of ERIN. They have been an excellent partner and are visionaries with their talent acquisition strategies." "From the onset, Christy Clark, Sean Hawthorne, and team understood the positive impact an employee referral program would have on the ResultsCX global business, said Raul Aquino, Director of Global Sales for ERIN. Impressively, they were aware and understood the challenges, gaps, and choke points they faced not having a robust platform to support that initiative. Their objectives are clear in that they are striving to actively engage their global employees, fully integrate with their ATS, and automate the entire lifecycle process. We look forward to working with the ResultsCX team regularly as a trusted business partner. About ERIN ERIN Technologies, Inc. is a leading employee referral platform that supports over 1.5 million employees making referrals in over 29 different countries. ERINs platform enables businesses to completely automate employee referrals and provides an engaging experience allowing employees to make referrals in less than 30-seconds using the mobile app or web browser. ERIN is based in Pittsburgh, PA and was founded in 2019. To learn more about ERIN and how their platform helps businesses boost referral hires, visit https://erinapp.com. About ResultsCX ResultsCX is a premier customer experience partner to Fortune 100 and 500 companies. We design, build, and deliver digitally influenced customer journeys that achieve the satisfaction and loyalty brands need to thrive and grow, while improving efficiency and reducing costs. ResultsCXs 30-year track record for reimagining the customer experience to meet consumers evolving expectations has driven growth to more than 20 geographic hubs and approximately 20,000 colleagues worldwide. Our core expertise extends to actionable analytics, contact center as a service (CCaaS), and our own SupportPredict AI-powered digital experience platform. Our strength lies in exceptional individuals working together in a high-performing, fun culture to deliver next-generation customer experiences on behalf of our clients. Contact: Jeanne Vest Vice President, Marketing ResultsCX [email protected] 629.772.2951 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, his First Deputy Oleksandr Korniyenko and Deputy Chairperson Olena Kondratiuk, due to the mass death of Ukrainian prisoners of war as a result of deliberate shelling of the colony in Olenivka, Donetsk region, call on the world community to contribute to an objective investigation of this terrorist act, to recognize Russia as terrorist state, take measures for its comprehensive isolation and strengthen sanctions. "On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, we appeal to the world community, international organizations, governments and parliaments of foreign states with a call to strongly condemn the gross violation of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation and take all possible measures to conduct an impartial objective investigation of this terrible crime and bring all ideologists to justice and executors of the Russian cannibalistic policy of extermination," the leadership of the Ukrainian parliament said in a statement due to the war crime committed by Russia on the territory of the temporarily occupied settlement of Olenivka, Donetsk region. At the same time, the parliament calls on the world community to take the necessary measures to force Russia to comply with the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 1949 and other norms of international humanitarian law, including ensuring free access to places of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war for representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, other international humanitarian organizations. The leadership of the Ukrainian parliament also calls on the world to recognize Russia as a terrorist state and take effective measures for its comprehensive international isolation by ending all types of cooperation with it and freezing contacts with its representatives at all levels. In addition, the Verkhovna Rada calls for increasing sanctions economic and political pressure on Russia to undermine its economic ability to continue the war against Ukraine and build new imperial conquest plans, as well as to realize the seriousness of the threat to the entire architecture of the world legal order and the fundamental principles of the existence of man as a moral being and use it for the sake of future world community, all possible instruments of cooperation to prevent the recurrence of such war crimes, as well as attempts to propagate or justify them. The OSCE is launching a large and ambitious program for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau said. At a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Rau said the OSCE is launching a large and ambitious program for Ukraine. It is based on a trusting partnership, as well as on the considerable experience that OSCE officials have gained over the past 28 years through deployment in different regions, as well as through the implementation about 25 projects, according to the minister. He said the OSCE determined to stay on the ground and support Ukraine on its way to overcome a huge number of challenges, and help with post-war reconstruction. He convinced that the OSCE will play an important role in these projects. Rau said that as the incumbent head of the OSCE, together with OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, they assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that the OSCE will continue to assist Ukraine on its path to peace and stability under any circumstances. In turn, Schmid said the program provides for the provision of assistance to authorities and society. According to the OSCE Secretary General, it is based on trusting relationships, as well as on the vast experience that OSCE has accumulated over the past three decades. She also noted the need to respond to the heightened risks to civilians resulting from war by countering armed activities, combating mines or neutralizing the impact of war on women and children, in particular countering illegal displacement of people and sexual violence. The presence of the OSCE in Ukraine will continue without the consent of Russia, Polish Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau has said. At a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Rau assured that OSCE presence in Ukraine will now continue without Russian support, without Russian consensus or consent. This means that OSCE had to change the legal and financial mechanisms for conducting our activities, which means that OSCE created and ensured its presence in Ukraine, in Kyiv. He said this has already been discussed, a decision has already been made on this in accordance with certain resolutions from the current head and other members. Rau also said the OSCE has reached a certain agreement with the Ukrainian government regarding activities in Kyiv. According to him, it also means that we can organize relevant activities for certain extra-budgetary resources. This is what the OSCE Secretary General has already decided on, Rau said. He pointed out the need to understand that taking into account all the OSCE activities on the territory of Ukraine, one cannot count on Russian consent, which does not allow obtaining a consensus. Rau said the OSCE has a number of different mechanisms that allow to avoid or circumvent the principle of consensus. They have already mentioned the Moscow Mechanism, which OSCE officials currently use and, in fact, have already used it twice. If the situation requires it, they will use this mechanism even more often. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the current head of the OSCE, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Zbigniew Rau to make efforts to free Ukrainians who were part of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission from enemy captivity. According to the presidential press service, during a meeting held on Tuesday, Zelensky thanked the President and the government of Poland, as well as the entire Polish people for their strong support for Ukraine during a full-scale Russian invasion. "These are powerful neighbors who help us today, at this historic moment, supporting us in different directions," he said, expressing gratitude to Poland for helping IDPs from Ukraine. "They help in any way they can hosting in families, helping our children, helping families find work and shelter," the head of state said. The president said the legislative initiatives of Poland in support of the Ukrainians on the territory of this state. He said the Verkhovna Rada adopted a similar law on the special status of Poles in Ukraine. "I believe that there should be as many such things between our peoples as possible. Such unity testifies to the common future of our peoples, our independent sovereign states," he said. Zelensky thanked Poland for defense assistance to Ukraine, in particular, for the supply of Krab self-propelled artillery mounts. The Russians launched a missile attack on Chervonohrad district of Lviv region, operational services went to the scene, Head of the regional military administration Maksym Kozytsky said. "Preliminary: an explosion in the territory of Chervonohrad district as a result of a missile strike. Operational services went to the scene. Details will be later," he said on the Telegram channel. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. Azerbaijan seeks to advance regional dialogue platforms, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Acting Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov in Tashkent on August 2, Trend reports. "Azerbaijan situated at the crossroads of civilizations, subsequently supports and promotes regional cooperation platforms. For example, the AzerbaijanTurkiyeKazakhstan trilateral meeting, held in Baku on June 27, can serve as a model of regional dialogue," Bayramov stated. According to the minister, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan will also strive to promote joint economic projects. "Joint efforts for reaching the potential on energy, particularly on the renewable energy, as well as trade and transport, will contribute to the prosperity of our countries," said Bayramov. As the minister emphasized, the new trilateral platform fits well with existing efforts aimed at developing regional interaction and meeting common peaceful interests of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan amidst growing challenges to global security, stability, and economic development. Following the meeting, the sides have signed the Tashkent Declaration, the purpose of which is reinforcing relations between the three countries. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. Uzbekistan initiated the creation of new transport corridor with the participation of Azerbaijan, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilhom Mahkamov in his speech at the first meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Transport of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkiye in Tashkent, initiated the formation of a new multimodal Turkey-Caucasus-Central Asia-South Asia corridor through Afghanistan. According to him, given the extremely high potential for accelerating the growth rates in the short and medium term of South Asian countries, it is necessary to jointly take measures to develop cargo transportation with South Asian countries. "Currently, there is an opportunity to transport goods through the territory of Afghanistan to Pakistan. Thus, our carriers are gradually testing and are already starting to carry out cargo transportation by road through Afghanistan," Mahkamov said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has left for a visit to Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Bayramov will take part in the first trilateral meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs, trade, economy and transport of Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Earlier it was reported that Uzbekistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan will discuss the prospects of cooperation in the fields of investment, innovation, transport and communication, Press Secretary of the President of Uzbekistan Sherzod Asadov said. According to him, the heads of the ministries of foreign affairs, trade and transport of Uzbekistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan will discuss the issues of further development in interregional cooperation within the framework of the meeting planned for August 2, 2022. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. The patrol ships and military personnel of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces, that were on a visit to the Russian Federation according to the joint military action plan, returned to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. As part of the visit, a meeting between the delegation of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces and the leadership of the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy was held. Friendly relations between the Azerbaijan Naval Forces and the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy and issues of mutual interest were discussed at the meeting. Moreover, Azerbaijani seamen participated in several events held in the Russian Federation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. The first trilateral meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Economy and Transport of Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Uzbekistan was held today in Tashkent, Trend reports via Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov of Azerbaijan, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev attended the meeting. The parties exchanged views on issues of foreign policy and possibilities of regional cooperation, activities to realize the full potential of cooperation between the three countries in the fields of economy, trade, investment and transport. The possibilities of cooperation in energy field, particularly, in the field of renewable energy sources were also discussed. The sides discussed the opportunities of further strengthening cooperation on the development of international transport corridors in order to make better use of the high transit potential of the three countries. In particular, the importance of the Trans-Caspian International East-West Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway as part of this corridor was emphasized. The opening of all communications in the region, including the Zangazur corridor, will contribute to the expansion of international transport links. Following the meeting, the ministers of the three countries responsible for the relevant areas signed the Tashkent Declaration. The foreign ministers made press statements following the results of the trilateral meeting. Trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Uzbekistan is based on common history, culture and values. It also relies on strong bilateral ties and existing strategic partnership relations between the countries. The new trilateral format, the foundation of which was laid with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Transport, will contribute to the development and promotion of joint projects in relevant areas. It will also strengthen cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual interest. NEWS PROVIDED BY Pastor Stephen Broden Aug. 2, 2022 DALLAS, Aug. 2, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Pastor Stephen Broden, Executive Director, Content of Character Series: The abortion fight has changed! The battlefield has shifted to the states. The Pro-life community, especially black pro-lifers, must adjust their strategy to target those states doubling down to legalize abortion. No doubt, the abortion industry is working to influence and mobilize legislators in blue states to codify abortion. It is clear that the Pro-abortion advocates have adjusted their efforts to the states and have rallied their allies to target Governors, Attorney Generals, legislators, community organizers, Preachers, and others to protect the practice of killing innocent babies. Since SCOTUS ruled against Roe, pro-aborts have rushed to galvanize their efforts to embellish a deceptive narrative that the court's decision hurts black and poor women. Their talking points include a carefully crafted mantra that abortion is "Healthcare" and black and poor women need abortion services as an essential part of their healthcare. It is a cleaver and effective ruse to frame abortion as healthcare, for it cloaks the brutal reality that abortion is the deliberate murder of innocent life. This public argumentation aims to stir the poor and unsuspecting into supporting an evil, murderous practice of slaughtering innocent babies. The success of this dialectic is dependent mainly upon its emotional appeal to poor and uninformed women. Merchants of death enter black and poor communities and, through pretense, offer empathetic persuasion seducing women into believing killing their babies is the only answer to unintended pregnancies. But, unfortunately, these merchants also draw black preachers and politicians to betray their communities with filthy lucre! Who, in turn, opens the community to a spiritual deception that blinds its victims to the destructive results of abortion. Through slick advertisements and sophisticated marketing, their narrative is surprisingly presented by those most victimized by abortion, black men and women! The public square, through the voices of black politicians, black preachers, black feminists, and black community organizers, is deceiving many into believing healthcare and abortion services are one and the same. Yet, these voices are unchallenged at this juncture and enjoy the support of media allies and other social media platforms that pump their untrammeled lies into our communities, seducing the uninformed into baby killing and self-destruction. This scenario is currently working itself out in the struggle pro-lifers face due to SCOTUS punt to the states. The Black Pro-life community is challenged to find ways to challenge voices from our community to normalize killing babies as healthcare. Unfortunately, these voices are supported by a powerful lobbyist with deep pockets to buy and finance black hirelings to sell death in our communities across this nation. The battlefield in the fight for babies has changed, and the strategy must also change. We can no longer compartmentalize our efforts into individual silos fighting apart. Instead, black and white pro-lifers must team together and enter the new arena of State politics. White evangelicals must stand shoulder to shoulder with black pro-life men and women as they push back against deceptive lies articulated by false prophets and lying politicians. New strategies and new tactics are required as we face a battle for the hearts and minds of all Americans. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.2. The international community needs to support Azerbaijan in demining in Karabakh, the former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Matthew Bryza told Trend. There is a need to move forward as quickly as possible, because mines pose risk to human life and also, it is disincentive to investment which is necessary to rebuild Azerbaijans liberated lands and enable Azerbaijanis to return to their homes and hopefully, in some cases, again become neighbors with Armenians and to finally reintegrate all of Azerbaijans lands into the country overall, said Bryza. The former US ambassador expressed regret that the employees of the demining company and everyone who lost their lives due to mines or the conflict. Thank goodness, the military phase is over and we can all now focus on demining, rebuilding and ultimately a peace treaty to settle the problem forever, he concluded. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev, who arrived in Tashkent to participate in the first trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Transport of Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Uzbekistan, Trend reports via Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan. During the meeting Mirziyoyev conveyed his warmest meetings to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. He recalled the visit of Azerbaijani president to Uzbekistan back in June of this year. Mirziyoyev highly appreciated the work done in a short time in accordance with the agreements reached during the visit. Furthermore, the importance of the first historic meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs, economy and transport of Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Uzbekistan, which took place today, was stressed. The issues of high-level cooperation between three countries both in the bilateral format and in the format of international organizations, the work carried out within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, including preparations for the organization's summit in November this year in Samarkand. In general, the great potential of cooperation between the three countries was emphasized. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov conveyed the best wishes of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the president of Uzbekistan. In accordance with the instructions of the heads of the state, the need to implement practical measures to fulfill the obligations arising both from the results of the meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental commission and from the Tashkent Declaration adopted was noted. Gratitude was expressed to Uzbek president for organizing a meeting in a trilateral format at a high level. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. The lump-sum payment in the amount of nearly 67 million manat ($39.4 million) has been rendered up to 11,000 disabled veterans of the first Karabakh war, Chairman of the State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Azerbaijan Himalay Mamishov said at a press conference on August 2, Trend reports. Azerbaijan has started providing a one-time payment to the disabled vets of the first Karabakh war. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. TEHRAN, Iran, Aug 2. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pursuing the restoration of Hirmand river along the Afghanistan border, said the Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, Trend reports citing IRNA. Kanaani stressed on the importance of the issue and water rights based on contracts signed between the two countries, adding that considering recent heavy rainfalls, Iran expects Afghanistan to stick to its commitments from the 1973 treaty and remove the potential artificial barriers along the river. He pointed out that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has contacted Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry and stressed on compliance to Iran's water rights. According to the official, Iran is ready to solve the technical issues and send its Energy Minister to Afghanistan to discuss the implementation of the water agreement between the two countries. Turkiye urged common sense and restraint as counter-protests in Iraq over the nomination of a new prime minister are feared to further escalate tensions, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. Thousands gathered in Baghdad for a counter-rally called by Iran-backed groups against their rival, an influential cleric whose followers staged a sit-in inside the Iraqi Parliament. Supporters of the Coordination Framework, an alliance led by Shiite parties close to Iran, withdrew hours later, yet it was not immediately clear if the pullback was a definite de-escalation in their power struggle with cleric Muqtada al-Sadrs loyalists. Turkiye follows the developments in Baghdad with concern, the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement, adding that it hopes the current political uncertainty is settled soon. It urged that an inclusive and representative government should be established without delay in line with the expectations of the Iraqi people. Turkey respects the right of the Iraqi people to express their views and expectations through democratic means, the statement said, calling on the parties to refrain from violence and preserve the public order first. Against this background, the ministry said, it is of utmost importance to refrain from violence and to prioritize the preservation of public order. We call on all relevant parties to act with common sense and restraint, it noted. The prospect of opposing demonstrations stirred fears of a deepening political crisis. Iraqs political sphere has been in a vacuum since the federal elections in October. Nearly 10 months on, Iraq is still without a new government despite intense negotiations between factions. Tensions escalated in recent days following the nomination of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as a new prime minister by the Coordination Framework. Al-Sadrs followers have been camped out inside Parliament in Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone since thousands stormed the building on Saturday, demanding reforms and denouncing the Iran-backed alliance. In a counter-protest, supporters of pro-Iran Iraqi groups staged demonstrations in Baghdad amid attempts to storm the fortified Green Zone. A Cairo criminal court referred on Tuesday the case of the judge accused of murdering his wife, TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, and his alleged partner in crime to the grand mufti to inquire about the religious ruling. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide Egypts Ministry of Health and Population with a grant worth $11.2 million to support patients suffering from HIV and tuberculosis as well as to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. This is the Credible Source on Pope Pius XII's Actions During Holocaust NEWS PROVIDED BYAug. 2, 2022SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 / Standard Newswire / -- There is only one credible source when it comes to understanding what Pope Pius XII did to subvert Hitler and save thousands upon thousands of Jews and Catholics during the Holocaust: Michael Hesemann's new book, THE POPE AND THE HOLOCAUST: PIUS XII AND THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES (Ignatius Press). Hesemann's access to the Vatican Secret Archives in 2020 revealed a multitude of documents that leave no doubt of Pius' wisdom and acts as a shrewd diplomat to subvert the power of the Nazis.It wasn't only Hesemann, an archival and archaeological researcher, who had access to the documents at the Vatican Secret Archives as he prepared to write THE POPE AND THE HOLOCAUST in March 2020. There were 25 international historians who were granted access to the recently declassified wartime files of the Holy See, including David Kertzer, whose newly released book on the very same subject, The Pope at War, is a blatantly dishonest work against Pius' efforts to save the Jews while precariously balancing decisions to remain quiet in public and, at the same time, to work tirelessly in private against the Third Reich. Kertzer quotes many documents in the Secret Archives in full but withholds critical information on context THE POPE AND THE HOLOCAUST gives the whole story.THE POPE AND THE HOLOCAUST traces Eugenio Pacelli's (Pope Pius XII) fight for peace in the 1930s and 1940s, including his years as apostolic nuncio in Germany, where he resisted Nazism. Even some of his most controversial moves, such as the 1933 Vatican concordat, were made to protect Jewish and Christian lives. What emerges clearly from Hesemann's evidence is a portrait of a man radically committed to the Jews and the revelation God gave to them."This dramatically illuminating book should finally put to rest the calumnies against Pius XII, whose actions saved more Jews during the Holocaust that any other single individual," said Robert Reilly, author of America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding. "Hesemann tells this story in an entirely gripping manner and explains why Pius had to do this work quietly and often covertly. While the book reads like a thriller, its documentation is thorough, compelling and definitive."For more information, to request a media review copy, or to schedule an interview with Michael Hesemann, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.SOURCE Carmel CommunicationsCONTACT: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com Egypt's first coronavirus vaccine COVI-VAX has shown promising results in the clinical trials, including in terms of safety, said head of the clinical trials team for the Egyptian vaccine Osama Azmy on Sunday. "Good news" about the Egyptian vaccine will be heard "very soon," Azmy said in remarks to Hadrat Al-Mowaten TV program on Al-Hadath Al-Youm. An Egyptian coronavirus drug is also undergoing clinical trials and will be made available immediately afterward, Azmy added. He noted that the Egyptian coronavirus drug, which is considered a "food supplement," can be taken to cure and also prevent coronavirus. Clinical trials for COVI-VAX officially started in November last year. When first announced, it was estimated that trials would take six to nine months, according to comments made by Azmy at the time. COVI-VAX is a product of cooperation between the National Centre for Research (NCR) and the private-sector bio-technology company Vaccine Valley, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) said. Egypt has locally produced millions of doses of the Chinese Sinovac coronavirus vaccine since mid-2021 in its VACSERA factories in Gizas 6 of October City and has imported tens of millions of vaccines of all types. Late in January, the EDA issued an emergency use authorisation for Mercks COVID-19 drug Molnupiravir and has allowed five national companies to manufacture the oral antiviral as a first stage. In a separate statement by the health ministry, Head of the EDA Tamer Essam pointed out that local companies have so far succeeded in producing 25,000 Molnupiravir packages, with the availability of raw materials sufficient to manufacture about 150,000 additional packages". The first batch of AstraZenecas Evusheld a monoclonal antibody drug that resists the coronavirus comprising 15,000 doses also arrived in Egypt late in January. Search Keywords: Short link: Yemens Houthi militia refused a proposal made by the UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg to open the Taiz crossings and other roads, calling into question the countrys recently renewed UN-brokered truce, Al-Arabiya reported on Sunday. Related UN Yemen envoy calls on Houthi rebels to open roads to besieged city An anonymous informed source said that Houthis response was negative and returned the negotiations to square one, according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. He also said that the team representing the legitimate government received a letter from the UN envoy late Thursday evening, informing them of the Houthis response to the proposal. Details of the proposal Grundbergs proposal called for opening the three routes into Taiz presented by the Houthis during negotiations that were held in the Jordanian capital of Amman, as well as one road proposed by the team from the legitimate government of Yemen, in addition to another road between the Dhale and Ibb governorates. Two rounds of negotiations over the issue took place in Amman before the UN envoy travelled to Sanaa to deliver his proposal to the Houthis. After the proposal was rejected by the Houthis, the government team is now preparing a response expected to be announced soon. Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak warned of the stubbornness of the Houthis and their insistence on continuing the siege on Taiz, saying it is a dilemma in the face of the UN-led political process. Yemens truce, which began in early April and was extended until the beginning of August, includes four items: a comprehensive ceasefire, the entry of 18 fuel-carrying ships to Hodeida ports, allowing two air flights to and from Sanaa every week, in addition to opening the roads in Taiz and other governorates to improve the freedom of movement of people in Yemen. While progress on the first three items has been made, the openings of roads remains a sticking point. Surrounded by mountains, Taiz, which has around 600,000 inhabitants, has been almost cut off from the outside world since 2015. The truce has led to a reduction in fighting and in civilian casualties, as well as the resumption of commercial flights from Sanaa and better humanitarian access in the country. Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been devastated by almost eight years of war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces supported since 2015 by a coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia. Search Keywords: Short link: China said it was conducting military exercises Saturday off its coast opposite Taiwan after warning Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives to scrap possible plans to visit the island democracy, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. The ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, was conducting ``live-fire exercises'' near the Pingtan islands off Fujian province from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the official Xinhua News Agency said. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area. Such exercises usually involve artillery. The one-sentence announcement gave no indication whether Saturday's exercise also might include missiles, fighter planes or other weapons. Pelosi, who would be the highest-ranking American elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997, has yet to confirm whether she will go. President Xi Jinping warned his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, in a phone call Thursday against ``external interference'' in Beijing's dealings with the island. China says Taiwan has no right to conduct foreign relations. It sees visits by American officials as encouragement for the island to make its decades-old de facto independence official. The Ministry of Defense warned Washington this week not to allow Pelosi, who is Biden's equal in rank as leader of one of three branches of government, to visit Taiwan. A spokesman said the PLA would take unspecified ``strong measures'' to stop pro-independence activity. The PLA has flown growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers near Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles into shipping lanes to the island. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with a communist victory on the mainland. The two governments say they are one country but disagree over which is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment. Search Keywords: Short link: The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa on Monday under a deal aimed at relieving a global food crisis following Russia's invasion of its neighbour, the Turkish defence ministry said. "The ship Razoni has left the port of Odessa bound for Tripoli in Lebanon. It is expected in Istanbul on August 2. It will then continue its journey after it has been inspected in Istanbul," the ministry said. The vessel was carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn, according to Ukraine's infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. It was expected to reach the mouth of the Bosphorus on Tuesday at around midday, according to Yoruk Isik, an expert on ship movements on the Bosphorus Strait and in the region. Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities in line with the agreement reached with Russia on July 22, Turkey said. Built in 1996 and measuring 186 metres (610 feet) in length and 25 metres in width, the Razoni, which is flying under the Sierra Leone flag, has capacity of 30,000 tonnes. On July 22, Ukraine and Russia signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at easing a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries. Turkey formally opened a special joint coordination centre in Istanbul last Wednesday to oversee the exports. The centre is being staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN. Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea. The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries. UN estimates say nearly 50 million people began to face "acute hunger" around the world as a direct consequence of the war. Wheat prices fell sharply hours after the grain deal was signed. Search Keywords: Short link: Ahram Online: The Biden visit to the Middle East that took place a couple of weeks ago is still subject to considerable analysis. One of the big questions that seem to be still unanswered is about the real motives behind this visit. What was Biden up to really in this three-leg tour? Mohamed Kamal: What brought Biden to the region is simply the reality on the ground. He came to the Middle East strictly for US purposes or almost. Biden was one of those American politicians who had subscribed to the idea that the Middle East is becoming of lesser significance to the US foreign policy, at least from a strategic point of view. Then things happened. There was the war in Ukraine that caused a hike in fuel prices in the US, and this is certainly something that any American president has to deal with given the pressure it puts on the American economy overall. So, when this happened Biden decided to pick up the recipe he knows very well: call up on the Middle East to pump up the oil production. When the calls did not work, he decided to come to the region and personally engage the leaders in the region on a number of issues obviously, not just the energy situation. There is also this sense that the Americans say that they have about a vacuum that their lesser engagement of the region has caused and that is being filled with some Russian or Chinese presence. This might or might not be true but in any case, this is another reason that could have prompted the Biden visit to the Middle East. AO: And did Biden score on these two issues? And what did the Arab interlocutors who took part in the Jeddah meeting actually get out of their encounters with the president of the US? MK: Well, to start with, I think that for the Arab world the visit has a sort of symbolic significance in the sense that it ended what might have seemed as an unprecedented rebuff of an American president to key US Arab allies. It was important to have this visit and to have the president of the US coming to them and addressing all issues in a way that is not offensive or aggressive. There was a statement that came out of the Jeddah summit [that brought Biden with the leaders of the GCC, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq] and there were joint statements that came after the bilateral meetings that Biden had on the sidelines of the Jeddah Summit. Overall, it is safe to say that the language of all these statements was balanced and did accommodate the views of the Arab countries represented in the summit that Saudi Arabia hosted [mid-July]. They all addressed issues of interest to the Arab world at large. So, from an Arab perspective, I think this is a political gain. Now what will happen next is a different question. We have to see whether the US will take some action to build on the positions that were included in the statements that came out of the Jeddah meetings. The Palestinian Cause and the case of GERD are among the issues that the US could actually work on, and we will see what it will actually do. The positions the US expressed in the statements seemed quite positive, but we have to see whether or not the Americans will act upon what they said, or walk the walk after they talked the talk. This is what counts most. As for Biden, he said that he has promises [from the concerned Gulf countries] to increase oil production. Again, here too the timing and volume of increase are not clear. However, for now, it seems that this statement helped to stabilize the prices of fuel. Meanwhile, we will have to see what it means for the US to avoid having a vacuum in the region that Russia or China could fill. We need to see if the US will be more involved in the region and to what extent. AO: Biden was the first ever US president to fly directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia. This is a major move and a major political gain for the US president that he took back home. MK: I am not so sure that this direct trip could qualify for such a big political gain. Clearly, this US administration is keen to help the current Israeli government with the next general elections. I am not sure how this direct flight would configurate in Israeli politics, but in general, it is clear that the Biden Administration would prefer to deal with the current Israeli government than the possible return of [former Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin] Netanyahu. Clearly, for the Democrats, especially for Biden [with the legacy of the administration of Barack] Obama, Netanyahu is not the best partner in Israel AO: Would you say that Biden managed to use this trip to argue the case for his policy on Iran? Is it safe to say that with the security assurances he offered to Israel and to the Gulf there is less apprehension over a possible deal between the West and Iran over Tehrans nuclear programme? MK: Again, I would wait and see. However, for sure the talks that Biden held in the region offered an opportunity for a candid and direct exchange of views on a range of files including the case of Iran. Clearly, the US president tried to dispel the concerns of his partners in the region and to say in so many ways that the US will do whatever it takes to make sure that Iran does not develop military nuclear capacities. What he said amounts to an indirect promise that the US could resort to military options to block any Iranian plans to develop military nuclear capacities. However, at the same time, Biden did say that he believed it is important to negotiate a deal with Iran because it is this deal that would make sure that Tehran will not work on developing military nuclear capacities. So, in a way, Biden was saying that he remained committed to negotiating a deal but if negotiations did not pay off the US will not allow Iran to have nuclear military capacity. AO: Let us address the Egyptian-American relations. The meeting that Biden had with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Jeddah was the first direct encounter between the two heads of state, despite previous phone calls. Would you say that this meeting could get the relations back on track and end the cold that seemed to overshadow the bilateral relations? MK: I would not speak in terms of warmth and cold. I would just say that this meeting offers a step forward. I think it was important and overdue for the two presidents to meet and discuss the wide range of issues that is of interest to both countries regional or bilateral. Obviously, one cannot say that the Egyptian-American relations have been put on hold since Biden took office. There has been work and meetings and we saw the Strategic Dialogue meeting where both Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed commitment to keeping the relations moving. The US and Egypt do have a strategic alliance and this alliance is never just about the US aid to Egypt, although recently the US promised to provide economic assistance to help Egypt with the economic recalibration from the economic impact of the pandemic. Currently, the US is also helping Egypt in its negotiations with the IMF to get a new loan. Moreover, the US statements on the issue of GERD seem quite consistent with the Egyptian position that requires a legally binding deal in line with international law. We saw that [not long after the visit] the US envoy for the Horn of Africa [Mike Hammer] came to Egypt. Overall, there are some promising signs there. AO: As for the issue of human rights which is not really subject to agreement bet MK: I think it is safe to say that Egypt is willing to talk about any issue including human rights. From an Egyptian point of view, it is very important to address the issue of human rights from its many perspectives and not strictly from the perspective of political rights. Both countries expressed their views on the issue as was indicated in the joint statement that came out after the meeting of Presidents El-Sisi and Biden in Jeddah, and it seems that both countries are committed to moving the relationship forward despite any differences on this issue. AO: But in reality, did the meeting between the two presidents really make all that difference? The Egyptian-US relations are operated at so many fronts and levels and Egyptians have interlocutors in the Pentagon, the Congress, and elsewhere. So, did it MK: Listen, it is an established fact that in the US, the president is the most important actor in foreign policy and that his leadership does make all the difference. This is one. Two, it is also clear that for a while US relations with Egypt as with other Arab allies was going through a process of reconsideration in a way given the different priorities of the US today that seems to be concerned about a new world power struggle, the US has keen attention to check both Russia and China, the pivot to Asia, and other issues that have been gaining a lot more attention in Washington. This actually started under Obama. The US is a leading world power, and it does have considerable resources but at the end of the day, any world power has to manage its resources and its attention to serve its interests in accordance with a priority list. Within this scope, there has been a sort of decline in the relations of the US with some of its Arab allies. There were also the uncontested failures, even by US accounts, in Iraq and then in Afghanistan, the latter being part of the greater Middle East as it would be called in Washington. Now, from the perspective of the American citizen, there was no point for their country to continue to be so heavily involved in the region if this involvement was not really paying off. Moreover, the US internally has been going through an almost unprecedented state of polarization. This meant that any administration has to give a lot more attention to internal issues and then address its international priorities. So, it is quite a complex situation. AO: Today, what are the issues that Egypt and the US could prioritise to help their bilateral relations? MK: There are so many issues for Egypt and the US to work on, both in the bilateral and regional contexts. For sure, regional stability is a prime issue because whatever the talk about the US comeback to the Middle East is, it is clear that the US is not ready to be so heavily involved in the region. For this to happen, the region needs to avoid any big hiccups. Egypt is playing a crucial role to help the cause of stability in many parts of the region, in Libya and in Palestine. So, this is certainly one area where the two countries can work closely. Then there are also other areas for cooperation. IT is a good example, especially that the US thinks that China is presenting itself to the region as the perfect technology partner. There is also the possible economic cooperation with its many manifestations including allowing the Egyptians to export a bigger share to the US market and this has been in the works for quite a while. AO: Are you confident that the US really wants to go that far in upgrading cooperation with Egypt? MK: Well, one always has to try to get things done. It might work and it might work but one has to try. AO: You did not refer to possible cooperation in a regional security framework something that has been proposed ahead of the Biden visit to the region? MK: There has been quite a lot of speculations in the press on this issue prior to the visit but from what we saw there was nothing that came out in the discussions of the statement after the meeting. Again, this is a very layered matter; it is quite complex. As for Egypt, the bottom line is always about its national security, and it will never pursue any plans that run against its national security interests. AO: What does Egypt have to do to put its perspective on the future of bilateral relations with the US across Washington? Do you think enough is being done in terms of lobbying support in the US capital, for example in the influential world of think tanks? MK: As I said, in the US the president has a very influential role in the making of foreign relations. This said I agree that relations with the US are very layered. The decision-making process in Washington, in fact, is very complex. So, while the president will always be the most important factor, the president always has a very large agenda of issues to address. This is why it is always purposeful to build relations in Congress, the think tanks, and for sure in the US media. It is very important to engage these players and to be in constant dialogue with them because this is how Washington works, and how to sustain bilateral relations. Search Keywords: Short link: A village in Madagascar where a criminal gang killed dozens of people has been left deserted after survivors fled fearing fresh attacks, a rights group said Monday, as police made the first arrests. Authorities were still on the hunt for bandits who burnt alive 32 people, including women and 15 children on Friday, setting homes on fire in the village of Ambolotarakely, 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Antananarivo. A source within the gendarmerie in the surrounding Ankazobe area said five people suspected of having ties to the gang were arrested on Monday in connection with the crime. Police have blamed criminal groups of cattle rustlers, known as dahalos, for the massacre, although motives are still unclear. Seth Andriamarohasina, who heads the Independent National Commission for Human Rights (CNIDH) said security forces were patrolling the village, which sits on a small hill a 10-hour walk from the nearest police station. "It's a ghost town now, all the inhabitants have left for fear of the dahalos," Andriamarohasina, who visited the area on Sunday, told AFP by phone upon returning to the capital. He said local authorities believed a land dispute might have triggered the violence. A source at Madagascar's ministry of defence told AFP the victims belonged to two families, with a preliminary investigation suggesting the attack was "premeditated". Television footage from the scene showed the three houses completely burnt down, with only parts of the walls still standing. Authorities have said military helicopters and ground troops have been deployed in the search for the suspects. "It is an act of unacceptable violence, and it must be punished very severely," said defence minister General Richard Rakotonirina. "We are actively looking for authors". Search Keywords: Short link: The United States announced Monday a new tranche of weapons for Ukraine's forces fighting Russia, including ammunition for increasingly important rocket launchers and artillery guns. The new $550 million package will "include more ammunition for the high mobility advanced rocket systems otherwise known as HIMARS, as well as ammunition" for artillery, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The assistance includes 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, a statement from the Pentagon said. "To meet its evolving battlefield requirements, the United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with key capabilities," the statement said. This brings the total of military assistance committed to Ukraine since President Joe Biden took office to more than $8.8 billion, according to the Pentagon. Previous weapons assistance from Washington to Kyiv has included counter-artillery radars, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made helicopters, shells and light armored vehicles. Kirby also hailed the first shipment of Ukrainian grain that left from the port of Odessa on Monday. It was the first since the war began, part of a landmark deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to lift Moscow's naval blockade in the Black Sea. "We obviously welcome this important step and we hope to see more ships depart in the coming days to travel onward to world markets with agricultural products such as grain, wheat, sunflower oil and corn," Kirby told reporters. The five-month halt of deliveries from war-torn Ukraine -- one of the world's biggest grain exporters -- has contributed to soaring food prices, hitting the world's poorest nations especially hard. Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 and the war has left thousands dead, forced millions to flee their homes and raised fears of a nuclear disaster. Search Keywords: Short link: Saudi Arabia welcomed the US announcement that Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the announcement by US President Joe Biden of the targeting and killing of the terrorist leader of Al-Qaeda Ayman Al-Zawahiri," it said. The statement came shortly after Biden announced that the United States had killed Zawahiri, one of the world's most-wanted terrorists and a mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in a drone strike in Kabul. The Saudi foreign ministry said he was "considered one of the leaders of terrorism that led the planning and execution of heinous terrorist operations in the United States, Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries of the world". "Thousands of innocent people of different nationalities and religions, including Saudi citizens, were killed," the statement said. "The Kingdom's government stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and concerted international efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism, calling on all countries to cooperate in this framework to protect innocent people from terrorist organisations." Egyptian-born Zawahiri took over Al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011, and had a $25 million US bounty on his head. A senior US administration official said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a house in Kabul when he was targeted with two Hellfire missiles, an hour after sunrise on July 31. Search Keywords: Short link: Tehrans admission that it has the technical capability to produce a nuclear bomb has been alarming to the regional and world powers. In a rare public admission that is likely to unsettle regional powers in the Middle East and complicate the Wests calculations regarding Irans nuclear programme, Iranian Atomic Energy Programme Chief Mohamed Eslami confirmed that Iran has the technical capability to produce a nuclear bomb this week but that it has no immediate intention of doing so. Eslami is the second prominent Iranian official in the last few weeks to affirm Irans technical ability to produce a nuclear weapon, emphasising at the same time that no political decision has been taken to do so. On 17 July, Kamal Kharrazi, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb, but there has been no decision by Iran to build one. Such public claims by top officials are rare and most certainly received the green light from the Iranian leadership and the Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the Iranian nuclear programme. In its latest report in May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had 43.1 kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity. About 25 kg of uranium enriched to 90 per cent is needed for a nuclear weapon. There have been growing concerns in the West over the breakout time or the amount of time it would take Iran to amass enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon. In June, head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi said Iran could acquire such a quantity in a matter of weeks. However, possessing enough material did not mean Iran could manufacture a nuclear bomb, he added. The US put the breakout time at about a year during the period in which the nuclear deal with Iran was intact. But Western intelligence has warned that time is running out to restore the deal before Irans programme reaches a point where it cannot be reversed. Irans statement that it has enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb comes at a difficult time in the nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the West. The negotiations have stalled since March amid differences and a volatile international environment caused by the Russian-Ukraine war, prompting Iran and the West to recalculate the pros and cons of re-joining the nuclear deal. Recently, indirect negotiations between the US and Iran in Qatar ended without agreement. After the failed talks, Nasser Kanani, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, tweeted that Iran had presented its operational ideas and suggestions. But Robert Malley, US special envoy for Iran, said the likelihood of reviving the deal diminishes by the day, warning that the window is closing quite rapidly and at some point I think itll become obvious to everyone that the deal is no longer available. Since former US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, Iran has ratcheted up its nuclear activity to worrying levels, limiting IAEA monitoring and failing to co-operate fully under its basic-safeguards obligations despite Trumps maximum pressure campaign against Tehran to force it back to the negotiating table on US terms. According to the Wests assessment, Irans dragging its feet on returning to the nuclear agreement is a sign that the Iranian leadership has not yet made up its mind about the benefits of returning. On 22 July head of Britains Secret Intelligence Service MI6 Richard Moore said he did not believe Iran wanted to reach a nuclear deal. I dont think the supreme leader of Iran wants to cut a deal, he said, adding that he was sceptical of the Khameneis motives. I think the deal absolutely is on the table and the European powers and the US administration here are very, very clear on that, and I dont think that the Chinese and Russians on this issue would block it. But I dont think the Iranians want it, Moore said at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington. Hopes for a return to the deal appear to be fading as US President Joe Biden vows to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, warning that his administration is not going to wait forever for a response from the Iranian leadership on a deal. Yet, it is too early to conclude that the nuclear deal is dead. A European diplomat familiar with the negotiations showed some optimism. I dont think there is a decision in Iran not to go back to the nuclear deal. I think that Tehran wants to negotiate from a position of strength to obtain more concessions in the coming days, hence the public declarations about its possession of the technical ability to produce a nuclear weapon, he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Returning to the nuclear agreement is a matter of time, a matter of guarantees, and a matter of concessions. If the West and Tehran meet these conditions, the benefits of returning to the nuclear agreement outweigh its drawbacks for all sides concerned. In a message to Iran that time is running out to save the nuclear deal, Josep Borrell, the EUs Foreign Policy chief, wrote in the UK Financial Times that the maximum pressure strategy has failed and calling on Tehran to accept the deal that is being offered. After 15 months of intense, constructive negotiations in Vienna and countless interactions with the JCPOA participants and the US, I have concluded that the space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted. I have now put on the table a text that addresses, in precise detail, the sanctions lifting as well as the nuclear steps needed to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Borrell wrote, using the official name of the Iran nuclear deal. This text represents the best possible deal that I, as a facilitator of the negotiations, see as feasible. It is not a perfect agreement, but it addresses all essential elements and includes hard-won compromises by all sides. Decisions need to be taken now to seize this unique opportunity to succeed and to free up the great potential of a fully implemented deal. I see no other comprehensive or effective alternative within reach. Ali Bagheri Kani, Irans lead nuclear negotiator, confirmed that Borrell had put forth a new proposal, adding that we shared our proposed ideas, both on substance and form, to pave the way for a swift conclusion of the Vienna negotiations, without giving any more details. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken backed the proposal from the EU aimed at salvaging the nuclear deal, saying that the US was prepared to move forward on the basis of whats been agreed but that it was unclear if Iran was prepared to do the same. During a press briefing at the UN, Blinken noted that the EU has put forward the best proposal based on many, many months of discussions, negotiations, conversations. Its very consistent with something that they put forward in March that weve agreed to and that we would pursue it in March, Blinken said. But it remains to be seen whether Iran is willing and able to move forward. Borrell acknowledged that the deal remains politically polarising in Washington as the midterm elections approach and that it may not address all US concerns concerning Iran. He said that the EU shares concerns that go beyond the nuclear issue, such as human rights and Irans regional activities. We know, too, that in Tehran there are significant reservations over fully implementing a deal after the negative experience of recent years. The deal on the table reflects, however, the determination of all JCPOA participants to ensure its sustainability, including the commitment of President Joe Biden and US assurances in this regard. As a result, the deal is better protected from potential unilateral moves to undermine it, Borrell said. It is now time for swift political decisions to conclude the Vienna negotiations If the deal is rejected, we risk a dangerous nuclear crisis. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: There are growing signs that Iran is showing weak spots in its influence in Iraq, though decoupling may be the last thing on its leaders minds. For nearly two decades Iran has been consolidating its influence in Iraq, if not outright capturing the neighbouring country, by exploiting the turmoil triggered by the US-led invasion in 2003 and the fall of the Saddam regime. To make its inroads into Iraq, Iran has pursued a fundamental political goal: to unite the countrys Shia groups and help empower the co-religious community by translating their demographic weight into political influence. In addition to its political presence, the Islamic Republic has also used Iraq as a platform to expand its influence throughout the region and to forge ahead in building a favourable political and regional security order. But in order to gauge Irans present influence in Iraq, its footprint on Iraqs lingering political impasse has to be considered and how the Islamic Republic is positioning itself, as it always has, as an influential external power-broker in forming governments in post-invasion Iraq. This month marks the longest post-election deadlock in Iraq as infighting among Shia groups in particular has prevented agreement on a new prime minister and hampered efforts to form a new government following the October parliamentary elections. The bloc of cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr was the largest vote-getter in the elections, winning some 73 seats in the 329-member assembly. But Al-Sadr refused to forge an alliance with rival Shia factions in order to create a majority bloc that would allow them to form a government as they did in all previous parliaments. Meanwhile, Al-Sadr failed to create an alliance with Iraqs Sunni groups and Kurdish parties that would have given him the two-thirds majority required to pick a new president for Iraq, an important step before the prime minister can be nominated. In a surprise move, Al-Sadr withdrew his bloc from parliament and announced that he was exiting talks on forming a government. Instead, he mobilised his supporters, who stormed the parliament to prevent his rivals from convening and endorsing their candidate Mohamed Shayyah Al-Sudani as the new prime minister. In response, his Shia opponents in the Iran-backed parties known as the Coordination Framework alliance reiterated their nomination of Al-Sudani and held their own rally in Baghdad on Friday signalling their readiness to take the dispute to the streets. Al-Sadrs followers retaliated on Saturday by storming the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, reoccupying the parliament, and declaring an open-ended sit-in until a set of demands are met including writing a new constitution and dissolving Iraqs judiciary which they accuse of bias. The Coordination Framework staged tit-for-tat protests outside the Green Zone in a show of strength and defiance, further escalating the Shia-Shia power struggle. While the standoff has deepened the divide between the Shia groups and plunged Iraq into one of its worst crises since 2003, it has also underlined Irans shrinking leverage over its long-time allies and threatened its influence in the battered country. Iran has gone a long way towards consolidating its influence in Iraq to the extent that the connections between the two countries have become so intertwined that it would now be impossible to fully separate Iraq and Iran. Through allied Shia politicians and paramilitary groups in Iraq, Iran has emerged as the dominant force in the country, expanding its influence and its role beyond the political and security realms to commercial, business, and cultural ties. Many Iraqis have been outraged at what they see as encroachment on their sovereignty by a former enemy that shares a 1,400 km border with their country and have accused the Islamic Republic of turning Iraq into a client state. The turning point in the anti-Iran sentiment came with the 2019 uprising in the mostly Shia-dominated provinces of Iraq that called for an overhaul of the political system established after the collapse of the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Yet, the uprising was also about the rise of Iraqi nationalism, demonstrated by the protesters demands to end the hegemony of the Islamic Republic in their country and its interference in its domestic politics. It is hard to imagine the circumstances under which Tehran could have escaped the political impact of the overwhelmingly anti-Iranian sentiments and the increasing calls by the protesters to free Iraq from Iranian hegemony. Even Al-Sadr, who once sought refuge in Iran fleeing US threats of arrest, emerged after the uprising as a nationalist leader resisting Irans influence in Iraq. Iranian leaders and the countrys media were quick to condemn the uprising as a foreign conspiracy and to label the protesters as the stooges of Irans main foes, the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Irans Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei even urged the Iraqi authorities to give priority to dealing with the riots and the instability, which was widely seen as giving the green light to Iran-backed militias in Iraq to smash the protests. Iran has also turned to online campaigning in Arabic, English, and Farsi to discredit the Iraqi protesters and to paint them as disruptive. Some of the posts have appeared with hashtags such as we will not leave Iraq, Iraq and Iran wont be separated, and Iraq wont be burned. One of the major consequences of the uprising has been the waning influence of Iran in Iraq, however, especially after a US-directed drone attack killed Qassem Suleimani in January 2020. He was Irans point man in Iraq who worked as the lynchpin to bring the countrys Shia forces together. Despite making hectic efforts with Shia groups and other Iraqi factions, Suleimanis successor Esmail Qaani has repeatedly failed to make headway in coordinating Irans proxies in the country and shoring up Irans influence in Iraq. A series of developments since Suleimanis killing has showed that Irans network of influence in Iraq has weakened, largely because Qaani has not been able to fill in the gaps left in the absence of his predecessor. In the latest elections in October 2021, the Iran-backed groups that have dominated Iraqi politics since Saddams fall lost significant ground for the first time in years when Al-Sadrs followers dominated the poll. Leaked conversations among Shia leaders have suggested that Iranian-aligned Iraqi Shia groups have been asserting a degree of independence from Iran and sometimes even showing signs of disobeying Tehran. Audio recordings by Al-Maliki leaked last month showed the increasing mistrust by Iraqi Shia factions of Iran and their complaints about Irans mishandling of the internal Shia rift in Iraq and its failure to push the groups into line and resolve the disputes among them. All these actions and this rhetoric raise questions about whether Iran has been backed into a corner, as its mission to take control of Iraq has been challenged by the countrys worst crisis since it became enmeshed in its western neighbour. Irans activities in Iraq have been under the radar of key Middle Eastern powers, which want to see if the Islamic regime succeeds in taking over Iraq and transforming it into a satellite state under its influence. Irans regional foes have hoped that a new regime in Baghdad led by a converted Al-Sadr in alliance with the Kurds and Sunni Arabs would reduce Tehrans influence in Iraq and challenge its power in the region. But there are still few indications that Iran has strategically lost in Iraq or that it is ready to concede that its influence in the neighbouring country is swayed by geopolitical winds or rising Iraqi nationalism. Instead, many signs suggest that Iran still maintains enormous assets in Iraq, and after a tactical setback caused by Qaanis weakness Tehran is once again consolidating its control over key areas of Iraqs feeble politics including power-broking To many observers, the latest standoff shows that the pro-Iran camp in Iraqs Shia community is still powerful enough to outmanoeuvre Al-Sadr and even use Irans influence to corner the powerful cleric as the government crisis drags on. Reports that Iran has succeeded in convincing the leaders of the self-ruled Kurdistan Region of Iraq to end their dispute over the election of a new president of the country that would then pave the way for ending the government stalemate suggests a major win for Tehran. This is why the betting that Irans influence in Iraq is in decline based on Al-Sadrs ability to block the parliaments sessions may be far-fetched or wishful thinking. All that can be assumed, at least for now, is that it seems unlikely Iran will change its calculations in Iraq and let its determination to influence politics in the country diminish. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev, Head of the State Border Service Elchin Guliyev, Acting Chairman of the State Customs Committee, First Deputy Chairman Shahin Baghirov, Chairman of 'Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company' Rauf Valiyev, alongside the responsible officials of the above-mentioned agencies visited the Port of Baku on August 1, Trend reports. During the visit, the responsible persons of the above structures got acquainted with the processes of transshipment, operational transportation of transit cargo in the port. Within the visit, the participants closely observed the processes of loading and transportation of transit cargo in the Port of Baku. Later, the participants held discussions on activities and prospects for speeding up multimodal logistics operations and cargo throughput processes within transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan. The Mediterranean is becoming of greater and greater strategic importance for the countries of the region, predominantly Egypt and Greece, writes Ioannis Kotoulas The Mediterranean Sea, once an area fragmented between north and south with limited contacts between them, is today gradually becoming a united geopolitical space with effective synergies. Over recent years, all the states of the greater region have increasingly reoriented their strategic outlook towards the Mediterranean to varying degrees. Among these, Egypt and Greece, the two most ancient Mediterranean nations, stand out. The strategic orientation of Egypt and Greece has shifted towards this ancient sea that has been the home of Egyptians and Greeks for thousands of years. Egypt is increasing its footprint in the Mediterranean. In July 2021, Egypt inaugurated its newest naval base, the 3 July Base, in Gargoub close to the Libyan border, while the Mohamed Naguib Base west of Alexandria is the largest in the Middle East. The Egyptian Navy is steadily upgrading its capabilities and is now one of the strongest in the region. Greece, with a very strong air force, is the most trustworthy EU state in the region that cooperates with Egypt, with the two countries having developed close ties. Special mention should be made of one particular diplomatic landmark. This month marks the second anniversary of the maritime demarcation deal between Egypt and Greece. On 6 August 2020, the two countries signed an historic deal for the delimitation of their EEZs (Exclusive Economic Zones) southeast of the island of Crete and northeast of the Matrouh governorate in Egypt. The deal has been an important development for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri rightly stated at the time that this agreement allows both countries to move forward in maximising the utilisation of the resources available in the Exclusive Economic Zone, especially promising oil and gas reserves. Since then, the two countries have deepened their cooperation on all levels, diplomatic, military, economic, and cultural. The deal can be completed when deemed appropriate by the two states with an agreement for a full demarcation line that will safeguard the national interests of both Egypt and Greece. The establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) in January 2020 as a result of an Egyptian initiative has also created a fundamental new international organisation in energy security and a new financial power bloc that can cooperate with the EU. In late 2021, Egypt and Greece signed a memorandum covering three major areas of cooperation liquefied natural gas trading, research and exploration activities, and the linking of natural gas pipelines. Egypt and Greece are already exploring bilateral plans to build a major underwater electricity transmission line connecting the Egyptian coast to Greece as a gateway to European markets. What is evident from all these activities is the increasing importance of the Mediterranean for Egyptian and EU interests, especially during this turbulent period. Some points of tension and instability continue to disrupt the stability of the Mediterranean, however. Libya is still trapped in a spiral of internal unrest fuelled by external interventions. The issue can only be resolved in accordance with the guidelines that have been put forward by Egyptian diplomacy. The US often adopts a narrow-minded approach in intervening in other states internal affairs, disregarding the need to combat international terrorist networks. The Mediterranean states do not need external interference when working out their future. The Mediterranean states are developing new modes of bilateral and regional cooperation that traverse established perceptions of identity and create new opportunities for cooperation and alliances. The Mediterranean has been our rightful historical space for thousands of years and has long functioned as a bridge for cooperation. It will be essential for international security in the years to come. * The writer is a lecturer in geopolitics at the University of Athens in Greece. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: As a result of a sudden and shocking political assassination, the first of its kind for decades in the contemporary history of Japan, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe passed away in July. Abe was the longest-serving prime minister of Japan since the end of World War II. He was also a leader who had a deep-rooted impact on the history of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that ruled Japan for most of the period that followed the defeat of the country in World War II and its occupation by US armed forces. The post-war years witnessed the drafting and adoption of a new Japanese constitution that set out a new path for this important East Asian country focusing on according priority to the development of the economy, education, and scientific research. Abe assumed the post of prime minister twice, the first time for only a year between 2006 and 2007. He suddenly declared in September 2007 that he would not be able to continue as prime minister due to a sudden deterioration in his health. He had come to power one year earlier to succeed another legend of post-war Japan and of the LDP, namely Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister of the country between 2001 and 2006. Koizumi introduced drastic economic reforms and expanded Japans privatisation policy. The second time Abe came to power was after a landslide victory by the LDP in the 2012 legislative elections, after which it was able to lead a new ruling coalition. This comeback came three years after the 2009 elections, when the LDP lost power in one of the very few times when it lost elections in Japans post-war history. After this second return to power in 2012, Abe served as prime minister for the following eight years, during which he led the LDP to victory in more than one set of legislative and local elections. In 2020, Abe again suddenly declared, as he had done in 2007, that he would resign the post of prime minister due to renewed health problems. However, in both cases, and even when out of office, he maintained his active membership of the Japanese parliament. He also played an influential role in supporting the LDP and its successive governments and policies, and he continued to be one of the main symbols and leaders of the party. When he was the victim of the assassination attempt that eventually took his life, he was addressing a LDP electoral meeting. During the years I lived and worked in Japan, I had the opportunity to meet Abe, both when he was serving as prime minister and when he was only a member of the parliament and one of the leaders of the LDP. He had a strong personality that commanded a lot of respect and admiration. He also possessed exceptional capabilities as an orator who managed to leave a deep impact on his audiences, whether they numbered in the hundreds or the thousands. Abe had a high degree of patriotism and a sincere love for his country, things that were particularly appreciated by his supporters and affiliates in the LDP. However, sometimes his opponents considered his patriotism to be a form of extreme nationalism that could risk being interpreted as potentially returning to the prevailing ideological paradigm of pre-war Japan. Other opponents perceived his patriotic discourse as coming from his supposed ideological affinity to the Japanese nationalist right-wing. Empire Day is one of the most important national festivals in Japan, and it has been observed every year since 1873. It takes place on 11 February to celebrate the anniversary of the ascendance to the throne of the Japanese emperor Jinmu. An outstanding Japanese public figure is chosen to be a keynote speaker at this festival every year, addressing important figures in Japanese society, among them the emperor and the empress along with the ambassadors of foreign countries accredited in Japan as well as important business and industry figures, intellectuals, artists, and media representatives. During the years when I lived in Japan, and in a period when the LDP was in opposition, I had the opportunity to be invited to the Empire Day celebrations one year. The speaker on that occasion was the late Shinzo Abe, or Abe-san as the Japanese people used to call him. He was then a member of the parliament in between his first term as prime minister in 2006-2007 and his second term in 2012-2020. Abe gave his speech while the late Japanese emperor Akihito and the then empress Michiko sat in the front row of the audience. As usual, Abe was outspoken and talked about the need for Japan to acquire, in addition to its economic, scientific, and technological strength, the kind of political and military strength that would allow it to defend itself against any external aggression and acquire the global and regional standing it deserved and set it on an equal footing to its economic and technological weight worldwide. When Abe returned to power as prime minister in 2012, he was trying to translate this orientation to the reality on the ground. This included measures aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the Japanese Self Defence Forces (SDF), the Japanese armed forces. He worked to introduce legislative changes that would allow the SDF to undertake missions abroad with a view to contributing to the maintenance of peace and security at the international and regional levels. I cannot conclude this article without referring to the fact that the late Shinzo Abe visited Egypt twice, the first time during his first mandate as prime minister in May 2007 and the second time during his second mandate in January 2015. He also played a leading role in Japans approval of generous funding and state-of-the-art technical support for the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) project. * The writer is a commentator. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Talks are underway between international mediators and the different forces in Yemen with a view to renewing the truce that has stalled tahe conflict, writes Ahmed Eleiba It appeared likely this week that the truce in Yemen would be renewed. While there are still violations, mostly by the Ansarullah Movement (the Houthis), the chances of de-escalation are better under the new Presidential Council than they were under the former Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi government. Both sides have gained from the truce and its first extension and stand to gain from a second one. The new Yemeni government has had the chance to consolidate and regroup, while the Houthis have benefited from access to fuel and the end of the air blockade. However, the sponsors of the truce now hope that the opportunity to renew the truce for a second time can be leveraged into a political settlement process, even if observers believe that there has not been sufficient confidence-building to proceed to that stage. The US is believed to be acting as an indirect mediator pushing towards this end. A delegation from Muscat visited Sanaa last week following a series of US-Omani communications and parallel visits by US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking to Riyadh and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg to Aden, the current seat of the Yemen Presidential Council. In Aden, the head of the Presidential Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, refused to meet Grundberg to discuss renewing the truce. The snub was reportedly in protest against the situation in Taiz, where the Houthis have not fulfilled the provision of the truce calling on them to open roads to the besieged city. In Taiz itself demonstrators called on the government not to renew the trucea. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken contacted Al-Alimi, himself a native of the Taiz governorate, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the truce before its expiration. The truce has given both sides the space to reorder themselves militarily with respect to conditions on the ground. The Yemen Command Council has set in motion an ambitious programme to overhaul the countrys security forces that involves restructuring in order to incorporate new components, such as the Southern Resistance Forces, under the commands umbrella. The Houthis have had the opportunity to reorder ranks and redeploy in the areas they control, to intensify recruitment drives, and to implement training programmes. According to some reports, they have sent elite forces to Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to receive training from Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hizbullah militia commanders on how to operate missile and drone defence systems. As was the case two months ago when the first truce approached expiration, mediators have been scrambling to persuade the Yemeni actors to renew it for a second time because of the opportunities it has afforded to improve the lives of the Yemeni people. Politically, the main motive for pushing for an extension is to promote a more durable ceasefire preparatory to launching a political settlement process to end the conflict in Yemen. However, conditions on the ground reflect other calculations. The Houthis are banking on the normalisation of the de facto realities they have imposed in the areas under their control in the north. For the Houthis, the truce was not just a breathing space to consolidate and redeploy militarily, it was also a chance to re-fortify themselves politically, economically, and socially and to normalise life in the areas under their control. For the other side, it is clear that a reversion to military escalation would compound the burdens on the Presidential Council. If it has to channel the resources of the liberated areas and outside assistance from the Arab Coalition into the war effort, the newly installed government would lose the confidence placed in it to bring change to a country that has been devastated by eight years of war. The options before the new government appear limited. Rather than the choice between a military solution and a settlement process, it is presented with the choice between a military solution and acquiescing to a situation imposed by the difficult equations on the ground. The Presidential Command Council, which has taken over command of the militia factions, is not given to espousing a logic of normalisation over military logic. Its priority is strategy, not managing reconstruction and development programmes, for which it would need to form a larger government. Strategy essentially entails resolving the central problem: the threat of the Houthi project. Unless the council is equipped with the strength to definitively tip the power balance in its favour, it will never be able to rein in the Houthis. Bringing militias together with the army under a unified command is a major step, but it still falls short of a comprehensive military and security reform programme. Current circumstances render such a programme unfeasible, especially since proper military training requires the transmission of the skills and knowhow needed to grapple with the evolving nature of the challenges on the battlefield and the unconventional modes of warfare that the Houthi forces are acquiring abroad. Another important facet of any military/security restructuring and development project is an ideological component, namely instilling the esprit de corps of a modern professional army. This challenge is not insignificant, given the diverse regional, tribal, and political affiliations of the recently incorporated militias. The potential risks of normalisation with the Houthis, or utilising a ceasefire agreement or settlement process towards that end, will emerge in the mid to long term. It is clear that the rigidly hierarchical and tightly supervised administrative bodies in the areas under Houthi control are indoctrinating a new generation of loyalists. Regardless of whether or not the members of this generation are affiliated with the Houthis themselves, they are being instilled with a hatred for the Yemen republic and the legitimate government and with a culture of intolerance, violence and militancy. Educational institutions have effectively been converted into indoctrination centres, even aside from the deplorable state of education in the Houthi areas. According to international indicators, the quality of university education has deteriorated beyond anything imaginable under the former regime. In primary and secondary education, the situation is even more catastrophic. An estimated four million children remain outside the educational system altogether, and schools have been turned into camps and recruitment centres. Many observers have compared the Houthis educational policies to the era of the Zaidi Imamate that ruled Northern Yemen for centuries until its overthrow and the foundation of the Yemeni Republic in the 1960s. UN reports suggest an improvement in the overall environment in the conflict zone, but concrete indicators on the extent and geographical layout of this improvement are lacking. This in turn raises the question of the effective and equitable delivery of relief to different parts of the country, especially in the light of the Houthis record in redirecting aid to certain areas in order to promote their interests. Addressing these and other details is essential in order to differentiate between a resolution that merely aims to stop the fighting versus an approach that aims to grapple with its root causes. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree on Tuesday 2 July appointing 73 female members of the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority at the Courts of First Degree. The decree was published in the official gazette on Tuesday. In June, 39 new women judges assumed judicial positions in the State Council, raising the number of female judges at the council to 137. A year earlier, El-Sisi issued directives allowing Egyptian women to work at the State Council and Public Prosecution for the first time in the countrys history. The State Council is a judicial body comprised of over 3000 judges and reviews administrative disputes as well as disciplinary cases and appeals. It also reviews draft laws, decisions, and contracts that state or public bodies are parties to. In March, 98 women, who were sworn in judges at the State Council last year, assumed work at the judicial body. El-Sisis decision aims to fully enforce the constitutional entitlement of ensuring equality and non-discrimination in various positions and in all fields," according to a previous statement by the Ministry of Justice. Search Keywords: Short link: The Egyptian Naval Forces in cooperation with their Greek counterparts have carried out joint drills within the range of the Northern Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, the Egyptian armed forces announced on Tuesday. Egypt's frigate "Al Moez" carried out a fleeting naval training with the Greek frigate SZEF "HS IKARIA" within the range of the Northern Fleet, the Egyptian army said in its statement. The exercises included conducting a set of various naval combat activities aimed at strengthening maritime security procedures in the Mediterranean and assessing surface and air threats to international trade and navigation movements in areas of common interest along with maintaining maritime security and stability in the region. The drills also aimed to prepare the navies of Egypt and Greece to work homogeneously within a joint force charged with tasks of maintaining maritime security to confront threats to the international freedom of navigation and the flow of global trade, the statement read. According to the Egyptian armed forces, the drills come as part of the keenness of Egypt's Military Command of the army to exchange expertise and conduct joint training with their friendly and sisterly countries to achieve common interests. Search Keywords: Short link: Somalia has appointed the former deputy leader and spokesman for the Al-Shabaab Islamist group as religion minister, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said Tuesday. The announcement marks a sharp reversal of fortune for Muktar Robow, who has spent the last four years under house arrest after a falling-out with ex-president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo. Robow, 53, publicly defected from the Al-Qaeda-linked militants in August 2017, with the United States government at one point offering a $5-million bounty for his capture. "After consultations that took a period of more than 30 days... I'm very happy to present Somali men and women who I have selected based on their academic background, experience and fairness," Barre said. "I'm expecting they will respond to the needs of the country." Robow was arrested in late 2018, days before he was scheduled to run in regional elections. Farmajo's government accused him of "organising a militia" in Baidoa, the capital of the southwestern Bay region, and seeking to "undermine stability". His arrest triggered sporadic protests with demonstrators burning images of Farmajo, whom they accused of meddling in regional affairs. His elevation comes weeks after recently elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hinted at his government's willingness to negotiate with Al-Shabaab, saying it would only happen when the time is right. Al-Shabaab has waged a bloody insurrection against Somalia's fragile central government for 15 years and remains a potent force despite an African Union operation against the group. Its fighters were ousted from Somalia's capital Mogadishu in 2011, but continue to wage attacks on military, government and civilian targets. Barre was initially expected to name a cabinet within 30 days of his appointment on June 25 but said the delays were due to the country's protracted election process that culminated in May with the selection of Mohamud as president. Tuesday's appointments include a deputy prime minister, 25 ministers, 24 state ministers and deputy ministers in a 75-member team, with parliament due to vote on the nominees. The new government faces a host of challenges, including a looming famine and the grinding Islamist insurgency. A crippling drought across the Horn of Africa has left about 7.1 million Somalis, nearly half the population, battling hunger, with more than 200,000 on the brink of starvation, according to UN figures. In July, Mohamud said ending the violent insurgency required more than a military approach. Search Keywords: Short link: Congo's government is reassessing the presence of United Nations peacekeepers after protests against the force in the country's east have killed at least 36 people. President Felix Tshisekedi chaired a crisis meeting as demonstrations escalated after UN peacekeepers opened fire on civilians, killing three, in Kasindi, an eastern border post with Uganda. In addition to the deaths in Kasindi others have died in the eastern towns of Goma, Butembo, Uvira and Kanyabayonga, Congo's government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a statement Tuesday. He said the government had consulted civic groups in the affected areas and ``the populations made a clear request: that of seeing (the UN peacekeepers) leave Congo,'' he said. At the crisis meeting, Congo's president said that he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed deep condolences after the killings at the Kasindi post, according to the statement. Tshisekedi said shared his total disapproval of the behavior of the UN peacekeepers and told the secretary-general that those guilty of the violence must be severely punished. Guterres had called for justice over the weekend. The government will convene a meeting with the UN mission to discuss the possibility of its withdrawal, Muyaya said in the statement. No date has been set for the meeting. The UN force in Congo, known as MONUSCO, has about 16,000 uniformed personnel but has not succeeded in stabilizing the country's volatile east. Recently the M23 rebels have carried out numerous attacks. The UN force has already withdrawn from two provinces of Congo, Kasai and Tanganyika. Search Keywords: Short link: Israel's army closed areas near the Gaza border to civilians Tuesday, citing a risk of reprisals, following the overnight arrest of two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, the military and Palestinian sources said. A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces during a late Monday raid in the flashpoint West Bank district of Jenin. The army said it had operated alongside police, who arrested "two wanted terror suspects." A Palestinian security source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that one of those arrested was Bassem al-Saadi, a senior figure in Islamic Jihad's political wing in the West Bank. The source identified the second person detained as Saadi's son-in-law, a Jenin-based fundraiser for militant group. The army said: "Following a situational assessment after terrorist activities were identified with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, it was decided to block off areas and routes adjacent to the Gaza Strip security fence. "The area has been closed to civilians due to a direct threat and in order to prevent a possible attack on civilians." Prime Minister Yair Lapid was reviewing security Tuesday in light of the threat risk, a government statement said. Saadi was injured by an Israeli army dog during his arrest, the Palestinian source said. As news of his detention spread, crowd's began to gather in Jenin refugee camp and the nearby city of Nablus, as supporters voiced solidarity with Islamic Jihad. "We declare alertness and raise the readiness of our mujahideen (fighters)," the group said in a statement late Monday. Home to some 2.3 million Palestinians, Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007 when Islamist group Hamas ousted forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Islamic Jihad, a militant group with close links to Iran, has a strong presence in Gaza, regularly using it as a launchpad for rocket attacks against Israel. The latest unrest comes amid rising violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At least 55 Palestinians have been killed since late March, mostly in the West Bank. They have included suspected militants and also non-combatants, among them Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American dual national, who was covering an Israeli raid in Jenin. Attacks on Israeli targets have killed 19 people over the same period, most of them civilians killed in attacks inside Israel. Three Israeli Arab attackers have also been killed. Search Keywords: Short link: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for the second leg of an Asian tour that has been overshadowed by an expected stop in Taiwan, which would escalate tensions with Beijing that claims the self-ruled island as its own territory. The plane carrying Pelosi and her delegation touched down at an air force base amid tight security. She called on lower house Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun in Parliament and adjourned for a luncheon meet with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday night, becoming the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times _ Taiwan's three largest national newspapers _ cited unidentified sources as saying she would fly to Taipei and spend the night after visiting Malaysia. China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary, has warned of repercussions, saying its military will ``never sit idly by`` if Pelosi pushes ahead with the visit. China's threats of retaliation have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric, saying the U.S. has no interest in deepening tensions with China and ``will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling.'' White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit the self-ruled island was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited Taiwan over the years. Kirby said administration officials are concerned that Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, or flying sorties into the island's airspace and carrying out large-scale naval exercises in the strait. ``Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,'' Kirby said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged China to ``act responsibly'' in the event that Pelosi proceeds with the visit. ``If the speaker does decide to visit, and China tries to create some kind of a crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing,'' he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. ``We are looking for them, in the event she decides to visit, to act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward.'' U.S. officials have said the military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region if Pelosi visits Taiwan. U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their homeport in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, on board as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they don't support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour in Singapore on Monday but her purported visit to Taiwan has sparked jitters in the region. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ``highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security'' during talks with Pelosi, the city-state's foreign ministry said. This was echoed by Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, who said stable ties between the two rival powers ``are extremely important for the international community as well.'' The Philippines urged U.S. and China to be ``responsible actors`` in the region. ``It is important for the U.S. and China to ensure continuing communication to avoid any miscalculation and further escalation of tensions,`` said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwan's government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the Communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. On Thursday, Pelosi is to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo in Seoul for talks on security in the Indo-Pacific region, economic cooperation and the climate crisis, according to Kim's office. Pelosi is also due to visit Japan, but it is unclear when she heading there. Search Keywords: Short link: Many Afghans expressed shock or doubt Tuesday that Al-Qaeda's chief had been killed in Kabul by a US drone strike, saying they couldn't believe Ayman Al-Zawahiri had been hiding in their midst. "It's just propaganda," Fahim Shah, 66, a resident of the Afghan capital, told AFP. Late Monday, US President Joe Biden announced Zawahiri's assassination, saying "justice has been delivered". Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, with a $25 million bounty on his head, is notorious for being one of the masterminds behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A senior US official said the 71-year-old was on the balcony of a three-storey house in the upmarket Sherpur neighbourhood when targeted with two Hellfire missiles shortly after dawn Sunday. "We have experienced such propaganda in the past and there was never anything in it," Shah said. "In reality, I don't think he was killed here." The Taliban admitted earlier Tuesday that the US had carried out a drone strike, but gave no details of casualties -- and did not name Zawahiri. On Sunday, the interior ministry had denied reports of a drone strike, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that was because an investigation was underway. Kabul resident Abdul Kabir said he heard the strike Sunday morning, but still called on the United States to prove who was killed. "They should show to the people and to the world that 'we had hit this man and here is the evidence'," Kabir said. "We think they killed somebody else and announced it was the Al-Qaeda chief... there are many other places he could be hiding -- in Pakistan, or even in Iraq." The strike is sure to further sour already bitter relations between Washington and the Taliban, which pledged to stop Afghanistan from being a sanctuary for militants as part of the agreement that led to the US troop withdrawal last year. University student Mohammad Bilal was another who thought it unlikely Zawahiri had been living in Kabul. "This is a terrorist group and I do not think they will send their leader to Afghanistan," Bilal said. "Leaders of most terrorist groups, including the Taliban, were either living in Pakistan or in the United Arab Emirates when they were in conflict with former Afghan forces," he said. A straw poll, however, found some believers in the capital. Kabul housewife Freshta, who asked not to be further identified, said she was shocked to learn of Zawahiri's killing. "It's so uncomfortable to know that he was living here," she said. A shopkeeper who also asked not to be named said he too wasn't surprised. "Any terrorist group can enter our land, use it and get out easily," he told AFP. "We don't have a good government. We are unable to protect ourselves, our soil and our property." Search Keywords: Short link: RTHK: Yemen's warring parties agree to extend truce Yemen's warring sides agreed to renew a two-month truce expiring on Tuesday, the United Nations envoy said, despite international pressure for an extended and expanded deal that would build on the longest stretch of relative calm in over seven years. "This truce extension includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible," special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement. Grundberg had been pushing for a six-month truce with additional measures, sources had said, but both sides have had grievances about implementation of the existing truce deal and mistrust runs deep. US and Omani officials had also been engaging with parties to back Grundberg's proposal following a visit by US President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia last month, where he announced following bilateral talks an agreement to "deepen and extend" the truce. The conflict pitting a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against the Iran-aligned Houthis, de facto authorities in north Yemen, has killed tens of thousands and caused millions to go hungry. Riyadh has been trying to exit a costly war that has been a point of tension with the Biden administration, which halted support for offensive coalition operations. The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The warring sides have both been frustrated over truce implementation. The Saudi-backed government blamed the Houthis for not reopening main roads in disputed Taiz, while the group accused the coalition of not delivering the agreed number of fuel ships into Hodeidah and flights from the capital Sanaa, both held by the group. Grundberg said he would intensify engagement with the parties in coming weeks to ensure full implementation. An expanded truce, he said, would offer a mechanism to pay public sector salaries, the opening of roads, expanded flights from Sanaa and regular flow of fuel to Hodeidah. The UN is also pushing for a permanent ceasefire to enable the resumption of talks for a sustainable political resolution. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-08-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have signed cooperation accords within the framework of the 11th session of the intergovernmental commission held in Tashkent on August 1, Azernews reports. The memorandum was signed between Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business Development Agency and Uzbekistan's Commissioner for the Protection of Rights and Legitimate Interests of Entrepreneurs. The document provides for cooperation, joint and coordinated actions of the two countries in the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of entrepreneurs. At the same time, Azerbaijan's Agency for Development of Economic Zones signed memorandums with Uzbekipaksanoat Association, and with Uztekstilprom Association. "Within the framework of the 11th session of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission, Memorandums were signed between the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (@smbgovaz) under the Ministry of Economy and the Commissioner for the Protection of Rights and Legitimate Interests of Entrepreneurs under the President of the Republic of #Uzbekistan, the Agency for Development of Economic Zones (@economiczones) and "Uzbekipaksanoat" Association and as well as between the Agency for Development of Economic Zones and "Uztekstilprom" Association," Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov wrote on his official Twitter page. On August 1, the 11th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Uzbek intergovernmental commission was held. During the meeting, Mikayil Jabbarov emphasized that there are vast opportunities for the strengthening of ties between the two countries in various fields. "There are vast opportunities for the strengthening of ties in the fields of #industry, #energy, #investments, small and medium-sized #businesses, #trade, #transport-transit, and others. We held broad discussions in this regard during the 11th session of Azerbaijan-#Uzbekistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission. Our colleagues were informed about the potential of our #liberatedterritories, and invited to benefit from the favorable investment and business environment of our country," he wrote. Investment fund Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Khodjaev has said that the two countries intend to create an investment fund for the implementation of joint projects worth over $500 million. "We agreed to adopt a joint roadmap within a week, aimed at establishing a fund as soon as possible," he said. Mikayil Jabbarov also underlined that the investment cooperation between the two countries should be intensified. "In this aspect, the creation and operation of a joint investment fund can be a good tool that can and should help investors from both countries," he said. Stressing that the energy sector is one of the promising areas of cooperation, Jabbarov recalled that in early July, Uzbekneftegaz and SOCAR signed a roadmap on cooperation in the joint development of oil fields in both countries, as well as projects for renewable energy and digitalization. The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny Tuesday of Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbour al-Qaida members. Nearly a year after the U.S. military's chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, al-Zawahri's killing raises questions about the involvement of Taliban leaders in sheltering a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks and one of America's most-wanted fugitives. The safe house is in Kabul's upscale Shirpur neighborhood, home to several Taliban leaders who had moved into mansions of former top Afghan officials of the toppled Western-backed government. The Taliban initially sought to describe the strike as America violating the Doha deal, which also includes a Taliban pledge not to shelter those seeking to attack the U.S. _ something al-Zawahri had done for years in internet videos and online screeds. The Taliban have yet to say who was killed in the strike. Meanwhile, rumors persist of unease in the Taliban ranks _ particularly between the powerful group known as the Haqqani network, which apparently sheltered al-Zawahri, and other Taliban figures. ``The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri has raised many questions,`` said one Pakistani intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press as he wasn't authorized to speak publicly to reporters. Al-Zawahri took over as al-Qaida's leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in 2011, in an operation by U.S. Navy SEALs. ``The Taliban were aware of his presence in Kabul, and if they were not aware of it, they need to explain their position,`` the official said. The strike early Sunday shook awake Shirpur, once home to historic buildings bulldozed in 2003 to make way for luxury homes for officials in Afghanistan's Western-backed government and international aid organizations. After the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, the Taliban elite began taking some of the abandoned homes there. The house where al-Zawahri stayed was the home to a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Taliban officials blocked AP journalists in Kabul from reaching the damaged house on Tuesday. The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist insurgent group, built around the family of the same name. In the 1980s, it fought Soviet forces and over the past 20 years, it battled U.S.-led NATO troops and the former Afghanistan government. Sirajuddin Haqqani has also served as the first deputy leader of the Taliban movement since 2016. Since last August, he also served the appointed interior ministry of the Taliban government. The U.S. government maintains a $10 million bounty on him for ``numerous significant kidnappings and attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the Afghan government and civilian targets.'' But the Haqqanis, from Afghanistan's eastern Khost province, have disagreed with others in the Taliban leadership, mostly from the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Some believe Sirajuddin Haqqani wants more power. Other Taliban figures have opposed the Haqqanis' violent attacks against civilians in Kabul and elsewhere. ``It seems to me that the power struggle within the Taliban is general. It's not necessarily about the U.S. or about the international community. It's about the new regime, how to share power within the new regime, who gets what position, who gets to control what ministries, to decide the general policies and so on,'' said Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst studying Islamist militant groups. ``It's not that surprising that the building would be owned by the Haqqani family. ... That creates a tension between what the Taliban movement is, especially in terms of how it's trying to reach out to the international community, to normalize itself and so on,'' he said. The timing of the strike also couldn't come at a worse time politically for the Taliban. The militants face international condemnation for refusing to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade, despite earlier promises. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan also criticized the Taliban for human rights abuses under their rule. The U.S. and its allies have cut off billions in development funds that kept the government afloat in part over the abuses, as well as froze billions in Afghan national assets. This sent the already shattered economy into free fall, increasing poverty dramatically and creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions, struggling to feed their families, are kept alive by a massive U.N.-led relief effort. The Taliban have been trying to reopen the taps to that aid and their reserves. However, al-Zawahri's killing already has been seized upon by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a sign that the Taliban ``grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances ... that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries.'' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, however, alleged the U.S. violated the Doha Agreement by launching the strike. Afghanistan's state-run television channel, now under the Taliban, reported that President Joe Biden said al-Zawahri had been killed. ``The killing of Ayman al-Zawahri closes a chapter of al-Qaida,`` said Imtiaz Gul, the executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies. In the Mideast, al-Zawahri's killing coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, which sparked U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, the same presence that bin Laden pointed to in launching the 9/11 attacks. Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, noted the timing. It's ``a chance for the region to contemplate and reflect on the absurdity of extremism, terrorism and reckless military adventures and how all of this frayed (the region's) fabric,`` Gargash wrote on Twitter. The ``lessons and teachings are present, and hope rests on the countries of the region uniting together to guarantee security and shared development.'' Search Keywords: Short link: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night despite threats from Beijing of serious consequences, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China. Pelosi's visit has triggered increased tension between China and the United States. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and views visits by foreign government officials as recognition of the island's sovereignty. China had warned of ``resolute and strong measures'' if Pelosi went ahead with the trip. China's Defense Ministry said Tuesday night it will conduct a series of targeted military operations to ``safeguard national sovereignty'' in response to Pelosi's visit. It vowed to ``resolutely thwart external interference and `Taiwan independence' separatist attempts.`` The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off the visit, while seeking to assure Beijing it would not signal any change in U.S. policy on Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington's betrayal ``on the Taiwan issue is bankrupting its national credibility.`` ``Some American politicians are playing with fire on the issue of Taiwan,`` Wang said in a statement. ``This will definitely not have a good outcome ... the exposure of America's bullying face again shows it as the world's biggest saboteur of peace.`` Pelosi said in a statement just after her arrival that the U.S. delegation's visit ``honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy.'' ``Our visit is one of several Congressional delegations to Taiwan -- and it in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy,'' she said. The plane carrying Pelosi and her delegation left Malaysia earlier Tuesday after a brief stop that included a working lunch with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry had declined to comment on whether Pelosi would visit. The trip was not officially announced ahead of time. Barricades were erected outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei where Pelosi was expected to stay amid heightened security. Two buildings in the capital lit up LED displays with words of welcome, including the iconic Taipei 101 building, which said ``Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi.'' China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary, has repeatedly warned of retaliation for Pelosi's visit, saying its military will ``never sit idly by.'' ``The U.S. and Taiwan have colluded to make provocations first, and China has only been compelled to act out of self-defense,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters Tuesday in Beijing. Hua said China has been in constant communication with the U.S. and made clear ``how dangerous it would be if the visit actually happens.'' Any countermeasures China take will be ``justified and necessary`` in the face of Washington's ``unscrupulous behavior,`` she said. Shortly after Pelosi's arrival, a representative of the Chinese legislature's Standing Committee issued a statement saying the trip ``severely violated'' the ``One China principle,'' which is Beijing's claim to be the sole government of both mainland China and Taiwan. Before her arrival, unspecified hackers launched a cyberattack on the Taiwanese Presidential Office's website, making it temporarily unavailable Tuesday evening. The Presidential Office said the website was restored shortly after the attack, which overwhelmed it with traffic. ``China thinks by launching a multi-domain pressure campaign against Taiwan, the people of Taiwan will be be intimidated. But they are wrong,'' Wang Ting-yu, a legislator with the Democratic Progressive Party, said on Twitter in response to the attack. China's military threats have driven concerns of a new crisis in the 100-mile (140-kilometer) -wide Taiwan Strait that could roil global markets and supply chains. The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric, saying the U.S. has no interest in deepening tensions with China and ``will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling.'' White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby underscored that the decision whether to visit Taiwan was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited the island over the years. Kirby said administration officials are concerned that Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, or flying sorties into the island's airspace and carrying out large-scale naval exercises in the strait. ``Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait,'' Kirby said. U.S. officials have said the U.S. military would increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region during Pelosi's visit. U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea on Monday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the cruiser USS Antietam and the destroyer USS Higgins left Singapore after a port visit and moved north to their homeport in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, on board as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they don't support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The flight tracking site Flightradar24 said Pelosi's aircraft, a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-40C, was the most tracked in the world on Tuesday evening with 300,000 viewers. The plane took a roundabout route, flying east over Indonesia rather than directly over the South China Sea. Pelosi has used her position in the U.S. Congress as an emissary for the U.S. on the global stage. She has long challenged China on human rights, including in 2009 when she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. She had sought to visit Taiwan's island democracy earlier this year before testing positive for COVID-19. Pelosi kicked off her Asian tour in Singapore on Monday as her possible visit to Taiwan sparked jitters in the region. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ``highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security'' during talks with Pelosi, the city-state's Foreign Ministry said. This was echoed by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, who said stable ties between the two rival powers ``are extremely important for the international community as well.'' The Philippines urged the U.S. and China to be ``responsible actors`` in the region. ``It is important for the U.S. and China to ensure continuing communication to avoid any miscalculation and further escalation of tensions,`` said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. China cut off all contact with Taiwan's government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together make up a single Chinese nation, with the Communist regime in Beijing being the sole legitimate government. Pelosi is to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week. Search Keywords: Short link: As Ethiopia proceeds with the third filling of GERD, Egypt turns once again to the United Nations Security Council. As US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer finished his regional tour to promote a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Egypt sent a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) expressing its opposition to Ethiopias unilateral filling of the dams reservoir for the third year in a row. The letter, sent by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri to the president of the UNSC last week, serves two purposes, says Rakha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs. It asserts Egypts objection to the third filling, and underlines Egypts right under the UN Charter to take all the necessary measures to protect its national security against Ethiopias unilateral actions. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamed Hegazi, the letter also underlined, in a clear, balanced language, the importance of abiding by international law while stressing that Egypt cannot accept any infringement on its water security. In the letter, Shoukri characterised the filling as a clear violation of the 2015 Declaration of Principles Agreement and of international laws regulating transboundary rivers. Egypts top diplomat stressed that while Cairo remains committed to reaching an agreement on GERD that achieves the common interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, it will not tolerate any encroachment on its water security or threat to the Egyptian people. He called on the UNSC to assume its responsibilities and intervene to ensure the implementation of the presidential statement issued last year by the council calling on Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to reach an agreement as early as possible. Shoukri also called on Addis Ababa to comply with international law and the principles governing transnational waterways, pointing out that Egypt holds Addis Ababa fully responsible for any significant harm to Egyptian interests that may result from violations of its obligations. Egypts letter came in response to a letter from Ethiopia on 26 July in which it stated that it would continue filling the reservoir during the current flood season. Both letters were sent during Hammers visit to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia. One aim of Hammers visit, according to a statement issued by the US State Department, was to promote a diplomatic resolution to disagreements over GERD that achieves the interests of all parties. The tour started last week, and concluded on Monday. As envoy to the Horn of Africa, Hammer, explained Hassan, must deal with developments across the region, including in Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, as well as ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. The question is, now that the third filling is a reality, will the US press for holding the fresh negotiations, and will they lead to a legally binding agreement or a unilateral statement that Ethiopia can change or amend at any time? It all depends on whether the US administration is ready to take a stronger stand. In Cairo, Hammer said his visit was an opportunity to hear from our Egyptian partners about the critical issues posed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to better understand Egypts water needs, and said Washington is actively engaged in supporting a diplomatic way forward under the African Unions auspices that arrives at an agreement that provides for the long-term needs of every citizen along the Nile. Commenting on the outcome of the visit, a diplomat close to the negotiations said Hammers statements were non-committal and suggested the dam issue is not a priority for the US administration. Ethiopian domestic issues took precedence during his visit to Addis Ababa. The dam was hardly mentioned there. In Ethiopia, Hammer held talks with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen. They discussed the need for continued progress on ensuring unfettered humanitarian assistance delivery, human rights accountability, and political talks to end the conflict and achieve a lasting peace, said the US Embassy. Egypt has already referred the GERD case to the UN twice. In 2021, Egypt and Sudan petitioned the UN Security Council over the dam file. During a meeting last July Tunisia the only Arab (non-permanent) member of the Council submitted a draft resolution calling on Ethiopia to negotiate in good faith and setting a timetable of six months to reach an agreement under the umbrella of the AU. The session concluded without a vote. The Security Council did, however, issue a presidential statement two months later urging Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to resume negotiations under the auspices of the AU and finalise the text of a mutually acceptable agreement on filling and operating the dam within a reasonable time frame. Egypt first sent a letter to the UNSC in June 2020 objecting to the first filling and calling for the resumption of tripartite negotiations. Hegazi believes that raising the issue in international meetings, including during President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis recent trip to France, Germany, and Serbia, may contribute to finding a peaceful resolution to the dam issue. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: More political activists are expected to be pardoned soon in an attempt to create a favourable climate for the success of the national dialogue On 29 July, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi granted presidential pardons to seven detainees journalist Hisham Fouad, researcher Ahmed Samir, actor Tarek Al-Nahri, and political activists Qassem Ashraf Qassem, Abdel-Raouf Khattab, Tarek Al-Mahdi and Khaled Abdel-Moneim Saber who had received final jail sentences. Press Syndicate head Diaa Rashwan said on 30 July that more than 700 prisoners had been pardoned since Al-Sisi called for a national dialogue in April to draw up a new political roadmap. The pardons mean the dialogue will take place in a more conducive atmosphere and illustrate the state is sincere about achieving greater political openness, he said. Hisham Fouad was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of spreading false news on social media in a case known as the Hope Cell Plot. Following the release of Fouad, 14 journalists are serving jail sentences. Seven are members of the Press Syndicate and seven were working as freelancers, said Rashwan. MP Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said in a TV interview on 29 April that the pardon decree will not be the last. I expect that another batch of prisoners with final jail sentences will be released very soon. President Al-Sisis decision to invoke his constitutional powers demonstrates that the political leadership is committed to giving young activists implicated in publication offences or violations of the protest law a second chance. According to Abdel-Aziz, the Presidential Pardon Committee will consider the cases of detainees who have received final jail sentences or are in custody pending trial as long as they are not implicated in terrorism or other forms of violence. The pardons, he added, show that Egypt is a strong and stable country that has defeated the forces of terrorism and is now ready to create a more politically inclusive climate. Tarek Al-Khouli, MP and a member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, said on 30 June that by pardoning political prisoners, President Al-Sisi wants to create a positive atmosphere before the national dialogue starts. There is no doubt that the presidential pardons build confidence between opposition forces and activists on one hand, and the ruling regime on the other, says Senator Farid Zahran, chairman of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party. The pardon of Fouad has sparked hopes that Ziad Al-Oleimi, a lawyer and one of the founders of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, will be also released. Al-Oleimi was also a member of the Hope Cell Plot and is currently serving a three-year sentence. The Arab Network for Digital Media and Human Rights (ANDMHR) welcomed the latest pardons. The succession of presidential pardons reflects the seriousness with which political reform and the implementation of the national human rights strategy is being taken, it said. ANDMHR called for more presidential pardons and noted that the Presidential Pardon Committee had established clear criteria for dealing with such cases, including the exclusion from consideration for pardon of any detainee proven to have incited violence or violated the right to life. Gamila Ismail, recently elected head of the Dostour Party, said that while she welcomed the invitation to participate in the national dialogue, in order for the dialogue to succeed we would recommend all political activists be pardoned and released. Tayseer Matar, spokesperson of the 42-member Alliance of Egyptian Political Parties and a member of the Senate, said President Al-Sisis pardon on 29 July continues the political leaderships efforts to release more prisoners who do not have blood on their hands. Such efforts have created a favourable climate for the national dialogue proposed by President Al-Sisi last April and are not just a tactic as some who seek to politicise the dialogue and impose pre-conditions before sitting down on the table claim, said Mattar. Mattar also argued that President Al-Sisis pardon underlines the political leaderships commitment to implementing the Human Rights Strategy released last year. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Mass protests are filling the political vacuum following a 10-month political standoff in Iraq, Nermeen Al-Mufti reports from Baghdad. It was clear that the street could become inflamed at any moment, Ali Bashar, a political activist, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Not satisfied with ignoring us, the political class has insisted on not listening to the Sadrist Movement either, despite it winning first place in the most recent elections, with 73 seats in parliament. Today it is the Muharram Revolution, the name coined by Muqtada Al-Sadr, the cleric who leads the Sadrist Movement, that is shaping events in Iraq. Al-Sadr himself ordered the movements 73 MPs to resign. Al-Sadrs supporters stormed the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdads fortified Green Zone on 26 July, rejecting the nomination of Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani as the countrys new prime minister by the Coordinating Framework (CF) bloc in parliament. They left only after Al-Sadr tweeted to say their message had been received. Yet despite Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Al-Halbousi saying sessions had been suspended until further notice, the CF, which includes all Iraqs Shia political parties except for the Sadrist Movement, continued with the nomination of Al-Sudani. In response, the Sadrists and their supporters stormed the Green Zone for a second time and resumed their sit-in. On Monday, as the sit-in continued, demonstrations organised by the CFs Organising Committee to Support Legitimacy took to the streets to protest recent developments signalling the planning of a coup, threatening the state, cancelling its legitimacy, and insulting its constitutional institutions and the democratic process, according to statements on the Dawa Party-affiliated Afaq TV channel. We fear a Shia-Shia confrontation, says political activist Mohamed Aziz. We see the Sadrists demands as legitimate but the CF sees them as an attempted coup. Among the most important demands are amendments to the constitution, the trial of corrupt politicians and officials, and the holding of early elections. As Monday drew to a close amid calls from various parties to begin a dialogue, the two sides remained calm. CF protesters withdrew, and the Sadrists continued their sit-in. The protesters in the sit-in are not only Sadrists. There are representatives of many other forces that reject the situation in Iraq, says political analyst Abdel-Amir Al-Majar. The Sadrists demands are the demands of the people. There are hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are angry because successive governments have done nothing for them. While the CF may try to escalate the situation, it looks to have lost the initiative. The protest movement continues to grow. Early elections are a must, professor of political science Jinsn Ali told the Weekly. The Supreme Judicial Authority must dissolve parliament because it has violated the constitution by exceeding the period specified to elect a president of the republic. The current parliament has lost its legitimacy. Ali Al-Faili, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) member, had warned that the Sadrists resignation from parliament was a poisonous gift of which the CF should be careful. Yet the CF went ahead and accepted alternative MPs and nominated a controversial new prime minister. A pro-Sadrist journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Weekly that Al-Sudani is a decent man, but he has accepted to be a go-between for former prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki and Al-Sadr though the two are bitter rivals. Many political figures, including CF leaders such as Hadi Al-Amiri, head of the Al-Fath Alliance, have called for dialogue, but according to Al-Majar dialogue cannot succeed unless the root problem is solved, and that problem is the loss of trust between political parties, and between those parties and the people. Al-Majar summarised the problem between the Sadrists and the CF by saying that Sayyid Muqtada Al-Sadr is after a strong Iraq that refuses to allow regional countries to interfere in its political decisions, leaving unspoken the overt backing CF parties receive from Iran. Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi warned in an official statement on Monday against Iraqis being lured into accusations of treason, hostility, and hatred between brothers in the same homeland. He called on all parties to sit at the table of national dialogue in order to reach a political solution to the current crisis. Ammar Al-Hakim, the head of the Al-Hikma Movement, and Haider Al-Abadi, the head of the Al-Nasr Coalition, announced their support for Al-Kadhimis call. Parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi also tweeted his support for the initiative of the prime minister to find a solution to events taking place in the country and stressed the importance of everyone sitting at the dialogue table and taking practical steps leading to parliamentary and local elections, with a fixed timetable, to resolve the current crisis. As the Weekly went to press, Sadrist protesters were continuing their sit-in inside the Iraqi parliament building. The Iraqi News Agency quoted the director of Al-Sadrs office as saying that the movements supporters had been directed to withdraw from the main chamber of parliament but to continue their sit-in inside and outside the rest of the building. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: In an arguably unwarranted escalation, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi set off an alarming standoff between the US and China by visiting Taiwan. In the first such high-profile visit in 25 years, Pelosi pledged an unwavering commitment to the democratic island republic which China regards as a breakaway province, to which the Chinese authorities responded by sending warplanes to perform live-fire exercises at the frontier separating the mainland from Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese authorities called Pelosis move, which is reportedly contested within the US itself, extremely dangerous. They vowed that Washington would pay the price and declared that any attempt at independence would be shattered by the powerful force of the Chinese people. Search Keywords: Short link: In refusing to negotiate seriously with downstream nations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia is pushing the region to the edge of the abyss, writes Mostafa Ahmady Amid the pressing economic issues that have hit Egypt and the world at large by dint of the dire implications of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine, it might have been wrongly thought that Egypt had put aside a matter of life or death to the very existence of its people, namely the Nile River and its now-obstructed flow caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Ethiopia has spent almost a decade constructing this dam on the Blue Nile, its main tributary, which for millennia has provided the downstream peoples of Sudan and Egypt with the means of life. However, this issue has never been a more urgent one for Egyptian decision-makers. Egypt, the livelihoods of whose people hinge on the uninterrupted flow of the Nile, has been firing on all cylinders, taking the issue to the highest possible levels in a diplomatic offensive that started with the African Union (AU) and has since moved on to the UN Security Council. Seeking mediation from the AU failed because despite the attempts by successive chairs of this continental bloc to find a so-called African solution for an African problem, the issue became bogged down in talks at the seat of the organisation in Ethiopia. On the international level, Egyptian officials have drawn the attention of the Security Council to the issue, pointing out the dire impact it would have on the stability and security of the region in the absence of a legally binding agreement regulating the work of this colossal project. When the three countries involved, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, were edging closer to striking a deal on the GERD in Washington DC after the US agreed to host talks sponsored by the former Trump administration, Ethiopia suddenly abandoned them, citing issues of sovereignty and fairness, as if it were the only upstream nation in the world from which a major transboundary rivers water originates. This narrow-minded understanding of the very nature of transboundary rivers coupled with intransigence and arrogance on Ethiopias part have been the main reasons why the downstream nations of Sudan and Egypt have not been able to reach a binding legal deal with Ethiopia in more than a decade of talks. Though the Biden administration was at first less interested in engaging itself in the issue of the GERD compared to the former Republican administration of Donald Trump, it has recently become more interested in the talks. A meeting on the sidelines of the Summit for Security and Development hosted in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July saw presidents Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt and Joe Biden of the US speak for the first time face to face on the matter. A positive gesture came out of the meeting in the form of a joint statement in which the US reiterated support for Egypts water security and the imperative of concluding an agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD without further delay. Even more importantly, the statement called for the basing of any deal on the GERD on the statement of the president of the United Nations Security Council dated September 15, 2021, and in accordance with international law. Regrettably, this has been ignored by the Addis Ababa regime, though the joint statement fully acknowledged the interests of all parties in the GERD issue, including Ethiopias right to generate electricity without causing harm to the peoples of the downstream countries. Since the issuing of the statement, Ethiopia has been mobilising its state-run media to label the US a biased mediator, recalling memories of the so-called era of colonialism in another reshuffling of the cards that Addis Ababa has been hell bent on since day one of the negotiations. In a bid to provide further momentum to the talks, the US dispatched its envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, to the region to hold talks with Ethiopia and Egypt on the GERD. While in Cairo, Hammer will have listened to the repeated requests of Egyptian officials to find a legally binding deal on the GERD that will safeguard Egypts inalienable right to its share of the Nile water while at the same time allowing Ethiopia to generate the electricity it needs to sustain its development. However, in Addis Ababa Hammer will be treated to a completely twisted narrative on the GERD. He will be told that Ethiopia contributes each and every drop of water to the Nile with zero benefit, while Egypt does not contribute a single glass of water to it and yet wants exclusive rights over the river. Ethiopia, he will be told, wants to lift its people from abject poverty by providing electricity to more than 70 per cent of its huge population. One wonders, though. This country, which claims to lack power for local consumption, has recently struck a deal with neighbouring Kenya to sell it 200 Megawatts of electricity and has promised to double that amount soon. While charity no doubt begins at home, Ethiopian officials have been leaving others in the dark with all their talk of exporting the countrys surplus. If Ethiopia has surplus electricity such that it can sign deals to export it to its neighbours in Kenya, Djibouti, and even downstream Sudan, then what is the problem with finding a solution on the GERD? The problem is that Ethiopian officials cannot see beyond the end of their own noses. The countrys GERD Public Participation Coordination Office Director Aregawi Berhe, appointed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said in recent press remarks that the GERD is much like the Aswan High Dam that Egypt constructed without consultations with Ethiopia. Raising ones eyebrows is surely not enough. Like many Ethiopian officials, Berhe holds the view that Egypt should not have made use of water that was being wasted in floods each year and that because it decided not to waste it, Ethiopia now has the right to act unilaterally in the way it likes. Berhe has failed to understand a simple truth that students learn in school, namely that damming water in a downstream nation can have no impact, either big or small, on an upstream one because water naturally flows downwards. Fanning the flames, Berhe said that Ethiopia has the right to build other dams in the future. This is the core of the problem because other malicious goals entertained by Ethiopia have been disguised in the so-called right to generate electricity. The Ahmed regime apparently wants to dictate the rules on how to handle the issue of the Niles water. Ethiopia, as its government repeats, listening to no one and nothing that is said to it, says that nothing will stop it from moving ahead with finalising the GERD, even to the detriment of Sudan and Egypt. While Egypt has already informed the UN Security Council that it will take all necessary measures (under the Charter of the United Nations) to ensure and protect its national security, including against any risks that Ethiopian unilateral measures may cause in the future, Ethiopias unilateral third filling of the GERDs reservoir is testimony to the fact that after Ahmed has disrupted the harmonious social fabric that Ethiopia has boasted of for three decades since the 1990s, his government now looks determined to push the region to the edge of a cliff on the GERD. This is an ominous scenario that the worlds major superpower, the US, and other influential partners must work hard to avoid. * The writer is a former press attache in Ethiopia and an expert on African and international affairs. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: If Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan on her Asian tour, it will have unpredictable consequences for US-Chinese relations. Ever since US President Joe Biden entered the White House in January 2021, US-Chinese relations have been on a rollercoaster. The Biden administration, not unlike the former Trump White House, has made China its main competitor I would prefer the word adversary on the international scene. Throughout the last 18 months, the US has been engaged in attempts to expand US-led alliances and partnerships of all sorts to contain the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). For the first time since its establishment in April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) included China by name in its New Strategic Concept adopted at its Madrid Summit in June. This New Strategic Concept will guide the policies of the alliance for the next decade. The outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February complicated US-Chinese relations, introducing a high level of tension in an already tense atmosphere. The US and its allies have pressured Beijing to condemn the Russian war, something which the Chinese have refused to do. In the meantime, the US-led West has been warning the Chinese not to lend any kind of support, whether military, economic, or financial, to Moscow. In other words, the West, carrying out US strategy, has been putting China on the defensive. Things came to a head when the UK Financial Times reported in mid-July that Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, planned to visit Taiwan in the context of an Asian trip that would include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Her office neither confirmed nor denied the press reports about a visit to Taiwan for security reasons. Any outside and objective observer of US-Chinese relations would undoubtedly consider such a visit to be highly provocative, very untimely, and running against established US diplomacy in the framework of the Taiwan Relations Act and the One China Policy that have been the pillars of US-Chinese relations over the last three decades and of security and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific region. It is difficult to say whether the reported trip to Taiwan by the speaker of the House was cleared beforehand by the White House. Those who are familiar with Washington politics and with relations between the White House and Congress will hesitate to believe that it was not, particularly when the president and the speaker both hail from the same political party. Both Biden and Pelosi are Democrats. Against this background, Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their fifth virtual summit meeting on 28 July. The conversation lasted two hours and 17 minutes, according to official sources in Washington. The conversation covered a range of issues, but it is worth noting that the official read-outs of the call on the part of both the White House and the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not mention the reported visit by Pelosi to Taiwan, a strong indication that both sides prefer not to escalate the matter at present. The Chinese will be waiting to see whether Pelosi proceeds with her visit to Taiwan or not. She has already started her Asian tour. Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, spoke on 27 July, one day before the virtual summit meeting between the US and Chinese presidents, of Chinas firm opposition to Pelosis potential trip to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. He made clear that if the US side insists on making the visit and challenges Chinas red line, it will be met with resolute countermeasures. He warned that the US must assume full responsibility for any serious consequences. However, the two presidents did discuss Taiwan in their conversation even if they did not mention a possible visit to the island by Pelosi. Biden reiterated the US commitment to the One China Policy and US opposition to any unilateral measures that could affect the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Xi Jinping reaffirmed the standard Chinese policy concerning Taiwan and Chinas opposition to any moves that could favour Taiwans independence from the mainland. One US official said that the discussion concerning Taiwan was in depth, direct, and honest. One encouraging sign that stood out after the call between the two leaders was the fact that the two men expressed an interest in meeting face-to-face. A US official told reporters that the two presidents had instructed their teams to find a mutually agreeable time to do so. If Pelosi visits Taipei on her Asian tour, it is doubtful that any such summit meeting will take place anytime soon. * The writer is former assistant foreign minister. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Preferring sensationalism to responsible coverage and with little sense of the realities on the ground, the Western media has been continuing its campaign against Egypt, writes Azza Radwan Sedky The following is a sample of the headlines of articles written on Egypt in the Western press in a single month. Counting the Detained in Egypt (New York Times); When Biden met Sisi: The US Soft Spot for Egypts Dictator (Middle East Eye); Egypt is Going to Crash. We Must Act Now to Limit the Chaos (Middle East Eye); Egypt: Al-Sisis National Political Dialogue, a New Ploy? (Euromedrights.org); UN Urged to Move COP27 from Egypt over LGBTQ+ Torture (Guardian); Egypt Locks Up Terrorists but wont say which Terror Group they Belong To (Economist); Opponents are Sceptical of Egyptian President Al-Sisis National Dialogue (Le Monde); Egypts Authorities wish to crack down on Mahraganat (Economist); Most Egyptians say no Racial Discrimination at all in their Country Despite Evidence (BBC). The search for this collection of cataclysmic articles was random. It was swift and uncomplicated. Imagine what the results could have been had the search been more thorough or made to cover a longer period. To rebut the fabricated content of these articles would need several articles and not only one. For this reason, I will focus primarily on why the Western media apparently sees nothing of value occurring in Egypt. I will also refer to some elements in the articles that could not be left untouched. First, the Western media prefers to sensationalise rather than to rationalise. It chooses to play down the good because the good does not sell. Western journalists indulge in resentful and negative stories that could be threatening to Egypts security if they were taken seriously. Fortunately, Egyptians have learned the lesson the hard way. They simply laugh off the sourness. Second, the West has failed to see the Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group for what they are, insisting on seeing them as socially conservative forces with no political affiliation or aspiration. Hardly ever does the Western media speak of the ill that Egypt withstood and withstands today from terrorist groups and from what the MB considers acceptable. The MB encourages chaos in order that it can control Egypt again. But again, the Egyptians have learned their lesson. In the article Counting the Detained in the New York Times, the writer says that the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, which ran the previous government and has the largest contingent of political prisoners, has been excluded from the talks [the National Dialogue]. Egyptians would be horrified if the outlawed MB were to be involved in Egypts National Dialogue. Compare the MB, though it has caused far more damage, to the misfits who attacked the Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January 2021. Would they be given an opportunity to discuss the future of their homeland? It is hardly likely. Egyptian writers affiliated with the MB are encouraged to write extensively in the Western media. Mohamed Elmasry, author of When Biden met Sisi: The US Soft Spot for Egypts Dictator is a Muslim community leader and imam in Canada. Egypt is Going to Crash. We Must Act Now to Limit the Chaos was written by Yehia Hamed, who served in former MB president Mohamed Morsis government. These writers assume the role of national defenders. They write as if they care about Egypt, when in fact they are adamant about making Egypt fall. One of them says that we must not deceive ourselves. Instability is coming and chaos seems inevitable. The other says that all along, this has never been about combating Islamism, but about combating democracy. More often than not, such articles are written to fault every word that President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi utters. They end up twisting values, misjudging words, and ridiculing even the best of notions. When President Al-Sisi says that the homeland is big enough for all of us, they disbelieve him. When he urges Egyptians to be patient as prices soar, they assume they are starving. The Western media would prefer to have the Western world have little to do with Egypt, which is why it faults US President Joe Biden for realising the importance of Egypts role in the region and thus of meeting President Al-Sisi in Saudi Arabia in July. Undoubtedly, the US realises that Egypt remains at the core of any negotiations or peace agreements in the region. It comprehends the value of its partnership with Egypt. Writing in the New York Post in October 2019, columnist Sohrab Ahmari wrote that once more, were forgetting the hellish threat a destabilised Egypt would pose to its people, the region and US security Consider the New York Times, which lately has been pumping a steady stream of negative stories about protests and crackdowns, corruption and Trumps favourite dictator. Even assuming every word is true, there is something profoundly ahistorical and reckless about the mainstream medias anti-Sisi push. A few samples of misleading content would suffice to prove the misconceptions in these articles. Vivian Yee, the Cairo bureau chief of the New York Times, wrote in the article Counting the Detained in Egypt that the families of prisoners buy mandatory white prison garments from department stores that specifically sell white clothing for Muslims to wear on the pilgrimage to Mecca, only to say later that prisoners of conscience were so abundant that there was a go-to supplier for their families. This is blatantly untrue. The same article claims that this isnt about just targeting a few high-profile dissenters. Its about turning Egyptians of every different class and profession into enemies of the state. This is puzzling: why on earth would Egypt want to turn every different class and profession into enemies of the state? You would think it would try to win them over, rather than alienate them. But this is the Times take on happenings in Egypt. The articles are doused with defamatory phrases, such as Sisi is facing multiple crises at home, the favourite dictator, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, mass trials, death sentences, torture, widespread corruption, squandering money on ill-conceived projects, an economy on the verge of collapse, and much more. Did they pause to mention one positive matter? Hardly one. One article, UN Urged to Move COP27 from Egypt over LGBTQ + Torture, is quite arbitrary. According to the UK Guardian newspaper, a gay White House adviser and his partner believe that gay visitors would be targeted in Egypt. Never has any formal visitor been harassed in Egypt because of their ethnicity or sexuality. Unless they are explicitly trying to provoke others, nothing, absolutely nothing, would detract from their visit to Sharm El-Sheikh. Yet, the Guardian believes the issue is worth discussing. The UK Economist magazine challenges Egyptians on mahraganat music, a form of street music, and the BBC finds racism in how Egyptian women with curly hair and dark complexions are treated. These topics are so trivial as not to be worth noting. Yes, these articles may sometimes irk us. However, they should not do so. We should just realise that the attitude of the Western media will not change, even as it leaves no mark on Egyptians. We could try to drown out the negativity by highlighting accomplishments, but the danger is that this would fall on deaf ears. * The writer is a former professor of communication based in Vancouver, Canada. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The most recent UN secretary-generals report on the Islamic State group reminds us that the terrorist threat is still looming, writes Khaled Okasha The UN Counter Terrorism Committee submitted its latest report to the members of the UN Security Council last Tuesday (26 July). The 15th UN secretary-generals report on the threat of the Islamic State (IS) was then distributed widely to the many other committees and agencies concerned with the terrorist threat. The reports overall assessment was that the terrorist threat, in particular the threat posed by IS, remains high in conflict zones and, by extension, neighbouring member states. An array of data and analyses corroborate this assessment. The report focuses mainly on transnational terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and IS and cautions that while their threat is concentrated in conflict areas, these have generated conditions conducive to the potential for the threat to spill over into non-conflict areas as well. It therefore urges action to resolve such conflicts. It notes that the two named organisations are still active in the areas of greatest interest to them, which are those offering environments conducive to their bases and activities, but that a range of complex political problems have also induced them to create spaces for expansion elsewhere. These areas in order of priority are Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Levant, which includes Syria and Iraq. Foreign terrorist fighters are a special source of concern for the authors of the report both because of the major threat they pose and because of the precarious situation of their wives and children. An estimated 120,000 fighters and their families are being held in 11 camps and 20 facilities in north-eastern Syria, the report says. It adds that a Member State has reported that approximately 10,000 foreign terrorist fighters remain in the custody of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the predominantly Syrian Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria. Of particular concern to the authors are the reported 30,000 children under the age of 12 at risk of IS indoctrination. IS continues to operate its Cubs of the Caliphate programme that aims to produce a new generation of extremists. It introduced the programme during its control of the swathe of territory spanning Syria and Iraq on which it founded its so-called caliphate in 2014-2017. The report openly acknowledges, perhaps for the first time, that IS, despite its defeat by the US-led Coalition in 2018, still maintains two distinct organisational structures, one for Iraq and one for Syria. It also has vigorous and well-established regional networks with hubs in Afghanistan (covering South Asia) and Somalia (covering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique). The one that has experienced the largest expansion in the past two years (2020-2022) is based in the Lake Chad Basin (which covers Nigeria and the Western Sahel region). A major section of the report discusses terrorist-related developments during the first six months of 2022. The first was the Hasaka Prison break in January. The IS attack against this prison complex in north-eastern Syria freed a large number of inmates and led to severe losses in the ranks of the SDF that were guarding it. In February, a US-led military operation near the Syrian border with Turkey killed IS leader Amir Mohamed Said Abdel-Rahman Al-Salbi. In March, IS acknowledged this and proclaimed Abu Al-Hassan Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi as his successor. The actual identity of this individual has yet to be confirmed, although it has been discussed widely among Member States, according to the report. As concerns Al-Qaeda, the report notes that periodic video releases appear to confirm with near certainty that Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the groups leader, is still alive. It also cites UN Member States that contributed to this analysis as observing that Al-Zawahiris increased comfort and ability to communicate coincided with the Talibans return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It suggests that Al-Qaedas main allies in Afghanistan have re-established themselves in the current administration in Kabul. This coincides with new and more sophisticated Al-Qaeda propaganda indicating that the group is re-emerging as the main rival to IS in the arena of intra-terrorist competition. It has even been suggested that Al-Qaeda could become a greater source of targeted threats and that the international context may be more favourable than ever to Al-Qaeda and its bid to re-don the mantel of the leader of global Islamist jihad. Given that funding is crucial to these organisations operations, it is little wonder that the report dedicates a special section to this. Drawing on information from sources in various countries, it says that the IS leadership controls some $25 million in reserves, with most of these funds remaining in Iraq. IS expenditures, most of which are payments to fighters and their families, exceed income. Nevertheless, the groups sources of revenue, which include extortion, kidnapping for ransom, zakat (a form of donation), direct donations, and income from trading and investments, have helped it establish a financial system that allows the group to adapt and sustain itself in varied conditions. The Member States that contributed to the report add that the IS leaderships ability to direct and maintain control over the flow of funds to global affiliates remained resilient. One drew attention to the emerging importance of individuals in South Africa in facilitating the transfer of funds from IS leadership to affiliates in Africa. The UN Counter Terrorism Committee has obtained information that has enabled it to trace sizeable financial transactions made by IS and Al-Qaeda using cryptocurrencies. According to one of its reports, IS has started giving courses on how to set up digital currency wallets to make and receive payments using digital currencies. The organisation has been using this method to solicit donations and fund activities. According to the latest set of evidence, transactions totalling over $700,000, mostly in privacy secured digital currencies, have been made in order to finance IS operations in Afghanistan. The evidence also suggests that the organisation is becoming increasingly adept in using lesser-known digital currencies. The reports by the UN Counter Terrorism Committee are highly revealing and merit closer study. The abundance of information made available through this transparent and systematic reporting system reminds us that the terrorist peril still looms, as much as some would like to ignore it. * The writer is the general director of the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies (ECSS). *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have discussed and outlined priorities for the cooperation development between the two countries, Azernews reports. The discussion took place during a meeting between Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Investments and Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Khodjaev in Tashkent. "During the meeting with Jamshid Khojayev, Deputy PM of #Uzbekistan, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, we discussed the development of economic ties, increase of #investments and #trade turnover, as well as expansion of cooperation in the field of #industry," Jabbarov wrote on his official Twitter page. During the meeting, the parties stressed the significance and efficiency of the visit of the Azerbaijani president to Uzbekistan in June 2022. They noted that the direct dialogue at the highest level has allowed intensifying bilateral interaction in all existing areas, as well as identifying new growth areas of mutually beneficial partnership. The sides stated that over the past five years, the number of joint ventures created in Uzbekistan with Azerbaijani capital has increased fourfold and totaled 243 units, adding that 70 enterprises with Uzbek capital are operating in Azerbaijan. They agreed to intensify efforts for the timely and qualitative implementation of 87 joint projects and trade contracts worth over $500 million in the oil and gas, chemical, textile, and agriculture sectors. Moreover, the sides reaffirmed intentions to continue the initiative on the creation of the Uzbek-Azerbaijani Investment Fund, and in this regard agreed to develop a roadmap as soon as possible to organize its activities, as well as begin the development of the relevant intergovernmental agreement. Discussing the prospects for strengthening transport and logistics ties, they agreed to enhance cooperation under the Intergovernmental Agreement on International Road Transport between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as to accelerate the transportation of cargoes with goods for Uzbekistan across the Caspian Sea. Additionally, the parties discussed prospects for expanding inter-regional cooperation, meaning the organization of an exhibition of national goods in November this year in Tashkent, as well as holding at a high substantive level the first forum of regions of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. During the visit to Uzbekistan, Mikayil Jabbarov also held a meeting with the Uztekstilprom Association's Chairman Ilhom Haydarov and the Uzbekipaksanoat Association's Chairman Bahrom Sharipov. "We have familiarized ourselves with the activity of the modern #textile clusters in Tashkent and met with chairman of the Uztekstilprom Association Ilhom Haydarov and chairman of the Uzbekipaksanoat Association Bahrom Sharipov. We have also held fruitful discussions on the benefits of the expansion of cooperation between #business entities for the economic development of our countries," Jabbarov wrote on Twitter. The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan amounted to $111.9 million in 2021. Hussein Bassir continues his series on the queens of the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, this week with Cleopatra VII, the most famous of them all Some of the important queens of the Ptolemaic Period, namely Arsinoe II, Berenice II, and Cleopatra II, were presented in some detail in an earlier article. But Queen Cleopatra VII was the best of them all with her unique character and personality, as well as being the last queen of the Lagid (Ptolemaic) Period in Egypt. She was played in the 1963 historical epic drama Cleopatra by the Anglo-American actress Elizabeth Taylor. Queen Cleopatra VII was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which held power in Egypt from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE until her death in 30 BCE. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and was born in 70/69 BCE. She was most famous as the lover of the Roman general Julius Caesar and later as the wife of another Roman general Mark Antony. Her Greek name, Cleopatra, means Famous in Her Father. Her full name, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, means Cleopatra the Father-Loving Goddess. The identity of Cleopatras mother is not known. She may have been Cleopatra V, Ptolemy XIIs first wife, a royal concubine, or Ptolemy XIIs second wife (name unknown), who was the mother of the kings three youngest children, Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII, and Ptolemy XIV. We do not know much about Cleopatras early life, but in the royal dynasty both boys and girls were educated, as women might rule alongside their male counterparts. The ancient historian Plutarch tells us that Cleopatra was the first of the Ptolemies to learn the Egyptian language and that she spoke seven languages. She also would have learned mathematics, astronomy, music, rhetoric, and Greek literature. In 51 BCE, when Ptolemy XII died, Cleopatra, then aged 18, took the throne, ruling with her brother (or more probably half-brother) Ptolemy XIII who was ten years old when their rule began. Three advisers at the royal court, Achillas, Theodotus, and Pothinus, saw the young king as easily influenced and used him to further their own agenda. While Cleopatra was positively disposed toward the Romans, who had helped her father regain his throne, the advisers and Ptolemy XIII favoured a more independent Egypt. By 48 BCE, Ptolemy XIII and his advisers had succeeded in driving Cleopatra beyond Egypts borders. While she was amassing an army in Syria to attempt to regain her throne, the Roman general Pompey was approaching Egypt, in retreat after losing the battle of Pharsalus to Julius Caesar. Based on his friendly relationship with Ptolemy XII, who had made him a ceremonial guardian of Ptolemy XIII, Pompey expected a favourable reception in Egypt. Instead, on Theodotus advice, Ptolemy XIII decided not to risk supporting the man whom Caesar was poised to defeat and thus to arouse his ire. Pompey was executed and his head was presented to Caesar when he arrived in pursuit. Cleopatra saw Caesar as her best hope of regaining her throne and returned in secret to Alexandria by boat. She had herself smuggled into Caesars quarters in the palace wrapped in a bundle of bed linen. The ancient sources tell us that Cleopatra won Caesars support with her daring and her charm. Caesar announced to the Egyptians that the terms of the will of Ptolemy XII would be upheld with Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra ruling jointly. He granted their younger sister and brother, Arsinoe IV and Ptolemy XIV, the rule of Cyprus, which Rome had annexed. Rebelling against Caesars decree, Achillas launched an attack on Caesars army, which became known as the Alexandrian War. The conflict lasted four months, during which time Arsinoe IV joined Achillas forces. Achillas then persuaded Caesar to send Ptolemy XIII to him, claiming that if Ptolemy wished them to surrender, they would do so. Caesar agreed, and Achillas used Ptolemy to rally the troops against Caesar. In the course of the renewed fighting, Ptolemy XIII fell from a boat and drowned in the Nile. With Ptolemy XIII now dead, Caesar assigned Cleopatra to rule with Ptolemy XIV, then aged 12 years old. Cyprus was placed under their control, and Caesar brought Arsinoe IV to Rome and displayed her in triumph. When the Roman people objected to her execution, Caesar sent Arsinoe to Ephesus to take refuge in the sanctuary of the goddess Artemis. Before returning to Rome, Caesar accompanied Cleopatra on a cruise up the Nile, an excursion that both reintroduced the Egyptians to Cleopatra and introduced Caesar to Egypt. It is significant that Cleopatra took this cruise with Caesar rather than with Ptolemy XIV, her co-ruler and brother-husband. As his absence suggests, Cleopatra was the dominant partner in their relationship and was not inclined to share power with him. MOTHER AND SON: In 47 BCE, after Caesar left Egypt, Cleopatra gave birth to a son, Ptolemy XV, whom she called Caesarion, or Little Caesar. While Caesarion would not have been considered a legitimate child under Roman law, Caesar seems not to have refuted Cleopatras claims about her sons paternity. By 46 BCE, Cleopatra was in Rome, along with her son and Ptolemy XIV. They were the guests of Caesar and stayed in a house across the Tiber River from his residence. Caesar had dedicated a temple to Venus Genetrix, the goddess he considered the ancestor of his family, and he placed in the temple a statue of Cleopatra. Cleopatra may have returned to Alexandria for some period, but she was in Rome on the Ides of March 44 BCE when Caesar was assassinated. After his death, Cleopatra made a hasty return to Egypt, where she arranged for Ptolemy XIV to be poisoned. Having rid herself of the second of her two brothers, Cleopatra made her son Caesarion her co-ruler. Since he was still a baby, Cleopatra was now effectively the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatras position and her control of Egypts wealth presented an opportunity for Mark Antony, a contemporary of Caesar now involved in a power struggle with Octavian (later the emperor Augustus) to be Caesars successor. Cleopatra, too, still saw the need for Egypt to have a Roman protector. In 41 BCE, Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus in Cilicia, ostensibly to determine whether she had provided resources to Caesars assassins to support their fight against Octavian as a way of hedging her bets after she no longer had Caesars protection. Although Cleopatra arrived in Tarsus at Antonys bidding, she refused to leave her barge to meet him in the town square. Instead, she made Antony come to her, establishing a pattern in their relationship in which she always found a way to get the upper hand. Cleopatras answer to Antonys charge that she had provided troops to Dolabella, who was fighting against the assassins, but that the troops had gone over to the other side, must have satisfied Antony because he and Cleopatra began an alliance and a romance that lasted the rest of their lives. Cleopatra agreed to provide Antony with troops for his campaign against the Parthians. In return, Antony agreed to have several of Cleopatras enemies assassinated, including her sister Arsinoe IV. After their meeting in Tarsus, Antony and Cleopatra spent the winter in Alexandria, where they engaged in lavish banquets to pass the time until the season for military campaigns arrived. This luxurious lifestyle contributed to the reputation for excess Cleopatra had with the Romans and fed Octavians propaganda against her and Antony. In the spring of 40 BCE, Antony left to fight the Parthians. Six months later Cleopatra gave birth to twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, whom Antony accepted as his own upon his return to Alexandria in 37 BCE. In addition, during Antonys absence, Herod, an administrator of the Judean ruler Hyrcanus II, came to Alexandria to seek help against the Parthians, who had conquered Syria and were attacking Judea. Judea had been part of the Ptolemaic Empire but had since become an enemy. As a result of the Parthian threat, however, Herod became an ally because of the overlapping of his interests with those of the Romans. Cleopatra offered Herod an army, but he preferred to make his request directly to the Romans. Antony persuaded the Roman senate to aid Herod and proclaim him king of the Jews. Meanwhile, Antony and Octavian had formed the Second Triumvirate in Rome in an attempt to function as allies rather than as rivals. In 40 BCE, Antony married Octavians sister Octavia. In 34 BCE, however, Antony and Cleopatra held an elaborate ceremony known as the Donations of Alexandria, in which Antony granted territories and titles to Cleopatra, Caesarion, the twins, and their youngest child, Ptolemy Philadelphus, born in 36 BCE. Military conflict: By 32 BCE, the alliance between Antony and Octavian was falling apart, and Antony divorced Octavia. He and Cleopatra travelled to Greece in preparation for war with Octavian and assembled their forces in Patras in northwestern Greece. Octavian declared war on Cleopatra in order to avoid the perception that the conflict was a civil war. The Battle of Actium in 31 BCE began a year-long military conflict. Octavians navy blockaded Antony and Cleopatras fleet in the Gulf of Ambracia. Antony and Cleopatra lost a number of ships in the fighting but managed to break through the blockade and escape to Egypt. Octavian portrayed their flight as motivated by Cleopatras cowardice and Antonys enslavement to the queen, but it is possible that escaping with the hope of continuing the fight on land was the best strategy available and, indeed, this is what happened. The war continued for almost a year on Egyptian soil. In 30 BCE, when Octavians forces were about to enter Alexandria, Antony, having heard that Cleopatra was dead, attempted to kill himself. When he was unsuccessful and learned that Cleopatra was alive, he demanded to be brought to her. Cleopatra had taken refuge in the mausoleum she was having constructed for herself. The entrance had been sealed, so Antony was hoisted in through a window and, once inside, he died in Cleopatras arms. Octavian then sent a guard to watch Cleopatra to make sure she did not commit suicide because, as our sources say, he wished to display her in his triumph. Cleopatra, however, eluded the guard by having an asp smuggled into her in a basket of figs. Most of the sources agree that this was her means of suicide. Cleopatras death in 30 BCE marked the end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. At this point Octavian annexed Egypt as Roman territory, keeping it closely under his own control by appointing a prefect rather than a provincial governor. Octavian had Caesarion executed while the boy was on his way to India where Cleopatra had ordered him to be taken in the hope that he would be safe there. As the son of Caesar and as a youth nearing adulthood, Caesarion had the potential to pose a threat to Octavian if a faction were to rally around Caesarion as the true son of Caesar, as opposed to Octavian, Caesars great-nephew and adopted son. The younger children of the couple enjoyed a better fate. Octavian brought them to Rome, and they were raised in his own household. Cleopatra Selene is the only one of whom we have any knowledge as an adult. She was betrothed to Juba II, a Numidian prince whom Octavian allowed to rule his ancestral kingdom. Cleopatra was a fascinating and controversial figure during her lifetime, and she has continued to command attention throughout subsequent ages. Whether she is cast as a heroine or a villain, Cleopatra emerges as a powerful and charismatic queen who captivated two of the most powerful men in Rome of her time. Often remembered primarily as a lover, Cleopatra was an astute, if sometimes ruthless, ruler who employed her many talents to preserve Egypt as an independent state for as long as that was possible. The writer is director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Like most countries, Korea has its share of citizens who accuse refugees of being economic migrants who are just here because the money is better than at home. According to the UN, a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality." The Korean government also gives asylum to people who are threatened with physical violence even without political reasons. Korea only accepted its first refugee in 1994. Altogether 40,470 have applied for refugee status, and 35,030 are here now, the Justice Ministry said Friday. That means refugees outnumber the 31,500 North Korean defectors living here, who automatically get South Korean citizenship. The number of refugees who have fled to Korea for sanctuary now exceeds 35,000 including those whose applications are still pending. One refugee advocate admitted that some foreigners take advantage of the fact that Korea allows asylum seekers to work after six months of their application even before their claim has been recognized, and that they can stay for up to five years while their case is being assessed. Some brokers who know how to abuse the loopholes are actively recruiting foreigners. Among 9,942 foreigners who applied for asylum here last year, 3,264 were rejected. While numbers are vanishingly small compared to other countries, the reaction here is much the same. The recent arrival on Jeju Island of 549 Yemenis fleeing civil war and hunger in their country has divided the Korean public between those who want the government to help them and those who claim Korea is full. A petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website on June 13 calling on the government to send them back drew 350,000 signatures in just a week. The Justice Ministry had to raise the number of processing officials on Jeju Island from two to three. A staffer at the Korea Immigration Service said Sunday, "It will probably take about eight months for the Yemeni applicants to undergo the first stage of their review." The review process is drawn-out. A foreigner can apply for asylum up to three times and legally stay in Korea from two to five years while the application is pending. The last recourse in the review process is a court of law, and the number of court cases rose from 1,076 in 2015 to 3,143 last year, but only a handful won their case at that stage. A court official said, "The number of applicants who actually fall under refugee status is extremely small, but we have no choice but to review all applications." Kim Jeong-do at the Justice Ministry, said, "We need to come up with ways to speed up the process," adding that it does not take that long in the U.S. and Europe. The number of applicants is expected to reach 18,000 this year. Some 377 Afghans arrived at Incheon International Airport on a military cargo plane on Thursday afternoon after the Taliban took over their troubled country. Thirteen others also left Islamabad International Airport in Pakistan at 6:58 p.m. the same day and are expected early Friday afternoon. The airlift from war-torn Kabul came just hours before a devastating suicide bomb attack on the airport there that killed at least 90 civilians and 13 U.S. soldiers. Seventy-six of the evacuees had worked for the Korean Embassy, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, and a hospital at Bagram Air Base, a job training center and a camp in Charikar run by the Korean military. The rest are their families. They were evacuated to protect them from retaliation against allies of occupying forces by the Taliban as the U.S.-led coalition that invaded the country in 2001 pulls out. Some 180 are children under 10, including three babies who were only born this month. New Zealand's borders fully reopened to visitors from around the world on Monday, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed them in March 2020. New Zealand's borders started reopening in February, first for New Zealanders, and restrictions have progressively eased. The process of reopening the borders ended Sunday night with visitors who need visas and those on student visas now also allowed to return to New Zealand. New Zealand is now also letting cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts docks at its ports. Most visitors arriving in New Zealand still need to be vaccinated against COVID and must take two COVID tests after arriving. However, there are no quarantine requirements. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday during a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland that the final staged opening of the borders had been an enormous moment. "It's been a staged and cautious process on our part since February as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe." Floods unleashed by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 35 people, including four children, Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday while warning that more dangerous weather is approaching the region. Beshear, who has said he expects the death toll will rise further, verified five additional fatalities in an afternoon update after announcing a total of 30 confirmed deaths in the morning. Authorities continued to work to rescue residents and provide food and shelter for thousands who have been displaced. "It is really tough," Beshear said of the weather forecast in a video posted to social media. "Isolated flash flooding and damaging wind are both possible." The National Weather Service forecasted several rounds of continuing showers and storms through Tuesday. The additional rainfall could also hamper rescue and recovery efforts. Segregated pool villas are proving more popular than other kinds of hotel rooms amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Naver search data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety last week, the most-searched accommodation before the pandemic in 2019 was "hotel" at 1.72 million times, followed by "B&B" at 1.15 million times and "pool villa" at 1.01 million times. But by 2020, pool villa searches more than doubled to 2.65 million times, followed by B&Bs at 1.88 million times and hotels at 1.48 million times. In 2021, pool villas were searched 2.89 million times, B&Bs 1.82 million times and hotels 1.65 million times. That means pool villa searches surged 185 percent over the past two years while hotel searches declined four percent. A ministry official said the trend appears due to "a growing preference for more secluded stays due to the pandemic." Meanwhile, another increasing preference was for holiday destinations not too far from home. The ministry found that 70 percent of people who searched for tourist attractions and hotels in Seoul and Gangwon Province in the first six months of this year were residents of the capital region. Around 60 percent of those who did the same for North Gyeongsang Province lived nearby and only 28 percent in the capital region. South Korean and U.S. troops stage a massive military exercise this month, preparing for emergencies amid rising geopolitical instability. The exercise, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, includes scenarios like a bomb at a nuclear plant, a fire at a semiconductor factory and paralysis of the banking network. It is held from Aug. 22-Sept. 1. The Defense Ministry here made the plans public in a report to the National Assembly on Monday. The ministry said it will boost capabilities by combining civil defense training and military drills. Real-life scenarios will be based on latest international conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and possible threats to critical infrastructure here. Korea's trade deficit is rising every month, bringing the total so far this year to a record US$15 billion. July figures published Monday are the worst yet in a four-month run and alarming for export-dependent Korea. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Korea's exports in July increased 9.4 percent from a year ago to $60.7 billion, while imports surged 21.8 percent to $65.4 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $4.67 billion. The deficit stood at $2.47 billion in April, $1.71 billion in May, and $2.57 billion in June. The last time Korea suffered four straight months of trade deficits was from June to September of 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis. At this rate, Korea's trade deficit this year could surpass the record $20.6 billion before the Asian financial crisis in 1996. Korea's exports grew for the 21st month running in July, but a sharp increase in energy import prices led to an even higher trade deficit than the previous month. The price of Dubai crude oil has soared from $73 a barrel in July last year to $103, while liquefied natural gas prices surged 114 percent and coal prices 174 percent. Korea imported $18.5 billion worth of crude oil, gas and coal last month, almost twice as much in money terms as a year ago. But exports to China, Korea's biggest trading partner, declined 2.5 percent to result in three straight months of deficits for the first time in 30 years. Coronavirus lockdowns of Chinese cities were partly to blame, but the fundamental reason is that Korean products have lost their appeal to consumers there. The government is looking to legalize renting electric car batteries to reduce the price tag of EVs. EV batteries can be easily removed and switched, but it is currently illegal for different people to register for ownership of an EV and the battery it runs on -- in other words, both private consumers and rental companies always have to buy both. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday that it decided to approve EV battery rentals in principle, which is already an option in many other countries. It has been almost a year since 391 Afghan refugees hastily boarded a plane bound for Korea. They were former staffers of the Korean military and aid organizations there who faced potential threats to their lives when the Taliban regained control of the country. After spending six months adjusting to life in Korea at a state facility in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, the refugees began to scatter all over the country. Some 159 drifted to the southeastern port city of Ulsan with the support of the city government and Hyundai Heavy Industries, finding jobs at subcontractors of the shipbuilder. One 40-year-old Afghan man who was a doctor is now working on an assembly line there. He said it feels strange to be given help as he was usually the one who provided help in his home country. "I'm trying hard to leave my comfortable life in Afghanistan behind and adjust to life here," he said. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has said that the EU has made progress in buying more pipeline gas from Norway, Algeria, and Azerbaijan, Azernews reports. He noted that the EU has already managed to cope with an overall reduction in the share of Russian gas imports from 40 percent at the beginning of the year to around 20 percent today, principally by buying more LNG, whose share of gas usage has doubled from 19 percent to 37 percent. "In July, I co-chaired the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Council where we welcomed the recent signature [signing] of a Memorandum of understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Energy. Longer-term, we can expect more progress with this diversification drive. But the hard truth is that for this winter, we are approaching the limits of what extra gas we can buy from non-Russian sources. So, the bulk will have to come from energy savings, i.e. demand reduction," he said. On July 18, Azerbaijan and the European Commission signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation in the energy sector. The document was signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU and Azerbaijan are in active dialogue on increasing gas supplies amid the energy crisis. The EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation has reached a new level and is still ongoing within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor. The EU places a high value on energy supply diversification, and the Southern Gas Corridor is particularly important in this regard. To recall, with the completion of the TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline) construction on December 31, 2020, Azerbaijan began commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor. The SGCis an initiative of the European Commission for a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP, and TAP. Last year, TAP transported 8.1 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. By late 2022, Azerbaijan plans to increase gas supplies to Europe to 9.1 billion cubic meters, and in 2023, the volume of gas supplies is expected to reach 11 billion cubic meters. Other headliners of this year's festival, which ended on Sunday, included legendary heavy metal band Metallica, Dua Lipa, Australian rapper the Kid Laroi and Machine Gun Kelly. Launched in 1991, Lollapalooza is an annual four-day music festival attracting some 400,000 music fans to Chicago every year. J-Hope of boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, performed solo as a headliner at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago on Sunday. J-Hope became the first BTS member to perform solo since the boys announced in June that they would be taking time out to focus on individual activities. He performed all 10 songs from his solo debut album "Jack in the Box" released last month during the hour-long set but began the latter part with BTS's hit single "Dynamite." "It is a very important moment to me. It is an important part of my artistry," he said in Korean at the end of his performance. "I'm sure it's going to help me as an artist to take the next step." U.S. pop news website Uproxx said J-Hope was "the highest ticket-selling artist" in the festival's 31 years of history. KYODO NEWS - Aug 1, 2022 - 13:58 | All, Japan The family of a Sri Lankan woman who died in detention at a central Japan immigration facility will file next week a complaint with a judicial panel seeking a review of the case after prosecutors dropped charges against immigration officials, their lawyers said Monday. Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali's family will on Aug. 8 make the submission requesting the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution assess the decision to clear the officials they believe are criminally liable for Wishma's March 6, 2021, death. The request to the independent panel of citizens tasked with reviewing prosecutors' decisions comes after the family was dissatisfied with the Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office's June 17 decision to drop charges. The prosecutors' office concluded it could not say the officials failed to provide Wishma with appropriate medical care. Wishima's death at age 33 at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau after a month of medical complaints including vomiting and stomachaches drew significant attention and sparked an outcry over her treatment. But the prosecutors said that after a thorough investigation, they could not ascertain a cause of death, nor could they establish a causal relationship between Wishma's treatment at the facility and her death. The prosecutors also told her family it did not recognize claims that the immigration facility failed to provide appropriate food or health care. As a result, the charges against 13 then senior officials at the immigration center were dropped. The family lodged a criminal complaint last November with the prosecutors' office, accusing the immigration officials of treatment that amounted to willful negligence, including failing to provide sufficient care. They also said the officials did not care if Wishma died. The complaint was made against the director and deputy director of the facility, as well as the officers in charge on the day of her death. Wishma, who came to Japan in 2017 on a student visa, was detained at the facility in August 2020 for overstaying her visa. Related coverage: State told to pay damages for detainee's injuries at Japan immigration Charges dropped against Japan officials over Sri Lankan woman's death FOCUS: Sri Lankan's dying agony disregarded in Japan immigration center KYODO NEWS - Aug 2, 2022 - 20:48 | Japan, All The transport ministry on Tuesday ordered Hino Motors Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp.'s truck-making subsidiary, to recall about 20,900 trucks and busses over engine data falsification that went back as far as 2003. A special investigation committee comprised of outside experts said in a report submitted to the ministry the same day that the company had lied when asked by the ministry if there had been any malpractices in its 2016 emissions and fuel efficiency tests for engine certification. The truck maker released its own report in March saying it had submitted fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities since at least 2016, suspending the shipment of vehicles with engines for which the figures had been altered. According to the company-commissioned third-party report, the falsification of data included durability tests for engines conducted under 2003 emissions regulations and fuel efficiency measurements in engines after the introduction of 2005 emissions regulations. The investigation committee found falsification had started after management insisted test-related goals be met, driving lower-level sections to commit the acts. The company had also developed a culture where workers felt unable to speak up to the upper echelons, it said. After Hino Motors submitted the report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, President Satoshi Ogiso apologized at a press conference saying, "We are truly sorry for causing trouble for many customers." Ogiso said he will "handle" the matter of his responsibility and that of other senior officials in the case after ascertaining on whose shoulders the responsibility lies within management, both past and present. The transport ministry, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, and the Environment Ministry ordered Hino Motors to find out what really happened and give an explanation to customers and the public, as well as come up with preventive measures. The ministries also said there were more cases of data fraud involving engines for trucks, buses and construction machines than those reported in March, citing the latest report submitted by Hino. The transport ministry plans to conduct an on-site inspection on the truck maker, a ministry official said. Of the 14 engine models currently under production, durability test falsification occurred in 12, including four that failed to meet standards, according to the ministries. During certification exams, the truck maker replaced vehicles' exhaust emission control system with new ones and changed settings for fuel efficiency tests to generate readings better than the actual data, according to the probe. KYODO NEWS - Aug 2, 2022 - 18:47 | All, Japan Temperatures rose across Japan on Tuesday, climbing to near record highs around 40 C in a number of areas, with the weather agency warning of heat-related illnesses. With temperatures expected to remain high on Wednesday, the government has issued an alert covering wide areas from eastern to western Japan, requesting people to drink water and avoid going outdoors to prevent heat exhaustion. The country's record high of 41.1 C was registered in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, in 2018 and was equaled in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2020. On Tuesday, temperatures rose to 39.5 C in Koshigaya, north of Tokyo, and Kofu in central Japan, with central Tokyo seeing a high of 35.9 C, according to the weather agency. Among the 914 observation points nationwide, temperatures had risen to 30 C or above in 658 locations as of 4 p.m., with the mercury hitting 35 C or above in 224. Countries across the globe have been battling extreme temperatures in recent weeks. Britain recorded over 40 C in July for the first time, while heat warnings have been issued in dozens of locations in the United States. Portugal has reported more than 1,000 deaths due to heat-related illnesses. Related coverage: Record 15,000 people transported to hospital in June in Japan due to heat Tokyo marks record 9th day of temperatures above 35 C Japan in energy-saving period for 1st time in 7 yrs amid heat wave KYODO NEWS - Aug 2, 2022 - 23:33 | All, Japan, Coronavirus A group of Japanese health experts on Tuesday urged the government to speed up its review of measures against COVID-19, including changing ways to collect infection numbers and allowing general medical institutions to treat patients. Japan's top coronavirus adviser Shigeru Omi, who heads a government panel on the coronavirus, and some other members proposed that the government proceed in two stages to allow social and economic activities to continue while lessening the burden on hospitals. While the government has said it would update measures after the ongoing spread of infections dies down, Omi said at a press conference, "It is not appropriate under the current circumstances to wait until the resurgence has subsided." According to the proposal, new measures should be taken immediately in five areas, such as medical and municipal responses, depending on local COVID-19 situations under stage 1, while a comprehensive review, with an eye on amending the law to facilitate drastic and flexible measures, will be conducted under stage 2. Medical facilities and public health centers currently cooperate in reporting the total COVID-19 cases to the government, but with infections surging amid the country's seventh wave of the pandemic, there are fears they will no longer be able to keep up. The government has so far designated hospitals to accept COVID-19 patients in a bid to prevent within-hospital transmission, but it plans to also allow general medical institutions to do so. While costs will be funded by the government for the time being, medical institutions when reaching stage 2 will only be able to use public funds to treat severely ill patients or purchase high-cost drugs. The reporting of infections will also be reviewed, with trends to be monitored using data from some regions and facilities while collecting information on high-risk patients. Locals buy dried fruits and nuts for the upcoming Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2022. As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive. "The Eid al-Adha is nearing but the prices are very high -- beyond the reach of ordinary people. If the United States were to release the 9.5 billion dollars of Afghanistan's assets they have frozen, prices definitely would go down," Shafiqullah, a dry fruit seller, told Xinhua. Shafiqullah, 45, said that 1 kg of pistachios that was 800 afghanis (9 U.S. dollars) last year now cost around 1,000 afghanis. According to United Nations agency data, more than 22 million of the country's 35 million population were facing acute food shortages. "The price of one packet of chocolate was 150 afghanis last year but this year its price increased to 250 afghanis," Shafiqullah said. Blaming U.S. sanctions, the shopkeeper said, "If Washington releases Afghanistan's assets the prices of basic needs would drop by 30 percent." U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the decree to allocate 3.5 billion dollars of Afghan assets to the families of the 9/11 victims, with a similar amount earmarked for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The decision has been widely condemned by the international community as unjust. "I came with 600 afghanis today to buy dry fruit for the festival but it's not enough to buy anything," said a Kabul resident Mumtaz. Mumtaz also blames the United States for poverty in Afghanistan, saying, "I want Washington to unfreeze our money so as to improve our economy." Like other Muslim countries, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated in Afghanistan with sacrifices of animals, and visiting relatives and friends. "Blocking Afghanistan's assets has destroyed our economy and that is why the prices have gone up and we can't buy even dry fruit today for the holiday," businesswoman Freshta Safari lamented. Locals buy dried fruits and nuts for the upcoming Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2022. As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Locals buy nuts for the upcoming Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2022. As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Photo taken on July 6, 2022 shows a local vendor selling nuts in Kabul, Afghanistan. As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) A local vendor selling dried fruits and nuts for the upcoming Eid al-Adha is seen in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2022. As Muslims everywhere get ready to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, in Afghanistan people are still struggling to survive.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) PHNOM PENH, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's garment, footwear and travel goods industry has seen a 40-percent rise in exports in the first half of this year, according to a report from the General Department of Customs and Excise. The Southeast Asian nation exported the products totally worth 6.6 billion U.S. dollars during the January-June period this year, up 40 percent from 4.72 billion dollars over the same period last year, the report said. Ministry of Commerce's undersecretary of state and spokesman Penn Sovicheat attributed the growth to the full resumption of socio-economic activities in Cambodia, trade preferences, and a rise in global demand. "The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, which entered into force in January, has also contributed to this growth," he told Xinhua on Monday. RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and their five trading partners - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "I believe that the growth will continue throughout this year as the global COVID-19 pandemic has waned," Sovicheat added. Garment, footwear and travel goods industry is the largest foreign exchange earner for Cambodia. The sector consists of roughly 1,100 factories and branches, employing approximately 750,000 workers, mostly female. "The garment sector has played an important role in boosting Cambodia's exports as other garment producing countries are still suffering from the impact of COVID-19," senior economist Ky Sereyvath, director general of the Institute of China Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told Xinhua. An injured person receives treatment at a hospital in Tripoli, Libya, on Aug. 1, 2022. At least six people were killed and 70 others injured in a fuel truck explosion in the southern Libyan city of Sebha, the Libyan Ministry of Health said on Monday. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and 70 others injured in a fuel truck explosion in the southern Libyan city of Sebha, the Libyan Ministry of Health said on Monday. Helicopters have been dispatched to the scene to transfer the injured, some of whom are in critical conditions, to hospitals in Tripoli, the ministry said in a statement, adding it has asked a Tunisian surgical team to come to the aid of medical staff in Tripoli. The explosion occurred earlier on Monday morning when people rushed to gather leaking fuel from an overturned fuel truck, according to local media reports. The ministry noted the situation is under control at the moment. An injured person receives treatment at a hospital in Tripoli, Libya, on Aug. 1, 2022. At least six people were killed and 70 others injured in a fuel truck explosion in the southern Libyan city of Sebha, the Libyan Ministry of Health said on Monday. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) ZAGREB, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A firefighter was killed on Sunday while putting out flames from a wildfire near the southern Croatian city of Dubrovnik, the Croatian firefighting association said in a press release on Monday. Authorities are investigating the death of Goran Komlenac and will publish the result of the investigation, said the press release on the association's website. Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandrokovic all expressed their condolences on the death of Komlenac on Monday, it said. According to local media reports, more than 100 firefighters and 26 fire engines are still at work on Monday to extinguish the fire that broke out around midday Sunday in the Dubrovnik village of Orasac. Heatwaves and drought have been blamed for several wildfires across Croatia this summer. by Elias Shilangwa LUSAKA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese enterprises participating in Zambia's biggest agricultural and commercial show on Monday expressed happiness at the level of response gotten from customers that visited their exhibition stands. The Chinese Embassy in Zambia has managed to organize 110 enterprises at the 94th Agricultural and Commercial Show, resulting in organizers recognizing China as a "country of honor" because of the unprecedented number of Chinese firms at the show. "This is the first time that we are participating in this show and so far we are happy with the response we have gotten. Some people who visited our stand have already started calling us for our services even before the show ends," Leonard Phiri, a supervisor at Sunagri Investment, a Chinese firm that hires drone technology used for spraying in fields, told Xinhua. He expressed confidence that the company will see an increased demand for its services after participating in the show because the technology was currently not widely known in Zambia. Established five years ago, the Chinese firm, which also provides tractors that use real-time kinetics (RTK) used by tractors when preparing agricultural land, is happy that Zambia was the first country in Africa that was using its technology. Phiri said the company has also opened a branch in Uganda where its smart agricultural technology was being used. Violet Mhango, the administrative assistant at China CAMC Engineering Company Limited, a subsidiary of Sinomach, said the company was happy with the enthusiasm shown by customers at the show who have been frequenting the exhibition stand. She said the company, whose main focus was in construction engineering, decided to exhibit at the show because it was diversifying into the agricultural sector as well. She said the company has diversified into trading and was looking at exporting beef to China. "There is a huge market for beef in China but we don't have suppliers of beef so we came here because we wanted to link to beef suppliers," she said. Davison Mwanza, a supervisor at Herocean Zambia Limited, a company involved in the transportation business, said participating in the show has resulted in the company connecting to more customers. "We are happy that a number of customers came through and contacted us for business and we are hopeful that our business here will not be the same after participating in the show," he said. Simon Sakala, the Vice-Principal at CAMCO College, established by CAMCO Group of Companies to provide local people with skills on how to operate, repair and maintain agricultural equipment, expressed optimism that participating in the show will result in an increased number of students. He said the Chinese firm decided to establish the college last year after noticing that most companies it supplied agricultural equipment to had difficulties in operating and maintaining the equipment. According to him, over 200 local people have been trained since the college opened, adding that the people have now been equipped with skills on how to operate various agricultural equipment. "We are just responding to the government's call for skills training in the country and the idea behind opening this college is to fill the gap," he said. The 94th show, which is being held under the theme "Innovation through Technology, Technology Transforms Business" runs from July 27 to Aug. 1 and bounced back after two years of not being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In remarks delivered during the official opening ceremony on Sunday, President Hakainde Hichilema underscored the importance of technology in doing business. He said technology was vital to overcoming challenges brought by COVID-19 and climate change, among others. By Trend Mortgage loans worth 2.22 billion manat ($1.3 billion) were issued to 39,778 borrowers through Azerbaijan Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund, as of August 2, Trend reports via the fund. As part of the mechanism for renting apartments with the right to buy out, 1,847 citizens have improved their living conditions. The amount of guarantees and subsidies provided by the fund for business projects amounted to 312.4 million manat ($183 million). MOSCOW, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that 39 British citizens have been barred from entering Russia in response to London's increased sanctions against Russians. The blacklisted are British politicians, journalists and business people, including former Prime Minister David Cameron, because they "promote London's hostile policy aimed at demonising Russia and isolating it internationally," the ministry said. Moscow could impose restrictions on more British nationals as London attempts to continue anti-Russian sanctions, it warned. MOGADISHU, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Somalia and two United Nations agencies on Monday vowed to step up efforts to ensure breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies in all health facilities and workplaces in the country. The Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF said national efforts will be stepped up with the main goal to increase the number of babies aged 0-6 months old who are exclusively breastfed to above 50 percent by 2025. Minister of Health and Human Services Fawziya Abikar Nur said breastfeeding must be considered a public health issue that requires capacity and education at all levels. "All the support systems, from the family, community, and health facilities, should be educated and capacitated to support mothers to optimally breastfeed their babies," Nur said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to mark the World Breastfeeding Week. According to the latest government data, only 34 percent of babies under six months are exclusively breastfed. The ministry and the UN agencies said breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies would help improve exclusive breastfeeding rates among Somali women and adequate nutrition and health among Somali children in both the short and long term. This is part of a global call to action to "Step up for breastfeeding: educate and support," they said. World Breastfeeding Week comes at a time when Somalia is witnessing an increase in child malnutrition, including a reduction in infant and young child feeding practices, due to steep declines in household incomes, among other challenges. Shocks such as drought, flooding, conflict, displacement, and disease outbreaks like measles and COVID-19 have deepened inequalities and resulted in nutrition insecurity, said the UN agencies. WHO Representative to Somalia and Head of Mission Mamunur Rahman Malik said in a fragile country like Somalia, affected by conflict and recurring emergencies such as drought, COVID-19, and other diseases, breastfeeding is an effective way to ensure child health and survival. The two UN agencies recommend early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, feeding the child only breast milk for the first six months, and continuing to breastfeed for up to 24 months or beyond, with the introduction of timely, nutritionally adequate, and safe complementary, solid foods at six months. During the Week, breastfeeding awareness campaigns will be launched throughout the country, and skilled breastfeeding counseling will be provided in various settings, including health facilities and clinics and through home visits by community health workers. ISTANBUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The first cargo ship carrying grain from Ukraine would anchor off Istanbul in the early hours of Wednesday Aug. 3 for a joint inspection as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced Monday. The ministry said in a written message that the vessel will not enter any port and the inspections will be carried out at the anchorage point on the sea. A team of the Joint Coordination Center composed of representatives from Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkiye will board the ship for inspection at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Wednesday. The Coast Guard Command will take necessary measures to ensure that no other boat will approach the vessel, according to the ministry. "If there is no problem, afterward, hopefully, the vessel will continue on its journey," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a televised speech. The Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni left Ukraine's Odesa port on Monday morning for Tripoli in Lebanon. Carrying 26,527 tonnes of corn, Razoni will pass through the Bosphorus Strait and sail to the Mediterranean. Akar noted that the passage of other cargo ships with the same methodology through the "determined corridor" is also planned as part of the agreement signed in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that the agreement will lead to a cease-fire and lasting peace and Turkiye will do what is necessary to this end. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov also announce on his social media accounts that the vessel Razoni would move along a corridor whose safety has been confirmed by Ukraine's guarantor partners, "the UN and Turkiye." Kubrakov said Ukraine is the world's fourth largest exporter of corn, and the opportunity of exporting its products is a "colossal success" for ensuring global food security. According to the minister, 16 more ships are waiting for their turn at Odesa port. "In the coming weeks, with the support of our partners, we plan to reach the full capacity for the shipment of agricultural products," he noted. Last week, the Joint Coordination Center was inaugurated in Istanbul. It has a total of 20 representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the United nations and Turkiye to monitor the implementation of the grain shipment process. The center will track the journey of the ships from Ukraine to guarantee their safe passages on the Black Sea, and conduct controls both at Ukrainian ports and in Turkiye. On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Turkiye and the United Nations to allow food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. TEHRAN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that Iran is reviewing the new proposal by the EU coordinator for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, official IRNA news agency reported. "We have announced our readiness so that at the appointed time, the delegations from Iran and the P4+1, with indirect involvement of the United States, can follow discussions in Vienna about the details for any agreement," the Iranian top diplomat said, referring to negotiations on reviving the nuclear pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Iranian Foreign Ministry is concerned about the rights of the Iranian nation, Amir-Abdollahian said, adding Iran's red lines must be fully taken into account in the upcoming agreement. "I would like to emphasize that we are serious about reaching a strong, good and stable agreement, and if the American side is realistic and has the necessary flexibility in the possible negotiations, reaching an agreement will not be far from the reach," he noted. The EU foreign policy chief and coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission Josep Borrell recently offered a proposal to the parties of the negotiation in an effort to break an impasse in Vienna nuclear talks. Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. The talks on reviving the JCPOA began in April 2021 in the Austrian capital but were suspended in March this year because of political divisions between Tehran and Washington. After a three-month pause, the talks resumed in late June in Qatar's capital Doha but failed to settle differences. Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, presides over a video conference on flood control and drought relief work while inspecting the Ministry of Emergency Management, Aug. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor Wang Yong on Monday called for all-out flood control and drought relief efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. Wang, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, gave the instruction when inspecting the Ministry of Emergency Management and presiding over a video conference on flood control and drought relief work. Noting that China is now in a critical period of fighting floods and faces a complex and grim natural disaster situation, Wang urged relevant authorities to remain alert for potential floods and droughts. Efforts should be made to strengthen monitoring and early-warning systems for heavy rains, typhoons and other severe weather events, Wang said. He ordered measures to enhance weak links related to reservoirs, torrential floods, landslides and waterlogging in urban and rural areas. Wang also underlined the need for efforts to improve inter-regional coordination, relocate people affected by natural disasters in a timely manner, and minimize losses and casualties. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya displays the newly introduced gold coin during a press conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 25, 2022. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua) The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will release another 2,000 gold coins into the market this week to meet demand from corporates and individuals. HARARE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) will this week release another 2,000 gold coins into the market, following a successful launch last week during which all the 1,500 coins released were sold out. RBZ launched the gold coins on July 25 as a store of value amid the continued depreciation of the local Zimbabwean dollar and both corporates and individual buyers wasted no time in buying them. John Mangudya, the central bank's governor, said Monday that most of the coins had been bought in local currency. "A total (of) 1,500 gold coins were sold by the bank's agents during the first week of their release into the market, with 85 percent having been bought in local currency and the balance of 15 percent in foreign currency." An additional 2,000 gold coins will be released into the market during the week commencing on Aug. 1, Mangudya said. Zimbabwe's newly introduced gold coin is pictured in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 25, 2022. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua) There have been mixed feelings about the introduction of the gold coins, with some observers saying that they were elitist and excluded low-income groups. The coins entered the market at 1,823.83 U.S. dollars per piece, which is far beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans. MPC member Percy Gwanyanya told the Sunday Mail newspaper that the coins were an instrument that the RBZ was using to mop up excess liquidity which was in the hands of a few contractors, institutional investors and pension funds. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- On behalf of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, a spokesperson for the NPC Standing Committee on Tuesday made remarks on the visit to China's Taiwan region by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The following is the full text of the remarks: On Aug. 2, in disregard of China's solemn representations and firm opposition, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went ahead with her visit to China's Taiwan region. The move has gravely violated the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, gravely undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, gravely impacted the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and sent a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China's NPC firmly opposes and strongly condemns the move. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is the premise for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and is also the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. The United States has made solemn commitment to China on the Taiwan question, but in real action, it has constantly upgraded substantive relations and official exchanges with Taiwan, emboldened and supported "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, attempted to use Taiwan to contain China, and severely undermined the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese government and the Chinese people have taken and will continue to take resolute and forceful measures to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests. The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For China, there is zero room for compromise and not an inch to give. The Anti-Secession Law has made clear stipulations on major issues including upholding the one-China principle, deterring separatist moves toward "Taiwan independence" and opposing interference in the Taiwan question by external forces. The stance of the Chinese government and the Chinese people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm will of over 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt to obstruct China's complete reunification and great national rejuvenation is doomed to fail. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday earmarked 50 million yuan (about 7.4 million U.S. dollars) of central disaster-relief funds to support flood control efforts in northeast China's Liaoning Province. The emergency funds, allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, will be used to support flood-control and disaster-relief work including searches, rescues, and the relocation and resettlement of people affected by natural disasters. The funds will also be used to investigate and resolve potential secondary disasters, and to repair damaged houses. The finance ministry has ordered local government to allocate the funds in a timely manner, strengthen supervision over the use of the funds, and efficiently direct the funds toward flood control and disaster relief work. After entering its flood season earlier this year, the country allocated flood control and drought relief funds totaling 70 million yuan to Liaoning Province. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Tuesday issued a statement on the visit to China's Taiwan region by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The following is the full text of the statement: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region on Tuesday, marking an escalation in the collusion between the United States and Taiwan. The move is of egregious nature and has serious consequences. It gravely infringes on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, severely violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously tramples on international law and the basic norms governing international relations, breaks the serious political commitment the United States has made to China, and sends a seriously wrong signal to forces seeking "Taiwan independence." We firmly oppose the move and express our strong condemnation and protest. There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a widely recognized norm of international relations and a consensus accepted by the international community. The Taiwan question is a matter of China's internal affairs and allows no external interference. For some time, the U.S. government has repeated wrong acts and remarks regarding the Taiwan question, continued to upgrade the levels of official exchanges with Taiwan, intensified their military collusion, and continued arms sales to Taiwan to support Taiwan's attempt to "resist reunification by the use of force." The U.S. Congress has repeatedly made false remarks on Taiwan, put forward, deliberated and passed multiple negative bills regarding Taiwan. Such U.S. moves attempt to distort and hollow out the one-China principle, play "the Taiwan card," "contain China with Taiwan," and obstruct China's complete reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The current U.S. administration has not fixed the grave mistakes made by the previous administration. Instead, it has moved further to get allies on board and gang up with them to play "the Taiwan card," flagrantly attack the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and spread the erroneous "uncertain status of Taiwan" theory in an attempt to internationalize the Taiwan question. The separatist attempt seeking "Taiwan independence" is the biggest obstacle to the reunification of the motherland, and a serious potential danger to China's national rejuvenation. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have entrenched themselves in the erroneous position of "Taiwan independence," served as a tool for anti-China forces in the United States to contain China, and become even more utterly brazen in the provocative attempt to seek "independence." This is a total misjudgment and miscalculation of the situation. Out of their selfish motives, the DPP authorities have been headstrong in challenging the one-China principle, refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus, ignited cross-Strait confrontation, and clung to U.S. support to seek "independence." The DPP authorities' separatist actions and collusion with the United States which betrays China's national interests, will only plunge Taiwan into the abyss of disaster, and bring great suffering to Taiwan compatriots. The reunification of the motherland and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation have become a historical inevitability. China must be and will surely be reunified. This will not change regardless of the will of some die-hard anti-China forces from the U.S. side or the illusion of separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence." The time and tide of achieving the reunification of the motherland have always been held firmly in our hands. The fact that Taiwan is part of China will not be changed no matter what actions are taken by the anti-China forces in the United States and by the DPP authorities. The historical process of China's reunification will not be stopped no matter how Nancy Pelosi and her likes attempt to "contain China by supporting Taiwan." We urge the U.S. side to stay clear-eyed about the historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question, recognize the fact and the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, strictly abide by the one-China principle with concrete actions, implement the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and refrain from sliding further down the wrong path. We urge the DPP authorities to completely give up the separatist schemes seeking "Taiwan independence," stop going further down on the doomed path of "Taiwan independence" to the point of no return. Any activity seeking "Taiwan independence" will be smashed by the mighty anti-secession and pro-reunification forces of the Chinese people. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Tuesday continued to issue a yellow alert for high temperatures as an intense heatwave lingers in many regions of the country. During daylight hours on Tuesday, parts of Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, and Tianjin are expected to experience temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said. Temperatures in parts of Chongqing may surpass 40 degrees Celsius, according to the forecast. The center has advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods in the afternoon and suggested workers exposed to high temperatures, or who work outdoors for a long time, take necessary protective measures. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan and Turkiye have discussed further strengthening of the partnership between the two countries, Azernews reports. The discussion took place during a meeting between Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov with Turkiye's Trade Minister Mehmet Mush. "During the meeting with Turkiyes Trade Minister Mehmet Mush (@mehmedmus), we emphasized the dynamic development of relations between our countries in all areas, including #economic cooperation. We also exchanged views on further strengthening of the partnership," Jabbarov wrote on his official Twitter page. 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. In 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkiye signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defense cooperation, promoting regional stability and prosperity, and establishing new transportation routes. 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. Additionally, Turkiye was one of the first countries that expressed its interest and readiness to participate in the restoration of Azerbaijans liberated territories. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing municipal meteorological observatory issued a yellow alert for high temperature on Tuesday morning. The temperature could rise to 35 degrees Celsius in most parts of Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday, according to the observatory. Residents have been advised to take precautions against the heat wave, the observatory added. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track bypassing the mangroves in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track bypassing the mangroves in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track bypassing the mangroves in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Photo taken on July 20, 2022 shows the Nairobi National Park Super Major Bridge equipped with noise deflectors in Nairobi, Kenya. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Afristar/Handout via Xinhua) A passenger train runs on the Tsavo River Super Major Bridge near the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A zebra is seen next to a fence as a freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Zebras are seen next to a fence as a freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Several buffaloes pass through the animal passages of the Nairobi National Park Super Major Bridge equipped with noise deflectors in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 19, 2021. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Photo taken on July 28, 2022 shows two baboons near a fence next to the Mombasa-Nairobi railway track in Nairobi, Kenya. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Several buffaloes are seen under the Nairobi National Park Super Major Bridge equipped with noise deflectors in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 19, 2021. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has just celebrated its fifth anniversary of safe operation. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passes through nature reserves such as the Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park. In order to reduce the impact on the environment, a series of measures have been taken during the design and construction of the railway such as bypassing the mangroves, which help keep the mangroves flourishing in the last five years. Besides, a total of 14 large wildlife passages and 79 bridges have been set up along the entire railway in consideration of the living habits and migration paths of wild animals. Large animal passages with the height of over 6.5 meters were constructed beneath the track for large animals such as elephants and giraffes to get through. Fences are set up on both sides of the line to prevent animals from passing through and reduce the chance of collisions between animals and trains. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council for August with the priorities of facilitating dialogue and cooperation for common security and supporting Africa's capacity-building for sustaining peace. Amid a shifting international landscape, the Security Council must revisit the role of dialogue and cooperation for common security, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. "The council must reaffirm its mission of maintaining common security and fulfill its due responsibilities. Therefore, China has proposed to hold a briefing on Aug. 22 on the theme of 'Maintenance of international peace and security: promote common security through dialogue and cooperation,'" he told a press briefing on the Security Council's August work program. "Through such discussions, we hope we can forge some basic consensus on this important issue, and we will understand better that our humanity shares the same future, shares the same world, and any country's security is indivisible from (that of) others, and we are an indivisible security community. We hope that by working together, we can jointly maintain world peace and global security, we can also oppose bloc politics, oppose confrontation and make sure that we are all working toward the same direction," he said. The second priority will be to support Africa's capacity-building to sustain peace, said Zhang. He said that many African countries are facing myriad crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, war and conflict, climate change, and higher energy and food prices. "We must go beyond humanitarian aid and focus on economic development. We must go beyond short-term assistance and seek long-term investment and long-term solutions in Africa. And we must go beyond blood transfusion and enhance their own blood-making function," said Zhang. China has proposed an open briefing on Aug. 8 on the theme of "Peace and security in Africa: capacity-building for sustaining peace." The aim is to help all parties better understand the African continent's difficulties and adopt measures to address their root causes. The Chinese presidency's third priority is strengthening mediation efforts for the political settlement of hot-spot issues. The fourth priority is to uphold the openness, inclusiveness, solidity and cooperation of the Security Council, said Zhang. China attaches great importance to its presidency of the Security Council. It will adopt a responsible and constructive approach, uphold genuine multilateralism, strengthen communication and consultation with council members and all other parties, and earnestly perform its presidential duties, he said. "I hope through our efforts, the council will better meet the expectations of all parties, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and better play its role in maintaining world peace, safeguarding common security and addressing current challenges." Replying to questions, Zhang said China is a firm supporter of the United Nations in its role in addressing global challenges, upholding peace and security, and promoting common development. On nuclear submarine cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (AUKUS), Zhang said that such a move involves the transfer of weapon-grade enriched uranium and related technologies and equipment. Such an act violates the purposes and principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It poses serious risks of nuclear proliferation and may provoke an arms race in the region, threatening regional security and stability. On many occasions, the United States and the United Kingdom have expressed their concerns over the nuclear issues in Iran and the Korean Peninsula while condoning AUKUS cooperation. This is a pure double standard, he said. The international community has expressed serious concerns over such cooperation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has made this issue one of its agenda items. He said that China urges relevant countries to immediately change course and respond to the international community's concerns with concrete actions for the sake of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and regional peace and stability. On the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Zhang said that with their continued joint military exercises, some countries have increased the risk of military confrontation and tensions on the peninsula. In recent years, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had taken some steps to denuclearize, and the previous U.S. administration also took a positive step forward in relations. But dialogue has since stalled. It is hoped that the DPRK and the United States will resume direct dialogue as soon as possible. In particular, the U.S. side should take meaningful and practical actions to respond to the DPRK's concerns, he said. Parties should remain calm and restrained and avoid any actions that could escalate tensions or lead to miscalculations. They should resume dialogue and engagement as soon as possible, meet each other halfway and promote a political settlement to the nuclear issue, said Zhang. China last held the rotating Security Council presidency in May 2021. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, Front) speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 1, 2022. Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye. The cargo ship loaded with more than 26,000 tons of corn should arrive at the inspection location in Turkish territorial waters on Tuesday. Following inspection, it will proceed to its final destination in Tripoli, Lebanon, said Guterres. "This ship, the Merchant Vessel Razoni, is loaded with two commodities in short supply: corn, and hope. Hope for millions of people around the world who depend on the smooth running of Ukraine's ports to feed their families," he told reporters. The ship's departure is the first concrete result of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Today's departure is an enormous collective achievement by the Joint Coordination Center, set up last week in Istanbul under UN auspices, with representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkiye," Guterres said. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine with Turkiye under the UN on July 22, would allow significant volumes of food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, namely Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The deal aims to ensure the safe passage for ships carrying grain to world markets amid concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged crisis in Ukraine. "What we've witnessed today in Odesa is an important starting point. It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets," said Guterres. "Together with the agreed facilitation of the unimpeded access of Russian food products and fertilizers to world markets, it will bring relief and stability to global food markets and help tackle the global food crisis," he added. Ensuring that grain, fertilizers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work, in order to survive. Countries on the verge of bankruptcy need these agreements to work, in order to keep their economies alive, he said. In line with the humanitarian spirit of the initiative, the World Food Programme is planning to purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel, said the UN chief. The conflict in Ukraine must end, and peace must be established, in line with the UN Charter and international law, he said. "I hope today's news can be a step toward that goal, for the people of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and for the world." While this tragic conflict continues to rage, the United Nations is working every day to bring relief to the people of Ukraine, and to those suffering the effects of the conflict around the world, he said. The parties to the initiative have worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, with the support of the United Nations and Turkiye, he noted. "After speaking to my colleagues, I know they worked practically all night, sleeping for just one hour -- like all the other delegations at the Joint Coordination Center (in Istanbul). It is thanks to their commitment that the Razoni was able to leave Odesa safely. I salute their efforts, and I am grateful to Turkiye for its leadership," he said. In a press release, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which was established under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, affirmed that it has authorized the Razoni to sail from Odesa. "The JCC has agreed to the specific coordinates and restrictions of the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor and has communicated those details in accordance with international navigation procedures. The JCC has requested all its participants to inform their respective military and other relevant authorities of this decision to ensure the safe passage of the vessel," it said. The JCC is monitoring the safe passage of the vessel through the Safe Humanitarian Maritime Corridor, it added. The JCC comprises senior representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Turkiye and the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 1, 2022. Guterres on Monday welcomed the first commercial vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa under the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye. (Xinhua/Xie E) XI'AN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- In the production workshop of Sirui Advanced Copper Alloy Technology Co., Ltd., based in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a batch of high-tech metal materials was ready for export. Despite being located in the inland province, the company has extended its business tentacles to the world. It is a vital supplier to several global top 500 companies. The rail-sea intermodal transportation used to be the company's primary mode of freight. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many international shipping ports were often congested, which profoundly affected the company's product exports. "We decided to ship the batch of products to Germany, France, and other places via Chang'an China-Europe freight trains after making a comprehensive evaluation of customers' price terms and logistics conditions," said Ma Guoqing with Sirui Advanced Copper Alloy Technology. "The China-Europe freight train service helps save logistics costs and shorten the delivery time. It plays a significant role in stabilizing the international trade logistics, especially during the pandemic," Ma added. Launched in November 2013, the Chang'an China-Europe freight train service has become a vital transport link between Xi'an and Europe. In the first half of 2022, the Chang'an China-Europe freight trains made 1,791 trips. The growing number of international air cargo routes in Xi'an has also ensured the smooth transportation of goods to overseas markets. On June 29, an all-cargo aircraft carrying 29 tonnes of high-value-added products, such as mobile phones and other mobile terminal equipment, left the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport for St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the third international all-cargo air route Xi'an has opened this year after the routes linking Xi'an with Osaka and Almaty. "We have been enhancing the international logistics capacity of the airport with a slew of measures such as improving customs clearance efficiency and enhancing management systems," said Zhang Lei, with the Airport New City in Xixian New Area of Shaanxi. The airport has, so far, opened 41 all-cargo air routes, covering several aviation hub cities in more than 20 countries globally. In the first half of this year, total import and export volumes of Shaanxi reached 236.2 billion yuan (around 35 billion U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, according to the Shaanxi provincial bureau of statistics. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks at a press briefing on China's Security Council presidency for the month of August at UN Headquarters in New York on Aug. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E) Amid a shifting international landscape, the Security Council must revisit the role of dialogue and cooperation for common security, says Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council for August with the priorities of facilitating dialogue and cooperation for common security and supporting Africa's capacity-building for sustaining peace. Amid a shifting international landscape, the Security Council must revisit the role of dialogue and cooperation for common security, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. "The council must reaffirm its mission of maintaining common security and fulfill its due responsibilities. Therefore, China has proposed to hold a briefing on Aug. 22 on the theme of 'Maintenance of international peace and security: promote common security through dialogue and cooperation,'" he told a press briefing on the Security Council's August work program. "Through such discussions, we hope we can forge some basic consensus on this important issue, and we will understand better that our humanity shares the same future, shares the same world, and any country's security is indivisible from (that of) others, and we are an indivisible security community. We hope that by working together, we can jointly maintain world peace and global security, we can also oppose bloc politics, oppose confrontation and make sure that we are all working toward the same direction," he said. The second priority will be to support Africa's capacity-building to sustain peace, said Zhang. He said that many African countries are facing myriad crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, war and conflict, climate change, and higher energy and food prices. "We must go beyond humanitarian aid and focus on economic development. We must go beyond short-term assistance and seek long-term investment and long-term solutions in Africa. And we must go beyond blood transfusion and enhance their own blood-making function," said Zhang. China has proposed an open briefing on Aug. 8 on the theme of "Peace and security in Africa: capacity-building for sustaining peace." The aim is to help all parties better understand the African continent's difficulties and adopt measures to address their root causes. The Chinese presidency's third priority is strengthening mediation efforts for the political settlement of hot-spot issues. The fourth priority is to uphold the openness, inclusiveness, solidity and cooperation of the Security Council, said Zhang. China attaches great importance to its presidency of the Security Council. It will adopt a responsible and constructive approach, uphold genuine multilateralism, strengthen communication and consultation with council members and all other parties, and earnestly perform its presidential duties, he said. "I hope through our efforts, the council will better meet the expectations of all parties, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and better play its role in maintaining world peace, safeguarding common security and addressing current challenges." Replying to questions, Zhang said China is a firm supporter of the United Nations in its role in addressing global challenges, upholding peace and security, and promoting common development. On nuclear submarine cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (AUKUS), Zhang said that such a move involves the transfer of weapon-grade enriched uranium and related technologies and equipment. Such an act violates the purposes and principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It poses serious risks of nuclear proliferation and may provoke an arms race in the region, threatening regional security and stability. On many occasions, the United States and the United Kingdom have expressed their concerns over the nuclear issues in Iran and the Korean Peninsula while condoning AUKUS cooperation. This is a pure double standard, he said. The international community has expressed serious concerns over such cooperation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has made this issue one of its agenda items. He said that China urges relevant countries to immediately change course and respond to the international community's concerns with concrete actions for the sake of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and regional peace and stability. On the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Zhang said that with their continued joint military exercises, some countries have increased the risk of military confrontation and tensions on the peninsula. In recent years, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had taken some steps to denuclearize, and the previous U.S. administration also took a positive step forward in relations. But dialogue has since stalled. It is hoped that the DPRK and the United States will resume direct dialogue as soon as possible. In particular, the U.S. side should take meaningful and practical actions to respond to the DPRK's concerns, he said. Parties should remain calm and restrained and avoid any actions that could escalate tensions or lead to miscalculations. They should resume dialogue and engagement as soon as possible, meet each other halfway and promote a political settlement to the nuclear issue, said Zhang. China last held the rotating Security Council presidency in May 2021. SHENYANG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 6,393 local residents were relocated after a swollen river burst its dyke in northeast China's Liaoning Province on Monday, local authorities said Tuesday. The Raoyang River in Panjin City saw two rounds of rainstorms hit the area in July, according to the city's publicity department. The flood was the most severe ever recorded, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. The dyke breach occurred at 10:30 a.m., Monday. The city's flood control headquarters initiated the level-I emergency flood control response and sent 2,680 rescuers and 320 engineering and transport vehicles to the site. Flood-fighting materials such as sandbags and timber piles were also allocated to the site. As of 7 p.m., a total of 6,393 local residents had been safely relocated. No casualties have been reported. Rescue efforts are still ongoing. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement on Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region. Following is the full text of the statement: On 2 August, in disregard of China's strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence". China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious demarche and strong protest to the United States. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This has been clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. In 1979, the United States made a clear commitment in the China-U.S. Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations -- "The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan." Congress, as a part of the U.S. Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the U.S. Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China's Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by U.S. congressional members, and the U.S. executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this. The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, go all out to push forward "de-sinicization", and promote "incremental independence". The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it. The position of the Chinese Government and people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm commitment of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the common aspiration and sacred responsibility of all Chinese sons and daughters to realize the complete reunification of the motherland. The will of the people is not to be defied, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed. No country, no forces and no individual should ever misestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese Government and people to defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker's visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China and the United States are two major countries. The right way for them to deal with each other lies only in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, no-confrontation and win-win cooperation. The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, and no other country is entitled to act as a judge on the Taiwan question. China strongly urges the United States to stop playing the "Taiwan card" and using Taiwan to contain China. It should stop meddling on Taiwan and interfering in China's internal affairs. It should stop supporting and conniving at "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in any form. It should stop its acts of saying one thing but doing the opposite on the Taiwan question. It should stop distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle. It must take credible actions to observe strictly the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, deliver on the "five noes" commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a "new Cold War"; not seek to change China's system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support "Taiwan independence"; not look for conflict with China), and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. Related: NPC Standing Committee spokesperson makes remarks on U.S. House Speaker Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region Taiwan Work Office of CPC Central Committee issues statement on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Foreign Affairs Committee of CPPCC National Committee issues statement on Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region Spokesperson of Ministry of National Defense makes remarks on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan PLA Eastern Theater Command to launch joint military operations around Taiwan Island Spokesperson for Taiwan Work Office of CPC Central Committee makes remarks on punishing die-hard "Taiwan independence" elements Tsai Ing-wen, DPP authorities to push Taiwan into disaster by colluding with foreign forces: spokesperson Scholars have hailed China's political system and governance achievements, saying that the country's development experience is inspirational. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service HELSINKI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Reforms to Finnish law on family leave entered into force on Monday, for the first time giving both parents the same amount of time off with the birth of a child. Hanna Sarkkinen, Minister for Social Affairs, said on Monday that the reform would improve the position of women in the labor market, and give fathers more time with their newborn children as well. Under the reform, both parents will be given 160 days of parental allowance. One of the parents can choose to transfer up to 63 parental allowance days to the other, and for the final stage of pregnancy, there will be an allowance period of 40 days. There will be six daily allowance days per week, with total allowance days for parents amounting to more than 14 months. Parents can use their parental allowance days until the child reaches the age of two. Daily allowance days can be used in several parts, and parents in employment relationships will be entitled to split the leave up into four parts. Only pregnancy allowance days will have to be used in a single continuous period, and started 14-30 days before the estimated date of birth. These new types of parental leave will mainly apply to parents expecting a child on or after 4 September 2022. Previously, family leave consisted of the mother's maternal allowance period of 105 working days, which started before the child's estimated date of birth. Fathers had a paternal allowance period of 54 working days, while the parental allowance period of 158 working days could be taken by one of the parents, or shared between the parents. By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova The 1st Azerbaijani CultRural Festival 2022 will be held for the first time in Baku, Azernews reports, citing AHK Azerbaijan. The festival will take place at Passage 1901 restaurant on August 6. The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) in partnership with the Plovdiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is implementing this unique project as part of the "EU4Business: Connecting Companies" initiative. The project aims to contribute to the development of bilateral and multilateral partnerships in the creative industries from the rural areas in the fields of handicrafts, design, and fashion, visual and performing arts, by providing the SMEs with an opportunity to showcase their businesses to the EU and Azerbaijani counterparts and institutions. CultRural Festival 2022 is open for Azerbaijani Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The festival visitors have a chance to meet representatives of creative businesses from Bulgaria and Azerbaijan and see their products in the fields of handicrafts, design, fashion, visual, and performing arts. Please register through the link by August 2, 2022. ROME/PRAGUE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Employment in Italy in June hit 18.1 million, the highest level since the late 1970s, according to provisional data released by the country's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) on Monday. In Italy, the employment rate in June rose by 0.2 percentage points to 60.1 percent against the previous month, marking "a record value since 1977", with 86,000 more people employed. This group included "both genders and all age groups", except people aged 35-49, ISTAT said. At the same time, the number of unemployed and inactive people in Italy in June decreased by 0.2 percent, with this group especially concerning women and people aged over 25. In Italy, "the unemployment rate remained stable at 8.1 percent, while the youth (jobless) rate rose by 1.7 percentage points to 23.1 percent," ISTAT said. Meanwhile, the number of inactive people dropped by some 91,000 against May, with this decline affecting "both genders and people aged less than 50 years." Overall, the inactivity rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 34.5 percent. A positive trend was also seen in the second quarter of this year, with "a drop in both unemployed and inactive people aged 15-64." On an annual basis, ISTAT reported that the number of employed people increased by 1.8 percent (400,000 people), and the employment rate grew by 1.6 percentage points compared to June 2021. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic in June upheld its tradition of having the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union (EU), according to statistics published by the EU's statistics agency Eurostat on Monday. In the Czech Republic, unemployment fell to 2.4 percent in June, according to Eurostat. This is well below the EU bloc's average of 6 percent. However, the country also saw a 7.7 percent youth unemployment rate (people under the age of 25.) Overall, unemployment in June was 1.9 percent for males and 3.1 percent for females. While typically seen as a positive sign, economists have warned that low unemployment rates actually imply a shortage of workers, particularly in skilled sectors. According to Eurostat, the euro area's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in June, which was stable compared with May. The EU unemployment rate was 6.0 percent in June, also stable compared with the previous month. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Aug. 1, 2022. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua) DUSHANBE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi here on Monday to seek closer cooperation in various areas between the two countries. Rahmon asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping, wishing the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a complete success. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Tajikistan have always respected, trusted and supported each other, while Tajikistan has always supported major initiatives raised by China at the earliest date, he noted. Rahmon expressed the hope that the two sides, by taking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Tajikistan-China diplomatic relations this year as an opportunity, will carry forward their fine tradition of good-neighborliness and friendship, and continuously strengthen strategic communication so as to lift their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level. Rahmon thanked China for providing Tajikistan with a new batch of vaccines and always lending a helping hand when Tajikistan is in need, and vigorously supporting Tajikistan in improving infrastructure and raising people's living standards for years. China has become one of Tajikistan's biggest economic, trading and investment partners, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has been accelerated, the president said, expressing the hope that Tajikistan and China will successfully hold economic and trade cooperation commission meetings, increase the scale of bilateral trade, accelerate the implementation of key cooperation projects in the fields of connectivity, production capacity and energy, among others, to expand cooperation in mining and agriculture, and to enhance cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, e-governance and artificial intelligence, to facilitate Chinese investment in Tajikistan. Wang conveyed Xi's cordial greetings to Rahmon, saying that the guidance of the heads of state is the political advantage and the greatest guarantee for stable and far-reaching bilateral relations and mutual understanding and respect; mutual trust and support are the fine traditions both countries observe. The China-Tajikistan relations have continuously achieved continuous development and have reached a historic high, he said. The two heads of state announced that China and Tajikistan would jointly build a development community and a security community, which reflects the unique position and strategic value of bilateral relations, Wang said. The two sides have always stood together and firmly supported each other on issues regarding their core interests and major concerns, he said, adding that China appreciates Tajikistan's consistent policy of prioritizing developing relations with China and supporting China's initiatives. China, likewise, is also a reliable partner Tajikistan can trust and count on, and is willing to work with Tajikistan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, summarize the successful experience of 30 years of diplomatic relations, and set new goals for the development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Wang noted that China-Tajikistan economic and trade ties have grown notably stronger despite an unfavorable environment, fully demonstrating their resilience and potential. He said that China is ready to strengthen the docking of development strategies with Tajikistan, implement key cooperation projects, share experiences in digital economy, green development and artificial intelligence, expand cooperation across the agricultural industry chain, import more high-quality agricultural products from Tajikistan, and continue to provide vaccines as needed to help Tajikistan strengthen its public health capacity. Believing that security cooperation reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, the two sides will continue to jointly meet traditional and non-traditional security challenges, guard against all risks and hidden dangers and maintain regional peace and stability. The two sides are also ready to strengthen communication and coordination within the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the United Nations, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, and China + Central Asia (C+C5). The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the Afghan issue. Also on Monday, Rustam Emomali, chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, met with Wang. During his visit to Tajikistan, Wang and Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin held talks, signed documents on cooperation between the two foreign ministries, and attended the inauguration ceremony of a Luban Workshop facility and the handover ceremony of COVID-19 vaccines to Tajikistan. Rustam Emomali, chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Aug. 1, 2022. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua) BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The world knows clearly that U.S. provocation has led to escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and the United States should take full responsibility, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Tuesday. Hua's comment came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. Congress is an independent, coequal branch of government, and that House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi would make her own decisions about whether to visit Taiwan. "And so, if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing," Blinken has said. "Blinken's remarks called black white, once again demonstrating the hegemonic mentality and gangster logic of some people in the United States that 'I can provoke you at will, but you can't oppose it or defend yourself,'" Hua said at a regular news briefing. Hua said that the U.S. Congress, as a part of the U.S. government, should strictly follow the foreign policies recognized and committed to by the U.S. government. "The U.S. House speaker is the third highest-ranking official in the U.S. government. It is by no means an unofficial act for the House speaker to visit Taiwan taking a U.S. military aircraft," Hua said. The wrong actions of some U.S. politicians in the past should not constitute a precedent, still less can they become an excuse for the U.S. side to repeat its mistakes on the Taiwan question, Hua said. She said the one-China principle is a widely recognized basic norm for international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. "It is on the basis of the one-China principle that China has established diplomatic ties with 181 countries, including the United States." However, in recent years the U.S. side has only claimed to follow the one-China policy in words, but has continued to go backward in terms of actions, Hua said, citing the heightened level of contact with Taiwan and the increased arms sales to the region. Many people, including mainstream U.S. media and think tanks, as well as former political dignitaries of U.S. allies, have commented publicly that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan under any pretext would be foolish, dangerous and unnecessary and that it is perilous gambling, said Hua. "It is hard to imagine a more reckless and provocative action than this," she said. "If the U.S. side miscalculates or mishandles the cross-Strait situation, it will bring catastrophic consequences to the security, prosperity and order of the Taiwan region and the world at large." Considering the wanton U.S. actions in disregard of China's repeated solemn representations, it will be justified and necessary for China to take any countermeasure, she said. The position of the Chinese government and Chinese people on the Taiwan question is consistent, and it is the firm will of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, Hua said. SHENYANG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train carrying 50 containers of photovoltaic (PV) products left a train station on Sunday in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, for Duisburg, Germany. These PV products were manufactured by a company in Jinzhou City of Liaoning. The whole journey of the train totals 10,517 km. It is expected to arrive at Duisburg in 21 to 25 days. The freight train will help the company boost exports while catering to the demand of overseas markets. By July 29, the China-Europe freight trains launched from Liaoning Province had made a total of 199 trips this year, a year-on-year increase of 20.6 percent. BAGHDAD, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday called for a national dialogue to settle the current political deadlock amid protests by supporters of rival Shiite parties in Baghdad. In a statement released by his office, al-Kadhimi urged protesters to evacuate the government institutions and hold "a national dialogue" that involves all parties to "draw up a road map for a solution." On Saturday, hundreds of followers of the prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr began an open sit-in in the parliament building, rejecting the nomination of Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani as the country's prime minister on July 25 by al-Sadr's opponents in the Coordination Framework (CF), an umbrella group of Shiite parliamentary parties. On Monday, thousands of CF protesters held a counter-protest and tried to get close to the parliament building while the Iraqi security forces erected concrete barriers and used water cannons to prevent them from approaching. The CF became the largest alliance in the Iraqi parliament after al-Sadr ordered his followers in the Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner in the elections held on Oct. 10, 2021 that secured 73 seats, to withdraw from the parliament. During the past months, the continued disputes among the Shiite parties have hampered the formation of a new Iraqi government, making it unable to elect a new president by a two-thirds majority of the 329-seat parliament under the constitution. If elected, the president will appoint the prime minister nominated by the largest alliance in the parliament, now the CF, to form a new government that would rule the country for the coming four years. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense Wu Qian on Tuesday released a statement in response to the visit to China's Taiwan region by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The following is the full text of the remarks: On Aug. 2, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. The Chinese side strongly condemns and firmly opposes this visit. Despite the Chinese side's repeated warnings of the serious consequences this visit would cause, Pelosi insisted on making the wrong move, maliciously provoking and creating the crisis, which seriously violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, seriously eroded the political foundation of the China-U.S. relations, and seriously undermined China-U.S. state-to-state and military-to-military relations. This act of the U.S. side has sent a seriously wrong signal to the separatists for "Taiwan independence" and further escalated tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities have solicited foreign support, colluded with external forces to stir up troubles and been bent on inviting Pelosi to visit Taiwan. Such acts are very dangerous and will inevitably lead to serious consequences. The Chinese People's Liberation Army is on high alert and will take a series of targeted military operations in response to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and resolutely thwart the interference by external forces and the separatist schemes for "Taiwan independence." BEIRUT, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Health Ministry on Tuesday received 90 tonnes of medical equipment and medicines donated by Turkiye, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. "We hope that this medical aid helps in supporting our Lebanese brothers during this time of crisis," said Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Baris Ulusoy at the donation ceremony. Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad said the donation will play a major role in supporting Lebanon's hospital sector, allowing it to provide services for more Lebanese patients in light of the current financial crisis. Abiad said the medicines will be distributed for free to primary care centers that support patients who are unable to buy them from pharmacies given the steep increase in medicine prices. Lebanon has been mired in a financial crisis that has reduced its citizens' purchasing power as result of the currency collapse. BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng urgently summoned the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns late Tuesday night and lodged stern representations and strong protests over Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region. Noting that Pelosi risks universal condemnation to deliberately provoke and play with fire, Xie said that this is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xie said, adding that it gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence." "The move is extremely egregious in nature and the consequences are extremely serious. China will not sit idly by," Xie noted. Xie said the U.S. government must be held accountable. For a while, the U.S. has said one thing and done another thing, constantly distorted and hollowed out the one-China principle. It deleted the key expressions such as Taiwan is part of China from the U.S. State Department website, put Taiwan in its so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy", openly upgraded its ties with Taiwan and increased arms sales to the region and supported separatist activities for "Taiwan independence," according to Xie. He said the U.S. government has indulged rather than restrained Pelosi's willful act, leading to the escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait and seriously undermined the China-U.S. relations. Noting that the U.S. side shall pay the price for its own mistakes, Xie urged the U.S. to immediately address its wrongdoings, take practical measures to undo the adverse effects caused by Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. The United States must not go further down the wrong path, escalating tensions and making the situation across the Taiwan Strait and China-U.S. relations irreparable, Xie said. He added that the United States should stop playing the "Taiwan card", stop using Taiwan to contain China in any form, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs. The United States must take concrete actions to observe the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, deliver on the "five noes" commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a "new Cold War"; not seek to change China's system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support "Taiwan independence"; not look for conflict with China), and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path, Xie noted. Xie stressed that the trend of the times cannot be reversed, the will of the people is not to be defied, and those who play with fire will perish by it. "Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland. Chinese people are not afraid of ghosts, pressure and the evil," Xie said. In the minds of the Chinese people, nothing is more sacred than to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and nothing is more important than safeguarding and realizing national reunification, Xie noted. He added that no country, no force and no individual should ever underestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. YAOUNDE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Troops in Cameroon have killed two separatist commanders and arrested seven other suspected separatist fighters in the Tubah subdivision of the war-torn Anglophone region of Northwest, the army said in a statement Monday. A "dreaded" separatist commander who called himself "General Rasta" and another named "colonel John" were killed when the military launched an offensive in the locality Sunday, the statement said. "General Rasta" was the leader of a separatist group in the locality that was responsible for numerous abductions of civilians including teachers and students and the killing of several government forces and civilians, an official who asked not to be named, told Xinhua. Cameroon's two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest have been experiencing an armed separatist conflict since 2017. Separatists want to create an independent nation they call "Ambazonia" in the two regions. Tola Beriso, head of the Oromia Education Bureau, speaks during the opening ceremony of summer training for Ethiopian Chinese language teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ping) ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ayele Tadesse, a teacher at the Nedjo special boarding school in Oromia regional state of Ethiopia, spoke highly of exposing students to Chinese language studies at an early age. Tadesse, who studied the Chinese language at the Hawassa University in southern Ethiopia, has been teaching the Chinese language to some 88 students across three classes at the Nedjo special boarding school for the past close to eight months. "Teaching the Chinese language to school children is really an interesting thing. They are unbelievably fast in learning the language while also very active in the classroom," Tadesse told Xinhua recently. The school is one of nine special boarding secondary schools in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, where students are given the chance to voluntarily choose from Chinese, Arabic and French. Tola Beriso, head of the Oromia Education Bureau, said in line with China's growing global power, teaching the Chinese language to school children would further propel their future opportunities. "In these nine boarding schools, we enrolled high-caliber students. In addition to other subjects, students are taking Arabic, Chinese and French languages based on their preferences. We have about 1,522 students, of whom 305 have already selected the Chinese language," Beriso told Xinhua. Given that Chinese language education has been mostly available for students at the university level in Ethiopia, Tadesse believed that the rare opportunity would enable secondary school students to learn the language easily at a younger age. "Teaching the Chinese language at secondary school level is such a rare opportunity not just to let students learn the language but also to have the opportunities that are presented in having learned the Chinese language. It is a very good opportunity for these students," Tadesse said. Milky Tolemariam, a Chinese language teacher from the Bishoftu secondary special boarding school, also emphasized the crucial role of exposing secondary school students to the Chinese language. "Over the past seven months, I have noticed that the students are very active as they start learning the Chinese language earlier than how we started learning the language late at the university level," Tolemariam said. "It is a very good initiative because these young children will grow to become the future of this nation. Hence, teaching them the Chinese language at this age would further enable them toward becoming the connecting bridges between our two peoples." Tolemariam is now undertaking a summer camp of Chinese language training for Ethiopian teachers in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, along with eight other local Chinese language teachers including Ayele Tadesse. The summer camp is organized by the Oromia Education Bureau in partnership with the Confucius Institute at Addis Ababa University (AAU). Tolemariam said such opportunities enable both teachers and students to deepen their understanding of the language. "Summer camp and other similar opportunities are greatly contributing to active learning of the language. Similar summer camp opportunities had been also previously organized, enabling students and teachers to go to China for a few weeks to learn the language," Tolemariam said. Che Zhaoguang, the cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, said at the opening of the week-long summer camp Friday that educational cooperation is playing an important role in promoting the understanding and friendship between the two countries. "Learning the language of each other will have a positive impact for deepening cooperation in education, culture, tourism, societies, economics and other aspects of the two brotherly countries," said Che. According to Beriso, as language contributes to deepening the people-to-people relations between the two countries, teaching the Chinese language would further strengthen the already blossoming people-to-people ties between the two countries. "I think teaching our children the Chinese language is very important. We are also sending students to China for (study with) scholarships. So, I think it is important to strengthen the people-to-people relationship in this regard." In addition to the AAU in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the Chinese language is now provided as a general interest course or an academic major in many other public universities across Ethiopia, including the federal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institute, Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia's northwestern Amhara regional state, Hawassa University in Southern Ethiopia as well as Arsi University in Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state. The Confucius Institute in AAU, which started operation in Ethiopia in 2012, has so far registered more than 10,000 students who passed through various levels of Chinese language studies. Among them, more than 100 were able to get their bachelor's degrees in the Chinese language, according to figures from the institute. As a growing number of Ethiopians opt to study the Chinese language, AAU has recently announced that it has finalized preparations to launch its first-ever program, titled Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL), in the East African country. According to the Confucius Institute at the AAU, the MTCSOL is a two-year, full-time program, in which students study core lessons based at the AAU in the first year, and qualified students will receive further education in Chinese language teaching at Tianjin University of Technology and Education in China. Local Chinese language teachers attend the opening ceremony of summer training for Ethiopian Chinese language teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ping) By Azernews Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried had a telephone conversation, Azernews reports, referring to the press service of the Foreign Ministry reports. The parties exchanged views on the current state of the process of post-conflict normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the implementation of tripartite statements signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, as well as statements following bilateral meetings between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, mediated by President of the European Union Charles Michel, the report adds. Minister Jeyhun Bayramov brought to the attention of the opposite side the well-known position of Azerbaijan regarding the need to ensure peace and progress in the region, including the opening of transport and communications, the delimitation of the border between the two states, the need to start work on a future peace treaty. The minister noted the importance of full fulfillment of the obligations of the parties. In this regard, it was emphasized that, contrary to the obligations arising from the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, the Armenian armed formations were not completely withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan, and the inadmissibility of this was noted. During the telephone conversation, the next steps in the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, issues on the regional agenda, as well as other topics of mutual interest were discussed, the report concludes. DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania and Zambia on Tuesday agreed to mobilize resources to revive the TAZARA railway to make it modern and vibrant. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the agreement to revive TAZARA was reached when she held talks with visiting Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema at State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. TAZARA was constructed as a turnkey project between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China, with commercial operations starting in July 1976, covering 1,860 kilometers from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. President Hassan added that the two leaders have also agreed to work closely in promoting trade and investment through the revival and renovation of key joint post-independence infrastructure projects that were built to link the two nations, including the Tanzania-Zambia Crude Oil Pipeline (TAZAMA). "Tanzania and Zambia are long-time friends. We have agreed to further promote these relations which now should be translated into economic and trade relations to improve the lives of our people," said President Hassan. For his part, Zambian President Hichilema said the relations between Tanzania and Zambia were a heritage inherited from founding fathers Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda who understood the importance of connecting the two nations. "We need to work together because our relationship and co-existence is historical, we were together in the struggle for independence, since then we have worked together and our people have been one," he said. DUSHANBE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Rustam Emomali, chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday to seek closer exchanges between the two countries. Wang conveyed the cordial greetings from Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, saying that over the past 30 years, China and Tajikistan have overcome various challenges, withstood the test of the international situation, and become true friends with a shared destiny and strategic partners of mutually beneficial cooperation. He added that China will, as always, support Tajikistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, support the country in taking a successful development path that suits its own national conditions, oppose any external interference in Tajikistan's internal affairs, and be a good friend and partner that Tajikistan can trust and rely on. China is willing to see that the two countries' legislative bodies strengthen exchanges and cooperation, deepen the exchange of experience in state governance and administration, and serve their respective country's economic and social development, Wang said. Emomali asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Li, saying that Tajikistan and China are good neighbors and good partners. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the two countries have always had mutual trust, sincere friendship and solidarity, he said, adding that under the guidance of the two heads of state, Tajikistan and China have made outstanding achievements in cooperation in various fields, and bilateral relations have reached the highest level in history. Tajikistan sincerely appreciates China's valuable support for Tajikistan's economic and social development and its improvement in people's livelihood, especially when Tajikistan was at the most difficult time of fighting the epidemic, Emomali said, adding that Tajikistan is willing to join hands with China to elevate the bilateral relationship to a new height and better benefit the two peoples. Emomali said that Tajikistan has always prioritized relations with China in its diplomacy, and took the lead in supporting the important Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is expected that the legislative bodies of the two countries will conduct close exchanges and mutual visits to continuously enrich the connotation of the Tajikistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership. The Tajik side hopes to further enhance bilateral trade, expand the export of agricultural products to China, introduce advanced Chinese technology, and welcome more Chinese enterprises to invest in Tajikistan, Emomali said, adding that he appreciates the Chinese side for helping Tajikistan train excellent people for many years, and he hopes there will be more direct flights between the two countries to facilitate personnel exchanges. Wang said that China and Tajikistan are pioneers in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and the practical cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results. The landmark buildings built with Chinese assistance can be seen everywhere in Tajikistan, and the friendship between the two countries is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. China is willing to deepen bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, green energy, transportation and logistics, information and communication, digital economy and other fields to help Tajikistan accelerate its industrialization process and independent development, Wang said, adding that more Chinese enterprises will be encouraged to participate in new energy and solar energy cooperation with the Tajik side to jointly build a green Silk Road. Wang said it is necessary to deepen the people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Tajikistan, and consolidate the public opinion foundation of friendship between the two countries. Efforts should be put in building the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan to help the country train more professional and technical personnel. TOKYO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday met with Yun Duk-min, the new South Korean Ambassador to Japan, for the first time, as relations between Tokyo and Seoul show some signs of improving. "We met to make sure that we will work hard alongside each other for a better relationship," Yun said after the meeting with Hayashi held at the foreign ministry. Yun arrived in Japan last month and the meeting follows the inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in May. Japan and South Korea have struggled to maintain healthy political ties for a number of years during the former administrations of Japan's Shinzo Abe and South Korea's Moon Jae-In. The two sides had been at odds over a myriad of issues including those pertaining to wartime labor and trade disputes. Under the leadership of President Yoon, both countries have taken steps to mend ties. Political watchers here believe that both sides will expedite efforts to reach a resolution on outstanding issues including the potential liquidation of Japanese corporate assets in South Korea that plaintiffs in wartime forced labor lawsuits have seized. South Korea's Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the potential liquidation of assets from two Japanese companies, although Japan remains adamant that there will be serious reprisals for bilateral ties should the move go ahead. In a previous development signaling thawing ties, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in June intimated that his side intended to abide by a 2015 bilateral pact made with Japan to settle the issue of Korean girls and women forced to work as "comfort women" in Japanese wartime military brothels. Seoul and Tokyo agreed in December 2015 to "finally and irreversibly" settle the issue of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japan's military brothels under the 1910-45 Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The agreement was effectively scrapped under the previous South Korean administration, and the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, to which Japan provided funds to help "comfort women" and their families under the agreement, was dissolved in 2019. South Korea said the 2015 deal fell a long way short of the reparations due in light of the immeasurable suffering inflicted on the "comfort women" and Japan's seeming inability to truly voice its remorse as evidenced by efforts to whitewash its wartime wrongdoings. TOKYO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The mercury across Japan skyrocketed Tuesday with sweltering temperatures baking wide swathes from east to west, with temperatures hitting near-record highs of around 40 degrees Celsius in multiple areas. Such was the sudden rise in temperature, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a warning that people should take preventative measures to avoid succumbing to heat-related illnesses. People were also warned by a government alert, urging them to stay hydrated, refrain from making unnecessary trips or exercising outdoors and to use air conditioners to avoid heatstroke and heat exhaustion. The weather agency said that temperatures were expected to soar to 41 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya, north of Tokyo, 39 degrees Celsius in Nagoya in central Japan and 37 degrees Celsius in central Tokyo. The JMA said a high pressure system over Japan started sending temperatures soaring on Tuesday. Meanwhile, as weather systems become unstable, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions in northern Japan are experiencing heavy downpours. This is owing to hot and humid air blowing into a low pressure system and the fronts in Japan's northern regions, public broadcaster NHK said. Due to high daytime temperatures and humid air, atmospheric conditions may become highly unstable in eastern Japan's Kanto-Koshin region later on Tuesday, said NHK, adding that some areas may be hit by thunderstorms, and downpours bringing more than 50 millimeters of hourly rain may occur. PRAGUE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The forest fire that has been raging for 9 days at the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in northern Czech Republic was brought under control, the country's fire rescue service (FRS CR) said on Monday evening. "We have the outbreaks completely under control. But our work is not over, now we still have to extinguish and dispose of them all," the fire rescue service tweeted. FRS CR Director General Vladimir Vlcek said the fire was not spreading to farther places and the area in which the firefighters were working had decreased to about 600 hectares. The intervention in the huge fire might end by extinguishing works in a few days, he was quoted by the Czech News Agency as saying. Around 1,000 firefighters have been battling the blaze at the park on Monday. 200 tanker trucks, 18 helicopters and five planes have also been deployed. According to the fire rescue service, firefighters will continue to tackle the fire on Tuesday "with the same intensity as today." "We are now concentrating on changing forces, maintaining equipment, checking the fire scene and eliminating small outbreaks in places that are completely under our control," it said. The fire broke out on July 24. In the past days, countries including Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany and Sweden have sent firefighting aircraft to help tackle the fire. According to the fire rescue service, four firefighters had minor injuries on Monday. So far, they have recorded a total of 56 injuries, most of which are minor. People gather during an event in commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising in the center of Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 1, 2022. Poland commemorated the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising on Monday, with events taking place across the capital city. (Photo by Alexey Vitvitsky/Xinhua) WARSAW, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Poland commemorated the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising on Monday, with events taking place across the capital city. The Warsaw Uprising was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe, with around 40,000-50,000 insurgents taking part in fighting over two months, and huge losses of life. Around 18,000 insurgents died, so did as many as 180,000 civilians. After the uprising was crushed, about 500,000 residents were forced to evacuate the city, and Warsaw was almost completely razed to the ground. At 5 p.m. on Monday, the time the uprising began, the main event was held in front of the Gloria Victis monument at the Powazki Military Cemetery. Poland's President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other officials, as well as citizens and veterans, paid tribute to the insurgents who led the uprising. Meanwhile, a parade took place at the Castle Square in the Old Town, and in the city center. Earlier in the day, President Duda laid a wreath at the site of the massacre in the Wola district, where Germans executed thousands of civilians in retaliation for the uprising. Flowers were laid at the monument to the Mokotow (district) insurgents in Dreszera Park. The national flag was also raised, and the "fire of memory" was brought from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to burn for 63 days -- the length of the uprising. Prime Minister Morawiecki visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum, where he laid flowers at the plaque to late President Lech Kaczynski, who established the Museum. People take part in a parade in commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising in the center of Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 1, 2022. Poland commemorated the 78th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising on Monday, with events taking place across the capital city. (Photo by Alexey Vitvitsky/Xinhua) KIEV, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg to discuss assistance for Kiev, the presidential press service reported. At the talks, Zelensky informed Stoltenberg about the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and emphasized the importance for Kiev to get non-lethal military aid from NATO agreed upon during the alliance's 2022 Madrid summit. Besides, Zelensky said that Ukraine is seeking to receive more heavy weapons from NATO member states. The parties also discussed the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea ports and the prospects of NATO's assistance in humanitarian demining in Ukraine. At the NATO summit in the Spanish capital on June 29-30, the members of the alliance agreed to provide support for Ukraine in multiple areas, including secure communications, cyber defenses and resilience, fuel, and medical supplies. EU: According to a document released on Monday, France, Italy and Spain are enhancing their pressure on the European Commission to develop laws that ensure large technical companies to ensure the partially telecommunication infrastructure in the Union. The three governments officially stated their shared stance on the matter for the first time. European Union regulators said in May that they were investigating the issue whether tech beamoths such as Google, Netflix and Meta should contribute to the cost of modernization to the telecommunications network. The three governments claimed that the six largest content provider was responsible for 55% of the Internet traffic in a joint paper, a copy of which was obtained by a report. In terms of capacity, it is the result of specific costs for European telecom operators at a time when they are already investing heavy in the most expensive parts of the network with 5G and fiber-to-hom, according to the document. This urged major online material providers and European telecommunications networks to share fair network costs. We demand a legislative proposal that "it ensures that all market participants contribute to the cost of digital infrastructure. The details of the joint document were confirmed by two Italian government officials. Prior to a general election in September, one of them claimed that the government of Rome was ready to provide informal assistance in its role as a caretaker. A request for comment was received with an immediate response from the governments of France and Spain. A study published earlier this year by Telecom Lobing Group Etno found that the European Union economy could benefit from 72 billion if technical giants contributed 20 billion euros annually to network costs. By creating Big Tech Pay for Network, however, it has given rise to concerns from advocates for digital rights that it can endanger the net neutrality laws of the European Union, which they are worried that they are worried that they help pay for the telecom network To be online as part of a deal with online giants. The joint document states that any proposed law should "ensure fairness among users according to the net neutrality rules, which is a main principle that we need to preserve absolutely." Poland marks 78th anniversary of Warsaw Uprising Cryptocurrency market saw a sharp decline on Tuesday, President praises Achinta Sheuli over his gold medal lift at CWG BAGHDAD: In the midst of demonstrations by supporters of opposing Shia parties in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called for a national conversation to resolve the present political impasse. Al-Kadhimi asked demonstrators to leave government buildings and to undertake "a national dialogue" with participation from all parties in order to "form up a road map for a solution" in a statement issued by his office. The Coordination Framework (CF), an umbrella organisation of Shia parliamentary parties, on July 25 nominated Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani as the country's prime minister. On July 30, hundreds of followers of prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr began an open sit-in in the Parliament building in protest. On Monday, thousands of CF demonstrators staged a counter-protest and attempted to approach the structure, but Iraqi police forces blocked them with concrete barriers and water cannons. After al-Sadr forced his supporters to leave the Sadrist Movement, which had won the most seats in the elections held on October 10, 2021, with 73, the CF emerged as the majority coalition in Parliament. The ongoing tensions among the Shia parties have made it difficult for a new government to form, and hence, the 329-seat Parliament was unable to elect a new President by the required two-thirds majority. In the event that they win, the President will choose the Prime Minister proposed by the current CF, the largest alliance in Parliament, to lead the nation for the next four years. Iran bans women from appearing in ads after fury over 'sexy' rules Biden announces that the US is ready to engage in talks with Russia to replace the START Strategic Arms Control Treaty Iran: Proposed ideas submitted to accelerate nuclear talks German chancellor denies curtailing aid to Ukraine 2 August, 12:43 PM German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Photo:Uwe Anspach/POOL via REUTERS) Germany has been supplying Ukraine with weapons and ammunition since the very first day of Russias invasion, and any media reports of diminishing German security assistance are untrue, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail on Aug. 1. Read also: German Chancellor Scholz publicly brands Russia an unreliable gas supplier Scholz noted that Berlin has abandoned long-standing German policy to not send weapons into active conflict zones. We delivered whatever we had: anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, mines, guns, tons of ammunition and non-lethal aid, said the chancellor. Since then we have moved to more complex and high-value systems. Self-propelled howitzers, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, anti-aircraft systems, counter battery radar. Some of the weapon systems Germany sends to Ukraine are cutting-edge, with certain models have not even been introduced in the Bundeswehr, according to Scholz. Germany also trains Ukrainian troops, and will continue to provide security assistance to Ukraine for as long as its necessary, the chancellor concluded. German newspaper Die Welt said in an article published on July 19 that Scholz has reduced Germany's military support for Ukraine despite promises to the contrary. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli Reports of Armenian media outlets about the alleged firing by units of the Azerbaijani Army in the direction of illegal Armenian armed units, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily located, are wide of the mark, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has reported. The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated for the second time in 2020 after Armenia's forces deployed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, causing casualties among civilians and the military. In the early hours of September 27, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation that lasted six weeks. The operation resulted in the liberation of Azerbaijan's occupied lands. A Russia-brokered ceasefire deal that Azerbaijan and Armenia signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to the 44-day war between the two countries. Azerbaijan declared a victory against Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied. Producer, writer, actor, studio owner and philanthropist Tyler Perry shares the highs and lows of his decades-long career, and how he helped others along his way. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP The Magazine sat down with bestselling author and award-winning actor and producer Tyler Perry (whose new project 'A Jazzman's Blues' premieres on Netflix late 2022) to discuss his rise to billionaire status and becoming one of the entertainment industry's most influential and inspiring leaders. Perry goes back to the start, exploring his abusive childhood and those who helped him find his passion as well as determination. He shares about the challenges that led to him living out of his car before he was finally able to catch a break, and the community he built around him from friends following the same dream. A well-known philanthropist, Perry discusses the creation of The Tyler Perry Foundation (for which he was awarded an honorary 2023 AARP Purpose Prize Award) that offers money to help people overcome the obstacles that he, too, once faced. AARP national logo. (PRNewsfoto/AARP) The following are excerpts from ATM's August/ September 2022 cover story featuring Tyler Perry. The issue is available in homes starting in August and online now at www.aarp.org/magazine/. On his childhood in Louisiana: "I have some survivor's guilt about that, because there are a lot of people I went to school with who did not make it, who ended up in prison, who ended up murdered, especially during the time of the crack cocaine infusion into America. I credit my getting out to my mother, my aunts, my grandmotherall these incredible women who prayed and taught me things and believed in me. Had I not had their examples and their straight-up backbonetheir insistence that I make something of myselfI don't know where I'd be." On hitting rock bottom: "I spent all my money to put this play up, and it didn't work. After that, I tried againmany, many timesto produce the play. I would get different jobs between those times, but I'd quit to work on the play, and I ended up homeless. For three months, I lived in a Geo Metro that I was hiding from the repo man." Story continues On Oprah Winfrey, and the teamwork that led to community success: "I brought scripted material to the network with the crime-drama series The Haves and the Have Nots. It ran for eight seasons and is still the highest-rated show that was ever on the channel. For Oprah and me, it was important to show Black people that you can work together, that powers can come together and be successful." On his production company's purpose: "Thousands of people come through the gate every day to work here. And it's a beautiful thing. A lot of them are former prisoners who wouldn't have had this shot." On the importance of his studio location "The land itself was once a Confederate Army base, which meant there were people here fighting to keep my ancestors enslaved. From the moment I walked onto the property, I was haunted by it. So, as we built each of the 12 soundstages, we buried Bibles underneath them, as a way of refocusing the spirit of the place. I wanted this to be a place where everyone was welcome." On casting Cicely Tyson: "This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn't well compensated for it. She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her. So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? I paid her a million dollars. I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years." On creating The Perry Foundation: "When you've been given a lot, you have to do a lot. And the need is great. I've tried to align myself with people who have the same sensibility when it comes to helping others." About AARP AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aarp-the-magazine-exclusive-tyler-perrys-journey-from-homelessness-to-award-winning-success-301598057.html SOURCE AARP LAGOS, Nigeria, August 02, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a significant milestone for African pension capital being deployed for domestic infrastructure and industrial development, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), Africas largest asset manager, with over US$150 billion in assets under management, plans an inaugural investment in the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continents leading infrastructure solutions provider. PIC has given formal notification to make a US$100 million equity investment in the AFC. The approved investment from the South African pension fund manager follows recent equity inflows to AFC from the Seychelles Pension Fund, the Government of Sierra Leone, the Republic of Togo, the Central Bank of Guinea and further investment from the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, which are among the 32 equity investors in AFC. These investments further embed the active collaboration between African sovereigns, financial institutions and the private sector. AFC has a proven track record of developing key transformational projects on the continent, providing pragmatic solutions for Africa's infrastructure deficit and challenging operating environment. The Corporation recently announced its joint acquisition of Lekela Power, Africas biggest renewables independent power producer (IPP), with plans to more than double operating capacity of the operating assets within four years. Other AFC projects include the ARISE Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gabon, an industrial ecosystem building value from the forestry and minerals industry, which was last year certified as the worlds first carbon neutral industrial zone by the Swiss verification group SGS. "The PIC is delighted to partner with the AFC in the development, industrialisation and growth of the African continent," said Kabelo Rikhotso, Chief Investment Officer for PIC. "Our clients investment mandates allow us to invest in the rest of the African continent. We believe that this partnership will assist us to deliver on that mandate and to diversify our growing portfolio. We are confident of the future prospect of this investment and its potential positive societal benefits." AFCs investment footprint spans 35 countries across Africa and a pipeline of projects that blend positive social and environmental impact with superior risk-adjusted returns. The Corporations A3 investment-grade rating from Moodys enables beneficial access to global capital markets and underscores the confidence of Africas decision makers in AFCs role as a key institution for sustainable economic development. As a shareholder, PIC will further benefit from co-investment opportunities and access to AFCs formidable project development and risk-mitigated projects on the continent across the power, transport and logistics, natural resources, telecommunications and heavy industrial sectors. "This equity investment is a significant vote of confidence in AFC and connects us to a very important source of capital in Africa," said Samaila Zubairu, AFC President & CEO. "African pension funds have a key role to play in financing the instrumental infrastructure urgently needed on the continent and we look forward to a long-term partnership for a prosperous African future." Ends. Notes to Editors About AFC AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for private sector-led infrastructure investment across Africa. AFCs approach combines specialist industry expertise with a focus on financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development and risk capital to address Africas infrastructure development needs and drive sustainable economic growth. Fifteen years on, AFC has developed a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for investing and delivering on instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services in the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications. AFC has invested over US$10 billion in 35 countries across Africa since inception. www.africafc.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220802005557/en/ Contacts Yewande Thorpe Communications Africa Finance Corporation Mobile : +234 1 279 9654 Email : yewande.thorpe@africafc.org Gavin Serkin New Markets Media & Intelligence Telephone: +44 20 3478 9710 Email: gserkin@newmarkets.media Policy makers, researchers and advocates from around the world gathered, in-person and virtually, to advance the HIV response MONTREAL, Aug. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada closed out events today at AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference the largest global gathering on any health issue in the world. Canada served as the host country for this year's conference, which took place between July 29th and August 2nd in Montreal, and virtually. The conference brought together scientists, clinicians, community leaders, advocates, people with lived experience of HIV, health providers, decision-makers and others from around the world to Re-engage and Follow the Science in the response to HIV and AIDS. The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, making an announcement at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal (CNW Group/Health Canada) The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, delivered closing remarks for the conference, during which he reaffirmed Canada's commitment to reaching global HIV targets. He encouraged international partners to take collaborative action toward reducing stigma around HIV as a way to reach the undiagnosed and remove barriers to testing, treatment, and care. He also highlighted Canada's endorsement of a global declaration on Undetectable = Untransmittable, calling on other countries to do the same. The declaration is the outcome of important discussions that took place at the Global U=U Summit on July 28th where Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer took part and reinforced the importance of learning from those with lived experience and addressing health inequities and the social determinants of health as a way to reach populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. During the conference, Minister Duclos, together with the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Canada's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced nearly $18 million in funding to make decentralized forms of HIV testing, including HIV self-test kits, more widely available across Canada. In addition, culturally safe Indigenous-led testing initiatives will support citizens living in northern, remote, and isolated communities, ensuring that everyone has access to testing. This will help with reaching the undiagnosed by offering greater accessibility, privacy, and convenience to HIV testing. Story continues Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable David Lametti, also announced upcoming public consultations that will launch in October 2022 on how to modernize the criminal law relating to non-disclosure of HIV status in light of scientific evidence related to the risk of sexual transmission of HIV. Lastly, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development, also reaffirmed Canada's commitment to the global HIV response by announcing $15 million for UNAIDS for 2023-2025. These commitments from Canada, together with the vital discussions that took place at AIDS 2022 with experts, policy makers, and people with lived experience from Canada and from around the world, will help drive forward Canada's progress on the domestic and global HIV response, and strengthen Canada's resolve to end HIV and AIDS as a public health concern by 2030. Quotes "HIV and AIDS continue to be health concerns in Canada and around the world. Globally we had made progress since the 80's, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a dent in our efforts. We are grateful for all the expertise and knowledge that was shared at this Conference, which served as a wake-up call to collectively re-engage our efforts toward getting to zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination. Canada will continue to do its part and together we will reach that future free of HIV." The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Health "It was humbling and inspiring seeing the HIV community that gathered in Montreal, and virtually, these past few days to share their stories of lived experience and valuable perspectives on the priorities going forward. Ending the stigma and discrimination around HIV is key to reaching the undiagnosed, connecting people to resources for HIV prevention and treatment, and ultimately ending the AIDS epidemic. Our government is proud to endorse the Undetectable = Untransmittable message, which reinforces that people who are HIV positive can go on to live long, happy, and healthy lives, and will continue to work with our partners to improve quality of life for those living with HIV in Canada." The Honourable Carolyn Bennett Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health "As the 24th International AIDS Conference comes to an end, I would like to thank the research community for continuing to follow the science and community service providers for leading the way to address barriers and stigma faced by people living with HIV/AIDS - all while being at the frontlines of the response. HIV/AIDS affect us all regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, or socio-economic status. This conference provides an essential platform where advocates, experts, and health officials from around the world come together to advance the global HIV response." The Honourable Marci Ien Minister for Women and Gender Equality, and Youth "Our Government is committed to challenging and reducing the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS. We support the work being done at home and abroad on this critical issue, and we are taking the necessary steps toward ensuring our criminal justice system keeps up with scientific evidence and remains fair and effective." The Honourable David Lametti Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Quick Facts On July 28 th , Canada endorsed a call to action on Undetectable = Untransmittable, that commits to shifting evidence into action and integrating U=U into future programs and policies. Canada was the first country to publicly endorse the Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) campaign in 2018, and continues to endorse this message. On July 29 th , the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development, announced $15 million for UNAIDS. On July 27 th , the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced upcoming consultations on criminal justice responses to HIV non-disclosure. The consultations will launch in October 2022 and will seek input from stakeholders and the public on how to best modernize the criminal justice system's response to non-disclosure of HIV status prior to otherwise consensual sexual activity. On August 1 st , Canada announced a total of nearly $18 million to make decentralized forms of HIV testing more widely available, including in northern, remote and isolated communities across Canada, to help reach the undiagnosed as the first step toward connecting people to culturally-safe services for prevention, treatment and care. The Government of Canada recognizes that the contribution of community-based organizations is central to Canada's ability to achieve global HIV targets, reduce barriers, and address systemic inequities. The Government of Canada is continuing to invest $33.4 million annually to support community-based efforts to reach key populations and help meet their prevention, testing, treatment, and support needs. An estimated 63,000 people are living with HIV in Canada. Of these people, an estimated 1 in 10 are unaware of their status. In 2020, 1,639 newly diagnosed cases of HIV were reported in Canada. The Government of Canada supports a comprehensive approach to addressing HIV and other Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBI) in Canada. Through its Five-year Action Plan on STBBI, the Government of Canada has made significant progress on its commitments to reduce the impact of STBBI in Canada by 2030. Associated Links Canada takes action by endorsing global declaration on Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) Government of Canada is making HIV testing more accessible across Canada Canada announces the renewal of support to UNAIDS HIV in Canada - People living with HIV and new HIV infections, 2020 Canada's progress towards global HIV targets (90-90-90), 2020 Reducing the health impact of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections in Canada by 2030: A pan-Canadian STBBI framework for action Accelerating our response: Government of Canada five-year action plan on sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections 2019-2020 Progress report for the Government of Canada Five-Year Action Plan on Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections Canada Pavilion at AIDS 2022 AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health, speaking about Harm Reduction at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal. (CNW Group/Health Canada) Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer, taking an HIV Self Test at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal. (CNW Group/Health Canada) SOURCE Health Canada Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2022/02/c3195.html SIRIUS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING In 2021, the clinical trials outsourcing market was valued at $38.14 billion. APAC is the rapidly growing market for clinical trial outsourcing due to low cost, high patient population, and relaxed regulations on clinical trials. Chicago, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Ariztons latest research report, clinical trials outsourcing market is expected to reach a revenue of over $56 billion, growing at a CAGR of over 6.5% during 2022-2027.The surge in the prevalence of various communicable and non-communicable diseases has propelled the demand for new therapies and drugs. Consequently, several pharmaceutical companies are conducting clinical trials for various indications. Most small and mid-sized biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies do not have the development infrastructure and in-house expertise to conduct clinical trials. As a result, these businesses heavily rely on CROs for clinical trial outsourcing. Small businesses are striving toward the introduction of innovative pharmaceuticals into the market in comparison to big biopharmaceutical enterprises. In 2020, emerging pharmaceutical businesses produced around 40% of the new medications introduced to the US market, a significant increase over the next five years. In recent years, the rise in expenditure on R&D initiatives by start-ups and small biopharmaceutical companies has propelled the demand for clinical trial outsourcing services. Large biopharmaceutical companies invest in clinical trial services, and their expenditure on R&D initiatives is lower than that of smaller biopharmaceutical companies. Clinical Trials Outsourcing Market Report Scope Report Attributes Details MARKET SIZE (2027) Over $56 Billion MARKET SIZE (2022) Around $38 Billion CAGR (2022-2027) Over 6.5% BASE YEAR 2021 FORECAST YEAR 2022-2027 MARKET SEGMENTS Clinical Trial Phase (Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV), End-Users (Small & Mid-Size Companies, Large Size Companies), Application (Cancer, CVDs, Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Nervous System Disorders, Other Diseases) GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, and MEA COUNTRIES COVERED US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and UAE Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report Story continues Revolutionizing Effects of AI on Clinical Trials The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical trials is a revolutionizing development, which has enabled prominent Contract research organization(CROs) to establish their position in the global pharmaceutical R&D market. The integration of various AI technologies, including machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and natural language processing (NLP) with research workflows has enabled CROs to face challenges associated with patient recruitment for clinical trials, patient stratification, and other aspects of clinical trial management. In clinical trial outsourcing, CROs are keenly interested in ways to enhance the study design and operations and evaluate outcomes. Numerous outsourcing companies use AI technologies in clinical trials to gain access to vast healthcare data sets, which include unstructured patient data. AI technologies have introduced new approaches in clinical trials, such as operation perspective, supporting data management, and automatically detecting data errors. Key Highlights The global clinical trials outsourcing market is expanding significantly due to the growing need for patient-centric and virtual clinical trials. The synthetic clinical trials are one of the modern approaches addressed in clinical trials to counter the challenges associated with participants funding and propel the market growth. The phase III segment accounted for around 34% market share in the global clinical trial outsourcing market and dominated the market in 2021. In 2021, the cancer segment accounted for more than 30% market share over the cardiovascular and infectious diseases application segment and dominated the market. By application segment cancer accounted for the major share in the market. This is due to the increase in target population and huge demand for the innovative medicines in the market. Small & mid-sized companies segment dominated with more than 55% market share in 2021 and are expected to dominate during the forecast period. North America is one of the leading regions in the clinical trial outsourcing market, accounting for around $13.09 billion in 2021. Due to the higher number of clinical trials activities, R&D, presence of CRO, and broad presence of small & mid-size, and large-size biopharma companies. APAC is the rapidly growing market for clinical trial outsourcing due to low cost, high patient population, and relaxed regulations on clinical trials. In 2021, APAC accounted for a 20.45% market share in the global clinical trial outsourcing market. Competitive Landscape Various external factors such as the surge in new drug development by big pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have contributed to a surge in the expenditure on R&D activities. The introduction of new drugs and market expansion initiatives will drive high competency in the pharmaceutical industry. The rise in competition across the pharmaceutical industry will directly impact the competitiveness in the market. Also, with the lower success rate of clinical trials, several CROs are highly focused on the successful delivery of contracted clinical trials. Most of these CROs are trying to achieve a greater market share in the international market. The adoption of various strategies, such as partnerships and collaborations, by key and other prominent players has intensified the competition in the market. The adoption of such strategies by major market players and their focus on clinical research studies have enabled them to gain a higher revenue share in the market. Market Segmentation Application Cancer CVDs Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Nervous System Disorders Other Diseases Clinical Trial Phase Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV End-Users Small & Mid-Size Companies Large Size Companies Geography APAC China Japan South Korea Australia India North America US Canada Europe Germany UK France Spain Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Key Vendors: Charles River Laboratories IQVIA ICON plc Labcorp Drug Development Syneos Health Thermo Fischer Scientific Wuxi AppTec Paraxel Other Prominent Vendors Advanced Clinical Bioanalytix Curia Global CMED Cromos Pharma Criterium KCR SA. Medpace Medelis Oct Group Protrials Research Prometrika Quality Data Services QPS Sofpromed Veristat Worldwide Clinical Trials Explore our healthcare lifesciences profile to know more about the industry. Click Here to Download the Free Sample report Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals, and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Click Here to Contact Us Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 CONTACT: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1 302 469 0707 Cision Conference call on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time. HOUSTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), the largest provider of deathcare products and services in North America, today reported results for the second quarter of 2022. Tom Ryan, the Company's Chairman and CEO, commented on second quarter results: "Today we are very pleased to report solid adjusted earnings per share of $0.84 and net cash provided by operating activities of $141 million for the second quarter of 2022. While our earnings per share is slightly below the prior year quarter that was materially impacted by the effects of COVID-19, we are still performing notably more services, generating significantly more preneed cemetery sales, and delivering a compelling increase in earnings per share as compared to 2020 and pre-pandemic levels. We are also pleased to confirm our full year 2022 guidance for adjusted earnings guidance and adjusted operating cash flow. Looking forward, we believe that our operating platform and healthy financial condition will allow us to continue to grow revenue, leverage our scale, and deploy capital wisely to enhance shareholder value. These results would not be possible without the hard work of our 24,000 associates. I would like to thank our entire SCI family for helping our client families gain closure and healing through remembrance and celebration." Second Quarter Highlights: Revenue grew $3 million over the prior year quarter to $991 million. GAAP earnings per share were $0.82. Adjusted earnings per share were $0.84. Comparable average revenue per funeral service grew 1.8%. Comparable preneed funeral sales production grew $7 million, or 2.5%. Details of our second quarter of 2022 financial results and the unaudited consolidated financial statements can be found in the Appendix at the end of this press release. The table below summarizes our key financial results. Story continues (Dollars in millions, except for per share amounts) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue $ 990.9 $ 987.5 $ 2,103.3 $ 2,065.5 Operating income $ 221.2 $ 245.8 $ 556.9 $ 587.9 Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 132.7 $ 157.7 $ 352.2 $ 386.6 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.82 $ 0.92 $ 2.17 $ 2.25 Earnings excluding special items (1) $ 135.1 $ 157.4 $ 354.7 $ 385.3 Diluted earnings per share excluding special items (1) $ 0.84 $ 0.92 $ 2.18 $ 2.25 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 161.3 170.9 162.6 171.6 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 140.7 $ 192.2 $ 472.9 $ 489.8 (1) Earnings excluding special items and diluted earnings per share excluding special items are non-GAAP financial measures. These items are also referred to as "adjusted earnings" and "adjusted earnings per share." A reconciliation from net income attributable to common stockholders and diluted earnings per share in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP) can be found later in this press release under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" in the Appendix at the end of this press release. Diluted earnings per share were $0.82 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to $0.92 in the second quarter of 2021. The current year quarter was favorably impacted by $0.3 million of net gains on divestitures and impairment charges and unfavorably impacted by a $1.2 million and a $1.5 million loss related to an early extinguishment of debt and a foreign currency exchange, respectively. The prior year quarter was impacted by a $5.2 million loss on early extinguishment of debt, net, which was offset by a $6.2 million increase in gains on divestitures and impairment charges. Diluted earnings per share excluding special items was $0.84 in the second quarter of 2022 compared to $0.92 in the second quarter of 2021. The decline of $0.08 is primarily due to an expected decline in gross profit related to decreases in COVID-19 related activity and lower trust fund income, increased corporate and general administration expenses, and higher interest and taxes. These results were slightly offset by the benefit of fewer shares outstanding and an increase in contributions from recent acquisitions and new builds of funeral homes and cemeteries. Net cash provided by operating activities declined $51.5 million as expected to $140.7 million in the second quarter of 2022 compared to $192.2 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease in operating cash flow is primarily due to lower operating income, higher cash interest and tax payments, as well as unfavorable working capital. CONFIRMED OUTLOOK FOR 2022 The guidance provided below continues to have a wider range than usual due to the uncertainty around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our outlook for net cash provided by operating activities excluding special items reflects an estimated $20 million of payroll tax payments in 2022 that were deferred from 2020 as allowed under the CARES Act. (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 2022 Outlook Diluted earnings per share excluding special items (1) $3.30 - $3.70 Net cash provided by operating activities excluding special items and cash taxes (1) $940 - $980 Cash taxes expected in 2022 $180 - $190 Net cash provided by operating activities excluding special items (1) $750 - $800 Capital improvements at existing locations and cemetery development expenditures $270 - $290 (1) Diluted earnings per share excluding special items and net cash provided by operating activities excluding special items are non-GAAP financial measures. We normally reconcile these non-GAAP financial measures from diluted earnings per share and net cash provided by operating activities; however, diluted earnings per share and net cash provided by operating activities calculated in accordance with GAAP are not currently accessible on a forward-looking basis. Our outlook for 2022 excludes the following because this information is not currently available for 2022: Expenses net of insurance recoveries related to weather events and hurricanes, gains or losses associated with asset divestitures, gains or losses associated with the early extinguishment of debt, potential tax reserve adjustments and IRS payments and/or refunds, acquisition and integration costs, system implementation and transition costs, and potential costs associated with settlements of litigation or the recognition of receivables for insurance recoveries associated with litigation, or deferred tax payments. The foregoing items could materially impact our forward-looking diluted earnings per share and/or our net cash provided by operating activities calculated in accordance with GAAP, consistent with the historical disclosures found in the Appendix at the end of this press release under the headings "Cash Flow and Capital Spending" and "Non-GAAP Financial Measures". CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST We will host a conference call on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time. A question and answer session will follow a brief presentation made by management. The conference call dial-in numbers are (888) 317-6003 (US) or (412) 317-6061 (International) with the passcode of 8489167. The conference call will also be broadcast live via the Internet and can be accessed through our website at www.sci-corp.com. A replay of the conference call will be available through August 10, 2022 and can be accessed at (877) 344-7529 (US) or (412) 317-0088 (International) with the passcode of 3658741. Additionally, a replay of the conference call will be available on our website for approximately three months. ABOUT SERVICE CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, as well as final-arrangement planning in advance, serving more than 600,000 families each year. Our diversified portfolio of brands provides families and individuals a full range of choices to meet their needs, from simple cremations to full life celebrations and personalized remembrances. Our Dignity Memorial brand is the name families turn to for professionalism, compassion, and attention to detail that is second to none. At June 30, 2022, we owned and operated 1,459 funeral service locations and 488 cemeteries (of which 300 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com. For additional information contact: Investors: Debbie Young - Director / Investor Relations (713) 525-9088 Media: Jay Andrew - Assistant Vice President / Corporate Communications (713) 525-3468 CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made in reliance on the "safe harbor" protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be accompanied by words such as "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "predict," or other similar words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These statements are based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable; however, many important factors could cause our actual results in the future to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein and in any other documents or oral presentations made by us, or on our behalf. Important factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: Our affiliated trust funds own investments in securities, which are affected by market conditions that are beyond our control. We may be required to replenish our affiliated funeral and cemetery trust funds to meet minimum funding requirements, which would have a negative effect on our earnings and cash flow. Our ability to execute our strategic plan depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. Our results may be adversely affected by significant weather events, natural disasters, catastrophic events or public health crises. Our credit agreements contain covenants that may prevent us from engaging in certain transactions. If we lost the ability to use surety bonding to support our preneed activities, we may be required to make material cash payments to fund certain trust funds. Increasing death benefits related to preneed contracts funded through life insurance or annuity contracts may not cover future increases in the cost of providing a price-guaranteed service. The financial condition of third-party life insurance companies that fund our preneed contracts may impact our future revenue. Unfavorable publicity could affect our reputation and business. We use a combination of insurance, self-insurance, and large deductibles in managing our exposure to certain inherent risks; therefore, we could be exposed to unexpected costs that could negatively affect our financial performance. Declines in overall economic conditions beyond our control could reduce future potential earnings and cash flows and could result in future impairments to goodwill and/or other intangible assets. Any failure to maintain the security of the information relating to our customers, their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors could damage our reputation, could cause us to incur substantial additional costs and to become subject to litigation, and could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, or cash flow. Our Canadian business exposes us to operational, economic, and currency risks. Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and may prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness. A failure of a key information technology system or process could disrupt and adversely affect our business. Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence, and our stock price. The funeral and cemetery industry is competitive. If the number of deaths in our markets declines, our cash flows and revenue may decrease. Changes in the number of deaths are not predictable from market to market or over the short term. If we are not able to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences, our market share, revenue, and/or profitability could decrease. The continuing upward trend in the number of cremations performed in North America could result in lower revenue, operating profit, and cash flows. Our funeral and cemetery businesses are high fixed-cost businesses. Risks associated with our supply chain could materially adversely affect our financial performance. Regulation and compliance could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. Unfavorable results of litigation could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Cemetery burial practice claims could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. The application of unclaimed property laws by certain states to our preneed funeral and cemetery backlog could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, cash flows, and financial results. Changes in taxation as well as the inherent difficulty in quantifying potential tax effects of business decisions could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows. For further information on these and other risks and uncertainties, see our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Copies of this document as well as other SEC filings can be obtained from our website at www.sci-corp.com. We assume no obligation and make no undertaking to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by us whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SERVICE CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL APPENDIX: RESULTS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2022 Consolidated Statement of Operations (Unaudited) (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue $ 990,855 $ 987,535 $ 2,103,258 $ 2,065,516 Cost of revenue (724,210) (714,211) (1,459,700) (1,409,749) Gross profit 266,645 273,324 643,558 655,767 Corporate general and administrative expenses (45,721) (33,649) (87,425) (75,318) Gains on divestitures and impairment charges, net 294 6,162 783 7,428 Operating income 221,218 245,837 556,916 587,877 Interest expense (40,571) (37,435) (79,599) (73,247) Losses on early extinguishment of debt, net (1,225) (5,226) (1,225) (5,226) Other (expense) income, net (1,103) 655 (975) 996 Income before income taxes 178,319 203,831 475,117 510,400 Provision for income taxes (45,173) (46,042) (122,404) (123,656) Net income 133,146 157,789 352,713 386,744 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (476) (84) (530) (160) Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 132,670 $ 157,705 $ 352,183 $ 386,584 Basic earnings per share: Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 0.84 $ 0.94 $ 2.20 $ 2.29 Basic weighted average number of shares 158,705 168,450 160,009 169,180 Diluted earnings per share: Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 0.82 $ 0.92 $ 2.17 $ 2.25 Diluted weighted average number of shares 161,290 170,863 162,568 171,616 Consolidated Balance Sheet (Unaudited) (Dollars in thousands, except share amounts) June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 206,242 $ 268,626 Receivables, net 93,479 106,051 Inventories 30,070 25,935 Other 31,979 40,448 Total current assets 361,770 441,060 Preneed receivables, net and trust investments 5,418,621 6,015,323 Cemetery property 1,899,554 1,900,844 Property and equipment, net 2,268,215 2,252,158 Goodwill 1,913,448 1,915,082 Deferred charges and other assets, net 1,158,650 1,169,813 Cemetery perpetual care trust investments 1,681,703 1,996,898 Total assets $ 14,701,961 $ 15,691,178 LIABILITIES & EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 635,536 $ 659,494 Current maturities of long-term debt 63,240 65,016 Income taxes payable 16,335 3,751 Total current liabilities 715,111 728,261 Long-term debt 3,954,475 3,901,304 Deferred revenue, net 1,583,394 1,532,749 Deferred tax liability 437,010 437,902 Other liabilities 410,597 438,903 Deferred receipts held in trust 4,085,657 4,766,492 Care trusts' corpus 1,676,134 1,976,118 Equity: Common stock, $1 per share par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 167,575,348 and 166,821,502 shares issued, respectively, and 158,219,257 and 163,114,202 shares outstanding, respectively 158,219 163,114 Capital in excess of par value 968,455 979,096 Retained earnings 679,052 727,021 Accumulated other comprehensive income 33,627 40,214 Total common stockholders' equity 1,839,353 1,909,445 Noncontrolling interests 230 4 Total equity 1,839,583 1,909,449 Total liabilities and equity $ 14,701,961 $ 15,691,178 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (Dollars in thousands) Six months ended June 30, 2022 2021 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 352,713 $ 386,744 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Losses on early extinguishment of debt, net 1,225 5,226 Depreciation and amortization 86,234 79,552 Amortization of intangibles 9,478 10,127 Amortization of cemetery property 47,327 52,362 Amortization of loan costs 3,526 3,118 Provision for expected credit losses 6,756 6,389 (Benefit from) provision for deferred income taxes (3,723) 1,986 Gains on divestitures and impairment charges, net (783) (7,428) Gain on sale of investments (1,169) Share-based compensation 7,400 7,096 Change in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and divestitures: Decrease (increase) in receivables 11,878 (1,002) Decrease (increase) in other assets 1,680 (31,340) (Decrease) increase in payables and other liabilities (8,582) 56,891 Effect of preneed sales production and maturities: Increase in preneed receivables, net and trust investments (178,619) (160,465) Increase in deferred revenue, net 123,450 66,107 Increase in deferred receipts held in trust 14,094 14,401 Net cash provided by operating activities 472,885 489,764 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (152,445) (103,161) Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (2,000) (3,591) Real estate acquisitions (3,912) (10,498) Proceeds from divestitures and sales of property and equipment 6,968 12,232 Proceeds from sale of investments 1,169 Payments for Company-owned life insurance policies (1,690) (3,534) Net cash used in investing activities (151,910) (108,552) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt 143,000 820,000 Debt issuance costs (13,618) Scheduled payments of debt (18,142) (18,070) Early payments and extinguishment of debt (65,591) (699,837) Principal payments on finance leases (17,920) (16,091) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 16,197 16,254 Purchase of Company common stock (360,114) (187,183) Payments of dividends (79,627) (70,920) Bank overdrafts and other (5,759) (7,030) Net cash used in financing activities (387,956) (176,495) Effect of foreign currency (1,897) 3,311 Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (68,878) 208,028 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period 278,555 238,610 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 209,677 $ 446,638 Doroni Aerospace A media snippet is available by clicking on the image or link below. Aug 2 MIAMI, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Doroni Aerospace, Inc. (Doroni) today announces the full reveal of the completed cockpit of the Doroni H1 personal eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle), combined with an immersive Doroni Virtual Reality (VR) Flight Experience. The reveal was part of Doronis participation in the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 which has been referred to as the Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration. The event draws over half a million flight enthusiasts from all over the country, making Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI the busiest airfield in the world from July 25-31. Doroni recently launched their second crowdfunding raise on the equity crowdfunding platform StartEngine.com and to date has raised over $300K from over 214 investors. The company previously closed their first Reg CF raise on StartEngine on April 29, 2022, having officially raised $1,069,850 from 916 investors. Doroni also recently launched their completely rebuilt website, www.doroni.io , showcasing the Doroni H1s specs, the companys mission, and where customers will soon be able to preorder their own H1 eVTOL. Launched by Howard Marks, co-founder of video game giant Activision, and backed by renowned investment guru Kevin OLeary, AKA Mr. Wonderful from ABCs Shark Tank, StartEngine enables everyday people to become angel investors by giving them access to startup opportunities across a wide range of industries. Doroni H1 Personal eVTOL Cockpit As part of the reveal at the EAA AirVenture 2022, for the first time ever the general public was able to step inside of the fully complete H1 Cockpit, strapping in to take command of the H1s control sticks, and experience the next-level sophistication of the H1s Dashboard Flight & Navigation System. The H1s onboard dash system makes full use of touchscreen monitors to control all aspects of flight and user experience, including: Navigation, Landing, Cameras, Lights, Ventilation, Mood Lighting, and Wipes. In addition to the dual control sticks which mirror each other for left or right-handed use, the dash system also includes peripherals such as an engine start button, left and right buttons to control doors, as well as RFID sensors. Using this system, users will hear audibles like Doroni Systems Check and Doroni Ready for Takeoff from the vehicle's onboard computer. Story continues The Doroni VR Flight Experience Doroni also developed a fully interactive and immersive virtual reality simulator known as the Doroni Virtual Reality (VR) Flight Experience. Using virtual reality headsets, participants of the EAA AirVenture 2022 were able to sit inside the completed H1 cockpit and simulate the experience of takeoff, flight, and landing the Doroni H1 personal eVTOL. Flight enthusiasts ranging from 10 to 70 years old gave the company overwhelming positive responses, with many citing how easy to use and intuitive the system truly is. Doroni believes that when paired together in this way, the H1 cockpit interior and VR Flight Experience provide the closest approximation to what it will be like to fly the completed Doroni H1 eVTOL when its projected to launch in Q4 2024. Doroni Aerospaces eVTOL Technology Doroni Aerospace, Inc. is a pre-revenue aerospace engineering and manufacturing company that has developed a practical, efficient, and cost-effective electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) mobility platform. The companys go-to-market product currently under development, the Doroni H1, is a two-seater personal eVTOL that will be made available for public purchase which anyone can own, fly, and park in a standard two car garage. In order to get started, customers will need a current valid drivers license and completion of a 20-hour training course provided by the company. Doroni is targeting a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) certification with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ahead of product launch in the second half of 2024. Doroni was created in 2016 by CEO/Founder Doron Merdinger with the intention of delivering electric vertical takeoff and landing (or eVTOL) technology directly to consumers, offering a safety-centric mobility option that allows people to intuitively transport themselves at a fraction of the time possible with traditional automobiles. Commercial air taxi operations in major metropolitan US cities are presently 2-3 years away and personal eVTOLs represent a major paradigm shift in urban transportation. The companys mission is to democratize the power of flightthe H1 eVTOLs easy-to-use control system, intuitive flight design, and quick deployment were engineered to simplify the inherent complexities of helicopter and airplane flight, potentially making it accessible without the need for a pilots license and years of flight training. This design is sophisticated in its simplicity and possesses the potential to bring sustainability to our transportation ecosystems and efficiency to the way we commute, ship goods, and respond to emergencies and natural disasters. Doroni ultimately envisions their personal mobility platform serving as one of the primary clean transportation solutions for individuals, families, first responders, law enforcement, and the military. The companys global team possesses decades of cumulative experience in the aerospace, electronics, software engineering, and battery technology fields and has the ingenuity and drive to help get the industry off the ground. Doroni believes the transportation sector, and the world at large, stands at an inflection point and the company is positioning itself to deliver a disruptive technological change to commuter transportation with a magnitude similar to the smartphones impact on the world of telecommunications. Traction + Current Development Doroni procured and moved into a new research and development facility at the beginning of 2022, where it began production of the H1 eVTOL prototype. The company has finalized the H1s airframe design and is currently producing two fully functional cockpits with software, avionics, and computer systems that are ready for flight integration: one for the purpose of simulations and one for flight tests. Doroni has NDA agreements in place with major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Honeywell Aerospace, Garmin, and Amphenol to incorporate components into the H1. In addition, Doroni is supported by Space Florida, a state government agency, who is providing resources to bring the companys operations to scale (i.e. allocating land, building production facility and tooling, leasing, etc.). Doroni also recently recruited Dan Saccani as the companys fractional CFO. Mr. Saccani is a former Tesla and Lucid Motors CFO who has worked with start-up and technology companies for 35 years, having spent the last 25+ years consulting with a variety of start-ups in life sciences, software, semiconductor, hardware, cleantech and internet. To the best of Doronis knowledge, the company has procured nearly all the technology, components (batteries, motors, etc.), and partnerships necessary to complete a flying prototype and begin flight tests before the end of 2022. From the companys discussions with James E. WilbornManager, Center for Emerging Concepts & Innovation, Federal Aviation Administrationit is Doroni Aerospaces understanding that the company is further ahead than any other personal eVTOL developer. Future Roadmap The company projects to have a full-scale, fully functional flying H1 eVTOL prototype completed within the next several months and is targeting a Light Sport Aircraft certification with the FAA ahead of product launch in the second half of 2024. Doroni also intends on growing its current intellectual property to include 15+ design, aerodynamic, and battery utility patents by Q1 2023. The company is also engaging with local government and law enforcement agencies and is excited to share its vision for whats possible with flight via its design and user experience. Looking Forward Doron Merdinger and the entire Doroni team would like to thank their family, friends, and entire community of investors for their continued support. The company is looking forward to a year filled with remarkable progress that will help build a safe, sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective personal mobility platform of the future. To learn more about Doroni Aerospace, please visit the newly redesigned www.doroni.io or email us at info@doroni.io Follow us on social media: Facebook: @Doroni.eVTOL | Instagram: @doroniaerospace | Twitter: @Doroni1 For investment opportunities, please visit us at: www.startengine.com/doroni-aerospace Large-scale and mid-sized enterprises and businesses are increasingly adopting and offering software-as-a-service platforms as they seek to increase their revenue and parlay their growth into greater efficiency. Now a young startup, Emitrr, is aiming to bring the benefits of this model to small and local businesses in the U.S. Emitrr claims to help small businesses by automating tasks such as appointment reminders and review generations. On Tuesday, the startup, led by two Indian co-founders, announced that it raised $4 million in a pre-Series A round to widen its automation solution in the U.S. market. Bengaluru-headquartered Chiratae Ventures led Emitrr's funding round, which also drew participation from Venture Highway, FortyTwo VC and Axilor Ventures. "We essentially are a business text messaging software and an automation software for local businesses in the U.S.," said Anmol Oberoi, founder of Emitrr, in an interview with TechCrunch. Emitrr, founded by Oberoi and his partner Pulkit Gambhir in December 2020, claims that over 150 local businesses in the U.S. use its platform. These businesses range from single-location healthcare practices to multilocation home service companies. The startup also has some small business clients in Australia and Canada. Anmol Oberoi, Pulkit Gambhir, Emitrr Anmol Oberoi (left) and Pulkit Gambhir (right). Image Credits: Emitrr The Delaware-based startup is catering to the global markets and has no customers in India, but it employs a team of 25 people most of whom work remotely from tier-two and tier-three cities in the South Asian market. Emitrr works with more than a thousand of vertical CRM platforms that local companies often use to solve customer management operations. Oberoi said that Emitrr has so far built seven to eight different automation models that work over the short messaging service (SMS). Local healthcare centers, dentists and home service providers can use these automation models to send their customers appointment reminders and follow-ups on services for feedback and reviews. Oberoi told TechCrunch that while Emitrr is targeting healthcare and home services heavily, it has started getting customers from real estate, salons restaurants and other different verticals. Story continues It's remarkable that Emitrr is using traditional text messages over WhatsApp for its tasks. Oberoi said that people in many markets, including the U.S., Australia and Canada, still prefer to use SMSs over any third-party offerings, but added that it's within reach for the startup to quickly adopt WhatsApp or any other instant messaging service onto the platform. Emitrr Emitrr brings automation to business communication. Image Credits: Emitrr "Our platform can be used by any local business in the world," he said. "We automate the tasks performed by receptionists that sit in the dental office and the front desk executive that sits in the restaurant." Since Emitrr sends and receives messages to customers directly from businesses, it often processes sensitive information. Oberoi said that there is system-wide encryption to ensure the security and safety of data the platform processes. "Both our inbound and outbound text messages are completely encrypted," he said. The company also complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. "We have a single tenant architecture, so if a compromise happens, even in that case, the compromise will just happen for one customer not for the hundreds of customers we have," Oberoi said. Emitrr is not alone in selling automation platforms for business communication. Companies including Weave and Podium operate in the same space and are targeting small businesses. Oberoi claimed that Emitrr has a cost advantage over the competition and can identify many problems that its key competitors are not solving in the market. "Primarily, it's the product and support which is where we can take away customers from Weave and Podium," he said. With the fresh funding, Emitrr is planning to deepen the platform to expand its range of automation and solve 15 to 20 problems for small businesses. It also aims to double down on its go-to-market motion. "Pulkit and Anmol bring deep domain knowledge and we are glad to partner with them in their growth journey of building and offering real-world applicability and practical use cases solutions," said Venkatesh Peddi, managing director and partner, Chiratae Ventures, in a statement. Prior to the new round, Emitrr had raised about $495,000 from Venture Highway, Axilor Ventures and some angel investors. "Small and local businesses like your local dentist or a parlor, in the U.S. and across the world have a unique set of challenges, including the lack or very low digitization of customer-facing workflows," said Samir Sood, founding partner, Venture Highway. "The ability to maintain high service standards at low to no human touch, in the background of expensive labor, is a key problem waiting to be solved. The founders have unique insights on the space and have a clear vision on how to productize the entire customer-facing journey and elevate the customer experience for these businesses Emitrr is building a 'go-to' solution," Sood said. FlightHub Engaged partnership 103 displaced Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since 4Ukraine.ca and FlightHub Group formed their partnership in May 2022 MONTREAL, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FlightHub Group is proud to announce that it will be expanding their existing partnership with 4Ukraine.ca, joining forces with Air Transat to bring more displaced Ukrainians wishing to settle in Canada. FlightHub initially announced a CA$100,000 commitment to 4Ukraine.ca on May 26, 2022, corresponding to roughly 100 trans-Atlantic flights. Starting today, FlightHub will be committing a further CA$25,000 to 4Ukraine.cas airfare sponsorship program. The contribution will be used for short-haul flights within Europe and domestic flights within Canada, syncing up with Air Transats network of trans-Atlantic routes. FlightHub is a proudly Canadian company based in Montreal, said Chris Cave, CEO of FlightHub Group. We are thrilled to work with 4Ukraine.ca and Air Transat, both also based in Montreal, on yet another exciting initiative that serves our community locally and globally. We only select applicants who are prepared for life in Canada, to increase their chances of succeeding here added 4Ukraine.ca co-founder and director, Anna Chif. Our process ensures that they are serious about relocating and understand all of the ramifications of such an important decision. To date, 4Ukraine.ca has brought over 250 Ukrainians to Canada, thanks to FlightHubs contribution and a partnership with Air Transat . By combining FlightHubs extensive selection of departure cities and destinations with Air Transats trans-atlantic flight offerings, we can now bring Ukrainians from their location in Europe to their host family in Canada in a safe and affordable manner, said Anna Chif. In addition to the flight commitment, FlightHub will also be directing customer donations to the Ukrainian cause to 4Ukraine.ca and matching the amount raised with a corporate donation. Every dollar raised goes towards furthering 4Ukraine.cas mission, explained Chris Cave. By working with 4Ukraine.ca, we can see the direct impact of our contributions on the lives of displaced Ukrainians. Story continues Anyone who needs to participate or wants to donate is encouraged to visit https://flighthubgroup.com/ukraine-aid . You can also donate directly to 4Ukraine.ca on their website . About FlightHub Group Inc. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, FlightHub Group owns and operates FlightHub.com and sister company JustFly.com two of North Americas leading flight-centric online travel agencies. From its founding in 2012, FlightHub Group has put choice and control back in customers hands. Its industry-leading online booking platforms revolutionized the ticketing experience, making it possible for customers to explore and optimize itineraries, destinations and prices best suited to their needs. For more information visit flighthubgroup.com . About 4Ukraine.ca 4Ukraine.ca is a federally registered charity (registration number 730560802RR0001), on a mission to help 5,000+ displaced Ukrainians settle in Canada. 4Ukraine.ca operates through the highly popular online community CANADA - Host Ukrainians of 100,000+ members, helping with job placement, airfare costs and background checks on host families. Contact Data FlightHub Group: Victoria Cheng 514-604-2238 victoria.cheng@flighthub.com 4Ukraine.ca: media@4ukraine.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/62ea99f2-70a9-4b66-913f-bd6cc2093342 Woolfrey to Lead Expansion Efforts in Asia and Australia NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fyllo , the leading platform providing data-driven marketing and regulatory solutions to drive new growth, today announced the appointment of Robert Woolfrey as Managing Director, APAC. Woolfrey will open and lead the company's business in the region and report to Jeff Ragovin, Fyllo's Chief Commercial Officer. Fyllo_logov2 Fyllo has built a leadership position in the United States with both high-growth industries and progressive audiences. Woolfrey will be responsible for growing Fyllo's marketing and regulatory solutions across Australia and Asia. Fyllo first entered the APAC market with the recent acquisition of Semasio , a pioneer in unified contextual targeting for digital marketing. According to a recent report from McKinsey, corporations in Asia now account for 43 percent of the world's largest 5,000 companies, contributing $19 trillion in revenue to the world economy every year. Fyllo's robust combination of technology and specialized data solutions was built to push booming industries in Asia forward. "As Fyllo continues to expand across the globe, we are looking for the best talent that fully understands the local and regional context, and can make the connection between high-growth brands and progressive consumers," said Chad Bronstein, Founder and CEO of Fyllo. "Robert is perfectly suited for the challenge, and has a strong track record in building businesses and developing partnerships across the region. We are looking forward to Robert bringing the Fyllo story to life in Asia Pacific." Woolfrey has nearly 20 years of experience growing and directing business operations across the region. Previously, Woolfrey served as Senior Vice President, Asia for advertising and martech platform Amobee, where he was responsible for integrating two global acquisitions, Turn and Videology, and spearheading the agency's expansion across Asia. In that role, Woolfrey played an integral role in building partnerships with telcos, TV broadcasters, publishers, brands and agencies, as well as executing cutting-edge, award-winning digital campaigns for brands. Story continues "Fyllo was set up to tackle the hardest problems in marketing and advertising helping dynamic and highly-regulated industries go to market and achieve their full growth potential," said Woolfrey. "Many of the brightest - and progressive - brands today are in Asia. This represents an immediate opportunity for Fyllo, where we can demonstrate our combined marketing and regulatory expertise." Woolfrey has twice been named to Campaign AP's 40 Under 40 list, which honors the next generation of marketing, media and technology leaders in the region. Under his leadership, Amobee won Marketing Technology of the Year in 2018 at Mumbrella Asia Awards and an APAC Stevie Award for Innovation in Technology and Management. About Fyllo: Fyllo is on a mission to accelerate the economies of tomorrow. Fyllo's marketing and regulatory solutions provide the tools, data and integrations needed to drive new growth with speed and scale. Powered by a leading data ecosystem and regulatory database, Fyllo is trusted by Fortune 500 companies and emerging brands to stay competitive and compliant. In 2022 Fyllo acquired Semasio, a pioneer in unified targeting, enabling digital marketers to seamlessly combine audience, contextual and brand fit solutions into one targeting strategy, both on the buy and the sell-side. The company is active in approximately 50 countries and its semantic analysis engine supports more than 30 languages. For more information, visit www.hellofyllo.com . For Further Information, Please Contact: Press: Danielle DeVoren / Rich DiGregorio 212-896-1272 / 856-889-7351 ddevoren@kcsa.com / rdigregorio@kcsa.com SOURCE Fyllo By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has left for a visit to Uzbekistan, Azernews reports. Bayramov will take part in the first trilateral meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs, trade, economy, and transport of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan will discuss the prospects of cooperation in the fields of investment, innovation, transport, and communication. According to the information, the heads of the foreign, trade, and transport ministries of the three countries will discuss the issues of further development in interregional cooperation within the framework of the meeting planned for August 2, 2022. Company Logo Global Digital Experience Monitoring Market Global Digital Experience Monitoring Market Dublin, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Digital Experience Monitoring Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Enterprise Size, Deployment Type, and End-User" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global digital experience monitoring market size is expected to grow from US$ 2,156.71 million in 2021 to US$ 5,960.87 million by 2028. Digital experience monitoring market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.9% from 2022 to 2028. The customer feedback system critical to any functional and profitable industry has been enhanced thanks to technology improvements. For example, companies are implementing an online feedback system using a cutting-edge Customer Relationship Management (CRM). As a result, client input directly aids in making real-time modifications and updating the company's software to conduct a real-time assessment of the quality and adjust or change as needed. Any company experiencing a digital transition must implement digital experience monitoring systems. Streamlining the digital procedures involved in running a company lays a strong basis for future system changes or ongoing innovation. The rise in the adoption of technologies such as the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data across industries fuels the digital experience monitoring market share, and it aids businesses in resolving issues and improving IT decisions concerning devices and application performance. According to Statista, as of 2022, 35.82 billion IoT devices are installed worldwide, and by 2025, there will be 75.44 billion devices. From smartwatches to voice assistants, IoT gadgets are changing the way we work, communicate, and interact with one another. Consumer internet and media devices, such as smartphones, automobiles, IT infrastructure, and asset tracking and monitoring are the most important IoT devices in the consumer market. End-user adoption of smart devices is a major driver of end-user experience monitoring, which will boost the demand for the digital experience monitoring market. Cloud and mobility are hastening an unprecedented wave of corporate upheaval, with 70% of the top ten global enterprises being founded for the first time. Companies such as Amazon, Southwest Airlines, Apple, Disney, TD Bank, and others emphasize their customers and end-user experience to enhance the software/application they deliver thus impacting the digital experience monitoring market share. As more digital services go beyond firewalls and Application Performance Management (APM) becomes less cost-effective, end-user or digital experience monitoring (DEM) technologies will become increasingly popular. Therefore, modern end-user digital experience monitoring solutions are specially built to monitor performance and availability from the user's perspective. Insurers utilize IoT to identify risk correctly, improve client interaction, and speed up and simplify the underwriting and claims process in the finance industry. For example, auto insurers have traditionally used indirect factors to determine premiums, such as a driver's age, residence, and creditworthiness. Story continues Owing to the Internet of things, data on driver behavior and vehicle use, such as automobile speed and frequency of night driving, is now available. Insurers may contact clients more regularly and provide new services based on the collected data thanks to the technology. Customers frequently deal primarily with agents or brokers and only get the insurer directly for policy renewal or claims management, making the digital experience monitoring market suitable for efficiency advantages. Thus, to enhance the performance of IoT application and system, end-user or digital experience monitoring (DEM) plays a crucial role. Impact of COVID-19 APAC is highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to many cases. The country is the most crucial manufacturer and industrial producer since it trades more manufacturing goods than any other country worldwide, and it is a world leader in several types of goods. The Center for Strategic and International Studies has reviewed the estimates of China's growth, and a drop was observed in GDP in 2020. Other major economies, such as India, South Korea, Australia, and Japan, have also been impacted by the pandemic and are experiencing a decline in the digital experience monitoring market growth. However, the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and high death rates in countries, such as India and various Southeast Asian countries, slightly affected the market growth in 2020. Furthermore, the region's growing use of cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and IoT, would drive the market after the COVID-19 pandemic. These technologies are becoming increasingly significant in enhancing IT choices and assisting organizations in effectively solving challenges linked to user experience and device performance. Hence, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of various industries in the region slightly influenced the digital experience monitoring market growth in 2020. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Digital Experience Monitoring Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.2.1 North America 4.2.2 Europe 4.2.3 APAC 4.2.4 MEA 4.2.5 SAM 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 4.4 Expert Opinion 5. Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Demand for Better End-user Experience 5.1.2 Adoption of Cutting-edge Technologies 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Implementation Risk of Monitoring Systems 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Adoption of AI & IoT in Fintech business 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 EUEM overshadows APM 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Global Market Analysis 6.1 Global Digital Experience Monitoring Market Overview 6.2 Global Digital Experience Monitoring Market Forecast and Analysis 6.3 Market Positioning - Top Five Players 7. Digital Experience Monitoring Market Analysis - By Enterprise Size 7.1 Overview 7.2 Digital Experience Monitoring Market, By Enterprise Size (2021 and 2028) 7.3 Large Enterprises 7.3.1 Large Enterprises: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 7.4 SMEs 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 SMEs: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8. Digital Experience Monitoring Market - By Deployment Type 8.1 Overview 8.2 Digital Experience Monitoring, by Deployment Type (2021 and 2028) 8.3 On-Premises 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 On-Premises: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8.4 Cloud 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Cloud: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9. Digital Experience Monitoring Market Analysis - By End User 9.1 Overview 9.2 Digital Experience Monitoring Market, By End User (2021 and 2028) 9.3 BFSI 9.3.1 Overview 9.3.2 BFSI: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.4 IT and Telecommunications 9.4.1 IT and Telecommunications: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.5 Retail and Consumer Goods 9.5.1 Retail and Consumer Goods: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.6 Healthcare and Life Sciences 9.6.1 Healthcare and Life Sciences: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.7 Others 9.7.1 Others: Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 10. Digital Experience Monitoring Market - Geographic Analysis 11. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Digital Experience Monitoring Market 11.1 Overview 11.2 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.3 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.4 APAC: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.5 MEA: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.6 SAM: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 12. Industry Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Market Initiative 12.3 Merger and Acquisition 12.4 New Development 13. Company Profiles 13.1 AppDynamics LLC 13.1.1 Key Facts 13.1.2 Business Description 13.1.3 Products and Services 13.1.4 Financial Overview 13.1.5 SWOT Analysis 13.1.6 Key Developments 13.2 BMC Software, Inc. 13.2.1 Key Facts 13.2.2 Business Description 13.2.3 Products and Services 13.2.4 Financial Overview 13.2.5 SWOT Analysis 13.2.6 Key Developments 13.3 Broadcom Inc. 13.3.1 Key Facts 13.3.2 Business Description 13.3.3 Products and Services 13.3.4 Financial Overview 13.3.5 SWOT Analysis 13.3.6 Key Developments 13.4 Catchpoint Systems, inc. 13.4.1 Key Facts 13.4.2 Business Description 13.4.3 Products and Services 13.4.4 Financial Overview 13.4.5 SWOT Analysis 13.4.6 Key Developments 13.5 Dynatrace LLC 13.5.1 Key Facts 13.5.2 Business Description 13.5.3 Products and Services 13.5.4 Financial Overview 13.5.5 SWOT Analysis 13.5.6 Key Developments 13.6 IBM Corporation 13.6.1 Key Facts 13.6.2 Business Description 13.6.3 Products and Services 13.6.4 Financial Overview 13.6.5 SWOT Analysis 13.6.6 Key Developments 13.7 Micro Focus 13.7.1 Key Facts 13.7.2 Business Description 13.7.3 Products and Services 13.7.4 Financial Overview 13.7.5 SWOT Analysis 13.7.6 Key Developments 13.8 Oracle Corporation 13.8.1 Key Facts 13.8.2 Business Description 13.8.3 Products and Services 13.8.4 Financial Overview 13.8.5 SWOT Analysis 13.8.6 Key Developments 13.9 Riverbed Technology, Inc. 13.9.1 Key Facts 13.9.2 Business Description 13.9.3 Products and Services 13.9.4 Financial Overview 13.9.5 SWOT Analysis 13.9.6 Key Developments 13.10 SAP SE 13.10.1 Key Facts 13.10.2 Business Description 13.10.3 Products and Services 13.10.4 Financial Overview 13.10.5 SWOT Analysis 13.10.6 Key Developments 13.11 ControlUp Technologies LTD 13.11.1 Key Facts 13.11.2 Business Description 13.11.3 Products and Services 13.11.4 Financial Overview 13.11.5 SWOT Analysis 13.11.6 Key Developments 13.12 Lakeside Software, LLC 13.12.1 Key Facts 13.12.2 Business Description 13.12.3 Products and Services 13.12.4 Financial Overview 13.12.5 SWOT Analysis 13.12.6 Key Developments 13.13 Aternity LLC 13.13.1 Key Facts 13.13.2 Business Description 13.13.3 Products and Services 13.13.4 Financial Overview 13.13.5 SWOT Analysis 13.13.6 Key Developments 13.14 Nexthink SA 13.14.1 Key Facts 13.14.2 Business Description 13.14.3 Products and Services 13.14.4 Financial Overview 13.14.5 SWOT Analysis 13.14.6 Key Developments 14. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2tb1f1 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 IBA SA Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, August 2, 2022, IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT), the world leader in particle accelerator technology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, announced a multi-year research collaboration today on ConformalFLASH1 Proton Therapy. Under this collaboration, IBA will equip the proton therapy system and the proton gantry treatment room at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center with ConformalFLASH research functionality, which will enable preclinical research on FLASH therapy. In the future this could lead to a new clinical functionality for patients. Radiation therapy has advanced drastically in the last few decades because of continued technological innovation, allowing for safer and more accurate methods to treat a comprehensive range of solid tumors. FLASH radiation, defined as the delivery of radiation at ultra-high dose rates (40-60Gy/s), has been shown to spare to normal tissue toxicity while maintaining an equivalent anti-tumor efficacy2,3. FLASH is expected to dramatically change the landscape of radiotherapy and patient cancer care by enhancing the therapeutic window with less toxicity, allowing shorter treatment times and potential for dose escalation on radioresistant tumors for improved tumor control. IBA's ConformalFLASH approach combines the biological sparing effects of FLASH with the use of the spatial selectivity of the Proton Bragg peak. As part of this collaboration, UW School of Medicine scientists will lead a comprehensive bench-to-bedside program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center to analyze FLASHRadiotherapy (FLASH-RT) in preclinical models to optimally deployed FLASH-RT for cancer patients. The focus would be to evaluate the optimal physical parameters for proton FLASH irradiation, including Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) FLASH dose rates and FLASH effects in the Spread-Out Bragg Peak (SOBP). Swati Girdhani, Director, Research Collaborations at IBA, said: In the last few years, IBA has been working closely with customers to support innovation, leading to breakthrough technologies like ConformalFLASH. In this era of value-centered medicine, ConformalFLASH has the potential to advance radiotherapy towards increased use of ultra-hypofractionation while significantly improving the therapeutic index. We are delighted to be working with the University of Washington, one of the leading centers for research in the United States to bring ConformalFLASH technology to patients. Story continues *** Ends *** About IBA IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) is the world leader in particle accelerator technology. The company is the leading supplier of equipment and services in the field of proton therapy, considered to be the most advanced form of radiation therapy available today. IBA is also a leading player in the fields of industrial sterilization, radiopharmaceuticals and dosimetry. The company, based in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, employs approximately 1,600 people worldwide. IBA is a certified B Corporation (B Corp) meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance. IBA is listed on the pan-European stock exchange EURONEXT (IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB). More information can be found at: www.iba-worldwide.com For further information, please contact: IBA Nicolas Denef Global Marketing Director global.marketing@iba-group.com Olivier Lechien Corporate Communication Director +32 10 475 890 communication@iba-group.com For media and investor enquiries: Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Angela Gray, Lucy Featherstone +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 IBA@consilium-comms.com 1 ConformalFLASH is a registered brand of IBAs Proton FLASH irradiation solution currently under research and development phase. 2 Diffenderfer et al IJROBP 2020 Design, Implementation, and in Vivo Validation of a Novel Proton FLASH Radiation Therapy System. 3 Velalopoulou et al Cancer Research 2021 FLASH Proton Radiotherapy Spares Normal Epithelial and Mesenchymal Tissues While Preserving Sarcoma Response. Attachment The Supreme Courts decision striking down Roe v. Wade will face its first test at the ballot box Tuesday when Kansans vote on an initiative that could determine the fate of abortion access in the state. The proposal, if it passes, would amend the Kansas constitution to say it contains no right to abortion. Such an outcome would effectively overturn a 2019 ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court, which held that the state constitution contains Roe-like abortion protections. Tuesdays vote also carries broader implications for post-Roe America. In addition to the practical impact on abortion access for Kansans and residents of abortion-restrictive states who might travel there for care, the result may influence the broader trajectory of state laws now emerging across the country. The vote could also provide the clearest signal yet of how the Supreme Courts revolutionary abortion decision is landing with the public. There are a lot of reasons to watch Kansas on Tuesday, said Rachel Rebouche, a law professor at Temple University. If the amendment passes, it will be a statement from Kansas voters that the legislature is now free to ban abortion. That will have ripple effects for people from Missouri crossing a very close border into Kansas for abortion care. If it doesnt pass, and Kansans vote that the Constitution doesnt foreclose abortion protection, then that also sends a signal, she added. Its the voice of people telling their state elected officials they are not on board with an abortion ban, and I think that will reverberate through the country. The Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade in late June ushered in a new era of battle over abortion access. Gone is the constitutional right to abortion that existed for nearly 50 years under Roe. In its place, a complicated patchwork of state laws has begun to emerge. Conservative states, particularly in the South and Midwest, have moved to ban or curtail abortion. Yet at the same time, a potentially robust check on Republican-led restrictions resides in state constitutions, a source of legal authority that largely flew under the radar for five decades during the Roe era. Story continues Three supreme courts in conservative states have interpreted their state constitution as protecting abortion Kansas (2019), Montana (1999) and Alaska (1997) and citizens of those state have retained broad access to abortion as a right, even after Roe was struck down. Floridas Supreme Court issued a similar ruling in 1989, but since then the court has grown more conservative and the state now bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. If the Kansas ballot initiative passes, it would allow the GOP-controlled state legislature to take action to restrict or ban abortion, with likely enough votes to override a veto from the states Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Such a move would reverberate well beyond Kansass borders. Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Kansas had become an abortion sanctuary for residents of more-restrictive states in the Midwest and South. Its importance has only grown now that the procedure is banned in nearby Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and South Dakota. Kansas is key for states in that region because of its 2019 state supreme court decision protecting the right to abortion, said David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. Even though the Republican-controlled legislature wants to restrict or even ban abortion and they have the veto-proof majority to do so successfully as long as that decision remains good law, Kansas will be there for patients needing care. If the yes votes win, that will no longer be the case, making it harder for people in the region to get care and putting more pressure on Colorado and Illinois, he added. According to Cohen, the conservative makeup of Kansas means that even a narrow win to amend the state constitution would signal strong opposition to the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which struck down Roe. But, there is a good chance the no votes win, he added, which would be a very strong sign of just how unpopular Dobbs is. Legal experts say that other states will be watching what happens in Kansas. If abortion rights advocates there succeed, it could inspire like-minded residents of other states to attempt similar referenda as a way to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitutions. Conversely, if Kansas unwinds state-constitutional abortion rights, it could give a shot in the arm to abortion opponents elsewhere. As of now, Kentucky will hold a similar ballot initiative vote in November, and other states may follow. Naomi Cahn, a law professor at the University of Virginia, said political activists on both sides of the issue will also be tracking the Kansas vote closely. However it comes out, she said, it will teach both sides of the abortion debate important lessons on organizing as these issues play out in other states. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Loyal Source Government Services Loyal Source will conduct examinations for veterans seeking disability benefits for service-related health issues ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loyal Source Government Services , one of the nations leading healthcare solutions providers, today announces it has been awarded a contract providing medical disability examinations for veterans by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). The total contract value awarded was $6.8B across all four regions of the United States nearly four years ago. A total of $2B has already been awarded. Loyal Source was added to the agreement in June and can perform until September 30, 2028, upon contract completion. As a Region 4 Prime Contractor, Loyal Source is responsible for providing medical disability evaluations to veterans throughout the western United States. Required by the VA, these examinations are provided for veterans claiming a disability related to their military service. Loyal Source has supported the VA for many years as a solutions-based company. The company has partnered with leading industry experts and architects to create its advanced technology platform and grow its vast provider network to provide a customer-centric service. Loyal Source deeply cares about this mission, and the addition of this contract allows the company to expand its efforts by providing additional healthcare services to veterans. Loyal Source will build 20 clinics across the western United States and will provide a network of additional specialists and providers focused on delivering exams with a customer-centric focus. The network will provide facilities to enable these reviews and to facilitate the delivery of critical medical determinations. With this contract, Loyal Source will continue to deliver quality support to our veterans by providing expedient and compassionate examinations, said Brian Moore, CEO of Loyal Source. These veterans have dedicated years of their lives to serving our country, so it is our privilege to guide them through the thorough examination process and provide them with quality care. Story continues Since its inception, Loyal Source has proudly served military members, veterans, and their families by providing superior medical, counseling and training services focused on improved physical and behavioral health outcomes. For more information on Loyal Source, visit www.loyalsource.com . About Loyal Source Loyal Source is an Orlando-based workforce solutions provider dedicated to delivering elite services worldwide. With a focus on government healthcare, technical and support services, engineering, and travel healthcare, Loyal Source provides exceptional custom solutions to both private enterprise and government agencies. For more information about Loyal Source, visit www.loyalsource.com . Media Contact Brianna Edwards Uproar PR for Loyal Source bedwards@uproarpr.com 321.236.0102 C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945 TORONTO, Aug. 2, 2022 /CNW/ - Manulife Financial Corporation ("Manulife") today announced that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem all or any of its currently outstanding 10,000,000 Non-cumulative Rate Reset Class 1 Shares Series 9 (the "Series 9 Preferred Shares") (TSX: MFC.PR.I) on September 19, 2022. As a result, subject to certain conditions described in the prospectus supplement dated May 16, 2012 relating to the issuance of the Series 9 Preferred Shares (the "Prospectus"), the holders of the Series 9 Preferred Shares have the right, at their option, to convert all or part of their Series 9 Preferred Shares on a one-for-one basis into Non-cumulative Floating Rate Class 1 Shares Series 10 of Manulife (the "Series 10 Preferred Shares") on September 19, 2022. A formal notice of the right to convert Series 9 Preferred Shares into Series 10 Preferred Shares will be sent to the registered holders of the Series 9 Preferred Shares in accordance with the share conditions of the Series 9 Preferred Shares. Holders of Series 9 Preferred Shares are not required to elect to convert all or any part of their Series 9 Preferred Shares into Series 10 Preferred Shares. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series 9 Preferred Shares into Series 10 Preferred Shares on such date will retain their Series 9 Preferred Shares, unless automatically converted in accordance with the conditions below. Manulife Logo (CNW Group/Manulife Financial Corporation) The foregoing conversion right is subject to the conditions that: (i) if, after September 2, 2022, Manulife determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 9 Preferred Shares outstanding on September 19, 2022, then all remaining Series 9 Preferred Shares will automatically be converted into an equal number of Series 10 Preferred Shares on September 19, 2022, and (ii) alternatively, if, after September 2, 2022, Manulife determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 10 Preferred Shares outstanding on September 19, 2022, then no Series 9 Preferred Shares will be converted into Series 10 Preferred Shares. In either case, Manulife will give written notice to that effect to any registered holders of Series 9 Preferred Shares affected by the preceding minimums on or before September 12, 2022. The dividend rate applicable to the Series 9 Preferred Shares for the 5-year period commencing on September 20, 2022, and ending on September 19, 2027, and the dividend rate applicable to the Series 10 Preferred Shares for the 3-month period commencing on September 20, 2022, and ending on December 19, 2022, will be determined and announced by way of a news release on August 22, 2022. Manulife will also give written notice of these dividend rates to the registered holders of Series 9 Preferred Shares. Beneficial owners of Series 9 Preferred Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion should instruct their broker or other nominee to exercise such right before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on September 2, 2022. Conversion inquiries should be directed to Manulife's Registrar and Transfer Agent, TSX Trust Company, at 1800-783-9495. Subject to certain conditions described in the Prospectus, Manulife may redeem the Series 9 Preferred Shares, in whole or in part, on September 19, 2027, and on September 19 every five years thereafter and may redeem the Series 10 Preferred Shares, in whole or in part, after September 19, 2022. The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") has conditionally approved the listing of the Series 10 Preferred Shares effective upon conversion. Listing of the Series 10 Preferred Shares is subject to Manulife fulfilling all the listing requirements of the TSX and, upon approval, the Series 10 Preferred Shares will be listed on the TSX under the trading symbol "MFC.PR.S". The Series 9 Preferred Shares and the Series 10 Preferred Shares have not been and will not be registered in the United States under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States and any public offering of the securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus. About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2021, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 160 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months we made CAD$32.7 billion in payments to our customers. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com. SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2022/02/c3236.html As of 2020, the clothing sector lost about $27 billion in annual sales due to counterfeits, an illicit trade that results in huge losses to both brands and buyers. Clothes, accessories and luxury goods are the most popular product items for counterfeiting, according to the 2022 intellectual property crime threat assessment report. But that's not where the problem starts and ends: the explosion of digital content has also led to a wide number of digital counterfeiters as well. MarqVision IP detection example Image Credits: MarqVision (opens in a new window) under a license. MarqVision has built an AI-powered intellectual property (IP) protection platform that monitors both e-commerce marketplaces and digital content, automatically detecting counterfeits and removing them from online sales and distribution. And now, the startup has raised $20 million in Series A funding to continue expanding its platform. The company, based in Los Angeles and originally incubated at Y Combinator, says its customers -- which include fashion labels like Ralph Lauren and Kangol, LVMH, crystal icon Baccarat, as well as media behemoth Pokemon -- use MarqVision to scan places where their brands are most likely to be misappropriated. These include the top 1,500 online marketplaces globally, as well as popular social media platforms that are becoming increasingly used for commerce, NFT platforms, gaming sites and other places where counterfeit products might appear. It says that its tech is already leading to more than 20,000 enforcements weekly. Its founding team has roots in Asia -- specifically Seoul -- and it claims to have the most extensive IP enforcement platform in the region, an important point given that some 90% of counterfeit sales globally are traced back to Asia. DST Global Partners and Atinum Investment led the latest funding along with its existing backers SoftBank Ventures, Bass Investment and Y Combinator. The Series A funding brings its total raised to $25 million, including a seed round of $5 million in 2021. The company is not disclosing its valuation. Story continues The challenge that MarqVision is tackling is the speed and scale of counterfeit sales. Millions of counterfeits are traded in real-time, and the opportunity, so to speak, is wide: it impacts both small and large brands and selling platforms. Companies like Amazon have developed extensive IP protection strategies over the years to proactively track and take down fake goods, but the argument here is that even this is not enough (and that's saying nothing of the thousands of platforms smaller than Amazon that lack the resources to manage this on their own). In other words, as with any digital challenge, the problem with fake goods -- be it products or content -- is one of outsized scale, one that is hard, if not impossible, for humans alone to tackle. Mark Lee, together with the startup's CBO DK Lee and with other friends from Harvard and MIT, founded MarqVision in 2020. (Mark) Lee approached the problem initially from a legal perspective when he was still a Harvard law student. Interested in the field of IP, he realized that counterfeiting was the largest criminal enterprise in the world, with $3 trillion of products being transacted annually. Newer digital innovations such as the growth of e-commerce marketplaces -- which gives third party sellers routes to reaching a lot of new customers quickly -- and new routes for disseminating content, such as apps marketplaces, have all accelerated the practice. MarqVision uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology its founders first worked on at MIT: its approach is to automate both the scanning and reporting of illicit usage. Those uses that are harder to definitely detect are in turn triaged by humans, but that's not the case for all of the items MarqVision scans. About half of all reports the company files to online marketplaces, for example, are automatically drafted using AI and software do not need to go through a human inspection, co-founder and CEO Mark Lee told TechCrunch. He claims that the technology has 97% accuracy, which means for every 100 items it reports, the company can take down 97 of them. Creative assets are under assault in todays digital world, with content owners left largely unprotected as consumers get hoodwinked into buying fake goods and NFTs by sophisticated counterfeiters, said Lee. Unlike our competitors, which are forced to review manually in time-consuming processes, MarqVisions process end-to-end is mostly automated. This is something that other companies in the industry have been unable to accomplish, Lee argues. "Other brand protection companies hire thousands of employees (or what they call analysts) to manually search and report counterfeits online," he noted. "Traditionally, the most time-consuming part of the entire process is product-matching and documentation." The product matching, he continued, "is an extremely laborious process if done manually." Documentation and reporting, meanwhile, represent another kind of problem, almost one of robotic process automation. In essence, when a product is identified as fake, it needs to be reported to a marketplace. Each marketplace, Lee said, "requires a different set of documents, proofs and reporting templates to state the reasons for reporting." MarqVision has automated all of this. "Traditionally, it took about an hour to draft a full report when reporting a single product listing," he said. "Now, we can process thousands of reports every hour." It's important to note that a lot of the IP tech that is being built by third parties today is mainly used at the moment by rights holders themselves, as it is for MarqVision, too. To that end, the funding here is essentially going to be used to further that particular business funnel. MarqVision plans to use the proceeds to develop a new and comprehensive IP operating system that allows brand owners to manage, protect and monetize intellectual properties, all in one place, Lee said. That's not to say that platform operators have not been making efforts, too. Amazon, as one example, has spent years building up a strategy to tackle IP theft, working with authorities both to identify and then prosecute bad actors. But it's been a tricky problem for marketplaces more generally. On one hand, their priority as a business is to enable as many transactions as possible, which in the past has led to accusations that it was in their interest to be weak on counterfeit prevention (it means less sales!). On the other hand, this is a bad look, is illegal, and no commerce site wants to have a reputation of being untrustworthy either to buyers or sellers, so it's definitely in platforms' interests to tackle this. Critics, however, believe that the horse has bolted due to a failure to control IP theft early on -- hence the opportunity to build technology that brands can adopt and use to defend themselves more directly. There is another issue, as Lee sees it, that will keep marketplaces from being able to build or provide the kind of tools that it (or its direct competitors like Red Points and Brandshield, among many others) provide: "Most marketplaces want to strictly maintain their position as an intermediary, a mere connecter between the buyer and seller," Lee believes. "They do not want to take direct responsibility for whatever is being sold on their marketplaces, or else they'll face many liability claims. Therefore, most marketplaces take the stance that they are willing to address the counterfeit issues to the extent that they'll examine and take down any reported items. Even if they want to proactively monitor and takedown counterfeits, there are millions of product being listed and sold every day, so it's not an efficient use of their resources to run an anti-counterfeiting program on a broad scale." In contrast, he said, "MarqVision focuses on a set number of brands that are highly interested in protecting their brands and safety of their customers, so we can be much more accurate and efficient." MarqVision will also be using some of the funding to opening a new operation in Paris this fall, which will be the startup's European base. Paris is a great place to start because many of its current clients are European luxury brands, Lee told TechCrunch. MarqVision won the LVMH Innovation Award in June 2022 and is participating in the LVMHs accelerator program, La Maison des Startups. No one else is doing anything remotely this advanced, and its possible in large part due to Marks background not only as a respected technologist and startup founder, but as a legal expert with a specialization in trademark, copyright, and patent laws," said Cheuk Kim, managing director at Atinum Investment. He understands the holes counterfeiters exploit and is developing a new way forward. Melanie Lynskey came from New Zealand to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to pursue her Hollywood dreams and was told almost immediately that her body type was going to be an issue. That feedback set her on a path of loathing her body for almost two decades, but since becoming a mom, shes rewriting her story. The Yellowjackets star explained to The Los Angeles Times The Envelope the damage that was done at such a tender age. The ways my body wasnt what they wanted. I didnt wear enough makeup. My clothes werent tight enough. If my clothes were tight enough, my body had problems, she said. People were so thin, and I was a tiny little person at that time, but just always told, like, Not enough, not enough.' Lynskey shared that the process of auditioning and hearing those harmful words were very demoralizing and difficult. More from SheKnows It created a dialogue in her head where she truly believed that she was less than everyone else she was competing against for a role. It sort of stripped me of that confidence that I had. I was shy in a lot of ways. I was filled with all kinds of self-doubt like most young women are, but there was something innate where I didnt really question myself, the 45-year-old actress said. And then I got here, and it made me really just be like, Oh, gosh, I guess I am not what theyre looking for.' Click here to read the full article. The negative talk in her head began to shift when she gave birth to her daughter in December 2018. Lynskey didnt want her child to grow up with the same type of thoughts that she endured and the Emmy nominee realized it was time to change her mindset as well. I dont want to be onscreen, judging my own body, she explained. I wanna be onscreen as a free person whos just living her life in the body that she has, because thats the reality. That has allowed her the freedom to give her body some grace and just live in a way that healthier and happy for her. Before you go, click here for more celebrities whove spoken out about being body-shamed. Launch Gallery: Powerful Quotes to Inspire Healthy Attitudes About Food & Body Image Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. South Koreas non-fungible token (NFT) collection MetaKongz price on OpenSea NFT exchange has fallen over 17% on average after alleged in-house problems such as hacking and differences among its executives. See related article: Hyundai Card building its first NFT marketplace and wallet service Fast facts The price of MetaKongz NFTs on OpenSea in the last seven days was about 0.99 ETH on average, compared to a 90-day average price of 1.20 ETH last month. In June, prior to the controversy, the prices of MetaKongz NFTs averaged around 3.27 ETH. Recently MetaKongz holders, dissatisfied with project management and the series of hacking, reportedly asked two chief executives to step down from operating the project and asked Lee Doo-hee, chief technology officer (CTO) and locally well-known hacker to take over as the sole supervisor of the project. On Twitter, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Hwang Hyun-ki alleged that Lee had purchased upscale automobiles with corporate funds. Lee has since announced that he will acquire the project while Hwang decided to step down. The NFT projects Discord channel was hacked in April with 79 investors losing 11.9 ETH. MetaKongz is a profile picture (PFP) NFT collection that has grown popular among NFT enthusiasts in South Korea it has collaborated with major domestic companies such as Hyundai Motor and Shinsegae Group. MetaKongz did not respond to Forkasts request for comment. See related article: NFTs Explained in Less than 4 Minutes Precedence Research According to Precedence Research, the middle east buy now pay later market size is projected to worth around USD 89.27 billion by 2030 and expected to grow at a CAGR of 32.31% from 2022 to 2030. Turkey, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The middle east buy now pay later market was valued at USD 9.5 billion in 2022. The buy now pay later market has seen a good growth in the Middle East region in the previous years and it's expected to grow due to an increased use of ecommerce platforms. COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the growth of this market in a positive way. The buy now pay later market has grown by about 99% in the year 2022. Get the Free Sample Copy of Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1980 Due to an increasing number of startups entering the market and a variety of products offered by the already existing companies is expected to drive the market in the coming years. There is an increasing demand for the buy now pay later platform from many consumers. There has been a major shift in the purchasing habits of the consumer people in the United Arab Emirates have adopted the online platforms for various purchases and it has also accelerated the growth of the buy now pay later market in this region. The buy now pay later method is growing faster than expected. The already existing companies are launching better products that will make it possible for the consumers that seek using buy now pay later schemes across all different types of shops. The company's existing in the Middle East region are planning to provide or expand their business for the B2B segment. The buy now pay later market is providing many opportunities for growth in the Middle East region and also across the globe. The central Bank of Saudi Arabia has made it compulsory to obtain a permit in order to offer the buy now pay later services and this has been helpful in creating more demand for this platform as it now comes under the authorities. Story continues Report highlights By enterprise size , the large enterprises are expected to have a dominant position in the coming years. In order to provide affordable and flexible payment options for the purchasers the large-scale enterprises have adopted the buy now pay later solution. By end user , the fashion and the government segment is expected to dominate the market. There's an increased purchase of sportswear as well as the accessories as the payment options are almost always interest free. Online segment will have the largest market share in the coming years as there is a growth in the adoption of this payment method across all the e-commerce websites. Recent Developments A UAE based organization postpay Collaborated with the Dubai based commercial bank. This collaboration aims at increasing the product portfolio of the financial products offered in this region. Ask here for more customization study@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/1980 Scope of the Report Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 7.18 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 89.27 Billion CAGR 32.31% from 2022 to 2030 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2030 Key Players Pay flex, Tabby, Tamara, Post Pay, Spotty, Others Market Dynamics Drivers Regulatory authorities are taking necessary steps in order to legalize this platform. It happens to be the fastest growing market as many major market players are innovating the products that they offer. The buy now pay later companies need to obtain a permit in order to survive in the market. This mandatory tome has created more trust in these platforms. This announcement which was made by the central Bank of Saudi Arabia will help in the growth of the market in the coming years. The fear of stealing the credit card information and the fear of entering the credit card related information on a third-party website is also leading to the growth of the market. Younger generation with less affordability for various luxury products are also increasing the use of buy now pay later platforms as they be able to purchase various products. As the amount to be paid is spread out in the future in the form of EMS which can be paid weekly or monthly depending upon the amount of transactionbeard there's an increasing demand for this market in the elderly population as the source of income of this generation it's not structured and this platform offers a flexible paying option. Restraints The amount of money of which the purchases have been made is spread out in the future in the terms off EMI spread out for multiple weeks or months but in case the person defaults from paying there is a late fee charged and this happens to be a drawback in the market. The buy now pay later platform can be used for purchasing only a few items. The buy now pay later market does not offer purchases of all the commodities and hence this is also a restraint in the growth of the market. Opportunities Major market players are investing in the research and development activities in order to provide better platforms that will be technologically advanced for usage across all the stores. Companies are investing money in order to make this platform accessible even at the smallest of the stores to increase its market. The central Bank of Saudi Arabia has announced a legal action against the platforms that do not apply for a permit. This step is also expected to provide a good opportunity for the growth of the market in the coming years period. Many traditional financial institutes are entering into partnership with the why now pay later platforms in order to expand the market for the same. Challenges The availability of other payment methods happens to be a major challenge for the growth of this market. With every purchase the provider of the buy now pay later market needs to sign an agreement which makes this process is extremely time consuming. There are many platforms that offer the buy now pay later service and the availability of various platforms can create an extremely confusing situation at the point of sales or at the time of purchase as there is a need to add the different buy now pay later providers. It also happens to be expensive as there is a processing fee charged for these transactions which happens to be about 3 to 7%. Increase the margin of the products that are sold is not that great the cost incurred by the merchant happens to be a challenge for the growth of the market. Market Segmentation By Component Platform/Solutions Services By Purchase Ticket Size Small Ticket Item (Up to US$ 300) Mid Ticket Items (US$ 300 - US$ 1000) Higher Prime Segments (Above US$ 1000) By Business Model Customer Driven Business Driven By Mode Online Offline By Vertical Home & Furniture Electronics Fashion Others By Countries Egypt Israel Jordan Turkey Rest OF ME Immediate Delivery Available | Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/checkout/1980 You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@precedenceresearch.com | +1 9197 992 333 About Us Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally. For Latest Update Follow Us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/precedence-research/ https://www.facebook.com/precedenceresearch/ https://twitter.com/Precedence_R By Trend The patrol ships and military personnel of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces, that were on a visit to the Russian Federation according to the joint military action plan, returned to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. As part of the visit, a meeting between the delegation of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces and the leadership of the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy was held. Friendly relations between the Azerbaijan Naval Forces and the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy and issues of mutual interest were discussed at the meeting. Moreover, Azerbaijani seamen participated in several events held in the Russian Federation. In One Year the FE1 Product Line Has Ramped to #1 Volume for Mines Worldwide Rajant Peregrine BreadCrumb - a high-performance industrial-grade wireless radio offering quad MIMO transceivers, up to 2.3Gbps aggregated data rate, higher throughput, and enhanced security performance The Peregrine is Rajant's elite BreadCrumb solution and is part of its initiative to develop deeply integrated solutions that securely combine data from connected people, vehicles, machines, and sensors, with machine learning. Malvern, Pennsylvania (USA), Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh wireless networks, reports the successful deployment of its fourth-generation BreadCrumb Peregrine, which provides a 4-6x increase in overall throughput capacity enabling a host of new applications. The Peregrine deployments, the first in South Africa with Anglo American, support applications for mine production systems, including proximity detection, fatigue management, and tele-remote drilling. Rajant has always been the leader in industrial wireless mesh networking, states Reyno Eksteen, BU Head, SCAN RF Projects. With the substantial increase in performance of the new generation Peregrine BreadCrumbs, our customers now can support applications that require more bandwidth. Because all Rajant BreadCrumb models are fully backward compatible, it makes migrating to the latest higher-capacity radio nodes much easier while still redeploying the existing BreadCrumbs to other parts of the network to get the most out of the customers investment. After successful implementation, Anglo American confirmed a considerable increase in capacity of the Rajant Peregrine within its pit network, enabling them to become more innovative by introducing technologies in areas of its operation where it was previously impossible. This allows the mine to scale the overall network with the operation's demands quickly, bringing much higher bandwidth closer within areas of its pit production environment. The new Peregrine BreadCrumb provides impressive performance with the same robust hardware which can withstand the harsh conditions of an open-pit mine. The Peregrine is Rajants fourth generation Kinetic Mesh BreadCrumb which supports a maximum combined data rate of 2.3 Gbps and up to 6X enhanced throughput performance over existing Rajant BreadCrumbs. It offers multiple MIMO radio interfaces, high throughput, and enhanced security performance with up to 256-QAM and 80 MHz channels. The Peregrine is part of Rajants initiative to develop deeply integrated solutions that securely combine data from connected people, vehicles, machines, and sensors, with machine learning. This data combination unlocks the benefits of process optimization, digital twins, predictive analytics, condition-based maintenance, augmented reality, and virtual reality while improving worker safety. The Peregrine is interoperable with all BreadCrumb radio nodes to expand market capabilities for industries like mining, rail, shipping ports, public safety, agriculture, and heavy construction. It is fortified with rugged, environmentally sealed enclosures and supports several robust cryptographic options for data and MAC-address encryption and per-hop, per-packet authentication. Scalable to hundreds of mobile, high-bandwidth nodes, the Peregrine enables data, voice, and video applications. Story continues #### About Rajant Corporation Rajant Corporation is the broadband communications technology company that invented Kinetic Mesh networking, BreadCrumb wireless nodes, and InstaMesh networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput, and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajants Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 75 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, and agriculture. Rajant has 270+ mines worldwide distributed across the Americas, APAC, Asia, and EMEA. Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with additional facilities and offices in Arizona and Kentucky. For more information, visit Rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter. Attachment CONTACT: Alice DiSanto Rajant Corporation 914-582-8464 adisanto@rajant.com (Bloomberg) -- US efforts to weaken the Kremlins grip on global atomic power markets in punishment for its war in Ukraine are foundering, with Russias nuclear energy giant mobilizing for a key role at a top industry gathering. Most Read from Bloomberg Since February, when Moscow began its invasion, Russias Rosatom Corp. has begun work on Egypts first power reactor, advanced projects in Hungary and Turkey, and started new business from Myanmar to Uganda, deals worth billions of dollars. And to underline Russias clout, officials from Rosatom, the worlds biggest exporter of nuclear fuel and reactors, are set to headline sessions when energy ministers and company executives gather for a quadrennial meeting in October in Washington. The summit hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency will advocate for more nuclear power as rising temperatures worldwide intensify debate over technologies to prevent climate breakdown. But the Russian presence will also spotlight how efforts to tighten restrictions on Rosatom, whose supervisory board includes two sanctioned officials, have stalled even amid Congressional demands the Biden administration cut US reliance on Russian nuclear fuel. The Oct. 26-28 event is shaping up to be a diplomatic nightmare, according to two US officials who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The US is bound by a host-nation agreement to invite all members of the Vienna-based IAEA and excluding Rosatom could impact Washingtons relationship with countries seeking Russian nuclear technology, they said. Rosatoms grip on the international nuclear-fuel cycle -- from mining uranium to engineering reactor assemblies -- makes it hard for Washington to exclude Russia from discussions about atomic power. Russian engineer Mikhail Chudakov is the top nuclear-energy official at the IAEA. Story continues The global nuclear fuel market is very fragile, said Paul Dabbar, the Department of Energys former deputy secretary, who worked to revive US nuclear fuel-making capacity. At any point in time Russia could cut in half the available global supply of nuclear fuel and the most exposed market in the world is the US. Russia provided almost a quarter of the fuel for 93 US reactors last year, and Rosatoms expected to retain a 15% share at the end of this decade, according to a Columbia University study co-authored by Dabbar. The situation is equally tenuous in Europe, where Rosatom fuel generates electricity for 100 million people, mostly in ex-Soviet-satellite states. The IAEA declined to comment on how US sanctions could potentially impact Russian participation at the Washington event. Moscows delegation to the agencys last ministerial meeting included 35 Russian executives, many from Rosatom, it said by email. The State Departments Consular Affairs Bureau, in charge of visas for the IAEA meeting, said its records are confidential under US law. Rosatom hasnt been completely spared by war penalties. The chairman of its supervisory board, Sergey Kirienko, whos also the Kremlins first deputy chief of staff, has been sanctioned by the US, as has board member and Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev. Yet the firms first deputy director general, Kirill Komarov, is scheduled to discuss Enabling Environments for nuclear growth at the IAEA conference; while the deputy chief of Russias technological standards watchdog Aleksey Ferapontov will speak about Enhancing Confidence in atomic power, according to official agency documents seen by Bloomberg. Rosatom didnt respond to questions about the size of its delegation. But the company did say its one of just a few vendors currently building the new small-modular reactors, or SMRs, that will feature at this years IAEA meeting. Rosatom is poised to win a larger market share than other nations in rolling out the technology, it said in an email reply to questions. SMRs promise a cheaper, quicker route to expanding nuclear generation. Congressional attempts to curb Russias nuclear sway have run into problems. A group of Republican senators introduced legislation in March to choke off Russian influence on nuclear-fuel markets, but one month later the White House exempted Russian ships carrying atomic fuel to US ports from sanctions. Now, some European diplomats are lobbying to ensure the IAEA summit discusses Russias offensive in Ukraine and the damage they say its doing to nuclear energy prospects. Russian offensives near the reactors at Zaporizhzhia, Europes biggest atomic facility, have raised fears of an accident and draw almost-weekly protests from Ukrainian officials to the IAEA. Offering a platform to condemn Russia without excluding Rosatom could avoid inviting the same kind of retaliation experienced by European natural-gas consumers, whove seen the Kremlin throttle supplies in response to sanctions, the diplomats wrote in a document seen by Bloomberg. A cut-off would effect nuclear power plants, said Dabbar, the former Energy Department administrator. It would put pressure on western markets. Changing these supply lines will take a lot of time. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. The program is best suited for early-mid career professionals with 2+ years of work experience. Upon program completion, learners will receive a certificate from Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn. The program includes masterclasses delivered by distinguished faculty from the University of Minnesota and industry experts from IBM. The bootcamp will also include career assistance from Simplilearn. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, a global digital skills training provider, announced its partnership with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management for a Bootcamp in Business Analytics . The program will provide a well-planned, high-level understanding of business analytics and the real-world application of analytics across multiple domains. Anyone who has completed their bachelor's degree (in any background) is eligible for this program. The bootcamp is best suited for early-mid career professionals having 2+ years of formal work experience, such as IT professionals, Banking and Finance professionals, Marketing Managers, Supply Chain Network Managers, Analysts, and Consultants. Simplilearn_Logo The six-month program will be based on a blended format of online self-learning and live virtual classes. The key features of the program include: Program completion certificate from the Carlson School of Management and Simplilearn Membership to University of Minnesota's Alumni Association Masterclasses delivered by Carlson School of Management faculty and industry experts from IBM Industry-recognized IBM certificates for IBM courses Ask-Me-Anything sessions & hackathons conducted by IBM More than twelve industry-relevant projects Simplilearn career assistance Integrated labs The program curriculum consists of R Programming for Data Science, SQL, Business Analytics with Excel, Data Analytics with Python, Capstone Projects, and other modules. Speaking about the program, Mr. Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearn, said, "In today's business-driven environment, every organization is devising ways to make their decision-making more insightful and impactful. As a result, the role of business analytics continues to grow in importance. Business Analytics provides companies the ability to derive deeper insights and create stronger business recommendations for their own success. Given the industry relevance of the program, we have partnered with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management to curate this Business Analytics Bootcamp that will provide learners an extensive knowledge of the topic and widen growth and professional opportunities." Story continues Speaking on the partnership with Simplilearn, Dr. Ravi Bapna, Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Business Analytics and Information Systems at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota said, "Business Analytics can help companies make better, more informed decisions and achieve various goals. Its ability to navigate crises has further increased its importance to the business. Business analytics has certainly changed the dynamics of working in the digital economy and how companies operate." Simplilearn conducts more than 3000 live classes, with an average of 70,000 learners who together spend more than 500,000 hours each month on the platform. Simplilearn's programs allow learners to upskill and get certified in popular domains. In 2020, Simplilearn introduced a free skills development program called SkillUp . SkillUp lets learners explore in-demand topics in top professional and technology fields for free, helping them make the right learning and career decisions. About the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is a recognized leader in business education and research. Established in 1919 and located in Minneapolis, the Carlson School is committed to developing leaders who believe business is a force for good through experiential learning, international education, and the school's strong ties to the dynamic Twin Cities business community. With 13 degree programs that are ranked consistently among the world's best, the school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted both domestically and abroad. Today, the Carlson School has nearly 60,000 alumni in more than 100 countries. About Simplilearn Founded in 2010 and based in San Francisco, California, and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn, a Blackstone company is the world's #1 online Bootcamp provider for digital economy skills training. Simplilearn offers access to world-class work-ready training to individuals and businesses around the world. The Bootcamps are designed and delivered with world-renowned universities, top corporations, and leading industry bodies via live online classes featuring top industry practitioners, sought-after trainers, and global leaders. From college students and early career professionals to managers, executives, small businesses, and big corporations, Simplilearn role-based, skill-focused, industry-recognized, and globally relevant training programs are ideal upskilling solutions for diverse career or/and business goals. For more information, please visit www.simplilearn.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1100016/Simplilearn_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simplilearn-collaborates-with-the-university-of-minnesotas-carlson-school-of-management-to-launch-business-analytics-bootcamp-301598026.html SOURCE Simplilearn Company Logo Dublin, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "South Africa Construction Market Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. South Africa has the third-largest economy in Africa. Additionally, it is Africa's most industrialized, technologically advanced, and diversified economy. The country's relative macroeconomic stability, stable democratic government, and well-developed infrastructure have given rise to a dynamic investment environment and established its position as a strategic gateway to other markets in the Southern African region and the rest of the African continent. Infrastructure investment is a central pillar of the South African government's post-COVID-19 economic recovery plans. The 2022 budget allocated R812.5 billion (circa US$51.7 billion) over the next three years for infrastructure investment. The government's massive spending on major infrastructure projects is expected to drive a construction boom in the country. This report provides an overview of the South African construction market. Summary The country's construction industry was also one of the hardest hits by the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions in terms of employment, losing 259,118 jobs at the end of Q3 2020. As part of efforts to revive the economy following the devastations of the COVID crisis, the South African government is implementing an economic reconstruction and recovery plan underpinned by massive investment in infrastructure - with a construction project pipeline worth R340 billion in industries such as energy, water, transport and telecommunications. The government is also implementing a National Infrastructure Plan 2050 (NIP 2050). It aims to achieve an investment/GDP ratio of 30% to meet the infrastructure finance gap for public infrastructure, which is estimated at R2.15 trillion (circa US$140 billion) up to the year 2040. The NIP 2050 emphasises blended project finance and public-private cooperation to finance the delivery of public infrastructure. Story continues The 2022 budget presented on 23 February 2022 allocated an amount of R812.5 billion (circa US$45.3 billion) to public-sector infrastructure projects across South Africa, including the repair and replacement of existing dams, bridges and railway lines, and the development of the housing, energy, agriculture, transport, water and sanitation and digital infrastructure sectors. South Africa's construction industry is projected to achieve a growth of 9.1% in real terms in 2022, following a turnaround in 2021 from the COVID induced contraction of 16.5% in 2020. This report provides readers with detailed market analysis, information, and insights into the South African construction industry, including industry trends and issues, as well as an analysis of key risks and South Africa has the third-largest economy in Africa (after Nigeria and Egypt). However, it is Africa's most industrialized, technologically advanced, and diversified economy. According to the World Bank, the country has an upper-middle-income economy, one of only eight countries in Africa. The South African construction sector is a crucial driver of socio-economic development and a key employment multiplier. In 2021, the industry employed well over 1.2 million people. In addition, it contributed an added value of approximately R111 billion (circa US$7.1 billion) to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The output of South Africa's construction industry was severely affected by the Corona-virus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, with the country imposing a strict six-week lock down. This contributed to the industry value-add falling sharply by 21.6% year on year (YoY) in Q3 2020. Key Topics Covered: Foreword 1. Executive Summary. 2. South Africa Country Overview 2.1. Geography - Key Cities And Regions In South Africa 2.2. Economic Overview Of South Africa 2.3. South Africa's 2022 Budget 2.4. Spending On Construction 2.4.1. Public Sector Spending Vs Private Sector Spending 2.4.2. Drivers Of Public Sector Spending 2.4.3. Drivers Of Private Sector Spending 2.5. Key Indigenous Local And Foreign Players 3. The South African Construction Industry 3.1. Size And Structure Of The Construction Industry In South Africa 3.1.1. Market Size And Forecasts (By Value) 3.1.2. Market Size And Forecasts (By Industry Sector) 3.2. Opportunities By Sector 3.2.1. Transportation 3.2.2. Residential 3.2.3. Energy 3.2.4. Health 3.2.5. Water Supply & Treatment 3.2.6. Commercial Office Building 3.2.7. Retail (Shopping Centres, Malls Etc.) 3.2.8. Hotels And Tourism 3.2.9. Industrial And Mining 3.3. Challenges In The South African Construction Industry 4. How The South African Construction Market Operates 4.1. Competition 4.1.1. Barriers To Entry 4.1.2. Public Procurement And The Tendering Process 4.2. Industry Supply Chain 4.2.1. Construction Materials - Capacity, Quality & Security Of Supply 4.2.2. Construction Equipment 4.3. Tender Price And Construction Cost Trends 4.3.1. Tender Price Trends 4.3.2. Indicative Construction Costs 4.3.3. Costs Of Construction Inputs 4.4. Labour Resources 4.4.1. Training And Skills Development 4.4.2. Professional Licensing 4.4.3. Skills Shortage 4.4.4. Opportunities For Foreign Professionals 4.5. Contracts And Dispute Resolution 4.5.1. Forms Of Contract 4.5.2. Contractual Risks 4.5.3. Dispute Resolution 4.6. Main Government Clients And Target Sectors 4.7. Key Private Sector Players 4.7.1. Mining 4.7.2. Sustainable Energy 4.7.3. Commercial Real Estate 5. Doing Business In South Africa 5.1. Licences For Construction Contractors 5.2. Language 5.3. Corruption 5.4. Recruiting And Retaining Staff 5.5. Health And Safety 6. Swot Analysis 6.1. Strengths And Weakness 6.2. Opportunities And Threats 7. Future Outlook 7.1. Construction Industry Forecast 7.2. Macroeconomic Outlook 7.3. Political Outlook 8. Industry Associations 9. Key Contacts And Websites 10. Company Profiles Alistair Group Atlas Crane Hire Aveng Barloworld Bosch Holdings Calgro M3 Coastal Hire Concor Edwin Construction (Pty) Ltd ELB Equipment Enza Construction Esor Limited Exr Construction Giuricich Bros Construction (Pty) Ltd Group Five Construction (Pty) Ltd H&I Engineering Hitachi Motheo Construction Raubex Stefanutti Stocks (Pty) Ltd The Power Group Whbo Construction (Pty) Ltd Wk Construction For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/362lbx 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 (Reuters) - Alterna Aircraft Ltd, an Ireland-based lessor of budget-airline SpiceJet Ltd, has asked India's aviation regulator to de-register its plane. Alterna, in its request dated Monday to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), did not specify the reason to de-register one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft. "This aircraft is part of early termination agreement executed with the lessor way back in November 2021," a SpiceJet spokesperson said. "This aircraft has already been removed from our fleet for over eight months and does not in any manner affect our operations or schedule". The airline has been under the spotlight lately after a slew of incidents related to technical snags on its flights. One of its Dubai-based lessors had also asked the Indian aviation regulator to de-register three of SpiceJet's planes. Lessors typically apply for de-registration when lease agreements are terminated for reasons such as nonpayment of lease rentals. India's aviation regulator last month ordered SpiceJet to slash its approved fleet to 50% this summer for eight weeks citing safety snags and said it will subject the domestic airline to "enhanced surveillance". (Reporting by Aditi Shah in New Delhi and Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat and Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) Straits Research - Market Research Strategy | Strategy Consulting | Business Research | Business Consulting | Market Research The Global Structural Health Monitoring Market was valued at USD 2.21 billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach at USD 7.59 billion by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of 14.7% from 2022 to 2030. Asia-Pacific is the dominant and fastest-growing region. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% during the forecast period. New York, United States, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Structural Health Monitoring identifies and assesses structural deterioration in civil, aeronautical, and mechanical engineering. After World War II and the Industrial Revolution, most developed countries' infrastructure was built. Overworked buildings are now obsolete. Population expansion and lifestyle changes have exacerbated infrastructure deterioration such bridges, pipelines, and transportation networks. Continuous real-time inspection of these structures can predict maintenance and repairs, reducing damage and accidents. SHM is a popular civil engineering research field. SHM is vital for designing, analyzing, and maintaining modern civil engineering systems and structures. Increased attention on structural health monitoring, ageing infrastructure in North America and Europe, ageing domestic and international airline aircraft, decreased inspection costs, and more natural disasters are driving the structural health monitoring industry. Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/structural-health-monitoring-market/request-sample Global Structural Health Monitoring Market: DRIVERS Infrastructure Boom Civil infrastructure includes bridges, dams, stadiums , and skyscrapers. New infrastructure spurs economic growth. Bridges and tunnels cut travel expenses, speed travel, and enhance regional trade. These institutions affect a country's population and economic growth. Several countries are monitoring the structure's health. Globally, prominent governments are investing in new infrastructure. North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East are investing extensively in civil infrastructures to develop new and upgrade old facilities. As the world's population expands, so will the need for more infrastructure and structural inspections. Story continues Construction Safety Will Boost Market Growth Advances in technology, widespread availability, and lowering prices of sensors are driving the global market for structural health monitoring. Modern engineering buildings and infrastructure must be safe. Damage to the latter might affect people's life and goods economically. Damage prevention is a primary aspect in structural health monitoring revenue . Lowering the costs of maintaining engineered structures and protecting lives and property are driving the structural health monitoring business. Global Structural Health Monitoring Market: KEY FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Asia-Pacific and GCC Expansion Opportunities Due to their dense populations, India and China, two rapidly urbanizing Asian countries, have prioritized infrastructure development. Therefore, new and existing structures need structural health monitoring technologies. Several Asia-Pacific companies offer structural health monitoring systems. The Americas have the largest market for structural health monitoring. In the US and Europe, structural health monitoring is growing significantly. Due to increased infrastructure developments in China, Japan, India, Singapore, and GCC countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, structural health monitoring has room to grow. Report Scope Report Metric Details Market Size USD 7.59 Billion by 2030 CAGR 14.7% (2022-2030) Historical Data 2019-2020 Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion ) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Component, End-User, Connectivity Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, LAME and Rest of the World Key Companies Profiled/Vendors Carl Zeiss AG, Abbot Medical Optics, Inc, X-Cel Specialty Contacts, SynergEyes Inc., Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Inc., Alcon Inc., The Cooper Companies Inc., AccuLens Company Inc., CIBA Vision, Novartis International AG, Hoya Corporation, Polylite Sofclear, Contamac, Haohai Biological Technology Key Market Opportunities Growth in Infrastructure Investment Key Market Drivers Efficiency of Structural Health Monitoring Over Traditional Methods Development in Sensor Technology Buy Now Full Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/buy-now/structural-health-monitoring-market Regional Overview of Global Structural Health Monitoring Market North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa make up the global structural health monitoring market. North America accounted for about 40% of the market's sales in 2021. Several factors are driving North American demand for structural health monitoring systems. These factors include the government's increased attention on infrastructure repair and upkeep, ageing infrastructure, and greater government investments. The U.S. and Canada rely more on structural health monitoring systems to protect people and buildings. Due to accelerated ageing in North America and Europe, bridges, dams, and tunnels must employ structural health monitoring devices. Asia Pacific is expected to have the greatest CAGR. In Asia and the Pacific, the number of bridges, power plants, and smart cities has increased, which has increased the need of structural health monitoring. China and India, among others, are investing more in bridges and buildings to encourage economic growth. Increasing urbanization and the need for decent infrastructure are driving the Asia-Pacific market. As measures to upgrade civil infrastructure rise, structural health monitoring systems will be in demand. These systems maintain and monitor structures to prevent catastrophic failures. Key Highlights The Global Structural Health Monitoring Market Size was valued at USD 2.21 billion in 2021. The market is projected to grow from USD 2.53 billion in 2022 to USD 7.59 billion by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of 14.7% during the forecast period 2022 to 2030. By Solution, the Global Structural Health Monitoring Market is segmented into Hardware and Software & Services. The hardware segment dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2021. By Application, the Global Structural Health Monitoring Market is segmented into Bridges & Dams, Buildings & Stadiums, Vessels & Platforms, and Others. In the year 2021, bridges and dams segment dominated the total revenue. By Technology, the Global Structural Health Monitoring Market is segmented into Wired and Wireless. In 2021, the wired market segment accounted for a higher percentage of the overall market. By Region or Geography, the Global Structural Health Monitoring Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the structural health monitoring market. Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/structural-health-monitoring-market/request-sample Major Players in Global Structural Health Monitoring Market Campbell Scientific, Inc. Nova Ventures Geokon CGG SA Digitexx Data Systems, Inc. Structural Monitoring Systems plc. Xylem Inc. Acellent Technologies, Inc. Sixense SGS S.A. Global Structural Health Monitoring Market: Segmentation BY SOLUTION Hardware Sensors Data Acquisition Systems Others Software & Services BY APPLICATION Bridges & Dams Buildings & Stadiums Vessels & Platforms Others BY TECHNOLOGY Wired Wireless BY GEOGRAPHY North America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) Latin America Middle East and Africa (MEA) TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Structural Health Monitoring Market Definition Structural Health Monitoring Market Scope Research Methodology Primary Research Research Methodology Assumptions & Exclusions Secondary Data Sources Market Overview Report Segmentation & Scope Value Chain Analysis: Structural Health Monitoring Market Key Market Trends Drivers Restraints Opportunities Porters Five Forces Analysis Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining Power of Buyers Threat of Substitution Threat of New Entrants Competitive Rivalry Market Share Analysis Component Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast Hardware Market Size & Forecast Software Market Size & Forecast End-User Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast Civil Market Size & Forecast Aerospace Market Size & Forecast Regional Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast America North America U.S. By Component By End-User Canada By Component By End-User Mexico By Component By End-User Latin America By Component By End-User Europe Market Size & Forecast Germany By Component By End-User France By Component By End-User U.K. By Component By End-User Italy By Component By End-User Spain By Component By End-User Rest of Europe By Component By End-User Asia Pacific Market Size & Forecast Japan By Component By End-User China By Component By End-User Australia By Component By End-User India By Component By End-User South Korea By Component By End-User Rest of Asia-Pacific By Component By End-User Middle East & Africa Market Size & Forecast Saudi Arabia By Component By End-User South Africa By Component By End-User Kuwait By Component By End-User Rest of Middle East & Africa By Component By End-User Company Profile Digitexx Data Systems Inc Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio National Instruments Corporation Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Advitam Inc Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Conclusion & Recommendation Acronyms & Abbreviations Read the Table of Content and Figure @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/structural-health-monitoring-market/toc Recent Developments May 2022 - CGG's sensing & monitoring division Sercel bought Geocomp Corporation on 19 May 2022. Geocomp specialises in geotechnical risk management and infrastructure monitoring. This acquisition gives Sercel access to the U.S. infrastructure sector and accelerates S-lynks and S-scan deployment. April 2022 - On 26 April 2022, U.K.-based Structural Monitoring Systems Plc gained FAA STC clearance for their Comparative Vacuum Monitor (CVM) sensor technology, which identifies fractures on commercial aircraft. News Media The Increase in Awareness Towards Health and Fitness Spur the Global Wearable Healthcare Devices Market Technological Progressions and Novel Launches to Massively Contribute to the Biohacking Market Growth Have a Look at the Related Research Report Steel Rebar Market: Information by Application (Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure), and Region Forecast till 2030 Construction Robotics Market: Information by Type (Demolition, Bricklaying), Application (Public Infrastructure, Commercial and Residential buildings), and Region Forecast till 2030 Public Safety-LTE Market: Information by Type (Infrastructure, Services), Infrastructure (E-UTRAN, EPC), Service (Consulting, Integration), Applications, and Region Forecast till 2030 Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Market: Information by Component (Hardware, and Software), Application (Data Center Consolidation, and Disaster Recovery), and RegionForecast till 2029 About Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. StraitsResearch is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision-makers. Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. provides actionable market research data, especially designed and presented for decision making and ROI. Whether you are looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with the clients purchase. We overcome our clients issues by recognizing and deciphering the target group and generating leads with utmost precision. We seek to collaborate with our clients to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches. For more information on your target market, please contact us below: Phone: +1 646 480 7505 (the U.S.) +91 8087085354 (APAC) +44 208 068 9665 (the U.K.) Email: sales@straitsresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Straits Research - Market Research Strategy | Strategy Consulting | Business Research | Business Consulting | Market Research The global wave and tidal energy market size was valued at USD 1233.21 million in 2021 and is predicted to reach USD 28802.48 million by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of 41.92% from 2022 to 2030. The North American market has advanced in recent years. In 2021, renewable sources accounted for 16.2% of U.S. electricity. New York, United States, Aug. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wave energy can be used for water pumping, desalination, and electricity generation. Wave and Tidal Energy generate the most renewable energy of any green technology. Oceans give endless clean energy. Tidal and wave power from the oceans is the most sustainable source of energy. Best practices for generating electricity from maritime renewables. Wind and solar power provide clean, sustainable energy for many countries. Several countries have an abundance of ocean surface and energy producing capabilities, prompting them to seek ocean energy as a future renewable energy source. Depending on tide strength, tidal energy uses a wind-like turbine with 12-to-18-minute blades. Turbine gearbox powers generator. Wave power and tidal power both generate electricity. Wind-driven waves generate wave energy, not tidal motions. It produces electricity. Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/wave-and-tidal-energy-market/request-sample Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market: Drivers Urgent Need to Replace Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy Renewable energy reduces dependence on fossil fuels and environmental problems. CO2 emissions and local repercussions like air pollution are interwoven sources of environmental degradation. Using fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming, results in this form of energy production. This unequal distribution of abundant fossil fuels has the potential to trigger wars. Globally, there is a pressing need to replace fossil fuels like gas, oil, and coal with more sustainable alternatives. As fossil fuels dwindle and environmental concerns mount, the renewable sector is accelerated by technology developments, development agendas, and other factors. Story continues Government Funding Boosts Ocean Tech Growth Government efforts to promote wave and tidal energy have also contributed to the market's growth. Wave and tidal power projects are growing more popular around the world because of their environmental advantages. Countries are implementing various methods to support these projects, including subsidies, restrictions on the expansion of conventional power projects, and target-based growth. Infrastructure resources allow government agencies to look beyond total energy supply and develop cost-effective solutions that can be scaled up and down. Countries such as the UK have implemented programs for the expansion of clean energy , including cost reduction in technology, reduction of carbon emissions, and development of leading technology, to investigate the practicality of a new kind of electricity. Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market: Key Future Opportunities Combining Government Programs with Technological Advancements Will Open New Doors Wave and tidal energy industry players have huge development prospects due to proactive measures such as permitting major projects to be developed in phases, powerful government policy frameworks and incentive schemes, and stable and steady sources of renewable energy. The global market is making substantial progress, with many projects hitting milestones, acquiring investment funds, testing prototypes, or engaging in other growth-promoting activities. These projects are on the verge of being cost-competitive in a specialized niche market, which is the most effective technique for building and proving experience in wave and tidal power as well as essential developmental milestones at utility sizes. Report Scope Report Metric Details Market Size USD 28.80 Billion by 2030 CAGR 41.92% (2020-2030) Historical Data 2019-2020 Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Energy Type, Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, LAME and Rest of the World Key Companies Profiled/Vendors BioPower Systems Pty. Ltd., Blue Energy Canada Inc., Nova Innovation Ltd., Applied Technologies Company, Ltd., Aqua-Magnetics Inc., Ocean Power Technologies Inc., Aquagen Technologies Key Market Opportunities A Combination of Government Programs and Technological Advancements Will Open New Doors Key Market Drivers Urgent Need to Replace Fossil Fuels with Renewable Sources of Energy Growth in Ocean Technologies is Boosted by Government Funding Buy Now Full Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/buy-now/wave-and-tidal-energy-market Regional Overview of Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market The Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market is categorized by geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2021, Asia Pacific accounted for 42.5% of the worldwide market. Public funding schemes, environmental limitations, government measures, and competition are expected to facilitate the spread of marine energy technology in the region. To meet the increased demand for renewable energy, manufacturers have developed innovative designs and manufacturing processes. Asia-Pacific is one of the most important and lucrative markets for wave and tidal energy in the world. During the projection period, economic growth, public awareness, resource availability, and advances in open test sites are expected to expand the market. The North American market has advanced in recent years. In 2021, renewable sources accounted for 16.2% of U.S. electricity. Canada has a big market for maritime technologies. Nova Scotia is anticipated to be a large Canadian provincial market. Since 2010, more than USD 80 million has been allocated to marine energy projects in the province. According to some estimations, Canada has the largest market for wave and tidal energy in North America. The country's wave and tidal energy market has grown significantly because to a rigorous regulatory framework. Key Highlights The Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market was valued at USD 1233.21 million in 2021 and is predicted to reach at USD 28802.48 million by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of 41.92% from 2022 to 2030. By Energy Type, the Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market is segmented into Wave and Tidal. The global market for wave energy is smaller than the global market for tidal energy. By Region or Geography, the Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2021, Asia Pacific had a 42.5 percent share of the global market in sales. Get a Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/wave-and-tidal-energy-market/request-sample A list of major competitor companies in the Wave and Tidal Energy Market across the globe are: BioPower Systems Pty. Ltd. Blue Energy Canada Inc. Nova Innovation Ltd. Applied Technologies Company, Ltd. Aqua-Magnetics Inc. Ocean Power Technologies Inc. Aquagen Technologies Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd. Corpower Ocean AB Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC Orbital Marine Power SIMEC Atlantis Energy Ltd Verdant Power, Inc. Eco Wave Power AB Pelamis Wave Power Global Wave and Tidal Energy Market: Segmentation BY ENERGY TYPE Wave Tidal BY GEOGRAPHY North America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) Latin America Middle East and Africa (MEA) TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Wave and Tidal Energy Market Definition Wave and Tidal Energy Market Scope Research Methodology Primary Research Research Methodology Assumptions & Exclusions Secondary Data Sources Market Overview Report Segmentation & Scope Value Chain Analysis: Wave and Tidal Energy Market Key Market Trends Drivers Restraints Opportunities Porters Five Forces Analysis Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining Power of Buyers Threat of Substitution Threat of New Entrants Competitive Rivalry Market Share Analysis Energy Type Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast Wave Market Size & Forecast Tidal Market Size & Forecast Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast Market Size & Forecast Market Size & Forecast Regional Overview Introduction Market Size & Forecast America North America U.S. By Energy Type Canada By Energy Type Mexico By Energy Type Latin America By Energy Type Europe Market Size & Forecast Germany By Energy Type France By Energy Type U.K. By Energy Type Italy By Energy Type Spain By Energy Type Rest of Europe By Energy Type Asia Pacific Market Size & Forecast Japan By Energy Type China By Energy Type Australia By Energy Type India By Energy Type South Korea By Energy Type Rest of Asia-Pacific By Energy Type Middle East & Africa Market Size & Forecast Saudi Arabia By Energy Type South Africa By Energy Type Kuwait By Energy Type Rest of Middle East & Africa By Energy Type Company Profile BioPower Systems Pty Ltd Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Blue Energy Canada Inc Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Nova Innovation Ltd Company Overview Financial Performance Recent Developments Product Portfolio Conclusion & Recommendation Acronyms & Abbreviations Table of Content and Figure @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/wave-and-tidal-energy-market/toc Recent Developments April 2022 - Wave energy power plants of up to 2MW could be built in Port Adriano, Spain, according to Eco Wave Power Global AB, a pioneer in the production of sustainable electricity from ocean and sea waves. Taking advantage of the country's extensive coastline, Eco Wave Power will assist Spain meet its ambitious targets for renewable energy generation under the terms of the deal. October 2021 - As a result of a grant from the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd. has been able to begin work on the MoorPower a Scaled Demonstrator project (Blue Economy CRC). Clean and reliable power generation for offshore activities can be made easier with MoorPower, an innovative wave energy product developed by CETO for moored vessels. News Media Global Energy Management Systems (EMS) Market to Expand at a Healthy CAGR During Forecast Period Increasing Demand for Energy Efficiency in Various Industries to Drive the Cogeneration Equipment Market Growth Have a Look at the Related Research Report EMI Wave Shielding Materials Market : Information by Type (Conductive Polymers, Metal Shielding Products), End-User (Telecommunication, Consumer), and Region Forecast till 2029 Millimeter Wave Technology Market : by Component (Imaging Component), Product (Scanner System), Frequency Band (2457 GHz), License Type, Application, and Region Forecast till 2029 Energy Management Systems (EMS) Market : Information by Product (IEMS, BEMS, HEMS), Component (Sensors, Controllers,), Vertical (Manufacturing), End-Use, and Region Forecast till 2030 5G Infrastructure Market : Information by Communication Infrastructure (Hardware, Services), Spectrum (Millimeter Wave), Network Architecture (Standalone), and Region Forecast till 2030 About Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. StraitsResearch is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision-makers. Straits Research Pvt. Ltd. provides actionable market research data, especially designed and presented for decision making and ROI.Whether you are looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with the clients purchase. We overcome our clients issues by recognizing and deciphering the target group and generating leads with utmost precision. We seek to collaborate with our clients to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches. For more information on your target market, please contact us below: Phone: +1 646 480 7505 (the U.S.) +91 8087085354 (APAC) +44 208 068 9665 (the U.K.) Email: sales@straitsresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter A Spotsylvania man was killed late Saturday when his motorcycle collided with another vehicle in the county, police said. Domonique L. Johnson, 21, was riding his 2003 Suzuki motorcycle west on State Route 3 near Market Street about 10:40 p.m., Virginia State Police Sgt. Brent Coffey said. Coffey said the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver swerved to avoid slower-moving traffic. The motorcycle then collided with a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse that was westbound in the right lane. Johnson was thrown from the motorcycle and died at the scene, police said. He was wearing a helmet. The Chevrolet driver, a 33-year-old Locust Grove resident, was not injured in the crash. His three passengers were also uninjured, Coffey said, and everyone in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. A new mural downtown celebrates the Rappahannock River, the city of Fredericksburg, the citys relationship with Kathmandu, Nepal, and strong, independent womenall on two walls inside River Rock Outfitter. Everybody who comes in here has a story about the river, said artist Jennifer Manfre, an art teacher at Wilderness Elementary in Spotsylvania. I hope people coming in can see themselves in the mural. Manfre works on weekends at River Rock, which sells supplies and gear for outdoors and river-based adventuring and is celebrating eight years in business in downtown Fredericksburg. Owner April Peterson wanted to do something special with two blank walls inside the shop and Manfre, who was looking for a way to get back into being an artist in addition to teaching art, broached the idea of a mural. The two women collaborated on what the mural would look like. Peterson wanted it to be an expression of the store and to include the river, Virginia flora and fauna, the city of Fredericksburg and Nepal. Peterson and her husband have traveled to Kathmandu, Nepalwhich is one of Fredericksburgs Sister Citiesseveral times to hike in the surrounding Annapurna mountain range. On their first visit, they formed a relationship with a school they encountered on one of their treks. Since then, the Petersons have contributed funding to the maintenance and upkeep of the school, installing new flooring and solar panels and fixing the unpaved path to the school so students could get there safely. Its a great mission for our customers, Peterson said. Manfre said she worried about being able to convey all of Petersons vision. I would draw and erase, draw and erase, she said. It was hard to get it all in there so it flowed. But Peterson said she knew Jennifer would get my vision. And its a million times better than I even thought it would be, she said. The mural, which Manfre started painting in July and which she hopes to finish early this month, takes viewers on a journey from the Blue Ridge mountains, where the Rappahannock rises near Front Royal, to Motts Run Reservoir, through Fredericksburg to City Dock and then to Kathmandu by airplane. It depicts dogwood blossoms, a river otter, the railroad bridge and Gary the Goose. Since River Rock Outfitter is a dog-friendly store and most of the staff are dog owners, a dog features prominently. The mural also includes figures kayaking and paddle-boarding on the river. Manfre chose to paint female figuressince the store is female-owned and female-staffedand to show them from back, so viewers can imagine themselves enjoying the river. Women can get out and do things on their own on the river, Manfre said. Peterson said she hopes the mural will encourage viewers to explore the river and the recreational opportunities it has to offer, as well as ways they can preserve it and ways they can seek connection with other countries and cultures. I hope it inspires people, she said. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has introduced new legislation aimed at federally protecting abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act has some bipartisan support. But some advocates for abortion rights are skeptical about the latest attempt at federal abortion protections because proponents don't have the 60 votes they need to get around Senate filibuster rules. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine co-sponsored the measure, along with Sen. Kristen Sinema, D-Ariz. The Supreme Court's June 24 decision returned authority over abortion laws and regulations to the states. If passed, the Senate measure would create a federal right to abortions up until viability. It also would require states to allow for later-term abortions when needed to protect the health of the woman. However, it does not define at what point a pregnancy becomes viable to carry to term. Virginia law allows for abortions under any circumstances until the end of the second trimester, or within the first 26 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion in the third trimester is legal only if three physicians attest that it is necessary to save the womans life or if continuing the pregnancy would irremediably impair her physical or mental health. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said he will seek legislation to bar most abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and when the womans life is in jeopardy. The U.S. senators are introducing the legislation after similar legislation failed earlier this summer. Collins and Murkowski who have signed onto this bill voted against the previous measure, the Womens Health Protection Act. An issue Collins and Murkowski raised about the previous bill was that it didn't include conscience provisions that would exempt health care providers with religious objections from performing the procedure. The Reproductive Freedom For All Act includes that provision. "We have worked for months to try to come up with a federal statutory guarantee that would neither expand nor restrict the rights that were available before the Dobbs decision was passed," Kaine said, referring to the Mississippi case in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The latest attempt at federal abortion protection has some advocates skeptical. This bill is just another political stunt that would not actually address the abortion rights and access crisis that has pushed care out of reach for millions of people already, said Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America in a recent statement. Some states surrounding Virginia and across the country have abortion bans in place or are taking actions to enforce new restrictions since Roe has been overturned. Unless these senators are willing to end the filibuster to pass this measure, theres no reason to take it seriously, Timmaraju said. Under the U.S. Senate's filibuster rules it requires 60 votes to close debate on most issues, which is a key step in order to get bills passed. Kaine said in a press call on Tuesday that he is optimistic and thinks the bill can send a signal. I wanted to show that we don't have 60 votes to pass this right now. But that should be no barrier to introducing legislation, Kaine said. Much legislation gets introduced before you have 60 votes to pass. Kaine recalled Congress passage of gun safety legislation this past June. He said that despite previous inaction, constituents' advocacy moved Congress to act following the mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y. and Uvalde, Texas. The American public demanded that we stop our thoughts and prayers, followed by inaction and actually do something to keep our community safer, Kaine said. He added that the tragedies drove the Senate to drop its complacency and finally take action. Though abortion is not a purely partisan issue, it often falls along partisan lines. In Virginia, Republicans have a 52-48 edge in the House of Delegates and Youngkin opposes abortion in most cases. Democrats have a 21-19 edge in the Senate and the chamber's Democratic leaders say they are poised to block abortion restrictions that the House might pass. Both chambers will be up for election in 2023. But before elections, there is a legislative session where abortion-related bills are expected to surface. A kind of smart tomato harvester is helping farmers in Manas County, northwest China's Xinjiang improve harvesting efficiency as the county's 15,000 mu (1,000 hectares) of tomatoes are ready to be picked. Produced by Xinhua Global Service By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli The servicemen of the Azerbaijani Army, who posted photos and videos related to the service on their personal social media accounts on TikTok, have been discharged from the army, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has reported. According to the ministry, junior sergeant Sanan Farajov and private Yusif Bayramli contrary to the relevant orders of the ministry leadership, used smartphones during their service and shared photos and videos related to the service on their personal social media accounts. The ministry added that Farajov and Bayramli were dismissed from the army on the terms of service discrepancy. "Serious measures will be taken against military personnel, who grossly violate the rules of military ethics, as well as the requirements of the charters and relevant orders which prohibit the use of smartphones during service. The dismissed servicemen shared footage on a live broadcast on their personal accounts on TikTok social network," the statement noted. One of Virginias darkest stories is coming to the big screen. UVas Center for Politics is partnering with Charlottesville activist and executive producer Tanesha Hudson and the Martinsville 7 Initiative to right a wrong that cost seven Black men their lives for a crime they likely did not commit. When University students and Charlottesville community members went on a pilgrimage through the South in 2018, Hudson did not expect to return carrying a disturbing Martinsville secret and the idea for her next documentary. The first step to telling this story is telling who the Seven were, Hudson said. We have to tell them in their innocence. Far too often we see that Black people are guilty before even going to court. The Martinsville 7 are a group of men who were accused and convicted of raping a white woman in 1949. At the old Henry County courthouse, the men sat in front of all-white, all-male juries who decided their fates. 13 accused, seven charged On January, 1949, a white woman named Ruby Stroud Floyd accused 13 Black men of rape while she was walking through a poor Black neighborhood in Martinsville. In response to her claims, police arrested Frank Hairston Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon picked up James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson and James Henry Hampton as additional suspects. Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old with jobs at local furniture factories and warehouses. Grayson, 37 and a World War II veteran, was the oldest of the group. Floyd identified only two of the seven men as her rapists, claiming she could not see the rest in the dark of the night. Police never arrested the six other Black men whom she accused. Six separate trials were held for the single crimetwo of the men decided to be tried together. By spring 1949, each of the juries decided that all seven men were guilty and recommended the death penalty in each case after a day or less of deliberation. The NAACP launched a national campaign against the death penalties, launching the letter-writing campaigns, editorials, and local vigils. Still, former governor John S. Battle refused to grant the seven clemency. The state executed four of the men by electrocution on February 2, 1951. The remaining three men were executed on February 5. The Martinsville Seven is the largest group to die by execution for rape in the United States. According to an article in the Afro-American, a publication founded in 1892, Independent investigation by responsible citizens showed that confessions had been extorted from the men after violent maltreatment by local officials. Between 1900 and 1949, Virginia executed 68 Black men who were convicted of rape. During that time, no white man in the state of Virginia had been executed for rape or attempted rape, a fact that the NAACP had included in its appeal of the death sentences. Everything in Martinsville, that weve seen, mirrors the entire country, said Glenn Crossman, Director of Programs at UVas Center for Politics. Faye Holland, founding owner of Holland Accounting and Tax Service and a Martinsville native, launched the Martinsville 7 Initiative in 2019 to fight for justice for the seven young men and their loved ones. That same year, the organization created a petition for the posthumous pardons of all of the men, which former Governor Ralph Northam granted in August 2021. 'These men were executed because they were Black and that's not right': Northam pardons Martinsville Seven who were executed in 1949 rape case Seven Black men executed 70 years ago for the rape of a white woman in Martinsville were granted posthumous pardons Tuesday by Gov. Ralph Northam acknowledging they were denied due process of law and received racially-biased death sentences. The Initiative now is telling the story of the group through a series of seven temporary exhibits to be displayed in various locations to spread awareness about a neglected piece of history. After installing all of the exhibits, the Martinsville 7 Initiative will establish the Martinsville 7 Center for Social Justice. The center will be a resource for gathering information with a staff of advisory attorneys to provide legal assistance to Black and other marginalized communities, Holland said. The Initiative used the posthumous pardons as the first exhibit in February, formally presenting them to the remaining family members of the Martinsville 7. The following exhibits will include a detailed account of the incident, the sequence of the arrests, the story of the trials, nationwide protests and more. On Aug. 27, to honor the one-year anniversary of the posthumous pardons, the city of Martinsville will honor the lives of the Seven with a commemorative plaque outside of the old Henry County courthouse. That courthouse is where the seven were convicted and sentenced to death. A second exhibit, a memorial titled Who Were the Martinsville Seven?, also will be revealed on Aug. 27 at the Fayette Area Historical Initiative. The remaining family members of the Martinsville Seven will speak to their experiences as descendants of victims of a racist justice system, while natives in the community will speak to the storys secrecy for more than 70 years. This happened only a few years before Emmet Till. We know how America is intimidated by Black masculinity, Hudson said. Legal doesnt mean right, and thats the important message. Starting production this fall, the film is set to release in the spring/summer season of 2024. The collaborative is still accepting donations to contribute to the production. Holland sees the exhibits and film as a way to tell the stories of the men who were not allowed to tell them for themselves. As Maya Angelou once said, There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you, Holland said. Thats what had been going on in Martinsville for 70 years. For years, Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri was believed to be hiding in the remote, mountainous areas straddling Afghanistans border with Pakistan. But in an ironic twist, the terrorist network leader was killed by a U.S. drone strike in a posh neighborhood in central Kabul that was largely built with U.S. taxpayer money. The house where Zawahri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, was hiding at the time of the July 31 attack was located in Shirpur. He was believed to have lived for months in the quiet, leafy neighborhood located within the citys diplomatic quarters. Built following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Shirpur was home to the countrys new political elite. The heavily fortified neighborhood was lined with multimillion-dollar villas, some of which were rented out to foreign companies and governments for exorbitant prices. The neighborhood came to embody the endemic corruption and impunity of the post-Taliban era. Most of the land in the area was allegedly grabbed by high-ranking government officials and powerful former warlords, who were empowered and enriched by the international military presence. Many Kabul residents referred to Shirpur as Churpur. Chur means stolen in the local Dari language. After a major corruption scandal in 2003, Afghan police forcefully evicted several hundred people from Shirpur. But many powerful figures who had illegally acquired land in the area, including six cabinet ministers, defied the evictions, despite a public outcry. After seizing power in August 2021, Taliban leaders and their families moved into the empty villas in Shirpur. One of the walled houses in the area -- a pink three-story building surrounded by high walls and barbed wire -- was believed to be where Zawahri and his family were hiding. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Zawahri was killed when he appeared on the balcony of his safe house and was hit by Hellfire missiles from a U.S. drone. Zawahri was believed to have moved to Shirpur after the Taliban captured Kabul. A Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi that the house belonged to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Talibans interior minister and the leader of the Haqqani network, a powerful faction of the militant group. Haqqani, who has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, is one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives. The Taliban official said security around the house where Zawahri lived was extremely tight. He said only Haqqani and Taliban Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob visited the house on occasion. "After the drone attack, the street where the house is located was completely cordoned off, said the Taliban official. No one is allowed to go there." Kabul residents fear that Zawahris killing in the citys most secured area will herald more violence in a country reeling from the Talibans harsh rule. "Why do international terrorists still live in Kabul? asked Safa, who spoke to Radio Azadi. She said Zawahris killing in the heart of Kabul proved that the Taliban still harbored terrorists. "Why are the Taliban unable to destroy and expel the terrorists from our country?" she asked. Zawahris killing has intensified scrutiny of the Taliban and further undermines its efforts to gain international recognition and secure desperately needed aid. Under the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in 2020, which paved the way for the international military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the militant group pledged that it would not host members of Al-Qaeda. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had "grossly violated" the agreement by hosting and sheltering Zawahri. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid did not comment on Zawahris killing but alleged that Washington had violated the Doha agreement by launching the drone strike. Zawahri became Al-Qaeda chief after the founder of the terrorist network, Osama bin Laden, was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011. The 71-year-old was one of the masterminds of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. In retaliation, the United States invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban regime, which had harbored the Al-Qaeda leadership. Zawahri and bin Laden were believed to have escaped to Pakistan. Another Kabul resident, who did not want to reveal his name for fear of retribution, told Radio Azadi that he feared that Afghanistan would once again become a sanctuary for international terrorists. "We are worried that these terrorists will exploit Afghanistan again," he said, "and war will return." Pakistan's military says the wreckage of a helicopter that went down on August 1 in the countrys flood-stricken southwest has been found. An army general and five other members of the military onboard were killed, it said. The helicopter, which was on a relief mission in a flood-affected area in the southwest, lost contact with the air-traffic control tower in Balochistan Province on the previous evening. A military statement identified the deceased officer as regional commander Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, adding that the cause of the crash appeared to have been bad weather. Rains and flash floods have killed nearly 500 people across the country since June, including about 150 people in Balochistan. Pakistani President Arif Ali, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and other senior politicians offered their condolences to the victims' families. With reporting by AP and dawn.com In case you missed it summer's most popular meteor shower is set to peak tonight above Colorado, with the celestial event remaining active through September 1. By Trend G7 will continue its efforts with partners around the world to make energy savings and efficiency a global priority, reads the joint statement of the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, Trend reports with reference to the European External Action Service. We will act in solidarity and close coordination to mitigate the impact of supply disruptions on economies and citizens globally and in our countries, especially in order to protect vulnerable groups, reads the statement. G7 will build on its recent actions to secure energy supplies, stabilize markets and mitigate the increases in energy prices. This includes our efforts to reduce our demand for Russian energy and our support for International Energy Agency voluntary collective actions. We remain committed to energy and resource diversification and promote competitive, reliable, affordable energy markets that are transparent and adhere to high environmental, social, and governance standards. We reiterate our support for an ambitious and expedited global clean energy transition towards net zero by 2050, consistent with a 1.5C warming limit and implementation of the Glasgow Climate Pact. This is essential to achieving our shared climate, security, and economic recovery objectives. The more quickly we achieve this transition, the more secure our societies will be, the statement says. G7 will also consider mitigation mechanisms alongside the restrictive measures to ensure the most vulnerable and impacted countries maintain access to energy markets including from Russia. We will further reduce our reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, and assist countries seeking to diversify their supplies. In all these actions, we will support each other and coordinate our actions to preserve G7 unity and reinforce our collective energy security and resilience, reads the statement. G7 welcomes efforts by partners with the aim of replenishing gas reserves and increasing energy security and resilience. Middle schools in District 11 may soon have naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, on hand to combat fentanyl overdoses if the district's plans c Denver City Council unanimously passed on first reading a bill intended to work in conjunction with state legislation targeting catalytic converter theft. Under the proposal, anytime someone sells a catalytic converter to a scrap yard or an auto parts shop, the shop owner must provide Denver with the sellers identification including a car license plate and ID within one business day. New state laws already require the shops to collect the information Denver is taking it a step further so, supporters of the proposal argue, the police department can watch for any patterns among sales. In Colorado, thefts of exhaust emission control devices increased by more than 5,000% from 2019 to 2021, going from 189 to 9,811 reported thefts annually, according to the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. In Denver, the thefts rose by 15,000% in the same timeframe from 15 to 2,359, according to data from the Denver Police Department. Without a catalytic converter, vehicles become legally and sometimes functionally inoperable. Because of the massive rise in thefts nationwide, it is difficult to replace catalytic converters, leading to weeks- or months-long wait periods for parts that can cost between $1,000 and $5,000. Matt Lunn, DPDs strategic initiatives director, previously said at a council committee meeting that the bill is structured similarly to the Pawn Brokers Act. Denver will use the same reporting service it uses for the pawn brokers rule to keep track of seller data. Lunn told the committee two weeks ago that the number of catalytic converters stolen throughout the city in 2021 increased from 2020 by 899.6%, and 2022 is alright slightly above last years average with 1,318 stolen so far this year. He said the most common spots where catalytic convertor theft occurs in Denver are at residential or apartment parking lots, Regional Transportation District park and ride lots, and at Denver International Airport though thefts happen all over the city. Fighting the thefts took center stage in this year's legislative session, with Gov. Jared Polis signing two bills aimed at addressing the issue. Senate Bill 9 requires auto part recyclers to consult with a national database to determine whether a catalytic converter has been stolen and allows more law enforcement resources and agencies, including the Commodity Metals Theft Task Force, to investigate the thefts. House Bill 1217 creates an annual $300,000 grant program to raise awareness of catalytic converter theft through public information campaigns, theft prevention, victim assistance and catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts. Senate Bill 179 would allow civil penalties for offenses related to catalytic converter thefts, including fines ranging from $200 to $15,000, depending on the number of violations. The civil penalties would apply to any tampering of a vehicles emission control system, including using or selling a vehicle with a tampered emission control system and using or selling parts that bypass the emission control system. These regulations would go into effect in 2024 and all fees resulting from them would help fund the grant program created under HB-1217. After 14 days of exhaustive, riveting and salacious testimony, the fate of a former Pittsburgh dentist accused of killing his wife six years ago while on a leopard hunt in south-central Africa is in the hands of six men and six women. Two alternates were released and ordered to stay away from media reports in case one of the 12 either has a pressing personal commitment or comes down with COVID during deliberations. By Trend Indias military equipment imports are on a steady decline for the past few years, courtesy the countrys new acquisition policy that emphasises more on Make in India, Trend reports. The share of imports in the overall acquisition of military equipment has been falling, shows government data. The acquisition is done under the capital budget, which is meant for payments against weapons, equipment, planes, helicopters, etc. Tabled in Parliament, the data shows that imports comprised 39-40 per cent of all acquisitions in the financial year 2014-15. The figures have been declining for the past two years. In the fiscal ending March 31, 2021, the imports stood at 36 per cent, a count that slightly fell to 35.28 per cent by March 31, 2022. In 2018-19, the imports spiked to 48.68 per cent, which probably was on account of the payments made for Rafale fighter jets, high-value items such as surveillance planes and other emergency purchases. In March this year, Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its assessment, Trends in international arms transfers-2021, for the five-year period from 2017 to 2021. The report pointed out that India was the worlds largest importer of weapons and military equipment and accounted for 11 per cent of total global arms imports in the period. The report had a bit of good news too. A comparison of two five-year blocks showed that Indian arms imports had decreased by 21 per cent during 2017-21 as against 2012-16. Friendly nations have been told that the production of military platforms, weapons and ammunition had to be done in India itself keeping in mind the countrys security. Kate Elizabeth Paden, who suffers from Crohns Disease, will speak at the Sunflower Social. By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli Central Asia Weekly Review: 27 Jul-2 Aug 22 Azernews has launched a new project designed to cover weekly major developments in the Central Asian nations. HIGHLIGHTS COVID-19 remedy invented in Tajikistan Uzbekistan completes public discussion of amendments to Constitution Turkmenistan adopts law on legal protection of stray dogs Kazakh Information Ministry to restrict work of foreign sites, messengers Insulin deliveries to Kyrgyzstan start TAJIKISTAN: COVID-19 remedy invented in Tajikistan Tajik scientists have invented a drug against COVID-19 based on medical herbs. Farhod Rakhimi, President of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Tajikistan, announced this on July 29 at a press conference. According to him, at the moment the drug is being registered. After the patent is granted, the public will be told in detail about the invention. Now I can only say that the composition of the medicine includes Sorghum plant. It reduces the temperature, facilitates the treatment of the lungs, the official said. Rahimi also noted that local scientists continued research on 111 topics in the first half of 2022. In particular, the research was conducted in the fields of mathematics, physics, optics and quantum electronics, nuclear and radiation safety. As part of these studies, for example, in chemistry, we obtained the results of methods for the synthesis of products with certain properties - biological and medical substances that are of great importance for the creation of new medicinal preparations, he added. Tajikistan, China eye bilateral ties Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed bilateral and multilateral relations on August 1. Rahmon emphasized the dynamic development of Tajik-Chinese relations and comprehensive independent partnerships in all areas. "Tajikistan and China are close neighbors, and we are interested in further deepening the close multifaceted ties between the two countries in all formats," Rahmon said. The parties also discussed ways to further develop ties in the field of trade, investment, industrial cooperation, "green technologies" and transport, and export of Tajik goods, especially agricultural products to the Chinese markets. China firmly holds the position of one of the largest trade and investment partners of Tajikistan. According to statistics, in the first half of this year, mutual trade between the two countries increased by almost 82% compared to the same period last year and is more than 19% of the total foreign trade turnover of Tajikistan. UZBEKISTAN Uzbekistan completes public discussion of constitutional amendments The nationwide discussion of amendments to Uzbekistans constitution came to an end at midnight on August 1. The talks started on June 25. The Constitutional Commission of Uzbekistan reported that it had received 117,000 proposals. Further, the deputies will finalize the draft. According to the constitutional reform commission, the responsible committees of the Legislative Chamber will continue to work on summarizing and analyzing proposals, as well as finalizing the bill. The draft amendments were developed by the constitutional commission in a month. After unrest in Karakalpakstan on July 1-2, caused by the proposed amendments to change the status of the republic, the articles relating to Karakalpakstan were excluded from the draft. 28 documents prepared for signing at SCO summit in Samarkand The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has completed the coordination of 28 documents, the adoption of which is envisaged following the results of the Samarkand summit. Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev informed of this during the meeting of the Ministerial Council on July 29. As noted, concepts and programs to stimulate intra-regional trade, industrial cooperation, and transport interconnectedness are among the mentioned documents. Joint projects and events in the fields of the green economy, innovations, digital technologies, logistics, agriculture, medicine, and other areas are also under development. The meeting of the heads of SCO states in Samarkand is scheduled for September 15-16 this year. TURKMENISTAN Turkmenistan adopts law on legal protection of stray dogs A new law On dog breeding and cynological activity has come into force in Turkmenistan, which prohibits cruelty to dogs. In particular, the law states that shelters and temporary detention centers for dogs are required to accept ownerless, abandoned and neglected dogs, as well as sick (injured) conditionally supervised dogs before they are transferred to the previous or new owners. According to Article 9 of the new law, local authorities must ensure the regulation of the number of conditionally supervised, orphaned, and feral dogs. To do this, they must create animal trapping groups and supervise their work "in order to prevent cruelty to dogs, to exclude illegal methods of trapping and unreasonable killing of dogs, as well as to regulate the number of conditionally supervised, abandoned and feral dogs." Article 23 deals with the regulation of the number, overexposure, and destruction of dogs. These activities are also carried out by the trapping team. It is emphasized that "regulation of the number of ownerless and feral dogs is carried out by methods that exclude cruelty and unnecessary suffering, preventing their reproduction." That is, according to the new law, dogs will be castrated, not killed. It should be noted that various independent media regularly report on the brutal extermination of stray dogs in Turkmenistan, including Alabays. On the eve of various celebrations, employees of the public utilities of the capital Ashgabat and other large cities catch and slaughter dogs and cats to death. Regional project for CA youth launched in Turkmenistan Turkmenistan launched the Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia (DARYA) project, which will last for 5 years and is fully aimed at supporting skills development opportunities for young people in the region. The project will also improve the quality of education, training, and employment systems in the region. The project includes three thematic modules: Development of future-oriented skills through better data and analysis of education and training outcomes and skills; Flexible and transparent approaches to qualifications at the national and regional levels, ensuring equal opportunities for all; Greater use of inclusive approaches to teaching and learning. KAZAKHSTAN Kazakh Information Ministry to restrict work of foreign sites, messengers The Ministry of Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan was allowed to restrict the operation of foreign websites and messengers on the territory of the republic based on the amendments and additions to the 2019 resolution. According to the new resolution of the Kazakh government, the ministry can request information from sites and instant messengers on the number of users per day. If foreign services do not install a program to determine the number of users, then the ministry can determine the number of users with its own resources. The ministry will now also monitor the activities of non-profit organizations for terrorist financing and submit this information to the authorized body. And accordingly, it will be able to restrict the activities of a foreign online platform or instant messaging service on the territory of Kazakhstan if the above-mentioned activity is detected. Other amendments relate to the rules for creating an expert group, as well as the consideration of an application on the facts of cyberbullying against a child, the interaction of state bodies with telecom operators and legal representatives of online platforms, etc. Kazakhstan to Increase Wheat Crop by Nearly 20 Percent The wheat crop in Kazakhstan is expected to reach 13-13.5 million tons this year, which is nearly 20 percent more than compared last year, said Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Karashukeyev. This year we have carried out spring fieldwork on time, providing agricultural producers with everything they need. Compared to the previous year, the harvest will be 15-20 percent higher, he said. The ministry noted that the countrys grain exports rose by more than half for the first three months of this year despite the political and economic instability in the region. We annually harvest 12-12.5 million tons of average annual wheat that we produce, 6 million goes to domestic consumption. The rest of the volume in the form of grain and flour is always exported. Therefore, we anticipate that there will be an average annual level throughout this marketing year, which will start and last into the following year, Karashukeyev explained. KYRGYZSTAN Insulin began to be delivered to Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan started receiving insulin, chief freelance endocrinologist of the Ministry of Health Natalya Dobrynina said. According to her, previously the country has received batches of mixed and short-acting drugs Mixtard and Actrapid. Now they are going through customs clearance. Protofan will arrive on August 8. The entire batch purchased by tender will be received in an annual supply, said the official. The country started facing problems with insulin back in March. In May, patients began to complain about its shortage. In the Ministry of Health, the delay in the delivery of the drug was explained by the increase in the delivery time by the factory itself and the failure of the tender in February. The cabinet of Ministers approves new unlimited tariff for electricity Kyrgyzstans Cabinet of Ministers decided to maintain the current tariffs for electricity and heat for 2022 for all categories of consumers. At the same time, a new electricity tariff was approved for persons wishing to use electricity without restriction. The decision was initiated by the Ministry of Energy. The department said that they were receiving requests from citizens who were ready to pay for electricity at a higher rate. Therefore, a new category of consumers "Population using electricity without limiting consumption and power" is being introduced for them. The new tariff will be applied on a voluntary basis under an agreement and provides an opportunity to use electricity without limiting consumption and capacity. -- National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has reported a 34% increase in its net profit attributable to equity shareholders to BD20 million ($53.1 million) for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to BD14.9 million in the same period of 2021. The increase in net profit is mainly due to strong business fundamentals reflected through higher net interest income attributable to higher loan volumes across all the groups key segments and higher other income from the treasury and capital markets activities, NBB said. The 2022 results have also benefitted from lower provisioning requirements than in the previous period. Basic and diluted earnings per share increased to 10 fils for the second quarter of 2022 compared with 7 fils in the same period of 2021. Total comprehensive income attributable to NBBs equity shareholders for the quarter decreased to a loss of BD1.4 million compared with a gain of BD11 million in the same period of 2021. The decrease is predominantly attributable to the temporary mark-to-market movements of the Bahrain Sovereign bond portfolio and the equity investment book, the bank said. Operating income increased by 18% in the second quarter of 2022 to BD44.2 million compared with BD37.6 million in the prior year period. The increase is largely due to higher net interest income resulting from higher loan volumes, and higher income from the Treasury and capital markets activities. Year-to-date NBB has reported an increase of 29% in its net profit attributable to equity shareholders to BD39.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to BD30.5 million in the same period of 2021. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the period increased to 19 fils compared with 15 fils in the same period of 2021. Total comprehensive income attributable to NBBs equity shareholders for the period increased by 46% to BD39.5 million compared with BD27.1 million in 2021. The increase is due to higher profitability reported in 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, NBB said. Operating income for the period increased by 14% to BD86.7 million compared with BD76.3 million for the same period in 2021. Balance sheet The groups total equity attributable to owners as at June 30 at BD528.8 million remained at the same level as the BD527.8 million reported at 31 December 2021. The profits for the first half of 2022 were offset by a reduction in equity following the transfer of 20% cash dividends. The groups total assets increased during the first half of 2022 by 7% to BD4,833.2 million compared to BD4,535.6 million recorded on 31 December 2021. The increase was predominantly related to the higher level of liquidity held on the balance sheet, it said. NBBs Chairman of the Board, Farouk Yousuf Khalil Almoayyed, stated: We are proud of the overall growth the bank has demonstrated during the first half of this year, which was reflected in both the balance sheet and profitability. The bank has also achieved significant non-financial milestones during the second quarter. NBB is leading the banking industry in the Kingdom in environmental conservation, as it remains committed to integrating sustainability across its business operations through the implementation of its 3-year sustainability roadmap and sustainability practices, he said. NBBs CEO Jean-Christophe Durand said: We are pleased to announce a 33% growth in the total consolidated net profit during the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, along with a rise in the groups balance sheet and loans against the year-end levels, which demonstrate continued demand for NBBs offerings in this competitive market. The bank continued on its path of success through its various initiatives, partnerships and achievements over the course of the year and over this past quarter, and is committed to expanding its line-up of products and services as part of its brand promise to be closer to its customers. In line with those endeavours, we have recently launched our latest digital solution, Points; a loyalty rewards platform for our various customers. We have also partnered with Exotic Cars to provide auto finance solutions to help our customers purchase their new vehicles as part of our auto loan product. Additionally, with the support of the Economic Development Board (EDB), NBB has signed a strategic agreement with Bring Global to enhance the banks digital transformation by developing NBBs data, integration, digital banking and customer experience, he said. TradeArabia News Service RALEIGH A decision on whether to put Green Party candidates on the November ballot could be in reach within days. In a court filing obtained by The News & Observer, Judge James C. Dever III ordered the Green Party and the State Board of Elections to file a proposed consent order resolving the dispute. Dever released this order after the state board voted unanimously to certify the Green Party on Monday. The parties apparently agree that injunctive relief ensuring that the (Green Party) candidates appear on the Nov. 8, 2022 general election ballot is appropriate now that (Green Party) is a certified political party, Dever wrote. Although the board certified the Green Party, it did not have the power to put the partys candidates on the ballot because the deadline for candidate filing passed on July 1. That decision is up to a judge. Following the state boards initial vote against certification in June, the Green Party sued the board in federal court, arguing that the denial of certification violated the partys due process and First Amendment rights. The party requested the judge order the board to certify the party and issue an order extending the candidate filing deadline. In its response to the partys lawsuit, the board wrote that it did not oppose a judge extending the deadline if the board voted in favor of certification. If Dever extends the deadline, Matthew Hoh will appear on the ballot as the Green Partys candidate for U.S. Senate. I think what I offer is a conversation as well as solutions to the issues that are affecting millions of North Carolinians, Hoh said. If the choice to vote for us is not there, then issues like health care, affordable housing, wages, war on drugs things that are really affecting millions of North Carolinians are not going to be addressed. While this litigation may be on its way to a resolution, another lawsuit involving the Green Party is imminent. The Green Party is a leftist, anti-capitalist organization that advocates for free health care, housing as a human right and a host of other progressive changes. For this reason, some Democrats fear that having the Green Party on the ballot would split the vote between the two parties, making it easier for Republicans to win. As if on cue, the North Carolina Democratic Party announced Monday after the state elections board vote that it will file a lawsuit to protect the integrity of the North Carolina political process, according to a press release. Given the North Carolina State Board of Elections own investigation finding widespread fraud in the North Carolina Green Party petitions and the ongoing criminal investigation, the (North Carolina Democratic Party) is pursuing legal action to ensure North Carolina voters have not been deceived, NCDP Executive Director Meredith Cuomo said in the press release. The release calls the boards vote a sharp departure from past fraud cases, pointing to the 2018 fraud scandal in the states 9th Congressional District where the board ordered a new election due to ballot tampering. The board said that the investigation into fraud in the Green Partys petitioning campaign to become officially recognized will continue. Board members voted to certify after staff informed them that the county boards of elections had completed a signature matching review of the partys petitions and found them to still have 1,607 signatures more than needed to become a new party. This is the Democrats own version of The Big Lie, said Oliver Hall, the Green Partys lawyer. They make allegations of widespread fraud which are unsubstantiated, not supported by the proof, not supported by the evidence and they repeat them in the press. They repeat them in court filings but they cant prove them. Its disappointing that a party that calls itself the Democratic Party would engage in this blatant anti-democratic effort to suppress voter choice. Authorities said Tuesday they are continuing their investigation into the drowning death of a man who was under the dock at Log Gulch Recreation Site at Holter Lake near Wolf Creek. Officials received a call at 8:45 p.m. Friday. Someone had started CPR on the man, but it was unsuccessful, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said. He said the likely cause of death is drowning, and the manner is accidental. We do not believe there is any foul play involved, Dutton said. Dutton said positive identification has not been confirmed, but the man is believed to be from California. His age is unknown. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the property, declined comment on Wednesday. Story updated to say call was made Friday. Would you ever pay $1,000 for a pie? Well, for Jan Smigajs famous huckleberry pie at the annual Marysville Picnic, you might consider it. I told one man that I couldnt make (the picnic) one year, and he said Thats fine, just send the pie,' Jan said with a laugh. Marysville is about a 30-minute drive northwest of Helena. The town boomed in the 1880s and '90s as a gold camp. Now, its a small community with several buildings on the National Historic Register and a historic steakhouse, the Marysville House. Jans husband, Frank Smigaj, grew up in Marysville where his mom was a schoolteacher before they moved to Helena when he was in eighth grade. Jan was a city girl from St. Paul, Minnesota. Theyve been married for 61 years and have lived in Butte for 56 years. The Smigaj family has been attending the Marysville Picnic since it started 52 years ago. The picnic takes place on the second Saturday in July, which happened to be July 9 this summer. Around 300 people show up for the event, and it costs $15 a plate. It's a fundraiser for various things, such as the upkeep of the schoolhouse with the museum inside, the volunteer fire department, road maintenance, etc. For the past 10 or so years, Steve and Patty, Frank and Jans son and daughter-in-law who live in Missoula, have organized the picnic. Steve and Frank roast the baron beef at the picnic and have done so for many years. Patty volunteers to make most of the food, including 30 pounds each of fruit salad and potato salad, 12 gallons of baked beans, and 240 cupcakes. About 15 years ago, Jans huckleberry pie became a hot commodity at the picnic. "The pie" is what it has become known as, and its traditionally the last pie auctioned off during the pie auction. This past year, $4,200 was raised from 17 pies. This year, grandma, mom and granddaughter got to take a picture together with our pies," said Patty. The huckleberry pies starting bid was $200 this summer. In the end, it went for $840 the first time it sold. Then, the winner donated the pie back, and it sold again for $630 for a total of $1,470 raised. This isnt the highest Jans pie has gone for. About three years ago, the pie went for $1,000 then the winner donated it back, and the pie went for another $1,000, raising $2,000 for Marysville. Its fun to watch them bid against each other. They get animated, said Jan. I do get a little embarrassed when (the bid) gets high because I think Oh I hope (the pie) is good. The origin of the huckleberries that led to the famed pie can be traced back to when Frank and Jan began camping. One day, my husband came home with a tent and sleeping bags and said Were going camping. I had never been camping before, but that was that, said Jan. Frank and Jan tent camped until the age of 60, when they upgraded to a pop-up camper. Now in their mid 80s, they camp in a hard-shell camper that they bought for a camping trip to Alaska a few years back. Now my friends say Youre crazy going camping and huckleberry picking at 84.' They think Im crazier when they find out I go four-wheeling, exclaimed Jan. They often go huckleberry picking and camping at Huckleberry Pass toward Lincoln. Jan said that when they camp, they do it the old fashioned way, not like the people at fancy campgrounds with running water and electricity. Years ago when our kids were little, wed go huckleberry picking and pick a cooler full, said Jan. Actually, (Frank and I) were going to go up today, but we may wait a few days. Any seasoned huckleberry picker knows how much picking it takes to fill a cooler. Jan then cans and freezes the huckleberries, using them only when necessary, like for her pie. Moms very protective over her huckleberries. She would make us go out and pick our own for breakfast when camping, said Susan, Frank and Jans daughter, who lives in Spokane, Washington. Huckleberry pie is her best pie. When I go home, I say Mom, can you bake me a pie? But Jan doesnt bake pies for just anybody, especially her huckleberry pie. If you come to my house, and I make you a huckleberry pie, you must be special, Jan said. Fortunately for Susan, she falls into Jans special category. I never thought (my parents) were amazing growing up, but now Im 56, and I see my friends' parents, and theyre not able to do what my parents are still doing, said Susan. "Jan is truly an incredible woman. After my mom passed away, she stepped right up," said Patty. "I keep joking with her to sign adoption papers." Jan plans to continue baking her huckleberry pies and raising money for Marysville for as long as she can. When youre 84, you dont say for sure whats going to happen next, but we are planning next years (picnic)," said Jan. Its a pleasure to donate the pie and raise money. At my age, I cant do much else, but the pie I can make and donate, and Im happy to do it. Bahrain's Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has launched its new housing finance programmes which aim to increase the number of beneficiaries. The programmes had been earlier approved by Cabinet, a Bahrain News Agency report said. Speaking during a press conference, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumahi said the government is committed to continue efforts in formulating innovative housing solutions for citizens, in line with the comprehensive development plan led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. She explained that the new housing financing programmes are part of the ministrys plans to implement the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to increase the beneficiaries of the 'Mazaya' housing programme by an additional 500 this year, along with the introduction of more financing options for housing services. Al-Rumaihi stated that the ministry is introducing new financing programmes in cooperation with the Eskan Bank and several other banks. She said that the new programme named Tasheel, will provide three different financing options: Tasheel Aqari, Tasheel Al Bait Al Oud and Tasheel Taawon, adding that the ministry has also added new features to the 'Mazaya' programme, on top of providing the existing housing services. The minister added that the Tasheel programme will increase the minimum amount of financing from BD19,000 to BD40,000, while increasing the cap from BD60,000 to BD70,000, with no increase in payment deductions, which amount to 25% of the beneficiarys income. She also stated that the age cap for 'Mazaya' beneficiaries will be increased to 40 years. Al-Rumaihi explained that all necessary measures have been taken to receive applications for financing as of August 2, through the national portal (Bahrain.bh). Eskan Bank General Manager Dr Khaled Abdullah stated that in order to benefit from the Tasheel programme, applicants must be Bahraini between the ages of 21 and 50 residing in Bahrain, have not benefitted from any housing service before, and with a monthly income between BD320 and BD1,200. He added that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning reserves the right to exclude the minimum monthly income requirement in special cases. Dr Khaled said the Tasheel Aqari programme provides individual financing, while Tasheel Al Bait Al Oud is for financing housing services on plots owned by relatives and Tasheel Taawon is for collective financing. He added that services provided in these programmes include constructing a housing unit, purchasing a housing unit, purchasing a plot, purchasing a building and constructing on it, adding to an existing property and purchasing a land plot and constructing on it. He said that ownership of real estate and common shares will be transferred to the bank or mortgaged as a financial guarantee. Yes, more than one woman has contributed to Montanas rich history. Yet, most people think of Jeannette Rankin and then their minds go blank. Well, several enterprising, history-loving women set out to change that. The result is a 40-minute documentary film, The Story of Us: The Women Who Shaped Montana, that makes its world premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday, at The Myrna Loy. The film is slated to be broadcast on Montana PBS in the future, according to filmmaker Kimberly Hogberg. North By Northwest and the Extreme History Project collaborated on it, said the Helena native, who is a producer and editor with NXNW. The film focuses on the stories and contributions of four fascinating women who overcame some seemingly insurmountable odds to be successful: Sarah Bickford, Rose Hum Lee, Maggie Smith Hathaway and Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail. I love that each of them is very unique and different and had struggles . but they did amazing things, during times it was difficult for women to do much of anything outside their homes, said Hogberg. The first woman in the film is Sarah Bickford, who probably faced the most adversity, said Hogberg, although none of the women had an easy life. She was born a slave and would go on to become the first female owner of a water utility in Montana and likely the first Black woman water utility owner in the country. She arrived in Virginia City working as a nanny for an associate justice of the Montana Territorial Supreme Court. She married a miner, John Brown, who physically abused her. They had three children all of whom died from childhood diseases. She was granted a divorce and left Montana. But she decided to return to Virginia City, said Hogberg, because she thought it would be more promising for her future. She would later marry Stephen Bickford, a white miner and farmer, and they had four children, all of whom grew into successful adults. She and her husband owned the Virginia City Water Co., which Sarah helped run. At Stephens death in 1902, she inherited the water utility and successfully ran it on her own, and was recognized by the community as a prominent and respected business owner. The film also tells the story of Rose Hum Lee, who was born in August 1904 in Butte, the daughter of successful shop owners. This proved to be a very difficult time to be Chinese in America because of virulent racism aimed at the Chinese. The second of seven children, Rose grew up in a family that greatly prized an American education and she became fluent in English and Chinese. Her father, Hum Wah Long, was a successful merchant and was well respected in the community. Her mother, Lin Fong, was illiterate, which resulted in her living a very socially isolated life. In 1921, Rose married a Chinese engineering student and moved to China with him, losing her American citizenship in the process. But the marriage was unhappy and she got a divorce and was able to move back to the United States and regain her citizenship. She was very smart, said Hogberg, adding that Lee earned a masters and Ph.D. in social work and had a successful career at Roosevelt University, where she chaired the sociology department. She was the first woman and the first Chinese American to head a sociology department at an American university. Maggie Smith Hathaway from the Bitterroot was one of the first two women elected to the Montana Legislature. An ardent suffragist, Hathaway traveled thousands of miles in Montana advocating for womens suffrage. Like the other women in the film, she too suffered personal tragedy, becoming a widow six months after her marriage. She would go on to accomplish great things, particularly championing womens and childrens rights. After three terms in the Legislature, she headed up Montana's largest state agency what is now the Department of Public Health and Human Services. The film also focuses on Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail, who became the first Crow to earn a registered nursing degree and would be a champion for Native American health care. An orphan, who was sent away to boarding school, she would return to the Crow Reservation as a young nurse. There, she married Thomas Yellowtail, a traditional medicine man and healer. Susie was open to standard Western medical practices, but also incorporating traditional native healing. She also spoke out against the forced sterilizations of Native women and recounted that she herself had been sterilized. Susie would go on to earn the Presidents Award for Outstanding Nursing Health Care and was installed in the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame. Her granddaughter, Jackie Yellowtail, said at the closing of the film, A lot of our stories dont get told. I want my grandmothers story to be known for generations to come. That, too, is Hogbergs intent. That these stories of Montana women will be known by many Montanans and that this film will be used in Montana schools to help teach history. Hogberg, who has a degree in history and broadcast journalism, decided she wanted to make the film after she kept stumbling upon Montana history stories, such as the internment camp for Japanese Americans at Fort Missoula during World War II. I grew up in Montana, I love history and I had no idea, she said. It was nothing they teach in school. It was things like that that made me want to make history more accessible. This film has been about four years in the making, from when Hogberg first got the idea. In the process, she connected with and collaborated with Crystal Alegria of the Extreme History Project in Bozeman and Charlene Porsild of the Montana History Foundation. They reached out to historians Dr. Laura Arata, Dr. Mary Murphy, Mark Johnson and Diane Sands, who are all interviewed in the film. Helenans may recognize three local residents who appear as historic figures in the documentary. Linda Piccolo portrays Maggie Smith Hathaway, Katie Thennis is Sarah Bickford and Zoe Gomes is the young Rose Hum Lee. The 7 p.m. film screening Wednesday at The Myrna Loy, 15 N. Ewing St., is free. Funding was made possible by a Big Sky Film Grant, The Greater Montana Foundation, The Montana History Foundation and Humanities Montana. DECATUR Decatur Public Schools' Finance Committee meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. today has been canceled due to flooding in the area around the Keil Administration Building. Employees in that building, the Professional Development Institute and Student Services were sent home. "We had water come up into the administration buildings and had some water issues at about 15 other facilities," said Denise Swarthout, district spokeswoman. "Our building and grounds teams are working to get all those issues addressed." One of the topics on the committee's agenda was the discussion of the feasibility of using the Woodrow Wilson Junior High site for a new Dennis School. Months of plans to build a new Dennis School in Lincoln Park had to be abandoned when the Decatur Park District board announced on July 26 that it had decided against selling the park to the school district. The board is under a stiff deadline to come up with an alternative plan if they hope to use federal COVID funds to finance the construction of a new building. The committee meeting has not yet been rescheduled. DECATUR The city's police department and a local child advocacy center are teaming up to bring an immediate trauma response program directly to young victims of crime. Child 1st Center, a child advocacy center that serves children and families in Macon and Piatt counties, currently runs the Macon County HEALS (Helping Everyone Access Linked Systems), a program that works with victims of crime under the age of 25. Under a new proposal, the program will be expanded where HEALS staff would be able to respond to certain calls that the Decatur Police Department responds to in order to start working with families immediately following a violent crime. The current process is referral-based, which advocates and police officials said delays the connection between crisis workers and victims and often reduces the likelihood that the latter will utilize the services offered. "This program is designed essentially to have an immediate response from Macon County Heals when those violent crimes occur so we can immediately connect those victims with the counselors and the services they need and, hopefully, then increase the likelihood of success and follow up treatment for them," said Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel. The goal of the program is to reach victims at the peak of their trauma and increase the participation in recovery services, which advocates believe can reduce negative effects associated with trauma. "If we get with them within the first 24 to 48 hours, the chances of them actually engaging in counseling services, feeling supported, cooperating with law enforcement, all those things are better served," said Jean Moore, executive director of Child 1st. Services include counseling, providing clothing, emergency safe housing and help with childcare among other things. The program will have one full-time employee and one part-time employee. Moore said there are about 30 people currently in the county's HEALS program with the expectation of at least a couple added per week. The $132,000 pilot program should last at least two years, Moore said. The city, the United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois and the TS and Juanita Ballance Foundation have each put in $30,000 toward it and it has received $21,200 from the Illinois Violent Crimes Victim Assistance Act, leaving it just short of its fundraising goal. The city's $30,000 portion approved unanimously by the Decatur City Council on Monday will come from its more than $34 million allotment of federal American Rescue Plan funds. "It's going to take a village to reduce the gun violence in the city," said Councilman David Horn. "And so programs like this one is just one of the many things that the city can do and the citizens can do to break the cycle of violence." DECATUR Annette M. Crockett is charged with being the hired getaway driver for a Decatur man who police accuse of traveling around Central Illinois stealing and reselling catalytic converters. Crockett, 33, is due to appear Aug. 10 in Macon County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on charges of theft and possession of burglary tools. She has yet to enter a plea. A sworn affidavit from Decatur police said she had been caught after a Macon County Sheriffs Office deputy pulled over her vehicle at 4:35 a.m. July 2 in Decatur. The affidavit said the passenger in the car was Mitchell R. Chapman and the vehicle was loaded with six sawn-off catalytic converters and various saw blades. Converters, part of a vehicles exhaust system, contain valuable materials that command high prices on the resale black market. Crockett is quoted as telling the deputy she had earlier dropped off Chapman and another unnamed man in Maroa and had later picked them up carrying their load of stolen converters. Annette advised during the interview that approximately, for the past month, she has been driving Mitchell around, dropping him off while he steals catalytic converters, and then picking him back up when he is done, said the affidavit, signed by Todd Koester, a detective with Decatur police. Annette advised that she gets paid a sum of money for driving Mitchell around while he commits these thefts. Annette stated that Mitchell will sell the stolen catalytic converters. Chapman, 35, is also charged with one count of theft and one count of possession of burglary tools. He has yet to enter a plea and is due in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Both defendants remain in the custody of the Macon County Jail. Chapmans bail is set at $500,000, requiring him to post a bond of $50,000 to be freed. Crockett has bail set at $30,000, and must post a bond of $3,000 to get out of jail. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High near 100F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low around 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. School is back in session in Bristol, Tennessee this week where the city school system is intent on putting past years in the rear view mirror and staying focused on starting anew. The theme for the 2022-2023 school year at Bristol Tennessee City Schools (BTCS) is #BTCSIgnite Ignite being the keyword symbolizing a new fire set to burn after a challenging two years. Over the course of this school year, we hope to expand on that theme with our students, parents, and community, Rebecca House with BTCS public relations said. With the image of igniting a fire, we want to promote a culture of renewal and bring light to the darkness of the past two years of the pandemic. We want to ignite a renewed passion for learning in students and help them be more successful than ever. Students returned to school from summer break Monday for a two-hour first day. Theyll be off Tuesday before returning Wednesday for normal school hours the rest of August. According to House, enrollment is up slightly in the citys elementary schools and up more significantly at Tennessee High and Tennessee Middle schools. House noted that the number of tuition students, or students who live outside city limits, has increased due in part to a new Tuition-Free Designated Elementary Program at Fairmount Elementary School, where there are seven new tuition students. A nearly $29.3 million construction bid for the new Maiden Elementary School was unanimously approved by the Catawba County Schools Board of Education during a special meeting on Monday. The next step for district leaders is to ask for nearly $12.5 million more from the Catawba County Board of Commissioners, Assistant Superintendent Daniel Moore said at the meeting. The county previously promised $19.5 million for the project. If approved, construction is expected to start in the fall of 2022. Moore said it typically takes 18 to 24 months to complete a school of the planned size. Im glad its happening, school board member Donna Lutz-Carpenter said. The new building will be located on the same property as the current school building. Once construction is complete, classes will be moved to the new building and the old building will be demolished, Moore said. Moore and Catawba County Schools Superintendent Matt Stover will meet with a subcommittee of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 8, and then the districts request will go to the full board of commissioners on Aug. 15. In 2020, the project was estimated to cost around $20 million. In 2021, the district received $19.5 million from the Catawba County government. The district applied for a need-based grant through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to cover the additional cost, but the grant was denied. By that time, the original construction bids received in December 2021 were outdated, which forced the district to have its plans redrawn and rebid in May. The new school could have about 32 classrooms for pre-K through sixth-grade classes, according to a space profile provided by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, which makes recommendations for new schools. The recommended capacity would be 627 students in the building, which has 93,128 square feet of floor space. The space profile can be modified as needed, Moore said via email. While working to rehabilitate people at Catawba Valley Medical Center, speech therapist Elizabeth Morrison got an idea sparked by a stroke patient. Morrison works with those struggling with speech. Often, that means stroke patients, some of whom struggle with a aphasia an inability to say words they mean, or interpret or hear words correctly. One of Morrisons early patients was getting ready to leave the hospital after some time in rehab. The patients family needed help explaining the aphasia to the patients grandchildren, Morrison said. Morrison took to the internet, searching for a book or guide to explain the condition to young children. She couldnt find any resources, so she decided to make her own. In January 2021 Morrison started work on a childrens book to teach children about aphasia, how their grandparents lives might change and what they can do to help. In July that year, Morrison published I Know She Still Loves Me: Explaining Expressive Aphasia to Children, with her cousin Erin McGillivray, who illustrated the book. Since then, several patients and families have asked for resources to help young children understand the condition. Morrison is able to hand them a copy of her book. Thats the main reason I created the story. Its encouraging to know its being used, Morrison said. The book tells the story of Frankie and his grandmother, who has a stroke, has aphasia and struggles to say some words. The book portrays a Black family, a choice Morrison made to be inclusive and because Black people are at higher risk of having a stroke, she said. The story depicts the grandmother with a facial droop because of loss of muscle control on one side of the body. The illustrations also include the grandmother using a wheelchair and walker, meeting with a speech therapist and using visual aides to communicate when she is struggling with words. The book was a solution to a problem Morrison faced, a tool for education and a way to advocate for those suffering from aphasia, she said. Morrison is often motivated to fix problems, she said. She became a speech therapist to help fix peoples speech problems. She learned to love working with stroke and aphasia patients to see their progress. The work can be difficult at first, but milestones like a patient saying I love you, to their family for the first time make the work rewarding. Its heart wrenching in the beginning but it ends up being a good feeling in the end. Ive learned to love aphasia patients and how every little milestone and accomplishment is celebrated, she said. It is a constant journey. Morrisons book is available on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds go to the Triangle Aphasia Project, a North Carolina nonprofit that support people with aphasia. " " The Byford Dolphin oil exploration rig lies in dry dock in Invergordon, Scotland, in 2008. Josef Pavlik/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia Saturation divers are professional deep-sea divers who descend to depths of 500 feet (152 meters) or more to service equipment on offshore oil rigs and undersea pipelines. But unlike most commercial divers, who do a few hours of work underwater and return to the surface, saturation divers will spend up to 28 days on a single job, living in a cramped high-pressure chamber where they eat and sleep between shifts. Pay is great for saturation divers between $30,000 and $45,000 a month but it's intense work in an otherworldly and claustrophobic environment. And it can be dangerous. In 1983, four saturation divers and one crew member were killed in a gruesome accident aboard a Norwegian-operated oil rig called the Byford Dolphin. The Byford Dolphin catastrophe was a wake-up call for the commercial diving industry, which responded with tighter safety measures to ensure that no one else would meet such a terrible fate. Before we explain what happened, here's a little info on decompression sickness or "the bends." Advertisement Why 'The Bends' Are Bad News Since scuba diving was first invented in the 1940s, divers have learned a lot about how to safely swim to great depths, sometimes the hard way. As a diver descends, the weight of the water around them applies pressure to every cell in their body. The pressure even compresses molecules of gaseous nitrogen taken in by the lungs, which causes the nitrogen gas to dissolve into the bloodstream. The absorption of nitrogen itself isn't the issue. The problem starts if a diver tries to ascend to the surface too quickly. Think of it like shaking a 2-liter bottle of soda and opening the cap. The gasses that were contained under pressure instantly form bubbles and expand. That's pretty much what happens inside a diver's body when they suffer decompression sickness or "the bends." If they ascend too quickly from the high pressure of the deep water to the much lower pressure at the surface, the nitrogen molecules that had dissolved under pressure quickly expand and become gaseous again. "Nitrogen bubbles will form in the bloodstream and those can prevent the circulation of blood, including to the heart," says Phillip Newsum, an experienced commercial diver and executive director of the Association of Diving Contractors International. "That's when you run the risk of getting decompression sickness." Decompression sickness or "the bends" is a painful and potentially fatal condition that can cause excruciating joint and muscle pain, delirium, paralysis, heart attacks and strokes. If caught quickly enough, the bends can be treated by placing the individual back under pressure in a special tank called a hyperbaric chamber and slowly releasing the pressure over a matter of hours or days. But the best strategy is to avoid decompression sickness altogether by slowly ascending to the surface and taking frequent breaks to let your body naturally exhale or "off gas" the nitrogen. Certified SCUBA divers know how to read a recreational dive planner that tells them when to take safety breaks during an ascent and for how long. Commercial divers, however, are asked to work at depths far beyond what any recreational SCUBA diver would dare to attempt. As we'll see next, that requires a whole different type of decompression, and it was a failure in that system that led to the violent deaths of the Byford Dolphin divers. Advertisement How Saturation Divers Stay Under for So Long The deeper you dive and the longer you stay underwater, the more nitrogen gets dissolved in your bloodstream. Eventually, a diver's body becomes "saturated" with dissolved nitrogen, which is how saturation divers get their name. Saturation divers work at depths as great as 1,000 feet (304 meters). If they used the same technique as recreational divers to safely decompress slowly ascending with long pauses it would take them days to reach the surface. Instead, saturation divers are shuttled to the surface in pressurized diving bells and then transferred into specialized decompression chambers. For every 100 feet (30 meters) that a saturation diver descends, they need to spend approximately one day in the chamber, where they chill on cots, watch movies and receive food through pressurized slots. The problem is that it's not economical for an oil company to pay saturation divers for a few hours of work and several days of rest. And interestingly, once you reach saturation level, your body can't absorb any more nitrogen no matter how long you stay underwater. So instead of decompressing after each dive, saturation divers just stay at pressure. For up to 28 days the industry maximum saturation divers will commute to the depths in those pressurized diving bells. But instead of entering a decompression chamber on the surface, they bunk up inside of a hyperbaric chamber that maintains their bodies at the same pressure level as the deep water. "We call that the storage depth," says Newsum, whose organization helps to establish international safety standards for commercial diving. "By staying compressed, they can work out there for as long as they need to, and when you bring them back up, you don't need to worry about decompression." That is, until the job is done. The last week of any saturation diving job is reserved for slow and steady decompression before finally leaving the cramped quarters and breathing fresh air again. " " A pair of Dutch frogmen descend in a diving bell as part of their training. Floris Leeuwenberg/Getty Images Advertisement A Routine Procedure Gone Horribly Wrong It takes a whole crew to make a saturation diving operation work. Life support technicians ensure that the air mix in the hyperbaric chamber matches the air that the divers breathe underwater. The dive control team is in charge of operating the diving bell which raises and lowers on a crane and monitoring the divers as they work. There are even cooks that prepare and serve meals to the men cooped up in the living chambers. Workers called "tenders" have a very important support job. They help unspool and retract the "umbilical," the thick line of air supply tubes and communication wires that connects the divers to the surface. In the past, tenders had other responsibilities that included docking the diving bell to the pressurized living chambers. "The saturation divers are completely at the mercy of the tender and of their supervisors on the dive control team," says Newsum. On Nov. 5, 1983, an experienced tender named William Crammond was in the middle of a routine procedure aboard the Byford Dolphin, a semi-submersible oil rig operating in the North Sea. The rig was equipped with two pressurized living chambers, each holding two divers. Crammond had just connected the diving bell to the living chambers and safely deposited a pair of divers in chamber one. The other two divers were already resting in chamber two. That's when things went horribly wrong. Under normal circumstances, the diving bell wouldn't be detached from the living chambers until the chamber doors were safely sealed shut. However, the diving bell detached before the chamber doors were closed, creating what's known as an "explosive decompression." "It's a death sentence," says Newsum. "You won't survive." The air pressure inside the Byford Dolphin living chambers instantly went from 9 atmospheres the pressure experienced while hundreds of feet below the water to 1 atmosphere, the normal air pressure at the surface. The explosive rush of air out of the chamber sent the heavy diving bell flying, killing Crammond and critically injuring his fellow tender, Martin Saunders. The fate of the four saturation divers inside was far worse. According to autopsy reports, three of the men inside the chamber Edwin Arthur Coward, Roy P. Lucas and Bjrn Giver Bergersen were essentially "boiled" from the inside when the nitrogen in their blood violently erupted into gas bubbles. They died instantly. The fourth diver, Truls Hellevik, suffered the grizzliest death. Hellevik was standing in front of the partially opened door to the living chamber when the pressure was released. His body was sucked out through an opening so narrow that it tore him open and ejected his internal organs onto the deck. Advertisement Hard Lessons Learned and Delayed Justice for the Families Starting in the 1960s, when oil was discovered off the coast of Norway, there was an oil boom in the North Sea. Safety wasn't always the top priority. By one count, there were at least 58 diving deaths in the North Sea from the 1960s through the early 2000s. "The Byford Dolphin was one of the worst oil field disasters in history," says Newsum, "and it led to sweeping changes in the North Sea and in commercial diving safety worldwide." Today, Newsum says, every diving operation is required to make an extensive risk assessment and hazard analysis. There are redundancies built into every procedure to eliminate human error or faulty equipment. Some oil rigs are even equipped with special hyperbaric lifeboats that can transport saturation divers away from a hurricane or fire without having to bring them back to surface pressure first. Sadly, it took decades for the Norwegian government, which was operating the Byford Dolphin in 1983, to take responsibility for the accident and provide restitution to the families of the five men killed. It wasn't until 2009 that the Norwegian government paid undisclosed sums of money to the families of all six victims of the 1983 accident, including the injured Saunders. The report suggested that faulty equipment, not human error was to blame for the accident. In 2016, the Byford Dolphin rig was put to rest. Now That's Interesting Saturation divers breathe a mix of helium and oxygen, which gives them "Donald Duck" voice for weeks on end, says Newsum. Supervisors use voice modulators to lower the divers pitch and better understand two-way radio communications. Faithful+Gould, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has been awarded the project management consultancy (PMC) services contract by Masdar City, to support on the development of the Masdar City Square (MC2) project, which will include Abu Dhabis first net zero energy office building on completion. Masdar City, the sustainability-focused technology and innovation hub in Abu Dhabi, with its consulting partners Faithful+Gould and Woods Bagot, officially broke ground on the innovative project in June. The development will underpin the core values of Masdar City via its commitment to net-zero, technology usage, and wellbeing, by nurturing an expanded community of businesses operating in harmony with the environment, said a statement. The MC2 development will cover an area of 29,000 sq m, a gross floor area (GFA) of 50,000 sq m and include seven single and multi-tenant office buildings and a parking facility. As part of this contract, Faithful+Gould will manage project delivery and lead all aspects of the project on behalf of Masdar City. This will cover quality assurance, quality control and environment, health and safety, managing design, construction activity and project close-out, including the evaluation and selection of other consultants. Work on the development will begin this year and is currently scheduled for completion in 2024. With an increased focus on driving net zero targets in the Emirates, Masdar City is a world-leading example of a vision that is setting standards for the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental impact, said Andrew Rotteveel, Managing Director, Program Advisory, Middle East at Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group. Through our engineering net zero capabilities and project management expertise, underpinned by digital solutions, we will ensure that the Masdar City Square project is delivered to the highest quality and sustainability standards. In line with Masdar Citys contribution to the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 Strategy, six of the MC2 buildings will be 4 Pearl Estidama, LEED Platinum, and WELL Gold certified. LEED Platinum is the highest certification provided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. WELL Gold is the second highest certification provided by WELL, the world's first building standard that focuses exclusively on human health and wellness. Estidama Pearl Rating System is the green building rating system developed by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. TradeArabia News Service On July 26, the eight fourth full committee meeting of Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation was held in Changsha. The meeting thoroughly studied and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinpings important remarks on overseas Chinese work, summarized the work since 2021, deployed the next phaseof work in 2022, united and led the vast number of overseas Chinese to strive fora new journey and build a new era. Since 2021, Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation has played an important role in gathering the hearts of overseas Chinese, pooling their strength and building a solid foundation for them, and has significantly improved its ideological and politicalleadership, contributionand vitality. In terms of investment promotion, the Overseas Chinese are always with Yancheng investment attraction activity introduced 8 projects settled in Hengyang, with a total project investment of 4.94 billion yuan, the introduction of 3.97 billion yuan, and contributed to a number of projects landed in Xiangtan, Changde; 2021 has accumulated more than 1.3 billion yuan for overseas Chinese businessmen and enterprises. In terms of public welfare, the provincial Overseas Chinese Public Welfare Foundation has accepted donations of 24.9189 million yuan from overseas Chinese businessmen and enterprises; it has organized donations from the overseas Chinese community to other provinces and cities affected by natural disasters and epidemic, fully demonstrating the public welfare power of the overseas Chinese community. In the next phrase, the provincial Overseas Chinese Federation will further deepen the implementation of the theme Overseas Chinese heart always follow the Party, celebrate the 20th CPC National Congress, forge ahead on a new Journey, focus on stick to politics, promote development,improve quality, benefit peoples livelihood, fill the shortcomings, and strengthen party construction, and take practical action to welcome the victory of the20th National Congress of the Communist Party. The US has been able to seize Bitcoin from hackers. Photo: Shutterstock The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has managed to seize $715,000 ($US500,000) in Bitcoin from North Korean ransomware actors, marking a rare and significant victory against rampant cryptocurrency-driven ransom attacks. The funds were stolen in a series of attacks against US healthcare providers, using a new strain of ransomware called Maui to leverage funds from several hospitals and medical facilities. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco addressed the matter at a recent cyber security conference, stating that the FBI and Justice Department "traced the ransom payment through the blockchain." From here, they followed the ransom through a series of crypto breadcrumbs that led to China-based money launderers. The DOJ reports to have already returned a significant portion of the stolen funds to two hospital groups victimised by the attacks. Maui ransomware infects hospital According to court documents, North Korean hackers used the ransomware strain, Maui, to encrypt the files and servers of a Kansas-based medical centre. The Maui ransomware infection left staff locked out of the encrypted servers for more than a week. In the meantime, the hackers left a note demanding a bitcoin ransom worth $143,000 ($US100,000), threatening to double it if left unpaid after 48 hours. This placed Kansas hospital staff in a difficult situation either pay out a criminal ransom, or significantly hinder the hospital's ability to deliver critical health care. The hospital opted to hand over the $143,000 ransom. While this decision contradicts the FBI's advice to avoid paying ransoms (on account of the fact that doing so encourages further attacks, and does not guarantee a safe restoration of data or compromised systems), the hospital quickly made a report to the FBI detailing the incident and subsequent ransom payout. Monaco offered high praise for the Kansas-based hospitals' rapid reporting and cooperation, stating, "Not only did this allow us to recover their ransom payment as well as a ransom paid by previously unknown victims, but we were also able to identify a previously unidentified ransomware strain." Tracing the ransom Once the FBI was made aware of the incident, it was able to identify the Maui strain of ransomware and trace the $143,000 in Bitcoin to a collection of money launderers known for the conversion of cryptocurrency to fiat. From there, the FBI snuffed out a further $171,000 ($120,000 USD) payment linked to one of the seized cryptocurrency accounts. This payment was later connected to a medical provider in Colorado that had just paid a ransom involving the same strain of Maui ransomware. In May 2022, the FBI successfully seized funds from two cryptocurrency accounts that had extorted payments out of the Kansas and Colorado health care providers. Cryptocurrency, by design, is extremely difficult to track and reclaim, which is why cyber criminals have taken to cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, as their preferred finance in ransomware attacks. Typically, a cryptocurrency will require access to elusive private keys before it can be transferred, such was the case when the FBI seized a sizable portion of the Bitcoin ransom tied to the Colonial Pipeline attack from 2021. While the DOJ has not entirely disclosed its methods for reclaiming the extorted funds of these recent Maui attacks, the consensus among cyber security experts is that the payments were traceable after attackers tried to cash out the ransoms into fiat currency. The remainder of the $500,000 in seized funds are from a range of healthcare providers the DOJ did not disclose. North Korea ramps up hacks North Korea has been frequently accused of both state-sponsored cyberattacks as well as commonplace cyber scams for years now. In 2021, a report revealed that North Korean cyber criminals had procured approximately $572 million ($US400 million) in digital assets. This was accomplished via a collection of phishing, hacking, malware and advanced social engineering attacks, and culminated in mass money laundering initiatives. Furthermore, state-sponsored attacks against critical infrastructure, such as healthcare, are significantly increasing across the globe. The FBI, in cooperation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Treasury, issued a joint cybersecurity advisory regarding the North Korean threat to US health care, offering insights and mitigation advice from prior investigations. Monaco further emphasised that in combating ransom attacks, public and private sector organisations will need to join forces, stating, "The key to our ability to take disruptive action is to work together." "If you report that attack, if you report the ransom demand and payment, if you work with the FBI, we can take action; we can follow the money and get it back; we can help prevent the next attack, the next victim; and we can hold cybercriminals accountable," she added. CONCORD W.R. Odell Primary School received a complete Learn-To-Ride Program, including Strider Learn-To-Ride Bikes, helmets, and curriculum from All Kids Bike. This program will help about 1,375 kindergarten students learn to ride over the next five years. The Strider Bikes were delivered to the kindergarten physical education class at W.R. Odell Primary School and will be incorporated into the curriculum during the 2022-23 school year. All Kids Bike is a national movement on a mission to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class. Launched in 2017, schools in all 50 states are running the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program. This Kindergarten PE Program includes a proven, integrative curriculum, staff training and certification, the revolutionary, child-friendly Strider Learn-To-Ride Bikes, and helmets. The fleet of dual propulsion Strider Learn-To-Ride Bikes start as balance bikes and convert to pedal bikes. All Kids Bike also offers continued support for each school to ensure everyone involved is successful for five years. W.R. Odell Primary School is eager to begin the program this year. School Treasurer Moira Calandra, who applied for the program, wrote: All Kids Bike will offer the proper instruction of safe riding and give the students the self-confidence that they need. This program will also provide strength in gross motor skills and balance. We are thankful for All Kids Bike as they will give our students the confidence and independence that all children deserve. To learn more about All Kids Bike, visit www.allkidsbike.org. All Kids Bike is a national movement led by the Strider Education Foundation to place Kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride Programs into public schools for free, using donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. When weather events devastate a community, there is more work to do beyond rebuilding homes and businesses. There is also a need to repair damage to the ecosystem, specifically lost trees. Grady McGahan is the director of RETREET at Keep America Beautiful, an organization that focuses on environmental rehabilitation following damage caused by severe storms by replanting lost trees. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2004 with a BA in English and minors in international business, history and studio art. McGahan worked on the production teams of the 2008 Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium, the Bravo series "Long Way Round," the PBS series "Texas Ranch House," and Michael Moore's documentary film "SiCKO." In April of 2010, he began an 18-month trip around-the-world that took McGahan to 25 countries on 5 continents. About the Across the Sky podcast The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by the Lee Weather team: Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. New Zealand announced an expansion of anti-Russian sanctions over the special military operation in Ukraine on Monday; the new restrictions will apply to a number of defense enterprises, as well as SOGAZ and RZD. "Also designated are the Insurance Company SOGAZ; the Russian Railways; and defense entities that research, produce and test military hardware for the Russian Armed Forces," the New Zealand Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The New Zealand sanctions against Russia "allow for a wide range of measures including travel bans, asset freezes, prohibitions on financial dealings and bans on ships or aircraft entering New Zealand. The measures also prevent New Zealanders and New Zealand companies from providing goods and services to the Russian Armed Forces and other defense entities targeted by these sanctions," it said. CHARLESTON The young competitors in the Coles County 4-H Fair beef show stayed dry on Tuesday as rainfall poured down on the roof of the livestock barn. "When we first got here it was thundering and lightning and the wind was blowing," said Colby Metzger, 12, of Charleston after this show at the Coles County Fairgrounds. Colby won the champion junior showmanship honor while exhibiting his shorthorn plus, Snip, which also won him a grand champion bred and owned shorthorn plus steer award in June at a junior nationals show in Kansas City, Missouri. He said Snip anxiously moved around during the storm while waiting for the junior showmanship competition, but soon switched to his prize winning behavior. "Once he gets in the ring, he always calms down," Colby said of Snip. Reid Kaufman, 9, of Mattoon exhibited his 530-pound mini heifer steer, Fat Tony, on Tuesday while taking part in his first ever junior showmanship competition. Reid said he stayed calm during his debut competition because, "I just really wanted to do it." The 4-H'er fielded questions from the beef show's judge about what he likes about Fat Tony (that he is so tame that he can be harnessed in the pasture) and what he would like to change about the steer (that he immediately kicks dirt and straw onto his sides after getting a bath). Reid said Fat Tony has remained dry in the livestock barn throughout his stay at the fairgrounds but did go outside in the rain for a bath in preparation for Tuesday's show. He said the cool weather that morning made the steer a little "cuckoo" with energy. "Tony had been tied up for a while and he wanted to run," said Reid's mother, Kyndall Kaufman. While waiting to compete in the senior showmanship competition, 14-year-old Thomas Vandeventer of Camargo said the rainy weather was not bothering the Angus heifer that he had borrowed from its owner to show. Thomas said he was pleased to see that the inside of the livestock barn was staying dry despite the puddles that were forming nearby. Beef show judge Lee Rincker, a Shelbyville native, said there was one moment during the champion heifer drive where the wind really rattled the roof over the show ring. Nevertheless, Rincker said he was pleased with how the livestock ring stood up to the rainfall and how the show ring's soil floor maintained good footing for the livestock. Rincker said beef cattle are accustomed to grazing in pastures during heavy rainfall, so such storms usually don't trouble them. He said the cool wind that accompanied Tuesday's storm can make cattle a "little frisky," but this is still a better condition than summer heat. "I would much rather have this than really hot days when the cattle are panting and it's no fun for anyone," Rincker said. MATTOON Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation and members of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship committee are pleased to announce Patrick Baxter was awarded the $3,500 Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship at the 37th annual scholarship presentation luncheon. Baxter is a graduate of Mattoon High School and is currently studying accounting at Eastern Illinois University. Baxter plans to be a CPA in the Mattoon community after receiving his degree. The Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship honors the memory of the late Arland D. Williams, Jr. who graduated from Mattoon High School. Williams became a well-known example of extraordinary heroism when his actions saved five people after a 1982 airplane crash in Washington D.C. His selfless actions cost him his life, but his heroism lives on. The scholarship fund was established in May 1983 by Mrs. Virginia Williams, mother of Arland D. Williams, Jr. Since 1985, 38 scholarships have been awarded, totaling more than $92,000. Earlier this month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made a speech in Florida, an effort to inspire fellow Democrats and maybe score a few points against Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor running for re-election and potentially for President in 2024. Pritzker has his own election to be worried about as well, for governor against Darren Bailey in November. But rumblings have also begun that Pritzker could be a contender for the Democrat nomination for President in 2024. Pritzker possibilities have delighted the political press. They also presented the hilarious image of horrified DeSantis backers outraged at the idea of Pritzker throwing his weight around in Florida. Additional delight came from imagining the equally horrified reaction of Pritzker supporters and allies if DeSantis were to address Republicans in Illinois. While Pritzker doesnt have a high profile nationally, neither did Barack Obama. Pritzker did become a national figure in the pro-choice aftermath of the Roe v. Wade reversal, and his travels cross-country give all appearances of efforts to increase visibility. If Pritzker were to decide the governor race is enough of a walk-over, he might ponder going on others campaign trails before the November elections. Joe Bidens Presidency so far has been as un-dynamic as Democrats feared and almost as disastrous as Republicans predicted. At the very least, Pritzker would represent a newer and younger face for the party of seniors Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders. Pritzkers enthusiasm could serve as a clarion call for party and country, hopefully able to frame controversial subjects differently than present Democrats, who pitch solutions as though theyre vegetables that have to be forced down the countrys throat. Pritzkers pathway is crowded and dependent. He has said he would not run against Biden. Even if Biden stepped back of which he has shown no intention Pritzker would have to work past other candidates, potentially including Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others. While Presidents Obama, Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Grant and Ronald Reagan all hailed from Illinois, no Illinois governor has gone on to be president. Former Democratic Gov. Adlai Stevenson II (1949-1953) was nominated twice for President by the Democrats but lost in landslides in 1952 and 1956 to Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. For Pritzker to rise, however, he will have to readjust his targets. No matter how the governor feels, hes unlikely to claim undecided voters or flip borderline Republicans when he goes on the attack. In his Florida speech, he said, They (Republicans) want to distract you into believing that gay marriage, Black history, Disney World and library books are more of a threat to our children than an AR-15. Support him or otherwise, that could easily transmute to undesirables and deplorables. Weve seen how Democrats fare when classist nonsense is dumped into the national debate. If the worst that can be said about Pritzker is he cant be any worse than the last two guys, maybe he has a chance. Krush Brands, a full stack food technology, multi-kitchen food service company, is one of the first businesses to join the landmark NextGenFDI initiative, the UAEs Ministry of Economy announced today (August 2). The announcement comes three weeks after the launch of the global initiative in collaboration with seven strategic partners and representatives of key national entities in the UAE. Under the initiative, Krush Brands will relocate its global headquarters to the UAE with an aim to triple its growth by creating 700 jobs within two years, in addition to moving its technology arm from Europe to the UAE., a statement from the Ministry of Economy said. Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said: The UAEs vision aspires to promote FDI flows to the new economic sectors. In line with this vision, NextGenFDI is set to cement the countrys efforts in building a successful economic model based on knowledge and innovation. The Ministry of Economy continues to work alongside its strategic partners to attract new companies to our market and promote business activity and innovation, in accordance with our wise leaderships directives and the Principles of the 50, thus consolidating the UAEs position as a leading global FDI destination. He added: Krush Brands joining the initiative marks a big step forward in this direction as it is clear that the company sees the UAE as the perfect place for sustainable development and digital business expansion. We are also committed to offering the necessary support to facilitate the setting up of technology startups in the UAE and look forward to welcoming more companies and stakeholders to the initiative in the near future. The NextGenFDI initiative offers multiple incentives to digital companies, including faster business setup processes, banking readiness, simpler visa procedures and attractive commercial and residential real estate options. The initiative also complements other UAE initiatives such as the National Program for Coders, which is offering golden visas to 100,000 coders. The Ministry of Economy, along with other committed stakeholders, will support Krush Brands business journey by offering practical support that includes introducing them to potential strategic partners across aviation, hospitality, real estate and retail. The integrated efforts by the Ministry and other stakeholders will enhance value chains and help develop the digital business ecosystem throughout the country. Ian Ohan, Founder and CEO of Krush Brands, said: This is a win-win for us and gives us the opportunity to build our technology company in a world class digital economy, right here in the UAE. This is a milestone in Krush Brands evolution as we focus on accelerating our proprietary technology, our brands, operations and last mile logistics capabilities to scale with strategic partners in the UAE and the across the region. We are proud to be a founding member of the NextGenFDI program and contribute to the growth of the UAE digital economy. Teh statement said that Krush Brands has championed economically sustainable delivery and is the only digitally enabled full-stack, fully integrated, omni channel food and beverage company in the region. It has proprietary food technology, operates its own loved food and beverage brands and has its own professional and ethically treated delivery fleet. Its unique business model provides an economically sustainable and profitable ecosystem for innovative, local foodpreneurs to thrive and re-connect with the communities in which they operate. Krush Brands recently launched Locale, its own, highly curated, online marketplace for its local food brands. Locale is a place where good food, good people and good ideas matter. By not seeking profit on its delivery, technology or advertising Locale aligns its interests with foodpreneurs, customers and its employees by focusing on making a profit on food. Krush Brands were instrumental during Covid in promoting home-grown foodpreneurs in the UAE. Through the Locale app, diners can order directly from leading local brands, including Freedom Pizza, Coco Yogo, Salad Jar, Wildflower, Viking Bageri, Alannahs Pastry Boutique, Moby Vegan Sushi, Inkognito, Rumba, Mercato Centrale and more; with the option to combine multiple products from different brands in one order. The company is one of the first to sign up to NextGenFDI, which aims to attract leading digitally enabled companies and exceptional tech talent including software developers, data scientists, computer programmers and digital entrepreneurs to the UAE. The nationwide initiative aims to supercharge the UAE's digital ecosystem and fast-track plans to make the UAE a diversified knowledge-driven economy. More new tech companies, entrepreneurs, and strategic partners for NextGenFDI will be announced in the near future. As more companies and stakeholders join the initiative, it will further enhance the UAEs growing digital economy and help to empower the UAE for the next 50 years.--TradeArabia News Service Winston-Salem police on Monday announced the arrests of three people in connection with the shooting death of Ray Anthony Pruitt on Feb. 4. One of the three, Michael Christopher Thompson, 46, of Winston-Salem, was charged with murder and is being held without bond in the Forsyth County jail. Michael Tyrone Davis, 45, of Winston-Salem, was charged with armed robbery and was jailed with bond set at $150,000. Cierra Lenise Ballard, 27, with no permanent address, was also charged with armed robbery, with the bond amount pending. Davis was arrested on July 18 in Winston-Salem, and Thompson was arrested in Winston-Salem on July 27. Ballard was arrested Monday by the Mebane Police Department. Police said the three suspects were arrested without incident. Reports said police seized a cell phone and cocaine from Thompson. Police said Pruitt was shot at his home on Weatherwood Court in the early morning of Feb. 4. Police were initially called out to the apartment on a report of unknown trouble and on arrival found Pruitt inside suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical workers arrived shortly after police. They said that Pruitt died at the scene of the shooting. Police have continued to work the case in the period leading up to the three arrests. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the case may call police at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800. A Stokes County woman performed a sexual act on a dog as punishment for cheating on her boyfriend, who is now facing charges he recorded himself doing the same thing multiple times and then sold the videos through a messaging application, attorneys said in court Tuesday. Tracy Lynn Abbott, 43, of King, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Forsyth Superior Court to two counts of crimes against nature. The charges are the lowest level felony a person can get, and Abbott could only receive a probationary sentence because she doesnt have a prior criminal record. Judge Michael A. Stone of Forsyth Superior Court consolidated the charges into one and gave her a suspended sentence of three months to 13 months in prison. He then placed her on 18 months of supervised probation. As a condition of her probation, she cannot possess or own a dog. Timothy Lewis Blackmon, 43, of Cain Forest Drive was initially arrested March 24 and charged with two counts of felony crime against nature. He now faces a total of 19 counts of felony crimes against nature after the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office filed additional charges. Late last month, he was indicted in U.S. District Court on one count of possession of child pornography and another charge alleging that he knowingly tried to sell, market, advertise, exchange and distribute a video depicting a man engaging in a sexual act with a dog. Blackmon, who had been held in the Forsyth County Jail, has been sent to state prison on a safekeeping order. According to the order, Blackmon has tried to harm himself by ingesting foreign objects. The order said he has a long history of doing such things, including swallowing 14 razor blades, and on July 7, he swallowed a toothbrush and then tried to insert two sporks into a wound on his abdomen. Assistant District Attorney Mark Parent said that the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office received a tip on March 21 that a Forsyth County resident was using a phone messaging application to sell videos of himself participating in sexual acts with a dog. According to search warrants, a New Jersey man was on the mobile phone messaging application Kik at 10 p.m. March 20 when he watched a livestream featuring a user advertising home videos of himself performing sexual acts with his dogs. The user said in the livestream that the videos showed a dog performing a sexual act on him and him performing a sexual act on another dog, the search warrants allege. The user displayed a second device on the livestream and played the videos to prove that his advertisement was legitimate, the search warrants said. The user said he had three dogs two males and one female. Parent said that Abbott had cheated on Blackmon, and Blackmon said to make up for the cheating, Abbott had to perform a sexual act on a dog. Arrest warrants said that on March 17, Abbott performed the sexual act on a large black dog. There was video of the sexual act, and Abbott was identified by her tattoos, Parent said. Jonathan Leonard, Abbotts attorney, said Abbott has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and that Blackmon coerced her. According to Leonard, the two had only dated a month before this happened. Abbott was indicted last month and within a week, she had offered to plead guilty, Leonard said. Abbotts attorney, said that his client played a small part while Blackmon is alleged to have voluminous amount of videos showing human beings performing sexual acts on animals that he sold on social media. Blackmon is accused of selling videos through the Kik messaging application and using CashApp to collect the money. According to search warrants, the New Jersey man saw that Blackmon was selling videos. The username Blackmon provided for CashApp was $timblackmon197. The New Jersey man Googled Timothy Blackmon and found a news article and a Facebook profile indicating that Blackmon might live in Winston-Salem. The New Jersey man contacted law-enforcement. Forsyth Investigator C.R. King said he created an undercover Kik account and joined a live broadcast from the users account. In the live broadcast the suspect describes videos he posted the previous night of his pitbull having intercourse with a girl he had over as well as him having intercourse with the same girl, King said in the search warrant. The girl is not identified. The user started talking about selling the videos, and King entered into a private chat with the user. The user agreed to send a video in exchange for $5 through CashApp to the account of $timblackmon197. Once the payment was processed, the user sent a video showing him performing a sexual act on a female dog. The Forsyth County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that the two dogs who were seized from Blackmons house were placed in protective custody and then were placed with the Forsyth Humane Society. An evening of celebration, awards and remembrance, the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival Gala reminded attendees that the festival set for Aug. 1-6 is indeed back. As in past years, Otesha Creative Arts Ensemble started the opening night gala with high energy and exhilarating drummers and dancers, followed by a procession of celebrities from stage, television and film. After the procession, the 2022 NBTF co-chairmen Lisa Arrindell Petri and Hawkins Byrd welcomed attendees. And its all happening right here, Byrd said. Right here ladies and gentlemen in Winston-Salem. The Black Theatre of Holy Ground. Throughout the evening the late Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin and Larry Leon Hamlin were honored for their vision and leadership of the N.C. Black Repertory Company, which hosts the festival. Sprinkle-Hamlin, who died in January, led the N.C. Black Repertory Company as both its board chairwoman and executive producer of the NBTF. She took on producing the festival in 2007 after the death of Larry Leon Hamlin, her husband, who founded the company and produced its first festival in 1989. In addition, more than 20 honorees received awards at the gala. Ben Vereen got emotional when he spoke after being honored with the Sidney Poitier Lifetime Achievement Award and receiving a standing ovation, saying he was at a loss for words for the first time. Thank you. This is truly an honor to be here, Vereen said. This is my first time at the festival. He choked up as he thought of the people in an in memoriam video presented earlier in the gala. Those were my friends, Vereen said. You should be giving them the standing ovations. He also spoke on the topic of legacy. You cant have a civilization without culture, he said. He told the gala attendees that you, we tell stories. The stories must continue. We must keep the stories alive. We must keep the Black theater culture alive. He asked, Isnt that why we are here? And the audience shouted, Yes. He said he is now part of the NBTF. By supporting us, youre keeping us and yourselves alive, he said. Thank you for this honor. Youll be seeing me around because it aint over. Other award honorees were: Dr. Indira Etwaroo, Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award; Laurence Holder, August Wilson Playwright Award; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lloyd Richards Director Award; Charles Dumas, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Vivian Reed and Dr. Lundeana M. Thomas, Living Legend Award; Sarita P. Fellows, Outstanding Achievement in Costume; Alan C. Edwards, Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design; Lawrence E. Moten III, Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design; lark hackshaw, Outstanding Achievement in Stage Management; Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago, Ill, and The Ensemble Theatre, Houston, Texas, Theatre Longevity Award; Woodie King Jr., Brian Stokes Mitchell and Lillias White, Special Recognition Award; Dr. Eric J. Sadler, Theatre Arts & Humanitarian Award; Truliant Federal Credit Union, Marvtastic Philanthropy Award; Jordan Hall (lighting designer), Daydra Smith, Nia McClinton and Marleena Garris (actors), and Peter Ongolo and Gabrielle Solomon (directors), Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artist Award; and Melda Beaty, Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premier Award. Earlier in the day, celebrities and festivalgoers showed up at the NBTFs opening day press conference at the Marriott in downtown Winston-Salem, where a number of people plugged festival theatrical productions and special events. There was also an unveiling of a portrait of Hamlin and Sprinkle-Hamlin Monday afternoon in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. Hattiloo Theatre in Memphis, Tenn., commissioned the portrait of the couple, which will be part of the Black Theatre Royalty: Portraits from the Hattiloo Theatre Collection exhibit from Aug. 1 to 27 in the Main Gallery at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. The exhibit, a collaboration with the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, is on loan from Hattiloo. Hundreds of tons of potentially explosive ammonium nitrate was improperly stored at a fertilizer plant Jan. 31 when the facility was destroyed by a fire that took days to extinguish and prompted a voluntary evacuation order impacting thousands of residents, a North Carolina Department of Labor investigation found. The agency levied fines totaling $5,600 on Winston Weaver Co. based on information gleaned during interviews with company employees after the blaze. That communication was crucial in determining pre-fire conditions at the site, where little remained other than ash and warped metal when investigators got their first up-close look at the scene, NCDOL spokesman John Mallow said in a phone interview Monday. They can communicate the substantive things deemed to be a violation, Mallow said of the conversations with workers. In this case, 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive substance commonly used as an ingredient in fertilizer, was exposed to water leaking through the roof, walls and floor of the building where it was stored, NCDOL reported in a citation issued to the company July 18. Investigators also determined that wooden storage bins at the Weaver facility were not adequate to keep ammonium nitrate from escaping or other substances from entering. It sounds like the Department of Labor is doing its job, said Stan Meiburg, former deputy administrator at the U.S. Environmental Agency who now leads Wake Forest Universitys graduate program in sustainability. If the ammonium nitrate was stored in a way that would create risks to its employees or first responders, as happened in West, Texas that would be cause for enforcement action independent of the environmental consequences of the fire. In West, a small town between Dallas and Austin, 10 first responders and two volunteers were killed in 2013 by a powerful explosion of ammonium nitrate while fighting a fire at a fertilizer plant. The blast resulted in 15 deaths and destroyed hundreds of homes. Officials said 20 to 30 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored at the Texas site. Nearly 17 times more was present at the time of the Weaver fire at 4440 N. Cherry St. The potential for what Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo feared could be one of the worst explosions in U.S. history prompted responders to retreat from the Weaver blaze in its early hours. In a 2016 report, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board insisted the Texas blast and other incidents involving ammonium nitrite should serve as a collective call to action for local, state and federal governments to do more to protect vulnerable communities. Despite tremendous property damage and economic cost, the most devastating result of these incidents is the immeasurable loss of human life, the board wrote. CSB found that a likely cause of such loss of life is the alarming number of (fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrite) facilities located in communities next to schools, hospitals, residences and businesses. At the time, the board found 19 Texas facilities with at least 10 tons of stored ammonium nitrate within a half-mile of such institutions or highly populated areas. About 6,000 residents live that close to the Weaver site, where 50-times more ammonium nitrate was kept on site at the time of the fire. Investigators were never ever to determine the cause of the Texas fire that led to the explosion, largely because the blast left few clues for them to follow. Winston-Salem officials cited similar challenges Friday in a report noting that they were unable to find a cause for the Weaver blaze. Mallow said NCDOLs investigation into ammonium nitrate storage at the former Weaver plant remains open, and the company has the option to appeal the citations and fines. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality last month approved plans for extensive testing to determine levels of soil and groundwater contamination at the site. A contractor hired by the company will spend an expected four months collecting and analyzing hundreds of samples for potentially hazardous materials left behind from the fire. Its almost time for kids to head back to school, which means its time to make sure your childrens vaccinations are up to date, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. Whether children are homeschooled or attend a public, private, charter or religious school, state laws require they stay up to date for certain vaccinations based on their age, as recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DHHS key focus areas are on vaccines required for students entering kindergarten, seventh grade and 12th grade. There are seven vaccines or boosters listed for each age group, with DTaP, polio, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Hepatitis B and Varicella being required for all three groups. Meanwhile for now DHHS is recommending to parents and guardians that children ages 6 months and up get the appropriate COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines for COVID-19 are not required or mandated by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, spokesman Brent Campbell said Tuesday. DHHS said that preventable diseases, such as chicken pox, meningitis, measles, pertussis (whooping cough) and others are still seen across North Carolina. Keeping children up to date on vaccinations is the best way to keep them healthy and reduce unnecessary absences from school, DHHS said. The schools are given proof of immunizations for children from parents/guardians. Campbell said state law requires that if students dont comply within the first 30 days of school, they must be excluded from school until they comply with the mandated vaccination requirements. We work with families who may need help getting these vaccinations, etc. via our Mobile Health Clinics and the School Health Alliance. More information is available at WS/FCS website https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/122618. Keep in mind that did get pushed back a little by the state during remote learning, but my understanding is this year, we are back to normal with the 30-day compliance timeframe, Campbell said. Children who are uninsured can be vaccinated at low or no cost through the Vaccines for Children program which offers free vaccines to children through 19 years of age. A list of required vaccinations is at https://immunization.dph.ncdhhs.gov and click on Immunization Schedules. As children move into their preteen and teen years, they become more susceptible to certain diseases, making it especially important to stay current with immunizations, said Dr. Dimitrios Hondros, president of the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians. At the same time, preteens and teens tend to have fewer visits to their doctors office, increasing the chance that they are not up to date. This decrease in immunizations accelerated among adolescents during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders went into effect, Hondros said. COVID-19 vaccine Campbell said WS/FCS recommends students and parents educate themselves on COVID-19 vaccines for children and adults. We encourage families to follow the guidance set forth by the Forsyth County Department of Public Health and NCDHHS, which says the vaccines are still one of the best ways to protect yourself. Age-appropriate COVID-19 vaccine is available for students at the Forsyth County Department of Public Health, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Cone Health and Novant Health Inc. facilities. COVID-19 vaccine also is available at many pharmacy chains for ages 5 and up. It remains to be seen, however, how many parents will choose to get either vaccine for their infant, toddler or preschooler. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 nationwide have been vaccinated since their version of the vaccine was approved in November, The Associated Press reported in June. Forsyth health director Joshua Swift said Tuesday that as of Saturday about 26% of 5- to 11-year-olds, or 8,833, and 48% of 12- to 17-year-olds, or 14,639, have completed their initial COVID-19 vaccine series. At least 70% of North Carolinians ages 5 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, at least 66% have completed the initial vaccine regimen, and at least 59% have received at least one booster. DHHS said some children in the 5 to 17 age group may experience temporary and minimal side effects similar to adults: a sore arm, headache and being tired or achy for a day or two.. COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalization, death, MIS-C (inflammation in different parts of the body) and long-term problems with symptoms that last for months. DHHS said that during child-wellness visits, parents can talk with their physician about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children ages 6 months and older. Many pediatricians and family practitioners will provide the COVID-19 vaccine for all eligible family members, as well as teens, during that same visit, DHHS said. In an ideal world, the landmark compromise on climate change, Medicare and energy spending that Senate Democrats announced at the end of last week would barely require a second glance. Thats not to diminish the magnitude of the agreement that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck with the chambers Dr. No, West Virginias Joe Manchin. The Democrats-only deal that averts a Republican filibuster will have a transformative effect on efforts to fight climate change. But such is the state of the Senate these days, and our politics in general, that its breaking news that two guys who belong to the same party, and who largely believe in the same things, managed to strike a deal on stuff they largely agree on already. The deal is a badly needed win for both congressional Democrats, who are looking to hold and possibly expand their majorities on Capitol Hill, and for President Joe Biden, whose administration has been taking on water for much of the last year after scoring some pretty significant early wins. The spending package will be the most important investment not hyperbole the most important investment weve ever made in our energy security and developing cost-saving and job-creating, clean-energy solutions for the future, said Biden, who endorsed the deal and called for its approval. Big deal. A big deal, indeed. But as a new poll makes clear, American voters would rather see more of this kind of cooperation from their leaders, and not less. With the midterm elections just about 100 days away, U.S. voters are expressing a higher level of concern than ever over the level of polarization in the country, according to the Institute of Politics and Public Civility at Georgetown University. Two-thirds of the polls 1,000 registered voter respondents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who was willing to compromise with others as opposed to a candidate who consistently fought for his or her values. Theres a case to be made that, post-Jan. 6, the gaps separating broad swathes of the Big Two parties are as deep and as unbridgeable as theyve been since the run-up to the Civil War. Republicans still trying to downplay the violence or rationalize it away significantly narrows the possibility of the kind of across-the-aisle cooperation that voters say they want to see from their elected leaders. Fire-breathing tactics by some progressives also are a problem, and they have managed to convince voters in the countrys vast middle that the party that once vigorously defended the working class no longer cares about them. That goes some distance toward explaining the increased tribalism in our politics, and our culture more broadly. Broad majorities of the polls respondents said they and their friends share the same political beliefs, vote for the same candidates and are members of the same political party. The same holds true for memberships in the same religious groups, ethnic identities and economic classes, the poll found. That kind of homogeneity, in short, makes compromise nearly impossible. Speaking to MSNBC about the results, Mo Elleithee, the veteran Democratic operative who founded and now serves as the executive director of the Georgetown institute, said the intra-party squabbles that have hobbled Bidens agenda and tanked his approval ratings also are a turnoff for voters. People dont want to see the ideological fighting, they want to see the results, Elleithee told MSNBCs Morning Joe, program. If they can get back to that more often, I think, maybe, if the past is prologue, you will start to see a change in the numbers. A big part of closing that gap requires reframing both the narrative of our politics, and the way that its covered in the press, both of which are too often conflict-focused. Both are to the detriment of the underreported and far less glamorous grunt work that gets bills over the goal line. More coverage, for instance, of the congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan body that actively works for broad-based agreement on vexing policy issues, instead of the dumpster fire du jour, could ease those concerns about polarization. Thats not to say that government officials should get a hall pass, or that undemocratic and illegal efforts to topple elections should not be confronted, but for our system to work, there has to be that middle ground. Sure, its not great TV. But it would yield something better: a strong and vigorous democracy thats sharp-elbowed when needed, but still solves problems, and leaves no American behind. Thats American democracy at its best. Like many in the community, we greet the news of Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompsons impending retirement with mixed emotions. The city announced last week that Thompson will retire in December, the Journals John Hinton and Lisa ODonnell reported Saturday. On the one hand, she certainly deserves a restful break after, as Mayor Allen Joines told the Journal, giving 29 solid years to the city of Winston-Salem. On the other, well Chief Thompson, do you have to retire now? We regret seeing this capable and competent leader bow out when theres so much more to be done. While the community knows her best as the police chief, she got there the old-fashioned way working her way through the ranks after joining the force as a city police officer in 1994. She came to Winston-Salem from Detroit and to the force with a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters degree in public administration, along with other academic credentials. She clearly intended to have an impact. That dedication led her to becoming assistant police chief to her predecessor, Chief Barry Rountree, in 2016, and replacing him upon his retirement in 2017. Shes earned a reputation as an effective leader among members of the City Council and in the larger community. She impressed from day one with her sincerity, her professionalism, her openness and approachability, her knowledge, her genuine concern for her officers and for the community, City Council member Kevin Mundy told the Journal. Its impossible to discuss Thompson without getting into what may have been her finest hour (so far) certainly the incident for which shes most likely to be remembered, and one that brought positive national attention to the chief and our community. Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, while many American communities experienced an outpouring of grief and anger that sometimes grew violent and destructive, Thompson, along with Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, kept the peace here. They spoke powerfully from the heart, to protesters and the larger community, about their experiences balancing their responsibilities as Black parents and as police professionals. Doing so helped set the tone for more than 50 peaceful, if forceful, protests and marches. Under their leadership, local officers worked as partners with protesters escorting and supporting them rather than as dominating adversaries. Thompson and Kimbrough set an example for many others to follow and one that we suspect will be needed urgently in the future. It was a good example of her relationship with the community, Joines said, and helping us through some difficult times without incident. Thompson was also an effective and trustworthy advocate for her own officers, as in 2018 when questions arose about a police shooting during a traffic stop. She appealed then for peace, calm and patience while we waited through an investigation that cleared the officer. We regret that Thompson is leaving as gun violence has been escalating in the community, the result of continued social ills some related to COVID-19 and economic challenges growing gang culture and easy access to firearms. Theres likely no good time to leave the force, but during this time, we could use her cool head and guiding hand. But shes already done so much. And we suspect that shell continue to find ways to contribute positively to the community. Serving as Winston-Salems chief of police is one of the greatest honors of my public-safety career, Thompson said last week. I will always love this agency and believe in its mission. My commitment to law enforcement will always be strong as I truly respect, appreciate and support this noble profession. The city plans to hire an executive search firm to seek Thompsons replacement, the Journal reported, and its likely to take a while. Our next police chief will have some big shoes to fill, City Manger Lee Garrity said. Thanks, Chief Thompson, and please reconsider. Support its passage We can all be proud that a North Carolina congresswoman, our own Kathy Manning (NC-6), introduced H.R. 8373, the bill to protect the access to and use of contraception (Roll Call, July 24). It passed the House on its obvious merits in one week, with 145 co-sponsors. I urge your readers to read it, and then to write to our senators and urge them to add their support to its passage in the Senate. How encouraging it would be if North Carolina were to lead the nation back to more rational and less cruel treatment of women, to policies that respect women rather than demean them and reduce their rights. Kathy Manning has taken an important step to protect the health care of women as well as the reputation of our state. Katherine McGinnis Winston-Salem Substantive due process The concurring opinion of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the Dobbs case has been waved around like a bloody shirt by those wanting to energize their political base. But contrary to the propaganda, Thomas critique does not relate to the pros/cons of contraception, gay marriage, miscegenation (in which he participates) or any particular issue. Rather, Thomas critique relates to specific legal reasoning (substantive due process) which he considers flawed. For example, the right of businesses to be free from state regulation had been established in the Lochner case, using the concept of substantive due process. Lochner was eventually overturned by progressive jurists who like Thomas dismissed the concept of substantive due process. Thomas believes that other constitutional bases could exist for expansive rights to privacy/liberty, but the reasoning of substantive due process should be jettisoned (as it was in the Lochner override). From his concurring opinion: For example, we could consider whether any of the rights announced in this Courts substantive due process cases are privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Perhaps it is too much to ask partisans to deploy nuance and discernment in assessing Justice Thomas. That would undermine their political goals. Robert Watson Advance A nonstory The Journals coverage of the beauty supply store incident (Store faces backlash over confrontation, July 29) was grossly out of proportion. A shooting gets a few paragraphs in local briefs. The beauty supply store event got the front page on July 29, and half a page on July 31 (Group protests at beauty supply store) reporting the protest. John Hinton did a thorough reporting job, and after reading, there is no evidence of discrimination against the shopper. All that was required of the shopper was that she pay for the items she wanted. If a crime was committed, it was the shopper assaulting two employees. This was a non-story, blown up to seem big. This excessive coverage does a disservice to real acts of racial discrimination that warrant reporting. The purpose of devoting so much coverage leaves me guessing the Journals intent. John Wooding Winston-Salem Thanking Biden Many people expressed their outrage over high gas prices with hostile accusations that President Biden was responsible for the increase. Evidently their economic/political ignorance has been replaced with the knowledge that gas prices are determined by the world market, not the American president. That would explain why they have not thanked Biden for the recent price decrease. Gary Meeks Boonville The Jeddah Central Development Company (JCDC), the master developer of the Jeddah Central Project, has signed an agreement for the development of state-of-the-art desalination technology for the $20-billion project that aims to transform the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah. JCDC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Waterise, a global leader in sustainable water infrastructure development, and Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, one of the leading investment holding company conglomerates in the Middle East. The new technology will help JCDC achieve its sustainable development objectives, which are in line with the kingdoms broader Vision 2030 efforts to maintain and enhance its natural environment. The project also aligns with the Public Investment Funds efforts to help the kingdom further develop its utilities and renewable energy sector while reducing its carbon footprint. More sustainable water sector It will also contribute to the success of the National Water Strategy, which aims to create a more sustainable water sector, safeguard the kingdoms environment and natural resources. Commenting, Eng Ahmed Al-Sulaim, CEO of JCDC, said: Desalination technology is widely used across our region, and has helped sustain the Gulfs rapidly growing population for many years. Jeddahs unique geographical location along the Red Sea makes it ideally suited to this deep sea desalination technology. Through this new partnership with Waterise and Ajlan & Bros holding Group, we look forward to making our city and the kingdom a leader in water in the years to come. Waterises desalination system combines existing reverse osmosis (RO) (a purification process that uses semi-permeable membranes to filter out contaminants) with leading subsea technology. This fully submerged ocean equipment will dramatically reduce the coastal land required, while also reducing each operations environmental footprint and emissions by significantly reducing the discharge of concentrated brine into coastal waters. Furthermore, Waterises use of hydrostatic pressure (the natural deep sea pressure) in its operations can reduce desalination energy consumption by up to 50%. Due to the lower organic content of the deep-sea water in use, a significantly less intensive pre-treatment process will also contribute to the projects overall sustainability as well as removing any interference with flora and fauna. Commenting on the companys commitment to environment-friendly practices, Niels Petter Wright, CEO of Waterise, said: We are proud to support JCDC with implementation of the environmentally game changing technology for supply of water and thus the overall sustainability objectives of JCDC and the kingdom. Eng Ali Abdulrahman Alhazmi, CEO Ajlan & Bros holding Group, said: We believe in the vital importance of desalination technology for the continued prosperity of our kingdom. The urban and infrastructure planning model that JCDC is pioneering today will pave the way for countless other developments of similar scale across Saudi Arabia. -- TradeArabia News Service KEARNEY -- One person was shot amid a disturbance involving several people outside a strip club in Buffalo County early on Sunday morning. The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office said Richard Rios, 29, of Houston was shot in the lower-torso, although authorities said it remains unknown if the "shooting was accidental or intentional." Rios was taken by a private vehicle to the Lexington Regional Health Center with a gunshot wound following the shooting, and at least one other person was hospitalized with severe facial injuries following the altercation. No arrests have been reported, and no further details of the ongoing investigation were provided. The disturbance occurred in the parking lot of Paradise City, a strip club at the Interstate 80 Elm Creek exit. BURLINGTON No chocolate, no trails, no dreams. Nothing. That is the newest option under consideration by Burlington city officials who had been trying to find a new slogan for the community. The Burlington City Council will convene Tuesday to consider a proposal to replace Chocolate City U.S.A. with a logo that includes no tagline. If the council agrees, the city will rebrand itself simply, Burlington, Wisconsin, using a logo shaped like a leaf that contains images depicting nature, rivers and homes. Aldermen are scheduled to consider the matter during a Committee of the Whole meeting that starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers, 224 E. Jefferson St. City Administrator Carina Walters is suggesting the new approach to rebranding after months of debate about different slogans and taglines designed to attract people to either live in Burlington or visit. At the City of Burlington, we are believers in our new identity and the process that produced it, Walters wrote in a memo to the council. After consideration Tuesday, the matter is tentatively scheduled Aug. 16 for a final City Council vote. The city administrators report includes images depicting the leaf-shaped logo on water towers, city vehicles and other places currently adorned with the Chocolate City U.S.A. slogan. Officials have previously made plans to spend $200,000 or more on a rebranding campaign. The city has been wrestling for years with whether Burlington needs a break from its image as Chocolate City U.S.A. Burlington adopted the chocolate slogan in 1987, based on the presence of candy-maker Nestles large manufacturing plant at 637 S. Pine St. A summer festival called ChocolateFest grew into the communitys biggest annual event. But as the Nestle plant changed and chocolate became less prevalent around town, officials started talking about retooling Burlingtons image. The summer festival last year was renamed Burlington Jamboree. Using a $40,000 state grant, the city hired GrahamSpencer Brand + Content Solutions and asked the Rockford, Illinois, consultants to come up with rebranding ideas. The firm said Burlington should stop trying to be a tourist attraction and should focus on promoting itself as a place to live and raise a family. GrahamSpencer fashioned the leaf-shaped logo out of an image of a house with accompanying symbols of blue water and green agriculture. Finding a slogan to go with the logo, however, has been difficult. An ad hoc group came up with the idea of City of Trails, but that fizzled out when officials decided that Burlingtons trail system was not so unique. GrahamSpencer then proposed Small Wonder, Big Dreams, which drew negative public feedback. Alderman Shad Branen suggested that the already-famous Burlington Liars Club could be fashioned into a slogan, and that the clubs annual contest announcement could become a signature event similar to Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Other aldermen, however, argued that if no clear option is presented, they would favor moving forward with no slogan at all. In her memo to the council, Walters wrote at length about the symbolism that could be attached to the leaf-shaped logo. The various images depicted could represent health, growth, hope, peace and unity, she wrote. Of the proposed logo, Walters wrote: It is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to ensure we take good care of it now and in the future, so we can leverage maximum value and create as much brand equity as possible over coming years. Laura Ann Walker, the attorney for the teen against whom charges were dropped, told the Journal Times it appeared a witness had been untruthful in identifying her client as being involved in the crime. The prosecutor then "did what she is supposed to do as a prosecutor and that is to speak the truth, Walker said. So kudos to her. However, Walker did express concern about the rush to charge her client. I wish they would spend more time investigating prior to issuing the criminal complaint." 1. Yes. The new high school has made it a must. Thousands of people are impacted.. 2. Yes. Even if it means revising some budgets, these entities must move on the project. 3. No. Its been known for years that the road was a problem.. Why the urgency now? 4. No. If prioritizing the road means more taxes, forget it. The project will just have to wait. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say until school has been in session for a few months. Vote View Results Whats happened so far and whats next? March 2, 2021: Investigators say that the conspiracy began when Brandon Dominic Brown informed Jessica Elaintrell Smith that he had access to U.S. Army property at Fort Hood that he could steal without being caught. Smith then allegedly told Brown that she knew someone who would purchase and then sell the stolen items. June 17, 2021: Locks are found to be cut and multiple items are determined to be missing from Fort Hood. A joint investigation between the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division and the Office of Homeland Security Investigations begins. July 9, 2021: Search warrant conducted at the home of Nathan Nichols in Corpus Christi, where police allegedly recovered more than $1.2 million and stolen Army equipment, some of which was traced back to the June 16, 2021 theft at Fort Hood. Sept. 9, 2021: Smith is charged in federal court and a warrant for her arrest is issued. Sept. 15, 2021: Smith is arrested and transported to Nueces County. The same day, Brown is charged in federal court and a warrant for his arrest is issued. Sept. 17, 2021: Brown is arrested and transported to Nueces County. Oct. 13, 2021: A federal grand jury hands down two-count indictment against Smith and Brown. Nov. 23, 2021: A federal grand jury hands down a superseding indictment against Smith and Brown with more detailed allegations. Nov. 29, 2021: Smith and Brown each waive arraignment and plead not-guilty. March 31, 2022: Nichols pleads guilty to the federal counts against him. April 5: Smith pleads guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Aug. 2: Smith is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton at the federal courthouse in Corpus Christi. Sept. 6: Jury trial for Brown set to begin in Tiptons courtroom. Oct. 4: Sentencing hearing set for Nichols in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos in the Southern District of Texas. The World Media Group has announced that Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication for the UAE Government Media Office, is the winner of the World Media Award (WMA) for Content Leadership and Innovation for 2022. This honour is awarded to the individual recognised by peers for talent in creating exemplary content-driven campaigns that demonstrate brand bravery, creativity and innovation. AlShehhi will receive his special award at this years WMA celebration in September. Both Co-Chairs, Hamish Goulding, Group Head of Brand Strategy at HSBC and Ritu Lakhanpal, Managing Partner at McCann Worldwide, along with Belinda Barker, Chief Executive of The World Media Group, agreed that AlShehhi had upended the rules of government communication by placing creativity at the essence of his leadership to deliver a level of impact and effectiveness not often seen in public institutions. Creative campaigns AlShehhi has been at the helm of many award-winning creative campaigns including the transformation of the Burj Khalifa into the world's largest donation box, reaching 4.6 billion people and raising over 1.2 million meals for those most affected by Covid. However, campaign effectiveness is just one part of this story; AlShehhi has transformed the way a government entity approaches communications by making creative excellence the essence of its function. Its clear the UAE media office behaves like a brand, not an institution. AlShehhis ground-breaking initiatives to support the Middle East's first mission to Mars including Double Moon, a regional-first projection stunt, and a limited-edition passport stamp made of Martian ink for visitors arriving in the UAE, showcase this unique creative approach. Likewise, A winter through my eyes, a short video showing the beauty of UAE from the perspective of a blind person, pushes the boundaries of traditional tourism content. Calibre of candidates The calibre of candidates for the 2022 Content Leadership & Innovation Award, who are nominated by the World Media Groups members, was exceptional this year. They each demonstrated innovation, creativity and brand bravery in their campaigns, so it was a tough decision, said Belinda Barker, Chief Executive, The World Media Group. Khaled AlShehhi impressed our judges with the sheer breadth and depth of the campaigns he has delivered, as well as demonstrating creativity, boldness and pushing the boundaries of communications and marketing in what can often be a dry sector. The World Media Awards showcases the very best in content marketing, so Im delighted to receive the award for Content Leadership & Innovation, AlShehhi said. The UAE believes the impossible is possible and has spent the past fifty years imagining, designing, and executing a new vision for the country that is unlike anywhere else. But it takes more than policy and vision to change society. Recognition of work My goal has been to transform the way the UAE Government communicates by producing original innovative and creative content that positively impacts the lives of people locally, regionally and globally, so its truly an honour for me and of course my team to see our work recognised by our peers. AlShehhi will receive his award during an exclusive live ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, on September 8, 2022, where the final category winners will also be announced. The winner of this years prestigious Grand Prix Award will also be announced on the night, joining previous Grand Prix winners London & Partners, Malaria No More UK, Shell, Sonos and Tata Motors as the best of the best.-- TradeArabia News Service KEARNEY Never let a good crisis go to waste. Thats what Aravind Menon, epidemiologist at the Two Rivers Public Health Department, says as he looks back at COVID-19. He knows COVID isnt over. COVID cases have been quietly climbing this summer, and the Two Rivers COVID risk dial has sat in the moderate range since July 1, climbing from the low range since late March. The dial has four categories: low, moderate, extreme and pandemic. Between July 11 and 24, Nebraska had 7,629 new cases of COVID, likely the B5 strain, Menon said, noting that that strain has been circulating around the state. In the last seven days, as of Friday, Buffalo County had 114 new cases, followed by 28 in Dawson County, 33 in Phelps County and 14 in Kearney County. Gosper, Harlan and Franklin counties had no new cases. New cases are far higher in nearby Adams County (Hastings) with 90 cases in the past week, Hall County (Grand Island) with 151 cases and Lincoln County (North Platte) with 79. Menon noted that there has been no spike in hospitalizations in Two Rivers. As of July 25, CHI Health Good Samaritan had six COVID patients. Kearney Regional Medical Center had three. KRMC had a total of 11 COVID patients in July, 14 in June, 11 in May and four in April. There does not seem to be any evidence indicating that the current [COVID] scenario is significantly more risky than earlier, Menon said. Vaccines: A big differenceWhile COVID still lingers, Menon feels optimistic about its decline and how the world can move forward. If we give humanity a grade, Id settle on a B or B-. COVID killed between three and eight million people around the world, but that could have easily been 15 million, he said. He believes vaccines have made a difference even though only 53% of the Two Rivers population of 97,132 has been vaccinated and (mostly) boosted. Most COVID patients no longer require hospitalization, and anti-viral drugs, if prescribed at the onset of illness, can ease symptoms. The crisis is not abated, but we should think about how we are responding to it, how to be better prepared and how to strengthen our institutions, do more research and raise money for research, he said. We need people to work on emergent health threats, and from an information and communications standpoint, we need to create unimpeachable information, he said. That unimpeachable information comment stems from the glut of misinformation that spread during the height of the pandemic and remains on many social media sites. We need to be honest, Menon said. Did our worst predictions come true? Could we avert some, if not all, of the most horrible situations? Have we learned any lessons? He said, We are no longer in the spring of 2020 when COVID was at its worst. We can assume the vast majority of people have been vaccinated or infected or both, so were not COVID-naive. The assumptions we held in 2020 have clearly have to be modified, he said. COVID deaths drop Deaths are on the decline as well. Two Rivers has charted 206 deaths since March 20, 2020, but none since May 20 of this year. That figure of 206 is higher than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Its COVID data tracker says Two Rivers has had 194 COVID deaths, including 104 in Buffalo County, 44 in Dawson County, 14 in Phelps County, 13 in Franklin County, nine in Kearney County, seven in Gosper County and three in Harlan County. Statewide, Nebraska has had 512,000 cases of COVID and 4,363 deaths, but Nebraska fared well among the 50 states in handling COVID, Menon said. He cited a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research in April, which ranked Nebraska second on a report card for all 50 states in the country. It compared, in terms of COVID, health outcomes, economic performance and impact on education. Education was critical: Most Nebraska children and teens remained in school during the pandemic, unlike many students in other states, the report noted. If we look at ideal responses and outcomes in each category, Nebraska is in the top 10 among states. We didnt see enormous death rates. I think we managed to weather the pandemic without the kind of massive disruption to lives and lifestyle that we saw in other states, he said. Menon believes experts and others should study data to see what has been learned because a pandemic of another kind is likely in another 20 to 30 years. Pandemics are part of human history, he said. Vermont did very well in handling the pandemic, he said, while California and Michigan did not. Theres an old adage of never let a good crisis go to waste, but weve used this new crisis to reposition our existing stereotypes. However, I caution everyone against simplistic conclusions, he said. A voice of hope Calling COVID the first true global challenge weve seen in this century, he said the world has two primary ways of keeping citizens safe. The western democratic model, used by the U.S. and other democracies, gives people power and hopes that those closest to a problem will come up with a solution. Information in such models comes from the bottom up, he said. The other model is the Chinese or authoritarian model, where authorities do surveillance on everyone in order to control the behavior of the population. Right now, due to COVID, China has locked down an entire province of 60 million people. That would be like locking down the entire West Coast. We could never do that here, Menon said. He acknowledged that it may appear that the Chinese model was more efficient in terms of keeping people safe from COVID, but he said the COVID death toll in China was likely far, far higher than what the Chinese officially reported. The best COVID vaccines came out of democratic countries, like the United Kingdom and the U.S., Menon said. Because scientists and labs in the U.S. were free to work on vaccines, they developed much more effective ones than many other countries did, he said. Maybe you need to have free societies, where information is not controlled. We dont control you; you make your choices. We foster innovation. Maybe in the messiness of democracy, that is the trade-off, he said. While the U.S. population has a million different opinions for every issue and problem, it also fosters creativity and innovation. As a people we should concentrate on the latter. Although there are pitfalls, we should invest further in institutions that can give us kind of framework to make technological advancements, he said. He noted that long before COVID, scientists had studied coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS for 10-12 years. This was truly selfless work. We have a system that rewards knowledge and inquiry. Thats the system Id like to be in. We can be proud that we have institutions that allow us to do this, he said. The Buffalo County Sheriff's Office has identified the victims in the Saturday morning shooting at Paradise City at the Elm Creek interchange. The 29-year-old victim has been identified as Richard Rios of Houston, Texas. He received a gunshot wound to the lower-torso. Also injured in the disturbance was a 38-year-old North Platte man and a 49-year-old man from Elwood. The investigation continues. Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Buffalo County Sheriffs Office at 308-236-855 or Crime Stopper at 308-237-3424. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ELM CREEK Two people were hospitalized early Saturday morning following a shooting at Paradise City at the Elm Creek interchange. Around 12:39 a.m., Buffalo County Sheriff deputies responded to a report of a shooting. When deputies arrived, they determined a disturbance had happened involving several people. A 29-year-old man was transported by private vehicle to the Lexington Regional Health Center with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, said a BCSO news release. He was later transferred to another medical facility with non-life threatening injuries. A 49-year-old male was transported to CHI Health Good Samaritan Hospital by Emergency Medical Services with severe facial injuries. A third victim, a 38-year-old male, suffered minor facial injuries, the news release said. Its unclear if he needed medical attention. No arrests have been made at this time, and the sheriffs office didnt release names of any of the people involved. The investigation is ongoing. Paradise City is located at 1780 Highway 183 near the Elm Creek interchange. KEARNEY A woman said her once Kearney psychiatrist put his hand down her pants from behind, felt her buttocks and groped her breast during a counseling session in August 2021. The testimony came on the first day of the misdemeanor third-degree sexual assault trial against Reynaldo A. De Los Angeles, 77, of Kearney. He is accused of having sexual contact with a victim at his office on Aug. 25, 2021, without consent that didnt cause serious personal injury. De Los Angeles is a board certified psychiatrist with certification in addiction and forensic medicine and provides professional psychiatric services, care and treatment, individual and family. Chief Deputy Buffalo County Attorney Melanie Young argued De Los Angeles used his position as a psychiatrist and addictionist to take advantage of a patient. An addictionist is a physician who deals with prescription medical management. De Los Angeles attorney, Aaron Bishop of Kearney, argued the accusations are false. The alleged victim testified for 2 1/2 hours Monday about how she went to De Los Angeles office on Aug. 25, 2021, to straighten out her prescription medications that he had ordered for her days earlier. The woman has been a patient of De Los Angeles off and on since 2004, when she was 24, for counseling and medication management. At the time of the alleged incident, the woman had been a regular patient of De Los Angeles for about five years and relied on him for her medications. On August 23, 2021, the woman said she had a regular appointment with De Los Angeles where he adjusted her prescription medications. Two days later, the woman said she met with him again because she felt the dosage was decreased to the point where she said she was nonfunctional and she felt like she may relapse. It was during that Aug. 25, 2021, appointment, which the woman estimated lasted three hours, that she alleges De Los Angeles inappropriately touched her. The woman confronted De Los Angeles about her prescriptions being significantly smaller dosages and that they started causing her withdrawals. Feeling weak that day, she asked De Los Angeles to give her similar medications shed had in the past. Instead, the woman said De Los Angeles avoided her concerns and asked her inappropriate personal questions, including what is was like to kiss someone with dentures, which the woman has. At one point De Los Angeles gave the woman a box of magazines, which she took to her car. When she returned to the office, De Los Angeles was sitting in a chair in his office lobby and tried to pull the woman to sit on his leg, then he tried to kiss her and hold her hand. The moment was cut short by a woman coming into the office to pick up a package from De Los Angeles. The topic of conversation was changed, and the alleged victim, who works in automotive sales, went outside to look at De Los Angeles pickup, which was leaking fluid in the parking lot. She opened the hood and inspected the engine, telling De Los Angeles what he needed to do to fix it. The two returned to the office, where the woman said she again asked De Los Angeles to correct her prescription. De Los Angeles gave the woman more magazines, which she held in her left arm along with her keys and purse. De Los Angeles wrote the woman another prescription, and as she tried to leave the office, the woman claimed De Los Angeles hugged her from behind. He then stuck his hand under the untucked shirt she was wearing and into her jeans, under her panties and rubbed her buttocks. The woman said De Los Angeles then reached around the right side of her body, put his hand under her shirt and groped her right breast as she turned away from him. The moment caught her at a loss for words. I didnt know what to say. The woman then left De Los Angeles office and drove to a Kearney pharmacy to fill her prescription. Instead she sat in her car for some time trying to absorb what had just happened. I was upset about being physically violated and not being able to trust my doctor again, she said. The woman eventually took her prescription into the pharmacist and was asked by staff why she was upset. Pharmacy staff and the womans mother, who was also at the pharmacy, encouraged the woman to report the incident, but the woman was upset, overwhelmed and unsure about what to do. I feel doctors kind of have a power over their patients and their word might be better than mine, she recalled feeling. The woman eventually reported the incident to Kearney police and was interviewed at the Family Advocacy Network (FAN) in Kearney. During cross examination, defense attorney Bishop questioned the woman to clarify the date De Los Angeles gave her the different prescription. The woman corrected her testimony saying De Los Angeles changed her medication on Aug. 16, nine days before the alleged incident, not Aug. 23 as she first told prosecutor Young. Bishop also questioned the woman about her alleged timeline of events while in De Los Angeles office on Aug. 25, what medications she thought her new prescriptions were for and how many prescriptions he wrote her. Bishop also questioned the woman about her medications being destroyed before Aug. 25, and if that was the reason she needed a different prescription. The woman said her boyfriend took her medications and De Los Angeles gave her another prescription for a week. Mondays hearing ended with the womans testimony. Additional witnesses, including pharmacists who saw the woman after the alleged incident, have been summoned to testify. A jury of six men and one woman are hearing the case. At the end of the trial, one person will be dismissed as the alternate. The trial is expected to last through Tuesday. Two people have been arrested after being accused of breaking into a Jackson County tavern Aug. 1 and barricading themselves inside once police arrived. Jacob A. Ruetten, 27, Elroy, and Joseph B. Hodge, 36, Wonewoc, are being held in the Jackson County Jail on burglary charges. Neither had a court date scheduled as of Tuesday morning. According to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, police responded around 5:30 a.m. to a burglary in progress at the Buck Stops Here Saloon and Grill on Hwy. 12 in the town of Millston. When police arrived, two people were observed inside and appeared to be barricading the entrances. Police attempted to negotiate with the men but were rebuffed. Five hours into the standoff, the Jackson County Emergency Response Team and K9 unit entered the building and determined the suspects were hiding in the attic. Police deployed chemical munitions against the suspects and took them into custody. Police suspect the incident is connected to other burglaries in the area. Jackson County was assisted at the scene by the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, La Crosse County Emergency Response Team and Wisconsin State Patrol. After a rocky few weeks for the La Crosse School Board, Rob Abraham announced on Monday that he was resigning from the board immediately, citing issues with district leadership. Abraham, who was elected in the spring of 2021, said his decision to resign was due to serious concerns he had about the future of the School District of La Crosse based largely on the leadership of superintendent Aaron Engel. My views and approach to change do not align with Superintendent (Aaron) Engel and the other members of the board. I understand that I stand alone, Abraham said. The Tribune reached out to Engel, but he declined to comment, and instead directed all comments to board president Juan Jimenez. In a statement and during an interview with the Tribune, Jimenez thanked Abraham for his service on the board and said his resignation came as a surprise, while also offering support for Engel. [Abraham] brought a different perspective to our deliberations. Though we may have disagreed on the best path forward for our school district to ensure we maintain the highest quality education our community has come to expect, I believe he cares deeply for the school district and community we call home, Jimenez said. Abraham announced his resignation at the beginning of the boards meeting during the public comment section and left immediately after his remarks. His leaving comes as the district is headed to a referendum in the fall to see if it can move forward with a $195 million plan to consolidate its two high schools at a new facility on the South Side, a plan that has been met with mixed reviews by community members. More pushback came after Engel sent a letter to district families and staff last week, sharing that if the referendum does not pass and other solutions arent found, all high school students may instead be consolidated into the existing Central High School building. Abraham, who was the only board member to vote against the referendum last month, called it an alarming alternative and questioned the motives behind the letter. Wherever you stand on consolidating our high schools, Abraham said, its inexcusable to present this poor alternative to place pressure on the referendum. Abraham added that Engels letter revealed the greatest instability for the school district, and said that he has heard from community members about how they can remove Engel from his position. At last months meeting, Abraham was also the only board member to vote against a 2% raise for union staff, which was less than half of what the union requested. I cannot in good faith continue to serve with this leadership, direction and tactics. My hope that by resigning and bringing forward the reality of the district leadership and how this board has ceded its oversight and duties will provide some transparency to voters, Abraham said. Abraham described the current structure of the school board, which leaves much of the power and decision making for the district in the hands of the superintendent, as a dictatorship. Jimenez said that Engel joined the district during a tumultuous time in the midst of the pandemic and as the district faces declining enrollment and funding but that the superintendent was doing his best. I dont think Im exaggerating to say that it has been a challenging time since Dr. Engel was hired to now, Jimenez said. We are working as best as we can to ensure that we move forward to have the best school district possible. He specifically said it has been clear from community response that there is a communication gap between the public and the school district, and that they are prioritizing shrinking that gap going forward. The letter about the Central High School alternative, Jimenez said, was meant explain all of the possible outcomes of the referendum to the public. He also emphasized that this alternative is not locked in stone, and if funding from the state increases, the district could avoid it. I see the superintendent is trying to provide as much information about all the possibilities that exist on both sides, Jimenez said. Jimenez said he communicates with Engel regularly and meets with him almost weekly. I believe that Dr. Engel is doing his absolute best. I believe that the board is doing their best to hold our administration accountable, Jimenez said. I support Dr. Engels work, but I also, again, know that we have lots of challenges we are going to try to do our best to address them. Abrahams resignation comes just before the school district was set to start its information campaign on the referendum. The school district is hosting a series of information sessions on the referendum in the coming weeks, which Jimenez encouraged the community to attend with questions and concerns in-hand. He said he has concerns about misinformation on the consolidation plan, and that these information sessions were a chance for the community to hear from the district directly and bring their ideas to the table. I think the way we proceed forward is by ensuring that we have multiple opportunities for people to be provided as much information as possible, Jimenez said. The district hopes to be able to present design renderings at the information sessions, and other opportunities and details about the consolidation plan. Jimenez said he was particularly excited that the new high school could make the district a center for career and technical education, an opportunity among others the district hopes to share with the community at these sessions. Those info sessions are being held on the following dates and times: Aug. 10 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School Aug. 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Logan Middle School Aug. 24 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. virtually Aug. 25 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School Sept. 7 from 7-9 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School Sept. 8 from 6-8 p.m. virtually Sept. 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Logan Middle School Oct. 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. virtually Oct. 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School Oct. 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Central High School Oct. 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Logan High School Jimenez said board members will try to attend the info sessions. He also said Engel has shared a list of groups he is trying to meet with, especially North Side businesses, to discuss the plan. The school board will now move forward with filling Abrahams vacancy, and will seek applications for candidates who would serve out the rest of Abrahams term. Because the resignation was unexpected, the board still hasnt had a chance to meet to discuss the process of filling the vacancy, but will do so as soon as possible, Jimenez said. Abraham is the former assistant chief of police for the city of La Crosse. He was also recently elected to the La Crosse County Board. I did not envision this is how I would end my experience on the board. But I can no longer be associated with this board and superintendent, Abraham said. Jimenez said that while its sad to lose a board member, he is choosing to see the positive, and hopes in moving forward it can set the tone for the remaining challenges the district and school board face. To me, the greatest part of challenges is that we always come out stronger on the other end if we are determined to work together, Jimenez said. The Tribune reached out to the other school board members, but they either did not immediately respond or declined to comment. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House on Monday decried Beijing's rhetoric over an expected visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, vowing the United States will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling and has no interest in increasing tensions with China. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby underscored that the decision on whether to visit the self-ruled island that China claims as its own was ultimately Pelosi's. He noted that members of Congress have routinely visited Taiwan over the years. Kirby said administration officials are concerned that Beijing could use the visit as an excuse to take provocative retaliatory steps, including military action such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan, flying sorties into Taiwan's airspace and carrying out large-scale naval exercises in the strait. Put simply, there is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing U.S. policy into some sort of crisis or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, Kirby said. The Biden administration pushed back on Beijing as Pelosi held talks with officials in Singapore on Monday at the start of her Asian tour. While there have been no official announcements, local media in Taiwan reported that Pelosi will arrive Tuesday night, making her the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to visit in more than 25 years. The United Daily News, Liberty Times and China Times Taiwan's three largest national newspapers cited unidentified sources as saying she would arrive in Taipei after visiting Malaysia and spend the night. Talk of such a visit is sparking fury in Beijing, which regards Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly warned of serious consequences" if the reported trip goes ahead. If Pelosi insists on visiting Taiwan, China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in Beijing, without giving details. Those who play with fire will perish by it, Zhao said. We would like to once again admonish the U.S. that we are fully prepared for any eventuality and the PLA will never sit idly by. The People's Liberation Army is China's military. Chinas U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun reiterated Beijings threat to take action if Pelosi makes what he called a provocative visit to Taiwan, reiterating that the one China principle is a red line and we allow no one to cross this red line. Zhang told a news conference at the start of Chinas presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month that Taiwans tendency toward independence is further developing with the support of some external forces, which he didnt name. So, if we do not take appropriate, forceful action to stop it, and the situation might be even out of control, Zhang said. So it is legitimate for the Chinese government, for the Chinese military, to take any action to prevent Taiwan to go further down the wrong direction, namely towards independence. Zhang said he wasnt in a position to reveal what actions, but what I can tell is that the firmness, the determination is there. We will do whatever we can to defend our sovereignty and the territorial integrity. Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned the U.S. against meddling in Beijings dealings with the island in a phone call last week with President Joe Biden. Germanys Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against a Chinese invasion of Taiwan while sharply criticizing Russias invasion of Ukraine. Baerbock told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday: We do not accept when international law is broken and a larger neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor in violation of international law -- and of course that also applies to China. China has been steadily ratcheting up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. Threats of retaliation for a visit by Pelosi have driven concerns of a new crisis in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, that could roil global markets and supply chains. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island's decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Pelosi, head of one of three branches of the U.S. government, would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The Biden administration has tried to assure Beijing there was no reason to come to blows and that if such a visit occurred, it would signal no change in U.S. policy. Administration officials on Monday called on China to tone down the rhetoric, underscoring that there was no reason for Beijing to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait over the potential visit. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were to receive a classified briefing on Taiwan from senior Pentagon and State Department officials on Monday evening. What I can say is this: this is very much precedent in the sense that previous speakers have visited Taiwan, many members of Congress go to Taiwan, including this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. And so, if the speaker does decide to visit and China tries to create some kind of crisis or otherwise escalate tensions, that would be entirely on Beijing. Still, U.S. officials have signaled that the military would be prepared to respond if needed in the event of any action by China in response to any possible stop in Taiwan by Pelosi. On Monday, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group were in the Philippine Sea, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The Reagan, the USS Antietam, a cruiser, and the USS Higgins, a destroyer, left Singapore after a port visit and moved north, heading to their homeport in Japan. The carrier has an array of aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets and helicopters, on board as well as sophisticated radar systems and other weapons. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but maintains informal relations with the island. Washington is obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act, a federal law, to see that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. Washingtons One China policy says it takes no position on the status of the two sides but wants their dispute resolved peacefully. Beijing promotes an alternative One China principle that says they are one country and the Communist Party is its leader. We expect to see Beijing continue to use inflammatory rhetoric and disinformation in the coming days, Kirby said. The United States, by contrast, will act with transparency. On Monday, Pelosi met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Halimah Yacob and other Cabinet members. Singapore's Foreign Ministry said Lee welcomed a U.S. commitment to strong engagement with the region, and the two sides discussed ways to deepen U.S. economic involvement through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Lee and Pelosi also discussed the war in Ukraine, tensions surrounding Taiwan and mainland China, and climate change, it said in a statement. Lee highlighted the importance of stable U.S.-China relations for regional peace and security, it added, in an apparent allusion to reports of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Pelosi has said she is visiting Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan in a tour to discuss trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, security and democratic governance. On Thursday, Pelosi is to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo in Seoul for talks on security in the Indo-Pacific region, economic cooperation and the climate crisis, Kims office said in a statement. It declined to provide further details about her itinerary, including when she is arriving in South Korea and how long shell stay. Pelosis schedule for Wednesday remains unclear and there were no details on when she will head to Japan. Ministry preparing response plans for monkeypox The Ministry of Health (MoH) on August 1 held an online training session to guide medical facilities nationwide on the diagnosis and treatment of monkeypox in the context that the number of the cases worldwide is topping 22,000. Illustrative image (Photo: The Ministry of Health) Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son underlined the need to make careful preparations for responding to monkeypox, saying that although no cases of monkeypox had been recorded in Vietnam, the risk of this disease entering the country is very high. He requested health facilities to prepare necessary conditions for preventing the disease, including clinical-based early detection, sourcing diagnostic tests to proactively detect cases early for timely quarantine and treatment. Son also emphasised the necessity to promote communications activity to raise public awareness of signs of illness; and strengthen training for medical examination and treatment establishments at all levels towards taking effective and timely measures to prevent monkeypox infections at medical facilities and ensuring effective quarantine and treatment. Nguyen Luong Tam, deputy director of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH, said the ministry is currently developing guidelines for monitoring monkeypox cases in Vietnam and reactivating the border quarantine system. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Vice Director of the Department for Medical Examination and Treatment under the MoH, said the ministry has developed a plan to respond to emergency situations, adding scenarios to deal with this disease have also been taken into account by the health ministry. On July 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a global public health emergency due to its rapid transmission rate and the risk of its spread further to other countries. The world has recorded over 22,000 cases. An increase in the number of cases, including in countries and territories in the Western Pacific region have been posted. The procession to be held on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) will be part of a larger plan by the Muslim leaders to bridge gaps with the majority community and remove misunderstandings about Islam and Muslims. Muhammad Raafi | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles NEW DELHI Muslim leaders of Mumbai are planning to hold a massive procession on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) as part of a reach-out plan for upholding the civil rights of the minorities. The procession will be part of a larger plan by the Muslim leaders to bridge gaps with the majority community and remove misunderstandings about Islam and Muslims. On July 19, various leaders, social activists and academicians held a meeting at Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by 60-70 people, Islam Gymkhana President Yusuf Abrahni told TwoCircles.net He said that the main concern of the meeting was to chalk out a strategy on how to remove the hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims. There was a suggestion that every Muslim should at least meet 4 non-Muslims and speak to them and clear their misunderstandings about Islam, Hadith and Quran, he said. On the occasion, while proposing a procession on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), Abrahni said they will hold a big procession in Mumbai to propagate the religion properly. He said Ahadith would be displayed on hoardings throughout Maharashtra so that non-Muslims read and understand what Islam means and what Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has said. We should try to bridge the gap between the communities. He said the procession will also raise awareness among the masses about how the TV channels create and script hatred among communities. We will even campaign against Muslim leaders who give provocative statements, he said. Since July 19, the Muslim leaders of Mumbai including Abrahni are meeting people from the majority community and chalking out a strategy for the procession. The leaders have also approached prominent Hindus and Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple. We will invite them for a common program. For now, the Muslim leaders and activists who participated in the July 19 event have been holding small meetings with eight to ten people every day and are campaigning for the procession. They are also planning to invite prominent BJP, Congress and NCP leaders, prominent NGOs, and social activists for the procession. Besides, the leaders will also run a social media campaign. Abrahni said that the procession will be jointly organized by All India Khilafat Committee, Mumbai. Sarfaraz Aarzoo, chairman of the All India Khilafat Committee and editor of Hindustan Urdu told TwoCircles.net that there is no political intervention to whatever is happening across the country. Muslims in India do not have any other option other than judicial activism, he said. Aarzoo said that the Muslims are at the mercy of the majority, even the political majority. The only avenues open are going through courts and asking for the implementation of the constitutional guarantees that are offered to everybody. So, this is what we want, he said. He said that Muslims are all going gaga about the constitutional implementation but we have shut our eyes to the executive harassment of minorities. I mean courts come in the picture only at the later stage but the first sign of political indulgence comes with the police and other departments calling you over, especially the agencies picking you up. He said the latest initiative will have to be provided with proper feet for it to stand on. Until we provide them with the required paraphernalia, this thing will also fizzle out like other attempts in the past. What is required is a very robust team. First, we have to accumulate all the data that is available and have a chronology prepared for all the incidents that are taking place across India. Second, intervention at a judicial level, which is asking for bail and asking for other judicial acquittals, he said. Still, he said, we dont have any other option but the judiciary. The initiative requires perseverance and intention to follow till the end. Meanwhile, Abrahni said that the initiative will spread across the country. Since Mumbai is the centre of Indian Muslims, whatever happens here will be followed by people from other parts of the country. Muhammad Raafi is a journalist based in New Delhi. He covers politics and human rights. He tweets at @MohammadRaafi In Missouri, scandal-ridden former Gov. Eric Greitens is attempting a political comeback. In Michigan, a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates includes a man charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. In Arizona, a prominent figure in the QAnon conspiracy movement is running for the U.S. House. Those are among some of the most notable contests in Tuesday's primary elections being held in six states. Arizona, which Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, is a top target for former President Donald Trump, who tried in vain to get his defeat overturned. He has endorsed a slate of candidates up and down the ballot who have promoted his false claims of a stolen election. Trump has also been zeroed in on the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him over the Jan. 6 insurrection. Three of them are on the ballot Tuesday in Washington state and Michigan, as are two members of "the Squad," Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Meanwhile, Kansas voters could clear the way for the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion if they approve a proposed state constitutional change. It's the first referendum vote on abortion policy by a state since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. Ohio is also holding a primary for state legislative races on Tuesday, three months after its statewide and congressional contests a split system that resulted from legal wrangling over redistricting. What to watch: ARIZONA Trump's endorsed candidates in Arizona all have one thing in common: They have loudly disseminated misinformation about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, despite election officials and Trump's own attorney general saying there is no credible evidence the race was tainted. In the governor's race, Trump has backed former television news anchor Kari Lake, who has said that she would not have certified Arizona's election results in 2020. Lake faces businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who is endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence and outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a staunch defender of the 2020 election, is strongly favored to win the Democratic nomination for governor. In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Trump has backed tech investor Blake Masters as the candidate to go up against Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly in the fall. Masters, whose campaign has been bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, has called for reducing legal immigration and espoused the baseless "great replacement" conspiracy theory, claiming Democrats are trying to "replace Americans who were born here." Attorney General Mark Brnovich, another Senate candidate, has been weighed down by lackluster fundraising and fierce criticism from Trump, who says Brnovich did little to advance his election fraud claims. Another top candidate, Jim Lamon, the founder of a solar energy firm, was a fake elector for Trump in 2020, signing a certificate falsely saying that the then-president had won the state. The Republican primary for secretary of state includes Trump-backed legislator Mark Finchem, a state representative who worked to overturn Trump's 2020 loss; state Rep. Shawnna Bolick, who introduced a bill to let legislators ignore election results and choose their own presidential electors; and state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who has long pushed to overhaul election laws. The GOP establishment has rallied around advertising executive Beau Lane in the race. Ron Watkins, who has ties to the QAnon conspiracy theory, is considered a long shot in his House run. Watkins, a Republican, served as the longtime administrator of the online message boards that became the home of the anonymous "Q." The conspiracy theory is centered around the baseless belief that Trump waged a secret campaign against enemies in the "deep state" and that a group of satanic, cannibalistic child molesters secretly runs the globe. In the state Legislature, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified at a Jan. 6 hearing about Trump's pressure to overturn the 2020 election, faces a Trump-backed candidate in his bid to run for the state Senate. *** MICHIGAN The Republican primary for governor was wild from the start, with five candidates getting kicked off the ballot for failing to file enough valid nominating signatures. Several of the remaining candidates have baggage that could hurt in a general election against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Real estate broker Ryan Kelley has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges after authorities said he rallied Trump's supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. Businessman Kevin Rinke was sued in the 1990s for sex harassment and racial discrimination allegations he says were lies. Chiropractor Garrett Soldano hawked supplements he falsely claimed treated COVID-19. Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, who has been endorsed by Trump, has previously acted in low-budget horror pictures. All of the candidates falsely say there was fraud in the 2020 election, with Dixon, Kelley and Soldano saying the election was stolen from Trump. Republican Rep. Peter Meijer is hoping to hold on to his seat after voting to impeach Trump. The former president has endorsed businessman and missionary John Gibbs, who worked in the Trump administration under Housing Secretary Ben Carson. *** MISSOURI Greitens' political career appeared over when he resigned as governor in 2018, following his admission to an extramarital affair and accusations of blackmail and campaign finance violations. On Tuesday, the former Navy SEAL officer has a chance at redemption in his Republican primary for the seat held by retiring GOP U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler are the front-runners in a crowded 21-person GOP field that includes U.S. Rep. Billy Long and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis lawyer who along with his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters who ventured onto their private street. On Monday, Trump expressed support in a social media post for "ERIC," meaning either Schmitt or Greitens, without picking between them. The GOP winner in Missouri, a solidly Republican state, will be favored in November. But Republican leaders have long worried that Greitens his ex-wife has also accused him of abuse, allegations Greitens has called "baseless" could win the primary but lose the general election. On the Democratic side, the nomination appears to be up for grabs between Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran and self-proclaimed populist, and Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress of the Busch beer fortune who has largely self-funded her campaign. *** WASHINGTON Two Republican House members from Washington state who voted to impeach Trump face primary challengers endorsed by him. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011, has said she voted for impeachment because she had "an obligation to the Constitution." Trump has endorsed Joe Kent, a former Green Beret and a conservative cable show regular who echoes the former president's grievances about the 2020 election outcome. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a congressman since 2015, said he cast the vote to impeach Trump for inciting and refusing to immediately stop the Jan. 6 insurrection. Among his challengers is Loren Culp, a Trump-backed former small-town police chief who refused to concede the 2020 governor's race to Democrat Jay Inslee. In Washington, the top two vote-getters in each race, regardless of party, move forward to November. *** KANSAS Voters will decide whether to approve a change to the state constitution that could allow the Legislature to restrict or ban abortion despite a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that abortion access is a fundamental right. It's the first referendum on abortion by a state since Roe v. Wade's reversal. In statewide races, Republican Kris Kobach is running for attorney general as he attempts a political comeback following losses in races for governor and U.S. Senate in previous years. Kobach, the state's former secretary of state, served as vice chair of a short-lived Trump commission on election fraud after the 2016 election. *** BATTLE FOR THE SENATE Russian, French, and American leaders are traveling across Africa to win support for their countries positions on the war in Ukraine. Experts say it is the most intense competition for influence in Africa since the Cold War when the former Soviet Union and the West sought closer ties with the continent. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French President Emmanuel Macron began visiting several African countries. Samantha Power is head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She went to Kenya and Somalia in July. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is expected to go to Ghana and Uganda soon. Restarting old ties Lavrov has been traveling across Africa where many countries are suffering from food shortages. He sought to blame rising food prices on Western countries because they placed trade restrictions on Russia over its war in Ukraine. Western leaders have accused Russia of using food as a weapon. They have also accused Russia of fighting a war to gain more territory. Russia has been working to win support in Africa for several years. President Vladimir Putin has tried to strengthen relationships that are more than 50 years old. At that time, the Soviet Union supported many African movements fighting to push out European colonial rulers. The United Nations vote to condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine demonstrated some of Russias influence in Africa. Twenty-eight African nations voted in favor of the resolution. But, 25 countries abstained, meaning they did not vote at all. In late July, Russias top diplomat visited Egypt, Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Lavrov accused the U.S. and European countries of driving up food prices by pushing risky environmental policies. He also accused them of keeping large amounts of food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation in Ukraine did additionally negatively affect food markets, Lavrov said in Addis Ababa, Ethiopias capital. But he said food shortages were not caused by the Russian special operation, or war in Ukraine. He blamed the problems on the reaction of the West and its sanctions on his country. Aiming for increased influence Lavrov was warmly received in Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni. Museveni has been a U.S. ally for many years. But he has refused to criticize Russia over the invasion. Museveni even suggested at the outbreak of the war that Putins actions might be understandable because Ukraine is in Russias area of influence. Lavrov voiced support for reform of the U.N. Security Council to give African countries permanent seats and greater influence. Museveni is considered an opinion leader in Africa and has held power for about 30 years. Russia is also trying to win African public opinion through its state television network, RT, formerly known as Russia Today. RT has announced that it will open a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa. In March, RT was suddenly removed from Africas biggest paid-television service, Multichoice which is based in Johannesburg. The decision came after the European Union and Britain enforced sanctions against Russia. It is not clear whether creating the new office will permit RT to broadcast again to Africa through Multichoice. Multichoice claims 22 million people pay for its service. For Russia, it is the battle to be heard in Africa. It is not important for the actual war effort but for their long-term political influence, said Anton Harber. He is a professor of journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand. Thats the reality. On his trip to Africa, Frances Macron accused Russia of using TV channels like RT to spread propaganda in support of the war. Macron urged Africans not to side with Russia. He said, Im telling you here in Africa, a continent that has suffered from colonial imperialism: Russia is one of the last colonial, imperial powers. She decides to invade a neighboring country to defend her interests, he said. Thats the reality. Samantha Power, the top U.S. AID official, was in East Africa to promise aid to help the regions fight against hunger during a period of severe lack of rain. She also criticized Russias blocking of Ukraines grain exports and restricting the trade of Russias own fertilizer. Power said in Nairobi, that Putins actions have caused pain to the people of Kenya and on other countries throughout the world. He is hurting the people of Kenya, she added, in an effort to help his own situation. Im Anna Matteo. Andrew Meldrum and Mogomotsi Magome reported this story for the Associated Press. AP journalist Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda contributed to the story. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. __________________________________________________________ Words in This Story Cold War n. the nonviolent conflict between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union) after 1945 continent n. one of six or seven very large divisions of land on Earth rival adj. describing sides that are trying to defeat or be more successful than each other abstain v. to choose not to vote negatively adv. harmfully, badly sanctions n. (usually pl.) an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country _________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. What do you think of this story? We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday despite threats of strong measures from China. Pelosi became the highest-level American official to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China in 25 years. The trip could increase tension between the U.S. and China, which claims the island as part of its country. Pelosi and other lawmakers traveled to Taiwan in a U.S. military airplane. The group landed at Taipeis airport and was met by Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, and Sandra Oudkirk, the top U.S. representative in Taiwan. Pelosi is on a trip to Asia that includes announced visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Her stop in Taiwan had not been announced but had been expected. The speaker said in a statement shortly after landing that the visit was to honor Americas commitment and to support Taiwan. She said, "America's solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy." Reactions to Pelosis visit China has repeatedly warned of strong measures if Pelosi went ahead with the trip. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement that U.S. politicians who "play with fire" on the Taiwan issue will "come to no good end." And Chinas Defense Ministry said it would conduct targeted military operations to safeguard national sovereignty. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier on Monday that members of Congress have regularly visited the island over the years. He added, There is no reason for (China)to use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait. Shortly before Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, Chinese state media said Chinese Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Strait, the body of water that separates mainland China and Taiwan. Reuters news agency reported that several Chinese warships have also sailed near the unofficial dividing line of the strait since Monday and remained there. A U.S. Navy official told Reuters that four U.S. warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, were in the waters east of Taiwan on what the U.S. Navy called routine deployments. Taiwans Defense Ministry said it observed military activities near Taiwan and that it would send forces if needed to deal with "enemy threats. In the capital city of Taipei, two tall buildings are lit up with words of welcome, which said Welcome to Taiwan, Speaker Pelosi. Reasons behind Pelosis visit Pelosi is a long-time critic of Chinas human rights records. She was a newly elected lawmaker when Chinese tanks crushed the 1989 pro-democracy student protest in Tiananmen Square. Two years later, she joined other lawmakers at the square with a large sign that read to those who died for democracy in China. In 2009, she hand-delivered a letter to then-President Hu Jintao calling for the release of political prisoners. On Wednesday, Pelosi will meet with Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen and human rights activists. Bonnie Glaser is a Taiwan expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She told reporters that the damage to U.S.-China relations over Pelosi's visit would be hard to repair. "We all know how bad this relationship has been in the past year. And I just think that this visit by Nancy Pelosi is just going to take it to a new low," Glaser said. "And I think that it's going to be very difficult to recover from that." Im Jill Robbins. Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Reuters and The Associated Press. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story commitment n. a promise to do or give something solidarity n. a feeling of unity between people who have the same interests or goals sovereignty n. a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself pretext n. a reason that is given to hide the real reason for doing something routine n. a regular way of doing things ___________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Editors Note: The Lexington Clipper-Herald contributed to this report. DAWSON COUNTY Two longtime Dawson County newspapers, the Tri-City Trib and Gothenburg Times have ceased publishing. A staff-written post on the Tribunes Facebook page Friday said Platte Valley Media LLC of Gothenburg, which owns both papers, had informed its staff of the closures in a noon telephone call. Platte Valley Media, LLC, is registered in Gothenburg by Steve Windrum, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State. Windrum was contacted for questions, but had no comment regarding the Tri-City Tribune or the Gothenburg Times. The post said Times and Tribune subscribers would receive refunds based on how much time was left on their subscriptions. Josh Umholtz, listed in the post as a contact for advertising customers, did not return a call from The Telegraph. Websites for both papers were still online Friday afternoon, but Facebook pages for both had disappeared by then. Barb Bierman Batie, former correspondent for the Tri-City Tribune said they were told by phone call that publication would cease, effective immediately. The Tri-City Tribune office building had been sold earlier this year. The twin closures end a brief two-newspaper competition in both cities launched by the founding of the Gothenburg Leader in 2019 and the revival of the Cozad Local in 2021. Syndicate Publishing LLC, also located in Gothenburg, publishes the two newer weekly papers. The Gothenburg Times was founded back in 1908, it was purchased by father and son, Vance and Greg Viegutz in 1977 and operated it until 2015, when it was sold to Platte Valley Media. The Tri City Tribune was founded by Dean Dorsey in 1965; the paper was sold to Platte Valley Media in 2018. Syndicate Publishing, owned by Gothenburg Leader founders Colten Venteicher and John Bell, also owns the Callaway Courier and Minden Courier. Its revival of the Cozad Local last year resurrected a longtime name in that citys newspaper history. The original Local debuted on July 16, 1897, and lasted into the 1970s, according to a newspapers.com search. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy SCOTTSBLUFF -- For families affected by the Carter Canyon wildfires in the Nebraska Panhandle, the weekend was emotion-filled as they watched flames surround their rural neighborhoods for the second summer in a row. Cassy Eskam, together with her husband and children, live on a ranch at the base of Carter Canyon Road near Gering. When Eskams father, Todd Ouderkirk, and other neighbors first heard about the fire, she said, they started discing near a dam west of the properties. Every time I hear theres a fire, it scares me, she said. We have barely gotten any rain out by us this year. I prayed over and over for them to please get (the fires) contained before it spreads to our farm. The groundwork ended up being for naught as the fire advanced up the eastern side of a hill. It all happened super quick, Eskam said. The wind changed and the east fire spread very fast. The family had been stationed at the end of their driveway, watching the fire, when law enforcement notified them they needed to evacuate at about 10 p.m. Saturday, about four hours after the fire started. She had already started packing, just in case, and they grabbed a few other items. Her parents moved vehicles and tractors to a nearby hay field in an effort to get them away from the fire. The familys dogs were quickly grabbed and the Eskams had to move lambs, which her children are scheduled to show this week in fair. Four hours away, Michelle Schaneman Perkins felt hopeless as she and her husband learned that their home was threatened by the wildfire. They had traveled to Colorado to take their son to the airport and learned about the fire through family and neighbors. Most of the communication they received indicated that their home, and the homes of other family members, had been destroyed. For Perkins, this news was particularly emotional due to the longstanding ties that her family had to the homes, which have stood for more than 100 years in some cases. Perkins great-grandparents, Emerson and Daisy Ewing, homesteaded on Carter Canyon Road in 1910. Her grandmother, Goldie Ewing Wilson Bixby, lived in the house that stood for four generations until it was destroyed Saturday. Most of it was the original house, Perkins said. It was renovated in the 1970s, and after her grandmothers death, the family rented it until recent years when it was vacated. All that stands now is a chimney and a wood-burning stove, Perkins said. Though the family believes they may have gotten most important mementos out of the home well before the fires, she said, they worry that they didnt get everything that may have had sentimental value. Perkins and her husband live across the road in a house that had once been her parents home. They were having dinner in Denver when they received word from neighbors about the fire. In one text, she said, a neighbor said he tried to get to their home to turn on water at the house to keep the flames at bay, but "it was just too bad." The couple immediately got into their vehicle, she said, went to a hotel to pick up their belongings and returned to Gering. After a stop at the Gering Fire Station, where she said they were told that their home was likely gone, they slept in their pickup truck until heading out, hopeful they could check on it. At that point, she said, all she could think about were the items she had been given from her grandmother and other family members that she feared had been destroyed in the fire. My grandma was a big historian, she said. We have a family tree that traces back to the coasts and documents that one of our family members was killed by Indians. ... I have kept every single document (given to her by her grandmother). I even have things like my great-great-grandfathers Bible and my grandmothers Bible. I must have like 20 family Bibles. All I could think of was those Bibles going up in smoke. As they traveled down Carter Canyon Road, she said, they could see their home was safe it stood out with the ugly yellow house roof because my dad liked yellow. But they looked to the right to see her grandmothers home had been destroyed. Other family members, such as her second cousin David Ewing, also live in nearby homes that had been passed down for generations. The home that David lived in with his wife, Carolyne, was also destroyed. Fire officials reported a third home had been destroyed Saturday and several homes sustained damage. Like Perkins, the Eskams and the Ouderkirks also returned Sunday morning to find their homes still standing. But next to a cabin on the family property, they could see charred grass and trees just feet away. They are still holding their breath until the fire is completely contained. As of Tuesday, fire officials were reporting the fire to be only about 33% contained and some estimates were that more than 15,600 acres had been burned. It's believed lightning sparked the blaze, and thunderstorms moved through the area on Tuesday. Ben Bohall, a public information officer with the Nebraska Forest Service, estimated that as many as 29 departments were still fighting the wildfire with around 140 to 150 firefighters on the ground and aerial support from one SEAT plane with the Nebraska Forest Service and two UH-60 Blackhawks from the Nebraska National Guard. For many of the families, like the Ouderkirks, the fire is also threatening their livelihood, with cattle grazing in the canyons. On their Carter Canyon property, buildings including a barn and supplies such as hay burned. They returned to find tractors and everything intact. Perkins and her husband are staying in their fifth-wheel camper as the fire took out their well and some of the water lines to their home. Damage cant be fully assessed until power is returned to the area. Having grown up knowing many of the families who live in the area, Perkins expressed appreciation for the firefighters who have saved her home and others. She said many have heard from people offering generous help to those impacted by the fire. She has been passing along those resources to her cousin, and a GoFundMe has also been started for his family. Donations can be made at bit.ly/3zpIGv5. Jessica Bulman-Pozen (Columbia University - Law School) & Miriam Seifter (University of Wisconsin Law School) have posted Countering the New Election Subversion: The Democracy Principle and the Role of State Courts (Wisconsin Law Review (forthcoming 2022)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Among the threats to American democracy, the most serious may also be the most banal: that future elections will be compromised by quiet changes to the law. State legislators across the country have passed bills that give them power to reject the will of voters. They have established sham audits and investigations. And they have introduced new criminal offenses that undermine professional election administration. Power-shifting legislation, audits, and criminal penalties advertise their fealty to law, but they threaten the franchise and electoral integrity as well as nonpartisan, expert election administration. Because of their ostensibly legal, even legalistic, character, however, these forms of election subversion complicate ordinary judicial countermand. Federal courts, in particular, have foreclosed many of their own means of responding to such measures. This essay, written for the University of Wisconsin Law School Symposium on Interpretation in the States, describes why state courts are well situated to counter the new election subversion. Building on our prior work exploring the democracy principle in state constitutions, we explain how the text, structure, and history of states foundational documents privilege popular sovereignty, majority rule, and political equality. After canvassing emerging threats to elections across the country, we then explain how state courts might apply the democracy principle to address the new election subversion. Highly recommended. TOKYO (AP) The United States is working with Japan and other likeminded countries to counter China's efforts to use its economic might to force political change around the world, the U.S. ambassador to Japan said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. Rahm Emanuel, who was previously mayor of Chicago and chief of staff for President Barack Obama, is pushing what he calls commercial diplomacy, the idea that the United States and Japan will be more eager to do business with each other and with similar secure and stable countries amid worries caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Chinese economic coercion. From intellectual property theft to coercion to debt dependency that China creates, the idea that they could actually honestly say, We dont coerce, and then you have not one, not two, not three many worldwide examples where they use their economic market access to force a political change in a country ... I think everybodys woken up to that, Emanuel said in the interview at his residence in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Emanuel, who arrived in Japan in January, laid out a number of examples of Chinese coercion, including with Japan, which saw Chinese shipments of rare earth metals blocked over a territorial dispute; South Korea, which suffered Chinese business boycotts when it installed a U.S. missile defense system; Australia; and countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Chinas growing economic importance and spending abroad have rattled those countries, which worry that Beijing is increasing its strategic and political influence in their traditional spheres of influence. China has become one of the biggest lenders to developing countries through its Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Europe. This has prompted accusations Beijing is using debt to gain political leverage, but Chinese officials deny that. China has been more assertive about pressing other governments to embrace Chinese-led initiatives including a trade group, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Emanuel said that finding ways for Japan and the United States to stand up to Chinese economic coercion was one of the first issues he raised with Japans foreign minister. Japan has expressed deep worry about increased Chinese activities in regional seas, including near a Japanese-controlled island claimed by Beijing, and has pushed for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Emanuel praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas pledge of a significant increase in both the countrys defense budget and its military capabilities. Kishidas attempts to revise Japans national security strategy and basic defense guidelines are a legacy of his hawkish mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July. Kishida has also said he is open to the development of possible preemptive strike capabilities, which opponents say would go far beyond Japans war-renouncing constitution, which restricts the use of force to self-defense. Kishida also has proposed significantly increasing Japans defense budget possibly doubling to 2% of GDP, a NATO standard over the next five years. Much to the prime ministers credit, he looked around the corner and realized what was happening in this region and the world Japan needed to step up in ways it hadnt in the past, Emanuel said. Emanuel also mentioned economic opportunities for Japan and the United States in electric vehicle batteries, energy, new research and technology in small modular nuclear reactors, aviation technology and semiconductors. The business leaders whom he has met with as ambassador to Japan would have evaluated a capital expenditure decision in the past purely by considering cost, logistics and efficiency, he said, but they are now willing to pay more to avoid sanctions and instability. That is a major change in thinking, he said. For the last 20 or 30 years, cost and efficiency were the driving factors. They drove public policy, and they drove corporate decisions. Today cost and efficiency are being replaced, supplanted by stability and sustainability," Emanuel said. AP writer Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report. Public safety officials are investigating after a crash that included several vehicles on South Stoughton Road injured one Monday afternoon, authorities said. Authorities arrived to the 2200 block of South Stoughton Road around 2:15 p.m. upon receiving reports about a three-vehicle wreck involving a semi-truck, the Madison Fire Department said late Monday afternoon. The semi had collided with a rear of a truck, which struck two other vehicles, the Madison Police Department said Monday night. Paramedics took the injured person whose identity has not been released as of Monday night to the hospital. The patient's injuries were not life-threatening, Madison police said. But the incident resulted in the hours-long closure of Stoughton Road at Buckeye Road late Monday afternoon. The Madison Police Department and Dane County Sheriff's Office assisted the fire department at the scene. The Wisconsin State Patrol is helping Madison police with its investigation, which remains ongoing. A Blanchardville man was seriously injured when he crashed his motorcycle while passing illegally in Green County on Monday afternoon, authorities reported. Shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, emergency responders were sent to the W8700 block of Highway 39 in the town of York for a motorcycle crash with injury, the Green County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. Investigators determined that Chad A. Schneider, 50, was driving a motorcycle east on Highway 39 when he attempted to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone, was unable to negotiate the curve in the road after passing the vehicle and went into the ditch, the Sheriffs Office said. Schneider, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle, suffered serious injuries and was flown to a hospital by MedFlight helicopter, the Sheriffs Office said. School districts across Dane County are struggling to fill vacant positions with just a month left before the first day of school. The effect of a shrinking pool of educators can be felt around the county, as school districts scramble to become fully staffed before September. Twelve Dane County school districts had roughly 649 teacher, administrative and support staff vacancies, combined, at the end of July. The Madison School District accounted for 323 of those teacher and support staff vacancies, or 6% of its 5,400-person workforce. The Marshall School District, one of Dane Countys smallest with roughly 950 students enrolled during the 2021-22 school year, had three unfilled positions at the start of August, which Superintendent Dan Grady said isnt out of the ordinary. But, the lack of interested and available candidates to fill those positions is concerning for K-12 education, he said. Madison School District spokesperson Tim LeMonds attributed Madisons vacant positions to the state Legislatures refusal to appropriately fund schools, combined with historical trends of declining participation in teacher education which, he said, has created unprecedented staffing pressures for school districts in the Badger State. Between May and July, the Madison School District saw 426 staff departures and 94 hires, according to data presented to the Madison School Board. Nationally, the ratio of hires to job openings in the education sector reached new lows as the 2021-22 school year started, and stood at 0.57 hires for every open position in February, according to the National Education Association. About 90% of educators surveyed by the National Education Association in January said they felt that burnout was a serious problem, and 96% said raising educator salaries was the most effective way of combating that burnout. The Madison School Board in July approved a 3% base wage increase for all staff, two-thirds of what local teachers union Madison Teachers Inc. had asked for in May, at the start of negotiations. Many other large and mid-size districts in the state approved 4.7% increases, the maximum amount allowed under 2011 Act 10s inflationary caps on wage negotiations. MTI president Mike Jones said he was disappointed by the decision, saying it could affect staffing and hiring for the coming school year. Were going to be planning for a school year knowing were going to be down staffing-wise with no discernable plan by the district to increase hiring, he told the State Journal in July. Were going to have to make some tough decisions on our end. Neither Jones nor Board President Ali Muldrow was immediately available for comment this week. The use of emergency teaching licenses to help fill vacant positions in Wisconsin has increased during the past decade. Those licenses allow people with a bachelors degree who have not completed a teacher training program to teach, or for teachers or staff members to work outside the subject or grade level they were initially licensed to teach. Across the state, the number of emergency licenses issued nearly tripled from 1,126 in the 2012-13 school year to 3,016 in the 2019-20 school year, and then increased another 30% to 3,942 in the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. District vacancies as of July 28 Belleville (928 students) two teaching and administrative positions, 2 support positions DeForest (4,039 students)* four teaching positions, 10 support positions Madison (25,497 students) 199 teaching positions, 124 support positions Marshall (953 students) three teaching positions McFarland (5,182 students) six teaching positions, 3 support positions Middleton-Cross Plains (7,252 students) 22 teaching and administrative positions, 42 support positions Monona Grove (3,550 students) 17 teaching positions, 27 support positions Mount Horeb (2,384 students) 21 support positions Oregon (4,159 students) three teaching and administrative positions, 10 support positions Sun Prairie (8,381 students) 33 teaching and administrative positions, 54 support positions Verona (5,732 students) five teaching positions, 20 support positions Waunakee (4,388 students) 12 teaching and administrative positions, 30 support positions Note: The Cambridge, Deerfield, Stoughton and Wisconsin Heights school districts did not respond to a request for data. * Several positions have candidates who have applied and are in the hiring process. The three major Republicans running in next weeks gubernatorial primary for the chance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November did not commit to supporting a 2024 presidential bid by Donald Trump including Trumps chosen candidate Tim Michels. Speaking at a WISN-12 town hall on Monday, Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based construction company Michels Corp., also backtracked on comments he made last month indicating that decertifying the results of the 2020 election was not a priority if he is elected governor this fall. I will look at all the evidence and everything will be on the table and I will make the right decision, Michels said Monday when asked if he would sign legislation seeking to decertify the elections results a proposal that has received bipartisan criticism as a legal and constitutional impossibility. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who was almost evenly tied with Michels leading the race in June polling, said, no, its not constitutionally possible. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, an election denier whose gubernatorial campaign has focused largely on his ongoing efforts to reclaim the states 10 Electoral College votes delivered for President Joe Biden, said he would sign legislation the nanosecond it hits my desk. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin. Michels and Kleefisch also downplayed Trumps alleged involvement in the events leading up to the insurrection attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, where Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after attending a nearby rally held by the former president. I havent seen any evidence that Donald Trump said, Go to the Capitol now and storm it, Michels said. I dont think he would have done that. I dont think he did anything wrong. I believe that human beings are responsible for their own actions, Kleefisch said. And so ultimately those people who did storm the Capitol are responsible for what they did. Ramthun said he wouldnt speculate on the events leading up to Jan. 6, 2021. The three Republicans also did not directly answer when asked if they would support Trump if the former president mounts a run for the White House in 2024. Trump will be in Waukesha on Friday to hold a rally in support of Michels, who he has endorsed in the race. Im focused on this election right now, Michels said. I have made no commitments to any candidates in 2024. What I am focusing on is beating Tony Evers. Kleefisch also did not commit to supporting Trump in 2024, but referenced a recent report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which said that when meeting with Michels, Trump complained about a tweet Kleefisch posted in 2019 that included a picture of her daughter with the son of Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn. The conservative-backed justice has come under fire from some Republicans for sometimes voting alongside liberal justices on matters, including Trumps failed lawsuit to overturn the 2020 elections results. As a mom, that is something that I have no words for, Kleefisch said. As far as 2024 goes, I can commit to you that I will support the Republican nominee and it looks like we have an assortment to choose from. Ramthun also did not commit to supporting Trump if he launches a 2024 bid for president. Kleefisch has been endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence once a close ally to Trump who, like the former president, is mulling his own 2024 prospects and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce rival turned close ally of Trump who won Wisconsins 2016 presidential primary. Michels and Kleefisch were leading the race, separated by 1 percentage point, in recent statewide polling. Ramthun, who has been endorsed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and business owner Adam Fischer are also running in the Aug. 9 primary. Ramthun polled more than 20 points behind Michels and Kleefisch in June. Fischer was not included in the poll. The winner of the primary will go on to face incumbent Evers on Nov. 8 in a high-stakes midterm election for both parties that could dramatically shape Wisconsin policy over the next four years. All three Republicans said they would accept the results of the Aug. 9 primary. After recommending state lawmakers take a very hard look at decertifying the results of the 2020 presidential election back in March, the former state Supreme Court justice leading the GOP-ordered election review later backed off on his decertification proposal, describing it as a practical impossibility in a private memo. Michael Gableman, who was hired last summer by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to lead the review into Wisconsins presidential election, made national headlines on March 1 when he unveiled his interim report to the Assembly elections committee. In it, Gableman offered sweeping criticisms of how the election was administered and endorsed the prospect of decertifying the elections results something experts, nonpartisan attorneys and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say is a legal and constitutional impossibility. Just two weeks later, Gablemans Office of Special Counsel sent a letter to Vos following a request for further analysis on the topic of reclaiming the states 10 Electoral College votes delivered to President Joe Biden. Calls for decertification have continued now 20 months after the election due in large part to repeated and baseless claims of widespread election fraud by former President Donald Trump. While decertification of the 2020 presidential election is theoretically possible, it is unprecedented and raises numerous substantial constitutional issues that would be difficult to resolve, Gableman wrote in the March 16 memo. Thus, the legal obstacles to its accomplishment render such an outcome a practical impossibility. The memo, first reported by The Washington Post, was obtained by liberal watchdog group American Oversight as part of an open records request. It was provided to the Wisconsin State Journal on Tuesday. My best advice to anyone whose paramount concern is ensuring fair, honest, and transparent elections in Wisconsin is to set aside any impulse to waste finite time, effort, and energy in pursuit of an end that, like Macbeths ruminations are, full of sound and fury, signifying at best a symbolic result, Gableman wrote. Gableman was hired by Vos last summer at a cost of $676,000 after pressure from Trump. However, legal fees and other court expenses have pushed the price tag to more than $1.1 million all of which will ultimately fall on taxpayers. About $230,000 of that cost comes from recent court rulings ordering Vos and Gableman to pay American Oversights legal fees in two open records cases related to the election review. American Oversight has filed four open records cases related to the review against Vos, the state Assembly and Gableman. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that Biden defeated Trump by about 21,000 votes in the states 2020 presidential election. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin. Despite that, decertification continues as a GOP talking point leading up to the Aug. 9 gubernatorial primary. Among Republicans running for the chance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November, Trump-backed candidate Tim Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based construction company Michels Corp., said at a Monday town hall everything will be on the table and I will make the right decision, when asked about decertifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who was almost evenly tied with Michels leading the race in June polling, said, no, its not constitutionally possible. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, an election denier whose gubernatorial campaign has focused largely on his ongoing efforts to reclaim the states 10 Electoral College votes delivered for Biden, said he would sign legislation the nanosecond it hits my desk. Ramthun said last week only Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, who chairs the Assembly elections committee, and Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego, had signed on as co-sponsors to his latest resolution aimed at decertifying the presidential election. Ramthun has said his resolution only seeks to reclaim the 10 Electoral College votes delivered to Biden, and not any of the other races on the ballot that year, including his own. He also said he was open to considering similar measures for the 2019 and 2018 elections. Mike Pence will travel to Pewaukee on Wednesday to attend a roundtable with former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who the former vice president has endorsed leading up to an Aug. 9 primary against Donald Trump-backed candidate Tim Michels. Kleefisch announced Tuesday that Pence and former Gov. Scott Walker, who she served under for eight years, will join her for a law enforcement roundtable discussion, which will occur two days before Trump comes to Waukesha County to hold a rally in support of Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp. Kleefisch is in a sharply contested primary with Michels, who has also been backed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson. Other Republicans in the race include state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, and Adam Fischer. In addition to Pence, Kleefisch has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce Trump rival turned close ally, who won Wisconsins 2016 presidential primary. Shes also been backed by more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg. Michels and Kleefisch were leading the race, separated by 1 percentage point, in recent statewide polling. Ramthun, who has been endorsed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, polled more than 20 points behind Michels and Kleefisch in June. Fischer was not included in the poll. The winner of the primary will go on to face incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Nov. 8 in a high-stakes midterm election for both parties that could dramatically shape Wisconsin policy over the next four years. After receiving legal threats from a Republican lawmaker for his inaction, Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette has finished sending out documents to Congress and other states as required by approved legislation about holding a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution to limit federal powers. As a result, Sen. Kathleen Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, dropped her threat to sue La Follette for not sending the documents, which her office had been asking him to send since February. She had threatened legal action if La Follette didnt send them by Monday, though La Follette said he confirmed with a state Department of Justice attorney that there was no deadline to send the documents. He finally bought some envelopes, Bernier said Sunday in a text message, attaching a laughing emoji. The documents pertain to 2021 Assembly Joint Resolution 9, a measure to amend the U.S. Constitution to impose federal fiscal constraints, limit the federal governments power and limit terms of office for members of Congress. The resolution held that the secretary of state must send an application to Congress and other state legislatures for a convention of states. Thirty-four state legislatures would need to approve the measure for Congress to call a convention, and it would take 38 states to ratify the proposed amendments in order to become part of the U.S. Constitution. La Follettes office officially received the resolution in March, but he hadnt sent out the documents because, he said, Republicans had stripped away his offices resources to the point where it didnt have enough money or staff to send them. Between February and June, Berniers office sent La Follette several reminders to send the documents. The situation culminated in Berniers threat in early July to bring legal action if he didnt send them out by Monday. La Follette then bought envelopes and mailed out the documents at an estimated cost of between $200 and $300, La Follette said Monday. He said he mailed out the last documents early last week. Candidate Q&A: Secretary of State Democratic Primary Wisconsin's longtime Secretary of State Doug La Follette will face Dane County Democratic Party chair Alexia Sabor in the Aug. 9 primary for the seat. La Follette, 82, is seeking his 11th consecutive term to an office whose duties have dwindled to almost nothing. The cost is not the big deal, La Follette said. The big deal is just the practicality of doing it, given the budget issues and lack of adequate staff in the office to get our work done. Candidate Q&A: Secretary of State Republican Primary Three Republicans all seeking to shift election administration from a bipartisan board to an elected office will meet in the Aug. 9 primary for secretary of state. Berniers chief of staff, Michael Luckey, at one point offered to assist La Follette in mailing the letters, but La Follette didnt take him up on the offer. Thats just a crazy thing, La Follette said Monday. I mean, agencies dont normally swap resources back and forth to an agency. Agencies short on money can also request more from the Legislatures budget committee. Saying the effort of going to the Joint Finance Committee for more money was a lengthy process and pretty crazy business, La Follette said the committee has for years rejected giving him more staff or money. He didnt ask for more funding in this instance because, he said, the procedure exists for emergencies, and a DOJ attorney told him this situation wasnt an emergency. A DOJ attorney told La Follette that the joint resolution doesnt specify a timeline for sending out the documents but advised the secretary of state to send them out in a reasonable amount of time, DOJ spokesperson Gillian Drummond said. Drummond added that the attorney said transmitting the documents electronically would have been sufficient. La Follette called the situation ridiculous and said Bernier, who isnt running for reelection, was making a political move. It isnt like the people are waiting for (the documents) so they can do something, La Follette said. It is truly a symbolic issue for them to pass the resolution and for us to mail it. It has no impact. It doesnt change anything. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson castigated U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan, but defended her right to travel to the disputed island, calling Chinas threatening reaction to the trip completely unwarranted and over the top. Theres nothing wrong with a representative of the U.S. Government going to Taiwan, Johnson, R-Oshkosh, said in a statement. That said, Speaker Pelosis trip was bungled from the start. She and President (Joe) Biden members of the same political party should have reached agreement on the trip and then not disclosed it so far in advance. They gave China time to develop its provocative and unjustified response, and unnecessarily created an international incident. Just plain stupid. With her Tuesday arrival, Pelosi became the highest-level American official to visit Taiwan in over two decades. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China. Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the islands decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they dont support. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he backed Pelosis visit as a display of support for Taiwans democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative are utterly absurd. McConnell joined 25 other Republican senators Tuesday to publicly support Pelosis trip in a statement. Johnson was not one of those senators. The Biden administration did not explicitly urge Pelosi to call off her plans, but Biden told reporters that the military didnt think the trip would be a good idea. The Biden administration repeatedly and publicly assured Beijing that the visit would not signal any change in U.S. policy on Taiwan. Soon after Pelosis arrival, China announced a series of military operations and drills, which followed promises of resolute and strong measures if Pelosi went through with her visit. The White House decried Beijings rhetoric, saying the U.S. has no interest in deepening tensions with China and will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Travis Austin started working at the polls in 2018 as a high school student, checking addresses and getting people registered. Since then, he was elected to his town board, declared a major in political science and began studying for the LSAT. I wanted to know how our elections were run as a kid, said Austin, 21, who will be a senior at UW-Madison this fall. When you see the process firsthand, you know that the systems and safeguards work, we can trust it and its our democracy. What is America without elections and democracy? Austin is among the thousands of citizens around Wisconsin who have volunteered to work at the polls during the states partisan primary on Aug. 9. For 14 hours, they will check in voters, hand them ballots, operate election equipment and serve as the sentinels of a free, fair and secure election. County and municipal clerks say they couldnt run elections without them. Theres always a need, Shawano County Clerk Kara Skarlupka said. Each municipality needs three to five participants, and double that when poll workers are taking shifts. And for the November election, we will need even more workers. In 2020, with people primarily sheltering at home, Austin knew there would be an outsize number of absentee ballots and he wanted to help shoulder the burden in the small, rural town of Berry, about 17 miles northwest of Madison. Most poll workers are retirees, he said, but as a young college student, he wanted to do his part to make sure the election ran smoothly. When Austin returned to school in the fall, he decided to volunteer at the polls in Madison, facilitating the November 2020 election alongside many fellow college students. It was kind of neat to be out there with such a young poll worker force for the first time, he said. Experience at the polls served Austin well as he ran for office ahead of the election last spring. He said he spoke to a lot of people who didnt trust the electoral process and was able to explain what he had seen as a poll worker. Theres all these claims of fraud with the 2020 election, he said. Whats intriguing is we actually caught a case of potential voter fraud. Somebody was able to have two absentee ballots issued and managed to have both of them make it back to the polling place. Even though the ballots had gotten through a few hurdles, we rejected the double vote. The systems work. I understood and I could speak from firsthand account as to how the voting process works. Matter of fairness Deborah Nelson, a retired Shawano County resident, will be working her first election on Aug. 9. Accusations of voter fraud are what inspired her to sign up. She recalled watching on TV as people gathered outside of polling places during Wisconsins 2020 election, banging on windows and yelling at poll workers. Nelson suspects that the state lost some election workers because of it. Still, the reward outweighs the risk for Nelson. The Democrat said its important to have an equal number of poll workers from each party on the day of the election. Ive never missed a vote, she said, but I havent been physically politically active or knocking on doors for six or seven years. This is a great way to fulfill my need to be physically doing something for democracy. Nelson used to be a political activist. During the 11 years she worked at the front desk for the Green Bay Police Department, Nelson traveled around the state to support different union organizing efforts. She protested with the Madison teachers union in 2011 and knocked on doors for every election. Its a matter of fairness, thats how I see it, said Nelson. We hear so much about the bad things that go on, and Im helping to stand up for truth, honesty and transparency. ... It really makes me feel patriotic. This is our duty But finding enough people to make that commitment continues to be a challenge. In Madison, there were 1,559 election workers in August 2018. For the upcoming primary, the city has registered 1,355. Thats part of why Rabbi Bonnie Margulis said she decided to serve in her third consecutive election as a poll worker. As executive director of Wisconsin Faith Voices of Justice, Margulis said she considers it her duty to make sure everyone in the state has access to the right to vote. We are a nonpartisan organization... we dont care who you vote for, Margulis said. We only care that you participate in democracy, and that starts at the polling booth. Margulis added that voting is central to her faith and to Wisconsin Faith Voices of Justice, which for the last six years has been involved in initiatives to protect the right to vote. In 2016, Margulis and her organization used social media and e-news to distribute information about updated Wisconsin voter ID laws. In 2019, the group partnered with the Wisconsin Council of Churches to organize congregations and clergy around the state to help with voter education and registration. In 2020, Wisconsin Faith Voices of Justice sent out 12 chaplains to keep peace at polling places. Clergy members were meant to be a calming presence as they help voters at polling places, Margulis said. Recently, the two groups sent eight congregations to canvass in low-voter turnout neighborhoods around Dane County. We absolutely believe as people of faith that this is our duty, Margulis said. We absolutely believe the right to vote is sacred. We believe that everybody is endowed with human worth and dignity. Part of that dignity is being able to choose who represents you and how you want to see our states and our nation run. When Margulis was a poll watcher in 2016, she said a UW-Madison professor came to her precinct to vote. To prove his identity, he had intended to use his university ID. But the law had changed, and the ID was no longer good for voting. A week away from turning 100, the professor couldnt drive to get a state ID. But a volunteer at the polling place was able to drive him to the DMV, get the ID and help him vote, she said. Stories like that are why its important to have responsible, nonpartisan people committed to facilitating democracy at the polls, she said. Without commitment from poll workers, that professor would have lost the right to vote. Republican Tim Michels, the millionaire co-owner of Brownsville-based Michels Corp., spent another $4 million of his own money on his largely self-funded bid for governor in the final full month before the Aug. 9 primary. In state legislative races, candidates are running for the first time this year in districts generally more partisan and less competitive than the last 10 years, yet candidate and partisan committee fundraising has never been more lucrative, a new report shows. Pre-primary campaign finance reports filed Monday covering July show Michels, who has been backed by former President Donald Trump, has poured nearly $12 million of his own funds into his campaign since entering the race in late April. In July alone, Michels spent $2.3 million on TV ads and another $360,000 online. Michels $12 million in spending, which amounts to about $850,000 a week since he entered the race, is already the most a Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate has spent on their campaign, said Matthew Rothschild, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending. The next-closest was Republican Mark Neumann, who spent over $5.8 million of his own funds leading up to his loss in the 2010 gubernatorial primary to former Gov. Scott Walker. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke spent a little over $5 million leading up to her general election loss to Walker in 2014. The next-highest was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Gronik, who spent more than $700,000 of his own funds before he withdrew from the race before the 2018 primary that ultimately sent Gov. Tony Evers to his November victory over Walker that year. Michels is in a sharply contested primary with fellow Republican and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who raised more than $550,000 in July and more than $7.5 million since entering the race back in September, according to reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Other Republicans in the race include state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who reported raising less than $18,000 last month, and Adam Fischer, who raised about $250. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will go on to face Evers, who is seeking a second term this fall, in the Nov. 8 election. Evers raised more than $1.1 million last month, bringing his total since the start of the year to more than $11 million. Fundraising figures are just one component of a successful campaign, but they can offer a glimpse into the campaign or partys organization, donor base and overall support. Endorsements In addition to Trump, who will host a Friday rally in Waukesha County to support his chosen candidate, Michels has also been endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson. Trump had also planned to host an American Freedom Tour event in Milwaukee on Aug. 20, but an official with the event said Tuesday the former presidents visit had been postponed due to his rally on Friday. Kleefisch has been endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence once a close Trump ally who, like the former president, is mulling his own 2024 prospects and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a fierce Trump rival turned close ally, who won Wisconsins 2016 presidential primary. She also has been backed by Walker, with whom she served for eight years, and more than 50 Republican state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg. Pence will travel to Pewaukee on Wednesday for a law enforcement roundtable discussion with Kleefisch and Walker. Michels and Kleefisch were leading the race, separated by 1 percentage point, in a June statewide poll. Ramthun, who has been endorsed by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, polled more than 20 points behind them. Fischer was not included in the poll. Legislative fundraising The roughly $7.5 million legislative candidates and partisan campaign committees raised in the first six months of 2022 breaks the previous $7.12 million record covering the first half of 2020, according to a new report from Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. In the first half of 2018 the last time there were gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and legislative races in the same year the campaigns and candidates raised just over $5.9 million. The Republican campaign committees for the Senate and Assembly raised a combined total of $2.27 million, compared with about $920,000 from the Democratic campaigns. Here are the five top-earning candidates of the first half of 2022: Rep. Steve Doyle , D-Onalaska: $547,972 Rep. Katrina Shankland , D-Stevens Point: $248,451 Republican Brian Westrate of Fall Creek, who is running in the 23rd Senate District to replace retiring Sen. Kathleen Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls: $144,057 Sen. Jeff Smith , D-Brunswick: $131,774 Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara , R-Appleton, whos running in the 19th Senate District to replace lieutenant governor candidate Sen. Roger Roth, R-Appleton: $125,802 Of the five candidates, Doyles district is the most competitive, with a 1% Republican lean according to an analysis by Marquette Law School research fellow John Johnson. Doyle is facing a primary challenge against Republican Ryan Huebsch, who raised about $26,000 in the first half of 2022. Shanklands district leans Democratic by 7 points. She will face off against the winner between Republicans Robert Glisczinski, who brought in about $2,600 in the first half of 2022, and Scott Soik, who brought in about $9,600 in the same time frame. Westrate is running in a solidly Republican district but faces two other Republicans in the primary: Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, who raised $20,400, and Sandra Scholz, who raised $7,250. Smiths district leans Republican by 2 points. His Republican challenger, Dave Estenson, raised $28,725 in the first half of 2022. TOWN OF DOVER A ballot addressed to a state representative was delivered over the weekend to the home of a Racine man who said he has been illegally ordering ballots on behalf of other officials. But there is something different about this ballot. Harry Wait says he didn't request it. It is not clear who did. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has yet to comment on the situation. Wait is the Racine County man being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice after he admitted to requesting other people's absentee ballots online without providing photo ID, a felony, in order to expose what he said was a vulnerability in Wisconsin's election law. Under state law, a voter ID only needs to be provided once to make absentee ballot requests. The Republican-controlled state Legislature passed a bill last year that would have required voter ID be presented for every request, but Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it, saying it would make it more difficult for some to vote particularly older Wisconsinites and those with disabilities. The ballot that arrived over the weekend was addressed to state Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto. Behnke's ballot arrived at Wait's home in the same way that ballots for Racine Mayor Cory Mason and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, were delivered Friday: with the voter's name on the envelope but with Wait's Shianne Street address. "I received an absentee ballot that I did not order" Wait said in a text to a Racine Journal Times reporter Sunday, accompanied by a photo of Behnke's ballot envelope. The state-operated MyVote.Wi.gov website confirms that an absentee ballot for Behnke was requested to be sent to Wait's home. MyVote shows the request was made July 26, the same day Wait said he surreptitiously requested other voters' ballots. Wait said he is contacting the Racine County Sheriff's Office for further investigation. In an email Monday morning, a legislative assistant to Behnke, Jared Heckman, said, "Representative Behnke did not request his ballot be sent to Mr. Waits address. He is currently working with the authorities to determine what happened. Well keep you updated as things progress." Elijah Behnke Elijah Behnke was first elected in April 2021. Less than a year later, in January 2022, he made headlines after being secretly recorded in his Capitol office. In that recording, Behnke: Called Assembly Speaker Robin Vos a swamp creature." Said he wants to punch Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Questioned the validity of Joe Biden's 2020 election win. Said Republicans need to cheat like the Democrats or bend the rules to win upcoming elections. Widespread, differing concerns Wait made his own address public when he uploaded a video of himself illegally requesting ballots for Mason and Vos among others be sent to his home, to the video-sharing website Rumble.com on Thursday. At an emergency meeting Thursday, WEC commissioners said they feared Wait's actions could inspire copycats. Several encouraged prosecutors to quickly bring charges against Wait as a deterrent against others who may aim to compromise elections. When people commit crimes, they should be referred (to prosecutors for criminal charges) and prosecuted. That would end it. That would end this game plan," Commissioner Mark Thomsen, a Democratic appointee, said. "As soon as a few people go to prison for falsely using peoples names, thats going to stop. As of Sunday evening, Wait remained out of custody and not charged. After Wait admitted what he had done to Sheriff Christopher Schmaling and other officials Wednesday afternoon, the Racine County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Friday that "Criminal arrests, where police physically place a citizen in handcuffs, are made after thorough investigations and the formulation of probable cause. Criminal arrests are not based upon late-night emails and requests to be arrested." Wait said he has no plans to cast ballots on behalf of Vos, Mason or the friends of his whose ballots he said he was given permission to request. He said his sole intent has been to draw attention to how easy it is for someone to use MyVote to request ballots intended for other people be delivered to any address. Only those who have voted by mail previously can have their absentee ballot requested online via MyVote, without use of voter ID and without claiming to be indefinitely confined. The Racine County Sheriff's Office calls this online functionality a "vulnerability" to Wisconsin's election system. Schmaling, in a statement Wednesday, said I am disheartened by the apparent vulnerabilities in MyVote Wisconsin that are ripe for fraud, and everyone no matter their political leanings should join in requesting a thorough, statewide, investigation into this significant election integrity issue. A WEC spokesman had not replied to a request for comment regarding Behnke's ballot by early afternoon Monday. Elections experts have pointed out that a scheme similar to Wait's would be unlikely to go unnoticed, especially on a wide scale. Should one of the people whose ballot he requested go to vote in the Aug. 9 primary, election officials would almost certainly realize that absentee ballots in their names had already been requested, which would likely lead investigators to Wait since the ballots were sent to his home. Wait and the group he is president of, HOT (Honest, Open, Transparent) Government, have repeatedly claimed the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and have called for it to be overturned. Wait has campaigned in favor of Republican Assembly candidate Adam Steen, who wants to see the 2020 election overturned and has made that a central tenet of his primary challenge to Vos in District 63. A man was taken to a local hospital after he was rescued from the drum of a concrete mixing truck in the town of Vienna on Monday night, authorities reported. The Madison Fire Departments Heavy Urban Rescue Team was called at 9:30 p.m. Monday to assist the DeForest Fire Department and Sun Prairie EMS with the rescue of a man trapped inside the drum of a concrete mixing truck in the 5600 block of Highway V, Madison Fire Department spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said in a statement. The unidentified man was performing maintenance when he fell into the drum, which did not contain any cement, but was in motion. The drum was shut down prior to the MFD HURTs arrival, Schuster said. Madison and Sun Prairie paramedics entered the drum, but the access hatch was not large enough to allow them to remove the man, so the MFD HURT used their plasma cutter to widen the opening and the man was removed from the mixing drum at 11:01 p.m., a little over an hour after the MFD HURT arrived at the scene, Schuster said. Sun Prairie EMS then took the man, whose condition was not available, to a local hospital, Schuster said. MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) The mother and father of a 6-year-old eastern Indiana boy who fatally shot his 5-year-old sister in their home were each charged Tuesday with four counts of neglect, a prosecutor said. If convicted of the most serious charge level one felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death Jacob Grayson, 28, and his 27-year-old wife, Kimberly Grayson, could each face 2040 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. The Graysons were formally charged in Delaware Circuit Court, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said in a statement. Online court records did not list attorneys who could comment on their behalf. First responders discovered the girl with a gunshot wound to her head on the afternoon of July 26 at the home in Muncie, 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis. She was taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The boy said he went to a safe in his parents' bedroom while his mother was napping, turned a key to unlock the safe and accidentally shot his sister while playing with the gun, Muncie Police Officer Andrew Sell said in an affidavit. Jacob Grayson said his son had accessed the safe previously and that he had taken the boy to a shooting range and showed him how to shoot a gun, Sell wrote. The living conditions in the home were deplorable. There was food, trash, animal feces, and furniture strewn throughout the house. The children's beds were mattresses on the floor with no sheets or blankets. Both mattresses had various stains on them. The walls of the home appeared to have feces smeared on them in multiple places," Sell said. The pastor is at his pulpit, eulogizing his 10-year-old through tears. But his sons classmates, parishioners, friends, family are laughing at the memories of Ben Prince. Theyd been given permission to laugh, and to cry, at the start of the funeral on July 11. Tim Prince is reading from a list he started the family's first night home from Nebraska, when he pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down all he could remember about Ben. His wife and two other sons joined him, and they filled five pages. Ben woke consistently at 6:30 a.m., except Saturdays, when the boys had free rein of the TV, so Ben would wake his brothers at 5:30 a.m. or earlier to play video games. Ben had just mastered the Rubiks cube and was teaching himself to juggle. Bens favorite place was grandpa and grandmas farm. In June, he helped fix a fuel line on a machine. He was right in there, he wanted to get it right. He was eager to grow up. Ben was a good thinker but an average student who believed handing in homework was optional. Ben didnt like biking, but he loved swimming. He was learning to play the piano, he was going to be a school crossing guard in the fall, he loved reading maps and he loved Calvin and Hobbes and wore a smirk like Calvin. He was a good-looking kid, a really good-looking kid, his father says now, tears returning. When they retrieved his body on Sunday, I got to just sit with him in the ambulance and hold his hand. He has the most beautiful hands, a boys hands, but you could see they were already getting bigger and stronger. The incredible weight of the debris They were on vacation. Tim Prince had delivered the service at Faith Community Church in Hudson, Wisconsin, the morning of July 3, and then he and his family wife Darcy and sons Caleb, Ben and Jordan headed southwest for a trip to Colorado. They were traveling with two other pastors from the church and their families, and they all made it as far as York that first day. The Princes checked into the Hampton Inn, 500 miles from home. The 911 calls started pouring in just after 9 that night. Multiple calls, people screaming, York Police Sgt. Ben Rodenborg wrote the next day in his report, one of six officer accounts obtained by the Journal Star through a public records request. The ceiling above the swimming pool at the Hampton Inn a 13-year-old hotel just north of Interstate 80 had collapsed, the callers told dispatchers. And people may be trapped. Officer Zac Milliken arrived before Rodenborg. Inside the pool area, he found a father holding his sons hand. The boys head and chest were on the deck, his legs were still in the water, and he was pinned by a large piece of the ceiling. He was not moving. The man was also pushing against the slab, trying to free the boy. York Police officers and York County Sheriffs deputies tried to lift the debris, too, but were unable to. These attempts were impeded by falling water from the ceiling and the incredible weight of the debris, Milliken wrote. When it fell, the ceiling brought with it the 2-by-4 framing, ductwork, lights and wiring, and had torn open a pipe, and water was gushing into the pool room. The first responders feared more of the ceiling could fall, so they evacuated, one of the officers taking the man by the arm and walking him out. Rodenborg arrived, saw the boys body and the gushing water, and found the hotels maintenance man at the front desk. We need to shut off the water and power immediately, he said. The control rooms in the pool area, the maintenance man told him. Together, they pushed through several inches of water and forced the control room door open enough to get inside. The manager joined them, and Rodenborg told her to check the hotels cameras, to make sure nobody else was trapped. At about the same time, Officer Bricen Bates was searching for the utility shut-offs, too, and slipped on the wet tile, wedging his right foot beneath a door and falling. He stood, felt the pain in his ankle, but kept working, he wrote. Just outside the pool, Bates found two adults and two boys, crying. He was guiding them to a safer place to wait when the older boy asked him to promise: Dont let my brother die. I told the juvenile that he needed to be a strong big brother and help his little brother and mom. Rodenborg told Bates to confirm nobody else was beneath the debris, so he found the manager and reviewed the surveillance footage. On it, he saw just the three boys in the pool, and their mother watching from the deck. He saw the ceiling sag in the center, the mother helping her sons get out. And then he saw the ceiling collapse, and he couldnt see anything after that. Bates joined other officers and two jail employees who were evacuating hotel guests, ushering them across the street to Runza. Most of them complied, but the front desk told Bates that people in three rooms were refusing to leave. He got a master key, and he and the other officers canvassed the hotel, checking room after room, ensuring they were empty. They found two locked with security latches, so he and Sgt. Jeffrey Brown used their body weight to force the doors open. They escorted the guests out of the building. Officers obtained that nights hotel guest list and conducted a roll call at the Runza. Eventually, everybody was accounted for, and the Hampton Inn manager found them rooms at the Best Western. Only then did Bates go to the hospital for his ankle. Back in the pool room, the York Fire Department was trying to retrieve the boys body. The debris was too heavy to lift by hand, so tow trucks from Hitz Towing and Mogul Towing were called to stabilize part of it while firefighters used airbags, lifting the debris enough so they could pull him out. But almost all of the pool was covered by the ceiling, and they wanted to be sure nobody else was under it, Fire Chief Tony Bestwick said. That night, they called Lincoln Fire and Rescues Urban Search and Rescue team, to see if it had an underwater camera. It didnt, Bestwick said. Then, at about midnight, they checked with the Grand Island Dive Rescue Team, which did, and made arrangements for the team to be in York early the next morning. The fire chief didnt really want us in the water, said rescue team secretary Jack Welch. So I had my underwater camera and I had it on a pole that I could put down in the water. He added dive lights, and they spent about 45 minutes recording beneath the ceiling and reviewing the footage. They were able to access most of the pool, but not all of it, Welch said. The fire department called a plumber, who drained the pool. Firefighters were finally able to climb down into it and move the drywall and other debris around enough to determine it was empty. No authority to investigate A month later, its not clear what caused the ceiling to collapse. Theres been no investigation by authorities, and none appears to be planned. The day after the collapse, news outlets reported the Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Agency was investigating. But it isnt, said spokeswoman Regina Shields. The fire marshal investigates fires and explosions, not structural failures. It did dispatch an inspector to the hotel to look for any fire code concerns with the rest of the hotel, because the sprinkler system is connected throughout the building. York Police officers documented what they saw and what they did that night, but they arent investigating further because its not a criminal case, said city administrator Sue Crawford. And the citys building inspectors arent looking into the collapse, either, she said. Their authority is to make sure a new structure meets the citys building codes and is safe for occupation and remains safe after a renovation. They dont investigate problems after a building is issued an occupancy permit. I was hoping the fire marshals office had that authority, but it turns out they dont, Crawford said. Our job, in terms of safety, is to ensure the buildings structurally safe when built and remains structurally safe when occupied. When it was built in 2009, the Hampton Inn like other buildings in York went through a 28-step process before it could earn an occupancy permit, with multiple inspections, including a final sign-off by an engineer. But all of that is proactive, ensuring the building is structurally sound. When there is a tragedy and no one knows for sure what the cause is, that is unsettling to me, Crawford said. She predicted the collapse will, ultimately, be investigated and litigated civilly in court. When someone is harmed, terribly harmed, that is another way the law works, that there is a civil investigation to identify responsibility and accountability. If something similar happened in Lincoln, the citys Building and Safety Department wouldnt necessarily investigate to determine the cause of the failure, but it would make sure the rest of the building was safe, said director Chad Blahak. Wed show up and do an investigation to ascertain what kind of repairs are needed, and do we have to condemn the area? If there was a collapse like that, wed get involved. The hotels management isnt talking. A woman who came to the phone in York said she was authorized to answer questions but: Were not answering questions at this time. And a corporate spokeswoman for Hilton Hampton Inns parent company declined to reply to questions, saying the York hotel is independently owned and operated, and shed forward the Journal Stars inquiry to the property owner. A banner at the top of the website for Yorks Hampton Inn said the pool was closed for renovations. So hard and dark Eight days later, at the start of his sons funeral, Tim Prince gave thanks. He thanked the two pastors and their families who had been traveling with them to Colorado. They sat and cried with the Prince family that night in York, drove them home to Hudson, stayed at their house with them until relatives arrived. One of our family mottos is, well have what we need when we need it. You were what we needed on July 3. He thanked Yorks first responders. Who worked so hard to retrieve Bens body and treated it with such dignity. And sat with us while we waited for the worst. Words cannot express our gratitude. And he thanked his family. After narrowly escaping the room with their own lives, all three rushed back into a collapsing building to rescue their brother and pushed and pulled and fought with a collapsing ceiling until their backs and knees and hands were raw and bleeding. Near the end of his sons eulogy, Prince talked about the pain of the family's loss. Over and over through the boys' school years, he and his wife have prayed for their sons, he said. God, prepare them for good work in your kingdom. We could not wait to see what he would become. That is what has made this last week so incomprehensible to us, so hard and dark. Not just that Ben is gone, but that he left in such an awful way. For the last 35 years Ive been covering what we call the salmon wars in the Pacific Northwest, writing so many stories about salmon heading toward extinction that Ive lost count. The decline occurred year by year while we spent $18 billion on whats politely called mitigation. That meant building fish passages around dams without fish ladders or snatching fish from warming rivers and trucking them around dams before they died. Nothing has ever worked. The truth is that some dams must be removed if salmon are to have a prayer of leaving the ocean and swimming up rivers to spawn. Now, finally, there is a sign of hope for the fish even as Snake River salmon in the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington remain close to extinction. Theres hope because the Biden administration has been in settlement talks with legal plaintiffs the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce tribe, and sporting, fishing and environmental groups. They have sued the federal government five times over its failed attempts to save salmon under the Endangered Species Act, and each time the government has lost. Meanwhile, spring chinook, sockeye and steelhead trended toward extinction in the Snake River watershed, which includes their best remaining habitat in the lower 48 states. In 1997, my newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, wrote a series of editorials calling for breaching the four lower Snake dams in Washington to restore salmon abundance. The editorials urged paying for the impacts on dam removal on power supply, grain transportation and irrigation as a more effective and cheaper fix than continuing failed policies. The federal government chose to spend $18 billion on those failed policies. But now, the Biden administration and others recognize that restoring our rivers is an issue of tribal justice as well as the only real solution. For far too long, say biologists Rick Williams of Idaho and Jim Lichatowich of Oregon, we have treated salmon as an industrial commodity. Our reliance on hatcheries while we continue to fragment and destroy habitat has been at the root of the fishs struggles. But if we remove the chief obstacles that block the fish from their cool, high elevation-habitat, the biologists say, these wild, adaptable fish will recover themselves. Because of our long reliance on substitute nature, weve almost lost faith in salmon to reproduce itself in quality habitat, Williams says. It has taken decades, but much of the public has come to understand the folly of our industrial fixes for salmon. In the May Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson won reelection by a landslide after introducing a plan to breach the four dams to save salmon and make impacted communities whole. His losing opponent opposed breaching the dams. More significant, Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who has long resisted any salmon recovery plan that included removing the four dams, joined with Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in endorsing a study of how to replace the services provided by the dams. The study showed that breaching the four dams was the most promising approach to salmon recovery, though it would require spending from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion to replace the electricity from the dams hydropower, plus grain shipping and irrigation. Murray is the most powerful Northwestern senator in Congress. But she will need the rest of the Democratic delegation to join her if she is going to turn the tide. Most of all, Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio will need to join Murray, Simpson, Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and outgoing Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, if legislation is going to pass this year. The resilience of the wild Snake salmon and the quality of the high-elevation spawning habitat has led biologists to predict the fish will reverse the 40-year extinction trend if the four dams are removed. This might just be the year that rivers and salmon are set free, ending the salmon wars. Heres hoping. One of Virginias darkest stories is coming to the big screen. The University of Virginias Center for Politics is partnering with Charlottesville activist and executive producer Tanesha Hudson and the Martinsville 7 Initiative to tell the story of the Martinsville Seven and the hurt that still haunts the area more than seven decades later. When university students and Charlottesville residents went on a pilgrimage through the South in 2018, Hudson did not expect to return carrying a disturbing Martinsville secret and the idea for her next documentary. The first step to telling this story is telling who the Seven were, Hudson said. We have to tell them in their innocence. Far too often we see that Black people are guilty before even going to court. The Martinsville 7 are a group of men who were accused and convicted of raping a white woman in 1949. At the old Henry County courthouse, the men sat in front of all-white, all-male juries who decided their fates. 13 accused, seven charged In January 1949, a white woman named Ruby Stroud Floyd accused 13 Black men of rape while she was walking through a poor Black neighborhood in Martinsville. In response to her claims, police arrested Frank Hairston Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon picked up James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson and James Henry Hampton as additional suspects. Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old with jobs at local furniture factories and warehouses. Grayson, 37 and a World War II veteran, was the oldest of the group. Floyd identified only two of the seven men as her rapists, claiming she could not see the rest in the dark of the night. Police never arrested the six other Black men whom she had accused. Six separate trials were held for the single crimetwo of the men decided to be tried together. By spring 1949, each of the juries decided that all seven men were guilty and recommended the death penalty in each case after a day or less of deliberation. The NAACP launched a national campaign against the death penalties, launching the letter-writing campaigns, editorials and local vigils. Still, former governor John S. Battle refused to grant the seven clemency. The state executed four of the men by electrocution on Feb. 2, 1951. The remaining three men were executed on Feb. 5. The Martinsville Seven is the largest group to die by execution for rape in the United States. According to an article in the Afro-American, a publication founded in 1892, Independent investigation by responsible citizens showed that confessions had been extorted from the men after violent maltreatment by local officials. Between 1900 and 1949, Virginia executed 68 Black men who were convicted of rape. During that time, no white man in the state of Virginia had been executed for rape or attempted rape, a fact that the NAACP had included in its appeal of the death sentences. Everything in Martinsville, that weve seen, mirrors the entire country, said Glenn Crossman, Director of Programs at UVas Center for Politics. Faye Holland, founding owner of Holland Accounting and Tax Service and a Martinsville native, launched the Martinsville 7 Initiative in 2019 to fight for justice for the seven young men and their loved ones. That same year, the organization created a petition for the posthumous pardons of all of the men, which former Governor Ralph Northam granted in August 2021, saying they did not receive fair trials. The Initiative now is telling the story of the group through a series of seven temporary exhibits to be displayed in various locations to spread awareness about a neglected piece of history. After installing all of the exhibits, the Martinsville 7 Initiative will establish the Martinsville 7 Center for Social Justice. The center will be a resource for gathering information with a staff of advisory attorneys to provide legal assistance to Black and other marginalized communities, Holland said. The Initiative used the posthumous pardons as the first exhibit in February, formally presenting them to the remaining family members of the Martinsville 7. The following exhibits will include a detailed account of the incident, the sequence of the arrests, the story of the trials, nationwide protests and more. On Aug. 27, to honor the one-year anniversary of the posthumous pardons, a commemorative plaque will be erected outside the old Henry County courthouse. That courthouse is where the seven were convicted and sentenced to death. A second exhibit, a memorial titled Who Were the Martinsville Seven?, also will be revealed on Aug. 27 at the Fayette Area Historical Initiative. The remaining family members of the Martinsville Seven will talk about their experiences as descendants of victims of a racist justice system, while natives in the community will speak to the storys secrecy for more than 70 years. This happened only a few years before Emmet Till. We know how America is intimidated by Black masculinity, Hudson said. Legal doesnt mean right, and thats the important message. Starting production this fall, the film is set to release in the spring/summer season of 2024. The collaborative is still accepting donations to contribute to the production. Holland sees the exhibits and film as a way to tell the stories of the men who were not allowed to tell them for themselves. As Maya Angelou once said, There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you, Holland said. Thats what had been going on in Martinsville for 70 years. Allen Tate Realtors, in partnership with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, has acquired Beverly-Hanks Realtors, the market-leading independent real estate brokerage headquartered in Asheville and serving western North Carolina. This announcement marks Allen Tates entry into the Asheville/Mountain region and the growth of a homegrown business as Beverly-Hanks joins a family of the nations top independent real estate brokers. Allen Tate is the Carolinas leading real estate company, with 19,150 closed transactions and $6.8 billion in closed sales volume in 2021. The 65-year-old company will now operate a total of 70 local real estate offices spanning the Charlotte, Triad, Research Triangle, High Country, Highlands/Cashiers and Asheville/Mountain regions of North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina. Beverly-Hanks was founded in 1976 with the merger of Beverly Realty and W. Neal Hanks & Associates, two of the areas most prominent real estate firms. The market leading firm in western North Carolina for the last 46 years had closed sales in excess of $2.6 billion in 2021. Beverly-Hanks ranks among the top 200 real estate firms in the nation, according to REAL Trends 2021. Beverly-Hanks has more than 460 experienced Realtors and 18 residential real estate offices serving clients in western North Carolina, as well as a commercial division, NAI Beverly-Hanks. The firm ranks No. 1 in its nine-county footprint, based on closed sales volume for 2022 YTD, in Buncombe, Haywood, Yancey, Rutherford, Transylvania, Henderson, Polk, Madison and Mitchell counties. The company also has listings in McDowell County. For more than three decades, Ive had the privilege to collaborate with leaders from Allen Tate and have immense respect for the independent real estate organization that they have built, said Neal Hanks, president, Beverly-Hanks Realtors. As a homegrown business in Western North Carolina, local expertise, personal service and respect for our special corner of the Blue Ridge guides everything we do. This new partnership will allow us to expand that vision while deepening our commitment to the communities we serve, Hanks said. Real estate decisions are a significant milestone in life. In an age where transactions have lost the human touch and local connectivity, Beverly-Hanks has always taken a more personal approach in support of our clients dreams and investments. Part of that is doing business as an independent brokerage with an authentic connection to the mountain home we hold dear. It is a great honor to expand that mission and our legacy by linking arms, joining networks and sharing leading practices with like-minded independent real estate leaders for the benefit of our clients and the communities we represent, Hanks said. Beverly-Hanks will now use the combined name, Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realtors. Clients will continue to have access to in-house mortgage services and will now have access to in-house insurance services via Allen Tate Insurance. Neal Hanks, president of Beverly-Hanks since 1999, will continue in his role as president of Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realtors. Amy Hanks will continue as president of Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Mortgage Services, and the Beverly-Hanks leadership team will remain in place. Hanks was born in Mobile, Alabama, and moved to Asheville as a child when his father, W. Neal Hanks, Sr. took a job as the city planner. Hanks, Sr. opened a small real estate business in the early 1970s, which merged with Beverly Realty in 1976. Hanks joined the firm in 1987 after graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in real estate brokerage and finance and he became president in 1999 at age 35. Hanks has held numerous leadership positions within the industry and community. He currently serves as an executive committee member for Eblen Charities and serves on the executive board of the Daniel Boone Council of Boy Scouts of America. He is a past president of the Asheville Board of Realtors and past campaign chair for the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Hanks has also served as a board member for First Citizens Bank, Mission Health Foundation and the A-B Tech Foundation, supporting Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. He and his wife Amy and their four children reside in South Asheville. Almost five years ago, I was in Neals shoes when Allen Tate sought a partner that would take our company to the next level. And that was Howard Hanna, the leading independent real estate company in the country. Our partnership with Howard Hanna has enhanced our ability to pursue planned growth among our target markets, said Pat Riley, president and CEO, Allen Tate Companies. I have long admired Neal and the Beverly-Hanks company. From the very beginning, I have considered Neal my friend. We share culture, similar values, and respect, as well as a strong commitment to preserve and grow the independent brokerage, Riley said. We are proud to welcome Beverly-Hanks Realtors to the Howard Hanna Family of Companies, said Howard W. Hoby Hanna IV, president, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. As we continue to grow our company and our footprint, we are pleased to support Allen Tates continued growth strategy, which solidifies our market position in the Carolinas and the Southeast, Hanna said. Ive known Neal for a long time, and my respect for him and Beverly-Hanks continues to grow. Partnering with Neal and his team is a huge win for Allen Tate, as well as buyers, sellers and real estate investors, said Gary Scott, president, Allen Tate Realtors. Together, well be ready to face the competitive challenges of todays real estate market by investing in the best technology, recruiting and retaining the best talent, continuing to make an meaningful impact in our communities, and aligning ourselves with the #1 independent family-owned real estate company in the country, Scott said. In September 2018, Allen Tate Realtors entered into a partnership with Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, creating the No. 1 privately owned real estate firm in the nation, with more than 14,000 agents and employees in nearly 500 offices across 13 states. Beverly-Hanks joins Allen Tate and Howard Hanna in its long-standing commitment to support quality of life in the local communities it serves. Collectively, the three real estate companies have contributed more than $25 million to support initiatives including public education, childrens health services, United Way, arts and culture, and local food banks. To contact an Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realtors agent or for more information about real estate careers with Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realtors, call 866-985-0327 or visit www.beverly-hanks.com. Sheriff Ricky Buchanan of McDowell County recently attended the North Carolina Sheriffs Associations 100th annual business conference held in Buncombe County with other sheriffs and law enforcement professionals from across the state. He came home with a leadership position in the organization. For the upcoming 2022-23 year, Buchanan was elected by his fellow sheriffs as third vice president of the North Carolina Sheriffs Association, according to a news release. Our annual business conference allows North Carolinas sheriffs to discuss their experiences and learn from each other, as well as bring ourselves up to date on important law enforcement developments, said Buchanan. North Carolina sheriffs have a complex role as constitutional officers leading law enforcement within their respective counties. Our duties often require that we be available to personnel and to the public continuously. My staff and I will use this conference training to further serve and protect McDowell Countys citizens. Buchanan talked about the role of sheriff. Sheriffs in every county of North Carolina are facing tremendous challenges in carrying out their responsibilities for law enforcement and the safety of our citizens; maintenance and operation of local jails; recruiting, training and maintaining talented personnel; working with domestic situations, child abuse cases, serving civil papers, tracking sex offenders in the state, issuing weapons permits, providing court security, and in many other areas, he added. State and federal officials who attended include: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Attorney General Josh Stein, Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey, Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson (former commissioner and state representative from McDowell County), Chief Justice Paul Newby of the Supreme Court of North Carolina and Chief Judge Donna Stroud of North Carolina Court of Appeals. At the NCSA annual business conference, sheriffs discussed issues of interest to the office of sheriff, including updates on new changes to law and procedures, as well as an update on the state budget and other actions by the 2022 General Assembly, according to the news release. Sheriff Quentin Miller of Buncombe County and his staff were hosts for the conference. The Association Headquarters is located in Raleigh. Edmond W. Caldwell Jr. serves as executive vice president and general counsel. With increased concern for campus safety and security at schools and colleges throughout the country, McDowell Technical Community College announced this week the hiring of the colleges first full-time school resource officer (SRO), adding to the existing part-time security staff already employed at the college. Veteran officer Eric Rodriguez of the Marion Police Department started work in July, reviewing existing safety protocols, learning building layouts, meeting faculty and staff and other important security functions. We are grateful to our Board of Trustees for their support to help bring Officer Rodriguez to our campus, said Dr. Brian S. Merritt, MTCC president. In January, the board approved a moderate increase in our campus access, parking and security fee to help fund this new position. We are thankful to the City of Marion for its partnership. Having a consistent, full-time resource officer will enhance our security presence and provide a level of comfort to our faculty, staff and students on campus. To assist with start-up costs in establishing the new SRO position and other security protocols, the college also applied for and was awarded a grant in the amount of $22,500. The City of Marion, as an administrative agent for the Marion ABC Board, notified the college of the award in May. Meet Officer Eric Rodriguez Officer Rodriguez is not a completely new face on the McDowell Tech campus. In 2006, he graduated from McDowell Techs Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) Program. Coming back to McDowell Tech seems like a natural progression in his career, said Rodriguez. After graduating from the BLET Program, Rodriguez became a patrol officer with the Marion Police Department, where he later progressed to the rank of corporal before being promoted four years later to a narcotics detective, a job he held for 10 years. As a narcotics detective, he was assigned to the McDowell County Drug Task Force. He has special training in Basic Narcotics from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), as well as the Department of Homeland Security. During his career, Rodriguez has also been called on to work on Homeland Security Task Force projects, including a high-profile human trafficking case where his bilingual speaking abilities (English and Spanish) were particularly useful. Those bilingual speaking skills came in handy again when Rodriguez began working at as School Resource Officer at East McDowell Middle School two years ago where an above-average percentage of students are of Hispanic background, he said. Rodriguez enjoys working as a school resource officer. I wish I had done this a whole lot earlier in my career, he said. Compared to his work as an undercover officer, the work schedule is much more amenable to having a family life, and he actually feels like his talents are being used more in this role. We need to reach kids when they are young before they get to the stage where they are succumbing to peer pressure to use drugs or engage in other illegal activity, he said. That is what I am trying to do as a school resource officer and I feel like Im having more of a long-term impact on them and society than I have had at other times in my career. At a time when the integrity of law enforcement officers has been repeatedly called into question on a national level, Rodriguez wants to be positive role model and influence on peoples lives, particularly teenagers and young adults. I want them to trust officers and to show them why they can and should do that, he said. A lot has changed since I was in school. Since I became an SRO, the thing that has probably surprised me most is the attitude of young folks toward teachers and people in authority. While having an SRO is needed for safety and security reasons, it also gives us a chance to say to young folks, you need to have a little self-control. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Rodriguez moved to this area 23 years ago. He has two adult children and two grandchildren from his first marriage and two stepdaughters from his second marriage. One of those stepdaughters is a student at McDowell Tech with aspirations to become a physical therapy assistant. The other is a student at New Manna Christian Academy. His wife has taught at West Marion, New Manna, New Dimensions Charter School and Oak Hill Elementary in Burke County, and is now teaching at J. Iverson Riddle in Morganton. He and his wife and stepdaughters reside in Nebo. I am glad to be at McDowell Tech, said Rodriguez. We need well-trained officers in our schools, officers who can deal with issues as they arise in school, but with training to recognize problems that may be happening outside of school that could impact a students actions and interactions on campus. Its also important that those officers have an interest in working with students and young adults, and I have that interest. During the summers, when on-campus classroom activity is more limited, Rodriguez will continue to assist Marion Police Department with calls as needed. We are grateful to our board of trustees for recognizing the need for an increased security presence on campus, and to the Marion ABC Board for awarding us a grant to assist with start-up costs for this project, said Merritt. We aim for our students to Learn and Grow, but for effective learning to take place, our students, faculty and staff must have an environment in which they feel safe and secure. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel this early August to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, in what is widely seen as a charm offensive weeks after Russias foreign minister visited the continent. Blinken will visit Pretoria, Kinshasa and Kigali, the Department of State announced last Friday (29 July), while the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will also go in August to Ghana and Uganda. They will follow in the footsteps of the US aid chief, Samantha Power, who recently completed a trip to longtime Washington ally Kenya, as well as Somalia, where she highlighted the rise in malnutrition aggravated by the war in Ukraine. This flurry of diplomatic activity comes after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov undertook his own extensive tour of Africa, where he has sought to cast spiraling global food prices as a consequence of Western sanctions an idea strongly rebuffed by Washington and its European allies, who have pointed the blame to Moscows blockade of Ukrainian ports. Blinken will send a message that African countries are geo-strategic players and critical partners on the most pressing issues of our day, from promoting an open and stable international system, to tackling the effects of climate change, food insecurity and global pandemics to shaping our technological and economic futures, a statement by the US Department of State said. The top US envoy will be paying his second trip to sub-Saharan Africa since he took office last year with President Joe Bidens administration. In late 2021, Blinken travelled to Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. Several Tunisian voices including that of Noureddine Taboubi, Secretary General of the powerful labor union UGTT, have condemned the U.S. for what they called blatant interference in the internal affairs of the North African country and after incoming American ambassador Joey R. Hood indicated that he will push for a democratic government in Tunisia and for the establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel. Taboubi Monday told the national television that Tunisia is not a state of the U.S. for Washington to intervene in its internal affairs. The UGTT leader also indicated that even if he does not agree with President Kais Saied on national issues, he concurs with him on sovereign matters. Tunisia has slid into an unprecedented political crisis since July 25 last year after President Saied seized all major powers and sealed his grip on power through this year July 25 referendum, boycotted by the UGTT and majority of Tunisians. Hood last week during a confirmation hearing before the Senate indicated that he will work towards the restoration of democracy in his host country and push for the establishment of diplomatic ties between Tel Aviv and Tunis. I would encourage Tunisian leaders to quickly restore a democratic government accountable to their people I would use every tool of American influence to advocate for a return to democratic governance In the midst of this political upheaval, I understand that the Tunisian military has remained apolitical and a professional force accountable to civilian leaders. I would work to maintain that, and seek new avenues of collaboration on U.S. security priorities, he told the senate. The normalization of relations with Israel, particularly through the historic Abraham Accords, has led to greater peace and security in the region and deepened the opportunities for expanding economic growth and productivity. I would support further efforts to normalize diplomatic and economic relations with the State of Israel in the region, he added. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken further rubbed salt into the wound noting on July 28 that the U.S. demands rapid adoption of an inclusive electoral law that facilitates the broadest possible participation in the elections scheduled for December. Tunisia has refused to thaw ties with Israel arguing that Palestinian cause is a cornerstone of its foreign policy. TransMED can help predict the outcomes of COVID-19 patients, generating predictions from different kinds of clinical data, including clinical notes, laboratory tests, diagnosis codes and prescribed drugs. The other uniqueness of TransMED lies in its ability to transfer learn from existing diseases to better predict and reason about progression of new and rare diseases. Credit: Composite image by Shannon Colson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic presented a huge challenge to healthcare workers. Doctors struggled to predict how different patients would fare under treatment against the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. Deciding how to triage medical resources when presented with very little information took a mental and physical toll on caregivers as the pandemic progressed. To ease this burden, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Stanford University, Virginia Tech, and John Snow Labs developed TransMED, a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI) prediction tool aimed at addressing issues caused by emerging or rare diseases. "As COVID-19 unfolded over 2020, it brought a number of us together into thinking how and where we could contribute meaningfully," said chief scientist Sutanay Choudhury. "We decided we could make the most impact if we worked on the problem of predicting patient outcomes." "COVID presented a unique challenge," said Khushbu Agarwal, lead author of the study published in Nature Scientific Reports. "We had very limited patient data for training an AI model that could learn the complex patterns underlying COVID patient trajectories." The multi-institutional team developed TransMED to address this challenge, analyzing data from existing diseases to predict outcomes of an emerging disease. Answering a call to help When the COVID-19 pandemic began, PNNL researchers confronted the new challenge head-on. Choudhury found himself working on a team using AI to generate structures for molecules that could be potential candidates for drug development against SARS-CoV-2. He also felt an intense empathy towards the healthcare workers at the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle. "It was clear we needed to build more effective tools to protect both patients and caregivers better during the next crisis," said Choudhury. Choudhury and Agarwal enlisted the help of Colby Ham, and Robert Rallo, director of the Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and Data Division at PNNL, as well as computer scientists from Stanford University, Virginia Tech, and John Snow Labs to build such a tool. Suzanne Tamang was one of those scientists. She previously worked with Choudhury, Agarwal, and Rallo on a healthcare analytics project. She was eager to participate in this research endeavor to apply her knowledge for providing decision support to healthcare workers. "We all saw a need to contribute," said Tamang, assistant faculty director, Data Science, at the Stanford Center for Population Health Science and Instructor at the Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine. "We could leverage our abilities to build a tool with immediate value and utility for healthcare workers." From left to right, PNNL researchers Robert Rallo, Sutanay Choudhury, Khushbu Agarwal, and Colby Ham helped develop TransMED. Credit: Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Tamang is no stranger to such altruism. As part of Stanford University's Statistics for Social Good club, she regularly donates her time and skills to solving problems across a variety of social issues. "Sometimes, the best science occurs when researchers are driven by a desire to help," said Tamang. A new approach to combatting unknown diseases Early results indicate that TransMED outperforms current patient outcome prediction models, particularly for rarer outcomes. Agarwal partly attributes this to TransMED's ability to scrutinize a wide variety of medical information, including other respiratory diseases. "TransMED considers nearly all types of electronic healthcare records data such as medical conditions, drugs, procedures, laboratory measurements, and information from clinical notes," said Agarwal. "Taking this holistic view of the patient allows TransMED to make predictions much in the same way a clinician would." The other factor contributing to TransMED's success is transfer learning. Essentially, transfer learning works by having a machine learning model work on solving a problem where a lot of data exists. The model then transfers this knowledge to solving similar problems. In the case of TransMED, researchers trained the model on known severe respiratory disease patient outcomes and applied that knowledge to predicting COVID-19 outcomes. "Given a patient's recent medical history, TransMED can predict a patient's need for ventilators, or other rare outcomes 5 to 7 days out into the future," said Choudhury. Application of AI in real-world healthcare settings is in its infancy, but this work is a promising first step towards building a useful model for predicting patient outcomes. Though TransMED is yet to be tested in a clinical setting, it offers an encouraging glimpse into the future of healthcare. Additional authors on this paper are Sindhu Tipirneni and Chandan K Reddy from Virginia Tech; Pritam Mukherjee, Matthew Baker, Siyi Tang, and Olivier Gevaert from Stanford University; and Veysel Kocaman from John Snow Labs. This work was supported by a PNNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. Explore further New AI model tries to synthesize patient data like doctors do More information: Khushbu Agarwal et al, Preparing for the next pandemic via transfer learning from existing diseases with hierarchical multi-modal BERT: a study on COVID-19 outcome prediction, Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports Khushbu Agarwal et al, Preparing for the next pandemic via transfer learning from existing diseases with hierarchical multi-modal BERT: a study on COVID-19 outcome prediction,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13072-w President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in Washington, as he announces that a U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan. Credit: Jim Watson/Pool via AP President Joe Biden is set to name top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House coordinators to combat the growing monkeypox outbreak. The White House said Biden will announce Tuesday that he has tapped Robert Fenton, who helped lead FEMA's mass vaccination effort for COVID-19 as the agency's acting administrator when Biden first took office, as the White House coordinator. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC will be named his deputy. Daskalakis, the director of the agency's HIV prevention division and a national expert on issues affecting the LGBTQ community, previously helped lead New York City's COVID-19 response. The White House said the pair would coordinate "strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments." Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and Biden's top science adviser, praised their appointments Monday night and said he hoped they would tighten the coordination between the various federal agencies involved in the monkeypox response. "I personally think we're dealing with a really serious issue here," Fauci said. "There are a lot of unknowns. There are a lot of knowns about monkeypox, but there's still a lot of unknowns. So we really got to implement the interventions we have, get a much better feeling for the natural history and the scope and absolutely reach out into the community, and that's the reason why I think the combination of Bob and Demetre is really a good combination." The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have been primarily men who have sex with men. But health officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone. The virus may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. The U.S. saw its first case of the monkeypox virus confirmed on May 18 and now has over 5,800 confirmed infections. The announcement of the coordinator and deputy coordinator mirrors the Biden administration's response to COVID-19, when the president centralized virus response operations out of the West Wing, first under Jeff Zients and now with Dr. Ashish Jha. Scientists say that, unlike campaigns to stop COVID-19, mass vaccinations against monkeypox won't be necessary. They think targeted use of the available doses, along with other measures, could shut down the expanding epidemics that were recently designated by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency. Still, the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of vaccine availability for monkeypox. Clinics in major cities like New York and San Francisco say they haven't received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet demand and some have had to stop offering the second dose of the vaccine to ensure supply of first doses. The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million doses of vaccine available and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week. California on Monday became the second state in three days to declare a public health emergency over monkeypox, following action this weekend by New York, but the Biden administration did not appear to be moving in that direction. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the decision would be up to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. "We look forward to partnering with Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis as we work to end the monkeypox outbreak in America," Becerra said in a statement. "Bob's experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetre's vast knowledge of our public health systems' strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response." California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday: "The seriousness of the monkeypox outbreak calls for an experienced and tested leader in emergency response, so it's no surprise President Biden has tapped Bob Fenton for this vital role. Bob has been a critical partner for California, especially during devastating wildfires and throughout the COVID pandemic." Explore further Monkeypox outbreak can be contained, White House says 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Disposable Puff electronic cigarettes. Credit: Talbot lab, UC Riverside. Electronic cigarettes, or ECs, contain nicotine, solvents, and flavor chemicals, and are especially popular among young adults. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, banned cartridge-based flavored EC pods, but this ban did not extend to "disposable" flavored EC products, such as Puff ECs. Unfortunately, the chemical composition and toxicity of the fluids in Puff ECs are largely unknown. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Portland State University have now examined 16 disposable Puff devices to determine their flavor chemicals, synthetic coolants, and nicotine concentrations. Synthetic cooling agents, like WS-23, provide a cooling sensation. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the team identified 126 flavor chemicals in Puff EC fluids and tested how toxic these chemicals were on human bronchial epithelial cells. They report in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology that the chemicals in disposable Puff ECs are at high levels and cytotoxicor toxic to living cells. "Our data support the regulation of flavor chemicals and synthetic coolants in Puff ECs to limit their potentially harmful health effects," said Esther Omaiye, a former graduate student in the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program and the first author of the research paper. "The high levels of nicotine, flavor chemicals, and synthetic coolants in Puff ECs, which exceed those used in other consumer products, bring into question the safety of Puff products." Prue Talbot, in whose lab Omaiye now works as postdoctoral researcher, said one area of regulatory concern with respect to ECs is the evolving use of novel chemicals in e-cigarette fluids. "For years, we have been aware that EC designs are evolving," said Talbot, a professor of cell biology who led the research team. "Only recently have we also realized that the chemicals used in EC liquids are likewise changing. These changes usually make the EC product more attractive to adolescents or attempt to circumvent FDA regulationfor example by using synthetic nicotine in lieu of tobacco derived nicotine to escape FDA regulation." According to Talbot, the synthetic coolant WS-23, developed for use in shaving cream, is now being included in EC liquids with little information available on its inhalation toxicology. "Our work shows that the concentrations of WS-23 used in Puff ECs are high enough to produce adverse health effects with chronic use," she said. Other findings of the study are: Puff ECs have much higher concentrations of synthetic coolants and flavor chemicals than JUUL ECs. Although the inhalation risks remain unknown, EC manufacturers are increasing the use and concentrations of synthetic coolants, which are attractive to young users. Explore further JUUL electronic cigarette products linked to cellular damage More information: Esther E. Omaiye et al, Disposable Puff Bar Electronic Cigarettes: Chemical Composition and Toxicity of E-liquids and a Synthetic Coolant, Chemical Research in Toxicology (2022). Journal information: Chemical Research in Toxicology Esther E. Omaiye et al, Disposable Puff Bar Electronic Cigarettes: Chemical Composition and Toxicity of E-liquids and a Synthetic Coolant,(2022). DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00423 Credit: CC0 Public Domain People challenged with chronic back pain have been given hope with a new treatment that focuses on retraining how the back and the brain communicate, a randomized controlled trial run by researchers at UNSW Sydney and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and several other Australian and European universities has shown. The study, funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), was described today in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, carried out at NeuRA, divided 276 participants into two groups: one undertook a 12-week course of sensorimotor retraining and the other received a 12-week course of sham treatments designed to control for placebo effects, which are common in low back pain trials. Professor James McAuley from UNSW's School of Health Sciences, and NeuRA said sensorimotor retraining alters how people think about their body in pain, how they process sensory information from their back and how they move their back during activities. "What we observed in our trial was a clinically meaningful effect on pain intensity and a clinically meaningful effect on disability. People were happier, they reported their backs felt better and their quality of life was better. It also looks like these effects were sustained over the long term; twice as many people were completely recovered. Very few treatments for low back pain show long-term benefits, but participants in the trial reported improved quality of life one year later." The new treatment challenges traditional treatments for chronic back pain, such as drugs and treatments that focus on the back such as spinal manipulation, injections, surgery and spinal cord stimulators, by viewing long-standing back pain as a modifiable problem of the nervous system rather than a disc, bone or muscle problem. "If you compare the results to studies looking at opioid treatment versus placebo, the difference for that is less than one point out of 10 in pain intensity, it's only short term and there is little improvement in disability. We see similar results for studies comparing manual therapy to sham or exercise to sham," Prof. McAuley said. "This is the first new treatment of its kind for back painwhich has been the number one cause of the Global Disability Burden for the last 30 yearsthat has been tested against placebo." How it works Prof. McAuley said the treatment is based on research that showed the nervous system of people suffering from chronic back pain behaves in a different way from people who have a recent injury to the lower back. "People with back pain are often told their back is vulnerable and needs protecting. This changes how we filter and interpret information from our back and how we move our back. Over time, the back becomes less fit, and the way the back and brain communicate is disrupted in ways that seem to reinforce the notion that the back is vulnerable and needs protecting. The treatment we devised aims to break this self-sustaining cycle," he said. Professor Lorimer Moseley AO, Bradley Distinguished Professor at the University of South Australia said, "This treatment, which includes specially designed education modules and methods and sensorimotor retraining, aims to correct the dysfunction we now know is involved in most chronic back pain and that's a disruption within the nervous system. The disruption results in two problems: a hypersensitive pain system and imprecise communication between the back and the brain." The treatment aims to achieve three goals. The first is to align patient understanding with the latest scientific understanding about what causes chronic back pain. The second is to normalize the way the back and the brain communicate with each other, and thirdly, to gradually retrain the body and the brain back to a normal protection setting and a resumption of usual activities. Professor Ben Wand of Notre Dame University, the clinical director on the trial, emphasized that by using a program of sensorimotor training, patients can see that their brain and back are not communicating well, but can also experience an improvement in this communication. He said, "We think this gives them confidence to pursue an approach to recovery that trains both the body and the brain." Training the body and the brain Traditional therapies concentrate on fixing something in your back, injecting a disc, loosening up the joints or strengthening the muscles. What makes sensorimotor retraining different, according to Prof. McAuley is that it looks at the whole systemwhat people think about their back, how the back and brain communicate, how the back is moved, as well as the fitness of the back. The study authors say that more research is needed to replicate these results and to test the treatment in different settings and populations. They also want to test their approach in other chronic pain states that show similar disruption within the nervous system. They are optimistic about rolling out a training package to bring this new treatment to clinics and have enlisted partner organizations to start that process. Once the new treatment is available via trained physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and other cliniciansProf. McAuley hopes this to occur in the next six to nine monthspeople with chronic back pain should be able to access it at a similar cost to other therapies offered by those practitioners. Explore further Hypnosis transforms treatment for chronic pain More information: Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain, Journal of the American Medical Association (2022). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association Effect of Graded Sensorimotor Retraining on Pain Intensity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.9930 Dr. Zsolt Bagi with coauthors Katie Anne Fopiano, AU graduate student, and Dr. Yanna Tian, who just earned her graduate degree from AU and has started a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Credit: Michael Holahan, Augusta University Disease of the microscopic blood vessels that feed the white matter of our brain is associated with worse cognitive function and memory deficits in individuals with Alzheimer's, scientists report. "The main message of this paper is the mixed pathology as we call itmicrovascular disease and Alzheimer'sis associated with more brain damage, more white matter damage and more inflammation," says Dr. Zsolt Bagi, vascular biologist in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Theirs and other recent findings suggest that some people with Alzheimer's who have brain changes widely associated with the condition, like amyloid plaques, may not develop dementia without this underlying vascular dysfunction, the researchers write in the journal GeroScience. "We are proposing that if you prevent development of the microvascular component, you may at least add several years of more normal functioning to individuals with Alzheimer's," Bagi says. He and by Dr. Stephen Back, pediatric neurologist, Clyde and Elda Munson Professor of Pediatric Research and an expert in white matter injury and repair in the developing and adult brain at Oregon Health & Science University, are co-corresponding authors of the new study. The good news is that vascular disease is potentially modifiable, Bagi says, by reducing major contributors like hypertension, obesity, diabetes and inactivity. The scientists looked at the brains of 28 individuals who participated in the Adult Changes in Thought Study, or ACT, a joint initiative of Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute and the University of Washington, whose scientists also were collaborators on the new study. ACT is a longitudinal study of the cognitive health of community volunteers from the Seattle, Washington area with the goal of finding ways to delay or prevent memory decline. Participants age 65 or older with no cognitive problems upon enrollment are followed until their death, and about 25% agree to autopsy and making genomic DNA from their blood and/or brain tissue available to scientists. The individuals that served as controls for the study had no indication of Alzheimer's or vascular disease in their brain. Other groups had Alzheimer's without vascular disease, vascular disease without indicators of Alzheimer's or both Alzheimer's and vascular disease. Their focus in the studies was the white matter, which accounts for about 50% of the brain mass, enables different regions of the brain to communicate and is packed with long arms called axons that connect neurons to each other and to other cells across the body like muscle cells; and, the microscopic arterioles that directly feed white matter with blood, oxygen and nutrients. They wanted to test their theory that when these hair-thin arterioles had difficulty dilating and so supporting this part of the brain, it resulted in changes to the white matter that were evident on sophisticated MRIs, especially when microvascular problems coexisted with the more classic brain changes of Alzheimer's. They found that the arterioles of those who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dysfunction of these tiny arteries did have an impaired ability to dilate in response to the powerful blood vessel dilator bradykinin, compared to those without obvious microvascular dysfunction. Problems with dilation were associated with white matter injury and changes to the white matter structure that were visible on MRI. Expression of the precursor for the also-powerful blood vessel dilator nitric oxide also was reduced in these individuals with both conditions while the expression of superoxide generating NOX1, which damages blood vessels, was increased. Arteriole dysfunction also was associated with more white matter injury based on what was visible on those sophisticated MRI scans and the increased number of brain cells, called astrocytes, which support neurons. The investigators had previously reported an increase in these astrocytes in brains with the microvascular changes. This time they saw that when Alzheimer's and the microvascular changes were both present, the astrocytes became more reactive, inflammatory and damaging. Colleagues at Oregon Health & Science University, led by Back, looked at the same brain tissue with a sophisticated MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging, that uses water diffusion between cells to look at the microstructure of white matter and its connectivity. They could not visualize individual arterioles because they are too smallabout 30 microns or .0011811 inchesto see without a microscope. But they could see the white matter damage that resulted from arteriole disease, and again found the correlation between the vascular impairment and tissue damage that Bagi described from directly visualizing the tissue. This type of blood vessel disease was present in 50% of the brains they studied, and other autopsy studies have indicated a similarly high rate. In those with less indicators of brain changes, they found the arterioles were better able to dilate, that area of the brain had better connectivity and less damage apparent on the postmortem MRI. Impaired ability of these small vessels in the white matter to dilate is known to be associated with white matter injury, like that visible on the specialized MRI scans. And there is evidence in both laboratory studies and humans that this vascular dysfunction does not just worsen but plays a role in the development of cognitive decline and dementia in people with Alzheimer's, the investigators write. In fact, the vascular dysfunction may be present before the damage to the brain tissue and cognitive dysfunction is apparent. In research animals bred to develop Alzheimer's, for example, there is evidence of problems with the microvasculature in areas of the brain associated with Alzheimer's, like the hippocampus, a center of learning and memory, at a very young age. The new work confirms the growing concept that small blood vessel disease may help predict the severity of dementia and/or use of DTI MRI may help identify those patients with early enough disease that strategies to reduce or slow small blood vessel disease may help delay or reduce their cognitive loss. The technique might also help assess the potential benefit of intervention. "These individuals might especially benefit if they would exercise, control blood sugar level and control their blood pressure," Bagi says. Some patients with Alzheimer's disease are known to have white matter hyperintensities on MRI scan, basically damaged areas that show up particularly bright on the scan and are associated with problems like dementia. A significant proportion of individuals with Alzheimer's also have conditions like high lipid levels in their blood and hypertension that are known to impair blood vessel function, including the smallest vasculature, Bagi notes. Small blood vessel disease in the brain also is common in aging and may indicate an increased risk of problems like stroke or dementia. Sophisticated brain scans also often indicate microinfarcts, essentially microscopic strokes, which also tend to increase with age and are associated with memory impairment. Age and a family history are major risk factor for Alzheimer's and there are two categories of genes associated with an increased risk, including risk genes, like APOE-e4, the first gene identified and the one that has the strongest impact on risk, according to the Alzheimer's Organization. Then there are those genes that can directly cause Alzheimer's, called deterministic genes, which impact production or processing of beta-amyloid, the main component of the plaque associated with Alzheimer's, but even having these rare genes are not a guarantee of disease. "You have some genetic predisposition but people realize that not everybody develops memory decline or cognitive deficits unless something else is coming in," Bagi says. He notes that they have not yet analyzed the genes for this study. Next steps include studying the associations they found in more human brains and more studies to better understand exactly how the small blood vessel disease happens, which could point toward new targets to intervene. Explore further White matter changes in brain found in frontotemporal dementia More information: Zsolt Bagi et al, Association of cerebral microvascular dysfunction and white matter injury in Alzheimer's disease, GeroScience (2022). Zsolt Bagi et al, Association of cerebral microvascular dysfunction and white matter injury in Alzheimer's disease,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11357-022-00585-5 A Minnesota jury is expected to decide by the end of this week whether a woman's human rights were violated when a pharmacist denied her request to fill a prescription for emergency contraception, sometimes called the morning-after pill. Though the case dates back to 2019, the issue is at the center of political debate in the United States ever since the U.S. Supreme Court removed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion in June. Concerns about whether contraception rights might also be limited by the conservative court in the future prompted the U.S. House of Representatives last week to pass a bill to guarantee the right. In Minnesota, Andrea Anderson sued pharmacist George Badeaux under the state's Human Rights Act, CBS News reported. Minnesota law prohibits discrimination based on sex. This includes issues related to pregnancy and childbirth. Anderson had tried to fill her prescription for the morning-after pill in January 2019 at the Thrifty White pharmacy in the small city of McGregor, the Star Tribune reported. Badeaux told her he could not fill it because of his religious beliefs, but that she could fill it the next day with another pharmacist if a snowstorm didn't stop that pharmacist from getting to work. The mother of five then drove 100 miles roundtrip in wintry weather to fill her prescription in Brainerd, Minn. Badeaux can explain his religious beliefs to the jury, "but not in such a manner as to confuse the jury into thinking this is a religious freedom contest," according to a judge's ruling in the case. He cannot raise federal constitutional issues such as freedom of religion because the case is filed under the state's Human Rights Act, said Aitkin County District Judge David Hermerding, CBS News reported. "The issue for the jury is not [the] defendant's constitutional rights," the judge wrote. "It is whether he deliberately misled, obfuscated and blocked Ms. Anderson's path to obtaining" emergency contraception. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma is the first in the United States to ask for permission to sell its birth control over the counter, CBS News reported. The company said the timing was not related to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Explore further Pharmacies must fill prescriptions for drugs that may end pregnancy, Biden administration says More information: The Office on Women's Health has more on The Office on Women's Health has more on emergency contraception Copyright 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Philadelphia is seeing a rising number of monkeypox cases, as an outbreak that has now been declared a global health emergency spreads across the United States. Many basic questions about the virus remain unanswered, even to the people at highest risk of catching a virus: men who have sex with men. The uncertainty has left some worrying constantly, while others may underestimate the risk from the virus. Here are answers to some key questions about the virus: Q. Is monkeypox an STD? A. It is not a sexually transmitted disease in that it doesn't spread through semen or due to the activity of sex. Wearing a condom or other contraceptive devices won't necessarily prevent its transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Q. How does monkeypox spread? A. Monkeypox primarily spreads through direct, prolonged contact with the lesions, blemishes, or rashes it causes in infected people. This is why it is associated with sex, even though it isn't an STD, because all the intimate contact and touching that make sex great is also ideal for transmitting the virus. Any extended duration of bare skin contacting the lesions or rashes of a person with the virus could spread it. Airborne spread appears to be rare, though close, extended contact with a person's breath through kissing or cuddling can spread the virus. Extended contact with an object that itself has been in contact with someone with monkeypox can also be a risk, according to the CDC, but health experts emphasized that direct, extended physical contact between two people appears to be the most likely means of transmission. Q. Can I tell if someone has monkeypox? A. Not necessarily. In some stages, it can look like a pimple, acne, or a mild skin condition. "It's not obvious," said Lenore Asbel, the medical specialist for the STD control program for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. "In many people the presentation is subtle and mimics a lot of other things." Q. How can I practice safe sex? A. The people most at risk of catching monkeypox right now are gay, bisexual, and trans men who have sex with other men and have recently had two or more partners, or anonymous partners. One way to reduce risk is to limit sexual partners for the time being or refrain from sex with new partners, said Michael LeVasseur, a Drexel University epidemiologist. The Philadelphia Public Health Department recommended people ask a potential sexual partner the following questions: Have you been around someone who had monkeypox? Are you feeling sick? Do you have a rash or lesions on your body? Chris Bartlett, president of the William Way Center, an LGBTQ community hub in Philadelphia, said gay men have experience with serious illnesses in the community due to HIV and have found ways to experience intimacy and affection safely. "I think one of the things the gay community has been really good at is innovations in addressing intimacy in the context of health promotion," he said. "We do have a sense of mutual care. It's been part of our community for many years." Q. Monkeypox is related to smallpox. Does my old smallpox vaccine offer any protection? A. It probably does. For people vaccinated against smallpox, overwhelmingly people born before 1972, it's believed that old vaccine can provide about 70% protection against this virus, said Drexel's LeVasseur. Q. Can incidental contact or working in a business that involves touching someone be risky? A. The likelihood of catching monkeypox by touching something briefly touched by someone else with the virus, such as exchanging money, is probably slim, said Helen Koenig, University of Pennsylvania professor of medicine and medical director of the infectious disease clinic at Penn. People who touch customers may wish to take additional precautions. For example, a hairdresser could potentially be infected if the customer has scalp lesions from monkeypox and the hairdresser has an open cut on a hand. "Depending on the type of contact with clients you have in your line of work, you might consider wearing gloves, especially if you have cuts on your hands," Koenig said. 2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Pendulum clock at Esterhazy Mansion, Majk Camaldolese Hermitage, Oroszlany-Majkpuszta, Hungary. Credit: Balazs Hangya In the 17th century, the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens hung two of his recently invented pendulum clocks on a wooden beam and observed that as time passed, the clocks aligned their beats. He reported this finding, which he called an "odd sympathy," in 1665. Three and a half centuries later, neurons in the brain were found to sync their activities in a similar way. Neurons in the brain often synchronize in quasi-rhythmic activities, collectively generating "brain waves" sometimes detectable even from outside the skull using electroencephalography. Synchronizing in such rhythms helps neurons to exchange information efficiently, which is crucial to perform important functions like learning, memory, attention, perception, and motion. How these rhythms are generated, maintained, and abolished to fit ever-changing needs for seamless operation of the brain is an area of active research. In a new study published today in Cell Reports, a team of neuroscientists led by Principal Investigator Balazs Hangya MD Ph.D. at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary found that a group of neurons in the brain show rhythmic activity at different frequencies in the desynchronized state, like individual clocks, but they can align their rhythmic frequencies to produce a synchronized brain rhythm upon activation, similar to the pendulum clocks in Huygens' experiment. To probe the brain's sync mechanisms, the team recorded special neurons of a deep brain structure called the medial septum. These neurons form a "pacemaker network," which generates the 4-12 Hz "theta" rhythm in a structure called the hippocampus, responsible for encoding episodic memory traces of the events we experience. It is well established that the hippocampal theta oscillation is important for memory, but the exact mechanism by which it is generated is not well understood. "To understand how cells in the medial septum synchronize, one should record the activity of several cells at once. In addition to this multichannel deep brain recording, a parallel recording of hippocampal activity is also necessary to understand the output signal of the medial septum. This is still technically challenging, so these recordings can only be performed by skilled experimenters," said Hangya. To tackle this challenge, Hangya's lab teamed up with other groups led by professors Istvan Ulbert, Viktor Varga and Szabolcs Kali to probe the medial septal "pacemaker network" in both rats and mice, awake or under anesthesia. The Huygens synchronization mechanism was present under all tested conditions and could also be reproduced by a detailed computational model of the medial septal "pacemaker network." The authors speculate that Huygens synchronization can be a general synchronization mechanism across brain circuits in different species, including humans. "I think we have come up with a new idea about the origin of network synchronization. The fact that medial septal inhibitory cells synchronize their frequencies upon activation by local excitatory inputs was previously unknown," says Barnabas Kocsis, the first author of the article. The brain's sync mechanisms can go wrong in disease, leading to problems with memory and attention, and even contributing to serious conditions like schizophrenia, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hope that a better understanding of how brain networks synchronize may eventually lead us to improved therapies of these illnesses. Explore further Newly discovered brain cell sheds light on the formation of memories More information: Balazs Hangya, Huygens synchronization of medial septal pacemaker neurons generates hippocampal theta oscillation, Cell Reports (2022). www.cell.com/cell-reports/full 2211-1247(22)00958-5 Journal information: Cell Reports Balazs Hangya, Huygens synchronization of medial septal pacemaker neurons generates hippocampal theta oscillation,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111149 Provided by Institute of Experimental Medicine Graphical abstract. Credit: EMBO Molecular Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202215829 A multidisciplinary study led by Vanja Nagy (LBI-RUD/CeMM/Medical University of Vienna) and Josef Penninger (UBC/IMBA) characterized a novel gene, known as FIBCD1, to be likely causative of a new and rare neurodevelopmental disorder. Using data from two young patients with neurological symptoms, the researchers from both groups found evidence of a novel function for the FIBCD1 gene in the brain, and a potentially pivotal role in diseases such as autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's. The study makes an important contribution to the understanding of the extracellular matrix in the brain and its associated neurological diseases. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the tissue in the brain that surrounds cells in a meshwork-like manner to support and instruct brain function in that respective region. The ECM provides stability to brain cells to enable proper function, including long-term memory storage, and makes up around a fifth of the brain volume. Until now, few cellular receptors for ECM signaling have been identified, but no association with a congenital neurological disease was made. For the first time, researchers from two groupsVanja Nagy's group from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (LBI-RUD), the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), and Josef Penninger's group from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW)have characterized FIBCD1, to be a receptor of the ECM "sugar" components and linked it to a rare genetic neurological disease. "Until now, we were only aware of FIBCD1 in an immunological context, and it had never been studied in the brain or in connection with our central nervous system function. FIBCD1 is highly expressed in the brain, and it binds to sugar-based molecules. Since the brain ECM consists predominantly of sugar, we theorized that the receptor must contribute to brain function through ECM binding and/or signaling," explains Vanja Nagy, the principal investigator of the study. Mutated FIBCD1 receptors in patients with neurological disorders First authors Christopher Fell (LBI-RUD/CeMM) and Astrid Hagelkruys (IMBA) used knockdown fly and knockout mouse models, as well as a series of in silico and in vitro experiments, to demonstrate that FIBCD1 is indeed a receptor for ECM components in the brain. Their work confirmed that the absence of FIBCD1 can lead to nervous system disorders that affect behavior and cellular dysfunction in animal models. "This allowed us to conclude that deleterious variants in FIBCD1 could also cause neurological disorders in humans," Fell and Hagelkruys explained. This conclusion is also supported by the data from two young patients with neurodevelopmental symptoms, one from the United States and one from China, for whom no diagnosis could be made prior to characterization of FIBCD1's expression and function in brain neurons. Both patients suffer from a variety of devastating symptoms primarily affecting their central nervous system, including autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), delayed developmental milestones, language impairments, and structural brain anomalies. In both patients, a mutation or variant in FIBCD1 was identified, thereby establishing an important diagnostic milestone. The link between FIBCD1 and the brain raises many new questions "We were already able to see in the animal models that the inactivation of FIBCD1 leads to massive neuronal functional perturbance," Vanja Nagy explains. "In the affected patients, we determined that in both cases, the FIBCD1 variants identified are functionlessthe binding to sugars does not work. We have therefore determined that this might be the possible underlining pathological mechanism in the disease of the patients." Despite this fact, the symptoms of the two patients were remarkably different: while one of the patients had structural abnormalities in the brain, the other patient did not. "To be able to make a more concrete determination about the function of FIBCD1 in the human central nervous system, and what it can trigger if mutated, a much larger study cohort is needed," Nagy added. Intensive collaboration for research into rare diseases The study represents an enormous scientific milestone in several ways: on one hand, the identification and characterization of FIBCD1 in the brain has made an important contribution to our understanding of the ECM. On the other hand, it exemplifies the considerable level of collaboration that is needed to research rare diseases: a total of 29 experts from 24 institutions across seven countries collaborated to identify a new gene, FIBCD1, which was found to be likely responsible for neurodevelopmental symptoms in two unrelated patients from different countries. "The diagnosis of patients with rare diseases is not only of enormous importance to the affected individuals themselves. It also crucially contributes to a better understanding of the molecular connections in our bodies, the functions of our genes, and thus to the development of better therapies for many more common diseases," says Nagy. Explore further Functioning of antibodies in autoimmune encephalitis deciphered More information: Christopher W Fell et al, FIBCD1 is an endocytic GAG receptor associated with a novel neurodevelopmental disorder, EMBO Molecular Medicine (2022). Journal information: EMBO Molecular Medicine Christopher W Fell et al, FIBCD1 is an endocytic GAG receptor associated with a novel neurodevelopmental disorder,(2022). DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202215829 Provided by Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) Effects of recorded 50-kHz USV exposure on hyperemotionality in olfactory bulbectomized (OB) rats (a). Hyperemotionality scores were measured before and after ultrasound exposure. ***P < 0.001: paired t-test (b,c). Elevated plus maze (EPM) tests conducted after ultrasound exposure. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01: one-way ANOVA with a post hoc HolmSidacks multiple comparison test. All data are means SEM. ANOVA, analysis of variance. Credit: NeuroReport (2022). DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000001804 It is well known that whole-body exposure to high frequency ultrasound increases brain activity in humans. However, little is known about its impact and associated mechanisms on emotional states like depression. Now, a team of researchers at Tokyo University of Science have recently demonstrated the anti-depressant effects of ultrasound exposure in a rodent model of depression. Their findings shed light on the potential of ultrasound exposure as a non-invasive treatment for mental disorders. The effect of ultrasound waves on the function of the human brain has been the key focus of recent research, which has indicated its potential as an effective, non-invasive approach for the modulation of brain activity. While the effects of ultrasound exposure on consciousness and cognition have been extensively explored, little is known about its impact on emotional states such as depression. To add to it, there are limitations in our understanding of neural and molecular mechanisms that underpin emotions. Fortunately, rats experience pleasant emotions in response to high-frequency ultrasound vocalizations (USVs), making them ideal model organisms to study mechanisms underlying depression. To this end, a team of researchers led by Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, including Professor Satoru Miyazaki, Assistant Professor Daisuke Yamada and Ms. Tsugumi Yamauchi from Tokyo University of Science, and Mr. Shoichi Nishino from FUJIMIC, Inc., delved deeper into understanding the effects of ultrasound exposure on depression, by conducting experiments on rats lacking olfactory lobesorgans that regulate neurotransmission. These "olfactory bulbectomized (OB)" rats undergo changes in neurotransmitters, endocrine secretions, and behavior, which are similar to those observed in humans with depression. Giving further insights into their study, Prof. Saitoh said, "Since studies on ultrasound exposure have been primarily conducted on human subjects, we needed to establish robust animal models to elucidate underlying mechanisms using invasive techniques. In our current study, we have used OB rats to study the effects of ultrasound on neural activity and behavior." Their study, published in NeuroReport on July 6, 2022, is the first of its kind to demonstrate potential anti-depressant effects of ultrasound exposure in rats. Initially, the team exposed wild type and OB rats to USV for 24 hours, following which they scored them for "hyperemotionality" (agitation and anxiety-like behavior) by studying their responses to getting attacked, getting startled, facing a struggle, and initiating a fight. Next, they monitored plasma corticosterone (a hormone that is released in response to stress) levels in the blood samples of these rats. In addition, the team assessed anxiety-like behavior of the rodents using the elevated plus maze (EPM)an approach which triggers behavioral anxiety in rats by exposing them to open spaces in a maze, and causes them to move to closed spaces. Their findings revealed that OB rats exposed to USV had significantly lower hyperemotionality scores and lower plasma corticosterone levels than unexposed rats. Furthermore, in OB rats with a higher latency initially, i.e., higher inclination to reach the open areas of the maze, ultrasound exposure significantly decreased their latency. Similar effects were observed with a 50-kHz ultrasound frequency which was generated artificially. This study provides novel evidence on the anti-depressant effects of ultrasound exposure in rodents. "Our findings suggest that OB rats may be a useful animal model for investigating the effects of ultrasound exposure and mechanisms of influence," says Prof. Saitoh. "Unlike drug therapy, ultrasound exposure is non-invasive and easy to use. An ultrasound based therapeutic device may therefore aid the treatment and prevention of mental disorders in patients while they go about their daily lives." The results could pave the way to ultrasound exposure therapy as a novel treatment to help patients cope with stress and psychiatric disorders. More information: Tsugumi Yamauchi et al, High-frequency ultrasound exposure improves depressive-like behavior in an olfactory bulbectomized rat model of depression, NeuroReport (2022). Tsugumi Yamauchi et al, High-frequency ultrasound exposure improves depressive-like behavior in an olfactory bulbectomized rat model of depression,(2022). DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000001804 Graphical abstract. Credit: Molecular Therapy (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.07.003 Gene therapies aim to cure severe, barely treatable monogentic diseases caused by a defect in a single gene. Medical hopes are correspondingly high. Some gene therapies have already been approved in Europefor example, for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a congenital neuromuscular disease with severe muscle weakness and atrophy. With the help of so-called viral vectors, therapeutic genes are transported directly into the cell. The best-known representatives of these vectors, colloquially known as gene taxis, are the so-called adeno-associated viruses (AAV). However, as they are naturally accustomed to doing so, they also target other tissues in addition to the actual target. In addition, they can be recognized as foreign by the immune system and be destroyed. Two research teams at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have developed AAV variants that target heart muscle cells and can thus be used for the precise treatment of heart diseases. The results have now been published in the journal Molecular Therapy. Millions of variants investigated "Although AAV vectors are derived from viruses, they serve exclusively as a means of transport," explains Professor Dr. Hildegard Buning, AAV expert and Vice Director of the MHH Institute for Experimental Hematology. The AAV vectors dock onto the body cell via the vector envelope, the so-called capsid, and transfer their genetic cargo into the cell interior. There it is read and converted into the corresponding protein according to its blueprint. "The problem with the currently used AAV vectors, however, is that they can attach to different tissues and thus often find themselves in the liver," says the scientist. The research team therefore searched among four million AAV variants for suitable candidates with capsid structures that preferentially target heart muscle cells. In the mouse model, biochemist Dr. Laura Rode "trained" the vectors and investigated which variants mainly arrive in the heart and hardly ever stray into the liver. "We had several winners in the running and then tested how strongly they were intercepted by the human immune system." Not all gene taxis reach their target Not all vectors that target specific body cells get there. "About 70% of the population has neutralizing antibodies against naturally occurring AAV," explains Dr. Christian Bar, a molecular geneticist at the Institute for Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies. "Their immune system intercepts the gene taxis before they can deliver the cargo into the cell as desired." The pre-sorted vectors therefore had to prove how well they could escape the neutralizing antibodies in cell culture with human blood plasma. The two AAV variants also survived this test. They were then loaded with a biomolecule called H19, which has already been successfully tested at the Institute for the treatment of pathological heart enlargement caused by high blood pressurebut with a conventional AAV vector. "The new vector variants actually delivered H19 much more efficiently in the heart muscle cells than the AAV vector we originally used," the scientist points out. New vector variants have several advantages What does not sound spectacular at first glance is, however, important for a possible therapeutic application in several respects. "Gene therapy is an expensive treatment method that can also usually only be applied once for each vector, because the immune system would recognize the vector as foreign and eliminate it the second time at the latest," explains Institute Director Professor Dr. Dr. Thomas Thum. An additional vector variant offers the chance of another treatment. Due to the high targeting accuracy of the new variants, a lower dosage is also sufficient. "This reduces the costs per treatment unit enormously." At the same time, administration is made much easier. "Our goal is for the vectors to find heart muscle cells so reliably that they could simply be injected into the arm of heart patients and would not have to be administered into the heart via catheter," says Dr. Bar. However, until that actually happens, the efficacy and tolerability still have to be confirmed in further studies in large animal models and later also in clinical studies in humans. Explore further New way forward for gene therapy More information: Laura Rode et al, AAV capsid engineering identified two novel variants with improved in vivo tropism for cardiomyocytes, Molecular Therapy (2022). Journal information: Molecular Therapy Laura Rode et al, AAV capsid engineering identified two novel variants with improved in vivo tropism for cardiomyocytes,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.07.003 Provided by Medizinische Hochschule Hannover ELMO Near-hundred-degree temperatures and wind gusts of 25 mph energized the Elmo 2 fire on Monday, forcing evacuations along Black Lake Road near Lake Mary Ronan and threatening Flathead Lake's Dayton Bay. As many as 19 new wildfires ignited across western Montana over the weekend, from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening, as temperatures into the triple-digits baked the landscape. Two small fires sparked in the Missoula Valley, but both were suppressed Sunday evening. Most of the fires were small and quickly brought under control. In contrast, Elmo 2 fire started Monday at almost 13,000 acres on the west side of Flathead Lake, before taking a major run Monday afternoon. And existing fires in the region continued to grow. A red-flag warning indicating extreme fire conditions was in place for Monday. Also on Monday, the Bitterroot National Forest raised its fire danger to extreme, the highest of five levels. Fire danger is very high the second-highest level on the Lolo National Forest. Fire danger is extreme on the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho. Elmo 2 fire The Elmo 2 fire was 12,975 acres and 0% contained on Monday morning. Burning was most active on its east side near Dayton, as well as around Cromwell Creek, on the northwest side of the blaze. Tuesday's weather was expected to be problematic, with 12-15% humidity and 18 mph sustained winds. As of Monday afternoon, the fire raised a full pyrocumulus column of smoke and evacuation orders were put into effect along Black Lake Road. A quartet of water-scooping planes flew suppression runs in tight formation Monday afternoon, collecting water loads from Big Arm Bay. A community meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Elmo Pow Wow Grounds. Northern Rockies Team 7, a Type-2 incident management team, took control of the fire at 6 a.m. Sunday. The fire ignited Friday afternoon along Montana Highway 28, about 7 miles west of where Highway 28 hits U.S. Highway 93 in Elmo. The fire started in grass but grew rapidly and spread into timber to the northeast, burning northwest of Elmo and Big Arm Bay. An InciWeb page for the fire lists the fire start at "approximately" 4 p.m.; Missoula Interagency Dispatch shows crews were dispatched at 7:05 p.m. The fire cause remains under investigation, according to InciWeb. An interactive wildland fire map maintained by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation lists the cause as human. The fast-changing situation forced multiple closures followed by tentative re-openings. Highway 28 was closed after the fire started but was reopened by Monday. Big Arm State Park was also closed but reopened Sunday. A boat ramp and fishing access site in Elmo remained closed Monday. Lake Mary Ronan State Park is closed. An evacuation order for Chief Cliff Estates was lifted, but residents south of Lake Mary Ronan Road and west of Highway 93 remain under pre-evacuation notice. Montana Red Cross opened a shelter at Linderman School in Polson. On Monday, 293 personnel were working the fire, including five hand crews, eight engine crews and two helicopters. Single-engine air tankers also aided firefighting efforts over the weekend. A variety of federal, tribal and local firefighters responded to the fire. Temperatures near 100 with wind gusts up to 25 mph were expected to aggravate fire activity Monday and Tuesday. Missoula area fire starts Crews were dispatched at 3:47 p.m. Sunday to a small wildfire along Neil Drive, just south of U.S. Highway 12 about 6 miles west of Lolo. According to a news release from the Missoula Rural Fire District, the person who reported the fire said they heard "a loud 'pop' and looked outside to see a power line down with smoke and flames nearby." The district did not say whether the power line was the cause of the fire; the cause is "currently undetermined." Crews arrived on scene to find a wind-driven fire "threatening multiple homes." Montana Rural firefighters began structure protection efforts and were joined by U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation wildland firefighters. The fire burned about 10 acres before being controlled Sunday evening. Crews were patrolling the area Monday. The Missoula Rural, USFS and DNRC crews were aided by personnel from Florence Fire, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Land Management law enforcement, Missoula Emergency Services Inc. and Montana Electrical co-op. In total, 10 engines and three helicopters responded to the fire. Around the same time, firefighters also responded to a 4:02 p.m. report of a wildfire near an electrical substation just north of the Duncan Drive Trailhead on the west side of Rattlesnake Creek, about 2.8 miles north of downtown Missoula. The fire was caused by a downed power line, according to the Lolo National Forest. Crews from the forest, DNRC and the Missoula Fire Department arrived on scene to find a fire smaller than 1 acre exhibiting mild fire behavior with creeping and smoldering through grass and timber. The fire was fully contained by Monday, with crews continuing to mop up and patrol the area. At 11:07 a.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start just northeast of the Rock Creek exit on Interstate 90. The 0.1-acre fire was controlled by 2:14 p.m. At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start along U.S. Highway 93 near Evaro, about 5.8 miles northeast of Wye. The 0.2-acre fire was controlled by 4:26 p.m. At 7:23 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start on a hillside north of I-90 in Ravenna, between Ryan Creek and Marcella Creek, about 24 miles southeast of Missoula. The 0.5-acre fire was controlled by 11:07 p.m. At 7:37 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start between East Mullan Road and I-90 in Clinton, about 1.4 miles south of the Clinton exit. The 0.1-acre fire was extinguished by Monday. Moose fire The Moose fire near North Fork, Idaho, grew to 56,049 acres and was 23% contained by Monday morning, up from 43,226 acres and 15% contained Friday morning. Containment on Monday morning was exclusively along the north and northeast side of the fire the only directions in which the fire is not significantly growing between Shoup and Bobcat Gulch. The Salmon-Challis National Forest announced Saturday that the fire was human-caused, but the forest didn't release a specific cause. Residents around North Fork have maintained since the fire started that it was caused by an unattended campfire near the confluence of Moose Creek and the Salmon River, downstream from North Fork. At its current size, the Moose fire is the largest active fire in the Lower 48 states and slightly larger than the explosive McKinney fire in Northern California on Monday morning. The Moose fire is so far the second-largest fire in the Lower 48 this year, behind the 341,735-acre Hermits Peak fire near Santa Fe, New Mexico, which started May 6 and is now 96% contained with almost no fire. Great Basin Team 2 a Type-1 incident management team, the largest and most robust configuration of the interagency teams assigned to oversee wildfire response took command of the incident at 6 a.m. July 20. Great Basin Team 1, another Type-1 team, is set to take command of the fire Wednesday. The fire is burning in the Salmon-Challis National Forest near North Fork, just west of Highway 93 between Salmon, Idaho, and Lost Trail Pass on the Montana-Idaho line. The blaze ignited mid-afternoon on July 17 and rapidly grew amid high winds and red-flag conditions over the following week. Red-flag conditions over the weekend caused extreme fire behavior. The fire is expanding on three fronts to the west, south and east driven by chaotic wind patterns through river canyons, up and down slopes, and over ridge tops. Outflow winds and dry lighting from afternoon thunderstorms Friday and through the weekend fed into extreme fire behavior, and similar weather could increase activity Monday. A virtual meeting to discuss the fire's threat to Salmon's municipal watershed was scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday. The meeting can be accessed on the Salmon-Challis National Forest Facebook page and on Microsoft Teams (https://bit.ly/3Buhn5k). Residents along the Highway 93 corridor between Tower Creek and North Fork remain under an evacuation order. Residents along Salmon River Road between Squaw Creek and Pine Creek, and residents along Highway 93 from Carmen to Tower Creek, are advised to be set to evacuate. The Salmon River Road is partially closed, with only residents, rafting outfitters and river users with float permits allowed through behind a pilot car. On Monday, 960 personnel were working the Moose fire, including 19 hand crews and 60 engine crews, aided by nine helicopters. Large air tankers made fire retardant drops over the weekend. Hog Trough fire The lightning-caused Hog Trough fire about 18 miles southeast of Hamilton was up to 731 acres and 9% contained on Monday morning, up from 611 acres and 9% contained by Friday morning. Skalkaho Highway remains open. On Monday, 219 personnel were assigned to the fire, including seven hand crews and three engines, aided by seven helicopters. Bitterroot area fire starts Crews were dispatched to the lightning-caused Chrandal Creek fire at 1:28 p.m. Friday. The fire is about 1.5 acres and "burning in remote and rugged terrain, in heavy fuels (timber) with dead standing and downed timber," according to the Bitterroot National Forest. Aircraft are monitoring fire spread. The fire is located at about 6,800 feet elevation near the Montana-Idaho state line, about 10 miles southeast of Painted Rocks Lake and 31.5 miles south of Darby. The fire is about 12 miles northwest of the Moose fire. Kalispell area fire starts At 4:20 p.m. Friday, crews were dispatched to a fire start on Eagle Mountain, one ridge west of Blacktail Mountain Ski Area about 13 miles southwest of Kalispell. The 1.5-acre fire was contained by Saturday morning. At 6:11 p.m. Friday, crews were dispatched to a 0.1-acre fire start on Flattop Mountain in Glacier National Park. At 1:55 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start along Highway 93 southeast of Olney, about 11.7 miles northwest of Whitefish. The 0.1-acre fire was controlled by 3:47 p.m. At 3:56 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start just west of Farm to Market Road near Big Lost Creek, about 6.5 miles northwest of downtown Kalispell. The 1-acre fire was controlled by 5:06 p.m. At 6:27 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start along Bigfork Stage Road about 1.66 miles north of downtown Bigfork. The 0.1-acre fire was controlled by 8:13 p.m. At 6:32 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start along Bigfork Stage Road about 4,800 feet north of downtown Bigfork. The 0.1-acre fire was controlled by 8:35 p.m. At 8:55 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a fire start along River Road and near Woods Rose Lane on the east side of the Clark Fork River between Plains and Paradise, about 2 miles southeast of Plains. The 0.64-acre fire was controlled by 9:50 p.m. Kootenai area fire starts At 4:05 p.m. Saturday, crews were dispatched to a fire start near Camp Creek and Weasel Creek in the Whitefish Mountains on the Kootenai National Forest about 1.65 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border. The Weasel fire is at least 250 acres, according to Kootenai Interagency Dispatch, and burning in timber. The forest stated on Facebook Sunday that Grave Creek Road is closed from Foundation Creek Trailhead north to the end of the road at Big Therriault Lake. Big and Little Therriault campgrounds are closed. At 11:23 a.m. Monday, crews were dispatched to a fire start on the north ridge of Minton Peak on the south side of Nixon Reservoir, about 26 miles northwest of Thompson Falls. The 0.1-acre fire was fully contained by Monday morning. Dillon area fire starts At 2:42 p.m. Saturday, crews were dispatched to a fire start in Cabbage Gulch about 4.7 miles south of Anaconda. The 0.39-acre fire was controlled by 4:39 pm. Helena area fire starts At 12:32 p.m. Sunday, crews were dispatched to a 0.1-acre fire start near Marks Lumber in Clancy, about 7.6 miles southeast of Helena. Lightning sparked two new wildfires in the Mission Mountains between St. Ignatius and Seeley Lake on Monday afternoon as hot temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds coalesced to drive fire growth on existing blazes across the region. A red-flag warning indicating critical fire weather was issued Tuesday for much of Montana, including the Missoula and Flathead regions. Humidity as low as 10%, sustained winds 1020 mph with gusts up to 35 mph "and an unstable atmosphere will result in critical fire weather conditions Tuesday afternoon and evening," according to the National Weather Service. Fire danger on the Bitterroot National Forest is extreme, the highest of five levels. Fire danger is very high, the second-highest level, on the Lolo National Forest. Fire danger is extreme on the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho. The Redhorn fire was discovered around 5:47 p.m. Monday, about 7 miles northeast of St. Ignatius and just south of McDonald Lake on the west side of McDonald Peak, in the Tribal Mission Mountain Wilderness. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire said around 1 p.m. Tuesday that the fire, caused by lightning, was about 37 acres, 0% contained and not threatening structures. Video of the fire posted to social media around 9:20 p.m. Monday showed the fire burning upslope through timber around dusk. Aircraft dropped water on the fire Monday evening. No personnel were assigned to the fire Tuesday. The fire "is burning in heavy forest fuels and in steep rough terrain," the division stated, and hot, dry, windy conditions Tuesday were expected to increase fire activity. "CS&KT Division of Fire staff will actively monitor and assess fire growth and look for suppression opportunities, point source protection as needed." Winds from the west will drive the fire. The fire is in a grizzly bear management zone that is closed to recreation annually from July 15 to Oct. 1. The lightning-caused Lake Marshall fire was discovered around 7:35 p.m. Monday, about 12 miles northwest of Seeley Lake and on a mountainside directly above Lake Marshall. Missoula Interagency Dispatch listed the fire as burning in timber and dead and down trees with personnel on scene Monday evening. On Tuesday afternoon, Kristin Mortenson, who handles community preparedness and fire prevention for the DNRC's Southwestern Land Office, said the fire was about 1 acre and that 18 personnel and two helicopters were working the fire. Strong winds amid red-flag Tuesday conditions were a concern for fire growth. "Winds are still making things difficult," she said. Moose fire The Moose fire near North Fork, Idaho, grew to 58,168 acres by Tuesday morning, up from 56,049 acres the day before. Containment remained at 23% and was exclusively along the north and northeast side of the fire the only directions in which the fire is not significantly growing between Shoup and Bobcat Gulch. A large spot fire has developed on the southeast side of the Moose fire along Ridge Road in the Five Corners area, on a mountainside directly west of U.S. Highway 93 and the community of Carmen, about 8.5 miles northwest of Salmon. Photos posted to social media showed flames on the mountainside visible from Salmon. Highway 93 has remained open. The Salmon-Challis National Forest announced Saturday that the fire was human-caused, but the Forest Service didn't release a specific cause. Residents around North Fork have maintained since the fire started that it was caused by an unattended campfire near the confluence of Moose Creek and the Salmon River, downstream from North Fork. At its current size, the Moose fire is the largest active fire in the Lower 48 states and slightly larger than the explosive McKinney fire in Northern California on Monday morning. The Moose fire is so far the second-largest fire in the Lower 48 this year, behind the 341,735-acre Hermits Peak fire near Santa Fe, New Mexico, which started May 6 and is now 96% contained with almost no activity. Great Basin Team 2 a Type-I incident management team, the largest and most robust configuration of the interagency teams assigned to oversee wildfire response took command of the incident at 6 a.m. July 20. Great Basin Team 1, another Type-I team, is set to take command of the fire Wednesday. The fire is burning in the Salmon-Challis National Forest near North Fork, just west of Highway 93 between Salmon, Idaho, and Lost Trail Pass on the Montana-Idaho line. The blaze ignited mid-afternoon on July 17 and rapidly grew amid high winds and red-flag conditions over the following week. Red-flag conditions over the weekend caused extreme fire behavior. The fire is expanding on three fronts to the west, south and east driven by chaotic wind patterns through river canyons, up and down slopes, and over ridge tops. Residents along the Highway 93 corridor between Tower Creek and North Fork remain under an evacuation order. Residents along Salmon River Road between Squaw Creek and Pine Creek, and residents along Highway 93 from Carmen to Tower Creek, are advised to be set to evacuate. The Salmon River Road is partially closed, with only residents, rafting outfitters and river users with float permits allowed through behind a pilot car. On Tuesday, 1,065 personnel were working the Moose fire, including 29 hand crews and 59 engine crews, aided by 10 helicopters. Large air tankers made fire retardant drops over the weekend. Hog Trough fire The lightning-caused Hog Trough fire about 18 miles southeast of Hamilton remained 731 acres and 9% contained on Tuesday morning no change from Monday according to an InciWeb page for the fire. Skalkaho Highway remains open. On Tuesday, 247 personnel were assigned to the fire. The fire is burning in the Sapphire Wilderness Study Area across the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge national forests and about 5.4 miles east of the Black Bear Campground. The fire is not threatening any structures. A Type-3 team is managing the fire but ground-based firefighters are not yet directly engaging the blaze, which is in a 22-year-old burn scar, because of "extremely remote, rugged and inaccessible terrain." The team plans to make water drops on the fire via helicopter and ground crews are thinning fuels and constructing containment lines around the fire. The Montana Supreme Court rejected claims by Missoula and Gallatin county parents who objected to school mask policies, saying school districts had the authority to provide a safe environment. The justices agreed with rulings made previously by district courts in Gallatin and Missoula counties to deny preliminary injunctions regarding school mask policies in those respective counties. Local parents in Gallatin and Missoula counties filed their respective suits last year, but were ultimately denied. The two groups eventually joined forces and appealed the district courts decisions to the state Supreme Court. The opinion of the Montana Supreme Court was delivered Tuesday afternoon by Justice Jim Rice. All justices on the court concurred with the opinion. The district courts did not manifestly abuse their discretion by denying the preliminary injunctions, and their orders are affirmed, the court wrote in its opinion. Parents in Missoula County took issue with face-covering policies at Missoula County Public Schools, Target Range School District and the Hellgate Elementary School district. Gallatin County parents sued Bozeman School District, Monforton School District and Big Sky School District. The parents were represented by Missoula attorney Quentin Rhoades of Rhoades & Erickson PLLC. The school districts were represented by Elizabeth Kaleva, Kevin Twidwell and Elizabeth OHalloran of Kaleva Law Offices of Missoula. The parents were joined by Stand Up Montana, a nonprofit organization based in Gallatin County. The group provides support for legal action against school districts in Montana that are illegally masking our children, according to its website. The Montana Supreme Court cited a similar case in Maine where a parent sued the town of Winslow, the school board, district and superintendent arguing that the school mask policy violated his right to make decisions affecting his childs health. A district court in Maine dismissed the suit filed by Scott Fortuna earlier this summer in June. Once his child is in school, Mr. Fortunas parental rights must be measured against the equal rights of other parents to control their children and the duty of the school to provide a safe environment for all children, not just Mr. Fortunas child, and for others who work or volunteer in the school, the Maine court wrote. For the first time, the annual ArtsFest MONTANA an event where artists paint murals in downtown Great Falls will feature work by Indigenous artists. The fourth annual ArtsFest MONTANA will kick off on Friday, Aug. 12, where nine artists will paint at least eight murals on buildings. Thanks to a partnership with Sisters United, ArtsFest MONTANA will feature Indigenous artists John Pepion, Blackfeet pictographic artist Louis Still Smoking, a Blackfeet artist specializing in impressionistic realism, and Jack "Senta" Wingo, of the Cherokee Nation. Pepion and Still Smoking have painted murals in Browning, Starr School and Heart Butte, which they hope will continue to inspire pride in Indigenous identity. Pepion said hes known about the ArtsFest for years and had wondered how he could be part of it. He was thrilled when organizers invited him and Still Smoking to participate. Pepion said he and Still Smoking have collaborated on a number of murals featuring warriors, elders and leaders from the past. For the upcoming ArtsFest, though, he said they plan to create a mural of a contemporary Native woman. Shell have Blackfoot symbology because Great Falls is traditionally our territory, Pepion said. We want to let Great Falls know this is our homeland. Pepion and Still Smoking's mural will be located at 525 1st Ave. North in Great Falls, though exact locations are subject to change. Candice English founder and president of Sisters United, a Great Falls-based nonprofit that supports Native women and girls in Montana said the organization wanted to see more Native representation in the event. For so long we have seen our Native communities represented in the media through toxic stereotypes and false narratives, English said. The only way to change this is by making sure Indigenous people are included in projects like ArtsFest. And since Great Falls is a wonderful place to see Western art, the inclusion of our Indigenous people is vital to really make it an authentic experience. Other participating artists include Andres Petroselli, an Argentinian-based muralist, Chris Chanyang Shim, (also called Royyal Dog) a graffiti artist from Seoul, South Korea, Sheree Nelson, contemporary pop artist, Cameron Moberg, San Francisco-based artist, and Fasm, a graffiti artist. Joan Redeen, community director of the Great Falls Business Improvement District, said she hopes the events bring "new beauty to the community" and "continue to instill pride in our community." "Knowing that art is subjective, our hope is that everyone will find something that sparks joy," she said. "We also hope to continue to boost our tourism by bringing artists who have large followings from all over the globe." In partnership with NeighborWorks Great Falls, ArtsFest MONTANA is hosting an artist workshop at the NeighborWorks Learning Center (509 1st Ave. South) on Friday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those interested can apply at artsfestmontana.com. The $25 fee covers lunch and supplies. On Saturday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m., ArtsFest MONTANA is partnering with the Great Falls Public Library to paint animal tracks for a story walk to Gibson Park. Those interested can meet at the public library (301 2nd Ave. North) at 10 a.m. Saturday to participate. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, ArtsFest MONTANA will host an artist reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the alley behind Dragonfly Dry Goods (504 Central Ave.). Tickets are available at Dragonfly Dry Goods or online at eventbrite.com. For more information on ArtsFest MONTANA, visit artsfestmontana.com/activities. GERING, Neb. (AP) A wildfire that has forced evacuations and destroyed some homes in the Nebraska Panhandle grew to about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) Monday, but firefighters were managing to limit the spread of the fire. The blaze south of Gering, dubbed the Carter Canyon Fire, was reported Saturday evening and began as two separate fires in heavily treed areas of the Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area and Carter Canyon Public Land, fire and emergency management officials said. Officials said tinder-dry conditions, rough terrain and 20 mph (32 kph) winds hampered efforts to control the fires, which merged over the weekend into one fire. The fire had grown to about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) and was burning in an area of grassland and large trees, said Ben Bohall, public information officer with the Nebraska Forest Service. The fire destroyed three homes and damaged several more in the Carter Canyon community that was evacuated Sunday. No injuries were immediately reported. About 200 people were fighting the fire, with crews from Wyoming and South Dakota helping those from Nebraska, Bohall said. About 35 fire departments from the area and aircraft were brought in to battle the flames. By Monday, the fire was about 33% contained and wasn't spreading significantly, officials said. Fire crews will face difficult conditions as they try to control the blaze in the coming days. The National Weather Service forecasts continued winds and temperatures around or in excess of 100 degrees over the next six days, with only a 20% to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday. The fire in an area suffering from moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Nebraska fire was burning at a time when other large fires were raging in the West, including a Northern California fire that has burned through nearly 87 square miles (225.33 square kilometers) in the Klamath National Forest. Another fire has grown to about 20 square miles (51.80 square kilometers) in the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana and Idaho's Moose Fire has burned more than 85 square miles (220.15 square kilometers). This story has been corrected to show that the fire size has grown to 25 square miles, not 25,000 square miles. BUTTE The Montana Democratic Party on Saturday updated its party platform by a wide and enthusiastic consensus, but the political power wielded by Republicans hung omnipresent over the convention. Democrats are in the deep minority in the state Legislature, and hold no statewide office, save U.S. Sen. Jon Tester at the federal level. The stakes for the party are clear: If they lose just two seats in the Legislature, the GOP will have a supermajority capable of passing ballot measures to alter the state constitution. Republicans have signaled some distaste for the document, ranging from provisional changes to calling it a "socialist rag" that needs to be thrown out. Sheila Hogan, executive director of the state Democratic Party, said in an interview Monday the changes made to the platform were not in direct response to Republicans' actions over the last 18 months since the 2021 legislative session, but rather issues elevated by Montanans. The platform will guide its members moving into the general election in the coming months and in the 2023 session. "They were issues about Montana families, things that Montana families care about: How to afford housing, child care, health care," Hogan said. "You could call those moderate or you could call those progressive but that's what we're hearing from people." The general assembly approved language placing the word "housing" into the title of its "Jobs and Economy" platform in response to the housing crisis striking much of the state. The party also added a provision labeling child care and mental health services, both of which are scant in many parts of Montana, as "essential" to the economy. Still, delegates at the convention invoked Republicans in advocating for the updates to the platform. While introducing a provision opposing attempts to weaken construction standards, a delegate from the Gallatin County Democrats said the addition was in large measure in response to a recent announcement our (Republican) governor made forming an affordable housing task force. Delegates argued the task force was "stacked" with developer interests. We know nothing good is going to come out of this," Gallatin County delegate Mark Smith told the convention. "This is going to be a regulatory relief bill for developers. Delegates from the Flathead brought an amendment to oppose censorship in public libraries after conservatives set off a controversy while attempting to remove books about gender identity and sexual orientation from a Kalispell library. The party also approved an amendment to reinstate the Judicial Nomination Commission, which was an appointed board that vetted candidates for judicial appointments and forward a short list of names to the governor. Republicans did away with the commission in the 2021 Legislature, claiming the panel exercised a Democratic influence on the judicial branch. Democrats at the time opposed stripping away insulation between the governor and the judiciary. And in a swift response to congressional Republicans who voted down a federal bill providing services to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits late last week, the state Democrats on Saturday added language to the platform supporting such a measure. Delegates invoked Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines in moving the changes into the Veterans and Active Military plank. Daines missed a June vote on the bill, but previously said he supported it but then raised concerns about the spending in it being mandatory instead of adjustable. It was the second time Democrats cited Daines during Saturday's discussions. A new provision in the natural resources plank seeks to continue the use of wilderness study areas as "de facto federal wilderness until community-driven proposals are adopted by Congress." Daines has been a key proponent of removing the study area designation over 300,000 acres to multiple-use status, saying the studies that justified the protections deemed the areas not suitable for wilderness. Steve Daines is trying to peel away those protections, Smith said. We need to stop that. The near-unanimous support for the platform updates was a distinct contrast to the Republican convention two weeks earlier, where the divide between moderate and hardline Republicans was on display during debates about abortion and elections. During the recent legislative sessions, Democrats in the minority have hardly broken the party lines when voting on bills, and Saturday's general assembly was no different. "We've got to be united to beat the anti-democratic radical Montana GOP and we're really working together to make this happen," Hogan said. "I was pleased with the unity but, again, we know what's at stake. Our constitution is at stake. Our health care freedoms are at stake." State Sen. Diane Sands, who is termed out of the Legislature and whose seat is considered a swing district in the general election, said Saturday the constitution used to be off the table for political ambitions. "You know this is on the agenda for the Republicans," Sands said. "It's important to truly say here that we are in opposition to that." The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision ending federal protections for abortion access and allowing states to regulate abortion themselves is yet to play out in Montana because the state Supreme Court upheld the right to access a pre-viability abortion here in 1999. The several planks in the platform saw new language supporting freedom and privacy in regards to peoples' health care decisions, although access to reproductive health was already established in the platform. Democrats have held up tax relief, affordable housing, child care and mental health services as priorities, last month making those center to their plan to allocate $1 billion of the state's projected $1.7 billion surplus. Those priorities were written into the platform on Saturday, with the approval of language to push for property tax policies that don't force people from their homes and simultaneously continue government services. Those services would be sustained by requiring wealthy property owners to "pay their fair share," according to the language approved Saturday. The platform also got a new line to push for "adequate funding" for state mental health institutions, a nod to the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to revoke its reimbursement funding for the Montana State Hospital after the institution repeatedly failed to meet health and safety standards. Another addition cements the party's support for funding the infrastructure that buttresses community-based mental health care providers, a proposal made by Democrats and Republicans in recent months to ease the pressure on the state hospital. By the close of the convention, there were no major shake-ups introduced to the party platform, and Hogan said Saturday the document is the product of years of steady development. In order to take the steering wheel on such an agenda, however, they'll need to turn the tide on voters' growing support for Republican candidates over the last several election cycles. Democrats were walloped in the 2020 elections, but Hogan said that had less to do with the party platform than the campaign limitations of a pandemic. "(The) 2020 (election) was during a pandemic," Hogan said. "We do well on the doors, talking to voters, hearing their concerns and we've knocked thousands of doors already and that's what we're hearing. "The pandemic was an anomaly," she added. "It was hard to function. (This year) it's going to be different. I want voters to know that we care about what they care for. People are priced out of housing, priced out of rentals, affordable child care. Those are things that are important to Montana families. Not election fraud with no evidence or all of those things that really don't affect Montanans." Lincoln County commissioners sought to garner support for the Black Ram logging project in an opinion piece circulated across Montana newspapers (Missoulian July 24). While the contents of the piece did address the publics major concerns about the project, it did not represent the issues in a complete or responsible manner. The commissioners stated that 12,000 acres in the lower Yaak burned in 2021. They used this solitary statistic to claim that it underscored, the need for active forest management to reduce future wildfire risks. This claim was not further substantiated, nor is it supported by a scientific understanding of basic fire ecology. While the wetter temperate rainforest regions of the far-northern Yaak are ecologically dependent on a cycle of rot, the dryer southern regions are ecologically dependent on a natural fire cycle. The commissioners statement also failed to address how the extractive practices of industry have left our forests less fire hardy while subjecting them to increasingly more intense burns. The commissioners went on to recognize the dangers of wildfire to human safety. They did not, however, mention that the Black Ram project encompasses an area fifty road miles or further from the nearest incorporated town. They also failed to represent recent and pressing research led by Oregon State University and published in Natures scientific reports showing that, iginitions on Forest Service lands accounted for fewer than 25% of the most destructive wildfires. The Lincoln County politicians then stated that the treatments proposed by the Black Ram forest project would, protect and maintain old growth, improve big game winter range, promote huckleberry growth for grizzlies, and improve aquatic habitat. These claims were also left unsubstantiated. Old growth forest networks essentially by definition are self-managing. These forests do not require government or timber industry treatments. Secondly, winter range for elk and berry forage for bears are natural byproducts of the forests fire ecology. When the understory burns, grasses and berry-producing shrubs are among the first plants in the forests regenerative cycle to reemerge and thrive. Again, this does not require government or timber industry treatment. Stating that their thinning and harvesting project will improve aquatic habitat also goes wholly unsupported and seems to directly contradict their statement that this project will improve public access and recreational activities. Logging, public access, and recreation all mean road building. The abundance of sedimentary runoff from Forest Service roads clouds watersheds and has devastated native fish populations for decades. Furthermore, road boundaries have long been known to have a direct and adverse effect on grizzly populations by confining their natural movements and isolating them within island ecosystems defined by road boundaries. Near the articles conclusion, Lincoln County commissioners stated that, Black Rams ecologically based treatments will help the Yaaks forests adapt to conditions of climate change. They failed, however, to mention that Black Ram calls for the harvest of nearly 60 million board feet without first obtaining an Environmental Impact Statement. In the wake of massive Oregon wildfires, the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University found that wildfire emissions were not the leading source carbon emissions, but that the logging and wood product industries were. If it was climate health they cared about, they would leave the forest undisturbed so it could continue to do its own work sequestering carbon, retaining water, generating oxygen, and building soil. Alliance For The Wild Rockies, the Yaak Valley Forest Council, WildEarth Guardians, and the Center for Biological Diversity are all actively working to hold the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Agriculture accountable for their actions while fighting to protect the last of Montanas old growth forests. I encourage you to contact these organizations, follow up with your own independent research, and help us all to make responsible and informed decisions for our public lands. (This column is abridged. For full-length version visit douglasbalmain.com/blackramloggingproject.html). A woman has died after a mid-July crash in Morganton. Gloria Martina Hogan, 70, died Thursday night after a July 20 crash on East Union Street, said Lt. Josiah Brown with the Morganton Department of Public Safety. The crash occurred around 2:40 p.m. July 20 when a Toyota Sequoia turned left from East Fleming Drive in front of a silver Hyundai, Brown previously told The News Herald. Hogan was airlifted to a Charlotte-area hospital, but died Thursday night from injuries sustained in the crash, Brown said. He said Hogan was a passenger in the Hyundai, though earlier information provided to the newspaper said she was the driver. The driver of the Toyota was cited for failure to yield right of way, Brown said, and more charges may be pending. Klaus Stern came to Northwest Montana 20 years ago to remind my students of the lure and dangers of fascism. Klaus was a dear friend and a Holocaust survivor. He reinforced in me the importance of history and my responsibility to teach its lessons. In my classroom, in my community, in the towns of Lincoln and Flathead counties his message haunts me to this day. His camp number 1-1-7-0-3-3 on his forearm brought deathly silence and tears to those present. A stark reminder of fascism. He talked about cruelty and how neighbors became enemies of each other. About how a fascist cult leader promised to restore the nation to its former greatness by preventing immigrants, liberals, minorities, homosexuals, and women from taking over cultural institutions. His country, Germany, was enamored with a macho leader that promised to solve the countrys problems. Klaus emphasized how Hitler was legally elected. History tells us that fascist governments start out democratic, but over time become ultra-nationalistic. Hitler constantly reminded people of the countrys mythic past when a dominant group ruled over women and minorities. Klaus explained his plan for Germany to return to greatness. His Brown Shirts flooded the body politic with propaganda by capturing newspapers and holding extravagant mass rallies organized by Josef Geobbels to convince people of the oppressive threat. Anti-intellectualism was important because science can ONLY help the leader, not disagree with him. Truth becomes a threat, as Goebbels states, the enemy of the state. Fascist governments, like Hitlers, constantly perpetuate the idea that there is one religion (Christian), one gender (male), and one race (white) superior to others. It becomes easy to convince people. In Germany, Brown Shirts propagandize the campaign Ein Reich, ein volk, ein fuhrer. One nation, one people, one leader. Once people are convinced they are superior, its easy to convince them they are victims of equality. For example, German Christians were victims of Jews, white Americans are victims of black equality, men are victims of feminism, children are victims of homosexuals. The prominent groups are law abiding, while minority groups are not. Since the leader is supreme, he cant violate the constitution because he IS the constitution. Order doesnt mean justice. It means maintaining the social order defined by the leader and the dominant group. Sexual anxiety is prevalent because women and children are perceived to be under threat and only a strong male leader can protect them. This anxiety creates a fear of homosexuality and transgender who are perceived to be a threat trying to destroy lives while coming for your children. Often fascist systems create a divide between urban and rural areas. City dwellers are perceived to be lawless, corrupt, and decadent, full of minorities and migrants. The real hardworking people live in rural areas. As Klaus entered the gates of Auschwitz he read a sign, arbeit macht frei, or work makes you free. Since liberals and minorities are lazy and labor unions are controlled by communists, Klaus learned firsthand that detainees were forced to work to death because they have no value. Taken individually, each characteristic does not define fascism, but put together, when honest conservatives are lured into fascism, they are convinced that their families are under threat without the ruling party. Unfortunately for Klaus and his wife Paula (also a survivor), they endured horrific treatment in Auschwitz because they were not Christian. I wonder what he would say about today's Republican party? Are they part of a personality cult? Are they loyal to the party over country? Do they advocate policies that disproportionately affect women, poor or people of color? Has the Republican party supported banning books or criticized science-recommended masking or vaccinations? Do they attack homosexuals, transgender youth or migrants? Do Republicans believe they are victims of sinister liberal attacks? And finally does the Republican Party support democracy or the peaceful transition of power? Im confident what Klaus would say. Theodore T.S. Parvin came to Iowa in 1838 with Robert Lucas, the first territorial governor, and soon settled at Bloomington future Muscatine to serve as district prosecutor. His uncle, John J.A. Parvin, arrived less than a year later. Together they started one of the first schools in the territory. Both would achieve lifelong reputations as champions of education. J.A. was a founding member of the Methodist Episcopal church and the first temperance society of the territory. At first J.A. taught school and ran a general store. (Josiah, brother of J.A. and father of T.S., ran a hotel here for a while, too.) Ill write about T.S. some other time. In 1843, before we had mayors, J.A. was elected president of Bloomington. Starting in 1846, he served four years as clerk of the district court. In 1850 he was elected a representative to Iowas Third General Assembly. There he won passage of the bill changing the name of Bloomington to Muscatine and supported efforts to prohibit liquor selling. In 1854 he was elected mayor of Muscatine. Ive been writing about the politics of race in Iowa leading up to the Civil War, laying out background for the equal-rights victories of 1868. I invite you now to watch the evolution of J.A. Parvin and the Republican newspaper that backed him. Early in 1856 Parvin was a delegate to the convention that organized Iowas Republican party. That fall the Muscatine Journal endorsed his candidacy for representative to the forthcoming state constitutional convention. It was a partisan contest. Oct. 20, 1856: Mr. Parvin always acted with the democratic party until it became a covenant-breaking and slavery-propagating organization. He renounced his allegiance to it when the Missouri Compromise was repealed. He is now a Republicanand an ardent opposer of slavery extension. Oct. 24: Mr. Parvin said he had been called a [N-word] worshiper and would vote for granting negroes the right of suffrage. This he denied and stated emphatically that he was opposed to extending the negro the right of suffrage. Thus have the lying mouths of contemptible politicians been closed, and Mr. Parvin stands today before his fellow-citizens with a clearer and better record than either of his opponents. He won and was chosen president pro tem when the convention convened at the capitol in Iowa City on January 19. The delegates deliberated until March 5. Acknowledging resolutions received from a convention of colored Iowans back in Muscatine, Parvin moved to consider making provision for the education of the children of blacks and mulattoes. Next he submitted a petition from 129 Muscatine citizens protesting any provision again imposing upon the black population of this State the disabilities in regard to giving evidence in Courts, and the holding of property. As I reported last week, the controversy ensuing from these Parvin initiatives led to a decision by the convention to put a separate question in front of voters asked to ratify the new constitution. Thus the Republicans in the Convention avoided the delicate task of settling the question of negro suffrage. (Erik M. Eriksson in Iowa Journal of History and Politics, 1924) With 20-20 hindsight, are historians too harsh in their assessments? Few questioned that most Iowans felt open hostility to the idea of full political citizenship for the Negro. To push this issue in the convention courted disaster at the polls for Republicans. On the other hand, they constantly preened themselves in public on their idealism and humanitarianism. They cleverly extricated themselves from their dilemma by recourse to the most basic of all democratic processesthe referendum. With a vote of 23 to 10 the Republicans pushed through an amendment to have a separate ballot attached when the vote on ratification of the Constitution went before the people. The population of lowa rather than the Republican delegates would be forced to decide whether to delete the word white. (James Connor in The Annals of Iowa, 1970) The outcome? In August 1857, Iowans approved the new constitution and then put themselves on record for white supremacy: 49,387 to 8,489. While Democrats tried to revive segregationist sentiment in the run-up to the regular elections in October, egalitarians kept their heads down. The new Republican party passed its big test, electing former Muscatine resident Ralph Lowe as governor. But one former Democrat turned Republican paid the price for his outspoken role in the constitutional convention. A few days before his 50th birthday, John Abbott Parvin lost his bid for election to the state senate. Muscatine Journal (quoting the Davenport Gazette), Oct. 24, 1857: The Republicans elected their whole ticket in Muscatine county with the exception of Mr. John A. Parvin, their candidate for Senator. We much regret Mr. Parvins defeat, as he is a man of talent and sound judgment, as well as thorough going Republican. Next time: Dueling editors MUSCATINE Robert A. Bobby Fiedler can trace his family history in Muscatine back through five generations and he remembers two buildings that served as the Musser Public Library as he was growing up. After working at the Musser since 2006, he was named library director during the Musser Public Library Board of Trustees July 27 meeting. He had been working as the interim director since former director Pam Collins stepped down on June 30. He began working for the library when it was still located in the building at 304 Iowa Ave. He took a full-time position at the reference desk and, at the same time, attended the University of Wisconsin Madison in a graduate program in library science. After graduation, he was offered the position of assistant director. I was born and raised in Muscatine, he said. I have always had an affinity for libraries and to get a chance to work in my hometown library was an honor for me. It just sort of blossomed for me. Fiedler graduated from the University of Iowa with a double major in English and journalism, with a minor in photography. He went on to earn a masters degree in photography from the Savanah College of Art and Design. His original decision to pursue a career in library science began as an undergraduate working in the biology lab at the University of Iowa. After spending time abroad, he worked in special collections at Augustana College before going to work for the Musser. As director, Fiedler plans to continue to introduce new technologies appropriate for the facility as well as get a handle on what the community is interested in and design services to what the community wants to see happen. It is really their library at the end of the day, he said. Since beginning his career in libraries, Fiedler said he is seeing technology grow rapidly, going from librarians stamping books to self-checkout using RFID tags. New technologies are also offered, as the library offers to loan out hot spots and tablets. He said there is 24-hour Internet service both inside and outside the building. He said new technologies have been adopted by the library as they have become appropriate. Also, he said, libraries are constantly re-inventing themselves. He said the Musser has gotten a nack for recognizing changes going on and adapting accordingly. He also said the library has done its best to foster a sense of community and bring people in from all backgrounds. I think libraries are and have been becoming more of a community establishment and that we just try to bring people together in as much as they are interested in doing that. He also said the library is also working to catalog the history of Muscatine through such things as historical tapes and photographs. MUSCATINE Last month, four Muscatine Police Department officers traveled to Newton, Iowa, for a round of training in improving their response to mental health crisis calls, with this training being sponsored by Central Iowa Community Services. Through these training sessions, which are expected to run until July 2023 in order to allow for as many officers as possible to take this class, it is hoped that these training sessions will give law enforcement and first responders the tools they need to deescalate moments of crisis. We have had an increase in mental health and substance abuse related calls for service for the past few years, Lt. Minnat Patel, one of the four officers who attended this training session, said. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, one in four Iowans who have a serious mental illness have been arrested, with two out of every five inmates having a history with mental illness. Additionally, 473,000 Iowan adults have some sort of mental health condition. Its important that officers learn how to communicate with their community which will reduce the amount of use of force incidents, Detective Nicole Blum, who also attended the training, said. When asked why he chose to attend this training, Patel shared that he wanted to get more experience for handling any mental health crises that may come up in his community. These calls are so varied that any extra training can make a huge difference, he said. Mental health and substance abuse is an ever increasing issue in policing, and it is important to know what resources we have available to help. For Officer Nicholas Popp, another officer who attended the session, this training was an eye-opener for him. I felt like I had a good idea about mental health, but after the week I learned a lot more, Popp said. What stood out was the active listening drills and methods, which I did not know about before. They were very useful and even in my first week back on patrol I have utilized them and they have worked. Popp added that he now felt more comfortable in speaking with subjects who are having a mental health crisis. I feel more confident in using my words to help de-escalate a situation, and I feel better about teaching others at the police department as well. We did a lot of role playing and covering topics of PTSD, suicide, excited delirium, substance abuse and crisis situation, Blum explained. Role playing was very beneficial since we deal with these kinds of situations on a daily basis. Multiple speakers also presented their own personal stories of how they dealt with mental health in their own life. It was nice to be able to reflect on their personal stories because sometimes officers get too caught up in their job that they dont realize how their mental health is being affected. For Blum, one of her biggest takeaways from the training session, she said, is that if you cant take care of yourself, you cant take care of others. There were a lot of techniques and strategies that were discussed, Patel said, sharing similar sentiments and adding that he also now felt more confident in handling calls and situations related to mental health crises and substance abuse. As these training sessions continue in Newton, the Muscatine Police Department hopes to send at least two more officers sometime in September. In the meantime, the department has three different Crisis Counselors who are joining officers on weekly ride-alongs, assisting in calls for service related to mental health and substance abuse. It is our hopes to have as many officers attend this training as it becomes available. This training will allow us to work more closely with Crisis Counselors and use the same techniques and resources, Patel said. WAPELLO - An official removal order for a Wapello man the Louisa County Board of Supervisors voted to remove from the Louisa County Conservation Board (LCCB) on June 21 has not yet been received. Although county officials said during the supervisors July 26 meeting the letter had been sent to Sam Willson by certified mail on July 19, Willson reported Wednesday he had not received it. While Willson said no official letter had arrived, he had received a copy from a newspaper reporter on July 27, but it was unsigned and he questioned whether it was legal or valid. Receiving official word from the press instead of the official way is wrong, Willson, who was appointed to a five-year term on the LCCB on Jan. 1, 2020, wrote in a later email to the reporter. According to the Iowa Code, an official appointed by the board of supervisors may be removed by the board by written order, except where otherwise provided by state law. In another section of the Code, an exception is made for county conservation board members, which only allows the board of supervisors to remove those members for malfeasance, nonfeasance, disability or failure to participate in conservation board activities. In any case, once a person who is removed is mailed the written order, that person has 30 days to appeal the order. Even though Willson has not yet received the official written order, since officials said it was mailed on July 19, he only has until Aug. 17 to appeal, if he wishes. Willson has not announced if he plans to appeal, although he has indicated he has talked with an attorney about his case. He also pointed out in his email to the reporter the delay in receiving the official order had used up almost a third of his appeal window. According to previous discussions and the written order, the supervisors decided to remove Willson following a 90-minute closed meeting where it reviewed comments he had posted on the WQAD-TV Facebook page. Those postings had come in response to comments posted by others related to a proposed sale of the 18.5-acre Baird Timber, which a unanimous conservation board later rejected. In the initial post a person had asked, isnt the conservation board supposed to preserve?, which prompted another individual to reply: yes, but when the county supervisors can (appoint) members to the (LCCB), believing in conservation doesnt seem to be a requirement to sit on the conservation board. Willson had then responded with: They are supposed to, but when the board is corrupted, it runs astray. That comment was later cited in the supervisors written removal order as the primary charge against Willson. The decision of the Supervisors is based on your written statements posted on Facebook alleging corruption on the Conservation Board, they wrote. Your allegations of corruption are unsubstantiated and foster a hostile environment on the Conservation Board, they continued before closing by accusing Willson of malfeasance for making false allegations on a public social media platform. In his email to the reporter, Willson denied the accusation and suggested his comments were constitutionally protected speech. I stated the board was corrupted and went astray. I did not state the board was corrupt or there was corruption transpiring, he wrote, adding none of the supervisors had asked him what he had meant by his postings. The actions by the board of supervisors demonstrates that they do not want someone to voice facts about a board they want total control over, he concluded in the email. Iowa WAS one of the few states that did not impose criminal penalties for elder abuse. That changed this year with a new bipartisan law, written with the help of State Senator Kevin Kinney, shown here at the bill signing. Elder abuse is physical or emotional abuse, neglect, isolation or sexual exploitation of an older person. Iowa has seen a sharp increase in the abuse of dependent, older Iowans in recent years. Making those who abuse our elders criminally liable will better protect them. By passing Senate File 522, we enhanced criminal penalties for those convicted in Iowa of committing assault, theft, consumer fraud, elder abuse or financial exploitation against an older personanyone 60 or older. The AARP, Iowas largest advocacy organization of seniors, supports this approach. It ensures punishments under Iowa law provide justice for the victim and deter future crimes. What the new law does SF 522 establishes criminal penalties for elder abuse ranging from a serious misdemeanor to a Class C felony, depending on the severity of the abuse. The bill also creates new crimes and penalties to close loopholes and better protect potentially vulnerable older Iowans. They include: Older Individual Assault Assault on anyone 60 or older could result in charges as harsh as a Class D felony. The bill establishes minimum sentences and stronger penalties for a second or subsequent offense. Financial Exploitation of an Older Individual When a person in a position of trust improperly uses the money, property or other assets of an older Iowan, they could be charged with up to a Class B felony; however, there are protections for people assisting in good faith with long-term care and estate planning. Theft Against an Older Individual Provides harsher penalties for the crime of theft when it is perpetrated against anyone the perpetrator knows is 60 or older. State Sen. Zach Wahls works for the people of Johnson County, Cedar County, and Muscatine County. Contact him at 515-281-3901 or zach.wahls@legis.iowa.gov MyBroadband tested building a do-it-yourself uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for a Wi-Fi router, and it easily survived a 4-hour power outage. Although there are initiatives afoot to end load-shedding in South Africa, experts agree that the country faces at least another year of rotational power cuts. Therefore, South Africans will be looking for ways to remain online during load-shedding. Mobile data can be significantly more expensive than fixed line options, or even services like fixed LTE or 5G. Various companies now make uninterruptable power supplies for routers containing batteries that can keep a router running for a few hours when the power is out. These devices usually cost around R1,500 depending on the brand and capacity and are a good investment if you dont have other methods of beating load shedding. MyBroadband built and tested a similar UPS for only R784.60 in parts and found it worked excellently to keep our router online. The main downside of building such a UPS yourself is the time to design, construct and test it, compared to a working product off the shelf. The available products are also guaranteed to work with most routers, while you must customise the DIY option to the equipment you want to run. The benefits of the DIY solution are a much lower price and flexibility in the design to add more capacity or cover more devices. When designing our UPS, we decided to use off-the-shelf electronic components to minimise design and building time. The main goal was to keep a 4G Wi-Fi router online for 4 hours without external power. The router makes use of a 12V 2A power supply brick, which gives us an indication of the maximum power draw. However, we noticed this router works equally well with a 1A supply, meaning it usually draws less than 12W. Measuring the actual power draw would be helpful during this design step, but everyone does not have access to equipment to do this accurately, so working with the maximum from the power supply is a good guess. This tells us we would need between 48 and 96 Wh of battery capacity if the router always requires the maximum power. Other units with good reviews seem to have battery capacities of around 50-60 Wh, so we started looking for batteries in a similar range. We decided to use lithium-ion batteries for their good power density and ability to deep cycle without losing too much capacity compared to lead acid batteries. These cells are also widely available as they are commonly used in many consumer electronics, including torches and vapes. We shopped around and found 21700-format cells with 5,000 mAh capacities for only R135, which seemed to be a sweet spot for capacity over price. Three of these cells should result in a 55 Wh pack which is ideal for our use case. We placed the batteries in a holder where they can clip in, so we do not have to solder or weld directly to the cells. Initially, we planned on running the three cells in series for a nominal voltage of 12.6 V to reduce the need for stepping voltages up or down. The BMS and charging boards that we found that supported series cells each had a few limitations that made us reconsider our choices, and we ended up putting everything in parallel instead. Tp4056-based charging boards have worked well for our single-cell applications in the past, as they feature decent protective circuitry and all the charging circuitry needed. These boards also have a reputation for working well in parallel while keeping separate cells isolated from one another, so we used one of them for each of our cells. This also allows us to charge each cell at up to 1A, which should enable the pack to charge back up between load-shedding cycles. As we wanted to use the original 12V power supply to charge these cells, we needed to step the 12V down to an acceptable voltage. We used an adjustable buck converter, which efficiently steps DC voltages down for this purpose. We tested one rated for 3A output, as the three charging boards each draw a bit under 1A at 5V. However, the board got quite hot, so we replaced it with a much larger unit capable of outputting up to 20A. The lithium batteries provide between 2.5V and 4.2V depending on their charge and must be stepped back up to 12V to supply the router. We used a simple boost converter to do this, which has the same 2A output capacity as the original power supply. We also bought a 5.5mm connector splitter cable that we cut to have an input and output to the UPS, and a plastic enclosure to house everything. We used leftover wire from a previous project to wire everything up. Our components are mostly soldered together, but many of the pieces are also available with screw terminals, making them easy to put together. We thoroughly tested the system for a few cycles, ensuring that the battery protection circuitry works as expected, preventing the batteries from getting damaged. This is a critical step as lithium batteries can be very dangerous if they are overcharged or left to discharge beyond reasonable limits. The batteries consistently charge up to around 4.15 V, which is not perfectly full but does leave a safe margin to prevent overcharging. The batteries discharge to around 3.8V under load after 4 hours of running the router, which shows us that we have a decent margin to keep the router running for longer than our initial target. Charging them back up with the router still connected takes about 4 hours. This means our router should remain on even if the power consistently switches off and back on at 4-hour intervals. Chancellor Health Care Inc., a Windsor, California-based provider of senior living services, announced that it has assumed operations and management for an assisted living and memory care community in Napa. The community, The Inn on Villa Lane (formerly known as Brookdale Napa) is located at 3255 Villa Lane. The Inn on Villa Lane offers 64 assisted living apartments and 14 apartments for memory care. I am excited that our Napa community was chosen to be part of Chancellor Health Cares growth," said Kimberly Humphrey, executive director. Founded in 1992, Chancellor Health Care offers independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing care communities located in California, Colorado, Maryland and Oregon. Napa Valley artists will hold an art exhibition of paintings, works on paper and ceramics at NBC Pottery Gallery and Studio, 410 Circle Drive in Angwin. The artists featured in "Making Their Mark" are Nancy Willis, Nikki Ballere and Will Callnan of NBC Pottery and the Bakers sisters, Melissa, Mercedes and Anna Baker. Opening festivities will from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, featuring food, wine, live music and art. A closing party will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The artists have a long and colorful artistic history in the Napa Valley and first met at Nimbus Arts in St. Helena, where they also teach. This is the first time they are presenting their work together. For more information about the artists or the exhibition, please contact nancy@nancywillis.com or info@nbcpottery.com. Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be arraigned Wednesday morning on a drunken driving allegation stemming from a May crash near the couples St. Helena area home, Napa County prosecutors have announced. The arraignment hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Napa County Superior Court, according to a statement from the office of District Attorney Allison Haley. Paul Pelosi faces misdemeanor charges of causing injury by driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level over 0.08%. Haley's office had announced June 23 it would file DUI charges against Paul Pelosi in connection with a two-vehicle collision on the night of May 28, on Highway 29 in Oakville. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. State law allows Pelosi to be represented at the arraignment through his attorney rather than personally, the District Attorneys Office said in a news release Monday afternoon. At an arraignment, the defendant is usually informed of the charges, and can enter a not-guilty plea and have the case continued to a later date, either for a change of plea or to schedule a trial. Defendants in misdemeanor cases who are not in custody have a right to a jury trial within 45 days, but can waive the deadline. Pelosis arraignment hearing will be broadcast online via Zoom, similar to other Napa County court proceedings since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Information about virtual courtroom access is available at napa.courts.ca.gov. Napa County District Attorney files misdemeanor DUI charges against Paul Pelosi The Napa County DA's office announced it had filed criminal misdemeanor charges for drunken driving against Paul Pelosi, husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Thursday. On the night of the crash, Pelosi was driving a 2021 Porsche east on Walnut Lane across Highway 29 when his car collided with a 2014 Jeep on Oakville Cross Road, the California Highway Patrol said at the time. A blood sample taken just over two hours after the crash showed Pelosi had a blood alcohol percentage of 0.082%, the District Attorneys Office reported earlier. While DUI resulting in injury can be prosecuted as a felony or misdemeanor in California, Napa County prosecutors filed the lesser charges consistent with how our office handles these cases with similar injuries, the DAs Office said in an earlier statement. Punishment for a misdemeanor DUI conviction includes fines, up to five years probation, at least five days in jail, a requirement to install an ignition interlock, and completing a court-ordered class for drunken drivers. Haleys office has described receiving numerous angry calls after right-wing media figures including U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and Donald Trump Jr., son of the former president spread false rumors that Napa County had dropped the charges against Pelosi. Theres been bad information pushed out and sometimes the rumors can, they travel quickly on social media, Henry Wofford, spokesperson for the Napa County Sheriffs Office, said in June. If something doesnt sound right, we encourage them to check out our social media web pages or give us a call to check whether its accurate or not. ST. HELENA Eight first-time homeowners can wipe the sweat equity from their brows and begin enjoying their new Brenkle Court homes in St. Helena. They helped build their homes over three years, hammering in nails and cutting lumber. Each family group averaged 4,000 hours over 160 weekends. Volunteers and subcontractors helped. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. The result: a grand opening ceremony on Monday for this affordable housing project on McCorkle Avenue, developed by the nonprofit Our Town St. Helena. Anai Ortiz is one of the homeowners who helped with the building. "Everything building walls, installing windows, installing doors," she said. "We painted a lot." They learned as they went along, she said. She was born and raised in St. Helena. Until she moves into her new home, she is renting in Napa and commuting to her job in St. Helena at Stonebridge Apartments, where she is residential service coordinator. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: Anai Ortiz Anai Ortiz is building her own home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. Ortiz stood in front of the new homes on Monday and reflected on what it all means to her. "It's like a sense of accomplishment that I did this with my friends and family and neighbors," she said. Delia Lopez stood nearby. She and her husband Bardomiano Lopez originally came from Guanajuato, Mexico and moved to California in 1979. Speaking in Spanish with Ortiz translating, she also reflected on the day. "Lots of happiness," she said, adding she has lots of confidence in having a home for her family. She has been living in the Stonebridge Apartments in town. Bertha Delgadillo has lived in St. Helena since the late 1980s. She had never built anything like a house. Now, she said, she'll feel confident doing fix-it projects, should they arise. All eight two-story townhouses are identical. Each is 1,351 square feet with three bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a single-car garage and backyard. The development has common areas and a homeowners association to manage the property. The project was developed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program. Each family qualified to receive a low-interest loan from the USDA. The project cost $4.7 million, or $590,000 per home. While that might not sound particularly affordable, the Zillow real estate website calculates the typical value for a middle-tier home in St. Helena at about $2 million. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: The Lopez family The Lopez family is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. Ortiz said she doesn't know for certain how much the monthly mortgage will be, but that an estimate a few years ago put the cost at about $1,800, including taxes and insurance. Brenkle Court is named after Monsignor John Brenkle, formerly of St. Helena Catholic Church, who helped found Our Town St. Helena. He advocated for farmworkers and affordable housing. Brenkle attended Monday's ceremony and addressed the 80 or so people gathered there. He talked about the sense of community residents will have in this eight-home development. The various families already have a bond, given they helped one another build their homes. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: The Martinez family The Martinez family is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. The project began when St. Helena bought the half-acre site for $700,000 and gave it to Our Town St. Helena in 2015 for $1. When it came time at Monday's ceremony to recognize by name the people who helped made the project possible, more than two dozen stood up. Our Town St. Helena founding board members Mary Stephenson and John Sales, project manager Larry Vermeulen the list went on and on. "To be here today is such a wonderful, wonderful feat for all who have been involved," Our Town St. Helena's board president Jordan Bentley said. Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, expressed excitement for the project, but also noted how hard it can be to eke out affordable housing. That's a question the Assembly is trying to address, she said. "It's not easy anywhere to get a project like this done," state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said at the ceremony. "So kudos, it's just absolutely amazing." The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: The Rodriguez family The Rodriguez family is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: The Olguin family The Olguin family is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: Juan Salomon Juan Salomon is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. The families of St. Helena's Brenkle Court: The Rodriguez family The Rodriguez family is building a home as part of Our Town St. Helena's Brenkle Court self-help affordable housing project. According to information published by the U.S. DoD on August 2, 2022, Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded an $854,368,644 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides depot-level engine repair services for the AE2100 D3 engine on the C/KC-130 aircraft in support of the Marine Corps and the government of Kuwait. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft (Picture source: U.S. DoD) Work will be performed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (60%); Alverca, Portugal (30%); San Antonio, Texas (5%); and Indianapolis, Indiana (5%), and is expected to be completed in July 2027. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air System Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001922D0011). About the KC-130 The Lockheed Martin (previously Lockheed) KC-130 is a family of the extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. It is a multi-role, multi-mission tactical tanker/transport which provides the refueling support required by the USMC for its aircraft. This versatile asset provides in-flight refueling to both tactical aircraft and helicopters within a 500-nautical-mile (930 km) operating radius, as well as rapid ground refueling when required. Additional tasks performed are aerial delivery of troops and cargo, emergency resupply into unimproved landing zones within the objective or battle area, emergency medical evacuation, tactical insertion of combat troops and equipment, and evacuation missions. Joe Biden administration officials are urging China not to take escalatory action amid House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposed trip to Taiwan, stressing that the potential visit will not mark a shift in US foreign policy. Beijing has no reason to turn a possible visit under long-standing US policy into some sort of crisis or conflict, or use it as an excuse to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan Strait, said White House strategic communications coordinator John Kirby. Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of his ongoing tour of Asia. According to the media, the Pelosi are due to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday. China warned of egregious political implications of Pelosi's planned visit to the island. Chinese officials reiterated that the nation will not sit idly by if Beijing feels its sovereignty and territorial integrity are under threat. China began drills in the South China Sea on Tuesday amid a likely visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. According to the China Maritime Security Administration, the exercises will last until August 6, TASS reported. From 00:00 on August 2 to 24:00 on August 6, military exercises will be conducted in part of the South China Sea, the ministry said in a statement. Entrance to the specified area, the coordinates of which are indicated on the site, is prohibited, the document says. In turn, the Maritime Security Administration of the city of Dalian (Liaoning Province, Northeast China) reported that from 14:00 on August 1 to 24:00 on August 4, live-fire exercises will be held in the northern part of the Bohai Bay, entry into the specified area is prohibited. These are not the only exercises China is conducting at sea these days. On Friday last week, China began exercises in four areas of the South China Sea in the waters of Guangdong and Hainan. On Saturday, live-fire exercises were held in the waters of the eastern province of Fujian, which is shared by the strait with Taiwan.